KGO-TV(SAN FRANCISCO) -- A Tesla Model S ignited three times in one day, a northern California car owner and firefighters told ABC News.



While driving on a highway on Dec. 18, the driver got a tire pressure warning indicating a flat tire, and had the car towed to the nearby Los Gatos Tire and Auto Repair, Santa Clara County Fire Captain Bill Murphy told ABC News.



"I go in there, doing the paperwork and I start hearing a funny hissing sound," the Tesla owner told ABC San Francisco's station KGO-TV. "I thought, oh, it must be something going on in the shop next door."



The owner turned around to see the car on fire, and firefighters were called to the scene.



Los Gatos Tire and Auto Repair did not immediately respond to ABC News' for a request for comment.



We extinguished the initial fire very quickly, Murphy said. Shortly afterwards, the firefighters saw gas and steam coming off the car- which began venting gas, which Murphy said they believed was a sign of batteries burning. He said his crew again doused the car with water before flames could erupt and contacted Tesla, which recommended propping up the car to access its underbody where the battery is located, Murphy said. They continued to monitor the car for about 6 hours to ensure there was no lingering heat, Murphy added. His crew doused it with an estimated 2,000 gallons of water.



At 10 p.m., the car was moved to nearby tow yard, where it then reignited, Murphy said. The third fire was contained to the car, and did not spread. Firefighters spent nearly ten hours at the scene to ensure the battery would not ignite again.



The Tesla owner told ABC San Francisco station KGO-TV that he purchased the car about three months ago, and had driven it about 1,200 miles. He added that it would be the last Tesla his family owned.



"If this car had been in the house, and we had been on vacation, when this thing caught fire, the whole house could go under," he said.



Some automobile experts say that the public is still learning that electric cars can catch fire, just like traditional cars.



People tend to look at electric vehicles and assume they wont catch fire because they dont have a traditional combustion engine," Alistair Weaver, editor-in-chief of Edmunds, an automobile research company, told ABC News. "The reality is that they still can still catch on fire.



"Certainly if I was a Tesla driver I dont think this is a source of panic," Weaver added, who himself drives a BMW electric car. In fact, electric cars are less likely to ignite than gas-powered vehicles, he said, but when they do they can require more time and more water to put out.



In a statement to ABC News, Tesla said We currently investigating the matter and are in touch with local first responders. We are glad to hear that everyone is safe.



Santa Clara Fire Department Captain Murphy said that firefighters are adjusting to responding to fire incidents that are different than what they have been accustomed to.



The presence of large lithium ion batteries in vehicles is something we are encountering more often, Murphy said. Its still categorized as vehicle fire. We just have a different fuel now. There is some additional complexity to the fuel thats burning.

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A Samsung factory in Vietnam

Bilateral trade turnover reached USD62.6 billion in the 11 months. Meanwhile, the countrys export turnover to Vietnam soared 1.9% compared to the same period last year to USD44.5 billion.

In 2014, Vietnam was the eighth largest trade partner of the RoK. It rose to the fourth place following China, the US and Japan after the RoK-Vietnam bilateral trade agreement took effect on December 20th, 2015.

The RoK is now the leading investor in Vietnam with a total investment capital of USD2.81 billion in the first 9 months of the year, a year-on-year rise of 24.5%. More and more Korean companies, especially Samsung Electronics, built factories in Vietnam to manufacture advanced technological products, including semiconductors, displays and mobile phones

Recently, on December 6th, the two sides have signed an action program to raise bilateral trade turnover to USD100 billion in 2020, indirectly contributing to shaping some spearhead economic sectors and boosting Vietnams exports. In addition, the move helps diversify imported products and choices of customers./.
kejguv at 21-12-2018 10:48 AM (2 years ago) (m)

Police officers celebrated yesterday after a notorious Boko Haram Commander was arrested in Lagos. Top police officers and their subordinates popped bottles of champagne to rejoice over the arrest of the suspect, Abdulmalik Umar, said to have been responsible for the deaths of more than 200 people.



According to the police report, the suspect said to be the gang-leader which allegedly killed seven police officers at Galadimawa roundabout, some police officers in Lugbe and Gwagwalada areas in Abuja as well as leading several bank robberies in Ondo, Edo and other southern states. It was gathered that 39-year-old Umar was the grand commander of the attack and rescue operations of the Prison in Niger State early this year where he lost one of his eyes during the operation which led to the escape of over 100 prisoners. Umar, was arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police (IG) Intelligence Response Team (IRT) around Mowe at a nurses house where he was receiving treatment for the bullet wounds he sustained during a recent gun battle with the police in Abuja. He had fled Abuja three weeks ago when some of his gang members were apprehended.



He was arrested along with four of his Gang members as the police recovered 4 AK-47 rifles and hundreds of ammunition. It was gathered that the head of the IRT, Abba Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), and his men had been trailing the one-eyed Umar since he entered Lagos three weeks ago. They eventually busted his hideout around 2pm yesterday.

Police officers celebrated yesterday after a notorious Boko Haram Commander was arrested in Lagos. Top police officers and their subordinates popped bottles of champagne to rejoice over the arrest of the suspect, Abdulmalik Umar, said to have been responsible for the deaths of more than 200 people.According to the police report, the suspect said to be the gang-leader which allegedly killed seven police officers at Galadimawa roundabout, some police officers in Lugbe and Gwagwalada areas in Abuja as well as leading several bank robberies in Ondo, Edo and other southern states. It was gathered that 39-year-old Umar was the grand commander of the attack and rescue operations of the Prison in Niger State early this year where he lost one of his eyes during the operation which led to the escape of over 100 prisoners. Umar, was arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police (IG) Intelligence Response Team (IRT) around Mowe at a nurses house where he was receiving treatment for the bullet wounds he sustained during a recent gun battle with the police in Abuja. He had fled Abuja three weeks ago when some of his gang members were apprehended.He was arrested along with four of his Gang members as the police recovered 4 AK-47 rifles and hundreds of ammunition. It was gathered that the head of the IRT, Abba Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), and his men had been trailing the one-eyed Umar since he entered Lagos three weeks ago. They eventually busted his hideout around 2pm yesterday.

Post Reply Writing is my passion and facts-proofing is my hobby, I have been writing at Gistmania for close to a decade now and It is one of the most exciting things I do. Outside writing, I love enjoying time with my loved ones - if you have any tip for me, please do get in touch Posted: at 21-12-2018 10:48 AM (2 years ago) | Gistmaniac
kejguv at 21-12-2018 01:35 PM (2 years ago) (m)

Two citizens of the Republic of Togo have been arrested in Osogbo by men of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Osun State Command while attempting to obtain Nigerian passports. The Togolese, Ametchonwoun Alexandre Adodo and Awoudya Yao Francis, were arrested on the premises of the Osun State Command of the NIS when they appeared for photographic capturing.

Two citizens of the Republic of Togo have been arrested in Osogbo by men of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Osun State Command while attempting to obtain Nigerian passports. The Togolese, Ametchonwoun Alexandre Adodo and Awoudya Yao Francis, were arrested on the premises of the Osun State Command of the NIS when they appeared for photographic capturing. The suspects, it was learnt, entered Nigeria without passports and wanted to travel to Kenya to secure jobs with Nigerian passports. It was also gathered that Ametchonwoun and Awoudya applied for Nigerian passports as Alexandre Adebayo and Francis Adebayo, respectively. The suspects said they paid N65, 000 to one Saheed Ajibola, who was assisting them to obtain the passports. The Comptroller, NIS, Osun State Command, Mr Adebowale Idowu, said the suspects used fake local government identification documents from Badagry in Lagos State. Idowu added that the said Ajibola, who was assisting the suspects to get the passports and had forged local government identification documents for them, was also arrested. While answering questions from our correspondent, the Togolese suspects said they came to Nigeria without documents. They added that they were introduced to Ajibola, who promised to procure the passports to enable them to move to Kenya. Ajibola, however, said he did not know that the suspects were not Nigerians, adding that he obtained local government identification documents for the two men in order to assist them. The Osun NIS boss stated that the suspects would be arraigned in court as soon as the investigation was concluded. The suspects, it was learnt, entered Nigeria without passports and wanted to travel to Kenya to secure jobs with Nigerian passports. It was also gathered that Ametchonwoun and Awoudya applied for Nigerian passports as Alexandre Adebayo and Francis Adebayo, respectively. The suspects said they paid N65, 000 to one Saheed Ajibola, who was assisting them to obtain the passports. The Comptroller, NIS, Osun State Command, Mr Adebowale Idowu, said the suspects used fake local government identification documents from Badagry in Lagos State. Idowu added that the said Ajibola, who was assisting the suspects to get the passports and had forged local government identification documents for them, was also arrested. While answering questions from our correspondent, the Togolese suspects said they came to Nigeria without documents. They added that they were introduced to Ajibola, who promised to procure the passports to enable them to move to Kenya. Ajibola, however, said he did not know that the suspects were not Nigerians, adding that he obtained local government identification documents for the two men in order to assist them. The Osun NIS boss stated that the suspects would be arraigned in court as soon as the investigation was concluded.

Post Reply Writing is my passion and facts-proofing is my hobby, I have been writing at Gistmania for close to a decade now and It is one of the most exciting things I do. Outside writing, I love enjoying time with my loved ones - if you have any tip for me, please do get in touch Posted: at 21-12-2018 01:35 PM (2 years ago) | Gistmaniac
Governments around the nation are working to design the best vaccine policies that keep both their employees and their residents safe. Although the latest data shows a variety of polarizing perspectives, there are clear emerging best practices that leading governments are following to put trust first: creating policies that are flexible and provide a range of options, and being in tune with the needs and sentiments of their employees so that they are able to be dynamic and accommodate the rapidly changing situation.
<< See the full list of the 2018 Public Officials of the Year.

Over more than four decades in criminal justice, Rick Raemisch has worn many hats, including deputy sheriff, prosecutor, elected sheriff and secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. But in each post, he has remained committed to one overriding principle: reducing the number of people in prison. When the political leadership of Wisconsin declined to endorse his plan to shrink the number of state prisons to match the states declining inmate population, Raemisch decided to look elsewhere for a new challenge that would put his political and personal beliefs to the test.What he found turned out to be the most difficult challenge of his career. In 2013, the head of the Colorado Department of Corrections, Tom Clements, was shot dead on his doorstep by a former prison inmate. Like Raemisch, Clements had been committed to reducing the states inmate population and phasing out the use of solitary confinement. Succeeding him was not only a difficult job -- it was also a potentially dangerous one. Clements killer had been released from prison after spending a long period in solitary confinement that appeared to have contributed to a desire for revenge. There were fears that others might be tempted into a similar offense.Still, when Gov. John Hickenlooper called on Raemisch to come to Colorado and continue the work begun by Clements, Raemisch agreed. But he vowed to take the reform efforts a step further. If the state was going to grapple with the use of solitary confinement, Raemisch felt he needed to know what conditions in solitary actually looked like.In 2014, he decided to spend a day in solitary, against the wishes of his staff. Clements was killed at his home, aides told him; how could the state keep Raemisch safe inside a prison? But he insisted, and his visit to solitary was documented by news outlets across the country. Raemisch emerged from the experience pushing for the most aggressive solitary confinement cutback in the nation. He wrote in an opinion piece inthat the overuse of solitary confinement has not solved any problems; at best it has maintained them.Four years later, Colorado limits the use of solitary confinement in prisons to 15 days, borrowing protocols set by the United Nations. The state bans solitary confinement in the two Colorado prison facilities dedicated to treating mentally ill inmates. Rather than spending time in solitary cells, these inmates have access to de-escalation rooms where they are not confined and can sort out their issues with the assistance of staff. The de-escalation rooms have been so successful in those two facilities that Colorado is rolling them out across its entire prison system in the coming months.All of this harkens back to Raemischs early days as a deputy sheriff in Dane County, Wis., when he took on some of the toughest assignments in the department, spending significant time working undercover narcotics. He concluded that simply arresting drug dealers would never be enough, and that arrests and imprisonment alone would never make any progress against the drug problem. Decades ago, the 65-year-old Raemisch says, I knew we needed to get out of this cycle of mass incarceration. Prison should truly be reserved for violent offenders only.J. Brian Charles
After failing for two years to get legislation passed requiring doctors to alert their patients if theyve been placed on probation for misconduct, it would have been easy for California state Sen. Jerry Hill to give up. The California Medical Association had lobbied hard against Hills bill. But that was before the #MeToo movement and the national attention to the case of Larry Nassar, the USA Gymnastics team physician who was sentenced to prison after being accused of sexually abusing hundreds of young female athletes.After some of those athletes testified in favor of Hills bill, Californias first-in-the-nation Patients Right to Know Act passed in August and was quickly signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown. It will require doctors to tell patients if theyve been disciplined for sexual misconduct with patients, overprescribing medications, a criminal conviction involving harm to patients, or drug or alcohol abuse.The California law has given patients advocates hope for similar legislation in other states. Currently there is no national standard in place to alert patients if their doctors have been placed on probation; usually only insurance companies and the health-care systems that doctors are affiliated with are informed of such disciplinary actions. There are online databases for a patient to check on a doctors probationary status, but that puts the onus on the patient to seek out the information.Hill says he first became interested in the idea of a more proactive system of alerting patients after reading about an Orange County, Calif., doctor linked to 16 overdose deaths who was simply placed on probation and allowed to continue practicing. It seemed absurd to Hill that there wasnt a better system to alert patients about such incidents, particularly since a study by the California Research Bureau had found that doctors who had been placed on probation were 30 percent more likely to re-offend.How the law will be implemented when it goes into effect this July is being worked out, but Hill imagines that when a patient goes to a doctors office, the paperwork will include a form listing the terms of a disciplined doctors probation. There also is expected to be a website and phone number where a patient can learn more about the accusations against a doctor.Before the bill passed, Eli Adashi, a former dean of medicine at Brown University, wrote in theabout the gravity of the measure and the unlikelihood that it could be enacted. The medical communitys argument was that the legislation would put an unnecessary shadow over a doctors practice and could put rehabilitated doctors out of business. But as political momentum for the legislation built, the Medical Board of California got behind it and the California Medical Association adopted a neutral position.Hill says he hasnt heard from lawmakers in other states about adopting a similar law, but he warns that such efforts are likely to encounter the same kind of opposition from state medical associations as his bill drew at first. For his part, Adashi says that it might take a few years before other states move in Californias direction, but we make a special effort to look at California, because it tends to be a hotbed of interesting ideas.Adashi admits that he was surprised at the passage of Hills bill, but that it was a right-minded effort. The right to know is an important concept, and we are all patients at one point.
Constant turnover in leadership does not lead to lasting solutions in public policy. No state illustrates that point more clearly than Alaska.When Republican Mike Dunleavy was elected governor in November, he became the sixth person to win the job in as many elections. That alone doesnt necessarily translate into poor management. Virginia, which has the nations only single-term limit for governors, is one of the best-run states. But the failure in Alaska to reelect a governor since the 1990s has made it harder to address its ongoing budget problems, driven by a dependence on oil for the lions share of its revenues. Of course its been disruptive, says Gerald McBeath, a retired University of Alaska political scientist, primarily because of the inability to reach agreement and consistency on a long-term fiscal plan.Dunleavy succeeds Bill Walker, an independent who was among the least popular governors in the country. A couple of weeks before the election, Walker suspended his campaign because it was clear he couldnt win. Walker was the first Alaska governor to cut the states Permanent Fund dividend, the checks written to residents out of the states oil income. He also expanded Medicaid, taking on additional costs at a time when revenues had been hurt badly by a steep decline in oil prices. His attempts to tax income, fuel and liquor went nowhere in the legislature. By 2017, Alaskas credit rating was lower than that of any other state except Illinois and New Jersey, although it bounced back a bit last year.Alaska doesnt tax sales or income at all, and also lacks a meaningful property tax at the state level. When oil prices dip, it causes panic at the Capitol in Juneau. When theyve tried to cut things, governors have been punished for doing that, says Democratic state Sen. Bill Wielechowski. And when they havent cut, theyve been punished for that.Hes right. Walkers difficulties were extreme, but his predecessors had failed to smooth out the state budget to account for the states boom and bust economy. Frank Murkowski, who was elected in 2002, ran into trouble by cutting services for seniors and other programs that were popular with the public. Sarah Palin, who unseated Murkowski in a GOP primary, presided over a boom time and could have won reelection, but she resigned in the middle of her term. Her successor, Sean Parnell, rode the wave of prosperity and won a full term on his own, but a series of scandals led to his narrow defeat by Walker in 2014.Dunleavy promises to protect the Permanent Fund while addressing deficits with reductions in spending. That might prove to be the right medicine, but it doesnt mean the politics will be easy. The states projected shortfall is north of $2 billion and, after a long period of coalition government, its not clear that Republicans in the legislature have working majorities in place to pass a budget.Republicans dominate the state, but the difficulties theyve long faced in addressing the budgets enduring imbalances have kept Alaska governors from lasting very long on the job. In a lot of these elections, people have made promises they just cant keep, Wielechowski says. Then the electorate holds them accountable.
Marylands state Senate president, a Democrat who has held the post since the Reagan administration, can hold grudges for years, if not decades. But he knows there are more important things: namely, keeping the Democrats veto-proof majority in the Maryland Senate, and making sure hes the one leading those Democrats.So after progressive candidates ousted four of his top allies in the chamber during last years Democratic primary, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller didnt waste any time with score-settling. Instead, he set out to make friends among the newest members of his caucus. He started calling them at 7 a.m. on the day after the primary. Cory McCray, a member of the House of Delegates from Baltimore, got one of those calls. The day before, McCray had knocked off Nathaniel J. McFadden, who, as the Senate president pro tem, was effectively the Senates second-most powerful member. McCray was too exhausted from the campaign to talk when the phone rang at 7, but by the next day, the two were meeting in Millers office in Annapolis. McCray campaigned on the idea that his predecessor hadnt brought his economically distressed district enough financial resources from the state. Miller steered McCray toward a seat on the budget committee. You have to applaud someone who, when things change, he gets out in front of it, McCray says of Miller.At first glance, Miller seems an unlikely choice to lead a legislative chamber in one of the countrys most liberal states. Hes an old-school Irish Catholic who collects guns as a hobby and lives in the countryside. This, as the Democratic Party, particularly in Maryland, is getting younger, more diverse and more urban. For decades, liberals have complained that hes out of step and too conservative for their communities, while Republicans have chafed at Millers uncanny ability to box in GOP governors and push unabashedly partisan agendas.For a time, it seemed like 2018 could have been the year when the 76-year-old Miller would finally be reined in, if not outright defeated. But come Jan. 9, he will preside over the opening of yet another four-year session of the Maryland Senate. His caucus -- and perhaps even the Maryland Democratic Party -- may be shifting left, but Mike Miller is staying put.Its a familiar situation for many Democrats around the country. Even with a blue wave roiling the political waters, Democrats are still largely relying on experienced -- but not necessarily ideologically pure -- leaders to guide their legislative efforts. Its true with incoming U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as legislative leaders in Democratic bastions such as Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon and Rhode Island. In Maryland, as in those other places, the challenge for Democratic leaders will be balancing the demands of newly emboldened progressives with the caution of more conservative members who want to maintain the partys appeal to moderates. The partys long-term viability may hang in the balance.For Miller, staying in power means paying attention to the things that got him there in the first place. He reads history obsessively, particularly about political leaders. But he also stays current. Miller is always scanning for developments around the country, in case they might be applicable in Maryland. Moreover, he has accrued enough information about his home state that he often seems to know more about senators districts than they do.But a lot of the feedback Miller gets is from his own district. More than two decades ago, he moved from the Washington suburbs to a house near the Chesapeake Bay where, he says, you have to go through the armory to get to the library. His neighbors in the Calvert County part of his district are far more conservative than those in the Washington suburbs, giving him a sense of how a wide swath of Maryland voters feel about issues. Youre able to sense whats going to happen before it happens, he says. You outwork everybody. You stay at the table the longest. You know where the opposition is coming from. You try to make the politics fit the needs of the state.Its a formula thats kept Miller at the center of Maryland politics for decades.Progressives may complain that Miller isnt liberal enough, but nobody questions his credentials as a Democrat.Miller grew up in a Democratic household, the first of 10 children, in what was then a rural area of Prince Georges County, outside Washington, D.C. As he tells it, his mother was a New Deal Democrat and his father was a conservative Southern Democrat. He learned the retail trade starting at the age of 10, working in his familys grocery and beer business, until he went to college and on to law school.When Miller got into politics, he advanced rapidly through the ranks of the Democratic Party, starting under the tutelage of Steny Hoyer, who is now the No. 2 Democrat in the U.S. House, and other party bosses. He joined the House of Delegates in 1971 and moved to the Senate four years later.Miller first won election as Senate president in 1987. He had no opponent. By the early 2000s, he was already the longest-serving Senate president in Maryland history. His colleagues decided to name a new Senate office building in Annapolis for him. He claims he never wanted the honor, and, in any event, he rarely uses his office there, instead preferring a dark corner office, crammed with books, just off the Senate floor.Early in his tenure as Senate president, Miller had a good rapport with President Bill Clinton. For several years during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, Miller led the national Democratic group, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, that focuses on winning majorities in state legislatures.said Miller quickly transformed it from a fledgling organization into an influential -- if largely unknown -- political entity. (also pointed out that the DLCC spent heavily in Maryland under Millers leadership, and a few large donations attracted legal scrutiny but no serious repercussions.)In 2006, Miller predicted that Maryland Democrats would wipe out Republicans in that years elections, including Gov. Robert Ehrlich. Were going to bury the Republicans six feet deep, faces up, so they wont come out for 20 years, Miller said at the time. Ehrlich lost his reelection bid, although it would only be eight years before another Republican took the governors mansion. But Democrats hold on the Maryland General Assembly remains as strong as ever: Democrats have controlled the House since 1921 and the Senate since 1900. Both chambers have had veto-proof majorities since 1922.Almost from the day Miller entered politics, hes been criticized as being out of step with the times. Early on, he relied on machine-style tactics to sideline rivals and consolidate power in Prince Georges County, even as those methods were falling out of favor with the increasingly suburban voters in the area. As subdivisions replaced tobacco farms, black residents flocked to the area, and Miller often clashed with black leaders who wanted more African-Americans elected to public office. His hopes for statewide office were effectively dashed when he told a TV station in a 1989 interview that Baltimore is a goddamn ghetto. Its worse than inner-city Washington, D.C. It is shit  I hope youre not going to play this on tape. The station did play it, and Miller apologized.Personal rivalries have also threatened his hold on power. For years, Miller butted heads with Parris Glendening, when Glendening served as the county executive of Prince Georges County. They were not only competitors in the same backyard, they were also temperamentally opposites. Glendening was an even-keeled college professor worried about environmental issues, even as he pushed for growth in the county. Miller could run both hot and cold, a bully or a bridge-builder, but he cringed at some of the developments that Glendening allowed. When Glendening won his race for governor in 1994, many political observers figured a reckoning was coming for Miller. But tempers cooled in Annapolis at least in part, Miller says now, because Glendening hired Millers chief of staff for the same role in the governors office. From then on, he says, the men agreed to give each other what the other wanted as much as they could.Since then, Miller has been more accommodating to governors -- even, to some extent, Republicans. Miller promised Ehrlich, who took office in 2003, that he would get three years of relative peace. In the fourth year, he reportedly warned him, well take out a machine gun. As a result, Millers opened himself up to criticism from the left that he is too willing to work with Republican governors, including the incumbent, Gov. Larry Hogan.But when Democrats, like Hogans predecessor Martin OMalley, are in power, Miller is also criticized for holding up or watering down liberal legislation. In some cases, he has had to allow Senate votes on bills that he personally opposes. For example, he voted against the 2012 law to permit same-sex marriage and a 2013 law to repeal the death penalty, both major priorities for OMalley. While OMalley was governor, Miller shut down state government to force a debate over his plan to add a casino in Prince Georges County, which lawmakers eventually agreed to do.The latest effort to unseat Miller started in earnest just days after the legislative session concluded in April. SEIU Local 500, one of the largest unions in Maryland, rallied several progressive groups and state Comptroller Peter Franchot, a Democrat and frequent Miller critic, to launch a Take a Hike, Mike campaign for the June primary elections. President Miller is out of step and out of date with politics in the state of Maryland. He is the embodiment of a bygone era, Franchot says. He is Lyndon Johnson in the age of Beto ORourke.We want to move the state forward, adds Charly Carter, now the executive director of Step Up Maryland and the Progressive Pipeline Project, which aims to recruit and train progressive political candidates. Hes digging in his heels. He has an ability to frustrate a progressive agenda because of his control of committees. But people dont want to wait any longer.Thats why the goal of the campaign wasnt just to defeat Miller, but also to take out his allies, particularly the powerful committee chairs who tended to either moderate or outright kill proposals championed by the left. In the end, Miller was left standing, but many of his legislative allies were not. Newcomers unseated four members of the old guard, including the Senate president pro tem and the chairs of two of the Senates four standing committees. Several longtime Democratic senators retired.Liberal groups have been exasperated with Miller and the Senate Democratic caucus for moving slowly on bills they think need greater attention. Labor unions and several other groups, for example, have been pushing to raise the states minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2023. In 2014, the legislature raised Marylands minimum wage to $10.10, which went into effect last year. But liberal advocates argue that the rate is not enough to live on. Montgomery and Prince Georges counties, two of the state's most populous counties, in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., had already agreed to increase their minimum wages to $15 an hour by 2021. The statewide effort enjoyed plenty of support among lawmakers. More than half of the members of the 141-seat House signed on as cosponsors to the House version, while 20 of the Senates 47 members backed the Senate version. But neither bill ever got a vote; both died in committees.Then there was the sick leave bill. Left-leaning groups worked for six years to get it passed, but the proposal, which had passed in the House, languished in the powerful Senate Finance Committee, which eventually scaled back the Houses version. Even after it passed the Senate and both chambers overrode the governors veto, the Senate passed a new piece of legislation to delay implementation. The House refused to go along, and some 700,000 Marylanders immediately started accruing sick leave.Liberal groups have plenty of pent-up demands they want the Senate to move on. The Baltimore Police Department is beset with problems, and many black constituents in Baltimore and other communities are calling for further changes to the criminal justice system. Environmental groups want to require the state to get half of its electricity from renewable resources by 2030. Public-sector unions are frustrated that they have to get piecemeal permission from the legislature to organize government employees; their short-term goal is to get authorization to organize community college workers.Many advocates on the left feel these efforts have been stymied, even in a state that has twice as many registered Democrats as Republicans, because Miller has held them up. They see Millers fingerprints on various efforts to either moderate or outright kill liberal legislation.Carter, the progressive activist, says that could change given the results of last years primaries. If hes the shrewd political animal I know, he will be moving farther to the left, she says, noting that all of his lieutenants were taken out. Nothing sends a message like a body.Mark J. McLaurin, the political director of SEIU Local 500, also thinks Miller will move to the left, but worries it might not be as much of a shift as progressives are hoping for. Miller has been pretty cagey at positioning himself in front of a parade that is about to run him over, McLaurin says. When it came to sick leave, he was always against it, then he signed on and watered it down. He involves himself to shape legislation that he doesnt like to make it more to his liking.Miller is mindful that Maryland is not as liberal as states such as California or New York, so he tries to figure out when an issue is politically ripe before he lets the Senate take it up. In Maryland, after all, voters can overturn acts of the legislature they dont agree with, so it doesnt make sense for lawmakers to pass something that voters would reject. He wont let it come out until its time, says Thomas Mac Middleton, who led the Senate Finance Committee as it worked to refine the sick leave bill and many other controversial proposals.But the delay getting the sick leave bill out of the finance committee wasnt Miller; it was the other members of the committee, Middleton says. I didnt go in to water the bill down. I made changes to get the bill out of committee.A month after the defeat of his leaders in the primary, Miller signaled that he planned to stay in control of day-to-day business in the chamber. He named a new slate of committee chairs for the 2019 session, even though the general election hadnt yet occurred. Miller says the picks showed that the Democratic caucus valued the leadership of women and minorities during an election cycle when both groups flexed their muscles. The two money committees would be run by women for the first time. Sen. Delores Kelley, who will now lead the finance committee, is African-American as well. Is Mike Miller weakened? No. No, says Mileah Kromer, a political science associate professor at Goucher College. There was a second that people thought Mike Miller lost a lot of power. Then they said, Oh good, Im the new committee chair.Maryland Republicans dont have a lot of victories to get excited about these days, with one very big exception: Hogans double-digit win over Ben Jealous, a progressive Democrat who faced him in November. It was an especially noteworthy win coming at the same time that Democrats nationwide made gains at all levels of government in the midterm election amid dissatisfaction with President Trump. Hogan became the first Republican to win two terms as Maryland governor since 1954, running a campaign that appealed to moderates. Progressives, the governor says, drastically overestimate how progressive and how liberal the voters of the state are. An overwhelming majority self-identify as moderates. Thats why I won a convincing victory in a blue wave.But Hogans ability to set the agenda in Annapolis is frustrated by the fact that there are so many Democrats in both chambers of the legislature that they can override his vetoes almost at will. The state Republican Party tried to change that last fall by chipping away at Democrats veto-proof majority in the Senate. The decision to focus on the upper chamber was not directed at Miller personally, says Dirk Haire, chairman of the Maryland Republican Party. We were closer to having enough senators to uphold a veto in the Senate than we were in the House. It was a simple mathematical calculation.Indeed, the math was straightforward: Republicans needed five more seats to block any Democratic veto overrides. Thus, the Drive for Five was born, and Miller, who had to defend his left flank in June, was now fighting off an attack from the right. The state party was focused on the Drive for Five. It wasnt my idea, but I did try to help those guys, the governor says. But, as Hogan admits, it was a pretty tough night for Republicans. People were angry with the president, and they took it out on everybody with an R next to their name.Everybody except, of course, the governor. So, in a bit of political jiu-jitsu, Miller and his team determined that one of the best ways to sell their own candidates was to use Hogan, too. In a politically dicey move, the Maryland Democratic Senate Caucus Committee, a group controlled by Miller, sent a glossy mailer in support of one embattled Democrat showing her sitting next to Hogan at a bill signing ceremony. Different political parties, same goal. Kathy Klausmeier is working with Gov. Hogan for a better Baltimore County, the flyer read. But Hogan, of course, endorsed her Republican opponent.Miller says his campaign team had little choice but to tack to the middle. In early fall, their polls showed a generic Democrat winning Klausmeiers seat by a single percentage point. Then came the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Brett Kavanaugh. Afterward, the Democrat in the district was trailing by 14 points. Meanwhile, Hogan was leading Jealous in the same district by 46 points. Im trying to elect a Democratic state senator, Miller recalls, and the top of the ticket is losing by 46 points in that same district. It was very challenging.Miller wasnt directly involved in the decision, which was left to his campaign staff, but he says his only regret about the mailer is that it was premature and generated unwanted attention in the press. I would have done it differently, but I support the message, he says.Klausmeier held on to the seat. In fact, Senate Democrats had a net loss of only one seat to a Republican. The election results put Miller right back in the middle, between a popular Republican governor and emboldened progressives. That seems to suit Hogan. I might be a right-of-center moderate, says the governor. Hes probably a left-of-center moderate. But Miller and I are both in some ways very close to where the average Maryland voter is [despite] some enthusiasm from our newly elected friends on the left.Miller and Hogan also have the benefit of knowing each other for a long time. They met when Miller was 18 years old and Hogan was 5. Despite his Democratic background, Millers first job in politics was driving around a Republican candidate for governor and family friend in 1962. Hogans father was working on the campaign, too. Miller and Hogan later worked together again when Hogan was part of an earlier Republican administration.Despite their rapport and their similar political philosophies, Miller insists that Democrats need their veto-proof majority to keep Hogan in check. Since Hogan has never held public office before, Miller fears that the governor's second term will be like that of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who turned, Miller says, from a moderate Republican to a raving, red dog Republican in his second term. He was focusing more on conservative Republican policy than he was on governing the state of New Jersey.In the coming year, Democrats want to increase funding for public education, and make sure that money goes toward the urban areas that most need it, Miller says. He worries that Hogan will devote more of the money to suburban or rural schools, because thats where Hogans base of voters is strongest.But Miller, ever the historian, is mindful of how precarious power can be, whether its his or anyone elses. I stand every day on the spot where the oldest surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence stood. He was Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Miller says in his office, just steps from the room where George Washington gave up his commission as commander in chief of the Continental Army. [Carroll] was president of the Senate. He helped found our state, he helped found our nation, and he was voted out of office in 1800 right here in the capital city of Annapolis. Carroll was a Federalist when people began to support Thomas Jefferson and his view that the national governments powers should be limited. It was a huge revolution, massive change, Miller says. If youre a historian like I am, times change but the people dont. They make the same mistakes over and over again.Its clear Miller has gleaned at least one lesson from Carrolls story and dozens of others like it: to always be ready to respond when revolutions or massive changes are afoot.
When the 21st century began, no legislative chamber in the country was more volatile than the Indiana House. Control switched between Republicans and Democrats no fewer than six times between 1990 and 2010. During the 1989-1990 session, the chamber was tied, leading to the practice of having a speaker du jour, with party control effectively changing hands on a daily basis.The idea of a Democratic majority in Indiana is a dim memory at this point. Republicans took over the House in 2010 and havent looked back since. Although they gave up three seats in November, they still hold two-thirds of the chamber. As in many other states, Democrats have been wiped out in rural counties. Theres only one Democrat left in the Indiana House who holds a rural seat. In the southwestern section of the state -- once such a competitive region that the congressional district was known for decades as the bloody 8th -- a Democrat represents downtown Evansville but Republicans control everything else. Its dramatic supermajorities in both chambers, says Robert Dion, a University of Evansville political scientist. The minority party is teetering on irrelevance.What makes the Indiana example important is that its not an exception. Instead, such circumstances have become common. All over the country, chambers that once were up for grabs are now firmly controlled by one party holding what resembles an open-ended lease. There are exceptions, but in most states, either Democrats or Republicans have held power for years and are unlikely to give it up anytime soon. There are only two split legislatures in the entire country -- Congress and Minnesota, says Matt Walter, president of the Republican State Leadership Committee. Everyone else lives in a state that is either red or blue.Look at Indianas neighbors. Republicans have been out of power in the Illinois House since 1996. The question during election years isnt whether Democrats will win, but whether theyll win big enough to hold a supermajority. Ohio, long considered a bellwether state in presidential voting, has become solidly red at the legislative level, with Republican supermajorities in both chambers. As in Indiana, Republicans took the state House in 2010 and have held it ever since. Theyve controlled the Ohio Senate since the mid-1980s. Having picked up a seat in November, Republicans now hold their largest majority in the chamber in 70 years.In American state politics these days, power results not from a contest of ideas, but rather from demographic identities. The country is divided along various, often overlapping lines, including race, age, gender, religious attendance and, increasingly, education levels. These various subgroups of Americans are increasingly sorted into separate geographic areas, a reality reflected in legislative results. These are close to winner-take-all situations for the majority party. Despite the upcoming presidential election and the round of redistricting that will follow, the map of legislative control isnt likely to change much in the coming years.As Walter notes, Minnesota is now the only state with a divided legislature -- largely because the state Senate wasnt up for grabs in the fall. The last time the nation had only one divided legislature was way back in 1914. Most legislatures today are not only unified but home to solid majorities. Supermajorities have become common and majorities on average are growing larger. Over the past decade, the median majority in state houses has risen from 22 seats to 29, while increasing in state senates from nine to 14 seats.Whats happened is that America has been experiencing a slow-motion realignment, with broad swaths of the country now off-limits to one party or the other. In the old days, when the South was solidly Democratic, voters there were often referred to as yellow dog Democrats, meaning theyd vote for a yellow dog before theyd vote for a Republican. Now yellow dog fever is common in both parties. Divided by nothing so profound as slavery, which led to century-long Southern Democratic intransigence, the countrys politics have nonetheless become sectarian again, with blocs of voters differing on issues they consider fundamental and non-negotiable. Increasingly, Democrats wont consider voting for any Republican at any level of government, a disdain Republicans are more than willing to return in kind. Democrats run up Soviet-style majorities in central cities and college towns, while their candidates fare even worse in rural and exurban America than they did during Barack Obamas presidency. Thats why prominent Democratic gubernatorial contenders Stacey Abrams and Andrew Gillum lost last year in Georgia and Florida, respectively.Lightning can strike anywhere -- Louisiana has a Democratic governor and Massachusetts a Republican governor -- but in most states the playing field has become tilted, with politicians from the minority party starting out well behind. Total control creates a spiraling effect for the out party, with donors and the national party unwilling to throw money at what look like losing propositions. In politics, power allows whichever party is in control to further bake in its advantages, while the bench on the other side starts to empty out. When you take a pasting, money dries up, volunteer enthusiasm goes down, candidate recruitment is harder, says Dion of the University of Evansville. Everything conspires to make it difficult for the party thats out of power.Republicans currently control the legislatures in 31 states, while Democrats hold 18. In three-quarters of the states, the same party controls both the legislature and the governors office. It would be tempting to say that the era of divided government is over, except for the fact that governors, at least, are able to carve out personal profiles that sometimes allow them to cut against the partisan grain of their states. Popular Republican governors were reelected last year in otherwise blue states including Maryland, Massachusetts and Vermont, while Democrats took back governorships in states that supported Donald Trump in 2016 such as Kansas, Michigan and Wisconsin.In Illinois, where Chicago and its suburbs can outvote the rest of the state, Democrats are in the drivers seat. In Indiana and Ohio, where the cities are smaller and minority populations are lower, Republican rule is assured. Until minority parties find a way of reshaping their coalitions, they face lowered ceilings of support in nearly every corner of the country. In the [Indiana] Senate, theres really no way youre ever going to see Democrats significantly increase their numbers, because of the demographic patterns, says Ed Feigenbaum, editor ofThe Senate is basically off-limits to Democrats.There have always been one-party states -- blue Hawaiis and Marylands, Democratic deserts in Idaho and South Dakota. But until this decade, states with seemingly permanent legislative majorities were exceptional. Now, theyre more common than not. In both 2016 and 2018, stasis was the rule, with far fewer chambers changing hands than has been the historic norm. Last November, all but a few chambers saw less than five seats flip one way or the other. It was more common for no seats to change hands at all than to see pickups numbering in the double digits.From Arkansas to Oregon, states that were competitive at the start of the decade have become strictly one-sided affairs. Nothing is forever in politics, but traditional swing states such as Colorado, Iowa and Nevada have all pledged their allegiance to one-party control. In the wake of the 2018 election, obituaries are being written for the Democratic Party in Missouri, another former presidential bellwether where the party lost a U.S. Senate seat and where two decades of GOP dominance in the legislature show no sign of abating. Meanwhile in California, no Republican running for statewide office managed to crack even 40 percent of the vote. Republicans elected a grand total of one new member to the state Assembly, the partys loneliest freshman class since 1958. Democrats hold a 46-7 advantage in the congressional delegation, representing the smallest GOP share since 1883. The California Republican Party isnt salvageable at this time, Kristin Olsen, a former GOP Assembly leader, wrote shortly after the election.Despite giving up a few chambers in the fall, Republicans still control the legislature in every state that President Trump carried in 2016. Thanks to their gains last year, Democrats now control both legislative chambers in every state that Hillary Clinton won, with the exception of the Virginia House and Senate and the Minnesota Senate, all of which are virtually tied but were not up for grabs in 2018. In states where Trumps approval rating has fallen by at least 10 points since he took office, Democrats improved their share of legislative seats by 4.6 percent, according to calculations by St. Louis University political scientist Steven Rogers.But there arent many states where Trumps approval ratings have fallen that dramatically, or risen by much either. His poll numbers have remained remarkably consistent, reflecting the entrenched partisan divisions in the country. Exit polls in November suggested that 90 percent of Trump supporters voted for down-ballot Republicans, while 90 percent of his detractors voted Democratic. But both those numbers are considerably higher than has been the case under recent presidents.There was a time in the not-too-distant past when compromise was not a curse word, recalls Lena Taylor, a Democratic state senator in Wisconsin. Thats changed. All the political incentives run against cooperation, with voters looking for politicians to stand up against their enemies and stand with their partisan brethren. Its become more difficult for politicians to get a hearing from voters on the other side, let alone change their minds.Because partisan feelings are so strong, and voters are so well sorted geographically, almost every area is a stronghold, whether for Republicans or Democrats. The people who support gun control, access to abortion and gay rights tend to live in cities and dense suburbs, while those with opposing views live in small towns, exurbs and rural counties. For such reasons, the vast majority of legislative districts are not competitive. People are locked into their voting patterns, Taylor says.A dozen chambers flip, on average, in every election cycle. In 2016 and 2018, only half as many changed hands. In 2016, Republicans managed to take the Kentucky House and the Iowa Senate -- chambers that had long eluded them in states they otherwise dominated -- as well as the Minnesota Senate, even as Trump narrowly lost the state. Democrats, meanwhile, took over chambers in states that supported Clinton for president, namely the New Mexico House and both chambers in Nevada.This past November, Democrats picked up seven chambers. These were all in Clinton states and most of them were short putts. They only needed to net one seat each to win the state senates in Colorado, Maine and New Mexico and to break a tie in Connecticut. They also took both chambers in New Hampshire and won back the Minnesota House -- which has replaced Indianas as the nations swingiest chamber this decade -- by picking up an impressive 18 seats. As noted earlier, the Minnesota Senate was not up for grabs, although there the Democrats again will only need one seat to take control in 2020.But that was about the extent of the upheaval. Democrats picked up more than 300 seats nationwide, lifting them to a post-2010 high-water mark. But thats about 100 seats fewer than the average loss for the presidents party. At the state level, you managed to have one of the least change elections in terms of legislatures that you had in decades, says Walter of the Republican State Leadership Committee.The Democratic takeover of the Minnesota House was built mostly in the suburbs. That was similar to what was happening in the rest of the country. Republicans still hold many suburban seats -- exit polls last November showed that the suburban vote was exactly tied in the most contentious U.S. Senate races -- but Democrats gained significant ground in what might be called Whole Foods suburbs, full of affluent and highly educated residents who dont like Trump and have turned against his party. In winning the U.S. House, Democrats carried no fewer than 46 out of the 50 congressional districts with the highest levels of college attainment. As at the congressional level, legislative Democrats made their biggest inroads in 2018 in affluent suburbs outside cities such as Denver, Philadelphia and Raleigh, N.C.Republicans were completely wiped out in the San Francisco Bay Area, losing their last Assembly seats. They were also eliminated from King County, Wash., which includes Seattle, giving up four Senate seats and five in the House. Democrats picked up a total of four legislative seats in Oakland County, Mich., a rich suburb of Detroit, while ending more than 40 years of GOP rule on the county board of commissioners. In the Philadelphia suburbs, a dozen state House seats and four state Senate seats moved from the Republican to the Democratic column.Houstons Harris County, which for years was the most closely split large county in presidential voting, has turned blue. Democrats gained a pair of state House seats there, while sweeping all 59 judicial races and installing first-time candidate Lina Hidalgo, a 27-year-old Democrat, as the top county administrator. Republicans lost five state House seats in Dallas County and their remaining four House seats in the Austin metro area. The suburbs accounted for nearly all the Democratic gains across Texas.In the suburbs of Johnson County, Kan., outside of Kansas City, Democrats gained four state House seats, giving them 10 in that county for the first time -- up from just two as recently as 2014. At the same time, however, several rural Democratic legislators lost. There are no Democratic legislators left from west of Hutchinson, in the center of the state, and only one remaining in the southeast. Similar stories can be told in other states. Up until about a dozen years ago, half the Democrats in the Iowa Senate were from districts west of Interstate 35. Now, none are left in those rural counties. While Marion County and its suburbs are trending more Democratic, the vast majority of Indiana thats mostly rural has shifted even more to the right than Indianapolis has shifted to the left, says Jonathan Williams, vice president of the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council.If a mom picks up her kids from school in a BMW, odds are shes voting Democratic. Conversely, the guy in a pickup truck who belongs to a union, or whose daddy did, is more than likely a Republican. The Republican Party has moved from the country club to the country, while the Democratic base has moved from the union hall to the faculty lounge. Democrats are far more likely to represent districts with a strong minority presence, while Republican areas continue to get older and whiter. The most significant phenomenon is the concentration of Democrats in center city areas, says Bill Bishop, the author of, a 2008 book that described the phenomenon of people increasingly clustering in like-minded communities. Its Democrats in central cities, and then they do poorly everywhere else. Essentially, youre not going to vote for anybody with a D beside their name in a Republican area.Bishop notes that, despite the growth in people identifying or registering as independents, most voters now are loyal partisans. Pollsters and political scientists have shown that individuals will change their positions on climate science, trade, immigration and the economy to jibe with their partys positions. Recent studies have found that people are shifting their religious or secular affiliations to comport with their party. Parties are about identity now, not about policy, Bishop argues. It makes it doubly hard for parties to get people to change.The most telling point may be that Democrats failed to make deep inroads into the GOPs legislative advantage last year in what was generally a favorable climate. As noted earlier, the map of legislative control already closely parallels the Electoral College. To add to their totals, Democrats now need to gain ground on less favorable terrain.Democrats can point with some satisfaction to Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, where they won more votes in state House races last fall, even though they fell short of majorities. In Wisconsin, Democrats won 200,000 more state House votes, but the GOP held onto a 63-36 majority. This was no doubt partly the result of partisan gerrymandering, but most Democratic voters live in or around Madison and Milwaukee, meaning the number of districts they dominate or can win is limited. Across the country, Democrats should fare better in the next round of mapmaking, given gubernatorial and judicial wins or the creation of independent redistricting commissions. But maps that are fairer to Democrats, or even heavily tilted in their favor, wont solve the partys problem that most of its voters live in larger cities and close-in suburbs, creating huge majorities in the denser districts but at the same time wasting thousands of votes that they badly need elsewhere. That remains their Achilles heel.To many Democratic minds, Virginia is the new model. In 2017, Democrats made unexpectedly large gains, picking up 15 state House seats. That was still one short of a tie and two short of a majority, but they are convinced they can make up the extra ground the next time around. Elections for the Virginia House will be held this year, along with contests for the state Senate, where Democrats would also need a net gain of two to take over the chamber. Now that we know what were actually capable of, were going to be able to invest more in those reach seats and range into Trump territory, says Chris Walsh, co-founder of Flippable, a group that supports Democratic legislative candidates.Flipping close legislative chambers like the ones in Virginia is clearly doable. And many Democrats, recognizing the size of Republican majorities around the country, have adopted a two-cycle strategy. Where they chipped away last year, they believe they can make up the extra ground needed in 2020, or once redistricting takes place for 2022. Walsh points to chambers in states including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Texas, all of which saw sizable Democratic gains last year.But suppose that all the Democratic dreams come true, and they win back legislatures in the Upper Midwest, while also realizing their long-gestating plans to become serious players in the Sun Belt. Its unlikely to happen, but even a best-case scenario for the party means that legislatures in more than 40 states would likely stay fixed in place, remaining under one partys control for the foreseeable future. For their part, Republicans, who have been dominant at the legislative level since 2010, remain in solid shape, controlling 63 chambers. But the GOPs monopoly on rural and exurban territory is so complete that its difficult to see where else they might go on offense.No political professional is willing to say that all hope is lost for minority parties in the foreseeable future. Things can change fast. Many chambers under supermajority control were competitive less than a decade ago. Perhaps the next president will be less divisive than Trump, allowing partisan fevers to cool and convincing people its all right to support candidates from the other party.But Trump is the fourth president in a row that at least half the country has deeply disliked. Both politics and the media have become more nationalized over that time period. In the South, the GOP first convinced yellow dog Democrats that it was acceptable to vote Republican for president, then lured them in for the U.S. Senate and on down the line until the party came to control local judgeships and county commissions. Now, it only makes sense for ambitious Southern politicians running for any office to run as Republicans. The same thing is starting to happen in reverse in other parts of the country. In Seattle, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, who ran and won three times as a Republican, announced last May that he was switching to the Democratic Party. For a candidate seeking reelection in the Seattle area, that turned out to be the right move.Partisan sorting and the nationalization of politics have made it more difficult -- often impossible, really -- for state legislators to convince voters from the other party to support them because of their independence, their fine work fixing roads and stoplights, or their approachability at the grocery store. Not only are people sorting into the right party, but people are sorting geographically, says Rogers, the St. Louis University political scientist. No matter what we do, it may be impossible to create more moderate states.
Tech giants Facebook and Google will pay Washington state more than $450,000 to settle twin lawsuits filed by Attorney General Bob Ferguson accusing the companies of failure to abide by state laws on political advertising transparency.In the settlements, filed Tuesday in King County Superior Court, the companies did not admit any violations of state law, but agreed to pay $200,000 each to end the legal disputes. They'll also cover the state's legal costs, with Google paying $17,000 and Facebook $38,500.Ferguson's office filed the lawsuits in June, citing longstanding state law that requires media companies to collect and make public detailed information about political ads. Those requirements have long applied to television stations, newspapers and billboard owners, but the state's lawsuits said Facebook and Google had failed to comply."This resolution sends a powerful signal to the industry that you are accountable to Washington state laws. You must follow them," Ferguson said in an interview Tuesday, adding that his office will monitor the companies' behavior going forward.The move to make the tech firms fully comply with Washington's disclosure laws arose after an editor for Seattle publication The Stranger asked the firms to provide the ad information required by state law in 2017, but was rebuffed.Following up on that reporting, Conner Edwards, a Thurston County political consultant and former Republican legislative aide, filed citizen-action complaints, prompting Ferguson's lawsuit.Edwards said Tuesday he was not impressed with the settlement amounts for the multi-billion dollar tech companies."It just seems pretty low. I am pretty shocked by that, honestly," Edwards said, questioning whether the state gained any assurances of compliance by the companies.Edwards also questioned whether Ferguson should have recused himself from the cases, pointing to past political donations to Ferguson's election campaigns, including $5,300 from Facebook and $5,800 from Google.Ferguson said he stopped taking all corporate contributions in January 2017. He said he takes Edwards' criticisms "with a grain of salt" and that the size of the settlements was proper given the allegations. Ferguson added: "If there is not full and complete disclosure going forward, Facebook and Google will hear from my office again."The lawsuits have already had some effect, as Google stopped accepting political ads for state and local races in Washington days after the complaint was filed in June. In stopping those ads, the company cited emergency rules issued by the state Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) that clarified that the state law applies to digital firms, which must make information about political ads available as soon as they are published, including viewership data and the geographic areas targeted.In a statement Tuesday, Google maintained the company had never violated Washington's law, but pulled back after the stricter PDC interpretation was put in place."At that point, we paused accepting election advertising in Washington because our systems weren't built to comply with these new requirements. We've rolled out several features this year to ensure transparency in U.S. federal elections and we are looking at ways to bring these tools to the state level as well," said the statement supplied by company spokeswoman Alex Krasov.Google's settlement with the state specifies it continues to deny "all material allegations" made by Ferguson's lawsuit.Meanwhile, Facebook has continued to accept political ads in Washington, with the company pointing to its voluntary efforts to disclose more information even while its attorneys argued the state regulations were pre-empted by federal law.A Facebook spokeswoman, Beth Gautier, said Tuesday the company is pleased the lawsuit has been resolved."We're working hard to protect election integrity and prevent foreign interference. We believe all ads should be transparent on Facebook and aren't waiting for legislation to authorize political advertisers and house these ads in a public archive," Gautier wrote in an emailed statement. She said the company is still looking at how to address Washington's disclosure requirements.Facebook's searchable public archive of political ads was launched in May. But Ferguson said the information provided by the archive has not been adequate to comply with Washington's rules -- failing, for example, to provide enough information on who bought ads and the precise amount of payments.The state's ad restrictions apply to state and local races, but not to federal contests such as congressional elections.While the bulk of political-ad spending still goes to television, cheaper online ads have proliferated in recent years. Political committees and candidates in Washington reported more than $5 million in payments to Facebook and $1.5 million to Google related to advertising, Ferguson's office said, citing documents filed with the PDC.
The South Carolina Republican Party could decide next summer to pass on holding the party's 2020 primary election -- a move that is not unprecedented -- to help President Donald Trump's re-election bid.Canceling the first-in-the-South primary would save the state's taxpayers millions of dollars. But it could cost the state millions in economic activity in lost advertising, and hotel, motel and restaurant sales. It also would cost the state national exposure.Thus far, Trump has no challenger for the GOP nomination in 2020. However, a few Republicans --including former Ohio Gov. John Kasich -- have flirted with the idea.State GOP Chairman Drew McKissick told The State newspaper on Wednesday that no decision has been made about forgoing the South Carolina primary. By state law, the party has to tell the state's Election Commission whether it will hold a primary at least 90 days before the election.The state's GOP primary tentatively is set for Feb. 29, 2020, the second in the country and the South's first."It's not, whatsoever, under consideration," McKissick said Wednesday of canceling the primary. "It's not been thought about, talked about, contemplated."He added that the state party's executive committee wouldn't vote on canceling the primary "until summer 2019."McKissick told the conservative Washington Examiner on Tuesday, "Considering the fact that the entire party supports the president, we'll end up doing what's in the president's best interest."The former New York business mogul swept most South Carolina counties in the February 2016 primary, setting the stage for him to capture the GOP nomination. Trump also took the Palmetto State that following November, beating former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.Trump remains popular among the state's Republicans, according to a recent poll that says his approval rating among South Carolina GOP voters is more than 80 percent."We have complete autonomy and flexibility in either direction" on whether to hold a primary, McKissick told the Examiner on Tuesday, meaning state parties _ not the General Assembly or law _ determine whether primaries are held.Scrapping the presidential primary in February 2020 would not be the first time that a South Carolina party with an incumbent president has called off the contest.A lack of opposition to then-President George W. Bush caused South Carolina Republicans to call off their 2004 primary. Republicans did the same thing for President Ronald Reagan in 1984. South Carolina Democrats did not hold primaries in 1996 and 2012, when Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, respectively, were the incumbent presidents."You're showing the support of your incumbent president" when a state doesn't hold a primary, said Katon Dawson, a former South Carolina GOP chairman.Another reason to pass on a primary: Statewide elections are expensive, Dawson said."Putting on a primary, in modern history, can cost a couple of millions of dollars, up to $3.2 million to have a presidential primary," Dawson said. "There is no fallout not to have a primary on the presidential level, in my opinion."But not every Republican is on board.Scott Malyerck, the South Carolina GOP executive director from 2005-07, told McClatchy that not holding a primary would be a mistake.Primaries "make nominees stronger candidates" by giving them more experience campaigning and debating the issues, he said."If Donald Trump is strong, he will win the primary," said Malyerck, now a South Carolina political consultant. "Would we close down a state primary because (Gov.) Henry McMaster is popular with Republicans?"State Democratic Party Chairman Trav Robertson on Wednesday likened the Republicans' primary possibility to a "pig in a poke.""They're left with an unpopular president who has a dismal job approval rating, and they're getting nervous," Robertson said in a statement. "South Carolinians deserve to have their voices heard in fair elections."
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong (Photo: VNA)

Professor Vladimir Kolotov, Head of the Ho Chi Minh Institute under the Saint Petersburg State Universitys Faculty of the History of the Far East, said that the development was reflected during the Russia visit in September by Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong with his meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the Vietnam visit in November by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev with his meeting with Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State Nguyen Phu Trong.

This is also the year to reinforce the trade and economic relations through the implementation of the Vietnam - Russia free trade agreement and other partners in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Important steps have been carried out to increase bilateral trade turnover.

Business delegations from Russias Novosibirsk, Tyumen, Irkutsk and Khabarovsk cities, and other Russian cities and regions, have come to Vietnam for introducing their products. Meanwhile, some Russian regions have welcomed Vietnamese economic delegations.

The cooperation in defence technology between the two countries has continued to develop. Russias Pacific fleet once again visited Vietnams Cam Ranh Port. During the 4th strategic dialogue on defence organized in Moscow, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, stressed that Russia has been Vietnams trusted partner. Meanwhile, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu also talked about the special trusted relationship between Russia and Vietnam.

In military area, the Vietnam - Russia Tropical Center has been presented with certificate of gratefulness by the Russian President, while General Director of the centers Vietnam Department Nguyen Hong Du has been awarded with Russias Friendship Medal.

In the educational sector, four Russian universities have been presented with Vietnams Friendship Medals.

In 2018, for the first time, overseas Vietnamese in Moscow and Russian friends held a ceremony to mark the Hung Kings death anniversary, before deciding to organize the event there every year. Meanwhile, in St. Petersburg, the 1st Russia - Vietnam youth forum was held.

According to Prof. Kolotov, St. Petersburg will open sea routes not only to Europe but also to Asia. In the city where President Ho Chi Minh came for the first time in 1923 to seek the way for national liberation, activities marking the 95th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minhs first arrival to Russia, have been carried out over several months with the participation of both St. Petersburg and Ho Chi Minh citys leaders. The two sides have reached an agreement to organize a large-scale meeting among the two countries youngsters for the first time.

Experts expect further increased relations between Russia and Vietnam after the success in 2018./.
Mayor Bill de Blasio endorsed the legalization of recreational marijuana Thursday and urged the state to automatically expunge marijuana-related convictions from the past, help "diverse participants" get into the legal pot industry and let New York City tax sales.On the eve of the announcement, de Blasio's administration issued a 71-page report by the Mayor's Task Force on Cannabis Legalization, making the case for marijuana legalization and the possibility for home delivery, but calling for smoking pot in public to remain illegal."The time has come to rewrite the rules, to break the mold of the past, to repair and redeem the lives of people who are treated unjustly," de Blasio said at a news conference in Upper Manhattan with his wife, Chirlane McCray, and members of the task force.Ten states and Washington, D.C., have made recreational marijuana legal in recent years, starting in 2012 with Colorado and Washington state. None of those entities permit public consumption, according to Liz Glazer, who heads de Blasio's office of criminal justice.The city panel's report recommends limiting the purchase and possession of marijuana to those who are at least 21, setting restrictions similar to those for alcohol, and imposing, "to the greatest extent possible," civil, rather than criminal, penalties for violations of the new rules.Failure to pay a civil summons for marijuana smoking in public would eventually subject the violator to arrest, Glazer said.Suspicion of public consumption could still, as now, allow a police officer to stop, detain and question the person.De Blasio said legalization "will lead to a series of changes" toward drug testing of city employees. There would be exceptions for police officers and other workers for whom testing is required by federal law, Glazer said.In the past, de Blasio has opposed legalizing marijuana, saying in April, "I'm not there yet," an explanation he had long offered. McCray, however, favors legalization."Who says men don't listen," she said at the news conference.On Monday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said he would push to legalize recreational marijuana as part of next year's state legislative agenda. His proposal represents an about-face on the question of legalization. Last year, Cuomo called marijuana a "gateway drug" to harder substances.De Blasio said he wants a local cannabis industry because, "tragically, we know what happens when corporations run the show."The panel recommends helping "communities disproportionately affected by past criminalization have an equitable stake" in a future cannabis industry, including preferential licensing and special job opportunities.In New York City, minorities are 89 percent of those who have been arrested, even though whites use at the same level as other ethnic groups, Glazer said.As a result, Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Manhattan) said, the nascent industry should be "controlled" by blacks and Latinos.
SPEED READ:

Late last week, the Kentucky Supreme Court struck down pension reform passed earlier this year.

Kentucky lawmakers adjourned a special session called by Gov. Matt Bevin Tuesday night without addressing the court's ruling.

The state employees plan is less than 17 percent funded -- the worst in the nation. Lawmakers have been trying to fix the state's pension system for nearly 15 years.

It's been a whirlwind five days for pension reform in Kentucky.It all started late last week when the state Supreme Court struck down pension legislation passed earlier this year. Gov. Matt Bevin called a special session on Monday to address the ruling. But a mere 24 hours later, lawmakers had adjourned with no solution.We cannot shirk this, we cannot run from this, House of Representatives Speaker Pro-Tempore David Osborne said in a floor speech Tuesday night. But this was not a problem that was created overnight. We cannot solve it within the confines of a five-day session.The Kentucky Supreme Court's decision last week ruled that legislation passed in March was not given the constitutionally required number of public readings. The ruling is just the latest in the state's ongoing pension troubles.Lawmakers have been trying for nearly 15 years to fix the penion system, but to no avail. The state employees plan is less than 17 percent funded -- the worst in the nation. Its unfunded liability has increased by an average of a billion dollars a year for the last three years to total $13.5 billion.All this after years of trying to rein in costs . In 2004, the legislature cut retirees' health benefits. In 2008, they eliminated pension spiking, which offered higher benefits for workers whose earnings increased at the tail end of their career. In 2013, they passed legislation that forced the state to make its full pension payments and moved new state employees into a cash-balance pension plan, which is less risky for the government. Retiree cost-of-living adjustments were also effectively eliminated.That 2013 reform was applauded as a success. But since then, the pension's funded ratio has decreased by one-third.So in March, lawmakers tried yet again to fix the system. In the waning days of the session, they hastily passed pension reform targeting not just the ailing state employees plan. It also made dramatic alterations to the state teachers pensions, too. (The state teachers plan, while not the model of fiscal health, is in better shape with 55 percent of the funds it needs to meet its liabilities.)In response to the court's decision to strike down that reform, Bevin on Monday called a special session, giving lawmakers four hours to show up in Frankfort. With the legislature losing some Republican lawmakers, Bevin recognized that this could be his last chance to push through drastic pension changes.Bevin, who has pushed to switch the states largest pension plans to a 401(k) system since he took office in 2016, submitted two bills to lawmakers -- both slimmed-down versions of the legislation they had already passed in March. But with so little time to review either bill or to agree on their own version, Republicans in the state House adjourned the special session Tuesday night.To Jim Carroll, co-founder of the advocacy group Kentucky Government Retirees, the whole exercise may have weakened Bevin going into the 2019 session. Why go to the trouble of surprising everybody and spending $60,000 in taxpayer dollars a day for a special session, when youre not certain of the outcome?But Carroll adds that hes encouraged by the fact that the Republican governor has made pension funding a priority. Under Bevin, the state last year made its full payment not only to the employees plan but also to the teacher pension plan.Carroll hopes that when the legislature reconvenes for a new session in 2019 that it will focus on mandating good funding policies rather than drastic changes that eliminate benefits for future employees. Weve done what we need to do as far as were concerned, he says. Lawmakers just need to fund it.
Description

GIS  21 December, 2018: A presentation focusing on the Extended Programme of the Primary School Achievement Certificate (PSAC) assessment was held yesterday at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute in Moka. A booklet entitled, Extended Programme - Philosophy, Pedagogy, Implementation and Outcomes was launched on that occasion.

Present at the event, the Minister of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, underlined that the Programme aims at giving each child the opportunity to find his orientation and grow into a responsible and productive citizen.

The Extended Programme, the Minister pointed out, caters for students not having attained the essential competencies at the PSAC assessment by providing continuous support over four years to complete the Grade 7 to 9 curriculum. It uses innovative pedagogies aimed at enhancing the self-esteem and self-confidence of the children, she highlighted.

Minister Dookun-Luchoomun recalled that the guiding principles of inclusion, equity and quality underpin the reform of the education system which has as objective to provide multiple opportunities and pathways to all learners. The efforts of educators is therefore important in providing learners with an adequate learning environment and support leading to their holistic development, she stated. The Minister urged educators to sustain their efforts and keep up the momentum with the same dedication and passion.

The Extended Programme, the Minister indicated, is based on the philosophy of inclusion, which meets the needs of every learner to feel accepted, valued, and safe and is in line with the aim of the Nine-Year Continuous Basic Education, that is, providing equal opportunity for schooling for all until the minimum school leaving age. It seeks to change the way students are supported and taught from the Foundation Grade 7 to the Extended Grade 9+, over a period of four years, thus helping to build a healthier and more inclusive society, she added.

According to Mrs Dookun-Luchoomun, the Extended Programme will ensure that a quality education makes provision for all, keeping in view the individual differences of the learners. She reiterated Governments commitment to provide a system of education that ensures fairness for everyone irrespective of historical antecedent, culture or social class, and where learners receive an education that fits their needs and which provides the opportunity for advancement and for future employment.

The Extended Programme caters for learners who require additional and appropriate support to overcome their learning difficulties. It is based on a diagnostic of learners difficulties which also identifies their needs in order to pitch the level of teaching at an appropriate level. Teaching learners in the Extended Programme implies using an approach that enables students to, namely: overcome their learning difficulties; reinforce basic knowledge of literacy and numeracy as a priority; and, enhance basic skills needed to ease further learning.
As an increasing number of state and local governments across the country make more of their financial data available to the public online, a new report makes a case for the best way to do that.The report, dubbed Transparent State and Local Financial Reporting: The Case for an Open Data CAFR suggests that public agencies should embrace Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFR), a method that has already been put into place in Florida. Florida has gone as far as to enact legislation that requires the conversion of all local and state government financial reporting to CAFR.CAFR, for the unfamiliar, is essentially all financial reporting for a state, local or other governmental entity. Its not exactly a budget, which is essentially a plan for what a state will spend in a fiscal year and how its tax revenue will be allocated. It's more of a summation of financial activities over some years. As the report notes in its introduction, these days, roughly 30,000 state and local government agencies now publish audited financial statements annual, but not all of them use the extensive and highly detailed CAFR format.Dean Ritz, the senior director for digital reporting at the enterprise software company Workiva, co-authored the report with Jim Harper, former senior fellow and director of information policy studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank located in Washington, D.C. Ritz said the report was in part an effort to provide guidance to the public sector as efforts to be transparent about funding accelerate. There has been, in recent years, a rise in expectations when it comes to the quality of data that government agencies are publishing, and the authors hope their report can help organizations meet that.The expectations among residents, businesses, activists and even many public servants themselves is that the public should be able to not only access governmental finances, but also access it in a format that allows for easy searching, unlike basic methods such as PDF.We sort of jokingly say PDF is where data goes to die, Ritz said. PDF describes the layout of the page, not the information.Another benefit of all state and local governments working to embrace CAFR is that it would lead to one standardized format for such finances. If everyone used the same format, the content would then become format neutral, so that a person accessing one town or states data would not be at a disadvantage when compared to a person accessing the data of another. Other benefits cited by the authors of the report include a reduced cost of financing; a reduction in reporting burden; increased accountability; and a greater capacity for evidence-based decision-making in government.Ritz noted that the report does address potential obstacles, including the difficult change processes inherent to government and, as always, initial cost of setting up a new system. Although, Ritz also said that the latter may be changing.Its different than it has been historically, but we think the benefits of this have now been realized on the private side, Ritz said, and theres enough of them that theres now a wide number of technology and solution providers, as well as service providers, that can provide modernization.There has certainly been an increased commitment to financial transparency in state and local government, if not yet to CAFR itself. Ohio, for example, has launched a website called OhioCheckbook.com , which doesn't adhere to the exact parameters of the CAFR format but does make the state's spending public down to the actual penny. In some cases, users can not only see line items for purchases, but also the actual check that public organizations used to make a purchase with taxpayer money.Josh Mandel, outgoing Ohio treasurer, led the creation of the site, which launched in 2014 and was at the forefront of state financial transparency efforts.We took everything from two bucks for a pack of pencils to millions of dollars for contracts to everything in between, Mandel said, and gave that information to the taxpayer. One of the best ways to hold politicians feet to the fire is to arm them with financial information.Mandel said analytics for the site at first were slow. Over time, however, word spread and it has now welcomed more than 1 million searches.Greg Jordan-Detamore, the Open Cities product lead with the government transparency advocacy group Sunlight Foundation, praised Ohiocheckbook.com and other efforts to bolster the type of financial data released to the public. Jordan-Detamore said that an ideal format for doing this is one like CAFR that enables easy searches and machine reading, unlike PDFs.The main idea behind the CAFR report is that more governments should emulate Florida's adoption of the format. Indeed, government is without question a sector that shares ideas. Baton Rouge, La., for example, has created its own version of OhioCheckbook.com with Open Checkbook BR , which essentially does the same thing. Time, of course, will tell if the same spread starts to happen with CAFR formatting.
(NS)  A group of Portland, Ore., brick building owners hopes to block a city ordinance that would require them to post warnings that the buildings could crumble in an earthquake.The plaintiffs  a nonprofit coalition of brick building owners, developer John Beardsleys company and building owner Jim Atwood  are asking a court to rule the ordinance unconstitutional under free-speech and due-process rights.The City Council passed the ordinance in October. It would require owners of brick and similar buildings to prominently post signs with the disclosure: This is an unreinforced masonry building. Unreinforced masonry buildings may be unsafe in the event of a major earthquake.The same warning must be distributed to tenants of the building under the rule, which was set to take effect for most affected buildings in March.But the building owners are seeking an injunction, saying in their lawsuit filed Wednesday that the ordinance violates their First Amendment rights.The government is forcing private property owners to basically broadcast the governments message instead of their own, John DiLorenzo, the building owners' attorney, said Thursday. The city, he said, could just as easily notify building residents by mailing a flier or brochure.The city is applying the mandate unequally, he said, because it set a longer timeline for buildings owned by nonprofits, which have until November 2020 to comply.Portland is believed to have more than 1,600 unreinforced masonry buildings that have stood, on average, almost 90 years. The brittle materials holding those buildings up are less likely to survive a major earthquake such as the Cascadia subduction zone quake that experts say will likely hit the West Coast in the coming decades.But building owners said some might be compelled to comply even though their buildings are fully or partially reinforced because the city cant guarantee the accuracy of its unreinforced masonry building database list. To avoid the requirement, building owners must prove their buildings have been upgraded  a process they say is invasive and expensive.if your building is on the list youre guilty until proven innocent, said Kathy Rogers, who owns a masonry apartment building in Southeast Portland.The dispute is an early taste of the opposition the city could face if it requires seismic upgrades for those buildings. The city is just beginning to write those ordinances, but the City Council has signaled the requirements likely wouldnt take effect for at least 20 years.But the suing building owners say the placarding ordinance effectively forces them to upgrade or lose tenants and customers because of the stigma imposed by the placard.Atwood said the city, through a 2015 seismic upgrade program, estimated the cost of an upgrade for a three-story building he owns in Northwest Portland at $1.3 million, not including architectural costs and loss of revenue from vacating the building. The cost to rebuild from scratch would come to $940,000, he said.The city has underestimated retrofit costs publicly when promoting the ordinance, Atwood said.Nobody really recognized the true costs involved," Atwood said. "Were all interested in safety. We all want our buildings to last forever. But theres a point of diminishing returns particularly when your buildings are already up to current code.The Portland Bureau of Emergency Management and Mayor Ted Wheelers office declined to comment on pending litigation.Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who is named in the lawsuit as the commissioner in charge of the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management until he leaves office at the end of the year, said the city was confident its ordinance is constitutionally sound and described the lawsuit as frivolous.I think the placarding ordinance gives people more information, Saltzman said. The city has information that these buildings that could be unsafe in an earthquake. Its our obligation to our residents to make sure they have this information, too."-- Elliot Njusenjus@oregonian.com; 503-294-5034; @enjusVisit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox.2018 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.)Visit The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) at www.oregonian.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(TNS)  State officials said this week a new long-term plan to push unmanned vehicle technologies could boost resources and lead to more investment in Clark County, which houses the Ohio Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center.DriveOhio, an entity developed within the Ohio Department of Transportation, is tasked with pushing new technologies like autonomous vehicles to improve Ohios transportation system. Springfields UAS Center, at 4170 Allium Ct. serves as a hub for research and testing to advance drone technology for commercialization and looks for ways to integrate the technology into national airspace. The UAS Center operates as part of DriveOhio.The Springfield center is already involved in various projects, but the state has not previously had specific long-term plans laying out how to make sure Ohio serves as a hub to draw business and investment and commercialize the technology, said Erica Hawkins, a spokeswoman for DriveOhio.There is so much opportunity in (Unmanned Aerial Systems), Hawkins said. Weve never really sat down to think about what are our opportunities and how do we best direct our resources.A 2013 report from the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International predicted that over the next 10 years, the unmanned aircraft market is expected to be a $114 billion industry nationally, with a potential to create 100,000 jobs over the next decade.The strategic plan includes three initiatives. FlyOhio will focus on testing technologies that allow drones to fly safely at altitudes below 2,000 feet, which is important for businesses that look to use drones to transport packages, for example. Some of that work is already taking place in Springfield.The News-Sun has previously reported the Air Force Research Laboratory is working toward Federal Aviation Administration approval to allow research into detect and avoid technology in airspace surrounding the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport. The AFRL and Ohio have each invested $5 million into a project to test unmanned aerial vehicles beyond the line of sight.DriveOhio will also use drones to monitor traffic and road conditions along the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor, a stretch of highway between Dublin and East Liberty.The Ohio UAS Center has been at the forefront of unmanned flight testing and operations, and this plan lays out our strategy to continue our leadership role in advancing this countrys smart mobility operations to the sky, said Fred Judson, managing director of the UAS Center.A second priority included in the plan calls for DriveOhio to work with business and education entities to boost workforce development and create more training opportunities to develop a workforce for the growing industry. The third priority calls for putting drones in use for a variety of state and local government projects, including collecting data for bridge inspections, traffic monitoring and geographic mapping.Ohio is already systematically using unmanned aircraft to support a broad range of business operations, the strategic plan says. Project surveying, infrastructure inspection, project monitoring, environmental survey, resource survey, corrections facility surveillance, police and firefighting support are among a few of the areas where Ohio is putting unmanned aircraft to work in support of state and local government operations.The strategic plan is more than just improved marketing, said Tom Franzen, assistant city manager and director of economic development for Springfield. One of the benefits of having a variety of resources in and around Springfield is the possibility that as companies conduct testing here, theyll also look at opportunities for manufacturing and prototypes for new products in the region.At the same time, Franzen said the strategic plan makes it more clear to potential businesses the kind of work that is taking place in the area. For example, AFRL research for a ground-based detect-and-avoid radar system means one thing to the military, he said. But marketing the work as SkyVision and explaining the work includes developing an infrastructure to allow drones to fly safely below 2,000 feet may create more clarity for businesses.Thats important as we appeal to the commercial sector for opportunities in the future, Franzen said.One of the goals of developing a strategic plan is to clarify the work Ohio is already doing, both for the public and for businesses interested in testing or developing new products tied to the industry, Judson said. Its also possible some companies could relocate to Ohio to conduct testing, leading to some local investment, he said.This is the road map to make sure were on track to try to communicate to everybody what we do here, Judson said.The Springfield UAS Center will likely be the center for most of the states efforts to develop drone technology for the foreseeable future, Hawkins said.The concentration of resources available in Springfield is not available anywhere else, she said.
(TNS)  Every gun has its own fingerprint, and new ballistic equipment given to the Aurora Police Department aims to help suburban police solve gun-related crimes.The department was one of 22 law enforcement agencies in the U.S. to be awarded ballistic imaging equipment that will capture data and document shell casings left behind at gun-related crime scenes.Authorities hope the in-house technology will lead to quicker information and help relieve an overwhelmed state crime lab, said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brendan Iber of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.Its similar to matching someone's fingerprints at one crime scene to someones prints at another, Iber said. Its another investigative tool for us to get information between two different crime scenes.Aurora police began using the equipment in July and held a news conference Wednesday to show how the equipment can help match two crimes scenes together. So far, the technology has given Aurora police 18 leads in gun-related cases, Officer Scott Reed said.The Aurora station was chosen due to its centralized location to the seven collar counties the technology will be available for: DuPage, Kendall, Kane, Grundy, Lake, LaSalle and Will. So far, Joliet and Bolingbrook police departments have partnered with Aurora to use the technology.Shell casings police recovered at crime scenes are entered into a machine, which takes 3D microscopic images of the markings a gun leaves. Each gun carries its own unique identifier, like a fingerprint.Then, police can analyze the pictures to find comparisons, matching crimes scenes together.The Chicago Police Department has its own machinery, and this is the same technology that helped police determine the same gun was used in back-to-back killings in Rogers Park on Sept. 30.The information is then entered into a national database, known as NIBIN, that other law enforcement agencies can access.Crime doesnt know boundaries, Iber said. Criminals dont get to the city limits and say oh, we need to turn around. They go to different areas, counties and states, and NIBIN helps bridge those gaps, showing these individuals are using the same firearms in two different areas.The technology has been in place since the 1990s in state crime labs, but now police departments will be able to complete their own testing at a faster rate.The labs have a lot of important things to do, with DNA and drug analysis, and they are very inundated, Iber said. These are high probability correlations that give detectives suspect leads early on in the case, when previously it would take months.Detective Memo Trujillo said before, it would take six months to a year to get information back from the lab. Now, police are able to give detectives information within the same shift.The lab also takes cases in order of importance, so a casing from a house that was hit by a bullet could be at the bottom of the list. By the time information is returned, witnesses memories have faded and residents may have moved, Trujillo said.The efforts of the Illinois State Police labs and ATF labs are amazing, but if we can help by taking this off their plate, then they can do even better service for DNA, fingerprint examination, Iber said. They do so much, so this assists detectives, lightens the load of the laboratories and gets us moving faster on solving violent crimes.The machinery was given to police through a U.S. Department of Justice grant and costs between $200,000 and $250,000, Iber said.We know a small number of individuals are committing the most crimes, Iber said. If we can get violent criminals off the street quickly and timely, they dont have the chance to re-offend.
Paper options

Money and politics

Security and usability

(TNS)  Georgias outdated and unverifiable electronic voting machines will likely be replaced next year with paper ballots. But lawmakers and voters are debating what kind of paper-based voting system will deliver the most accurate and trustworthy results.Once considered cutting-edge, the states 16-year-old electronic voting machines have come under fire because theres no way to ensure theyre producing accurate outcomes. They lack an independent paper record that could check results stored on computers.The machines, put into service after contentious recounts in Florida during the 2000 presidential election, pose a concrete risk to the states elections, a federal judge ruled in September.Election results could be hacked if someone gained access to voting machines or government election computers, according to testimony from computing experts. Some voters reported that the machines flipped their votes from one candidate to another in Novembers election for governor. And there were low vote totals in the lieutenant governors race, which a lawsuit blames on the voting machines.State lawmakers broadly agree that its time to replace Georgias 27,000 direct-recording electronic voting machines with a system that leaves a verifiable paper trail.With a paper ballot, recounts and audits could verify the accuracy of electronic tabulations.But theres disagreement about what kind of paper-based voting system Georgia should use and how much taxpayer money to spend on it.The Georgia General Assembly will decide between two types of voting systems during its annual legislative session that begins in January.One option calls for voters to complete paper ballots by hand, filling in bubbles with a pen and then inserting their ballots into optical scanners for tabulation.Under another type of system, voters would choose their candidates on touchscreens  similar to those currently in use across the state  and then machines would print paper ballots reflecting their selections. Voters could then review their ballots and insert them into optical scanners.Roughly 70 percent of voters across the United States already use a paper ballot, according to Verified Voting, a Philadelphia-based election integrity organization. Georgia is one of four states that relies entirely on electronic voting machines without a verifiable paper trail, along with Delaware, Louisiana and South Carolina.Supporters of each system say theirs is the one that will guarantee accurate results that voters can trust Many election integrity advocates favor hand-marked paper ballots, saying they most closely reflect voters intentions. Election officials would be able to review how voters filled out their ballots, and they wouldnt have to trust that a computer printed out their choices correctly.Some county and state election officials prefer ballot-marking devices, which are more familiar to Georgia voters who are accustomed to casting their ballots on touchscreens. Ballot-marking devices can accommodate the disabled and elderly by adjusting type size or providing audio, and they help avoid mismarked ballots by preventing voters from circling candidates names or scratching out their choices.Theres also a third potential option. Georgia could switch to hand-marked paper ballots and also provide at least one ballot-marking device at each precinct to accommodate the disabled.Replacing the states voting machines wont be cheap.It could cost the public about $30 million to move Georgia to hand-marked paper ballots and over $100 million for ballot-marking devices. The General Assembly will have to appropriate money from the state budget to buy voting equipment and distribute it to each of the states 159 counties, which manage elections. It cost $54 million for Georgia to buy direct-recording electronic voting machines before they were implemented in 2002.Incoming Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said before his election that he likes ballot-marking devices, but he said during a government meeting on voting machines this month that he has no predetermined outcome in mind as state officials review new election systems. As secretary of state, Raffensperger will be responsible for managing implementation of voting machines.The states incumbent voting machine vendor, Election Systems & Software, also is pushing ballot marking devices.Five out of six companies that showed their products to the state this fall, including ES&S, demonstrated ballot-marking devices. One company pitched hand-marked paper ballots.Critics of ballot-marking devices, including computer scientists, fear that their reliance on technology could open the election system to manipulation.They say voters wouldnt necessarily check their printed ballot to ensure they match choices made on the touchscreens. And machine-printed ballots usually include bar codes that would be read by optical scanning computers, creating a potential avenue for voters printed choices to be overridden by computer-encoded language.But hand-marked paper ballots also have flaws.Voters in Georgia, who are accustomed to using their fingers to pick candidates on touchscreens, could easily fill out ballots incorrectly. Crossed-out candidates, stray marks, incomplete ballots and computer scanning errors could result in votes being discarded.A decision on a voting system will likely be made quickly.The General Assembly could vote on legislation and spending for paper ballots before it adjourns this spring. Then test runs could be held for municipal elections in fall 2019, and paper ballots could be implemented statewide in time for the March 2020 presidential primary election.
(TNS)  Its beginning to look a lot like collusion.Outraged social media subscribers want to stuff Mark Zuckerburgs stocking with large lumps of Internet coal after learning the Facebook founders company shared user data with outfits like Netflix and Spotify and allowed the media giants access to personal private messages.Facebook just cant get off the Internet naughty list, and a bombshell report that the social media Scrooge opened the corporate door for other companies to millions of peoples private memos isnt helping.According to the, Facebook shared user data with a legion of other technology companies without the consent of many of its subscribers.The company also maintained agreements to trade data with Huawei and Yandex, companies whose connections to the Chinese and Russian governments have raised national security concerns, the report said.What followed was a polar vortex of vexation from politicians to picture-posting puppy dog owners whose idea of privacy was torn to shreds quicker than the wrapping paper on a new Christmas toy.Opening someone elses mail is a federal crime, tweeted U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) Why is @Facebook allowed to let Netflix and Spotify open your private messages? Mark Zuckerberg might think of this as just `data, but this is peoples private lives. We need a law to protect Americans sensitive information.Democratic lawmakers were already skeptical of the company's assurances that it is protecting users' privacy after Zuckerburg gave congressional testimony that was every bit as believable as the Grinchs promises to little Cindy Loo Hoo.Zuckerberg, the Facebook CEO, spent two days over the spring testifying to Congress that his company does not sell users' data. He strongly asserted that Facebook gives users control over how their data is used, and pledged that the company would make privacy settings easier to understand.Some senators were not impressed."Mark Zuckerberg had a lot of chutzpah telling Congress that Americans could control their data, when seemingly every other week Facebook faces a new privacy scandal for abusing our personal information," Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)."When companies repeatedly lie to Congress and the American people about what they do with our messages, location, likes and everything else, Congress has a duty to do something about it.A Facebook executive disputed the newspaper report about a massive privacy breach in a statement that managed to use the words helping and people in the same sentence.Today, were facing questions about whether Facebook gave large tech companies access to peoples information and, if so, why we did this, Konstantinos Papamiltiadis, Facebook's director of developer platforms and programs, said in a statement.To put it simply, this work was about helping people do two things. First, people could access their Facebook accounts or specific Facebook features on devices and platforms built by other companies like Apple, Amazon, Blackberry and Yahoo. These are known as integration partners. Second, people could have more social experiences  like seeing recommendations from their Facebook friends  on other popular apps and websites, like Netflix,, Pandora and Spotify.Papamiltiadis went on to say that that no partnerships or features included in the data sharing arrangements were done without user permission.Did partners get access to messages? Yes. But people had to explicitly sign in to Facebook first to use a partners messaging feature, Papamiltiadis said.Take Spotify for example. After signing in to your Facebook account on Spotifys desktop app, you could then send and receive messages without ever leaving the app. Our API (application program interface) provided partners with access to the persons messages in order to power this type of feature.Spotify in a statement Wednesday said it had no evidence the music-streaming service ever accessed users private Facebook messages.Spotifys integration with Facebook has always been about sharing and discovering music and podcasts. Spotify cannot read users private Facebook inbox messages across any of our current integrations, according to the statement.Previously, when users shared music from Spotify, they could add on text that was visible to Spotify. This has since been discontinued.Netflix denied having access to users information while Amazon said it only uses information in accordance with our privacy policy.report on Tuesday additionally revealed Microsoft's Bing search engine had the ability to view the names of Facebook users friends, and allowed Amazon to obtain peoples names and contact information. Citing internal documents, the report said Facebook's data sharing arrangements benefited more than 150 companies.To be clear: none of these partnerships or features gave companies access to information without peoples permission, nor did they violate our 2012 settlement with the FTC, Papamiltiadis said.But subscribers were not swayed.We need class action lawsuits to stop this because all these big corporations lie, tweeted a user named Tom Sprague. We need subpoenas to get to the bottom of this.The hashtag #DeleteFacebook was revived for much of the day Tuesday, an idea endorsed by Twitter subscriber, Anne Geurts, who posted a link to an article about how to delete Facebook in three easy steps.Seriously, she tweeted. If your FSBook peeps really care, theyll ask for other ways to connect with you. #DeleteFacebook NOW!The worldwide chorus included one social media user who urged his followers to delete Facebook immediately.I did last year and it's been great, the user tweeted. I should probably stop being a hypocrite and delete Instagram too. But I'm lazy.Twitter user Anthony Balderrama seemed more surprised than outraged.You mean to tell me Facebook let Spotify read my private messages, he wrote, and they STILL couldn't make better playlist suggestions for me?
Opinion

The new red lines on Russias western frontier

The Russia-Ukraine standoff is not exactly between the two countries, but it is one between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) led by the United States. It is an echo of the old Cold War between the then two superpowers, America, and
Hue spoke highly of the contributions of Samsung Vietnam and Shim in particular to the socio-economic development of Vietnam.

He expressed his hope that the firms new head, Choi Joo Ho, will have a successful office tenure in Vietnam and keep in close coordination with the Vietnamese government during the firms operation.

The Deputy PM pledged that the Vietnamese Government will provide optimal conditions for Samsung to turn Vietnam into the firms global production hub.

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue (R) meets outgoing General Director of Samsung Vietnam Shim Won Hwan (Photo: VNA)



According to Shim, Samsung Vietnams export revenue this year is estimated to grow 12 percent to reach USD60 billion, accounting for about 25 percent of Vietnams total exports.

He affirmed that Samsung will carry on implementing its strategy of long-term investment in Vietnam as it considers the nation its largest global production hub, with Samsung Thai Nguyen being the firms biggest factory worldwide.

So far, Samsung has disbursed over 90 percent of the USD17.3 billion that it had registered to invest in Vietnam, Shim noted, adding that a network connecting Samsung and its subsidies with Vietnamese enterprises has been formed.

He expressed his hope that the Vietnamese Government will continue backing the firms operations in the future.

Hue said that in 2018, Vietnam fulfilled all socio-economic targets for the whole year with the GDP growth of 6.9-7 percent and import-export revenue of USD480 billion, up 13 percent year-on-year.

The contributions that Samsung has made to the growth of Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen, and Ho Chi Minh City where its factories are located are substantial, helping to greatly improve the nations economic results, the Deputy PM noted.

After 30 years of attracting foreign direct investment, Vietnam is moving to prioritise projects with a high connectivity capacity that can support Vietnamese firms to join the global value chain, he said.

Hue suggested that Samsung pay more attention to development research with a base in Hanoi, developing semiconducting technology in Vietnam, and enhancing the localisation ratio of its products.

The Vietnamese Government will soon issue a policy to promote the growth of its value chain, determined to reinforce the macro-economic foundations for the growth of local businesses, he stressed./.
(Reuters)  Greg Jensen, co-chief investment officer of Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedge fund in the world, is forecasting significantly weaker, near-recession-level growth next year. In a telephone interview on Thursday, Jensen said financial markets are not pricing in 2019 U.S. growth close to 1 percent and gross domestic product a little bit lower for the rest of the developed world next year.

To read this article:
The Finnish Defence Command issued a press release about the suspected wrongdoings already on 30 November, stating that an investigation has been opened into suspected improper conduct against conscripts during the so-called final combat training exercise of the Finnish Air Force.

A few dozen conscripts and professional soldiers are suspected of assault and service offence for actions during a military exercise organised by the Finnish Air Force.

The investigation has progressed and there is now reason to suspect several people of military offences, it added on Thursday, 20 December.

The suspected offences include assault against a fellow conscript and service offence. Roughly a few dozen people from the Air Force Academy and Pori Brigade are suspected of offences. The suspects include both conscripts and professional soldiers.

All of the almost ten victims were conscripts at the Pori Brigade. Some of them sustained minor injuries in the incident, which took place during the capture and interrogation stage of the final exercise in Jamsa, Western Finland, according to Helsingin Sanomat. The exercise was organised during the last week of November.

It is expected that several weeks will be needed before the case can be presented to a prosecutor for consideration of charges.

The Finnish Defence Command has declined to disclose further details of the events.

Helsingin Sanomat also highlighted that the incident would not be the first time an interrogation exercise has gotten out of control at the Finnish Defence Forces. Eight soldiers were indicted for events that took place during a military exercise aboard Louhi, a multi-purpose spill response vessel, in June 2012. Six of the defendants were subsequently fined or sentenced to suspended prison terms by the Western Uusimaa District Court.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Source: Uusi Suomi
It was announced during a press conference in Hanoi on December 21st which was co-held by the Department of Information and Education under the General Political Department of the Vietnam Peoples Army, the Defence Ministrys Vietnam Institute of Military History, and the Popularisation Department under the Party Central Committees Information and Education Commission.

At the press conference (Source: VNA)



The seminar will attract 350 delegates, including Party, State, Defence Ministry leaders, historical witnesses, former generals and commanders, and researchers in and outside the army.

It aims to reiterate the sound leadership of the Vietnamese Party and State, their determination to defeat all invaders to protect the nations territorial integrity and sacred sovereignty, as well as their consistent policy of helping the Cambodian people overthrow the genocidal regime.

They are due to make clear army building, close and effective joint work between the Vietnam Peoples Army and Cambodian people to bring in the January 7th, 1979 victory, opening a new era for peace, national independence and social progress in both nations.

Deputy head of the institute Col. Truong Mai Huong said the event will feature three sessions, including reports retracing national defence war in the southwestern border from 1975-1979, the Vietnamese military arts, the role and historical significance of the victory to Vietnamese, Cambodian and world people.

The event will provide fairly comprehensive materials about the war process, he added./.
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When Allied troops moved to retake the Alaskan island of Attu in 1943, the place itself proved tougher than the Japanese

In 1942 Japan believed that by seizing Alaskas Aleutian Islands and adjacent sea-lanes, it could prevent the United States from attacking from the north. Thus on June 3, 1942, a Japanese aircraft carrier task force attacked the U.S. military installation at Dutch Harbor on Amaknak Island, after which troops landed unopposed on Kiska on June 6 and Attu on June 7. For nearly a year the North Pacific remained a cold, dreary sideshow. On May 11, 1943, the Allies launched Operation Landcrab, as units from the 17th Infantry Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division landed on Attu, supported by two fighter-bomber squadrons and one recon squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Defending the island was the 301st Independent Infantry Battalion under Col. Yasuyo Yamasaki, whose well-prepared defenses inflicted heavy losses. On May 29, however, with his men cornered in Chichagof Harbor, Yamasaki led them in a banzai charge that ended organized resistance. The battle had cost the Americans 549 killed, 1,148 wounded and 1,814 sidelined by cold or disease. Of the 2,900 defenders, 2,351 were killed and only 28 taken prisoner. On July 28 a small Japanese naval force evacuated Kiskas entire garrison in heavy fog under the noses of American and Canadian forces. The Aleutian campaign was over. For the rest of the war North Pacific operations centered on U.S. bombing attacks against the Japanese naval base at Paramushir in the Kuril Islands.
BRITISH AUTHOR JAMES HOLLAND excels at writing engaging, accessible books, while weaving the latest scholarship in with personal accounts gleaned from diaries, archives, and interviews. Here he turns his narrative talents to the struggle for air superiority over occupied Europe in 19431944, culminating with Operation Argument, the February 1944 assault on the German aircraft industry better known as Big Week.

This is far more than a simple battle study. Holland spends nearly two-thirds of the book setting the stage. He covers prewar thinking about air power, the slow buildup of the Combined Bomber Offensive, and the gradual realization that defeating the German air force was an absolute prerequisite for an invasion of the Continent, and for Allied victory. His treatment of the battles issues and controversiesthe late 1943 command shakeup at the U.S. Eighth Air Force, the debate about U.S. Army Air Forces fighter escort tactics, and the development of technologyis judicious. And the authors coverage of the Luftwaffes air defense effort is more accurate than that found in many accounts. The German defeat stemmed from many long- and short-term causes, not just Nazi bungling (though there was plenty of that).

At bottom though, Big Week is a story about people. Many of Hollands protagonists are familiarHollywood star and B-24 squadron commander Jimmy Stewart, Luftwaffe ace Heinz Knoke, and P-47 legend Bob Johnson to name a few. Yet Holland almost always manages to say something new. His examination of Luftwaffe fighter commander Adolf Galland, for example, relies not only on the pilots memoirs but on Gallands much more candid 1945 interrogation.

Holland also brings less celebrated figures to the fore. We encounter two inseparable brothers, both captains in British heavy bomber crews; only one would survive the war. He describes the slumping morale in the Army Air Forces bomb groups through the poignant memories of a chaplain, ministering to aircrew and removing burned bodies from a crash scene. Holland does not neglect the ordinary crew dogs, unaware of the controversies swirling at the higher headquarters. Vignettes from German civilians round out the story.

The last third of the bookBig Week itselfbrings together all of the personalities and narrative threads. Holland emphasizes not only the Eighth Air Force aspects of the story, but the Forgotten Fifteenth Air Force based in Italy and RAF Bomber Command. The book offers no startling revisionist conclusions. Nor does it plow new ground in examining the morality of the air war or the bombing campaigns impact on the Nazi war economy. Its major accomplishment is to firmly place Big Week and the events surrounding it within the larger historical narrative of the Allied campaign in Western Europe. It was, Holland argues, the turning point of not just the air battle, but the entire war. Richard R. Muller is a professor of military history at the USAF School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.

This review was originally published in the February 2019 issue of World War II magazine. Subscribe here.
A corner of Da Nang city

The news website has compared search statistics from 2017 and 2018 to narrow down the list of top emerging destinations next year.

It found the Ukrainian capital of Kiev was the place with the biggest surge in interest, with a year-on-year rise of 129%, pushing it up 62 spots on the global ranking.

The Australian government called upon travelers to be cautious traveling to Ukraine due to the unpredictable security situation across the country and the threat of escalating tensions, especially during political protests in Kiev.

However, Kievs spectacular buildings, vibrant night-life and its proximity to the radioactive tourism site Chernobyl have made it a major draw card for adventurous holiday-makers, the news said.

Here are the Top 10 emerging destinations Australian holiday-makers will visit in 2019.

1. Kiev, Ukraine (year-on-year rise of 129%)

2. Thessaloniki, Greece (69%)

3. St Petersburg, Russia (49%)

4. Lisbon, Portugal (37%)

5. Nice, France (33%)

6. Nha Trang, Vietnam (33%)

7. Palawan, the Philippines (32%)

8. Porto, Portugal (31%)

9. Da Nang, Vietnam (23%)

10. Medellin, Colombia (23%)./.
Parents of two Horizon Christian School students said the school was aware of racist comments and threats made against their children throughout the school year, and that the school admitted to them it made mistakes and had incorrect information in a statement released to parents.

Alexander Wortham, the father of Imani, and Dominique Duncan, the mother of LaShanti, said their daughters have been the targets of racist threats made over the course of the school year by multiple people at Horizon Christian, including students and a teacher who played along with a threat. Duncan said her daughter had multiple classes with the accused student, who started talking about world domination in October and said he would kill her swiftly. According to Duncan, a teacher joined in by asking what the student would do to this person referencing her daughter. Wortham said the student made a threat on his daughters life in late November or early December. The school suspended the accused student Dec. 3 and allowed him back Dec 10.

In its statement, the school laid out details in a timeline from Dec. 3 to Dec. 14, including information about when parents contacted the school and how it made certain decisions. But Wortham and Duncan disagreed with the schools account, and Wortham said the school acknowledged mistakes during a Dec. 17 meeting with parents and school administrators. He said the accused students parents were supposed to be there, but they had to back out for an unspecified reason.

The schools statement said threats were not reported by any students at the time of the alleged occurrence, but both parents said the girls went to Wesley Faust, assistant head of the school, to report an incident in which a group of students referenced the Ku Klux Klan. That grew into a larger discussion about racist comments. Wortham said Faust then called the accused student who threatened his daughters life into his office, but a group of students overheard his daughters name and harassed her further. According to Wortham, the school acknowledged at the meeting the girls reported their incidents to Faust.

Duncan said her daughter went to a teacher first to report the growing number of incidents, but it wasnt clear if the school acknowledged that in the meeting. The schools attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wortham said the three-hour meeting was pointless. The school said in its statement the accused student has Aspergers Syndrome, and a licensed mental health counselor concluded after an evaluation the student made no direct threat. Thats why the school allowed the student to go back Dec. 10. A mental health counselor was also at the meeting, according to Wortham, to describe traits associated with Aspergers Syndrome.

It was another slap in the face, he said. Nothing got resolved. Our daughters are still not in school. Last nights conversation was meant for us to feel sorry for the kids condition, but nobody is worried about our kids.

Both parents are frustrated by what they see as an attempt by Horizon Christian to walk around racism by excusing it with a medical condition.

If they clearly made statements like that and showed that type of behavior, Duncan said of the accused student, then I dont believe thats the right kind of environment for them at that point.

The parents said these latest incidents were just an escalation of what was already happening in the school. Along with comments about the KKK and world domination and life-threatening remarks, Wortham said he met with the school before when a teacher accused the two girls of causing drama during after-school care, even though he said the girls were keeping to themselves.

Most concerning to Duncan and Wortham was the threat of even more violence. They both said they researched recent school shootings around the country and believed the warning signs seemed familiar to what their daughters experienced.

You dont want to go to work and send your child to school without knowing whats going to happen, Duncan said. [The student] needs help. Its not healthy for him to be in that environment and making statements like that.

Wortham said he doesnt know what his next step will be, but hes at least considering legal action. Both parents said their daughters have not returned to school, and they are considering pulling them out of Horizon Christian altogether.

Contact staff writer Tyler Fenwick at 317-762-7853. Follow him on Twitter @Ty_Fenwick.
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The celebration of first passengers of Qatar Airways' flight to Da Nang. (Photo: CPV)





On December 19th, the Da Nang Department of Tourism coordinated with the state-owned flag carrier of Qatar to welcome the first flight coded QR994 carrying 192 passengers from Doha.

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said over the past decade, Da Nang developed rapidly and became a standout tourism destination. Thus, after Ho Chi Minh city and Hanoi, the airlines decided to expand its flight network to the central hub.

Deputy Director of the city Department of Tourism Nguyen Xuan Binh said the operation of direct air services from Doha to Da Nang will help the city to achieve the target of welcoming 15 million tourists by 2030. Besides, it is expected to open opportunities for connecting with 150 destinations in Qatar Airways network, especially tourists from potential markets such Western Europe and North America.

According to statistics, Da Nang gained rapid growth in number of tourists over the past years with 6.6 million in 2017, two-fold increase from 2013. In 2015, the city was voted among the Top 52 hot spots travelers should visit by the New York Times./.
Home Search ICH Trumps Retreat from Syria



Why is the US withdrawing its forces from the country?



By Abdel Bari Atwan December 21, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - There is a military rule that says: if you are facing defeat and want to cut your losses, the shortest way out is to declare victory and promptly retreat. US President Donald Trump may not be familiar this dictum, as his expertise is confined to business deals and property brokering. But some of his advisors are most definitely aware of it, as they are of the facts on the ground on the battlefronts where US forces are deployed, especially in the Middle East. White House Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders announced on Wednesday that all US forces in Syria  comprising some 2,000 Special Forces troops  would be withdrawn within two or three months, while another American official said that all State Department personnel would be pulled out of Syria within 48 hours. Trump justified this move in a tweet explaining that the war against terrorist groups, which was the only reason for the US forces presence in the first place, had achieved its aim with the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) group, so he had decided to bring them all home from Syria. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter There is much that is unclear about this decision, in addition to the element of surprise. Just one week ago, the US envoy to the international anti-terror coalition in Syria, Brett McGurk, declared that US forces would be remaining in the country for while. His boss, Secretary of State James Mattis (who may lose his job after the end of the year), has repeatedly warned over the past month against any premature US withdrawal from Syria, on the grounds that this would leave a vacuum which President Bashar al-Asad and his Iranian and Russian allies would fill. This has been reiterated by Trumps ally Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. *** The claim that US forces have eliminated IS, which maintains bases and a military presence in northeastern Syria, is false. The group remains strong, and it poses a threat to the mainly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which the US has been supporting and arming. Two days ago it retook villages it had lost in earlier confrontations between the two sides. So it is hard to accept this explanation. To understand why Trump took this decision to withdraw from Syria, and to vacate the Middle East conflict zone generally, a number of points need to be considered:  First: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans repeated warnings over the past ten days to attack the SDF and wipe it out completely in north-eastern Syria, on the grounds that it is an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)  which Turkey designates as a terrorist organisation  and threatens the countrys national security.  Second: Trump may have taken this decision after reaching a deal with Erdogan aimed at avoiding a military confrontation between their countries and reviving their previous strategic partnership. This is plausible. The two presidents have been in regular contact over the past few days, and Sanders indicated that Trump was considering Erdogans demand for the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, the US-based preacher accused of masterminding the failed coup in Turkey.  Third: The Trump administration may be preparing to ignite a war with Iran, and is pulling its forces out of Syria so they do not become a target for retaliatory attacks by pro-Iranian Iraqi groups. The 5,200 American soldiers in Iraq may also be withdrawn for the same reason. Moreover, talks were held on Wednesday between the US and the Taliban in Abu Dhabi (not Doha), attended by the Pakistanis, Saudis, and Emiratis, about a prospective withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.  Fourth: Trump may have agreed with his allies in Saudi Arabia and the UAE  and perhaps Qatar too  to send forces from these countries to replace the US troops, prevent a vacuum from occurring, and bankroll and arm the SDF. News reports have revealed that military experts from these countries have visited the Eastern Euphrates in recent weeks. Saudi Minister of State Tamer as-Sabhan went there several months ago to prepare for the arrival and basing of these forces. Reports in the past few days have suggested that Sudanese troops may be deployed there as well, also in coordination with the US administration. *** As usual, it is the Kurds  who banked on American protection, fought under the US banner against Syrian forces and then against IS, defeating the latter and capturing its capital city al-Raqqa  who stand to be the main victims of this American move. They have the most to lose, just like their counterparts in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Kurds problem, especially in Syria, is that they failed to learn from the lessons of history and of their own previous experiences and put all their eggs in the American basket. They are separatists when they have US backing, and Syrians when the Americans let them down or the Turks attack them. This has happened more than once, mot recently last week when they appealed for support from the Syrian army in the face of Turkish threats and accused it of betraying them when it did not immediately comply  as though Damascus is at their beck and call. It was no surprise to hear Kurdish spokeswoman Ilham Ahmad describe the US decision to withdraw form Syria as a stab in the back. It was a stab with a poisoned dagger, but it was not the first and will not be the last. The approaching new year will be replete with violent bumps and tremors. We should brace ourselves, and try to read the Middle Eastern scene differently this time, for there is more to come. This article was originally published by " Raialyoum " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== Patrick Buchanan: Will Trump Hold Firm on Syrian Pullout? Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
December 21, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - US President Donald Trumps order this week to withdraw American troops from Syria is long overdue. American forces have been in the Arab country for at least four years. They have been there illegally, present without any international mandate. Not with the permission of the Syrian government, nor with the sanction of the UN Security Council.

American troops in Syria are therefore an illegal occupying force, violating the sovereignty of Syria and international law. Washington claims its soldiers and air force are in the country to combat jihadist terror groups. That claim is risible given the ample evidence that Washington has been covertly supporting the same jihadist groups it is supposed to be fighting. Thousands of Syrian civilians have been killed by American forces in what amounts to countless war crimes.

President Trump declared an historic defeat of the terror groups was the reason for his order to withdraw US troops. Trump with his typical braggadocio is claiming a victory. That is so utterly misplaced. His self-righteous words are a travesty and an insult to international norms of law and morality.

The military forces that really brought an end to the terror groups were those of the Syrian army, Russia and Syrias others allies, Iran and Hezbollah. Trumps self-congratulations are grotesquely way off the mark. The terror proxies that wreaked havoc and horror in Syria for nearly eight years were enabled, armed and directed by the US and its NATO and regional client regimes.

Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter

Still, it is to be cautiously welcomed that Trump has called it a day for American forces in Syria. With American withdrawal, there is now more chance of a political settlement being found for the war-torn country. But Washington deserves no thanks for its belated troop withdrawal. In a sane world, Washington should one day face justice for its barbaric crimes in Syria.

Whether US troops actually do vacate Syria remains to be seen. Media reports say the Pentagon plans to pull out nearly 2,000 US troops within the next month.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in his annual international press conference this week gave a cautious welcome to Trumps announcement. Putin noted, however, that Trump has made a similar call earlier this year only for that to be overturned by the Pentagon. Putin also noted that Washington has been talking about removing troops from Afghanistan, yet the Central Asian country continues to be occupied by US troops more than 17 years after Trumps predecessor GW Bush ordered an invasion in 2001.

So, it remains to be seen if Trumps announcement this week regarding Syria is just a political stunt to placate his domestic base. During his 2016 election campaign, Trump promised to bring the troops home. His withdrawal plan this week could therefore be a disingenuous Christmas good news story for his political base, which in the coming weeks may be quietly abandoned.

There are sound reasons to be skeptical about Trumps withdrawal plan from Syria. Only a few months ago, his national security advisor, John Bolton, was saying that US forces would stay in Syria for as long as Iranian troops were present there. Notwithstanding that Iran forces are present in Syria legally at the request of President Bashar al Assads government, as are Russian forces.

Its not clear if Trump is just acting on his own whim or if there is a significant strategic decision in Washington to retreat from its regime-change machinations in Syria.

One thing seems clear though. Washingtons would-be withdrawal from Syria has nothing to do with its supposed defeat of terror groups. How could that be when Washington has for eight years worked assiduously and covertly to foment these same terror entities for regime change?

Washingtons putative withdrawal from Syria, if anything, is due to its realization of defeat for its regime-change operation. The Syrian army, Russia, Iran and Hezbollah deserve the laurels for heroically defeating the terrorist jihadist proxies whom Washington deployed to Syria for regime change. Salute too to the brave Syrian people for their amazing steadfastness in the face of horrific assault.

It is laughably ironic that US politicians, Britain and France are criticizing Trump this week, saying that the terrorists are not yet defeated. When it was these powers, plus Saudi Arabia, other Gulf states, Israel and Turkey which created, armed and supported the terror groups for the purpose of destroying Syria.

Russias Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova is correct in saying that US military pullout from Syria is potentially a positive move towards political settlement to the war in that country.

Russia, Iran and Turkey (belatedly) have been working diplomatically to bring about such a political settlement. Logically, with one less military player in Syria  the US  that lends towards a possible resolution of conflict. If, that is, Trumps order is actually carried through. Thats a big if.

There is, however, concern that US withdrawal might spur Turkey to intensify its military involvement in Syria against Kurdish militants which the US has been protecting up to now. We may expect that Russia and Iran will act to prevent any such adventurism by Ankara.

All in all, US planned withdrawal from Syria is viewed as a good thing. Its about time that Washington removed its illegal presence in the Arab country, and thereby permitting the country to restore the peace that it was so criminally denied for the past eight years.

Yes, Trumps decision this week is to be welcomed, but its long overdue. Criminally long overdue.

Trumps typical bravado about winning the war is contemptible. In reality, Syria stands as an historic defeat for US imperialism.

This article was originally published by " SCF " -

Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here

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Home Search ICH Trump Takes Decisive Stand Against The Military And Congress By Moon Of Alabama December 21, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Last Friday President Trump had another long phonecall with the Turkish President Erdogan. Thereafter he overruled all his advisors and decided to remove the U.S. boots from Syria and to also end the air war. This was the first time Trump took a decisive stand against the borg, the permanent neoconservative and interventionist establishment in his administration, the military and congress, that usually dictates U.S. foreign policy. It was this decision, and that he stuck to it, which finally made him presidential. Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton, his Secretary of Defense 'mad dog' Mattis and his Secretary of State Pompeo were all against this decision. The specialist working on Syria, the lunatic (vid) special representative for Syria engagement James Jefferey and Brett McGurk, the special presidential envoy for the global coalition to defeat ISIS, were taken by surprise. They had worked diligently to install a permanent U.S. presence in a Kurdish ruled proxy state in northeast Syria. While these people first tried to change Trump's decision, their resistance has now ceased: Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton met Monday, when Trump was said to formally decide on a US withdrawal from Syria. Multiple US officials argued against an abrupt US withdrawal, but were said to have given up trying to get Trump to change his mind by Tuesday night. US officials began to notify allies of the decision Tuesday. The push back from DOD, State and NSC stopped [Tuesday] night, said one regional expert who consults with the US administration, referring to the Department of Defense, the State Department and the National Security Council.

Back in January we already explained why the neoconservative project of a Kurdish proxy state in northeast Syria was doomed from its start: Ilhan tanir @WashingtonPoint - 7:50 PM - 24 Jan 2018

This map being discussed all day on Turkish TVs as Turkeys planned security zone/safe zone on Syria border.

Reportedly OKed by Sec.Tillerson though nobody on the American side confirms it

bigger It is the U.S. supported founding of a Kurdish state-let in northeast Syria which is Ankara's most serious security concern. No [Turkish] "safe zone" will help if the U.S. military continues to build and supplies a Kurdish "border force" that can penetrate Turkey's southeastern underbelly - now, tomorrow or in ten years. Unless the U.S. stops that project and retreats from the area Turkey will continue to push against it - if necessary by force. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter The Turkish people support the fight against U.S. supported Kurds and are willing to pay the price for it. The Kurdish YPK leaders are delusional in their demands and overestimate their own political position. The U.S. can not have both, Turkey as an ally and a Kurdish proxy statelet. It has to decide. Trump never wanted that project to proceed. He had always wanted to declare victory against ISIS and leave. It was the borg that tried to prevent this and which push the project along. But there are bigger geopolitical fish to fry than such meddling in the Middle East. Trump knows that the United States' 'unilateral moment' after the demise of the Soviet Union, which left the U.S. was the sole superpower, is over. Russia is back and China is rising. Trump's policy to adopt to the decreasing U.S. power is to end the 'globalization' that allowed for China's rapid rise. He wants to geopolitical split this world into two influence spheres. These will be separate from each other in the political, economic, technological and military realms. In this new big game Syria's northeast is just a sideshow and not worth a significant involvement. The much larger Turkey, a U.S. NATO ally for 70 years, is way more important. If Trump had not taken the decision to end the neocon Syria project and to remove the U.S. from Syria the U.S. would have lost it: Putting myself into Erdogan's shoes I would be very tempted to leave NATO and join an alliance with Russia, China and Iran. Unless the U.S. changes course and stops fooling around with the Kurds, Turkey will continue to disentangle itself from the old alliance. The Turkish army has so far prevented a break with NATO but even staunch anti-Erdogan officers are now on his side. If the U.S. makes a real offer to Turkey and adopts a new position it might be able to turn Turkey around and to put it back into its NATO fold. Is the Trump White House capable of defying the pro-Israel/pro-Kurdish voices and move back to that realist view? If it can not do that the real answer to the question "Who lost Turkey?" will be obvious. Trump decided that to prevent Turkey from leaving NATO, and from joining a deeper alliance with Russia, China and Iran, was more important than to further fool around at the margins of the Middle East. It is the right decision. The Kurdish statelet idea also led to a conflict between the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Central Command (CentCom). Turkey (and Israel) fall under EUCOM, while the Middle East and west Asia are the realm of CentCom. Throughout the last year EUCOM had been increasingly noisy about CentCom's Syria plans: Among the critics is General Curtis Scaparrotti, the head of the European Command and the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. [...] During a trip to Washington in March, Scaparrotti huddled with Mattis to express his worries over the growing tensions in U.S.-Turkish relations, worries that the European commander has also expressed in several meetings with General Joseph Votel, his counterpart as head of Centcom. The concern within EUCOM and NATO was indeed that Turkey would move further towards Russia and in the end leave NATO. That is now unlikely to happen. (Since 1991 it was CentCom that played a oversized role in U.S. foreign policy. Sec Def Mattis is a CentCom animal. It is good to see CentCom and him cut to size.) But if the hope is that Turkey will end its relations with Russia and Iran the outcome will be disappointing. Turkey depends on Russian and Iranian gas and as export markets. After the attempted coup against him Erdogan does not trust the U.S. side. Moreover, the position that gives him the most flexibility and leverage is between the two 'blocks', both of which will continue to court him. He will continue to vacillate between them to get the most from both sides.

The neoconservative elements in the administration, and their Zionist backers, have lost out. As Craig Murray describes their aims: The chaos of this incoherent and counterproductive strategy is, peculiarly enough, what the neocons actually want. Perpetual war and destabilisation in the Middle East is their goal. ... Today, by keeping Arab populations poor and politically divided, the neo-cons believe that they enhance the security of Israel, and they certainly do facilitate the access of western companies to the oil and gas of the region, as we see in destabilised Iraq and Libya. The neoconservative and interventionist borg blew it when it tried to use the temporary U.S. position in Syria against ISIS to goad Trump into a conflict with Iran: Some current and former US officials faulted what they saw as overreach by administration Iran hawks, in particular US Syria envoy Jim Jeffrey and his lieutenant, Joel Rayburn, the deputy assistant secretary of state for the Levant, who have argued publicly that US forces would not leave Syria until all Iranian forces had left. The people who work for [Trump]  Bolton, Rayburn, now Jeffrey  make it worse by adding impossible objectives on Syria [involving Iran] that suggest an indefinite stay, said the US official who called Trump's decision catastrophic. The official said these arguments have no connection to realistic objectives for our military and go way beyond the goal of defeating IS and preventing its re-emergence. But the Iranian presence in Syria is so small and and the U.S. position so weak, that this was always a stupid idea: John Allen Gay, an Iran expert and executive director of the John Quincy Adams Society, [..] argues that Trumps decision confirms what everyone has quietly admitted for at least the past year: that keeping U.S. forces in Syria to counter ISIS was starting to look like a way for administration interventionists to argue that we should take on Iran. Keeping the troops there post-ISIS was in part natural mission creep, but it was also a stalking horse for hawks in the administration who want to take on Iran, he told TAC. Yet dangling a few thousand guys in between Turkish forces on one side and Iranians, Russians, and Syrians on the other was never going to be decisive on Irans regional role, and it came with real risks and no endgame, Gay added. I just dont think theres any appetite in the American public for a big fight with Iran anywhere, let alone over Eastern Syria.

The U.S. State Department is already moving its people out of Syria. The 4,000 to 5,000 U.S. military and contractors were given 60 to 100 days (other sources say 30 day but that is a bit too hasty) to pack up and leave. They will coordinate with Russia for a handover. There will be Russian advisors that will replace the U.S. Green Berets who command the Kurdish and Arab tribal forces against ISIS. Russia will also try to convince Turkey that there is no further need to invade Syria's east. It will promise to disarm the Kurdish forces or to integrate them into the Syrian army. Its air force will replace the U.S. and others who currently bomb the 2,000 or so Islamic State fighters left in their hold out along the Euphrates. The Kurds in Syria will have to make nice with Damascus. They have nowhere else to go. Their dream of an autonomous Rojava will turn out to be just that. Syria can only survive as a centrally controlled state. It will never be federalized. The local Arab tribes in the northeast will probably seek some revenge against the uppity Kurdish leadership that used the U.S. backing to draft their sons into the fight against ISIS. The YPK leadership will likely flee into north Iraq to hide out with their PKK brethren in in the Quandil mountains. The Syrian army, which plans to dislodge al-Qaeda from Idleb governorate during the next spring, will now have to move a number of forces towards the northeast. Isolating the Islamic State at the Euphrates near the Iraqi border and eventually eliminating it, will be the new priority. Iraqi militia will probably help with that. Recovering the oil and gas fields and other economic assets will be another important issue. Much will depend on how Russia and Iran will be able to handle Turkey. With the U.S. out, and the danger of a Kurdish entity in Syria decreasing, they may well be able to convince Erdogan to stop his invasion plans.

It is quite refreshing to see that Trump was finally able to liberate himself from the dictate of the borg. By moving the U.S. out of Syria he fulfilled one of his election promises. Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump - 11:42 utc - 20 Dec 2018

Getting out of Syria was no surprise. Ive been campaigning on it for years, and six months ago, when I very publicly wanted to do it, I agreed to stay longer. Russia, Iran, Syria & others are the local enemy of ISIS. We were doing there work. Time to come home & rebuild. #MAGA The people who voted for Trump will welcome the move. One hopes that he can expand on it by further decreasing the influence of Saudi Arabia and Israel on his policies. During his campaign Trump also argued for better relations with Russia. But the borg pushed his policies towards the opposite stand. Removing the U.S. from Syria is eliminating one issue were Russia and the U.S. were on opposing sides. Could Trump use his newly found backbone to defeat the borg again and to finally work towards better relations with Russia? That currently sounds unlikely. But Friday's decision was a big suprize. Stay tuned for other ones. This article was originally published by " Moon Of Alabama " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
Anti-War Voices: Of Course Trump Should Withdraw US Troops From Syria... and Afghanistan and Yemen and Iraq and...





"The US has been waging endless war for a generation, wasting trillions of dollars and costing countless lives, and we're no better off for it."



By Jon Queally

December 21, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Even as the Pentagon stammered and the retired generals, ex-CIA chiefs, and war hawks from both major political parties took to the cable news to warn against the prospect of less waror at least U.S. involvement in thempeace groups on Wednesday afternoon applauded news reporting that President Donald Trump has ordered the withdrawal of U.S. ground forces from Syria.

"President Trump is absolutely right to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria," said Paul Kawika Martin, senior director for policy and political affairs at Peace Action, in response to reporting from the New York Times and others.

"President Obama deployed U.S. soldiers to Syria in violation of international law," he said, "and the ongoing U.S. presence there only serves to prolong the war and fuel the risk of confrontation with Russia, Iran, and other parties to the conflict."

The US should not have been in #Syria without constitutional authorization by #Congress. @realDonaldTrump is correct to cease our military presence. Now the US needs to support a political solution and humanitarian needs including helping refugees. https://t.co/qZuMWpejkU pic.twitter.com/rWO44Hj1FG  Paul Kawika Martin (@PaulKawika) December 19, 2018

A troop withdrawal, Martin added, does not mean the U.S. cannot have a role in helping the Syrian people or securing a better future for the nation. "The U.S. can and should pursue a more active role in negotiations aimed at securing a political solution and a lasting peace in Syria, and should step up funding for humanitarian aid," Martin said. "President Trump should also rethink his administration's callous, discriminatory refugee policies and immediately increase the number of refugees allowed into the United States rather than continuing to shut our doors to Syrians fleeing a war that the U.S. has played such a significant role in."

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My statement supporting decision by @realDonaldTrump to withdraw US troops from Syria. It was wrong when the Obama Administration took part in unauthorized war actions in Syria without a strategy. It was wrong for the Trump Administration to continue it. https://t.co/K8zONxPKnw  Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) December 19, 2018

The anti-war and human rights group CodePink also applauded the prospect of all U.S. troops leaving Syria.

"We believe the U.S. withdrawal from Syria is a positive contribution to the peace process," said the group's co-founder Medea Benjamin. A withdrawal, she added, also "decreases the tensions between the United States and Iran that could have escalated the dangerous proxy wars that have been victimizing the Syrian people."

Putting focus on the war's countless victims, Benjamin said her group is calling "on all foreign powers that have been involved in Syrias destruction, including the United States, to take responsibility for rebuilding this nation and providing assistance to the Syrian people, including the refugees, who have suffered so tragically for over seven years."

Benjamin said she further hopes that the decision will also mark the start of further reevaluation of U.S. troops stationed around the world. "This is particularly true in Afghanistan," she said, "where some 16,000 US soldiers are engaged in a war that is beginning its 18th year, and in neighboring Iraq, where the U.S. says it will maintain its presence with 5,200 troops stationed in the country. President Trump should continue to stand up to the neocons and the military-industrial complex that profit from endless war by bringing these troops home as well."

Martin agreed.

"As long as Trump is rethinking the U.S. role in Syria, he should also move to withdraw U.S. forces from the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan, and from the catastrophic Saudi-led war in Yemen," Martin said.

"The U.S. has been waging endless war for a generation, wasting trillions of dollars and costing countless lives, and we're no better off for it," he concluded. "We need a security strategy rooted in peace and cooperation rather than death and destruction. In the coming year, the new Congress should move to reclaim its long-lost authority on war so that these critical decisions are vetted by the people's representatives instead of left in the hands of one person."

This article was originally published by " Common Dreams " -

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Home Search ICH The New Great Game on the Roof of the World



CPEC involves road and rail projects, dams and a pipeline from Gwadar to Xinjiang, but it is very long-term endeavor as a visit to the country revealed



By Pepe Escobar December 21, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - On top of the graceful Baltit Fort, overlooking the Hunza Valleys Shangri-La-style splendor, its impossible not to feel dizzy at the view: an overwhelming collision of millennia of geology and centuries of history. We are at the heart of Gilgit-Baltistan, in Pakistans Northern Areas, or  as legend rules, the Roof of the World. This is an area about 70,000 square kilometers (27,000 square miles) crammed with spectacular mountain ranges and amidst them, secluded pristine valleys and the largest glaciers outside of the Polar region. The location feels like vertigo. To the north, beyond the Batura Glacier, is the tiny northeast arm of Afghanistan, the legendary Wakhan corridor. A crest of the Hindu Kush separates Wakhan from the regional capital Gilgit. Xinjiang starts on Wakhans uppermost tip. Via the upgraded Karakoram highway, its only 240 km from Gilgit to the Khunjerab Pass, 4,934 meters high on the official China-Pakistan border. What used to be called the Russian Pamir, now in Tajikistan, can be seen with naked eyes from one of the peaks of the Karakoram. To the east, past Skardu and an arduous trek that may last almost a month, lies K2, the second highest peak in the world, among a mighty group north of the Batura Glacier (also known as Baltoro), which is 63km long. To the south lies Azad (Free) Kashmir and slightly to the southeast what locals define as Indian-occupied Kashmir. The former King of Kashmir agreed to be part of India after Partition in 1947 but troops were airlifted to the northern state and after a year of fighting, India went to the UN. A temporary ceasefire line was established in 1948 and runs down from the Karakoram towards the Nanga Parbat  the killer mountain, dividing Kashmir into two virtually sealed halves. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Massive mountain ranges Driving across the Karakoram Highway (see part 2 of this report) we were face to face with three massive mountain ranges running in different directions. The Karakoram roughly starts where the Hindu Kush ends and then sweeps eastward  a watershed between Central Asian drainage and streams flowing into the Indian Ocean. The Himalayas start in Gilgit and then run southeast through a cluster of high peaks, including the Nanga Parbat, directly on the Islamabad-Gilgit air route (flights by turboprop only take off if weather around the Nanga Parbat allows). The Karakoram and the Himalayas are like an extension of each other, while the Hindu Kush starts in southern Afghanistan and ties up with the Karakoram north of the Hunza Valley. Within a radius of roughly 150 km from Gilgit and Skardu, there are no less than 90 peaks towering over 8,000m. Strategically, this is one of the top spots on the planet, a protagonist of the original Great Game between imperial Britain and Russia. So its more than appropriate that here is exactly where a protagonist of the New Great Game, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of the New Silk Roads, or Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), actually starts, linking western Chinas Xinjiang to the Northern Areas across the Khunjerab Pass. Karakoram politics CPEC is the supreme jewel in the Belt and Road crown, the largest foreign development or investment program in modern Chinas history, loaded with way more funds than years of US military aid to Islamabad. And we are indeed in Ancient Silk Road territory. Looking at the millenary trail parallel to the Karakoram, lovingly restored by the Aga Khan Development Foundation, its easy to picture the great Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang traversing these heights in the 7th Century, and naming them Polo-le. The Tang dynasty called it Great Polu. When Marco Polo trekked in the 14th Century, he called it Bolor. Early last month, I was privileged to drive on the upgraded Karakoram Highway along CPEC all the way from Gilgit to the Khunjerab, and back, with multiple incursions to valleys such as lush, pine-forested Naltar, Shimshal (manufacturers of sublime yak wool shawls), Kutwal and receding glaciers, such as Hopper and Bualtar. The Karakoram Highway was originally conceived in the 1970s as an ambitious political-strategic project able to influence the geopolitical balance in the subcontinent, by expanding Islamabads reach into previously inaccessible frontiers. Now its at the heart of a trade and energy corridor from the China-Pak border all the way south to Gwadar, the port in Balochistan in the Arabian Sea a stones throw from the Persian Gulf. Gwadar looks likely to be a crucial springboard to China becoming a naval power  active from the Indian Ocean to the Persian Gulf and on to the Mediterranean, while CPEC, slowly but surely, aims to change the social and economic structure of Pakistan. Previous Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the controversial Lion of the Punjab, was an avid CPEC supporter after he won the 2013 elections. At the time current Prime Minister Imran Khans Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, winner of elections held in July, had already polled second nationwide and rose to power in the strategic Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province  straddling the area between Islamabad and the tribal belt. Sharif, in June 2013, when he was about to enter negotiations with the Chinese, was lauding what would become CPEC as an infrastructure scheme that will change the fate of Pakistan. So far that has translated mostly into new hydroelectric dams, coal-fired power stations, and civil-nuclear power. The China National Nuclear Corporation is building two 1,100 MW reactors near Karachi for nearly $10 billion, 65% financed by Chinese loans. This is the first time that the Chinese nuclear industry has built something of this scale outside of their country. More than a dozen CPEC projects involve power generation  Pakistan is no longer woefully energy-deprived. These projects may not be as sexy as high-speed rail and pipelines, which could arrive much later; after all CPEC in its planned entirety runs to 2030. Of course, monumental business decisions will have to be addressed; the staggering cost  and state of the art engineering  involved in building a railway parallel to the Karakoram; and the fact that oil pumped via a pipeline from Gwadar to Xinjiang might cost five times more than via the usual sea lanes all the way to Shanghai. What Imran wants Imran Khan is way more cautious than Sharif, who had a China cell inside his office and commanded the Pakistani Army to set up a 10,000-strong security force to protect Chinas CPEC investments. But Khan knows well about the firepower behind CPEC: the Silk Road Fund, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), CITIC, Bank of China, EXIM, China Development Bank. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) projects that BRI could mobilize as much as $6 trillion in the next few years. What Khan wants is to negotiate better terms for Pakistan. Chinas ambassador to Pakistan, Yao Jing, never tires to stress that Pakistans serious debt problem relates to the initial phase of CPEC, due to the massive import of heavy machinery, industrial raw materials and services. As I learned in Islamabad in various discussions with Pakistani analysts, Khan actually wants to expand CPEC and prevent it from leading Islamabad towards an unsustainable debt trap. That would mean tweaking CPECs focus away from too much infrastructure development to technology transfer and market access for Pakistani products. Financing for agriculture projects, for instance, could come via CPECs Long Term Plan, which unlike the so-called Early Harvest Plan does not come with a price tag attached and can be negotiated freely between Islamabad and Beijing. According to a 2016 IMF report, $28 billion in projects included in Early Harvest will be completed by 2020: $10 billion to develop road, rail and port infrastructure, and $18 billion in energy projects via Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), with Chinese firms using commercial loans borrowing from Chinese banks. CPEC though is an extremely long-term endeavor. Other CPEC investments in energy and transportation infrastructure financed by China will be finished only by 2030. A new CPEC emphasis on industrialization via technology transfer would allow Pakistan to produce some of what China imports. That would imply renegotiating the Pakistan-China Free-Trade Agreement (FTA), getting to the level of preferential treatment that China offers to ASEAN. Essentially, this is what Imran Khan is aiming at. Hail the Ismailis Gilgit-Baltistan is the safest place in the whole of Pakistan. Here, theres no terror threat by the Pakistani Taliban or dodgy al-Qaeda or ISIS spin-offs. Major spoken languages are Shina and Burushaski, not Urdu. The population is overwhelmingly composed of Ismaili Shiites  like Karim Shah, an encyclopedia of Central and South Asian history and culture reigning over a cave of wonders in Gilgit where anything from authentic heads of Gandhara Bodhisattvas to 18th Century silk Qom carpets from a Persian royal family can be found. We spent hours talking about Khorasan, the original Kipling-esque Great Game, Col. Durand (who drew the Durand Line separating Pashtuns on both sides of an artificial border), the Kashmir question, the astonishingly complex geo-eco-historical system of the Northern Areas, and of course, China. Shah imparted the impression  confirmed by other traders  that the local population may see some tangible CPEC-related benefits, but does not know exactly what Beijing wants. Chinese visitors  engineers, bureaucrats  are remote; tourism has not picked up yet, as in the case of the Japanese, who have been Northern Areas enthusiasts for decades. Thus, an improvement in Xi Jinpings people-to-people exchange, a key component of BRI, seems to be in order. Legend rules that Hunzakuts, the inhabitants of the glorious Hunza Valley, are descendants of three soldiers of Alexander the Great who married beautiful Persian women of high aristocracy. While Alexander campaigned along the Oxus, the three couples traveled across the Wakhan corridor, discovered the marvelous valley, and settled down. The tolerant Islam they came to practice centuries later is impervious to Gulf proselytizing. When I crossed an austere village by the Karakoram, visibly out of place, my Ismaili driver Akbar noted that these were Sunni Wahhabis. Finding Gandhara art in Gilgit made perfect sense. Gandhara historically formed a sort of fertile and irrigated triangle between the Iranian plateau, the Hindu Kush and the first peaks of the Himalayas. Between the 6th Century BC and the Islamic invasions, it was the crossroads of three cultures: India, China and Iran. And it was here that an extremely original Greco-Buddhist art and culture flourished, way after Greek power had waned. The Kashmir question As a new 21st Century crossroads, CPEC faces stern challenges  from geology (constant landslides and floods in Gilgit-Baltistan) to wobbly security in Balochistan, threatened by a combination of separatist and religiously or politically manipulated movements. I was not able to visit Gwadar and the south of CPEC even though contacts in Islamabad supplied military sources with an application for a NOC (No Object Certificate, as it is known on Pakistan) weeks in advance. The military response: too sensitive, as in dangerous, for a lone Western journalist, especially in the aftermath of the Aasia Bibi case. China will need to find a way  perhaps via negotiations inside the Shanghai Cooperation Organization  to mollify India on CPECs route straddling Kashmir. In 1936 the British made a deal with the Maharaja of Kashmir, getting Gilgit on lease for 60 years. But then came Partition. At the time the Kuomintang  in power in China, before Maos victory  was engaged in secret negotiations to restore Hunzas fabled independence as a new state allied with China. But the Mir of Hunza finally decided to join the newborn Pakistani nation. Few may remember that, during the 1950s, way before the India-China border war in 1962, there was trouble on the China-Pakistan border, when Beijing seized 3,400 square miles of Kashmir, including parts of old Hunza, whose Mirs always recognized Chinese suzerainty. When the British had first seized Hunza in 1891, the Mir actually fled to China. This puts into perspective some fabulous documents preserved at Baltit Fort, like China-Baltistan trade agreements and a picture of Zhou EnLai visiting the fort in the early 1960s. Its also fascinating to remember that at the time Zhou Enlai already thought about Karachi  no Gwadar at that time  connecting to an ancient trade route, lost to modern times, not only for trade but for strategic purposes as well. Xi Jinping has definitely read his Zhou EnLai thoroughly. Nowadays, the President of Azad (Free) Jammu and Kashmir, Sardar Masood Khan, always stresses that unlike Indian propaganda, the Pakistani side is thriving politically and economically, and CPEC could also be beneficial for Indian Kashmir. As it stands, this remains a red line for New Delhi. Once in a lifetime chance At the National Defense University in Islamabad, I was shown a paper by Li Xiaolu, from the Institute of Strategic Studies at the National Defense University of the PLA detailing how Beijing hopes that by opening Chinas west to Central and South Asia, building better transportation infrastructure, and by encouraging trade with South and Central Asian countries, the development of manufacturing, processing and industrial capacities in Western China can be promoted. Now compare it with road and rail infrastructure improved across Pakistan being able to turn the whole nation into an actual trade corridor, while the Pakistani Navy improves its defense in deep-sea waters with Gwadar positioned as a third naval base and offering support for Chinese ships across sea lanes close to the Middle East and Northern Africa. No wonder Chinese analysts share a virtual consensus about traditional Chinese wisdom favoring unity for prosperity  a key plank of CPEC and BRI  and prevailing over containment and confrontation. For CPEC to work, Beijing needs three things: a political solution for Afghanistan, which is already being worked out inside the SCO, with China, Russia, India, Pakistan and Iran (as an observer) directly involved; stable relations between India and Pakistan; and certified security across Pakistan. Beijing is actively encouraging closer connectivity between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the Quetta-Kandahar railway and the Kabul-Peshawar highway. CPEC is actually expanding from the Karakoram to the Khyber Pass, trespassing the artificial Durand line along the way. In contrast, multiple factions in Washington continue to twist all possible faultlines to thwart these projects, with a propaganda campaign designed to portray BRI as a swamp of corruption, incompetence, a debt trap and malign Chinese behavior. Yet among all BRI corridors, material progress across CPEC is more than self-evident. I saw every village in the Northern Areas with electricity and most of them linked by fiber optics, a stark contrast to when I traveled a severely dilapidated Karakoram, twice, two decades ago. Pakistan now has a once in a lifetime chance to harness its geographical location  with borders intertwining centuries of history and culture with Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and the Middle East  to set itself up as a key bridge between the Middle East and both the Mediterranean and Western China. Rumors abounded in Islamabad that Imran Khan is aiming for an international standard university in the capital, positioned as a center of study and research tracking the new mosaic of an emerging multipolar world. Young people power will be more than available, like Jamila Shah, currently at the National Defense University, doing a masters in Peace and Conflict Studies, and working with an NGO, the International Rescue Committee. Jamila, from Hunza, in Gilgit-Baltistan, is the face of Pakistans future. Still hostage to a corrupt oligarchy, cartelized industries, falling exports (60% of which are textiles), and with almost half of their youths aged from five to 16 out of school, Pakistan faces a Sisyphean task. Economist Ishrat Husain has correctly noted that Pakistans model of elitist growth must be replaced by shared growth. Enter a modified CPEC opening the path ahead, hopefully like those cargo trucks defying the slippery, snowy Khunjerab full blast. Pepe Escobar is correspondent-at-large at Asia Times. His latest book is 2030. Follow him on Facebook. Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here ==See Also== Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
December 21, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - "Impulsive, irresponsible, and dangerous." Such was the way, just this morning on CNN, that Democratic Representative, and House Minority Whip, Steny Hoyer described President Trumps recent announcement that hes bringing home the 2,000 U.S. troops currently in Syria. Last night, Republican Senator Lindsay Graham  a true hawks hawk  declared on the Senate floor that Trumps decision is a "disaster," and a "stain on the honor of the United States." Two points here, one minor, one major  lets begin with a semantic quibble: when maintaining national "honor" becomes a last ditch argument for continuing indecisive, perpetual war, perhaps it really is time to leave. And, more importantly, theres this: anytime that Steny Hoyer and Lindsay Graham are in agreement and share a disdain for a foreign policy decision  even a Trump decision  well, then, the president might just be on to something.

My point is this: the bipartisan interventionist/militarist consensus of centrist Dems and hawkish Republicans has brought only disaster, death, humanitarian crisis, exploding debt and endless war for nearly two decades. For ample evidence see Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, etc. So, why are we still listening to these folks? Well, partly because the United States is an increasingly militarized (ostensible) republic in which a world-leading domestic arms industry all but owns Congress and the corporate media. Then theres the matter of Trump  a man that the bipartisan Washington establishment simply loathes. Indeed, The Donald can do no right as far as these folks are concerned. Now, few authors  especially serving on active-duty in the military  have been as (constructively) critical of this president as I have, but occasionally the man demonstrates good sense, especially in foreign affairs. Fairness demands that we recognize this, whatever we think of the presidents general personality.

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Let us return, then, to Syria, and take Representative Hoyers assessment apart one piece at a time. In point of fact there was nothing particularly "impulsive" about President Trumps announcement. More than six months ago, in May, he announced that the US military would be withdrawing from Syria "like, very soon." In fact, arguably the only reason American troops have remained in the country as long as they have can be attributed to poor advice from the last "adult-in-the-room," Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Candidate Trump ran on a largely anti-interventionist platform, and  during the Obama presidency  regularly tweeted that the US should "stay out" of Syria. So theres nothing exceptionally impulsive or surprising about Trumps latest decision on troop withdrawal.

Next, Hoyer called Trumps decision "irresponsible." But is it, really? One could, in fact, argue the exact opposite. Besides the originally stated mission to defeat ISISs physical caliphate  which has essentially been accomplished  ever more expansive, unachievable, and flimsy justifications for a perpetual US troop presence in Syria have begun to creep in. Trumps own cabinet members, and the usual (perennially wrong) Beltway insiders have alternately argued that America must stay in Syria to check Russia, counter Iran, deter Turkey, protect the Kurds, and on and on. No one, not Trump nor his "grown-up" advisors, seemed capable of articulating a cogent, sustainable strategy or communicating an exit strategy. And military occupation of a sovereign country  sanctioned neither by the US Congress nor the United Nations  ought to be driven by more than policy inertia.

Only thats become the norm in US Mideast policy. We stay because we dont know what else to do  remaining not for positivist goals but out of fear of negativist what-ifs. When policy goals are muddled and end-states unclear, now thats "irresponsible." If Trumps team cant enunciate a vital national interest in maintaining a military intervention  which theyve proven time and again that they cant  then the president has a duty to pull the plug on the latest forever war.

Then theres Hoyers claim  echoed by Senator Graham, every pundit on CNN and MSNBC, and just about every vacuous D.C. analyst  that pulling out of Syria is "dangerous." Its not, or, put another way, its at least less dangerous than staying. This author has argued for over a year that Syria is the next great Middle East trap, all risk and no reward for the United States. Lets review just why this is. Heres what the US stands to gain by staying put in Syria  a temporary denial of Assad and his allies forces entering the countrys far east, a limited zone of unsustainable Kurdish autonomy, and tough-guy bragging rights on the international scene.

Up against this are the truly "dangerous"  and arguably unacceptable  risks of perpetual military occupation. As if the latest (unnecessary) iteration of Cold War with Russia in Eastern Europe isnt treacherous enough, in Syria today US troops (and allies) face-off with Russian troops (and their allies) on an unstable front along the Euphrates River. Despite some limited deconfliction measures in place, we now know that American and Russian soldiers have  according to the special US ambassador  exchanged gunfire "more than once" along this precarious boundary. In one particularly disturbing incident several months back, US airstrikes killed "dozens" of Russian mercenaries in a four-hour battle. Luckily Putin showed restraint after that exchange. Can we count on that in the future? Who knows. Whats certain is that Russia holds the stronger hand in Syria, has been invited there by Assad, and possesses thousands of nuclear weapons. De-escalation seems more than prudent given these undeniable truths.

Then theres the minor matter of Turkey, a treaty ally with the second-largest army in NATO. President Erdogan has repeatedly threatened US troops, actually invaded Northern Syria, and refuses to recognize any sort of Kurdish autonomous entity (and he never will). All this bluster led the Pentagon, in November, to announce a new strategy of placing outposts along the Turkish border to deter Ankara. Tell me how this risky "strategy" contributes to the stated mission of US troops in Syria  the defeat of ISIS? It doesnt. Again, plentiful risk, scant reward.

Finally, if 17+ years of indecisive war in the Greater Middle East should have taught Washington anything, itd be this: prolonged ground-force occupation of sovereign Islamic states or regions is ultimately counterproductive. The longer the US stays in Syria  or anywhere for that matter  the greater the chance of an outbreak of armed insurgency. Turns out (gasp!) that folks dont appreciate being occupied by a foreign superpower. Sure, the Kurds want our protection, but Eastern Syria is home to more than just a Kurdish minority. Indefinite US military presence could enflame Sunni tribal hostilities, reestablishing that perilous, if ubiquitous, alliance between nationalist Sunnis and Islamist jihadis  something weve seen percolate in both Afghanistan and Iraq. And just wait: should such an insurgency break out  and I predict it eventually would  well then the Pentagon and professional DC pundits would tell us we have to stay and sprinkle some magic counterinsurgency dust on that new enemy. It is thus that Americas post-9/11 wars have become self-sustaining quagmires.

US strategy, especially military strategy, should be undergirded by realism, policy sobriety, and facts. And heres the most relevant, if inconvenient, fact: Bashar al-Assads regime  backed by Iran and Russia  has already won the civil war. Nothing the US has done, can do, or is willing to try, will change that salient truth. The endgame in Syria  just as in Afghanistan someday soon  will be messy, uncomfortable, and optically unsettling. Syria will remain what its been for half-a-century, a minor "adversarys" ally stably situated in the Russian and, to a lesser extent, Iranian camp. So it has been and so it shall remain. Assads Syria is eminently containable  as is Iran, for that matter  and presents no existential threat or vital interest to U.S. security. Indeed, though Assad is undoubtedly a monster, his secular regime is actually more likely to suppress transnational terror threats than a divided Syria at war with itself. Extremism feeds on instability and division  precisely what continued American military intervention would ensure.

It is long past time to leave behind childish things  excessive optimism, sentimentality (for the Kurds, for example), and the foolish fantasy of Americas special mission to transform the world  in the interest of sound strategy. Love Trump or hate him, his decision on Syria is neither "impulsive," "irresponsible," or unacceptably "dangerous." The president is delivering on his  albeit muddled  campaign promise to eschew risky interventionism and put American interests first in foreign policy. Let us give credit where credit is do.

Danny Sjursen is a U.S. Army officer and regular contributor to Antiwar.com. He served combat tours with reconnaissance units in Iraq and Afghanistan and later taught history at his alma mater, West Point. He is the author of a memoir and critical analysis of the Iraq War, Ghostriders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge. Follow him on Twitter at @SkepticalVet.

[Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.]

Copyright 2018 Danny Sjursen

This article was originally published by " Anti War " -

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Reno Omokri, ex President Goodluck Jonathans former aide has said that the President Muhammadu Buhari led Government is afraid of Human Right activist Deji Adeyanju, hence the detention.

The police arrested Adeyanju over accusations of being involved in a murder case from the 2000s, on 13th December.

An Abuja high court judge, Justice Sandhi, on Friday, ordered

thay he immediately and unconditionally, be released by the Police, because the allegations against him, do not warrant that he be kept in detention. However, a magistrate court sitting in Kano, in a separate ruling, ordered that Adeyanju be remanded in Police custody.

Hassan Fagge, chief magistrate said he lacked the power to take hearing on the case, and issued an order for Adeyanjus remandment in custody till February 6, 2019, when the matter could be heard at a higher court.

Reacting to the development, Omokri said Adeyanjus 2017 Resume or Resign protest made president Buhari cut short his 108 day stay in London and returned to Nigeria the next day.

For this he says, via his Twitter handle that the government is afraid of Adeyanju, and as such has decided to put him away.

Fear of Adeyanju Dejis 2017 Resume or Resign protest made Muhammadu Buhari cut short his 108 day stay in London and return to Nigeria the next day. Buhari Government is afraid of Dejis impact on the 2019 elections which is why they have locked him up until February #FreeDejiAdeyanju
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has said the attempt to claim the newly commissioned Terminal Building at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by president Muhammadu Buhari is totally unacceptable.

The opposition in a statement on Thursday, said that the project was designed, conceptualized and fully financed by the PDP administration. 

PDP said the desperate attempt by the president to claim a project conceived and fully finance by it, is the end of the road, for the president.

See full statement below

New Abuja Airport Terminal: The attempt by the failed President Muhammadu Buhari to claim credit for the construction of the new Terminal Building at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, is unfortunate and totally unacceptable.

It is public knowledge that the project was designed, conceptualized & fully financed by the PDP administration. It is therefore derisory to see Buhari and his handlers, comically hugging the cameras at the commissioning of a project they made no contributions to.

We are aware that President Buhari is desperate to validate his false performance indices, but seeking to lay claim to projects executed by our party, only shows that he has hit the end of the road.

The only option left for President Buhari is to accept his failures, as Nigerians rally behind the PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku , to rescue our nation and return her to the path of good governance, development, national cohesion and economic prosperity.
Vanguard

ORGANISED Labour, yesterday, issued a December 31 deadline to the Federal Government to send a draft bill on the new national minimum wage to the National Assembly for passage into law to avoid a nationwide strike in the new year.

Thisday

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged the federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to resolve the lingering strike by university teachers, which has brought academic activities across the country to a halt, warning that failure to do so could adversely affect preparations for the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

The Sun

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), has distanced himself from the continued detention of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki by the Federal government saying the decision did not receive his support.

Leadership

Organised labour yesterday rejected the call by President Muhammadu Buhari to set up another high-powered technical committee on the new national minimum wage.

Daily Trust

A member of the PDP in the House of Representatives said, yesterday, that the jeering of President Muhammadu Buhari by members of the opposition party was not to slight him and his office but to draw his

The Nation

THE Air Force said last night that progress has been made on the circumstances surrounding the killing of former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh.

Tribune

Members of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Osun Central Senatorial District have disassociated themselves from the coalition agreement embarked upon by some leaders and members of the party in Osun State.
Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri has come under severe fire, after he was caught spreading fake news. Omokri, who styled himself, the official ruffler of President Muhammadu Buharis feather, in bid to ruffle the presidents feathers, once again, quoted a report that happened under his principal, Goodluck Jonathans era, as under Buharis.

Omokri, in a tweet he has already deleted said that, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria revealed that 800 firms had folded up in three years, since Buhari took over power.

See screenshot of Omokris deleted tweet

However, it was found out to be false, as the report was actually from 2012, Jonathan under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was in power.

Reacting to Omokris now deleted tweet, Abubakar Sidiq Usman, a social media user said Omokri, in a bid to malign Buhari, shot himself in the foot.

Reno Omokri in his usual style of posting fake news tweeted earlier today in a bid to paint Buhari in bad light. Unknown to him, the report he referenced in his post is dated 2012, when his hero was the one in charge of the country. Dude has since deleted the tweet, but its here

See report Omokri quoted
Photo taken on Dec. 18, 2018 shows a view of Hani terraced fields in Yuanyang County, southwest China's Yunnan Province. Local people of the Hani ethnic group have a history of more than 1,000 years of terracing the ridges for high-yield cropping. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization listed the Hani terraced fields as a world heritage in 2013. (Xinhua/Zeng Wei)

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This content is from: European Union

Heads of tax at multinational companies have welcomed the Dutch governments announcement that it will publish anonymised summaries of all its tax rulings from July 2019.
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What happens when you dont own an Amazon Alexa-equipped smart speaker, but, following a request for data, you get over a thousand recordings with the personal assistant? One Amazon customer in Germany got to find out.

The German magazine ct has the report about a person, going by the alias Martin Schneider, who requested the data that Amazon has collected on them. Schneider can do this following the rollout of the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR. Schneider requested a look at the data that Amazon had collected on him, but thats not what he received.

Instead, due to what Amazon calls human error, Amazon accidentally set Schneider 1,700 recordings of conversations and commands delivered to Alexa on a smart speaker. The issue is that Schneider does not own an Alexa-enabled smart speaker, and it was quickly revealed that the 1,700 records were not his at all. Schneider tried to get in touch with Amazon about the issue, but was ultimately unable to do so. As a result, he took the recordings to the magazine who was able to piece together, through the data collected, who the recordings belonged to.

Within the recordings, the actual owner is noted as offering up a variety of commands to control Spotify, its recognized that there is a spouse that lives in the house with the owner of the recordings, and controlling smart devices like the thermostat and more.

Using these files, it was fairly easy to identify the person involved and his female companion; weather queries, first names, and even someones last name enabled us to quickly zero in on his circle of friends, the report reads. Public data from Facebook and Twitter rounded out the picture. It turns out that the victim in this case also filed a data request under the new GDPR rules, ct reports, but somehow the two men received each others reports.

For Amazons part, the company says that this was a fluke and that the company is reviewing its processes to make sure that it does not happen again. The company also says that it was in touch with the proper regulatory committees in light of the mistake as well.

This is actually not the first time that Amazon has run into an issue where personal data, or conversations, were handed off to a third party. In that first case, which took place in May of this year, Alexa automatically recorded a conversation between a couple in Oregon and then, without the couples knowledge, sent that recorded conversation to a third contact.

At the time, Amazon said this was an unlikely event, and one that shouldnt have happened in the first place. The company said it would be investigating the issue further to reduce the chance it ever happened again. I guess the good news here is that we havent heard of a similar situation all these months later.

[via The Verge
Following Wednesday night's episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Danielle Staub took to Instagram to address about her relationship with estranged husband Marty Caffrey's children.

"Heres my message. I love all children of all ages! Keep in mind [that] his kids are well into their 30s. They are adults living on their own," Danielle wrote in an Instagram post that featured a photo of herself with Margaret Josephs, Melissa Gorga, and Teresa Giudice while they were in Bimini in the Bahamas for her wedding.

"They shouldve respected their father and not made him choose between us! I enforced and supported his relationship [with] them. He chose not to speak to them and I wont shoulder his decision or theirs!"If you recall on Wednesday night's episode, Staub shocked her co-stars when she got into a fight with Caffrey over her relationship with his children. "I command respect," Danielle shared during the episode. "If you're not going to respect me, stay out of my space."Marty then said that no one is responsible for how this situation turned out, and he concluded the conversation by expressing how painful it has been to see his kids and his future wife at odds. "I chose you at the detriment of them and my relationship with them," he said to Danielle on RHONJ. "And therefore, we have to move on. Life is short. That's all I have to say," reportsPhoto Credit: Getty Images
Photo Courtesy of The Original Soupman

Ever since the phrase No Soup For You! was coined on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld back in the mid 90s, The Original Soupman has endured not only as a cultural icon, but a culinary one as well. Over two decades later, this New York City-born food brand has again turned its attention to capturing the hearts, minds and palates of soup aficionados in the Big Apple and beyondreviving the legendary brand by realizing several notable milestones.

First, this December The Original Soupman debuted an exclusive, seasonal 44th Street Kiosk allowing its fresh, authentic, local, artisanal soups to return with a vengeance back to their rightful place as a heritage-driven NYC brand as the company emphatically asserts. This is the first of other such kiosks the company plans to roll out, and is additional to The Original Soupmans other retail foodservice endeavorsfour franchise locations, one each in Albany (NY), Astoria (NY), Atlantic City (NJ) and Uncasville (CT) (noting the original 55th street location is no longer Original Soupman).

In a clear-cut strategic effort to proliferate The Original Soupman food service in NYC and bolster their overarching national franchise business, the new kiosk will operate in the heart of the Times Square hub through April 2019. It will avail four varieties of the companys internationally-celebrated savory, artisanal soups to the throngs of passersbyto the delight of both locals and tourists alike. Reportedly delivered fresh from the Bronx every morning, the soups are crafted with locally-sourced ingredients from Hunts Point, ostensibly the largest produce market in the world.

We have one story, the NYC story, said Emmy-nominated Larry Thomas, the Original Soupman who brought this soup to life on Seinfeld in 1995. What would make you stand in line, even risk ridicule? The best damn soup in the world. We are SOUP. Premium, fresh, and redefining our NYC roots.

As if the Times Square kiosk was not exciting enough, The Original Soupman has further entrenched itself within the NYC community by helping school children eat healthier. Pursuant to a successful pilot partnership with NYC Public Schools on their K-12 menu initiative (designed to promote healthfulness by switching Mondays to an all-vegetarian menu), The Original Soupman has created a specialty bean recipe now featured as the main ingredient in a popular veggie taco lunch program menu item for select schools in the region. Company materials report The Original Soupman implemented its special Mexicali Bean and Stewed Pinto bean recipes, which are authentic, fresh, preservative-free and also locally produced, making them a great addition to the offerings at the public institutions. It seems there may be a larger school cafeteria effort brewing beyond New Yorks borders, with Thomas declaring, The kids love it and parents approve! We look forward to expanding this initiative to improve the health and taste profile of school menus for students nationwide.

Speaking of national endeavors, you notably dont have to step foot in NYC to partake in The Original Soupmans divine artisanal offerings. In another key company development, those hungering to savor the brand for themselves can now find a selection of Original Soupman varieties in Tetra Pak cartons (helping preserve the soups nutritional value and taste) both in supermarkets across the country and online at www.originalsoupman.com. This includes its Legendary Lobster Bisque and Chicken Noodle, as well as the soon-to-be-announced special edition flavors like Chicken Tortilla.

Those opting to visit the website will find soup club memberships, innovative recipes and seasonal flash sales, and can buy socially-minded soups whereby a portion of each sale supports veterans via the Soups for Troops nonprofit organization.

Its heartwarming to see The Original Soupman not only reviving itself in the city where it all started but also embarking on a national retail renaissance. Amid the tremendous opportunity knocking on The Original Soupmans door, the sentiment has seemingly fortuitously shifted from No Soup For You, to Soup For Everyone!

~~~ ***Some or all of the accommodations(s), experience(s), item(s) and/or service(s) detailed above may have been provided or sponsored at no cost to accommodate this review, but all opinions expressed are entirely those of Merilee Kern and have not been influenced in any way.***
Aerial photo taken on July 10, 2018 shows the Dongting Lake station for wetland ecosystem research in Dongting Lake area, central China's Hunan Province. Collecting soil in spring, testing lake water in summer, investigating plants in autumn and observing migrant birds in winter outlined nearly ten years of seasonal cycle daily life of nameless scientific researchers in the Dongting Lake area. They have worked hard to supply solutions to protection of the environment and biological diversity here. The scientific researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) were praised as the doctors of Dongting Lake wetland. In order to supply scientific support for ecological remediation of Dongting Lake, the CAS established an observation and research center in Dongting Lake wetland. As the second-largest freshwater lake in China, Dongting Lake played an important role in maintaining ecological balance of the Yangtze River valley and also was an important habitat for migrant birds, milu deer, finless porpoise and etc. The ecology system of Dongting Lake faced environmental deterioration once upon a time due to various reasons, and had been improved year by year due to measures taken by local government. According to an investigation in January 2018, over 226,000 migrant birds spent the winter in Dongting Lake, up 23 percent from a year earlier. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

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B.C. Chief Electoral Officer Anton Boegman releases the results for the province's referendum on electoral reform during a press conference at the Elections BC office in Victoria, B.C., on Thursday, December 20, 2018. Voters in British Columbia have rejected a proposal to switch to a system of proportional representation to elect members of the legislature. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Part of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' resignation letter to President Donald Trump is photographed in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. Mattis is stepping down from his post, Trump announced, after the retired Marine general clashed with the president over a troop drawdown in Syria and Trump's go-it-alone stance in world affairs. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)
Under holiday decorations, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., left, walks away from the West Wing of the White House with staff and House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., fourth from left, as they leave after speaking briefly to members of the press after meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Reform Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar and Chairman NDRC,He Lifeng witnessing signing of MOU (Photo source: Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Beijing)

BEIJING, Dec. 20--Federal Minister for Planning Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar has reiterated Pakistans firm commitment to CPEC which he termed as the heart and soul of Pakistan-China economic cooperation.

Mr. Bakhtyar made these remarks in Beijing at the 8th meeting of the CPEC JCC which he co-chaired with Chinese Vice Chairman of NDRC Mr. Ning Jizhe. Chief Minister of Sindh Mr. Murad Ali Shah, Chairman Board of Investment Mr. Haroon Sharif, and representatives of provincial governments and officials of both sides attended the meeting.

Appreciating the progress made in CPEC, Minister for Planning said, the stage is now set to take it to the next level wherein the cooperation can be diversified to more trade and industrial cooperation, socio-economic development, agriculture, people-to-people interaction and knowledge sharing under the clear vision set by our leadership.

Highlights of the JCC included conclusion of a MoU on Industrial Cooperation and establishing a cooperation framework on socioeconomic development. The MoU of industrial cooperation would include cooperation in diverse industries such as textiles, petrochemicals, iron and steel, and mines and minerals. Minister for Planning said that cooperation in industrial sector would help attract investment in special economic zones and encourage relocation of Chinese industry.

Both sides agreed to cooperate to develop Special Economic Zones in a speedy manner. In the next phase of CPEC, two sides also agreed to cooperate in maritime sector, port development and automobile sector. Two sides discussed promoting joint ventures and industrial relocation from China to harness Pakistans export potential.

The two sides also held the first meeting of the recently established Joint Working Group on socioeconomic cooperation which discussed a detailed action plan in six areas for future cooperation such as education, agriculture, poverty alleviation, skill development, healthcare, water supply and vocational training projects.

The two sides agreed on poverty alleviation demonstration projects in all regions of Pakistan. The first meeting of the Joint Working Group on Agriculture will take place early next year.

In his remarks, Mr. Ning Jizhe, Vice Chairman NDRC said that CPEC serves the fundamental interests of two countries and their peoples. Calling the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to China as phenomenal success he expressed confidence that the Pakistan-China relationship would continue to grow and prosper.

While undertaking review of areas of cooperation under CPEC, the two sides expressed satisfaction and showed willingness to expedite work on all projects including Gwadar. Minister Bakhtyar said that Gwadar is the jewel of CPEC and with the development of its auxiliary projects, it is poised to become the next big economic and transshipment hub of the region.

Following the JCC meeting, NDRC Chairman He Lifeng hosted a banquet in honour of Minister Bakhtyar at Diaoyutai State Guest House. This was followed by a signing ceremony in which the MoU on Industrial Cooperation was signed.

The two sides have agreed to broaden the scope of CPEC, further strengthen the JCC mechanism through increased frequency of exchanges.

(Source: Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Beijing)

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Seen above is Wangsook area in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. The area has been selected as one of the sites for the government's project to build new apartment complexes surrounding Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



Gov't promise to realize 30-minute commute to Seoul distant dream



By Nam Hyun-woo



Doubts are growing over the efficiency of the government's project to build new satellite towns surrounding Seoul, because transportation infrastructure is expected to be unavailable for years after those commuter towns begin supplying homes.



Experts said Friday existing satellite communities built under the government's previous suburb expansion projects have failed due to their inconvenient commute to Seoul, and the new developments have the urgent task of securing transportation infrastructure as soon as possible.



On Wednesday, the government announced it will set up four new towns supplying a combined 122,000 homes in Incheon and three Gyeonggi Province cities of Namyangju, Hanam and Gwacheon. Those homes will be available starting 2021.



In the announcement, Land Minister Kim Hyun-mee said those sites were selected because they can allow residents to commute to central Seoul within 30 minutes through adjacent Great Train Express (GTX) lines.



However, those train lines will take time to become available.



Currently, the government is planning three GTX lines of A, B and C. GTX A and B will cross Seoul in an X shape, and GTX C will run through the capital.



The government said it will break ground for GTX A and C "in the near future," but did not specify when they will be complete.



Of those trains, GTX A will break ground in 2019 and is expected to start running as early as 2023. GTX A passed a preliminary feasibility test in February 2014, but has taken nearly five years to begin construction.



GTX C has passed its feasibility test recently, and is expected to break ground in 2021, when residents will start moving into the new developments.



GTX B will take the longest time. The government said it will finish preliminary testing in 2019, meaning it is uncertain when the line, linking Incheon to northeastern Seoul, will be ready. The line will link to the new development in Namyangju, the largest of the four new sites supplying 66,000 homes.



Experts said such belated transport infrastructure planning will bring problems, which are already observed in commuter towns built in previous development projects.



In the government's 2003 housing development project, 12 sites were selected, including Wirye on the outskirts of Seoul and Dongtan in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.



Residents started moving into apartments in Wirye area in 2013 but a metro line promised by the government is yet to begin construction. For Dongtan, the GTX A line was supposed to help residents commute, but is not expected to operate until 2021.



This has created heavy traffic jams in roads linking those cities and central Seoul, with residents casting concern that additional developments will end up adding more cars those roads.



"Since those sites are closer to central Seoul compared to previous satellite towns, it will be possible to realize the government's goal of commuting in 30 minutes, but it has to be agile in carrying out those train plans because we have seen failures in the previous cities," said Shim Gyo-eon, a professor at the Real Estate Department of Konkuk University.










The result demonstrates the ceaseless efforts of enterprises in seeking and expanding markets, applying advanced technology in enhancing quality of their products, and improving their competitiveness.

Stable sources of orders

The number of orders won by Vietnamese garment companies is abundant, creating stable job and income for labourers. According to Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hung Yen Garment Corporation (Hugaco) Nguyen Xuan Duong, Hugaco reported an export revenue of around US$310 million in 2018, up 8% over the yearly estimate in spite of tough competition from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia and India.

Duong noted that Hugaco's subsidiaries have also won bulk orders to export products by the end of April and even by the end of June 2019. However, he expressed his worry about the trade war between the US and China which may affect the Vietnam's garment and textile industry.

As one of the largest garment firms in the southern province of Dong Nai, Dong Nai Garment Corporation (Donagamex) posted a growth rate of over 10% in 2018 and an export revenue of US$70 million. According to Donagamex General Director Bui The Kich, the company carried out a number of solutions to maintain established markets and expand into new ones, including investing in modern technology to increase productivity and ensure the competitiveness.

Kich said that Donagamex received orders to be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2019, noting that, with positive signs from the world market and the Vietnams participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the garment and textile sector will not worry about order shortage in 2019.

Executive Director of the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) Cao Huu Hieu affirmed that the export revenue of Vietnams garment and textile industry was estimated at US$36.1 billion in 2018, up 16.1% over 2017. A large number of garment companies have received orders for the end of the second quarter of 2019 and the entire 2019, Hieu noted.

Vietnam has been one of the leading garment and textile exporters to the US market for many years and Vietnam is the second choice for US apparel importers, after China. Meanwhile, Vietnam has yet to be able to compete with other rivals in the EU market because other competitors, such as Bangladesh and Cambodia, are offered tariff incentives without meeting any conditions of origin. If Vietnam can take advantage of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) in the future, it will be able to gradually penetrate into the EU market.

Chairman of the Binh Duong Textiles Association Le Hong Phoa said that business situation of local garment enterprises in the province in 2018 is very optimistic and most of enterprises have fulfilled their production targets. The total export revenue of the garment and textile sector in the province reached US$2.65 billion, an increase of 16.8% compared to 2017. This is a good sign, showing that enterprises have grasped the opportunities and adapted well to the changes of the market economy. Notably, the number of apparel importers from the US and the Republic of Korea (RoK) placing orders to Vietnam has sharply increased recently.

Utilising opportunities

Vinatex Executive Director Cao Huu Hieu affirmed that when participating in CPTPP, Vietnams garment and textile sector will have opportunities to open its market and gain access to non-traditional textile and garment markets such as Canada and Australia.

Canadas textile and garment import turnover reached US$13.86 billion in 2017, including US$814 million worth of imports from Vietnam, accounting for 5.9% of the total Canadian market share. Vietnams garment and textile export revenue to Australia posted at merely US$256 million in 2017, occupying only 2.8% of Australias total imports of garments and textiles, Hieu noted.

Enterprises in this field are expect to boost their exports thanks to reduced tariffs and boosted investment in supporting industries.

However, garment and textile companies have to face a lot of challenges to enjoy tariff incentives, such as stricter requirements on the proof of origin, business declaration, and record and document archives, in addition to competitive pressure from foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises.

To penetrate into textile markets of CPTPP member countries, Vinatex has focused on boosting trade promotion and relations with customers while avoiding unnecessary costs. At the same time, the company focuses on increasing its self-control in raw materials and accessories, Hieu stated.

According to Bui The Kich, to take advantage of CPTPP, businesses should continue to invest in automated equipment to replace labourers and increase productivity and product quality.

The CPTPP, without the US, has also opened up new markets for Vietnamese firms such as Canada, Australia and several South American countries which have great demand for garment and textile products, Kich said. However, to overcome the challenges and make good use of opportunities from CPTPP, state management agencies should continue in administrative reforms, reduce the specialised inspection of import and export goods, and cut transportation costs to support enterprises, Kich added.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Xuan Duong warned that the garment and textile growth rate in the coming years will not be as good as in 2018 due to increasing competition and trade protection trend, particularly from the US.

Hieu said that businesses need to step up their investment and production solutions to continue to gain market shares from their biggest rival China and other rivals in the established markets. Regarding non-traditional markets, companies needs to take advantage of the CPTPP to penetrate into these markets, including the two potential markets of Canada and Australia. In addition, they need to solve the existing problems of exchange rates, inventory, orders, and others.

Enterprises are advised to invest in modern technology, enhance corporate management, improve working conditions, increase labour productivity and product quality while ensuring delivery time and prices of products to boost their competitiveness in the market. In addition, the State should develop mechanisms of support for enterprises in the areas of finance, tax and land and work out specific measures to encourage the development of supporting industries. Authorities also need to develop raw-material areas to serve the garment and textile industry as well as continuing in administrative reforms to facilitate enterprises in this area.
Seen above is the head office of Upbit in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The Seoul Southern District Prosecutor's Office said Friday it indicted three of the crypto exchange's executives without detention for raking in 150 billion won with fake orders. / Yonhap

By Jhoo Dong-chan



The nation's largest crypto exchange Upbit is accused of manipulating its data processing system to rake in more than 120 billion won ($106.8 million) while falsifying 254 trillion won worth of fake orders to inflate the exchange's trade volume.



According to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutor's Office, Friday, two top-level officers and one employee of Upbit, including Dunamu's board director chairman surnamed Song, were indicted without detention for allegedly falsifying the exchange's data system to rake in 122.1 billion won. Dunamu is Upbit's operator.



The Financial Services Commission (FSC) reported the case to the prosecution, suspecting the crypto exchange of manipulating the data processing system via a bot program in a bid to inflate the amount of its virtual coin transactions.



The bot program was allegedly used to inflate underperforming virtual coins to attract more investors while falsifying the crypto exchange's trade volume, the FSC said.



The FSC added Upbit allegedly conducted this scheme twice last year, believing the crypto exchange fabricated orders from October 2017 to December 2017, then more recently on Dec. 18 this year.



The orders allegedly involved falsifying 254 trillion won worth of fake transactions in the period.



"I'm worried about investors who may lose money in this market because of exchanges like Upbit. We need a way to make the market and the industry fair and transparent," an FSC official was quoted as saying.





Dunamu CEO Lee Suk-woo
North Korea said Thursday it will never unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons unless the United States first removes what Pyongyang called a nuclear threat. The surprisingly blunt statement jars with Seoul's rosier presentation of the North Korean position and could rattle the fragile trilateral diplomacy to defuse a nuclear crisis that last year had many fearing war.

The latest from North Korea comes as the United States and North Korea struggle over the sequencing of the denuclearization that Washington wants and the removal of international sanctions desired by Pyongyang. The statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency also raises credibility problems for the liberal South Korean government, which has continuously claimed that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is genuinely interested in negotiating away his nuclear weapons as Seoul tries to sustain a positive atmosphere for dialogue.

The North's comments may also be seen as proof of what outside skeptics have long said: that Kim will never voluntarily relinquish an arsenal he sees as a stronger guarantee of survival than whatever security assurances the United States might provide. The statement suggests North Korea will eventually demand the United States withdraw or significantly reduce the 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea, a major sticking point in any disarmament deal.

Kim and President Donald Trump met June 12 in Singapore where they agreed on a vague goal for the ''complete denuclearization'' of the Korean Peninsula without describing when and how it would occur. The leaders are trying to arrange another meeting for early next year.

But North Korea for decades has been pushing a concept of denuclearization that bears no resemblance to the American definition, with Pyongyang vowing to pursue nuclear development until the United States removes its troops and the nuclear umbrella defending South Korea and Japan. In Thursday's statement, the North made clear it's sticking to its traditional stance on denuclearization. It accused Washington of twisting what had been agreed on in Singapore and driving post-summit talks into an impasse.

''The United States must now recognize the accurate meaning of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and especially, must study geography,'' the statement said.

''When we talk about the Korean Peninsula, it includes the territory of our republic and also the entire region of (South Korea) where the United States has placed its invasive force, including nuclear weapons. When we talk about the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, it means the removal of all sources of nuclear threat, not only from the South and North but also from areas neighboring the Korean Peninsula,'' the statement said.

The United States removed its tactical nuclear weapons from South Korea in the 1990s. Washington and Seoul have not responded to the North Korean statement.

North Korea's reiteration of its long-standing position on denuclearization could prove to be a major setback for diplomacy, which was revived early this year following a series of provocative nuclear and missile tests that left Kim and Trump spending most of 2017 exchanging personal insults and war threats. The statement could jeopardize a second Trump-Kim summit as the United States may have difficulty negotiating further if the North ties the future of its nukes to the U.S. military presence in the South, analysts said.












U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, center left, speaks to the media with South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Lee Do-hoon, center right, at Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. The Trump administration's special envoy for North Korea on Friday expressed optimism about the diplomatic push to resolve the nuclear crisis, a day after the North issued a surprisingly blunt statement saying it will never disarm unless the U.S. removes what it calls a nuclear threat. AP



South Korea and the United States agreed Friday that a highly symbolic inter-Korean event will be held in North Korea next week as scheduled, Seoul's top nuclear envoy said.



After a "working group" meeting with Washington's special representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, Lee Do-hoon said the two Koreas will also proceed with their joint war remains recovery program under the Trump administration's agreement.



The issue of providing North Korean residents with Tamiflu, an antiviral medication, has been also resolved, Lee told reporters.



The two Koreas plan to hold a groundbreaking ceremony in the North's border town of Kaesong on Wednesday for their work to modernize and re-connect cross-border roads and railways.





U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun speaks to the media following the meeting with South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Lee Do-hoon at Foreign Ministry in Seoul, Friday. AP





U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, right, talks with South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, left, during a meeting at the Unification Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. North Korea said Thursday it will never unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons unless the United States first removes what Pyongyang called a nuclear threat. AP


By Kim Hyun-bin



One of winter's least-welcome guests, norovirus season is back stronger than before. In recent months, there has been a 71 percent increase in infections compared to the same period last year. Health officials are urging the public to maintain good hygiene and wash their hands constantly for over 30 seconds to help prevent the spread of the virus.



Norovirus, sometimes referred to as the winter vomiting bug, is the most common cause of gastroenteritis. Symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain.



According to a report by the Korea Centers for Disease and Prevention (KCDC) there were 86 norovirus cases reported between Nov. 4 to 10, and in the first week of December the number rose drastically to 147 cases.



Most patients are diagnosed with norovirus during the winter to early spring.



Over the last five years, an average of 1,100 people have been diagnosed with the disease, most during the winter. On average, 128 people in November, 218 in December, 115 in January and 29 in February.



"The norovirus can survive subzero temperatures for a long period of time so cases are prevalent during the winter. Their strong survivability is enough to withstand soap and alcohol," said Kim Min-ja, professor of internal medicine at Korea University Anam Hospital.



No antiviral drug can treat noroviruses, but in healthy people, the illness should go away on its own within a couple of days. Most people do not suffer long-term effects from the virus.





Doctors advise people to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of liquids, especially water and juice. For children an oral rehydration solution (such as Pedialyte) to replace lost fluids and electrolytes is an option. However, people should avoid sugary drinks, which can make diarrhea worse, as well as alcohol and caffeinated beverages.





Symptoms of dehydration include dizziness when standing and dry mouth . Children who are dehydrated may be unusually sleepy or fussy.



How to prevent norovirus infection



Good hygiene is the key to preventing norovirus infection, especially when you are in close proximity to a lot of other people.





Doctors say to wash hands often with soap and water for at least 30 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, and before preparing or eating food. Alcohol-based cleansers are not as effective as soap and water.





They also advise washing raw fruit and vegetables thoroughly and cooking oysters and other shellfish before consumption.



Once a person becomes infected, clean and disinfect surfaces with a mixture of detergent and chlorine bleach and don't prepare food for at least two to three days after recovery.



"Norovirus is commonly transferred through the hand so people should avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth," Kim said. "The easiest way to prevent the virus is to wash one's hands thoroughly."








Dignitaries from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and relevant government organizations get a briefing of the key function of the Medical Tourism Support Center which was opened at the arrival area of Incheon International Airport Terminal 1, Thursday. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. Courtesy of MOHW



By Kim Hye-seon



Today we live in an era where "quality of life," particularly one's health and wellbeing, is considered essential. Many people are eagerly traveling to other countries to seek access to varied medical services, and this has led to the steady growth of the global healthcare market.



In line with the trend, Korea revised the Medical Service Act in 2009 to allow Korean hospitals to provide medical treatment for foreign patients. Based on the revised law and with Korea's advanced skills in healthcare, the number of foreign patients coming to Korea is increasing every year. The figure is well over 300,000 with slight fluctuations due to external factors such as exchange rates and diplomatic issues.



Kim Hye-seon
By Kim Jae-heun







Korea University has appointed Chung Jin-taek, a mechanical engineering professor, as its new president.







It is the first time the school has picked its head from the college of engineering.







On Thursday, the school held a board meeting, where directors unanimously selected Chung as its 20th president, based on his interview and other evaluations.







The appointment came one week after the commission of recommendation finalized three candidates for the job. They were emeritus professor Cho Kwang-sik, business school dean Lee Doo-hee and Chung.







Chung's four-year term is scheduled to begin on March 1, 2019.







"It is my great honor that I have become the first president from an engineering college in the 133-year history of the school. At the same time, I feel a big sense of responsibility with this job," Chung said.







"I will try my best to make Korea University a school that can change the world by fostering creative talented students."







Chung graduated from Korea University's mechanical engineering school in 1983 and earned a Master's degree at the same school. He obtained his doctorate at the University of Minnesota in the United States.







Chung returned to his alma mater to teach students in 1993 and previously served in various posts, including the head of Office of External Affairs and deans of mechanical engineering undergraduate and graduate schools.







He also served as the president of Korean Society for Fluid Machinery and policy adviser at the Ministry of Unification.







Chung pledged to expand the dormitories for undergraduate and graduate schools and provide support for club activities.














Education Minister Yoo Eun-hye, announces new counter measures to better prevent sexual assault and harassments in schools at the Seoul Government Complex, Friday. Yonhap



By Kim Hyun-bin



Starting next year, any student who has been sexually assaulted or harassed will be able to immediately transfer schools upon request. In addition, any school officials embroiled in sexual assault claims will be directly investigated by the district education offices.



The decision came from a societal relations ministers meeting which took place at the Seoul Government Complex, Friday, headed by Education Minister Yoo Eun-hye.



"We have come out with the policy with related department heads to better tackle the school #MeToo, issue" Yoo said. "The school needs to fully protect the students and penalize the assailants and we will work towards implementing a gender equality culture."



The new guidelines will be implemented by the end of February next year to prevent secondary damage.



"Currently, there are several sexual violence prevention laws. However, the guidelines are inadequate at times leaving victims no choice but to attend the school where they were victimized at," an education ministry official said.



To better prevent secondary damage, the location of the investigation will be chosen after consulting with the victim and their family. Female police officers will take charge of investigations involving female victims.



The Ministry of Education also plans to create an elementary to high school sexual assault and harassment manual by February.



The government will also recruit 484 additional professional consultants next year bringing the total to 2,715, an increase of 20 percent from this year, to better support the student victims.



Sexual assault prevention education programs will become mandatory for teachers and principals. The government is also seeking to include sexual assault prevention courses for education majors in local universities.



The district education offices will be in charge of the procedures regarding teachers or other school staff members involved in sexual assault claims. An additional department will be established within the education offices, which will be in charge of investigation and deliberation of unwanted sexual encounters.



The results of the investigations will be notified to the victim and the government plans to revise the law so that private school teachers will get the same punishment as public school teachers.



Teachers who are reassigned to a school after receiving disciplinary action for minor sexual abuse will have to take mandatory sexual education courses and undergo individual counseling.



To promote gender equality, the government plans to employ 170 additional teachers in charge of gender equality education programs, while more government-funded research on gender equality will be conducted at universities.



Professors that have been under disciplinary action or accused of sexual assault or harassment will be cut off from research funds and excluded from receiving the fund for a year.



"The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, education and the National Police Agency will work together to counter school 'Me Too,'" Gender Equality minister Jin Sun-mi said. "To prevent accidents from occurring, we will make sure to bring about a culture where gender equality and human rights co-exist."


A drunk Thai man apparently climbed triple-layered barbed wire security fence of a Republic of Korea Air Force airfield in Suwon. Yonhap



By Ko Dong-hwan



A drunk and unauthorized Thai man was caught inside a triple-walled national Air Force airfield in Suwon on Wednesday and handed over to local police.



TV broadcaster JTBC reported Thursday that the man, in his 30s, whose name was withheld, was seen inside the airfield of Republic of Korea Air Force's 10th Fighter Wing in the Gyeonggi Province city at about 8 p.m.



The man apparently climbed the outermost barbed wire fence, the secondary security wall, then the innermost barbed wire fence next to the open airfield. The walls are reportedly more than two meters high.



The airfield runway is the regiment's top security area because it handles Korean fighter jets like the F-5, KF-5 and F-4E.



The suspect had reached the end of the tarmac when an officer saw him. The regiment handed him over to Suwon Nambu Police Station.





Suwon Nambu Police Station has sought an arrest warrant for the Thai for infringing the Military Installation and Military Facilities Protection Act. Photo from Wikipedia




By Park Si-soo







A rape suspect tried to kill himself by drinking poisonous liquid during his trial, police said Friday. He was immediately taken to hospital and is out of danger.







The incident happened at Gwangju Provincial Court at 10:26 a.m. The man, 61, charged with raping a mentally challenged woman, sipped a "small amount" of liquefied agricultural pesticide and collapsed shortly after the court sentenced him to seven years in prison.







Security guards reacted quickly, performing first aid and calling 119. The man claimed he was innocent.







Police are investigating how he brought the toxic liquid into the courtroom through multiple security checks.


Protestors urge inspection of soil pollution in the U.S. military base in Yongsan, Seoul, in last year August. / Yonhap



By Kim Jae-heun



Samples of groundwater near the U.S. military base in central Seoul were found to have excessive levels of cancer-causing benzene, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said, Friday.



The city government recently conducted an inspection of 62 monitoring wells near U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Yongsan and found 27 out of them were heavily contaminated with the toxic substance, well above the normal groundwater purity standards.



In particular, 16 samples from 41 observation wells around Noksapyeong Station on Line 6 revealed levels of benzene 1,170 times higher than the government-set safety limit. Plus, oil was also found in the water.



Benzene is a harmful substance that can cause leukemia or hematologic malignancy and it negatively affect human generative functions. The World Health Organization classifies the substance as a class-one carcinogen.



Monitoring wells situated alongside Camp Kim, a military facility located west of Yongsan Garrison, were no exception.



Eleven out of 21 wells contained harmful substance levels exceeding the standards and the level of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) was 292 times higher than the standard.



The acceptable benzene level in groundwater is 0.015 milligrams per liter and the TPH level is 1.5 milligrams per liter.



After becoming aware of the contamination in the Noksapyeong Station area in 2001, the city government installed monitoring wells near USAG Yongsan to aid in cleaning up the groundwater and monitoring pollution levels.



In 2004, Seoul decreased the maximum benzene levels around Noksapyeong Station area by 40 percent and the maximum TPH level around Camp Kim by 95 percent compared to its 2008 levels, but both are still far higher than specified by the Groundwater Act.



"Despite a continuous effort to purify the groundwater, the benzene levels greatly still exceed the acceptable level and oil floats on the surface of water because toxic substances leaked in the military base in the past are still there," the city official said. "We predict they flow all around the U.S. base including Noksapyeong Station area in the underground water system."



Bae Kwang-hwan, director general of the city government's Water Circulation Safety, said his organization will cooperate with the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Environment to conduct internal tests of water pollution in the military base and purify it before returning the territory to Korea. It also hopes to revise regulations of the U.S.-South Korea Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) as part of the city's efforts to tackle environmental issues here.



Meanwhile, the city government confirmed that toxic substances including benzene have not been spread over the private sector.




BFA Secretary-General Li Baodong emphasised that the BFA was established in 2001 with the mission of building an economic forum for Asia to promote economic exchanges and cooperation in the region and inter-region for the development of countries.

With the same mode of organisation as the World Economic Forum, BFA has increasingly attracted the attention of leading world businesses, particularly Asian businesses. Vietnam is one of the founding members of the BFA and has frequently attended annual forums at the Government level.

Addressing the forum, Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Vu Tien Loc, said that China has been the largest trade partner of Vietnam for 13 consecutive years. China is also the largest export market of Vietnam in the areas of computers, components, rubber, coal and rice.

By the end of November 2018, China had invested in 2,102 projects in Vietnam with a total investment capital of US$13.05 billion, with the focus on manufacturing, energy, real estate, garments and textiles, electronics and services.

However, Loc noted that Vietnam is suffering anincreasing trade deficit with China, adding that Vietnam wishes China would increase the imports of Vietnamese goods to gradually improve the bilateral trade balance.

According to Chairman of Hanoi municipal People's Committee, Nguyen Duc Chung, Hanoi has always attached great importance to the cooperation with localities and business community of China for the mutual benefits of both sides.

Chinese enterprises have invested in 425 projects in Hanoi with a total registered capital of US$517 million, Chung stated. However, trade and investment cooperation between the two sides has yet to meet itspotential and Hanoi will continue to reform the administrative procedures related to the imports and exports of goods and boost the exports of its key products to China.




U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun speaks to reporters after a working group meeting with South Korean officials at the foreign ministry building in Seoul, Friday. / Yonhap



Inter-Korean railway, road projects to proceed next week



By Kim Bo-eun



U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun stated his country wishes to move to the next stage of denuclearization talks with North Korea, Friday.



A sanctions issue has been cleared, making way for holding a ceremony next week to mark the launch of inter-Korean railway and road projects, Biegun's counterpart Lee Do-hoon said. He added issues have been cleared in joint excavations of Korean War remains by the South and North.



The remarks came after a working group meeting between South Korea and the U.S. led by Lee and Biegun.



"We are eager to move to the next stage of discussions with our North Korean partners," Biegun told reporters after the meeting at the foreign ministry in Seoul.



"We expect in the course of those discussions we would be able to talk about some of the details around President Trump's upcoming summit with Chairman Kim." He added there are no dates or locations to announce at this point.



Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a radio interview the U.S. is hopeful the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea will meet early next year for a second summit.



The U.S. stance toward North Korea appears to have shifted, considering it was pressuring Pyongyang over its human rights situation, imposing sanctions recently on top North Korean officials. Pyongyang had responded by threatening it could stop denuclearization efforts.






U.S. President Donald Trump, left, speaks to the media as he walks with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un during a break in talks at their historic June 12 U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island. / AFP-Yonhap



By Park Ji-won



North Korea criticized the South Korean government for subordinating itself to the U.S. in lifting sanctions against the North, calling for it to be more cooperative in inter-Korean relations.



Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean external propaganda outlet, released commentary Friday criticizing the South Korean foreign ministry and presidential office for prioritizing South-U.S. relations over inter-Korean relations.



Citing remarks made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in early December that (the South) should get understanding and support from the international community in seeking denuclearization of the North and peace on the Korean Peninsula, the North criticized the South's attitude to push for inter-Korean projects under the sanctions against the North.






U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to the press earlier this month at the State Department in Washington, D.C. AFP-Yonhap



By Kim Yoo-chul



South Korea has asked the United States to provide wider exemptions to sanctions on North Korea imposed by the U.N. Security Council Sanctions Committee (UNSC), as Seoul is aiming to expand joint economic and business projects with Pyongyang.



A senior Cheong Wa Dae official told The Korea Times that National Security Office chief Chung Eui-yong asked Stephen Biegun, the U.S. special envoy for North Korea, for wider exemptions on sanctions on North Korea during Biegun's recent visit.



"At an afternoon tea meeting late Friday at Cheong Wa Dae, Chung told Biegun that wider exemptions for UNSC sanctions on North Korea are needed in a step to build trust between the two Koreas and Washington and Pyongyang ahead of the upcoming second U.S.-North Korea summit," the official said, asking not to be identified.



South Korea needs exemptions from the UNSC to carry out joint economic projects with North Korea. Common worries are that despite the ongoing efforts by Seoul to move ahead with various types of ambitious inter-Korean business projects such as connecting rail networks, those projects Seoul envisions could violate sanctions and weaken the U.S.-South Korea alliance.



The Cheong Wa Dae official said Seoul's unification ministry would soon provide up to $8 million in humanitarian aid to North Korea. However, the offer, which was initially at the request of U.S. affiliates and the plan for which was approved by the South Korean government, is still pending.



"As President Moon Jae-in's earlier attempts for a sanctions-easing pitch apparently fell flat because of differing thinking between key stakeholders in the denuclearization talks, Seoul is applying needs-based and case-by-case scenarios in assessing North Korean sanctions-related issues," the official said.



"Biegun told Chung he will discuss with U.S. officials exploring ways to help inter-Korean economic projects see further progress."



In 2016, the UNSC imposed sanctions on North Korea in response to its fourth nuclear weapon test and a long-range missile launch. Beyond railway and road reconnection projects, Seoul is hoping for early normalization of its symbolic and massive business projects such as the Mount Geumgang tourism project and the Gaeseong Industrial Complex.




Rep. Hong Young-pyo, left, the floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), shakes hands with Rep. Kim Sung-tae, then floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) at the National Assembly in this Dec. 21 file photo. / Korea Times file



By Park Ji-won



Rep. Hong Young-pyo, the floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), has become protective of Rep. Kim Sung-tae, his former counterpart of the largest opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), over Kim's alleged hiring scandal involving his daughter.



When asked whether to launch an Assembly investigation into the alleged hiring irregularities connected to Kim, Hong told CBS during a radio interview Friday that "It is hard for me to do so. We need to fact-check first on the matter."



"Former LKP floor leader Rep. Kim Sung-tae is denying the allegation. We cannot say we will launch an Assembly investigation into the case now unless we find grounds or there is something missing during related discussions."



Hong's remarks came after he said he would launch an Assembly investigation into hiring irregularities including Kim's case Thursday. Political parties are discussing details after they have agreed last month to launch a National Assembly investigation within December into hiring irregularities at public firms.



Critics point out Hong's remarks are also aimed to protect President Moon Jae-in's son Moon Joon-yong. Kim accepted the investigation of his daughter's hiring process to prove his innocence while calling for an investigation into Moon's son's hiring case as well. Opposition parties have raised suspicions during presidential election campaigns in 2012 and 2017 about alleged hiring irregularities regarding Moon's son, saying he received special treatment in the hiring process when he got a job at the Korea Employment Information Service in 2006.



The local newspaper Hankyoreh raised an allegation Thursday that Kim meddled in the hiring process of a private-turned-public company to have his daughter employed at KT Corp., a telecom company, by using his power as a lawmaker. He flatly denied the report, saying she got the job without his help, but people continue to raise suspicions against him.



On Friday, DPK spokeswoman Rep. Kwon Mi-hyuk also defended Hong's remarks by releasing a statement that reverses what Hong said earlier. "Hong was answering reporters' questions without knowledge of reports related to Kim's daughter," Kwon said.



The minor opposition parties went all-out to criticize the DPK for defending the LKP, calling it "political collusion." The minor opposition Party for Democracy and Peace (PDP) and progressive Justice Party already made it clear they will push for an Assembly investigation into allegations regarding hiring processes for Kim's daughter.



Rep. Choi Gyung-hwan, vice floor leader of the PDP, said "The DPK is not coming forward to deal with (the scandal) due to their political collusion with the LKP."



Choi Suk, spokesman of the Justice Party, also criticized the DPK, saying: "The government established based on the candlelit revolution is doing politics under the influence of power rather than rooting out corruption."



Choi added: "I am not sure how much the DPK owed the LKP, but the DPK will not clean up corruption nor seek justice based on the present attitude."




By Gwynne Dyer





You could write a heart-warming fairy tale about the turbulent events in the island nation of Sri Lanka over the past two months. It would involve a conniving president who abruptly and illegally dismisses the elected prime minister and replaces him with a corrupt and blood-soaked former despot who was the president's old boss.



The despot, now claiming to be the real prime minister, tries to strengthen his position by offering members of parliament jobs as ministers in his new government. If enough accept, he would have a majority in the parliament and could claim to be sort of legitimate. But most of the MPs turn down the political bribes on offer, and parliament twice votes to reject his claims.



Finally, after 50 days of chaos, the judges of the Supreme Court say the president has acted illegally and the ex-despot can't claim he is prime minister. At this point the despot resigns and the president grudgingly "reappoints" the legitimate prime minister. Virtue triumphs, and joy is unconfined. Maybe they even live happily ever after.



It's an engaging tale, and the basic outlines are true, but in the real world the historical and social context that surrounds the events changes the tone of everything.



Sri Lanka is only 10 years away from the end of a brutal civil war that lasted for a quarter-century, and the "despot" is the man who won it by being more brutal than anybody else. His name is Mahinda Rajapaksa.



The war was about race and religion. Most of Sri Lanka's people speak the Sinhalese language and identify with the Buddhist religion. A minority several million strong, concentrated in the north and east, speak Tamil and are mostly Hindu in religion (with a significant Christian minority). Tamils have been in Sri Lanka for at least 2,000 years, but the Buddhist majority tends to see them as alien and even as newcomers.



The Tamils did well under British colonial rule, when most Buddhist Sinhalese refused to collaborate with their new political masters. There was revenge-taking after independence, when Buddhist-dominated governments removed the official status of the Tamil language and imposed restrictions on higher education for Tamils. There were even anti-Tamil pogroms.



Buddhist intolerance toward non-Buddhist minorities is not unique to Sri Lanka, as the Rohingya minority in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, can readily attest, but in Sri Lanka the Tamil minority was big enough to fight back. It did so, starting in 1987, in a guerilla and terrorist war that sought an independent Tamil state in the north and east of the island.



Up to 100,000 people died in the war, which ended with an orgy of killing (40,000) in the final five months of battles in 2009. Mahinda Rajapaksa was the president who directed those battles, in which Tamils trying to surrender were often killed, and he emerged from the war as a national hero.



With his populist, nationalist style making him a favorite with the Sinhalese masses, he seemed set for a very long run in power. His government continued to torture and make opponents "disappear," and his family grew rich from corrupt deals. But in 2015 one of his cabinet ministers, Maithripala Sirisena, defected from the government, ran against him for the presidency  and won.



To his credit, Rajapaksa accepted his defeat. Sirisena found a new ally in Ranil Wickremesinghe, whose business-friendly United National Party had won a majority in parliament, and appointed him as prime minister. However, the new allies had little in common and estrangement between them grew.



The key issue that broke the alliance was trade: Sirisena preferred to make deals with China, Wickremesinghe with nearby India. On Oct. 25, Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe (illegally) and appointed Rajapaksa as prime minister instead.



Wickremesinghe pointed out that Sirisena didn't have the power to do that and barricaded himself into Temple Trees, the prime minister's official residence. Rajapaksa couldn't get enough members of parliament to switch sides. They voted twice to remove Rajapaksa, so Sirisena dismissed parliament and called new elections.



That was illegal too, and the struggle continued until the Supreme Court ruled last week that Sirisena could not dissolve parliament. At that point Rajapaksa resigned, and on Monday an angry Sirisena grudgingly swore Wickremesinghe back in as prime minister.



An encouraging outcome, in which parliament, the courts and the general population behaved better than anybody expected, but of course the story is never really over.



Sirisena can constitutionally dismiss the parliament 15 months from now, and Rajapaksa may well win the next election. Meanwhile Wickremesinghe's government may be almost paralyzed, because his relations with Sirisena are totally poisonous.



The fairy tale is to be preferred whenever possible.





Gwynne Dyer (gwynne763121476@aol.com) has worked as a freelance journalist, columnist, broadcaster and lecturer on international affairs for more than 20 years. He is the author of "Growing Pains: The Future of Democracy (and Work)."


New strategy needed to get economy back on track



Almost all economic figures show the income gap between the haves and have-nots has continued to widen, despite the Moon Jae-in government's inclusive growth policy. More seriously, the situation is likely to deteriorate further next year.



The polarization is evident in the 2018 report on household finance and welfare released Thursday by Statistics Korea, the Bank of Korea and the Financial Supervisory Service.



According to the report, income earned by those in the top 20 percent of the income bracket was seven times as much as that of those in the bottom 20 percent in 2017, up from 6.98 times in 2016.



The Gini coefficient, a key measure of income disparity, still remained at a relatively high level of 0.355 last year, the same as 2016. Worse, there is little sign of narrowing the income inequality due to a sizable decline in the number of new jobs amid the prolonged economic slump.



Since his inauguration in March 2017, President Moon has been engrossed in implementing his much-avowed "income-led growth" policy to generate more jobs and bring higher incomes to the people. However, his policy has so far failed to deliver any successful results. It has reduced jobs and wages, especially for poor workers.



Still, the Moon administration has yet to acknowledge its failure. Instead it sticks to the income-driven growth formula, although Moon hinted at a policy shift on Monday at an expanded meeting of economy-related ministers to work out next year's strategy.



It would be too much to ask Moon to give up his inclusive growth policy. This is because the country needs to do more to redress the serious wealth gap. If we cannot tackle this issue properly, the income divide will tear our society apart further. This could undermine social cohesion and harmony, leading to a clash between rich and poor.



The middle class is the backbone of democracy. Therefore Moon's inclusive growth strategy is crucial to beefing up the middle class. But the problem is how to achieve this. His income-fueled growth scheme has done more harm than good because smaller businesses and the self-employed are hiring fewer workers to reduce labor costs amid a steep rise in the minimum wage and a shortened workweek.



Moon and his policymakers should rack their brains to map out a new strategy that encourages corporate investment and generates jobs. For this, they must shift their focus to reinvigorating the sluggish economy. It will be much more difficult to increase job opportunities as long as the economy continues its downward spiral.



We hope Moon will make good on his promise to become the job-creating President. But he should realize he can neither bring more jobs to the people, nor narrow the income disparity without getting the economy back on track.






By Jason Lim





In June, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) released a report titled, "A Study of Pre-Attack Behaviors of Active Shooters in the United States Between 2000 and 2013." The report examined 63 active shooters from 2000 to 2013 to see whether there were behavioral cues leading up to the attack.



And the answer was yes.



"In the weeks and months before an attack, many active shooters engage in behavior that may signal impeding violence. While some of this behavior is intentionally concealed, other actions are observable and  if recognized and reported  may lead to a disruption prior to an attack." But



"Unfortunately, well-meaning bystanders (often friends and family members of the active shooter) may struggle to appropriately categorize the observed behavior as malevolent. They may even resist taking action to report for fear of erroneously labeling a friend or family member as potential killer. Once reported to law enforcement, those in authority may also struggle to decide how best to assess and intervene, particularly if no crime has been committed."



But what if their smartphones could observe and report the said behavior? Your modern smartphones already have the capability to capture use behavior that can validate your identity with a high degree of confidence. For example, my smartphone "knows" that I am the one using it based on my use behavior. If my kid were to use it, the phone would know that someone else was using it. This is just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, there is a whole field called behavioral analytics that's devoted to this iceberg.



Wearables give the devices even more personalized inputs to profile your "habits" not only when you use your devices but throughout the day even when you're not even necessarily carrying them. Most of the behavior would be subconscious, meaning that you can't control it consciously in order to deceive or hide who you are or what you're doing.



Here comes the trolley problem based on this potential use case. What happens when the Apple, Samsung, Google, and other phone manufacturers notice that one of their phones' users is exhibiting malevolent behavior  as described by the FBI report  that indicates a strong potential for an active shooter attack? Are they obligated to report to authorities?



Take the phone manufacturers out of the equation. What if the devices themselves can categorize your behavior for certain malevolent intent and ping local authorities accordingly? Since these are personal devices that are engaging in persistent observation, any deviance from a baseline behavioral profile would be much more accurate than some occasional check-in by a third-party human being with casual interest.



On the one hand, this is certainly a privacy invasion. Without consent or notice, the personal device  that you paid for  is notifying a third party on the personal state of the owner for the potential of a crime that you might commit. On the other hand, the personal device might be saving the lives of many innocent individuals from your actions.



This is infinitely more difficult than the original trolley problem where you only had to choose between two certainties. Either your child or five strangers get run over by the runaway trolley. But this is choosing between a public safety and individual right to privacy. It's so difficult because it's not an absolute choice. It's based on probabilities of certain outcomes that are necessarily organic and unpredictable. And it's only become a choice recently because technology has made it possible.



A.I. Now, "a research institute examining the social implications of artificial intelligence," summarizes the problem space in the following way: "As artificial intelligence and related technologies are used to make determinations and predictions in high stakes domains such as criminal justice, law enforcement, housing, hiring, and education, they have the potential to impact basic rights and liberties in profound ways."



Let's me slightly tweak the basic problem statement but from the public safety and process fairness perspective. "As artificial intelligence and related technologies are used to make determinations and predictions in high stakes domains such as criminal justice, law enforcement, housing, hiring, and education, they have the potential to enhance public safety, security, inclusion, and fairness in profound ways."



Same thing. Different tones. Ultimately, the answer is "It depends." It depends on the implementation. That's what makes this trolley problem so difficult.



Speaking at Brookings Institution on Dec. 6, Microsoft President Brad Smith invited the Congress to regulate facial recognition technology to "address risks in facial recognition technology, including potential bias, violation of privacy and use of the tech could diminish democratic freedoms and human rights We should be thoughtful here because facial recognition technology will be important in addressing public safety," he said. "But we need to strike a balance. between safety and our democratic freedoms."



And that's the key word: balance.



But where would we draw that balance? More importantly, how would we draw that balance? In this case, "how" is much more importantly than "where." But ultimately, it's important to remember that it has to be "our" balance since any balance is contextual to the culture and times.





Jason Lim (jasonlim@msn.com) is a Washington, D.C.-based expert on innovation, leadership and organizational culture


Fair Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Kim Sang-jo, right, shakes hands with Korea Employers Federation (KEF) Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik during the former's visit to the latter's headquarters in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Friday. It is the first time the country's top antitrust regulator has visited the KEF, an organization that has been representing the interests of conglomerates for 49 years. / Yonhap
By Nam Hyun-woo





Former MP Group Chairman Jung Woo-hyun / Yonhap

Multiple food franchisers are suspending or delaying their bids to go public, as aggravated public sentiment over the misbehavior of owners of some big name players deals another blow to the harsh business environment.



According to industry officials, Friday, Ediya Coffee has decided recently to delay its initial public offering (IPO) bid, even though it signed a deal last year with securities firm Mirae Asset Daewoo to be the lead manager and finished due diligence on it.

Over its decision, the company said it decided not to stop the bid because "its current strategy of pursuing mutual prosperity with franchisees could clash with shareholders' interest," and will consider when it will resume the bid.

Bon If, the company running rice porridge brand Bonjuk, also postponed its listing on the secondary Kosdaq market earlier this year, saying the market evaluation on the company was lower than its expectation.

Fruit juice brand Juicy also suspended its listing, after its sales plunged to 18.5 billion won last year, down 57 percent from a year earlier.

The Born Korea, known for its multiple brands and TV star chief Baek Jong-won, is also taking its IPO bid slowly, planning to debut on the bourse in the first half of next year.

Its move came after listed food franchisers have been suffering on the bourse. Currently, there are three listed food chains  Haimarrow Food Service which runs burger brand Mom's Touch, restaurant chain Didim and MP Group which runs Mr. Pizza.

Haimarrow Food Service was listed on the Kosdaq market in 2016, but has not been showing upward movements for the past two years, remaining at around 2,100 won. Didim, which was traded at 4,450 won in June, was also mired in a downward spiral, ending at 2,615 won on Thursday.

MP Group has been stirring controversy over its snowballing losses, dubious accounting practices and a series of misbehaviors by its former Chairman Jung Woo-hyun, who was jailed for physically assaulting a company security guard.

Currently, MP Group's stock is suspended from trading, as the bourse operator gave the company four months to improve its shortcomings before expelling it from the bourse.

Kychon F&B, the operator of Kyochon Chicken, is also slowing down its IPO bid, after it faced boycotts over violence committed by a relative of Chairman Kwon Won-gang against employees.

"The cases of MP Group and Kyochon seemed to have affected franchisers' bids to go public," an industry official said asking not to be named.

"With the public still having bad sentiment over some franchisers' misbehavior, a hasty IPO can be seen as putting pressure on franchisees, which will aggravate their reputation further."
The visit is made at the invitation of Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, announced by the NAs Committee for External Relations.

Vietnam and Russia set up diplomatic ties on January 30, 1950 and since then, the two countries relations have been developing strongly with achievements recorded in all fields.


A year after sexual assault and harassment accusations first broke against Harvey Weinstein, fueling the #MeToo movement, a group of lawmakers and activists, including the actresses Mira Sorvino and Rosanna Arquette, praised a new suite of laws that they said would help combat workplace sexual abuse in California.

We have turned this #MeToo revolution into a policy revolution, said Noreen Farrell, Executive Director of Equal Rights Advocates, at a news conference in North Hollywood. The nonprofit supports women and girls at work and school.

Signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in October, the laws target prevention as well as transparency and accountability, while closing legal loopholes that have long shielded predatory behavior.

Altogether, the laws bar companies from requiring workers to agree to nondisparagement clauses as a condition of employment or in exchange for a raise or a bonus; ban settlement provisions that prevent testimony about criminal conduct or sexual harassment in legal proceedings; prohibit nondisclosure stipulations in settlements involving sexual misconduct; and require publicly held companies to have at least one female board member.

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Assemblywoman Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), called the laws, most of which go into effect on Jan. 1, the most comprehensive policies in the nation, bar none, adding that California is setting the gold standard, when it comes to greater protections against sexual harassment.

When I and these wonderful ladies came out against men of power who abused that power I never knew where it was going to go, said Sorvino, who last year was one of more than 80 women who leveled sexual assault and harassment allegations against Weinstein. But because I have been an activist for many years, Ive come to feel that awareness without action is hollow.

In Manhattan Criminal Court, just hours before the news conference, Justice James Burke ruled that a criminal sexual assault case against Weinstein will go forward.

Giving the new laws the hashtag #Takethelead,the group said it would like to see them replicated across all states and at the federal level.

These are comprehensive legal reforms for seeking justice and meaningful cultural change in the workplace without fear of reprisal or retaliation, said State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara).

After actress Chantal Cousineau recounted her experiences of being harassed by director James Toback in the The Times last year, nearly 400 women came forward to accuse the director of similar behavior. Cousineau, who also testified before the Assembly in support of the bills, called Thursday a big day and their signage into law a stand for equality, dignity and justice for all.

While celebrating the progress made, the lawmakers however, also said there was still much work to be done.

For instance, in October, Brown struck down a handful of bills that advocates believe would have gone further in strengthening workplace abuse protections. They included extending the statute of limitations on filing a complaint, a ban on forced arbitration and a bill that would require companies with 50 or more employees to keep records of sexual harassment complaints for five years and another that would prohibit employers from retaliating against a workers.

Both the lawmakers and advocates said they will continue to push those bills onto incoming Gov. Gavin Newsoms desk.

Weve only just begun the battle, said Sen. Jackson And we will win.

stacy.perman@latimes.com

@stacyperman
Trade tensions and stock market volatility loom over the nations economy, but Californias job market powered forward in November with a robust expansion of payrolls and a record low unemployment rate.

Employers added 30,700 positions, according to the state Employment Development Department, accounting for nearly a fifth of the nations new jobs last month.

The growth  to a total of 17.27 million  came on top of Octobers 36,400 gain.

(Los Angeles Times)

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Californias unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%, the same as in September and October, and the lowest rate in over four decades. A year ago, it stood at 4.5%.

In years ahead, well be looking back on 2018 as an extraordinary period in California employment, said Michael Bernick, a former EDD director who specializes in workforce issues.

The number of long-term unemployed  those who have been out of work more than 27 weeks  has dropped dramatically, from a peak of over a million in February 2011 in the wake of the recession to 192,000 in October, the latest month for data, he noted.

At the same time, the number of Californians working part time who would prefer to work full time, a key indicator of job market health, is down to 730,000 from a peak of more than 1.5 million at the end of 2009, Bernick added.

The U.S unemployment rate in November stood at 3.7% as the nation added 155,000 payroll jobs.

The leisure and hospitality sector led Californias job growth last month with 12,400 new positions since October, boosted by the holiday season. Professional and business services were up by 7,600 jobs, construction by 3,300, and educational and health services by 3,300.

Just two sectors lost jobs last month: Information, which includes movies and television as well as some technology, was down 4,500, and mining and logging, which includes oil extraction, was down 200.

Monthly numbers are volatile, however. The information sector had grown by 7,800 jobs from a year earlier, to 542,500 in November. The technology sector  the workhorse of the economy  continues to hum as businesses adopt technology to increase productivity and reduce costs, said economist Sung Won Sohn, president of Los Angeles consultancy SS Economics, who attributes last months dip to some film production moving to other states.

Software publishing, social media, internet search etc. are experiencing rising demand, he added. If it werent for skilled-labor shortages, the employment gains would have been even higher.

However, Scott Anderson, chief economist of San Franciscos Bank of the West, warned that last months dip in information jobs could foreshadow more job losses ahead. Handset sales are weak, he noted. And we are seeing tech stocks hammered on Wall Street.

Year over year, California payrolls grew by 1.8%. California job growth likely peaked at 3% in 2015, Anderson said. It slowed to 2.7% in 2016 and 2.1% in 2017, and the deceleration is projected to remain in place.

The slowdown is natural, he said. The tight labor market is making it harder for employers to fill open positions. In California and nationwide, theres a mismatch between open jobs and the skills that unemployed people have.

Looking ahead we forecast California job growth of only 1.2% in 2019 and 0.5% in 2020, he added.

Despite the tight job market, Californias labor force  which includes those who are employed and those who are looking for work  grew by 76,000 from October and 127,000 from a year earlier.

Sohn called the increase amazing, adding, there are good jobs with attractive wages to be had. Retirees, students and even people on disability are rejoining the labor force powering Californias economy.

The Golden States year-over-year gain of 299,800 jobs was second in the nation behind Texas, which saw a growth of 365,400. Florida came in third at 241,600.

The California sector showing the most growth was professional and business services, with 91,100 new positions for a 3.5% jump. Educational and health services were up by 63,300 jobs, a 2.4% increase, while the leisure and hospitality sector added 50,600 jobs, a 2.6% rise.

Statewide, 807,000 people were unemployed last month, down from 865,000 a year earlier.

Besides uncertainty over the impact of President Trumps trade war with China, Californias economy faces other hurdles, economists said.

A weaker global economy, tighter financial conditions as the Fed continues to raise interest rates in 2019, high costs of living and doing business, poor housing affordability, net out-migration and technology industry headwinds all will weigh on Californias job growth engine in the years to come, Anderson predicted in his quarterly California outlook released this week.

Sectors with the sharpest slowdown in growth in 2019 are forecasted to be construction, education and health services, manufacturing, and leisure and hospitality.

In Los Angeles County, Novembers unemployment rate was 4.7%, up from 4.6% in October 2018 and 4.5 % a year earlier. Payroll jobs grew by 5,000, to 4,925,000, while unemployment increased by 3,000, to 243,000, over the month.

The growth in the countys unemployment rate reflected the fact that more people reported that they were looking for jobs; Los Angeles labor force expanded by 10,000 over the month.

margot.roosevelt@latimes.com

Twitter: @margotroosevelt
Two rogue drones buzzing the runway at Londons Gatwick Airport froze hundreds of incoming and outgoing flights during the busy holiday season on Thursday, prompting an intense search for the drones operator and serving as a dramatic example of a potential threat to commercial airspace.

The incident at Britains second-busiest airport  which threatened to drag on into Friday  shows why regulators and drone industry experts fear a collision at high speeds could cause significant structural damage to a jet, or even engine failure.

Last year, pilots reported 385 near mid-air collisions in the U.S., defined as a collision hazard between two or more aircraft or when an aircraft flies within 500 feet of another aircraft, according to a report released this month by the Federal Aviation Administration. Near mid-air collisions with drones now account for more than half of reported events, the FAA said. In 2016, pilots reported 304 near mid-air collisions, with a similar ratio of drone incidents.

More recently, Mexican airline AeroMexico is looking into whether a drone collided with one of its Boeing 737 planes last week as it approached Tijuana.

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Two Gatwick drones were first sighted Wednesday night, leading airport officials to close the runway. It briefly reopened early Thursday morning, only to close again 45 minutes later after additional sightings. As of Thursday afternoon, 216 outbound flights had been canceled, as well as 220 flights that were bound for the airport, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.

Military and police responded to the scene. Law enforcement told airport officials it was too risky to try to shoot down the drones, the Associated Press reported. On Twitter Thursday, the Sussex police urged the public to report any known information about the drone operators identity or location. The police said they were searching for the operator along with airport personnel.

No incidents comparable to the Gatwick Airport shutdown have been reported in U.S. airport airspace, an aviation official said. But drones have interfered with official operations in the past. In 2016, for example, several drones flew over the San Gabriel Complex fire in the San Gabriel Mountains, forcing firefighters to temporarily stop air operations.

The shutdown of the British airport, however, could prompt discussion in the U.S. about harsher penalties for unauthorized drone flights in restricted airspace or greater use of counter-drone or user identification technology, experts said.

Weve never seen anything on the scale of what happened today in Gatwick, in terms of number of flights canceled, in terms of the number of drones involved, said Arthur Holland Michel, co-director of the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College in New York. This case today seems to be very clearly a deliberate, malicious act intended to disrupt Gatwicks air traffic over a sustained period.

U.S. airports are not allowed to use counter-drone technology, which can include signal-jamming systems designed to interrupt the radio frequencies that link a drone to its controller. Only the Defense Department, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice have congressional authority to use counter-drone technology, an aviation official said.

U.S. airports are allowed to use drone-detection technology, including infrared or radio frequency systems, with some restrictions, according to Homeland Security.

Jamming technology was credited with foiling an assassination attempt on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in August, when two drones laden with explosives flew toward him at an event. One of the drones crashed into the side of a building, while the other exploded over uniformed guardsmen and caused injuries.

But jamming can be less effective when drones fly out of sight, and it could interfere with legitimate communications in the area, Holland Michel said.

Other defensive measures such as spoofing, which allow an operator to take over control of a rogue drone, or options like shooting a net or a laser at a drone, can be unpredictable.

Theres no solution thats 100% effective and appropriate in 100% of cases, Holland Michel said. Thats the real challenge. Its a cat-and-mouse game.

Los Angeles International Airport does not use drone-detection systems. It relies on visual sightings and reporting from the air traffic control tower and pilots, said Officer Rob Pedregon, public information officer for airport police at LAX.

A technology known as geofencing has worked out really well for the airport, he said. This GPS-based software can be embedded in drones and once the aircraft hits a virtual boundary, such as a wildfire or an airport, the software overrides the controller to force the drone to hover in place.

Drone manufacturer DJI has a geofence system installed in its products to prevent inadvertent drone operations in sensitive areas.

In the future, remote identification technology could be used to pinpoint a drones operator, similar to a virtual license plate, said Lisa Ellman, partner at law firm Hogan Lovells and co-executive director of the Commercial Drone Alliance advocacy group.

The idea is to install some basic rules of the road for all [unmanned aerial systems] operators in the national airspace, she said. We really need the policies to catch up to the technology, she said.

The Associated Press was used in compiling this report.

samantha.masunaga@latimes.com

Twitter: @smasunaga
Back in 1971, when he went to work at a General Electric Co. plant in upstate New York, John Phelps probably wasnt naive in believing that the company would take care of him to the grave.

That was reasonable in those days, when so many jobs in the U.S. still came with generous long-term benefits. And in fact, Phelps clocked out in 2013 at age 64 with a pension, a rare thing in the 21st century.

But he feels ripped off. GE has cut retiree healthcare benefits and on Dec. 7 slashed to a penny the dividend many former employees once relied on as income. He doesnt care that GE is swimming in debt and other woes.

GE used to promise us, Youll never have to worry about anything, and then they started taking things away, said Phelps, a founder of Retirees Against GE Health Care Changes. People are scared.

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When his group started 19 months ago, it was focused on curbing the erosion of medical benefits. Now it has another worry: GEs defined-benefit pension plan is underfunded in the U.S. by almost $30 billion. Thats adding to retirees concerns even as GE takes steps to shore up the plan.

Phelps said the groups 1,800 members know theyre trying to climb a big hill. Courts have rejected two lawsuits claiming GE breached its fiduciary duty when in 2015 it started ending health plans that supplemented Medicare for nearly 200,000 retirees and their dependents. Instead, it gives them each $1,000 a year to help cover the co-pays and prescription drugs that Medicare doesnt.

Thats still more than many older Americans get. But the stipend isnt enough to keep up with the cost of coverage, Phelps said. A survey by his group found two-thirds of respondents exhausted the stipend, with a third of those doing so in the first half of the year.

Mary Anna Feitler, 75, who worked at a GE plant in Indiana for almost 27 years, said out-of-pocket medical expenses for her and her husband have grown by about $5,000 a year, to $22,000.

Were doing OK, Feitler said, but I dont know whether to anticipate that its going to get worse.

Thats the concern, as the troubled company continues to look for ways to cut costs. Its market value has plunged by more than $200 billion since the end of 2016, driven down by a slumping power market, cash-flow shortfalls and the weight of more than $100 billion in debt.

The change to the retiree medical plan significantly reduced GEs costs for that benefit, to $35 million last year from $1.26 billion in 2011.

The move was consistent with trends among larger companies and allowed GE to offer greater choice in coverage while striking a balance among our obligations to employees, retirees and shareowners, a spokeswoman said by email.

Fewer businesses give health benefits to retirees. In 1988, 66% of large companies did, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, and by last year it was down to 25%.

Thats part of a long-running shift in the U.S. from stakeholder capitalism to shareholder capitalism, where maximizing shareholder value has become the dominant ethos, said Rick Wartzman, author of The End of Loyalty: The Rise and Fall of Good Jobs in America.

At GE, the pullback started in 2011, when then-Chief Executive Officer Jeff Immelt announced that the pension would be closed to new employees. Cuts to the supplemental health benefits followed. Meanwhile, Immelt began ramping up GEs share buybacks, spending $23 billion in 2015 and $22 billion in 2016, and ignoring pension obligations.

GE is a monumental example of bad governance and horrible leadership, Ken Langone, a former director of the company, said Wednesday on CNBC. Do you realize the number of people that have retired from GE that have seen most of their net worth wiped out?

For 72-year-old Garland Steele, who worked 28 years at GE, the impact of the reduced benefit is one thing. He and his wife, facing at least $7,000 more in medical costs every year, can manage by cutting back on things like traveling and eating out.

As for what he described as GEs betrayal? Thats more difficult. His generation, Steele said, was very loyal to the 126-year-old company.

We had a contract, he said. It used to be if you had a contract, people stuck to it, and these people didnt.
The average holiday bonus in 2017  among workers who actually get them  was about $1,800, according to one survey of accountants. But a floral foam maker based in Ludington, Mich., is making that number look almost Grinchy, announcing a bonus that is likely to average more than $14,000 per worker.

FloraCraft, which manufactures, fabricates and markets foam products  those green or white blocks used in floral and craft projects  has told employees it will be paying out $4 million in bonuses. The move comes after a strong year for the business and a tax reform law that slashed corporate taxes. Also, said Lee Schoenherr, the companys owner, it was inspired by his concerns about political changes in Washington.

FloraCrafts bonus, which will be paid out 25% in cash and 75% through a 401(k) contribution over two years, comes at the end of a year that began with many businesses responding to the Trump tax bill with highly publicized announcements about one-time $1,000 bonuses.

Schoenherr, 83, who has led the company since 1973 and serves as chairman, said he wanted to do something more meaningful.

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He had typically given an extra weeks pay as a holiday bonus to his workers. But Schoenherr had been thinking for years of making a substantial gift to workers as a way of saying thanks.

I wanted to show some appreciation for the people who have worked for me and been responsible, to a great length, for the success of the company, he said.

He decided the timing was right in 2018. The tax cut provided a cushion. The business was reaping the benefits of years of investing in research and development that allowed it to manufacture its own foam, rather than buy it externally, Chief Executive Eric Erwin said. (The private, family-run business does not release financial numbers, but has annual revenue of $70 million.)

Meanwhile, a Pinterest-fueled DIY decor and crafting craze has boosted what Erwin calls the creative products industry in recent years. Weve been very happy with the way digital content has helped us, inspiring consumers to be more creative with crafts and projects.

Schoenherr said he also began feeling a sense of urgency to make the bonus, concerned the environment for business might shift with Democrats taking the majority in the House of Representatives. He said his company has benefited from President Trumps policies, including the tax cut and the elimination of some regulations, though he was not able to name any specific regulatory changes during Trumps term that has benefited his business.

Things are good now. Who knows what the future is going to bring, he said. Schoenherr recognized, too, that he wasnt getting any younger. While he says he has no plans at all to retire, he thought, I better do this while Im still alive, he said.

Workers are eligible for the bonus only if theyre below top management, Erwin said  higher-level managers take part in an annual incentive program  and the only factor considered in paying out the bonus is tenure. Workers will receive the equivalent of about $120 for each month of service; because the average tenure at the company is 10 years, that would result in an average payment of $14,400, Erwin said.

Laura Sejen, managing director of Willis Towers Watsons Human Capital and Benefits practice, said such a bonus is unusually large for hourly paid manufacturing workers, but that its easier for Schoenherr to do it because of the size of his business and his controlling interest in it.

These are things you can do fairly readily if youre a small privately held company  your hands arent tied by shareholders or formal programs like they are if youre, by contrast, a global conglomerate, she said. This is very unusual.

Unusual, perhaps, but not unheard of. In 2015, for instance, Houston-based oil and gas firm Hilcorp paid out $100,000 bonus checks to employees, prorated based on time of service over the last five years, according to the Houston Chronicle. And in 2016, Chobani founder and Chief Executive Hamdi Ulukaya said he would give all of his 2,000 full-time workers awards that could be worth up to 10% of the privately held companys future value if it becomes public or is sold, with an estimated average employee payout of $150,000.
Swarm Technologies Inc. learned an expensive lesson this week: If youre going to shoot satellites into space, make sure the government signs off first.

The Menlo Park, Calif., company has agreed to pay a $900,000 fine to the Federal Communications Commission, the regulatory agency said Thursday. The FCC had denied Swarms request for permission to launch four tiny satellites, but the company went ahead with the launch anyway in January.

The fine sends a message to other firms in the burgeoning small-satellite industry that they need to play by the rules, analysts said. Space is a different game from the tech industry, in which companies have sometimes launched services first and asked for permission later.

Theres a lot of new proposals, and the FCC is trying to update its rules to take account of all these new technology developments, said Tim Farrar, president of Menlo Park satellite and telecommunications consulting firm TMF Associates. Theyre trying to send a message that everyone has to play by the rules because otherwise were just going to have a mess.

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Unauthorized satellites increase the risk of collisions and radio frequency interference, threatening critical commercial and government satellite operations, the FCC said in a statement. Swarm admitted to the unauthorized launch and operation only after the commission discovered it, the agency said.

In addition to the fine, Swarm also agreed to a five-year compliance plan requiring it to adopt internal programs to help ensure it follows federal rules.

Like many small-satellite manufacturers, Swarm is trying to ride the wave of cheaper manufacturing costs and smaller, more powerful electronics. Last year, 335 small satellites were launched worldwide, up from about 120 in 2016, according to data from market research firm Bryce Space and Technology.

Companies such as SpaceX and OneWeb have proposed constellations of hundreds or thousands of small satellites, and analysts have predicted that thousands of satellites could be launched in the next few years.

The frenzy has also spurred development of new launch companies such as Huntington Beach-based Rocket Lab and Long Beachs Virgin Orbit, which offer small satellites a dedicated ride to space, rather than hitching a ride on a larger rocket with other spacecraft.

Like many other companies in the growing small-satellite industry, Swarm plans to use its technology for jobs such as Earth imaging or providing broadband internet. The satellites it launched without permission  called SpaceBees  measured about 4 inches long, 4 inches wide and 4 inches tall.

In January, Swarm attached four SpaceBees to a rocket owned by the Indian government, which launched from an island along the Indian coast. The move drew objections from the FCC, which regulates all satellite launches by U.S. companies. The agency had denied the companys application the previous month, saying Swarms satellites were too small to be tracked by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network, which is supposed to catalog all man-made objects that orbit the Earth.

Small satellites can make themselves appear larger on radar through smart design techniques, such as the incorporation of angled metal surfaces, Farrar said.

Industry analysts have said this may have been the first time a U.S. company operated a satellite without FCC approval.

Additionally, the FCC said that, during its investigation, it learned that Swarm had performed unauthorized communications tests involving weather balloons. It said Swarm also admitted to performing unauthorized tests with unlaunched satellites.

The company has not launched or operated any satellites without permission since the FCC investigation began, the commission said.

Swarm Chief Executive Sara Spangelo, a former Google employee, did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

In a written statement, FCC Commissioner Michael ORielly said the size of the fine is probably not significant enough to deter future behavior, but the negative press coverage is likely to prevent this company and others from attempting to do this again.

During a SpaceX launch this month that sent 64 tiny satellites to space, mission broker Spaceflight chose not to deploy one customer because it could not demonstrate adequate licensing, the company said. To prevent the satellite from being released into space, Spaceflight said, it sealed the spacecraft inside its dispenser and it will eventually burn up in the Earths atmosphere.

Its in everybodys self-interest to not just self-police but also to have a regulatory body there to make sure that orbital debris is not generated, said Phil Smith, senior space analyst at Bryce Space and Technology. Everybody will be impacted by that.

sammy.roth@latimes.com

samantha.masunaga@latimes.com

@Sammy_Roth | @smasunaga
Critics of President Trumps tax law centerpiece  slashing the corporate rate  argued that the savings wouldnt spur big companies to expand dramatically. One year later, some key metrics show they were right.

For companies in the Standard & Poors 500 index, the profits theyve made from sales this year through September  after accounting for production costs but before paying taxes  have been flat. But their net profit margins  which include the tax savings  have continued to climb.

If they were spending more to hire workers and build U.S. factories, those net margins would be lower.

Before the pitchforks come out, put yourself in the shoes of a chief executive of a major company. The economy is in the ninth year of an expansion thats already one of the longest in U.S. history, and in 2018 you get a big pile of money dropped in your lap. Does expanding make sense when youre already worried about this being the top of the economic cycle?

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For the average CEO, it didnt. Americas biggest companies instead chose to protect their profits by using their tax savings to offset rising costs, including for labor, transportation and imports caught up in Trumps trade disputes. Although they may be politically unpopular after the president and GOP leaders promised their tax law would unleash expansion in the United States, analysts see those moves as prudent.

They have been criticized for not investing in America, but you dont want them to make unproductive investments at the top of the cycle, said Tim Drayson, head of economics for Legal & General Investment Management, a money manager. The tax overhaul was a one-off boost to earnings, whereas politicians were selling it as transformational.

A slogan like tax cuts to save the bottom line wouldnt win over many voters. But thats exactly what corporations did with the billions of dollars they received after the Republican tax law cut the corporate rate to 21% from 35%. And that helped push the average net margin for S&P 500 firms to its highest level since at least 1990.

The benefits of the tax cuts have gone straight to the bottom line, as we had anticipated, Maneesh Deshpande, Barclays head of U.S. equity and global derivatives strategy, said in a research note last month. This came at the expense of spending more on items such as capital expenditures and wages, Deshpande said.

The Trump administration continues to defend its tax law and the associated economic benefits. During a call with reporters Wednesday celebrating the one-year anniversary of the overhaul, Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett said that capital spending was on track to contribute 1% to economic growth this year and that survey data show companies spending plans over the next six months to a year are very strong.

Stock buybacks

Companies have also been spending on buybacks  another way to puff up earnings. S&P 500 companies boosted buybacks during the first three quarters of the year to $577.9 billion, up 49% from a year earlier. Still, as a percentage of market value, the purchases are in line with previous years.

The overall effect of companies protecting profits and doing buybacks helped drive the S&P 500 to a record high in early September, only for it to sell off amid trade tensions and recession worries. Now the index is headed for its biggest annual decline since the 2008 financial crisis.

Companies dont unleash spending just because they got a tax cut  that isnt how they operate, despite what they might tout in press releases. They generally invest based on market conditions, not goodwill or national pride. They expand when they see growth coming and pull back when demand wanes. Within the S&P 500, cash flows are surging, but a lower percentage of that money is being spent on capital expenditures.

Take General Motors Co.s response to market realities. The automakers plan to close U.S. factories and cut 14,000 jobs was driven by declining sales of some models and the decision to protect margins by maintaining operations in Mexicos cheaper labor market. The automakers income tax expense was $366 million in the third quarter on $2.6 billion of profit, which equals a tax rate of 11.9%. GM has invested $22 billion in the United States since 2010, said spokesman Tom Henderson, who declined to provide additional comment.

Companies are also trying to use the tax cuts to gloss over disappointing results. After a weak third quarter, AT&T Inc. Chief Executive Randall Stephenson tried to refocus investors away from an unexpected loss of subscribers to big gains in cash flow, which he said would mean more money for shareholder dividends and paying down debt.

If you look at the cash flows for the quarter, I feel really good about the results, Stephenson said Oct. 24.

What Stephenson might not feel so good about: If AT&Ts tax rate had remained the same, it would have paid $2.3 billion more in taxes through September of this year. That would have reduced its 20% gain in free cash flow to just a 1% increase.

Meanwhile, this year AT&T has boosted buybacks by 25%. It also has said it will spend about $22 billion on capital expenditures, which as a percentage of sales would be lower than in each of the past five years. Part of the decline may be the result of acquiring a business that had fewer investment needs. An AT&T spokeswoman declined to comment.

Better to wait

At home improvement retailer Lowes Cos., operating margin narrowed by 20% this year  but by saving $671 million in taxes, the retailer was able to boost its net margin by 5%. At the same time, it canceled capital projects, shut weak-performing stores and laid off workers  all part of new Chief Executive Marvin Ellisons plan to increase profits after an activist investor pushed out his predecessor for lackluster results.

Still, the retailer said it plans to boost capital spending by about 30% next year. A Lowes spokeswoman declined to comment.

Beyond companies in the S&P 500, other surveys show capital expenditures have been disappointing. Nonresidential business investment rose 2.5% in the third quarter, the smallest increase since the final three months of 2016. Although such spending picked up in early 2018 after plodding along for years, a string of weak reports raises questions about the outlook.

For economist Drayson, this all goes back to the timing of the tax cuts.

From a pure economy basis, it would have been better to wait until the next downturn before doing this, Drayson said.

Townsend and Kochkodin write for Bloomberg.
Automated online services are totally convenient and totally great  until theyre not. Thats when consumers are reminded that the robot takeover is upon us and resistance is futile.

At least thats what was going through my head when I chatted recently with Silver Lake resident Steve Robinson, who was billed $236 by Uber for a trip to San Luis Obispo that he never requested and thought hed canceled.

That alone is sufficiently hinky to merit a closer look. Robinsons total inability to reach anyone at Uber by phone or email to address the problem ices the cake.

Picture astronaut Dave Bowman in 2001 locked outside the spaceship saying, Do you read me, HAL?  HAL? 

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Robinsons predicament wasnt quite so dire, but it similarly illustrates how we can be at the mercy of technology intended to make our lives better.

He and his partner went to a dinner party in the Hollywood Hills. Robinson, 68, figured hed probably be drinking some wine, so they planned on using Uber to get there and back.

The eight-mile trip to Hollywood was uneventful and cost $18.20. Dinner was pleasant. Then it was time to return.

Robinson said he booked a ride via the Uber app and saw that hed been given a pickup point way down the hill, nearly a mile away. So he manually entered the address of his current location, saw that it had been accepted and confirmed the trip.

A few minutes later, Robinson checked to see how long the ride home might take. It was with more than a little surprise that he saw an estimate of about three hours.

He looked closer. For reasons passing strange, Uber had decided it wasnt taking Robinson back to Silver Lake. It was taking him to San Luis Obispo, about 180 miles up the California coast.

I like San Luis Obispo, Robinson told me. But, no, I didnt ask to go there.

He canceled the trip via the app. His host for the dinner party offered to cover Robinsons ride home using his own Uber account and all was well.

Actually, not so much.

After returning home, Robinson checked his Uber account and found a receipt that included a $15.82 trip fare and an 84-cent promotional discount for a total of $14.98.

And it showed that his American Express card had been billed $236.

Robinson reported the billing issue via the app and received a message saying, Your cancellation fee was already adjusted for this trip.

However, the $236 charge remained on his credit card  a bill for a trip he didnt take to a place he didnt ask to go.

Now comes the tricky part: How do you contact a company that doesnt want to be contacted?

Its a condition common among tech companies that apparently believe theyre too cool or cutting edge for something as quaint as customer service.

The only one that seems to take customer service seriously is Amazon, which has innovated a nifty system whereby you shoot them an email if you have a problem and within minutes a service rep gives you a call.

Its an approach all big companies should use, rather than keeping people on hold for epic waits, all the while cruelly repeating, Your call is important to us.

Uber is typical of how most tech companies do things.

Go to the companys site. Theres no link marked contact us. But if you scroll down youll find one that says, Get help.

That link takes you to a page with a link to account and payment options. Clicking that takes you to a page with dozens of links to various self-help options. They very last one is my account has an unrecognized charge.

Clicking that leads to yet another page where you can fill out a form, which Uber says it will review and get back to you.

The company, like most of its tech cousins, is clearly determined to keep you from getting anywhere near a human being.

Undaunted, Robinson did a Google search for an Uber phone number. That produced (800) 353-UBER, which the company says is for emergencies only.

Robinson tried it (as did I) and found that you get a recording telling you to call 911 if its a real emergency and to otherwise seek help online.

Robinson searched for and found an email address to try, support@uber.com. This produced an automated response from Team Uber.

Were sorry, it said. Youve contacted an address that does not accept incoming email, which is obviously untrue, seeing as how Robinsons incoming email triggered a response. Wed love to help you out if you have an issue.

Needless to say, it steered him back to the app.

So Robinson got in touch with me instead. I in turn reached out to Ubers press office. I asked for details about Robinsons experience as well as tips for Uber users who need to contact the company with their own issues.

It wasnt an auspicious start. Andrew Hasbun, a company spokesman, requested by email more info about Robinson, which I provided.

This should be enough, he replied. Ill get back. Assuming this isnt needed ASAP. If you dont hear from me by tomorrow morning, please remind.

Please remind? Because, what, questions from the largest news organization in California to the communications department of a prominent San Francisco company might be forgotten overnight?

And guess what? They were. The next morning, no Hasbun.

In the meantime, Uber contacted Robinson and said they had refunded his $236. The company offered no explanation for what happened. (Uber says it has no record of Robinson contesting the charge in the app.)

Kenny in Uber Support said that if Robinson had any future difficulties, he should feel free to contact the company  via the app.

Robinson told me he was glad to have his money back, but the best outcome would be a system whereby a customer can actually contact someone to seek a reasonable resolution, rather than turning to the press.

I emailed Hasbun again with a gentle reminder that we were, you know, communicating.

I am so sorry, he responded a day later. I totally forgot to get back.

Hasbun had no explanation for Robinsons situation. Clearly something went wrong here so we are looking into it, he said.

If other Uber users have problems, they shouldnt hesitate to contest any questionable charge, Hasbun advised.

He said they can do this in the app.

David Lazarus column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.

UPDATES:

6:30 p.m.: This column was updated with a statement from Uber that it has no record of a charge being contested.

This column was originally published at 5 a.m.
The programme featured songs and dances praising the fighting spirit, strong will and bravery of Vietnamese soldiers, thus encouraging patriotism and a strong sense of protecting the country among armed forces and people.

The same day, the Phu Yen provincial Party Committee, High Command of Border Guards, and Youth Union hosted a ceremony to honour outstanding young soldiers of the locality.

A gathering of retired army officers was recently organised in Da Nang city, during which the participants reviewed the glorious tradition of Vietnam Peoples Army and stressed the importance of consolidating and enhancing national defence, security, political stabilisation, and social order.

A seminar themed Forever shining virtues of Uncle Ho's soldiers took place in Hanoi yesterday morning. The event was held jointly by the Quan Doi Nhan Dan (Peoples Army) newspaper in collaboration with the Department of Information and Training under the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam Peoples Army.

The seminar heard 30 speeches by scientists and researchers shedding light on the great army values of Vietnamese soldiers and also promoting the campaign of studying and following President Ho Chi Minh's thought, ethics, and style.

A symposium was also held in Da Nang city yesterday to review the theory and practical situation of national military and defence over the past 30 years of implementing the Platform on construction in the transitional period to socialism.
In Aquaman, Arthur Curry must come to terms with his royal Atlantean heritage in order to stop an impending war.

Directed by James Wan, the movie introduces fans to the vast undersea empire of the DC Extended Universe. And it turns out the colorful world is technologically advanced, composed of a number of kingdoms and ruled by complicated (if outdated) politics.

Its apparent from the start that neither Arthur (played by Jason Momoa) nor the Atlanteans are quite ready to see the half-human/half-Atlantean hero installed as the new king, but as often is the case for stories about a chosen one, destiny waits for nobody.

[Warning: Spoilers for Aquaman below.]

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A treasure hunt spearheaded by the more competent and knowledgeable Princess Mera (Amber Heard) culminates in an epic battle that cements Arthurs place as the true king of the seven seas. But it turns out that even after saving the world, not every loose thread from the movie has been resolved.

Jason Momoa and Amber Heard in Aquaman. (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Aquaman features a mid-credits sequence revisiting a couple of characters who were introduced in the film but were absent from that final battle.

The scene reveals that Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) has actually survived his earlier showdown with Arthur by somehow ending up adrift on some floating debris. The pirate whose vengeful rage against Aquaman had motivated his actions throughout the film is then rescued by a boat carrying none other than Dr. Stephen Shin (Randall Park).

Dr. Shin, a marine biologist, made a brief appearance earlier in the movie during a news segment where his obsession with Atlantis made him seem like a bit of a conspiracy theorist (since most land-dwellers dont realize that Atlantis is real).

Manta is then shown waking up in a lab with walls plastered with newspaper headlines about Aquaman and Atlantis under Shins care. Shin has been tinkering with the remnants of Mantas suit and discovers that its a piece of Atlantean technology.

Shin, of course, wants to know where Manta got this tech. And it seems like Manta is willing to share his secrets as long as Shin helps him find Aquaman.

The scene sets up the possibility that the pair might partner up for a future Aquaman installment of some sort (though a sequel has not yet been confirmed).

Unlike Manta, who has long appeared in comics as Aquamans foe, Dr. Shin was introduced more recently. He debuted in 2011 during DCs New 52 reboot, which involved the publisher relaunching all their titles with new first issues and many of the long-established characters having their backstories revamped.

Shins relationship with Aquaman is also a bit more complicated than Mantas. In the new comics continuity, Shin was a scientist and a friend of the Currys when Arthur was younger.

Unfortunately, Shins obsession with Atlantis caused a rift in their relationship. But even after their falling out, there have been occasions where Arthur seeks Shins Atlantis-related expertise.

Dr. Shin and Manta also have a bit of history in the comics. Although not necessarily allies, it was revealed Shin did help out a shipwrecked Manta in the past. And Manta has definitely tried to use Shins knowledge of all things Atlantean in his quest to beat Aquaman.

RELATED: In environmentally conscious Aquaman, the villain has a point

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta in a scene from Aquaman. (Warner Bros. Pictures)

tracy.brown@latimes.com

Twitter: @tracycbrown
In Warner Bros. Aquaman, the titular comic book superhero, Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), seeks to unite the world while his villainous half-brother, King Orm (Patrick Wilson), crusades to keep it divided. For too long, Orm rants, the oceans have suffered at the hands of humans above land whose rampant pollution keeps killing the seas and its kingdoms below. The only answer, according to Orm, is war.

Hes a tylosaur-riding villain stirring up alarming currents of xenophobic mania across Atlantis, a self-serious tyrant in an over-the-top spectacle of winking, wanton silliness. He is, rather successfully, rallying the oceans formidable armed forces toward conflict.

And, reminiscent of Michael B. Jordans multilayered Black Panther villain Erik Killmonger from earlier this year, Orm isnt completely wrong, filmmakers say. Well, not about everything.

When a very real floating patch of garbage has taken up an estimated 79,000 metric tons of real estate in the Pacific Ocean and overfishing, oil spills and global warming are just some of the man-made disasters harming the Earths oceans, you cant totally blame a sea king for wanting to fight back.

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I loved how he was a real foil to Arthur, and his initial reasons for going after the surface world seemed completely validated, said Wilson, who fills Orms fish-faced mask with a sense of pomp and grandiosity befitting the characters comic book origins in the James Wan-directed tale.

After all, we are terrible to the oceans, Wilson says, and youd be hard-pressed to find someone who didnt agree with that. So I knew that people would get it. Even if they didnt like him, they would understand him.

That environmental streak was important to thread into Aquaman, says Wan, who shares a story credit with Geoff Johns and Will Beall on the film (scripted by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Beall) which is now playing nationwide. The filmmaker credits his upbringing in Australia with keeping the eco-friendly messaging on his mind.

Australians are very environmentally conscious, he said. We care a lot about our land, and I think a lot of that stemmed from the first people of Australia and how the land means so much to them. Its something that is sacred and that you should treat with respect, and Australians, we sort of grow up with that mentality.

Patrick Wilson as King Orm in a scene from Aquaman. (Warner Bros. Pictures)

I think King Orm is right in that us surface-dwellers have no respect for the planet. I kind of feel bad for him because hes not wrong in that respect. Aquaman director James Wan

I think King Orm is right in that us surface-dwellers have no respect for the planet. I kind of feel bad for him because hes not wrong in that respect, Wan added. But it makes the character more interesting; hes not a one-dimensional villain. Hes coming from the right place; hes trying to protect the planet.

Amber Heards Mera, an Atlantean superheroine in her own right, plays an integral role in expressing the deeper real-world concerns of Aquaman.

Its Mera who sees Orm misleading the ocean kingdoms toward conflict, defying her own father, King Nereus, to stop it. And it is Mera who embraces the half-human, half-Atlantean Aquaman, urging him to accept the responsibility of unifying his two worlds, rather than stand by and watch them destroy each other.

Heard says she never considered herself the type of actor to star in a superhero blockbuster franchise when first approached by Zack Snyder to introduce Mera in Justice League, but she found power and depth in her character rooted in the comics. The actress praises Aquaman for retaining the socially conscious themes that bring real-world issues to mind, for those who seek them.

It makes this surreal world  this hyper-reality  grounded, and makes it relevant to us, she said. King Orm, for instance, is justifying wanting to start this world war and referencing reasons that give you pause and make you think, Well, actually, we are poisoning our waters and dumping plastics and trash into the ocean at an accelerated speed, and it is poisoning our animals, our waters, our food, our friends, ourselves.

The climate is actually changing, and it is affecting how life on this planet lives. Even though he plays the villain, you cant help but agree with his reasoning.

More parallels to todays political climate can be found in Orms desire to Make the Ocean Great Again, the filmmakers say. Those themes are also there for people to find, but they arent overbearing, Momoa says.

There are elements that remind you of whats culturally relevant for us in the United States, especially right now, when Arthur comes to Atlantis. actress Amber Heard

Thats one of the really cool things that James and the producers put into it, said the Hawaiian-born actor, whose portrayal of the DC Comics superhero also marks a watershed moment for Pacific Islander representation in Hollywood. It says its own stuff without being unbearable or being preachy.

Still, its no accident that the undersea metropolis of Atlantis, where citizens openly display their hatred for the outsider Arthur, boasts a fortified border wall.

Heres the thing, Wan said. My movie doesnt take place on another planet. Or another dimension. This is not Middle-earth. This is real Earth, and [Orm] strongly believes that Atlantis is the greatest country in this world  not America, not China, not England, not whatever. It is Atlantis, and so there is definitely a lot that can be read into that.

The Texas-born Heards own activism has involved raising awareness of immigration issues and the family separation crisis.

There are elements that remind you of whats culturally relevant for us in the United States, especially right now, when Arthur comes to Atlantis and is experiencing this world for the first time, Heard said. It was always something that I respected and liked and encouraged to be there. I remember hearing myself say, I hope that doesnt get taken out.

In the lead-up to the Aquaman release, Wilson said, he was asked about the films messaging by journalists from across the world whose readings of the film reflect the political climates in their respective countries.

Of course, people are going to look at the xenophobia and nationalism of the Atlanteans in a different light because of the current climate. And thats okay, Wilson said.

If you can be a part of that conversation and ... raise some questions through this device of a big superhero movie  or make a child of mixed race maybe feel a little more comfortable with who they are  then weve succeeded.

ALSO

Aquaman director James Wan: I didnt want to make a traditional superhero movie

Review: Aquaman makes a splash with underwater spectacle galore and Jason Momoas superheroic star turn

What the Aquaman post-credits scene means

jen.yamato@latimes.com

Twitter: @jenyamato
As far as director Adam McKay knows, Dick Cheney hasnt yet seen his new film Vice, a not-so-flattering biopic about the former Republican vice president set to hit theaters on Christmas.

Through a friend of a friend, I heard [Dick and his wife, Lynne Cheney] saw the trailer, though, and they both laughed quite a bit, McKay said on a recent afternoon in Beverly Hills, sitting beside the films star, Christian Bale, who plays Cheney. Dicks comment was apparently, Well, if that movie about the fish guy [The Shape of Water] can win, then maybe this one has a chance. 

Indeed, nominated for six Golden Globe Awards, including best motion picture in the musical or comedy category and lead actor for Bale, who transforms himself physically for the role, Vice has already emerged as a strong Oscar contender. Whether Cheney and his political allies will be cheering it on, however, is doubtful, to say the least.

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Co-starring Amy Adams as Lynne Cheney, Sam Rockwell as George W. Bush and Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld, Vice depicts Cheney as a calculating, Machiavellian figure who, rising to power largely in the shadows, dramatically expanded executive authority and reshaped domestic and foreign policy in ways that are being felt to this day  in McKays view, much for the worse. Much as he did with his 2015 dramedy about the roots of the 2007-2008 financial crisis, The Big Short, McKay incorporates sharply satirical, fourth-wall-breaking comedy to help the civics-lesson medicine go down easier.

The Times sat down with Bale and McKay  who before turning to more serious fare directed such flat-out comedies as Anchorman and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby  to discuss Cheneys legacy, todays deeply polarized political climate and whether they would be up for tackling Donald Trump next.

 Christian Bale, Sam Rockwell, Steve Carell and Amy Adams star in Vice.

Dick Cheney is generally a secretive guy who has tried to avoid the spotlight and isnt exactly famous for radiating a huge amount of personal charisma. What gave you the confidence that he would be a compelling character to base a film around?

McKay: I think its precisely because we didnt have brimming confidence that we were excited about it. I mean, thats always the place youre looking for, where youre like, I think we can do this.

It certainly felt like a story that needed to be told. This is a guy who had an outsized influence on American history and world history. Hes clearly not a charismatic guy. Hes clearly a guy who lived in the shadows. So you pick the best people you can pick, and that was Christian, Amy Adams, my [cinematographer] Greig Fraser, my editor Hank Corwin  we all just kind of dove in and said, Can we figure this guy out?

Bale: Id worked with Adam on The Big Short, and that was something that many people said, How on earth can you ever make this into a film? He seems to love the challenge of taking something that is not apparently cinematic and making an absolutely stunning film out of it. And I love those challenges as well, where youre walking a fine line between just absolute miserable failure and a wonderful surprise success.

I was just flattered that when Adam thought, Who is the most uncharismatic person I can think of? he came to me. [laughs]

Well, Im sure youve been told many times you look just like Dick Cheney.

Bale: [dryly] Uncanny resemblance. We do have the same birthday, though. That is true. That was the real reason for Adam: with the lack of charisma and the same birthday, who else could he go to? It was written in the stars.

This movie doesnt just depict Cheney as a one-dimensional villain  among other things, we also see his love for his family. But the fact is, he seems to have an understanding of how hes seen by many people. He has embraced the Darth Vader meme about him.

Bale: He has a sense of humor about that. He used to dress his dog as the Lord of the Sith.

McKay: No one is born evil or good or a hero or a villain. Life is incredibly complicated and were all doing the best we can, even the worst of the worst among us. Dick and Lynne came through the era of the Reagan Revolution that changed everything and they saw that country under attack. And he used the tools and the beliefs that he had learned, which was executive authority and power, and you hit back. And when America needs to, we can get dark.

Now I dont agree with that personally but we felt like its not ours to judge. We just have to show this story, this portrait of power. And first and foremost, I think thats what the movie is: its a portrait and a love story.

Christian Bale stars as Dick Cheney and Amy Adams stars as Lynne Cheney in Adam McKays Vice. (Matt Kennedy / Annapurna Picture / Annapurna Pictures)

Perhaps because were living in such wild political times now, it seems like a lot of people are looking back nostalgically at the Bush and Cheney years in a way they wouldnt have just a few years ago. Does that surprise you?

McKay: That was a strange thing for me to see when people started saying, I miss Bush because of Trump. Its like, Really? That has actually just made me sad. Really what it shows is theres a portion of the country that just wants the presidency to appear like its functioning. Because all youre missing is that Bush and Cheney made it look a little bit like it was normal. Because obviously what they did is so much more monstrous, with nearly a million people dead, a country invaded for no reason, torture brought back  these horrible, horrible things.

So I found that very disturbing and odd. But also I dont want to get too judge-y, because I will say this: Trump is really disorienting. Its really upsetting to have a guy just swinging his arms around like a gorgon, just smashing and destroying everything around him. So I understand that people have reactions to that. But no, if you look at what Bush and Cheney did, its absolutely monstrous.

Bale: I think its just the need for survival that we tend to remember the best. Were taught as children to see the best in people and that becomes deeply instilled in good people. But at a certain point it becomes incredibly naive and duplicitous because youre willfully ignoring something thats abhorrent because, Hey, he did kiss the baby on the campaign trail and he does have that charming smile.

Looking at Cheney, I found myself doing that. In finding the good  and theres always something commendable in anybody  you started to really want the best. But what youre wishing away is not just other peoples discomfort but death  And as you said and I believe Maureen Dowd, [with Trump], right, theres still time  [sighs] oh God, what a horrible thought. But the body count doesnt even begin to compare.

Adam, during the production of this movie, you had a heart attack. Did that in any way change the way you saw Cheney, who has a long history of heart problems? Did it somehow humanize him more for you?

McKay: It happened a couple of weeks after we wrapped, so yes and no. What it does is make you look at your life and what youre doing and what things really matter. In that regard, it definitely had an impact.

The craziest part of the story was Im on the [operating] table and there are people standing over you and Im on these drugs theyre giving me while theyre putting the stent in the back part of my heart. And I was so high that I thought everyone needed to know that I just worked on a movie about Dick Cheney.

Im like, This is crazy. I just did a movie about Dick Cheney and here I am. And there was this beat and I heard a voice to my right go, Dick Cheney  great American. I was like, Well, its complicated. [laughs] He goes, Whats complicated about it? I go, Well, you know, Iraq didnt turn out so good. And he goes, Better than Obama.

Then theres another beat and I go, I dont really want to argue with you. I think you just saved my life. I just want to thank you and thank everyone here. And there was just silence and he was gone.

In todays climate, everything is now being seen through a political lens. How confident are you that people who arent already left-leaning will open themselves up to this movie and not just dismiss it as a slanted movie from liberal Hollywood?

McKay: [deadpan] Im 100% confident, without a doubt. Our next screening is live in Dallas Cowboy Stadium and its going to be for the entire NRA. [laughs]

You know, honest to God, the only way to really get it is you have to see it. When we test screened it, there were plenty of Republicans in the audience and in our test groups they would always go, Thats fair. That happened. We didnt have responses of people going, Thats a lie!

There will be people who wont see it just because Adam McKay supported something they dont like  and we all know Christian Bale is a very public Satanist.

Bale: [pumping his fist and chanting] Baphomet! Baphomet!

McKay: But I dare anyone to turn away from his performance and Amys performance and Sams and Steves. I mean, its so compelling. And Im excited to see what it does out there.

So having now tackled Cheney, do you feel any compulsion to take on Trump?

McKay: Everyone keeps asking me about that. I do not want to sit in a room for eight months with that. I dont want to make this guy dye his skin orange.

[pauses, then shakes his head] But I dont know. I just realized, were probably going to  do it now.

Bale: [laughs] Yes, Adam just decided it. And off we go!

This interview has been condensed and edited.

josh.rottenberg@latimes.com

Twitter: @joshrottenberg
Hamilton scribe and star Lin-Manuel Miranda released the final track in his long-running Hamildrop series, bidding adieu to the ongoing project with an assist from 44 himself: former President Obama.

Miranda, whos on a publicity blitz for his latest star turn in Disneys Mary Poppins Returns, shared each of the dozen Hamilton-related songs in the the lead-up to Thursdays finale on Twitter and shared a behind-the-scenes photo with Obama.

During Obamas first term, Miranda performed the Founding Fathers-inspired rap Alexander Hamilton during a White House poetry jam in 2009. Thats when he got inspired to write his blockbuster hip-hop musical, Hamilton: An American Musical.

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The performer, whos found immeasurable fame since, also performed One Last Time during a farewell presentation for the 44th president in 2017.

So its fitting that Obama was the guest on the final Hamildrop, One Last Time (44 Remix), with Christopher Jackson and gospel star Bebe Winans. The former president reads the lines of George Washington (with Jackson echoing the words in the background), reflecting on his own administration.

Here they are:

Though, in reviewing the incidents of my administration

I am unconscious of intentional error

I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects

Not to think it probable that I may have committed many errors

I shall also carry with me the hope

That my country will view them with indulgence

And that after forty-five years of my life dedicated to its service with an upright zeal

The faults of incompetent abilities will be consigned to oblivion

As I myself must soon be to the mansions of rest

I anticipate with pleasing expectation that retreat

In which I promise myself to realize the sweet enjoyment of partaking

In the midst of my fellow citizens, the benign influence of good laws

Under a free government, the ever-favorite object of my heart

And the happy reward, as I trust

Of our mutual cares, labors and dangers

Twitter: @NardineSaad
The days are getting shorter, the nights cooler  and for Fadi Kattan, a Bethlehem hotelier, restaurateur and entrepreneur, a remarkable year is drawing to a close.

About 3 years after embarking on the gamble of his life  opening Fawda, a modern, irreverent and forward-looking restaurant in the heart of Bethlehem, a town associated with antiquity, momentousness and piousness  Kattan, 40, has found his footing.

Kattan faced a litany of challenges when he opened Fawda in 2015. Palestinians are notoriously reluctant restaurant-goers, firmly convinced that no paid-for feast can rival one cooked at home, meals beyond the reach of tourists who flock to the nearby Church of the Nativity and Manger Square.

Palestinian eateries normally fall into two categories: sweetshops, where women and men can be seen enjoying an afternoon knafeh, a crisp Palestinian goat-cheese pastry, and wrapping up trays of baklava to take home; and workers haunts  the ubiquitous hummus kiosks, falafel joints and grilled-meat diners  that stop short of offering a full restaurant experience and often close long before dinner time.

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In Bethlehem and Jericho, where tourists are most common, the best restaurants are found in hotels, but they offer a limited and unadventurous menu of grilled meats and fish and spaghetti with tomato sauce.

Kattan, who is Franco Palestinian and the product of a peripatetic Bethlehem family that at times has had branches in India, Switzerland and Japan, launched his venture with a completely different set of ambitions: he wanted to turn Palestinian cuisine inside out.

1 / 13 A dish consisting of Winter herbs with pickled radish and turnip, laban jameed and dibes in the kitchen of Fawda restaurant, in Bethlehem, West Bank. (Corinna Kern / For The Times) 2 / 13 A dessert prepared by Fadi Kattan called Sweet Aubergine Makdous, in Bethlehem, West Bank. (Corinna Kern / For The Times) 3 / 13 A dish consisting of Slow-roasted lamb accompanied by a freekeh salad, in Fawda restaurant, in Bethlehem, West Bank. (Corinna Kern / For The Times) 4 / 13 Small eggplants are seen in the kitchen of Fadi Kattan, used for a dessert called Sweet Aubergine Makdous. (Corinna Kern / For The Times) 5 / 13 Chef Fadi Kattan, 41, walks to the market in order to buy ingredients for his dishes, Bethlehem, West Bank, December 16, 2018. (Corinna Kern / For The Times) 6 / 13 Fateen Halahla prepares Winter herbs with pickled radish and turnip, laban jameed and dibes in the kitchen of Fawda restaurant in Bethlehem, West Bank. (Corinna Kern / For The Times) 7 / 13 Fadi Kattan, center, founder of Fawda restaurant, shops for meat in Bethlehem, West Bank. (Corinna Kern / For The Times) 8 / 13 A local baker prepares Taboun (mini-bread) for Fadi Kattan, founder of Fawda restaurant in Bethlehem, West Bank. (Corinna Kern / For The Times) 9 / 13 Nisren Serhan prepares tables at Fawda restaurant in Bethlehem, West Bank. (Corinna Kern / For The Times) 10 / 13 Fadi Kattan, founder of Fawda restaurant, prepares a dessert called Sweet Aubergine Makdous in Bethlehem, West Bank. (Corinna Kern / For The Times) 11 / 13 Fadi Kattan, 41, and Fateen Halahla, 23,(L-R) prepare dishes in the kitchen of Fawda Restaurant, in Bethlehem, West Bank, December 16, 2018. (Corinna Kern / For the Times) 12 / 13 Fadi Kattan, left, and Fateen Halahla prepare a dish of slow roasted lamb in the kitchen of Fawda restaurant in Bethlehem, West Bank. (Corinna Kern / For The Times) 13 / 13 Chef Fadi Kattan walks to the market to buy ingredients for his dishes in Bethlehem, West Bank. (Corinna Kern / For The Times)

What happens when you ask a Palestinian where to eat great food? he asks. He invites you home to eat his mothers cooking. And what happens when you say I love hawarneh!  a light, piquant wintry snack made of wild mustard leaves and yogurt  your Palestinian will retort, Only my aunt knows where you find the best leaves! There is no public place for great cuisine, he says. It is held as a secret.

Theres no difference between Bethlehems pride in its local lamb and slow food, he says, invoking the international locavore association. In August, Fawda was chosen as a destination restaurant in the locavore food bible Truth, Love and Clean Cutlery.

The greatest affirmation came from one of Kattans personal heroes, Alice Waters, the California chef and food activist, who serves as one of the magazines editors.

This is the year when I started feeling that we can do something different in Bethlehem and in Palestine, he says, adding, I mean, Alice Waters!

He struggled for several years to persuade a local butcher to age beef and lamb when its freshness had, until then, been a top selling point. It took an effort to convince his local baker to make, for Fawda, tiny pita breads smaller than the palm of a hand.

This particular component was required for his version of musakhan, a traditional Palestinian main dish in which a whole chicken is roasted on a wide flatbread, covered with sumac, onions and pine nuts.

He struggled for several years to persuade a local butcher to age beef and lamb, when its freshness had, until then, been a top selling point.

Chef Fadi Kattan, left, and Fateen Halahla prepare dishes at Fawda. (Corinna Kern / For the Times)

In Kattans re-creation, a lush chicken liver pate is served with a gleaming, thumbnail-size side of caramelized onion confiture and a drop of ruby pomegranate jelly over the miniature puffed breads, as a first course.

The word fawda, meaning chaos or commotion in Arabic, poorly describes the serene restaurant or its laid-back chef, but it encapsulates something of the mutinous spirit he has brought to Bethlehem.

Kattan has little patience for local pieties. Although Bethlehem is a Muslim-majority city, he serves pork, posting images of a smoldering and shiny porcine shoulder on Instagram. He is thrilled that 30% of his clients are gay, and the majority of my clients are individual travelers, meaning they are not pilgrims.

An atheist in a holy city, he dismisses the never-ending hummus wars between Israelis and Palestinians.

Hummus belongs to an Israeli Jew whose family came from Aleppo, Syria, as much as it belongs to me, he says, but he refuses to work alongside Israeli chefs because were not equal; theres an occupation, and we are not in the same place.

That said, he welcomes Jewish guests, Israeli or not, going so far as to store what may be the only set of kosher cookware in the Palestinian territories in his cupboard.

Chef Fadi Kattan walks to the market to buy ingredients. (Corinna Kern / For The Times)

Mostly, he is focused on presenting a contemporary and compelling rendition of Palestinian food. An intriguing burst of freshness in an autumn dish likely comes from Hebron grapes, as delicate as bubbles of tea. The mysterious umami of Kattans green salads is brought by flakes of laban jamid, a sandstone-like dried yogurt.

And the dark orbs at the end of the meal that look like plums glaceed in brown sugar and rosewater? Theyre petite eggplants grown just south of Bethlehem, transformed by Kattan into a sweet.

101 Restaurants we love 

food@latimes.com

@latimesfood
Apparatus, a New York City-based lighting and design brand, is demonstrating the understated drama of its designs in a custom showroom in a changing part of Hollywood.

Founders Gabriel Hendifar and Jeremy Anderson spent the past year-plus transforming a 5,000-square-foot former warehouse and production studio in the quasi-industrial zone south of Santa Monica Boulevard near Highland Avenue. For decades, this swath served as a base for the movie and television industries less glamorous nuts-and-bolts operations, thanks to the presence of companies including Kodak.

Given the areas evolving identity as an art and design district, however, with neighbors such as Regen Projects, Blackman Cruz, Ralph Pucci and Jeffrey Deitch, the structure and setting are ideally suited for Apparatus first L.A. showroom.

Im always interested in how the things we make live in context, explains Hendifar, who also serves as the firms creative director. This particular space presented a context that felt like it required this statement he said of the final look, which was inspired by the palette and architectural approach of Italian surrealist painter Giorgio de Chirico.

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Lamps in the Apparatus L.A. showroom. Styled by Helle Walsted (wichmann+bendtsen)

Interiors designed in collaboration with Kamp Studios in Brooklyn exude a certain a sensual moodiness. Two arcaded corridors flank a central core thats separated into partitioned rooms to display Apparatus high-end, meticulously crafted lighting pieces and installations that are works of art, as well as boldly geometric furniture and housewares.

Materials range from polished stone and metals to more experimental finishes, such as horsehair to black python.

Hendifar and Anderson have incorporated pieces on loan from nearby design, antiques and art dealer JF Chen and by local artists Robert Moreland and Amir Nikravan. The buildings ample light interacts with delicate plaster finishes and neutral color schemes throughout.

Unlike Apparatus Manhattan studio thats known for its radical presentation changes every year, this feels like its a bit more of a long-term perspective, Hendifar says. Its not quite so topical, so its fun to see how the entire collection looks together here.

Although Hendifar and Anderson will remain based in Manhattan, where they live just a few blocks from Apparatus HQ, the couple has good reason to expand to Los Angeles.

Hendifar, an L.A. native and UCLA alum, points to a creative and cultural moment that feels really alive.

That, coupled with the fact that it just makes sense for us from a market perspective; its kind of a no-brainer. He adds, and I grew up here, so it feels interesting to re-experience it this way.

Apparatus

Materials at the L.A. Apparatus showroom range from polished stone and metals to more experimental finishes, such as horsehair and black python. (wichmann+bendtsen)

Where: 1021 N. McCadden Place, Los Angeles

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays

Info: apparatusstudio.com

home@latimes.com
Tourists driving bumper-to-bumper up the mountain for a weekend in the snow. Bald eagles perching in scraggly pines and swooping down to feed on fish.

Both are staples of Big Bear Lake  for now.

But as the tourist economy grows and development spreads in this San Bernardino Mountains town, bald eagles find themselves cornered in what remains of their historic lakefront foraging grounds.

The number of state-endangered bald eagles that migrate here each winter to roost and hunt has dropped at least 66% from an average of 25 three decades ago. Critics blame the decline on the increasing clatter of human activities at one of Southern Californias most heavily used lakes, which attracts about 7 million people who annually spend an estimated $350 million.

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Sandy Steers, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley, trains her binoculars on a pair of nesting bald eagles while on an annual survey of the bald eagle population at Big Bear Lake. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

The situation has triggered a raging debate in the rustic hamlet of Fawnskin on the lakes sparsely developed north shore, where one of the last parcels of undeveloped lakefront property is the focus of an ambitious subdivision proposal that is testing the resolve of San Bernardino County policymakers to preserve the areas natural resources without infringing on property rights and commerce.

It is where RCK Properties Inc. of Chicago wants to build Moon Camp: 50 custom homes overlooking a private 50-slip marina on 62 acres it purchased in 1969. The county planning commission in October approved the projects environmental review and recommended its construction despite opposition from local environmental groups and the commissioner who represents the Fawnskin area.

The tension was palpable during an annual bald eagle count on Saturday as volunteers with binoculars and notepads took stock of the cherished raptors that have thwarted numerous proposals to urbanize Fawnskins forested slopes.

A nesting pair of bald eagles in Big Bear Lake. (Friends of Big Bear Valley)

At a high-altitude resort, where officials say two-thirds of the existing 20,000 residential units are second homes and short-term rentals, Sandy Steers, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley, wondered aloud: Do we really need more vacation rentals?

Michael Perry, a spokesman for RCK and a former city manager of the city of Big Bear Lake, dismisses such talk as an exaggeration of the $10-million Moon Camp projects potential impacts.

(Los Angeles Times)

To hear him tell it, Moon Camps lots have what he likes to call unique cachet value and will be snapped up as soon as they hit the market.

Moon Camp is truly special, he said. We believe there are lots of people in Los Angeles and Orange counties who would love to build a home on the last undeveloped lakefront parcels at Big Bear Lake.

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors will make a final decision next year. In the meantime, a separate long-delayed 110-unit luxury condominium development in Fawnskin, called Marina Point, is awaiting an appellate court ruling that could allow it to proceed.

Marina Point generated headlines in 2005 when state and federal authorities ordered a San Diego developer to drop a federal racketeering lawsuit that accused three Forest Service employees of using a small local environmental group led by Steers as a racketeering enterprise to block the development.

The suit was filed after a federal judge issued a preliminary judgment against the project in response to a legal challenge filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and Steers nonprofit Friends of Fawnskin, which has since changed its name to Friends of Big Bear Valley.

The groups accused the developer of operating without permits required by federal wildlife authorities and the Clean Water Act, and alleged that explosive growth on the lakes southern shore had forced the regions shrinking eagle population to congregate on the opposite side near Fawnskin.

Big Bear Valleys bald eagle population has fallen to about eight today, U.S. Forest Service officials said. Yet they remain a draw for tourists, environmental activists and U.S. Forest Service officials, who regard them as local celebrities.

In 2012, the first recorded non-migratory bald eagle chick in the San Bernardino Mountains hatched in a Fawnskin nest. Five years later, people around the world watched via an online eagle-cam as two more chicks hatched in that nest.

Many picnic locations on the lake that are part of the bald eagle habitat are closed to the public from December through April. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Critics fear Fawnskin could lose its bald eagles as well as its mix of hodgepodge A-frame homes and cheap rentals along narrow, unlighted mountain lanes adjacent to U.S. Forest Service land.

Thats because Moon Camp is seeking a change from the rural zoning of one house per 40 acres to urban zoning of one house per 20,000 square feet. Such a move, they say, would open the way for similar zoning shifts throughout the area.

I say keep the eagles, said Vincent Ward, 50, a retired structural engineer who moved to Big Bear Valley four years ago. Until I came here, I only saw bald eagles on television and in magazines. Now, theyre flying near my home. Thats remarkable.

But for Richard Ortiz, 62, owner of Fawnskins tiny North Shore Cafe, the proposed development projects cant come soon enough.

Gazing out a cafe window at Highway 38, the lonely main drag through town, he shook his head and said, Im 100% for growth here. And I dont believe wildlife would go away because of it. Heck, Ive got a bobcat homesteading on the roof of my restaurant.

Facing opposition from a number of environmental groups including the San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society and the Center for Biological Diversity, RCK has significantly downsized its Moon Camp proposal.

The current design precludes development on the eagles lakefront hunting grounds, and sets aside several acres of property as a preserve for federally endangered plants, including the ashy-gray paintbrush. In addition, the developer has agreed to share water from private wells on the property with the city of Big Bear Lakes Department of Water and Power.

Moon Camp would also require a novelty in Fawnskin: fire hydrants and sprinkler systems.

Richard Minnich, a fire ecologist at UC Riverside, suggested those upgrades may not be enough to defend against a catastrophic wildfire in a village with only two ways in and out.

Former planning commissioner Paul Smith, who was still on the panel when it approved Moon Camps construction in October, would not go that far.

But he was always uneasy about the Moon Camp proposal, he said, because it seemed there had not been an adequate study done on its impacts on the sustainability of the bald eagles food supply.

But what influenced me most, he said, was a deeply moving plea made during a public comment period by a young woman who grew up in these mountains.

Bald eagles in Big Bear Lake. (Friends of Big Bear Valley)

Sandy Steers, executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, on the site of the proposed Moon Camp project. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Vanessa Valdez, 18, who was born in Lake Arrowhead, was a little nervous as she went to the podium. But that changed once she started to speak.

I dont get excited to see all the cars, or all the houses or all the businesses in commercialized Big Bear, she told the commissioners. We dont need more houses. We have enough. I know this, she said, because my family cleans 20 houses a day or more each day in the area.

I get excited when I see the wildlife, the beautiful pines and the lake, she said, adding that she will never forget the sight of bald eagles overhead during a third-grade field trip in the Fawnskin area.

I plan to have children someday, she added. And I want to be able to show them the beauty of the animals and the trees and the lake and the landscape.

Vincent Ward walks on the north shore of the lake on an annual survey of the bald eagle population at Big Bear Lake. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Louis.Sahagun@latimes.com

@LouisSahagun
Everywhere Chris Persson goes, people are still talking about the Camp fire.

While shopping for groceries, the Chico resident was told the store had hired fire survivors from Paradise. At lunch, she overheard a fire evacuee say she was given a free tank of gas to run errands.



For the record: An earlier version of this article gave the name of the Chico police chief as Mark OBrien. His name is Mike OBrien.

You cant go anywhere without meeting somebody with a story, said Persson, who has lived in Chico since 1988.

In the wake of the Camp fire, which ignited more than a month ago, residents of Chico say they are settling into a new normal  increased traffic, homes crowded with multiple families and a fleet of so-called fifth wheel travel trailers parked in driveways and RV parks.

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Because of its size and proximity to communities destroyed by the fire, Chico was the logical place for many displaced fire survivors to relocate. Now, however, the city is struggling to balance recovery efforts with maintaining the quality of life that first drew residents to the city of 93,000.

In some cases, tensions have boiled over in public hearings.

Its a balancing act, said Mark Orme, Chico city manager. He estimated that the city had seen anywhere from a 10% to 20% population increase  a number officials didnt plan to hit until 2030.

Im running a city within a city. Ive got two cities that Im managing right now, Orme said. Thats something Ive never read about in all my studies.

Last week, residents filled the City Council chambers to hear officials talk about a Federal Emergency Management Agency proposal to place 250 trailers on a grassy, 80-acre vacant lot off Eaton Road, in the north end of town.

I would have bought a house next to a trailer park if I wanted that, one man said to council members. Another man said his son and wife had lost their home, but he too was concerned about the location of the proposed trailers.

That same night, state officials presented a plan to open a debris-sorting facility in the south end of town to accommodate the estimated 15 million tons of debris from the fire.

Some residents expressed their worries about the environmental impact of locating a debris facility so close to homes, as well as increased traffic from trucks hauling metal and concrete from the burn area.

Youre treating us as collateral damage, said Debbie Villasenor, who is a member of the Barber Neighborhood Assn., a group that represents the neighborhood in the south end of Chico where the debris site was proposed.

You need to look at us, she said. We are people, we are not a site.

At the end of the meeting, officials needed to be escorted to their vehicles. A week later, FEMA and California Office of Emergency Services officials said that both proposals had been abandoned, partly because of the local outcry.

Were completely supportive of our neighbors, and we want them housed yesterday, said Persson, who lives near the proposed trailer site and attended the meeting. Its really about safety.

Perssons own family has been affected by the Camp fire, which killed 86 people and destroyed nearly 14,000 homes. The brother of her longtime partner narrowly escaped in his truck with two people and three dogs. His home burned down, and hes waiting to move to a new apartment.

Villasenor, first drawn to Chico 34 years ago because of the green space and small-town charm, said its important to make smart plans for the fire recovery because its not just a matter of months, but years. Everybody wants to help in that effort, she said. Together well make that happen.

Since the Camp fire, traffic in Chico has increased by 70% and vehicle accidents have increased by 29%, according to city officials and police. Calls for service to the Police Department also have increased, officials said.

Last weekend was a busy one for law enforcement. Although calls are usually concentrated near downtown, where the Cal State Chico campus is located, police were receiving calls from all over the city.

Were a police department that wasnt designed to police an additional 10,000 to 20,000 people, but that has been the reality, said Mike OBrien, the Chico police chief. OBrien said his officers had been helping out with the disaster from the beginning, and some lost their homes.

We are now tasked with keeping these folks safe, he said, and making sure theyre not traumatized twice.

Chico is the largest city in a county that was experiencing a housing shortage and a homeless crisis even before the fire. Laura Cootsona, the executive director of the Jesus Center, a 23-bed homeless shelter in Chico, said she feared the homeless population would more than double.

Any less than that and wed be getting off easy, she said.

On a daily basis, Cootsona hears stories about people living with relatives or friends. An employee of hers has taken in 15 animals. Her church has absorbed another congregation.

It feels like people cant really get any breath away from it, she said. And were only six weeks into it.

Hotels are still full. And as of Wednesday, there were just 13 rentals available in the city, said Chico Mayor Randall Stone.

Stone fears that Paradise and other fire-devastated communities might not be repopulated, which could deplete sales and property taxes in Chico.

Stone recalled visiting another town that had been affected by wildfires in recent years. One of the citys officials became emotional in front of him and asked, How do you avoid becoming a community of fifth wheels?
When California lawmakers unveiled a plan in 2011 to reduce the number of inmates in state prison, officials in San Joaquin County thought the timing couldnt have been worse.

There were already signs that a recent dip in crime might be coming to an end in this Central Valley county east of San Francisco. Homicides were up by nearly 40% from the previous year. And in the midst of a financial crisis, the county and local cities were laying off police officers and prosecutors.

Now the county would have to quickly absorb an influx of nearly 1,000 released prisoners.

We were super concerned, said Stephanie James, the countys probation chief. It was such a significant number that were coming out of prison who were at a high risk to commit a violent offense.

The California Experiment This is one of an occasional series examining the impact of recent justice measures aimed at reducing incarceration. It is a collaboration between the Los Angeles Times and the Marshall Project, a nonprofit news outlet.

As they braced themselves, county officials set up a system of collaborative courts to help former prisoners find jobs, housing and treatment for mental health and addiction problems. They pioneered a program that uses sophisticated risk assessments rather than cash bail to decide which defendants were safe to release before trial. And local officials launched an array of novel anti-crime programs, including one aimed at building trust between police and residents and another that gives stipends to young people considered at risk of committing gun violence.

What happened next surprised many.

While overall crime in California increased slightly after 2011, San Joaquin Countys dropped 20%  and hit a decades-old low last year. The countys jail, which had been under court-ordered monitoring because of dangerous overcrowding, now has empty beds. Participation in specialized drug courts has increased and recidivism among newly released offenders has dropped.

Stockton Police Officer Jason DiGiulio had been a patrol officer for about 15 years before he signed up to work with San Joaquin County's collaborative courts. Max Whittaker / For the Marshall Project

It is unclear how much of the countys success is the result of its new programs rather than other factors, such as hiring more officers once the countys finances improved. But San Joaquin County has become an intriguing model for other counties curious about what might work in an era of criminal justice reform.

Emissaries from Yuba County have drawn inspiration from its educational programs for offenders. A Kern County judge came to examine an alternative court and spoke highly of the collaborative court model to local leaders in Bakersfield. And after the governor signed sweeping legislation this year eliminating cash bail for pretrial defendants, dozens of counties sent representatives to learn how San Joaquin County adopted a similar approach years earlier.

Los Angeles Times

I was very impressed, said Ken Williams, a probation supervisor in Yuba County, who toured San Joaquin Countys day reporting center, which provides job training and life skills to former prisoners.

San Joaquin County officials acknowledge there is more to do. Although the countys crime rate has been cut almost in half since the mid-2000s, it remains among the highest in the state. And most of that reduction was in property crime, not violent offenses, which increased in the last few years before dipping slightly in 2017.

But San Joaquin County offers useful lessons in how a county struggling with poverty and crime has adapted to  and embraced  recent criminal justice reforms.

Stockton Police Officer Jason DiGiulio searches the home of a collaborative court client who has been accused of violating probation. (Max Whittaker / For the Marshall Project) Digiulio, left, brings two collaborative court clients, Cassandra, center, and Kristi, right, that have been accused of violating their probation back to court in Stockton. (Max Whittaker / For The Marshall Project) Kristi sits in a holding cell for a few hours before heading to court. (Max Whittaker / For The Marshall Project) Top, Stockton Police Officer Jason DiGiulio searches the home of a collaborative court client who has been accused of violating probation. Left, Digiulio brings two collaborative court clients, Cassandra, center, and Kristi, who have been accused of violating their probation back to court in Stockton. Right, Kristi sits in a holding cell for a few hours before heading to court. (Max Whittaker / For the Marshall Project)

With a population of about 745,000, San Joaquin County is a largely rural, agricultural area. The landscape is dotted with cherry and apple orchards, fields of grape vines and tomatoes, and giant, boxy shipping warehouses that have sprouted in recent years.

Its largest city, Stockton, has some of the dirtiest air in the nation and routinely makes lists of the worst places to live in the United States. Poverty is out in the open. Tents line a nearly empty canal a few blocks from downtown. Empty storefronts line the streets, many with hopeful available banners.

After a housing boom abruptly ended in the 2008 financial crisis, Stockton became the largest U.S. city to declare bankruptcy. The number of officers in the citys police department shrank by more than 20%. In Stockton, the police union put up signs around town: Welcome to the 2nd most dangerous city in California: Stop laying off cops!

In 2011, California lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 109, known as realignment, which shifted responsibility for thousands of people convicted of nonviolent crimes from state prisons to counties. People convicted of nonviolent crimes would now serve sentences in county jails, not prison, and local communities, rather than state parole, were responsible for supervising them upon release.

As part of AB 109, the state promised to shift billions of dollars to the counties. San Joaquin County decided to use its money  about $6.8 million in the first year  on its day reporting center; specialty courts aimed at helping former prisoners transition back to the community; and expanded use of a risk assessment tool to rank each former inmates likelihood of committing new crimes.

Stockton is the largest city in San Joaquin County. With some of the dirtiest air in the nation, the city routinely makes lists of the worst places to live in the United States. Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times

The county tracked data on each person affected by the new laws. James said she noticed the vast majority of arrests of former prisoners were for property crimes. To her relief, the countys homicides fell by nearly 50% in 2013.

Stocktons police chief, Eric Jones, credits the recent crime drops, at least in part, to a transformation in the citys policing strategy. Stockton is one of six cities in the country chosen as part of a federally funded project called the National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice.

During the project, which began in 2015, Stockton police officers have undergone training on how to limit racial and other types of bias and met with community members to discuss bias and how to avoid it.

Representatives from law enforcement, probation, the courts, the district attorneys office, the public defenders office and social service agencies meet monthly to examine data on arrest rates and discuss how to help newly released inmates so they dont reoffend.

Once the financial outlook improved, Jones was able to increase his departments ranks  as were other local law enforcement agencies. After dipping to a low in 2011 of 866 sworn officers, the county added nearly 150 more officers by 2017.

Local politics have also changed. After a scandal in the mayors office, voters selected 26-year-old Michael Tubbs, a Stockton native, Stanford University graduate and the citys first black mayor.

Tubbs, who first decided to run for office after his cousins murder, has championed a number of experiments aimed at improving public safety and reducing poverty, including one that offers local families $500 a month in donated cash, no strings attached.

Crime has always been issue No. 1, but the narrative in this city is one about being a second-chance city, Tubbs said.

Judge Richard A. Vlavianos, left, opens the gate for probationer Danny Batts during a collaborative court session in Stockton. Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

Leading the courts initiatives is Judge Richard Vlavianos, a former prosecutor who says he probably sent more people to prison for drug offenses than any other D.A. in this county before he joined the bench in 1999.

As a judge, Vlavianos began doubting whether long prison sentences for drug crimes improved public safety.

You start to see people coming back over and over and over, and you see that something is not working, he said. And then you see their kids coming to court, and you really see its not working.

Vlavianos wondered if the courts could function more like a hospital emergency room.

All of the people coming in have injuries, he said. The job of the court is to screen, assess and refer. Because were never going to get a behavior change if we dont address whats bringing them in.

In 2008, he began experimenting with alternative sentencing courts aimed at connecting people with services such as housing, employment and substance abuse treatment, in addition to handling their criminal cases. He started with drunk drivers. When he saw recidivism drop, he added more courts.

There are special courts for people who violate the rules of their state supervision under the new law and for people convicted of nonviolent felonies no longer requiring time in state prison. At any given time, about 1,500 people are enrolled in the collaborative courts, which last year accounted for about 7% of new case filings.

Its the ER right there, Vlavianos said, before going onto the bench on a recent afternoon.

Judge Richard A. Vlavianos, center, asks probationer David Vieira if everything is going well for him during a collaborative courts session in Stockton. Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

A woman in orange jail scrubs stood up, clearly agitated. She said she had a mental illness and missed her court dates because she was in and out of the hospital. The judge, glasses resting on the tip of his nose, looked at her calmly.

I need you to take a deep breath, he said. I need to have a plan before I release you. He asked a case worker to talk with her.

Vlavianos turned to a burly bald man with a mustache who had missed a meeting with a probation officer. The man said hed had a hard time getting around because he relied on buses.

I need your help, the judge said. I keep trying to keep you out of jail, and you keep putting yourself back in.

Herbert Finton Jackson Jr., 45, had been in and out of state prison and under supervision for years when he landed in Vlavianos court about three years ago. The judge noticed him struggling with his drug addiction and Jackson was placed in a residential treatment center.

Jackson finished his formal supervision and now has a job selling housewares at Macys.

That court turned my whole life around, he said.

The judge uses a strategy based on research that found a few days in jail is enough to disrupt problematic behavior, but that people kept in jail for longer periods get comfortable and are more likely to later reoffend.

In his court that handles more hardened offenders, Vlavianos said he noticed a 40% drop in violations this year after he reduced the time of jail stays for scofflaws and required more intense supervision.

Defendants who flout Vlavianos rules can expect a knock on their door from Jason DiGiulio, one of two Stockton police officers assigned to work with the judge.

Tall and stocky with short-cropped hair, DiGiulio is hardly a liberal reformer. He blames Proposition 47, the 2014 ballot initiative that reduced sentences for drug and some minor theft offenses, for making it harder to arrest shoplifting suspects. Under the law, thieves now have to steal more than $950 worth of goods  up from $400  before they can be charged with a felony.

But he has warmed to his role bringing people directly to Vlavianos, not jail, so the judge can quickly find out why scofflaws are violating the rules.

Stockton Police Officer Jason DiGiulio looks at photos of people whom he needs to bring back to court. Max Whittaker / For the Marshall Project

On a hot morning in late summer, DiGiulio flipped through a clipboard of mugshots in his patrol car. At any given time, he is looking for roughly 50 to 75 people.

He pulled up to a white bungalow with a well-manicured lawn. A woman who answered said the man the officer was looking for lived in an apartment in the basement, but that she hadnt seen him in days.

It took a few weeks before DiGiulio was able to bring the missing man to court, where Vlavianos ordered him to meet with a probation officer.

About three months later, DiGiulio said, the man had earned a spot on what the judge calls the A Team, an honor roll of sorts for the collaborative courts.

Jail or prison is needed, DiGiulio said. But if you send an alcoholic or a drug addict to prison, when they get out, they will still have the addiction. Youve got to find them at just the right point, and you wear them out.

This article was published in partnership with the Marshall Project, a nonprofit newsroom that reports on the criminal justice system. Sign up for their newsletter, or follow the Marshall Project on Facebook or Twitter.
An exhibition featuring Vietnams generals in two resistance wars against the French and Americans opened at the Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi on December 20.

Works on display include nearly 200 photos, documents, and objects which highlight the care of the Party, State, and late President Ho Chi Minh to generals of the Vietnam Peoples Army during the resistance wars, as well as portraits of the generals in major fights and battle fields in the wars.

An exhibition also commenced in Ho Chi Minh City the same day under the theme Following the footprints of Uncle Hos soldiers, showcasing photos and books on renowned Vietnamese generals and commanders.

The event aims to fuel the national pride and patriotism among the armed forces and people, particularly the young generation, thus encouraging them to safeguard the homeland.

A gathering of 471 retired army officers was organised in Dak Lak province yesterday, during which Fatherland Defence Orders were presented to 41 outstanding retired army officials in recognition of their service to the country.

The Thua Thien  Hue provincial Department of Information and Communications in collaboration with the Vietnam  Republic of Korea Friendship Information Technology College visited and presented 10 computers and books, worth nearly VND100 million, to soldiers and officers at the localitys A Dot and Vinh Hien border guard stations.

Ceremonies were also held in Laos and Ukraine on December 20 to mark the 74th founding anniversary of the Vietnam Peoples Army, during which participants reviewed the glorious traditions, remarkable feats of arms, and contributions of Vietnam Peoples Army to the national construction and defence over the past 74 years.

Delegates at a ceremony held in Laos on December 20 to mark the 74th founding anniversary of the Vietnam Peoples Army (Photo: VNA)
The founder of Los Angeles charter school network Celerity Educational Group has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to misappropriate and embezzle public funds, federal prosecutors said Friday.

The felony charge stems from Vielka McFarlanes years-long habit of using her charter schools credit card to pay for expensive clothing, luxury hotel stays and first-class flights for her and her family.

According to the plea agreement made public Friday, she admitted to misspending about $2.5 million in public funds  all of which had been intended for her students.

This tally included taxpayer money meant for McFarlanes California charter schools that she used to buy and renovate an office building in Columbus, Ohio, where she opened another charter school. At about $2.3 million, the purchase represented the bulk of the misspent funds, prosecutors said.

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McFarlane, 56, who served as Celerity Educational Groups chief executive until 2015, faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison. She is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 7.

When anyone repurposes public school funds for self-serving reasons, students suffer, said First Assistant U.S. Atty. Tracy L. Wilkison. This case involving the former CEO of Celerity demonstrates our ongoing efforts to protect and safeguard public funds, and to hold accountable those who improperly use those funds for their own gain.

Prosecutors chose to take a softer approach to her network of charter schools.

According to a non-prosecution agreement reached in June 2017, the government will not file charges against Celerity Educational Group, which has renamed itself ISANA Academies. The nonprofit organization continues to operate six charter schools in L.A. and Compton and has agreed to cooperate with the federal investigation.

Attorneys representing McFarlane and Celerity Educational Group did not respond to requests for comment.

It was Los Angeles Unified School District employees who first stumbled across McFarlanes misuse of taxpayer dollars. In 2012, the districts charter division made a routine request for financial records from Celerity.

When the charter networks credit card statements arrived that fall, many of the transactions had been blacked out. Concerned district staff grew even more alarmed when they received the full records, which showed that McFarlane had paid for lavish meals and out-of-state travel with the nonprofits credit card.

The school districts inspector general opened an investigation and the federal government eventually stepped in. Nearly two years ago, federal agents raided Celeritys offices and McFarlanes home, confiscating computers and copying records.

In her plea agreement, McFarlane admitted that she used public funds meant for her L.A.-area charter schools to pay for personal expenses and to start the Ohio charter school. The document details how, beginning in 2009  five years after she founded the first Celerity charter  she began to treat her organizations credit card as if it was her own.

Among the items she paid for with public funds were $3,347 worth of goods from luxury brand Salvatore Ferragamo in Beverly Hills, $7,742 for plane tickets to Washington, D.C., for President Obamas second inauguration, and $9,299 for two customized recumbent bicycles for her and her spouse. There were flights to Miami and Panama and stays at high-end hotels.

McFarlane wasnt alone on these trips. Federal prosecutors wrote that at various points, she was joined by a Celerity board member  referred to in the plea agreement as Board Member 1  as well as several of her employees and their spouses.

Though her travel and clothing purchases got regulators attention, McFarlanes misuse of public funds went well beyond the credit card.

She created a web of for-profit companies that did business with her charter schools. She also founded another nonprofit group, Celerity Global Development, which was ostensibly providing office services. The charter schools gave Global between 10% and 12% of their revenue for bookkeeping, payroll and other tasks.

Shielded from prying district employees, Global became a vehicle for McFarlane to enrich herself.

Prosecutors wrote that in 2013, Global spent thousands of dollars to lease and renovate a recording studio in Canoga Park. The charter schools rarely used the studio but McFarlane had her own plans for it, which included using it to launch her for-profit media-production business, The Muse Collective.

It is unclear whether any other Celerity executives or board members will face criminal charges. Court documents filed in the case refer to unnamed co-conspirators. A spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office for the Central District of California said its investigation is ongoing.

anna.phillips@latimes.com

Twitter: @annamphillips
Before popular childrens author Theodor Dr. Seuss Geisel died in 1991, he told his wife, Audrey, that she would be the one who would have to live with all the critters and move them on.

That she did, shepherding his legendary menagerie  the Cat in the Hat, the Grinch, Horton, the Lorax  into the 21st century, where it continues to entertain new generations of youngsters.

Audrey Geisel died Wednesday at her home in La Jolla. She was 97.

Petite and often understated, she was a fierce protector of her husbands creations and legacy, and a major donor to institutions he supported and helped to flourish, including UC San Diego and the San Diego Zoo.

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Born Audrey Stone in Chicago on Aug. 14, 1921, she grew up in a household jostled by hard times. Her father disappeared when she was young and she grew up living with her mother, or family friends, or, at one time, in foster care.

She met her first husband, cardiologist E. Grey Dimond, while she was working as a nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. They had two daughters.

In 1960, the Dimonds moved to La Jolla, where they eventually came to know Ted Geisel and his first wife, Helen, socially. After both marriages ended, Ted and Audrey were wed in 1968.

Audrey Geisel is sometimes credited with moving her husband to address more social issues in his books, such as The Lorax, which has environmental themes, and The Butter Battle Book, an anti-war story.

She told him he wasnt just writing for children anymore  the kids he first entertained had grown up and were now reading his stories to their own offspring.

After his death in 1991 at age 87, the city held a tribute to Geisel in Balboa Park, where his wife talked about his legacy in a way that foreshadowed her subsequent efforts to protect and promote his work.

His name never comes up when youre talking about the underbelly of the world, she told the Union-Tribune. It is always used when youre talking about the good, the best of the world.

A year later, she donated more than 4,000 items  original drawings and manuscripts, college notebooks, letters  to the library at UC San Diego, expanding his reach from popular culture into the world of academic research.

His Seuss history, she later explained, will be preserved for posterity.

More donations over the years have created a repository that is a must-visit for scholars looking to understand the authors creative process and his enduring influence on childrens literature. The collection is housed in the Geisel Library, so named after a $20-million donation from Audrey Geisel in 1995.

Counterfeiters who thought Seuss death gave them free reign to copy his iconic images on T-shirts or posters soon found that they were mistaken. His widows attorneys aggressively went after them for copyright infringement. One 1993 suit brought a $750,000 judgment against an Oxnard wholesaler.

When anti-abortion groups started using a Horton Hears a Who! line  A persons a person, no matter how small  she took issue with that, too.

Ted never allowed his work to be used for political purposes, she told the Union-Tribune in 2008.

The ongoing popularity of Seuss  his four-dozen books have sold more than 650 million copies worldwide  also created steady interest in film and theater adaptations and related merchandise. Seuss Enterprises, based in La Jolla, was set up to license the use of the characters.

Not all of the projects have been well received critically, but they have been lucrative. Forbes estimated the Theodor Geisel estates earnings over the past year at $16 million, placing him sixth on the magazines list of highest-paid deceased celebrities, just behind Bob Marley and ahead of Hugh Hefner.

As new commercial proposals came in, Geisel was often involved in the decision-making. During the production of an animated Horton movie 10 years ago, for example, she insisted certain things be changed. Hortons teeth were too big, she believed. The kangaroos pouch hung too low.

She also had a hand in discovering lost Seuss manuscripts as she went through the mountain of material he left behind in desk drawers and closets. That led to the publication of What Pet Should I Get? in 2015.

I totally, wonderfully approve of anything that comes to light at this time of Teds work, Geisel said in a 2011 interview.

Survivors include her daughters, Leagrey Dimond and Lark Grey Dimond-Cates.

Services are pending.

Wilkens writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Joshua P. Groban, a Los Angeles lawyer who has advised Gov. Brown on judicial appointments, high profile litigation, prison issues and immigration, Friday became the newest member of the California Supreme Court.

The three-member state Commission on Judicial Appointments unanimously confirmed Grobans appointment after a short hearing in which there was no opposition.

Groban, 45, gives the seven-member court a majority of Democratic appointees for the first time in decades.

And like Browns other three appointees on the state high court, Groban has no previous judicial experience.

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Presiding 1st Dist. Court of Appeal Justice J. Anthony Kline, a member of the appointments commission, recalled that Groban once told him he thought Browns fourth appointee to the court should come from the judicial ranks, a view Kline said he endorsed.

There are people in the judicial and legal community who dont think it is healthy for a court to be dominated...by people who have never sat in the judicial trenches, Kline said.

Even so, Kline added, he believed Groban would be a good judge.

He said he was simply asking whether it is healthy to have a court on which only a minority of members have presided over a trial or served on the intermediate courts of appeal.

Witnesses who testified in Grobans favor noted that Groban has vetted hundreds of judicial candidates for the governor and knows what qualities a good judge must possess.

Groban told the commission that the three justices with the most seniority on the court, who are Republican appointees, have a combined 89 years of judicial experience,  a staggeringly impressive number.

He said he was sure he would be enriched by their experience as well as the backgrounds of Browns other appointees.

The court really has the luxury quite frankly in this raucous political climate of being duty bound to distance itself from political considerations, he said.

Still, he added, each justice brings with him or her a sense of who they are and their values,

A state bar evaluation committee found Groban to be exceptionally well qualified, the bars highest rating.

Raters uniformly support his appointment to the court and describe him as having a sharp mind, keen powers of observation, effective listening skills and an uncommon ability to communicate, the bar committee reported.

Groban received his bachelors degree from Stanford University in 1995 and his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1998.

As a law student, he assisted Harvard professor Charles Ogletree on death penalty appeals and served as a member of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review.

After graduation, he worked as a commercial litigator.

Groban served as general counsel for Browns gubernatorial campaign in 2010 and after the election became a senior advisor.

In addition to evaluating judicial candidates for Brown, Groban has advised Brown on criminal justice and court matters, regulatory reform, consumer protection and corrections.

Brown has appointed nearly 600 judges in his last two terms, and the bar committee described them as the most diverse group of appointees in state history in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and practice background.

First District Court of Appeal Justice Therese M. Stewart, addressing the commission, said Brown, with Grobans help, had strongly increased the number of minority and LGBTQ judges on the California bench.

Groban will make up what he lacks in judicial experience because that is the kind of guy Josh is, she said

He assumes the seat left vacant by the retirement of Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar in 2017.

Brown took nearly two years to fill the vacancy, the longest in court history. Legal analysts speculated that Brown had considered early on appointing Groban but wanted to keep him as an advisor until the end of Browns term.

Brown leaves office next month.

maura.dolan@latimes.com

Twitter: @mauradolan
A Santa Cruz-based marijuana manufacturing company is being fined more than $50,000 by state regulators for safety violations after an employee was severely burned in a propane explosion, officials have announced.

An employee at Future2 Labs Health Services was working alone inside a 128-square-foot portable storage container in Watsonville on June 19, extracting oil from cannabis leaves with propane, when a spark ignited the tank and it exploded. The worker was hospitalized with severe burns, according to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

The process of using a highly flammable gas to extract oil from cannabis leaves is dangerous, Cal/OSHA Chief Juliann Sum said Thursday in a prepared statement.

The agency determined that the company did not test the atmosphere inside the storage container for flammable gases or vapors, which created an environment where a spark could ignite propane gas.

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Cal/OSHA fined the company based on the 10 workplace violations it discovered, including the companys failure to protect workers around flammable vapors, provide personal protective gear and maintain equipment. The business also was cited for inadequate training, failing to establish an emergency action plan and failing to report a serious workplace injury, according to the agency.

To prevent injuries and mitigate risk, employers in the cannabis industry must establish and implement an effective injury and illness prevention program, provide effective training to their employees and comply with safety and health standards, Sum said.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @Hannahnfry
FBI agents investigating Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar are examining the activities of two men with close ties to City Hall, including a lobbyist who has represented several real estate developers with projects in Huizars downtown district.

Two sources, who asked not to be named because the investigation is ongoing, said a federal grand jury had issued at least one subpoena seeking records involving Morrie Goldman, a longtime lobbyist, and Art Gastelum, who owns a construction management firm and has been scrutinized during earlier corruption probes but never charged.

Goldman has represented companies developing some of the biggest projects in Huizars district, including the $1-billion Grand Avenue complex across from Walt Disney Concert Hall and the 6 AM project, which would bring two 58-story skyscrapers to 6th and Alameda streets.

Gastelum, in turn, has performed work for another Goldman client, New York-based developer Lightstone Group, which is building a 1,153-room hotel complex across from the citys Convention Center, according to one city department head.

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Both men have helped raise money for candidates seeking city office. In October, Gastelum helped host a fundraiser for Huizars wife, Richelle Huizar, who later abandoned her campaign to replace him on the council after FBI agents raided their Boyle Heights home.

Neither Goldman nor another lobbyist in his firm responded to messages from The Times seeking comment. Gastelum, who resides in San Marino, declined to comment.

It is unclear why federal officials are seeking information involving the two men. Subpoenas are routinely issued because investigators are seeking information and do not necessarily mean that the recipients or those mentioned in them are targets of a particular probe.

Investigators sought the records from at least one political committee, seeking its communications going back several years with Gastelum, Goldman and the Huizars, according to the two sources. Neither source identified which committee they were referring to by name.

Goldman is listed in state records as a principal officer with Families for a Better Los Angeles, a political action committee that was described to donors as a way to support Richelle Huizar in her run for office.

Goldman clients have given to that committee as well as a second one called Community Support PAC. That committee has supported Huizar and promoted his political causes, sending mailers that featured him prominently.

A third source said FBI agents have been looking at contributions made to both political committees.

Questions from FBI agents

Aaron May, an attorney for Families for a Better Los Angeles, would not comment on whether his client had received a subpoena, saying instead: The committee will cooperate with inquiries it receives from any governmental agency. Representatives for Community Support PAC did not respond to requests for comment.

On Nov. 7, FBI agents hauled an array of materials from Huizars home and City Hall office, including a cardboard box with the word fundraising on it. The FBI declined to discuss its investigation but confirmed last month that the Internal Revenue Service, which looks into unreported income, is involved in the probe.

FBI agents carried bags and boxes of materials from the City Hall office of Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar on Nov. 7. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Huizar has not been arrested or charged.

Another source familiar with some of the FBI agents questions said investigators have asked about claims that Huizar ordered city employees to perform work for his personal benefit. Investigators have also posed questions about Huizar staffers allegedly receiving cash payments from developers seeking to build in his district, the source said.

Last month, The Times reported that Huizar assigned city employees to raise money for a Catholic high school that employed his wife, Richelle Huizar, as a fundraiser. Experts said the practice raised questions about whether the councilman was violating federal and state laws prohibiting the misuse of government resources.

During the time that Richelle Huizar worked for the school, money poured in from real estate developers, lobbyists, engineering firms and others who were seeking or had recently received favorable votes from her husband, according to interviews with donors and documents obtained by The Times.

Jose Huizars lawyers, Vicki Podberesky and Mary Carter Andrues, issued a statement Monday saying the councilman and his staff are focused on serving all the residents in Council District 14 and continuing to advance citywide efforts. They did not address specific questions about the inquiries into Goldman and Gastelum.

Previous investigations

Both Goldman and Gastelum have deep ties to City Hall.

Gastelum was an aide to then-Mayor Tom Bradley who at one point worked as a City Hall lobbyist and now runs his own engineering and construction management firm, Gateway Science and Engineering.

He has previously found himself in the crosshairs of local and federal investigators:

Seven years ago, the Los Angeles County district attorneys office said it was investigating allegations that Gastelums firm had approved a payment to another company for construction work that it had not performed at Mission College in Sylmar. The Los Angeles Community College District, which oversees Mission College, ultimately reached a settlement with Gastelums firm over the alleged billing improprieties.

In 2003, The Times reported that the district attorneys office had received allegations that Gastelum had sent bribes to local officials. In addition, the FBI informed prosecutors that it had recorded Gastelum discussing a possible $1-million payment with a water district official in San Diego County. That official alleged in court that it was an attempted bribe.

In each case, Gastelum denied wrongdoing and was never charged.

Gastelum was one of the hosts of an October fundraiser for Richelle Huizars council campaign. She later tweeted that he was one of the great leaders supporting her candidacy.

Goldman, in turn, was a high-level aide to former Councilmen Mike Hernandez and Hal Bernson before opening his own lobbying firm in 2004. Over the last decade, his firm has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for city politicians, including more than $58,000 for Huizars council campaign and officeholder committees, according to city records.

Supporting Richelle Huizar

In 2013, Goldman was contacted by Huizar about arranging for a contribution to Bishop Mora Salesian High School, where the councilmans wife was working as a fundraiser, according to an email reviewed by The Times.

Huizar contacted Goldman about securing a donation from billboard company Clear Channel Outdoor, the email stated. Spoke with Morrie Goldman on 2/25. Morrie is their lobbyist, Huizar wrote in the email. We sent him info. Ask them to do 2 k like they did last year.

Clear Channel, which appeared before Huizars committee on the issue of digital billboards, has repeatedly declined to comment on its charitable donations.

Last year, Goldman and others formed Families for a Better Los Angeles, which took in $200,000 in donations between December 2017 and June 2018, much of it from property owners and developers with projects in the downtown section of Huizars district. State filings for the committee do not name which candidate it was set up to promote, but two contributors told The Times that they had donated at least in part to support Richelle Huizar.

David Solomon, executive vice president and chief financial officer of the wine and spirits distributor Youngs Holdings, said he gave $2,500 to the committee to support Richelles campaign. Solomon said he made the contribution because his company has an office on the edge of skid row and he wanted to voice his concerns about safety and homelessness in the area.

Another donor was Woo Properties, which contributed $2,500 and owns buildings downtown. Charlie Woo, one of the companys owners, said he has been impressed with the Huizars work in revitalizing downtown Los Angeles.

I thought that Jose and his wife did a good job, he said. So if they need help, I say, sure.

Richelle Huizar ended her campaign to join the City Council last month.

The Los Angeles City Council this year approved a 33-story tower planned by Realm Group in downtown. Protesters warned the project would lead to displacement of low-income renters in the area. (Gale Holland / Los Angeles Times)

Developer donors

Another donor to the political committee was Realm Group, which plans to develop a 33-story building at 7th Street and Maple Avenue.

In April, Huizar and his council colleagues approved Realm Groups project, despite objections from activists in skid row who warned it would intensify gentrification of the neighborhoods and lead to displacement of low-income renters. Five weeks later, Families for a Better Los Angeles reported taking in $10,000 from Realm Group, according to state contribution reports.

Another Goldman client is Lightstone Group, which is developing the Fig + Pico hotel complex across from the citys Convention Center. Huizar and his colleagues voted for Fig + Pico in May, giving Lightstone a change in zoning and an estimated $103 million in taxpayer assistance.

A committee headed by Huizar also arranged for Fig + Pico to receive approval for a package of digital signs more lucrative than the one previously recommended by the City Planning Commission, according to city records. Three months before the councils vote on Fig + Pico, an affiliate of Lightstone Group donated $25,000 to Families for a Better Los Angeles.

Gastelum also worked on the Fig + Pico project, according to one city official. Doane Liu, who heads the citys Department of Convention and Tourism Development, said Gastelum approached him on behalf of Lightstone to discuss a plan for selling the digital advertising at Fig + Pico to nonprofit groups.

Liu said he told Gastelum that his agency was not interested.
An El Cajon man was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder after police said he attacked his housemate with a frying pan.

Officers were called to a transitional housing residence in the 1200 block of Naranca Avenue, where they found a man in a bedroom bleeding from injuries to his head and face, said Lt. Royal Bates with the El Cajon Police Department. The victim, who has not been identified, later died at a hospital.

Brad Payton, 24, was arrested at the living facility and booked at San Diego Central Jail on Thursday. Hes not eligible for release, according to San Diego County jail records.

Police say they believe the two men knew each other and lived in separate rooms at the transitional housing facility. Witnesses told investigators the pair had been arguing just before the attack, police said.

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alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com

Twitter: @r_valejandra
Los Angeles City Councilman David Ryu said Friday that security will be stepped up around the Hollywood sign during the Christmas and New Years holidays.

While we deck the halls and trim the tree, we want to make sure our Hollywood sign has a merry Christmas and a happy new year, as well, Ryu said.

These extra enforcements  joining our existing enforcement around the sign  will ensure the peace and safety of our iconic sign and its neighboring communities.

Between Monday and Jan. 1, two additional Los Angeles Police Department officers and one sergeant, as well as one additional park ranger, will be deployed to spots around the sign that are popular with visitors, Ryus office said.

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The extra enforcement will augment the 14 existing Department of Transportation traffic officers who enforce parking violations and ensure traffic flow. Those 14 officers are a recent addition, made possible by the more than $1 million in dedicated funding for Hollywood sign security that Ryu helped get included in the 2018-19 budget, his office said.

The additional enforcement is needed because of the increase in visitor traffic to Griffith Park and the Hollywood sign that typically occurs over the Christmas and New Years holidays, as well as to protect against vandalism.

The most recent instance of vandalism against the Hollywood sign occurred on New Years Eve in 2016, Ryus office said.
This spring should have been the triumphant final act in Juwan Royals time at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Penn. But it was a season of frightening uncertainty.

The senior was suffering from bouts of sickness, hitting randomly like lightning strikes. Pain shot from his hips to his toes. He felt a burning sensation in his mouth, and on one occasion had to be rushed to a hospital in an ambulance after vomiting for 45 minutes straight.

But Royals illness was overlapped by another incident April 5. That Thursday, around 12:30 p.m., Royal left his room in Warren Square A, a two-story brick house that had been chopped up into single and double rooms for undergraduates living on the west side of campus. According to a LehighValleyLive story from the time, he later learned from his roommate, Yukai Yang, that their room had been trashed. Royals television and bed were damaged. Royal, who is African American, also had his desk defaced. In black marker, someone had written the n-word, followed by get out of here.

Royals mystery illness and the racist graffiti were not isolated incidents. At a news conference Thursday, Northampton County Dist. Atty. John Morganelli said that Yang was responsible for the vandalism, and also that he had been surreptitiously poisoning Royal with dangerous chemicals.

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This was over a period of time with small amounts of poisoning occurring, Morganelli said. It was added to food and drinks in the refrigerator.

Yang  an international student from China  was arrested and charged Thursday with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment. Morganelli called the case weird and bizarre, the Morning Call reported. Investigators do not know why the 22-year-old allegedly turned on his roommate.

Mr. Royal was as somewhat dumbfounded by this as anyone else, Assistant Dist. Atty. Abraham Kassis told reporters. He believed they had a fairly cordial relationship as roommates.

Yangs attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Yang is accused of poisoning his roommate with thallium. A chemical accidentally discovered in 1861, the substance is a tasteless, odorless and extremely potent poison, according to a 2007 article by Dr. Cyrus Rangan, assistant medical director of the California Poison Control System. "[A]cute ingestions of as little as one gram of thallium salt may kill an adult.

The substance has been used in high-profile poisonings in both fact and fiction. The famed mystery novelist Agatha Christie killed off characters with thallium in her 1961 book, The Pale Horse, the Independent reported in 1992. It was also the poison used by Saddam Husseins regime to kill dissident Iraqi scientists in the 1980s. The substance was once commonly used as rat poison and insecticide, although it has been banned in most countries, including the United States, since 1975.

However, thallium is still in use in countries such as Russia and China, according to Rangan.

Like Royal, Yang was a senior at Lehigh this spring. A chemistry major, he and Royal had been friends and roommates for a number of years. But the bizarre actions began unfolding in February.

One night that month, Royal drank from a water bottle, then immediately felt a burning sensation in his mouth, LehighValleyLive reported.

Alarmed, he woke up Yang and together they bolted for the bathroom, where Royal washed out his mouth. Morganelli told reporters Thursday that Yang cryptically told his roommate, so the substance that they are putting in your drink is colorless, odorless and dissolves in water.

For days, Royals tongue was sore from the experience.

He became sick again March 18. This time, the police were called. He was sitting at his computer before feeling dizzy and passing out, Morganelli said at the news conference.

Yang again allegedly had a strange explanation: He told police he thought someone was tampering with the liquids in their room. Yang explained the milk in the units fridge and Royals mouthwash unexpectedly had changed color. Mr. Yang could not speculate to any suspects at that time, Morganelli said.

Early on the morning of March 29, Royal again summoned campus police. He had been throwing up for over 45 minutes and felt very shaky, Morganelli said. This time, he was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The next week, the room was vandalized. According to Morganellis news conference, the investigation into the trashed room keyed police in on the poisoning. The victim voiced his suspicions to police.

Mr. Royal told officers at that time he felt Mr. Yang, his roommate, was somehow responsible for the damages that had been done to his property, the prosecutor told reporters. Mr. Royal stated that Mr. Yang was the person who always found the strange incidents happening in his room.

Yang gave investigators a written statement about his movements on the day the room was vandalized. The handwriting matched the slur and words scribbled into the desk, police said. Yang was arrested, and eventually charged with ethnic intimidation, institutional vandalism and criminal mischief, all misdemeanors.

His cell phone and computer were then confiscated. Details found on the devices pointed to the poisoning. Royal was given a blood test. It showed he had 3.6 micrograms of thallium in his system, above the safe toxicity level.

Thallium affects ones nervous system, lungs, heart, liver and kidney if large amounts are eaten or ingested for short periods of time, Morganelli explained. Temporary hair loss, vomiting and diarrhea can also occur, and death may result after exposure to significant amounts of thallium.

According to the Morning Call, Yang interviewed with investigators May 25. In the conversation, police said, he admitted to buying thallium and other chemicals online and mixing them into the food and beverages in the rooms refrigerator. But Yang claimed that he was only intending to poison himself if he failed to do well on upcoming exams.

Yang was suspended following his arrest in the spring. He is no longer enrolled in the school, and according to authorities, his student visa has been revoked. His criminal charges from the vandalism are still pending, and Yang is currently in custody.

Royal, however, graduated from Lehigh in the spring. He still suffers from the aftereffects of the thallium.

Were trying to explain the unexplainable because, right now, everyone is like, What could have happened?  Kevelis Matthews-Alvarado, the resident advisor in the building where the roommates lived last year, told Philadelphias CBS 3. We just dont know.

Swenson writes for the Washington Post.
President Trumps decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria was made hastily, without consulting his national security team or allies, and over strong objections from virtually everyone involved in the fight against the Islamic State group, according to U.S. and Turkish officials.

Turkey to delay operation against Kurdish forces until U.S. gets out of Syria, Erdogan says 

Trump stunned his Cabinet, lawmakers and much of the world with the move by rejecting the advice of his top aides and agreeing to a withdrawal in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week, two U.S. officials and a Turkish official briefed on the matter told the Associated Press.

The Dec. 14 call, described by officials who were not authorized to discuss the decision-making process publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, provides insight into a consequential Trump decision that prompted the resignation of widely respected Defense Secretary James N. Mattis. It also set off a frantic, four-day scramble to convince the president either to reverse or delay the decision.

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Mattis issues a sharp rebuke to Trump as he announces his departure as Defense secretary 

The White House rejected the description of the call related to the AP, but was not specific.

In no uncertain terms, reporting throughout this story is not true, National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis said. It is clear from the context that this false version of events is from sources who lack authority on the subject, possibly from unnamed sources in Turkey.

The State Department and Pentagon declined to comment on the account of the decision to withdraw the troops, which have been in Syria to fight the Islamic State since 2015.

Despite losing their physical self-proclaimed caliphate, thousands of Islamic State fighters remain in Iraq and Syria, and the group continues to carry out insurgent attacks and could easily move back into territory it once held if American forces withdraw.

The Dec. 14 call came a day after Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, agreed to have the two presidents discuss Erdogans threats to launch a military operation against U.S.-backed Kurdish rebels in northeast Syria, where American forces are based. The NSC then set up the call.

Pompeo, Mattis and other members of the national security team prepared a list of talking points for Trump aimed at pressuring Erdogan to back off, the officials said.

But the officials said Trump, who had previously accepted such advice and convinced the Turkish leader not to attack the Kurds and put U.S. troops at risk, ignored the script. Instead, the president sided with Erdogan.

In the following days, Trump remained unmoved by those scrambling to convince him to reverse or at least delay the decision, which would give the military and Kurdish forces time to prepare for an orderly withdrawal.

The talking points were very firm, said one of the officials, explaining that Trump was advised to clearly oppose a Turkish incursion into northern Syria and suggest that the U.S. and Turkey work together to address security concerns. Everybody said push back and try to offer [Turkey] something thats a small win, possibly holding territory on the border, something like that.

Erdogan, though, quickly put Trump on the defensive, reminding him that he had repeatedly said the only reason for U.S. troops to be in Syria was to defeat the Islamic State and that the group had been 99% defeated. Why are you still there? the second official said Erdogan asked Trump, telling him that the Turks could deal with the remaining ISIS militants.

With Erdogan on the line, Trump asked national security advisor John Bolton, who was listening in, why U.S. troops remained in Syria if what the Turkish president was saying was true, according to the officials. Erdogans point, Bolton was forced to admit, had been backed up by Mattis, Pompeo, U.S. special envoy for Syria Jim Jeffrey and special envoy for the anti-ISIS coalition Brett McGurk, who have said that Islamic State retains only 1% of its territory, the officials said.

Bolton emphasized, however, that the entire national security team agreed that victory over ISIS had to be enduring, which means more than taking away its territory.

Trump was not dissuaded, according to the officials, who said the president quickly capitulated by pledging to withdraw the U.S. troops, shocking both Bolton and Erdogan.

Caught off guard, Erdogan cautioned Trump against a hasty withdrawal, according to one official. While Turkey has made incursions into Syria in the past, it does not have the necessary forces mobilized on the border to move in and hold the large swaths of northeastern Syria where U.S. troops are positioned, the official said.

The call ended with Trump repeating to Erdogan that the United States would pull out, but offering no specifics on how it would be done, the officials said.

Over the weekend, the national security team raced to come up with a plan that would reverse, delay or somehow limit the effects of the withdrawal, the officials said.

On Monday, Bolton, Mattis and Pompeo met at the White House to try to plot a middle course. But they were told by outgoing Chief of Sstaff John F. Kelly and his soon-to-be successor Mick Mulvaney that Trump was determined to pull out and was not to be delayed or denied, according to the officials. The trio met again on Tuesday morning to try to salvage things, but were again rebuffed, the officials said.

The White House had wanted to announce the decision on Tuesday  and Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders scheduled a rare briefing specifically to announce it. But the Pentagon convinced Trump to hold off because the withdrawal plans werent complete, and allies and Congress had not yet been notified, according to the officials. The first country aside from Turkey to be told of the impending pullout was Israel, the officials said.

Word of the imminent withdrawal began to seep out early Wednesday after U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Joseph Votel started to inform his commanders on the ground and the Kurds of the decision.

Following the official announcement, the White House emphasized that the U.S. will continue to support the fight against ISIS and remains ready to reengage when needed. But in a tweet, the president said U.S. troops would no longer be fighting Islamic State on behalf of others.

Time to focus on our Country & bring our youth back home where they belong! he said.
The resignation of Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis is doubly disquieting: The departure of the retired Marine Corps general deprives the administration of an expert on national defense who is respected by Congress and Americas allies. But equally alarming is the reason for Mattis decision: his acknowledgement that the president doesnt share his views about foundational principles of national security.

In his resignation letter, Mattis wrote: While the U.S. remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies.

This is partly a reference to Trumps impulsive decision to withdraw 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria, a move that is seen as a betrayal by the Kurdish forces there who fought with the United States against Islamic State. Mattis emphasized that among the important alliances the U.S. has forged is the Defeat-ISIS coalition of 74 nations.

Mattis resignation suggests that he now thinks Trump is beyond persuasion. That is truly frightening.

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But Mattis criticism has broader application. Trump, who famously called the NATO alliance obsolete, has only grudgingly endorsed the North Atlantic Treaty Organizations principle of the concept of collective self-defense, and has focused more on carping about how European allies arent paying their fair share of NATO. This despite the fact that, as Mattis noted, members of NATO fought alongside the U.S. after the 9/11 attack.

Mattis differences with Trump apparently became too great to ignore. As Mattis wrote: You have the right to have a secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects.

That Trump has isolationist impulses has been obvious since the 2016 campaign, when he said in a major policy speech that America First will be the major and overriding theme of my administration. In the same speech, Trump promised: We will no longer surrender this country or its people to the false song of globalism.

Trump isnt wrong to be fearful of indefinite military commitments or insistent about other NATO countries spending more on their defense. But his comments have consistently betrayed a poor understanding of the crucial importance of alliances, a dismissive attitude toward multilateral institutions and skepticism about the need for the U.S. to play a constructive leadership role on the world stage.

Fortunately, in choosing Mattis as his Defense serectary, Trump sent the reassuring signal that he was would be relying on an experienced leader who could be expected to argue with the president when he thought he was wrong. Mattis resignation suggests that he now thinks Trump is beyond persuasion. That is truly frightening.

It also raises the question of how, if at all, Trump can be influenced to replace Mattis with someone equally well-qualified but also willing to try to argue the president out of impulsive or ill-considered decisions.

This presents a challenge to the Senate that must vote to confirm a new secretary of Defense. In the Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton wrote that the purpose of Senate confirmation was to provide an excellent check upon a spirit of favoritism in the president, and would tend greatly to prevent the appointment of unfit characters from State prejudice, from family connection, from personal attachment, or from a view to popularity.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

That might suggest that the Senate is obligated to confirm a nominee who is qualified and not a crony, even if the Senate finds his views (and the presidents) disturbing. But Hamilton went on to say that confirmation would be an efficacious source of stability in the administration. Mattis and other officials, including former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, tried to foster such stability by reminding Trump that some of his ideas were impractical and even illegal.

Under the Constitution, the president as commander-in-chief has the final say on military decisions. But the Senate would be within its rights to insist that Mattis successor be someone who would not be an echo chamber for an ignorant and impetuous president.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook.
Francesco Checchi, Anti-Corruption Adviser of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said at a seminar on anti-corruption held in Hanoi on December 20 that Vietnams ratification of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in 2009 exemplified the countrys strong commitment to the anti-corruption cause.

Since that time, Vietnam has witnessed positive changes in constitutional completion and UNCAC implementation, he said, adding that most notably, the National Assembly recently passed a new Anti-Corruption Law.

He also hailed Vietnam for completing the national self-assessment checklist on UNCAC implementation for the second cycle.

The UN expert proposed the Vietnamese Government create optimal conditions for social organisations, businesses, and the press to effectively engage in the UNCAC Review Mechanism.

Speaking at the seminar, Deputy Inspector General Tran Ngoc Liem said that the event aims to offer updates on the outcomes of UNCAC implementation in Vietnam, including the results of the second rounds report, and introduce the recently-approved 2018 Anti-Corruption Law.

He voiced his belief that following the seminar, a close and complete legal corridor will be established, boosting the effectiveness of anti-corruption activities towards the building of a democratic, equal, civilised, stable, and thriving society.
Congress can help atone for the nations horrific past by finally making lynching a federal crime

Since the Civil War, Americans have struggled to define what seems to be obvious: What is a lynching? It conjures visions of a mob pulling a man from a jail cell, hauling him to a tree and throwing a rope over a branch. But debates have centered on how how many people must take part in such an extrajudicial killing for it to qualify as a lynching (the NAACP suggested in 1921 at least five).

And must the motive be racial? Was the hanging of a suspected white horse thief in the Wild West by ranch hands the same as a white Southern mob, amid taunts, jeers and spit, turning a black man accused of insulting a white woman into strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees, as Billie Holliday once sang?

Do the nuances really matter? Its true that not all lynching victims were black, but blacks were overwhelmingly the targets (and many white victims of lynching had defended blacks or opposed lynching). We cannot sever that horrific practice from our disgraceful history of racism. Slavery was abominable, and to this day the nation is influenced by the riches  from New England shipowners to New York financiers to Southern farmers and brokers  and the evils of our original sin.

Lynching became slaverys evil spawn, acts of indefensible extrajudicial brutality meant to scare former slaves and their descendants to hew to their constricted place in a white society. After slavery, these acts of terrorism  more than 4,700 documented cases from 1882 to 1968  became the ultimate expression of racism and white supremacy.

Rather than being shamed, some whites celebrated racial lynching. Photographers sold pictures and postcards as souvenirs; to this day you can see white faces beam smiles into the camera as bloody bodies dangle gruesomely overhead. Some of the cards collected and posted on the Without Sanctuary site, part of a 1999 book and film project, are shocking in the banality of the notes to friends.

Well John, reads the back of one card sent to Dr. John W.F. Williams of Lafayette, Ky. This is a token of a great day we had in Dallas, March 3, a negro was hung for an assault on a three year old girl. I saw this on my noon hour. I was very much in the bunch. You can see the negro hanging on a telephone pole.

That photo was dated March 3, 1910  two years after the post office supposedly banned lynching cards from the mails.

It is to this nations continuing embarrassment that Congress has, for generations, failed to make lynching a federal crime (Philip Dray documented the history in his At the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America). It wouldnt act more than a century ago when it might have made a difference, as local prosecutors looked the other way or local juries refused to indict or convict. And it wont act today, even after the laws necessity has faded and its value resides primarily in its symbolism.

The old argument against a federal anti-lynching law is that murder is a state crime and not the business of the federal government. States rights and all that. But that argument was fig leaf over the racism that propelled lynching, in which local and state prosecutions of the perpetrators were rare, convictions rarer still. The 14th Amendment guarantees equal protection of the laws, and when local communities in numbers small and large come together to use collective violence to repress African Americans, that is clearly a federal interest.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) has co-sponsored a fresh piece of legislation to classify a lynching as a deprivation of civil rights  essentially a federal anti-lynching law that she says would give the Justice Department a few more teeth in prosecuting attempted lynching and conspiracy. Yet as Times reporter Jaweed Kaleem wrote this week, the prognosis for its passage isnt much better than the fate of its 200-plus predecessors.

Why is unclear. It could be that lynching has moved to an out of sight, out of mind status, even though three white supremacists lynched James Byrd Jr. only 20 years ago in East Texas by beating him then chaining him to a truck while he was still alive and dragging him three miles. All three perpetrators were convicted; one has been executed, a second is on death row and the third is serving a life sentence.

Those local authorities, unlike their predecessors elsewhere in the South, did their jobs. So, some question, why bother with a law now? Isnt this just a symbolic gesture?

Yes, it is a symbolic gesture. But a necessary one. Lynching served as a powerfully intimidating symbol  behave yourselves, lest you meet the same fate  that resonates today. Racism in the workplace often surfaces as a noose left in a locker or on a desk. Three years ago two members of the University of Oklahomas Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity were expelled (inappropriately given the right to even hateful speech) and the chapter shut down after a video surfaced of members singing a song including the N-word, You can hang em from a tree / But hell never sign with me / There will never be a ... SAE. Just last year, nooses were left at the African American Museum in Washington, D.C.

The symbolic weight of that despicable act is heavy. The U.S. Senate did approve a resolution in 2005 apologizing to lynching victims and their descendants for failing to act in the past. It passed in a late-night voice vote; 11 senators opted not to co-sponsor it.

We cannot, of course, turn back the calendar and undo the sins of our forebears. But we also cannot ignore them, or their legacy.

In an era in which African Americans take to the streets to protest the killings of unarmed black men by police, when reported hate crimes are on the upswing, when the president uses dog-whistle racism to mobilize his hard-right political base, when minority neighborhoods are over-policed and when African Americans disproportionately are subject to death sentences, Congress standing up now and correcting this historical wrong by making lynching a federal crime would send a powerful symbol to the entire nation.

And not passing this measure would also send a message, one that would reflect poorly on Congress, and on the nation.
Last week, after federal judge Reed OConnor in Texas struck down the Affordable Care Act, criticism from Democratic party leaders came swiftly. It included this rebuke from Sen. Christopher Murray (D.-Conn.): Republicans just blew up our healthcare system.

The Trump administration, not surprisingly, lauded the decision, and predicted it would be upheld at the 5th Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.

So whos right? Quite possibly, they both are.

Yes, OConnors ruling exploded a healthcare system with features many Americans liked, including the coverage of preexisting conditions and a provision that allows children to stay on their parents policies until age 26. And yes, that healthcare system relied on an unconstitutional mandate requiring individuals to purchase insurance.

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The finesse built into Obamacare in 2010 allowed Congress to avoid some difficult issues, but it relied on an unconstitutional step.

Judge OConnors responsibility was to evaluate the laws constitutionality, not its popularity. Liberal scholars have questioned his legal reasoning, and ultimately it will be the U.S. Supreme Courts nine justices who will decide whether the ruling stands. But I believe he decided the case in a manner consistent with the Supreme Courts 2012 opinion that first upheld Obamacare, a decision that received great praise from Democratic political leaders at the time.

In 2012, five justices signed on to opinions stating that Congress could not force private parties to buy insurance, because in so doing the federal government was creating commerce. The Constitution, they said, didnt grant Congress the power to create commerce, only to regulate it. One of those five, John G. Roberts Jr., ruled that Congress did, however, have the right to impose a tax on all Americans who did not purchase insurance, which saved Obamas healthcare plan. But since that ruling, Congress has repealed the tax, thereby removing the premise for Roberts crucial fifth vote upholding the constitutionality of Obamacare.

In passing the Affordable Care Act, Congress punted on an issue that now has to be directly confronted. The desirable parts of the bill, such as requiring insurance companies to cover preexisting conditions, are also costly. Congressional Democrats included some taxes in the Affordable Care Act, notably on medical devices and gold-plated health insurance policies, but they wouldnt take the politically risky step of paying for the entire additional cost through an increase in federal income taxes or payroll taxes.

Instead, the law tried to win buy-in from the insurance companies that would have to bear the burden of covering preexisting conditions by guaranteeing they would also have a flood of new customers who had not previously purchased policies, but now would have to do so or pay a tax. These new policyholders would be younger  and in better health  than the average current insurance customer. Health insurance companies took the deal and supported Obamacare.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

Without any penalty for failing to purchase insurance, its likely that many people will once again opt out of coverage, and five justices are on record saying that Congress cant force them to be insured.

In OConnors view, without the tax on those who dont buy insurance, the requirement that insurance companies cover preexisting conditions was no longer legal. As a matter of practicality, even if his ruling doesnt stand, the effect will be the same because of Congress removing the tax. The original device of Obamacare to avoid having insurance companies or the federal government absorb the massive cost of covering preexisting health conditions is now in shreds.

The finesse built into Obamacare in 2010 allowed Congress to avoid some difficult issues, but it relied on an unconstitutional step. Now our elected representatives will finally have to answer the two questions they dodged in passing the Affordable Care Act: How much health insurance do we want, and how much are we willing to pay for it in taxes?

Tom Campbell is a professor of law and economics at Chapman University. He served five terms in the U.S. Congress. In 2016, he left the Republican Party and is now an independent.
If the lesson of Watergate was follow the money, then the lesson of the Trump/Russia scandal may well be follow the lies. As Michael Flynns aborted sentencing hearing this week made very clear, he, like almost everyone else caught up in the Russia scandal, purposefully, knowingly did not tell the truth about contacts he had with representatives of the Russian government or its agents. The question is why? The nature of the contacts between the Trump campaign and a hostile foreign power, whatever they were, appear to have been so damning that many risked their careers, their reputations  and even their freedom  to hide it.

Flynns lies involve a series of phone calls he had in December 2016 with the Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak. President Obama in his final days in office sanctioned Russia for election hacking. Flynn told Kislyak that Russia should not escalate the situation and he urged that the Kremlin only respond in a reciprocal manner. Kislayk told Flynn that Russia agreed to moderate its response, but the Kremlins restraint was so out-of-character that it reportedly triggered the inquiry into Flynns contacts in the first place.

However, when Flynn talked to FBI agents sitting in his White House office days after President Trumps inauguration, he stated he did not have a long, drawn-out discussion with KISLYAK where he would have asked him to dont do something, the FBI agents wrote in their memo of the conversations. Flynn apparently told this lie with ease. The FBI agents noted that Flynn did not give any indicators of deception.

Almost every denial the president has made about his dealings with Russia has proved to be false.

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The Kremlin, of course, knew the truth. And that gave a hostile foreign power potential leverage over the U.S. national security advisor, less than a week into Trumps term in the White House.

Flynn has never explained his actions. His attorneys avoided the why question altogether in their sentencing memo, simply saying Flynn had made an uncharacteristic error in judgment. As Flynn was forced to concede before an angry federal judge in Washington on Wednesday, he knew very well that he had lied to the FBI, and that doing so was a crime.

And yet, there was nothing in the exchange with Kislyak, as it has been reported, that goes beyond ordinary foreign policy. It would seem that Flynn could simply have told the FBI agents what appears to be the truth: The incoming Trump administration wanted to change U.S. policy toward Russia, and Flynn was letting Kislyak know it. The fact of the lie, however, suggests this was no ordinary foreign policy matter.

And Flynn has so much company. His deputy, former Fox News commentator K.T. McFarland, revised her inconsistent statement to investigators that the Obama administration sanctions didnt come up in Flynns discussions with the Russian ambassador. Campaign aide George Papadopoulos lied to the FBI about his contacts with a shadowy professor who gave him advance warning that the Russians had dirt on Hillary Clinton. Trumps then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, lied to Congress about his contacts during the presidential campaign with the office of a Kremlin spokesman over a proposed Trump Tower in Moscow.

Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has also accused Trumps former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, of lying while he was supposed to be cooperating with the government. We dont yet know the full details, but given Manaforts many ties to Russia, his lies too may involve that country.

Lets not leave President Trump off this list of liars. Almost every denial the president has made about his dealings with Russia has proved to be false. Once, Trump assured us he had nothing to do with Russia; now the president justifies his ongoing business dealings with Russia during the campaign. Once, Trump insisted that no person he deals with has anything to do with Russia; that claim now appears laughable.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

Its hard to see all these Russia lies as coincidences, given the extraordinary help Russia provided to elect Trump  the hacking of the Democratic National Committee, the WikiLeaks email dumps, the divisive social media messaging that, according to reports released by the Senate on Monday, reached millions of unsuspecting Americans.

Flynns case may suggest what Russia got, or hoped to get, in return.

Easing the pressure of U.S. sanctions was a key priority for the Kremlin, and Flynns conversation with the Russian ambassador left the impression that the incoming administration would be willing to do just that after the inauguration. Indeed, the Trump administration continues to soften the United States approach to Russia, as it did Wednesday when the Treasury Department announced plans to lift sanctions imposed on companies owned by Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch close to Putin who also happens to be one of Manaforts former business partners.

The agents interviewing Flynn in his White House office pulled on a thread that may lead to extraordinary and perhaps criminal political offenses: an American presidential campaign and a hostile foreign power doing favors for each other. Flynn may have lied, almost reflexively, to keep the plot from unraveling.

One way or another, it will be the Trump administrations lies about Russia that lead us to the truth.

Seth Hettena is a San Diego-based investigative reporter and the author of Trump/Russia: A Definitive History.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook.
On Wednesday, the White House ordered the Pentagon to pull all U.S. troops from Syria immediately. President Trump tweeted: We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump presidency, a stance that immediately received pushback from more interventionist lawmakers. In addition to the decision to pull out of Syria, made last week, a senior Pentagon official suggested that troop reductions in Afghanistan are also under discussion.

Although this might seem like another one of the Presidents impulsive decisions, this move should be welcomed. Trump  and his voters  have wanted to leave Syria for a long time, and are finally getting their way.

The administrations move to get out of Syria, and consider a similar path in Afghanistan, makes mission creep less likely. Given the volatility of the Middle East, there will always be some reason or another to justify a U.S. troop presence in as many countries as possible, whether it is to protect Israel, Saudi Arabia or the Kurds, push back against Iran or Russia, or fight some militant or terrorist group. Some of these goals are definitely worthy, but they can be achieved through diplomacy, surgical strikes, or by working with Americas partners in the region. An expensive, open-ended U.S. troop presence in multiple Middle Eastern countries certainly isnt necessary to protect our national security objectives.

A lack of U.S. troops in Syria is in no way a surrender or retreat. It is merely the restoration of a previous status quo.

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While there are some pockets of ISIS in Syria, the group is largely defeated, possessing only 2% of the territory it controlled at its height in 2015. The remnants can be continuously degraded by aerial bombing by the United States and its allies, as well as ground attacks by Kurdish forces supported and trained by the U.S.

It would be fine for U.S. rivals Russia and Iran to take care of the job. Better for them to spend their time and money fighting ISIS instead of us.

In addition to questioning the counterterrorism value of the administrations decision, interventionists such as Sens. Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio have portrayed the administrations decision as a gift to Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah, the Shiite organization based in Lebanon, because they fear that those actors will fill the strategic vacuum we leave. But an American withdrawal from Syria makes it unlikely that those various factions will work in harmony together. Rather, they will more likely be at each others throats, along with Turkey, the Saudi-led Gulf Arab alliance and the Syrian government of Bashar Assad. There already are reports that Russia is trying to edge Iran out of Syria, because of competition for economic projects. Moreover, Iran and Russia have different views on the social future of the country, with Iran promoting greater religiosity and demographic changes that favor Shiite Muslims, and Russia wanting to restore the prewar fabric of Syria.

Additionally, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are reaching out to Assad, according to the pro-Syrian regime news outlet Masdar, with an eye to countering Turkey and Iran, which they view as intervening in Arab issues. It is possible Assad himself wants to reduce his dependence on Iran. After all, the secular dictatorship he runs is very different from Irans theocratic government, and Syria and Irans interests diverge on many regional issues. Rather than emboldening Iran and Russia, an American withdrawal from Syria would shatter the rationale for their cooperation, and could lead to an alignment of regional politics in the Middle East that could be favorable to American interests.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

Before the Syrian civil war, when the Obama administration backed Syrian rebels against the regime of Assad, the United States had almost no influence in Syria, which was already aligned with Iran and Russia. The Russian naval facility in the Syrian port of Tartus dates to 1971. A lack of U.S. troops in Syria is in no way a surrender or retreat. It is merely the restoration of a previous status quo that was not problematic until the war hawks in Washington thought otherwise. Russia is too heavily invested in Syria, its major foothold in the Middle East, to succumb to American pressure to give up on its investment on the Syrian regime.

The alternative would be a permanent U.S. military presence in Syria (and many other places), as Rep. Justin Amash, R-Michigan, tweeted. They justify it with an irrational, unachievable objective: Well get out when conflict and terror cease to exist.

Trumps announcement of withdrawal from Syria demonstrates that there is another way. The skies wont fall, and we wont be fighting ISIS in Kansas if we leave Syria.

Akhilesh Akhi Pillalamarri is a fellow at Defense Priorities. @akhipill.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook
To the editor: It strikes me as simply wrong to make millionaires out of Los Angeles cops and firefighters when we have a housing and homelessness crisis.

It was wrong in the first place for retired police officers and firefighters to draw almost all of their already very good salaries in retirement pensions (most of us get a fraction of that, if we have pensions at all); but to continue the DROP program, which pays experienced public safety workers both their salaries and their pensions for the last five years of their careers, against the advice of the previous city manager, is much worse.

After the Los Angeles Times exposed the lavish payouts of this program earlier this year, I assumed city leaders would have done what other cities did: End the boondoggle. Instead, their greed for the sure support of unions is greater then their respect for taxpayers.

Louise Bianco, Tarzana

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..

To the editor: I agree that police officers and firefighters have dangerous jobs, but the amount of pension money some cities pay them is not reflective of prudent financial practices.

Los Angeles should simply cap retirement payouts at the $220,000 set by the federal government for pension plans. All the funny business related to the DROP program should result in annual benefits exceeding that amount.

This reflects terribly on Mayor Eric Garcetti, since he has a responsibility to the citizens of Los Angeles to address this quickly. This is just the tip of the pension crisis, and it is not just the city level where this needs to be addressed.

Gavin Newsom will have similar insolvency issues at the state level when he takes over as governor on Jan. 7. The retirement age for all public employees needs to be pushed back, and the beneficiaries need to fund their pensions with a greater portion of their pay.

Bill Spear, Fountain Valley

..

To the editor: Garcetti has lost my vote for any higher office he may seek.

If he will sell out Los Angeles in order to pad the pensions of his police and fire department supporters, I would not want to give him the same opportunity to do the same to California or the nation.

B.J. Merholz, Los Angeles

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Now that the House and Senate have failed to reach an agreement on President Trumps border wall, parts of the government have shut down.

Congress passed laws to fund about 75% of government agencies before the fiscal year ended in September, but they gave themselves until Dec. 21 to approve budgets for the rest. The hangup involves money that Trump demanded for a border wall.

The agencies affected include the departments of Homeland Security, State, Agriculture, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice and Transportation, as well as NASA, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.

About 800,000 federal workers at those agencies wont be paid; some 420,000 of those will be expected to work without pay.

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What continues to function?

The post office will continue delivering mail (including those last-minute Christmas packages), Social Security checks will still be delivered, Medicare will still function and Transportation Security Administration agents will still inspect you at airport security (though they will probably be working without pay, which may not lighten their holiday moods.)

Otherwise, with most government offices already shut through Christmas, the average American may not notice much impact  at least for a while.

Read more: Government shutdown hits after Congress adjourns without a deal on Trumps border wall 

What closes?

Much of the national park system will close. Some popular parks like Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon will probably remain accessible, but visitor centers and campsites will be closed, and bathrooms arent likely to be maintained during the shutdown.

Some sites where access is easily controlled, including the Statue of Liberty, may be closed completely. The Smithsonian museums in Washington may have funds to stay open for a while, depending on how long a shutdown lasts. The National Zoo in Washington will close, but the animals will still be fed and cared for.

Closures could change over time if the shutdown persists, so if youre planning a visit, check ahead.

The Federal Housing Administration and the Small Business Administration wont be able to process new home or small business loans. The FHA shutdown will affect some people buying houses.

Depending on how long a shutdown goes, the State Department may stop issuing or renewing passports and visas.

The IRS will furlough most of its employees and stop issuing tax refunds. For now, that would only affect a small number of people, since few taxpayers file returns seeking refunds in December. But if a shutdown persists, the impact would grow.

What happens with government workers?

More than 800,000 federal workers will either be home without pay or working without pay for however long the government is closed, according to data compiled by Senate Democrats.

Those whose jobs are deemed essential  mostly public safety functions  will have to report to work without pay. That includes:

More than 41,000 federal law enforcement and prison employees who work for the Justice Department will remain on duty.

In the Transportation Department, thousands of air traffic controllers will keep planes moving during the busy holiday season.

Homeland Security Department employees are hit the hardest, nearly 90% of them are considered essential, including more than 54,000 border control agents and 53,000 TSA agents.

Another 380,000 federal employees will be furloughed.

Will workers get back pay when its over?

After previous shutdowns, Congress has passed measures giving back pay to furloughed employees and essential employees who worked during the shutdown. That isnt guaranteed this time, though.

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) said federal employees knew when they took their jobs that a government shutdown was possible and that theyll likely be paid.

Its actually part of what you do when you sign up for any public service position and its not lost on me, in terms of the potential hardship, but at the same time, they know that they would be required to work, he said Thursday.

Democrats note that many workers live from paycheck to paycheck, so even if Congress provides back pay, some will suffer significant hardship. They have already begun lambasting Republicans over how the shutdown will affect workers.

In a tweet, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said, ".@realDonaldTrump has no concept of the hard work our federal employees do every day to keep the country running. Forcing 800,000 of them to spend the holidays unsure about their next paycheck is cruel.

How long might this last?

Hard to know. Some shutdown standoffs in recent years have gotten settled in a day or two. In 1996, however, a shutdown lasted 21 days. A 2013 shutdown took 16 days to resolve.

If Congress deadlocks this time, lawmakers may quit for the year and wait for the new Congress, with Democrats in the majority in the House, to take the matter up after they reconvene on Jan. 3.

Trump tweeted Friday morning that there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time if he doesnt get his way.

Staff Writer Jennifer Haberkorn contributed to this report.

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A closely divided Supreme Court on Friday rejected President Trumps plan to immediately bar asylum claims by immigrants who cross the border illegally.

By a 5-4 vote, but without additional comment, the court said it had denied the presidents request to set aside the rulings of a federal judge in San Francisco. The judge had blocked Trumps order on asylum from taking effect, prompting the president to denounce him as an Obama judge.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. voted with the courts four liberals to deny the emergency appeal filed by Solicitor Gen. Noel Francisco.

For apparently the first time, new Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh cast a dissenting vote. Along with conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito and Neil M. Gorsuch, he voted to grant the appeal, lift the judges order and allow Trumps new policy to be enforced.

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The court is out of session for the holiday recess and did not have a regular conference meeting on Friday. But faced with the emergency appeals, the justices may cast the votes from afar and over several days. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent surgery in New York on Friday, but she could have cast her vote to deny the appeal on the asylum issue earlier this week.

Lawyers for the ACLU who sued to stop Trumps order argued they had the law on their side.

In the Refugee Act of 1980, Congress opened the door wide for asylum claims from those who can credibly claim they are fleeing persecution.

Any alien who is physically present in the United States or who arrives in the United States, whether or not at a designated port of entry  irrespective of such aliens status, may apply for asylum, the law says.

But early last month, with the approach of both the midterm election and a caravan of Central Americans, Trump issued a proclamation to sharply limit asylum claims, essentially barring them for most people who do not present themselves at a designated port of entry. The presidents lawyers said the crisis at the Southern border justified the change in policy.

Immigrant rights advocates said the president did not have the legal authority to change the law on his own. The American Civil Liberties Union sued on behalf of several humanitarian groups based in California, and U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco ruled Trumps order conflicted with federal law and could not take effect. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed in a 2-1 decision and said Trumps order should remain on hold pending further proceedings.

Just as we may not, as we are often reminded, legislate from the bench, neither may the executive legislate from the Oval Office, Judge Jay Bybee, a conservative appointee of President George W. Bush, wrote for the appeals court majority.

Francisco, the administrations top courtroom lawyer, who has repeatedly gone to the Supreme Court seeking immediate relief from lower court rulings, appealed again to the high court, saying that the nationwide injunction is deeply flawed and should be stayed pending appeal.

But the justices rejected that appeal, keeping Trumps order on hold. The case is far from over, however, and could well return to the high court after the 9th Circuit issues a final ruling.

ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt praised the decision.

The Supreme Courts decision to leave the asylum ban blocked will save lives and keep vulnerable families and children from persecution, he said. We are pleased the court refused to allow the administration to short-circuit the usual appellate process.

Trumps order was one of three moves the administration has made in recent months to limit asylum claims. Under former Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, the Justice Department decreed in June that most immigrants fleeing gang violence or domestic violence would not be eligible for asylum.

The Refugee Act shields those fleeing persecution based on race, religion or political beliefs, Session said, not those fleeing violence or poverty. The issue had divided immigration judges.

Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan rejected that policy, saying there was no legal basis for an effective categorical ban on asylum for those who flee gangs or domestic violence. He put Sessions order on hold pending further court action.

And on Thursday, the administration and Mexicos government announced a new policy, referred to as remain in Mexico, which provides that migrants who claim asylum will have to remain in Mexico while their petitions work their way through the immigration system, a process that can often take well over a year.

The latest from Washington 

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Its the latest sign of how political polarization is changing the rules in Washington, even for the judiciary.

In a wide array of politically charged disputes, the Trump administrations top courtroom lawyer, Solicitor Gen. Noel Francisco, has repeatedly gone directly to the Supreme Court, short-circuiting federal appeals courts to seek quick relief when district judges block the presidents policies.

Critics say Franciscos tactics risk politicizing the high court. His defenders say hes only reacting to what they  and President Trump  see as politically driven rulings by federal judges in California and other blue states. Trump himself, in recent tweets and other public comments, has openly said he sees the Supreme Court as a friendly forum now that hes succeeded in placing two justices on it, solidifying a conservative majority.

In the past, the solicitor general would typically file a lengthy appeal petition with the high court if the government lost a major case in a federal appeals court and ask the justices to review the matter.

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But that takes time  far too much time for Trump, who has been angry about having his orders, on immigration and asylum, for example, repeatedly halted by a single federal district judge.

So Francisco has opted for speed  albeit often while professing hesitation.

It is with great reluctance that we seek such emergency relief, he said last week in asking the high court to lift the order from a federal district judge in Seattle that blocked Trumps proposed ban on most transgender people serving in the military.

On the same day, Francisco filed two similar appeals that urged the justices to also lift nearly identical orders from judges in Riverside and Washington, D.C.

The new approach has its roots in Trumps first week in the White House, when he issued a broad and confusing proclamation to bar U.S. entry to travelers from several majority Muslim countries, only to have the order blocked nationwide by a federal judge in Seattle.

Since then, judges have blocked the presidents proposed federal funding limits for so-called sanctuary cities, Trumps repeal of the Obama-era order that shielded from deportation the Dreamers who were brought to the country illegally as children, a broader religious exemption for employers who do not want to pay for employees insurance coverage of contraceptives, and the new limits on transgender troops.

The latest from Washington 

Last month, Francisco proposed that the high court bypass the appeals courts and rule directly on whether Trumps ban on transgender troops is constitutional. In doing so, he cited past national emergencies in which the Supreme Court had intervened directly to review a district judges ruling, including a 1952 case in which a strike closed the steel mills during the Korean War. His comparison drew mockery on legal blogs.

This month he came back with a second option. In his more recent appeals, Francisco said the justices should lift the judges orders so the administration can enforce its ban on transgender troops while the related cases work their way toward the high court.

Earlier in December, Francisco cited the ongoing crisis at the southern border and asked the justices to intervene in a pending dispute over asylum claims for immigrants who cross the border illegally to file their petitions. A few weeks before, Trump had issued a proclamation to change long-standing rules to make migrants categorically ineligible for asylum if they did not arrive at a designated port of entry.

Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union said the new policy violated the law. In the Refugee Act of 1980, Congress said that any alien who is physically present in the United States or who arrives here, whether or not at a designated port of arrival and irrespective of such aliens status, may apply for asylum.

The ACLU sued in federal court in San Francisco on behalf of several humanitarian groups that help refugees, and U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar agreed that Trumps order irreconcilably conflicts with federal law. He issued a nationwide order blocking the new rule on asylum, which Trump promptly denounced as the work of an Obama judge.

The administration appealed, but the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the judges order in a 2-1 opinion written by Judge Jay Bybee, an appointee of President George W. Bush. Just as we may not, as we are often reminded, legislate from the bench, neither may the Executive legislate from the Oval Office, he wrote on Dec. 7.

Four days later, Francisco lodged his emergency appeal to the Supreme Court. Tigars order is deeply flawed and should be stayed pending appeal, he asserted. The high court could act on the appeal at any time.

Lawyers who closely follow the court agree that Franciscos frequent emergency appeals are unusual and a break with custom, but they differ on whether it is a smart or effective strategy.

Washington attorney Nicole A. Saharsky, who worked for 10 years in the solicitor generals office, said the strategy has an obvious logic. The government thinks it will win in the Supreme Court, so why dont we go where we can win? she said. But there is the boy who cried wolf problem. It could be counterproductive to say everything is urgent.

Hes been pretty successful so far, said another Washington lawyer who asked not to be named. The high court has not flatly rejected Franciscos appeals and has given the administration several partial victories. But these have come in terse orders that include little or no explanation.

For example, Francisco sent a series of emergency requests asking the court to stop a trial in New York where the states lawyers were challenging the Trump administrations plan to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. The state said the added question  by discouraging some noncitizens from participating in the census  would lead to an undercount of the population and, as a result, a loss of funding and political representation for New York, California and other states with high numbers of immigrants.

The solicitor general argued that the states lawyers were wrongly seeking to explore the mental processes of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who authorized the change. The New York lawyers asserted that Ross misled Congress when he said the Justice Department sought the change, citing emails showing that Ross had asked the department to request the change.

Without trying to resolve the dispute, the justices rendered a split decision. They shielded Ross from answering questions under oath, but let the trial proceed. They then took the highly unusual step of granting a review of the case, before the district judge had issued a ruling.

The Trump administrations wave of emergency appeals may prompt the Supreme Court to grapple with the broader issue of nationwide injunctions handed down by a single federal judge.

Notre Dame Law School professor Samuel L. Bray, the leading expert on the issue, wrote last year in the Harvard Law Review that such national injunctions were unheard of for most of American history. Federal judges decided cases based on lawsuits brought by plaintiffs, he said, but their rulings were confined to the plaintiffs who brought the case, not extended to the entire nation.

During the 1960s and 1970s, he said, a few judges handed down rulings that broadly limited the government, but national injunctions took off near the end of the Obama administration.

Stymied by Congress, President Obama issued orders and proclamations with broad effect, including shielding the millions of undocumented Dreamers and parents with legal children from deportation, and protecting transgender students in public schools. Republican state attorneys brought lawsuits in Texas, and conservative judges handed down nationwide injunctions that blocked several of Obamas decrees.

Under Trump, the process accelerated. While Obama mostly acted after years of seeking new legislation, Trump immediately favored executive orders and proclamations over the slow process of legislation. Democratic state attorneys on both coasts quickly went to federal courts and obtained broad national injunctions from liberal judges, blocking Trumps plans.

Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, sometime in the last three years, your ox has been gored by a national injunction, Bray told a House committee.

Francisco has repeatedly raised the issue with the Supreme Court. In a span of less than two years, district courts have issued 25 nationwide injunctions or temporary restraining orders against major policy decisions in areas including national defense, national security, immigration and domestic policy, he said last week.

He also offered a proposal that might appeal to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and several colleagues. Francisco said the court should limit the scope of injunctions to the plaintiffs who brought the suit.

For example, the Seattle judges ruling against Trumps policy for transgender troops was brought on behalf of nine individuals who are currently serving in the military or seeking to join it, Francisco said. The judges order should be limited to protecting them, he proposed, and not the entire nation.

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The Ministry of Commerce confirmed a plan for more trade talks with the United States in January, adding that Beijing continues to make positive gestures.

Ministry spokesman Gao Feng said at a weekly briefing on Thursday in Beijing that there were plans to hold further talks on trade with the US, and the two sides have been in close contact.

"The two sides will arrange negotiations through meetings or phone calls at any time based on the progress," he said.

Commenting on the ongoing 90-day tariff truce, Gao said China appreciated the Office of the US Trade Representative's decision to postpone the effective date for possible additional tariffs until March.

"China has also lowered tariffs on imported vehicles from the US to fulfill the agreement the two sides have reached," he added. "China so far is taking progressive action and is making positive gestures," the spokesman said.

On Wednesday, China's major State-owned enterprise Sinograin announced new purchases of soybeans from the US "to implement the consensus achieved by Chinese and US heads of state".

China and the US held a vice-ministerial level telephone call on issues such as trade imbalances and intellectual property rights on Dec 19, Gao said.

The two countries' arrangement for a next round of trade talks was a "positive signal", said Wei Jianguo, a former vice-minister of commerce.

Wei said it is of great significance that the two countries have been maintaining closer contacts, and he predicted that key issues in the next talks would include trade imbalances and IP protection.

He stressed that resolving trade disputes is an "urgent task" for both sides. The US needs to cope with certain economic uncertainties like stock market fluctuations, while China needs to increase quality imports, such as airplanes and agricultural products, to meet growing domestic demand.

Shen Jianguang, chief economist at JD Finance, said that if the trade relationship between the two countries destabilizes, it can lead to problems in other areas.

"It is not easy for the two sides to reach a truce and push talks forward to avoid an escalation," Shen said.

Benjamin Shobert, a member of the National Committee on United States-China Relations, said that although the world's two largest economies are going to continue a very "challenging" relationship, he, as an American, is "much more concerned with and focused on what happens here (in the US)".

He added that: "Much of the administration's attempt to characterize America's economic problems as being entirely a byproduct of the US-China relationship is a mistake. There are significant challenges relative to technology and financial engineering that actually constitute much more significant problems for the average Americans than the US-China relationship specifically."

Nevertheless, despite all the challenges ahead for the evolving China-US partnership, Shobert said it is very possible that the two nations could manage to compete and cooperate at the same time.

Contact the writers at [email protected]
Three roads, at least, could lead to the downfall of President Trump  a smoking-gun outcome to the Russia investigation, a deep economic recession or a revolt of Senate Republicans that would open the way to impeachment.

By alienating his Defense secretary, James Mattis, Trump put that third outcome  still unlikely  on the table.

For two years, most Senate Republicans have studiously avoided any criticism of Trump. But Mattis was their reassurance against the reckless side of Trump, which they fear. Their reactions to his resignation showed how deeply shaken they were.

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GEN. MATTIS GOES, GENERAL CONCERN REIGNS

Senior U.S. Cabinet officials almost never quit over publicly expressed policy disagreements.

To find a case similar to Mattis departure requires going back almost 40 years, to the resignation in April 1980 of Cyrus Vance, who quit as Jimmy Carters Secretary of State when Carter decided to launch a military mission to rescue hostages in Iran. (Vance quit before the launch of the mission, which turned into a disaster that helped sink Carters presidency.)

And Vances resignation letter was mild compared with Mattis, who, as David Cloud reported, rebuked the core elements of Trumps national security policy.

In his resignation letter, Mattis said he believed we cannot protect our interests  effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies and that Trump needed a Pentagon chief whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects.

Mattis quit after a final visit to the White House in which he asked Trump to reconsider his decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria. The number of troops in Syria is small, but Pentagon officials fear that once they go, U.S. allies in the region, especially Kurdish militias, will be attacked by their enemies, including Turkey.

As Cloud and Noah Bierman wrote, the Syria pullout, which Trump announced in a tweet, came the same day he tweeted that the military would build his long-promised border wall. Together, the two tweets summed up Trumps view of a fortress-American foreign policy.

Trumps isolationist view has considerable appeal to some voters on both the left and the right who are tired of nearly two decades of war in the Middle East and surrounding regions. To an extent that neither man probably would want to admit, his approach to Syria resembles that of President Obama.

And thats exactly why his position is anathema to the Republican foreign policy establishment, whose members deeply believe that U.S. national security depends on projecting force overseas to prevent hostile actors, whether terrorist groups or other nations, from gaining strength.

From the start of the administration, Republican senators would shake their heads when asked about Trump and then compliment the national security team that he had assembled  Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. In a few weeks, all three of them will be out of office.

Thursday night, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who almost never voices public disapproval of Trump, released a statement that, for him, amounted to a cry of dismay:

I am particularly distressed that he is resigning due to sharp differences with the president on key aspects of Americas global leadership, McConnell said, referring to Mattiss departure.

Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and the newly elected Mitt Romney of Utah were among those voicing similar concerns.

None of this suddenly makes those Republicans likely votes to remove Trump from office were the House to vote to impeach him. But for the first time, it now seems possible they could end up there.

EIGHT YEARS OF A REPUBLICAN MAJORITY ENDS IN CHAOS

The scene in the House on Thursday, as Jennifer Haberkorn and Sarah Wire reported, was not a pretty sight.

For much of the day, Republican lawmakers argued among themselves over how to fund government agencies that are due to shut down at midnight tonight. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi could barely conceal her glee at the disarray on the other side of the aisle.

The Senate passed a stopgap spending measure Wednesday, believing that Trump would sign it even though it did not include money for his much-promised border wall. Republican leaders had told Trump that if he wanted a political fight over the wall, hed be better off fighting in the new year, when Democrats controlled the House, rather than now, when Republicans would take all the blame for a shutdown.

But overnight, Trump faced a barrage of criticism from Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and other conservative commentators, as well as some House Republicans, who said that signing the Senate bill would amount to caving in on his central campaign promise. So the president balked, and so did House conservatives.

Trumps hard line marked a victory for his domestic policy advisor , Stephen Miller, who had publicly argued for a shutdown on Sunday.

Thursday night, the House passed a measure that included the $5 billion Trump wants for the wall. Later today, the Senate is expected to reject that.

The sequence recapitulated a pattern that has grown familiar over the past eight years  conservatives holding one or another must pass bill hostage to try to accomplish one of their goals, whether ending the Affordable Care Act, cutting off money to Planned Parenthood or shrinking the federal deficit.

That strategy has failed repeatedly: Obamacare remains the law, Planned Parenthood still has its money, and the deficit has ballooned. But with Trumps backing, the GOP right wing is running the same play again.

Unless one side blinks, a shutdown will ensue, and once it starts, the odds are it will continue at least into January when the new Congress starts.

There will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time, Trump said in a tweet Friday morning.

Whats the impact likely to be? Wire offers this FAQ on how the shutdown will affect average Americans. Spoiler alert: National parks likely will close, and dont expect to get a passport renewed anytime soon. If the shutdown goes on for a while, your tax refund likely will be delayed.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE: A BRIEF DETOUR TO BIPARTISANSHIP

For one, brief moment this week, Congress showed what bipartisan compromise could look like, as lawmakers approved a measure that would take a few steps toward reversing some of the harshest legacies of the criminal-justice crackdown of the 1980s and 1990s.

Passage of the bill marked a rare victory for Trumps advisor and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as Haberkorn and Bierman wrote. He relentlessly lobbied Trump and McConnell to get behind the law and overcame resistance from some Republican conservatives.

The bill isnt the sweeping reform that some headlines touted. Not for nothing is its title the First Step Act. But it does mark a notable turning point for the Republicans away from the tough-on-crime position the party has hewed to since at least Richard Nixons law and order campaign a half century ago.

A NEW EFFORT TO RESTRICT ASYLUM

For weeks, rumors have circulated that the administration and Mexico would announce a plan requiring people seeking asylum in the U.S. to remain in Mexico while their petitions worked their way through the courts.

Thursday, the rumors became reality, as Molly OToole reported. A lot of details of how the new plan will work remain unspecified, but it amounts to a fundamental shift in how the U.S. handles people fleeing persecution.

Under the new plan, people who have what the law terms a credible fear of persecution in their home countries will still be allowed to present themselves to U.S. border authorities and ask for asylum. But once they do, theyll be told to wait in Mexico until their cases are processed  a wait that could last for a year or two, perhaps longer.

Immigrant advocates vow a legal challenge.

Earlier this week, those advocacy groups won a challenge to another administration effort to cut back on asylum cases. As OToole wrote, federal judge Emmet G. Sullivan ruled that former Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions had acted illegally when he tried to change the rules governing thousands of asylum petitions brought by people  mostly women and children  fleeing rapes, beatings and other acts of domestic violence, as well as violence by gangs.

JUDGE EXCORIATES FLYNN

Its been a busy week for Sullivan. In addition to the asylum case, he also presided over the sentencing of Trumps first National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn.

Many of Trumps followers had convinced themselves that Sullivan, who is notoriously hard on any signs of misconduct by prosecutors, would use the sentencing hearing to expose what theyve convinced themselves was a plot by the Deep State to unfairly target Flynn.

Didnt work out that way.

As David Willman reported, the judge confronted Flynn and his lawyers with their equivocal statements in which they had said Flynn was guilty of lying to the FBI, but had hinted that they thought he had been treated unfairly. He demanded that they come down clearly on one side or the other.

Flynn admitted that he was truly guilty. Then the judge unloaded on him, saying that Arguably, you sold your country out!. At the request of Flynns lawyer, he then postponed the sentencing.

The Flynn hearing was one of several events in the Russia case this week. The Senate Intelligence Committee released two reports showing that Russians focused intensely on African Americans in their efforts to sway the 2016 election in Trumps direction.

And, as Chris Megerian and Eli Stokols wrote, on several fronts, Trumps lies have started to catch up with him.

Meantime, as Del Wilber reported, Acting Atty. Gen. Mark Whitaker will not recuse himself from overseeing the Russia probe, despite ethics advice that he should.

THE REST OF THE WEEKS NEWS

As David Savage reported, Trump administration lawyers have been repeatedly trying to rush cases to the Supreme Court, short-circuiting the federal appeals courts. They blame blue-state federal judges who have ruled against them.

The auto industry has launched a determined campaign to undermine Californias authority over driverless cars, Evan Halper reported.

The Democrats House takeover could mean big changes for California water policy, Wire reported.

After a delay of more than a year, the administration has banned bump stocks, as Trump had promised, but its school safety report went light on other measures that advocates had called for, Bierman reported.

Wilber reported on a major new cyber-attack case in which the Justice Department charges that Chinese hackers stole data from thousands of Navy personnel, JPL and U.S. companies.

Finally, if you havent already read it, set time aside for Wilbers fascinating inside story on how police and the FBI found one of the countrys worst serial killers.

LOGISTICS

That wraps up this week. Were off until Jan. 4. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and keep track of all the developments in national politics and the Trump administration with our Essential Washington blog, on our Politics page and on Twitter @latimespolitics.

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President Trumps demand for border wall funds hurled the federal government closer to a shutdown as House Republicans approved a package Thursday with his $5.7-billion request that is almost certain to be rejected by the Senate.

The White House said Trump will not travel to Florida on Friday for the Christmas holiday if the government is shutting down. More than 800,000 federal workers will face furloughs or be forced to work without pay if a resolution is not reached before funding expires at midnight Friday.

The shutdown crisis could be one of the final acts of the House GOP majority before relinquishing control to Democrats in January. Congress had been on track to fund the government but lurched Thursday when Trump, after a rare lashing from conservative supporters, declared he would not sign a bill without the funding. Conservatives want to keep fighting. They warn that caving on Trumps repeated wall promises could hurt his 2020 reelection chances, and other Republicans as well.

The House voted largely along party lines, 217-185, after GOP leaders framed the vote as a slap-back to Nancy Pelosi, who is poised to become House speaker on Jan. 3 and who had warned Trump in a televised Oval Office meeting last week that he wouldnt have the votes for the wall.

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Trump crowed about the vote on Twitter, saying: Nancy does not have to apologize. All I want is GREAT BORDER SECURITY!

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) said: Now we find compromise. We have time right now to get it done.

The government funding package, which includes nearly $8 billion in disaster aid for coastal hurricanes and California wildfires, now goes to the Senate, where its prospects are grim amid strong opposition from Democrats. Sixty votes are needed to approve the bill there.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) warned senators they may need to return to Washington for a noontime vote Friday.

Many senators already left town for the holidays. The Senate approved a bipartisan bill late Wednesday to keep the government temporarily funded, with border security money at current levels, $1.3 billion, and no money for the wall. The House had been expected to vote on it Thursday.

The most likely possibility Friday is that the Senate strips the border wall funding out of the bill but keeps the disaster money and sends it back to the House. House lawmakers said they were being told to stay in town for more possible votes.

With Pelosis backing, the Senate-passed bill probably has enough support for House approval with votes mostly from Democratic lawmakers, who are still the minority, and some Republicans.

Others were not so sure. I dont see how we avoid a shutdown, said retiring Rep. Dennis A. Ross (R-Fla.).

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said he was not convinced after a White House meeting with GOP leaders that Trump would sign the Senate bill.

I looked him in the eyes today, and he was serious about not folding without a fight, Meadows said.

Trumps sudden rejection of the Senate-approved legislation, after days of mixed messages, sent Republican leaders scrambling for options on Capitol Hill days before Christmas.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), exiting a hastily called meeting with Trump at the White House, said, Were going to go back and work on adding border security to this, also keeping the government open, because we do want to see an agreement.

By afternoon, Trump shifted his terminology, saying hes not necessarily demanding a border wall but steel slats  similar to the border security fencing already provided for in the bill.

We dont use the word wall, necessarily, but it has to be something special to do the job, Trump said at a farm bill signing at the White House. The nuance could provide Trump a way to try to proclaim victory. The bill would keep funding at current levels for border security, including pedestrian fencing and replacement fences, but not the wall. It requires previously used designs.

Democratic leaders have made clear they will not budge on their opposition to the border wall that Trump campaigned on while saying Mexico would pay for it. Mexico has refused.

The Trump temper tantrum will shut down the government, but it will not get him his wall, said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). Democrats favor border security, Schumer said, but he denounced the wall as ineffective, unnecessary and exorbitantly expensive.
President Trump on Friday threatened that a partial government shutdown would last for a very long time if Congress does not meet his demand for billions in funding for his long-promised border wall in a stopgap spending measure.

In a spate of morning tweets, Trump sought to pin blame on Democrats for a potential shutdown even though he said last week that he would proudly own one if lawmakers did not provide at least $5 billion toward his marquee campaign promise.

And he suggested that Senate rules should be changed if necessary so that Republicans could pass the bill without any Democratic support.

The Democrats, whose votes we need in the Senate, will probably vote against Border Security and the Wall even though they know it is DESPERATELY NEEDED, Trump wrote. If the Dems vote no, there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time. People dont want Open Borders and Crime!

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Trumps warning came ahead of a midnight EST deadline for the president and Congress to come to terms on a spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown that would affect funding for about 25% of the federal agencies whose budgets rely on Congress.

After Trump threatened Thursday to veto a Senate measure that did not contain the border funding he sought, the House hurried to appease the president, pulling together a bill that would keep the government funded through Feb. 8 while also allocating $5.7 billion for the border wall. The House bill also included nearly $8 billion for disaster relief for hurricanes and wildfires.

Democrats, however, have enough votes in the Senate to keep that bill from advancing and have showed no signs of relenting.

The bottom line is simple: the Trump temper tantrum will shut down the government, but it will not get him his wall, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters Thursday night.

In a contentious Oval Office meeting last week with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and Schumer, Trump said he would be proud to shut down the government for border security.

So I will take the mantle, he said. I will be the one to shut it down. I wont blame you for it.

In other tweets Friday, Trump urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to fight hard to pass a bill with the border-wall funding he is seeking.

Senator Mitch McConnell should fight for the Wall and Border Security as hard as he fought for anything, Trump wrote. He will need Democrat votes, but as shown in the House, good things happen. If enough Dems dont vote, it will be a Democrat Shutdown! House Republicans were great yesterday!

Trump also urged McConnell to use the Nuclear Option and get it done!

That is a reference a Senate rule that requires 60 votes to advance most legislation. Trump was advocating that McConnell change the rule so that only 50 votes are required. By doing that, Republicans would be able to pass a bill without Democratic cooperation in a chamber in which Republicans hold 51 seats.

For more than a year, Trump has tried to pressure McConnell to change Senate rules in a way that would allow the chamber to pass legislation with a simple majority.

During the Obama administration, when the Senate was controlled by Democrats, Democrats changed the rules to allow most presidential nominees to advance with a simple majority of votes. During the beginning of the Trump administration, McConnell extended this practice to the nomination of Supreme Court justices, which proved crucial because both of Trumps nominees to the nations highest court won approval by a narrow margin.

But McConnell has resisted such a change for legislation, as have a number of other Republicans, worried about the precedent it would set.

Last year, more than 60 senators from both parties signed a letter to McConnell and Schumer, saying they were opposed to changing the rules in the way Trump has demanded. The letter was signed, among others by Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Roy Blunt of Missouri and John Thune of South Dakota.

In his tweets, Trump also sought to counter Democratic arguments that a border wall is an antiquated strategy for curbing illegal border crossings.

The Democrats are trying to belittle the concept of a Wall, calling it old fashioned, Trump wrote. The fact is there is nothing elses that will work, and that has been true for thousands of years. Its like the wheel, there is nothing better.

Properly designed and built Walls work, and the Democrats are lying when they say they dont, the president added.

Trumps attacks on Twitter came as a number of federal agencies were in the final stages of implementing their shutdown plans.

A number of federal parks and monuments are slated to close, some as soon as Saturday morning. The Securities and Exchange Commission posted a list of the services it will soon suspend, including the processing of certain business records. The Justice Department, Commerce Department and Internal Revenue Service are preparing to send thousands of people home without pay.

And Trumps prediction that a shutdown would last for a very long time means that more than 100,000 federal employees risk missing at least one paycheck, and possibly more. Even the Border Patrol agents and Transportation Security Agency officials who are directed to continue working during the shutdown will not be paid until Congress funds their agencies.

About 480,000 federal workers would be furloughed, according to a Washington Post projection.

The Democrats, whose votes we need in the Senate, will probably vote against Border Security and the Wall even though they know it is DESPERATELY NEEDED. If the Dems vote no, there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time. People dont want Open Borders and Crime!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 21, 2018
If the eyes are a window to the soul, then surely Google searches are a window into our thoughts. And since actress Alyssa Milano drew attention to the #MeToo movement  begun more than a decade earlier by the activist Tarana Burke  with a tweet in October 2017, Americans have been thinking quite a lot about sexual harassment and sexual assault.

That tweet, written after articles in the New York Times and the New Yorker recounted accusations of abusive behavior by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, encouraged other victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault to share their stories as well. They did so in droves: The #MeToo hashtag was tweeted about 300,000 times on that first day alone.

If youve been sexually harassed or assaulted write me too as a reply to this tweet. pic.twitter.com/k2oeCiUf9n  Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 15, 2017

It now appears that Milanos exhortation sent Americans to Google in droves to learn more about what exactly qualified as sexual harassment and sexual assault  and what they could do about it.

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A research team from Harvard Medical School and UC San Diego documented the extent of this self-education campaign by examining trends in Google searches between Jan. 1, 2004, and Oct. 14, 2017, the day before Milanos fateful tweet.

Extrapolating from that data, they used an algorithm to estimate how many times Americans would have searched the terms sexual with harassment and sexual with assault between Oct. 15, 2017, and June 15, 2018, if the #MeToo movement had never happened. They also made predictions about searches involving either of those combinations along with the terms report or reporting, or with train or training.

Then the researchers compared these counterfactual scenarios to the actual number of searches conducted with these keywords during the eight-month period.

Sure enough, online interest in sexual harassment and assault spiked in the U.S., the researchers found.

The post-#MeToo period corresponded with the greatest number of sexual harassment and/or assault searches ever recorded in the United States, the researchers reported Friday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

They exact number of searches was difficult to pin down, but the team wrote that it was somewhere between 40 million and 54 million over the entire 8 months. That was 86% higher than they would have expected in the absence of #MeToo.

The search volume was significantly higher than expected in every week throughout the 8-month span, they added.

The researchers also documented a 30% increase in searches about reporting instances of sexual harassment or sexual assault, along with a 51% increase in searches about training to prevent harassment and assault in the first place. Both of those trends took off a short time after Milanos tweet, according to the study.

Our findings demonstrate the power of grass-roots movements to respond to large-scale public health crises, the team concluded. Public health leaders should respond by investing in enhanced prevention training and improving resources for survivors.

karen.kaplan@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @LATkarenkaplan and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.
While the vast majority of students attending Glendale schools have received their immunizations, a law that went into effect this month prohibits parents who are enrolling their children in public or private schools for the first time from becoming exempt from vaccinations due to personal beliefs.

Senate Bill 277 eliminates parents ability to file a personal-belief waiver that would exempt them from vaccinating their children. For parents who are enrolling their children in Glendale Unified schools, but do not want to vaccinate their children, school officials say those parents will need to pursue home-school options.

Across Glendales roughly 30 schools, 98.7% of the 26,280 students are already vaccinated or in the process of becoming fully immunized, said Kelly King, assistant superintendent of Glendale Unified, during a recent school board meeting.

Students must be vaccinated for polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B and chickenpox, King said.

Approximately 1.3% of Glendale students have received either a medical or personal belief exemption, and have not been immunized.

Twenty students are exempt from immunizations because of medical conditions, while the parents of 315 students have obtained exemptions due to personal beliefs, King said.

Of those 315 students, district administrators will contact the parents of 37 of them because they are currently in either preschool or sixth grade, and they must be fully immunized before they begin kindergarten or seventh grade during the 2016-17 school year to comply with the new law, King said.

For 103 students who are already enrolled in seventh through 12th grades, they will not need to be immunized because they have already entered seventh grade.

Their personal-belief exemptions will stand until they graduate from GUSD or other schools, King said.

School board member Armina Gharpetian asked King what parents, particularly those coming from out of state or out of the country, would need to do to enroll their children in Glendale schools.

To enroll in our schools, they have to be on their way to being fully vaccinated, which means they have to begin their vaccination process. They dont have to be fully completed with it. We let them also know that if this is something that they feel very strongly about, then they do need to pursue home-school options, King said.

I see a huge problem with that, Gharpetian said. But lets see what happens in the future.

Meanwhile, Christine Walters, school board president, noted that the school district must comply with the new law.

Its a good reminder that this was not our idea, and were just implementing the law here, regardless of how we feel, Walters said.

School officials are also mailing information packets to parents and directing them to the districts website, www.gust.net, where there is a list of required vaccinations under the Enrollment Requirements tab.

--

Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com

Twitter: @kellymcorrigan
Caltrans crews installed a sign Thursday renaming a stretch of the 134 Freeway after President Barack Obama.

The renaming was a result of the passage of a resolution authored by state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Canada Flintridge) and U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez.

The measure called for the section of the 134 Freeway between the 2 and 210 freeways to be renamed after the 44th president.

Obama attended Occidental College, which is located near that stretch of the 134 Freeway, from 1979 to 1981 and lived in Pasadena during his sophomore year.

Earlier this year, community members from across Southern California attended a reception hosted by Portantino, Bob and Faye Davidson and Occidental College to donate money for the creation and installation of the signs.

This is an exciting day for Southern California, and it showcases our deep respect and appreciation for President Obama, Portantino said in a statement.

The president has often mentioned his fond memories of living in Pasadena and attending Occidental College, so it was very appropriate to name the portion of the freeway he traveled after him. Our community came together to make this happen. It is an honor to be in a position to have helped facilitate this wonderful symbol of our collective respect for the grace and dignity embodied by our 44th president, he added.

mark.kellam@latimes.com

Twitter: @LAMarkKellam
No contract, no peace, chanted several dozen health-care employees and their union representatives outside USC Verdugo Hills Hospital Wednesday, slicing through an otherwise quiet morning.

Picketers claimed hospital management officials have been dragging their feet during negotiations for a proposed contract that includes employees requests for increases in pay and staffing, as well as free health care, for workers represented by Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, known as SEIU-UHW.

Everything has just been pushed back. We presented our proposal, but they havent responded to anything, said Carlos Martinez, a nursing assistant who has worked at the hospital for seven years.

A bargaining meeting held the day before the picket did not result in meaningful progress, and no firm follow-up date has been set, Martinez said.

The existing contract is set to expire Jan. 31.

If the agreement continues to stall, Martinez said there would likely be additional picketing and even a potential strike.

Hospital management, including chief executive Keith Hobbs, declined to comment through a spokesperson.

Meanwhile, as workers marched and bullhorns blared outside the hospital, surgical buyer Andrew Brown held a simultaneous anti-union gathering in one of the hospitals conference rooms.

Since October, Brown has been fighting to dissolve the union formed three years ago, when he filed a petition that was rejected by the National Labor Relations Board, or NLRB, because it arrived two days too late.

According to Brown, he has the support of a majority of the 230 workers in the bargaining unit, which includes patient services representatives, obstetrics technicians and phlebotomists.

He plans to resubmit a petition on Jan. 2  the earliest date he can.

What the union was telling us was lies... and the majority of the people in the unit have realized that, said Brown, referring to what he said was an unfulfilled promise by union leaders to secure 5% pay raises.

Grisell Rodriguez, who is leading SEIUs field campaign for the contract, said hospital management promised employees the same raise if they voted to dissolve the union.

If an employer wanted to give a 5% raise, they wouldnt be stalling on the proposal that we gave, Rodriguez said.

Pointing out that a decertification petition requires only 30% of a bargaining units support to file, Rodriguez also dismissed Browns claim to have a majority of workers behind him.

Over the course of the contentious battle that has been playing out between pro- and anti-union forces at the hospital since Brown filed his petition, Hobbs has said several times that he supports all employees, whether they want representation or not.

Inheriting a financially failing hospital in January 2016, Hobbs in October said the morale was low all around the medical facility.

He previously said hes helped instill a cultural and financial shift by cultivating personal relationships and introducing meritocratic raises.

Now they feel they have enough trust in leadership that they dont need a third party to represent them anymore, Hobbs said after Brown filed the decertification petition.

On Wednesday, Martinez denied having that type of relationship with the relatively new management.

When it comes to my living, and theyre not willing to help me improve that, when I come here and work hard for them, it makes it hard to really trust them, Martinez said.

The biggest sticking point is low staffing levels, which some of the workers think jeopardizes their safety and the safety of patients, Martinez said, adding that, in particular, there is a need for more personnel psychiatric units.

When someone is taking care of three patients, as opposed to one, thats a safety-hazard concern, Rodriguez said.

No employees showed up at Browns lunchtime meeting, which he attributed to a combination of the unions bullying tactics and the fact that it was difficult for employees to take time off from work.

About 100 employees signed up to take turns marching during the two-hour picket, according to Martinez. Roughly 40 people were marching at any given time.

David Acosta, a consultant not employed by the hospital and the only attendee at Browns meeting, questioned whether the majority of the marchers were hospital employees, suggesting they could be union employees or paid protesters.

lila.seidman@latimes.com

Twitter: @lila_seidman
Three decades ago there was a historic Christmas Eve radio address that then-President Ronald Reagan gave titled President Reagans Radio Address to the Nation on the Holiday Season and the Earthquake in Armenia in the Oval Office. It is archived in his presidential library.

Reagan talked about love and peace. He greeted a forgotten nation on that night in late December 1988, saying, In Armenia the birth of our Lord is not celebrated until Jan. 6. It is an Armenian tradition that priests travel to the homes of their flock and there make a special blessing with bread, water and salt, representing life and substance 

Reagans last Christmas address was historic because the Spitak earthquake had hit Armenia on Dec. 7 of that year, a harshly cold winter day during the Cold War Era. Armenia had not yet regained its independence. The Iron Curtain separated Soviet Union countries from the outside world.

Within three days American rescuers arrived in Armenia to find survivors buried under the rubble. The entire town of Spitak was practically erased from the face of the Earth, Russian TV reported.

Reagan crossed all political boundaries to reach out and touch the Armenian nation, where 50,000 to 100,000 people perished, 140,000 or more were injured, and 500,000 to 700,000 people lost their homes. Thats the power of President Ronald Reagans love manifested through Christ.

Rachel Melikian

Glendale
Mark your calendars for Jan. 12, Feb. 9 and March 9 to help with the annual bald eagle count in the San Bernardino National Forest. No experience is necessary for citizen scientists who want to help tally the migrating eagles that winter in the San Bernardino Mountains each year.

The bald eagle, native to North America, became the national bird in 1782. But the number of eagles dwindled, partly because they were hunted and also because of DDT and other pesticides that weakened their eggshells

Big Bear Lake is home to a growing tourist economy and a small band of bald eagles. But for how long? 

By the 1960s, fewer than 450 nesting pairs remained. The bird was placed on the Endangered Species List in the late 1970s. The population has recovered enough to be removed from endangered and threatened species status. There are now about 9,700 pairs in the contiguous U.S., the Fish and Wildlife Service estimates.

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Citizen scientists are welcome to help with the bald eagle study now in its 40th year. (San Bernardino National Forest)

Volunteers, dressed for winter weather and carrying binoculars and a watch or other device so they can note the time they spot an eagle, may gather at these places for orientation and to learn how to help with the count:

8 a.m. Big Bear Lake Discovery Center, 40971 North Shore Drive (California State Route 38) and also at the Skyforest Work Center, 28104 California State Route 18 in the Lake Arrowhead/Lake Gregory area. Info: (909) 382-2790 or (909) 382-2832. You also may call the latter number by 6:30 the morning of the count to check whether there is a weather-related cancellation.

8 a.m. Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area park office, 14651 Cedar Circle, Hesperia. Info: (760) 389-2303 or (760) 389-2281.

8:30 a.m. at the Lake Hemet Market, 56570 California State Route 75, Mountain Center;

8 a.m. Lake Perris Yai Heki Regional Indian Museum, 17801 Lake Perris Drive, Perris, in the Lake Perris State Recreation Area; (951) 940-5657.

Typically 10 to 20 bald eagles call the San Bernardino mountains their home in winter. (San Bernardino National Forest)

The San Bernardinos host the largest number of migrating eagles in Southern California. In typical years about 10 to 20 eagles make their temporary home in the local mountains. Last year, volunteers counted 15 bald eagles, including two chicks born at a nest in Big Bear.

Here are tips for wannabe eagle counters.

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel
Mexico is facing a prospective new influx of Central American asylum-seekers  possibly numbering in the tens of thousands  from the United States in coming months because of a new Trump administration crackdown on illegal immigration.

But Mexicos top immigration official has said the country is not prepared to handle fresh waves of migrants facing months and possibly years of delay before the resolution of asylum petitions filed in the United States.

We cant receive them, Tonatiuh Guillen, who heads Mexicos National Migration Institute, told reporters Thursday. We dont have the capacity.

He did not specify how long it would take for Mexico to be ready.

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Under the new U.S. policy, unveiled Thursday in Washington, migrants filing for asylum along the Southwest border will be sent back to Mexico while their applications are reviewed, a process that can drag on for months or years.

The asylum applicants will be free to remain in Mexico on humanitarian visas and will be eligible for work permits while their cases are pending in U.S. immigration courts, the Mexican Foreign Ministry said.

They will not be detained, Alejandro Alday, a legal advisor for the Mexican Foreign Ministry, told reporters in Mexico City.

The asylum seekers returned to Mexico would not be forced to remain in northern border cities such as Tijuana  which has been scrambling to provide housing, food, medical services and other aid for thousands of Central America migrants who have arrived in recent caravans with the hope of crossing into the United States.

However, Mexican officials have not clarified whether those sent back to Mexico under the new U.S. policy would likewise be provided with shelter and other needs at government expense as they awaited the results of asylum claims.

They will be in a dignified position in our country, Alday said, adding that the returned migrants would arrive in a situation of enormous vulnerability.

Criminal gangs have long preyed on Central American migrants in Mexico. A pair of Honduran teens who traveled to the border as part of a recent caravan were slain in Tijuana last weekend in connection with what police called a robbery.

Some observers were already predicting that the policy shift would present substantial new burden for towns along Mexicos northern frontier.

Get ready for a humanitarian crisis on the border, more serious than the one that already exists, Denise Dresser, a Mexico City-based political scientist and columnist, wrote in a Twitter message.

It is impossible to predict how many asylum seekers will be returned to Mexico under the new guidelines. Analysts said the new policy may dissuade some people from applying and cause others to abandon their U.S. cases rather than be stuck in Mexico for months or years.

In the most recent fiscal year, U.S. border authorities detained more than 90,000 foreigners, mostly Central Americans, who claimed credible fear of returning to their homelands, the first step in the asylum process. The Trump administration calls most of the claims bogus.

Shelters in Mexican border cities such as Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez and Matamoros are already mostly full, according to human rights advocates.

Even before Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office on Dec. 1, his representatives have been in discussions about the matter with the Trump administration . How to deal with the migration crisis  and not be seen as caving in to U.S. demands  has been a major focus of the new government here. But both Mexico and the United States called the latest shift in asylum policy a unilateral move by Washington.

Lopez Obrador has sought to have an amicable relationship with Trump, who has threatened to close the border and cut aid to Central America if something was not done to stem the influx of U.S.-bound migrants traversing Mexican territory.

Staff writer Kate Linthicum and Cecilia Sanchez of The Times Mexico City bureau contributed to this article.

patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

Twitter: @PmcdonnellLAT
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's National People's Congress (NPC) expressed strong indignation at and firm opposition to the United States on its signing into law of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018, said a statement issued by the NPC Foreign Affairs Committee Thursday night.

The act, which smears the opening-up policy of China's Tibet and fanfares to take a discriminatory visa policy towards related Chinese officials in the so-called "reciprocal principle," is against the basic norms of international relations and a gross interference in China's domestic affairs, said the statement.

It has sent a seriously wrong message to "Tibetan independence" forces, the statement said.

Stressing that Tibet affairs are purely China's domestic affairs and allow no interference from other countries, the statement said China's Tibet and Tibetan areas in the other four provinces are open to people from around the world.

Since 2015, the number of visitors to Tibet and these regions from the United States alone has reached nearly 40,000, including multiple delegations of U.S. Congressmen received by the NPC, it said.

Meanwhile, taking into consideration factors such as Tibet's special geographic and climatic conditions, the Chinese government has taken certain administrative measures in accordance with laws and regulations for foreigners to enter Tibet, which are totally necessary and give no ground for blame, the statement said.

The act's accusations against China disregard the facts and are full of prejudice, and completely unacceptable by the Chinese side, it said.

"If the U.S. side implement the act, it will definitely cause serious damage to bilateral relations including exchanges between legislative bodies of both countries, and China will take forceful measures to resolutely safeguard its own interests," said the statement.

China's door to the outside world will open wider and wider, so will Tibet, it said, adding that China welcomes more foreigners to visit, travel and do business in Tibetan areas.

The policy will not change. However, the prerequisite is that China's law and related regulations must be strictly abided by and necessary procedures must be carried out, it said.

"We urge the United States to fully recognize the high sensitivity of Tibet-related issues, scrupulously honor its promises, stop using Tibet-related issues to interfere in China's domestic affairs," it said.

The U.S. side should also take effective measures to eliminate adverse effects brought by the act and not to implement the act in order to avoid severely impairing China-U.S. relations and bilateral cooperation in key areas, the statement said.
If President Trump withdraws up to half of the 14,000 U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan, it would undermine a nascent U.S.-backed peace process and the confidence of a Kabul government that American taxpayers have spent more than $2 billion to support, Afghans said Friday.

Many Afghans said reports that U.S. officials were developing plans to pull the troops out by summer  a sharp U-turn after Trump pumped more troops into combat duty in Afghanistan last year  would deliver a boost to the Taliban insurgency.

The news came hours after Trumps point man for the peace process, Zalmay Khalilzad, visited Kabul and said the U.S. was prepared to continue to fight to ensure Afghanistan didnt again become a haven for Al Qaeda and other extremists who were once sheltered by a Taliban government.

If we achieve that through peace, then we will continue, but if the Taliban are not prepared for that and war continues, then we will stand by the Afghan government and people, Khalilzad said, according to a transcript of an interview with the Tolo news network.

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Khalilzad had concluded more than two weeks of meetings with officials in eight countries  including representatives of the Taliban  to build support for peace talks between the Taliban and the Kabul government.

Khalilzad said Taliban officials had told him we cannot defeat you militarily and that Middle Eastern partners who are believed to have leverage with the Taliban and the Kabul government  including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates  had proposed a three-month cease-fire as a starting point for negotiations.

The Taliban did not respond to requests for comment.

It was not immediately clear how halving the U.S. troop presence would affect the Pentagons ability to wage a war now in its 18th year. Some analysts said the decision would bolster the Talibans long-held view that the U.S. would eventually give up on its military intervention in Afghanistan.

The Trump administration is giving the Taliban victories, and the talks have not even begun, tweeted Ahmad Shuja, an Afghan political analyst and editor of the Georgetown Public Policy Review.

The U.S. military has increased airstrikes and put more of its troops in harms way this year to shore up the struggling Afghan security forces, which have been leading the war effort since 2015.

The effort has not been extremely successful. The Taliban has steadily gained ground, controlling large chunks of the Afghan countryside and threatening to overrun major provincial capitals as the Afghan military and police suffer increasing casualties and attrition.

Many Afghans greeted the reports of a U.S. drawdown with dismay.

Withdrawing 7,000 troops in few weeks seems a very hasty decision, which will create a security void among Afghan forces, said Henaa Salehi, a 23-year-old lawyer.

The exit of [foreign] troops is to happen ultimately but should be carried out through a strategic process that allows the Afghan government to prepare to fill the gap.

Salehi said young Afghans were concerned about losing the foundation built over two decades since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban government.

The Afghan government issued a terse statement saying it was prepared to ensure the security of its country.

We believe that the withdrawal of several thousand foreign forces responsible for training and providing technical assistance will not affect the security situation in any way because the countrys security and defense forces have been leading the security and defense responsibilities of the country, the statement said.

Afghan officials have already expressed their displeasure with Trumps push for peace talks because Taliban representatives have refused to meet with envoys from the Kabul government, insisting they first want the U.S. to agree to pull out all foreign troops from Afghanistan.

President Ashraf Ghanis government has insisted that any peace process be Afghan-led, and some of his aides have reportedly felt betrayed by Trumps apparent haste to bring U.S. involvement in the war to an end.

Our people want lasting peace, not a hurried deal that ignores our sacrifices, Hamdullah Mohib, Ghanis national security advisor and a former Afghan ambassador to Washington, tweeted Thursday. Peace efforts require strategic patience, tact, and courage  not improvisation without direction.

In the interview Thursday, Khalilzad acknowledged that Trump was eager to end the war, having promised to do so during the 2016 presidential campaign.

But it should not be misinterpreted, Khalilzad said. We want peace here with respect to set objectives  that Afghanistan will not be a threat for the U.S.  and that we have a positive relationship with Afghanistan.

Intizar Khadim, a political analyst in Kabul, said he did not believe Trump would push to withdraw all U.S. troops, a decision that would likely face pushback from congressional hawks.

I am sure President Trump will not be able to convince hard-core Republicans  to put an absolute end to the Afghan military mission, Khadim said. He will cut the troop numbers for two reasons  to heed the Taliban demand on a U.S. exit for a peace deal and to fulfill his campaign promise.

Furhan Khalil, a 28-year-old linguist and photographer, said the U.S. drawdown will affect the morale of our security forces and on the other hand improve the morale of the Taliban.

I believe there will be more crime and suicide attacks.

Special correspondent Faizy reported from Kabul and Times staff writer Bengali from Singapore.

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Shashank Bengali is Southeast Asia correspondent for The Times. Follow him on Twitter at @SBengali
Our Back Pages

Issue #171

Issue Date: Summer 2010

Editor: John Barton

Pages: 110

Number of contributors: 26

Buy Issue 171: Print Edition

Why did the most correct word have to be so unsuitable? Why did it sometimes feel wrong? In Tony Tulathimuttes Brains  the winner of Malahats 2010 Novella Prize  the central frustration of the protagonist is the correctness of language. Diana, a neurosurgery resident, adheres to a more rigorous logic of language than most. She expresses a wish for stupidity and intelligence to [pass] through one another like waves at different frequencies, so that the pandemonium of incorrectness and everywhere half-truth and agreed-upon falsehoodwould appear only as turbulent, benign silence. Her commitment to dualisms  stupidity and intelligence, true and false, brain and body  only begins to disintegrate when Diana wonders whether she herself has communicated her desires poorly.

In her creative nonfiction piece Always, Jessica Kluthe demonstrates the way in which writing can constitute a life. Her childhood is a collection of intentional mis-hearings in response to moments of familial rupture. Upon witnessing her father hit her mother, Kluthe writes: My brother Jack yelled outside to our neighbour, Darrens gone psycho. I switched all the words around in my head. Someone Stole My Motorcycle. Language intervenes. Sonofabitch becomes Sunonthebeach. Life can be hard; sometimes language can soften it.

Along with the prose, there are many poems to love in this issue. In Steven Heightons Jetlag, air travel is disorienting but also an opportunity to urge to mind moments that lodge you / deep in a life. In At the Gravel Pit / Without a Word Mary di Michele imagines Pier Paolo Pasolinis boyhood desire. Faisal Siddiqui describes learning the ghazal; and Aislinn Hunter lessens the miracle of a new love the longer she stays. In spite of its failings, language is, at its core, an instrument of interaction and explorationwith other people, yes, but with other things as well: in Suzanne Robertsons Poem for Goodnight, even a cockroach is noteworthy.

Alana Friend Lettner
Genetics research, conceptual artwork. [PHOTO/CHINA DAILY]

Medical experts and authorities in South China will compile a list of ethics regulations for human biomedical studies, a move that comes on the heels of strong condemnation of a Chinese researcher who claimed to have made the world's first genetically edited babies.

A meeting to discuss new regulations was held in Guangdong province by Shenzhen PKU-HKUST Medical Center on Tuesday. The center is a research institution established by the Shenzhen government, Peking University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

The Health and Family Planning Commission of Shenzhen told China Daily that drawing up such regulations was already in the annual plan for this year and has "no relation with other events".

Biological researcher He Jiankui announced last month that twin baby girls had been born in Shenzhen after their embryos were genetically edited for immunity to HIV infection.

In a signed statement, more than 120 scholars from prestigious universities and institutes strongly condemned the research, saying it lacked proper ethical oversight and amounted to experimentation on humans.

Lei Ruipeng, a professor of philosophy of biological science at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, told Science and Technology Daily that the case revealed issues about the supervision and review of biomedical research ethics in medical and health organizations.

She believes improving scientific ethics is an issue that can't be avoided if the country wants to become a powerful technology giant.

Ethics regulations for human-related research were set out by the former National Health and Family Planning Commissionnow the National Health Commissionin 2007 and renewed in 2016.

In 2015, Shanghai released China's first regional rulethe Standards and Operational Guidance for Ethical Review of Biomedical Research Involved Human Participants.

The Shenzhen government established its own ethics review committee in April 2017, and all human research is required to be examined by the committee.

Xiao Ping, director of the committee, hosted several meetings this year to draft a regional standard for medical science ethics, including a review process, categories, quality control and evaluation system.

Zhai Xiaomei, a professor and deputy director of the Center for Bioethics of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, said the national guidance on medical science ethics is already comprehensive, so the key for national and regional regulations is implementation and supervision.
2018 APAC Effie Awards

Francis Flores

Jollibee remains the most awarded quick service restaurant in the country this year with its industry-leading marketing campaigns that have won the approval of experts and audiences from around the world. To date, the well-loved fast-food chain has garnered more than 50 major recognitions from prestigious award-giving bodies in the country and abroad.Reaping the most awards and recognitions for the countrys leading fast-food chain is its game changing brand love campaign with creative agency McCann World Group Philippines, the #KwentongJollibee Valentine Series which captured millions of hearts when it was launched in February 2017. The trilogy that encouraged viewers to celebrate the joy of love with the now iconic Vow, Crush and Date stories remains one of the most viral campaigns in recent history and started the trend of heartfelt brand stories told in long form videos in the Philippines. It was one of the campaigns which shone brightest at the 2018 APAC Effie Awards in Singapore as Jollibee went home with 2 Golds, 1 Silver, and 2 Bronze trophies. The brand also bested other companies from all over Asia to win Brand of the Year (2 nd place) and Marketer of the Year (3 rd place) awards. The Effie Awards recognizes the regions most outstanding marketing communication works that brought results in meeting strategic objectives. It was one of the campaigns which shone brightest at the 2018 APAC Effie Awards in Singapore as Jollibee went home with 2 Golds, 1 Silver, and 2 Bronze trophies. The brand also bested other companies from all over Asia to win Brand of the Year (2 nd place) and Marketer of the Year (3 rd place) awards. The Effie Awards recognizes the regions most outstanding marketing communication works that brought results in meeting strategic objectives. Kwentong Jollibee also received the Bronze recognition for Tangrams Effectiveness at Spikes Asia 2018 for its innovative digital marketing strategy that stood above the rest of Asia Pacific brands. The Tangrams is headed by a panel of top client and agency professionals who review campaigns that have transformed businesses and brands. The campaign was likewise shortlisted as one of the best for having driven results in Asia at the WARC Prize for Asian Strategy. Moreover, it was also one of only three campaign finalists from the Philippines at the New York Festivals International Advertising Awards 2018, earning a shortlist spot in the Creative Marketing Effectiveness category. At the 2018 Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards, the brand went home with several more top awards led by its 2 Golds and 1 Bronze for outstanding brand storytelling for Kwentong Jollibee. Its other campaigns such as the Grandparents Day IMC and Jolly Spaghetti advocacy campaign also managed to score Gold and Silver metals, respectively. At the 2018 Kidlat Awards, Jollibee took home a Silver for its record-breaking Vow and Bronze for the rest of the videos under the Valentine trilogy. The brands winning streak for its Valentine series continues with its 2018 lineup Homecoming, Signs, and Statustaking the spotlight during the YouTube Ads Leaderboard Philippines for 1 st semester of 2018. All three videos, along with the Alex Wassabi for Jolly Crispy Fries, made it to the list of the most watched YouTube ads in the country during the period. This is the first time in the history of the YouTube Philippines Leaderboard that a brand dominated their semesterly ranking by claiming four out of the ten spots.Jollibee has also launched various online thematic campaigns that put the spotlight on its flagship products and other delicious food offerings, as well as engaging PR campaigns, events and activations that resulted to sustained brand buzz. Among these are the Jollibee Chickenjoy Perfect Pairs Campaign, Yes to Jollibee Burger Steak with Anne Curtis, The Return of the Choco Mallow Pie, and the Jollibee Family Values Awards, among others, which contributed to Jollibees great haul of metals from the PR industrys top award-giving bodies such as the Anvil and Philippine Quill Awards. For us in Jollibee, we always want to create campaigns that are relevant and engaging forour market. We are constantly thinking outside of the box and challenging ourselves to deliver unforgettable and effective digital marketing and PR campaigns that will help further drive sales and foster brand love, said Francis Flores, Jollibees Brand Chief Marketing Officer and PH Marketing Head. We share the international recognitions that we have received with the Filipinos who love the brand. These awards are a proof that the Philippines can indeed compete with foreign brands when it comes to world class advertising, PR and marketing.For his tireless efforts to steer the well-loved Filipino brand to global prominence, Flores himself was recognized by Campaign Asia as one of the 50 Most Influential Brand Marketers in the Asia Pacific region. The first-ever list drawn up by Campaign Asias Editorial Team honors the regions best marketers for adapting and taking advantage of the digitization of their customer experience and sales models using connected channels, to reach a loyal base and deliver a strong brand purpose. Flores is the only Filipino to be included in the so-called Asia Pacific Power List of 2018. The Campaign Asia write-up on Flores reads: This was a great year for Jollibee, as the Filipino chain continues to evolve into a truly global brand. Opening its first European venues in Italy and the UK, and sweeping up awards at events such as the APAC Effies were just a few noteworthy touchstones. Jollibees success is no sudden lightning bolt, however, but the culmination of more than a decade of work by its CMO, Francis Flores. For many Filipinos, Jollibee isnt just a fast-food chain. Controlling over half the market, it is intrinsically part of the community, and Flores has doubled down on this identity, championing campaigns that put a focus on warm hearts rather than hungry bellies. Events under Flores stewardship, such as the Jollibee Family Values Awards (now in its eight year) have helped humanized the chain but it is the social-media dominating Kwentong Jollibee online video series of 2017-2018 that has been Flores absolute triumph."With a growing number of global distinctions and accolades bestowed on the fast-food chain, people can look forward to more breakthrough and highly-effective marketing campaigns from Jollibee that showcase the Filipino brand of creativity in whatever communications channel and platform.
Since the beginning of the crisis of 2008, anti-immigrant parties and movements have made headway in Europe and the United States. They have even managed to win over certain layers of the working class to their programme. This has led a section of the labour movement to adapt itself to these ideas, calling for stricter border controls, justifying its position with quotations from Marx. Such short-sighted policies have nothing to do with Marx or the traditions of the First, Second or Third International, as we shall demonstrate.

A very thorough treatment of this question in relation to Italy is available in Italian by Mauro Vanetti: Lotta di classe, mormoro lo spettro. Una miniserie in due puntate

Marx on Brexit

One of the main fields in which this discussion has played out has been on the question of Brexit. In particular, right-wing politicians have drawn the conclusion that the reason behind Brexit was that workers were racist and therefore we have to listen to their concerns. This also affected the trade union movement, where a number of leading union officials have come out in one way or another for more restrictions on immigration.

On 19 December, Unite the Union leader, Len McCluskey penned an article entitled a second Brexit referendum risks tearing our society apart. In general, the article is a sensible critique of the movement for a second referendum, which indeed does threaten to tear the Labour Party apart. However, in the article, McCluskey returns to the theme of border controls. He calls for an end to imported agency labour where it undercuts local term and conditions:

The principle is simple  ensure that everyone is paid the rate for the job; that union agreements prevail, and an end is put to the scandal of agency labour being imported by unscrupulous companies simply because it is cheaper than hiring local labour. Migrant workers are not to blame for this, but the system that allows greedy bosses to abuse all workers. May is silent on this.

This is correct. The Labour movement must fight against any attempts to undermine the positions it has already conquered. This includes the EUs Posted Workers Directive, which has opened the door for what is effectively the import of strikebreakers from other parts of Europe. However, then he continues, and this is where he steps over a line from what is a correct position to a dangerous one:

The working-class movement will always fight against racism  and exploitation too. And any trade unionist will know that our strength always needs underpinning by control of the labour supply  a deregulated free market for labour power works no better than it does in any other part of life.

This common sense rhetoric hides quite a pernicious demand: that we should allow the capitalists to determine the labour supply. He implies that somehow the trade unions could control the labour supply, but he doesn't even spell it out, because he knows that's not on the agenda. Hes referring to the bourgeois state controlling immigration, at the head of which at the moment is a very anti-union government. In reality, this is an appeal for the bourgeois to limit immigration, not for immigration control by the labour movement. If he was arguing for the closed shop, where only union members are allowed to work, a Marxist would find no reason to object, but thats not what hes saying here.

Of course, one could argue, if the Labour Party came to power, that would change things. However, it wouldnt fundamentally change anything. The state would remain a bourgeois state, and the economic system would remain capitalist. The idea that the largely right-wing civil service would come up with a proposal for immigration levels to benefit the labour movement, as opposed to big business, is naive. In reality, McCluskey knows hes on shaky ground, which is why he attempts to use Marx and anti-capitalist rhetoric to defend his position.

The art of selective quotations

On 24 December 2016, McCluskey published an article in the British Communist Party paper, Morning Star as part of his re-election campaign. The article is clearly directed towards Len McCluskeys left opponent, Ian Allinson, who wrote an article a few days earlier supporting the rights of workers to move freely.

Among other arguments, Allinson cites the example of women in the workplace, and its a good analogy. The demand for women to stay out of the workplace and the unions was a reactionary, divisive demand, and helped bosses create different rates for women and men and thereby use women to undermine male workers pay and conditions. All the objections that are made to the presence of migrant workers were made about women workers in the past. There is no reason to treat immigrants differently.

In order to defend his position, McCluskey quotes Marxs address to the First International in preparation of the Lausanne Congress:

A study of the struggle waged by the English working class reveals that, in order to oppose their workers, the employers either bring in workers from abroad or else transfer manufacture to countries where there is a cheap labour force.

From this little snippet, McCluskey is attempting to infer that Marx supported border controls. But if we read the full paragraph, we get a rather different picture:

The power of the human individual has disappeared before the power of capital, in the factory the worker is now nothing but a cog in the machine. In order to recover his individuality, the worker has had to unite together with others and create associations to defend his wages and his life. Until today these associations had remained purely local, while the power of capital, thanks to new industrial inventions, is increasing day by day; furthermore in many cases national associations have become powerless: a study of the struggle waged by the English working class reveals that, in order to oppose their workers, the employers either bring in workers from abroad or else transfer manufacture to countries where there is a cheap labour force. Given this state of affairs, if the working class wishes to continue its struggle with some chance of success, the national organisations must become international. (Marx, On the Lausanne Congress)

Marx recognises the problem: that employers are using national divisions and borders in order to pit the working class against itself. However, his solution isnt managed migration, but international organisation. Marx calls for increased cooperation between labour movements across borders. Indeed, the particular passage quoted is from the Lausanne Congress of the International Working Mens Association (the First International), which Marx dedicated himself to building.

The actual proposal that McCluskey quotes in his article  to ban employers from importing labour without collective bargaining agreements  in reality doesnt mean very much, but the rhetoric hints at much more than that. In reality the article is an attempt to establish a left cover for managed migration, by which he clearly means reduced migration. This has been the catch-all phrase for the Labour Partys migration policy for at least two decades, from Tony Blairs detention centres, to Browns slogan British jobs for British workers (launched at a trade union conference in 2007), to Milibands Controls on Immigration mug.

In order to defend his position in favour of border controls, McCluskey quotes Marx very selectively, obscuring his main point about the necessity of internationalism and unity between local and migrant labour / Image: Flickr garryknight

What would be a correct demand, which McClusky did raise in his article on 19 December this year, is to ban bosses from employing foreign workers on a lower wage than workers already there. This was part of a programme approved by Marx.

One example, from the history of McCluskeys own union, is the much-publicised Lindsey Oil Refinery strikes, where workers did precisely fight against undercutting terms and conditions by the Posted Workers Directive. In this strike, local shop stewards fought to maintain an internationalist point of view against the establishment racists, who were trying without success to take over the strike. The shop stewards demanded that all workers, regardless of nationality, should be subject to the same conditions. The struggle was won after winning over the foreign workers to the strike, something that could never have been achieved if there had been an ounce of xenophobia in the campaign.

The type of rhetoric that McCluskey employs would have made it more difficult to win over the foreign workers to the demands of the British workers. The trade union bureaucracy at the time, incidentally, was susceptible to the xenophobic slogan of the tabloid newspapers (picked up from Gordon Brown): British jobs for British workers. This slogan was picked up by then union leader Derek Simpson, who was supposed to be a left-winger. Clearly the workers, through their struggle, were able to develop a far better position on this question than the tops of the trade unions.

Incidentally, a section of the left, ever eager to find evidence of racism among the working class, labelled the strike racist and opposed it. Such ultra-left stupidity serves only the interests of the bosses, and would have pushed the less class-conscious workers into the hands of the establishment racists.

In this dispute, the workers were right and the union leaders were utterly wrong. This is no accident. The workers in struggle will discover the need to unite with their brothers and sisters from other countries. Its the narrow-minded reformist mentality that leads the union leaders to always find a solution acceptable to the capitalists.

One might add that, in the late 19th and early 20th century, strike breakers were often imported from other countries. When Marx set up the First International, one of its main tasks was to fight such practices. How was this done? By winning over migrant workers to the union and building links between workers in different countries through the medium of the International.

The success that the First International had proved to the workers, particularly in Britain, the importance of internationalism. The same methods were employed by the Second International, with much success. It wouldnt have crossed Marxs mind to campaign for border controls. Theres a world of difference between arguing that all workers in Britain should be working under the same pay and conditions, and arguing for a ban or limit on foreign workers. The former serves to unite the working class, the latter to divide it.

The ethical-political problem of Zizek

Zizek always enjoys courting controversy. Sometimes he makes valid points, but his ability to see hypocrisy and contradictions in other peoples thinking is far greater than his ability to actually propose an alternative. This has also been true on the question of immigration.

For some reason, Zizek digresses into the question of immigration and refugees when writing an article about the French yellow vests:

The same holds for our big ethical-political problem: how to deal with the flow of refugees? The solution is not to just open the borders to all who want to come in, and to ground this openness in our generalised guilt (our colonisation is our greatest crime which we will have to repay forever. If we remain at this level, we serve perfectly the interests of those in power who foment the conflict between immigrants and the local working class (which feels threatened by them) and retain their superior moral stance. 

The analysis is only skin deep. Of course, there is petty-bourgeois moralising when it comes to refugees. A lot of charities love engaging with refugees, particularly when they are far away on some other continent. However, it is quite insufficient to note this and counterpose it to the question of class struggle. In reality, there is a great sense of solidarity between working class people of different backgrounds, and this was more important in the Refugee Welcome movement than any kind of ethical considerations or sense of guilt.

Like so many middle-class intellectuals, Zizek conceives of workers as uninterested in international solidarity or theoretical aspects of the class struggle / Image: Flickr, Secom UnB

Like so many middle-class intellectuals, Zizek basically conceives of workers as uninterested in international solidarity or theoretical aspects of the class struggle, and only interested in their next paycheck. In their treatment of this subject, such intellectuals reveal their low opinion of the working class. It is, for a related reason, also incorrect to pose the question as fundamentally an ethical one, and declare it a distraction, as he does in the lines:

The moment one begins to think in this direction, the politically correct left instantly cries fascism  see the ferocious attacks on Angela Nagle for her outstanding essay 'The Left Case against Open Borders'. Again, the 'contradiction' between advocates of open borders and populist anti-immigrants is a false 'secondary contradiction', whose ultimate function is to obfuscate the need to change the system itself: the entire international economic system which, in its present form, gives rise to refugees.

Zizek is, of course, correct that, fundamentally, the main struggle must be to change society. But in this struggle, the issue of refugees and immigration will only become obfuscating if the question is posed in the wrong way. In a sense, that is precisely what his own article does. Immigration and refugees are a very important matter that must be addressed, but the question must be given a socialist answer, not an ethical one.

Marx and the Irish national question

Zizek refers to an article by Angela Nagle in the conservative American Affairs in November, entitled The Left Case against Open Borders, which has faced much criticism, and some praise, from the left. It is noteworthy because, again, it attempts to use Marx to justify opposition to immigration. The passage that Nagle has chosen is a letter by Marx to two US members of the First International:

Owing to the constantly increasing concentration of leaseholds, Ireland constantly sends her own surplus to the English labour market, and thus forces down wages and lowers the material and moral position of the English working class. And most important of all! Every industrial and commercial centre in England now possesses a working class divided into two hostile camps, English proletarians and Irish proletarians. The ordinary English worker hates the Irish worker as a competitor who lowers his standard of life. In relation to the Irish worker he regards himself as a member of the ruling nation and consequently he becomes a tool of the English aristocrats and capitalists against Ireland, thus strengthening their domination over himself. He cherishes religious, social, and national prejudices against the Irish worker. His attitude towards him is much the same as that of the poor whites to the Negroes in the former slave states of the U.S.A. The Irishman pays him back with interest in his own money. He sees in the English worker both the accomplice and the stupid tool of the English rulers in Ireland. This antagonism is artificially kept alive and intensified by the press, the pulpit, the comic papers, in short, by all the means at the disposal of the ruling classes. This antagonism is the secret of the impotence of the English working class, despite its organisation. It is the secret by which the capitalist class maintains its power. And the latter is quite aware of this.

This is a very clear analysis where Marx points out that the Irish migrants were pitted against English workers in England in the second half of the 19th century and that this division was to the detriment of the class struggle in England. The fact that Marx pointed this out should not really surprise anyone. What should interest us here is not Marxs observational skills, but the solution he proposes, something Nagle doesnt see fit to include:

England, the metropolis of capital, the power which has up to now ruled the world market, is at present the most important country for the workers revolution, and moreover the only country in which the material conditions for this revolution have reached a certain degree of maturity. It is consequently the most important object of the International Working Mens Association to hasten the social revolution in England. The sole means of hastening it is to make Ireland independent. Hence, it is the task of the International everywhere to put the conflict between England and Ireland in the foreground, and everywhere to side openly with Ireland. It is the special task of the Central Council in London to make the English workers realise that for them the national emancipation of Ireland is not a question of abstract justice or humanitarian sentiment but the first condition of their own social emancipation. (Emphasis in original)

This really gets to the heart of the matter. Marx is arguing for the English workers to unite with the Irish workers by supporting their cause for independence, and for the First International to take up this cause. Thereby, the English and Irish workers would be united in struggle against English capital and English Imperialism. It should be noted as well that he puts the onus on the English workers to take up this call, in order to win over the Irish workers to their side. This is completely different than arguing for border controls.

The policies of Marx and the First International had nothing in common with the provincialism of the current union tops / Image: public domain

Nagle appears to have simply copied the quote from an article by David L Wilson in Monthly Review. In this article, he argues that it would be wrong to belittle those worried about the role of immigration in depressing wages, which is correct in so far as it goes. However, this argument, without further clarification, could easily be used to justify something quite reactionary. Wilson doesnt do that. Instead he uses the quote appropriately, to argue for unity of workers across national boundaries: that we need to take up the opposition to US foreign policy and to unite migrant and non-migrant workers. This is correct. He also argues against a couple of particularly pernicious policies of the US government against migrant workers. Yet, he leaves the fundamental theoretical question of borders unresolved.

Such a lack of clarity opens the door for other interpretations. Angela Nagle follows Wilson in arguing for action against the root causes of migration, which she finds in US foreign policy, multinational corporations and poverty. However, whereas Wilson argues against immigration controls as being detrimental to the unity of migrant and non-migrant labour, Nagle takes the opposite position.

For Nagle, it appears that the mere statement that a conflict exists between migrant and non-migrant labour is an argument for immigration controls, whereas in reality its an argument for the opposite. In a peculiar twist, Nagle uses the quote where Marx is urging for the defence of Irish workers democratic rights to argue for more punitive measures against migrants:

With respect to illegal immigration, the Left should support efforts to make E-Verify mandatory and push for stiff penalties on employers who fail to comply. Employers, not immigrants, should be the primary focus of enforcement efforts. These employers take advantage of immigrants who lack ordinary legal protections in order to perpetuate a race to the bottom in wages while also evading payroll taxes and the provision of other benefits. Such incentives must be eliminated if any workers are to be treated fairly. [] Just like the situation Marx described in the England of his day, politicians like Trump rally their base by stirring up anti-immigration sentiment, but they rarely if ever address the structural exploitationwhether at home or abroadthat is the root cause of mass migration. Often, they make these problems worse, expanding the power of employers and capital against labor, while turning the rage of their supportersoften the victims of these forcesagainst other victims, immigrants. But for all Trumps anti-immigration bluster, his administration has done virtually nothing to expand the implementation of E-Verify, preferring instead to boast about a border wall that never seems to materialize. While families are separated at the border, the administration has turned a blind eye toward employers who use immigrants as pawns in a game of labor arbitrage.

Here, Nagle tries to present herself as being on the side of the workers, by asking employers to be fined. But in reality, as Wilson points out in his article, these types of fines and requirements only make migrant workers even more vulnerable to exploitation by employers. The creation of an underclass of super-exploited migrants is precisely what legislation and policing achieves. Employers use unsavoury subcontractors to get around such measures. These proposals will solve nothing, and in reality, they amount to fundamentally the same reactionary position as the old anti-Chinese laws of 1882, which Nagle cites almost approvingly when discussing the inglorious chapters of the past of AFL.

Nagle is here leaving it in the hands of the capitalist class the question of the control of the flow of labour. If the capitalist class determines that more labour should come in, legally or illegally, they will let more in, if not, they wont. The idea that this will strengthen the bargaining position of the working class is short-sighted to say the least. This reflects the hope of the trade union bureaucracy for an easy life.

Such a policy would drive a wedge between legal and illegal workers and likely create an even more tiered workforce, where some have more rights than others. Over the past few decades, the AFL-CIO, to their credit, have campaigned against the migration laws and in favour of pathways to citizenship and right to remain for migrants. This is correct, and it corresponds with the programme adopted by Second International, precisely because it grows out of the need of the labour movement to level out the rights of the working class, in order to unite.

However, Trumka, and other AFL-CIO leaders continually insist on the fiction of abolishing illegal migration, which is more-or-less what Nagle is arguing for as well. They pay too much attention to the rhetoric of the bourgeois and not enough to what they are actually doing. The whole purpose of giving migrants different rights, whether its right to remain only under certain conditions or complete illegality, is to bring down wages and conditions, and to create a super-exploited section of the working class. Precisely for that reason, we can not expect the capitalist class, or their state apparatus, to create a pro-worker migration system.

The myth of the liberal bourgeoisie

In order to cover their own opportunism, many left advocates of immigration controls profess their opposition to liberalism. In order to attempt to justify their divisive policies, they invoke a phraseology of class conflict, and being opposed to liberal elites. In reality, these liberal elites dont exist.

Nagle quotes the Mark Zuckenbergs campaign Fwd.us as supposedly being aligned with left-wing proponents of an open border, but in reality, their programme is not for open borders, but more humane and efficient borders. For example, Fwd.us, along with the Cato Institute, argue that detention is too expensive and approvingly cite the use of electronic ankle monitors, telephone checkups that used biometric voice recognition software, unannounced home visits, employer verification, and in-person reporting to supervise participants (Alternatives to Detention Are Cheaper than Universal Detention, Cato Institute). Phase two of this programme began in 2010, two years into the Obama administration. Its not a bad illustration of the differences between the policy of the Republicans and the Democrats. The former advocate detention centres, the latter advocate electronic tagging, because it is cheaper.

Hillary Clinton insisted that Europe must curb its migration / Image: Flickr Gage Skidmore

On 22 November, Hillary Clinton insisted that Europe must curb its migration:

I admire the very generous and compassionate approaches that were taken particularly by leaders like Angela Merkel, but I think it is fair to say Europe has done its part, and must send a very clear message  we are not going to be able to continue provide refuge and support  because if we dont deal with the migration issue it will continue to roil the body politic. (Hillary Clinton: Europe must curb immigration to stop rightwing populists)

In other words, we have to defeat the far right by adopting their programme.

Another darling of the establishment, Tony Blair, agrees:

Youve got to deal with the legitimate grievances and answer them, which is why today in Europe you cannot possibly stand for election unless youve got a strong position on immigration because people are worried about it Youve got to answer those problems. If you dont answer them then  you leave a large space into which the populists can march. (Clinton, Blair, Renzi: why we lost, and how to fight back)

Blair, being a skilled bourgeois politician, never says anything clearly on these questions, but only drops hints. We need a strong position on immigration  but he doesnt say what that would be. It should be remembered that Blairs immigration policy  managed migration  involved setting up private detention centres where immigrants were treated worse than criminals. His party used to hand out leaflets bragging about reductions in the number of asylum seekers etc. Much of the so-called hostile environment that asks doctors, teachers, lecturers, banks and landlords to police immigration existed in embryonic form during the Blair years. So one can presume that he proposes more of the same.

Blairs grasp of the question of electability is somewhat limited. Last years Labour election manifesto was the most pro-migrant for many years with its opposition to the hostile environment and indefinite detention. This, in spite of its support for what seems to be a points-based immigration system, was a clear departure from the thinly veiled flirtation with xenophobia during Blair, Brown and Miliband. On the basis of this manifesto, Labour had its best election result since 1997.

Merkel is often touted as a friend of immigrants, but shes nothing of the sort. Admittedly, during the refugee crisis, she allowed more refugees into Germany than were allowed anywhere else, but that was not out of general approval of immigration. In reality, she was attempting to stop Freedom of Movement from breaking down completely in the European Union. Borders were being erected between member states and this was a way of easing the pressure while she was working to stem the flow of refugees. In the end, a deal was struck with Erdogan, where he accepted 6bn to keep the refugees, at gunpoint, in Turkey. Such is the great humanitarianism of the European Union.

A left cover for the bourgeoisie

The myth of the liberal bourgeoisie exists on both the pro-immigrant and anti-immigrant left. Paul Mason, although he has changed his position multiple times, in 2016 argued that Labour must form an alliance with the globalist section of the elite for a soft Brexit. One also finds this attitude across the entire pro-EU British left. They are constantly referring to the EU as some kind of progressive institution, and, although they might not use the same phrase as Mason, they argue for precisely the same: a cross-class alliance between the workers and the bankers of the city of London, the vast majority of whom supported remain.

In the US, this popular frontism takes the form of support for the Democrats. Yet the Democrats, although not quite as far right as Trump, still defend most of his programme. Their main criticism is that he makes it look bad. ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is fine, but children should be deported together with their parents, not separately. In the same interview as quoted above Hillary Clinton says: first you deport criminals, threats to national security and bad actors, and then give those who have been in the US for a long time a proper process and a queue to wait in. For people who then keep coming, you turn them back, unless they qualify for asylum. One can only presume that shes referring here to the migrant caravan. Its no accident that, at the first meeting of the Progressive Caucus of the Democrats after the November elections, the assembled congressmen and women couldnt give a straight answer to what their position was on ICE, and in reality they abandoned their opposition to ICE in the summer.

To pretend that the bourgeoisie can in any way be a friend of the migrant workers or an ally of those that want to struggle against racism and xenophobia is to provide a useful service to the bourgeoisie, giving them a left, progressive cover. As Marxists, our role is to unmask the reactionary motivations behind both the section of the bourgeoisie that conceals its interests behind progressive, democratic colours, and of the section of the bourgeoisie that pretends to be on the side of the native worker against the foreign.

Our real traditions

1907 Stuttgart Congress was the most important congress of the Second International. It discussed the colonies, the war, imperialism, womens suffrage, trade unions and migration. This was not accidental: it was on these questions that opportunism was showing itself most clearly.

The right opportunists at the congress, mainly from Britain, the US and Germany, argued in favour of colonies as a civilising force, against a firm line on war, against immigration from countries too far behind in their development, in favour of neutral (i.e. apolitical) trade unionism and in favour of compromise on the question of womens suffrage, in particular prioritising male suffrage over female. In the end, the left won the votes.

It is worth going into some detail on the question of immigration, as the arguments raised during the debate were very similar to those now being put forward by Nagle and McCluskey. Tromer, a delegate from the Australian Labour Party put it like this:

The capitalists therefore endeavour to bring in more Asian workers to depress wages. The incoming white workers organise themselves swiftly and do not drag down the conditions of Australians. The Australian Labor Party therefore wishes to keep out certain workers who are not expected to adopt the conditions of whites. This means the Asians. [He believes that] these policies of the Australian Labor Party do not contradict socialism. [] Of course we all want a general brotherhood of peoples, but until we achieve this we must look after the workers of our own country, so that they are not offered up to the capitalists without resistance. [1]

The same sentiment was expressed by US delegate, Hillquit:

The capitalists import such workforces, that by nature must be cheaper and in general serve as unwitting strike-breakers, and who are dangerous competition for native workers. Nowadays these workforces are Chinese and Japanese, the yellow race in general. We have absolutely no racial prejudice against the Chinese, but we must state that they are completely unorganisable. A people can only be organised for the class struggle when its development has already progressed quite far, as is the case with the Belgians and Italians who have migrated to France. The Chinese however are still too far behind in their development to be organised. Socialism must not be mere sentimentalism. We are in the middle of an open struggle between capital and labour. Whoever stands against organised labour is our enemy. Do we want to achieve a sort of privilege for foreign strike-breakers, that native workers will have to fight against? If we take no measures against the import of Chinese strike-breakers, then we will roll back the socialist workers movement.

With the exception of some of the language used, we have here exactly the same phenomenon as with Nagle and McCluskey. Under cover of internationalist and class struggle phraseology, these delegates were advocating attacks on the rights of a particular group of workers. Not immigrants in general, of course (where would the US be without immigrants?), but a particular group of workers that was considered to be undercutting wages.

Its not an accident that the group that the US members were particularly concerned with was Asian migration. The US Congress had, just five years earlier, made the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 permanent, which not only banned further immigration from China, but removed a host of rights from migrants of Chinese origin. The act was shamefully backed by the AFL, as well as construction unions in California, whereas the left-wing IWW actively opposed the Act. In this regard, the US and Australian delegates were following the lead of the US ruling class.

This was the second time, incidentally, that delegates from the Socialist Party of America had raised this issue. At the Amsterdam Congress of 1904, Hilquit had put forward a similar motion, calling for an end to the importation of workers from backward races. The resolution was opposed by other SP delegates at the time, and like the resolution of 1907, it was withdrawn. Yet, the majority of the SP was thoroughly opportunistic on this question, and had played the immigration card in Debss presidential campaign of 1904, in spite of Debs personal repudiation of the Stuttgart resolution.

At Stuttgart, delegates from the US Socialist Labour Party (led by Daniel DeLeon) opposed the policy:

[The speaker, Julius Hammer, criticised] in particular the third point of Hillquits resolution, that allows for a potential limit on immigration of Chinese and Japanese workers. That is completely un-socialist. A statutory limit on immigration must be dismissed. Nothing for socialism can be achieved through the legislative path in cooperation with the bourgeois parties. [The speaker gave several examples] of how racial hatred in America blinded the workers and incited them to violence. The Japanese and Chinese could be organised very well. There are no workers so uneducated as has been suggested. They come to understand capitalism very well, and understand how to fight it too.

This was echoed by the Italian delegates:

One cannot fight migrants, only the abuses which arise from emigration. The Italian party and trade unions are always mindful of this. We are against controls on migration, because we know that the whip of hunger that cracks behind migrants is stronger than any law made by governments.

Essentially, these arguments are just as applicable to the situation today. The position taken up by the opportunists at this conference is completely analogous to the position taken up by the proponents of migration controls today. The resolution that was agreed at the Stuttgart Congress reiterated the same point:

The congress does not seek a remedy to the potentially impending consequences for the workers from immigration and emigration in any economic or political exclusionary rules, because these are fruitless and reactionary by nature. This is particularly true of a restriction on the movement and the exclusion of foreign nationalities or races. [2]

Instead of migration controls, which it regarded as reactionary by nature, the Second International proposed a series of measures to strengthen the labour movement in the recipient country:

1. A ban on the export and import of those workers who have agreed on a contract that deprives them of the free disposal over their labour-power and wages. 2. Statutory protection of workers by shortening the working day, introducing a minimum wage rate, abolishing the sweat system and regulating home working, 3. Abolition of all restrictions which prevent certain nationalities or races from staying in a country or which exclude them from the social, political and economic rights of the natives or impede them in exercising those rights. Extensive measures to facilitate naturalisation.

In addition, it was decided the trade union movement must remove all restrictions on migrants becoming members, and do their utmost to facilitate their involvement, as well as work to establish an international trade union movement and strengthen the trade union movement in the country from which the migrants came.

This internationalist programme stands in sharp contrast to the provincialism of the present leaders of the labour movement.

It is clear that the role that migrant labour plays in capitalist society has not fundamentally changed. There are constant attempts by the capitalist class today, as there were a hundred years ago, to use migrants to undercut wages and conditions. How far they are successful one can always argue about, but even if one draws the conclusion that migrants do undercut the pre-existing workforce, it does not follow that one must support immigration controls. Quite the contrary. The role of the trade unions and the political parties must be to integrate and educate non-unionised labour in order to strengthen the labour movement. As such, one must fight against all discrimination and different rights for migrants and non-migrants, including giving migrants the right to remain, independent of their employment.

Lenin and the Third International

Unsurprisingly, Lenin was on the side of the left at the Stuttgart Congress. He expressed concern about the strength of opportunism in the labour movement:

This vote on the colonial question is of very great importance. First, it strikingly showed up socialist opportunism, which succumbs to bourgeois blandishments. Secondly, it revealed a negative feature in the European labour movement, one that can do no little harm to the proletarian cause, and for that reason should receive serious attention.

The colonial policy resolution had been won with a narrow majority, with the smaller nations outweighing those of the imperialist colonial nations. He attributed the strength of opportunism to imperialism, something he was to return to in his book Imperialism: the Highest Stage of Capitalism. He made the same point in regards to the question of immigration:

A few words about the resolution on emigration and immigration. Here, too, in the Commission there was an attempt to defend narrow, craft interests, to ban the immigration of workers from backward countries (cooliesfrom China, etc.). This is the same spirit of aristocratism that one finds among workers in some of the civilised countries, who derive certain advantages from their privileged position, and are, therefore, inclined to forget the need for international class solidarity. But no one at the [plenary of the] Congress defended this craft and petty-bourgeois narrow-mindedness. The resolution fully meets the demands of revolutionary Social-Democracy. (The International Socialist Congress in Stuttgart)

Lenin agreed with the resolution and associated the opposition to the rights of migrants with support for imperialism. His attitude on this question as in all other was that of internationalism. The attitude of a layer of the working class in the imperialist countries was detrimental to this unity. As Lenin puts it, they are inclined to forget the need for international class solidarity.

In his 1913 article Capitalism and Workers Immigration, he makes a similar point:

The bourgeoisie incites the workers of one nation against those of another in the endeavour to keep them disunited. Class-conscious workers, realising that the break-down of all the national barriers by capitalism is inevitable and progressive, are trying to help to enlighten and organise their fellow-workers from the backward countries.

In 1915 he returns again to the subject:

In our struggle for true internationalism & against jingo-socialism we always quote in our press the example of the opportunist leaders of the S.P. in America, who are in favor of restrictions of the immigration of Chinese and Japanese workers (especially after the Congress of Stuttgart, 1907, & against the decisions of Stuttgart). We think that one can not be internationalist & be at the same time in favor of such restrictions. And we assert that Socialists in America, especially English Socialists, belonging to the ruling, and oppressing nation, who are not against any restrictions of immigration, against the possession of colonies (Hawaii) and for the entire freedom of colonies, that such Socialists are in reality jingoes. (Letter to the Secretary of the Socialist Propaganda League)

Lenins position is abundantly clear. There can be no talk of arguing for restrictions on immigration. Such a position is jingo-socialism and fundamentally opposed to an internationalist policy. Lenin makes a further point about the beneficial effects of immigration in the 1913 article:

There can be no doubt that dire poverty alone compels people to abandon their native land, and that the capitalists exploit the immigrant workers in the most shameless manner. But only reactionaries can shut their eyes to the progressive significance of this modern migration of nations. Emancipation from the yoke of capital is impossible without the further development of capitalism, and without the class struggle that is based on it. And it is into this struggle that capitalism is drawing the masses of the working people of the whole world, breaking down the musty, fusty habits of local life, breaking down national barriers and prejudices, uniting workers from all countries in huge factories and mines in America, Germany, and so forth.

Lenins position is abundantly clear. There can be no talk of arguing for restrictions on immigration. Such a position is jingo-socialism and fundamentally opposed to an internationalist policy / Image: public domain

The problem of migration must be posed from the point of view of the international working class. Migration, although often deeply traumatic and tragic for those being forced into it, plays a historically progressive role, in that it serves to break down national barriers, prejudices and habits. In the long run, such a development will only serve to strengthen the working-class movement nationally and internationally.

The Third International also made a statement on the question of migrant labour at its fourth congress. In the Theses on the Eastern Question, one can read the following:

In view of the threatening danger, the Communist parties of the imperialist countries  the United States, Japan, Britain, Australia, and Canada  are obliged not to limit themselves to propaganda against the war but also to make every effort to eliminate the factors that disorganise the workers movement in these countries and make it easier for the capitalists to utilise national and race antagonisms. These factors are the questions of immigration and of cheap Coloured labour. The chief method of recruiting Coloured workers today on the sugar plantations in the southern Pacific today is the contract system, which brings in workers from China and India. This fact has led workers of the imperialist countries to demand the passing of laws against immigration and against Coloured labour, both in the United States and in Australia. These laws deepen the antagonism between Coloured and white workers, fragmenting and weakening unity of the workers movement. The Communist parties of the United States, Canada, and Australia must wage a vigorous campaign against laws that restrict immigration, and explain to the proletarian masses of these countries that they too will suffer harm because of the race hatred stirred up by these laws. The capitalists oppose such anti-immigration laws because they favour free importation of cheap Coloured labour as a means of driving down the wages of white workers. There is only one way to successfully counter the capitalists intention to go over to the offensive: the immigrant workers must be admitted into the existing trade unions of white workers. At the same time, the demand must be raised that the wages of Coloured workers be brought up to same level as white workers pay. Such a step by the Communist parties will expose the capitalists intentions and also demonstrate clearly to the Coloured workers that the international proletariat does not harbour any racial prejudice.

Again, there is no questioning the fact that the capitalists attempt to import labour to lower wages, but this can be dealt with in only one way  the immigrant workers must join the ranks of the existing trade unions of white workers (my emphasis). Demanding the levelling up of migrant workers wages will expose the intentions of the capitalists and, one cannot emphasise this enough, graphically demonstrate that the international proletariat has no racial prejudice.

Anti-imperialism?

The left proponents of migration controls occasionally justify immigration controls by reference to international solidarity. Surely migration is bad for the countries where people are emigrating from, and shouldnt we be in favour of improving conditions there instead? This sounds pleasant enough, but the question is how we should improve conditions? Furthermore, given that the working class is not actually in power, what demands would serve to get us to that point?

For all the pious phrases of the world leaders, they always look after their own interests first. Trump advocates borders for both goods and migrants. The whole purpose of protectionist barriers on goods is to export unemployment to other countries. The same applies to migrants. By keeping migrants out, the US ruling class is helping stave off the class struggle at home, at the expense, of course, of Mexico and Central American countries. Then the US ruling class attempts to use the Mexican state to police the streams of migrants coming from Central America, and settle them in Mexico. This is also the policy, if less explicitly, of the Democrats and the so-called liberal establishment. Much the same policy as the EU has towards Turkey. This is how imperialism works.

Nagle correctly puts forward US military adventures as one of the main drivers of migration streams, but that is only part of the story / Image: Ggia

In an even more outrageous statement, Germanys Africa Commissioner Gunter Nooke proposed that European countries lease land in Africa in order to build cities that could absorb migrants and develop the economy, i.e. a return to colonialism. A similar proposal was put forward by the reactionary President Lobos in Honduras. Fundamentally, this would just be a more naked expression of what the Imperialist powers are already doing, in Special Economic Zones. For all the nice phrases about development, such a policy serves no one but themselves.

In the popular imagination, of course, charitable organisations and foreign aid serve the purpose of helping the impoverished masses of the world. In reality, charities mainly line their own pockets and those of corrupt government officials around the world. The workers and poor have to settle for crumbs. At best, charities cover up for the damage that is done by the armies and banks of the imperialist nations.

Nagle correctly puts forward US military adventures as one of the main drivers of migration streams. Indeed, the destabilisation of the Middle East has led to millions of people being deprived of their homes and livelihoods. On this we are in full agreement. One precondition must be an unequivocal opposition to US imperialism.

But it isnt only war or political repression that causes migration. One of the contributing factors to the migrant caravan is the price of coffee. Imperialism has made much of Central America dependent on coffee for export. As the Brazilian Real has fallen, Brazils coffee competitors have been hit hard. The $2 per kilo of arabica coffee beans do not cover the production costs. As there is no other source of employment, coffee farmers are pushed into migration. At the same time, companies like Starbucks sell their coffee for $50 per kilo. This is the role that multinational corporations play in the world economy, and their contribution to the flow of migration.

In reality, its no good talking about changing the conditions in the former colonial world without challenging capitalism and imperialism itself. The whole of the 20th century shows the futility of anti-imperialism without anti-capitalism and socialism. Precisely because imperialism is intrinsically linked with capitalism, so the struggle against imperialism must be linked to the struggle against capitalism. Any other proposals, particularly coming out of the labour movement in the imperialist countries, would merely be providing a left cover for imperialism. The workers of the imperialist countries need to unite with workers in the former colonial world by fighting against their own imperialist bourgeoisie. This is real international solidarity.

A new period

Our programme is not about achieving accommodation with the capitalist class, but unity of workers across borders in defence of conditions, against cuts and for a socialist revolution / Image: public domain

Its one of the peculiarities of the present period that the labour movement in the west is infected with nostalgia for a period that has passed. Under the pressure of cuts to public services and attacks on pay and conditions, many workers look back at a previous era as one of stability and welfare. A time when the capitalists and trade unions made agreements about wage rises, not wage cuts, and when political parties promised  and delivered  reforms. A time when the word reform actually meant improvements in the condition of the working class, not attacks and cuts. But that period is gone and will not return.

The crisis is not due to migrants, nor bad ideas (neoliberalism), but the limits of capitalism itself. This has certain implications. The reformists and trade union leaders fall into the trap of basing their approach to migration on the number of migrants that capitalism can afford. How many migrants can come without causing downward pressure on wages? How many migrants can we fit in schools, housing and hospitals? This was wrong in the 1950s and 1960s, but its a disastrous logic in a period of capitalist decay. The answer is that capitalism can not afford to maintain the existing wages and conditions, whether there are migrants or not. Closing the borders, even evicting migrants, does not fundamentally alter this fact. Itd be like attempting to quench your thirst with salt water.

The reality of capitalism in the present period is that there is the money to provide housing, schools etc for all the refugees in the world, but its in private hands. The resources to provide a decent living standard for all the worlds inhabitants exist, but they are concentrated in the clutches of a tiny handful of billionaires and multinational corporations. This inequality is only getting worse.

Our programme is not about achieving stability and accommodation with the capitalist class, which would only be at the expense of the working class, migrant or not. Our programme must be one of uniting workers across borders in defence of conditions, against cuts and for a socialist revolution. The resolution put forward by the Stuttgart Congress of the Second International actually contains the most important elements: defence of collective bargaining agreements, terms and conditions, a struggle for an improvement in the conditions of all workers, the granting of the same rights to migrants as non-migrant workers, including residency, health care, social benefits, housing etc. Furthermore, we must insist on building links between unions internationally and the strengthening of ties between working-class organisations across the world. Such an approach will be the best defence of the existing conditions of the working class, against the onslaught of the ruling class, but it is also the best preparation for a worldwide socialist revolution.

Notes

[1] A translation from this debate can be found on Medium: https://medium.com/@simonhannah/debate-at-the-stuttgart-congress-1907-on-immigration-9971f565da90.

[2] English version: http://www.historicalmaterialism.org/blog/away-with-damocles-sword-deportation.
he public is hereby informed that due to major works on the Motorway M1 near Pont Colville Deverell, the following traffic diversion and lane closure schemes will be in effect on Motorway M1 on Tuesday 27 and Thursday 29 July 2021.

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People wait in line in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa. [Photo/Xinhua]

Beijing urged Washington on Thursday to stop interfering in China's internal affairs by using Tibet autonomous region-related issues, and warned against the implementation of a new act of the US Congress.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that China resolutely opposes US President Donald Trump's signing into law on Wednesday the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018.

It violated basic rules of international relations and sent "severely wrong signals" to separatist forces advocating Tibetan independence, Hua said.

The law calls for the promotion of access for US diplomats, other officials, journalists and others to Tibetan areas of China. If such access is not provided, then the US may restrict Chinese officials deemed responsible for excluding outsiders' entry into Tibet to enter the US.

"The act will harm Sino-US ties, bilateral communication and cooperation in major areas if it is implemented," Hua said at a daily news conference in Beijing.

The US should recognize the high sensitivity of issues involving Tibet, she said, adding that Tibet affairs are China's domestic affairs, and Beijing will not allow outside interference.

The Tibet autonomous region and Tibetan-inhabited areas in the provinces of Sichuan, Qinghai, Yunnan and Gansu are open to foreign visitors, Hua said. Since 2015, nearly 40,000 people from the US have visited Tibet, she added.

Hua noted that taking into account the special geographic and climatic conditions, it is necessary and understandable for the Chinese government to manage entry of foreigners into Tibet in accordance with the law.

Accusations against China ignore the facts and are full of bias, which cannot be accepted, she said.

China's opening-up will only increase, including for Tibet, Hua said.

"China welcomes more foreigners to visit Tibet for tourism and business, and the policy will not change as long as they abide by Chinese laws and regulations and perform necessary procedures," she added.

The US Senate passed the act on Dec 11 after approval from the House of Representatives in September.

Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president at the China Institute of International Studies, said that it is a common practice for the US to interfere in other countries' domestic affairs while calling itself a "lecturer in human rights".

The act makes irresponsible remarks about China, he said."There should be less conflict or grudges between the two countries, not the opposite," he added.

Canadian detained

The Foreign Ministry confirmed on Thursday that a Canadian national is undergoing"administrative punishment" for working illegally in China.

Sarah McIver has been placed under administrative detention, ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

McIver's detention is different from two other Canadians currently in detention under suspicion of engaging in activities endangering the national security of the country, she said.

Chinese officials spoke with Canadian counterparts over her detention and will further facilitate matters related to the case via consular means, Hua added.

McIver was reportedly working in China as a teacher before she was detained.

Canadian former diplomat Michael Kovrig and Canadian businessman Michael Spavor were separately detained by national security authorities in Beijing and Dandong, Liaoning province, respectively, on Dec 10 on suspicion of harming national security.

Referring to McIver's detention, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a year-end news conference on Wednesday that it appears to be a routine case, and he raised the possibility of it being a visa issue, the Associated Press reported.
China's capital market has long-term investment value and its risks have been understood and mitigated, according to a meeting Thursday by the office of China's financial stability and development committee under the State Council.

The meeting, presided over by Liu Guoqiang, vice governor of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), was attended by officials from the country's banking, insurance, and securities regulators as well as representatives from various financial institutions including commercial banks, a PBOC statement said.

China should continue to push capital market reforms and strengthen management of listed companies while giving the market more say by reducing administrative intervention on trading, according to the statement.

The country will also learn from international practices to foster medium and long-term investors while making it easier for all kinds of asset management products to enter the capital market according to relevant standards, the statement said.
Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, United States, is under fire from students over some controversial social media posts in which he gave reasons to not move to China.

Moneta made the posts on his Facebook while on a trip to visit Duke Kunshan University in Kunshan, Jiangsu province. Duke Kunshan is an international university jointly created by Duke University and Chinas Wuhan University.

During his visit to China last week, Moneta posted a series of photos with the caption: Reason to move to ChinaNOT!

He gave a total of three reasons not to move to China. The photos included two bags of Lays potato chips, one with a flavor of Mexican Tomato Chicken and the other with a flavor of Italian Red Meat, an unhealthy air quality reading of 152, and a squat toilet.

In fact, many Chinese people like the unique chip flavors and just because they are not common in the United States does not mean they are bizarre. Regarding air quality, China is still a developing country but is cleaning up its air pollution at a rapid rate. And regarding squat toilets, many Asian people actually prefer using this type of toilet because they think that it is more sanitary.

The posts were deleted, but not before screenshots made their way onto a Duke Facebook group, prompting a statement from at least two student organizations.

The Asian Students Association (ASA) of Duke University reposted the photos on the organizations Facebook page along with a statement condemning Monetas offensive posts about China.

While on his visit to Duke Kunshan University this week, Larry Moneta made racist and insensitive posts on his Facebook, read the statement dated Dec. 13.

These may seem like just jokes, but these jokes reveal racist and orientalist assumptions that China and Chinese people are dirty and unsanitary, it added.

ACA accused Moneta of a double-standard in criticism, saying that while China does have its share of problems, the United States has taken steps backward on a number of important issues, including among other things, withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and slashing funding for environmental protection.

The student association also criticized Moneta for finding issue with the style of toilets used in China and many other parts of Asia.

As VP of Student Affairs, it is egregious Moneta would denigrate the cultural practices of many of the students he supposedly cares about and also disparage the home of many of these students, the statement read.

The student organization called it simply inappropriate and hypocritical for Moneta to go to China, visit his universitys partnership with Duke Kunshan, and joke about why people should not move to China.

It ended by saying that Moneta should critically confront what kind of legacy of cultural insensitivity and racism he is leaving behind, as the vice president of student affairs will step down from his position after the end of the academic year, according to an announcement made in August.

Duke Universitys Chinese Student Association (CSA) also put out a statement regarding the posts made by Moneta.

Duke Chinese Students Association is appalled and disappointed by the culturally insensitive photos posted by Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta on social media during his visit to Duke Kunshan University, read the statement by CSA, which is also dated Dec. 13.

Moneta has chosen to judge the cultural norms of another country using American standards and spreading such highly [judgmental] opinions on an open platform, neglecting the feelings of all students of Asian heritage on Duke campus, the statement continued.

The statement then added: As a university administrator making an official visit to Dukes partnership University in China, Moneta should have been more mindful of his role and what kind of message his speech conveys.

The association accused Moneta of acting counter to the mission that Duke Kunshan seeks to promote and expressed distressed over the cultural insensitivity being institutionally perpetuated by one of Dukes leadership figures.

It concluded: We do acknowledge that our motherland has much to improve, and we welcome all forms of international cooperation and cultural exchange with good intentions along the way. However, we sincerely hope such incident of woefully inappropriate judgement and blatant cultural insensitivity would not happen again.

The Chronicle, Dukes student newspaper, reported that Moneta has decided to take a hiatus from social media after facing strong backlash.
Construction for LandSpace got underway earlier this month. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The first privately owned carrier rocket factory in China, and the largest of its kind in Asia, recently began operations and is set to build what is expected to be the country's biggest privately designed rocket.

Zhang Changwu, founder and CEO of LandSpace, a rocket-maker in Beijing, said on Thursday that the factory in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, is currently being used to conduct technical tests of the company's newly developed TQ-12 rocket engine.

He said production of the engine and the ZQ 2 liquid-propellant carrier rocket will begin in 2019 at the factory, adding that the ZQ 2, which will be propelled by the TQ-12, is scheduled to carry out its first flight in 2020. Except for the Huzhou facility, all carrier rocket factories in China belong to State-owned space entities such as China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

According to publicly available information, before LandSpace there was only one private rocket-maker with its own production facility in AsiaJapan's Interstellar Technologies. The Japanese company's plant is in Taiki, Hokkaido, and is much smaller than the Huzhou factory.

Zhang said his factory now occupies about 4.7 hectares and will be expanded to 8 hectares. The facility will be able to produce about 15 ZQ 2 rockets and 200 TQ-12 engines starting in 2022, he said.

Zhang Chen, a senior manager at LandSpace, said the reasons behind the company setting up a factory in Huzhou include the fact that the city has been a testing base for State-owned space contractors for a long time. The local government is supportive of private businesses and is eager to upgrade local industries, and it is easy to find component suppliers in neighboring regions.

LandSpace launched its first carrier rocketthe 19-meter, solid-fuel ZQ 1in late October at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, planning to place a mini-satellite into orbit. The mission failed because of technical malfunctions in flight.

Zhang Changwu said the company now focuses on the development of the ZQ 2, calling it "the largest and most powerful carrier rocket designed and built by a private Chinese rocket company".

The 48.8-m ZQ 2 will have a diameter of 3.35 m, the same as those in most of China's Long March rocket series, and a liftoff weight of 216 metric tons. It will be capable of placing a 1.8-ton payload into sun-synchronous orbit 500 kilometers above the earth or a 4-ton spacecraft into a low-Earth orbit with an altitude of 200 km, LandSpace said.

President Xi Jinping has personally requested that the nation's long-insulated space industry open its doors to private participants and take advantage of their participation to boost sustainable growth.

Meanwhile, several government departments have published policies and guidelines that encourage private enterprises to take part in space-related businesses.

There are nearly 10 private rocket firms in China and all of them were founded over the past three years. Of those, LandSpace, OneSpace and i-Space, all based in Beijing, are the leaders when it comes to research and production capabilities and funding. The three companies have all conducted launch missions.
Catalan protesters block roads over Spains govt meeting in Barcelona

Catalan protesters block roads over Spains govt meeting in Barcelona

Protesters angry about Spains Cabinet holding a meeting in Barcelona on Friday have blocked a major highway and dozens of roads, disrupting traffic to and from the city. Pro-independence protesters called the actions to show their disgust at Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchezs decision to lead the weekly Cabinet meeting in Barcelona, AP reported. Security in the northeastern region, normally in the hands of the Catalan police, has been reinforced with hundreds of anti-riot officers from Spains national police force. Sanchez has agreed with the pro-secession leader of the region, Quim Torra, to work on finding a solution to the political crisis that has festered since Catalonias failed secession attempt last year. Their meeting on Thursday was only the second since both took power earlier this year.Source : RT - Daily news
MSNBCs Rachel Maddow  a pioneer of Putin-ate-my-homework journalism  has predictably mused that Donald Trump is considering pulling troops out of Afghanistan on the orders of Russias president. The evidence speaks for itself.

In segment on her critically-acclaimed show, Watch Me Scream Russia Until I Dislocate My Jaw, Maddow made an adroit observation of seismic proportions: Reports that Donald Trump is mulling a partial withdrawal from Afghanistan emerged only hours after Vladimir Putin said that the US keeps promising to leave the country but never does! In laymans terms: Putin ordered Trump to pull troops out of Afghanistan, during a live broadcast? It seems Maddow believes that she decrypted their top-secret communications channel.

Apparently she cannot fathom that there may be any non-Putin related motives for leaving Afghanistan after 17 years. But in August, the MSNBC host accused Trump of flip-flopping after announcing that more US troops would be deployed to Afghanistan.

So Rachel Maddow opposes sending more troops to Afghanistan  but anyone who wants to withdraw US forces from the country is a Putin stooge. A daunting pickle, indeed.

As Vox pointed out at the time, Trump spent years railing against the war in Afghanistan and calling for a US withdrawal from the country. Before moving into the White House, he made it clear to lawmakers that his administration would not send US troops to fight abroad unless absolutely necessary.

Also on rt.com Putin: US right to leave Syria, but no signs of pullout  remember Afghanistan

Maddows other celebrated Russiagate hits include having a stroke  live on television  after discovering that Russia shares a border with North Korea. She also famously revealed that Rex Tillerson was hand-picked by Putin to serve as Secretary of State  you know, the guy who allegedly called Trump a f*cking moron.

Imagine Maddows on-air meltdown if Trump really does withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

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At least 2,891 people have been injured amid the Yellow Vest protests in France since they started in mid-November. The death toll has risen to nine this week, the government reported.

The countrys Interior Ministry shared the figure on Thursday. It includes 1,843 civilians and 1,048 law enforcement officers. The ministry said nine people have been killed, with the death toll rising on Thursday after a protester in his 60s was killed by a truck on a roundabout road in the municipality of Agen in southern France.

READ MORE: French spirit in motion: Yellow Vests waltz to Edith Piaf as police close down camp (VIDEO)

Most of the deaths in the protest campaign came in road incidents, as protesters were trying to block traffic.

The gilets jaunes rallies were triggered by the French governments plan to increase the fuel tax, triggering a backlash from motorists, who adopted the mandatory yellow visibility vest as their symbol. It has since grown into a wider anti-government movement opposing economic reforms of President Emmanuel Macron, which the protesters see as benefitting the rich and victimizing the poor.

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Turkey welcomes US move to withdraw from Syria, wants coordinated pullout  FM

Turkey welcomes US move to withdraw from Syria, wants coordinated pullout  FM

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday welcomed the United States decision to withdraw its troops from Syria, adding that it should coordinate with Ankara on the pullout. Cavusoglu made the comment to reporters in Malta, where he was on an official visit, Reuters reports. NATO allies Ankara and Washington have long been at odds over Syria, where Washington has backed the YPG Syrian Kurdish fighters. Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist organization. US President Donald Trump made the decision to withdraw troops from Syria during a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan who said Ankara could clear the remaining jihadists from the country, Hurriyet daily reported on Friday.Source : RT - Daily news
Chinese President Xi Jinping made a powerful voice to the world that China will stay committed to reform and opening up at a grand gathering to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the great revolutionheld on Dec. 18 in Beijing.

Xi, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Chinaand chairman of the Central Military Commission, made an important speech at the gathering, reviewing the remarkable achievements made in the past 40 years of reform and opening up, and summarizing the valuable experiences.

During the past 40 years, China has made an economic miracle through brave exploration and concrete actions. Thanks to the Chinese peoples pioneering spirit for innovation and resilience for self-dependence, they boosted the countrys GDP growthby an annual average of 9.5 percent.

Within a short time span of several decades, China has accomplished what took developed countries hundreds of years to accomplish, and become an upper-middle income country from a low-income one.

It has overcome the great divergence of development among different countries formed after the first industrial revolution, and made a miraculous economic catch-up from behind. Setting a textbook-like example in the world economic history, China has greatly enhanced the confidence of underdeveloped countries to shake off poverty and catch up with the world.

During the past 40 years, China has established close relations with global partners throughits openness and the aspiration to embrace the world. Under the non-alignment principle, China made friends with the world and opened its doors for construction.

It established various partnerships with over 100 countries and international organizations. China is committed to building equal and balanced partnerships for global development as well as creating common development opportunities and space.

Over the past 40 years, Chinas trade in goods has increased 198 fold, and trade in services 147 fold. It has attracted investment totaling $2 trillion, becoming the worlds largest trader of goods, the largest tourism market, and a major trading partner of over 130 countries.

The joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative promotes interconnectivity among countries, as a result of which a pattern of interconnected development has been formed. The circulation of economic development factors such as human resources, capital, commodities, and services in both Chinese and global market has made a blueprint for vital economic globalization.

During the past 40 years, China has gained rich experiences in human development by focusing on development and the welfare of the people.

From 1978 to 2017, the per capita disposable income of Chinese residents increased 22.8 fold. China also lifted 740 million people out of poverty, contributing more than 70 percent to global poverty alleviation work in the past 40 years.

During this period, the country doubled its employed personnel, and realized compulsory education for both rural and urban students. Besides, it established a social security system that covers the largest population in the world.World Bank President Jim Yong KimhailedChinas poverty reduction as one of the greatest stories in human history.

During the past 40 years, China has expanded the influences of peaceful development through developingitself to help others and seeking for common development.

Chinese people understand that the success of reform and opening up cannot be achieved without a peaceful international environment, and to realize self-development they must strive for a peaceful global situation.

Chinas development path is different from the outdated philosophy of supremacy, and the country will always stick to peaceful development.

By actively participating in global economic governance, supporting the development of developing countries, and implementing responsible macroeconomic policies, China maintains a high contribution to global economic growth.

It has made its own contribution to coping with Asia and global financial crises, and offered wisdom and power to the building of a community withshared future for mankind.
"I was providing for my own self, by working at McDonald's, for a minimum wage, and to put a roof over my head. I had to figure out how to feed myself and put clothes on my own back."
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Where will Chinas economy go in the next year? How will the country cope with the unbalanced and inadequate domestic development and the changes of external environment?

These issues are of great concerns as 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China, as well as a decisive year in achieving the first centenary goal of building China into a moderately prosperous society.

The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a meeting several days earlier, outlining the countrys economic work in 2019.

The meeting stressed that changes in the international environment and domestic conditions should be looked at dialectically. It also called for moves to advance high-quality development of the manufacturing sector, strengthen domestic market, and improve people's wellbeing.

By making unswerving efforts to deepen reform and expand opening-up, China is improving the institutional and policy environment for high-quality development.

The past 40 years of experience in reform and opening-up proves that economic development provides confidence. Recently, the stability of employment, finance, foreign trade, foreign investment, domestic investment and market expectations have been reiterated.

By prioritizing stability in institutional design and policy implementation, and ensuring the steady progress of each indicator of economic and social development, China has reassured its people.

China owns a domestic market with huge potential, which allows it steady economic growth and strong confidence despite the new challenges and changes of external environment the country is facing. About 1.882 billion parcels were delivered during this years Double 11 shopping spree, indicating Chinas strength of new economy.

The rural vitalization strategy brings historical opportunities for the country to address inadequate construction of rural infrastructure. The supply-side structural reform conforms to peoples aspiration for a better life. The consumption upgrade will create new economic growth points.

To some extent, the process to guide the unbalanced and inadequate development toward balance and adequacy is also a process to foster strong domestic market and comprehensively improve national economy. Looking into the future, China enjoys bright prospects.

The Political Bureau meeting also stressed that China should continue to stimulate the vitality of micro entities.

An economist once described Chinas economy in the past decade as big fish in a vast lake, which respectively suggested the booming size of Chinese market entities and the exploding volume of Chinese economy, two indicators assessing the performance of national economy.

By March 2018, the number of market entities in China has surpassed 100 million. It is a result of the countrys reform and opening-up in the past 40 years, an engine for further economic growth, and a barometer of the countrys economy.

Governments at all levels have vowed strong support for private enterprises and rolled out a series of concrete measures to implement the spirit of a November symposium on private enterprises presided by Chinese President Xi Jinping, also the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

The enterprises will embrace innovative impetus and speed up fostering new drives for development as long as their vitality is unleashed. They will feel less restricted to start and run their businesses and make more profits.Consequently, the sense of gain, happiness, and safety will be greatly improved.

The vitality also comes from an effective market and a government that works well, which is inseparable from the deepening of the market-oriented reform and the expansion of opening-up at a higher level.

Next year, the country will deepen reforms to streamline administration, delegate powers, and improve regulation and services, further lower market threshold, push for fair competition among various market entities, and try to make financing easier and less expensive for private companies.

It will also trim foreign investment negative list, lower tariffs, and build a first-class business environment in the world. The abovementioned efforts will form a highlight of the new round of opening-up at a higher level. The combination of reform and opening-up will serve as a strong force to help the country make more miracles.
While opening its doors wider in 2018, China is injecting dynamism to high-quality economic growth and leaving another indelible mark on reform and opening-up over the last 40 years.

The first China International Import Expo (CIIE) held in November in Shanghai is a vivid example of the expansion of opening-up.

Themed New Era, Shared Future, the expo attracted worldwide attention. It is the worlds first import-themed national expo, as well as a pioneering event in the history of international trade. During the Expo, China voiced again that it will never change its determination to support free and open trade, and take the initiative to open its market to the world.

The expo showcased the confidence and responsibility of an open China. A total of 172 countries, regions and international organizations, and more than 3,600 enterprises participated in the six-day event. More than 400,000 domestic and overseas purchasers shopped at the event.

China lowered tariffs on imported cars and consumer products in July, and further slashed most-favored-nation tariffs on a total of 1,585 taxable items in November, including stones and electromechanical device. China's overall tariff rates have been reduced to 7.5 percent following rounds of tariff cuts.

In addition, the country has elevated free trade zone construction to a higher level. In October, it rolled out a plan for establishing Hainan as a pilot free trade zone.

Different from traditional free trade zones in the mode of opening-up, the Hainan pilot free trade zone lays an emphasis on innovation of policies and systems, regulation, and management of investment and financing, taxation and finance, and exit and entry.

Free trade zones across the country have yielded fruitful results. In the first three quarters, the total imports and exports of Chinas pilot free trade zones amounted to 2.4 trillion yuan, up 14.03 percent over the same period last year. The growth rate was 4.13 percentage points more than the countrys total imports and exports in the same period.

The country has accelerated the opening-up of the manufacturing and service industries. The National Development and Reform Commission clearly pledged to remove the ceiling for foreign ownership in auto joint ventures over five years.

The finance industry has been further opened up as well. Liantong (Hangzhou) Technology Services Co., Ltd. was approved to conduct clearing business., and the joint venture Credit Suisse Founder Securities Limited was approved to raise its foreign shareholding to 51 percent.

The country also steadily pushed for the opening-up of the medical industry. The authorities shortened the process of the registration of imported medical devices and drugs, and allowed foreign capital to open medical institutions.

From Boao Forum for Asia 2018, Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Qingdao to the G20 Summit, China has stuck to the stance and principles of openness, win-win cooperation, and shared benefits, so as to promote inclusive global development.

The year of 2018 marks the 5th anniversary of the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). By June, China had invested a total of $28.9 billion in economic and trade zones of countries along the route, creating 244,000 local jobs.

Five years achievements have proven that the BRI meets the integral requirement of the reform of the global governance system, and provides a new method to enhance the reform.

The supply-side structural reform has boosted the growth of new driving forces for economic growth. The indicators of the growth of new economic drivers were 156.7 and 210.1 respectively in 2016 and 2017, up 26.9 and 34.1 percent over the previous years, according to the November data from the National Bureau of Statistics.

In the first three quarters, the tertiary industry accounted for 53.1 percent of national GDP, contributing 60.8 percent to economic growth. Energy consumption per unit of GDP dropped by 3.1 percent, and the total energy consumption increased by 3.4 percent year on year.

Wang Chuanfu, Chairman of BYD Auto Co., said that the company gets bigger and stronger thanks to the opportunity brought by reform and opening up. For the next forty years to come, its believed that China will impress the world again with vitality for development.

Jin Jianmin, a senior fellow at the Fujitsu Research Institute in Japan, believes that reform and opening up has proven to be a golden key to renovate Chinese society. He added that Chinas reform and opening up is ongoing and will never stop.
The US Department of Justice on Thursday accused two Chinese nationals of carrying out a wide-ranging hacking campaign in association with Chinese national security authorities for more than a decade, allegedly infiltrating more than 45 technology companies and US government agencies to steal intellectual property and other data.

The indictment alleges that members of the APT10 Group, including Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong, conducted extensive campaigns of intrusions into computer systems around the world to steal, among other data, intellectual property and confidential business data on a global scale. The indictment said that the group also compromised more than 40 computers in order to steal sensitive data belonging to the US Navy, including the personal information of more than 100,000 US Navy personnel.

It is nothing new for the US government to accuse China of hacking and cyber espionage, but the unprecedented step of accusing these so-called Chinese government-linked hackers reflects an escalation in the US governments attacks on China. There is no doubt that there is a political motivation behind the recent allegations.

Who knows whether they hacked American companies and US government agencies, but it is an open secret that the US government sponsors cyberattacks and other hacking activities, such as the secret surveillance programs of the US National Security Agency, which were revealed to the public by Edward Snowden. It is therefore a slap in the face to turn around and accuse China of carrying out massive hacking campaigns.

There is also logical problems with the claim. Some Americans have a narrow perspective on the world, like a frog at the bottom of a well. They flatter themselves into believing that only the United States can lead in science and technology and that others can only achieve a same or greater level of success through theft.

If Chinas rise depends on stealing hundreds of billions of dollars in intellectual property from the United States, the country would not be the worlds second-largest economy and a leader in science and technology.

The fact of the matter is that some Americans just have a hard time believing that China can become great through its own efforts, and they ignore the fact that China invests a large amount of money into research and development and these investments are paying off with advances in innovation. All you need to do is look at the number of scientific publications in high-impact journals produced by Chinese scientists and the number of patents granted to Chinese applicants and it is painfully obvious that China has become advanced in science and technology through its own efforts.

The US government is being hysterical, making China into a boogeyman in order to find an excuse to step up its anti-China campaign and try to weaken China. It makes one wonder whether the US government in the face of Chinas great achievements has lost all confidence in Americas future.

As the Chinese government has pointed out on numerous occasions, China is committed to building a world of peace in the real world and in the cyber world. We should not lose sight of the fact that cybersecurity is a global issue demanding a global approach. Pointing fingers at China for a global issue is not helpful.

As Chinas Foreign Ministry said in response to the indictment, the US side is just making up stuff from thin air. China is a staunch defender of cybersecurity and the Chinese government has never participated in or supported stealing trade secrets. The US government should end its smear campaign against China.
By Express News Service

Eying the establishment of a robust electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in India, the Union government has come up new guidelines for the setting up of charging stations across India.

The Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles-Guidelines and Standards circular, sent out this week, aims to enable the faster adoption of EVs and support the development of EV charging businesses throughout the country.

As per the circular, private charging stations will be permitted at all residences, meaning buyers of electric cars and scooters can charge their vehicles at home and distribution companies (DISCOMs) are to facilitate the same.

The Ministry of Power has also said that no license will be required for setting set up a public charging station and any individual or entity is free to set up one if they follow the standards and guidelines. Some of the guidelines mandate that there should be at least three fast charging points in public charging stations -- one each of the CCS (min 50 kW), CHAdeMO(min 50 kW) and Type 2 AC(min 22 kW) configuration.

The power ministry has also provided a set of guidelines relating to the locations of the public charging stations. There will have to be at least one charging station within a 3 km by 3 km grid and one every 25 km on highways.

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For long range and heavy duty EVs, there will have to be at least one station on each side of the highway every 100km. As for affordability, the tariffs for resident charging will be the same as for domestic consumption of electricity. Tariffs charged by organisations will be determined by an appropriate commission but cannot be more the 15 per cent of the average cost of supply.

The government plans to implement the development of EV charging infrastructure in two phases. In the first phase, EV charging stations are to be developed over the next 1 to 3 years in mega cities with populations of 40 lakhs and above. In the second phase, cities such as state capitals and union territory headquarters will be covered for distributed and demonstrative effect. Apart from guidelines, the government is reportedly also considering to levy a fee of 12,000 on new petrol and diesel cars to boost the manufacturing of electric vehicles (EV).

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Indias leading carmaker Maruti Suzuki has, however, criticised the move, with its Chairman R C Bhargava saying that imposing a cess on conventional vehicles to promote EVs will not serve the purpose since only the rich would end up receiving the intended subsidies.
By UNI

NEW DELHI: Although shaken by a series of sensational scams, during the year going by, India improved its ranking by 23 points and reached 77th position on the World Bank's 'Doing Business' 2019 report.

As per the report -- released on October 31 -- India moved up 23 spots to 77th position as compared to 100th in 2017 and improved its rank in six out of ten parameters relating to starting and doing business in the country.

The Corporate Affairs Ministry has contributed towards starting a business, insolvency resolution and protection of minority interests.

To provide greater 'Ease of Doing Business' to all stakeholders, bring about greater transparency in corporate structure and better corporate compliance so as to enhance the efficiency of the processes under Companies Act, 2013, the Corporate Affairs Ministry took several landmark initiatives during the year.

Among the significant ones were Companies (Amendment) Act, 2017, Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2018, establishment of National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA), amendments in Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, eKYC drive for directors of all companies and speedier processing of incorporation related applications, uniformity in application of rules and eradicating discretion.

Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2017 was assented by President Ram Nath Kovind on January 3, 2018 and was enacted as the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2017 (CAA-17).

The Act contains total 93 sections of which 92 have been brought into force along with relevant rules.

Framework reviewed A committee to review the existing framework dealing with offences under the Companies Act, 2013, in its report recommended that the existing rigour of the law should continue for serious offences, covering six categories, while for lapses that are essentially technical or procedural in nature, mainly falling under two categories may be shifted to in-house adjudication process.

This would serve the twin purposes to promote Ease of Doing Business and better corporate compliance.

It would also reduce the number of prosecutions filed in the Special Courts, which would, in turn, facilitate speedier disposal of serious offences and bring serious offenders to book.

Based on its recommendations, the Government decided to promulgate an Ordinance.

Accordingly the Companies (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018 was promulgated on November 2, this year.

The Ministry also proposes to introduce a Replacement Bill (Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2018) to replace the Companies (Amendment) Ordinance 2018 in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.

During the year going by, the President also gave assent to promulgate Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance.

Insolvency and Bankruptcy process has taken good shape since 2017 and is a fast evolving legislation.

A major factor behind the effectiveness of the new code has been the adjudication by the judiciary.

The Code provides strict time limits for various procedures under it.

In this process a rich-case law has evolved reducing the scope of legal uncertainty.

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Act, 2018 notified on January 19 replaced IBC (Amendment) Ordinance which further amended provisions relating to prohibition on certain persons from submitting a resolution plan, so as to provide more clarity.

Insolvency Further, second amendment was also done by the way of ordinance in August, 2018 on the recommendations of Insolvency Law Committee.

The Ordinance was promulgated to balance the interests of various stakeholders in the Code, especially interests of home buyers and micro, small and medium enterprises, promoting resolution over liquidation of corporate debtor by lowering the voting threshold of committee of creditors and streamlining provisions relating to eligibility of resolution applicants.

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Act, 2018 has replaced IBC (Amendment) Ordinance.

In the wake of accounting scams and frauds in the corporate sector, National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) was notified as an independent regulator for auditing profession which is one of the key changes brought in by the Companies Act five years ago.

The NFRA will review the quality of corporate financial reporting in certain classes and sub classes of companies and take disciplinary action against auditors/audit firms for not discharging their statutory duties with due diligence.

The Government has constituted this Authority and has prescribed NFRA (Manner of Appointment and other Terms and Conditions of Service of Chairperson and Members) Rules, 2018 and NFRA Rules.

R Sridharan and Dr Prasenjit Mukherjee were appointed as Chairperson and full-time member respectively of NFRA on October 1, this year.

The Ministry to provide for faster and transparent processes, introduced a web base service named as 'Reserve Unique Name' to make the Name Reservation process speedy, smooth, simple and reduce the number of procedures with effective from January 26, 2018 for companies and from October 2, 2018 for LLPs (Limited Liability Partnership).

Re-engineering It also introduced steps such as re-engineering the process of allotment of DIN, exemption of MCA fee for company incorporation, deployment of e-forms due to IFSC & exemption notifications, amendment to Companies Act, CRL-1, implementation of Condonation of Delay Scheme, eKYC drive for directors of all companies, Integrated form for LLP (FiLLiP) incorporation, and setting up Central Registration Centre (CRC) for 'name reservation' and 'incorporation' for LLPs.

During the year, the Ministry in order to speed up matter related to resolution of bankruptcy and insolvency, proposed setting up of eight special courts under the National Company Law Tribunal to deal with the insolvency cases.

These courts are proposed to be set up in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad.

To facilitate timely resolution of disputes, it is envisaged to set up exclusive IBC Courts under the NCLT benches of Delhi, Mumbai to start with and step up infrastructure of NCLT.

The aim is also to strengthen the insolvency process for faster resolution of NPAs.

To bring more transparent accounting, the Ministry has notified Indian Accounting Standard (Ind AS) 115 which would be effective from April 1, 2018.

Ind AS 115 is a new revenue recognition standard for customer contracts in line with the International Financial Reporting Standards which will help in more transparent accounting of revenues with an impact on companies operating in diverse sectors, including technology, real estate and telecom.

As part of bringing about greater transparency in corporate structure and in view of advantages of dematerialisation of securities, especially in terms of KYC and investor protection, the Government's focus on 'Digital India' and the enabling provisions, the Ministry has amended the relevant rules to apply the dematerialisation requirements to unlisted public companies, in addition to listed companies.

Consultations were held with all stakeholders and rules were amended on September 10, 2018 to mandate with effect from October 2, issue and transfer of securities by unlisted public companies in demat form only.

The Investor Education & Protection Fund (IEPF) Authority unveiled its new logo in 2018 to provide for strong brand presence and recognition.

The IEPF authority also signed an MoU with the CSC e-governance services India, which would identify village level entrepreneurs for investor awareness projects, among other activities.

The Ministry is actively looking at further reforms in IEPF.

More transparency As part of bringing about greater transparency in corporate structure and in view of advantages of dematerialisation of securities, especially in terms of KYC and investor protection, the Government's focus on 'Digital India' and the enabling provisions, the Ministry has amended the relevant rules to apply the dematerialisation requirements to unlisted public companies, in addition to listed companies.

Consultations were held with all stakeholders and rules were amended on September 10, 2018 to mandate with effect from October 2, 2018, issue and transfer of securities by unlisted public companies in demat form only.

The Investor Education & Protection Fund (IEPF) Authority unveiled its new logo in 2018 to provide for strong brand presence and recognition.

The IEPF authority also signed an MoU with the CSC e-governance services India, to identify village level entrepreneurs for investor awareness projects, among other activities.

The Ministry is actively looking at further reforms in IEPF.

To review the existing claim settlement processes a committee of practicing company secretaries was constituted through the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI).

The committee had reviewed the existing processes and have recommended that the entire process should be made online with e-verification of the claims by the companies, online PAN based verification of the claimant.

A new portal namely www.iepfportal.in has been developed for increasing the outreach of IAPs and monitoring the programmes conducted by the professional institutes, CSC e-governance and other partner institutions.

The portal provides access to the partner institutions like ICAI, ICSI, ICoAI& IICA and CSC e-Governance for uploading the details of past & future programmes.

To enlarge the scope of debate of competition in India and to bring the best practices from around the world on competition issues, Competition Commission of India (CCI) successfully hosted the 17th International Competition Network (ICN) annual conference in March 2018 in New Delhi The MCA constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee to carry out 'Competition Assessment of existing policies' under the chairmanship of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion Secretary Ramesh Abhishek with representation from seven other ministries or organisations on dated June 1, this year.

The prime focus of the Committee was to conduct a review of select Acts/Rules/Policies/Regulations formulated in the recent past and some upcoming acts to look into issues of anti-competition aspects and to focus on any restrictions/provisions in laws that pose great threat to competition.

Further, in pursuance of its objective to ensure that legislation is in sync with the needs of strong economic fundamentals, the Government constituted a Competition Law Review Committee under Corporate Affairs Secretary Injeti Srinivas on October 1, 2018.

The Committee is mandated to review the Competition Act/Rules/Regulation, to look into international best practices and sectoral interfaces.

Competition Commission of India (CCI) has amended the Combination Regulations.

The post amendment regulations among others includes permitting withdrawal of notice and refilling the same by parties, allowing submission of voluntary modifications in response to notice, appointing agencies to supervise implementation of modification etc.
By PTI

BENGALURU: A right-wing Hindu outfit has appealed to police to ban new year celebrations on the city's signature locations like MG Road and Brigade Road on December 31 to "protect the sanctity of Bengaluru."

In a two-page memorandum to Bengaluru police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti coordinator Mohan Gowda said "western culture has spoilt the present generation, where boys and girls drink, smoke and perform vulgar dance in an inebriated state which instigates criminals for eve-teasing."

Gowda recalled how some women were allegedly molested en masse two years ago bringing a bad name to the city internationally.

"The most concerning matter is that there is a growing number of young boys, girls and women taking part in the celebrations in an inebriated state, which shows the decline of values among the youth of India today," Gowda rued in his memorandum.

Gowda urged police to ban such new year revelries.

Two years ago, on the night of December 31 on MG Road and Brigade Road, several women were allegedly molested and groped and lewd remarks passed by miscreants, despite the presence of police personnel to control unruly New Year revellers.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Nine-year-old Arjun who was travelling from United States to Chennai became the billionth passenger to land in Dubai.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Airports and representatives from across the aviation sector and the emirate of Dubai gave the airports billionth warm welcome to nine-year-old Arjun along with his mother Ramya, father Venkatesh and thirteen-year-old brother Varun, who arrived from Orlando, Florida on Emirates flight EK220.

The billionth customer is arguably the most significant in a long litany of achievements since the airport first opened in September 30, 1960 with a tiny terminal building and a runway of compacted sand. Today the hub is widely considered a benchmark for its quality infrastructure, passenger and cargo volumes and high service levels despite unrelenting growth. Dubai airport handles an average of 7.5 million customers every month and this year broke its own traffic record thrice with more than 8.3 million customers in a month.

The airport took 51 years  from September 30, 1960 to December 31, 2011  to reach its 500 millionth passenger but clocked the remaining 500 million in just seven years. Over the past 11 years alone Dubai Airports has opened seven major facilities with an investment of almost $12 billion. Five of those have been at Dubai including Terminal 3, Concourses A, B, D and the complete refurbishment and expansion of Terminal 2.

To pick the lucky passenger, Dubai Airports used its passenger traffic forecast to narrow down the selection to a specific flight and approached Emirates to make a random selection.

Arjun and his family will be staying at the iconic Atlantis Hotel and dine at the award-winning restaurants there and even spend a day exploring the Aquaventure water park. A visit to the tallest building in the world  the Burj Khalifa - for an access all areas tour, followed by a personal shopping experience at The Dubai Mall. Then a full day with Arabian Adventures exploring the more traditional side of Dubai, around the Al Fahidi Historical neighbourhood and then into the desert for a dune drive and sunset dinner.
Amrutha Kuber By

Online Desk

Chennais Dr Jayachandran or 'Makkal Maruthuvar' (People's doctor) -- as he was fondly called by numerous residents -- passed away in the city on 19th December. PM Modi on Friday paid tribute to the North Chennai doctor who only charged his patients Rs.2, calling him a hero and said, his was a life purely for the betterment of others.

Chennai based Dr S Jayachandran is a hero. His was a life purely for the betterment of others. https://t.co/CVlJiFmPZ7  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 21, 2018

In a testament to his legacy, hundreds of people paid homage to him at his house in Old Washermenpet from where he treated his patients.

Heres everything you should know about him:
K Shiva Shanker By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Two operation tables, which were in dire need of repairs, collapsed at the minor operation theatre (MOT) of Osmania General Hospital on Thursday. Following this, the operation theatre (OT) was shut down. The operation theatre is running out of suture material and air conditioners too have been not working for more than a year, sources say. If this is indeed the case, a serious overhaul is required for the operation theatre.

Amputation of limbs, cleansing septic wounds, accident cases, operations of HIV positive patients are taken up among other cases in the hospitals operation theatre. There are three operation theatres in the hospital. The tables collapsed in the third theatre where the major surgeries are taken up. Express received access to photos of the broken tables.

Osmania General Hospital (OGH) superintendent Dr B Nagendar said that the issue had come to his notice and that the patients are now being attended to in other OTs in the hospital. The tables were in need of repair and they have finally collapsed. This is the operation theatre where HIV positive patients in need of surgeries or even those with infection in wounds are treated.

Apart from this, all septic cases, accident cases, and amputation cases among others are attended here. In this process of replacing the tables, we hope suture material - which is scarce in the operation theatres - too will be provided, sources said.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: In a recent major haul, the City Shadow Police seized methamphetamine and hashish oil worth Rs 5 crore and arrested a Chennai native in connection with the incident. Ibrahim Shereef, 59, Chinnathampi Street, Trivilikeni, Chennai, was the arrested. The sleuths recovered 2 kg of methamphetamine and 2 litres of hashish oil from his possession. The accused aimed at the retail sales of the contraband across the state after smuggling it to Kochi, said an officer.

After receiving a tip-off by City Police Commissioner M P Dinesh that a Chennai-based gang was involved in peddling drugs to various locations across the country, the phone calls and the messages via social media were put under the scanner for months. An investigation based on this led to the arrest of the accused. According to the officers, this is for the first time in Kerala such a huge amount of methamphetamine is being seized.

The drug is manufactured in countries like Malaysia and Singapore and then smuggled to Sri Lanka via sea. Drug peddling is a major revenue source for LTTE-influenced areas in Sri Lanka. The refugees smuggle the drugs to port cities like Chennai and Tuticorin via boats. From there it is transported to Mumbai, Goa, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi and other locations. The arrested Ibrahim is part of the mafia smuggling the drug, said DCP J Himendranath.

According to him, an inquiry is on to arrest the person nicknamed Big Boss, who handed over the drug to Ibrahim. Preliminary investigations revealed the accused travelled to Singapore and Malayasia several times from Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Chennai airports in the guise of an apparel businessman.

Officers said they will also look into whether the accused had any links with the recent MDMA seizure from a courier establishment in Kochi. Receiving the tip-off that Ibrahim boarded a train from Chennai with the drug the Shadow sleuths followed him and nabbed him when he alighted at Ernakulam Town Railway Station with the assistance of the North Police. A team led by Shadow SI A B Vibin arrested him.
Sudhir Srinivasan By

Express News Service

In the aftermath of having endured 2.0s lazy, rehashed dialogues from its original (Enthiran), it is somewhat assuaging to note that Maari 2s dialogue-writing shows quite a bit of imagination and taste.

It uses all the impactful dialogues from the 2015 film, but doesnt resort to using them as they were. My most favourite Dhanush moment in this film is when he swishes his finger, and just as hes about to say, Senjuruven, checks himself and says something else instead  something more endearing that takes into account the changed man that he is. You, no doubt, noted that I qualified this scene as my most favourite Dhanush moment, not my favourite Maari 2 moment.

Well, thats on account of one Ms. Sai Pallavi (who plays a character called Araathu Anandhi) whose charms make it quite difficult to focus on anybody else. Shes refreshingly uninhibited, and yes, as has been said about her many hundreds of times before, real. And boy, can she dance. Dhanush is among our better dancers, but even he seems to be huffing and puffing next to Sai Pallavis unrestrained dancing. Good luck taking your eyes off her, as she does the sort of flooring only our most acclaimed dancers are known for. Its only appropriate that one Mr. Prabhu Dheva was roped in to choreograph the dance for Rowdy Baby.

Let it not be lost on you that in many such songs in the past, the heroine usually only gets graceful moves, steps carefully created to accentuate feminine grace. Anandhi, here, couldnt care less what you think about how she looks when she dances.

When she sulks about Maari not showing interest in her, Sani (Robo Shankar, whos quite funny in the film), advises her to be more demure and walk and talk as attractive women are supposed to. But Anandhi isnt your average loosu ponnu. She herself says as much and adds, Naan mass-u ponnu. These are signs, I hope, of at least some people in the industry paying attention to criticism over its portrayal of women. But clearly, theres a long way to go, given this same film is quite happy in its attempts to create laughs out of a dark woman and her supposed lack of attractiveness. Baby steps, I guess?

And yet, for all of Sai Pallavis charms, let it also not be forgotten that her characters reasons for circling Maari arent exactly novel. Our yesteryear heroines typically fell in love when the hero protected their modesty. Here, its someone elses. And yet, Sai Pallavi, in playing this time-tested part of a hero-besotted heroine, somehow imbues her character with self-respect. Shes the spell that distracts you from seeing the big vacuum at the heart of this film.

In a sense, she does the same to Maari, as he momentarily, willingly loses his violent identity. But of course, what Baasha is to Manickam, Maari  who, interestingly, is an autodriver in his reformed avatar  is to Maariappan. However, unlike in the former film, the return is hardly as cathartic, as massy here.

Maari 2 isnt all about the Anandhi-Maari relationship unfortunately, and each time, the film switches to telling you about Maaris enemies, it suffers. The villain is a big joke. His name is Gangadhar (Tovino Thomas), and he calls himself Thanatos, after the Greek god of death. For some reason, no other character seems to find this funny.

Im not sure if this name and his constant self-referencing seemed narcissistic and deep on paper, but in the film, its simply funny, despite Balaji Mohans attempts to trace his transformation through a rushed flashback. Hes a loony man who keeps calling himself the god of death. A rowdy, when talking about him, comments, Avan apdi dhaan edhavadhu English la penaathitrupaaan. I dont believe theres a more accurate description of his character in the film. At one point, he even channels his inner Major Sundarrajan and translates for your benefit: Naan saavukku kadavul.

Sure, there may be no loosu ponnu here, but its not an exaggeration to call Gangadhar the loosu paiyan of this film. The villain in the original film played by Vijay Yesudas was charmless, but at least you didnt have to suppress a laugh every time he appeared.

However, there are hints of some genuinely good writing every once in a while. I quite liked it that one incident in Maaris life creates, at once, his most dangerous enemy in Gangadhar, and the love of his life in Anandhi. Theres a sense of how interconnected people are, and how one persons actions can affect another in unexpected ways, but for such explorations to really bear fruit, the films plot and its negative characters needed to be more imaginative.

A big problem I had with Maari was the romanticisation of its rowdy protagonist, and while part of that remains, Balaji Mohan tries really hard to explain why his lead character isnt just an average bully. Maari has much respect for women, it gets established. When one sexually abused woman utters that time-tested Yaaru enna kalyanam pannipaanga?, he rubbishes the idea and points out that shes not an object. Much like the don of all dons  Don Corleone  Maari too is against drugs.

The film also attempts to explain why hes the way he is, with a fleeting line from him about how he wasnt the recipient of love, growing up. I enjoyed such simple, effective forays into Maaris past, and its a reminder to those making sequels that it doesnt hurt to look backwards in time when writing scripts.

All that is flavouring though. Maari 2, unfortunately, isnt efficient at being a mass film, its chief objective. Its jokes work, its love angles all right, its heroine is great, but where it matters most  the villain, the conflict, the subplots  it comes a cropper. Dhanushs six-pack abs at the end just serve as a dim, wistful reminder of a way better mass film, made 11 years ago, in which he first dared to do so.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The CBI has arrested senior journalist Suman Chattopadhyay for his alleged involvement in chit fund scam in West Bengal, officials said Thursday.

It is alleged that Chattopadhyay, editor of leading Bengali daily Ei Samay, has taken money from some of the chit fund owners, they said.

He was called to the probe agency's Kolkata office for questioning where he was taken into custody, they said.

A look out circular was also issued against him, they said.
BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday sent a congratulatory message on the holding of the first meeting of China-India high-level people-to-people exchanges mechanism in India's capital New Delhi.

In the message, Xi said that China and India are both ancient civilizations boasting long history and splendid culture, adding that the two civilizations, with close exchanges and mutual learning from the ancient time, have both made significant contributions to the human development and progress.

Today, Xi said, China-India relations are actively moving forward, with mutual political trust deepening, practical cooperation accelerating, people-to-people and cultural exchanges flourishing, and bilateral coordination in international and regional affairs sustaining.

It has been proved by practice that a good bilateral relationship benefits not only both countries but also the whole world, Xi added.

The Chinese president also expressed the hope for the two sides to make proper use of the high-level people-to-people exchanges mechanism.

With the help of the profound implication in the two Oriental civilizations, China and India should promote the communication between the minds of the two peoples and forge a closer development partnership, Xi said.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: A day after 83 former bureaucrats wrote an open letter seeking the resignation of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over Bulandshahr violence, a BJP lawmaker responded with another open letter, censuring them for lamenting the killing of two people, but not the slaughter of 21 cows.

Sanjay Sharma, MLA from Anupshahr in Bulandshahr district, wrote in his open letter, Youre noticing the deaths of only Sumit and the able police officer who sacrificed his life in the line of duty, but not the slaughter of 21 cows.

The state government has been accused of focusing on solving the alleged cow slaughter case rather than arresting the killers of the policeman.

Accusing the former bureaucrats and other signatories of making politically motivated allegations, Sharma wrote, I dont doubt your love for the nation. Your concern for the state may also be genuine. But before writing an open letter, if all of you had visited the site of the incident and gained first-hand information about the violence, neither I nor the people of this state would have doubted your concerns.

Former National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon, former foreign secretary Shyam Saran, retired IPS officer Julio F Rebeiro and former L-G of Delhi Najeeb Jung were among 83 eminent people who had signed the letter alleging that under Yogi, UP was witnessing lawlessness and hooliganism as seen in Bulandshahr on December 3.

Rejecting the charges of discrimination against a particular community, the MLA wrote: You are casting aspersions on a CM who allowed such a huge congregation of Muslim devotees in Bulandshahr for three days... Had the state government discriminated, it would not have allowed the Tabligi Ijtema in the communally sensitive district.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The NDA is likely to unveil its seat adjustment for Bihar soon. The issue came up during a discussion between Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the restive leadership of Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP). Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is likely to give his stamp of approval to the distribution of seats among the NDA constituents.

Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, his son Chirag, along with the Bihar unit of the BJP Nityanand Rai called on Jaitely on the day to finalise the contours of the seat adjustment for NDA constituents after taking a brief from the BJP chief, sources said, adding that they would soon meet the Bihar chief minister for his seal of approval. Kumar is also in the national capital currently.

While the BJP and JD (U) are slated to contest an equal number of seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, LJP is likely to get the remaining six constituencies to contest. Sources said that there would be a reshuffling of constituencies among the NDA constituents on the basis of the ground assessments.

The LJP is keen to secure BJPs support for Rajya Sabha nomination for Ram Vilas Paswan, who is not keen to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP and JD (U) are likely to contest 17 seats each in Bihar, which has a total of 40 Lok Sabha seats. With Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) quitting NDA, LJP is likely to benefit with two additional seats, since the BJP had earlier been keen to allocate only four seats for the ally, which is known to bolt close on the eve of Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP and JD(U) had agreed to reshuffle seats on the basis of the assessments of strength of each outfit. A similar formula will also be applicable on LJP. The NDA constituents have agreed that the candidate selection will be on the basis of the winnability factor, and there will be consultations before the candidates are finalised, sources said.

After posturing, Sena likely to open seat talks with BJP

Seat sharing talks between the BJP and Shiv Sena, for 2019 Lok Sabha polls, are likely to commence soon. However, as a recent internal survey by the BJP showed, the tally of both the parties could come down considerably even if they contested the polls as allies.

The BJP-Sena alliance had bagged 42 of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in 2014. While the BJP had won 23, Sena bagged 18 and Swabhimani Party took one.

After the recent bypolls, the BJPs tally slipped to 22, while the Swabhimani Party MP Raju Shetti broke away from the NDA to join the Congress-NCP alliance.

On several occasions over the last one year, the Sena had been on record saying it wont contest the 2019 polls in alliance with the BJP.While party president Amit Shah had advised state BJP leaders to avoid public spat with Sena, CM Devendra Fadnavis told his party MLAs and MPs, at a recent meeting, that while attempts are being made to forge an alliance with Sena, they should also be prepared to contest independently.

At the other end of the political spectrum, alliance talks between the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are also stuck due to some small allies, sources have said.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: Allahabad High Court on Friday refused to stay arrest of an accused in Bulandshahr mob violence on Friday. Instead, the court asked the petitioner to surrender in the court in connection with

the case within aweek.

The court passed the order while hearing the plea of Satish, an accused in the recent Bulandshahr violence over alleged cow slaughter in which police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a local youth were

killed on December 3.

Dismissing Satish's writ petition, a division bench comprising, Justice Naheed Ara Moonis and Manju Rani Chauhan, directed the petitioner to surrender before the court within a week in connection with the violence. In fact, petitioner Satish is one among 27 accused persons named in the FIR lodged by SI

Subhash Chandra at Syana police station in Bulandshahr for violence, rioting, vandalism and murder of Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a youth Sumit.

Pleading innocence, petitioner Satish claimed that police were implicating him falsely in the case. He added that since the father's name of the accused was not mentioned in the FIR, the cops were harassing all those who were named Satish in the area. He requested the court to stay his arrest which the court declined.

However, the state counsel opposed the petition on the ground that the petitioner is named in the FIR. Further, the case is a very serious one, as a police inspector along with a local youth have been

killed and government properties damaged in the violence.
Aishik Chanda By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: In a setback to the BJP after initial delight, the Calcutta High Court on Friday again halted the BJPs proposed rath yatra in West Bengal. A day after Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty greenlighted the partys Save Democracy Yatra with certain conditions, a division bench red-flagged it and sent the case back to the single bench. Hearing an appeal filed by the state government against Thursdays order, the bench of Chief Justice Debashish Kar Gupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar asked the single judge to hear the matter afresh after considering security and intelligence inputs.

The Mamata Banerjee government had sought an urgent hearing of the appeal. It contended that the single judge passed the order allowing the yatra without going through the security reports. State Advocate General Kishore Dutta argued that the sealed envelopes in which the reports of 31 police districts, five commissioners of police, chief secretary, home secretary and DGP were given, were not opened.

The state government had earlier denied permission for the yatra, saying they could trigger communal clashes. Appearing for the state police, Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that the yatra had a communal agenda and submitted photographs of wall murals of the yatra.

The BJP, which had planned to start the yatra from Saturday, has decided to hold protest rallies across the state from Saturday. It is also planning to knock at the doors of the Supreme Court. We are looking into all legal possibilities, including moving the SC, state BJP leader Jay Prakash Mazumdar said. Reacting to the judgment, panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee said the BJP was trying to push its communal agenda through the yatra.
By PTI

BEGUSARAI: Police here on Thursday filed a charge sheet against former Bihar minister Manju Verma and her husband Chandrashekhar Verma who are facing trial in a case lodged after recovery of a large quantity of ammunition from their residence during a CBI raid.

The charge sheet was submitted before Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate Prabhat Trivedi by investigating officer Ranjit Kumar Rajak wherein the couple have been charged under various sections of the Arms Act.

It may be recalled that Manju Verma had resigned as the Social Welfare Department minister on August 06 following media reports wherein it was alleged that her husband had close links with Brajesh Thakur, the prime accused in Muzaffarpur shelter home sex scandal.

On August 17, the CBI -- which was investigating the scandal -- raided their house at Arjun Tola locality in the district where altogether 50 cartridges of various sizes were recovered.

A case was subsequently lodged at Cheria Bariarpur police station.

After evading arrest for some time, Chandrashekhar Verma surrendered before the Majhaul court on October 29.

The former minister moved applications for bail at the trial court and later before the Patna High Court which were rejected.

The Supreme Court, which has been monitoring the investigation into the scandal, rapped the Bihar police for failure to nab Manju Verma.

Manju Verma, who represents Cheria Bariarpur in the state assembly, surrendered before the court on November 20.
S Kumaresan By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The DMK mouthpiece, Murasoli, has appealed to the opposition parties to accept the party leader MK Stalins proposal to project Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate of the anti-BJP front in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Even four days after Stalin made the surprise announcement, except a few parties such as the Tamil Nadu-based Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, there have not been many takers.

The issue has already created ripples in the grand anti-BJP alliance as some of the leaders had either opposed the proposal or chosen to skirt the question about the PM candidate.

ALSO READ | DMK-Congress combine corrupt company: BJP on Stalin's Rahul Gandhi formula for 2019 Lok Sabha polls

In this backdrop, an editorial in the Murasoli on Thursday reiterated Rahul Gandhi as the PM candidate and put forward a few arguments in support. The BJP is projecting Narendra Modi as its prime Minister candidate. It would be a setback if the opposition parties do not project a prime ministerial candidate, the editorial read.

It said the DMK leaders statement was not aimed at creating tussles in the alliance, but made only after considering the political climate in the country. The prime ministerial candidate has to be from the Congress since the party is the biggest in the opposition camp and has the capacity to get the maximum number of MPs from across the country.

We (parties in the anti-BJP alliance) should not give any room for the BJP to weaken the alliance, said the editorial.

ALSO READ | Stalin's proposal to project Rahul Gandhi as PM face not necessarily alliance's opinion: Akhilesh

Acknowledging that four of the parties in the opposition camp had stated that the prime ministerial candidate need not be discussed now, the editorial said there was no need to make this a point of discussion now and what Stalin had said was his own opinion.

Political observers say it appears that the DMK wants to gather support for Stalins proposal on Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate.

Except Stalin and HD Kumaraswamy (Karnataka Chief Minister), other leaders such as Mamta Banerjee and Sharad Pawar are PM aspirants. So they may not endorse Rahul Gandhi as the PM candidate. It looks like the DMK fears a backlash for Stalins proposal and it is gathering support from other parties, said Ravinthran Duraisamy, a political analyst.

Tharasu Shyam, a veteran journalist, said, Back in 2004, even Karunanidhi proposed Sonia Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate. But none of the parties accepted the proposal except the DMK s allies in TN. Stalin has proposed Rahul Gandhis name to ensure that the DMK secures the votes of the minority communities.
By Online Desk

Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba has issued an order to 10 central agencies, authorising them to intercept, monitor and decrypt any "information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer".

The Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, National Investigation Agency,Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Investigation, Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW), Directorate of Signal Intelligence (For service areas of Jammu & Kashmir, North-East and Assam only) and Commissioner of Police have been issued the order.

MHA: Competent authority hereby authorizes the following security and intelligence agencies (in attached statement) for purposes of interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource under the said act pic.twitter.com/3oH9e7vv6T  ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2018

The user or the service provider in charge of any computer resource will be bound to extend all facilities and technical assistance to the agencies, the order said.

Failing to comply with the rules will invite seven-year imprisonment and fine.

The Home Affairs ministry gave the authorisation under 69(1) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 under which the government can direct any agency in the interest of the sovereignty, defence of India and security of the state among other reasons.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University administration has issued show cause notices to its 27 teachers for participating in a hunger strike last month against the varsity's directives on rescheduling the academic calendar and compliance of faculty attendance, sources said Friday.

JNUTA president Atul Sood and secretary Avinash Kumar are among those who have received the show cause notices on December 19, they said.

The teachers have been given one week's time to explain their position, "failing which it will be presumed that they have nothing to say in their defence and disciplinary action under the admissible rules will be initiated against them", they added.

In the show cause notices, the varsity said the JNUTA were given an opportunity to "send two representatives or office-bearers to discuss the issues with the rectors, registrar and concerned officers of the university".

Through a circular issued on November 25, request was made not to hold protests or hunger strike at the JNU's administrative block and attention was also invited towards Rule M-7(6) of the Academic Rules and Regulations of the university to honour the Delhi High Court's directions which prohibit hunger strikes, dharnas within 100 meters from the administrative block and academic complexes.

"It was also informed that in case the protest is undertaken within 100 meters of the administrative block and academic complexes, appropriate action will be taken as per the University Rules and Regulations," the notice said.

It said despite the circular, some teachers came to the administrative block and participated in the 24-hour-long mass protest on November 26 which was in clear violation of the rules and regulations of the JNU and also contempt of the directions of the Delhi High Court.

Kumar said they are preparing a reply to the show cause notices.

"The administration claims that teachers have violated Regulation M7, but it does not apply to the teachers," the JNUTA secretary said.

The varsity administration and the Jawaharlal Nehru teachers' Association have been at loggerheads over the issue of compulsory attendance for teachers.

The teachers have said punitive actions have been initiated against them for failing to adhere to attendance rules with their leaves being cancelled or denied, while the varsity administration has accused them of feeding "misinformation" to the media.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: In a shocking incident of kidnapping of two children for ransom from Matka Bazar area in Sultanpur, one of the child was killed by the kidnappers whereas the other is battling for life at trauma centre in Lucknow on Friday.

While the district police have arrested all the four kidnappers, CM Yogi Adityanath visited the injured child at Trauma Centre. He directed the authorities to ensure proper treatment and quick recovery of the child. The CM gave away Rs 2 lakh for his treatment and also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the aggrieved family on Friday.

According to police sources, the mastermind of kidnapping was the domestic help Raghuvar Yadavof childrens family. Raghuvar, along with his three other accomplices -- Hairom, Shivpujan and Suraj-- kidnapped Divyansh, 8, and Priyansh, 6, both sons of a businessman Rakesh Agrihari in Gosainganj area in Sultanpur district.

As per the family sources, Raghuvar used to bring the children back from school daily. On Thursday, while on way back home from school, Raghuvar and his aides kidnapped the children near Dwarikaganj police outpost. They took them along and kept them in captivity at an isolated house along river Gomti.

Leaving the children behind with his accomplices, Raghuvar, who had a long association with the businessmans family, returned home and joined the search for the kids to escape the police gaze. In the mean time, one of the kidnappers called up Agrihari and demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh in lieu of the safe return of the children.

However, when the family refused to pay the money and informed the police, the kidnappers tortured the children by thrashing them with a spade and giving them electric shocks. Later, they stuffed the children in a jute sac following

which Priyansh died.

After a sustained hunt, the police reached the spot where the children were kept only to find dead Priyansh and critically injured Divyansh, said A Vatsa, SSP, Sultanpur.

While the police party nabbed two of the four kidnappers on the spot, two others tried to flee the spot but failed to do so as the cops fired and injured them in an encounter. While trying to escape, one of the kidnappers even received bullet injury on his leg.

In fact, the recovery of phone used by kidnappers to call up Agriharis for ransom and the vehicle used to kidnap the children led the police to Raghuvar Yadav.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha was adjourned Friday till 2.30 pm as two Tamil parties - the AIADMK and DMK - continued their protest over the Cauvery River issue, while the Opposition Congress and treasury benches sparred over the Rafale jet deal.

As soon as the House met, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu appealed to all members to cooperate in the smooth functioning of the House as discussion on several urgent matters as well as passage of important Bills were pending.

Naidu also said that he has admitted most of the notices for discussion on various issues and appealed to political parties for an honourable agreement for order in the House.

However, Naidu's plea went unheeded as AIADMK and DMK members trooped into the well of the House with placards soon after listed papers and reports were tabled.

Members of AAP were also seen in the well, carrying placards with demands to end the sealing drive in the national capital. Meanwhile, Naidu asked senior Congress leader Anand Sharma to put forward his views.

Sharma said his party was ready for a discussion on all important issues and demanded an immediate debate on imposition of President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir under Article 356 of the Constitution.

Sharma also said that his party was ready to discuss the issue of purchase of Rafale jets from French company Dassault but the government should agree for a probe into the deal by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).

To this, Naidu said the government is also willing to discuss the issue. Minister of State for Parliament Affairs Vijay Goel said the government is ready to discuss all issues including Rafale but the "opposition is running away".

Goel also informed that he had met Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and leaders of other parties in an effort to end the stalemate in the House.

As protesting members continued displaying placards, Naidu said he has received suggestions against members who are entering into the well of the House.

"I will not be happy to take action," he said, adding that if action against members would be taken it would be irrespective of party affiliation.

The Chairman later adjourned the House till 2.30 pm. As per the listed business, the House is scheduled to take up private members' business (resolutions).

The House has witnessed disruptions for the 8th working day over Cauvery, Rafale and other issues.
Guido Terreni joined Bulgari in 2009 and has overseen the introduction of the Octo, Serpenti and Lvcea lines. As the New Year and its new models approaches, WorldTempus reviewed the past ten years with Bulgaris timepiece supremo.

How have you experienced the evolution of the Bulgari watch collection over the past ten years?

It has been a great adventure since March 2009. From that point on we completely revised the collection as it existed at the time. The entire accomplishments of the past decade are a result of a very intimate process in which we stopped looking at the competition and started looking at ourselves and who we wanted to be and what we wanted to stand for in terms of watchmaking. That was a really introspective undertaking that made us dig into our soul and come up with products that are unmistakably Bulgari.

The first major launch that I orchestrated was the Serpenti in 2010. It is the best illustration of the results of this work, since it is a watch like no other and it is an extremely feminine watch. It is not just a downsizing of a gents watch. Its more about thinking about a woman with personality who is in charge of her own choices  somebody who doesnt follow the crowd. The genius of Italian design has also come into play because we have taken something as mundane as a gas pipe (Tubogas) and turned it into jewellery.

The Serpenti Tubogas 3 Gold Colours and the Octo L'Originale Titanium  Bulgari

The other great story is the Octo, because this was born after the integration of the Gerald Genta and Daniel Roth brands that was instrumental in developing the Bulgari brand, because it gave a brand with a strong affinity for aesthetics and lifestyle the highest watchmaking expertise.

Lvcea Skeleton  Bulgari

The Lvcea is the most recent addition and it gives a classic round shape for a feminine watch. It has been an extremely rewarding process. It was difficult at first because we had to explain our vision internally, then externally. The more it became real, the easier it was for people to understand.

You mentioned forgetting about the competition. Was that easy?

Yes, because you develop a sense of belonging to the brand. After so many years the brand gets under your skin and it becomes almost instinctive. In the past ten years I dont remember ever seeing a document sent to Fabrizio [Editors note: Fabrizio Buonamassa, Creative Director] in the design department because we both understand what the needs for the brand and the customer are, but we need to give maximum creativity to the design process. We have developed an understanding of who we wanted to be. The challenge was then to make this a commercial success, because you have to create the product but also everything that goes with it. We were looking for the emotion that can translate into a rational decision to buy a product.

Fabrizio Buonamassa et Guido Terreni  Bulgari

I always say that in design you can have three reactions: I like it; I dont like it and Wow!. The Serpenti is what gives us the Wow! factor. The Finissimo is the example for gents watches, because it is surprising and unconventional.

But surely watches like the Diva Finissima Minute Repeater would not have been possible without the expertise you have developed from a purely horological point of view?

Of course, with such powerful expertise at our disposal its much easier for us to say that nothing is impossible. The breakthrough with the Octo was to have a contemporary interpretation of ultra-thin watches, which up until the launch of the Octo had tended to have more conservative designs. We wanted to break these rigid rules and give a man the sensation of having something new on his wrist.

Diva Finissima Minute Repeater  Bulgari

Once you have such interesting movements you can start to ask yourself whether you could use them in the ladies models. My answer was that we probably couldnt use all of them (the automatic movement, for example, was designed to fit into a 40mm case, so it is probably more suited to a gents watch) and there was in any case no obligation to do so. But the minute repeater is smaller in size and fits in a 37mm case very well. I had the idea to launch a ladies minute repeater as a first for the brand and it was a huge success. We wanted to keep it quite exclusive but the number of women who were interested in it was much higher than we thought. In turn that creates problems for us because we also have to produce the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater!

Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon  Bulgari

The Octo Finissimo has been a resounding success regardless of the materials you have chosen for the case, bracelet and dial. Do you have any red lines that you would not cross in terms of materials or movements?

If you speak to Fabrizio, he has extreme pleasure in dismantling this kind of question. He loves a challenge and I like this interplay between the creative side and the watchmaking side of the brand. We work together very well, but it is also a case of two different cultures coming together and encouraging both sides to excel themselves.

Fabrizio Buonamassa, Creative Director  Bulgari

The fact that we have achieved so many things on the technical side gives us even greater courage and audacity. If we had put some of our most recent ideas forward a few years ago there would have been much more resistance. There is a belief that we can head into the unknown and we cannot only look to the past for our inspiration. Its good to be able to question people who say we have always done it like this. For the Finissimo in particular it has been a process that has been driven by aesthetics and technology. In fact, the aesthetic evolution took as much time as it did to develop the watches themselves. If you go back to 2014 when we shocked the world with the thinnest tourbillon in platinum, it had a black lacquer dial and an alligator leather strap. So it was quite conservative in terms of the materials we used. But the shape was so modern and fresh that it was already a strong statement. The minute repeater was the model that brought us towards a more contemporary style, but still without a bracelet. The automatic model took three years longer to develop, which is quite fortunate, since we werent really ready on the aesthetical side of things. Usually we drive the aesthetics and the technical side has to follow, but in this case we had the opportunity to stretch the aesthetical side of the watch even further.

The Octo Finissimo Tourbillon in platinum unveiled in 2014  Bulgari

Is there anything we would never do? No. But for sure we are not going to have a proliferation of references or create a new watch just because someone asks us to do a blue dial. We need a genuine reason behind a new product.

The sandblasted finish on the Octo models is very distinctive. Has it been difficult to maintain this look across all the different metals?

The titanium came first and that is a simple sandblasting treatment. We have to have a uniformity of finish across three different components: the dial, the case and the bracelet. This is not easy because each component reacts to the treatment differently. The dial is completely flat; its a piece of titanium that is just 0.3mm thick. The case has round surfaces on the bezel plus all the angles of the octagonal shape, the bracelet has yet another different shape. The titanium doesnt show up the differences as much, but when we introduced the white steel any differences in the grain were much more apparent and the light reflected more, so it took us a lot more time to perfect the uniformity. We also had to add 2 microns of gold and 2 microns of palladium to the steel before the rhodium plating to get the look that we wanted.

The Octo Finissimo Automatic Saandblasted in titanium, in rhodium-plated steel and in 18kt rose gold  Bulgari

Is there a particular type of watch or project that you enjoy working on most?

Im in love with the Finissimo and I cannot say that there is a reference that I like more or less than the others. They all have their own reason to be. The best development by far is the automatic movement. Its not the most expensive but it was the most difficult and its the most relevant.

How can you be so sure of your choices?

I think it is related to how you look at life in general. Vintage watches are very popular at the moment. When we were younger we used to think that the future would be a better place to live; now there is a lot more uncertainty so people are less optimistic and think that it was better in the past. This is why people are looking back to the past. I refuse to do this as a person and Bulgari refuses to do this as a brand, so we push ourselves to create things that are unexplored. We start with a blank piece of paper but this is very difficult. A lot of other brands talk about DNA and re-interpreting their past. I think we should be looking more into our soul and our emotion. DNA is a scientific thing and its a rule  it doesnt change at all throughout your life.

Every vintage watch today was disruptive in its era. I prefer to be designing something that is disruptive now rather than re-interpreting something that was done in the past. Furthermore, serious watch fans and collectors will always look for the original rather than the reinterpretation.

This doesnt mean that the past is not important. It defines us and is part of us and we have to respect it, but it doesnt mean we have to keep replicating it.
By PTI

GANDHINAGAR: Attacking the Congress over the Rafale fighter jet deal, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Friday its campaign was based on "lies" and asked if the opposition party was trying to make the country believe it was above the Supreme Court.

The Rahul Gandhi-led party is unwilling to even accept the apex court's verdict in the mega defence contract, she said.

The Supreme Court 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.

"A campaign on falsehoods, a campaign on lies till the time the Supreme Court came up with the verdict. Even after that, the Congress is not willing to accept the Supreme Court's verdict. Are they making the country believe that they are above the Supreme Court? The Congress approach was from the start to campaign on the basis of lies to mislead the people, and this was proved on the issue of Rafale," Sitharaman said.

She was speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day national convention of the BJP's women's wing here.

The Congress has repeatedly criticised the deal, alleging the Modi government was procuring each aircraft at a cost of over Rs 1,670 crore as against Rs 526 crore finalised during the UPA rule. The charges have been denied by the government.

Sitharaman said party workers, who are preparing for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, should understand that a "political game is being played by the Congress leadership".

"The Congress is still trying with all its might to remove the corruption-free NDA government.

We will face this through constant campaigning with all our might to expose the falsehood of the Congress by presenting our truth. We should all work together for this," she said.

The minister asked women party workers gathered for the convention to brainstorm on the BJP's preparation for the upcoming general elections.

She said the BJP has been at the forefront of empowering women within the party.

On the other hand, the Congress was only "doing lip service" in the name of "Women's Reservation Bill," that seeks to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament and state assemblies, Sitharaman said.

"We must remember that whenever there is a discussion on the Women's Reservation Bill, the Congress only does lip service.

In 2008, the BJP was the first national party to have reservation for women from panchayat to national executive body.

"Other national parties joined later," she said, while counting the number of women chief ministers, governors, MPs, mayors, MLAs and ministers from the BJP across the country.

Sitharaman said she is a beneficiary of such a reservation in the party.

"I was given an opportunity by the party and I am trying to fulfil (the responsibility) with full dedication. You will get better opportunity," she told the gathering.

Sitharaman asked BJP workers to go among people and apprise them about the work done by the Modi government for women's empowerment.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was also present at the inaugural session, said the Congress was feeling "overenthusiastic" due to its victory in the just held assembly polls in three Hindi-speaking states.

This is why Congress leaders were "misleading the country through lies", he said.

"We should understand the importance of the 2019 elections. While the BJP wants to remove poverty, corruption, the Congress wants to remove the BJP. The BJP is committed to the upliftment of women. It has given many important portfolios to women," Rupani said.

BJP Mahila Morcha national president Vijaya Rahatkar, party leaders Saroj Pandey and Ram Lal were prominent among those who attended the inaugural session.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the concluding session of the convention.
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: Sitting MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav of Bihars main Opposition party RJD was on Friday sentenced to life in jail and a fine of Rs 50,000 for raping a minor girl in February 2016. The sentence has prompted the states ruling JD(U) and BJP to intensify attacks against RJD.

Judge Parasuram Singh Yadav of a special court for trial of cases against MPs and MLAs also handed jail terms and fines to five other accused who had acted as facilitators in the rape act. The court had pronounced all the six accused in the case guilty on December 15.

The 53-year-old MLA, who represents Nawada Assembly segment and has been in jail since March 2016, was convicted under Section 376 (punishment for rape) of IPC and Sections 4 and 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. He was accused of raping a 15-year-old schoolgirl at his residence in at Pathara English village near Biharsharif on the night of February 6, 2016.

Sulekha Devi and her mother Radha Devi, who had lured the girl to the MLAs residence and actively facilitated the rape act, were awarded life terms in jail and a fine of Rs 20,000 each. They were convicted under various Sections of IPC, Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act and the POCSO Act. Two daughters of Sulekha Devi and a son-in-law were handed 10-yar jail terms and a fine of Rs 10,000 each.

I will move the high court against this faulty judgment. I have faith in the judiciary. I say with total confidence that I committed no rape. The so-called evidence was fabricated as part of a conspiracy to destroy me politically, said Raj Ballabh Yadav after the sentences were pronounced.

The MLA, who was suspended from RJD after he was booked, is now set to lose his Assembly membership because of the sentences. This is a judicial matter and a verdict by a trial court. The MLA will appeal in the higher court, said RJD national vice-president Raghuvansh Prasad Singh.

Ruling allies JD(U) and BJP attacked RJD leader and de-facto party chief Tejashwi Yadav for his silence on the MLAs conviction and sentences. There is no doubt that RJD harbours and promotes criminals. The convicted MLA should have been given the death penalty for the heinous crime, said BJP leader Prem Ranjan Patel.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The government's move to authorise 10 Central agencies to intercept any information on computers today rocked the Rajya Sabha, with Union Minister Arun Jaitley saying the opposition was creating a mountain out of a mole hill as the authorisation was given under old rules.

Congress leader Anand Sharma raised the issue of the MHA authorising 10 central agencies to intercept any information on computers.

Replying to him, Jaitley said it would have been better if the Opposition had obtained all information before raising this issue.

ALSO READ: Government authorises 10 agencies to snoop on your computer

"The Opposition is making a mountain out of a mole hill where even a mole hill does not exist," he said.

"When senior members from Opposition raise an issue every word spoken by them has precious value and therefore they must know facts," Jaitley told the House amid the din.

He said the rules under which agencies have been authorised to intercept were framed in 2009 when the Congress led UPA was in power.

The division bench said the order needs to consider afresh the 36 intelligence inputs submitted by the state government before the single bench.

Advocate General Kishore Dutta, representing the state, said that the single bench had not considered the intelligence inputs submitted to it in a sealed cover and had returned it to him without even opening it.

He had submitted intelligence inputs from 31 police districts and five police commisionerates before the bench, which he said talked about apprehension of communal unrest if the BJP's proposed roadshows were allowed.

The 'Rath Yatra', which was originally scheduled to start on December 7 but was denied permission by the state government, has become the latest political flashpoint between the saffron party and the state's ruling Trinamool Congress.

After hearing an appeal by the BJP, a single-judge bench of the high court had on Thursday allowed the mega event, to be flagged off by BJP president Amit Shah under a re-scheduled programme from December 28 to 31.

The West Bengal government, however, challenged the ruling before a division bench of Chief Justice Debasish Kargupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar, which has now quashed the earlier ruling and sent the case back to the single-judge bench.

In its appeal, the government expressed urgency and sought immediate hearing of the matter.

Setting aside the denial of permission by the state government, the single-judge bench had allowed the 'yatra' while noting that courts can interfere if administrative authorities exercise their discretionary powers in a whimsical manner.

Following the court order, the BJP had come up with tentative new dates for its proposed three-phase programme.

After the new order, there is uncertainty once again over the mega event that was to cover all 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Earlier on December 6, the same single-judge bench had refused permission to the BJP to hold the 'Rath Yatra', which was scheduled to be flagged off by Shah from Cooch Behar on December 7.

The party had then approached the division bench.

The division bench had then asked the state chief secretary, the home secretary and the director general of police to hold a meeting with representatives of the BJP and take a decision on the 'yatra' by December 14.

After parleys with the BJP team, the three officers refused permission for the rallies on December 15 on grounds that they might lead to communal tensions.

Following this, the state BJP had moved the court of Justice Chakraborty again challenging the government's denial of permission and had got a go-ahead on Thursday.
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: The verdict in the case of alleged fake encounters of Soharabuddin Shaikh and his close aide Tulsiram Prajapati and the gruesome rape and murder of Shaikhs wife Kausar Bi is likely to come on Friday.

The special CBI Court presided over by Additional Sessions Judge S J Sharma, heard the final arguments in the politically sensitive case for about a week beginning December 3. After the arguments were over the court started dictating the judgement, which would be pronounced on Friday.

Though one of the key witnesses had requested the court that he be re-examined for his testimony was incomplete, the application is unlikely to have any bearing on the pronouncement of the judgment, senior lawyers associated with the case have opined.

Of the 38 accused in the case, 16 have been discharged at various stages. The special CBI court discharged 15, while the Bombay High Court discharged one. Of the 210 witnesses examined in the case, 92 have turned hostile.

The fake encounter came to light when a few police officers involved in the encounter, after getting drunk, boasted about it before a journalist. The encounter allegedly took place in 2005 and the first media report on it appeared only in 2006, around when Soharabuddin Shaikhs brother Rubabuddin filed a petition before the court calling the encounter fake.

Police officers probing the case faced allegations from both the sides and the case was handed over to the CBI.

BJP national president Amit Shah was the home minister of Gujarat in 2005 when Shaikh was killed in the alleged fake encounter. He was jailed in 2010 in the case but was discharged in 2014. Judge BH Loya, who was hearing this case, died at Nagpur in December 2014.

That too came to light in a media report. In August 2017, the special court dropped charges against former Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief D G Vanzara and former Superintendent of Police from Rajasthan, M N Dinesh, in the case.

An attempt to challenge the discharge of Shah in the case, by a lawyers association, was turned down by the court earlier this year.

Who was Sohrabuddin Sheikh?

A hardened criminal in his mid-thirties, Sohrabuddin Sheikh belonged to Zarnia village in Madhya Pradesh. He operated in Udaipur, Ahmedabad and Ujjain. According to Gujarat police, he had links with Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba.

A history-sheeter with several serious crimes registered against him, he was booked for arms smuggling in 1995. He ran an extortion racket. In 2002, he teamed up with Prajapati and killed his rival Hamid Lala.

He had threatened the Patni brothers of Rajasthan-based R K Marbles in 2004 and demanded extortion money. The harassed marble traders lobby from Gujarat and Rajasthan contacted then Gujarat home minister Amit Shah.

A plan was hatched and orders given to Vanzara. All this is said to have happened while there were no cases registered against him in Gujarat.

HOW IT HAPPENED
By Express News Service

The special CBI Court presided over by judge SJ Sharma on Friday acquitted all the 22 accused in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case for "lack of substantial evidence".

"The evidences that came before the court were inadequate to prove the conspiracy theory that the prosecution had presented," Sharma said as he started delivering the judgment at 12 noon.

"The depositions before the court were not satisfactory to prove the conspiracy theory. Also, the circumstantial evidences that the prosecution tried to produce before the court had gaps," the court said and added, "It failed to convince the court".

Judge Sharma also said that the abduction theory in case of Tulsiram Prajapati, the close aide of Soharabuddin Shaikh, too doesn't stand.

"The name of the third person is not known. It appears in the charge sheet only after the person is found killed. Those mentions too are based on hearsay of the said prison inmates. It can not be called concrete evidence," the judge said.

READ | Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter: A timeline

While commenting on the way the prosecution counsels fought the case, the court observed that they made all their best efforts. 92 of the total 210 witnesses, including three key witnesses, had turned hostile during the trial. "But, the prosecution can't be blamed for that if the witnesses don't say anything," the judge said.

Of the 22 accused acquitted today, 21 are junior-level police officials from Gujarat and Rajasthan. The other was the owner of a farm house in Gujarat where Sheikh and Kausar Bi were allegedly illegally detained before their death.

The court had earlier discharged, 16 of the 38 persons charged by the CBI on similar grounds of inadequacy of the evidence. They include BJP president Amit Shah, then Rajasthan home minister Gulabchand Kataria and former senior Gujarat police officers P.C. Pande and D.G. Vanzara.

Soharabuddin Sheikh's brother Rubabuddin was the first person to raise questions about Soharbuddin's death and had sought justice from the Supreme Court. After hearing the verdict today, he accused the judge and the CBI of being corrupt and acting on behest of the then rulers of Gujarat. "We shall move to the higher court for justice," he said.

Who was Sohrabuddin Sheikh?

A hardened criminal in his mid-thirties, Sohrabuddin Sheikh belonged to Zarnia village in Madhya Pradesh. He operated in Udaipur, Ahmedabad and Ujjain. According to Gujarat police, he had links with Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba.

A history-sheeter with several serious crimes registered against him, he was booked for arms smuggling in 1995. He ran an extortion racket. In 2002, he teamed up with Prajapati and killed his rival Hamid Lala.

He had threatened the Patni brothers of Rajasthan-based R K Marbles in 2004 and demanded extortion money. The harassed marble traders lobby from Gujarat and Rajasthan contacted then Gujarat home minister Amit Shah.

A plan was hatched and orders were given to Vanzara. All this is said to have happened while there were no cases registered against him in Gujarat.

HOW IT HAPPENED

November 22-23, 2005: Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi and close aide Tulsiram Prajapati allegedly picked up by Gujarat Police from Sangli in Maharashtra, while on their way from Hyderabad to Ahmedabad by bus.

November 26: Sohrabuddin allegedly killed in a fake encounter near Ahmedabad.

November 28: Kauser Bi allegedly raped and murdered. Her body was burnt.

December 2005: Sheikhs brother, Rubabuddin, writes to the Chief Justice of India demanding a probe into the killing of his brother. The SC orders Gujarat police to probe how he was killed and what happened to Kausar Bi.

November 2006: Journalist Prashant Dayal gets to know of the fake encounter from drunk policemen, publishes story in Dainik Bhaskar.

December 28, 2006: Prajapati killed in police officer D G Vanzaras village Chapri.

April 2007: Deputy Inspector General D G Vanjara arrested in the case.

January, 2010: SC hands over case to CBI.

July 23, 2010: CBI charge-sheets Shah as accused. He was also charged with destruction of evidence and booked under the Arms Act.

July 25, 2010: CBI arrests Shah.

October 29, 2010: Gujarat HC grants bail to Shah for lack of evidence.

September 27, 2012: SC transfers trial from Gujarat to Mumbai.

April 8, 2013: SC clubs Prajapati case with Sohrabuddin case.

September 2013: Still in jail, Vanzara writes to Gujarat government, accusing the government of ordering the fake encounters and then ensuring that police officers remained in prison to save their own skin.

December 30, 2014: CBI court gives a clean chit to Shah in the case.

August 1, 2016: SC rejects petition challenging the discharge of Shah.

August 1, 2017: CBI drops charges against Vanzara and others.

December 3, 2018: Final arguments begin in the case.

(With inputs from PTI)
Sujata Anandan By

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has been one of the greatest political survivors of all time. An Arjun Singh acolyte when he first became chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, he survived a split in the Congress when Singh rebelled against the then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao and continued to be CM, performing a balancing act between Singh and Rao.

He lost Madhya Pradesh to the BJP during every parliamentary election (three) between 1996 and 1999 and yet remained the CM until being finally dislodged in 2003. During that time, his political obituary was written many a time, but even as he bounced back each time he warned against writing the political obituary of any leader unless you had to write a real obituary of the persona politician is never dead, until he is really dead. So do not celebrate his terahnvi (13th day ceremony) until you really have to celebrate that terahnvi, he had said.

I was always reminded of his political philosophy when Congress President Rahul Gandhi was dismissed by political rivals as inconsequential. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy began labelling him a buddhu (dumb) in his references to Rahul and it was not long before right-wing social media trolls had taken over and given him currency as Pappu.

What surprised me was that what is famously known as the Lutyens media of Delhi perpetrated the myth until even Congressmen across the country began to believe in the legend of the country bumpkin. Very few Congress workers even spotted that Rahul could have been ahead of everybody elselike when he had warned about a drug menace in Punjab that was eating into its youth. He was then crucified for being so spaced out himself that he only saw drugs in every corner. When he spoke of escape velocity needed to pull people out of poverty, very few Indians even knew or bothered to find out that escape velocity was the current term used by Western economists in the very context of alleviating world hunger and poverty.

Not until the Gujarat elections in December 2017 when the BJP sunk below the three-digit mark in the Assembly, giving a fright to PM Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah in their home state, did anyone even begin to look at Rahul with some degree of awe and respect.

But much before that Rahul, on a visit to Mumbai, had proved he could be a chip of the old block (his grandmother Indira Gandhi) when he left his party leaders, awaiting him by helicopter at a Mumbai suburb, stranded, and reached the venue of a meeting by a suburban train.

The Shiv Sena then had been agitating against North Indians and had threatened to prevent Rahul from putting even a foot in Mumbai. Rahul not only did that but like every other commuter bought tickets at the counter, boarded a train on the western line, changed trains at the arterial Dadar station, walked across the foot overbridge to the Central line and reached Ghatkopar, his venue, even as the then Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and the local police were palpitating about his safety.

That incident reminded many of Indira Gandhis train ride in Tamil Nadu at the height of the anti-Hindi agitation as well as her elephant ride in Belchi in Bihar when she was out of power to reach a basti of Dalits through squelchy territory.

That spark seemed to have gone missing from Rahul in the intervening years but there were some dogged journalists like Kumar Ketkar (now a Congress Rajya Sabha MP) who continued to hope and believe he would be a late bloomer like his grandmother, who was dismissed as a goongi gudiya (dumb doll) by her rivals at their own peril.

Those propheciesthat of Singh and Ketkarfinally seem to have come true after the elections to the three Hindi heartland states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan where the Congress was locked in direct and bitter fights with the BJP and Rahul the sole combatant against the formidable Modi-Shah duo. The faction fights within the Congress in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh brought down the partys victory margins in the two states. But where there was no leadership at all, in Chhattisgarh, and therefore hardly any factions, the Congress won by such a huge margin that devastated not just the BJP but stunned most of the Congress leadership itself.

Before the results to these polls, an RSS ideologue from Nagpur had told me gleefully that they had Rahul exactly where they wanted himin a one-to-one fight with Modi wherein he could not hope to best the PM and could only be the loser. Now there is a certain amount of dismay among those ideologues as most data show that Rahul has closed much of the gap between him and Modi. While the gap was 56 per cent soon after the 2017 elections to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly (where neither the Congress nor Rahul were really in the reckoning), the gap has narrowed down, according to surveys by both C-Voter and Lokniti Centre for Study of Developing Societies (to

10 per cent in the latter). However, despite drubbings in Telangana and Kerala, Rahuls popularity has soared more in the South than in the North, and he has much catching up to do in the West and the East.

Whatever the outcome of the 2019 polls, Rahul and the Congress are now in the reckoning and rivals can dismiss them, as they did Indira, only at their own peril.

Sujata Anandan

Senior journalist and political commentator

Email: sujata.anandan@gmail.com
By Express News Service

TIRUPATI: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, along with TCL chairman Li Dongsheng, performed the ground breaking ceremony of Chinese electronics manufacturing giant TCLs smart integrated electronics manufacturing unit at the electronics cluster near Tirupati on Thursday. On the occasion, the Chief Minister named the electronic cluster near Tirupati as Silicon City and Chennai-Tirupati-Nellore Industrial Corridor as Silicon Corridor. Today is a historic day. TCL is setting up its manufacturing unit here. By bringing Microsoft to Hyderabad, I have made it Knowledge Hub and now with TCL in Tirupati, it will become hardware and electronics hub, Naidu said.

He said TCL would help in creating one of the best ecosystems for nurturing future technologies and economic growth. Earlier, the focus was on software, now it is on hardware and electronics and they will play a crucial role in making AP one the best three States in the country by 2022, number one by 2029 and one of the best on the planet by 2050, he said.

The Chief Minister pointed out that Tirupati has immense potential and, along with Chennai and Krishnapatnam (Nellore), the developing corridor is one of the best, having excellent rail, road, sea and air connectivity. Showering praise on the capabilities of Chinese companies, he said China believes in three Ss  Speed, Scale, Skill  which is evident from TCLs determination to commence the production in Tirupati unit in just eight months time. Andhra Pradesh believes in VIADUCT (Vision, innovation, Accountability, digitalisation, uberisation, convergence and technology transformation), he said and opined that Chinese speed and Andhras diligence will lead to success.

Speaking on the occasion, TCL chairman Li Dongsheng explained the significance of India as a strategic market for TCL. Our investment in the semiconductor business here is a significant milestone in our global plans. The project will strengthen our supply chain integration capabilities in India and, in turn, will benefit our local consumers, providing them with superior quality products at affordable prices, he said.

IT Minister Nara Lokesh said efforts were being made since the last four years to have 50 per cent of Indias electronic manufacturing in Andhra Pradesh. Launching of TCL unit is one step closer in that direction. He said they are looking for a whole supply chain in electronics manufacturing to be at a single place in the State and opined that it will be a game changer for the backward Rayalaseema region.

Industries Minister N Amarnath Reddy was present.

Number crunching

`2,200 cr to be invested by TCL in its Tirupati unit, which is expected to be completed in eight months

8 million TV and 30 million mobile screens to be produced in a year

8,000 jobs to be created

30% of the mobile phones in the country are being manufactured in AP, says Lokesh
By Express News Service

BELAGAVI: Announcing that his government will present the state budget in mid-February without waiting for the presentation of Union budget, CM Kumaraswamy said he will take a crucial decision with regard to farm loan waivers from both commercial and cooperative banks by making payments in four instalments.

The CM asserted that he would not take financial assistance from the Centre for the implementation of farm loan waiver scheme. A new agriculture policy is being worked out by the state government to prevent the 44 lakh farmers of Karnataka from falling into debt, he said, adding that he has decided to announce many other schemes for the benefit of farmers.

HDK promises to establish board to help Christians

HDK said a new board will be constituted for the welfare of Christians in the state. He also promised to allocate more funds for the welfare of the minority community and address their grievances. I would like to announce that a Christian Development Board be constituted soon, elevating the current Christian Development Council, with an allocation of additional funds, he said at a Christmas programme.

Ministers K J George, Sa Ra Mahesh and C S Putturaju, leader of opposition in the Legislative Council Kota Srinivas Poojari and others were felicitated at the function. A plaque commemorating the golden jubilee year of BDBE was unveiled by the CM too.

Pandemonium at legislative assembly, council

Belagavi: Verbal clashes between opposition BJP and the ruling coalition stalled the proceedings in both the legislative assembly and council, forcing the adjournment of both the Houses for the day without transaction of any business. As soon as the proceedings began in the assembly, the BJP demanded that Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy apologise for his remarks on opposition leader B S Yeddyurappa and others. Kumaraswamy, however, refused. Why should I apologise when I have not said anything unparliamentary. Many members of the opposition hurled unparliamentary words during a debate on drought. Let the Speaker expunge the objectionable part, following which I will apologise, he said.
By Online Desk

A team of 30 women from 'Manithi', a Chennai-based right group, will set out to Sabarimala on a pilgrimage.

On December 23, the group will reach Kottayam from where they will proceed towards the hill shrine.

Considering the ongoing protests against women's entry into the shrine, Kerala government has guaranteed complete security to the activists.

READ | What Chennaites thinks about Sabarimala verdict: Beyond blood and belief

They decided to go ahead with the pilgrimage following an e-mail conversation with the state chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Manorama reported. The date for the journey was finalised following communication with the police over the phone.

The intention is to have a darshan of Lord Ayyappa. As per the customs, all the members are strictly adhering to the Mandalakaala vrutham (pre-pilgrimage rituals). All members of the group have the backing of their family, the report added.

WATCH | Kerala cops release video of 'happy' Sabarimala pilgrims from Chennai

Multiple efforts by women to reach Sabarimala shrine have failed ever since the Supreme Court verdict allowed entry of women of all age groups into the temple following strong protests and violence at Sannidhanam and surrounding areas.

Earlier, a 40-year-old woman from Andhra Pradesh and her family had to abandon their pilgrimage after being stopped by the agitators.
By Express News Service

UVANANTHAPURAM: KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran on Thursday said the party will not participate in the communal womens wall of the government nor in the RSS-sponsored Ayyappa Jyothi programme, which are dividing the state. Devotees believing in secularism and democracy cannot participate in the events, said Ramachandran.

He termed the Ayyappa Jyothi programme, scheduled to be held on December 26, as the face-saving exercise of BJP which was conducting a hunger strike in front of the Secretariat with the silent support of the government.He also said the Ayyappa Jyothi programme lacked spiritual significance and was simply a political tool to counter the governments communal wall which the highly-educated Kerala society could easily understand.

The governments move has created a major division in society. Terms like gender equality and renaissance which the organisers are profusely using for the event, aim to cover up its communal nature, Mullappally said.He said the communal wall had totally excluded the NSS and also the Christian and Muslim organisations, whose role in renaissance was written in golden letters in the states history. He said the move to force government employees into participate in the communal wall was a clear indication it will fail.

He said people arguing for gender equality had insulted Viji, wife of deceased Sanal who was thrown before a moving vehicle by a DySp in Neyyattinkara. This shows the duplicity of the proponents of gender equality, he said.

Power Minister M M Mani dismissed the agitation by Viji for a government job and other compensation promised by the government as her whim. Another minister insulted actor Manju Warrier who backed out from the wall, he said. He also attacked the state CPM for protecting P K Sasi, who is facing sexual abuse charges.
Ive been interested in watches since I turned 18, when I started having a little bit of money to spend. But I had to save up for four years for my first one, which I bought myself when I completed my police training. As a Swiss, and a diver, Olivier Keller was obviously keen that this first milestone should be marked with a diving watch  one that was automatic, and Swiss. After doing some research, he quickly came to realise that the Omega Seamaster 300 Automatic Professional Diver came the closest to what he was looking for, on his budget. I fell for it immediately, and not only because Id seen James Bond wearing one!

 WorldTempus/Edouard Haegi

A memorable dive

But the history of Olivier Kellers diving watch has almost as many plot twists as one of 007s adventures. While preparing for a table dive (using decompression tables rather than a dive computer) in Lake Geneva, when we was working for the Brigade du Lac (the lake police), he left his watch on top of his oxygen tank while putting on his diving suit. But he forgot to put it back on his wrist. The Omega Seamaster followed the tank into the water, but, not being attached, it soon drifted free and sank. Because I was concentrating on my dive charts I didnt notice until Id finished and was getting dressed. I had an awful moment of realisation! Back in his diving gear, with his diving itinerary and perimeter burned into his mind, the distracted Seamaster owner set off optimistically for the bottom of Lake Geneva, off the shore of Hermance. But, no luck. He refused to give up hope, and started asking other divers. Two experienced women divers soon emerged from the water like mermaids, and returned his precious watch to him. Since that incident which, luckily for me, had a happy ending, I have had the backs of all my watches engraved, either with my initials and birth date, or my licence number. Taking the customisation even further, Olivier Keller also asked a watchmaker to swap the blue dial for a black one.

Omega, synonymous with quality

For his 30th birthday he kept the faith with Omega, and bought himself a dressier, more classic watch, an Omega De Ville. For his 40th birthday he was given another luxury watch, made by another brand known for its ties with the diving community. My next one will probably be the Omega Seamaster Ploprof, because I love the way it looks. In my opinion, Omega conveys an image of quality. That might also be because my mother worked as a regulator for Omega, when the brand was based in Geneva. While he was group leader of the Brigade du Lac, Olivier Keller worked on producing a commemorative series for the brigades 50th anniversary. He had many discussions with Omega, which has a history of working with army and police forces in these kinds of occasional collaborations. Although the project ultimately fell through, he has good memories of that time. For someone who considers themselves authentic, honest, simple and humane, this positive perception of the brand is very important.

 WorldTempus/Edouard Haegi

A budding novelist, perhaps?

As a police commissioner, he appreciates the diversity of his work, the human contact, the freedom to take decisions, and the ability to discuss the situation on the ground, and develop an understanding of events. His rank of captain brings him into contact with every police department, both his own and the border guards, the crime unit and the city police. He has also served his time in different services, at the station and as an elite marksman, but mostly with the Brigade du Lac, where he worked for 16 years, and which left a strong impression on him. Its humanly enriching, physically demanding and sometimes psychologically difficult, particularly in drowning cases, but overall I have good memories of it. He is always open to possibilities, and went back to the University of Fribourg to take a course in religious extremism. Its interesting to challenge yourself by seeking out the perspective of people whose views you dont share. As a fan of crime novels, he got in touch with the Swiss author of a book bought for him by his wife, Le dragon de Muveran, which he particularly enjoyed. Marc Voltenauer and he got on so well that the author asked him to read his latest novel, Qui a tue Heidi? to ensure that the police investigations were credibly portrayed. Olivier Keller is now consulting on a third novel, due to be released next year. He is self-deprecating: When I was a boy, I wanted to work on Jacques Cousteaus Calypso. I had to settle for the Rudevent and the Rivolin, the motor launches used by the Brigade de Lac! But he is above all a family man, and what matters most to him are his children and family, his friends and his social circle. Thats what keeps me going. I love the idea that my fine watches will pass down to my three children one day. But not for quite some time, obviously.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch a host of projects besides dedicating the new campus of IIT Bhubaneswar to the nation during his one-day visit to the State on December 24.

He will lay the foundation stone for the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Berhampur from the IIT campus. On the occasion of bicentenary celebration of the historic Paika Rebellion, the Prime Minister will also release commemorative coin of Rs 200, postage stamp and inaugurate a Chair at Utkal University in memory of Baxi Jagabandhu who led the countrys first independence movement.

Briefing the media on the PMs visit jointly with Union Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma in New Delhi on Thursday, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said Modi will lay foundation stones for several infrastructure projects worth Rs 14,523 crore during his visit.

The new initiatives include Indian Oil Corporations gas pipeline from Paradip oil refinery to Hyderabad with an investment of Rs 3,800 crore and the Bokaro-Angul section of the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project at an estimated cost of Rs 3,437 crore. These investments will consolidate on previous initiatives of the Central Government in line with the PMs vision of Purbodaya, he said.

Coming to the State after a gap of three months, the Prime Minister is scheduled to lay the foundations of six-laning of two National Highway projects with an investment of Rs 2,100 crore and expansion (four-laning) of Cuttack-Angul section of NH-42 with financial involvement of Rs 2000 crore, Pradhan said.

He will also dedicate 50 additional beds of ESI Hospital in the city to people. Apart from increasing the capacity for indoor patients to 100 bed, the hospital has been modernised with improved health care facilities with an investment of Rs 73.5 crore.

Expressing his gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Union Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma for their initiatives to preserve and promote the vibrant culture and rich history of Odisha, Pradhan said, An archaeological museum at Lalitgiri, which provides evidence of the 2000-year-old early Buddhist settlements in the region, will also be inaugurated by Modi.

Noting that Odisha was one of the focal points for spread of Buddhism, he said the Buddhist sites of the State will be developed into high-tech tourist spots which will not only attract huge volume of tourists but also keep the memories of the States rich history, traditions and sacrifices of great men and women alive in the minds of future generations. The Prime Minister will address a public meeting after near Jatni in Khurda district after launching these projects.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Sterlite claims that the plant suffered a production loss of 30,000 tonnes of refined copper each month, which resulted in a spike in prices of phosphoric and sulphuric acids, adversely affecting the downstream chemical and fertiliser industry.

In the last six-months, prices of sulphuric acid have shot up from Rs 3000/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 ago. Import of the metal has seen a surge, while premium on copper has gone up by 10-15 per cent, Ramnath said.

To specific questions from Express on green belt and chimney stack height violations, the CEO said green belt had already been dealt with by the Supreme Court in 2013.

We would still like to increase the green cover and sought to acquire an additional 300 acres, but government is sitting on the request. NGT has referred the chimney stack matter to the joint committee of TNPCB and CPCB, he said.

Let govt take-up health study

Sterlite said it would welcome it if the government were to take up a comprehensive health study. NGT, in its judgement on August 8, 2013, had issued two directives to government to conduct source apportionment study in and around the SIPCOT industrial area and it constituted a six-member special committee, with MDMK chief Vaiko as a member, with a mandate to study and place on record causes for health hazards in and around the industries.

So far, the committee has not taken-up any study. We conducted apportionment study now and found that 90 per cent of sulphur dioxide emission are from thermal power plants and only one per cent from our smelter. We conduct regular health check-up and provide the data to the government, Ramnath told Express.

Post-2013, fence-line monitoring system and interlock mechanism were introduced. A threshold limit, which is half the permissible level, was set and if sulphur dioxide emission crosses it, the plant will automatically shutdown.

We invested close to Rs 500-600 crore, which is 20 per cent of plants asset value, on safety parameters, he said.

Two months preparation needed to restart production

The Sterlite official said it would take a minimum of two months to render the smelter fit to recommence production. We have to assess the scale of damage to the machinery in the absence of maintenance. Sulphuric acid tanks collapse if not maintained, Ramnath said.

Sterlite denies judgment leak

Sterlite has denied it had draft copy of NGT judgment before it was officially made public.

We do not know, Ramnath said. He was responding to a private complaint filed by Thoothukudi resident Fatima Babu in New Delhi.

Express reported about a public relations company having a draft copy without NGT seal and judges signature and releasing it to a few media people before NGT uploaded the official document on December 15

Rs 100 crore perks Sterlite pledges to build Rs 100 cr social infrastructure in Thoothukudi. Announces plans to plant one million trees.

Build a smart school, world-class hospital, desalination plant and youth development schemes.

Ramnath says Sterlite affirms its commitment to Thoothukudi people through these projects.

NGT order says Sterlite has to spend this Rs 100 cr in the next three years.

The action plan prepared for utilisation of the sum has to be approved by MoEF&CC.

10 students detained for bid to protest reopening

CHENNAI: Ten students hailing from Thoothukudi were detained near Chennai Press Club at Chepauk here on Thursday for allegedly causing public nuisance by trying to organise a protest against the reopening of Sterlite unit in the wake of the National Green Tribunals order. The protesters, belonging to a students organisation based at Thoothukudi, carried charts and banners which bore messages against Sterlite.

Triplicane police immediately put them in a vehicle and took them to the station. A police official said the students started shouting slogans. Of the ten, three were school students and others were studying in arts and engineering colleges.

We came to know that students from Thoothukudi will arrive at Chepauk around 10.30 am on Thursday to protest against Sterlites reopening. We have detained them as a preventive measure and will release them by evening, a police official said.

On December 15, the tribunal dismissed the State governments pleas against reopening of Sterlite. Following this, various organisations have resorted to protests.

Enact special ordinance on permanent closure

CHENNAI: CPM has urged the State law minister C.Ve. Shanmugam to enact a special ordinance to close down Sterlite copper smelting unit at Thoothukudi permanently. A delegation of party led by K Balakrishnan, State secretary, met the minister and handed over a petition to him.

The party said a majority of people of Thoothukudi were protesting against the Sterlite plant stating that the environmental hazards caused by the unit were more than the economic benefits from the company. The petition said the order of NGT paving the way for reopening of the unit has created a flutter among locals of Thoothukudi. There is a chance of law and order issue in the district.

Hence, the State government should enact a special ordinance to permanently close down the unit, the party said.

Peoples desire is govt decision, says Collector

THOOTHUKUDI: Reiterating that the closure order issued by the State was an outcome of a policy decision, collector Sandeep Nanduri told the anti-Sterlite movement leaders and representatives of political parties, during a meeting on Thursday, that the peoples desire is the governments decision in the Sterlite issue.

The meeting was convened to discuss the upheaval formed against Sterlite Copper after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) allowed it to restart operations. Representatives of Anti-Sterlite Peoples Movement, DMK, Congress, Amma Makkal Munetra Kazhagam (AMMK) and other parties took part.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: From across the districts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, over 50 farmers gathered in the city on Thursday to discuss the rights of women farmers and the challenges they face in their daily lives. Centre of World Solidarity (CWS) conducted a workshop in which they, along with 40 support group NGO volunteers, from across 18 districts in the two States participated.

Demanding better government policies for themselves, these women wanted the Government of India to give them recognition as farmers and the same benefits as their male counterparts.

One of the major issues discussed at the workshop was the Central Governments lapse in recognising them as farmers, which in-turn meant no access to Kisan credit cards, land holdings in their names, or special benefits under the NREGA schemes that any other male farmer would get.

Take any land, for instance. There needs to be both the name of the wife and husband as equal shareholders of the land, even if it is just half an acre. That way, the woman of the house can retain the land as it is under her name. Most of the times the land is seized by higher officials and the entire family is brought to the roads said Pummela Narasamma, one of the many women farmers from Siddipet district.
By Associated Press

TOKYO: Japan is considering leaving the International Whaling Commission to resume commercial hunts, the Fisheries Agency said Thursday, after unsuccessfully campaigning for decades within the organization to gain support for the cause.

The agency said officials haven't made a final decision but are considering the step. Japan's request for a resumption of commercial whaling was most recently denied at the IWC meeting in September. IWC imposed a moratorium on commercial whaling in the 1980s due to dwindling stocks.

Japan has since switched to what it calls research whaling, and says stocks have recovered enough that commercial hunts should resume.

Japanese officials have said the whaling organization is supposed to pursue sustainability but has become an anti-whaling body. They criticize what they call the whaling commission's lack of tolerance of diverse views on whaling and its inability to resolve the long divide between conservationists and supporters of whale use.

If withdrawing, Japan has to notify IWC by January 1, according to Kyodo News. The news was met with a mixed reaction in Japan.

"I support a government decision" to withdraw, former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, who currently serves as an adviser to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's fisheries committee, said in an interview with Japan's NHK television. "I have attended IWC meetings several times in the past, and I was struck by their extremely biased views," he said. "IWC has become a dysfunctional organization."

Ruling party members, many of whom support resuming commercial whaling as part of Japan's traditional food culture, said it's not helpful to stay in the IWC.

But Masayuki Komatsu, a former fisheries official who represented Japan at IWC, questioned if Japan gains anything from withdrawing. "I doubt if a withdrawal improves the current situation," he told NHK.

Japan has hunted whales for centuries. It has reduced its catch following international protests and declining demand for whale meat at home.

Opponents say Japan's research whaling is a cover for commercial whaling because the whale meat is sold for food.

Japan annually consumes about 5,000 tons of whale meat from the research hunts, mainly by the older generation who feel nostalgic about the meat. But critics say they doubt if a country with an ageing and shrinking population can develop a sustainable whaling industry if it returns to commercial hunts. Many younger people don't see whales as food.

Japan cut back on its catch after a 2014 international court ruling. Japan's Antarctic catch is now capped at 333 whales a year  about a third of the quota before a 2014 International Court of Justice ruling found that Japanese research whaling wasn't sufficiently scientific.
By AFP

WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday, a day after President Donald Trump shocked the US establishment by pulling out of Syria.

In a letter to Trump, Mattis suggested his world view, which favors traditional alliances and standing up to "malign actors," stands at odds with the President's.

"Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis wrote.

Moments before the Pentagon released Mattis's letter, Trump tweeted that his defense secretary would be retiring "with distinction, at the end of February."

"During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment," Trump said.

"General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!"

Mattis's departure is not a total surprise for Washington observers.

Time and again, especially of late, Trump has followed his gut and ignored Mattis's advice.

Trump's decision to pull the 2,000 or so US troops out of Syria was a stunning rebuke to Mattis, who had warned that an early withdrawal from Syria would be a "strategic blunder."

The men have previously clashed on numerous other issues -- including the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump pulled out of in May while Mattis defended parts of it.

The Pentagon chief was also against the creation of a separate new branch of the US military called Space Force, but Trump ordered it anyway.

Meanwhile, the biggest deployment Mattis has ordered so far was one to the US border with Mexico, a mission that only has loose military utility and one that critics have assailed as a political stunt.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: In a first of its kind, a top American industry advocacy group will open its Bihar chapter to become partners in the development and facilitation of investments in the state.

The US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF), whose membership comprises of Fortune 500 companies, announced its decision following an industry roundtable with the visiting Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.

Modi, along with a high powered state delegation comprising Health Minister Mangal Pandey and other senior officials, is currently on a visit to the US as part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's funded Bihar Technical Support Program.

Hosted by the USISPF, the roundtable on Wednesday was attended by representatives from some of the top American companies like Amazon, FMC and Qualcomm, whose officials expressed their keen interest in becoming a partner in Bihar's developmental journey.

The business leaders were apprised of the double-digit growth Bihar has achieved over the last decade and the vast investment opportunity it offers in sectors like agri-technology, food processing, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, energy and skill development among others.

Encouraged by the interest of US industries in the state, Gaurav Verma, chief operating officer of USISPF, announced to open a Bihar Chapter under the Strategic Partnership Forum to enable development of partnerships and facilitation of investments in an organised manner.

"The first of its kind initiative by this American industry advocacy group is aimed at establishing a 'true partnership' between Bihar, which is the fastest growing Indian State and the business and industry leaders in the United States, which is the world's largest economy," Verma said.

During the roundtable, several business leaders showed interest to invest in Bihar considering wide opportunities.

Shawn Whitman from Agri-chem firm FMC (Food Machinery Corporation) expressed interest in exploring investment opportunities in agriculture technology and making Bihar their base for Eastern India, a media release said.

Similarly, Ron Somers representing the pharmaceutical innovator Gilead Sciences expressed interest in volunteer licensing to enable availability of top-line drugs for treating illnesses like Hepatitis, HIV and Kala-azar at low and affordable prices. Other business groups expressed interest to invest in the arenas of technology, higher education among others.

David Roth from Amazon explained how organised retail is growing in Bihar and hoped to create more jobs by setting up logistics and distribution chains in the state.

The delegation from Bihar also had a meeting with World Bank officials in Washington DC, seeking help to address its major socio-economic challenges, in addition to improving its infrastructure.
By Bloomberg

The US. plans to dramatically cut troop levels in Afghanistan as President Donald Trump reshapes Americas foreign commitments and fulfills long-standing promises to bring military forces home.

The Pentagon will withdraw 7,000 of about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, according to a U.S. defense official. The decision emerged a day after Trump said he would pull U.S. forces from Syria, a move most of his national security team had opposed for months. And it comes as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis announced plans to resign, citing differences with Trump over the value of Americas alliances and leadership in the world.

ALSO READ: US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis quits after Trump's Syria announcement

Trump has long criticized the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan, the longest military conflict in U.S. history and one that has cost about 2,300 American lives. He only reluctantly agreed to his military advisers request to allow about 4,000 more troops to be sent to the country last year.

Since American troops first arrived in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, the U.S. has appropriated about $126 billion for relief and reconstruction, including $78 billion for security, according to a July report from a Pentagon watchdog. Yet the U.S. presence and funding couldnt prevent conditions on the ground from deteriorating.

According to the Pentagon watchdogs reports, the Kabul governments grip on the country has been consistently shrinking, civilian deaths have been rising and the production of poppy used to make heroin was surging.

Publicly, Trumps national security team has said its approach was effective. During a trip to Afghanistan in July, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo insisted that Trumps strategy to fight the Taliban was working. Those thoughts were similar to those shared by Mattis, who earlier this year called Afghanistan a tough fight but said the American effort is working from our perspective.

There was an acknowledgement, however, that American firepower could only go so far. The newest commander on the ground, General Scott Miller, said in an October interview with NBC News that the conflict is not going to be won militarily.

My assessment is the Taliban also realizes they cannot win militarily, Miller told NBC. So if you realize you cant win militarily at some point, fighting is just -- people start asking why, said Miller.

Trumps decision came hours after the Pentagon published a new quarterly report on Afghanistan that described the military situation as of Nov. 30 as being at an impasse. The arrival of additional U.S. advisers this year helped slow the momentum of a Taliban march that had capitalized on U.S. draw-downs between 2011 and 2016, it said.

ALSO READ: US set aside its nuclear proliferation concerns of Pakistan for support in Afghanistan, reveal documents

Afghan forces remain in control of most of Afghanistans population centers and all of the provincial capitals, while the Taliban control large portions of Afghanistans rural areas, and continue to attack poorly defended government checkpoints and rural district centers, it said.

The decision to withdraw forces comes as the U.S. tries to broker talks aimed at bringing a more lasting peace to Afghanistan. American officials held talks with Taliban representatives in the United Arab Emirates this week, joined by officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the U.A.E.

One sticking point has been the Talibans refusal to talk directly with Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis government, saying doing so would be a waste of time because they see his government as illegitimate.
The initiative took Egypt's social media by storm last week after their volunteers removed 1.5 tonnes of garbage from the Nile

Last Saturday, a group of 250 volunteers on boats and ships removed 1.5 tonnes of garbage, mostly plastic, from the Nile as part of a new initiative to clean up Cairos famous river.

The Very Nile initiative has taken social media by storm, and many more young people have expressed a desire to join the next event in the new year.

Ahram Online spoke with one of the initiatives organisers to learn more about it.

It started as an idea five months ago when four of us were walking along the Nile in Cairo, which looked foul, and we wanted to help clean it up, Mostafa Habib, Very Niles project officer, told Ahram Online.

The group, which was already working on the social start-up Bassita, looked to the US-based 4ocean initiative to recover plastic from the oceans in the United States as a model example.

"At first, we launched a website to raise awareness about Nile pollution, then we began to search for partners that have experience in the field, and we found Greenish, said Naguib, 27.

Another rising social start-up aimed at spreading sustainable environmental solutions to companies and schools, Greenish had carried out a similar clean-up event in the past that generated lots of positive reactions.

Greenish had already organised an event in Alexandria [in September] with the European Union to clean up the beach, and it was a massive success, Naguib said.

Greenish was supportive of the project, according to Naguib, although also realistic about what could be achieved.

We went to them with big plans of having 300 boats cleaning the Nile, but they [Greenish] told us to slow down and start with a smaller effort [and organised] the logistics, Naguib said.

The next step was to gather sponsors, and the Nile Taxi transportation app service jumped onboard, providing contacts and helping coordinate the effort.

The Egyptian Rowing and Canoe Federation and its head Sarah El-Baeh also joined the effort.

Sarah El-Baeh told us that she had been waiting for such an initiative because rowers were suffering from Nile pollution, Naguib said, adding that El-Baeh gave them valuable contacts at rowing and canoe clubs such as the Egyptian Rowing Club, where the event would eventually be held.

Everybody was so helpful and excited about the idea, saying it was much needed, he added.

The Sea Scouts of Cairo and Giza also joined the effort.

Very Nile

We wanted to have a sustainable cycle, not just a one-day event, and we thought of the Nile fishermen, because they work on the river 24/7, he said.

The idea was to have the fishermen gather plastic and bring it back along with the fish in return for money, food supplies or educational materials. The fishermen chiefs were contacted and liked the idea.

"I can get you tonnes of plastic instead of a kilo, Naguib recounts the answer of one of the fishermen they reached out to.

Very Nile

Also included in the sustainable cycle of Very Nile were garbage collectors, who would take the garbage to recyclers in Cairo, with whom an agreement was also reached.

On the day of the event, several fishermen worked with the volunteers to remove the plastic from the river. Members of the Sea Scouts also showed up, along with over 100 volunteers, and they managed to collect 1.5 tonnes of rubbish from the Nile.

When it comes to funding and the supply of equipment, the embassy of New Zealand and the International Organization of Migration helped out.

As for support from the state, Naguib said that the initiative contacted the Ministry of Irrigation, which supported the initiative and officially announced its patronage, but on the day of the event, no officials from the ministry attended.

I can excuse them, because the ministry did not imagine that we would be as successful as we were on that day. But I think now they definitely will have faith in us,Naguib said.

The irrigation ministry has launched similar events in the past with youth organisations to clean up the river, though none have garnered as much public attention as Very Nile.

On Wednesday, the ministry announced that Minister of Irrigation Mohamed Abdel-Ati had honoured several of the volunteers.

Egypt annually removes 7.5 million tonnes of waste from the River Nile, Abdel-Ati said, adding that plastic waste is negatively affecting the eco-system of the river, its marine life, and the people of Egypt.

The minister also said that Egypt has allocated billions of pounds to cleaning water sources through to 2037.

The initiative also tried to contact the environment ministry, but Minister Yasmine Fouad was out of town at the time, according to her office, which expressed interest in the idea for the event.

Hopefully we are going to meet with [the environment minister] soon, Naguib said.

The organisers are hoping for even bigger participation at the next event, which will be held in February.

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A LAWYER who was blacklisted some years ago by the Law Society of Zimbabwe after committing an assortment of malpractices has been arrested for rape.

Daniel Dindikwa, whose age and address were not included on court papers perused by The Manica Post, this week, appeared before Rusape magistrate Mr Shane Kubonera, facing rape allegations.

Dindikwa, who was represented by Mr Tendai Bvuma, was not asked to plead on initial remand.

The matter was postponed to yesterday (Thursday) for trial. The court heard that Dindikwa allegedly pounced on a village shop-keeper during the night.

He allegedly forced himself on her before threatening her with death. He allegedly instilled fear in the victim by claiming that he was a State intelligence operative.

State prosecutor Mr Gift Mutigwa told the court that the 39-year old married victim only reported the matter 10 months after the alleged sexual assault due to fear of the accused.

On a date unknown to the prosecutor, but during the month of December 2015, at around 2100hrs, at Pfumoiguru business centre in Inyati Mine area, the complainant was closing her shop when the accused came from behind and hit her by the door. She fell down.

Dindikwa then grabbed the complainants throat and unlocked the door. He pushed her back into the shop and locked the door from inside. The victim tried to scream, but Dindikwa produced a knife and poked the complainant with it three times on the stomach. He then ordered her to keep quiet. She complied out of fear.

The accused wore a condom and raped the complainant once. After the non-consensual act, Dindikwa locked his knife and poked the complainant on the forehead. He told her that he was a State operative and would kill her if she disclosed the matter to anyone.

She did not disclose the abuse to anyone until recently when she heard a radio presenter encouraging victims of sexual abuse to report such abuses to the police.

It was then that she told her husband about the incident.
From the brief, the Zhou, Majongwe and other union leaders gave journalists audience where the former noted that teachers were not speaking with one voice in presenting their grievances to government, with their leaders more keen to play union politics instead of genuinely representing the interests of their members.
US President Donald Trump took a heavy extremely heavy decision to pull troops from Syria, France armed forces minister said on Friday.

We do not share the analyses that the territorial caliphate (of Islamic State) has been annihilated, Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said on RTL radio. Its an extremely heavy decision and we think ... the job must be finished.

Parly also paid tribute to outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, describing him as a great soldier and partner for all occasions after he abruptly announced his resignation on Thursday over differences with Trump on Syria.

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(Newser)  Taking a page (or several) from the Old Testament, a police department in rural Alabama is blaming an increase in local discordnamely five homicides this yearon the communitys rejection of God, the Hill reports. In a Tuesday Facebook post (since deleted), the Opp Police Department wrote in all-caps, per the AP: "THESE MURDERS HAVE BEEN DONE BY OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. THIS IS HAPPENING BECAUSE WE HAVE TURNED AWAY FROM GOD AND EMBRACED SATAN. WE MAY HAVE NOT MEANT TO DO SO BUT, WE HAVE. IT IS TIME TO ASK FOR GOD'S HELP TO STOP THIS. The post, which you can see here, goes on to chastise parents and imply that the community does not support police, ending with: BOTTOM LINE, THERE ARE SHEEP; THERE ARE WOLVES AND THERE ARE SHEEP DOGS. WHICH GROUP DO YOU BELONG TO?

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Some people on social media are having some fun with the whole thing. A Thursday post by the department warning of wet roads garnered comments like, Satans fault. On an earlier post about an approaching storm, a person commented, Cloudy, with a higher than average chance of brimstone. But the group Freedom From Religion says that the police departments post isnt funny at all. "The department has very directly endorsed one religious ideology to the exclusion of minority religions and atheism, and decried Satanism. Neither message is permissible," Sam Grover, a lawyer for the group, says in a statement. (Satan made an appearance at the Illinois statehouse.)
(Newser)  A former Pennsylvania pediatrician has admitted he sexually assaulted 31 children, the AP reports, most of them patients. Dr. Johnnie Barto of Johnstown pleaded guilty on Thursday to sexually abusing two family members and admitted to sexually assaulting more than two dozen patients. The abuse spanned decades and typically involved girls and boys between ages 8 and 12. One of the victims was 2 weeks old. The attorney general's office says Barto molested children in the exam room at Laurel Pediatric Associates in Cambria County and at local hospitals. The 71-year-old was arrested in January and remains behind bars pending his sentencing. His medical license has been suspended. Barto's lawyer, David Weaver, says the plea will allow "healing" to begin for Barto's victims, his family, and himself. (A similarly horrifying story out of New York.)
(Newser)  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is stepping down from his post, President Trump announced Thursday, after the retired Marine general clashed with the president over a troop drawdown in Syria and Trump's go-it-alone stance in world affairs. Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Trump's administration, will leave by the end of February after two tumultuous years struggling to soften and moderate the president's hardline and sometimes abruptly changing policies, the AP reports. The announcement came a day after Trump surprised US allies and members of Congress by announcing the withdrawal of all US troops from Syria, and as he continues to consider shrinking the American deployment in Afghanistan. Trump said on Twitter that a new secretary will be named soon.

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In his resignation letter, Mattis alluded to disagreements with Trump as the reason for his departure. "Because you have the right to have a secretary of defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis wrote. Trump's decision to pull troops out of Syria has been criticized for abandoning America's Kurdish allies, who may well face a Turkish assault once US troops leave. Mattis, in his resignation letter, emphasized the importance of standing up for US allies in an implicit criticism of the president's decision. "While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies," Mattis wrote. (Confusion followed Trump's Syria announcement.)
(Newser)  Lehigh University student Juwal Royal thought he had a "cordial" relationship with Yukai Yang, his roommate of four years. But for months, prosecutors say, Yang was trying to kill him. Yang, a chemistry major from China, faces charges including attempted murder and aggravated assault for allegedly putting the chemical thallium, which is used in rat poison, in his roommate's food and drink, the Morning Call reports. Yang, 22, was first arrested in April on charges including ethnic intimidation after allegedly scrawling racist graffiti, including "(N-word) GET OUT OF HERE" on his black roommate's desk and trashing his TV and bed.

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Royal, who graduated from the Pennsylvania university in the spring, became so ill on two occasions in March that police were called to the room twice. On one occasion, he was hospitalized after vomiting for 45 minutes. Tests revealed dangerous amounts of thallium in his blood. Royal, who is still experiencing symptoms from the poisoning, "was as dumbfounded by this as anyone else," says assistant DA Abraham Kassis. Authorities say Yang admitted buying thallium and other chemicals online and putting them in food and drink in their shared fridge, but said he bought them to harm himself "if he did poorly on future exams." Yang has been kicked out of Lehigh and will also lose his student visa, WFMZ reports. (This Hartford University student was arrested after a sickening campaign against her roommate.)
(Newser)  President Trump's Syria decision wasn't the only reason behind the abrupt resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, insiders say. The New York Times reports that defense officials say Trump has ordered the military to begin pulling 7,000 troops from Afghanistan, about half the current US forces there. Sources tell the AP that the decision was a major factor in the departure of Mattis, who persuaded Trump to send more troops to the country last year to keep pressure on the Taliban and fight a growing threat from ISIS. At the time, Trump said his "original instinct was to pull out." The effect the move will have on ongoing peace talks with the Taliban is unclear, the Wall Street Journal reports.

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In Afghanistan, news that American troops are expected to start withdrawing in the coming months has caused shock and fear of chaos to come, the Times reports. There has been no comment from the Pentagon yet, though Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., the new commander of Central Command, told lawmakers last month that the Afghan military could collapse if "we left precipitously right now." "I think that one of the things that would actually provide the most damage to them would be if we put a timeline on it and we said we were going out at a certain point in time," he said. Trump has made similar remarks in the past. In a 2011 tweet, he wondered why former President Obama was "letting the Taliban know when our troops are leaving" and warned: "This is dangerous for our soldiers." (Under Trump, the CIA has been taking a more "aggressive" role in Afghanistan.)
(Newser)  The conservative House Freedom Caucus scored a huge victory Thursday nightbut it was one that may lead to a government shutdown by the end of Friday. After conservatives dug in their heels over a short-term spending bill from the Senate that did not include funds for President Trump's border wall, Trump said he wouldn't support a bill without wall funding, and House Republicans went on to pass a bill including $5 billion for wall funding. Democrats, however, say the bill will be dead on arrival in the Senate, where they have the votes to block it. With government funding set to expire at midnight Friday and little hope of breaking the impasse, a shutdown now appears "almost certain," Politico reports.

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The House spending measure, which would fund the government until Feb. 8, passed 217-185, with no Democrats in favor and eight Republicans against, the Washington Post reports. Democratic leaders including Rep. Steny Hoyer slammed Trump and House Republicans for rejecting the Senate's spending compromise, though Republicans will now be able to accuse Democrats of causing a government shutdown by rejecting any bill with wall funding, as they have promised to do, the New York Times reports. "Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats now have to decide whether it is worth shutting down the government to keep us from securing our border," House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said after the vote. (Read more government shutdown stories.)
(Newser)  After 36 hours of chaos caused by a rogue droneor dronesflights resumed from London's Gatwick Airport early Friday, but the drone operator is still at large. Authorities at Gatwick say the runway was reopened and arrivals and departures resumed after the police and military introduced "additional mitigating measures," the Guardian reports. The airport was closed Wednesday evening after repeated drone sightings. Authorities say that even with a limited number of flights resuming, around 100 flights will have to be canceled Friday. More than 120,000 people had been scheduled to depart Gatwick between Wednesday evening and the Friday morning reopening. The last drone sighting near the runway was late Thursday, when the military was deployed to the airport.

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Police, who earlier said shooting down the drone was not an option because of the risk of stray bullets, said Thursday that the measure had become a "tactical option," the BBC reports. The force will "do what we can to take that drone out of the sky," Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley of Sussex Police told reporters late Thursday. He said no arrests had been made, though police had been investigating "particular groups" and a "number of persons of interest." Chris Grayling, Britain's transport secretary, said Thursday the airport disruption was "a new kind of attack," which involved an unknown number of drones. He said the government is planning new restrictions on drones, including a possible age limit for operators.

(Read more Gatwick stories.)
(Newser)  An arrest warrant has been issued for one of four people who became trapped in an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia after he allegedly admitted the plan was to look for copper and have sex. Eddie Williams Jr. admitted entering Clear Creek's Rock House Powellton mine with Cody Beverly, 21; Kayla Williams, 25; and Erica Treadway, 31, around 3am on Dec. 8, "to see if they left anything behind, copper, or anything," reads a criminal complaint, per ABC News and WVVA. The 43-year-old said the group later separated into pairs to have sex, a detail police say was confirmed in interviews with his companions. The other three were rescued Dec. 12, two days after Williams emerged from the mine on his own, reports NBC News. It wasn't clear if they will face charges, too.

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Charged with breaking and entering, felony conspiracy, and giving false information to law enforcement officers, Williams initially claimed to have entered the mine spanning more than 1,000 acres a day after the other three failed to emerge, according to police. It's unclear how the group got inside the inactive mine, which is said to have been sealed when it was shut down two years ago, reports the New York Times. At the time of the rescue, Gov. Jim Justice condemned "extremely irresponsible behavior that puts our first responders and mine safety crews in unsafe situations." Williams also faces theft and trespassing charges stemming from an alleged visit to another mine in January. (He's described as an experienced miner.)
(Newser)  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will step down from his post by the end of February, and his resignation letter made clear that his lack of alignment with President Trump drove the decision. Here's how the news is being received by pundits:

Fred Kaplan, Slate: Kaplan takes issue with Trump's tweet on Mattis' exit which said he was "retiring, with distinction." That's not what administration officials dothey resign, and Mattis is doing so "with bitterness and fatigue." Kaplan takes a historical view and writes that the last time a Cabinet secretary resigned over a president's policies was four decades ago, when Jimmy Carter's secretary of state, Cyrus Vance, quit in the aftermath of the failed rescue attempt of US hostages in Iran.

Kaplan takes issue with Trump's tweet on Mattis' exit which said he was "retiring, with distinction." That's not what administration officials dothey resign, and Mattis is doing so "with bitterness and fatigue." Kaplan takes a historical view and writes that the last time a Cabinet secretary resigned over a president's policies was four decades ago, when Jimmy Carter's secretary of state, Cyrus Vance, quit in the aftermath of the failed rescue attempt of US hostages in Iran. Jim Hanson, Fox News: Hanson zeroes in on the policy angle, writing that many of Trump's detractors "thought having Mattis as the brake on Trumps action-oriented nature was a good thing. But we dont elect presidents to have their subordinates stop them from implementing their policies. ... It is unacceptable for the president to be prevented from leading the nation by Cabinet members not on board with his agenda."

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Eli Lake, Bloomberg: Lake notes that Trump supporters, now accustomed to the exit of officials close to Trump, might feel "unfazed" by the news. But this case is different, and one that he believes "puts Trump's presidency in peril." Mattis acted as a "powerful shield. Whatever you thought of his views, Mattis embodied military virtue and the spirit of public service. As long as he served the president, reluctant Republicans could point to the Pentagon and say: If Mattis supports Trump, then so do I. They can no longer do that."

Lake notes that Trump supporters, now accustomed to the exit of officials close to Trump, might feel "unfazed" by the news. But this case is different, and one that he believes "puts Trump's presidency in peril." Mattis acted as a "powerful shield. Whatever you thought of his views, Mattis embodied military virtue and the spirit of public service. As long as he served the president, reluctant Republicans could point to the Pentagon and say: If Mattis supports Trump, then so do I. They can no longer do that." Perry Bacon Jr., FiveThirtyEight: Bacon has a similar view, calling the resignation "the latest sign of a fissure between Trump and the Republican establishment." He runs down the initial appointments Trump made that "showed powerful constituencies in the Republican Partythe military, congressional Republicans, Wall Streetthat he respected and would work with them" (Reince Priebus and Gary Cohen among them). Trump seems less concerned "these days [about] placating establishment interests," perhaps to his detriment. He's "benefited from strong support from Republicans on Capitol Hill, particularly the collective GOP decision to basically shrug off" the scandals touching him. "But parting ways with someone like Mattis, who is well-respected among congressional Republicans, is not helpful in maintaining those alliances."

Bacon has a similar view, calling the resignation "the latest sign of a fissure between Trump and the Republican establishment." He runs down the initial appointments Trump made that "showed powerful constituencies in the Republican Partythe military, congressional Republicans, Wall Streetthat he respected and would work with them" (Reince Priebus and Gary Cohen among them). Trump seems less concerned "these days [about] placating establishment interests," perhaps to his detriment. He's "benefited from strong support from Republicans on Capitol Hill, particularly the collective GOP decision to basically shrug off" the scandals touching him. "But parting ways with someone like Mattis, who is well-respected among congressional Republicans, is not helpful in maintaining those alliances." Daniel Larison, American Conservative: Larison writes that while Trump and Mattis' divergent views on Syria is featuring in plenty of articles, it's "important to remember that when it came to the most indefensible US-backed war he and Trump were always on the same page. ... He presided over two years of shameful support for the Saudi coalition war on Yemen, and he went out of his way to offer absurd justifications for continued US support for the war to the end of his tenure. ... An administration that fights as hard as this has to keep the war on Yemen going is definitely not one interested in peace and restraint no matter what else happens."

Larison writes that while Trump and Mattis' divergent views on Syria is featuring in plenty of articles, it's "important to remember that when it came to the most indefensible US-backed war he and Trump were always on the same page. ... He presided over two years of shameful support for the Saudi coalition war on Yemen, and he went out of his way to offer absurd justifications for continued US support for the war to the end of his tenure. ... An administration that fights as hard as this has to keep the war on Yemen going is definitely not one interested in peace and restraint no matter what else happens." Allahpundit, Hot Air: Allahpundit's take: Buckle your seat belts, essentially. Mattis, along with John Kelly, Rex Tillerson, and HR McMaster, was viewed as one of the "adults in the room" when it came to keeping "Trump from steering off the foreign-policy road." That foursome is weeks away from a complete exit. "We're going full MAGA, just as Democrats are taking power in the House. What a war next year is going to be."

(Read more Lt. Gen. James Mattis stories.)
(Newser)  Perhaps pundits heard Melania Trump's call to ignore her fashion choices because they're now focused on an outfit her predecessor wore Wednesday. In the last stop on her Becoming book tour, Michelle Obama walked on stage at Brooklyn's Barclays Center wearing a shimmery yellow shirt dress and a $3,900 pair of gold sequinned thigh-high boots, both by Balenciaga. As first lady, Obama knew her clothes were "dissected," but "now, I'm free to do whatever," Obama said in a discussion with actress and fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker, per Vox and the Miami Herald. "They were just really cute. I was like, 'Those some nice boots!'" Pundits had much more to say.

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"It wasn't just an eye-catching ensemble. It was fashion. Fashion. Faaaashion!" writes Robin Givhan at the Washington Post, arguing the choice was appropriate since "Obama's book tour is the equivalent of a literary rock concert."

"If anyone on this earth can pull off thigh-high, iridescent, gold sequin boots, it's Michelle Obama," writes Laura Byager at Mashable. "It takes a lot to upstage SJP's shoe game, but Obama did it," she adds.

She "truly turned things up to 11"and must've known what a statement she was making, Gemma Cartwright writes at PopSugar, noting Obamas stylist, Meredith Koop, posted the look on Instagram with the caption "too much?"

It definitely was too much for Jeannie DeAngelis at the conservative American Thinker. Obama "dressed like a stand-in for Big Bird" yet "the biased media viewed the embarrassing spectacle Michelle made of herself as a fashion dream come true," she writes, accusing Obama of a "disingenuous concern for the poor."

At People, however, Kaitlyn Frey says Obama "seemed to be channeling Beyonce in the head-turning ensemble" that made for a "mic-drop fashion moment." She also rounds up Twitter reactions like this one: "When I die, please project these blessed images of Michelle Obama's boots on my tombstone."

(Read more Michelle Obama stories.)
The Kremlin said on Friday that it did not understand what the United States next steps in Syria would be, and that chaotic and unpredictable decision-making was creating discomfort in international affairs.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow wanted more information about the planned withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, announced unexpectedly by President Donald Trump this week.

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(Newser)  It was a mystery right from the start. Cops who responded to the scene of a car crash Dec. 13 along a Missouri interstate in Cooper County found a 40-year-old mother dead in the driver's seat, and her two children, ages 5 and 11, unharmed, per KELO-TV. Based on results of an autopsy, though, the Missouri State Highway Patrol now has a development in the case: Melissa Peskey had been shot, the Argus Leader reports. The real estate agent from Sioux Falls, SD, was said to have been on her way to South Carolina. Her husband, Ryan Peskey, wasn't in the car with the rest of the family, and on Tuesday he told KELO he'd been informed by police he was a "person of interest" in the case. An MSHP rep says he couldn't confirm Ryan Peskey's statement and simply noted that, as of Wednesday, no one had been arrested, per the Columbia Tribune.

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Ryan Peskey, said to be a service member just home from a deployment last month, told KELO that when investigators tried to reach him to inform him of the crash, he initially didn't pick up the phone because he'd been asleep. They touched base with him again hours later and he did answer the call. Ryan Peskey was reportedly set to head to Missouri Wednesday to get his kids out of foster care, though it's not clear if that happened. Authorities aren't saying much more at this time, except that the gunshot that killed Melissa Peskey came from outside the car. A GoFundMe that was set up for Ryan Peskey and the kids, to "help defray costs for funeral arrangements and provide Christmas presents for the children," has raised more than $10,000 as of Friday afternoon. The MSHP says it's working on dozens of leads. (Read more homicide stories.)
(Newser)  Police in Colorado still haven't found 29-year-old Kelsey Berreth, missing since Thanksgiving, but they've apparently had a break in the case they are now treating as a murder investigation. Police arrested her fiance, Patrick Frazee, at his home Friday morning, and court documents suggest authorities think he not only planned Berreth's murder but had some help. The details:

The arrest: Authorities have not filed formal charges against Frazee, but they expect to do so within 10 days. Instead, he was arrested on an investigation of first-degree murder and solicitation to commit first-degree murder, reports ABC News.

Authorities have not filed formal charges against Frazee, but they expect to do so within 10 days. Instead, he was arrested on an investigation of first-degree murder and solicitation to commit first-degree murder, reports ABC News. Had help? A solicitation charge suggests a suspect contacted someone else about the killing, and as the Denver Post explains, it would mean he did more than simply ask a question. Youve actually done something to show firmness in what you intend to do, says 4th Judicial District Attorney Dan May. So far, no other arrests have been made.

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Evidence: Police did not provide details, but they say they now think Berreth was killed inside her own home on Thanksgiving Day and "recovered a number of items" to buttress that view, said Woodland Park Police Chief Miles De Young, per KOAA. However, he said he did not want to speculate on where Berreth's body might be. As you can tell from the arrest, sadly, we do not believe Kelsey is still alive, he said.

Police did not provide details, but they say they now think Berreth was killed inside her own home on Thanksgiving Day and "recovered a number of items" to buttress that view, said Woodland Park Police Chief Miles De Young, per KOAA. However, he said he did not want to speculate on where Berreth's body might be. As you can tell from the arrest, sadly, we do not believe Kelsey is still alive, he said. Idaho clue: Berreth was seen on surveillance video inside a grocery store near her home about noon on Nov. 22, Thanksgiving. She had her 1-year-old daughter with her. Frazee told police he picked up the child from Berreth later that afternoon. Texts were sent from her phone on Nov. 25, and police later determined the phone had been about 800 miles away in Idaho. The phone has not been recovered.

Berreth was seen on surveillance video inside a grocery store near her home about noon on Nov. 22, Thanksgiving. She had her 1-year-old daughter with her. Frazee told police he picked up the child from Berreth later that afternoon. Texts were sent from her phone on Nov. 25, and police later determined the phone had been about 800 miles away in Idaho. The phone has not been recovered. Her daughter: The 1-year-old girl is the daughter of Berreth and Frazee, and the girl will live with Berreth's relatives, reports the AP.

The 1-year-old girl is the daughter of Berreth and Frazee, and the girl will live with Berreth's relatives, reports the AP. Earlier search: Police previously had searched Frazee's 35-acre property near Florissant and used a backhoe for digging, but they did not find Berreth.

(A legally blind Michigan woman is missing in Peru .)
(Newser)  A decision by the White House last year to put North Korea on a list of state sponsors of terrorism opened up the regime to US lawsuits. Now the parents of Otto Warmbier are taking full advantage. They accuse the regime in Pyongyang of torturing and killing their son and are seeking a staggering $1.05 billion in punitive damages, reports the Cincinnati Enquirer. The Ohio family also seeks $46 million for suffering in a motion filed in US District Court in DC. Warmbier, who had been a student at the University of Virginia, was detained while on a visit in 2016 and later seen in a video admitting to stealing a propaganda poster from a hotel. After sentencing Warmbier to 15 years of hard labor, North Korea released him last year, but Warmbier returned to the US in a coma with severe brain damage and died days later at age 22.

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Were here because we dont fear North Korea anymore, his father, Fred Warmbier, said during an emotional court hearing this week attended by family and many of Warmbier's now-graduated friends from UVa, reports the Washington Post. So what are the chances of the Warmbiers collecting their enormous sum? Not too good, an attorney who has handled similar cases tells the Enquirer. Typically, any payouts in these kinds of lawsuits come as a result of the US seizing foreign assets. But North Korea is so economically isolated, that would likely not work. The court heard testimony from experts who spoke of torture techniques used by North Korea, ones designed to leave no trace. It's not clear when Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell will issue a decision. (An American writer who looked into the case floats an alternative theory about Warmbier's death.)
(Newser)  The Supreme Court ruled against President Trump on Friday regarding a controversial new plan to put restrictions on asylum-seekers. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's four more liberal justices in blocking the White House from immediately enforcing the plan, reports the New York Times. (This is the same case that prompted Roberts to issue a rare public criticism of Trump after the president ridiculed a lower-court judge as an "Obama judge.") In November, Trump issued a proclamation declaring that anyone who illegally crossed the US-Mexico border would not be able to seek asylum. However, that policy seems to contradict a federal statute that says "any alien who is physically present in the United States" may apply for asylum, no matter how they entered the US.

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A federal judge in San Francisco issued a temporary restraining order preventing the new policy from taking effect, and the White House asked the Supreme Court to lift it. On Friday, the court declined, though justices Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch disagreed with the majority. Trump had made the move in reaction to migrant caravans moving north from Central America, notes the Washington Post. The decision doesn't mean the policy is dead, only that it cannot be enforced until a lawsuit against it is settled. That could take months, reports the AP. (Justice Ginsburg's recent fall may have had a silver lining, medically speaking.)
(Newser)  Audrey Geisel, the widow of children's author Dr. Seuss and longtime overseer of his prolific and lucrative literary estate, has died at age 97. She died "peacefully" at her home in La Jolla, California. Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Geisel, died in 1991, and Audrey Geisel founded Dr. Seuss Enterprises two years later. Over the past quarter century, "Dr. Seuss" has proved a highly profitable multimedia brand, from books and films to theme park rides and the Broadway show Seussical. She was a Chicago native and former nursing student at Indiana University whose parents broke up when she was little and who as an adult would be in the middle of two broken marriages. She and Theodor Geisel, who was 17 years older, were both married to others when they began an affair in the 1960s, per the AP.

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Theodor Geisel's first wife, Helen, killed herself and Audrey Geisel sent away the two daughters she had with her first husband after she and the author married in 1968. "They wouldn't have been happy with Ted, and Ted wouldn't have been happy with them. He's the man who said of children, 'You have 'em and I'll entertain 'em,'" Geisel, who later reconciled with her daughters, told the New York Times in 2000. "Ted's a hard man to break down, but this is who he was. He lived his whole life without children and he was very happy without children. I've never been very maternal. There were too many other things I wanted to do. My life with him was what I wanted my life to be." (Someone once stole a Lorax statue from her estate.)
(Newser)  Accused Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz insists he heard the voice of a demon before his rampage. But a new 425-page police report suggests cops think he's putting on an act, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The report notes that a month before the mass killing, Cruz went online and posed a jarring question on the Quora Q&A site: I am neurotypical. How can I pretend to be a psychopath and get diagnosed as one? And during an interview with lead detective John Curcio of the Broward County Sheriff's Office, Cruz seemed to be in distress at times, but the detective wasn't buying it. At one point, Cruz starts to hyperventilate, but Curcio writes that it "appears to be an act."

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Curcio's report also notes that Cruz was "calm and rational" when first arrested. It was only while waiting for a school security guard to arrive to identify him that he switched gears. Cruz then began to claim he was hearing voices of a demon and began to throw up, the report states. He asked, "Where the f--- am I? and What happened? Cruz's mental state could go a long way in determining whether he faces the death penalty. His public defender says he's willing to plead guilty and spend the rest of his life in prison if state prosecutors don't seek capital punishment. Meanwhile, NBC Miami reports that 78-year-old Warren Bond of Florida faces federal charges over an alleged death threat he mailed to the mother of Parkland survivor David Hogg, over her gun-control views. (Cruz reportedly attacked a jail guard.)
President Donald Trump is planning to withdraw more than 5,000 of the 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, a U.S. official said on Thursday, in the latest sign Trumps patience is thinning with Americas longest war and overseas military interventions.

On Wednesday, Trump rebuffed top advisers and decided to pull all U.S. troops out of Syria, a decision that contributed to U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis abruptly quitting on Thursday over significant policy differences with the president.

One official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said a decision had been made and verbal orders had been given to start planning for the drawdown. The official said timelines were being discussed but it could happen in weeks or months.

It is unclear how the United States with less than 9,000 forces in Afghanistan will be able to fulfill the full set of missions now underway, including training Afghan forces, advising them in the field, and waging an air campaign against the Taliban and other militant groups.

Instead, the United States almost certainly would have to curtail its missions, something that could provide an opportunity for a resurgent Taliban to expand their offensives across Afghanistan.

Mattis had argued for maintaining a strong U.S. military presence in Afghanistan to bolster diplomatic peace efforts. He resigned shortly after U.S. officials raised the possibility that Trump would order the drawdown.

The decision on Syria has bewildered U.S. allies and triggered harsh reaction from Trumps fellow Republicans in Congress.

The Pentagon declined to comment on Afghanistan.

Garrett Marquis, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said the White House would not comment on future strategic developments.

The United States went to war in Afghanistan in 2001 in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, seeking to oust the Taliban militants harboring Saudi-raised militant Osama bin Laden, who led plans to carry out the attacks.

U.S. officials are currently engaged in talks with the Taliban, who now control a significant amount of territory. The Taliban insurgency has strengthened its grip over the past three years, with the government in Kabul controlling just 56 percent of Afghanistan, down from 72 percent in 2015, a U.S. government report showed.

Trump privately has been grousing about U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, telling an ally as recently as Wednesday words to the effect of, What are we doing there? Weve been there all these years.

The source, who asked to remain unidentified, said it appeared the president has lost all patience with the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.

More than 2,400 U.S. forces have died in the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan, and Pentagon officials have repeatedly warned that a precipitous exit would allow militants to develop new plots on America.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, often a vocal Trump ally, warned of possible danger to the United States if the drawdown goes through.

The conditions in Afghanistan - at the present moment - make American troop withdrawals a high risk strategy. If we continue on our present course we are setting in motion the loss of all our gains and paving the way toward a second 9/11, Graham said in a statement.

Trump last year approved an increase in U.S. troops but acknowledged that he did so reluctantly.

Late last month, at least 22 Afghan police were killed in a Taliban ambush in Afghanistans western province of Farah, adding to the growing casualty toll on Afghan security forces.

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The Deputy King, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa yesterday honoured newly graduated RAP commissioned officers hailing them as the key contributors in protecting Bahrains citizens and residents. Speaking during the graduation ceremony for the eleventh commissioning class of the Royal Academy of Police Cadet Officers, The Deputy King paid tribute to Bahraini soldiers and officers who sacrificed their lives defending their country.

Bahrains Commemoration Day, which falls on 17 December, is a reminder of their selfless dedication and commitment, said Prince Salman. Earlier, upon arriving at the graduation ceremony, the Deputy King was welcomed by the Minister of Interior, Lt-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, and other senior officers On the occasion, the Deputy King emphasised the key role the Ministry of Interior plays in maintaining security in the Kingdom and recognised the Minister of Interiors significant contribution to the stability of the Kingdom.

In his address to the officers, the Minister of Interior recognised the officers commitment to advancing their capabilities and readiness through the adoption of best practices. The ceremony, the Minister said, coincides with the recent successful parliamentary and municipality elections, which represent a significant milestone for the Kingdoms efforts in advancing sustainable development and strengthening institutions. The Deputy King inspected the officer cadets parade ahead of the commissioning parade and honoured the top achievers. Minister of Interior handed out the commissioning certificates to the officer cadets.
SADAD Bahrain, a payment channel, was recently recognised for passing the CRISC Certification with top score at an event hosted by ISACA in Bahrain. CRISC is rated as the worlds most valuable certification that prepares and enables IT professionals for the unique challenges of IT and enterprise risk management and positions them to become strategic partners to the enterprise.

It is a great honour to receive this certification from ISACA. It will enable us at SADAD manage the ongoing challenges of enterprise risk and to design risk-based information system controls and infrastructure that will support us as a company in serving our customers in the best and most secure ways, possible, said Fru Christian Bills.

SADAD currently provides over 800 fully configured self-service Kiosks at major locations and public places across Bahrain, enabling secure and easy payment anytime, anywhere.
Honda Motor delivered Thursday its first HondaJet business plane in Japan to prominent investor Kotaro Chiba, co-founder of game company Colopl.

The automaker is moving into the largely untapped domestic market for private business planes. It handed over a HondaJet Elite boasting an improved range of 2,661 km -- enough for direct flights between Tokyo and Beijing or Shanghai. The jet is priced at $5.25 million.

Business jets are common in Western countries but less so in Japan, in part due to the availability of fast alternatives like shinkansen bullet trains. Japan's private sector held 57 business jets at the end of 2016, compared with more than 19,000 in the U.S., the world's largest market.

Honda became the world's leading supplier of small business jets in 2017. In Japan, it began taking orders in June and has received orders for more than 10 units so far.
The National Police Agency on Thursday unveiled a draft bill that would allow vehicles with a high level of autonomous features to run on public roads, with an eye toward implementing the legislation in the first half of 2020.

The bill to revise the nationas road traffic law would enable travel for what the government classifies as level 3 autonomous vehicles. Such vehicles can allow drivers to shift their attention elsewhere and let the system drive, except for during emergencies and system glitches that would require them to take back control.

In the initial stage, the government may only allow the use of level 3 self-driving technology during highway traffic jams.

Autonomous driving technology is classified into five categories. Under the current law, only level 1 vehicles that have one of either automated steering, acceleration or braking features and level 2 cars that have more than one of those automated functions are allowed to travel on public roads.

Level 4 pertains to vehicles that can drive themselves under certain conditions without human input, even in emergencies, and level 5 cars have complete autonomy without any conditional requirements.

The draft bill would allow drivers of level 3 cars to talk on their mobile phones or watch TV, actions that are prohibited for those behind the wheel in conventional vehicles, as long as they can smoothly take back control of the car.

Actions such as working on a computer in the rear seat, sleeping or drinking alcohol would remain prohibited.

Self-driving vehicles would be banned from traveling on public roads unless they are equipped with travel data recorders. Drivers would also be required to save their driving data.
This year has seen a wealth of new archaeological discoveries and the opening or re-opening of many attractions and facilities, among the most compelling being the discovery of a gilded mummy mask at Saqqara that was chosen as one of the top 10 discoveries of 2018.

Another fascinating find was the animal cemetery in Saqqara and the identification of a ramp network that the ancient Egyptians used to transport the blocks used to construct the Pyramids from the Hatnub alabaster quarries to the Giza Plateau.

SAQQARA DISCOVERIES

The Saqqara Necropolis witnessed distinguished discoveries this year and the opening of a tomb for the first time.

An Egyptian mission has unearthed an exceptionally well preserved Fifth Dynasty tomb of the royal purification priest during king Nefer-Ir-Ka-Re in Saqqara Necropolis.

The tombs walls are decorated with coloured scenes depicting the deceased with his mother, wife and children as well as others depicting the fabrication of pottery, wine, offering, musical performances, the sailing of boats, the manufacturing of the funerary furniture and hunting. A number of niches with large coloured statues of the deceased and his family are also found inside the tomb.

An Egyptian-German team from the University of Tubingen that is carrying out the Saqqara Saite Tombs Project uncovered a Saite-Persian mummification workshop including an embalmers cachette of pottery, a mummification site, and a communal complex of burial chambers along with a gilded silver mummy mask, a large number of beakers, bowls and amphorae inscribed with names of mummification oils and substances, and embalmers instructions.

The vessels preserved sizable amounts of the residue of these substances, making them dream material for decoding the secrets of mummification. They are now being tested by an Egyptian-German team. The discoveries, especially the mask, were chosen by the US Archaeology magazine as among the top 10 discoveries of the year.

Meanwhile, at the neighbouring Userkaf Pyramid Complex, an Egyptian mission uncovered dozens of mummified cats and meticulously mummified scarab beetles along with other animal mummies of cobras and crocodiles. The mummies were found inside two Old Kingdom tombs that were used during the Late Period as graves for animals.

The last discovery to be announced in 2018 was the tomb of a royal purification priest from the reign of the Fifth-Dynasty king Nefererkare. The tomb is exceptionally well-preserved, with painted walls featuring the deceased in different positions with his family along with scenes showing musical performances and the making of wine and pots.

It is also decorated with a number of niches containing a large collection of statuettes depicting the deceased, his wife, mother and children.

The mastaba tomb of the Sixth-Dynasty justice and vizier Mehu located to the south of the Djoser Pyramid Complex was opened for the first time since its discovery almost 80 years ago. It is a vast tomb with lavish wall paintings and scenes depicting the baking of bread, the brewing of beer, and the preparing of meals. Cultivation, hunting and offering scenes are also shown on its walls.

discovery

THE EASTERN DESERT

A mission from the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology and Liverpool University in the UK discovered the system used to drag massive stone Pyramid blocks from their quarry to the Giza Plateau this year.

It includes the remains of a central ramp flanked by two staircases with numerous post holes. The system was discovered in Hatnub, an ancient quarry in the Eastern Desert. It would have been used to transport heavy alabaster stones up a steep ramp, possibly showing how the ancient Egyptians built the Great Pyramid.

Through using a toboggan attached with ropes to wooden posts which carried a stone block, the ancient Egyptians were able to pull the alabaster blocks out of the quarry on a very steep slope of 20 per cent or more. The ropes attached to the sled acted as a force multiplier, making it easier to pull the sled up the ramp.

THE GIZA PLATEAU

At the Giza Western Cemetery, an Egyptian archaeological mission uncovered the luxurious tomb of a priestess of the goddess Hathor named Hetepet.

Although the tomb has a simple superstructure made of mud-brick covered with mortar, its inner walls are painted with rare scenes depicting monkeys in different positions. Monkeys were domestic animals in ancient Egypt, and the first scene shows a monkey picking at fruit, while the second displays a monkey dancing in front of an orchestra.

The paintings show scenes depicting the tombs owner sitting or following farmers harvesting or on a boat crossing the Nile. False doors in the tomb depict images of Hetpets children holding offerings and her parents.

ASWAN

An Egyptian archaeological mission working in Kom Ombo in Aswan stumbled upon a sandstone statue of a sphinx dating to the Ptolemaic era on the south-eastern side of the Kom Ombo Temple, the same location where two sandstone reliefs of king Ptolemy V were uncovered.

The statues are engraved in sandstone and inscribed with hieroglyphic and demotic writings, and upon their discovery they were transferred to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation in Fustat for conservation and display.

MINYA

A large cachette of figurines and a well-preserved mummy were uncovered in the Al-Ghureifa area in Minya, along with a group of tombs and burials that belong to priests of the ancient Egyptian god Thoth, the main deity of the 15th area and its capital Al-Ashmounein.

One of the discovered tombs belongs to a high-priest of Thoth named Hersa-Essei. The tomb houses 13 burials in which were found many ushabti figurines carved in faience. A collection of 1,000 figurines was found to be in a very good state of conservation, while other statuettes were found broken in pieces.

Four canopic jars made of alabaster with lids bearing the faces of the four sons of the god Horus were also unearthed. They still contain the mummified inner organs of the deceased. The jars are decorated with hieroglyphic texts showing the name and titles of their respective owners.

The mummy of the high-priest Djehuty-Irdy-Es was also found, this being decorated with a bronze collar depicting the god Nut stretching out her wings to protect the deceased according to ancient Egyptian beliefs. It is also decorated with a collection of blue and red precious beads, as well as bronze gilded sheets, two eyes carved in bronze, and ivory and crystal beads.

Four amulets of semi-precious stones were also found on the mummy. This is decorated with hieroglyphic texts, one of which is engraved with a phrase saying Happy New Year.

The mission working in the area also unearthed 40 limestone sarcophagi of different shapes and sizes, some of them with anthropoid lids decorated with the names and different titles of their owners.

Another family tomb was uncovered in the nearby cemetery. It houses a collection of gigantic sarcophagi of different shapes and sizes and ushabti figurines bearing the names of their owners who were priests at the time. Other funerary collections showing the skills and tastes of the ancient Egyptians were also found.

discovery

LUXOR

An Egyptian mission working in the Al-Assassif Necropolis on the west bank of the Nile at Luxor uncovered the tomb of the overseer of the mummification shrine of the Mut Temple, named Thaw-Rakhtif, and explored the entrance of a previously undiscovered tomb, dubbed TT28.

The walls of the Thaw-Rakhtif tomb are adorned with painted scenes, and it contains two large anthropoid sarcophagi and parts of a funerary collection.

A collection of more than 1,000 ushabti figurines carved in terracotta, faience and wood in different sizes and shapes was unearthed, along with two black wooden statues of the god Padist, painted wooden statuettes, and five funerary masks. Two limestone lids of canopic jars and an alabaster jar adorned with a hieroglyphic text painted in green were unearthed, as well as wooden statues of the god Anubis, a symbolic painted coffin, and parts of statues. A papyrus inscribed with Chapter 125 of the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead was among the funerary objects.

In tomb TT33 in Al-Assassif, which belongs to the 26th-Dynasty priest Pediamenopet, two 18th-Dynasty painted coffins were unearthed in the tombs open court by a Franco-Egyptian mission from the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology and Strasbourg University in France.

One is a painted rishi-style sarcophagus from the 17th-Dynasty, and when it was opened it revealed the mummy of a priest. The second houses a very well-preserved mummy of an 18th-Dynasty woman named Thuya, and it seems that it was restored during the Late Period.

Among other important discoveries was a collection of eight mummies from the Ptolemaic era, many of them encased in vividly painted anthropoid cartonage coffins found at the Dahshur Necropolis.

A stone sphinx at Kom Ombo, a riverside temple near Aswan dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, and the worlds oldest tattoos depicting a bull, a sheep and S-shaped patterns on a pair of 5,000-year-old mummies, were also among 2018 discoveries.

discovery

MUSEUMS

Egypt is in the midst of a museum construction boom, including new collections scheduled to open soon in the Red Sea resorts of Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada that will give visitors the chance to explore ancient Egyptian treasures without venturing to Cairo or Luxor.

Meanwhile, the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) on the Pyramids Plateau is nearly complete and is scheduled to open in 2020. It is the worlds largest museum dedicated to a single civilisation.

The museum will showcase 150,000 objects, including every item found in boy-king Tutankhamuns tomb, many of them never before on public display. The most recent artefact from the tomb to arrive at the GEM was the sixth chariot that had previously been on display at the Military Museum at the Salaheddin Citadel.

discovery

This year also witnessed the last journey of the king Ramses II colossus to its new position at the GEM. The Pharaohs statue was preceded on its journey by 11 horsemen in ceremonial dress. As the royal cavalcade rolled along the 400-metre road to the GEM, attendees stood up in their seats to greet the Pharaoh. When the colossus reached its final location, the national anthem was played.

The Egyptian Museum in Cairos Tahrir Square celebrated its 116th anniversary this year with a comprehensive redesign of the Yuya and Thuya collection on the museums upper floor. These were two Egyptian nobles and the grandparents of the monotheistic Pharaoh Akhenaten. Their daughter was queen Tiye, wife of Amenhotep III, mother of Akhenaten, and the grandmother of the golden boy-king Tutankhamun.

The collection includes the anthropoid gilded coffins of the couple, a box coffin, mummy bands, gilded masks, amulets, scarabs, canopic jars, beds, ushabti figurines, magical statues, golden chairs, wigs and baskets, mirrors, kohl tubes and containers, mats, sandals, staves, pottery and stone vessels, jars with embalming products, boxes, jewellery boxes decorated with ivory, faience and ebony inscribed with golden letters.

One of the most impressive artefacts is a chariot. Although this does not have any decoration, it is beautiful in its simplicity, with spirals and rosettes in gilded plaster.

President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi officially inaugurated the Sohag National Museum this year, the first in this Upper Egyptian city and a landmark celebrating the ancient Egyptian era and the distinguished history of Sohag as a pilgrimage city of the Pharaohs.

The museum was inaugurated after almost 30 years of construction work. It does not only display the history of Egypt as a country, but also reveals the history of the ancient cities of Sohag, Abydos and Akhmim, sites that were the origins of Egypts ancient civilisation.

Sohag has rich archaeological sites from the early period up to the Ptolemaic, Graeco-Roman, Coptic and Islamic periods. However, although the governorate contains many distinguished monuments and historical landmarks, it is seldom a destination for visitors.

The Tell Basta Museum in Zagazig in the Delta was also inaugurated after years in limbo. The objects on display come from archaeological excavations in the Sharqiya governorate and include canopic jars, terracotta statuettes, clay pots of different shapes and sizes, domestic instruments, coins, statuettes of deities, tombstones, offering tables and jewellery.

One of the showcases is devoted to Sharqiyas main ancient Egyptian deity, the cat-goddess Bastet.

ISLAMIC MONUMENTS

The inauguration of the maqaad (seat) of prince Mamay Al-Seifi after three years of restoration took place this year within the framework of a larger project aimed at conserving seven monumental buildings within a national campaign launched by the Ministry of Antiquities to rescue 100 monuments in Islamic Cairo with a budget of LE10 million.

The aim of the restoration work on the maqaad was to strengthen and consolidate the monument and protect it from damage.

The historic Mosque and University of Al-Azhar in Islamic Cairo was officially re-opened by President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and Saudi crown-prince Mohamed bin Salman in 2018. For the last three years, it has been hiding under scaffolding, with workmen intent on polishing and strengthening its walls.

The restoration work was carried out under the patronage of king Salman bin Abdel-Aziz of Saudi Arabia with a grant from the late king Abdullah, who ordered the initiative before his death with a view to restoring the historic Al-Azhar Mosque and a number of its faculties as well as establishing an integrated residential area for students.

The restoration work was carried out using the latest scientific methods, and every effort was made to ensure that all the original architectural features were retained.

The aim of the restoration was mainly to strengthen the foundations of the mosque and to protect them from damage. The restoration included cleaning and strengthening the buildings architectural designs, wooden ceilings, and mashrabiya (lattice woodwork) windows, as well as its arcades, paintings, engravings and fine metal ornaments.

The buildings mausoleums, five minarets, and seven painted domes were restored and consolidated, and the work extended to the students residential area. The foundations and walls were reinforced, missing and decayed stones replaced, and masonry cleaned and desalinated.

The work involved the modernisation of lighting systems, toilets, drainage, ventilation and sound systems, in accordance with the latest international standards and as used at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, while taking into account the historic nature of Al-Azhar.

MATARIYA

After a decade of closure for development, the Matariya Obelisk Museum was re-opened in 2018 as a new and fascinating archaeological and tourist destination.

The open-air museum displays a 20.4-metre granite obelisk erected by the Middle Kingdom Pharaoh Senusert I, along with a collection of 135 artefacts from different periods.

One of the highlights is a four-metre quartzite statue of Ramses II, along with other objects bearing the names of Amenhotep II, Thutmose IV and Amenhotep III. More obelisks have also been discovered, such as that of the Sixth-Dynasty Pharaoh Teti, two obelisks of Thutmose III, an obelisk of 19th-Dynasty Pharaoh Seti I, and two more obelisks now on display in London and Rome.

SAN AL-HAGAR

The first phase of converting the ancient site of San Al-Hagar in the Delta into an open-air museum of ancient Egyptian art was completed in 2018, including the re-erection of some of its columns, obelisks and colossi.

discovery

EXHIBITIONS ABROAD

This year North America fell under the magic of the ancient Egyptians, with two exhibitions in St Louis and Los Angeles being inaugurated as Sunken Cities: Egypts Lost World and Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh.

The Sunken Cities exhibition displays 293 objects excavated from beneath the Mediterranean. It is divided thematically, and among the objects on show are three giant pink granite colossi featuring the Nile god Hapi, a statue of a Ptolemaic king, and an unidentified Egyptian queen dressed as Isis.

There is a customs stelae from Heracleion with inscriptions in hieroglyphics and Greek, a black granite sphinx representing king Ptolemy XII, father of the more famous Cleopatra, a head of Serapis and the Naos of the Decades, a black granite shrine covered with figures and hieroglyphic texts relating to the ancient calendar.

The Tutankhamun exhibition puts on show 149 artefacts. It uses a special lighting system that shows the importance of the objects as well as their skilful craftsmanship.

In Monaco, the Golden Treasure of the Pharaohs exhibition displaying 2,500 years of the goldsmiths art in ancient Egypt was inaugurated this year. The exhibition was opened by head of state prince Albert II and Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany, who invited the prince to visit Egypt to admire its distinguished monuments and the new Grand Egyptian Museum after its inauguration. He also invited him to take a plunge into the Mediterranean Sea off Alexandrias eastern harbour where the ancient sunken city of Heracleion is located.

The exhibition included artefacts such as the Yuya and Tuya funerary collection and the Tanis Treasure that will make up the core display of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square and replace the Tutankhamun collection that will be transferred to the new GEM overlooking the Giza Plateau.

This article was previously published in Al-Ahram Weekly

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The pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has denied endorsing President Muhammadu Buhari.The group also accused All Progressives Congress chieftain, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, of being behind the fake endorsement of Buhari.A newspaper had reported on Friday that some Afenifere chieftains, led by Senator Ayo Fasanmi, endorsed Buhari at a gathering in Ibadan on Thursday.Others who attended the gathering include Lagos APC chieftain, Prince Tajudeen Olusi; a former Deputy Governor to Tinubu, Prince Biodun Ogunleye; APC chieftain, Dr. Abayomi Fini and a former Governor of the old Oyo State, Omololu Olunloyo.Speaking with our correspondent on Friday, however, the spokesman for Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said it was unfortunate that Tinubu, who had discredited Afenifere, could organise such a charade.He said most of the people at the gathering where Buhari was endorsed were strangers to the group.Odumakin said the renegade group was only taking advantage of Senator Fasanmi who was advanced in age.The Afenifere, Odumakin said, That is a fake Afenifere group powered by Bola Ahmed Tinubu. If you look at the names of the people at that particular group, the only person that was once with us is Senator Fasanmi and we believe they are just using him.The masquerade behind this entire show is Bola Tinubu, who has plenty of money. Why is he hiding under Afenifere? Havent he and his people been disparaging Afenifere? Why has Afenifere suddenly become attractive to them?When Afenifere was fighting for the rights of Yoruba people attacked by herdsmen in Ile-Ife and in Akure, where was Bola Tinubu? Suddenly, he remembers Afenifere because elections are here.Let Tinubu come and meet us directly. Why is he hiding and using our name?Odumakin said Afenifere had said many times that it would only be supporting a candidate who supports restructuring, especially true federalism.He said the endorsement would be announced after a meeting with other socio-cultural groups such as Ohanaeze NdIgbo and the Northern Elders Forum.The Afenifere spokesman said, We are for restructuring. And when it is time to endorse a candidate, it will be a joint decision with Pan-Niger Delta Forum, Ohanaeze, Middle Belt Forum and the Northern Elders Forum.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says adequate security was provided for Alex Badeh, the former chief of defence staff (CDS) who was kille...





The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says adequate security was provided for Alex Badeh, the former chief of defence staff (CDS) who was killed by gunmen while en route to his farm on Abuja-Keffi road.





Ibikunle Daramola, NAF director of public relations and information, says erroneous reports and comments being spread about the incident could have adverse effects on the conduct of ongoing operations.





Daramola said some of the reports erroneously stated that the driver of the late former CDS, who was also shot during the incident, was dead.





Other reports allege that adequate security was not provided for the deceased Air Chief Marshal, he said in a statement on Thursday.





The NAF wishes to state categorically that nothing could be further from the truth.





Firstly, all are please requested to note that the driver is alive and recuperating extremely well at one of our NAF Hospitals.





Secondly, Air Chief Marshal Badeh has always been provided with the full compliment of personal staff and security personnel commensurate with his status as a former Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), CDS and a 4-star general in the Armed Forces of Nigeria.





Daramola said substantial progress has been made in the investigation and details would be communicated at the appropriate time.





He said: As mentioned by the CAS, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, on Dec. 19, the NAF is working closely with other relevant security agencies to determine the circumstances surrounding the death of the former CDS.





This is with a view to ensuring that the perpetrators of the heinous act are brought to justice.





Substantial progress has already been made in the ongoing investigation and details would be communicated at the appropriate time.





The NAF wishes to request that the spreading of misinformation about the incident should stop forthwith as this could have adverse effects on the conduct of ongoing operations.




The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said the revelation of furtive depletion and siphoning of $1.68 billion from the Excess Crude Account ECA, has shown that President Muhammadu Buhari presides over a corrupt government that is bent on draining the nations treasury in a bid to foisting more suffering on the people.The party accused President Buhari of superintending over the surreptitious withdrawals from the ECA, without recourse to the statutory appropriation of the National Assembly, because funds are being frittered from the account to private purses of the cabal at his Presidency.In a statement signed by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan on Thursday, the PDP accused the President of providing cover for perpetrators of sleaze despite his administration vow to weed out corruption.Nigerians can recall that the PDP, which established the ECA as a buffer account to cushion the effect of any economic down turn, left $2.07 billion in the account only for the Buhari administration to drain it down to $631 million.The PDP condemns this manifest impunity by the Presidency and demands that no more withdrawals must be made from the account by this corrupt and inept administration, the statement read in part.
Deji Adeyanju has been remanded in prison custody until 6th February 2019 by the Chief Magistrates Court in Kano.The court, on Friday, took the plea of Adeyanju who is charged with complicity in series of murders since 2000s.The court said that it lacked jurisdiction to hear murder charges against Adeyanju who had been arrested since Dec. 13.Adeyanju stood trial on similar charges between 2005 and 2009 but was discharged and acquitted by the Kano State High Court.Adeyanju was arrested and detained for five days in Abuja before he was moved to Kano.Chief Magistrates Hassan Fagge had on December 19, ordered his remand and scheduled today for bail hearing.But when the court opened at about 9:42 a.m. Friday, Mr Fagge said he had determined that he lacked the power to hear the homicide charges brought against Mr Adeyanju by the police.Adeyanju was moved to Kano Central Prison.The position of the court has hit the social media, especially Twitter.BREAKING: The Chief magistrate in charge of Dejis case declines Jurisdiction. The case has been adjourned to 6th February for further mention. @adeyanjudeji will spend his Christmas and New year in Prison.This phase too shall pass. Th Deji Adeyanju (@Shalomttheo) 21 December 2018
Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed has reacted to the allegation of clampdown on civil society with the re-arrest and detention of ...





Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed has reacted to the allegation of clampdown on civil society with the re-arrest and detention of Deji Adeyanju.





He spoke at a media briefing on Thursday in Abuja.





He said: There is no clampdown on any civil society, except in the wild imagination of naysayers.





As I have said, being in opposition is no licence to break the law and then hope to escape justice.





If the police have re-arrested Adeyanju, they must have a compelling reason to do so. Anyone who breaks the law must face justice.





Mohammed said that the alleged fears that the security agencies might be partisan during the 2019 polls was the figment of imagination of the opposition.





The opposition is only crying wolf where there is none, and in view of what they did during their 16 years in power.





They never really won a free and fair election. Their strategy was to use the

security agencies to thwart the wishes of voters.





They did it in Ekiti and Osun in 2014. I was a victim in Osun, so I know what I am saying.




President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to the claim by the Amnesty International, AI, that the problem between farmers and herders was...





President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to the claim by the Amnesty International, AI, that the problem between farmers and herders was a new thing over the last three years of his administration.





In a statement on Thursday by his Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, Buhari said that AI got some of its facts wrong.





Buhari also pointed out that his administration had given absolute freedom to the National Human Rights Commission and set an important record by paying compensation to the victims of the rights abuses.





The statement added, The first thing to say about Amnesty Internationals Report: Setting the Record Straight is to thank the organisation for confirming a fact stated time and again by President Muhammadu Buhari that the conflict between herders and farmers in Nigeria is not about religion.





There is equally a confirmation by Amnesty International (AI) that it is being stoked by local politicians and that this whole problem is about scarcity of resources.





Beyond these, the report has raised our concerns about the validity of their evidence-gathering. It is like knowing the facts but drawing the wrong conclusions.





Still, Amnesty International got some of its facts wrong. It is not correct to state in any way that the problem between farmers and herders is a new thing over the last three years. It has been happening for over 100 years. Colonial Powers Britain and France had regularly recorded these conflicts which are available in Archives.





It is equally untrue that government has done nothing. Alleged human rights abuses have been investigated. Clashes have been reduced through governments actions.





This progress is due to the strong determination of the administration to punish rights violators no matter who they are, including the military through Orderly Room trials, Court Martials and the regular courts.





This administration has given absolute freedom to the National Human Rights Commission and set an important record by paying compensation to the victims of the rights abuses.





The Apo Six, for instance, had received compensation to the tune of N135 million. Just a few months back, the President signed the law against torture.





In an interim report in October this year, the International Criminal Court, ICC, stated that:





The Nigerian authorities appear to have taken concrete steps in fulfilling their primary responsibility of investigating and prosecuting ICC crimes. While there seem to be a tangible prospect of further proceedings against members of Boko Haram including high level commanders, at this time, the same cannot be said of NSF in particular since the Nigerian authorities deny any allegations against the latter.





Every country experiencing any level of insecurity or insurgency either as a matter of external aggression, or even more sensitively, internal conflict is confronted with complex and sensitive issues. Nigeria is no exception.





The government is very much concerned about the sad and unfortunate loss of lives and properties, and the collateral broken/threatened communal relationships and societal mutual trust occasioned by attacks our nation has experienced.





As a nation, we remain unrelenting in securing our country, and restoring peace in troubled areas. Although the complications that attend internal conflicts are present in Nigeria, the courage to confront both the conflicts and their complexities remain a matter of priority to this Administration.





Indeed, reputable global organisations have recognised that the efforts of our security forces, who work tirelessly to secure our communities, are yielding results. An example of this is the recently published Global Terrorism Index Report, 2018, which acknowledged the effectiveness of Nigerias counter-insurgency operations, stating that:





Total deaths from terrorism in Nigeria fell to 1,532 in 2017, a decrease of 16 per cent from the prior year. The decline follows the 63 per cent drop in deaths in Nigeria in the preceding year, and a 34 per cent drop in 2015. This highlights the effectiveness of the counter-insurgency operations undertaken in Nigeria and its neighbours, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.





Curiously, the Amnesty International report, Harvest of Death: three years of bloody clashes between farmers and herders in Nigeria, appears to be inconsistent with the Report above. Global Terrorism Index Report is considered a credible source even for Amnesty International covering the same period and the same terrain.





However Amnesty International in addition to stating inaccurate casualty figures misleadingly alleges that the government has failed to protect affected communities and refused to investigate, arrest and prosecute perpetrators of these attacks. Nothing could be further from the truth.





This administration has continued to work ceaselessly to enhance security in affected parts of the country, ensure that victims are provided with relief, and that criminals are arrested and prosecuted. It is careless and mischievous to misrepresent the facts and thereby mislead the public.





Our security forces are not going to be deterred, neither will their morale and effort be affected by any tendentious report that mischaracterizes the important sacrifice they make to protect citizens at great risk of injury or death.





It is the global norm and custom that assessors and commentators are fair and factual in their reportage and accounts of incidents and situations so that they do not endanger the lives of security personnel or worsen conflicts. Nonetheless, our security forces will continue to intensify ongoing and new multi-pronged approaches to conflict resolution.





The Federal Government welcomes fair and constructive assessments aimed at dousing tension and promoting mutual communal confidence, safety and security, but rejects inflammatory statements, reports or assessments that stoke tension and deepen mistrust and thereby intensify conflicts and violence.





As part of a more comprehensive intervention and response to the violence and conflict, the Federal Government deployed security forces to affected areas, empanelled fact-finding missions, and repeated visits and engagement by the most senior government and security officials/special forces including the President as well as relocating command and control apparatus to such areas. Further, the National Economic Council established a 10-man Committee on farmers/herdsmen clashes, headed by the Vice President.





These high-level security operations and attention have led to the arrest of many people responsible for perpetrating violence. As a result, relative calm and peace have been restored to many communities.





There have been 500 arrests, with many convicted and as a result, relative peace and calm have been restored in many of the affected areas. Of particular note was the arrest and conviction of Alhaji Tashaku Aliyu and others who were apprehended in connection with the killing of 2 priests and 17 worshippers at St. Ignatius Catholic Church on April 24th, 2018 in Benue State.





In addition, seven herdsmen that were involved in the kidnapping of a farm owner have been sentenced to life imprisonment by an Ondo State High Court.





Beyond the security measures, President Muhammadu Buhari also authorized a mechanism and released NGN10 Billion for the rehabilitation of farms and farming communities to provide relief to affected areas. During a visit to Nasarawa State in February 2018, the President also reiterated his condemnation of the violent conflicts and their perpetrators and his administrations commitment to protecting citizens and mitigating their losses. He said:





I also want to assure the people of the North Central and indeed all Nigerians that the federal government is working day and night to ensure peace and stability return. We have deployed additional resources to all the affected areas to maintain law and order. The attacks by suspected herdsmen and other bandits will not be tolerated. I appeal to all Nigerians to refrain from reprisal attacks. The security agencies have standing instructions to arrest and prosecute any persons found with illegal arms. I will once again express my condolences and sympathy to all the affected victims of these barbaric acts.





This position was again reiterated by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, in June 2018 during his visit to Plateau State, where he held meetings with community leaders and condoled with the people.





A vital component of our successes or any success in similar conflicts is accurate reporting and credible intelligence. We encourage reporters to be accurate and citizens to provide information about known or even suspicious activities or persons to ensure we succeed in preventing attacks, and eliminating this scourge.





Finally, and in the interest of openness, the Federal Ministry of Justice is analysing the Amnesty International Report for further responses, and actions where applicable and necessary.




Manchester United forward, Alexis Sanchez, had a bet with team-mate Marcos Rojo, that Jose Mourinho would be sacked at Old Trafford, according to the UK Sun.





Mourinhos two-and-a-half year stay at the club came to an end on Tuesday, after he was sacked by executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward.





The Portuguese left with the Red Devils having their worst start to a Premier League campaign, but also fell out with majority of the squad.





Mourinho fell out with Paul Pogba and Eric Bailly and he demoted Alexis Sanchez to the bench in his final weeks in charge.





Sanchez was handed record wages of around 400,000-a-week to move to Old Trafford last January, but privately admitted he regretted joining the club and felt Mourinho was using him incorrectly.





Sanchez is currently in Chile recovering from a hamstring injury and he revelled in Mourinhos sacking, by sending a message on a shared WhatsApp containing several members of the United squad.





The Chilean is said to have messaged: I told you so!! Patience is all it takes. Rojo you owe me 20k.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has said that he had advised President Muhammadu...





The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has said that he had advised President Muhammadu Buhari to release a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, retd.





He said this while defending reason the Federal High Court in Abuja should not strip him off the rank of SAN for encouraging the Federal Government to ignore six separate court orders that granted bail to Dasuki.





The senior lawyer, in a five-paragraph affidavit he filed before the court, also said he advised the Federal Government to release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.





Malami said he had never at any point in time backed Buharis refusal to release Dasuki who has been in custody of the Department of State Services, DSS, since December 29, 2015.





Malami, in the affidavit that was deposed by one of the senior lawyers in his chambers, Ballah Ali, told the court that he was the one that persuaded FG to release the leader of the IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, on bail.





He said he also convinced FG to pay N135 million as compensation to families of deceased and injured victims of the invasion of an uncompleted building in Apo area of Abuja by DSS in 2013, sequel to the recommendation of the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC.





Consequently, he urged the court to dismiss the suit that was lodged against him by an Abuja based constitutional lawyer, Mr. Johnmary Jideobi.





The plaintiff had in his suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/807/2018, prayed the court to void Malamis SAN rank, accusing him of engaging in unprofessional conduct.





Specifically, the plaintiff, is praying the court to determine, Whether upon a community reading and complete understanding of Sections 1(1), 150 (1) and 287(3) of the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria read alongside Rule 1 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2007, the Defendant is not bound to exercise the powers of his office and discharge his functions thereunder ONLY in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended?





Whether upon a community reading and complete understanding of Sections 1(1), 150 (1) and 287(3) of the amended 1999 Constitution read alongside Rule 1 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2007, the Defendant has not violated his oath of office as Senior Advocate of Nigeria and failed in his duty as a Legal Practitioner [more so the Chief Law Officer of the Federation] by defending the refusal of the Federal Government of Nigeria to obey six valid Court Orders directing it to release a former National Security Adviser [Rtd. Colonel Dasuki] having been admitted to bail and met all the conditions attached to the said bails.





As well as Whether upon a community reading and complete understanding of Sections 1(1), 150 (1) and 287(3) of the amended 1999 Constitution read alongside Rule 1 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2007, the Defendant has not desecrated the Nigerian Constitution, his oath of office both as the Attorney-General of the Federation and as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in not only failing to support the Constitution but to assault same by his defence of the refusal of the Federal Government of Nigeria to release a former National Security Adviser [Rtd. Colonel Dasuki] despite valid court orders admitting him to bail?





In his defence however, Malami maintained that the allegation that he backed FGs action against Dasuki was false, fabricated and falsified to bring him to public ridicule.

Nevertheless, he said there was nothing before the court to show that Dasuki perfected all the conditions or terms of the bail that was granted to him on July 2, 2015.





He said: On 2nd March 2018, the Supreme Court while delivering judgment in an appeal brought before it by Dasuki to challenge his continued detention and praying for suspension of his trial pending the time the bail orders were obeyed by government, held that the bails granted Mr. Dasuki in respect of criminal charges brought against him by EFCC have been obeyed having being implemented by the Controller of Prisons, Kuje on December 29, 2015 before he was rearrested by the Department of State Services, DSS.





The Supreme Court equally held that the EFCC, though the prosecuting agency, cannot be held responsible for the detention of Dasuki by DSS.





The Defendant neither arrested nor detained Col. Dasuki, Rtd, and he is also not in custody of the Defendant. The Defendant also did not autborize the DSS not to release Col. Dasuki, Rtd, or any other person for that matter. The Defendant does not also control or supervise the DG, DSS or the DSS itself.





That Col. Dasuki, Rtd being the allegedly aggrieved person, did not authorize the Plaintiff to make any representation on his behalf in the instant case.





That Col. Dasuki, Rtd, being the allegedly aggrieved person, did not take any step to enforce the court orders in question.





That the Defendant in due compliance with the oaths of his office as Attorney General of the Federation and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has spearheaded efforts by the Nigerian Government to comply with court orders and/or judgments, including but not limited to:





In all prosecutions instituted as part of the anti-corruption drive of the current administration, all the accused persons have been released upon their admittance to bail.





Upon the granting of bail to the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, by this honourable court, he was released from prison custody in April 2017.





In April 2018, the sum of N135million was paid as compensation, upon the recommendation of the National Human Rights Commission, to the families of deceased and injured victims of the invasion of an uncompleted building in Apo area of Abuja by DSS in 2013.





In September 2018 the Federal Government in compliance with the judgment of the National Industrial Court, reinstated Mr. Yushau Shuaib, a Chief Information Officer who was retired in 2013.

The Plaintiff has not obtained any court order/judgment against the Defendant which is not yet obeyed.





That the Defendant has not misconducted himself in his official capacity as Attorney General of the Federation or in his personal capacity as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in any proceeding before this honourable court to warrant a report being made to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee.





That the Defendant did not at any time defend the alleged refusal of the Federal Government to obey six different court orders directing the release of Col. Sambo Dasuki, Rtd.





The Defendant did not at any time render legal advice to the President or the Federal Government or any of its agencies in contravention of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, or any other law in force.




The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, has condemned nepotism in the government of Imo State.Oshiomhole, who spoke at the just concluded rally to launch the APC campaign in the state, said the partys governorship candidate, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, would return Imo to the people and bring an end to government by a single family.The incumbent governor, Mr Rochas Okorocha, and the state Chairman of the APC, Mr Dan Nwafor, were absent from the rally.Oshiomhole stated that the days were gone when a governor would look at the faces of his people and say there was no money to do other things besides pay those who were working for the government.He said, When you elect Senator Hope, appointment into government will be based on merit, not family connection.Im assuring you that we have a governorship candidate, whose purpose is to develop and bring prosperity to the Igbo young man, the Owerri young woman, the carpenter, the mechanic and, above all, my own comrades, the civil servants of Imo State who dont know any longer what a payday looks like.When we talk of happiness, we will not domesticate it in the hands of a sister. The happiness of the great people of Imo State will be the primary purpose of government under Sen. Hope Uzodinma, he said.According to the APC chairman, due process will be the basis for constructing buildings and building roads.One contract will not be awarded to three people. If it must be awarded, it will not be awarded to in-laws. It will be awarded to the genuine businessmen and women of Imo State.Never again will any of your governors look at your (traditional) leaders and abuse them because democracy is about people.Never again shall we govern on the basis of family connections. Whether you know somebody or you dont, whether you marry from me or I dont marry from you, that shall not be the basis for winning the next election, he said.Oshiomhole assured families with breadwinners and pensioners who had not been paid for six to nine months that the bailout, which President Muhammadu Buhari had given governors, including the governor of Imo State, and was not used for that purpose, will be retrieved and our pensioners will smile again.He added, Let me also say without fear of contradiction that those who are printing posters and putting President Buharis face on it with their face and logo because their face and party are unknown  those ones are fake.President Buhari has the APC as his party. He is our presidential candidate. He has adopted Sen. Hope Uzodinma as the governorship candidate.Earlier, Uzodinma assured the APC chairman that, at the end of the day, the party would be vindicated.We are not going to disappoint the people of Imo and well have victory, five over five. I promise, in the name of the almighty God, it shall never be the same again. The Egyptians you are seeing today, you shall see no more, he said.
Immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has said Nigerians will never forget President Muhammadu Buhari for ruining the country economically and promoting nepotism to the level of state policy thereby dividing the country and threatening its unity.Fayose, who is the Southwest Coordinator of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council, said also said that in February 2019, God will deliver Nigerians from President Buhari and his afflictions on the country.He said that apart from the civil war era, the country has never been so insecure to the extent that our military men, including retired top officers are killed so recklessly.Thousands of Nigerians have been killed by herdsmen and the President has done nothing.According to a release on Friday by his Media Aide, Lere Olayinka, the former governor said; At this time in 2014, a bag of rice was N7,000 but the same bag of rice is over N20, 000 now while other food items are also beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians.He said Nigerians will never forget a President who met petrol at N86.50 per litre and increased it to N145 within one year and destroyed the economy of the country to the extent that dollar that exchanged for N197 to N1 is now over N360.Most importantly, Nigerians will forever remember President Buharis flagrant disobedient to rule of law, selective application of justice, use of state apparatus like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Police and Department of State Services (DSS) to oppress his perceived political enemies and treatment of other arms of government, especially the judiciary with contempt.Particularly, the people of Benue, Plateau, Taraba, Adamawa, Ekiti and other States will remember the President for keeping silent when herdsmen were killing them, raping their wives and destroying their farmlands, Fayose said.The former governor assured that In February 2019, God will deliver Nigerians from President Buhari and his afflictions on the country.He said; With unemployment increasing from 17.6 million in 2017 to 20.9 million in 2018, and the President himself admitting his own failure and promising more hardships next year, in other countries of the world, he would have resigned instead of seeking to continue to impoverish the country and its people with his directionless approach to governance.However, whether he chooses to take the most honourable path of resigning or not, Nigerians will definitely remove him with their votes and set themselves free in February 2019.
The international police has issued an arrest warrant for Diezani Allison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum resources, according t...





The international police has issued an arrest warrant for Diezani Allison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum resources, according to PUNCH.





Quoting sources, the newspaper said the warrant followed a request by the federal government to the agency.





We have filed the necessary processes and the Interpol has red-flagged Allison-Madueke. This means that the extradition process has been kick-started and the former minister may be arrested by the United Kingdom police or any police agency all over the world and repatriated to Nigeria, the source was quoted to have said.





Another source reportedly said the necessary charges had been filed and attached to the extradition request by the office of the attorney-general of the federation.





By this request, all Interpol member countries were obliged to arrest the former minister anywhere she is seen on their territories, PUNCH said in its report.





Attached to the extradition request was the November 4, 2018 order for her arrest by Justice Valentine Ashi of the FCT High Court.





The former minister left the country for the UK shortly before the inception of the current administration but the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) filed charges against her.





Last month, Tony Orilade, acting spokesman of the commission, said EFCC had commenced the process for the extradition of Alison-Madueke.





Orilade said the EFCCs operations department had made a presentation to the legal department to commence the process.





He, however, said the action had to be processed through the office of the attorney-general of the federation, explaining that it was not something the commission would commence and conclude on its own.





Alison-Madueke, who is also being investigated in the UK, had urged the federal government to bring her back to the country to face corruption charges against her.




The international police has issued an arrest warrant for ex-minister of petroleum resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke.We have filed the necessary processes and the Interpol has red-flagged Allison-Madueke. This means that the extradition process has been kick-started and the former minister may be arrested by the United Kingdom police or any police agency all over the world and repatriated to Nigeria, Punchs report quoted a source as saying.Recall that the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, had, December 5th, vowed to comply with a Federal Territory High Court order mandating the commission to produce former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, in court within 72 hours to stand trial for alleged graft while in office.Magu, who made the vow at a briefing in Abuja, had also lamented that 80 percent of Nigerias looted funds were still trapped abroad, while 60 percent of the stolen wealth was hidden in Nigeria by fraudulent and highly placed persons he described as sharks.He, however, vowed to take all necessary steps to unravel and retrieve the stolen wealth and bring the perpetrators of the crime to justice, no matter how long and tedious the judicial process might be.He had said, in compliance with the court order, that the commission had stepped up effort to persuade the British authorities to extradite Diezani to face prosecution for sundry economic and financial crimes, having not charged her for any offence in the last three years, as widely expected.According to him, We are going to comply with the court order to bring back the former minister. Our only predicament is that the former minister is in another country, which we are talking with over the matter. If she is here, we would simply hand her over to the judge.Let me also say that it is not true that Diezani has no case in Britain. All the EU countries are aware of her money laundering case. If we cannot get her within the deadline, we will go back to the court.He denied claims that the United Kingdoms Serious Fraud Office had not established any case against the former minister and was, therefore, not pressing any charges against her but expressed fears that the prolonged delay in charging her to court had already sent wrong signals to Nigerians at home and abroad.Meanwhile, according to the revelation on Friday, the sources cited said, with the extradition process started by the UK government, that the former minister would be arrested by any police in the world.The source as cited said, By this request, all Interpol member countries were obliged to arrest the former minister anywhere she is seen on their territories.Attached to the extradition request was the November 4, 2018 order for her arrest by Justice Valentine Ashi of the FCT High Court.Allison-Madueke had left Nigeria for UK since 2015, just before the Buhari administration came onboard.
The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has said that the lawmakers who jeered President Muhammadu Buhari during the 2019 budget proposal presen...

The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has said that the lawmakers who jeered President Muhammadu Buhari during the 2019 budget proposal presentation at the joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday were political imbeciles.













The budget proposal presentation witnessed a rowdy session of as some members of the Senate and the House of Representatives booed President Buhari while some others cheered him.





MURICs view was contained in a statement signed by its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola on Friday.





MURIC said the attitude of the lawmakers was infantile, pedestrian and ludicrous.





The statement added, Our lawmakers manifested articulated immaturity and exhibited pronounced desertification of parliamentary decorum. They desecrated the hallowed chamber. It was such a shame of a National Assembly (NASS).





They descended to the lowest abyss of disgraceful conduct. It is now very clear that the 8th NASS is suffering from acute poverty of patriotism, a yawning lacunae for dignity and an irredeemable deficiency in righteousness.





To boo and jeer during the presentation of an annual budget shows that our legislators are not interested in how Nigeria makes progress. This was an occasion when lawmakers are expected to show seriousness as the fate of the nation and its people for the next year was being reeled out.





In saner climes, the elected representatives of the people manifest concern as the budget of their country is read. They eschew politicking and listen with rapt attention. But not Nigerian lawmakers of the 8th NASS.





These are the same lawmakers who delayed 2018 budget for seven months and refused to have anything to do with it until they had sliced off the juicest portions unto themselves.





MURIC is not depriving the lawmakers of their right to disagree with the executive. But no lawmaker worth the salt anywhere in the world will carry political disagreement to issues pertaining to the welfare of the citizens.





The budget of a country reflects the fate of the people and their welfare at least for that year and sometimes impacts on their future. For choosing to make caricatures of themselves on that august occasion, our lawmakers have proved that they are not worth the trust reposed in them.





MURIC is not tongue-lashing the lawmakers for booing. We are chastising them for booing without knowing when to stop. Donald Trump was booed during the State of the Union address on 17th January, 2018 but it was done in a very civilized manner. Democrats who booed him kept quiet after a while and listened attentively because they knew it was about America, not about Trump. They booed Trump for being inhuman by trying to halt chain immigration of poor people from the Third World. That was issue-based.





Our own lawmakers booed the president non-stop to the extent that Speaker Dogara who was expected to deliver the closing remarks could not do so. They booed without borders. They threw caution to the winds.They booed President Buhari for identifying with the poor masses of Nigeria, for refusing to steal and for exposing their voracious gluttony. It is laughable, detestable, repulsive and condescending, It is, indeed, a tale of two cities.





Lawmaking is a leadership position but our lawmakers failed to display the necessary qualities of leadership. They disappointed Nigerians. All those who partook in the booing and jeering need to be taken back to school where they will learn the art of discipline and the qualities of leadership. They are square pegs in a round hole. It is such a shame that our lawmakers decided to vent their spleen in such a disgraceful manner on their president simply because the man refused to join in the rapacious avarice to loot the nation dry. They failed to realize that the line of demarcation between lawmaking and law-breaking is very thin and fragile and they crossed that line in their exhibition of legislative rascality.





Whereas Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, The leader of the people is their servant, our lawmakers see themselves differently. They are feudal lords. They belong to the capitalist and bourgeois political class to whom the peoples welfare means very little. They lack a civilized political culture and their political ideology springs from a bolekaja mentality where bitterness, acrimony, derision and violence take the driving seat. This much was displayed by them during the presentation of 2019 budget.





MURIC salutes President Muhammadu Buhari for remaining calm and composed throughout the day. Mr. President stood ramrod as they booed and jeered. His comportment unsettled his adversaries. He made the nation proud by refusing to loose his temper. But the icing on the cake was his fatherly admonition to the rascally lawmakers as he scolded them, Let us conduct ourselves properly. The world is watching us. We are supposed to be above this. That was Mr. Integrity incarnate speaking, the pride of our great nation.





Those golden words will remain on the marble as long as Nigeria continues to exist. They are monumental, philosophical and didactic. Generations to come will read them and they will ponder, What a great leader that was. But what will they think about the rowdy lawmakers? Verily, verily, we say unto the 8thNASS, you were a huge disappointment!





The fault goes to the electorate anyway. Nigerians are adept at electing incompetent politicians. Our level of enlightenment is near zero. But the worst problem we have is our pathological docility. Venezuela parliamentarians learnt to comport themselves the hard way. They were proving too difficult for the president. The citizens invaded parliament and threw them out. Nigerians leave everything in the hands of God whereas the Quran says, God will not change the condition of a people until they decide to change it themselves (Glorious Quran 13:11).




A former senator and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2019 election in Enugu Sate, Sen. Ayogu Eze has condemned Wednesdays incidence at the National Assembly where President Muhammadu Buhari was booed by opposition lawmakers during his presentation of the 2019 appropriation to a joint sitting of the assembly.Speaking Thursday in Abuja, Sen. Eze asked members of the national assembly to tender an apology to Nigerians over what he described as a show of shame.He said it was unprecedented for members of the National Assembly who pride themselves as the true representatives of the people to descend to a level where they left Nigerians with the difficult task of distinguishing between them and kindergarten delinquents, arguing that their actions had portrayed our hallowed assembly as a place where people serve only their selfish interest.These are fathers and mothers of adults and children who were probably sitting in front of their television sets watching these unguarded conducts. How would they explain their behavior on live television to their spouses and children? What examples were they setting for a nation that looks up to them for leadership?,Sen. Eze queried.Sen. Eze said the National Assembly owes the people of Nigeria an apology for this show of shame, adding that nothing on earth can justify disrespecting the president while performing one of his most sacred constitutional responsibilities of charting a course of how the ship of state would be moved in the next 12 months.He said the unfortunate thing is that the same people who are expected to process and pass this budget for the benefit of Nigerians were too preoccupied with their noisy chants to be able to listen to the details of the budget, arguing that the net effect of this disruptive conduct will show during the budget defense and passage when the items in the budget would appear completely alien to most of them.He commended the president for his statesmanship and for not losing his cool even in the face of the uninvited provocation. He said: The Presidents poise and carriage portrayed him as a mature statesman, who even in the face of a very unfortunate situation did not lose his composure and confidence. It showed him as the leader Nigeria needs to navigate these turbulent times.Urging the President not to lose focus in his determination to reposition Nigeria to continue to play her leading role of serving as the engine of growth on the African continent, Sen. Eze tasked his fellow lawmakers to always resist the temptation of allowing personal issues to becloud their sense of patriotism and nationalism, arguing that budget presentation is a solemn national assignment that no Nigerian should toy with.We know the legislature as the amphitheater of debate and reasoning but certainly not an arena to play to the gallery in the hope of hoodwinking the electorate into electing or re-electing us to our desired offices , Sen. Eze said, adding: We as legislators must always resist the temptation to descend to theatrics on the floor of the National Assembly no matter how hotly we feel about the issues in the polity.Sen. Eze also said it was worrisome for the legislators to disrespect their own leadership to the extend of disallowing them to speak on such an important occasion, even after disobeying the best efforts of the presiding officers to call them to order throughout the entire budget presentation, arguing that what they did was an indirect vote of no confidence in the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly.
The president of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki, on Thursday, December 20, described the 2019 appropriation bill presented to a joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday, December 19, by President Muhammadu Buhari as hopeless.Saraki, who spoke as the director general of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council (PCCO) in Abuja, at a town hall meeting the partys flagbearer, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, had with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), further argued that Nigerians were safer in 2015 than they are today.According to Saraki, the budget presented by Buhari has no future because the statistics do not indicate how it will be funded.There must be an alternative and that is what we hope that by this evening speaking to our candidate and vice presidential candidate, not based on sentiments, we are not voting on sentiments we are voting on what is the need for you.How is your life going to be better? Which party offers you a better future because we see you as those who are patriotic and committed. Its not about what youll get today. Its about the great country a lot of you have been passing that sacrifice over the years.Saraki further predicted that President Buhari will not attend the January 19, 2019, presidential debate adding that anyone that wants to lead the country and by extension African should be able to tell the people what he wants to do.This is an interactive session Im not sure whether the other political parties will give you an opportunity like this to ask them any question. Im told that one has debated and you already know the answer to that debate. On the second one, Im very sure hes not going to debate. So how do you assess somebody who is not ready to tell you what hes going to do?Those days are gone, my good people, the future of this country, a country that leads the continent that is not the example we want to set for this continent. The whole world is going in a direction, if youre seeking a position, you must come and tell people what you want to do, you must sit down and theyll ask you questions and that is why were here.Today is your day, we will sit down and take questions, I hope at the end of the exercise you will stand up and say yes this is the team that will secure Nigeria, this is the team that will unite Nigeria, this is the team that will fight the poverty in town and bring a bright future.It had earlier been reported that President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, December 19, proposed a budget of N8.83 trillion for 2019 to a joint session of the National Assembly, saying the budget was prepared after wide consultations.According to the budget, about a quarter of the sum (N2.14 trillion) will be used for debt servicing while N2.031 trillion will be used for capital expenditure.
The immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has said Nigerians will never forget President Muhammadu Buhari for...





The immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has said Nigerians will never forget President Muhammadu Buhari for allegedly ruining the country economically and promoting nepotism to the level of dividing the country and threatening its unity.





Fayose, who is the Southwest Coordinator of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council, said apart from the civil war era, the country has never been so insecure to the extent that our military men, including retired top officers are killed so recklessly.





Thousands of Nigerians have been killed by herdsmen and the President has done nothing.





According to a release on Friday by his Media Aide, Lere Olayinka, the former governor said; At this time in 2014, a bag of rice was N7,000 but the same bag of rice is over N20, 000 now while other food items are also beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians.





He said Nigerians will never forget a President who met petrol at N86.50 per litre and increased it to N145 within one year and

destroyed the economy of the country to the extent that dollar that exchanged for N197 to N1 was now over N360.





Most importantly, Nigerians will forever remember President Buharis flagrant disobedient to rule of law, selective application of justice, use of state apparatus like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Police and Department of State Services (DSS) to oppress his perceived political enemies and treatment of other arms of government, especially the judiciary with contempt.





Particularly, the people of Benue, Plateau, Taraba, Adamawa, Ekiti and other States will remember the President for keeping silent when herdsmen were killing them, raping their wives and destroying their farmlands, Fayose said.

The immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has said Nigerians will never forget President Muhammadu Buhari for allegedly ruining the country economically and promoting nepotism to the level of dividing the country and threatening its unity.





Fayose, who is the Southwest Coordinator of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council, said apart from the civil war era, the country has never been so insecure to the extent that our military men, including retired top officers are killed so recklessly.





Thousands of Nigerians have been killed by herdsmen and the President has done nothing.





According to a release on Friday by his Media Aide, Lere Olayinka, the former governor said; At this time in 2014, a bag of rice was N7,000 but the same bag of rice is over N20, 000 now while other food items are also beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians.





He said Nigerians will never forget a President who met petrol at N86.50 per litre and increased it to N145 within one year and

destroyed the economy of the country to the extent that dollar that exchanged for N197 to N1 was now over N360.





Most importantly, Nigerians will forever remember President Buharis flagrant disobedient to rule of law, selective application of justice, use of state apparatus like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Police and Department of State Services (DSS) to oppress his perceived political enemies and treatment of other arms of government, especially the judiciary with contempt.




The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole, has, Friday, stormed the venue for the governorship campaign flag off for the Imo State governorship candidate of the APC, Senator Hope Uzodimma.It was gathered that among the dignitaries who were at the venue which is Okigwe road in Owerri, include Ali Modif Sheriff, the Deputy governor of Imo state, Eze Madumere, governorship candidate of Abia state, Uche Oga, Senator Andy Uba, the National Organising Secretary, of APC, Emma Ibediro.Also, the chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship primaries, Amed Gulark, Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu representing Imo North as well as other former governorship aspirants under the APC were present.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday, inaugurated the Traders Money Scheme, an initiative of the Federal Government in Warri, Delta.Osinbajo, who spoke at the palace of the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Ikenwoli, before the event, explained that the scheme was targeted at the petty traders who required little, to run their businesses.According to him, the beneficiaries will be given N10,000 each. as loan to be refunded.We looked at the whole commercial scale of Nigeria and observed that the largest number of people engaged in commerce, are the petty traders that required little start-up capital between N2,000 and N5,000.We then felt it will be better to give these traders N10,000 each as loans to be paid back.Once that is done and refunded, we increase the loan to N15,000 each and keep increasing it, so long as they pay back.The scheme is designed to elevate those people at the lower ladder. I strongly believe that this is the right thing for our people, a way of empowering them.The enumerators will be here till January 2019 to ensure that the petty traders are captured, he said.Osinbajo said that the Federal Government also had the Money Market Scheme for the senior traders.He said the traders in this category would be given between N100,000 and N350,000, adding that the beneficiaries would be guided to ensure they achieved their objectives.Earlier, the vice president said government had embarked on different developmental projects in Delta, with a view to boosting the economy of the state and Nigeria.We have been able to fulfill some of those promises we made, particularly the Maritime University, though there are still issues to be resolved, but we have established it.We have established one modular refinery and other three are on the pipeline.The dredging of the Escravos bar, which will open up the Warri Port will be a big boost to the state, particularly the young men and women looking for opportunities.Also, the Export Processing Zone (EPZ), is being executed by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). All these entire projects, will enhance the economy of the Itsekiri kingdom, he said.National Assembly must apologize to Nigerians for booing Buhari, says Sen. Ayogu EzeResponding, Mr Dickson Kpori, who spoke on behalf of the monarch urged the Federal Government to ensure that the scheme succeed in Warri.Osinbajo and his entourage, thereafter, moved to the Main market in Warri South, to inaugurate the scheme.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to stop taking c...





The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to stop taking credit for projects initiated by the administration of PDP.





The former Vice President called on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) administration to focus on its core mandate and desist from propaganda.





He pointed out that most of the developmental projects so far inaugurated by Buhari were initiated and mostly fully paid for by the past PDP administrations of Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru YarAdua and Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, hence the current government cant take the credit for them.





The Waziri of Adamawa was reacting to the inauguration of the new terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja by Buhari yesterday.





In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the PDP presidential candidate said the new terminal, like many others were conceived, signed, awarded and paid for by Jonathans administration.





The statement reads: It needs to be emphasised that new terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport is among the many projects conceived and started by the immediate past PDP administration of Jonathan.





The last administration had obtained a $500 million facility from the Chinese Exim Bank, with additional funding of $100 million from Nigeria to build four international terminals in Port Harcourt, Lagos, Abuja and Kano. We understand that governance is a continuum and thats why there should not be unnecessary orgasms by sympathizers of the Buharis administration in trying to change the narrative that the new terminal and the one earlier commissioned in Port Harcourt were achievements of the Buhari administration.





Isnt it strange that the APC is now resorting to projects conceived and executed by PDP as its achievements in office after spending almost four years in office with nothing to show for it?





The PDP presidential candidate insisted that projects like the completion of Kaduna-Abuja railway line and the Abuja metro line among other projects were at advanced stages before the expiration of Jonathans tenure in office.




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Nicki Minaj is taking Queen to Europe, and she's bringing Chicago rapper JUICE WRLD along for the ride. She announced a 22-city tour schedule today, and will be on the road for February and March 2019 as part of her NICKI WRLD tour.

"I'm so excited to bring the full Nicki Minaj experience to my fans in Europe," Minaj says in a press release. "I have been carefully crafting the most exhilarating, unique, memorable piece of art to share with my incredible fans. I'm in love with JUICE WRLD's music and feel so stoked to have him join me. This will be one for the books."

Sadly, North American fans are still left without rescheduled dates, after Minaj cancelled the local leg of her NICKI WRLD tour (co-headlined by Future) in August. Back then, she said new North American shows would be scheduled for May 2019. So there's still hope!

Barbie on Instagram: E U R O P E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! @juicewrld999 and I will see you real soon! #NickiWRLDTour  See on Instagram

Nicki's European party kicks off in Munich on February 21. You can buy tickets here.
2018 was the year of celebrity weddings that were extra, and Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas just capped it off with, literally, an extra ceremony. After already celebrating their union twice already, over a lavish weekend in India earlier this month, the couple threw a third reception in Mumbai last night.

The ceremony was reportedly organized especially so Chopra could party with friends and co-stars from her Bollywood days. She posted a video on her Instagram story of a thank you speech given by her and Nick: "It means so much to us that all of you came tonight. This has been an extremely special chapter in my life and I wanted my husband to meet all of the special people that have contributed to it."

They may only have tied the knot (albeit several times) earlier this month, but Priyanka and Nick have had a wild ride as a married couple already. Their wedding celebrations kicked off with a Vogue cover and longform interview about how they met, complete with extravagant fashion shoot. Then a controversial since-deleted article in New York magazine's The Cut went viral for what many readers described as racist and sexist stereotyping of Chopra. (In one memorable line, she was described as an "international con artist").

But they're taking it all in their stride, if their many, many loving photos and captions on social media are anything to go by.

Congrats, Priyanka and Nick! May 2019 continue to distract us from our misery with insane, month-long multi-million-dollar public declarations of love.
News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
Minister Denies Iran Officials Received U.S. Residency During Obama

12/20/18

Source: Radio Farda

Iran's Intelligence Minister has denied the claim that the United States granted green cards to 2,500 Iranian officials during nuclear talks, saying such a claim is "unfounded, invalid, and a lie spread by anti-revolutionary TV channels." He was answering question from MPs in the Iranian parliament on Tuesday, December 18.



"Goodbye America"

Iranian daily Jomleh reports on officia's children leaving in U.S.

Last July, a mid-ranking Shi'ite cleric and the chairman of the Nuclear Subcommittee of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in parliament, Mojtaba Zonnour, had claimed that on the sidelines of JCPOA U.S. President Barack Obama ordered 2,500 green cards issued for Iranians to curry favor with Tehran's negotiating team.

Later, Jeff Prescott, former senior director of Obama's National Security Council, described the allegation as "absurd and entirely false."

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, for his part, also said on July 7, "Such issues have never been raised in (the nuclear) talks or on their sidelines or in any other way, not even a legitimate request like the abolition of restrictions on Iranian diplomats working at the United Nations."

Nevertheless, in a tweet directly addressed to U.S. President Donald Trump, former President Mahmud Ahmadinejad wrote on August 1, "Mr. Donald Trump; release the list of relatives of Iranian Government officials that (sic) have Green Cards and bank accounts in the United States; if you have such a list."

In early December, NBC News reported that families of American being held in Iran have asked the Trump administration to revoke visas for relatives of prominent Iranian officials.

Then on December 11, Brian Hook U.S. Special Representative for Iran in a video message on the State Department Persian language website said that the administration is looking into the issue and added that it is the "hypocrisy" of Iranian officials that they chant "Death to America" and "they send their families to the so called 'Great Satan' to live and study here, using the resources of the Iranian people".
By Chen Guanyu

According to Japans Kyodo News Agency, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on December 13 that the Memorandum from the Soviet Government to the Government of Japan (1960), which called for the withdrawal of US troops from Japan, needs to be taken into account in any peace treaty talks between Moscow and Japan.

The 1960 Memorandum can be traced back to the SovietJapanese Joint Declaration of 1956 in order to restore their diplomatic relations. The 1956 Joint Declaration stipulates that the two sides will continue negotiations for a peace treaty as soon as possible; thereafter, the Soviet Union agrees to hand over to Japan the small islands of Shikotan and Habomai following the conclusion of a peace treaty.

In 1960, the Soviet Union signed a memorandum in protest against the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security Between the United States and Japan signed in 1960, the revision of the US-Japan Security Treaty in 1951. The memo said that the islands would only be handed over to Japan if all foreign troops were pulled out of Japan based on the Soviet-Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956.

The Japanese government then referred to the condition as a unilateral change of the 1956 Declaration contents, so it couldnt accept. This is one of the reasons why the negotiations on the peace treaty between the two sides remain locked in stalemate.

On November 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to accelerate the negotiation process of the Japan-Russia peace treaty based on the 1956 Declaration.

Subsequently, Russian Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov clarified that Russia and Japan have agreed to discuss territorial disputes based on the joint declaration, but this does not mean that Russia would voluntarily hand over the disputed islands to Japan.

Recently, Russia has raised two concerns regarding the negotiation of a peace treaty: one is the deployment possibility of the US military after the transfer of the Southern Kurils (Japan calls the Northern Territories) to Japan; the other is the possibility of Japans carrying the US cruise missiles on the upcoming US-developed land-based Aegis Ashore missile defense system.

Some analysts believed that the reference of the 1960 Memorandum by Russia this time was intended to contain Japan. Japans Kyodo News Agency indicated that under the background of the extreme deterioration of US-Russian relations, Russia pointed out the concerns over US-Japan security system and the US military presence in Japan in the process of concluding a peace treaty with Japan which is eager to see negotiations come to fruition, in a bid to contain the Japanese side.

Another important reason why Russia and Japan have been struggling to conclude a peace treaty is on the long standing territorial disputes between the two sides. Russia, inheriting the Soviet heritage after the collapse of the Soviet Union, tried to resolve territorial disputes and conclude a peace treaty based on the 1956 Joint Declaration.

In 2001, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed with the former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori that Russia could first hand over the disputed islands of Shikotan and Habomai. However, Japanese Prime Minister Mori retired shortly after and the new government changed its position and demanded the return of four islands in the Southern Kurils, namely the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and Habomai.

So far, the Japanese government still holds this position and regards it as a precondition to sign a peace treaty with Russia. The Russian side, however, believes that the Southern Kurils have been incorporated into the Soviet Union according to the results of the Second World War (WWII), and the Russian side has indisputable sovereignty over it.

Earlier December, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference during the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Foreign Ministers Meeting in Milan that the Soviet-Japan Joint Declaration has stipulated that a peace treaty should be signed first, with other issues being discussed thereafter. The signing of a Russia-Japan peace treaty means recognizing the outcome of the WWII and is also necessary before the two countries resolve the territorial disputes.

Contrarily, the Japanese side believes that the signing of a peace treaty should be the result of the territorial negotiations rather than the beginning. It is obvious that both parties hold two different viewpoints.

The negotiations between the two sides remain locked in stalemate, and the trend of a Russia-Japan peace treaty is worthy of attention. On December 13, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova revealed that the two sides are currently negotiating on how to conduct dialogue in a new form.

According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the Japanese government is studying the issue associated with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Konos visit to Russia in December. The Japanese Foreign Minister plans to hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, including the peace treaty.

In addition, at the Russia-Japan Summit held during the G20 Summit in Argentina, the leaders of both countries unanimously agreed to involve their foreign ministers to supervise the work of concluding a peace treaty. It is foreseeable that the negotiations on the signing of a peace treaty between both sides will go further.

Disclaimer: The author is Chen Guanyu. The article was published on the China's National Defense newspaper on December 19. It is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online.
Giant puppets celebrate International Storytelling Festival in Tehran

12/20/18

Source: Tehran Times

Giant puppets perform during a parade organized in downtown Tehran on December 17, 2018 to celebrate the opening of the 21st International Storytelling Festival.



photo by Marzieh Musavi, Islamic Republic News Agency

Fifteen storytellers, including Oliver Villanove from France, Flor Carnales Bastidas from Spain and Seyda Cevik from Turkey, are participating in the event annually organized by the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults.



See more photos by Marzieh Musavi, Islamic Republic News Agency

The festival will run at the institute until December 20.
Ecobank Ghana has organized a series of workshops for its Xpress Point agents located in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale.



Ecobank Xpress Point is a unique type of agency banking that allows customers to access basic banking services, even after banking hours, including weekends and holidays.



It will be recalled that Ecobank recently introduced its agency banking concept, the Ecobank Xpress Point, aimed at providing its customers, the unbanked and under banked the opportunity to access banking services through retail shops and fuel service stations across the country.



The bank currently has over 1,500 Xpress Point agents in all 10 regions of Ghana, delivering financial services to customers. This affords Ecobank the opportunity to serve Ghanaians in areas where the bank has no physical presence, including parts of the Eastern, Central, Volta, Northern and Upper Regions.



Xpress Points are currently found at selected Shell Shops, ECG vendor points, pharmacies, market centres, mobile money agent points and many other retail outlets.



Participants at the fora were exposed to further opportunities for cross border business, as they are able to set up Xpress Points in any of the 33 African countries where Ecobank is present.



They were also encouraged to explore ways of opening more outlets in the country to improve their revenue inflows. Each forum was climaxed with an open forum session where agents had the opportunity to share their experiences on best practices.



Officials of the bank also took participants through Management of Agency Banking, Customer Service, Compliance, Risk management and Fraud.



Speaking to participants, the Regional Head of Consumer Banking at Ecobank, Tara Squire, encouraged them to take active part by supporting customers participate in the ongoing Ecobank Xpress Money Promotion to upgrade their lives.



He charged them to assist customers open Ecobank Xpress Account and use it to pay for all transactions and also send money to loved ones.



Mr. Squire however extended an invitation to shop owners around the country to join Ecobanks digital drive and register as Ecobank Xpress Point agents by calling short code 3225 for details.



This, he emphasized, will support Ecobanks commitment to promoting the Financial Inclusion agenda of the country and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN.



Deserving agents were awarded with motorbikes, counterfeit detecting money counting machines, cash prizes and citations.



Ecobank Ghana is a subsidiary of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), a bank holding company which is currently operating in over 33 countries across Africa, dealing in 20 currencies.



Commencing operations in Ghana from February 1990, Ecobank Ghana has grown consistently over the years to become one of the biggest banks in Ghana and a well-recognized corporate brand in the Ghanaian banking industry.



The Bank embarked on a strategic shift from a predominantly Wholesale Bank to a Universal Bank. Today it has 67 branches and over 200 ATMs across the country.



Since its establishment, Ecobank has consistently grown its shareholders equity to over GH1.037billion and total assets to GHS9.098billion by the close of 2017. This makes Ecobank one of the strongest banks financially and the bank of choice for customers deposits.



The bank has segmented its markets into Corporate, Commercial and Consumer Banking business, in line with its strategy of providing tailored financial solutions to customers in a timely and efficient manner.



On the technology front, Ecobank is the first bank to introduce a Pan-African card that enables customers to withdraw cash and make payments in over 33 markets in Africa. The launch of the evolutionary Ecobank Mobile app, which is focused on financially empowering millions of customers across Africa by 2020 has resulted in more Africans gaining access to financial services and products than ever before. In Ghana alone, the app has attracted over one million new customers thus far. A critical component of this success is the landmark strategic partnership with MasterCard and Visa. These ground-breaking initiatives have also powered the Ecobank Mobile app with Scan and Pay services for both MasterPass and mVISA.



It is now possible for consumers across the Ecobank to make fast and secure payments by scanning a Quick Response (QR) code displayed at checkouts/pay points, using their mobile phones. Phone users with the use of their phones can therefore do nearly all banking transactions without entering any Ecobank branch.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[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.

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The management and staff of CAL Bank on Sunday, December 16, 2018 held a thanksgiving service to express their profound gratitude to God for the success of the bank.



As the year nears its end, the bank has been reflecting on and evaluating their impact and growth throughout the year.



Addressing the staff at the CAL Bank Head Office during the thanksgiving service under the theme "Ceaseless Praise", Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Frank Adu Jnr commended the staff for their hard work and efforts saying "through your hard work we have met the minimum capital requirement".



He also disclosed that the bank, as part of their long term strategy, has built a state of the art Head Office befitting the status of the bank.



"The first phase of the building has been completed and we have taken occupancy. We will share details of the official commissioning with you in due time," he stated.



The MD also cautioned the staff against their involvement in fraudulent acts and advised them to put up a good character because the "bank will not shield any staff who is found culpable in any fraud issue".



"Human as we are, some of us try to defraud the very organization that ensures we are paid at the end of the month. Per the Bank of Ghana records staff of banks are involved in about 70% of all fraud cases reported. I must say this is our biggest challenge going forward especially in the cyber fraud space.



" . . I am certain you all know that a staff of the bank has been jailed for four years for attempting to defraud the bank. Please do not be the next person. The bank will continue to ensure that staff welfare issues are sustained and improved".



"After 28 years of operations, every new year feels like a new beginning, a new birth and gives us the opportunity to reflect and become better at what we do," he added.



Mr. Frank Adu Jnr was hopeful that 2019 will be a better year for the bank.



"Colleagues in the new year we will need to renew our commitment to our core values; Responsible, Effective and Decisive. So, whatever your objective in the coming year is, reorient yourself to further develop your capabilities and achieve beyond your current ability," he said.











Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has stated that President Akufo-Addo did not facilitate the recent visit of Awomefia of Anlo State, Togbe Sri III, to the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi last Sunday.



He, therefore, cautioned the faceless people that are peddling falsehood about the president for political reasons to desist from the practice.



According to the Asantehene, some people in an attempt to politicize the historic visit have quickly started spreading false reports to tarnish the image of the president who knew nothing about the trip.



Otumfuo said the Anlo chief, who is his brother, decided to take part in the last Akwasidae of the year to help deepen ties between Asantes and the Anlos, saying take your politics away.



He said, Immediately some people became aware that Togbe Sri was visiting Kumasi to take part in Akwasidae, they started to peddle falsehood that President Akufo-Addo orchestrated his visit for political reasons.



They said Togbe Sri was coming here so that I (Otumfuo) will address the Anlo issue; this is a clear example of the numerous partisan political strategies that they have been using in an attempt to divide Asantes and Anlos.



Where and when did President Akufo-Addo disclose this? the Asantehene quizzed.



He said he was fed up with attempts by some people to create tension between Asantes and Anlos.



We were brothers until politicians came in, the Asantes and Anlos never fought even during the olden days when tribal groupings fought each other over territories.



Otumfuo disclosed this while addressing the gathering at the last Akwasidae of the year at the Manhyia Palace on Sunday.



He recounted that it was during the reign of Otumfuo Karikari that the bond between the Asantes and Anlos was strengthened, adding that people in the two kingdoms peacefully co-existed until politics came in.



The Asantehene warned the faceless politicians that are trying to sow seeds of discord between Asantes and Anlo people to put their partisan politics aside and allow them to continue to live in peace and harmony.



According to Otumfuo, Asantes and Anlos and Ghanaians in general, are one people therefore politicians should not try to divide them.



Chieftaincy was there before the advent of politics in the country, which is creating unnecessary tension and confusion between the tribal groupings, the citizens should not allow partisan politics to divide them.



One of my cardinal principles as Asantehene is to ensure that all tribal groupings in the country stay united with a common destiny and its never my intention to rule Ghana.



If there is confusion at Anlo, Dagomba or any other place in the country, it directly affects my people and I because we are all Ghanaians and that is the reason why I play key roles to help deepen unity in the country, he said.



Togbe Sri III was the special guest of honour at the last Akwasidae of Asanteman, which was held at the forecourt of the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.



Second Lady, Samira Bawumia and other dignitaries were in attendance.

Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Chinese illegal mining "queen," En Huang aka Aisha, and the four other Chinese nationals who were arrested for their involvement in illegal mining (galamsey) in Ghana, have been deported.



This, followed the filing of a nolle prosequi to discontinue the trial on Wednesday morning.



Officers immediately after the court proceedings, processed the five and airlifted them out of the shores of Ghana



A State Attorney, Ms Mercy Arthur, presented the application for nolle prosequi to the Accra High Court, presided over by Mr Justice Charles Ekow Baiden on Wednesday morning, Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson reported from the court.



Based on the application, the court discharged the five accused persons.



Charges and facts



Aisha and her compatriots were arraigned before court on May 9, 2017 for engaging in illegal small-scale mining at Bepotenten in the Amansie Central District in the Ashanti Region.



She was charged with three counts of undertaking small-scale mining operations, contrary to Section 99 (1) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703); providing mining support services without valid registration with the Minerals Commission, contrary to the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), and the illegal employment of foreign nationals, contrary to the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573).



The other four accused persons were charged with disobedience of directives given by or under the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573).



According to the prosecution, Aisha had a mining concession at Bepotenten and also operated a mining support services company.



The four other accused persons, it said, were employed by Aisha to work at the mining site.



The prosecution claimed checks at the Minerals Commission, however, revealed that Aisha had no licence to operate either a mine or a mining support services company.



They also contended that the visas issued to all the five Chinese by the Ghana Embassy in Beijing, China, did not allow them to work in Ghana.

Source: Graphic Online









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The National Theatre would explode on December 31, 2018, and turn up-side down from January 3 to 5, 2019, as Judges would attempt to unlock, the enigma of former President Jerry John Rawlings who would be on trial.



The stage would be set for the musical drama play on the fascinating book titled; The Trial of J. J. Rawlings, which captured the most intriguing period of Ghanas history; at the centre of which stands the personality of Junior Jesus Rawlings.



The book authored by Mr Kojo Yankah, described as a politician, an award winning literary author and a professional communicator, is both a journalist and a public relations expert. He is also the Founder of African University College of Communications (AUCC).



The public who would throng the National Theatre would experience the trial of J. J. Rawlings from the perspective of Mr Yankah who did not depend on the narration from a secondary source, but was much involved as a journalist and participant observer during much of the events captured in the book.



The author of the Trial of J. J. Rawlings who also served as Editor of the Daily Graphic, which he briefly re-named the Peoples Daily Graphic during the early days of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), demonstrated in-depth knowledge of the events, the personalities involved and other background dealings.



In a forward to the enthralling life story of Flight Lieutenant J. J. Rawlings (retired) by Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng, immediate past Chairman of the National Media Commission, he described the book as a sensation when it was published 31 years ago.



It was a bestseller in Ghana and a most sought after book by Ghanaians everywhere as well as people who for whatever reason had an interest in Ghana.



This is because the book unlocked, or at least tried to unlock the enigma of Rawlings to the extent that it was possible so to do. Almost a complete generation later, the book is even more relevant today than when it was first published.



The story of J. J. Rawlings and the period of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and early Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) periods, remain only partially told, Nana Gyan-Apenteng stated in the forward of the book obtained by the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Monday.



He indicated that the social and economic dynamics that produced the June 4th, 1979 Uprising have also receded into the mists of time, and with them, the man at the centre of this tale.



Therefore, the story this book tells has acquired a new urgency and become a national requirement. To the youth who were born after the tumultuous period of J. J. Rawlings ascendancy, the man is almost a myth.

This is a strange phenomenon; J. J. Rawlings is perhaps the most recognizable person in Ghana and yet while we all think we know him, in reality, we dont.



The truth is that everyone has an opinion about him; the good, the bad, the ugly  and some have very strong opinions.



Sadly, even among the most informed section of our population, our opinions about J. J. Rawlings are based on that same static one-dimensional cartoon character we encounter in the media, often in the form of headlines, Nana Gyan-Apenteng stated.



He said; for those of us who lived through the events that form the subject of the book, the J. J. Rawlings we know is the J. J. Rawlings of June 4th and its aftermath, the younger generation also knows its J. J. Rawlings through different lenses in which are refracted different images of J. J. Rawlings that do not necessarily connect to the images carried around by the older generation.



Mr Gyan-Apenteng who is also the President of the Ghana Writers Association (GWA), said the book does not only refresh the memory of those old enough to remember and provide much needed information for the young, it also fills some important gaps in our national narrative.



It has come too late recently that some vital information on the early J. J. Rawlings era cannot be traced through the media or other archives, however, even those archives need material such as we find in this book to bring the era back to life.



Now, in the circumstances, material such as this serves as both first-hand and eyewitness source as well as commentary on other materials.

The former NMC Chairman observed that, this is very important. The Rawlings era changed the course of Ghanas history. We dont know what would have happened without the chain of events, which unfolded with the uprising of May 15, 1979 and the sequence of consequences whose effects are very much alive with us today.



Our democracy and politics as well as economic and social relations have been defined by events and activities with J. J. Rawlings at the centre. To know and understand that story, is important for reconstructing the national story.







Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Government has announced an increase in the single spine salary structure by 10 percent for Public Service workers effective January, 01, 2019.



This comes after conclusion of negotiations of the 2019 Single Spine base pay.



President Akufo-Addo months ago signaled governments intention to review the single spine salary structure.



The president during this years May Day Celebration in Kumasi, indicated that the review would take into consideration productivity, comparative salary standards in the private sector, and international salary standards among other factors.



SSSS introduced in 2010 to ensure salary equity



Launched in 2010, the SSSS was to promote equity within the public sector by ensuring that public sector workers received equal salaries for equal work done.



Implementation of the policy experienced some setbacks during its initial stages as there was a lot of concern and agitation from public sector workers who complained about some disparities in the policy.



The issues were subsequently rectified.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Imani Africa president, Mr Franklin Cudjoe, has thanked President Nana Akufo-Addo for insulting civil society organisations when he met journalists at the Jubilee House on Wednesday, 19 December 2018.



During the Q&A session, President Akufo-Addo said a lot of the allegations and criticisms hurled at him and his government by CSOs and the Minority, lacked substance.



Responding to that comment, Mr Cudjoe Said: John Mahama said we were purposeless lamentators. By the time he realised, he could only say he suffered from the paradox of exposure. He has since been remorseful.



You, Nana President, we were the ones keeping the NDC government on its toes when you had all your internal fights for nearly two years when you were in opposition.



We met you to brief you about the state of affairs at your invitation.



Today, we are only saying and doing what we did under the NDC and you say we are worse than what you used to admire and quote copiously from?



So, all CSOs and think tanks are worrying you, and by extension, emboldening your ministers and party people to deal with us ruthlessly huh, as many are doing huh?



I never thought you could actually INSULT US.



Mr President, I can only say thank you.



But we have seen all of these before. We will be here serving Ghana. Do your part and we shall do ours. After all, we pay you and your ministers to work for us. It is not the other way around. Merry Christmas to you all the same, Mr Cudjoe said.



The Imani boss also told Accra-based Joy FMs Super Morning Show on Thursday that: It sounded to me like we were listening to a communist, in reference to the presidents comments.



Also, Vice-President of Imani, Kofi Bentil, described Mr Akufo-Addos swipe at CSOs as sad, disrespectful, and counterproductive. Its such a mistake to see CSOs as a negative, it only brings you trouble!.









Source: classfmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A client of Menzgold has petitioned the Presidency and five other key state institutions in a bid to retrieve his locked up cash from the beleaguered gold dealership firm.



Roger Knauf also sent the petition to the Attorney General, CID Headquarters, Interpol (Ghana), Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Financial Intelligence Center, Bank of Ghana, Securities and Exchange Commission and the Registrar Generals Department.



His Counsel, Amanda Clinton, of Clinton, Amoo Lamptey, Barnsbury Chambers, in the petition is asking the institutions to take steps to get CEO of Menzgold, Nana Appiah Mensah, to return to Ghana.



The lawyer claims Nana Appiah Mensah, known popularly as NAM1, has relocated to South Africa.



We have it on good authority that Mr. Nana Appiah Mensah has flown on his private jet with his family to South Africa as this incident with his companies Menzgold Ghana Ltd/ Brew Marketing Consult Ltd worsens. We have also heard rumours that he may have returned briefly in order to liquidate assets the statement read.



The client through his lawyers asked the Attorney General to work in conjunction with all other state institutions to bring Nana Appiah Mensah before the law.



We humbly request that the Attorney Generals department works with all government departments included The Presidents Office; CID Headquarters; Interpol (Ghana); EOCO; Financial Intelligence Center; Bank of Ghana; Securities and Exchange Commission and the Registrar Generals Department as well as our office so a coordinated attempt can be made to preserve Menzgold Ghana Ltd/Brew Marketing Consult Ltds assets; claw back money taken from Ghana; trace monies removed from the accounts in cash and coordinate with Interpol globally to claw back any remaining investors monies even whilst the criminal investigation is being conducted since this is standard protocol globally and in high profile public interest cases in Ghana.



The statement also requested the presidency to engage Interpol offices throughout the world of Menzgolds financial dealings.



We also ask that your office determine whether Interpol (Ghana) should notify all Interpol offices throughout the world of the financial activities of Menzgold Ghana Ltd/ Brew Marketing Consult Ltd, and determine if Mr Nana Appiah Mensah has landed in their country (his private jets flight manifest will confirm this.)

Siege



Aggressive and desperate clients of the investment firm on Thursday mounted another push for the payment of their monies ahead of Christmas. Scores of customers besieged the companys Dzorwulu office in Accra, a place that has become a scene of haggling between angry clients and desperate security men.



The firm had promised to pay 5% of locked up investments of clients who register for their new online trading platform. The customers in November 2018, grabbed media headlines after they escalated their pickets to a demonstration in Accra.



Menzgold invites those with gold collectibles to deposit it at their vault with a mouth-watering promise of at least 7.5% returns monthly.



In effect, within a year, a client could make 90% returns on investments and at most 120%, a promise which SEC believes is  in the least  risky.









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In 2018, the Chinese military frequently appeared on the international stage with a more confident and open posture. Their participation in international peacekeeping operations, offshore escort missions, joint training and exercises, and anti-terrorism activities, has demonstrated the Chinese Peoples Liberation Armys (PLAs) pragmatic and positive actions to shoulder the responsibility of big powers for world peace-maintenance and the building of a community of shared future for mankind.

International peacekeeping operations

In South Sudan, Chinese peacekeeping infantry battalion carried out armed patrols and emergency blockade and control actions; in Lebanon, Chinese peacekeeping engineers went deep into the minefields for explosive ordnance disposals (EOD); in Mali, Chinese peacekeeping forces responded quickly and properly to car bomb attacks near their barracks...

The person in charge of the Peacekeeping Affairs Center of Chinas Ministry of National Defense said that since the beginning of this year, the Chinese military has further increased the type of its dispatched detachments to the UN peacekeeping operations, further expanded the deployment area, and further enlarged the personnel scale. It has been accredited by the international community as a key factor and key force for peacekeeping operations.

The year 2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the UNs peacekeeping operations. According to the data from Chinas Ministry of National Defense, the Chinese military participated in 24 UN peacekeeping operations, built new roads and repaired existing roads for a total of more than 16,000 kilometers, cleared more than 9,800 mines and various unexploded ordnance, and received more than 200,000 patients, transported various types of materials and equipment of 1.35 million tons, with 13 Chinese military personnel having lost their precious lives.

At present, China is a country that has sent the largest number of peacekeeping forces among the permanent members of the UN Security Council. More than 2,500 Chinese peacekeepers are performing tasks in the seven mission areas of the UN and the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO).

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pointed out that China has become the second largest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations, given strong support to international peacekeeping operations, and made constructive recommendations to improve the security and efficiency of the UN peacekeeping operations.

Escort missions in high seas

On December 9th, the 31st escort taskforce of the Chinese PLA Navy rushed to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters to carry out escort missions, replacing the Chinese 30th escort taskforce that was about to complete its escort mission in high seas.

Thank you! Thanks to the Chinese Navy! Shouts of gratitude delivered by the captain of a Panamanian merchant ship, which had just been disarmed, were heard in the Very High Frequency (VHF) from the Chinese comprehensive supply ship Dongpinghu (Hull 960) bridge, where the 30th escort taskforce of the Chinese Navy was onboard, on the morning of September 10th (local time).

The Panamanian ship, the escort target of the Chinese 30th escort taskforce, is prone to attacks of pirates with weak safety protection. When the merchant ship applied for a temporary escort, the Chinese escort taskforce command post decided to send the comprehensive supply ship Dongpinghu to ensure the merchant ship protection.

During the 10 years since the escort began on December 26th, 2008, the Chinese Navy has cumulatively dispatched 100 naval vessels and more than 26,000 officers and soldiers to escort 1,191 batches of 6,595 Chinese and foreign vessels, and rescued more than 60 vessels in distress. And they have kept a two 100-percent safety record both for the rescued vessels and for the taskforces themselves.

Joint training and exercises

In 2018, the Chinese military and foreign troops held dozens of bilateral or multilateral joint training and exercises. The forces involved include multiple services of army, air force, and navy, and the subjects involved anti-terrorism, peacekeeping, medical service, humanitarian relief and disaster reduction, etc.

Among them, the Vostok-2018 strategic military drills held in Russia from September 11-15th attracted the most attention. At the invitation of the Russian side, the Chinese side dispatched about 3,200 troops and more than 1,000 equipped vehicles of various types, and 30 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

This was the largest outbound drill participation in the history of the Chinese military.

Major General Shao Yuanming, vice-chief of staff at the Joint Staff Department of Chinas Central Military Commission and Chinese chief commander at the drills, said that China and Russia have taken active role as, and shouldered the responsibility of the big powers, and set a new model of international relations with cooperation and win-win as the core. They have made great contributions to maintaining world peace.

In the future, China and Russia will continue to consolidate and deepen the Peace Mission-2018 joint anti-terrorism exercise among the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states and the China-Russia Joint Sea military exercise, and explore a new mechanism for pragmatic cooperation between the two militaries, he said.

Military diplomacy

In 2018, the Chinese military strengthened its strategic scheme of military diplomacy and actively carried out all-round, multi-level and wide-ranging diplomatic activities. The role of military diplomacy in facilitating national foreign work continues to be enhanced, and the ability to safeguard world peace and regional stability is progressively improving.

At present, the Chinese PLA Navys hospital ship Peace Ark (Hull 866), having carried out the Harmonious Mission 2018, is on its way home. Since its commission in 2008, the hospital ship has carried out seven tasks in the Harmonious Mission series, visited 43 countries with a cumulative range of approximately 230,000 nautical miles, and received 230,000 patients in the visited countries for free.

Antigua and Barbudas Governor-General Rodney Williams said that the Chinese naval ship Peace Ark not only brought health treatments, but also joy and hope. This action of love is a vivid practice of Chinas promotion of building a community of shared future for mankind.

From October 24-26th, the 8th Beijing Xiangshan Forum was held with the theme of Building a New Type of Security Partnership of Equality, Mutual Trust and Win-Win Cooperation. Participants exchanged views on such issues as threats of and responses to terrorism, reality and vision of maritime security cooperation.

Chen Guangjun, President of the China Institute for International strategic Studies (CIISS), said that joining hands with all the other countries in the world to protect world peace has always been the unchanging initial heart of China.

In 2018, the Chinese military focused on strengthening strategic communication and pragmatic cooperation, and was committed to working with the rest of the world to jointly safeguard the world peace and stability. Those were reflected by the exchange of visits between Chinese and US defense ministers, the visits of European multinational defense ministers to China, and a series of military diplomatic activities of China carried out with neighboring countries.

Chen Zhou, a researcher at the Chinese PLAs Academy of Military Sciences, said that the Chinese military will assume more international responsibilities and obligations within its capabilities, provide more public safety products, and make greater contributions to safeguarding world peace and promoting common development.
Former Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection under the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC), Rachel Nana Adjoa Appoh, has sued her husband, Samuel Poku, for allegedly marrying another woman in Canada even though they are still legally married in Ghana.



Source say Ms. Appoh, who had stained relationship with her boss Nana Oye Lithur at the Gender Ministry, has dragged her husband to the matrimonial court in Accra to Answer questions on why he decided to marry another woman in Canada.



Daily Guide gathered that the new woman is a Jamaica-Canadian called Vanessa Sylvan who is living in Canada.



Sylvan posted a picture of her and Mr. Poku on March 28, 2017, with the caption "Married to Nana Poku".



Mr. Poku shared a picture of himself, the new wife and young boy, apparently their child, with the caption "Family Vacation".



Ms Spoon and Mr. Poku got married in 2013 but the man is currently said to be 'enjoying' with his new wife in Canada.



Fake Certificate

Source close to the family of Ms. Appoh indicated that her estranged husband was able to terminate their marriage after he allegedly obtained 'fake' divorce documents in Ghana in 2015.



The documents, which helped Mr. Poku to terminate the marriage, we're reportedly signed by a Director at Foreign Affairs Ministry.



The former deputy Minister, who served under ex-president John Mahama, has reportedly sued the judge, who annulled the marriage without her knowledge.



Private Affair

Interesting, Ms. Appoh has refused to comment on the issue in the media, describing it as a "private affair".



She has not confirmed or denied the fact that her husband has 'dumped' her for another woman in Canada.

Source: Daily Guide









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Ghanaian Afropop and dancehall artist Stonebwoy is the latest celebrity to visit the seat of government, the Jubilee House.



The dancehall artist on Thursday December 20, 2018 paid a visit to the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo.



Aside the many things discussed including the creative arts industry, the artist extended an invitation to the first gentleman of the land to his upcoming Fill The Dome Bhim Concert scheduled for December 28, 2018, at the Fantasy Dome.



Arguably the most sought after Reggae Dancehall artiste in Africa currently according to the just ended AFRIMAs, Stonebwoy after successfully organizing the biggest outdoor event of the year  Ashaiman To The World  readies to raise the bar again with his Bhim Concert #FILLTHEDOME.



The night, which will see performances from some of the greatest performers who have ever lived in our age, such as Stonebwoy himself and Morgan Heritage will be clouded with lots of surprises for event goers as there is a talk list of artists who are billed but yet to be made known. Who knows, one of them may be your favorite.



The event is put together by Livewire Events.



The President shared a tweet announcing the visit.

Source: nydjlive.com









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Former Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nana Akomea tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Eno Akua Kyeremanteng, at a private traditional marriage ceremony held at Achimota in Accra yesterday.



The ceremony was attended by relations, stalwarts of the NPP and close friends of the couple.



The two have been dating for some time now, and checks by DAILY GUIDE indicate the marriage ceremony was kept secret.



The ceremony would be climaxed with a grand reception today.



The reception is expected to be attended by gurus of the ruling NPP and opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), friends and relations of the newly-wedded couple.



He is currently the Managing Director of State Transport Company (STC).



Nana Akomea, 57, a native of Nsutam, near Kyebi in the Eastern Region, was once the Member of Parliament (MP) for Okaikwei South.



He served as Minister of Information and Employment and Manpower Development under the previous Kufuor administration.



Congratulations Sir!



PHOTOS









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The 2018 Referendum on Electoral Reform package and mail in ballot from Elections B.C. is pictured in North Vancouver, B.C., Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. e results of British Columbia's referendum on whether the province should switch to a system of proportional representation are being released today. THE CANADIAN PRESS /Jonathan Hayward
By Zhu Xiaonan and Lu Duobao



Peacekeepers of the 5th Chinese peacekeeping infantry battalion to South Sudan (Juba) attended an oath-taking rally in China on November 7, 2018.

BEIJING, Dec. 21 (ChinaMil) -- The Sector Juba commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) visited the 5th Chinese peacekeeping infantry battalion to South Sudan (Juba) for the first time on December 19.

On arrival, the commander reviewed the guard of honor of the Chinese infantry battalion, followed by a tour of the battalion camp which provided him insights to the combat-readiness training of the troops, as well as leisure-time activities and medical conditions of the officers and soldiers. He also inspected the emergency operational capability of the quick-reaction force and observed the guard posts and the patrols in the weapon exclusion zone.

The Sector Juba commander said that he was impressed with the combat-readiness of the Chinese peacekeeping infantry battalion, the multifaceted and sophisticated quality of Chinese officers and soldiers, the stringent army administration and the neat and orderly camp facilities. The China Quality that the Chinese infantry battalion showed in its duty performance has set an example for all forces of the troop-contributing countries (TCCs) in Sector Juba to learn from, he added.

Guo Meng, the Chinese battalion commander said that all the officers and soldiers of the battalion will, under the direction of the UNMISS Sector Juba, and in accordance with the UN Security Councils authorization and international law, carry out various tasks focusing on the protection of civilians in an orderly manner, and work closely with the forces of other troop-contributing countries to continue making contributions to the peace in South Sudan.
(Bloomberg Opinion)  In its search for a growth recipe, Campbell Soup Co. is turning to a seasoned executive chef.

The packaged-food giant announced Thursday it had selected Mark Clouse as its next CEO, concluding a months-long search that kicked off after Denise Morrisons abrupt departure from the top job earlier this year.

Clouse was most recently CEO of Pinnacle Foods Inc., the corporate parent of grocery-store staples such as Duncan Hines and Hungry-Man, until that company was acquired by ConAgra Brands Inc. in a $10.9 billion deal that closed in October.

Its a good sign for Campbell that Clouse was able to successfully steer Pinnacle into the arms of a suitor, as Campbells path forward likely includes a flurry of deal making. The company has already put its fresh division and its international business on the block. And perhaps Clouse will identify more pieces to unload.

In addition to his experience at Pinnacle, Clouses resume includes stints at other packaged-food giants, including Mondelez International Inc. and its predecessor Kraft Foods. That suggests he has a deep understanding of the problems plaguing Campbell, and can hit the ground running trying to devise solutions. In particular, it will be important for him to come up with a strategy for the namesake soup brand, which has suffered amid a long string of failed efforts to revitalize it and make it attractive to younger shoppers.

One other good sign about the Clouse pick? According to Bloomberg News, he has long been the preferred choice of activist investor Third Point, led by Dan Loeb, which had recently reached a settlement with Campbell after a bitter proxy fight. This would seem like a sign that longtime Campbell board members arent resistant to Loebs ideas, and the acrimony between the two factions may be smoothing over. That cooperation is crucial if this company is ever going to mount a bona fide comeback.

I have noted before that whoever took the top job at Campbell was going to be putting himself or herself in a tough situation. For one, the revolving door weve seen at the top echelons of the packaged-food business lately suggests these jobs arent easy. Mondelez, Kellogg Co., and General Mills Inc. all got new CEOs in 2018, as the companies look for fresh faces to lead their efforts to adapt to consumers emerging preference for healthy food.

But the Campbell job comes with an added twist: It had already laid out major strategic priorities under its interim CEO, Keith McLoughlin, including the planned divestitures. So the permanent CEO was never going to have the chance to craft a turnaround strategy from scratch; he or she was going to inherit one sketched out by others. Clouses success will be contingent on the wisdom of those preordained plans  and his ability to pull them off.

To contact the author of this story: Sarah Halzack at shalzack@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Beth Williams at bewilliams@bloomberg.net

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Sarah Halzack is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering the consumer and retail industries. She was previously a national retail reporter for the Washington Post.

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
The Comcast Center at left, Comcast Technology Center at right and Liberty Place in between. Read more

Comcast fired back at Minnesota officials on Friday after that states attorney general filed a suit alleging that the Philadelphia-based telecommunications giant overcharged thousands of subscribers for cable TV packages and failed to deliver $200 prepaid Visa cards that it promised in its promotions.

Attorney General Lori Swanson alleged that Comcast played hide the ball on its true prices and charged for unordered equipment and services. Some of those charges included unauthorized home security systems, service protection plans, and modem fees, Swanson said.

The facts do not support the Minnesota attorney generals allegations, Comcast said in a statement. Theyve raised complaints about matters that date back several years and have largely ignored our efforts to work together to address them.

The lawsuit seeks restitution, injunctive relief, and civil penalties. Swanson said it took investigators more than two years to prosecute the case because Comcast refused to cooperate.

Comcast disagreed with that assessment and said, Wed like nothing more than to work collaboratively with the Minnesota Attorney Generals Office. Bringing a lawsuit on the eve of the end of the AGs term is simply not in the best interests of Minnesota consumers.

Comcast settled with the FCC in 2017 for adding unordered merchandise and services to customer bills.

According to the Associated Press, a trial is underway on a similar suit in Washington state and the company agreed last month to issue $950,000 in refunds to more than 20,000 subscribers in Massachusetts.
The crowd in the New Jersey Statehouse listens during the governor's budget address in 2014, in Trenton, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans) Read more

(Bloomberg)  A new bill in the New Jersey legislature would require many public companies based in the state to have at least three women on the board by 2021. The measure is the first to mimic a California law signed in September and signals the potential for more states to follow.

Both the California law and New Jerseys proposal call for public companies domiciled in the state to have at least one female director by 2019. Those with more than five directors are supposed to have three women by 2021.

Many times with legislation, timing is everything, said Assemblywoman Nancy Pinkin, a Democrat from Edison. I think this is a time that things are resonating.

As of today, 42 percent of New Jersey companies would have to change the composition of their boards, allocating as many as 132 seats to women, according to estimates by advocacy organization 2020 Women on Boards. The law in California, which is home to four times as many companies as New Jersey, could open up as many as 711 director roles for women.

The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce is opposing the measure, as the California business lobby did in that state. Theres no place for state legislatures to be involved in corporate governance, said New Jersey Chamber president Tom Bracken. To mandate this in New Jersey just makes the state less competitive than it already is.

Now that Californias law is on the books, though, the California Chamber doesnt have plans to sue to block it, a spokeswoman for the group said. Nor is the organization aware of any other constitutional challenges, which Governor Jerry Brown had said was his chief concern.

Theres definitely an equal protection question, said Nicole Crum, a partner at Washington law firm Sullivan & Worcester. But its hard to imagine a company coming out and litigating on this just from a public relations standpoint. For a lot of companies, it would be great for them to have the opportunity to buy into this if they are looking to add women anyway, which a lot of people are.

Massachusetts, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Colorado have passed non-binding resolutions in the last several years encouraging companies to diversify their boards, according to an analysis by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

These kinds of quotas and benchmarks have been unpopular in the U.S., where women make up half the workforce and less than a quarter of directors. Theyve achieved their goals in Europe, though, where women make up a third of directors in several countries.

 With assistance from Stacie Sherman, Bloomberg.
Eyewear company Warby Parker debuted its first brick and mortar store in Center City on January 28, 2017 in the old Le Bec Fin restaurant on Walnut Street. Read more

Eyewear retailer Warby Parker announced Thursday that it had suffered a cybersecurity breach that may have affected up to 198,000 customers.

Hackers accessed customer usernames and passwords from unrelated cyber break-ins at other companies, according to a Warby Parker news release. The hackers then used that information to try to gain unauthorized access to client data at several Internet retailers, including Warby Parker.

An investigation, however, found no proof that the unauthorized users obtained the payment card information of these Warby Parker customers.

Warby Parker has required potentially-affected customers to reset their passwords. Customer privacy and security is a key priority for us, said co-founder Dave Gilboa, who created the prescription eyeglass company with three other Wharton School students in 2010.

The company said it notified law enforcement of the breach and has asked customers to review their order history and alert Warby Parker of any unexpected purchases. Customers seeking more information can contact the company at privacyhelp@warbyparker.com.

Warby Parker, headquartered in New York, operates a vast online website and 88 retail stores.
A plane at the Philadelphia International Airport. Carrying cannabis on board is not usually a problem but lawyers advise against it. Read more

The TSA doesnt care about your jazz cabbage.

Really. It doesnt. The Transportation Security Administration, which is in charge of airport security, said exactly that in a social media post on April 20 about passengers packing cannabis.

But if youre dumb enough to carry your marijuana next to a switchblade or a corkscrew, youll be grounded. A security agent will be obliged to notify local police.

Our officers arent looking for contraband, but if you pack it with a knife or other prohibited item, you might as well stick a fork in it. Were going to find it, the TSA stated in a July post to its Instagram account. TSA doesnt have any regulations that address the possession or transportation of marijuana and cannabis-infused products, but under federal law and many state laws, its a crime to possess or transport any detectable amount of marijuana.

For the most part, the overwhelming majority of air passengers holding weed  medical or otherwise  waltz through airport security every day without the TSA seizing their stash or calling police.

At Philadelphia International Airport, police arrested a grand total of 12 passengers this year for carrying small amounts of cannabis, according to a Philadelphia police spokesperson. Given the swarms of people who pass through airport security every day on their way to departure gates, thats a tiny number.

Because possession of less than an ounce of marijuana has been decriminalized throughout the city, the dozen violators each received a police citation and were sent on their way. (Its unclear how many of them missed their flights, though.)

Philadelphia International has no official policy on the matter, said spokesperson Diane Gerace.

Attorneys, however, are unified in their opinion. Every lawyer contacted by the Inquirer and Daily News issued a stern warning about jetting with cannabis.

Its still wildly illegal on the federal level, and every state program has written into the law that its prohibited to take it across state lines, said William Roark, a specialist in cannabis law who co-chairs the Pennsylvania Bar Associations committee on marijuana and hemp. I wouldnt advise any client to try doing it.

Busts are uncommon. Yet, on occasion, a search at PHL turns up a local celebrity with a taste for nugs. In 2016, TSA agents pulled former Philadelphia mayoral candidate Sam Katz off a Florida-bound flight before it left the gate. Katz, now a documentary filmmaker, was issued a citation.

The bewildering patchwork of state laws regarding marijuana can be confusing.

Los Angeles International Airport issued a statement this year explicitly announcing that the airport was OK with anyone carrying less than an ounce. At Bostons Logan International, officials hew the same laissez-faire line, according to the Boston Globe. Recreational use became legal this year in Massachusetts.

But those leaving Colorado should exercise more caution. At Denver International, passengers are asked to surrender any canna-goodies before boarding. They run the risk of confiscation if they dont, said an airport spokesman.

Patrick Nightingale, a criminal defense attorney who represents marijuana cases in Pittsburgh, said hes unaware of any arrests at the Iron Citys jet hub, and my friend is a magistrate who covers that airport.

Interdiction is a different thing. Thats where people are flying with pounds of cannabis or thousands of dollars in drug money, Nightingale said. But me flying out of Pittsburgh International with a personal amount of [marijuana] medication has never been an issue. I still wouldnt advise a client to try that. But if youre going to do it, be cautious and discreet, unless you enjoy becoming involved with local or federal authorities.

Returning to Philadelphia with cannabis on a domestic flight is rarely a problem. Arriving on an international flight with weed comes with a higher degree of risk.

Passengers returning from overseas must pass through a federal inspection station, said Steve Sapp, spokesman for Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Federal law applies, Sapp said. And the U.S. government regards all marijuana as strictly illegal.

CBP catches a couple of dozen international passengers every year trying to enter the country with cannabis or paraphernalia.

I wouldnt say it happens every day, Sapp said. "We have a flight that comes from Amsterdam, and we often have a German shepherd or a Belgian Malinois there to greet it. People come in with edibles. hash, small amounts of weed. There are flights from Jamaica and Mexico that are also on our radar.

We seize whatever they have, the weed grinders or pipes. We issue a Zero Tolerance Penalty, which usually comes with a $500 fine, but it can be more, Sapp said. Its not an epidemic or a huge issue. I think most people are smart enough to realize to leave that stuff behind.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health advises medical marijuana patients to take the same precautions they would as if they were driving: Patients carrying cannabis medicines should make certain to have the original receipt; keep the medicine in its original container; and always carry the state-issued patient card, said department spokesperson Nate Wardle.

The laws of the air are not regulated by individual states, said Wardle. Anyone using medical marijuana must keep federal law in mind when flying.

One last thing: No one should ever smoke or vape cannabis on a plane. Dont even think of sneaking into the tiny loo to do it. The airlines maintain a zero tolerance policy. Get caught, and the buzzkill will be near-instant: its a one-way ticket to embarrassment, seizure, or an airport holding cell at your destination. Keep your holiday travels happy. Dont do it.
People line up to protest U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and immigration reform at Parkview Field in Fort Wayne, Ind., in June, when he announced policies that would block people fleeing gang violence and domestic abuse from seeking asylum in the U.S. Read more

Shortly after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph took their infant son and fled Israel. According to the Gospel of Matthew: Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him."

This idea is the foundation of Christian faith: that from the earliest of times, people have been forced to abandon cherished families and homelands to seek refuge from the human storm. Christians are taught that the Christ child was taken by his frightened parents across a countrys border to prevent him from being killed by a tyrant.

The Holy Family, the alpha and omega of my own spiritual universe, were refugees.

That has never been lost on me, an immigration lawyer and a Catholic. You dont need to be Christian to understand the importance of welcoming the dispossessed, and you dont need to be an immigration lawyer to recognize the compelling parallels between the Nativity story and the current crisis at our own border. But what better time than Christmas to tie the threads together in this compelling narrative of survival?

And its as if the angels worked in cooperation with judges last week, something which rarely happens in this country, where chaos often reigns supreme and compassion is a dirty word.

On Wednesday, a federal judge reversed a decision by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions that made it virtually impossible for women who feared gang violence or domestic abuse to seek asylum in the United States. Some of those women were pregnant, some carried children with them, and some had been told that if they stayed in their hometowns, they would be raped, beaten, or killed with the sanction of their own governments. Their destinies were clear to them from what had happened to sisters and aunts, neighbors and friends: Stay too long, and you will be killed. Go to the police, and they will do nothing to help you.

Sessions believed, wrongly, that these women (and in some limited cases, men) had not established eligibility for asylum under the law. He upended decades of jurisprudence to close a door to those seeking refuge as a member of a particular social group, an esoteric but extremely important basis for determining that someone deserves protection in the U.S. It was an attempt to stop the flow at the border, but it was built on the backs of victimized women. In an earlier column, I worried about the outcome for a woman from El Salvador who had been raped by her husband, the woman from Honduras prostituted out by MS-13, and the woman in Pakistan forced to marry at 14 and desperate to go to school.

Jeff Sessions' decision to close that door was a devastating departure from our countrys concern for the persecuted. Fortunately, a higher power intervened, as they tend to do (especially around this time of year).

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, the same man who delayed the sentencing of Mike Flynn this week, ruled that the former attorney generals draconian limitations on when and how a victim of abuse can apply for asylum violated federal immigration law, something pretty much any and every immigration attorney could have told Sessions if hed only asked us.

You might not believe in miracles. You might think that the Nativity story is just a fairy tale woven from the threads of fearful men seeking an explanation for their existence. You might laugh at those of us who believe that a woman named Mary took her child and, with her beloved husband, traveled across the border to a place where no potentate could strip her of her humanity.

And thats OK. But it seems a federal judge just used that fairy tale as legal precedent. As they say in the legal profession, hallelujah.
Standing over a workbench in his Huntingdon Valley studio, Walter Deuschle shaves a wine cork with a Swiss Army knife. He patiently chips away, making small slices until the cork takes the hourglass shape of a castle balustrade.

Work like this is what keeps you young, says the 90-year-old retired chef-turned-artist. "It engages your hands but also your mind,

Deuschles creative output is prolific. In the last 15 years, hes created dozens of cork sculptures. He says its a form of meditation. His latest project  completed in November, after nearly two and a half years of work  is a 40-inch-high, 56-inch-wide replica of the Cinderella Castle in Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom.

Constructed from more than 7,000 all-natural corks, the result showcases three stories of ornate details: towering turrets, elaborate stairways, and an entryway with a patterned floor. Lighting strategically wired into the castle illuminates its elegant spires and interior walls, decorated with hand-painted sheets of Plexiglas that resemble stained glass. Windows in the castle provide glimpses of elements that Deuschle tucked inside  images of Cinderella, the Seven Dwarfs, and Mickey Mouse (who turned 90 this year, a few months after Deuschle).

>>READ MORE: Cork art finds a higher calling

This is Deuschles most complex cork project to date. He drew inspiration from his admiration of Walt Disney and the immersive world the illustrator and entrepreneur created.

I like the concept of Disney World, where people go and enjoy themselves. The adults become children, and the children just eat it all up, says Deuschle. Walt Disney had a vision that goes beyond our comprehension, and I simply wanted to create something with it that I could share with others.

He grew up during the second World War, says Deuschles wife, Mary. There was no childhood for him like we have here, and my thinking is, this is part of what he missed. Its also likely why Mickey Mouse remains such an icon for him. He didnt have the chances and experiences that kids have today.

Deuschle came to Philadelphia in 1956 from Stuttgart, Germany, to work as a chef for the company that became Aramark. He moved up the ladder, then managed a country club before retiring 25 years ago. He picked up the cork-carving hobby in retirement and plans to continue for as long as hes able.

I get fidgety, he says. His studio  decorated with his floor-to-ceiling cork wall hangings and oil paintings  attests to that.

The cork Cinderella Castle is not Deuschles first foray into recreating the Magic Kingdoms most recognizable structure. More than 20 years ago, after he took a trip to Disney World with his 4-year-old granddaughter, he crafted a castle out of sugar, which felt like a natural medium to the chef.

But the image of the castle stayed with him even after that. Several years ago, it just hit me, Deuschle says. I woke up and realized I should do it again with corks.

Deuschles initial cork collection had nothing to do with art or architecture. He had been collecting corks for local Boy Scouts, who used them to make trivets. When the scouts discontinued that activity, he was left with hundreds of the bottle stoppers. Rather than toss them in the trash, he started turning them into art, adding them to paintings, wood sculptures, and other artistic endeavors.

I enjoy painting, but for me, painting is copying. You put your personal feelings in there, but with cork work, its this completely adventurous experience, Deuschle says. Its something I do without guidance.

As for constructing the castle, his only template came from a photo. He drew a loose blueprint on paper, then began laying out the foundation, informed only by intuition and past creative projects, including other cork buildings.

Deuschle sticks to a modest toolkit: his Swiss Army knife, an 8-inch carving knife, a butcher knife, and some sandpaper. Elmers glue holds everything together.

I go through quite a few gallons of it, he says as he transfers glue from an industrial-size container into a standard squeeze bottle.

The 7,300 corks used to construct the castle came gratis, by way of wine-enthusiast friends and restaurants that Deuschle and his wife frequent. He counts every one that comes in; with thousands still in storage, a deep inventory remains for his next project.

It becomes a satisfaction to complete something like this, Deuschle says.

At your young age, his wife chimes in.

As for whats next, Deuschle already has a new cork project in mind but wishes to keep it secret until the idea comes to fruition. In the meantime, he plans to show the Cinderella Castle replica at several locations yet to be determined. If its meant to be, he says, that list will include Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom.

Disney reached out about the sugar [castle] when I first created that, but it was just too fragile to transport, says a calm and humble Deuschle. This one is far more structurally stable, so well see.
Following comments Fox News host and Philadelphia native Jesse Watters made about special counsel Robert Muellers investigation, he received a critical text from a liberal viewer  his mom.

You do not have the expertise nor knowledge to question the special counsels investigation until you know what they know. Hush Jesse, Anne Bailey Watters texted to her son, a rebuke he read on air last week. We are a nation of laws. Please tone down the strident attack on our court system. You end up presenting a lack of a moral compass honey. We all know you are a Trumpet  you need not scream it.

The child psychologist has become a loving critic of her sons political opinions as the Fox News rising star has gained an elevated presence, moving up from man-on-the-street segments for Bill OReilly to cohosting the networks popular panel show, The Five. Watters also hosts his own weekly show, Watters World, which airs on Fox News Saturday nights.

According to Watters, his mom began sending him her opinions via text message when he first became a cohost on The Five in April 2017, filling the seat on the then-9 p.m. show vacated by Eric Bolling, who was fired over sexual harassment allegations.

At that point my mom had had a few cocktails, and she would just be a little critical about my presentation, or the content of what my commentary was, Watters said. She discovered how to text, and I remember in the commercial breaks reading these random texts from my mom to some of my colleagues on set, and they would laugh.

Eventually, Watters producers got wind of the messages, and last October they launched the regular feature in which the host reads complaints from his Trump-hating mom on air. Watters said the segment was an instant hit with viewers.

I think it humanizes me for the critics. People on the left in the media enjoy watching me take a ribbing from my mother, Watters said. Its just a lighthearted, authentic, mother-son relationship I chose to disclose to the audience just to lighten the mood  people can relate to it.

Part of the fun is that Watters includes his moms harshest opinions. Among other things, Anne Watters has warned her son not to accept an offer from Trump to become his chief of staff, mocked frequent Fox News guests Diamond and Silk, and chastised his behavior toward his cohosts. She also suggested that her son read more books to educate himself and warned him, Stay far away from speaking for Trump.

I think shes really cranked up the mom texts as the Mueller probe has gotten hotter, Watters joked. Shes salivating.

Watters, who grew up in Germantown and East Falls, attended Penn Charter through his junior year before moving with his family to Long Island. Watters didnt really get into politics until college. Once he did, he would listen to Rush Limbaugh during car rides, driving his liberal mom crazy. So in a way, he can consider her critical texts a delayed form of payback.

Quite obviously my opposition to Jesses politics and delivery can be fierce. Indeed, he has always been a challenge, Anne Watters joked. But this next statement should be self-evident: I love him constantly and unconditionally.

In these hyper-partisan times, most families attempt to avoid politics at the dinner table, especially on holidays. But at the Watters household, a holiday meal almost inevitably leads to political warfare.

For the eight years under Obama, Thanksgiving and Christmas were tough. I had a long stretch there where I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, and it was frustrating, Watters said. But that first Thanksgiving after Trump won, I cleared out the entire Thanksgiving table. It got a little tense.

The battle, however, rages on and the rules of engagement dictate that there are no knives held, nor tears shed, at our family dinners, his mother added.
It all looks delicious, but leaving food out too long can mean tummy trouble and worse. Read more

The holidays are upon us! With all the festivities, its important we manage its many facets whether its monitoring our own and others' mental health, food safety, or alcohol consumption. Here are some tips to make this a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season as we enter the final stretch.

Mental health

Suicide rates are on the rise, and despite the abundance of holiday cheer, it doesnt necessarily get any better around the holidays especially since it can feel stressful at times. Be sure to keep an eye on your friends and loved ones. Signs of suicidality include change in behaviors, unusual sleeping patterns, extreme mood fluctuations, and expressing interest in dying.

If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Trained crisis workers are available to talk 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you think someone is in immediate danger, do not leave him or her alonestay there and call 911.

Food safety

In the profound words of one of my co-workers, Michelle, If you have to call poison control before serving your holiday meal, that could be a problem. During the holiday season, people may have questions about food prep and food safety. Although one could argue if in doubt, throw it out, there are some great resources for food safety information. If you prefer to call for information, you can dial 1-888-SAFE FOOD (1-888-723-3366) for general food safety, or 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) for guidance on meat/poultry.

For those who have already ingested undercooked or spoiled food, symptoms can begin as early as 30 minutes and up to 24 hours after ingestion. Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, chills and fever, in any combination. Observe for symptoms, which may or may not occur. Food poisoning usually can be managed at home, so contact Poison Control or your doctor for questions . Get medical attention if fluids are not tolerated, symptoms are severe, or symptoms persist past 24 hours.

Alcohol consumption

Each year, an average of 300 people die in alcohol-related car crashes during the week between Christmas and New Years in the U.S. Many underestimate the effects of alcohol, specifically on our driving skills. However, as little as a single drink can start to have negative effects. How much is too much when it comes to drinking and driving? Its a DUI for a non-commercial driver above the age of 21 when ones blood alcohol content (BAC) is 0.08 percent or greater in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, according to law enforcement. For a female weighing 120 pounds that could mean two drinks; while it could be three drinks for a male. (One drink = 1.5 ounces of hard liquor, 12 ounces of beer, or five ounces of wine).

This information does not account for many factors that can affect intoxicationamount of sleep, last meal, tolerance to alcohol, potency of the drinks, and time between ingestion of drinks. The combination of alcohol with medication can make even one drink dangerous. Our advice is if you drink, dont drive. Dont put your life or the lives of others in jeopardy.

Keep your holidays full of cheer, choose safety for yourself and others. For those who are overstressed or suicidal, reach out for help. There are many available resources  you can call us for direction 1-800-222-1222, visit our website for information, and follow-us on Facebook.

When tasked with making the holiday meal, check cooking times and storage information which can often be found on packaging. Generally, cooked food should not be left out longer than two hours. Keep food hotline numbers available. If someone does develop symptoms, call Poison Control or your doctor for treatment recommendations. Once you have even one drink, do not get behind the wheel. There are many options for safe transport: assign designated drivers, take Uber or Lyft, or make arrangements to stay over.

Enjoy and remember the Poison Control Center dont take the holidays offso if you need uswere here!

Marguerite A. Pacholski, RN, BSN, is a specialist in poison information in the Poison Control Center at The Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia.
The flag-raising ceremony

By Fang Zhao and Wang Chenxi

MACAO, Dec. 21 (ChinaMil) -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Macao Garrison held flag-raising ceremonies at the New Port barracks in Macao and Zhengling barracks in Zhuhai to celebrate the 19th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and the establishment of the PLA Macao Garrison on Thursday morning.

Senior Colonel Zhu Anping, Chief-of-staff of the PLA Macao Garrison, said that 19 years ago, as a symbol of national sovereignty, the garrison was stationed in Macao to perform defense duties in accordance with the orders of China's Central Military Commission (CMC). Since then, the garrison has unswervingly implemented the "one country, two systems" policy, the Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People' s Republic of China, the Law on Stationing Troops in the Macao Special Administrative Region and other laws and regulations.

The PLA Macao Garrison has always respected and supported the Macao government's governance in accordance with the law, and effectively performed its defense duties. It has assisted the Macao government in disaster relief for the first time in accordance with the law, made due contributions to maintaining Macao's prosperity and stability, and won high praise from the vast majority of Macao's compatriots and the international community, said Zhu, adding that the garrison will make even greater contributions to maintaining Macao's prosperity and stability in the future.

It is reported that since the stationing of the PLA Macao Garrison, it has regularly carried out field combat readiness training and live-fire military exercises to comprehensively improve the capability to perform its defense duties. At the same time, it has actively participated in public welfare activities such as helping the elderly and the young, planting trees, donating blood and goods as needed. The PLA Macao Garrison has also continued to carry out a series of activities such as the military barracks opening to the public, cultural networking, military summer camps and flag bearer trainings, making due contributions to the cause of Macao's public welfare.
Binge drinking college students frequently use social media while drunk only to regret their posts. Read more

College students who are prone to binge drinking should think twice before posting on social media.

Researchers at the Texas State University found that students who have too many drinks at once then use their favorite social media sites later regret those drinking-related posts. The results, which were part of an ongoing study of social media and health, were published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs on Friday.

While inebriated, the students are less inhibited and may be more likely to post inappropriate material without considering the future impact, according to Natalie A. Ceballos, the lead researcher and professor in the Department of Psychology.

Just the fact they are posting while intoxicated increases the chance they will make bad choices on social media, Ceballos said. In some cases, these sorts of mistakes have even influenced college admission and later job applications.

Researchers looked at 425 undergraduates ages 18 through 25 and asked about their alcohol use including quantity and frequency. They defined binge drinking as men consuming five drinks, and women having four drinks at one time. They also asked about the students use of social media and whether they posted while drunk.

Snapchat and Instagram were more popular with binge drinkers.

Facebook is waning in popularity among younger users, the researchers noted.

Social media may also play a positive role, according to researchers.

Similar to the way harm-reduction messages have been sent to problem gamblers, there may be a way to send instant feedback via cell phones to help disrupt drinking, they concluded.

As for what form this intervention might take, were not really there yet, Ceballos said. By combining alcohol biosensor technologies that can detect drinking as it happens and the use of apps or other programs on cell phones that provide treatment for smoking cessation, weight loss, anxiety, or other health conditions in the real world, it might become a possibility in the future, she said.

Compared to non-binge drinkers, those students who imbibe too much not only were more likely to post while drunk, they also showed greater emotional investment in social media, allowing it to become part of their identities.

While there is no specific psychiatric diagnosis of addiction to social media, Ceballos said it is possible students might feel rewarded after getting positive reinforcement from their posts, similar to rewards of other addictive behaviors. Over time they could become hooked.

Another interesting finding: Students who reported getting drunk during their middle school years posted on social media while intoxicated more often than those who waited until they were 21 to start drinking heavily.

Ceballos speculated that the group that waited until they were older to drink might be more cautious because they lack as much experience with drinking than those who started younger.
James K. Polk in a 1945 portrait with the U.S. Capitol seen through window in the background. Read more

James K. Polk, often referred to as the first dark horse candidate for U.S. president, ascended to the White House in 1845 at age 49, the youngest elected up to that date. The former congressman, the nations 11th chief executive, was a Jacksonian Democrat from Tennessee and nicknamed Young Hickory in a nod to Old Hickory Andrew Jackson, the seventh president.

During Polks single four-year term, the United States greatly expanded its territory, adding more than a million square miles, including present-day California, Washington and Texas. Although many thought he could have easily been reelected, Polk kept his campaign promise to serve only one term and retired from the presidency, turning it over to Zachary Taylor on March 4, 1849. Some indicated that the stress of the nations highest office had left Polk in poor health.

On March 6, James and Sarah Polk embarked on a grand tour of the Southern states, from Washington, down the Atlantic seaboard, west along the Gulf states of Alabama and Mississippi, to New Orleans in Louisiana, and then up the Mississippi River to his home state of Tennessee. Everywhere Polk traveled, the crowds were large and festive.

A devastating gastrointestinal illness had hit New Orleans the winter of 1848-49, prompting the New Orleans Medical Board to announce that disease invaded the levee like an avalanche." Polk reportedly heard rumors of the illness -- and already was suffering from a severe cold -- but stayed in the city, bowled over by the hospitality he received there.

As Polk left New Orleans, he began to experience acute abdominal distress and later diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration. He developed increasing weakness and dizziness that worsened when standing. Extreme fatigue and severe bouts of watery diarrhea as he traveled up the Mississippi River caused Polk to cut short his trip and head to Memphis, then go by horse and carriage to his home in Nashville.

His symptoms persisted as he arrived at his recently purchased mansion, named Polk Place," where he planned to sort through his presidential papers. But the gastrointestinal illness took its toll, and Polk continued to fail.

Solution

There is clear evidence that a cholera epidemic entered the United States at two separate locations within a nine-day period, probably by ship: New York on Dec. 2, 1848, and New Orleans on Dec. 11, 1848. The disease spread rapidly through interior waterways and along the Atlantic seaboard.

Cholera is caused by strains of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae infecting the small intestine. It is spread mostly by contaminated water and raw or undercooked seafood that has been contaminated with human feces containing the bacteria.

GI symptoms range from mild to severe, with some infected patients having no symptoms. The classic patient has large amounts of watery diarrhea lasting a few days accompanied by vomiting and muscle cramps. Diarrhea can be quite severe, leading to dehydration, acidosis, and potassium and sodium imbalance. Symptoms can start as early as two hours after exposure or up to five days later. The patient may develop wrinkled, cold, bluish skin of the face, hands and feet, and sunken eyes.

With the advent of modern sanitary sewer systems and water supplies, cholera is a threat mainly in the developing world, especially in the aftermath of natural disasters. Fortunately, antibiotic treatment, as well as oral rehydration therapy and intravenous fluid and electrolytes, for the more severely ill, mean that cholera is not nearly as deadly as it once was.

Poor sanitation, not enough clean drinking water, and poverty are risk factors. Some scientists fear that rising sea levels will increase future rates of cholera. For those in high-risk areas, a vaccine given by mouth provides reasonable protection for roughly six to 24 months.

James Polk died on June 15, 1849, just three months after leaving the White House. In keeping with Nashville city laws to prevent infectious diseases from spreading, his body was buried for a year in a mass grave in the Nashville City Cemetery. Then his relatives moved his body to Polk Place. The family sold the land, and the bodies of James and Sarah Polk were relocated to the former Polk home in Columbia, Tenn., which became the James K. Polk Museum.

For his vast expansion of territory to the Pacific, Polk has been recognized in the list of best one-term U.S. presidents.

Just five years after Polks death, a cholera outbreak in Londons Soho District was stopped when a physician, John Snow, traced its source to contaminated water, specifically a water pump on what then was Broad Street. Before Snows work, the disease was thought to spread through the air, or miasma. Today, Snow is considered a father of modern epidemiology.
Andy Belser, a professor of movement, voice and acting at Penn State, stands with images from 'FaceAge,' his film project meant to foster communication between older and younger generations. Read more

What would happen if you asked a young person and an old one to talk  really talk, with open hearts, about their fears, their assumptions, their hopes  while perched nearly knee-to-knee, so physically close that one more inch would feel like an invasion of personal space? What would happen if you asked them to touch each others faces?

These are questions that Andy Belser, a Penn State performance professor who reads neuroscience books for fun, asked a few years ago. His curiosity led to an unusual documentary film, called FaceAge, that has been featured at such big meetings of aging experts as the World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics and LeadingAges conclave in Philadelphia this fall, at medical-school classrooms, student unions, and senior-housing complexes. It helps that ageism and intergenerational interaction are hot topics in aging circles.

Wherever it was shown, FaceAge viewers were so touched that now tissues are always on hand at screenings. Afterward, viewers often have wanted to talk to one another.

The film's success has spawned new projects. IGenCo, a State College-based company started by Greg Wolf, a Penn State grad who was CEO of Humana and a high-ranking Cigna executive, plans to use it to teach employees of different generations to talk more effectively. Bias against age, Wolf thinks, is the low-hanging fruit of office conflicts and can open the door to wider, more difficult discussions of race, gender and other differences.

Belser recently helmed a Chinese version of FaceAge to help people there navigate the caregiving crisis created by that nations one-child policy. Chinese companies are building senior housing, but the country has little history of institutional care for the aged. Youre not selling real estate, Belser said. Youre selling life care. Thats just a hard thing to explain.

He is also planning a course for undergrads based on the film for next fall, and hes in talks about creating a new version featuring people with dementia and caregivers.

Really, what were doing is helping people talk to each other, Belser said. Conversation, he believes, is the best way to learn. We need that kind of intimacy as a species. That has not changed in the last 50 years.

Now 58 and on the cusp of older age himself, Belser, who founded and directs the Arts and Design Research Incubator at Penn State, wants to do more than traditional theater. He is drawn toward a multidisciplinary examination of aging, science and communication.

Maybe this is my lifes work, he said.

Belser, who grew up on a farm in Hershey, became more aware of aging about a dozen years ago, when his father died relatively young and unfulfilled. I realized that it was possible to get to the end of your life and not do what you needed to do, he said.

Documentary work became more interesting to him. While chair of theater at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Belser began thinking about the contrast between young people drawn to the coastal community and the citys wealthy retirees, who sustained an aggressive plastic-surgery industry. A fellow professor was developing a computer program, meant primarily for forensic work, that predicted how young people would look later in life. Using Wilmingtons rich supply of filmmakers, Belser developed the pilot for FaceAge, a film he hoped would combat ageism and help older people feel more valued. A more polished and diverse version, featuring six pairs of older people (most in their 70s and 80s) and college students, was finished after Belser moved to Penn State. It premiered in fall 2016.

FaceAge is really three films, shown on three screens at once, with one soundtrack. The screens flicker with quick cuts that compete for attention, an effort to keeps viewers involved by forcing them to make choices about what to watch. The cameras focus on people talking, sometimes in extreme close-ups and sometimes from far enough away to see a whole body. Most participants are answering questions the audience hasnt heard.

These are not your typical getting-to-know-you, small-talk questions, but questions designed to go deep: What do you think this person would say about you? What do you want others to see when they look at you? What do you hope they dont see? What would you tell your younger or older self?

The pairs talk about youthful pictures of the old participants, and the students respond to digital versions of their older selves (not nearly as old as their partners). Some young folks find those pictures so horrifying that they cry. An old man says his last years have been the happiest of his life. One young man worries that elders judge him for his tattoos. Another fears they see his whole generation as lazy. They touch each others faces and describe what they feel. The young ones marvel at the softness of wrinkled skin. The older ones say they dont experience touch often enough.

Part of what makes the documentary so moving in a screen-bound world is the rare, visceral shock of seeing what trusting, intimate, face-to-face conversation between strangers looks like.

There is no plot. FaceAge is impressionistic and inconclusive, an opportunity to inhabit a vulnerable space in your own way. Whether it combats ageism is open for debate. No one in the film, young or old, seems happy about physical signs of aging. A man in his 80s says he wishes people knew he still feels young inside. What is most striking is that young and old both feel insecure about their physical appearance, that both are kind and supportive in moments of real human connection that transcend age. The beauty of the questions is that they call for mature, emotionally brave answers, and the carefully chosen subjects do their best to deliver. The responses that viewers see are kind and curious, perhaps not 100 percent honest but also not patronizing.

Martin Sliwinski, who is director of the Center for Healthy Aging at Penn State and will team-teach the course tied to the film, said it doesnt have to make aging look good to combat ageism. Its valuable just to model intergenerational communication and understanding.

What we have to recognize is that, as we grow older, there are challenges we face and there are some things that arent great, but aging is also a universal experience, Sliwinski said. He called FaceAge the most impactful work on aging hed seen in 25 years.

Belser had assumed that FaceAge would appeal mostly to older people, but learned that young people were also drawn to it. He realized that most of them dont see themselves as aging.

The young participants in the film said they saw a new humanity in older people. The old ones were surprised by how worried the college students were.

Diane Usher, now 75, was a new widow in North Carolina when she took part in the film as a way to keep busy. The retired government worker found it life-altering to answer Belsers questions and listen to the others talk. She realized she was sure she didnt want to marry again. She heard peers talking about their busy lives and thought it was time to do more with hers. The naivete of the young people surprised her, but it helped her remember her own youthful idealism.

Following the film, Usher moved to Breinigsville, in the Lehigh Valley, to be near her daughter and three young-adult grandchildren. She had bariatric surgery and lost 120 pounds. She started exercising. When she is with her grandchildren now, she doesnt tell them what to do. She listens. This, she said, is because of the film.

Belser said he would do some things differently now. A FaceAge section on memory uses old film snippets that are not of the participants. He thinks that was a mistake. The exercise in which people were asked to give advice to their younger or older selves through a two-way mirror with a camera on the other side was filmed without sound. No one expected it to be so powerful. It made nearly everyone cry. In the film, we dont hear what they said.

Having heard all that serious talk changed Belser, too. He finds himself being more compassionate about people he would have judged before.

Because Ive asked so many people these questions, he said, I see people that maybe before I would have been a little more judgmental about, and I see fear.
Sarah Apt helped organize the union at Aspira Olney Charter School, starting in 2012. The union was formed in 2015. Read more

As other teachers left New Foundations Charter High School year after year, Zack Riegler stayed.

One of two teachers who has worked at the Holmesburg school since it opened nine years ago, Riegler believed it was among the citys best. But he was concerned that teachers kept leaving for better-paying schools  not just in the suburbs, but within Philadelphia.

Our feelings were, if we keep losing people every year, this is going to be a not very good place to work, Riegler said.

So he and the rest of the schools roughly five dozen teachers and staff pursued an option not often seen at charter schools: joining a union.

This month, the move paid off. Under their new contract, Riegler and his fellow teachers received an average salary increase of $5,700.

The boost in pay pushed the typical salary at New Foundations above what most Philadelphia charter-school teachers earn. But it is still substantially less than the salaries of their counterparts at traditional public schools.

Advocates have long portrayed charter schools, which are publicly funded but independently managed, as potential saviors of struggling public school systems. Teachers unions accuse charters of weakening those systems by siphoning students and dollars  and taking advantage of lower-paid staff.

While charter proponents acknowledge the pay disparity, they argue that intractable teacher unions with hefty contracts helped create the opening for charters in the first place.

One of the main promises of charter schools is that they would have the ability to ... wipe the slate clean in terms of rules and regulations that make it so difficult for schools to perform at high levels," said Michael Petrilli, president of the pro-charter Thomas B. Fordham Institute. A big part of that is teacher union contracts, which can "make it difficult for schools to try new things and remove ineffective teachers, Petrilli said.

The contract at New Foundations may not be a harbinger of more organizing efforts here  or anything on the scope of this months historic strike by a network of charter school teachers in Chicago. While a third of Philadelphia public school students attend charters, only a few of the 87 schools are unionized.

If it doesnt happen from the ground up, the chances of organizing a union are very, very difficult, said Barbara Goodman, spokesperson for American Federation of Teachers Pennsylvania, which represents the teachers at New Foundations, West Oak Lane school and Aspira Olney Charter High School.

Charter school teachers tend to be younger and less experienced. (In Philadelphia, the average charter schoolteacher has 6.6 years of experience, versus 14.1 for traditional public school teachers.) Many also work under one-year contracts.

Its very risky to organize a union when you dont have any job security," said Goodman.

Union leaders contend that arrangement is by design.

A lot of the original charter school conception was that they could ... rely on the fact that young people are very idealistic and burn them out after a couple years, AFT President Randi Weingarten said. But what were seeing more and more is if people want to make a career of teaching they want a voice in that career.

Advocates say charter schools have limited ability to pay teachers more. The funding issue is complicated: In Pennsylvania, a school district uses tax dollars to pay its charter schools based on per-pupil budget estimates. But charters dont get money for costs they dont incur, such as transportation, which in Pennsylvania is provided by school districts.

At the same time, Pennsylvania charters also dont get public money for some needs they do have, like facilities. Access to private fund-raising is another question, and adds to the strain with teachers unions. One common gripe, according to Weingarten: All these rich folks investing in charters, while teachers are paying out of their own pocket for supplies."

Yet unionization of charter schools remains uncommon. While the number of charter schools nationally with collective bargaining increased from 604 in 2010-11 to 781 in 2016-17, that total still only reflected about 11 percent of charter schools and was down slightly from the share six years earlier, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

Of Pennsylvanias 180 charter schools, an even smaller share are unionized. The Pennsylvania State Education Association represents employees at seven schools, including four cyber charters, while the AFT PA represents three charters in Philadelphia and one in Pittsburgh that just voted to join Wednesday.

The New Jersey Education Association represents 17 charter schools, covering 1,000 of the states nearly 5,000 charter-school employees, said spokesperson Meredith Barnes. She said the majority of the organized unions came about" during the administration of former Gov. Chris Christie, who frequently warred with teachers unions.

More charter schools arent unionized because the management fights tooth and nail to stop it, including by challenging efforts by charter employees to organize under public school laws, Weingarten said.

Organizing is also difficult in schools with high staff turnover. It requires people to stick around long enough to know each other, said Sarah Apt, president of the Philadelphia Alliance of Charter School Employees and an ESL teacher at Olney Charter High School, which unionized in 2015. When you already have a system thats pushing people out, its really difficult to get enough momentum.

Debbera Peoples-Lee, West Oak Lanes CEO since 2006, said the school could have similar rules without a union, but then you have to make sure you follow them.

The union previously represented employees at five additional Philadelphia charter schools, but all have closed or are on the verge of closing. Aspira Olney is pending nonrenewal.

While some charter supporters see unions as incompatible with the schools, teachers like Apt say theres no contradiction.

If you want innovation and fresh thinking, thats best done in a team, said Apt, who came to Aspira as a first-time teacher eight years ago when the district wasnt hiring. (That was the option for teaching in the city, work at a charter school," she said, though she was drawn to Aspiras history of bilingual education.) Having a union has built trust between teachers and led to more standardized salaries and a fairer due process, Apt said.

At New Foundations, teacher retention was always a concern that we had as a faculty, said Riegler, a 32-year-old history teacher. The average teacher salary at New Foundations last year was $50,697, almost $4,000 less than the average Philadelphia charter schoolteacher and $20,000 below their school district counterparts.

But management wasnt particularly adversarial when teachers moved to unionize, Riegler said. While the school brought in a guest speaker on the pros and cons of unionizing  the presentation seemed it was leaning more toward being anti-union, Riegler said  it didnt threaten consequences.

(CEO Ron Brady declined this month to discuss the new contract.)

In unionizing, teachers said they didnt want to lose what set their school apart. Jim Schmidt, a precalculus, calculus and engineering teacher, previously worked in the school district, where math, he said, was scripted." Because of students switching schools, they wanted every school grade to be pretty much on the same place."

At New Foundations, you have a lot more freedom to teach. Thats one of the things that appealed to me, said Schmidt, 49.

But he said lack of job security and low pay had to be addressed.

Union or not, there was no way you could sustain anything, he said.
En route to a meeting at the White House, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., left, walks with Sen. Richard C. Shelby, R-Ala., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, as work continues prior to a Friday night funding deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown, in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. Trump is imploring McConnell to change the Senate's rules in order to pass the spending bill with money for a border wall. Read more

The federal government appeared headed toward a partial shutdown at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, as President Trump insisted that a new spending bill include funding for his proposed big, beautiful wall along the southern border.

Democratic leaders said they wouldnt oblige, and it wasnt clear that the GOP-controlled Congress could whip up enough votes for a measure that Trump would sign.

By midday Friday, the White House had not spelled out details of the shutdown impact.

There were two brief shutdowns earlier this year. But this shutdown would be narrower in scope than past ones because Congress has already passed spending bills for a number of departments. In addition, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid would likely keep running because they are not funded through the annual appropriations process. VA services would also likely be uninterrupted.

Which federal departments are funded?

Congress already passed bills funding the Departments of Defense, Energy, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs  as well as the legislative branch  through Sept. 30, 2019. Trump signed those appropriations into law, so these departments should not be affected. In addition, the U.S. Postal Service will function as normal, as it gets almost all of its funding from sales of postage and other services.

The Department of Defense is already funded for this fiscal year and is not affected by the potential government shutdown. DoD employees will report to work as normal, said Angelique N. Smythe, spokesperson for Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in South Jersey. Non-DoD federal entities on the base may be affected by the shutdown.

Which federal departments dont have secured funding?

In limbo because of the dispute between the president and Congress is funding for the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Interior, State, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, as well as several smaller agencies.

Though the Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration are under the Department of Homeland Security, those agencies are considered vital to national security and would continue operating. In a 2013 shutdown, for instance, TSA personnel still screened travelers at Philadelphia International Airport, and the Coast Guard monitored the waterways.

Nationally, an estimated 420,000 employees, including those in federal law enforcement, will work without pay in a shutdown, while 380,000 others deemed nonessential (though the government does not officially use that word, its the colloquial term) will be furloughed.

What about Phillys famous historical sites?

If youre planning a trip to Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, or Valley Forge National Historical Park, check the news first. Those sites are managed by the National Park Service and usually are among the earliest and most visible federal services to close or offer curtailed access. Other sites in the city, and the Independence Visitor Center, are not funded by the federal government and should operate normally. Washington Crossing Historic Park in Bucks County should not be shuttered  the park is operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and a nonprofit group. So the annual Christmas reenactment of Washingtons attack on Trenton should be uninterrupted.

Are you a federal employee?

During a shutdown in 2013 that lasted for 16 days, nearly 50,000 federal employees in the Philadelphia and Camden metropolitan areas were furloughed without pay.

In New Jersey, nearly 4,000 civilian employees at the joint base and the National Guard were furloughed for several days, though they returned to work when the Defense Department determined they were necessary for their contributions to military readiness.

Congress later authorized back pay for the 850,000 total workers who were furloughed nationwide.

Staff Writer Tommy Rowan contributed to this article.
Joseph Massimino Jr. was charged under a Pennsylvania law establishing harsh penalties for dealers convicted of selling narcotics involved in overdose deaths. Read more

The son of jailed Philadelphia mobster Joseph Mousie Massimino was sentenced Thursday by a federal judge to 16 years in prison for selling narcotics that caused the overdose deaths of two Queen Village residents in 2017.

Joseph Massimino Jr., 47, pleaded guilty in September in federal court to firearms charges and possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, and agreed to the prison term. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Michael M. Baylson formally accepted the deal and imposed the sentence.

Massimino was indicted in 2017, and entered into a negotiated guilty plea in Common Pleas Court to two counts of drug delivery resulting in death. He was sentenced to six to 12 years in prison, which will run concurrent to the federal sentence.

Massimino, clad in an olive prison jumpsuit and sporting a 6-inch salt-and-pepper goatee, offered his apologies.

I just want to say sorry to the families for their losses, he said. It was not what was intended. You know, we were all strung out. Also, I want to apologize to my family for dragging them through this.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy B. Winter called it a long sentence but one he earned.

Massimino will receive drug treatment while incarcerated, and his request to serve his sentence as close to Philadelphia as possible was accepted.

He was charged under a Pennsylvania law establishing harsh penalties for dealers convicted of selling narcotics involved in overdose deaths. Police arrested him in May 2017 following a raid on his house on Mountain Street in South Philadelphia, where police allegedly seized $200,000 worth of heroin and other illegal narcotics, $7,000 cash, and firearms.

In the past, authorities typically treated overdose deaths as accidents and dealers were not held criminally liable for more than the sale of drugs. But in reaction to the opioid epidemic, Pennsylvania joined other states in enacting drug-dealer liability laws that impose harsher sentences on dealers whose clients overdose.

Massiminos father was accused by prosecutors of rising to become underboss of the Philly mob, a role he denied. He is serving a federal prison term of more than 15 years after being convicted in 2013 of racketeering and conspiracy.
The Philadelphia District Attorneys Office on Thursday filed a highly unusual set of documents in a murder case, accusing two homicide detectives of illegally searching the defendants cell phone, and suggesting that the defense attorney  whose firm also represents members of the police union  had asked prosecutors to let his client plead guilty in order to keep the detectives' alleged conduct from the public.

The set of motions asks Common Pleas Court Judge Barbara A. McDermott to disqualify attorney Bill Davis, claiming that he discovered video evidence that would prove the detectives performed the illegal search, but told a supervisor in the District Attorneys Office he did not want it to become public because I dont want to end anyones career." The motions allege that Davis' behavior resulted from his firms representation of police officers accused of misconduct.

The documents also allege that the supervisor  whom Davis identified as Anthony Voci, the chief of homicide cases  told Davis that perjury charges were possible against the detectives, Freddie Mole and Joseph Murray. And they say prosecutors do not think either officer would be able to testify in the case without invoking the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

On Thursday night, Davis denied the allegations against him, saying it is completely false and ludicrous to suggest that he has a conflict of interest simply because his firm, McMonagle, Perri, McHugh, Mischak & Davis, has a contract with the Fraternal Order of Police lodge. He said he had been advocating vigorously for the defendant, Marquise Noel.

Davis said it was he who recovered the evidence of the detectives looking at a cell phone without a search warrant while in a hospital trauma bay  and it was he who brought the evidence to Vocis attention. He said he sought to use it to get a favorable resolution for Noel, 21, of Eastwick, who has pleaded not guilty but faces the possibility of life in prison without parole.

I made the mistake during the conversation with the chief of homicide, Voci, of showing some humanity toward police detectives hes known for years, Davis said. "I did tell him [Voci] on a personal note that Ive known the assigned detectives, and I would love to avoid ending their careers and really hurting their families, if possible.

Davis said he told Voci that he realized Voci might have to reveal the video evidence to his supervisors.

The episode represents an unusually pointed and public accusation from a prosecutors office that in its first year under Larry Krasner, a former criminal defense attorney, has clashed with police and charged officers with wrongdoing in ways Krasners predecessors had not.

Attempts to reach Mole for comment Thursday night were unsuccessful. Murray declined to comment.

Commissioner Richard Ross said Thursday night that he had not read the district attorneys motion or seen the video, but that the allegations against the detectives were under Internal Affairs investigation.

Davis and prosecutors are scheduled to argue a defense motion to suppress the cell-phone evidence Friday morning at the Criminal Justice Center. Now, given the prosecutors filings, they likely will discuss the new motions as well.

The case involves a homicide Feb. 11 in Eastwick. Noel is accused of fatally shooting Tafari Lawrence, 23, of Upper Darby, at 75th Street and Elmwood Avenue. According to the motions filed by prosecutors, information discovered on Noels black LG cell phone was key to solving the case.

The motions filed Thursday claim that several hours before Murray requested a search warrant for the device, Mole and Murray were captured on surveillance video examining a black flip phone," which prosecutors believe was Noels, according to District Attorneys Office spokesperson Ben Waxman. Davis said that although authorities contend the cell phone was Noels, he has seen no evidence to prove that.

The motions also say that Mole was asked twice at Noels preliminary hearing April 3 whether he reviewed the phone, and that both times he testified that he did so after receiving a search warrant.

The detectives' alleged conduct could jeopardize prosecutors ability to build a winnable case, the new motions allege.

And they say that Davis was not using that information to Noels advantage and therefore compromised Noels interests in favor of the police.

This request for a plea bargain under these circumstances, which would place [Noel] in prison for years so that the officers depicted would not be embarrassed or have their careers end[ed], illustrates that [Noels] interests have diverged from the interests of Mr. Davis firms future clients, says the motion. There is an actual conflict, and it has affected Mr. Davis' performance.

Davis said that was not true.

He said that he called Voci on Wednesday afternoon to tell him of the video, and that Voci suggested he might be able to offer to let Noel plead guilty to third-degree murder with a sentence in the mitigated range, which Davis understood to mean 6 to 13 years. Davis said he then suggested a deal with a five- to 10-year sentence.

In a subsequent phone conversation Wednesday, Davis said, Voci again pressed to see the video. Davis told Voci he would only be willing to send the video if the District Attorneys Office would offer his client the lower sentence. He ultimately sent the video believing that Voci would be willing to do so. Davis said he had not yet discussed any possible deal with Noel.

Voci said if it showed what I said it showed, we could work something out, said Davis.

Davis said he did not hear back from the District Attorneys Office until 3 p.m. Thursday, when he was notified of its new motions seeking to disqualify him.

He said that although his firm represents the FOP to defend police officers, it does so on a case-by-case basis. In the past, he said, his firm has not represented police officers accused of lying, and it avoids cases with any potential conflict of interest.
Yukai Yang, a chemistry major who was in his senior year, is accused of attempted to kill his roommate by putting the chemical thallium in his food. Read more

A former Lehigh University student tried to poison his longtime roommate by slipping deadly chemicals into his food and drink, Northampton County, Pa., authorities announced Thursday.

Yukai Yang, 22, faces attempted murder charges in a case that District Attorney John Morganelli called weird and bizarre, saying the roommate once believed he and Yang had a good relationship.

The charges are the latest involving Yang, a student from China who was already accused of scrawling racist graffiti directed at the roommate, Juwan Royal, who is black.

In April, Yang was arrested on accusations of ethnic intimidation after he allegedly wrote the N-word and GET OUT OF HERE in marker on Royals desk inside their room at Warren Square, and trashed his roommates television and bed.

But authorities now believe that in the months leading up to that, Yang, a chemistry major, was putting thallium  an odorless and colorless chemical used as rat poison  into Royals food and drink, possibly along with other chemicals, Morganelli said at a news conference.

A motive was unclear, authorities said. Yang and Royal, both seniors at the time, had lived together seemingly without incident for several years.

Mr. Royal was as dumbfounded by this as anyone else, said Assistant District Attorney Abraham Kassis, who was involved in the months-long investigation. He believed they had a fairly cordial relationship as roommates.

On one occasion in February, authorities said, Royal remembered drinking from a water bottle and feeling a burning sensation on his tongue that left it sore for three to four days.

Twice in March, Royal was so sick that campus police were called to his room, Morganelli said. After one of those calls, Royal was taken to a hospital by ambulance after he reported he had been vomiting for more than 45 minutes, Morganelli said.

Tests eventually revealed that Royals blood contained thallium at a level that is dangerous for humans, Morganelli said. Royals symptoms matched those of thallium poisoning and included extreme pain in his lower extremities, as well as severe burning and numbness, Morganelli said.

Morganelli said Royal, who graduated from Lehigh last spring, needed intensive medical treatment.

The victim is still experiencing physical symptoms from the poisoning that occurred, so this is something that has had some lasting impact, Morganelli said.

Efforts to reach Royal were unsuccessful.

In an interview with investigators on May 25, Yang admitted he used the internet to purchase chemicals that included thallium, and mixed them into food and drinks he stored in a refrigerator he shared with Royal, Morganelli said. But Yang claimed he intended to use the poisons to harm himself if he did poorly on future exams.

Those statements contrasted with what Yang told police and Royal at the time of his roommates sickening, when he said he suspected someone was tampering with items in the room, according to authorities. Yang reported he had noticed the milk in the refrigerator had changed color, as had Royals mouthwash, authorities said.

On Thursday, Yang surrendered to Lehigh police to face several charges, including aggravated assault, simple assault, and reckless endangerment. He was sent to the Northampton County prison on $200,000 bail by District Judge Nancy Matos Gonzalez.

Yangs attorney, Janet Jackson, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

At a court hearing last month in the graffiti case, Jackson identified Royal as her clients roommate of four years. She said Yang was suspended from school in April because of the vandalism charges, to which she said Yang intends to plead guilty.

But for his arrest, Yang would have graduated in May, Jackson said. She said he has since been living in Easton with his mother.

According to authorities, Yang was identified as the vandal through his handwriting, which mirrored that of the racially charged message.

By then, Royal had begun to suspect that Yang was involved in the strange incidents happening in their room, authorities said.
HARRISBURG  After a nearly nine-month investigation, prosecutors on Friday said they will not pursue criminal charges against former State Rep. Nick Miccarelli, at the request of a woman who accused him of sexual assault.

Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo said in a statement that the woman, a political consultant, has moved on with her life and does not want to see Miccarelli again in any context. He added that she requested that his office close the investigation without charges.

The case took a long time to investigate because of a large volume of digital evidence, some of which was not originally accessible, Chardo said, noting that Miccarelli and the woman cooperated in the investigation.

Sources said Chardos announcement grew out of a deal between the parties that places limits on what the two can say in public and on potential civil litigation.

Asked about the agreement, Chardo said Friday, I cant speak to that. It wouldnt be appropriate.

In a lengthy statement, the woman said, This period has been painful and difficult for me both personally and professionally, and the prospect of a long and drawn-out criminal proceeding promises even more trauma for me in the future. I simply must move on.

Miccarelli, a Republican and Iraq War veteran from Ridley Park, has strongly denied wrongdoing, telling a reporter this year that what you are being told is absolute lies, a thousand percent lies. He did not return a call seeking comment.

His spokesperson, Frank Keel, said in a statement: Nick has maintained his innocence from the outset of this media-fueled ordeal. Because he is innocent, he always knew todays positive outcome would come to pass. The legal process matters, as this case amply proves. There should be no tolerance for false accusations, which are calculated to destroy the lives of public or private figures.

Chardo declined to respond to Keels characterization.

Terry Mutchler, the womans lawyer, objected to the implication that the District Attorneys Office made any determination of guilt or innocence.

Mutchler referred to the womans statement, in which she described her experience as the latest example of how the cards are stacked against victims of sexual assault.

So many women are like me, the woman wrote. They dont want payoffs. They dont want vengeance. They simply want awareness and protection; an expectation of safety to do our jobs, go about our lives, and be productive without having to be afraid or ashamed. Sexual violence is not, and cannot be considered, the cost of doing business for a woman in politics."

The allegations were first reported Feb. 28 by the Inquirer and Daily News and the Caucus after the consultant and another woman  Republican State Rep. Tarah Toohil of Luzerne County  filed a confidential complaint with House lawyers accusing Miccarelli of physical or sexual assault in separate incidents going back to 2012. Both women had dated Miccarelli. Toohil claimed she had been physically assaulted and abused by Miccarelli in 2012.

Chardos investigation stemmed from the complaint, which also was investigated by top lawyers in the House. That inquiry found that Toohil and the consultant were credible, and said their statements were corroborated by witnesses who were contemporaneously aware of the alleged instances of abuse.

Fearing for her safety after her story went public, Toohil obtained a three-year protection-from-abuse order against Miccarelli. The restraining order was part of a negotiated settlement in which Miccarelli admitted no wrongdoing. It allowed him to continue working in the Capitol, where both he and Toohil had offices, but required him to relinquish his firearms except when he was on duty with the Pennsylvania National Guard.

Toohil was assigned a bodyguard when she was in the Capitol, while Miccarelli was stripped of some of his committee assignments and his desk on the House floor was relocated farther from her.

After the allegations surfaced, Miccarelli, 36, revealed he would not seek reelection. Despite calls for his resignation by House Republican leaders and Democratic Gov. Wolf, Miccarelli finished his 10th year in office Nov. 30, the last day of the legislative session.

In doing so, he was able to retire with free lifetime health benefits, given to lawmakers with 10 or more years of service. Miccarelli, who was elected in 2008, also will receive a state pension.

Chardos investigation focused on the consultants allegation because the alleged assault occurred in Harrisburg, where the district attorney is based.

The consultant has asked that her name not be disclosed. She alleged in the complaint that Miccarelli was mentally and physically abusive when the two dated off and on for about a year.

In the House complaint, she alleged that when she tried to end her relationship with him in late 2014, he came to her home and forced her to have sex. She told the Inquirer and the Caucus, a newspaper covering state politics, that she repeatedly told him that she did not want to be intimate. She said he held her neck during parts of the alleged assault.

She also said that while the two were still in a consensual relationship, she believes that Miccarelli drugged her. In the complaint, she asserted that she became unconscious and that he engaged in nonconsensual sexual behavior that evening.
HARRISBURG. (AP)  Pennsylvanias governor on Thursday commuted the life sentences of two inmates, including a woman who said she let her newborn drown in a portable toilet because she was afraid of how her parents would react to the birth.

Democratic Gov. Wolf issued one order in the case of Tina Brosius, 43, who had been convicted of first-degree murder of the infant in a suburban Harrisburg park.

Wolf also commuted the life sentence of Raymond Jordan, 58, for a 1985 stabbing homicide in Philadelphia.

Both will be released to a halfway house, where they will be for a year before they can seek release on parole.

Brosius was sentenced to life in 1995. She testified that she thought the child was stillborn because she did not feel it move during pregnancy and it did not make a sound when dropped into the toilet.

I didnt look at it or touch it, she said in 1995. It didnt make a sound. I thought, Oh, my God, what am I going to do?

Officials say she is the first female inmate in Pennsylvania to have a life sentence commuted since 1990.

Jordan pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, robbery and conspiracy for killing and taking $400 from a man form whom he had sought a loan.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday his government was trying to get more information about the case, but that McIver's detention did not seem to be related to the detention of two other Canadians in China. He called it "a very separate case."

China says a detained Canadian woman is serving "administrative punishment" for working illegally. At a briefing with reporters Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying identified the woman as Sarah McIver. She did not give details about the penalties.

Two Canadians were taken into custody in China shortly after Canadian police arrested a top Chinese telecom executive on a U.S. warrant Dec. 1.

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou is accused of evading U.S. sanctions against Iran. Although Canadian officials have not directly tied the detentions in China to Meng's arrest, former Canadian ambassador to China, David Mulroney, finds that unlikely. "One detention is bad enough. Two is terrible. Three underlines how ruthless China can be. It serves as a reminder for people that China is a detention state," he said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said earlier that the other two Canadians, former diplomat Michael Kovrig and business consultant Michael Spavor, are accused of endangering China's national security.

U.S. officials say Meng lied to banks about Huawei's control of Hong Kong-based Skycom, a company that allegedly sold U.S. goods to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions.

Meng is out on bail in Vancouver while she awaits a hearing on extradition to the United States. China has warned Canada of "grave consequences" if it does not free Meng.

President Donald Trump told Reuters last week that he would personally intervene in the Meng case if it would benefit U.S. national security or help close a trade deal with China.

Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, says it is easy for China to direct its anger at Canada, but that it should be blaming the United States instead. "The trade relationship, and more broadly strategically, is so important that they're afraid of whipping up the ire of the American president," Wiseman told VOA." And for them the most vital thing is getting to some sort of trade agreement with the United States because right now they're economy is actually on a downward slope."
Anthony Voci (right), chief of the homicide unit in the District Attorney's Office, is seen in this January 2018 file photo with DA Larry Krasner. Read more

A Philadelphia judge decided Friday not to remove a defense attorney in a murder case, as sought by the District Attorneys Office, instead scheduling a Jan. 18 hearing to listen to testimony from that lawyer and the chief of the district attorneys homicide unit.

At issue are conversations between the two attorneys about possible plea negotiations for the defendant and video evidence that allegedly showed misconduct by two homicide detectives after the fatal February shooting. Common Pleas Court Judge Barbara A. McDermott said she wanted to hear what each attorney had said during those conversations.

A motion filed Thursday by District Attorney Larry Krasner and Patricia Cummings, head of the offices Conviction Integrity Unit, had sought to disqualify defense attorney Bill Davis from representing the defendant because Davis' firm, McMonagle, Perri, McHugh, Mischak & Davis, has a contract with the local Fraternal Order of Police to represent officers accused of misconduct.

The motion referenced a Wednesday afternoon phone conversation between Davis and Anthony Voci, chief of the DAs homicide unit, in which Davis said he had obtained video evidence from Penn Presbyterian Medical Centers trauma bay that allegedly showed detectives Freddie Mole and Joseph Murray looking at the contents of a cell phone about 3:30 p.m. Feb. 11 before they had a search warrant to do so.

At that time, the defendant, Marquise Noel, 21, of Southwest Philadelphia, was in the hospitals trauma bay, where a private vehicle had taken him for treatment of a gunshot wound in a leg. Meanwhile, the body of Tafari Lawrence, 23, of Upper Darby, who was fatally wounded shortly before 2 p.m. that day at 75th Street and Elmwood Avenue, was also in the trauma bay.

Prosecutors and police contend that the cell phone was obtained from a bag recovered in the hospital that had Noels clothing and that the phone was Noels. Davis says he has seen no evidence that it was Noels phone.

According to prosecutors, information discovered on the phone was key to linking Noel as a suspect in Lawrences shooting death. Noel, who has pleaded not guilty, faces a June trial on charges of murder and related offenses.

Prosecutors contend that Davis, while telling Voci on Wednesday of the video evidence of alleged police misconduct, also said he did not want the video to become public because I dont want to end anyones career." Prosecutors allege that Davis' behavior resulted from his firms representation of police officers.

Davis has said that he called Voci about the video evidence to try to gain a favorable plea deal for Noel, given that, to him, the only real evidence prosecutors had against his client was the cell phone contents and that that information, he contended, was illegally obtained.

He told the Inquirer and Daily News on Thursday night that he had made the mistake during the conversation with the chief of homicide, Voci, of showing some humanity toward the police detectives: "I did tell [Voci] on a personal note that Ive known the assigned detectives, and I would love to avoid ending their careers and really hurting their families, if possible.

But Davis also said he told Voci that he realized Voci might have to reveal the video evidence of alleged police misconduct to his supervisors.

Davis also said Thursday and in court Friday that his firm does not have a conflict of interest by having a contract with the FOP and in his representation of Noel because his firm would not represent Mole and Murray in any matter and has declined in the past to represent officers accused of perjury.

Assistant District Attorney Jason Grenell of the homicide unit asked the judge on Friday to postpone a defense motion to suppress the cell phone evidence and to give prosecutors more time to investigate the case. The judge agreed to both matters and did not yet schedule a new hearing date for the motion to suppress, originally scheduled for Friday.

Assistant District Attorney Sarah Boyette of the Conviction Integrity Unit told the judge that although Davis has zealously advocated for his client, her offices position was that because of the concerns raised by Davis in his Wednesday phone conversation with Voci about the police detectives' careers, there could be a conflict of interest in Davis' continued representation of Noel because police and defendants have adverse interests.

Voci was in the courtroom Friday. At one point, when Davis told the judge that the District Attorneys Office believes the detectives committed perjury, Voci nodded in apparent agreement.

The judge on Friday also appointed a lawyer not involved in the proceedings for the defendant, so that he would have a separate, neutral attorney to discuss any potential conflict-of-interest concerns.

Police Commissioner Richard Ross said Friday that Mole and Murray have been removed from street duty while the Internal Affairs Division investigates the allegations against them.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross, right, speaks during a news conference as District Attorney Larry Krasner looks on in November. Read more

Philadelphia law enforcement officials believe that a surge in drug-related killings this year has contributed to the citys annual homicide total reaching its highest level in more than a decade.

As of Dec. 16, investigators had listed drugs as the primary motive in 120 of the citys 335 killings, according to police statistics  almost double the 62 drug-related homicides recorded through the same date last year.

Police often caution that statistics about motives can fluctuate as investigations progress. Still, 120 drug-related homicides would significantly outpace any year since 2007, according to police. Between then and 2017, the statistics show, drugs were listed as a primary motive in an average of about 42 homicides per year.

Drug-related Homicides Spike in 2018 Police department data show a sharp rise homicides in which drugs were listed as the primary motive SOURCE: Philadelphia Police Department Staff Graphic

Police Commissioner Richard Ross said in an interview this week that although illegal drug markets are not new, the city has attracted national attention during the opioid crisis for the availability and potency of drugs on the street. Dealers therefore may have more reason to turn to violence as they compete over control of lucrative territory, he said.

Clearly if you just look at motive alone, youre going to see that drugs is the number one driver, Ross said.

District Attorney Larry Krasner echoed that theory, telling WHYY on Tuesday that drug-related killings seemed to be the one real outlier in this years homicide total, currently 10 percent higher than at the same point last year, and the highest in any year since 2007, when 391 people were killed.

When theres a lot of money to be had, and people are fighting over turf, and they obviously cant go to court because its an illegal market, this is what one tends to see, Krasner said. So its going to be a crucial part of the efforts that the city makes, and that we make, to try to see how we can bring these numbers down.

The spike in homicides in Philadelphia comes as the murder rate in the nations 30 largest cities was expected to decline, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Brennan Center for Justice. The analysis credited large declines in Chicago and San Francisco with bringing the overall rate down. Other cities  including Washington, D.C., and Houston  were expected to have increases greater than Philadelphias, the analysis said.

Mayor Kenney in September declared the citys ongoing violence a public health crisis and demanded a report for solutions within 100 days. The report is expected to be released in early January.

Still, what is unusual about the uptick in killings, and a similar increase in nonfatal shootings, Ross and Krasner said, is that those escalations have come during a year in which the citys overall violent crime tally  which counts homicides, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults  is poised to decline. If the decrease holds by years end, 2018 will mark the third consecutive year that overall violent crime has gone down  and the total level of violent crime is already at levels not seen since the 1970s.

No mystery

Ross acknowledges that discussions of statistics can  and should  feel unimportant to those who have lost loved ones or been injured by gunfire or other crimes.

Its like we went over 300 [homicides] and now seemingly everyone is waking up, Ross said. When in reality we should stay awake on this because the bottom line is, this is alarming.

The share of drug-related homicides in the city has risen since 2013, when drugs were listed as a primary motive in about 12 percent of the citys 246 homicides, according to police statistics. That ratio increased to about 16 percent in 2014, the statistics say, and 21 percent in 2015.

This year, about 35 percent of all homicides were considered drug-related, according to police.

Krasner, speaking briefly on the matter after a news conference Wednesday, said such an increase seems to me to be logical. ... We are still dealing with one of the worst opioid crises in the United States.

Ross said the numbers painted a picture with no mystery ... when you ask whats driving the increase.

Drugs were an apparent motive in last months execution-style quadruple homicide in West Philadelphia, with police saying that two men and two women were shot dead in the basement of a rowhouse in a drug deal gone bad. Four men have since been charged in the crime.

A triple slaying in Frankford this month was also fueled by drugs, police said. A 31-year-old man fatally shot two men during an attempted drug robbery inside a rowhouse, then died from gunshot wounds he suffered during the shootout.

Seeking solutions

Geography offers other clues, if not definitive answers.

Police statistics show an increase in homicides this year in Southwest and Northwest Philadelphia  away from the citys most notorious drug markets in Kensington.

The Southwest Detective Division  which encompasses most of West and Southwest Philadelphia  was poised to record a 15 percent increase in homicides this year compared to 2017, the statistics say, and a 20 percent increase in nonfatal shootings.

And the Northwest Detective Division  which includes Germantown, East Oak Lane, and Olney  was likely to experience a 14 percent increase in homicides and a 19 percent uptick in nonfatal shootings, the statistics show.

Ross said the violence in Southwest Philadelphia seemed to be driven by feuds or arguments. Drugs, however  particularly marijuana  were contributing to the spike in the Northwest, he said.

Weve had homicides and shootings where we know they connect back to the sale of marijuana, said Ross.

The commissioner said that beyond adding detectives to the Homicide Division, he has transferred 20 more officers into the Narcotics Strike Force. And he said the departments crime-fighting approach has continued to evolve with the addition of an intelligence bureau and a real-time crime center, among other initiatives.

Still, he, Kenney, and Krasner all say that police should not be the only answer to violence reduction.

At the news conference with Krasner on Wednesday, the mayor said he wants his anti-violence report to be viewed as a public health document, and he has asked for solutions that relate not just to law enforcement, but also to economic development and social services.

We must get away from the mindset that policing is the only answer, Kenney said. We cant lock ourselves up out of this.
A firefighter comforts an unidentified family member at the scene of a fatal building collapse at Bailey and Jefferson Streets in North Philadelphia, on June 4, 2018. Read more

The violations from Philadelphia's Department of Licenses and Inspections had stacked up against the long-vacant property at Jefferson and Bailey Streets in North Philadelphia long before contractor Harvey Figgs reported to work Monday.

The exterior of the structure at 2621 W. Jefferson St., just east of Brewerytown, was not sound, L&I had deemed in May 2017. The property was unsafe. On a demolition permit issued Feb. 16, the building was to be demolished by hand-method only, permit records show, to comply with a dangerous case.

Which is why Figgs, a prominent Brewerytown contractor who turned 59 Sunday, entered the building Monday morning  to proceed with the demolition job that family members say he started last week. Hired to help tear down the 2,800-square-foot building in the neighborhoods booming real estate market, Figgs was crushed under rocks and rubble when a wall at the back of the building collapsed shortly before 11 a.m. He was found moments later by his brother-in-law, Anthony Baker, who works on the block and rushed to the scene after hearing a loud boom.

"He hollered, 'Help me! Help me! Help me!'" Baker said in a telephone interview Monday, recounting the moment he found Figgs. "And a bunch of other guys and I tried to dig the rocks off  but it was so many bricks that you just couldn't get to him."

By the time investigators arrived, Figgs had died. Several family members confirmed his death, although the Medical Examiner's Office said it was still investigating. It was one day before the city's observance of the fifth anniversary of the fatal collapse of a Salvation Army thrift store at 22nd and Market Streets in Center City.

A man who was working with Figgs was able to escape uninjured after being trapped, Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said. An L&I spokeswoman said the city and the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration were investigating. No additional information was released.

As Philadelphia has experienced an unprecedented development boom, with property values surging and new real estate projects multiplying citywide, the collapse served as a stark reminder of the significant construction risks that still loom. The Brewerytown area, in particular, has experienced prodigious revitalization in the last few years, as developers of both large and small scale have inundated the once dis-invested area, snatching up lower-priced properties to redevelop and flip for profits.

In long-neglected neighborhoods such as Brewerytown, where dozens of homes and lots have sat vacant for years or decades, such redevelopment projects  while often jackpots for the developers who gamble on them  can present hazards to the contractors who work inside them. According to information provided by L&I in January, nearly 180 properties citywide were considered "imminently dangerous," meaning they posed such significant health and safety concerns that they must be eradicated immediately. And 4,400 more at the time were deemed "unsafe" by L&I  still dangerous, but not critically unstable.

According to multiple neighbors on the block, the property at 2621 W. Jefferson St. had sat vacant for decades, and had racked up a list of L&I violations along the way  ranging from being deemed "unsafe" in May 2017 to a violation as small as "exterior area weeds," the latest, issued last October. The building was last purchased in April 2017 by Rollup LLC, a development group based in Churchville, Bucks County, for $260,000. (The adjacent property at 1501 N. Bailey St. was included in the deal.) Neither Valery Kravets or Alex Yevtushenko, whose names are registered to the LLC, according to state records, could be reached for comment.

The collapse of Rollup LLC's building joins a growing list of buildings across Philadelphia that have unexpectedly collapsed in the last four years. Since 2014, news accounts show, at least a dozen buildings have unexpectedly collapsed  starting with at least eight buildings that buckled in March 2014, followed by the partial collapse of a North Philadelphia apartment building in 2015, a Southwest Philly warehouse in 2016, and then, earlier this month, the collapse of a home in Germantown, among other incidents.

None matched the tragedy of the deadly collapse that killed seven people five years ago at the Salvation Army building at 22nd and Market Streets in Center City. The five-year anniversary of that accident will be marked with a ceremony dedicating a memorial there at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

According to Karen Guss, a spokeswoman at L&I, only a small number of collapses occur in the course of construction. Many buildings collapse on their own.

Still, construction safety advocates say, each has become a painful reminder of what can go wrong amid Philadelphia's development boom.

"It's disturbing that collapses are still happening  especially on just about the five-year anniversary of the largest building collapse in Philadelphia history," said Andrew Duffy, an attorney at Philadelphia-based Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky, which represented victims in the Salvation Army collapse. " There is no reason anybody should go to work at a demolition project and not come home."

In North Philadelphia on Monday afternoon, friends and family gathered outside Figgs' home on 27th Street to pay condolences.

"He was like an uncle to me," said Coley Townes, 40, who previously lived beside Figgs and who stopped by Monday to hug Figgs' mother. "He was well-respected around here  it's just sad that he died doing what he loved to do."

But Figgs was more than just respected, those who knew him said. As a nearly 50-year resident of the Brewerytown area, he was a fixture.

In an interview with the Inquirer in April 2017, Figgs described moving to Brewerytown in the 1960s  not long after the city's race riots  and settling into a neighborhood grappling with massive disinvestment and poverty. Eventually, as the area's real estate market heated up, becoming one of the hottest markets in the city, Figgs found consistent work as a contractor, he said at the time, working with both large and small developers on new projects.

"I've done projects in Brewerytown because I'm a black contractor and I live in the 19121 zip code," Figgs said in the interview. "Most of these guys give me work because I've been in the neighborhood for so long and it looks good when people see me with them and talking to them."

Yet the gentrification in his neighborhood was not lost on him, he said, and he found himself often excited by the work he was receiving as a result of the real estate boom, but upset to see African American friends and relatives at risk of displacement as wealthier and whiter residents moved in.

That kind of concern for those around him, friends and relatives said, made him more than just a well-known contractor in his community.

"He would give you the shirt off his back to help a person," said Shawn Speedwell, 55, who grew up with Figgs in Brewerytown. "Damn hard worker, damn good worker. He knew his job."

Figgs' older sister, Ann Baker, reached by phone Monday, agreed.

"He liked to entertain family and friends and have company over, and he loved his [four children] and loved his [two] grandkids," Baker said. "He was responsible. He had a wonderful work ethic. Really able to do a lot physical and manual labor unlike anyone else I knew that was his age."

And those who knew him best, she said, knew he loved a good steak. For dinner on his 59th birthday Sunday, surrounded by his children and grandchildren at Morton's The Steakhouse in the King of Prussia Mall, he ordered a ribeye  his favorite  and celebrated another year.

Staff writers Joseph A. Gambardello, Mark Fazlollah, and Alfred Lubrano contributed to this article.
Philadelphia School Superintendent William Hite and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, shown in this file photo, helped launch a new website to attract teachers to schools of all sectors across the city. Read more

Want to teach in Philadelphia? A new website will make it easier to find a job in hundreds of city schools.

Launched Tuesday and backed by Mayor Kenney and Superintendent William R. Hite Jr., TeachPHL lists open educational positions in traditional public, charter, and private schools across the city. Its a rare step for Philadelphia, where there have traditionally been sharp divisions among the sectors.

Connecting prospective teachers to open jobs is a central aim, said Mark Gleason, executive director of the Philadelphia School Partnership, which organized and bankrolled the website. But more important is selling Philadelphia as a destination for educators.

We need Philadelphia to be a place that teachers want to work, a place that teachers want to live, a place that teachers feel connected to the positive momentum the city has moving forward," Gleason said at a news conference in City Hall. Launching this website is really intended to catalyze an effort to attract and keep teachers in Philadelphia.

The teaching profession struggles with high rates of turnover; the problem is particularly acute in Philadelphia, which has a higher teacher-mobility rate than the national average.

Kenney said he backed the site, which he hopes will capitalize on a lot of positive momentum in our schools right now. The effort, he said, was crucial.

Teachers have the most important job in the city, the mayor said.

In the past, there was no central clearinghouse for Philadelphia teaching jobs. The Philadelphia School District is one of the nations largest school systems and is by far the largest employer in the city, with 220 schools and over 8,000 teachers. It offers the highest pay, and with a strong teachers' union the most job security.

Small schools sometimes struggle to attract a large pool of candidates, said Laurada Byers, founder of the Russell Byers Charter School and chair of Philadelphia Charters for Excellence, a group that advocates for high-quality charters in the city. Having this resource so were on the same footing as the district is really exciting, said Byers. Im thrilled.

The superintendent also said he was excited by the effort, which could help the district fill dozens of existing job vacancies and recruit next years crop of teachers.

Hite said he was not worried about competition for candidates.

We think that by drawing more individuals into the pot who may be interested in Philadelphia, we think it increases not just the number of candidates, but the quality, he said.

The website concentrates professional development and scholarship opportunities, tells teachers where they can get discounts, and sells the city -- hard. (Dont even get us started on the food! it claims, as well as: "Getting around the city is a breeze. Philly has an expansive network of public transportation and pedestrian-friendly streets, allowing for travel to almost anyplace in the city without the use of a car.)

The challenges of teaching in Philadelphia are well documented, from building conditions to student need.

Teaching is a hard job, especially in urban contexts, said Gleason, whose nonprofit spent just under $50,000 on developing and producing the site. In many ways, teachers dont get rewarded at the same level as folks in other fields.

But, Gleason said, the aim with TeachPHL was to think creatively about how to promote the city as a place where educators plant roots, despite challenges.

How can we all work together as partners to create a situation where teachers stay for 10 years, not five? Or 15, not 10? Gleason said.
Sheldon Abba, 33, is an artist who volunteers to distribute Philabundance food every Wednesday in the parking lot of the Lillian Marrero Public Library. Read more

Volunteers at the outdoor food pantry in Fairhill slide potatoes, gray and outrageously bulbous, into bags held by hungry, low-income residents from the neighborhood, Philadelphias poorest.

Careful not to photograph the food recipients, one of the volunteers  local artist Sheldon Abba  points his camera instead at the meaty tubers and takes the shot.

Since March, Abba, who is 33, has been volunteering and snapping pictures at this food distribution in the parking lot of the Lillian Marrero public library. The produce, part of the so-called Fresh for All program, is trucked every Wednesday from Philabundance, the largest hunger-relief agency in the region.

Equipped with a camera and a social conscience, Abba captures the slow-motion emergency of never-ending need symbolized by the Marrero distribution  distro in Abbas parlance. As many as 200 people come to this spot each week.

Thousands more collect in queues at the 900 other food pantries in the area, gatherings that most people never notice. The ubiquity of the lines makes them no less vital, in that each food distribution literally saves lives, say experts who study hunger in Philadelphia, the poorest of Americas big cities.

Volunteers and food

Abbas primary subjects are the volunteers and the food. What Im documenting," says Abba, who lives in North Philadelphia, "are parts of the unseen things that make distros happen.

"This whole thing is organized by individuals helping people they dont know. Its a powerful thing for strangers to do for people. The volunteers have a calling; Theyre genuine and selfless, the most impactful things about the distro.

Abba volunteers because, he says, its more meaningful for an artist if hes involved with the city he lives in: "I feel like you have to.

That Abba cannot bring himself to aim his small, Yashica T4 film camera at Fresh for All clients can seem confounding: How does someone who is chronicling hunger and need not depict those who are suffering? Abba deciding to feature the food distribution volunteers and the food may seem like photographing a fire scene without showing the flames or the damage  only the firefighters and their hoses.

Still, Abba understands, hes portraying the response to a catastrophe. I dont shoot people out of respect, he said. Lots of people will shoot photos of devastation, but thats poverty porn, and its not my intention.

Robeana Thomas, 63, one of the outdoor pantry clients, said she actually wouldnt mind being photographed because people should know about Fairhill and its astonishing 61 percent poverty rate.

I think its fantastic he takes pictures, said Thomas, a former Army sergeant with four grown children living in Texas. Shes a widow living on a low, fixed income. Hes making a record. Itll show whats out here.

"The people who show up need food, but they also have children and grandchildren to feed. They wouldnt be out here standing in the cold if they didnt need to eat. So, we need to spread the word.

Skateboards and low rents

Abba isnt sure how hell present the photos. The ideas are still marinating.

But theres a good chance hell display them somewhere because for him, social justice is a natural subject.

Raised in Danbury, Conn., by parents who immigrated from India in the 1980s, Abba moved to Philadelphia partly because people skateboarded here and the rent was low. He graduated from Temple University, where he studied advertising and marketing.

Initially, Abba ran a small clothing brand with a skateboarder-rock 'n' roller vibe called Radlands. Hes worked as a project manager, helping to produce events around the city for nonprofits and other organizations.

When Hurricane Maria struck in September 2017, Abba traveled to Puerto Rico with other artists to document the aftermath and the response to the devastation.

He did phenomenal work, said well-known Fairhill activist Charito Morales, a community organizer with Providence Center, an education-focused nonprofit in the neighborhood. She was in Puerto Rico at the same time Abba was. His photos put pressure on the federal government to make people understand all that happened in Puerto Rico.

Abba has portrayed Morales, who volunteers at the Marrero site, in some of his photos.

Its important for all of us involved in hunger and poverty to express whats going on, Morales said. Maybe by seeing what we do through Sheldons work, more people will help.

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.
The former Wordsworth facility for troubled youths, which was shut down after 17-year-old David Hess died in a struggle with staff members in 2016. Read more

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) has failed the states most vulnerable children by allowing its system of residential facilities for troubled or disadvantaged youths to become plagued by physical and sexual abuse, poor supervision, or other problems, according to a report released Thursday by two advocacy groups.

Children in Pennsylvanias residential care are being harmed by the very system created to protect them because of a shocking lack of oversight and accountability, said the report, written by staffers with the organizations, Childrens Rights and the Philadelphia-based Education Law Center.

The report, about a year in the making, said it found statewide patterns of abuse or violence at facilities where Pennsylvania children have been sent for foster care or rehabilitation. It also alleged that DHS  the agency tasked with licensing such facilities and correcting reported issues  often gave a rubber stamp to corrective plans that the facilities developed, then failed to meaningfully enforce them even if similar issues were reported again at the same facilities.

Colin Day, a DHS spokesperson, said in a statement that agency officials had not yet reviewed the report but planned to meet with the authors after doing so. Day also said that DHS was engaged in a multi-year process to strengthen the health and safety protections of its licensing process, which he said would include quicker action around corrective plans and altering how it examined data when deciding whether to issue a license.

The report comes in the wake of stories published over the last two years by the Inquirer and Daily News that detailed allegations of child abuse at two Philadelphia-area facilities, Wordsworth and the Glen Mills School.

>>READ MORE: I cant breathe: Probe underway at Glen Mills after staffer attacks boy

Philadelphia City Councilwoman Helen Gym also has developed a task force  which includes representatives from the citys Department of Human Services, the District Attorneys Office, the Defender Association, and the School District, among others  to try to reduce the number of children in institutional placement.

At Wordsworth, 17-year-old David Hess died in a struggle with staffers in October 2016. The West Philadelphia facility was later closed, and the Inquirer and Daily News reported that it had a hidden history of abuse in the decade before that, with dozens of reports of sex crimes and assaults against children.

This July at Glen Mills, two staffers allegedly assaulted a 17-year-old from Philadelphia. The two men, Christopher Medina, 32, and Patrick Raquet, 34, were later arrested and charged, but the case against Raquet was dismissed last week, according to court records. Emily Harris, a spokesperson for the Delaware County District Attorneys Office, said he was expected be rearrested on a charge of simple assault.

Medina, meanwhile, was held for trial last week on counts of aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment, and endangering the welfare of children, according to court records. An additional count of aggravated assault and four additional counts of simple assault were dismissed, the records said.

>>READ MORE: Death, rapes, and broken bones at Phillys only residential treatment center for troubled youth

In an interview Thursday, Gym said she found the report upsetting and appalling.

I think it confirms what weve known for a long time: that these facilities lack consistent, serious oversight, to the extent that I have serious concerns that children in certain situations can be in danger," Gym said.

Elissa Glucksman Hyne, who coauthored the report with Christina Wilson Remlin and Maura McInerney, said it was based off a review of publicly available violation reports for 259 facilities owned by 36 separate legal entities. The facilities house children who have been placed outside the home due to juvenile justice or child welfare issues.

According to the findings, children at those facilities were physically maltreated 156 times between May 2010 and May 2018, and children were exposed to inappropriate sexual contact 73 times. There were also 92 incidents in which a staff member inappropriately restrained a child, according to the report.

Nearly half of the legal entities operating such facilities had repeat violations for physical or sexual maltreatment, the report said. And while facilities are required to develop corrective plans in writing, the authors said DHS typically approved the plans of correction regardless of their quality" and did little to enforce them.

The report also said that there was not sufficient oversight and accountability for the schooling that children receive in out-of-home placement, exacerbating the fate of children who most need assistance.

Hyne said that she has studied the child welfare system for more than eight years and that the findings included in this report were alarming. She and her coauthors called for DHS to develop stronger corrective oversight and increase staff training, and for the state to reduce the number of children in placement overall.

The children "dont have a voice, they kind of fade into the background, Hyne said. Enough people arent looking out for them.
An 18-year-old man has been charged in the fatal beating of a retired postal worker last year in Darby Borough.

Tramaine Warfield was charged with second-degree murder for the Oct. 24, 2017, death of Brad Hayes, 57, of Clifton Heights, Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun M. Copeland said Thursday.

Just after 4 a.m. that day, police found Hayes unconscious in the back seat of a black 2006 Chrysler 300 parked partially on the curb in front of Penn Wood Middle School. Hayes was taken to Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital and pronounced dead.

Surveillance video showed an unknown assailant hitting and stomping Hayes and then placing his body in the backseat of the Chrysler. The assailant attempted to drive the Chrysler away but then ran away with Hayes wallet and mobile phone. The wallet was recovered nearby.

Copeland said Darby Borough police sent evidence, including a Donovan McNabb Eagles jersey worn by Hayes, to the Pennsylvania State Police for DNA testing. Earlier this month, Darby Borough police got back test results identifying Warfield as a possible match, Copeland said.

Warfield was interviewed by police on Dec. 11 at the Delaware County Courthouse and denied knowing Hayes, but he later confessed to encountering Hayes and that he did not intend to kill him, Copeland said.

Im not a monster. I just wish I could go back in time, he told police, according to Copeland.

Court records list Warfields last known address as Morgantown in Berks County. Warfield, who also was charged with robbery and related offenses, was denied bail and was being held at the Delaware County prison.
Paige Joki, an attorney with the Education Law Center, filed a state complaint on behalf of two homeless Philadelphia students. (Education Law Center) Read more

Twice last school year, Philadelphia homeless students lost out on special education services because the city School District failed to appoint advocates to fight for their rights.

Now, the district must come up with a new system to make sure such surrogate parents are assigned promptly to homeless students eligible for special-education services and tracked. Also, the state will soon issue guidance to districts and charter schools across Pennsylvania reminding them of their legal obligation to do the same.

The changes come as a result of a complaint filed by the Education Law Center, a city-based nonprofit that advocates for students across the state. Paige Joki, the lawyer who filed the complaint, said the two students cases were indicative of a larger problem.

We believe that these barriers are systemic, said Joki, whose work centers on homeless students. This is not just a School District of Philadelphia problem.

Under federal law, school districts have 30 days to name surrogate parents to advocate and sign off on educational decisions for unaccompanied disabled students experiencing homelessness. These volunteers are often people who have a relationship with the children they represent.

In the case of the two Philadelphia students, whose names are being withheld to protect their privacy, no such advocates were assigned.

One of the students was pushed to graduate, forfeiting her future educational rights. The other was placed in a life-skills class that failed to meet her needs, Joki said.

Such students may run away or be forced out of homes, said Joki, who advocates for homeless youth in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties. They are disproportionately students of color, pregnant students, LGBT students, or students coming out of the foster care system.

These students have often tried to self-advocate, but they dont have the legal ability to assert their own rights, said Joki.

A state investigation prompted by the Education Law Centers complaint with the Department of Education revealed that in an entire school year, the district formally assigned just two surrogate parents for all children in foster care or experiencing homelessness.

That low number suggests a failure of the SDP to identify children in need of [surrogate] parents, the state found in response to the Law Centers complaint.

Karyn Lynch, the districts chief of student support services, disputed the notion that there was a problem larger than the failure to meet two students' needs. In most cases, Lynch said, building-level staff, such as principals, often find appropriate surrogates for homeless pupils who require special-education services, and the central office does not get involved.

That does not mean that surrogates were not identified all across the district, Lynch said.

We serve 19,000 special education students, she said. Its unfortunate that two of them had this experience.

The state ordered the school system to immediately assign surrogate parents and provide compensatory education to the two students. It also required Philadelphia to devise a new system to make sure all unaccompanied homeless students with special-education needs are promptly given advocates.

It also said that it would re-issue guidance to each district and charter school in the commonwealth, emphasizing their legal responsibilities in this area and encouraging them to disaggregate the data around unaccompanied homeless students with special needs.

Statewide, there are more than 4,000 unaccompanied homeless students.

The states action in this matter represents vital progress for unaccompanied youth with disabilities, who will now have a system that identifies and serves them, Joki said in a statement. As our clients cases illustrate, youth who are on their own risk being pushed to graduate or being deprived of services they desperately need to succeed in life.
PennDOT is reconstructing the southbound side of I-95 between Allegheny and Girard Ave.s. Work is shown on Dec. 20, 2018 by Berks St. (CHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer) Read more

Well, the forecast that called for rain, rain, and more rain for the first two days of winter has been spot on. The tradeoff is that temperatures are up in the 60s today in Philly. Ill take it. One thing the rain wont help: traffic. And neither does the seemingly never-ending construction on I-95, which wont be done for a very long time.

This newsletters going quiet over the holiday, returning to your inboxes Wednesday, Dec. 26, but you can always find the latest news at Philly.com. Until then, I hope you enjoy time with your loved ones. (And stay dry!)

Reading this online? Sign up here to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every morning.

 Josh Rosenblat (@joshrosenblat, morningnewsletter@philly.com)

Commuters have been facing diversions and traffic delays along I-95 due to a massive construction project for a while now. And the planners, engineers, managers, and laborers who have worked on rebuilding the highways 51 miles in Pennsylvania may never see what a completed I-95 looks like. The construction is being completed in four phases, some slated to finish up in the 2020s, 2030s and beyond.

A reader who wondered how much longer the work, which has been ongoing for more than a decade, will last, asked our newsroom about it using our Curious Philly question-and-answer forum.

Surrounded by those who worked to push the bill through City Council two weeks ago, Mayor Jim Kenney signed a law that will make schedules for retail, fast-food, and hospitality workers predictable.

Philadelphia is now the nations second biggest city to have a scheduling law, behind New York.

The law will go into effect in 2020. Large companies will have to set workers' schedules two weeks ahead of time, pay premiums if schedules are changed after that date, and offer available shifts to current workers over hiring new people.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia opened a fund last month that would compensate victims of child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.

But, this fund isnt available to victims who were abused by someone who belonged to an independent Catholic religious order. About a quarter of the abuse claims submitted so far have been rejected because the alleged abuse was from members religious orders, such as the Franciscans, Augustinians, or Jesuits.

Earlier this week, 11 Jesuit priests who worked in Philadelphia in the past were named in a newly released list of clerics who had been credibly accused of sexually abusing a minor.

What you need to know today

Another major cabinet official will leave President Donald Trumps administration early in 2019. Trump announced Thursday that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will leave his position in February.

A 245-ton behemoth of trash was dumped between two of Philadelphias three main drinking water sources, the Water Department announced. The eye-popping illegal dump contained contained tires, construction debris, and run-of-the-mill trash.

Four Miss America state organizations  including Pennsylvania  and other individuals related to the pageant, are suing Miss America board chair Gretchen Carlson and CEO Regina Hopper for orchestrating what the suit calls an illegal and bad faith take over of the Miss America Organization.

A bill that would limit drug reps from giving gifts to doctors and require pharma sales reps to buy licenses, among other things, looked primed to go to a City Council vote. On Thursday, though, it was pulled from consideration.

The tenure of Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam Jr. hasnt quite worked the way that he and his supporters wanted. Reporter Amy Rosenberg dives into how, exactly, a man who got into a fist fight at a casino and was raided by the FBI and IRS  both in the last couple months  got elected in the first place?

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf caused a stir Wednesday when he came out in support of looking into legalizing recreational marijuana. But to make it happen, a bill would still need to pass through the state legislature in Harrisburg. And many GOP lawmakers want to keep Pa. from becoming the Keystoner State.

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

City Halls looking , @aimeebsiegel.

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and well pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!

Thats Interesting

Opinions

To be clear, the death of any mother or baby should be prevented at all costs, no matter their race. But the reality is that black women face the greatest danger when they deliver their children.  Mashayla Hays, reproductive justice fellow at New Voices and the Womens Law Project in Pittsburgh, on black womens maternal mortality rate.

Considering the U.S. Olympic Committees handling of serial sexual predator Larry Nassar, Marci Hamilton, a Penn professor and CEO of CHILD USA, a think tank to prevent child abuse and neglect, wants a seat belt created to protect the approximately 45 million American children who play sports from abuse.

New Jersey Democrats are wise to stop with their gerrymandering plan, the Inquirer Editorial Board writes.

What were reading

Artist Billy Blaise Dufala, who went to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, co-founded a nonprofit that basically makes really cool art out of garbage. Every winter, Dufala makes something huge out of trash and it gets photographed for holiday cards. And, of course, Dufala chose Gritty as this years subject. Philly Mag has all the Gritty-as-art-but-made-from-trash pictures your fuzzy orange heart desires.

The leader of the Philadelphia Office for LGBT Affairs is working to change the way Philly perceives its LGBT+ community. Philadelphia Weekly profiles Amber Hikes, particularly focusing on her efforts to give more representation to queer people of color.

Philadelphia has a high poverty rate, but fewer people live on the citys streets than in other major cities. Part of the reason is because of a group called Project HOME, reports WHYY.

The last couple of years, pop music has turned from a one-size-fits-all model to one that pushes subgenres to the forefront. Now, thanks to the largely frictionless internet, and the evolution in how Billboard calculates its charts ... these styles top the charts in unfiltered fashion, writes The New York Times' Jon Caramanica.

This might be too meta, but Lifehacker suggests writing an email newsletter to your friends or family this holiday season. Its intentional, somewhat private and nice to receive.

Your Daily Dose of | Mummers

The iconic artist behind Phillys Magic Gardens is bringing more color to the next Mummers Parade. Isaiah Zagar created a custom 75-pound suit from a mosaic of colorful tiles and bicycle wheels for a member of the Golden Sunrise club in the Fancy Division.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania speaks at a news conference in the state Capitol after legislation to respond to a landmark grand jury report accusing hundreds of Roman Catholic priests of sexually abusing children over decades stalled in the Legislature, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018 in Harrisburg, Pa. Shapiro is flanked by lawmakers and victims of child sexual abuse. Read more

Recently, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that it would not permit the release of the identities of 11 Catholic priests named in a state grand jury report regarding sexual abuse of minors. Attorney General Josh Shapiro responded by reiterating his position that the entire, unredacted report should be made public, since every predator priest must be held accountable for [his] abhorrent conduct.

While I share Shapiros concerns, as someone who has conducted and participated in numerous federal, state, and county grand jury investigations, I believe that the Supreme Court was right to forbid publication of the priests names. Heres why.

>> READ MORE: Pa. Supreme Court: Names of Catholic clergy will remain shielded

Years ago, I represented two witnesses before a grand jury investigating child sexual abuse by clerics of the Philadelphia Archdiocese. My adult clients had been molested when they were altar boys, and their graphic testimony about their abuse by their parish priests was shocking and nauseating.

This representation resulted in other victims coming to me for legal assistance. Their stories followed a similar pattern. Almost all had been altar boys from working-class families and had been victimized by priests who had befriended their parents and, in many instances, had become regular guests in their homes.

In some cases, the priest molested his victim in the parents home within earshot of family members. Other times, with parental permission, he would take the child on an overnight trip to a remote location where the sexual assault would take place.

Too often, when the victim complained to his parents, he would be reprimanded for lying about a man of God. So it was that the child would be trapped in an inescapable nightmare.

Many of the parents told me that their son had been a happy, outgoing child. But then, suddenly and mysteriously, he became sullen and withdrawn. This change usually coincided with the childs first sexual assault.

Now I firmly believe that almost all of my clients were telling the truth. They appeared to be sincere, and my questioning of witnesses and investigation of the surrounding facts corroborated their narratives.

But I had one client who proved to be an outright liar. He sounded convincing, but, when I investigated, his story fell apart. He turned out to be a con artist trying to shake down the Archdiocese for money damages, and I terminated our professional relationship.

And therein lies the problem. Anyone can make an accusation, but how do we know if its true?

Having conducted grand jury investigations for almost two decades, I can assure you that many things said in the grand jury later prove to be false. So, to protect lives, livelihoods, and reputations, testimony before a grand jury is kept secret.

Ordinarily, grand juries make their findings known through voting indictments or presentments by which individuals are criminally charged. These persons then have the opportunity to defend themselves and their reputations in a public trial. In addition, Pennsylvania grand juries may issue reports on the matters they have investigated. But since these reports do not constitute formal criminal charges to be tried in open court, the persons named in them have no means of clearing their names.

Thats the case for the 11 priests named in the states grand jury report. They may dispute the truth of the accusations against them. But, having been identified in a report instead of an indictment or presentment recommending charges, these priests have no way of fighting back if they have been wrongfully accused.

I am fed up and sickened by the Catholic hierarchys shameful attempts to cover up its plague of child sexual abuse. But I believe the Supreme Court got it right when it precluded the publication of the 11 names.

If the attorney general believes that he has solid evidence of crimes committed by these 11 priests, then he should bring criminal charges against them and go to court where both sides can fight it out. Otherwise, like in Las Vegas, what happens in the grand jury should stay in the grand jury, and the names should be kept secret.

George Parry is a former federal and state prosecutor who practices law in Philadelphia. He is a regular contributor to The American Spectator and blogs at knowledgeisgood.net. He may be reached by email at kignet1@gmail.com.
He is expected to discuss a shipment of US$8 million worth of humanitarian aid to North Korea at a bilateral working-group meeting with South Korean officials on Friday. Whether that is a big enough carrot to coax the North back to the dialogue table remains to be seen.

On arrival at Incheon International Airport on Wednesday, Biegun promised to ease a travel ban for Americans bringing humanitarian aid to North Korea.

The move was apparently aimed at persuading North Korea to return to the negotiating table after Pyongyang warned in an official statement that it will never unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons unless the U.S. first removes the current "nuclear threat."

Stephen Biegun, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, visited the Joint Security Area in the border truce village of Panmunjom on the first leg of his visit here on Thursday morning.

Asked if humanitarian shipments are on the agenda, South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kyu-duk told reporters, "We expect it to be discussed."

Seoul first proposed sending the $8 million worth of assistance for a mother-child health and nutrition program through UNICEF and the World Food Programme in September last year, but delayed the shipment in consideration of U.S.-led international sanctions.

The working-group meeting will also discuss exemptions from sanctions for the ground-breaking ceremony on a project to reconnect cross-border railways and roads on Dec. 26, video-link reunions of families separated by the Korean War, modernization of North Korean tree nurseries, and the launch of a new air route between the two Koreas.

Biegun is increasingly desperate to find a breakthrough as the North has refused to take part in follow-up talks in the four months since he was appointed, a diplomatic source in Washington said.

"The North wants either the lifting or the easing of sanctions," said Prof. Kim Sung-han of Korea University, a former vice foreign minister. "There's little room for compromise between Washington's [humanitarian] offerings and Pyongyang's demands."

The problem is that there is little room for maneuver for Biegun and that Washington's patience is not boundless. "Washington is letting Biegun offer a carrot to the North while keeping sanctions in place," a diplomatic source said. "But the White House is discussing Plan B to pressure Pyongyang with tougher sanctions if his diplomatic efforts fail."

"The Trump administration's position is that it will be impossible to ease or lift sanctions until Pyongyang denuclearizes, but that it will reconsider or postpone additional sanctions if Pyongyang responds to talks," the source added.

Washington wants the UN Security Council to endorse a UN Commission of Inquiry's recommendations on North Korean human rights, which include targeted sanctions against those most responsible for human rights violations, a U.S. State Department said, according to Voice of America on Wednesday.

Antony Blinken, a former U.S. deputy secretary of state, at a seminar Tuesday warned that the crisis could come to a head again, bringing a return to the so-called "bloody nose" strategy, which is aimed at responding to North Korea's provocations with carefully targeted attacks on military facilities.


Fortunately, Democratic legislative leaders in New Jersey finally woke up, and realized voters are fed up with gerrymandering and want fair elections.

During the last several weeks, New Jerseys Democratic legislative leaders pushed a plan to redraw district maps using voter data that would further entrench their dominance in state elections. But the plan ran into fierce opposition not only from Republicans, but also from Democrats, including Gov. Murphy and Eric Holder, the attorney general under President Barack Obama, who leads a group seeking to combat gerrymandering districts.

During hearings last week, more than 100 progressive activists and academics testified against the bill. The only supporters were the authors of the bill (Nicholas Scutari and Stephen Sweeney in the Senate, and Lou Greenwald and Carol Murphy in the Assembly).

In the face of such opposition, Senate President Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin wisely decided on Monday to shelve the plan. This was a win for democracy. It was also a lesson for Democrats in New Jersey and beyond not to follow the same cynical path as their Republican colleagues, who moved to strip power from incoming Democratic leaders in Wisconsin and Michigan.

Polls show nearly everyone hates gerrymandering. Voters in four states  Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, and Utah  approved ballot measures last month that rein in partisan gerrymandering. In January, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled the states congressional map, drawn by Republican lawmakers, was unconstitutional. The court gave the legislature and governor three weeks to develop a replacement map, but when an agreement could not be reached, it imposed its own.

Gov. Wolf created a bipartisan commission last month charged with finding ways to make redistricting in Pennsylvania more fair, but Republicans dismissed the executive order as grandstanding. Instead of whining, Republicans would be wise to work with Democrats to create a permanent independent commission to ensure fair districts going forward.

Gerrymandering has been around since the dawn of the republic, but Republicans in Pennsylvania and other states have taken it to new extremes in the last decade, especially after former Obama was elected in 2008,

First, Republicans focused on winning control of state governments that oversee the redistricting that takes place every decade after the census. Once in control, Republicans used sophisticated computer mapping to cluster Democrats into a handful of districts while packing the majority of districts with Republicans.

Such gerrymandering helped Republicans win two-thirds of the congressional seats in Pennsylvania despite usually losing the statewide popular vote. Under the redrawn maps, Democrats gained three seats and the incoming congressional delegation will be evenly split, 9-9, and include four women in the previous all-male club.

In New Jersey, Democrats already have significant majorities in both state houses. The latest power grab attempt didnt sit well even with many Democrats.

Efforts to tilt districts to essentially rig elections before votes are even cast has infuriated voters and helped deepen the current partisan divide. Instead, lawmakers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and beyond should work to restore democracy and create fair and nonpartisan districts that ensure competition from all parties.
The Phillies have talked to the Texas Rangers about trading for lefty Mike Minor. Read more

A day after Manny Machado knocked on their front door, the Phillies found themselves in a position where their offseason could be coming down to landing Machado or bust.

And they might not find out about the All-Star infielder until after the holidays.

The Phillies chances of landing Bryce Harper -- whom the team viewed as a fallback option if they failed to sign Machado -- slimmed on Friday as the Dodgers created both payroll room and a space in their outfield for Harper to fill.

The Dodgers shipped outfielders Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp to the Reds as part of a seven-player trade. The Dodgers are in on the Harper sweepstakes and Harper -- perhaps baseballs biggest star -- is keen on playing in Los Angeles.

But first the Dodgers had to find both the money and lineup spot. The trade -- which also included the Dodgers parting with Kyle Farmer and Alex Wood while acquiring prospects Jeter Downs and Josiah Gray and pitcher Homer Bailey -- saved the Dodgers roughly $25 million for 2019 and freed up right field. The stars seem to be aligning for Harper to land in Hollywood.

The Phillies met last week with Harpers agent Scott Boras  but Harper was not present  at the winter meetings in Las Vegas, Harpers hometown. They continue to monitor the star right-fielders market, realizing its likely that hell sign after Machado. According to a report by Jon Heyman, Machado told teams that he will not make a decision until 2019.

Machado flew home to Miami on Friday morning after spending more than four hours inside Citizens Bank Park and then dining in Center City with team officials. In three days, he met with the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, and Phillies. The Yankees seem to be the biggest competition for Machado, but they are not willing to offer the amount of money and length of contract that the Phillies are.

Its not known whether Machado went home with any offers. Even if he did, though, a contract of this magnitude  Machado is seeking a record-setting pact that could exceed either the average annual value of Zack Greinkes deal ($34.4 million) or the overall total of Giancarlo Stantons ($325 million)  often includes the negotiation of player opt-outs, a no-trade clause, and other complexities.

It wont come together in a day or two, and perhaps not even until after the holidays or early January. The 26-year-old superstar has informed the three teams that he will be waiting until after the start of the New Year to reveal his choice, the MLB Network reported Friday.

Clearly, though, the Phillies have made Machado their top priority. After answering his knock on Thursday, theyre hoping his next visit to Citizens Bank Park will be to sign a contract.

Meanwhile, the Phillies have other needs to address. Here's a look at where things stand as they head into Christmas week:

1. Will the pitching staff take a left turn?

The Phillies continue to seek left-handed pitching, both in the rotation and the bullpen. Problem is, the free-agent options are dwindling.

Andrew Miller was a prime Phillies target, according to multiple sources, and wouldve been a good fit for manager Gabe Kaplers bullpen considering his willingness to pitch in any role. But Friday, the 33-year-old signed a two-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals reportedly worth $25 million.

The Phillies could now turn to fellow lefty Zach Britton. Team president Andy MacPhail, general manager Matt Klentak and assistant GM Ned Rice worked for the Orioles in Brittons early years in Baltimore, and the Phillies pursued Britton before the trade deadline in July.

But Britton is the most accomplished lefty reliever remaining on the market and doesnt lack for suitors. Craig Kimbrel and Adam Ottavino are right-handed, and Kimbrel is reportedly seeking a nine-figure contract. Its doubtful he will get it from the Phillies.

2. Is a Minor trade in the works?

According to two sources, the Phillies have talked with the Texas Rangers about trading for lefty Mike Minor, who would get a chance to compete for a spot in the rotation but has a strong track record in the bullpen.

Minor, 30, posted a 4.18 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 157 innings over 28 starts for the Rangers last season. He had his most success in a relief role for the Kansas City Royals (2.55 ERA, 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings) in 2017.

But the Phillies have gotten only three starts from a lefty in the last two seasons, all by 23-year-old rookie Ranger Suarez this year. It seems they view Minor as a middle-of-the-rotation upgrade at the reasonable cost of $9.3 million in each of the next two years.

The Phillies have some interest in free-agent lefty Dallas Keuchel. But given his majors-leading groundball rate (53.7 percent last season), Keuchel might not be a fit for the Phillies unless they greatly improve their infield defense, which brings us back to 

3. What will it take to sign Machado?

The Phillies almost certainly will have to outbid the Yankees, who can offer Machado the chance to both follow his childhood idol, Alex Rodriguez, to the Bronx and play shortstop while Didi Gregorius recovers from right elbow surgery.

If Machado insists on staying at shortstop, the Phillies could always move newly acquired Jean Segura to second base or even third. He had the best offensive season of his career as a second baseman in 2015 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Klentak noted that Segura certainly has the arm strength to play third.

Still, it seems the Phillies will have to overpay for Machado. By how much? Think about five years ago, when the Seattle Mariners went three more years and $65 million more than the Yankees best offer to land Robinson Cano.

Extra bases

Phil Gosselin, an infielder and product of Malvern Prep, is among seven players who signed minor-league contracts with the Phillies and received non-roster invitations to major-league spring training. Gosselin went 3-for-24 with one homer in 20 games last season for the Cincinnati Reds.

Other non-roster invitees include left-hander Jeremy Bleich, right-hander Josh Martin, catcher Rob Brantly, utilityman Matt McBride, infielder Gregorio Petit, and outfielder Shane Robinson. McBride, a native of Bethlehem and a Lehigh University product, spent last season in the Phillies organization at triple-A Lehigh Valley.
So we've made it past Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday, but if you are like me, you still have the bulk of your holiday shopping to do. It should go without saying that you ought to check out annual Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market in Dilworth Park and the Christmas Village in LOVE Park.

But sometimes you have to make a beeline to specialty stores for those on your list with specific tastes. Here are my merry picks. Side note: If you live in the 'burbs and are worried about trekking into the city, you can get most of my finds online.

For the home decorator

Egan Rittenhouse

210 W. Rittenhouse Sq.

215-433-1632

Instagram: www.instagram.com/eganrh

Website: www.eganrittenhouse.com

This year, Egan Rittenhouse  in the lobby of the Rittenhouse Hotel  is a winter wonderland complete with sparkling Popsicles, unicorns, ceramic kitties dressed in their holiday finest, and snow globes galore. Owner Kate Egan went to town with Glitterville, the crafty home decor company helmed by whimsical Tennessee artist Stephen Brown. But if you aren't interested in holiday-only themed gifts, no worries. There are everyday luxe items like curvy Middle Kingdom vases and plant-based Rodin oils that are the ultimate in face, hair, and skin moisturizing. If you aren't sure what to take to the in-laws' swanky holiday party, try an Egan Rittenhouse floral arrangement; they are as lovely as they are rustic.

>> READ MORE: Best women's boutiques in Philadelphia

For the book lover

Shakespeare & Co.

1632 Walnut St.

215-486-2106

Instagram: www.instagram.com/shakespeareandco.rittenhouse

Website: shakespeareandcompany.com

The vibe of Center City's newest bookstore, Shakespeare & Co., is the best kind of cozy. But to be a great bookstore, not only does the vibe have to be sublime, the books have to be, too. And they are. Think John Grisham's The Reckoning, Michelle Obama's Becoming, Tana French's The Witch Elm, and Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (oh, how I love that one) But there is even more gift-centered fabulosity. Behind the cafe is the Shakespeare & Co. Espresso Book Machine that prints bookstore-quality paperbacks for you on demand. That means your favorite copy of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol or your grandmother's best recipes can be bound into a real book for about $15.

For the spirit maker

Art in the Age

116 N. Third St.

215-922-2600

Instagram: www.instagram.com/artintheage

Website: www.artintheage.com

Once upon a time, Art in the Age was a co-op offering indie menswear like Brooklyn Circus. But experiential shopping trumps clothing. Add a craft cocktail and you have a winner. That said, the Old City specialty shop  that, to my chagrin, has the most spankin' bar area  is now the go-to place for novelty alcohol. Those who know booze will likely enjoy one of Art in the Age's six varietals: three cordials and three infusions that owner Steven Grasse distills at Tamworth Distilling in New Hampshire. Other gifts for the persnickety lush in your life include vintage glassware for about $10 a vessel and make-your-own cocktail kits that average $135 a pop but that might just be worth it as each box contains the artisan ingredients and tools to make, for example, your favorite whiskey drinks, from old-fashioneds to mint juleps.

For the bauble wearer

Moon + Arrow

754 S. Fourth St.

215-469-1448

Instagram: www.instagram.com/shopmoonandarrow/

Website: www.moonandarrow.com/

Moon + Arrow follows several karmically sound rules of business. Items must be fair trade, eco-friendly is a nonnegotiable, and, most important, everything is made by an artisan. Owner and jeweler Chelsea Pearce is most proud of the Moon + Arrow private-label pieces. The dainty baubles  all under $100  are fashioned from brass, sterling, and gold fill and include hoop earrings, all manner of bangles, and just-for-the-holidays zodiac necklaces. Cloudy bottles of essential oil-based perfumes line Moon + Arrow's shelves, too. Candles from local chandlers like the Malvern brand Zoet Bathlatier are among the biggest sellers at this time of year because, after all, who doesn't love a candle?

For your cool dude

Lapstone & Hammer

1106 Chestnut St.

215-592-9166

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lapstoneandhammer/

Website: www.lapstoneandhammer.com/

Sure, Lapstone & Hammer owner Brian Nadav carries classic footwear brands: Nike, Puma, Asics, Vans, and Converse. But that's not the reason to flock there for the sneaker geek in your life. It's all about those brands' limited-edition sneaks: Triple White Nikes, Golf Le Fleur Chuck Taylors in burlap, and Emory Jones Pumas. Three years old, Lapstone & Hammer is a direct, albeit cooler descendant Philly urbanwear vendor O.G. City Blue. In addition to the tennis shoes, Lapstone + Hammer focuses on chic menswear and is the exclusive retailer of Visvim, Rhude, John Elliot, and rising star Pittsburgh designer John Geiger.

For your empowered woman

The Sable Collective

3133 N. 22nd St.

267-666-0126

Website: www.facebook.com/Thesablecollective

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thesablecollective



Those of us searching for the ideal gift to help loved ones set (and keep) New Year's intentions should swing through the Sable Collective, half of Syreeta Scott's North Philadelphia natural hair salon, Duafe, In this spiritual, funky, and magical space, one can find sage and Palo Santo, journals and gemstones, candles and a swanky selection of note cards that express love, awe, and encouragement. And let's not forget the rack of vintage clothing that was good enough for your mama (or your mama's mama) and that is special enough for you.

For the yogi

Rebel

8020 Germantown Ave.

215-242-9642

Website: rebelyogastudio.com/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/rebelyogastudio/

Yogis need lots of things: tanks that don't rise mid-handstand, durable leggings that fit like a second skin for splits, water bottles and bracelets to focus on when the warrior pose gets too hard. Not only can you take classes at Sue Pinto's yoga studio, Rebel, in Chestnut Hill, you can also shop popular-on-the-mat labels like Spiritual Gangster, Alo, Koral, Strut This, and Splits 59. Whether stocking stuffers or under-the-tree treasures, these gifts are packed with good vibes.

For the made-in-Philly diehards

Steel Pony

758 S. Fourth St.

215-467-6065

Website: steelpony.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/steelponystyle

All the clothing and accessories in Joanne Litz and Dennis Wolk's 1,000-square-foot Queen Village boutique is made on the premises. That means the tie-dyed dresses and tunics (most of which have pockets, yeah!) and leather accessories (think handbags, knapsacks, book covers) are fashioned right in front of you. Prices are fair to middling, ranging from $28 for a silk scarf to upward of $789 for a roomy leather satchel. Litz also turns crystals into statement jewelry that starts at $35. Trying on the handmade capes, sweaters, and shrugs was like wrapping myself in a hug, and, in all honesty, aren't hugs the best presents ever?

For the writer who loves Philly

Paper on Pine

115 S. 13th St.

215-625-0100

Instagram: www.instagram.com/paperonpine/

Website: www.paperonpine.com/

Whether it's a Deck the Hall and Oates, a Rocky-themed Christmas card, the famous Philadelphia LOVE logo printed on a canvas tote, or a stemless wineglass, Paper on Pine owner Cindy McDonnell is all about the Philly swag. But if Philadelphia is not your thing  and we can't imagine why it wouldn't be  there's a host of new-wave feminist and socially conscious knick-knacks for the rebel in your life. Think Ruth Bader Ginsburg mugs and Frida Khalo calendars.

For the foodie

Olive with a Twist

At Olive with a Twist, olive oil is more than just olive oil, pate is fresh, and cheeses are exotic (have you ever heard of coconut-infused Gouda? Well, I hadn't either). One of the new outposts in the new and improved Bourse Food Hall, co-owners Brian Terry and Chris Robinson's mix of yummy presents also includes bacon marmalade, truffle balsamic oils, and gourmet potato chips  one even has the nerve to be flavored with Iberian ham. Ranging in price from $10 to $25, these gifts are just what you need for the office Secret Santa.
Comcast, its headquarters tower seen in this 2017 file photo, opposes federal regulations that would prohibit internet providers from discriminating against content in download speed or price. Read more

Philly Dems in the U.S. House say they support net neutrality  just dont ask them to sign a petition for it. Funny what a Comcast-shape shadow can do to you.

Phillys Bob Brady, Brendan Boyle, and Dwight Evans have all declined to sign a Democratic petition to force a vote on restoring the Obama-era net neutrality rules that were overturned by GOP members of the FCC. Delaware Countys newly sworn-in Mary Gay Scanlon had also resisted, but flipped under pressure.

Before her change of heart last week, they were four of just 16 House Democrats who had not signed, according to activists pushing to restore the internet regulations. (Signatures from Scanlon and another member had reduced that to 14 as of Thursday afternoon.)

Its hard to see it as a coincidence" how many holdouts come from "Comcasts backyard, said Evan Greer of Fight for the Future, one of the advocacy groups raising the pressure.

The Philly-based Godzilla has joined other internet providers in trying to kill the Obama-era rules meant to ensure a level playing field on the internet  though the company says it believes in an open internet.

What irks activists is that Boyle, Evans, and Scanlon had all publicly vowed to support net neutrality. Brady, who once wrote a letter echoing Comcasts objections, said he, too, supports the idea.

So why not sign?

All four reps said they dont agree with the tactic, even though its led by their Pennsylvania colleague, Mike Doyle, and supported by nearly every Democrat in Congress. Its likely a dead end, even if all sign: the petition is part of a process that would ultimately require support from two dozen House Republicans and President Trumps signature.

Scanlon said she hadnt signed the petition because it wasnt going anywhere. She said she prefers legislation to make the rules permanent, not subject to presidential reversal, and hasnt talked to Comcast. (She decided to sign anyway after getting flogged by constituents and when tech-focused website Gizmodo singled her out.)

Evans, Boyle, and Brady also want a bill. The debate is over process, Evans said.

Those arguments echo those of the giant internet providers, whod unleash their lobbyists on legislation, Greer argued.

They cant claim to support a free and open internet while spewing telecom talking points and refusing to do the one thing in their power to show they truly support real net neutrality protections, Greer wrote.

Time is about up: The petition dies when Congress recesses this month.

Day cares at safe-injection sites? Ruling on GOP mayoral candidates claim: False

Billy Ciancaglini declared himself fed up with Mayor Kenney on Monday as he became the first Republican candidate for mayor. He decried the soda tax. Philadelphia shouldnt be a sanctuary city. And forget coddling opioid users.

Oh, oh, and I forgot to mention one more thing, the South Philly defense attorney told supporters. These safe-injection sites that Jim Kenney is proposing? They will have day cares in them. I am not making this up.

The crowd groaned and shouted.

And Clout has the first fact-check of Election 2019:

The idea of a day-care center at an overdose prevention site is ridiculous and claims that such plans exist are patently false, said Kenney spokesperson Mike Dunn.

Ciancaglini told us he cant remember who told him about the day cares but stands by his claim.

Ultimately, we will wait and see, he said. Maybe its correct, maybe its not. I still say its correct.

Philly Dem consultants feud in court

In 2015, Democratic consultants Dan Fee and Aubrey Montgomery founded a firm specializing in campaign-finance compliance, and soon counted as clients candidates for city, state, and federal office.

But while Democrats had a banner year in 2018, things havent been going so well for the Philly-based Campaign Compliance Firm LLC, court documents show. Its losing money. It was fired by U.S. Sen. Bob Caseys reelection campaign. And the onetime business partners (and, it seemed, friends) are now embroiled in litigation, with Fee accusing Montgomery of financial mismanagement and defamatory statements.

In a lawsuit filed in October, Fee alleges that Montgomery expressed concerns about the firms viability after the Casey flap and wanted to close it. Fee requested an accounting of the firms finances, the suit says, and Montgomery stonewalled him for six months. Montgomery had a 65 percent stake and managed the company, the suit says. Fee owned 35 percent.

In addition, Montgomery baselessly told associates Fee was beset by mood swings from which she must protect her staff, and that Fee was somehow insensitive to anothers religion because he included a Jewish staff member on an email chain on Yom Kippur, the suit says.

In court papers, Montgomerys lawyers say she refunded Fees investment. They call Fee vindictive and his claim absurd. Fee alleges that Montgomery never offered to make him whole, and that his $25,000 investment is being held in escrow.

Montgomery says she hired an outside accounting firm to review Campaign Compliances books. But the review is useless, Fee alleges, because Montgomery withheld key documents.

On Dec. 4, Judge Nina W. Padilla ordered Montgomery to provide Fee the documents he had requested. Montgomery didnt meet the deadline, and her lawyers asked for more time. On Wednesday, Montgomerys partners at a separate consultancy didnt show for scheduled depositions, according to Fees lawyer.

Fee is now asking the judge to sanction Montgomery and Campaign Compliance by ordering each to donate $3,000 to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
President Donald Trump, left, pauses while speaking as James Mattis, secretary of defense, listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on June 21, 2018. Read more

For two years, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis stood as the American government's reassurance to the world that it had not forsaken the military and diplomatic structures that the United States helped put into place after World War II, even as these commitments were disparaged by President Donald Trump.

The announcement Thursday that Mattis would leave his post because of Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Syria, paired with word that the president was also preparing to downsize the American presence in Afghanistan, set off alarm bells in foreign capitals early Friday. In volatile regions of the world that bear the imprint of decades-long American influence, there was fresh concern about the consequences of an increasingly inward-looking United States.

European leaders didn't mince words. "A morning of alarm in Europe" was how Carl Bildt, co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations and formerly prime minister of Sweden, described the reaction to news of the defense secretary's exit. Mattis, he wrote on Twitter, "is the remaining strong bond across the Atlantic in the Trump administration. All the others are fragile at best or broken at worst."

Jurgen Hardt, point man on foreign affairs for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, told broadcaster Deutschlandfunk on Friday morning that Mattis' resignation represents a "turning point."

After Trump's decisions to pull troops from Syria and Afghanistan, Hardt said, Western allies should be prepared for further drawdowns of U.S. forces. He noted that the withdrawals were winning praise from both Putin and the far-left in Germany. "That," he said, "should give us cause for concern."

With Mattis, "the last voice of reason leaves the administration," observed the chair of the foreign affairs committee in the German parliament, Norbert Rottgen. He described the defense secretary as someone who understands that "what sets the U.S. apart from other powers is its tight net of alliances and the loyalty of its friends." Trump, Rottgen remarked pointedly, "does not."

The concern was no less pronounced in France, where Francois Heisbourg, a former diplomatic adviser, wrote on Twitter that Mattis had stabilized a dysfunctional administration and "helped preserve the Western alliance system."

"Believe me, America's allies are already reviewing all options," wrote Heisbourg, who is president of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

"This is big bad," he added.

The French government, which has pursued an active role in the conflict in Syria, made clear where it came down on the clashing interpretations over Syria that drove Mattis to submit a letter of resignation on Thursday. The defense minister, Florence Parly, said Friday on RTL radio that ISIS had been reduced but not eliminated. She said the French government "does not at all share" the American interpretation that sees the fight in Syria as over.

Parly also saluted Mattis as a "partner" and a "great solder."

Mattis' resignation even left Moscow on edge. While Mattis often referred to Russia as a strategic adversary of the United States, Russian officials also saw his leadership as key to preventing a military confrontation between the two forces in Syria.

"Mattis was tough, but not without realism: he didn't seek conflict with Russia," lawmaker Alexey Pushkov, a foreign-policy specialist in the upper house of parliament, wrote on Twitter. "Will the replacement be for the better?"

But another lawmaker in the upper house, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Konstantin Kosachev, saw a heartening sign in the general's departure. On issues such as relations with Russia and China, Trump's view was so different from his defense secretary that the president essentially forced Mattis out, Kosachev said in a Facebook post.

"This is an interesting signal - likely a positive one," Kosachev said.

As for the Kremlin's official response, spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked about Mattis as a restraining influence on Trump, had this dry rejoinder: "In our times, guessing who restrained President Trump from doing what is the work of political scientists and a rather thankless task."

In parts of South Asia and the Middle East, warnings emerged that the abrupt shift in strategy propelling Mattis' exit would be a grievous mistake, even as Kabul struck a calm note.

A senior official in Pakistan's foreign ministry, speaking about the possibility that Trump might remove about 7,000 of the 14,000 U.S. troops deployed to Afghanistan, said that "any troop withdrawal or major reduction in their number before peace is restored would be a very unwise move. It would bring chaos and disorder, more fighting and perhaps a civil war. U.S. troops should stay until peace and stability are brought back." The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the matter.

But Friday afternoon, in the first public comments from the Kabul government on reports of U.S. troop reduction, several aides to President Ashraf Ghani said that such a drawdown would have no major impact on Afghanistan's ability to defend itself. Their reaction marked a notable contrast with prior appeals for U.S. troops to remain as a force for stability. Concern had been mounting in Afghanistan about the possibility that the United States might strike a hasty deal with the Taliban, which Afghan officials and other observers say would endanger security and democratic progress.

Harun Chakhansuri, a senior spokesman for Ghani, told an Afghan TV channel that troop reduction "will not affect security situation in the country." He said that "most of the U.S. forces which will possibly be withdrawn . . . are engaged in a training and advising mission for Afghan forces, and Afghan forces are capable of defending the country."

Israel, meanwhile, was most alarmed by the abrupt decision by Trump to wash his hands of ongoing violence in Syria. Following the news of Trump's plans, Netanyahu described the withdrawal on Twitter as an "American decision."

There was a sense that, with Mattis on the way out, Israel was losing a voice for its security interests in the Middle East. Michael Oren, a deputy minister in the prime minister's office and former Israeli ambassador to the U.S., noted that, like Israel's leadership, "Mattis believed that a strong American presence in the Middle East served as a buffer to Iran and other hostile elements."

"Today as in the past, Israel will have to defend itself with its own forces to deal with the great threats in the north," Oren tweeted.

And in Asia, news of the Pentagon chief's departure raised questions about Washington's approach to China's rise.

The uncertainty was felt particularly in India, where bolstering ties with the United States has been one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's central foreign policy aims.

Arvind Gupta, who served as India's deputy national security adviser until last year, said the country considered Mattis "a friend" with whom it had "an excellent relationship." Mattis played a key role in intensifying the defense cooperation between the U.S. and India as both countries seek to manage China's increasingly active role in the region.

During Mattis' tenure, the two countries signed a landmark military communications agreement, and the retired four-star Marine general developed a rapport with his Indian counterpart, Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The two held talks four times this year, most recently earlier this month in Washington. Mattis also met with Modi in June and September.

Since the inauguration, Mattis has persistently warned about China as the greatest long-term threat facing the U.S., a view that permeated last year's National Security Strategy paper, in which the administration recast China as a competitor. While Beijing saw the retired Marine Corps general as one of its toughest critics, it also saw Mattis as a straight-shooter in an administration that the Chinese government otherwise has struggled to decipher.

Yue Gang, a retired People's Liberation Army colonel and military commentator in Beijing, said the Chinese military had high regard for Mattis, who, even in times of high tension, stressed the importance of avoiding a shooting war between the two powers.

"Even though toward us he was tough and vexing, the Chinese military felt assured dealing with this type of professional military man," Yue said. "Our concern is who comes next. If Trump chooses a lackey who isn't willing to serve as a balance to his instincts, the worry is that the world becomes even more unstable."

It is largely because of Mattis, "viewed as a 'mature guy' within the Trump administration," said Shen Yamei, a researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, that "military relations between China and the U.S. have been relatively stable."

Gupta, India's former deputy national security adviser, played down the longer-term consequences of the resignation. "This is not something that has happened for the first time," he said. "In the end we have to deal with the American administration and that is what we will do."

In fact, said Ajai Shukla, an Indian defense analyst and former army officer, Mattis' departure and the abrupt withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan is the kind of "adverse contingency New Delhi has been planning for."

"Mattis' departure signals that it would not be wise to assume that all the old policies will continue," he said. While India has drawn closer to the U.S., he added, it has also hedged its bets by defusing tensions with China and maintaining ties with Russia. With defense cooperation at the heart of the U.S.-India relationship, Mattis' departure will have an "out-of-proportion impact" on ties with New Delhi, Shukla predicted.

News of Mattis' departure reverberated on the Korean Peninsula, where Pyongyang has said this week it will not give up its nuclear arms until the "U.S. nuclear threat to Korea" is eliminated.

Kwon Bo-ram, a researcher at South Korea's state-run Institute for Defense Analyses, said the uncertainty created by the resignation could affect the ongoing defense cost-sharing talks between Seoul and Washington. The two sides failed to reach a deal amid disagreement over a bigger South Korean share of the cost.

The shock announcement that Mattis would soon leave the administration also created alarm in Australia, a close ally that currently has several hundred personnel in Afghanistan.

The former foreign minister, Julie Bishop, observed that it would "hard to replace" Mattis, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

"His wise counsel, integrity and deep understanding of geostrategic issues will be greatly missed by the U.S. government and those who worked with him," said Bishop, who worked closely with Mattis during the first two years of the Trump administration. The two countries are part of the "Five Eyes" group, an Anglophone intelligence alliance that also includes Britain, Canada and New Zealand.

Defense Minister Christopher Pyne hailed Mattis as a "close friend of Australia."

Rather than simply another departure of "one of the adults in the Trump administration," as Jim Molan, a senator with the governing Liberal Party and a former major general in the army, put it, the exit by Mattis makes clear that Australia can no longer rely on the U.S. for its defense.

"The United States, whose military capability now has been severely reduced since the end of the Cold War, now has introduced another extreme variable into their decision-making and that must be of deep concern to Australia," he told The Australian newspaper. "The answer must be that Australia must be self reliant in its defense."

Stanley-Becker reported from Florence, Constable from Islamabad and Slater from New Delhi. The Washington Posts Griff Witte and Luisa Beck in Berlin, Gerry Shih in Beijing, Anton Troianovski in Moscow, Loveday Morris in Jerusalem and Min Joo Kim in Seoul contributed.
President Donald Trump speaks during a signing ceremony for H.R. 2, the "Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018," in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, on the White House complex, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018, in Washington. Read more

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Trumps demand for border wall funds hurled the federal government closer to a shutdown as the Republican-led House approved a package Thursday with his $5.7 billion request that is almost certain to be rejected by the Senate.

The White House said Trump will not travel to Florida on Friday for the Christmas holiday if the government is shutting down. More than 800,000 federal workers will be facing furloughs or forced to work without pay if a resolution is not reached before funding expires at midnight Friday.

The shutdown crisis could be one of the final acts of the House GOP majority before relinquishing control to Democrats in January. Congress had been on track to fund the government but lurched Thursday when Trump, after a rare lashing from conservative supporters, declared he would not sign a bill without the funding. Conservatives want to keep fighting for the money to pay for the wall. They warn that "caving" on Trump's repeated wall promises could hurt his 2020 reelection chances, and other Republicans' as well.

The House voted largely along party lines, 217-185, after GOP leaders framed the vote as a slap-back to Nancy Pelosi, who is poised to become House speaker on Jan. 3 and who had warned Trump in a televised Oval Office meeting last week that he wouldn't have the votes for the wall.

"The president's been clear from the beginning: He wants something that gives border security, and he's not going to sign something that doesn't have that," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said before voting.

The measure, which includes a nearly $8 billion disaster aid package many lawmakers want for coastal hurricanes and California wildfires, now goes to the Senate, where its prospects are grim amid strong opposition from Democrats. Sixty votes are needed to approve the bill there.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned senators they may need to return to Washington for a noontime vote Friday.

Many senators already left town for the holidays after the Senate approved a bipartisan bill late Wednesday to keep the government temporarily funded, with border security money at current levels, $1.3 billion, and no money for the wall. The House had been expected to vote on it Thursday.

The most likely possibility Friday is that the Senate strips the border wall out of the bill but keeps the disaster funds and sends it back to the House. House lawmakers said they were being told to stay in town for more possible votes.

With Pelosi's backing, the Senate-passed bill likely has enough support for House approval with votes mostly from Democratic lawmakers, who are still the minority, and some Republicans.

Others were not so sure. I dont see how we avoid a shutdown, said retiring Rep. Dennis Ross (R., Fla.).

Rep. Mark Meadows (R., N.C.), the chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said he was not convinced after a White House meeting with GOP leaders that Trump would sign the Senate bill.

"I looked him in the eyes today, and he was serious about not folding without a fight," Meadows said.

Trump's sudden rejection of the Senate-approved legislation, after days of mixed messages, sent Republican leaders scrambling for options back on Capitol Hill days before Christmas.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, exiting the hastily called meeting with Trump at the White House, said, "We're going to go back and work on adding border security to this, also keeping the government open, because we do want to see an agreement."

By afternoon, Trump shifted his terminology, saying he's not necessarily demanding a border wall but "steel slats"  which is similar to the border security fencing already provided for in the bill.

"We don't use the word 'wall' necessarily, but it has to be something special to do the job," Trump said at a farm bill signing at the White House. The nuance could provide Trump a way to try to proclaim victory. The bill would keep funding at current levels for border security, including pedestrian fencing and replacement fences, but not the wall. It requires previously used designs.

Democratic leaders have made clear they will not budge on their opposition To Trump's border that he campaigned on saying Mexico would pay for it. Mexico has refused

"The Trump temper tantrum will shut down the government, but it will not get him his wall," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Democrats favor border security, Schumer said, but he denounced the wall as "ineffective, unnecessary and exorbitantly expensive."

McConnell (R., Ky.) met with Ryan after the House leaders returned from the meeting with Trump.

Ryan and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy had endured complaints during a private morning meeting earlier Thursday from rank-and-file Republicans in the Capitol that they were closing out their majority without a fight on a major issue.

Trump interrupted the basement session with a phone call to Ryan, and then the president lashed out at Republican leaders on Twitter.

Ryan had promised a "big fight" after November's midterm elections, but as Republicans lost House control, negotiations over the year-end spending bill have largely been between Trump and Democrats.

I was promised the Wall and Border Security by leadership, Trump tweeted. Would be done by end of year (NOW). It didnt happen! We foolishly fight for Border Security for other countries  but not for our beloved U.S.A. Not good!

Trump has bounced back and forth with mixed messages. Just last week he said he would be "proud" to shut down the government over it. Earlier this week he appeared to shelve his shutdown threats, with the White House saying he was open to reviewing whatever bill Congress could send him.

Before turning on fellow Republicans, Trump had been directing his ire at Democrats, tweeting that they were "putting politics over country."

"Republicans are in a state of disarray," said Pelosi. "Wall funding is a nonstarter."

At issue in the current fight is money for nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Interior, Agriculture, State and Justice, as well as national parks and forests.

Many agencies, including the Pentagon and the departments of Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services, are covered for the year and would continue to operate as usual if funding lapses. The U.S. Postal Service, busy delivering packages for the holiday season, would not be affected by any government shutdown because it's an independent agency.

___

Associated Press writers Alan Fram and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this article.
Defense Secretary James Mattis speaks at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 29, 2017, in Arlington, Va. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/TNS) Read more

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned from the Trump administration Thursday, saying the president deserved someone atop the Pentagon who is "better aligned" with his views.

The retired Marine Corps generals surprise resignation came a day after President Trump overruled his advisers, including Mattis, and shocked American allies by announcing he would be withdrawing American troops from Syria. Trump declared victory over the Islamic State, even though the Pentagon and State Department for months have been saying the fight against the group in Syria isnt over.

The discord caused Trump to lose a Cabinet official who won widespread praise at home and abroad but who experienced increasing differences with the commander in chief he served as Trump's presidency progressed.

Mattis said he would depart the administration Feb. 28 to provide time for a replacement to be identified and confirmed by the Senate.

Mattis pointed to some of those differences in a resignation letter he submitted to the White House on Thursday. The retired general emphasized that the United States derives its strength from its relationships with allies and should treat them with respect. He said the country must also be "clear-eyed" about threats including from groups such as the Islamic State.

"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues," Mattis wrote. "We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances."

The Pentagon released the letter moments after Trump announced on Twitter that Mattis would be leaving, saying the retired general would "retire." Trump's tweet made no mention of the fact that the Pentagon chief was leaving over his differences with the president.

"General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years," Trump wrote on Twitter. "During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!"

Mattis' departure adds to new uncertainty about which course the administration might take on its global challenges, including with Iran and North Korea, amid questions about the pending withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria and a possible drawdown in Afghanistan.

The retired Marine general, 68, had repeatedly moved to reassure allies unnerved by Trumps unpredictable pronouncements and argued successfully for continued U.S. commitments in Syria, Afghanistan, and other places where military leaders see an ongoing threat.

Most of the contenders floated to replace Mattis in the past trashed the president's decision on withdrawal from Syria this week. Retired Gen. Jack Keane called the move a "strategic mistake" on Twitter. Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Tom Cotton of Arkansas signed a letter demanding Trump reconsider the decision and warning that the withdrawal bolsters Iran and Russia.

Regardless of who is chosen, it will be hard to replace the stature Mattis attained in world affairs.

Mattis' opinion carried weight in White House deliberations, bolstered by his record as a combat leader and, at least initially, his ability to navigate the president's predilections.

With a career shaped by the wars following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Mattis caught Trump's eye shortly after the presidential election in 2016. Revealing his choice for Pentagon chief, Trump hailed the retired general as "Mad Dog," a nickname Mattis earned for his conduct in battle.

On top of his field credentials, Mattis was known as an Iran hawk and a critic of the Obama administration, which had forced him out of his job at U.S. Central Command in 2013.

Although the selection of a recently retired general for a top civilian position raised some concerns among lawmakers, the decision was widely heralded as a sign that establishment figures would help guide an inexperienced president.

Taking the reins at the Pentagon, Mattis enjoyed more autonomy than his predecessors did under President Barack Obama. Trump's decision to give uniformed leaders greater control of battlefield decisions was a welcome change across the armed forces.

Mattis has overseen a surging budget in line with the president's promise to renew U.S. military primacy, allowing him to employ vast resources as he has sought to finish off terrorism threats in the Middle East and improve America's ability to compete with Russia and China.

In the early days of the Trump presidency, Mattis' partnership with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson cemented his influence within the Cabinet as he advocated staying the course in wars that the president has questioned the value of fighting.

Pentagon officials downplayed accounts of friction between Mattis and the White House as speculation grew that Mattis would join other national security leaders including Tillerson and Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, Trump's former national security adviser, who left their posts abruptly amid reports of distance from the president.

Avoiding the spotlight and telegraphing deference, Mattis managed to contradict the president's bombast and threats without drawing his ire. The bookish history buff quietly emphasized traditional American values even as Trump publicly questioned them.

But questions about Mattis' influence grew as the president made decisions that deviated from his advice, such as pulling out of the nuclear deal with Iran, relocating the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and launching a new Space Force that many military leaders saw as unnecessary and distracting.

More recently, Trump ordered Mattis to send active duty troops to the U.S. border with Mexico, a move Democrats criticized as a political stunt that undermined the defense secretary's goal of making the military more effective in responding to foreign threats.

In recent months, media accounts described the secretary quietly challenging or setting aside requests from the White House, even from the president himself, further fueling speculation about a possible departure. In October, Trump described Mattis as sort of a Democrat.
In this March 13, 2018, file photo, President Donald Trump speaks during a tour as he reviews border wall prototypes in San Diego. Read more

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump began Thursday under siege, listening to howls of indignation from conservatives over his border wall and thrusting the government toward a shutdown. He ended it by announcing the exit of the man U.S. allies see as the last guardrail against the president's erratic behavior: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, whose resignation letter was a scathing rebuke of Trump's worldview.

At perhaps the most fragile moment of his presidency - and vulnerable to convulsions on the political right - Trump single-handedly propelled the U.S. government into crisis and sent markets tumbling with his gambits this week to salvage signature campaign promises.

The president's decisions and conduct have led to a fracturing of Trump's coalition. Hawks condemned his sudden decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. Conservatives called him a "gutless president" and questioned whether he would ever build a wall. Political friends began privately questioning whether Trump needed to be reined in.

After campaigning on shrinking America's footprint in overseas wars, Trump abruptly declared Wednesday that he was withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria, a move Mattis and other advisers counseled against. And officials said Thursday that Trump is preparing to send thousands of troops home from Afghanistan as well.

The president also issued an ultimatum to Congress to fund construction of his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall, a move poised to result in a government shutdown just before Christmas. Trump and his aides had signaled tacit support for a short-term spending compromise that would avert the shutdown, but the president abruptly changed course after absorbing a deluge of criticism from some of his most high-profile loyalists.

Leon Panetta, who served as former defense secretary, CIA director and White House chief of staff for Democratic presidents, said, "We're in a constant state of chaos right now in this country." He added, "While it may satisfy [Trump's] need for attention, it's raising hell with the country."

Panetta said the resignation of Mattis is a singular moment and his letter, which underscores how Mattis sees Trump's approach as misguided, "puts the security of the nation right now at some degree of risk."

Trump has been isolated in bunker mode in recent weeks as political and personal crises mount, according to interviews with 27 current and former White House officials, Republican lawmakers and outside advisers to the president, some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to offer candid assessments.

"There's going to be an intervention," one former senior administration official said speculatively. "Jim Mattis just sent a shot across the bow. He's the most credible member of the administration by five grades of magnitude. He's the steady, safe set of hands. And this letter is brutal. He quit because of the madness."

In his resignation letter, Mattis wrote, "My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues . . . Because you have the right to a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position."

Although Trump's relationship with Mattis has been rocky for months, the president spent the first part of Thursday focused on another fraying relationship: with his conservative base.

On Thursday, as criticism over his capitulation on the wall grew louder by the hour, Trump complained to friends and aides that he felt politically shackled. He had no plan, but was spoiling for a fight. By midday, the president picked one.

"I've made my position very clear: Any measure that funds the government must include border security. Has to," Trump said Thursday. He added that he had "no choice" but to act.

Trump's advisers acknowledged that the funding may not be secured in the end, but boasted that the spectacle would be remembered favorably by his base voters as proof of his mettle. A wall funding proposal was approved by the House late Thursday, but faced uncertain prospects in the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., habitually careful in his approach to Trump, avoided strong-arming the president in their recent exchanges, knowing that urging him to stand down on the wall funding likely would only embolden him, according to two people familiar with the discussions. At every turn, McConnell confided to Trump that congressional efforts this month - from the passage of the farm bill to bipartisan criminal-justice reform - were a string of victories for him, the people said.

Thanks to McConnell's soothing, there was cautious optimism that the president would eventually sign a funding bill. "McConnell has a lot to do with it, of course. They talk a lot," Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky., said. "It's smart to save the fight for another day."

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., - busy this week bidding farewell to Congress after two decades in office - followed McConnell's playbook, pointing out how Trump would be able to battle for wall funding in the new year, a person close to him said.

Both Ryan and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told Trump last week that they could not pass a spending bill with $5 billion for wall construction, and McConnell was told by the White House that Trump would sign a short-term bill without it, according to two people familiar with the conversations.

But on Fox News Channel and across conservative media, there was a brewing rebellion. Prominent voices urged Trump to hold firm on his wall money and warned that caving would jeopardize his reelection.

Rush Limbaugh dismissed the compromise bill on his radio program as "Trump gets nothing and the Democrats get everything." Another firebrand, Ann Coulter, published a column titled, "Gutless President in Wall-less Country." Trump even found resistance on the couch of his favorite show, "Fox & Friends," where reliable Trump-boosting host Brian Kilmeade chided him on the air Thursday.

The president was paying attention. He promptly unfollowed Coulter on Twitter. And he pecked out a series of defensive tweets blaming congressional leaders for not funding the wall, while also staking a defensive posture. He suggested that a massive wall may not be necessary in its entirety because the border already is "tight" thanks to the work of Border Patrol agents and troops.

"One of the things he's most vulnerable to is mockery and mockery by his own supporters," said Mark Krikorian, a leading anti-immigration activist.

Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus joined in the rebellion. During House votes on Wednesday evening, caucus chair Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., and other members refused to budge and held court with reporters, railing against the Republican leadership and warning Trump that he was being led astray.

At a Thursday Oval Office meeting with Ryan and McCarthy, Trump was calm and did not yell, but was resolute and "dug in on what he wants," said a Republican official briefed on the discussion.

Trump spent six to seven minutes in the meeting with Ryan and McCarthy talking about "steel slats" and saying that the term was preferable to calling the proposed construction a "wall," as the president has done for more than three years.

The administration drama comes at an especially perilous juncture for Trump, following his thumping at the polls in November's midterm elections. Democrats are preparing to take control of the House in January and to use their subpoena power to investigate Trump's finances and conduct in office, as well as alleged corruption in the administration.

Meanwhile, Republicans in their last gasp of unified government are divided. A band of hard-line conservative lawmakers voted against Trump's prison reform legislation, which passed the House and Senate with bipartisan support and is expected to be signed by the president Friday. And many foreign policy hawks, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump confidant, sharply criticized Trump's decision Wednesday to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.

Inside the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump was in what one Republican close to the White House described as "a tailspin," acting "totally irrationally" and "flipping out" over criticisms in the media.

Even as aides argued to him that protesting over wall funding could deprive government workers paychecks over Christmas, Trump warned in private conversations with Republican lawmakers that they all would get "crushed" if they did not get the wall built.

Trump vented to his advisers that signing the short-term spending bill without wall money would make him look weak and make his base voters think he broke a campaign promise. He also complained that he did not have sufficient bargaining leverage with Congress and blamed senior aides - including White House legislative affairs director Shahira Knight - for not presenting him with better options.

"He's legitimately saying, 'This is ridiculous. Why would I sign this?'" said American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp, whose wife, Mercedes Schlapp, is a senior White House staffer. "If you're the outsider, you don't want to go along with the same old stupid rules. When he does that, he doesn't look like an outsider."

Marc Short, Trump's former White House legislative affairs director, said, "He feels he made a promise to voters that he would build the wall. There is a realization that with Congress changing hands, that the challenge of getting funding for the wall only gets larger."

Trump's pin-balling conduct - veering from a promise of a shutdown to moving toward a deal, and then changing his mind - has vexed members of his own party. Many Republican lawmakers said they sense that Trump is adjusting uneasily to the dynamics of soon-to-be divided government and lashing out to reclaim some of his dominance over the congressional agenda.

The defense secretary's resignation compounded the concern.

Having Mattis there gave all of us a great deal more comfort than we have now, retiring Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said. Chaos has kind of been the norm but it seems to have been heightened. Sometimes you think its got to settle, and then another thing happens.
Gigi Simeone works on a wall during the frescoes restoration workshop; her favorite duty was working in a cave church scraping calcification from a 12th-century depiction of the Virgin Mary. Read more

I spent my summer vacation in a cave, wearing a headlamp and scraping saints.

Let me explain.

Im a frequent and enthusiastic traveler to Italy. My father grew up in the seaside town of Gaeta, and I still have relatives in Rome. My maternal grandparents came from a village on one of those distant hilltops in Basilicata, a southern region largely untouched by tourists.

I have had a decades-long quest to learn everything I can about the place, the culture, the language. I first went with my parents in 1965, when I was 12, and then not again until my honeymoon, more than 20 years later, when my husband, Ben, and I rented a car and rambled around for three weeks, stopping for the night in towns that piqued our interest.

In the years since, weve been probably 20 more times, sometimes with our daughters or friends, doing things as varied as welcoming the new year in Sicily, seeing the pope at the Vatican, attending a Bruce Springsteen concert in Milan, walking across Lake Iseo on Christos Floating Piers, and relaxing on Serapo Beach with my Italian cousins in my fathers hometown.

I even write a blog about the country, Gigisitalia.wordpress.com. I seem to have a limitless store of observations and reflections to share.

A decade ago, I happened upon some young women hard at work restoring frescoes in an ancient church on the bank of Lake Como. Id like to do that someday, I said to myself.

This year, the urge hit for real, and Google yielded Messors Art Restoration and Conservation Workshop in Puglia, a southern region that makes up the heel of Italys boot. And pretty much sight unseen, with no reviews or past participants to reassure us and no credentials of our own to offer, Ben and I signed up.

The workshop was founded and led by Tonio Creanza, a Puglia native whose life passion is to preserve the culture, art, and food of the region. He and his wife, Jennifer Bell; their 9-year-old son, August; and Tonios extended family trained us, cooked for us, supervised us, and drove us on excursions to see ancient sites.

Together with 12 other participants from around the world, ranging in age from 11 to 65 (me!), we lived and ate our amazing communal meals in a palazzo (basically a very large townhouse) in the town of Gravina, heard lectures on history and art restoration techniques, and spent 16 days hard at work. Most of the participants, who came from all corners of the globe, lived in shared rooms and baths of three, although one married couple got their own double room.

It seems Ben and I got special senior citizen considerations, as we were assigned our own room and bath in a charming bed-and-breakfast on the top floor.

At work, we used surgical scalpels to remove limestone deposits from the walls of 1,000-year-old caves, cleaned worm carcasses from the backs of 500-year-old paintings, filled in gaps that had eroded in walls constructed in the Renaissance. We had no expertise, or even talent for this kind of work, but the need is so urgent and the quantity so vast, Jennifer told us, that anything we could do would help. The art would literally disintegrate without attention, so there was no way we could make things worse.

There were three main projects at hand: restoring frescoes from the walls of ancient cave churches, repairing and uncovering paintings on the walls in a 16th-century structure at Jesce, and reversing the damage on centuries-old paintings in a studio in town.

A typical day would start about 7:30 with breakfast of local cheese and fruit and pastries and bread from a bakery in town. Then, after a half-hour drive to the work sites, we had three hours of morning and late-afternoon work.

As time went on, participants gravitated toward their favored projects. I didnt care for the painting repair work  it required too much precision  but some of the others chose it over and over again. My favorite was working in the cave church, wearing my headlamp, scraping calcification from a 12th-century depiction of the Virgin Mary.

Surprisingly, the caves were pleasant and cool, with a large sunlit opening always visible, so there was no possibility of claustrophobia or anxiety about getting lost. Though several of our fellow participants had some level of experience or a professional interest in art conservation, Ben and I tried to position ourselves in locations where we could do the least harm. Even so, I managed to uncover a painting of a bird in the Campertino cave, and a fellow participant found a hidden angel on the ceiling of the structure at Jesce.

The 16 days were not all work, however. The program included field trips to nearby Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the 2019 European Culture Capital, and an overnight to Naples and Pompeii. We sipped prosecco on the beautiful beach at San Teodoro, stopped to buy pecorino cheese directly from the shepherd whose sheep produced the milk, hunted for pottery shards dating from 200 B.C., and painted our own frescoes at a masseria, or farm estate, out in the countryside. Tonio led an olive oil tasting; his familys olive trees have produced oil for five generations.

Best of all, we were in Gravina long enough to be a part of the daily routine in the town, seeing the rhythms of life, starting from the morning cafe to the evening passeggiata, with people of literally all ages promenading through the streets.

And, of course, we were able to enjoy the food. Whether it was our home-cooked family-style meals at the end of a long day of work, a picnic lunch overlooking the sea, a buffet set up in a cave, or a chance to sample a restaurant in town  every meal was particular to that region and made with ingredients that were local, pure, and often picked that day. And served on real china with real silverware, no matter how rustic the setting.

It took a leap of faith for me to push myself out of my comfort zone to do this program. I knew we would be with strangers 20 years my junior and performing work for which I had no talent or experience. I did not have the comfort of TripAdvisor reviews or all the usual reassurances that we include in our travel planning.

But it turned out to be the most gratifying and absorbing vacation Ive ever had. I am so happy I pushed myself to do it, and to have been able to give a little bit back to a country that I love.

Gigi Simeone writes from Swarthmore.

Messors (messors.com) offers three workshops next summer: Art Restoration and Conservation (June 28-July 12; $3,420), Fornello Sustainable Preservation Project (Aug. 7-18; $2,000), and Shepherds and Food Culture (Aug. 23-30; $2,800).

Travel from Philadelphia to Rome, followed by a four-hour Trenitalia train to Bari ($60), or to Naples, with a four-hour Marinobus across the boot to Altamura. Someone from the program will meet you at either station.

General information: viaggiareinpuglia.it/hp/en

Did a travel experience move you, change you, or give you great memories? Email us how, in about 500 words (include a photo, caption information, and daytime phone number): travel@phillynews.com. Please put Personal Journey in the subject line. (Response volume prohibits our returning or acknowledging every submission.)
The Defense Ministry said Thursday that it has set 36 months for the alternative service conscientious objectors must perform and is looking into reducing the period by up to a year later on.

Conscientious objectors are currently jailed for 36 months, double the mandatory military service period of 18 months, but after a Constitutional Court ruling they will now spend that time serving as warders in correctional facilities.

The ministry said it set 36 months as their service period since that is the amount of time other young men with special skills spend working in public healthcare clinics or as industrial apprentices.

Some officers fear that reducing the period for conscientious objectors will open the floodgates for refusals on ethical or religious grounds.

A Defense Ministry official said, "The law allows us to shorten the service of ordinary conscripts by up to six months, and for other young men in alternative services by up to a year, so we had to take that into consideration."
KAMPALA The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Betty Aol Ocan, has appealed to women legislators to lobby their male counterparts for support in pushing for issues that affect women.

Aol, who was meeting a delegation of members from the National Assembly of Malawi, said that support from all legislators would also be required at the implementation stage of laws that affect women.

We once debated a law on prevention of Female Genital Mutilation and it was a male MP who championed the fight; we, the women, unanimously supported him, said Aol.

The Prevention of Female Genital Mutilation was moved as a Private Members Bill by Chris Baryomunsi and was passed by Parliament in 2010.

Aol said the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association (UWOPA) has invited male MPs to appreciate and push for successful implementation of sections in law, which support womens matters.

Aol explained that the Constitution of Uganda had put in place provisions for affirmative action for positions in Parliament, where particular seats are reserved for women and special interest groups like youth, the army and persons with disabilities.

Right from Parliament to the Local Government councils, we have affirmative action positions where men cannot compete, she said.

The visiting Deputy Speaker of Malawi, Dr. Esther Mcheka Chilenje, reiterated the advantage of having male legislators advocating for causes benefiting girls and women in society.

The women caucus in collaboration with our male counterparts lobbied to increase the marriage age from 15 to 18 years, which has helped to keep girls in school, Mcheka said.

She said that the Malawi Parliament would continue to push for the reform of the countrys Constitution, to provide for more seats for women in the National Assembly and raise their percentage of representation now at 13 per cent.

The Malawian delegation was on a bench-marking visit to Parliament of Uganda to study the rules and procedure governing the work of the legislature and how the multi-party system is coordinated.

Related
I recently had a chance to talk to diplomatic experts in Washington, D.C. about world leaders who are opposed to resuming joint U.S.-South Korean military drills. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, U.S. President Donald Trump, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were all mentioned. Views differed on Abe's position, but some pointed out that he could look forward to an expanded role for American troops in Japan. Whether North Korea returns to the negotiating table or not, the experts said none of the leaders appeared to want large-scale U.S.-South Korean drills to resume.

The U.S. and South Korea have halted annual joint military exercises since Trump and Kim met in Singapore in June. Major annual drills include the Foal Eagle, Ulchi-Freedom Guardian, Vigilant Ace and Korean Marine Exchange Program exercises. All of them have been canceled, and Seoul and Washington have agreed not to hold the Foal Eagle exercise next year either. South Korea and the U.S. were concerned that North Korea could use the drills as an excuse not to show up at the negotiating table, and it is of course understandable that they postponed them to leave room for important nuclear negotiations. Canceling them once or twice will not have a detrimental impact on the defense posture against possible North Korean aggression, according to government officials and experts. But when asked to provide more frank opinions, many of those experts warn that it would relegate the status of the U.S. Forces Korea to mere peacekeeping troops that cannot engage in combat.

But an even bigger concern is that Washington and Seoul have failed to agree on dividing the cost of keeping U.S. troops here despite 10 rounds of talks so far. The Trump administration wants to double the South Korean share, but this year South Korea already paid W960.2 billion or half of the total upkeep cost (US$1=W1,126). Trump's demand in short comes down to asking Seoul to pay for pretty much the entire upkeep. The Wall Street Journal said Trump's negotiators asked for a 50-percent hike or US$1.2 billion. That is a huge increase considering the fact that Seoul's share has grown only by 2.5 to 25.7 percent each year since 1991.

South Korean officials are reluctant to talk about the issue, which is extremely sensitive in the domestic political situation, while U.S. officials are merely saying there are "very big differences" between the two sides. There is a possibility of Trump threatening to pull U.S. troops out in order to pressure Seoul to pay more. He has been treating most diplomatic alliances from the perspective of whether they support the U.S. rather than in the traditional way of spreading the Pax Americana around the globe.

There is no telling what Trump will do to get South Korea to pay more, nor how Seoul will react -- it could end up telling the Americans to leave or stoke anti-U.S. sentiment.

Another possible end result is that South Korea pays almost the whole cost of keeping the USFK here if there is no progress in denuclearization talks. The North Korean threat continues to loom large, but South Korea's defense posture could be weakened even as the costs escalate. The reality is that Trump has never backed off on his calls for Seoul to shoulder more costs or his claim that joint U.S.-South Korea drills are a waste of money.


The Michigan House rushed through legislation that will divert more than $140 million dollars away from the school aid fund in the first year. The move comes in the wake of numerous non-partisan reports that found that Michigan schools are underfunded by nearly $2,000 per pupil. The bill, HB 4991, passed without any Democratic support. In response to its passage, state Rep. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn) issued the following statement:

Taking away from the future of Michigans children in the middle of the night to fill gaps in the budget left by Republican leadership is the definition of bad governance. Protecting our environment or fixing our roads does not have to come at the expense of school funding. Yet, two years of inaction by the legislative majority has put us in this position. As our state faces ongoing environmental and educational crises, we need to be putting more money towards both causes, not shifting existing funding from one to the other.
For the first time in 20 years, Gary Woronchak will not be in elected office after Jan. 1.

He is quick to point out, however, that he intends to continue serving Dearborn into the future, however I can, in whatever manner residents see fit.

Woronchak has been a Wayne County Commissioner for 14 years and was Dearborns state representative for six years before that, taking office in January 1999. For the past eight years, he has been elected by his colleagues as chairman of the county commission.

He chose to not seek re-election to the commission this year, opting instead to run for the State Senate seat that includes Dearborn, Melvindale and a large portion of Detroit. He was unsuccessful in the Democratic primary election for Senate last August.

Having represented Dearborn, Allen Park and, for a time, Melvindale on the county commission, Woronchak says he will now focus his efforts entirely on his hometown of Dearborn. To that end, he has launched a website, gary4dearborn.com, and a Facebook page, Gary Woronchak for Dearborn.

Whether or not Im currently holding office, I maintain knowledge and contacts that can help residents cut through red tape, Woronchak said. It has been a privilege to serve my hometown, and I will remain active and involved and ready to serve however I can.

His continued devotion to Dearborn is not surprising. Woronchak was raised in Dearborn, went through Dearborn Public Schools, attended Henry Ford Community College and holds a degree from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

He worked for more than 20 years at the Dearborn Press & Guide, most of those years as the newspapers editor, before being elected to the state House of Representatives in 1998.

My background in Dearborn, covering its people and its issues as a newspaper editor, made my transition to elected office a natural one, said Woronchak. Extensive professional communication experience was an asset, too, and I think my communication with the people Ive represented has been beneficial.

His publication experience led Woronchak to produce a booklet, A Citizens Guide to Wayne County Government, which explained how county government works, the services it provides and contact information for elected officials.

Woronchak has been known for the annual issues survey he mailed to district residents as both a state representative and county commissioner. The survey was included with newsletters he wrote himself to inform residents about issues and accomplishments.

He hosted a senior citizen conference every year for 20 years. Hundreds of seniors attended the free program, which included speakers on topics of interest to older adults, vendor tables, health screenings, door prizes and breakfast and lunch. Each event featured a well-known guest speaker, including weathercaster Chuck Gaidica, legendary news anchor Bill Bonds, Gov. Jennifer Granholm, WDIV news anchor Devin Scillian, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox and others.

Among his accomplishments as a state representative was getting $2.5 million per year more for Dearborn Public School programs to provide extra help for students at risk of falling behind. He also obtained a $1 million grant for the ACCESS health center and $5 million for the IMAX theater at Henry Ford Museum.

He had 22 bills signed into law, including increased protections for senior citizens, lowered taxes, and consumer protections for Muslims when they purchase food advertised to be halal. His legislation created a program to help families save for college and made it easier for cities to have blighted properties removed.

As a Wayne County Commissioner, Woronchak has facilitated more than $1 million in county parks millage funds to improvements at Dearborn parks. His favorite such project was a $250,000 splash pad at Whitmore-Bolles Elementary, after the city had closed and removed the neighborhood pool he had used as a child attending Whitmore-Bolles.

Along with leading the commission as chairman during a difficult period that included scandals in the previous county administration and resolving a financial crisis with the current administration, Woronchak was instrumental in creating the countys first-ever ethics ordinance. The ordinance sets into law standards of conduct and creates an ethics board to examine possible violations.

Most important throughout his time in public office at the state and county levels, however, has been providing prompt and effective service to residents who have contacted his office for assistance or information.

People want their government officials to be accessible and responsive, Woronchak said. They want to get calls returned and have their problems solved, or at least know the reason why they cant be. Simply, they deserve to have their officials listen and do what they can to help.

Government is supposed to work for the people. Taxpayers and voters should expect nothing less, he said.

Source: Wayne County Commission
Boao Forum for Asia helps deepen China-Vietnam economic cooperation: official

From:Xinhua | 2018-12-20 22:08

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Li Baodong, secretary general of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), addresses the China-Vietnam Economic Cooperation Promotion Forum held in Hanoi, Vietnam, Dec. 20, 2018. Boao Forum for Asia held here on Thursday the China-Vietnam Economic Cooperation Promotion Forum, attracting nearly 500 government officials and entrepreneurs from both countries. (Xinhua/Wang Di)

HANOI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Boao Forum for Asia held here on Thursday the China-Vietnam Economic Cooperation Promotion Forum, attracting nearly 500 government officials and entrepreneurs from both countries.

Addressing the forum, Li Baodong, secretary general of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), said BFA has always been committed to promoting China's deepening of bilateral and multilateral pragmatic economic and trade cooperation with Asian countries.

"At the first China International Import Expo held last month, many Vietnamese products were favored by Chinese people, " said Li, adding that many well-known Chinese companies participating in the forum here are also members of BFA. They have invested in Vietnam for years and have been recognized by all walks of life in the country.

Li said BFA is willing to help China and Vietnam accelerate synergy between development strategies, strengthen inter-connectivity and economic and trade cooperation within the frameworks of China's Belt and Road Initiative and the Two Corridors and One Economic Circle Plan of Vietnam.

In his speech, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung said the one-day forum attracted hundreds of delegates, fully demonstrating that Vietnam and China and other countries have paid great attention to the future economic and trade cooperation.

Addressing the forum in Hanoi, Xiong Bo, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam, said both China and Vietnam are determined to achieve new development goals through deepening reform and opening up.

The forum in Hanoi reflects the support for promoting the China-Vietnam economic cooperation, said the Chinese ambassador.

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Xiong Bo, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam, addresses the China-Vietnam Economic Cooperation Promotion Forum held in Hanoi, Vietnam, Dec. 20, 2018. Boao Forum for Asia held here on Thursday the China-Vietnam Economic Cooperation Promotion Forum, attracting nearly 500 government officials and entrepreneurs from both countries. (Xinhua/Wang Di)

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The U.S. government issued a nationwide alert to take a number of precautionary measures in the wake of bomb threat emails that demand bitcoin from businesses and organizations.

The National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) said it is aware of a worldwide email campaign targeting businesses and organizations with bomb threats. The emails claim that a device will detonate unless a ransom in Bitcoin is paid.

NCCIC is part of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, a wing of the US Department of Homeland Security.

NCCIC recommended a number of actions to those who receive a bomb threat email.

People have been advised not to respond or try to contact the sender of the e-mail, and not to pay the ransom.

The e-mail recipients have also been asked to report the email to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Internet Crime Complaint Center or to a local FBI Field Office.

Recent reports say that scammers are demanding hefty bitcoin ransom with the subject line, "I advise you not to call the police."

In one of the e-mails, the sender reportedly says, "My man carried a bomb (Hexogen) into the building where your company is located.  I can withdraw my mercenary if you pay. You pay me 20.000 $ in Bitcoin and the bomb will not explode, but don't try to cheat - I warrant you that I will withdraw my mercenary only after 3 confirmations in blockchain network."

Some screenshots of threatening emails were posted on social media.

Thursday, the mayor of Washington, DC, confirmed that the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) briefed her on the ongoing investigation into multiple bomb threats directed at institutions and businesses across the nation.

"Each of the threats was received via email, requesting bitcoin ransom, but we have no knowledge that anyone has complied with the transaction demands", a statement released by Mayor Muriel Bowser's office said.

Bowser said MPD is investigating the threats with the state's federal law enforcement partners. "This is an issue being reported in other cities nationwide and is not considered credible at this time," according to her. "If you receive a threat or observe suspicious activity, please call 911," the statement added.

Government agencies in Australian and New Zealand also are reportedly investigating bomb threat emails seeking bitcoin in ransom.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Defense Secretary James Mattis submitted a letter of resignation to President Donald Trump on Thursday, with reports indicating the former Marine Corps general is stepping down due to a dispute over the president's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.

Mattis said he would resign by the end of the February, suggesting Trump deserves a Defense Secretary who more closely shares his worldview.

"Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours," Mattis wrote, "I believe it is right for me to step down from my position."

Mattis specifically cited his belief in the strength of U.S. alliances and partnerships as well as the need to be "resolute and unambiguous" in the approach to countries such as China and Russia.

Reports suggest Mattis decided to resign after Trump ignored the former four-star general's opposition to the plan to pull 2,000 American troops out of Syria.

Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Syria has also drawn considerable criticism from some of the president's allies on Capitol Hill, with Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., calling the move "akin to surrendering."

The president defended his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria in a series of posts on Twitter earlier in the day, arguing he is only following through on a campaign promise.

Trump claimed his decision to pull out of Syria was "no surprise" even though lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have said they were caught off guard by the move.

"I've been campaigning on it for years, and six months ago, when I very publicly wanted to do it, I agreed to stay longer," Trump tweeted. "Russia, Iran, Syria & others are the local enemy of ISIS. We were doing there [sic] work. Time to come home & rebuild."

Trump suggested the U.S. has been acting as the "Policeman of the Middle East" but getting nothing in return from the people there, who he claimed mostly do not appreciate what the U.S. is doing.

"Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight," Trump said, predicting Russia, Iran, and Syria would be unhappy with the move because they will have to battle ISIS and others without help from the U.S.

Despite Trump's claim about Russian unhappiness, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters he thinks the president made the "right decision."

Responding to Mattis' resignation in another post on Twitter, Trump referred to the Defense Secretary's departure as "retiring, with distinction."

"During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment," Trump tweeted.

"General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations," he added. "A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!"

The news of Mattis' resignation comes as Trump grapples with a number of other serious issues, including a potential government shutdown, the recent sell-off on Wall Street, and the ongoing Russia investigation.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
German stocks extended recent declines on Friday, as concerns over rising borrowing costs in the U.S., political brinkmanship in Washington and fears of a slowing global dented investors' appetite for riskier assets.

The benchmark DAX was down 50 points or 0.47 percent at 10,561 in opening deals after losing 1.4 percent the previous day.

Volkswagen dropped 1 percent on reports that it plans to eliminate about 7,000 jobs at its Hannover and Emden plants in Germany in the coming years.

Online food delivery firm Delivery Hero SE soared 15 percent. The company is selling its German food delivery businesses Lieferheld, Pizza.de and foodora to Takeaway.com.

In economic news, German consumer confidence is set to remain steady at the start of next year despite mounting global risks, market research group GfK said.

The forward-looking consumer confidence indicator is set to show a reading of 10.4 in January, unchanged from December. Economists had forecast a score of 10.3 for January.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
French stocks fell sharply on Friday to extend losses from the previous session, as growth worries coupled with the threat of U.S. government shutdown prompted investors to shun equities and seek safe-haven assets.

Trade tensions also remained in focus after the U.S. Justice Department announced the criminal indictment of two computer hackers associated with the Chinese government.

The benchmark CAC 40 was down 38 points or 0.82 percent at 4,654 in opening deals after declining 1.8 percent on Thursday.

Renault rose half a percent. According to media reports, Carlos Ghosn, the former Chairman of Nissan Motor Co Ltd., was re-arrested by Japan authorities on new allegations of financial misconduct. The new charges will help the authorities to extend his detention.

On a day of little economic news, investors looked ahead to a deluge of U.S. economic releases, with readings on third quarter GDP, durable goods orders, personal income and spending, and consumer sentiment due later in the day.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
The majority of the European ended Friday's session with modest losses. Traders were in a cautious mood heading into the weekend, especially with the Christmas holiday approaching.

The threat of a U.S. government shutdown also weighed on sentiment at the end of the trading week. Lawmakers appear to be at an impasse over funding for President Donald Trump's controversial wall on the border with Mexico. The Senate is not expected to pass a spending bill including wall funding, as Democratic votes would be needed to reach the 60-vote threshold.

Meanwhile, traders were encouraged by comments from New York Federal Reserve President John Williams. In an interview with CNBC, Williams stated, "What we're going to be doing going into next year is re-assessing our views on the , listening to not only markets but everybody that we talk to, looking at all the data and being ready to reassess and re-evaluate our views."

The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index advanced 0.02 percent. The Euro Stoxx 50 index of eurozone blue chip stocks increased 0.01 percent, while the Stoxx Europe 50 index, which includes some major U.K. companies, added 0.09 percent.

The DAX of Germany climbed 0.21 percent and the CAC of France rose 0.04 percent. The FTSE 100 of the U.K. declined 0.03 percent and the SMI of Switzerland finished higher by 0.03 percent.

In Frankfurt, Volkswagen rose 0.84 percent on reports that it plans to eliminate about 7,000 jobs at its Hannover and Emden plants in Germany in the coming years.

Online food delivery firm Delivery Hero SE soared 10.72 percent. The company is selling its German food delivery businesses Lieferheld, Pizza.de and foodora to Takeaway.com.

In Paris, Renault climbed 1.27 percent. According to media reports, Carlos Ghosn, the former Chairman of Nissan Motor Co Ltd., was re-arrested by Japan authorities on new allegations of financial misconduct. The new charges will help the authorities to extend his detention.

In London, Anglo American advanced 2.84 percent after resuming operations at its Minas-Rio iron ore operation in Brazil.

Plastics company RPC Group fell 0.99 percent after it extended a deadline for Apollo Global Management to make a firm bid for the company.

Vodafone lost 2.24 percent after it decided to replace PricewaterhouseCoopers as auditors amid a legal dispute over the collapse of phone retailer Phones 4U.

Danske Bank decreased 0.77 percent in Copenhagen after issuing another profit warning.

Germany's consumer confidence is set to remain steady at the start of next year as households as the divide between expectations on overall economic situation and personal finances widened further.

The forward-looking consumer confidence indicator is set to show a reading of 10.4 in January, unchanged from December, the market research group GfK said Friday. Economists had forecast a score of 10.3 for January.

Germany's import price growth slowed to its lowest level in six months in November, after an acceleration in the previous month, data from the Federal Statistical Office showed on Friday.

The import price index rose 3.1 percent annually in November following a 4.8 percent increase in October. The latest gain was fastest since May, when import prices rose 2.9 percent from a year ago

Export prices increased 1.7 percent year-on year in November, but fell 0.1 percent from the previous month.

British investment fell for three consecutive quarters, marking its weakest period since the 2008-09 global financial crisis, as businesses reduced spending due to the Brexit chaos.

Business investment decreased 1.1 percent sequentially in the third quarter, falling for a third consecutive quarter.

Investment declined for such a long duration for the first time since the economic downturn of 2008-2009, the Office for National Statistics said.

Reflecting downward revisions to consumer spending and exports, the Commerce Department released a report on Friday showing slightly slower than previously estimated U.S. economic growth in the third quarter.

The report said real gross domestic product surged up by 3.4 percent in the third quarter compared to the previously estimated 3.5 percent jump. The pace of GDP growth had been expected to be unrevised.

After reporting a steep drop in new orders for U.S. manufactured durable goods in the previous month, the Commerce Department released a report on Friday showing a rebound in durable goods orders in the month of November.

The Commerce Department said durable goods orders climbed by 0.8 percent in November after plunging by 4.3 percent in October. Economists had expected durable goods orders to jump by 1.6 percent.

Personal income in the U.S. increased by slightly less than expected in the month of November, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Friday, although the report also showed slightly stronger than expected personal spending growth.

The Commerce Department said personal spending edged up by 0.2 percent in November after climbing by 0.5 percent in October. Economists had expected personal income to rise by 0.3 percent.

Meanwhile, the report said personal spending climbed by 0.4 percent in November after jumping by an upwardly revised 0.8 percent in October.

Personal spending had been expected to rise by 0.3 percent compared to the 0.6 percent increase originally reported for the previous month.

Revised data released by the University of Michigan on Friday unexpectedly showed an improvement in U.S. consumer sentiment in the month of December. The report said the consumer sentiment index for December was upwardly revised to 98.3 from a preliminary reading of 97.5. Economists had expected the index to be unrevised.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
The Swiss stock market ended Friday's session with a slight increase, but was little changed overall. Traders were in a cautious mood heading into the weekend, especially with the Christmas holiday approaching.



The threat of a U.S. government shutdown also weighed on sentiment at the end of the trading week. Lawmakers appear to be at an impasse over funding for President Donald Trump's controversial wall on the border with Mexico.

The Swiss Market Index increased by 0.03 percent Friday and finished at 8,417.29. The Swiss Leader Index climbed 0.18 percent and the Swiss Performance Index added 0.14 percent.

The index heavyweights turned in a mixed performance Friday. Novartis fell 0.7 percent, Nestle climbed 0.6 percent and Roche ended the day unchanged.

Lonza was among the weakest performing stocks of the session, sinking 3.6 percent. Givaudan also finished lower by 1.6 percent.

Julius Baer climbed 1.7 percent, Credit Suisse advanced 1.6 percent and UBS added 0.9 percent.

Swatch Group increased 1 percent and rival Richemont rose 0.7 percent.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
After a court in Britain ordered the extradition of Indian industrialist Vijay Mallya to stand trial on charges of committing a Rs 9,000-crore bank loan fraud, the Indian High Commission in London is in touch with British authorities, with the case now in the hands of British Home Secretary, a senior official said on Thursday.

"I would like to say that our mission in London is in active touch with UK authorities on this issue," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in response to a question at a media briefing here.



On December 10, the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London gave its decision recommending the extradition of Mallya.



"After that (court's order), the case goes to Secretary of State for Home who has two months to formally order his extradition," Kumar explained.





"At the same time, Mallya has two weeks to appeal against the order," he said, adding now one has to wait and see what happens.



Mallya fled India in March 2016 over a Rs 9,000-crore bank loan fraud, but he has repeatedly denied fleeing the country and said he was ready to pay back the money he owed to Indian banks.



Regarding absconding diamantaires Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, both wanted in the Rs 13,500-crore Punjab National Bank fraud case, Kumar said India was following up on the extradition requests submitted to the British and Antigua & Barbuda authorities.



The spokesperson added that Modi's case is under the consideration of the British Home Secretary before this can be sent to court for a decision.
Actor Naseeruddin Shah, who is "angry" about the rise of mob violence, has said "poison" has spread in the Indian society where at some places, the death of a cow is given more significance than of a police officer, an indirect reference to the recent Bulandshahr violence where a police officer was killed allegedly by cow vigilantes.

The actor, married to Ratna Pathak Shah, raised concerns about the safety of his children who, he said, do not follow any specific religion.



His comments, which have provoked a debate, are a part of a video interview with Karwan-e-Mohabbat India. It was shared on its YouTube channel earlier this week.



The Congress has endorsed Naseeruddin's views, and tweeted: " Naseeruddin Shah we concur, do not fear the hate, fight it."





"The poison has spread. It will be very difficult to capture this djinn back into the bottle again. There is complete impunity for those who take law into their hands. In many areas we are witnessing that the death of a cow is given more significance than that of a police officer," said the veteran actor.



The father of actors Vivaan Shah and Imaad Shah, Nasseruddin said he feels worried about his children.



"I had received regional education as a child. Ratna is from a liberal household, so she had next to none. And we chose not to give any religious education to our children. Because I believe that being good or evil has nothing to do with religion.



"We taught them what our beliefs are. I did make them learn a few verses from the Quran Sharif because I believe reciting them improves one's articulation, Just like one's Hindi articulation improves after reading the Ramayana and Mahabharata in its original (form)," he said.



Elaborating on why he feels anxious about his children, Naseeruddin said: "Because tomorrow if a mob surrounds them, and asks, 'are you a Hindu or a Muslim?'... They will have no answer. It worries me because I don't see the situation improving anytime soon.



"These matters don't scare me. They make me angry. And I want that every right-thinking person should feel angry, not scared. This is our home, who can dare to evict us from here?" he asked.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Friday after vociferous protests by the opposition over various issues, including the Rafale deal, bonded labourers rescued in Karnataka, Delhi sealing and Cauvery water dispute.

The House will now meet on December 27, after Christmas.



As soon as the House met at noon after the first adjournment, official papers were laid on the table. The Zero Hour began.



Immediately, the Congress, AIADMK and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members trooped near the Speaker's podium and started sloganeering.



The Congress demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the 36 ready-to-fly Rafale fighter jets deal, while the AIADMK members demand that the proposal to construct a dam across the Cauvery river at Mekadatu must be withdrawn. The TDP raised several issues related to their demand for special status for Andhra Pradesh.



Amid the din, Bharatiya Janata Party's Prahlad Joshi raised the issue of labourers, who were rescued by the police in the Hassan district in Karnataka and demanded that a team of National Commission for SC/ST, Women and Human Rights should visit the spot and submit a detailed report.



The police in Savankamahalli village rescued 52 labourers, including Dalit bonded ones, who were enslaved and whipped. Reports said "kept in a small shed, these bonded labourers, including women and children, had lived for months and years in depraved conditions. There was no freedom, no wages and had to work for 17-hour a day. It was only after one of them managed to escape that the others were rescued".



"This horrifying incident has happened in the area from where the Karnataka Chief Minister (H.D. Kumaraswamy) hails. Karnataka government has not taken any proper action till now," Joshi said.



Trinamool Congess' Dinesh Trivedi also raked up the issue of the impact of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation on the MSME sector while Revolutionary Socialist Party's N.K. Premchandran raised the issue of Union Home Ministry's order that has allowed 10 central probe agencies to intercept and monitor information stored on any computer device.





Siromani Akali Dal's Prem Singh Chandu Majra demanded the government should initiate a process so that the British government should apologise for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.



As the ruckus continued, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House for the day.



Before the adjournment, she took consent of the House to resume the proceedings on December 27 after Christmas vacation.



The House also witnessed an earlier adjournment when it met for the day during Question Hour session as the AIADMK, the TDP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members trooped near the Speaker's podium and started sloganeering in support of their various demands.



The AAP members led by Bhagwant Maan then demanded end of sealing in Delhi.



During the pandemonium Arakkonam MP G.Hari of the AIADMK tore some papers and threw them towards the reporter's table.



Amid the din, the Speaker adjourned the House till noon.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday arrested Suman Chattopadhyay, editor of a leading Bengali daily, in I-Core Group chit fund scam, an official said.

Chattopadhyay had allegedly received money in his bank accounts from the chit fund firm, the agency's spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said.



Chattopadhyay, also a director in Disha Productions and Media Private Limited (DPMPL), was arrested after several hours of questioning at the agency's office at the CGO complex in a case registered against the I-Core Group.



"The investigation has revealed that funds collected illegally by the I-Core Group were allegedly diverted in the accounts of DPMPL as well as personal account of Chattopadhyay," the spokesperson said.



"He will be produced before a special Chief Judicial Magistrate's court in Odisha's Bhubaneswar on Friday," he said.



"The investigation is continuing," he added.





The CBI in 2014 started its probe into the affairs of the I-Core Group following a Supreme Court order asking the central agency to investigate all non-Saradha (Group) fund mobilising companies.



The Managing Directors of I-Core E Services Limited, Anukul Maity, and his wife Kanika were arrested in 2017 by CBI on charges of cheating.



The couple was earlier taken into custody by the Criminal Investigation Department of West Bengal police in cheating and other fraud cases.



The company had mobilised funds, mainly in Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal, through its ponzi schemes that promised returns at rates much higher than those prevailing in the market.
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Dec-20-2018 15:12 TweetFollow @OregonNews Be Prepared for Winter Conditions Across Eastern Oregon The winter weather advisory remains in effect from 4 p.m. this afternoon to 6 a.m. PST Friday.

Snow is expected above 4000 feet, with total accumulations of 4 to 7 inchesin the Northern Blue Mountains, including Tollgate and Ski Bluewood Resort.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - ODOT crews in eastern Oregon are preparing for winter weather moving across the area tonight, creating challenging driving conditions over the next few days. Todays National Weather Service announcement calls for MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW IN THE NORTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT. In the northern Blue Mountains, significant snow accumulations will occur at elevations above 4000 feet, mainly north of Meacham. Gusty winds are also expected. The winter weather advisory remains in effect from 4 p.m. this afternoon to 6 a.m. PST Friday. WHAT... Snow expected above 4000 feet. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 7 inches expected.

Snow expected above 4000 feet. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 7 inches expected. WHERE... Northern Blue Mountains, including Tollgate and Ski Bluewood Resort.

Northern Blue Mountains, including Tollgate and Ski Bluewood Resort. ADDITIONAL DETAILS... Plan on snow-covered roads and poor visibility with possible blowing and drifting of snow. The hazardous conditions could impact the evening commute. Travelers are advised to check road and weather conditions at TripCheck.com before hitting the road. Links to winter driving safety tips are also available on TripCheck under the Road and Weather tab at the top of the website. Just open the Winter Travel and Winter Driving Safety drop down menus where youll find helpful messages. A few things to keep in mind: Be ready to use your chains. Be patient. Go slow.

Turn off cruise control. Never use cruise control in wet, icy, snowy or slippery conditions.

Expect a long commute that could last hours. You never know when weather or traffic incidents will cause the road to be closed for extended periods.

Along with snow and slick conditions, expect visibility to be limited.

Make sure your wipers, headlights, turn signals, heater, etc. are in good working order.

Keep fuel tank full (in case you get stuck in road closure).

Keep cell phone charged.

Avoid following GPS navigation directions onto remote or unfamiliar roadways if detoured off of the main highway. Many non-highway routes are not maintained during winter conditions.

Carry emergency supplies (water, food, warm clothes, flashlight, etc.)

Increase the following distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you.

Use extra caution and keep safety in mind when installing tire chains along the side of the roadway. Other drivers may not be able to see you clearly.

Drive according to conditions of the road, regardless of posted speed limits.

Keep a watch on weather conditions throughout the day in anticipation of the next snow storm which could make current road conditions worse.

At the end of your trip, wash off your vehicle to remove mud, snow, road salt and deicer residue. Know Before You Go: Call 5-1-1 or visit www.TripCheck.com for the latest real-time traffic updates and camera views of Oregons highways. Outside of Oregon, travelers can call 503-588-2941. _________________________________________

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Articles for December 19, 2018 | Articles for December 20, 2018 | Articles for December 21, 2018
The Samoa Victim Support Group has received over $2000 worth of Christmas presents for its resident-children.

The donation was made by the local company Samoa Stationery and Books. Funding for the presents were raised at the Carnival Festival, which the stationery company hosted early this month, to coincide with their 10th anniversary celebrations.

The companys marketing manager, Asomua Anastasia Stanley, told Samoa Observer that the December 8 carnival was organised by the company founder, Tofilau Fiti Leung Wai, with the support of the Samoa Faafafine Association (SFA).

We had the carnival festival on the 8th December, where the children of Samoa were all welcomed to attend. And with all the money that we were able to gather from that festival  which was about $2500  are now used to buy Christmas presents for our children here in the Samoa Victim Support.

We are happy that we are able to get the chance to be here, seeing all these children with big smiles on their faces just brings joy in our hearts.

And all the performances they prepared for this special day was just so amazing. We are thankful that the Lord had given us the opportunity to be here to share laughter and love with the SVSG staff and all the beautiful souls who are here.

We also appreciate the help of Lina and the staff of the SVSG on the young souls who are now family to them. We pray and hope the Lord will continue to bless this society as they are playing an important role such as taking care of our loves ones who had been victimised, she said, in an interview with Samoa Observer.

The December 8 carnival hosted by the stationery company and its partners coincided with the Miss Samoa Faafafine Association 2018-2019.

SVSG president Siliniu Lina Chang was emotional yesterday when she spoke on behalf of SVSG staff and all the children.

This is not the first time SSAB donated gifts to the SVSG and I am so thankful to Tofilau Fiti Leung Wai and the company SSAB and also the Miss SFA for all the love that they have shown to us.

We are blessed with everything that we have received today. The children are so happy that they have free Christmas presents, she said.

The SVSG prepared special items as a token of appreciation to Tofilau, her staff and the Samoa Faafafine Association for the gesture.
Leaving his family behind is the challenge Andrew Petero Tone will have to endure and overcome while studying overseas.

Andrew is a recipient of the Australia Awards scholarship, and will undertake a four-year programme for a Bachelor in Medical Laboratory Science at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia.

The father of four from Vaimoso has been working at the National Health Services hospital blood bank section for 17 years, and hopes to develop his knowledge and skills in his line of work.

I still want to come back and contribute to my work. Use the knowledge and skills I gain from my studies to improve the quality of our work, to upgrade the standards of our service, said the 39-year-old.

Its Andrews first time to study under the Awards, and is the only student to study a Bachelor in Medical Laboratory Science.

Its an honour and privilege for me to get the scholarship, especially when you have a lot of people applying.

So I just want to thank the Lord for this opportunity and also the Australian High Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he said.

Andrew leaves Samoa for Australia in January before the semester begins on January 21.
The Samoa Victim Support Group Juniors have given back to the community through the distribution of water tanks.

SVSG Juniors president, Carmenita Solaese, said funding for the water tanks was raised over three months through Zumba, the Hope Concert as well as donations from individuals and companies.

As young volunteers for SVSG under the SVSG Juniors sub-group, we have watched, observed and marveled at the magnitude of the work being carried out by SVSG for our community in need, let alone, the operation of the only shelter facility in Samoa for abused and vulnerable children, the Campus of Hope.

We wanted to make a difference by taking up casework assistance, child protection, court support or shelter operations as per SVSGs mandate, but rather, in how we can give back to the community that has supported and entrusted SVSG to be a service provider.

The idea was reaffirmed after seeing the children at the Campus struggle with their daily routine on one particular day when they were without water, she said in an interview with Samoa Observer.

The lack of access to clean water is a struggle faced by many families in Samoa, added Carmenita, consequently the decision by the SVSG Juniors to raise funds.

SVSGs Welfare Database has found many of our families in need of welfare assistance and therein laid the focus of SVSG Juniors fundraising drive to give back to the community.

Our target was to supply 10 10,000 litre water tanks to 10 families under the SVSG database in need of clean water.

We acknowledge with gratitude the support from our donors, both here and abroad, who have made this clean water project a reality, she added.

The decision by the Rotomould Water Tank at Fugalei to become a partner in the project was also commended, with Carmenita making special mention of the companys general manager, Fred Yazadani.

From zumba fundraising, we were able to secure one 10,000 litre water tank. The Hope concert late November and the donations from our supporting partners enabled us to reach our target of 10 10,000 litre water tanks.

Chan Mow and family donated for one water tank, May Schwenke donated another, whereas Maurice and Elanit Mitry of Sydney, Australia donated three water tanks. Fittings and cement for all the tanks have been provided through this project.

Three families at Malaemalu Falealili and one from Faleula have had their water tanks installed, with delivery to others still progressing. The SVSG (junior youth groups from these villages have helped with the cement work for the tanks, she added.

The role of the mother organisation SVSG in guiding them to serve the community in need was also acknowledged.

As Christmas is upon us, let us keep the spirit of giving alive through services to others. It is the least we could do, for unto us, a child is born, the greatest gift of all, she said.
Two state-of-the-art machines now make Samoa the first country in the Pacific to produce world-standard soil analysis.

Thanks to the University of the South Pacific Alafua Campus, countries and education institutions around the region are able to know how fertile their land is through quality analysis.

The first machine, Carbon and Nitrogen analyser, was installed this year and has been used for research by students, some regional countries and the local Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

This instrument can measure the carbon and nutrient content of soil, plant and animal feed samples, and it can also analyse one sample within four-five minutes compared to the initial method, which took about 30 minutes, says Senior Lecturer for Soil Science, Mohammed Kader.

Normally, this machine is used by world standard labs for analysing of soil, plant and animal feed samples. This is mainly used for research, and students are being taught how to use the machine.

Mr. Kader said the last time soil analysis was done in Samoa was in 1965, and since then no carbon and nitrogen contents were analysed.

Everybody is saying that fertility is declining, but no quantitative analysis was done in a large scale because of the lack of the proper instruments, so now we have this machine to check for the carbon and nitrogen contents if they are increasing or decreasing because of the land use sales and cultivation, he said.

The other machine is the ICP Spectrometer, which can analyse 10-20 elements from one soil sample within one-two minutes.

This machine can also analyse the environmental pollutants, particularly the acidic, led, mercury content of the soil, Mr. Kader said.

We can also analyse the drinking water standards because it contains led, mercury etc. Now in Samoa, I think they are analysing their water abroad, but now we have this facility and we can do it here.

We havent started using this machine because we will install it next year around March. This machine can analyse micro nutrient contents of the soil with small amount in plant, water.

With the results produced, the Campus is also able to provide proper feedback to help improve soil contents.

We provide services to other people like commercial farmers, we analyse their soils and give them feedback on the content of their soil, and also offer fertiliser recommendations based on those analysis, Mr. Kader said.

You go to any fertilizer companies in the Pacific, you see some kind of formulation like 10, 15, NPK and when a farmer looks at it, he does not know what those numbers mean and which one he should buy, but this machine also gives numbers.

So the analysis will help farmers understand and know how much to apply or use on their farms. So its sort of telling them too dont waste your money on fertilizer you dont need.

The quality of the fertilizer in the market, they are saying 15 percent nitrogen, but farmers do not know whether its really 15 percent, but we can still test it and also the quality of the fertilizer that commercial shops are selling, whether it is correct or not. Investigate the quality of the fertilizer.

Mr. Kader said Samoa has the advantage because the machine is in Samoa, and U.S.P. is ready to support M.A.F. if they need help, as well as the National University of Samoa and the region.

These two machines complement each other. They use the same elements. That machine does carbon and nitrogen and the other one does other elements, many elements.

The machine is manufactured by Thermo Scientific, an American company, and was purchased from New Zealand.
Hawaii resident Frances Draut is in Samoa for the first time and is finding the country hot and humid but she likes it here.

She is in Samoa for two weeks and is staying at the Coconuts Beach Resort at Maninoa, Siumu.

A friends friend of mine owns a resort, her partner didnt want to come so she brought me along for a visit, said the 60-year-old tourist.

She said she loved snorkeling with the giant clams at the marine reserve and seeing waterfalls on the eastern side of the island.

I have been doing a lot of relaxing and I cant say swimming because I can only float, she said and laughed.

While trying to learn the local culture during her stay, she discovered that Samoan culture is different from what she is used to.

Its [a] very different culture here; families are really important here and thats nice. Its very nice. Itd be difficult for me, because I make my money and I take care of myself but you folks care for your whole family.

You make the cheque, you work overseas and you send it back for the family, so thats just not one person.

I dont know about it being hard, but it would be very different for me because Im from a big family also, but everybody makes their own money and do your own, she added.

Originally from Chicago, Frances has now lived in Hawaii for more than 40 years and says she is enjoying her relaxation time in Samoa.

In Hawaii there are too many cars and too many people, but here its nice because there are not too many people. And the people have been beautiful so far, very nice too and friendly and everybody speaks English so its easier for me, she said.

When Samoa Observer asked Frances what she would love to take back with her, she said she was looking for cotton sarongs to take back home.
A Ministry of Police raid on a residence at Nuu Fou yesterday morning led to the confiscation of cannabis with a street value of $15,000.

Commissioner of Police, Fuiavailiili Egon Keil, told Samoa Observer that the Police were tipped off on the residence that sold and distributed the illicit drug in the Apia area.

The product came from another village which is then stockpiled in the residence that we raided this morning. We got a search warrant and with the assistance of our tactical team  our criminal investigation division with our narcotics unit also with our canine unit and general policing  they came together and formulated a plan so everyone will be safe with the type of equipment that they needed to take for the search.

They confiscated cellphones, a vehicle, 81 marijuana branches, 39 small packages about three by five in size and is worth $15.00 each, 24 marijuana bullets, 189 marijuana seeds, one stem, and a lot of loose leaves, he said.

Fuiavailiili said he was pleased no one was injured in the Police operation, which led to the arrest of the suspects with more arrests expected.

We arrested four suspects, three males and one female and they have been charged with possession and distributing marijuana/cannabis and we are highly against this sort of behavior. We also have other leads to other sources as well and as far as cultivation of marijuana and we have that information as well.

We are not just targeting marijuana; we are also targeting other narcotics as well along with individuals that distribute or bring in narcotics in Samoa, he added.

The Police Commissioner said it is against the law in Samoa for narcotics to be present in the country.

I understand in other countries it is legal for medical purposes or private recreation. But here in Samoa, the use, possession, and distribution of cannabis is not lawful.

The Samoa Police will continue to search and stop this sort of behavior in Samoa because there were some incidents that we had in Samoa which involved marijuana; cannabis distorts the mind and impairs your ability to react and act appropriately as to why it is illegal in Samoa.

The law is the law and we will use all our resources and capabilities to stop it, with this raid it serves to send a message that we are not going to sit idly by while this happens under our watch, he added.

The Police Commissioner also added that they are a very busy organisation, which he said is surprising for such a small island country like Samoa.

At the moment we are waiting for the court registrar to come and remand the suspects  if they feel necessary to remand under criteria  whether we are going to keep them here or send them to Tafaigata or released at liberty so it depends.

We do appreciate the help and assistance from the community throughout the year, it has been a blessed year for the Samoan Police force, and no one died or had any major injuries, he said.
The Delegation of the European Union (E.U.) yesterday warned Samoa could lose out on funding if it still exists in the blacklist of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions.

Mohammed Nazim-Kasim, the press and information officer (Political, Trade, Press and Information Section) at the Suva-based Delegation of the European Union for the Pacific, said the implications on Samoa could include losing out on European Fund for Sustainable Development (E.F.S.D.), the European Fund for Strategic Investment (E.F.S.I.) and the External Lending Mandate (E.L.M.).

Mr. Nazim-Kasim said the E.U. list is now linked to the E.U. funding following European Commission proposals.

Funds from these instruments cannot be channeled through entities in listed countries. Only direct investment in these countries (i.e. funding for projects on the ground provided that it does not contribute to tax avoidance including no use of harmful tax regimes, tax evasion or tax fraud) will be allowed, to preserve development and sustainability objectives.

In addition to the E.U. provisions, member States have agreed on a set of countermeasures, which they can choose to apply against the listed countries.

These include measures such as increased monitoring and audits, withholding taxes, special documentation requirements and anti-abuse provisions, he said, in response to questions from Samoa Observer.

But Samoas Ministry of Revenue C.E.O., Matafeo Avalisa Viali Fautua'alii, said she is not at liberty to respond to questions that were sent to her by this newspaper, as the issue also involves the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Samoa International Finance Authority.

We are working together to devise an action plan to address the concerns raised by EU, Matafeo said.

However, Ministry of Revenue  through its Policy Division  is doing its research on the tax side of things, on how we can address the European Unions listing criteria on tax transparency and base erosion and profit shifting (B.E.P.S.) minimum standards.

Explaining how Samoa can address the issue to avoid the consequences of being on the blacklist, Mr. Nazim-Kasim said Samoa should modify the existing "Offshore business regime" to align it with the criteria of the Code of Conduct, or abolish it.

The Offshore business regime was assessed as harmful by the EU Code of Conduct of Business Taxation and at this stage Samoa has not committed to modify the regime as requested by the COCG, he said.

The assessment made is based on the information that Samoa offers offshore business vehicles for international finance activities conducted outside Samoa. It is taken into account that international and registered foreign companies are exempt from payment of all income taxes and from other direct or indirect taxes and stamp duties on their transactions, profits and gains and on any dividends, earnings or interest attribute to or paid upon their shares or securities which are beneficially owned by non-residents or other international companies.

As the general tax rate in Samoa is 27 per cent a complete exemption from tax for foreign registered companies on income from direct and indirect taxes on profits, gains, dividends and interest attributed to or paid to companies which are beneficially owned by non-residents means that the measure provides for a significantly lower level of taxation. On this basis the measure is considered as potentially harmful.

He further explained that the assessment is also based on the available information  that the Offshore business regime is applicable only to activities conducted outside Samoa  and to transactions, profits and gains and on any dividends, earnings or interest attribute to or paid upon their shares or securities, which are beneficially owned by non-residents or other international companies.

Another criterion of the Code of Conduct is that in order not to be harmful a regime must require a real economic activity and substantial economic presence in the jurisdiction.

This criterion is aimed at ensuring that companies do not establish themselves in a jurisdiction only to avoid tax but that they should carry out a real activity and be part of local economic life.

It has been found that there is no express requirement for real economic activity or substantial economic presence and that companies could establish a company and benefit from the exemption from tax without any actual presence in Samoa.

Mr. Nazim-Kasim said the E.U. is open for dialogue with the Samoan authorities finding a way forward.

We understand that Samoa is working on draft legislation that is intended to remedy the issues identified by the EU.

He added that the EU listing process is intended to prompt change and it creates a positive incentive for international partners to improve their tax systems, where there are weaknesses in their transparency and fair tax standards.

The EU encourages the jurisdictions to address the identified tax good governance deficiencies and engage positively with the EU to resolve the issues, he added.
A recommendation by the Remuneration Tribunal for a salary increase public servants has been approved by the Government.

This was confirmed by the Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr Sailele Malielegaoi during his media conference at his office this week.

This is based on the recommendation by the Remuneration Tribunal. However, when it comes to the issue of income, there are several factors to consider such as the salaries for those working in the private sector.

We dont just look at the salaries of government employees but also consider the private sector. If the raise is too much, this will have an impact on the businesses, hence the Government is cautious, he said.

The Prime Minister said they have made queries with the Remuneration Tribunal to submit their study to the Government in order for a determination to be made.

We cant just increase salaries based on their recommendation, he said, while adding that the Governments pay raises has to be with the private sector.

Again a significant increase of salaries will have an impact on the private businesses and these are the issues we have to consider, he added.

Tuilaepa said in 1981 this issue triggered a protest against the Samoa Government, when doctors had two pay rises while other professions were still waiting.

The Prime Minister also confirmed that there will an increase of pension benefits as per the National Provident Fund.

On August 3, 2018 the N.P.F. Chief Executive Officer, Pauli Prince Suhren, wrote to Agafili Shem Leo (C.E.O. of the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet) highlighting the position of the superfund on the proposed cost of living adjustment for public sector remuneration, and that of the proposed increase in the monthly pension amount  under the senior citizens benefit fund as administered by the N.P.F.

Pauli said the superfund is fully supportive of the proposed increase of circa 30 per cent over the next few years, starting with a 10 per cent rise in January

Six months ago, the Cabinet approved salary raises for judges and a decrease of the Prime Ministers salary as recommended by the Remuneration Tribunal.

The Cabinet approval for Justices in the Supreme Court, Judges of the District Court and the Land and Titles Court was outlined in a F.K. (Faaiuga Kapeneta - Cabinet Decision) (18) 17, which also revealed that Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaois salary was slashed from $187,500 to $182,070 as recommended by a tribunal.

In April, the Minister of Justice and Courts Administration, Faaolesa Katopau Ainuu proposed a salary raise for the Judges that would have cost close to a million tala.

However, Cabinet has only approved a small increase for all Judges in the Supreme Court, District Court and the Lands and Titles.

According to the F.K. (18) 17, the Cabinet approved a $326 increase for the Chief Justices salary of $164,944 to $165,270.

A Senior Supreme Court Justices salary has also been increased from $131,325 to $136,500. Other Supreme Court Justices have been increased from $126,072 to $131,250. For a Senior District Court Judge, their salary has been raised from $120,819 to $126,000. Other District Court Judges have received an increase from $115,566 to $120,750. The President of the Land and Titles salary will increase from $126,072 to $131,250. The six Deputy President of L.T.C. who were making $84,084 will receive a salary boost of $10,416 each, while the 11 Judges who were making $ 63,036 each will receive a boost of $10,464.
VATICAN CITY (AP)  Pope Francis demanded Friday that priests who have raped and molested children turn themselves in and vowed that the Catholic Church will "never again" hide their crimes.

Francis dedicated his annual Christmas speech to Vatican bureaucrats to abuse, evidence that a year of devastating revelations of sexual misconduct and cover-up around the globe has shaken his papacy and caused a crisis of confidence in the Catholic hierarchy.

Francis acknowledged that the church in the past had failed to treat the problem seriously, blaming leaders who out of inexperience or short-sightedness acted "irresponsibly" by refusing to believe victims. But he vowed that going forward the church would "never again" cover up or dismiss cases.

"Let it be clear that before these abominations the church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whosoever has committed such crimes," he said.

Francis urged victims to come forward, thanked the media for giving them voice and issued a stark warning to abusers: "Convert and hand yourself over to human justice, and prepare for divine justice."

Francis' remarks capped a dreadful year for the Catholic Church, one that began with his own botched handling of a sprawling sex abuse scandal in Chile and ended with the U.S. hierarchy in a free-fall of credibility as state prosecutors began uncovering decades of cover-up.

Francis has summoned church leaders from around the globe for a February abuse prevention summit, in an indication that he has come to realize that the problem is far greater and far more global than he had understood at the start of his pontificate.

Francis' blanket demand that abusers turn themselves in to face "human justice" was significant, and echoed his previous demands for mafia bosses and corrupt politicians to convert.

Vatican guidelines currently only call for bishops to report priestly abusers to police in those countries where civil law requires it  a technicality that survivors and their advocates have long blasted as a convenient dodge to the church's moral obligation to protect children regardless of what civil law requires.

Survivors and their advocates, however, found Francis' words hollow, noting that just this week the chief prosecutor in the U.S. state of Illinois accused church officials there of hiding the names of around 500 priests accused of abuse.

"While refusing to reveal the name of one cleric who committed or concealed child sex crimes, Francis gives yet another promise about ending cover ups," said David Clohessy, former director of the U.S.-based survivor group SNAP. "If he's serious, Francis could show it by suspending all Illinois bishops until they 'come clean' or the attorney general's investigation clears them of wrongdoing."

Anne Barrett Doyle of the online resource BishopAccountability said it was fantasy to think that criminals will suddenly turn themselves in, when the Vatican itself has blocked bishops from adopting mandatory reporting norms, such as in Ireland in the 1990s.

"He minimizes and mischaracterizes the protection of abusers by church leaders, chalking it up to lack of training or awareness, rather than a deliberate choice to conceal and deceive," she said, adding that his claim that the cover-up was a thing of the past is also wrong since it is ongoing.

Francis warned the Vatican bureaucrats who run the 1.2 billion-strong church that the scandal now undermines the credibility of the entire Catholic enterprise and prayed for help so that the Church can discern true cases from false ones, and accusations from slander.

"This is no easy task, since the guilty are capable of skillfully covering their tracks," he said, adding that abusers also choose their victims carefully, finding those who will stay silent and live in "fear of shame and the terror of rejection."

It was perhaps a veiled reference to ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the disgraced retired archbishop of Washington who is now facing a canonical trial on allegations he groped a teenage altar boy in the 1970s.

The McCarrick revelations have fueled the crisis in confidence in the U.S. and Vatican hierarchy since it was apparently an open secret that he slept with seminarians but nevertheless was allowed to rise up the church ranks.

Francis' reference to the difficulty in distinguishing allegation from slander perhaps related to his own failure to believe Chilean victims of a notorious predator priest.

During Francis' disastrous trip to Chile in January, he dismissed survivors' allegations of cover-up as "slander," sparking outrage in Chile and beyond. Francis eventually did an about-face, apologized to the victims and acknowledged he had made "grave errors in judgment."

Going forward, he urged those who have been victims of sexual abuse, abuse of power and abuse of conscience to speak out.

"The greater scandal in this matter is that of cloaking the truth," he said.

"I myself would like to give heartfelt thanks to those media professionals who were honest and objective and sought to unmask these predators and to make their victims' voices heard," he said.

The cardinals and bishops of the Curia listened attentively, including the dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Sodano, who has long been blamed for the Vatican's refusal to acknowledge the depth of the problem during the quarter-century pontificate of St. John Paul II.

Sodano, who once dismissed media reports of abuse as "petty gossip," made no mention of the scandal. In introductory remarks Friday to the pope, he thanked Francis for his pastoral visits in Rome and around the world, for having canonized Pope Paul VI and for having issued a new teaching document.

In previous years, Francis has used his Christmas greetings to issue blistering criticisms of the failings of the Curia, accusing Vatican bureaucrats of suffering from "spiritual Alzheimer's" and taking part in the "terrorism of gossip."

His remarks this year were more global, noting that all around there are priests who "without batting an eye" are ready to betray all that the church stands for and enter into a "web of corruption" by abusing those in their care.

"Often behind their boundless amiability, impeccable activity and angelic faces, they shamelessly conceal a vicious wolf ready to devour innocent souls," he said.
Apple announced last week it was opening a new location in San Diego and adding 1,000 jobs over three years. Apple has been advertising for engineering workers in San Diego in recent months, including jobs involving cellular modems and other radio frequency components used in smartphones.

Question: Should San Diego-based Qualcomm be worried about Apple moving into town?

Phil Blair, Manpower

YES: It is obvious that Apple has selected San Diego for one of its new design sites because of the great talent that is available in the San Diego region, including the Baja region. But most of that talent currently resides within Qualcomm. With their head-to-head completion to develop 5G technology I see a serious bidding war for that talent. Qualcomm is an excellent company, treats its employees really well, and has homebred talent that Apple may just find is not willing to move to the new kid on the block.

Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research

YES: Rivalry between firms is an important dynamic of market economies. Healthy competition economically benefits and is essential to driving productivity and improving growth. Vigorous competition leads to greater innovation and compels firms to change by distinguishing their business from others with technology advancements, product alterations or improving customer experiences. Competition shakes off complacency and drives efforts to improve productivity, including encouraging employees to push themselves. Qualcomm should be motivated by Apples presence in their hometown.

David Ely, San Diego State University

NO: The intensity of the legal battles between these two companies does not vary with their physical proximity. While Apple and Qualcomm may be competing more directly for some of the same local skilled engineers, the impact should be relatively small since both have the ability to attract employees from outside of the region. And, Apple may enhance San Diegos image as a tech hub, leading to more technology workers wanting to relocate here.

Gina Champion-Cain, American National Investments

NO: Industry clusters breed innovation, healthy competition and create startups in ways not seen in regions without industry density. The synergies of similar industries in close proximity to one another are beneficial to all and greatly outweigh any friction associated with workforce competition. To reach the critical mass needed to cross the density tipping point, San Diego needs to attract and retain more technology companies. Apple should be welcomed.

Alan Gin, University of San Diego

YES: This will increase the competition for local tech talent, which might make it more difficult for Qualcomm to hire personnel. Qualcomm has long been a big name locally and an attractive place to work for local tech workers. It has some national and international recognition, but it pales in comparison to Apple. That could give Apple an edge in attracting potential employees from the local universities, from local companies and from people who would consider relocating to San Diego.

James Hamilton, UC San Diego

NO: High tech has high synergies from networking, sharing information, attracting skilled labor, and manufacturing and transportation logistics. Companies like Apple and Qualcomm benefit from having other companies like them nearby. Thats why you see the worlds leading technology companies concentrated geographically, like the Bay Areas Silicon Valley or San Diegos biotech industry. It will also benefit local institutions like University of California San Diego that may become a hub for this network.

Gary London, London Moeder Advisors

NO: Oh, there is going to be some poaching of talent. But ultimately the presence of Apple grows the cluster, benefiting both companies  and others  as well as their employees. We welcome Apple. Yet, their expansion to San Diego would be far more provocative had they elected to move to Downtown San Diego to seed a cluster. Who is out there to step up and do that?

Norm Miller, University of San Diego

NO: It is an advantage to have firms that use similar talent, cluster in the same market. That is why we have the biotechs clustered in Sorrento Valley and the Torrey Pines UCSD area. Together they help stabilize and attract talent, and share in this larger labor pool. In the short run there may be some competitive effects, but in the long run, both will be better off because of proximity near each other.

Jamie Moraga, IntelliSolutions

YES: It comes down to the competition for talent. These companies, along with many others in the region, are seeking talent in the areas of information technology, cyber, computer science and engineering, to name just a few. It will be a highly competitive environment to fill these positions. Having tech giants such as Apple, Amazon and Google set up operations in San Diego presents a fantastic opportunity for our regions higher educational system to produce even more talent needed to fulfill the regions demand.

Austin Neudecker, Rev

YES: San Diego benefits whenever we need more skilled labor. Apple or any large tech company will be welcomed into our community. Competition over talent with existing companies (like Qualcomm) is healthy, attracts new talent, increases wages and drives up real estate values. The startup community also benefits from tech workers' ability to transition to and from fledgling companies.

Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch & Associates

NO: Apple already dumped Qualcomm chips from its new iPhone suite. Their arrival here will be less impactful. For the longest time, it was just Qualcomm keeping San Diego relevant in the communications technology sector. Now, it is Qualcomm, Google, Apple and more. While Apple will recruit engineers from and alongside Qualcomm, the net effect will actually help Qualcomm as more engineers and engineering students will see San Diego in a new light.

Lynn Reaser, Point Loma Nazarene University

NO: Qualcomms major worries over Apple are based on legal disputes over patents and royalty payments. Geographic proximity will not affect those issues. Competition for tech workers could be a constraint but will primarily affect other firms since Qualcomm has been laying off workers. Demand for skilled technology workers knowledgeable in cloud computing, data analytics, web development, biomedical engineering and cybersecurity will remain keen. Fortunately, San Diegos colleges and university network will be able to fill many of these positions.

John Sarkisian, Motion Ventures

NO: Qualcomm chip technology, research and development, intellectual property, and other resources are assets that should be used to continue to work with its customers, including Apple, to drive business growth. With Apple opening offices in San Diego it should assist collaborative research and business development between the two companies. If Qualcomm would feel threatened by Apple moving offices into San Diego it would mean it does not believe it can defend its core chip business from potential competitors.

Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health

NO: I think this is great for San Diego, and its 1,000 new well-paying jobs. But it is just 1,000 employees. Apple is not planning on moving their headquarters to San Diego, so I dont think Qualcomm has anything to worry about. Plus, both Apple and Qualcomm are international companies  they already compete internationally.

Have an idea for an EconoMeter question? Email me at phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com.

Follow me on Twitter: @PhillipMolnar
While some La Mesa residents welcome it, a new housing project proposed near the La Mesa Civic Center is not sitting well with some others in the area.

Jefferson La Mesa is planned for the same site along Baltimore Drive as Park Station at the Crossroads of La Mesa, a development that was opposed at nearly every turn by its neighbors for nearly 10 years.

In 2009, Park Station developers were seeking a waiver to construct an 18-story mixed-use project at 4949-4999 Baltimore Drive and were unsuccessful. A six-story development was later requested and nixed. The area is zoned for no higher than four stories unless special permission is granted by the city.

Another attempt in 2015 for a revamped, shorter development at the same site was rejected by the city.

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The site is currently home to a used car and RV lot, next to the local American Legion building. It is near Interstate 8 as well as the San Diego Trolley stop at Spring Street.

More than two dozen people who wanted to learn more about the newest project showed up at an outreach meeting hosted by JPI, the parent group of Jefferson La Mesa, Monday at the La Mesa Police Departments community room.

Blair Ruffner of JPI explained how the two-building, four-story project  looking to bring 11 studios, 136 one-bedroom, 73 two-bedroom, six three-bedroom, and 4 live/work apartments to the city  is consistent with La Mesa zoning requirements.

The project includes 230 residential rental units,10 of those designated as affordable housing. The project is in an area zoned for mixed use development, and it was explained at the meeting that four units designated as work/live units would fulfill that requirement.

There are 327 parking spots on site of the projects mid-century modern architectural theme.

Barbara Swulius, who has lived in the downtown area for 58 years, peppered the projects development team and its hired public affairs company with questions and criticisms about how the project will affect traffic and residents quality of life.

After the meeting, Swulius said she didnt like how the developers were taking advantage of a small town and turning it into a city and said the area is already challenging for police and fire department vehicles to get through intersections.

I dont like living in a cluttered area, she said. When I first moved here, it wasnt cluttered, it was like Mayberry. Change is good but not change that is not going to help our community. This was a small one-horse town. Lets keep it small. Keep it small and then we can live in harmony without all the stress this is going to create.

Architects for the project said they would put in sidewalks and bike lanes where none currently exist along Baltimore. They also said while an onsite dog park was for residents only, a pocket park on the grounds would be open to the public.

David Potter of JPI said if the project moves in a timely manner though the next steps of the city staff review and Design Review Board, finally getting the City Councils OK, groundbreaking could be in the last three months of 2019. Jefferson La Mesas first units would be available for rent about 22 months later, he said.

Eric Dewey-Hoffman, who has lived near downtown since the 1970s, said a development cant come soon enough.

It needs to be redeveloped, Dewey-Hoffman said. Its an ugly entrance to the city and it needs something and we need more places for people to live.

The city has changed a lot since i first moved here. La Mesa Boulevard was Antique Row. It couldnt stay that way, and it shouldnt. La Mesa has changed and thats important. Sure, traffic makes it more difficult for my wife and I to come and go but previous developments were way out of scale and not appropriate. This one is.

Dave Myers, who ran unsuccessfully for La Mesa City Council, said the project is pedestrian friendly and encourages bike riding, is near the Trolley and freeway, and addresses the housing crisis.

To me, its a good project, Myers said.

But Aaron Amerling, who has been a vocal opponent of previous plans for developing the area, disagrees. He said parking will be an issue for him and other residents in his neighborhood across the street of the where Jefferson La Mesa is planned.

Amerling said the city is poised to build more multi-unit housing at the site of the old police station just a block away on Allison Avenue by the La Mesa Springs Shopping Center on La Mesa Boulevard.

Between both proposed developments, there will be hundreds of new residents parking in the village, taking up spots on neighboring streets and store parking, Amerling predicted.

He said the City Council needs to become an active partner in the discussion and not stay silent throughout the entire process and then do nothing and say their hands-are-tied.

No city staff nor current City Council members were at the community meeting.

Were not against the building or development in general, we want the developers and the city to work with the community to make something that benefits everyone, Amerling said. Development and growth are inevitable, good development and responsible growth take strong leadership.

karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com
The state of California has tabled a proposal to open a parole office in La Mesa.

The Division of Adult Parole Operations was looking to use the space at 9400 Grossmont Summit Drive in a residential/business zone as a parole office for 65 employees. Department workers would have included 52 parole agents, who are charged with overseeing criminals after their release from prison.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation notified the city of La Mesa this week that it was no longer looking at that property.

Jerry E. Powers, director of the Division of Adult Parole Operations, wrote in a Dec. 18 letter to City Manager Yvonne Garrett that while the department was confident that the... location was adequate for our East County operations, we have since determined that due to functional and logistical issues this site is unworkable for our needs at this time.

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Powers said the state would continue to review other locations in the eastern part of San Diego County.

The letter was copied to state Sen. Brian W.Jones and Assemblywoman Shirley N. Weber.

Jones had taken a public stand against the parole office plan. At his meet-and-greet earlier this week at his El Cajon office, Jones set up an informational area where people could write down comments about the parole office that he intended to share with the state.

The change of heart by the CDCR was good news to Grossmont-Mt. Helix Improvement Association President Susan Nichols, who helped orchestrate community opposition to the parole office.

That would have destroyed our community character and threatened the safety of our children, Nichols said.

A petition had been circulating since late November opposing the office, and area residents showed up en masse at last weeks La Mesa City Council meeting to voice their concern.

Garrett at the meeting assured the crowd that the city had reached out to the state and expressed concern over the proposed office.

Mayor Mark Arapostathis also let people know that the proposal was from the state and not the city of La Mesa.

Windmill Summit LLCs new building was approved for its final map with the city in November 2017. It is currently unoccupied and up for lease on Grossmont Summit. It is a 5-minute walk from Grossmont High School and is adjacent to several small businesses including a day spa, a bee removal business, real estate groups and the Brigantine Restaurant.

The structures front faces and runs parallel to Interstate 8 and backs up to Fuerte Drive. Above its parking structure is a hill where fences lead up to homes along Fuerte.

La Mesa Director of Community Development Kerry Kusiak had sent a letter to Powers on Dec. 13 explaining that the city zones the area for residential business and gave examples of permitted uses.

City staff has serious reservations as to whether the proposed use is in keeping with the general description and intent of uses permitted in the RB Zone, Kusiak wrote.

He requested more time from the state  which had offered a 60-day notice dating back to Nov. 5  for the city to have a public hearing about the states plan.

City Councilwoman Kristine Alessio said that while she understood residents concerns and empathized with their fears, the bottom line is that a parole office at that location is incompatible with city zoning.

You cant have all sorts of businesses moving in there; they have to be compatible uses, Alessio said.

Arapostathis said it is understood that a parole office needs to be located in San Diego County to serve individuals who are trying to rehabilitate themselves.

A site should be selected in a non-residential area that is on a transit corridor, Arapostathis said. To be a caring, kind, civilized society, second chances should be offered and encouraged.

karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com
High in the hills above La Mesa and Lemon Grove, Toby The T-Rex is ready for the holidays  dressed like a Christmas Elf.

The 8-foot-tall, 300-pound bronze replica of a dinosaur lives among scattered weeds in a fenced-off area on property off Eastridge Drive belonging to developer Jeff Phair.

Tobys latest outfit has him donning a tinsel-wrapped tail and Santa Claus jacket, hat and stockings, with wrapped gifts sitting at his feet, as decorated by Phair and his family.

There are also two new large paintings affixed to the fence in front of the entrance on Monte Drive off Eastridge depicting Toby, as created by students at nearby La Mesa Arts Academy.

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Toby was in costume for Halloween with a pink tutu and rainbow wig, a plastic skeleton riding on his back, carrying a plastic pumpkin. At Thanksgiving, Toby wore a turkey outfit.

The Phair Company will start grading on the property in January for 40 homes called La Mesa Summit Estates that are expected to be up sometime in 2020.

Toby will remain on the property and become part of a park that will be accessible to members of the public.

Phair said he put the dinosaur on the property to make good on a promise he made to his two sons 30 years ago about getting them their own Tyrannosaurus Rex statue.

karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com
CARLSBAD

Village office property sells for $3.42 million

Colliers International San Diego Region has sold an 11,456-square-foot, two-story multitenant office property at 3150 Pio Pico Drive for $3,425,000. Amy McNamara and Marc Posthumus of Colliers International represented the seller, Waters Edge Properties. N&G LLC acquired the property with representation by Tiffany Ly of Million Real Estate. The property is occupied by four tenants: Viking Commercial Construction, Warranty Escrow, Wave Therapy and EBD Group, who will continue operations in the building. The building features a contemporary creative office layout, a modern patio common area and is close to the Carlsbad Village restaurants and services. Visit colliers.com.

ESCONDIDO

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Stroyer Brothers earns official certification

Stroyer Brothers Auto Body & Painting has been officially certified by Assured Performance, a consumer advocacy nonprofit, for maintaining the right tools, equipment, training and facilities necessary to repair the participating automaker-brand vehicles according to the manufacturers specifications. The business, owned by Chuck Stroyer, is also officially recognized by Assured Performance, FCA, Infiniti, Hyundai and Kia. To become certified, Stroyer Brothers passed a rigorous process essential to help ensure proper and safe repair of the new generation of vehicles. Less than 5 percent of body shops nationwide are able to meet the requirements to become officially certified and recognized. The certified network is made up of best-in-class collision repair businesses that have met or exceeded the certification program requirements. Call (760) 743-5037.

ENCINITAS

Senior Expo seeks sponsors, exhibitors

The Encinitas Senior Expo, Embracing Retirement, Before and After 65, is seeking exhibitors and sponsors for the free event. The Encinitas Chamber of Commerce, the Encinitas Senior Citizen Commission, and the city of Encinitas co-host the expo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 2 at the Encinitas Community and Senior Center, 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive. Presenting sponsor is Belmont Village Senior Living in Cardiff. The event is focused on those retiring soon and those already retired, and also has information for children of aging individuals looking for options for their parents. Speakers will discuss relevant topics, healthy snacks will be available, and opportunity drawings will be held throughout the day. Call (760) 753-6041 or visit encinitaschamber.com/embracing-retirement.

FALLBROOK

Chamber sponsors member expo

The Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce hosts a Chamber Member business expo from 3 to 7 p.m. Jan. 16 at Pala Mesa Resort. Take advantage of this opportunity to showcase and market your business. Member expo booths are $50. Sign up early; space is limited. Registration deadline is Jan. 9. Call (760) 728-5845.

VISTA

Good Morning Vista breakfast set for Friday

The Vista Chamber of Commerce invites all to Good Morning Vista, its breakfast networking event, at 8 a.m. Friday at the chamber office. All are welcome; bring your business cards. Admission is free. The office is at 127 Main St. Call (760) 726-1122.

Please send items to laura.groch@sduniontribune.com at least 10 days before events.

laura.groch@sduniontribune.com
After four years and at least one failed proposal, the owners of an aging Leucadia service station just west of Interstate 5 finally won approval from the citys Planning Commission Thursday for an expansion project.

The commissions vote was 3-1, with Commissioner Kevin Doyle voting against. Doyle said he was opposed to the latest design for the proposed buildings exterior, saying it didnt look that much different than one presented earlier this year.

It still looks like a big, gray box to me, he said.

Commission Chairman Glenn OGrady said he wasnt unsympathetic to Doyles view, saying the design with its butterfly flaring roof design didnt match his tastes either. But, he said, the proposed building did meet city code standards.

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Commissioners Al Apuzzo and Bruce Ehlers said they both liked the new design better than the old one. Ehlers said he liked the proposed planter boxes out front and the fact that the buildings proposed height had been lowered, while Apuzzo said the propertys owners actually could have put a much bigger structure on the site.

The latest plan calls for demolishing the sites existing 1,863-square-foot mini-market and mechanic shop and replacing them with a new, upscale-looking market and a yet-to-be-determined, take-out restaurant. The new market would be at 1,972 square feet, while the take-out area would occupy 1,066 square feet. While they are proposed to be two separate businesses with their own entrances, they would share a single building.

This is not a dramatic increase in what is already there, argued attorney Marco Gonzalez, who represents the propertys owners, as he told commissioners that his clients were starting to wonder if any enhancement to the property could win approval. At some point, you have to ask yourself, Is there anything we can do? 

The Gupta family has owned the service station on the southeast corner of Orpheus Avenue and Leucadia Boulevard for about two decades. For many years, the place was a Shell station, but it has recently become a Chevron station. Though they havent yet picked an occupant for the proposed take-out restaurant, they want a local business, not a national fast-food chain, Gonzalez said.

Years ago, the family was initially proposing to redevelop the property by adding more gas station pumps, an upscale marketplace and an automated car wash. Neighboring homeowners vehemently objected to the car wash plans, saying its dryers would be so loud it would be like having airplanes landing in their living rooms. City planning commissioners held five meetings on that proposal, and ultimately agreed with the neighbors that the car wash proposal wasnt compatible with the area.

The Guptas appealed the commissions decision to the City Council, and the council denied their appeal in April 2016.

The latest plans also have had their share of opponents. Several neighboring homeowners told the commissioners Thursday that they thought the proposed take-out restaurant would eventually morph into a sit-down restaurant, creating parking problems and adding to the traffic congestion at the already troubled intersection. They also said they expected the propertys owners would eventually seek to sell alcohol at the facility.

In their vote to approve the permits, the commissioners set a series of conditions on the project. Among other things, they decided that if the owners later do seek to sell alcohol, the commission wants to weigh in on the issue given how much controversy there has been in the neighborhood over the development plans.

One thing that the commissioners, the property owners attorney and the neighbors all agreed on Thursday was that the drive-through Starbucks across the street from the service station property has caused nightmarish traffic congestion issues in the area in recent years. Commissioners said the traffic lights should be reprogrammed. Thats a request that city staff members were asked to take up with the Caltrans, which controls the signals because they are adjacent to the freeway.
Any Oceanside resident interested in a two-year appointment to the City Council has until Jan. 8 to contact a council member.

A majority of the four council members agreed this week to individually interview people interested in the open seat and be prepared to appoint someone at their Jan. 9 meeting.

It is something we should do as quickly as we can, said Councilman Jack Feller.

The vacancy is the remainder of the four-year, at-large term Councilwoman Esther Sanchez was re-elected to in 2016.

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She ran again this year after the council switched to a district election system and was elected to a new four-year term representing District 1, leaving the remaining two years in her at-large term vacant.

Sanchez was sworn into the new seat Dec. 12, which began the timeline for filling the vacancy.

The council voted 3-1 Wednesday, with Sanchez opposed, to continue accepting applications and consider the appointment at their next meeting. At least one council member, Christopher Rodriguez, said he had considered a number of applicants and was ready to make a decision that night.

I think we should take a little more time, Sanchez said before the vote. Its pretty important.

Oceanside will continue its transition to council districts with the election of Districts 3 and 4 in 2020.

The council has 60 days from Dec. 12, the date the Nov. 6 election results were certified, to appoint someone or call a special election to fill the vacancy. Under a new state law that takes effect Jan. 1, the only valid date for a special election in 2019 is Nov. 5, and the city clerk has estimated it would cost more than $750,000.

If the council cant agree on an appointment, they would have to do it no later than their regular Feb. 6 meeting, unless a special meeting is called Feb. 10.

Mayor Peter Weiss said Wednesday that he knew of at least a dozen people so far who have expressed interest in the opening.

It behooves us to meet with these (candidates) individually and come to the next meeting prepared to make a decision, Weiss said.

Residents Jimmy Knott and Arleen Hammerschmidt both asked the council not to spend taxpayers money on a special election. They also suggested that anyone appointed to the opening should agree not to seek election when the term is up in two years.

Dont make it a stepping stone, Hammerschmidt told the council.

Also this week, another possible appointment opened up in Oceanside.

City Clerk Zack Beck, who was re-elected to a four-year term in the part-time position in 2016, announced he will resign effective Dec. 31 to accept an appointment as full-time city clerk in Escondido. The Escondido job is not an elected position.

The council is scheduled to discuss at its Jan. 9 meeting how to fill the city clerk vacancy. The process is the same as for filling a council seat, except that the city clerk, like the city treasurer and mayor positions, is an at-large position.

Oceansides city clerk was a full-time position until the city slashed the salary and made the job part time as part of budget cuts in 2012. Beck was making an annual salary of about $23,000 in Oceanside, and the full-time position pays $118,844 in Escondido.

At least one resident suggested Wednesday that Oceanside should consider making its city clerk a permanently appointed position and return the job to its full-time status.

philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @phildiehl
Recreational fishermen from Lakeside were up early Friday morning, waiting like kids on Christmas for the gates of the new Shelter Island Boat Launch to open.

The beloved and most-used boat launch in San Diego had been closed since May 2017 while construction workers essentially demolished the 1950s-era launch and rebuilt a bigger, much-improved version in its place, according to the Port of San Diego, which is spearheading the project. Grants from two state agencies paid for most of the projects approximately $10-million cost.

The popular ramp is often described as the busiest in the state, with an estimated 50,000 launches annually, according to the port. The launch accommodates private recreational marine crafts including small yachts, motorboats, private fishing boats and amphibious tour buses.

Waiting at 7 a.m. Friday next to a fishing boat on a trailer hitched to a pickup in the first parking spot by the gate, a trio of recreational fishermen from Lakeside waited with bated breath to take to the sea from their preferred launch.

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Ryan Ashby, 31, said he and his friend, Austin Stewart, 29, had taken the day off to fish with Ashbys son, Gabriel, 7, who was on winter break from school.

I heard they were opening today and I was like, Oh, man, were going down there, Ashby said. Were spoiled here on Shelter Island.

Stewart said the improvement he was looking forward to most was the launchs bigger size.

The worst part of it was traffic before, Stewart said. It was all congested because it was too small.

The one-lane ramp, built in 1950, was expanded to 10 lanes in 1970, but the maneuvering area in the basin surrounded by earth and rock seawalls was not enlarged, creating dangerous boating conditions and a bottleneck-like situation at the outlet to the bay, port officials said.

The maneuvering area for the new launch is 80 percent bigger, with capacity for about 15 boats -- compared to about 6 before, said Eric Guerreiro, a capital project manager for the port. He said the opening to the bay was expanded to 60 feet from 40 feet, which will give boaters more room to safely maneuver around each other as they enter and leave the launch.

Whereas the old launch was once enclosed by earth and rock breakwater walls, the new launch is protected by concrete walls built on piles, according to project information on the Ports website. Inside the launch, improved ramps and expanded boarding floats line the breakwater walls.

The new concrete breakwater walls double as pedestrian walkways and they are built to earthquake-safe standards, Guerreiro said.

The walkways, which were still closed Friday for finishing touches, offer a view of downtown that is likely to attract sightseers.

We foresee a lot of people coming out here for selfies, Guerreiro said.

The inside of the walkway is lined with ankle-height lights instead of overhead lamps so ambient light does not interfere with the view at night, Guerreiro said Friday on a tour of the unfinished walkway.

Fishing from the walkway will not be allowed to protect boater safety, Guerreiro said.

The project was not easily constructed, Guerreiro said. It was delayed months by a huge amount of concrete debris workers found on and beneath the bay floor when they started trying to rebuild the launch.

There was everything from parts of building foundations to pieces of sidewalk slab, you name it, Guerreiro said. Workers were able to recycle most of the concrete, he said.

Improvements surrounding the launch include adjacent parking and restrooms that have been upgraded to meet current Americans with Disabilities Act standards, according to the Port.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the launch is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Jan. 22.

morgan.cook@sduniontribune.com
Opening your second restaurant just a one-minute walk from your first saves time and adds convenience. But running two Carlsbad Village eateries just a block apart could have a downside.

Yet restaurateur John Resnick and executive chef Andrew Bachelier arent too worried that their new collaboration, Jeune et Jolie, will pirate business from their inaugural effort, Campfire, which opened a block south on State Street in fall 2016.

Family-friendly Campfire, which is one of the most successful new restaurants in North County in years, celebrates the communal aspects of camping and campfires. Virtually everything on the menu is prepared over an open flame or in a wood-fired oven and the restaurants whimsical interior and its teepee-dominated patio resemble a 1950s-era campground.

Jeune et Jolie, which opened Saturday, is more of a date night locale. Its a classy, 90-seat service-focused nouvelle French bistro with rose wine-hued velvet banquettes, 1920s-style art deco design features, a custom-made absinthe fountain and a menu so labor-intensive that its only open for dinner and brunch.

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1 / 15 The exterior of Jeune et Jolie restaurant in Carlsbad. (Lily Glass) 2 / 15 The bar and dining room of Jeune et Jolie restaurant in Carlsbad. (Lily Glass) 3 / 15 Parisian cafe-style table line the wall facing the open kitchen at Jeune et Jolie restaurant in Carlsbad. (Lily Glass) 4 / 15 The open kitchen and dish cupboards, located right in the dining room, at Jeune et Jolie restaurant in Carlsbad. (Lily Glass) 5 / 15 The communal table for tasting menu and large party diners sits in between the bar and the open kitchen, seen in background, at Jeune et Jolie restaurant in Carlsbad. (Lily Glass) 6 / 15 Jeune et Jolie owner John Resnick and his wife, Sarah, with their children Elsie June, left, and Wiley, right. Resnick named the restaurant after the middle names of his daughter, Elsie, and chef Andrew Bacheliers daughter, Margot Jolie. (Lily Glass) 7 / 15 Jeune et Jolie executive chef Andrew Bachelier with his fiance Larah, and their children Madden, left, and Margot Jolie, right. The restaurant is named for the middle names of owner John Resnicks daughter, Elsie June, and his daughter, Margot Jolie. (Courtesy of Lily Glass) 8 / 15 The art deco-inspired wall in the bar, with its reel-to-reel stereo system. (Lily Glass) 9 / 15 Jeune et Jolie beverage director Leigh Lacap in the restaurants art deco-inspired bar. (Lily Glass) 10 / 15 One of the dishes at newly opened Jeune et Jolie restaurant in Carlsbad: Crevette, featuring prawns, baby vegetables, peanuts and consomme. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 11 / 15 Rafael Hernandez, along with others, works in the kitchen at Jeune et Jolie, getting ready for dinner service at the nouvelle French restaurant, which opened Dec. 15 in Carlsbad. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 12 / 15 Joe Bell prepares sourdough baguettes at Jeune et Jolie restaurant, which opened Dec. 15 in Carlsbad. The nouvelle French restaurant has an ambitious French pastry program. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 13 / 15 One of the new dishes at Jeune et Jolie restaurant in Carlsbad: Ris De Veau, with veal sweetbread, celery root, onion andblack truffle. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 14 / 15 Vietnam, one of bartender Leigh Lacaps new cocktails inspired by Frances former colonies at newly opened Jeune et Jolie restaurant in Carlsbad. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 15 / 15 The sign for Jeune et Jolie, a nouvelle French restaurant that opened Dec. 15 in Carlsbad. It was launched by the owner and chef of nearby Campfire restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune)

While the two restaurants menus and style are vastly different, Resnick said Jeune et Jolie and Campfire operate under the same company ethos.

Our brand is authenticity, he said. The entire vibe is a little more refined and its about good people. These are restaurants where you can come in, have fun and eat some really good food.

The two men became close friends after Resnick hired Bachelier as opening chef for Campfire two years ago. Both men are 36 and they both live in Leucadia with their similarly named wives, Sarah and Larah, respectively, and their children.

Jeune et Jolie, which means young and beautiful in French, is named after their daughters, 4-year-old Elsie June Resnick and 15-month-old Margot Jolie Bachelier. Mixed in with the French art on the walls of the restaurant are a pair of finger paintings by the girls.

Resnick spent many years managing Little Italy locations for the San Diego restaurant group Consortium Holdings. Bachelier has extensive fine dining chef experience, including 4 years at now-defunct Blanca in Solana Beach and nearly 5 years working under master chef William Bradley at the five-star Addison restaurant at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar.

Addison is famous for its impeccably run French-style kitchen, which diners often visit after their elegant multicourse meals. It may be no coincidence that nearly all of Jeune et Jolies seats face, or are almost in the middle of, the wide-open, state-of-the-art kitchen where customers can watch everything being made by Bacheliers 15-member kitchen team.

The diners can look at the stage of the kitchen and bar. Theyre watching the dance happen, Resnick said.

The menu for Jeune et Jolie was inspired by a trip Bachelier took to Paris a few years ago. He found the old-guard chefs were retiring and gradually being replaced by young nouvelle chefs.

They were taking out the old tablecloths and giving their food a new twist thats more whimsical and fun but still honoring the old school techniques, Bachelier said.

Jeune et Jolies menu is French-inspired but with a lighter style and the integration of this regions seasonal produce and proteins, including a raw bar. Many of the dishes are inspired by the cuisines of former French colonies in the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and Africa.

Typical of Bacheliers whimsical approach is a dish called Lapin, the French word for rabbit. Rabbit sausage is stuffed inside a cooked carrot with black walnut, cognac and and prune. Instead of the rabbit eating the carrot, this time the carrot has consumed the rabbit.

Another novel take on a French mainstay is the Poulet (chicken), a rustic version of cassoulet made with brined chicken and beluga lentils instead of white beans. The chicken skin is used to make a roulade (rolled meat dish) with foie gras Bearnaise.

The menu is divided into four sections: Un (one), small bites priced from $8 to $10; Deux, appetizers priced from $15 to $25; Trois, entrees priced from $25 to $35; and Quatre, desserts priced from $8 to $12. Diners can also order a $85 tasting menu with five to six courses of off-menu items.

The bread and pastry program is overseen by Campfire alumnus So Young Kim. Shes making mini-baguettes, pate a choux (puffed pastry for cream puffs or gougers), brioche in the style of Japanese milk bread and vacherin, a layered meringue and ice cream dessert thats served in a cylinder form rather than the traditional tower.

Bar manager Leigh Lacap has created eight cocktails inspired by France and some of its former colonies, like Vietnam and Martinique. The centerpiece of the cocktail program is a custom-built, four-spout ice-water fountain for cocktails made with a dozen varieties of absinthe and pastis. The absinthe cocktails are available in traditional and frappe style.

Theres also a 70-bottle program of mostly French wines with a strong emphasis on low-intervention wines made with fewer additives. Bottles range in price from $35 to $120, and wines by the glass are $10 to $18.

Weekend brunch service includes French-style omelets, a souffle-like French toast, beignets, French jambon sandwiches and salad Lyonnaise.

Resnick and Bachelier have worked hard to train their service staff because they expect customers may need a little help working through the menu and wine list on their first visit. But they promise there wont be anything intimidating or pretentious about Jeune et Jolie.

In June, Andrew and I went to New York to check out what was going on in the new bars and restaurants, Resnick said. The ones we enjoyed most were the ones that were fun to be at. For us, this was all about how to make this place really delicious and vibrant and fun.

Jeune et Jolie

Hours: Dinner service from 5 p.m. (last seating at 10 p.m.) nightly. Raw bar and bar, 4 p.m. to close. Brunch service, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Where: 2659 State St., Carlsbad

Phone: (760) 737-5266

Online: jeune-jolie.com

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
After surfacing for a cameo teaser appearance in Batman v Superman and a proportional slice of the action in Justice League, the DC Comics superhero Aquaman (born in 1941) takes center stage, on land and under the sea, in Aquaman. The Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoas great in close-up, surly and charismatic, with eyebrows that suggest all sorts of fun. The director James Wan came up via the Saw franchise, but he also has several good films to his credit, Insidious and Furious 7 among them.

This is not one of them.

Already a huge hit in China, Aquaman opens Dec. 21 in North America, riding a wave of yeah, not too bad  kinda fun praise from various quarters. Reports of its not-badness turn out to be cruelly misleading. Watching this movie is like getting trapped in a Wisconsin Dells waterpark, over a long weekend. Without a bartender in sight.

Watching this movie is like spending two hours and 27 minutes staring at a gigantic aquarium full of digital sea creatures and actors on wires, pretending to swim.

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Watching Momoa wield his gleaming trident in battle against his half-brother, Patrick Wilsons King Orm, or throwing various submarine parts at the vicious high-seas pirate played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, makes you long for the relative visual/spatial clarity of the years second-lamest superhero picture, Avengers: Infinity Wars.

Gripes, specific:

Klutzy screenwriting. David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall stumble all over the place trying to set up simple origin-story exposition. Its not rocket science. Its a story of how Arthur Curry, the lighthouse keepers son, was born to Queen Atlanna of Atlantis, and how he must prevent an apocalyptic surface war waged by Orm and associates, while aquamanning-up to claim a leadership role down where the fishies go. Good director, wrong strategy. Director Wan loads up Aquaman with bombastic, horror-inspired jump scares. Why? Elsewhere, the protracted, numbing brutality betrays the hand of executive producer Zack Snyder, who directed both Justice League and Batman v Superman. And no more need be said about that. The designs. Over in the Marvel Studios realm, Black Panther proved a triumph of production, costume, digital and practical design collaboration. Wakanda became a place you wanted to explore. In Aquaman the underwater kingdoms look like Avatar threw up all over The Incredible Mister Limpet.

Theres one effective and rather beautiful series of shots, when our hero dives down, down, down to the Kingdom of the Trench, with deadly beast-fish swarming all around. As Mera the superheroine, Amber Heard dutifully deadpans her way through the torturous romantic banter. She lends a blase air of early 50s B-movie cheese to the proceedings. The films just sincere enough where it counts  the family stuff, featuring Nicole Kidman as Aquamans selfless mom  to float this soggy mediocrity for a global audience.

Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.

mjphillips@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @phillipstribune

Aquaman  1.5 stars

Rating: PG-13

When: Now playing

Where: Wide release

Running time: 2 hours, 23 minutes

MORE COVERAGE: For a really good superhero movie, try this one. Not Aquaman. This one. 

For a reminder that DC Comics movies tend to stink, heres a review Batman v Superman by Michael Phillips. Just for the record. 

For a reminder that not all DC Comics movies stink, heres a review of Wonder Woman. For the record. 
El Vezs Merry Mex-Mas, with The Exbats and Pony Death Ride

8:30 p.m. Sunday. The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. $25; must be 21 or older to attend. (619) 232-4355. casbahmusic.com

San Diego-born punk-rock musician Robert Lopez morphed into El Vez, the self-proclaimed Mexican Elvis, nearly 30 years ago. His annual Merry Mex-Mas shows at the Casbah are festive, sometimes uproarious affairs delivered with many nods and winks. They typically feature such oh-so-sly El Vez chestnuts as Poncho Claus, Brown Christmas, Mamacita, Donde Esta Santa Claus? and the twangy country song Orange for Christmas (which opens with the line: As a child in San Diego / For Christmas to Grandmas wed go). As befits a borders-leaping artist who describes his work as combing Elvis (Presley) mythology, Chicano mythology and music reference mythology, El Vez sings in both English and Spanish. In any language, his performances are celebratory romps. GEORGE VARGA

Festa di Natale 2018

6 to 8 p.m. today. House of Pacific Relations Hall of Nations, 2191 Pan American Road West, Balboa Park. $10. (619) 237-0601. icc-sd.org

Its the time of year for the Italian Cultural Center of San Diegos annual holiday potluck. Members, family and friends are invited to this holiday celebration of Italian culture with plenty of food, live music by Jim Bianchi, prizes and more. Among the prizes for the raffle are an hour of Italian conversation with a teacher, gift cards, food and other prizes, plus scholarships to attend the Il Sasso Italian Language School in Tuscany (raffle tickets range from $3 to $15). LISA DEADERICK

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Comedian Bobby Lee, well-known for his work as a cast member on the popular sketch comedy series MADtv, will perform in downtown San Diego through Saturday. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

Bobby Lee

7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. tonight; 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday. American Comedy Co., 818 Sixth Ave., downtown. $22. americancomedyco.com

Perhaps best known as a cast member on the very hip sketch comedy series MADtv, comedian Bobby Lee launched his career performing at La Jolla Comedy Store amateur nights. An amateur no more, the Poway High School graduate has kept busy with film and TV appearances, and with hosting his weekly video podcast, TigerBelly (not for those with eternally bunched up panties.). Hear Lees takes on race, culture, sex and more tonight through Saturday at the American Comedy Co. in downtown San Diego. CYNTHIA ZANONE

Dirty Sweet, with Band of Gringos and Alvino & The Dwells

9:30 p.m. Saturday. The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. $15 (must be 21 or older to attend). (619) 231-4355. casbahmusic.com

Not to be confused with the title of a posthumously released 1995 compilation album by Englands Marc Bolan & T. Rex, or with the title of a 2003 EP by Australias band Jet, Dirty Sweet is an award-winning San Diego band that this year celebrated its 15th anniversary. The quintet, which is named after a lyric from a 1971 T. Rex song, last year released Once More Unto the Breach, its first album since 2010. Steeped in the classic hard-rock and blues-rock of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Dirty Sweet injects vigor and freshness into styles that became popular before some of its members were even born. In 2007, Dirty Sweet became the first band to ever headline three consecutive nights at the Casbah, where it returns to perform on Saturday. GEORGE VARGA

Clint Blacks Looking for Christmas

7 p.m. Tuesdays-Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. (Check with theater for exceptions.) Through Dec. 31. Old Globes Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, Balboa Park. $39 and up. (619) 234-5623. theoldglobe.org

Of all the holiday shows that have planted their tinsel-bedecked flags on theater stages over the years, none come to mind that are deeply rooted in country tunes. That has changed this season, though, with the Old Globe world premiere of Clint Blacks folksy, heart-on-its-sleeve musical about an American family confronting pain and loss at the holidays. Looking for Christmas is built around a host of original songs by Black, the country superstar who has sold more than 20 million albums. The show centers on Mike Randolf, a soldier returned from the war in Afghanistan but still bearing the weight of what he endured there. While the story can be sobering, theres also gentle humor and plenty of pleasing, even uplifting music to the piece, and it proves a worthwhile addition to the holiday-show lineup. JAMES HEBERT

San Diego Pro Arte Voices: An Evening of Readings & Carols brings this annual holiday celebration to Rancho Santa Fe tonight and to Pacific Beach Saturday. (Courtesy photo)

San Diego Pro Arte Voices: Evening of Readings & Carols

7:30 p.m. tonight (Rancho Santa Fe); 7:30 p.m. Saturday (Pacific Beach). The Village Presbyterian Church, 6225 Paseo Delicias, Rancho Santa Fe, and St. Andrews by the Sea Episcopal, 1050 Thomas Ave., Pacific Beach. $30 adults; $10 students; children 5 and under free. (609) 937-6619. sdproartevoices.org

The San Diego Pro Arte Voices celebrates the holiday season with its fifth annual Evening of Readings & Carols. The two concerts  one in Rancho Santa Fe and another in Pacific Beach  are designed to mark the 100th anniversary of the original Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, a Christian service celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. It was first held in 1918 at Kings College, Cambridge. For this years concerts, harpist Alexandra Tibbetts and other guest musicians will join the chamber choir of the San Diego Pro Arte Voices. MICHAEL JAMES ROCHA

lisa.deaderick@sduniontribune.com
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Friday that he would postpone military operations in northeastern Syria against U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters, but that Turkey would take over the U.S. mission to clear what remains of Islamic State from the region. The planned incursion could have seen thousands of U.S. soldiers and their Kurdish allies fighting a NATO ally.

We have postponed our military operation against the east of Euphrates river until we see on the ground the results of Americas decision to withdraw from Syria, Erdogan told a meeting of the Turkish Exporters Assembly in Istanbul.

Of course this is not an open-ended waiting process, he added.

Erdogans announcement came two days after President Trump sent shock waves through the region when he abruptly announced that he would pull U.S. troops out of Syria, in what critics say amounts to a betrayal of the Kurds, the U.S. local vanguard against Islamic State.

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Last week, Erdogan said Turkey would be launching an operation east of the Euphrates River in northeast Syria to clear out the Kurdish fighters, who are considered by Turkey to be an offshoot of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party.

More than 2,000 U.S. soldiers, along with thousands of special forces operatives, contractors and aid workers have been in the area for years, training and equipping the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-dominated group of militias the U.S. backed to push back jihadis in eastern Syria.

Turkey, though, has been asking Washington to sever ties with the group since 2015.

In his speech Friday, Erdogan said he welcomed Trumps statements with pleasure and an equal amount of caution because of what he described as negative experiences dealing with the U.S.

Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, our diplomatic contacts with the United States have left us disappointed in terms of their results, Erdogan said.

The Trump administration inherited the problems that we experienced particularly during the Obama presidency.

Erdogan said meetings and phone calls with Trump  the most recent on Dec. 14  convinced him that the U.S. leader shared the same views on a range of issues related to the Syrian question.

The most recent announcement by Washington  that US forces would leave the region in 60 to 100 days  was the clearest and most encouraging statements to date from the U.S. administration, Erdogan said.

Trump, who said Islamic State had all but been defeated, could now expect Turkey to help clear out the remaining pockets of Syria still under Islamic State control, Erdogan said. He said Turkey would be working with the U.S. on coordinating such an operation.

Turkey, Erdogan said, had already demonstrated its ability to defeat Islamic State, referring to a 2016 operation that pushed Islamic State forces from Jarablus, and a recent offensive to drive Kurdish forces from Afrin, in Syrias northwest. Erdogan said Trump asked for Turkeys help in their most recent conversation.

He said to us: Will you clear Islamic State from here? [I replied] We cleared them [before] and we will clear them again, as long as you give us the necessary logistical support, and they [U.S. troops] withdraw.

Still, Turkeys patience with Washington is limited and dependent on a U.S. withdrawal, he said. We reserve the right to take action when that period expires.

The proposed delay constitutes a clever maneuver to keep the status quo, said Selim Sazak, a U.S.-based analyst who studies Turkey.

Erdogan gets the optics of a victory without sending home any coffins. The U.S. averts a flare-up.  Then, in 100 days, we see where we are, said Sazak, adding that the move also provided a reality check to the Kurds and proved that the U.S. doesnt care about Kurdish statehood.

Special correspondent Farooq reported from Istanbul and staff writer Bulos reported from Amman, Jordan.
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musks plan to help drivers escape traffic by sending cars hurtling through dozens of skinny tunnels has caught the imagination of some Californians who are sick of gridlock but unwilling to give up their vehicles.

But even if that could happen, does that mean it should? Thats the question lingering after Musks much-hyped presentation this week, where he unveiled his first tunnel, beneath the streets of Hawthorne.

Before a crowd of investors, celebrities and Tesla owners on Tuesday night, Musk pitched his tunnel vision: building layers upon layers of one-way routes, each 12 feet in diameter, that would be reserved for autonomous electric vehicles to carry riders to their destinations.

Diverting traffic underground could eventually free up space for more peaceful, pedestrian-oriented city streets, he said, with less concrete, more trees.

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Musks proposal is, in some ways, a throwback to an earlier age, when officials believed that building more freeways  and later, toll highways  was the answer to Californias traffic problems. More recently, transportation officials have focused on mass transit, adding to Los Angeles Countys light-rail network, planning an expansion of the Bay Areas heavy-rail system and getting the states high-speed rail line off the ground.

Los Angeles famously fell in love with the car, and the environmental, economic and social costs are staggering, said Rick Cole, Santa Monicas city manager. Were still paying the bill. Its been a disaster.

Transportation experts say adding hundreds of miles of space for cars  whether underground or above ground  would be a step backward for California, which already is struggling to reduce its dependence on driving as both the population and economy continue to grow.

But if anyone can solve one of the Southlands most intractable problems, his supporters say, its Musk  a famously demanding and exacting chief executive whose companies created a reusable rocket and the coolest electric car.

Urban planners are less optimistic, skewering Boring Co.s first tunnel as a tour-de-farce, a transportation hybrid from hell, and a sexy distraction from investment in high-capacity transit, which could move more people more efficiently.

1 / 9 Elon Musk arrives in a modified Tesla Model X at an unveiling event for a test tunnel dug by Boring Co. in Hawthorne. Musk is chief executive of both Tesla and Boring Co. (Robyn Beck / Pool) 2 / 9 Boring Co. CEO Elon Musk speaks at the unveiling of test tunnel in Hawthorne. (Robyn Beck / Pool) 3 / 9 A modified Tesla Model X in the Boring Co. test tunnel in Hawthorne. (Robyn Beck / Pool) 4 / 9 On the surface, floodlights illuminate tunnel boring equipment and the tunnel pit entrance during an unveiling event for Boring Co.'s test tunnel in Hawthorne. (Robyn Beck / Pool) 5 / 9 Musk arrives in a modified Tesla Model X at the unveiling of the Boring Co. test tunnel in Hawthorne. (Robyn Beck / Pool) 6 / 9 Elon Musk speaks at the entrance of the tunnel. (Robyn Beck / Pool) 7 / 9 A modified Tesla Model X ready to be driven into the tunnel entrance in Hawthorne. (Robyn Beck / Pool) 8 / 9 A family uses tunnel-boring equipment as a backdrop for a group photo at the unveiling. (Robyn Beck / Pool) 9 / 9 Electric locomotives and boring equipment are displayed at the unveiling. (Robyn Beck / Pool)

To turn Musks dream into reality, Boring Co. would need to win approval for a subterranean transportation network, survive the inevitable legal challenges that come with major construction in California, and of course prove that the system would actually work.

Thats a big if, said Lisa Schweitzer, a USC urban planning professor, adding that the idea isnt far removed from personal rapid transit systems.

Sometimes called pod cars, the systems are designed to send riders in small vehicles to a destination with no stops. There are only a few in the world, including one in Morgantown, W.Va., and they can end up with tons of operational challenges, she said.

Boring Co. had previously said its tunnel network would be powered by platforms called skates, which could carry cars or higher-capacity vehicles that would seat 16 people.

But on Tuesday, Musk said the company had ditched the skate model, focusing instead on a simpler option: a set of guide wheels that run along the walls of each tunnel, steering self-driving vehicles. The wheels would cost $200 to $300 a set and would convert any electric car into a rail-guided train, Musk said.

That raised eyebrows among experts, who said a car in a tunnel is still a car, with or without an extra set of wheels.

The publics first rides through the Hawthorne tunnel were bumpy. The 1.14-mile trip took about two minutes along a concrete track that was so uneven in places that it felt like riding on a dirt road. Musk said the early imperfections would be addressed.

Musk has vacillated on how nondrivers could use the tunnels, saying Tuesday that pedestrians and cyclists could get into shared cars, and on Wednesday that the tunnel could include a densely seated bus.

His next goal, he said, is high throughput at high speed, sending 4,000 vehicles an hour hurtling through the tunnel at up to 155 mph, more than the average freeway lane, but far less than the capacity of a subway.

Not all tunnels are created equal, said Juan Matute, deputy director of UCLAs Institute of Transportation Studies.

Still, he said, if Boring Co. can successfully lower tunneling costs, that could make high-capacity subway projects cheaper, making them easier to build.

Musk said he wants to create a tunneling process that is 15 times faster than the next best option. Boring Co.'s experiments have included pouring the rounded concrete pieces that line tunnels on site to reduce shipping costs, and automating their installation.

Digging the route through Hawthorne cost about $10 million, the company said. That figure includes lighting, ventilation, safety systems and the concrete vehicle track, but not research, development or equipment costs. Property acquisition and labor are often the biggest costs for public works projects.

Boring Co. receives requests about tunneling from five to 20 entities a week, and the company is now advertising its services for building municipal tunnels to carry water or utility lines, Director Steve Davis said.

The tunnels also show promise for another type of transportation: freight. The twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach handle more than one-third of the nations cargo annually, and trucks carrying those goods toward Inland Empire distribution centers cause significant freeway congestion.

Boxes dont care how bumpy the ride is, Schweitzer said, and they dont care about the view.

So far, Boring Co. has used the Hawthorne tunnel exclusively for research. But Musk said he hopes the route will ultimately be part of a much larger network in Greater Los Angeles, which he said he plans to finish in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The system could have 10 or 20 times as many entrances as a subway, he said, with spiral ramps or elevators that would sink into the tunnels. In Santa Monica, he said, there could be ramps below parking garages near the Third Street Promenade, allowing people to pop up, park and walk.

Theres one problem, though: Cole said the city of Santa Monica wouldnt let him come within 100 yards of us.

The traffic impacts of any such proposal would be among the many questions analyzed in the lengthy environmental reports required for major California construction projects. The process requires public disclosure of negative impacts and allows residents to go to court to stop or delay projects.

The last time California built an entirely new transportation system  the freeways  those laws werent on the books, Matute said. Today, he said, building out a similar network could take two decades, a process the public will be watching with interest.

I dont mind building a few tunnels here and there, and if he doesnt get very far, it will be a tourist attraction in 20 years, Schweitzer said. And if it does work, then he proved everybody wrong.
The search for a suspected burglar armed with a gun who had been shot at by police in Azusa early Friday ended when the man was found dead hours later, police said.

The incident began at about 12:40 a.m. when police received a call about a possible burglary in an industrial area near West McKinley Street and South Irwindale Avenue, Azusa Police Lt. Robert Landeros said.

When officers arrived, they found a man armed with a gun. A struggle ensued and an officer shot at the man, Landeros said.

It was unclear if the gunfire struck the man, who fled after the shooting. Officers spent hours searching the area.

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The Azusa Police Department announced on Twitter shortly before 11:30 a.m. that the search was over and that a mans body had been found. It was not clear where the body was found or how the man died.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @Hannahnfry
After a brief moment of internet glory, a sea otter at Monterey Bay Aquarium has become the poster child for cultural appropriation.

Abby delighted the internet Tuesday when Monterey Bay Aquarium shared a photograph of the animal along with a string of memes referencing her size. The usually pretty, put-together mammal was snapped lying on her hip, sprawled across the floor, with a caption declaring her a thicc girl and suggesting #bodypawsitivity.

The post quickly went viral, with thousands retweeting and commenting with added memes, photographs of other chubby pets and celebrations of Abbys beauty.

I can't believe the coincidence. My dog is called Abby and she's a huge pice of log too. pic.twitter.com/PExta4W9bc  LucasG (@NitiLucas) December 19, 2018

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Ain't no thang as too thick...I see you pic.twitter.com/vMWF6Wmz7w  Oakland Zoo (@oakzoo) December 19, 2018

But some took offense, leading the aquarium to apologize after many on social media pointed out the terms used in the tweet come from African American Vernacular English.

If our tweet alienated you, please know that we are deeply sorry, and that we offer our sincerest apologies, the aquarium tweeted Wednesday afternoon.

If you follow our feed, we often reference popular memes to talk about the ocean. In this case, the memes used had connotations we were unaware of until now.

Before the backlash, Monterey Bay Aquarium said in an email to The Times that the primary inspirations for the original post were the Chonk Chart and The Absolute Unit memes.

According to the site Know Your Meme, the Chonk Chart is a graph that categorizes cats weight from lowest to highest  or between A Fine Boi and Oh Lawd He Comin.

The Absolute Unit meme refers to jokes made on Twitter that caption images of large objects or people with the phrase. It originated with a photograph of British hotelier David Morgan-Hewitt with the Queen of England, according to Know Your Meme.

The day after the original tweet, people began to take offense with the wording the aquarium used, noting its AAVE origins.

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, an assistant professor of particle physics and cosmology at the University of Washington, said the post compared animals to black women because the language used was developed to talk about black womens bodies.

Organizations that are not Black run or specifically focused on Black audiences: dont do things like this, Prescod-Weinstein said on Twitter. @MontereyAq, this tweet contributes to a hostile environment for Black people, including Black scientists. AAVE isnt a meme for white consumption.

Alvin Grissom, an assistant professor of computer science at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania, had a simpler message: Delete this.

Delete this.  Alvin Grissom II (@AlvinGrissomII) December 19, 2018

Grissom, who researches computational linguistics and has studied linguistics extensively, explained that certain languages and dialects have specific grammar that govern how the language works, even though its not considered proper or taught in school. The grammar used by black Americans is often pathologized and mocked, he said.

The language expert explained a trifecta of problems with the wording Monterey Bay Aquarium used to describe Abby:

The word thicc is a slang term primarily used by African Americans.

She chonk becomes problematic when the word is is removed because such phrasing also is used in AAVE.

And Oh lawd she comin also likely originates from AAVE because Oh lawd is a commonly used expression for African Americans in some parts of the country.

By themselves, I dont think that any one of these things would have bothered so many people, but, taken together, this tweet is pretty cringe-worthy, he said.

While I highly doubt it was intentional in this meme-filled tweet, African American Vernacular English has been mocked throughout U.S. history for the amusement of white people. Its the linguistic version of blackface.

John Rickford, a linguist at Stanford University, said the tweet may have drawn such a large and swift reaction because it was linked to the image of an animal. Historically, comparisons between African Americans and animals have been destructive and degrading, he said.

But the professor said he actually thinks the tweet was intended to be an affirmative ode to Abby using African American language that positively describes women, and he said he wouldnt be surprised if the author was African American or familiar with black culture and language. The line Abby is a thicc girl retains the verb before the noun phrase but not before the adjective chonk  the correct usage of AAVE grammar based on decades of studies, Rickford said.

Still, there were plenty on social media who found the backlash over the top, with one Twitter user suggesting anyone who was offended by the posting take a break from the internet for a few years. Another person gave kudos to the aquariums social media team, asking, Where can I donate to your aquarium?

And Abby? She probably wont be posing for photos again anytime soon. After all, shes got a job to do  as a surrogate mom.

Anyone offended by this needs to take a break from the internet for a few years.  ToastySmiles (@ToastySmiles) December 20, 2018

alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com

Twitter: @r_valejandra
San Diegos major political parties are taking steps to get their houses in order for the fast-approaching 2020 election cycle, and its not only the Republicans that have a lot of work to do.

Much has been said about the recent election setbacks of the local GOP and the challenges ahead to avoid a repeat of the 2018 beatdown.

Problems were less apparent for the San Diego County Democratic Party, where electoral success may have papered over internal disputes that involved generational, gender and racial issues. An overarching concern was whether party leaders were taking claims of sexual harassment within the party ranks seriously enough.

This went beyond the high-profile accusations against former labor leader Mickey Kasparian, who had been a powerful and polarizing force in Democratic circles for years.

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Democrats scored big on Nov. 6 in large part because of the blue wave of antipathy for President Donald Trump, though some candidates also tapped into community discontent about local matters and incumbents. Not to be overlooked are the long-term demographic changes working in Democrats favor.

This all made it easy to forget that the party was wracked by internal strife just a couple months before the June primary.

Winning does wonders for healing wounds and party activists exude optimism about 2020, but some of those issues still fester below the surface.

The Democratic-labor coalition already was struggling to hold together after lawsuits were filed in 2017 claiming sexual and workplace harassment by Kasparian, who then was president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135 and head of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council.

Some Democrats, mostly female, accused leaders of not acting quickly to remove Kasparian from the partys central committee. Party officials said internal due process limited them from immediate action on Kasparian, who still had his supporters and they cast doubt on the accusations. He had denied the claims but eventually settled three lawsuits privately earlier this year.

Kasparian left the labor council last year before he could be removed and formed a new organization that eventually collapsed. Just last week he was voted out as leader of UFCW Local 135.

Then in a stunning document issued this past spring, dozens of Democratic women further accused party leaders of turning a blind eye to other claims of inappropriate behavior within the party ranks.This came at a time when women, particularly Democrats, were channeling their anger over sexual harassment, which created the #MeToo movement, into political action.

Party Chair Jessica Hayes said the largely volunteer organization was ill-equipped to deal with sexual harassment charges.

That caught us flatfooted, she said. We had no procedures, we had no process, she said. Now we do.

A womans advisory committee was set up, and Hayes said a system was established to address accusations of inappropriate behavior. People went through sexual harassment training, she added.

Another searing dispute erupted after members of the Martin Luther King Jr. Democratic Club said they were moved from a prime table at the April 7 Roosevelt Dinner  the partys annual fundraising event  after wearing buttons and displaying signs condemning sexual harassment. Party leaders said there was a misunderstanding and that the club was never assigned that table.

A couple of weeks later, a meeting of the Democratic central committee was disrupted by protesters calling for party leaders to resign over the dinner incident. They also protested sexual harassment and other issues. One demonstrator was led away in handcuffs by police.

It didnt end there. The party sent a letter warning other Democratic clubs not to back a resolution that was being circulated in support of the MLK club. That angered some club leaders and others who viewed it as a threat. The letter said the resolution maligned party leaders with falsehoods and warned that repeating the claims could have unforeseen consequences to the clubs or for the presidents or club proponents themselves.

The primary election was just seven weeks away.

The campaign refocused the partys attention and the controversies died down. The Democratic showing at the polls in June and November is partly responsible, but so is a coming change of party leadership. Hayes, the main target of the internal criticism, is not seeking re-election to the post, saying the volunteer position became a full-time job.

Two party activists are vying to replace her and they have acknowledged some of the divisions. The central committee likely will select Craig Roberts, an engineer, or Will Rodriguez-Kennedy, an organizer for the state party, to become chair in late January. Both have held leadership positions in LGBTQ organizations and been involved with party politics for years. They are the only two candidates seeking the post, though anyone can be nominated at the meeting next month.

One thing theyll have to deal with is what the party does when it comes to Democrat-on-Democrat races, which likely will be increasingly common. There were two in the November San Diego City Council election and the party backed the losing candidate. Not only that, but the party and aligned unions also leveled harsh attacks on the eventual winning Democrats, Monica Montgomery in District 4 and Vivian Moreno in District 8.

Some Democratic activists cheered the victory by these community-backed candidates because they believed Montgomery and Moreno were best suited for the jobs. But it also sent a message to the incoming leadership. The coming change at the top has sparked conversations about how the party and allied groups can move forward as a more unified campaign operation.

The San Diego County Democratic Party likely will continue to have more traditional philosophic disagreements  progressive vs. establishment candidates, acceptance or rejection of corporate donations, etc. The nasty fights that played out in public over the past year were something different.

The dynamics of the 2020 election may be even more favorable for Democrats than they were this year. The new leadership no doubt will want to address lingering internal concerns to make sure the party doesnt get in its own way.

Republicans probably wish they had such problems.
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A 24-year-old woman who fatally stabbed an acquaintance at an El Cajon bus bench in January was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison.

Alaya Michelle Jenkins read a statement in El Cajon Superior Court, saying she asks forgiveness from God and from the family of the victim, 34-year-old Leia Anderson.

Though Leia and I didnt always see eye-to-eye, I never intended to kill her, Jenkins said.

Judge Robert Amador said the tragic incident should never have happened.

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He noted that Anderson was on methamphetamine and was the aggressor, coming after Jenkins.

It borders on a true self-defense case, the judge said.

After hearing from attorneys and Andersons stepmother and half-sister, the judge imposed the lowest term from a range of two, three or four years for involuntary manslaughter.

Jenkins pleaded guilty to the charge in November. The two-year prison term was offered as part of the plea deal.

Jenkins twin sister, Aleah Jenkins, died Nov. 27 after being taken into custody by San Diego police and becoming ill. The twins mother has alleged officers were slow to react to her daughters medical distress.

Police said Aleah Jenkins vomited after she was detained but told officers she didnt need paramedics because she just had an upset stomach. They have said the death is under investigation but that no force was used on her during or after her arrest.

In court, Alaya Jenkins said she understood the loss of a loved one and had that in common with Andersons family. Initially, she had been charged with murder in Andersons Jan. 16 stabbing death.

El Cajon police and a prosecutor said the two women knew each other through the network of homeless people in the area and had some type of disagreement before the fatal encounter.

That day, Jenkins was sitting at the bus stop on West Madison Avenue near Magnolia Avenue when Anderson came by in a car about 3 p.m.

The judge recounted the facts of the case during the sentencing hearing, saying Anderson yelled a threat at Jenkins, then got out of the car and loosed her pit bull. Anderson, at 6 feet tall and 219 pounds, charged at Jenkins.

In a fight that lasted no more than 20 seconds, Jenkins pulled out a knife and stabbed Anderson at least once in the chest, piercing her heart. Anderson got back into the car, with her dog, and the driver took her to a hospital, where she died.

Police detectives arrested Jenkins the next day at a nearby hotel.

Andersons stepmother, Daphne Allan, asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence on Jenkins.

Half-sister Brittney Anderson added: She was loved, she was beautiful. She wasnt a bad person, just a person with bad habits.

pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @pdrepard
The personal information of San Diego Unified students, former students and employees may have been compromised in a data breach that officials believe happened in January, the school district announced Friday.

The breach could affect as many as 500,000 students who attended San Diego Unified schools as far back as the 2008-2009 school year, officials said.

The breach may have affected personally identifiable student and staff information such as addresses and dates of birth, as well as discipline, health, scheduling and grade information, according to an email sent to school families on Friday. Social Security numbers were also affected.

The log-in information for about 50 staff members are known to have been compromised and have been reset, according to the district.

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The San Diego Unified School District has taken the steps necessary to eliminate the threat to your personal data and implement improvements to prevent such unauthorized access from happening again, the district said in the email.

In October, information technology staff were investigating phishing emails that collected log-in information from district staff.

When we determined it was unauthorized access, we began working with school police, which was right away, said Toren Allen of the districts integrated technology department.

The district did not publicly announce the breach until now to avoid compromising the investigation, Allen said.

We couldnt communicate until some of the details were able to be picked up during the investigation, Allen said.

A suspect has been identified, Allen said, but he would not give more details about the suspect.

The districts police department is leading the investigation.

Kristen Taketa

Email: kristen.taketa@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @Kristen_Taketa
A county plan that would allow housing developers to pay their way around restrictions on greenhouse-gas emissions looks increasingly to be on shaky legal ground.

The Sierra Club has challenged the plan in court as part of its longstanding fight with the agency over its so-called climate action plan.

A superior court judge issued a tentative ruling in the case on Thursday scolding the Board of Supervisors for its strategy to recognize the purchase of carbon offsets anywhere in the world, rather than forcing home builders to limit climate pollution locally.

The offset strategy doesnt comply the countys 2011 general plan, which called for drafting a climate blueprint to reduce emissions within its jurisdiction, wrote Judge Timothy B. Taylor.

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As such, the county violated its general plan and the planning and zoning law by allowing the free use of out-of-county (greenhouse-gas) offsets for projects within the county, he wrote in the tentative decision.

The people of the county have a right to expect more from their elected officials , he added.

Hanging in the balance could be as many as 10,000 new suburban housing units, clustered in more than half a dozen suburban projects around the county. The developments call for using carbon offsets to account for nearly 80 percent of their greenhouse-gas emissions, almost entirely from new car trips.

Sierra Club lawyers were cautiously optimistic about the outcome of the case, which will likely be appealed.

We are very pleased with the tentative decision, but well reserve comment until we have the final decision, said Josh Chatten-Brown of Chatten-Brown & Carstens.

The county and members of the Board of Supervisors declined to comment, citing the ongoing litigation.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Friday, with Taylor expected to issue a final ruling shortly thereafter.

In the tentative ruling, Taylor also criticized the countys lack of specifics outlined in its proposed offset program.

Carbon offsets, bought through online storefronts known as registries, can fund everything from land conservation to sustainable agricultural and logging practices.

However, unlike Californias cap-and-trade program that carefully tracks the buying and selling of such credits while also limiting their use, the county has proposed little oversight over its offset program, Taylor wrote.

In essence, the county freely allows the use of offsets purchased anywhere on the planet, with no limit on geographic scope, in order for project applicants within the county to meet their (greenhouse gas) mitigation requirements, Taylor wrote. All that is required is the satisfaction of the planning director. No standards or criteria are stated for achieving the satisfaction of the planning director.

The countys vision for fighting global warming has been repeatedly rejected by the courts since the Sierra Club challenged its initial climate plan in 2012. Thursdays tentative ruling follows that pattern.

Its a pretty damning tentative decision for the county, said Ethan Elkind, director of the climate program at UC Berkeleys Center for Law, Energy and the Environment. The court sounded pretty exasperated with the countys environmental review as well as its climate action plan.

Thats a pretty strong assessment, and it would be pretty hard for the county to come back from that, he added.

Despite the litigation, the Board of Supervisors has already approved this year several of the developments in question, including Newland Sierra, Valiano, Harmony Grove Village South and Otay 250 Sunroad.

In November, the board put the remaining projects on ice, which included Lilac Hills Ranch, Otay Ranch 14, Warner Ranch and dozens of smaller parcel changes.

Developers for Newland Sierra have maintained that the challenge to the countys offset program wont impact their project. The Sierra Club strongly disagrees.

A number of the housing developments, all of which are located in high-fire-prone areas, have drawn a significant amount of community opposition.

The 2,135-home Newland Sierra development north of Escondido, for example, is facing a citizens initiative to overturn the project on the 2020 ballot. Its also being challenged separately in court by the Sierra Club and the nearby Golden Door spa. The opulent spa has also joined the conservation group in suing the county over its offset program.

Twitter: @jemersmith

Phone: (619) 293-2234

Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com
A couple of hours after the Trump administration announced a new agreement with Mexico that will send asylum seekers back south after they ask the U.S. for protection, migrants and Mexican federal immigration officials in Tijuana were equally surprised by the news.

In El Chaparral plaza, David Enamorado, 32, stood with people signing up for a place in line among the backlog of asylum seekers that has ballooned under the Trump administrations policies. He read aloud articles explaining the change to those under the tent from his phone.

They cant do that, can they? a man seated under the tent asked.

Many in the group, which is in charge of a notebook that maintains the list of whose turn is next to begin asylum processing in the U.S., were anticipating getting the opportunity to enter sometime over the weekend.

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Tijuana has the largest group of waiting asylum seekers and the longest wait anywhere along the border. About 4,500 are currently in line.

San Diego immigration attorneys said the announcement left them with more questions than answers. They wondered if the responsibility would fall to border courts, and the attorneys working in them, to represent all asylum seekers who try to cross.

Attorney Ginger Jacobs also worried about the safety of those waiting in Tijuana, pointing to Honduran teens who were staying in a shelter for unaccompanied children and were killed over the weekend.

It feels like none of this was thought through at all, said attorney Tammy Lin.

She wondered how asylum seekers in Mexico would get to the courts for hearings that can drag on over the course of the year.

A Mexican immigration official responsible for communicating between the group responsible for the notebook and U.S. officials at the port of entry said even he hadnt heard about the change.

Enamorado, who fled his native Honduras with his wife and three young children well before the recent caravan, said it felt like Trump had gotten his wall.

Its not a physical wall, but its there, he said. Its a sad day for us.

He worried how Tijuana would handle that many people needing food, housing and work. The migrant shelters have been full already, he said.

Jose Maria Garcia Lara, director of Movimiento Juventud 2000, a shelter in Tijuanas Zona Norte, said he was already worried about funding under the new Mexican administration.

This is going to cause problems for all the shelters in Baja, California, Garcia Lara said. Were going to have more problems than we already have.

Eduardo Solorzano, 26, who came with the caravan, said the change would be good for someone like him. Hed heard that under the old process, he was likely to be locked up for months when he crossed into the U.S. to ask for asylum.

For me, its good to have the opportunity to work and to be free, Solorzano said.

He was waiting to receive his work permit and planned to stay in Mexico for some time to work before trying to cross into the U.S. He wanted things to calm down first.

Enamorado, on the other hand, worried about his familys safety in Tijuana. There was a shooting outside the shelter theyre staying in, he said.

He said the U.S. government should work quickly to identify those who are true asylum seekers and let them in. He keeps documents, proof of the violence he fled, in a plastic bag tucked in his tent at the shelter. Several of his family members have already been killed, and he was kidnapped.

Two couples from Nicaragua listened to him read the news, their faces crestfallen.

What are we going to do? one man from Nicaragua said. If they dont want us in Nicaragua and they dont want us in the United States, what do we do?

They would wait, the other man from Nicaragua said, for as long as they had to. They didnt have another option.

Immigration Videos On Now New developments in family separation case 9:53 On Now A San Diego woman volunteered as a medic in Texas helping migrant families 2:35 On Now Immigration policy protests in Carlsbad nearly cancelled after permit issue 1:38 On Now When children are separated from their parents at the border, here is where they go next On Now Prospects of a deal for 'Dreamers' may hinge on separating Trump from hard-liners on his staff On Now What is DACA? On Now Border wall prototype contractors selected On Now Video: Ukrainian boxer wins asylum in U.S. On Now 30 apprehended after Border Patrol agents discover tunnel On Now Video: Kurdish diaspora prepare to vote on independence

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kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate on Twitter
An online fundraiser started by an Air Force veteran to pay for construction of President Donald Trumps U.S.-Mexico border wall was up to millions of dollars Thursday, bringing further attention to an issue that could lead to a government shutdown.

Brian Kolfage launched the GoFundMe page Sunday, and it has since generated $6 million in donations. The site states a fundraising goal of $1 billion.

In a statement posted on the crowdsourcing page, Kolfage says the wall could be built if everyone who voted for Trump pledged $80 each.

As a veteran who has given so much, three limbs, I feel deeply invested to this nation to ensure future generations have everything we have today, Kolfage wrote.

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A triple amputee injured in the Iraq War in 2004, Kolfage said he has contacted the Trump administration about where to send the money once the fundraiser ends.

Trump announced Thursday he would not sign a bill to keep funding the government because it fails to provide billions for his border wall. It was his second reversal in a matter of days after conservative allies and pundits accused him of backing down on a central campaign promise. His decision has thrown Congress into disarray and risks a federal shutdown this weekend.

Kolfage, who is listed on GoFundMe as being based in Miramar Beach, Florida, said in an email that he was not immediately available to comment.

The reception toward Kolfages fundraising is far from the reaction when Arizona lawmakers similarly tried to raise money for border fencing several years ago.

In this AprIl 1, 2015, file photo, retired Air Force Airman Brian Kolfage, right, gives a piece of cheese to his one-year-old daughter Paris Kolfage as his wife Ashley Kolfage looks on at their recently rented home in Sandestin, Fla. Kolfage, a triple-amputee who lost his limbs serving in Iraq in the U.S. Air Force, started a GoFundMe page to help fund construction of President Donald Trumps border wall has already raised millions of dollars. (Nick Tomecek / AP)

Legislators approved a bill in 2011 to establish a website to raise $50 million for border fencing. The effort, however, flopped, bringing in around $265,000.

Kolfages page inspired at least one opposing fundraising page. A GoFundMe fundraiser was created Wednesday to raise money for ladders to get over Trumps wall. The site posted a goal of $100 million and garnered more than $20,000 in donations as of Thursday afternoon. All the money will go toward a nonprofit that provides education and legal services to refugees and immigrant families.
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a chilling warning Thursday about the rising threat of a nuclear war, putting the blame squarely on the U.S., which he accused of irresponsibly pulling out of arms control treaties.

Speaking at his annual news conference, Putin warned that it could lead to the destruction of civilization as a whole and maybe even our planet.

He pointed at Washingtons intention to walk away from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF, and its reluctance to negotiate the extension of the 2010 New START agreement, which expires in 2021 unless the two countries agree to extend it. We are witnessing the breakup of the arms control system, he said.

Moscow and Washington have been at loggerheads over the INF, which bans an entire class of weapons  all nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles of intermediate range. U.S. officials say Washingtons withdrawal from the pact was prompted by Russian violations of the treaty, which Moscow vehemently denies.

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Earlier this month NATO, at U.S. request formally declared Russia to be in violation of the INF and demanded that it halt activity that breaches it. The move put the full weight of the alliance behind the U.S., which has given Russia until February to come into compliance or trigger Washingtons withdrawal from the treaty.

Officials in both Russia and the U.S. have given mixed signals about the future of the New START treaty, signed by President Barack Obama and then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev amid a brief thaw in Russia-U.S. ties. U.S.-Russian strategic nuclear weapons  those capable of striking each others territory  are governed by New Start.

During the nearly four-hour news conference, Putin maintained Russia was not interested in gaining unilateral advantages. We arent seeking advantages, we are trying to preserve the balance and ensure our security.

Russia-U.S. ties have sunk to their lowest levels since the Cold war times over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and the allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, among other disputes.

The U.S. and European nations have repeatedly called out Russia and imposed sanctions on it for its support of separatists in eastern Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea in 2014. At the same time the West has harshly criticized Russia for its military and political support for Syrian President Bashar Assad, which U.S. officials say has prolonged the war in Syria and the suffering of its people.

The Russian leader scoffed at the allegations, rejecting them as part of a smear campaign driven by domestic policy in the U.S. and elsewhere in the West.

He dismissed claims that Russia is interfering abroad, from a nerve agent poisoning in Britain to an alleged effort to infiltrate the U.S. National Rifle Association, charging that those accusations are part of U.S.-led efforts to malign Russia to strengthen the Western allies unity.

They need an external threat to cement NATO unity, Putin said, accusing the U.S. and its allies of exploiting phobias of the past to achieve domestic political goals.

As for ruling the world, we know where the headquarters trying to do that are located, and the place isnt Moscow, he said, noting that the Pentagons annual budget of over $700 billion dwarfs Russias defense spending of $46 billion.

Russias hopes for repairing ties with the U.S. under President Donald Trump have fizzled amid the allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election  charges Putin has denied.

He noted that hes still keeping the door open for a meeting with Trump, but added that the prospect for that looks increasingly dim in view of the Democrats winning control of the House.

You can predict new attacks on the president with 100-percent probability, Putin said. I dont know if he could engage in a direct dialogue with Russia in such conditions.

He charged that that the continuing U.S. political infighting reflects a lack of respect for the voters who elected Trump. They dont want to acknowledge his victory and do everything to delegitimize the president, Putin added.

He insisted that a Russian woman in U.S. custody has not carried out any mission for the Russian government, even though she pleaded guilty this month to acting as a covert agent of the government. Putin claimed that Maria Butina  accused of trying to infiltrate the NRA and American conservative circles around the time of Trumps election  entered the guilty plea because of the threat of a long prison sentence in the case, which Putin described as fabricated.

Amid a litany of complaints over Washingtons policies, Putin had one positive thing to say about the United States: He welcomed Trumps decision to withdraw the U.S. military from Syria.

The U.S. has done the right thing, Putin said, reaffirming the long-held Russian argument that the U.S. presence in Syria is illegitimate because it wasnt vetted by the U.N. Security Council or approved by Syrian President Bashar Assads government. The pullout is also likely to strengthen Russias role in Syrias future.

He showed no sign of backing down from Russias stance on Ukraine, accusing his Ukrainian counterpart of provoking a naval standoff with Russia to boost his electoral prospects. The Russian coast guard fired upon and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and 24 seamen when they tried to sail from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov in what the U.S. and its NATO allies condemned as unjustified use of force by Russia.

Turning to nuclear weapons, Putin warned that if the U.S. puts intermediate-range missiles in Europe after its planned exit from the INF Treaty banning them, Russia will be forced to take countermeasures.

As for what he described as U.S. reluctance to extend the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty, he said: You arent interested? You dont need it? OK, we will survive. ... But it will be very bad for the whole of humankind, because it would take us to a very dangerous area.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had surgery Friday to remove two malignant growths in her left lung, the third time the Supreme Courts oldest justice has been treated for cancer since 1999.

Doctors found no evidence of any remaining disease and scans taken before the surgery showed no cancerous growths elsewhere in her body, the court said in a statement. No additional treatment is currently planned, it said.

The 85-year-old Ginsburg is the leader of the courts liberal wing. She has achieved an iconic status rare for Supreme Court justices, and is known as the Notorious RBG to some of her most ardent fans. In recent days, Ginsburg has basked in the warm applause of audiences that turned out for screenings of a new feature film about her life.

Her health is closely watched by liberals and conservatives alike. If she were to step down now, President Donald Trump would choose her replacement, and further shift the Supreme Court in a more conservative direction.

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The growths were found incidentally during tests Ginsburg had after she fractured ribs in a fall in her Supreme Court office on Nov. 7, the court said.

Doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York performed a procedure called a pulmonary lobectomy on Ginsburg. The growths they removed were determined to be malignant in an initial pathology evaluation, the court said, citing Ginsburgs thoracic surgeon, Dr. Valerie W. Rusch.

Ginsburg is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days, the court said.

If she doesnt need anything but the surgery, it is a very good sign, said Dr. John Lazar, director of thoracic robotic surgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

Its not uncommon to see slow-growing lung cancers in women in their 80s, and they tend to respond well to surgery and go on to die of something unrelated, he said.

This is just luck that the growths were found through those rib X-rays because accidentally discovered lung tumors tend to be early-stage when surgery works best, said Dr. Giuseppe Giaccone, an oncologist at Georgetown Universitys Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

While doctors will have to see the final pathology report to know exactly what kind of tumors Ginsburg had and how aggressive they were, her previous bouts with cancer were so long ago theyre unlikely to be related, Giaccone said.

Both doctors said patients typically spend three or four days in the hospital after this type of operation.

It was unclear whether Ginsburg would be back on bench when the court next meets on Jan. 7. She has never missed Supreme Court arguments in more than 25 years as a justice.

She told an audience in New York last week at a screening of the movie"On the Basis of Sex that she was about to resume her now-famous workout routine .

Ginsburg had surgery for colorectal cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer 10 years later. Doctors found the growth on her pancreas in the course of routine screenings as a result of her first cancer.

Among other health problems, she also broke two ribs in a fall in 2012 and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery in 2014. She was hospitalized after a bad reaction to medicine in 2009.

Appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, Ginsburg rebuffed suggestions from some liberals that she should step down in the first two years of President Barack Obamas second term, when Democrats controlled the Senate and would have been likely to confirm her successor.

She already has hired clerks for the term that extends into 2020, indicating she has no plans to retire.

AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard contributed to this report.
A Campo man who forced his way onto a school bus, threatened the driver with a knife and terrified the children pleaded guilty Thursday to assault with a deadly weapon and child endangerment.

Matthew Douglas Barker, 37, didnt appear to be in his right mind during a struggle with the bus driver and two adults who intervened, according to Deputy District Attorney Taren Brast.

Barkers May 25 assault was captured on a surveillance camera inside the bus and was witnessed by the children and several bystanders.

He was charged originally with attempted kidnapping and carjacking as well as elder abuse on the 78-year-old bus driver. He faced up to 13 years in prison if convicted of all those charges.

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Barker pleaded guilty to one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon on the driver, a second count of assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of misdemeanor child endangerment.

El Cajon Superior Court Judge Robert Amador said he would likely impose a six-year prison term but suspend that on the condition Barker serve a year in custody, then be released to a long-term rehabilitation facility while on probation.

Barkers sentencing was set for Jan. 22.

On the day of the bizarre attack, the bus driver had stopped on Jeb Stuart Road in Campo about 8:30 a.m. to pick up children. According to authorities, as the driver started to pull away, Barker ran up to the door. The driver stopped and opened the door, thinking Barker was a parent of one of the Campo Elementary School children.

When Barker tried to climb in, the driver tried to stop him. One students grandmother saw the men in a struggle and hurried on board to help the driver.

Another passerby intervened and helped get the knife away from Barker.

At a previous court hearing, Brast said Barker was on top of the driver at one point and slashed the seat upholstery with his knife. Barkers niece, who was on the bus, tried to take the knife and nearly was cut, Brast said.

While the fight was going on, older students got the back door open and ushered the children out to safety.

Sheriffs deputies took Barker into custody without any further struggle. They thought he was on drugs, but tests showed he was not.

pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @pdrepard
Nine people were taken to hospitals, six with major injuries, when the driver of a speeding car lost control and collided head-on with oncoming vehicles Thursday afternoon in National City, police said.

The three-car crash was reported about 1 p.m. on Paradise Valley Road just east of Plaza Boulevard near the border between National City and San Diego, according to National City police.

A white Scion sedan was speeding westbound when the driver lost control and veered into oncoming traffic, National City police Lt. Robert Rounds told OnScene TV. The Scion collided head-on with a Hyundai Sonata, which then crashed into a Subaru.

Officers and firefighters from National City and San Diego responded to the scene, where two of the cars were severely damaged, Rounds said. Emergency crews used specialized rescue tools to free several occupants from the Scion and Hyundai.

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All nine occupants of the three cars were injured and taken to hospitals, including six people who were seriously hurt, Rounds said. None of their injuries were expected to be life-threatening.

Four people, including a possible juvenile, were inside the Scion, another four were in the Hyundai and the driver of the Subaru was the lone occupant of that vehicle.

An initial investigation showed alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the collision, Rounds said.

Paradise Valley Road was closed for several hours after the crash. It was expected to remain closed until at least 3:30 p.m.

Twitter: @Alex_Riggins

(619) 293-1710

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com
A Paradise Hills family of five was displaced in an early Friday morning fire that destroyed their garage and damaged their house and two race cars.

The four adults and a child got out safely and watched firefighters battle high flames and black smoke for nearly 20 minutes.

The blaze was reported about 4:50 a.m. at a house on Deauville Street at Roanoke Street, near the National City limit line.

Footage from On Scene TV video showed flames raging out of the garage windows and through the roof, which collapsed, according to National City fire Battalion Chief Larry Silva.

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The fire spread to a back porch and into the adjoining house before fire crews from San Diego and National City got it under control.

Silva said one resident told him the two cars were used for racing. One inside the garage was destroyed and the other in the driveway was damaged.

Damage was estimated at $180,000 to the garage and a small portion of the house and attic, fire spokeswoman Monica Munoz said. Damage to the contents of the home and garage were estimated at $40,000.

Munoz said investigators were not able to get into the garage, to try to determine the cause of the blaze, because of the roof collapse.

The Red Cross helped relocate the family.

pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @pdrepard
A parolee who allegedly had a gun in his car fled from San Diego police Thursday evening, leading a chase into La Mesa that ultimately ended with his arrest, police said.

San Diego police were called around 4:50 p.m. for a reported burglary in progress on Dawson Avenue near El Cajon Boulevard in the Talmadge neighborhood, Officer Robert Heims said.

Officers in the area spotted a car matching the description of the suspect and tried to stop it, but the driver refused to pull over, Heims said.

Instead, the driver led police north toward Interstate 8, then east on the freeway toward La Mesa in rush hour traffic.

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After chasing the car through parts of La Mesa, San Diego police called off the pursuit, Heims said. It wasnt immediately clear why they stopped the chase, but it may have been because of safety concerns.

About a half-mile after police stopped pursuing the suspect, he struck the back of an SUV and abandoned his car on Spring Street near Palm Avenue, Heims said. He fled into a canyon near the Spring Street trolley station, where officers caught up with him and took him into custody.

Police determined later there was no basis for the burglary call, but the 28-year-old man whod led them on the chase was a parolee in possession of a gun, Heims said.

Information about why the man was on parole wasnt immediately available.

He was booked into county jail on suspicion of felony evading, being a felon in possession of a firearm and hit-and-run stemming from Thursdays chase, according to online jail records.

He is expected to be arraigned in Superior Court next week.

Twitter: @Alex_Riggins

(619) 293-1710

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com
Two people were killed late Thursday in a crash on a remote stretch of a two-lane highway in Barrett Junction near the Mexican border in southeastern San Diego County, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The deadly crash was reported about 10:55 p.m. on state Route 94, also known as Campo Road, west of state Route 188, which is the highway that leads to Tecate in Baja California, Mexico.

The CHP said both drivers died in the head-on crash.

According to Officer Travis Garrow, a woman who has yet to be identified was driving a 2007 Ford Fusion at a high rate of speed east on SR-94 when she allowed the car to cross the double yellow line. and into the path of an oncoming car.

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The Fusion slammed into a 2004 Honda Accord driven by a 35-year-old Dulzura man, Garrow said.

Emergency workers pulled the Honda driver from the car, but he died at the scene, as did the woman driving the Ford.

Authorities had not released the names of either driver as of early Friday afternoon. Garrow noted that the Ford driver had not yet been identified.

According to the incident log, a 911 caller said it appeared to be a head-on crash, and at least one vehicle involved caught fire.

Staff writer Teri Figueroa contributed to this report.

Twitter: @Alex_Riggins

(619) 293-1710

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com

UPDATES:

2:10 p.m: This story was updated with additional information from the California Highway Patrol.
Two men stole cellphones and gifts at gunpoint from a San Marcos resident and the victims two young children earlier this month after arranging a meetup over online selling and trading sites, authorities said Thursday.

One suspect in the armed robbery, which happened Dec. 3 in a remote area of Vista, was arrested last week and charged with four felonies, including three counts of robbery, according to a sheriffs sergeant and jail records.

San Diego County Crime Stoppers offered a $1,000 reward for information about the second suspect, who remained at large Thursday. A description of that man was not available because during the robbery, the two bandits had the victim look away, sheriffs Sgt. Nathan Rowley said in an email.

The setup for the heist occurred over a couple of different (phone) applications, similar to OfferUp, 5miles (and) Facebook Marketplace, Rowley said, though he did not know exactly which apps were used.

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The suspects purported to be buyers interested in purchasing an old cellphone, and the parties agreed to meet in a fairly remote area of unincorporated Vista near Gopher Canyon Road, Rowley said.

When the victim arrived, 27-year-old suspected gang member Brian Todd Chase allegedly reached into the victims vehicle, pulled out the keys and pointed a handgun at the victim, Rowley said. Chase allegedly demanded the victims phone, wallet and any other valuables.

During the robbery, Chase noticed the victims two children  ages 5 and 4  sitting in the backseat playing on cellphones, Rowley said. He allegedly reached into the vehicle and stole those phones after also taking the victims phone.

Meanwhile, the unidentified suspect opened the victims trunk and stole recently purchased gifts, the sergeant said. The two men eventually left, taking the victims keys with them.

The victim was left stranded with no means to reach anyone, Rowley said. A passer-by who did not witness the incident came across the victim when the victim flagged the bystander down. The bystander used his phone to call 911.

The victim later found the vehicles keys discarded on the side of the road about a quarter-mile from the robbery site, Rowley said.

Gang detectives from the sheriffs Vista substation eventually identified Chase as one of the suspects, Rowley said. He was arrested Dec. 12 and a search of his apartment turned up items taken during the robbery.

He was being held without bail Thursday at the Vista jail on suspicion of robbery and preventing a victim from reporting a crime.

Detectives obtained some basic profile information through the apps used to set up the meeting, but none of the information initially led to the suspect, Rowley said.

The sergeant said detectives are planning follow-up search warrants to the owners of the applications that they believe will provide additional evidence.

Anyone with information about the second suspects identity was urged to call the Vista substation at (760) 940-4551, or Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward up to $1,000 to anyone with information that leads to an arrest.

Twitter: @Alex_Riggins

(619) 293-1710

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com
With a government shutdown just hours away, President Donald Trump on Friday signed rare bipartisan legislation addressing concerns with the criminal justice system.

Trump called the bill an incredible success for our country and beyond bipartisan during an Oval Office signing ceremony.

Lawmakers and advocates also hailed it as a hugely influential package and thanked the president for supporting the issue.

The legislation will give judges more discretion when sentencing some drug offenders and will boost prisoner rehabilitation efforts, among other efforts.

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It received the rare support of both Democratic and Republican lawmakers as well as conservative and liberal groups that rarely work together.

Playing a key role behind the scenes was Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, whose father spent time in federal prison when he was younger.
President Donald Trump began Thursday under siege, listening to howls of indignation from conservatives over his border wall and thrusting the government toward a shutdown. He ended it by announcing the exit of the man U.S. allies see as the last guardrail against the presidents erratic behavior: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, whose resignation letter was a scathing rebuke of Trumps worldview.

At perhaps the most fragile moment of his presidency - and vulnerable to convulsions on the political right - Trump single-handedly propelled the U.S. government into crisis and sent markets tumbling with his gambits this week to salvage signature campaign promises.

The presidents decisions and conduct have led to a fracturing of Trumps coalition. Hawks condemned his sudden decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. Conservatives called him a gutless president and questioned whether he would ever build a wall. Political friends began privately questioning whether Trump needed to be reined in.

After campaigning on shrinking Americas footprint in overseas wars, Trump abruptly declared Wednesday that he was withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria, a move Mattis and other advisers counseled against. And officials said Thursday that Trump is preparing to send thousands of troops home from Afghanistan as well.

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The president also issued an ultimatum to Congress to fund construction of his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall, a move poised to result in a government shutdown just before Christmas. Trump and his aides had signaled tacit support for a short-term spending compromise that would avert the shutdown, but the president abruptly changed course after absorbing a deluge of criticism from some of his most high-profile loyalists.

Leon Panetta, who served as former defense secretary, CIA director and White House chief of staff for Democratic presidents, said, Were in a constant state of chaos right now in this country. He added, While it may satisfy [Trumps] need for attention, its raising hell with the country.

Panetta said the resignation of Mattis is a singular moment and his letter, which underscores how Mattis sees Trumps approach as misguided, puts the security of the nation right now at some degree of risk.

Trump has been isolated in bunker mode in recent weeks as political and personal crises mount, according to interviews with 27 current and former White House officials, Republican lawmakers and outside advisers to the president, some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to offer candid assessments.

Theres going to be an intervention, one former senior administration official said speculatively. Jim Mattis just sent a shot across the bow. Hes the most credible member of the administration by five grades of magnitude. Hes the steady, safe set of hands. And this letter is brutal. He quit because of the madness.

In his resignation letter, Mattis wrote, My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues . . . Because you have the right to a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.

Although Trumps relationship with Mattis has been rocky for months, the president spent the first part of Thursday focused on another fraying relationship: with his conservative base.

On Thursday, as criticism over his capitulation on the wall grew louder by the hour, Trump complained to friends and aides that he felt politically shackled. He had no plan, but was spoiling for a fight. By midday, the president picked one.

Ive made my position very clear: Any measure that funds the government must include border security. Has to, Trump said Thursday. He added that he had no choice but to act.

Trumps advisers acknowledged that the funding may not be secured in the end, but boasted that the spectacle would be remembered favorably by his base voters as proof of his mettle. A wall funding proposal was approved by the House late Thursday, but faced uncertain prospects in the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., habitually careful in his approach to Trump, avoided strong-arming the president in their recent exchanges, knowing that urging him to stand down on the wall funding likely would only embolden him, according to two people familiar with the discussions. At every turn, McConnell confided to Trump that congressional efforts this month - from the passage of the farm bill to bipartisan criminal-justice reform - were a string of victories for him, the people said.

Thanks to McConnells soothing, there was cautious optimism that the president would eventually sign a funding bill. McConnell has a lot to do with it, of course. They talk a lot, Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky., said. Its smart to save the fight for another day.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., - busy this week bidding farewell to Congress after two decades in office - followed McConnells playbook, pointing out how Trump would be able to battle for wall funding in the new year, a person close to him said.

Both Ryan and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told Trump last week that they could not pass a spending bill with $5 billion for wall construction, and McConnell was told by the White House that Trump would sign a short-term bill without it, according to two people familiar with the conversations.

But on Fox News Channel and across conservative media, there was a brewing rebellion. Prominent voices urged Trump to hold firm on his wall money and warned that caving would jeopardize his reelection.

Rush Limbaugh dismissed the compromise bill on his radio program as Trump gets nothing and the Democrats get everything. Another firebrand, Ann Coulter, published a column titled, Gutless President in Wall-less Country. Trump even found resistance on the couch of his favorite show, Fox & Friends, where reliable Trump-boosting host Brian Kilmeade chided him on the air Thursday.

The president was paying attention. He promptly unfollowed Coulter on Twitter. And he pecked out a series of defensive tweets blaming congressional leaders for not funding the wall, while also staking a defensive posture. He suggested that a massive wall may not be necessary in its entirety because the border already is tight thanks to the work of Border Patrol agents and troops.

One of the things hes most vulnerable to is mockery and mockery by his own supporters, said Mark Krikorian, a leading anti-immigration activist.

Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus joined in the rebellion. During House votes on Wednesday evening, caucus chair Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., and other members refused to budge and held court with reporters, railing against the Republican leadership and warning Trump that he was being led astray.

At a Thursday Oval Office meeting with Ryan and McCarthy, Trump was calm and did not yell, but was resolute and dug in on what he wants, said a Republican official briefed on the discussion.

Trump spent six to seven minutes in the meeting with Ryan and McCarthy talking about steel slats and saying that the term was preferable to calling the proposed construction a wall, as the president has done for more than three years.

The administration drama comes at an especially perilous juncture for Trump, following his thumping at the polls in Novembers midterm elections. Democrats are preparing to take control of the House in January and to use their subpoena power to investigate Trumps finances and conduct in office, as well as alleged corruption in the administration.

Meanwhile, Republicans in their last gasp of unified government are divided. A band of hard-line conservative lawmakers voted against Trumps prison reform legislation, which passed the House and Senate with bipartisan support and is expected to be signed by the president Friday. And many foreign policy hawks, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump confidant, sharply criticized Trumps decision Wednesday to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.

Inside the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump was in what one Republican close to the White House described as a tailspin, acting totally irrationally and flipping out over criticisms in the media.

Even as aides argued to him that protesting over wall funding could deprive government workers paychecks over Christmas, Trump warned in private conversations with Republican lawmakers that they all would get crushed if they did not get the wall built.

Trump vented to his advisers that signing the short-term spending bill without wall money would make him look weak and make his base voters think he broke a campaign promise. He also complained that he did not have sufficient bargaining leverage with Congress and blamed senior aides - including White House legislative affairs director Shahira Knight - for not presenting him with better options.

Hes legitimately saying, This is ridiculous. Why would I sign this? said American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp, whose wife, Mercedes Schlapp, is a senior White House staffer. If youre the outsider, you dont want to go along with the same old stupid rules. When he does that, he doesnt look like an outsider.

Marc Short, Trumps former White House legislative affairs director, said, He feels he made a promise to voters that he would build the wall. There is a realization that with Congress changing hands, that the challenge of getting funding for the wall only gets larger.

Trumps pin-balling conduct - veering from a promise of a shutdown to moving toward a deal, and then changing his mind - has vexed members of his own party. Many Republican lawmakers said they sense that Trump is adjusting uneasily to the dynamics of soon-to-be divided government and lashing out to reclaim some of his dominance over the congressional agenda.

The defense secretarys resignation compounded the concern.

Having Mattis there gave all of us a great deal more comfort than we have now, retiring Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said. Chaos has kind of been the norm but it seems to have been heightened. Sometimes you think its got to settle, and then another thing happens.

This story first appeared in The Washington Post
The Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration on Friday from enforcing a controversial and constitutionally questionable asylum ban at the U.S. southern border.

In a 5-4 decision, the high court left in place a ruling issued by a federal judge in California blocking President Trump from refusing asylum to any immigrants who have been found to enter the country illegally.

Trump derided the career California jurist who issued the ruling as an Obama judge and expressed hope the ban would be reversed by the Supreme Court, but Chief Justice John Roberts  the courts sole swing vote  sided with his four liberal-leaning colleagues in deeming the ban unconstitutional.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 85, took the extraordinary step of casting her dissenting vote from a hospital bed in Manhattan, where she had undergone surgery for two cancerous growths in her left lung, according to NBC News.

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Newly-minted Justice Brett Kavanaugh and the courts three other conservatives sided with the administrations plea to resume the practice.

The President issued an executive order implementing the ban last month and justified it by making fear-mongering and outright false statements about a caravan of Central American migrants who have been camping out on the Mexican side of the border for weeks in hopes of filing for asylum in the U.S.

No opinions were appended to the brief Supreme Court decision but longstanding U.S. and international asylum statutes affirm migrants with credible fear of social, political or religious persecution have the right to claim asylum, regardless of status or how they entered the country.

Following Trumps Obama judge knock, Roberts took the extremely unusual step of publicly rebuking the President, prompting an unprecedented public spat between the Supreme Court chief and the commander-in-chief.

We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges, Roberts, who was nominated to the bench by President George W. Bush in 2005, said in a statement. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them.

Sorry Chief Justice John Roberts, the President tweeted in response, but you do indeed have Obama judges, and they have a much different point of view than the people who are charged with the safety of our country.

A White House spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment on the latest ruling.

The high court action followed a lower-court decision Wednesday that kept the ban on hold pending the outcome of a lawsuit challenging it. The case could take months to resolve.
Are you optimistic or pessimistic about Americas future? Im optimistic. I say that because there have been many moments in our history when old ideas and old arrangements stopped working and people chopped them up. Those transition moments were bumpy, and it was easy to lose hope, but then people figured it out. Never underestimate the power of human ingenuity.

The same process is happening today. Americans have lost faith in the big institutions of society. Many fly off to extremes, to the Donald Trump right or the Bernie Sanders left. Most of the rest of us feel adrift, gloomy and politically homeless.

But people figure it out. New ideas emerge. Old ideas are put together in new ways. Today, I offer you just one example  the Niskanen Center, which has become one of the most creative think tanks in America today.

The Niskanen Center began operations in 2015, started by a group of libertarians who broke off from the Cato Institute. Over the next few years many of the leaders of Niskanen began to lose faith in the libertarian ideology. The founder, Jerry Taylor, wrote a brilliant essay in October explaining the process.

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The first cracks were over the issue of global warming. Libertarianism is a philosophy that emphasizes limited government, free markets and individual rights. There is nothing in that creed that should bias a person one way or another over whether global warming is a serious problem or not. Thats a scientific question, not a philosophical one.

Yet Taylor found that many libertarians, fired by ideological zeal, had slid into the position of minimizing climate change because they didnt like some of the big government remedies that were being proposed to address it. Once he saw this tendency on climate change, he saw it everywhere and on all sides: People with single all-explaining ideologies have a tendency to let their philosophic blinders distort how they view empirical reality.

Taylor didnt abandon his faith in markets and individual rights, but he decided to abandon the belief that a single ideology can be applied to all problems. There are a lot of different goods in society: liberty, social justice, equity, community, virtue, prosperity. Its crazy, Taylor argued, to prioritize one of those goods in nearly every single policy context. And yet thats what ideologues do.

Taylor and his colleagues embraced a posture of epistemological modesty, threw off the ideological style of thinking and began to notice something: that the central debate in our politics is completely bogus.

Since at least 1964, American politics has pitted conservatives who believe in a small government and a free market against liberals who believe in a bigger government.

But Niskanen thinkers like Ed Dolan, Samuel Hammond and Will Wilkinson made a simple and empirically verifiable observation. The nations that have the freest markets also generally have the most generous welfare states. The two are not in opposition. In the real world they go together.

The key distinction you have to make, Wilkinson writes, is between the redistributive state and the regulatory state. Nations like Denmark, Sweden and Canada built elaborate redistributive states to give their citizens a foundation of economic security. Then they realized they were going to have to liberalize their economies if they were going to be able to afford their welfare states.

Today, those nations have many fewer regulations governing zoning and economic activity. They score very high on the rankings of economic freedom that are put together by conservative outfits like the Heritage Foundation and the Fraser Institute.

Last week, Niskanen released a comprehensive report called, The Center Can Hold: Public Policy for an Age of Extremes, written by Brink Lindsey, Steven Teles, Wilkinson and Hammond. The report is a manifesto for a new centrism based on what the authors call a free-market welfare state model.

They want government to protect citizens against the disruptions of global capitalism: Without strong income supports that put a floor beneath displaced workers and systems that smooth the transition to new employment, political actors and the public tend to turn against the process of creative destruction itself.

At the same time, they want an open, dynamic society. They want to reduce restrictive zoning and land use regulations that favor the rich and entrenched. They see immigration as crucial to Americas long-term prosperity. They want charter schools and wider choice, but within strong government structures to ensure quality. (It turns out that bad charter schools continue to attract students; the education market doesnt work totally unregulated.)

The Niskanen authors are making a compelling case for moderation; for understanding that politics is striking a rough but workable balance between competing goods; for understanding that the world is complex and our knowledge is limited, and so its best to proceed constantly, but skeptically.

As I was reading the Niskanen report I experienced two strange sensations: I felt liberated to see the world in fresh new ways, and not only in the ways Ive always seen them or the way people with my label are supposed to see them. I began to feel at home.
One thing that Americans agree on is that our political discourse is getting worse: nearly 8 in 10 Americans polled in a 2018 Election Day survey said that, Americans are becoming more politically divided.

Weve heard a lot lately about issues of civility and free speech. But they arent central to what ails our public sphere. Americas public sphere is broken because we communicate as propagandists and we dont know the rules of productive discussion and debate. Focusing on free speech or civility to solve these problems is a distraction.

Our current way of speaking to each other doesnt work. A recent Pew survey found that 53 percent of Americans thought that talking about politics with people on the other side of the political divide is stressful and frustrating.

Sixty-three percent said that talking to those across the political divide left them feeling like they have less in common than they had previously believed.

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Without hyperbole, we might describe our moment as another age of catastrophe, similar to the one that saw the collapse of many economies and democracies between the two world wars.

On Oct. 25, 1931, philosopher John Dewey gave a radio lecture on the relationship between education and democracy. Democracy will be a farce, explained Dewey, unless individuals are trained to think for themselves, to judge independently, to be critical, to be able to detect subtle propaganda and the motives which inspire it.

Is Dewey still right that we can educate ourselves out of diaster? Maybe. There are two important differences between then and now. First, in the 1930s, government propaganda contributed to the age of catastrophe. Today, we citizens are the propagandists behind the catastrophe.

Every single one of us has more propaganda power in our pockets than any government had at its disposal between the world wars. Instead of being independent thinkers who succumb to government newspeak, we willingly create, consume, and spread propaganda ourselves.

We watch and share conspiracy theories and other news riddled with half-truths. We communicate cynically and gullibly  we believe nothing the other side says and everything our side says.

Our addiction to propaganda has left us vulnerable. Look again at the 2016 Russian propaganda efforts and youll see that their strategy was to take advantage of our hyper-polarized public sphere to get us all to spread their messages of distrust and resentment.

And we did.

Like Dewey said in 1931, we need to be educated to think, judge and be critical about the news that we post and consume. Unfortunately, most of us dont know how to do this.

We might consider encouraging social media users to take a training course in journalism to learn how to produce media content responsibly.

Another difference between Deweys era and our own is we used to have more trust in institutions than we do now because we participated in collective decision-making more back then than we do now. Researchers know theres a reciprocal relationship between participating in public deliberation and trusting the outcomes of the decisions made.

This means that we need to learn skills in public deliberation.

We can still join civic organizations and learn the rules of productive conversations. We can also participate in structured conversations in our local communities. Some institutions know how to teach such skills. Organizations like the Kettering Foundation conduct training in how to facilitate difficult conversations and create issue guides for communities to use for problem solving.

Through communication centers like the Center for Public Deliberation at Colorado State University, people learn how to design fair deliberative processes, facilitate conversations, and act as neutral guides for real-world community problem solving.

There is still cause for optimism. A report from More in Common found that 77 percent of Americans believe our differences are not so great that we cannot come together. In other words, those 63 percent of Americans who reported having less in common after talking politics with someone from the other side of the political divide probably werent doing it right.

Perhaps learning to communicate as citizens rather than as propagandists could help us avert the catastrophe of our broken public sphere.

Mercieca wrote this for Zocalo Public Square. She is a historian of American political rhetoric at Texas A&M University.
As high school seniors throughout the country complete final exams and eagerly await college acceptance letters, only 37 percent of Hispanic and black students in San Diego will be college-ready when they finish high school. This lack of preparedness significantly affects San Diegos competitiveness since these groups already represent a large (and growing) part of our population. And while talent attraction efforts are an important facet of economic growth, the nationwide competition for skilled talent combined with San Diegos high cost of living make relocating talent from elsewhere increasingly difficult. Now more than ever, San Diego employers must focus on building a strong local talent pipeline, or we  as a region  simply wont survive.

The success of San Diegos innovation economy is inextricably linked to the regions talent pool. In fact, projections indicate that San Diego will need to double its annual production of high-skilled college graduates by the year 2030 in order to meet the demands of the future economy, ultimately developing interventions that impact todays seventh-graders. Though this can only happen through extensive systemic changes, we can rest assured knowing that we dont have to look far to access a viable workforce. San Diego doesnt have a talent supply problem; it has a talent development problem.

San Diego is home to a large pool of untapped talent that is vastly underrepresented in the innovation economy. Hispanics represent San Diegos fastest growing population and will become the regions largest demographic group by 2030; yet 85 percent of Hispanics in the region do not hold a bachelors degree. This presents an opportunity for employers to develop this local talent and create sustainable inflows of new employees directly from their surrounding communities.

To address these regional challenges, the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. (EDC) launched an Inclusive Growth initiative this year, and convened an employer-led steering committee to help develop and drive an agenda that maximizes economic growth through inclusion. Informing this work, EDC recently released an interactive web study  talent.inclusivesd.org  indicating that talent shortages pose a significant threat to San Diegos economic sustainability.

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The 40-company steering committee is encouraging other employers to focus efforts on talent development programs that directly equip the local workforce with the skills they seek in employees. The committee has endorsed 20,000 skilled workers by 2030 as a regional goal, along with a set of employer-focused recommendations around transparency, engagement and investment. These recommendations serve to build a platform in which people can track the regions progress, as well as provide employers with programs they can adopt and implement at their own organizations.

As a key leader in EDCs Inclusive Growth Steering Committee, defense technology company Northrop Grumman plans to pilot a talent pipeline program in 2019 that will link STEM education opportunities from K-12 through college. The company is creating a new pathway for high school students to obtain STEM-focused degrees through close collaboration with local community colleges and practical on-the-job experience. By helping reduce the barriers many face when considering college, Northrop seeks to empower students and their families to pursue both educational and career opportunities, while creating a sustainable source of high-skilled talent.

Cal State San Marcos, another steering committee leader, has collaborated with Northrop Grumman to ensure that local education systems and curriculum are equipping students with the skills required to fill these higher-paying jobs. Cal State San Marcos works closely with a range of industries to design academic programs connected to workforce needs, such as a masters of science in cybersecurity and the universitys newly launched engineering program.

Inclusive growth is not just about doing the right thing  its about economics, and making sure our community is set up for success. In 2019, EDC will continue to work with its steering committee to develop employer-focused recommendations around two other inclusive growth goals: equipping small businesses to compete and addressing the affordability crisis.

This process is complex and will take time; San Diegos continued growth and success will largely depend on collaboration among companies, universities, philanthropic organizations and local government to ensure that inclusive growth practices are integrated into future decision-making. As a region, and especially as an economic development organization, if we are not doing this right, we should not be doing anything at all. Our hope is that when we tell San Diegos story in the not-too-distant future, we can tell the story of a region that not only excels in technology and innovation, but also one that includes and uplifts all of its residents  a place where everyone can thrive, no matter your ZIP code.

Clarke is vice president of economic development at San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. Curiel is vice president of communications at Northrop Grumman Corp., Aerospace Systems. Prado-Olmos is vice president of community engagement at Cal State San Marcos.
Trump sending Putin a holiday gift

Re President Trump plans to pull all U.S. troops out of Syria immediately, officials say (Dec. 19): It so obvious the reason for Donald Trump wanting to pull out of Syria. This is his gift to Vladimir Putin.

Because of all the investigations going on concerning Russian influence, this is the only way that Trump can give a gift to Putin. Now Putin will be able to control all of Syria and build his military seaport.

What a slap in the face to all of our allies.

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Joseph W. Kraatz

Oceanside

Too soon to say ISIS has been defeated

Re President Trump plans to pull all U.S. troops out of Syria immediately, officials say (Dec. 19): Donald Trump stated that a key reason for withdrawing from Syria is that ISIS has been conquered.

Others have justified other military and diplomatic actions for the same reason. I think it is delusional thinking to believe that we have done away with ISIS/ISIL. We may have slowed the movement down for now but nothing has been done to diminish Islamic terrorists disdain, contempt and hatred for the West. At best, I believe that ISIS is just dormant for now and will be heard from again sooner than we think.

Paul Jester

Poway

Its a good week for Vladimir Putin. Trump shut down the U.S. government. Trump is pulling our troops out of Syria, leaving the field open for Russia and Iran to celebrate with Assad. Secretary of Defense Mattis, the last adult in the room, just resigned, objecting to Trumps policy of insulting our allies and cuddling up to our adversaries. Trumps initiation of a tariff war has finally collapsed the stock market.

Yep, this may be Putins very best week, ever. Sadly

Bruce Joffe

Piedmont

Trump signs an arms deal with Turkey, next day he orders troops out of Syria. Our troops were there in part to protect the Kurds who were a major ally in our fight against ISIS. Turkey has claimed that the Kurds are a terrorist organization and they want to eliminate them but they wouldnt attempt that as long as US troops were present. Trump has solved that dilemma for them. Upon hearing that US was pulling out of Syria Putin is elated and praises Trump then suggests that it would be great if U.S. also pulled their troops out of Afghanistan. Trump agrees and orders a massive troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. Does anybody really believe that Trump is doing what is best for America or is he doing what is best for Russia?

For Trump it is not America first but Russia money for Trump first. That seems to be what motivates him in his foreign policy. The man is treasonous.

Michele Rose

Oceanside

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Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/21/2018 -- Chikungunya Fever Market - Segmentation



The chikungunya fever market is segmented on the basis of diagnosis, treatment, and end users.



On the basis of diagnosis, the market is segmented into ELISA based assays, serological tests, virological tests, and others. ELISA based assays is futhur segmented into IgM based ELISA and IgG ELISA. On the basis of treatment, the market is segmented into allopathy, homeopathy, ayurveda, and others.



The allopathy segmented is sub segmented into anti-pyretics, optimal analgesics, and others. The homeopathy segment is sub segmented into pyroginum, rhus-tox, cedron, and others. The ayurveda segment is sub segmented into amrutharista, mahasudarshana churna, dhanvantaram gutika and others. On the basis of end users, the market is segmented into hospitals and clinics, academic institutes, research laboratories, and others.



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Chikungunya Fever Market - Highlights



Chikungunya fever is a mosquito borne disease. The caU.S.Ative agent is a RNA virus that belongs to the alphavirus genus of the family Togaviridae. The transmission of the disease occurs from human to human by the bites of infected female mosquitoes. Most commonly, the mosquitoes involved are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The symptoms of the disease includes muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash.



There is no specific antiviral drug treatment for Chikungunya. Treatment is directed primarily at relieving the symptoms. This involves use of anti-pyretics, optimal analgesics in allopathy. Moreover, ayurveda and homeopathy can be employed in the treatment procedures.



According to the World Health Organization, the disease mostly occurs in Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. However a major outbreak in 2015 affected several countries of the region of the Americas. This is expected to boost the market growth across the globe during the forecasted period.



The global chikungunya fever market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.86% during the forecast period.



Chikungunya Fever Market - Key Players



The key players for the chikungunya market are Quest Diagnostics Incorporated. (U.S.A), Alere. (U.S.A), Genome Diagnostics Pvt. Ltd. (India), altona Diagnostics (Europe), Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (U.S.A), Sanat Products Ltd. (India), Taj Pharmaceuticals Limited. (India), and Etubics Corporation (U.S.A).



Chikungunya Fever Market - Regional Analysis



The Americas dominate the global chikungunya fever market owing to a large patient population, strong government support for research & development, and high healthcare spending. Moreover, presence of the global market leaders within the regions facilitates the market growth within the region during the forecasted period.



Europe has the second leading market in global chikungunya fever market which is followed by Asia Pacific. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market for chikungunya fever. On 22 September 2017, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control there were about 102 autochthonous chikungunya cases in Italy. Moreover, similar cases were reported in France. Such factors in the presence of a well-developed healthcare infrastructure along with high per capita healthcare expenditures made Europe to generate high revenues for the global chikungunya fever market. Asia Pacific chikungunya fever market is majorly driven by Indian and China owing to a huge patient pool, and continuously developing healthcare sector have fuelled the growth of the market.



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The Middle East and Africa contribute the least in the growth of global chikungunya fever market. The Middle East dominates the market for The Middle East and Africa. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait are expected to drive the Middle East market. Africa holds the least share of the global market due to limited availability of medical facilities and poor economic condition. However the growth of the Africa market is high due to the presence of opportunities for the development of the market.



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Selbyville, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/21/2018 -- The Custom Antibody Services Market Report offers an inclusive and decision-making overview, including definitions, classifications and its applications. The Custom Antibody Services market is anticipated to reflect a positive growth trend in forthcoming years. The essential driving forces behind the growth and popularity of Custom Antibody Services market is analyzed detailed in this report.



Custom antibody services Market Report include competitively priced packages and purification options for antibody production. Service Providers offer support for different types and steps of antibody production from peptide design, synthesis, and carrier protein conjugation to animal immunization, serum collection, or hybridoma fusion, titer analysis, and final antibody purification. They also immunize with recombinant proteins or protein fragments provided by the customers(or expressed and purified in labs using cDNAs from the service providers extensive in-house genomics library) to generate antibodies in rabbits, chickens, goats, guinea pigs, mice, or rats.



The global Custom Antibody Services 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.



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This Custom Antibody Services market report speaks about the manufacturing process analyzed thoroughly with respect to four points like Manufacturers, regional analysis, Segment by Type and Segment by Applications and the actual process of whole Custom Antibody Services industry.



This Report Focusing on Following Key Manufactures By Significant Research

ThermoFisher, GenScript, Abcam, MBS, ROCKLAND, ProSci, Biocompare, Bio-Rad, Covance, Capra Science, Innovagen, LIFE SCIENCE GROUP, Randox, GL Biochem, Abgent



Key point Analysis



The large downstream demand for Custom Antibody Services has been and still remains fairly stable. The global market size for custom antibody services reached 1188.95 Million USD in 2016 from 796.77 Million USD in 2012.



North America ranks the top in terms of market size of Custom Antibody Services, it alone consists of 39.21% of the global market in 2016. Europe comes the second, with 33.01% of the global market. Asia Pacific ranks the third, consists of 18.76% of the global vustom antibody service market in the same year. All the other regions combined occupies only 9.01% of the global Custom Antibody Service market.



Thermofisher ranks the first in terms of revenue share in global market of Custom Antibody Services, occupies 18.97% of the global market share in 2016; While, Covance, with a market share of 14.94 %, comes the second; All the other manufacturers which are not included in the report together consist of approximately 45.62% of the global market in 2016.



Market Segment by Type, covers

- Monoclonal

- Polyclonal

- Others



Market Segment by Applications, can be divided into

- BioScience Companies

- BioScience Research Institutions

- Hospitals



The Custom Antibody Services Report consists of all the basic information regarding the Custom Antibody Services market. The all-inclusive report will aid users to understand the market current trends, industry growth drivers, share, analysis, size, production, forecast trends, supply, sales, demands, and many other aspects. The analysis is accomplish using an objective amalgamation of primary and secondary data including contributions from major participants in the market. The global Custom Antibody Services report is an essential reserve of data, primarily for the industry administrators.



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Key Regions, covers:

Americas (United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil) APAC (China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, India, Australia) Europe (Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, Spain) Middle East & Africa (Egypt, South Africa, Israel, Turkey, GCC Countries)



Research objectives



To study and analyze the global Custom Antibody Services consumption (value & volume) by key regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2013 to 2017, and forecast to 2023.

To understand the structure of Custom Antibody Services market by identifying its various subsegments.

Focuses on the key global Custom Antibody Services manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.

To analyze the Custom Antibody Services 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 consumption of Custom Antibody Services 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.



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New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/21/2018 -- The analytical study is proposed to provide immense clarity on the market size, share and growth rate across different regions. The profound knowledge and extensive examination of the trends from the yesteryear and future aims at offering the stakeholders, product owners, and marketing personnel a competitive edge over others operating in the Digital Laminated Labels market for the forecast period, 2018 - 2025.



The major players covered in this report



CCL Industries Inc. (Canada), Constantia Flexible Group GMBH (Austria), Torraspapel Adestor (Spain), Langley Labels, Bemis Company, Inc. (U.S.), FLEXcon Company, Inc. (U.S.), 3M Company (U.S.), CS Labels, Avery Dennison Corpration (U.S.), Coveris Holdings S.A. (Luxembourg), Stickythings Limited (U.K.), RR Donnelley & Sons Company (U.S.)



Most widely used downstream fields of Digital Laminated Labels market covered in this report are:



- Food & Beverages

- Consumer Durables

- Home & Personal Care

- Pharmaceuticals

- Retail Lables

- Others



Get the Sample Copy of Report@ https://www.marketexpertz.com/sample-enquiry-form/26558



Extensive data on market segmentation



The Digital Laminated Labels report divides the market of potential buyers into different groups, or segments/sub segments, based on various characteristics. The segments and sub segments identified contain buyer who are expected to respond or react similarly to certain products and services. The report further finds out consumers who share traits including similar expectations, interests, geography and needs. The segmentation sheds light on how some customers are likely to purchase a product or service than others to enable marketers allocate their focus as well as resource.



Market segment by Region/Country including:



- North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)

- Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and Spain etc.)

- Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia and Southeast Asia etc.)

- South America Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile etc.)

- Middle East & Africa (South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia etc.)



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Understanding the market size



The size of the Digital Laminated Labels market is viewed in terms of the Share of Market, Total Available Market as well as Served Available Market. Not only does the study present the combined revenue for a particular market but also the market size for a specific geographic region. Analysis of percentage or the size of the Total Available Market based on the type of product, technology, regional constraints and others form an important part of the Digital Laminated Labels report.



Knowing the trends influencing the industry performance



Stakeholders, marketing executives and business owners planning to refer a market research report can use this study to design their offerings and understand how competitors attract their potential customers and manage their supply and distribution channels. When tracking the trends researchers have made a conscious effort to analyze and interpret the consumer behaviour. Besides, the research helps product owners to understand the changes in culture, target market as well as brands so they can draw the attention of the potential customers more effectively.



Our trend analysts look for the crucial connection between consumer trends, behaviour and values, to provide context for the sectors, demographics and global themes that matter to you.



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There are 13 Chapters to thoroughly display the Digital Laminated Labels market. This report included the analysis of market overview, market characteristics, industry chain, competition landscape, historical and future data by types, applications and regions.



Chapter 1: Digital Laminated Labels Market Overview, Product Overview, Market Segmentation, Market Overview of Regions, Market Dynamics, Limitations, Opportunities and Industry News and Policies.

Chapter 2: Digital Laminated Labels Industry Chain Analysis, Upstream Raw Material Suppliers, Major Players, Production Process Analysis, Cost Analysis, Market Channels and Major Downstream Buyers.

Chapter 3: Value Analysis, Production, Growth Rate and Price Analysis by Type of Digital Laminated Labels.

Chapter 4: Downstream Characteristics, Consumption and Market Share by Application of Digital Laminated Labels.



Continue



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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/20/2018 -- New Zealand's confectionery market is estimated to register a major upsurge with an increase in the disposable income of consumers and a rising demand for premium confectionery products in the country during the 2016-2021 period. The aforementioned insights along with other valuable industry information have been included in the report titled, "Top Growth Opportunities: Confectionery Market in New Zealand" which has been added to Market Research Hub's (MRH) comprehensive database.



The cost of living in New Zealand especially in terms of grocery and other food consumables is estimated to remain high in the foreseeable future and is expected to positively impact the New Zealand confectionery market. Further, growing consumer preference for value-based and bulk confectionery is going to be one of the key market trends that are expected to augment to the growth of the market. With increasing obesity rates in the country, manufacturers are expected to produce confectionery products which cater to consumers' health demands. Overall, the New Zealand confectionery market is expected to grow at a steady rate during the forecast period.



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New Zealand Confectionery Market: Scope of the Report



The New Zealand confectionery market report takes into account the past and present market data to create an accurate forecast of the market. Additionally, the report delivers an in-depth insight into how the market has been behaving in the recent past. All the factors that currently influence the confectionery market and are expected to impact future growth prospects have been presented in the report. In addition to the identification of key market trends, the report analyses the market on the basis of macro and microeconomic factors such as market drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges. The invaluable information compiled in the report aids readers in identifying the lucrative opportunities on offer in the New Zealand confectionery market.



The New Zealand confectionery market report has been systematically divided into various sections to help users navigate through it and develop a unified understanding of the market. The report commences with an introduction which helps readers familiarize with the market. Following the introduction of the market, the report provides a detailed account of the market on the basis of consumer preferences, product type, marketing channel, and packaging. The detailed analysis of each of the market segments metrics makes the report the most accurate, credible, and go-to forecast of the market.



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New Zealand Confectionery Market: Competitive Landscape Assessment



The competitive landscape assessment section of the New Zealand confectionery market report identifies the dominant market players that are currently reigning the market. Further, the section sheds light on the company's brand strength, market presence, global footing, product portfolio, revenue share, and notable innovations in the business. The invaluable information divulged in the report helps new entrants define entry barriers and gauge the competitiveness prevalent in the market. Additionally, this section aids business professionals in identifying the best market practices and aligning their strategies to reap maximum benefits from the same.



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New images from the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on ESAs Mars Express spacecraft show an impact crater in the northern lowlands of Mars. Known as Korolev, this 51-mile (82 km) wide crater is filled with water ice all year round.

Korolev crater is located in the northern lowlands of Mars, just south of Olympia Undae, a large patch of dune-filled terrain that encircles part of the planets northern polar cap.

The crater is named after chief rocket engineer and spacecraft designer Sergei Korolev, dubbed the father of Soviet space technology.

Its floor is covered in a 1.1-mile (1.8 km) central mound of water ice all year round. This domed deposit forms a glacier comprising around 2,200 km3 of non-polar ice.

This ever-icy presence is due to an interesting phenomenon known as a cold trap, which occurs as the name suggests.

Korolev craters floor is deep, lying some 1.2 miles (2 km) vertically beneath its rim, Mars Express mission members explained.

Its very deepest parts, those containing ice, act as a natural cold trap: the air moving over the deposit of ice cools down and sinks, creating a layer of cold air that sits directly above the ice itself.

Behaving as a shield, this layer helps the ice remain stable and stops it from heating up and disappearing.

Air is a poor conductor of heat, exacerbating this effect and keeping Korolev crater permanently icy.

Mars Express launched on June 2, 2003, and reached Mars six months later.

The spacecraft fired its main engine and entered orbit around the Red Planet on December 25, 2003, making this month the 15-year anniversary of the spacecrafts orbit insertion and the beginning of its science program.

The new images of Korolev crater are an excellent celebration of such a milestone.
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The appointments are effective Jan. 1.

Arison has served for a dozen years previously

Arison, chairman of Carnival Corp. & plc, is one of the FCCA's Executive Committee founding members and has served as FCCA chairman for a total of 12 years in the past.

His latest tenure as FCCA chairman, from 2015-2017, was shorter than his prior decade-long term, but in that brief span Arison helped the FCCA Platinum program flourish by adding new benefits and expanding its membership 50%. He also helped develop the partnership between the FCCA and Cruise Lines International Association, which saw the rebranding of the FCCAs quarterly magazine, Travel & Cruise, to become the cruise industry's official publication.

Di Lorenzo, VP cruise operations for MSC Cruises USA, will assume a two-year term as chairman for the Operations Committee, which includes numerous high-level operations executives from FCCA member lines and conducts frequent meetings with destinations and stakeholders.

Goldstein accomplishments

Goldstein, vice chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., expressed pride in the cruise industrys strengthened relationships with destinations and stakeholders in the Caribbean and Latin America during his term as FCCA chairman.

This outreach has become increasingly important, he said, with the region facing challenges and opportunities in todays highly competitive and globalized environment.

Under Goldsteins direction, the association engaged in initiatives including the multifaceted, award-winning 'Caribbean Is Open/Caribbean for Everyone' advertising campaign following last years devastating hurricanes, along with providing life-sustaining supplies, such as sleeping pods and semi-permanent structures, and coordinating many of the relief efforts among the affected destinations and member lines. He also led the restructuring of the FCCA Cruise Conference & Trade Show, with the association taking full control of operations and striking a landmark deal with Puerto Rico Tourism Co. to host the event from 2018-2021.

As well, new features to FCCA programs and events were added, from expanding regional stakeholders reach to Europe and around the world, to more involvement by member line presidents and above at exclusive Platinum Member functions and various ventures to advance the core mission of developing mutual understanding and success with destinations and stakeholders in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Torres de Navarra achievements

Under Torres de Navarra, VP, commercial port operations, Carnival Cruise Line, the Operations Committee undertook initiatives such as its first joint destination meetings to work with Eastern Caribbean representatives from the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten and the US Virgin Islands following the historic 2017 hurricane season in order to aid in recovering cruise tourism, build back better and share lessons learned and best practices.
CCL stock dipped to $48.74 in trading before settling at $49.79, down nearly 9.5%.

Modest net yield increase

Carnival is forecasting net revenue yields to go up about 1% in 2019, compared to Wall Street's 2.5% consensus.

And, during the earnings call, analysts seized on management comments about the uncertain economic and political environment in continental Europe, where some brands have double-digit capacity increases this year.

Altogether, Carnival's message seemed at odds with the 'very bullish outlooks' on 2019 from competitors, an analyst said.

President and CEO Arnold Donald maintained there hasn't been any change in Carnival's outlook since its last guidance. The European brands are still going to grow earnings as their capacity increases, he said. They're ahead in bookings even with those capacity hikes so there's less inventory to fill than at this time last year.

'Nothing's changed,' he said. 'We aren't more conservative than we were before.'

Brexit? Italy?

Donald characterized the UK and Germany as 'strong,' and reported no weakened demand from the UK in light of Brexit.

Asked if Italy is 'the problem,' Donald sounded exasperated. 'There is no problem ... There's not a problem in the market. There's not soft demand,' he said, noting the average ticket yield in Europe is less than Carnival's fleet average, so even with a strong performance that can pull down the overall yield.

Carnival sources about 30% of its customers in Europe.

According to UBS analyst Robin Farley, only 15% of the company's passengers are from the Costa brand excluding China, and Costa (excluding China) is where Carnival will have 10% supply growth in 2019. Italy itself represents around 4% of sourcing. 'But we note that even the continental sourcing, which is where CCL sees some uncertainty, had better close-in bookings in Q4 than CCL had originally guided, so we believe CCL guidance continues to have room for upside,' Farley said.

Capacity and cost leverage

'Management stressed while net yields remain an important earnings lever, capacity and cost leverage will be larger contributors going forward, leaving less reliance on net yields as the primary earnings driver,' Wells Fargo analyst Tim Conder said in a note.

He cited mix (capacity being added in entry-level brands AIDA and Costa), deployment (the new Costa Venezia going to China) and bundled pricing (with potentially more net yield coming via on-board spending, which is difficult to quantify until it occurs) as restraints on net yield growth. European-sourced passengers, he added, continue to experience relatively higher economic challenges.

Conder thinks net yield upside potential versus guidance will likely be skewed to on-board spending. 'Additionally, a reasonable degree of conservatism appears built into overall guidance,' he said.

Analyst Sharon Zackfia of William Blair echoed that sentiment. 'Ultimately, we suspect guidance could prove conservative,' she said in a note, pointing out Carnival beat its initial yield guidance by an average of 150 basis points over the past four years.
Once works are completed, expected by year end, this will allow easier access by ultra large vessels  dubbed AGF class in German  of over 330 m in length and 45 m breadth, it said.

Read more: CSCL 19,000 teu boxship grounds heading to Hamburg port

A 20 m widening of the fairway between Storbogen and Wedel will create a zone 7 km long and 385 m wide between where AGFs will be able to pass each other, as opposed to being obliged to observe one-way traffic as is currently the case for ships with a combined width of more than 90 m.

Deepening of the fairway by around 1 m will also allow such vessels to carry around 1,300 teu more cargo in and out of the port.

The impending improvements are warmly welcomed by joint ceos of Port of Hamburg Marketing Ingo Egloff and Axel Mattern, who note that our customers all over the world are waiting for that.

Wishing to carry over that positive momentum into the New Year, Port of Hamburg encourages all parties who since 2015 have been successfully running the Hamburg Vessel Coordination Centre, which offers optimised passage planning for vessels calling the port, to continue their coordinated efforts in order to be able to introduce improved access to the port just as soon as it becomes feasible.
The official said planning is underway, and it could take months to withdraw the nearly 7,000 troops.



...Gen. John Allen, a former commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, told CNN on Thursday that a drawdown in Afghanistan would be a mistake.



"Pulling out right now, just the announcement would create chaos in the strategy," Allen said.



The U.S. has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, most of which are present as part of a larger NATO-led mission to train, advise, and assist Afghan forces. Any withdrawal would be complicated by the fact that the United States is part of NATO's Resolute Support mission.

Donald Trump has a choice each day: The United States or Vladimir Putin.



He picks Putin every time.  Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) December 20, 2018

Why is Trump hurrying so quick to deliver for Putin?

In a matter of 72 hrs

-Russian base in Venezuela

-Deripaska companies sanctions lifted

-Mattis pushed out

-Troops being pulled from Syria

-Troops possibly being pulled from Afghanistan



We are in serious danger  Olga Lautman (@olgaNYC1211) December 20, 2018

Yesterday, there were reports that Donald Trump would be ordering the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, following a similar order regarding Syria. Now we know that he has ordered 7,000 troops to be withdrawn, which constitutes about half of the remaining troops in Afghanistan.Barbara Starr and Jake Tapper at CNN report Trump has openly expressed hostility toward NATO for years, so the fact that withdrawing troops could undermine a NATO alliance is surely a feature, not a bug.And, as I've repeatedly noted , Trump's subversion of NATO is yet another gift to Vladimir Putin.In a vacuum, Trump's unilateral decision to withdraw half of the U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan is a bad one. As part of all the other troubling decisions he's made over the last few days, it's even more unsettling.All of which, of course, follows more than three years of observable collusion.It feels like we are suddenly accelerating, forebodingly lurching toward a destination that has long been planned, perhaps even far longer than even our worst assumptions.I hope to fuck I'm wrong.And I wish I had something reassuring or hopeful to say. I don't. I hate that I don't. I hate saying things that sound frightening or unmeasured. I hate having this feeling of dread, and I hate expressing it. Even despite everything else that has happened, I don't normally feelI feel scared now.If you don't, don't let my fear make you feel that way. If you do, know that you're not alone.
The New Zealand dollar is headed for a 0.3 percent weekly fall against the US dollar - and a 2 percent drop against the yen - as jittery markets wait to see whether a partial US government shutdown can be averted before Christmas.

The kiwi traded at 67.73 US cents at 5pm in Wellington, versus 67.37 cents yesterday and 67.95 cents last Friday in New York. It traded 75.36 yen, from 75.66 yen late yesterday and 76.86 yen last Friday.

Global uncertainty prevailed after the US House of Representatives on Thursday night passed a bill that included US$5.7 billion in funding for the US-Mexico border wall.

According to Reuters, the Senate is highly unlikely to pass the legislation, which funds agencies responsible for federal law enforcement activities, airport security screenings, space exploration and farm programmes, by a midnight deadline on Friday.

"Were we to see a situation where that bill does not get up, I think it would add to the uncertainty as we finish off this year and the risks as we go into 2019," said Robert Rennie, chief currency strategist at Westpac Banking Corp in Sydney. "I am not sure that is something that would be particularly good for the likes of the kiwi," he added.

Markets were further spooked by news US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had resigned after President Donald Trump proposed withdrawing troops from Syria.

Rennie noted that the yen has benefited from the rising risk aversion, particularly in the past 24 hours. The US dollar would usually benefit but if the issues are around a potential US government shutdown, US-China spying, US-China trade tensions "then it's not so attractive in that situation," he said.

Uncertainty had also been heightened after news US prosecutors had indicted two Chinese nationals linked to a spy agency on charges of stealing confidential data.

The kiwi rose to 95.21 Australian cents from 94.85 cents yesterday and traded at 53.51 British pence from 53.38 pence yesterday. It was at 59.15 euro cents from 59.21 cents. The trade-weighted index was at 74.00 from 73.83 yesterday.

New Zealand's two-year swap rate was unchanged at 1.97 percent; the 10-year swaps rose 1 basis point to 2.66 percent.

(BusinessDesk)

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Residential fibre broadband services appear to be delivering less than 75 percent of their maximum available speeds, based on the first findings from the Commerce Commissions monitoring programme.

The results, from an October test of 758 households, showed average peak-time speeds for fibre were 71 percent of the maximum available, rising to 83 percent for VDSL. Peak-time ADSL speeds were just below 80 percent of maximum and 24-hour performance was little different across all technologies.

While that performance was less than the Commerce Commission had expected, the regulator noted the performance on popular 100-megabit fibre plans was typically about 85 percent of maximum.

The big finding from this report is that while fibre broadband is delivering much faster speeds than copper-based services, it is not yet performing at its peak, Telecommunications Commissioner Stephen Gale said.

This is especially the case for the highest speed fibre services, which consumers pay a premium price for.

More than 1.3 million homes and business are able to connect to ultrafast broadband as a result of the $1.7 billion roll-out the Crown has funded since 2010.

The programme is about 77 percent through and earlier this month the government announced another $130 million of funding to add another 10,000 rural homes, 59 tourism areas and 365 kilometres of state highway to the coverage. That will take coverage to 99.8 percent of the population.

The Commerce Commission started its Measuring Broadband New Zealand initiative to provide independent information on performance of different plans and technologies so that consumers could buy services based on both cost and service.

The survey draws on data gathered using SamKnows Whiteboxes installed in participants homes. They connect to a homeowners router and run regular tests when families are not using the internet.

The October data showed download speeds across all plans and technologies averaged about 160 megabits per second, with upload speeds at about 90Mbps. Peak period speeds were only marginally slower.

Fibre download speeds exceeded 240Mbps, compared with less than 10Mbps for ADSL and just over 40Mbps for VDSL.

The results showed that about 22 percent of users were experiencing download speeds of close to 100Mbps, while more than 25 percent had speeds of 10Mbps or less. More than half of test users fell within that range.

Less than 4 percent of users tested achieved speeds of more than 880Mbps.

Within New Zealand, average latency  the time it took a packet of test data to reach a remote server and return to the users device  was about 25 milliseconds for fibre, 40ms for VDSL and more than 60ms for ADSL.

The survey noted that while large-scale providers like Google and Facebook were likely to host content in New Zealand, many other gaming or website providers would be based overseas, increasing that response time.

While that latency was less than 50ms to a server in Sydney, it jumped close to 150ms to one in San Francisco. South Africa  at more than 450ms  was more than expected, and was possibly due to traffic taking an indirect route, according to the survey report.

All other locations, including the United Kingdom, have latency slower than 200ms. This means that content hosted outside New Zealand and Australia is likely to take a noticeable amount of time for users in New Zealand to access.

These latency results are approximately what you would expect given New Zealand's remoteness from these measurement locations.

The next survey is expected in April.

(BusinessDesk)

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The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment has officially reopened its investigation into whether China unfairly subsidises its steel exports, three months after the High Court ordered it back to the drawing board.

The ministry hasn't been convinced that Chinese government subsidies on steel products imported into New Zealand are big enough to damage the local industry. However, its reasoning was found wanting by Justice Jillian Mallon, who ordered MBIE to either reconsider an application by Australian-owned New Zealand Steel seeking to impose duties on imports of Chinese galvanised steel coil or to let the steelmaker submit a new application.

Peter Crabtree, MBIE's general manager of science, innovation and international, signed off on reconsidering the application on Wednesday and notification was officially gazetted yesterday.

The notice acknowledges the Sept 18 High Court judgment directing it to reconsider NZ Steel's application and to take account of the reasons for quashing the decision.

Justice Mallon found the decision was unlawful because it was based on material errors in the advice to then-Commerce Minister Jacqui Dean. It fell short on testing whether an entity was meaningfully controlled by a government, and shouldn't have discounted the findings of other similar investigations overseas, given the limited cooperation of the Chinese government.

The judge said that ruling didn't mean MBIE's final report had to be quashed, but that a new document will need to be prepared.

The MBIE investigation into steel coil was the first of three separate applications by Bluescope-steel owned NZ Steel, which claims imported goods are being dumped on the local market and that China is unfairly subsidising its domestic firms. MBIE ultimately deemed the subsidies too small to damage the local manufacturer and found a raft of issues squeezing NZ Steel's margins.

NZ Steel has lodged two subsequent complaints about different products, again failing to convince MBIE of detrimental subsidies in the second case.

However, the third investigation - which covers hollow steel sections sourced from China - is still open and has over-run its October deadline. MBIE's provisional report found minimal levels of subsidies, but the final decision came after the High Court ruling on the first complaint and the ministry hasn't been able to say when it will be wrapped up.

Chinese steel exports have been a bone of contention around the world. US and European producers accused the Asian nation's subsidies and overproduction of undercutting their local industries.

When New Zealand was dragged into the matter there were claims Kiwi firms could face a backlash if the government pursued an anti-dumping probe.

That was against the backdrop of New Zealand seeking to upgrade its free trade agreement with China, and as the US presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump campaigned on protectionist platforms.

Trump ultimately won the White House, and has gone on to impose tariffs on US imports of steel and aluminium earlier this year, capturing New Zealand steel and aluminium, neither of which was granted exemptions that were extended to close US ally, Australia.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed improving bilateral trade relations during his trip to Washington earlier this week, which included meetings with US Vice President Mike Pence, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, National Security Adviser John Bolton, and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo.

(BusinessDesk)

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Vital Healthcare Property Trusts rebel investors can count themselves the moral victors in their tussle with Vitals entrenched and lavishly compensated manager, Canada-based NorthWest Properties Management.

All five of their resolutions and the new independent director they proposed were convincingly supported by the majority of investors not associated with NorthWest.

But given NorthWest holds all the cards in a legal sense, and none of the resolutions are binding, it is looking like a hollow victory.

Thats unless the weight of opposition shames NorthWest into voluntarily implementing the changes investors are seeking.

The three rebel institutions, ANZ Investment Funds, Mint Asset Management and ACC, which own 10 percent of Vitals units between them, won three of their five resolutions outright and would have won all five if NorthWest had been barred from voting its 24.9 percent stake.

While only about 56 percent of the trust's units were voted at Thursday's meeting, that was a stark contrast to the usual 34 percent. And investors attending certainly thought NorthWest should have been barred from voting because of its clear conflicts of interest.

For example, one of the three resolutions that the rebels won was a vote to remove NorthWests ability to fire independent directors at will. The other two were votes on removing NorthWests ability to set its own fees.

As ACCs Guy Elliffe told the meeting, NorthWest pocketed 31 percent of Vitals rental income in the year ended June.

According to the annual report, the manager collected $25 million in fees that year, up from $20.4 million the previous year, despite net distributable income falling 27.6 percent to $46.1 million.

NorthWest bought Vitals management contract in late 2011 for $11.5 million.

During the meeting, Vitals former chair, Graeme Horsley, asked his replacement, Claire Higgins, whether she had taken legal advice on whether NorthWest had the right to vote.

Higgins said she had asked for advice from NorthWests lawyer, Bell Gully, which had said NorthWests legal position with regards to voting was unclear, but that it thought NorthWest did have the right to vote.

She didnt answer Horsley's question as to whether she had obtained advice from the law firm that had previously represented Vitals investors - Harmos Horton Lusk.

Today, NorthWest confirmed that Harmos Horton Lusk hadnt been invited to the meeting or asked for its advice on NorthWests voting rights.

The rebels did lose on their resolution to appoint Paul Mead as an independent director.

NorthWest had proposed Graham Stuart and forced investors to choose between them for a single board seat.

Possibly, investors were confused by the voting form which suggested they could vote for or against both men, although that would have disqualified their votes from being counted.

In the event, 184.3 million units were voted to elect Stuart compared with 89 million voted in favour of Mead. However, If NorthWest hadnt voted its 110.8 million units, Mead would have received 54.8 percent of the votes cast.

The votes on the three resolutions the rebels won outright ranged from 50.5 percent of those voting, even including NorthWest, to 54.2 percent. Without NorthWest, those in favour ranged from 89.4 percent of those voting to 95.9 percent.

On the other two resolutions, they narrowly lost with 46.1 percent and 46.6 percent on each, including NorthWests votes. Were the manager's votes excluded, they would have won handsomely with 81.7 percent and 89.4 percent.

Vital units are down 1.5 cents at $2.055 and have fallen 7 percent year-to-date.

(BusinessDesk)

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With more than 15 Bollywood films, including four with Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma is celebrating her 10 years in the industry. The actor took this opportunity to thank King Khan for his enthusiasm and support.

Taking to her Twitter handle, Anushka penned a heartfelt note for SRK and thanked him for being there when she needed him.

She wrote, Zero is a beautiful coincidence for me. I realised this very recently and I had to put it out. I started my career with you Shah Rukh and its really beautiful that on my 10th anniversary as an actor, we are releasing our fourth film together."

Calling him as the most giving actor that she has worked with, the Pari star also mentioned that how Shah Rukh helped her grow and perform some challenging roles.

Talking about her upcoming film, Zero, the 30-year-old actor wrote, "Zero is a labour of love for Aanand L. Rai, Himanshu Sharma and Shah Rukh and it is incredible that they have dared to dream, dared to think that they can create something so spectacularly new."

Shah Rukh, in his reply to the post, wrote, "My Taani, Akira, Sejal, Aafia & Friend. I am privileged to have worked with u. U make me a better actor. Love u."

Anushka kick-started her career in 2008 alongside SRK in Rab ne Bana di Jodi and gave blockbuster hits like Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Pari, P.K., Sultan, NH 10 among others.

Her upcoming film, Zero' shows the journey of Bauua Singh, a vertically challenged man played by Shah Rukh, who is on a lookout for a bride. The film also stars Katrina Kaif who plays the role of an actress, battling alcoholism while Anushka portrays a challenging character of a scientist with cerebral palsy in the Aanand L Rai directorial.

The movie, produced by Gauri Khan, is all set to hit the screens on December 21, this year.

Text: ANI Images: Instagram
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Australia on track to miss climate targets by wide margin



Sydney, Dec 21 (AFP) Dec 21, 2018



Australia on Friday admitted it is off track to meet the 2030 emissions targets agreed under the Paris climate accord.

The Department of the Environment said the country is on course to meet the more modest 2020 targets, but will struggle to reduce emissions by 26-28 percent by the end of the following decade.

Australia was the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas last month and is one of the world's top coal producers.

The conservative government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been tepid in its drive to tackle climate change and has prioritised the economy over reduction targets.

He has claimed that investments in renewables mean Australia will meet the targets "at a canter".

Although emissions forecasts have improved slightly, the government admits it is still a long way from the desired trajectory.

Australia estimates it would need to cut the equivalent of 695 to 762 megatonnes of carbon dioxide between 2021 and 2030.

At the moment, it is forecast to miss that target by almost 20 percent.

"The Morrison Government has no policies to address Australia's climate pollution problem," said the Australian Conservation Foundation in a statement.

As part of the Paris Agreement in 2015, countries agreed to limit global temperature rises to below two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
Siemens boss takes aim at Chinese buyouts



Frankfurt am Main, Dec 21 (AFP) Dec 21, 2018



Siemens boss Joe Kaeser on Friday lashed out at the practices used by Chinese investors to exercise total control over foreign firms, as disquiet grows about China's appetite for German technology and know-how.

The recent ousting of robotics maker Kuka's chief executive Till Reuter two years after the prestigious German firm was taken over by Chinese group Midea, was just the latest example, Kaeser told the regional daily Augsburger Allgemeine.

"The Chinese go into a company, give guarantees about employment and then everything is calm for a while. At some point, they set up a separate company that swallows the old one, and take away the research and development."

The unusually frank comments come just days after the German government toughened rules on non-EU share purchases or acquisitions of strategic companies, in a measure aimed at curbing Chinese takeovers.

Alarm has grown in Germany about the sell-off of vital technologies to the highest bidder since Chinese appliance giant Midea acquired Kuka for 4.6 billion euros ($5 billion) in 2016.

Kaeser said Siemens was itself interested in purchasing Kuka at the time but the German conglomerate could not justify the high asking price.

"They were convinced that with the Chinese everything would stay the same, except that the market would be ten times bigger," the Siemens chief executive told the daily.

"Of course hindsight is everything, but they could have expected this from the start."

Under the new legislation approved by Chancellor Angela Merkel's government on Wednesday, Germany plans to lower the threshold where reviews apply to foreign purchase offers of 10 percent of strategic companies, down from 25 percent now.

The measures will apply to the defence, high-tech and infrastructure sectors, including utilities and telecoms providers, as well as media companies.

Concern has also grown in other European capitals in recent years as Chinese companies have bought up or purchased controlling stakes in high-tech firms, airports and harbours.

Several EU countries have also voiced reservations about Beijing's "Silk Road" initiative, which seeks to link the continents through a network of ports, railways, roads and industrial parks, but which critics see as an attempted influence grab by Beijing.

bur-mfp/hmn/cw

SIEMENS
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In Syria pullout, US reaches detente with Turkey



Washington, Dec 20 (AFP) Dec 20, 2018



Months after hitting rock bottom, relations between the United States and Turkey have quickly improved with President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from Syria raising speculation of a quiet pact.

Trump spoke with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, five days before the US leader's surprise announcement of a pullout of 2,000 troops from Syria as he declared the defeat of the Islamic State group.

The Turkish leader had been threatening an imminent offensive against Kurdish fighters in Syria who have battled alongside the United States against the Islamic State but whom Ankara describes as "terrorists" for their kinship with PKK militants at home.

In a diplomatic statement after their telephone conversation, the Turkish government said that Trump and Erdogan "agreed to ensure more effective cooperation" on Syria.

In a less diplomatic statement, Erdogan on Monday said: "I spoke with Trump. The terrorists must leave the east of the Euphrates. If they don't go, we will remove them."

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at the same time that Trump was again talking of withdrawing from Syria.

Few took Cavusoglu's comments seriously -- a State Department spokesman, asked about his remarks, assured that "the job is not yet done" in Syria -- until Trump suddenly announced the pullout on Wednesday.

Several US media outlets said Trump made his decision just after speaking to Erdogan. But Trump also prides himself on unpredictability and has long mused about leaving Syria, calling the involvement too costly.

"Trump's decision has in fact little to do with Turkey," said Sinan Ulgen, chairman of the Istanbul-based Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies.

"The timing may, however, have been precipitated by the call with Erdogan," he said.



- 'Major boost' for Turkey -



Whether or not there was an explicit understanding, the withdrawal of US troops opens the way for an offensive by Turkey, which was much less likely to strike when risking US casualties.

"This is a major boost for Turkey and, I believe, an improvement in US-Turkish relations, while making Turkey less dependent on Russia also," said Faysal Itani, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington.

Turkey -- a member of NATO, the alliance designed as a bulwark against the Soviet Union -- alarmed the United States a year ago when it signed a deal for S-400 missiles from Russia.

Also this week, the United States announced the approval of a sale of $3.5 billion worth of Patriot and other missiles to Turkey, offering a stark choice to Erdogan on where to buy weapons.

Relations sank further when Turkey detained Andrew Brunson, a US pastor based in the coastal city of Izmir, and demanded the extradition from Pennsylvania of Fetullah Gulen, an influential cleric whom Erdogan accuses of plotting a failed 2016 coup against him.

The Trump administration, which counts on evangelical Christians as a core constituency, turned Brunson's detention into a top priority, slapping sanctions that rocked the Turkish economy including the value of the lira until his release in October.

"I believe the deal was that the Turks release Brunson in exchange for the US refraining from doing anything to damage the Turkish economy further," said Steven Cook, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

"The people in Washington who have argued for saving the relationship won," he said.



- Admiration for Erdogan? -



Trump, who has often been accused of feeling more comfortable with strongmen than democratic allies, has indicated that he feels an affinity with Erdogan.

Meeting him last year, Trump called Erdogan a friend and said he gave him "very high marks" as he clamped down on dissent.

Cavusoglu, who predicted the Syria withdrawal, also said that Trump had promised he was "working on" the extradition of Gulen.

Two partners of Trump's disgraced first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, were separately indicted this week for illegally scheming with Turkey to seek Gulen.

The White House said Tuesday that Trump only agreed to "take a look at" Gulen's extradition -- but, in light of recent events, the cleric is unlikely to be sleeping easy.

burs-fff/sct/ft
US defense chief quits as Trump announces Syria withdrawal



Washington, Dec 20 (AFP) Dec 20, 2018



US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis quit Thursday as President Donald Trump weathered an escalating backlash at home and abroad over his sudden decision to pull all troops from Syria.

Trump steadfastly defended the withdrawal of the 2,000-strong force from Syria, vowing that the United States would no longer be the "policeman of the Middle East" and insisting that the Islamic State movement had been defeated.

Mattis, a retired general seen as a moderating force on the often impulsive president, made little attempt to hide his disagreements with Trump.

"Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours," Mattis said in a letter to Trump, "I believe it is right for me to step down from my position."

Mattis hailed the coalition to defeat the Islamic State and also defended NATO, the military alliance between North America and Europe whose cost-effectiveness has been questioned by the businessman turned president.

"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues," Mattis wrote.

The resignation came as The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was also considering a substantial drawdown in a much larger US operation -- Afghanistan.

Trump, who has surrounded himself with former military men and was said to have been impressed by the scholarly and calm 68-year-old Mattis, was diplomatic as he announced the departure, writing on Twitter that the defense secretary achieved "tremendous progress."

Mattis will serve until the end of February, giving Trump a short window to name a successor who can be confirmed by the Senate.

Just hours earlier, Trump took to Twitter to bash a frequent ally known to covet the job, Senator Lindsey Graham, after the lawmaker also questioned the wisdom of exiting Syria.



- 'Policeman' no more -



Doubling down on his declaration on Twitter of victory over the Islamic State group a day earlier, Trump boasted of commanding the world's most powerful military and said that others should lead the fighting.

"Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East, getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing? Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight," he tweeted.

But he found little support. The top Republican and Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Mac Thornberry and Adam Smith respectively, came together Thursday to voice concern, saying a withdrawal would be a "strategic error" that would endanger Kurdish allies and empower rivals Russia and Iran.

"ISIS was and still remains a lethal threat to America's security and will seek to inspire threats to the homeland from safe havens around the world," they said in a joint statement.

The United States will keep up air strikes in Syria so long as troops remain, Pentagon spokeswoman Commander Rebecca Rebarich said, but it was unclear what would happen afterward.



- Putin praises Trump -



France and Britain both have small contingents of special forces inside Syria, focused like the US troops on battling the Islamic State group.

The US withdrawal will make Russia, which has deployed its air power in support of President Bashar al-Assad, the pre-eminent global power in the conflict.

As Trump tweeted that Russia wanted US forces to stay and blamed the "fake news" media for reporting otherwise, Putin publicly rejoiced over the pullout order.

"The fact that the US has decided to withdraw its troops is right," Putin said during an annual year-end press conference, saying that "on the whole I agree with the US president" on the level of damage inflicted on Islamic State.

Putin, who has described the fall of the Soviet Union as a historic geopolitical disaster, sees Moscow's longtime ally Syria as a key asset in preserving influence in the Middle East.

Iran's Shiite clerical regime has also strongly backed Assad, a secular leader from the heterodox Alawite sect.

Turkey opposes Assad and may be emboldened by Trump to attack Kurdish fighters inside Syria, who fought alongside US troops against the Islamic State group.

Turkey links the Kurds who dominate the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces to a decades-old insurgency at home, but had been reluctant to strike for fear of setting off a crisis if the United States suffered casualties.

Mustefa Bali, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, said the fighters would keep up the battle against Islamic State -- but that all bets were off if Turkey attacks.



- Worries in Europe -



Bali said the Kurdish forces would keep locked up the Islamic State extremists in their custody -- but alleged that Turkey may target prisons to sow chaos once US troops leave.

French President Emmanuel Macron's office called the prisoner issue "extremely important for France" and urged discussions to avoid "one of the negative consequences of a hasty retreat."

The Islamic State movement has claimed credit for a slew of bloody attacks around the world, including the 2015 coordinated assault on Paris, and experts estimate that thousands of sympathizers remain.

Meanwhile Germany, which has taken in more than one million refugees stemming in large part from the Syria conflict, questioned Trump's assessment that the threat was over.

While fighting has largely subsided in Syria and the Islamic State group holds little territory, a political solution remains elusive in ending the war that has killed more than 360,000 and displaced millions since 2011.

The outgoing UN envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, acknowledged Thursday to the Security Council that a goal would not be met of setting up a committee by the end of the year to write a new Syrian constitution.

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'It is right for me to step down': Mattis quits



Washington, Dec 21 (AFP) Dec 21, 2018



Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday, a day after President Donald Trump stunned the US establishment by ordering a troop withdrawal from Syria.

In a letter to Trump, the 68-year-old Pentagon chief said his political outlook, which cherishes traditional alliances, could no longer be reconciled with that of the president, who has poured scorn on longstanding partnerships and repeatedly sought closer ties with Russia.

"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades' immersion in these issues," Mattis wrote.

"Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position."

Moments before the Pentagon released Mattis's letter, Trump tweeted that his defense secretary would be "retiring with distinction, at the end of February."

"General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!" Trump tweeted.

Trump's administration has been marked by a steady hemorrhage of cabinet members and top advisors, and Mattis, whom Trump once affectionately referred to as one of "my generals", was long rumored to have lost influence with the president.

But news of his departure, which he broke to stunned Pentagon staff earlier in the afternoon after meeting with Trump at the White House, still came as a shock to Washington.

"This is scary," Democratic Senator Mark Warner said.

"Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration."

Republican Senator Marco Rubio said Mattis's resignation letter "makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances (and) empower our adversaries."

And Senator Susan Collins, another Republican, said Mattis's resignation "is a real loss for our nation, our troops, and this administration."



- Understanding of a child -



Trump's decision to pull the 2,000 or so US troops out of Syria was a stunning rebuke to Mattis, who had warned that an early withdrawal from Syria would be a "strategic blunder."

Experts say IS has not been defeated. The group still holds pockets of land in east Syria and thousands of jihadists are thought to remain.

Earlier Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was considering a draw down of US forces in Afghanistan -- the exact opposite of what Mattis had pushed for.

Trump and Mattis have previously clashed on any number of other issues -- including the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump pulled out of in May while Mattis defended parts of it.

The Pentagon chief was also against the creation of a separate new branch of the US military called Space Force, but Trump ordered it anyway.

Meanwhile, the biggest deployment Mattis has ordered so far was one to the US border with Mexico, a mission with only vague military utility and one that critics have assailed as a political stunt by Trump.

Mattis's fate has been the subject of intense speculation for months but reached fever pitch in September, when veteran journalist Bob Woodward published a book giving an inside glimpse into a chaotic White House.

He said Mattis had questioned Trump's judgment, likening his understanding to that of a 10- or 11-year-old child.

Mattis, a buttoned-up former Marine Corps general, was loath to discuss politics or his relationship with Trump, and the president was widely reported to bristle at unfavorable comparisons to Mattis, who had broad bipartisan support.

The Pentagon chief would regularly stop by reporters' desks or speak outside the building, but he never gave any inkling of if or when he might step down.

It was not immediately clear who might replace Mattis.

Senator Tom Cotton, a staunch Trump ally and former Army officer, is often mentioned as a possible candidate.
Jim Mattis: the 'Mad Dog' with a big library



Washington, Dec 21 (AFP) Dec 21, 2018



Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, a softly spoken but battle-hardened former Marine, always stood in uneasy contrast with President Donald Trump, his brash businessman boss who avoided any military service.

On Thursday, after months of speculation and following Trump's stunning decision to pull out of Syria and slash troops in Afghanistan, the gulf between the two men finally grew too wide to bridge. Mattis resigned.

The 68-year-old native of Washington state, who was Trump's first cabinet pick, has spent nearly two years at the Pentagon, where he became a master of concealing from the public his true thoughts on Trump's decisions.

But his resignation letter spelled out to the world what seemed obvious to many observers: Trump's world view was irreconcilable with his own.

"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades' immersion in these issues," Mattis wrote to Trump, who has sought closer ties with Russia and heaped contempt on NATO and other alliances.

"Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position."

A self-described warrior who once boasted it was a "hell of a lot of fun" to shoot people, Mattis was nonetheless seen as a voice of moderation capable of reining in some of Trump's more rash impulses.

His appointment was greeted with a collective sigh of relief in Washington, following a brutal presidential campaign in which Trump vowed to upend the US-led world order.

Lawmakers of every stripe looked at the retired four-star general as a calm counterbalance to Trump.

As a highly decorated veteran, Mattis won the immediate respect of Trump, who has a fascination with all things military, dating back to his youth, when his father sent him to a private military academy in New York.

Mattis enlisted in the Marines in 1969 during the height of the Vietnam War, whereas Trump got five deferments from being drafted. And until the end, Mattis avoided the contempt Trump had publicly heaped on other of his top officials.

Trump thanked Mattis for his service, saying he would be "retiring, with distinction" -- a far cry from when he reportedly fired former secretary of state Rex Tillerson by tweet.



- Alliances and diplomacy -



Mattis believed in the established tenets of the American world order: alliances were sacred, diplomacy was better than combat, and military assertiveness required a cautious but firm hand, ready to act decisively when all else fails.

He clashed with Trump repeatedly, mostly behind the scenes, over those fundamentals.

While Trump spoke positively of working with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mattis warned that Moscow wants to "break NATO apart" and, uncommonly, made his objections public when Trump failed to endorse the US commitment to a common defense in the Atlantic treaty organization.

He also pushed back when Trump appeared ready to leave a dangerous security gap in pursuit of a nuclear deal with North Korea.

The chasm only grew as he opposed Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate change accord, decertify the Iran deal, slap tariffs on steel and aluminum, and move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

He also quietly rejected the president's proposed ban on transgender service members, standing by a small, poorly represented part of the 2.1 million active and reserve members of the US military.



- 'Mad Dog' and 'warrior monk ' -



Trump originally latched on to Mattis for his commitment to building up the US military after years of tight budgets, and for his nickname: "Mad Dog."

A colorful commander, he earned the moniker -- which he told some he didn't really like -- with his battle-hardened swagger and the sort of blunt language Marines are famous for.

"Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet," he famously said.

But the lifelong bachelor was also known as a "warrior monk."

A scholar of warfare, he is said to have a personal library of more than 7,000 volumes, and issued required reading lists to Marines under his command, instructing them that the most important territory on a battlefield is the space "between your ears."



- Top Marine -



Mattis commanded a Marine battalion during the First Gulf War and a Marine division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

In 2010, he was named to head the US Central Command. That gave him authority over troops in Iraq, where he helped develop a counterinsurgency approach before overseeing the US withdrawal, and Afghanistan, where he implemented a troop surge.

An expert communicator adept at tailoring his message for his audience, whether it be a grunt in the field or a foreign dignitary, Mattis would gently cajole Trump into following orthodox US military doctrine.

Mattis last year helped persuade Trump to stay the course in Afghanistan, though Trump ultimately followed his initial instinct to try to get out.

Against Mattis's counsel, Trump ordered troops to the US border with Mexico ahead of the November election in what was widely viewed as a political stunt to show he was tough on immigration.

Then came Trump's decision this week to declare victory over the Islamic State group in Syria and pull US troops out -- which Mattis sees will leave a vacuum that could be filled by America's enemies.
US defense chief quits as Trump pulls from Syria, Afghanistan



Washington, Dec 21 (AFP) Dec 21, 2018



US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday, leading a chorus of protests at home and abroad after President Donald Trump ordered a complete troop pullout from Syria and a significant withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Trump steadfastly defended his sudden push for retrenchment, vowing that the United States would no longer be the "policeman of the Middle East" and saying the 2,000-strong US force in Syria was no longer needed as the Islamic State group had been defeated.

Mattis, a battle-hardened retired four-star general seen as a moderating force on the often impulsive president, made little attempt to hide his disagreements with Trump.

"Because you have the right to have a secretary of defense whose views are better aligned with yours," Mattis said in a letter to Trump, "I believe it is right for me to step down from my position."

Mattis hailed the coalition to defeat Islamic State as well as NATO, the nearly 70-year-old alliance between North America and Europe whose cost-effectiveness has been questioned by the businessman turned president.

"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues," Mattis wrote.

One day after the surprise announcement on Syria, a US official told AFP that Trump had also decided on a "significant withdrawal" in a much larger US operation -- Afghanistan.

Some 14,000 troops are fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan as part of the longest-ever US war, launched in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Wall Street Journal reported that more than half would be returning.

Trump has surrounded himself with former military men and shown an uncharacteristic public deference toward Mattis, a bookish 68-year-old who has disagreed with the president behind the scenes on issues from Russia to Iran to accepting transgender soldiers.

He hinted at Mattis's departure as far back as October, telling CBS: "It could be that he is (leaving). I think he's sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth... He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves."

On Twitter Thursday, however, Trump had only praise for his defense secretary, who will serve until the end of February, crediting him with achieving "tremendous progress."



- 'National security crisis' -



US lawmakers across the political spectrum voiced concern over a rebirth of the Islamic State group in Syria and sounded an alarm as Mattis unmoors from the unpredictable administration.

Senator Marco Rubio, a member of Trump's Republican Party, said Mattis in his letter "makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances and empower our adversaries."

Democratic Senator Mark Warner called Mattis "an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration" and voiced fears of policy driven by "the president's erratic whims."

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was unusually pointed, calling for the US to "maintain a clear-eyed understanding of our friends and foes, and recognize that nations like Russia are among the latter."

He said he was "particularly distressed that he is resigning due to sharp differences with the president on these and other key aspects of America's global leadership."

Trump was quick to note that he has ramped up military spending, but he has been most interested in deploying troops at home to carry out his key domestic goal of cracking down on unauthorized immigration.

"Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East, getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing? Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight," he tweeted.

- Putin praises Trump -

The US withdrawal will make Russia, which has deployed its air power in support of President Bashar al-Assad, the pre-eminent global power in the Syrian conflict.

"The fact that the US has decided to withdraw its troops is right," President Vladimir Putin said during an annual year-end press conference, saying that "on the whole I agree with the US president" on the level of damage inflicted on Islamic State.

Putin, who has described the fall of the Soviet Union as a historic geopolitical disaster, sees Moscow's longtime ally Syria as a key asset in preserving influence in the Middle East.

Iran's Shiite clerical regime has also strongly backed Assad, a secular leader from the heterodox Alawite sect.

Turkey opposes Assad and may be emboldened by Trump to attack Kurdish fighters inside Syria, who fought alongside US troops against the Islamic State group.

Turkey links Kurds who dominate the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces to a decades-old insurgency at home, but had been reluctant to strike for fear of setting off a crisis if the United States suffered casualties.

Mustefa Bali, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, said the fighters would keep up the battle against Islamic State -- but that all bets were off if Turkey attacks.



- Worries in Europe -



Bali said the Kurdish forces would keep locked up the Islamic State extremists in their custody -- but alleged that Turkey may target prisons to sow chaos once US troops leave.

The Islamic State movement has claimed credit for a slew of attacks around the world, including the 2015 coordinated assault on Paris, and experts estimate that thousands of sympathizers remain.

Meanwhile Germany, which has taken in more than one million refugees stemming in large part from the Syria conflict, questioned Trump's assessment that the threat was over.

While fighting has largely subsided in Syria and the Islamic State group holds little territory, a political solution remains elusive in ending the war that has killed more than 360,000 and displaced millions since 2011.

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Anti-IS coalition 'has job to finish' despite US withdrawal: France



Paris, Dec 21 (AFP) Dec 21, 2018



The international coalition fighting Islamic State (IS) in Syria "has a job to finish" despite US President Donald Trump's "very serious" decision to withdraw American troops from Syria, the French defence minister said Friday.

"The decision taken by the US president changes things pretty radically," Florence Parly told RTL radio.

"President Trump says Daesh (an alternative name for IS) is dead, but we believe today that while the territory controlled by the caliphate is no longer what it was in 2014 (...) if it has been reduced to near nothing, there remains however a pocket where jihadists have bunkered down," she said.

"We consider that the job must be finished," she said, adding that failing to do so could mean IS groups might regroup.

Parly also suggested that implementing the withdrawal of 2,000 US soldiers from Syria should be discussed amongst the allied coalition, adding that "you can't withdraw troops from one day to another".

France has aircraft in the region, along with long-range artillery in position along the Iraqi-Syrian border.

Washington says France has also deployed special forces inside Syria, though France has never acknowledged this.
Trump decided on Syria troop pullout during Erdogan call: report



Ankara, Dec 21 (AFP) Dec 21, 2018



US President Donald Trump made the shock decision to withdraw troops from Syria during a phone call with his Turkish counterpart who said Turkey could clear the remaining jihadists from the country, media reported Friday.

Trump stunned officials and allies on Wednesday with the decision to pull out 2,000 American ground forces, claiming the Islamic State extremist group (IS) had been "beaten" in Syria.

Trump's move came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to launch an operation against a Kurdish militia that is fighting against IS with American military assistance.

Erdogan and Trump spoke on the phone on Friday and during the conversation Trump told his national security adviser John Bolton to "start the work" to prepare withdrawing troops from Syria, according to Hurriyet daily.

The Turkish newspaper said that Trump's order to Bolton came after he asked Erdogan if Turkey would "clean up the remaining Daesh (IS) elements if we withdrew from Syria".

Erdogan reportedly told Trump that Turkey had cleared IS during its first military operation in northern Syria between 2016 and 2017 and could do so again. Trump replied by telling him to go ahead and do it.

Relations between NATO allies Ankara and Washington have been strained over the US presence in Syria providing training to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia under the banner of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance.

Last week Erdogan said Ankara would start an offensive against the YPG in the "next few days" in the east of the Euphrates where there are American forces with the SDF.

The PKK is proscribed as a terror group by Ankara, the US and the European Union.

US-Turkey ties have warmed up since Turkey released a jailed American pastor in October.
Trump to withdraw 'significant' troops from Afghanistan



Kabul, Dec 21 (AFP) Dec 21, 2018



US President Donald Trump has decided to pull a significant number of troops from Afghanistan, a US official has told AFP, but the Afghan presidency on Friday brushed off concerns the drawdown would affect security.

Reports suggested as many as half of the 14,000 troops in the war-torn country could be leaving.

The surprise move stunned and dismayed foreign diplomats and officials in Kabul who are involved in an intensifying push to end the 17-year conflict with the Taliban, which already controls vast amounts of territory and is causing "unsustainable" Afghan troop casualties.

"If you're the Taliban, Christmas has come early," a senior foreign official in the Afghan capital told AFP on the condition of anonymity.

"Would you be thinking of a ceasefire if your main opponent has just withdrawn half their troops?"

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid would not comment about the troop withdrawal when contacted by AFP. But a senior Taliban commander welcomed the decision.

"Frankly speaking we weren't expecting that immediate US response," the official told AFP from an unknown location in northwest Pakistan.

"We are more than happy, they realised the truth. We are expecting more good news."

It is not clear if US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad or the Afghan government had been warned of Trump's plans in advance.

But a spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani downplayed the effect of any pullout.

"If they withdraw from Afghanistan it will not have a security impact because in the last four and half years the Afghans have been in full control," presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said via social media.

But Afghans across the country expressed fears that a US troop withdrawal could derail peace efforts, return the Taliban to power, and dissolve the country into civil war.

"We are terrified that history will be repeated," Fazli Ahmad, a car washer in the southern city of Kandahar, told AFP.

Shaima Dabeer, a 50-year-old housewife in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, said she feared for the future of her children.

"Afghanistan will go back to the Taliban era," she told AFP.

Trump's decision apparently came Tuesday as Khalilzad met with the Taliban in Abu Dhabi, part of efforts to bring the militants to the negotiating table with the Afghan government.

They discussed issues ranging from the group's longstanding demand for a pullout of foreign troops, the release of prisoners and a ceasefire, Khalilzad told Afghan media in Kabul on Thursday.

"That decision has been made. There will be a significant withdrawal," the American official told AFP on condition of anonymity on Thursday.

Tuesday was also the day Trump told the Pentagon he wanted to pull all US forces out of Syria. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis quit Thursday, saying his views were no longer reconcilable with Trump's.



- 'Unsustainable' casualties -



Critics suggest the president's twin foreign policy decisions on Syria and Afghanistan could unspool a series of cascading and unpredictable events across the Middle East and in Afghanistan.

"If we continue on our present course we are setting in motion the loss of all our gains and paving the way toward a second 9/11," warned US Senator Lindsey Graham via Twitter.

Afghan forces have been taking what experts describe as "unsustainable" casualties since NATO pulled its combat forces from the country in 2014.

Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, who has been nominated to lead the US military's Central Command, warned earlier this month that unless recruiting and training improve, local forces will not overcome the current casualty rate.

Ghani said last month nearly 30,000 Afghan security forces had been killed since the start of 2015, a figure much higher than anything previously acknowledged.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4 broadcast Friday but recorded before news of the troop withdrawal was leaked, Ghani mentioned a "sacrifice" of more than 45,000 local forces in the past four years. It was unclear whether that figure referred to deaths or also included injuries.

The United States has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan working either with a NATO mission to support Afghan forces or in separate counter-terrorism operations.

The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times reported that more than 7,000 troops would be returning from Afghanistan.

The Taliban was toppled from power by a US-led invasion in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks masterminded by Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who had been harboured by Afghanistan.



- Longest war -



The war is now America's longest, with more than 2,200 US military personnel killed there since the start of 2001, including 13 this year.

Mattis and other top military advisors last year persuaded Trump to commit thousands more troops to Afghanistan as part of a strategy that also included ramping up air strikes on the Taliban and its relatively small but potent rival, the Islamic State group.

Trump at the time said his instinct was to get out of Afghanistan.

Khalilzad, who has met with Taliban representatives several times in recent months, has expressed hopes for a peace deal before the Afghan presidential elections scheduled for April.

Foreign observers and officials said Trump's move had handed the Taliban a major propaganda and tactical victory, without the militants having to make any concessions.

"It's gotten the troop withdrawals it's always wanted without even having to make any concessions," Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center told AFP.

"Now it has a tremendous battlefield advantage, which gives it the opportunity to scale up its fight in a huge way."

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Coalition strikes kill 27 in eastern Syria: monitor



Beirut, Dec 21 (AFP) Dec 21, 2018



Air strikes by the US-led coalition killed 13 jihadist fighters and 14 of their relatives Friday in eastern Syria, a war monitor said.

The strikes came two days after US President Donald Trump's decision to pull troops out of Syria raised fears the Islamic State group would use the vacuum to regroup.

"At least 27 people were killed this morning in Al-Shaafa," Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP.

He said eight children were among the 14 civilian victims and added several people were seriously wounded in the strikes.

The raids targeted IS positions in Al-Shaafa, one of the two main villages in the last pocket of territory still controlled by IS in the Euphrates River valley.

Close to 1,000 IS fighters have been killed since Kurdish-led forces, backed by coalition air strikes, launched an operation on that pocket in September.

Trump said he was ordering a withdrawal of the estimated 2,000 US troops in Syria because IS had been defeated, an assessment rubbished by many, including in his own camp.

On Friday, the leadership of the Kurdish force that has spearheaded the fight against IS warned it might have to pull back from the anti-jihadist front if a US withdrawal invites a Turkish military assault against them.

According to the Observatory, 545 members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces were killed battling IS since the start of the operation on September 10.
Erdogan vows to clear Syria of Kurd militia, IS



Istanbul, Dec 21 (AFP) Dec 21, 2018



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday vowed to drive out a US-backed Kurdish militia and jihadists from Syria as Kurdish forces there warned that any attack by Ankara could seriously undermine the fight against the Islamic State.

Erdogan's promise follows a shock decision by US President Donald Trump to pull out 2,000 American ground forces from Syria on the ground that the IS had been "beaten".

Washington's decision not only has ramifications for the Kurds who are being trained by US forces but also for Turkey's actions in Syria.

Erdogan suggested Turkey could launch an operation against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia, which Ankara says is a "terrorist offshoot" of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.

The PKK is blacklisted as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies.

"In the coming months we will see an operation aimed at removing the YPG and Daesh (Islamic State) elements on the ground in Syria," he said in Istanbul.

Erdogan welcomed Trump's withdrawal decision but said he remained "cautious" because of "past negative experiences", referring to Ankara's continued disappointment over the US administration's failure to stop providing military support to the YPG.

But two leaders of the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Council, the political arm of the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), warned the battle against the IS could be brought to a halt if there was a Turkish attack.

Trump's move has also sparked turmoil in his own administration. US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis resigned on Thursday, reflecting his disagreement with the White House's new strategy in Syria.



- Flurry of diplomacy -



American support to the YPG militia, which spearheaded Washington's battles in Syria to eliminate jihadists, has long been a source of tension between the NATO allies.

The latest flurry of diplomacy began when Erdogan said on December 12 that Turkey would start an offensive in the east of the Euphrates River in "the next few days".

Then on December 14, he spoke to Trump on the phone.

Turkish daily Hurriyet reported on Friday that Trump decided to pull out during that call and ordered his national security adviser John Bolton to "start the work" to prepare withdrawal.

Erdogan on Friday said the US decision meant Turkey would "wait a little longer" before any operation involving Syrian rebels.

Earlier on Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey needed to "coordinate this withdrawal with the United States", adding that talks already began.

Ankara and Washington are working together with joint patrols in the northern Syrian city of Manbij, which was captured from IS by the SDF.



- Shot in the arm for jihadists -



The co-chairs of the Syrian Democratic Council were in Paris on Friday for talks about the planned US military pullout.

Ilham Ahmad, one of the co-chairs, said they would be "forced to withdraw from the frontlines in Deir Ezzor to take up positions on the border with Turkey to counter any attack" by Ankara.

Ahmad said the forces feared they could "lose control" over detained foreign jihadists if IS used the US pullout to regroup, or if Turkey pushed ahead with an attack.

Riad Darar, the council's other co-chair, said the forces would not release hundreds of foreign IS fighters held in Syrian Kurdish prisons.

Turkey conducted an operation against IS in 2016 which also aimed to block the YPG from joining up the territory it held in northern Syria and staged an offensive against the militia in its northwestern enclave of Afrin in January this year.

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NATO stresses Afghan commitment despite US withdrawal



Brussels, Dec 21 (AFP) Dec 21, 2018



The NATO alliance stressed its continued commitment to its support mission in Afghanistan on Friday as Washington prepared to withdraw thousands of US troops.

NATO's spokeswoman Oana Lungescu would not comment on US President Donald Trump's plan to bring home a chunk of the 14,000 US troops deployed in Afghanistan.

But she said NATO foreign ministers met as recently as this month to express "steadfast commitment to ensuring long-term security and stability in Afghanistan."

"Our engagement is important to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for international terrorists who could threaten us at home," she said.

Some of the US forces deployed in Afghanistan are part of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission, training and advising the local Afghan forces fighting Taliban rebels.

Others are part of a US-led counter-terrorism mission, and it is not clear from initial reports which of the troops will be the first to come home.

A US official told AFP that a "decision has been made. There will be a significant withdrawal."

Separately, the Wall Street Journal and other US media reported that more than 7,000 troops would return.

"We have seen the reports. For any comments, I refer you to the US authorities," Lungescu said.

Trump has often been at loggerheads with fellow NATO leaders, accusing European allies like Germany of not pulling their weight in terms of defence spending.



- 'European anxiety' -



But in July, at a NATO summit, all members agreed to extend funding for the embattled Afghan security forces until 2024.

Brussels-based expert Ian Lesser said European NATO members may be surprised by Trump's tactics but not his overall intention to reduce troops in Afghanistan, which he made clear after becoming president.

"Many within the alliance frankly are there because the United States has pressed them to be there, but, left to their own decision making, would probably have left," Lesser told AFP.

Lesser, who heads the European office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said the resignation on Thursday of US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis will also cause more unease.

"Within an administration that has not produced a lot of predictability, General Mattis was seen as something of an anchor," Lesser said.

"And so his departure will only increase European anxiety about the future of US strategy in Europe but also on Europe's periphery in places like Syria," he added.

Syria and the broader Middle East are central to EU concerns about terrorism and migration.

Lungescu stressed how important the former Marine Corps general had been to NATO.

"Secretary Mattis has made a key contribution to keeping NATO strong and ready to deal with the significant security challenges we face," the NATO spokeswoman said.

"He is widely respected as a soldier and a diplomat... We are grateful for the iron-clad commitment of the United States to NATO. US leadership keeps our transatlantic alliance strong."
Kurds: one stateless people across four countries



Paris, Dec 21 (AFP) Dec 21, 2018



The Kurds, a non-Arab ethnic group, number between 25 and 35 million people who are spread across four countries but without a state of their own.



- Mountain people -



The Kurds inhabit mainly mountainous regions that cover almost half a million square kilometres (200,000 square miles), spanning from southeast Turkey through northern Syria and Iraq to central Iran.

They represent about 20 percent of the overall population in Turkey, around 10 percent in Iran, 15-20 percent in Iraq and 15 percent in Syria.

The Kurds have preserved their culture, dialects and clan-based social structures. Large expatriate communities exist in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Germany and Lebanon.

Although predominantly Sunni Muslims, some are Christians and their political structures are often non-denominational.



- Tense ties with host states -



The collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I opened the way to the creation of a Kurdish state, which was provided for in the 1920 Treaty of Sevres.

However, after the victory of Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) in Turkey, the WWI Allies went back on their decision.

Persisting Kurdish ambitions for a unified nation are seen as a threat to the main host countries.

In Turkey the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has been labelled a terrorist organisation by the European Union and United States. More than 30 years of fighting with Turkish forces has killed more than 40,000 people.

Turkey, which carried out two offensives in Syria in 2016 and 2018 to push back Islamic State group and Kurdish fighters from its border, has threatened the Kurds with a new offensive.

In Syria the Kurds have for decades been marginalised and oppressed by the regime. They took a neutral stance vis-a-vis the regime and rebels at the beginning of the country's conflict in 2011, going on to take advantage of the chaos to set up an autonomous region in the north.

In Iraq, Kurds persecuted under dictator Saddam Hussein rose up in 1991 after Iraq's defeat in Kuwait during the Gulf War. They established a de facto autonomy in the north, which was formalised by Iraq's 2005 constitution.

In September 2017 Iraq's Kurds overwhelmingly voted for independence in a non-binding referendum, acting against the advice of Baghdad and the international community. In retaliation the regime snatched back disputed territory.

In Iran, several attacks have been blamed on Kurdish rebels, whose support bases are in Iraq. A Kurdish uprising was harshly repressed following the Islamic Revolution in 1979.



- Anti-IS spearhead -



Kurdish peshmerga fighters are considered to be experienced warriors and Western countries have provided them with air cover, sophisticated weapons and training to combat IS.

In Syria, the US-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) are one of the most effective forces against the jihadists.

In October 2017 the YPG-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) drove IS from its de facto capital Raqa. They continue to fight the jihadists in their last pockets of resistance in the east.

In Iraq, Kurdish peshmerga fighters also helped push back IS.



- Internal divisions -



The Kurds have never lived under a single, centralised power and are split among a myriad of parties and factions.

While some of these groups straddle borders, others are in conflict with each other because of alliances with the governments where they live.

Iraq's two main Kurdish parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), were locked in a 1994-1998 conflict that left 3,000 people dead. They reconciled in 2003.
Trump's foreign policy in spotlight after military withdrawals



Washington, Dec 21 (AFP) Dec 21, 2018



US politicians and international allies scrambled Friday to make sense of President Donald Trump's momentous foreign policy decisions for Syria and Afghanistan -- epic reversals that prompted Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to quit.

Trump's historic moves to pull out of Syria and slash troop numbers in Afghanistan run counter to years of US doctrine in the region, and set the stage for a cascading series of events that could well result in more bloodshed across a scarred region.

While many Americans -- and not just his supporters -- lauded Trump's decision, fed up after years of costly and spiraling conflicts, politicians of every stripe were tripping over each other to voice their condemnation.

"Reducing the American presence in Afghanistan and removing our presence in Syria will reverse... progress, encourage our adversaries, and make America less safe," said Republican Congressman Mac Thornberry, a Trump ally who heads the House Armed Services Committee.

In the Pentagon, no one seemed to know what comes next.

"We are referring all questions to the White House," one spokeswoman said, when asked about the momentous Afghanistan withdrawal.

Mattis, who was seen as a voice of moderation and widely trusted by allies, resigned Thursday after telling Trump he could not abide the Syria decision.

It leaves vulnerable to a Turkish attack thousands of Kurdish fighters the Pentagon has spent years training and arming to fight the Islamic State group.



- 'No surprise' -



In Afghanistan, the Taliban welcomed Trump's partial pull out, with a spokesman saying the group was "more than happy."

Bill Roggio, an Afghanistan expert and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told AFP the Trump administration's Middle East policy is in disarray.

"I do not know what its policy is, specifically with respect to what was known as the War on Terror," he said.

"Until Trump articulates a policy, it appears isolationism has won the day."

Trump campaigned on a pledge of "America First" and vowed to limit US engagement overseas, so his action on Afghanistan and Syria aren't bolts from the blue, and many observers were pleased with his actions.

Just weeks before Mattis announced a surge of troops in Afghanistan in August 2017, polls showed Americans were weary of war and lacked confidence that Washington had any winning strategy.

A Morning Consult-Politico poll at the time showed only 23 percent of people thought the US was "winning" in Afghanistan; 38 percent thought it was "losing."

"Trump ran on a platform of non-intervention, 'no more stupid wars,' and promised to get out of the nation-building business," Daniel Davis, a retired army lieutenant colonel and senior fellow at the Defense Priorities military think tank, told AFP.

"That, in general terms, is his policy, which is fundamentally sound."

In March, Trump said he wanted to bring troops home "soon" from Syria and last year, when he agreed to boost the US troop presence in Afghanistan, he said he was doing so against his own instincts.

"Getting out of Syria was no surprise," Trump tweeted on Thursday.

"I've been campaigning on it for years, and six months ago, when I very publicly wanted to do it, I agreed to stay longer," he added, noting that it was "time to come home" and "time for others to finally fight."



- 'Strategic mistake' -



Trump claims IS has been defeated territorially in Syria, even though thousands of fighters remain and still hold small pockets of land.

His withdrawal from Syria abruptly ends American influence in the war-ravaged country and gives the Turks an opening to attack US-backed Kurds.

Trump reportedly made the decision during a phone call last week with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

By ceding Syria, Trump is also yanking a keystone of his own administration's foreign policy: to push back against Iran, which supports President Bashar al-Assad and is seeking to expand regional influence.

"This is a huge strategic mistake that I hope the president will reconsider," Jack Keane, a retired general, told Fox News.

"If he does not, I believe with some degree of confidence that he will come to regret this decision."

Keane has been one of the names in the Washington rumor mill to replace Mattis.

He went on to warn that Trump was repeating the "mistakes" of president Barack Obama, who for years drew withering criticism from Republicans for pulling US troops out of Iraq, only to see the emergence of IS.

Trump's withdrawal orders, meanwhile, rattled Europe.

French Defense Minister Florence Parly said there was still "has a job to finish" in Syria and called on the US to discuss its withdrawal with other members of a coalition fighting IS.

Britain's junior defense minister Tobias Ellwood had contradicted Trump on Wednesday, retweeting his message that the jihadists had been defeated in Syria with the words: "I strongly disagree.

"It has morphed into other forms of extremism and the threat is very much alive," he wrote.
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Fergus Falls The Relotius Scandal Reaches a Small Town in America

Claas Relotius, the DER SPIEGEL journalist outed this week for churning out fraudulent stories, wrote for the magazine about the U.S. town of Fergus Falls. Two locals fact-checked his reporting, and their verdict is devastating -- a perfect example of how DER SPIEGEL's editorial safeguards failed.
Shaheed Alhafeed, December 21, 2018 (SPS) - The National Secretariat of the POLISARIO Front has reaffirmed the commitment of the Saharawi party and its readiness to cooperate with the international efforts led by former German President Horst Koehler, in a statement following its 9th ordinary session.



The National Secretariat noted the holding of the round table in early December in Geneva, emphasizing the importance of the UN efforts led by President Horst Koehler, the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, reiterating the willingness of the Sahrawi party to continue to cooperate with these efforts in order to complete the decolonization of Western Sahara and to enable the Saharan people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence.



The National Secretariat of the POLISARIO Front held its 9th ordinary session on Thursday, chaired by President of the Republic, Secretary General of the POLISARIO Front, Brahim Ghali. The session reviewed and analyzed the developments in various aspects of the Sahrawi national liberation struggle during the period between the 8th and 9th ordinary sessions. (SPS)



062/SPS/TRA
A more recent publication of this set of statistics is available. Latest publication: General government debt by quarter 2021, 2nd quarter

Published: 21 December 2018

General government debt decreased by EUR 0.3 billion in the third quarter of 2018

General government EDP debt, or consolidated gross debt at nominal prices amounted to EUR 135.7 billion at the end of the third quarter of 2018 and decreased by EUR 0.3 billion during the third quarter. Correspondingly, general government debt has grown by EUR 1.2 billion compared with the respective period of the year before. These data derive from Statistics Finland's statistics on general government debt by quarter.

General government debt by quarter

During the third quarter, central government debt decreased by EUR 0.5 billion and was EUR 115.0 billion at the end of the quarter. The number of short-term debt instruments with a maturity of under one year increased on net by EUR two billion over the third quarter. The stock of bonds decreased by EUR 2.4 billion over the same period. The stock of long-term loans remained almost on level with the previous quarter, but the stock of short-term loans decreased by EUR 0.4 billion. In addition, the amount of cash deposits increased by EUR 0.2 billion.

The local government sector's debt decreased by EUR 0.1 billion and totalled EUR 19.8 billion at the end of the quarter. The number of short-term debt instruments decreased, but the stock of other debt instruments remained almost on level with the previous quarter. In addition, social security funds debt grew by EUR 0.3 billion and totalled EUR 2.3 billion at the end of the quarter. The debt grew mainly due to the increase in cash collateral received in connection with employment pension schemes' derivative contracts and securities lending.

General government EDP debt describes general governments debt to other sectors of the national economy and to the rest of the world, and its development is influenced by changes in unconsolidated debt and internal general government debts. Consolidated general government gross debt is derived by deducting debts between units recorded under general government from unconsolidated gross debt. For this reason, general government debt is smaller than the combined debts of its sub-sectors.

The EDP debt of general government differs conceptionally to some extent in the case of central government from the central government debt published by the State Treasury. Central government's EDP debt also includes loans granted to beneficiary counties by the European Financial Stability Facility EFSF, received cash collaterals related to derivative contracts, the capital of the Nuclear Waste Management Fund, debts generated from investments in central government's PPP (public-private partnership) projects, coins that are in circulation, and the deposits of the European Commission. In National Accounts, central government is also a broader concept than the budget and financial economy (http://www.stat.fi/meta/luokitukset/_linkki/julkisyhteisot.html). The valuation principle for both debt concepts is the nominal value, where the effect of currency swaps is taken into account.

Source: General government debt by quarter, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Henna Laasonen 029 551 3303, Olli-Pekka Aaltonen 029 551 3090, rahoitus.tilinpito@stat.fi

Director in charge: Ville Vertanen

Publication in pdf-format (217.1 kB)

Updated 21.12.2018

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): General government debt by quarter [e-publication].

ISSN=1799-8034. 3rd quarter 2018. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 2.12.2021].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/jyev/2018/03/jyev_2018_03_2018-12-21_tie_001_en.html
A more recent publication of this set of statistics is available. Latest publication: Financial accounts 2021, 2nd quarter

Published: 21 December 2018

Growth of households net financial assets continued in the third quarter of 2018

Households' financial assets grew by EUR 2.7 billion during the third quarter of 2018. At the end of the quarter, households had financial assets, such as deposits, shares and mutual fund shares, to the value of EUR 310.2 billion. Over the same period, households had EUR 166.6 billion in debt, which was EUR 1.1 billion up from the previous quarter. Households net financial assets grew in July to September by EUR 1.7 billion to EUR 143.7 billion. Net financial assets refer to the difference between financial assets and liabilities. These data derive from Statistics Finlands financial accounts statistics.

Change from the previous quarter in households net financial assets

Holding gains raised households financial assets

During the third quarter of 2018, households increased their net investments in financial assets by EUR 0.7 billion. EUR 1.1 billion more assets flowed to cash and transferable deposits on net. Investments in mutual fund shares also grew on net. In turn, investments in quoted shares, time deposits and debt securities decreased on net.

Most of the rise in the total level of households financial assets, EUR 2.1 billion, was, however, due to holding gains, that is, the value increase of investments. The favourable development in prices of quoted shares raised households assets by EUR 1.1 billion. The value development of unquoted shares and equity and mutual fund shares was also positive.

Households indebtedness ratio increased

Households loan debts increased by EUR 1.8 billion in the third quarter of 2018. Loan debts amounted to EUR 152.0 billion at the end of the quarter. Households' indebtedness ratio rose by 0.6 percentage points from the previous quarter to 128.1 per cent. Households' indebtedness ratio is calculated as the ratio of their loan debts at the end of a quarter to their total disposable income during the preceding four quarters.

Non-financial corporations debt financing decreased slightly

Non-financial corporations debt financing declined by EUR 0.3 billion during the third quarter of 2018 to EUR 248.2 billion. Debt financing refers to non-financial corporations loan debts and commercial papers and other debt securities issued by non-financial corporations. Non-financial corporations financing in the form of debt securities decreased to EUR 31.1 billion, a drop of EUR 0.4 billion from the level at the end of June. Non-financial corporations' loan debts grew by EUR 0.1 billion to EUR 217.1 billion. Here, the non-financial corporations sector does not include housing companies or other housing corporations.

Source: Financial accounts, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Henna Laasonen 029 551 3303, Tuomas Koivisto 029 551 3329, rahoitus.tilinpito@stat.fi

Director in charge: Ville Vertanen

Publication in pdf-format (248.4 kB)

Updated 21.12.2018

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Financial accounts [e-publication].

ISSN=1458-8145. 3rd quarter 2018. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 2.12.2021].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/rtp/2018/03/rtp_2018_03_2018-12-21_tie_001_en.html
In November Dani Garcia's restaurant at the Puente Romano hotel in Marbella gained its third Michelin star and barely a month later the Marbella-born chef has dropped a bombshell. At a meeting on Tuesday he announced to his team that "2019 will be the last for the Dani Garcia restaurant". The poker faces of his workers said everything.

"The day I got the third star I wanted to change things and do them differently." So that is what he has done. "I'm sorry for Marbella and Malaga but this is a personal decision," he explained.

The previous day he had discussed his decision with the Michelin Guide management to explain his motives.

They accepted it "as a great loss to Spanish haute cuisine" but treated his decision with "absolute respect."

The Dani Garcia restaurant at the Puente Romano will close on 22 October, a month before the new guide comes out.

"We have 314 days and 202 sittings left." Dani Garcia does not intend to retire, far from it; in fact he is expecting his new project to involve more work.

His restaurant will reopen as a steak house called Lena. And of course, one of the main items on the menu will be burgers. It may seem absurd to exchange the world of haute cuisine for the most basic of foods but it has always been Dani Garcia's intention to bring his cooking to a wider public, moving away from the list of elite customers he has catered for in the past.

He admits that the third Michelin star was the catalyst that prompted him to start a new career from the beginning.

"What is life if you don't have a dream? Now we are going to conquer the world by turning everything on its head. It may seem a shame to do this but we are not just top chefs, we are great cooks," observed Garcia, ready to start a "new revolution" in the world of gastronomy.

"We've got as far as we can but the world is a big place and there is a lot to do. I want to take Andalucia to every corner [of the world]," he added.

He has plans, besides the Lena project, to open a bar called Hoso, serving traditional Andalusian gastronomy and another called Iris, a restaurant that will open in the Four Seasons hotel in Madrid at the end of 2019.

Repercussions

He is aware of the repercussions of his news, but says, "This isn't good-bye, there are many possibilities." These include the expansion of his BiBo project already planned in Qatar and with a window opening also in Dubai, London and perhaps Barcelona. Not forgetting Lobito de Mar, another restaurant that could expand into Madrid, where BiBo opened two and a half years ago.

His return to the centre of Malaga city has not been ruled out either. Dani Garcia is leaving the door open. "Some day we will be coming back but on a smaller scale, the way it should be, something more exclusive," he said.
Walt Disney, who had lung cancer, dreamed of prolonging his existence beyond death and asked his loved ones to freeze his body after he died (he died in 1966). He wanted to be the first person to be cryopreserved, believing that one day, when medical advances made it possible, doctors could wake him up and he could go back to how he used to be. At that time many people believed in that utopia. Nowadays some still think Disney is being kept at minus 196 degrees in an aluminium capsule, waiting for science to give him back his life, but in fact it never happened. His family considered it to be an infantile fantasy, and had him cremated. So, Walt wasn't a pioneer in cryotherapy after all.

James Bedford, the first to be cryopreserved On 12 January 2018 it was 51 years since James Bedford, an American professor of Psychology at the University of California, died at the age of 73 from kidney cancer. He was the first person to be encapsulated, waiting for sufficient medical advances to beat death. They put him in ice and kept him connected to an artificial respiration machine. Then they injected him with dimethyl sulfoxide, a liquid which had begun to be used as a cryopreservative, and froze him with dry ice before submerging him in liquid nitrogen. He is still kept at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation.

That position is actually held by James Bedford, who died on 12 January 1967. Minutes before breathing his last breath, this psychology professor placed himself in the hands of the recently constituted Cryonics Society of California, persuaded that a scientific advance would bring him back into this world again. Fifty-one years later, the miracle has not happened... "yet", say those who have blind faith in a technique, as experimental as it is controversial, which "will be totally viable within a few years".

One of these is Albert Estrada, the medical director of Cecryon, a company in Valencia which will be the first in Europe to offer a corpse cryopreservation service. "We have sufficient arguments to think that cryopreserved people will be recuperated one day," he says. The main one is scientific and technological evolution. In the case of cryopreservation, the difficulties lie in technical problems derived from the large size of an adult human body. About 30 years ago they started to cryopreserve bull sperm, then ovules and embryos, and today they can vitrify and then recover a sheep's ovary or rabbit's kidney with biological viability. Next it will be a whole rabbit, then a cat, a pig and finally a human. "We will recover the patients when the medical techniques exist to bring them back to life in full health," says Estrada.

A money-making exercise

They don't see it like that at the Observatory of Bioethics and Law at the University of Barcelona. On the contrary, they consider this to be just another money-making exercise which generates false expectations because "there is no scientific, legal or ethical guarantee" to sustain it.

Obtaining a 'passport' for a hypothetical second life isn't cheap. The client has to pay 200,000 euros while they are alive, and the success of the procedure, say those who have introduced it in Spain, will depend on the speed with which it is carried out after death.

"Once declared clinically dead, the individual's tissues start to be damaged through the effect of hypoxia," explains Estrada, who is a specialist in clinical biochemistry. "When the heart stops beating, oxygen doesn't reach the organs and the brain is more sensitive to this deficit. It is crucial to keep the blood flowing, lower the body temperature with water and ice and inject heparin to stop the formation of clots which obstruct the vascular tree and later stop us administering cryoprotective substances". This is a type of anticoagulant designed to stop crystals forming.

The procedure has to be carried out extremely slowly in order to avoid fractures; it can take up to five days. Cecryon plans to carry it out at a specially prepared 1,500-square-metre facility at the private Parque San Jaime de Ribarroja crematorium, in Valencia. The company has invested more than one million euros in it and says two clients already have their cryocapsules prepared. There they will remain 'sine die' in liquid nitrogen, in the hope of coming back to life one day. If that were to happen, what condition would they be in when they returned to the world? Would they remember their previous life?

Estrada has no doubts. "They will retain all their memory," he insists. "These days scientists vitrify and recover small worms who have previously been trained to look for food in a particular place and after passing through the process they still remember what they had learned. We also know of people whose hearts have stopped for more than two hours and had no brain activity, whose memories and personality remained intact after they recover."

The Spanish Bioethics Society doesn't believe the example of the worm can be extrapolated to a human being, "when we have 200 different types of cells and millions of them in our bodies," insists Francisco Jose Ramiro. "What is really complicated is that those cells don't die during the freezing, and at present there is no experimental evidence about the freezing and unfreezing processes. From a medical point of view, this can't be taken seriously, and from the ethical angle, it is playing on people's wishes for survival".

Cryopreservation itself is not new. About 350 people in the USA have been cryopreserved, and about 500 in Russia. Estrada is convinced that his business will be successful, "because we are the only viable alternative once current medical technology can do nothing more for the patient," he says.

A family passion

Albert grew up in this field because his father, Luis Estrada, is the president of the Spanish Cryonics Society. He is aware of misgivings in the medical profession. "I don't want to convert anyone or sell the product to anybody; anyone who wants to die can die," he says.

Spanish legislation does not include any specific rules regarding cryogenisation with a view to bringing people back to life when the illness which caused their death can be cured. A decree from 1974 says there are three options when somebody dies: burial in an authorised site, cremation or immersion out at sea.

However, Albert Estrada says regional rules in Valencia recognise that a body can be preserved. "We are licenced as a crematorium and the authorities only ask us to have an oven available for sanitary purposes. We will never use it, but they think it is needed in case a corpse putrefies and has to be incinerated," he says. Ribarroja del Turia town hall, however, says the company is only licenced for cremation.

"If they want to provide a cryopreservation service, they'll have to apply to the Health Ministry for an expanded licence. With that documentation, we will ask the regional government what technical requirements the project will have to fulfil in order for us to grant them the permit. At the moment, though, they don't have that permission," insists the mayor, Roberto Raga.

Cryopreservation consists of lowing the temperature of the human body to minus 130 degrees, extracting the blood and substituting it with a cryogenic liquid, a type of antifreeze, to preserve it. Then, it is placed in a capsule with liquid nitrogen. The idea is to keep it there until medicine has found a cure for the illness which caused the death.

"The objective is for the person to come back to life in a perfect state of health," says Albert Estrada, of Cecryon.
The car industry is fuming. Successive announcements from the Spanish government about a rise in the price of diesel in 2019 and a ban on the sale of combustion engines from 2040 as part of the fight against climate change, have sounded the alarm in a sector of the economy which represents ten per cent of Spain's GDP and nine per cent of employment. In recent weeks dealers and manufacturers have been complaining about the "uncertainty and confusion" created by these situations, which they say is already having an effect on the market.

THE FIGURES 32,636 new vehicles were registered in Malaga province in 2017, an increase of 9.7 per cent. 53 electric vehicles have been sold in Malaga so far this year, the highest number since 2014 5,000 charging points exist in the whole of Spain, whereas in Paris alone there are 12,000

"People come to the dealers but they don't know what to buy. It's a complete mess," says Carlos Oliva, the president of the Malaga Automotive Association (AMA), which comprises 200 companies including official dealers, workshops and showrooms who employ 3,000 people in total. He says the scandals about diesel engines some years ago tilted the balance in favour of petrol-fueled cars, "and now with the tax harmonisation they are proposing this could be the end for diesel vehicles".

In Malaga province, in the first ten months of this year, 29,826 vehicles were registered, of which 16,449 were petrol and 11,036 diesel. This is an increase of 9.9 per cent compared with the same period in 2017. Now, the sector is warning that in November the number of new registrations fell by 22 per cent, on top of a nationwide reduction in October (6.6 per cent, 88,410 vehicles). In fact, September brought to an end 29 months of consecutive increases all over the country, coinciding with the new European regulation regarding emissions coming into force, which caused an increase in operations in the previous months.

The sector represents 10% of Spain's GDP and 9% of employment, with more than 150,000 workers

"There is a certain demonisation of diesel, because of the scandals about manipulation of contaminatory emission levels, although more people are now realising that a diesel car can have a more intensive use," says Oliva, who in any case believes that the Spanish automotive sector is not prepared for complete 'decarbonisation' within 30 years.

"The government's announcements are all well and good, but they are forgetting that in other countries, like Germany, they have organised one billion euros of investment plans to encourage the change of model, and provide help for people buying electric or hybrid vehicles," he says.

Sources at Faconauto, the federation of dealers' associations, are concerned that the government's intention of banning registration and sales of traditional combustion and hybrid vehicles in 2040 will reduce the number of new registrations even further. "It's bad news for the sector and for the economy," they say, and they want the government to rejuvenate the ageing Spanish vehicle fleet in the short term, as part of its plan to decarbonise mobility. "They can't just give out this information without the sector knowing about it, and without specific and exact measures in mind," they complain.

The government has also come under strong criticism from manufacturers. The Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers (Anfac) flatly rejects the move, considering its "objectives excessive and its deadlines accelerated". Sources there also consider that "in practice, this means going against the principle of technological neutrality which is defended to the utmost by the European Union," they say.

Transport sector

Those in the transport sector are also critical of the government's plans. Borja de Torres, president of the Acotral firm and vice-president of the federation, says it is "difficult to evaluate the proposal because it would have effects ten years before coming into force and it is difficult to know whether at that time there will be alternatives to diesel which are efficient in economic, social and environmental terms".

In his opinion, "someone who wants to invest in a diesel vehicle in 2030 will know that in 2040 it will have no value" and that, he says, will affect consumption and the industry.

"I believe that a progressive implantation with assistance would be much more suitable. Also, there are a lot of matters to sort out, like charging systems and batteries (in Spain there are only about 5,000 charging posts, compared with 12,000 in Paris alone), the model and energy costs, the autonomy of the vehicles... all this needs to be resolved before setting a date," he says.

The lack of public assistance for the sector to buy vehicles is another common complaint. "There has been none for more than three years now, although those are more profitable for the State because it recovers the money through the taxes paid on registration and IVA," says Carlos Oliva.

With regard to assistance for electric vehicles, compared with the plans in other countries, Spain has only invested 74.5 million euros in the past five years, and last year there was none.

Despite this avalanche of criticism, the Minister of Energy Transition, Teresa Ribera, defends the draft plans. She says they are reasonable and would mean full implantation of electric vehicles in 22 years.

"Spain cannot be at the back of the queue in the process towards which the whole EU is heading. The worst that we can find is that a tsunami passes over us," she said in a recent TV interview.

new vehicles were registered in Malaga province in 2017, an increase of 9.7 per cent.

electric vehicles have been sold in Malaga so far this year, the highest number since 2014.

charging points exist in the whole of Spain, whereas in Paris alone there are 12,000.
The prison in Archidona, known as Malaga II, became the latest headache for the prisons authorities on Wednesday when 17 of the 32 guards expected to be on duty were off work, citing health problems.

This was the highest proportion of missing staff across ten prisons nationally where the same situation has occurred this week, leading management at the Archidona jail to call staff back from holiday leave and make other officers work double shifts.

While the authorities are unwilling as yet to call it "coordinated action", they have said that they are "monitoring" the situation to see if any of these absences constitute some form of non-authorised protest. "We are checking whether these illnesses are genuine or not," said the prisons authority's general secretary, Angel Luis Ortiz Gonzalez.

This comes a year after the start of a campaign by the prison workers' unions calling for improvements to working conditions and salaries. The campaign is ongoing and no concessions have yet been made. Ortiz has made it clear that there is no possibility of any changes to wages at the present moment but that they were open to discussions over improving safety, providing "they leave extortion and insults to one side".
The drugs and organised crime department of the Costa del Sol's National Police force (Udyco) have revealed that at the beginning of December one of the province's biggest cocaine hauls was uncovered in a warehouse in Velez-Malaga.

Almost a tonne of the drug was found by officers in a shipment of avocados which had arrived into Algeciras port from south America and were destined for one of the Axarquia's horticultural companies. The National Police raided the premises following a tip-off.

Four men, two of whom are Spanish, one Moroccan and one Romanian, have been arrested on suspicion of their involvement in the operation and have been remanded in custody awaiting trial.

The find is the second biggest in Malaga province this year and one of the largest in the country. Police sources have said that the value of the cocaine is approximately 60 million euros, although its street value, once cut and mixed with other substances, could be anything up 160 million euros.

The biggest haul was seized from a warehouse in the Santa Teresa industrial estate in Malaga city in October. In an operation named 'Bananero', 6.3 tonnes of cocaine were found in a shipment of bananas which had entered Europe via Portugal.
Officers from the Catalan regional police force charged protesters on Friday morning to prevent an invasion of the security perimeter around the venue of the Spanish Cabinet meeting in Barcelona.

The decision by the government to hold its weekly meeting outside Madrid had outraged the separatist movement, which called supporters to join demonstrations outside the meeting's venue, the historic headquarters of the local chamber of commerce, the Llotja de Mar.

The situation was made complicated, said police representatives, due to the violence shown by some of the protesters.

Incidents occurred at various points surrounding the security cordon, Paralelo, Avenida Drassanes, Via Laietana, Raval and Las Ramblas.

The CDR (Committees for the Defence of the Republic) had called for supporters not only to surround the police cordon but also to do their best to bring Barcelona's wider area to a standstill.

At 5.30am demonstrators started blocking traffic and by mid morning roads had been blocked intermittently in all four provinces of Catalonia.

Protesters are expected to come together for a march at 6pm in the city centre.
The proposed pact between the conservative Partido Popular and centre-right Ciudadanos, with which they aim to unseat the PSOE Socialist party at the helm of the Andalusian government, already included 83 agreed points earlier this week.

Among them were an anti-corruption law, new transparency policies and an Andalusian pact against gender violence.

The Partido Popular (PP), whose regional leader Juanma Moreno hopes to be invested as president of the Junta, regretted on Thursday that the deal with Ciudadanos (Cs) had not been making faster progress.

Juan Marin, the Andalusian leader of Ciudadanos responded, however, on Thursday night by saying that there was an initial agreement but several loose ends needed tidying up.

While the two groups had managed to agree on many proposed policies for a new government, whether or not to rely on the support of far-right newcomers Vox was still a sticking point.

Ciudadanos, whose Andalusian leader Juan Marin has agreed to support Moreno's investiture, giving up his own bid to lead the government, is still reluctant to ask for the votes of the 12 Vox regional MPs.

The centre-right group's preferred scenario is to persuade the PSOE, who won most votes in the 2 December election but has no support to form a government, to abstain when Moreno stands to be elected as leader.

The Partido Popular has not ruled out talks with Vox, although it has not admitted to already holding negotiations. The Vox leader nationally, Santiago Abascal, however, has already announced negotiations with the PP to secure a significant role for his party's representatives in the Seville parliament.

The new Andalusian MPs are due to be officially sworn in next Thursday 27 December. That is when the Mesa del Parlamento, the legal institution that presides over the parliament, formed by a president (or speaker), vice-presidents and secretaries, will have to be established. The make-up of this group is still on the negotiating table.

"Time is running out," said Juanma Moreno this week, adding that he would hold as many meetings as necessary with Cs, even on Christmas Eve.

The PP will still put forward Moreno as candidate for president even without a deal, he said, and leave it up to the parties to decide whether or not they want to put an end to 36 years of Socialist rule.
Pikangikum First Nation Officially Connected to Ontarios Power Grid through the Wataynikaneyap Power Transmission Line Project

PIKANGIKUM, Ontario, Dec. 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pikangikum First Nation is the first community to officially connect to the Ontario power grid via the Wataynikaneyap Power Transmission Line Project (the Project). The Project is one of the most ambitious and transformative infrastructure projects in Canadas history, led by 22 First Nations communities.

Pikangikum is one of 17 communities in the North to be connected to Ontarios power grid. The community has gathered together with Wataynikaneyap Power to energize Pikangikum and to celebrate the achievement today with a Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony. These are the first Christmas lights in the community in over 10 years and symbolizes new opportunities for the people of Pikangikum. Today the switch that connected the community to diesel generated electricity was officially shut down and Pikangikum is now completely reliant on the Ontario power grid. It is a historic moment that has been long-anticipated and welcomed by Pikangikums Chief, Dean Owen.

Like many First Nations communities, Pikangikum has relied on aging and outdated diesel generators for electricity for far too long. With the connection of our community to the provincial power grid we see access to safe, reliable energy and, more importantly, we see a brighter future, says Chief Dean Owen Pikangikum First Nation. Today, we see a future where there are jobs for our people, where our children can consistently go to school, where we can build, power, and live in new homes, and where there are business opportunities for even more growth.

Todays connection and celebration in Pikangikum is a remarkable achievement that follows the commitment made when Pikangikum joined Wataynikaneyap in 2016. There have been many years of planning and development work on the line since the First Nation communities gave a mandate to investigate the connection of 17 remote First Nations to the provincial transmission grid, premised on eventual 100% First Nations ownership.

Our elders signed the treaty to share in the benefits of any major development that occurs in the homelands. Our people are leading the pathway by owning a major infrastructure with a vision of bringing light to our communities, says Margaret Kenequanash, CEO of Wataynikaneyap Power. We celebrate with Pikangikum this remarkable achievement. Today, the line that brings light shines in Pikangikum and brings us one step closer to energizing across the North and realizing the hopes of our people and future generations.

The Government of Canada announced in August 2017, funding to connect Pikangikum First Nation to Ontarios power grid. Fortis was the construction lead and the project was completed safely and in time for Christmas. With minor upgrades in the future, the line will be used to connect other remote First Nations communities north of the community. It also provided opportunity for community members who participated in relevant training, to be employed during various stages of the Pikangikum project.

Congratulations to Pikangikum First Nation, which will connect to the Ontario electricity grid for the first time on December 20th. Pikangikums newly completed transmission line enables the community to end their dependence on diesel as the primary energy source and opens the door to new economic opportunities and jobs powered by clean and reliable energy. Our Government is proud to invest in the Wataynikaneyap Power Transmission Project, a historic and Indigenous-led initiative that is working to connect 17 remote First Nations communities to the provincial electricity grid by 2023, says the Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Indigenous Services Canada.

The Wataynikaneyap Power Transmission Project improves the lives of families, and brings economic opportunity to the Pikangikum First Nation community, says the Honourable Greg Rickford, Ontario Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and Minister of Indigenous Affairs. Im proud of the role the Government of Ontario has playedworking with Indigenous partners to help connect Pikangikum First Nation to the provincial power grid. This important achievement has brought light to Pikangikum, and lights the path to a brighter future.

Currently, 17 of the 22 First Nations who own and are in partnership with Wataynikaneyap Power rely on diesel generators which have become financially unsustainable, environmentally risky and inadequate to meet community needs. A majority of the remote communities are at capacity with their diesel generators or face electrical load restrictions limiting the construction of homes and other critical infrastructure that would support community growth.

We know how important access to safe, reliable electricity is for a communitys health, economic and social outcomes, said Barry Perry, President and CEO, Fortis Inc. We are proud to share our utility expertise and to transfer that knowledge to our First Nations partners to eventually operate and maintain the utility. Today we celebrate a significant step forward in creating further benefits for First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario.

The Pikangikum line represents the first of the 17 remote First Nations to connect to the grid. There are 16 more communities left to connect, said Scott Hawkes, President and CEO, FortisOntario Inc. Our team will continue to apply the same level of dedication and commitment to the remainder of the Project in support of our First Nations partners."

This Project has been built through the vision and leadership of our communities, along with the partnerships we have established with industry and governments. It is a precedent-setting initiative that gives our people hope and promise for the future, adds Kenequanash. We thank both levels of government and Fortis who have worked with us to get the line that brings light into Pikangikum  it is truly a historic day!

About Wataynikaneyap Power:

Wataynikaneyap Power is a licensed transmission company, regulated by the Ontario Energy Board, equally owned by 22 First Nation communities (51%), who partnered with experienced industry leader Fortis Inc. (49%). FortisOntario Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fortis Inc., and an electricity transmission and distribution utility holding company based in Ontario, owns 49% of the general partnership of Wataynikaneyap Power and acts as the project manager through its wholly owned subsidiary, Wataynikaneyap Power PM Inc. To connect remote First Nations communities to the electrical grid, Wataynikaneyap Power will develop, manage construction, and operate approximately 1,800 kilometers of 230 kV, 115 kV, and 44 kV lines in northwestern Ontario. For further information, please visit: www.wataypower.ca.

Media Contact:

Ms. Kristine Carmichael, Director, Corporate and Customer Services, FortisOntario

905.994.3637  Kristine.carmichael@fortisontario.com

Ms. Colleen Ryan, Sussex Strategy Group

647.232.6867  cryan@sussex-strategy.com

Pikangikum Power Line Project

Media Event Backgrounder

Pikangikum First Nation Officially Connected to Ontario Power Grid through the Wataynikaneyap Power Transmission Line Project



Summary:

Construction Start: October 2017 Construction Completion: December 2018 Number of Jobs: Approximately 300(Direct and indirect) Total Length: 117km Wataynikaneyap Website www.wataypower.ca

Key Messages:

Pikangikum First Nation is the first community to officially connect to the Ontario power grid via the Wataynikaneyap Power Transmission Line Project (the Project). The Project is one of the most ambitious and transformative infrastructure projects in Canadas history, led by 22 First Nations communities.

Pikangikum First Nations diesel generating station has been at capacity since 2010. As a result, the community has been subject to electrical load restrictions. In addition, there have been frequent power outages and several catastrophic generator failures in recent years. In recent weeks, the community has been experiencing daily power outages.

Education, health services, safe drinking water, food supply, safety and many other basic human necessities require the provision of clean, reliable, and accessible power. Over 80% of existing homes are without water and sewer service.

The Pikangikum Power Line Project is the first segment of the 1800km Wataynikaneyap Transmission Project. The Pikangikum Power Line Project has been fast tracked due to the urgent need for the power line and proximity to the existing grid.

With minor upgrades, the power line will be used in the future to connect additional remote First Nations communities north of Pikangikum.

The Government of Canada announced in August 2017, funding to connect Pikangikum First Nation to Ontarios power grid. FortisOntario acted as the project manager and PowerTel was the constructor for the project. The project was completed safely and in time for Christmas as committed.

The project generated approximately 300 direct and indirect jobs throughout the construction phase with 10 percent First Nation employees



Background information on the Wataynikaneyap Transmission Project:

Wataynikaneyap Power is a licensed transmission company equally owned by 22 First Nation communities (51%), in partnership with Fortis Inc. (49%). FortisOntario Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fortis Inc., and an electricity transmission and distribution utility holding company based in Ontario, has a 49% interest in the general partner of Wataynikaneyap Power and owns 100% of Wataynikaneyap Power PM Inc., the project manager. Pikangikum First Nation is one of 22 First Nation partners. Wataynikaneyap will develop, own, and operate approximately 1,800 kilometers of 230 kV, 115 kV, and 44 kV power lines in northwestern Ontario (the Project) in order to connect remote First Nation communities to the provincial electricity grid. The communities are currently powered by diesel generation, which is financially unsustainable, environmentally risky, and inadequate to meet community needs.

22 First Nation communities working together and controlling the development of infrastructure within their traditional lands is monumental and will be a catalyst for greater prosperity and economic self-determination.

The Project is a massive undertaking and is one project with two phases. The first phase, a new 300 km 230 kV transmission line to Pickle Lake, will reinforce power supply in the area. The existing line is over 70 years old and at capacity and is prone to frequent, extended power outages. The second phase includes 1,500 km of 115 kV and 44 kV transmission lines to connect 17 remote First Nations communities north of Pickle Lake and Red Lake.

The Governments of Canada and Ontario approved funding for the Project in the aggregate amount of $1.6 billion. The funding framework allows for a viable transmission business with First Nations and Fortis Inc. participating as the equity investors. Now that the funding framework has been approved, the next major milestone is the filing of the leave to construct application with the Ontario Energy Board. Upon receipt of regulatory approvals and permitting, Wataynikaneyap Power expects to start construction in 2019. The Government of Ontario has recognized Wataynikaneyap Powers efforts by identifying the connection of remote First Nation communities as a provincial priority and designating the company to undertake the Project.

In addition to the significant savings associated with the avoided cost of diesel generation, the Project is estimated to create 769 jobs during construction and nearly $900 million in socio-economic benefits. Socio-economic benefits include lower greenhouse gas emissions (more than 6.6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent GHG emissions are estimated to be avoided), as well as improved health of community members, and ongoing benefits from increased economic growth.

FortisOntario Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fortis Inc., and an electricity transmission and distribution utility holding company based in Ontario, acts as the project manager and has responsibility to develop, manage construction and operate the line. The goals of the Project include the connection of remote First Nations communities, capacity building and eventual 100% First Nations ownership and operation of line.

More information about Wataynikaneyap Power can be found at www.wataypower.ca



Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/84859b9c-6e5c-4c37-9035-083ae8789f9e

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/721a7138-be7f-43a0-af39-4f16cac35538
ABERDEEN, Wash., Dec. 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pacific Financial Corporation (OTCQB: PFLC), the holding company for Bank of the Pacific, today announced that it will donate the Naselle branch building at 309 Knappton Road to the nearby Ocean Beach Hospital and Medical Clinics. The branch building is approximately 2,000 square-feet and is slated to close on February 1, 2019, with customer accounts consolidated into the nearby Bank of the Pacific branches in Coastal Washington and Oregon. An automated teller machine (ATM) will be retained at the building site.



The medical clinic in Naselle is presently located in a 1,000 square foot mobile home, approximately 2 miles from the new building. It has been part of the Naselle community for over 35 years. The new location offers twice the much-needed space, which will be a tremendous asset to patients in the community. In addition, the medical clinic will benefit from the increased visibility adjacent to other Naselle businesses. The vision of the hospital and medical clinics is to continue to provide high-quality routine and critical health care services to the rural communities they service.

As a community bank, we are delighted to be able to support our community by gifting this building to Ocean Beach Hospital, which provides essential medical and health services to the community, said Denise Portmann, President and Chief Executive Officer. As we lamented closing the Naselle branch, we wanted to continue supporting the community. Ocean Beach Hospital needs the additional space and they will also benefit from a more visible location.

We are honored to accept this gift from Bank of the Pacific, said Larry Cohen, MS, Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Beach Hospital and Medical Clinics. We are very appreciative of the Bank for this generous donation. We are excited about the opportunity to create an updated care site and continue servicing the Naselle community with medical care in a more visible location and in the areas commercial hub. Ocean Beach Hospital and its medical clinics provide access to both routine and critical health care services for the people who live, work and play in our community. Our mission is to improve the health and the well-being of the people who are in our care.

In addition to donating the building to Ocean Beach Hospital, we are also mindful of the importance of banking in the community. As such, we will be upgrading the existing ATM with deposit taking capabilities in its current location, allowing our customers to maintain their relationship with the bank while making deposits and withdrawals at their convenience, added Portmann.

ABOUT OCEAN BEACH HOSPITAL

Ocean Beach Hospital was founded in 1934 and is community-owned and operated as a public hospital district. It is governed by an elected board of commissioners. They are a Level IV Trauma Hospital and a Level III Stroke Hospital, and are members of the Washington State Hospital Association, Washington Rural Health Collaborative, Washington Rural Health Association, CHOICE/Cascade Pacific Action Alliance, Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts and Pacific County EDC.

Ocean Beach Hospital is a critical access hospital, a designation developed to ensure continued access to high-quality healthcare for rural communities. They are licensed for 25 inpatient beds, and operate an active swing bed program, allowing patient rooms to transition between acute care and skilled care services. Ocean Beach Hospital is among the largest employers in Pacific County, Washington, with physicians and staff at our hospital and clinics numbering over 180 people. See www.oceanbeachhospital.com .

ABOUT PACIFIC FINANCIAL CORPORATION

Pacific Financial Corporation of Aberdeen, Washington, is the bank holding company for Bank of the Pacific, a state chartered and federally insured commercial bank. Bank of the Pacific offers banking products and services to small-to-medium sized businesses and professionals in western Washington and Oregon. At September 30, 2018, the Company had total assets of $937 million and operated fifteen branches in the communities of Grays Harbor, Pacific, Whatcom, Skagit, Clark and Wahkiakum counties in the State of Washington, and three branches in Clatsop County, Oregon. The Company also operated loan production offices in the communities of Tacoma and Burlington in Washington and Salem, Oregon. Visit the Companys website at www.bankofthepacific.com . Member FDIC.

Contact:

Denise Portmann, President & CEO

Pacific Financial Corporation

Bank of the Pacific

360.537.4061
ITN has appointed Anna Mallett as its new Chief Executive Officer. She joins from BBC Studios, where she is Group Chief Operating Officer and MD, Production.





Mallett replaces John Hardie, who will leave at the end of 2018, having earlier this year announced his decision to step down from ITN after almost a decade leading the company.



She will take up her new role in 2019, with Chief Financial Officer Bryan Martin and ITN Productions Editorial Director Chris Shaw assuming the respective roles of Acting CEO and Acting Editor-in-Chief in the interim.



She is currently Chief Operating Officer and MD, Production of BBC Studios and led the integration of BBC Worldwide and the BBCs UK production business. Prior to her current role, Anna held a number of senior positions at the BBC, including as Chief Operating Officer of the pre-merger BBC Studios, which delivered around 2000 hours of content in 2017.



Before joining the BBC, she spent around eight years at global management consultant firm the Boston Consulting Group, leading projects for FTSE 100 companies, mainly in the media and retail sectors. She has an MBA from Harvard and a doctorate from the University of Oxford.



Christy Swords, Chair of the ITN Board, said: Anna is a proven leader, with an extremely impressive commercial background and a fantastic pedigree in TV production. Her track record speaks for itself, and shell bring energy, expertise and impeccable credentials to the job.



Anna will join at an exciting period in the companys history, with ITNs award-winning journalism stronger than ever and ITN Productions having grown substantially over the last decade. The Board is confident that, under Annas leadership, ITN is well-positioned to deliver continued growth and further achievements over the coming years.



Commenting on her appointment, Anna Mallett said: I am very honoured to be appointed CEO of ITN. Having spent over a decade at the BBC, I have a profound belief in the importance of high quality news to all of us, and a huge respect for the journalists, crew and production teams whose curiosity and craft lies behind ITNs reputation. And the success and diversification of ITNs award-winning production arm also means there is now a further strong platform for future growth. At a time of immense change in all parts of the media, I am excited about leading the ITN team on the next chapter in an already impressive history.



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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ICC International Cannabis Corp. (CSE: WRLD)(FWB: 8K51)(OTC: KNHBF) ("ICC" or International Cannabis or the Company) is pleased to announce it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100 per-cent of Balkan Cannabis Corp (Balkan Cannabis). Balkan Cannabis controls Macedonian medical Cannabis cultivation and extraction licences, as well as Bulgarian medical Cannabis and hemp cultivation licences.



International Cannabis will leverage Balkan Cannabis extensive Eastern Europe network to target the second wave of European cannabis legalisation. With multiple operational offices located throughout the region, Balkan Cannabis aims to be the first mover within the Eastern European medical cannabis and hemp theatre. Europes medical Cannabis industry has experienced exponential growth in the second half of 2018, exceeding that of the previous five years.1

MACEDONIA

Through a subsidiary in Macedonia, Balkan Cannabis has been granted an exclusive agreement with an existing licenced facility (the Licenced Facility), which permits the cultivation, manufacturing and export of medical Cannabis. The Licenced Facility is located on a 30-hectare land parcel in Valandovo, Macedonia. Valandovo is a region with a storied agricultural history, access to a skilled agronomical workforce, as well as arable land and soil conditions. As a result of its proximity to neighbouring European countries, the Licenced Facility provides a significant revenue opportunity for International Cannabis.

Balkan Cannabis Macedonian subsidiary has also been awarded the only Macedonia extraction licence to date and is in the process of building out the countrys first dedicated industrial extraction facility. Once operational, the extraction facility will essentially control the domestic Macedonian extraction market, making Balkan Cannabis the most dominant player in the region.

Balkan Cannabis owns 67% of its Macedonia subsidiary, with the remaining 33% controlled by a strategic regional partner. The Macedonian pharmaceutical market is valued at over US$165 million per annum.2 Macedonia imports over 50% of its medical products.3

BULGARIA

Balkan Cannabis also holds a 50% interest in a Bulgarian subsidiary, which controls licences for the production, manufacturing and export of both hemp and medical Cannabis. A prominent leader in the Bulgarian business community holds the remaining 50% of the subsidiary. Through its Bulgarian subsidiary, Balkan Cannabis controls a 15,000-hectare land parcel, with a two-year option to acquire an additional 15,000 hectares.

According to a World Bank study, 32.33% of Bulgarias land is highly arable and presents a unique opportunity for hemp cultivation. Bulgarias pharmaceutical market size is valued at over US$1.63 billion per annum.4 The country imports over 85% of its pharmaceutical products. Over 33% of the Bulgarian population is 55 years or older, resulting in disproportionately elevated cases of age-related diseases, including arthritis. Consumption of Medical cannabis and the application of hemp-derived products are known to help remedy these conditions.

RESULTING REVENUE STREAMS

International Cannabis acquisition of Balkan Cannabis further strengthens the Companys ability to realize multiple revenue streams from the European medical Cannabis and hemp markets.

As a result of this acquisition, International Cannabis plans to continue its pursuit of material revenues by:

The cultivation and export of pharmaceutical grade medical Cannabis in Eastern Europe; The mass production and export of hemp, leveraging its 15,000-hectare location in Bulgaria; The development and operation of its exclusive Macedonian extraction license; and The continued acquisition of European medical Cannabis and hemp licenses.

Balkan Cannabis is equipped with a highly experienced management team. Balkan Cannabis CEO and Co-Founder, Mr. Stevan Tafra, has extensive experience within the medical cannabis and hemp industries. In 2016, Mr. Tafra successfully founded a fully vertically integrated operation, which manufactures, extracts and exports hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD). Balkan Cannabis Chairman and Co-Founder, Milorad Bojovic was previously CEO and Director of Jugomontaza Monting, a leader in the international processing industry.

The acquisition of Balkan Cannabis further bolsters the Companys portfolio of European medical Cannabis and hemp assets. In 2017, the global medical Cannabis industry was valued at approximately US$15.6 Billion and is expected to rise to US$55 billion at a CAGR of 17.7%.5 Medical cannabis has proven useful in treating several health conditions ranging from chronic pain to epilepsy and depression.

The global hemp market was valued at US$5.7 Billion in 2018 and is expected to increase to US$22 billion at a CAGR of 31% by 2022.6 CBD, the active component from processed hemp, has many medical applications.

Upon closing, Balkan Cannabis Corp will transfer ownership of its proprietary license portfolio and operational assets to International Cannabis. The acquisition of Balkan Cannabis further augments International Cannabis robust portfolio of vertically integrated cannabis assets, as well as positions the Company to capitalize on the early and vast European medical Cannabis market.

With the addition of Balkan Cannabis, International Cannabis has access to a robust collection of medical cannabis and hemp production operations across Europe. International Cannabis plans to optimize and further expand Balkan Cannabis operations to become a leading pan-European exporter of medical cannabis and hemp products, as well as a establish itself continental producer to meet growing domestic demand. Primary location targets for continued development include Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Greece and Denmark.



ICC International Cannabis, through its subsidiaries, has agreements in place for European-based pharmaceutical distribution, wholesale importation, and research and development, as well as licences to cultivate, produce, distribute, store and export cannabis, cannabis derivatives and industrial hemp in Colombia, Denmark, Poland, Greece, Portugal, Poland, Macedonia, Bulgaria, South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho.



Under the terms of the agreement, the Company will issue 61,000,000 shares. A finders fee is payable on this transaction.

ICC International Cannabis plans to announce the financing plans of its Macedonian and Bulgarian medical Cannabis and hemp operations in January 2019.

ON BEHALF OF THE ICC INTERNATIONAL CANNABIS CORP BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Eugene Beukman

Eugene Beukman

CEO, Director

+1 (604) 687-2038

info@intlcannabiscorp.com

Learn more about ICC by visiting our website at: https://intlcannabiscorp.com/

Stay up to date with everything happening at ICC by following or liking us on:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ICCWRLD/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ICC_WRLD

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/icc-wrld/

THE CSE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Notice Regarding Forward Looking Information:

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or information that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. This information is only a prediction. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forward-looking information throughout this news release. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to: political changes in Canada and internationally, future legislative and regulatory developments involving cannabis in Canada and internationally, the Companys ability to secure distribution channels in international jurisdictions, competition and other risks affecting the Company in particular and the cannabis industry generally.

The forward-looking information contained in this release is expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements and is made as of the date of this release. Except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward- looking information to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise.

________





1 https://www.healtheuropa.eu/medical-cannabis/88296/

2 http://www.ewopharma.com/content/territories/macedonia.php

3 http://www.ewopharma.com/content/territories/macedonia.php

4 http://www.ewopharma.com/content/territories/bulgaria.php

5 Medical Marijuana Market Analysis 2017, Grand View Research.

6 https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/08/22/1555007/0/en/Medical-Marijuana-Market-worth-over-55-billion-by-2024-Global-Market-Insights-Inc.html




French English

The Casino Group completed the disposal of 67 Monoprix real estate assets to GENERALI Group and AG2R LA MONDIALE for 742 million

Following the synallagmatic agreements signed on 28 September and 17 October 2018, the Casino Group announces that it has completed yesterday the disposal of 53 and 14 Monoprix real estate assets to respectively GENERALI Group and AG2R LA MONDIALE.

After deducting registration fees, these transactions amount to 742 million, for a total annual rent of 35.4 million.

With a total amount of 1.1 billion assets disposed of at end-2018 following these transactions, the Casino Group exceeds the initial disposal target set on 11 June.

The Casino Group confirms all of its 2018 objectives. Continued good operational performance and the progressive roll-out of new profitability levers (new Horizon purchasing alliance, further data monetization, accelerated external development of GreenYellow) will enable Casino Group to improve its retail trading profit in France in 2019 at a similar pace to 2018, including the effects of additional rents.





About Casino Group

Casino Group is a well-established and key player in the French retail industry as well as a leader in the global food retail market, with more than 12,000 stores worldwide - in France, Latin America and in the Indian Ocean region. The Group has built up a portfolio of strong, dynamic and complementary banners, thanks to its workforce of over 220,000 people driven by a passion for retail and customer service, generating consolidated net sales of 38bn in 2017. In France, the Group successfully implemented its multi-format, multi-brand and multi-channel model by leveraging its large network of hypermarkets (Geant), supermarkets (Casino), urban supermarkets (Monoprix, Franprix, Leader Price), convenience stores (Casino Shop, Vival, Spar, Leader Price Express) and the French e-commerce leader Cdiscount. The Group is notably present in Latin America: N1 in Brazil with GPA and Via Varejo and in Colombia with Grupo Exito. In all of its host countries, the Casino Group focuses its development on the formats with the highest potential and ability to adapt in order to meet customer needs, both today and in the future. www.groupe-casino.fr

CASINO GROUP

ANALYST AND INVESTOR CONTACTS:

Regine GAGGIOLI - rgaggioli@groupe-casino.fr - +33 (0)1 53 65 64 17

Or

+33 (0)1 53 65 24 17 - IR_Casino@groupe-casino.fr

PRESS CONTACTS:

Casino Group - Direction of Communication

Stephanie ABADIE - sabadie@groupe-casino.fr - +33 (0)6 26 27 37 05

Or

+33(0)1 53 65 24 78 - directiondelacommunication@groupe-casino.fr

Agence IMAGE 7

+33(0)1 53 70 74 84 - Karine ALLOUIS - kallouis@image7.fr - Gregoire LUCAS - gregoire.lucas@image7.fr

Disclaimer

This press release was prepared solely for information purposes and should not be construed as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell securities or related financial instruments. Similarly, it does not give and should not be treated as giving investment advice. It has no connection with the investment objectives, financial situation or specific needs of any recipient. No representation or warranty, either express or implicit, is provided in relation to the accuracy, completeness or reliability of the information contained herein. It should not be regarded by recipients as a substitute for exercise of their own judgement. All opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.

***
Oslo, 21 December 2018: Scatec Solar and partners have grid connected and reached commercial operation (COD) for the 65 MW Gurun solar power plant in Malaysia. The Gurun plant is the first of three 65 MW solar plants under completion by Scatec Solar in Malaysia.

Completing our first solar plant in South East Asia together with our partners marks another important milestone for us. We are now realising one of the largest solar energy portfolios in the region with a total of 197 MW and we continue to see several interesting opportunities in the South East Asian market, says Raymond Carlsen, CEO of Scatec Solar.

The plant, located in the north-west of Peninsular Malaysia is expected to provide about 94,000 MWh of electricity per year, providing energy for more than 31,000 households. The clean energy produced by the Gurun plant will contribute to avoid about 70,000 tons of carbon emissions per year.

In December 2016, Scatec Solar entered the Malaysian large-scale solar energy market by joining forces with a local ITRAMAS-led consortium that had signed three 21-year Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with the country's largest electricity utility, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB). The partnership covers realisation of three solar plants totaling 197 MW with a total investment of about MYR 1,235 million (USD 293 million).

Scatec Solar has during 2018 almost doubled its production from 322 MW to 585 MW and now has a total of 1.4 GW in operation and under construction.

For further information, please contact:

Mikkel Trud, CFO tel: +47 976 99 144 mikkel.torud@scatecsolar.com

Ingrid Aarsnes, Communication & IR tel: +47 950 38 364 ingrid.aarsnes@scatecsolar.com

About Scatec Solar

Scatec Solar is an integrated independent solar power producer, delivering affordable, rapidly deployable and sustainable clean energy worldwide. A long- term player, Scatec Solar develops, builds, owns, operates and maintains solar power plants and has an installation track record of more than 1 GW. The company has a total of 1.4 GW in operation and under construction in Brazil, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Honduras, Jordan, Malaysia, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa and Ukraine.

With an established global presence and a significant project pipeline, the company is targeting a capacity of 3.5 GW in operation and under construction by end of 2021. Scatec Solar is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol 'SSO'. To learn more, visit www.scatecsolar.com.

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act


Image courtesy of John Murray Press

The Atlas of Happiness is an exploration of 33 different concepts from almost as many countries, from Icelands etta reddast (the belief that everything will work out in the end) to Italys dolce far niente (the enjoyment of doing nothing). Russell tells me the idea developed after The Year of Living Danishly was published in 2015, featuring the Danish word hygge, loosely translated as cosiness. Readers from around the world began to approach Russell to tell her about concepts in their own countries, after which she went into journalist mode.

I started researching the concepts further, she says, speaking to people from all over the world  either friends or friends of friends. I wanted to have a personal connection with everyone I spoke to. And they were normal people  that was important to me as well. They were normal people doing normal jobs, like stay-at-home parents, engineers, teachers, waiters people on the ground, to give a flavour of what life is like where they are, and the different cultural customs that they use.

Russell hopes the book will be a jumping-off point for readers to do their own research  to find new ways to understand each other more and to become happier.

In these days of rolling news and social media its easy to get the idea that the worlds becoming more depressing by the minute, she says. But there are still things to be positive about, there are people managing to be happy every day in countries around the world, in countries that top the happiness polls as well as those that dont.

We have to work to find a way to stay positive, because otherwise well just give up together. My rallying cry is that optimism isnt frivolous, its necessary.

I ask Russell more about happiness and mental health, especially in relation to students. She tells me she was inspired by the Brazilian/Portuguese concept of saudade, a melancholic feeling of nostalgia for a happiness that once was, or might have been. We all have to be sad sometimes to be happy, she says. I think thats really important these days, where mental health is more at the forefront of discussion. There are self-help tomes weighing down shelves nationwide, and were all trying to get happier, but its not about being jazz-hands happy all the time.

Its about finding meaning and purpose, she continues, pointing to the Chinese concept xing fu, which involves finding something that gives you purpose in life. Saudade acknowledges that sometimes you can give yourself over to those feelings, and have a sort of slackening to stay sane and keep afloat.

On the subject of mental health and coping mechanisms, we discuss Russells entry for England: jolly. Im somewhat sceptical, admitting to Russell that when I think of England Im struck less by thoughts of rosy-cheeked jolliness than miserable people and bad weather.

Russell is, unsurprisingly, more positive. She points me to recent terrorist attacks, citing in particular a photograph of a man running from an attack on London Bridge still clutching his pint of beer. Theres something there, she says. Its a sense of keeping going in spite of adversity. Our satire, for instance, is about being a bit sarcastic. Its a brisk cheerfulness. She concedes that burying our feelings is perhaps not the most healthy coping mechanism, and that we might have something to learn from other cultures on that score, but points out that it does work in many respects.

As a Brit Helen is well-placed to describe the English word jolly, as well as the entry for Wales. But what about the concepts from other countries? Is she concerned about the risk of appropriating cultural concepts?

I cant take responsibility for what people do when its out there, she says. I think when you create anything you can only do it from a place of exploration, and a place of love. For me it was a positive thing to be able to share these concepts. I guess in more consumerist countries there is a drive towards making money from things but thats not at its heart what its about.

I would hope that The Atlas of Happiness is an indication that there is good in the world and that there are positive things, and almost an invitation to travel and to experience more of these things yourself. And as well reasons to be cheerful on the days when it does seem too much, I would hope that people can dip in and find something to make them smile or to give them hope.

At this point Russells voice is drowned out by background noise on her end of the phone line. Im so sorry! she cries, a small child has just fallen over and is crying horribly. Sounding concerned, she assures me the child seems fine, and explains that shes in a library. But its a Danish library. As a student in Denmark myself, Ive already learned that Danish libraries are not like British ones: here phone interviews and small children are acceptable, even encouraged.

I ask Russell why students in particular might be drawn to The Atlas of Happiness. She tells me excitedly that shes just been to her 20-year university reunion, at Exeter where she studied English literature. Ive been thinking a lot about the person I was then, and how you feel as though the world is ahead of you, and thats a good thing and a bad thing.

I found it quite stressful leaving university because I loved it there, and I had been in this safe cocoon and then I had to leave and go out into the world, which I found terrifying. I had to really work through a lot of things to be able to cope with that.

As an only child, Russell loved living with other people at university, and says the experience taught her vital social skills that were useful later in life. The friendships I made there are still my strongest ones, she says, laughing warmly. Were all godparents to each others kids and we see each other all the time.

Despite finding it hard to go out into the world as she puts it, Russell has undoubtedly had great success in doing so. From starting as a researcher for the Sunday Times, she ended up as editor of marieclaire.co.uk, before moving to Denmark and working as a Scandinavia correspondent while writing The Year of Living Danishly. Her second book, Leap Year, followed in 2016, and her first novel, Gone Viking, was published in 2018 just nine months before The Atlas of Happiness. I ask if she has any advice for aspiring journalists or writers.

Two things, she tells me. Firstly its just putting the work in and producing a lot that you will discard. The first thing you write doesnt tend to be brilliant  unless youre Zadie Smith  so just writing and writing and writing until youve done your 10,000 hours. And then its about getting really firm and good at getting the red pen out and editing yourself until its the leanest that you can make it.

The approach seems to have worked for Russell. I ask whats next on the agenda for her, and she tells me that nothing is set in stone just yet.

I have a couple of non-fiction ideas and a couple of fiction ideas. Im just letting things percolate and seeing what refuses not to be written, and which I am in love with more.

The Atlas of Happiness is published by Two Roads, an imprint of John Murray Press. Hardback 16.99, for more details click here.
English Finnish

Press release, 21st December 2018 at 1:00 pm

SATO Corporation and Swedbank AB (publ), signed an agreement on a loan of 100 million without asset based securities in Helsinki on 21 December 2018. The funds will be used for refinancing of loans with asset security and for the Group's general financing needs.

- This new financing agreement between SATO and Swedbank supports our finance strategy in an excellent way and further deepens our co-ordination. The signed transaction is a consistent step towards our goal to increase the share of loans without asset based securities in our financing structure, SATO President and CEO Saku Sipola says.

At the end of the third quarter of the current year, interest-bearing debt without asset based securities accounted for approximately 64% of SATO's debt portfolio, and the unencumbered assets ratio on the balance sheet was around 73%.

For more information please contact:

SATO Corporation

Markku Honkasalo, CFO, phone: +0201 34 4226 or +358 50 598 8728

Janne Runsamo, Group Treasurer, phone +358 201 34 4009 or +358 45 671 3567

SATO is one of Finland's leading rental housing providers. SATO aims to offer a comprehensive choice of rental housing and an excellent customer experience. At year-end 2017 SATO owned around 25,800 apartments in Finland's largest growth centres and in St. Petersburg.

We promote sustainable development and initiative through our operations and work in open interaction with our stakeholders to generate added value. We operate profitably and with a long-term view. We increase the value of our housing stock through investments, divestments and repairs.

The SATO Group's net sales in 2017 were EUR 280 million, operating profit EUR 231 million and profit before taxes EUR 185 million. The value of SATO's investment assets was roughly EUR 3.6 billion.
The stereotype of British youth abroad often encompasses rowdy, outrageous, and drunken partying. You only have to watch one of the many TV programmes documenting Brits abroad or simply view the Inbetweeners movie to see how much this stereotype permeates our culture.

However, emerging trends flip this stereotype on its head as Sri Lanka is named the dream destination by Hostelworld. This follows growing evidence revealed by Hostelworld that young British people are increasingly prioritising unique cultural experiences and travelling farther across the world.

Image credit: amanjahemal on Pixabay

Unlike many other Southeast Asian destinations, Sri Lanka is yet to be overrun by tourists. This means that you can explore the gorgeous beaches, scuba-dive in abundant reefs, take a safari, or wander the rainbow-coloured temples, all without having to navigate through crowds of tourists. Sri Lankan culture remains largely untouched by tourism - a true cultural experience for whoever chooses to visit.

Statistics revealed by Hostelworld show that there has been a 64% increase in bookings to Sri Lanka between 2017 and 2018. Accompanying Sri Lanka in the top spots are Turkey, with a 54% increase, and Israel, with a 40% increase.

Additional research by Hostelworld reveals that approximately one-quarter of booking Brits prioritise cultural experiences compared to 3% favouring partying and 7% favouring tanning.

"Even when [British youth are] heading to conventional holiday destinations such as Turkey, theyre opting for culturally rich city escapes, rather than staying in typical tourist resorts. In the past year alone, weve seen bookings made by Brits to hostels in Istanbul increase by 44%, remarks Catriona Flood, Director of Strategy and Planning at Hostelworld.

Flood attributes these trends to the availability of technology to change plans last-minute and explore the world with the people we meet along the way. It enables people to research destinations they hear about and book somewhere to stay in a matter of minutes. Having reliable information at the tips of their fingers gives people confidence to explore further afield.

Contrary to the stereotype of Brits abroad  of sexual nicknames written across group t-shirts, of chants yelled in planes flying to party-destinations  young people are expanding their horizons and experiencing new cultures across the world. Instead of remaining behind the walls of resorts, more and more people are diving head-first into brand-new experiences. As technology increasingly allows easy travel and instant global communication, British youth are creating global networks of friends and building up a repertoire of cultural knowledge.

These growing trends demonstrate a growing global awareness among todays youth, as well as the increasing interconnectedness of our world.

Read our travel guide to Sri Lanka here.
English Danish

Company announcement no. 56

expanded customer cooperation boosts mediterranean routes

DFDS and Ekol Logistics have today agreed to significantly expand their cooperation regarding the transport of freight units on DFDS' ferry routes that connect Turkey with Italy.

Ekol Logistics provides transport and logistics solutions for freight between mainly Turkey and Europe. The company is one of Turkey's leading logistics providers.

"We are very pleased to expand our cooperation with Ekol Logistics which gives us an opportunity to support the growth of an even wider range of transport companies and industries involved in the dynamic trade between Turkey and Europe. The agreement will also help us achieve the long term goals we have set for our significant investment in Turkey's transport infrastructure," says Niels Smedegaard, CEO of DFDS.

To accommodate the volume increase of around 30%, DFDS has entered into agreements to expand both port terminal and route capacity.

In Istanbul, an agreement has been entered into with the Yalova port terminal for a 10-year period. DFDS will thus have departures from three port terminals in Istanbul going forward: Ambarli, Pendik and Yalova.

In addition, DFDS' first two freight ferry (ro-ro) new buildings, scheduled for delivery in 2019, will be delivered to Turkey for deployment between Turkey and Italy. In addition, route capacity will be increased through reallocations in DFDS' route network and external charters.

"The route capacity increase adds further frequency to DFDS' routes and the additional port terminal in Istanbul widens the network. With higher frequency and a more accessible port infrastructure, DFDS will continue to support Turkish exporters and the growth of transport and logistics companies in the market," says Selcuk Boztepe, Head of DFDS' Mediterranean business unit.

Outlook 2018

The outlook for 2018 is unchanged with regard to revenue and earnings.

The new port terminal agreement in Yalova is, however, expected to increase investments in 2018 by around DKK 450m comprising mainly prepayments allowing the Yalova terminal to expand and improve the terminal.

DFDS' investments in 2018 are thus now expected to be around DKK 5.15bn compared to previously DKK 4.70bn.

Contact

Niels Smedegaard, CEO +45 33 42 34 00

Torben Carlsen, CFO +45 33 42 32 01

Sren Brndholt Nielsen, IR +45 33 42 33 59

Gert Jacobsen, Communications+45 33 42 32 97


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PLAYA VISTA, Calif., Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Premium Water Corporation (OTC: HIPH) is proud to celebrate the official signing of the 2018 Farm Bill by President Trump, paving the way for the legalization of Hemp, the plant that cannabidiol (CBD) is extracted from. The Company commends a rare act of bipartisanship between both houses of Congress enacting this legislation that will help create jobs and positively affect the lives of millions of Americans with the legalisation of the crop, removing antiquated laws that stifled inter-state commerce, many roadblocks to distribution of Hemp-infused products, including CBD have been removed.



American Premium CEO and Interim Chairman Ryan Fishoff, commented, Today is a monumental day for our industry. I applaud representatives of the US government for coming together to get rid of the antiquated laws around hemp that serve the best interests of the people so well. It's very telling in this polarized and partisan atmosphere we are in, both parties overwhelmingly approved this common sense legislation that is going to make doing business in the hemp industry significantly easier. This is a watershed day for the Company. Going forward, the restrictions and unfounded reservations against products containing CBD (like ours) should be lifted, giving millions of US consumers unfettered access to our products. The landscape of the market has seismically changed, and will look very different going forward.

For decades, federal law did not differentiate hemp from other cannabis plants, all of which were effectively made illegal in 1937 under the Marihuana Tax Act and formally made illegal in 1970 under the Controlled Substances Actthe latter banned cannabis of any kind, including hemp for industrial purposes. The 2014 Farm Bill opened up state-regulated pilot programs for planting industrial hemp, which it defined as cannabis sativa plants containing 0.3% or less THC, but since then farmers still faced several barriers to growing hemp due to federal prohibition that restricted access to banking, water rights, and crop insurance. The 2018 Farm Bill removes these restrictions putting hemp, the CBD derived from it, under the purview of the US Department of Agriculture.

With the passage of the bill, the CBD market in the US is expected to grow by forty (40) times over the next four years. The Brightfield Group, a leading intelligence provider of Cannabis and CBD in consumers insights and market research, projects that the consumer market for CBD will reach $22 billion by 2022. This figure includes CBD infused beverages, which will still be a small percentage of the $388.4 Billion non-alcoholic beverage market and the $304.6 billion alcoholic beverage market. With the legislation allowing for the open access to these markets, there is great potential for CBD infused beverages to capture a sizeable share of both markets.

The Bills passage will open many doors for the Company and allow for unrestricted sales of our products. The Company no longer has to dance around the semantics of branding the products hemp or hemp-oil. We can call a spade a spade and start unabashedly selling our products labeled as CBD. This legislation will legitimize CBD and bring it into the mainstream. We are not going to market this product around the cannabis connections. We are working to legitimize CBD as a scientific additive, and our marketing prowess will work towards emphasizing the health benefits of the compound, not squarely a fringe recreational drug. I am excited to begin a full court press of selling to the big box retailers, especially the large pharmacy and grocery chains like Krogers, CVS, Walgreens, and others who will see this legislation as a green flag to welcome CBD infused products into their store. This will also open the doors into the high end departments stores that Gents is carried in, mainly Saks and Bloomingdales, as the Company will be able to leverage those relationships to place the Canyon Create CBD products into their channels. The bills passage will also bring about a flood of investment from strategic and institutional funds, which will benefit the industry and the Company. 2019 will be a big year for this Company and I look forward to keeping the shareholders abreast of all the developments, concluded Mr. Fishoff.

About American Premium Water Corp.

American Premium Water (OTC: HIPH) is a diversified luxury consumer products company focused on businesses in the health and beauty and biotech sectors. The company is focused on harnessing the powers of hydrogen and Nano technologies paired with cannabidiol (CBD) to treat health disorders and enhance quality of life. This business model aims to market emerging fashion brands by leveraging classic retail partners and incorporating disruptive blockchain technologies to expand the retail footprint. The companys portfolio includes the LALPINA Hydro and LALPINA Hydro CBD brands ( www.LalpinaInc.com ), Gents, Worthy, and blockchain platform FashionCoinX ( www.FashionCoinX.com ).

Safe Harbor Notice

Certain statements contained herein are forward-looking statements (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). American Premium Water Corporation cautions that statements made in this news release constitute forward-looking statements and makes no guarantee of future performance. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the time statements are made. These statements may address issues that involve significant risks, uncertainties, estimates and assumptions made by management. Actual results could differ materially from current projections or implied results. American Premium Water Corporation undertakes no obligation to revise these statements following the date of this news release. Additional details of the Company's business can be found in its public disclosures as a reporting issuer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission's ("SEC") EDGAR database.

This press release is issued on behalf of the Board of Directors of American Premium Water Corporation

Contact Information:

Media Contact

Email: info@americanpremiumwater.com

+1(888) 983-0054
By Trend



President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the inauguration of a bitumen unit and liquefied gas filling station built as part of the first phase of the renovation and modernization project at the Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery.

President of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) Rovnag Abdullayev informed the head of state of the work done here.

President Ilham Aliyev was also informed of the renovation and modernization project implemented at the the Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery.

President Ilham Aliyev then launched the new bitumen unit.












Swissport is further expanding its business in the Middle East with new contracts from the Dutch airline KLM and the largest Indian carrier IndiGo.



The Swiss aviation services company, global market leader of airport ground services and cargo handling, will provide KLM with ground handling services in Dammam. IndiGo will initially be handled by Swissport at Jeddah, followed by Dammam and Riyadh.



As of February 1, 2019, Swissport will be providing the full range of ground services from passenger services to ramp operations to the Dutch airline KLM for its 10 weekly flights at King-Fahd airport in Dammam. Swissport will serve KLMs Airbus A330 widebody aircraft during the stopovers of flights between the Dutch metropolis of Amsterdam and Muscat, the capital of Oman. With KLM, the first major European carrier has opted for Swissports Saudi affiliate.



As of March 15, 2019, Swissport will handle IndiGos daily flights at Jeddah, followed by Dammam in April and Riyadh in September, supporting the carriers rapid growth in the region. IndiGo is a private-owned carrier with a hub in the Indian capital of Delhi. With a fleet of currently 195 Airbus A320 family aircraft, which is to grow to 250 aircraft the near future, IndiGo has become the largest Indian carrier.



With KLM and IndiGo, Swissport is adding two prominent names to its growing client portfolio in the Middle East. Our businesses in Saudi Arabia and Oman have developed from two greenfield start-ups into established organisations in just a couple of years, said Nils Knudsen, chief commercial officer of Swissport International AG. These latest wins further consolidate our position as a high-quality service provider on the Arabian Peninsula and form a solid base for further growth, added Mark Skinner, Swissports senior vice president Middle East & Africa.



In addition to the new business with KLM and IndiGo, Swissport recently commenced operations with flydubai, Jordan Aviation, Fly Baghdad and Sun Express for airport ground services at the Saudi port city of Jeddah and has already started serving them. Fly Jordan, a second Jordanian airline to be handled by Swissport, will launch a Jeddah service early 2019. On January 1, 2019, Swissport will also start serving SalamAir of Oman at Muscat International Airport. - TradeArabia News Service
TokenInsight Publishes New Briefing on Financial Application Tokens

TokenInsight Inc. has recently published a new industry briefing, providing objective analysis on the financial application token industry. The briefing examines 63 financial application tokens from a top 500 token cluster in terms of global market capitalization, examining the industry from aspects of industry ecosystems, market performance, economic modeling, and sentiment analysis.

TokenInsight Inc. has exclusively classified tokens into 28 industry verticals and currently has developed 64 categorization tags to properly distinguish project characteristics. Based on our methodology, projects with the same representations and characteristics are classified in one category, and the tokens issued by the same category of projects form an industry.

TokenInsight Inc. aims to focus on one out of twenty-eight industry publications every two weeks to provide the latest token information to the public in a more accessible and comprehensive way. For high-quality version of the financial application industry briefing, please contact us at media@tokeninsight.com and to learn more about the latest information of the twenty-eight industries, please visit our website: https://tokeninsight.com/trade/index .

About TokenInsight

TokenInsight Inc. is an independent, third-party data analytics organization committed to providing accurate data and objective ratings on companies developing in the blockchain industry. It seeks to establish institutional project assessment standards through a distinct framework of applied data science, artificial intelligence algorithms, and due diligence processes that results in accurate and insightful ratings.

In order to promote the transparency and security within the cryptocurrency world, TokenInsight Inc. is dedicated to creating an accessible platform and providing insights on listed tokens for investors. Led by Matrix Partner, TokenInsight Inc. has secured multi-million-dollar financial investment from top-tiered venture capital firms, such as Draper Dragon, Fenbushi Capital, and existing seed investor Susquehanna International Group Capital (SIG).

For more information on related topics, visit the following channels:
Historical Canadian market structure policy and convention has failed to address todays reality: there are multiple markets in Canada that can and do trade the same public company or fund even when they are listed on the TSX. Each market has a unique focus and creates Canadian capital markets choice for different stakeholders. Consider this sampling of frequently trading funds. The November trading volumes for these products are fragmented across the TSX, NEO, and other markets in Canada.

As trading continues to fragment across multiple markets, a common trend has emerged: significant trading occurs off the home listing exchange. This is particularly common with ETFs and can often lead to the incorrect perception of illiquidity. Why? Investors and advisors have the view that liquidity in ETFs is defined by volume traded when in fact it isnt; the underlying securitys volume is far more important. This is further challenged because the complete, consolidated picture of all trading information is not available publicly. A consolidated quote with volume across all markets is not available to investors and investment advisors. Unable to see the full picture, investors jump to the conclusions that certain securities are infrequently traded.

The issue is further compounded as investor portfolios for both do-it-yourself investors using a discount broker channel, as well as those with Financial Advisors are updated based only on trading activity from the listing market. Securities can often appear stale by days or even weeks, while trading continues on other market places. Again, this problem is particularly prevalent in ETFs. The stale closing price results in an inaccurate representation of the value of the underlying holdings.

Without a doubt, the lack of consolidated data causes headaches for investors, advisors, and issuers alike. With no sign of a relatively simple regulatory solution similar to what is available in the US  mandated access to consolidated market data  we need to find other solutions.

At NEO, we have an investor first mandate. It is through this lens that we proposed and implemented a simple solution that ensures the published closing price of a security will reflect a complete, consolidated price.

We are dedicated to building healthier capital markets for all investors. We identified a problem, consulted with industry stakeholders, proposed and executed upon a solution. This improves the overall investment experience for Canadian investors, and we hope other exchanges in the industry will follow. This is how we do things at NEO.

Want to learn more?

For those interested in gaining a thorough understanding of how NEO publishes closing prices for our listed issuers, keep reading:

Whats the problem?

ETFs are a Canadian born phenomenon and theyve grown substantially in popularity. However, the infrastructure and policies that support the industry have not evolved to keep up.

In short: the closing price publication mechanism in Canada does not acknowledge or consider a multiple marketplace environment where trading activity can happen in multiple places.

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For more information on related topics, visit the following channels:
FLASHBACK FRIDAY GALLERY: Denver STA Convention's Opening Reception

In this week's FLASHBACK FRIDAY GALLERY, Traders Magazine looks back to 1999 and the Denver STA Annual Conventions opening reception at the Hyatt Regency.

Please click here for the Gallery of images

For more information on related topics, visit the following channels:
This autumn, a large-scale gas chemical complex (GCC), the first of its kind in Central Asia, was commissioned in the village of Kiyanly in the west of the country with participation of the President of Turkmenistan. The GCC is expected to process 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually and manufacture a range of finished polymer products, most of which are to be exported. Thus, Turkmenistans newly emerging gas-chemical industry has substantially increased its production and export capacity.

The Kiyanly GCC will annually produce 381 thousand tons of high-density polyethylene, 81 thousand tons of polypropylene and other products that are in demand in the domestic and foreign markets. It is also envisaged that the plant will annually produce up to 4.5 billion cubic meters of marketable gas that will be channeled into the gas pipeline system of the western region of Turkmenistan.

This investment project exceeds 3.4 billion US dollars. It was implemented by Turkmengas State Concern in cooperation with LG International Corp, Hyundai Engineering (Republic of Korea) and TOYO Engineering Corporation (Japan) as part of the contract signed during Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedovs official visit to Japan in 2013.

The plant is equipped with modern technologies for production of polyethylene and polypropylene. These technologies are noted for the fine cleaning of raw materials from impurities. As a result, the plant will manufacture environmentally friendly products that meet international standards.

The plant is fitted out with equipment purchased in Japan, the Republic of Korea, the USA, the UK, Belgium, Germany, Denmark and other European countries. It consists of four main technological installations: gas separation, ethane processing, polyethylene and polypropylene production. All technological processes are automated through the central console.

The Kiyanly GCC produces polymers with modern technologies that ensure the fine cleaning of raw materials from all sorts of impurities using the unique schemes. In particular, the gas separation unit employs a technology that ensures efficient extraction of methane, ethane from natural gas, as well as a widely used technology of cleaning raw materials from the so-called acid gases and mercury impurities.

It should be noted that the plant has launched production of high-density polyethylene products that are new for Turkmenistan. This technology is one of three most common technologies used in the oil and gas chemical industry globally.

The Kiyanly GCC project was awarded a special prize by TXF (Great Britain), as one of the ten best projects funded by export credit agencies in Europe and Eurasia in 2014. The total amount of loan agreements for this project signed by the State Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of Turkmenistan with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, the Export-Import Bank of Korea and the Syndicate of participating financial institutions of Japan, Germany, France, Korea, China, Italy, Austria and Switzerland exceeded 2.5 billion US dollars.

Speaking at the new complex opening ceremony, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted that Turkmenistan is not limited only to exports of hydrocarbons, including natural gas. It also pays great attention to hydrocarbon processing and production of competitive finished products. The head of state stressed that the new plant would help strengthen the country's position in the market of expensive polymer products.

For example, granulated polypropylene is widely used in the manufacture of polymer films, artificial fibers, high-strength sheet thermoplastics, all kinds of polymer products, including various clothes and furniture, packaging materials, etc.

Moreover, polyethylene can be used for production of various pipes and consumer goods. High-density polyethylene is a very durable thermoplastic, which is widely used for injection and blow molding of containers for industrial application and households.

The new production plant in Kiyanly will boost the process of diversification of petrochemical production and become an important contribution to ensuring the accelerated industrialization of the national economy.

Polymer products turned out by the new Kiyanly GCC have already become hot selling items at the State Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange of Turkmenistan (SCRMET). Companies from the CIS countries were the first buy them. According to the SCRMET, polypropylene is highly popular with foreign and domestic buyers for its price-quality ratio.

According to the State Statistics Committee of Turkmenistan, the workload of polypropylene production facilities at the Turkmenbashi Complex of Oil Refineries (TCOR) has reached 93.5 percent by now. For example, in 2017, the TCOR produced 84.1 thousand tons of polypropylene against the production target of 82.5 thousand tons. Polymer exports amounted to 62.3 thousand tons in 2017, and its stock in trade decreased by 31 percent, demonstrating a growing demand for this product.

Last year, 18.9 thousand tons of polypropylene were sold in the domestic market of Turkmenistan, most of which were purchased by private enterprises for the manufacture of polymer products (plastic pipes, utensils, building materials, etc.). Moreover, Turkmenistans import substitution policy has increased the demand for polymers from local producers.

According to the statistics for 2017, an increase in production of this polymer meets the demand of not only foreign markets but also the domestic one, thus necessitating construction of new production facilities. According to the State Statistics Committee of Turkmenistan, polypropylene production in the country increased by 6.1 percent in the first half of 2018. The new gas-chemical complex can almost double the production of this polymer.

The gas and oil refining industry has been rapidly developing in Turkmenistan in recent years owing to the manufacture of polymer products, namely polyethylene and polypropylene, which are in great demand worldwide.

Turkmenistans first polypropylene complex was put into operation at the TCOR by the consortium of several Japanese companies with the financial support of ExImBank. Liquefied gas produced from the oil processing serves as raw material for granulated propylene. Most of polypropylene produced at the TCOR is exported to countries such as Japan, Russia, Turkey, Iran, China and others.

Naturally, the operation of the new gas chemical complex required preparation of highly qualified personnel. In fact, in 2016, a few dozen people from among local specialists were sent to the USA for refresher courses, and another 16 specialists were sent to Thailand for training. In addition, managers of Hyundai Engineering Corp Ltd and LG International Corp. offered a number of personnel trainings for the complex that provided jobs for more than one thousand local specialists. A camp for 5 thousand people with all relevant living conditions was built next to the gas chemical complex in Kiyanly.

Given the great promise of such projects that enable Turkmenistans fuel and energy sector to increase output of polymer products, there has been scheduled the construction of the second gas chemical complex near the village of Kiyanly in Balkan province. It will become even larger in terms of production capacity. It will process 2 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 117 thousand tons of sodium chloride, produce 390 thousand tons of polypropylene, 200 thousand tons of linear low density polyethylene, 100 thousand tons of polyvinyl chloride, 82 thousand tons of caustic soda, 10 thousand tons of hydrochloric acid and 10 thousand tons of liquid chlorine per year.

This major investment project is to be implemented jointly with foreign partners. The evaluation of proposals from international bidders is currently in process.

In addition, managers of the fuel and energy complex of Turkmenistan submitted a program to President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov that envisages the construction of a number of new gas and petrochemical plants over ten years in various regions of the country. This document is guided by the in-depth analysis of the regional and global market conditions, existing and projected demand for gas chemical products.

This is to say, Turkmenistan sees great prospects for the further development of mutually beneficial international partnership in the field of natural gas processing, construction of modern production facilities that manufacture a wide range of hot selling gas-chemical products.

Oleg LUKIN, economic observer

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021
English Italian

RECORDATI ACQUIRES TONIPHARM S.A.S. IN FRANCE

Milan, 21 December 2018  Recordati announces the signing of an agreement for the acquisition of 100% of the share capital of Tonipharm S.A.S., a French company based in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris, active mainly in the self-medication market with over-the-counter (OTC) products. The company is expected to realize sales of around  26.5 million in 2018. The closing of the transaction is planned to take place at year-end.

Tonipharm was established in 1991 and promotes a wide portfolio of self-medication products together with some prescription drugs. The companys sales are generated mainly by the line of products sold under the umbrella brand Ginkor, OTC treatments based on ginko biloba which are very well known on the French market. The company also promotes Alodont, a line of products used for oral hygiene.

The acquisition of Tonipharm represents a further opportunity to enhance our portfolio in the French self-medication market with well-known brands and good market shares declared Andrea Recordati, CEO. We continue to develop our presence in the OTC segment, which remains an important diversification area in a growing market, and the Tonipharm brands are a valid addition to our portfolio.

Recordati, established in 1926, is an international pharmaceutical group, listed on the Italian Stock Exchange (Reuters RECI.MI, Bloomberg REC IM, ISIN IT 0003828271), with a total staff of more than 4,100, dedicated to the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals. Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Recordati has operations throughout the whole of Europe, including Russia, Turkey, North Africa, the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, some South American countries, Japan and Australia. An efficient field force of medical representatives promotes a wide range of innovative pharmaceuticals, both proprietary and under license, in a number of therapeutic areas including a specialized business dedicated to treatments for rare diseases. Recordati is a partner of choice for new product licenses for its territories. Recordati is committed to the research and development of new specialties with a focus on treatments for rare diseases. Consolidated revenue for 2017 was  1,288.1 million, operating income was  406.5 million and net income was  288.8 million.

For further information:

Recordati website: www.recordati.com

Investor Relations Media Relations

Marianne Tatschke Studio Noris Morano

(39)0248787393 (39)0276004736, (39)0276004745

e-mail: investorelations@recordati.it e-mail: norismorano@studionorismorano.com



Statements contained in this release, other than historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements are based on currently available information, on current best estimates, and on assumptions believed to be reasonable. This information, these estimates and assumptions may prove to be incomplete or erroneous, and involve numerous risks and uncertainties, beyond the Companys control. Hence, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All mentions and descriptions of Recordati products are intended solely as information on the general nature of the companys activities and are not intended to indicate the advisability of administering any product in any particular instance.

Attachment
New Delhi, Dec 21 (UNI) The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 1430 hrs on Friday after ruckus in the House over Cauvery delta issue, Rafale row and sealing drive in the National Capital.

At 1100 hrs, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu appealed to all members to cooperate in smooth functioning of the House.



'Displaying placards in the House is not good and we can discuss the issues such as price rise, Rafale, Cauvery and cyclone issue,' Mr Naidu said.

The Chairman also cautioned that he may take action against erring members, irrespective of the political parties, though that would be a painful thing for him.

Soon after laying papers in the House, Deputy Leader of the Opposition Anand Sharma said that his party is willing to have discussions in the House.

Responding to Mr Sharmas statement, Minister of States for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel assured the House that the Government is ready and willing to have discussions on all issues which opposition want to discuss.

Mr Naidu said that he was happy to know that both the Government and Opposition are ready to hold discussions and hoped for the smooth functioning of the House.



As Mr Naidu's plea and warning to the agitating members to go back to their seats and cooperate in transacting the proceedings of the House fell on deaf ears, he adjourned the Upper House till 1430 hrs.

UNI AKS SV 1244
Yemen: 2018 terrifying but year for hope says UN Envoy

United Nations, Dec 21 (UNI) It has been a 'terrifying' year for Yemenis but ultimately one of hope, as December talks in Sweden yielded a ceasefire around a key port city with the promise of further substantive consultations between the warring parties next month, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths told UN News in an exclusive interview.

Despite the 'remarkable' recent progress, Yemen continues to suffer from a humanitarian crisis described by the UN as the worst in the world, together with fighting between Government and Houthi movement opposition forces across the country, said Mr Griffiths, adding that its still going to be a hard slog to make it work according to plan.

The United Nations, said the Special Envoy, is the only organisation capable of brokering an agreement such as the Hudaydah ceasefire, and putting a team on the ground to monitor the truce within a week of the talks in Sweden.

Mr Griffiths admitted to many doubts and fears in the lead up to the talks, but also a sense of achievement at simply getting representatives of the two sides together for talks in the same room, after years of a brutal war, for the first time in over two years.

He was keen to stress the importance of using the meetings to move forward on the management of Hudaydah following the fragile ceasefire agreement, a key port which is the main hub for all humanitarian aid and commercial goods entering the war-torn nation.

On the humanitarian front, he said that detailed planning is already underway, with teams from the office of Lise Grande, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, and the World Food Programme (WFP) present as part on the UN mediating team in Sweden. WFP is expected to take the lead role in managing the port.

Another breakthrough was the agreement over a prisoner exchange, involving 4,000 in detention (2,000 from each side), who will now return home, described as an incredible moment for their families, and a remarkable sign of hope for the people of Yemen.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which was present in Sweden in a support role, has agreed to manage the prisoner airlift from one part of the country to another.

UNI XC RSU 0847
Published: December 20, 2018

Study Jose Marti and Cuban Independence in NEH Summer Institute at UT

Registration is now open for The University of Tampas National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) summer institute focusing on the rise of the U.S. as a global power in the early 20th century as a consequence of its intervention in Cubas War of Independence.

The four-week institute, Jose Marti and the Immigrant Communities of Florida in Cuban Independence and the Dawn of the American Century, will take place on the UT campus from June 17 to July 13, 2019. Up to 25 university and college professors from throughout the U.S. will be selected to participate.



The institute is co-directed by James Lopez, UT professor of Spanish, and Denis Rey, associate professor of political science and international studies, who together coordinate the Center for Marti Studies Affiliate at UT. The institute will closely examine an often overlooked aspect of Cubas War of Independence, namely, the role played by the Cuban immigrant communities in the U.S., particularly in the unique and vibrant cigar towns of Florida, especially Ybor City.



The lessons of this history continue to be resonant today, Lopez said. The institute seeks to heighten awareness of how American immigrant communities have helped usher in political transformations both at home and abroad, and to accentuate the rich and complex cultural world established by the Cuban, Sicilian and Spanish immigrants around the cigar industry in turn-of-the-century Florida.

The institute will also study the work of Jose Marti, the man whose oratory, poetry, journalism and essays would transform the movement for political independence into a formulation of Cuban patriotic identity that would outlast the U.S. military intervention, and establish Marti, known simply as the Apostle in Cuban society, as the most important symbol and source of national identity on and off the island. The immigrant cigar workers of Tampa played an important role in Martis biography and intellectual evolution, both of which will be closely examined during the institute.



The study of this seminal period from the perspective of the working class immigrants who organized, financed and, in many cases, fought and died for a patriotic ideal that they helped inspire by their example, will enrich any cross-cultural approach to the teaching of U.S. history, race and ethnicity, Latin American studies, Caribbean/Cuban studies, international relations, cultural studies, and Hispanic language and culture, Lopez said.



The institute will include expert lectures, guided readings, archival materials and visits to significant historical sites. All of these are directed toward the development of innovative course modules and teaching plans to enrich the college curriculum and disseminate this history. The institute is one of 218 humanities projects across the country funded by NEH, which total $43.1 million in awards.



For more information, contact Lopez at james.lopez@ut.edu, or Rey at denis.rey@ut.edu, or visit www.ut.edu/cjmsa/.







Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Supports Continued De-Risking Activities for Back River Gold Project

All proceeds in Canadian Dollars unless otherwise identified

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sabina Gold & Silver Corp. (SBB-T) (Sabina or the Company) announced today the closing of the previously announced bought deal financing (the Offering). The Offering was comprised of 18,340,000 common shares of the Company (the Common Shares) at $1.20 per share as well as an over-allotment for 2,751,000 Common Shares at $1.20 per share (representing 15% of the Common Shares offered pursuant to the Offering) which was exercised in full by the underwriters for total gross proceeds of $25,309,200.

In addition, pursuant to a participation rights notice delivered to Zhaojin International Mining Co., Ltd. (Zhaojin), Zhaojin has elected to exercise its participation right in relation to the Offering to purchase, by way of private placement, 2,317,443 Common Shares of the Company at C$1.20 per share for total gross proceeds of $2,780,932, to close prior to December 31, 2018.

The purpose and timing of this Offering is to enable Sabina to make financial commitments in 2019 to support activities over the coming months that will maintain the Projects first gold production schedule.

The net proceeds of the Offering will be used to continue to de-risk the Back River Project by completing the following activities:

Construction of the winter ice road from the Port at Bathurst Inlet to the Goose Site in early 2019. Preparation of the winter ice road development started earlier this week with the initial opening of the camps, the building of an air strip in support of a heavy lift cargo campaign in January 2019, and the preparation of the on-site ice road equipment;

Following construction of the winter ice road, haulage of materials and large construction equipment purchased earlier this year, currently staged at the Port, to the Goose Site;

High-priority pre-development civil earthworks at the Goose Site;

Detailed engineering of the process plant required to secure a fixed price design and construction contract (EPC) for the processing plant; and

Advancement of remaining licenses, and for working capital and general corporate purposes.

These activities further advance the Companys strategy of balanced approach to advancing Back River in a challenging capital markets environment. These activities are designed to provide greater certainty on CAPEX components going forward as well as to de-risk critical logistical elements of the project. These initiatives create value and improve the Project readiness for when the time is right to make a production decision.

We are pleased with the progress we have made in 2018, said Bruce McLeod, President & CEO. This year we have obtained all critical environmental and regulatory authorizations, our land tenure agreement and Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement with the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, constructed a port facility, made our first sea lift deliveries and made a significant new exploration discovery at Goose with Nuvuyak.

In addition, independent third-party review of the Project has been completed and we have been presented with favourable terms on a debt package for the Project that does not require streaming or royalties. But, we do not believe the time is right for making a production decision or for raising the full amount of equity that would be needed to construct the mine. By completing this financing now, we can execute our planned activities for 2019 and maintain our production schedule for the interim while significantly de-risking the Project over the coming months. Our approach continues to focus on activities that add value to the Project and to be disciplined and opportunistic in financing a production decision. We are also very pleased that both our strategic shareholders, Dundee Precious Metals and Zhaojin exercised their participation rights in connection with this financing and are encouraged by their support of the Companys strategy.

The Company is currently in the process of finalizing its budget for 2019, including the Project advancement activities described above and will announce the budget once finalized early in the new year. The Company is also finalizing its exploration plans for 2019 which will include expansion drilling at Nuvuyak and other targets. The Company expects to end the year with approximately $50 million in cash and short-term investments including the net proceeds of this financing.

The bought deal Offering was led by BMO Capital Markets and RBC Capital Markets. The Underwriters received a cash commission of the gross proceeds from this Offering.

Sabina Gold & Silver Corp

Sabina Gold & Silver Corp. is an emerging precious metals company with district scale, advanced, high grade gold assets in one of the worlds newest, politically stable mining jurisdictions: Nunavut, Canada.

Sabina released a Feasibility Study on its 100% owned Back River Gold Project which presents a project that has been designed on a fit-for purpose basis, with the potential to produce ~200,000 ounces a year for ~11 years with a rapid payback of 2.9 years (see Technical Report for the Initial Project Feasibility Study on the Back River Gold Property, Nunavut, Canada dated October 28, 2015).

The Project received its final Project Certificate on December 19, 2017 and its Type A Water License on November 14, 2018 and is now in receipt of all major authorizations for construction and operations.

In addition to Back River, Sabina also owns a significant silver royalty on Glencores Hackett River Project. The silver royalty on Hackett Rivers silver production is comprised of 22.5% of the first 190 million ounces produced and 12.5% of all silver produced thereafter.

For further information please contact:

Nicole Hoeller, Vice-President, Communications:

1 888 648-4218

nhoeller@sabinagoldsilver.com

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (the forward-looking statements), including the results of testwork, including, but not limited to, gold price, diesel price and exchange rate assumptions, cash flow forecasts, projected capital and operating costs, metal or mineral recoveries, mine life and production rates; the Companys potential plans and operating performance, including plans for the use of proceeds from the financing;; potential production from and viability of the Companys properties; estimates of future production and operating costs; These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the future circumstances, outcomes or results anticipated in or implied by such forward-looking statements will occur or that plans, intentions or expectations upon which the forward-looking statements are based will occur. While we have based these forward-looking statements on our expectations about future events as at the date that such statements were prepared, the statements are not a guarantee that such future events will occur and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which could cause events or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and assumptions include, among others, the ability of the Company to raise sufficient funds to implement the FS; the effects of general economic conditions; changes in commodity prices including the gold price assumed in the FS; increases in input costs; uncertainty of production and cost estimates for the project; changing foreign exchange rates; actions by government and regulatory authorities; and misjudgments in the course of preparing forward-looking statements. In addition, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Known risk factors include risks associated with exploration and project development; the need for additional financing; the calculation of mineral resources and reserves; operational risks associated with mining and mineral processing; fluctuations in metal prices; title matters; government regulation; obtaining and renewing necessary licences and permits; environmental liability and insurance; reliance on key personnel; the potential for conflicts of interest among certain of our officers or directors; the absence of dividends; currency fluctuations; labour disputes; competition; dilution; the volatility of the our common share price and volume; future sales of shares by existing shareholders; and other risks and uncertainties, including those relating to the Back River Project and general risks associated with the mineral exploration and development industry described in our Annual Information Form, financial statements and MD&A for the fiscal period ended December 31, 2017 filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available at www.sedar.com. Although we have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We are under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws. This news release has been authorized by the undersigned on behalf of Sabina Gold & Silver Corp.

Bruce McLeod, President & CEO

930 West 1st Street, Suite 202

North Vancouver, BC V7P 3N4

Tel 604 998-4175 Fax 604 998-1051

http://www.sabinagoldsilver.com
UW Researcher Finds Common Ground Among Citizens on Energy Issues

Americans may be less divided on national energy issues -- including renewable energy such as wind power -- than media reporting would suggest, research led by UW marketing Professor Mark Peterson has found. (UW Photo)

At a time of pronounced political discord, Americans may be less divided on national energy issues than media reporting would suggest, research led by a University of Wyoming marketing professor has found.

In fact, better understanding of citizen perspectives on energy issues by policymakers could identify common ground and transform the debate and development of energy policies, Professor Mark Peterson has concluded.

Our research suggests that there is more commonality among citizens regarding energy policy than what might be suggested by a media with a 24-hour news cycle and need for drama to drive ratings, Peterson says. The results point to a timely opportunity for bolstering a dialogue between policymakers at all levels and the public about the development of new energy policies that would protect the environment, address job creation and contain costs for energy.

Petersons findings, gleaned from sophisticated polling of citizens at the national and state levels, have been published in the journal Energy Policy, an international peer-reviewed journal addressing the policy implications of energy supply and use from their economic, social, planning and environmental aspects. Also participating in the research was David Feldman of the SDR Consulting firm in Atlanta.

While public opinion on energy issues often is presented as part of lobbying efforts favoring or opposing policies that support certain types of energy over others, Petersons field research engaged citizens in a more nuanced fashion that included discussion of trade-offs of different energy policies. Among other things, survey participants considered energy policy impacts on the environment, energy costs, economic vitality, U.S. energy security, government assistance and greenhouse gas emissions.

The two surveys -- one conducted at the national level, the other composed of data from eight states where energy issues are of particularly high public interest -- found general agreement that the most important considerations in energy policies are environmental quality, greenhouse gas emissions, energy costs and job creation. And, despite significant differences on energy in the platforms of the nations two largest political parties, party affiliation had a relatively small impact on the importance citizens placed on those topics.

In the national survey, Republicans placed environmental quality in future energy legislation lower in importance than Democrats -- but, importantly, it was the most important outcome of energy policy for the Republicans, just as it was for the Democrats, Peterson says. Republicans place more importance on energy costs and energy security than did Democrats, but the pattern of responses across the other dimensions of possible energy policies was similar across political party affiliation. This suggests the potential for policymakers to find common ground.

The survey found more differences among the eight states where citizens were surveyed than between Republicans and Democrats.

For example, Wyoming is most concerned with traditional energy jobs, but less so for energy costs. Nevada is much more concerned about job creation for renewable energy and also is more focused on the environment, Peterson says. In states with relatively high energy costs, such as Kentucky and Massachusetts, energy cost is the most important dimension for future energy policy. States such as Colorado, Minnesota, North Carolina and New York give most importance to protecting the environment.

Still, despite the differences across the states, the research suggests there is likely more agreement than previously thought.

The key implication here is that while small differences do exist for citizens identifying with differing political perspectives, the overall pattern of which policies are important and which are least important is striking, Peterson says. There is a surprising degree of agreement among citizens regarding preferences among energy policies that would reduce environmental harm while lowering energy costs.

Alex Bozmoski, the managing director of RepublicEn -- an organization that advocates addressing climate change through free enterprise instead of subsidies and regulations -- describes Petersons research as fascinating and helpful. Bozmoski specifically notes the evidence that party affiliation has a smaller effect than we might expect; that greenhouse gas effects are more important to citizens than it sometimes feels; and that there's a lot of commonality across segments of the population, even if states have different priorities.
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Washington, DC, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Dewmar International BMC, Inc. (OTCPINK: DEWM) issues this report congratulating President Donald J. Trump for signing the $867 billion 2018 Farm Bill into law that federally legalizes the cultivation and sale of industrial hemp, which is defined as cannabis that contains less than 0.3-percent THC. This new law has as an immediate, positive impact on Dewmars 100% owned seasoned subsidiary, United States Hemp Corporation, which could significantly benefit from the removal of over 40 years of restrictions against industrial hemp production. Legalizing hemp could make it a significant agricultural crop in the coming years. Analysts with CNBC estimate it could be a $20 billion industry by 2022.



U.S. Senator John Boozman of Arkansas was on-hand for the signing as he commented, Signing this bill into law provides five years of certainty and predictability for Americas agriculture producers, everyday consumers and rural communities. In 2017, Dewmar International partnered with an Arkansas company, in a concerted effort to provide legal medical cannabis to qualified patients and to work with the states Historically Black College and University to provide industrial hemp research and programs, after Dewmar CEO sat in on a group meeting which included Governor Asa Hutchinson. At this time, final decisions have not been made as to which companies will receive licenses although a recent report leaked yesterday shows that Dewmars partner still has a chance to earn 1 of the 32 outstanding dispensary/grow permits.

Since 2014, United States Hemp Corporation has been a pioneering force in the development of the emerging U.S. hemp industry. Its management services include research and development, intellectual property asset development, brand management as well as a host of sales and marketing services. As part of U.S. Hemp Corporations unique Hemp Incubatorthat partners with consumer brands to develop functional food and supplement products to then help them expand their distribution channels through Dewmars relationships with major retailers; brands such as Kush Cakes hemp-infused brownies now have plans to soon expand to the Canadian market both as a traditional brownie as well as a licensed THC and CBD infused brownie. One of our consultants has made several trips to Canada and has met with several public companies regarding Kush Cakes. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.

Our Companys investment in New West Genetics is looking very sweet to me nowadays as I am glad that our 3Ps - Projections, Patience and Perseverance has paid off, commented Dr. Marco Moran, CEO of Dewmar International. Wendy Mosher, CEO of New West Genetics, stated the following in a congratulatory email to its private investors, We never expected it to happen so soon - we all have reason to CELEBRATE- the industry can now grow by leaps and bounds! Dewmar CEO and its executives echo the same sentiment. The versatile agricultural product that is derived from industrial hemp is used in oils, plastics, building materials, protein powders, drinks, food, and many others.

In anticipation of the massive growth of the industrial hemp industry, Dewmar has taken major steps to invest both in the past, by developing strong hemp to CBD infusible brands via its hemp subsidiary; and in the present, by launching www.MarijuanaEmail.com, with both having potential worldwide implications for international sales and utilization by foreign visitors to the U.S. as cannabis tourists.

This new hemp bill removes hemp from the list of controlled substances and allows states to regulate its production, commerce and research with approval from the USDA. The Drug Enforcement Administration will no longer be able to interfere with the interstate commerce of hemp products created in the United States, which will open the doors for banks, merchant services, credit card companies, e-commerce sites and advertising platforms to do business with hemp companies. Time will tell how administrative agencies like the USDA and FDA will regulate hemp products, but heightened business and investor interest in the space is expected to rapidly ramp up going into the new year.

The new law removes hemp and its constituents from the list of prohibited controlled substances. We believe this language removes cannabidiol (CBD) from the list of controlled substances. Therefore, the law clearly states that cannabidiol (CBD) as derived from industrial hemp is no longer on the list of prohibited controlled substances. Dewmar stands willing and able to take full advantage of the CBD opportunity. Market sources are already highlighting the massive opportunity for companies like Dewmar

About Dewmar International BMC, Inc.

Dewmar International BMC, Inc. is a certified service-disabled veteran business concern, new product development, manufacturing and brand management company. Established in 2003, Dewmars primary business strategy has been in creating high profit margins with functional foods and beverages, such as Lean Slow Motion Potion, which is rated as one of the top 3 national selling relaxation beverages in the U.S. market and Kush Cakes relaxation brownies. The company has offices in Clinton, MS; Houston, TX: Denver, CO and New Orleans, LA. Dewmar owns the cannabis industry dispensary-to-consumer site www.MarijuanaEmail.com which serves as a unique online portal that connects marijuana dispensaries with their customer base throughout North America.

About United States Hemp Corporation

United States Hemp Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dewmar International BMC, Inc., was formed in 2014 in the State of Nevada whose primary goal is to promote the cultivation, research and new product development of hemp based nutraceuticals, industrial goods and consumer goods in the United States.

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Click here for the Safe Harbor Statement.
This photo introduced as evidence in court in Honolulu shows some of the hundreds of shark fins seized from a Japanese fishing boat. U.S. prosecutors in Hawaii accuse the owner and officers of the boat of helping Indonesian fishermen smuggle nearly 1,000 shark fins. Hamada Suisan Co. Ltd., the Japanese business that owned the vessel, and JF Zengyoren, a Japanese fishing cooperative, were charged on Dec. 11 with aiding and abetting the trafficking and smuggling of shark fins.
85% of Chinese Ships Disappear, AIS Base Stations Seized Along Chinas Coast

Since early November, the number of vessels sending the Automatic Identification System (AIS) signal from seas around China plunged by 85 percent. On Oct. 28, more than 100,000 ships were broadcasting but, according to global shipping data provider VesselsValue, by Nov. 17, only 15,000 were broadcasting the signal. The steep decline comes after China's Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL)came into effect on Nov. 1. It requires companies that process data to get approval from the Chinese government before letting personal information leave Chinese soil. China security agencies seized and inventoried a large number self-built AIS base stations along the coastline.
A week ago, two S-300 rocket missiles were deployed in Deir Ez-zor, in East Syria. Immediately after, the intensity of the US-led coalition flights decreased by 80% in North East Syria. Since 18 September 2018, the Israeli Air Force has not carried out any more raids in Syrias airspace.

A delegation from the Israeli army, led by General Major Aharon Haliva (Head of Operations), went to Moscow for talks with Major General Vasily Trushin (Joint Chief of Operations of the Russian Army). Relations between the two armies have deteriorated after the destruction of the Russian airplane IL-20 during the attack on Syrian targets near the Russian air base of Hmeymim by the Israeli F-16.

The Israeli delegation went to Moscow because it had not succeeded in finding the gaps in the no fly zone, imposed by the new system of Syrian Defense delivered by Russia. The Israelis thought they could coax the Russians to obtain the security codes for Syrian missiles. Russia, quite clearly, refused to give these codes to them.

What are the elements of the automatized management of the Syrian air space that prevent the Israelis and Americans from acting? Syria has received 6 to 8 S-300/PMU2 missiles, with an action range of 250 km. The missiles guarantee the security of planes and Syrian military land targets. However, they are not the most important element.

Management is assured by the automatized management system, Polyana D4M1. The role of the automatized management system is a necessary interface for the Syrian air units and anti-Air Defense apparatus to work at the same time. Polyana D4M1 can cover an area of 800 km2, following 500 air targets and ballistic missiles and establishing 250 of them. It is thanks to the Polyana D4M1 that command centres of the army of the Syrian Air Force also receive external information from the Russian airplane A-50U (AWACS) and Russian satellites of surveillance.

The memory of the Polyana D4M1 computer servers stock the radar imprint of all the air targets including the cruise missiles and the allegedly invisible F-35 plane.

When an air target is detected by a radar in Syria, the automatized system Polyana D4M1 posts information for all the detection radars and systems for guiding planes and Syrian and Russian anti-air artillery. Once identified, the air targets are automatically assigned to be struck down. This automatized system ensures that the oldest Syrian missiles of the Soviet era (S-200, S-75, S-125, etc.) become almost as precise as the S-300 missile.

The Polyana D4M1 network also includes the following:

 the Krasukha-4 for jamming the radars on the ground

 AWACS aircrafts

 reconnaissance planes with or without pilots.

The network also uses the Zhitel R-330ZH systems for interfering with NAVSTAR (GPS), the apparatus of navigation. This equips the means of attack (planes, helicopters, cruise missiles, guided bombs, etc.).

What is the consequence of Russia implementing the automatized management of the Syrian air space?

The US military air bases in Syria consist essentially of troops for special operations. By this we mean a light infantry, without any armour or support. They could not therefore ward off any land attack carried out by the Syrian army supported by the Air Force. Having understood that the US Air Force will not be able to pass the Syrian anti-air barrage without unacceptable losses, any US intervention becomes inappropriate. This is why the US has just announced that it will start to withdraw 2,000 soldiers from Syria [1]. At the same time, Turkey, supported by Russia, is getting ready to launch a new offensive against the YPG in Northern Syria. These new circumstances ensure the Syrian Army will fight on the side of Turkey. The YPG, trained and supported by the United States, is quickly losing all the territories that it had taken from the Islamic State which itself had taken from Syria.
When the Second World War was over, Japan was prohibited from having military weapons (airplane carriers, long range bombers, missiles whether cruise or ballistic) which would allow any further attacks.

Today, Japans military navy has 20 submarines for attack, 39 for destruction (8 of these are equipped with the AEGIS combat system) and 3 helicopter carriers.

However, the Japanese government has decided to equip itself with an airplane carrier. The Japanese aircraft carrier will play a defensive role, neutralizing an imminent threat. But once it is operational, no-one is going to be able to stop Japan from playing an enemy role and becoming an offensive force.

Japans negotiations with the US demonstrate that Japan wishes to replace its 107 old planes (F-4 and F-15) with the new Generation V-a F-35A. Japan also wants 40 F-35B. This is the version of the F-35 with vertical take off and landing destined for the military navy.

Japan already has two new destroyers, helicopter carriers of the class Izumo. Each weighs 27 000 tonnes and is 248 m long. The ships are equipped with an anti-submarine system and anti-ship system. Each ship has the capacity to carry on board 400 of the navys infantry.

Furthermore, in place of helicopters, the helicopter carrier ships can carry on board up to 18 F-35B fighter planes. Japanese ships of the class Izumo can be transformed into similar ships of the class Wasp or America.

In order to provide an expeditionary unit, ready to intervene anywhere in the world, similar to that of the US, all Japan needed was a navy. This need was satisfied in April 2018, with the establishment of the military brigade ARDB, with its military base at Sasebo, near Nagasaki.

Japans neighbours, China, North Korea and Russia, all have nuclear weapons. Japan has an antidote against airplane carriers and ships for disembarking. But Japan is totally exposed to an attack with ballistic missiles, especially if it was with a nuclear attack. The American guarantees relating linked to anti  ballistic defence, are not sufficient.

Japans decision to use weapons to self-empower is not surprising. It is easy to implement this decision with the advanced technology that Japan now has at its disposition. But the person who deserves most of the credit in transforming Japan into a strong offensive force (that is nuclear) is Donald Trump whose adage can be liberally interpreted: Make (enemies of) America great again".
English Danish

The Board of Directors in FirstFarms A/S has today based on authorisation in the company's Articles of Association section 5.2.B decided to issue 70,000 warrants, which each gives right to subscribe one share of nominal DKK 10 in the company. Thus, the issued warrants give right to subscribe total up to nominal DKK 700,000 shares in the company. The Board of Directors has at the same time made decision about the related capital increase.

The utilisation price of the allocated warrants is DKK 45.00 per share of nominal DKK 10 with a premium of 2 % p.a. calculated until utilisation.

The issued warrants are allocated cost-free to the company's CEO and other employees in the company and in the company's subsidiaries.

The allocated warrants can be utilised in a period of 4 weeks from the company's publication of the interim financial report for the period 1 January 2022 - 30 September 2022.

Holders of warrants, who resign prior to utilisation, retain the right to utilise warrants to the extent provided by the rules of the share option law.

The issued warrants are estimated to have a total market value of DKK 264,000, corresponding to DKK 66,000 per year in the period until potential utilisation. The market value is calculated based on the Black-Scholes model with a volatility of 20%, a risk-free interest of 0.0 % p.a. and a share price of 43.20.

The Board of Directors decision is entered in item 5.2.B (a) in the company's Articles of Association with appendix 5.2.B (a), which includes the terms for the allocated warrants.

Best regards,

FirstFarms A/S

For further information:

Please visit our website www.firstfarms.com or contact CEO Anders H. Nrgaard on telephone +45 75 86 87 87.

About FirstFarms:

FirstFarms is a Danish stock exchange listed company, which purchases and operation agriculture in Eastern Europe. We develop the individual farms to modern and sustainable businesses that deliver milk, meat and grains of the highest quality to the dinner tables all over the world.
The spokespersons for the White House and the Pentagon, Sarah Sanders and Dana White respectively, have confirmed that President Donald Trump had a conversation with his Turkish Partner Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after which he gave the orders for US personnel to evacuate Syria.

The Department of State personnel will leave this country in less than 24 hours. The personnel of the Department of Defense - around 4000 men of which only 2000 are present in an official capacity  will evacuate in under 100 days.

The US military forces have been illegally occupying Syria for four years. The Syrian government has asked several times for their withdraw, a response to which no response was received.

The new US Ambassador for Syria had indicated that his countrys troops would be maintained for so long as:

(1) Daesh continued to exist

(2) Iranian troops were present in Syria

(3) There was no political solution to the Syrian Crisis.

However now:

(1) The Pentagon has implemented a battle against Daesh, presenting it as decisive;

(2) There are no Iranian soldiers in Syria, only military advisers;

(3) Henceforth, the White House would be ready to recognize the legitimacy of the Syrian Government.

Prior to the announcement of the US withdrawal, the Turkish President announced launching a military operation in the near future against the pro US pro Independence Kurds that are stationed in North East Syria.
The World Customs Organization (WCO) in collaboration with the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council (CCCLEC) and St. Lucia Customs, as well as with the generous financial support of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) via Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), organized a five-day Workshop on the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures, as amended, the well-known Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC), in Castries, Saint Lucia from 26 to 30 November 2018. The Workshop brought together 14 Customs Administrations from the Caribbean region (including some non-WCO Members) from Anguilla, Antigua, Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Kitts, St Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Given the WCOs current focus on small island economies, the main objectives of the Workshop were to raise awareness regarding the importance and advantages of the RKC among Customs administrations in the Caribbean region, to identify accession and implementation gaps and challenges, and to conduct a preliminary gap analysis and assessment of compliance with the RKC Standards and Transitional Standards, as well as to explore potential solutions for accession to, and the implementation of, the RKC in an expeditious manner.

The WCO experts provided detailed information along with practical explanations and case studies with regard to the accession and implementation the RKC that also supports an effective and harmonized implementation of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA) and associated benefits, as well as the rights and obligations of Contracting Parties. Facilitated by experts, participants carried out a gap analysis to analyze the compliance of their national and regional legislation and regulations with the RKC provisions.

The Workshop provided the participants with an opportunity to develop a sound grasp of the RKC and related tools in order to effectively prepare and ensure the alignment of their national/regional legislation with the RKC and eventually accede to the Convention. Participants also gained knowledge in analysing the compatibility of the RKC provisions with respective national legislation, regulations, and practices, as well as an ability to develop a roadmap and action plan to accede to and implement the RKC based on each Member or non-Members unique national context.

In addition, participants learned the complementarities between the RKC and the WTO TFA and how both can be implemented together, where required. It is expected that following this Workshop participating WCO Members/Non-Members will move forward with the accession to the RKC.

To date, one hundred and sixteen (116) countries have acceded to the Convention since it came into force on February 3, 2006.
At the invitation of the Acting Director General of Iceland Customs, Mr. Sigurur Skuli Bergsson, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya visited Reykjavik on 20 December 2018.

Mr. Snorri Olsen, who recently took up the position of Director, Internal Revenue after serving as Director General of Iceland Customs for 21 years, and Ms. Sigfriur Gunnlaugsdottir, International Affairs Manager, also attended the meeting with Secretary General Mikuriya.

The issues covered during the meeting ranged from how Customs administrations have evolved over the past 21 years and the ongoing changes in the Customs environment to the discussions held during the December 2018 Policy Commission, in which Iceland Customs participated, including the impact of digital technology and the growth in the number of international travellers.

Given the WCOs current focus on Small Island Economies, Dr. Mikuriya suggested that Iceland share its success story, built on the use of information technology and enhanced human resource management in Customs, with the international Customs community as a whole.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Dec. 20, 2018 | PADUCAH

By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 20, 2018 | 05:54 PM | PADUCAH

A man was arrested Thursday morning by McCracken Sheriff's deputies after someone called about a man trying to get in their Reidland home.



The Sheriff's Department was called about 11 am by someone on Lakeside Drive saying a man walked up and knocked on their door. The person inside said there were no vehicles in the driveway, but the man repeatedly knocked on the screen, then opened the screen to knock on the main door. The witness told deputies the man then tried to open the door by jiggling the knob several times.



When deputies arrived at the home they saw a man identified as 47-year-old Donald B. Driver a short distance away. Deputies said that without being asked, Driver told them he hadn't stolen anything. A criminal check on Driver reportedly showed he has a prior history of theft and burglary, and deputies say he couldn't provide a "valid reason" for being in the area.



Driver was arrested for attempted burglary and taken to McCracken County Jail.



The Sheriff's Department reminds everyone to be vigilant and report suspicious activity, since most daytime burglaries take place under similar circumstances. Potential burglars will knock on a door to see if anyone is at home, then check for unlocked doors or windows. If someone answers the door, the suspect will usually say they are at the wrong house or ask if the homeowner needs a service performed, such as tree trimming or yard work.
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Plaza Tire to partner with Sun Auto next year
TORONTO, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Victoria Gold Corp. (the Company or Victoria) (TSX-V: VIT-V) is pleased to welcome Ms. Letha MacLachlan to its Board of Directors. The Company also announces that it intends to complete a brokered flow through financing of up to 2,600,000 common shares of the Corporation that will qualify as flow through shares (within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada)) at a price of $0.50 per share for gross proceeds of up to $1,300,000 (the Offering).



Victoria Gold adds Ms. Letha MacLachlan Q.C. to its Board

As Victoria transitions from developer to producer, the Company continues to add experience and expertise at all levels. We are pleased to introduce Letha as our newest board member. Letha joins Sean Roosen and Jacques Perron who joined the board of directors earlier this year as well as long-time board members, John McConnell, CEO, Mike McInnis, Chris Hill and myself. said Sean Harvey, Board Chair.

Ms. MacLachlan is an experienced director and trustee of corporate and not-for-profit boards. For 35 years, Letha practiced law and served on regulatory tribunals with a focus on operational regulation and resource development approvals (mining and petroleum projects). She has extensive experience in environmental impact assessment, resource regulation, and dispute resolution across Canada as well as Aboriginal land claims and Aboriginal law in northern Canada.

Ms. MacLachlan has served as a member of the board of a number of regulatory, corporate, and impact assessment panels including the Northwest Territories Water Board, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Canadian Hydro Developers, Inc., and was chair of the FEARO Panel that reviewed the environmental impact assessment of Canadas first diamond mine.

Victoria Gold intends to Complete a Flow Through Financing

Even as we await final results from our 2018 Exploration Program, it is clear from the results received to date that a follow-up program in 2019 is warranted. The drill bit has proven to be our friend across the Dublin Gulch property and the over 20 kilometer long Potato Hills Trend. This has resulted in growing resources at Eagle and Olive-Shamrock, advancement of the Spinach and Falcon zones and new exciting targets, Bluto and Nugget, said John McConnell, CEO and director.

The Offering will be led by PI Financial. In consideration for their services, the Company has agreed on a commission equal to 5.0% of the proceeds from the Offering or 2.0% of the proceeds received from the sale of securities to subscribers sourced by the Company.

The proceeds from the sale of the Flow Through Shares will be used by the Company to fund exploration on the Dublin Gulch property in Yukon.

All securities issued under the Offering are subject to a four month hold period. The Offering is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

About the Dublin Gulch Property

Victoria Gold's 100%-owned Dublin Gulch gold property is situated in the central Yukon Territory, Canada, approximately 375 kilometers north of the capital city of Whitehorse, and approximately 85 kilometers from the town of Mayo. The Property is accessible by road year-round, and is located within Yukon Energy's electrical grid.

The Property covers an area of approximately 555 square kilometers, and is the site of the Company's Eagle Gold Deposit. The Eagle Gold Mine is under construction and is expected to be Yukon's next operating gold mine. The Eagle and Olive deposits include Proven and Probable Reserves of 2.7 million ounces of gold from 123 million tonnes of ore with a grade of 0.67 grams of gold per tonne, as outlined in a National Instrument 43-101 feasibility study entitled Report for the Eagle Gold Project and dated October 26, 2016. The NI 43-101 Mineral Resource for the Eagle and Olive deposits has been estimated, as at December 5, 2018, to host 208 million tonnes averaging 0.66 grams of gold per tonne, containing 4.4 million ounces of gold in the "Measured and Indicated" category, inclusive of Proven and Probable Reserves, and a further 20 million tonnes averaging 0.64 grams of gold per tonne, containing 0.4 million ounces of gold in the "Inferred" category.

Cautionary Language and Forward-Looking Statements

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements." All statements in this discussion, other than statements of historical facts, that address future exploration drilling, exploration activities, anticipated metal production, internal rate of return, estimated ore grades, commencement of production estimates and projected exploration and capital expenditures (including costs and other estimates upon which such projections are based) and events or developments that the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include metal prices, exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

For Further Information Contact:

John McConnell

President & CEO

Victoria Gold Corp

Tel: 416-866-8800

Fax: 416-866-8801






By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 21, 2018 | 11:14 AM | EDDYVILLE





Former Kuttawa City Clerk Katie Harrison and her husband appeared in Lyon District Court on Wednesday.Court officials say Judge James Redd presided over a preliminary hearing for Katie and Clayton Harrison. and ruled there was enough evidence for the case to be heard by a grand jury.Katie Harrison is charged with 24 counts of second degree forgery. Clayton Harrison faces 10 counts of second degree possession of a forged instrument. All of the charges followed an investigation into missing funds at the office where Katie Harrison served as city clerk.WNBS reports that Kentucky State Trooper Eric Fields testified, saying that Katie wrote the first check to Clayton on the day she took control of the community events bank account. The deputy city clerk normally wrote checks for the account, but had just taken maternity leave. Police said Clayton told them the checks were for work he had done for the city.WNBS also reports Judge Redd denied a request to lower bond for the couple. He denied bond a week earlier, saying they were a flight risk.The city issued a statement on August 29, saying financial irregularities had been found and State Police had issued a warrant for her arrest. The couple managed to avoid being caught until late November. They were jailed in Sevier County, Tennessee and then extradited to Kentucky on December 9.

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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Dec. 20, 2018 | PADUCAH

By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 20, 2018 | 05:34 PM | PADUCAH

Three people were arrested Thursday afternoon during a traffic stop after a vehicle failed to yield to a school bus.



According to the McCracken County Sheriff's Department, detectives saw an SUV ignore the stop sign on a bus that was unloading students on Bridge Street near the intersection with Wall Street. They pulled over the vehicle and spoke to the driver, 40-year-old Toby May of Gilbertsville. Detectives say May had a suspended driver's license and was driving under the influence. He was arrested on those charges along with passing an unloading school bus.



While the vehicle was stopped, detectives noticed a passenger, 37-year-old Karly Scott was moving erratically, and they eventually determined that she was allegedly trying to hide methamphetamine in her pants.



Another passenger, 63-year-old Billy May of Gilbertsville, was arrested for public intoxication.



All three people were taken to McCracken County Jail.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 20, 2018 | 12:37 PM | KUTTAWA

Hydrochloric acid is a hazardous liquid, and the use of personal protective equipment is essential when it is near. Accidental exposure can pose serious health hazards if there is skin contact, eye contact, ingestion or inhalation of acidic vapors.



Emergency crews responded Thursday morning to a hazardous chemical spill at a truck stop on US Highway 62 in Lyon County.Bill Compton, Chief of the Kuttawa Fire Department, told West Kentucky Star they responded about 8 am after hearing of the leak."Evidently, somewhere on I-24 the truck driver came upon stalled or slow-moving traffic and applied his brakes rather promptly, caused the load to shift, and caused the totes to be damaged. Ultimately he made it here to the Exit 40 truck stop at Huck's Travel Plaza. While he was here he discovered that he had product leaking out of the back of the trailer," Compton said.Compton said the liquid was a hydrochloric acid-based product, and a hazmat response team was called to offload the product and mitigate the scene. They finished and all first responders left about 4:45 pm.Compton said the business remained open, but was a small isolation zone set up around the leaking truck. He said there is no indication that any of the material leaked onto the interstate or area roads. Traffic on I-24 or Highway 62 was not affected.Along with Kuttawa Fire Department, Kentucky State Police, EPA and Emergency Management teams were on the site, along an environmental response and mitigation team from Paducah.Lyon County Emergency Management Manager Dale Hawkes told WKDZ there were no injuries reported and the spill was not life-threatening.
NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EB Research Partnership, the largest 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to funding research aimed at treating and ultimately curing Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), announced today a $1 million research award for a disease-modifying treatment or cure for Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex (EBS). The award to advance breakthrough and innovative treatments for EBS was made possible in collaboration with partner EB nonprofits the EB Research Foundation of Australia and EB Medical Research Foundation along with the John and Anne Oros Foundation. The group will be sourcing proposals from the medical and scientific communities with the best ideas being awarded up to $1 million to support the winning research projects. Submissions will be reviewed by EB Research Partnerships Scientific Advisory Board which is chaired by Dr. Anne Lucky and recommends awards and grants, based on their evaluation of the potential for development of commercially viable treatments and cures for EB. All parties - non-profit and commercial - are encouraged to apply.



We were founded on the principle that through partnering with those who share our mission, we can move faster to deliver treatments and cures for EB. We are honored to work with an international team to create an award that will bring the best ideas to treat EB Simplex forward, Alex Silver, Chairman & Co-Founder of EB Research Partnership.

We were inspired to start our organization through our work with a child with EB Simplex so this award has special significance to us as an opportunity to meet an unmet need. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with worldwide leaders in the pursuit of cures for EB, Scott Didier, Chairman & Co-Founder of EB Research Foundation.

EB is a group of devastating and life-threatening genetic skin disorders affecting around 500,000 people worldwide. EB Simplex, the most common subtype of EB, results from gene mutations in Keratins V and XIV, crucial components of intermediate filaments which provide stability to the skin. Patients experience painful blistering of the epidermis that is either localized to the hands and feet or widespread.

Although EBS is the most common subtype of EB, there are few promising projects in the current research landscape aimed at developing therapies for EBS patients. EB Research Partnership, EB Research Foundation, EB Medical Research Foundation, and the John and Anne Oros Foundation look to fund and accelerate research projects focused on this underserved community.

Proposals will be accepted through January 25. Applicants should submit their proposals to grants@ebresearch.org.

About EB Research Partnership

Founded in 2010, EB Research Partnership (EBRP) is the largest 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to funding research aimed at treating and ultimately curing Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a group of devastating and life-threatening skin disorders that affect children from birth. EB Research Partnership works to treat and cure EB as quickly and efficiently as possible and fulfills their mission by partnering with non-profit and for-profit organizations, foundations, individual donors, and the EB and research communities. EB Research Partnership utilizes an innovative business model of venture philanthropy, when making a grant to a research project they retain the added upside of generating a recurring revenue stream if the therapy or product is commercially successful, then use the return on investment to fund additional EB research until a cure is found. To learn more about EB Research Partnership visit www.ebresearch.org .

About EB Research Foundation

The EB Research Foundation is an Australian registered not-for-profit charity founded in late October 2016. Driven from a grass-roots affiliation with EB, the EB Research Foundation has a strong supporter base and an emphasis on raising significant funds through Corporate and Individual sponsorships & hosting events. The EB Research Foundation is dedicated to raising funds to accelerate research directed towards increasing life expectancy for EB patients and ultimately a cure. It ends with a cure! With no Government funding, the EB Research Foundation relies solely on the generosity of businesses and individuals. To read more about the EB Research Foundation go to: www.ebresearchfoundation.org

About EB Medical Research Foundation

The EBMRF is an all-volunteer, non-profit 501(c) Foundation dedicated to funding research for EB, a rare, debilitating and often fatal skin disease. Our mission is to determine its causes, develop successful treatments, and ultimately find a cure. The grants awarded with your donations fund an aggressive research agenda aimed at developing breakthrough therapies in collaboration with Universities and leading private and public biotechnology companies. EBMRF's scientific collaborations incorporate a venture philanthropy model, in which we participate in the economics of any potential scientific commercialization. Royalties and revenue generated from our venture agreements are then reinvested to further advance critical research. The foundation's goal is to cure EB by raising awareness through special events, the media and fundraising programs. For more information, please visit www.ebmrf.org .

Contact:

EB Research Partnership

Michael Hund, +1-646-844-0902

mhund@ebresearch.org
TORONTO, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tree of Knowledge International Corp. ( CSE:TOK I ; OTC:TRKWF ) (the Company or TOK) is pleased to announce that further to its detailed press release dated December 3, 2018, it has completed the acquisition of Asterion Bio Med Inc. (Asterion) in accordance with a pre-acquisition agreement dated November 30, 2018 (the Definitive Agreement). Through an exclusive strategic alliance agreement with Jack Nathan Medical Inc., which operates over 70 Jack Nathan Health medical clinics in six provinces across Canada, Asterion has access to one of the largest healthcare systems across Canada for its education and research platform, with over 1.5 million patient visits annually (http://jacknathanhealth.com/).

Led by Jean-Paul Gaillard, an architect and turn-around specialist for major brands such as Nespresso and Marlboro Classic, the expanded management for the Company now includes Dr. Kevin Rod as Chief Medical Officer of TOK, and the board of directors consists of the Honorable. Ernie Eves as Chairman, Michael Caridi, Dr. Kevin Rod, Peter Saunders and Scott Reeves. In addition, Brian Main and George Barakat, CEO of Jack Nathan Medical Inc., will be appointed as observers to the TOK board and Mr. Barakat will be presented by management to be elected as a director at the next annual meeting of the TOK shareholders. John Bonin, the COO of Asterion, will also be joining TOKs Advisory Board. See the press release of the Company dated December 3, 2018, for detailed bios of the new additions to the board of directors and management of the Company.

Coming from the Tobacco and consumer products industries, I feel very strongly about the need for data and empirical evidence to drive our product development and commercial strategy. By acquiring Asterion, our combined company is now armed with the elements we need to execute our mission to develop, expand, and commercialize our portfolio of cannabinoid natural health and therapeutic consumer products using data driven insight, said Jean-Paul Gaillard, CEO of the Company. In pursuing our goals, we intend to leverage our globally recognized pain expertise, our exclusive strategic alliance with Jack Nathan Medical Inc., and our international clinic platforms that provide key insight from millions of consumers and patients each year, continued Gaillard.

Statistically significant data regarding the efficacy of natural health and therapeutic products using cannabinoids is still nascent. We feel we have been in a unique position to rigorously document and gather this type of data through observational results we have witnessed over the past several years at Asterions Toronto Poly Clinics, said Dr Kevin Rod, Chief Medical Officer of the Company. In the midst of rapid cannabis regulatory reform, TOK has established a sizeable North American platform for continued research and product development driven by empirical evidence and data that we believe will be a must for physicians, industry operators, regulators, investors, and society as a whole before cannabis is truly accepted as a valid therapeutic option, continued Dr Rod.

Pursuant to the Definitive Agreement, TOK made an offer to the Asterion shareholders to purchase all the shares of Asterion on the basis of 2.1894 common shares of TOK (TOK Shares) for each one (1) common share of Asterion (the Offer). The Offer was accepted by 100% of the shareholders of Asterion and TOK issued an aggregate of 96,695,271 TOK Shares to the former holders of Asterion.

As a condition to completing the Offer, completed a private placement financing (the Financing) where TOK issued 12,464,393 units at a price of $0.22 per unit for gross proceeds of $2.74 million (including conversion of debt held by an insider in the amount of $259,854), with each unit consisting of one TOK Share and one share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder to acquire a TOK Share at a price of $0.39 per share for a period of forty-eight months, subject to the ability of the Company to accelerate the expiry date if at any time during the term of the warrants the volume weighted average closing price of the TOK Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange is $1.00 or more for 10 consecutive trading days. The TOK Shares and warrants will bear a four-month hold period from the date of issue.

Following completion of the Offer and the Financing, there are 201,896,623 TOK Shares issued and outstanding with the former Asterion shareholders holding approximately 47.9% of the TOK Shares (non-diluted). In addition, TOK issued options to purchase an aggregate of 8,135,810 TOK Shares in connection with the exchange of outstanding options issued by Asterion and warrants to purchase an aggregate of 12,917,460 TOK Shares in connection with the exchange of outstanding warrants issued by Asterion.

The headquarters for the combined company will be in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with a significant office presence in Asterions former headquarters in North York, Ontario, Canada.

ABOUT TREE OF KNOWLEDGE

The Company produces and sells hemp-based cannabidiol (CBD) products in certain jurisdictions in the United States, as well as in Europe, South America and China. Cannabidiol/CBD is a natural constituent of hemp which is purported to contain wellness properties. TOKs CBD product line contains EVR Premium Hemp Oil, which is an organically grown and handled, gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, synergistic compound that is derived from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved industrial hemp grown in the United States. TOK currently offers several CBD products, which may be used in connection with the treatment of a number of ailments and for general wellness purposes.

ABOUT ASTERION BIO MED

Asterion is a leading healthcare provider specializing in multidisciplinary pain clinics operating under the banner; Toronto Poly Clinic (collectively, TPC). The core pillars of TPC are: a multidisciplinary pain program designed to improve physical and psychological management of pain, patient self-management tools, and medical cannabis research and product development.

TPC has become a healthcare leader in the ethical and controlled use of medical cannabis, managing over 4,800 cannabis patients. TPC has been involved in one of the largest longitudinal IRB approved observational studies to date on medical cannabis. As a result of this experience, practitioners have learned that education and research are paramount to realizing the medical benefits of cannabis on a diverse population of patients. TPC has refined its collective knowledge and focused on the creation of the MCERP (Medical Cannabis Education, Research and Best Practice Platform) and MCORP (Medical Cannabis Opioid Reduction Program). Currently TPC has research agreements with multiple universities for medical cannabis research and new medical grade products development. Through an exclusive strategic alliance agreement with Jack Nathan Medical Inc., which operates over 70 Jack Nathan Health medical clinics in six provinces across Canada, Asterion has access to one of the largest healthcare systems across Canada for its education and research platform, with over 1.5 million patient visits annually (http://jacknathanhealth.com/).

For further information about TOK, please contact the following:

Tree of Knowledge International Corp.

Michael Caridi, CEO

Tel: +1 (917) 295-1374

Michael@tok.ca

www.tok.ca

THE CSE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the benefits to be received from completing the Offer, the future operations of TOK as combined with Asterion and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as will, may, should, anticipate, expects and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the combined TOK/Asterion company and the future plans and objectives of TOK, are forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from TOK's expectations are risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by TOK with securities regulations.

The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of TOK. As a result, TOK cannot guarantee that the Offer will be completed and that any forward-looking statement will materialize and the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. 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. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and TOK will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by Canadian securities law.




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50 referrals made to authorities in the last year over child neglect in Wrexham

This article is old - Published: Friday, Dec 21st, 2018

A childrens charity has revealed that 50 referrals were made to authorities over child neglect concerns in Wrexham over the last 12 months.

According to NSPCC Wales Appeal Board Chairman Alan Peterson, it is contacted on average 55 times a day by adults from across the UK worried about neglect.

The charitys helpline hears from concerned adults  with reports ranging from children being left unsupervised or with inadequate clothing, to being screamed at or living amongst mouldy food and animal faeces.

Many of these concerns were so serious that they were referred to agencies including local authorities and the police.

Shocking statistics show 2,874 sexual offences against children aged under 16 were recorded by police in Wales last year. Nearly 6,000 children are in care and 2,690 are on the child protection register.

Accepting a 1,990 cheque from Care Forum Wales, which represents nearly 500 independent social care providers, he said the need to put an end to the suffering of vulnerable young people is as great as ever.

The money was raised at the Wales Care Awards, known as the social care Oscars, which are organised annually to recognise the skill and dedication of the sectors unsung heroes and heroines.

In addition, individual members of Care Forum Wales are raising thousands of pounds for the charity.

Thanking social care workers who stepped up to support a three year 3 million NSPCC Wales fundraising appeal he said: Its our sad experience that when our teams visit a school to talk to pupils about the vital work we do, we find that on average two children in every classroom have suffered abuse or neglect.

Our role has never been more crucial. We advise and reassure frightened young people, offering a way out of what can seem to them to be a downward spiralling, inescapable situation.

During the festive period extended family members often get in touch with the NSPCC after spending more time with a young relative and becoming concerned for the childs welfare.

To raise awareness of child neglect  the most common type of abuse affecting children in the UK  the NSPCC has launched its Light For Every Childhood Christmas Appeal.

The appeal is calling for donations to the NSPCC Helpline  which is open throughout the holidays  so they can answer more calls and help children suffering neglect both at Christmas and all year round.

Care Forum Wales chairman Mario Kreft MBE said: Having seen the figures about the abuse and neglect of children across our nation and having been astonished and horrified by the facts, its clear we need to do all we can to make children in our community safer.

Im proud the Wales Care Awards raised 1,990 and individual members are raising yet more money via raffles and various fundraising activities and were determined it doesnt end here.

NSPCC Wales has been our nominated charity for 2018 and I would like to thank all our members across Wales for all their own brilliant fund-raising efforts and I know that individual members of staff at those organisations have also been busy.

Id also like to reveal that NSPCC will also be our nominated charity for 2019 and I am confident we will be able to raise significantly more thanks to huge reach of social care in Wales which employs tens of thousands of people across the country.

We urgently need to highlight the plight of children suffering unseen without hope of refuge or succour. For their sake its essential the public rally firmly behind this cause.

The advance of the internet and social media has also increased dangers facing children and escalated the potential for abuse. Sexual predators have become adept at online grooming of young innocents, and children risk stumbling upon or actively seeking out unsuitable material posted on the internet.

Research carried out by the charity found almost one in three youngsters have seen something worrying or nasty online.

NSPCC Wales experts visit schools regularly to educate and communicate with children about the charitys work and reach out to those who may not otherwise know where to turn.

In the last 12 months, via its Speak Out and Stay Safe campaign, volunteers and staff visited 485 schools in Wales and delivered important information about NSPCC services to 72,284 children. The eventual aim is to visit all Welsh schools.

The NSPCC relies almost entirely on donations. If funds dry up, cuts become necessary which could mean closure of some branches.

Our service centres in Swansea, Cardiff and Prestatyn, are fantastic, said Mr Peterson.

We simply cannot put them in jeopardy. Thats why I set this fundraising target, to ensure the work they undertake continues for future generations.

Ive seen first-hand how effective the NSPCC child recovery strategies can be. Given the resources we can put an end to abuse, assist children to recover from their ordeals, often help bring families back together and restore childrens faith in themselves and society as a whole

Care Forum Wales council member Brian West, who was at the cheque presentation ceremony, said the continued work of NSPCC Wales is essential to the wellbeing of many thousands of young people.

He said: Care Forum Wales is encouraged by the generosity of our members in raising 1,990 for our chosen charity, the NSPCC, who carry out this important role in giving children in Wales a voice.

This includes providing support to those who have suffered abuse or neglect, encouraging them to speak out and not suffer in silence.

The mission statement of Care Forum Wales is Taking care of Wales, which includes both adults and children. So we are delighted to present this cheque to the NSPCC to help it continue this vital role in safeguarding our children.
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A Florida woman has been sentenced to six years in prison for having sex with a 17-year-old boy she adopted.

Lauren Myres was sentenced Thursday and was given the designation of a sex offender. Earlier this month, she entered a no contest plea to a charge of sexual battery on a minor.

Authorities say the Fort Walton Beach, Florida woman had been a social services caseworker assigned to the boy. She later decided to foster the boy and adopted him.

The Northwest Florida Daily News reports that after the adoption was finalized authorities discovered Myres had been having sex with him.

The boy told detectives he didn't think it was wrong since he was almost 18.

After her arrest, Myers was fired from her job.

___

Information from: Northwest Florida Daily News (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.), http://www.nwfdailynews.com

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WTXL) - Two people have been arrested for their involvement in a $1.5 million theft from Millpond Plantation in Thomasville.

Michael "Mike" Crozier and Carrie Crozier were arrested on Dec. 20 and 21 respectively by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The GBI was requested to start an investigation into the theft and misappropriation of funds of Millpond Plantation on April 26 by the Thomas County District Attorneys Office.

An audit conducted on Millpond Plantation business records indicated discrepancies and funds believed to be missing.

The GBI began an investigation, coordinated with auditors to further the audit of records, receipts and business documents to further look into other areas where funds were taken.

According to the GBI, to date, approximately $1.5 million has been identified as being taken from the business.

Agents are still completing interviews of witnesses and vendors associated with Millpond Plantation where original receipts and documentation were obtained to identify legitimate and fraudulent purchases and expenditures.

Michael, who was employed as the Manager of Millpond Plantation in Sept. 2005, is being charged with 11 counts of felony theft by taking.

Carrie, who was the wife of Michael while he was working at Millpond Plantation, is facing four counts of felony theft by taking.

Both were taken to the Thomas County Jail.

The above charges are thefts by the Croziers' which took place in Thomas County. Agents have also determined other thefts occurred outside of Thomas County.

Agents will talk with the appropriate prosecutors in the respective jurisdictions for possible additional charges in those areas. The case is still active and ongoing.

The case will be provided to the District Attorneys Office for prosecution when the investigation is complete.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News Service of Florida) - A proposal filed in the Florida legislature would strengthen penalties for parents who do not properly use child restraints in cars.

Under the measure, the Department of Children and Families would be able to open a child abuse investigation after the fact, to see whether seat belt or booster seat violations during a car accident led to a childs injury or death.

Under current law, DCF doesnt have the power to track the incidents, and child seatbelt violations carries a minimum fine of $60.

State Representative Cord Byrd will sponsor the bill in the Florida House. Byrd said the goal of the legislation is not to penalize parents, but rather to help them better understand how to protect their kids.

Its not to put parents in criminal jeopardy. Its to make sure they understand the safety importance, and if they need assistance to maybe get a car seat and that they understand how to put it in properly," said Byrd.

Under the bill, DCF could begin an investigation if a doctor feels the lack of a safety restraint worsened a childs injuries.

It is estimated that 35 percent of children under 12 who die in car accidents are not restrained.

The legislation will be conserved during the 2019 session, which begins March 5.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A grand jury has indicted a married couple arrested for the murder of a Tallahassee man.

Grand jurors returned indictments against Jessie Daquan Price-Brown, 24, and Terrelle Lamar Price-Brown, 25, for murder-first degree and accessory after the fact for the death of Derek Parks.

The court document, filed Dec. 20, 2018, said that on or about July 17, 2018, the couple killed Parks.

The suspects are being held in the Leon County Detention Center, where they were booked after they were returned from a jail in Fairfax, Virginia.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A married couple arrested for the murder of a Tallahassee man met the victim through a dating app, court documents reveal.

The suspects, Jessie Daquan Price-Brown, 24, and Terrelle Lamar Price-Brown, 25, were booked into the Leon County Detention Center on Tuesday after their transfer there from a jail in Fairfax, Virgina. No bond amount was listed.

The couple's relationship includes soliciting other sexual partners through applications such as Grindr, according to a probable cause document.

A car owned by the victim, Parks, was found in possession of the two suspects.

Jessie and Terrelle Price-Brown stayed at the home of Derek Parks for several days in June but left for Americus, Georgia, where Terrelle's mother lives.

Cell phone evidence and vehicle GPS evidence suggest that Parks gave them a ride to Americus, the court document said.

Witness testimony reveals that Jessie and Terrelle argued while they stayed with Terrelle's mother and Jessie left the residence and contacted Parks.

Parks drove Jessie to his apartment in Tallahassee, court documents said, and Jessie remained with Parks in Tallahassee for the next few days.

On July 16, Jessie was seen with Parks along with a U-Haul van that investigators determined that Parks rented that day for six hours. Parks was listed on the rental ticket as a secondary driver.

On July 19, Parks' mother reported to TPD that he had not heard from her son for a week, which was unusual, and law enforcement said that an investigation revealed that Parks was last seen in the company of the suspects on July 16.

On July 22, Parks car passed a government-controlled license plate reading device in Arlington, Virginia. Due to Parks being listed as missing, investigators began searching for the vehicle.

The Fairfax County Police Department found the the abandoned vehicle on August 1 and inside it found a pawn receipt with the name Terrelle Price-Brown" and fingerprints belonging to both Jessie and Terrelle.

On Sept. 13, information was learned that led to the recovery of Parks' body in Americus, Georgia.

Two people charged in murder of missing Tallahassee man

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Two people have been arrested for the murder of a Tallahassee man who was reported missing back in July.

On July 19, the mother of Derek Levy Parks reported him as missing to the Tallahassee Police Department.

During the course of the investigation, it was learned that Parks was last seen in the company of Jessie Daquan Price-Brown, 24, and Terrelle Lamar Price-Brown, 25, on July 16.

TPD said the investigation into the Parks disappearance lead to the recovery of his vehicle in Virginia, which was in possession of the suspects.

Throughout the investigation, TPD stated the suspects actively tried to prevent the efforts of law enforcement from finding Parks.

On Sept. 13, information was learned that lead to the recovery of Parks' body in Americus, Georgia.

According to TPD, indications from the condition of his body strongly suggested that Parks was murdered. Parks' was later determined to have been murdered in Tallahassee and the case was turned over to TPDs Violent Crimes Unit.

Through various interviews and evidence gathered, officers learned that the suspects in this case likely were caught stealing property from Parks and he was murdered as a result.

TPD said after talking with the State Attorneys Office, Jessie Daquan Price-Brown and Terrelle Lamar Price-Brown are being charged with homicide - willfully kill or murder while engaged in certain felony offense and public order crimes accessory after the fact of capital felony.

Both are currently in the Fairfax Adult Detention Center located in Fairfax, Virginia.

AMERICUS, Ga. (WALB) - Skeletal remains found in a wooded area in Americus are believed to be a man reported missing out of Tallahassee, according to law enforcement.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Many people are gathering Friday to remember the homeless men and women who died this year.

WTXL ABC 27's Jada Williams was live Friday morning to talk about a memorial being held at the Kearney Center, a homeless shelter in Tallahassee.

In recognition of National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day, cities throughout the country will host vigils just like the one scheduled in Tallahassee on Friday.

The memorial always falls on December 21, the first day of winter and the longest night of the year.

That serves as a great reminder to people that, as the temperature drops, many people in our communities are sleeping outside.

But the vigil also serves as a way for those within the community to pay final respects, showing that, in the worst of times, bonds and relationships can still be made.

Jacob Reiter is the Kearney Center executive director.

"This year, we had about 14 folks that we know of pass away," he said. "Several of them, we knew here at the Kearney Center. I think its important to have this event because we recognize what we're doing everyday is saving lives. Our services are for folks to be able to get the help that they need and get into housing."

The Kearney Center provides beds, food, and help finding jobs and housing. There is also a health clinic inside the shelter to help.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Veritas Pharma Inc. (CSE: VRT; OTC: VRTHF; and Frankfurt: 2VP) (Veritas or the Company) is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into a share exchange agreement with three separate individuals for the issuance of 14,583,333, 14,583,333 and 12,500,000 common shares of Veritas at $0.12 per share in exchange for their 700,000, 700,000, and 600,000 shares at $2.50 per share, respectively, of the private cannabis growing company, Indigenous Bloom Corp. (IB) of Kelowna, BC. Therefore, a total of 41,666,666 Company shares will be exchanged for 2,000,000 shares of IB.



Dr. Lui Franciosi, CEO of the Company, states that this investment will enable our research arm, Cannevert Therapeutics Ltd., to obtain a consistent and reliable supply of cannabis strains as well as help fund important research and development efforts from the revenues generated.

Indigenous Bloom partners with different Indigenous groups across Canada to assist and advise in medical cannabis and hemp related projects.

About Veritas Pharma Inc.

Veritas Pharma Inc. is an emerging pharmaceutical and IP development company that, through its 100% owned subsidiary Cannevert Therapeutics Ltd. (CTL), is advancing the science behind medical cannabis. It is the Companys aim, through its investment in CTL, to develop the most effective cannabis strains (cultivars) specific to pain, nausea, epilepsy and PTSD, solving the critical need for clinical data to support medical marijuana claims. CTLs unique value proposition uses a low-cost research and development model to help drive shareholder value, and speed-to-market. Veritas investment in CTL is led by a strong management team, bringing together veteran academic pharmacologists, anesthetists & chemists. The companys commercial mission is to patent protect IP (cultivars & strains) and sell or license to cancer clinics, insurance industry and pharma, targeting multi-billion-dollar markets according to Deloittes Insights and Opportunities.

Veritas Pharma Inc. is a publicly traded company in Canada, on the Canadian Stock Exchange under the ticker VRT; in the United States, on the OTC under the ticker VRTHF; and in Germany, on the Frankfurt exchange under the ticker 2VP.

For more information, please visit our website: veritaspharmainc.com

On behalf of the Board of Directors

" Dr. Lui Franciosi"

Dr. Lui Franciosi

President and Chief Executive Officer

Further information about the Company is available on our website at www.veritaspharmainc.com or under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the CSE website at www.thecse.com.

Investor and Public Relations Contact

Veritas Pharma Inc.

Sam Eskandari

Telephone: +1.416.918.6785

Email: ir@veritaspharmainc.com

Website: www.veritaspharmainc.com

The CSE has not reviewed, nor approved or disapproved the content of this press release.
CAMILLA, GA (WALB) - A southwest Georgia high school student, killed in a car crash, was laid to rest on Thursday.

Pelham City High School senior, Madison Collier passed away after a car crash over the weekend.

Since then, her friends and family say the love they have for her has only magnified.

Many describe her as one of the kindest and most selfless people they knew.

Madison's best friend since childhood, Carrissa Morgan tells me saying goodbye for the last time is "life altering."

"Everybody was you know, praying, hoping that she'd pull through, everybody was just there for her. And I really feel like that made her happy," said Morgan.

Madison's parents said she had just been accepted into the college of her choice hours before she was killed in the car crash.

Morgan said Madison was ecstatic when she found out she had been accepted.

"It was amazing. Because, I know she wanted to go there so bad. It was her first choice. And we planned on celebrating," said Morgan.

Unfortunately, Madison didn't get the chance to do so. Malcolm Collier, Madison's father, said he was at work when Madison's mom called to tell him the tragic news.

"I felt something. My heart just dropped, because I could hear the pain in her voice. That's when it hit me that something was really wrong, something was bad," said Malcolm.

Madison died in the hospital on Saturday surrounded by friends and family.

Collier's parents said they're starting a non-profit organization in Madison's name, in an effort to share her kindness and selflessness with others.

CAMILLA, GA (WALB) - An 18-year-old died in a crash that happened in Camilla, according to the Mitchell County coroner.
SUWANNEE COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - A man has been arrested in connection to the TD Bank robbery in Live Oak.

Robert Ray, 46, of Orlando was arrested at about 11:00 a.m. Friday in Dawson, Georgia.

According to Live Oak Police Department Lieutenant Jason Rountree, Ray was able to get away with around $2,650 and drive off in a red Hyundai Elantra with a missing front bumper that did not belong to him.

Investigators with the Terrell County Sheriffs Office got a tip about Rays whereabouts and contacted Live Oak PD after tracking him down at a hotel.

He was then taken into custody and is in Terrell County awaiting extradition.

Ray has outstanding warrants for bank robberies in Seminole County (FL) and Orange County (FL). Lieutenant Rountree said he expects Ray to be extradited to Seminole County first.

SUWANNEE COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - The Suwannee County Sheriff's Office says the bank robbery suspect has been identified.

The Live Oak Police Department is seeking warrants for the suspect's arrest on Friday, the Suwannee Democrat reported.

Manhunt underway for Live Oak bank robbery suspect

SUWANNEE COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - Deputies are on scene after a TD Bank in Live Oak was robbed less than 30 minutes ago.

According to the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office, the TD Bank in Live Oak was robbed about less than minutes ago.

The sheriff's office shared photos of the suspect and his vehicle on Facebook.

If you recognize the man or the vehicle, you are asked to call the Suwannee County Sheriffs Office - Communications Center immediately at 386-362-2222. You may remain anonymous.
LEON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - The Leon County Sheriff's Office says four teens wanted for a string of car burglaries have been identified and arrested.

The burglaries happened on Dec. 2 in the area of Old Bainbridge and Sherborne Roads.

Deputies say the teen suspects drove a stolen truck into the neighborhood where they burglarized and stole items from numerous unlocked vehicles.

LCSO says the public's tips helped them identify all four teens.

LCSO looking for teenagers involved in multiple car burglaries

LEON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - The Leon County Sheriff's Office is looking for several teenagers involved in multiple car burglaries in a local neighborhood.

On Dec. 2 between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., several teenage suspects, driving a stolen 2017 gray Ford F-150, burglarized and stole items from numerous unlocked vehicles in the area of Old Bainbridge and Sherborne Roads.

LCSO said the F-150 was found later that day, abandoned on S. Ocala Road with stolen items from some of the above burglaries inside.

If you know any of them, or have any information, please call LCSO at (850) 606-3300, or to remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a reward up to $3,000, call Big Bend Crime Stoppers at (850) 574-TIPS (8477).
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-20 23:53:59|Editor: Chengcheng

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Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at his annual press conference in Moscow, Russia, Dec. 20, 2018. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

MOSCOW, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he is ready to meet with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump and discuss bilateral relations and multiple issues on the international agenda.

"I don't know if there is going to be a meeting between us. I have said many times that we are ready, and we believe that there are issues we must discuss together," Putin said at his annual press conference.

He said the two sides need to discuss the bilateral relations which both Moscow and Washington are interested in, as well as issues regarding the Korean Peninsula, Afghanistan, global security, arms control and many others in the world.

"I hope that something is going to be corrected, as in fact we have reached the bottom of our relations and we should understand that there is a necessity to go up from this bottom, take a breath of fresh air and to think with a clear head on how to live further," Putin said.

Last month, following the cancellation of a meeting between the leaders in Paris, Trump called off another previously scheduled meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the Group of 20 in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. Trump's calling off the meeting was denounced by Moscow as a result of U.S. internal politics.

Putin also expressed his concern over the influence brought by a change of power in U.S. Congress on the prospects of direct dialogue between the leaders.

"We can predict new attacks on the incumbent president with nearly 100 percent of certainty. I don't know if he will be able to start a direct dialogue with Russia in these conditions," Putin said.

On November 6, Democrats won control of the House of Representatives in the mid-term elections, shifting the power balance from a Congress that was solely controlled by the Republican Party to one controlled by both parties.

Experts predict that the Democrats will intensify scrutiny of Trump's relations with Russia, which could put the U.S. president in a more difficult position to adjust policies toward the country.

"Whatever happens, we have to build up bilateral relations and we are ready for it. We will start doing it as soon as the opposite part is ready," Putin said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 02:49:49|Editor: Chengcheng

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GENEVA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Switzerland announced Thursday that it had clinched a deal with the United Kingdom that allows the existing rights of Swiss and British nationals already residing in each other's countries when Britain leaves the European Union (EU).

"The rights granted in this agreement apply indefinitely," said the Federal Council, the Swiss cabinet, in a statement, noting that around 77,500 Swiss and British citizens live in each other's countries.

The affected citizens of each country will be able to continue working as foreign nationals and provide the same services. The deal also guarantees the same social security provisions and mutual recognition of professional qualifications.

"However, the terms of the agreement do not apply for the UK and Swiss citizens who move to the respective foreign country after the (EU free movement of persons' protocol) ceases to apply," the statement said.

The Swiss government said that at the end of 2017, some 43,000 British citizens were living in Switzerland, and about 34,500 Swiss citizens were resident in the United Kingdom.

Should Britain exit the EU without concluding a deal on March 29, the newly agreed provisions would take immediate effect said the Swiss government.

If Britain and the EU can agree their separation terms, the provisions announced Thursday would come into effect following the agreed transition period.

The same will apply to a trade accord, which, the Swiss government said days earlier, had been approved with Britain. It aims to maintain existing economic and trade relations with the United Kingdom after it leaves the EU under what is known as Brexit.

In 2017, the UK was Switzerland's sixth largest export market valued at 11.4 billion Swiss francs (11.44 billion U.S. dollars), and its eighth largest supplier with imports of 6.1 billion Swiss francs.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 02:59:51|Editor: yan

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TIRANA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama was hit with eggs by an opposition Democratic party lawmaker during the parliament session on Thursday.

The Albanian opposition returned to parliament for the first time since July.

Democratic party lawmaker Endri Hasa threw the first egg at Rama's belly while he was speaking, and missed hitting him twice.

The parliament speaker Gramoz Ruci immediately asked the security to accompany Hasa out but he refused to leave. Soon after the bureau of the parliament decided to expel Hasa for 10 days.

The opposition in Albania has been boycotting parliament since the summer break and they declared they would return to the session to vote for the budget change in support of the Albanian students.

The students have been boycotting lessons and protesting for better conditions for more than two weeks, calling for a raise of budget on education.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 04:20:06|Editor: Yamei

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by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's unexpected move to withdraw U.S. troops from war-torn Syria would largely appease NATO ally Turkey, who is ready to launch an offensive against U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters there, said local experts.

The U.S. move came as tensions increase sharply between Washington and Ankara as the latter vowed to wage a military operation against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) fighters, who will be the first to suffer from the loss of U.S. backing.

Trump, who declared victory on the militant group Islamic State (IS) in Syria, held a phone call with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Dec. 14 to try to head off a Turkish attack which could have put U.S. troops in the crossfire.

"There are many implications, but regarding the U.S.-Turkey ties, it will dissipate the most destructive factor in the partnership between the NATO allies," which is the presence of Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria that Ankara sees as an threat, Sinan Ulgen, a former diplomat who chairs the Istanbul-based Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM), told Xinhua.

Ulgen argued that the U.S. move, which is expected but still surprising because of its timing, would have multiple effects on the Syrian crisis. But for Turkey, the exit will cause the YPG to weaken politically and militarily without the U.S. support on the ground.

Erdogan promised last week to crush the Kurdish positions east of the Euphrates river, increasing the risk of a much-dreaded confrontation between soldiers of two major NATO allies.

Such a clash would create a geopolitical crisis at the heart of the world's most powerful military alliance.

The U.S. has a fairly small contingent of about 2,000 troops in Syria, many of them are special operations forces working closely with an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The partnership with the SDF over the past several years helped defeat IS in Syria but outraged Turkey, which views YPG as an extension of the militant group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been fighting for autonomy in Turkey's souteast.

The U.S. decision will undoubtedly free the embattled U.S.-Turkey relationship from a major burden, the U.S. support for the YPG, Serkan Demirtas, a Turkish political analyst and journalist, told Xinhua.

"It's a move that relieves this partnership, a big problem seems now out of the way," commented Demirtas, the Ankara bureau chief of Hurriyet Daily News.

Both Demirtas and Ulgen also pointed out that Turkey could possibly delay or modify its plan for an incursion into northeast Syria to wipe out the YPG militia there in light of Trump's decision which caught his own administration off guard.

On Thursday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that his country was preparing "intensively for a counter-terrorism military operation" in Syria and warned that Kurdish fighters will be "buried in the trenches they dug," state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

While experts believe that the U.S. withdrawal from Syria would potentially cede control to Turkey, resolving tensions between the two NATO allies.

But, they expressed that concern that the U.S. pullout would create a vacuum in northeastern Syria, where IS has the potential to re-group and re-emerge.

"There are many groups that would want to penetrate the field that the U.S. leave behind, such as IS-linked groups and other radical factions," Demirtas said, warning of a "new chaotic situation" in Syria which shares a 900 km border with Turkey.

This expert also pointed out in the direction of a possible larger U.S.-Turkey understanding on Syria, relaying some unconfirmed reports that the Turkish leader has assured his American counterpart that Turkey could play a bigger role in neutralizing IS in Syria, taking this troublesome load of U.S. soldiers' shoulders.

Ankara and Washington have tried in recent months to seek reconciliation after years of bitter squabbling on different issues. The differences over Syria was at the heart of their disagreement.

"The U.S. decision of an exit seems based on its desperation to avert a Turkish offensive and the risk to loose Turkey altogether," commented international relations professor Hasan Unal from the Maltepe University.

He also underlined that this "very favorable move" would aim to bring the U.S. and Turkey closer to each other, and keep Ankara's distance from Russia, a major military player in Syria.

Just hours after Trump's Syria announcement, the U.S. approved a 3.5-billion-U.S. dollar sale of Patriot missile systems to Turkey. Washington hopes that this sale would replace the S-400 missile system that Turkey has vowed to acquire from Russia, despite the NATO opposition.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 04:55:16|Editor: Chengcheng

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. government would take actions to force asylum seekers to stay in Mexico during their immigration proceedings, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Thursday.

Individuals arriving in the United States from Mexico, illegally or without proper documentation, will be returned to Mexico for the duration of their immigration proceedings, said the statement.

Pompeo described this as a "historic action to confront the illegal immigration crisis", saying the Mexican government had been notified.

Mexican foreign ministry said on Thursday that it would authorize temporary entrance of individuals coming from the United States for humanitarian reasons.

The U.S. government has been actively engaging with the Mexican new government led by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in dealing with mass migrants traveling from Central America via Mexico to U.S. southern borders.

U.S. President Donald Trump had categorized the migrant caravan as an "invasion" and ordered the Pentagon to deploy active-duty troops to the border in assistance to border security forces.

Some 2,500 migrants still stay along the U.S.-Mexico border, hoping to cross it, whether legally or illegally.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 05:00:20|Editor: yan

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LISBON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese government approved on Thursday the increase of the country's national minimum wage to 600 euros (688 U.S. dollars)as of Jan. 1 next year.

The wage increase will benefit more than 750,000 workers nationwide, the government said in a statement after a cabinet meeting earlier in the day.

The Socialist government headed by Prime Minister Antonio Costa took power in November 2015 and has increased annually the minimum wage from 505 euros in 2015 to 580 euros in 2018.

The minority government with the support of the Portuguese Communist Party and Left Bloc will face the parliamentary elections in October next year, contending with the current main opposition Social Democratic Party. (1 euro = 1.15 U.S. dollars)
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 05:05:22|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Outgoing UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Thursday expressed optimism about the prospects of a political solution in Syria although he regretted that more could have been done.

"Ultimately the question will be -- now is the time to look at it even more so: will the peace be won? We believe it should and it can. And will it be sustainable? We believe it can and it should. That is why a real political process is required," he told the Security Council in his last briefing.

De Mistura, after more than four years as UN special envoy for Syria, steps down by the end of the year. He will be replaced by Geir Pedersen of Norway.

"So there is real progress. We nearly have a list (for the constitutional committee). The rules of procedure became a little clearer. But we need to go that extra mile (before the establishment of the constitutional committee)," he said.

The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey -- guarantors of the Astana process for Syria -- came up with 50 names as civil society representatives for the committee -- the so-called Middle Third list, drawing partly from de Mistura's previous suggestions.

But the United Nations assessed that "we would not feel totally comfortable yet in giving the UN stamp of legitimacy to all of the 50 names as meeting the necessary criteria of credibility and balance -- hence our suggestion: the need for going an extra mile," he told the Security Council.

De Mistura's own Middle Third list was rejected by the Syrian government.

Under an intra-Syrian agreement reached at Sochi, Russia, in January 2018, the constitutional committee is to be composed of representatives of the Syrian government, the opposition and civil society representatives -- each with 50 members.
Island RecordsShawn Mendes is really getting into this remix thing.

Following the success of his "Lost In Japan" remix with Zedd, Shawn has now released a mini-EP of three more remixes of songs on his current, self-titled album.

It includes a remix of "Youth," featuring vocals from both Shawn's original collaborator, Khalid, and Jesse Reyez, and a remix of "Why" that features vocals from R&B star Leon Bridges.

The third track on the EP is a remix of "Where Were You in the Morning" by Kaytranada, a Canadian deejay and record producer.

Shawn's album has received a Grammy nod for Best Pop Vocal album, while his hit "In My Blood" is up for Song of the Year.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Glen Ellyn, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- College of DuPage and Illinois Tech announced today a Guaranteed Admission Agreement that provides COD students with a seamless transfer path to select Illinois Tech undergraduate degrees, including tracks for Illinois Techs College of Architecture and its Armour College of Engineering. View photos from the signing.

Under the agreement, Illinois Tech will accept applications from College of DuPage students pursuing an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree. As part of the agreement, eligible students may concurrently enroll at both institutions, with Illinois Tech applicants taking Illinois Tech gateway courses while enrolled at COD. These courses will be offered through Illinois Techs FastForward to Illinois Tech Program at a highly discounted rate of $100 per credit hour. Additionally, COD students accepted to Illinois Tech through the new agreement will be offered a special Illinois Tech Scholarship of $25,000 with full-time enrollment.

This agreement marks another milestone for College of DuPage as we continue to strengthen our focus on student success, said President Dr. Ann Rondeau. We are proud to offer this opportunity to our students and thank Illinois Tech leaders for their faith in the strength of our academic programming.

Illinois Tech Provost Peter Kilpatrick said the university is pleased and honored to work with College of Dupage to expand STEM education across the western suburbs.

At Illinois Tech we are always seeking ways to make a high-quality science and technology education possible for all, Kilpatrick said. Our partnership with College of DuPage will not only streamline the transfer process but also will provide significant financial aid to support students on their path to success.

College of DuPage Provost Dr. Mark Curtis-Chavez applauded the Colleges partnership with Illinois Tech and the administrations commitment to creating opportunities for students. The proximity of Illinois Techs Rice Campus in Wheaton to Glen Ellyn provides an added bonus, giving students the ability to complete their studies in DuPage County, he said.

The success of our students extends beyond our doors and this agreement provides College of DuPage graduates guaranteed access to Illinois Techs highly-regarded programming, with financial benefits that make their dreams of higher education easier to achieve, he said. This agreement is particularly valuable for students pursuing engineering or architecture, because Illinois Tech has created specific tracks in these competitive fields to give our students a clear course of study with a great deal of academic support along the way.

College of DuPage is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Serving approximately 25,000 students each term, College of DuPage is the largest public community college in the state of Illinois. The College grants seven associate degrees and offers more than 170 career and technical certificates in over 50 areas of study.

llinois Institute of Technology, also known as Illinois Tech, is a private, technology- focused research university. Illinois Tech is the only university of its kind in Chicago, and its Chicago location offers students access to the world-class resources of a great global metropolis. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, architecture, business, design, human sciences, applied technology, and law. One of 21 institutions that comprise the Association of Independent Technological Universities (AITU), Illinois Tech provides an exceptional education centered on active learning, and its graduates lead the state and much of the nation in economic prosperity. Illinois Tech uniquely prepares students to succeed in professions that require technological sophistication, an innovative mindset, and an entrepreneurial spirit.

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Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 05:20:24|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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A man places candles during a gathering in support of the families of two murdered foreign tourists at a square in Marrakech, Morocco, on Dec. 21, 2018. Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani on Thursday strongly condemned the "despicable criminal act" of murdering two foreign tourists in central Morocco. The bodies of the two female tourists, a Dane and a Norwegian, were found on Monday near the mountainous tourist village of Imlil, 60 km away from the city of Marrakech. (Xinhua)

RABAT, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani on Thursday strongly condemned the "despicable criminal act" of murdering two foreign tourists in central Morocco.

The bodies of two women tourists, a Danish and a Norwegian, were found Monday near the tourist village of Imlil, 60 km away from the city of Marrakech.

Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, El Othmani deemed the act as "a stab in the back of Morocco and Moroccans," while extending his heartfelt condolences to the families of the two victims and their countries.

He said Morocco flatly condemns this appalling crime, which runs counter to the Moroccan values and customs, as well as the traditions of the region where the crime took place.

El Othmani commended the swift arrest of the suspects, adding that details on the crime will be revealed shortly and that the competent authorities will keep the national and international public opinion informed about any development related to this case.

The four suspects participating in the murdering of the tourists were all nabbed on Thursday morning.

The public prosecutor at the Rabat Appeal Court announced Wednesday that investigations revealed that the first arrested suspect "belongs to an extremist group."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 05:25:24|Editor: Xiaoxia

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Outgoing UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura speaks to journalists during a press encounter after a Security Council meeting on Syria, at the UN headquarters in New York, Dec. 20, 2018. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Thursday received a standing ovation in the Security Council as he bid farewell. De Mistura, after four years and four months in the job, will step down by the end of the year and he will be replaced by Geir Pedersen of Norway. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Thursday received a standing ovation in the Security Council as he bid farewell.

At the end of his last briefing to the Security Council in his current capacity, de Mistura asked to "go beyond protocol" to shake hands with the representatives of all 15 council members.

On his way back to his seat, he received a standing ovation. De Mistura stood still at the center of the chamber and bowed toward the seat of the council presidency, with his hand on the chest.

Cote d'Ivoire's ambassador to the United Nations Kacou Houadja Leon Adom, who was chairing the meeting as council president, lauded de Mistura and thanked him for his work.

The ambassador said the applause spoke better than words of gratitude and appreciation.

De Mistura, after four years and four months in the job, steps down by the end of the year. He will be replaced by Geir Pedersen of Norway.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 05:30:26|Editor: yan

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RAMALLAH, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Municipality of the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday launched a Chinese-funded road project with an estimated cost of 5.72 million U.S. dollars.

The road project, composed of nine roads and two connecting routes, was studied and approved by technical experts from China, and is due for completion in about 14 months when a main entrance to Ramallah will be opened from the north.

Jin Ying, councilor of the Chinese Office in Palestine, described this project as "an elaborate expression of Chinese support to the Palestinians' rights and just causes."

Mousa Hadid, mayor of Ramallah, said the project is a medium-term solution to the city's growing traffic problem, and represents a strategic partnership with China.

"This entrance is very important, as the city is now located between its twin sister cities Al-Bireh and Beitunia, and we don't have a separate entrance to the city," Hadid explained.

Adi Al-Hindi, an engineer of the Ramallah Municipality, referred to China's funding of the project as a sign of trust in the potential and capabilities of local minds and resources.

The funding agreement between China and the Ramallah Municipality was signed in April 2017.

With an area of 19 square km, Ramallah is home to a population of nearly 70,000. It is considered the political and economic hub of the Palestinian Authority.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 05:50:29|Editor: yan

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by Ronald Ssekandi, Zhang Gaiping

WAKISO, Uganda, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Singing Chinese traditional folk songs, giving Kung Fu performance... Uganda's first crop of Chinese language teachers celebrated here Thursday their graduation.

A total of 33 teachers graduated, 29 of whom passed proficiency level four, meaning that they can easily communicate in Mandarin without the help of an interpreter.

They are going to teach the Chinese language in secondary schools. Their graduation laid a solid foundation for Chinese language teaching in the east African country on a large scale especially in secondary schools.

"We have learnt a lot about Chinese culture through listening, reading, writing and speaking. We have covered all it takes for us to go and teach," Jackeline Akello, one of the graduates, told Xinhua.

Qian Mingmin, one of the Chinese instructors, told Xinhua that the students have acquired all the necessary skills of teaching Chinese in local schools. She said the instructors will do a follow-up on these new teachers after they are assigned to their posts in various schools.

ROLLOUT

Starting next February, when schools open for a new term, the 33 teachers will teach the Chinese language in their designated schools. This will kick off the teaching of the Chinese as the sixth language in the country's secondary school curricula.

Grace Baguma, Director of National Curriculum Development Center, told Xinhua that another group of 40 language teachers from 40 different schools would soon be trained for nine months.

"We have the syllabus ready, instruction materials are ready and now the teachers have been trained. So they will go and start teaching in those schools. Overall, 100 teachers will be trained, that is the agreement government reached with China," Baguma said.

She said the Confucius Institute at the country's top university, Makerere University, is supplementing efforts to increase Chinese learning.

She projects that by the end of next four years, more than 60,000 students would have learnt how to speak Mandarin.

Oswald Ndoleriire, Ugandan Director of the Confucius Institute, said starting next year, Makerere University will roll out a bachelor degree program on Chinese and Asian studies, a move aimed at encouraging study on the Chinese and Asian cultures.

He added that a master's degree program in Chinese and Asian studies as well as one in Chinese language teaching would also soon be unveiled.

"We all know the great strides that the Asian continent has made and how much we can learn from them," Ndoleriire said.

RELEVANCE

Rebecca Kadaga, Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament in a speech read on her behalf at the graduation, said Uganda needs to strategically place itself as China and Africa deepen their cooperation.

Kadaga said Uganda must prepare its personnel in both government and the private sector to be fluent in the Chinese language.

"This is the only way we can strengthen Uganda-China friendship and ably negotiate for better opportunities, especially in trade and investment, social interactions and mutual cooperation as highlighted during the recently held 2018 Beijing summit of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)," she said.

Zheng Zhuqiang, Chinese ambassador to Uganda, said as Uganda deepens its economic ties with China, there is urgent need to break the language barrier in order to understand each other better.

"While many Chinese in Uganda can speak English, it is difficult to find a Ugandan who can speak Chinese well. In order to narrow this deficit and cater to Ugandans' need to learning Chinese, the Chinese government supports both Chinese sides and their Ugandan partners in making this training program a success," Zheng said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 06:00:30|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The UN General Assembly on Thursday granted the status of observer to two development banks both headquartered in China and founded only years ago.

In two separate resolutions adopted by the assembly, the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the New Development Bank (NDB), initiated by China and the BRICS group respectively, became observers to the UN's most inclusive body.

Through their new status, the two banks are in a better position to communicate and cooperate with the UN and contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals set by the world organization, said Ma Zhaoxu, the Chinese permanent representative to the UN.

As the host country of the two banks, China shepherded the submission of the draft resolutions and led the effort toward their adoption.

The process, Ma said, has demonstrated China's determination and responsibility to adhere to multilateralism and implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda of the UN.

Gerard Sanders, a general counsel of the AIIB, said the bank's charter recognizes the need to work with other institutions that have "a best interest in development," both in terms of forming policy objectives and delivering individual projects.

In this regard, "to date, we have been focusing very much on financial institutions ... but the UN is really the key body that is concerned with development and so it's important we have an association with them," he said.

"By becoming an observer, we will be able to work more closely," Sanders said. "We will have better and more timely information about what the UN is thinking of the issues of importance to the AIIB, and hopefully we will be able to make some modest contribution to the work of the UN over time."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 06:30:39|Editor: yan

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DAMASCUS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Despite the U.S. decision to withdraw forces from Syria, tens of truckloads of new military aid headed on Thursday to a base run by the U.S.-led coalition in eastern Syria, a war monitor reported.

The fresh shipments included logistical gears, fuel, and weapons sent to the U.S.-run base that was created on Thursday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog group said warplane fuel and the weapons were sent from Iraqi Kurdistan and headed to the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour province in eastern Syria.

The new base was created in the town of Hajin near the last pocket held by the Islamic State (IS) militants on the eastern bank of Euphrates River.

Hajin itself was recently captured by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as part of a military campaign that started in September to defeat IS in eastern Deir al-Zour.

The new military aid came despite that the U.S. announced to withdraw all its forces from Syria within 100 days.

Apparently, the U.S. is continuing to support the SDF in their final push to defeat IS in the eastern Euphrates ahead of its withdrawal.

The Kurdish militia and commanders of the SDF, who have helped the U.S. defeat IS, have criticized the U.S. decision to withdraw troops from Syria as as "a stab in the back."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 06:30:40|Editor: yan

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RABAT, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The public prosecutor at the Rabat Appeal Court said on Thursday that an investigation will be launched into a videotape showing alleged murders of two foreign tourists in central Morocco by four suspects.

The bodies of the two female tourists, a Dane and a Norwegian, were found on Monday near the mountainous tourist village of Imlil, 60 km away from the city of Marrakech.

In the videotape shared on social media, the four suspects pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of Islamic State (IS) militant group, and vowed to conduct terror acts.

According to the public prosecutor, the video was recorded a week before the crime.

Three of the suspects were arrested on Thursday morning, with the first a few hours after the crime.

Since 2011, Morocco has been insulated from terror attacks plaguing other countries in North Africa.

The last terrorist attack in Morocco dates back to April 2011, when a suspected suicide bomber blew apart a famous tourist cafe in Marrakech, killing 17 and wounding dozens of others.
Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) chat with members of U.S. forces in the town of Darbasiya next to the Turkish border, Syria, on April 29, 2017. (Reuters file photo)

ANKARA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's unexpected move to withdraw U.S. troops from war-torn Syria would largely appease NATO ally Turkey, who is ready to launch an offensive against U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters there, said local experts.

The U.S. move came as tensions increase sharply between Washington and Ankara as the latter vowed to wage a military operation against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) fighters, who will be the first to suffer from the loss of U.S. backing.

Trump, who declared victory on the militant group Islamic State (IS) in Syria, held a phone call with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Dec. 14 to try to head off a Turkish attack which could have put U.S. troops in the crossfire.

"There are many implications, but regarding the U.S.-Turkey ties, it will dissipate the most destructive factor in the partnership between the NATO allies," which is the presence of Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria that Ankara sees as an threat, Sinan Ulgen, a former diplomat who chairs the Istanbul-based Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM), told Xinhua.

Ulgen argued that the U.S. move, which is expected but still surprising because of its timing, would have multiple effects on the Syrian crisis. But for Turkey, the exit will cause the YPG to weaken politically and militarily without the U.S. support on the ground.

Erdogan promised last week to crush the Kurdish positions east of the Euphrates river, increasing the risk of a much-dreaded confrontation between soldiers of two major NATO allies.

Such a clash would create a geopolitical crisis at the heart of the world's most powerful military alliance.

The U.S. has a fairly small contingent of about 2,000 troops in Syria, many of them are special operations forces working closely with an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The partnership with the SDF over the past several years helped defeat IS in Syria but outraged Turkey, which views YPG as an extension of the militant group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been fighting for autonomy in Turkey's souteast.

The U.S. decision will undoubtedly free the embattled U.S.-Turkey relationship from a major burden, the U.S. support for the YPG, Serkan Demirtas, a Turkish political analyst and journalist, told Xinhua.

"It's a move that relieves this partnership, a big problem seems now out of the way," commented Demirtas, the Ankara bureau chief of Hurriyet Daily News.

Both Demirtas and Ulgen also pointed out that Turkey could possibly delay or modify its plan for an incursion into northeast Syria to wipe out the YPG militia there in light of Trump's decision which caught his own administration off guard.

On Thursday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that his country was preparing "intensively for a counter-terrorism military operation" in Syria and warned that Kurdish fighters will be "buried in the trenches they dug," state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

While experts believe that the U.S. withdrawal from Syria would potentially cede control to Turkey, resolving tensions between the two NATO allies.

But, they expressed that concern that the U.S. pullout would create a vacuum in northeastern Syria, where IS has the potential to re-group and re-emerge.

"There are many groups that would want to penetrate the field that the U.S. leave behind, such as IS-linked groups and other radical factions," Demirtas said, warning of a "new chaotic situation" in Syria which shares a 900 km border with Turkey.

This expert also pointed out in the direction of a possible larger U.S.-Turkey understanding on Syria, relaying some unconfirmed reports that the Turkish leader has assured his American counterpart that Turkey could play a bigger role in neutralizing IS in Syria, taking this troublesome load of U.S. soldiers' shoulders.

Ankara and Washington have tried in recent months to seek reconciliation after years of bitter squabbling on different issues. The differences over Syria was at the heart of their disagreement.

"The U.S. decision of an exit seems based on its desperation to avert a Turkish offensive and the risk to loose Turkey altogether," commented international relations professor Hasan Unal from the Maltepe University.

He also underlined that this "very favorable move" would aim to bring the U.S. and Turkey closer to each other, and keep Ankara's distance from Russia, a major military player in Syria.

Just hours after Trump's Syria announcement, the U.S. approved a 3.5-billion-U.S. dollar sale of Patriot missile systems to Turkey. Washington hopes that this sale would replace the S-400 missile system that Turkey has vowed to acquire from Russia, despite the NATO opposition.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 06:45:47|Editor: yan

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LONDON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A traditional public house sign that dominates a busy road junction in London has been highlighted as one of dozens of historic structures to have won official protection in 2018, Historic England said Thursday.

The Cock Sign stands at a prominent location at the junction of Sutton High Street and Carshalton Road in London and dates to around 1907. Although the old pub has been demolished, the original sign survives.

Historic England has also recognised a group of sculptures of the legendary characters of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, to commemorate a visit to Nottingham in 1949 by Queen Elizabeth II three years before she became the monarch in 1952.

The sculptures stand in an outer ditch of Nottingham Castle, the setting of one of the most popular tales of Robin Hood, one of the most legendary characters in English history.

Duncan Wilson, CEO of Historic England, said: "We ensure that England's most significant places are protected and 2018 has seen some remarkable ones added to the list.

"From an old lifeboat house in Essex to a former railway station in Otterington to the Cock sign in Sutton high street, our fascinating history and heritage is celebrated through listing. We encourage people to understand and enjoy the wonderful range of historic places on their own doorsteps and by listing them we are protecting them for future generations."

Heritage minister Michael Ellis: "Our historic buildings and places help us to make sense of our past and to understand the world we live in today. Protecting our heritage ensures that future generations can enjoy, and learn about, our rich history."
Photo taken on Jan. 12, 2018 shows a sign of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The UN General Assembly on Thursday granted the status of observer to two development banks both headquartered in China and founded only years ago.

In two separate resolutions adopted by the assembly, the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the New Development Bank (NDB), initiated by China and the BRICS group respectively, became observers to the UN's most inclusive body.

Through their new status, the two banks are in a better position to communicate and cooperate with the UN and contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals set by the world organization, said Ma Zhaoxu, the Chinese permanent representative to the UN.

As the host country of the two banks, China put forward the draft resolutions and led the effort toward their adoption.

The process, Ma said, has demonstrated China's determination and responsibility to adhere to multilateralism and implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda of the UN.

Gerard Sanders, a general counsel of the AIIB, said the bank's charter recognizes the need to work with other institutions that have "a best interest in development," both in terms of forming policy objectives and delivering individual projects.

In this regard, "to date, we have been focusing very much on financial institutions... but the UN is really the key body that is concerned with development and so it's important we have an association with them," he said.

"By becoming an observer, we will be able to work more closely," Sanders said. "We will have better and more timely information about what the UN is thinking of the issues of importance to the AIIB, and hopefully we will be able to make some modest contribution to the work of the UN over time."

Headquartered in Beijing, the AIIB was initiated in 2013 by China and established in late 2015 by 57 founding members. Its membership has expanded to 68 economies and another 25 are awaiting domestic ratification.

With the aim to promote economic sustainable development in Asia and beyond through investment in infrastructure and productive fields, the AIIB has approved financing worth 7 billion U.S. dollars to development projects in Asia and Africa.

The construction site of the Beloporozhskaya hydropower plant, the first project in Russia financed by the BRICS New Development Bank, is seen near the Kem river, in the Republic of Karelia, northwest Russia, Aug. 15, 2017. (Xinhua/Lu Jinbo)
Estonian English

On 6.12.2018, Competition Authority notified AS Tallinna Vesi that the company can submit its explanations in the on-going supervisory review procedure regarding the price components serving as a basis of the prices of water services. Initially, the Competition Authority expected the explanations by 7.01.2019, but accepted on 20.12.2018 the companys request to extend the deadline. Tallinna Vesi has to respond by 30.01.2019.

Tallinna Vesi asked the Competition Authority for a deadline extension so that the company would have sufficient time to thoroughly analyse the Competition Authoritys arguments and form a substantiated position.

The Competition Authoritys supervisory review procedure is linked to the rejection of the tariff application for Tallinn and Saue City on 4.12.2018. Currently, the Competition Authority finds the prices of water services provided by the company in Tallinn and Saue City to be non-compliant with the requirements specified in the Public Water Supply and Sewerage Act.

On 19.12.2018, the company submitted an appeal against the 19.11.2018 Tallinn Administrative Court judgment in administrative case 3-14-363 by which the court dismissed the companys complaints against the Competition Authority for the compensation for loss of tariff income and for challenging the refusal to review AS Tallinna Vesis applications for the approval of water tariffs for 2013-2017.



Eliis Vennik

Head of Customer Relations and Communications

Tallinna Vesi

(+372) 626 2275

Eliis.vennik@tvesi.ee
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 07:05:55|Editor: Lu Hui

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Trump administration is considering a substantial reduction of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, according to U.S. media reports on Thursday.

U.S. officials said that U.S. troop reduction in Afghanistan could begin in next several weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported.

U.S. President Donald Trump said last year that a rapid exit of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan "unacceptable," and sent more than 3,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

Currently, there are more than 14,000 U.S. soldiers deployed in Afghanistan.

The death toll of U.S. service members has surpassed 2,400 since the United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001.

The drawdown, if confirmed, would follow Trump's decision to completely pull all U.S. forces out of Syria.

The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it has started returning U.S. troops home from Syria after claiming a victory in the fight against the Islamic State.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 07:15:58|Editor: Chengcheng

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HELSINKI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- While Finland takes pride in its ice breaking services in domestic waters, the commercial future of the country's Arctic high seas offshore capabilities looks uncertain.

In the 1990s Finland built two combo-icebreakers that could, besides breaking ice, plough the ocean floor and tow away floating ice. They were supposed to make money elsewhere, mainly in the Arctic areas, during the Finnish summer.

Since then, the ships' business has been hit with adverse market conditions and high Finnish labor costs, except a few years of good results.

The balance sheets of the international offshore operations of Arctia, a state-owned company that owns the combo-icebreakers, show deficits of 7.8 million euros in 2010 and 7.1 million in 2011, but went into solid profit for several years starting from 2012, when Arctia won a lucrative three-year contract with Shell International. Two ships sailed to the Arctic sea north of Alaska.

In late 2016, one ship was commissioned by Sovcomflot and sailed to the Northern Pacific Ohota sea to assist in gas production, near Sakhalin. But in 2017 the operations were again in the red figures, with a 7-million deficit.

In November 2018, the company announced that it would start talks with its staff about efficiency improvement, as prescribed in Finnish legislation. Possible layoffs would begin next spring, local media suspected.

Media reports quoted company sources saying the ships could find use in assisting in tourism and scientific operations in Arctic waters during the Finnish summer.

Before the good years with Shell, the combo-icebreakers were a controversial theme in Finland. Critics said their price tag was 150 million euros per ship, while an ordinary icebreaker was available at 100 million.

Member of Parliament Osmo Soininvaara said in 2013 that "Arctia is gambling with public money." He claimed Arctia had covered the losses of the offshore operations through charging overprice in the winter icebreaking domestically.

Tero Vauraste, dismissed as Arctia's CEO this week, on Wednesday strongly defended the decision in the 1990s to build combo ships. He told national broadcaster Yle that the ships had "paid themselves back". He said that when the whole life cycle of the ships is viewed, their business has been "very profitable".

Mika Lintila, minister for economic affairs, said on Wednesday the exit of Vauraste is an internal matter of the company and was decided by the board. In November Lintila had commented on the financial situation of the company and told Yle that "the state was not willing to pump money into Arctia".

In Finnish debate the high operational costs of the ships have been seen as a key reason for the weak success of the Finnish Arctic offshore businesses. Vauraste said salaries should be the same as that of sailors on ordinary Finnish ships.

Simo Zitting, chairman of the Finnish seafarers union, said the work on an icebreaker is very demanding, particularly in these ships. That is reflected in the pay.

Zitting noted last month that within the EU there are support systems for international shipping, but not available for ships operating mainly domestically. "If the Finnish offshore special ships would mainly sail in high seas, they could possibly get assistance," he said.

Zitting believed that foreign companies that focus on offshore operations are simply better in marketing, and many of their ships are younger than the Finnish vessels built in the 1990s. (1 euro = 1.15 U.S. dollars)
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 07:25:59|Editor: Yamei

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CHICAGO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) soybean futures fell for the second consecutive session on Thursday, as abundant crop supply from South America overshadowed renewed Chinese demand for U.S. inventories.

AS weather turns more favorable and the harvest underway in South America, another top world soybean exporter Brazil is ready to arrange shipments for overseas buyers.

In its latest crop report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated Brazilian soybeans production at 122.0 million metric tons in December, up 1.5 million metric tons from November.

Private exporters on Thursday reported to the U.S. Department of Agriculture new export sales of 204,000 metric tons of soybeans for delivery to China, following 1.199 million metric tons to the same destination this week.

However, traders anticipated that China would buy more soybeans, said Market watchers.

Corn futures also fell to the lowest in three weeks on concerns about demand from ethanol producers and as forecasts for rain in dry areas of Brazil's corn region bolstered the country's production outlook.

Wheat rebounded after two days of declines as short-covering and technical buying lifted prices from one-week lows.

At the end of the session, the most active corn contract for March delivery went down 6.5 cents, or 1.7 percent to close at 3.7525 dollars per bushel. March wheat delivery was up 1 cent, or 0.19 percent to close at 5.235 dollars per bushel. March soybean delivery was down 6.75 cents, or 0.74 percent to close at 9.0625 dollars per bushel.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 07:36:02|Editor: Chengcheng

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Outgoing UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Thursday was unwilling to comment on U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Syria.

"It is totally premature for making any comment on my side on the implications, the effects of that important decision, which was announced yesterday -- both on the political ground and on the military ground," de Mistura told reporters after his briefing to the Security Council.

"I am unable to make any comment. It's premature for me to do so."

De Mistura, after more than four years as UN special envoy for Syria, steps down by the end of the year. He will be replaced by Geir Pedersen of Norway.

The White House said Wednesday that the Trump administration has started returning U.S. troops home from Syria after claiming victory in the fight against the Islamic State terrorist group in the region.

Asked earlier Thursday to comment on the U.S. decision, French ambassador to the United Nations Francois Delattre said: "We need more than ever America's political commitment to a political solution in Syria."

De Mistura said the United Nations will never abandon Syrians.

Asked to leave a message for the Syrian people as he steps down as special envoy, de Mistura said: "I have been holding the fort for four and half years. I have always said: I was not ever going to abandon them, and what I meant is the UN, will never abandon them. They should know that, they have gone through terrible things."

There are only two constants in the Syrian war, he said. "One, there has never been a constant moment -- look what has been happening, we get constant changes both militarily, politically -- going through the four years. And the second constant: the Syrian people have been constantly suffering in between that."

He said he would probably write a book on his experiences in Syria.

Earlier on Thursday, in his briefing to the Security Council, de Mistura expressed optimism about the prospects of a political solution in Syria.

"Ultimately the question will be -- now is the time to look at it even more so: will the peace be won? We believe it should and it can. And will it be sustainable? We believe it can and it should. That is why a real political process is required," he said.

A list for the constitutional committee is almost complete. Its rules of procedure have become clearer, he said. "But we need to go that extra mile (before the establishment of the constitutional committee)."

The United Nations has reservations about the 50 names put forward by the foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey -- guarantors of the Astana process for Syria -- as civil society representatives for the committee.

De Mistura's own list was rejected by the Syrian government.

Under an intra-Syrian agreement reached at Sochi, Russia, in January 2018, the constitutional committee, tasked for a constitutional reform process, is to be composed of representatives of the Syrian government, the opposition and civil society representatives -- each with 50 members. There was no objection to the other two lists.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 11:01:41|Editor: Yamei

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YANGON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The German Development Bank, KfW, has extended 5 million euros (5.7 million U.S. dollars) more grant to Myanmar for improvement of the country's agricultural transport infrastructure, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Friday.

Under the financing and separate agreements signed between the bank and Myanmar's Ministry of Construction in Nay Pyi Taw on Thursday, the program will be implemented within the framework of German Financial Cooperation via KfW Development Bank by the Department of Rural Roads Development of the Ministry of Construction.

The program includes upgrading of rural roads for the improvement of agricultural products in southern part of Shan state.

Germany is the first partner of Myanmar to support rural roads construction.

So far, Germany has provided Myanmar with 47 million euro grant aid to develop rural areas by upgrading and constructing rural roads and bridges.

Some German-Myanmar friendship rural roads supported by German aid in Shan state have been upgraded to promote the socio-economic life of local rural people.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 11:26:44|Editor: ZD

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. aerospace and defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin said on Thursday that it had met its production target of 91 130 F-35s in 2018, aiming to deliver more than 130 of the style next year.

The Maryland-based high-tech company said the 91st F-35 aircraft built in 2018 would be delivered to U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in the State of South Carolina.

"In 2018, deliveries included 54 F-35s for the United States, 21 for international partner nations and 16 for Foreign Military Sales customers," according to the company.

The company said the deliveries in 2018 represented nearly a 40 percent increase from 2017, while it planned to deliver more than 130 F-35s to its clients in 2019.

"This milestone demonstrates the F-35 enterprise is prepared for full rate production and ready to deliver on increasing demand from our customers worldwide," said Greg Ulmer, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager of the F-35 program.

The company said that the price of an F-35A, a variant designed to take off and land on ground bases, was now 89.2 million U.S. dollars. It expected to lower its price to 80 million dollars by 2020.

F-35 is a jet fighter armed with stealth technology, which makes the aircraft almost "invisible" for radars. According to the company, more than 355 F-35s have been delivered to date, as 10 nations are flying the F-35 nowadays.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 12:21:56|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he won't endorse a stopgap funding bill to avert a partial government shutdown unless it contained money for border security.

"I have made my position very clear, any measure that funds the government must include border security," Trump said at the White House after meeting House Republicans who, in trying to persuade him not to give in, pledged to amend a Republican-drafted, short-term fund extension bill, which was passed in the Senate on Wednesday night.

The bill denied the addition of 5 billion U.S. dollars into the 2019 budget package, something Trump seeks to build his proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

"Walls work, whether we like it or not. They work better than anything," Trump said.

It is the first confirmation from the president himself that he opposed the Senate version of the legislation, although his aides have been signaling his unwillingness since Wednesday, when U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell offered the bill for debate.

"Democrats, it is time to come together and put the SAFETY of the AMERICAN PEOPLE before POLITICS. Border security must become a #1 priority!" Trump tweeted after his speech.

Shortly before Trump gave his remarks, House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters outside the White House, "the president informed us that he will not sign the bill that came up from the Senate last evening because of his legitimate concerns for border security." Ryan was among the Republicans during the meeting with Trump.

The stopgap funding measure will keep several federal agencies funded until Feb. 8, saving the government from a partial shutdown set to happen after Friday.

"We want to keep the government open, but we also want to see an agreement that protects the border," said Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin. "We have very serious concerns about securing our border."

Republicans in the House will propose revision to the Senate version of the bill to add wall-funding clauses, according to House Majority Whip Steve Scalise.

"We're going to move forward today to add language to the bill that the Senate sent over on government funding to add 5 billion dollars to the wall as well as the disaster relief funding that's been agreed upon between the House and Senate," Scalise said.

Even if the temporary measure gets passed in the House, it still has to be signed by Trump to become law.

"We urgently need funding for border security and that includes a wall," said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders in a statement after the meeting between Trump and House GOP leaders.

"President Trump just met with Republican Members of the House. Not surprisingly, they all feel strongly about border security -- stopping the flow of drugs, stopping human trafficking and stopping terrorism. We protect nations all over the world, but Democrats are unwilling to protect our nation," Sanders said.

The border wall funding has been at the center of a partisan dispute over which the president once vowed he would be "proud" to paralyze the government.

Democratic leaders in both the Senate and the House are still firmly opposing the wall-funding budget requested by Trump.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday morning that Senate Democrats "are not budging on the wall."

Also on Thursday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said the Republicans appeared to be in a "meltdown," while stressing that Democrats will not vote in favor of anything that includes funding for a border wall.

A partial government closure would render nine to 15 Cabinet-level departments and other federal agencies dysfunctional, disrupting the jobs of more than 800,000 federal employees, half of whom might have to work without pay.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 13:07:04|Editor: Lu Hui

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday called on the international community to help countries in the Sahel region in northern Africa with security and economic development.

Terrorism, transnational organized crime, poverty, imbalance in development and other problems are threatening peace and development in this region, said Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

The situation requires greater inputs and a holistic approach by the international community, he told the Security Council.

Wu asked for international efforts to seek political settlement to regional hotspot issues so as to achieve stability and create conditions for peace and long-term development, adding that the international community should help Sahel countries to promote peace and national reconciliation.

He also stressed the need to accelerate development in the region and address the root causes of conflict.

The international community should honor its aid commitments, respect the leadership and ownership of the regional countries, help them with socio-economic development, formulate development strategies suited to their national conditions and improve their capabilities for self-reliant development, he said.

Wu also asked the international community to help Sahel countries upgrade security capabilities, while stressing the need for cooperation with regional and subregional organizations.

China will continue to help Sahel countries achieve lasting peace and prosperity, Wu said.

The Sahel is an ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone located in the northernmost part of sub-Saharan Africa. It is a vast belt stretching from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea and includes parts of a dozen African countries.

Thursday's Security Council meeting was mainly about the five countries of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, which have set up a joint military force to fight terrorism in the region.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 13:27:06|Editor: Chengcheng

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VIENTIANE, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce is hopeful that exports will continue to grow next year despite the challenges faced in achieving this year's target.

According to a report submitted by the ministry to the National Assembly, the Lao government anticipates that next year's exports will be worth 5.5 billion U.S. dollars, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Friday.

The new export target was set despite the fact that Laos was able to achieve only 78 percent of this year's target, according to a November report by the Ministry of Planning and Investment citing data from the commerce ministry.

In 2018, the government projected that the export value would reach 5 billion U.S. dollars, but over the first nine months of this year, goods worth only 3.9 billion U.S. dollars were exported, the report said.

It is still unclear whether the government will achieve this year's export target. The government has lowered the GDP growth forecast after the country was hit by widespread flooding, which affected productivity.

According to another government report submitted to the National Assembly, the construction and operation of 12 hydropower plants will be completed in 2019. A large proportion of the power generated by these plants will be exported.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 13:37:08|Editor: Yamei

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HAVANA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Cuba will close this year with a new record in the arrival of international tourists reaching 4.75 million visitors, a senior official from the island's Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) said on Thursday.

"Despite U.S. sanctions which limit its citizens to travel to Cuba and a sharp drop in the first half (of the year), we project to finish this year with a new record-high figure of international visitors," said Michel Bernal, MINTUR's development director, in a press conference.

The figure represents a 1.3-percent increase from last year, when the Caribbean island was affected by hurricane Irma which caused economic losses of 13 billion dollars, he added.

"Canada continues to be the country's first market despite a 2-percent drop in arrivals of tourists, while the U.S. comes in second marked by the increase of cruise ships from that nation," Bernal said.

Arrivals to Cuba by air have decreased about 6 percent, while by sea they have increased 48 percent, due to new cruise companies and routes from the U.S.

Bernal said that, up to Dec. 13, more than 600,000 U.S. visitors traveled to Cuba, most of them on cruise ships.

"We project to close out the year with 850,000 tourists coming in on cruises, the majority from the U.S.," he added.

Traditional markets like France, Germany, Spain, the U.K. and Italy declined in arrivals, while Russia became the most dynamic source country with a 30-percent rise in comparison to 2017.

Tourists from Mexico and Brazil grew 23 and 16 percent respectively while Chinese visitors increased 10 percent from last year, Bernal said.

Meanwhile, Jose Daniel Alonso, MINTUR's commercial director, said Cuba is projecting to receive 5.1 million visitors in 2019, a 7-percent increase from this year.

Alonso said Cuba will work to attract tourists from emerging markets like China, Turkey, Eastern Europe and other Asian nations in the coming year.

The tourism industry is now the second source of foreign currency income for Cuba, after professional services abroad.
TORONTO, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Several of Torontos top restaurants and bars have come together to launch King West Cares, a community program built on the importance of celebrating with loved ones and breaking bread together. As the holidays quickly approach, King West Cares is working to make the holiday season a little easier this year by donating 500 turkeys.



Participating venues include The Citizen, Baro, Petty Cash, Everleigh and Wildflower who will donate 500 turkeys on December 22nd, from 1:00pm - 4:00pm to those who need it the most. This will mark the inaugural year for the program with hopes to include more participating venues that will expand its ability to truly make a difference in future years.

Our goal is for King West Cares to become an annual program that not only serves those in need in our city, but also serves as an opportunity to bring together the hospitality sector as a community doing good for others, said Matty Tsourmaris, King West Cares.

Some of the donated turkeys have already been earmarked for key organizations including Second Harvest, Parkdale Foodbank, Basket Bigrade Canada, Toronto downtown public schools, Toronto city daycares, 14 Division, Queen West Central Toronto Community Health Centre and more. In addition, members of the community have been nominated to receive a turkey for the holidays. The allotted turkeys will be distributed on December 22, 2018 at The Citizen located at 522 King Street West between 1:00 pm- 4:00pm. This inaugural event is open to the community and is expected to help hundreds of local families through the turkey giveaway. As a number of the turkeys are promised to members of the community, King West Cares will be distributing 100 turkeys to those who visit The Citizen between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm.

The establishments on King West have a tremendous ability to bring people together. Its important as a restaurant community that we take time, especially during the holidays, to combine our resources and networks to help out in any way that we can, said Tsourmaris.

In addition to the donation of 500 turkeys, King West Cares will also be providing coffee and treats for those who join us. Torontonians are encouraged to come check out the initiative and experience the festivities.

We hope that more venues on King West, and beyond, hear about the initiative and come by as we are also accepting toys and other food items to give to families, said Tsourmaris. If you are in a position to help, please consider coming by and showing your support on December 22.

About King West Cares

King West Cares was launched by five local establishments including The Citizen, Baro, Petty Cash, Everleigh, and Wildflower. The inaugural event will take place on December 22nd from 1:00 pm  4:00 pm at The Citizen, located at 522 King Street West.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 15:02:25|Editor: xuxin

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Outgoing UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Thursday expressed optimism about the prospect of a political solution in Syria although he regretted that more could have been done.

"Ultimately the question will be -- now is the time to look at it even more so: will the peace be won? We believe it should and it can. And will it be sustainable? We believe it can and it should. That is why a real political process is required," he told the Security Council in his last briefing.

De Mistura, after more than four years as UN special envoy for Syria, is stepping down by the end of the year. He will be replaced by Geir Pedersen of Norway.

"So there is real progress. We nearly have a list (for the constitutional committee). The rules of procedure became a little clearer. But we need to go that extra mile (before the establishment of the constitutional committee)," he said.

The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey -- guarantors of the Astana Process for Syria -- came up with 50 names as civil society representatives for the committee, the so-called Middle Third list, drawing partly from de Mistura's suggestions.

But the United Nations assessed that "we would not feel totally comfortable yet in giving the UN stamp of legitimacy to all of the 50 names as meeting the necessary criteria of credibility and balance -- hence our suggestion: the need for going an extra mile," de Mistura told the Security Council.

De Mistura's own Middle Third list was rejected by the Syrian government.

Under an intra-Syrian agreement reached at Sochi, Russia, in January 2018, the constitutional committee is to be composed of representatives of the Syrian government, the opposition and civil society representatives -- each with 50 members.

Despite the deadlock over the list of civil society representatives, de Mistura said his consultations left him confident that it should be possible to agree on a 75-percent voting threshold and balanced co-chairmanship arrangements.

He was also confident that the constitutional committee would draft a constitutional reform and that the UN would have the crucial role in accompanying and facilitating this Syrian-owned process.

The parties have accepted that a drafting body of a maximum of 45 members would be identified with 15 each from the lists of government, opposition and civil society representatives, de Mistura said.

De Mistura regretted what has not been achieved, saying more could have been done.

"We have convened the government and opposition and also helped the process of uniting the opposition. But we have not yet had the parties really recognize each other as interlocutors with whom they must do business and actually negotiate, let alone reach agreements," he said.

"We have elaborated with the parties key principles for a common future and settlement but we have not yet turned these into real mechanisms for implementation. We have identified a clear agenda accepted by the parties that would facilitate negotiation but we have not yet been able to tap into its potential," he said.

"We know what is needed for a safe, calm, neutral environment in Syria, and for UN-supervised elections to the highest international standards pursuant to a new constitution. But we have not been able to begin the full work required to make that a reality," de Mistura said.

However, he said some of the key building blocks on which the future process can build have been identified and put in place.

"I am convinced that the UN's tenacity and ingenuity will one day make a fundamental difference for Syria," said de Mistura, calling for unity of the Security Council on the issue.

"We need a renewed sense of common purpose and concerted action in this council if 2019 is to be the real turning point for Syria," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 15:23:47|Editor: Yamei

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A combine-harvester collects wheat in Jiangbulake scenic spot in Qitai County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 27, 2018. China has seen an outstanding shift in way of farming with the mechanization rate in the agriculture sector exceeding 66 percent in 2017, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said Wednesday. China currently has more than 2,500 agricultural machinery enterprises, and the country's agricultural production is now mainly completed with farming machines, replacing previous manual labor, Zhang Taolin, vice minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, told a press conference. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 15:22:32|Editor: xuxin

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis will "retire" at the end of February, an announcement the Pentagon later confirmed by publishing its chief's resignation letter implying differences with the president.

Mattis will "be retiring, with distinction," after having served the administration as the defense chief for the past two years, Trump tweeted.

"During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment," the president tweeted.

He added that a new secretary of defense "will be named shortly."

There have been rumors for a long time that the relationship between Trump and Mattis wasn't smooth, but the president didn't mention his disputes with Mattis or whether Mattis was forced to resign.

However, in a resignation letter to Trump dated Thursday, the defense secretary wrote "Because you have a right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours" on many subjects, "I believe it is right for me to step down from my position."

In the letter, the 68-year-old former Marine Corps general implicitly criticized Trump for his treatment of U.S. allies.

"One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships," Mattis wrote.

He added that his views on "treating the allies with respect" are "strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues."

Mattis's departure came one day after Trump ordered the withdrawal of the 2,000 or so U.S. troops from Syria and declared victory over the Islamic State militant group.

Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas and Jack Keane, a retired Army general who was an early supporter of Trump, are possible replacements for Mattis, according to media reports.

But both expressed their concern regarding Trump's decision of withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria. Keane called the move a "strategic mistake" on Twitter. Cotton was among the six senators who signed a letter to ask Trump to reconsider his decision.

Mattis and Trump were reported to have sat face-to-face on Thursday afternoon in the Oval Office, during which they talked about policy differences, including their differences on the withdrawal from Syria.

The Guardian newspaper said Mattis had persuaded Trump to agree to a gradual drawdown of troops and to leave a residual force of a few hundred. His resignation indicates that these recommendations were rejected by Trump.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who had opposed Trump's decision to bring back U.S. troops from Syria, said Mattis "firmly" believes "the job in Syria is not yet done," according to a report by Fox TV.

But the scope of Mattis's divergence with Trump goes far beyond the U.S. military mission in Syria.

For instance, the Pentagon chief is a defender of the U.S. alliance with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), while the president once bashed NATO for being "obsolete" and often scolded member countries for failing to contribute sufficient funds.

The two also disagreed on issues such as banning transgender recruits from the military, canceling the joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises, pulling the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal, as well as deploying troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Seen by his supporters as the only remaining source of stability in the Trump administration, Mattis is the latest in a slew of cabinet members who either resigned or were forced to quit within the last two years.

Mattis has widespread support across the political aisle. His stepping down was immediately lamented by incumbent and former national security officials.

"At a time of such political, economic, and geo-strategic turbulence -- both nationally and globally -- are you waiting for a catastrophe to happen before acting? Disaster looms!" John Brennan, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, said of the Republicans in a tweet.

"This is scary. Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration," tweeted Mark Warner, a senior Democratic lawmaker from Virginia who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

"As we've seen with the president's haphazard approach to Syria, our national defense is too important to be subjected to the president's erratic whims," he wrote.

In addition, Mattis, as a former Marine Corps general, is regarded highly among defense experts and is a well-respected military mind among lawmakers.

A poll conducted this September found that nearly 90 percent of U.S. military officers had a favorable view of his work.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 15:27:34|Editor: xuxin

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MOSCOW, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- If the United States deploys its missile systems in Europe after terminating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, Russia will have to aim its own missiles at those systems, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday night.

In an interview with Russia's state-run television Channel One, the presidential spokesman was asked to comment on Russian President Vladimir Putin's words about the possibility of a nuclear war following the U.S. withdrawal from the treaty.

At an annual press conference on Thursday, Putin warned against lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, saying that it would trigger a global disaster.

"The president meant what he has repeatedly explained. The deployment of these missiles in Europe and their aiming or potential aiming at Russia would lead to Russia aiming its missile arsenal at these missile launchers in order to create parity," Peskov said.

He added that the situation "would spiral further to repeat the scenario that we have already had in the past."

The INF Treaty was signed in 1987 between the Soviet Union and the United States on the elimination of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles.

The deal marked the first-ever pact reached by Washington and Moscow on nuclear disarmament and a major step forward in restricting the arms race.

Moscow and Washington have accused each other of violating the agreement in recent years amid increasing tensions between the two countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 15:27:35|Editor: xuxin

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GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least six militants were confirmed dead and three others sustained injuries as clash erupted between Taliban and government forces in Khogiani district of the eastern Ghazni province on Thursday, provincial government spokesman Aref Nuri said on Friday.

According to the official, the clash broke out in Kariz village of Khogiani district after the militants stormed a security checkpoint on Thursday evening and police returned fire, forcing militants to flee after leaving six bodies behind.

Taliban militants who are active in parts of the troubled Ghazni province have yet to make comments.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 16:07:47|Editor: xuxin

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FAIZABAD, Afghanistan, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A total of 10 police personnel have deserted their security checkpoint and gone missing in Faizabad city, the capital of northern Badakhshan province on Friday, Sanullah Ruhani, the provincial police spokesman said.

"Ten personnel of police of Faizabad city have gone missing since 03:00 a.m. local time and obviously they defected to the Taliban outfit," Ruhani told Xinhua.

However, he said that investigation had been initiated in this connection to determine the fact.

Meantime, a local on condition of anonymity said that the Taliban fighters attacked the checkpoint early morning capturing 10 police personnel with their weapons.

Taliban militants have yet to make comments.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 16:12:48|Editor: Chengcheng

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Fijian Navy soldiers attend the hand-over ceremony at a hydrographic survey vessel in Suva, Fiji, Dec. 21, 2018. A China-aided hydrographic survey vessel was handed over Friday to the Fijian Navy, witnessed by representatives from both countries. (Xinhua/Zhang Yongxing)

SUVA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A China-aided hydrographic survey vessel was handed over Friday to the Fijian Navy, witnessed by representatives from both countries.

The China-aided hydrographic survey vessel Kacau (a Fijian seabird), equipped with high-tech equipment for hydro detection, could carry out hydrographic and maritime surveys, providing detection data and real-time information.

Speaking at the hand-over ceremony at the Stanley Brown Naval base here on Friday, Huang Xuehu, charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Fiji, said that this is a great moment for the bilateral relations between China and Fiji.

The vessel is a result of cooperation between the Fijian and Chinese governments as well as the Fijian Navy and People's Liberation Army Navy.

"China and Fiji have profound traditional friendship. With the joint efforts of both sides, the mil-to-mil exchanges are always highlighted and witness all kinds of tests. We have vast cooperation in equipment, training and personnel exchanges," Huang said.

"This vessel is a symbol of our good relations, a manifestation of China-Fiji comprehensive strategic partnership featuring mutual respect and common development."

He said that China looks forward to working with Fiji to seize the tremendous opportunity, continuing to consolidate mutual trust, expanding exchanges and promoting cooperation, so as to strive for the greater development of China-Fiji comprehensive strategic partnership.

For his part, Inia Seruiratu, Fiji's minister for defence and national security, thanked China for donating the vessel.

"I wish to thank the Chinese government for donating this vessel, which is the latest contribution the Chinese government has made to help keep our seas safe, respond to natural disasters, and effectively combat a changing climate," he said.

The minister added that the vessel will further elevate Fiji's regional standing as a hub for connectivity, maritime transportation and trade.

A Chinese military delegation led by Senior Colonel Li Jiandang attended the hand-over ceremony, which is also participated by Fiji's former president Ratu Epeli Nailatikau and the Fijian Military Forces's Commander Rear Admiral Viliame Naupoto.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 16:52:55|Editor: Li Xia

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HANGZHOU, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese carmaker Geely Automobile Holdings Limited has reached an agreement to set up a battery joint venture with the country's leading lithium battery producer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL).

In separate filings to the Hong Kong and Shenzhen stock exchanges Thursday night, the two said that Zhejiang Jirun, an indirect 99 percent owned subsidiary of Geely Auto, and CATL, agreed that the joint venture would engage in the research and development, manufacturing and sales of battery cells, modules and packs.

The joint venture, with a registered capital of 1 billion yuan (145 million U.S. dollars), will be 49 percent owned by Zhejiang Jirun and 51 percent by CATL.

"The joint venture will help ensure a stable supply of lithium batteries for Geely as it pushes forward its new energy vehicle strategy to transform itself into an industry leader," Geely said.

An Conghui, president of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, the parent company of Geely Auto, said Geely would work with partners to establish a global industrial value chain to become a global leader in new energy vehicle and energy saving technologies and roll out new energy vehicle models to better meet customer needs.

Geely, headquartered in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, is best-known for reviving the Volvo brand. The brand has enjoyed a renaissance since Geely acquired it in 2010.

CATL has partnerships with global carmakers including BMW, Volkswagen and Daimler and has set up overseas subsidiaries in France, the United States, Canada and Japan.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 17:02:59|Editor: Chengcheng

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Indian President Ram Nath Kovind (R) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi, India, Dec. 21, 2018. China and India pledged here Friday to further boost the people to people exchanges to consolidate public opinion foundation for the development of bilateral relations. (Xinhua/Zhang Naijie)

NEW DELHI, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- China and India pledged here Friday to further boost the people to people exchanges to consolidate public opinion foundation for the development of bilateral relations.

While meeting with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, India President Ram Nath Kovind said developing bilateral ties with China is the priority of India's foreign policies.

Since the informal meeting between the leaders of the two countries in Wuhan, China early this year, the development of bilateral ties has achieved positive progress. The people to people exchanges between the two countries is an important part of the India-China relations, which also serves as an important driving force for the development of bilateral ties, the Indian president said.

India and China, both with great ancient civilizations, are important neighbors. India is willing to maintain the high-level exchanges and deepen the people to people exchanges between the two countries, the president said.

India is also ready to expand economic and trade cooperation, strengthen military ties and promote political mutual trust with China, safeguard the peace and stability in the border areas and conduct closer communication and coordination with China regarding international affairs, the president said.

For his part, Wang said China and India, two great ancient civilizations, have great potentials in terms of people-to-people exchanges.

Both nations are in the course of developing their economy, improving people's livelihood and realizing national rejuvenation, Wang noted, adding that the 2.7 billion combined population of China and India marching towards modernization will have profound and far-reaching influence on the future of mankind.

The healthy and stable development of China-India ties not only conforms to the interests of the two nations and the two peoples, but also helps promote world peace and development, said Wang.

Under the strategic guidance of leaders of both countries, the China-India ties are showing all-round improvement with frequent high-level exchanges, accelerated communications in all sectors and expedited pragmatic cooperation, he said.

The China-India high-level people-to-people exchanges mechanism follows the tradition of exchanges between the two great civilizations, meets the wish of the two peoples to strengthen communications and mutual understanding, and complies with the need for comprehensive development of bilateral ties, he said.

China is willing to work with India to promote people-to-people exchanges between the two sides so as to consolidate the public opinion foundation of bilateral ties, said Wang.

Amid the current international situation, China and India should also closely coordinate with each other in international affairs, jointly safeguard the legitimate interests of the two countries and other developing countries, and act as the contributors of global governance and stabilizers of the international order, he said.

Wang is on a visit to India to co-chair the first meeting of China-India high-level people-to-people exchanges mechanism with Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 17:08:02|Editor: Xiang Bo

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JERUSALEM, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli army has begun the process of destructing cross-border tunnels that were allegedly dug by the Lebanese Hezbollah militia to infiltrate into Israel's northern border, a military spokesperson said on Friday.

At the beginning of December, Israel announced that it had uncovered a network of tunnels dug by the militants of Hezbollah originating from Lebanon into Israeli territory.

Four such tunnels have been exposed and the process of "neutralizing" them started on Thursday evening, Jonathan Conricus, head of the International Media Branch at the Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Unit, said in a brief to reporters.

The second stage of the operation will take place simultaneously to the continued effort to expose further tunnels, Conricus said.

Technological means are employed in the process, he added.

Since 2006, when Israel and Hezbollah fought their last war, the border area has been tense but largely calm. Tensions have risen in recent weeks and Israeli forces have been put on elevated alert since the army began the Northern Shield operation to "locate and thwart" these tunnels.

On Wednesday, the United Nations (UN) Security Council convened a meeting to discuss the matter. The UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon confirmed the existence of the tunnels and voiced concern about their destabilizing nature, but the meeting ended without a UN condemnation which Israel had sought.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters on Wednesday that the tunnels were "an act of war."

Netanyahu has been critical of the UN mission's lackluster response to the tunnels.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act

Prosafe has been awarded two contracts for operations in the UK sector of the North Sea. The Regalia has been chartered for a 60-day duration commencing June 2019, and the Safe Caledonia has been chartered for an 80-day duration commencing June 2020. Both contracts have 30 days of options linked to the firm periods.

The Regalia will be reactivated to perform gangway connected DP operations and is as a result of tightening supply in the North Sea. The reactivation period will commence within Q1 2019 and include her 5 yearly special periodic survey in line with classification society requirements.

The Safe Caledonia will be providing accommodation services in support of a platform turnaround, scheduled to coincide with the Forties pipeline system (FPS) shutdown in mid-June 2020. Prosafe has pre-agreed optionality with the client to substitute the Safe Caledonia with another vessel in its fleet if it so choses.

Total value of the contracts including mobilisation and demobilisation fees, although excluding the option periods, is approximately USD 23 million.

Jesper Kragh Andresen, CEO of Prosafe says: We were very keen to provide a total solution knowing that Prosafe can deliver on these important projects. Reactivation of the Regalia was always a consideration and this award pays for the workscope and allows the vessel to be ready at short notice for future opportunities in both UK and Norway. In 2020, Prosafe will play an important role in the delivery of the turnaround, and with the vessel optionality, Prosafe has flexibility to maximise on opportunities.

Prosafe is a leading owner and operator of semi-submersible accommodation vessels. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange with ticker code PRS.



Stavanger, 21 December 2018

Prosafe SE

For further information, please contact:

Jesper K. Andresen, CEO

Phone: +47 907 65 155

Stig H. Christiansen, Deputy CEO & CFO

Phone: +47 478 07 813
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 17:33:08|Editor: Yurou

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BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday voiced firm opposition to the United States' smearing accusations on the cybersecurity issue, urging the U.S. side to withdraw the so-called "charges" against related Chinese citizens.

The remarks came as Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying responded to charges by the United States against two Chinese citizens Thursday for having allegedly carried out "cyber theft."

She said that the accusation by the U.S. side on the issue of cybersecurity is fabricated "out of thin air," which seriously violates basic norms governing international relations and seriously undermines bilateral cooperation. This is vicious in nature.

Hua said that China firmly opposes these allegations and has lodged stern representations with the United States.

On the issue of cybersecurity, Hua said the stance of the Chinese government has always been consistent and clear. China staunchly champions cybersecurity, and firmly opposes and cracks down upon any form of cyber espionage.

"The Chinese Government has never in any way participated in or supported anyone's behavior of stealing commercial secrets," she said.

She said that it's been an open secret that for a long time, U.S. authorities have exercised large-scale and organized cyber espionage and monitoring over foreign governments, enterprises, and individuals.

"Slamming groundless accusations against China under the pretext of cyber theft is no more than a self-deceiving act of blame-shifting," she said.

"We urge the United States to immediately correct its wrongdoings, stop smearing China on the cybersecurity issue, and withdraw the so-called charges against related Chinese personnel," Hua said, adding that China will take necessary steps to resolutely safeguard its cybersecurity and interests.

In response to the smearing remarks from the United Kingdom lashed upon China on the cybersecurity issue, Hua tagged them as "groundless" and "out of ulterior motives."

"We urge them to respect facts and stop the deliberate slandering of China, to avoid damaging their bilateral relations with China and related cooperation in important sectors," she added.
Locals wave national flags as they are returning to the Maaloula town in the countryside of Damascus, Syria on Sunday, on April 20, 2014. The rebels-held town has been recently recaptured by Syrian forces. (Xinhua File photo)

TEHRAN, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian envoy to the UN said on Friday that all "illegal" foreign forces inside Syria should leave.

"All foreign forces whose presence is not permitted by the Syrian government should leave the country," Eshagh Al Habib said in a statement.

He also urged the countries holding influence on the armed rebels in Syria to encourage them to end the fighting and join the political process.

The right to determine the future of Syria belongs exclusively to Syrians themselves, the Iranian envoy noted.

Al Habib's remarks came two days after a White House announcement of its decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, citing a victory in the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 18:28:22|Editor: xuxin

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MOSCOW, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said Friday it has started inspecting the World News channel and other resources of the BBC for its compliance with Russian law.

Roskomnadzor said in a statement that this step was taken in response to the move of the British Office of Communications (Ofcom), which had found that the Russian RT news channel "broke broadcasting rules by failing to preserve due impartiality in seven news and current affairs programs."

The Russian watchdog said it will announce the results of the check additionally.

Ofcom said it examined a prospect of imposing "statutory sanctions" on RT, without providing more details.

According to British law, Ofcom has the right to impose sanctions in the form of financial penalty or revoking the broadcasting license.

"I am sincerely sorry for the BBC correspondents, many of whom are true professionals and conscientiously perform their duties," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Facebook on Friday.

"But the rude intervention of the British government in the activities of the Russian media (constant propaganda against the RT channel, attempts to discredit our journalists, etc.) leaves no other choice than a mirrored response," she added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 18:43:26|Editor: xuxin

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YANGON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar military announced on Friday suspension of all its military action against armed groups in operation areas in five military command regions for over four months starting from Friday until April 30, 2019.

According to an announcement of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services, during the military's non-operation period, ethnic armed groups in respective operation areas are to negotiate for ceasefire and peace with the National Reconciliation and Peace Center.

The military assumed that during the period, it may also need to negotiate groupwise with all those remaining non-ceasefire signatory armed groups scattered in the northern, northeastern, eastern, middle-eastern and triangle military command areas to sign the Nationwide Cease fire Accord (NCA).

The announcement urged all armed groups to stick to their four-point promise agreed under the military's six-point peace policy and not to take advantage out of the agreements as well as not to create burden on the local people.

The announcement vowed to cooperate for and take care of the repatriation of displaced people, who fled the conflict areas, back to their homes of origin.

The military's announcement came in response to Dec. 12 joint statement of the non-ceasefire signatory Northern Alliance Ethnic Forces, comprising three ethnic armed groups, in which the armed groups voiced support for the government's efforts for national reconciliation and nationwide peace.

The three forces are Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Arakan Army (AA).

They expressed their desire to join hands with government forces to settle military dispute and political matters through dialogue.

In order to realize peace as early as possible and create a status of peace, the three alliance forces hoped for suspension of military action to pave way for political engagement to achieve national reconciliation and peace.

So far, 10 ethnic armed groups have signed the NCA with the government since it was initiated in October 2015 and the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conferences were held three times during the incumbent government in August 2016, May 2017 and July 2018 respectively.

There remains mainly seven Northern Alliance armed groups which have not yet signed the NCA. Of them, three issued the Dec. 12 joint statement.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 18:48:28|Editor: xuxin

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LUSAKA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government still owes mining firms around 550 to 600 million U.S. dollars in value added tax (VAT) refunds, an industry body said on Thursday.

The situation has not changed on the ground as the country's revenue agency, the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), has not honored its promise to pay back the refunds by next year, Sokwani Chilembo, chief executive officer of the Zambia Chamber of Mines, told reporters.

He hoped that the government would be able to honor its obligations as the money was needed by the mining firms in their operations.

Zambia's rising debt and alleged hidden borrowing have increased concerns, hampering investors and Western donors in recent months.

Last month, the revenue agency said in a statement that it returned over 80 percent of funds owed in VAT refunds to the mining sector between January and October this year.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 18:53:29|Editor: xuxin

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ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials of the African Union (AU) said encouraging progress has been gained with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

As the regional body drives efforts toward realizing the AfCFTA, AU Commissioner for Trade and Industry Albert M. Muchanga told Xinhua on Friday that major efforts are are underway to achieve an integrated African market of more than 1.2 billion people.

A total of 49 of the AU's 55 member states have signed the AfCFTA agreement, and 13 countries have ratified it, while 12 others are in advanced stages of obtaining parliamentary approval for ratification, according to AU.

A minimum of 22 ratifications are required for the AfCFTA to come into force.

With a single African market, the AU commissioner said, the continent will be able to better promote infrastructure development and investment in the manufacturing sector.

Currently, 42 percent of intra-African trade is made up of manufactured goods.

Stressing that industrialization and infrastructure are at the core of the AfCFTA, AU Director for Trade and Industry Treasure T. Maphanga told Xinhua that the AfCFTA also brings better opportunities to partners outside the continent.

"It is really a moment where, I think, a lot is possible. For us, the AfCFTA is a win-win. It is good for Africa; it is good for our partners," she added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 18:53:30|Editor: xuxin

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DUBAI, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will deposit 11 billion dirhams (3 billion U.S. dollars) in the State Bank of Pakistan to help with the country's cash and financial policies, state-run WAM news agency reported Friday.

The move aims "to enhance the liquidity and monetary reserve of the foreign currency in the State Bank," WAM cited the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development as saying in a statement.

The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has so far financed eight developmental projects in Pakistan with 1.5 billion dirhams, and other projects in the fields of energy, health, education and roads.

Pakistan was one of the first countries that established diplomatic relations with the UAE.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 19:08:36|Editor: Chengcheng

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) and Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj co-chair the first meeting of the China-India high-level people to people exchanges mechanism, in New Delhi, India, Dec. 21, 2018. China and India said here Friday that establishing the China-India high-level people to people exchanges mechanism is an important measure to develop the all-round bilateral relations between the two countries. (Xinhua/Zhang Naijie)

NEW DELHI, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- China and India said here Friday that establishing the China-India high-level people to people exchanges mechanism is an important measure to develop the all-round bilateral relations between the two countries.

The first meeting of the China-India high-level people to people exchanges mechanism was co-chaired here by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Addressing the meeting, Wang said the formal launch of the mechanism is an important step taken by the two countries to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, an important measure to push forward the development of all-round bilateral ties between the two countries and an important platform to realize revival of the oriental civilizations.

The mechanism will help in consolidating the public opinion foundation for the development of bilateral ties, promoting the healthy development of bilateral ties, pushing forward the peaceful coexistence among different civilizations and jointly maintaining the world peace and stability, Wang said.

This year marks an extraordinary year for the development of China-India relationship, said Wang. The leaders of the two countries held a landmark meeting in China's Wuhan in April, and met several times on multilateral occasions, defining the future direction of China-India relations, and leading bilateral cooperation into a new development phase, he said.

Currently China is striving for the realization of its two centenary goals, and India is devoted to building a "New India", said Wang.

The Chinese side is willing to work with the Indian side to fully coordinate under the people-to-people exchanges mechanism, utilize all kinds of resources, give play to their respective advantages, so as to promote the people-to-people exchanges to gain new development and make new strides, the Chinese top diplomat said.

For her part, Swaraj said that leaders of the two countries agreed in their Wuhan meeting to establish the mechanism for high-level people-to-people exchanges, demonstrating great foresight and vision.

For India and China, two countries with long history and great civilization, the mechanism would provide a new platform for bilateral people-to-people exchanges, adding new impetus to bilateral relations and cooperation, she said.

Swaraj noted that the success of the first meeting of the high-level people-to-people exchanges mechanism pushed the bilateral people-to-people exchanges to a new height and made people-to-people exchanges a stabilizer for bilateral relations.

Wang is on a visit to India to co-chair the first meeting of China-India high level people-to-people exchanges mechanism with Swaraj.

At the meeting, delegates from the two sides held discussions on a range of issues including culture, media, sports, tourism, traditional medicine and yoga.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 20:23:51|Editor: Li Xia

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BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's Foreign Ministry on Friday refuted a U.S. senator's accusation of a "religious crackdown" targeting Christians in China.

Reports said that Senator Marco Rubio recently said in a statement that he was "deeply concerned by the escalating crackdown against Christians in China." Claiming that Muslims from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region were being interned and forced into labor, he said China's efforts to "sinicize" religion were taking a devastating human toll.

"Rubio's statement is sheer nonsense," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying told a routine press briefing. "This is at best a further example of the arrogance and self-righteousness of some people of the United States."

Hua said religions in China mainly include Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Christianity, and that there are nearly 200 million religious believers, about 144,000 sites for religious activities registered in accordance with the law and more than 380,000 people ordained for religious duties.

"Chinese citizens enjoy full freedom of religious beliefs in accordance with the law," she added.

"Has the senator ever been to China, to Xinjiang? Does he understand the role and significance of vocational training in Xinjiang in preventing and combating violence, terrorism and extremism? De-extremism and freedom of religious beliefs are completely different things," Hua said.

"The preventive counter-terrorism and de-extremism measures taken by Chinese local governments are exactly aimed at protecting people from terrorism and extremism, and ensuring more ordinary people can fully enjoy normal freedom of religious beliefs," Hua said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 20:28:53|Editor: xuxin

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BELGRADE, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least five people, including children, were killed and 30 others injured in a train and school bus collision at the railway crossing near the southeastern Serbian city of Nis on Friday morning, police confirmed.

The accident happened at around 7:30 a.m. local time when a passenger train that left at the railway station in Nis for the city of Prokuplje at 7:14 hit a passenger bus at the railway station Donje Medjurovo.

According to the Serbian national broadcaster RTS, the bus was transporting children to a high school when the train struck the bus and cut it in two.

Two adults and one boy died on the spot, confirmed the Director of the Clinical Center of Nis, Zoran Radovanovic.

Another two people died during operations at the clinical center.

Another 13 injured minors were also transported to Nis, where doctors struggle for the lives of more than 10 people with very serious injuries, while parents and relatives of children from the stand gathered in the hallways, the report said.

Due to this accident, the train slipped off the rails and the railway traffic on this section of the railway line was interrupted, according to a statement of the company "Railway Infrastructure of Serbia".

At the scene of the accident are police, firefighters and ambulance, as well as the railway commission for the investigation of extraordinary events.

The cause of the accident is not known at this time.
Philadelphia, PA, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Dr. Sanjay Gupta, President of the American Pain Association (APA) is leading the efforts to educate physicians, lawmakers and insurance companies about the significant health benefits of cannabidiol (CBD) products for the treatment and management of pain and Opioid Use Disorder. The American Pain Association is hailing the passage of the Farm Bill as a breakthrough and major victory for patients and physicians seeking harmless therapeutic modalities to treat people suffering from various pain syndromes including spine, migraine, neuropathic, fibromyalgia and opioid use disorder. The passage would remove CBD from the Controlled Substances Act and legalize CBD production.



Speaking at the American Pain Association (APA) Turn the Tide symposium held at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School In New Jersey, Dr. Gupta applauded the passage of the Farm bill claiming that this historical step will make it easier for research and insurance coverage for HEMP CBD. Continued Dr. Gupta, In spite of significant health benefits of CBD, there is a huge stigma and lack of education about CBD amongst physicians, patients and lawmakers. There are patients and physicians who incredibly believe that CBD is more harmful than opioids. Our mission at the APA is to change that misperception through education. On the eve of Farm Bill, APA has launched a SMS hotline where people can text word CBD to 345-345 to get further education and information about CBD.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Shereef Elnahal, NJ Health Commissioner expressed his strong support for the Farm Bill as well as the mission of Dr. Gupta and the APA in education and research. He highlighted the work NJ State has done in expanding indications and improving access for medical marijuana. Pennsylvania State Senator Sharif Street and NJ Assemblyman Joe Danielsen joined the prestigious panel and expressed the need and support for the ongoing education and research. They are both pioneers in their respective states in increasing access to Marijuana to fight the opioid crisis. Commented Bruce J. Schoengood, President of Medifirst Solutions (OTC/ MFST), We are thrilled to partner with Dr. Gupta and the APA in this fight for all natural pain solutions and reduce to public dependence on opioids.

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 Opioid Epidemic and exploring the role of CBD products in pain management and in stemming the deadly opioid epidemic. Previous symposiums were held at Temple University Medical School, PCOM Medical School and Rowan University Cooper Medical School.

Stated Dr. Gupta, CBD can help significantly in pain management as well as the opioid crisis the US is currently facing, however, given the cost and lack of insurance coverage, many patients are not able to afford it and therefore are more likely to choose the narcotics simply because they are covered by insurance companies. I believe insurance companies should be willing to pay for patients who are willing to not take opioids and use CBD as a replacement. It would be much cheaper for them to cover the cost of CBD compared to the cost of narcotic prescriptions and managing opioid side effects. There are not many good solutions for Opioid Use Disorders. Even medications like Saboxone, which were supposed to help in addiction, are being abused. So we are really glad that we have a harmless and natural solution in CBD for addiction and Opioid use Disorder."

CBD is marijuana (or cannabis) without the THC, the psychoactive compound found in Cannabis plants. Unlike THC, CBD does not make patients high and Gupta believes, is proving to have many health benefits including pain relief, weight loss, sleep disturbances, ADD and Anxiety disorders, or smoking cessation. CBD is like a brain energy food or vitamin. Current energy foods are filled with caffeine and sugar causing damaging health effects. But CBD does not have any of that. Weight loss is a big area as the current weight loss medications are not safe but CBD is all natural weight loss solution, stated Dr. Gupta. To further this movement, the APA has started a multi-institutional CBD research initiative and is partnering with faculty in seven medical schools and universities around the nation to obtain the research and data necessary to communicate the benefit of having insurance companies cover CBD products. Patients who would like to participate in studies are advised to email info@painassociation.org and will be provided CBD free of charge.

Dr. Gupta currently serves as President of the American Pain Association, an organization with board members from Harvard Medical School, John Hopkins Hospital and Weill Cornell Medicine, among other prestigious universities and medical schools. The primary efforts of the American Pain Association are directed toward education, research and improving treatment of pain, the most common cause of disability in the United States. With a focus on education and research-backed data, Dr. Gupta and the American Pain Association are working to make CBD an accessible form of treatment to patients in US and worldwide.




Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 20:33:55|Editor: Li Xia

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GUANGZHOU, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) plans to build a campus in Guangzhou, capital of the southern province of Guangdong.

The city government of Guangzhou, Guangzhou University and HKUST signed a cooperative agreement on the establishment of the campus in Nansha District on Friday.

The Guangzhou city government will provide 1.13 square kilometers of land for the campus, which will be located at the geographic center of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to the agreement.

The parties plan to build the HKUST (Guangzhou) into a world-class university and a high-end scientific research innovation platform to further deepen exchanges between Guangzhou and Hong Kong in education, science and technology.

In March 2017, the parties started negotiations on the cooperation project. On Oct. 14, Guangzhou University and HKUST signed a cooperation letter of intent in Hong Kong.

Founded in 1991, HKUST is a world-renowned research university with breakthrough achievements in physics, engineering, business administration, biological science and biotechnology as well as environment and sustainable development.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 20:33:56|Editor: Li Xia

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NANJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Criminals involved in the case of fly-tipping garbage into the Yangtze River were sentenced to one to six years in prison by a court in east China's Jiangsu Province Friday.

Three principal criminals, surnamed Ni, Zhou, and Zhang, have been given jail terms ranging from four to over six years, and fined 400,000 yuan (58,000 U.S. dollars) to one million yuan, according to the People's Court in the city of Changshu.

The court said that accessory criminals in the case were sentenced to one to two years in jail, and fined 50,000 yuan to 60,000 yuan.

From August to December 2016, more than 20,088 tonnes of household garbage was dumped into the Nantong and Taicang sections of the Yangtze River, and more than 22,832 tonnes of household garbage was transported to neighboring Zhejiang and Anhui provinces and illegally landfilled there.

The garbage involved in the case was found to contain poisonous and harmful substances, which affected the water supply in two water plants in the city of Taicang, said the court.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 20:33:58|Editor: xuxin

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PRAGUE, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of a coal mine explosion near Karvina, Czech Republic, has climbed to 13, of whom 12 are Poles and one is Czech, said OKD mining firm spokesman Ivo Celechovsky on Friday morning.

The seriously injured three, all poles, are staying in hospital, one of them is still in a critical condition, said Celechovsky.

Seven miners with light injuries have been treated by medical staff. Celechovsky said a special commission is investigating the causes of the explosion that happened on Thursday afternoon.

According to OKD director Boleslav Kowalczyk, fire makes the rescue works difficult, OKD tries to block the space to prevent it from spreading. The construction of barriers will last until Sunday.

Of the 13 dead miners, only one body of them has been taken up to the surface so far, the others remain underground, said Celechovsky. It is not yet clear when their remains could be pulled out, but it will be possible after the New Year at the earliest.

The explosion happened at about 880 metres underground and devastated the mining workplace. The CSM nime is a part of the Czech state-owned OKD company. The accident is the second most fatal one in Bohemia and Moravia region in the country since 1990.

Both Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki went to the scene of the accident. Babis expressed sympathy to the victims' families. Morawiecki described the disaster as a huge tragedy. Polish rescuers will be assisting Czech counterparts when in need.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 20:38:59|Editor: xuxin

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ANKARA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkey welcomes the U.S. decision to withdraw troops from Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Friday.

"We are satisfied with this decision. It is an important step for a political resolution in Syria crisis," Cavusoglu said during his visit to Malta, according to the NTV channel.

The minister said the United States should coordinate with Ankara on the pullout, adding that he and other Turkish officials have already been in touch with their U.S. counterparts "at different levels" on the issue.

Cavusoglu also emphasized the need for the international community to focus on a "political resolution" for the future of Syria.

He also warned that the U.S. withdrawal should not create a vacuum that could be filled by terrorist groups.

"We believe that Islamic State (IS) is defeated but still we should be very vigilant because they and other radical groups are still on the ground," Cavusoglu said.

On Wednesday, Washington announced it will withdraw all its troops from Syria within 60 to 100 days.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 20:49:01|Editor: xuxin

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MOGADISHU, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations migration agency said on Friday it has opened a new office in the Somali capital of Mogadishu to support ongoing migration management programs in the country.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the office, which was constructed at the request of the Somali government, will enable a closer cooperation with government and community partners and cut response time to meet operational needs.

Dyane Epstein, IOM Somalia chief of mission, said in a statement that the new office signifies the IOM's strong commitment to the government and people of Somalia and shows the agency's unwavering support for years to come.

Gamal Mohamed Hassan, minister of planning, investment and economic development, welcomed the opening of the new office, and called on international non-governmental organizations and UN agencies to relocate to Somalia.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 20:49:01|Editor: xuxin

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TOKYO, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Former Nissan Motor Co. chairman Carlos Ghosn was given a fresh arrest warrant Friday for allegedly having the Japanese automaker shouldering his private investment losses of some 1.85 billion yen (16.6 million U.S. dollars).

It was the third arrest warrant for Ghosn following the ones for claims that he had underreported remuneration in securities reports.

Ghosn was initially arrested on Nov. 19 for allegedly understating about five billion yen (45 million U.S. dollars) of his 10 billion yen compensation during the five years through March 2015.

He was given a second arrest warrant on Dec. 10 for allegedly understating an additional 4.27 billion yen (38.4 million U.S. dollars) for the three years through March this year.

Under the Japanese law, a suspect could be detained for up to 23 days for an arrest warrant served by police and 22 days for a warrant served by prosecutors, and as authorities can add charges with fresh warrants, a person could be detained indefinitely if approved by a court.

The new warrant was served following an exceptionally rare move by the Tokyo District Court to reject a request from prosecutors to extend the detention of Ghosn the previous day.

Japanese Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita told reporters on Friday that the arrest and detentions are in accordance with Japan's relative laws and regulations.

Ghosn for his part, admitted to the Tokyo prosecutors his remuneration was not fully reported in the securities reports, but maintained that he did not have to report payments that have yet to be settled, said local reports quoting investigative sources.

He also reportedly said that one of the reasons he did not report the full amount of his earnings was that he did not want his workers to become demotivated on hearing the details of his substantial pay package.

The prosecutors, however, based on documents obtained, refuted Ghosn's claims that post-retirement payments had not yet been settled.

Ghosn, a French citizen who was born in Brazil, joined Nissan in 1999 and brought the ailing automaker out of its financial difficulties under a capital alliance with Renault. He became Renault's CEO in 2005.

Mitsubishi Motors joined the Nissan-Renault alliance in 2016. Renault owns a 43.4 percent stake in Nissan, and Nissan, for its part, holds a 15 percent stake in Renault and a 34 percent stake in Mitsubishi Motors.

Following his arrest, Ghosn has been dismissed from office by Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., triggering a leadership battle in the Nissan-Renault SA-Mitsubishi Motors Corp. automotive alliance.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 20:59:07|Editor: xuxin

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LUSAKA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A court in Zambia on Friday freed six activists who were arrested and charged with unlawful assembly after they staged a protest over rising corruption.

Magistrate Mwaka Mikalile acquitted the six activists, among them popular musician Fumba Chama, known by the name Pilato, citing insufficient evidence presented by the prosecution.

Mikalile said the activists were within their rights to demonstrate outside the parliament building as they had followed the law by notifying the police.

The court said the police acted unprofessionally in arresting the activists.

The six were arrested in September last year when they demonstrated outside parliamentary grounds during the presentation of the budget.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 21:04:08|Editor: Li Xia

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SHENZHEN, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Police in the southern Chinese metropolis of Shenzhen have arrested six people in an illegal fund-raising scheme involving 1.19 billion yuan (173 million U.S. dollars).

The platform, financeofchina.com, cheated investors across the country, falsely claiming to be a peer-to-peer lending platform, according to the public security bureau in Futian district.

Local police received a report of the Ponzi scheme in January and launched an investigation thereafter.

The platform did not have a financial license, but it managed to swindle money from individual investors with promises of annual returns of up to 14 percent, the investigation showed.

In August, police arrested six suspects from the company that operated the fund-raising platform over allegedly illegally absorbing public deposits, froze the firm's bank accounts and real estate, and started to track other assets.

Police are also investigating another platform operated by the same company.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 21:19:12|Editor: xuxin

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NAIROBI, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The effort to control the fall armyworm (FAW), a lethal pest that is ravaging food crops, through the application of insecticides is becoming complicated, a scientist warned on Friday.

Sunday Ekesi, director of research and partnership at the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), said the adult pest's habit of being active at night complicates its management.

"It is strange that the pest's infestation is only detected after damage has been caused to the crop," Ekesi told journalists.

Ekesi noted that unlike other pests, FAW has a diverse range of alternative host plants that enables its populations to persist and spread.

He said that the larval stage of the FAW feeds on more than 80 plant species, including maize, sorghum, rice, wheat, sugarcane, as well as a variety of horticultural crops, thus threatening food and nutritional security, trade, household incomes and overall economy.

The scientist noted that ongoing studies at the global insect research body indicate that FAW develops resistance to some insecticides.

"The performance of such chemicals is also hindered by limited knowledge and purchasing power of farmers, resulting into use of low-quality and often harmful products," he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 21:59:24|Editor: xuxin

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MAPUTO, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Mozambican authorities on Friday announced the seizure of a vessel from the Republic of Seychelles for alleged illegal fishing in northern Mozambique.

Leonid Chimarizene, national director of operations at the Ministry of Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries, told to reporters in Maputo said that the commander of the vessel was fined around 66,000 U.S. dollars and banned from fishing in Mozambican waters for 35 months.

"The vessel's commander acknowledged the exercise of fishing in Mozambique without a license, and said he was unaware of the legal statutes that regulate fishing in Mozambique," said the director.

During the chase, fishermen dumped huge quantities of fish including tuna and other marine species into the sea, Chimarizene said, adding that there were nine Seychellois nationals, most of whom did not have identification documents.
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On 31 October 2018 Ageas reached an agreement with BNP Paribas Cardif to sell its 33% stake in Cardif Lux Vie S.A. (CLV). Ageas announces today that all necessary regulatory approvals have been obtained and confirms the completion of the transaction for a total cash consideration of EUR 152 million, as well as the repayment to Ageas of EUR 30 million for subordinated loans.

The divestment is expected to generate a capital gain of EUR 35 million for the Group, EUR 15 million of which at Insurance level in the segment Continental Europe. It is estimated that the transaction will also have a positive impact on the Group Solvency II ageas ratio of approximately 8%, based on the position as at the end of September 2018.

Ageas is a listed international insurance Group with a heritage spanning 190 years. It offers Retail and Business customers Life and Non-Life insurance products designed to suit their specific needs, today and tomorrow. As one of Europe's larger insurance companies, Ageas concentrates its activities in Europe and Asia, which together make up the major part of the global insurance market. It operates successful insurance businesses in Belgium, the UK, Luxembourg, France, Portugal, Turkey, China, Malaysia, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, and the Philippines through a combination of wholly owned subsidiaries and long term partnerships with strong financial institutions and key distributors. Ageas ranks among the market leaders in the countries in which it operates. It represents a staff force of over 50,000 people and reported annual inflows close to EUR 34 billion in 2017 (all figures at 100%).
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 22:09:29|Editor: xuxin

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HELSINKI, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A hotel at the Iso-Syote ski resort area in northern Finland suffered major damage in a fire early Friday morning.

The hotel was not fully occupied and some one hundred hotel guests and residents of neighbouring buildings were rescued without injuries.

Rescue fireman Hannu Timonen from the Oulu rescue service told newspaper Kaleva that slippery road conditions and reindeer blocking the driveways had delayed the arrival of the fire trucks.

The hotel has been built on a ridge overlooking a slope and fire trucks could enter on one side only. "It is in a challenging location," he said.

Fire had been observed by the workers preparing artificial snow for the slopes overnight and they started the evacuation before the fire spread. National broadcaster Yle reported that the hotel guests represented many nationalities.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 22:14:31|Editor: Li Xia

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BEIRUT, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government on Friday donated 1,000 tons of wheat worth 5 million yuan (724,000 U.S. dollars) in humanitarian assistance for Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

"This donation is humanitarian, aimed at relieving the difficulties faced by Syrian refugees in Lebanon," Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Wang Kejian told Xinhua.

Wang made the remarks on the sidelines of a signing ceremony over the donation held at the headquarters of the Council for Reconstruction and Development in Lebanon.

Wang said China will cooperate with Lebanon's Ministry of Social Affairs to transport the wheat to Lebanon as soon as possible in a bid to help the Syrian refugees relieve their humanitarian difficulties.

Nabir Jisr, head of the Council for Reconstruction and Development in Lebanon, praised the donation, saying Lebanon's relations with China are continuously progressing.

It is not the first donation by the Chinese government to Syrian refugees in Lebanon since the Syrian crisis broke out in 2011.

In 2017, China provided 2,764 tons of rice as food aid to the Syrian refugees in Lebanon and their hosting communities.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 22:19:34|Editor: xuxin

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VIENNA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- One person died, another was seriously injured when a gunman opened fire multiple times in downtown Vienna around 1:30 pm on Friday, Vienna police said.

The police on its latest twitter update ruled out the incident of terrorism.

"We expected to deal with a specific crime. There is no threat for non-participants," said the police on Twitter.

The suspect may have fled and extensive manhunt throughout the city was going on, police said.

The area was cordoned off and policemen with helmets and bullet-proof vests were on the scene.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 22:39:38|Editor: yan

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ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopia Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) announced on Friday it has helped free 15 nationals held captive by human traffickers in Sudan.

In a press statement, the MoFA said the 15 nationals were freed in recent days by the joint efforts of the Ethiopian embassy in Khartoum and Sudanese security forces.

The Ethiopian captives were forced by the human traffickers to call their relatives to pay ransom in exchange for the Ethiopians safety, the MoFA further said.

It's estimated thousands of Ethiopians illegally enter Sudan every year either to work in the Sudanese informal sector or use it as a transit point on their way to be trafficked across the Mediterranean Sea to reach their destinations in Europe.

Despite a growing economy and public awareness campaigns on the danger of illegal migration by the Ethiopian government, it is reported that thousands of Ethiopians looking for better economic opportunities are trafficked annually to foreign countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 22:54:41|Editor: yan

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ISTANBUL, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Friday that his country has decided to postpone "for some time" its cross-border operation against Kurdish forces east of the Euphrates River.

"Last week, we took the decision to launch an operation into the east of the Euphrates River and made it public," Erdogan said at an event in Istanbul.

"However, the telephone call with (U.S. President) Trump, the contact of our diplomacy and security units and the statements of the U.S. have all led us to wait for a while," he added.

The Turkish leader threatened last week a new campaign "within days" against the Kurdish militia in Syria, known as the People's Protection Units (YPG), and spoke of the operation impending "at any time" on Monday.

Following the phone conversation with Erdogan, Trump announced on Wednesday his decision to pull the U.S. troops out of Syria.

"During our phone conversation, Trump asked whether we would clean the region of the Daesh (IS)," Erdogan said.

"We did it before, and we will do it again as long as you give us the necessary logistic support," said the Turkish leader.

Erdogan said Turkey would follow a style of operation to eradicate both the Kurdish forces, mainly the YPG, and the IS elements in Syria in the upcoming months.

Ankara and Washington have long been at odds over the issue of the YPG in Syria, as the United States considers the group an ally in its fight against the IS, while Turkey sees it as the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-21 23:19:46|Editor: yan

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YAOUNDE, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon said on Friday that the commander of the Ambazonia Defense Force (ADF), popularly known as General Ivo, and three other armed separatists were killed early Friday in a clash in Teke, a remote locality in Southwest, one of the two English-speaking regions of the country.

"Chief terrorist called General Ivo was killed during an operation early this morning at Teke," an army statement said. "His corpse has been brought to the military camp in Mabanda."

The death was immediately confirmed by Ambazonia Governing Council (AGC), the main sponsor of ADF.

"This morning, one of Ambazonia's bravest and finest breed was killed in action. General Ivo died in the battle of Teke," AGC leader Ayaba Cho posted on his Facebook page.

There were conflicting reports about who killed the separatist leader. Locals told Xinhua he was killed when a local armed vigilante group attacked his camp but the army said he was killed by Cameroon's elite Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR).

Ivo, one of the very first separatists who took up arms to fight the Cameroonian army, was controlling over 30 camps of armed separatists across the restive Anglophone regions, a military source told Xinhua.

ADF is among about 20 armed separatist groups, the source said.

Since November last year, government forces have been clashing with armed separatist forces who want the two regions to secede from the majority French-speaking nation and form a new country called "Ambazonia."
Farmers of the Miao ethnic group show harvested purple glutinous rice in Dali Village of Liangzhai Township in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Oct. 12, 2018. Currently, there are about 1,000 mu (67 hectares) of purple glutinous rice fields in Dali Village with a crop yield of 200 kilograms per mu. A production mode that incorporates cooperatives, planting bases and individual farmers has helped the locals out of poverty. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The UN General Assembly adopted its first ever resolution addressing poverty eradication in rural areas on Thursday, underlining the importance of concerted efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda goals.

Put forward by China and the Group of 77 (G77), the largest bloc of UN developing member states, the resolution noted that nearly 80 percent of the extreme poor live in rural areas and on agriculture and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda) makes it a priority to end poverty.

The resolution underlined the importance of promoting socioeconomic development in rural areas as an effective strategy for the eradication of poverty, including measures to improve infrastructure, inclusive financial facilities, employment, education, social welfare system and minimize digital gap, among others.

After adoption, Chinese Permanent Representative to the UN Ma Zhaoxu told reporters that China and the G77 aim to propel the international community to work together to eliminate rural poverty and implement the 2030 Agenda.

Recalling China's progress in rural poverty eradication - over 700 million Chinese rural people have been lifted out of poverty in the past four decades, Ma said the resolution contains some Chinese concepts in this regard, including "targeted poverty alleviation", "win-win cooperation" and "the building of a community with a shared future for humanity."

As the largest developing country, China will support the poverty eradication efforts in the developing world with concrete actions, accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, share Chinese experiences with the world and build a new type of international relations based on win-win cooperation, Ma said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-22 00:40:15|Editor: Chengcheng

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KUNMING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The 77th Mekong River joint patrol led by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand concluded Friday at Guanlei Port, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Six vessels and 126 law enforcement officials from the four countries participated in the mission, which covered a range of more than 500 km in four days.

A total of 13 vehicles, 32 people and 20 tonnes of cargo were inspected during the mission, along with anti-terrorism drills, police skill practices and an anti-drug campaign.

An information exchange meeting was held in Chiang Saen, Thailand.

The joint patrols started in December 2011 after a gang hijacked two cargo ships and killed 13 Chinese sailors in Thai waters on Oct. 5, 2011.

The Mekong River, also known as the Lancang River in China, is a vital waterway for cross-border shipping among China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-22 00:40:16|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A UN official on Friday warned of the danger of a new political crisis in Guinea-Bissau over delayed legislative elections.

"Guinea-Bissau risks lurching from one political crisis to another, unless decisive steps are taken by the government to meet the new election date decreed by the president," said UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Taye-Brook Zerihoun.

Legislative elections were scheduled for Nov. 18, but have been postponed by technical challenges. President Jose Mario Vaz on Thursday issued a decree, setting March 10, 2019, as the new election date.

The government declared the completion of voter registration on Wednesday after twists and turns as a result of a political wrangle over technical aspects of the voter registration, during which accusations were traded of attempts to rig and deliberately delay the process, Zerihoun told the Security Council.

Such tensions have contributed to an unhealthy pre-electoral atmosphere in the country, he said.

"At this juncture, the international community should consider sending a strong message to the Bissau-Guinean authorities and political actors to demonstrate the requisite political will for the organization of credible legislative elections and refrain from further delaying the process," Zerihoun said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-22 00:50:20|Editor: yan

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BUJUMBURA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Burundian government on Friday passed a bill on transitioning the current capital city Bujumbura into the commercial capital and setting up the political capital in Gitega town, central Burundi, an official said.

The bill presented by Minister of Interior, Civic Education and Local Development, Pascal Barandagiye was passed during a meeting of the council of ministers held in Gitega town, some 100 kilometers west of Bujumbura, Burundian president spokesperson Jean Claude Karerwa said on Twitter.

The council of ministers will hold its meetings in Gitega town since January 2019, said Karerwa.

Five ministries out of the 21 government ministries will move to Gitega by January 2019, said Karerwa, who described the bill as "historic."
Washington, D.C., Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prison Fellowship, the nations largest Christian nonprofit serving prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, is thanking President Donald Trump for signing into law the FIRST STEP Actfederal criminal justice reform legislationon Friday at the White House. The legislation passed both chambers with overwhelming bipartisan support: 87-12 in the Senate, and 358-36 in the House.

With the stroke of his pen, President Donald Trump took a bold step in making America safer by signing into law federal criminal justice reformthe FIRST STEP Act, said James Ackerman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Prison Fellowship. This legislation will increase the access of faith-based and nonprofit organizations, like Prison Fellowship, to provide desperately needed programming in the federal prison system and help reduce recidivism. From our work in many states across the country, we can say without hesitation that these programs restore livesputting people on a new path and eventually reduce crime.

By signing this bill into law, the President and Members of Congress are showing we have learned from the past and are now choosing a more restorative path forward on criminal justice reform, said Craig DeRoche, Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Public Policy. When people receive sentences that dont fit their crime, America loses. Disproportional sentences are an affront to the dignity of people made in the image of God and erode faith in the notion of equal justice under the law.

The FIRST STEP Act improves programming in federal prisons. It better prepares men and women to become productive citizens through individualized risk assessments and by expanding access to recidivism-reducing programs for all federal prisoners. The sentencing reforms added to the legislation will make minor adjustments to correct disproportional sentencing enhancements and increase judicial discretion in certain federal drug offense cases.

Prison Fellowship is a leading advocate for criminal justice reform. Prison Fellowship was founded in 1976 by Chuck Colson, the former aide to President Richard Nixon who served time in a federal prison camp for a crime related to the Watergate scandal. Colsons post-prison life proved that people who are now behind bars can and should be prepared for productive, meaningful futures. In more than 40 years of service, Prison Fellowship has learned what worksand what doesntto transform lives and reduce crime.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-22 02:05:38|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A UN official on Friday warned of the danger of a new political crisis in Guinea-Bissau over delayed legislative elections.

"Guinea-Bissau risks lurching from one political crisis to another, unless decisive steps are taken by the government to meet the new election date decreed by the president," said UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Taye-Brook Zerihoun.

Legislative elections were scheduled for Nov. 18, but have been postponed by technical challenges. President Jose Mario Vaz on Thursday issued a decree, setting March 10, 2019, as the new election date.

The government declared the completion of voter registration on Wednesday after twists and turns as a result of a political wrangle over technical aspects of the voter registration, during which accusations were traded of attempts to rig and deliberately delay the process, Zerihoun told the Security Council.

Such tensions have contributed to an unhealthy pre-electoral atmosphere in the country, he said.

"At this juncture, the international community should consider sending a strong message to the Bissau-Guinean authorities and political actors to demonstrate the requisite political will for the organization of credible legislative elections and refrain from further delaying the process," Zerihoun said.

"The latest results of our combined efforts to assist Bissau-Guinean stakeholders to overcome the political and institutional impasse and launch the country on the path of sustainable peace and development has prompted our guarded optimism," he said, also noting that there are roadblocks during preparations for the legislative elections and the inability of the government to hold the elections on Nov. 18.

The period leading to legislative elections and the presidential poll in later 2019 will be critical and require the continued attention and engagement of the international community, he said. "There is still hope for the country to move forward, and its political leadership can show good faith and meet its national obligations by holding legislative elections on March 10, 2019."

He noted that more than six months after the appointment of a prime minister of consensus and the formation of an inclusive government, the political situation in Guinea-Bissau remains fraught with uncertainty.

The tiny West African country has been in a political crisis since August 2015, when President Mario Vaz deposed Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira, his main political rival. Aristides Gomes was appointed prime minister in April 2018.

Zerihoun also introduced UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' special report on the strategic assessment of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS), which proposes a phased reconfiguration and exit.

UNIOGBIS would continue in its current role through mid-2019 to support upcoming elections, followed by the immediate post-electoral period between mid-2019 and end of the year. After that will be the transition and exit period by no later than the end of 2020, said Zerihoun.

The mission, together with its predecessor peacebuilding support office in Guinea-Bissau, has now been in the country for close to two decades, said Zerihoun. "Experience has shown that in the absence of a nationally owned and nationally led reform process, UNIOGBIS alone will not be able to contribute to sustainable peace and development in Guinea-Bissau."

UNIOGBIS was established in 2010. Its predecessor mission was set up in 1999.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-22 03:36:05|Editor: yan

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BELGRADE, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Successful resolution of the Macedonia naming dispute along the lines of the Prespa agreement could boost Serbia-Greece cooperation and contribute to faster development of the Balkans region, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said here Friday.

Vucic made the remarks at the second session of the Serbia-Greece High-Level Cooperation Council with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, while ministers of the two governments met at bilateral meetings.

According to report from Serbia's public broadcaster RTS, Vucic and Tsipras discussed important regional issues, economic exchange between the two countries, infrastructural interconnection and other topics such as digitalization, telecommunication, energy and sports.

Vucic said at a press conference that the implementation of the Prespa Agreement between Macedonia and Greece over the future name of Macedonia is immensely important for bilateral relations as "Republic of North Macedonia becomes a kind of a bridge between Serbia and Greece, which will additionally connect the two countries."

By signing the Prespa Agreement, Tsipras said, Greece confirmed its role for regional stability and it will also have implications for improvement of its relations with Serbia.

"That country (Macedonia) represented a gray zone between us. Instead of a wall, now we will have a bridge," he agreed. "Prespa Agreement will help us develop cooperation through investments, as well as projects that would support our interconnection."

Tsipras said that, immediately after the implementation of the Prespa Agreement, Serbia will be involved in one of the first international agreements between Athens and Skopje, which will establish a common railway corridor to connect Thessaloniki, Skopje, Belgrade and Budapest.

"By doing this we will enable faster exchange of people and goods between Serbia, Thessaloniki and Skopje," Tsipras said, highlighting economic benefits for the whole region.

Vucic reminded that in the following weeks Serbia will complete the southern part of its Corridor 10, which means that people from Greece would be able to drive across Serbia by highway.

He warned that the railway connection still represents a much bigger problem.

"We need much faster railway and trains. I believe that we will be able to resolve this issue with Skopje and Greece. If everything ends well with the Prespa Agreement, we could stage a Athens-Belgrade-Skopje trilateral meeting to the benefit of all sides," Vucic said.

Vucic revealed that trade between Serbia and Greece increased this year by 9 percent, and it is expected to exceed 500 million euros.

Imports from Serbia to Greece are 10.7 percent higher than last year, while exports increased by 7 percent.

Vucic announced that the third session of the cooperation council will be held in the upcoming spring, when the two countries will also sign "important documents on strategic cooperation".

Although Tsipras ended his visit to Serbia on Friday, he will stay in Belgrade on Saturday to attend the quadrilateral meeting with leaders of Bulgaria and Romania.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-22 04:01:12|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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Palestinian medics carry a wounded man during clashes with Israeli troops on the Gaza-Israel border, east of Gaza City, on Dec. 21, 2018. A Palestinian teenager was killed Friday and at least 40 others injured during clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli soldiers in eastern Gaza Strip, close to the border with Israel, medics said. (Xinhua)

GAZA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least three Palestinians were killed and more than 40 injured on Friday during clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers stationed on the border between eastern Gaza Strip and Israel, medics said.

Ashraf al-Qedra, Health Ministry spokesman in Gaza, told reporters that Mohamed Jahjouh, 16 years old, Atteya Yassin, 40, and Abdil Aziz Abu Sharee'a, 28, were all shot dead by Israeli troops' gunfire during the protests in eastern Gaza Strip.

He said 40 more were shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers' gunfire during the "peaceful protests and rallies" close to the fence of the border between eastern Gaza Strip and Israel.

"Among the injuries, there were four paramedics and two local photo journalists," said al-Qedra, who accused the Israeli soldiers of using live gunshots aiming to kill and seriously wound demonstrators.

He added that since the start of the "Great March of Return" on March 30, the Israeli army has shot and killed 242 Palestinians and wounded more than 25,000 others. Around 40 percent of them were shot by live gunshots fired by the Israeli soldiers.

Khalil al-Hayya, deputy Hamas chief in the coastal enclave, told reporters as he joined the protests on Friday that the weekly protests and rallies will go on until Israel ends its 12-year blockade on the Gaza Strip.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-22 04:36:23|Editor: yan

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Friday called on the international community to provide technical, financial and logistical support for legislative elections in Guinea-Bissau.

"We hope that parties in Guinea-Bissau will work together to ensure that elections are held on schedule in a smooth manner," Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told a UN Security Council meeting.

Guinea-Bissau's legislative elections which were originally scheduled for Nov. 18 have been postponed due to technical challenges. The West African country's President Jose Mario Vaz on Thursday issued a decree, setting March 10, 2019 as the new election date.

The international community should fully respect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guinea-Bissau, said Wu, adding that China will work with the international community to promote dialogue among parties in Guinea-Bissau, and to play a constructive role in securing stability and development of the country and West Africa as a whole.

The parties in Guinea-Bissau should bear in mind the long-term interests of the state and its people, to take concrete action with political decisiveness, resolve differences through dialogues, and improve people's livelihoods and national stability and development, Wu said.

The tiny West African country has been in a political crisis since August 2015, when President Mario Vaz deposed Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira, his main political rival.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-22 05:06:32|Editor: yan

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LAGOS, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Investigation is being urged into the killing of Nigeria's former defense chief Alex Badeh, who was ambushed and shot dead by unknown gunmen Tuesday near the nation's capital Abuja.

Badeh, former Chief of Defense Staff and Air Chief Marshal, died from gunshot wounds after gunmen attacked his vehicle on Abuja-Keffi expressway in central Nigeria when he was returning from his farm.

Badeh's death came a few months after a former chief of army administration, retired Major General Idris Alkali, was ambushed and killed in central north Plateau state.

In a statement, Nigeria's main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) expressed shock over the murder of Badeh, describing it as a national loss.

The ambush and killing of a military officer of Badeh's status has heightened fears and apprehensions on the level of insecurity in the country, particularly, the safety of average citizen, the PDP said.

The party called for an immediate investigation into the gruesome murder of Badeh.

Ibrahim Magu, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), also issued a statement commiserating with the family of the former defense chief.

He described the development as "crude and senseless manner of the attack leading to the death of the former air chief."

He called on the relevant security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators were brought to book.

In its reaction, the Nigerian House of Representatives also called on the police and intelligence agencies to fish out the killers of Badeh.

The lawmakers, who condemned the act, also charged the Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris and the Director General of secret police Yusuf Bichi to bring the perpetrators to justice.

On its part, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has called on those spreading misinformation about the unfortunate incident to stop.

The Air Force spokesman Ibikunle Daramola said spreading erroneous reports and comments on the incident could have adverse effects on ongoing operations.

He said in a statement reaching Xinhua that substantial progress had already been made in the investigation and details would be communicated at the appropriate time. He added that the NAF is working closely with other relevant security agencies to determine the circumstances surrounding the death of the former defense chief.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-22 05:36:39|Editor: Chengcheng

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KHARTOUM, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Higher Education and Scientific Research Ministry on Friday announced suspension of study at all higher education institutions in Khartoum State in the wake of popular demonstrations, official SUNA news agency reported.

"The suspension includes all government, national and private higher education institutions," Al Sadiq Al Hadi Al Mahdi, minister of higher education and scientific research, was quoted as saying.

He said the decision would be effective as of Saturday until further notice, according to the report.

Earlier on Friday, the authorities of Sudan's capital Khartoum issued a press release, announcing suspension of classes at all schools in Khartoum State until further notice, citing increasing protests in the country.

Sudan's Nahr al-Neel, Gadarif, White Nile and Northern states have previously declared state of emergency amid popular demonstrations.

Over the past three days, various areas in Sudan, including Khartoum, have been witnessing popular protests against the deteriorating economic conditions and price hikes of basic commodities.

Also on Friday, the Sudanese government said in a statement that it would not tolerate any acts of sabotage or violations of the law during popular protests.

According to government officials, at least eight protesters were killed in Sudan's eastern state of Gadarif and northern city of Atbara.
A man talks on a mobile phone inside the BBC headquarters in London, Britain November 21, 2008. (Reuters Photo)

MOSCOW, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said Friday it has started inspecting the World News channel and other resources of the BBC for its compliance with Russian law.

Roskomnadzor said in a statement that this step was taken in response to the move of the British Office of Communications (Ofcom), which had found that the Russian RT news channel "broke broadcasting rules by failing to preserve due impartiality in seven news and current affairs programs."

The Russian watchdog said it will announce the results of the check additionally.

Ofcom said it examined a prospect of imposing "statutory sanctions" on RT, without providing more details.

According to British law, Ofcom has the right to impose sanctions in the form of financial penalty or revoking the broadcasting license.

"I am sincerely sorry for the BBC correspondents, many of whom are true professionals and conscientiously perform their duties," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Facebook on Friday.

"But the rude intervention of the British government in the activities of the Russian media (constant propaganda against the RT channel, attempts to discredit our journalists, etc.) leaves no other choice than a mirrored response," she added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-22 05:46:42|Editor: yan

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BUCHAREST, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Romanian military prosecutors announced on Friday the initiation of the prosecution against former president Ion Iliescu for "committing crimes against humanity" in the 1989 "revolution" case.

The investigations aimed to establish "the factual situation regarding the direct exercise of the prerogatives of the state power" by the National Salvation Front Council (CFSN), the structure which took over de facto power in the country immediately after the fall of Nicolae Ceausescu on Dec. 22, 1989.

"Investigations are concerned with whether the establishment of a generalized terrorism psychosis would have created numerous fratricidal fires, chaotic shootings, contradictory military orders, etc," according to prosecutors.

The terrorist psychosis would have been deliberately induced by diversion and disinformation and caused, after Dec. 22, 1989, as many as 862 deaths, 2,150 injuries. These tragic consequences were "far worse" than those of the repression exercised between Dec. 17 and 22, 1989, before the fall of the Ceausescu regime, said the prosecutors.

Iliescu is accused of accepting and making official military measures, "some of which had an obvious diversionist character." Prosecutors said that he had the power to stop these measures, but he failed to do it.

Alongside Iliescu, prosecutors also indicted three other CFSN figures, a former deputy prime minister and two senior military officers, for the same crimes.

Iliescu, now 88, served as president from 1990 until 1996, and from 2000 until 2004.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-22 06:01:49|Editor: yan

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RABAT, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The African Development Bank (AfDB) and China's Africa Growing Together Fund (AGTF) have granted Morocco over 122 million euros (138.6 million U.S. dollars) to help Morocco improve its drinking water supply.

The loan agreements were signed Friday in capital Rabat by Director General of Morocco's National Office for Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE), Abderrahim El Hafidi, and AfDB representative in Morocco, Leila Mokadem.

The first agreement concerns an AfDB loan totaling 79.33 million euros, while the second is an AGTF loan for 43.36 million euros, managed by the AfDB.

AGTF is a co-financing fund of 2 billion dollars between AfDB and the People's Bank of China to finance eligible guaranteed development projects in Africa.

These loans will support Morocco's program to link raw water from several dams to treatment plants.

The program benefits a current population of 2.5 million, and it is expected to secure water supply for a total of 3.3 million people by 2040, the according to ONEE.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-22 06:11:51|Editor: yan

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BUCHAREST, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila stressed on Friday that the Austrian chancellor's visit to Romania symbolically marked the handover of the presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) from the Austrian government to that of Romania.

It is a transition from a protected Europe -- the motto of the Austrian Presidency -- to a Europe in which cohesion is seen as a common value, Dancila said during the joint statements alongside Austria's Sebastian Kurz.

"I want to congratulate the Chancellor for the Presidency, for the results they obtained, for the approach manner, for the manner of addressing the main challenges at European level," said Dancila.

"The presence of the Austrian chancellor in Bucharest is an important moment. It is a moment that I can say marks the start of a very important period for Romania, the first time when Romania holds the rotating presidency of the EU," she said.

The visit of Kurz took place in the context in which, starting Jan. 1, 2019, Romania will take over the Presidency of the EU Council from Austria.

Prior to the meeting with her Romanian counterpart, the Austrian chancellor was welcomed at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace by President Klaus Iohannis, where they had head-to-head talks, followed by a joint press statement.
RALEIGH, N.C., Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The spirit of giving continues to abound as State Employees Credit Union (SECU) employees once again step up in a big way for the State Employees Combined Campaign (SECC) by providing financial support for hundreds of charitable causes. SECU staff donated over $87,000 to local and national non-profits and charities through pledges and donations. The member-funded SECU Foundation also provided financial support to cover the cost of creating the SECC Giving Guide  the official charity listing.



SECU employees embrace giving back to their local communities year after year. For the 2018 State Employees Combined Campaign, this tradition continued with great success despite challenging weather situations, shared Laura Marx, SECC Campaign Team Lead. We also continue to be grateful to SECU Foundation for funding the Giving Guide, which allows any state employee, without internet access, the ability to view and donate to any one of over 900 participating charities. The SECU family is a true example of what it means to care about community.

State employees and government retirees have been supporting charities and non-profits through the SECC program since 1985, donating more than $107 million to benefit citizens and communities throughout the state and beyond. Although the 2018 Campaign tally is not yet complete, this years contributions are expected to add over $3 million to the cumulative total.

Jimmy Goodrum, SECU Senior Vice President of Member Education and Outreach remarked, Our employees and members consistently demonstrate their tremendous generosity, compassion, and concern for others through many efforts, including participation in the annual SECC for over a decade. As a financial services cooperative that serves North Carolinas state and public school employees and their families, SECU is proud to assist the people and communities of our state through the State Employees Combined Campaign.

About SECU

A not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members, SECU has been providing employees of the State of North Carolina and their families with consumer financial services for over 81 years. The Credit Union also offers a diversified line of financial advisory services including retirement and education planning, tax preparation, insurance, trust and estate planning services, and investments through its partners and affiliated entities. SECU serves over 2.3 million members through 265 branch offices, nearly 1,100 ATMs, 24/7 Member Services via phone and a website, www.ncsecu.org.

Contact: Leigh Brady, EVP  Organizational Development

Office: 919-807-8347 | leigh.brady@ncsecu.org
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-22 06:57:01|Editor: yan

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday rejected a request from the Trump administration to begin enforcing a ban on asylum for immigrants who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

The narrow 5-4 ruling, with Chief Justice John Roberts siding with his four more liberal colleagues, left in place lower court rulings that blocked a proclamation by President Donald Trump in November denying asylum to those entering the country from Mexico without going through official border crossings.

Trump has said the proclamation was in response to caravans of Central American migrants making their way to the U.S. border through Mexico.

The administration has said the rule sought to crack down what it called "meritless asylum claims from aliens who place a tremendous burden on our resources."

Critics have seen the move as unlawful and needlessly cruel to asylum seekers.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-22 07:17:06|Editor: Chengcheng

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Friday asked for international efforts to promote the peace process in Yemen.

The international community should cherish the outcome of the recent talks in Sweden and effectively facilitate its implementation, said Ma Zhaoxu, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

The political process in Yemen is entering a crucial stage with the Stockholm Agreement, he told the Security Council after the adoption of a resolution to endorse the agreement between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels.

The Security Council should fully consider and respect the views of the country and its concerns and provide support for the political process. The international community should increase its humanitarian relief efforts, said Ma.

The Stockholm Agreement and the resolution are just the beginning. The parties should focus on the implementation of the outcome and promote a sustainable and effective process of dialogue and negotiations, he said.

Political means is the only way to resolve the crisis. The international community should safeguard the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Yemen and support such efforts, he said.

China stands ready to continue its constructive role in the search for an inclusive political solution, he said.
Florin Citu despre plecarea din fruntea PNL: Nici nu se pune problema de asa ceva!

Nici nu se pune in discutie asa ceva. Am fost votat de 60% dintre colegii mei in cel mai mare congres tinut vreodata la Partidul National Liberal, 5.000 de persoane. Avem o responsabilitate, eu si echipa de conducere, [citeste mai departe]
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel announces all-inclusive packages for couples-to-be hosting their celebration on the Big Island. The hotel offers packages that include florals, music, photography and catering in an oceanfront location. Guests are invited to host weddings of up to 450 guests, with the hotels customizable build your own dream wedding packages. Recently featured on Hot Hawaiian weddings, the hotels prime location makes it the perfect spot for hosting your special day.



With exclusive packages and captivating oceanfront venues for weddings big or small, the Big Island hotel can easily accommodate up to 450 guests. Wedding parties love hosting their rehearsal dinners during an Island Breeze Luau, and Honus on the Beach offers a great Sunday Brunch selection. With 452 guest rooms for out-of-town guests, the hotels convenient location lets your attendees explore all that Kailua-Kona has to offer.

Overlooking the sparkling waters of Kamakahonu Bay, this ocean view wedding venue in Kona, Hawaii also offers some of Hawaiis most delectable culinary offerings right onsite. The hotels culinary team serves fresh, delicious Hawaii-inspired cuisine, specializing in seafood, sushi and local Kona produce, as well as refreshing signature cocktails.

Guests can also enjoy nightly live music at Billfish Bar & Grille, where theyll find acoustic sounds by local musicians on an ocean view pool deck, from 6:30 - 9:30 every night. Valet parking is also available.

For more information or to start planning your special day at this iconic Kona wedding venue , couples can contact the hotel at 1808-331-6332.

About the Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel

Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel welcomes guests to the Big Island of Hawaii with immaculate accommodations and superb amenities. Located on the historical site where King Kamehameha, the famed King of the Hawaiian Islands, once lived, the full-service hotel boasts a blend of cultural sophistication and modern convenience. The property is just steps from the white-sand beaches of Kailua-Kona and offers many onsite beach activities. The shopping and attractions of Kailua-Kona are moments away. Airy, spacious rooms and suites feature plush bedding, free Wi-Fi, and private balconies, while the hotels delicious restaurants blend the flavors of Hawaii with casual, oceanfront dining. Celebrate a wedding right on the beach, or take advantage of the hotels spacious indoor venues for hosting a Big Island meeting.

CONTACT: Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel

75-5660 Palani Road Kailua-Kona Hawaii 96740 USA

1-808-329-2911

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/koacy-courtyard-king-kamehamehas-kona-beach-hotel/

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/91f47ed1-d039-4ff8-bc58-e5d540f0fe76
Mumbai: Czech motorcycle brand Jawa Thursday announced the setting up of three more dearships in Bengaluru, taking the the number of touch points to five.

Last week, the maker of the iconic brand had inaugurated its first two dealerships in the country in Pune, following its re-entry in the Indian two-wheeler market after a gap of almost two decades.

Classic Legends is proud to announce the launch of its first three Jawa Motorcycles dealerships in Bengaluru, the company said in a release.

Classic Legends, a subsidiary of Mahindra and Mahindra, on November 15 relaunched its 293-cc Jawa Forty Two, Jawa and Jawa Perak motorcycles in the domestic market.

With the outlets becoming fully operational, customers in Bengaluru can now book and test-ride Jawa and Jawa forty two motorcycles, the release added.

Jawa plans to set up over 100 dealerships across the country over a period of time. PTI IAS DSK DSK DSK

12201902

BoI eyes Rs 1200-cr from exiting life insurance arm Star Union

Mumbai, Dec 19 (PTI) State-run Bank of India is looking to raise Rs 1,000-1,200 crore by selling its entire 28.96 percent stake in life insurance joint venture, Star Union Dai-Ichi Life Insurance, a source has said.

The bank will soon float a request for proposal for exiting the JV company, the source added.

Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance, which commenced operations in February 2009, is a joint venture between Bank of India, Union Bank of India and the Japanese major Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company. The company has negligible market share in the 24-player industry dominated by the national insurer LIC.

While BoI owns 28.96 percent in the JV, UBI holds 25.10 percent, and Dai-chi is the singel largest shareholder with 45.94 percent stake.

"The bank wants to completely exit from this life insurance joint venture. It is looking to raise Rs 1,000-1,200 crore through the process," the source told PTI.

The lender has also written to the Japanese partner asking if it would be interested in increasing stake in the company, the source added.

As per the current norms, foreign direct investment in insurance sector is capped at 49 percent.

In June 2016, the bank sold an 18 percent stake in the life insurance arm to Dai-ichi Life for Rs 540 crore.

The money, as and when the stake sale happens, will help the bank, which is under the prompt corrective action framework of the Reserve Bank,to improve its capital position.

The bank had earlier planned to raise around Rs 800 crore by selling stake in some of its other non-core assets-- STCI Finance and Sidbi. It holds 29.96 percent stake in STCI Finance, while it owns 2.84 percent in Sidbi.

The lender, however, could not get the right price for these assets owing to the liquidity crisis in the NBFC sector following default by IL&FS, according to a person familiar to the deals.
New Delhi: One of the biggest releases of this year, 'Zero' starring superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma in lead roles hit the screens today. The film has been high on the buzzword ever since King Khan's look as a dwarf was revealed. The actor plays the role of the Happy-go-lucky Bauua Singh and is all set to entertain us with his quirky act!

Ankita Chakravarti of ZeeNews.com gave a live tweet review of the film.

Check out her tweets here:

#zero is so far away from reality that you would need some strong gravitational force to pull it back#nowwatching #zeroreview  Ankita Chakravarti (@ankitaChak15) December 21, 2018

The chimpanzee takes over the stage in #Zero  Ankita Chakravarti (@ankitaChak15) December 21, 2018

#Sridevi makes a fleeting appearence in #zero and it will make you miss her even more #zeroreview #NowWatching  Ankita Chakravarti (@ankitaChak15) December 21, 2018

Lets hear it for the Greatest Khans of Bollywood @iamsrk and @BeingSalmanKhan uniting after an eternity in #zeromovie #zeroreview  Ankita Chakravarti (@ankitaChak15) December 21, 2018

Although vertically-challenged, the SRK fans get to see the signature Shah Rukh Khan pose in the song of the year #Zero #ZeroReview  Ankita Chakravarti (@ankitaChak15) December 21, 2018

#Zero opens with a tribute to Late Sridevi and it is heartwarming! #NowWatching #ZeroReview  Ankita Chakravarti (@ankitaChak15) December 21, 2018

The film is helmed by Aanand L Rai and has Katrina playing a glamorous actress while Anushka plays a scientist who is suffering from cerebral palsy.

SRK, Anushka and Katrina have earlier shared screen space in 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' and the film was a super hit. It will indeed be interesting to see the trio working together once again.

Recently, the song 'Heer Badnaam' was unveiled and it is a foot-tapping number that will make you want to hit the dance floor right away! Other songs from the film too have received positive reviews.

With songs that have stricken the right chord with the audience, it is time for the final showdown with the film release!
New Delhi: With its spectrum deal virtually in a limbo, Reliance Communications on Thursday urged the telecom department to grant it the "long-awaited no-objection certificate" to comply with the Supreme Court order in "letter and spirit".

The statement came a day after senior officials of Reliance Communications and Reliance Jio met the Telecom Secretary to discuss outstanding issues raised by the Department of Telecom (DoT) over payment related to the spectrum sale deal between the two companies.

The Anil Ambani-owned company Thursday said it remains committed to discharge any outstanding or disputed amount subject to final adjudication.

In a statement, Reliance Communications asserted that the requirement of giving the bank guarantee as per the telecom department's demand has been substituted by the orders of the telecom tribunal and the Supreme Court, and that its unit Reliance Realty had provided a non-disposal undertaking and corporate guarantee.

"Hence, compliance with the trading guidelines is met," RCom statement said.

The DoT has, so far, held to its position that the deal cannot be cleared unless there is clarity on payment of dues and associated charges, particularly as the Mukesh Ambani-led Jio has refused to take any payment liability of his younger sibling's firm RCom to conclude the spectrum trading deal between the two firms.

"Reliance Communications Limited, being a continuing licensee with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), remains committed to discharge any outstanding or disputed amount subject to final adjudication.

"The requirement of giving the Bank Guarantee as per DoT's demand has been substituted by the orders of the TDSAT (Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal) and the Hon'ble Supreme Court, with Reliance Realty Limited providing a non-disposal undertaking and Corporate Guarantee," RCom said on Thursday.

The firm said it is "sincerely hoping" that DoT would comply with the December 14 order of the Supreme Court in "letter and spirit" and "grant the long-awaited NOC/consent".

The statement further noted that the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has adjourned the Ericsson matter to January 22, 2019 to take into consideration the outcome of the decision of the Supreme Court, where the related matter is pending consideration.

"RITL (Reliance Infratel) Minority Investors' matter has also been adjourned to 22 January 2019. A copy of the detailed NCLAT order is awaited," it added.

RCom has offered the telecom department corporate guarantee of Rs 1,400 crore issued by Reliance Realty Limited (RRL) and an undertaking from RRL not to alienate property for a value of Rs 1,400 crore, towards approving sale of its spectrum to Reliance Jio.

DoT's reluctance to give a go-ahead to the spectrum deal arises from Jio's purported denial to take on past liabilities of RCom. The department had been of the opinion that under circumstance where both the parties are not in position to take the responsibility of payment of dues, the telecom department cannot take the deal on record.

Ericsson and RITL have filed insolvency plea against RCom for failure to clear their dues. RCom has promised to clear them once its spectrum sale to Jio is completed.

Last year, RCom signed a blockbuster deal with Reliance Jio for the sale of wireless spectrum, tower, fibre and media convergence nodes assets - the proceeds of which were to be used to pare its staggering Rs 46,000 crore debt.

From that deal, RCom so far announced the completion of the sale of optical fibre assets worth Rs 3,000 crore and sale of its media convergence nodes worth Rs 2,000 crore to Reliance Jio Infocomm.

RCom has promised to pay dues of Rs 550 crore to Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson, and about Rs 230 crore to Reliance Infratel minority stakeholders. The NCLAT has put on hold insolvency proceedings against RCom after the promise made by the company.
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in which it was demanded that 'Bharat Ratna' awarded to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi be withdrawn, but the AAP swiftly distanced itself from the reference to the Congress leader.

AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed the lines about the former prime minister were not part of the original text placed before the house and it was a handwritten amendment proposed by a member that cannot be passed in such a manner.

AAP MLA Jarnail Singh, while moving the resolution in the Assembly, had mentioned Rajiv Gandhi's name while reading the text and had demanded that the Bharat Ratna to the Congress leader be withdrawn for "justifying anti-Sikh riots".

But after Bhardwaj's remarks, Singh said it was only a technical shortcoming. He said though the reference to Gandhi in the resolution was not there in the written copies, it was made orally and passed by the House by voice vote.

The resolution called for speedy trial of the cases and termed anti-Sikh riots as genocide.

The Congress reacted sharply with its Delhi chief Ajay Maken saying Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed his life for the country and the true colours of AAP which is the "B team of BJP" has come out in the open.

"Sh. Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed his life for the country. True colours of AAP have come out in the open! I have always believed that AAP is the B team of BJP!

"AAP fielded candidates in Goa, Punjab, MP, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh just to cut the votes of Congress and help the BJP," the minister tweeted.

After the developments in the Assembly, Bharadwaj tweeted, "Lines about Late Rajiv Gandhi were not part of resolution placed before the house and distributed to the members. One MLA in his handwriting proposed an addition/amendment about Late Rajiv Gandhi. Amendments cannot be passed in this manner."

Talks are on for a possible tie-up between the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress for Lok Sabha election and the controversy is likely to cast a shadow on the process.

However, the AAP appeared to be in a damage control mode. A senior AAP leader said that the party leadership was taken by surprise by the addition to the original text.

He said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was not made aware beforehand of the changes in the resolution.

After Bharadwaj tweeted, Jarnail Singh said, "At the last moment Somnath Bharti (MLA) gave me the third point about Rajiv Gandhi. The technical issue is that the third point was not there in the copies distributed to the members of the House. But everything happened on record despite the technical shortcoming."

As the controversy raged, Bharti said the reference to Rajiv Gandhi "was not part of the passed resolution" as the amendment was not put to vote separately. Also, the party had no opportunity to see the same, he tweeted.

During the proceedings in the House dominated by the AAP, Jarnail Singh read out the one-page resolution which also mentioned the demand to take back the award from Gandhi. After that Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Nivas Goel told the House that the riots were a "very serious issue" and all the MLAs should support the resolution by standing up.

Following this, all the AAP MLAs stood up. Goel then said the resolution is adopted by voice vote.

"The House passed my resolution seeking to take back the Bharat Ratna to the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi who commented on the massacre saying a big tree falls, the earth trembles," Jarnail had earlier told reporters outside the House.

The Delhi government should "strongly" convey in writing to the Union Home Ministry (MHA) that justice continues to elude the families and near-dear ones of the victims of the worst "genocide" in the history of India's national capital, the resolution said.

The House directed the government to impress upon the MHA that it should take all important and necessary steps to specifically include crimes against humanity and genocide in India's domestic criminal laws, as recommended by the Delhi High Court in its recent landmark judgment sentencing Sajjan Kumar and other convicts to life imprisonment.

During the discussion on the resolution, the ruling AAP MLAs slammed the Congress. Delhi Home Minister Satyendra Jain said that both the Congress and the BJP are responsible for riots in the country.

"Congress is responsible for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots while the BJP was for the 2002 Gujarat riots," Jain alleged.

The matter comes against the backdrop of conviction of former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riot case.

A former Congress MP, Sajjan Kumar has quit the party following his conviction in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that followed the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.

Rajiv Gandhi, who took over the reins of the party and the government following his mother's demise, was posthumously awarded Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, in 1991.

Participating in the debate over the issue, BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa asked the AAP government to give a job to at least one member of the victim families within two months and ownership rights of their houses making them freehold or else he would resign from the House.

Sirsa alleged that the AAP had made many promises to the victim families but none was fulfilled.
New Delhi: The government Thursday said it will enhance the capital infusion in public sector banks to Rs 83,000 crore, taking the total to Rs 1.06 lakh crore for the fiscal.

The capital will be pumped in over the next few months, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, adding that the move will increase the lending capacity of public sector banks (PSBs) as well as help some of them come out of RBI's watchlist.

The government had earlier announced infusion of Rs 65,000 crore in PSBs in 2018-19, of which Rs 23,000 crore has already been disbursed, while Rs 42,000 crore is remaining.

The government Thursday sought Parliament's approval for infusion of an additional Rs 41,000 crore.

This amount, sought to be infused in the banks through issue of government securities (recapitalisation bonds), is over and above the Rs 2.11 lakh crore recapitalisation plan announced in October 2017.

The recapitalisation, the finance minister said, will enhance the lending capacity of state-owned banks and help them come out of RBI's Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework.

"Now this Rs 1.06 lakh crore this year and Rs 83,000 crore which is remaining is going to be utilised under four different heads. The first of course is to ensure that banks meet their regulatory capital norms.

"The second will be that the better performing banks under PCA are given capital to achieve a 9 percent Capital to Risk Weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR) and required capital conservation buffer and the 6 percent net NPA requirements so that some of them are able to come out of the PCA itself," he said.

The third category will be the non-PCA banks which are very close to the PCA red-line will be provided capital so that they do not come under the framework, he said.

Some capital will also be provided to banks which are going to be amalgamated to meet regulatory norms and growth capital, Jaitley added.

Earlier this year, the government had announced merger of Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank with Bank of Baroda.

Jaitley also said the non-performing assets (NPAs) recognition, started in 2015, is almost complete, and the September quarter has shown decline in bad loans.

Gross NPAs of PSBs started declining after peaking in March 2018, registering a reduction of Rs 23,860 crore in the first half of the fiscal.

Speaking to reporters, Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar said three banks were on the verge of being included in the PCA, but with this infusion, they will be safe.

A total of 11 out of the 21 PSBs are under RBI's PCA framework, which imposes lending restrictions on weak banks.

"India's PCA framework for weaker banks has more onerous thresholds, that is higher capital thresholds and a net NPA threshold that further embeds capital requirement on account of provisioning of NPAs.

"Today's proposal is an expression of government's commitment that each PSB is an article of faith, and aims at securing compliance even for the higher regulatory norms," Kumar said.

Asked if the Nirav Modi scam-hit Punjab National Bank (PNB) will get capital support, he said it could be a candidate for fund infusion.

Kumar said that PSBs have recovered Rs 60,726 crore of bad loans in the first half of the current fiscal year, which is more than double the amount recovered in the corresponding period last year.

In October 2017, the government decided to infuse Rs 2.11 lakh crore in PSBs over the next two years -- through budgetary provisions of Rs 18,139 crore, recapitalisation bonds of Rs 1.35 lakh crore, and the balance through raising of capital by banks from the market.

The government envisaged that PSBs would raise Rs 58,000 crore from the stock markets by March 2019 to meet Basel III norms.

Kumar said out of this, Rs 24,400 crore has been raised by banks so far.

The secretary also said four banks -- SBI, Bank of Baroda, Indian Bank and Vijaya Bank -- may not need capital.
The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed the plea of Sajjan Kumar, who was recently convicted in a 1984 anti-Sikh riot case, seeking more time to surrender, according to news agency ANI.

Kumar had on Thursday moved an application before the court seeking more time. The former Congress leader sought 30 days time to surrender before the court, reported ANI.

The court said it found no ground for granting the extension of time to Sajjan Kumar to surrender.

This comes even as a witness in the case, pertaining to the killings in the Delhi Cantt area during the 1984 riots, filed a caveat in the Supreme Court. The witness has demanded in the caveat that if Sajjan Kumar challenges the life imprisonment awarded to him by the Delhi High Court, then the top court must hear the victims before taking a decision.

However, advocate HS Phoolka, who is representing the riot victims in the case, had said that he had advised the victims to not move the Supreme Court.

"I have advised victims not to move Supreme Court because if both sides file appeal, court will hear in detail. We should rather press for dismissal of Sajjan Kumar's appeal at the earliest. Life imprisonment till death is better punishment than death sentence," Phoolka had said.

A Delhi court was also slated to hear the second case against Sajjan Kumar in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The second case was registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the recommendations of the Nanavati Commission.

In the first case, Sajjan Kumar was held guilty 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.

Following his conviction, Sajjan Kumar resigned from the primary membership of the Congress party. He wrote to party president Rahul Gandhi submitting his resignation.
At least seven people were killed after an accident took place in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, as reported by news agency ANI on Friday.

The bodies have been recovered from the accident site where rocks fell on labourers on the Kedarnath roadway near Banswara in Rudraprayag district, ANI reported quoting Rudraprayag DM Mangesh Ghildiyal.

Uttarakhand: According to Rudraprayag DM Mangesh Ghildiyal, 7 bodies have been recovered from the site of an accident where rocks fell on labourers on Kedarnath roadway near Rudraprayag's Banswara. 5 labourers have been critically injured in the incident. Rescue work is underway. pic.twitter.com/ofmPOrjw0U  ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2018

In the accident, five other labourers were also critically injured.

The rescue work is underway.

This is a developing story. More details are awaited.
New Delhi: A petition filed by Associated Journals Limited (AJL) against the government's eviction notice to Herald House was dismissed by the Delhi High Court on Friday. The court proceeded to grant two weeks for Herald House to be vacated.

AJL, which owns National Herald, had approached the Delhi HC last month against the October 30 government order which cancelled the lease. The Centre and Land and Development Office (L&DO) had said in their order that no press has been functioning in the premises for at least past 10 years and it was being used only for commercial purposes in violation of the lease deed.

AJL had denied the allegations in the petition filed in the high court. On behalf of AJL, Abhishek Manu Singhvi had countered by alleging that eviction process had been initiated while the matter was still in court.

However, Justice Sunil Gaur rejected the contentions of the AJL challenging the Centre's October 30 order ending its 56-year-old lease. The High Court said AJL will have to vacate the premises at ITO here within two weeks after which proceedings under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971 would be initiated. The court had reserved its decision on AJL's plea on November 22.



(With PTI inputs)
NEW DELHI: Under Opposition attack, the BJP government on Friday defended its order on monitoring and intercepting any computer by central investigative and security agencies, saying that ''it was done in the interest of national security.''

Allaying Opposition's concerns over the Home Ministry's order giving snooping powers to the central agencies, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the MHA order was a mere repetition of an order of authorisation issued under rules framed during the Congress-led UPA regime in 2009.

Jaitley made these remarks while intervening in the Rajya Sabha amidst vociferous protests and slogan shouting by the Opposition members on the issue on Friday.

Jaitley also accused the Congress of playing with the security of the country and making "a mountain where even a molehill does not exist."

"On December 20, the same order of authorisation was repeated that was existing since 2009," he said referring to Thursday's order of the Home Ministry that ten central security and intelligence agencies including the IB and RAW and Delhi Police can intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource under the Information and Technology Act, 2000.'

The FM also responded to remarks of Congress leader Anand Sharma made outside the House in which he had accused the government of making the country a surveillance state.

"And what you are doing, Anand Sharma is making a mountain where even a molehill does not exist," FM Jaitley said.

The FM continued by saying that the NDA government has used the same rules which were made by the UPA government in 2009 for agencies concerning issues of national security.

To this, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said that he has a copy of the order of the Ministry of Home Affairs and added: "nowhere in the order national security has been mentioned".

Jaitley replied that "It (national security) is mentioned in Section 69. And you are playing with the security of the country. That is what you have done just now."

Congress leader Sharma had alleged the BJP government was creating a ''surveillance state'' and its order was "an ultimate assault on the fundamental rights and Right to Privacy.

Replying to him, Jaitley said it would have been better if the Opposition had obtained all information before raising this issue.

"When senior members from Opposition raise an issue every word spoken by them has precious value and therefore they must know facts," Jaitley told the House amid the din.

The order from the Home Ministry authorises 10 Central agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor, and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer.

(With Agency Inputs)
CHICAGO, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cosmos Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: COSM), an international pharmaceutical company, announced the closing of its acquisition of Cosmofarm Ltd (Cosmofarm), a privately held company located in Athens, Greece.



Founded in 1994, Cosmofarm is a fully licensed pharmaceutical wholesale company operating in the greater Athens area. The company is approved and authorized by the National Organization for Medicines under Good Distribution Practices to distribute a comprehensive range of pharmaceutical products. Cosmofarms core activity is sourcing, procuring and distributing branded and generic medicines, over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals, food supplements, and medical devices to its growing network of more than 1130 pharmacies. The company maintains a vast supplier network of approximately 250 pharmaceutical manufacturers and wholesalers and had sales of about $14 million in FY2017.

We are excited to announce the closing of this acquisition and to have Cosmofarms talented team become part of Cosmos Holdings, Cosmos Holdings CEO Gregory Siokas commented. Cosmofarm is a rapidly growing wholesaler that shares our values of innovation and high-quality distribution. To accommodate its growing operations, the company is relocating to a new 32,000 sq. feet facility that features a fully integrated robotic fulfillment center powered by ROWA and offers 20 times the capacity of the old warehouse. Cosmofarm will play a key role in increasing sales of our SkyPremium Life product line to pharmacies.

About Cosmos Holdings, Inc.

Cosmos Holdings Inc. is a pharmaceutical wholesaler with offices and warehouses in Thessaloniki, Greece and in Harlow, UK. The Company has a trans-European network of over 160 clients and vendors which expands to 16 countries including: Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, United Arab Emirates, Denmark, Italy, France, Singapore, Spain, Lebanon, Skopje, Jordan, Sweden, Poland, Netherlands, and Greece. More information is available at www.cosmosholdingsinc.com .

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Except for historical information, this news release contains 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 involve unknown risks, and uncertainties that may cause the Company's actual results or outcomes to be materially different from those anticipated and discussed herein. Important factors that might cause such differences are discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, if new information becomes available in the future.

Investor Relations Contact

Steve Carr

312-780-7211 / scarr@dresnerco.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/83e64d78-94bc-4ee5-9c1b-11109badecd6
New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) India Thursday strongly rejected Pakistan's claim of ownership of the Jinnah House in Mumbai and said the property belongs to it. "Pakistan has no locus standi as far as this property is concerned. It is a government of India's property and we are in the process of renovating it," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

The Jinnah House on Malabar Hill in Mumbai was designed by architect Claude Batley in European style and Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah lived there in the late 1930s. Pakistan has been demanding that the property be handed over to it for housing its Mumbai consulate. Kumar said the government is considering putting the Jinnah House into use on the lines of the Hyderabad House here. The government uses the Hyderabad House for holding meetings and hosting banquets for foreign dignitaries.

The MEA spokesperson's comments came on a day Pakistan asserted that the Jinnah House belonged to it and any attempt by India to take the building under its control will not be accepted. "We have a claim over it (Jinnah House) and we do not accept that anyone tries to take custody of it. They (Indians) have already accepted that it belongs to Pakistan. We have a record of it. They (Indians) have accepted that it belongs to Pakistan," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said in Islamabad.

Pakistan's claim over the property came days after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, in a letter to Mumbai city BJP legislator Mangal Prabhat Lodha, said the government was in the process of renovating the Jinnah House.

Jinnah's daughter Dina Wadia had in August 2007 approached the Bombay High Court claiming that being the sole legal heir of Jinnah, she should get the possession of the house. After her death, her son and Wadia Group chairman Nusli Neville Wadia is carrying on the litigation.

Asked about the court case initiated by Dina Wadia, Kumar said, "It has nothing to do with who is contesting. This property belongs to the government of India," adding the nationality of the petitioner is not in question.
NEW DELHI: Amid growing resentment among BJP's alliance partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan and his son Chirag met Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and held a discussion over seat-sharing in Bihar for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The LJP leaders met Jaitley separately in the Parliament and shared their concerns over seat-sharing in Bihar.

The meeting between LJP leaders and FM Jaitley came a day after the Paswans met BJP chief Amit Shah and shared their concerns over the delay in holding talks over the seat sharing in Bihar.

After the meeting with Jaitley, LJP Parliamentary Board chairman Chirag Paswan expressed hopes that talks would move in the right direction.

"Talks are going on. An announcement will be made at an appropriate time. We have put our points before the BJP leadership and the important thing is that we are being heard. Hope everything will be fine," Chirag told reporters.

His uncle, Ram Chandra Paswan, who also attended the meeting, however, said that the LJP would remain part of National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

"We are and will remain in the NDA. Seat-sharing will be announced this week," Ram Chandra Paswan said.

"The party, which is having stronghold in any specific area, should be respected. We are a small party. We need adequate time for preparation. That`s why we wanted the issue to be resolved at the earliest," he told reporters.

Sources in the BJP said that a final arrangement of seats would be formalised after a meeting of the BJP and LJP leaders with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is in Delhi.

A BJP leader also claimed that talks were going on in the right direction and everything will be finalised soon.

Sources in the LJP said that the party is keen to contest six Lok Sabha seats in Bihar and has been asking for a Rajya Sabha seat.

In the last Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had contested from 30 seats and won 22, while the LJP won six seats and the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP), which is now a part of Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in Bihar, bagged three.

In 2014, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) had contested on its own but performed poorly. It had won only two seats.

On Thursday, BJP leader and Bihar in-charge Bhupendra Yadav first went to meet Chirag and Ram Vilas Paswan and the three leaders later went to the residence of Amit Shah. They were joined there by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The BJP and the Nitish Kumar-led JD-U had declared earlier that they would contest an equal number of seats in Bihar in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

(With IANS inputs)
Uttar Pradesh Minister for Religious Affairs Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary courted controversy on Friday after his remark claiming that Lord Hanuman was a Jaat. He made the comment as according to him a Jaat too helps after seeing a person in trouble without even knowing the issue or the person.

The comment comes at the backdrop of state Bharatiya Janata Party`s (BJP) MLC Bukkal Nawab sparking controversy claiming that Lord Hanuman was a Muslim.

#WATCH Uttar Pradesh Minister Chaudhary Lakshmi Narayan says ' I think Hanuman ji was a Jaat, because upon seeing someone being troubled a Jaat also jumps in even without knowing the issue or the people' pic.twitter.com/Scjme1PgCD  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 21, 2018

Chaudhary said, "I think Hanuman was a Jaat, because upon seeing someone being troubled a Jaat also jumps in even without knowing the issue or the people. In this sense, Hanuman's behaviour was very similar to that of Jaat because following Goddess Sita`s abduction by Raavan he immediately came to Lord Ram`s help as his follower."

The minister who also holds charge of Dairy Development, Culture, Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf and Haj, further explained that a person`s lineage can be deciphered by noting their behaviour.

"Everyone who believes in the Sanatan Dharm would surely worship Lord Hanuman. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has already given an explanation on this issue. When yesterday this topic came to my notice, I gave my view that it is through an individual`s behaviour that we conclude about one`s lineage," the minister opined.

On Thursday, Nawab had said, "I believe that Lord Hanuman was a Muslim. That is why the names of the people in Islam are almost similar to Lord Hanuman, whether it is Rehman, Ramzan, Farman, Zeeshan and Qurban. Such types of names are found in Islam only."

Earlier, CM Adityanath, while addressing an election rally in Alwar in Rajasthan, had said that Lord Hanuman was a Dalit.

"Hanuman was a forest dweller, deprived and a Dalit. Bajrang Bali worked to connect all Indian communities together, from north to south and east to west," he had said.

Various political parties had condemned Adityanath`s remarks, with Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav asking the UP CM to disclose the caste of other deities as well.
New Delhi: BJP national president Amit Shah on Friday hit back at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of the government order for monitoring of all computers, saying he was doing "fear-mongering" and playing with the national security.

BJP chief took to Twitter to slam the Congress chief for criticising the Home Ministry's order giving snooping powers to central agencies to seek computer data over suspicion.

"Yet again Rahul (Gandhi) does fear-mongering and plays politics with national security. UPA put no barriers on unlawful surveillance. When Modi government puts safeguards for citizens, Rahul cries conspiracy.

"Why are you lying so much and what is the fear that you are hiding," he said in a series of tweets.

Yet again Rahul does fear-mongering and plays politics with national security. UPA put no barriers on unlawful surveillance. When Modi govt puts safeguards for citizens, Rahul cries conspiracy.      ,       ! https://t.co/ulzGke4zIy  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 21, 2018

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief also attacked the Congress saying that there were only "two insecure dictators" in the history of the country.

"There were only two insecure dictators in the history of India. One imposed emergency and the other wanted unrestricted access to read letters of common citizens.

"Guess who were they, Rahul Gandhi?" he said in an apparent reference to late prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

There were only 2 insecure dictators in the history of India. One imposed emergency and the other wanted unrestricted access to read letters of common citizens. Guess who were they @RahulGandhi ?  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 21, 2018

Shah`s remarks came soon after Gandhi called Modi an "insecure dictator".

Earlier, the Congress chief said, "Converting India into a police state isn`t going to solve your problems, Modi Ji. It`s only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians what an insecure dictator you really are."

The BJP and Congress traded barbs after the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday issued an order giving 10 central agencies, including the CBI, the ED and the Delhi Police among others to "intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer".

The Union Home Ministry also later issued a clarification, saying the notification "does not confer any new powers" and "every individual case will continue to require prior approval" of the Ministry and the state government.

The statement of the Ministry said that "adequate safeguards" were provided in the Information and Technology (IT) Act 2000 and similar provisions and procedures already existed in the Telegraph Act along with identical safeguards.

"The present notification is analogous to the authorisation issued under the Telegraph Act. The entire process is also subject to a robust review mechanism as in the case of Telegraph Act.

"Every individual case will continue to require prior approval of Home Ministry or state government. MHA has not delegated its powers to any law enforcement or security agency," said the statement.

Mentioning some points on the lawful interception or monitoring or decryption of information through computer resource, the Ministry cited Rule 4 of the IT (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules 2009.

It said the rule provides that the competent authority may authorise an agency of the government to intercept, monitor or decrypt information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource for the purpose specified in sub-section (1) of Section 69 of the 'Act'.

"The statutory order dated December 20 has been issued in accordance with rules framed in the year 2009 and in vogue since then. The notification has been issued to notify the ISPs (Internet Service Providers), TSPs and intermediaries to codify the existing orders.

"Each case of interception, monitoring, decryption is to be approved by the competent authority like Union Home Secretary," said the statement.
Minister of External Affairs (MEA) Sushma Swaraj will hold extensive talks with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday under the newly established framework to enhance people-to-people exchanges between the two neighbours. The two sides are expected to deliberate on a host of bilateral issues including ways to deepen overall ties.

Wang is visiting India to attend the first meeting of the High-Level Mechanism on People-to-People Exchanges. He will also call on President Ram Nath Kovind.

During his four-day trip, the Chinese foreign minister will also visit Aurangabad and Mumbai.

MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the meeting will be co-chaired by Swaraj and Wang. The decision to establish the forum was taken at the Wuhan summit between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping in April.

PM Modi and his Chinese counterpart had met on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Argentina on November 30 during which they concurred that there had been a "perceptible improvement" in bilateral ties after their Wuhan summit and both sides are optimistic that 2019 would be an even better year for India-China relations. They also discussed joint efforts to further enhance mutual trust and friendship between the two neighbours.

Earlier this month, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale held talks here with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou and reviewed the progress made in the bilateral ties since the Wuhan summit.

In their informal summit in Chinese city of Wuhan in April, Modi and Xi decided to issue "strategic guidance" to their militaries to strengthen communications so that they can build trust and understanding. The informal summit had taken place seven months after the Doklam standoff.

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.
SRINAGAR: Two Army officers were killed as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Friday.

According to news agency PTI, there was an unprovoked ceasefire violation by the Pakistani troops in the Keran sector at 11.55 AM.

One Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) was killed in the firing while another succumbed to injuries later at a medical facility, PTI quoted an Army official as saying.

"Two army officers were earlier injured in sniper fire from the Pakistan side in Jumgund area of the LoC,'' the official said.

"The injured officers were immediately shifted to a hospital where a JCO, Subedar Gamar Thapa, later succumbed to his injuries,'' he said.

"Another injured officer was shifted to Army's base hospital in Srinagar for specialised treatment," he added.

The Army responded to the ceasefire violation by the Pakistani troops effectively, he assured.

The latest incident of ceasefire violation took place a day after Lt General Ranbir Singh, the Northern Army Commander, advised troops deployed on forwards positions on the Line of Control to ensure the safety of people living along the border during ceasefire violation by Pakistan and also effectively prevent infiltration by terrorists.

Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand said in winter capital Jammu that Lt General Ranbir Singh was accompanied by White Knights Corps Commander, Lt General Paramjit Singh.

"They visited forward posts of Poonch and Akhnoor sectors to review the operational preparedness and the prevailing security situation,'' he said.

The Pakistan Army has been violating ceasefire by targeting military and civilian facilities.

Pakistan troops have violated ceasefire on the LoC and the International Border in J&K, 1,432 times in 2018 - the highest in the last eight years, sources said.
Lucknow: A Home Guard on patrol was shot dead in Budayun district of Uttar Pradesh early on Friday, police said. Chatrapal, 36, was patrolling on foot near a petrol pump in Udhaiti along with his platoon commander Rajendra when he signalled two bikes to stop, superintendent of Police (Rural) S.P. Singh said.

Instead, the four men on the two bikes opened fire at him, killing him on the spot. The incident happened near Mangal Bazaar on the Budayun-Bijnore highway around 4.30 a.m. A combing operation was underway to nab the unidentified gunmen. Major entry and exit points in the area have been barricaded.
New Delhi: Armaan Kohli and controversies go hand-in-hand. The former Bigg Boss contestant has been back-to-back in the limelight this year. First, he made news after his girlfriend and live-in-partner Neeru Randhawa accused him of assaulting her and filed a complaint against the 'flop' actor at Santacruz police station.

Months later, the short-tempered actor was accused of stooping down to an all new level after his former driver told a tabloid that he urinates outside Rani Mukerji's house to vent out his frustration over his ugly breakup with Tanisha Mukerji. Tanisha is former veteran actress Tanuja's daughter and Rani's cousin.

And now, in the latest, a Times Of India report has claimed that the 'Jaani Dushman' actor has been detained by the Excise police from his Juhu residence on Thursday night for illegally storing 41 bottles of Scotch whisky, all of which were found to be of foreign brands.

The publication claimed that the law permits only 12 units of hard liquor bottles including Scotch whisky and rum for a month. Plus, a person is allowed to bring only two bottles of liquor from abroad at a time. The website quoted excise officials saying that they are still in the process of figuring out how much the bottles cost as they were purchased from abroad.

As per the law, under section 63(E) of Bombay Liquor Prohibition Act, 1949, if Armaan is found guilty by the court then he can be put behind the bars for three years and will be levied with a fine. Earlier this month, a fresh complaint was filed against Armaan by a fashion designer named Nadia Aheli who accused him of abusing her.
New Delhi: Newlywed couple Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra hosted a special party for her industry friends on Thursday night and the evening was attended by several biggies of the tinsel town. The stars were seen dressed up in their best as they made a dazzling appearance at the party.

Among those who attended the wedding were Salman Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput, Dia Mirza and Sahil Sangha, Ishaan Khattar, Suraj Pancholi, designer-duo Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, Raveena Tandon, Sophie Chaudhary, Rekha and others. While Salman made a dashing appearance at the reception in a black suit with a navy blue shirt, it was our leading ladies - Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma who made heads turn with their glamorous entry.

Katrina arrived at the venue in a georgette nude beige saree which she wore with an organza Butterfly cape, that had hand embroidered in gold and silver sequins. The look was crafted by designer-duo Sandeep Khosla, who designed Priyanka's pastel blue lehenga for the evening.

Both Anushka and Deepika opted for outfits from their favourite designer Sabyasachi's collections. While Anushka came decked up in heavily embroidered green-coloured sepia-tinted seafoam cocktail saree and Zambian emeralds choker, Deepika sizzled in a golden tissue lehenga which she teamed with a contrasting black blouse and an organza dupatta. She completed her look in statement green necklace.

Take a look at their photos here:

(Photo courtesy: Yogen Shah)
Mumbai: Actress Deepika Padukone, who was seen breaking the dance floors along with her husband Ranveer Singh and another newlywed Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas at latter's reception on Thursday, was captured by the paps at the Mumbai airport today.

As per reports, Deepika, who was dressed up casually in a white turtleneck pullover and denim, was heading off to her parent's place in Bengaluru. The actress was travelling solo as Ranveer must be busy with all the promotional activities of his upcoming film 'Simmba' co-starring Sara Ali Khan. The film is set to arrive in theatres on December 28.

Take a look at her photos from the airport:

(Photo courtesy: Yogen Shah)

Talking about Priyanka's Mumbai reception, Deepika and Ranveer were seen grooving at the dance floor with their 'Ramleela' co-star. Both PeeCee and Dippy had a dance-off of sorts on their popular duet -- 'Pingaa' from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's blockbuster 'Bajirao Mastani'. It was interesting to see Ranveer who was quite elated to watch the two leading actresses as they put on their dancing shoes on the floor.

In the meantime, Deepika will next be seen in Meghna Gulzar's upcoming film 'Chhapaak', which is based on acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal. Deepika will not only star in the film but also co-produce it. Popular television actor Vikrant Massey of 'Balika Vadhu' fame has been cast as the male lead opposite Deepika. The film will be shot in Mumbai and Delhi and the prosthetics tests are already underway.
Westlake, Texas , Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dallas/Fort Worth Marriott Solana announces the unveiling of its pet-friendly accommodations with an exclusive Pet Package that includes a "Pet in Room" door hanger, a customized welcome amenity with dog or cat toys, a bone, two waste bags and a map of the local area with nearby hiking trails for adventuring with your pup.

Located just minutes from DFW International Airport, guests can arrive and depart with ease taking advantage of the hotels complimentary airport transportation as part of its Park Here, Fly There package. Other packages are available allowing our guest to travel with ease.

The hotels prime location puts it right near treetop views of the secluded town of Westlake, which provides a relaxing setting for escaping with your pet on a weekend adventure, or for hosting special events, reunions or weddings in the hotels expansive gathering space.

The hotels talented culinary team can fuel your gatherings with meals, snacks, coffee breaks and surprises. From audiovisual to catering, Dallas/Fort Worth Marriott Solana is an innovative space for group events and gatherings of all types.

With close proximity to Southlake, Dallas/Fort Worth Marriott Solana is near some of the areas best shopping and dining . Discover a taste of authentic Texas BBQ or shop the Southlake Town Center before retreating to the comfort of your modern accommodations.

The hotel also welcomes its new General Manager, Juan Calderon, bringing with him years of hospitality experience from some of the top hotels and destinations in the industry. Calderon brings his wealth of expertise and knowledge as a hospitality manager to the property, as the hotel looks forward to an exciting new year.

For more information, or to book a stay at the hotel, guests can call 1-817-430-5000.

About Dallas/Fort Worth Marriott Solana

Dallas/Fort Worth Marriott Solana, located in Westlake, Texas, offers the ideal combination of location and style. Arrive with ease via the hotels complimentary shuttle from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and spend time in your spacious guest room before heading out to explore nearby attractions, such as Texas Motor Speedway or Six Flags over Texas. Enjoy a savory meal at our signature restaurant, SGR Solana Greatroom, or treat yourself to your favorite drink from Starbucks. If work brings you to the Westlake area, you'll appreciate the hotel's updated meeting rooms, business services and proximity to downtown and the Southlake area. Take advantage of the newly upgraded fitness center, go for a swim in our outdoor pool, or just unwind.

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New Delhi: Actor Salman Khan will be turned a year older in coming days and it looks like the superstar has already kept his plans ready for the special day. Salman will be turning 53 on December 23 and reportedly wishes to spend the day with his close friends and family.

As per a DNA report, the actor will be hosting a bash for his friends and guests will begin to arrive at his residence a day early, from December 26. Salman, along with his dear ones, will then move to his Panvel farmhouse a day before his birthday to kick off the celebrations.

The report further claimed that the party is likely to go on for two days.

Salman had ringed in his previous birthdays too at Panvel.

On the professional front, Salman is currently busy with Ali Abbas Zafar's 'Bharat' which also features Katrina Kaif, Disha Patani and Nora Fatehi. The team recently wrapped up the New Delhi shooting schedule following which the filmmaker announced the next schedule would begin only in the new year, i.e. in 2019.

"Finished with Delhi & Punjab schedules of @Bharat_TheFilm , last schedule will start in new year ...bhai ke birthday wale month mein kaun kaam karta hai ...par hum edit mein lage hue hain ....," Zafar tweeted sometime back.

Produced by Salman's brother-in-law Atul Agnihotri, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar and Salman, 'Bharat' is an official adaptation of a 2014 South Korean film 'Ode To My Father'. Vishal-Shekhar will compose songs for the film and Irshad Kamil is the lyricist. Actors Tabu, Jackie Shroff, Sunil Grover also features in the film. It is slated for an Eid release in 2019.

The actor has also announced the third installment of 'Dabangg', which is expected to go on floors in mid-2019.

The film will be directed by his brother Arbaaz Khan.


Winter solstice, the shortest day of the year is here on Friday, December 21. And this time, it is accompanied with a special meteor show and a full moon, just four days before Christmas 2018.

Scientifically, winter solstice is an astronomical event marking the shortest and darkest day of the year. Darkest day because it is also the longest night of the year. It happens when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun.

A biannual event, it happens one in the Northern Hemisphere (December solstice ) and once in the Southern Hemisphere (June solstice).

Google celebrated the Winter Solstice with a special Doodle.

Today we celebrate the first day of winter and the longest night of the year for the Northern Hemisphere, also known as the Winter Solstice. As our earth circles the sun, the North Pole angles farthest away from the sun today on December 21, writes Google in the accompanying note.

Today you can find the sun at its lowest position throughout the Northern Hemisphere sky. People around the world have celebrated this astronomical milestone for centuries.

Google goes on describe the cultural and traditional events associated with the celestial act in Ireland, China and Stonehenge.

In Ireland, people gather days before the solstice at Newgrange  a massive gravesite thats more than 5,000 years old. Crowds selected by lottery wait for a chance to see the sunrise light up the ancient passage tomb.

At Stonehenge, crowds of people come together to celebrate and capture the moment when the sun directly aligns with the famous stones.

In China, locals refer to the Winter Solstice as Dongzhi Festival, a celebration of winters arrival. Locals enjoy rice balls called tang yuan, which translates to family reunion. This treat is said to bring prosperity and unitysomething all of us can enjoy on this auspicious day, said Google.
US President Donald Trump's decision to pull out almost half of the 15,000 American troops stationed in Afghanistan has made several strategy and security experts fear the absolute worst - some saying a 9/11-like attack on the US cannot be completely ruled out.

Trump has decided to pull out half of the American troops from Afghanistan in the next two months - a decision that has not gone down too well with even Republican lawmakers. Many see it as a sudden move that could create a vacuum in the security situation in Afghanistan, paving the way for Taliban and other terrorist organisations to rebuild. A similar withdrawal in the 1990s had emboldened Taliban and is blamed for eventually resulting in the terrorist organisation targeting the Twin Towers in New York in 2001. One of the most scathing attack against the planned pullout came from Republican senator Lindsey Graham who feared an encore of 9/11. "The conditions in Afghanistan  at the present moment  make American troop withdrawals a high risk strategy," he tweeted. "If we continue on our present course we are setting in motion the loss of all our gains and paving the way toward a second 9/11."

The conditions in Afghanistan  at the present moment  make American troop withdrawals a high risk strategy. If we continue on our present course we are setting in motion the loss of all our gains and paving the way toward a second 9/11.  Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 20, 2018

John Slouborough, a security analyst based in Washington, has echoed similar views. "While whether the US has been successful in bringing peace to Afghanistan is a complicated question with a complex answer, it is clear that our presence there has ensured our security here. But is the Taliban absolutely down and out? Absolutely not. Can they do another 9/11? Possibly, if permitted," he was quoted as saying by US news outlets.

Taliban indeed remains a prominent threat with a report prepared by US Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) claiming that the terrorist organisation's control in the country has increased in the last several months. This too could possibly be why US allies are not too pleased with Trump's decision to pull out a major chunk of his troops.

US allies are also not too pleased with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis quitting over amply evident clahses with Trump over pulling out troops from Syria and Afghanistan. He has long been seen as the voice of reason in the Trump cabinet and his exit may further alarm traditional American allies like France and Germany. "His resignation is a turning point," Jurgen Hardt, member of Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, told German broadcaster Deutschlandfunk. He further said that Trump's decision is being praised by Russian President Vladimir Putin. " That alone should be a cause of concern for us. We should be ready for more such troop pullouts by the US."

India too could potentially suffer a jolt from Trump's move to take back his troops from Afghanistan. The US has wanted India to play a key role in the peace process in Afghanistan although New Delhi has steered clear. Nonetheless, the country has business, trade and commercial interests which may suffer if the situation worsens in Afghanistan after US pull out.
WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis abruptly said he was quitting on Thursday after falling out with President Donald Trump over his foreign policies, one day after Trump rebuffed top advisers and decided to pull all US troops out of Syria. Mattis announced plans to resign after a face-to-face meeting with Trump in which they aired their differences, a senior White House official said.

"Because you have a right to a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis said in his resignation letter, released by the Pentagon.

A US official said that Mattis' departure had not been forced by Trump. Trump announced on Wednesday that U.S. troops in Syria would be withdrawn, a decision that upended American policy in the region. On Thursday, officials said the president was considering a substantial U.S. pullout from the 17-year-long conflict in Afghanistan.

Mattis, a retired Marine general whose embrace of NATO and America`s traditional alliances often put him at odds with Trump, had opposed the decision on Syria, officials said. One official added it was a contributing factor to his resignation.

The news is certain to shock U.S. military allies, already bewildered by what they see as Trump`s unpredictable, go-it-alone approach to global security, and raises questions about whether Mattis` successor will be as steadfast about traditional treaty commitments, including to NATO. When Mattis interviewed with Trump for the job in 2016, he split with president-elect on a host of issues, including on NATO and the use of torture. Trump ultimately deferred to Mattis, who opposed the practice, signalling that he could be persuaded by his advisers.

But as time grew, Trump increasingly acted on his own instincts on a host of national security issues, choosing an "America First" agenda that contradicted Mattis` core beliefs.

Trump had also rebuffed Mattis` top pick to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, choosing instead Army General Mark Milley. Mattis supported Milley but had favoured Air Force General David Goldfein. His letter indicated that he disagreed with Trump`s isolationist policies, writing that it was his belief the United States needed to maintain strong alliances and show allies respect.

Trump has withdrawn the United States from several international agreements since taking office in January 2017. The Mattis resignation letter also said that he believed the United States "must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours." He identified Russia and China as countries that "want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model."

WHITE HOUSE UNPREDICTABILITY

The shifts in significant aspects of U.S. foreign policy and Mattis` addition to the long list of senior Trump administration figures who have quit or been removed added to the sense of an increasingly unpredictable White House as Trump approaches the halfway point of his four-year term. And if defence policy disagreements were not enough distraction for a president who is under investigation by a special counsel over Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, financial markets took a beating this week and a U.S. government shutdown loomed because of funding disputes over Trump`s desire to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump, announcing Mattis` departure on Twitter, said he would nominate a successor soon. "General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years," he said. The two men met in the Oval Office on Thursday afternoon. During the session, Mattis told Trump of his plans to resign, the senior White House official said. "He and the president had differences on some issues. I don`t know if it was specifically Syria," the official said.

Trump`s White House has had the highest turnover of senior-level staff of the past five presidents, according to the Brookings Institution think tank. Some departed unceremoniously, such as Trump`s first Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whom Trump fired via Twitter in March.

Speculation that Mattis might not last long in his post grew in October when Republican Trump said in a CBS interview that the general was "sort of a Democrat" and might be leaving.

Mattis, along with other national security aides, was said to have opposed Trump`s decision to remove U.S. troops from Syria. Many U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern about the decision and asked Trump to reconsider. Mattis has argued for maintaining a strong U.S. military presence in Afghanistan to bolster diplomatic peace efforts. The Pentagon declined comment on Afghanistan.

Garrett Marquis, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said that the White House was not going to comment "on future strategic developments." U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said thousands of the 14,000 troops in Afghanistan could be sent home as a result of the deliberations, the disclosure of which could undermine peace efforts with the Taliban.
Washington: US President Donald Trump has signed a bipartisan bill on Tibet into law that could enrage China, paving the way to impose a visa ban on Chinese officials who deny American citizens, government officials and journalists access to the sensitive Himalayan region, the homeland of the exiled Dalai Lama.

US citizens including government officials, reporters and tourists who seek to enter Tibetan areas are routinely rejected, and the few who do get in are forced to stay on strictly controlled official tours, where the true situation of the Tibetan people is hidden from them, officials said. The situation is worst of all for Tibetan-Americans, who are almost and always denied the right to make a pilgrimage to their ancestral land and to meet their family members there, community members said.

The Wednesday's move by President Trump came days after China lodged a "stern" diplomatic protest with the US over the Senate passing the legislation with Beijing asking Washington not to make it a law.

China insists Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries. The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 amid an abortive uprising against the Chinese rule in his Himalayan homeland. The White House said that Trump signed into law the 'Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018' which promotes access for diplomats, officials, journalists and others from the United States to China's Tibetan areas.

The bill, which was earlier passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, seeks to impose a visa ban on Chinese officials who deny American citizens, government officials and journalists' access to the remote region of Tibet. The move also comes amidst Trump administration imposing massive trade import duties on China, the world's second largest after that of America. However, the bill includes a national security waiver and would require the Secretary of State to submit an assessment to Congress of the level of access to Tibet granted to US officials, journalists and tourists by China.

If the Secretary of State determines that there are restrictions on travel to Tibet, the appropriate Chinese officials will be ineligible to enter the US. The Tibetan community described it as a historic moment for them. 'Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act becomes law, marking new era of American support for Tibet', said International Campaign for Tibet (ICT).

"This is truly a turning point for Americans, Tibetans and all who care about equality, justice and human rights," said Matteo Mecacci, ICT president. "By passing this impactful and innovative law, the US has blazed a path for other countries to follow and let the Chinese government know that it will face real consequences for its discrimination against the Tibetan people," he said.

Congressman Jim McGovern, who introduced the bill in the House of Representatives, said: "I'm glad that the President signed our bill, the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, into law. "For too long, China has covered up their human rights violations in Tibet by restricting travel. But actions have consequences and today we are one step closer to holding the Chinese officials who implement these restrictions accountable".

McGovern said he looks forward to watching closely as the law is implemented, and continuing to stand with the people of Tibet in their struggle for religious and cultural freedom. The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act is based on the diplomatic principle of reciprocity, which calls on countries to give equal rights to one another's citizens.

Sponsors of the bill alleged that when it comes to Tibet, China does not reciprocate. Although Chinese citizens travel freely throughout the US, Chinese authorities severely restrict Americans' ability to access Tibet. "The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act specifically highlights the discriminatory attitude of Chinese officials toward Tibetan-Americans who seek to visit Tibet.

"The Chinese embassy and consulates routinely place such Tibetan-Americans under a more stringent and non-consular application process merely because they are of Tibetan-origin. This includes subjecting them to vigorous interviews by United Front officials, collecting personal and family information and eventually denying them access," ICT vice president Bhuchung K Tsering said.

The ICT said until now, China has been able to use its economic and military power to isolate Tibet without much resistance from the international community. With reciprocal access to Tibet becoming law, China will begin to feel the weight of its unfair policies. The law requires the Secretary of State to assess Americans' level of access to Tibet within 90 days of its enactment and to send a report to Congress every year afterward identifying the Chinese officials responsible for keeping Americans out of Tibet.

The Secretary will then ban those officials from receiving visas to enter the US.
Kyiv proposes two options for exchange - '22 on 22' and '72 on 19', says Iryna Gerashchenko, the Ukrainian representative in the humanitarian subdivision of Minsk trilateral group

Ukraine offered Russia to exchange hostages on January 5, 2019. Iryna Gerashchenko, the Ukrainian representative in the humanitarian subdivision of Minsk trilateral group posted this on Facebook.

According to the official, Ukraine passed the OSCE the proposal to pardon and pass 72 pro-Kremlin separatists in exchange for 19 Ukrainian hostages held in the occupied territories. Kyiv is also ready to pass Russia 22 citizens, detained in judged in Ukraine. In exchange, the Ukrainian side urges the Kremlin to release and send 22 political prisoners back to Ukraine.

Gerashchenko admitted that Ukraine offered the OSCE to gather all sides to Donbas conflict for the video conference on December 27, to discuss this initiative.

Earlier, Yevhen Marchuk, the official representative of Ukraine in the Trilateral Contact Group said that Russia declined both options for the exchange offered by Kyiv. Besides, he said, Russia demonstrates it was not ready to discuss the exchange of Oleg Sentsov, Roman Sushchenko and other Ukrainian political prisoners.

Last time the sides exchanged hostages was on December 27, 2017. According to the SBU data, 73 people returned to Ukraine-controlled territory, while 233 returned to the occupied areas of Donbas.
The dynamic of the de-shadowing is hampered by the issues, which negatively affect the economic development in general

In the first half of 2018 the level of the shadow economy made 32% from the official GDP, which is by three points less than that during the same period in 2017. The report of the Economy Ministry said that.

It was noted that the decrease of the level of shadowing of the Ukrainian economy was possible thanks to the reservation of macroeconomic stability, creation of favorable conditions for business in Ukraine and preservation of the tendency to the economic growth.

At the same time, the dynamic of the de-shadowing is hampered by the issues, which negatively affect the economic development in general. In particular, these are challenges on the provision of stable functioning of the financial system and presence of territories beyond authorities control created during the armed aggression in Ukraine.

Earlier, according to the results of the first quarter of 2018, the level of the shadow economy in Ukraine was 33$ from the official GDP, and in 2012 the level made 45% from GDP.

In June 2018, Ukraines Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman stated that 1.2  1.8 billion U.S. dollars remain in the shadow. The Government expected to take 3.6 billion U.S. dollars out of the shadow.
The expenses of the state budget increased by $4.4 billion or almost 20%, excluding the debt service

The state budget of Ukraine was implemented by 100.2% during 11 months, as the press service of the Finance Ministry of Ukraine reported.

It is reported that the incomes of the state budget increased by $4.3 billion or by 16.4% during 11 months in comparison with the same period of time in 2017 and they made $30.7 billion.

The incomes from the VAT of the imported goods increased by $1.6 billion, from the enterprises income tax by $1.3 billion, VAT of the manufactured products considering the budget reparation by $474 million, tax and fee from the incomes of the physical persons by $550 million, excise tax by $302 million and funds from the sale of 4G license by $228 million.

The surpassing of the budget made $65.5 million and took place through own incomes ($554.3 million) tax for the enterprises income ($528.8 million), tax and fee from the incomes of the physical persons ($43.7 million).

The incomes of the general fund made $27.7 billion, which is $4.46 billion (19.2%) more than the last year. The implementation of the signature during this period of time is 98.5%, the shortfall is $412 million.

The largest amount of the funds in January-November 2018 was received from:

payment of the VAT from the manufactured products considering the budget reparation ($2.58 billion, it is more for $474 million or 22.4% than in 2017);

VAT of the imported goods ($9.8 billion, it is more for $1.6 billion or 19.5% than in 2017);

tax for enterprises incomes ($3.4 billion, it is more for $1.3 billion or 50.1% than in 2017);

tax and fee from the incomes of the physical persons ($2.97 billion, it is more for $550 million or 22.6%).

At the same time, it is noted that the incomes from the excise tax decreased by $317.2 million (10%), which is explained by the increase of the percent of the payments to the special fund of the incomes of the tax for petroleum products and transport means and rent for the use of the subsoil by $149.5 million (10.5%).

The volume of the recovered VAT increased by $470.4 million (11.9%) and made $4.4 million.

The expenses of the state budget for the reporting period increased in comparison with the rate of the last year by 17.1% ($4.5 billion) and made $30.7 billion. The expenses of the budget increased by $4.4 billion (19.4%) without consideration of the debt service.

The expenses of the common fund of the state budget increased by $3.96 billion in comparison with the last year and made $28 billion.

The expenses of the common fund for the salaries with finance charges increased by $1.2 billion (29.3%) and made $5.4 billion, and expenses for the social security increased by $572.5 million (12.3%) and made $5.2 billion.

The transfer to the Pension Fund was financed in the volume $4.69 billion. It is more by $532 million (12.8%) than in 2017.

The state budget of Ukraine was implemented with the deficit in the sum of $6.7 million.

The budget got $6.3 million from the privatization of the state property.
My recent article What Would a Tymoshenko Presidency Mean? caused indignation among numerous experts and journalists in Ukraine and indigestion among some in Washington. Obviously, there are a number of problems with Yulia Tymoshenko and her presidential bid, such as her leftish populist slogans and the financial sources behind her expensive campaign. Yet, the fact remains that the real choice in Ukraines 2019 presidential elections will likely be between incumbent President Petro Poroshenko and Tymoshenko, not a young reformer and a representative of the Kuchma-period elite.

Given these realities, I argued that the West should start establishing a constructive relationship with Tymoshenko as the most likely future leader.

As starting points for such a rapprochement, I listed some positive aspects of Tymoshenkos possible rise in 2019. She would become Ukraines first female president, she built up a real political party over the last twenty years, and she has offered many newif partly half-bakedideas for rebuilding Ukraine during her recent election campaign.

Shut up! was one of the more polite responses I received. Dozens of commentators claimed that Tymoshenko paid me to write this text. But why would Tymoshenkos campaign spend money on an article asking where the enormous amounts of money that Tymoshenko is currently spending on her campaign come from?

The libel concerning my alleged sell-out to Tymoshenko, and many less defamatory but also dismissive comments, misunderstood the point of the piece. They saw it (a) as a contribution to Ukrainian rather than Western debates, (b) as an expression of a political position rather than a policy prescription, or/and (c) as a propagation rather than introduction of Tymoshenko for the Western audience. Some unforgiving readers apparently either do not care or do not comprehend well the dynamics of Western discourse and policies regarding Ukraine.

Many experts and journalists in Ukraine believe that a Tymoshenko presidency would be a disaster for Ukraine. Their respective commentswhen publicized in English or other European languages fall on fertile ground. These days, many of Kyivs foreign partners are uncertain about Ukraines future. Even without doomsday scenarios for a Tymoshenko presidency, European and North American officials, businesspeople, journalists, and activists wonder about their continuing roles, impact, and status within Ukraine after the elections.

Among some public critics of Tymoshenko, there may be hope that the harsher they attack her in English, the more the West will either try to prevent her victory or attempt to neutralize the effects of Tymoshenkos presumably calamitous presidency. Yet, this is not how the Wests international relations in general and specific interactions with Ukraine work. Their gloomy warnings may have the opposite effect: Western reactions to doomsday scenarios from Kyiv may cause temporary disengagement.

Western actors may start calculating how to minimize the effects on their own countries of some unfortunate turn of events if Tymoshenko comes to power. Currently mobilized Western political, economic, and non-governmental actors who take seriously these gloomy predictions may decide to put on hold their collaboration with, or to even withdraw from Ukraine.

Some actors are now, in any way, adopting a wait-and-see approach until after the elections in Ukraine. Whoever wants to further postpone Western investments, projects, and cooperation there should support the current alarmist campaign against Tymoshenko. This will trigger more Western risk-averse partners in Ukraine to freeze their activities. Continuing talk of imminent Kyiv chaos, Ukrainian decay, and reform reversal may result in more Western cautiousness and bewilderment. It can reorient foreign investment toward more predictable destinations, or international attention toward equally burning yet less confusing global challenges.

Even more damaging foreign after-effects can follow for Ukraine from the, among some Ukrainian critics, popular reference to the infamous 2009 gas contract signed between Naftogaz and Gazprom when Tymoshenko was Ukraines prime minister. Rather than explaining this problematic treaty as a result of enormous foreign pressures on Kyiv at the moment of the Russian-Ukrainian agreements signing, some opponents of Tymoshenko see her behavior in January 2009 as self-serving, or even as criminal, if not treacherous. If one takes this narrative seriously, Yanukovychs imprisonment of Tymoshenko in 2011 was apparently a justified measure.

Moreover, the EUs immediate demand to release Tymoshenko in 2011 and Brusselss staunch insistence on her freeing until she was finally released in February 2014 was, within such a narrative, either mistaken or duplicitous. Worse, Yanukovychs postponement of the signing of the EUs Association Agreement was then apparently justified too. Ukraines fourth president was in no position to follow-up on Brusselss condition that Tymoshenko be released for the mammoth treaty to be signed, at the 2013 Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius.

In late 2013, Yanukovych, it would in conclusion appear, was defending Ukraines rule of law while the EU was trying use its leverage to get the political felon Tymoshenko out of jail. Only Vladimir Putin was, it seems, seriously trying to help the embattled Ukrainian rule-of-law-defender Viktor Yanukovych. The Euromaidan uprising was apparently based on a spectacular misunderstanding: Yanukovych had been merely trying to preserve Ukrainian justice against the EUs attempt to save Tymoshenko from responsibility for her deceitful actions. If that is indeed how the Ukrainian regime change of 2013-2014 came about, the EU may want to cancel its Association Agreement with Ukraine, reduce economic sanctions against Putins Russia, withdraw its financial help for Kyiv, and make Yanukovych a candidate for its next Sakharov Prize.

The West still doesnt understand Ukrainian domestic and foreign affairs well. Ukrainian-language political bickering within Kyiv and English-language commentary about Ukraines upcoming elections are therefore two different arenas. Worse, there is a dearth of assessments of Tymoshenko as well as of analyses of her likely electoral victory next year. In the West, some may, as a result of the current mood among many political observers in Kyiv, see Tymoshenkos possible triumph in the 2019 elections as the beginning of the end of Ukraine. A possible reduction of such uncertainty was the sole purpose of, andalasthe only gratification for my article What Would a Tymoshenko Presidency Mean? for the Atlantic Council, and its extended version As Good as It Gets with VoxUkraine.
TORONTO, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The very first Sunwing flight departed Toronto Pearson International Airport early yesterday morning and landed at Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson International Airport in Crown Point, Tobago. The inaugural flight was operated by Captain Marty Neely, Captain Blair Pritchard and First Officer Ryan Isaac. Sunwing WG175 carried vacationers on board in addition to 200 Sunwing Foundation backpacks filled with school supplies and gently-used books as part of the charitable initiatives recently launched Flying Start program. The flight crew and passengers received a warm welcome from representatives of the Tobago Tourism Board upon landing, including a ceremonial water cannon salute.



Prior to the flight, volunteers from the Sunwing Foundation packed backpacks with gently-used books, colouring sheets and other school supplies including notebooks and crayons. The backpacks then made the journey down to Tobago on Sunwings inaugural flight, where they were distributed to local children between the ages of five and 12 years at the first-ever Special Christmas for Special Kids event in Tobago. The event was organized by local community organization Mason Hall Empowerment Group, aimed at empowering children, and The Peters Family Foundation, which provides support to parents with differently abled children in Tobago. The donation was made as part of Sunwing Foundations Flying Start initiative, which aims to ensure a successful education for children in need across the destinations that Sunwing serves.

President of Tour Operations for Sunwing, Andrew Dawson, commented on the news, We are excited to be providing travellers in the Toronto area even more options this winter with the addition of the island of Tobago. To demonstrate our support for one of our newest destinations, we are pleased to be able to bring some holiday cheer on board our first flight with the donation of backpacks and school supplies for local school children as part of the Sunwing Foundations Flying Start program.

For more information or to book, visit www.sunwing.ca or contact your travel agent. For more information about the Sunwing Foundation and other initiatives please visit www.sunwingtravelgroup.com .

About Sunwing

The largest integrated travel company in North America, Sunwing has more flights to the south than any other leisure carrier with convenient direct service from over 33 airports across Canada to over 45 popular sun destinations. This scale enables Sunwing to negotiate the best deals and exclusive offers at all of the top-rated resorts across the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. Renowned for its award-winning service, Sunwing is consistently voted the top leisure airline by travel agents and is the perennial winner of the Consumer Choice Award. Customers can look forward to starting their vacation off in style with award-winning inflight service, which features a complimentary glass of sparkling wine*, tea and coffee and non-alcoholic beverage service; together with a buy on board menu of light meals and snacks (including kids choices) inspired by Food Network Canada Celebrity Chef, Lynn Crawford. Sunwing customers also benefit from the assistance of the companys own knowledgeable destination representatives, who greet them upon arrival and support them throughout their vacation journey.

*Service may be unavailable on select flights

For all media enquiries, please contact:

Rachel Goldrick

Senior Corporate Communications Manager

Sunwing Vacations

1-800-387-5602 | media@sunwing.ca

https://www.facebook.com/SunwingVacations

https://twitter.com/SunwingVacay

https://www.instagram.com/sunwingvacations

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzjZ-lcuaqBQH7Sq0u3ru7A
Throughout 2018, I traveled across Ukraine visiting firms from north to south, east to west. Wherever I journeyed, in Kryvyi Rih, Nikopol, Sumy, Ternopil, Odesa, Lviv, Dnipro, Kamianske, Chornobyl or Vinnytsia, I witnessed story after story of growth and plans for further development. Im not surprised that 74 percent of American Chamber of Commerce members saw their business increase in Ukraine in 2018; three quarters are forecasting continued growth in 2019, according to our latest survey

Andy Hunder, the president of the American Chamber of Commerce of Ukraine, visits the Trostyanets confectionery plant, Ukraine Courtesy

Ukraine is back on the front pages of the worlds top newspapers. Twice in the past three weeks, Ukraine featured on the cover photo of the Financial Times. The headlines read: "The US Backs Kyiv in Naval Clash with Kremlin" and "Kyiv Splits from Russian Church." The news headings highlight the U-turn that Ukrainians have made shifting away from Russia and turning to the West ever since the 2013-2014 Revolution of Dignity.

The same shift is also happening in the business.

Earlier this year, I visited Mondelez, formerly Kraft Foods, an American multinational confectionery and food company near the city of Sumy. The factory is situated thirty miles from the Russian border. It used to melt, mold, and package chocolate for consumers in Russia and Ukraine. After 2014, the company revolutionized its business model: the plant today operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and produces iconic US-brand Oreo cookies, which are exported across EU markets.

Throughout 2018, I traveled across Ukraine visiting firms from north to south, east to west. Wherever I journeyed, in Kryvyi Rih, Nikopol, Sumy, Ternopil, Odesa, Lviv, Dnipro, Kamianske, Chornobyl or Vinnytsia, I witnessed story after story of growth and plans for further development. Im not surprised that 74 percent of American Chamber of Commerce members saw their business increase in Ukraine in 2018; three quarters are forecasting continued growth in 2019, according to our latest survey.

This expansion is a result of Ukraines economy showing continuous, albeit modest, growth over the past three years. After the illegal annexation of Crimea and Russias subsequent invasion, Ukraine went through a nasty fiscal plunge in 2014 and 2015. It is now rebounding.

For example, Ukraine's 2018 cereal grain harvest hit a record-breaking high of 70 million tons, the highest crop ever reaped since 1991. Corn accounted for around half of that amount, due to exceptionally favorable weather conditions. The major ABCD agriculture commodity companies, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Bunge, Cargill and Louis Dreyfus, have stepped up their investment in Ukraine.

In addition to agriculture, our member companies grew in IT, healthcare, food and beverage, infrastructure, fast-moving consumer goods, renewable and nuclear energy sectors.

Kira Rudik, chief executive of Ring Ukraine, is one of the newly elected female CEOs to be voted on to the AmCham Ukraine Board of Directors. You may have seen the Ring TV ads on CNN. Kira established the company only two years ago with ten employees. Today, Ring employs over seven hundred research and development professionals in Ukraine. Just recently it was acquired by Amazon in a $1 billion deal. The Rng makes high-tech doorbells that record live video of the homeowners doorstep then wirelessly broadcasts it to their smartphones. Through this technology, Amazon expects to improve its parcel delivery service.

This is just one example of a thriving IT market in Ukraine.

In 2018, Ukraines three mobile phone operators launched 4G, the fourth generation of cellular network technology, boosting mobile broadband allowing business and customers to communicate at much faster speeds.

Although optimism is widespread among companies already operating in Ukraine, new investors are still sluggish in setting up shop. Ukraines 2018 FDI remains pitifully low at a meager $2 billion, under 2 percent of GDP.

Investors are waiting for predictability on what will follow Marchs presidential vote and Octobers parliamentary elections. The presidential race is wide open, confirming that the countrys democratic health is sound.

There were setbacks to investment in 2018 to be sure. In November, the introduction of martial law in ten regions across Ukraine resulted in some global corporate headquarters banning all business travel to Ukraine. Days after martial law was introduced, we put out an official statement reassuring companies of a business as usual approach. Russias aggression against Ukraines navy in late November did disrupt commercial vessels in the Azov Sea, however, the introduction of martial law didnt impact business in other areas. Martial law is expected to be fully lifted on December 26.

Not everything is perfect in Ukraine, especially as the war in the east continues for the fifth consecutive year and the threat of further Russian aggression looms. But the companies that continue to operate and take advantage of the resilient economy and economic reforms have remarkable stories to share. Our member companies are feeling bullish about the year ahead, and so are we.

Read the original text here.
The EU expects Russia to release Edem Bekirov, the detained Crimean Tatar activist. Maja Kocijancic, the press secretary of the European External Action Service posted that on Twitter.

'We expect an immediate release of Crimean Tatar rights activist Edem Bekirov, who was detained by Russia authorities. He is in ill health and needs daily access to appropriate medical care', the post says.

Recently, Oleksiy Ladin, Bekirov's lawyer reported that the inmate still has not received any medical assistance in his cell, though he needs it urgently. Bekirov is running out of his pills; there's only enough for one more day. 'The relatives passed him another batch of medications. He ran out of pills that he takes due to his sugar diabetes; currently, the medical unit provided him with some alternative to these pills, but as much as he told us it was not what he needed', the lawyer said. Later, the detainee's daughter Eleonora Bekirova said he still has not received the drugs that his family passed him.

As we reported earlier, the Russian law enforcers detained Crimean Tatar Edem Bekirov at the entrance to the occupied Crimea from Chongar, as the Chairman of Mejlis of Crimean Tatars Refat Chubarov wrote on Facebook.

On December 12, 2018, Ukrainian citizen, a Crimean Tatar Edem Bekirov was detained at the entrance to the occupied Crimea. He was born in 1961, he lives in Novooleksiivka, Kherson region. It is known that Edem was heading to Crimea to visit his 78-year-old mother and relatives, the message says.

According to Chubarov, Berkirov was arrested during passport control on the territory controlled by the Russian law enforcers. Later, Chubarov noted that the detainee was taken to Russias Security Service office in the annexed Simferopol.
The new aircraft is supposed to reinforce the defensive capability of the Ukrainian military, leaders of the state said

Airbus H225 Super Puma airbushelicopters.ru

The National Guard of Ukraine received the first two Airbus H225 Super Puma helicopters. The solemn ceremony took place at Boryspil airport on Friday, December 20.

Leading statesmen of Ukraine, President Petro Poroshenko and Interior Minister Arsen Avakov attended the ceremony. Airbus company representatives also joined the presentation.

'This day marks a huge event, bright evidence of the strengthening of the material basis of our border guards, rescue teams and the National Guard. It's a symbol of our effective cooperation between Ukraine and the EU in general, and between Ukraine, France and Germany in particular', Poroshenko said while presenting the aircraft.

The President admitted that Ukraine will get more of such helicopters under the contract, which was signed with Airbus earlier. 'The combat helicopters will reinforce the Armed Forces and expand the opportunities of the Ukrainian military in terms of defending the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of the state', he said. The President expressed confidence that the purchase wouldn't hurt the domestic helicopter engineering, because the market demands in this area are 'extremely high'.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov added that one the helicopters will be immediately passed to the National Guard; the other one will be at the disposal of the State Emergencies Service.

Airbus H225 Super Puma is a long-range passenger transport helicopter developed by Eurocopter and Airbus, as the next generation of the civilian Super Puma family. It is a twin-engined aircraft and can carry up to 24 passengers along with two crew and a cabin attendant, dependent on customer configuration. The helicopter is marketed for offshore support and VIP passenger transport duties, as well as public service missions.
The parties also talked through expanding the joint border and customs control at certain border checkpoints

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister of Moldova Pavel Filip held a phone conversation, during which they discussed the perspective of expanding of joint border and customs control in some checkpoint at the Ukrainian-Moldovan state border, reports the press office of the Presidential Administration.

They talked on relevant issues of the bilateral agenda. In particular, the conversation was about enhancing cooperation in the border area and expanding joint border and customs control at selected checkpoints on the Ukrainian-Moldovan state border, reads the message.

The interlocutors drew special attention to enhancing security in the region and cooperation of Ukraine and Moldova within the framework of international organizations.

Poroshenko and Filip marked the high level of partner relations between Ukraine and Moldova.
A group of servicemen from the UK Navy to arrive in Ukraine in January in order to organize cooperation and joint drills

Open source

Minister of Defense of Ukraine Stepan Poltorak and State Secretary for Defense of the United Kingdom Gavin Williamson met in Odesa. The two held talks on the implementation of measures connected with the aggression of Russia in the Kerch Strait, as the press office of the Ministry of Defense reports.

Decisions that we adopted come with the beginning of the work on training the Marines. Yet in January, a group of servicemen from the UK Navy will arrive in Ukraine for the organization of cooperation and planning the joint exercises, as well as determining the necessary financial and technical assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, directly to the Naval Forces, Poltorak claimed.

He also mentioned that the sides looked at a possibility of boosting the cooperation, starting from expanding the format of preparation within the Orbital training program, achieving the new level of preparation and ending with deployment, as well as the expansion of Ukraine's cooperation in the issues connected with military and technical cooperation.

The Minister of Defense of Ukraine added that the sides agreed on the creation of Office of Ukraines friends, designed for coordinating actions to assist in the reform of the Armed Forces, the Navy, as well as building up the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian Navy.
All the sailors are charged with the 'illegal crossing of the Russian territorial waters'

The Supreme court of the occupied Crimea considered the appeals of nine Ukrainian sailors captured in the Kerch Strait on November 25. Among them are captain of Berdyansk boat Roman Mokryak and sailor Viktor Bezpalchenko. Reporter Anton Naumlyuk posted this on Facebook.

All sailors are charged under part 3 of Art. 322 of the Criminal Code of Russia (illegal crossing of the state border, committed by a group of persons or an organized group or with the use of violence or with the threat of its use), which provides up to six years of imprisonment.

The court of the first instance arrested all servicemen until January 25, 2019; the supreme court of Crimea has just corrected a technical mistake having reduced the detention by one day. In other respects, the decision on the preventive measure remains the same.

As we reported earlier, 19 Ukrainian sailors claimed to be prisoners of war.

The Russian Navy attacked the Ukrainian vessels in the Kerch Strait in the Sea of Azov in November. The vessels were damaged, and the crews captured by the Russian special services. Ukraine and the Western governments consider the attack an act of aggression. The Ukrainian sailors were taken to a remand center in Crimea, and then in Moscow, charged with the 'illegal crossing of the Russian territorial waters'. All sailors deny their guilt, claiming they are prisoners of war.
"Lefortovo" prison Open source

The Ukrainian sailor, the Lieutenant Commander of Nikopol boat Sergiy Popov, who was detained in the Kerch Strait joked that in Moscow prison, he is resting from his commander, who yells at him every morning. The lawyer of the sailor Gadzhi Aliyev wrote that on Facebook.

According to the lawyer, on December 20, the Supreme Court of the occupied Crimea considered the appeal against detention of the Ukrainian POW, Lieutenant Commander Serhiy Popov.

The lawyer was not allowed to participate in the court session, which was held in a video conference mode from Lefortovo prison. Instead, the court invited the appointed lawyer who did not know that there was a private lawyer in spite of the standard of the defence to take part in the court session.

Yet, the lawyer could talk to Popov during the investigation stage, when Serhiy said he was a POW and asked for Geneva Convention appliance. He refused to testify.

Sergiy did not become discouraged while in prison, thats what he said. He is a funny and positive person, he jokes a lot. He said that it was quiet in the cell, and he was having rest from his commander who called him every morning and said: We have breakage in here, get up!. He reminded the investigator that he had a higher rank. The investigator understands that, the lawyer wrote.

Popov also said that he was placed in a cell with a TV set, which did not work, as it did not have an antenna. When he asked the prisons administration to give him one, they never reacted. So, he made antenna himself as he is a certified technician.

There is so much information about Ukraine, Ive never watched so many plotting about Ukraine at home! Isnt there anything interesting in other countries like Kazakstan, Belarus? Why so many news about Ukraine? the lawyer cites the sailor.

Popov thanks the volunteers and those who helped.

Earlier, it was reported that 15 captured sailors declared themselves POWs.

Related video:
Nineteen of 24 Ukrainian sailors, captured by Russia identified themselves as prisoners of war. Lawyer Serhii Badamshin claimed this on the air of 112 Ukraine.

Another 19 Ukrainian sailors called themselves prisoners of war and demanded the Russian authority to do the same thing in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, the lawyer noted.

Badamshin has also claimed that several appeals are being considered in 'supreme court of the Republic of Crimea' on the preventive measure elected yet by Kerch's city court.

Three complaints had to be considered today. As far as I understood, the hearing has been rescheduled for Monday. The consideration of the cases on some of the sailors is now an issue Some of the judges are somehow worried about this process, but we do not count on the independence and humanity of court decisions, unfortunately, the lawyer summed up.

He added that three Ukrainian sailors: Andrii Artemenko, Vasyl Soroka, and Andrii Eider are being provided with medical assistance and treatment. The remaining 21 are in Lefertovo remand center.

Before the New Year, the lawyers should get to everyone, meet and discuss their position and ask about their well-being, including the living conditions. All sailors unanimously claim that they are prisoners of war. Secondly, they are all modest. The lawyers are literally pumping information from them on what they need, the human rights defender said.

As we reported earlier, the Russian Navy attacked the Ukrainian vessels in the Kerch Strait in the Sea of Azov. The vessels were damaged, and the crews captured by the Russian special services. Ukraine and the Western governments consider the attack an act of aggression. The Ukrainian sailors were taken to a remand center in Crimea, and then in Moscow, charged with the 'illegal crossing of the Russian territorial waters'. All sailors deny their guilt, claiming they are prisoners of war.
Free Wellness Check for All Adopted Cats and Dogs

PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
HOLLYWOOD, Fla., Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hollywood Beach Marriott reveals its newly-renovated, ocean-inspired rooms, channeling the spirit of Hollywood Beach, Florida and the hotels picturesque oceanfront surroundings. Located on the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk, the oceanfront hotel is unveiling a brand new look for its guest rooms, inspired by the surrounding coastal landscape, and offering a host of upgrades for todays travelers.



The brand new rooms at the Hollywood Beach Florida hotel boast furnished balconies offering expansive ocean views, sitting areas, complimentary Wi-Fi, plush signature bedding and SMART TVs with premium channels and streaming services. Custom wood furnishings and modern grey and blue tones create a contemporary atmosphere that evokes the beautiful oceanfront backdrop just outside.



Guest suites provide extra room for families to unwind, stretch out and enjoy vacations in one of Floridas most serene oceanfront settings. Designed with todays modern traveler in mind, each of the renovated rooms and suites is outfitted with a host of connections to keep all your devices charged, so you can share every snapshot from your coastal getaway.

Guests can easily walk to the best shopping, dining and nightlife in the area from the newly-renovated Hollywood Beach Broadwalk hotel . For an intimate beach setting, Marriotts stylish accommodations provide just the right refuge along the coast, putting guests close to some of Floridas most popular restaurants, bars, family attractions and cultural sights.

For more information, or to book a stay at this hotel in Hollywood, Florida , guests can call 954-924-2202.

About Hollywood Beach Marriott

Ideally situated right on the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk, Hollywood Beach Marriott offers easy access to the very best of this picturesque corner of Florida - from Gulfstream Park to the Anne Kolb Nature Center and dozens of restaurants and shops. Settle into one of the hotels rooms and suites, all of which offer balconies with ocean views. Relax after a busy day on your plush pillowtop bed. Additional hotel perks for your Hollywood Beach visit include delicious dining at our recently redesigned Latitudes Restaurant, as well as an outdoor pool and a modern fitness center. If you're hosting an event, you will be thrilled with our versatile venue spaces, the largest of which can seat 500. And with the Hollywood Broadwalk just steps away, you have easy access to countless activities and things to do, all within easy reach of the iconic hotel.

About Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc. is a leading global lodging company with more than 6,700 properties across 130 countries and territories, reporting revenues of more than $22 billion in fiscal year 2017. Founded by J. Willard and Alice Marriott and guided by family leadership for more than 90 years, the company is headquartered outside of Washington, D.C. in Bethesda, Maryland.

CONTACT: Hollywood Beach Marriott

2501 North Ocean Drive, Hollywood, FL 33019

954-924-2202

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/fllof-hollywood-beach-marriott/

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2f85a3bf-e03f-4f65-8186-36dd4e3a415c
MILWAUKEE, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Barrett Lo Visionary Development and Lincoln Property Company today announced the launch of Lincoln Boulevard, a new property management firm serving Milwaukee and Wisconsin. The new alliance combines the expertise of a top management firm in the country, Lincoln Property Company, with the expertise of Milwaukees leading multi-family developer. Through this relationship, Lincoln will bring its services to Milwaukee for the first time, beginning with the Barrett Lo properties in February 2019.



This is an exciting new enterprise for Barrett Lo and for Milwaukee, said Rick Barrett, founder and CEO of Barrett Lo Visionary Development. We are excited to bring world-class property management services to our residents and to the Milwaukee market through Lincoln Boulevard. I can think of no better partner in this effort than Lincoln Property Company.

Barrett Lo is a leading developer in Milwaukee, having completed numerous developments in Milwaukee and Southeastern Wisconsin, including the Moderne and Emerald Row, with the Couture, Parterre and more apartments underway. It currently has more than 1,000 units under management and preleasing activity.

Lincoln Property Company is one of the nations leading property management firms with nearly 200,000 apartment units under management and more than 5,000 associates. Lincoln Property Company has a reputation for providing best-in-class service for residents and property owners. With Lincoln Boulevard, Lincoln will combine its national management expertise with local staff to maintain the hometown presence and boutique management style that residents at Barrett Lo properties have come to expect.

The Lincoln Property Company family is proud to partner with Barrett Lo Visionary Development, said Lincoln Property Company Senior Vice President Bruce Webster. Together we share a commitment to delivering excellence for our residents. Im confident that Lincoln Boulevard will be a game-changer for Milwaukees multi-family market.

Beginning in February 2019, Lincoln Boulevard will be the exclusive property manager of the Barrett Lo Milwaukee portfolio. Over time, it will continue to expand its services throughout the southeastern Wisconsin market.

About Barrett Lo Visionary Development

Barrett Lo Visionary Development is a national real estate investment and development company located in Milwaukee with a focus on market rate and luxury mixed-use developments that transform the landscape of a city and bring vitality to communities. Boldness, confidence and vision are the cornerstones in Barrett Los development of destinations  not just buildings. For more information, past, current and future projects, visit www.barrettlo.com.
CALGARY, Alberta, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- West High Yield (W.H.Y.) Resources Ltd. ("West High Yield" or the "Company") (TSXV: WHY) announces that it has completed the first tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement of units ("Units"). The Company issued an aggregate of 966,666 Units at a price of $0.30 per Unit for gross proceeds of $289,999.80. Each Unit consists of one common share in the capital of the Company (a "Common Share") and one-third of one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional Common Share at an exercise price of $0.50 for a period of one year from the date of issuance of the Warrant. All of the securities issued under the private placement are subject to a four month resale restriction.



The Company announces that the TSX Venture Exchange has consented to the Company extending the final closing of the proposed private placement to a date that is on or before January 23, 2019. The private placement is subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals including final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

As previously disclosed, assuming the maximum offering is completed, approximately $1,200,000 of the net proceeds are expected to be used for the continuation of the environmental base line study, environmental assessment study and mine plan and permit application and Industrial Mineral Mine Permit application for the Company's Record Ridge deposit near Rossland, British Columbia and the balance of the net proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes. If the offering is not fully subscribed, the Company will apply the proceeds to the above uses in priority and in such proportions as the board of directors and management of the Company determine is in the best interests of the Company. Although the Company intends to use the proceeds of the offering as described above, the actual allocation of proceeds may vary from the uses set out above, depending upon future operations, events or opportunities.

About West High Yield

West High Yield is a publicly traded junior mining exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral resource properties in Canada with a primary objective to locate and develop economic gold, nickel and magnesium properties.

For further information please contact:

Frank Marasco

President and Chief Executive Officer

West High Yield (W.H.Y.) Resources Ltd.

Telephone: (403) 660-3488

Facsimile: (403) 206-7159

Email: frank@whyresources.com Dwayne Vinck

Chief Financial Officer

West High Yield (W.H.Y.) Resources Ltd.

Telephone: (403) 257-2637

Facsimile: (403) 206-7159

Email: vinck@shaw.ca

Reader Advisory

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The use of any of the words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "objective", "ongoing", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information or statements. More particularly and without limitation, this press release contains forward looking statements and information concerning, the proposed allocation and use of proceeds and the Company's business plans. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward looking statements and information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct.

Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions in Canada and globally; industry conditions, including governmental regulation; failure to obtain industry partner and other third party consents and approvals, if and when required; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility; competition for, among other things, skilled personnel and supplies; changes in tax laws; and the other factors. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is given as of the date hereof, and to not use such forward-looking information for anything other than its intended purpose. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Not for distribution in the United States. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States. The securities of the Company will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of U.S. persons except in certain transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act
Albany, NY, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CDPHP is pleased to announce a partnership with St. Catherines Center for Children in Albany, N.Y., to offer housing support and critical services to some of its most vulnerable members.

Social determinants of health have received a lot of attention in recent months as the government, health plans, and hospitals, among others, attempt to mitigate the health risks associated with unstable housing, food insecurity, unsafe neighborhoods, education inequities, and more.



Its no secret that health care and housing are inextricably linked, said president and CEO of CDPHP, Dr. John D. Bennett. This partnership with St. Catherines Center for Children is just the beginning of our commitment to ensuring our members no longer have to visit the emergency department for shelter or a hot meal. We can do better than that.



Were proud to partner with CDPHP on this important housing and health care initiative, said Frank Pindiak, Executive Director of St. Catherines Center for Children. St. Catherines has been working with vulnerable populations throughout our history, and weve long understood the link between stable affordable housing and good health. Programs such as this can have a significant and lasting impact on so many lives, and we are happy to be a part of it."



"The work that St. Catherines Center for Children does in our community is truly remarkable, and has changed lives for the better. This new partnership with CDPHP will further St. Catherine's mission, and keep it a viable option for Capital Region families in need." said New York State Senator Neil Breslin.



I commend CDPHP and St. Catherines for taking an out-of-the-box approach to health care with this truly innovative partnership, said New York State Assemblymember Patricia Fahy. At a time when health care has become increasingly complex and difficult to navigate, our community will be well-served by the new supportive housing services both organizations are now offering.



The partnership between CDPHP and St. Catherines Center for Children in Albany will be incredibly beneficial to the area, said New York State Assemblymember John T. McDonald III. By working together, they will be able to provide housing support and critical services to those in the community who need it most.



Access to quality housing is a basic human necessity that allows our children to focus on education, gives parents the peace of mind they deserve and can prevent health problems in the future, said Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy. This comprehensive initiative is another important step in our efforts to tackle these issues for those who need it most and I am so thrilled to have partners like CDPHP and St. Catharines Center for Children here in Albany County.



This partnership is another example of how organizations can work together directly within our communities to positively address the social determinants of health, said Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan. Thank you to CDPHP and St. Catherines Center for Children for once again committing themselves to assisting our most vulnerable neighbors.



The program will serve adults with multiple chronic conditions, who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in Albany, Columbia, and Greene counties. Members will be referred to the program by the CDPHP Care Team, area doctors, and social workers. Participants will receive intensive support from St. Catherines to obtain safe, affordable housing, with the addition of rental subsidies when needed.



Working within a housing first model, the dedicated team at St. Catherines will coordinate the support services needed to keep participants stably housed and out of the emergency room or hospital.



Success will be measured through housing placement and retention milestones, as well as pre- and post- social determinants of health screenings. CDPHP will closely monitor other metrics, including primary care visits, gaps in care, ER utilization, inpatient admissions and readmissions, medication adherence, and more.

About CDPHP

Established in 1984, CDPHP is a physician-founded, member-focused and community-based not-for-profit health plan that offers high-quality affordable health insurance plans to members in 26 counties throughout New York. CDPHP is also on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

About St. Catherine's Center for Children

St. Catherines Center for Children was founded by the Daughters of Charity in Albany in 1886 as a home for sick orphans. Today, St. Catherines is a haven for hope, offering a comprehensive range of human services for Capital Region children and families coping with issues of abuse, neglect, mental illness, homelessness, and trauma.

Attachment
NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Attorney Advertising -- Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC reminds investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed against The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ("Goldman Sachs" or the "Company") (NYSE: GS) and certain of its officers, on behalf of shareholders who purchased or otherwise acquired Goldman Sachs shares between February 28, 2014 through December 17, 2018, both dates inclusive (the Class Period). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firms site: bgandg.com/gs.

This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Goldman Sachs participated in a fraud and money-laundering scheme in collusion with 1Malaysia Development Bhd., a Malaysian state-owned investment fund; (2) the foregoing conduct, when revealed, would foreseeably subject Goldman Sachs to heightened regulatory investigations and enforcement; and (3) as a result, Goldman Sachss public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint you can visit the firms site: bgandg.com/gs or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Investor Relations Analyst, Yael Hurwitz of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 212-697-6484. If you suffered a loss in Goldman Sachs you have until February 19, 2019 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a corporate litigation boutique. Our primary expertise is the aggressive pursuit of litigation claims on behalf of our clients. In addition to representing institutions and other investor plaintiffs in class action security litigation, the firms expertise includes general corporate and commercial litigation, as well as securities arbitration. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contact:

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC

Peretz Bronstein or Yael Hurwitz

212-697-6484 | info@bgandg.com
MADISON, Wis., Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gartner, the worlds leading research and advisory company, and creators of the Magic Quadrant, recently named RateLinx to their November 2018 Market Guide for Real-Time Visibility Providers.



The Supply Chain and Logistics industries are saturated with fragmented services and tools. The Gartner Market Guide recognizes vendors in the real-time visibility platform space. As the industry continues to transform and vendor competition grows, customers increasingly need to understand the differentiation of vendor solutions to minimize costs and obtain a real return on investment.

RateLinx, acknowledged as a Representative Vendor in the report, offers a complete real-time visibility platform integrating Track and Trace, Freight Audit Payment, and Transportation Management Systems (TMS) with any ERP and Warehouse Management Systems (WMS). The company offers a consultative and collaborative approach through their Logistics in 3D processdiagnose, develop, deploy. With extensive knowledge and experience in the logistics and supply chain industry, RateLinx works with its customers to solve problems, automate processes and create sustainable competitive advantage by accelerating intelligence. The insights provided allow the platform to deliver cost reductions associated with 3PL (Third-Party Logistics providers), improved resource utilization, and operational efficiency. RateLinxs integrated platform can be completely deployed in 45 days or less with no additional IT resources.

The companys customizable Integrated Data Intelligence solution is built on a proprietary data intelligence engine, capable of normalizing and cleansing data from multiple sources, and providing intelligence and predictive modeling with its rating engine. Supporting their solution is their best-in-class managed services, including data support, case tracking, invoice resolution, carrier onboarding and more.

RateLinx continues its push to become the supply chain visibility and intelligence market-leader and is proud to be acknowledged by Gartner as a Representative Vendor.

Learn more at: https://www.ratelinx.com

About RateLinx

Founded in 2002 in Madison, Wisconsin, by Shannon Vaillancourt, RateLinx is a complete Supply Chain & Logistics visibility and analytics platform built on an integrated data foundation to provide predictive analytics and prescriptive actions. RateLinx is an ideal solution for shippers requiring manifesting, traceability, and/or financial management, empowering tangible cost efficiencies and opportunities.

Media Contacts

Cory Comer

RateLinx

608.515.8522 x156

cory.comer@ratelinx.com
NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Levi & Korsinsky announces it has commenced an investigation of Perrigo Company plc (Perrigo or the Company) (NYSE: PRGO) concerning possible violations of federal securities laws.



On December 21, 2018, Perrigo issued a Form 8-K disclosing that the Companys subsidiary Perrigo Pharma International (formerly known as Elan Pharma International Limited) would file an appeal with the Irish Tax Appeals Commission regarding a Notice of Amended Assessment (NoA) issued by the Irish Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Irish Revenue) for the calendar year ended December 31, 2013. The NoA assesses a tax liability against Elan Pharma related to tax treatment of the sale of Tysabri intellectual property and related assets to Biogen Idec. Following this news, shares of Perrigo were down more than 27% on intraday trading on December 21, 2018. To obtain additional information, go to:

https://www.zlk.com/pslra-1/perrigo-company-plc-loss-form

or contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. either via email at jlevi@levikorsinsky.com or by telephone at (212) 363-7500, toll-free: (877) 363-5972.

Levi & Korsinsky is a national firm with offices in New York, California, Connecticut and Washington D.C. The firms attorneys have extensive expertise in prosecuting securities litigation involving financial fraud, representing investors throughout the nation in securities and shareholder lawsuits. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES



CALGARY, Alberta, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eguana Technologies Inc. ("Eguana" or the "Company") (TSXV: EGT) (OTCQB:EGTYF) is pleased to announce that it is raising up to $1,000,000 by way of a private placement of limited partnership units (the LP Units) of its subsidiary, EGT Markets Limited Partnership, at a price of $1,000 per LP Unit (the Offering). The Company has the right to exchange each of the LP Units for common shares in the capital of the Company (each a Common Share and collectively, the Common Shares), at a price of $0.20 per Common Share, at any time prior to the close of business on March 29, 2019. The net proceeds of the Offering shall be used for general working capital to expedite the Companys growth in global markets.

In connection with the Offering, the Company expects to (i) pay an aggregate cash commission of 5% of the gross proceeds of the Offering and (ii) issue that number of non-transferrable finders warrants equal to 5% of the total number of Common Shares issuable on exchange of the LP Units (each a Finders Warrant and collectively, the Finders Warrants). Each Finders Warrant will be exercisable to purchase one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.20 per Common Share for a period of 12 months from the date of issuance.

The Offering is expected to close on December 27, 2018 (the Closing Date).

The LP Units will be subject to an indefinite hold period and all Common Shares issued in exchange for LP Units or on exercise of the Finders Warrants will be subject to a hold period or four months plus one day from the Closing Date, in accordance with applicable securities legislation. The Offering remains subject to approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

About Eguana Technologies Inc.

Based in Calgary, Alberta Canada, Eguana Technologies Inc. (EGT: TSX.V) (OTCQB: EGTYF) designs and manufactures high performance residential and commercial energy storage systems. Eguana has two decades of experience delivering grid edge power electronics for fuel cell, photovoltaic and battery applications, and delivers proven, durable, high quality solutions from its high capacity manufacturing facilities in Europe and North America.

With thousands of its proprietary energy storage inverters deployed in the European and North American markets, Eguana is one of the leading suppliers of power controls for solar self-consumption, grid services and demand charge applications at the grid edge. To learn more, visit www.eguanatech.com or follow us on Twitter @EguanaTech

Company Inquiries

Eguana Technologies Inc.

Justin Holland

CEO

+1.416.728.7635

Justin.Holland@EguanaTech.com

Forward Looking Information

The reader is advised that some of the information herein may constitute forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, forward-looking statements) within the meaning assigned by National Instrument 51-102  Continuous Disclosure Obligations and other relevant securities legislation. In particular, we include: statements pertaining to the amount raised under the Offering, use of proceeds and the closing of the Offering including the Company's ability to obtain necessary approvals from the TSX Venture Exchange.

Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involves a number of risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or future events or developments, to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information, which speaks only as of the date hereof. Readers are also directed to the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's most recent audited financial statements which may be found on its website or at sedar.com The Company does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES



TORONTO, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lithium Energi Exploration Inc. (TSXV:LEXI) (LEXI or the Company) announced today that it has filed and received a receipt for its short-form prospectus (The Prospectus) with the securities regulatory authorities in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario to qualify the securities offered under the Prospectus. The Company has also entered into an agency agreement with Gravitas Securities Inc. (the Agent) under which the Agent has agreed to sell, on a best efforts basis, a minimum of 5,000,000 units (the Units) for gross proceeds of $1,000,000 and a maximum of up to 32,500,000 Units for gross proceeds of $6,500,000. Each Unit is priced at $0.20 (the "Offering Price) and will be comprised of one Common Share and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole Common Share purchase warrant being, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant shall entitle the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share (a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $0.30 for a period of 24 months from the closing date of the Offering, which is scheduled to occur on or before January 15, 2019 or such other date as may be agreed upon by the Company and the Agent (the Closing Date).



For their services rendered in connection with the Offering, the Agent will receive (i) a work fee of $30,000 upon receipt of a final receipt for the Final Prospectus; (ii) upon receipt of a final receipt for the Final Prospectus, non-transferable share purchase warrants (each, a Work Fee Warrant), with the number of Work Fee Warrants calculated by dividing $80,000 by the closing price of the Common Shares on the day prior to filing the Final Prospectus, with each Work Fee Warrant entitling the holder to acquire one Common Share at an exercise price equal to the Offering Price for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance (the Work Fee Warrant Shares); (iii) at the Closing Date, a cash commission (the Commission) equal to (A) 7.0% of the gross proceeds of the Offering sold to purchasers resident in Canada and internationally, other than purchasers on the presidents list as agreed upon by the Corporation and the Agent (the Presidents List), and (B) 3.0% (plus applicable taxes) of gross proceeds of the Offering in respect of subscribers on the Presidents List; and (iv) at the Closing Date, non-transferable share purchase warrants (each, an Agents Warrant) equal to 7.0% of the number of Units sold under the Offering (3.0% in respect of the Presidents List), with each Agents Warrant exercisable into one Common Share (an Agents Warrant Share) at an exercise price equal to the Offering Price for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance.

The Company has agreed to grant the Agent an overallotment option (the OverAllotment Option), exercisable in whole or in part, for a period of 30 days from the final tranche of the Closing, to offer up to an additional 15% of the number of Units (the Additional Units) at the Offering Price, solely to cover overallotments, if any, and for market stabilization purposes.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, nor is it a solicitation of an offer to buy, securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available

The Company also intends to offer Units in a concurrent non-brokered private placement (the Private Placement) of up to 15,000,000 Units at the same price as the Units (the Private Placement Units) for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $3,000,000. The Private Placement Units will be issued separately from the Units offered under the Prospectus. Such Private Placement Units will be subject to a four month statutory hold period pursuant to Canadian securities laws unless issued to persons or companies outside of Canada pursuant to Section 2.1, 2.2 or 2.3 of Ontario Securities Commission Rule 72-503 Distributions Outside of Canada, and neither the Units sold under the Offering or the Private Placement Units have been, or will be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act.

Closing of the initial tranche of the Offering is subject to the Company receiving the minimum Offering amount and certain customary closing conditions including, but not limited to the receipt of all necessary regulatory and stock exchange approvals, including the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange. Closing of the Private Placement is also subject to regulatory and stock exchange approvals, including the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange. Subsequent to the initial closing, for a period of 60 days from the date of the issuance of the final receipt (unless extended for up to an additional 60 days by the Company in its sole discretion and subject to applicable securities laws) the Company and the Agent may complete additional tranches of the Offering up to the Maximum Offering amount.

The net proceeds of the Offering are intended to be used to fund exploration activities of the Company relative to its prospective lithium holdings in Catamarca Province, Argentina and for general corporate purposes.

About Lithium Energi Exploration Inc.

Lithium Energi Exploration Inc. is an exploration company focused on the strategic acquisition, exploration and development of lithium brine assets in Argentina. The Company is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario and has offices in Dallas, Texas and Catamarca, Argentina. The common shares of the Company are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV:LEXI) and the Frankfurt Exchange (FR:LO9). The Companys portfolio of prospective lithium brine concessions in the Argentina Province of Catamarca (heart of the lithium triangle) includes 90,241 hectares in and around the Antofalla Salar and a right of first refusal to acquire up to approximately 145,000 hectares, the majority of which is located in the Antofalla Salar complex. The Antofalla Salar complex hosts one of the largest basins in the region, extending 100 - 140 km in length with a surface area of well over 706 km2 (source: Roskill Information Services). On September 12, 2016, Albemarle Corporation, the worlds largest lithium producer, announced its acquisition of exclusive exploration and acquisition rights to a claim block located in the central section of this salar. In March 2017, Albemarle published its belief that the Antofalla Salar is the third largest lithium deposit in the world. With rights to over 200,000 hectares of prospective lithium properties located just west of FMCs producing properties and offset north and south of Albemarles properties, the Company believes that its claims could potentially host meaningful lithium values. Although there can be no assurance that any of its claims are economically viable or that it can successfully achieve production, the Company believes that its properties could yield great value to its shareholders if developed. Readers are cautioned that (i) mineralization in the subsurface brines contained within the Antofalla Salar basin complex may not necessarily be consistent, (ii) analysis of prospective, lithium-bearing brines underlying the Companys properties may differ substantially from one claim to another and from claims held by other companies or individuals, whose claims are also located in or near the Antofalla Salar basin complex; and (iii) no Qualified Person (as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects) engaged by the Company has verified any information announced by Albemarle Corporation and readers should not imply that the Company will obtain similar results in respect of its properties.

For more information about Lithium Energi Exploration Inc., please visit www.lithiumenergi.com or view the Companys filings at www.SEDAR.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Lithium Energi Exploration Inc.

Tel: 416 276-6689

Fax: 888 909-1033

Email: chris.hobbs@lithiumenergi.com

www.lithiumenergi.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as expects, or does not expect, is expected, anticipates or does not anticipate, plans, budget, scheduled, forecasts, estimates, believes or intends or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results may or could, would, might or will be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: receipt of all necessary stock exchange and regulatory approvals or consents in respect of any offering; the completion of any offering on the terms proposed; the absence of material changes with respect to the Company and its businesses; possible variations in mineralization, grade or recovery rates; actual results of exploration activities; conclusions of future economic evaluations; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of commodities; fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar to United States dollar exchange rate); change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations pressures, cave-ins and flooding); the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); and title to properties. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure its shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended.

The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release will not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the securities in any State in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.
Presidente @MartinVizcarraC: Venimos a garantizar y formalizar la propiedad de los agricultores, que a partir de hoy tienen los documentos que los acreditan como propietarios de sus tierras. pic.twitter.com/NWAoO8PyEy
THIS NEWS RELEASE IS INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION IN CANADA ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.



VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MGX Minerals Inc. (MGX or the Company) ( CSE: XMG / FKT: 1MG / OTCQB: MGXMF ) is pleased to announce, further to its news releases dated November 23, 2018 and November 27, 2018, it has closed the second and final tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement financing (the Offering).

The second tranche generated gross proceeds of $3,610,449.80 by issuance of 5,008,384 flow through units (the FT Units) at $0.65 per FT Unit and 591,667 non-flow through units (the NFT Units) at $0.60 per NFT Unit. Aggregate proceeds raised under the first and second tranche of the offering total $6,806,448.35.

Each NFT Unit is comprised of one common share of the Company (a Common Share) and one common share purchase warrant (a Warrant). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one additional Common Share of the Company for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance at an exercise price of $0.67. Each FT Unit is comprised of one Common Share issued on a flow-through basis pursuant to the Income Tax Act (Canada) and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a FT Warrant). Each FT Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one additional Common Share, on a non-flow through basis, for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance at a price of $0.70.

The securities issued under the Offering will be subject to a hold period of four-months and one day.

The FT Unit proceeds will be used for qualified mineral exploration expenses on the Companys projects in Canada including Driftwood Magnesium Oxide, Fran Gold, Ren Niobium-Titanium-Rare Earth, and multiple Silicon Projects. The NFT Unit proceeds are expected to be used for advancement of the Companys global water treatment and lithium assets, including continued investment into extraction equipment and PurLucid, property payments and additional acquisitions, engineering studies, permitting activities, and for general working capital.

In connection with the Offering, the Company paid finders fees to EMD Financial Inc. under the terms previously disclosed in the news release dated November 23, 2018.

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 Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

About MGX Minerals Inc.

MGX Minerals is a diversified Canadian resource and technology company with interests in global advanced material, energy and water assets.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "potentially" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various factors. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .




17:41 | Lima, Dec. 21.

German Juarez, the prosecutor leading the investigation, is expected to make a decision in the following days.

He could not complete the preparatory research before because the Judicial Branch first had to define the protection of rights, proposed by the ex-President 's defense, which was rejected.

"Once resolved, it is the responsibility of the prosecutor to close the investigation and assess the Public Ministry's accusatory claims," he told RPP radio and TV news station.

According to Vela, Juarez must end the preparatory inquiry first. Afterward, he has 30 days to write the accusation.

Once this process is over, the accusation shall be delivered to Judge Richard Concepcion , who will decide on its legality.

After completing this step, Concepcion will not be able to preside over the oral trial against the defendant.

His wife Peru's former First Lady Nadine Heredia has been included in the process. According to witnesses' versions, cash was given to her in Lima.

For this case, both of them are under investigation over money laundering allegations.

The couple was released from prison in April this year , following a Constitutional Court's ruling in favor of a habeas corpus submitted by their lawyer.
Presidente @MartinVizcarraC: En la graduacion de los nuevos oficiales de la @PoliciaPeru afirme que ellos tienen un rol vital en la lucha contra la violencia a la mujer, atendiendo correctamente a la victima y realizando el debido proceso. Via @atvpe pic.twitter.com/fUPDREwHBO
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. US Defense Secretary James Mattis resigned Thursday shortly after President Donald Trump's plans to withdraw troops from Syria were announced, CNN reports.

Mattis cited irreconcilable policy differences. He will serve in his position until February 2019.

"Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis wrote in his letter to the President.

Mattis met with Trump one-on-one in the Oval Office, a senior White House official told CNN's Kaitlan Collins. Mattis told Trump he was going to be leaving and offered his resignation letter.

"They had differences on some issues," the official said.

Trump announced Mattis' departure in a tweet, saying, "General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years."

Trump said a successor "will be named shortly."

Below is the text of the resignation letter, as reported by CNN.

Dear Mr. President:

I have been privileged to serve as our country's 26th Secretary of Defense which has allowed me to serve alongside our men and women of the Department in defense of our citizens and our ideals.

I am proud of the progress that has been made over the past two years on some of the key goals articulated in our National Defense Strategy: putting the Department on a more sound budgetary footing, improving readiness and lethality in our forces, and reforming the Department's business practices for greater performance. Our troops continue to provide the capabilities needed to prevail in conflict and sustain strong U.S. global influence.

One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies. Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world. Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defense, including providing effective leadership to our alliances. NATO's 29 democracies demonstrated that strength in their commitment to fighting alongside us following the 9-11 attack on America. The Defeat-ISIS coalition of 74 nations is further proof.

Similarly, I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours. It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model - gaining veto authority over other nations' economic, diplomatic, and security decisions - to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbors, America and our allies. That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense.

My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues. We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.

Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position. The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department's interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February. Further, that a full transition to a new Secretary of Defense occurs well in advance of the transition of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September in order to ensure stability Within the Department.

I pledge my full effort to a smooth transition that ensures the needs and interests of the 2.15 million Service Members and 732,079 DoD civilians receive undistracted attention of the Department at all times so that they can fulfill their critical, round-the-clock mission to protect the American people.

I very much appreciate this opportunity to serve the nation and our men and women in uniform.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. At least five miners have been killed in the methane explosion at the CSM hard coal mine in the east of the Czech Republic, Reuters reported.

A company spokesman said on Czech Television eight others were injured in the blast, which caused devastation in some underground work areas with poor visibility obstructing the efforts of rescue units.

The death toll has grown to five, eight miners are missing and 10 miners, mostly Polish, were injured, he said. Rescue works continue.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Numerous staff members of the Ministry of Diaspora and Ministry of Culture are on strike, protesting the optimization plan of the government that envisages merging the culture ministry with the ministry of education and science, and the Diaspora ministry will become be downgraded to a department under the foreign ministry.

Diaspora ministry officials protesting outside the ministry building near Republic Square in Yerevan claim that the ministry is fulfilling all its functions duly. They argue that their functions are not the same as the foreign ministrys functions. They also have fears of losing their jobs as a result of the ministrys dissolution.

Staff of the culture ministry oppose merging with the education and science ministry. They say that culture is Armenias visiting card, and therefore the ministry of culture should be given broad authority and resources to preserve culture and to create a society developed on national system of values.

The protesting staff of the ministries walked towards the governmental headquarters in Republic Square and are planning to convey a letter to caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

The protestors argue that dissolving or merging the ministries at once is wrong. They suggest examining and analyzing the functions of each staff member, make assessments, and then only make optimizations.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. During the 15th annual Gala of the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF), which aims at holding fundraising for the future educational, healthcare, social and economic innovative programs in Armenias rural communities, 4.1 million USD has been donated which will serve for the replenishment of the COAF Smart Center and will be available to nearly 150.000 residents of Lori province, reports Armenpress.

It was an impressing evening, and we are delighted by the support of the Diaspora and our global family, with the people who for 15 years deeply believed and provided donation to the COAF mission. This enables us to expand our activity by serving 150.000 residents of already 100 communities. Moreover, the recent peaceful revolution [in Armenia] further highlights the COAF fundamental values by instilling democracy and freedom for the citizen to determine his/her future, COAF founder and executive director Garo Armen said.

Asbarez reports Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Andrea Martin served as the evenings producer and host; renowned art world figure Tony Shafrazi was the honorary chair. World renowned auctioneer Simon de Pury conducted the auction. Honorees included President of the Carnegie Corporation Vartan Gregorian and the late Clare Russel Gregorian and the iconic entertainer Charles Aznavour, who passed away in October 2018.

A significant component of the evening was a live art auction guided by Gala Honorary Chair Tony Shafrazi, one of the art worlds most prominent figures.

COAF ambassador Andrea Martin once again hosted this years gala. The Andrea Martin Performing Arts Auditorium, located in the COAF SMART Center, was named after the Emmy and Tony Award-winning Armenian-American actress in appreciation of her love and support for the children of Armenia.

COAFs Humanitarian Award was presented to Vartan Gregorian (president of the Carnegie Corporation) and his late wife Clare Gregorian, who was a founding COAF board member. Nine college scholarships were established for COAF youth in Armenia in appreciation of Clare Gregorians dedication.

Vartan Gregorian has served as an adviser to the COAF Board for several years. Prior to his current position, which he assumed in 1997, Gregorian served as the president of the New York Public Library, and later as the president of Brown University. He has been decorated by various governments, including over seventy honorary degrees.

Attendees also heard an inspiring speech from a young teenager by the name of Marina Mirzoyan from the COAF-supported village of Hatsik. Marina is currently a study exchange student in Colorado and who has excelled in English language programs offered by COAF at her local school. She spoke on gaining confidence and not being afraid to fail as a result of COAFs impact on her life. The evening also featured performances by two teenaged musicians from Armenia. Armen Puchinyan (piano) and Armen Daghents (saxophone) moved guests with both classical and popular pieces.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Staff of the Ministry of Culture who were protesting a governmental optimization plan outside the government headquarters gave a letter addressed to caretaker PM Nikol Pashinyan to a government official. The staff then declared they are ending the strike and returned to work.

The staff are requesting to cancel the optimization plan and to organize discussions with experts. They argue that the culture ministry is equally important for Armenia as the defense ministry, and merging it with another ministry is wrong.

They said they will wait for a response until Monday, and if the issue is not solved they will continue their struggle with all lawful means. The staff hoped for a positive response.

They said they carried out the demonstration in order for their voices to be heard.

The staff of the Diaspora ministry, who were also protesting the plan of being downgraded to a department under a different ministry, are still outside the government headquarters and are preparing a similar letter.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. On December 21, as of 10:00, the Stepantsminda-Lars highway is open for all types of vehicles, the Armenian ministry of transport, communication and information technologies told Armenpress.

The ministry of emergency situations informs that as of 10:20, roads are mainly passable in Armenia.

The Vardenyats Pass is closed for trucks.

Sotk-Karvachar highway is difficult to pass.

Drivers are urged to use winter tires when travelling to provinces.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Former President of the Central Bank of Armenia Bagrat Asatryan positively assesses the year of 2018, reports Armenpress.

The economic figures of this year were within the prediction range. Certain structural movements are taking place in the economy, and its obvious that one shouldnt expect great progress and development in economy in half a year. One should expect 5.5%-6% economic growth based on the results of the year, Bagrat Asatryan said.

He stated that the new government must examine and make conclusions from both positive and negative sides of these indicators.

The major change in foreign trade proportions was among negative sides. Based on the results of the year the import growth rates exceeded the export growth rates for several times. We also need to pay attention to agriculture sector. We have higher rate in processing industry, productions which have been traditional fields for Armenia and must develop in the future as well. We are approaching to a new borderline that will be the formation of the new Cabinet, the development of new program, he said.

The former CBA President considers the year positive also from political perspective, stating that there is an elected Parliament after a long pause.

The National Statistical Committee has released the macro-economic indicators of socio-economic development in Armenia for January-November 2018. According to the data, the economic growth comprised 5.7%.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
TORONTO, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited (BlackRock Canada), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK), today announced the final special cash distribution for iShares Core Balanced ETF Portfolio (formerly iShares Balanced Income CorePortfolio Index ETF) (XBAL/CBD1) and iShares Core Growth ETF Portfolio (formerly iShares Balanced Growth CorePortfolio Index ETF) (XGRO/CBN2, and together with XBAL/CBD1, the iShares Funds). This special cash distribution is a result in the realization of net capital gains for each iShares Fund and will be incremental to the normal year-end distributions of each iShares Fund as described in the prospectus of the iShares Funds under Distribution PolicyYear-end Distributions. This special cash distribution is in connection with the approved proposed changes to the fundamental investment objective of each iShares Fund and certain related matters which were previously announced on December 7, 2018. Unitholders that have elected to participate in the iShares Funds distribution reinvestment plan should note that these distributions will not be eligible for the plan. Unitholders of record of an iShares Fund on December 27, 2018 will receive cash distributions payable in respect of that fund on December 31, 2018.



Details regarding the per unit distribution amounts are as follows:

Fund Name Fund Ticker Cash Distribution Per Unit ($) iShares Core Balanced ETF Portfolio (formerly iShares Balanced Income CorePortfolio Index ETF) XBAL/CBD1 0.00000 iShares Core Growth ETF Portfolio (formerly iShares Balanced Growth CorePortfolio Index ETF) XGRO/CBN2 0.95671

1 The TSX ticker for the iShares Fund changed from CBD to XBAL on December 20, 2018. The iShares Fund also changed its name, effective December 11, 2018. The CUSIP of the iShares Fund did not change as a result of the implementation of the ticker or name changes.

2 The TSX ticker for the iShares Fund is changed from CBN to XGRO on December 20, 2018. The iShares Fund also changed its name, effective December 11, 2018. The CUSIP of the iShares Fund did not change as a result of the implementation of the ticker or name changes.

Further information on the iShares Funds can be found at http://www.blackrock.com/ca .

About BlackRock

BlackRock helps investors build better financial futures. As a fiduciary to our clients, we provide the investment and technology solutions they need when planning for their most important goals. As of September 30, 2018, the firm managed approximately US$6.44 trillion in assets on behalf of investors worldwide. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com/ca | Twitter: @BlackRockCA | Blog: www.blackrockblog.com/can

About iShares ETFs

iShares unlocks opportunity across markets to meet the evolving needs of investors. With more than twenty years of experience, a global line-up of 800+ exchange traded funds (ETFs) and US$1.8 trillion in assets under management as of September 30, 2018, iShares continues to drive progress for the financial industry. iShares funds are powered by the expert portfolio and risk management of BlackRock, trusted to manage more money than any other investment firm1.

1 Based on US$6.44 trillion in AUM as of 9/30/18

iShares ETFs are managed by BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited.

Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investing in iShares ETFs. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing. The funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional.

Contact for Media:

Peter McKillop

T  212-810-3737

Email: Peter.McKillop@blackrock.com
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. ARMENPRESS state news agency has received an award from the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) for comprehensively and duly covering the activities of the Fund.

COAF Media Relations Coordinator Anahit Evoyan said during 2018 ARMENPRESS has covered the Funds activity in 16 different topics. Thank you ARMENPRESS for being with us, for working very literally in the field and congrats on 100th anniversary, Evoyan said.

168 Jam newspaper, News.am, Public Radio, Photolure and Shant TV received COAF certificates and gifts for the most active coverage.

The most active journalists, who covered the COAF activities, also received awards.

Mediamax reporter Lusine Gharibyan received COAF Special Award.

Its already the third year the Children of Armenia Fund is holding an award ceremony for media outlets. Every year we announce a concrete topic within the frames of which the works of journalists pass through some competition stages. This year we were following the works of reporters to see what reports exist on the topic of education in Armenia, how the 35 works from all media outlets are being covered, Anahit Evoyan said.

COAF deputy chair Inessa Grigoryan said the interest of media outlets towards this event is growing every year. The Fund operates in Armenia for already 14 years. We are working in five provinces, with the rural community residents. 13.000 children use our services, we indirectly improve the life quality of 75.000 rural people, she said.

Reported by Ani Danielyan

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Ambassador Arman Kirakosyan, who completes his diplomatic mission in Austria and international organizations in Vienna, met with Lassina Zerbo - Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), the Armenian foreign ministry told Armenpress.

During the meeting the Armenian Ambassador thanked the CTBTO Executive Secretary for the productive cooperation during his mission and the programs conducted by the organization in Armenia. In his turn Lassina Zerbo highly appreciated Arman Kirakosyans personal contribution to developing Armenias cooperation with the CTBTO. The Ambassador reaffirmed the invitation sent to the CTBTO Executive Secretary to visit Armenia, stating that it will be a chance to get acquainted with the programs being implemented by the CTBTO support. At the end of the meeting Lassina Zeerbo wished success to the Ambassador in his future activities.

On December 19 Ambassador Arman Kirakosyan also had a farewell meeting with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Director General Li Yong. At the meeting Li Yong touched upon the recent and ongoing programs of the UNIDO in Armenia which greatly contributed to the upgrading and recovery of some sectors of the countrys economy, including textile production. Ambassador Kirakosyan thanked the UNIDO Director General for the effective cooperation, highlighting the latters personal contribution to the regulation of some issues related to Armenia. The Ambassador said the invitation to Li Yong to visit Armenia is in force, and in response the UNIDO Director General said he plans to visit Armenia in the second half of 2019. He added that he will be happy to participate in any business forum in Armenia.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. The Board of Trustees of the My Step Foundation held a session on December 20 chaired by Anna Hakobyan, wife of the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Hakobyan is president of the Board of Trustees of the charitable foundation. Trustees Vahagn Tevosyan, Lena Nazaryan, Serj Tankian, Vahan Vardapetyan, Sara Anjargolyan and Lusine Kasarjian took part in the board session.

Hakobyan noted that the goal of the special session is to discuss the activity of the foundation of the recent months, to present the developed projects and the issues.

Executive director of the foundation Hovhannes Ghazaryan presented the financial report of the past 6 months and then introduced the foundations action plan concept to the Board of Trustees. Programs concerning social security, healthcare, education and environmental issues were also presented. Ghazaryan said that the foundation of all projects will be long-term affect.

The board also discussed the procedure and principles of individual citizens applications on healthcare issues.

The board also determines its budget limitations and confirmed the staff list.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. New postage stamp dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the foundation of ARMENPRESS state news agency was cancelled and put into circulation on December 21.

The cancellation ceremony on the topic of 100th anniversary of the foundation of the telegraph agency of Armenia-Armenpress was held in ARMENPRESS news agency and was carried out by acting minister of transport, communication and information technologies Hakob Arshakyan, Director of ARMENPRESS Aram Ananyan, Acting Chief Executive Officer of HayPost CJSC Haik Avagyan and President of the Union of Philatelists of Armenia Hovik Musayelyan.

ARMENPRESS is one of the oldest news agencies in Armenia. For already 100 years the agency provides different, operative and reliable information to its subscribers, partners and the public. Its worth mentioning that the main hero of ARMENPRESS  be it reporter, journalist, photo-journalist, representative of a new video service, international relations specialist, is depicted on the postage stamp, Director of ARMENPRESS Aram Ananyan said.

The postage stamp with nominal value of 120 AMD is printed in Cartor printing house in France with the print-run of 30 000 pcs. The author of the stamps design is the chief designer of HayPost CJSC Vahagn Mkrtchyan, and the photographer is Gevorg Perkupekyan from ARMENPRESS. The postage stamp depicts the graphical silhouette of a woman working on a typing machine. The postage stamp represents the combination of light and shade symbolizing the 24-hour work performed behind the scenes by the media professionals.

Photos by Tatev Duryan

Congratulations on the 100th anniversary of ARMENPRESS. Each sphere with its age and experience provides a cultural base for development. Its worth stating that today we are celebrating the 100th jubilee of ARMENPRESS in a much freer and open field. I wish you productive activities, acting minister Hakob Arshakyan said.

In his turn President of the Union of Philatelists of Armenia Hovik Musayelyan also congratulated the 100th anniversary of the news agency and stated that the postage stamps symbolize Armenias culture, history and various events.

ARMENPRESS has been distinguished from all media outlets in terms of disseminating articles about philately, for which I want to thank you very much. From time to time, if there is no event, they call and are interested in the field. And I offer congratulations on behalf of our Union, he said.

According to the decree of the President of the Republic of Artsakh, ARMENPRESS news agency has been awarded with a Medal of Gratitude for the comprehensive support provided to Artsakh in media field. The Medal has been handed over to Director of ARMENPRESS Aram Ananyan by Artsakh Republics Representative to Armenia Karlen Avetisyan.

I also join the congratulations. ARMENPRESS news agency is the live companion of our second and third Republics which has covered the key events during the Soviet years, as well as the ones which happened in Armenia after independence, and has always tried to keep its principled stance. I want to state with a great pride that ARMENPRESS played a great role in our achievements. During the period of the Artsakh war ARMENPRESS was the agency which was doing everything to deliver the true word, the peoples demand to the international community. The people and leadership of Artsakh highly value the works carried out by ARMENPRESS, he said.

ARMENPRESS news agency was established on December 18, 1918 when by the decision of the National Council of the first Armenian Republic an unprecedented state-run news agency, Armenian Telegraph Agency, was created. Currently, ARMENPRESS news agency operates as a Closed Joint-Stock Company the stocks of which are owned by the Republic of Armenia. The agency is the oldest in Armenia. At the moment it produces eleven newslines: official, politics, economy, society, regional, international, Armenian world, culture, sport, life, innovation, interviews and photo news.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. President of the European Council Donald Tusk and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker addressed a joint letter to Armenias caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan congratulating on his blocs victory in the general election, the EU delegation reported.

Below is the letter as published on the EU Delegation to Armenia Facebook account.

Excellency

We would like to congratulate you on your political alliance's victory in Armenia's parliamentary elections of 9 December 2018. The elections were held with respect for fundamental freedoms and enjoyed broad public trust. You received a strong mandate for reforms from the citizens of Armenia.

The European Union stands ready to support you in your reform agenda. The EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, provisionally applied since 1 June 2018, provides a solid framework for our cooperation and an ambitious blueprint for reforms.

It will also support a resilient economic and social system conducive to building Armenia's prosperity. We look forward to working together to implement the Agreement to the benefit of all Armenian citizens.

At the broader, regional level, we count on Armenia's continued engagement within the Eastern Partnership, which will mark its tenth anniversary in 2019. We also count on your renewed efforts to promote regional peace and security.



We wish you every success in leading your country".



Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. On November 30, 2018, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) discussed the Financial System Stability Assessment (FSSA) of Armenia. Armenias financial system has expanded further since the 2012 Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP). The countrys macroeconomic performance has been satisfactory, and the financial system has been stable. Armenias banking sector has weathered the 2014 economic slowdown, aided by additional capital injected by shareholders, several mergers, and improved regulation and supervision. At present, financial soundness indicators show signs of improvement. All banks meet the 12 percent minimum capital requirement. Bank profitability has gradually recovered, although it is still below pre-crisis levels. Nonperforming loans (NPLs) have fallen, of which a substantial proportion is covered by provisions, although NPL ratios are still high in a few banks, ARMENPRESS was informed from the official website of the IMF.

Armenia is a small open highly dollarized economy subject to external shocks. Against this backdrop, the Armenias financial system is relatively shallow and dominated by banks. The banking sectors assets equal about 78 percent of GDP, and subsidiaries of foreign banks make up a sizable proportion of banking assets. Capital markets are thin, and external financing is important for long-term financing, given a small domestic investor base. As illustrated by the stress tests, risks from a high degree of financial dollarization are significant, including credit risks and limited liquidity cushions in foreign currency in the event of external shocks.

Since the 2012 FSAP the CBA has made progress in strengthening Armenias financial system. The CBA has adopted measures to mitigate risks from dollarization. Higher risk-weights and provisioning were imposed on dollar assets to absorb the credit risk due to unhedged borrowing.

Liquidity requirements were introduced in 2012 to mitigate the higher liquidity risk of foreign exchange funding. At the same time, the CBA has pursued an ambitious agenda to strengthen financial oversight, which includes adopting a risk-based supervision framework and addressing gaps in the regulatory framework identified in the previous FSAP.

Executive Directors agreed with the main findings and recommendations of the Financial System Stability Assessment (FSSA). They welcomed the progress made by the authorities in strengthening financial sector oversight and promoting financial deepening to further enhance financial sector resilience. Directors commended the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) for the reforms undertaken since the 2012 FSAP review, notably in adopting the prudential measures to mitigate risks from dollarization and upgrading the risk-based supervision framework. They encouraged the authorities to prioritize reforms, recognizing capacity constraints. While welcoming the measures already adopted, Directors underlined that vulnerabilities remain from high levels of dollarization and insufficient liquidity cushions in foreign currency. They recommended that the authorities adopt the capital conservation buffer and the surcharge for domestic systemically-important banks as planned, as well as measures to address credit risk from unhedged foreign exchange exposures, such as the introduction of a stressed debt service to income ratio limit. In addition, Directors advised the gradual introduction of the requirement for banks to maintain reserves in foreign currency for liabilities denominated in foreign currency and the liquidity coverage ratio and net stable funding ratio in Armenian dram and in U.S. dollars.

They also emphasized the need to be prepared to implement the countercyclical capital buffer, if the current trend in credit growth persists.

Directors commended the improvements in banking oversight, but noted that shortcomings remain. They called on the authorities to refine the risk-based supervision framework for a more granular assessment of banks capital needs, enforce large exposure limits, and amend the definition of nonperforming and restructured loans in line with international best practices. In addition, Directors encouraged the authorities to implement measures to improve transparency in reporting and accounting by corporations and sub-national and state-owned entities.

Directors noted the narrow functions of the Deposit Guarantee Funds and the absence of a true interagency high-level crisis management committee. They urged the authorities to fully develop all components of the financial safety net and crisis management arrangements in line with

The rapid expansion of Armenias banking sector over the past decade was accompanied by a significant decline in profitability. Between 2007 and 2017, while the total assets of the banking sector increased from 24.3 to 78.2 percent of GDP and banking capital more than doubled, the total profits of Armenian banks remained broadly constant (aside from cyclical fluctuations)in absolute terms (about$60 million per year on average). In 2017, the average return on assets (ROA)of Armenian banks was less than 1 percent and the average return on equity (ROE) was about 6 percent. Low profitability seems to originate from a high volume of nonperforming loans, and declining interest spreads (Figure 3). There are also some indications that profitability could benefit from economies of scale. Armenian banks are generally smaller than banks in comparable countries when using a variety of indicators. These include the average bank assets (which was about $0.53 billion in Armenia in 2017) and the size of their market: the GDP per bank amounted in 2016 to $0.62 billion. With a very moderate concentration index of Herfindahl- Hirschman by assets of 8.7 percent, it appears that additional mergers could be beneficial.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakhs Free Motherland Party Arayik Harutyunyan has responded to the disinformation about him that he has allegedly met with 1st President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of Free Motherland Party, the statement runs as follows,

Dear compatriots,

Starting from yesterday a number of media outlets have spread disinformation about me that I have allegedly met with 1st President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan and discussed the issue of surrendering territories in the future.

First Id like to inform that I and Levon Ter-Petrosyan have not met. Referring to the accusations directed to me about the so-called surrendering territories I will be sincere saying that for a long time I hesitated whether to respond to that nonsense or no, since I have publicly announced my position on Artsakh conflict settlement when I was still the Prime Minister of the Republic of Artsakh, even at the times when such an approach was not fashionable and few people dared to speak about it. To prove my words I republish my announcement on Madrid Principles during an online Facebook press conference in 2014.

I have to say to those trying to achieve some goals by such media provocations that without the consent of the Armenian people, particularly all our compatriots living in Artsakh and the Motherland, the final settlement of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) issue is impossible.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Justice Department announced indictments accusing Chinese officials of coordinating a decade-long espionage campaign to steal intellectual property and other data from dozens of companies, drawing a strong denial from China.

Two Chinese nationals, Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong, were accused Thursday of coordinating with state security officials in an extensive hacking campaign, allegedly infiltrating 45 U.S. companies and government agencies, as well as other firms in more than a dozen countries.

Chinas Foreign Ministry said the government has never participated in or supported individuals in stealing commercial secrets. The U.S. accusations are baseless, spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, and the charges against its citizens should be immediately withdrawn so as to avoid serious damage to bilateral relations.

U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said in a statement they were concerned that the alleged operation violated a 2015 agreement China made with the U.S. to stop supporting cyber theft of intellectual property and trade secrets.

The indictments against the two, unsealed in federal court in Manhattan on Thursday, underscore one of the primary U.S. grievances in the ongoing trade fight between the Trump administration and Beijing: the systematic theft of U.S. intellectual property and forced technology transfers from companies doing business in China.

Those complaints are a central issue in negotiations U.S. and China are working under a 90-day deadline President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping set after agreeing Dec. 1 to halt additional tariffs and trade penalties. Since July, the two countries have imposed tariffs on a combined $360 billion in each others imports, a bruising conflict could undermine the global economy at a time when growth is leveling off.

The hackers, known in the cybersecurity community as Advanced Persistent Threat 10, stole information from companies in an array of industries, including banking and finance, telecommunications, biotechnology, automotive, health care and mining, according to the indictment.

Story continues

The group hacked the U.S. Navy, making off with the personal data of more than 100,000 personnel, and successfully infiltrated computers linked to NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the indictment said. Zhu and Zhang were indicted in abstentia.

Law enforcement officials stressed the threat Chinese hacking poses to the U.S. as they announced the charges.

This is outright cheating and theft, and it gives China an unfair advantage at the expense of law-abiding businesses and countries that follow international rules, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said in a statement.

The threats we face have never been more severe and more pervasive and more potentially damaging to our national security, and no country poses a broader and more severe long-term threat to our nations economy and cyber infrastructure than China, FBI Director Christopher Wray said at a news conference in Washington.

The U.K. Foreign Office joined in pressing the accusations, issuing a statement alleging that a group known as APT 10 acted on behalf of Chinese government to carry out a malicious cyber campaign targeting intellectual property and sensitive commercial data in Europe, Asia and the U.S.

The defendants named in the U.S. indictment worked for Huayhing Haitei Science and Technology Development Co. in Tianjin, China, and acted in coordination with the Chinese Ministry of State Securitys Tianjin State Security Bureau, according to court documents. Their group was also known as Red Apollo, CVNX, Stone Panda and other names, according to the indictment.

The group used a technique known as spear phishing, in which emails are sent pretending to be from legitimate addresses to targets with attached documents and files that would secretly install malware if opened, according to the U.S. That gives hackers access to the subjects computer and allows them to steal user names and passwords, files and other information.

Zhu, Zhang and other hackers gained access to at least 90 computers belonging to commercial and defense technology companies and federal government agencies, in at least a dozen states -- including NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the U.S. said.

It is galling that American companies and government agencies spent years of research and countless dollars to develop their intellectual property, while the defendants simply stole it and got it for free, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman in Manhattan said at the news conference. We cannot, and will not, allow such brazen thievery to go unchecked.

Prosecutors said in court filings that while the group used similar tools and methods in all its campaigns, the hackers increasingly strengthened their ability to breach network defenses as part of a continuous and unrelenting effort to steal technology and other information.

Starting in 2014, members of the group attempted to access computers and networks of managed service providers, which remotely manage information technology for businesses and governments worldwide, in order to break into their clients systems and steal intellectual property and confidential business data on a global scale.

That campaign included the hack of one managed service provider with offices in New York that compromised the data of the provider and clients located in a dozen countries involved in industries including banking and finance, consumer electronics and oil and gas exploration, prosecutors said.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, speaking Thursday on Fox Business Network, said the case was unrelated to ongoing trade negotiations with China, but that cyber-security has consistently been part of the talks.

The DOJ action is separate from the trade discussions, Mnuchin said. But as the administration we are clearly very focused on making sure that we protect American technology. This will be a separate dialogue but something thats important to resolve.

Chinas foreign ministry also levied its own accusations of U.S. hacking, with Hua saying its an open secret that U.S. government departments have long engaged in large-scale and organized cyber espionage and surveillance activities against foreign governments, enterprises and individuals.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said this week the tit-for-tat tariffs are one of the factors the central bank is monitoring amid signs of slowing global growth.

The prospect of a deal has been clouded by the arrest in Canada of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who the U.S. accuses of helping the telecom company evade sanctions against Iran.

(Updates with Chinese Foreign Ministry comment from third paragraph.)

--With assistance from Andrew Mayeda and Alyza Sebenius.

To contact the reporters on this story: Tom Schoenberg in Washington at tschoenberg@bloomberg.net;Chris Dolmetsch in Federal Court in Manhattan at cdolmetsch@bloomberg.net;Jennifer Epstein in Washington at jepstein32@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jeffrey D Grocott at jgrocott2@bloomberg.net, Sharon Chen, Karen Leigh

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
The bodies of two women from Denmark and Norway murdered by suspected jihadists while hiking in the High Atlas mountains in Morocco were flown back to Scandinavia on Friday. The remains of Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and 28-year-old Norwegian Maren Ueland were put on a plane that left Casablanca for the Danish capital, a police spokesman said. Moroccan authorities said Thursday that four suspects arrested following the murder of the two tourists had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group. The bodies of the two women were found Monday after they had pitched their tent at an isolated mountain site two hours' walk from the tourist village of Imlil. One of them was beheaded, according to a source close to the investigation. Imlil is a starting point for trekking and climbing tours of Mount Toubkal, which at 4,167 metres is the highest summit in North Africa. Hours after the grisly discovery authorities announced the arrest of a first suspect and later said he belonged to an "extremist" group, while the three other suspects were arrested on Thursday. Moroccan investigators are probing a link to Islamic extremism after a video emerged showing the suspects "pledging allegiance" to the Islamic State group, the Rabat prosecutor has said. Authorities were working to determine the authenticity of a video posted on social media networks allegedly showing the murder of one of the tourists, according to the prosecutor. "At this point, there is no tangible evidence that the video is not authentic," Norway's criminal investigations agency Kripos said Friday. - 'In shock' - All four suspects were arrested in Marrakesh, an hour away from the scene of the murder. Younes Ouaziad, 27, lived with his parents in the working-class Al-Azzouzia neighbourhood. His family and neighbours said Friday they were "in shock". "He was a boy without any history, private. There was nothing to suggest he could do something like that," 35-year-old Abdelaati, a vegetable seller in the neighbourhood, told AFP. The murders have prompted condemnation from authorities in Denmark and Norway. Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen denounced what he called a "beastly crime". Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg condemned what she called a "brutal and meaningless attack on innocents". Moroccan government spokesman Mustapha Khalfi described the killings as a "terrorist act" while Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani said it was a "stab in the back of Morocco and Moroccans". Tourism is a cornerstone of Morocco's economy, accounting for 10 percent of national income. Morocco has been spared jihadist attacks since 2011, when a bomb attack on a cafe in Marrakesh's famed Jamaa El Fna Square killed 17 people, most of them European tourists. A van transports the bodies of two murdered Scandinavian hikers from Marrakesh to the airport on December 20, 2018 Villagers gather in the Moroccan tourist village of Imlil in the High Atlas range on December 18, 2018
Washington, D.C., Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --





Recall Release CLASS I RECALL

HEALTH RISK: HIGH Congressional and Public Affairs

Buck McKay (202) 720-9113



Press@fsis.usda.gov

FSIS-RC-124-2018



JENNIE-O TURKEY STORE SALES, INC. RECALLS RAW GROUND TURKEY PRODUCTS DUE TO POSSIBLE SALMONELLA READING CONTAMINATION







Editors Note: FSIS and our public health partners, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state public health officials, are investigating a Salmonella Reading outbreak. A previous recall of raw ground turkey products associated with the outbreak occurred on Nov. 15, 2018. Please note that FSIS is continuing to investigate illnesses associated with this widespread outbreak, and additional product from other companies may also be recalled. Salmonella is prevalent and can be present in raw poultry and meat  no raw poultry or meat is sterile. In addition to discarding the product associated with this recall, consumers can protect themselves now and in the future by ALWAYS cooking their turkey, and other poultry products thoroughly, to a safe internal temperature of 165 , as measured using a food thermometer. The cooking process kills the Salmonella. No one should be eating partially cooked or raw turkey. Additionally, it is essential that people wash their hands after handling raw poultry, meat, and pet food to avoid cross contamination.





WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2018  Jennie-O Turkey Store Sales, Inc., a Faribault, Minn. establishment, is recalling approximately 164,210 pounds of raw ground turkey products that may be contaminated with Salmonella Reading, the U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The raw ground turkey items were produced on October 22, 2018 and October 23, 2018. The following products are subject to recall:

3-lb. packages of Jennie-O GROUND TURKEY 93% LEAN | 7% FAT with Use or freeze by dates of 11/12/18 and 11/13/18 on the side of the trays.

1-lb. packages of Jennie-O GROUND TURKEY 93% LEAN | 7% FAT with Use or freeze by dates of 11/12/18 on the side of the trays.

1-lb. packages of Jennie-O TACO SEASONED GROUND TURKEY with Use or freeze by dates of 11/12/18 on the side of the trays.

1-lb. packages of Jennie-O ITALIAN SEASONED GROUND TURKEY with Use or freeze by dates of 11/12/18 on the side of the trays.

3-lb. packages of Jennie-O Ground Turkey 85% LEAN | 15% FAT with a Use or freeze by date of 11/13/18 on the side of the trays.

2.5-lb. packages of Jennie-O Ground Turkey 93% LEAN | 7% FAT with a Use or freeze by date of 11/13/18 on the side of the trays.

3-lb. packages of STATER BROS. 85% LEAN | 15% FAT ALL NATURAL Ground Turkey with a Use or freeze by date of 11/12/18 on the side of the trays.

The products subject to recall bear establishment number EST. P-579 inside the USDA mark of inspection or on the side of the tray. These items were shipped to retail locations nationwide.

FSIS and its public health partners, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, have been conducting traceback activities for a sample of Jennie-O brand ground turkey in an intact, unopened package from a case-patients home. The patient tested positive for Salmonella Reading and the samples from the case-patient and from the ground turkey are closely related genetically.

This investigation is part of a larger effort involving FSIS, the CDC, and state public health and agriculture partners, who have been working together on an illness cluster involving 216 case-patients in 38 states and the District of Columbia. Patients have reported eating different types and brands of turkey products purchased from many different stores, handling raw turkey pet food and/or raw turkey, or working with live turkeys or living with someone who handled live turkeys. FSIS continues to work with the CDC and state health and agriculture departments on this larger investigation and will provide updated information as it becomes available. Based on the continuing investigation, additional product from other companies may also be recalled.

Consumption of food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. The most common symptoms of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. Most people recover without treatment. In some persons, however, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. Older adults, infants, and persons with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop a severe illness. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact their health care provider.

FSIS is concerned that some product may be frozen and in consumers freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls.

FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume raw poultry product that has been cooked to a temperature of 165F. Safe steps in food handling, cooking, and storage are essential in preventing foodborne illness. You can't see, smell, or taste harmful bacteria that may cause illness. In every step of food preparation, follow the four guidelines to keep food safe:

CleanWash hands and surfaces often.

SeparateSeparate raw meat from other foods.

CookCook to the right temperature.

ChillRefrigerate food promptly.

Consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact Hormel Consumer Engagement, at (800) 621-3505. Media with questions regarding the recall can contact Media Relations at, media@hormel.com or (507) 434 6352.

Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day. The online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/reportproblem.
A Dutch church said Friday it would run round-the-clock religious services to stop the deportation of an Armenian family, after the Netherlands refused them special asylum just days before Christmas. For two months, the Tamrazyan family have been sheltering at the Bethel church in The Hague, which has taken advantage of a Dutch law that authorities cannot enter while a service is underway. The church said junior justice minister Mark Harbers had on Thursday informed them of the "harsh and unjust" decision "not to use his discretionary jurisdiction to grant the Tamrazyan family permits of residence". The church "cannot accept the rejection and will continue" to give the family refuge there, it said in a statement. Theo Hettema, chair of The Hague Protestant Church, added: "Just before Christmas, when we celebrate God's humanity-loving and peaceful deeds, we feel strengthened not to forsake our responsibility for the Tamrazyan family." The family fled Armenia after the father received death threats for his political activities and have been living in the Netherlands for nearly nine years. Eldest daughter Hayarpi Tamrazyan, 21, who has effectively become the spokesperson for the family, her mother, father, 19-year-old sister and 14-year-old brother took refuge in the church on October 25 after Dutch authorities turned down their request for asylum. The Dutch justice ministry has the power to exceptionally grant asylum to minors who are subject to expulsion orders -- known as a kinderpardon. A justice ministry spokesman told AFP that Harbers had said he would not use the discretionary power, confirming an earlier decision on the matter. The ministry had informed the family on Thursday, the spokesperson added. Nearly 650 pastors from the Netherlands and other countries have been praying 24/7 to exploit the loophole in Dutch law which says authorities cannot enter if a religious service is going on. The government had ignored an "extensive file with new information" on the family's cause presented by the church-related refugee organisation INLIA, the church statement said. "The grounds on which the secretary of state has put aside this file are so disputable that the church has no other option but to continue with the church asylum." The case has put the church and the family under the media spotlight. Hayarpi Tamrazyan told foreign media on December 13: "I really don't know what the outcome will be but we hope we can stay here because this is our home, this is where we belong." A church in the Haque is holding non-stop services to stop Dutch authorities serving a deportation order on an Armenian family seeking asylum in the Netherlands .
The Israeli army said Friday it has blown up a cross-border tunnel dug by Hezbollah from Lebanon, the first of four it has uncovered -- and pledged to destroy -- in recent weeks. "A cross-border attack tunnel dug from the Shiite village of Ramyeh into Israel was detonated" in an operation on Thursday night, the army said in a statement. The Israeli military "holds the Lebanese Government responsible for digging the attack tunnels and the consequences of this action," it said. A video distributed by the army shows an officer using a megaphone to call on residents of the Lebanese village of Ramyeh to evacuate the area since the military was about to "blow up this tunnel built by Hezbollah". Israeli soldiers are also seen inserting rope-like objects into a hole in the ground, while the explosion was documented from a number of angles. On Thursday night, a military spokesman had said the detonation would be on the Israeli side of the demarcation line with Lebanon, known as the Blue Line. "We are conducting a defensive activity," Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus told reporters. In launching an operation to cut off the tunnels on December 4, Israel's military said it located four underground passageways infiltrating Israeli territory. Israel alleges Hezbollah had planned to use the tunnels to kidnap or kill its civilians or soldiers, and to seize a slice of Israeli territory in the event of any hostilities, while noting they were not yet operational. A month-long war in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers. The UN confirmed the existence of the four tunnels and its Under Secretary for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix has called them "a serious violation of Resolution 1701", which ended the 2006 war. A guided tour by the Israeli army shows a soldier operating a pulley while standing above an entry point intercepting a tunnel between Lebanon and Israel, near the border near the town of Metula, on December 19, 2018
A former prime minister, the current Supreme Court chief justice and a deceased Catholic cardinal are among Latvians who collaborated with the KGB during the Cold War, according to files released Friday. The Latvian National Archives revealed all the former agents -- many still active in politics and business -- after a quarter century of legal and legislative battles in the Baltic state. "The list of collaborators shows that KGB contacts were recruited from all professions and ages," political scientist Didzis Senbergs wrote at local news portal Pietiek.com. The KGB enlisted nearly 24,000 Latvians as collaborators and agents between 1953 and 1992. Unlike other countries under Soviet rule at the time, Latvia managed to save its KGB archive from being destroyed when it regained independence in 1991. The Latvian authorities took over the KGB building in Riga and threw the documents into huge sacks that they transported to a secure location. Dubbed "the KGB sacks" ever since, the archive contains an index of all the collaborators as well as their codenames, real names, birthplaces and other data. - Politicians, religious leaders, journalists - "The entire archive is enormous," said computer scientist Ilmars Poikans, a member of Latvia's scientific commission on the files. "It includes information gathered by KGB spies and criminal investigations involving the KGB and its agents," he told AFP. "There are also cases fabricated against Soviet-era dissidents and pro-democracy activists. Everything will be scanned and eventually released." High-profile individuals mentioned include Ivars Godmanis, who twice served as Latvia's prime minister, was a European Parliament member and now sits on the board of the country's largest pharmaceutical company. Others include current Supreme Court chief justice Ivars Bickovics, the Catholic cardinal Julijans Vaivods -- codename "Omega" -- who died in 1991. Former foreign minister Georgs Andrejevs and Aleksandrs Kudrjashovs, the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church in Latvia, were also on the list. Several current and former parliament members, diplomats, artists and writers also appear in the KGB sacks. They include Rolands Tjarve, who was enlisted as an agent while a student during the 1980s. He went on to become the head of the public broadcasting company LTV before getting sacked and becoming a journalism lecturer at the University of Latvia. Another high-profile name is Rihards Eigims, who was arrested last week on suspicion of soliciting a bribe while serving as the mayor of Latvia's second city of Daugavpils. - In handwritten Cyrillic - "Only the court can conduct a full investigation and find out whether the individual was indeed a KGB collaborator," National Archives director Mara Sprudza warned in a statement ahead of the release. "The documents are being published in their original order, but readers should beware that most of them are in handwritten Cyrillic." The index also contains the names of people who were pressured by the KGB into collaborating but who nevertheless refused to spy for them. Latvia had for years debated whether to release the KGB sacks, running up against constant opposition from individuals suspected of having been KGB agents. It was only in 2015 that a commission was set up to sort through the archives and prepare them for publication. The National Archives are scanning the next batch of documents for release in January. Anyone can access the files placed online so far at kgb.arhivi.lv by free registration. Former prime minister Ivars Godmanis is among thousands of Latvians named on a list of collaborators with the KBG Latvian officials managed to seize the archives from the headquarters of the KGB in Riga when they broke away from Soviet rule in 1991
Two middle-aged people were being held Saturday over the suspected "criminal use of drones" at London's Gatwick Airport, where flights were returning to normal after three days of pre-Christmas disruption affecting 140,000 passengers. Police swooped on a 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman from town of Crawley, which neighbours Britain's second-busiest airport. A Gatwick spokesman said the airport planned to run a full schedule of 757 flights carrying 124,484 passengers on Saturday. But he warned that passengers should expect some delays and cancellations "as we continue to recover our operations". "We are grateful for passengers' continued patience as we work to get them to their final destination in time for Christmas," the spokesman said. Drones were first sighted buzzing around Gatwick on Wednesday then reappeared more than 50 times, forcing the government to bring in specialist military resources to help counter the threat. The dangers posed by drones include the possibility of a device smashing into a passenger plane or being sucked up into an engine where its highly flammable lithium battery could cause a catastrophe. The two people arrested late Friday were being held on suspicion of "disrupting services of civil aviation aerodrome to endanger or likely to endanger safety of operations or persons". "Our investigations are still on-going, and our activities at the airport continue to build resilience to detect and mitigate further incursions from drones, by deploying a range of tactics," said Sussex Police superintendent James Collis. The army was called in on Thursday to offer support, with the defence ministry deploying what was described only as specialist equipment. Government officials held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation. - Law change - Under recently-introduced laws in Britain, drones cannot be flown near aircraft or within a kilometre (about half a mile) of an airport, or at an altitude of over 400 feet (122 metres). Violators face up to five years in prison for endangering an aircraft. The Times newspaper reported Saturday that Transport Secretary Chris Grayling had shelved plans earlier this year to introduce laws regulating drone use despite being warned about the risk they posed to airports. A Department for Transport spokesman said: "Next year further laws will come into effect to ensure drone users must be registered and pass safety tests. "We are continuing to introduce further measures and recently consulted on extending police powers to deal with people who misuse drones, as well working on the development of counter-drone technology to ensure incidents like this can't happen again." Justin Burtenshaw, head of armed policing for Sussex and Surrey, described the cat-and-mouse hunt for the drone operators. "Each time we believe we get close to the operator, the drone disappears. When we look to reopen the airfield the drone reappears," he said Thursday. Darcis, 32, who was supposed to arrive from Milan on Thursday and had to sleep at the airport, said: "I cannot understand why such a small thing can cause an international airport like Gatwick (to close). They should be ready for these things. I really don't understand what we can do." Gatwick, around 30 miles (50 kilometres) south of the British capital, is the eighth-busiest airport in Europe and sits behind Mumbai as the world's busiest single-runway air hub. Gatwick warned passengers to expect some delays and cancellations "as we continue to recover our operations following three days of disruption" Flights resumed on Friday after a new drone sighting briefly forced planes to be grounded Gatwick is the eighth-busiest airport in Europe Map of London's five main airports, showing passenger numbers in 2017.
Scandinavian hikers Maren Ueland and Louisa Vesterager Jespersen were murdered by suspected jihadists in Morocco near a popular tourist spot in the Atlas mountains. The bodies of the university students, 28 and 24, were found on December 17 and flown to Copenhagen on Friday, a police source said. Four suspects arrested over the killings had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group, according to Moroccan authorities. Nine others have been detained. A video shared on social media sites that appeared to show the beheading of one of the women is almost certainly real, Norwegian police have concluded. Here are more details about Maren Ueland, Norwegian, and Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, from Denmark. - Took precautions - "Adventurers", "sociable" and "positive" -- just some of the descriptions of the two friends who had been studying outdoor activities at the University of Southeastern Norway. The pair decided to go to Morocco for Christmas and arrived for a month-long holiday on 9 December. They had travelled to the foothills of Mount Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak, not far from the tourist village of Imlil. "The girls took all the necessary precautions before leaving for the trip," Maren's mother Irene told Norwegian's NRK television. Photos show the pair laughing and smiling over the years, often outdoors. Maren's mother paid tribute to her daughter by sharing a picture of her on Facebook with her pet dog, a huge leonberger named Alf Herman. "Maren disliked Christmas... this throw-away mentality. But at the same time was someone very family-orientated," Irene told Norwegian newspaper Stavanger Aftenbladet. "She could have lived where other people would not have believed you could live," her younger sister Malin told the same paper. - 'Smiling, chatty and sociable - Originally from Jutland, in west Denmark, Louisa had a rafting license, according to her profile on social networks, and a love for the outdoors. On November 21, she appealed to friends on Facebook for advice about Morocco ahead of the ill-fated trip. "Dear friends, I'm going to Morocco in December. Will some of you be in the area or have hiking friends who know something about Mount Toubkal?" she wrote, according to local media reports. Her university director Petter Aasen told TV2 the two friends had not taken any risks. "They were well prepared and went to an area where they could travel safely," he said. "They have made many trips abroad, together or alone," he added. The university is planning a commemoration that will take place on campus in early 2019. "They were smiling, chatty and sociable," said Rachid Imerhade, a mountain guide contacted by the agency NTB. He had met the two friends a few days before their disappearance in Morocco. "They talked a lot with the other people around," he added. Louisa's mother, Helle Petersen, told the Danish newspaper B.T. that her daughter was "always happy and positive. Everyone loved her and she saw the best in everyone". Her mother added that she had warned her daughter about travelling to Morocco "because of the chaotic situation". Maren Ueland's mother said she disliked Christmas and its consumerist trappings They were killed near the tourist village of Imlil Map locating the zone in the High Atlas mountains where two women were murdered.
Moroccan authorities have made nine new arrests over the brutal murder of two Scandinavian hikers by suspected jihadists in the kingdom's High Atlas Mountains, police said Friday. The announcement came just hours after the bodies of Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and 28-year-old Norwegian Maren Ueland were put on a plane in Casablanca that left for Copenhagen. The new suspects were detained across the country for their "alleged links with the perpetrators of the terrorist act", Morocco's central bureau of judicial investigations said. Police also seized "electronic equipment, a shotgun, knives... a military uniform and materials that could be used to manufacture explosives", it added. Moroccan authorities said Thursday that four other suspects arrested following the murder of the two tourists had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group. The bodies of the two women were found Monday after they had pitched their tent at an isolated mountain site two hours' walk from the tourist village of Imlil. One of them was beheaded, according to a source close to the investigation. Imlil is a starting point for trekking and climbing tours of Mount Toubkal, which at 4,167 metres is the highest summit in North Africa. Hours after the grisly discovery authorities announced the arrest of a first suspect and later said he belonged to an "extremist" group, while the three other suspects were arrested on Thursday. Moroccan investigators are probing a link to Islamic extremism after a video emerged showing the suspects "pledging allegiance" to the Islamic State group, the Rabat prosecutor has said. Authorities were working to determine the authenticity of a video posted on social media networks allegedly showing the murder of one of the tourists, according to the prosecutor. "At this point, there is no tangible evidence that the video is not authentic," Norway's criminal investigations agency Kripos said Friday. - 'In shock' - The first four suspects detained were all arrested in Marrakesh, an hour away from the scene of the murder. Younes Ouaziad, 27, lived with his parents in the working-class Al-Azzouzia neighbourhood. His family and neighbours said Friday they were "in shock". "He was a boy without any history, private. There was nothing to suggest he could do something like that," 35-year-old Abdelaati, a vegetable seller in the neighbourhood, told AFP. The murders have prompted condemnation from authorities in Denmark and Norway. Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen denounced what he called a "beastly crime". Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg condemned what she called a "brutal and meaningless attack on innocents". Moroccan government spokesman Mustapha Khalfi described the killings as a "terrorist act" while Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani said it was a "stab in the back of Morocco and Moroccans". Tourism is a cornerstone of Morocco's economy, accounting for 10 percent of national income. Morocco has been spared jihadist attacks since 2011, when a bomb attack on a cafe in Marrakesh's famed Jamaa El Fna Square killed 17 people, most of them European tourists. A van transports the bodies of two murdered Scandinavian hikers from Marrakesh to the airport on December 20, 2018 This undated handout picture shows 28-year-old Maren Ueland from Norway (COMBO) This combination of pictures created on December 20, 2018 shows Rachid Afatti (L), Younes Ouaziad (C), and Ejjoud Abdessamad (R), three suspects in the grisly murder of two Scandinavian hikers Villagers gather in the Moroccan tourist village of Imlil in the High Atlas range on December 18, 2018
The NATO alliance stressed its continued commitment to its support mission in Afghanistan on Friday as Washington prepared to withdraw thousands of US troops. NATO's spokeswoman Oana Lungescu would not comment on US President Donald Trump's plan to bring home a chunk of the 14,000 US troops deployed in Afghanistan. But she said NATO foreign ministers met as recently as this month to express "steadfast commitment to ensuring long-term security and stability in Afghanistan." "Our engagement is important to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for international terrorists who could threaten us at home," she said. Some of the US forces deployed in Afghanistan are part of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission, training and advising the local Afghan forces fighting Taliban rebels. Others are part of a US-led counter-terrorism mission, and it is not clear from initial reports which of the troops will be the first to come home. A US official told AFP that a "decision has been made. There will be a significant withdrawal." Separately, the Wall Street Journal and other US media reported that more than 7,000 troops would return. "We have seen the reports. For any comments, I refer you to the US authorities," Lungescu said. Trump has often been at loggerheads with fellow NATO leaders, accusing European allies like Germany of not pulling their weight in terms of defence spending. - 'European anxiety' - But in July, at a NATO summit, all members agreed to extend funding for the embattled Afghan security forces until 2024. Brussels-based expert Ian Lesser said European NATO members may be surprised by Trump's tactics but not his overall intention to reduce troops in Afghanistan, which he made clear after becoming president. "Many within the alliance frankly are there because the United States has pressed them to be there, but, left to their own decision making, would probably have left," Lesser told AFP. Lesser, who heads the European office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said the resignation on Thursday of US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis will also cause more unease. "Within an administration that has not produced a lot of predictability, General Mattis was seen as something of an anchor," Lesser said. "And so his departure will only increase European anxiety about the future of US strategy in Europe but also on Europe's periphery in places like Syria," he added. Syria and the broader Middle East are central to EU concerns about terrorism and migration. Lungescu stressed how important the former Marine Corps general had been to NATO. "Secretary Mattis has made a key contribution to keeping NATO strong and ready to deal with the significant security challenges we face," the NATO spokeswoman said. "He is widely respected as a soldier and a diplomat... We are grateful for the iron-clad commitment of the United States to NATO. US leadership keeps our transatlantic alliance strong." US President Donald Trump plans to bring home a chunk of the 14,000 US troops deployed in Afghanistan -- but the NATO alliance has stressed its continued commitment to its support mission in the country


Passengers have been stranded at Brisbane Airport overnight after a number of Virgin Australia flights were significantly delayed.

Customers have taken to social media to slam the airline, saying they werent updated about gate changes and reasons for the delays.

Virgin claims the severe storms in Sydney overnight meant a number of flights were diverted and aircrafts and crew were not at the correct locations for their next flights.

The airline said storms affected flights because they had to divert around storm activity to avoid major impacts of lightning strikes and significant turbulence. All Australian airports are affected.

Chris McCann told Yahoo News he was stranded in Brisbane, along with parents and children, and Virgin was refusing to pay for transport and accommodation.

Virgin passengers queue at Brisbane Airport amid major flight delays. Source: Chris McCann/supplied

They have messed us around and lied to us about what was happening for six hours, Mr McCann said on Thursday night.

Then finally at 11.30pm made the announcement that the flight has been delayed again until 7am (Friday).

I find it unacceptable that Virgin show zero sympathy for their customers, especially those with young children. A couple I was standing next to had driven down from Mackay with their children and have no where to stay now with their three-year-old son until the flight leaves in the morning.

Another update: another hour delay on the boarding time. 4th hour in a row. Good on ya @VirginAustralia #neveragain  SteveBell (@pullingbranches) December 21, 2018

Despite the flight being rescheduled for 7am, it was delayed again until 10.30am.

A woman said her parents were stuck at Brisbane airport since 5am this morning.

Their flight was rescheduled for 7am before they were told it would not depart until 2pm.

Story continues

Not a good start for their Christmas Holiday, she said.

2 hours queuing @VirginAustralia @SydneyAirport to the drop bag. A huge thank you to those other passagers in line who let those about to miss their flights jump in front. I saw a number of people do this for others and a big thank you the guy who helped me.  Belinda Walker (@bwalker134) December 21, 2018

More delays at Gold Coast and Sydney airports

Passengers leaving from Gold Coast airport also copped delays, with one womans 11.30pm flight on Thursday night from the Gold Coast to Perth being rescheduled for 7am.

Her mother slammed Virgin for its unprofessional service.

You left her dog on the tarmac for four hours, no staff assistance, no rebooking for flights. Sent her home again, I spoke to someone on the phone at 1am Perth time to get her on a new flight for two hours, she said.

Your agent booked her on a flight to Sydney then onto Perth. She gets there with her dog at 6am this morning to find theres no booking for her to fly and the flights you supposedly booked her on didnt exist.

This is not the way to treat your customers so close to Christmas.

My poor parents are stuck at Brisbane Airport. Theyve been there since 5am and have now been told their 7am @VirginAustralia flight is cancelled and they wont depart until 2pm. Not a good start for their Christmas Holiday.  Danielle Kaitu (@DKaitu) December 20, 2018

Others complained of two-hour long queues to bag drop at Sydney Airport and some were worried it would cause them to miss their flights.

Virgin Australia said flights could also be affected out of Sydney today and tomorrow and passengers should arrive at least 2.5 hours before the flight.

People are urged to check their Virgin flights prior to scheduled departure.
Peruvian fishermen need only dive down a few meters to find the scallops considered the "golden nuggets" of the country's seas -- and cherished in European and North American kitchens. Sechura Bay, off northwest Peru's Pacific coast near Ecuador, is the source of 80 percent of Peru's exports of the seafood to France, Spain, the United States and Canada. "God blessed us with this bay, it's really good for scallop production," fisherman Segundo Tezen told AFP aboard a small raft navigating the coast under the baking sun. To harvest the hermaphrodite clams, divers hanging onto a hose plunge down three to five meters (10 to 16 feet) and gather them in nets that are then hauled up to the surface by two fishermen. These treasures have converted Peru into a culinary superpower. "These are golden nuggets of the Peruvian sea," Wilmer Aguero, operations manager of the export company Cultimarine, told AFP. Sechura Bay is known as "one of the major producers of scallops in the world," he added. The vast bay is divided up into eight production zones, with 200 fishing associations dedicated to harvesting the Peruvian scallop, or Argopecten Purpuratus. Each day, around 200 boats unload 25 metric tons (27 US tons) of scallops at the Parachique fishing cove, one of 20 production and storage areas for mollusks. They are then loaded into refrigerated trucks and taken to processing plants where they are washed, weighed, packaged and passed on to export companies that take them to the nearby port of Paita. "The countries with the greatest demand are France, which consumes scallops with corals, and the United States, which buys a lot of scallops (with the roe, or coral, already removed)," Isabel Viza, owner of a processing plant in Sechura, told AFP. It takes nine months of cultivation before the molluscs are ready to be sold, for 20-38 soles ($6-11) per kilogram (2.2 pounds). "You have to constantly monitor the product in the sea," said Tezen. Although now a hugely lucrative industry, it is a relatively new one in Peru, having begun just 15 years ago. According to official statistics, 18,000 tons of scallops were harvested throughout the country from January to September this year. The National Society of Industries says scallop exports earned $56.1 billion between January and November, during which time 4,557 tons of these clams were sent abroad. France alone accounted for 1,208 tons. Workers clean and sort freshly harvested scallops at a processing plant in Sechura The vast Sechura Bay is divided up into eight production zones, with 200 fishing associations dedicated to harvesting the Peruvian scallop Peru exports its scallops to France, Spain, the United States and Canada
NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (Nissan or the Company) (OTCMKTS: NSANY). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 9980.



The investigation concerns whether Nissan and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here to join a class action]

On November 19, 2018, media outlets reported that the Companys Chairman Carlos Ghosn had been arrested by Japanese authorities for violations of Japanese financial law. In a press release, Nissan stated that the Company has been conducting an internal investigation over the past several months regarding misconduct involving the companys Representative Director and Chairman Carlos Ghosn and Representative Director Greg Kelly, which revealed that over many years both Ghosn and Kelly have been reporting compensation amounts in the Tokyo Stock Exchange securities report that were less than the actual amount, in order to reduce the disclosed amount of Carlos Ghosns compensation. The Company further stated that in regards to Ghosn, numerous other significant acts of misconduct have been uncovered, such as personal use of company assets, and Kellys deep involvement has also been confirmed. Following this news, Nissans American depositary receipt price fell sharply during intraday trading on November 19, 2018.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

rswilloughby@pomlaw.com

888-476-6529 ext. 9980
Four hundred metres (1,300 feet) below the small city of Bor, the depth of Serbia's love for coffee is on display as men in hard-hats huddle inside a cafe carved into the walls of their copper mine. Known as "The Pit", the cave-like room has rough earthen walls and long wooden tables where miners and visitors sip hot drinks and smoke cigarettes in the centre of RTB Bor, the biggest copper mine in Serbia. The cafe was first opened in 2012 to give relatives and tourists a chance to connect with the miners and better understand their work. "We wanted to make it possible for everyone interested, who has never been down in the mine, to see and feel what it is like," said Gorica Toncev Vasilic, a spokeswoman for the mine. "Above and below this cafe, miners are working. The production is always the priority," she added. Although residents of Bor have long relied on the mine for cranking their economy, most had never seen it firsthand. Since it opened, more than 5,000 people have plunged its depths for a free cup of joe, including foreign visitors and a slew of local celebrities. - 'Constant danger' - While the miners have welcomed the outreach, they say the cafe is a world apart from the humidity, dust and darkness they grapple with inside the mine shafts. "Down below is totally different," Nemanja Radoicic, who has been working there for five years, told AFP from the cafe. "It is very dark there, and you are always dreading some kind of injury because there is constantly a danger of rocks collapsing due to explosions," he added. A sign reading "Good Luck" hangs across the elevator that brings miners to their work sites. Those words are also the most common greeting between workers, who are always aware of the risks of their job. Apart from the daily dangers below ground, the copper mine and smelting complex has hit hard financial times in recent years. It was a pillar of Serbia's industrial sector before the collapse of communist Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. But production has since plummeted as the company has become saddled with debt. After years of trying to privatise the troubled mine, Serbia this year sealed a deal handing control over to the Chinese firm, Zijin. Miners are not sure if, or how this will change their daily grind. "We call working down there 'earning the bread of seven crusts', because of how difficult it is to make a buck," said Radoicic, using the Serbian equivalent of "hard-earned bread". A cafe known as The Pit lies 400 metres (1,300 feet) below ground, carved into the walls of a copper mine in Bor in eastern Serbia Opened in 2012, the underground cafe gives visitors the chance to connect with the miners and better understand their work The miners welcome the outreach but say the underground cafe is a world away from the real conditions in which they work Residents of Bor have long relied on the mine economically but most had never seen it firsthand A "Good Luck" sign hangs across the elevator that brings miners to their work sites and it is the most common greeting between workers After years of trying to privatise the troubled mine, RTB Bor, Serbia this year sealed a deal handing control over to the Chinese firm, Zijin


A former University student has been accused of slowly poisoning his roommate that left him shaking and vomiting.

Yukai Yang, a 22-year-old chemistry major at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, made his roommate ill with thallium and possibly other chemicals, lacing his food and drinks over the course of several months last spring, prosecutors said.

Yang will be charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault and other offences, according to Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli, who called the allegations weird and bizarre.

Thallium is odourless and tasteless, and can be fatal in humans. The soft metal is used internationally in electronics manufacturing and for other purposes. It was once used in rat poison in the US, but has been banned for that use since the 1970s.

Yukai Yang allegedly poisoned his former Lehigh University roommate with thallium, a substance once used as rat poison. (Photo: Northampton County Prison)

Yangs roommate, Juwan Royal, experienced progressively worse symptoms that included dizziness, shaking and vomiting, and his blood tested positive for thallium.

Royal, who has since graduated, continues to suffer symptoms, authorities said.

Yang was already facing an ethnic intimidation charge for allegedly scrawling racist graffiti in their dorm room. Royal is black.

Yang, an international student from China, is no longer enrolled at Lehigh, and his student visa has been revoked. His lawyer did not immediately return a phone message Thursday.

The students were roommates for several years, and Royal once believed they had a good relationship, according to Morganelli.
A partial US government shutdown that entered its second day on Sunday was set to stretch through Christmas, after Congress adjourned for the weekend with no deal in sight to end an impasse over funding for President Donald Trump's wall on the US-Mexico border. Due to the shutdown -- in which several key US agencies ceased operations at 12:01 am (0501 GMT) Saturday -- Trump said he would remain in Washington over Christmas instead of going to Florida. "I am in the White House, working hard," the Republican president tweeted. "We are negotiating with the Democrats on desperately needed Border Security (Gangs, Drugs, Human Trafficking & more) but it could be a long stay." Trump has dug in on his demand for $5 billion for construction of the border wall, a signature campaign promise and part of his effort to reduce illegal immigration. Democrats are staunchly opposed, and the absence of a deal meant federal funds for dozens of agencies lapsed at midnight Friday. The House of Representatives and the Senate held sessions on Saturday, but both chambers adjourned without agreement, and no votes were expected until Thursday. Visitors to the capital's park-like National Mall, home to attractions including war memorials and the towering Washington Monument, criticized the shutdown which added to an air of chaos in a capital still reeling from Defense Secretary Jim Mattis's resignation last week over Trump policies. The uncertainty also helped pushed Wall Street into another rout on Friday, ending its worst week in a decade. "Oh I think it's ridiculous. It's unnecessary," Philip Gibbs, a retired business professor from South Virginia, said of the shutdown. Jeffrey Grignon, a Wisconsin healthcare worker, said the politicians "need to stop acting like children" and do the work they were elected to do. "It isn't just one or two people. It's all them," he said. - The year's third shutdown - Another visitor, Howard Vander Griend, 57, predicted Trump will come out a winner from the budget impasse. "I don't think the shutdown will pressure president Trump at all," said Vander Griend, of Tennessee. "So I think he will get what he wants and I think that's a good thing." Although tourists could still stroll along the Mall and visit its open-air sites, they found public restrooms closed. Some other Washington tourist sites including the White House Visitor Center, National Christmas Tree, and National Archives -- home to the US Constitution and other historic documents -- were closed. Some national parks have shuttered completely, but New York's governor provided funding to the Statue of Liberty monument and Ellis Island so those attractions could remain open. This is the third partial government shutdown of the year, even though Trump's own Republican party still controls both the House and Senate. That will change in January when the House comes under Democratic control. Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer blamed the president for provoking the latest furlough. "The Trump shutdown isn't over border security; it's because President Trump is demanding billions of dollars for an expensive, ineffective wall that the majority of Americans don't support," Schumer said. Most critical US security functions remain operational, but 800,000 federal workers are affected, with many furloughed before Christmas. Others deemed essential, including Transportation Security Administration officers screening passengers during the holiday crush, are working unpaid. Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia -- a state bordering the US capital that is home to many federal employees -- urged Trump in a letter Saturday to push immediate action to end the shutdown, saying it "inflicts real harm" on workers. "I share your desire for strong economic growth throughout the United States, but the current partial government shutdown makes it harder to achieve this goal," the Democratic governor said. - Demands from conservatives - About three-quarters of the government, including the military and the Department of Health and Human Services, is fully funded until the end of September 2019, leaving 25 percent unfunded as of Saturday. One focus of last-minute discussions was $1.6 billion in border security support that was a part of pending Senate legislation, number two Senate Republican John Cornyn told AFP. Conservatives in the House would likely balk at that figure. Trump had reversed course Thursday and rejected a measure that had unanimously passed the Senate and was under House consideration. It would have extended government funding until February 8 to allow time for debate about issues including border security, but it contained no money for a wall. With ultra-conservative lawmakers and media commentators demanding that the president stick to his campaign promises, Trump stood his ground on the wall. The House then swiftly passed a bill that fulfilled the president's demands and included $5.7 billion in wall funding, but it stalled at the first hurdle in the Senate. Washington's National Archives building -- home to the US Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and other historic documents, displays a "closed" sign because of the partial US government shutdown Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers work unpaid on the first day of the US government shutdown, at LAX Airport in Los Angeles The Lincoln Memorial in Washington was among sites, along with Smithsonian museums, that remained accessible despite a partial US government shutdown The US government is partially shut down for the third time in 2018
The United States has charged two Chinese men it says hacked the computer systems of companies and government agencies in a dozen countries, in what Washington says was a wide-reaching state-backed campaign of cyber-espionage. NASA and the US Navy were among those allegedly targeted in a programme the US Justice Department said also hit a major bank, telecom companies and healthcare providers in 12 countries. The charges drew a furious response from Beijing, which accused Washington of "fabricating facts". Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said China had repeatedly broken President Xi Jinping's 2015 pledge to halt cyberattacks on US companies and commercial infrastructure. "It is unacceptable that we continue to uncover cybercrime committed by China against other nations," he said. "We want China to cease its illegal cyber activities and honor its commitment to the international community. "But the evidence suggests that China may not intend to live up to its promises." US ally Britain also joined the charge, with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt saying Beijing continued to hack computer systems for commercial and economic motives. "These activities must stop. They go against the commitments made to the UK in 2015, and, as part of the G20, not to conduct or support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property or trade secrets," he said. American officials said evidence showed hackers had targeted Managed Service Providers (MSPs) -- specialist firms that help companies manage their information technology systems -- potentially giving them access to the computer networks of dozens of companies. Individual firms were not named in the indictment, but the 45 victims in the United States included government agencies -- NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the US Navy, from which the personal information of more than 100,000 personnel was stolen. Internationally, the hackers are alleged to have broken into the computers of a major bank, three telecommunications or consumer electronics companies, mining and healthcare firms, and business consultancies. Beijing lashed out at the claims, the latest in a roiling dispute over cybersecurity that pits China against the US and its western allies. "The United States is fabricating facts, creating something from nothing, and unwarrantedly denouncing China on cybersecurity issues," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Friday. Beijing said it had lodged an official protest over the charges and warned the US to drop the prosecution, "to avoid serious damage to the relations between the two countries". - APT10 hacking group - The Justice Department said the two alleged hackers, Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong, worked for the APT10 group, which Washington, London and other allies say is backed by China's Ministry of State Security. From at least 2006 to 2018, the APT10 Group "conducted extensive campaigns of intrusions into computer systems around the world", the Justice Department said. APT10 stole "hundreds of gigabytes" of sensitive data and information from its targets, invading their systems through the hacked MSPs, it added. The indictments of the two men came less than two months after the US charged 10 Chinese also allegedly linked to APT10 -- including two intelligence officers -- over a five-year scheme to steal aircraft engine technology from US and French aerospace firms. Those cases involved both hacking and recruiting insiders to steal data and IT system passwords. - Heightened tensions - Relations between Washington and Beijing are already frayed over trade, hacking and geopolitical issues. In October, the Department of Justice obtained the unprecedented extradition of a senior Chinese intelligence official from Belgium to stand trial in the United States for running the effort to steal US aviation industry secrets. In early December, Canada arrested an executive of leading Chinese telecom company Huawei at Washington's request. The US plans to charge her with fraud related to sanctions-breaking business dealings with Iran. Since then, China has detained Canadian citizens, in what observers say is an apparent bid to pressure Ottawa into releasing the Huawei executive. And, according to reports, US officials believe Chinese government-linked hackers were behind the theft of data on some 500 million guests of hotel giant Marriott, first reported on November 30. Last week, Bill Priestap, head of the FBI's counterintelligence division, told Congress that China's cyberattacks were part of a broad campaign against the US. "The Chinese government is attempting to acquire or steal not only the plans and intentions of the United States government, but also the ideas and innovations of the very people that make our economy so incredibly successful," he said. US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said the indictment of the two men was meant to rebuff 'China's economic aggression' Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to halt China's cybertheft of corporate and industrial secrets during a 2015 White House meeting with Barack Obama The US Justice Department alleges the indicted Chinese nationals backed by Beijing's Ministry of State Security Chinese government-backed cyber-thieves allegedly stole the personal information of 500 million customers of global hotels giant Marriott
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday, leading a chorus of protests at home and abroad after President Donald Trump ordered a complete troop pullout from Syria and a significant withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump steadfastly defended his sudden push for retrenchment, vowing that the United States would no longer be the "policeman of the Middle East" and saying the 2,000-strong US force in Syria was no longer needed as the Islamic State group had been defeated. Mattis, a battle-hardened retired four-star general seen as a moderating force on the often impulsive president, made little attempt to hide his disagreements with Trump. "Because you have the right to have a secretary of defense whose views are better aligned with yours," Mattis said in a letter to Trump, "I believe it is right for me to step down from my position." Mattis hailed the coalition to defeat Islamic State as well as NATO, the nearly 70-year-old alliance between North America and Europe whose cost-effectiveness has been questioned by the businessman turned president. "My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues," Mattis wrote. One day after the surprise announcement on Syria, a US official told AFP that Trump had also decided on a "significant withdrawal" in a much larger US operation -- Afghanistan. Some 14,000 troops are fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan as part of the longest-ever US war, launched in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Wall Street Journal reported that more than half would be returning. Trump has surrounded himself with former military men and shown an uncharacteristic public deference toward Mattis, a bookish 68-year-old who has disagreed with the president behind the scenes on issues from Russia to Iran to accepting transgender soldiers. He hinted at Mattis's departure as far back as October, telling CBS: "It could be that he is (leaving). I think he's sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth... He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves." On Twitter Thursday, however, Trump had only praise for his defense secretary, who will serve until the end of February, crediting him with achieving "tremendous progress." - 'National security crisis' - US lawmakers across the political spectrum voiced concern over a rebirth of the Islamic State group in Syria and sounded an alarm as Mattis unmoors from the unpredictable administration. Senator Marco Rubio, a member of Trump's Republican Party, said Mattis in his letter "makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances and empower our adversaries." Democratic Senator Mark Warner called Mattis "an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration" and voiced fears of policy driven by "the president's erratic whims." Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was unusually pointed, calling for the US to "maintain a clear-eyed understanding of our friends and foes, and recognize that nations like Russia are among the latter." He said he was "particularly distressed that he is resigning due to sharp differences with the president on these and other key aspects of America's global leadership." Trump was quick to note that he has ramped up military spending, but he has been most interested in deploying troops at home to carry out his key domestic goal of cracking down on unauthorized immigration. "Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East, getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing? Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight," he tweeted. - Putin praises Trump - The US withdrawal will make Russia, which has deployed its air power in support of President Bashar al-Assad, the pre-eminent global power in the Syrian conflict. "The fact that the US has decided to withdraw its troops is right," President Vladimir Putin said during an annual year-end press conference, saying that "on the whole I agree with the US president" on the level of damage inflicted on Islamic State. Putin, who has described the fall of the Soviet Union as a historic geopolitical disaster, sees Moscow's longtime ally Syria as a key asset in preserving influence in the Middle East. Iran's Shiite clerical regime has also strongly backed Assad, a secular leader from the heterodox Alawite sect. Turkey opposes Assad and may be emboldened by Trump to attack Kurdish fighters inside Syria, who fought alongside US troops against the Islamic State group. Turkey links Kurds who dominate the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces to a decades-old insurgency at home, but had been reluctant to strike for fear of setting off a crisis if the United States suffered casualties. Mustefa Bali, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, said the fighters would keep up the battle against Islamic State -- but that all bets were off if Turkey attacks. - Worries in Europe - Bali said the Kurdish forces would keep locked up the Islamic State extremists in their custody -- but alleged that Turkey may target prisons to sow chaos once US troops leave. The Islamic State movement has claimed credit for a slew of attacks around the world, including the 2015 coordinated assault on Paris, and experts estimate that thousands of sympathizers remain. Meanwhile Germany, which has taken in more than one million refugees stemming in large part from the Syria conflict, questioned Trump's assessment that the threat was over. While fighting has largely subsided in Syria and the Islamic State group holds little territory, a political solution remains elusive in ending the war that has killed more than 360,000 and displaced millions since 2011. burs-sct/ft/ska/dw US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis made little attempt to hide his disagreements with President Donald Trump In its air campaign, the US and partner nations have spent years pounding IS targets Map showing territorial control in Syria at seven key moments in the war. Outgoing UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura has acknowledged that a goal would not be met of setting up a committee by the end of the year to write a new Syrian constitution
As the deadline approaches, proponents of a bill that would establish a sexual assault survivors' bill of rights in New York hope Gov. Andrew Cuomo will sign the measure into law.

The legislation was sponsored by Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas and state Sen. Kemp Hannon. It passed both chambers with unanimous support.

The main objective of the sexual assault survivors' bill of rights is to inform victims of their rights, which includes the ability to receive a free forensic examination and access to emergency contraception. It would also ensure survivors can contact law enforcement for information on their rape kits and would establish the victim's right to notice. The provision would require survivors to be notified if their rape kit is analyzed and whether a DNA match was found.

The measure also provides survivors with the right to consult with a rape crisis counselor before a forensic examination or police interview.

Earlier this month, Simotas urged Cuomo to sign the legislation.

"No rape survivor should be re-traumatized by bureaucracy, ill-treatment, thoughtlessness or lack of transparency in the health care or criminal justice systems," she said.

Rise, a nonprofit group that advocates for sexual assault survivors, is joining the call for Cuomo to sign the legislation. One of the group's activists, Abby Haglage, said in an interview Thursday that the bill is "crucial to survivors."

Amanda Nguyen, Rise's founder, is leading the push for states to adopt the sexual assault survivors' bill of rights. Congress passed legislation in 2016 to adopt the bill of rights. Then-President Barack Obama signed it into law.

Haglage, a journalist and sexual assault survivor, explained how the legislation will empower rape victims in New York.

"It gives survivors the tools they need to pursue justice, including a right to have a rape kit done that they don't have to pay for, the right to a copy of their police report and to be notified when their rape kit is moved," she said. "It really puts the control back in the hands of the survivor. For too long in New York, it's been really difficult and near impossible to prosecute these crimes."

In her case, Haglage attempted to pursue a case against her attacker. She wasn't successful. She noted that it wasn't due to any missteps on her part, but rather a lack of legal protection available to survivors in New York. It left her no other choice but to give up on the case.

"I view that as unacceptable," she said. "Survivors of these crimes are incredibly strong but also very vulnerable and they deserve protection from the state."

The bill of rights would complement action taken by the state earlier this year to expand the period rape kits are stored. Before the change, rape kits were required to be stored for 30 days. The new law, which was included in the 2018-19 state budget, mandates that rape kits are stored for a 20-year period.

While that reform was important, the bill of rights would provide additional protections and rights to survivors. Without it, Haglage said, there are women who are paying for their own rape kits because they aren't aware of state laws.

Last month, state Attorney General Barbara Underwood revealed that seven New York hospitals illegally billed sexual assault survivors for their rape kits. The billing violated state laws which seek to protect survivors' privacy.

Haglage also mentioned that some survivors have paid for preventive measures to protect against sexually transmitted diseases.

"There are some major holes in the system that I think are leading survivors to fall through the cracks," she said. "That's what we're facing right now."

The sexual assault survivors' bill of rights was sent to Cuomo Dec. 11. He has 10 days to either sign the bill or veto the measure.

The deadline for Cuomo's approval or veto is Friday.

Cuomo's office didn't immediately respond to requests for comment, but Haglage said the information they have received suggests Cuomo will sign the bill.

She called the bill a "no-brainer."

"We're really hopeful and optimstic that that's going to happen," she said.

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The sexual assault survivors' bill of rights has been signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, his office announced Friday.

The legislation ensures victims of sexual assaults know their rights, including the ability to consult with a rape crisis counselor, receive health care services at no cost and get updates on their rape kits and the status of their cases.

It also mandates that law enforcement agencies craft policies to help communicate with survivors and establishes the victim's right to notice, which allows survivors to request and receive information on their rape kit from a law enforcement agency.

New York is the 16th state to adopt the sexual assault survivors' bill of rights originally authored by Amanda Nguyen, founder of the nonprofit Rise which advocates for sexual assault survivors. The bill in New York was sponsored by state Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas and state Sen. Kemp Hannon.

"This is a great day that puts in place a missing protection for sexual assault survivors and bringing more compassion to the law enforcement response to survivors," Simotas said.

The measure received unanimous support from the state Legislature. Cuomo had until Friday to sign or veto the legislation.

This week, supporters of the bill pressed Cuomo to establish the sexual assault survivors' bill of rights. Nguyen, who is a 2019 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, lauded New York for "standing as an example of survivors' protections" after Cuomo signed the legislation.

"The Rise team and I are grateful for Governor Cuomo's leadership in signing this important bill into law and standing with the 6.8 million sexual assault survivors in New York," Nguyen said.

With Cuomo's signature, the sexual assault survivors' bill of rights will take effect in 180 days.

The bill of rights is the latest action taken by the state to support sexual assault survivors. Earlier this year, the state budget extended the period rape kits are stored from 30 days to 20 years. The Cuomo administration has also pushed to end the backlog of rape kits in New York. The state requires that new sexual assault evidence kits are quickly tested by law enforcement with the survivor's consent.

"In New York, we are taking important steps to ensure the security of victims and a safe environment for all women," Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul said. "This bill of rights for sexual assault survivors builds on our efforts to combat sexual assault and strengthen equal opportunities for all New Yorkers."

Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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Three upstate Republicans will receive key assignments within the state Senate Republican conference, but one of their colleagues has been removed from two posts.

Senate Republican Leader John Flanagan announced Friday that state Sen. Joe Griffo, a Rome Republican, will serve as deputy minority leader. Griffo will lead floor operations for the Senate GOP.

"No one knows more than Joe Griffo about the ins-and-outs of what happens on the floor of the state Senate," Flanagan, a Long Island Republican, said in a statement. "I am confident he will pursue every avenue and work every angle to allow us to be a vocal minority and an aggressive voice for taxpayers and their families."

Flanagan also named state Sen. Jim Seward as ranking member of the powerful Senate Finance Committee. Seward, R-Milford, was elected in 1986 and chaired the Senate Insurance Committee.

He will fill the seat that would likely have gone to state Sen. Cathy Young, who chaired the Senate Finance Committee since 2015. With Republicans shifting to the minority, Young was in line to become ranking member of the committee, which plays a role in crafting the state budget.

But Young, a Southern Tier Republican, challenged Flanagan for minority leader. Flanagan won that race in November, and will continue as the Senate GOP leader.

Flanagan not only removed Young from the top Senate Finance Committee post, he also named a new chair of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee. The committee, which is tasked with electing Republicans to the state Senate, will now be led by state Sen. Fred Akshar.

Akshar, R-Binghamton, is considered a rising star in GOP circles. Flanagan's office noted that Akshar will replace Young "effective immediately."

"Fred Akshar is an enthusiastic Republican voice with an extraordinary work ethic," Flanagan said. "He will help us identify and pick up seats in 2020, and put the plan together to once again deliver Republicans a majority in the state Senate. I have full confidence in his ability to help us compete and win."

In a statement, Young said she is proud of her tenure as chair of the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Republican Campaign Committee. She highlighted her past work serving as western region chair of Gov. George Pataki's re-election campaign in 2002 and assisting GOP Assembly members with their campaigns.

"While I respected his right to do so, Leader John Flanagan substantially changed the organizational structure and operations of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee in 2018," Young said. She didn't elaborate on the changes.

She added, "I wish Senator Akshar good luck in his new role, and extend sincere congratulations to Senators Seward and Griffo."

When the leadership election was held in November, Akshar, Griffo and Seward supported Flanagan for minority leader. It was reminiscent of 2015, when Flanagan defeated state Sen. John DeFrancisco for majority leader. Some upstate senators, including Seward, supported Flanagan over DeFrancisco in that vote three years ago.

The Senate GOP will be operating in the minority for the first time in a decade. Democrats won 40 of 63 seats on election night, and will have majority control of both houses.

Despite the change, Flanagan is encouraged by his leadership team. He said the conference will promote its vision to help the middle class, provide quality education and boost job creation.

"I am thrilled to have them by my side as we begin a new year and a new legislative session," he said.

Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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The House of Representatives approved a spending bill Thursday night that would fund the government through Feb. 8 and contains more than $5 billion for a border wall, one of President Donald Trump's main legislative objectives.

The legislation, which also included $7.8 billion in disaster aid, passed the House by a 217 to 185 vote. It was a party-line vote, with 217 Republicans supporting the measure. Eight Republicans joined 177 Democrats in opposing the short-term continuing resolution.

The spending bill was the House's attempt to avoid a government shutdown. If an agreement isn't reached by midnight Friday, there will be a partial government shutdown affecting several federal agencies.

The Senate passed a separate bill Wednesday that would fund the government through Feb. 8, but it didn't include any money for the border wall. The House was prepared to pass the bill, but Trump said he wouldn't sign it.

At a White House event Thursday, Trump said any government funding measure must include "border security."

"It has to," he said. "Not for political purposes, but for our country, for the safety of our community."

After the president's comments, the House voted on the spending bill with $5.7 billion to construct a wall along the southern border. The legislation won't advance in the Senate, where Republicans hold a slim majority.

New York's nine Republican representatives voted in favor of the spending bill with the border wall funding attached. In a post on her Facebook page, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik explained why she voted for the continuing resolution.

"I oppose government shutdowns and in Congress have consistently voted to keep government open," she wrote.

New York Democrats were united in their opposition to the bill. Among those voting against it was U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who will become the House Democratic Caucus chairman when the 116th Congress commences in January.

Jeffries tweeted Thursday night: "House Republicans to American People: Pay $5 billion RANSOM NOTE for a ridiculous border wall, or we shutdown the government. @HouseDemocrats to House Republicans: Take. A. Hike."

Here is how the New York House delegation voted:

YEA - 9

Rep. Chris Collins (R), Rep. Dan Donovan (R), Rep. John Faso (R), Rep. John Katko (R), Rep. Peter King (R), Rep. Tom Reed (R), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R), Rep. Claudia Tenney (R), Rep. Lee Zeldin (R)

NAY - 17

Rep. Yvette Clarke (D), Rep. Eliot Engel (D), Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D), Rep. Brian Higgins (D), Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D), Rep. Nita Lowey (D), Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D), Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D), Rep. Gregory Meeks (D), Rep. Grace Meng (D), Rep. Joe Morelle (D), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D), Rep. Kathleen Rice (D), Rep. Jose Serrano (D), Rep. Tom Suozzi (D), Rep. Paul Tonko (D), Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D)

NOT VOTING - 1

Rep. Joseph Crowley (D)

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SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- National investor-rights law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP updates shareholders of The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) of the Firms ongoing investigation into whether certain Goldman officers and directors breached their fiduciary duties in connection with a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi.



Concerned long-term Goldman shareholders are encouraged to contact Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP. For more information visit:

https://www.hbsslaw.com/cases/GS

or contact Reed Kathrein, who is leading the firms investigation, by calling 510-725-3000 or emailing

GS@hbsslaw.com .

On December 21, 2018, the financial press reported Malaysias finance minister is seeking $7.5 billion in reparations from Goldman.

This follows reports that Goldman played a central role in a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal relating to bond sales that the Company arranged and underwrote for 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) in 2012 and 2013.

Malaysia accuses Goldman and two former employees of grave violations of its securities laws in connection with the 1MDB bonds. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabis International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC), and its subsidiary, Aabar Investments PJS (Aabar), accuses Goldman of implicating IPIC in a money laundering scheme from 1MDB, and conspiring with others to bribe former executives of IPIC and Aabar, inducing them to misuse the companies names, networks, and infrastructures to further the criminal schemes and to personally benefit Goldman Sachs.

In a related development, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Tim Leissner, Goldman's former chairman of Southeast Asia, pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder money and conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act through the payment of bribes to government officials in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi. According to the DOJ, a total of $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB by senior officials, with laundered funds pumped into New York condos, hotels, yachts, a jet, and used to fund movies such as The Wolf of Wall Street.

We are focused on possible violations of the Board of Directors fiduciary duties towards the Company, resulting damages to it, and reports that its former Chairman and CEO (Lloyd Blankfein) met with the Malaysian financier at the center of the countrys fraud and bribery scandal, said Hagens Berman partner Reed Kathrein.

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Goldman should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 510-725-3000 or email GS@hbsslaw.com .

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman is a national investor-rights law firm headquartered in Seattle, Washington with 80+ attorneys in 10 offices across the country. The Firm represents investors, whistleblowers, workers and consumers in complex litigation. More about the firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com . For the latest news visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @classactionlaw .

Contact:

Reed Kathrein, 510-725-3000
MERIDIAN  Doug and Sandy Appleman were standing in line for a ride at Walt Disney World in Florida when a stranger remarked on their grandchild's Cato-Meridian School District sweatshirt.

Is that the place with the house with the lights? the stranger asked.

That's how far the Applemans' reputation for extravagantly decorating their home in the village of Meridian for Christmas stretches. Since the 1970s, when the couple moved into the Main Street house, they've gone all-out each year to spread Christmas cheer with extensive light and decoration displays.

Doug estimates their display holds at least 10,000 lights and 75 to 100 individual decorations, ranging from toy soldiers around a cannon Doug made himself, to Nativity scenes, to lots and lots of Santas.

The pair began decorating their home shortly after moving in in 1977, and they continued adding to the display over the years as their two children grew up. But rather than buying more and newer items, Doug still uses the classic plastic-molded decorations they started with, hand-painting them himself when in need of a touch-up.

On the rare occasion a decoration needs replacing, the Applemans prefer to find older-style replacements from garage sales or other sources.

Over the years, gifts have become somewhat common as well. Once, a woman came to the Applemans with several candles to add to their display. She said they had belonged to her mother, who had come to see the Applemans' lights every year and hoped to add hers to their collection once she passed.

Each year, the Applemans' mailbox also fills up with grateful notes from visitors, especially children, which makes the hard work worth it, the couple said.

That makes us keep going with it, Doug said. As long as some child gets enjoyment out of it, it's worth it.

Beginning usually in mid-November, Doug starts the long process of extracting the displays from a shed and an attic, and setting them up. He likes to have everything ready by Dec. 1 if possible, but weather  like heavy snowfall in November this year  can cause a delay.

Doug speaks about the process like an expert. Every light and decoration is checked before going into storage when the display comes down. Wires and extension cords create a maze on the lawn. And bulb wattage is checked and different clusters of lights are kept on timers to balance the electric load.

You probably can guess he worked for the electric company, Sandy said with a laugh.

While Doug is outside, Sandy is busy inside the home setting up an equally elaborate Christmas village display.

This is my baby. I love my village, Sandy said as she hovered over two tiers of miniature Dickensian characters and displays, a working train and plenty of Disney decorations.

The couple's grandchildren, aged 2, 3, 4 and 5 years old, love the village in particular, Sandy said. But any children who come to see the display outside are welcome to come inside to see the one there.

Before it's time for the decorations to come down, which can be between January or even Easter depending on the weather, the Applemans like to host a Snowman Party on New Year's Day with friends and family where everyone makes a snowman amidst the lights, followed by snacks and treats.

Without snow for the last few years, they haven't been able to actually make the snowmen, but they hope they'll be able to again as they near a big milestone.

When we're married 50 years we want to do it again, we hope, Sandy said.

Staff writer Ryan Franklin can be reached at (315) 282-2252 or ryan.franklin@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @RyanNYFranklin.

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Every Friday, The Citizen features a pet available for adoption from the Finger Lakes SPCA of Central New York.

This week, we spotlight Ben.

Q: Who is your best friend?

A: You know, folks sometimes forget about the people who do the really hard work around here. By hard work, I mean cleaning and disinfecting our kennels every day and making sure that we have clean bedding and fresh water. In honor of the people who do that for us, I have made all of them my BFFs. I love them and appreciate them.

Q: Do you have a job at the shelter?

A: Not yet. I sort of like being unemployed and collecting treats. I suppose if I am here long enough I will have to earn my keep. So, I'm hoping my new family will be reading about me and come to adopt me very soon! A life of leisure would be really nice.

Q: If you could meet someone famous, who would that be?

A: Let me tell you the story about Dorado. Dorado was a yellow Lab who stuck with his owner through thick and thin during the Sept. 11 World Trade Center disaster. His owner tried to push him to safety numerous times, but Dorado stuck by him faithfully. They were both able to escape and survive to tell the tale. Yes, Dorado is a very famous dog, and I would have loved to meet him.

Q: If you could visit any place in the world, where would that be?

A: Well, I understand that my breed origins are in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. I believe I would like to visit these wonderful vacations spots located in our neighbor to the north, Canada. However, I would prefer to do so during the summer months. If it's possible, the winter weather may be worse there than right here in Auburn!

Q: Do you have an interesting fact to share?

A: This is a sad fact, but one that I want to share. During the Vietnam War, all combat dogs, many of which were Labradors, were classified as "expendable equipment"! I take offense at that. But here's the bad part. When the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam, the remaining 200-plus dogs were either euthanized or left in Vietnam. Well, President Bill Clinton also took offense at that, and in 2000 he signed a law enabling future combat dogs to be brought back home and adopted by either civilians or military personnel so that this wouldn't happen again. Thank you, Mr. Clinton. Good job!

Q: Do you have any advice for our good Citizen readers?

A: No, I don't have any advice. But on behalf of my shelter canine and feline friends and my shelter people, we want to wish our good Citizen readers a very merry Christmas and happy holidays! We hope your holidays are the very best and that they are safe and peaceful. Thank you for being our friends. Thank you and love, Ben and friends.

The Finger Lakes SPCA of Central New York is a New York state-registered shelter/rescue, registration No. RR-181. Pursuant to Article 26-A, Section 408 of the Agriculture and Markets Law, the registrant is authorized to operate as a registered pet rescue, in compliance with such law.

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Dec. 21, 1993

Business owners in the fire zone gathered along the Arterial and Washington Street Sunday night and watched their hard work, their records, their inventories burn.

Some 135 employees couldn't show up for work yesterday morning after a fire destroyed the abandoned Dunn & McCarthy shoe factory and two occupied buildings nearby. About 35 people won't be able to work at their Washington Street jobs for at least several months.

Several business owners darted into their buildings snatching up the records and personal items Sunday evening. Others watched with their neighbors and families as a storm of embers lit their roofs and flames swirled through their office windows.

"I was watching the cinders fall on the roof," said Mark Peters, owner of Coffee Host. "I started to go in and grab what I could  the computer backups and some personal items of my dad's. He died in March. Then I thought, 'This is all going to go down.' I just wrote it off."

 Compiled by David Wilcox

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SAN FRANCISCOFalcon Studios Group's Raging Stallion sitethe one featuring only natural menhas released its latest feature, Hit It Then Quit It. Award-winning model-turned-director Steve Cruz leads nine horny hunks on the quest to Hit It Then Quit It. The latest DVD and downloads from Raging Stallion are now available on the Falcon Studios Group Store.

The night owl cast stars Exclusive Drake Masters with fan favs Pheonix Fellington, Jay Austin, Colby Tucker, FX Rios, Trent King, Cristian Sam, Alexander Kristov and Jason Vario.

According to a plot synopsis provided by the company, working at a bar can be a tough job, but bartenders, barbacks, the DJ and even the bathroom attendants have a secret code of conduct. Phoenix Fellington hits the bar where Jay Austin and Colby Tucker are dancing for tips on stage. Phoenix stuffs their jockstraps full of cash until the dancers offer up their cocks and holes as a thank you. When bathroom attendant FX Rios gets a glimpse of Trent King's massive cock at the urinal, he moves in to get a taste. Trent doesn't have cash to tip so FX suggests he shows his appreciation with his mouth. Phoenix Fellington sees DJ Cristian Sam working the stage and knows immediately he wants a taste of the DJs cock. Drake Masters, Alexander Kristov and Cristian Sam meet up in the green room at closing time. The three muscle hunks take turns until Alexander drops to the floor to take the loads from the two other studs all over his face and beard. After a tough night of work, Jason Vario cheers up co-worker Alexander Kristov. Feel free to Hit It Then Quit It and walk away.

Since the days of Studio 54, nightclubs are notorious places for crazy sex, reflected director Steve Cruz. Sometimes you just cant wait. Maybe you dont wanna mess up your sheets, so you Hit It Then Quit It. I assembled the most delicious men I know from all over the world for this Raging thirst trap fantasy.

Falcon Studios President Tim Valenti said, When you hit the club for a night out, you have one thing on your mind and thats to Hit It Then Quit It with a horny guy from the bar. Steve Cruz and his cast take you into the world of all-but-typical night out full of inhibition, natural men and hot sex.

For DVD wholesale purchasing, contact John Gunderson ([email protected]). Contact Toby J Morris ([email protected]) for additional image assets, information and access to the Falcon Studios Group Media FTP.
Russian queer artist Slava Mogutin, who now lives in New York, lives in exile from his home country in part to escape censorship of his artbut in a new interview with Out Magazine, Mogutin says that especially after the ban on porn institute by the social media platform Tumblr, the United States has become as bad as Russia when it comes to censorship of sexual self-expression.

"I posted a lot of content on Tumblr that was previously censored on Facebook and Instagram. Before Tumblr, I had a blog named Pinko Commie Fag Blog on Blogspot, where I was featuring the work of emerging queer artists. I left Blogspot because of censorship, and now Tumblr is the latest casualty of this corporate takeover of social media, Mogutin told Out. I was exiled from Russia for my queer activism and journalism, but Ive been censored in America just as much as in my native country. 

According to his own online biography, Mogutinwho as a young journalist says he was the only openly gay personality in the Russian mediawas the subject of two criminal cases in which he faced such charges as propaganda of brutal violence, psychic pathology, and sexual perversions. In 1994 he attempted to register Russias first same-sex marriage, and the following year he was forced to leave Russia and became the first Russian to be granted political asylum in the U.S. on the grounds of homophobic persecution.

With Tumblr now closed to adult content, Mogutin has now collaborated with the Tom of Finland store on a new exhibition titled XXX Files that, not by coincidence, opened on December 18the day after Tumblr put its new porn ban into effect.

For over 10 years, Tumblr was the most liberal platform that was largely free of censorship and it became the main destination for the fetish and queer community that was marginalized and banned on other social media platforms. Most of my artist friends are, or were, on Tumblr not just for sharing their own work, but also for using it as an aspiration material, a sort of visual mood board," Mogutin told Out. "When the news broke about Tumblr imposing this new policy, Tom of Finland store invited me to create this online exhibition as a way of protest and defiance against censorship, but also as a way creating a welcoming, safe-haven platform for other queer artists."

Images from Mogutins XXX Files exhibit, which runs through June 18 of next year, can be seen at the Tom of Finland store site.

Photo of Slava Mogutin By SHARE Conference / Wikimedia Commons
The prospect of a seemingly inevitable government shutdown had the United States congress transfixed on Friday, but the House of Representatives also faced another deadline of midnight on December 21the deadline to gather 37 signatures of House reps needed to force a vote on reviving net neutrality rules.

As AVN.com has covered extensively, net neutrality rules guarantee that the internet is treated the same as any public utility, with equal access for all users to any resource online. In other words, internet service providers may not slow or block traffic to, for example, a porn site while allowing users easy access to Netflix.

One year ago, the Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal the Obama-era net neutrality regulations that had been in place since 2015, a repeal that finally took effect on June 11. But in May, using a discharge petition, Senate Democrats forced a vote on reinstating the rulesa resolution which passed 52-47.

The House circulated its own petition to force a vote, but over the past seven months have fallen 37 signatures short of the 218 required to make the net neutrality vote happenwith 16 of those missing signatures belonging to Democrats. Only one Republican, Mike Coffman of Colorado, has signed on.

The fight for net neutrality is far from over, but time is running out for members of Congress to make decision: do they want to go down in history as the corrupt politicians who rubber stamped the repeal of net neutrality? said Evan Greer of the pro-net neutrality activist group Fight for the Future in a statement Thursday. Or will they sign on to the CRA discharge petition and show that theyre willing to put their constituents basic rights ahead of their corporate donors.

Last week, Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon reversed her refusal to sign the petition, after a flood of calls to her office by net neutrality advocates. But even after signing, Scanlon dismissed the petition as largely symbolic, according to Gizmodo.

In recent days, my office has received calls requesting that I sign a discharge petition addressing the Trump administrations rollback of Obama era Net Neutrality rules, Scanlon said. This discharge petition has been stalled for months, long before I was sworn in, and has no chance of making it through the current Republican majority in the House.

But the Pennsylvania Democrat added that in the next session of congress, in which Democrats will have the majority they won in the November midterm elections, she would join the legislative effort to restore net neutrality.

Photo By Diliff / Wikimedia Commons
Looking for more interaction with her fans, adult starlet Joseline Kelly has signed up with social media platform FanCentro. Kelly is rapidly approaching 100,000 followers on Twitter alone, and with such a strong following, she wanted to offer her fans the opportunity to connect with her in a more intimate manner.

FanCentro gives users 100% exclusive access to a model's private FanCentro feed, along with their premium Snapchat, Instagram, and other social media accounts so they can experience all of the star's intimate and sexiest moments.

"I love having an easy way for my fans to connect to me on Snapchat. FanCentro makes it so easy for them to subscribe to my premium SnapChat and keep up with my naughty antics. I can't wait for my fans to see the crazy stuff I do in my daily life," said Kelly.

Joseline Kelly's FanCentro page can be found by clicking here.

Producers and directors interested in working with Joseline Kelly can book her exclusively through LADirectModels.com. Fans can follow Joseline Kelly on Twitter at @joselinekellyx, and on Instagram @xojoselinekelly or check out her official blog at JoselineKellyX.com.
NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Tenaris S.A. (Tenaris or the Company) (NYSE: TS). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 9980.



The investigation concerns whether Tenaris and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here to join a class action]

On November 27, 2018, news outlets reported that an Argentine judge had indicted Paolo Rocca, Tenariss chairman and majority shareholder, in connection with a wide-ranging bribery scandal involving the government of Argentina.

Following this news, Tenariss American depositary receipt price fell $2.64, or 9.78%, to close at $24.36 on November 27, 2018.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

rswilloughby@pomlaw.com
In North Carolina, the legislative branch oversees the operations of the executive branch. Not the other way around.That's the message delivered by the Republican leaders of a legislative subcommittee probing Gov. Roy Cooper's controversial $57.8-million Atlantic Coast Pipeline discretionary fund.Rep. Dean Arp, R-Union, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown, R-Onslow, Dec. 17 hand-delivered a letter to Cooper demanding the governor fully comply with the subcommittee's public records request. They also rebuffed a call by Kristi Jones, Cooper's chief of staff, for the subcommittee to turn over a raft of documents to Cooper.The lawmakers' action follows a Dec. 12 meeting at which the subcommittee, part of the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, voted to hire a private investigation firm to review documents and interview executive branch officials about Cooper's fund.Opponents of the discretionary fund argue it not only was unconstitutional - because it would have gone directly to the governor with no legislative oversight - but also might have been part of a pay-to-play scheme. The $57.8 million fund was approved within 24 hours of Cooper's Department of Environmental Quality granting the pipeline coalition a long-delayed permit. Republicans want to know if the permit was held hostage to the pipeline payment.the letter to Cooper stated.While in office, Republican Gov. Pat McCrory was often and strongly criticized by the media for a lack of transparency. His successor Cooper has not experienced the same level of reproach, even though his refusal to release documents has a strange twist. As attorney general he oversaw production of North Carolina's Guide to Open Government and Public Records in conjunction with the N.C Press Association.In a letter included with that guide Cooper wrote:Brown and Arp took exception to Jones' refusal to specify in her request for documents what information she planned to release on Thursday.They said the lack of cooperation frustrates the legislature'sThey also noted the executive branch has no authority to oversee ongoing legislative investigations.
Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday, Dec. 18 he would veto a bill returning the Bipartisan Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement to separate agencies over concerns about a provision related to campaign finance investigations. But he would wait to issue the veto, hoping the legislature will pass a new version of the bill removing the provision.During a news conference, Cooper said House Bill 1029 makes it more difficult to investigate campaign-finance complaints. He said the bill aims to obscure the truth.Cooper said.Lawmakers passed H.B. 1029 Dec. 12 by wide margins. The bill resulted from a longstanding battle between Cooper and the Republican leadership in the General Assembly over changes to the elections and ethics boards.During a 2016 lame-duck session, lawmakers passed legislation merging the elections board and the ethics board into one bipartisan agency. The governor, who once had majority appointment power over the elections board, lost that authority under the new board.Cooper sued and argued the changes violated his constitutional appointment powers. In a series of court cases, judges sided with the governor and ruled the board unconstitutional.Lawmakers tried a constitutional fix by placing an amendment on the ballot, which would have kept the merged board. Voters rejected it.The Superior Court panel overseeing the legal challenge to the state board has delayed dissolving it, giving lawmakers time to come up with a legislative fix.H.B. 1029, a conference report that essentially turned back the clock on the Bipartisan Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement, was introduced to comply with the court's ruling. Not only does the bill return the two boards to their 2016 makeup and grant the governor majority appointment power, H.B. 1029 calls for a new filing period and a primary if the State Board of Elections orders a new election in the 9th Congressional District. The current elections board is investigating alleged absentee ballot irregularities in the 9th District, which may lead the board to order a new election.Cooper didn't object to these aspects of H.B. 1029. But, he said, Section 4 of the bill goes awry. Section 4 would make investigations into alleged campaign finance violations confidential and place a four-year statute of limitations on investigations.While Cooper acknowledged the bill passed with bipartisan support, he said lawmakers weren't given enough time to weigh the benefits of the bill with the drawbacks of Section 4. And since H.B. 1029 was a conference report, Cooper noted lawmakers couldn't amend the bill.Soon after Cooper's press conference, the office of Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, accused the governor of trying to weaponize the state election boards' investigatory power.Patrick Ryan, a spokesman for Berger, wrote in an emailed statement.Cooper said he is delaying his veto to give lawmakers time this week to pass the same bill without Section 4.
TORONTO, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Five Star Diamonds Limited (TSX-V:STAR) (Five Star or the Company) announces that it has completed its debt settlement transaction as previously announced on August 2, 2018 (the Debt Settlement).



The Company settled an aggregate amount of $767,511 of debt owing to certain officers, directors and service providers to the Company through the issuance of 3,837,556 common shares of the Company (the Common Shares) at a deemed issuance price of $0.20 per Common Share. The amount settled includes $479,842 in accrued directors' fees and accrued management and consulting fees owing to the Company's directors and officers, as the case may be.

The issuance of the Common Shares is subject to the receipt of all applicable regulatory approvals, including the approval of the TSX-V. The Company is choosing to settle the outstanding indebtedness through the issuance of the Common Shares as the Company will require cash for working capital and continuing operations.

The Common Shares are subject to a four month and one day statutory hold period from the date of issuance.

The Company may in due course seek disinterested shareholder approval to settle the balance of any amounts owing to its officers and directors, who have agreed to settle such amounts in Common Shares on the same terms as described herein, subject to TSX-V approval.

The participation by the insiders in the Debt Settlement is considered a related party transaction as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 ("MI 61-101"). The transaction is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements under MI 61-101 on the basis that the Debt Settlement with related parties constitutes the distribution of securities of the Company for cash consideration of less than $2.5 million. Neither the Company nor, to the knowledge of the Company after reasonable inquiry, the related parties, has knowledge of any material information concerning the Company or its securities that has not been generally disclosed. The debt settlement with each related party was unanimously approved by the Company's independent directors.

Early Warning Report

Luis Azevedo, a director of the Company, announces that he has acquired ownership or direction and control over 1,373,060 Common Shares issued in settlement for director fees and for services provided by an entity controlled by Mr. Azevedo. Immediately prior to the purchase, Mr. Azevedo owned or exercised control or direction over 12,295,282 Common Shares, or approximately 9.42% of the then issued and outstanding Common Shares on a partially diluted basis. Immediately after completion of the Debt Settlement, Mr. Azevedo owned or exercised control or direction over 13,668,342 Common Shares, representing approximately 10.17% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on a partially diluted basis.

The Common Shares were acquired by Mr. Azevedo as settlement for outstanding debt, and depending on various factors including, without limitation, market and other conditions, Mr. Azevedo may increase or decrease his beneficial ownership, control or direction over Common Shares or other securities of Five Star, through market transactions, private agreements, treasury issuances, exercises of convertible securities or otherwise. Mr. Azevedo has also prepared an early warning report in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 62-103  The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues that will appear under Five Stars profile on www.sedar.com and a copy of which may be obtained by contacting Mr. Azevedo at 1-647-951-9608.

ABOUT FIVE STAR DIAMONDS

Five Star Diamonds is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol STAR. The Company controls a dominant and highly enviable position in the Brazilian kimberlite diamond sector owning 23 diamond projects comprising an aggregate of 50 exploration licences and applications across 130,355 hectares.

To date, the Company has conducted exploration programs on seven projects with the Catalao, Maravilha, Riachao, Jaibaras and Verissimo Projects proven to contain diamond-bearing kimberlites.

Five Star Diamonds is focused on acquiring and developing advanced staged diamond projects in Brazil. Since it was established, it has pursued an accelerated growth strategy and aims to be one of the first producers of diamonds from kimberlite deposits in Brazil. The Company is focused on the development of sustainable kimberlite pipes and is not involved in alluvial diamond mining with its associated environmental issues. The Company works closely with local, state and federal authorities in Brazil to foster an open, transparent and legal diamond industry in Brazil.

On behalf of the Board

Five Star Diamonds Limited

Matthew Wood

Chairman of the Board

For further information, please contact:

Five Star Diamonds Limited

Rajan Raj Rai rrai@fivestardiamonds.net

+1 778 835 9200

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking statements

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, many of which are beyond the Companys control. Such factors include, among other things: variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, significant downward variations in the market price of any minerals produced, the Companys inability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities, to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

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.
"Major in the majors. ... Work with the chairman and the [board] officers to build relationships. Work through the issues like Silent Sam."

University of North Carolina System President Margaret Spellings is about to leave her job in Chapel Hill, saddling her successor with a daunting task: wrangling a perfect storm of campus and state politics.On Dec. 14, while Spellings gave her final remarks to the UNC Board of Governors, dozens of demonstrators gathered in the rain to loudly protest Silent Sam, the Confederate monument toppled by protesters in August. The statue is in storage awaiting its fate. The board was set to make a ruling this month, but members announced they need more time to weigh options.More than 100 police officers stood guard outside UNC's Center For School Leadership Development while the crowd chanted, "This is what democracy looks like," and other slogans. One protester was detained for obstructing police. Law enforcers were expecting more trouble, but the rain staved off the crowd, a handful of officers told Carolina Journal.The setting is similar to that which greeted Spellings during her first year in office, as she faced a crowd frenzy of objections over her hiring.Since then, it's been a rollercoaster ride for Spellings, who leaves in January. She has established a new brand and strategic plan for the university. She has overseen big tuition cuts at a handful of UNC schools.She has also weathered hurricanes, lawsuits, and House Bill 2, North Carolina's controversial "bathroom bill."Spellings, former U.S. Secretary of Education under George W. Bush, at times said the "crisis management mode" she experienced at UNC made her feel as though she never really left Washington. Balancing long-and-short-term priorities was always a challenge."Major in the majors, and minor in the minors," Spellings often said during interviews, pushing policy decisions above political ones.Sometimes those lines were blurred. Other times they weren't.Spellings built an administration of steely diplomacy. She opened doors to the press, answering and cloaking questions with the ease that comes from years in national politics. She visited with students and faculty. She worked with other state educators as part of the My Future NC Commission, looking for ways to smooth transitions between all stages of public education.But politics fray progress, and, as Spellings has said repeatedly of her decision to leave UNC, "all leaders are for a time." Everyone from liberals to conservatives at some point have taken issue with decisions made by Spellings' administration.When Spellings leaves in January, the situation will resemble the one which greeted North Carolina three years ago. One that, on Jan. 15, will become the responsibility of interim President-Elect Dr. William Roper, the current CEO of UNC Health Care.Roper, who will take the reins of a university under fire for its handling of Silent Sam, must step to the helm of an administration that acts as a political emissary between UNC's Board of Governors and all 17 campuses.Spellings faced a similar challenge in 2016, when the firing of her predecessor, Tom Ross, caused an uproar over lack of transparency in board dealings. On taking office, Spellings sought to boost transparency by instating video broadcasts and public comment sessions at regular board meetings.But protests, which were disruptive and even violent, took months to wane . The cycle spiraled, with demonstrations growing disorganized and eventually petering out. Spellings eventually seemed to win over many faculty, students, and administrators who at first were opposed to her presidency.Roper's professional background may provide some advantages as he builds out his priorities as interim president.Unlike Spellings, a Texas native and Washington insider, the 70-year-old is no newcomer to North Carolina, having joined UNC Chapel Hill in 1997 as the dean of the School of Public Health. He became CEO of UNC Health care and UNC's medical school dean in 2004.But Roper still must navigate board politics in a room full of former state legislators and lobbyists. Harry Smith, the board's chairman, has shown a hands-on approach while dealing with Spellings' administration - and it's led to some strain.In March 2017, Spellings looked ready to lead UNC to the end of her five-year contract. There was work left to be done. Spellings was excited to discuss it, even stating to CJ that she had no plans to leave her job. At the time, she was teamed with Lou Bissette, former chairman of the UNC board. Bissette was publicly congenial and deferential toward Spellings and her administration.Spellings and Smith have appeared tense and aloof at most meetings since he took Bissette's place in July. Though Smith has praised Spellings and her work during meetings and press conferences, public exchanges between the two appear more cool and calculated. Smith called on Bissette Dec. 14 to read the chairman's report, a resolution praising Spellings and naming her "President Emerita" of UNC.CJ reached out to Roper for comment on his own relationship with Smith and the board, but he was unavailable for an interview.Smith praised Roper in October, calling him an outstanding and easy choice to lead UNC while the board seeks a new president.Roper, who will serve as interim indefinitely, has sidestepped questions about whether he would consider taking on the role full time. He was elected to the position just one week after Spellings announced her resignation in October.When asked what advice she's passed to Roper, Spellings was quick to answer with the mantra she's carried since her first day in office.
On Tuesday night, Jimmy Kimmel presented a skit in which he conversed with God (played by Billy Crystal) and Satan (played by Dave Grohl) to decide whether Ted Cruz should go to Hell.Ultimately, Crystal and Grohl played "rock, paper, scissors" to determine Cruz's fate, as neither of them wanted him, and Crystal issued some insults directed at Cruz.Cruz fired back on Twitter, writing,The segment began with Kimmel discussing an exhibit currently on display in the Illinois state capitol in Springfield that came from the Satanic Temple of Chicago. The statue, called thedisplays a woman's arm, with a snake curled around it, while the arm holds an apple aloft, to represent the Biblical tale of Eve and the serpent.Kimmel stated,The screen behind Kimmel then showed Crystal as God, prompting a conversation. After some bantering back and forth about Chicago not being the capital of Illinois, Kimmel asked Crystal if he wanted the statue removed from the building. Crystal replied,Kimmel asked,Crystal:Crystal then called Grohl, dressed as Satan, to join him. Crystal said he and Satan occasionally had brunch together, prompting Grohl to remark,Crystal:He turned to Grohl, saying,They both made faces; Grohl suggested,Crystal won, then chortled,Grohl countered,Crystal:Turning to Kimmel, he continued,Grohl, protesting.Crystal:Kimmel thanked them, saying,Kimmel has mocked Cruz for some time; in September 2017, after Cruz's Twitter account mistakenly "liked" a porn image, Kimmel tweeted,Cruz got even, though; in June 2018, after Kimmel joked that Cruz resembled a blobfish, as the Houston Chronicle reported . Cruz challenged Kimmel to one-on-one in basketball for charity and beat him, 11-9. As The Daily Wire reported Video of Kimmel, Crystal and Grohl below:
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.
Summary Last month, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution that could limit U.S. military involvement in the war in Yemen. Theres been intensifying criticism of the humanitarian impact of the war and pressure on the Saudi-led coalition to end the fighting there. But many also see the Senate resolution as a response to Saudi Arabias involvement in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The anger over his death and the brutal way in which he was killed has placed increasing pressure on governments and political leaders in many countries to take action against the Saudi regime.

This puts Washington in a tough spot. Given that the U.S. is already overstretched militarily, it increasingly needs to rely on allies like Saudi Arabia to secure its interests in the Middle East. So any attempts to limit U.S. cooperation with Saudi Arabia and its efforts in Yemen has the potential to hamper relations with a key partner and might actually block the U.S. from pursuing its objectives in the region. This raises a critical geopolitical question: To what degree can state institutions inhibit a countrys ability to pursue its imperatives in the short term? This Deep Dive will seek to answer this question as it relates to U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen. U.S. Objectives in Yemen In the U.S, the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in early October drew fresh scrutiny of the Saudi kingdom as well as the coalition it leads against Houthi insurgents in Yemen. Some politicians felt the need to respond to the public shock and indignation over Khashoggis death by limiting the Trump administrations ability to collaborate with Riyadh. The result was the resolution that passed in the Senate 63-37 and could eventually force the U.S. to withdraw some of the aid it has provided to the Saudi-led coalition.

But U.S. support for the Saudis in Yemen isnt just about the war in Yemen. The U.S. has long been concerned about a regional hegemon emerging in the Middle East. (On a broader level, one of the United States key imperatives is to prevent a regional hegemon from emerging in any part of the world because it could force Washington to redirect resources away from land-based military capabilities toward developing a stronger navy so it can maintain its dominance of the high seas.) The U.S. is concerned that Irans expanding influence in places like Iraq and Syria could move it closer to being able to dominate the Middle East. This is a pivotal reason why the U.S. got involved in Yemen  to make sure Iran, which supports the Houthi rebels in their fight against the Saudi-backed government, doesnt hold extensive influence in yet another Middle Eastern country.

But the U.S. has learned over the past 15 years that it cant win wars alone, and it has to be more selective in choosing the conflicts in which it engages. It must, therefore, rely on regional allies to help achieve its security interests. Restraining Iran, then, requires the U.S. to cooperate with countries like Saudi Arabia and Israel, so it can deploy its own forces only on a limited basis. Yemen is of critical concern for the Saudis; they share a border, and Riyadh cant afford to let its archrival to gain a foothold there. The Power of Public Opinion The Senate resolution, then, seems to aim to limit the United States ability to work with one of its key partners. But on closer examination, the resolution isnt nearly as significant a constraint as it first appears. At most, it would curtail low-level U.S. support of Saudi actions against the Houthis in Yemen. And thats assuming the resolution moves past the next stages. The vote in November was only on whether the resolution should be sent for further debate and then to a second and third vote in the Senate. Even if it passes the final hurdle there, the White House has said the president would veto it. (Though theres a similar bill in the House of Representatives that couldnt be vetoed by the president.) By voting for the resolution, then, senators were able to show concern over the issue without actually forcing any change in policy.

Moreover, the resolution isnt exactly clear on what forces or assets the U.S. would need to withdraw. It states, Congress hereby directs the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in or affecting the Republic of Yemen, except United States Armed Forces engaged in operations directed at al Qaeda or associated forces  . In other words, U.S. forces engaged with al-Qaida or associated entities wouldnt need to be pulled out of Yemen. So the U.S. could maintain some limited engagement and still be compliant with the resolution.

A key question, however, is why domestic institutions would want to constrain U.S. actions abroad in the first place. This is where national identity and domestic politics play a critical role in geopolitics. National identity helps shape citizens perception of right and wrong, which in turn can influence leaders actions and the policies they promote  or at least the ones they promote in public. Sometimes, this means a countrys actions abroad are genuinely intended to protect the values its citizens deem important. Other times, politicians just try to convince the public that the countrys allies act in a way that is consistent with its own values, even if they dont, so that public discourse doesnt interfere with a countrys pursuit of its national interests. Franklin Roosevelt, for example, famously referred to Josef Stalin as Uncle Joe when it was essential that the two countries join forces to defeat Nazi Germany, despite the brutality with which Stalin seized and held on to power.

But when an ally openly commits an act that violates a countrys values, leaders may be forced to respond in a way that at least appears to punish that ally to appease the public. Often, the outrage will pass, the issue will be replaced by some other topic that occupies the medias attention, and leaders will revert back to their prior course. But if that act remains in the spotlight for a longer period of time, as was the case with the Vietnam War, then it can create longer-term constraints on a states actions abroad.

In some cases, the public isnt driven only by a desire to defend their values but also by their own self-interest, which is an even more powerful motivator for change. During the Vietnam war, for example, the majority of Americans opposed the war not just because they thought it was unjust but also because the draft may have forced them to risk their own lives in the conflict. A countrys pursuit of its interests, then, can be more limited when citizens are directly affected by the policies required to pursue those interests.

In the case of Jamal Khashoggi, the public indignation at Saudi Arabia is solely values-driven, since the American public was not directly affected by the Khashoggi murder. The same goes for the war in Yemen. Aside from a very small contingent of special forces, American lives have not been put at risk to fight this conflict. Its doubtful, then, that the American public will continue to focus on this issue for long enough to substantially derail the United States relationship with Saudi Arabia.

Its also worth noting that this isnt the first time this resolution has come up for a vote in the Senate. Senators voted 55-44 against the resolution in March. According to many in the media, the Khashoggi killing was the primary reason the Senate had such a change of heart in just eight months. But other Iran-related developments have occurred since March that may have also contributed to the decision. Iran has experienced a number of setbacks domestically  including the reimposition of U.S. sanctions, a plunging currency, nationwide protests against rising consumer prices and continued insurgent attacks in Kurdish and Arab regions  that may weaken its ability to continue waging war in Yemen. Senators may thus see this as an opportunity to pull American involvement there without giving Iran the upper hand. Measuring U.S. Involvement in Yemen Whether the Senate resolution has any impact on the war in Yemen or on U.S.-Saudi relations depends in large part on how much support the U.S. is providing to the Saudi coalition. And the answer is, not much. The U.S. provided refueling support for coalition aircraft until mid-November, when the White House decided to end aerial refueling for Saudi operations ahead of a House bill that would have restricted U.S. involvement in the war. But the refueling support had little impact on the coalition, since Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (Riyadhs main coalition ally) both have air refueling capabilities themselves.

U.S. ground support in the war is also extremely limited. In 2017, it was reported that about a dozen Green Berets were stationed on the Saudi side of the Saudi-Yemeni border to locate and destroy ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis into Saudi Arabia. Some have estimated the total number of U.S. military personnel deployed to Saudi Arabia to support the coalition at about 50. These forces are reportedly providing the Saudis with intelligence to help them find targets for airstrikes. But were Riyadh to lose this support, it wouldnt be a huge setback for the coalition.

Thus, the Senate resolution wouldnt be much of a check on U.S. involvement in Yemen because the U.S. isnt very involved there anyway. Plus, some areas of U.S. engagement in the country fall outside the scope of the resolution. In late November, Saudi Arabia signed a $15 billion deal with the U.S. for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system, a more sophisticated system than the U.S.-made Patriot batteries Saudi Arabia currently has . This deal would remain in place even if the Senate resolution forces U.S. special forces to end their support of the coalition. The U.S. also has an ongoing campaign in Yemen against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which would not be affected by the Senate resolution. Saudi Arabias Perspective For Saudi Arabia, the U.S. rhetoric against the Saudi coalition in Yemen, as well as the anger over the Khashoggi affair, is tolerable so long as it doesnt meaningfully affect Saudi Arabias interests in Yemen.

Riyadh has two goals in Yemen. First, it wants to eliminate or at least decrease Houthi missile attacks on Riyadh and other Saudi cities launched from across the border in Yemen. Second, it must prevent the Iran-backed Houthis from securing control of the government or establishing a large semi-autonomous region within Yemen. (The Houthis seized control of the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.) ( click to enlarge ) Riyadh has thus been supporting the Yemeni government in its quest to retake rebel-held parts of the country. This includes Hodeida, a strategic port city on the coast of the Red Sea. The Saudi coalition launched a new offensive there just before peace talks between the Yemeni government and various rebel groups began in Sweden on Dec. 6. Indeed, its common for opposing sides in a conflict to launch offensives before negotiations in an effort to gain leverage and strengthen their bargaining positions. So far, the coalition has captured some territory around the city, including areas to its east, a hospital and a large portion of a road that leads to the city. Iranian Interests As mentioned previously, one of the main U.S. goals in Yemen is to contain Iran. But even if a resolution manages to limit U.S. involvement there, Washington has other tools, such as sanctions, that arent nearly as controversial as engaging in a war that has had such a severe humanitarian cost. It can also lean on its allies in the region to limit Iranian actions. So the resolution really isnt much of a constraint on the United States ability to keep the Iranians in check.

But containing Iran in Yemen really comes down to how committed the Iranians are to supporting the Houthis. After failing to show up to peace talks in Geneva in September, the Houthis participation in talks in December indicate they may be under greater pressure now than they were just a couple months ago. Still, it doesnt seem that the war will be ending any time soon. So Irans continued invovlement in Yemen will come down to two issues. The first is how much money the war is costing Tehran. While its hard to find exact figures on its expenditures in Yemen, estimates hover in the range of hundreds of millions of dollars. (Iran has a total defense budget of $15 billion.) But Irans financial resources are stretched to the limit, and its already faced resistance throughout this year from average Iranians anger over the plummeting currency and rising consumer prices. The government in Tehran, therefore, may be looking for areas it can cut its costs, and Yemen might be one of them .

The second issue is whether Tehran is willing to decrease its support for the Houthis in exchange for sanctions relief. This depends on whether the economic benefits of sanctions relief outweigh the value of tying down Saudi Arabia in Yemen so it cant threaten Iranian interests elsewhere. For Iran, Yemen is less important strategically than Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, mostly due to its geography  there are logistical challenges in resupplying its forces and proxies in Yemen and it doesnt offer Iran access to the wider Middle East because its isolated on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. Tehran may be willing, therefore, to reduce its engagement in Yemen in return for concessions on sanctions that may be able to release some of the economic pressure its facing at home. ( click to enlarge ) Saudi Arabia knows that whatever happens in the U.S. Senate, Washington and Riyadh are working toward the same goal: eliminating the Iranian presence from Saudi Arabias southern border. The Senate resolution, therefore, wont have a major impact on U.S.-Saudi relations. Both countries are still on the same page strategically, and the resolution is mostly about politicians needing to appear sensitive to their constituents concerns, but it wont place any meaningful limits on the United States pursuit of its interests in the Middle East.
After years of opposing marijuana legalization, Mayor Bill de Blasio joined the vast majority of his fellow Democrats and 62 percent of Americans by throwing his support behind the measure on Thursday morning.

"Change must happen and it must happen the right way. That is the essence of what I feel," de Blasio said at a press conference in a Washington Heights community center to mark the release of a report from The Mayor's Office on Cannabis Legalization. "The time has come to rewrite the rules, to break the mold of the past, to repair and redeem the lives of people who were treated unjustly."

Ten states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday that marijuana legalization is one of his top priorities for 2019, several months after his own report justifying the legalization of marijuana was released.

In explaining his delay, de Blasio said that New York City is a "more complex more difficult place than anywhere else."

"I've been very public about the fact that, you know, I cant even remember whether I inhaled because it was so long ago. I tried marijuana in college, it wasn't my thing, I haven't used it since," the mayor said. "But I think the bigger issues are, were we gonna create something that actually was gonna be fair, create something that addresses the problems, or just open the floodgates?"

The report recommends that the use of marijuana be limited to New Yorkers 21 or older, that past marijuana convictions be expunged, and that measures be taken to ensure that small, minority owned businesses are able to take advantage of the legal marijuana market. The mayor was insistent on this last point. "Let's exclude corporate America from this equation, period," de Blasio said.

The report echoes many of the pillars of The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, a state bill co-sponsored by Assemblymember Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D-Buffalo), and State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan), which is just as well because marijuana legalization is the state's purview, not the city's. ("Everyone in Albany should make sure they get it right," the mayor added.)

"Im glad that the Mayor has come out in support of legalizing adult-use marijuana, and particularly that his report recognizes the need for restorative justice and ensuring those most burdened by prohibition can benefit from legalization," Kreuger said in a statement to Gothamist.

One crucial player missing from the mayor's announcement: the NYPD. In September, the department pledged to stop arresting New Yorkers for smoking marijuana in public, unless that person is on parole or probation, has a misdemeanor or felony warrant, does not have identification, is categorized as a violent offender, or is behind the wheel of a car. The NYPD also said they would arrest those who they feel pose a legitimate public safety threat.

According to the press release for the announcement, arrests for public consumption of marijuana are down 80.6 percent and summonses have also decreased 30 percent since the policy change.

Around 800,000 New Yorkers were arrested for possessing small amounts of marijuana over the last 20 years, the vast majority of them Black or Hispanic, even though marijuana was decriminalized in the state in 1977.

Asked if smoking marijuana in public under a legalized framework would give an NYPD officer the reasonable suspicion necessary to stop and question them, the head of the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, Elizabeth Glazer, said each case would be "very, very fact specific," and deferred the question to Manhattan DA Cy Vance, Jr.

"If as the mayor hopes, that marijuana is legalized, then it would no longer necessarily be the position that the police would be seeing criminal conduct occurring in front of them," Vance said.

Anthony Posada, the supervising attorney for the community justice unit of the Legal Aid Society, told Gothamist that the NYPD would retain broad discretion in what to do when encountering people smoking marijuana.

"What we find that will be the issue, and has consistently been the issue, is the enforcement and how it's disproportionate to Black and brown communities," Posada said. "Even now in a world where summonses have been reduced, arrests have gone downthey're still concentrated on people of color."

A spokesperson for the NYPD declined to comment on the mayor's report or the department's absence from the announcement, but said that Commissioner Jimmy O'Neill would have a media availability on Friday afternoon.
Police in Opp, Alabama, blame Satan for a recent spate of killings in the rural area. The Associated Press quotes a statement posted to the department's facebook page:

THIS PAST SUNDAY, A YOUNG MAN WAS SHOT AND KILLED IN KINSTON. MONDAY NIGHT, A MOTHER WAS SHOT AND KILLED IN NORTHERN COVINGTON COUNTY. THERE HAVE BEEN FIVE MURDERS IN COVINGTON COUNTY IN 2018. THESE MURDERS HAVE BEEN DONE BY OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. THIS IS HAPPENING BECAUSE WE HAVE TURNED AWAY FROM GOD AND EMBRACED SATAN. WE MAY HAVE NOT MEANT TO DO SO BUT, WE HAVE. IT IS TIME TO ASK FOR GOD'S HELP TO STOP THIS. IT IS TIME TO BE PARENTS AND RAISE OUR CHILDREN, NOT HAVE THEM RAISE US. IT IS TIME TO FULLY SUPPORT LAW ENFORCEMENT AND STAND BY THE OFFICERS AND DEPUTIES THAT ARE FAR TOO OFTEN HAVING TO WALK INTO THESE DANGEROUS SITUATIONS AND CLEAN UP THE MESS. FRIENDS, IT IS TIME TO STAND UP AND BE RESPONSIBLE, GROWN UP LEADERS IN OUR COMMUNITY. BOTTOM LINE, THERE ARE SHEEP; THERE ARE WOLVES AND THERE ARE SHEEP DOGS. WHICH GROUP DO YOU BELONG TO ?

Wolves, sheepdogs and the separation of church and state.


Bryan Adams has followed up on his earlier advocacy for a new Canadian copyright deal that benefits artists with a submission to the Canadian Heritage Committee's copyright consultation that argues against longer copyright terms, saying that these enrich large "intermediaries" (entities that sit between artists and their audiences, like record labels and collecting societies) and not artists.

Instead of longer terms (which just mean that intermediaries get to milk creators' works for longer periods), Adams favours shortening the reversion term: this is the term after which an artist can demand to have their copyrights restored to them, even if their contracts say that they have signed away the copyright forever. In the US, the reversion term is 35 years and it's proved a boon to artists, especially those who were defrauded of their copyrights  I'm told that George Clinton just successfully used this to reclaim the rights to Atomic Dog.





Here's Adams's submission; Michael Geist's commentary is also very good:

Adams raises two key concerns. First, he notes that copyright term extension provides little or no benefit to creators, who will have died decades before the extended protection kicks in. Indeed, as I stated to the Industry committee during my appearance, there is no evidence that creators today drop creative activities due to a perceived lack of incentive that comes from protection that runs for 50 years after their death rather than 70 years. Second, Adams rightly distinguishes between creators and intermediaries, which presumably include music labels, publishers, distributors, and copyright collectives. It is those intermediaries  not individual creators  who have persistently lobbied for copyright term extension. In fact, while the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage chaired by MP Julie Dabrusin painted itself as being chiefly concerned with assisting creators, the reality is that its witness list was dominated by intermediaries. The full witness list included a few artists and authors, but industry associations, copyright collectives or other intermediaries were far more prevalent. A key test for the committee as it crafts its recommendations will be whether it heeds Adams' call to distinguish between creators and those that purport to speak on their behalf amid his reminder on who really benefits from copyright term extension.



Bryan Adams Warns Canadian Heritage Committee on Copyright Term Extension: Enriches Large Intermediaries, Not Creators [Michael Geist]

(Image: Gerardo Gonzalez, CC-BY)
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

Siphosami Malunga the son of the late struggle stalwart Sydney Malunga has appealed to Zimbabweans to be humane when handling the issue of gender activist Linda Masarira who is reported to be unwell."Humanity demands that there are lines we don't cross." Malunga said. "Surely illness, death, sorrow, innocent children and family should be no-go areas regardless of the disdain or disapproval we hold for someone. I know many don't agree with this view but it saddens me to see the kind of society we have become."Malunga lamented the nature of unprincipled humanity that Zimbabwens have become due to the hardships they have failed."We are a truly broken society. There is nothing we won't do to destroy each other. Our fighting has become unprincipled and lacks integrity. I do not absolve her from this tendency too. We have in enduring the severe hardship over the many decades become mini-devils to each other ready to dish it equal measure."Where is our reservoir of kindness and compassion? Like I said, I don't know her but strongly feel I must speak out on this."I don't know Linda Masarira beyond what I read about her or from her on social media. I do believe that the shaming she is enduring which is also a violation of her privacy is wrong. It may also be sexist. Nothing justifies the public release of private medical information of any individual. Not even vengeance or revenge."Linda has been an undesirable person among civic society and opposition party members after she attended the Motlanthe Commission of inquiry and said opposition had sent its members to be trained by Serbians to do acts of sabotage in Zimbabwe.When images of her in a hospital surfaced yesterday, social media critics were quick to give her a tongue lash accusing her of being a sellout.
News / National

by Collen Ncube

MDC Youth Assembly organising Secretary in Harare South was allegedly abducted on Thursday afternoon in Highfield. The Youth leader popularly known as Meke was allegedly abducted by ZANU PF youths.More to follow
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

The Movement for Democratic Change National Council recently adopted a resolution to set up a political school which shall be named after the late Founding President Morgan Richard Tsvangirai.In a statement issued through the Party Spokesman Jacob Mafume MDC said, "The party discussed the ideology crisis arresting the country. In this regard, the Party will set up the Morgan Tsvangirai School of Ideology to orient, develop cadres and inculcate values of social democracy."This is not the first time that MDC has mulled the idea of setting up a political school. In 2011 the Youths belonging to the then Welshman Ncube led MDC set up a political school which was based in Bulawayo.The project suffered a still birth.The ruling ZANU PF party is the only political party that has been running a successful political orientation school called the Chitepo school of ideology.Recntly ZANU PF advertised that it is recruiting suitable and qualified War Veterans to be part of its permanent teaching and administrative staff at the Chitepo school of ideology next year. Suitable war veterans should have either a teaching or training officer in the security sector, governmental organisations or parastatal.The African National Congress and the South Africa Communist party of South Africa are also two parties in the region that have run successful political parties.
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

On Thursday ZANU PF Members of Parliament trounced their MDC counterpart during a vote on whether the 2% transfer tax should be contained in the 2019 budget.This was revealed by the MDC Treasurer General and MP for Kuwadzana East constituency on Friday."Yesterday we lost the vote in Parliament for the scrapping off of the 2% transfer tax. The heated debate and voting was conducted late into the night."Hwende also revealed that they lost the vote for the scraping of the clause that demands imported vehicles to have their duty paid in US Dollars."We also lost the battle in Parliament last night to stop the illegal charging of VAT in USD$ instead of RTGs. Vehicle imports now attract duty in USD further making it difficult for poor people to own cars."ZANU PF enjoys two thirds majority in parliament which makes it easier for them to pass any bill that would have been agreed in party caucus. Zimbabwe uses a whipping system that mandates members of parliament to toe the party line.On Wednesday Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube accused opposition MPs of being dishonest by insisting that people are not happy with the 2% levy on electronic transactions, claiming the new tax has widely been embraced."The 2% tax is not about Zimbabweans being punished, and it is dishonest to say that they do not want it. In fact, they have embraced it, and ordinarily what Zimbabweans have only complained about is that the prices of fertiliser and goods are high," Ncube said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

The country's largest opposition party has rejected in toto the report by the Commission of Inquiry into the potically-motivated violence that rocked the capital city on August 1, resulting in the death of six civilians.Led by former South Africa president Kglalema Motlanthe, the commission was established by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in October this year and took under three months to do its work.On Tuesday, Mnangagwa released the report to the public with its major highlight being that the military and police were behind the cold-blooded killing of innocent civilians on that fateful day.Meanwhile, Chamisa yesterday said President Emmerson Mnangagwa should swallow his pride and agree to dialogue with him in order to resolve the economic crisis in the country, characterised by price hikes, shortage of basic commodities, company closures, job losses and a serious liquidity crunch.Presenting various foodstuffs to the elderly in Harare's Highfields suburb, Chamisa said this year's Christmas festive season was one of the worst ever as the Zanu PF government had run down the economy, leaving a significant part of the population in destitution and unable to buy goodies associated with the period.
After nearly two decades in business, longtime Chelsea restaurant and bar The Half King has announced it will close at the end of January. In a statement on The Half King's website, owners Scott Anderson, Nanette Burstein, and Sebastian Junger announced:

THE HALF KING WILL BE CLOSING FOR GOOD AT THE END OF JANUARY, 2019. WE HAVE HAD 18 WONDERFUL YEARS IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD BUT TIMES HAVE CHANGED AND WE CAN NO LONGER AVOID FINANCIAL REALITY. PLEASE VISIT US IN OUR FINAL WEEKS - EITHER SCOTT OR SEBASTIAN OR NANETTE WILL BE HERE MOST EVENINGS IN JANUARY. IT IS WITH VERY HEAVY HEARTS THAT WE BID YOU ALL GOODBYE

The Half King opened on West 23rd Street in 2000, around the time the center of gravity for the NYC art gallery scene was fully shifting from SoHo and the East Village to Chelsea, which was still relatively desolate on its western edge. Named for a historically influential Seneca chief, The Half King became a regular gathering place for art world types, as well as filmmakers, reporters, and authors. (Anderson, Burstein, and Junger are journalists, authors and filmmakers.)

Junger, the author of several books and documentaries, said The Half King's rent has increased three-fold since it opened. (He declined to provide an exact number.) And though the High Line has drawn hordes of tourists to the neighborhood since it was turned into a park in 2009, Junger believes the exodus of art galleries from Chelsea has diminished The Half King's regular clientele.

"High rents in Chelsea seem to have collapsed the art gallery industry in the area, and once those businesses shut down, foot traffic dropped," Junger told Gothamist in a phone interview Friday morning. "Compared to ten years ago, it's a bit of a ghost town in that neighborhood. Red Cat just closed, Trestle on Tenth just closed. These are longstanding, very beloved restaurants that were full any time you walked by them. And even they are closing."

Although High Line tourists gave The Half King some business during the day, Junger said "whatever they spent on lunch wasn't enough to make up for the rent increases that the High Line triggered. The bar business is an evening tradethat's when you make the bulk of your moneyand even in the summer the High Line would shut down at ten or whatever. And in the winter, forget it."



Crowds on the High Line this past April (Scott Lynch / Gothamist)

Junger acknowledged the challenges faced by The Half King are not unique to Chelsea.

"For a lot of restaurant businesses in New York, incredibly high rent and additional pressures of high payroll taxes and raising the minimum wage for people on the floor all combined made it possible for a restaurant that is busy every night, with every chair filled, to barely get by," Junger said. "I think that's true of a lot of places, and we're no exception. I think there's a larger problem in New York, but there's sort of a micro-problem in Chelsea, after the galleries closed in that area, it turned into a ghost town."

Junger stressed The Half King isn't being kicked out, and spoke highly of the building's owner, Louie Sloves. (A call placed to Sloves this morning went unanswered.) Asked if rising rents in the area could be attributed to the expansion of Google and the tech industry, Junger declined to speculate.

"I'm not a real estate person," Junger said. "Owning a gallery is sort of a marginal business, and once they're in a neighborhood it becomes trendy and then they can't survive the rents, and out they go. One of the reasons the galleries came is that businesses like ours came into the area around 2000. There was a gas station across the street and a car wash a block up. So we changed it, the galleries came in, and that all escalated the rent, and then the High Line finished it off. It asphyxiated itself, basically."

In addition to serving food and drinks, The Half King was a regular home for author readings and a popular photography series. Glenn Raucher, who curates and hosts the reading events, is now looking for a new location. In an email, he called The Half King's closure "an enormous blow."

"From the start, Sebastian, Scott, and Nanette were utterly committed to authors and photographers being a part of the business," Raucher wrote. "And they gave their curators and hosts incredible support, and of course the cachet of their accomplishments, so that writers coming here to present their work knew the very high standard that was set. And the staff of the Half King made running a series there a complete joy."

Raucher and Anna Van Lenten, who curates the photography series, are both seeking new homes for their events. (Raucher's email is here, and Van Lenten's email is here.)


News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

Founding President of Zimbabwe Canaan Sodindo Banana has been exposed for supporting government's decision to deploy the fifth brigade army that left an estimated 20 000 people dead in Matabeleland and Midlands.In a newspaper article dated 8 May 1984 that has resurfaced, Banana accused the church of spreading lies claiming there is a massacre of innocent people in Matabeleland and Midlands."President Canaan Banana yesterday criticised the church for making allegations about army atrocities in Matabeleland South saying these were based on gossip and hearsay picked from the streets." The paper said."He said the government has both a legitimate duty and moral responsibility to ensure the safety of all citizens. It can therefore never be government policy to send the national army into Matabeleland to exterminate the Ndebele people."There is indeed a tragic situation but that is only the result of a deeper problem. The problem of those who unlawfully took arms to destabilise our hard-won independence." Banana is further quoted saying.The paper further quotes Banana saying the church must not preach sermons based on Gukurahundi because it has no evidence that these atrocities were happening."Such unproven information is not something to preach sermons on from the pulpit or rush to the press to create sensational news headlines. If the church had to be constructive in its pronouncements it must in addition to conviction have proof and substantiated evidence especially if it must criticise elected governments."Commenting on these newspaper article the General Secretary of Zimabbwe Communist Party Ngqabutho Mabhena said, " l do not consider the late Rev Banana as a hero, he abandoned his own people during Gukurahundi and elected to enjoy good life in Harare."Canaan is known as the first Ndebele President of a free Zimbabwe. He presided over the country during the Gukurahundi era.
FILE PHOTO: A sign for a Heathscope hospital is seen in central Melbourne, Australia, July 16, 2010. REUTERS/Mick Tsikas

By Paulina Duran

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Healthscope Ltd (ASX:HSO.AX - News) on Friday said it has extended exclusive takeover talks with suitor Brookfield Asset Management Inc (BAMa.TO) by a month, and that a rival suitor remained interested, potentially re-igniting a bidding war.

The hospital operator has not yet committed to a binding A$4.5 billion ($3.2 billion) offer from the Canadian investment firm. Still, the extension sent its shares up as much as 6.55 percent as it gave investors confidence a deal would proceed.

"There was concern the bid could be reduced or withdrawn post due-diligence if Brookfield uncovered something disappointing, given the operating conditions for private hospitals have been challenging," said JPMorgan analyst David Low.

"But it's indicated at this stage, having done due diligence, that it expects to proceed, so there's a positive surprise in that."

Profit at Australia's second-biggest private hospital operator has been falling as the number of people buying private health cover has stalled. But the firm's hospital property portfolio has made it a target for suitors looking at the country's aging population as a source of long-term income.

Brookfield's exclusivity period was due to expire on Friday. However, the firm still needs to finalize due diligence, debt financing and a binding implementation agreement, and so Healthscope agreed to extend exclusive talks until Jan. 18, the hospital operator said.

Brookfield told Healthscope it had "no reason to believe it would not be willing and able to proceed with the proposal for acquisition of all shares," the target firm said in a statement.

Healthscope stock was up 6.55 percent at A$2.19 in afternoon trade, versus a 1 percent decline in the broader market.

In a separate statement on Friday, Healthscope said rival bidder BGH Capital Pty Ltd and its partners had told the hospital operator they were prepared to commence due diligence even though their $2.36 per share indicative offer was rejected as "less attractive". Healthscope said it would consider the matter.

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"BGH (and its partners) are indicating they are still interested and I presume they will remain patient," said JPMorgan's Low.

Last month, Healthscope said it had provided due diligence materials to Brookfield after picking the Canadian firm's $2.585 per share offer, which valued the hospital operator at A$4.1 billion.

Representatives at Brookfield or BGH were not immediately available for comment on Friday.

(Reporting by Paulina Duran in SYDNEY and Aby Jose Koilparambil in BENGALURU; Editing by Stephen Coates and Christopher Cushing)
By Lawrence Delevingne and Koh Gui Qing (Reuters) - Minnesota prosecutors will not charge the billionaire chief executive officer of China's JD.com Inc, Richard Liu, after he was accused of rape by a University of Minnesota student during a recent U.S. visit, authorities said on Friday. Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman said there were "profound evidentiary problems which would have made it highly unlikely that any criminal charge could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt." In a statement, Freeman said that after an investigation by Minneapolis police and a review by four senior sexual assault prosecutors, it was clear his office could not meet its burden of proof, and therefore could not bring charges. "Because we do not want to re-victimize the young woman, we will not be going into detail," Freeman said. The 45-year-old Liu, who grew JD.com from a humble electronics stall to an e-commerce giant with 2017 net revenues of $55.7 billion and maintains tight control of the company, was released without charge about 17 hours after he was arrested on Aug. 31. He quickly returned to China, where he has continued to run the company. His representatives have maintained his innocence after the woman from China studying at the University of Minnesota accused him of rape. JD.com shares extended gains on Friday after news spread of the decision not to prosecute, and closed up 5.9 percent. The case has attracted extreme interest in China. Liu could have faced up to 30 years in prison under Minnesota law if convicted of first-degree criminal sexual misconduct. On Friday, Freeman said the three months it took his office to review Liu's case was not unusual for a sexual assault investigation, especially one in which no one was in custody. "It had nothing to do with Liu's status as a wealthy, foreign businessman," Freeman said in his statement. A lawyer for the student who accused Liu blasted Friday's decision, saying it showed why victims of sexual assault feared coming forward, and questioning why prosecutors waited to issue a release until late on the Friday before the Christmas holiday. The investigators "never met this victim; they never spoke to this victim; they never sought to meet with her lawyers," the attorney, Wil Florin, said in a statement. "Her story will be told. On her behalf we will not permit her dignity to be simply swept under the rug." The Hennepin County Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Florin's statement. An attorney for Liu said they welcomed the decision, and hoped that it would dispel "misinformation and speculation" that circulated widely since the billionaire's arrest. "Mr. Liu was arrested based on a false claim, and after a thorough investigation, with which he fully cooperated, the declination of charges vindicates him," Liu's attorney Jill Brisbois said in a statement. Florin said his client will file a civil lawsuit, saying they looked forward to a civil jury hearing the "full and complete story" and determining whether Liu, JD.com and their representatives should be held accountable for the events of that night. Reuters previously reported details of what happened while Liu was in Minneapolis, including a description of the alleged attack and the events around it given by the now-22-year-old student. Usually based in Beijing, Liu made the U.S. trip for a weeklong residency program at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, which runs a doctor of business administration program with China's elite Tsinghua University. The University of Minnesota said it had no comment on Friday's announcement by authorities. The decision to not prosecute followed criticism of Minneapolis authorities, including Freeman's office, for what some see as a failure to pursue sexual assault cases adequately. (Reporting by by Lawrence Delevingne and Koh Gui Qing; Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Leslie Adler)
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  Two moderate Republican legislators in Kansas became Democrats on Wednesday, capping an unprecedented round of GOP defections in the Kansas City suburbs that soured on President Donald Trump and a close political ally of his in this year's race for governor.

State Sen. Dinah Sykes and Rep. Stephanie Clayton joined two other moderate lawmakers who switched last week. All four women are from Johnson County, which is the state's most populous county and which Democratic Gov.-elect Laura Kelly carried in the November election.

Kelly defeated conservative Republican Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state who trumpeted his endorsement by Trump. Kansas City-area voters also showed their displeasure with the president by electing Democrat Sharice Davids, a Native American and LGBT lawyer, to Congress, ousting Republican incumbent Kevin Yoder.

Clayton said her decision to leave the GOP was prompted by concerns that its leaders are not committed to boosting public school funding. She also acknowledged that her constituents, particularly women, are upset with Trump and said her discomfort with his policies helped pushed her to leave the GOP.

"I hear every day from people who have been Republicans for their lives, lifelong, and they just said, 'I can't do this anymore. This is not what I stand for,' and that's how I felt," Sykes said. "I'm better served to focus on my job than trying to defend the Republican Party."

In Oklahoma, state Rep. Johnny Tadlock , who represents a rural district in the state's southeast corner, switched to the Republican Party. In 2017, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice also switched to the GOP in a state Trump won by nearly 42 percentage points.

Kansas Democrats have had a few high-profile party switches over the past 20 years, most notably in 2006, when Mark Parkinson , a former state GOP chairman, ran as a Democrat for lieutenant governor. He became governor in 2009 when then-Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius resigned to become U.S. health and human services secretary.

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But before last week, only five legislators had switched parties in the past 50 years, four of them Democrats who became Republicans. A sixth lawmaker, state Sen. John Doll , a moderate from western Kansas, left the GOP in March and became an independent for an unsuccessful run for lieutenant governor.

According to the state library, there's no record of four lawmakers switching parties in such a short span.

Even so, Republicans will maintain supermajorities in both legislative chambers, slipping to 84-41 in the House and 28-11, with Doll as the one independent, in the Senate. Furthermore, the Legislature emerged from this year's elections more conservative, with GOP moderates losing ground to conservatives.

"These are not surprising switches," said Kansas Republican Party Chairman Kelly Arnold, adding that the lawmakers worked and voted regularly with Democrats. "I think they're finally deciding that, you know, they don't need the Republican brand."

Republicans enjoy a 3-to-2 voter registration advantage in Johnson County, but GOP moderates have remained a political force.

Kelly carried Johnson County by nearly 17 percentage points and Davids won there by almost six percentage points. Even Democratic candidates for attorney general and state treasurer who lost by a wide margin statewide narrowly carried Johnson County.

"If there was a blue wave in Kansas, it was in Johnson County," said state Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, a Topeka Democrat.

Patrick Miller, a University of Kansas political scientist, saw the results in Johnson County and the party switches as part of an ongoing national political realignment.

"It's been moderate Republicans in suburbs becoming Democrats and conservative Democrats in rural areas becoming Republicans," Miller said. "It definitely predates Trump. It probably blew up and we noticed it more under Trump."

Sykes and Clayton joined state Sen. Barbara Bollier and state Rep. Joy Koesten , who switched parties last week. Clayton won re-election last month as a Republican, but Koesten lost her GOP primary and will leave office in January. Sykes and Bollier are in the middle of four-year terms and face voters again in 2020.

Sykes defeated a conservative incumbent in the Republican primary in 2016 in winning her seat.

Clayton was first elected to the House in 2010 and helped organize a bipartisan Women's Caucus.

"The suburban women that I represent are definitely turned off by the president," Clayton said. "They're disgusted with this burn-it-all-down attitude."

___

Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna
For the first time in its 126-year history, a woman is leading the CLB Armoury in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Col. Gail Dick was installed as governor and commandant of the organization by Lt.-Gov. Judy Foote at a ceremony in St. John's.

"It's an honour, it's a privilege," said Dick.

"Opportunities kept arising and I guess they saw my potential and they kept saying, 'Let's keep going, let's keep going.' There were people, a number of years ago, that said, 'Well, who knows where she is going to rise to?'"

The CLB, which stands for Church Lads' Brigade, "originally started as a boys' group," said Dick, back in 1892 and now boasts over 500 members.

The organization offers 500 courses in its badge work program, leadership training and other services for people ages five to 19.

New leader's 4 goals

Dick, who lives in St. John's, has been involved with the CLB Armoury for 23 years years and most recently completed her tenure as regimental commander.

In 2009, Dick led Mission Belize, a team of 33 youth and 13 officers who went to Belize to work on a school for underprivileged children.

"I just wanted to work with our young people," Dick told CBC Radio's St. John's Morning Show.

Submitted

Dick has four main goals as part of her position:

Enhance leadership training and development.

Increase membership of youth and officers.

Highlight the contribution that CLB members have made in WWI and WWII.

Identify potential partnerships between the CLB and various community groups.

Dick's professional career includes more than 20 years in the hospitality industry, according to a CLB media release.

She is currently manager and senior rating advisor of the Canada Select Program, and a mother of three.

Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
It's a simple letter, accompanied by a kit and a request for you to send off some samples of your poop.

That letter is part of the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency's (SCA's) colorectal cancer screening process. Linda Weir, the program's head of early detection, said the agency has a response rate of more than 50 per cent.

"That's extremely gratifying to see that the Saskatchewan population really has embraced this program and it will just continue to get better and better," she said. "Screening saves lives."

Data used in a new Statistics Canada health report shows that there are fewer late-stage colorectal cancer diagnoses in Saskatchewan than any other province or territory in Canada. Numbers from Quebec were not available.

Saskatchewan's 46.1 per cent late-stage (stage III and IV) colorectal diagnosis rate is nearly three per cent lower than Canada's overall rate.

Back between 2005 to 2007, before the screening process was in place, more than half of colorectal cancer cases were already in the advanced stage when diagnosed. This shows the Saskatchewan rates have dropped by nearly four per cent between then and the period between 2011 and 2015.

Talking about cancer may seem grim, but Weir said the numbers tell a hopeful story.

"To me, it really indicates that we want to promote screening more and more to all across Canada, in Saskatchewan, across Canada, to work towards that early screening," she said.

Not only is colorectal cancer one of the most common in the country, along with breast, lung and prostate cancer, it and lung cancer are most likely to be diagnosed in the late stages  which means survival rates are lower.

Around 156,000 Saskatchewan residents in the high-risk age groups have sent off the colorectal screening kits in the two-year period after receiving them.

The program was introduced in its current form in 2013, after a few years of setting it up and piloting it.

Story continues

It takes some time for screening programs to show up in statistics, Weir said, pointing out that the 80 per cent early-stage diagnosis for breast cancer across Canada comes after screening programs were introduced in the 1990s.

Saskatchewan currently offers three screening programs: for colorectal, breast and cervical cancer.

"The dream is that 100 per cent of our population in the target age groups would get screened," Weir said.

CBC

Lung cancer screening is not yet in place in Canada. No database exists for its specific target population of smokers in a certain age range, Weir said, meaning people need to self-identify. However, she said she'll be watching closely as some provinces pursue lung cancer screening pilot projects.

Overall, between 1988 and 2017, cancer death rates have dropped by 32 percent for women and 17 per cent for men.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau listens to a question during an end of session news conference in Ottawa, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

BEIJING (AP)  The recent detention of a third Canadian in China differs from earlier ones that authorities allege involve security matters, a Chinese government spokeswoman said Thursday.

In the latest case, a woman received an administrative penalty for illegal employment, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily news briefing. She did not provide further details.

The detentions of two Canadian men last week appeared to be retaliation for Canada's arrest of a Chinese telecommunications executive wanted in the United States.

Hua said the most recent case is different, noting the two men have been taken in for endangering China's national security, while the woman was given an administrative penalty.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also said the cases don't appear to be linked, noting that tens of thousands of Canadians live, travel and work in China.

He added at a year-end news conference Wednesday that he doesn't want to escalate tensions with China.

Canadian lawmaker Erin O'Toole said that the case involved visa irregularities for an Alberta woman who had been teaching in China.

Opposition leader Andrew Scheer said Trudeau needs to call China's president.

"Enough is enough. It's time for the Prime Minister to pick up the phone, call President Xi, demand the safe return of Canadians held by Beijing. Any detention of Canadian citizens for political or diplomatic reasons is completely unacceptable," Scheer tweeted.

Nelson Wiseman, a professor at the University of Toronto, said Trudeau looks weak and said his comments won't be well received by Canadians.

"The government thinks that stronger statements will lead to poor treatment of Canadians held by China and possibly result in more Canadians being detained and Canadian businesses in China being hurt by the Chinese government," Wiseman said.

Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, was arrested in Canada on Dec. 1 at the request of the United States, which wants her extradited to face charges that she and her company misled banks about the company's business dealings in Iran.

Story continues

Nine days later, the Chinese secretly detained two Canadians on vague suspicions of "engaging in activities that endanger the national security" of China. Beijing didn't allow Canadian officials to see Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat in China, for four days and Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor for six days. Meng is out on bail in Canada.

___

Associated Press researcher Liu Zheng contributed to this story.
After spending nine months in New York City homeless sheltersbouncing among hotels in Queens and ManhattanJarvis Cureton and his wife Cabria Cummings wanted to find a stable home for themselves and their one-year old, Jakhai.

Their chance for stability came in the form of a program the city introduced last year, Special One Time Assistance. The city would pay a year of rent upfront to landlords willing to house homeless families in and outside the city. After introducing the program, the Department of Homeless Services began organizing van rides to show some of the 60,000 homeless New Yorkers apartments in places such as Waterbury, Connecticut, and Irvington, East Orange and Newark in New Jersey, where apartments are more affordable than in the city.

Cummings saw four apartments on her van ride to Newark. A three-bedroom apartment that was renting for $1,200 a month caught her eye, but she had some reservations and questions. But a housing specialist, she said, pressured her to act fast.

They were just kind of like pushing us out, she said. 'You found something. Okay, get out.' So, we were like okay. I guess it can't be that bad.

Listen to Mirela Iverac's reporting on the SOTA program for WNYC:

When they moved in March, the landlord promised to make repairs. Nine months later, the bathroom sink is still leaking, and the electrical outlets are exposed. On a recent day, when the temperature dropped to the 30s, Cummings, her husband, and toddler were wearing jackets. Five electric heaters were turned on because there was no heat in the apartment.

Now that we've been through all of this, it would have just been better to stay in the shelter and find something else, Cummings said.. Anything else.



Cureton and Cummings' home in Newark, where the attic was also legally converted and rented to another SOTA recipient (Mirela Iverac / WNYC)

According to guidelines from the Department of Homeless Services, the staff members at homeless shelters are supposed to conduct walk-throughs of the apartments their clients are moving into, including in neighboring New Jersey and New York State counties. But WNYC found some families have ended up in substandard, uninhabitable and illegally converted apartments. The owner of the house Cummings lives in also illegally rented the attic to another SOTA recipient, according to documents from Newarks Department of Engineering. After city inspectors saw it, they told the woman living there she couldnt stay.

These families started finding themselves in really lousy apartments with bad conditions and in some cases really worse off, said Jose Ortiz, deputy director at Essex Newark Legal Services, where several SOTA families have turned for help.

Ortiz said these families position in disputes with landlords has been made more difficult by the fact the city had already paid 12 months of rent.

That brings up a whole bunch of legal questions, he said. How can we enforce this this agreement if the rent was paid by the city of New York? How do we recoup that money?

After WNYC brought Cummings and other cases to the attention of the citys Department for Social Services, spokesman Isaac McGinn said they provide shelter staff with clear standards and guidance regarding the reviews they must complete for our rehousing programs.

We will investigate these cases to determine whether that guidance was followed or if landlords neglected their obligations, he said.

Nicole Romeros family faces similar problems. After spending three years in a shelter in New York, Romero, 28, was happy to move to East Orange with her partner, stepson Jefferey Jr., 7, and two sons, Samuel, 7, and Quincy, 4.

Theyre excited of being in their home for the first time, she said, remembering how her kids felt when they moved in. Theyre running around, playing.



Code violations in Nicole Romeros apartmentthe hole in the floor, the peeling paintin East Orange (Mirela Iverac / WNYC)

But she said that soon after things started to go wrong: water was leaking through the ceiling, paint was peeling, there was a hole in the floor around a radiator pipe.

She said the landlords didnt respond to her complaints, so she called the city of East Orange. When inspectors came out in October, they found 12 code violations and said the apartment didnt have a certificate of habitability, which every apartment in the city is supposed to have before tenants move in.

Romeros landlords said she violated the lease by playing loud music, damaging the property, being disorderly and having a dog. The case is in court, and Romero said she wishes New York City hadnt already paid nearly $17,000 to her landlords.

When they give them a whole slab of rent for a year the landlord is pretty much: 'I have this. I can do whatever I want to you.'

Mirela Iverac is a reporter for WNYC, where she covers poverty and homelessness. You can follow her on Twitter at @mirelaiverac.


Ana Sofia Rodrigues Suarez asked Santa for three things this Christmas: clothes, candy and to stay in Winnipeg instead of being deported in the New Year.

"I really want to stay here," said Ana, 11, seated at a table with her colourful drawings and school work in the Westdale duplex the Venezuela-born sixth-grader shares with her parents, aunt and 86-year-old grandmother.

"I have a lot of friends and they will be very sad if I left them."

Watch Ana list Canadian things she'll miss:

After a series of applications to stay in Manitoba were dismissed, Ana's father, Luiz Antonio Rodrigues Bonito, said Canada Border Services Agency notified him this month he needed to buy plane tickets by Friday and be out of the country by Jan. 21.

"I feel sad, desperate, just because my daughter, you know, she is very happy here," said Luiz, 56, who works as a janitor with his wife, Sandra Suarez de Rodrigues, 50, at a local church.

"When I talk to her and say, 'You know, we must leave Canada,' she really, really cry a lot."

Gary Solilak/CBC

Following a traumatic home invasion and robbery in 2014, the family fled Venezuela for Winnipeg, where Luiz's brother's family has lived since the 1970s.

Luiz's mother, wife, daughter and sister, Cristina Rodrigues Bonito, left amid ongoing economic turmoil that spawned a refugee crisis that has seen over two million Venezuelans flee the South American country in recent years, according to estimates from the United Nations.

Economic turmoil

The family once ran a successful business that sold appliances to hotels and restaurants, but things changed in the mid-2000s, a few years after the late Hugo Chavez took over as president of oil-rich Venezuela.

For a time, Chavez helped provide better health care and other opportunities for the poor and working classes, but his government also fixed prices for some foods and goods. By 2014, the price of oil had plummeted, and the government was left in serious debt.

Story continues

Luiz said the Chavez government took over his business and many others. Soon it became a challenge to access basic services or find enough food at grocery stores, he said. Food shortages remain a problem in Venezuela.

Luiz and Sandra participated in an anti-government group and protests in Venezuela and were taken into custody for a day. Luiz said they were made to sign a document stating they would face indefinite jail time if they were arrested for similar protests again.

Two other cousins have been imprisoned in Venezuela in recent years for similar political activity, the family said.

Gun to the head

Then, in 2014, Cristina was approved as a permanent resident in Manitoba through the Provincial Nominee Program. She planned to postpone her move to Winnipeg until Luiz and the rest of the family had their approvals as well, but the home invasion that year changed that.

Supplied by Bonito family

"I was shocked. I was sleeping in my own bed and somebody covered my mouth and put a gun at the top of my head," Cristina said with a quivering voice, adding the robbers tied the family up in a room and threatened them.

"What I was most scared about was we were seeing their faces  I said, 'They're going to kill us all,' because that's what happens when you see their faces."

The family dogs died in the days before and tests later showed they were likely poisoned, said Cristina.

It took a while for Ana to recover.

'I'm crushed'

Luiz came to Winnipeg on a tourist visa in 2015, as did his wife and daughter, after having his application to Canada's skilled labourer program dismissed. While here, he learned his application through the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program was dismissed in 2015.

Gary Solilak/CBC

In 2017, Luiz and Sandra obtained work permits and their volunteering at Oasis Church turned into paid jobs as custodians.

They've become valued employees and members of the church, said the church's community life pastor Kelly Gray.

He said news of their deportation is devastating.

Watch Gray's goodbye message to the family:

"I'm crushed. I I don't think there's ever a good time to get news like that. Christmas doesn't make it any easier," said Gray.

"It's such a friendly family, a loving family, and it's hard to see this cloud hanging over them. I know they're happy here."

Supplied by Bonito family

Luiz's application to stay in Manitoba on humanitarian and compassionate grounds was rejected in 2017, so his wife, Sandra, filed for refugee status on behalf of the family that year. The refugee claim was denied and an attempt to appeal at the federal court level was dismissed this fall.

Humanitarian case

They're now waiting for the results of a November humanitarian and compassionate case application they made in the interest of Ana's well-being. The Canadian Human Rights International Organization, which advocates on behalf of thousands of refugees worldwide, is handling that plea and helping to get the Bonitos' story out.

"They believe  they will be targeted upon their re-entry into Venezuela which will put not only their lives in danger, but it will also put their daughter's life in danger," reads a Dec. 12 letter addressed to Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland. "Ana's safety is their main priority."

Gary Solilak/CBC

Cristina and Luiz were born in Brazil, but also fear for their safety if they were to move there.

Their late father, born in Portugal, arranged for Luiz and Cristina to obtain passports from that country as a contingency in case things in Canada fell through.

On Thursday night, Luiz bought the family tickets to Madeira, Portugal, for Jan. 21. They don't know anyone there.

Although she can technically stay in Manitoba, Cristina is going to leave with her brother's family and mother.

'Respect our laws'

A Canada Border Services Agency spokesperson refused to comment on the case, but said decisions to remove people from Canada aren't taken lightly.

"Everyone ordered removed from Canada is entitled to due process," the spokesperson wrote in an email.

"Once due process is complete and individuals have exhausted all legal avenues, they are expected to respect our laws and leave Canada or be removed."

Gary Solilak/CBC

For Ana, she loves being close to her uncle's family in Winnipeg. Her three years in the cold Prairie city have been full of firsts. French is one of her favourite subjects, as are the people.

"It's fun. I can have a snowball fight and I can make, what are they called, snowmans," she said.

"People are really nice to me here and I like school a lot and I like everything about it."
In the administrations latest effort to clamp down on immigration from Central America, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced Thursday that, effective immediately, asylum-seekers presenting themselves at the southern border will be returned to Mexico for the duration of their immigration proceedings, a process that often takes several years.

The announcement came just days after two Honduran teenagers whod traveled to the U.S. border as part of the migrant caravan were killed in Tijuana while awaiting processing, and the new policy was met with immediate criticism from immigration and human rights advocates who cited the killings as evidence of the danger asylum seekers, especially children, face in Mexico.

In long run, we are in support of countries in the region sharing responsibility to care for asylum seekers, [but] the problem here is that Mexico is a very long way away from being able to fulfill obligations under international law or even domestic law to adequately provide asylum, said Wendy Young, president of Kids in Need of Defense, or KIND, which provides pro-bono legal representation to unaccompanied children in immigration proceedings.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday. (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP)

Young argued that Mexican border towns in particular attract heavy criminal elements, like smugglers or human traffickers waiting to prey on vulnerable people, particularly children who are alone.

We saw that evidenced loud and clear through the [murder] of those two children, she said.

A migrant walks along the border fence between Mexico and the United States in Tijuana on Nov. 15. (Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

At present, migrants who arrive seeking asylum at a recognized port of entry may have to wait in Mexico several weeks, or longer, before their initial processing by immigration officials, but if they are deemed to have a credible claim they often are paroled into the United States until they are called for a hearing. Now they will be sent back across the border to wait.

At a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, Nielsen implied the new policy would not apply to minors who arrive unaccompanied to seek asylum. In response to a question, she said border officials will continue to adhere to the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA), which mandates that unaccompanied immigrant children from noncontiguous countries (i.e. anywhere other than Mexico or Canada) must be allowed into the country and transferred into the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services within 72 hours of being apprehended at the border.

Story continues

But its not clear that law is being followed even now. Immigration advocates and legal service providers have reported that, at least in Tijuana, Mexican officials have been blocking unaccompanied children from accessing the official U.S. ports of entry to request asylum and preventing them from getting their names on the lengthy list of migrants waiting to do the same.

During a recent trip to Tijuana with the American Academy of Pediatrics, Young said that KIND staff reported a horrific and chaotic situation at migrant shelters and campsites near the border. The staffers, she said, interviewed a number of unaccompanied children who, they felt, have truly viable asylum claims, but have been blocked by Mexican authorities from getting in line to make them.

Young said she was highly suspicious of the Mexican governments motives for interfering with unaccompanied minors ability to request asylum, pointing out that children and teenagers are only protected by laws like the Trafficking Victims Act once they reach the border and present themselves to U.S. officials. Theres probably some kind of agreement between Mexican and U.S. authorities to keep kids on the Mexican side to prevent TVPRA from kicking in, she suggested.

Nielsen faced questions about the use of so-called metering or queue management systems at ports of entry, which she said are necessary owing to limited capacity to process applicants at border crossings, including at Tijuana and between Juarez and El Paso. She gave no indication she was planning to change the system. But a DHS spokesperson told Yahoo News that the new policy of making asylum-seekers wait in Mexico is expected cut down on waiting periods.

DHS officials also stated that the new rules would not apply to Mexican citizens attempting to seek asylum, as both U.S. and international law prevents the immediate return of asylum seekers to their home countries if they express a fear of persecution. But that policy also seems to be implemented haphazardly. Yahoo News recently reported that metering procedures in Juarez have forced Mexican citizens requesting asylum to wait in Mexico before being allowed to request asylum in the U.S.

A migrant child, part of a caravan headed to the U.S., at a makeshift camp in Mexico City in November. (Photo: Hannah McKay/Reuters)

Under existing U.S. policy, migrants who establish a credible fear of persecution or torture if returned to their home countries are generally released to a sponsor in the U.S., often monitored with an ankle bracelet, while they wait to make their claim before an immigration judge. Because of a massive backlog of cases, this process often takes several years.

President Trump has long fumed about what he calls catch and release policies, and for several weeks, U.S. officials have been attempting to negotiate a deal with the Mexican government to keep migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. on the southern side of the border while their cases are pending. Under the measures announced Thursday, DHS officials said that migrants who request asylum at U.S. ports of entry will now be given a notice to appear in immigration court and sent back to Mexico until their hearings.

While the Mexican Foreign Ministry confirmed Thursday that it had agreed to grant humanitarian visas to asylum seekers forced to wait in their country while seeking protections in the U.S., DHS officials made clear to reporters that the decision was made unilaterally, not in agreement with the Mexican government.

Speaking on background, one DHS official said, We are pleased that once we formally made our decision, [Mexican authorities indicated] they will take on their side of border all appropriate measures to deal with our decision.

However, not everyone finds Mexicos cooperation reassuring.

Make no mistake  Mexico is not a safe country for all people seeking protection, Amnesty International executive director Margaret Huang said in a statement. Many people seeking asylum in the United States face discrimination, exploitation, sexual assault, murder, or the possibility of being disappeared while traveling through Mexico or while forced to wait for extraordinarily long times in Mexican border towns. Women, children, and LGBTI people could face heightened and unacceptable risks.

Asked to respond to such safety concerns, a DHS spokesperson told Yahoo News, The Mexicans have been responded that they will offer humanitarian protections. Many U.S. cities where they end up relocating have higher crime than Mexico.

DHS officials indicated that, although the policy is effective immediately, the implementation would be rolled out in stages. They said specific details will be released in the next few days.

While describing the policy as a humanitarian measure, one DHS official told reporters that it was expected to lead to huge cost savings for the U.S., which will no longer have to track large numbers of migrants for years. But first and foremost, the official said, we anticipate this will lead to a drop of illegal migration and false asylum claims.

Young, however, predicted that requiring asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their cases are adjudicated in the U.S. would lead to little more than a logistical nightmare.

Fundamentally, the violence happening in Central America is whats driving people out. Thats not stopping, she said, noting that theres nothing in this new policy to stop that violence.

People are going to keep coming, she continued. If they are being faced with these kinds of law enforcement initiatives, ultimately what we will do is drive them further underground. The only ones who profit at end of day are smugglers and traffickers.

Read more from Yahoo News:


Wind alerts remain in effect Friday afternoon in several parts of central Alberta, but Environment Canada has ended its alerts for southern Alberta.

Earlier freezing rain and heavy snowfall alerts to the north and west that were issued on Thursday were lifted earlier on Friday.

The remaining wind alerts affect areas in east-central Alberta, including:

Red Deer, Innisfail, Ponoka, Stettler.

Drayton Valley, Devon, Rimbey, Pigeon Lake.

Fort Saskatchewan, Vegreville, Redwater, Smoky Lake.

Leduc, Camrose, Wetaskiwin, Tofield.

Lloydminster, Wainwright, Vermillion, Provost.

Gusts up to 70 km/h could develop through Friday afternoon in east-central Alberta.

"Loose objects may be tossed by the wind and cause injury or damage. Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions due to high winds," the agency said.

Environment Canada was warning of wind gusts up to 100 km/h in areas of southern Alberta, from the Okotoks area to the U.S. border.

Earlier on Friday, snowfall warnings were in place for a number of regions, including communities around Fort Chipewyan, Fort McMurray, Peace River and Wabasca  but those were later lifted.

Overnight, there was also a snow warning for Banff National Park and a freezing rain warning for Bonnyville, St. Paul, Cold Lake, Lac La Biche and Slave Lake. Environment Canada was reminding drivers to use caution on roads and highways in those areas.
By Ece Toksabay and Dahlia Nehme ISTANBUL/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey will take over the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria as the United States withdraws its troops, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, in the latest upheaval wrought by Washington's abrupt policy shift. The surprise announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump this week that he would withdraw roughly 2,000 troops has felled a pillar of American policy in the Middle East. Critics say Trump's decision will make it harder to find a diplomatic solution to Syria's seven-year-old conflict. For Turkey, the step removes a source of friction with the United States. Erdogan has long castigated his NATO ally over its support for Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters against Islamic State. Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist group and an offshoot of the armed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), fighting for Kurdish autonomy across the border on Turkish soil. In a speech in Istanbul, Erdogan said Turkey would mobilize to fight remaining Islamic State forces in Syria and temporarily delay plans to attack Kurdish fighters in the northeast of Syria - shifts both precipitated by the American decision to withdraw. The news was less welcome for other U.S. allies. Both France and Germany warned that the U.S. change of course risked damaging the campaign against Islamic State, the jihadists who seized big swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014-15 but have now been beaten back to a sliver of Syrian territory. Likewise, the U.S.-backed militia spearheaded by the YPG said a Turkish attack would force it to divert fighters from the battle against Islamic State to protect its territory. Islamic State launched an attack in Syria's southeast against the U.S.-backed SDF militia, employing car bombs and dozens of militants. "We will be working on our operational plans to eliminate ISIS (Islamic State) elements, which are said to remain intact in Syria, in line with our conversation with President Trump," Erdogan said. The Turkish president had announced plans last week to start an operation east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria to oust the YPG from the area that it largely controls. This week, he said the campaign could come at any moment. But on Friday, he cited the talk with Trump as a reason to wait. "Our phone call with President Trump, along with contacts between our diplomats and security officials and statements by the United States, have led us to wait a little longer," he said. "We have postponed our military operation against the east of the Euphrates river until we see on the ground the result of America's decision to withdraw from Syria." Erdogan said, however, that this was not an "open-ended waiting period" and that, due to past "negative experiences", Ankara welcomed the United States' statements with an equal amount of pleasure and caution. Turkey has repeatedly voiced frustration over what it says is the slow implementation of a deal with Washington to pull YPG fighters out of Manbij, a town in mainly Arab territory west of the Euphrates in northern Syria. The United States will probably end its air campaign against IS in Syria when it pulls out troops, U.S. officials have said. Erdogan's foreign minister said the withdrawal plan would be discussed by the two countries in Washington in January. 'TIME FOR OTHERS TO FIGHT' Trump maintained that IS had been wiped out, a view not shared by key allies, that Washington had been doing the work of other countries and it was "time for others to finally fight". His defense secretary, Jim Mattis, opposed the decision and abruptly announced on Thursday he was resigning after meeting with the president. In a candid letter to Trump, the retired Marine general emphasized the importance of "showing respect" to allies that have voiced surprise and concern about the president's decision. Russia said on Friday it did not understand what the United States' next steps in Syria would be, adding that chaotic and unpredictable decision-making in Washington was creating discomfort in international affairs. Several of Trump's fellow Republicans in Congress, joined by opposition Democrats, urged the president to reverse course, saying the withdrawal would strengthen the hand of Russia and Iran in Syria and enable a resurgence of Islamic State. Trump has given no sign of changing his mind. He promised to remove forces from Syria during his 2016 election campaign. The roughly 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, many of them special forces, were ostensibly helping to combat Islamic State but were also seen as a possible bulwark against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has retaken much of the country from his foes in the multi-sided civil war, with military help from Iran and Russia. IS declared a caliphate in 2014 after seizing parts of Syria and Iraq. The ultra-hardline Sunni militants established their de facto capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa, using it as a base to plot attacks in Europe. A senior U.S. official last week said Islamic State was down to the last 1 percent of the territory it once held. The group has no remaining territory in Iraq, though militants have resumed attacks since their defeat there last year. Islamic State launched an attack on Friday on positions held by the SDF in Syria's southeast and the U.S.-led coalition mounted air strikes in the area, an SDF official said. Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria may not be able to continue to hold Islamic State prisoners if the situation in the region gets out of control after a U.S. pullout, top Syrian Kurdish official Ilham Ahmed said on Friday. (Additional reporting by Sarah Dadouch, Ali Kucukgocmen and Ezgi Erkoyun in Istanbul and Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara and John Irish in Paris; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Andrew Roche)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said relations with the UK are in "deadlock" and he hopes "common sense will prevail".

In his annual news conference in Moscow, Mr Putin said he wanted to restore UK-Russia ties "from their current low".

"It is in the interests of both countries, both governments to get out of this deadlock. Are we interested in restoring full relations with Britain? Yes, we are interested," he said.

Moscow's relationship with London collapsed following the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury.

UK police say Russian operatives Alexander Mishkin and Anatoliy Chepiga carried out the attack using the nerve agent novichok, which Moscow denies.

Mr Putin dismissed Britain's stance as a "politicised, Russophobic approach" and "simply a reason to organise yet another attack on Russia".

He added: "If there were no Skripals, they would have come up with something else, that's clear to me. There's only one goal: to constrain Russia's growth as a possible competitor.

"It's good that he wasn't killed...Thank God, Skripal is alive."

The Skripals both survived but Dawn Sturgess died in July after she and partner Charlie Rowley were exposed to the poison in nearby Amesbury, Wiltshire.

In a wide-ranging news conference, Mr Putin also weighed in on the Brexit debate, saying Theresa May "must enact the will of the people, expressed during the referendum".

He said: "Otherwise, what kind of democracy is it?"

Mr Putin also expressed his alarm at the threat of nuclear war, saying: "If, God forbid, something like that were to happen, it would lead to the end of all civilisation and maybe also the planet."

The Russian president said he supported Donald Trump's decision to withdraw US troops from Syria and agreed with his US counterpart that the war against Islamic State has been won.

"The US has had a presence in Afghanistan for 17 years, lets say? And almost every year it says that it is withdrawing troops from there. But they are still present there," he said.
Top News

The court case in Sydney against Hillsong senior pastor Brian Houston has been delayed until next year.Australian ...
Report: China to Subsidize Foxconn Chip Manufacturing Venture Published: 21 December 2018 by Mike Buetow by Mike Buetow

TOKYO -- Foxconn could soon be entering the semiconductor manufacturing business in a big way.

The company, the world's largest EMS/ODM, is reportedly in the final stages of talks with Zhuhai government officials to build a chip manufacturing plant there.

Work on the new site could begin by 2020 and would cost up to $9 billion, according to the Nikkei Asian Review, which broke the news. Most of the costs would be underwritten by the Chinese government, a move that could spark additional claims of unfair trade practices between China and its competitors, primarily the US.

The project would be a joint venture between Foxconn and its OEM subsidiary Sharp, Nikkei reported. Sharp built chips for years before exiting the business amid financial trouble in 2010.
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Nairobi, December 21, 2018Zambias Supreme Court yesterday sentenced Derrick Sinjela, editor-in-chief of the privately owned Rainbow Newspaper, to 18 months in prison for contempt of court. Sinjela was convicted in September in relation to articles that accused the Supreme Court of corruption and questioned its handling of a case between two private companies, said Hyde Haguta, vice-chairperson of the Zambian chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa, who attended the sentencing, and Richard Mulonga, chief executive of the online rights group Bloggers of Zambia.

The decision by the Supreme Court is disproportional and sends a very grave message that journalists, and Zambians in general, cannot criticize the judiciary without risking their liberty, said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Angela Quintal in New York. A critical press is crucial for accountability and transparency within the judiciary.

Sinjela, who had pleaded guilty and asked for leniency, confirmed to the court yesterday that he did not have a lawyer, Haguta said. At least two other people have been charged after criticizing the judiciarys handling of the same case, which involved Stanbic Bank and Savenda Management Services, and one of those was sentenced to six years in prison in November. Sinjela is currently detained in a prison in Lusaka, according to Mulonga.
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New York, December 21, 2018Lesotho Prime Minister Tom Thabane must repudiate threats made by the military against Lesotho Times investigative journalist Pascalinah Kabi and ensure that the press can function without fear of reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) public affairs officer Lt. Col. Mashili Mashili accused Kabi of infiltrating the LDF with the intention to spy and endangering the security of the country by publishing information from a restricted military document, according to a copy of a December 5 letter seen by CPJ and a statement issued by the independent MNN Center for Investigative Journalism in Maseru, of which Kabi is a board member.

The independently owned Lesotho Times weekly newspaper, and its sister paper, the Sunday Express, published articles by Kabi on November 29 and December 2 about demands for compensation made by soldiers who were accused of mutiny between May and July 2015 by the government at the time. The 45 soldiers, some of whom were detained and allegedly tortured, were reinstated in the LDF in February 2018, according to the Lesotho Times.

Mashili also accused Kabi in the letter of a calculated attempt to foment hatred and create a chaotic situation in the LDF.

We urge the government of Prime Minister Tom Thabane not to tolerate threats by the military aimed at silencing the press and to publicly defend the right of journalists to publish articles in the public interest, said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Angela Quintal. Given Lesothos history of instability and coups, its citizens have every right to be informed of the potential for instability when it comes to the affairs of the military.

Government spokesman Nthakeng Selinyane told CPJ today, All I can authoritatively say is any impression of suppression of right of persons to express themselves about their workplace environment, and intimidation of media probing into the workings of any public institution or organization is contrary to the ethos of this government as a general rule, and the security establishment shant be a holy cow in this regard. He added, Options for remedying any disaffection in this regard are prerogative of my principals, which I can publish once theyve been decided.

In his letter to Kabi, Mashili said the LDF had the mandate from the government to unite the defense force under a unified command structure. That is why we feel duty bound to put it in no uncertain terms that anyonewho dare(s) to torpedo the LDF commands initiatives to accomplish that mandate, the LDF will not take that lying down, Mashili wrote.

Mashili referred to the July 2016 assassination attempt on the Lesotho Times former editor Lloyd Mutungamiri, noting that there was a case before a court. He was referring to the much-delayed trial of five LDF officers accused of the crime.

We understand that the editorial and staff of your paper are hurting as a result of what happened to your editor some time ago, the letter states. But the stance which the paper has adopted against the LDF does no justice to its Command and the entire Basotho nation. It is common cause that there is a case before the court of law. Why not wait for the courts to dispense justice? We urge you not to act as though you will be spared the brunt of the chaotic situation you are fomenting, Mashili wrote.

Tsebo Matsasa, the national director of the Lesotho chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa, told CPJ that the media freedom organization would be meeting Mashili today with a view to work towards resolution and amicable peaceful conclusion to the matter. He added, Threats to media are worrying especially when there is still a pending case that involves shooting of an editor allegedly by the members of the Lesotho Defense Force.

Lesotho Times editor Herbert Moyo referred requests for comment to editor-in-chief Basildon Peta, who did not respond to an email and WhatsApp requests to his two cellphone numbers for comment.

Mashili did not respond to an email and a WhatsApp request for comment.

Editors note: The third paragraph has been corrected to reflect that Lesotho Times is a weekly newspaper.
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Journalist jailed over unpaid fines

Hakan Gulseven, a journalist who used to work for the pro-opposition (CHP) daily Yurt, was imprisoned on December 20 after failing to pay 31,500 Turkish lira (US$5,974) in three unpaid fines over charges of insult, the news website Art Gercek reported.

In Turkey, unpaid fines are converted into prison time, with 20 Turkish lira equating to one day in prison. Onur Gunes, a lawyer representing the journalist, told Art Gercek that the fines equal about four years and five months in prison. CPJ documented in June 2017 how Gulseven was imprisoned for a day over an unpaid fine, but released when the fine was paid.

President accuses journalist of trying to provoke unrest

During a rally in Konya on December 17, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused FOX TV Turkey Anchorman Fatih Portakal of trying to provoke the people, independent news website Bianet reported. Erdogan said that Portakal, alongside the main opposition leader Kemal Klcdaroglu, wanted protests like the recent mass demonstrations in France. If you do not know your place, this nation will hit you in the back of your neck, said Erdogan, who also made fun of the journalists surname, which means orange in Turkish. The president also mentioned the journalist by name at other rallies in the past two days, the report said.

Nearly 2,000 press credentials revoked

In the past three years, Turkish authorities have revoked the press credentials of 1,954 journalists, Bianet reported. In response to a question asked by CHP parliamentary deputy Atilla Sertel on new regulations over assigning press cards, Turkeys Vice-President Fuat Oktay said during parliamentary questions on December 19 that 1,954 press cards were cancelled, 705 of which were revoked for FETO-related reasons.

The government is responsible for issuing the press credentials, known as yellow cards, in Turkey, which allow the press access to certain areas. The independent Press Council said the new regulations for assigning press cards are even more arbitrary and disadvantageous for journalists than before.

Journalists in court

An Istanbul court on December 20 acquitted Kamil Tekin Surek, a columnist for the leftist daily Evrensel, of a charge of insulting the president in a column titled The Fascist Dictatorship his employer reported.

A Hakkari Court on December 18 convicted Hamza Gunduz, a reporter for the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya News Agency of making propaganda of a [terrorist] organizationreferring to the (PKK)via his social media posts, and sentenced him to a 20 month-suspended prison sentence, his employer reported. The court ordered that the sentence be suspended for five years on condition the journalist does not repeat the offence, according to the report.

Journalism student Berivan Bila, who was arrested this month on accusations of insulting the president in an article titled Journalism is not a crime, was released from prison pending trial on December 17, Bianet reported.

Romanias Bucharest Appeal Court on December 14 rejected an extradition request from Turkey for journalist Kamil Demirkaya, whom Turkey accuses of being part of a terrorist group (FETO), according to reports. Demirkaya was allowed to remain in Romania.

A court on December 14 sentenced Ishak Yasul, the responsible news editor for the shuttered pro-Kurdish newspaper Ozgurlukcu Demokrasi, to 13 months in prison for making propaganda for a [terrorist] organization (PKK), Gazete Karnca reported. Yasul is already in custody as part of a separate trial against the newspaper.
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 ChinaIn 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 OrderApplehas 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. AppleQualcomm, 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.
More than 60 people have been killed in six US airstrikes targeting al-Shabab militants in a coastal Somali town.The weekend strikes, which killed 62 people, targeted extremists who want to establish their own version of repressive Shariah law in Somalia.A Somali intelligence officer told The Associated Press the strikes on Gandarshe, a town along the Indian Ocean coast, were aimed at foiling a planned extremist attack.The US conducted 17 airstrikes in Somalia between 2007 and 2015, according to Bill Roggio of the Long War Journal who has tracked airstrikes in several countries for more than a decade.But those numbers have sharply escalated in recent years.In 2016, the last year of Barack Obama's presidency, the US launched 15 strikes in Somalia.That number rose to 31 in 2017 and at least 45 this year.Al-Shabab once controlled large swathes of Somalia, including much of the capital, Mogadishu.African Union forces have succeeded in pushing the extremists from most major cities, however the group continues to be active in Somalia's rural areas and still launches suicide car bomb attacks in the capital.Last year, a massive truck bomb killed more than 500 people.There are between 3000 and 7000 al-Shabab militants in Somalia, along with up to 250 Islamic State members.The US is targeting training camps and other sites to reduce al-Shabab's the military capacity, said Mr Roggio, who predicts the airstrikes in Somalia will continue at the current pace or increase.'They are effective in keeping al-Shabab at bay, but not effective at defeating them  dealing them a decisive blow,' Mr Roggio said.The weekend 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 the intelligence official, who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorised to publicly discuss the matter.The official said the airstrikes hit both a military camp and battle vehicles in Gandarshe.Al-Shabab has long used the historic town southwest of Mogadishu, as a place to organise and launch attacks, including car bombs that hit the capital.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. No civilians were injured or killed in the attacks, US military officials said.The strikes were carried out in close coordination 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 strikes are part of the Trump administration's strategy in Africa that addresses three core US interests on the continent: advancing trade and commercial ties, making sure that money spent on US aid is not wasteful and combating violence and Islamic extremism.After decades of the US largely leaving Somalis to work out their own problems, the Trump administration with its focus on counterterror operations has grown the number of US military personnel in the country to an estimated 500.Two US service members have been killed in Somalia since President Trump took office, the first such deaths since 1993.
Workers in Paris swept up broken glass and towed away burnt-out cars after the latest violent 'yellow vest' protest as the government announced President Emmanuel Macron would address the nation in the next few days.On Saturday, anti-government protesters wreaked havoc in the city for the fourth weekend in a row, hurling missiles, torching cars and vandalising shops and restaurants.Across the city, bank branch offices, toy shops, opticians and other retail outlets had boarded up storefronts smashed by protesters, and walls were covered in anti-Macron slogans.'You won't make it past Christmas, Emmanuel,' read the graffiti on a boarded-up shop near the Champs Elysees boulevard.Macron, elected in May 2017, is facing mounting criticism for not speaking in public in more than a week as violence worsened.The upheaval in the Christmas shopping season has dealt a heavy blow to retailing, the tourist industry and the manufacturing sector as road blocks disrupt supply chains.On Saturday, the Eiffel Tower and other monuments and museums closed their doors for security reasons, as did top department stores on what should have been a peak shopping day.The protest movement will have 'a severe impact' on the French economy, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told Reuters on Sunday as he toured an upmarket central Paris neighbourhood that had seen heavy looting on Saturday night.'We must expect a new slowdown of economic growth at year-end due to the 'yellow vest' protests,' Le Maire said, adding that he would provide more details in coming days.Gregory Caray, owner of two furniture shops in the heart of Paris, said he was relieved to see that his shop had not been vandalised, but the protective wooden boards over its windows were plastered with graffiti.'You can understand the yellow vests movement. But this is completely unacceptable. It has been three weekends in a row now. Look around you, everything is broken, damaged. All the shops had to close and spend money to shut everything up, and it happens every week,' he told Reuters.Named after the fluorescent safety vests that French motorists must carry, the 'yellow vest' protests erupted out of nowhere on November 17, when nearly 300,000 demonstrators nationwide took to the streets to denounce high living costs and Macron's liberal economic reforms.The government this week cancelled a planned rise in taxes on petrol and diesel in a bid to defuse the situation but the protests have morphed into a broader anti-Macron rebellion.Macron's last major address to the nation was on November 27, when he said he would not be bounced into changing policy by 'thugs'.'The President of the Republic will ... make important announcements,' government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said on LCI television on Sunday. He gave no other details about the timing, content or format of the speech.'However, not all the problems of the 'yellow vest' protesters will be solved by waving a magic wand,' he said.
So last week, Jeep's PR and marketing team had a bit of a nightmare on its hands when the company's halo Wrangler, new for 2019, scored a pitiful one starin its Euro NCAP crash tests.Heading into its fourth generation, its off-road-beast reputation will be pretty hard to tarnish, but Jeep will nevertheless have a hell of a time reminding potential customers its halo model doesn't, in fact, fold under impact like a heavily metal-fatigued paper clip.The company may, in fact, want to start 'casually' spreading this footage shot in Wasilla, Alaska. In it, a seventh-gen CJ, the predecessor to the Wrangler, takes on the remains of a highway that has been snapped in half by a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake, almost without breaking sweat.Shot on November 30, the destroyed highway is just some of the damage caused by the tremors that ripped through the Anchorage area at 8:29 am that morning.With lift-kit, heavy duty off-road tires, and a crowd very audibly crying 'don't do it!', the driver makes the pass across the ruined asphalt look almost impossibly easy in his CJ-7.It's leaving many of us to wonder a) why this was shot vertically (you're better than that, YouTube); and b) why it was necessary at all.Apparently, according to the CJ-7 owner's wife behind the camera, 'this is what we do.' There's your tagline, too, Jeep PR team.
Andhra Pradesh: Industry status to fisheries sector likely, says official

December 21,2018 | Source: The Hindu

The Centre is actively considering the demand for according industry status to the fisheries sector, Central Fisheries Development Commissioner P. Paul Pandian said here on Thursday. In response to the request made by Seafood Exporters Association of India president V. Padmanabham at a national workshop and interactive meet on value addition of marine products held by Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) here, Mr. Pandian said the Centre was firm on encouraging the realisation from seafood sector by offering a slew of incentives to fishermen and exporters.



Various schemes with an outlay of Rs.3,000 crore have been launched to usher in a blue revolution by enhancing the marine production. Guidelines are being framed for launching of a new scheme for development of infrastructure such as cold chains with an allocation of Rs.7,500 crore in five years. Under the scheme, the government will offer soft loans at an interest of 5%, he said.



Value addition



Participating in the workshop, MPEDA Director (Marketing) T. Dola Sankar gave an overview of the value added seafood trade in major markets and assistance schemes. He regretted that value addition in Indian seafood industry was only 6% as against the 65% in Thailand. Unless we improve upon the value addition, our realisation will not go up significantly, he said.



Mr. Padmanabham, in his address, pointed out how value addition was not taking off due to risk factors involved in making huge investments. Disbursal of soft loans and other support from the authorities can encourage it in a big way, he observed. Mentioning that their interaction with Union Minister Suresh Prabhu was quite encouraging, Mr. Padmanabham said the industry stakeholders had been told to ready an action plan to improve the earnings so as to increase foreign exchange and providing jobs as well. The top exporters should take the lead in making suggestions in availing the supports being extended by the government, he suggested.



Subsidy



Andhra Pradesh Food Processing Society CEO Y.S. Prasad said out of 67 marine food processing units in the State, the government had provided a subsidy of Rs. 160 crore to 30 units in the past four years, adding to the processing capacity by 1.5 lakh tonne. National Fisheries Development Board Executive Director G. Ratanraj and Joint Director of Fisheries P. Anil Kumar also spoke on the occasion.
Tamil Nadu: Told to move, fisherfolk shut shop in protest

December 21,2018 | Source: The Hindu

Around 300 fisherwomen of Nochikuppam closed their shops on Thursday, protesting against the Chennai Corporations high handedness in asking them to move their shops from the Marina Loop Road. They said the civic body had told them that the shops would have to be moved since they were an eyesore.



Our forefathers had been living here since ages. In the 1960s there was no Loop Road. We permitted the Corporation to lay the road after it gave an undertaking that the road would be laid on the existing width only and that no shop would be removed. But today, the same body wants to ruin our livelihood, said M. Krishnaveni, a fish seller. The civic body, recently, asked them to remove their boats and fishing gear from the sand saying there was a lot of garbage. They never clean the sands. There are only two bins for the entire road. How will that take the garbage disposed off by 6 - 7 villages, said M. Keerthana, a resident.



K. Bharathi of the South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association said that the civic body had plans to construct a fish market for all villages in one place. Nochikuppam alone has 300 shops. How can all of us sell at the same place? We want shops near our village, he said. On Friday, they have planned to stage a protest against the civic body's move.
Myanmar: The river is not for sale warn Mekong villages

by Feng Hao

December 21,2018 | Source: The Third Pole

The locals of Chiang Rai in northern Thailand describe their lives as three days of fishing, two days of drying the nets. They fish the river in the rainy season, then as the dry season approaches hang up their nets and plant crops. This is how their families have lived for generations, and they hope their children will enjoy the same life. But villagers are concerned projects along the Mekong, such as dams, improvement of navigational channels and new economic zones, will change the local environment and gradually upset their tranquil lives and traditions.



In the autumn of 2018 I joined reporters and researchers from China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam on a visit to a proposed special economic zone on Thailands northern border. We wanted to see the role China is playing in the governance of the Mekong region, and how locals feel about Chinas growing influence.



Doubts about dams



One of the communities we visited, Huai Luek, is in the northern Thai province of Chiang Rai. It is the last Thai village the Mekong passes through before reaching the border with Laos. Village head Thongsek greeted us in the hut used to discuss village affairs. He is the most respected member of the community, but is starting to worry about its future  mostly because of dams being built further upstream in China, where the river is known as the Lancang.



The Mekong is a part of our lives, our community. Its our food, our income, our water. If the Mekong is damaged, how do we sustain our community said Thongsek. China has been building dams on the river where it flows through the countrys south-west since the 1990s, with a cascade of 60 dams and reservoirs now in use, 30 more under construction, and 90 proposed or in planning. The electricity generated is mostly used in Chinas more developed eastern seaboard.



But back in Chiang Rai, Thongsek complained the dams hold back nutrient-rich sediment and reduce the catch of fish. The dam cascade also affects the natural hydrology of the river, with more water in the dry season and less in the wet season. Local claims have been backed up by published research.



Its not just the smaller number of fish we catch, there are fewer tourists coming as well. The Chinese dams have cut our incomes, he said, sketching two lines on a piece of paper to show how water levels have changed since the dams were built. The line representing water levels before the river was dammed is steep, with a clear difference between the two seasons. The other line is flatter. Isnt it better if water levels are more regular? I asked.



For shipping, maybe, he said, but not for fishing. The annual floods have sustained the Mekong ecosystem for thousands of years, and are critical for fish production and floodplain agriculture.



We leave the hut to visit some fishermen. September is still the rainy season here and our small boat makes slow progress as the river winds through the tropical rainforest. Steering the boat, villager Phongsee Sriattana told us that local needs have been overlooked. When China wants to send shipping downstream, it releases water. When it doesnt, it keeps the water in the reservoirs.



A friend in need?



Chinas stated attempts to be helpful havent been appreciated. The Mekong region was hit by a drought in March 2016, and from March 15 to April 10 Chinese authorities ordered emergency releases of water from the Jinghong dam in Yunnan, to ease the situation in Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. But the villagers of Huai Luek didnt see this as beneficial. Thongsek explained that water levels were no lower than normal in the dry season, which along with the wet season is an essential part of local life. The villagers were also not informed in advance the water would be released. The government and investors havent fulfilled their duties to inform us of what is happening when dams affect our lives and work, Thongsek said.



Thongsek told the reporters and researchers that villagers had calculated the impact of the dam on fishing, the land, ecosystems and tourism, as well as possible pollution. We lost 80% of our fishing income from the Mekong, with some fishermen forced to turn to agriculture or leave the village and take poorly paid factory jobs, he said.



Navigation channels



Local communities are also worried about the second stage of a project to improve navigation and boost shipping capacity on the Mekong. This falls under the remit of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism  a regional body set up by China in 2015 to encourage sustainable development and mutually beneficial cooperation with other nations on the Mekong.



In December 2016 the Thai cabinet approved a 2015-2025 plan to develop shipping on the river. The research, surveying and design for the plan is currently underway. The Chinese-funded project will dredge riverways to allow ships up to 500 tonnes, an increase on the current 200 tonnes, to travel from Yunnan to Luang Prabang in Laos.



Niwat Roykaew, chair of the Rak Chiang Khong Conservation Group, is strongly opposed to the dredging scheme, saying that destruction of rapids will affect the spawning of many important fish species, as well as other aquatic life reliant on those fish.



Niwat, a thin grey-haired man, gave us a presentation on fish Id never heard of: when they spawn and migrate, why they are important and why they are in danger, and how fish numbers have become unpredictable.



I asked Pianporn Deetes, Thailand and Burma campaign director for International Rivers, if there was scientific research or data to show that dams and destruction of rapids had reduced fish populations.



Its mostly local wisdom, she said. But with Thai government leaders paying more attention to development, its getting harder for local voices of opposition to make themselves heard.



A special economic zone



The area we visited falls within the planned Chiang Rai Special Economic Zone. Chiang Rai is 785 kilometres from the Thai capital, Bangkok, and has many popular tourist spots as well as forestry, agriculture and fishery resources. It neighbours Laos and Myanmar, and travel to China is easy. The Thai government hopes the area can become an economic hub for the Mekong region. According to Suebsakun Kidnukorn, a researcher at Mae Fah Luang University in Chiang Rai, the government is planning to implement investment and funding measures to attract foreign capital and export-led businesses, including tax breaks. There will also be a one-stop service provision to accelerate project approval, which could take as little as 40 days. Work permits for foreigners could be issued within a day.



The Thai government welcomes Chinese investors and hopes to set up an economic cooperation zone with China. And for China, the Mekong nations are at the forefront of the Belt and Road strategy. China has been planning a free trade zone stretching from Mohan on Yunnans southern border to Chiang Khong in northern Thailand, to provide beneficial terms for border trade and explore cutting-edge fields such as cross-border e-commerce.



As far as the governments are concerned, the outlook for the area is bright. But local communities disagree. Opposition from local groups, including environmental organisation Rak Chiang Khong, have put plans for the special economic zone on hold. Locals worry that the preferential terms offered by the government to attract businesses will lead to the destruction of precious wetlands, cause huge environmental damage  and not bring them any real benefits.



Locals believe the so-called special economic zone is being driven by government and investment, while their own voices  the people who should have the greatest say over their own land  are being ignored. Young people who have returned to the area after working in Thailands other special economic zones describe how factories have been built over wetlands, making traditional lifestyles impossible and forcing people to take factory jobs. The locals do not want to see that happen to them.



Challenges to face



Before returning home, we visited the Golden Triangle, where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet. The region was once infamous for opium production, but today thousands of tourists visit the opium museum and take pictures where the three borders meet.



A huge amount of investment from China and other countries, along with the governments special economic zones, bring the possibility of development to Mekong communities. But what about the lifestyles and traditions of these communities? How can China exert its influence but also respect local needs?



China will become more involved in international affairs as its economy develops. And international cooperation relies on trust to achieve constructive outcomes. Faced with these challenges, the first step for Chinese companies and investors is to enter into a dialogue of equals, because any cooperation where there is a clear winner and loser will be unsustainable. This will be difficult given the power imbalances between governments, and between investors and communities. But unless local peoples needs are listened to and properly considered, more development projects will be stalled by opposition and protests.



Since returning to China one scene from Chiang Rai has often come to mind. Local environmental activists turned out to greet us, wearing T-shirts bearing their slogan: The Mekong is not for sale!
ISLAMABAD: A senior Pakistani diplomat on Wednesday said that the United Nations had corrected Pakistans vote on the death penalty by including it among the votes cast against the resolution calling for a moratorium on executions.





A vote count at the UN General Assemblys plenary session on a draft resolution calling for a moratorium on executions by all states still retaining the death penalty created a stir when Pakistan was shown as having voted for the first time in favour of the resolution.





At the voting held in New York on Monday, 121 UN member states were shown to have voted in favour of the seventh resolution calling for a moratorium on capital punishment, whereas 35 countries were said to have voted against the resolution and 32 as having abstained. This was the highest number of countries to date to have voted in favour of the moratorium resolutions since 2007.





Pakistan among three dozen countries which voted against moratorium on executions





The Foreign Office, however, clarified that Pakistans vote had been erroneously recorded by the UN.





FO spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal emphasised that the country had actually voted against the resolution and there was no change in Pakistans position on the issue.





Pakistan, in accordance with its consistent policy, voted against the General Assembly resolution calling for a moratorium on execution, Dr Faisal said.





An unofficial moratorium on the death penalty remained in place in Pakistan from 2008 till 2014.





Since the lifting of moratorium, Pakistani authorities have executed 496 convicts, accounting for 13 per cent of all global executions from 2015 to 2017, according to Justice Project Pakistan, a non-governmental organisation working for prisoners rights.





While explaining the voting episode, the Pakistani diplomat said: Votes on various draft resolutions at the UN General Assembly and in its main committees are recorded electronically. At times, due to technical reasons, the transmitting machines do not relay the intended vote correctly on the screen displayed in the UNGA Chamber and the meeting rooms.





The rules of procedure allow member states to approach the department of general assembly and conference management and make necessary corrections, the diplomat said, adding that it is a procedural matter and happens routinely. The Secretariat then records the vote change, and reflects it also in the verbatim record of the meeting.





The diplomat said there had been numerous instances when the country votes had been recorded inaccurately. Quoting an example from the last session under agenda item 52 International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space in sub item Report of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee, the diplomat said the votes of Oman and Tunisia were wrongly recorded, adding that their delegations later informed the Secretariat that they wanted to vote against the resolution and the same was corrected.





 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
More than 72 percent of those on death row in Texas are people of color.



Studies show race plays a role in the state's harshest punishment.





Studies have shown that Texas prosecutors chose to pursue the death penalty more often when a defendant was black than if a defendant was white.





And while black Texans might be overrepresented on death row, past investigations have shown they were often underrepresented in jury pools.





Education publisher Pearson talked to The Texas Tribune and explained how race can factor into Texas death penalty cases.





Watch the Pearson video below to learn more.





- The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Texas death row inmate Duane Buck, agreeing that his case was prejudiced by an expert trial witness who claimed Buck was more likely to be a future danger because he is black





- In multiple last-minute appeals, this 64-year-old death row inmate claimed his sentencing trial in the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend was tainted by racial prejudice

















- Texas juries sentenced seven men to death in 2018  all people of color

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!





"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
Vietnam wants China to import more, invest more

Containers of China Shipping are loaded at a port in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo by Reuters/Kham

China should increase imports of Vietnamese goods and make more hi-tech investments, government officials and business representatives say.

Le Hoai Trung, Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, proposed at the Vietnam-China Economic Promotion Forum Thursday that China creates more favorable conditions for more Vietnamese goods to enter the country through border gates.

"We hope that the Chinese government will be more open to the Vietnam market, especially for products that Vietnam has strong supply and China has high demand for, such as rice, pork, milk, agriculture, seafood, electronics and consumer goods," Trung told the forum attended by 500 Vietnamese government and business representatives and 200 Chinese counterparts.

Vietnam has a high trade deficit with China. From January to November, the country exported $37.7 billion worth of goods to China and imported $59.6 billion, a trade deficit of $21.9 billion, according to Vietnam Customs.

Vu Tien Loc, chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: "Although Vietnams exports to China have been increasing this year and trade deficit is declining, I dont think this trend will be sustainable."

He said it would require a big effort from authorities to pave the way for Vietnamese goods, especially agriculture products, to enter China.

Loc also proposed that that unofficial trade activities between the two countries at the border be formalized to guarantee long-term benefits for both sides.

As protectionism in the world rises, Vietnam and China need to cooperate to control trade cheating, like Chinese businesses exporting its goods via Vietnam to other countries, which would impact on sustainable development of both countries, Loc said.

Trung said at the forum that Vietnam welcomes foreign direct investment from China that is focused on high technology in infrastructure, supporting industry and agriculture.

He added that Chinese FDI businesses should ensure environmental protection and Vietnamese labors benefits when investing in the country.

Loc added that China, as a leading country in the world in the high-tech sector, can provide this kind of investment to Vietnam.

"Vietnam is looking for a new type of foreign investment which has higher quality, integrate more with Vietnamese businesses using high-technology which are environment-friendly," he said.

China is Vietnams largest import market, while Vietnam is Chinas largest trading partner in ASEAN and the 8th in the world.

From January to November, bilateral trade turnover reached over $97 billion, up 16.5 percent year-on-year, according to official data.

China has invested in over 2,000 projects in Vietnam, with a total registered capital of $13 billion. It ranks 7th out of 129 countries with FDI in Vietnam.
Devices used by a group of Chinese to make fake bank cards in Vung Tau. Photo by VnExpress/Quang Binh

Police in Vung Tau near Saigon have busted a gang of Chinese nationals for allegedly producing fake bank cards and gambling.

They raided three villas and a hotel Wednesday and found 20 men and two women and in their possession 13 token keys to track down security codes in online transactions, 200 blank bank cards, card readers and number stampers used for making the cards.

They also found VND650 million ($27,900), 8,500 Chinese yuan ($1,200) and $100 in cash, 33 bank cards issued by Chinese banks, 41 desktop computers, 13 laptops, and 300 mobile phones.

The computers revealed the gang members had been accessing illegal online gambling websites and possessed information about some peoples bank accounts in the U.S. and the U.K.

On questioning, the suspects admitted to coming to Vietnam to make fake bank cards and gamble online. They received help from some locals who served as interpreters.

But it is not known how many are in custody.

Vietnamese police are coordinating with their Chinese counterparts for further investigation.

There have been many arrests of Chinese nationals for using fake cards in Vietnam in recent years.

Last October a court in the northern province of Quang Ninh sentenced four Chinese to 4.5-5.5 years in prison for stealing nearly VND60 million from ATMs in the resort town Ha Long.

In May last year a court in the central city of Da Nang sentenced two men to 10 years after they stole nearly $10,000 from ATMs.

Two months before that two men were jailed for seven years and 30 months in Hanoi for stealing $9,200.
A fire that broke out at a restaurant in the southern province of Dong Nai Friday killed seven people.

Pham Nguyen Khanh Duy, owner of the restaurant, hired a group of welders and other workers for repair work. At around 3 p.m., as the workers were installing a styrofoam ceiling, a fire broke out and quickly engulfed the entire restaurant.

There were no guests at the time of the blaze, except for seven people, including welding workers and restaurant staff who couldnt escape.

Black smokes erupt from a restaurant in Long Khanh Town in Dong Nai Province. Photo by VnExpress/Binh Ty

Fire trucks and dozens of firefighters were dispatched to the restaurant in Long Khanh Town, Dong Nai Province, around 30 kilometers (around 20 miles) from Saigon.

It took firefighters around one hour to douse the fire, and seven victims were rushed to the hospital.

Phan Van Huyen, director of Long Khanh General Hospital, told VnExpress that six people were dead on arrival while another was in critical condition.

Police are investigating the fire.

Van Quyet Thang, deputy director of Dong Nai Police, said preliminary investigation shows that the fire was caused by welding sparks hitting the styrofoam ceiling.

[UPDATED] The seventh victim succumbed to injuries in hospital on Sunday morning.

Last March, 13 people were killed and more than 90 others injured following a deadly blaze at the Carina Plaza in HCMC, making it the second deadliest blaze in the citys history, after one that 60 people at the six-story International Trade Center in October 2002.

Vietnam reported more than 2,900 fire incidents in the first nine months of this year, which killed 73 people and caused damage worth around 1.6 trillion ($68.4 million), according to official figures.
A Vietnamese has been charged with drug and cash-related offenses after being caught with five kilos of cannabis in Australia. Photo by Shutterstock/photolona

A Vietnamese man has been arrested in the Australian city of Perth after police found five kilograms of cannabis in his car.

On Tuesday last week, officers stopped a Toyota Camry in Beechboro and found the drug in the trunk, The Canberra Times newspaper reported.

The driver was a Vietnamese national who did not have a valid visa. The police then searched his house in nearby Balga and found AUD12,000 ($8,500) in cash.

He, and a passenger in the car, have been charged with drug- and cash-related offences.

It is not known whether the police had been tipped off about the consignment or the seizure was the result of a routine search.

Last year Australia had set up a police taskforce to target cannabis cultivation in houses across Western Australia believed to be mostly by crime gangs.

The taskforce has frozen more than AUD8 million ($5.7 million) in cash and assets and seized almost 12,000 cannabis plants, according to the latest Western Australia Police annual report.

Last month five Vietnamese nationals pleaded guilty to involvement with a $2.8 million cannabis operation in Maitland, New South Wales. In September another Vietnamese man was sentenced to five years in jail for growing $750,000 worth of cannabis and stealing $151,000 worth of electricity.

It is a crime to be caught with cannabis in Australia. However, possession of a small amount for personal use is considered illegal but not a criminal offense in several states.
Fayfay.com, a Hong Kong-based firm seeking to provide authentic Vietnam travel experiences, presents Industry 4.0 solutions.

The Hong Kong-based e-commerce travel site has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ho Chi Minh City Promotion Center on a joint mission to promote Vietnam tourism.

The MOU comes at a strategic time, as visitors from Asia to Vietnam hit a record high in the first 11 months in 2018 with more than 14 millions of travelers, including 77.7% from Asian countries, increase 21% compared to the same period last year.

"Ho Chi Minh City is an important destination on Fayfay.com and we look forward to showcasing the citys vibrant architecture, rich culinary scene, and authentic local experiences," said Kingston Lai, co-founder of the site.

"We believe strategic joint promotional activities with the Tourism Promotion Center will enable us to leverage our online platform and inspire Hong Kong travelers to visit Ho Chi Minh City," he added.

To celebrate the MoU, Fayfay.com and Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Promotion Center guided a Hong Kong media group on a tour of Ho Chi Minh City, with flight sponsorship courtesy of Vietnam Airlines.

The MoU signing ceremony between Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Promotion Center and Fayfay.com

Tran Ngoc Dong Quan, vice president of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Promotion Center, said: "Hong Kong will be our focal market in coming years. We hope that travelers from the city will be inspired to visit Hong Kong."

"With Fayfay.com, we hope to make a significant contribution to tourism in Vietnam through joint promotional events, road shows and media familiarization trips."

Fayfay.com is an online travel platform focused on developing and promoting destinations in Vietnam. It offers experiences that are carefully selected to provide a completely different view of the country.

Fayfay.com not only focuses on curated on-the-ground packages, but also provides all the must-have travel essentials in one convenient place. On the site, travelers will find several resources, such as "Visa on Arrival" applications, SIM Cards, and Private Transportation services.

The site offers many opportunities to book memorable hands-on activities like as lantern-making or silversmithing workshops.

A panoramic view of Vietnams stunning Ha Long Bay used to promote Vietnamese tourism.

Fayfay.com is now seeking to cooperate with merchants in Vietnam to jointly create different experiences for tourists and support the development of the local tourism industry.

Vietnam attracted a record 14 million foreign tourists in the first 11 months of this year, up 21 percent year-on-year. The number could go as high as 15 million for the whole year, according to the General Statistics Office. The total number of foreign arrivals last year was 12.9 million.
A man gets sample for quality checking at a rice processing factory in Vietnam's southern Mekong delta, Vietnam. Photo by Reuters/Kham

Rice export prices in India rose to their highest in more than three months as a key producing region hiked procurement rates for domestic paddy.

Top exporter Indias 5 percent broken parboiled variety was quoted at $375-$382 per tonne this week, the highest since Sept. 7.

The central state of Chhattisgarh, a leading rice producer, raised the minimum paddy buying price to 2,500 rupees per 100 kg, from 1,750 rupees earlier this week.

"Importers are not ready to pay a higher price. Exports are likely to slow down in coming months," said an exporter based at Kakinada, in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Prices of Vietnams 5 percent broken rice declined for the fifth straight week to $385 a tonne as activity remained muted, traders said.

"Prices fell further because we are concerned that Chinas move to impose stricter conditions on Vietnamese rice will have a long-term impact," a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said.

"Its not clear if China is buying more from Cambodia and Myanmar to compensate for the possible declining shipments from Vietnam."

Another trader said supplies from Vietnam will increase from late next month when the winter-spring harvest begins.

In Thailand, benchmark 5 percent broken rice prices were quoted at $390-$391 per tonne, free on board Bangkok, versus $385-$393 a week ago, as the market is expected to remain quiet until well after the New Year period.

"This is a reasonable level as were nearing the end of the year. There is not much overseas activity and were also in the harvesting season," a Bangkok-based trader said.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh, which emerged as a major importer of rice in 2017 due to stock depletion following floods, has stepped up efforts to procure more rice locally after output of the staple grain improved, a food ministry official said.

"The response from farmers is very good and the procurement drive will be continued," the official said.

The countrys production for 2018/19 is expected to recover to 34.7 million tonnes, up 6.3 percent year-on-year, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture attache in Bangladesh.

The South Asian country has procured more than 1.3 million tonnes of rice locally so far in the current season to build state reserves.
The accusation was made after the U.S. Justice Department indicted two Chinese hackers tied to Asian nation's security services who allegedly targeted companies and agencies in a dozen countries. Photo by Reuters/Kacper Pempel

Beijing on Friday accused Washington of "fabricating facts" about cyber security issues.

The accusation was made after the U.S. Justice Department indicted two Chinese hackers tied to Asian nation's security services who allegedly targeted companies and agencies in a dozen countries.

We urge the U.S. to "stop smearing the Chinese side on cyber security issues," China's foreign ministry said in statement, adding that it had lodged an official protest.

China said the U.S. should drop the prosecution "to avoid serious damage to the relations between the two countries."

Beijing accused Washington of "blame-shifting" and of carrying out hacking attacks against other countries.

"It has long been an open secret for the relevant departments of the United States to conduct large-scale and organised network theft and monitoring and monitoring activities against foreign governments, enterprises and individuals," said the statement, attributed to foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

In charging the two alleged Chinese hackers, the Justice Department said the group they work for targeted firms which help other companies manage their information technology systems -- potentially giving attackers an entry into the computer networks of dozens of companies.

Western governments, including U.S. allies Britain and Australia, have accused Beijing of cyber-attacks.

China described those claims as "purely made out of thin air," warning other countries to "stop deliberate defamation of China, so as not to damage... bilateral relations."
U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis attends the swearing in ceremony for new Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., July 30, 2018. Photo by Reuters/Brian Snyder

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, a stabilizing force in President Donald Trumps Cabinet, abruptly announced his resignation on Thursday.

He said Trump should pick a successor whose views align more with his own.

Mattis resigned a day after Trump announced that U.S. troops in Syria would be withdrawn, a decision that upended American policy in the region, and on the same day that officials said the president was considering a substantial U.S. pullout from the long-running conflict in Afghanistan.

"Because you have a right to a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis said in his resignation letter, released by the Pentagon.

Trump, announcing Mattis departure on Twitter, said he would nominate a successor soon.

"General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years," he said.

Mattis joins a long list of former Trump administration senior figures who have either quit or been removed, some unceremoniously like Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who Trump fired via Twitter in March.

Trumps White House has had the highest turnover of senior-level staff of the past five presidents, according to the Brookings Institution think tank.

Speculation that Mattis might not last long in his post grew in October when Republican Trump said in a CBS interview that the general was "sort of a Democrat" and might be leaving.

Mattis, along with other national security aides, was said to have opposed Trumps decision to remove U.S. troops from Syria. Many U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern about the decision and asked Trump to reconsider.

Under Mattis, Vietnam and the U.S. developed strong defense ties. His resignation came several months after his second visit to Vietnam this year, after the first in Hanoi in January.

Oc October 17, he visited the Bien Hoa military airport in the southern province of Dong Nai, a dioxin hotspot and former American airbase that will soon become the biggest-ever U.S. cleanup site for contamination left by the defoliant Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis (R) is with Bui Anh Chung, Deputy Commander of Vietnam's Air and Air Defense Force at Bien Hoa Airport on Wednesday. Photo by VnExpress/Phuoc Tuan

Mattis had told USA Today prior to the visit that Vietnam "is a growing defense partner in a number of ways."

In March, the USS Carl Vinson paid a visit toDa Nang, making it the first U.S. aircraft carrier to return to the country after the Vietnam War.
Capital investment in Ukraine's agrarian sector estimated at US$2.2 bln in Jan-Sept

Over 45 billion ($1.6 billion) was injected directly into agriculture.

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State Property Fund appeals court ruling not to return Ukrtelecom to state ownership

The SPF will appeal another court ruling that recognized the verification of the fulfillment of ESU's obligations on the acquisition of Ukrtelecom as unlawful.

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Ukraine, Israel to sign FTA deal in early 2019  Ukraine's Cabinet

The Ukrainian government has already approved the wording of the agreement.

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Poroshenko: Ukraine gets first Airbus helicopters for National Guard, Emergency Service

Airbus Helicopters signed a contract with the Ukrainian Interior Ministry on July 14.

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Energoatom dismisses as "unfounded" media claims regarding "closed-doors" discussions of the TVEL deal and the "lack of information" regarding its conclusion.

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Vox leader Santiago Abascal. AFP

Traffic to Voxs website and social media platforms has soared following the recent elections in Andalusia, where the far-right party garnered 10.97% of the votes and 12 seats in the regional parliament.

Their Instagram account depicts the world in terms of good people and bad people

Cesar Calderon, political consultant

There are three individuals between the ages of 23 and 26 who are largely responsible for the fact that Voxs Twitter, Facebook and particularly Instagram accounts have started attracting huge numbers: a journalist, a sociologist and a broadcast studies undergraduate who were hired between 2016 and 2018 to pump up the partys online profile. Theres no longer any trust in the press, says Manuel Mariscal, head of the partys online accounts. We are turning into our own communications channel.

This is nothing new. It is a tried-and-tested populist strategy that proved effective in getting Donald Trump, Brazils Jair Bolsonaro and Italys Matteo Salvini into power.

1. The website

Voxespana.es had 59,941 visitors in January 2018, according to data from SimilarWeb, one of the internets main traffic monitors. At the start of the year, it trailed behind the Socialist Party (PSOE), Ciudadanos and Podemos, only beating the Popular Party (PP).

But by September, Vox was ahead of all its rivals with 223,017 visits. Then, following a rally in Madrid in October that attracted 9,000 Vox supporters, that number tripled to 612,658. The people at Vox are experts at managing the new communications model, says Cesar Calderon, a political consultant and CEO of Redlines, which has collaborated with the PSOE, Ciudadanos and the PP. The look is amateur because they are seeking to maximize their investment in the message and design.

Unlike the webpages of the other parties, Voxs site is simplicity itself. The page has a straightforward navigation bar where their proposals are plain for all to see: rolling back the law against gender violence; the deportation of illegal migrants, and the elimination of the sistema autonomico, or the decentralized system that currently grants many devolved powers to regional governments.

2. Instagram

A Vox rally in Madrid in October. Kike Para

Vox is way ahead of the other parties when it comes to Instagram, which was the fastest-growing platform in 2018, according to a report from the Spanish Digital Communication Association. It is also the platform which attracts most 16- to 30-year-old users.

Vox set up an Instagram account in April 2016. The Spanish flag, the unity of Spain and their feelings toward Catalan separatists were in evidence from the get-go. The photographs are unedited and unsophisticated and seek to appeal to the younger generation, who are directly addressed with messages such as, Student! Dont give up during Selectividad [university access exams]! Youre doing Spain a great service just by studying. But the post that got the most likes is a video in which Vox attacks the leftist party Podemos.

According to Gustavo Entrala, who set up the popes Twitter account, the amateur approach also lends them more credibility. And despite the fact that the average Vox voter is male, 68% of their traffic on Instagram is female.

The platform depicts the world in terms of good people and bad people, says Calderon. Its perfect for this style of communication. Particularly its stories: these are 15-second posts that dont allow for gray areas.

3. Facebook

Facebook is Spains favorite social media platform with more than 20 million users. Vox has 201,000 followers, which is fewer than either Ciudadanos or Podemos. Around 65% of Vox followers are men, and more than half of these are over 45.

Vox proposals FROM THE VOX FACEBOOK PAGE Once more the kind of extremism that hates our freedom and is unable to coexist with us has stained the streets of Europe with blood. Drastic measures need to be taken across Europe. Vox proposes the following for Spain: Close down extremist mosques

Expel Imams who promote fundamentalism, the subjugation of women and Jihad

Ban the building of mosques that spread Wahabi or Salafist or any other extreme ideologies

Ban the funding of places of worship within Spain by third countries

Demand that Islamic authorities in Spain collaborate fully to identify extremists

Strengthen our borders and build an insurmountable wall in Ceuta and Melilla

Give the police and the armed forces resources, human and otherwise, to control Spain's borders effectively along with the relevant legal protection.

Increase and rationalize the defense budget

Their strategy is to publish short videos that last under a minute. During the Andalusian elections, they launched a campaign called #EspanaViva, reaching out to all age groups with clips like this one: Im Sylvia, Im a housewife and Im 40 years old. If it werent for my in-laws, we would not have managed. But there are many Andalusians like me. The only solution for Spain is Vox.

Facebook and Instagram are Voxs main focus when it comes to advertising investment. We invested for the Madrid rally because it wasnt advertised in the press. Weve done the same in Andalusia, says a party source without going into exactly how much was spent.

The advertising fees on Facebook vary according to the campaigns target audience. It costs around 5,000 to get a video to reach 100,000 people, for example. The party has since launched other campaigns, the latest coming in the wake of the Strasbourg attack last week. Extremism is leaving bloodstains on our streets, it said. We will increase the defense budget.

Podemos also has several ongoing campaigns but the other parties have none.

Vox enjoyed its biggest surge of support a year ago. It rose by 27%, says Laura Munoz, a social media analyst for Prisa News. Since then, their strategy has been more proactive.

The party promises to eliminate the administrative divisions known as autonomous regions if they get into power. That is why it only uses province-wide Facebook pages such as Vox Madrid, which has 30,000 followers. Most Vox supporters, however, are based in the south of Spain. These provincial Vox pages are run by volunteers. The logic is that by creating small sites, there is more interaction with supporters and the content is more relevant to the target audience. Consequently, they reach more people.

4. WhatsApp

WhatsApp is the most popular messaging platform in Spain. Vox used it during the Andalusian election to send mass messages directly to its supporters, according to the El Confidencial news site.

The strategy involves advertising a cellphone number that followers can add to their contacts. They then receive Voxs messages direct to their phone. You will be kept up to date with our activities. Share it with your contacts.

The party began to reel in followers on WhatsApp in June. Within the first few days they had 2,000. Now, those who are in the groups prefer to keep the fact a secret. Calderon sees Voxs WhatsApp strategy as accounting for much of its success. They ask those who receive their messages to take an active role, to share the messages with friends  unlike the passive role assigned by other parties. Its not a new approach. It was already used by the far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro during Brazils presidential campaign.

5. YouTube

Voxs YouTube account was set up on January 15, 2014, one week after Podemos launched theirs. They now have 60,000 subscribers  more than any other parties apart from Podemos, which has 77,179. Their 1,200 videos have been viewed more than 10 million times. The same tactic is employed here with messages that are short and direct, such as, Spain first or Defend Spain! Entrala says, Male conservatives have turned YouTube into their stronghold: they look for videos they cant find on traditional media sites.

6. Twitter

Twitter was Voxs first social media account. It was opened in 2013, but according to a Vox spokesman, were no longer interested in it. Were going for Facebook and Instagram.

The strategy here consists of tweeting just several times a day and retweeting messages from right-wing journalists and news sites. For example, this week they tweeted: 50 hooded separatists tried to disrupt a Vox event in Barcelona. Not one complaint from Pablo Iglesias, who is quiet as a rat in Galapagar.

Of all the parties, Vox has the least followers on Twitter, which is the social media platform that most Spaniards dropped in 2018. Meanwhile, Vox set up a Telegram account this Tuesday that now has 6,219 followers.

7. Links to far-right media

Many of the news stories shared by Vox come from casoaislado.com, a far-right website that was set up in 2017 with xenophobic news that frame foreigners as the enemy. Santiago Abascals party will drive up the demographics in Spain without the need for immigrants, it promises, alluding to the low birth rate.

Vox has turned Spanish politics on its head and it is here to stay, according to experts. Spain is just months away from a big election year. And as the Americans discovered during their own presidential election, there is no use in just ridiculing Vox or labeling them right-wing extremists or fascists, says Calderon. They have to be challenged on the actual policies that they are proposing.

Trump and Bolsonaros winning formula Tom C. Avendano Jair Bolsonaro did not stand a chance on national television. Brazil's election law, designed to favor the politicians with the most power, had only allotted him seven seconds to promote his presidential campaign, illustrating how he was an isolated MP on the far right, without political allies within the country. Meanwhile, his rivals from the traditional parties were given minutes-long slots in which to sell their policy proposals. But no one took into account that Bolsonaro had eight million followers on Facebook, Brazil's favorite platform  more than any of them. Using live videos and memes, his message emerged triumphant. He also used Brazil's other favorite social media platform, WhatsApp. In a country with 147 million voters, 120 million use WhatsApp daily and most of those use it up to 30 times a day. Suddenly, 81% of his supporters were using WhatsApp while only 59% of his rival Fernando Hadda's followers were doing the same, according to the Datafolha institute. As 90% of Brazilians use WhatsApp groups to talk politics, Bolsonaro's team began to bombard them with content, including memes and extreme right-wing messages, which the database agencies made sure reached thousands of cellphone numbers. Soon they had conquered the app. An investigation run by Folha accused a number of companies of investing more than 2.8 million to create fake news in Bolsonaro's favor. It was a copy of Donald Trump's own winning strategy at the 2016 presidential campaign: namely to saturate the market with messages. Trump's team produced up to 50,000 daily variations of each ad, according to information obtained from each of the millions of Facebook users.

English version by Heather Galloway.
An Iberia plane in Madrid. Jeff Greenberg (Getty)

British-owned airline Iberia could lose its right to operate in the European Union after the United Kingdom officially leaves the bloc on March 30, 2019, if the British Parliament does not ratify the Withdrawal Agreement.

With 100 days to go until the UK exits the EU in a process known as Brexit, the European Commission said on Wednesday that airlines that fall below the 51% threshold for EU ownership will not be able to operate within Europe if no Brexit deal is signed.

44.7% flights to and from the UK are covered by European companies

Given that Ibera is owned by International Airline Group (IAG), which is also the parent group of British Airways and Vueling, the Spanish airline may be prevented from flying in Europe and even within Spain if no Brexit deal is reached.

But sources from the company appear unfazed by the warning and maintain they are working on strategies to ensure their services are not affected. They did not specify if they had found a solution, stating only that they were negotiating with EU authorities and had the support of the Spanish government.

But with Brexit fast approaching, it looks increasingly likely that the UK parliament will not ratify the Withdrawal Agreement signed with the EU. Other airlines at risk, such as Ryanair or easyJet, have announced they will adopt measures to ensure they pass the ownership threshold and transfer control to an entity or person in Europe. Iberia, which is controlled by the British-owned IAG, has not made a similar announcement.

The only exception: flights to the UK

The European Commission, in its contingency plans in the case of a no-deal Brexit, agreed to a 12-month truce period for flights between the UK and the 27 EU member states. In other words, Iberia will be able to fly from Spain to England and vice versa even if it is not majority owned and controlled by a company in Europe.

This decision was taken to avoid leaving the UK without any connecting flights to Europe given 44.7% of flights are covered by European companies and the only alternative form of public transport is to travel by train or by sea from Belgium, France and Ireland.

Iberia may be prevented from flying in Europe and within Spain if no Brexit deal is reached

Canceling the operating licenses of British airlines within Europe will have less impact as they only cover 19.3% of demand, according to the European Commission. This conclusion however, does not take into account that Iberia, the Spanish division of IAG, covers a large part of the Spanish market and withdrawing its license could leave the country almost completely without domestic flights. Iberia, for instance, would not be able to fly from the peninsula to the Balearic Islands or the Canary Islands.

Sources from Brussels have repeated their statement from March 2017 when Brexit negotiations began: To maintain a valid operating license and enjoy the possibility of offering services within the EU, [airlines] must comply with all conditions, including being majority owned and controlled in Europe.

Iberias claim

For months Iberia has been trying to prove that it is a Spanish entity, arguing its complete infrastructure  headquarters, shareholder meetings, Custody of Bearer Shares  are based in Spain. But the Commission insists it must apply EU norms without any exceptions. Sources from the EU also doubt that the Spanish airline can meet the conditions concerning European control, given IAG in London has the final word on all its decisions.

Diplomatic sources from Brussels believe, however, that airlines that do not meet EU conditions may still be able to fly within Europe after Brexit, regardless of whether a deal is reached or not. These sources point out that the decision to revoke Iberias license falls to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which may agree to extend the airlines license.

This however does not clarify doubts about the future of Iberia under a no-deal Brexit. The EASA would extend the license in application of an EU norm and this means its decision would be subject to the supervision of the European Commission and jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, explains the diplomatic sources, who add that Iberias European competitors are likely to dispute the airlines license on this basis to gain greater control of the European market.

English version by Melissa Kitson.
[Scroll down to read this mornings live blog]

The central governments Cabinet meeting was held today in Barcelona, amid protests throughout Catalonia at what pro-independence supporters called a provocation by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Despite efforts of demonstrators to cut off roads and freeways, the meeting went ahead as planned, and afterwards government ministers announced a number of symbolic measures for the region, such as renaming Barcelona airport Josep Tarradellas, in honor of a former premier who was exiled to France during the Franco era.

Thousands of police officers were on the streets this morning to deal with the protests called by groups such as the so-called Committee for the Defense of the Republic (CDR). There were a number of incidents during the morning, prompting police to charge against demonstrators, and make at least 11 arrests.

The protests come a day after Sanchez and Catalan premier Quim Torra agreed to work on effective dialogue at a private meeting in Barcelona. In a joint press release, the leaders said they were committed to finding a political proposal that is widely supported by the Catalan people. They agreed that there was a conflict about the future of Catalonia and while they accepted there are notable differences on its origin, character and path to resolution, promised to move forward through dialogue.
Thousands of supporters of Catalan independence have joined a march that began at 6pm in downtown Barcelona.

The demonstration follows a daylong series of protests that resulted in at least 13 arrests as pro-independence activists blocked major roads and clashed with police in Barcelona, where Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was holding a special Cabinet meeting.

A protest march began at 6pm in downtown Barcelona. Quique Garcia (EFE)

The protests were led by the self-styled Committees to Defend the Republic (CDR), a group that has staged similar action in the past. There were traffic disruptions on 20 roads, including the A2 highway and the AP-7 toll road, where demonstrators laid down car tires and held signs with messages like Lets implement the republic and Lets take down the 1978 regime, alluding to the Spanish Constitution of 1978 that signaled the transition to democracy following four decades of rule by dictator Francisco Franco.

Riot officers from the Catalan police force, the Mossos dEsquadra, faced CDR activists who built a barricade and hurled objects in the Drassanes area of Barcelona. One individual was held for carrying material that could have been used to make an explosive device. Two more people were arrested in LAmpolla, in Tarragona province.

Next stops, Alicante and Merida The central government is determined to hold more Cabinet meetings outside Madrid, with the goal of getting close to citizens and showing affection for the regions that we serve, said Deputy PM Isabel Celaa. The next gathering outside the capital will take place in Alicante sometime in the first three months of 2019. There is another one planned in Merida, in the western region of Extremadura.

The protests were triggered by Sanchezs decision to hold his Friday Cabinet meeting in Barcelona rather than Madrid as part of an ongoing drive to take these gatherings to various parts of Spain. The date also coincided with the first anniversary of a snap election held in the region that gave separatists a slim majority. That election took place shortly after Madrids decision to temporarily suspend Catalan self-rule in the wake of an unauthorized referendum and unilateral declaration of independence in October 2017.

Thousands of national, regional and municipal police officers had been mobilized in anticipation of potential unrest. Police in Barcelona were also tasked with securing the area around the building where the Cabinet met, the Llotja de Mar, which activists attempted to surround. The meeting proceeded without incident between 10am and 1pm despite the protests outside.

A pro-independence organization called Omnium Cultural staged an alternative Cabinet meeting just a few meters down from the Llotja building to protest the ministerial gathering. Not since the days of Franco had a Cabinet met in Barcelona to show us its authority. You are irresponsible and all you seek is provocation, said the organizations vice-president, Marcel Mauri.

Positive meeting

Meanwhile, the Socialist Party (PSOE) government in Madrid is making a very positive assessment of the private meeting between PM Pedro Sanchez and Catalan premier Quim Torra, who met on Thursday in Barcelona. In a joint press release, both leaders said they were committed to finding a political proposal that is widely supported by the Catalan people.

On Friday, the Cabinet greenlighted several symbolic measures for Catalonia, such as changing the name of Barcelona airport to Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat, to honor a former Catalan head of government who lived in exile during Francos rule.

The Spanish minister for Territorial Policy, Meritxell Batet, addressed renewed criticism from the Popular Party (PP) and center-right Ciudadanos, who accuse the government of making concessions to Catalan separatists because Sanchez depends on separatist parties for support in Congress, where he leads a minority government.

Batet said that no concessions have been made, and that the PSOEs proposed solution to resolve the Catalan crisis involves reinforcing the regions existing powers of self-rule.

English version by Susana Urra.
Anna Hakobyan receives Turkish-Armenian entrepreneur Tayk Mirijanian

On December 21, Armenian caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans spouse Anna Hakobyan held a meeting with Istanbul-based Turkish-Armenian entrepreneur Tayk Mirijanian. Mirijanian said that he dreams of opening an Ara Guler museum, an eponymous cafe and restaurant all in one location in Yerevan. He claims that the history and present-day activities of the Armenian community of Istanbul is not well known in Armenia, and that the cultural center may become a connecting circle between the community and the homeland. We are [Istanbul-Armenians], we arent Turks, but unfortunately little is known about us in our homeland. We have renowned greats  Komitas, Paylans, Ara Guler and many others. They and present-day Armenians of Istanbul must be known in the homeland, Mirijanian said, adding that the community has numerous problems, one being the fact that very few of the 100,000 community speak or read in Armenian language. Hakobyan, attaching importance to the idea of creating the cultural center, assured that she is ready to assist in fulfilling the initiative. Our duty will be to support. I will stand by you through the My Step Foundation to realize your idea, Hakobyan said. Anna Hakobyan is the president of the Board of Trustees of the My Step Charity Foundation. The meeting was concluded with Mirijanian gifting books and albums about Ara Guler to Hakobyan.
OPEC Fund Partners Ameriabank to Address Problems and Help to Improve the Life of People in Armenia. T. Alnassar.

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116 million AMD assistance to minors with disabilities in Shirak Province from Mikayel Vardanyan

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"We condemn any attempts at borderisation, as observed since the incursion of Azerbaijani troops into Armenian territory on 12 May" Joint statement

The United States is deeply concerned about reports of intensive fighting today between Armenia and Azerbaijan.ANTONY J. BLINKEN

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Ookla has awarded Ucom with The fastest fixedline network in Armenia award

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OPEC Fund Partners Ameriabank to Address Problems and Help to Improve the Life of People in Armenia. T. Alnassar.

Generation A: Edition 14. Exclusive Chance to Begin Your Professional Career with Ameriabank

Katna Armenian cheeses enter the market: the new project of Galaxy Group of Companies

US$30m OPEC Fund loan to Ameriabank to promote sustainable energy and support small businesses in Armenia

Black Friday at ucom: up to 70% discount for smart home devices, gadgets and smartphones

116 million AMD assistance to minors with disabilities in Shirak Province from Mikayel Vardanyan

Discussion on the topic IT infrastructure as the basis of the digital economy with the participation of the heads of telecommunication companies in Armenia

Statement nn the ongoing Aggression by Azerbaijan against the Republic of Armenia

"We condemn any attempts at borderisation, as observed since the incursion of Azerbaijani troops into Armenian territory on 12 May" Joint statement

The United States is deeply concerned about reports of intensive fighting today between Armenia and Azerbaijan.ANTONY J. BLINKEN

Statement of the MFA of Armenia

Ookla has awarded Ucom with The fastest fixedline network in Armenia award

UCOM keeps on supporting the 42 YEREVAN programming school

Recognizing the One-Year Anniversary of the Ceasefire Declaration Between Armenia and Azerbaijan

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Postage stamp dedicated to 100th anniversary of ARMENPRESS

New postage stamp dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the foundation of ARMENPRESS state news agency was cancelled and put into circulation on December 21. The cancellation ceremony on the topic of "100th anniversary of the foundation of the telegraph agency of Armenia-Armenpress" was held in ARMENPRESS news agency and was carried out by acting minister of transport, communication and information technologies Hakob Arshakyan, Director of ARMENPRESS Aram Ananyan, Acting Chief Executive Officer of HayPost CJSC Haik Avagyan and President of the Union of Philatelists of Armenia Hovik Musayelyan. Director of ARMENPRESS Aram Ananyan mentioned that ARMENPRESS is one of the oldest news agencies in Armenia, and added: "For already 100 years the agency provides different, operative and reliable information to its subscribers, partners and the public. Its worth mentioning that the main hero of ARMENPRESS  be it reporter, journalist, photo-journalist, representative of a new video service, international relations specialist, is depicted on the postage stamp." The postage stamp with nominal value of 120 AMD is printed in Cartor printing house in France with the print-run of 30 000 pcs. The author of the stamps design is the chief designer of HayPost CJSC Vahagn Mkrtchyan, and the photographer is Gevorg Perkupekyan from ARMENPRESS. The postage stamp depicts the graphical silhouette of a woman working on a typing machine. The postage stamp represents the combination of light and shade symbolizing the 24-hour work performed behind the scenes by the media professionals.
Transport issue in Yerevan to not be solved for at least two years

Yerevan mayor Hayk Marutyan told journalists on possible problems in case of heavy snowfall. "We must understand whether Sanitec will be able to solve these problems or not. We all get bad waste management from the former authorities." According to the mayor, they visited Sanitec and recorded that the amount of equipment needed for such heavy winter is missing. He mentioned that they have agreed with road construction companies to provide rental cars to Sanitec. The mayor touched upon the issue of the street trade and whether the municipality controls the situation. "From January 1, we will be much stricter against illegal trade and we will bring this phenomena to the minimum." A question arises about the metropolitan transport, and when the people will witness the change. "At least two years are needed to completely change the network, yet we have to finalize the network offered by a foreign company and then send it to another company that will already implement the business network." Hayk Marutyan also touches on the budget of the city, in particular the money spent on foreign trips. "These are not business trips, but trips for training. Yes, I also think that there is a lot of expenses," said the mayor by mentioning that we go to the optimization of staff. "I personally believe that this optimization should be done first."
Ukrgasbank attracts UAH 3 bln of refinancing from NBU for 77 days at 20% per annum

State-owned Ukrgasbank (Kyiv) on December 14 attracted a refinancing loan of UAH 3 billion from the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).

According to a posting on the website of the central bank, the funds were raised for 77 days at 20% per annum. The bank provided a pool of assets for collateral.

During the primary auctions on December 18, the Finance Ministry of Ukraine placed government domestic loan bonds in local currency with a maturity from 77 to 105 days. At the same time, the issuer raised the rate for the securities to 20.5% from 19% per annum, thanks to which it attracted a record amount of UAH 11.36 billion.

According to the NBU, the debt of Ukrainian banks on refinancing loans in November increased by 2.7%, to UAH 64.233 billion. In general, since the beginning of 2018, the debt of banks on refinancing loans decreased by 6.4%.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin supports the idea that decisions regarding the country's energy independence, such as the agreement between Energoatom and TVEL (Russia) for the supply of nuclear fuel, should be in the joint competence of the Cabinet of Ministers and the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC).

"From the very morning all the media are savoring information about the secret agreement on the supply of nuclear fuel in 2025 between Energoatom and Russia's TVEL. I believe that those involved in making the decision that allows Russia to retain key positions in the nuclear power industry that is strategic for Ukraine "owed" at least an exhaustive explanation to the Ukrainian society and our foreign partners," Klimkin said on Facebook.

He noted that the Foreign Ministry has always been and remains a supporter of real energy independence from the Russian Federation and reorientation towards cooperation with nuclear fuel suppliers from democratic countries.

"In general, the adoption of such decisions should be a matter of joint competence of the Cabinet of Ministers and the NSDC, which, in my opinion, is more than obvious," the minister stressed.
The United Nations Commissioner for Refugees, the ssociation nternationale de ooperation edicale Ukraine and the International Organization for Migration have sent almost 270 tonnes of humanitarian aid to the territories in Donbas that are beyond control of Kyiv.

On December 21, 15 trucks carrying the humanitarian aid proceeded to the temporarily occupied territories in Donbas through the Novotroyitske checkpoint in Donetsk region, the press service of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine has said.

"A total of 270 tonnes of loads have been documented," the border guards said in a statement.
The political decision of the Council of the European Union on extending EU economic sanctions against Russia was formalized by the legal decision of the Council on December 21.

President of the European Council Donald Tusk at a press conference at the EU summit on December 13 said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron had also provided information on the status of implementation of the Minsk Agreements, and "the EU unanimously prolongs economic sanctions against Russia given zero progress in implementation of the Minsk Agreements."

The decision to extend the sanctions that expire on January 31, 2019 will take effect after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

These restrictive measures were originally introduced on July 31, 2014 for a period of one year "in response to Russia's actions to destabilize the situation in Ukraine." They were reinforced in September 2014. On March 19, 2015, the European Council linked the duration of the sanctions with the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements.

The measures concern financial, energy and defense sectors, as well as dual-use goods.
KYIV. Dec 21 (Interfax-Ukraine) - More than 40,000 tonnes of mineral fertilizers imported to Ukraine from several countries have been blocked on the Ukrainian border, the Ukrainian Agrarian Council (UAC) has reported at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine. According to the council, import halts began on December 7, the volume of blocked fertilizers is 53% of their monthly imports to Ukraine. According to UAC Head Andriy Dykun, imports were suspended, in particular, from Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Turkey, Poland, and Lithuania. "The Ukrainian market for ammonium nitrate consists of 40% of imports. We lived out this application season (3-4 months ago) thanks to Belarus and Kazakhstan. Importers may be forced to raise the cost due to losses caused by idleness. We have not received any document that would confirm the reason for stopping imports," Serhiy Ruban, the chairman of the Union of Agricultural Chemists of Ukraine, said. The representative of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Ukraine, who was present at the press conference, confirmed the delay of Kazakh mineral fertilizers from KazAzot and Kazphosphate. According to him, the total number of delayed wagons with fertilizers from Kazakhstan is about 100. Ruban added that before introducing a ban on imports of mineral fertilizers from Russia, it was necessary to give "at least six months to redirect import flows."
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

Trend:

Students of Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) visited Children Home 1 located in Nizami district of Baku and met with its young residents. The visit was organized within projects implemented under the BHOS Corporate Social Responsibility program.

The students also met with the Director of the Children Home Narmina Zohrabova. She told the guests about children living in the orphanage, their daily schedule, activities carried out for the kids in their leisure time and teaching programs developed for the school-age children. She emphasized that the Children Home remains under constant state care and close attention from the government. Narmina Zohrabova also said that the orphanage graduates are well prepared for receiving higher education. In her words, many of them successfully passed the entrance exams and study now at universities in Azerbaijan and Russia.

The BHOS students did not notice those several hours, which they spent at the orphanage playing with, and talking to, the children. The kids were happy to demonstrate their drawings and small handicrafts and to tell about their successes. At the end of the visit, the students gave various gifts and books to the children, and presented a TV set to the orphanage.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

Trend:

Chairperson of the European Parliaments Subcommittee on Security and Defense Anna Fotyga has sent an appeal to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini regarding illegal visits to the occupied Azerbaijani territories, Trend reports.

According to the appeal, the number of EU citizens illegally visiting Azerbaijans lands has recently increased.

Such illegal visits sometimes proposed by travel agencies operating in the EU violate international law. These visits are aimed at justifying the occupation and ruin the EU international authority.

In many cases the individuals illegally visiting the occupied Azerbaijani territories are declared undesirable people, as well as the EU citizens who are visiting the territories where military clashes may happen every second, risk their lives.

The EUs steps which are being taken to prevent such unlawful visits are called into question. An appeal is made for the EU to notify the citizens online in advance of the consequences of illegal visits in terms of law and security.

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. 21

Trend:

The Congress of the Azerbaijani Community of the Nagorno-Karabakh Region Public Union has disseminated an appeal, Trend reports with reference to the Union Dec. 21.

The appeal reads that the wave of Armenian separatism, which began in the late 80s of the last century in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, contributed to a conflict on ethnic grounds, expulsion of compatriots from the originally Azerbaijani lands in Armenia and from the Nagorno-Karabakh region, occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories - the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven adjacent districts as a result of military aggression against Azerbaijan by Armenia.

This wave also contributed to the policy of ethnic cleansing in these territories, and as a result, over one million Azerbaijanis became refugees and IDPs, according to the appeal.

From the first days of the conflict that is lasting for 30 years, Armenia, while still in the Soviet Union, started to openly put forward territorial claims to the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region of Azerbaijan and to actively support separatism accompanied by violence and terror against the local Azerbaijani population, reads the appeal. At the same time, the Armenian side made a number of illegal decisions with the aim of unilaterally separating the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region from Azerbaijan and joining it to Armenia.

However, during the Soviet period, on Jan. 10, 1990, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a resolution On incompatibility of acts on Nagorno-Karabakh adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR on Dec.1, 1989 and Jan. 9, 1990 with the USSR Constitution, declaring the annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenia without Azerbaijans permission as illegal, the appeal reads.

All these facts demonstrate that back at that time, it was confirmed at the highest constitutional level that the unilateral secession of Nagorno-Karabakh without Azerbaijans permission contradicts the law of the USSR, says the appeal.

Therefore, after Azerbaijan gained independence, Nagorno-Karabakh, according to the laws of that period, was recognized as an integral part of Azerbaijan, the Union said.

Despite all this, Armenia, by grossly violating the UN Charter, the norms and principles of international law, started an open war against Azerbaijan, occupied the Nagorno-Karabakh region, including seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan, reads the appeal. In the occupied territories, Armenia carried out ethnic cleansing against the Azerbaijani population, including in Nagorno-Karabakh."

"The 80,000 people Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh has been forced to live for about 30 years as IDPs in various Azerbaijani districts. The world community and international organizations recognize Azerbaijans territorial integrity and support fair settlement of the conflict in accordance with international norms."

The appeal noted that Armenia, while maintaining the status quo based on the occupation, pursues an annexation policy in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, including Nagorno-Karabakh, and seeks to intentionally present these actions as "self-determination of peoples".

"To this end, Armenia attempts to deny the existence of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh, destroys the material and cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people in Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding areas. The right to self-determination of peoples, which is one of the highest principles of international law, in no way implies a violation of the rights of other peoples, committing violence. Fundamental human rights and freedom are universal and should equally apply to all humanity without discrimination. In accordance with OSCE documents, despite Armenia and Azerbaijan are parties in resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh are identified as interested parties. As part of a just settlement of the conflict, Armenian troops should be withdrawn from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, forced migrants, including the Azerbaijani population of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan should be provided with a safe and dignified return to Nagorno-Karabakh and use of their civil rights," the appeal reads.

"The Azerbaijani community calls on the international community, in particular the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries to increase their efforts to contribute to the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and to maintain contacts between the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan."

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. 21

Trend:

The latest events in Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region suggest that the Armenian population is tired of the existing separatist criminal regime, Chairman of the Azerbaijani community of Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region Tural Ganjaliyev told Trend Dec. 21.

He said that Armenia has established a criminal junta in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, which in its essence continues the regime of Serzh Sargsyan.

The Armenian population living there, that is, the Armenian community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, is occupied by the separatist regime of the junta, they are under total control and deprived of all rights, he noted. The population of Armenia during the mass protests in April ousted the Sargsyan regime. The latest events taking place in Nagorno-Karabakh region show that the population is tired of this separatist criminal regime.

Ganjaliyev added that the settlement of the conflict is impossible without the restoration of legitimacy of the Azerbaijani community and its inalienable rights, as well as without the return of Azerbaijanis to their native lands.

He also said that the regime of Serzh Sargsyan prevented the establishment of dialogue between the two communities.

I believe that it is necessary to encourage the future joint residence of the two communities, which are equal parties, within the borders of Azerbaijan, said Ganjaliyev.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Details added (first version posted on 18:16)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

Trend:

The Congress of the Azerbaijani Community of the Nagorno-Karabakh Region Public Union has disseminated an appeal, Trend reports with reference to the Union Dec. 21.

The appeal reads that the wave of Armenian separatism, which began in the late 80s of the last century in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, contributed to a conflict on ethnic grounds, expulsion of compatriots from the originally Azerbaijani lands in Armenia and from the Nagorno-Karabakh region, occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories - the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven adjacent districts as a result of military aggression against Azerbaijan by Armenia.

This wave also contributed to the policy of ethnic cleansing in these territories, and as a result, over one million Azerbaijanis became refugees and IDPs, according to the appeal.

From the first days of the conflict that is lasting for 30 years, Armenia, while still in the Soviet Union, started to openly put forward territorial claims to the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region of Azerbaijan and to actively support separatism accompanied by violence and terror against the local Azerbaijani population, reads the appeal. At the same time, the Armenian side made a number of illegal decisions with the aim of unilaterally separating the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region from Azerbaijan and joining it to Armenia.

However, during the Soviet period, on Jan. 10, 1990, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a resolution On incompatibility of acts on Nagorno-Karabakh adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR on Dec.1, 1989 and Jan. 9, 1990 with the USSR Constitution, declaring the annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenia without Azerbaijans permission as illegal, the appeal reads.

All these facts demonstrate that back at that time, it was confirmed at the highest constitutional level that the unilateral secession of Nagorno-Karabakh without Azerbaijans permission contradicts the law of the USSR, says the appeal.

Therefore, after Azerbaijan gained independence, Nagorno-Karabakh, according to the laws of that period, was recognized as an integral part of Azerbaijan, the Union said.

Despite all this, Armenia, by grossly violating the UN Charter, the norms and principles of international law, started an open war against Azerbaijan, occupied the Nagorno-Karabakh region, including seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan, reads the appeal. In the occupied territories, Armenia carried out ethnic cleansing against the Azerbaijani population, including in Nagorno-Karabakh."

"The 80,000 people Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh has been forced to live for about 30 years as IDPs in various Azerbaijani districts. The world community and international organizations recognize Azerbaijans territorial integrity and support fair settlement of the conflict in accordance with international norms."
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

The order by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on providing one-time assistance to low-income families once again demonstrates that the well-being of the country's citizens is at the core of state policy in Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani MP, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Yeni Azerbaycan (New Azerbaijan) Hikmat Babaoglu said, Trend reported.

The MP said that the order by the Azerbaijani president is a clear indicator that the head of state is constantly focused on ensuring well-being and decent life of the Azerbaijani citizens.

"Low-income people who need social care always feel state care in various forms," he noted. "Citizens from this social category always receive state support, ranging from solving household problems to treatment, from providing benefits to one-time assistance. In accordance with the last order, on the occasion of the International Solidarity Day of Azerbaijanis and the New Year, there are plans to allocate a one-time payment of 100 manats to each family receiving targeted state social assistance. The total volume of assistance is 5 million manats, which is not a small amount."

The MP also said that as part of various programs and projects, a great deal of work is being done to ensure the employment of low-income families and to turn them into small entrepreneurs through the allocation of soft loans.

"As part of these programs, in 2018 alone, 7,000 such families were attracted to the self-employment program," Babaoglu said.

He noted that within ongoing large-scale projects, support is provided for solving the problems of low-income families.

"All this once again demonstrates that the well-being of the Azerbaijani citizens is at the core of the state policy in Azerbaijan," he added.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

Trend:

Chinese President Xi Jinping has congratulated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday.

I extend my sincere congratulations and best wishes to you on the occasion of your birthday, President Xi Jinping said.

China-Azerbaijan relations have maintained dynamic development tendency in recent years, he said. Bilateral ties between the two countries continue developing in all areas, and cooperation as part of the joint construction of the One Belt, One Road is successfully underway.

I attach great importance to bilateral relations between China and Azerbaijan, he said. I am ready to continue making joint efforts together with you in order to achieve new success in China-Azerbaijan relations of friendship and cooperation to the benefit of our two countries and peoples.

I wish you the best of health, President Xi Jinping said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

Trend:

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has congratulated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday.

Accept my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday, President Berdimuhamedov said.

Brotherly Azerbaijan is today confidently moving forward on the path of progress and development in all areas of life under your wise leadership, he said. The country's convincing success in internal and foreign policy are closely associated with you.

It is with great pleasure that I would like to note that relations between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are now taking on a new dimension, he said. Your recent official visit to Turkmenistan became an important point in the strengthening of the ties of friendship between our brotherly peoples and the deepening of cooperation between our countries in various fields.

I am strongly confident that through combined efforts, Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan bilateral relations will continue to develop to the benefit of our peoples, the president said.

Taking this good opportunity, I sincerely wish you the best of health, personal happiness and well-being as well as new success in all your endeavors and efforts for the sake of the brotherly people of the Republic of Azerbaijan, said Berdimuhamedov.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the inauguration of a bitumen unit and liquefied gas filling station built as part of the first phase of the renovation and modernization project at the Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery.

President of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) Rovnag Abdullayev informed the head of state of the work done here.

President Ilham Aliyev was also informed of the renovation and modernization project implemented at the the Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery.

President Ilham Aliyev then launched the new bitumen unit.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Fikret Dolukhanov - Trend:

Development has become the Zeitgeist of Azerbaijan, former President of the Republic of Croatia Stjepan Mesic said in an interview with Trend and Azernews.

Enhancing the countrys prosperity, security, the government has positioned itself regionally and globally as a modern economy, not just the oil-dominated one, he said. I visited fascinating Azerbaijan during my presidency and many times after that, and I have witnessed huge changes bringing economic prosperity to Azerbaijan that has been posted as the Presidents and the governments priority.

Speaking of Azerbaijans economic progress, Mesic underlined that decline in world oil prices in 2016 and 2017 revealed how President Ilham Aliyevs preference of the diversification strategy of Azerbaijans development was important for the countrys stability.

The economic results based on market economy reforms are here and as a young independent country, Azerbaijan works to resolve social and political development challenges, he noted.

Mesic reminded that Azerbaijan had the worlds highest rate of GDP growth (reaching 34.5 percent in 2006) that put the country on progressive road.

Turning to Azerbaijans energy policy, the former Croatian president pointed out that Azerbaijan is a growing energy partner for the EU, and the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) begins to manifest its pivotal role in the future energy map of Europe.

Azerbaijan is a geopolitically important country and its section of SGC raises its strategic importance further, he added. This partnerships significance extends far beyond SGC and its starting point, Shah Deniz 2 gas field in Azerbaijan.

Mesic went on to add that the European Union has taken many actions on the basis of the Ashgabat Declaration (2015) to closely develop cooperation with Azerbaijan as one of gas suppliers and transit countries.

He noted that the energy revenues and developing export routes for growing gas production stay central, allowing Azerbaijan to diversify its GDP through investments abroad and at home in mega-projects and other non-energy sectors, like agriculture, logistics, information technology and tourism.

The Azerbaijani government has given high prominence to combating corruption, Mesic said, adding that all these achievements have won approval of OSCE and the European Union, he said.

Touching upon Azerbaijans achievement and especially its improved position in World Economic Forum (WEF) ranking, the former Croatian president said that this should be seen as a result of Azerbaijani government's policies focused on continuously opening the country to foreign investments thorough building a favorable macroeconomic environment.

This transformation through improving the countrys infrastructure, education and business environment have been profound and in deep national interest of Azerbaijan, he noted. This period of transformation is not over and the country needs more support and understanding of international institutions in its process of integration into global economy, which is in deep change and radically diverged from the idea of economic globalization a decade ago.

Mesic expressed hope that the EU-Azerbaijan Partnership Priorities, diplomacy will in a longer view considerably and comprehensively improve the sides' relations.

The Azerbaijani model of multiculturalism and a positive policy of state-religion relations contribute to improvement of cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan, he noted.

I have attended several international, economic and intercultural forums held in Baku, and discussions were more and more on multilateralism, opening Azerbaijan to new forms of interconnectedness, as well as economic liberalization and intercultural communication, he said.

The former Croatian president noted that by upgrading this high level of religious tolerance and harmony, the Azerbaijani government has successfully provided the answers that cannot be found for modern challenges.

The concept of remarkable religious tolerance that featured Azerbaijani everyday life sends an essentially needed message to the world that in a Muslim majority country with a long history of secularism, Christianity, Judaism, Russian Orthodox Christianity and Albanian-Udi Christianity could be integrated within the society, he stressed.

In this time of rising religious intolerance and fracturing of multilateral order, Azerbaijan stands as a desirable model of interreligious dialogue that is worth to be followed, Mesic said. This remains foundational for every society that focuses on successful handling of issues emerging from cultural and religious differences.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:

The European Union recognizes Azerbaijan as its main trading partner, head of the EU delegation in Azerbaijan Kestutis Jankauskas said Dec. 21 at a meeting with President of Azerbaijans National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), Academician Akif Alizade, Trend reports.

Jankauskas noted that the EU's cooperation isnt limited to economic areas, but also covers humanitarian, educational, cultural and other important spheres. He also said that in the development of the abovementioned spheres, special importance is attached to application of the experience of European countries and the latest technologies.

The diplomat spoke about the projects that are carried out jointly with the universities of Azerbaijan. He said that as part of these projects, training on higher education is held and students of higher educational institutions are sent to receive education to leading universities in Europe.

He expressed the interest of the EU in supporting startups and large innovative projects aimed at improving the innovation environment in Azerbaijan. Jankauskas added that he wants to get better acquainted with the activities of the High-Tech Park of ANAS.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

Over the past ten years, 17 bus stations have been reconstructed and commissioned in Azerbaijan, spokeswomen of the State Road Transport Service under the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan, Nurida Allahyarova, told Trend.

Presently, work continues on the construction and reconstruction of new bus stations in Naftalan and Neftchala towns, as well as the Ganja international and Janub bus stations, Allahyarova said.

She noted that in total, there are 60 bus stations in the country.

Allahyarova added that for a safer and more convenient movement of buses, cars, taxis, as well as passengers and tourists, the project to create the largest transport hub in the Caucasus is being implemented on the territory of the Baku International Bus Terminal. In addition, as it comes to the inter-city traffic, the focus is on the creation of a dispatch center, as well as the improvement of the e-ticket system.
Tehran, Iran, Dec.21

Trend:

Three MOU and two investment contracts were recently signed at Iran's Chabahar Shahid Beheshti port, Trend reports via ILNA.

The Director General of Ports and Maritime Affairs of Sistan and Baluchestan province in Iran announced that with the signing of these memoranda of understanding and investment contracts, about $95 million will be invested in the Shahid Beheshti port.

These investment projects are aimed at exploiting the transit status of the region, increasing regional exchanges and realizing the development goals of the eastern axis and the coast of Makran in the field of grain silos construction, exploitation of storage tanks of various types of edible oils and oil products, the Director General of Ports and Maritime Affairs of Sistan and Baluchestan province Behrouz Aghaie said.

He went on to say that completion of these projects will provide direct jobs for 240 people.

Referring to the trilateral agreements of Iran, India and Afghanistan, on Chabahar port's development plans he said that these investments were significant to the Chabahar port, and could play an important role in completing road infrastructure in the port in the future.

He stated that connecting the Chabahar port to the ring road is one of the priorities of the Ports and Maritime Organization, and the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development must put the Chabahar-Zahedan Freeway on the agenda.

India signed a trilateral connectivity deal in May 2016 with Iran and Afghanistan that allows it to bypass Pakistan and reach Europe and Central Asia. The hub of this connectivity agreement is the Chabahar Port, whose management was given to India for 18 months.

Last month, the Trump administration exempted India from imposition of certain sanctions for the development of the strategically located Chabahar Port in Iran, along with the construction of the railway line connecting it with Afghanistan.

The US sanctions on Iran cover the Islamic Republic's banking and energy sectors and reinstate penalties for countries and companies in Europe, Asia and in other places, where Iranian oil imports haven't been halted.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Huseyn Hasanov, Rashid Shirinov  Trend:

Turkmenistan supports the initiative of the International Road Transport Union to create the Modal Highway for Central Asia with access to Turkey, and is ready to provide the most effective support for the implementation of this project, Trend reports with reference to the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper.

Ashgabat also calls for activating, within the framework of the UN Economic Commission for Europe and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the discussion of various aspects of creating the Afghanistan-Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey transport corridor.

At the same time, Turkmenistan is ready to act as an active partner and participant of the TRACECA program, since the formation of the western transport corridor from Central Asia plays a huge role in the context of the implementation of the goals to revive the Great Silk Road and connect the two economic poles of Eurasia on qualitatively new criteria. Turkmenistan has repeatedly become the host of major forums on the above topics.

These include the International High-Level Conference and the 1st Global Sustainable Transport Conference organized under the auspices of the UN, which were held in Ashgabat in September 2014 and November 2016.

Moreover, the 9th annual meeting of the CAREC Federation of Carrier and Forwarder Associations was held in Ashgabat in September. Issues of cooperation in logistics, optimization of customs procedures and tariffs were put on the agenda of the meeting.
Tehran, Iran, Dec. 21

Trend:

Iran's Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Khatibi announced that Iran has a MoU with India's state-owned IRCON, that is associated with LPG company in India, which is active in the development of infrastructure and operations of the Shahid Beheshti port of Chabahar city in Iran.

"Since the start of the Chabahar-Zahedan Railway project, Iran has been looking to attract funds from various sources in addition to the state budget. The progress of the project was due to having financial resources, otherwise it would be impossible to do this volume of work,"Khatibi told Trend.

"We knew that the budget resources for the implementation of this plan were not enough, and other methods should be used to access more resources. So, last year we had talks with India's state-owned IRCON company that led to the signing of a MoU in late February last year, regarding the company's investment in the construction of a part of the Chabahar-Zahedan railway," he said.

"The duration of that memorandum expired, but at the end of August we renewed the contract," he said.

"The entire railway of Chabahar-Zahedan will be built with $1.5 billion."

Speaking of the amount of money from Iran's budget for the construction of Chabahar-Zahedan Railway, Khatibi said that the budget for the completion of this railway has not yet been finalized.

"The amount of money that we have proposed is about $36 million. Aside from this, we use other sources and do not just rely on public budget," he explained.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Gold prices are expected to rise to $1,300 per ounce by end-2019, Trend reports citing Capital Economics, the UK-based consulting company.

"Gold set to benefit from economic uncertainty and an early end to Fed tightening. Our view that there will be only two more rate hikes in the first half of 2019 and that the Fed will start to loosen policy in 2020 is good news for the price of gold," said a report released by Capital Economics.

Whats more, lower equity prices and US bond yields should give a fillip to safe-haven demand, according to the company. "As such, we expect that the price of gold will rise to $1,300 per ounce by end-2019."

The company believes that in general, slower global economic growth will prove too much of a headwind for most commodity prices in 2019.

"Whats more, investor sentiment towards risky assets more generally is likely to deteriorate. These negative developments will more than offset any positive impact on prices of a somewhat softer US dollar.This time last year, we predicted that 2018 would be another good year for the world economy, although we did caution that Chinas economy would enter a weaker patch. Indeed, this was the main reason we were bearish on the prospects for industrial metals prices this year," reads the report.

Looking ahead, the UK-based company predicts that the macroeconomic backdrop is set to deteriorate.

"There are now clear signs that growth in Chinas economy is slackening. Admittedly, the authorities are loosening policy but we think this will only be sufficient to stabilize the economy in mid-2019. At the same time, we see growth in the US economy slowing sharply in the second half of 2019 and have downgraded the outlook for the euro-zone in recent months," said the report.

The double whammy of slower growth in both the US and China, the two largest single consumers of metals, suggests little upside for metal prices in 2019, said Capital Economics. "Of course, some of the negative news has already been priced in, given the 17% fall in the S&P GSCI Industrial Metals index this year."

But the company experts think that falling equity prices and persistent trade tensions next year will add to negative sentiment in the metals markets.

"Although we are bearish on the metals sector, we are less negative on the prospects for copper prices, which we expect to hold up rather better, largely owing to constrained supply. Our forecast is that the price of copper will stand at $6,250 per ton, close to todays level of $6,123," the report reads.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Rashid Shirinov  Trend:

Global ammonia capacity is expected to experience considerable growth between 2017 and 2026, increasing from 230 million tons per annum (mtpa) in 2017 to more than 280 mtpa by 2026, Trend reports citing GlobalData.

The leading data and analytics company noted in its recent report that around 100 planned and announced plants are scheduled to come online, predominantly in Asia and the Middle East, over the next nine years.

"Within Asia, India plans to add a total capacity of approximately 8.6 mtpa by 2026 with the help of 18 planned and announced ammonia plants," reads the report.

GlobalData identifies the Middle East as the second highest in terms of ammonia capacity additions. Within the region, Iran has 21 planned and announced ammonia plants, with a total capacity of 8.4 mtpa by 2026.

In Africa, Nigeria plans to spend $7.21 billion and add capacity of roughly 6.6 mtpa, expected to come on stream by 2026.

"The US has nine planned and announced ammonia plants, with a capacity of around 3.1 mtpa over the next nine years, and plans to spend $3.23 billion," says the report.

In the Former Soviet Union, most ammonia capacity additions are in Russia, with a capacity of approximately 2.9 mtpa by 2026. Capex for these plants totals $1.95 billion by 2026.

In South America, the major ammonia capacity additions are in Peru, with planned and announced capacity additions of around 0.9 mtpa by 2026. Capex for these plants totals $0.76 billion.

"In Europe, Hungary plans to spend $24 million and add capacity of 0.1 mtpa, expected to come on stream by 2026," reads the report.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @ShirinovRashid
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkey will export domestically produced electroshock weapons to Malaysia, Trend reports via Turkish media.

An agreement on the export of electroshock weapons was signed between the Turkish holding Albayraklar and the Malaysian company Dian Synergy, the reports said.

The total value of the export is $5 million.

The Turkish electroshock weapons will be presented at an exhibition in Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 24, 2018.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has earlier said that Turkey will strengthen the defense industry and will become a world leader in the manufacture of defense products.

Erdogan noted that no obstacles can stop the development of Turkey's defense industry.

"I personally instruct all law enforcement bodies not to import defense products from abroad. Turkey is capable of providing itself with relevant products," Erdogan said.

Erdogan noted that mass production of Turkish "ALTAY" tanks will soon begin.

"Turkey is forced to strengthen its defense industry," he added.

In January-November 2018, exports of the Turkish defense industry grew by 16.05 percent compared to the same period in 2017, reaching $1.782 billion.

In the first 11 months of 2018, products of the Turkish defense industry worth $150.5 million were exported to Oman.

During the reported period, products of the Turkish defense industry worth $72.3 million were exported to the Netherlands and $71.6 million to India.

In the recent years, Turkey has invested about $35 billion in the defense industry.

From 2011, Turkey produces mobile outposts that have proved useful in fight against the militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and also the Canik TP9 handguns, unmanned ANKA aircraft and other military equipment to strengthen the domestic defense industry.

Turkey is also developing a domestic military laser system.

Earlier, the trials of the domestically-made long-range surface-to-surface missiles have been conducted in Turkey. The new rocket, named KAAN, was launched from a firing ground in the province of Sinop in the north of Turkey.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

Uzbekistans Craft Brewing Company imports ingredients (malt, hops, yeast) from Belgium and Germany, the Uzbek company told Trend on Dec. 21.

The main supplier of ingredients for the company is the famous Belgian malt house Castle Malting.

We chose the companies whose plants have been operating for dozens of years, who have improved their technologies over the years, thereby increasing the quality and efficiency of their products. The Belgian malt house Castle Malting, for example, has been operating since 1868 and is one of the oldest family malt houses in the world, the Uzbek company noted.

Craft Brewing Company emphasized that high-quality ingredients that comply with all basic regulations are a key element for improving beer culture by creating new styles and flavors.

We have big plans for 2019; we hope to develop a culture of drinking quality beer in the country and we plan to experiment with tastes, flavors, create new beers, improve the quality of our products and, of course, expand the market. Our brewery now produces nine varieties of draft beer (honey, cascade, porter, etc.) and six bottled beers (cherry stout, rice beer, milk stout, etc.). We already have a fairly big number of customers who, at the very beginning, having tried all our beers, stopped only on one particular, special for them, the company added.

The company representative emphasized that many consumers are falling victims to marketing tricks and believe that craft beer is a premium class beer, which is sold only at inflated prices that are affordable only for consumers with above-average incomes.

Far from it, craft beer is a product of a private brewery, for which, compared to a mass producer, the main priority is the quality, because it is in craft beer that brewers put their love. Our brewery proves that beer brewed from high-quality ingredients can be sold at affordable prices, the Craft Brewing Company said.

It should be noted that since the second half of the 1970s, the interest of beer drinkers in homebrewing began to grow in the West. This trend has led to the so-called craft revolution  the emergence of many small breweries opened by the real lovers of beer. Today, craft brewing has become widespread in many countries around the world, but its degree of penetration varies. In Germany and Russia, in 2010-2011, the share of small enterprises in sales was only 1 percent, while in the USA such enterprises took about 15 percent of the beer market.

In January-November 2018, as a result of measures taken to expand the range and stimulate the production of finished goods, the production of consumer goods in Uzbekistan increased by 11.9 percent and amounted to 75.7 trillion soums. Among food products, the share of wine, vodka and beer amounted to 7.5 percent.

(8325.59 UZS = 1 USD on Dec. 21)

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Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

In 2018, Uzbekistan exported 47 percent of the total manufactured textile products abroad, Oztoqimachiliksanoat, the Uzbek Textile Industry Association, told Trend on Dec. 21.

According to the information, as of December 2018, the volume of textile production in Uzbekistan grew by 10.1 percent compared to the previous year and amounted to 20.89 trillion soums ($2.51 billion).

At the same time, exports of textile products grew by 15.3 percent and amounted to $1.18 billion. In the outgoing year, the export geography changed significantly. Of the total exports, $647.8 million accounted for the CIS countries with an increase of 7.5 percent, while exports to foreign countries increased by 33.4 percent and amounted to $560.6 million.

Cotton yarn still holds the leading position in the export structure with a share of 56.7 percent or $667.9 million, whereas exports of finished knitwear and garments amounted to $263.4 million (22.4 percent of the total volume).

Since the beginning of the year, Uzbekistan has exported over 340 types of goods to 46 countries of the world.

While in the first years of independence, exports of light industry products in Uzbekistan had been mostly oriented towards raw materials, now the country is exporting finished textile products.

Oztoqimachiliksanoat noted that the changes were triggered by the large-scale program for reforming the textile industry and refusing raw materials exports.

Over the past year, dozens of textile enterprises have been created in the country with the participation of foreign investment and technological solutions. In particular, since the beginning of the year, high-tech textile fiber processing machines worth $501.6 million were imported to Uzbekistan.

In January-November 2018, Uzbekistan's foreign trade turnover amounted to $28.66 billion, which is 17.6 percent more compared to the same period last year.

Exports accounted for $11.32 billion (a 3.2-percent decrease), imports  for $17.34 billion (a 36.8-percent increase). The negative balance of foreign trade reached $6.02 billion.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Sara Israfilbayova - Trend:

Germany is considerably interested in the further development of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) project, Executive Director of the German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (AHK Azerbaijan) Tobias Baumann told Trend.

Baumann said that a number of global and well-known German companies are already actively involved in the construction of the 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," he underlined.

Further, Baumann said that a more promising economic outlook and the governments 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.

"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," Baumann stressed.

He further noted that oil and gas sector tops the priority areas of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Germany, adding that 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, digitalization has recently become a crucial topic of the oil and gas sector. In this view, the upstream industry also opens up great opportunities for German companies offering information technologies and digital services," Baumann noted.

He went on to say that within the diversification policy of the government, the current focus of the development strategy is maximizing integration of Azerbaijans upstream-midstream-downstream oil and gas value chain, adding that hereby, petrochemical industry is the field with great prospects for cooperation with German companies.

Baumann pointed out that development of the long-term energy strategy remains one of the key priorities in Azerbaijan, further saying that 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 framework.

"With that, there will be new chances for German companies to further position themselves in the market as providers of technology, equipment and expertise," he said.

Southern Gas Corridor envisages transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.

On May 29, Baku hosted the launch ceremony of the first phase of the Southern Gas Corridor.

The gas from the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field has already gone through the first segment of the Southern Gas Corridor - from the Sangachal terminal to the expanded South Caucasus Pipeline.

The Southern Gas Corridor project aims to increase and diversify European energy supply by bringing gas resources from the Caspian Sea to markets in Europe. The Southern Gas Corridor comprises the following four projects: (1) operation of Shah Deniz natural gas-condensate field (SD1 project) and its full-field development (SD2 project), (2) the operation of the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP project) and its expansion (SCPX project), (3) the construction of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP project) and (4) the construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP project).

The projects have an estimated investment cost of approximately $40 billion.

Upon completion, the SD2 project will add a further 16 bcm of natural gas per annum to 10.9 bcma (maximum production capacity) already produced under SD1 project.

Total length of the newly constructed SCPX, TANAP and TAP pipelines will be around 3,206 kilometers.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Taleh Mursagulov - Trend:

Azerbaijan will reduce oil production from January 2019 by 20,000 barrels as part of the OPEC+ agreement, the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry told Trend Dec. 21.

Azerbaijan will reduce oil production by 20,000 barrels from the production level in September 2018, the ministry said.

In September 2018, daily oil production in Azerbaijan amounted to 796,000 barrels and Azerbaijan made a commitment to reduce this figure to 776,000 barrels per day starting from 2019, according to the ministry.

The 5th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting was held in Vienna, Austria, on December 7, 2018.

The meeting participants decided to adjust the overall production by 1.2 million barrels per day, effective as of January 2019 for an initial period of six months. The contributions from OPEC and the voluntary contributions from non-OPEC participating countries of the Declaration of Cooperation will correspond to 0.8 million barrels per day (2.5 percent), and 0.4 million barrels per day (2 percent), respectively.

In January-November 2018, Azerbaijan produced 35.47 million tons of oil and gas condensate, which is 0.1 percent more than in the same period of 2017, according to the Azerbaijani State Statistics Committee.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @TalehMursagulov
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Sara Israfilbayova  Trend:

Russias Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation is ready to offer its solutions to meet Azerbaijans needs in clean and safe energy, the company told Trend Dec. 21.

If the Azerbaijani authorities make a decision on the development of nuclear energy in the country, Rosatom will be ready to offer advanced and proven solutions to meet the needs of Azerbaijan in clean and safe energy, the corporation said.

Nuclear power is a reliable and uninterrupted source of clean energy, according to Rosatom.

The corporation stressed that Rosatom has tremendous experience in the construction of nuclear power plants and is a reliable supplier of technology and equipment for foreign partners.

Azerbaijan cooperates with Rosatom in development of human resources.

Adil Garibov, chairman of Azerbaijans National Nuclear Research Center CJSC, recently told Trend that six employees of the Center are being trained at the Engineering Physics Institute with support from Rosatom.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Rashid Shirinov  Trend:

The World Bank will finance an urban project for the first time in Uzbekistan, Trend reports citing the message of the World Banks office in the country.

Residents of three cities in Uzbekistan will benefit from improved municipal services and urban infrastructure, thanks to the Medium-Size Cities Integrated Urban Development Project, approved on December 18 by the World Banks Board of Executive Directors.

The project will be supported by a $100 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which is a member institution of the World Bank Group.

"The project will help improve peoples living conditions in targeted medium-size cities in Bukhara, Namangan and Tashkent regions, and support the Governments goal of regional development," said Hideki Mori, World Bank Country Manager for Uzbekistan.

In Uzbekistan, medium-size cities, with populations of between 50,000 and 100,000 people, are the economic and services backbone of larger urban centers. Over 40 percent of the countrys urban population - 1.5 million people - are estimated to live in cities and towns with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants.

The message reads that the World Bank-supported project aims to improve infrastructure, public spaces, and municipal services in medium-size cities, starting with Kagan in Bukhara Region, Chartak in Namangan Region, and Yangiyul in Tashkent Region, which have a combined population of 165,000.

The project will also strengthen the institutional capacity of central and local governments to manage assets, infrastructure, service delivery, urban mobility, sustainable tourism, and partnership with the private sector.

Moreover, lessons learned during implementation of the project in these pilot cities will later help to develop the National Medium-Size Cities Program.

It should be noted that the World Bank is financing 19 projects (totaling around $3.4 billion) in Uzbekistan to support the countrys economic and social development. These projects cover macroeconomic reforms, agriculture, water and sanitation, health, education, energy, transport, and regional development.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Huseyn Veliyev - Trend:

Azerbaijani mobile operator Bakcell will expand the coverage of Wi-Fi in parks and other public places of Baku, the company told Trend.

"Bakcell has deployed Wi-Fi in restaurants, hotels and other crowded places. We started with open areas, parks and walking areas."

"Then, the state operator Baktelecom joined this initiative. The availability of public Wi-Fi contributes to the increase of the number of users and is also attractive for tourists visiting the country," the company said.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Huseyn Hasanov, Rashid Shirinov  Trend:

At a government working meeting, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan Dadebay Amangeldiyev presented the general scheme of location and technical characteristics of the Ashgabat-Turkmenabat high-speed highway, Trend reports citing the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper.

He also spoke about the plan of placing payment terminals along this route, as well as resting places with motels, parking lots and other engineering and communication facilities. In accordance with the project, maintenance and road service points are also envisaged along the route with a length of 600 kilometers and a width of 34 meters.

Earlier it was reported that Turkmenautoban OJSC will build the highway. A soft state loan in the amount of up to $2.4 billion was allocated for the implementation of this project.

The commissioning of the Ashgabat-Turkmenabat highway will allow improving the quality of logistics services, expanding the international transit and transport infrastructure, and increasing trade with neighboring countries.

The high-speed highway will provide transit cargo flows with a quick access to Uzbekistan and to an extensive system of continental routes. Connection with the Ashgabat-Turkmenbashi highway will provide an opportunity to quickly and conveniently access the Turkmenbashi International Seaport.

It should be noted that there are a number of highways of international importance in Turkmenistan: TurkmenbashiAshgabatMaryTurkmenabatFarabstate border of Uzbekistan, AshgabatDashoguz, AshgabatGaudan, TurkmenbashiBekdash and SerdarGudriolum. On these routes, there is a constant increase in exports of hydrocarbons and finished products from Turkmenistan to Europe and Asia.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 21

By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:

Russia is ready to contribute to the peace process in Afghanistan by taking part in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, Trend reports with reference to the website of Russian President Vladimir Putin, where his speech from the annual press conference was published.

We presume that the Afghan people will still be able to agree among themselves, all political forces, ethnic groups will be able to come to a consensus, he said. As far as we can, we will contribute to this process, including by developing economic cooperation with Afghanistan, by taking part in various international projects, such as, for example, the TAPI, said the president's message.

He said that negotiations are underway with the Taliban movement in Afghanistan.

Maybe this is inevitable, he noted. It is only necessary to understand the subject of these negotiations, and what they will lead to. If there is a real force that controls a significant part of the territories, this force must be taken into account, but then it must be done openly, publicly.

The construction of the pipeline began in December 2015. The possible costs of the TAPI project vary within $7-10 billion.

The consortium, with the participation of the Asian development Bank (ADB), continues active negotiations with all interested parties. Various options of participation in the project, such as participation in the company's share, project financing, financing through international development banks and with the help of export credit agencies from around the world are being examined.

As the leader of TAPI Pipeline company Limited, Turkmengas State Concern, which has a controlling stake, acts as the main financier and project manager. The consortium also includes the Afghanistan Gas Corporation, Inter State Gas Systems (Private) Limited and Indian GAIL.

The total length of the pipeline, with a capacity of 33 billion cubic meters of gas per year will be 1,840 kilometers. The fuel will be supplied from the Galkynysh gas field in Turkmenistan, the second largest in the world.

The length of the Turkmen section will be 205 kilometers.

Then, this energy bridge will pass through the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar (816 kilometers), through the cities of Quetta and Multan across Pakistani territory (819 kilometers), and reach the settlement of Fazilka in India.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 21

By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:

Russia is a strategic partner of Turkmenistan, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said at a government meeting, Trend reports referring to the Turkmen TV channel Altyn Asyr.

The peculiarity of bilateral relations includes long-term close cooperation in the international political arena, mutual support of the initiatives being put forward, the Turkmen president said.

"The Turkmen-Russian economic partnership is characterized by a focus on expanding areas of joint work, establishing direct trade and economic ties with the regions of Russia," he noted.

About 190 companies with Russian capital operate in Turkmenistan.

The ARETI International Croup holding (formerly ITERA) has been operating since 2009 in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea on the basis of the production sharing agreement.
Tehran, Iran, Dec. 21

Trend:

The operation to rescue the Nargol ship has ended and the ship was transferred to a port, Trend reports as IRNA cited Deputy Director for Maritime Affairs at Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran Hadi Haghshenas.

"The cargo vessel was moving from Astara to Baku, where it had technical problems on its departure from the port. Water leaked in the rear end of the ship," he said.

"Rescue teams in Bandar Anzali were sent to the area with pumps to drain the water and a towing vessel to transfer the ship to the port."

"Fortunately, the accident did not affect any crew members," he said.

The Nargol cargo vessel was carrying 2,000 tons of ceramics from Astara to Baku.

Nargol is a general cargo ship, built in 1987, currently flying the flag of Iran.
Tehran considers Moscow to be a reliable partner on the international stage and is particularly grateful for its position on the nuclear deal, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said at a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Ryabkov on Friday, Trend reports referring to TASS.

"I totally agree that Iran and Russia and reliable partners. Our cooperation concerning the regional and international agenda has been very honest, we have similar positions on many regional and global issues," Araghchi said.

He pointed out that the global situation was negatively affected by the policies of the United States and some of its close allies in the Middle East. "We are very pleased to see Moscow maintain a logical, just and balanced position," he said. "I would like to thank Russia for its position on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," Araghchi added.

The Iranian deputy foreign minister noted that the current crisis surrounding the nuclear deal had stemmed from Washingtons actions. At the same time, he was hopeful that other participants in the deal would continue to implement it. "We hope that the JCPOAs European participants will remain committed to their obligations," he said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Azer Ahmadbayli  Trend:

Israel and Palestine have not had any official peace talks since April 2014.

For more than four years the situation on the ground can be described as a creeping degradation accompanied by outbreaks of violence, interchanging with periods of relative calmness.

Eventually, at the end of last year, with the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, President Trump decided to jerk the peace process forward.

Infuriating Palestinians and many Muslim countries, as well as causing mixed reactions from his European allies, Mr. Trump looked like Giordano Bruno, who was convicted of heresy and burned at the stake for his cosmological theories. Admittedly, later turned out that he was right.

In this case, we also need to wait and find out, from a historical perspective, whether the US president was right with his decision, although many, including the UN and the EU, are already confident that the decision was wrong.

However, the snowball effect, as it occurred in the case of the recognition of Kosovo, didnt take place.

What else has Washington done lately regarding the issue? It closed the mission of the Palestinian authority in the United States, stopped financial assistance to the UNRWA, put out a draft resolution condemning the Hamas militants to a vote in the UN.

Meanwhile, Moscow has a different approach to the issue.

Russian Foreign Ministry stated in April 2017: We reaffirm our commitment to the UN-approved principles for a Palestinian-Israeli settlement, which include the status of East Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state. At the same time, we must state that in this context we view West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

A balanced position based on the UN resolutions is a win - both for Moscow's reputation and for international public opinion.

Russia does not make statements condemning Hamas, but invites the head of the organization to visit Moscow. What Moscow will talk to him about is unknown, but I bet that after his return to Gaza, the current escalation between Israel and Hamas will recede.

Moscow has also shown a principled stand with regard to Israels Northern Shield operation by warning Lebanon against violations of Israeli territory by the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.

A report by Al-Sharq Al-Awsat says that Moscow has sent a message to the Lebanese Government with demand to ensure that tunnels dug by Hezbollah and penetrating the Israeli territory, are demolished.

Reportedly, the message also suggested that Russia backed Israels demand that the Lebanese Government will be held responsible for Hezbollah activity within the country.

One more sign saying that Israel ought to pay closer attention to Russias regional policy is that thanks to Moscow's efforts, Tehran-controlled military troops were withdrawn to a distance of 100 kilometers from the separation line in southern Syria, which was officially stated by the assistant to the Secretary of Russias Security Council Alexander Venediktov.

In addition, despite the incident with the downed Russian military aircraft, the two countries continue military coordination in Syria.

Moscow's efforts to extinguish existing and potential conflicts and to pacify the region, attract attention.

In fact, Russia, instead of, or alongside with, the United States, could well become the new architect of the Middle East. It has good starting opportunities in this matter, as being the only one among all major powers who maintains good relations with virtually all regional players.

By the way, points of contact between the positions of Russia and the United States with respect to Israeli-Palestinian conflict do exist: remember the words of President Trump during his recognition speech, which remained somewhat unnoticed: We are not taking a position on any final status issues, including the specific boundaries of the Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem or the resolution of contested borders. Those questions are up to the parties involved.Without question, Jerusalem is one of the most sensitive issues in those talks. The United States would support a two-state solution if agreed to by both sides.
Despite assurances from US President Donald Trump that ISIL in Syria is no more, the US-led battle to oust the armed group from its last stronghold the county's east has intensified in recent weeks, sources said in joint investigation by Al Jazeera and The Intercept, Trend reports referring to Aljazeera.

Amid heavy fighting between the Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and hardened ISIL fighters, scores of civilians and prisoners have been killed in US air raids in the eastern province of Deir Az Zor, according to sources on the ground.

As part of that campaign, US warplanes bombed a hospital in the village of Al Sha'fah late last month, killing patients and medical personnel working there, including their families, sources told Al Jazeera and The Intercept. An ISIL fighter said "the hospital was reduced to only stones and a huge crater in the middle".

Two senior US diplomats with knowledge of the fight against ISIL, who spoke to Al Jazeera and The Intercept on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the air raid on the hospital. One of them maintained that it was justified and legal, saying ISIL fighters were firing at coalition forces from the hospital, making it a legitimate target.

On Wednesday, Trump announced a withdrawal of US troops from Syria, tweeting: "We have defeated ISIL in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency."

The reality, however, is far more complex. It's true that the group, which once controlled a wide swath of land stretching from Syria to Iraq, has been significantly weakened. But even after the Trump's announcement, the Department of Defense said the campaign against ISIL is not over. In the territories that remain under the group's control, it is waging fierce battles against US-backed forces while facing sorties from US warplanes in the sky.

What's more, ISIL fighters in Syria are confident they are still being led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-declared caliph and ISIL leader whose death has been reported by Iraqi, Russian, and Iranian media.

Multiple sources have said the recent air raids in eastern Syria have killed the families of ISIL members, as well as Kurdish prisoners being held by the group.
Afghan peace talks held in the United Arab Emirates will yield "very positive results by the beginning of next year", the Saudi ambassador to Washington said on Thursday, adding to hopes of progress to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan, Trend reports referring to Al Arabiya.

Khalid bin Salman added on his Twitter account that the talks were productive and would "help promote intra-Afghan dialogue towards ending the conflict".

The US special envoy for Afghan peace talks, Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul on Wednesday to meet government leaders following his discussions with Taliban representatives in Abu Dhabi earlier this week.

Officials from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates took part in the Abu Dhabi meeting, at least the third encounter between Khalilzad and Taliban envoys since he was named to oversee the peace effort from Washington's side in September.

In an interview with Afghanistan's Ariana Television, Khalilzad repeated that, ideally, an agreement would be reached before presidential elections, currently scheduled for April 20.

"I think it would be great if we could reach a peace deal before the elections," he said, according to a transcript provided by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

"But it doesn't only depend on Afghanistans government. It depends on the Taliban too,"

The United States insists that any peace settlement must be agreed between Afghans but the Taliban have so far publicly refused to talk directly to the Afghan government, which they say is an illegitimate, foreign-imposed regime.

In a separate interview with Tolo News, Khalilzad said Trump was "in a hurry", having promised the American people that he wanted to end the war in Afghanistan.

"But it should not be misinterpreted - we want peace here with respect to set objectives - that Afghanistan will not be a threat for the U.S. - and that we have a positive relationship with Afghanistan," he said.

"... but if the Taliban are not prepared for that and war continues, then we will stand by the Afghan government and people," he said.

Washington hopes Saudia Arabia and the UAE can push Pakistan to use its leverage on the Taliban to drop their refusal to talk directly with the Afghan government.

Khalilzad said that during the Abu Dhabi meeting, the two countries had proposed a three-month ceasefire between the Taliban and the Afghan government but that the Taliban had asked for more time to consult with their leadership

"We told them, if they want peace or if they are serious about peace, they should sit with the Afghans and respond as soon as possible to the Emirati and Saudi suggestion."
The United Nations Security Council on Friday unanimously approved the deployment of a U.N. advance team to monitor a ceasefire in Yemens Hodeidah region after days of wrangling that pitted the United States against ally Britain, Reuters reports.

After a week of U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Sweden, the Iranian-aligned Houthi group and Saudi-backed Yemen government foes agreed last week to stop fighting in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah and withdraw forces. The truce began on Tuesday.

The 15-member Security Council authorized U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to deploy - for an initial 30 days - an advance team to begin monitoring and to support and facilitate the deal between the warring parties.

It also asked Guterres to submit proposals by the end of the month on substantive monitoring operations for the ceasefire and mutual redeployment of forces; support for the management of and inspections at the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa; and strengthening of the U.N. presence in the Hodeidah region.

Guterres is also required to report weekly to the Security Council on implementation of the resolution, which endorses the ceasefire deal agreed in Sweden.

The Security Council has been wrangling over the British-drafted text since Monday and in an unusual move the United States, unhappy with Britains efforts, came up with its own version on Thursday. Traditionally countries propose amendments to a draft rather than coming up with their own text.

The U.S. text, which was seen by Reuters, mirrored the British language focused on the ceasefire deal and authorizing U.N. support. However, Washington had stripped out language on the humanitarian crisis.

The resolution adopted on Friday retained some of the British language on the aid crisis. The conflict has pushed impoverished Yemen to the verge of famine with millions relying on food aid. More than 80 percent of Yemens imports used to come through Hodeidah port, but that has slowed to a trickle.

The resolution calls on the Government of Yemen and the Houthis to remove bureaucratic impediments to flows of commercial and humanitarian supplies, including fuel, and on the parties to ensure effective and sustained functioning of all of Yemens ports.

The United States had also wanted to condemn Iran for breaching an arms embargo on Yemen, but Russia objected, diplomats said. Iran has repeatedly denied accusations that it has supplied weapons to Yemens Houthis.

In order to reach a consensus Britain had to cut language on the need for transparent, credible and timely investigations into alleged violations of international humanitarian law and for those responsible to be held accountable.

A Saudi-led military coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 to back government forces. The United Nations and Western countries have criticized the coalition for killing a high number of civilians, including children.

Western countries, including the United States and Britain, have provided arms and intelligence to coalition members.

Several permanent Council members have helped shield the Saudi-led coalition from pressure and still sell them weapons. That should stop immediately, said Louis Charbonneau, U.N. director at Human Rights Watch.
The Chinese authorities highly appreciate Russian President Vladimir Putins latest statements on relations between the two countries as a factor contributing to the improvement of the international situation, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Friday, Trend reports referring to TASS.

"We fully approve and highly appreciate Putins statements and believe that they reflect the high level, at which Russian-Chinese relations are developing," she told reporters at a press briefing.

According to the diplomat, Beijing and Moscow are a stabilizing factor in a constantly changing situation on the global stage. "Both sides oppose protectionism and unilateral measures playing a stabilizing role," the diplomat stressed.

She added that, China and Russia would achieve new positive results based on mutual trust, which would make it possible to ensure universal peace, stability and security.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters at his annual news conference on Thursday that successful cooperation between Russia and China in the international arena had a favorable effect on the situation all over the world. The Russian leader noted that the trade turnover between the two countries could soon amount to about $100 bln, which would be a huge accomplishment. The president also supported the domestic policy pursued by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"We see the changes, which have taken place in China, in a favorable light. I believe stability and predictability, including in domestic policy and the personnel component, are very important for a country like China, which has a population 1.3 billion," Putin stressed.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

Trend:

A meeting with deputy chief of Israels diplomatic mission in Baku Avital Rosenberg was held at Trend News Agency.

Rosenberg reviewed the work of the agency and appreciated the cooperation with Trend during the meeting with the agencys staff.

During the meeting, she briefed about the recent developments in Israel.

Rozemberg noted that during the last weekend, IDF soldiers exposed a Hezbollah attack tunnel that crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon. The attack tunnel was dug in the area of the Shiite village Ramyeh and penetrated several meters into Israeli territory.

This message has been distributed to the relevant heads of local authorities, she said.

The diplomat noted that the efforts to expose and neutralize the attack tunnels will continue as necessary.

During the meeting, the issues of cooperation and media development at the regional and global levels were discussed.

Rosenberg also expressed hope for further intensification of cooperation in the future and wished success in the further activity of the agency.
Israel plans to sign an agreement with Greece and Cyprus next year for the worlds longest natural gas pipeline, known as the East Med, Trend reports referring to The Jerusalem Post.

It would export natural gas from Israel to Europe via Greece and could cost as much as $7 billion.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks on the project with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras during the tripartite meeting that marked the fifth summit between three countries held in Beersheba.

The agreement for the East Med will be formalized next year at the sixth summit. It also needs approval for the European Commission.

Today we reaffirmed our commitment for the East Med pipeline, discussed important aspects of the project, Netanyahu said.

He added that the document could be signed in a number of months at the 6th summit.

We think that this will open up new energy opportunities for Europe. It is important for the security of Europe, it is important for our respective economies and it is important for anchoring additional regional cooperation, Netanyahu said.

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said his country supports the project and that it was important for regional stability.

Netanyahu also spoke about the growing partnership between Israel, Cyprus and Greece as expressed through the trilateral summits that have been held since 2016.

Our personal friendships grow stronger as our agreements grow longer and longer and detailed, Netanyahu said.

These bonds are not merely based on shared interests and geographic proximity. They are based on shared values in a very volatile region, very violent region, he said.

All three democratic countries have a shared history and culture and hold to similar values of pluralism, freedom, and peace, Netanyahu said.

They also face the same regional dangers, he added.

We are all threatened by forces of terror and religious radicalism. Our alliance is an anchor of stability and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean, Netanyahu said.

At the summit, agreements were signed on cyber cooperation, joint activity on the regulation of smart cities and homes, cooperation with Israels space program and technical cooperation in meteorology.
A new childrens book, which inspires kids to pursue the space frontier, is coming to bookstores soon. The books release was set to coincide with the unveiling of the first Israeli spacecraft to be sent to the moon, Trend reports referring to The Jerusalem Post.

The book, The Little Spacecraft, aims to encourage more children to reach new heights and dream of going into space.

StellarNova, a company that produces books, toys and other childrens paraphernalia, has partnered with SpaceIL in the creation of the book.

The announcement comes just a few days after the passing of Rona Ramon, the wife of Israels pioneer astronaut Ilan Ramon, who spearheaded many outreach and scholarship programs to inspire and support youth who wished to pursue a career in space-related fields.

Israels moon-destined spacecraft  named Beresheet (beginning)  is set to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida in the spring of 2019. It will make Israel the fourth country to land a module on the surface of the moon. The only countries who have managed this feat are the US, Russia and China.

The book by Dr. Mom tells the story of a toy spacecraft, Berrie, which is based on the real-life model of Beresheet. While Berrie dreams of flying to the moon, the other spacecraft think she is too small to achieve such big dreams. Berrie explains to her friends the special tools she is composed of that will help her accomplish the mission. By using childrens language that is easy to understand, the book aims to appeal to young ones who have hopes of reaching similar dreams.

Vice president of SpaceIL, Sari Brosh Rechav, said the book is designed to motivate children who dream of space travel to consider studying STEM subjects. With SpaceIL helping Israel to land on the moon, and by describing a parallel journey that any Jewish child could relate to, we hope to nurture the dreams of kids across Israel and around the Diaspora to venture into the STEM subjects and help take more giant leaps for mankind.
The Israeli government is working to defuse any problems that may arise from a planned Chinese takeover of Haifa Port in 2021, an arrangement that has led the US Navy to reconsider its future port calls and exercises in Israel, senior officials told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday, Trend reports referring to The Jerusalem Post.

The officials were responding to an exclusive report in the Post on Sunday, according to which the US Navy may change its long-standing operations in Haifa once Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG)  a company in which the Chinese government has a majority stake  takes over the civilian port there in 2021.

The State of Israel is dealing with all aspects connected to the establishment and management of infrastructure by foreign companies in Israel, Intelligence and Transportation Minister Israel Katz, who pioneered the project and is also a member of the security cabinet, told the Post.

Israeli officials confirmed that the government was reviewing how to ensure that Chinese construction and management of the port does not adversely impact ties with the US. The Americans are said to be concerned that China will use the port to improve its standing in the Middle East and potentially gather intelligence on US interests.

Commander Kyle Raines from the US Sixth Fleet told the Post last week that there were currently no changes to operations in Israel. But I cant speculate on what might or might not occur in 2021, he added, when asked whether Chinas coming presence might affect fleet operations in the Mediterranean city.

News of an interagency review in Israel comes amid a spike in tensions between Washington and Beijing, and growing discomfort within Israel over Chinas creeping control over its critical infrastructure.

The Israeli security cabinet recently convened to discuss friction with the Trump administration over the port and agreed to set up a mechanism to prevent possible problems with the Americans. It remains unclear if that mechanism will be accepted by Washington.

The White House declined requests for comment on this report. But senior administration officials tell the Post that National Security Council personnel have registered their displeasure with their Israeli counterparts over the SIPG agreement, sealed in 2015.

Meanwhile, Israels cabinet is divided on how to proceed, and does not seem prepared to rattle relations with Beijing by scuttling the SIPG deal. One official said that Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry officials remain upset that the agreement was completed without first undergoing a thorough, whole-of-government review.

Israel understands American sensitivities regarding Chinas presence, another official explained on condition of anonymity, but at the same time faces a challenge finding international companies with expertise in building and managing ports.

SIPG operates the largest port in the world in Shanghai and was the sole bidder for the Haifa project. It plans on growing the bay terminal into Israels largest harbor over the life of its 25-year contract with the government.
The Japanese government will not comment on Russian President Vladimir Putins remarks about the peace treaty issue outside the negotiation platform so as not to harm the course of the bilateral dialogue, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday, Trend reports referring to TASS.

"I would like to refrain from commenting on certain specific statements," he said when asked to comment on the Russian presidents statements on bilateral ties made at his annual news conference on Thursday.

"There are fears that explaining our stance and way of thinking anywhere outside the negotiation platform can have an adverse effect on the talks with Russia themselves," he stressed.

On Thursday, Vladimir Putin said that it was essential to take into account security issues in concluding a peace treaty with Japan. He stressed that Russia was concerned about the United States plans to deploy American missile defense systems to Japan. The president also noted that Russia remained curious about the level of Japans independence from Washington in making decisions to host US military infrastructure.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis abruptly said he was quitting on Thursday after falling out with President Donald Trump over his foreign policies, including surprise decisions to yank troops from Syria and start planning a drawdown in Afghanistan, Trend reports with the reference to Reuters.

Mattis announced plans to depart in a candid resignation letter to Trump that laid bare the growing divide between them, and implicitly criticized Trump for failing to value Americas closest allies, who fought alongside the United States in both conflicts.

He released the letter after a face-to-face meeting with Trump in which the two men also aired their differences, a senior White House official said.

Because you have a right to a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position, Mattis said in the letter.

US officials said the resignation had not been forced by Trump.

Trump announced on Wednesday that US troops in Syria would be withdrawn, a decision that upended American policy in the region. On Thursday, an official said the president was planning to withdraw at least 5,000 of the 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan - another blow to Mattis, who advocated for a strong US military presence to bolster diplomatic peace efforts.

Mattis, a retired Marine general whose embrace of NATO and Americas traditional alliances often put him at odds with Trump had advised against the Syria withdrawal. One official said it was a contributing factor to his resignation.

The news is certain to shock US military allies, already bewildered by what they see as Trumps unpredictable, go-it-alone approach to global security, and raises questions about whether Mattis successor will be as steadfast about traditional treaty commitments, including to NATO.

When Mattis interviewed with Trump for the job in 2016, he split with the president-elect on a host of issues, including on NATO and the use of torture. Trump ultimately deferred to Mattis, who opposed the latter, signaling that he could be persuaded by his advisers.

But as time grew, Trump increasingly acted on his own instincts on a host of national security issues, choosing an America First agenda that contradicted Mattis core beliefs.

Mattis letter indicated that he disagreed with Trumps isolationist policies, writing that it was his belief the United States needed to maintain strong alliances and show allies respect.

Trump has withdrawn the United States from several international agreements since taking office in January 2017.

The Mattis resignation letter also said that he believed the United States must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours. He identified Russia and China as countries that want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model.

Mattis resignation was greeted with regret on Capitol Hill, by both Republicans and Democrats.

US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated he was in agreement with Mattis on Americas alliances and on Russia, whom he described as a foe.

But I am particularly distressed that he is resigning due to sharp differences with the president on these and other key aspects of Americas global leadership, McConnell said in a statement.

Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, called it a significant loss and a real indication that President Trumps foreign policy agenda has failed and continues to spiral into chaos.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

According to the preliminary data, one person was killed and 20 people were injured as a result of the collision of a passenger bus with a truck in Turkeys Yozgat province, Trend reports referring to the Turkish media.

All the injured are Turkish citizens. The injured were taken to the city hospital.

Some 32,473 traffic accidents were registered in Turkey in November 2018, as a result of which 202 people got killed.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

The Free Syrian Army (FSA) has called on the PYD/YPG militants (the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)) to lay down arms in northern Syria, Trend reports via Turkish media.

The FSA has distributed leaflets stating that the US no longer supports the movement and its terrorist acts.

"The FSA urges you to lay down your arms and surrender, as the end of the PYD/YPG and SDF is in sight. The Turkish Armed Forces and the forces of the FSA, using all available possibilities, will clear Syria's north from terrorists," the leaflet reads.

On Dec. 12, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Turkish Armed Forces would launch a new military operation in northern Syria against PYD/YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK terrorist organization.

Erdogan claimed that there were American soldiers in the detachments of the terrorists in Syria.

"Despite that the US has promised Turkey that it would not support PYD/YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK, the US did not keep its word," Erdogan said.

On June 4, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed a road map on Syria's Manbij during talks in Washington.

Also, Pompeo and Cavusoglu met in Brussels and discussed the Operation Olive Branch, as well as other issues.

On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.

On Aug. 24, 2016, units of the Turkish Armed Forces began the Operation Euphrates Shield against the "Islamic State" and with the support of the Syrian opposition liberated the border town of Jarablus in northern Syria, as well as al-Bab.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkey and the US should coordinate the withdrawal of US troops from Syria's north, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavushoglu said, Trend reports via Turkish media.

Cavusoglu noted that Turkey welcomes the withdrawal of US troops from the northern Syria.

On Dec.19, US President Donald Trump declared victory over the "Islamic State" (IS) in Syria, noting that this was the only reason for the presence of American troops in this country.

Later, the White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said that the US had begun to withdraw troops from Syria, but a victory over the IS does not mean the end of the coalition. Reuters News Agency, citing sources, reported that all US State Department employees would be evacuated from Syria within 24 hours, and the armed forces would be withdrawn within 60- to 100 days.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkey is highly worried about the unresolved conflicts in the South Caucasus, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, Trend reports via Turkish media.

Erdogan noted that Turkey is in favor of solving all military conflicts in the region, as well as the South Caucasus, since these conflicts have a negative impact on Turkey.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 21

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkey welcomes the withdrawal of the US troops from Syria, but also perceives this step with caution, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, Trend reports via Turkish media.

The president noted that the withdrawal of the US troops from Syria has already begun.

He added that the beginning of the withdrawal process forced Turkey to postpone the start of a new military operation in Syria.

Erdogan stressed that Turkey does not pursue any other goals in Syria except for liberating the country from terrorists.

"Turkey stands for the territorial integrity of Syria: the goal of Turkey, Iran and Russia is to ensure security in the region," Erdogan said.

He added that the agreement reached between Turkey and Russia contributed to achievement of relative stability in Syria.

On Dec. 19, US President Donald Trump declared victory over the "Islamic State" (IS) in Syria. Later, the White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the US has begun to withdraw troops from Syria, but a victory over the IS does not mean the end of the coalition.

Reuters, citing sources, reported that all US State Department employees would be evacuated from Syria within 24 hours and the armed forces would be withdrawn within 60 to 100 days.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
President Donald Trump is planning to withdraw more than 5,000 of the 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan, a US official said on Thursday, in the latest sign Trumps patience is thinning with Americas longest war and overseas military interventions, Trend reports referring to Al Arabiya.

On Wednesday, Trump rebuffed top advisers and decided to pull all US troops out of Syria, a decision that contributed to US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis abruptly quitting on Thursday over significant policy differences with the president.

One official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said a decision had been made and verbal orders had been given to start planning for the drawdown. The official said timelines were being discussed but it could happen in weeks or months.

It is unclear how the United States with less than 9,000 forces in Afghanistan will be able to fulfill the full set of missions now underway, including training Afghan forces, advising them in the field, and waging an air campaign against the Taliban and other militant groups.

Instead, the United States almost certainly would have to curtail its missions, something that could provide an opportunity for a resurgent Taliban to expand their offensives across Afghanistan.
The U.S. government was headed to a partial shutdown unless President Donald Trump and Congress can cut a deal on Friday on their long-running battle over Trumps demand for a wall on the border with Mexico, Trend reports referring to Reuters.

Funding for a range of federal agencies is set to expire at midnight on Friday. Trump pushed Republican allies in the House of Representatives on Thursday to use the short-term funding bill as leverage to force through $5 billion for the border wall despite Democratic objections.

Following the Houses vote on Thursday night, Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen said, I now urge the Senate to pass this continuing resolution and prevent a government shutdown.

The Senate is expected to reject that legislation  leaving the government without the needed funding for agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department and Agriculture Department, which would have to pare staff down to those deemed essential to public safety.

Three-quarters of government programs are fully funded through next Sept. 30, including those carried out by the Defense Department, Labor Department and Health and Human Services.

On Wednesday, there had appeared to be bipartisan agreement to avoid the shutdown without providing Trump with his border wall money.

But on Thursday afternoon, Trump summoned the House of Representatives Republican leaders to the White House and insisted that deal be scuttled.

The House late on Thursday did just that when it bowed to Trumps demand that any temporary funding bill include wall funding.

If that measure is put to a vote in the Senate, Democrats there have pledged to prevent it from getting the votes it needs for passage.

The bill thats on the floor of the House, everyone knows will not pass the Senate, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters late on Thursday.

It was not yet clear what would happen in that case. The partial government shutdown could begin, or lawmakers could work to find a solution that Trump finds acceptable.

Trump believes the border wall is a winning issue for his 2020 re-election campaign and said last week in a White House meeting with Democratic congressional leaders that he would be proud to shut down the government for border security.

Democrats have used those words to blame any shutdown on the president, believing it would hurt him politically.

Republicans worry about that too and some tried on Thursday to shift the blame to Democrats.

Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats now have to decide whether it is worth shutting down the government to keep us from securing our border, said Kevin McCarthy, the leader of Republican lawmakers in the House.

Workers in the government departments affected will still perform their duties if their work is deemed as essential.

The Department of Homeland Security, for example, would run out of funding on Friday if Congress and Trump do not act, but its border agents and those working in the interior of the country would still be on the job because their work is deemed essential.

A partial shutdown would force federal parks to close unless the government also declares them an essential service.

Workers classified as not essential to public safety at the unfunded agencies would be put on temporary leave. Both they and essential employees would not get paychecks until the dispute is resolved.

Democrats take control of the House of Representatives on Jan. 3 following their victory at midterm elections last month.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi will almost certainly be the new speaker of the House and would likely push through a new temporary funding bill without any money for Trumps wall, hoping the Republican-controlled Senate would accept it.
Engineering students were recognized at the Texas A&M University College of Engineering Student Awards banquet on Nov. 8.

First presented in 1947 as the Engineering Faculty Senior Award, the Craig C. Brown Outstanding Senior Engineer Award is the most prestigious honor bestowed on a graduating senior in the College of Engineering. The award is based on outstanding scholastic achievement, leadership and character.

The College of Engineering Outstanding Graduate Student Award recognizes one masters student and one doctoral student who have demonstrated excellence above and beyond usual levels of achievement.

The Craig C. Brown Outstanding Senior Engineer Award winners:

Joseph Carlson

Weatherford, Texas

Aerospace Engineering

With an unyielding determination to succeed, Carlson has excelled in both the classroom and accomplishing the goals he has set for himself. He is part of the Engineering Honors Program and the Texas A&M University Research Program, holds a leadership role in professional organizations, participates in community service activities and is involved in undergraduate research projects. Carlson recently had an internship at Lockheed Martin, and while he was there he developed a new technology for low-speed wind tunnel testing. His work will be published in a technical white paper that he will also present at the 2018 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aviation and Aeronautics Forum and Exposition. Carlson has received the Joanne K. and Edward Pete Aldridge 60 Endowed Scholarship Award and the Donna and Dub Jett 68 Scholarship Award. He looks forward to continuing to create new technology for the aviation industry in the future.

Megan Culler

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Electrical Engineering

As a dedicated and highly motivated student, Culler has demonstrated great promise in achieving the goals she has set for herself. Through holding leadership positions within prestigious organizations, her involvement in extracurricular activities and undergraduate research in cyberphysical modeling and analysis for power systems, Culler has maintained a 4.0 GPA while in the Texas A&M University Honors Program. With a passion for cybersecurity for large-scale power systems, Culler has represented Texas A&M at national conferences. Most recently, a manuscript that Culler wrote was accepted to be published in Explorations, Texas A&Ms undergraduate research journal. She has been awarded the Lockheed Martin National Scholarship and is a Craig and Galen Brown Scholar. Through her work she hopes to use the skills shes attained to give back and help improve cybersecurity around the world.

Jacob Hartzer

Austin, Texas

Mechanical Engineering

Hartzers passionate curiosity and drive to discover led him to get involved in multiple research projects and to acquire skills beyond what a typical engineer learns in the classroom. Through his undergraduate research in mechanical engineering and involvement in extracurricular activities and coursework, he has excelled, maintaining a high GPA throughout his college career. He has represented Texas A&M as a National Scholar Ambassador and has received numerous honors, including being named a Brown Scholar, receiving a National Merit Scholarship and earning a Deans Excellence honorable mention from the College of Engineering. Hartzer has participated in several internships, including Bray International, NXP Semiconductors and most recently, PepsiCo & Frito-Lay. Hartzer feels that these experiences, his research and his drive to make the most of those is what sets him apart.

Justin Macmanus

Harlingen, Texas

Biological and Agricultural Engineering

With an unparalleled work ethic and maturity, Macmanus has developed a natural instinct to always work hard and see things through, no matter how burdensome the task. This led him to join the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, where he has received numerous honors and distinctions, including Most Outstanding Academic Sophomore and Junior, being inducted into the Ross Volunteer Company and the OR Simpson Honor Society, and being accepted as a Guidon Bearer for Company F-2. Macmanus has also distinguished himself at Texas A&M in numerous ways, including being accepted into the Engineering Honors Program and being a member of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. Macmanus is also an active member of his church and has volunteered for several community service activities. He has interned with several companies, including Garver LLC, and has participated in the USDA Research Experience for Undergraduates.

Luke Oaks

Troy, Ohio

Interdisciplinary Engineering

With a personal goal of becoming as inspirational to others as Neil deGrasse Tyson, Oaks is well on his way by amassing an impressive record of research and academic successes during his time at Texas A&M. His passion for improving education for all led him to become a mentor for incoming engineering freshmen. He has served as the student bodys vice president of academic affairs and is a Beckman Scholar, a University Scholar, a Craig and Galen Brown Scholar and a member of the Zachry Leadership Program. His experience as an Engineering Honors student and grand challenges research scholar enhanced his development of a plenary conference event that was attended by more than 200 Texas A&M students and faculty. After graduation, Oaks plans to work in the systems engineering field or further his education.

Jose Quiros

College Station, Texas

Civil Engineering

Quiros has not only shown an aptitude toward academic success at Texas A&M but is also actively involved in student organizations in addition to be enrolled in Engineering Honors. He is an officer in the JTL McNew Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers and was a planner for the 2018 Texas-Mexico ASCE Student Symposium. He is a member of the Zachry Leadership Program, which has enabled him to become and effective on campus leader. Quiros has maintained his high GPA while becoming involved with organizations like the Latino Male United, Chi Epsilon Honor Society and Engineers without Borders.

Zachry Richards

Cedar Park, Texas

Biomedical Engineering

In addition to his outstanding academic record, Richards has taken the Texas A&M core value of selfless service to heart and has served the local community in many outreach endeavors. He coordinated and executed land clearing for affordable housing as a member of Student Bonfire to help Habitat for Humanity, working alongside the community to help families in need. He is an undergraduate researcher with the Texas A&M Cellular Biomechanics Laboratory, where he conducts independent cell research with 3D facial bone replacement scaffolds and presented a poster at the 2018 Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Conference. He also tutors for the Developmental Mathematics program in the Academic Success Center, helping students pass state standards to take college math courses.

2018 College of Engineering Outstanding Graduate Student Award winners:

Daniela Alves de Oliveira

Ph.D. Candidate

Biological and Agricultural Engineering

Alves de Oliveira is a dedicated researcher who worked and consulted for eight years for food industries in Brazil, including four years at one of the biggest food companies in the country, the BRF, before coming to Texas A&M University. Her current research focus is on the design of an electrochemical biosensor for the rapid detection of foodborne pathogens using nanotechnology and stimuli-responsive polymers to enhance capture and sensitivity of these sensors. Her research has resulted in 14 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals, and she is first author on five of them. She was also awarded the 2016 Henry Kahn Memorial Scholarship Award for graduate student excellence by the Polymer Technology Center at Texas A&M.

Tokunbo TJ Falohun

M.S. Candidate

Biomedical Engineering

Falohun is an aspiring innovator in the realm of medical technology whose career goal is to bring affordable, life-saving medical devices to those in need. His journey so far has consisted of a mix of scholarly training, and entrepreneurial and industry experience. He returned to academia to develop a more sophisticated understanding of biomedical engineering. For his graduate research, Falohun is developing miniature implantable biosensors for the early detection and management of chronic diseases and hopes to advance this technology with his doctoral degree. He also recently received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, which is a prestigious award given to students who are pursuing a graduate degree in a STEM field.

The College of Engineering also recognized the following newly endowed scholarships:

Cloud Family Scholarship

James L. Buttler 75 Scholars Program

Rita and Mark Puckett 73 Endowed Scholarship

Shell Aggies Engineering Endowed Scholarship
The two cases were reported in the southern state of Karnataka, health officials informed. Both had received two doses of vaccine.
On Friday, December 7th I went with the middle schoolers for their second field trip of the year. I think middle schoolers get a bad rap...they are awesome. At least my group was awesome. There were some other kids that were most definitely not awesome though.





This time the field trip was to the University of Washington Seismology Lab! Once I heard that's where they were going I was so in!! That's right up my alley! The other awesome thing was we got to ride in charter buses and not regular old school buses. They were SO nice!!! They dropped us off on the west side of the University District. They gave us chaperones, maps and a list of different places to check out on campus. We also had a specific time for us to head to the Lab for our tour. At first we started heading one way with another group, but then all the kids and I were in agreement in that we didn't want to be with any other groups. So we turned around and headed our own way.













I only ended up with two of the kids I had from the Capitol Lake field trip...Kaylie & Owen. From right to left...Kaylie, Mary Jose, Angie, Hannah, Paul, Thiaus and of course Owen. Owen and Thiaus are the only 6th graders. I thought the other kids were 7th graders, but later found out they were 8th graders. All of these kids were amazing though!!! This was our first stop at the Architectural Building. We were supposed to visit all these places and I figured we'd make it like a picture scavenger hunt and the kids totally indulged me! :)

















This is the Gerberding Hall. It's named after one of the former Presidents of the University.













There was this giant tree on the way to our next stop. We all agreed it should have been decked out for Christmas.













This is at one of the entrances to Gerberding Hall. The ornate sculptures were beautiful. I imagine that the sculpture above is supposed to be a Free Mason. There were all these crests around the building as well.













This is the Suzzallo Library. This was what the kids and I were most excited about seeing. According to our paper there is a reading room and it's very reminiscent of Harry Potter. I was all for finding that. We went in one of the entrances and asked a nice man at the front desk where it was. He gave us clear directions so we set out to find it. Prior to even coming in the library at all I had a talk with the kids about being super quiet. This is a college campus and we are visitors and did not want to interrupt anyone from their studies.













Here is the grand staircase that led up to the second floor.













This is the entrance to the Reading Room!

















Is this the coolest thing!!! I was totally geeking out! SO gorgeous!













These kids rocked it. They were so respectful! We snapped a quick picture and then headed out.













One our way out I saw this vending machine and thought I'd check it out. This is what college kids might need...pens, pencils, ear buds, chargers, headache meds, calculators, work books, batteries...etc. The kids were all wondering where the candy was!













Our next stop was Drumheller Fountain. If you look straight ahead you can see the outline of Mount Rainier on the horizon. It was chilly the day we were there, but honestly we couldn't have asked for better weather. I was so grateful it wasn't pouring down rain!













Kids indulging me again! On our paper it said that one of the teachers was here at the fountain with a friend once and the friend ended up getting bit by a squirrel!!!













I noticed a sun dial so I wandered over to it. For some reason I didn't think it would work during the shorter days of fall, but it was exactly right. It was 10:30am in the morning and it was right between the 10 and the 11. So crazy! The kids thought that was too cool!













On our way to the next stop we ran into another group and Gradin came up to me since we were wearing the same hat. I told him we had to get a picture since we were twinsies! He's so precious!













These columns are part of the Sylvan Grove Theater, but that's not where they first started. They were actually built in 1861 and were part of very first University building. 1908 the property where these were located was to be razed. The head of the History Department tried to have the building moved, but unfortunately the only thing that escape demolition were these columns. In 1911 they were moved to the Quad, but by 1920 the University was changing it's architecture from Greek to Gothic so the columns didn't fit with that. So the head of the architecture department at the time organized a student design competition for the relocation of the columns. In 1921 the columns found there home here in Sylvan Grove.













Our next stop was the Husky Union Building also know as the HUB. This really is the hub of campus. This is where the student can get a bite to eat, study and there are a bunch of other services provided to them here. We sat down and ate our lunch. Owen didn't want too...he was a bit nervous being around all these college students. For the most part though they all had their earbuds in and their faces glued to a laptop. Occasionally we'd have a few students look at us and smile. I'm sure they got a kick out of seeing these middle schoolers on campus. We did look around inside the Hub and talked with someone at the Welcome Center he told us that the basement has an arcade and video game area and a bowling alley!!!













After lunch we set out for the Quad which is short for The Liberal Arts Quadrangle.













On the paperwork that I had it talk about how they waited until winter when it snowed to see where the students walked and then they laid the pathways down.













There was an older guy in the middle of the Quad that was ranting about something. He also had this cackle of a laugh. I could tell he was making the kids really nervous so I just told them to keep walking. Once we got past him Kaylie said..."That guy really freaked me out!" You can't have a trip to Seattle without running into some interesting characters.













After walking through the Quad we continued on to find Denny Hall. This is the oldest building left on campus. It was built in 1864. It was named after Arthur Denny who was one of the founding pioneers of Seattle and he also donated the land for the campus location. It's a beautiful building!













On our way to our next location we saw this interesting art sculpture We tried to find out what it was and when it was put there, but there wasn't any plaque. After this we saw the building named after Bill Gates. It's a super new building so I didn't even take a picture.













By this point we started heading towards the Lab since our tour was coming up. We came across this fun picnic area that was surrounded by a fence and was almost like maze.













We also found this really big statue of George Washington. The kids were all surprised that he never actually wanted to be President. History can be pretty cool when you dive into it. :)





We ended up waiting outside the building where the Lab was for about 30 minutes or so until our tour. I had a great time chatting with kids during this time.













Here is the PNSN...Pacific Northwest Seismology Network. I wish I remember this ladies name. She was a sophomore and she was great. So knowledgable. I'm sure you've seen the rolls of paper in the right of this picture. Those are what they always show on the news when an earthquake happens. Well guess what....they are fake!!! They used to use those, but now everything is all computerized so the screens on the left are actually where all the data is. She said they keep the old rolls up because that's always what the news wants to show. More fake news!!! :)













After talking about the different types of earthquakes, how magnitude is measured and where they have all these meters to measure the earths movement she moved on to the part the kids LOVE. Underneath this desk is one of the measuring tools and it's super sensitive. She just bent her knees and it recorded the movement.













She had all the kids do the same thing so they could see it show up on the screen.













Then she had us all jump at the same time. The line going up was the force of us pushing off from the floor and the line that goes down was when we all landed. Super interesting!

















Here's a closer look at the rolls of paper. We also found out that the paper is a special chemical paper. The lines from earthquakes aren't from ink it's actually burned onto the paper. Each one of those rolls is 3 days of data. After that someone had to manual change the sheet of paper. I can understand why they went to computers. They did have the rolls of paper with all the lines from the 2001 Nisqually earthquake and the roll from when Mt St Helens erupted. I thought I took a picture of it, but I didn't.













Once she started to show the kids that they could make an earthquake on the screen they all got turns to try it out.













This was definitely a highlight for the kids.













After the tour we headed back towards the buses. The buses were a little late and there was a situation with those kids that's weren't so awesome. I honestly thought that one kid should have been left with one of the teachers and then this persons parents should have been called to come pick them up. The teacher did handle it the best she could and she separated a bunch of people, but I certainly hope this kid has lost their ability to go on future field trips. At least the next one for sure. It was really eye opening having a situation like that after having such amazing kids. It never even occurred to me that the kids could even act out and misbehave. Maybe I'm super optimistic or naive. I didn't even have any of the other teachers cell phone numbers in case something like that happened.













Just like last time the kids all signed a card thanking me!













My sweet boy said..."Thank you mom! I loved to be with you on the field trip!"





Seriously guys if you have kids in school get involved!!! Get to know the kids! I used to think they wouldn't want me around and that's simply not true.













Kaylie even made me a separate card.

















She wants me to be her chaperone more often. How sweet is this!!!




Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. APD inked an industrial gas equipment agreement with N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie. The move is aimed to address the importance of national energy in the Netherlands.



Per the deal, Air Products will supply three generation plants to Gasunie that will produce required nitrogen to condition imported natural gas. The production will adhere to the specification of commercial and consumer applications prevalent in the country.



Moreover, the equipment that will be supplied by Air Products is in line with natural gas extraction issues faced by the Netherlands. Previously, the country used to source natural gas from the domestic Groningen Field. However, the seismic activity stemming from the extraction has triggered the need to switch to imported gas.



Notably, the imported natural gas is incompatible with the applications followed by the domestic Groningen source. Air Products will build and supply necessary solution through a facility that will produce the nitrogen required to condition the imported natural gas. The company will build three plants near Groningen, which will produce a total 180,000 cubic meters per hour of nitrogen after they are brought onstream in October 2021.



The company has vast experience in the natural gas supply chain with its world-leading liquefied natural gas (LNG) technology. Also, majority of LNG across the world is produced with Air Products' technology. It has been operating in the Netherlands for five decades. The companys world-scale facilities are critical to the country's largest port, Rotterdam. It supports the economic and efficient operation of key manufacturing industries. Moreover, hydrogen supplied from the Rotterdam facilities is also used in the fueling of hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles.



Shares of Air Products have inched down 1.5% in the past six months compared with the industrys decline of 20%.





Air Products projects adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $8.05-$8.30 for fiscal 2019, reflecting a 10% increase at the midpoint year over year. Moreover, it expects adjusted EPS of $1.85-$1.90 for first-quarter fiscal 2019, reflecting a rise of 5% at the midpoint year over year.



Air Products has the capacity to deploy at least $14 billion in high-return investments in the next four years, which will boost shareholders value. Acquisitions and new business deals are also expected to drive results in the near term.

Story continues

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. Price and Consensus

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. Price and Consensus | Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. Quote

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider



Air Products currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



A few better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space are CF Industries Holdings, Inc. CF, The Mosaic Company MOS and Cameco Corporation CCJ, all carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



CF Industries has an expected earnings growth rate of 748% for the current year. The companys shares have inched 1.6% in the past year.



Mosaic has an expected earnings growth rate of 75.2% for the current year. The companys shares have rallied 17.2% in the past year.



Cameco has an expected earnings growth rate of 66.7% for the current year. Its shares have gained 12% in a years time.



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The Great Trials Podcast, a new legal podcast, hosted by attorneys Yvonne Godfrey (left) and Steve Lowry. (Courtesy photo)

The Great Trials Podcast, a new legal podcast, hosted by attorneys Yvonne Godfrey (left) and Steve Lowry. (Courtesy photo)



Savannah trial lawyer Stephen Lowry calls himself a huge podcast fan who dreamed of producing one himself.



I run a lot and listen to a lot of podcasts while I run, he said. I got to thinking that it would be really interesting to have a podcast where you talk to trial lawyers about the trials they have had, how they won them, what their strategy was.



So, Lowry, a partner at Harris Lowry Manton, decided to just do it. He teamed up with Yvonne Godfrey, an associate at the firms Atlanta offices, to produce what the duo hopes will be a weekly podcast on Americas greatest trials.



The Great Trials Podcast makes its debut Jan. 1, and Lowry said he and Godfrey already have more than two dozen ready for release. The podcasts are free and available through iTunes, Spotify, Google Play or the duos website. He and Godfrey say they hope to produce a new one every week. The first year, in theory, we will have 52 shows, he said.



Lowry said the podcastswhich have so far featured interviews solely with plaintiffs lawyers like himself and Godfreyare about an hour long. We pick one case to talk about, he said. I wont say we would never have a defense lawyer on. I think that would make for some interesting podcasts. But we havent had one yet.



Each podcast is presented as a conversation, he said. We dont do much editing.



Godfrey said she and Lowry approach their interviews differently. Lowry wants to know nuts-and-bolts questions like how other lawyers handle voir dire, how long jury selection lasted, how to deal with apportionment of responsibility questions, what sort of exhibits or illustrations other lawyers use in making their cases, all the hurdles they faced. Godfrey said she is interested in lawyers individual styles, how they relate to a jury, who their mentors were.



Lowry said that, so far, he and Godfrey have picked the lawyers they wanted to interview and let them select a case they wanted to talk about.



Its been cool, Godfrey said. A lot of them have a case they really want to discuss, a case that really meant a lot to them or that was different or unusual. Sometimes its a case we expect; sometimes its not.



Its something we really enjoy, talking to all these lawyers from all over the country, their different strategies, the difficulties they faced, Lowry echoed. Its an opportunity to talk to really great lawyers.  You talk to people who really fought hard for their clients. You always leave them feeling kind of inspired. 



We are obviously very strong believers in the civil jury system and trying cases to a jury, Lowry added. A lot of these cases show the importance of that and show the strength of our trial system. Thats obviously important to us. But, at the end of the day, we really just enjoy talking and learning from other lawyers.



Some of the podcasts include:




By Eliana Raszewski

Dec 4 (Reuters) - Argentina's state-controlled energy company YPF and Malaysia's Petronas are forming a joint venture to invest $2.3 billion over the next four years in the country's Vaca Muerta shale oil fields, the president's office announced on Tuesday.

State-owned Petronas will have an equal stake in the project through its subsidiary Petronas E&P Argentina SA, the presidency said in a statement. Petronas has not yet commented on the announcement.

The Belgium-sized Vaca Muerta deposit, located in western Argentina, is regarded as having the worlds second-largest shale gas and fourth-largest shale oil deposits.

"This investment will allow us to increase YPF's petrol production by 30 percent by 2022, which will represent a total increase for Argentina of 15 percent," the statement said.

The companies' objective is to reach a production equivalent of 60,000 barrels a day by 2022, it said. Total investment could reach $7 billion within 20 years, it said.

Successive governments have targeted Vaca Muerta to reverse Argentina's energy deficit but the plans have been hindered by a lack of infrastructure.

YPF chief executive Daniel Gonzalez told Reuters last month the company would bolster both unconventional oil and gas production by investing between $4 billion and $5 billion per year through 2022.

Petronas and YPF have already partnered in pilot exploration and production initiatives and will begin development of the unconventional fuel project in the Amarga Chica block in the province of Neuquen.

The announcement is good news for the beleaguered government of Mauricio Macri, which was forced to seek an IMF bailout earlier this year.

Macri discussed the deal in a meeting on Tuesday with YPF president Miguel Gutierrez, Finance Minister Nicolas Dujovne and Energy Secretary Javier Iguacel, the president's statement said. (Reporting by Eliana Raszewski; writing by Aislinn Laing Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
The Boeing Company BA recently secured a $307.5 million contract for offering integrated product support in relation to F/A-18 jets A-D and E-G versions. Work related to the deal is expected to be over by Dec 31, 2023.

The contract was awarded by the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, PA. The agreement involves foreign military sales to Australia, Canada, Spain, Finland, Switzerland, Kuwait, and Malaysia. Boeing will conduct the task in the states of Missouri and Florida.

What Favors Boeing?

As Boeings key forte lies in manufacturing combat-proven aircraft, it has continued to secure an increased number of contracts from the Pentagon owing to the companys proven expertise in aerospace programs. Subsequently, revenues of its Defense, Space & Security (BDS) segment witnessed a 13% rise year over year to $5.73 billion in third-quarter 2018. We expect Boeings BDS segment to deliver such solid performance in upcoming quarters as well, courtesy of the latest contract win and a handful of other notable deals.

In this context, it is imperative to mention that FMS contracts have played a key role in driving Boeings operational performance. Evidently, the companys backlog at BDS stood at $58 billion, 31% of which comprised orders from international clients. We expect FMS deals like the latest one to keep bolstering the companys backlog, thereby providing a boost to its revenue growth.

Fiscal 2019 Budget

The fiscal 2019 defense budget, approved this June, provisioned major war fighting investments worth $21.7 billion for aircraft that further included an investment plan of $2 billion for procuring 24 F/A-18 Jets. Such inclusions reflect solid growth prospects for Boeing's BDS segment, which in turn, are likely to boost the companys profit margin.

Price Movement

In a years time, Boeings stock has gained 6.1% against the industrys 6.5% decline. This outperformance can be primarily attributed to robust worldwide demand for its commercial aircraft and military jets.

Story continues

Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to Consider

Boeing currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). A few other top-ranked companies in the same sector include Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings AJRD, Teledyne Technologies Incorporated TDY and Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT. While Aerojet Rocketdyne and Teledyne Technologies sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Lockheed Martin carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Aerojet Rocketdyne delivered average positive earnings surprise of 19.27% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 earnings has moved 43.3% north to $1.82 over the past 90 days.

Teledyne Technologies delivered average positive earnings surprise of 12.92% in the trailing four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 earnings has moved up 6% to $8.75 over the past 90 days.

Lockheed Martin delivered average positive earnings surprise of 13.92% in the preceding four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 earnings has climbed 3% to $17.51 over the past 90 days.

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SOFIA, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's defence ministry commission will recommend the government starts talks with the United States to acquire F-16 war planes to improve its compliance with NATO standards, the defence minister said on Friday.

The United States, Sweden and Italy have filed bids to supply Bulgaria with eight fighter jets aimed at replacing its ageing Soviet-designed MiG-29s, in a tender estimated at 1.8 billion levs ($1.05 billion).

"If the government agrees with the report's recommendation, the parliament will have to approve it and talks with the United States will start," Defence Minister Krasimir Karakachanov told a news conference.

The government is expected to decide how to proceed next month. (Reporting by Tsvetelia Tsolova and Angel Krasimirov)
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- The chairman of the Wynn Resorts board of directors said he asked the company's CEO and full board to appear before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission when it considers whether to grant the company a gambling license for a $2 billion casino and hotel set to open near Boston next year.

Board Chairman Phil Satre made the comments in an interview with the Las Vegas Review Journal published Wednesday. The licensing decision is on hold pending a lawsuit by former CEO and Chairman Steve Wynn to block the release of the commission's report into sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Wynn denies the claims. He resigned Feb. 6, days after the Wall Street Journal reported accusations he engaged in sexual misconduct with female employees while leading the Las Vegas-based company.

Wynn attorneys sued the commission and its enforcement chief, Karen Wells, in November, arguing the Massachusetts report contains confidential information from Wynn lawyers that's protected by attorney-client privilege.

Clark County District Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez has temporarily blocked the report's release. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Thursday in Las Vegas.

Gambling regulators in Nevada also are investigating the allegations against Wynn.

After the claims came to light, shareholders filed several lawsuits against current and former board members, accusing them of breaching their fiduciary duties.

In announcing Wynn's resignation in February, the board of directors made clear it had done so "reluctantly." The board has been overhauled since then, and Matt Maddox, company president since 2013, was named CEO.

Satre said Maddox also will appear before Massachusetts regulators and credited him with being "decisive" and "well-grounded" in his response to the "crisis" that the allegations created at the company.

"Nobody moved as swiftly as this company did to take charge of the situation and react appropriately on behalf of the shareholders and on behalf of the employees and customers, and that begins with Matt Maddox," Satre said.

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Eric Rose, with the California-based crisis management firm Englander Knabe and Allen, said the appearance before Massachusetts regulators of many or all members of the board, including new female board members, will show regulators "that there's a new sheriff in town."

"It's a remarkable not only public relations move, but also a shrewd business move that will demonstrate to regulators that the management team looks different and is different and they can be confident in finding the operator suitable for a license," Rose said.

___

Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, http://www.lvrj.com
FILE PHOTO: A HNA Group logo is seen on the building of HNA Plaza in Beijing, China February 9, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo

By Greg Roumeliotis

(Reuters) - HNA Group Co [HNAIRC.UL] is in talks to sell Ingram Micro Inc to private equity firm Apollo Global Management Llc <APO.N>, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday, as the Chinese conglomerate continues to scale back operations.

HNA hopes to sell the U.S. electronics distributor for $7.5 billion, including $1.5 billion in debt, the source said, adding that it is currently in talks with Apollo after rebuffing an earlier offer that it considered too low.

HNA has already pushed ahead with asset sales that have so far included real estate and stakes in hotels groups.

Apollo declined to comment and Ingram was not immediately available for comment. HNA was not available for comment outside normal business hours in China.

The Wall Street journal first reported https://www.wsj.com/articles/hna-in-talks-to-sell-ingram-micro-to-apollo-global-11545425703?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1 the news on Friday.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that China Development Bank was leading a team to supervise HNA's asset disposals as the heavily indebted conglomerate unwinds a $50 billion acquisition spree and scales back to a point that will leave it holding only core assets.

Bad debt managers China Cinda Asset Management Co <1359.HK> advised HNA and has been involved in talks with potential buyers for Ingram, which HNA bought for $6 billion in 2016, Reuters reported in November.

HNA Technology Co <600751.SS>, which owns Ingram, said in September it had $3.55 billion of outstanding debt from the purchase of the firm, of which $350 million was due for payment this year.

(Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York and Uday Sampath in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. 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 shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Enea AB (publ) (STO:ENEA).

What Is Insider Buying?

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 logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. 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.

See our latest analysis for Enea

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Enea

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Senior Vice President of OS Business Unit Adrian Leufven bought kr718k worth of shares at a price of kr89.75 per share. So its clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the companys future. In any event its generally a positive if insiders are buying shares at around the current price. Adrian Leufven was the only individual insider to buy over the year.

Adrian Leufven bought a total of 10.00k shares over the year at an average price of kr91.12. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

OM:ENEA Insider Trading December 21st 18

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

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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. Enea insiders own about kr520m worth of shares (which is 27% of the company). This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Enea Insiders?

The fact that there have been no Enea insider transactions recently certainly doesnt bother us. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Judging from their transactions, and high insider ownership, Enea insiders feel good about the companys 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.

Of course Enea may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality 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.
(Bloomberg) -- Sunny Optical Technology Group Co. is ending the year as one of Hong Kongs biggest losers, an unnerving fall for a smartphone parts-maker that minted millionaires out of janitors and chefs during a remarkable decade-long run. Some are betting itll be back to its winning ways before 2019 is over.

The first whiff of trouble emerged in August, when it reported disappointing margins, stoking fears the smartphone boom was ending. That worsened a months-long backslide that wiped about HK$119 billion ($15 billion) off its market value since a June peak as investors dumped technology stocks. Sunnys the third biggest loser on Hong Kongs benchmark index in that time, and the seventh worst-performing stock on MSCIs main Asian technology gauge.

Yet that selloff is unwarranted given its prominence as the supplier of choice to names from Huawei Technologies Co. to Xiaomi Corp., investors say. Founded three decades ago by factory worker Wang Wenjian, Sunny has wilted as evidence mounted that consumers are finally cooling on mobile devices. But that perspective fails to recognize Sunnys technology leadership, or acknowledge the trend toward cramming three cameras into devices -- one of the few bright spots for an otherwise bleak 2019 smartphone industry outlook, they argue. Optical components are also pervading new fields, such as cars that increasingly load up on sensors and cameras in the interest of safety.

If you just look at smartphones, its going to be a pretty barren 2019. But when it comes to the cameras, thats where the opportunity lies, said Kenneth Lo, a fund manager at KGI Securities Investment Trust who counts Sunny among his top 10 ideas. Were talking about a shift in phone specs and an upgrade trend that will propel optical equipment companies.

Cameras have become one of the biggest and most-compared selling points of smartphones, as brands from Samsung Electronics Co. to Apple Inc. race to equip gadgets with ever more powerful visuals. Huawei -- which knocked Apple off its no. 2 perch -- got the ball rolling this year when it unveiled a triple-camera device. Multiple cameras working in tandem are said to enhance zoom -- addressing a perennial weakness of flat mobile devices -- and produce sharper images.

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The advent of tri-camera Android devices should more than double growth in demand for optical lenses to 19 percent in 2019, while appetite for modules should average 18 percent over 2018 to 2020, estimates Frank He, head of A-share tech hardware research for HSBC Qianhai Securities Ltd.

The rapid technical evolution requires strong R&D capability and significant financial resources, he said. Sunny is set to gain share from overseas peers.

Jeff Pu, an analyst at Guangfa Securities, sees Sunnys valuation benefiting from the trend to three cameras. He expects 15 percent of global smartphones to sport three cameras next year, from just about 1 percent now. Pu isnt alone: 30 analysts covering Sunny on average expect the stock to rise 46 percent over the next 12 months.

Almost every major smartphone brand will adopt tri-cameras next year, he said. That increases demand for modules and lens, and Sunny will benefit both ways.

One wild card: Huawei, which accounts for almost a fifth of the companys revenue, helped fuel Sunnys ascent. But the Chinese telecoms giant is now grappling with resurgent concerns about the security of its products and its uncertain how that might impact the business.

More fundamentally, much depends on how rapidly triple-cameras become the standard. On that score, Sunny -- while one of the worlds largest optical component designers -- has to contend with nimble rivals such as Largan Precision Co. or O-Film Tech Co. And the industrys cyclical nature means components popular early on typically get commoditized.

Thats why Sean Huang, a Taipei-based fund manager with Jih Sun Securities Investment Trust Co., is among those still reluctant to dive into a company that before its 2018 selloff had grown almost 100 times over the past decade.

I will consider reviewing Sunny Optical 2Q next year as it will benefit from demand for tri-cam and auto cameras on smart cars, he said. I may add it back if the demand is strong.

--With assistance from Gao Yuan.

To contact the reporter on this story: Cindy Wang in Taipei at hwang61@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Robert Fenner at rfenner@bloomberg.net, Edwin Chan

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
PLANO and HOUSTON, Texas, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Denbury Resources Inc. (DNR) (Denbury) and Penn Virginia Corporation (PVAC) (Penn Virginia) today announced the filing of a registration statement on Form S-4 containing a joint proxy statement/prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in connection with Denburys proposed acquisition of Penn Virginia.



The joint proxy statement outlines the strategic rationale and merits of the combination as well as the comprehensive and robust process undertaken by both companies and Boards of Directors in reaching their recommendations for the proposed transaction.

While the registration statement and proxy have not yet become effective and the information contained therein is subject to change, it provides important information about the transaction. Once declared effective by the SEC, a date for a special meeting for Denbury stockholders and Penn Virginia shareholders to approve the proposals associated with the transaction will be set, and the definitive proxy statement/prospectus included in the Form S-4 will be mailed to stockholders prior to the vote.

The S-4 Registration Statement is available through the SECs EDGAR system on www.sec.gov and the preliminary joint proxy statement/prospectus contained in the S-4 is available via Denbury's investor relations website at www.denbury.com/investor-relations. When filed, the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus will be available via Denbury's investor relations website as well as Penn Virginias investor relations website at https://ir.pennvirginia.com/.

TRANSACTION DETAILS

As previously announced, under the terms of the definitive merger agreement, shareholders of Penn Virginia will receive, subject to proration, a combination of 12.4 shares of Denbury common stock and $25.86 of cash for each share of Penn Virginia common stock. Penn Virginia shareholders will have the option to receive all stock, all cash, or a mix of cash and stock, subject to proration such that the overall mix of consideration does not result in more or less than $400 million in cash being paid. The merger consideration received by Penn Virginia shareholders who do not properly make an election will depend on the number of other shareholders electing to receive all stock, all cash, or a mix of cash and stock. The stock portion of the consideration received by Penn Virginias shareholders is expected to be tax-free. Upon closing of the transaction, Denbury stockholders will own approximately 71% of the combined company, and Penn Virginia shareholders will own approximately 29%.

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The transaction, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2019, is subject to the approval of Penn Virginia shareholders and is subject to approval by Denburys stockholders of the issuance of common stock and an amendment to Denburys charter to increase its authorized shares. The transaction is also conditioned on clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and other customary closing conditions.

ADVISORS

Guggenheim Securities, LLC is lead financial advisor to Denbury. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC also is providing financial advice to Denbury with respect to capital structure and financial aspects of the transaction and provided a financing commitment letter for a new $1.2 billion bank revolving credit facility and a $400 million senior secured second lien bridge loan. Jefferies LLC is financial advisor to Penn Virginia. Vinson & Elkins LLP is legal counsel to Denbury. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP are legal counsel to Penn Virginia.

DENBURY RESOURCES INC.

Denbury is an independent oil and natural gas company with operations focused in two key operating areas: the Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountain regions. Denburys goal is to increase the value of its properties through a combination of exploitation, drilling and proven engineering extraction practices, with the most significant emphasis relating to CO 2 enhanced oil recovery operations. For more information about Denbury, please visit www.denbury.com. The information on Denburys website is not part of this release.

PENN VIRGINIA CORPORATION

Penn Virginia is a pure-play independent oil and gas company engaged in the development and production of oil, NGLs and natural gas, with a focus in the Eagle Ford shale in south Texas. For more information, please visit www.pennvirginia.com. The information on Penn Virginias website is not part of this release.

NO OFFER OR SOLICITATION

This communication relates to a proposed business combination transaction (the Transaction) between Denbury and Penn Virginia. This communication is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval, in any jurisdiction, of the Transaction or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance, exchange or transfer of the securities referred to in this document in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. No offer of securities will be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND WHERE TO FIND IT

In connection with the Transaction, Denbury and Penn Virginia have filed a preliminary joint proxy statement/prospectus, and will file a definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus and other documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). Investors and security holders are urged to carefully read the preliminary joint proxy statement/prospectus, and to read the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus when it becomes available because it will contain important information regarding Denbury, Penn Virginia and the Transaction.

A definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus will be sent to stockholders of Denbury (to approve issuance of Denbury common stock in the Transaction and to amend Denburys certificate of incorporation to increase its authorized shares) and sent to Penn Virginia shareholders seeking their approval of the transaction. This document is not a substitute for any prospectus, proxy statement or any other document which Denbury or Penn Virginia may file with the SEC in connection with the proposed Transaction. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF DENBURY AND PENN VIRGINIA ARE URGED TO READ THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THESE DOCUMENTS, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus (when available) and other documents filed by Denbury and Penn Virginia with the SEC at the SECs website, www.sec.gov. The definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus (when available) and such other documents relating to Denbury may also be obtained free-of-charge by directing a request to Denbury, Attn: Investor Relations, 5320 Legacy Drive, Plano, Texas 75024, or from Denburys website, www.denbury.com. The definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus (when available) and such other documents relating to Penn Virginia may also be obtained free-of-charge by directing a request to Penn Virginia, Attn: Clay Jeansonne, 16285 Park Ten Place, Suite 500, Houston, TX 77084, or from Penn Virginias website, www.pennvirginia.com.

Denbury, Penn Virginia and certain of their respective directors, executive officers and other members of management and employees may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the proposed transaction. Information concerning the interests of the persons who may be participants in the solicitation will be set forth in the joint proxy statement/prospectus when it is filed with the SEC. You can find more detailed information about Denburys executive officers and directors in its definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on April 12, 2018. You can find more detailed information about Penn Virginias executive officers and directors in its definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on March 28, 2018 and Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 12, 2018. Additional information about Denburys executive officers and directors and Penn Virginias executive officers and directors can be found in the above-referenced joint proxy statement/prospectus when it becomes available.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

The foregoing contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this communication that address activities, events or developments that Denbury or Penn Virginia expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Words such as estimate, project, predict, believe, expect, anticipate, potential, create, intend, could, may, foresee, plan, will, guidance, look, outlook, goal, future, assume, forecast, build, focus, work, continue or the negative of such terms or other variations thereof and words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any discussion of future plans, actions, or events identify forward-looking statements. However, the absence of these words does not mean that the statements are not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Transaction, the benefits of the transaction, the shareholder meeting, pro forma descriptions of the combined company and its operations, integration and transition plans, synergies, opportunities and anticipated future performance. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements included in this communication. These include the expected timing and likelihood of completion of the Transaction, including the timing, receipt and terms and conditions of any required governmental and regulatory approvals of the Transaction that could reduce anticipated benefits or cause the parties to abandon the Transaction, the ability to successfully integrate the businesses, the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of, or amendment to, the merger agreement, the possibility that stockholders of Denbury may not approve the issuance of new shares of common stock in the Transaction or the amendment of Denburys charter or that shareholders of Penn Virginia may not approve the merger agreement, the risk that the parties may not be able to satisfy the conditions to the Transaction in a timely manner or at all, the risk that any announcements relating to the Transaction could have adverse effects on the market price of Denburys common stock or Penn Virginias common stock, the risk that the Transaction and its announcement could have an adverse effect on the ability of Denbury and Penn Virginia to retain customers and retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with their suppliers and customers and on their operating results and businesses generally, the risk the pending Transaction could distract management of both entities from ongoing business operations or cause them to incur substantial costs, the risk that problems may arise in successfully integrating the businesses of the companies, which may result in the combined company not operating as effectively and efficiently as expected, the risk that the combined company may be unable to achieve synergies or it may take longer than expected to achieve those synergies and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. All such factors are difficult to predict and are beyond Denburys or Penn Virginias control, including those detailed in Denburys annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K that are available on its website at www.denbury.com and on the SECs website at www.sec.gov. and those detailed in Penn Virginias annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K that are available on Penn Virginias website at www.pennvirginia.com and on the SECs website at www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that Denbury or Penn Virginia believe to be reasonable but that may not prove to be accurate. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and Denbury and Penn Virginia undertake no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof.

DENBURY CONTACTS:

Mark C. Allen, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, 972.673.2000

John Mayer, Director of Investor Relations, 972.673.2383



PENN VIRGINIA CONTACTS:

Steve Hartman, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, 713.722.6500

Clay Jeansonne, Director, Investor Relations, 713.722.6540
FILE PHOTO: Danske Bank sign is seen at the bank's Estonian branch in Tallinn, Estonia August 3, 2018. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins/File Photo

TALLINN (Reuters) - Estonia has arrested 10 former employees of the local branch of Danske Bank <DANSKE.CO> as part of an international investigation into alleged money laundering.

Authorities in Denmark, Estonia, Britain and the United States are investigating payments totaling 200 billion euros ($229 billion) made through the tiny Estonian branch of Denmark's largest bank between 2007 and 2015.

The arrests announced by Estonia's state prosecutor on Wednesday mark the first concrete action by authorities against suspects in the unraveling money laundering scandal.

The threat of a heavy fine from the U.S. Department of Justice has sent Danske Bank's shares plunging almost 50 percent since March, erasing around $15 billion off its market value.

More arrests are likely, Estonia's head of criminal police Aivar Alavere told a news conference in Tallinn, adding: "The acts, which lasted for years, were systematic, coordinated and targeted, always targeted on making money".

The 10 Estonian citizens detained on Tuesday and Wednesday are alleged to have been part of a network that facilitated flows of dirty money through Danske Bank's branch in Estonia.

"The suspects are the so-called first line of defense, client managers whose job was to make sure money laundering does not happen," prosecutor-general Lavly Perling said.

The 10 people have not been charged, but under Estonian law can be held for 48 hours without formal charges.

In a report published in September, Danske Bank said it had reported 42 former employees and agents "deemed to have been involved in some suspicious activity" to the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit.

Estonian state prosecutor Marek Vahing said the country's authorities were cooperating with Danish and U.S. counterparts.

Danish authorities have so far outlined 25 billion euros of suspicious flows in the case, Alavere said. A spokesman for the Danish state prosecutor declined to comment on this.

Danske Bank, which had also reported eight former employees to the Estonian police, could not confirm on Wednesday if the 10 detained people were among the employees already reported.

A spokesman for the bank said he had no further information about the arrests.

(Reporting by Tarmo Virki; additional reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Stine Jacobsen; editing by Jason Neely, Jane Merriman and Alexander Smith)
FILE PHOTO: Danske Bank whistleblower Howard Wilkinson speaks at a public hearing at the Danish parliament in Copenhagen, Denmark November 19, 2018. REUTERS/Emil Gjerding Nielson/File Photo

By Francesco Guarascio

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union governments have reached a preliminary deal to clamp down on money laundering by strengthening bank supervision through the European Banking Authority (EBA), the EU said on Wednesday.

The EU has been beset by money-laundering scandals this year, including probes into 200 billion euros (180.88 billion pounds) of payments made through Danske Bank's (DANSKE.CO) Estonian branch, the collapse of Latvia's ABLV Bank and the closure of Malta's Pilatus Bank.

The reform was rolled out by the EU Commission in September after cases of alleged money laundering at some EU banks that "raised concerns that anti-money laundering rules are not always supervised and enforced effectively across the EU," an EU statement said.

Under the agreed text, the EBA would be able to directly force individual banks to take measures against money laundering "as a last resort" if national authorities do not act.

The text, backed by diplomats from the 28 EU states, needs the approval of the EU parliament to become law.

However, the overhaul does not address loopholes that give states broad discretion in imposing sanctions, and does not create a dedicated agency to counter money laundering at the EU or euro zone level, as proposed by the European Central Bank.

The agreement was announced as Estonia said it had arrested 10 former employees of the local branch of Danske Bank as part of an international investigation of alleged money laundering.

Latvia's ABLV liquidated itself after being accused by the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of money laundering, violating sanctions on North Korea and using bribery to influence Latvian officials.

The ECB withdrew Pilatus Bank's licence in November, after the bank's chairman was charged in the United States over money laundering and bank fraud.

Under the reform, the EBA, which is moving from London to Paris after Brexit, will have new powers to force national supervisors to investigate cases of suspected breaches of anti-money laundering rules.

In exceptional cases, when national supervisors do not act within set deadlines, the EBA could take measures against a bank "requiring it to take all necessary action to comply with its obligations", the text proposed by the EU's executive Commission said.

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But decisions on penalties would remain in the hands of member states, some of whom have shown little interest in imposing or trumpeting sanctions, fearing reputational damage.

International guidelines say publicising sanctions is one of the most effective tools to prevent money laundering.

The EBA already has the power to investigate breaches of money-laundering rules and did so against Malta over its supervision of Pilatus Bank.

Under the overhaul, the EBA would get more powers and staff, but it will continue to depend on vague laws that have prevented it from acting in the past.

The EBA admitted that it could not pursue its probe into Malta's financial supervisor because of a lack of clarity in EU rules, which will not change.

Under the reforms, the EBA would get 10 new employees from two now to monitor risks of money laundering at thousands of EU banks.

The ECB has called for a new agency with more resources dedicated to this task, but these calls have been opposed by member states who prefer to maintain national control.

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio, editing by Robin Emmott and Adrian Croft)
(Bloomberg) -- Facebook Inc. is working on making a cryptocurrency that will let users transfer money on its WhatsApp messaging app, focusing first on the remittances market in India, according to people familiar with the matter.

The company is developing a stablecoin -- a type of digital currency pegged to the U.S. dollar -- to minimize volatility, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing internal plans. Facebook is far from releasing the coin, because its still working on the strategy, including a plan for custody assets, or regular currencies that would be held to protect the value of the stablecoin, the people said.

Facebook has long been expected to make a move in financial services, after hiring former PayPal president David Marcus to run its Messenger app in 2014. In May, Marcus became the head of the companys blockchain initiatives, which havent been discussed publicly in detail. Facebook has been on a hiring spree, and now has about 40 people in its blockchain group, according to employee titles on LinkedIn.

"Like many other companies, Facebook is exploring ways to leverage the power of blockchain technology," a company spokesman said in a statement. "This new small team is exploring many different applications. We dont have anything further to share."

WhatsApp, the companys encrypted mobile-messaging app, is popular in India, with more than 200 million users. The country also leads the world in remittances -- people sent $69 billion home to India in 2017, the World Bank said this year.

The past year has seen a boom in crypto projects related to stablecoins. At one point, there were more than 120 ventures related to this theme, according to Stable.Report, a website that tracks stable tokens. The concept was created to create a digital coin that would be far easier to use on daily purchases because it would be more stable than currencies like Bitcoin.

The idea has proven tough to carry out in real life, with at least one high-profile project shuttered in recent weeks. A stablecoin known as Basis recently closed after eight months. The Hoboken, New Jersey-based company said there was no apparent way around being classified as a security as opposed to a currency, which could significantly reduce the number of potential buyers. The swift collapse came after Basis drew well-known backers like Andreessen Horowitz and Kevin Warsh, a former governor of the U.S. Federal Reserve.

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Perhaps the most high-profile stablecoin to date, Tether, has also been surrounded by controversy. While Tethers creators say each of its tokens is backed by one U.S. dollar, the companys refusal to be audited has raised questions about whether thats the case.

Facebook, which has 2.5 billion global users, more than $40 billion in annual revenue and greater experience navigating regulatory issues, may have a better chance of making a stablecoin that sticks. It would be the first large technology company to launch such a project. The companys relationship with India has been fraught, mainly because some instances of fake news spread through WhatsApp have led to violence there. Still, Facebook sees tremendous growth opportunity in the country. India has 480 million internet users, second only to China. That number is projected to grow to 737 million by 2022, according to Forrester Research Inc.

To contact the reporters on this story: Sarah Frier in San Francisco at sfrier1@bloomberg.net;Julie Verhage in New York at jverhage2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
(Bloomberg) -- Huawei Technologies Co. wanted a better way to test its telephone handsets, so it sent an engineer to see Tappy, the robot in partner company T-Mobile US Inc.s laboratory in Bellevue, Washington.

Tappy, computer-driven and tireless, taps on touch screens, simulating weeks of use in a day. The Huawei engineer was curious about Tappys fingertips. So he slipped one into a laptop bag and left with it, in an act T-Mobile branded theft.

The 2013 incident, described in a lawsuit filed the next year by T-Mobile, is the sort of alleged behavior by Chinas top telecommunications equipment maker that has alarmed security experts. Now some are warning against the use of Huawei gear in the next-generation 5G network being assembled to connect factories, vehicles, homes, utility grids and more.

Theyve surpassed everyone else, and the way theyve done that is through copycat technology and ruthlessly stealing intellectual property from Western companies, said Jeff Ferry, an economist with Coalition for a Prosperous America, an advocacy group close to the Trump administration and its China hawks.

Representatives of Huaweis Chinese headquarters referred calls to Chase Skinner, a San Francisco-based Huawei spokesman, who declined to comment. Huawei has regularly denied that it steals intellectual property or unfairly copies technology from other companies. It said this week that blacklisting its equipment without proof will hurt the industry and disrupt the development of new high-speed technology.

But Huaweis conduct is drawing renewed scrutiny after the Dec. 1 arrest in Vancouver of Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou on allegations she defrauded banks to violate Iranian sanctions. The daughter of Huaweis billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei, she now faces extradition to the U.S. in a case thats sparked a diplomatic row.

Mengs arrest follows a long string of allegations by the U.S. government about a potential threat to network security. The U.S. has pushed European governments to avoid Huaweis gear, saying its an enabler for Chinese espionage, which the company has always denied.

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In 2012, the House Intelligence Committee published a report that described Huawei as a company that has not followed United States legal obligations or international standards of business behavior. The committee called on the U.S. intelligence community to remain vigilant, and said national security officials must block acquisitions involving Huawei or fellow Chinese gear maker ZTE Corp.

Years earlier, Cisco Systems Corp. sued to stop Huawei from selling data-traffic switches and routers allegedly based on Ciscos patents and copyrights. The litigation ended with Huawei agreeing to stop selling disputed products in 2003.

In 2010, the company failed to reach agreements to buy U.S. software and wireless-gear makers, reportedly because the sellers doubted the company would win approval. In 2008, Huawei and Bain Capital Partners LLC abandoned a bid for gear maker 3Com Corp. after failing to assuage security concerns raised by U.S. officials.

The Tappy caper involved a machine that used its mechanical arm to repeatedly poke and prod phone screens, in imitation of a human user, helping T-Mobile to improve the reliability of its handsets. Huawei wanted to know the size of the finger and the material out of which the conductive tip was made, T-Mobile told a federal court in Seattle.

The Huawei engineer, left alone in the lab, first slipped the fingertip behind a computer monitor then three hours later tucked it into his bag, T-Mobile told the court.

There is some truth to the complaint, Huawei spokesman William Plummer said at the time. He blamed employees acting inappropriately in their zeal. (Another worker had furtively taken photos of Tappy, according to T-Mobile.)

T-Mobile dropped Huawei as a supplier and in 2017 a jury awarded the American company $4.8 million in damages for breach of contract but rejected allegations of misappropriation of trade secrets. The two sides later agreed to drop the case after settlement talks. Michael Kipling, an attorney in the case for T-Mobile, declined to comment and attorney Bo Yue, for Huawei, didnt respond to a request for comment.

The largest U.S. mobile providers, after urging by U.S. officials, have shunned Huawei network gear, and small providers are concerned they may be forced to rip out and replace Huawei products as the Federal Communications Commission moves against Huawei.

U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies harbor a deep suspicion of Huawei, exacerbated by its ties to Chinas People Liberation Army, said James Lewis, director of the technology policy program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington.

Deep connections with the PLA, industrial espionage, and subsidies from the Chinese government -- there you have it, Lewis said in an interview.

Customer Trust

A company executive reiterated this week that it abides by international law, and challenged its accusers to produce evidence of their claims about security risks.

Despite the efforts to create fear about Huawei and to use politics to interfere with industry growth, were proud to say that our customers continue to trust us, Ken Hu, one of several Huawei rotating chairmen, told reporters during a press event at its manufacturing base in Dongguan, the companys largest campus worldwide.

Hu slammed U.S. accusations about Huaweis independence and alleged role in espionage.

Lots of countries have various concerns on 5G. Most of these concerns are reasonable and based on technology, Hu said. With regard to such concerns, well work with governments and operators to clear them up.

The company also released a diary entry it said Meng wrote, which described an outpouring of support from around the world. It was entitled There Is Always Good in People! and explained how a letter writer from Japan said she was very sad for Mengs arrest in Canada and cannot keep silent any longer.

Ren, Huaweis founder, joined the People Liberation Armys engineering corps in 1974 and rose to become a deputy director, but without military rank, according to a biography by the company. Ren established Huawei in 1987; now the company reports annual sales of about 600 billion yuan, or $93 billion.

House Report

The 2012 House report noted that the ruling Chinese Communist Party maintains a committee within Huawei, and said the company failed to explain its relation to the government. Huawei has said the government plays no role in its business decisions or staffing.

But the company is working against hardened sentiment in the Trump administration, Lewis said. The government in general has decided that the Chinese will never stop misbehaving unless we push back, Lewis said.

Mengs case exists alongside a shadow cast by Huaweis reputation, said Paul Triolo, who leads global technology studies at the Eurasia Group consultancy and who regards the matters as linked.

Its definitely connected to the broad concerns about Huawei and its central role in 5G, Triolo said. The fear of the U.S. and its allies is that a 5G network built by Huawei represents a risk, a security risk.

Vulnerability is heightened because 5G systems will rely on software that can be penetrated to a greater extent than 4G networks, and because so many machine-to-machine connections will rely on 5G, raising the stakes for a disruption or espionage, Triolo said.

In Europe, carriers and major customers from Orange SA to BT Group Plc and Deutsche Telekom AG have voiced their concerns about Huaweis gear, on top of existing bans in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S.

The U.S. Embassy in Germany said allies and partners are being urged to be vigilant in ensuring network security, including when carriers award equipment contracts.

(Updates with comments from Hu in 20th paragraph.)

--With assistance from Patrick Donahue and Gao Yuan.

To contact the reporter on this story: Todd Shields in Washington at tshields3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jon Morgan at jmorgan97@bloomberg.net, Ros Krasny

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
(Bloomberg) -- JD.com Inc. Chief Executive Officer Richard Liu wont be charged in connection with a rape investigation in Minneapolis, ending a probe of more than three months, authorities said.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced the decision Friday. Liu had been arrested Aug. 31 and accused of allegedly raping a 21-year-old female Chinese undergraduate student. Liu, 45, was a participant in a University of Minnesota program for business executives from China at the time of his arrest.

As we reviewed surveillance video, text messages, police body camera video and witness statements, it became clear that we could not meet our burden of proof and, therefore, we could not bring charges, Freeman said in a statement. Because we do not want to re-victimize the young woman, we will not be going into detail.

Wil Florin, the womans attorney, blasted Freeman and his prosecutors for the decision, saying they never met the woman nor reached out to her or her lawyers during the investigation.

If anyone cares to know why victims of sexual assault are hesitant and fearful to come forward to authorities seeking justice for what has been done to them, look no further than the manner in which this was handled by the Hennepin County Attorneys Office, Florin said in a statement. On her behalf, we will not permit her dignity to be simply swept under the rug.

Liu has been in China since being released shortly after the arrest. In a blog post, Liu said the announcement by Freemans office proves I broke no law.

My interactions with this woman, however, have hurt my family greatly, especially my wife, Liu said. I feel deep regret and remorse and I hope she can accept my sincere apology. I will continue to try in every possible way to repair the impact on my family and to fulfill my responsibility as a husband.

The potential criminal charges have hung over JD.coms stock for the past three months. Lius outsize control of voting rights closely linked the firms fate to his own. In China, he is seen as a visionary founder and the driving force behind one of the countrys most successful internet companies.

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We are pleased to see this decision, JD.com said in a statement on its website. The companys American depositary receipts gained 5.9 percent to $21.08 on the news -- still significantly below the closing price of $29.43 on the day before Lius arrest became public.

In documents and text messages, the female student said she was invited to a party with Liu and other participants of the executive program where wine flowed freely. Her attorney alleged the student had been coerced into drinking more heavily than she wanted. The woman and Liu ended up at her home, where he raped her, the woman alleged. After a call the next morning from a friend of the student, police found the woman and Liu at the students apartment. Later that day he was arrested.

Lius lawyer, Jill Brisbois, said the decision by the county attorney confirms our strong belief from the very beginning that my client is innocent.

Liu and Brisbois hadnt previously elaborated on what Liu says happened at the dinner in August. On Friday, Brisbois said in an email that all the interactions between Liu and the woman were consensual. Though the woman and Liu both drank wine that night, Brisbois said, Liu wasnt drunk, and the woman didnt appear drunk either.

After Lius arrest, the woman made repeated demands for money, and threatened to make her allegations public and to sue Richard if her demands were not met, Brisbois said.

Freemans decision in the criminal investigation doesnt prevent the woman from filing a civil suit against Liu, where the standard of evidence needed is lower for a judgment. Florin, in a text message, suggested the woman may pursue a civil suit, saying a civil jury will determine whether Mr. Liu, JD.com and their representatives should be held accountable.

Freeman, in his statement, confirmed the account of the dinner and the subsequent contact of Liu and the woman by police. He said there were profound evidentiary problems which would have made it highly unlikely that any criminal charge could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The three-month period it took to make a decision had nothing to do with Lius status as a wealthy, foreign businessman, Freeman said.

Formal criminal charges would have made running the company an increasingly untenable task for Liu. Unlike arch-rival Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., which runs a marketplace for third-party merchants, JD earns about 90 percent of its revenue through direct online sales and the CEO regularly travels the world striking agreements with suppliers.

Liu, who has become a household name in his native China and held a keynote panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos this year, was in Minnesota to complete the American residency of a U.S.-China business administration doctorate program at the University of Minneapolis and its Carlson School of Management. Co-led by Tsinghua University, the course takes place primarily in Beijing and is aimed at senior executives; the average age of students is 50.

Since the allegations arose Liu has largely avoided speaking in public, skipping prominent events including the Chinese government-backed World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai where he was set to be a speaker. Like many founder-led companies, JDs fate is closely linked to the executive who must be present for its board to have a quorum. He controls almost 80 percent of its voting rights even though he owns less than 15 percent of the business.

(Updates with comments from Liu in the sixth paragraph.)

--With assistance from David Ramli, Selina Wang and Ellen Huet.

To contact the reporter on this story: Gerrit De Vynck in New York at gdevynck@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net, Andrew Pollack, Molly Schuetz

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
Dec 18 (Reuters) - Katanga Mining Ltd said on Tuesday it had reached a settlement with a Canadian regulator over investigation of some historical disclosures related to a business in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Glencore-controlled company will pay C$28.5 million ($21.24 million) to settle with the Ontario Securities Commission, after saying it had misstated certain financial statements and not maintained adequate disclosure controls. ($1 = 1.3421 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)
HENDERSON NV / ACCESSWIRE / December 21, 2018 / Deals like the partnership between Gilead and Agenus are making the biotech industry red hot. Here are some biotech companies to look into.

We are highlighting: Endonovo Therapeutics, Inc. (ENDV), Agenus, Inc. (AGEN), Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD), Novavax, Inc. (NVAX), and Celgene Corporation (CELG).

According to the FDA, more than 72,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2017, including overdoses due to illicit drugs and prescription opioids. Biotech and CBD companies are both working on different solutions to this dire issue. One of which has just announced something that makes us even more intrigued than we already were. Endonovo Therapeutics, Inc. (ENDV) (Market Cap: $7.725M, Share Price: $0.0195), a commercial-stage developer of non-invasive wearable Electroceuticals Therapies, has developed a therapy that could help lessen the pain without the kinds of side effects many other opioid alternatives have. Their non-invasive easy to use ORTHOHALO device delivers targeted Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Field (tPEMF) therapies to reduce pain and enhance post-surgical recovery, naturally. Its patented non-pharmacologic process uses proprietary technology to reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation. Endonovo means to renew from within. Their vision is to develop safe, wearable non-invasive medical devices to deliver our Electroceutical Therapy, which harnesses bioelectricity to restore key electrochemical processes that initiate the anti-inflammatory and growth factor cascades necessary for healing to occur.

The announcement that peaked our interest is that ENDV has formed a partnership with US Authentic Trading Company (USAT) to act as the exclusive partner to assist with facilitating a relationship between the company and China. China has been dealing with opioids since the 1600s, all the way back to the Opium wars. This market added to the already robust US market makes ENDV one of the most enticing opioid alternative plays on the market.

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Finally, the company just announced the allowance for the patent application entitled Devices and Method for Treatment Of Degenerative Joint Diseases with Electromagnetic Fields by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Endonovo will be including this technology under its WOUNDPULSE brand.

Agenus, Inc. (AGEN) (Market Cap: $297.558M, Share Price: $2.48) announced that it will be entering into an immune-oncology partnership with Gilead Sciences, Inc., with the collaborative efforts focused on the development and commercialization of up to five novel immune-oncology therapies. According to the official announcement, Agenus will receive $150 million upon closing, which includes a $120 million upfront cash payment and a $30 million equity investment. The agreement also included approximately $1.7 billion in potential future fees and milestones.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) (Market Cap: $83.18B, Share Price: $64.30), the company partnering with Agenus, also recently announced that Roche's O'Day will become CEO and chairman effective March 1, 2019, replacing John Milligan, who previously said he would step down from his role as president and CEO and as a board member at the end of 2018. O'Day is currently CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals, a position he has held since 2012. O'Day joined Roche back in 1987, taking on various roles in the U.S. before moving to Roche headquarters in Switzerland in 1998 and later to Japan, Denmark and eventually back to California.

Novavax, Inc. (NVAX) (Market Cap: $784.842M, Share Price: $2.05) recently announced several key management promotions while the company pushes its lead clinical programs into commercial stage. The company is pushing their ResVax and NanoFlu programs towards licensure.

Celgene Corporation (CELG) (Market Cap: $45.116B, Share Price: $64.52) will present a business update and provide 2019 financial guidance at the 37th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on January 7, 2019 at 7:30 a.m. PT/ 10:30 a.m. ET.

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(Bloomberg) -- In a year in which big gains have been hard to come by for investors in European technology stocks, Mycronic AB stands out: The maker of equipment used in the production of smartphone displays has surged 27 percent, one of the industrys best performances.

Yet a sizable group of speculators is betting the volatile market for some of the Swedish companys products is peaking. Some 21 percent of Mycronics shares available for trading have been sold short, according to data from IHS Markit Ltd., one of the highest levels among the 362 stocks in the Stockholm All-Share Index.

Mycronic makes machines called mask writers that are used to generate microscopic patterns on glass plates that then act as templates for the production of high-resolution displays. The company has a market share of almost 100 percent in the business, which accounted for 53 percent of sales last year even after Mycronic broadened its offering to reduce its reliance on the operation. The other 47 percent of sales came from equipment used in making electronics, such as mounting components onto circuit boards or assembling camera modules for driver assistance in cars.

Any slowdown in the market for mask writers would therefore hit Mycronics results, and share price, which is what the short sellers are betting on, said Viktor Westman, an analyst at Redeye. While market dynamics and customer behavior mean that they may be proven right at some point, Westman said that there are still "several important drivers of mask-writer demand, for example the replacement market.

According to the analyst, that indicates that there wont be the same kind of collapse in demand as Mycronic for mask writers as the ones seen in 2006-2013. Back then, Mycronic sold almost no systems following a boom from 2003 to 2005, he said.

Most investors for now are siding with the views of analysts such as Westman rather than with those betting against Mycronic. This years 27 percent gain compares with declines in both the Stockholm All-Share and the Stoxx 600 Technology Index. Over the past decade, betting against Mycronic also hasnt paid off: The stock has jumped more than 2,000 percent, or 41 percent a year.

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Mycronic has a solid order book and a strong offer within both Assembly Solutions and Pattern Generators, and as our long-term growth targets and guidance for the year show, we dont share the view of the short sellers, Tobias Bulow, the companys head of investor relations and corporate communications, said by email. The market is developing well for both of our business areas.

Whats more, analysts at Danske Bank A/S and Carnegie Investment Bank -- the only firms to follow the company and that are tracked by Bloomberg -- say the stock has more to give, forecasting share-price gains of 31 percent and 12 percent, respectively, in the coming 12 months. The average price target for Mycronic shares has been higher than the share price since the autumn of 2016.

So whats the reason for the differing views on the company? Short sellers have a shorter time horizon," Westman said.

--With assistance from Niklas Magnusson.

To contact the reporter on this story: Hanna Hoikkala in Stockholm at hhoikkala@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jonas Bergman at jbergman@bloomberg.net, ;Tasneem Hanfi Brogger at tbrogger@bloomberg.net, Phil Serafino, Jon Menon

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
Dec 21 (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.

- Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan Motor Co Ltd chairman, was re-arrested on Friday on charges of breach of trust, making it increasingly unlikely he would soon be released from a Tokyo jail. https://nyti.ms/2BvrMND

- Campbell Soup Co named Mark Clouse, the former head of Pinnacle Foods, as its new chief executive on Thursday, a crucial step in the company's efforts to regain market share and increase profit. https://nyti.ms/2BybRxX

- The U.S. Interior Department on Thursday took a key step toward allowing oil and gas drilling in a pristine wildlife refuge in Arctic Alaska, putting forth proposals it said would protect the animals there but that would end decades of environmental protections. https://nyti.ms/2BIaRrt

- Uber Technologies Inc said its autonomous vehicles returned to public roads on Thursday, nine months after one of its self-driving cars killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. https://nyti.ms/2BycqYB

(Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)
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(Corrects seventh paragraph to make clear a "Safe Third Country Agreement" would not entail requesting U.S. asylum)

By Yeganeh Torbati and Anthony Esposito

WASHINGTON/MEXICO CITY, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The United States will soon send non-Mexican migrants who cross the U.S. southern border back to wait in Mexico while their U.S. asylum requests are processed, a major change in immigration policy, the Trump administration announced on Thursday.

Immigrant advocates and human rights experts quickly denounced the policy change as illegal and violating the rights of refugees.

Mexico's government said that it would accept some of those migrants for humanitarian reasons, in what many will see as an early concession to U.S. President Donald Trump's administration by Mexico's new president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office on Dec. 1.

"We want to discourage those who are claiming asylum fraudulently," U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told a congressional committee on Thursday, describing the plan.

In response to the plan, Mexico's foreign ministry underscored that it still has the right to admit or reject the entry of foreigners into its territory.

"Mexico's government has decided to take the following actions to benefit migrants, in particular unaccompanied and accompanied minors, and to protect the rights of those who want to start an asylum process in the United States," the foreign ministry said.

The ministry said the actions taken by the Mexican and U.S. governments do not constitute a "safe third country" scheme, where migrants would have to request asylum while in Mexico.

Department of Homeland Security officials told reporters on condition of anonymity that the Mexican government has said asylum seekers would have access to attorneys in Mexico and that migrants would be able to enter the United States for their court hearings, without giving more details about how the process would work.

"Operationally this will look a little bit different at different ports of entry simply based on what the infrastructure is like in the area," said one official. "We are not implementing this on the entire U.S. border all at once."

In response to questioning from Democratic U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren during her congressional testimony, Nielsen said the new policy will not apply to Central American unaccompanied children, who have some special protections under U.S. law.

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Serious doubts remain over whether Mexico can keep vulnerable asylum seekers safe. Authorities are investigating the deaths of two Honduran teenagers kidnapped and killed in the border city of Tijuana last weekend.

Immigrant and human rights advocates swiftly denounced the new policy, saying it violated international law and would put migrants at further risk.

"Make no mistake  Mexico is not a safe country for all people seeking protection," said Amnesty International Executive Director Margaret Huang. "Many people seeking asylum in the United States face discrimination, exploitation, sexual assault, murder, or the possibility of being disappeared while traveling through Mexico or while forced to wait for extraordinarily long times in Mexican border towns."

Republican Representative Bob Goodlatte, the outgoing chair of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, praised the Trump administration for having reached the deal with Mexico.

"This agreement made under statutory authority will enable true asylum seekers to seek that status in a safe and orderly manner," Goodlatte said in a statement.

Trump tweeted on Nov. 24 that migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border would stay in Mexico until their asylum claims were individually approved in U.S. courts.

But Kennji Kizuka of the nonprofit group Human Rights First said serious questions remain about implementation of the plan.

"The administration seems to have no plan," Kizuka said in a statement. "Will lawyers be able to visit their clients before hearings? Where will those hearings take place? We know that access to counsel is one of the most important factors in whether or not an asylum seeker is able to live in safety in the United States."

Most Mexicans believe migrants should be helped and protected, according to an October poll, but Central Americans in Mexico's border city of Tijuana have been met with a hostile reception, with some residents throwing stones at them.

The arrival of several thousand Central Americans in Tijuana about a month ago prompted Trump to mobilize the U.S. military to beef up border security. At the same time, the Trump administration has restricted the number of asylum applications accepted per day, saying they do not have the capacity to process more.

Illegal crossings at the southern border have dropped dramatically since the late 1970s, but in recent years applications for asylum have ballooned and more Central American families and unaccompanied children are migrating to the United States. (Reporting by Anthony Esposito and Yeganeh Torbati Editing by Christine Murray and Jonathan Oatis)
WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The United States and China might not reach a trade deal at the close of a 90-day negotiating window unless Beijing can agree to a profound overhaul of its economic policies, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said.

In an interview with Japanese business daily Nikkei published on Friday, Navarro said it would be "difficult" to strike a deal without China being ready for a full overhaul of its policies for trade and industry.

(Reporting by Makina Brice and Jason Lange Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand' highest court on Thursday said it would hear an appeal from Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom, who is attempting to overturn a lower court's ruling that he can be extradited to the United States to face racketeering and copyright charges. The Supreme Court said it had jurisdiction over the appeal and granted leave for the case to proceed, according to a statement on the court's website. The six-year legal saga is widely seen as a test for how far the United States can reach globally to apply American firms' intellectual property rights. The Court of Appeal in July upheld a lower court ruling in 2017 that the extradition could take place. U.S. authorities say Dotcom and three co-accused Megaupload executives cost film studios and record companies more than $500 million and generated more than $175 million in revenue by encouraging paying users to store and share copyrighted material. "We are pleased that the New Zealand Supreme Court granted review of the U.S. extradition case against Kim Dotcom," said Dotcom's lawyer, Ira Rothken. German-born Dotcom, who has New Zealand residency, became well known for his lavish lifestyle as much as his computer skills. He used to post photographs of himself with cars and vanity license plates such as "GOD" and "GUILTY", shooting an assault rifle and flying around the world in his private jet. Dozens of black-clad police raided Dotcom's mansion in 2012, breaking him out of a safe room and confiscating millions of dollars in cash and property, including a fleet of luxury cars, computers and art work. (Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Praveen Menon and Michael Perry)
The Zynga logo is pictured at the company's headquarters in San Francisco, California April 23, 2014. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith/File Photo

(This corrects paragraph 7 of December 20 story to say Zynga acquired a unit of Peak Games, and not the entire company. The error also appeared in an earlier version)

By Vibhuti Sharma and Liana B. Baker

(Reuters) - U.S. game software firm Zynga Inc <ZNGA.O> said on Thursday it would buy a majority stake in Finland's Small Giant Games, maker of the popular Android game Empires & Puzzles, for about $700 million, in a move to strengthen its mobile game portfolio.

It is the largest deal to date for Zynga, Chief Executive Frank Gibeau said in an interview, topping its $527 million acquisition of UK developer Natural Motion in 2014.

Zynga - best-known for popular Facebook game FarmVille - also raised its fourth-quarter revenue forecast on Thursday. Its shares rose 1.67 percent in after-market trading, to $3.65.

Zynga sees potential in bringing smartphone role-playing game Empires & Puzzles to countries in Asia where games of the type are popular, with Gibeau citing Japan, South Korea and China as potential markets.

He said the 18-month-old game was profitable, making money from in-game purchases plus a small amount of advertising. The acquisition is expected to add to Zynga's earnings in 2019.

Under Gibeau, who became CEO in 2016, San Francisco-based Zynga has tried to revamp itself as a mobile-focused games maker and is looking for new games to spark growth after a challenging year that saw earnings disappoint. Its shares are down 10 percent year-on-year.

The cash-and-stock deal for Small Giant, which is expected to close on Jan. 1, follows Zynga's deal last year to buy a unit of Peak Games, home to games such as "Spades Plus" and "Gin Rummy Plus," for $100 million.

Zynga said it would buy 80 percent of privately-held Small Giant now for $560 million and the remaining 20 percent over the next three years based on profit goals. The implied value of the deal is $700 million, although the final number could vary based on how Small Giant performs.

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Small Giant has raised just under $50 million in venture capital funding and is backed by EQT Ventures.

In raising its fourth-quarter revenue forecast, Zynga credited the popularity of its games "Words With Friends," "Merge Dragons!" and "CSR Racing 2" during the holiday season.

It now sees revenue of $243 million, up from an earlier expectation of $235 million, while its net loss forecast was lowered to $1.5 million from an earlier $2 million.

(Reporting by Vibhuti Sharma in Bengaluru and Liana B. Baker in New York; editing by Leslie Adler and Rosalba O'Brien)
Will the Denver Broncos, currently 6-5 after Sunday's win over the Chargers, qualify for the playoffs?

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An appeal seeking to overturn approval of a drug and alcohol treatment center in the Woodmoor area was shot down Thursday on a 3-1 vote by El Paso County commissioners.

According to board members and their legal adviser, the county had no choice but to reject the appeal. First, Mountain Springs Recovery had met the county codes definition of a rehabilitation center. Second, opponents claims that the rehab center would jeopardize public safety and health amounted to discrimination under the Federal Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act, Senior Assistant County Attorney Cole Emmons said.

Those recovering from addiction are considered handicapped under the FHA and disabled under the ADA.

Im concerned with the discriminatory statements by the appellants and some members of the public, Emmons said. Case law would say that if (the commissioners) accept those, they can be attributed to (the commissioners).

Mark Waller was the only commissioner to side with the opponents.

Opposition group Take Action El Paso County filed the appeal Dec. 7, arguing that the facility in the former Ramada hotel property at 1865 Woodmoor Drive would be an imminent danger to the communitys children because of its proximity to schools, bus stops and day care.

But under a new county policy, commissioners arent able to take concerns about the location of the rehab center into account, said Craig Dossey, executive director of county Planning and Community Development. They can overrule the staffs decision only if they believe the companys proposed use does not meet the land use codes definition of a rehabilitation facility.

Board President Darryl Glenn said opponents hadnt met that threshold.

The opponents, nevertheless, reiterated safety concerns to the commissioners, calling into question the integrity of Mountain Springs Recoverys parent company, Sunshine Behavioral Health, which operates high-end rehab centers in Southern California and Texas.

Among their claims were that the center would attract juvenile delinquents, sex offenders, those convicted of manufacturing or selling illegal drugs and other criminals because the company does do background checks on patients.

They also called into question the proximity of the facility to restaurants and stores with liquor licenses, saying it would tempt those at the center to relapse.

Jared Raymond, the vice president of project management with Sunshine Behavioral Health, emphasized that patients undergo an extensive interview before they admitted. Furthermore, those seeking the 30-day inpatient treatment do so willingly and are more receptive to their care practices than patients at other facilities who are forced to be there.

Our facility is designed for certain types of prospective clients, Raymond said. They voluntarily admit themselves to address substance abuse issues only.

Opponents were disappointed in the decision.

There will be many unintended consequences that will impact our childrens safety, which is first and foremost our concern, said Tri-Lakes resident Hilary Brendemuhl. They are not welcome in our community.

Five other appellants chastised Commissioners Stan VanderWerf and Peggy Littleton as they walked out for voting against the community.

During voting, Littleton explained that she was strictly interpreting the definition of a rehab center in the county code.

I would ask that the property owner make sure that neighbors be protected, that children be protected, she said, looking at Raymond. I ask that these be taken into serious consideration.

Twitter: @lizmforster Phone: 636-0193
BALTIMORE, Dec. 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WindMIL Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company developing marrow-infiltrating lymphocytes (MILs) for cancer immunotherapy, has announced the appointments of Monil Shah, PharmD, MBA, as Chief Development Officer, and Patrick Dougherty as Vice President of Operations. The company also announced it has secured office space in Philadelphia to accommodate its expanding executive, operations and clinical teams.



WindMILs new Philadelphia office and meeting space at One Drexel Plaza in University City positions the company to attract talent from one of the nations leading hubs for cell therapy innovation and provides access to the greater Philadelphia regions formidable pool of experienced biotechnology and pharmaceutical workers. The new offices proximity to Amtraks 30th Street Station will also provide employees with convenient travel to Baltimore, where WindMILs laboratories and scientific team continue to be based.

Establishing an office in Philadelphia provides a hub for WindMILs local operations. It is yet another benefit of joining our growing team and helping progress a novel class of autologous cell therapies based on our MILs platform, said Brian Halak, PhD, President and CEO of WindMIL Therapeutics.

Dr. Halak continued, We are also thrilled to welcome Monil and Patrick to WindMIL and excited for the roles they will each play as we build upon our position as the leader in cellular therapeutics emanating from bone marrow. Monils extensive experience initiating and running oncology trials will be critical for us as we prepare to begin our own clinical studies of MILs this coming year. Patrick brings a wealth of operational know-how and strategy-setting experience that will allow us to scale our business to support this period of growth.

Dr. Shah has more than 20 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry experience in oncology drug development. Before joining WindMIL, he was the Chief Operating Officer of Brooklyn ImmunoTherapeutics, previously known as IRX Therapeutics. Prior to his tenure there, Dr. Shah was the Medical Affairs Lead for Immuno-Oncology at Bristol-Myers Squibb. He also served as Head of Clinical Operations and Development at Ventrus Biosciences before its merger with Assembly Biosciences. Prior to Ventrus, Dr. Shah led the solid tumor development programs and the clinical portfolio and strategic planning function at Celgene. He also led the Oncology Development and Operations activities at FibroGen and Novacea. Dr. Shah began his career at Novartis in the Oncology Early Development Group, leading clinical trials before joining the Medical Sciences Group at Amgen. He received his BS and PharmD degrees from Rutgers University and his MBA from Florida Institute of Technology.

Before joining WindMIL as Vice President of Operations, Mr. Dougherty was Chief of Staff to the Senior Vice President, R&D Pipeline for Pharmaceuticals R&D at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Mr. Dougherty joined GSK in 2009 as a Director in the R&D Strategy Office and went on to hold a number of leadership roles and steer multiple strategic efforts for Pharmaceuticals R&D. Prior to joining GSK, Mr. Dougherty was an engagement manager in the Life Sciences practice of L.E.K. Consulting, where he led more than 30 engagements for a wide range of biotech and pharmaceutical clients. He has also held various roles in business and corporate development at Endo Pharmaceuticals and the Penn Center for Innovation (formerly the Center for Technology Transfer) at the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Dougherty holds a BS in chemistry from Villanova University, MSc in technology management from the University of Manchester (UK) and MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

About WindMIL Therapeutics

WindMIL Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company developing a novel class of autologous cell therapies based on marrow infiltrating lymphocytes (MILs) for cancer immunotherapy. As the leader in cellular therapeutics emanating from bone marrow, WindMIL translates novel insights in bone marrow immunology into life-saving cancer immunotherapeutics for patients. The companys proprietary process to extract, activate and expand these cells offers unique immunotherapeutic advantages, including inherent tumor-specificity, high cytotoxic potential, and long persistence. For more information, please visit: https://windmiltherapeutics.com .

Media Contact:
English Vietnamese

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Dec. 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sunflower Mission marked its sixteenth year of supporting student education in Vietnam and presented a total of 59 university scholarships to engineering and technology students in Ho Chi Minh City on December 11 and in Da Nang on December 13. Sunflower Mission, a U.S. based non-profit organization, was founded in 2002 to improve the lives of people in Vietnam through educational assistance programs and to also provide life-long leadership skills for students in the United States. Sunflower Mission Engineering & Technology Scholarship focuses on students who demonstrate not only academic excellence but also exemplify civic leadership potential.



These scholarships will help students finish their university studies and, we hope, build a career in the semiconductor industry, either in integrated circuit (IC) design or software development. These are students who will also give back to the community. We chose students who understand that success is not just about money, the individual or the extended family  it is also about working for a greater cause, said Duy-Loan Le, founding member of Sunflower Mission and an independent member of the board of directors of eSilicon Corp.

Sunflower Missions corporate partner, eSilicon Corporation, an independent provider of complex semiconductor solutions for high-bandwidth networking, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G infrastructure markets, made its Vietnam engineering team available to act as technical advisors and select the top 59 students. The rigorous selection process included writing an English essay, followed by an interview that focused on technical areas, leadership qualities and commitment to contribute to the community, said Bruce Newton, VP global HR and country director, eSilicon Vietnam. Mr. Newton also commented, eSilicon Vietnam was also very pleased to provide two graduating students with an employment offer, as well as another eight students with internship offers to work with our 300-strong engineering team in Vietnam this year.

We focus on students who have a passion for IC design because we believe the ability to design and support advanced technology is critical to a countrys sustainable development and its long-term economic success as we embrace the era of Industry 4.0. This years ceremony was particularly important with the awarding five scholarships to outstanding engineering students from Can Tho University, and this helps acknowledge the growth and development of engineering in the Mekong Delta area, said Ms. Le.

eSilicon, a donor since 2005, administered the scholarship program with the guidance of Sunflower Mission and hosted the ceremonies at venues in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. The ceremony began with remarks from Ms. Le, a world-leading engineer who holds 24 patents through her prior work with Texas Instruments, and Mr. Jack Harding, president and CEO of eSilicon Corporation, eSilicon Vietnams parent company. As part of the ceremony, the scholarship recipients, along with scholarship alumni, participated in a lively question-and-answer session with a panel of experts in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and were advised by Mr. Harding to choose a career that you truly love, as this inspires a real passion for your work and this results in future success, recognition and rewards. The ceremony ended with a scholarship presentation to the students and a photo session with family members and university representatives.

About Sunflower Mission

Sunflower Mission is a U.S.-based, nonprofit, non-political, non-governmental organization. It seeks to improve the future of Vietnam, one student at a time, by providing classrooms, educational materials and scholarships. Since 2002, it has built and maintained 158 classrooms with seven renovated & nine more under construction, awarded 20,413 scholarships to students at all levels, from elementary school through college, 522 students graduating from college. Please visit www.sunflowermission.org to learn how you can participate.

About eSilicon

eSilicon provides complex FinFET ASICs, market-specific IP platforms and advanced 2.5D packaging solutions. Our ASIC-proven, differentiating IP includes highly configurable 7nm 56G/112G SerDes plus networking-optimized 16/14/7nm FinFET IP platforms featuring HBM2 PHY, TCAM, specialized memory compilers and I/O libraries. Our neuASIC platform provides AI-specific IP and a modular design methodology to create adaptable, highly efficient AI ASICs. eSilicon serves the high-bandwidth networking, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G infrastructure markets. www.esilicon.com

Collaborate. Differentiate. Win.

eSilicon is a registered trademark, and the eSilicon logo, "Collaborate. Differentiate. Win.," and neuASIC are trademarks of eSilicon Corporation. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Contacts: Sally Slemons Susan Cain eSilicon Corporation Cain Communications 408-635-6409 408-393-4794 sslemons@esilicon.com scain@caincom.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b2d1df00-7877-4236-92fc-822faa0f6a93.
TORONTO, Dec. 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unigold Inc. (Unigold or the Company) (TSX-V:UGD) is pleased to announce the completion of a surface test pit program at its 100% owned Neita Concession in the Dominican Republic.



The Company has completed thirty one (31) test pits evaluating the oxide resource potential at the Candelones Main and Candelones Connector deposits. Eleven (11) pits were designed to twin historical drill holes. The remaining twenty pits were located to evaluate the potential to increase the currently defined extent of the oxide mineralization (Ref. Figure 1.0).

A total of 892 chip-channel samples were collected from the test pits. Analytical results are anticipated early in Q1, 2019. The samples will be assayed for gold using standard fire assay methods.

Approximately 25% of the samples will also be assayed for gold using agitated cyanide leach analyses. Direct comparison of the cyanide leach analyses to the initial fire assay results will provide a preliminary indication as to the amenability of the oxide mineralization to direct cyanidation and allow follow up composite samples to be prepared for further, more advanced, metallurgical test work in Q1- 2019 if warranted.

Joseph Del Campo, Interim President and CEO of Unigold commented, We are very pleased to resume active exploration at our Neita Concession. The oxide test pit program is a logical first step as we believe it will quantify the potential to increase both the grade and extent of the oxide resource. Our original plan was to complete 10-12 verification test pits, with the objective of quantifying any potential grade bias resulting from poor core recovery, prior to year end. A second test pit program, to probe the limits of the oxide resource, was planned for early 2019. The excavator progressed much faster than anticipated and as a result, we were able to complete both programs prior to year end. We expect analytical results early in Q1, 2019 which will provide us an opportunity to include additional exploration of the oxide resource areas in our 2019 Exploration Budget if warranted.

Figure 1.0  Test Pit Locations - Candelones Main and Connector Deposits

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ccdd9dc2-9759-41e6-9f12-7925646054d3

The current mineral resource estimates for the Candelones Project are summarized in Table 1.0.

Table 1.0  Summary of Mineral Resource Estimates  Candelones Project

Date Classification Source Mineralization Deposit Tonnes Au Au ozs Cu Cu lbs Strip Type (x 1,000) (g/t) (x 1,000) (%) (x 1,000) Ratio 2013-11-12 INFERRED Open Pit OXIDE Main 2,448 0.92 72 1.3 (1,3,4,5) Connector 1,108 1.12 40 1.3 Extension - 0.00 - 0.0 Subtotal 3,556 0.98 112 1.3 INFERRED Open Pit SULPHIDE Main 5,003 1.16 186 1.3 Connector 980 1.08 34 1.3 Extension 24,223 1.59 1,241 7.6 Subtotal 30,206 1.50 1,461 6.4 INFERRED Underground SULPHIDE Main 704 2.21 50 0.0 Connector 50 2.49 4 0.0 Extension 4,977 2.42 387 0.0 Subtotal 5,731 2.39 441 0.0 INFERRED TOTAL 39,493 1.59 2,014 NA 2/24/2015

(2,3,4,6) INFERRED Underground Sulphide Extension 5,274 5.27 894 0.35 41,175 NA

(1) - Mineral resources were estimated by Mr. W. Lewis, P.Geo. and Mr. A. San Martin, MAusIMM(CP) of Micon International Ltd. (Micon), a Toronto based consulting company, independent of Unigold. Both Mr. Lewis and Mr. San Martin meet the requirements of a qualified person as established by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (May 2014) (the CIM Standards). The 2014 estimate is based on a long term gold price of US$ 1,500 per ounce and economic cut-off grades 0.32 g/t Au (OXIDE), 0.56 g/t (SULPHIDE) and 1.25 g/t (UNDERGROUND SULPHIDE). Open pit resources are reported within an optimized pit shell; underground resources are reported beneath the defined optimized pit shell. Reference UGD PR# 2013-22.

(2) - Mineral resources were estimated by Mr. W. Lewis, P.Geo. and Mr. A. San Martin, MAusIMM(CP) of Micon International Ltd. (Micon), a Toronto based consulting company, independent of Unigold. Both Mr. Lewis and Mr. San Martin meet the requirements of a qualified person as established by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (May 2014) (the CIM Standards). The 2014 estimate is based on a long term gold price of US$ 1,200 per ounce, a long term copper price of US$ 3.00 per pound and an economic cut-off grade of 3.50 g/t Au and assumed exploitation of the Candelones Extension deposit by means of underground mining. Reference UGD PR# 2015-02.

(3) - The mineral resource estimates are classified as INFERRED. CIM Standards define a Mineral Resource as " a concentration of material in or on the Earth's crust in such form and quantity and of such grade or quality that it has reasonable prospects for economic extraction." The CIM Standards further define an INFERRED Mineral Resource as "that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity and grade or quality can be estimated on the basis of geological evidence and limited sampling and reasonable assumed but not verified, geological and grade continuity." The CIM Standards state: "Due to the uncertainity that may be attached to Inferred Mineral Resources, it cannot be assumed that all or part of an Inferred Mineral Resource will be upgraded to an Indicated or Measured Mineral Resource as a result of continued exploration."

(4) - Micon has not identified any legal, political, environmental or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the mineral resource presented.

(5) - The procedures, methodology and key assumptions supporting this mineral resource estimate are included in the Technical Report titled: "NI-43-101 Technical Report Mineral Resource Estimate for the Candelones Project, Neita Concession, Dominican Republic" with an Effective Date of November 4, 2013. The Technical Rport is available on SEDAR as well as the Company's website.

(6) - The procedures, methodology and key assumptions supporting this mineral resource estimate are included in the Technical Report titled: "NI-43-101 Technical Report Mineral Resource Estimate for the Candelones Extension Deposit, Candelones Project, Neita Concession, Dominican Republic" with an Effective Date of February 24, 2015. The Technical Rport is available on SEDAR as well as the Company's website.

Test Pit Program Description



Test pits were completed by a CAT 320D Excavator with a 1.5 metre wide rock bucket and a maximum digging depth of 5.5 metres.

Pit dimensions ranged from 1.5 to 1.8 metres wide by 3.0 to 4.5 metres in length. Pits were excavated to a target depth of 5.0 metres or to the top of bedrock. 20 pits reached the 5.0 metre target depth. All but one pit exceeded 3.0 metres in depth. All the pits were free digging. No explosives were used.

Eleven pits were located twinning existing drill holes. Twenty pits were step out pits, designed to probe the lateral continuity of the oxide mineralization.

In each pit excavated, all four pit walls were continuously channel sampled on 1.0 metre intervals from surface to the pit floor. Each channel sample was established in the approximate center of each pit face. The channel was precut using a portable diamond saw where necessary. In many instances, the pit wall was comprised entirely of soft sediment. In this instance, the diamond saw was not used and the sample was collected using the pick of a geology hammer. Where there was sufficient rock content (>60%), two parallel cuts, 10-15 cm apart and 2.5 to 3.0 cms deep, were established in the center of each pit face. The material between the cuts was then collected using either a geology hammer or a hammer and chisel. Prior to collection of each sample, a clean tarp was placed at the bottom of each channel. The material for each 1.0 metre sample interval was collected on the tarp and transferred to a five gallon bucket which was sealed with a lid and lifted out of the pit to surface for processing.

Each bucket was passed through a  inch riffle splitter. The undersize fraction (-  inch) was collected in stainless steel bins. The oversize fraction (+  inch) was hand sorted equally into the two sample splits. Every effort was made to ensure that the oversize fraction was separated into both splits equally. At times, this required larger pieces of rock to be broken by hammer during the sample splitting process.

One sample split was identified as the PRIMARY sample. The split was tagged, bagged and submitted for analyses. The PRIMARY samples will be assayed for gold using standard fire assay and agitated cyanide leach analyses.

The reject sample split was then passed through the riffle splitter a second time. The undersize (-  inch) and oversize (+  inch) fractions were tagged and bagged separately and submitted to fire assay analyses only to determine if gold is preferentially favours either size fraction or if the gold is equally distributed over both size fractions.

QA/QC

Certified standards and blanks were randomly inserted into the sample stream and constitute approximately 10% of the sample stream. Samples are shipped to a sample preparation facility in the Dominican Republic operated by Bureau Veritas. Assaying is performed at Bureau Veritas Commodities Canada Ltd.s laboratories in Vancouver and Richmond, B.C., Canada. All samples are analyzed for gold using a 50 gram lead collection fire assay fusion with an atomic adsorption finish. Select samples will be assayed for gold using a 30 gram agitated cyanide leach analyses with an atomic adsorption finish.

Wes Hanson P.Geo., Chief Operating Officer and Technical Director of Unigold, who is a qualified person under the definitions established by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the contents of this press release.

About Unigold Inc.  Discovering Gold in the Caribbean

Unigold is a Canadian based mineral exploration company traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol UGD, focused primarily on exploring and developing its gold assets in the Dominican Republic.

For further information please visit www.unigoldinc.com or contact:

Mr. Joseph Del Campo,

Interim President & CEO

jdelcampo@unigoldinc.com

416.866.8157

Forward-looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this document, including statements regarding events and financial trends that may affect our future operating results, financial position and cash flows, may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are based on our assumptions and estimates and are subject to risk and uncertainties. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words like strategy, expects, plans, believes, will, estimates, intends, projects, goals, targets, and other words of similar meaning. You can also identify them by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. We wish to caution you that such statements contained are just predictions or opinions and that actual events or results may differ materially. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are made as of the date hereof and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Where applicable, we claim the protection of the safe harbour for forward-looking statements provided by the (United States) Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- China Gold International Resources Corp. Ltd. (TSX: CGG; HKEx: 2099) (the Company or China Gold International Resources) wishes to announce that on or about December 18, 2018, Inner Mongolia Pacific Mining Co. Ltd., a cooperative joint venture company in which the Company holds a 96.5% interest and China National Gold Group Finance Company Ltd. (China Gold Finance) entered into a four (4) month term extension supplemental loan agreement extending the original Loan Agreement entered into on December 18, 2017, all other terms and conditions of the original Loan Agreement remain the same.



In addition, on or about December 18, 2018, the Company and China Gold Finance entered into a one (1) year term extension supplemental deposit services agreement extending the original Deposit Services Agreement entered into on December 18, 2017, all other terms and conditions of the original Deposit Services Agreement remain the same.

China Gold Finance is licensed by the China Banking Regulatory Commission. China National Gold Group Co., Ltd. (formerly: China National Gold Group Corporation), the controlling shareholder of the Company, holds a 51% interest in China Gold Finance and therefore, both the Deposit Services Agreement and the Loan Agreement (together, the Transactions) constitute a related party transaction as defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101). For the purposes of MI 61-101, the Transactions are exempt from (i) minority approval requirements in accordance with section 5.7(a) by virtue of the fact that the value of the loan and the deposit, in each case, is less than 25% of the Company's market capitalization and (ii) the formal valuation requirement because each of the loan and the deposit is a credit facility.

About China Gold International Resources

China Gold International Resources Corp. Ltd. is based in Vancouver, BC, Canada and operates both profitable and growing mines, the CSH Gold Mine in Inner Mongolia, and the Jiama Copper-Polymetallic Mine in Tibet Autonomous Region of the Peoples Republic of China. The Companys objective is to continue to build shareholder value by growing production at its current mining operations, expanding its resource base, and aggressively acquiring and developing new projects internationally. The Company is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: CGG) and the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (HKEx: 2099).

Cautionary Note About Forward-Looking Statements



Certain information regarding China Gold International Resources contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although China Gold International Resources believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. China Gold International Resources cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what China Gold International Resources currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and subject to change after that date.
English French

Elis continues its growth strategy in Colombia

with the acquisition of Metropolitana S.A.S

Saint-Cloud, December 21, 2018 - Elis, an international multi-service provider, offering textile, hygiene and facility services solutions across Europe and Latin America, is continuing its expansion strategy in its key markets with the signing of an agreement to acquire 100% of Metropolitana S.A.S in Colombia. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory conditions and is expected to occur by the beginning of 2019.

Metropolitana operates two plants in Bogota dedicated to operators in the Healthcare, Industry and Hospitality sectors.

Metropolitana is a family business that generated revenues of c. 4 million euros in 2017. The acquisition, which further expands the existing Elis network in the Bogota area, will enable further development in the Hospitality and Industry segments, in which Elis has little presence today.

Commenting on this announcement, Xavier Martire, CEO of Elis, declared:

"The acquisition of Metropolitana represents a further step in the creation of a major player in the Colombian market. Metropolitana enables Elis to extend its existing network in Healthcare and will bring new opportunities in Hospitality and Industry, in which there is little outsourcing in the country. This acquisition illustrates our growth strategy and will contribute to the continuation of Elis' profitable growth."

Contact

Nicolas Buron

Investor Relations Director - Phone: +33 1 75 49 98 30 - nicolas.buron@elis.com

Audrey Bourgeois

Investor Relations - Phone: +33 1 75 49 96 25 - audrey.bourgeois@elis.com
Takeaways:



The White House signed the 2018 Farm Bill legalizing hemp

The company is experiencing increased demand for its commercial products

The company provides products and services that can assist hemp cultivators who are scaling operations quickly

KIRKLAND, Wash., Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GrowLife, Inc. (OTCQB: PHOT) (GrowLife or the Company), one of the nations most recognized plant cultivation product and service providers, today announced that it sees a large market opportunity for sales of its products by the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill that federally legalizes hemp production. The Farm Bill allows states to regulate hemp, as well as allow hemp researchers to apply for grants from the Agriculture Department and make hemp farmers eligible for crop insurance.

On December 20, President Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill, which includes provisions to legalize hemp and remove it from the federal list of controlled substances.

The signing of this bill into law presents an unprecedented market opportunity for our company, said GrowLife CEO Marco Hegyi. The reclassification of hemp will cause demand for raw hemp plant material as well as hemp goods to skyrocket, especially with interstate commerce now legal. Our customers are already increasing their demand for our commercial line of products, including our GrowLife soil and EZ-Clone propagation products, which can be used to scale hemp cultivation facilities quickly and efficiently.

Hegyi added, Hemp cultivation presents a new market segment for our company. We have had discussions with some of our larger cultivators who need over a half-million clones monthly in order to meet the demand of their customers. Hemp, unlike other cannabis plants, has a much shorter grow cycle and is less expensive to grow; however, larger quantities of plant material are needed to manufacture hemp into finished goods such as clothing, industrial products, and cannabidiol (CBD) wellness products.

GrowLife recently announced the acquisition of EZ-Clone Enterprises, a leading manufacturer of award-winning products specifically designed for the commercial cloning and propagation stage of plant cultivation. Propagation is a common practice in commercial plant cultivation that enables growers to clone plants and fast-track their growth before moving the plants to larger growing areas. This allows farmers to grow their plants more efficiently and at a greater volume, which hemp producers across the country will be looking to do.

For more information about GrowLife, including the CEOs most recent video statement, visit the companys website . Products can be purchased at ShopGrowLife.com. in the US and GrowLifeHydro.ca/ in Canada.

About GrowLife, Inc.

GrowLife, Inc. (PHOT) aims to become the nations largest cultivation service provider for cultivating organics, herbs and greens and plant-based medicines. Our mission is to help make our customers successful. Through a network of local representatives covering the United States and Canada, regional centers and its e-Commerce team, GrowLife provides essential goods and services including media, industry-leading hydroponics and soil, plant nutrients, and thousands of more products to specialty grow operations. GrowLife is headquartered in Kirkland, Washington and was founded in 2012.

Public Relations Contact:

CMW Media

Cassandra Dowell, 858-264-6600

cassandra@cmwmedia.com

www.cmwmedia.com

Investor Relations Contact:

investors@growlifeinc.com

206-483-0059
SEATTLE, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- CFN Media Group (CFN Media), the leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the North American cannabis industry, announces publication of an article discussing Aleafia Health Inc. (TSX-V: ALEF) (OTCQX: ALEAF) (FRA: ARAH). Aleafia and Emblem Corp. entered into a definitive merger agreement that will create Canadas largest cannabis clinic network along with 138,000 kilograms per year of planned annual cultivation capacity.



Canadas cannabis industry may be rapidly growing with new initial public offerings each week, but there has also been a fair share of consolidation within the industry. Investors may want to take a closer look at industry mergers, since they have the potential to create new industry leaders overnight. These larger combined companies may be better able to compete against industry leaders and ultimately become the next cannabis blue chips.

Largest Cannabis Clinic Network

The combination of Aleafia Healths Canabo Medical Clinic and Emblems GrowWise Health clinics will create the largest network of cannabis clinics in the country, with 40 locations nationwide serving almost 60,000 patients. While most licensed producers are focused on mail order or retail sales, medical cannabis clinics provide an opportunity to cultivate repeat customers with a hands-on approach to treatment.

Without a sales license, Aleafias 20+ clinics and 50,000+ patients were forced to purchase cannabis through external licensed producers. The merger with Emblem enables the company to sell high-margin cannabis flower and extract products directly to this patient population. These products include capsules, oils, and oral sprays with industry-leading revenue per gram rates and award-winning customer service and deliver options.

The company will benefit from immediate revenue generation following the closing of the transaction from these unique synergies. With the average patient being authorized for about two grams per day, the company could generate significant recurring revenue if even a modest portion of its 60,000 patients transition to purchasing its internal products following the acquisition of Emblems sales licenses.

Sizable Licensed Producer

Aleafia Health will become one of the largest licensed producers in the country with a fully funded 138,000 kilogram annual production capacity across three Ontario-based production facilities coming online next year. Despite production issues at other licensed producers, the companys production facilities have delivered 100% of their provincial supply agreementsa testament to managements ability to execute.

Emblem has existing supply agreements with Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Alberta, as well as medical and retail distribution through various outlets, including Shoppers Drug Mart. In addition to these agreements, Emblems joint venture with Acnos Pharma could provide access to more than 82 million people through 20,000 pharmacy locations while Aleafias CannaPacific transaction could open access to the Australian market.

The company also owns a 30,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art extraction facility with 5,000 sq. ft. dedicated to formulation and analytical services. With GMP certification expected next year, the company could begin to export these higher-margin products over the near-term. The company also has licensing agreements in place for metered dose sprays, as well as exclusive Canadian rights to oral sustained release tablets.

Looking Ahead

Aleafia Health Inc. (TSX-V: ALEF) (OTCQX: ALEAF) (FRA: ARAH) will become one of the largest and most diverse cannabis companies in the industry following its merger with Emblem Corp. With a leading network of medical cannabis clinics and 138,000 kilograms per year of production capacity, investors may want to keep a close eye on the stock as it executes its strategy to become a leader in the medical side of the industry with a growing presence in the recreational market.

For more information, visit the companys website at www.aleafiainc.com .

Please follow the link to read the full article:

http://www.cannabisfn.com/aleafia-emblem-merger-creates-canadas-largest-network-of-clinics/

Disclaimer

The above article is sponsored content. Emerging Growth LLC, which owns CannabisFN.com and CFN Media, has been hired to create awareness. Please follow the link below to view our full disclosure outlining our compensation: http://www.cannabisfn.com/legal-disclaimer/

About CFN Media

For Visitors and Viewers

CFN Medias Cannabis Financial Network (CannabisFN.com) is the destination for savvy investors and business people profiting from the worldwide cannabis industry. Viewers will see breaking news, exclusive content and original programming involving the people, companies and investments shaping the industry.

For Cannabis Businesses & Companies

CFN Media is a leading agency and financial media network dedicated to the cannabis industry. We help private, pre-public and public cannabis companies in the US and Canada attract capital, investors and media attention.

Our powerful digital media and distribution platform conveys a companys message and value proposition directly to accredited and retail investors and national media active in the North American cannabis markets.

Since 2013, CFN Media has enabled the worlds preeminent cannabis companies to thrive in the capital and public markets.

Learn how to become a CFN Media client company, brand or entrepreneur: http://www.cannabisfn.com/featuredcompany

Disclaimer

CannabisFN.com is not an independent financial investment advisor or broker-dealer. You should always consult with your own independent legal, tax, and/or investment professionals before making any investment decisions. The information provided on http://www.cannabisfn.com (the Site) is either original financial news or paid advertisements drafted by our in-house team or provided by an affiliate. CannabisFN.com, a financial news media and marketing firm enters into media buys or service agreements with the companies that are the subject of the articles posted on the Site or other editorials for advertising such companies. We are not an independent news media provider. We make no warranty or representation about the information including its completeness, accuracy, truthfulness or reliability and we disclaim, expressly and implicitly, all warranties of any kind, including whether the Information is complete, accurate, truthful, or reliable. As such, your use of the information is at your own risk. Nor do we undertake any obligation to update the items posted. CannabisFN.com received compensation for producing and presenting high quality and sophisticated content on CannabisFN.com along with financial and corporate news.

The above article is sponsored content. Emerging Growth LLC, which owns CannabisFN.com and CFN Media, has been hired to create awareness. Please follow the link below to view our full disclosure outlining our compensation: http://www.cannabisfn.com/legal-disclaimer/

Frank Lane

206-369-7050

Flane@cannabisfn.com
Hi cfc198,Since you've been posting in the forums here for about a week, have you done any studying for the GMAT yet? In the early going, it would be a good idea to take an initial FULL-LENGTH practice CAT Test; you can take 2 for free at www.mba.com (and they come with some additional practice materials). If you want to do a little studying first, so that you can familiarize yourself with the basic content and question types, then that's okay - but you shouldn't wait too long to take that initial CAT. That score will give us a good sense of your natural strengths and weaknesses and will help provide a basis for comparison as you continue to study. A FULL CAT takes about 3.5 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take it in one sitting. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can discuss the results.I'd like to know a bit more about your timeline and goals:1) What is your goal score?2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,Rich_________________
TommyWallach wrote:

Hey All,



I was just trolling the boards, and then I saw myself summoned! So here I am, Indien! : )



The modernization program for the steel mill will cost approximately 51 million dollars, which it is hoped can be completed in the late 1980s.



(A) The modernization program for the steel mill will cost approximately 51 million dollars, which it is hoped can be completed in the late 1980s.

PROBLEM: "which" is a relative pronoun that opens up a modifying phrase. The rule on that is that it must always tough the noun it modifies. The modernization of the steel mill, however, is far away from this "which", so this won't work. "Modernization program for the steel mill" is also a terrible way to word that, though not technically incorrect.



(B) The modernization program for the steel mill, hopefully completed in the late 1980s, will cost approximately 51 million dollars.

PROBLEM: "completed" is a past participle, which makes no sense here. This program will be completed at some point in the future. Modifying it with a past participle is illogical.



(C) Modernizing the steel mill, hopefully to be completed in the late 1980s, will cost approximately 51 million dollars.

PROBLEM: "Hopefully to be completed" ought to be modifying the program itself. Unfortunately, it seems to have disappeared in this question. Also "to be completed" is not a legitimate way to say this. We'd prefer "which will/can hopefully be completed...".



(D) The program for modernizing the steel mill, which can, it is hoped, be completed in the late 1980s and cost approximately 51 million dollars.

PROBLEM: Parallelism, because of the AND. While we hope that the program will be completed on time, we don't hope it will cost 51 million dollars. That's just what it will cost Nice try, AND. Also, this is not a complete sentence. This is because we opened up a modifying phrase with the word "which", and we never returned to the main clause "The program for modernizing the steel mill...".



(E) Modernizing the steel mill, a program that can, it is hoped, be completed in the late 1980s, will cost approximately 51 million dollars.

ANSWER: Yep, it's got lots of commas. But commas are good! People forget the power of commas. Don't cross something out just because it's full of commas.



Hope that helps!



-tommy

hopefully to be completed in the late 1980s

Thanks for the explanation.I still dont understand why C is wrong.Modernizing the steel plant,, will cost approximately 51 million dollars.Bold part here is set off by commas, so there are no issues in "Modernizing the steel plant will cost approximately 51 million dollars".What is wrong with modifying clause "hopefully to be completed in the late 1980's".Is there any rule why hopefully is mostly wrong on GMAT?please explain
No-till and cover crops improve soil health, but benefits of these cropping methods also reach the pocketbook. During a panel discussion at the UW Discovery Farms Annual Conference held in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., three farmers shared their experiences with no-till, cover crops, and planting green (planting into existing cover crops).

The first panelist, Adam Lasch from Lake Geneva, Wis., explained that farms can utilize these practices without making a huge investment. He and his wife operate a first generation dairy, beef, sheep, and laying hen operation, and they use no-till on all of their 200 acres.

You do not have to have fancy equipment to no-till and plant green, he said, sharing photos of the old machinery he adapted and uses.

He is also a firm believer in the planting green concept. I am of the opinion it is harder to plant no-till than it is to plant with covers. Covers make the no-till work better, he said.

Lasch also shared some forage quality numbers from the crops grown on these acres, demonstrating that quality feed for their dairy herd could be grown at a lower cost.

Derek Van De Hey, who farms with his father and two brothers in DePere, Wis., talked about what his family calls their Million Dollar Plan. The Van De Heys milk 950 cows, raise 850 young stock, and crop 2,500 acres. In 2007, they planted their first cover crop as an inexpensive forage source for heifers. Today, they do as much no-till and cover cropping as possible to reduce their carbon footprint and improve soil quality.

With fewer inputs and better soil health, Van De Hey estimates they will be able to save a million dollars in less than 10 years. Lowering inputs means more money in the pocket, he said. The less money you spend, the less money you have to make.

The third panelist was Tony Peirick, who farms with his brother and their sons at T & R Dairy in Watertown, Wis., They milk 200 cows, run 1,100 acres, and do some custom planting, spraying, and harvesting. They have been using no-till for 24 years, implemented cover crops 10 years ago, and have been planting green for the past three years.

Peirick said that hes not a numbers guy, but he recognizes the benefits of these practices. Its amazing what you see year in and year out, and I like what I see, he said.

He has noticed better weed and soybean cyst nematode suppression, along with less white mold in their soybeans. The soil has better water infiltration and improved moisture retention in dry years. And over the years, input costs have been reduced.

While the benefits of no-till, cover crops, and planting green are many for these producers, the financial benefits  in the form of reduced costs  are definitely a plus for the bottom line.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2018

December 17, 2018




IceViking strongly condemns physical attacks and harassment directed towards them.





They are also often victims of the Islamic idea. This is true when it comes to the cruel and tragic treatment of Muslim women and children when it is in accord with the Koran, the example of Mohammed and Islamic law, Sharia, which may be applied regardless of where a Muslim male may find himself in the world, whether in a Muslim or non-Muslim country.





However, in no way, shape or form should one judge all Muslim men because of what is in Islamic scripture and what constitutes the Islamic law, Sharia.





"Race", ethnicity or basically anything that you are "merely" born with should never be a basis for bigotry and discrimination.





Apostates from Islam have been executed for 1400 years in accord with the Koran and the words and actions of the Islamic prophet Mohammed and Islamic law, Sharia.





They should be lovingly helped.





Furthermore, approximately as many as 11,000,000 Muslims may have been killed by other Muslims since 1948.





To quote the website The Religion of Peace (TROP), edited by Glen Roberts:





While it may be safe to say that a true Muslim would not intentionally kill another true Muslim ( 4:92-93 ), the Quran places no such value on the life of a Muslim who is not true. Consider verse 9:73 :

Strive hard against the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be harsh against them, their abode is Hell.

The Arabic for strive hard uses the same root as Jihad - and the context in this sura is holy war (see v. 86 and 91). Thus, there are two distinct classes of people that a true Muslim is to target with harshness: disbelievers and hypocrites.



A disbeliever obviously refers to a non-Muslim, so a "hypocrite" must be a Muslim of some sort. In fact, hypocrites are those who say they believe, but do not act as they should. In other words, they are "Muslims", but not true Muslims. They will go to hell just as unbelievers do, and so, according to the verse, their lives matter for naught.



The same sura says that a hypocrite can be recognized not just by lack of piety (reluctance to follow Sharia), but by fear of death ( 9:56 ), reluctance to fight ( 9:44-45 ) and even friendliness toward non-believers ( 9:67 ). A true Muslim would thus be a pious person who relishes martyrdom, is eager to fight, and shuns non-believers.



Even the Quranic passage that warns against killing "believers" ( 4:88-94 ) is more complicated than it first appears. It never says that a true Muslim is incapable of killing another Muslim, just that it should not be done. In fact, it makes exceptions for the unintentional killing of "believers" in war and mandates the killing of "hypocrites."



Verse 17:33 says, "Do not kill anyone which Allah has forbidden, except for a just cause" . The greatest cause of all is that Islam be superior ( 9:33 ), which is exactly what Islamic terrorists say is their goal. Thus believing Muslims are allowed to be collateral damage in the war on unbelievers.









There is sadly a phenomena that I`ve noticed in Sweden and elsewhere of people using true facts about Islamic doctrine and history as a cover for all sorts of irrational targeting of Muslims, ranging from xenophobia and racism to verbal abuse and physical attacks.





This is strongly condemned by this website and does not in any way serve serious criticism of orthodox Islam and other important work.





It`s also important that one tries to express oneself in a civilized way. Words matter.





In this bloggers humble opinion the root cause of the problem is the ancient doctrine of orthodox Islam.













In simple terms a non-Muslim is a Kafir.





" The Koran defines the kafir and kafir is not a neutral word. A kafir is not merely someone who does not agree with Islam, but a kafir is evil, disgusting, the lowest form of life."





An exact quote, as stated in the writings of Dr. Bill Warner in the article "Kafir" at http://www.politicalislam.com/kafir .





In the perfect Koran (Allah`s direct and literal word as revealed to Mohammed through the angel Jibril), Muslims are told 89 times to emulate Mohammed in all ways (see Koran 33:21 for instance).





Mohammed`s example, the Sunna, is found in the Hadith (stories of what Mohammed said and did) and the Sira (biographies of Mohammed).





Islamic law, Sharia , is directly derived from these unchanging scriptures. It is based on the Koran`s numerous commands to obey Allah and obey the Messenger, that is Mohammed (see Koran 4:59 for instance).









Islam is Sharia. Sharia is Islam.





It is a capital crime for Muslims to deny Sharia in any way.





A Muslim is someone who submits to Islam and submitting to Islam means obeying the Sharia of Allah.





Sharia law includes pronouncements for both Muslims and non-Muslims (Kafirs).









Islam is a "complete way of life", a "complete code of life", a "complete system of life".





Islam is not just a religion but also a comprehensive ideology.





Islam is a supremacist ideology.





Islam is a totalitarian and imperialistic ideology akin to Communism and Nazism.





Islam is a civilization.

Islamic law, Sharia, is a manual for a civilization.





Islamic law, Sharia, governs every aspect of life.

It has a say about every conceivable human act .





Non-Muslims are morally and legally inferior in Islam. Women are morally and legally inferior in Islam.

























The History of Jihad: From Muhammad to ISIS by Robert Spencer is the first one-volume history of jihad in the English language and a great book on the topic.





Allah guarantees Paradise to those who "kill and are killed" for him (Koran 9:111).





A hadith depicts a Muslim asking Muhammad: "Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward)." Muhammad replied, "I do not find such a deed." (Bukhari 4.52.44)





Muhammad himself said:

I have been commanded to fight against people so long as they do not declare that there is no god but Allah, and he who professed it was guaranteed the protection of his property and life on my behalf except for the right affairs rest with Allah. (Sahih Muslim 30)









Freedom of speech, human rights, democracy, science and human lives are all at stake in the fight against the Islamic Jihad.




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For the city of Bloomington, 2018 and 2020 are big years. Both the city and Indiana University are celebrating their 200th birthdays. Bloomington has already held several events celebrating its heritage and Indiana Universitys Office of the Bicentennial has been working hard for several years in anticipation. These types of celebrations only come up once or twice in a persons lifetime. But for Jim Canary, the conservator at Indiana Universitys Lilly Library, preserving history is just another day at the office.

Jim has been working at the Lilly for 32 years as the conservator and sometimes has the opportunity to teach students and lead discussions on the conservation of rare books and manuscripts. The materials housed in this library are far from typical: 450,000 rare books, 8.5 million manuscripts, 30,000 mechanical puzzles, and 150,000 pieces of music. Most of these items are old, and some of them date back to the fifteenth-century, so when a book is falling a part or needs to be properly displayed for an exhibition, thats where Jim comes in.

These are linen chords and this is a fifteenth century manuscript that's being sewn around these double chords, said Canary, so then they'll be attached and then they will be laced into cover boards, and then that will be wrapped in leather. This is before paper and so it has a nice rattle, and it's been all handwritten and illuminated.

Most people might not be familiar with the materials housed in the Lilly, whether its because of age or because its in a different language. But Jim has worked on a several items that people will recognize.

One of the things I really enjoyed early in my career here was the opportunity to work on the 1816 constitution, Indiana's state constitution. And so that was brought down with the state police. Working on the 1816 really was quite moving because it was one of the most important things I had worked on up to that point. I was born in Indiana, I'll probably live the rest of my life in Indiana ,and it just felt like a very important piece to be working on.

Jim does read e-books, but theres something about handling physical books and looking at pieces of artor history, depending on how you look at itthat doesnt seem to be going out of style.

I'm a Craftsman. I'm not an artist. I'm not trained as an artist. I've had a couple of years of papermaking and then I did a little printmaking, but primarily I think of it as artisan or craftsmen work," Cananry says, "but it's also a blend of that and science because you're working with a lot of different materials, and the interaction of those materials; having to know about the environmental conditions and storage conditions of the building to be able to preserve them and always keeping up with things.

As a curator of historical documents and artifacts, Jim Canary is also arguably a creator of history, because without people like him, pieces of art could not be shared with future generations.
- Miss Vietnam's charm is very apparent which was also the reason why she became a crowd favorite

- H'Hen Nie is not only a gorgeous lady but her simple life also encouraged a lot of people

- As one of Miss Universe candidates, she has been very vocal on how she has reached her dreams and became successful

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Miss Vietnam H'Hen Nie is truly an inspiration not only to her countrymen but also to everyone.

She has been very open in letting other people know about where she came from and how she was able to reach her goals in life.

Growing up in an ethnic minority where marrying at an early age is a practice she still chose to follow her dreams and break the cycle which other youngsters in their village have adopted.

"I am an ethnic minority. Im just to get married at 14 but no I chose education and from nothing - here I am. I can do it, you can do it," she wrote in an Instagram post.

She also expressed the same belief in introducing herself in Miss Universe 2018.

Using her native language, she shared how she was able to reach where she is now.

At 14 years old my parents told me to find a husband. However I stated that I could not possibly get a husband at that point in time because I had to follow my dreams. I did not want to live a life where I had to marry early like many other kids had in my village."

No wonder why she did very well in Miss Universe and became the first Vietnamese to enter in Miss Universe top 20 after 10 years and even reached the top 5.

Vietnam's pride continuously gives inspiration to many as she continues to help unfortunate children to have proper education by donating her entire winnings to social projects.

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In a previous report by KAMI, Miss Vietnam H'Hen Nie donates 100% of her prize to charitable projects.

HHen Nie is the representative of Vietnam in the newly concluded Miss Universe 2018 where the Philippines' bet Catriona Gray won the most coveted crown. Miss Vietnam landed a spot in top 5. Despite not making it to the top 3, she remained loved and admired by a lot of people.

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- Catriona Gray represented the Philippines in winning Miss Universe 2018

- However, Australians are also celebrating her win since she is half-Aussie

- She opened up about being a Filipina-Australian on the Kapamilya program Tonight With Boy Abunda

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Catriona Gray won the Miss Universe 2018 crown representing the Philippines. But since she is half-Australian, many Australians are also celebrating her win.

However, The Courier-Mails headline became controversial since it features an image of Catriona with the word Philippines crossed out and the word Queensland replacing it, since she was born there.

KAMI learned that the beauty queen already talked to Boy Abunda on Tonight With Boy Abunda months ago about being half-Aussie and half-Pinay.

According to Catriona, she did not choose to be born in Australia but she chose to live in the Philippines when she was a teen so she wants to be known more as a Filipina-Australian rather than Australian-Filipina.

Even though I was born in Australia, thats not my choice. It was more of my parents choice.

My decision to come to the Philippines at age 18 just after I graduated high school was like a self-discovery journey for me. [It was] my first step into figuring out who am I  what do I want to do with my life?  and just putting myself out of my comfort zone.

I chose to come here, and I came over on my own money. I wanted to prove to myself na kaya ko to. I can do this, she explained, as quoted by ABS-CBN News.

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As reported earlier by KAMI, Catriona was crowned as the Miss Universe 2018.

Catriona Gray is a Filipino-Australian actress and model who was born on born January 6, 1994. Catrionas father is Ian Gray, a Scottish-Australian. Her mother is Normita Magnayon, a Filipina from Albay.

She already joined and became a finalist in Miss World 2016 before winning Miss Universe this year.

POPULAR: Read more news about Catriona Gray

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- Miss Sweden and Miss Denmark aired their reactions regarding the victory of Catriona Gray

- The two ladies are former opponents of the Pinay beauty queen in Miss World

- They expressed their sides through long Instagram posts and a video

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Two of Catriona Grays fellow candidates during the Miss World 2016 pageant finally expressed their sides about the result of the recently-concluded Miss Universe 2018.

KAMI learned that it was Miss Denmark Helena Heuser and Miss Sweden Emma Strandberg who aired their opinions regarding the victory of their former opponent.

The two beauty queens also joined in the Miss Universe 2018 and they established a BFF or bestfriends forever relationship with the Philippines bet.

This became the reason why they could not contain their happiness upon hearing the name of Catriona as the winner in the prestigious contest.

As her congratulatory message, Miss Sweden initially wrote that she is very proud of what her Miss World sister has achieved.

She also emphasized that the Pinay beauty queen deserved the crown and that she will continuously support her in her journey of being a Miss Universe.

"I am speechless sister, and I cant stop crying I am so proud and glad that you are standing there with the new title... We could never ask for a better woman to stand there. Your personality, kindness and love for this world, Emma quipped.

"You deserved this crown more than anyone else in this universe and I know that you are going to do a wonderful job! I cant wait to follow your journey and I wish you all the best from the bottom of my heart, she added.

Meanwhile, in a long Instagram post, Miss Denmark did not forget to show her gratitude to Catriona for being her good friend since their Miss World days.

She even called the Bicolana model as the best Miss Universe ever and that she is truly destined to wear the crown and embrace the title.

"To (Catriona Gray) Thank you for being my friend. I look up to you in so many ways. You have such a star potential, but yet youre incredibly humble and down to earth, Helena expressed.

"You.. my Kit Cat, was destined for that crown! The Miss Universe Organization just crowned the best Miss Universe ever today! You deserve the absolute best in life, and I cant wait to see what the future brings you! Meeeeoowww, she added.

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In a video uploaded on Youtube, the two ladies spoke up again about how they feel now that Catriona  their sister  is already given the title.

They emotionally reiterated that they are happy and proud of the new Miss Universe and they are hoping to see her in New York City where she will be based.

Here is the video:

In a previous article by , trending Miss Spain Angela Ponce also gave her opinion about the victory of Catriona.

Born on January 6, 1994, Catriona Gray is a Filipina-Australian model, actress, and beauty queen who already appeared in several television advertisements. She is the fourth Filipina to be crowned Miss Universe.

POPULAR: Read more news about Catriona Gray!

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- Miss Albania just encountered an unusual incident when she was about to leave Thailand

- She could not give all the amount that the airport asked for her excess baggage

- The beauty queens Thai fans made a way for her to finally go home

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Miss Albania Trejsi Sedjini, who recently competed in the Miss Universe 2018 pageant, experienced a difficulty leaving Thailand because of having not enough money.

KAMI learned of the information after the beauty queens number one Thai supporter Korakot Mussamont Chansiri posted about the incident on her social media account.

According to the Thai fan, Trejsi needed THB 5,225 or 8,464.50 in Philippine currency to pay for her excess baggage going home.

However, her money was not enough to defray the payment asked by the Suvarnabhumi Airport that was why Trejsi started to unload some of her things in her baggage.

Since her supporters in Thailand wanted her to go home bringing all the souvenirs she got from them, they contributed money to shoulder the excess baggage fee.

It was seen on the photos uploaded on Facebook how people gave what they have in their wallets for Miss Albania.

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Korakot even revealed that this happened when the newly-crowned queen Catriona Gray was already in a private plane going back to Manila.

As soon as Trejsi arrived in Albania, she immediately posted a message of gratitude for the Thai fans who helped her in the airport.

She also did not forget to mention how lovely and supportive they were throughout her Miss Universe journey.

"Thank you my Thai fan for making me happy. Thank you for the support, the gifts and the love that you share everyday for me. You all are so real and lovely," she wrote.

In a previous article by , Miss Universe 2005 Natalie Glebova bravely spoke up about the victory of Catriona.

Miss Albania Trejsi Sedjini is one of the crowd favorites during the prestigious pageant on December 17. Although she failed to make it to the Top 20, she became trending because of a video that showed her lively character on stage.

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When the Metro's new Crenshaw/LAX line opens in summer 2020, riders will travel through a 1.3-mile-long art project celebrating L.A.'s African-American achievement.

"Destination Crenshaw" is set to break ground in early 2019, and will flank the route along Crenshaw Boulevard. Renderings were released earlier this month.

"The hope,"Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson said, "is that [people] understand that L.A., among other things, is quintessentially a black city. In the same way that it's a Latino city, in the same way it's a Jewish city, in the same way that it's a Japanese city. The stories of black people in this town are central to what this town is, and what it continues to develop into."

Harris-Dawson called Destination Crenshaw an "open-air museum" that is set to feature monuments, art, park space, and other cultural experiences celebrating black Los Angeles. It'll be one of the first stops for people taking the Metro from LAX, with clear views of the surrounding art.

A rendering of the proposed makeover of the Crenshaw Wall, including art restoration, wall stabilization, and the installation of a parklet, including signage, shade structures, and landscaping. (Courtesy of Perkins+Will)

The inspiration for the project was the Crenshaw Wall, Harris-Dawson said. That's the massive graffiti project that already stands in Crenshaw, which Harris-Dawson wants to see restored and enhanced.

"But also many of our artists that are in this community have art that you have to travel outside South L.A. to see," Harris-Dawson said. "We wanted to create a space for them to show their work in their own neighborhoods."

An open call went out for artists earlier this year, but another is planned for 2019.

The space will have more than 125 spots for art, according to Harris-Dawson, including 3D art, street art, fine art, and more. The art will tell stories curated by the project's historian.

Even the parks will be part of telling the story.

"There may be a [play structure] there that may spell out the words, 'say it loud,'" Harris-Dawson said. "So that's a way in which, as a park, it is a functional tool, but it tells a story about political protest, and community confrontation, and African-American music in a direct way."

An aerial rendering of Crenshaw Boulevard from the Hyde Park Station at Slauson Avenue (left) to Leimert Park (right) showing various Destination Crenshaw project element locations. (Courtesy of Perkins+Will)

Actress/creator Issa Rae and rapper Nipsey Hussle have signed on to help raise visibility for the project.

Harris-Dawson hopes Destination Crenshaw will help bring back creative businesses and boost the local economy.

"African-American culture is consumed by the world, in every corner of the world, but African-American neighborhoods have not necessarily been able to take advantage of that," Harris-Dawson said.

"Whether it's streetware and street fashion that is largely generated by young people in the Crenshaw neighborhood -- they make a sneaker popular, and then you have to go to Melrose to get the sneaker. And the same is true for all forms of art," he said.

A rendering of a view from the east of Sankofa Park, located where Crenshaw Boulevard and Leimert Boulevard split. (Courtesy of Perkins+Will)

Destination Crenshaw is set to open in spring 2020. They also have a public kickoff event planned for Feb. 8, 2019, where they hope to reveal a couple of the key artists contributing to the project, according to Harris-Dawson.

Here's a promotional video from earlier this year:

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You might notice some some new signage on a stretch of the 134 Freeway. Reflective plastic lettering backed by that familiar green now proclaims you're driving on the "President Barack H. Obama Highway."

The 44th president's name christens the route from the 210 Freeway in Pasadena to State Route 2 in Glendale.

Obama moved to Southern California in August 1979 and lived in Pasadena for most of that time while attending Occidental College in Eagle Rock. He transferred to New York's Columbia University in 1981.

This presidential tribute is a couple years in the making. State Sen. Anthony Portantino introduced it as a motion in December 2016 and it was signed into law in September 2017.

"The President has often mentioned his fond memories of living in Pasadena and attending Occidental College, so it was very appropriate to name the portion of the freeway he travelled after him," Portantino said in a statement.

So the next time you find yourself stuck in traffic overlooking Eagle Rock with the Los Angeles skyline in the distance, you can say "thanks, Obama" and it'll work on some level.

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2018 was a crazy few years, but it had its moments. Here at LAist, we tried to come up with a list of them -- stories, issues, and events -- that said something more about life in Southern California. It's not an exhaustive list by any means, so if you think we've missed something, sound off in the comments below.

Now, time for that trip down memory lane:

WELCOME TO THE 'NEW ABNORMAL'

The Woolsey Fire burned nearly 97,000 acres. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

The year started with a startling reminder that a wildfire is only the beginning of the danger for neighborhoods at the edge of urban regions. In the aftermath of the Thomas Fire that burned last December, mudslides in Montecito and other Santa Barbara County communities killed 23 people. The disaster heralded another year of record destruction and showed just how quickly homes can be wiped away by flames or fire-primed debris flows.

And now it's official: the 2018 fire season is the deadliest and most destructive ever recorded in California. November's Camp Fire is now the biggest wildfire in the state's recorded history. Locally, the devastating Woolsey Fire destroyed hundreds of homes and burned nearly 90 percent of national park land in the Santa Monica Mountains. Gov. Jerry Brown characterized this as "the new abnormal" for the state, where years of drought have turned much of our wildland into a tinderbox. And we're not doing ourselves any favors by building homes in fire-prone areas using methods that don't save houses. It doesn't appear that local governments, developers or prospective homeowners will be learning from those lessons anytime soon.

HOMELESSNESS SOLUTIONS VS. NIMBY RAGE

Koreatown community members demanded the Los Angeles City Council hold public hearings before moving forward on a proposed emergency homeless shelter. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)

Call it NIMBYs First Law: For every action by local government to address the homelessness crisis, there is a vocal and opposite reaction from local property owners. Usually that reaction is "sure, something should be done, but absolutely not here --and if you try, prepare for a fight."

And those battle lines were drawn all over Southern California this year, with a high-profile showdown in Orange County and a series of clashes in L.A. -- especially after Mayor Eric Garcetti announced an initiative he said would fast-track the construction of emergency homeless shelters throughout the city. That came just before a KPCC investigation found safety and sanitation problems in shelters around L.A. County were the reasons thousands of shelter beds sit empty every night.

Since Garcetti unveiled his plan in April, Angelenos in several council districts protested in the streets, shouted down city officials in heated public meetings and even threatened to recall their councilmembers. Residents in Koreatown were outraged enough to persuade Councilman Herb Wesson to move a proposed site from the edge of the neighborhood to the edge of his district. A proposed site in Sherman Oaks has been in limbo for months. Plans in San Pedro and Wilmington were also met with scorn. As 2018 ends, a few project sites have been approved and one has opened (we're keeping track of all of them here).

SCOOTERS, SCOOTERS EVERYWHERE

(Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

An affordable, environmentally-friendly alternative to ease congestion or an unruly threat to public safety? That was the dilemma at the heart of the electric scooter debate, which zipped into the public discourse in a big way this year. E-scooters started appearing in Venice and the city of Santa Monica late last year, but it all came to a head in 2018.

The two major operators, Bird and Lime, worked from the philosophy that it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission and dropped hundreds of scooters in neighborhoods, then waited for local governments to respond. And cities did that this year, though not without drama. When Santa Monica threatened to cut Bird and Lime out of a pilot program, the companies turned off their scooters in protest. Long Beach and Los Angeles also scrambled to draft new rules and start pilot programs. Other cities opted to ban scooters altogether. Don't be surprised when you start seeing more of the two-wheelers grouped on sidewalks and zipping around the region as other companies get in on the craze.

#METOO HITS HOME

The University of Southern California was in turmoil as it was accused of being too slow to act on accusations of abusive sexual practises by Dr. George Tyndall. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

The impact of the #MeToo movement continues to radiate locally, moving beyond Hollywood and into the state legislature, L.A. City Hall, higher education and public transit. As more victims of sexual harassment and abuse come forward, institutions across SoCal are facing scrutiny for their failure to act to protect their workers, patrons and students. The L.A. Times investigation into multiple, shocking allegations of sexual misconduct against former USC gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall -- and the payout he received from the university when he left in 2017 -- sparked outrage, a multi-million dollar lawsuit and the resignation of USC's president. The university formed committees and task forces to figure out how to prevent something similar from happening in the future, but some of their outreach hasn't been received well by students and victims who've reported abuse.

THE ORANGE CURTAIN FALLS

Democratic Congressional candidate Katie Porter, right, greets supporters at an event in Irvine on Election Day, Nov. 6, 2018. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)

If you thought you had Los Angeles' famously conservative neighbor all figured out, you didn't. Orange County has long been considered a Republican stronghold, but the midterms changed that. Democrats swept all seven congressional seats representing Orange County residents, flipping four that had long been in Republican control. That had national ramifications, helping give Democrats a majority in the House of Representatives. And at the state level, Democrats took back a supermajority in the Senate and kept it in the Assembly, consolidating power and making it that much easier to push through their policies (especially with incoming governer Gavin Newsom).

OUR CITY OF GOLD LOST SOME OF ITS LUSTER

Jonathan Gold at the Cinema Cafe at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. (PunkToad/Flickr Creative Commons)

It's been a devastating year for the food world. Barely a month after Anthony Bourdain's death, L.A. lost one of its most articulate culinary advocates. Jonathan Gold was much more than a restaurant critic but in that capacity he did something revolutionary -- he treated strip mall joints, "ethnic" restaurants and hole-in-the-wall takeout windows with the same reverence that most food writers reserved for ritzy spots with PR teams and name-brand chefs. In the internet era of 2018, that hardly seems noteworthy. Back in the day, he was flinging open the door to L.A's food scene for a hungry audience. His palate was exceptional. So were his words and his affection for his native city. He will be missed.

A TRAGEDY IN THOUSAND OAKS

People arrive to a family assistance and reunification center following a mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill on Nov. 8, 2018 in Thousand Oaks. (David McNew/Getty Images) (David McNew/David McNew)

Mass shootings continued to permeate the American psyche this year, with one shattering a Southern California community in November. Twelve people, most of them in their early twenties, were fatally shot at the Borderline Grill and Bar in Thousand Oaks during a popular "Country College Night." Among the victims was 54-year-old Ventura County Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Helus, who investigators later explained was killed by friendly fire while confronting the gunman, who authorities said took his own life. LAist/KPCC combed through publicly available dispatch tape from that night to better understand how authorities responded. The audio shows a swift initial response that ground to a halt once Helus was shot. Only one person shot by the gunman survived.

NEW LEADERSHIP -- AND UPHEAVAL -- IN LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva was sworn in Monday, Dec. 3. (Courtesy Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department)

You might have heard there's a new sheriff in town. For the first time in a century, an incumbent L.A. County sheriff was ousted by another candidate. Alex Villanueva ran as a radical reformer and emphasized his Democratic identity in his bid to defeat Jim McDonnell -- and it worked. The new sheriff is already making big changes in America's largest sheriff's department, cleaning house and weakening some rules meant to discipline deputies for misconduct.

The Los Angeles Police Department also got a new leader earlier this year. Chief Michel Moore took over the department when Charlie Beck retired in late June. And his tenure got off to a rocky start, as he dealt with the aftermath of two police shootings in which officers killed an innocent bystander in Silver Lake and a homeless woman held hostage in Van Nuys. The L.A. Times later revealed that Moore took a brief retirement before being promoted to chief, collecting about $1.27 million in the process. That shed light on the city's controversial DROP program and sparked calls for reform.

A TUMULTUOUS, PROMISING YEAR FOR LOCAL JOURNALISM

(LAist file photo)

Southern California's local news landscape saw some monumental shifts this year, the biggest being the L.A. Times and San Diego Union-Tribune escaping the clutches of Tronc and returning to local ownership under biotech billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. The deal closed in June and Soon-Shiong made good on his promises of big changes at the L.A. Times. The paper's operations moved from their historic home in downtown L.A. to El Segundo and went on a hiring spree.

But as the L.A. Times pushes for renewed investment in local journalism, several other community print publications had their newsrooms gutted, like the 11-paper Southern California News Group -- or stopped the presses for good.

Then there's the sad saga of L.A. Weekly, which has faced boycotts and searing criticism after a new ownership group took over in late 2017. This August, one owner sued the rest, alleging they've worked to enrich themselves at the expense of the city's once-beloved alt-weekly.

And we can't forget ourselves, can we? In February, KPCC announced its purchase and planned revival of LAist, which was abruptly shut down in October 2017. We officially re-launched the site in June and have been loving every minute of it. We're excited to continue to report local stories that matter to you.

See you in 2019.

Ryan Fonseca and Elina Shatkin contributed to this story.

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.
Deputy District Attorney Van Ha said Henry Cunningham (dob 9/26/52) of Compton faces one felony count of murder and one misdemeanor count of cruelty to child by inflicting injury.

Arraignment in case TA147755 is scheduled today in Department 12 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Compton Branch.

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On Dec. 17, victim Melanie Cunningham, 58, and her 1-year-old granddaughter were asleep inside the victims bedroom when the defendant allegedly grabbed a kitchen knife and slit her throat, killing her, the prosecutor said.

Bail is set at more than $1 million. If convicted as charged, the defendant faces a possible maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison.

The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, Compton Station.
Department of Consumer and Business Affairs to Enforce Rent Stabilization Ordinance in Unincorporated Los Angeles County

A temporary rent stabilization ordinance is now in effect for eligible rental units in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. The ordinance, which is valid for 180 days, limits residential rent increases to no more than three percent within a 12-month period and limits the reasons a tenant can be evicted.

The County of Los Angeles Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA) enforces the new ordinance. DCBA is working to educate renters and landlords about the Countys new temporary ordinance, which was implemented by the Countys Board of Supervisors in November last month.

For more information about L.A. Countys new temporary rent stabilization ordinance, contact DCBAs new Rent Stabilization program:

To find out if a property is in unincorporated Los Angeles County, visit the Los Angeles County Register-Recorder/County Clerk website at lavote.net/precinctmap and select District Map Look Up By Address.

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Single-family homes, condominiums, and some apartments are not considered eligible rental units.

The Board of Supervisors can extend the temporary rent stabilization ordinance, as necessary, or vote to replace it with a permanent ordinance.

Since 1976, the County of Los Angeles Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA) has served consumers, businesses, and communities through education, advocacy, and complaint resolution. We work every day to educate consumers and small business owners about their rights and responsibilities, mediate disputes, investigate consumer fraud complaints, and enforce Los Angeles Countys minimum wage ordinance. For more information, visit dcba.lacounty.gov.
Saturday, November 10, 2018

Easily lost amidst big election news and the resignation of US Attorney General Jeff Sessions was this Justice Department press release, dated Wednesday, November 7, 2018, titled "Deputy Attorney General Names U.S. Attorney Williams Chair of National Marijuana Working Group." Here is part of the text:

Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein today named Billy J. Williams, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, chair of the Attorney Generals Marijuana Working Group. The working group is part of the Attorney General Advisory Committees (AGAC) Controlled Substances Subcommittee. I am honored to be named chair of the Marijuana Working Group and look forward to working with Attorney General Sessions, Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein and my fellow U.S. Attorneys on this important policy area, said U.S. Attorney Williams. From our statewide summit in February to the release of our district enforcement strategy this summer, weve learned a lot from stakeholders representing many diverse interests. There is one thing everyone agrees on: a broad need for stronger regulation. This working group provides a valuable forum for sharing ideas and learning from the experiences of others in an effort to develop innovative, multi-district enforcement strategies to address the many impacts of a nascent industry.

The day of this press release was the day that Jeff Sessions resigned as Attorney General, so Chair Williams can no longer "look forward to working with Attorney General Sessions." But this appointment still seems notable and important because US Attorney Williams has been playing an active role in trying to enhance regulatory control of the marijuana industry in his home state of Oregon. I have blogged about his efforts, and a series of posts which reveal some of his views on these matters can be found linked below. Interesting times.

Prior related posts:

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/marijuana_law/2018/11/billy-williams-us-attorney-for-oregon-appointed-to-chair-attorney-generals-marijuana-working-group.html
The question in the title of this post is prompted by President Donald Trump's announcement that Mick Mulvaney will be his next Chief of Staff and this effective review of Mulvaney's marijuana reform record by Tom Angell at Marijuana Moment. Here are the details, with links from the original:

Mulvaney, who currently serves as director of the Office of Management and Budget and acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, was previously a member of the U.S. House, where he consistently voted to support marijuana reform amendments and cosponsored cannabis bills.

In 2015, for example, he voted for a floor amendment that would have barred the Justice Department from spending money to interfere with state marijuana laws. The proposal, which came just nine flipped votes short of passage, would have expanded on existing protections for state medical cannabis programs by covering recreational laws as well. Mulvaney also voted for the medical marijuana rider three years in a row.

In 2014, 2015 and 2016, he supported amendments to allow Department of Veterans Affairs doctors to recommend medical marijuana to military veterans. Mulvaney backed a 2014 amendment to prevent the Treasury Department from punishing banks that work with marijuana businesses. The South Carolina congressman he also voted for an amendment to protect limited cannabidiol (CBD) medical cannabis laws as well as a number of proposals concerning industrial hemp.

He also signed his name on as a cosponsor of several pieces of standalone marijuana legislation, including a comprehensive bill to reschedule cannabis and protect state medical-use laws, a measure to allow banking access for marijuana businesses, a hemp legalization bill and two separate CBD proposals.

Mulvaneys history of opposing wasteful government spending and support for states rights, specifically when it comes to marijuana, makes him our strongest ally in the White House, Don Murphy, director of federal policies for the Marijuana Policy Project, told Marijuana Moment.

Pointing to how the Office of Management and Budget under Mulvaney on several occasions has floated severe funding cuts for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, commonly known as the drug czars office, Murphy said that the new acting chief of staff delivers our more liberty/less spending position directly into the Oval Office on a daily basis, where it could bring the federal war on marijuana to an end by 2020.

It is unclear how long Mulvaney will serve as acting chief of staff, or how frequently marijuana issues will come across his desk, but the fact that he  and not an ardent legalization opponent like Chris Christie, who was also under consideration for the job  will sit a door away from the Oval Office is likely to be seen as a positive development for cannabis reform supporters.

In his new capacity, Mulvaney will be party to conversations about which congressional legislation the president should back as well as discussions about potential marijuana enforcement policy changes at the Department of Justice under a new attorney general.
This week the Democrats of the US Congress' Joint Economic Committee released this interesting short report titled simply "The National Cannabis Economy." Here is how it gets started and its final passages:

The National Cannabis Economy

Cannabis, or marijuana, is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. Though illegal at the federal level, states are taking action to legalize cannabis  from recreational use in states like Colorado and Maine to medical use in New Mexico and Florida. A record 66 percent of Americans now support legalizing cannabis, a dramatic increase from just 12 percent in 1969.

The legalization of cannabis has significant implications for state economies, as well as the national economy. The industry totaled more than $8 billion in sales in 2017, with sales estimated to reach $11 billion this year and $23 billion by 2022. There were more than 9,000 active licenses for cannabis businesses in the U.S. in 2017, with the industry employing more than 120,000 people.

As more states move to legalize cannabis, these numbers will only continue to rise, potentially providing a new stream of revenue and jobs to local economies. But to realize these benefits, policymakers must address conflicts between state and federal regulations that impede the growth of the cannabis economy....

Going Forward

There are a variety of proposals to fix the conflicts between state and federal cannabis laws. Of these proposals, the bipartisan STATES Act has drawn support from President Trump and the cannabis industry. The STATES Act would amend the Controlled Substances Act so that its provisions no longer apply to individuals acting in accordance with state laws. Importantly, the bill would also clarify that financial transactions with state-legal cannabis businesses are not drug-trafficking, creating a solution for financial institutions and the cannabis industry. Several states could be next to legalize cannabis. A bill to legalize cannabis is progressing through the New Jersey legislature, while New York lawmakers are preparing to consider similar legislation this year. Similarly, newly elected governors in New Mexico, Minnesota, Illinois, and Connecticut have all voiced support for legal cannabis, positioning their states to consider the issue.

Conclusion

The growth of the cannabis economy presents opportunities for greater job creation, more tax revenue, and better patient care. But current conflicts between state and federal law threaten to impede social and economic growth. Going forward, lawmakers and regulators should prioritize solutions that promote greater research into the health effects of cannabis and reduce regulations that restrict the industrys ability to conduct business.
Friday, December 14, 2018

This Denver Post article, headlined "Cory Gardner will try to pass marijuana banking, other reforms in the Senate next week," reports on a legislative gambit that the Republican Senator claims to be considering. Here are the details:

Gardner plans to introduce an amendment Monday that, if passed, would let cannabis businesses open bank accounts in states where theyre legal. It would exempt retailers from federal prosecution while still keeping cannabis a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it would remain illegal in the states that havent legalized marijuana for medical or recreational use.... The Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act is a bill Gardner and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, introduced together this summer. Its purpose was to have federal laws basically mirror state laws when it comes to cannabis. The bill hasnt moved much since it was introduced, so Gardner wants to attach it to a criminal justice reform bill working its way through Congress during the lame-duck session. This is by far and away the best shot weve had so far, Gardner told the Denver Post on Friday morning. The reason Gardner thinks this might work is because of how the Senate works. When a bill comes up for a vote, its a lot easier to attach a germane amendment than one that has nothing to do with the bill. Any one senator can object to an unrelated amendment, but relevant amendments often become pending  meaning they get a vote from the full Senate. I cant think of a more appropriate piece of legislation than this bill to try as an amendment to, Gardner said. The criminal justice bill is a priority for both President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky. Gardner said he hadnt spoken to the president about his plan to attach his measure to the bill, but said the president supports this legislation, and in its purest form it is sentencing reform. Hes also confident that he has Senate support to add it as an amendment if he can get a vote.

Given that the leadership of the Senate Judiciary Committee and of the Senate generally has shown, to date, absolutely no interest in holding hearings or moving forward with the STATES Act, I will not dispute Senator Garnder's statement that this is "the best shot [supporters have] had so far." But given that the leadership of the Senate Judiciary Committee and of the Senate generally has shown, to date, absolutely no interest in the STATES Act, I would be shocked if it gets the procedural or substantive support needed to get through the Senate in the coming weeks. And even if it somehow did, there is limited basis to think it would also make it through the House. Ergo, I think this proposed gambit by Senator Gardner has improve the chances of the STATES Act passing in 2018 from 0.1% to maybe 0.5%.

That said, especially with Democrats in control of the House of Representatives come 2019, there is a brighten chance for some meaningful federal marijuana reform in the next Congress. And it is great that Senator Gardner remains highly motivated to try to get his version of reform before his colleague and ultimately into law.

Prior related posts:

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/marijuana_law/2018/12/senator-cory-gardner-talking-up-getting-states-act-attached-to-federal-criminal-justice-reform-bill.html
The title of this post is the headline of this effective recent piece by John Collins of the London School of Economics written for the BBC. Here are excerpts:

Around the world attitudes towards the use of cannabis are shifting. Mexico's new government plans to legalise recreational cannabis use, as does the incoming government of Luxembourg. Meanwhile, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is considering a referendum on what its approach should be....

What has led one country after another to move towards a relaxation of their laws and, in many cases, outright legalisation?

It was only in 2012 that Uruguay announced it would be the first country in the world to legalise recreational cannabis use. In large part, the move was aimed at replacing links between organised crime and the cannabis trade with more accountable state regulation.

Later the same year, voters in Washington State and Colorado became the first in the US to support legalisation of the drug for non-medical use. Under President Barack Obama, a critic of the US-led war on drugs, the US government stepped back from enforcing federal laws and effectively gave states a green light to explore alternatives....

The tide has crept across the Americas, with Canada legalising the sale, possession and recreational use of cannabis nationwide in October.

That Mexico will legalise marijuana seems a virtual certainty. The new government of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has introduced a bill that would legalise its medical and recreational use, while the country's supreme court recently ruled an absolute ban on recreational use unconstitutional.

Other countries are pushing ahead. Although the sale of cannabis remains illegal, possession of small amounts is no longer a crime in countries including Brazil, Jamaica and Portugal. In Spain it is legal to use cannabis in private, while the drug is sold openly in coffee shops in the Netherlands. Still more countries allow the use of medicinal cannabis.

Around the world, there are many more countries where change is under way:

In the UK, doctors have been allowed to prescribe cannabis products since November

South Korea has legalised strictly-controlled medical use, despite prosecuting residents for recreational use overseas

A death sentence given to a young man selling cannabis oil has stirred debate about legalisation in Malaysia

South Africa's highest court legalised the use of cannabis by adults in private places

Lesotho became the first African country to legalise the cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes

Lebanon is considering the legalisation of cannabis production for medical purposes, to help its economy....

With countries worldwide moving towards some form of legalisation, others are rushing to catch up. Often, as in many parts of Latin America, governments want their farmers to have access to the potentially lucrative medicinal cannabis markets that are developing.

Corporations have also expressed interest. For example, Altria, which owns cigarette brands including Marlboro, has made a $1.86bn (1.46bn) investment in a Canadian cannabis company. Over time, as the US demonstrates, it is quite possible that the medical trade could quite easily morph into recreational sales - potentially opening up an even bigger market.

One immediate obstacle is that cannabis for recreational purposes cannot be traded across borders. Countries can only import and export medicinal cannabis under a licensing system supervised by the International Narcotics Control Board.

Farmers in countries such as Morocco and Jamaica may have a reputation for producing cannabis, but they can't access markets that domestic producers sometimes struggle to supply - as happened in Canada following legalisation....

Governments that want to move towards legalisation face a challenge: steering a course between uncontrolled legalisation and hard prohibition. Poorly-regulated industry and mind-altering substances are not a combination about which many societies would feel comfortable. But it seems a virtual certainty that more countries will change their approach to cannabis in the coming decades. As such, domestic and international rules will need to catch up.
For two years, Mohammed fought with Yemens Houthi rebels against a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and backed by the United States.

Mohamed says he tortured and killed people. He did not care whether he lived or died. But if he did die, the bracelet he wore with a jihadi number would guarantee his body made it home.

Mohammed is one of 18 former child soldiers who spoke with the Associated Press. All of them escaped from rebel forces or were captured by coalition units. They are now at camps and a counseling center in the city of Marib, in an area controlled by the Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition.

Children recruited or forced to fight

Both sides in the four-year civil war have sent children into battle  a violation of international human rights conventions. The United Nations was able to confirm that 2,721 children have been recruited to fight for all sides in the conflict. A majority of them have fought for the Houthis. But officials say that number is likely low because many families are too fearful to speak out.

A senior Houthi military official admitted to the AP that the rebels have brought 18,000 child soldiers into their army since 2014. He did not wish to be named.

Officially, the Houthis say they do not recruit children and send away children who try to join. But in Sana'a, the Yemeni capital now under Houthi control, locals say the rebels go door to door telling parents they must either turn over their sons or pay money for the war effort.

Some of the former child soldiers told the AP they joined the rebels willingly because of promises of money or the chance to carry a weapon. But others described being taken from their schools or forced to join the Houthis in exchange for a family members release from detention.

Some children gave themselves a war name after they joined the fighting. One 10-year-old boy, for example, called himself Abu Nasr, Arabic for Father of Victory.

A 13-year-old boy named Saleh told the AP that Houthi fighters came to his home and demanded that he and his father come with them to the front lines of battle. He said his father was pulled away when he refused the order. Saleh added, I heard the bullets, then my father collapsing dead.

Joining the jihad

New recruits are usually taken first to culture centers for religious courses, which last about a month. They are told they are joining a holy war against Jews and Christians and Arab countries that have been influenced by the West. The boys are told that if they die fighting, they will go to heaven.

Mohammed said, When you get out of the culture center, you dont want to go home anymore. You want to go to jihad.

The recruits are then sent to military training camps in the mountains. At night, they sleep in shelters made of tree branches. During the day, they learn how to fire weapons, plant explosives and avoid missiles fired by coalition airplanes.

After less than a month of military training, they are sent to war wearing the bracelets meant to promise to honor them as martyrs if they die. The children call the lettering on the bracelets their jihadi number.

Many child soldiers can be seen holding AK-47 machine guns at search areas along main roads in northern and western Yemen. Others are sent to the front lines as foot soldiers.

He was my master

Mohammed fought in and around the city of Taiz.

One day, the Houthis captured a coalition fighter. Mohamed was told to send electric shocks through the mans body during questioning. When it was over, he said, his commander gave this order: Get rid of him.

Mohammed said he took a heavy metal tool, heated it with fire, and then hit the back of the mans head. He was my master, Mohammed said. If he says kill, I would kill.... I would blow myself up for him.

A 13-year-old named Riyadh said he and his 11-year-old brother once shot and killed two enemy soldiers. But more often, he said, he closed his eyes when he fired his gun. Honestly, when I am afraid, I dont know where I am shooting  sometimes in the air and sometimes just randomly, he said.

Riyadh said half of the fighters he served with on the front lines were children. He said he asked his commander to let them take cover during airstrikes: Sir, the planes are bombing. The commanders answer, he said, was always: Followers of God, you must attack!

Twelve-year-old Kahlan joined the rebels with the promise of a new book bag for school. He and the other boys had no clothes other than their school uniforms, he said. They were so dirty that many developed skin problems.

Thousands have died

The United Nations says more than 6,000 children have died or been injured in Yemen since the beginning of the war. But the organization does not know how many of them died as fighters. The Houthis do not release their records.

A former teacher from Dhamar said that at least 14 students from his school were recruited. They later died in battle. Their photographs were put on empty classroom seats in February of 2016 during the Week of the Martyr. Most of them were fifth and sixth graders, the teacher said. An education official from Dhamar confirmed the story. The teacher and official did not want to be identified out of fear.

The teacher said some of the dead childrens parents were Houthi leaders who willingly sent their sons to the front lines. Its painful because this is a child and they are all my children because I was their teacher, he said. They were taken from the school and returned in coffins.

General Yahia Sarie is a spokesman for the Houthis armed forces. He told the AP there is no general policy to use the children in the battles, but he admitted that some young people do volunteer to join the fight.

He dismissed the claims from the children who spoke to the AP, calling their stories coalition propaganda.

Coming back to society

Mohammed, Riyadh and Kahlan all ended up at the center in Marib that helps children who served as Houthi soldiers. Since September 2017, almost 200 boys have come through the center.

The Wethaq Foundation for Civil Orientation created the center. It is funded with Saudi money.

Mayoub al-Makhlafi is the centers psychiatrist. He said all the former child soldiers suffer from anxiety, panic attacks and other problems. Some describe being beaten by their own commanders. Others talk about being sexually abused by officers.

Naguib al-Saadi is a Yemeni human rights activist. He said, The real problem with Houthi recruitment of children will be felt in 10 years  when a generation that has been brainwashed with hatredtoward the West comes of age.

I'm Bryan Lynn. And I'm Ashley Thompson.

Maggie Michael reported this story for the Associated Press. Hai Do adapted the story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

bracelet - n. a piece of jewelry worn on the wrist

martyr - n. a person who is killed for a religion

recruit - v. to persuade someone to join a company, organization or armed forces

heaven - n. the place where good people go after they die according to some religions

jihad - n. a war fought by Muslims to defend or spread their beliefs

randomly - adv. in a way that does not follow a plan or pattern

coffin - n. a box in which a dead person is buried

anxiety - n. fear or nervousness about what might happen

panic - n. a feeling of extreme fear that makes someone unable to act or think normally

brainwash - v. to cause someone to think or believe something by using methods that make a person unable to think normally
Syrian Kurdish allies of the United States are worried about President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw all U.S. military forces from Syria.

The Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said in a statement Thursday that a U.S. withdrawal could give Islamic State (IS) militants a chance to regroup. It noted that Turkey has threatened to launch an offensive against Kurdish forces east of the Euphrates River.

Trump announced the unexpected withdrawal -- first in a statement and later in a video message -- on Twitter Wednesday.

We have won against (IS), weve beaten them and weve beaten them badly, he said, adding now its time for our troops to come back home.

U.S. lawmakers reacted with surprise to the presidents decision to immediately begin withdrawing all U.S. troops in Syria.

Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed told reporters the Trump administration is abandoning the Kurds to a bloody conflict with Turkey. Reed, a member of the Democratic Party, called the decision a betrayal.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said the decision was a disaster in the making." Graham belongs to the Republican Party and is usually a Trump supporter.

France and Britain expressed concern about the U.S. announcement. The two countries are important members of the 60-member, anti-IS alliance.

A British government statement released Wednesday noted that much remains to be done and we must not lose sight of the threat(IS) remains a threat.

Frances European Affairs minister said that the fight against terrorism is not over.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the U.S. decision. At his yearly press conference on Thursday, Putin said he agreed with Trump. He added that the United States has done the right thing.

The administration and the U.S. Defense Department have yet to explain how the nearly 2,000 American soldiers in Syria would be safely removed.

Defense Secretary James Mattis and other U.S officials have been calling for American troops to stay in Syria to completely destroy Islamic State forces. The group still controls a few small areas of Syrian territory.

Earlier this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had won concessions during a long telephone call with Trump. Erdogan said they talked about a Turkish offensive against the Kurds.

Some Middle East experts have strongly criticized the presidents decision.

Charles Lister at Washingtons Middle East Institute called the move a dream scenario for IS, Russia, Iran and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Richard Haas is president of the Council on Foreign Relations. He said it is morally wrong to leave the Syrian Kurds to face Turkey alone.

The Syrian civil war began in 2011. It has left nearly 500,000 dead and millions homeless. In 2014, Islamic State militants seized control of several parts of Syria. While IS forces are mostly destroyed, they still hold territory in northeastern Syria.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Susan Shand adapted this VOA News report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

abandon  n. to leave and never return to someone who needs protection or help

concession  n. the act of giving up something or doing something in order to reach agreement

scenario  n. a description of what could possibly happen

concession  n. the act of giving up something or doing something in order to reach agreement

scenario  n. a description of what could possibly happen
Traditional allies of the United States are expressing concern about the resignation of U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Mattis will leave the job in February. The announcement came a day after Trump said that U.S. troops would leave Syria.

The Defense Department opposed the troop withdrawal.

For several years, U.S.-supported forces in the Middle East have made progress against the Islamic State (IS). Defeating IS forces was just one part of a plan Mattis had for Syria. He wanted to reduce U.S. troop numbers there after successful completion of the three-part plan.

The president and Mattis disagreed on the issue. They also have different ideas about support for Americas traditional alliances. In his resignation letter, Mattis wrote that the United States cannot protect its interests without showing respect to (our) allies.

Overseas reaction

The French Defense Minister Florence Parly spoke about the resignation. She said that French forces were in Middle East as part of a coalition led by the Americans. Trumps decision changes the situation, she added.

Britains Minister of State for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, wrote that If allies cannot be relied upon, others are sought to take their place. The social networking website Twitter published his comments.

Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt tweeted the U.S. move was a morning of alarm in Europe.

Defense Secretary Mattis is one of the most highly respected members of Trumps foreign policy team. He helped lead the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and later led the U.S. Central Command until he retired in 2013.

In his resignation letter to Trump, Mattis wrote that the president should have a Secretary of Defense who agreed with him on foreign policy. He added, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.

In addition to Syria, the two men disagreed about other issues, such the presidents decision pull the United States out of the nuclear deal with Iran. They also have differences of opinion about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump has praised Putins leadership skills. Mattis believed the Russian president was interfering with Western democracies.

Russia has praised the U.S. decision to withdraw from Syria. In a separate move, Trump ordered the Defense Department to plan to withdraw about 50 percent of the 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. That withdrawal will reportedly begin in January 2019.

U.S. congressional reaction

Reacting to Mattis resignation, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was distressed that it resulted from differences (about) Americas global leadership.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she was shaken by the resignation and described it as very serious for our country.

This is scary, tweeted Senator Mark Warner of Virginia. He is the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Trumps decision to leave Syria breaks with one of Americas longtime allies, the Kurds. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened in recent days to launch a military operation against U.S.-aided Kurdish militiamen now fighting in northeastern Syria.

Im Susan Shand.

Susan Shand adapted this story for Learning English based on reports from VOA News, the Associated Press and Reuters. George Grow was the editor. _____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

rely  v. to depend

distress  n. unhappiness or pain

global  adj. international, all the countries of the world

scary  adj. causing fear
The One Mix 2S Yoga from One Netbook is a tiny laptop with an Intel Core m3-8100Y Amber Lake processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a touchscreen display, pen support, and a kind of lousy keyboard. You cant have everything, right?

Still, over the past year or two weve seen a handful of tiny laptops from Chinese companies including One Netbook, GPD, and TopJoy, and the One Mix 2S Yoga is the most enjoyable to use that Ive tested to date.

Sure, I prefer the GPD Pocket 2s keyboard, but the One Mix 2S Yoga has a faster processor and storage and its more versatile thanks to its 360-degree hinge that allows you to use the computer as a tablet.

The only catch? With a selling price of around $670 and up, its kind of of tough to justify buying this device which is clearly a secondary computer  its unlikely to replace your primary laptop or desktop.

Lets take that price out of the equation for a moment though  its time for a giveaway.

The folks at GeekBuying provided Liliputing with a One Mix 2S Yoga to review. Now that our review is complete, were going to send this lightly used computer to one lucky Liliputing reader.

All you need to do to enter for a chance to win is to leave a comment on this article by 11:59 PM on Friday, December 28th.

Update: This contest has ended. Congratulations to our winner, Jerry Rioux!

Heres some fine print:

This contest is only open to Liliputing readers with a valid US shipping address.

Please leave just one comment.

Make sure you use a valid email address when leaving a comment, or I may be unable to get in touch to let you know youve won.

Ill randomly select a winner from the valid entries.

Once a winner is notified, that person has 48 hours to get respond. If I dont hear anything within that time, Ill pick a new winner.

Writers for Liliputing and close friends and family members are not eligible to win.

Neither is anyone whos won another Liliputing contest in the past 30 days.

Thanks again to GeekBuying for providing us with this demo/giveaway unit. If you dont win (or even if you do, I suppose), you can buy the One Mix 2S Yoga from GeekBuying for $670.
Microsoft put a lot of time and effort into figuring out how to put itself in front of the next billion mobile users. Part of that effort was an interesting little feature phone that never saw the light of day. Until now, that is.

The handset you see here was codenamed RM-1182. It was certified by regulators in Indonesia back in 2015. Curiously enough, it was branded as a Microsoft device. Similar phones launched by the company (like the 215, 216 and 230) were shipped with Nokia branding.

Apart from the name on the phone, theres another major difference between the RM-1182 and the others that actually made it to market under Microsofts watch. It bears the same kind of Metro/Modern user experience you saw on Windows Phones and PCs three years ago.

According to Windows Centrals Zac Bowden, who got his hands on one of the phones recently, the RM-1182 even uses the same system sounds. Bowden also says the Tiles are live-ish, by which he means they show numerical overlays for things like missed calls and unread text messages.

Even though this a feature phone, Microsoft services are front and center. Signing in to your Microsoft account links to your Outlook/Hotmail inbox and contacts, OneDrive photos and files, and OneNote notebooks. As with the Nokia-branded phones, the RM-1182 came with Facebook and Twitter apps as well as the Opera web browser and Opera Mobile Store preinstalled.

There are plenty of other similarities to the Nokia feature phones. Its a fairly non-descript plastic candy bar design, weighs next to nothing, and can run for days on end with its 1200mAh battery. While you wouldnt be printing glorious 8x10s to hang around your house with the RM-1182, its 1.92MP camera would be just fine for quick snaps that you want to share with friends and followers.

via MSPoweruser, Image via Windows Central
Joshua Galperin (University of Pittsburgh - School of Law; Yale Law School; Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies) has posted Pennsylvania Gas: Trusts, Takings, and Judicial Temperaments (4 ONEJJ (2018)) on SSRN. Here is the abstract:

Perhaps it is their role in our survival, or our economic growth, or the environment. Whatever the reason, energy and natural resource conflicts seems to be unique in the way they can drive significant doctrinal change even outside of energy and natural resource law. Pennsylvania has been a fountainhead of these conflicts. In 1921, Pennsylvanias Kohler Act and lesser known Fowler Act, which sought to protect surface owners from anthracite coal mine subsidence and to increase tax revenue from anthracite mining, ignited the legal wrangling that eventually led to Pennsylvania Coal Co. v. Mahon. That U.S. Supreme Court decision transformed the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment and forever changed property regulation. In 2012, a series of acts of the Pennsylvania General Assembly seeking to capitalize on the hydraulic fracturing boom triggered a fiscal fight that resulted in the Pennsylvania Supreme Courts 2017 decision in Pennsylvania Env. Def. Foundation v. Commonwealth, which gave self-enforcing legal meaning to the Environmental Rights Amendment of the Pennsylvania Constitution. This latter decisions both shifted Pennsylvanias administrative and legislative law landscapes and may provide a more meaningful legal framework for constitutional environmental protection than currently exists in the United States. This paper compares and contrasts these two cases, which have so much and so little in common. The paper highlights a series of similarities and offers lessons about doctrinal change, environmental law, and advocacy strategy. In particular, this paper will focus on the way that case outcomes and legal reasoning can conflict. Penn Coal is a triumph of economic liberalism and a boon to the conservative property rights movement. Nevertheless, and has been noted elsewhere, it is an example of Justice Holmes famous progressive jurisprudence. Conversely, Pennsylvania Env. Def. Foundation is an unparalleled win for environmental protection, but it evidences a classically conservative approach to legal reasoning. The paper will conclude with an attempt to understand what we mean by the terms conservative, moderate, and progressive in the context of environmental law.
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
Watchmaker promising fire trucks for Nepal has a series of dodgy financial dealingsand a chequered past

In January last year, the Nepal Tourism Board signed an agreement to grant $200,000 to the Soarway Institute for Development for its project, the Nepal Firetruck Expedition, an initiative to bring second-hand fire trucks donated from the United States of America to Nepal.
34 students from Janaki College fail to sit MBBS finals

Thirty-four Indian students from Janaki Medical College in Janakpur could not sit their first year MBBS exams that kicked off from Thursday.
Statins reduce brown adipose tissue. Credit: ETH Zurich, montage

ETH Zurich scientists have shown that statins, one of the most commonly prescribed classes of pharmaceuticals, reduce beneficial brown adipose tissue. But this is no reason to demonise these drugs, the researchers insist.

A certain proportion of the adult population has not only white adipose (or fatty) tissue, but also the brown kind. This brown adipose tissue helps to convert sugar and fat into heat. People with brown adipose tissue are better at regulating their body temperature in the winter, and are less likely to suffer from excess weight or diabetes.

An international team of researchers led by Christian Wolfrum, Professor for Translational Nutritional Biology at ETH Zurich, has now discovered that the statin class of pharmaceuticals reduces the formation of brown adipose tissue. Statins are prescribed as a way to reduce the risk of a heart attack since they reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. They are among the most commonly prescribed drugs worldwide.

Of mice and men

Wolfrum and his colleagues have been researching brown adipose tissue for many years. They looked into the question of how "bad" white fat cells, which form the layer of fat under our skin, become "good" brown fat cells. Having conducted cell culture experiments, they found out that the biochemical pathway responsible for producing cholesterol plays a central role in this transformation. They also discovered that the key molecule regulating the transformation is the metabolite geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate.

Earlier studies showed that the cholesterol biochemical pathway is also central to the functioning of statins; one of their effects is to reduce the production of geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate. This is why the researchers wanted to know whether statins also impact the formation of brown adipose tissue. And indeed they do, as the scientists have now shown in studies on mice and humans.

One thing the researchers did was study positron emission tomography scans of 8,500 patients at the University Hospital Zurich. This let them determine whether the person had brown adipose tissue. It was also known whether the patients were taking statins. Evaluating the scans shows that 6 percent of those not taking the medication had brown adipose tissue, but this tissue type was present in only a little over 1 percent of those who were taking statins.

The researchers conducted a separate clinical study of 16 people at the University Hospitals of Basel and Zurich to demonstrate that statins reduce the activity of brown adipose tissue.

"Incredibly important medications"

Although the study demonstrated that statins have a negative impact, Wolfrum warns against talking them down. "We also have to consider that statins are incredibly important as a way to prevent cardiovascular disease. They save millions of lives around the world, and they are prescribed for a very good reason," he says.

However, statins also have another negative effect: in high doses, they slightly increase some people's risk of developing diabetes  as has been shown in other studies. "It's possible that these two effects  the reduction in brown adipose tissue and the slightly increased risk of diabetes  are related," Wolfrum says, adding that this question requires further research.

But Wolfrum stresses that even if such a link were established, that would be no reason to demonise statins. Rather, it would become imperative to conduct further research into the mechanisms behind this and find out which patients are affected. It might then be possible to take a personalised medicine approach and continue to recommend statins to most people, while proposing alternative therapies for a small group of patients.

Explore further Environmental impact passed on to offspring

More information: Miroslav Balaz et al. Inhibition of Mevalonate Pathway Prevents Adipocyte Browning in Mice and Men by Affecting Protein Prenylation, Cell Metabolism (2018). Journal information: Cell Metabolism Miroslav Balaz et al. Inhibition of Mevalonate Pathway Prevents Adipocyte Browning in Mice and Men by Affecting Protein Prenylation,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2018.11.017
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Scientists have identified a growth factor found in the kidneys that could minimise the diabetes-inducing effects of blood vessel damage.

The findings come in the wake of recent data from Diabetes UK which revealed that almost 4.6 million people nationwide have either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Coupled with the recent NHS announcement that diabetes prescriptions now cost the UK 1bn a year, this latest research offers fresh hope for preventing an increasingly prevalent disease.

The research, led by experts in renal disease and translational health sciences from the University of Bristol and funded by the British Heart Foundation, focused on a group of growth factors categorised as VEGFs, or vascular endothelial growth factors. These are growth factors produced by cells that stimulate the formation of blood vessels.

In health, the subtype VEGFA plays a vital role in the kidney ensuring that blood vessels can filter and so allow the kidneys to effectively remove waste products and excess fluid from the body, while retaining other vital substances. However, too much VEGFA can damage blood vessels, causing them to leak substances that should be retained, which reduces their functionality and so exacerbates disease.

"We wanted to know whether we could protect the kidneys by using another growth factor from the same family of proteins to balance this effect," explains Dr. Rebecca Foster, from Bristol University's Translational Health Sciences, part of the Bristol Medical School.

Researchers were able to express this other growth factor subtype (VEGFC) in the kidneys of a mouse model as diabetes developed. The mice expressing VEGFC were protected from the development of diabetic kidney disease.

The study found that the growth factor VEGFC can counterbalance the effects of VEGFA by protecting the blood vessels. Pending further research, these findings could ultimately prove instrumental in how clinicians may protect those with diabetes from the development of diabetic kidney disease

The findings are published today [20 December] in the journal Diabetes.

"We now have a better understanding of how to protect filtering blood vessels in the kidney," added Dr. Foster. "Blood vessel damage is an early event in the development of diabetic kidney disease. By activating the VEGFC signalling pathway, we can potentially prevent the development of diabetic kidney disease.

"The next step is to identify the key part of the VEGFC pathway that leads to reduced blood vessel leakiness. Then we need to demonstrate how this aspect could be selectively activated to protect people from diabetic kidney disease."

Professor Metin Avkiran, Associate Medical Director from the British Heart Foundation, which funded the research, said: "In the UK, around 4.6 million people are living with diabetes. The damage this condition does to our blood vessels can cause diabetic kidney disease, as well as a whole range of heart and circulatory diseases. A third of adults with diabetes will die from one of these conditions.

"Understanding how we can protect blood vessels in people with diabetes could help us to find ways to prevent and treat many conditions, including coronary heart disease, stroke and vascular dementia."

Explore further Study questions certain treatments for diabetic patients at high risk for heart disease

More information: Karen L. Onions et al. VEGFC Reduces Glomerular Albumin Permeability and Protects Against Alterations in VEGF Receptor Expression in Diabetic Nephropathy, Diabetes (2018). Journal information: Diabetes Karen L. Onions et al. VEGFC Reduces Glomerular Albumin Permeability and Protects Against Alterations in VEGF Receptor Expression in Diabetic Nephropathy,(2018). DOI: 10.2337/db18-0045
(HealthDay)After infections tied to unapproved stem cell treatments sent 12 people to hospital this past year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday issued a stern warning about the products.

"The letters we're issuing today to manufacturers, health care providers and clinics around the country are a reminder that there's a clear line between appropriate development of these products and practices that sidestep important regulatory controls needed to protect patients," FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said in a statement.

At issue are stem cell treatmentsso-called "cell-based regenerative medicine." Because stem cells have the potential to generate any type of cell, these treatments have long been marketed as a cure-all for a range of illnesses.

Hundreds of clinics touting the unapproved treatments have sprung up across the United States.

However, shoddy oversight may have led some hopeful patients to be seriously harmed, not helped, by these therapies, the FDA said.

In a report published Thursday, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say 12 stem cell therapy patients developed infections so severe they required hospitalization, although none died. Seven of the cases occurred in Texas, four in Florida and one in Arizona, according to a team led by CDC investigator Kiran Perkins.

Between February and September of 2018, these patients sought the treatments for a variety of complaints, including chronic pain, joint or back pain, rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, and rotator cuff tears.

But potentially deadly infections, such as E. coli or enterococcus, quickly set in within the patients' joints or bloodstreams.

One patient required hospitalization for 58 days, another for 35, Perkins' team reported Dec. 20 in the CDC journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The CDC investigators say that in one Texas clinic implicated in cases there, the Enterococcus cloacae bacterium was found in all six vials containing the stem cell product used. Similar results were found in vials tested at other implicated clinics.

However, the source of the infections cited in the new report seemed to be the point of manufacture, not the clinics themselves.

The products covered by the new warning were processed by Genetech, based in San Diego, and distributed by Yorba Linda, Ca.-based Liveyon. None of the stem cell products were "FDA-approved or lawfully marketed," the CDC researchers said. Liveyon issued a recall of the implicated products in October.

The CDC researchers stressed that umbilical cord bloodoften used as the source of transplanted stem cellsis extremely difficult to sterilize.

"Umbilical cord blood cannot be decontaminated after collection because there are currently no validated processes for sterilization, so manufacture of derived products must be highly controlled to prevent distribution of contaminated products," Perkins' team noted.

However, despite repeated warnings, "many companies, clinics, and clinicians continue to market products from various sources as treatment for orthopedic, neurologic and rheumatologic conditions without FDA approval," the team said. That poses "serious potential risks to patients," they added.

The new FDA warning letter is targeted to Genentech and Liveyon. The FDA says that in June its inspectors assessed conditions at Genentech's plant and "documented evidence of significant deviations" from standard guidelines on safe manufacture.

"These deviations pose a significant risk that the products may be contaminated with microorganisms or have other serious product quality defects," the FDA said.

Gottlieb said the FDA announcement issued Thursday is a final warning to companies before tougher enforcement.

"Time is running out for firms to come into compliance during our period of enforcement discretion," he said. "We'll be increasing our oversight related to cell-based regenerative medicine as part of our comprehensive plan to promote beneficial innovation while protecting patients."

Explore further Stem cell shots linked to bacterial infection outbreak

More information: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, statement, Dec. 20, 2018; Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Dec. 20, 2018 U.S. Food and Drug Administration, statement, Dec. 20, 2018;, Dec. 20, 2018 There's more on stem cell therapy at the U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Journal information: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

Copyright  2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Deli meats can be breeding grounds for a bacterium called listeria. Credit: Olga Nayashkova/Shutterstock.com

There's no place like home for the holidays, many people agree, and millions of people will travel long distances to get there. Along the journey, however, you may be at higher risk of becoming infected with a foodborne pathogen also along for the ride.

And, that pathogen could make your day a real downer, bringing diarrhea.

Intestinal illness is experienced by almost everyone at least once in their lifetime. At the minimum, it is an unpleasant and inconvenient experience. At its worst, diarrhea is a leading cause of death, particularly in young children.

Here are my tips on how to avoid foodborne pathogens and the misery they cause, from my perspective as a microbiologist.

You can run, but you can't hide

We people live in a microbial world where microbes inhabit every corner of the Earth. A very small proportion of those microbes have figured out ways to inhabit us in a manner that makes us sick. A proportion of the disease-causing microbes can do it in our digestive tract. These are foodborne pathogens, germs that have special means to survive in our digestive tract and cause damages.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella enterica (Salmonella) are two infamous bacterial pathogens collectively responsible for more than 1.5 million episodes of foodborne illnesses per year. They are common causes of food recalls and appear frequently in news coverage.

In fact, in a quick search using the XWord Info search tool, E. coli and Salmonella have appeared in New York Times crossword puzzles more than 80 times since 1992. Norovirus, a viral pathogen that causes more episodes of foodborne illnesses than all bacterial pathogens combined, has not yet received such honor of recognition by the New York Times crossword.

Not quite famous, but dangerous

Another dangerous but less recognized foodborne pathogen is Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium found in all kinds of environments and the cause of infections with a high mortality rate in susceptible individuals. Infections by Listeria monocytogenes go beyond diarrhea. Once inside our intestines, this bacterial pathogen can cross our intestinal barrier and enters our circulation to reach other parts of our body where infections lead to death.

If it reaches our central nervous system, it breaches the blood-brain barrier, which protects our brain from general circulation, and causes meningitis. In a pregnant woman, it can invade the placenta and infect the developing fetus. For this particular risk, pregnant women are often advised to avoid ready-to-eat food products, such as deli meats and soft cheeses, where Listeria monocytogenes can grow to lethal numbers. Listeria monocytogenes is well-adapted to grow under typical food preservation conditions, such as refrigeration temperatures, rendering the pathogen extremely difficult to eliminate.

The best strategy against Listeria monocytogenes infections, similar to other foodborne infections, is prevention. We have to consume these pathogens to get sick. If we can reduce the amount of pathogens we consume, we reduce the risk of infections. Individuals can sign up for email alerts from the Food and Drug Administration to stay informed of ongoing recalls in the United States and avoid potentially contaminated food products.

Following basic food safety guidelines when shopping, preparing and storing food is effective in minimizing exposure to foodborne pathogens and preventing subsequent illnesses. In addition, the United States Department of Agriculture hosts a live chat, available also as the Ask Karen mobile app for iOS and Google Play, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST on weekdays to answer any food safety questions.

Sleep well, eat well

After all the precautions to minimize your exposure to foodborne pathogens, what else can you do? An individual's susceptibility to infections is also determined by the state of the immune system. A competent immune defense can protect us from illnesses or reduce the severity of illnesses even if we unknowingly consume some E. coli or Salmonella. White blood cells are a critical group of immune cells that protect us from diseases.

As it turns out, subsets of white blood cells respond strongly to our sleep pattern as well as our circadian rhythm, resulting in diurnal cycles of immune responses during nocturnal sleep and daytime wakefulness.

In a large population study with 22,726 individuals, when adjusted for age and sex, those with five hours or less of sleep each night were more likely to report respiratory infections or illnesses than those with seven to eight hours of sleep. While this study did not address susceptibility to foodborne infections, it showcases a potential role for the amount of sleep in our immune defenses.

Traveling also elevates our risk for infections. In addition to sleep disruption, traveling for long distances also exposes us to pathogens not common in our hometowns. Without prior exposure and immunity, these exposures may lead to higher risk of infections and more severe diseases. Traveler's diarrhea is a real thing and the most common travel-related illness. The most common cause of traveler's diarrhea is enterotoxigenic E. coli, a close cousin of E. coli O157:H7 that was the culprit of the most recent outbreak associated with romaine lettuce.

While E. coli O157:H7 produces shiga toxin and causes bloody diarrhea that can lead to haemotlyic uremic syndrome, enterotoxigenic E. coli produces two different types of toxins that result in watery diarrhea. Check out these travel guidelines prior to traveling to be ready and stay safe. Some important things to know: Eat only food that is served hot, and eat only vegetables that you clean and peel yourself. Also, avoid ice in drinks, and do not consume unpasteurized milk products, including ice cream.

As the holiday season starts, whether we are losing sleep from traveling or trying out new and exciting food in a foreign locale, let's be conscientious of what is going into our mouths. Be part of the holiday celebration, not a foodborne infection outbreak.

Explore further Guidance provided for reporting foodborne illness

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Faced with spiralling youth violence and knife crime, authorities in London have decided to treat the issues as a public health problem, deploying similar tactics from the fight against disease epidemics.

The strategy follows pioneering projects credited with bringing down murder rates in Chicago and Glasgow, two cities blighted by violent crime.

In 2018 so far, the British capital has recorded 133 murders, around two-thirds of them stabbings.

"Violence meets the definition of an epidemic health problem," Charlie Ransford, of Cure Violencean American NGO founded by former World Health Organisation (WHO) worker Gary Slutkin which has pioneered the strategytold AFP.

"We can address it using the same techniques that we use to address other epidemics."

Modelled on WHO strategies for combatting the spread of diseases like Ebola or HIV/AIDS, it treats violence like a similarly contagious phenomenon, trying to turn the tide in three stages.

The immediate priority is limiting transmission, followed by tackling behaviour that fuels the spread, before focusing on changing community norms that allowed the epidemic to begin.

This final part can include better job training and employment placement, as well as so-called "second chance" schemes for offenders.

'Underlying causes'

Authorities in Scotland adopted the approach in 2005, after it was branded the most dangerous nation in the developed world in a United Nations report that noted 2,000 Scots were assaulted each week.

They set up the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU) to implement this novel approach, its director Niven Rennie told AFP.

"It started 10 years ago and we reduced the homicide rate by over 50 percent in that period," she said.

The unit followed its own three-step strategy.

It first strengthened the penalties for carrying a weapon or for perpetrators of aggression, aiming to isolate them and limit the spread of violence.

The SVRU then identified those most at risk, to give them "options to move away from being involved in gangs, to get a stabilised life," according to Rennie.

"We found that people that were involved in knife crime and involved in violence didn't actually want to be involved in it, wanted a way out," she said.

Finally, from 2012 the unit developed prevention strategies in schools and hospitals to consolidate progress.

While domestic and sexual violence remains a concern, Scotland has become a model for successfully tackling the problemwith London's leaders now hurrying to Glasgow to learn from its experiences.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched his own "violence reduction unit", while the London borough of Lambethone of the areas most impacted by youth violenceis in the early stages of developing its own public health approach.

Its plan will be guided by "key principles" which include a multi-agency approach targeting "young people already involved in violence, or at risk of being involved in violence", according to its draft strategy.

'Don't feel safe'

Over 70 percent of Londoners aged eight to 24 are exposed to "serious violence" at least once a month, according to a survey conducted by the Youth Violence Commission.

"We do have to understand the fear young people have in the streets," said Duncan Bew of King's College Hospital's Trauma Centre.

"Young people in particular have started carrying weapons because they don't feel safe."

He admitted frustration at seeing the same youngsters showing up at his hospital, "particularly those patients who are vulnerable, coming to harm when it could have been prevented".

Despite London authorities' willingness to adopt the Scotland model, criminologist Simon Harding, of the University of West London, warned it would not be easy to apply across the capital.

"To make it work, they have to involve the communities," he said, adding previous attempts had "tended to tell the community what we are going to do to them".

"This has to be different... because it is the community that has the answers," Harding said.

Explore further How hospital youth workers are helping to combat serious youth violence

 2018 AFP
Border residents upset by ban on large Indian notes

Traders and locals in markets located along the Nepal-India border are especially upset by the governments decision to prohibit the use of 200-, 500- and 2,000-rupee Indian currency notes in the country.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Hundreds of new genes linked to blindness and other vision disorders have been identified in a screen of mouse strains. Many of these genes are likely important in human vision and the results could help identify new causes of hereditary blindness in patients. The work is published Dec. 21 in Communications Biology.

"This is extremely valuable for people with hereditary eye disease," said Ala Moshiri, associate professor of ophthalmology and vision science in the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine and Eye Center. "The whole ophthalmic community is going to start using these data."

The results are the latest to come from the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium, of which UC Davis' Mouse Biology Program is a founding member. The goal of the consortium is to identify a function for every gene in the mouse genome, by creating lines of "knockout" mice that lack a single specific gene and screening them for their effects. Consortium researchers have previously identified a set of genes essential to life, genes linked to deafness and even those linked to hereditary bad breath.

To date, the consortium has generated more than 7,000 strains of gene-knockout mice, of which 4,364 have been characterized across 11 organ systems.

"The data being generated by the IMPC is accelerating the application of genomics in clinical medicine," said Kent Lloyd, director of the UC Davis Mouse Biology Program and principal investigator of the Knockout Mouse Production and Phenotyping (KOMP2) project at UC Davis.

261 new genes linked to blindness

The team led by Bret Moore, resident at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, Moshiri and colleagues combed the consortium database for genes linked to eye and vision defects. They identified 347 genes, of which 86 were either well-established as involved in eye disease or were associated with vision in some way. Three-quarters of the genes261were not previously known to cause eye disease in any species.

"In 2018, if someone has a form of hereditary blindness, we can identify the cause 50 to 75 percent of the time," Moshiri said. "In the remaining cases, we know the mutation is there but we don't know where to look. Now eye centers that do DNA sequencing can call back patients and screen them for these new genes."

While the mouse and human genomes clearly differ, most human genes have an analogous counterpart in mice. The UC Davis team is collaborating with eye centers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and the University of Iowa to check the newly identified mouse genes against their human equivalents, Moshiri said.

The new genetic information could also enable new therapies for hereditary eye disease. In 2017, the FDA approved the first gene therapy for any diseasetreating hereditary blindness caused by a defect in the retinal gene RPE65.

"We expect that more and more of these genetic diseases will be treatable," Moshiri said.

Explore further Genes critical for hearing identified

More information: Identification of genes required for eye development by high-throughput screening of mouse knockouts, Communications Biology (2018). Identification of genes required for eye development by high-throughput screening of mouse knockouts,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0226-0
Brooke Lennington's phone buzzed late one night in 2016, a week before Thanksgiving. Her younger brother, Hunter, was calling, frantically saying a nurse at a hospital had called about their father.

Hunter, a teenager, had been too overwhelmed to learn more. Brooke called and learned that then-50-year-old Rich Lennington had suffered a stroke.

She asked how serious it was.

"Honey, the bleed is just too bad," the nurse said. "I'm so sorry."

Rich had suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke, which means a weakened blood vessel in the brain ruptured. This leads to blood accumulating and compressing the surrounding brain tissue. Only about 13 percent of strokes are hemorrhagic.

Rich had been alone in his apartment in Goodland, Kansas, when it happened. Emergency responders estimated that nearly seven hours had passed before he called 911. The longer the wait, the higher the potential for long-term damage.

Rich was flown to a stroke center in Colorado. Brooke and Hunter drove through the night from Kansas.

"We didn't know if he'd be dead already or if we'd be there to say goodbye," she said.

Adding to the swirl of emotions: Brooke had only reconnected with her dad a few years before. Rich had been abusive and an alcoholic, Brooke said. She was 9 when her parents divorced.

She had very little contact with him for many years. But they reconnected three years before his strokewhen Rich was recovering from a heart attack.

"The fact that this guy I'd despised for so long could die, it really affected me," said Brooke, now a news reporter and anchor for a television station in Topeka, Kansas. "It was tough, but I forgave him and at that point, we really got closer."

On the drive to Colorado, Brooke received a call from surgeons seeking permission to drill a hole into her father's head to release the pressure from the bleeding. She said yes.

When Brooke and her brother arrived the next morning, they found Rich on a ventilator with his left side paralyzed and unable to speak. Doctors predicted he would die within three months, six at the most.

Rich hadn't been taking his medication for high blood pressure, which is a leading cause of stroke. He'd continued drinking, too.

After a couple of days, doctors discussed taking Rich off the ventilator, but Brooke couldn't bring herself to make that decision. So, they decided to momentarily see what would happen without it. He surprised everyone by breathing on his own.

A week later, he was alert and talking. Rich now lives in a nursing home near Kansas City. He remains paralyzed on his left side and uses a wheelchair. But he can talk and eat.

Both father and daughter have struggledRich because of his inability to live independently and Brooke because her life is consumed with caretaking, although she's learning to take care of herself, too.

"At first I was so angry that he left me this mess," she said. "There I was in my mid-20s, when most people are living it up, and if I wasn't at work, I was with him or at home making calls to take care of his (finances)."

Another struggle was trying to find time to spend with her boyfriend, Jarod Marcotte, who praises her for shouldering such a huge, unexpected burden.

"I really saw Brooke's strength and independence," he said.

Brooke's turning point from anger to acceptance came a year after the stroke, when she and Rich attended Retreat & Refresh Stroke Camp, a nonprofit that gives stroke survivors and caretakers a chance to have down time and even some fun. She attended both as a participant and to do a segment for her news station.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I'd never cried about my dad's stroke in front of people," Brooke said. "One of the first things they did was get caretakers together to talk, and in two seconds I was a blubbering mess."

She's now in touch with fellow caretakers, which has been a huge support.

Brooke said she also had to overcome a sense of discomfort and vulnerability about having a seriously disabled father. Airing the story about the stroke camp was the first step. More significant was a feature about her father, the final report in the series. It received a huge response from viewers, and strangers still stop her on the street to ask about her dad's health.

"The big thing is that we can make some good out of this," she said. "Dad will never walk. But maybe I can share my story and somebody really stubborn like my dad will say, 'I'm going to take care of myself,' or 'I'll know the signs of a stroke and will call 911 immediately.' "

Explore further American girl who stayed a tot dies at age 20

Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. If you have questions or comments about this story, please email editor@heart.org.
NHS trusts are struggling to produce contingency plans for Brexit because of the continuing uncertainty about the UK's future relationship with the European Union, reveals an investigation published by The BMJ today.

Many have been unable to accurately forecast how crucial areas such as supply chains, medicines, and workforce will be affected after the 29 March exit deadline.

The BMJ sent Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to all 231 NHS trusts in England and 26 health boards across Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and received 182 responses (a 71% response rate) - 161 from NHS trusts and 21 from health boards.

The analysis found that only 9% of English trusts (15 out of 161 that responded) have established a committee or body to oversee preparations for Brexit. Out of the 21 health boards in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland that responded (out of a total of 26), 14 have set up a committee.

The BMJ also asked trusts and health boards to disclose any current risk assessment related to Brexit.

Only a quarter (26%) of those that responded (47 out of 182) were able to disclose this information, with a number saying they were still assessing the risk. Those that have been done are largely thin on detail and similar risks have often been assessed differently from trust to trust.

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, the body representing NHS trusts in England, told The BMJ: "All of the uncertainty has just exacerbated an already difficult situation. Trusts have planned as far as they can, but so much of this is reliant on central government action."

The Department of Health and Social Care, which is overseeing central coordination of risk areas such as medicines, food, medical devices, and clinical consumables, has said trusts are responsible for their own contingency activity. On Monday 17 December, the health secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC's Newsnight that the Department had instituted "full no-deal planning" for the NHS.

Hancock has sought to reassure MPs that NHS supplies, workforce, and medicines regulation will be secure in the event of a no deal "if everybody does everything they need to do." But with the terms of Brexit still uncertain, much of the detail of what trusts actually "need to do" is not clear.

Trusts have drawn up lists of contracts that could be affected by a "no deal," but most have been unable to move beyond basic scenario planning for Brexit.

The investigation did find that some trusts and health boards are taking action to support their EU staff, including paying for them to achieve settled status, while others have issued instructions not to stockpile medicines or write longer prescriptions for patients in the weeks leading up to Brexit, as requested by the Government.

For example, Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust, which has set up a Brexit committee, said it would advise doctors not to overprescribe, but it said that some products, such as furosemide and EpiPens, were "already in short supply."

Commenting on the findings, Martin McKee, professor of European Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "The picture painted by these responses is extremely concerning. It is clear that any form of Brexit will have profound implications for the NHS."

He added: "Even though ministers have been unable to provide reassurance that patients will not die as a result of their policies, they have been unable to offer any useful guidance for trusts. It is inconceivable that the NHS will be prepared for anything other than a situation that, in effect, continues the current arrangements by the end of March 2019."

Explore further UK plans medicine airlift in no-deal Brexit

More information: Gareth Iacobucci, NHS trusts struggle to produce Brexit plans amid continuing uncertainty, BMJ (2018). Journal information: British Medical Journal (BMJ) Gareth Iacobucci, NHS trusts struggle to produce Brexit plans amid continuing uncertainty,(2018). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.k5346
A longstanding legal fight about Florida's clemency process could be wrapping up soon.

Attorneys filed a brief Wednesday explaining how the Nov. 6 passage of Amendment 4, which requires the state to restore the voting rights of felons who have completed their sentences, will likely nullify the federal lawsuit.

The lawsuit, initially filed in March 2017, claims Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet made it harder than necessary for felons to get their rights restored.

There is no longer any live controversy as to claims  attacking the arbitrariness of Floridas soon-to-be-former restoration scheme, the brief said. Other federal constitutional issues may later develop depending on how the courts interpret Amendment 4 and how Florida officials implement it, but those are not raised by the claims in this appeal.

For the past seven years, felons have had to wait five years after completing their sentence to even apply to have their voting rights restored. Felons must then appeal to the state clemency board for a hearing, which only happens four times a year. The current process can take more than 10 years to complete and because of the restrictive laws, Florida barred more former felons than any other state.

The current process came out of a vote in 2011, which took down a system of voting rights restoration brought about by Charlie Christ, Scott's predecessor.

The movement to reform the states notoriously strict restoration process was championed by the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, a bipartisan group led by convicted felons. The group collected more than 800,000 signatures to qualify Amendment 4 for the 2018 ballot.

Approval of the amendment ends Floridas outlier status as the state with the most people permanently barred from voting  only two other states ban felons from the polls for life.

About 1.5 million Floridians have been permanently disenfranchised because of felony convictions.

While Amendment 4's language was written in a way that advocates say is self-implementing, it's still unclear whether the Legislature should do anything.

Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton told reporters that he has turned the question over to Sen. Dennis Baxley, a conservative Republican from Ocala who leads the Senate's committee on ethics and elections.

Galvano also said he's tasked his criminal justice committee chair with considering whether the Legislature needs to take action.

"It may be there is nothing we need to do, and it just moves forward," Galvano told the Herald/Times last week.

Baxley, whose elections committee is likely to consider an Amendment 4-related bill, also said he doesn't know whether any legislation would be necessary, adding that if it is, it shouldn't hold back any felons from registering to vote.

In an interview with the Palm Beach Post, Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis said he expects lawmakers to implement the law in a bill that he could then sign.

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
[CARL JUSTE/MIAMI HERALD STAFF, SOUTH BAY, FLORIDA ---- Inmates in 2003 take a lunch break during their work shift. Imates manufacture a wide variety of goods, most used to be sold to the State, but now the non-profits are partnering with the private sector, and is seeking partners in order to install more businesses in prisons. 4 OF 10 PHOTOS

During a week that Congress passed historic criminal justice reforms, members of a committee advising Floridas next governor strongly advised taking the opposite approach on Thursday.

Florida's falling crime rate  down more than 60 percent in the last two decades  is because of the tough-on-crime laws of the 1990s and should not be repealed, sheriffs and officials said.

"Please, as we move forward, do not retract the things that got us this low crime rate, said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

Judd called the idea of a broken criminal justice system, which was the talk in Washington this week, a "myth," and the sentiment was echoed by others.

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said that being soft on crime will lead to "an immediate escalation of the crime rate."

And Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez agreed: "The correlation between the crime rate and the tougher sentencing is definitely there," he said.

The rhetoric was in sharp contrast to the events in Washington Thursday, where the House of Representatives overwhelming passed, with bipartisan support and the backing of President Donald Trump, sweeping criminal justice reforms that roll back some of the tough-on-crime laws of the 1990s.

The Senate passed the bill on Wednesday, and Trump is now set to sign a bill that will reduce "three strikes" penalties for some drug felonies and gives some federal prisoners a way to finish their sentences early.

But those were the kind of changes that members of the panel advising Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis warned about Thursday, in a room at Florida State University in Tallahassee. The committee will meet a few more times, then issue a list of recommendations to DeSantis, who takes office Jan. 8.

DeSantis, who was endorsed by Trump, has been quiet about his positions on criminal justice issues, and the committee's recommendations could be hugely influential on the former congressman.

If the committee recommends a hardline stance on crime, and DeSantis agrees, it could doom bipartisan efforts in Tallahassee over the past few years to pass criminal justice reforms similar to what passed in Washington this week.

Judd, who met with Trump earlier this year and is president of the Major County Sheriffs of America, lamented Thursday that he wasn't able to change the minds of federal lawmakers.

"I just finished a vicious fight to no avail," he said.

Judd started by talking about why he believes the crime rate has fallen in Florida, like it has nationwide. In the 1970s and 80s "the criminals and felons owned Florida," he said.

But lawmakers in Tallahassee didn't act until criminals started targeting tourists, he said.

Judd recounted that 17 tourists were murdered one year, that Europeans received travel warnings about visiting Florida and how Gov. Lawton Chiles sent police to protect tourists at rest stops. It wasn't until crime became an economic issue that lawmakers in Tallahassee decided to adopt tough minimum mandatory sentences, and the crime rate started to fall, Judd said.

Judd said that legislators have since forgotten that.

"There is no one in government there now that was participating and on the ground  when mandatory minimums took over Florida," he said.

No one refuted the narrative, and the conversation shifted to how to deal with the opioid crisis, crime-fighting technology and terrorism.

But it kept coming back to prisons and jails, and particularly how to treat children who commit crimes.

Former Highlands County Sheriff Susan Benton and former Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary Christy Brodeur encouraged focusing on children who are a high risk to reoffend, pointing to recent programs that have been successful. (Benton noted that none of the more than 40 members on the panel, none were from the Department of Children and Families.)

But it was countered by people who said that children should be locked up more often, not less.

Former Pasco County Sheriff Bob White said jail time could be "a real deterrent" to prevent kids from committing more crimes.

"We might even stop a school shooting based on what we hear on that jail telephone," he said.

And the parents of two children who were killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas massacre this year had similar suggestions. The shooter, Nikolas Cruz, was disciplined in school but never arrested, despite being visited by police multiple times and having warnings about Cruz sent to the FBI.

Max Schachter, whose son, Alex, died in the shooting, said he hopes the committee will recommend undoing disciplinary guidance policies, like the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission report will do.

"I think we can all agree if we dont give these children consequences, well be giving them a much bigger problem when they grow up," Schachter said. "Our leniency policies and the culture to not arrest in our schools ... is leading to a very, very bad situation as we saw here."

Andrew Pollack, whose daughter, Meadow, was killed, said for some kids, it would be good to "introduce them to the judicial system at an early age."

"They put these diversionary programs to prevent the school to prison pipeline," Pollack said, "but at the end of the day, they ended up creating the school to prison pipeline."

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd is president of the National Sheriffs Association. He is president of the Major County Sheriffs of America.
While Ron DeSantis has significantly changed his tone since the election, there's one aspect of his campaign that has so far remained constant: his promise to prioritize environmental issues and water quality.

That theme emerged again in a Florida Trend business magazine piece published this week, in which DeSantis repeated that the reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee should be fully built "as soon as possible." (The piece is only available in print)

Florida Trend is owned by Times Publishing, the same company as the Tampa Bay Times.

DeSantis also talked about water management districts, which hastily renewed a land lease with sugar growers in November in an area targeted for the new reservoir. Environmental activists have railed against Gov. Rick Scott on the issues of these districts, saying he replaced experienced regulators with people who had previously worked for industry.

"We're going to have people on the water management boards that understand the issues and are going to be problem-solvers," DeSantis said in the interview.

When it comes to health care policy, incoming state House Speaker Jose Oliva told the magazine he fully expects DeSantis to support his proposed hospital reforms  chiefly, to roll back certificate-of-need regulations that limit when and where hospitals can be built. Oliva has said these rules give hospitals "monopolies" and jack up health care prices.

"I think you will see a great deal of action in trying to extricate government from the free market," Oliva said.

READ MORE: Florida's new House Speaker wants to reduce government, health care spending

The magazine also touched on DeSantis' sketch for education, which is to expand vocational and career-specific training and continue to push for more funding for vouchers through the Corporate Tax Credit Scholarships. His ultimate goal would be for every family to get a set amount of money for their student's education and so they could use it in a myriad of ways, he said.

On the economy, DeSantis plans to continue to use public incentives and Enterprise Florida to attract business to the state and wants to reduce the sales tax on commercial leases.

As far as who's helping DeSantis call the shots, his "inner circle" includes well-known advisers such as his transition executive director, Susie Wiles, as well as transition chairs U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz and former House speaker Richard Corcoran. The magazine also named a few others very close to the incoming governor: state Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Naples; Kent Stermon, the COO of a military moving company that previously rented out a condo to DeSantis; and of course, his wife, Casey.
Nirmala murder case: Chaudhary and Rawal are still major suspects

Bishal Chaudhary and Pradip Rawal remain prime suspects in the Nirmala Pant murder case even though the DNA evidence has ruled out the formers involvement in the crime.
Congress President Deuba proposes 14 office bearers

Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba has floated a proposal to have 14 office bearers.
Demand for Christmas trees and gifts surge

With four days remaining till Christmas Day eve, sales of artificial Christmas trees and related decorative items such as bells, lights, gift boxes, Santa hats, greeting cards have increased in the Valley.
Government to reduce E-levy from 1.75% to 1.5% ...
St. Helena Hospital Foundation awarded a three-year grant to both Rianda House and Collabria Care to support fitness and wellness programming for older adults in the upper Napa Valley.

This the third announcement in a series of multi-year grants the Foundation is making.

The investment will help Rianda House offer Tai Chi classes, as well as programming to address brain fitness, Parkinsons Disease, caregiver support, and memory screenings. The grant award is part of St. Helena Hospital Foundations effort to strengthen healthcare in the upper Napa Valley for older adults, said a news release.

Were so excited about this opportunity to support programming for seniors in our community, said president and CEO of St. Helena Hospital Foundation Susan Dix Lyons.

The Rianda House Board, staff, volunteers and participants are extremely grateful to the St. Helena Hospital Foundation," said Julie Spencer, executive director of Rianda House.

We are pleased to partner with Rianda House to offer our expertise to provide these specialized programs to upvalley residents, said Celine Regalia, director of operations of Collabria Care.
Collabria Care announced on Dec. 6 that President and CEO Linda Gibson is retiring effective Jan. 31.

"Gibson has served in this role for nine years and has been instrumental in ensuring the growth and sustainability of Collabria Care," said a news release.

It has been an honor and a joy to work with such a committed and compassionate team, said Gibson. "I cant tell you how much I love this organization."

We began developing a succession plan four years ago to ensure a smooth transition for when I was ready to retire. Now that the time feels right for me, I am confident that the organization is in good hands.

Linda has been a visionary leader and instrumental in Collabria Cares growth from a small agency to one of the largest and most respected agencies in Napa County, said Deborah Macdonald, chairperson of the Collabria Care board of directors.

Prior to joining Collabria Care, Gibson served as chief operating officer of St. Helena Hospital Clearlake; senior vice president, operations of St. Helena Hospital; and nurse manager at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

The Collabria Care board of directors has appointed Director of Operations Celine Regalia as interim executive director upon Gibsons departure.
Here's a roundup of books to look for this month  for your own reading list or your holiday gift list.
AMERICAN CANYON COMMUNITY CHURCH

Worship at 10 a.m. Programs for children and youth during worship service. 2 Andrew Road, American Canyon.

ARBOR ALLIANCE

Join us Sundays at 5 p.m. Why 5 p.m. worship? It is a good time for busy people and young families. Kids church and nursery available. 721 Trancas St., Napa. thearborchurch.org; 530-304-4704.

BEIT ABBA

Messianic Jewish ministry of The Fathers House is held the first and third Friday of each month at 7 p.m. Child care provided for ages infant to 7 years old. 2557 Napa Valley Corporate Drive, Napa. tfh.org/beitabba.

CALVARY CHAPEL NAPA

Sunday service is at 10:15 a.m. Spanish Church begins at 1:30 p.m. Sunday school and childcare are available at both services. Our midweek service is at 6:30 on Wednesday nights. There is childcare and childrens activities at this service. Middle school and high school study meets on Friday nights at 7:00 in the Youth Room. 3305 Linda Vista Ave., Napa; 252-2909.

CARMELITE MONASTERY

Mass times: Sunday, 9 a.m.; Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m. Confession Days for English and Spanish: Mondays and Fridays, 10 a.m.-noon; 3-5 p.m.; 8-9 p.m. First Saturdays: Confessions at 10 a.m. followed by Mass at 11 a.m. 944-2454. oakvillecarmelites.org.

CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL LIVING

Service is at 10:30 (only one service) with Teen Group at 10 and Youth Program at 10:30. Rev Jay Lang's topic is The Love and Light of Christmas." Spanish Meditation Mondays 7-8 p.m. Holiday activities include Candle Light Service Friday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. and Metaphysical Christmas Service Sunday, Dec. 23 at 10:30 (only service). World Peace Meditation Monday, Dec. 31 at 4 a.m. Visioning for the New Year workshop with Rev Julie Schmidt Saturday, Jan. 5 from 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.. A Course in Love book study and discussion restarts on January, every Tuesday at 6:15. 1249 Coombs 252-4847

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH

Sunday service and Sunday school for youths up to age 20 at 10 a.m. The Wednesday evening service is at 7:30. Child care provided at all services. New hours for the Reading Room, located in our church building, open to the public weekdays except Wednesdays, 1-4 p.m. All current Christian Science literature, including the writings of Mary Baker Eddy and the renowned Christian Science Monitor, are available to all to read or purchase. 2210 Second St., Napa. 255-5255. christiansciencenapa.com.

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, NAPA  SECOND WARD

Sacrament meeting is each Sunday at 10 a.m., followed by Sunday School at 11:15 and Priesthood and Relief Society at 12:10 p.m. Young mens and young womens programs are on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Corner of Trower Avenue and Dry Creek Road, Napa. 224-6496.

CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM

Friday, Dec. 21 worship services will be at 6 p.m. followed by Oneg Shabbat. Our Annual Erev Navidad event is on Monday, Dec. 24. Visit our website for information: cbsnapa.org. We are located at 1455 Elm Street, Napa, 253-7305.

COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Join us at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1226 Salvador Avenue, as we celebrate the glorious season of Advent! All are welcome. 255-9426; www.cpcnapa.org

Dec. 23: Worship at 10:30 a.m., 4th Sunday of Advent, Choral Christmas Presentation.

Dec. 24: Christmas Eve Candlelight service, 7 p.m.

Dec. 24-Jan. 2, 2019: Office closed

CREEKSIDE COMMUNITY CHURCH

Weekly worship service is Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Services and attire are casual with a blend of fellowship, music and teaching. Child care and childrens church offered during service. 1050 Hagen Road, Napa. CreeksideChurchNapa.org. 255-7266.

CROSSWALK COMMUNITY CHURCH

Join us on Sundays at 8:30 or 10 a.m. for a new series, A Christmas Carol. New episodes every Sunday until Dec. 25. A twist on an old Classic led by senior pastor, Dr. Peter R. Shaw. Childrens programs are at 10 a.m. You are also invited to join Pastor Pete for Praxis at 11 a.m. and again at 6:30 p.m. 2590 First Street. www.crosswalknapa.org

FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH

You're invited to attend our Christmas Weekend services! Sunday at 8:30 or 10 a.m., experience a family Christmas service complete with your favorite Christmas carols, a devotional message, and of course celebrating Jesus! After each service, enjoy our fun decorate-your-own cookie bar and specialty drinks and coffees by Brewed. 2659 First Street, Napa. www.fccnapa.org.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Please join us this Sunday for the last Sunday of Advent. Pastor David will be preaching and his sermon title is Christmas Joy, with a scripture reference of Luke 2:8-10. We sing Christmas carols at 9, and we have praise music at 10:30. Childcare for newborn to age 4 is available each week. Our weekly Sunday School programs are: The Path Sunday School for kids at 10:30; The Friendship Class at 10; The Adult Bible Study meets at 10:30. On Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24, we will have a 5 p.m. Children's Christmas Eve celebration and at 7 p.m. we will have a traditional candle light service with Christmas carols, handbells and choir. Pastor David's Christmas Eve sermon is titled "Why Have You Come Tonight?" 1333 Third St., 707-224-8693, fpcnapa.org, facebook.com/fpcnapa, look for us on Givelify.

GRACE CHURCH OF NAPA VALLEY

Worship service at 9 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. Adult Sunday school classes at 9 a.m. Childrens service at 9 and 10:40 a.m. Nursery and preschool care available. Junior high ministry meets Tuesday at 7 p.m.; high school meets Thursday at 7 p.m. at 3765 Solano Ave., Napa. 255-4033, GraceNapa.org.

HIGHLANDS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

If youre a regular church attendee, never been or maybe its just been awhile, we invite you to come join us this Sunday and start the adventure with us at 10:30 a.m. Spanish speaking service on Sunday evenings at 6:30. Alcoholics Anonymous group meets weekly on Monday and Wednesdays from 6-7 p.m. 970 Petrified Forest Road, Calistoga.

HILLSIDE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

We meet at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at 100 Anderson Road, Napa. 255-3036. hccnapa.com.

HOLY FAMILY PARISH

Holy Mass is celebrated at 9 a.m. on Sundays and in the traditional Tridentine Latin (Extraordinary) form of the Roman Rite, according to the 1962 Missal, at noon. Before Low Masses, there is a recitation of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 11:30 a.m. Confession is available after every Low Mass. Holy Family Parish is a Catholic mission-parish of St. Joan of Arc in Yountville. 1241 Niebaum Lane, Rutherford. 944-2461.

HOLY GROUND CHRISTIAN CENTER

Sunday worship begins at 10 a.m., and Bible study is Wednesday at 7 p.m. 3860 Broadway, Suite 111, American Canyon. 373-2015.

LIVING VINE CHURCH

We meet every Sunday morning at 10. 3305 Linda Vista Avenue, Napa. 226-5551.

MEMORIAL CHAPEL AT VETERANS HOME OF CALIFORNIA, YOUNTVILLE

Sunday worship service 10:15 a.m. Coffee fellowship one hour before service. Bible study on Wednesday at 1 p.m., Fellowship Room, with refreshments served; prayer meetings Thursday at 1 p.m. The memorial chapel is on the Veterans Home at Yountville campus on California Drive, across from the administration building. 944-4840. The public is welcome.

MONT LA SALLE CHAPEL

Roman Catholic liturgical services are open to all at the chapel of the De La Salle Christian Brothers at 4401 Redwood Road, Napa. Christmas Mass during the Night will be celebrated at 9 p.m. Christmas Eve. At 8:30 p.m., carols sung by choir and congregation will precede the Mass. There will be no Mass in the chapel on Christmas Day, but there will be a Mass on New Years Day at 11 a.m. Mass is celebrated every Sunday at 11 a.m.

NAPA COMMUNITY SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

Please join us on Saturday at 10 a.m. for Sabbath School and Connection Classes. Stay for the worship service at 11:15 a.m. Our Community Services is open on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon at 2110 Seminary St., 252-8552, Napacomm.com, 1105 G St., Napa, 252-2444.

NAPA METHODIST CHURCH

Napa Methodist is a progressive church where ALL people are welcome.

--Dec 21 at 6 p.m., Blue Christmas Gathering: A quiet service in a stressful season. No collection taken. No expectations. No pressure. Come as you are.

--Dec. 23 at 9:30 a.m., hear Pastor Marylee Sheffer speak on The Redemption of Scrooge: The Ghost of Christmas Present. And at the 11 a.m. non-traditional service at 4th and Franklin, hear guest preacher Lu Lu Sapigao.

--Dec. 23 at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve EVE( for those who are busy on Christmas Eve) there will be a service of Candlelight, Christmas Story and Carols at the 4th and Franklin Streets entrance of Napa Methodist Church. In the Asbury Room.

--Dec. 24 at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve Family Worship and Children's Musical at Napa Methodist.

--Dec 24 at 11 p.m. Christmas Eve Worship with Candlelight, Cathedral Choir and Carols at Napa Methodist Church, 625 Randolph St., 253-1411.

NAPA FRIENDS MEETING (QUAKERS)

Sunday worship at 10 a.m. Silent meeting in the custom of Friends. Meet at the VOICES Youth Center, 780 Lincoln Ave., Napa. Enter at parking lot on left side of building, using door at end of wheelchair ramp. Quaker signs will be posted on Sunday mornings. We welcome visiting friends or those who are new to Quaker practice. Childrens program available with advance notice. nvquaker@gmail.com; 253-1505.

NAPA VALLEY BAPTIST CHURCH

Join us Sundays at 9:30 a.m. for Bible Study for all ages, 10:30 a.m. for worship service and a fun, interactive and energetic childrens program for preschool through fifth grade. Nursery provided for all Sunday services. 2303 Trower Ave., Napa. napavalleybaptist.org; 252-2100.

NAPA VALLEY BIBLE CHAPEL

We start Sunday services by remembering the Lords death, burial and resurrection during a time of worship and thanksgiving at 9:30 a.m., followed by a fellowship and coffee time starting at 10:30 a.m. At 11 a.m., we enjoy a time of Bible teaching. On Wednesdays at 6 p.m., we meet for a brief Bible study and a time of prayer. 1559 Second St., Napa. napavalleybiblechapel.com.

NAPA VALLEY COMMUNITY CHURCH

We welcome you to our Christmas service at 10 a.m. The theme will be The Significance of the Virgin Birth, from Matthew 1:18-24. The Christmas Eve service will be at 5:30 p.m. All are welcome. Childcare is available for both services. Napa Valley Community Church is a ministry of the Christian Reformed Church. napavalleychurch.org

NAPA VALLEY LUTHERAN

Sunday worship at 10 am. Includes Childrens Time. Fellowship time follows. All are welcome. Church is located at Jefferson and Elm. 226-8166, napavalleylutheran.org

NAPA VALLEY UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS

The Dec. 23 service at 9:30 a.m. will be led by Margaret Kelso & Dale Craig. There will be Christmas carol singing. Come whether you can sing or not. Dale will play requests of traditional carols from our hymnal, Singing the Living Tradition. Besides singing, we will discuss what memories, stories and reactions the carols evoke within us. Are you nostalgic, irritated, inspired, saddened or indifferent when you hear them? The 11 a.m. service, What Child Is This? is with Rev. Christian Schmidt and Sunday Service Assistant, Norma Neil. Never has the nativity story been so relevant in our lives. In a world where children are separated from their families, where people have to flee violence in their native countries, we look again to the story of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. Infant care, child care, and religious education provided. 1625 Salvador Ave., Napa; www.nvuu.org; 707-226-9220.

NEW LIFE TABERNACLE

Sunday school at 10 a.m., followed by worship service at 11. Sunday evening service the first Sunday of every month. Bible study on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. 2625 First St., Napa. 255-1062; NewLifeNapa.com.

ST. APOLLINARIS CATHOLIC CHURCH

All masses are in English. Visitors are welcome. Sunday Mass times: 7:30, 9 and 10:30 a.m., noon, and 5:30 p.m., Saturday Evening (Vigil for Sunday) 4:30 p.m. Daily mass times: Monday-Friday: 7 and 8:45 a.m.; Saturday: 8:45 a.m. Confession on Saturdays: 3:30-4:15 p.m., Monday-Friday: 6:30-6:50 a.m., Monday-Saturday: 8:15-8:35 a.m. 3700 Lassen St., Napa.

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

St. John the Baptist Church holds daily masses in English at 7:30 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. Weekend masses are Saturday at 5 p.m. (English) and 7 p.m. (Spanish) and Sunday 8 a.m. (Spanish), 10 a.m. (English), noon (Spanish), and 5 p.m. (English). Wednesday evening mass at 7 (Spanish). Corner of Caymus and Yajome streets in downtown Napa.

ST. JOHNS LUTHERAN CHURCH

Sunday services are at 8:30 and 10:15 a.m. The early service makes use of traditional Lutheran liturgy and hymns, with the singing led by the organ. The 10:15 service is more informal with the singing led by the band. Childrens church is offered during the 10:15 service for preschool through 4th grade.

ST. MARYS EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Worship on Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. or Sundays at 8 a.m. or 10 a.m. (organ and choir). Childrens Chapel (Sunday school) is at 9:50 a.m. Sunday. Nursery care is provided during the 10 a.m. service. Coffee hour follows the worship services on Sunday. 1917 Third St., Napa. 255-0991; StMarysNapa.org.

ST. STEPHENS ANGLICAN EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Sunday at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m., sung using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Refreshments and social time after the 10:30 service. 1250 Oakville Grade, Oakville. 944-8915; ststephensoakville.org.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH

Mass times are Saturday at 4 p.m. (English), Sunday at 8 a.m. (English), 11 a.m. (English) and 1:30 p.m. (Spanish). Daily mass is at 9 a.m., except on the first Friday, which is at noon and in English. 2725 Elm St., Napa. 255-2949; stthomasaquinasnapa.com.

SALVATION ARMY

Worship meetings every Sunday at 9 a.m.  breakfast included! Everyone is welcome and we always includes solid Bible teaching. Need something less churchy? Try our 10:30 a.m. Coffee and Conversation time: A Bible study which allows anyone to bring their questions about life, spirituality, and Jesus to the table. Join us for one or both each week. Childrens meetings are available too. The Salvation Army, 590 Franklin Street, Napa, CA 94559. 707-226-8150 Napa.Salvationarmy.Org

THE FATHERS HOUSE

Service times are Saturday at 6 p.m., and Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m. Child care and Kids Church are available (ages infant through sixth grade). Youth ministry Encounter meets every Wednesday night at 7. Celebrate Recovery meets on Monday nights at 6:30. 2557 Napa Valley Corporate Drive, Napa. tfh.org.

UNITY SPIRITUAL CENTER IN NAPA VALLEY

Sunday, Dec. 23, at the 10 a.m. service. Unity welcomes, Rev. Dave Lyman, his message is titled,The Fourth Sunday of Advent- A Candlelight Service His theme: "This service will be a sacred, contemplative service filled with celebration and symbolism through words, ritual and music. Each participant will have the opportunity to know that the Christ is birthed in each of us in this special season. Join us for this meaningful service! We will celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and provide a sacred time as community to share the Divine within and in each other. After service, there will be a very special gathering time of breaking bread and sharing heart. All are welcome, plan to join us and bring a friend! Unitys Fourth Advent-Christmas Sunday Service music will be performed by our musical director, Lon Eakes. 11:40 a.m.- Forum- After a brief refreshment break, Rev. Lyman will conduct a special, celebratory gathering, for discussion in regard to the Christmas message. Sunday Service and Forum are held at the historic Grange Hall, 3275 Hagan Road (1 mile east of the Silverado Trail), Napa. Parking next to the building. www.Facebook.com/USCNV, www.UnitySpiritualCenterNapa.org (707) 255-6881.

YOUNTVILLE COMMUNITY CHURCH

This Sunday, Dec. 23, at 10 a.m., we will have our weekly service. This is the fourth Sunday of Advent, which is Peace. Have a Merry Christmas as we celebrate our Savior's birth. The main church building is under repairs and we are meeting in our Sunday School classrooms on the north side of the church. Come join us for coffee, donuts, and learn about our Savior, Jesus Christ. Sunday School is for all ages. We have an Adult Bible class, Youth Group (fifth-eighth grades and high school students),and Children's classes "Jesus and Me", (Birth-Kindergarten) and first through fifth grades are offered. Church office hours, Tuesday from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.; Wednesday-Thursday from 8 a.m. -1 p.m.; 6619 Yount Street, Yountville, 707-944-2179.

Want to have your church included in Worship Notes? Need to update your congregations information? Contact editor Kelly Doren at kdoren@napanews.com or 256-2263.
The Napa Police Department says it made at least one arrest in connection with crimes related to guns, gangs and drugs while executing a search warrant Thursday afternoon.

Officers searched a residence in the 60 block Golden Gate Circle in southwest Napa. The area was blocked off by police tape, and an armored car sat in the middle of the street.

Lt. Gary Pitkin, head of the Napa Special Investigations Bureau, said the bureau and Napa County Sheriff's Office were working together on the operation.

An armored car and robot were used as standard procedure when executing such a warrant, he said. Pitkin would not elaborate on the warrant.

There were no injuries as of 4 p.m. and officers did not know whether anybody was inside the residence, he said.

Department spokesperson Chase Haag wrote in an email Thursday evening that he would not divulge more information because the investigation is ongoing, and other suspects and locations must be investigated.

An alert sent via Nixle at 3:12 p.m. said officers were involved in unspecified "police activity" in the area. The area was reopened by 5 p.m., according to second alert.

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PG&E has already been convicted in criminal court for a recent deadly tragedy. Could the utility soon find itself as the defendant in a dozen more cases, charged with breaking state laws?

In the wake of massive utility-caused Northern California wildfires, a handful of district attorneys in flame-scarred counties are pondering whether to charge the utility company in criminal court for misconduct.

Cal Fire, the states fire protection agency, sent investigative reports to seven counties this summer saying it believes PG&E likely violated state public resources and health and safety laws in 12 blazes.

Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean said it is up to local prosecutors in Sonoma, Napa, Yuba, Nevada, Lake, Humboldt and Butte counties to make independent decisions on whether to use the fire agencys investigative conclusions to file criminal charges.

We saw cause, and we gave it to the DAs to figure out, McLean said. Whether they are going to prosecute, that is up to them.

The decisions on whether to charge Pacific Gas and Electric Co. could have a major impact on the company. The utility currently is subject to court-ordered federal monitoring stemming from a criminal conviction for the 2010 San Bruno gas-line explosion that killed eight.

A violation of PG&Es probation in the San Bruno case  such as a criminal act  could lead to what one former prosecutor said would be an added layer of onerous controls. And, arguably even more troublesome, new criminal charges could give the utility giant a public black eye that would exacerbate its mounting financial woes.

Prosecutors pass

So far, none of the counties has filed charges. Cal Fire is still investigating last months Camp Fire, which killed 86 people in Butte County, mainly in the towns of Paradise and Magalia. That report is due next year.

In Sonoma and Napa  where Cal Fire alleges five wildfires were the result of PG&E law violations  attorneys said they are waiting for the state to come to a conclusion on the the biggest fire of all in 2017, the Tubbs Fire, which burned part of Santa Rosa and killed 22 people.

They and a few other counties recently asked the state attorney general to review the cases as well for potential state prosecution.

One county district attorney already has taken an alternate tack.

Butte District Attorney Mike Ramsey recently worked a deal with PG&E. He agreed not to file criminal charges for a small wildfire last year near Paradise. In exchange, PG&E pledged $1.5 million to pay for four new fire safety inspectors, and to allow those inspectors to look at PG&Es power lines. If the inspectors find a fire safety hazard, PG&E agrees to correct it within 24 hours.

The fire that prompted the deal, the 2017 Honey Fire, was ignited by a tree limb hitting PG&E power lines and burning 150 acres of brush a half-mile from Paradise. Cal Fire determined that PG&E had failed to follow state public resources code that required it to trim a decaying limb close to the power line.

The Butte safety inspectors had not yet been hired when the devastating Camp Fire hit Butte County last month. If the program had been in place, could it have averted the Camp Fire? That is the old, What if?  Ramsey said. We can do that all day.

Ramsey declined to say whether he would file criminal charges if Cal Fire determines PG&E broke laws in the Camp Fire. Its a little premature, he said. Besides, we dont want to show our cards.

Beyond reasonable doubt







Some residents, such as Christina Taft of Paradise, said a criminal prosecution would carry emotional resonance.

Taft has been struggling with guilt since the fire, wondering how much she is to blame for her mothers death. Victoria Taft refused to leave their apartment that morning, despite her daughters pleadings. So Taft left without her mom, not realizing how dire the situation was. I feel like I didnt do enough, she laments. I didnt wait long enough.

Taft said she had a nightmare the other day about it: In the dream, it was early morning, and her mom was looking out a window at a light and was confused about what it meant.

Taft says she knows PG&E has a history of failing to maintain its infrastructure, but she is more angry with the county for not alerting her and her mom to the level of danger they faced. It was not just our choice, it was a lot of factors. It wasnt all my fault.

In Napa County, where officials await the states Tubbs Fire report, Mike Rippey, son of Charles and Sara Rippey, the two oldest victims of the Atlas Fire, said he would like to see a criminal prosecution, if warranted.

If someone does something criminal, then they should be punished, he said. But its not going to bring my parents back. Its not going to make me feel any better.

One county already has decided not to file criminal charges. Yuba County, where a pair sagging utility lines slapped together in high winds last fall, sparking the Cascade Fire which killed four people in the Loma Rica area, wont take PG&E to court.

The criminal charge in that case likely would have been involuntary manslaughter, which carries a fine of up to $10,000 in each instance. County District Attorney Pat McGrath published a four-page paper in October detailing the fire investigation and explaining his conclusion that the burden of proof is too high to convict.

This office has concluded that a criminal jury would be unable to unanimously agree beyond a reasonable doubt that the evidence is sufficient to establish criminal negligence, as opposed to ordinary negligence, on the part of PG&E, he wrote.

McGrath said he will reconsider, however, if new information comes out that would make a conviction more likely.

That doesnt sit well with Marjorie David, who lost her daughter Roseann Hannah, 53, in that fire. David, who lives in Florida, first heard about her daughters possible death when a niece posted a prayer on Facebook. Another daughter called her minutes later with the bad news.

(PG&E) should be held accountable, she said. Im not looking for anything financially out of it. I dont know a lot about what went on up there. I just dont think people should get away with things like that, particularly the electric company, due to their neglect.

In Nevada County, where the McCourtney Fire destroyed 13 buildings last year, District Attorney Clifford Newell said the decision to prosecute is complicated. His county famously set a legal landmark in the 1990s, winning a wildfire criminal conviction against PG&E on hundreds of charges. But the utilitys actions were egregious back then, he said. In recent years, hes seen utility crews out doing maintenance leading up to fire season.

Given that PG&E is making payouts in individual civil lawsuits stemming from the fire, and that his county already is pursuing a civil case against PG&E, Newell said he is asking himself: Is it right for me to file criminal action? I dont know yet. Criminal negligence is one of the toughest standards to meet. It has to be super-egregious activity.

The potential for criminal charges is only a part of a morass of legal issues PG&E faces as a result of several years of fires involving utility lines in drought-plagued California. The company has been hit with numerous individual civil suits from residents who lost homes, businesses and loved ones.

A group of nine counties also has filed a joint civil action against PG&E, called the North Bay Fire case. That includes several counties also pondering criminal charges.

Those counties are following a trail blazed by Calaveras County in 2015 when it civilly sued PG&E for causing a fire called the Butte Fire, which killed two people. The fire was named for the road closest to the ignition point, Butte Mountain Road in Amador County.

Calaveras recently extracted a $25 million settlement from PG&E. The county will use the money to replace damaged infrastructure and to compensate itself for lost tax base.

Calaveras chose not to file criminal charges, though Cal Fire said PG&E had violated several state codes by improper tree cutting, allowing a weak tree to hit the lines.

Deputy District Attorney Jeff Stone said his office decided a jury may not view PG&E as criminally responsible for the two deaths, given how far away they were in time and distance from the fires origin. One of the victims reportedly refused to leave his property, instead staying to clear brush around his home.

In both cases, it was at least the second day of the fire, Stone said. We saw that as a little far removed. We had to evaluate: Did these people perhaps choose to remain at their home and protect their home. We didnt see PG&E as being criminally responsible for that.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
CALISTOGA  Many people may know that Wine Country Animal Lovers is a no-kill haven, providing foster homes and adoption opportunities for animals in need.

What they might not know is that the volunteer-run organization, based in Calistoga, also serves as a resource hub for other animal rescue organizations across several Northern California counties.

WCAL was recently involved with the evacuation during the Camp Fire that destroyed the town of Paradise, arranging transport for more than 6,000 animals, large and small, and helping find shelter and medical treatment.

During emergency situations WCAL volunteers provide limited on-the-ground help, but also equipment like handling crates. WCALs claim to fame is collaborating with other people and organizations, foster families and veterinarians.

Though we are not necessarily in the field, I never got off the phone for three days (during the fire), said Pam Ingalls, WCAL board president. Its still going on. Its been quite an effort. We have an amazing network of other partners. Were pretty good at pooling resources.

WCALs profile in the region soared after the 2015 Valley Fire in Lake County, where the group acted as first responders, working with three other nonprofit rescues providing services for more than 1,000 animals, all while doing work they normally do.

Publicity from a story in People Magazine about their work during those fires helped boost WCALs reputation and funding.

The organization subsequently gave much of that funding to a cat rescue group in Santa Rosa. The group, formed by a group of about 40 volunteers, went around to burned-out neighborhoods after the 2017 Tubbs Fire, feeding and trapping cats. To date, about 300 cats have successfully been reunited with their owners.

Calistoga has turned out to be a central (resource) location for the fires, said Ingalls. After the Tubbs Fire, weve kind of been the go-to location for help during and after the fires.

For all that it does, WCAL does not have a facility and the organization is made up entirely of volunteers. It operates with a network of more than 90 private foster homes participating at any one time, spread out from Ukiah to Napa.

Dealing with animals that have been severely burned, otherwise injured, and/or lost can be emotionally difficult. But Ingalls says those who do the work have to be pragmatic.

If we dont do it, who will? What we do is save those we can. The rewards are the happy endings. Then we keep going, she said.

Ingalls especially gives credit to those who foster animals.

Its a very selfless act to take an animal into your home and then let it go on to be adopted. Not everyone can let go. They become too attached.

The majority of the organizations efforts are focused in Lake County, which has a shelter with a high-kill rate, and a population where the median income is $22,000, Ingalls said.

While caring for animals in need is integral to the operation, WCALs mission is also devoted to its spay and neuter program. WCAL was instrumental in getting Measure A passed in Napa County, to reduce euthanasia at the Napa County Animal Shelter. The board crafted a ballot initiative and worked with another local rescue to collect over 6,000 signatures in support.

WCAL got started in 2012 and has never had to say no to an animal in need.

Calistoga went a number of years without an animal control organization, while veterinarian Steve Franquelin was taking in as many animals as he could at his office. But the city eventually said enough is enough.

Dr. Franquelin cant say no to any animal, Ingalls said.

Franquelin reached out to what turned out to be A-type personalities in the community, including Ingalls, Alissa McNair and Donna Leverenz. They formed a nonprofit in 2012 to support the work Franquelin was already doing.

Prior to WCAL, Ingalls spent more than 30 years in banking. She has a passion for dogs, and spent time at Bergin University in Sonoma. She is also on the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Calistoga and St. Helena. McNair serves on Calistogas Planning Commission.

The nonprofit is supported by numerous local businesses, with a yearly working budget of about $100,000 that comes from a very generous community, Ingalls said.

WCAL spends an average of $84 to help each animal in the program. Donations help cover medical costs, spay and neuter surgeries, transport, foster care, pet food and supplies.

Once taken in, a WCAL animal is in the family for life, and the organization will always take an animal back that was previously adopted.

The organization also offers fostering that pairs senior pets with senior citizens. All costs are covered by WCAL, which provides around-the-clock support and will readily take the animal back at any time for any reason.

The cost to adopt kittens and adult cats is $75. Adult dogs are $150. Puppies under 1 year are $300, with $150 refundable after completion of a training class. There is no charge for senior cats and dogs over 8 years old.

WCAL provides foster families with food, bedding and covers the animals medical costs.

Franquelin still provides medical services for the organization at a deeply discounted rate, Ingalls said.

At this time of year, when people might be thinking about giving a pet as a gift, its perfectly all right to do so, as long as the recipient knows in advance, and has talked about it, Ingalls said.

Just dont act on impulse. You want people to know they are getting one.

You can reach Cynthia Sweeney at csweeney@weeklycalistogan.com or 942-4035.

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Polymer note printing: Ex-NRB governor Rawal among three faces corruption case

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Thursday filed a corruption case at the Special Court against former central bank governor Tilak Rawal and two others for their alleged role in awarding the contract of printing ten rupee polymer notes to Note Printing Australia (NPA) Limited 16 years ago.
This problem is more than 100 years old: When it comes to safety, Californias Public Utility Commission coddles the big utility companies it regulates, sometimes to the detriment and death of the companies own customers.

In 1915, state legislators passed a law requiring the Railroad Commission (renamed the PUC in the 1940s) to assure protection of employees and the general public. But the commission waited 13 years, until 1928, to make actual rules, most of which were never enforced.

More recently, the Legislature in 2016 passed a law demanding regular reports on electric line safety, especially in likely fire areas.

But consumer lawyer Michael Aguirre, the former elected city attorney of San Diego, says he has not been able to get the PUC to reveal whether it hired any inspectors since passage of that law, sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Jerry Hill of San Mateo. Deja vu, a century later.

They should have been inspecting all along  but they have admitted they did not prioritize this, Hill said in an interview. I believe the PUC didnt think this was all that important, and so didnt do it. They will stonewall wherever they can.

Meanwhile, in lawsuits filed after last falls deadly Woolsey Fire burned more than 1,000 homes in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, the Los Angeles law firm of Panish, Shea & Boyle claimed Southern California Edison Co. has maintained a run to failure safety policy. Under that system, the law firm charged, the utility relied entirely on reactive maintenance as its equipment failed, rather than requiring and enforcing preventative maintenance for its electric facilities.

The lawyers claimed Edisons practices were in callousdisregard for the safety of California communities

Edison has not responded to those lawsuits.

Both Edison, which last Oct. 30 admitted at least some responsibility in the nightmarish 2017 Thomas Fire that decimated parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. now want consumers to fund wildfire safety campaigns costing hundreds of millions of dollars, including coating many miles of power lines.

Despite Edisons Thomas Fire admission and PG&Es having been found officially at fault in the massive wine country fires of late 2017, the PUC has never tried to punish any corporate official supervising power line safety. Thats coddling. It has persisted more than 100 years, and its high time it ends.

Even after years of enhanced fire danger, the PUC reports it has just nine employees in its Safety and Enforcement Division tasked with making random audits of power transmission lines and checking natural gas pipes. Thats nine to cover thousands of miles. PUC officials did not answer queries on whether randomized inspections by those nine engineers included any areas where big recent fires began and whether they ever issued citations there.

All this presents incoming Gov. Gavin Newsom with an opportunity for significant action, for anyone who follows utility rate increase proceedings knows that no matter whos been on the PUC over at least the last 50 years, it has favored companies over customers.

Newsom can quickly begin changing this.

His first chance arises with the Dec. 31 end of the six-year term of PUC Commissioner Carla Peterman, appointed by Brown in late 2012. Peterman, who declined to be interviewed, has never fought against favoring the utilities.

Newsoms choice for her position will be critical, as will his picks for two more slots opening in early 2021. Plus, he can demote PUC President Michael Picker back to being an ordinary commissioner. A former Brown aide, Picker expressed more concern for the financial well-being of utilities than their customers fates after the immense fires last fall. PUC presidents decide who supervises each case and can influence meeting agendas.

A new PUC chief could spur the large-scale safety checks required by Hills 2016 state law.

So Newsom can create big change at this scandal-ridden agency, which only four years ago spent $10 million in public funds on criminal lawyers to protect commissioners.

Its an early consumerist test for the new governor, also testing the Democratic supermajority in the state Senate, which must confirm any appointee to the powerful PUC.

Thomas D. Elias writes the syndicated California Focus column. He is author of the book, The Burzynski Breakthrough: The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It.
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NEWS.am daily digest: 02.12.21

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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
Ex-UN official in Nepal to discuss transitional justice issues

Ian Martin, the former special representative of the UN secretary general in Nepal, has been in the country for over a week, meeting with human rights activists and conflict victims.
At Fridays special session of the Yerevan Council of Elders, it was decided to make changes in the 2018 budget of Armenias capital city. In particular, the budget expenditures and revenues were reduced by AMD 1,440,000,000 (approx. $2,977,450).

Deputy Mayor Hayk Sargsyan presented the matter and noted that the bulk of this amount is loan programs. He said this referred to the programs that are left as remains at the end of the year.

The government has decided that these amounts be returned to the source of their origin, Sargsyan added. Those programs refer to construction, transport sectors, etc.

By another similar decision of the municipal council, Yerevans budget was reduced by about AMD 510mn (approx. $105,4515) more.

Of this, 290mn drams [(approx. $599,625)] were the amountthat is being reducedof the Tranche 2 of the reconstruction program being implemented by the Asian Bank at the Yerevan Metro, Hayk Sargsyan said. [And] the about 219mn drams [(approx. $452,820)] are government redistributions with the education programs of the Ministry of Education and Science.
Speaking at the Turkish parliament floor, Garo Paylan, the Armenian member of this legislature, reflected on the recent snap parliamentary election in Armenia, and he congratulated Acting Prime Minister and his political team for the victory they achieved in this vote.

I congratulate, from the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Nikol Pashinyan and the Armenian people who conducted a democratic election, Paylan noted. Immediately after the elections, Mr. Pashinyan announced that they [Armenia] are ready to establish relations with Turkey, without preconditions. I hope that Turkey has responded, Im ready.

From here I call on the parliament speaker of Turkey and to the president of the country to give a constructive response to the [acting] prime minister of Armenia. I have faith that we [Turkey] dont have unresolved issues with Armenia.

And in conclusion, Garo Paylan added, I wish success to Nikol Pashinyan and his friends, in Armenian.
Gangster Manange released from jail after apex court order

Notorious gangster Deepak Manange aka Rajeev Gurung has been released from jail following an order from the Supreme Court on Thursday.
Sanjeeb Phuyal is the online editor for The Kathmandu Post. He oversees breaking news reports on the web and produces content for The Post's digital platforms.
Story Highlights More than one in five part-time workers (22%) have had payment delayed

One in 10 workers in EU member states have waited to be paid

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Thousands of Hungarians this week are protesting new labor laws that allow companies to demand up to 400 hours of overtime a year from their workers and to delay paying them for up to three years. While it's difficult to imagine waiting three years to be paid, it is not wholly uncommon for workers in Eastern Europe and former Soviet states to have their paychecks delayed.

One in seven workers (14%) in the 29 countries that Gallup surveyed in 2017 said there were times in the past month that their employers delayed paying them money for the work they had done. Part-time workers were more likely than full-time employees to be dealing with this: 22% of part-time workers said this had happened to them, compared with 14% of full-time workers.

Employer Delayed Paying for Work Done in the Past Month All countries EU member states in Eastern Europe Former Soviet states Non-EU members in Eastern Europe % % % % Work status All workers 14 11 16 16 Part-time workers 22 18 23 33 Full-time workers 14 10 15 15 Gender Male 17 13 19 18 Female 12 8 13 14 Education Primary education or less 20 18 21 24 Secondary education 16 13 18 17 College degree or higher 10 5 12 12 Based on surveys in 29 countries Gallup World Poll, 2017

Looking at this by region, delayed paychecks are more common for workers in former Soviet states (16%) and non-European Union member states (16%), but the current situation in Hungary demonstrates how workers in EU member states are not exempt. One in 10 workers in EU countries in Eastern Europe (11%) say this has happened to them in the past month.

At the same time, similar groups in each of these regions are more affected by this than others. For example, in every region, part-time workers are more likely than full-time workers to have had their paychecks delayed. However, this is even more pronounced in non-EU-member states, where one in three part-time workers (33%) have had their payments held.

Men in each of these regions -- regardless of whether they are full or part time -- are affected disproportionately compared with women. Overall, 17% of male workers say this has happened to them, versus 12% of female workers.

Education does provide some buffer in all of these regions and situations. Workers with college degrees or higher education -- who may be more likely to be in higher-earning, white-collar jobs -- are at least half as likely as those with primary education or less to have had their paychecks delayed.

Bottom Line

Delayed wages are an issue for a number of workers in Eastern European countries and former Soviet states, but particularly for those who are working part time and the typical breadwinners in the region -- men. These are also the two groups that can likely least afford it.

In Hungary's case, the delay is being backed by the government as a way to solve the country's labor shortage problems and was signed into law on Thursday. Not all employees and employers will be required to do this -- and it would take effect only if both parties agree through a collective bargaining agreement. But in the end, it could be the country's workers who will truly pay.

For complete methodology and specific survey dates, please review Gallup's Country Data Set details.

Learn more about how the Gallup World Poll works.
Posted by Mark Williams | December 21, 2018





Vehicles Affected: Approximately 410,000 model-year 2015-19 Ford F-150 pickup trucks built at the Dearborn Truck Plant in Michigan between March 18, 2014, and Nov. 17, 2018, and the Kansas City Assembly Plant in Missouri between Aug. 21, 2014, and Nov. 17, 2018; model-year 2017-19 Ford Super Duty trucks built at the Ohio Assembly Plant between Feb. 5, 2016, and Nov. 17, 2018, and the Kentucky Truck Plant between Oct. 8, 2015, and Nov. 17, 2018; all affected vehicles are equipped with engine block heaters

The Problem: Water and contaminants can intrude into the block heater cable's splice connector resulting in corrosion and damage to the cable over time. Prolonged corrosion in the connector can cause a short, make the engine block heater inoperable and/or trip household breakers or GFCI-equipped outlets while the vehicle is parked and the block heater plugged in. The risk to safety only exists while the vehicle is parked and the block heater cable is plugged into an electrical outlet.

The Fix: Dealers will inspect the engine block heater cable and replace it if it is damaged or corroded. If there are no signs of damage or corrosion, dealers will apply dielectric grease to keep water out of the splice connector and reconnect.

What Owners Should Do: Ford did not immediately announce an owner-notification schedule. Owners can call the manufacturer at 866-436-7332, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's vehicle-safety hotline at 888-327-4236 or visit its website to check their vehicle identification number and learn more. If a replacement cable is required but unavailable at your local dealership, customers will receive an information sheet and will be notified via mail for a follow-up appointment once the parts become available.

Need to Find a Dealer for Service? Go to Cars.com Service & Repair to find your local dealer. To check other recalls, and to schedule a free repair at your local dealership, click here for the Ford F-150 and click here for the Ford Super Duty.

Manufacturer image
Anil Giri is a reporter covering diplomacy, international relations and national politics for The Kathmandu Post. Giri has been working as a journalist for a decade-and-a-half, contributing to numerous national and international media outlets.
By Guy Faulconbridge and Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - With just 100 days until Brexit, the EU's executive cautioned that most banking, insurance and other financial firms in Britain would be cut off from the European Union if there is no divorce deal. Prime Minister Theresa May's failure to find a deal the British parliament will approve means the world's fifth largest economy now faces three main choices: agreeing a last-minute deal, halting Brexit or leaving the EU without a deal. No deal means there would be no transition so the exit, set in law as 2300 GMT on March 29, would be abrupt. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said leaving the EU with no transition could be akin to the 1970s oil shock. With fears growing that the political brinkmanship in London could lead, as May has warned, to Britain leaving without a deal, businesses and the EU's executive ramped up planning for such an eventuality. "Businesses of all sizes are reaching the point of no return, with many now putting in place contingency plans that are a significant drain of time and money," the heads of Britain's five biggest business lobby groups said. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said a disorderly Brexit would be an "absolute catastrophe". The world's biggest corporates, ranging from Apple and Toyota <7203.T> to J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs , have cautioned that Brexit could complicate their businesses. The euro notched up its biggest daily rise against the pound in more than a week on Wednesday. "The government is playing a very hardball game ... as it delays the Brexit vote until the New Year, which is curtailing the debate over Mays plan and effectively giving little time for alternatives to be found," Scotiabank said in a note. May has delayed a vote on her deal until mid-January, prompting some lawmakers to accuse her of trying to force parliament into backing her by running down the clock as the March 29 exit day approaches. NO DEAL BREXIT? The European Union set out short-term measures to limit disruption to air traffic, financial services and trade if Britain left without a deal. Every shipment of live animals or animal products from Britain would face controls at EU borders and Britons would lose the right to travel with their pets using EU pet passports. Pro-Europeans fear Britain's exit will weaken the West as it grapples with Donald Trump's unpredictable U.S. presidency and growing assertiveness from Russia and China. They say it weakens Europe's economy and removes one of its only two nuclear powers. Brexit supporters say while there may be some short-term disruption, in the long-term the UK will thrive outside what they cast as a doomed experiment in German-dominated unity and excessive debt-funded welfare spending. Without a deal, the United Kingdom would trade with the European Union under World Trade Organization terms. But without a transition, London - which ranks alongside New York as one of the world's top two global financial centers - would be cut off from the rest of the EU. About six trillion euros, or 37 percent, of Europes financial assets are managed in the UK capital, almost twice the amount of its nearest rival, Paris. In addition, London dominates Europes 5.2 trillion euro investment banking industry. New York is bigger, but centered on American markets. As companies and the EU set out the dislocation they feared from an abrupt Brexit, the British parliament descended into uproar when opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn appeared to mouth the words "stupid woman" about May. The Labour Party said Corbyn used the words "stupid people". The British government set out the biggest overhaul of its immigration policy in decades on Wednesday, ending special treatment for European Union nationals while promising to give businesses time to adapt to its post-Brexit plans. (Additional reporting by Philip Blenkinsop and Robin Emmott in Brussels and Kylie MacLellan and Andrew MacAskill in London; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
Oxygen

A former upstate New York deli operator was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Tuesday for the murder of his 22-year-old employee in 2019. Saratoga County Judge James A. Murphy III handed down the sentence on Tuesday to Georgios Kakavelos, 53, after emotional testimony from the family of Allyzibeth Lamont. "I and her father will always be forever devastated and enraged by the fact that when our daughter was fighting for her life and took her last breath, you were wi
WASHINGTON  The 2020 election is getting into full swing. That might seem to be an odd thing to say on the eve of 2019, but in presidential politics, the future is now.

The past year already saw many of the candidates who are hoping to replace President Donald Trump begin to lay groundwork for potential White House bids. Many of the likely hopefuls made trips to key early primary states. Some have even hired staff and locked down web addresses. Trump has also already announced his intention to run for re-election and even hosted a slew of campaign rallies.

In 2019, the race is going to start for real. Operatives in Washington, D.C., have spent recent weeks buzzing about donors and staffers choosing sides and even which cities the candidates will choose for campaign headquarters.

Presidential campaigns generally begin in earnest the year before an election. Last time, the top candidates began launching their bids in March 2015. This time, it looks like things will start even earlier.

Multiple likely candidates have suggested they will take the holidays to make final decisions on whether to run.

The holidays are a time for family and reflection and you can expect that the hopefuls will be with their families over the break and weighing their options, one consultant working with one of the potential Democratic candidates said.

On Thursday, the Democratic National Committee announced the party will begin its primary debates in June of next year, two months earlier than any debate was held in 2015. Part of the reason for the accelerated schedule is the sheer number of Democrats who are likely to throw their hats in the ring.

As of now, only two established Democratic politicians have officially launched presidential campaigns for 2020; Maryland Rep. John Delaney and West Virginia state Sen. Richard Ojeda. Earlier this month, Julian Castro, formerly U.S. secretary of housing and urban development and San Antonio mayor, announced the formation of an exploratory committee.

Story continues

Even though those three are off to a head start, early polling in Iowa, the first primary state, began this month and didnt show them near the front of the pack. According to the survey from the Des Moines Register, CNN, and Mediacom Iowa, the leading potential Democratic candidates in that state include former Vice President Joe Biden, 2016 candidate Bernie Sanders, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Texas Rep. Beto ORourke, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and California Sen. Kamala Harris. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is also widely considered a top likely presidential hopeful.

Of course, early presidential polling is often wrong, and more unexpected names have also been active in the key primary states, including Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, California Rep. Eric Swalwell and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, among others.

Along with these veteran politicians, some less traditional candidates are circling the field. Entrepreneur Andrew Yang has already begun his campaign, and a pair of billionaires, hedge fund manager Tom Steyer and Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, are considering entering the race.

And thats just the Democratic side. While 1992 was the last year a president was challenged to a major primary by a member of their own party, there have been rumblings some Republicans might join the 2020 fray by taking on Trump or running as an independent. Notably, outgoing Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and Ohio Gov. John Kasich have made moves toward potential White House bids.

The race is on and 2019 is going to be a make-or-break year for Trump and all of those hoping to take him down.
Alaska Air Group ALK wholly-owned subsidiary  Alaska Airlines  has begun a new nonstop service connecting Sacramento International Airport with Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole on the Hawaiian Island.



The latest service will be operational thrice a week and complement the already existing nonstop service between Sacramento and Maui, Hawaii. The flights aimed at enhancing travel during the holidays is anticipated to draw substantial traffic and in turn boost the carriers passenger revenues.



Apart from offering several nonstop destinations from the key focus cities around California, Alaska Airlines is committed to provide customers with low fares and improved services. Currently, the carrier offers 29 daily flights to the Hawaiian Island from the Californian cities of Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland as well as several other West Coast cities.

Alaska Air Group, Inc. Price

Alaska Air Group, Inc. Price | Alaska Air Group, Inc. Quote

Alaska Airlines will operate on the Sacramento-Kona, Hawaii route on a 737 aircraft, which comprises several modernized amenities for a smooth travel experience.



Meanwhile, strong demand for air travel has been boosting the carriers passenger revenues. Recently, the airline tweaked its fourth-quarter 2018 unit revenue guidance to 12.70-12.80 cents compared with 12.60-12.80 cents expected earlier.



Zacks Rank & Key Picks



Alaska Air Group carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the same space are Air France-KLM AFLYY, Spirit Airlines SAVE and International Consolidated Airlines Group ICAGY, 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-KLM and Spirit have rallied more than 19% and 44%, respectively, over the past six months. Meanwhile, the International Consolidated Airlines stock boasts an impressive earnings history, having trumped the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters, the average beat being 92.9%.



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Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.



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Air France-KLM SA (AFLYY) : Free Stock Analysis Report



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Altria Group, Inc. MO put speculations to rest by confirming the deal with renowned e-cigarette maker JUUL Labs Inc. Per terms of the agreement, which was signed and closed by the companies yesterday, Altria has acquired 35% stake in JUUL for $12.8 billion. The deal was financed by Altria primarily through a term-loan facility. In addition to this, the company revealed savings initiatives and commented on long-term views and strategies. Lets take a closer look at these latest developments.



JUUL to Adorn Altrias Portfolio



The deal entails restrictions that Altria cannot acquire additional shares of JUUL. This limits the company from attempting a takeover. Also, Altria has agreed not to sell or transfer its stake in JUUL for six years. Further, the company will be able to appoint directors, representing up to one-third of JUULs board.



Most importantly, through this service agreement, Altria will be able to utilize JUULs advanced technical capabilities in e-cigarettes arena. JUUL, renowned for advanced and highly differentiated e-vapor products, is rapidly growing in market share. The brand is currently present in almost eight countries and is committed toward innovation along with plans to further expand its global presence. Further, the companies have agreed to work together toward combating youth usage of e-cigarettes. In fact, JUUL has already stopped selling flavored products in retail stores and has enhanced age-verification processes for online transactions.



Moreover, we note that investing in JUUL marks an important step in Altrias long-standing commitment toward bolstering presence in e-cigarettes space. In fact, Altria plans to provide JUUL greater exposure among adult smokers by providing inserts in cigarette packs and extend logistics as well as distribution support for JUUL. Further, JUUL will be able to take advantage of Altrias strong infrastructure as well as popularity in the tobacco and related products industry.



With such prospects, JUUL will undoubtedly be a worthwhile addition to Altrias reduced risk products portfolio. We note that in the smokeless category, Altrias flagship MarkTen and Green Smoke e-vapor products are performing well. Further, Altrias marketing and technology sharing agreement with Philip Morris PM, which is currently under FDAs review, is likely to enable the companies to benefit from opportunities in the e-cigarette realm. Altria is also undertaking efforts to expand in the cannabis industry, evident from recent announcements to acquire stakes of the Canadian cannabis company, Cronos Group CRON.

Story continues







Long-Term Views & Savings Plan



Along with partnership with JUUL, Altria also announced a cost reduction program to delivering savings of nearly $500-$600 million by the end of 2019. Amid efforts to minimize costs across several platforms, the program is aimed to reduce workforce and third-party spending. Further, savings from the program is expected to offset interest expenses associated with the financing of JUUL and Cronos. The company expects pre-tax charges associated with cost-reduction in the band of $230-$280 million, majority of which will be reflected in the companys fourth-quarter results. Further, management kept its earnings guidance for 2018 intact.



Additionally, Altria is committed to long-term financial targets of achieving 7-9% growth in adjusted earnings per share (EPS) and to maintain a dividend payout ratio of almost 80%. However, the company currently expects fiscal 2019 bottom line to be slightly below the targeted EPS growth range, due to the investments allocated toward JUUL and Cronos. The company is expected to provide greater details regarding earnings view for 2019 along with fourth-quarter results.



Wrapping Up



Notably, Altria is struggling with declining cigarette sales volumes, thanks to FDA regulations and consumers rising consciousness regarding nicotine. Amid such hurdles, the companys efforts to expand in other lucrative business areas are expected to offer some respite. Other tobacco companies such as British American Tobacco BTI are also taking strides to expand in the realm. Coming back to Altria, we expect that such strategies can help this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company to revive the stock that has declined 10.4% in the past six months compared with the industrys fall of 19.1%.



You can see the complete list of todays Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here.



Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?



Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana



Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.



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US tobacco giant Altria, maker of major brands such as Marlboro and Chesterfield, announced Thursday that it will buy a 35 percent stake in popular e-cigarette maker Juul for $12.8 billion.

The deal comes as US regulators increase scrutiny of usage among young consumers of the fast-growing vaping products that tobacco companies hope will compensate for declines in conventional cigarette sales.

The investment more than doubles the value of Juul to $38 billion.

"We are taking significant action to prepare for a future where adult smokers overwhelmingly choose non-combustible products over cigarettes," Altria CEO Howard Willard said in a statement.

"Through Juul, we are making the biggest investment in our history toward that goal."

He said the products can help "achieve tobacco harm reduction."

E-cigarettes expose smokers to significantly lower levels of potentially toxic substances, except for nicotine, the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine said this year.

Converting conventional cigarette users to vaping would therefore reduce the number of cancer cases.

Juul CEO Kevin Burns described the Altria investment as "unlikely" and said he was "skeptical" that a conventional tobacco company could align with its objectives.

"But over the course of the last several months we were convinced by actions, not words, that in fact this partnership could help accelerate our success switching adult smokers," Burns said in a statement.

The agreement lays out requirements for Altria to make Juul products available at retail stores, and limits Altria's ownership stake to 35 percent, enabling Juul to maintain control, Burns added.

- FDA warns of teen epidemic -

Despite being safer than traditional cigarettes, Juul, founded in 2015 and headquartered in San Francisco, nevertheless has found itself at the center of controversy over the appeal of its products to young people.

Story continues

Numerous parents and high schools complain about the growing use of Juul by teenagers, raising fears that a new generation is being exposed to nicotine, which is addictive but not cancerous.

The US Food and Drug Administration has denounced "an epidemic of regular nicotine use among teens." The agency in November proposed a series of new regulations, including barring online sales of flavored e-cigarettes products, only allowing them to be sold in stores.

No one under 18 can purchase smoking products in the United States, although some states have set the minimum age at 21. Juul's website requires users to assert they are at least 21 years old, with strict age verification steps.

In recent months, Juul has suspended in-store sales of certain flavored offerings and scrapped its social media presence. It has made available its selection of Mango, Creme and other flavors online.

Willard said he favored setting 21 as the minimum age nationally for purchasing the products.

While the impact of youth purchases on Juul's sales has been "quite small," the industry still must take action, he said in a conference call with analysts.

Youth consumption of e-cigarettes "is a big problem that needs to be resolved and if it's not resolved, it's going to put the whole category at risk, including for adults," he said.

The FDA's actions could create "some disruption" to e-cigarette demand in the short-term, but he said he is confident of long-term growth prospects.

Altria has taken a $14.6 billion loan facility to finance the Juul deal and a $1.8 billion acquisition of a 45 percent stake in Canadian cannabis company Cronos Group announced earlier this month.

The tobacco giant, which had revenues of $25.6 billion in 2017, plans $500 to $600 million in annual cost savings through job cuts and other measures.

S&P Global Ratings downgraded Altria's credit grade, saying the investments in Juul and Cronos were unlikely to have payoff in the next couple of years.

"While we generally view Altria's investments in Juul and Cronos as good strategic decisions to hedge against secular declines in combustible cigarette volumes, we believe recent statements by the FDA in response to increased youth usage of e-cigarettes makes Juul's long-term value a relative unknown," S&P said.

Shares of Altria ended at $50.44, down 1.9 percent amid a broader market decline.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Last year, during one particularly frenetic stretch in Donald Trump's presidency, a top Republican senator said there were three men guarding the country from chaos: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, White House chief of staff John Kelly and then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Within weeks, not one will be left in the administration.

Mattis will be the last to go, and his abrupt resignation Thursday marks the end of the "contain and control" phase of Trump's administration  one where generals, business leaders and establishment Republicans struggled to guide the president and curb his most disruptive impulses. They were branded in Washington as the "troika of sanity," the "axis of adults" and the "committee to save America."

But as Trump careens toward his third year in office, their efforts are in tatters and most are out of a job.

The early consequences of the new era were already apparent at year's end, with Trump on the verge of a government shutdown over the advice of GOP leaders and ordering the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria over Mattis' objections. A similar pull-back in Afghanistan appeared to be in the works. The financial markets, spooked by uncertainty from a nearly yearlong trade war, tanked.

"We are headed toward a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances & empower our adversaries," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted after Mattis' resignation.

The shrinking circle around Trump is now increasingly dominated by a small cadre of longtime Trump loyalists and family members, ex-Fox News talent and former GOP lawmakers who were backbenchers on Capitol Hill before being elevated by the president. Attracting top flight talent will only get more difficult as more investigations envelop the White House once Democrats take over the House in January.

To some of Trump's most ardent supporters, the exodus leaves the president with a team that is more in line with his hardline campaign promises. They viewed some of his early advisers as obstacles to enacting the unabashed nationalist agenda they believe Trump had been elected to implement.

Story continues

Mattis said in his resignation letter that Trump deserved a Pentagon chief "whose views are better aligned with yours." It was not readily apparent who that might be, as Trump's decision in Syria drew widespread bipartisan condemnation this week.

Soon after Trump entered the White House, aides seeking to restrain the brash and inexperienced president's foreign policy decisions recognized that those best adept at advising him were or had recently been in uniform. Trump, who never served himself but attended a military academy as a youth, granted them outsized respect.

Mattis was one of three generals who filled the top ranks of Trump's staff, along with Kelly and H.R. McMaster, who spent a year as national security adviser. Mattis' appointment required a congressional waiver to laws meant to preserve the civilian nature of the Department of Defense.

Mattis and outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Joseph Dunford became almost weekly dinner guests of the president early in his administration, particularly before first lady Melania Trump moved to Washington late last spring. The seemingly informal briefings for the president were in fact carefully orchestrated persuasion sessions designed to ease the president into abandoning some of his disruptive campaign rhetoric and accepting the advice of his senior national security advisers.

But Mattis' departure highlights how those early efforts delayed Trump's disruption, rather than averted it.

On issues from trade to defense, Trump aides have tried eye-popping tactics to wait out the president  Gary Cohn, the former chair of the National Economic Council, went so far as to remove documents related to a tariff action from the Resolute Desk in hopes of convincing the president to adjust course  but their exertions proved fleeting.

Mattis' decision to resign followed a clash with the president over withdrawing troops from Syria, where a small military force has been fighting Islamic State extremists. The president is also said to be seeking to draw down American forces in Afghanistan, another move with which the Pentagon disagrees.

Trump's split with Mattis followed a pattern of public breakdowns with advisers who served as guardrails in the administration.

Trump initially hailed Tillerson, the ExxonMobil chief executive, as out of "central casting" when he was tapped as secretary of state, before being unceremoniously discarded by the president earlier this year. Earlier this month, Tillerson described Trump as "pretty undisciplined, doesn't like to read, doesn't read briefing reports, doesn't like to get into the details of a lot of things, but rather just kind of says, 'This is what I believe.'"

Kelly suffered a similar fate. Hired to bring order to the Oval Office, the retired Marine ultimately found he, too, could not control Trump, who subjected Kelly to a series of public humiliations. Kelly is slated to leave in two weeks.

Trump treated Mattis with respect in announcing his departure via tweet, though he cast the move as a retirement rather than a resignation.

It was Mattis who made clear in his letter that he was leaving over a dispute with the president. Still, he said he would remain on through February to allow Trump time to nominate and confirm a successor, expressing concern about high-level turnover at the Pentagon at a critical juncture.

Indeed: The last of the committee to save America was trying to mitigate the damage one last time.

_

Editor's note: Julie Pace has covered the White House and politics for the AP since 2007. Follow her at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Zeke Miller has covered the White House for the AP since 2017. Follow him at http://twitter.com/zekejmiller

An AP News Analysis
More than 100 Deliveroo riders have been left without work just before Christmas in a row over whether meals were delivered.

Dozens of couriers for the popular food delivery firm have received the same message over the past week accusing them of fraud and immediately terminating their contracts, according to the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union.

The IWW, which represents many riders, said its members strongly deny the allegations, and called the cull completely heartless.

A Deliveroo spokesperson defended terminating riders contracts for fraud, saying customers would not expect us to allow this to continue.

Yahoo Finance UK was sent images by the IWW allegedly showing a Deliveroo email to workers about the fraud claims, alerting the riders that they were getting the boot.

The unions website carries a claim from a courier called Jamie Johnson, who said:

Today I received an email from Deliveroo Rider Support, only to be left in absolute disbelief. I have been falsely accused of defrauding the company by incorrectly marking orders delivered without completing them despite being paid for them. Without any form of contact or warning throughout my time as a rider or any chance to defend my position, my account has been terminated effective immediately, leaving me in financial difficulty over the festive period.

The IWW demanded the company provide evidence of any fraud, and called upon Deliveroo to immediately reinstate workers who have had their agreements terminated.

The union said the workers vehemently deny the accusation of any wrong-doing.

READ MORE: Top EU law professor says its time to cancel Brexit

A Deliveroo spokesperson told Yahoo Finance UK that contracts for some riders were severed after they marked hundreds of pounds worth of food as delivered seconds after collecting the meals.

In other instances, riders claimed to make deliveries but did not travel near the customers address, he said.

Deliveroo will always tackle fraud head on to protect our customers and the vast majority of hardworking riders. We will not work with riders who commit fraud, he said in a written statement.
Lusaka (AFP) - A Zambian court on Friday acquitted six activists, including a popular hip-hop musician, who were arrested for protesting against corruption in President Edgar Lungus government.

The six activists, including hip-hop star Chama Fumba also known as Pilato, were arrested in September for picketing over the procurement of 42 fire engines at a cost of $1 million (880,000 euros) each, seen as emblematic of corruption fostered by Lungu.

"The demonstrators were peaceful, no property was damaged, traffic flow was not disturbed and parliamentary proceedings were not disturbed. I accordingly acquit all the accused persons," Magistrate Mwaka Mikalile said.

The activists had staged a demonstration outside parliament while then finance minister Felix Mutati was presenting the 2018 budget.

Charged for the offence of failing to obey a lawful order, they pleaded not guilty.

"The conveners were within their rights to protest but the police failed to do what was within the law," the judge said adding that it was in fact the police that violated the constitution by stopping the protest.

In court the activists celebrated the acquittal by hugging each other and the scores of sympathisers that attended the court session.

Speaking to journalists after the acquittal, one of the activists Laura Miti said that they would continue to protest against corruption in government as that was their constitutional right.

"We will continue to protest peacefully and lawfully. As civil society organisations we have the right to protest peacefully as has been pronounced by the court," she told reporters.

Pilato described the acquital as a "victory for democracy and the people of Zambia".

He was arrested in May when he returned from South Africa, where he had fled after his hit song, "Koswe Mumpoto" (Rat in the Pot), drew angry reactions from supporters of Zambia's ruling Patriotic Front (PF) party.

Zambia's opposition has accused Lungu of increasingly authoritarian behaviour.
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. AJG recently announced the acquisition of Pointer Insurance Agency. The buyout is likely to improve its employee benefits consulting and brokerage operations. Moreover, the transaction will help the acquirer to strengthen its retail brokerage presence in the Northern Mississippi and Memphis region. However, financial details of the transaction have been kept under wraps.



Established in 1924, Southaven, MS-based Pointer Insurance provides a wide range of property/casualty coverages with its main focus on commercial and residential construction, restaurants, the hospitality industry as well as artisan contractors. This apart, the company also offers health, life, disability and long-term care coverages for individuals and families. The company caters to the various needs of businesses and individuals across Mississippi and Tennessee. On completion of the buyout, the team at Pointer Insurance will continue to operate from their current office location.



This latest transaction is anticipated to be substantially accretive to the acquirers already robust inorganic portfolio. The insurance broker will leverage Pointer Insurances market-leading position in providing specific insurance coverages, giving its clients the best value for their money. This in turn will allow the company to improve service offering in the Mid-South and South Central region of the United States. Moreover, this will help the acquirer to serve its clients more efficiently and effectively, in turn achieving its operational goals. Consequently, this latest integration is expected to reinforce Arthur J. Gallaghers solid inorganic growth profile and add capabilities to its insurance brokerage service suite.



Notably, Arthur J. Gallaghers recent acquisition of Preston-Patterson Co. Inc. is also in sync with its strategy of enhancing retail property/casualty brokerage operations. The buyout will add capabilities to the insurance brokers array of insurance brokerage services for broadcasters and media clients.



Arthur J. Gallaghers discreet M&A activity bears testimony to its convincing inorganic growth strategy. In the first nine months of 2018, this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) insurance broker successfully closed 27 acquisitions with annualized revenues of about $234 million. Moreover, its inorganic pipeline remains robust with about $500 million of revenues. The company flaunts an impressive growth profile, driven by organic sales plus merger and acquisition (M&A) activities. The company remains upbeat about its ability to tow in integration partners in its typical small tuck-in size at justifiable prices.



M&A activity, an inorganic growth strategy and one of the key trends in 2018, has been adding fuel to the already bullish performance of the insurance industry.



Shares of the company have rallied 15.2% year to date, outperforming its industrys increase of 4.4%. We expect top-line growth, smart acquisitions and a healthy capital position to push the shares up in the near term.

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Insurers Inorganic Growth Story



Considering the insurance industrys all-time high available capital, there have been a slew of crucial acquisitions in the space of late.



Recently, Horace Mann Educators Corporation HMN has agreed to acquire National Teachers Associates Life Insurance Company for $405 million. The acquisition will aid the company consolidate its presence as a provider of financial solutions to the education market. Further, Brown & Brown, Inc.s BRO arm, Brown & Brown, Kentucky, Inc. purchased all the assets of Dealer Associates, Inc, in December, enabling the insurance broker to extend its Dealer Services team while fortifying its presence in the Southwest region of the United States.



In November, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.'s MMC subsidiary Mercer bought Summit Strategies Group.

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AstraZeneca Plc. AZN and partner Merck & Co., Inc. MRK announced that the FDA has approved a label expansion of its advanced ovarian cancer drug Lynparza. The FDA has approved Lynparza as a first-line maintenance therapy for BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer. It is the first regulatory approval for a PARP inhibitor in first-line maintenance setting.

We note that Lynparza is already marketed in the United States for platinum-sensitive relapsed ovarian cancer, regardless of BRCA status and germline BRCAm HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.

The approval in the first-line setting was based on data from the pivotal phase III SOLO-1 study, which demonstrated that Lynparza (olaparib) tablets led to a statistically-significant and clinically-meaningful improvement in progression free survival (PFS) compared to placebo in women with BRCA-mutated (BRCAm) advanced ovarian cancer who were in complete or partial response following first-line standard platinum-based chemotherapy.

In the Lynparza arm, 60% of the patients were progression free at 36 months compared with 27% in the placebo arm. Lynparza reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 70% compared to placebo, following response to platinum-based chemotherapy.

With the approval for expanded use in the first-line setting, sales of Lynparza can improve in the future quarters.

Other PARP inhibitors available in the market are Tesaro, Inc.s TSRO Zejula and Clovis Oncology, Inc.s CLVS Rubraca. Zejula and Rubraca are also being evaluated in late-stage studies in the first-line maintenance setting for the treatment of ovarian cancer patients who have responded to platinum-based chemotherapy.

This year so far, AstraZenecas shares have risen 13.7% compared with the industrys growth of 4.9%.

In a separate press release, AstraZeneca and Merck announced positive results from phase III SOLO-3 study of Lynparza, which was conducted as a post-approval commitment in agreement with the FDA. The results showed that BRCAm advanced ovarian cancer patients treated with Lynparza following two or more prior lines of chemotherapy experienced a statistically-significant and clinically-meaningful improvement in the primary endpoint of objective response rate (ORR) and the key secondary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) compared to chemotherapy. This is the fourth phase III study to report positive results for Lynparza. The companies plan to discuss the results with the FDA.

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Astrazenca also announced that two phase III studies OLYMPUS and ROCKIES, evaluating pipeline candidate roxadustat for the treatment of patients with anaemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD), met their primary efficacy endpoint.

The OLYMPUS study was conducted on non-dialysis-dependent CKD patients, while the ROCKIES study was conducted on dialysis-dependent CKD patients.

While OLYMPUS demonstrated a statistically-significant and clinically-meaningful improvement in haemoglobin versus placebo, ROCKIES showed a similar improvement in haemoglobin versus epoetin alfa.

Roxadustat is a hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor (HIF-PHI), which is being jointly developed and commercialized by AstraZeneca and FibroGen.

Data from the phase III OLYMPUS and ROCKIES trials together with the efficacy and pooled safety data from the global phase III program conducted by AstraZeneca, FibroGen and Astellas will be part of the regulatory submission package in the United States and other major countries.

We remind investors that roxadustat was approved in China (its first regulatory approval) for the treatment of anaemia in chronic kidney disease patients on dialysis, earlier this week.

AstraZeneca PLC Price

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AstraZeneca currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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Australia on Friday admitted it is off track to meet the 2030 emissions targets agreed under the Paris climate accord.

The Department of the Environment said the country is on course to meet the more modest 2020 targets, but will struggle to reduce emissions by 26-28 percent by the end of the following decade.

Australia was the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas last month and is one of the world's top coal producers.

The conservative government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been tepid in its drive to tackle climate change and has prioritised the economy over reduction targets.

He has claimed that investments in renewables mean Australia will meet the targets "at a canter".

Although emissions forecasts have improved slightly, the government admits it is still a long way from the desired trajectory.

Australia estimates it would need to cut the equivalent of 695 to 762 megatonnes of carbon dioxide between 2021 and 2030.

At the moment, it is forecast to miss that target by almost 20 percent.

"The Morrison Government has no policies to address Australia's climate pollution problem," said the Australian Conservation Foundation in a statement.

As part of the Paris Agreement in 2015, countries agreed to limit global temperature rises to below two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
An autistic man who disappeared Sunday while on a Carnival cruise ship climbed a railing along the side of the vessel and went overboard, according to Carnival.

The reason the man  identified by his family as 22-year-old Luke Renner of Johns Creek, Georgia  jumped from the ship is unknown. But in a short statement, Carnival said his family believes he thought he was going swimming.

"Everyone at Carnival is deeply saddened, and our thoughts and prayers are with the guests family and friends," the line said in the statement, which was sent to USA TODAY.

RELATED: Man missing from Carnival ship in Gulf of Mexico

The incident took place on the 2,052-passenger Carnival Fantasy, which was on a five-night cruise out of Mobile, Alabama. The vessel was in the Gulf of Mexico sailing to the Mexican port of Progreso at the time Renner disappeared, and a search was conducted. But Renner was never found and is presumed dead.

Renner was on the cruise with a group from Wishes4Me, a non-profit organization that assists adults who are disabled. He lived at a Wishes4Me special needs facility.

Cameras on Carnival Fantasy captured the moment Renner climbed over the ship's railing.

In a statement forwarded to USA TODAY, Renner's family said it didn't blame Wishes4Me for his death. The group that Renner was with included nine people with special needs and three chaperones.

"Although we are devastated by his death, we are thankful he was there with people we loved and trusted when he died," the statement said. "We are confident Wishes4Me watched over him with the utmost care, and we do not hold them in any way responsible."

The family said it was heartbroken by Renner's death, calling him a beloved son, brother, and grandson.

"Luke was a light in our lives, funny, unusual, and, for a child with autism, loving and affectionate," the statement said. "He was our boy."

Renner's family added that he loved cruises.

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"Luke is with Jesus now, jumping up and down, and he can express himself clearly, and be understood," the statement said. "No more seizures, no more meds."

Renner is the second Carnival passenger to go overboard from a vessel this month. A 26-year-old man earlier this month went overboard from the 2,764-passenger Carnival Victory in what the line has called an intentional act.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Autistic man who went overboard on Carnival ship may have wanted to swim, family says
A Yeoman of the Guard, or Beefeater, stands amongst torches at the Tower of London. Photo: Jim Dyson for Getty Images

One of Londons most famous sights will be conspicuously absent for part of January due to a row over pensions.

The Tower of Londons beefeater guides  officially called yeoman wardens  will take industrial action next month over changes to their pension, the GMB union said.

Staff at Hampton Court Palace on the River Thames will also go on strike, after a ballot received 91% in favour of taking action.

Both the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace are managed by Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), and a 24-hour strike is planned for 8 January next year, accompanied by a picket at both venues.

Around 120 staff are having their pensions moved from a final salary scheme into a model the GMB union described as inferior.

GMB regional organiser Michael Ainsley said: HRP are jumping on a bandwagon which is seeing employers engaging in a race to the bottom, ending good final salary schemes and replacing them with risky cheaper defined contribution schemes.

HRP said both sites will remain open during the strikes. Chief Executive John Barnes said: Although we fully respect the rights of trade union members to take industrial action, (the) strike is disappointing.

However, it will not change our decision to close the Defined Benefit scheme.

READ MORE: Five ways to save Britains high streets

There is further action planned at HRP sites  which also include Kensington Palace, Banqueting House, Kew Palace and Hillsborough Castle  from the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS).

They will carry out two three-hour walkouts, first on 28 December and then on 2 January.

The beefeaters have guarded the Tower of London since the 16th century, and it is believed their name may derive from having originally received part of their payment in beef.

They are best known for wearing red uniforms on state occasions, though usually wear a dark blue uniform.

Additional reporting from Reuters
The financial services regulator of Bermuda, the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA), is inviting comments on a draft Code of Practice for Digital Asset Custody that it has released.

The purpose of the code of practice is to offer protection to the public while clarifying the expectations of the authority with regards to digital assets custody. The financial services regulator has set January 18, 2019 as the deadline for receiving feedback, according to a statement issued by the BMA.

Per a senior adviser at the Bermuda Monetary Authority, Moad Fahmi, the Code of Practice for Digital Asset Custody will benefit the countrys financial system:

We remind stakeholders that the [regulatory] framework was built with the aim of making sure that the core objectives of financial regulation are respected, that is: protecting consumers, ensuring stability of our institutions and maintaining integrity and confidence in financial markets  with a focus on maintaining the highest standards of AML/ATF [Anti-Money Laundering/Anti-Terrorism Financing].

Global Regulatory Leadership Ambitions

Bermudas Code of Practice for Digital Asset Custody has been issued as part of the islands efforts towards becoming regulatory leaders in digital assets as the managing director in charge of supervision at the BMA, Craig Swan, stated.

Other efforts by the British island territory to become a darling of the cryptocurrency sector have included amending the banking act with a view of attracting blockchain startups.

Bermuda Amends Banking Act to Favor Blockchain Startups https://t.co/iWnQk3Z1TV  CCN (@CryptoCoinsNews) July 4, 2018

The amendments which were made to the countrys banking act came after the realization that local financial institutions were unwilling to provide banking services to blockchain firms owing to stringent regulations which saw them avoid new risks.

Story continues

As CCN reported at the time, Bermudas premier David Burt, made it clear that his government would not allow the reluctance of banks to welcome blockchain companies as clients to deter the islands efforts to spur growth by supporting and nurturing new industries such as distributed ledger technology.

ICO Regulations

Earlier in the year, Bermuda outlined a goal to become one of the first nations on the globe to provide a regulatory framework for initial coin offerings. This was disclosed in March by Burt in a parliamentary address:

Bermuda has an opportunity to become a global leader in the Fintech space by being one of the first countries in the world to specifically regulate ICOs. The proposed regulatory framework will provide legal certainty to companies looking to conduct ICOs in Bermuda.

Bermudas efforts to provide a conducive environment for cryptocurrency and blockchain startups have been rewarded to some extent with some investments flowing into the island. In April this year, for instance, cryptocurrency exchange Binance inked a Memorandum of Understanding with Bermuda promising to invest up to US$5 million in blockchain startups based in the country.

Featured image from Shutterstock. Fahmi photo from LinkedIn.



The post Bermuda Issues Draft Cryptocurrency Custody Rules appeared first on CCN.


Police stopped and handcuffed a black man after he tried to cash a pay cheque at a bank in Ohio, eliciting outrage online.

Paul McCowns tried to cash the cheque with two forms of ID and his fingerprints - as is standard procedure - at a Huntington Bank, NBC News reported.

However, the bank could not contact his employer to confirm that the cheque was legitimate so they did not cash it. As Mr McCowns was walking to his car, a bank teller called 911 and claimed he was trying to cash a fraudulent cheque.

When the police got there, they asked Mr McCowns to come out of his car, handcuffed him, and put him in the back of the police cruiser. Officers got in touch with Mr McCowns employer, confirmed that the cheque was real and released him.

Institutions that racially profile consumers should be held accountable. Calling the police on a Black customer cashing a $1000 check runs afoul of our public accommodations laws. @Huntngton_Bank, we're watching you. #BankingWhileBlack https://t.co/FmaziidFE7  Kristen Clarke  866-OUR-VOTE (@KristenClarkeJD) December 20, 2018

Twitter is responding to how Huntington Bank responded to Mr McCowns with the hashtag #BankingWhileBlack.

After the handcuffing incident and ensuing criticism, the bank tried to contact Mr McCowns to apologise, but has not yet successfully reached him. They also stated that their tellers were being extra careful after a spate of fraudulent cheques, NBC News reported.

#BankingWhileBlack is not a crime, and Paul McCowns should not have been treated like a criminal while trying to cash his paycheck. https://t.co/fdquFd8yKT  ColorOfChange.org (@ColorOfChange) December 20, 2018

Huntington Bank issued the following statement, according to The Washington Post: We sincerely apologise to Mr McCowns for this extremely unfortunate event. We accept responsibility for contacting the police as well as our own interactions with Mr. McCowns. Anyone who walks into a Huntington branch should feel welcomed.

Story continues

"Regrettably, that did not occur in this instance and we are very sorry. We hold ourselves accountable to the highest ethical standards in how we operate, hire and train colleagues, and interact with the communities we have the privilege of serving.

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Panel tells government to complete Melamchi project within deadline

The Finance Committee of Parliament grilled government officials involved with the Melamchi Water Supply Project over the last-hour disruption in the project that should have been completed by now.
Rabat (AFP) - The bodies of two women from Denmark and Norway murdered by suspected jihadists while hiking in the High Atlas mountains in Morocco were flown back to Scandinavia on Friday.

The remains of Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and 28-year-old Norwegian Maren Ueland were put on a plane that left Casablanca for the Danish capital, a police spokesman said.

Moroccan authorities said Thursday that four suspects arrested following the murder of the two tourists had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group.

The bodies of the two women were found Monday after they had pitched their tent at an isolated mountain site two hours' walk from the tourist village of Imlil.

One of them was beheaded, according to a source close to the investigation.

Imlil is a starting point for trekking and climbing tours of Mount Toubkal, which at 4,167 metres is the highest summit in North Africa.

Hours after the grisly discovery authorities announced the arrest of a first suspect and later said he belonged to an "extremist" group, while the three other suspects were arrested on Thursday.

Moroccan investigators are probing a link to Islamic extremism after a video emerged showing the suspects "pledging allegiance" to the Islamic State group, the Rabat prosecutor has said.

Authorities were working to determine the authenticity of a video posted on social media networks allegedly showing the murder of one of the tourists, according to the prosecutor.

"At this point, there is no tangible evidence that the video is not authentic," Norway's criminal investigations agency Kripos said Friday.

- 'In shock' -

All four suspects were arrested in Marrakesh, an hour away from the scene of the murder.

Younes Ouaziad, 27, lived with his parents in the working-class Al-Azzouzia neighbourhood.

His family and neighbours said Friday they were "in shock".

"He was a boy without any history, private. There was nothing to suggest he could do something like that," 35-year-old Abdelaati, a vegetable seller in the neighbourhood, told AFP.

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The murders have prompted condemnation from authorities in Denmark and Norway.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen denounced what he called a "beastly crime".

Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg condemned what she called a "brutal and meaningless attack on innocents".

Moroccan government spokesman Mustapha Khalfi described the killings as a "terrorist act" while Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani said it was a "stab in the back of Morocco and Moroccans".

Tourism is a cornerstone of Morocco's economy, accounting for 10 percent of national income.

Morocco has been spared jihadist attacks since 2011, when a bomb attack on a cafe in Marrakesh's famed Jamaa El Fna Square killed 17 people, most of them European tourists.
Oasis Supermercados, a Brazilian supermarket chain located in Rio de Janeiro, has recently started accepting cryptocurrency payments after asking a local exchange for information, and training its employees on how to do it.

According to local news outlet Portal do Bitcoin, the chains clients in Rio de Janeiro will now be able to pay for their things using Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin, according to one of the firms managers Douglas Andrade.

Speaking to the local publication Andrade noted that his brother Thiago was the one who came up with accepting cryptocurrency payments, after seeing a video explaining how to do it. After the video peaked their interest, Oasis Supermercados called a crypto exchange to get more information.

The firm reportedly has an annual turnover of $6.5 million and 90 employees, 20 of them cashiers. All of them, Andrade noted, have been trained to accept cryptocurrency payments. He was quoted as saying:

Its really easy. Its like a payment by credit card. The client says which cryptocurrency he wants to pay, the operator types in reais and the system already converts to that crypto. Then just scan the QR code and youre done.

The chain will be accepting cryptocurrencies via CoinWISE, a firm that turns the cryptocurrencies they receive into reais and sends them over three days after the payments were made.

The local news outlet points out that since the system was recently implemented, no cryptocurrency payment has yet been received, although Andrade claims the news has spread and some have already suggested it should start accepting other cryptocurrencies, including NANO.

The firms administrator credited a former employee with introducing them to the cryptocurrency ecosystem and telling them how to invest. The move comes as Bitcoin appears to be recovering from a year-long bear market that saw its price drop over 80% from its all-time high.

Notably, as CCN covered, Brazils Department of Federal Revenue (RFB) has revealed its looking to monitor the activities of business dealing with cryptocurrency, in what it claims to be an attempt to prevent tax evasion and money laundering. Its approach seemingly hasnt deterred Oasis Supermercados owners.

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Cryptocurrency exchanges in the country have been facing difficulties in the past few months, with Huobi even dismissing 6 of its 10 employees in the country. A glimpse of hope came, however, after local exchange Bitcoin Max won a standoff to see its account be reopened.

Featured image from Shutterstock. Oasis image from the companys Facebook page.



The post Brazilian Supermarket Chain Starts Accepting Cryptocurrency Payments appeared first on CCN.


The Breunion Boys.

The most bizarre bid to stop Brexit yet has been launched by a new Dutch boyband.

The Breunion boys are trying to harness the power of song, not to mention unbuttoned shirts and boyish good looks, to charm Brits into a last-ditch change of heart.

The groups first single, called Britain come back, was launched at Amsterdams Sexyland nightclub this week and the video is now setting alight social media.

I cant believe this is the end, starts the unlikely bid for Christmas number one. I still feel your love inside me. I still feel your love inside me. I still sing your words. I make a wish as your star falls.

It continues: Oh, your voice paints my heart, your mirage fades away. Your choice turns my spine grey. Theres always been a sea between us, we used to sail it together  but youre leaving, now were falling apart.

And the catchy chorus goes: Britain come back to us, its not too late to turn around.

The five-piece are aged 22 to 25 and the majority of them are students in Amsterdam.

Trainee doctor, Hajo, says he learned to appreciate Britain by watching romcoms with his sisters while growing up. In a way the films taught me how to a be a man, his bio on the groups website states.

While the groups efforts might appear satirical to many, its founder says its a serious effort to win over Leave-voting communities.

I thought Take That, and not just because it reminded me of the same heartbreak, but also because the members of Take That were from Leave country, explained Dutch artist Julia Veldman.

Robbie Williams was born in Stoke-on-Trent and they voted overwhelmingly to leave the European Union, so I thought what else will work better than the voice of Take That, or the boy band, the best thing Britain ever gave to us, to convince them to take us back.

The groups launch comes in the same week that Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte took out a full page advert in a national newspaper calling on his country not to follow the UKs lead.

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It said: Look at Great Britain. There, its politicians and people have forgotten what theyve reached together. Now they are caught up in chaos.

European politicians are also attempting to use Christmas as a final opportunity to convince the UK to stay.

A festive Brexit video message inspired by Love Actually made by German Green MEP Terry Reintke has been shared more than 4,000 times on Twitter.

Hey UK friends. I just had to do this. MERRY CHRISTMAS  pic.twitter.com/uz9NpnoB2J  Terry Reintke (@TerryReintke) December 20, 2018

An Estonian MEP also suggested sending a Christmas card to prime minister Theresa May telling her its not too late to call Brexit off.

But Yahoo Finance UK has revealed that European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker hasnt sent her a card.

The future relationship between the EU and the UK doesnt depend on a few lines in a Christmas card but on 585-page withdrawal agreement to be ratified and a 24 pages political declaration, a commission spokesperson said.

READ MORE: Juncker hasnt sent May a Christmas card because the Brexit deal is a better gift
Up to 7,000 US troops could be pulled out according to reports - REUTERS

Britain was not told of American plans to withdraw up to half its troops from Afghanistan, with officials only hearing of the abrupt shift by its closest military ally from news reports.

The decision caused surprise and unease among Western diplomats in Kabul, with one warning it was an early Christmas present to the Taliban.

Only hours before reports of the plan, the head of the British armed forces had said he believed Donald Trump would not announce a major troop withdrawal, as he had from Syria earlier this week.

Gen Sir Nick Carter, Chief of the Defence Staff, told the BBC he believed America was wholeheartedly committed to the international coalition propping up the Afghan government against a Taliban insurgency.

Mr Trump has reportedly ordered generals to begin withdrawing up to 7,000 of the 14,000 US troops currently helping the Afghans battle the Taliban and Islamic State group.

 It was a surprise, we weren't expecting it. Now we need to see exactly what the detail is, before we see what we are doing. said one British defence source.

Gen Sir Nick Carter had said only hours earlier that he believed the Americans were "wholeheartedly committed" to the Afghanistan mission Credit: PA

The Afghan presidency tried to brush off the announcement, saying its forces were largely in control of security rather than Americans.

But the disclosure was a gift to the Taliban, who earlier this week met US envoys for tentative peace discussions in Abu Dhabi, said one Western official.

"If you're the Taliban, Christmas has come early," a senior foreign official in the Afghan capital told AFP.

"Would you be thinking of a ceasefire if your main opponent has just withdrawn half their troops?"

The withdrawal of American troops has been the key demand of Taliban envoys, but America has sought a ceasefire, assurances terrorists will not be able to use Afghan territory and discussed having permanent bases.

Seventeen years into the Nato-led mission to stabilise Afghanistan, the country continues to see widespread violence Credit: AP

It was unclear if the withdrawal plan was related to this week's three-day talks with US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, but it appeared to come with no strings.

Story continues

Mr Trump announced on Wednesday he was pulling out all 2,000-odd US troops fighting in Syria because he claimed they had defeated Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (Isil).

Sir Nick, was asked during a visit to Kabul if he was worried Mr Trump would do the same in Afghanistan, where Britain this year nearly doubled its troop presence to 1,000.

He said: "I think the commitment I have seen over the last 24 hours would suggest that this is not happening here. It's a different mission [to Syria]."

Mr Trump has long questioned why America is engaged in Afghanistan. America's longest ever war has seen the country pour vast sums of money into the conflict and still see the Afghan government struggle to control or influence half the country.

The US president was last year persuaded by military advisers to pull out only if security got better and in the meantime increased air strikes and troop numbers in a new strategy he vowed would see troops fight to win. But the Pentagon has this year admitted the conflict remains a stalemate, while Afghan forces and civilians have seen sharply growing casualties.

Diplomats in Kabul have long talked of a 'Tweet of Damocles' hanging over them from Mr Trump, in which he would decide abruptly to change his mind and announced on social media he was pulling out.

"The US has not consulted us on the withdrawal and today we will start meetings to discuss it," a Western diplomat in Kabul told Reuters.

"It will take a while and there are some countries who are ready to exit. So they could be the first to leave."

Mr Trump's decision not to inform the UK in advance was the latest blow to the "special relationship" between the two countries under Mr Trump's administration.

The US president has also previously rebuked Theresa May for her handling of Brexit, including in a bad-tempered call from Air Force One.

Last month he called her approach to Brexit a "great deal for the EU" that could make it difficult for the UK to trade with the US.
Paris (AFP) - A Briton accused of being one of Europe's biggest drug traffickers was jailed for 22 years on Friday for smuggling over a tonne of cocaine into France in suitcases stashed on an Air France flight.

The court said Robert Dawes, 46, would have to serve at least 15 years with no possibility of parole over the brazen 2013 drugs shipment from Venezuela to Paris.

Dawes, who had denied the charges, was arrested at his luxury villa on the Spanish Costa del Sol in 2015 following a lengthy investigation by authorities in Britain, France, Spain and South America.

"I continue to claim my innocence," he said Friday morning in his final statement to the special non-jury court.

The case was tried by five judges who ordered Dawes and four accomplices -- three Italians and one Briton -- to pay a 30-million-euro ($34.2 million) fine.

"Far from a small-time fall guy, today we are judging men in the highest ranks of organised crime who supplied European networks," prosecutor Isabelle Raynaud told the court during the week.

Hailing the verdict, the deputy director of Britain's National Crime Agency, Matt Horne, describe Dawes as "one of the most significant organised criminals in Europe with a network that literally spanned the globe."

"Dawes was prepared to use extreme levels of violence in order to further his reputation and take retribution against those who crossed him. Members or associates of his criminal group are known to have been involved in intimidation, shootings and murders," Horne added in a statement.

The noose tightened on Dawes after Spanish police secured a video showing him bragging to a member of a Colombian drugs cartel about his ownership of the cocaine found stuffed in 30 suitcases registered to ghost travellers.

Spain extradited him to France shortly after his arrest.

Dawes had hoped to get the video dismissed on legal grounds, but a document submitted by his defence team in support of that claim turned out to be a forgery.

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Dawes himself then surprised the court -- and evidently his lawyers -- by saying his claims in the video were "just a made-up story" intended to provoke the police into arresting him so that he could prove his innocence.

The court also passed jail terms ranging from five to 13 years on four accomplices: Britain's Nathan Wheat, and Vincenzo Aprea, Carmine Russo and Marco Panetta of Italy.

The four were arrested after undercover officers tricked them into trying to transport some of the cocaine to Italy shortly after its arrival at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport in September 2013.

A sixth defendant, Britain's Kane Price, was acquitted.

- Stuffed in suitcases -

At the time of his arrest, Spanish police said Dawes "headed up the biggest criminal organisation in Britain and Europe devoted to drug trafficking, money laundering and murder".

He was suspected of buying large amounts of drugs from Italy's 'Ndrangheta mafia, which is thought to run much of Europe's cocaine trade from Calabria.

His empire allegedly stretched from Portugal, France and Belgium to Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Venezuela and Mexico.

Dawes maintained that he and his family made their money from a variety of businesses in Spain, including furniture and window manufacturing, management consulting and property investments.

The cocaine found on the Air France flight from Caracas had a street value of some 240 million euros ($275 million).

The discovery caused a stir in Venezuela where the interior minister admitted the suitcases had gone through security scanners that had clearly showed the presence of drugs.

Venezuelan police arrested 25 people, including members of the military and an Air France manager.
CACI International Inc CACI has been awarded a five-year contract by the U.S. Army Information Technology Enterprise Solutions-3 Services (ITES-3S), which can be extended up to four more years.



The contract value is capped at $12.1 billion, and requires the company to continue supporting the Enterprise IT, Business Systems and Logistics and Material Readiness areas of the ITES-3S.



It is an indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, which will be managed by the Armys Computer Hardware, Enterprise Software and Solutions program. CACI will be required to provide a wide range of end-to-end enterprise IT services to the aforementioned market areas of the ITES-3S.



CACI Rides High on Contract Wins



The company has been doing very well with a record level of awards, which reflects its disciplined business development actions, consistent operational excellence and high customer satisfaction.



This is the 10th high-value contract awards received by CACI this year, apart from the numerous high-value task orders.



Last month, the company was awarded two contracts  a $413 million five-year federal contract by the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center, and a $194 million task order to provide IT support to the Transportation Security Administration, under the Department of Homeland Securitys EAGLE II contract vehicle.



Notably, contracts in the last reported quarter were worth $2.54 billion, up a whopping 111% year over year, of which approximately 60% came from new businesses.



CACI has a large pipeline of new projects and continues to win more deals at regular intervals. Notably, as of Sep 30, 2018, its total backlog was $13 billion. These back-to-back contract wins are the key catalysts driving success perennially for the company.



CACIs strategy of winning high-value contracts, delivering excellence to its customers and deploying its capital for growth is expected to help it achieve newer heights.

Story continues

CACI International, Inc. Revenue (TTM)

CACI International, Inc. Revenue (TTM) | CACI International, Inc. Quote

Zacks Rank & Other Stocks to Consider



CACI currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).



A few other top-ranked stocks in the broader Computer and Technology sector are Marvell Technology Group Ltd. MRVL, Synopsys, Inc SNPS and Stratasys, Ltd SSYS, each flaunting a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Long-term earnings growth for Marvell, Synopsys and Stratasys is projected at 9.38%, 10% and 15.75%, respectively.



Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?



Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.



Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.



See the pot trades we're targeting>>



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



Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (MRVL) : Free Stock Analysis Report



CACI International, Inc. (CACI) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Synopsys, Inc. (SNPS) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Stratasys, Ltd. (SSYS) : Free Stock Analysis Report



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Zacks Investment Research
A handful of MLB teams got their Christmas shopping done early. Early Thursday evening brought reports of three separate and significant signings made by three different National League contenders.

It started with news that the Washington Nationals were inking veteran pitcher Anibal Sanchez to a two-year, $19 million deal that includes a $12 million third-year option. The Colorado Rockies struck next, landing infielder Daniel Murphy on a two-year, $24 million deal, according to Yahoo Sports Jeff Passan. Then it was the St. Louis Cardinals turn. Jeff Passan reports theyre near a multi-year deal with veteran left-hander Andrew Miller.

All three deals will fill big needs for the respective teams. Theyll also lead to questions over whether the signing team is doing enough to make itself a stronger contender going into 2019. Its a worthwhile question made even more interesting by the timing of each deal. Thats because of how similarly positioned all three signing teams are in the National League race.

Though the Rockies have made the postseason as a wild card team each of the last two seasons, they like the Cardinals and Nationals are in chase mode behind strong division favorites. Each team is looking to catch those teams setting the pace in their respective divisions, but theyre also competing with each other to establish positioning in the wild card picture.

Each signing on its own was enough to move the needle forward for each team. Here were going to examine just how much the needle moved, and which of the three seems most likely to make the postseason following Thursdays flurry of activity.

Longtime relief ace Andrew Miller will look to get healthy and back on track with the St. Louis Cardinals. (AP)

Case for the Cardinals

A three-year postseason drought probably feels like an eternity to Cardinals fans. It must feel even longer to the Cardinals front office considering how aggressive theyve been this winter. The signing of Miller will be the second high-profile addition made by St. Louis this winter, with the trade for Paul Goldschmidt being the other.

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Some would argue that the Goldschmidt addition alone elevated the Cardinals to postseason favorites. We werent ready to agree initially, mainly because of the work St. Louis had left to do to fix the bullpen. Adding Miller seems to be a huge step in the right direction. Thats assuming, of course, they get a healthy Andrew Miller.

Miller, who will turn 34 in May, missed significant time in 2018 with knee, hamstring and shoulder issues. The injuries understandably took a toll on Millers performance, leading to a 4.24 ERA. That was by far his highest ERA since becoming a full-time reliever in 2012. A healthy Miller would give St. Louis the late-inning left-hander it has coveted. More importantly, it would position him to be the biggest difference maker of three free agents in question.

The Nationals couldnt handle Anibal Sanchez in 2018, so now theyve signed him. (AP)

Case for the Nationals

The New York Mets and Seattle Mariners have earned the most headlines this winter for their flurry of offseason moves. Not far behind them though is a Washington Nationals team that is determined to remain competitive with or without Bryce Harper.

The Nationals, it should be noted, have now made eight significant moves since early October:  Trade for Barraclough

 Sign Rosenthal

 Sign Suzuki

 Trade for Gomes

 Sign Corbin

 Trade Roark

 Sign Adams

 Agree to terms with Sanchez  Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) December 20, 2018

Thats quite a list of moves.

The signing of Patrick Corbin is by far their biggest acquisition. But the additions of Kurt Suzuki, Yan Gomes and Matt Adam to the offense, along with reliever Kyle Barraclough and now Anibal Sanchez will help Washington field a deeper team in 2018.

Sanchez, 34, will occupy the rotation spot that opened up with the trade of Tanner Roark to the Cincinnati Reds. Hes coming off a huge bounce back season with the Atlanta Braves. In 136 2/3 innings, the 13-year veteran posted a 2.83 ERA. He was even better against Washington, posting a 1.50 ERA in 18 innings. Perhaps the best news is the Nationals wont have to face him again?

It was Sanchezs best season since winning the AL ERA title in 2013. Sanchez did however post a troubling 5.67 ERA between 2015 and 2017 in Detroit. That leaves plenty of question over which version of Sanchez the Nationals will get in 2019. If its the good Sanchez, then Washingtons rotation alone might be enough to carry it back to October.

The Rockies hope Daniel Murphy will help ignite their offense. (AP)

Case for the Rockies

Coming off back-to-back wild card berths, the Rockies are in the midst of one of the franchises strongest runs ever. At the same time, theyre also in the midst of the strangest time in franchise history. Thats because theyve entered an offseason where their offense needs considerably more work than the pitching staff.

The signing of Murphy is Colorados first attempt to address their lineup. The veteran infielder is expected to spend time at first base and second base, the latter of which will be open once D.J. LeMahieu signs elsewhere.

Murphy, 33, figures to be a good fit at Coors Field. Not that most hitters arent, but Murphy especially so because of his ability to use all fields. He recorded a league-leading 90 doubles between 2016 and 2017. Imagine what the number could be playing 81 games in Denver.

Its not entirely sunny with Murphy though. Hes coming off microfracture surgery on his knee last offseason. That limited his playing time and his effectiveness in 2018, especially on the defensive side. Assuming the Rockies have a good plan to manage Murphys health and limit his time at second base, he should be the safest bet of these signings to pay off.

Early verdict

Theres a lot of offseason left and plenty of moves to be made. In the here and now though, the Rockies still feel like the team closest to the postseason following Thursdays activity.

Perhaps the biggest reason for that is the Rockies had the shortest distance to go to be in that mix again. After taking the Los Angeles Dodgers to a tiebreaker for the NL West last season, Colorados position in the division seems even stronger with Arizona selling Goldschmidt and both San Diego and San Francisco not likely to be factors.

If Anibal Sanchez was guaranteed to repeat his 2018 or Andrew Miller was guaranteed to be healthy, the outlook might be different. The possibilities of those happening should give Nationals and Cardinals enough hope that Thursdays move will better their opportunity to play in the postseason.

More from Yahoo Sports:

 Josh Gordons career hits another bump in the road

 College footballs early signing period winners and losers

 Watch: Recruits heartwarming signing announcement

 Kansas City star QB inks Hunts Ketchup deal


Sugarcane drying up as factories, farmers haggle over prices

Standing sugarcane worth millions is drying up in the fields in Sarlahi district as local sugar mills are yet to resume operation. The factories are not ready to buy the crops from farmers and start manufacturing sugar because the minimum price of sugarcane for this season has not been fixed.
China has called the US arrogant and selfish after two Chinese citizens were charged for allegedly participating in a global hacking campaign to steal trade secrets and other sensitive information from American government agencies and corporations.

Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong are accused of trying to illegally obtain intellectual property, technology secrets and the personal data of over 100,000 US navy members over a 12-year period.

The crimes were apparently part of several campaigns lasting years that targeted dozens of companies as well as several foreign governments, according to the US department of justice.

Neither of the two men have been apprehended but the US claims they worked in coordination with the Chinese ministry of state security to commit the crimes.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying accused the US of undermining other countries development in order to defend its own hegemony.

Ms Hua spoke at a briefing after she had condemned the US in a written statement and accused them of fabricating facts on the hacking charges.

The hacking was carried out by a group known as Advanced Persistent Threat 10 (APT 10), with the two men accused of trying to steal information from as many as 45 American technology companies and government agencies.

The thefts began in 2006 and another campaign to steal intellectual property and data from technology companies started in 2014, the Department of Justice said.

The 2014 campaign, which targeted remote-access client-management companies, resulted in intrusions of computers in at least 12 companies.

Chinas goal, simply put, is to replace the US as the worlds largest global superpower, FBI director Christopher Wray said.

US allies echoed the accusations as the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand all criticised China for violating a pledge Beijing made in 2015 to refrain from hacking for commercial gain.

This campaign is one of the most significant and widespread cyber intrusions against the UK and allies uncovered to date, targeting trade secrets and economies around the world, British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said.
Dividends play an important role in compounding returns in the long run and end up forming a sizeable part of investment returns. Recently, China New Higher Education Group Limited (HKG:2001) has started paying dividends to shareholders. Today it yields 1.7%. Does China New Higher Education Group tick all the boxes of a great dividend stock? Below, Ill take you through my analysis.

Check out our latest analysis for China New Higher Education Group

Heres how I find good dividend stocks

If you are a dividend investor, you should always assess these five key metrics:

Is it the top 25% annual dividend yield payer?

Has it paid dividend every year without dramatically reducing payout in the past?

Has dividend per share amount increased 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:2001 Historical Dividend Yield December 20th 18

How well does China New Higher Education Group fit our criteria?

The current trailing twelve-month payout ratio for the stock is 27%, meaning the dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Going forward, analysts expect 2001s payout to remain around the same level at 29% of its earnings. Assuming a constant share price, this equates to a dividend yield of 2.7%. Furthermore, EPS should increase to CN0.25.

When thinking about whether a dividend is sustainable, another factor to consider is the cash flow. Companies with strong cash flow can sustain a higher payout ratio, while companies with weaker cash flow generally cannot.

If theres one type of stock you want to be reliable, its dividend stocks and their stable income-generating ability. Unfortunately, it is really too early to view China New Higher Education Group as a dividend investment. Last year was the companys first dividend payment, so it is certainly early days. The standard practice for reliable payers is to look for 10 or so years of track record.

Compared to its peers, China New Higher Education Group generates a yield of 1.7%, which is on the low-side for Consumer Services stocks.

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Next Steps:

Now you know to keep in mind the reason why investors should be careful investing in China New Higher Education Group for the dividend. On the other hand, if you are not strictly just a dividend investor, the stock could still be offering some interesting investment opportunities. 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. There are three key factors you should look at:

Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for 2001s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for 2001s outlook. Valuation: What is 2001 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 2001 is currently mispriced by the market. 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.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry said on Thursday that a Canadian woman is undergoing "administrative punishment" for working illegally, after Canada's government said a third Canadian had been detained in China. Chinese state security agents last week detained two Canadians, former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor, saying they were suspected of endangering state security. The detentions of the Canadians followed the Dec. 1 arrest in Vancouver of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd. [HWT.UL]. Meng was arrested at the request of the United States, which is engaged in a trade war with China. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying identified the third Canadian as Sarah McIver, who was serving "administrative punishment" due to "illegal employment". She did not elaborate. "What I can tell you is that China and Canada are maintaining clear consular communication," Hua told a daily news briefing. When asked if McIver's case was connected to that of Kovrig and Spavor, Hua pointed out that the nature of the cases were different, given the other two were accused of endangering national security. Hua referred further questions on McIver to the Ministry of Public Security. That ministry did not immediately respond to requests for further comment. The Canadian government has not identified the third Canadian, though Canadian media has said the person is McIver and said she was an English teacher being held because of "visa complications". Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged caution on Wednesday and said he would not be "stomping on a table" after China detained the third Canadian. Trudeau said he was asking China for more information on the detentions. He said the latest incident was "a very separate case" from the other two. The Canadian government has said several times it saw no explicit link between the arrest of Meng, the daughter of Huawei's founder, and the detentions of Kovrig and Spavor. But Beijing-based Western diplomats and former Canadian diplomats have said they believed the detentions were a "tit-for-tat" reprisal by China. China has demanded Meng's immediate release and summoned in the Canadian and U.S. ambassadors to complain about the case. Meng is accused by the United States of misleading multinational banks about Iran-linked transactions, putting the banks at risk of violating U.S. sanctions. She was released on bail in Vancouver, where she owns two homes, while waiting to learn if she will be extradited to the United States. She is due in court on Feb. 6. (Reporting by Philip Wen; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie, Robert Birsel)
Cigna Corporation CI completed the pending merger with Express Scripts Holding Company (Express Scripts), effective Dec 20, 2018. With this deal, the combined organization is likely to provide enriched and affordable care to their customers. Cigna aims to transform the healthcare system through this significant transaction.



This merger brings two complementary healthcare service companies together, both having leading cost trend abilities, which will provide customers with better healthcare and more options to choose from. This latest deal with Express Scripts can effectively drive the breadth of value-based relationships for Cigna. The deal undoubtedly adds significantly to Cignas fast-growing collaborative care network.



Moreover, Cigna announced an additional investment of $200 million to its charitable foundation and communities. It is even launching Healthier Kids for Our Future, a program aimed at addressing the well-being of children around the globe. In the next year, Cigna will solely focus on improving the health of children by eradicating hunger and enhancing nutrition.



Both the companies are currently working on a blueprint to provide special, personalized and value-based care, which would allow them to prioritize the needs and requirements of customers. They have the intention to provide feasible, convenient and affordable solutions to customers. The joint effort by the companies would help in mending the gaps in care in the local communities.



Cigna expects the merger to deliver impressive sustained returns to shareholders. As discussed, the company estimates delivering adjusted income from operations per share of $20-$21 in 2021.



Shares of the companies stopped trading on Dec 20, 2018. The combined unit has started trading from today under the ticker symbol (CI).



Shares of this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company have lost 12.1% in a years time, narrower than the industrys decline of 24.9%.

Story continues





Other Stock to Consider



Investors interested in the insurance-multi line industry might take a look at a few other stocks like MGIC Investment Corporation MTG, Old Republic International Corporation ORI and MetLife, Inc. MET, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



MGIC Investment Corporation offers private mortgage insurance and ancillary services to lenders, and government-sponsored entities in the United States. It came up with a positive four-quarter surprise of 34.32%.



Old Republic engages in the insurance underwriting and related services business, primarily in the United States and Canada. The company managed to deliver a trailing four-quarter positive surprise of 15.66%.



MetLife provides solutions to insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management businesses. It came up with a four-quarter surprise of 9.67%.

Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?



Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.



Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.



See the pot trades we're targeting>>



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



Cigna Corporation (CI) : Free Stock Analysis Report



MGIC Investment Corporation (MTG) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Old Republic International Corporation (ORI) : Free Stock Analysis Report



MetLife, Inc. (MET) : Free Stock Analysis Report



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Zacks Investment Research
Working hard or hardly working? Photo: imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock

Researchers have identified a type of employee who games the system by managing to appear busy and successful without actually doing anything useful.

A productivity study by the Ashridge at Hult International Business School in Hertfordshire, UK, examined how engaged employees were at 28 organisations in the transport, health, government and charity sectors.

It found both highly-engaged and disengaged workers, but researchers were left puzzled that one in five teams had a poor level of output despite appearing to be made up of hard-working and enthusiastic staff members.

They discovered that some employees initially identified as highly-engaged were actually pseudo-engaged people, who dragged down productivity by pretending to be busier than they were.

READ MORE: Why having a parasitic colleague isnt always a negative

These self-promoters appeared to constantly be in meetings, taking important calls or having work-related discussions, but rarely accomplished any tasks. In shift work, this meant stretching out work to take up more time in order to fill up the work day with minimal effort.

Researchers found low levels of trust and cohesion with little evidence of collegiality or support for one another in these workplaces, despite an outward appearance of respect and commitment to company goals.

According to senior researcher Amy Armstrong, selfish staff have a negative impact on businesses but are often enabled by the managerial system, as self-promoting to the detriment of the collective means these individuals are more likely to climb the corporate ladder.

They are often the first to get promotions, better pay and bonuses because they manage upwards by making themselves look good in front of superiors.

READ MORE: How horizontal structures can cause toxic workplaces

This diminishes teamwork in the workplace because staff who make themselves look good in meetings are likely to benefit more than than colleges who actually do the work.

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Theyre rewarded for that dysfunctional behaviour, said Dr Armstrong. Its quite a depressing picture.

For more on work and management issues, listen to the latest episode of Yahoo Finance Presents: Its a Jungle Out There on Apple Podcasts, ACast or Google podcasts.
San Jose (AFP) - Costa Rica's President Carlos Alvarado on Friday signed a number of decrees and norms granting various rights to the LGBT community.

These measures will allow same-sex couples to receive an allowance for housing that is given to low-income families, recognizes mixed nationality homosexual couples and extends the recognition of gender identity to migrants, amongst others.

Earlier this year, the government recognized the gender identity of Costa Rican transsexuals.

One directive states that it is in the public interest to allow transsexuals to undergo hormone replacement therapy through the state health system.

"We are recognizing that there are some rights enjoyed by the majority of the population, while others don't enjoy those rights," said Alvarado.

"What these measures are doing is implementing the equality that was missing."

Nisa Sanz, an activist for the family rights of homosexual couples, said these measures were settling a historic debt with people who have long been the victims of discrimination, but said there was still some way to go before achieving equality.

"There still needs to be progress in marriage for all. The only legal measure that guarantees full family protection is marriage equality," she said.

In August, the Supreme Court ordered parliament to legalize same-sex marriage.

The court's ruling included a clause that will automatically legalize marriage between homosexual couples if parliament has not already passed such a law before May 2020.
By Florence Tan and Chen Aizhu

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China, the world's top oil importer, is set to start 2019 buying little or no crude from the United States despite a three-month truce in a trade scrap between the two nations, with relatively high freight costs and political uncertainty choking demand.

That muted appetite means the United States, which became the world's top oil producer this year as its shale output hit record levels, will continue to hold only a sliver of China's market even as a wave of new refining capacity starts up there.

It also suggests that China is unlikely to use crude purchases to help plug a widening trade gap with the United States, which remains a core source of tensions between the world's top two economies.

The U.S. trade deficit with Beijing hit a record $43 billion in October as its firms stockpiled inventory from China to avoid higher tariffs that may kick in next year.

(GRAPHIC: U.S. finishes 2018 as world's top crude oil producer as shale output scales new highs - https://tmsnrt.rs/2R69s7G)

"Chinese companies have little incentive to buy U.S. crude due to the wide availability of crude supplies today from Iran and Russia," said Seng Yick Tee, an analyst at Beijing-based consultancy SIA Energy.

"Even though the trade tension between China and the U.S. had been defused recently, the executives from the national oil companies hesitate to procure U.S. crude unless they are told to do so."

(GRAPHIC: U.S.-China trade gap widens to all-time high amid trade war - https://tmsnrt.rs/2R5DNmT)

China stopped U.S. oil imports in October and November after the trade war intensified. It resumed some imports in December, but purchased just 1 million barrels, a minute portion of the more than 300 million barrels of total imports, Refinitiv data showed.

(GRAPHIC: Tankers carrying U.S. crude oil to China - https://tmsnrt.rs/2Qh0BjN)

Chinese refineries that used to purchase U.S. oil regularly said they had not resumed buying due to uncertainty over the outlook for trade relations between Washington and Beijing, as well as rising freight costs and poor profit-margins for refining in the region.

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Costs for shipping U.S. crude to Asia on a supertanker are triple those for Middle eastern oil, data on Refinitiv Eikon showed.

(GRAPHIC: China's appetite for U.S. crude muted by high freight costs, competitive Mid East supplies - https://tmsnrt.rs/2GyFnJI)

A senior official with a state oil refinery said his plant had stopped buying U.S. oil from October and had not booked any cargoes for delivery in the first quarter.

"Because of the great policy uncertainty earlier on, plants have actually readjusted back to using alternatives to U.S. oil ... they just widened our supply options," he said.

He added that his plant had shifted to replacements such as North Sea Forties crude, Australian condensate and oil from Russia.

"Maybe teapots will take some cargoes, but the volume will be very limited," said a second Chinese oil executive, referring to independent refiners. The sources declined to be named because of company policy.

A sharp souring in Asian benchmark refining margins has also curbed overall demand for crude in recent months, sources said.

(GRAPHIC: Singapore refining margins slump 50 pct in 3 ths amid demand growth concerns - https://tmsnrt.rs/2RhnHXv)

Despite the impasse on U.S. crude purchases, China's crude imports could top a record 45 million tonnes (10.6 million barrels per day) in December from all regions, said Refinitiv senior oil analyst Mark Tay.

Russia is set to remain the biggest supplier at 7 million tonnes in December, with Saudi Arabia second at 5.7-6.7 million tonnes, he said.

China's Iranian oil imports are set to rebound in December after two state-owned refiners began using the nation's waiver from U.S. sanctions on Tehran.

(Reporting by Florence Tan and Chen Aizhu; Graphics by Gavin Maguire; Editing by Joseph Radford)
Valley natives stage protest against road expansion drive

Various groups led by the Valley Road Expansion Victim Struggle Committee staged a demonstration at the Maitighar Mandala in the Capital on Thursday against the road expansion drive and other development projects under way in various parts of Kathmandu Valley.
This ad ran in the New Zealand Herald on Wednesday and Thursday. (Photo: Kimberley Dixon via Facebook)

Lock up your daughters, parents  three American men are traveling abroad, and their father is hoping to find them some lady friends.

Neil, a father from Oregon, placed an ad in the New Zealand Herald this week hoping to set up his three unmarried sons on a few blind dates while theyre visiting for a holiday.

Its hard to blame dear old dad for trying to help his single sons meet women while traveling.

We are from the States (Oregon), visiting your beautiful country, the ad began. It went on to say: My wife and I have three wonderful, successful, handsome, alas unmarried, sons between the ages of 28-32. We are not expecting, just hoping, to introduce our sons to nice NZ daughters.

In an interview with the Herald, Neil explained, We like to travel and I have gone with my kids to Europe, Australia and Japan, but we have never really interacted with anybody and in my mind I was just interested in them getting to know people, meeting people their age, and maybe develop some lasting, permanent relationships.

He added, I have never done anything like this before and they dont know. They are clueless, which I love.

Thats right  the three sons dont know that their father placed the ad.

Neil told the Herald he has already received more than 200 emails. It is hard to tell how many are genuine, he said. A few are maybe just scammers but for the most part people are really amazingly nice in your country.

So who is going to buy the movie rights to this story? The montage of three men meeting 200 women just reeks of a summer rom-com hit.

For the ladies in New Zealand, here are some more deets on our eligible bachelors. Benjamin, 26, is a consultant in Seattle. Jeremy, 28, is involved in a number of not-for-profit organizations. Matthew, 31, works in real estate in Portland (we suspect its the Portland in Oregon, but our source neglected to say).

I know one of my sons uses these dating sites and is always going on introductory dates and meeting somebody, but he hasnt had a serious relationship in quite a while, Neil said. I decided to help. I have no idea what will happen, but at least we will be able to meet some people.

Story continues

Neil plans to inform the boys of the ad while theyre on the plane to New Zealand  so there is no escape  should they not discover the now viral news on their own.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
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 well take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Shaanxi Northwest New Technology Industry Company Limited (HKG:8258).

What Is Insider Selling?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. As Peter Lynch said, insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.

See our latest analysis for Shaanxi Northwest New Technology Industry

Shaanxi Northwest New Technology Industry Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Siuyeung Chan bought HK$20m worth of shares at a price of HK$0.31 per share. 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. Its not at all bad to see insiders buy shares at or above current prices. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Siuyeung Chan.

The chart below shows insider transactions over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

SEHK:8258 Insider Trading December 21st 18

I will like Shaanxi Northwest New Technology Industry better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

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Insider Ownership

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Its great to see that Shaanxi Northwest New Technology Industry insiders own 11% of the company, worth about HK$22m. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Shaanxi Northwest New Technology Industry Insiders?

It doesnt really mean much that no insider has traded Shaanxi Northwest New Technology Industry shares in the last quarter. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Insiders own shares in Shaanxi Northwest New Technology Industry and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can access this interactive graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow for free .

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.
Digital Realty Trusts DLR, Brazilian subsidiary, Stellar Participacoes Ltda., recently completed the previously-announced buyout of a Brazilian data center provider  Ascenty from Great Hill Partners  for nearly $1.8 billion.

Earlier Digital Realty had entered into a separate bilateral equity commitment letter with Brookfield Asset Managements BAM affiliate  Brookfield Infrastructure  per which Brookfield will fund half of the equity investment amounting to around $613 million. In exchange, Brookfield will own 49% of the joint-venture entity which is likely to own Ascenty.

This agreement with Brookfield, subject to certain closing norms, will likely close in first-quarter 2019.

Initially, the transaction was funded with $600 million from a non-recourse term loan with maturity of five years, the roll-forward of equity interests of Ascenty management in exchange for Digital Realtys Operating Partnership Units worth $300 million. Further, approximately $1 billion was borrowed as unsecured corporate debt.

Nonetheless, the permanent capital structure for Ascenty will be finalized in first-quarter 2019.

Per management, the acquisition will enable Digital Realty to cement its position as a major data-center provider in Latin America. Particularly, its efforts to expand in Latin America region is a strategic fit as the company views it as a hub of future technological transformation.

Management also believes the deal will boost the companys global platform, aiding it to become a premier global data-center solutions provider. In addition, it adds proprietary fiber network and strategic high value assets to the companys portfolio.

Admittedly, with growing popularity of cloud computing, Internet of Things and big data, as well as the use of third-party IT infrastructure by several companies, data-center REITs are experiencing a boom. Additionally, the estimated growth rates for the artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicle and virtual/augmented reality markets will remain robust over the next five to eight years. This, along with improved outlook for economic growth, will significantly propel growth of data-center REITs, such as Digital Realty, Equinix, Inc. EQIX, CoreSite Realty Corp. COR and others.

Story continues

Digital Realty currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Shares of the company have declined 1.7%, which is narrower than the industrys loss of 3.6%, in the past six months.



You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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London (AFP) - Aviation chiefs are going to be on a steep learning curve to counter the security threat posed by drones after a costly and humiliating shutdown of London's Gatwick airport.

"This kind of incident is unprecedented anywhere in the world, the disruption of an airport in this way," Britain's Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said Friday.

Flights were suspended again at Gatwick on Friday by a drone alert, just hours after being reopened following the original unmanned drown sightings which caused travel chaos that left tens of thousands of passengers stranded over three days.

"We're going to have to learn very quickly from what's happened," Grayling told the BBC.

"There certainly isn't a straightforward commercial off-the-shelf solution that automatically solves all problems."

In fact, it drone disruption at airports is not quite unprecedented.

In 2016, Dubai International Airport closed three times because of drones being used for leisure nearby. The delayed and rerouted flights cost millions of dollars.

In February 2016, an Airbus A320 flying the Barcelona-Paris route reported a near miss with a drone at 1,600 altitude (one mile up) as it approached Charles de Gaulle airport.

- Potential catastrophe -

The fear is that if a drone smashed into a passenger plane or was sucked up into one of its engines, its highly flammable lithium battery could cause a catastrophe.

Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate wants to see swift, coordinated action.

"These events obviously highlight a wider strategic challenge for aviation in this country which we need to address together with speed -- the aviation industry, Government and all the other relevant authorities," he said.

In 2016, the European Aviation Safety Agency logged 1,400 drone incidents in Europe, up from 606 between 2011 and 2015.

Deputies in the European Parliament approved EU-wide regulations on the use of drones, but still need formal approval from European ministers before taking effect.

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Until then, it's up to individual member states to set their own rules.

In France, civil aviation chiefs have drawn up an interactive map of zones where drones are either restricted or banned. Airports, of course, are off limits.

Charles de Gaulle airport just north of Paris is looking at a long-distance protection system to tackle hostile drones.

But finding high-tech solutions to the drone threat in airport presents particular challenges, says Lucas Le Bell, founder of the start-up Cerbair that specialises in tackling the drone problem.

The noise levels at airports, the security requirements and the saturated level of communications make the task much harder.

His team is working on isolating the frequencies used to control drones, so they can not only detect and locate the devices but take control of them.

Elsewhere in France meanwhile, Mont-de Marsan airbase in the southwest has been working on a more low-tech solution.

The airforce, inspired by a similar experiment in the Netherlands, has been training golden eagles to search and destroy the intruders.

But that system still needs work: earlier this year, one of the eagles attacked a girl after mistaking her vest for the enemy.
The Hague (AFP) - A Dutch church said Friday it would run round-the-clock religious services to stop the deportation of an Armenian family, after the Netherlands refused them special asylum just days before Christmas.

For two months, the Tamrazyan family have been sheltering at the Bethel church in The Hague, which has taken advantage of a Dutch law that authorities cannot enter while a service is underway.

The church said junior justice minister Mark Harbers had on Thursday informed them of the "harsh and unjust" decision "not to use his discretionary jurisdiction to grant the Tamrazyan family permits of residence".

The church "cannot accept the rejection and will continue" to give the family refuge there, it said in a statement.

Theo Hettema, chair of The Hague Protestant Church, added: "Just before Christmas, when we celebrate God's humanity-loving and peaceful deeds, we feel strengthened not to forsake our responsibility for the Tamrazyan family."

The family fled Armenia after the father received death threats for his political activities and have been living in the Netherlands for nearly nine years.

Eldest daughter Hayarpi Tamrazyan, 21, who has effectively become the spokesperson for the family, her mother, father, 19-year-old sister and 14-year-old brother took refuge in the church on October 25 after Dutch authorities turned down their request for asylum.

The Dutch justice ministry has the power to exceptionally grant asylum to minors who are subject to expulsion orders -- known as a kinderpardon.

A justice ministry spokesman told AFP that Harbers had said he would not use the discretionary power, confirming an earlier decision on the matter. The ministry had informed the family on Thursday, the spokesperson added.

Nearly 650 pastors from the Netherlands and other countries have been praying 24/7 to exploit the loophole in Dutch law which says authorities cannot enter if a religious service is going on.

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The government had ignored an "extensive file with new information" on the family's cause presented by the church-related refugee organisation INLIA, the church statement said.

"The grounds on which the secretary of state has put aside this file are so disputable that the church has no other option but to continue with the church asylum."

The case has put the church and the family under the media spotlight.

Hayarpi Tamrazyan told foreign media on December 13: "I really don't know what the outcome will be but we hope we can stay here because this is our home, this is where we belong."
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday vowed to drive out a US-backed Kurdish militia and jihadists from Syria as Kurdish forces there warned that any attack by Ankara could seriously undermine the fight against the Islamic State.

Erdogan's promise followed the shock decision by US President Donald Trump to pull out 2,000 American ground forces from Syria on the grounds that IS had been "beaten".

Washington's decision not only has ramifications for the Kurds, who are being trained by US forces, but also for Turkey's actions in Syria.

Erdogan suggested Turkey could launch an operation against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia, which Ankara says is a "terrorist offshoot" of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.

The PKK is blacklisted as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies.

"In the coming months we will see an operation aimed at removing the YPG and Daesh (Islamic State) elements on the ground in Syria," he said in Istanbul.

Erdogan welcomed Trump's withdrawal decision but said he remained "cautious" because of "past negative experiences", referring to Ankara's continued disappointment over the US administration's failure to stop providing military support to the YPG.

LLater Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with state television that the delay was to avoid "friendly fire".

But, he added, "this does not mean we will turn back from any future operations. No one should be lulled into a false sense of security. We are determined on this issue."

But two leaders of the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Council, the political arm of the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), warned the battle against the IS could be brought to a halt if there was a Turkish attack.

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Trump's move has also sparked turmoil in his own administration. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned on Thursday, reflecting his disagreement with the White House's new strategy in Syria.

- Flurry of diplomacy -

American support to the YPG militia, which spearheaded Washington's battles in Syria to eliminate jihadists, has long been a source of tension between the NATO allies.

The latest flurry of diplomacy began when Erdogan said on December 12 that Turkey would start an offensive in the east of the Euphrates River in "the next few days".

Then on December 14, he spoke to Trump on the phone.

Turkish daily Hurriyet reported on Friday that Trump decided to pull out during that call and ordered his national security adviser John Bolton to "start the work" to prepare withdrawal.

Erdogan on Friday said the US decision meant Turkey would "wait a little longer" before any operation involving Syrian rebels.

Earlier on Friday during a press conference in Malta, the Turkish foreign minister said Turkey needed to "coordinate this withdrawal with the United States".

Cavusoglu later told state broadcaster TRT that Turkish and American officials would hold talks on the issue in Washington on January 8.

Ankara and Washington are working together with joint patrols in the northern Syrian city of Manbij, which was captured from IS by the SDF.

- Shot in the arm for jihadists -

The co-chairs of the Syrian Democratic Council were in Paris on Friday for talks about the planned US military pullout.

Ilham Ahmad, one of the co-chairs, said they would be "forced to withdraw from the frontlines in Deir Ezzor to take up positions on the border with Turkey to counter any attack" by Ankara.

Ahmad said the forces feared they could "lose control" over detained foreign jihadists if IS used the US pullout to regroup, or if Turkey pushed ahead with an attack.

Riad Darar, the council's other co-chair, said the forces would not release hundreds of foreign IS fighters held in Syrian Kurdish prisons.

Turkey conducted an operation against IS in 2016 which also aimed to block the YPG from joining up the territory it held in northern Syria and staged an offensive against the militia in its northwestern enclave of Afrin in January this year.

burs-raz/ach/pvh
Addis Ababa (AFP) - A rebel group popular with Ethiopia's largest ethnic community on Friday accused the government of breaching a historic peace deal aimed at encouraging the organisation to return to the political fold.

The Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) said the authorities had failed to meet key provisions under the agreement.

In July, reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed removed the OLF from a list of terror organisations, and two months later its exiled leadership made a triumphant return home.

The two sides also concluded a deal in August aimed at opening the way for the OLF to return to the political arena.

However, the accord has run into snags. The government has called for OLF fighters to immediately lay down their arms, and says some of them have been carrying out crimes.

The OLF denies this, and on Friday charged the government with failing to meet its promise of integrating its combatants into the armed forces.

"The OLF had agreed with the Ethiopian government on the formation of impartial security forces, inclusion of our fighters to security forces and the truth about our fighters and other Oromos who disappeared over the last 27 years," OLF chairman Dawud Ibsa said at a press conference in Addis Ababa.

"None of the points have been respected."

"Some of our fighters who have already entered into disarmament, demobilisation and rehabilitation camps have not been given the proper care, and we are prevented from seeing our fighters," he added.

The Oromos are the largest of Ethiopia's some 80 ethnic groups, with 35 percent of the nation's nearly 80 million inhabitants.

After the fall of Ethiopia's Marxist regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991, the OLF was part of the country's transitional government.

But after numerous disputes with the leadership it quit and demanded the creation of the independent state of Oromia.

In 1992, the OLF broke away from the ruling coalition, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), and then began an armed campaign against it.

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The government's heavy response spurred unrest in Oromia, leading in 2015 to the biggest wave of protests in a quarter of a century and eventually to the resignation of Abiy's predecessor.

Ibsa has previously said that the OLF has around 2,000 fighters, in the south and east of the country.

On Friday, he said the OLF's forces "wont attack, but they reserve the right for self-defence."

"The stationing of Ethiopian soldiers in our areas of operations has resulted in conflict between soldiers and with our fighters," he added.

Abiy, appointed in April, has won plaudits for a flurry of major reforms.

They include the release of thousands of imprisoned dissidents and journalists, forging a peace deal with rival Eritrea, and unveiling plans to privatise state corporations.

But his image has been dented by ethnic clashes in Addis Ababa and remote parts of the highly diverse country, sparking fears that Africa's second largest country could spiral once more into violence.
Work in tandem

Government and bureaucracy must be receptive to each others concerns
By Alexis Akwagyiram and Paul Carsten

LAGOS (Reuters) - Plans to build another privately-financed power station in Nigeria to help end decades of chronic blackouts have been delayed because of concerns about persistent shortfalls in payments for electricity across the sector.

The $1.1 billion Qua Iboe Power Plant being developed by energy infrastructure company Black Rhino and the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation won't get a green light by the end of 2018 as planned and it was unclear when the deal might close, NNPC told Reuters.

The delay is a setback for Africa's biggest oil producer where 80 million people don't have access to grid power supplies and it exposes the difficulties in attracting private investment to a sector that successive governments have tried to reform.

The uncertainty surrounding the 540-megawatt Qua Iboe plant stems from the difficulties Nigeria's first privately-financed independent power project - the 460-megawatt Azura-Edo plant - has encountered since it came online this year.

Azura was meant to be a model for a string of independent power plants financed by international investors. To give them confidence to invest in the first major plant since the power sector was privatized in 2013, the World Bank provided a safeguard known as a partial risk guarantee - meaning the lender would step in if Nigeria defaulted on payments.

Under the current system, the government-owned Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading company (NBET) buys power from generators and passes it on to distributors who then collect money from customers and reimburse NBET.

But because NBET is not paid in full for the power it buys, generators such as Azura have been partly reimbursed from an emergency central bank loan fund created to keep the sector afloat.

NNPC told Reuters one of the reasons the Qua Iboe plant (QIPP), which is due to be built in the southern state of Akwa Ibom, had been delayed was because NBET appeared reluctant to commit to new projects to avoid increasing its liabilities.

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"The continued delay relates to the current cashflow challenges at NBET, as highlighted by the Azura project," a spokesman for NNPC said in an emailed statement. "This concern is justified by the fact that NBET is yet to see an improvement in collections from DISCOs (distribution companies)."

NBET did not immediately respond to a request for comment on NNPC's statement about QIPP.

NBET chief executive Marilyn Amobi told Reuters in November that it was hard for the company to work because of poor infrastructure and shortfalls in cash from distributors needed to reimburse generators.

"You don't have the infrastructure, you don't have the financial position to do it, you don't actually have the products, and you don't have the grid," she said.

WORLD BANK CONDITIONS

NNPC said another problem for QIPP was that the World Bank had made a partial risk guarantee, similar to the one that helped Azura attract investors, contingent on the government's implementation of an agreed power sector recovery plan.

"In theory it is okay, but the risk is there are delays in the approvals which may impact QIPP," NNPC said.

Power ministry officials and the World Bank have been in talks about long-term structural changes needed to trigger the release of a $1 billion loan to help pay for reforms.

A World Bank spokeswoman said the loan had yet to be submitted to its board for approval and that the Washington-based lender considered the recovery plan to be "critical for de-risking the sector for private investments".

Problems that need to be tackled include decaying infrastructure, mounting debts, low tariffs for electricity and a dilapidated government-owned grid that would collapse if all the country's power generators operated at full tilt.

Even though NBET has an agreement to buy 13 gigawatts (GW) from power generators, the system can only cope with distributors sending out an average of 4 GW, according to the ministry of power.

The World Bank spokeswoman confirmed any future guarantees for independent power plants (IPPs) would be linked to the plan's implementation - because the economic and financial viability of generation capacity expansion was at risk.

A spokeswoman for Black Rhino, which is one of private equity firm Blackstone's portfolio companies, declined to comment on NNPC's announcement of a delay to QIPP.

When the project was unveiled, Nigerian cement giant Dangote Group was named as a joint venture partner - along with Black Rhino and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

But a Dangote executive told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the company, owned by Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote, had pulled out.

"The huge debt level, and, the fact the IPPs are not making profits, is another reason for prospective investors to be deterred," he said. "Further, collecting revenue from the distribution companies is also becoming a mirage."

A Dangote Group spokesman declined to comment on the delay to QIPP, or whether the company had pulled out.

'ILLIQUID AND INSOLVENT'

The payment problems in the Nigerian power sector were thrust into the spotlight in March when four generating companies filed a lawsuit against the government and Azura.

To ensure the generating companies were paid in full throughout 2017 and 2018, the government created a 701 billion naira ($2.3 billion) loan fund at the central bank to guarantee payments. When the fund was established in 2017, Azura wasn't part of the calculations.

But when Azura started producing electricity, the fund was also used to pay the new plant to ensure the terms of loan deals guaranteed by the World Bank were not breached. As a result, the other companies were told they would only receive 80 percent of the sums owed, according to the lawsuit filed in March.

The four energy companies want the fund to reimburse them in full, rather than allocating part of the money to the new plant.

Azura declined to comment on payments for power generated.

"If the central bank wasn't paying, the system would collapse," an official at a multilateral lender said on condition of anonymity. "Qua Iboe IPP would enter a system that is illiquid and insolvent. The liquidity is being provided by the central bank."

The official said QIPP would need the same partial risk guarantee Azura received to get off the ground, but the handling of payments to Azura by the Nigerian authorities so far meant there was little appetite to offer the same support.

Fola Fagbule, senior vice president and head of advisory at Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) - one of the multilateral lenders that invested in Azura - agreed that the Qua Iboe project would struggle without payment guarantees.

"What you have is an insolvent system," he said. "It is really difficult to make a case for a project on that scale."

A person with direct knowledge of QIPP who declined to be named said Azura's experience was damaging international investors' view of Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation.

"There has to be some understanding of how the sector is going to be able to afford new electrons coming into the grid," the person said. "(Those involved) do not want QIPP to build a project that could just end up in a default situation."

'KNOTTY ISSUES'

Nigeria's privatized power sector typically does not use meters to provide invoices, bill collections are low and energy tariffs have remained fixed for three years, meaning customers receive unsustainably cheap electricity.

The effect, say industry experts, is that electricity distribution companies recover so little revenue from customers that they pay less than a third of what they owe to generating companies - and that's why debts have ballooned.

Sunday Oduntan, spokesman for the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, said debt levels in the sector were caused by the artificial suppression of tariffs. He said there was a 1.3 trillion naira ($4.2 billion) market shortfall that meant distributors were unable to invest in improvements.

"You cannot be selling a product below cost price and expect high remittance. The shortfall in the sector is because of the lack of a cost-reflective tariff," said Oduntan, who speaks on behalf of Nigeria's 11 electricity distribution companies.

Debts across the sector partly stem from a currency crisis that took hold in 2016, just months after Azura secured its financing. The bulk of power company costs are in U.S. dollars but customers pay for power in naira.

The naira lost about 30 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar in June 2016 but the devaluation was not factored into a government tariff structure that has remained unchanged.

Louis Edozien, permanent secretary in the ministry of power, told Reuters there was evidence tariffs must rise, but it was also the responsibility of distributors to improve their collections, partly through better metering and infrastructure.

As for the future of QIPP, the state oil company said it would take six to eight months from whenever NBET executes an agreement to purchase power from the plant before a final investment decision could be taken.

The NNPC spokesman said there were a number of other "knotty issues", including the completion of a transmission line from the project site. He said QIPP had now agreed in a major concession to pay $20 million for it to be finished.

He also said there was a disagreement between QIPP and the central bank about the exchange rate at which power producers could buy U.S. dollars with naira. He said this had been escalated to the minister of finance.

With the $1 billion World Bank power sector loan on hold for now, the government is considering putting another 600 billion naira into the central bank fund to pay generators when the initial amount runs out early next year, sources said.

It was not clear how the central bank loans to the sector would be repaid.

Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele told Reuters that payments from the fund could be made up to February and that the bank was holding talks with World Bank officials.

"The loan negotiations are still in progress with no terminal date yet fixed," the power ministry's Edozien said.

($1 = 306.6000 naira)

(Reporting by Alexis Akwagyiram and Paul Carsten; additional reporting by Camillus Eboh in Abuja, Chijioke Ohuocha in Lagos and Karin Strohecker in London; editing by David Clarke)
Dispute between subcontracting firm and workers demanding better conditions has prompted protest inside Facebook

On 6 December, 20 Facebook subcontractors signed a letter seeking better employment terms. Photograph: Noah Berger/AP

After 20 Facebook subcontractors demanded better working conditions, they were told to accept a counter-offer from their company by Friday afternoon  or lose their jobs.

The labor dispute has prompted internal protest by some full-time Facebook employees (FTEs), who have been sharing updates on the situation on the companys internal version of Facebook, known as Workplace, according to posts seen by the Guardian.

Threatening jobs on Christmas is really disgusting, a Facebook software engineer who saw the posts and spoke on condition of anonymity told the Guardian by phone.

The dispute concerns a group of research assistants and a program coordinator who work for Filter Digital, a subcontractor at Facebook Reality Labs. The facility in the Seattle-Redmond area, previously called Oculus Research, is where the company researches and develops virtual reality and augmented reality products.

On 6 December, the 20 workers signed a letter to Filter Digital management seeking better employment terms.

We have decided to be courageous and take change into our own hands by standing together in proposing changes to improve our working conditions, the letter stated. Many of us work second jobs, have subpar living arrangements, and/or cannot afford necessary medical care for ourselves and our families  Many are simply one emergency away from possible homelessness.

The letter addressed inequities between the Filter employees and other employees at the Facebook facility, including workers employed by other contractors. Facebook closes its office for 11 holidays per year, according to the letter, but Filter only observes five of those holidays. Since Facebooks offices are closed on those days, preventing the Filter employees from working, they are forced to use six out of their 10 days of paid time off to cover the other holidays  or go without pay.

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The workers also requested paid sick leave, subsidies for public transportation equal to those enjoyed by other Facebook contractors, and a significant wage increase (from a starting wage of $22 an hour for research assistants to a starting wage of $30 an hour).

The letter requested that Filter respond to the groups demands collectively. Collective bargaining is regulated by the National Labor Relations Act in the United States, and workers are shielded by some legal protections when they engage in protected concerted activity, whether they belong to a recognized labor union or not.

A Facebook FTE shared a copy of the letter on Workplace and got a lot of positive reception from full time employees and other contingent workers, the Facebook software engineer explained.

Then on Thursday, a Facebook FTE posted an update on the situation, stating that Filter had responded to the worker letter by holding a series of one-on-one meetings with the workers before sending them a group email on Wednesday evening.

The email, which the Guardian has seen, stated that the workers had to accept Filters terms of employment for 2019 or leave the company: As we discussed in our meetings, the Facebook contract renews in January. Therefore, for business planning purposes we need to hear from each of you regarding whether you wish to continue working for Filter on this engagement  If you do not return the signed offer letter by that time, we will assume you do not wish to continue your employment with Filter.

In the post on Workplace, a Facebook FTE who said they had been in contact with the Filter employees described the counter-offers as crumbs.

Due to recent events, were currently working in an environment thats honestly frightening, the Filter employees said in a joint statement addressed to Facebook FTEs and provided to the Guardian. The word contingent doesnt even begin to describe the way we feel about our future  We went through the proper channels and all we got were threats, coercion and retaliation in response.

The Guardian contacted Facebook and Filter Digital about the workers claims on Thursday afternoon.

Joe Melanson, the CEO of Filter Digital, said by email that the company would provide additional facts within 24 hours.

We are working closely with our counsel and Human Resources team to assess these claims, he wrote. We highly value our relationship with our employees.

After publication of this article, a Facebook spokesperson said that the company had intervened with Filter Digital.

We hold our vendors to a high standard and we immediately looked into the situation when these issues were raised, spokeswoman Andrea Schubert said in a statement. As soon as we heard about this email to Filter Digital employees and the potential concerns about the deadline, we addressed it with Filter Digital and they took action to communicate back to their employees.

Melanson also contacted the Guardian after publication, to assert that the email with the 5pm deadline had not been intended as an ultimatum. Melanson said that the company had contacted the contractors Thursday afternoon to clear up any confusion.

Weve notified our employees that it was not an ultimatum, Melanson said by phone.

The company subsequently provided a written statement: The letter sent to our employees at Facebook Reality Labs by Filters HR manager was not intended to deliver an employment ultimatum. Upon learning that our message was not received as intended, we sent a follow-up email to those employees this afternoon clarifying that their employment with Filter and their engagement on our outsourcing contract with Facebook will continue at their new wages and benefits in 2019.

The company also said that it planned to begin matching Facebooks holiday schedule in 2019 and was making other changes to wages and benefits.

The Facebook engineer said that in recent months Facebooks FTEs had been increasingly discussing conditions for the armies of contingent workers at Facebook, who include janitors, cafeteria workers, content moderators and more.

Facebook just has this internal culture of We treat our employees so well; everyone is so happy, and I think thats relatively true for full time employees, the software engineer said. But theres this massive other part of the workplace that you dont engage with that much, and its really different for them.

The engineer said that contingent workers rarely post about working conditions on Workplace, despite having access to the same internal forums, but that in recent months, some FTEs have started posting anonymized accounts of concerns on their behalf.

In their statement, the Filter employees thanked Facebook FTEs for their support.

Were proud of the work that were doing for Facebook Reality Labs and want to continue doing this work, they wrote. Please dont forget about us over the holiday break, keep sharing with each other about whats going on with our jobs, ask questions, and help us safely continue our work into next year.
Mickey Huber meets the baby whose mothers life he saved. (Photo Courtesy of Anastasia Skinner)

A California couple is giving thanks to a first responder who helped them stay calm at a time of chaos, by naming their fourth child after him.

Paradise, Calif., native Anastasia Skinner hasnt had an easy time adding to her family with her husband, Daniel. The 25-year-old, who has three children, experienced the heartbreak of two miscarriages before she became pregnant with her fourth child. Still, she couldnt have anticipated what her daughters birth would bring or the heroism of the person who saved her life in order to make it happen.

On Nov. 8, the Skinners neighborhood was under evacuation as the Camp Fire raged. But even before she became aware of the dire situation nearby, Anastasia Skinner tells Yahoo Lifestyle, she set out to get her family dogs from her mothers house, and soon after was plagued by painful contractions.

Less than half a mile from my moms house, I got directed to go onto Gate Lane. It was around an hour into waiting on that less than 1-mile-long lane that I started feeling severe contractions that I was unable to talk or think through, Anastasia explains. Around them getting to three minutes apart, both my mom and my husband told me to get off the phone with them and call 911.

According to the stay-at-home mother, the baby wasnt due for another month. But not only did the contractions begin prematurely, her pregnancy had already been designated as high-risk.

I pleaded with myself to not have her yet, because I knew with hemorrhaging previously and the need for a C-section, my chances and my babys chances werent good, she said. The pain got worse, so the 911 operator said to lay on the horn and scream for help.

First responders eventually approached her vehicle while traffic was at a standstill and called for a helicopter to take her to the hospital. However, it was not until EMS Operations Chief Mickey Huber became involved that the expectant mom began to feel hopeful.

Mickey showed up and made the decision that I didnt have time to wait on the Life Flight, and formed an escort of emergency vehicles, Skinner says, explaining that a retired EMT took the drivers seat, while a neighbor who recognized her also jumped into the car, to take care of the dogs in her passenger seat. Mickey and I were in the back, with my seats folded down. He made me laugh, told me to tell him stories of happiness, to tell me what his name was several times. He stayed really calm and got us out.

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Huber explains to Yahoo Lifestyle that he was able to transfer Anastasia to an ambulance that would take her to the Enloe Medical Center in Chico, Calif., before he went back to help with more evacuations.

Daniel, meanwhile, received the evacuation orders and was traveling in a separate car, as he attempted to drive away from the blaze. He recorded videos of the flames that were beginning to engulf the neighborhood as he tried to follow his wife to the hospital.

All the while, Anastasia was being treated to correct her blood pressure and heart rate, which put her at risk of having a stroke. Doctors and nurses were able to stop her preterm labor that day, and she was discharged from the hospital quickly, as a result of the further health risks caused by the buildup of smoke. Neither she nor Daniel was able to get in touch with Huber until after Thanksgiving.

We tried finding him for a while, and he responded to a paper article [Daniel and I] did to give credit to everyone involved, Anastasia explains. Daniel called him and they sent emails back and forth.

One of those emails included the news that Anastasia was scheduled for a C-section on Dec. 2, and that the couple wanted Huber to come to visit, to meet the baby. At that same time, Daniel told Huber that the baby would be named Zoele Mickey Skinner in his honor.

I was and still am humbled and honored by their gesture. Zoele is such a cutie, Huber says. [Evacuation] day was a mix of emotions, but I have a great memory of that day now, because of baby Zoele.

Photos of Huber holding 2-day-old Zoele went viral after they were posted to the Enloe Medical Centers Facebook page on Monday. While many people are praising Huber for saving both Anastasia and Zoeles lives, the mother hopes that her daughter, too, will one day understand the significant role that Huber played in her life.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

 Couple donates everything in their house to firefighters whose homes were destroyed by Camp Fire: Well start over; theyre starting over

 After a 4-year-old lost his beloved dinosaur collection in wildfire, community donates toys

 Were all here together: California couple refuse to let wildfire take away their wedding day

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.




A tourist visits a major city in China. (Photo from Getty Images)

With a third Canadian recently detained in China, Canadians may be understandably skittish about traveling there. But experts say they have nothing to worry about as long as they follow a few simple, common sense rules.

If youre planning on traveling to China in the coming days or in 2019, heres what you should consider:

1. Listen to the Canadian Government

The first thing you should do when planning a trip to China is to closely monitor the government travel advisories pertaining to the country. As of this writing, travelers are advised to Exercise a high degree of caution due to isolated acts of violence including bombings and protests, which is a risk-level that that is second from the bottom in terms of scale, but its important to stay updated in case there are any changes.

I would say following the advice of the travel advisories is the single most important thing you can do right now, says Gordon Houlden, professor of political science and director of The China Institute at the University of Alberta.

G Adventures, an adventure tour group based in Toronto, is still running tours to China, but they offer the same advice.

The safety and security of our travelers are our top priority. We continue to operate our tours and recommend to our travelers globally to consult their governments travel advisories when planning their holidays. If there are hesitations with traveling to a particular country, consider an alternative destination that offers similar experiences, says Tim Chan, G Adventures public relations manager.

2. Register with the Public Security Bureau

Second only to monitoring government travel advisories is behaving yourself while in China.

That means registering with Chinas Public Security Bureau. If you are staying in a hotel, you are registered automatically when you check in for the duration of your stay there and then re-registered when you change accommodation. But if youre staying in a private residence, you or your host must register you within 24 hours of arriving to follow the letter of the law. Failure to register could result in a fine.

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Theyre going to know youre there because when you enter China they take your fingerprints electronically, so dont try to avoid it and just follow the rules, says Houlden.

You are under surveillance in China. According to Tim Chan of G Adventures, CCTV is prevalent in public spaces, so its important to follow the law and be respectful of cultural norms. However, Houlden says the average Canadian wont be monitored any more closely than they are in North America.

If they were looking for you, they could probably find you fairly quickly, says Houlden. But, quite frankly, with the electronic littering that comes with carrying a cellphone, Google knows where you are, even if Canada doesnt care.

He adds that as long as youre behaving lawfully, you should have nothing to worry about.

3. Obey Chinese Law

Speaking of behaving lawfully, it might seem obvious to follow the laws of the country youre staying in, but simply following the law as you know it in Canada is not enough while in China.

Of course, the big one is marijuana possession, which carries stiff penalties in China, but other things you may not expect to be illegal include making and posting a poster with a political statement and publicly criticizing Chinese leadership.

I dont think youre going to get in trouble talking to a friend about Chinese leadership, but the routine disparagement of Prime Minister Harper or Trudeau  depending on what tribe of voters you belong to  is not allowed when it comes to Chinese leaders, says Houlden.

You might just embarrass your host and in public its not a good idea. Its not as if theyre waiting to swoop on you, I just think its a bit dumb. Nobody is not pretending its a democracy, but why be in their face? Even those who may not agree with their country, may react in a defensive manner.

4. Take Advice from Trustworthy Locals or Long-Time Former Residents

If youre new to China, people you know who live there will tell you what goes down and what doesnt, along with whats problematic and what isnt.

You have to sort through that yourself and it depends who youre getting advice from, but in general, you can learn a lot from others who are there, says Houlden.

The cultural differences between China and Canada are numerous. While Canadians are exceedingly polite when they bump into someone on the street, the Chinese may seem more polite in more familiar social situations, and rude as a stranger on the street.

China is very populated and some regions can be extremely crowded. The idea of personal space is different from what were used to in the west. Dont be alarmed if youre jostled around while waiting in line, says Chan.

Other tips include not using the communal chopsticks to eat with when youre at a restaurant with Chinese friends, shaking hands when greeting instead of bowing (this isnt Japan) and when you are given a business card, dont shove it directly into your pocket  take some time to study it.

An astute observer will be able to quickly pick up what the differences are, says Houlden. Though ignoring these unwritten rules wont get you thrown in jail, following them will earn you a lot of respect among those you meet and are staying with.

Chan recommends a tour as a great way to learn these insider tips and tricks or just get to know cultural norms faster.

Traveling with an organized tour group is a great way to have the insiders perspective of the destination, he says.

5. Relax and Enjoy Your Stay

If youre following the advice above, (particularly the first three) then you should feel free to relax and enjoy your stay.

With so much to see, China is an important country to better understand, says Houlden.

Despite the headlines, there are over ten flights a day to China. Lots of Canadians are going there, enjoying themselves learning something about China and thats a good thing in the long run for both countries. Thats why I hope, despite the hearing on Chinese media, more Chinese people come to Canada because that people-to-people contact is very important.

At the same time, Houlden doesnt anticipate an end to the tension between China and Canada any time soon with Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou not receiving her extradition hearing until February 6.

I dont think this is something thats going to be all behind us by the end of the holiday season and will continue to be an ongoing issue into the new year. However, I dont support Canadians not going to China and Chinese people not coming to Canada. Just follow these rules and you should be good, says Houlden.
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Photo: World Economic Forum swiss-image.ch/Jolanda Flubacher

Facebooks chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg famously advocated for women to take charge in the workplace in her book Lean In, published in 2013.

Her point? To encourage women to get ahead in the world of work by asserting themselves in the office, and leaning in to their ambitions. The book was a huge success, selling 600,000 copies within three months  and topping the New York Times bestseller list.

But five years on, leaning in and reaping the benefits seem more easily said than done.

The facts remain hard and clear. If you are a woman working at a large UK company, you are most likely working at a firm which, on average, pays men more than women . According to the gender pay gap findings from earlier this year, women are also paid less when it comes to bonuses. There is a serious lack of women in positions of leadership, with just 24% of senior roles held by women around the world , according to Catalyst.

At face value, leaning in  negotiating for promotions, higher pay and better jobs  seems like a decent solution. This might not be the case, though.

Sandberg suggests women could help shrink the gender pay gap by negotiating more effectively for higher pay, but women who do negotiate face a dilemma. Unlike men, they have to weigh up the benefits of negotiating more pay against the social consequences of having negotiated.

Harvard Kennedy School professor Hannah Riley Bowles and her colleagues found across several studies that women were more likely to be penalised  treated negatively or seen as less likeable  if they asked for pay rises.

It is down to gender stereotyping, the researchers explained, as women may face a backlash for adopting traditionally unfeminine behaviour to get ahead in the workplace. This isnt to say that women shouldnt ask to be paid more, of course. Its just that theres more to the issue than confidence.

Fix-the-women solutions to gender issues often fail to take into consideration the gendered social context out of which gender differences in behaviour emerge, Bowles and her colleagues summarised.

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Likewise, Sandberg argues that making yourself heard at work is crucial in getting ahead in your career, yet research has shown women who speak up also face being penalised.

A 2012 study by psychological scientist Victoria L. Brescoll of Yale University found that even women in positions of power are likely to face a backlash in the workplace for speaking.

In one of her studies, participants were asked to read brief biographies of male or female CEOs who were described as either talking much more or much less than others in power, and to evaluate their suitability as leaders and their overall competence.

When female CEOs spoke often, their leadership ratings took a dive compared to when they were described as quiet. In contrast, male CEOs received a boost in ratings.

And even if women do speak up, there is no guarantee they will be heard. A 2016 report published in the Academy of Management Journal found that when women put forward positive ideas or solutions, they often go ignored. By contrast, men who engage in the same behaviour are generally rewarded with increased leadership and influence.

Another key issue with the concept of leaning in is that it may prompt people to view women as the problem, as well as the solution. Earlier this year, a series of studies by Duke University psychology professors found participants who read lean in orientated messages  instead of messages which called for a need for broader policy shifts  were more likely to feel that women ought to solve the issue of workplace inequality themselves.

In fact, they were more likely to believe that women are responsible for the problem  both for causing it, and for fixing it.

Earlier this month, former first lady Michelle Obama summed up the problem with leaning in. That whole, So you can have it all. Nope, not at the same time, she said, speaking at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Thats a lie. And its not always enough to lean in, because that shit doesnt work all the time.

Mary Pharris, director of business development & partnerships at FairyGodBoss, says that their research indicates that 66% of women dont feel like the workplace hasnt improved for women in 2018. Perhaps instead of just leaning in, then, we need structural changes to address the pay gap, the lack of women in leadership and the other challenges women face at work.

What this signals is that despite ongoing conversations around workplace harassment, creating better culture, and leaning in, these conversations arent translating to actions, Pharris says. While continuing to discuss these issues is incredibly important, employers and employees need to work together to create substantive, positive change for all women in the workplace.

To listen to more workplace tips, download Yahoo Presents Its a Jungle Out There podcast on Apple Podcasts, ACast, or Google podcasts to listen while on the go.
Paris (AFP) - The French National Assembly on Friday approved a package of emergency concessions first announced by President Emmanuel Macron in a bid to end the violent "yellow vest" protests.

The tax cuts for low-income workers were put forward by Macron in a televised address earlier this month to help cool weeks of protests that brought major disruption to the country.

The measures provide a "quick, strong and concrete response" to the crisis, said the labour minister Muriel Penicaud in a debate which lasted into the early hours of Friday morning.

The measures include the removal of a planned tax increase for a majority of pensioners and tax-free overtime pay for all workers.

Economists estimate the cuts will cost up to 15 billion euros ($17 billion).

The concessions will now move to the Senate for approval.

Tens of thousands of people joined rallies across France on consecutive Saturdays in a movement which sprung up over fuel tax hikes but snowballed into broader opposition to Macron.

Police this week said they would start removing barricades at roundabouts and on motorways after the demonstrations began to run out of steam.

The protests, which at times spiralled into violence, took a toll on the economy, with businesses counting the cost of supply disruptions, smashed property and a dearth of shoppers and tourists who stayed away from city centres.

On Thursday the president told critics of the fuel tax hikes "you're right" after 1.15 million people signed a petition suggesting several other ways to fight fossil fuel pollution.

Macron called the petition a "citizens' act".

"Your message, I heard it. I am responding to you directly, you are right," Macron wrote on the website Change.org.

He reminded the petition signers that his government has cancelled the planned increase in fuel tax and that no hikes in gas and electricity prices would be made during the winter.

While restating that reducing fossil fuels which contribute to climate change was a necessary action, Macron added that it "must not put the problems of the end of the world in opposition to the problems at the end of the month" -- alluding to the anger of the "yellow vest" protest movement about the cost of living in France and the difficulty in making ends meet.

The number of people who have been killed during the "yellow vest" protests since they began in early November rose to nine on Thursday after a 60-year-old man was hit by a lorry at a demonstration next to a motorway near Agen in southwestern France.




Londons Gatwick Airport reopened on Friday morning, but the costs of the unexpected 36-hour shutdown of Britains second largest airport are still being tallied.

Businesses including airlines, retailers, hotels and taxis could easily have lost millions in combined revenues after drones were spotted around the airfield, forcing the airport to stop operations and call in the military for help.

The airport alone is expected to have lost hundreds of thousands of pounds in revenue, according to estimates by John Grant, director of the UK-based consulting firm, JG Aviation Consultants.

Gatwick Airports parent company makes roughly 400m ($506m) per year from passengers that take-off and land at the airport, according to the companys latest annual results. That means the airport makes about 1.1m per day in average aeronautical revenue.

If passengers cancel their flights or go to a different airport, those revenues would be lost, noted Grant.

They probably would have retained maybe 50% or 60% of those [daily] revenues, he told Yahoo Finance UK.

Gatwick Airport did not provide its own estimates of lost revenue.

Our priority today is to get our operation back on track so that people can be where they need to be for Christmas, the airport said in a public statement, noting that delays and cancellations would continue on Friday.

Multiple drone sightings near the Gatwick airfield forced the airport to shutdown on Wednesday night and Thursday. Photo: Ben Stansall/Getty Images

The UK Civil Aviation Authority has told affected passengers they can get a refund if they want to cancel their flights, but they wouldnt be able to get financial compensation from their airlines due to the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the shutdown.

Even still, the overall economic impact is going to be very significant, said Richard Taylor, a spokesperson at the Civil Aviation Authority.

A 2014 report from the UK Airport Commission found that the value of a flight delay for a leisure traveller was about 6.60 per hour. The value to a business traveller ranged from about 47 to 49 per hour.

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Over 100,000 travellers were affected by this shutdown.

It is not immediately clear what the financial impact will be on the main airlines operating from Gatwick, including easyJet (EZJ.L), British Airways and Norwegian (NAS.OL).

It is too early to say at this stage so we wont be able to provide a number, a spokesperson at easyJet told Yahoo Finance UK.

Both Norwegian and British Airways, which is part of International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG.L), said they were focused on their customers and wouldnt be able to provide any financial details.

Similarly, a representative for Gatwick Express said he wouldnt be able to estimate any loss of revenue for some weeks.

But the airport and the aviation industry can thank their lucky stars that Thursday was not a particularly busy day for flying, according to Grant.

Its certainly not the busiest day. That is the second week of July when everyone is going off on school holidays, he said.

Gatwicks drone nightmare is thought to be the most disruptive yet at a major airport and indicates a new vulnerability that will be scrutinised by security forces and airport operators across the world.

With files from Reuters
By Guy Faulconbridge LONDON, England (Reuters) - London's Gatwick Airport reopened on Friday after a mystery saboteur wrought 36 hours of travel chaos for more than 100,000 Christmas travelers by using drones to play cat-and-mouse with police snipers and the army. After the biggest disruption at Gatwick, Britain's second busiest airport, since a volcanic ash cloud in 2010, Gatwick said around 700 planes were due to take off on Friday, although there would still be delays and cancellations. The airport briefly closed again on Friday to investigate a new drone sighting but was soon operating as normal. "Flights have resumed," a spokeswoman said. "The military measures we have in place at the airport have provided us with reassurance necessary to re-open our airfield." Britain deployed unidentified military technology to guard the airport against what transport minister Chris Grayling said were thought to be several drones. "This kind of incident is unprecedented anywhere in the world," he said. The motivation of the drone operator, or operators, was unclear. Police said there was nothing to suggest the crippling of one of Europe's busiest airports was a terrorist attack. Gatwick's drone nightmare is thought to be the most disruptive yet at a major airport and indicates a new vulnerability that will be scrutinized by security forces and airport operators across the world. The army and police snipers were called in to hunt down the drones, thought to be industrial-style craft, which flew near the airport every time authorities tried to reopen it on Thursday. The perpetrator has not yet been detained but the police said they had a number of possible suspects. No group has claimed responsibility publicly and police said there was no evidence another state was involved. Sussex Police Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry said they were keeping an open mind about who was responsible. "In terms of the motivation, there's a whole spectrum of possibilities, from the really high-end criminal behavior that we've seen, all the way down to potentially, just individuals trying to be malicious, trying to disrupt the airport," he said. After a boom in sales, unmanned aerial vehicles have become a growing menace at airports across the world. In Britain, the number of near misses between private drones and aircraft more than tripled between 2015 and 2017, with 92 incidents recorded last year. THERMAL IMAGING? The British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA) said it understood "detection and tracking equipment" had been installed around Gatwick's perimeter. BALPA said that it was extremely concerned at the risk of a drone collision. Flying drones within 1 km (0.6 mile) of a British airport boundary is punishable by five years in prison. The defense ministry refused to comment on what technology was deployed but drone experts said airports needed to deploy specialist radar reinforced by thermal imaging technology to detect such unmanned flying vehicles. Other ways to tackle them is typically by frequency jamming that can disable or disrupt control signals and the GPS signals that allow the drones to navigate. The drone sightings caused misery for travelers, many sleeping on the airport floor as they searched for alternative routes to holidays and Christmas family gatherings. Flights were halted at 2103 GMT on Wednesday after two drones were spotted near the airport. The disruption affected at least 120,000 people on Wednesday and Thursday but flights were restarted at 0614 GMT on Friday. At 1740 GMT flights were suspended again but restarted in less than an hour. It was not immediately clear what the financial impact would be on the main airlines operating from Gatwick including easyJet , British Airways and Norwegian . Britain's Civil Aviation Authority said it considered the event to be an "extraordinary circumstance" meaning airlines are not obliged to pay compensation to affected passengers. Airlines will have to refund customers who no longer wish to travel however, and try to reschedule flights to get passengers to their destinations. Some airport staff handed out chocolate and Christmas elf toys to stranded passengers. Some, like Sarah Garghan-Watson, chose to stick it out at the airport overnight, having arrived at 8 a.m. on Thursday. "It's now 2 o'clock in the morning at Gatwick, and it's very bright and very noisy. It's now also very cold," she said in a video shown on Sky. "All I can see tonight ... is a sign that says 'no more sleeps until the beach'. And here we are, sleeping, in the stairs at Gatwick, because there's no flights." (Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Alison Williams and David Stamp)
Gatwick Airport has reopened for a limited number of flights after illegal drone flights caused chaos for tens of thousands of passengers for several days.

Flights in and out of Britains second-busiest airport were suspended on Wednesday night and throughout Thursday, only briefly reopening in the early hours.

Police and Gatwick bosses called in the army to help find the drone pilots, and authorities considered shooting down the aircraft.

Sussex Police say they are now working on the theory there is more than one drone, but no arrests have yet been made.

On Friday morning, Gatwick said the runway was currently available, with limited number of aircraft scheduled for departure and arrival but urged passengers to check the status of their flights before travelling and warned people could still face delays and cancellations.

According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, a plane landed at Gatwick from East Midlands Airport at 5.58am, while the first flight to depart left at 6.33am heading to Lapland.

Tens of thousands of people have had their flights from Gatwick disrupted (Picture: PA)

On Thursday night, police said there had been more than 50 drone sightings in 24 hours from 9pm on Wednesday, when the airport first closed.

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Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley, from Sussex Police, said police believe that the drone had been modified with the intent of causing disruption, and were looking through CCTV to identify the make and model.

He said they were following up a number of persons of interest.

Police had said they may have to shoot down the drones (Picture: AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

Chris Woodroofe, Gatwicks chief operating officer, said 120,000 passengers flights had been disrupted.

He said: The issue from my perspective is that this has been a criminal act purposefully undertaken in order to cause this disruption and I very much hope we bring the perpetrator to justice.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said there was no known motive for the pilot of the commercial drone.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on Friday called for immediate U.S. Senate hearings on President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw all American troops from Syria, which prompted the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters he wanted to hear directly from Mattis at any hearing. Mattis announced plans on Thursday to depart in a candid resignation letter to Trump that laid bare the growing divide between them.

A Senate hearing could also cover Trump administration officials saying on Thursday that there were plans to drawdown about 5,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

Graham, who over the past year or so has been a staunch supporter of Trump, has broken with him on the Syria decision.

Heading to a meeting of Republican senators, Graham said, "In lunch I'm going to ask for hearings like right now about Syria." Trump said Islamic State had been defeated there so it was time to withdraw U.S. forces.

Graham made clear that he also was worried about a possible U.S. troop reduction in Afghanistan, where 14,000 troops are deployed in what is America's longest war at 17 years.

"I dare anybody to say that ISIS-K is defeated in Afghanistan," Graham said, referring to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant  Khorasan Province, a branch of Islamic State, active in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The group "is a bigger threat this year than they were last year. It is clear to me that ISIS-K is plotting to hit America," Graham said.

Graham said cutting U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan would leave "too few to accomplish the mission of holding Afghanistan together and protecting America from another attack and it's too many to be hostages and sitting ducks" there.

The United States went to war in Afghanistan in 2001 in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, seeking to oust the Taliban militants harboring Saudi-raised militant Osama bin Laden, who led plans to carry out the attacks.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by James Dalgleish and Grant McCool)
The inside of the United States Supreme Court.



An extraordinary closed-door oral argument that cleared an entire floor of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit last week is still a mystery, with only hints and speculation circulating about the issues and players involved.



Here is another unknown: What will happen if the case is appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court? Will the justices clear their court chamber like the D.C. Circuit did, and leave the public and press outside, scratching their heads?



Not likely, if Supreme Court tradition holds. A quick survey did not reveal recent instances where the high court has kept the public out of its oral argumentseven in sensitive cases like Ex Parte Quirin in 1942, which involved German saboteurs.



One exception may be informal hearings held years ago by individual justices in emergency matters that resulted in so-called in-chambers opinions. The late Justice William O. Douglas would sometimes summon lawyers to make their arguments in the woods near his Yakima, Washington, summer homewithout press or public present.



But the closest the full court came to holding arguments in private was in 1971, when the justices hastily held hearings in New York Times v. United States, the so-called Pentagon Papers case. The Nixon Justice Department, trying to prove that the leaked papers contained top secret national security information about the Vietnam War, asked the courtin secretto hold the oral argument in camera, or behind closed doors. Lower courts, including the D.C. Circuit, had held closed arguments at earlier stages of the case.



But the Supreme Court said no by a 6-3 vote, with only Chief Justice Warren Burger and Justices John Harlan and Harry Blackmun indicating they would have agreed to in camera arguments. Burger announced the courts decision as the argument began on June 26, 1971.





Former Chief Justice Warren Berger. Credit: Collection, The Supreme Court of the United States



As a condolence prize, Burger also stated that counsel may, if they wish, submit arguments in writing under seal in lieu of the in-camera oral argument. Solicitor General Erwin Griswold in fact did submit materials to the court under seal.



Why did the high court, which is not always a champion of openness and transparency, turn down such an urgent request for closed-door arguments from the government?



The case was of enormous public interest, Floyd Abrams recalled. Senior counsel at Cahill Gordon & Reindel, Abrams was part of the New York Times team in the Pentagon Papers case. The issues raised were themselves bedrock First Amendment ones, and it might have seemed incongruous if not inconsistent for the court to hear part of such a case in secret.



Abrams added that the government had filed in secretso secret that we (inexcusably) hadnt even been timely served with it!a separate brief setting forth the governments position as which documents in the Pentagon Papers were supposedly the hottest.



That ability of parties to submit filings under seal may help explain why closed hearings have not taken place at the Supreme Court in other cases.



At lower courts, facts from the record may be discussed at oral argument more frequently than at the Supreme Court, where loftier constitutional and statutory issues can fill up argument time without getting into factual details.



The justices may feel that anything that is sensitive can be taken care of in the briefing, said Ira Matetsky, a partner at Ganfer Shore Leeds & Zauderer, a Supreme Court history buff and editor-in-chief of The Journal of In Chambers Practice.



The D.C. Circuit this week issued a public ruling in the mystery grand jury subpoena case, but kept secret the names of any lawyers who argued and the identity of a state-owned foreign corporation that is fighting the subpoena. A recent report from Politico suggested the case is tied to the special counsel's ongoing investigation of Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election.



On Thursday afternoon, lawyers for the corporation filed a sealed motion, the first activity in the case since the D.C. Circuit's opinion. A three-judge panelDavid Tatel, Thomas Griffith and Stephen Williamsissued a sealed order two hours later. The substance of the motion and order were not made public.



First Amendment expert Abrams said holding secret Supreme Court arguments could happen someday, if what was at issue was itself of truly cosmic importance and the threat to national security extremely grave if certain disclosures were made in the course of oral argument.



In such a case, Abrams said, the court would surely require an extraordinary showing before it would accede to an in-camera hearing but I dont think it would simply proceed as if such a hearing was inconceivable. In fact, I think the court would more likely schedule no argument at all rather than one in which the most vital secrets might well be disclosed.













Read more:



FBI Director Wray Banked $14M From King & Spalding Since 2016



READ: Bill Barr's 19-Page Memo Ripping Mueller Probe



DC Circuit Rules Against Company Fighting Apparent Mueller Subpoena



Secrecy Keeps Apparent Mueller Grand Jury Fight Under Wraps



DOJ Fights Claims Muellers Probe Is Out of Control
How do we determine whether RPC, Inc. (NYSE:RES) makes for a good investment at the moment? We analyze the sentiment of a select group of the very best investors in the world, who spend immense amounts of time and resources studying companies. They may not always be right (no one is), but data shows that their consensus long positions have historically outperformed the market when we adjust for known risk factors.

RPC, Inc. (NYSE:RES) was in 15 hedge funds' portfolios at the end of September. RES shareholders have witnessed a decrease in enthusiasm from smart money in recent months. There were 19 hedge funds in our database with RES positions at the end of the previous quarter. Our calculations also showed that res isn't among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds.

If you'd ask most shareholders, hedge funds are seen as worthless, old financial vehicles of years past. While there are over 8,000 funds in operation at the moment, Our experts hone in on the masters of this club, around 700 funds. These hedge fund managers command most of all hedge funds' total asset base, and by shadowing their inimitable equity investments, Insider Monkey has spotted several investment strategies that have historically beaten the S&P 500 index. Insider Monkey's flagship hedge fund strategy exceeded the S&P 500 index by 6 percentage points per annum 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.

GOTHAM ASSET MANAGEMENT

We're going to take a gander at the new hedge fund action regarding RPC, Inc. (NYSE:RES).

How have hedgies been trading RPC, Inc. (NYSE:RES)?

At the end of the third quarter, a total of 15 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey held long positions in this stock, a change of -21% from one quarter earlier. The graph below displays the number of hedge funds with bullish position in RES over the last 13 quarters. So, let's examine which hedge funds were among the top holders of the stock and which hedge funds were making big moves.

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No of Hedge Funds with RES Positions

Among these funds, AQR Capital Management held the most valuable stake in RPC, Inc. (NYSE:RES), which was worth $46.8 million at the end of the third quarter. On the second spot was GAMCO Investors which amassed $39 million worth of shares. Moreover, Royce & Associates, Gotham Asset Management, and Fisher Asset Management were also bullish on RPC, Inc. (NYSE:RES), allocating a large percentage of their portfolios to this stock.

Seeing as RPC, Inc. (NYSE:RES) has faced bearish sentiment from the smart money, we can see that there is a sect of hedge funds that slashed their positions entirely by the end of the third quarter. At the top of the heap, Dmitry Balyasny's Balyasny Asset Management sold off the largest position of all the hedgies followed by Insider Monkey, comprising an estimated $3.2 million in stock. Phil Frohlich's fund, Prescott Group Capital Management, also dropped its stock, about $2.4 million worth. These bearish behaviors are intriguing to say the least, as total hedge fund interest was cut by 4 funds by the end of the third quarter.

Let's go over hedge fund activity in other stocks - not necessarily in the same industry as RPC, Inc. (NYSE:RES) but similarly valued. These stocks are Avista Corp (NYSE:AVA), Bank of Hawaii Corporation (NYSE:BOH), Holly Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE:HEP), and KapStone Paper and Packaging Corp. (NYSE:KS). This group of stocks' market caps resemble RES's market cap.

[table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position AVA,17,481402,2 BOH,12,85295,1 HEP,3,4584,0 KS,21,489664,-2 Average,13.25,265236,0.25 [/table]

View table here if you experience formatting issues.

As you can see these stocks had an average of 13.25 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $265 million. That figure was $154 million in RES's case. KapStone Paper and Packaging Corp. (NYSE:KS) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Holly Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE:HEP) is the least popular one with only 3 bullish hedge fund positions. RPC, Inc. (NYSE:RES) 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 KS might be a better candidate to consider a long position.

Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey.

Related Content
After several tireless days we have finished crunching the numbers from the more than 700 13F filings issued by the elite hedge funds and other investment firms that we track at Insider Monkey, which disclosed those firms' equity portfolios as of September 30. The results of that effort will be put on display in this article, as we share valuable insight into the smart money sentiment towards Camden Property Trust (NYSE:CPT).

Camden Property Trust (NYSE:CPT) has experienced a decrease in hedge fund interest recently. Our calculations also showed that cpt isn't among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds.

At the moment there are tons of signals market participants put to use to appraise their holdings. A duo of the most useful signals are hedge fund and insider trading signals. We have shown that, historically, those who follow the best picks of the top investment managers can outpace the broader indices by a very impressive amount (see the details here).

[caption id="attachment_30621" align="aligncenter" width="487"]

AQR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

Cliff Asness of AQR Capital Management[/caption]

We're going to take a peek at the key hedge fund action regarding Camden Property Trust (NYSE:CPT).

How have hedgies been trading Camden Property Trust (NYSE:CPT)?

At the end of the third quarter, a total of 14 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey held long positions in this stock, a change of -7% from the previous quarter. By comparison, 16 hedge funds held shares or bullish call options in CPT heading into this year. So, let's see which hedge funds were among the top holders of the stock and which hedge funds were making big moves.

No of Hedge Funds with CPT Positions

More specifically, Citadel Investment Group was the largest shareholder of Camden Property Trust (NYSE:CPT), with a stake worth $103.6 million reported as of the end of September. Trailing Citadel Investment Group was Millennium Management, which amassed a stake valued at $70.9 million. AEW Capital Management, Two Sigma Advisors, and AQR Capital Management were also very fond of the stock, giving the stock large weights in their portfolios.

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Due to the fact that Camden Property Trust (NYSE:CPT) has experienced declining sentiment from hedge fund managers, logic holds that there lies a certain "tier" of hedgies that decided to sell off their positions entirely last quarter. Interestingly, Dmitry Balyasny's Balyasny Asset Management cut the largest position of the 700 funds watched by Insider Monkey, worth an estimated $35.1 million in stock, and Paul Tudor Jones's Tudor Investment Corp was right behind this move, as the fund said goodbye to about $1.1 million worth. These moves are interesting, as total hedge fund interest dropped by 1 funds last quarter.

Let's check out hedge fund activity in other stocks similar to Camden Property Trust (NYSE:CPT). We will take a look at RPM International Inc. (NYSE:RPM), Under Armour Inc (NYSE:UA), Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A. (NYSE:AVAL), and WEX Inc (NYSE:WEX). This group of stocks' market valuations match CPT's market valuation.

[table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position RPM,28,491022,7 UA,28,700316,6 AVAL,6,18562,2 WEX,28,561491,0 Average,22.5,442848,3.75 [/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 $443 million. That figure was $281 million in CPT's case. RPM International Inc. (NYSE:RPM) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A. (NYSE:AVAL) is the least popular one with only 6 bullish hedge fund positions. Camden Property Trust (NYSE:CPT) 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 RPM might be a better candidate to consider a long position.

Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey.

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Investing in small cap stocks has historically been a way to outperform the market, as small cap companies typically grow faster on average than the blue chips. That outperformance comes with a price, however, as there are occasional periods of higher volatility. The one and a half month time period since the end of the third quarter is one of those periods, as the Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) has underperformed the larger S&P 500 ETF (SPY) by about 4 percentage points. Given that the funds we track tend to have a disproportionate amount of their portfolios in smaller cap stocks, they have seen some volatility in their portfolios too. Actually their moves are potentially one of the factors that contributed to this volatility. In this article, we use our extensive database of hedge fund holdings to find out what the smart money thinks of Itau Unibanco Holding SA (NYSE:ITUB).

Hedge fund interest in Itau Unibanco Holding SA (NYSE:ITUB) shares was flat at the end of last quarter. This is usually a negative indicator. At the end of this article we will also compare ITUB to other stocks including Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX), The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX), and Eni SpA (NYSE:E) to get a better sense of its popularity.

Hedge funds' reputation as shrewd investors has been tarnished in the last decade as their hedged returns couldn't keep up with the unhedged returns of the market indices. Our research has shown that hedge funds' small-cap stock picks managed to beat the market by double digits annually between 1999 and 2016, but the margin of outperformance has been declining in recent years. Nevertheless, we were still able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that outperformed the market by 18 percentage points since May 2014 through December 3, 2018 (see the details here). We were also able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that underperformed the market by 10 percentage points annually between 2006 and 2017. Interestingly the margin of underperformance of these stocks has been increasing in recent years. Investors who are long the market and short these stocks would have returned more than 27% annually between 2015 and 2017. We have been tracking and sharing the list of these stocks since February 2017 in our quarterly newsletter.

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Richard Driehaus

We're going to go over the latest hedge fund action regarding Itau Unibanco Holding SA (NYSE:ITUB).

What have hedge funds been doing with Itau Unibanco Holding SA (NYSE:ITUB)?

At the end of the third quarter, a total of 15 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were bullish on this stock, representing no change from the previous quarter. On the other hand, there were a total of 18 hedge funds with a bullish position in ITUB at the beginning of this year. With the smart money's capital changing hands, there exists a select group of notable hedge fund managers who were upping their holdings substantially (or already accumulated large positions).

ITUB_dec2018

Among these funds, Fisher Asset Management held the most valuable stake in Itau Unibanco Holding SA (NYSE:ITUB), which was worth $291.8 million at the end of the third quarter. On the second spot was Capital Growth Management which amassed $108.4 million worth of shares. Moreover, Oaktree Capital Management, Driehaus Capital, and GLG Partners were also bullish on Itau Unibanco Holding SA (NYSE:ITUB), allocating a large percentage of their portfolios to this stock.

Judging by the fact that Itau Unibanco Holding SA (NYSE:ITUB) has experienced bearish sentiment from the entirety of the hedge funds we track, logic holds that there was a specific group of fund managers who were dropping their full holdings last quarter. Intriguingly, Peter Rathjens, Bruce Clarke and John Campbell's Arrowstreet Capital said goodbye to the biggest investment of the 700 funds followed by Insider Monkey, comprising close to $92.4 million in stock. Jim Simons's fund, Renaissance Technologies, also dropped its stock, about $54.8 million worth. These bearish behaviors are intriguing to say the least, as total hedge fund interest stayed the same (this is a bearish signal in our experience).

Let's also examine hedge fund activity in other stocks - not necessarily in the same industry as Itau Unibanco Holding SA (NYSE:ITUB) but similarly valued. These stocks are Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX), The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX), Eni SpA (NYSE:E), and Westpac Banking Corporation (NYSE:WBK). All of these stocks' market caps match ITUB's market cap.

[table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position BDX,41,1244633,7 TJX,49,3254193,10 E,7,72126,0 WBK,6,41825,-1 Average,25.75,1153194,4 [/table]

View table here if you experience formatting issues.

As you can see these stocks had an average of 25.75 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $1.15 billion. That figure was $669 million in ITUB's case. The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Westpac Banking Corporation (NYSE:WBK) is the least popular one with only 6 bullish hedge fund positions. Itau Unibanco Holding SA (NYSE:ITUB) 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 TJX might be a better candidate to consider a long position.

Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey.

Related Content
Her Majestys Revenue and Customs, the tax agency for the United Kingdom, has released a set of guidelines that are to guide crypto investors on how to make tax payments and how they should see their digital assets. The updated guidelines were drafted to help token holders to meet their taxation obligations by bringing clarity to a few uncertainties concerning the tax treatment of crypto assets.

According to the agencys report, which was titled Cryptoassets for Individuals, cryptocurrencies are to be treated more as assets and property than they are to be treated as money. This perspective is one that comes in sharp contrast to those who believe that digital assets can be a form of currency.

Introducing the paper, HMRC writes, The tax treatment of crypto assets continues to develop due to the evolving nature of the underlying technology and the areas in which crypto assets are used. As such, HMRC will look at the facts of each case and apply the relevant tax provisions according to what has taken place (rather than by reference to terminology). Our views may evolve further as the sector develops.

UK Does Not Consider Digital Assets Money

For now, the paper doesnt give any information about the obligations of crypto-based businesses and firms, although authorities have confirmed that such information will be appearing subsequently.

The report further explains that the government of the United Kingdom and the countrys tax agency dont consider digital assets to be a form of money and that the task force which was charged with conducting an investigation on the case has confirmed the existence of only three types of tokens; utility tokens, exchange tokens, and security tokens.

Going forward, the definition of every token for tax compliance purposes would rely on the purpose for which each coin was developed, and not just its official designation, the report notes. This decision follows whats applicable in most countries, where companies develop digital tokens and sell them as utilities when, in fact, they are securities.

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More specifically, the report also states that individuals will be liable to make payments for Income Tax (IT) or Capital Gains Tax (CGT), depending on the kind of cryptocurrencies- and crypto-based transactions- that they are involved in.

In the case of workers earning their wages or salaries on cryptocurrency, these workers will be liable to make payments of social security contributions, known as National Insurance (NI).

Per the report, the HMRC also made clear its position on tax liability for cryptocurrency loss or theft. In such cases, the HMRC declares that the victim is still recognized as the owner of the assets and has the right to recover them, which means that their CGT obligations will still stand until the lost assets become permanently inaccessible.

Featured image from Shutterstock. HMRC logo from the departments Facebook page.



The post HMRC Releases Tax Guidelines on Digital Assets appeared first on CCN.


Wildfires across the United States scorch thousands of homes and buildings each year. In 2017, the devastating blazes wiped out more than 12,300 structures, including more than 8,000 homes, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

The U.S. Forest Service reports that about 40 million homes are at risk of being destroyed by wildfires, which have been growing in intensity and frequency in recent years.

People living in the wildland-urban interface, areas where homes are built near or among wildfire-prone land, are especially vulnerable.



Home survives wildfire in Washington - AP Photo

Surrounded by burnt brush and trees, a house still stands Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012, after surviving a wildfire a day earlier, near Cle Elum, Washington. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

"A lot of people mistakenly think they want to maintain that natural look, so they don't trim or cut down their trees and they allow vegetation to get too close to their homes and [grow] too thick," said Kirk Schmitt, senior fire investigator and wildland fire specialist for EFI Global at Sedgwick, a full-service engineering, fire investigation, environmental, health and safety and specialty consulting services firm.

"As a wildland fire burns, it burns the natural vegetation, and the more vegetation you have near your home, the more susceptible it is to have that fire transitioning from the vegetation onto the home," Schmitt said.

Despite the risk, it is possible for a home and yard to survive a wildfire's impacts.

"I can't tell you how many times we've driven through the forest and it's just home after home that's destroyed, and then, all of a sudden, here's a beautiful home that's untouched," Schmitt told AccuWeather.

"It's because the homeowner has reduced the fuels, he's got a nice, green yard around it and their home survived damage," Schmitt said. "It really does work."

Protecting your home from a wildfire

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In order to protect your home and surrounding yard from burning up in a wildfire, experts note two factors that determine your home's ability to survive: the quality of the defensible space surrounding the home and the home's structural ignitability.

These two factors make up the Home Ignition Zone, according to the Colorado State Forest Service, which stated that "creating defensible space works in the reverse and reduces the chance of a structure fire spreading to neighboring homes or the surrounding forest."

This zone includes the structure and the space that immediately surrounds it, and the goal is to "reduce or eliminate fuels and ignition sources" within the Home Ignition Zone.

In order to build a defensible space, prepare an area around the home by clearing, reducing or treating vegetation for least 100 feet away from the house, advised Marie D. Jones, author of "The Disaster Survival Guide: How to Prepare for and Survive Floods, Fires, Earthquakes and More."

"Clear out grass and brush and cut trees back to a minimum of 100 feet from the structure, including overhanging branches," Jones said. "If you don't want to leave the defensible space area as dirt, you can cover this area with rocks, fire-resistant plants and ground cover, ivy, pebbles or stones."

Local fire departments will be able to provide suggestions on how to cut back brush and which plants are best for your area, Jones added.

The Colorado State Forest Service noted that three zones should be addressed when creating defensible space around your home.



Graphic - The home ignition zone

"Zone one is the area nearest the home and other structures. This zone requires maximum hazard reduction," according to the Colorado State Forest Service. "Zone two is a transitional area of fuels reduction between zones one and three. Zone three is the area farthest from the home, and extends from the edge of zone two to your property boundaries."

Schmitt advised not forgetting to clear the roof while preparing your home.

"Clean those needles off, clean off that vegetation and leaf litter off your roof and gutters," he said. "That way, you don't have [anything] on the roof for the fire to take hold upon."

He added that the average national roof is very fire-resistant, and keeping it clean only helps to defend the home from fire.

Oftentimes, he said, small embers are responsible for these fires. "On the end of our home, we have gable ends, and then we have vents and the eaves around the house," Schmitt said. "That's a really good place for embers to enter the attic."

This can be avoided by removing the eaves and placing screening inside to allow for fresh air and ventilation as well as a way to keep flying embers from entering the vents and attic.

Removing items stored underneath a home's deck will also help prevent fire, according to Schmitt.

Keeping tree limbs off the ground is also essential.

"If the fire spreads across the grass, hits those lower branches and transitions up into the branches, now you've got a crown fire," Schmitt said.

One of the best fire breaks is simply maintaining a healthy, green lawn, he noted. "I've seen time and time again where fire will just be spreading through the forest, and all of a sudden, it hits a nice green lawn and it lays down, because there's just nothing to burn."

Other steps you can take to protect your home include removing rotten wood fencing, tree branches, woodpiles and any other combustible materials like propane tanks and grills, according to Jones. "Also, replace old shake shingle roofing with newer, more fire-resistant tiles," she said. "Yes, it is expensive, but it could save your home."

Experts recommend becoming familiar with the NFPA's Firewise website, which educates the public on how to adapt to living with wildfire and taking steps to prevent losses.

For more safety and preparedness tips, visit AccuWeather.com/Ready.


Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen made her first appearance before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, and Democrats on the committee unleashed all their rage over her agencys treatment of foreign-born minors and migrants in its custody.

Nielsen was bashed for the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" policy that led to thousands of family separations over the summer, its handling of the migrant caravan, the death of a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl in Border Patrol custody, and a policy announced during the middle of Thursdays hearing that bars asylum-seekers from entering the U.S.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., said Nielsen held the "all-time record" for lying in an administration filled with liars when she tweeted this year that the administration did not have a family separation policy.

"Theres one thing this administration has done better than any other administration in American history, and that is lie," Gutierrez said. "But especially in the area of homeland security, lying has become elevated to an outstanding level of mendacity."

Nielsen responded: "Calling me a liar are fighting words. I'm not a liar. We've never had a policy for family separation."

Similar exchanges punctuated the heated hearing, where Democrats repeatedly questioned her agency's actions along the southern border and Republicans repeatedly praised Nielsen for carrying out President Donald Trump's policies to cut illegal immigration and reduce legal immigration.

At one point, as Rep. David Cicilline, D-Rhode Island, questioned her about policies that deal with the detention of minors in Homeland Security custody, Nielsen responded angrily.

Would you like me to answer the question or do you want to just yell at me? she shot back.

Nielsen has headed Homeland Security for 14 months, and her job security has been in question in recent months as rumors have swirled over her standing with Trump. She has implemented some of his most controversial policies, including multiple attempts to limit asylum along the southern border and the deployment of nearly 6,000 active-duty military troops there  it was a Homeland Security request that prompted the Department of Defense to mobilize those troops.

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Nielsen repeatedly defended her department's actions, saying her agents are dealing with an unprecedented wave of asylum-seekers that has overwhelmed the U.S. immigration system and requires massive changes in U.S. immigration law.

She told the committee that Customs and Border Protection needs more officers to man the nation's ports of entry, that Border Patrol needs more agents to patrol regions in between, and that the southern border will never be completely secure until the U.S. completes a "wall system" including a combination of walls, fencing, and technology.

And she repeatedly asked the members to update U.S. laws that allow unaccompanied minors and family units to apply for asylum and remain free in the country.

"This crisis is the direct result of loopholes created by federal law and adverse federal court rulings that prevent the detention and repatriation of illegal unaccompanied alien children and family units," she said.

Several Republicans defended Nielsen during the hearing, including Rep. Tom Marino, R-Penn., who apologized to Nielsen for the way she was treated by Democrats on the committee.

"I'm embarrassed by the performance that was done here," Marino said. "It's uncalled for, it's ungentlemanly, and it's nothing more than grandstanding."

But Democrats made clear that they are far from finished with Nielsen. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., who will become committee chairman in January when Democrats retake control of the House.

"I want to put you and the department on notice: the time for accountability has arrived," Nadler said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Homeland Security chief torched by Democratic lawmakers in heated congressional hearing
By Julia Fioretti

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A flurry of initial public offerings (IPOs) in Hong Kong propelled the financial center to first place for IPO volumes globally, but next year is unlikely to see as many big-ticket listings.

Companies raised a total of $36.3 billion in Hong Kong listings this year, well ahead of New York Stock Exchange's $28.9 billion, and a 174 percent increase on year-on-year, according to Refinitiv data.

That is Hong Kong's best year since 2010, as a change in listing rules to allow dual-class share structures and pre-revenue biotech companies to list led to a queue of so-called new economy companies seeking to go public in the city.

Hong Kong hosted three of Asia's top five IPOs - smartphone maker Xiaomi's <1810.HK> $5.4 billion float, mobile telecommunications tower operator China Tower's <0788.HK> $7.5 billion IPO and online food delivery-to-ticketing services firm Meituan Dianping's <3690.HK> $4.9 billion listing.

Across Asia, companies raised a total of $109 billion in IPOs, up 27 percent from 2017, Refinitiv data showed, much of it driven by China whose companies accounted for almost a third of global issuers.

But bankers do not expect the same number of multi-billion dollar deals next year, or even the same volumes, as supply begins to thin and market volatility makes going public less appealing.

Some of the big-ticket candidates being mooted include Chinese wealth management platform Lufax, the owner of China's leading news aggregator Beijing Bytedance Technology Co and Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing Technology Co Ltd - although bankers say they could also come in 2020.

"Given the early market receptivity, many IPOs came to market earlier than anticipated," said Aaron Arth, Head of Financing Group, Asia ex-Japan, at Goldman Sachs. "2019 will still be a pretty big year for ECM (equity capital markets), its just not going to be at the magnitude of 2018.

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But while IPO volumes surged in 2018, performance went in the opposite direction, as markets were buffeted by U.S.-China trade tensions and macroeconomic uncertainty.

Chinese shares have been particularly badly hit, with the Shanghai Composite Index <.SSEC> down 23 percent and the Hong Kong benchmark <.HSI> down 14 percent this year.

In Hong Kong many new listings have slumped below their IPO prices and posted the worst performance among leading bourses.

And across Asia, all of the top five IPOs bar one - China Tower - have sunk below their offer prices.

That includes Xiaomi, Meituan Dianping, SoftBank Corp <9434.T> - which was the world's second-biggest IPO to date - and Foxconn Industrial Internet <601138.SS>.

MATURING OF THE MARKET

Bankers say that part of the reason IPOs have performed poorly in Hong Kong is that the market still needs to adjust to the high-growth companies coming to list, having been previously dominated by unexciting Chinese state-owned enterprises.

"Its all part of a maturing of the market," said John Hall, Co-Head of Investment Banking Coverage, Asia Pacific, at JPMorgan.

"The poor performance has more to do with peoples skittishness ... the Hong Kong market is less experienced dealing with high-growth companies."

The lack of experience is especially evident in the biotech sector, as people struggle to value companies with no revenues, let alone profits.

"It's one thing to change the rules to allow it (biotech listings) but you also need the infrastructure around that ... you need the understanding of the sector. That is slowly happening here so we've had a handful of deals, not perhaps the deluge that everybody was expecting," said Richard Taylor, Head of Corporate Finance and Capital Markets at CLSA.

However, firms looking to go public have increasingly started to look to New York as an alternative because of Hong Kong's performance, bankers say.

New York still has a deeper and more sophisticated investor base as well as more flexibility around pricing which could make it a more attractive destination for some companies, although Hong Kong remains an obvious choice for Chinese corporates.

"I wouldn't say it's any kind of exodus at all. Hong Kong is still a very viable listing venue for Chinese companies, said Ashu Khullar, Head of Asia Pacific Capital Markets Origination for Citigroup.

(Reporting by Julia Fioretti; Editing by Stephen Coates)
ROME (AP)  The quest to trace the identities of all the victims of the Mediterranean's deadliest migrant shipwreck has instead revealed that the sinking was far deadlier than anyone knew.

One of the two investigators on the project, tracing families and survivors in Africa, has confirmed that the boat that sank on April 18, 2015 carried not 800 migrants as previously believed, but as many as 1,100.

That up to 300 people could vanish reflects the hidden toll of migration. At a time when global migration is at a record high, The Associated Press has found in an exclusive tally that at least 62,284 migrants have died or disappeared worldwide since 2014. That's more than double the only official attempt at a toll, by the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration .

The discovery also makes it even harder for the investigators to keep Italy's promise to name all the dead, especially at a time when Europe has turned against migrants.

After the boat sank, then-Prime Minister Matteo Renzi committed Italy to giving the migrants from the April 2015 shipwreck their identities back. It was a "short period of sunlight," said Cristina Cattaneo, Italy's top forensic investigator.

The political climate has since shifted in Europe. In Italy, as elsewhere, there is no longer a will to support survivors, let alone migrants who have died.

Cattaneo works on the case without pay at her university lab in Milan. Her counterpart, Jose Pablo Baraybar from the International Committee of the Red Cross, gathers DNA from possible relatives in Africa. Together, they are piecing together exactly who died on what many Italians now call simply the peschereccio, the fishing boat.

The migrants on the peschereccio started their journeys in some 20 countries, from Bangladesh to the western tip of Mauritania, according to information from the two investigators, published accounts of survivors, Italian government documents, and families who fear their loved ones were among the lost passengers.

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One father, Cheikh Fofana, said his son called to say he was leaving soon for Europe. That was the last he heard from Tidiane.

On the day before the peschereccio left from Libya, 12 rows of men, 100 to a row, lined up on the beach. At the last minute, a truck arrived filled with around 200 men from East Africa.

Not everyone on the beach would fit on the peschereccio, although the smugglers managed to slip a few extra on board.

The overcrowded boat made it 77 nautical miles off the coast of Libya, when it started to founder.

Twenty-four bodies were fished out of the water and dropped off in nearby Malta. But Malta wouldn't accept the 28 survivors, who were then taken by the Italian coast guard to the Sicilian port city of Catania. The boat pulled up to the dock in the middle of the night, where a throng of volunteers tossed flowers and handed the survivors cellophane-wrapped care packages.

Around this time, Fofana called his son's phone again. A stranger answered and told him Tidiane had left for Italy.

"I know that if he is dead, there's nothing more I can do, by the grace of God. But let me know, is he alive? Is he dead?" Fofana said, his lined face twisting in anguish.

It took a year to raise the hull from the sea floor and drag it to Italy.

In her book released this month, Cattaneo described "a carpet of human silhouettes that stretched out across the area of the hold ... almost all face down, some in a fetal position, many swollen with putrefaction."

In the end, Italy's government counted 547 victims, plus 325 skulls that Cattaneo keeps in her lab for further study.

When it was time to find the families, Italy turned to Baraybar, the Peruvian forensic anthropologist.

An intense man with enormous eyes that peer from behind button-lensed glasses, Baraybar started with the names of 27 young men from Mauritania whose families had reported them missing around April 2015 to the Red Cross.

"You cannot just tell them a story and you cannot misrepresent who you are. You're not there to bring them a body bag or give them money," said Baraybar.

During a trip to Mauritania, the 27 names led to 40 more to try to match against the DNA samples sequenced by Cattaneo in Italy.

That led him to his most recent trip to Senegal, where he confirmed the higher count with people who had direct knowledge of how the boat was loaded.

After nearly four years, Cattaneo and Baraybar are nearing their first identification  with hundreds more to go.

Baraybar knows more about how the networks operate, more about the paths migrants take  and more about how to trace the dead. Like Cattaneo, he remains committed to pursuing the identities of the migrants who perished on the shipwrecked peschereccio.

"Families do matter," he said. "And not knowing kills."

___

Lori Hinnant reported from Paris, Trisha Thomas from Rome, and Krista Larson from Goudiry, Senegal.
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor Co <005380.KS> plans to start producing electric vehicles (EVs) in Indonesia as part of an around $880 million auto investment in the country, the deputy minister for industry said on Thursday. Hyundai's move to set up its first car factory in Southeast Asia fits into the South Korean carmaker's strategy of cutting its reliance on China, where competition is intense and its sales have suffered from diplomatic tensions between Seoul and Beijing. Hyundai Motor, which together with affiliate Kia Motors <000270.KS> is the world's No.5 automaker, plans to build a factory in Indonesia with a capacity of about 250,000 units, including for electric cars, Indonesian deputy minister for industry Harjanto told Reuters. Indonesia has ample reserves of nickel laterite ore, a vital ingredient for the lithium-ion batteries used to power EVs. The minister noted the plan was to export 53 percent of the cars manufactured in the proposed Hyundai plant, mostly to Southeast Asia and Australia, while the remaining 47 percent would be for the domestic market. Hyundai said in a statement on Friday that it was "considering various ways to expand" in new markets including Southeast Asia. It added however that nothing had been decided regarding new production facilities in the region. TAKE ON JAPANESE RIVALS Hyundai briefed South Korean union officials earlier this year about a plan to build a factory in Indonesia, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday. One of the challenges it identified was building sales networks, the sources said. Hyundai-Kia's think tank vice president Lee Bo-sung said on Thursday the ASEAN market was difficult to "penetrate" as it was dominated by Japanese rivals such as Toyota <7203.T> and Honda <7267.T>. In Indonesia, Hyundai sold only 1,372 vehicles during the January to October period, compared with Toyota's 463,565 vehicles, according to data from market researcher LMC Automotive. Hyundai does not have a car factory in Southeast Asia, although it has some assembly operations in Vietnam. Last month, Hyundai announced a $250 million investment in Singaporean ride-hailing firm Grab and a plan to offer EVs to Grab drivers in Southeast Asia. (Reporting by Cindy Silviana and Fanny Potkin in Jakarta and Hyunjoo Jin in Seoul; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Stephen Coates)
New Delhi (AFP) - Indian police arrested on Friday 126 people working for a allegedly fake call centre making up to $50,000 a day by duping US citizens, officials said.

India became the global call centre capital in the early 2000s as foreign firms, drawn by an educated and cheaper English-speaking workforce, farmed out jobs answering customer phone enquiries.

The suspects arrested in Noida outside Delhi would tell Americans there were problems with their social security numbers and solicit money to fix it, police said.

Another scam was telling people they had committed tax offences and that they had to pay to settle, Noida police official Ajay Pal Sharma told AFP.

"Your warrant is on my desk and if this issue is not resolved we will have to freeze your account and put you behind the bars," one caller is heard to say in a recording made available to AFP.

In Indian-accented English, he says that the man can either fight the US Inland Revenue Service (IRS) in court and face a $75,000 fine as a "tax defrauder" or pay immediately an "out-of-court settlement".

"Many responded to the call and fell for their trap," Sharma said.

The local authorities have also contacted the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and shared the details of the case.

The call centre had been in operation for three years. Around 300 computers were seized.

Mumbai police in October 2016 detained more than 770 people suspected of defrauding Americans by impersonating IRS agents and demanding payments.

The US Justice Department subsequently charged 61 people for involvement in India-based schemes that defrauded nearly 15,000 US citizens.

Later in April 2017 they arrested the alleged mastermind of the racket, 24-year-old Sagar Thakkar, who was making more than $155,000 a day at the height of the scam.
We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So well take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Tomson Group Limited (HKG:258).

Do Insider Transactions Matter?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. 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.

See our latest analysis for Tomson Group

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Tomson Group

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Chairman & MD Feng Hsu bought HK$250m worth of shares at a price of HK$3.18 per share. 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. That purchase may suggest an expectation of positive returns over the long term.

In the last twelve months insiders paid HK$496m for 154.45m shares purchased. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Tomson Group insiders. The average buy price was around HK$3.21. These transactions suggest that insiders have considered the current price of HK$2.22 attractive. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

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SEHK:258 Insider Trading December 21st 18

If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Insider Ownership

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Tomson Group insiders own 59% of the company, currently worth about HK$2.8b based on the recent share price. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Tomson Group Insiders?

There havent been any insider transactions in the last three months  that doesnt mean much. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Judging from their transactions, and high insider ownership, Tomson Group insiders feel good about the companys future. I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can find historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph.

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.
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 Invitation Homes Inc. (NYSE:INVH).

Is Invitation Homes Inc. (NYSE:INVH) the right investment to pursue these days? The best stock pickers are taking a bullish view. The number of bullish hedge fund bets went up by 5 recently. Our calculations also showed that INVH isn't among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds. INVH was in 15 hedge funds' portfolios at the end of the third quarter of 2018. There were 10 hedge funds in our database with INVH holdings at the end of the previous quarter.

In todays marketplace there are numerous indicators stock traders can use to evaluate their stock investments. A pair of the most under-the-radar indicators are hedge fund and insider trading sentiment. Our experts have shown that, historically, those who follow the best picks of the top investment managers can outperform the S&P 500 by a superb amount (see the details here).

Ken-Heebner

We're going to review the new hedge fund action encompassing Invitation Homes Inc. (NYSE:INVH).

What have hedge funds been doing with Invitation Homes Inc. (NYSE:INVH)?

At Q3's end, a total of 15 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey held long positions in this stock, a change of 50% from the previous quarter. On the other hand, there were a total of 20 hedge funds with a bullish position in INVH at the beginning of this year. With hedgies' capital changing hands, there exists an "upper tier" of key hedge fund managers who were boosting their holdings substantially (or already accumulated large positions).

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INVH_dec2018

More specifically, Zimmer Partners was the largest shareholder of Invitation Homes Inc. (NYSE:INVH), with a stake worth $114 million reported as of the end of September. Trailing Zimmer Partners was Capital Growth Management, which amassed a stake valued at $37.3 million. Cardinal Capital, Millennium Management, and Land & Buildings Investment Management were also very fond of the stock, giving the stock large weights in their portfolios.

Now, key money managers have jumped into Invitation Homes Inc. (NYSE:INVH) headfirst. Capital Growth Management, managed by Ken Heebner, assembled the largest position in Invitation Homes Inc. (NYSE:INVH). Capital Growth Management had $37.3 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. Clint Carlson's Carlson Capital also made a $11.3 million investment in the stock during the quarter. The other funds with brand new INVH positions are Jim Simons's Renaissance Technologies, Noam Gottesman's GLG Partners, and George Zweig, Shane Haas and Ravi Chander's Signition LP.

Let's go over hedge fund activity in other stocks similar to Invitation Homes Inc. (NYSE:INVH). These stocks are Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE:UHS), Andeavor Logistics LP (NYSE:ANDX), Vedanta Ltd (NYSE:VEDL), and FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC). All of these stocks' market caps match INVH's market cap.

[table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position UHS,32,1165594,1 ANDX,6,11720,0 VEDL,5,52265,-4 FMC,37,1881821,0 Average,20,777850,-0.75 [/table]

View table here if you experience formatting issues.

As you can see these stocks had an average of 20 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $778 million. That figure was $251 million in INVH's case. FMC Corporation (NYSE:FMC) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Vedanta Ltd (NYSE:VEDL) is the least popular one with only 5 bullish hedge fund positions. Invitation Homes Inc. (NYSE:INVH) 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 FMC might be a better candidate to consider a long position.

Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey.

Related Content
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - The Israeli army said Friday it had opened a probe after troops shot dead the passenger of a car that tried to break through two checkpoints in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian health ministry said 17-year-old Qassem al-Abbasi, from east Jerusalem, was shot dead by Israeli troops on Thursday near the city of Ramallah.

"The military police have opened an investigation into the death of the passenger," an army spokeswoman told AFP, without giving any more details on the deceased.

Soldiers fired warning shots into the air after the vehicle failed to stop a roadblock, she said.

When the vehicle tried to break though a second roadblock nearby, soldiers again fired into the air "before aiming at the car, killing one of the occupants and injuring another passenger", the spokeswoman said.

The Israeli news site Ynet reported an initial investigation had revealed "the vehicle did not try to hit the soldiers at the roadblocks and no weapon was found in the car".

The incident took place north of Ramallah, where two Palestinian attacks on December 9 and December 13 left three people dead - two Israeli soldiers and a baby born prematurely after its mother was badly injured.

Israeli forces are hunting for those behind the earlier attacks, which shattered months of relative calm in the West Bank.
Graphic by David Foster/Yahoo Finance

As the CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey had to testify on Capitol Hill in September before the Senate Intelligence Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee for hearings on foreign influence over social media platforms. Twitter stock fell 6% on the day he testified. The stock is up 12% this year after the company beat on revenue and profit in Q3but also revealed a drop of 9 million monthly active users for the quarter.

As CEO of Square, Jack Dorsey has had a very different year, with far fewer headaches. Square shares are up 70% in 2018. Square managed to release three new hardware devices in the past 13 months. Squares Cash App surpassed PayPal-owned Venmo in cumulative downloads in July. All of this led us to name Square our Company of the Year.

The question that Wall Street has about Dorsey moving forward: how much longer can he keep pulling double-duty?

[Read about why Square is Yahoo Finances 2018 Company of the Year.]

Dorsey co-founded Twitter in 2006 with Ev Williams and Biz Stone, and Dorsey was CEO until 2008, then stepped down, and took the role again in 2015. At Square, on the other hand, Dorsey has been CEO since its inception in February 2009.

Square and Twitter shares in 2018, through Dec. 21.

Scott Kessler of CFRA Research thinks Dorseys double-duty is not sustainable for much longer. In his recently released predictions note for 2019, he forecasts that Dorsey will step down as CEO from one of the two companies, perhaps staying on as chairman.

These companies are becoming so big and so far-flung in many respects that they do require more CEO attention than hes probably able to afford, says Kessler. And at both companies, the people who were his No. 2 executives have left: Sarah Friar [Square CFO who left this year to be CEO of Nextdoor] and Anthony Noto [Twitter COO who left this year to be CEO of SoFi].

Then again, Kessler acknowledges, We made this prediction last year, too. It didnt work out.

Dorsey gets praise for his executive bench at Square

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The people who work closely with Dorsey at Square paint a different picture.

I think if I didnt use Twitter and read about Twitter, I wouldnt even know, says Squares hardware lead Jesse Dorogusker, one of five senior executives at Square who report directly to Dorsey. We meet three days a week, Jack is always there, he runs those meetings. I dont see him every day, but I wouldnt expect to see my CEO every day. Its a non-thing to me.

Squares seller lead Alyssa Henry, who previously worked at Amazon and Microsoft, compares Dorsey favorably to the iconic founders of those two companies. I was at Amazon and prior to that Microsoft, and both Bezos and Gates ran pretty large companies with disparate business units within them, and Jack runs a broad company with multiple business units within it, says Henry. And I think he operates pretty similarly to those leaders. Hes super thoughtful, and hes really good at empowering others to go build, and hes not too deep in the weeds, because thats a failure pattern.

Of course, the story executives frame to the public and to the media often differs from what the rank-and-file say. But one current Square employee, who wished to remain anonymous, says, When it comes to him running two companies, it doesnt matter to people here at all. Jack is really special. His main talent is definitely nothing technicalhes special in the way that hes genuine. He walks his talk. He sets ideals and then tries to live by them. His main distinguishing skill is hiring people of very high caliber.

Indeed, Wolfe Research analyst Darrin Peller says he was skeptical about it at first when Dorsey took the CEO job at Twitter again in 2015. But what inspired confidence is that hes very good at letting other talented individuals lead the business on a day-to-day basis. Thats one of the underappreciated things about Square: it has an amazingly talented bench.

The bench Peller means are the five executives who each lead a different business at Square and all report to Dorsey. They are the five most senior people at Square below Dorsey and CFO Sarah Friar before she left: sellers lead Alyssa Henry, hardware lead Dorogusker, Cash App lead Brian Grassadonia, Square Capital lead Jackie Reses, and Caviar lead Gokul Rajaram. (Yahoo Finance spoke to all five for our Company of the Year story on Square.)

Because of that strong executive bench, Peller wasnt worried when Sarah Friar left, even though the news of her departure sent Square shares tumbling. Friar was so popular with investors and analysts that KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst Josh Beck says if Dorsey stepping down as CEO was really a high priority, Sarah Friar would have stepped into the CEO role. Investors would have supported that.

Twitters 2018 characterized by controversy

Even the news headlines Dorsey garners when the context is Twitter are markedly different in tone from those about Square news. As Twitter has faced vocal backlash this year over abuse on its platform and, at times, its failure to monitor harassment on the service, Dorsey is the target of many angry tweets sent to @jack. When he tweeted earlier this month about his 10-day silent meditation trip to Myanmar, he cheerily recommended people visit Myanmar, and got roundly castigated for looking tone deaf about the massacres happening in Myanmar.

Im aware of the human rights atrocities and suffering in Myanmar. I dont view visiting, practicing, or talking with the people, as endorsement. I didnt intend to diminish by not raising the issue, but could have acknowledged that I dont know enough and need to learn more.  jack (@jack) December 11, 2018

Just this week, Amnesty International concluded that Twitter is a toxic place for women, leading Citron Research to write that Twitter has become the Harvey Weinstein of social media. Might Dorsey want to back away from Twitter and focus on building his non-controversial payments company, which is growing like a weed?

Many compare Dorseys situation to one other very prominent entrepreneur currently running multiple companies: Elon Musk, who is actually CEO of three different companies (Tesla, SpaceX, and The Boring Company). But theres a key difference: Square and Twitter are both publicly traded. SpaceX and Boring are private.

Glenn Solomon of GGV Capital, which invested in Squares Series E round, throws cold water on any concerns about Dorseys dual roles, though he hints that things went a lot better for him in 2018 at Square than they did at Twitter.

Theyre very different stories, says Solomon. Twitter has become an important part of the social fabric of the world, but as a business, the model has clearly had to adapt over time. Whereas with Square, Jack has been CEO since day one and has been extremely consistent and intentional in his vision.

If Dorsey does step away from his CEO role at one of the two companies in 2019, Twitter looks like a more plausible candidate. But its more likely, for now, that nothing changes.



Daniel Roberts is a senior writer at Yahoo Finance who closely covers fintech. Follow him on Twitter at @readDanwrite.

Read more:

Square is Yahoo Finances 2018 Company of the Year

Why Squares embrace of bitcoin was brilliant

Exclusive: Coinbase cuts staff

Tech CEOs walk tightrope in the Trump era

How brands are getting forced into politics
James Mattis is to retire from his role as defence secretary, Donald Trump has tweeted - AFP

James Mattis is to step down as defence secretary, leaving the White House in protest at Donald Trump's policies.

Mr Trump announced on Thursday night that the 68-year-old - one of the most widely-respected figures in the administration - was retiring at the end of February.

But in his resignation letter Mr Mattis said he could no longer support the presidents decisions.

"Because you have the right to have a secretary of defence whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," he said.

In particular, Mr Mattis is said to disagree with Mr Trumps decision, announced the previous day, to withdraw troops from Syria  a decision he was reportedly not consulted on. It was reported on Thursday evening that Mr Trump was also considering withdrawing all US troops - currently 14,000 - from Afghanistan.

Mr Trump made the announcement of Mr Mattis's departure via Twitter, praising his service, and saying Mr Mattis was retiring.

General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years. During Jims tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

....equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

Yet the four-star general, in his resignation letter, made clear that he was not retiring but rather resigning, because he did not agree with the president's decisions.

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In particular, Mr Mattis stressed that he disagreed with Mr Trump's attitude towards international relations, and the importance of alliances.

One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships, he wrote.

We cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those strong allies.

He pointed out that Nato came to US aid after the September 11 attacks, and noted that the 74-nation coalition to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil) was further evidence of the value of multilateralism.

"Similarly I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours," he added, singling out Russia and China as adversaries.

We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.

Part of the defence secretary's resignation letter to President Donald Trump

Mr Mattis resigned after a meeting on Thursday afternoon in which he had a difference of opinion with the president, Reuters reported.

The defence secretary was said to be particularly concerned about what would happen to the Kurds, were the US to withdraw its troops from Syria.

The retired general insisted it was not a forced resignation, and said he will step down on February 28, to allow time for a smooth transition before the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff steps down in September.

However, the decision of the 40-year military veteran is widely seen as a significant blow to the Trump administration. David Chalian, CNN political director, said: There are no more grown-ups left in the room.

Jim Mattis was widely respected around the world

Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat leader in the House, said she was "shocked" and "shaken" by his decision, given that he was a "devoted patriot".

"I'm shaken by what it means for our country," she said, urging all Americans to read his letter "and examine what it means".

"There's something very wrong with this picture," she said. "Our troops look to Secretary Mattis as a leader. This is very serious to our country."

Chuck Schumer, the Democrat leader in the Senate, added: "Secretary Mattis was one of the few symbols of strength and stability in this organisation. Everything that represents stability is leaving. I'm sure most Americans feel it's a great loss."

He said it "gives America less and less faith in this president as a leader."
Tokyo (AFP) - Japanese prosecutors re-arrested former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn over fresh allegations Friday, apparently dashing his hopes of being home for Christmas in the latest twist to a rollercoaster saga.

The case of the once-revered 64-year-old tycoon has gripped Japan and the business world since he was arrested as he stepped off his private jet at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on November 19.

He had appeared set for release Friday after a court surprisingly rejected the prosecutors' demand to extend his detention for further questioning.

But instead of being freed on bail, Ghosn was arrested Friday over separate allegations of financial wrongdoing.

"The accused was responsible for managing Nissan's overall operations and for dutifully fulfilling his role as CEO not to cause damage to Nissan and its subsidiaries... but he took action that betrayed his role and caused financial damage to Nissan," prosecutors alleged.

They alleged he transferred personal losses worth some 1.85 billion yen ($16.6 million) sustained in the 2008 financial crisis to Nissan.

He stands accused of wiring some $14.7 million from Nissan funds to another company for his own benefit.

According to public broadcaster NHK, Ghosn denies this latest set of allegations.

The Franco-Brazilian-Lebanese businessman has already been formally charged with under-reporting his income by tens of millions of dollars over several years and faces a second batch of allegations that this continued for three further years.

On Thursday a court refused to extend his detention over the second set of allegations, reportedly because they were too similar to the first set.

But this fresh arrest gives prosecutors 48 hours to question him on the new matter. Under Japanese law, they can then apply for a fresh extension of 10 days, plus a further 10 days, to investigate the new claims.

His right-hand man, Greg Kelly, who faces the same initial charge, was not rearrested on Friday and his lawyer has requested bail, according to a court statement. NHK reported he would not be released before December 25.

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- 'Fractious alliance' -

Since his stunning arrest last month, the once jet-setting executive has languished in a tiny cell in a detention centre in northern Tokyo, where he has complained about the cold and the rice-based menu.

His lengthy detention -- in Japan, suspects can be "re-arrested" several times over different allegations -- has sparked criticism, especially from abroad.

"The Japanese penal system has been revealed to the wider world. It is not necessarily Japan's best side and this is not good for business," Tokyo lawyer Lionel Vincent told AFP.

Ghosn has an unusually high profile for a foreign executive in Japan and was credited with turning around the struggling car giant Nissan and forging a three-way alliance with French manufacturer Renault and fellow Japanese firm Mitsubishi Motors.

He was seen as the glue holding together the fractious alliance and his arrest has exposed major rifts between Nissan -- which makes the most money -- and Renault, the dominant shareholder.

Both Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors promptly sacked Ghosn as chairman following his arrest, on the basis of a months-long internal Nissan investigation.

Renault has been much more cautious, keeping him on as chairman and CEO and appointing Thierry Bollore as interim boss.

According to a source close to the investigation, Nissan would seek to bar Ghosn from their premises if he were to be released.

- 'Scope broadening' -

In addition to charges against Ghosn and Kelly, prosecutors have also indicted Nissan, as the company submitted the official documents that allegedly under-reported his income.

The firm declined to comment on the latest twist but added: "Nissan's own investigation is ongoing, and its scope continues to broaden."

Nissan has also accused its former boss of other financial impropriety, including using Nissan funds to purchase luxury homes around the world.

One of these -- a luxurious spread with ocean views over Rio de Janeiro's famous Copacabana Beach -- has become the subject of a legal battle.

Last week, Ghosn family members entered the flat, removed "personal effects" and opened the safes, according to Nissan. This followed a court order giving Ghosn's representatives access despite objections from the Japanese firm.

The allegations show Ghosn was "drowning in money," said a source familiar with the issue.

"It seems he was running the company for his own benefit."
James Mattis will leave his post as President Donald Trumps Secretary of Defense in February  a move that Trump billed in tweets Thursday night as a long-deserved retirement.

Mattis own letter of resignation  released by the Pentagon  seemed to indicate that the retired Marine general was actually being pushed out because he disagreed with Trump on policy issues.

Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position, Mattis wrote.

General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years. During Jims tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

....equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

The resignation came less than 48 hours after Trump abruptly announced plans to withdraw the more than 2,000 U.S. troops serving in Syria.

Mattis had publicly supported the U.S. militarys mission in Syria, saying in September, We are in Syria right now to defeat ISIS and destroy the geographic caliphate, and make sure it doesnt come back the moment we will turn our back. So theres going to be a little while that weve got to work with the locals.

On Thursday, Trump tweeted: Why are we fighting for our enemy, Syria, by staying & killing ISIS for them.Time to focus on our Country.

Story continues

So hard to believe that Lindsey Graham would be against saving soldier lives & billions of $$$. Why are we fighting for our enemy, Syria, by staying & killing ISIS for them, Russia, Iran & other locals? Time to focus on our Country & bring our youth back home where they belong!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

The disagreement over troops in Syria is just the latest in a series of public rifts between Mattis and Trump.

Though Trump once revered Mattis as one of the most effective generals that weve had in many, many decades, their relationship had clearly drifted in recent months. Trump went as far as saying he was sort of a Democrat in an October interview.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters late Thursday she was shaken by the news of Mattis resignation. In remarks shared on Twitter, she called Mattis a comfort to many of us as a voice of stability in the Trump Administration, adding that All of us should be concerned at this time.

Here are the other times Mattis publicly contradicted the Commander-in-Chief.

Afghanistan pullout

The Associated Press reported Thursday night that Trump is planning to order a dramatic reduction in the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, pulling up to half of the 14,000 U.S. forces out of the country after 17 years of war.

Mattis has argued for sending additional resources there to end the war and stabilize the country.

We are going to stand with the 41 nations. The largest wartime coalition in modern history is the NATO-led campaign in Afghanistan, Mattis said earlier this month. The Taliban have made very clear that the lives of the Afghan people are of no interest to them. They know they cannot win at the ballot box.

He added: I would just tell you that if we leave, 20 odd of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world centered in that region, and we walk out of there, then we know what will happen. Our intelligence services are very specific that we will be under attack in a number of years  a very few number of years.

Troops at the U.S.-Mexico border

When the White House released a memo authorizing troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border to use lethal force, if necessary, against what Trump called an invasion of migrants, Mattis clarified that the troops wouldnt even have firearms.

Theyre not even carrying guns, for Christs sake, he said.

Transgender troop ban

Mattis also pushed back on Trumps proposed ban on transgender service members.

Mattis was on vacation during Trumps surprise Twitter announcement, and had reportedly only been given one days notice of Trumps intention to reverse the Obama-era decision allowing transgender people to openly serve.

In the months that followed, Mattis effectively slow-rolled implementation of Trumps plan by establishing a panel of experts to recommend how the Department of Defense should proceed.

South Korean military exercises

A day after Mattis told reporters there were no plans at this time to suspend any more exercises with South Korea, Trump tweeted that they would cease.

The President believes that his relationship with Kim Jong Un is a very good and warm one, Trump posted to his personal twitter account in third-person. There is no reason at this time to be spending large amounts of money on joint U.S.-South Korea war games.

The Space Force

Though he eventually offered support to Trumps plan to establish a Space Force, Mattis initially broke with Trump on its creation as a separate branch in the military.

I strongly urge Congress to reconsider the proposal of a separate service Space Corps, Mattis wrote to lawmakers in July 2017. I believe it is premature to add additional organizational and administrative tail to the Department at a time I am trying to reduce overhead.

NATO and U.S. allies

Mattis was also a firm believer in NATOs power to preserve global peace. If you didnt have NATO, you would have to invent it, Mattis said, according to reporting by veteran journalist Bob Woodward. Trump ceded to Mattis on the matter. You can have your NATO, Woodward reported Trump told Mattis, but you become the rent collector.

In his resignation letter, Mattis wrote: While the U.S. remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies.

Mattis full letter of resignation can be read below:

Dear Mr. President:

I have been privileged to serve as our countrys 26th Secretary of Defense which has allowed me to serve alongside our men and women of the Department in defense of our citizens and our ideals.

I am proud of the progress that has been made over the past two years on some of the key goals articulated in our National Defense Strategy: putting the Department on a more sound budgetary footing, improving readiness and lethality in our forces, and reforming the Departments business practices for greater performance. Our troops continue to provide the capabilities needed to prevail in conflict and sustain strong U.S. global influence.

One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliance and partnerships. While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies. Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world. Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defense, including proving effective leadership to our alliances. NATOs 29 democracies demonstrated that strength in their commitment to fighting alongside us following the 9-11 attack on America. The Defeat-ISIS coalition of 74 nations is further proof.

Similarly, I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours: It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model  gaining veto authority over other nations economic, diplomatic, and security decisions  to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbors, America and our allies. That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense.

My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues. We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity, and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.

Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my positions. The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Departments interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February. Further, that a full transition to a new Secretary of Defense occurs well in advance of the transition of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September in order to ensure stability within the Department.

I pledge my full effort to a smooth transition that ensure the needs and interests of the 2.15 million Service Members and 732.079 DoD civilians receive undistracted attention of the Department at all times so that they can fulfill their critical, round-the-clock missions to protect the American people.

I very much appreciate this opportunity to serve the nation and our men and women in uniform.
Riga (AFP) - A former prime minister, the current Supreme Court chief justice and a deceased Catholic cardinal are among Latvians who collaborated with the KGB during the Cold War, according to files released Friday.

The Latvian National Archives revealed all the former agents -- many still active in politics and business -- after a quarter century of legal and legislative battles in the Baltic state.

"The list of collaborators shows that KGB contacts were recruited from all professions and ages," political scientist Didzis Senbergs wrote at local news portal Pietiek.com.

The KGB enlisted nearly 24,000 Latvians as collaborators and agents between 1953 and 1992.

Unlike other countries under Soviet rule at the time, Latvia managed to save its KGB archive from being destroyed when it regained independence in 1991.

The Latvian authorities took over the KGB building in Riga and threw the documents into huge sacks that they transported to a secure location.

Dubbed "the KGB sacks" ever since, the archive contains an index of all the collaborators as well as their codenames, real names, birthplaces and other data.

- Politicians, religious leaders, journalists -

"The entire archive is enormous," said computer scientist Ilmars Poikans, a member of Latvia's scientific commission on the files.

"It includes information gathered by KGB spies and criminal investigations involving the KGB and its agents," he told AFP.

"There are also cases fabricated against Soviet-era dissidents and pro-democracy activists. Everything will be scanned and eventually released."

High-profile individuals mentioned include Ivars Godmanis, who twice served as Latvia's prime minister, was a European Parliament member and now sits on the board of the country's largest pharmaceutical company.

Others include current Supreme Court chief justice Ivars Bickovics, the Catholic cardinal Julijans Vaivods -- codename "Omega" -- who died in 1991.

Story continues

Former foreign minister Georgs Andrejevs and Aleksandrs Kudrjashovs, the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church in Latvia, were also on the list.

Several current and former parliament members, diplomats, artists and writers also appear in the KGB sacks.

They include Rolands Tjarve, who was enlisted as an agent while a student during the 1980s. He went on to become the head of the public broadcasting company LTV before getting sacked and becoming a journalism lecturer at the University of Latvia.

Another high-profile name is Rihards Eigims, who was arrested last week on suspicion of soliciting a bribe while serving as the mayor of Latvia's second city of Daugavpils.

- In handwritten Cyrillic -

"Only the court can conduct a full investigation and find out whether the individual was indeed a KGB collaborator," National Archives director Mara Sprudza warned in a statement ahead of the release.

"The documents are being published in their original order, but readers should beware that most of them are in handwritten Cyrillic."

The index also contains the names of people who were pressured by the KGB into collaborating but who nevertheless refused to spy for them.

Latvia had for years debated whether to release the KGB sacks, running up against constant opposition from individuals suspected of having been KGB agents.

It was only in 2015 that a commission was set up to sort through the archives and prepare them for publication.

The National Archives are scanning the next batch of documents for release in January.

Anyone can access the files placed online so far at kgb.arhivi.lv by free registration.
It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. On the other hand, wed be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in London Stock Exchange Group plc (LON:LSE).

What Is Insider Selling?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Harvard University study found that insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year.

View our latest analysis for London Stock Exchange Group

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At London Stock Exchange Group

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by Diane Fabienne Cote for UK132k worth of shares, at about UK42.95 per share. So we know that an insider sold shares at around the present share price of UK40.50. They could have a variety of motivations for selling, but its still not particularly encouraging to see. We usually pause to reflect on the potential that a stock has a high valuation, if insiders have been selling at around the current price. Diane Fabienne Cote was the only individual insider to sell shares in the last twelve months.

You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

LSE:LSE Insider Trading December 21st 18

If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Story continues

Does London Stock Exchange Group Boast High Insider Ownership?

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. London Stock Exchange Group insiders own about UK16m worth of shares (which is 0.1% of the company). This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About London Stock Exchange Group Insiders?

There havent been any insider transactions in the last three months  that doesnt mean much. Our analysis of London Stock Exchange Group insider transactions leaves us cautious. The modest level of insider ownership is, at least, some comfort. 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.
It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. On the other hand, wed be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in HomeServe plc (LON:HSV).

What Is Insider Buying?

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 equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. 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.

See our latest analysis for HomeServe

HomeServe Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Martin Bennett made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for UK3.7m worth of shares at a price of UK8.75 each. That means that an insider was selling shares at around the current price of UK8.66. They might be selling for a variety of reasons, but its hard to argue this is a bullish sign. We usually pause to reflect on the potential that a stock has a high valuation, if insiders have been selling at around the current price.

In the last twelve months insiders netted UK7.8m for 868.59k shares sold. All up, insiders sold more shares in HomeServe than they bought, over the last year. The sellers received a price of around UK8.96, on average. Its not particularly great to see insiders were selling shares around current prices. Since insiders sell for many reasons, we wouldnt put too much weight on it. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

Story continues

LSE:HSV Insider Trading December 21st 18

If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Does HomeServe Boast High 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. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. HomeServe insiders own about UK367m worth of shares (which is 13% of the company). Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About HomeServe Insiders?

There havent been any insider transactions in the last three months  that doesnt mean much. Its heartening that insiders own plenty of stock, but wed like to see more insider buying, since the last year of HomeServe insider transactions dont fill us with confidence. Of course, the future is what matters most. So if you are interested in HomeServe, you should check out this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

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 Ritah Kemigisa.

Tanzania has cleared Ugandas dry produce following a bi-lateral meeting between Ugandas Minister of Trade Amelia Kyambadde and her counterpart of Tanzania Joseph Kakunda.

In November 2018, Ugandan traders at Mutukula border demonstrated over a ban on dry produce like Maize and Beans intended for export to Tanzania.

Now the ministrys Senior Public Relations Officer Khadija Nakakande says after a meeting between the two ministers on Wednesday at the Mutukula One Stop Border Post, the ban is no more.

Nakakande adds that the Tanzanian Government has also agreed to grant import permits to the importers immediately to enable them buy produce from Ugandan traders.

This is after the Tanzania government denied import permits to the Tanzanian importers.

Uganda is running a negative trade balance with Tanzania.

Ugandas exports to Tanzania registered a negative trend from USD 56 million in 2014 to USD 49.8 million in 2017.
James Mattis announced he was leaving the Trump administration Thursday, saying the president deserved to have a secretary of defense whose views were better aligned with his own.

Mattiss decision came one day after President Trump announced he would withdraw U.S. forces from Syria, a move that Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Mattis opposed.

Mattis becomes the second Cabinet member in a week to announce his exit from the Trump administration. Trump announced Saturday that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke would step down at the end of the year. On Dec. 9, Trump also announced that his chief of staff, retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly, would depart at years end.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis listens as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the news media while gathering for a briefing from his senior military leaders in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 23, 2018. (Photo: Leah Millis/Reuters)

On Twitter, the president spoke warmly of Mattiss tenure and the Department of Defense.

General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years. During Jims tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

.equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

In his letter to Trump, however, Mattis did not mention retirement. Instead, the retired four-star Marine general issued what could be read as a rebuke of his soon-to-be former boss.

Here is the full text of that letter:

Dear Mr. President:

I have been privileged to serve as our countrys 26th Secretary of Defense which has allowed me to serve alongside our men and women of the Department in the defense of our citizens and our ideals.

Story continues

I am proud of the progress that has been made over the past two years on some of the key goals articulated in our National Defense Strategy: putting the Department on a more sound budgetary footing, improving readiness and lethality in our forces, and reforming the Departments business practices for greater performance. Our troops continue to provide the capabilities needed to prevail in conflict and sustain strong U.S. global influence.

Our core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. while the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining and showing respect to those allies. Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world. Instead we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defense, including providing effective leadership to our alliances, NATOs 29 democracies demonstrated that strength in their commitment to fighting alongside us following the 9-1-1 attack on America. The Defeat-ISIS coalition of 74 nations is further proof.

Similarly, I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours. It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model  gaining veto authority over other nations economic, diplomatic, and security decisions  to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbors, America and our allies. That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense.

My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues. We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.

Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position. The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow for sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Departments interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February. Further, that a full transition to a new Secretary of Defense occurs well in advance of the transition of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September in order to ensure stability within the Department.

I pledge my full effort to a smooth transition that ensures the needs and interests of the 2.15 million Service Members and 732,079 DoD civilians receive undistracted attention of the Department at all times so that they can fulfill their critical, round-the-clock mission to protect the American people.

I very much appreciate this opportunity to serve the nation and our men and women in uniform.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:




Large Cap Value fund seekers should not consider taking a look at MFS Value R6 (MEIKX) at this time. MEIKX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

MEIKX is one of many Large Cap Value mutual funds to choose from. These funds invest in equities with a market capitalization of $10 billion or more, but whose share prices do not reflect their intrinsic value. This strategy can often produce low P/E ratios and high dividend yields; growth levels; however, growth levels are oftentimes cut back. These funds'high growth opportunities are slowed even more since large-cap stocks are usually in more stable industries with low to moderate growth prospects. Thus, investors interested in a stable income stream fund Large Cap Value funds very appealing.

History of Fund/Manager

MFS is based in Boston, MA, and is the manager of MEIKX. Since MFS Value R6 made its debut in June of 2012, MEIKX has garnered more than $13.29 billion in assets. The fund's current manager, Steven R. Gorham, has been in charge of the fund since June of 2012.

Performance

Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 8.88%, and it sits in the middle 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 9.62%, which places it in the middle third during this time-frame.

When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 8.61%, the standard deviation of MEIKX over the past three years is 9.26%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 10.05% compared to the category average of 8.78%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Story continues

Risk Factors

Investors cannot discount the risks to this segment though, as it is always important to remember the downside for any potential investment.

Investors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.95, so it is likely going to be 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. Over the past 5 years, the fund has a negative alpha of -1.53. This means that managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

Expenses

As competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, MEIKX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.47% compared to the category average of 1.03%. Looking at the fund from a cost perspective, MEIKX is actually cheaper than its peers.

While the minimum initial investment for the product is $0, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.

Bottom Line

Overall, MFS Value R6 ( MEIKX ) has a low Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, this fund looks like a somewhat weak choice for investors right now.

Your research on the Large Cap Value segment doesn't have to stop here. You can check out all the great mutual fund tools we have to offer by going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds to see the additional features we offer as well for additional information. And don't forget, Zacks has all of your needs covered on the equity side too! Make sure to check out Zacks.com for more information on our screening capabilities, Rank, and all our articles as well.



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 (MEIKX): Fund Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
Lin-Manuel Miranda and Michelle Obama attend The 2019 American Portrait Gala at Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery on Nov 17 2019, in Washington. Wearing Schiaparelli. [Photo: AP]

When youre the First Lady of the United States, White House protocol requires that you dress diplomatically for public engagements.

This may entail showcasing a homegrown label while on tour (as demonstrated by the Duchess of Sussex) or choosing a colour scheme to fly the flag for international guests.

So how did Michelle Obama celebrate freeing herself from sartorial tyranny after leaving office? She wore a 3,082 pair of Balenciaga disco boots of course.

Overnight, the former First Lady went viral courtesy of her final fashion-forward book tour outfit with social media users across the globe praising her glitzy footwear.

Now, Im free to do whatever, Obama defiantly told Sarah Jessica Parker at the Barclay Centre in New York.

But its not the first time the 54-year-old has demonstrated her stylish know-how, as the mother-of-two has long reigned as one of our go-to style muses.

Over the course of her nine-year White House residency, Obama and longterm stylist Meredith Koop helped to thrust under-the-radar talent into the spotlight. Most famously, the former First Lady chose Jason Wu for her inaugural gown  a simple move which catapulted him to global acclaim.

But for Obama, clothes are not merely plucked from her wardrobe, as she told Parker during their meeting: There are a lot of people out here trying to make it [in the fashion industry]; young people, women, black folks and immigrants.

I didnt want to wear the clothes of someone who didnt have a good spirit and you could hear these things, you could hear how they treated my staff or how they treated their workers so everyone I wore as far as I knew had a good spirit as well.

From dressing for the presidential campaign back in 2009 to her most covetable tourdrobe moments, these are Michelle Obamas best looks to date.
Sometimes, life is better off not imitating art. In an interesting twist, an Indiana mother was arrested this week after police in the town of Muncie, Indiana discovered she had allegedly left her two young sons home alone  while watching Home Alone. (Home Alone, the 1990 holiday classic film starring Macalauy Culkin, is about the perils of leaving a kid unattended in a house, of course.)

In the Home Alone movie, Kevin McAllister is a precocious eight-year-old who is able to more or less adequately care for himself after his parents accidentally leave him behind on a trip, and he even manages to outsmart a team of thieves who attempt to burgle his house, serving them up some inventive justice.

The Indiana boys, meanwhile, were just four and seven years old. According to police, the mother  who was at work  had difficulty finding a babysitter, so asked her elder son to skip school to watch the younger one. A concerned neighbor had called in to report the unattended minors, at which point the police arrived to find the boys watching the movie, unraveled the story, arrested the mom and charged her with two counts of neglect of a dependent, according to local news. As for the boys, theyve been placed in the care of a relative.

A reminder: adequate childcare can be challenging to find, and Home Alone is a great movie, but the law advises parents against leaving kids unsupervised before theyre mature enough to care for themselves.
By Anna Irrera and Elizabeth Dilts

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Morgan Stanley is simplifying the way it acquires new technologies from small companies to speed up collaboration and address long running concerns by startups that working with big banks is slow and costly.

The bank has been taking steps to reduce the time it takes to begin working with new vendors by streamlining documentation and broadening the opportunities for executives to evaluate new tech products, Shawn Melamed, Morgan Stanley's head of technology business development and innovation office, said in an interview this week.

Earlier this year, the bank trimmed a 20-page vendor agreement to one page, helping reduce from three months to as little as one week the time to begin working together, Melamed said. The bank also launched a portal for employees to test new technology, he added.

"We have looked at how to improve over-complicated processes," Melamed said. "The benefit for us and them is (saving) time and money."

Large banks have been increasingly working with financial technology startups to launch new digital services, as they seek to keep abreast of technological change and fend off competition from new entrants.

Entrepreneurs have long said, however, one of the biggest challenges they face when selling to large institutions remains their cumbersome procurement process.

As highly regulated entities banks must ensure the technology and services they acquire are reliable and sturdy, a need often resulting in months of meetings and reams of forms. This can be especially challenging for startups with limited resources and few employees.

"I used to be a founder and CEO of a fintech company," Melamed said. "I've experienced the pain from the other side."

Morgan Stanley's efforts to shorten on-boarding time come as the bank's wealth business rolls out WealthDesk, a suite of nearly a dozen new tech tools and services, to 15,000 financial advisers.

Story continues

WealthDesk is a key part of the growth strategy for the bank's wealth business, which contributes half of Morgan Stanley's revenues.

In November, the bank held a fintech event at its New York headquarters where 400 Morgan Stanley executives met with 90 fintech startups, Melamed said.

Morgan Stanley Chief Executive James Gorman has been vocal about the bank's technology aspirations and in June pushed back against the perception that Wall Street is too bureaucratic to work with Silicon Valley.

"There's this presumption that big firms are dumb and slow," Gorman said at Morgan Stanley's U.S. Financials Conference. "We've also got very deep pockets and scale, and we are not dumb."

(Reporting by Elizabeth Dilts and Anna Irrera; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
Marrakesh (Morocco) (AFP) - Moroccan authorities have made nine new arrests over the brutal murder of two Scandinavian hikers by suspected jihadists in the kingdom's High Atlas Mountains, police said Friday.

The announcement came just hours after police said the bodies of Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and 28-year-old Norwegian Maren Ueland were put on a plane in Casablanca for Copenhagen.

The new suspects were detained across the country for their "alleged links with the perpetrators of the terrorist act", Morocco's central bureau of judicial investigations said.

Police also seized "electronic equipment, a shotgun, knives... a military uniform and materials that could be used to manufacture explosives", it added.

Moroccan authorities said Thursday that four other suspects arrested following the murder of the two tourists had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group.

The bodies of the two women were found Monday after they had pitched their tent at an isolated mountain site two hours' walk from the tourist village of Imlil.

One of them was beheaded, according to a source close to the investigation.

Imlil is a starting point for trekking and climbing tours of Mount Toubkal, which at 4,167 metres is the highest summit in North Africa.

Hours after the grisly discovery authorities announced the arrest of a first suspect and later said he belonged to an "extremist" group, while the three other suspects were arrested on Thursday.

Denmark's PET intelligence service said it "shares" the assessment by the Moroccan authorities that the murders were an "act of terrorism".

Moroccan investigators are probing a link to Islamic extremism after a video emerged showing the suspects "pledging allegiance" to the Islamic State group, the Rabat prosecutor has said.

Authorities were working to determine the authenticity of a video posted on social media networks allegedly showing the murder of one of the tourists, according to the prosecutor.

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"At this point, there is no tangible evidence that the video is not authentic," Norway's criminal investigations agency Kripos said Friday.

Denmark's PET agency said "technical analyses have not been completed", but that nothing indicates that the footage is "not genuine".

"The Danish National Police and PET are working closely with the Moroccan authorities," it said.

- 'In shock' -

The first four suspects detained were all arrested in Marrakesh, an hour away from the scene of the murder.

Younes Ouaziad, 27, lived with his parents in the working-class Al-Azzouzia neighbourhood.

His family and neighbours said Friday they were "in shock".

"He was a boy without any history, private. There was nothing to suggest he could do something like that," 35-year-old Abdelaati, a vegetable seller in the neighbourhood, told AFP.

The murders have prompted condemnation from authorities in Denmark and Norway.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen denounced what he called a "beastly crime".

Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg condemned what she called a "brutal and meaningless attack on innocents".

Moroccan government spokesman Mustapha Khalfi described the killings as a "terrorist act" while Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani said it was a "stab in the back of Morocco and Moroccans".

Tourism is a cornerstone of Morocco's economy, accounting for 10 percent of national income.

Morocco has been spared jihadist attacks since 2011, when a bomb attack on a cafe in Marrakesh's famed Jamaa El Fna Square killed 17 people, most of them European tourists.
North Korea said Thursday its commitment to denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula was bound up with a "complete removal of US nuclear threats".

Following a rapid diplomatic rapprochement this year, the North's leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump signed a vaguely-worded statement in Singapore in June, agreeing to work towards the "denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula".

But the two countries have since disagreed on what it means, causing follow-up negotiations to stall.

Now Pyongyang is demanding sanctions relief and has condemned 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".

Thursday's commentary released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) asserted that the commitment was a mutual rather than unilateral undertaking.

"It must be clearly understood that the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula means the removal of all nuclear threats -- not only those from the North and the South but those aiming at the Korean peninsula from surrounding areas as well", it said.

It urged the US to give up the "delusion" of forcing the North to give up its nuclear arsenal "unilaterally" through "pressure and coercion".

It also called for the lifting of sanctions, describing it as a "touchstone" in determining whether the US was committed to implementing the Singapore agreement.

A second summit between Trump and Kim -- who exchanged personal insults and threats of war throughout 2017 -- is expected to take place next year.

The US leader faces 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.

It 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.

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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.

Pyongyang condemned the move, warning Washington's approach could "block the path to denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula forever".

Trump played down hopes last week 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".
Former presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye has asked the United States of America to put sanctions on the government of Uganda following bribe allegations involving the foreign affairs minister Sam Kuteesa.

Addressing journalists at his home in Kasagati, Besigye says 2018 has seen corruption in Uganda escalating.

He says that a number of corruption cases have been registered in Uganda including the BOU illegal sale of commercial banks, the refugees scandal and now the alleged Kuteesa bribe.

He says that since the American government has information pinning the minister, they should put sanctions on Uganda just like they have been seen doing with some other countries.

However making a statement on the floor of parliament yesterday, the attorney general William Byaruhanga said Minister Kuteesa despite being mentioned did not have any case against him.
You snooze, you lose, right? Not according to Nicole Richie, whos the queen of blending cosiness with elegance. And, on certain days, she has only one style goal: to see if I can find a way to wear my pyjamas all day, says the style superstar and mum-of-two.

Thats a cinch to do, given that Richie just launched her lifestyle brand, Honey Minx, which is all about easy, accessible luxury and pampering.

As you can see in our shoppable video above (click on a featured item to buy it), Richie takes her PJs from day to night and back again with a gorgeous kimono-style robe, a little jewellery and a headband.

The weekends are all about relaxing at home and unwinding. Theres absolutely no shame in rocking your pyjamas late into a Sunday afternoon, especially if you accessorise them right, she declares.

As she showcases in her video, Richie slumbers in a gorgeous satin two-piece set that youll never want to take off. Wear it to sleep, wear it out to dinner, wear it everywhere.

Her love of upscale but casual clothing inspired many of Richies creations for Honey Minx. Shes particular about colours, prints and fabrics. And the sleepwear lover has brought her impeccable sense of chic to the bedroom with irresistible outfits.

I designed them specifically for women, who just really want to feel relaxed but also look stylish at the same time. she says.

So how do you dress up your PJs? For Richie, its all about the details. I love layering. With my pyjamas as a base, I can add a robe, jewelry and top the look off with a headband. Theres definitely ways to make it a real outfit, she says.

When she wakes up, she throws a satin kimono robe over her ensemble to give it added flair. Fashion can be comfortable.

She adds a little glam with dramatic, layered bracelets, earrings and necklaces. I wear a ton of jewellery, says Richie.

Another must-have: these boho-chic gold-plated danglers.

One key to a night-to-day transition: this signature piece from Honey Minx. I wouldnt be afraid to rock a pyjama top out, with some jeans and adding a headband to complete the look, Richie says.

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Spoken like a true pyjamaficionado.

This article was paid for by Working Sundays, the parent company of Honey Minx, and created by Yahoo. The editorial department of Yahoo did not participate in the creation of this content.

Shop along as Nicole Richie raps about the gifts she loves to wrap (in the video, below), and see more of the celebritys favourite products from her new line, Honey Minx, on our Style NowWith landing page.

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.

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.
By Nivedita Balu and Uday Sampath Kumar

(Reuters) - Nike Inc's <NKE.N> quarterly results beat Wall Street estimates, boosted by strength in North America where new launches led to higher sale of more full-priced footwear and apparel online, sending its shares up 7 percent on Thursday.

For more than a year, Nike has been speeding up the pace of new product launches and expanding partnerships with online retailers, which helped drive a more than 30 percent rise in digital sales in its home market.

Overall online sales rose 41 percent in the quarter.

A ramp up in its supply chain to bring fresh fashion faster to stores also helped the world's largest sportswear maker take more market share from German rival Adidas AG <ADSGn.DE> in North America.

In November, Nike opened doors to a new flagship store in New York's Fifth Avenue, a six-storey building where customers can choose sizes and pay for products just using the Nike app.

The company is also working toward launching cheaper versions of its auto-lacing sneakers, inspired from the movie "Back to the Future".

Analyst Daniel Martin at D.M. Martins Research said the company's better supply chain management has helped it overcome higher product costs. In the reported quarter, cost of sales rose 8 percent.

In North America, its biggest market, Nike's new strategies led to an 8.5 percent rise in revenue in the second quarter.

"It's clear that the consumers are craving experiences and the fastest way to meet that demand is to test, learn and scale new features," Nike's Chief Executive Officer Mark Parker said on a post-earnings call with analysts.

Even in China, where investors were worried about its growth due to the ongoing tariff war with the United States, revenue expanded 26.4 percent in the quarter.

2019 FORECAST

For 2019, Nike said excluding fluctuations in exchange rates, it expects stronger revenue growth than previously planned.

Story continues

Chief Financial Officer Andy Campion sees revenue for the full year to grow in the high single-digit range, "potentially approaching low double digits".

Total revenue for the maker of Jordan sneakers rose 9.6 percent to $9.37 billion in the second quarter. Net income rose to $847 million, or 52 cents per share, in the quarter ended Nov. 30.

Analysts on average expected Nike to earn 46 cents per share on revenue of $9.18 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Nike shares, which have lost about 18 percent in the last three months, jumped to $72.09 after the bell.

(Reporting by Nivedita Balu and Uday Sampath in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
The Democratic leadership have selected Rep. Kathy Castor to chair a select committee on climate change they're planning to revive once the 116th Congress comes in session. The move all but ended the push by environmental activists and progressive darling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to create a select committee on the Green New Deal, an ambitious reform that seeks to tackle climate change and income inequality in the next decade.

But despite the setback, it's unlikely this is the last we will hear of the Green New Deal. In fact, it seems that the policy proposal and the issue of climate change as a whole will continue to be a major talking point.

Ocasio-Cortez, the congresswoman-elect of New York's 14th District, made a bold move when she joined a sit-in environmental protest outside of the office of Rep. Nancy Pelosi last month. The action, organized by the environmental youth organization Sunrise Movement, called for the presumptive House Speaker to create the Green New Deal's select committee. Immediately, the proposal became part of a mainstream debate. In the past month, 43 members of Congress have joined the freshman congresswoman in supporting the plan, including some lawmakers likely to be 2020 presidential hopefuls. Last week, more than 300 local and state officials across the U.S. also got involved and called for the proposal to be considered.

The last month has not only proven a change in how much political will there is to tackle climate change. According to a poll released Monday, a staggering 81% of registered voters said they are supportive of the general policies outlined in the Green New Deal, including the transition to using 100% clean energy in the country and providing training for green jobs. Per the survey, the proposal has the support of 92% Democrats, 88% Independents, and 64% Republicans.

"The entire conversation about climate politics in America has shifted," Varshini Prakash, co-founder of Sunrise Movement, told Refinery29. "Rather than discussing half-measures, politicians and the people alike are grappling with the true scope of the [climate change] crisis and what it takes to combat it."

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One of the main elements of the Green New Deal was the creation of the select committee. This working group, comprised by 15 members both Republican and Democratic, would have one year to draft a climate change and income inequality reform. Activists called for members of the committee to be barred from taking campaign donations from oil and gas companies. They argued this stipulation would prevent the legislation from being watered down by outside interests.

But the Democratic leadership chose instead to revive a dormant U.S. House select committee on climate change, tapping Rep. Castor as the leader. The ban on campaign contributions specifically ruffled weathers among some representatives. Castor, a six-term congresswoman, told E&E News the issue with that stipulation is that "I dont think you can do that under the First Amendment, really." Inadvertently or not, the Florida representative echoed the reasoning used by multinational oil and gas corporation Exxon Mobil Corp. in court when it defended funding right-wing think tanks that churn misinformation and denials about climate change on purpose. Castor also told E&E News that while she believes in some of the components of the Green New Deal, the proposal would not be the only focus of the committee.

But Prakash said that despite the setback, activists will continue to push for the Green New Deal and policies to fight the climate change crisis. "Thousands have taken action in recent weeks, tens of thousands have joined our growing youth movement, over a hundred new Sunrise chapters have launched in towns and cities across America, and dozens of politicians have backed policies like a green jobs guarantee, and a move to a 100% renewable energy future that leaves no community behind," she said. "We always knew the Select Committee would be a long shot. But the road to the Green New Deal doesn't start and end in Washington, D.C. The organizing continues into 2019."

On Twitter, Ocasio-Cortez stressed the urgency of passing reform that addresses climate change and income inequality. She added that Democrats "shouldn't be afraid to lead" when it came to taking a stance against letting the members of the committee take fossil fuel money.

"We dont have time to sit on our hands as our planet burns," she said. "For young people, climate change is bigger than election or re-election. Its life or death."

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?

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Ohios recent decision to allow businesses to pay taxes using bitcoin has fueled criticism that the move is a gimmicky PR stunt thats impractical and unsustainable.

Skeptics say bitcoins volatile price fluctuations and the lack of mass merchant adoption makes crypto an unsuitable method of payment, the Detroit Free Press reported.

The Ohio announcement is mainly a PR stunt, said Kevin Werbach, a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

There is not a particular advantage in paying your taxes with bitcoin today. The state just wants to signal that its cryptocurrency-friendly.

As CCN reported, Werbach taught a class last semester at Wharton called Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and Distributed Ledger Technology.

Werbach joins a growing list of business-school professors who believe that top MBA programs should offer coursework in cryptocurrencies and blockchain because crypto is here to stay.

Extreme Volatility Makes Bitcoin Unattractive

However, for now, some say that paying taxes using bitcoin isnt practical.

Andrew Wu, an assistant professor at the University of Michigans Ross School of Business, said bitcoins break-neck volatility makes it an unattractive payment mechanism.

Mainstream: Ohio Businesses Can Now Pay Taxes with Bitcoin https://t.co/hH7dcLItRj  CCN (@CryptoCoinsNews) November 26, 2018

Accordingly, he does not believe that bitcoin will gain mainstream adoption as a way to pay for goods and services. However, Wu said blockchain is a game-changing innovation that will reshape entire industries.

Meanwhile, Ohio car dealer Bernie Moreno paid his business taxes using bitcoin in November 2018, and thinks the trend will gain traction in the near future.

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Digital currency and blockchain are really the next-tech revolution, said Moreno, who recently sold three cars to entrepreneurs who paid for their purchases in bitcoin. Two of the vehicles he sold were Porsches, and the other was an Astin Martin.

porsche

Ohio is the first state in the United States to accept crypto to pay business taxes. The state government partnered with crypto payment processor BitPay to manage the payment in crypto and conversion to dollars, as CCN reported.

The idea is the brainchild of Ohios Republican state treasurer, Josh Mandel, who says bitcoin is a legitimate form of currency.

UK Parliament Member Pushes Crypto Adoption

Across the pond in the United Kingdom, a member of the British Parliament pointed to Ohio as an impetus for why UK residents should pay their local taxes using bitcoin, as CCN reported.

Eddie Hughes, a conservative MP (member of Parliament), said this would be an excellent first step toward mainstream adoption of crypto.

UK Parliament Member Wants You to Pay Your Taxes with Bitcoin https://t.co/TeDTtaUBDG  CCN (@CryptoCoinsNews) December 10, 2018

Youre either ahead of the curve or youre behind the curve, Hughes said. We are at a crossroads and were about to determine our future  one in which taking the lead in this field could prove very beneficial.

Featured image from Shutterstock. Werbach photo from LinkedIn.



The post Ohios Bitcoin Tax Payment Plan Is a Gimmicky PR Stunt, Say Skeptics appeared first on CCN.


Paris (AFP) - A French court on Friday fined oil giant Total 500,000 euros ($575,000) for corruption over bribes it paid to secure a huge gas concession in Iran in 1997.

The French company was accused of paying $30 million in bribes in return for help in securing the rights to the South Pars natural gas field in the Persian Gulf, the world's largest.

The Paris criminal court found it guilty of "corruption of a foreign public agent" for payments made to former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's son Mehdi Hashemi, a senior energy official at the time, among others.

But it dismissed prosecutors' call for it to seize 250 million euros in Total assets -- investigators' estimate of the value of the proceeds of the corruption.

The fine represents a fraction of the $398 million that Total paid in the US in 2013 to settle similar charges arising out of the joint French-US investigation.

It also represents a drop in the ocean of Total's net profits in 2017 of 8.6 billion dollars.

- 'Business development' -

By admitting responsibility in the US, Total avoided the embarrassment of a trial for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which seeks to stop bribery in foreign countries by companies with a significant US presence.

The company cited its deal with US authorities in refusing to answer questions about its Iran dealings at its Paris trial.

The French part of the probe, which was launched back in 2006, initially covered both the 1997 South Pars deal, worth $2 billion, and the 1995 concession for the Sirri A and E oil fields.

Total was accused of paying a total of $60 million in bribes between 1995 and 2004 to obtain the concessions.

The US Justice Department said that Total attempted to pass off the payments as "business development expenses".

The company argued that its behaviour was "completely legal under French law."

In the end the multinational was tried only over the $30 million it paid in connection with the South Pars field after 2000, when a new French law on "corruption of foreign public officials" came into effect.

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Total's late CEO Christophe de Margerie, who was head of Middle East exploration at the time of the payments, was also being investigated before his sudden death in a plane crash in Moscow in 2014.

In a statement Friday, Total's current CEO Patrick Pouyanne said anyone who knew de Margerie "knows that he would never be involved in any type of corruption".

A Iranian businessman Bijan Dadfar and an oil industry consultant, Abbas Yazdi, were also named as suspects in the case.

Dadfar has died since the probe began while Yazdi, who is also believed to be dead, was sentenced to four years imprisonment in the absence of any death certificate.

The ruling comes four months after Total announced that it was pulling out of the South Pars project for fear of being caught out by US sanctions after US President Donald Trump pulled out of an international nuclear deal with Tehran.
Investors in Ziopharm Oncology, Inc. ZIOP need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the Jan 18, 2019 $5.00 Call had some of the highest implied volatility of all equity options today.

What is Implied Volatility?

Implied volatility shows how much movement the market is expecting in the future. Options with high levels of implied volatility suggest that investors in the underlying stocks are expecting a big move in one direction or the other. It could also mean there is an event coming up soon that may cause a big rally or a huge sell-off. However, implied volatility is only one piece of the puzzle when putting together an options trading strategy.

What do the Analysts Think?

Clearly, options traders are pricing in a big move for Ziopharm Oncology shares, but what is the fundamental picture for the company? Currently, Ziopharm Oncology is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) in the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry that ranks in the Top 30% of our Zacks Industry Rank. Over the last 60 days, two analysts have increased their earnings estimates for the current quarter, while none have dropped their estimates. The net effect has taken our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter from a loss of 12 cents per share to a loss of 11 cents in that period.

Given the way analysts feel about Ziopharm Oncology right now, this huge implied volatility could mean theres a trade developing. Oftentimes, options traders look for options with high levels of implied volatility to sell premium. This is a strategy many seasoned traders use because it captures decay. At expiration, the hope for these traders is that the underlying stock does not move as much as originally expected.

Looking to Trade Options?

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Photo: Shutterstock.com



Each year brings another round of baton-passing at Pennsylvania law firms, as one generation of leaders hands over its responsibilities to the next. In 2018, several local firms broke with traditionat least their ownfor leadership in the name of strategy and succession planning.



The new chairman at Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby, for example, hails from outside the firms hometown of Philadelphia for the first time after a transition this year.



Andrew Indeck, who took over for 10-year chairman Paul Fires in July, is based in Bedminster, New Jersey. Fires said he had hoped for several years that Indeck would express interest in leading the firm.



During Fires tenure as chairman, Weber Gallagher went from about 70 lawyers to 110, and from seven offices to 10, he said. That footprint growth is reflected in the firms choice of its new Bedminster-based chairman, Fires and Indeck said.



That was certainly something people questioned initially  in terms of the leader of the firm being outside Philadelphia, Indeck said. However, the board of directors and management committee have previously included non-Philadelphia lawyers, he noted. It reflects the reality that the firm is not entirely Philadelphia-centric anymore, he said.



At Philadelphia-based Dilworth Paxson, one chief operating officer was replaced by two co-COOs. Partners Patrick Northen and Brett Wiltsey took on the job together so they could each continue practicing law. Northen was already the firms general counsel, since 2014, and said those responsibilities will now fall under the umbrella of the co-COOs duties.



They took over for Jim Hennessey, who has been Dilworth Paxsons COO for eight years. The change, announced in June, was in the works for well over a year.



How the co-COOs split their responsibilities will be determined case-by-case, they said. But both lawyers were adamant about being able to continue their practices, Northen said. Dilworth Paxson CEO Ajay Raju noted that the firm did away with the managing partner role several years ago, and the COO job is comparable to that in some ways.



Also embracing a multiperson leadership structure, Philadelphias Kleinbard announced in January its plan for replacing its three managing partners over the course of three years. In 2018, that plan called for Michael Frattone to take David Hymans place as a managing partner.



Mary Beth Gray is set to take Robert Bodzins managing partner position at the beginning of 2019, and Matthew Haverstick is scheduled to become the third managing partner a year after that, replacing Howard Davis.



The 31-lawyer firm has operated with three managing partners for about three decades, and it had four before that, said Davis, who will have served two decades as a managing partner by the time he steps down. He said it allows the lawyers to maintain an active practice while leading the firm.



Even though that seemed to be working generally, Kleinbard hired a consultant a few years ago to help with leadership planning, Davis said. The firm decided it needed the managing partners to have staggered terms, so the firm would not experience too much change at once.



McNees Wallace & Nurick also stuck to a three-member leadership team when David Kleppinger stepped down from his post as chairman in October, after 12 years in the role. Kleppinger and two other lawyers, Brian Jackson and Donna Kreiser, made up the firms management committee.



With Kleppinger stepping down, Jackson moved into the chairman role and Mark Van Blargan, who had previously served on the management committee from 2006 to 2015, became the third committee member.



That means there is no new blood on McNees' latest iteration of its management committee. But the firm is already in preparations to change that.



Van Blargan has already said that he does not intend to serve a long term, Jackson noted, and he expects a younger lawyer to step up. To prepare them for that, the firm has elevated younger partners into practice leadership positions, Kleppinger said.



But not everyone finds the multi-leader structure to be successful.



Pittsburgh-based Am Law 200 firm Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott removed Dorothy Davis as a co-CEO of the firm, leaving Tim Hudak as the sole CEO. The firm said Hudak would take over management of day-to-day operations, but Davis would continue as a member of the executive committee, board of directors and compensation committee.



Executive committee chairman John McGinley said in a May interview that the firm had conducted a survey of its lawyers, who number more than 300, to get their thoughts on the two-CEO leadership model.



Most of the lawyers here prefer a CEO model of one voice, he said. They thought the duality created ambiguity.



Additionally, sources told The Legal in May, Davis as CEO made changes without communicating to others in the firm, including changes to practice group leadership that were not received well universally.



In a large firm, youre always going to have a certain number of people that dont like the way a manager functions, McGinley said.



Am Law 100 firm Blank Rome, however, announced an upcoming return to a two-person leadership team, which will become official at the start of 2019.



Alan Hoffman has served double duty as the firms chairman and managing partner since 2011. But come January, he will hand off the managing partner title to litigation department chairman Grant Palmer, and continue on as chairman.



Hoffman said the firm is large enough now that it needs two leaders splitting those roles. And, he said, it needs a younger partner to help steer the ship.



Im now a senior partner, and I think decisions that are made by the CEO of a law firm need to be made about whats going to happen at the firm over the next 15 or 20 years, and that person should be here over that period of time to implement those changes, Hoffman said.



Also in Big Law, Philadelphia-based Duane Morris saw a leadership change take effect in 2018, which they had made public in 2017.



Matthew Taylor, who had been the firms vice chair and trial practice chief, became chairman after John Soroko stepped down in January. Thomas Servodidio became vice chair as well.
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Three Palestinians, including a 16-year-old, were killed on Friday by Israeli fire during protests and clashes along the Gaza border, health officials in the Hamas-run enclave said.

Teenager Mohammed al-Jahjuh was "hit in the neck by a bullet (fired) by Israeli soldiers", ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told AFP.

Abdelaziz Abu Sharia, 28, and Naher Yasin, 40, died from their wounds after being shot in separate incidents along the heavily fortified frontier with Israel, Qudra and a hospital official said.

The Israeli army said around 8,000 Palestinians had gathered at spots along the border, burning tyres and launching an incendiary device at soldiers that did not reach the troops.

Israel's military said it had opened fire "according to operational procedures" in place, without elaborating.

Forty six Palestinians -- including two journalists and four first aid responders -- were wounded, Qudra said.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have staged protests backed by the enclave's Islamist rulers Hamas since March 30.

At least 238 Palestinians have been killed since the protests began, mostly by Israeli fire during border clashes but also by air and tank strikes.

Two Israeli soldiers have been killed over the same period, one by a Palestinian sniper and another during an aborted special forces operation inside Gaza.

Protesters are calling for Palestinian refugees to be allowed to return to their former homes now inside Israel.

Israel accuses Hamas of seeking to use the protests as cover to carry out infiltrations and attacks, and says the army's actions are necessary to defend the border.

Israel has fought three wars with Hamas since 2008.
By Ruth Anderah.

City Layer Bob Kasango has been sentenced to 16 years imprisonment for stealing government funds yet he has never worked for it.

However the former officials of the Ministry of Public service including permanent secretary Jimmy Lwamafa has been handed 9 years, Principle Accountant Christopher Obey is to serve 14 years in prison and commissioner pensions Stephen Kiwanuka Kunsa is 9 years for neglecting their roles by diverting pensioners funds.

Each government official is ordered to compensate government 3.4 billion shillings while Kasango is to refund 5 billion shillings.

They are also banned from holding public offices for period of the years each sentenced.

High court Anti-corruption division Judge Margret Tibulya has today found guilty the 3 of conspiring with a city advocate Bob Kasango to steal 15.4 billion shillings that was meant to compensate 6340 entrenched government employees as pension and damages.

According to justice Tibulya, evidence brought to court has proved that the 3 officials in their respective capacities unlawfully paid the 15.4 billion shillings to Kasangos defunct Law firm of Hall and partners as legal fees claiming it had successfully handled the workers case against Government in 1998 whereas not.

According to prosecution, the said money had been budgeted for and releases by the Ministry of Finance to pay the 6340 pensioners and to cater for emoluments of former presidents and their vices but not to pay professional fees of an advocate.

Lwamafa, Obey and Kunsa are already serving jail terms of 7, 5 and ten years at Luzira prison illegally budgeting for NSSF contributions worth 88 billion shillings of government workers well knowing that such a category does not contribute to the fund .
Bakkts Bitcoin (USD) Daily Futures Contract, the physically-settled daily futures contract, is quite close to getting the green light from the authorities, according to reports on the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The exchange has been working with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to ensure its business plan is compliant with the agencys regulatory framework. A couple of areas that stood out are the exemptions for the exchange to keep customers bitcoins, cybersecurity issues that could crop up and the financial liability, in the event of a hack. Once the CFTC decides to approve the project, the public has 30 days to weigh in with comments.

Bakkt was developed by Intercontinental Exchange, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), as a regulated trading platform for cryptocurrencies, where retail and institutional investors can invest in products that are compliant with regulators in the U.S. Bakkts first product is a futures contract that is poised to increase the liquidity of Bitcoin.

The Contract was expected to launch on December 12, before it was rescheduled for January 24, 2019. At the time, Bakkt CEO Kelly Loeffler had cited the interest and the work required to get all the pieces in place as reasons for the delay.

ICE Futures U.S., Inc. will list the new Bakkt Bitcoin (USD) Daily Futures Contract for trading on trade date Thursday, January 24, 2019, subject to regulatory approval. The new listing timeframe will provide additional time for the customer and clearing member onboarding prior to the start of trading and warehousing of the new contract.

Seen as a game changer for the crypto sector, Bakkts futures are expected to provide the platform for increased participation from Wall Street. Bakkt will physically deliver Bitcoin to investors of the futures contract on Bakkt, which will impact the supply and price of bitcoin.

Recognized crypto trader Alex Kruger went as far as saying that, when it launches, Bakkts futures, will lead a bull run for Bitcoin to the first quarter of 2019. While the approval of Bakkts contract would lead to growth for the market, the disapproval of VanEcks bitcoin exchange-traded fund could crash prices.

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Possible outlook for BTC: First, the bull run on BAAKT & renewed ETF approval narrative early 2019. Second, ETF denied Feb/27, massive crash, goodbye 6k, hello 4k, cleanse all weak hands Lastly, having 2020 narrative and re-adjustments lead to a sustained bull run for the rest of 2019 & 2020.

While Kruger is optimistic about the impact of Bakkt, others like securities attorney Jake Chervinsky believes the market could be overestimating the potential of Bakkts futures.

In the minds of many, Bakkts launch has become a full-fledged narrative for when & how the bear market will end. It plays the same role as bitcoin ETFs as a trusted vehicle to bring that sweet institutional money into the space, but without all the trouble of SEC approval, Chervinsky said.

However, while Bakkt seems to have everything under control regarding the launch of its futures contract (Phase 1), his primary worry is on the adoption of cryptocurrencies by major merchants like Starbucks and Microsoft (Phase 2), which Bakkt hasnt said what it is or when its coming.For Loeffler, regulation comes first before merchant adoption. She told the WSJ:

Once digital assets have more trust and regulation, people will be more comfortable using digital assets as currency.

Images from Shutterstock.



The post Pending Approval: Bakkts Futures Contract Is Set to Be Launched appeared first on CCN.


By Phil Stewart and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis abruptly said he was quitting on Thursday after falling out with President Donald Trump over his foreign policies, including surprise decisions to yank troops from Syria and start planning a drawdown in Afghanistan. Mattis announced plans to depart in a candid resignation letter to Trump that laid bare the growing divide between them, and implicitly criticized Trump for failing to value America's closest allies, who fought alongside the United States in both conflicts. He released the letter after a face-to-face meeting with Trump in which the two men also aired their differences, a senior White House official said. "Because you have a right to a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis said in the letter. U.S. officials said the resignation had not been forced by Trump. Trump announced on Wednesday that U.S. troops in Syria would be withdrawn, a decision that upended American policy in the region. On Thursday, an official said the president was planning to withdraw at least 5,000 of the 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan - another blow to Mattis, who advocated for a strong U.S. military presence to bolster diplomatic peace efforts. Mattis, a retired Marine general whose embrace of NATO and America's traditional alliances often put him at odds with Trump had advised against the Syria withdrawal. One official said it was a contributing factor to his resignation. The news is certain to shock U.S. military allies, already bewildered by what they see as Trump's unpredictable, go-it-alone approach to global security, and raises questions about whether Mattis' successor will be as steadfast about traditional treaty commitments, including to NATO. When Mattis interviewed with Trump for the job in 2016, he split with the president-elect on a host of issues, including on NATO and the use of torture. Trump ultimately deferred to Mattis, who opposed the latter, signaling that he could be persuaded by his advisers. But as time grew, Trump increasingly acted on his own instincts on a host of national security issues, choosing an "America First" agenda that contradicted Mattis' core beliefs. Mattis' letter indicated that he disagreed with Trump's isolationist policies, writing that it was his belief the United States needed to maintain strong alliances and show allies respect. Trump has withdrawn the United States from several international agreements since taking office in January 2017. The Mattis resignation letter also said that he believed the United States "must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours." He identified Russia and China as countries that "want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model." Mattis' resignation was greeted with regret on Capitol Hill, by both Republicans and Democrats. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated he was in agreement with Mattis on America's alliances and on Russia, whom he described as a foe. "But I am particularly distressed that he is resigning due to sharp differences with the president on these and other key aspects of Americas global leadership," McConnell said in a statement. Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, called it "a significant loss and a real indication that President Trumps foreign policy agenda has failed and continues to spiral into chaos." WHITE HOUSE UNPREDICTABILITY The shifts in significant aspects of U.S. foreign policy and Mattis' addition to the long list of senior Trump administration figures who have quit or been removed added to the sense of an increasingly unpredictable White House as Trump approaches the halfway point of his four-year term. And if defense policy disagreements were not enough distraction for a president who is under investigation by a special counsel over Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, financial markets took a beating this week and a U.S. government shutdown loomed because of funding disputes over Trump's desire to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. This year has been the worst for world stock markets since the 2008 global financial crisis, with MSCI's 47-country world stocks index down 10 percent. Trump, announcing Mattis' departure on Twitter, said he would nominate a successor soon. "General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years," he said. One possible candidate to replace Mattis as defense chief could be Republican Senator Tom Cotton, long considered a front-runner to eventually take the role. Trump's White House has had the highest turnover of senior-level staff of the past five presidents, according to the Brookings Institution think tank. Some departed unceremoniously, such as Trump's first Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whom Trump fired via Twitter in March. Speculation that Mattis might not last long in his post grew in October when Republican Trump said in a CBS interview that the general was "sort of a Democrat" and might be leaving. Mattis responded at the time by telling reporters that he had Trump's full support. Stephen Miller, a senior White House adviser, said Trump was entitled to a Pentagon chief with whom he could agree. "This is an opportunity for the whole country to get a new secretary of defense who will be aligned with the president on these critical issues, whether you're talking about in Syria, whether you're talking about across the Middle East in general," Miller told CNN. (Reporting by Phil Stewart, Steve Holland and Idrees Ali in Washington; writing by Tim Ahmann and Mary Milliken; editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Grant McCool)
The pharma sector witnessed heightened activity this week. Glaxo GSK and Pfizer PFE agreed to merge their consumer healthcare units into a new joint venture (JV). A Reuters article about J&Js JNJ talc/baby powders hit its stock hard. While Merck MRK and AstraZeneca AZN gained line extension approvals for their key cancer drugs, Lilly LLY, Merck and Bristol-Myers BMY announced collaboration/partnership deals. Lilly also issued an upbeat guidance for the upcoming year.

Recap of the Weeks Most Important Stories

Glaxo & Pfizer to Merge Consumer Health Units: Glaxo and Pfizer agreed to merge their consumer healthcare units into a new joint venture (JV) with almost $13 billion in annual sales. While Glaxo will command a controlling stake of 68% in the JV, Pfizer will own 32%. Glaxo, within three years of transaction closing, plans to spin-off the JV as an independent company via a demerger of its equity interest. This means eventually Glaxo will split into two UK-based global companies with one dealing in prescription drugs and vaccines, and the other focused on over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. The merger will create the worlds largest consumer healthcare business with a market share of 7.3%, creating substantial shareholder value. While the Consumer Healthcare unit separation will allow Glaxo to focus on its pharmaceuticals business, it will resolve a long-pending issue for Pfizer. Pfizer had been exploring strategic options for its Consumer Healthcare unit since October 2017 but was facing trouble finding a buyer for the same.

J&J Stock Hit Hard by Asbestos Allegations: A Reuters report stated that J&J knew for decades that its baby powders contained asbestos, which hit its stock hard. J&J has more than 11,000 cases pending related to its baby powders containing talc in the United States. Most of these lawsuits allege that its talc-based products, including its baby powders contain asbestos, which causes its users to develop ovarian cancer. J&J issued a statement where it called the reports by Reuters one-sided, false, and inflammatory. J&J said that independent tests by regulators, academic institutions and leading labs have proven that its talc-based products never contained asbestos.

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This week J&J also lost its motion in a Missouri trial court to overturn the verdict given by a St Louis jury in July to pay approximately $4.7 billion to 22 women in a talc lawsuit

J&Js board of directors authorized a share buyback plan worth $5 billion and maintained its previously issued guidance for 2018.

Lilly Gives Upbeat 2019 Financial Guidance: At an investor meeting, Lilly provided its financial outlook for 2019, indicating another strong year for the company. Lilly expects revenues to be between $25.3 billion and $25.8 billion in 2019, representing mid-single digit growth, driven by higher demand for its newer medicines including the newly launched migraine drug, Emgality. Earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $5.90 to $6.00 Lillys revenue and earnings guidance range for 2019 was above market expectations as well as the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Lilly raised its long-term revenue growth expectations as well as its quarterly dividend by 15%.

Lillys Taltz displayed superiority over standard of care medicine, Humira in a head-to-head phase IIb/IV study, SPIRIT-H2H, on patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA). In the study, Taltz demonstrated superiority in improving signs and symptoms of PsA while also providing skin clearance. Taltz was launched for the psoriatic arthritis indication in the United States last December and across some EU countries in 2018.

Lilly also announced a deal to acquire a promising pre-clinical program a TRPA1 antagonist, from a private biotech, Hydra Biosciences. The TRPA1 antagonist is being studied for the potential treatment of chronic pain syndromes. Financial terms of this agreement were not disclosed.

Lilly also announced an exclusive collaboration and licensing deal with Aduro Biotech to gain access to the latters novel molecules that are designed to inhibit the cGAS-STING pathway. The companies will jointly develop these molecules into new immunotherapies for autoimmune and other inflammatory diseases. Lilly will make an upfront payment of $12 million to Aduro.

Merck to Buy Frances Antelliq, Keytruda in Focus: Merck announced plans to acquire privately held animal health technology provider Antelliq Group from BC Partners. Merck will pay 2.1 billion euros (around $2.4 billion) in cash to acquire all outstanding shares of Antelliq and will assume the latters debt of 1.15 billion euros. Europes Antelliq will complement Mercks Animal Health portfolio of vaccines and pharmaceuticals with its market-leading digital products and services, which can better manage health and well-being of livestock and companion animals.

Merck gained two label expansion approvals for its blockbuster PD-1 inhibitor Keytruda this week. The FDA approved Keytruda for adult and pediatric patients with recurrent locally advanced or metastatic merkel cell carcinoma, a rare form of skin cancer.

The second approval was in EU for the treatment of high-risk stage III melanoma patients in the adjuvant setting. The drug is already approved in the EU as a monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with advanced melanoma. The approval in the adjuvant setting will help Merck to gain access to a broader melanoma patient population.

Meanwhile, the FDA delayed its decision on a Keytruda supplemental new drug application (sNDA) by three months. The sNDA was looking to expand the label of Keytruda for patients with locally advanced or metastatic nonsquamous or squamous NSCLC whose tumors express PD-L1 protein levels of 1 percent or greater (TPS of 1 percent). The FDA decision previously expected on Jan 11, 2019 will now come by Apr 11, 2019. The sNDA was based on overall survival data from the pivotal phase III KEYNOTE-042 study.

Allegan Stops Sales of Textured Breast Implants in Europe: Allergan announced that it is stopping sales and withdrawing supply of textured breast implants in the European market reportedly due to a cancer risk. The action was taken following CE Mark expiration and compulsory recall request by a French regulatory authority. The French regulator said in a statement that it had not identified any immediate risk for women using these implants.

AstraZenecas Lynparza Gets FDA Nod in 1st Line Maintenance Setting: AstraZeneca & Mercks advanced ovarian cancer drug Lynparza gained FDA approval for label expansion in the first-line maintenance setting. With the approval, Lynparza becomes the first PARP inhibitor approved as a first-line maintenance therapy for BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer. With approvalfor expanded use in the first-line setting, sales of Lynparza can improve in the future quarters.This approval was based on positive data from the phase III SOLO-1 study.

Meanwhile, Lynparza met the primary endpoint of objective response rate (ORR) in a phase III study (SOLO-3), which evaluated the drug for the treatment of relapsed BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer who had two or more prior lines of chemotherapy. Data from the study demonstrated that treatment with Lynparza led to a statistically-significant and clinically-meaningful improvement in ORR as well as the key secondary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) compared to chemotherapy in such patients.

AstraZenecas two other late-stage studies - OLYMPUS and ROCKIES  evaluating pipeline candidate, roxadustat in chronic kidney disease patients with anaemia, met their primary endpoints. Roxadustat was approved in China  its first regulatory approval - for the treatment of anemia in chronic kidney disease patients on dialysis.

AbbVie Files for Upadacitinib in U.S. and EU: AbbVie submitted regulatory applications forits investigational JAK1 inhibitor, upadacitiniblooking for approval of the candidate for thetreatment of adults with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The regulatory filings are based on the SELECT phase III program, which evaluated more than 4,000 patients with RA. Meanwhile, upadacitinib is alsobeing evaluated in late-stage studies for Crohns disease, psoriatic arthritis, ulcerative colitis and atopic dermatitis.

Approval and successful commercialization of upadacitinib is critical for long-term growth at AbbVie, especially as biosimilar competition looms on its blockbuster RA drug, Humira.

Novartis Offers to Buy French CAR-T Therapy Manufacturer: Novartis announced an offer to acquire CellforCure, a French contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMO) producing cell and gene therapies in Europe. Financial details of the offer were not disclosed.

Novartis already has an agreement with CellforCure for contract manufacturing of Novartis leading CAR-T cell therapy, Kymriah. If the acquisition gets through, it will expand Novartis cell and gene manufacturing capacity.

Pfizer Provides Updates on Some Vaccine & Cancer Products: Pfizer announced that it is discontinuing a mid-stage study on its staphylococcus aureus vaccine on recommendation of the Independent Data Monitoring Committee, following a planned interim analysis. The committee said that there was low statistical probability for the study to meet the pre-defined primary efficacy objective.

Pfizer and partner Astellas announced positive top-line data from a late-stage ARCHES study, which evaluated Xtandi in men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). The results demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in a key marker of disease progression  radiographic progression-free survival in such patients. Xtandi is already approved to treat both metastatic and non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). If data from ARCHES is approved to be included in the label of Xtandi, it can treat a broader prostate cancer patient population.

Pfizer gained positive opinionfrom the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for its biosimilar version of Roches cancer drug Avastin. Pfizer will market the biosimilar by the trade name of Zirabev.

Pfizer also announced the initiation of a phase III study for its 20-Valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine candidate, PF-06482077, for the prevention of invasive disease and pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes in adults aged 18 years and older.

Bristol-Myers to Sell Consumer Health Unit for $1.6B: Bristol-Myers received an offer from Japans OTC drugmaker Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdingsto purchase its UPSA consumer health business for $1.6 billion. The UPSA business no longer fits in Bristol-Myers' core focus area of drugs, and hence the company has decided to divest the same. The company has been looking for potential sale options for the business since June 2018.

Bristol-Myers gained CHMP nod for use of its drug, Sprycel, in combination with chemotherapy, in pediatric patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphob, lastic leukemia. The positive recommendation is for both the tablet form of Sprycel as well as the powder for oral suspension formulation, which were approved for adult patients in July this year.

Bristol-Myers announced a multi-year research collaboration with Japans Eisai and U.S.-based precision medicine research & development subsidiary H3 Biomedicine to develop novel immune therapies leveraging H3s RNA Splicing platform.

The NYSE ARCA Pharmaceutical Index declined 6.7% in the last five trading sessions.

Large Cap Pharmaceuticals Industry 5YR % Return

Large Cap Pharmaceuticals Industry 5YR % Return

Here is how the seven major stocks performed in the last five trading sessions:

All the stocks were in the red in the last five trading sessions. While J&J declined the most (13.2%), Glaxo recorded minimum decline (0.1%).

In the past six months, Lilly has been the biggest gainer (27.2%) while Bristol-Myers declined the most (9.1%).

(See the last pharma stock roundup here: AZN, RHHBY Cancer Drugs, LLY, BMY New Deals in Focus)

What's Next in the Pharma World?

Watch out for pipeline and regulatory updates next week.

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WINNIPEG, Manitoba/VANCOUVER  A decade ago, Canada's oil sector was growing so fast it was predicted to become a global energy superpower, but a series of political missteps and formidable environmental activism has created a dysfunctional system requiring OPEC-style government intervention to move its oil to market.



Canada produces 4.9 million barrels per day (bpd), more than any country other than the United States, Saudi Arabia and Russia, but the world's fourth largest producer has had to nationalize a pipeline and the province of Alberta is exploring buying trains to handle a glut of oil sitting in storage.



Canada's crisis coincides with big producers taking market share away from OPEC members, mostly clustered in the Middle East. Global oil demand is expected to surpass 100 million bpd in 2019. The United States has driven exports to record highs on growing demand from China, India and other developing countries.



But Ottawa has failed under two governments to effectively counter the strategy of environmental activists to attack the oil sector's heart by choking its arteries  pipelines. Roughly 35 million barrels, twice the normal amount, of Western Canadian crude used to produce diesel, gasoline and jet fuel is stuck in storage.



The energy sector accounts for nearly 11 percent of Canada's gross domestic product. However, Canadian oil trades at a fraction of global prices, costing the economy C$80 million per day, the Alberta provincial government said.



Alberta took the unusual step this month of temporarily curtailing 325,000 bpd starting in January  in the aftermath of a retreat from the oil sands by global companies including ConocoPhillips and Statoil ASA.

"It's become dire now because the writing is clearly on the wall. The issue is market access," said Jihad Traya, manager of energy advisory service HSB Solomon.



Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, facing an election next year, offered the oilpatch this week C$1.6 billion in aid. In May, Ottawa agreed to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline in hopes of pushing through an expansion to nearly triple capacity as other proposed lines languished.





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CANADA-POLITICS/

POLITICIANS AND ACTIVISTS

In 2006, then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper boasted Canada would soon become an "energy superpower." Canada was producing 2.6 million bpd, which moved smoothly to U.S. refineries through pipelines. Since then, production has nearly doubled, but pipeline growth has stalled.



Both Conservative Harper and Liberal Trudeau squelched opportunities to complete pipelines just as opposition to more lines multiplied. Two projects were killed, and legal setbacks have stymied the development of TransCanada Corp's Keystone XL and the government-owned Trans Mountain expansion.



A year after taking office in 2015 Trudeau proposed a bargain aimed at satisfying both environmentalists and the oil industry  a national carbon-pricing plan to reduce Canada's emissions while approving pipeline expansions.



The strategy has inflamed both sides.



When a court overturned Ottawa's approval of the expansion of Trans Mountain in August, the deal was off and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley yanked support for Trudeau's carbon plan just hours later.



Indigenous and environmental opposition to pipelines has forced Trudeau to push for tighter regulations on future pipelines. The changes are necessary to "depoliticize" the system, Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi said.



"We need to fix the broken system that we have now so we are able to build the pipeline capacity that is so necessary."



But Trudeau has already shelved Enbridge's Northern Gateway proposal, which would have run through northern Alberta to the Pacific coast, and the National Energy Board in 2017 toughened its review of TransCanada's Energy East pipeline while it was underway.



Both projects are now dead. Alberta is seeking to buy rail cars to reduce the glut, and earlier this month, the province ordered producers to cut output after its oil fell to a discount of $52 per barrel from U.S. oil in October.



Notley told reporters on Tuesday that people in Alberta can make profits from oil and gas, "but they need Ottawa to take the handcuffs off. We need rail. We need long-term support for getting that pipeline built."





CANADA-BUSINESS/

ENVIRONMENTAL OPPOSITION

Alberta's oil sands, a mixture of sand, water, clay and thick, heavy oil, became a compelling target for environmentalists as production expanded dramatically in the early 2000s.



The mining process scrapes away trees and vegetation across huge tracts of land, leaving a path of destruction captured in aerial images, while a different production method using steam consumes huge amounts of natural gas.



Clayton Thomas-Muller, an indigenous activist, said environmentalists grew frustrated trying to stop the industry's expansion through the Alberta Energy Regulator, but found a new strategy of opposing the pipelines.



They built wider coalitions, tapping into anger of Nebraska ranchers and drawing the attention of Hollywood celebrities such as director James Cameron.



Opponents of TransCanada's Keystone XL began protests at the White House in 2011, seeking arrest and attention. Then-U.S. President Barack Obama finally rejected the project in 2015.



"Full credit to climate-change advocates, they kicked the snot out of Corporate Canada," said Tim Powers, a Conservative political strategist. He said Canadian resource companies have been too focused on the regulatory process, while climate-change advocates "laid out a better, more compelling narrative" to win public opinion.





CANADA-BUSINESS/

FEARING CONSULTATION

U.S. President Donald Trump resurrected Keystone XL in 2017. But both KXL and Trans Mountain remain in regulatory limbo after courts ruled in recent months that the U.S. and Canadian governments failed to properly do their jobs.



The cases that overturned approvals for Northern Gateway and Trans Mountain led companies to question investment in Canada. The end result is a Canadian oil patch in retreat.



"My main fear is that other nations will continue to produce at market price and Canada will be left behind," said Duncan Au, chief executive of CWC Energy Services Corp. The well drilling company has cut about 70 employees, or nearly 10 percent, since the beginning of 2018.



"This is a made-in-Canada crisis," Au said.



Reporting by Rod Nickel and Julie Gordon in Vancouver.



Related Video:
Pope Francis said predatory priests should turn themselves into the authorities - Corbis News

Catholic priests who sexually abuse children are vicious wolves who should turn themselves into the authorities, Pope Francis said on Friday.

His remarks came at the end of a year in which he was accused of mishandling an abuse scandal in Chile and in which the Vaticans third most senior figure, economy minister Cardinal George Pell of Australia, was put on trial in Melbourne for sexually abusing boys.

Any priest who abused a child was a vicious wolf ready to devour innocent souls, the Pope said in his annual address to the Curia, the Vaticans governing body.

Survivors of clerical abuse have long accused the Pope of coming out with strong rhetoric to condemn the rape of children but of failing to take concrete steps to address the scandal.

In his address, the Pope acknowledged that the Catholic Church had hugely underestimated the phenomenon and failed to punish predatory priests and the bishops who cover up for them, often by moving them from parish to parish rather than reporting them to the police.

Pope Francis made the remarks in an address to the Curia at the Vatican Credit: Filippo Monteforte/AP

"It is undeniable that some in the past, out of irresponsibility, disbelief, lack of training, inexperience, or spiritual and human short-sightedness, treated many cases without the seriousness and promptness that was due," he said.

All that would change, he pledged, speaking two months before a landmark Vatican summit which will be convened in February to address the issue.

He promised to make "past mistakes opportunities for eliminating this scourge".

"To those who abuse minors I would say this: convert and hand yourself over to human justice, and prepare for divine justice," the leader of the worlds 1.3 billion Roman Catholics said.

"Let it be clear that, faced with these abominations, the Church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whoever has committed such crimes.

The Church will never seek to hush up or not take seriously any case," he said. This must never happen again.

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Victims groups are deeply sceptical that the conference in February, which will see bishops from around the world gather in Rome, will produce tangible results.

But the Pope appears to recognise the enormous damage that has been done to the Catholic Churchs moral authority by years of abuse revelations from around the world, from Ireland to the US, Australia, Germany and Latin America.

Just this week, the attorney general of the state of Illinois accused Catholic dioceses of failing to release the names of at least 500 clergy accused of sexually abusing children.

And the Pope accepted the resignation of an auxiliary bishop in Los Angeles, Monsignor Alexander Salazar, following an allegation of sexual misconduct with a child in the 1990s.

A protest placard in Dublin ahead of the Pope's visit to Ireland in August Credit: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

Francis went out of his way to thank journalists for uncovering abuse scandals.

"I would like to give heartfelt thanks to those media professionals who were honest and objective and sought to unmask these predators and to make their victims voices heard, he told the Curia.

He also launched an attack on his enemies within the Church who have attacked his papacy, either openly or anonymously through leaks.

He likened them to Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

The Pope has come under sustained attack from conservatives within the Church who are bitterly opposed to the openness he has shown to formerly shunned groups, including homosexuals and remarried divorcees wanting to take communion.

He said there are, within the Church hierarchy, those who hide behind good intentions in order to stab their brothers and sisters in the back and to sow weeds, division and bewilderment.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on Friday called for immediate U.S. Senate hearings on President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw all American troops from Syria, which prompted the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters he wanted to hear directly from Mattis at any hearing. Mattis announced plans on Thursday to depart in a candid resignation letter to Trump that laid bare the growing divide between them. A Senate hearing could also cover Trump administration officials saying on Thursday that there were plans to drawdown about 5,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Graham, who over the past year or so has been a staunch supporter of Trump, has broken with him on the Syria decision. Heading to a meeting of Republican senators, Graham said, "In lunch I'm going to ask for hearings like right now about Syria." Trump said Islamic State had been defeated there so it was time to withdraw U.S. forces. Graham made clear that he also was worried about a possible U.S. troop reduction in Afghanistan, where 14,000 troops are deployed in what is America's longest war at 17 years. "I dare anybody to say that ISIS-K is defeated in Afghanistan," Graham said, referring to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant  Khorasan Province, a branch of Islamic State, active in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The group "is a bigger threat this year than they were last year. It is clear to me that ISIS-K is plotting to hit America," Graham said. Graham said cutting U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan would leave "too few to accomplish the mission of holding Afghanistan together and protecting America from another attack and it's too many to be hostages and sitting ducks" there. The United States went to war in Afghanistan in 2001 in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, seeking to oust the Taliban militants harboring Saudi-raised militant Osama bin Laden, who led plans to carry out the attacks. (Reporting by Richard Cowan; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by James Dalgleish and Grant McCool)
By Felix Ainebyona.

President Yoweri Museveni has intervened and resolved a 40- year old land wrangle in Kashari county Mbarara district involving about over 50 families.

This is after he facilitated a mediation process in which the parties reached a consensus at Kaguhangire church of Uganda grounds.

The families in question were threatened with eviction by the family of a one David Bankirirahakye that claimed ownership 452 acres of the land they occupy.

While meeting the residents, President Museveni advised both parties to agree amicably without bias and accept to use the disputed land together.
Mozzarella made from Welsh milk will be incorporated into Zizzis menu in 2019. Source: Jacob Carter/REX/Shutterstock

Popular restaurant chains Zizzi and ASK are ditching their Italian mozzarella suppliers amid concerns over possible Brexit shortages and the environment.

Azzurri, the parent company of both brands, made the decision amid growing fears that a hard or no-deal Brexit will disrupt food supply into the UK.

A report by the British Retail Consortium had already warned last year that Brexit could lead to soaring cheese prices because of rising import costs.

The new product, which is made from Welsh milk, passed a blind tasting test by senior Azzurri staff, and is set to be introduced into ASK and Zizzi restaurants in the new year.

Kathryn Turner, director of food development at Zizzi, told the Press Association: It has better stretch, a better flavour profile, its much creamier, it has a lot better quality product.

READ MORE: Brits abroad could become illegal under no-deal Brexit

Turner added that the food miles  the distance food is transported from the time of its production until it reaches the consumer  of ingredients were also a factor in the decision. Food miles are one of the many things assessed when analysing the environmental impact of food.

The prices of several cheeses, such as Spanish manchego, Italian burrata and French comte have already risen dramatically in price since the Leave vote, and even cheddar could be ask risk as over 80% comes from Irish cheese-makers.

READ MORE: Labour MP calls for foie gras ban after Brexit

On top of this, the governments own predicted doomsday scenario for a no-deal Brexit included severe food shortages within two weeks of leaving the European Union.

Zizzi and ASK are the latest of many food and drink companies to minimise potential damage to business post-Brexit.

In September, it was revealed that Swedish cider maker Kopparbeg will be moving some production to the UK. Premier Foods, Quorn and Fortnum & Mason have also said they are stockpiling products in anticipation of border delays.
Bucharest (AFP) - Romania's left-wing government on Friday issued a controversial emergency ordinance imposing new taxes on banks and energy companies, despite an outcry from investors.

The package of taxes and price caps sparked a big sell-off on the Bucharest stock market on Wednesday, following a government announcement, although the measures adopted on Friday were less strict than the original proposals.

"We are adopting a new set of measures to increase the well-being of Romanians, the level of investment and to correct some unfair practices in the energy and banking sectors", Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said at a cabinet meeting on Friday evening which pushed the measures through.

The government has introduced the measures in a bid to keep its budget deficit below the EU-mandated target of three percent of gross domestic product (GDP), but businesses complained of a lack of prior consultation.

Romania is one of the fastest-growing economies in the European Union but moves this year to raise public sector wages and pensions, combined with tax cuts, have depleted its coffers.

Under the new rules there will be a levy on bank assets if interbank lending rates exceed two percent, in what the government has dubbed a "tax on greed".

Also, energy companies will face a two percent tax on turnover.

Gas and electricity prices will be capped for the next three years for domestic consumers but only for some industrial consumers, not all as in the original proposals.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz used a visit to Bucharest on Friday to criticise the plans.

Foreign companies with a presence in Romania, including Austrian oil major OMV, could be affected by the measures.

"I am not worried about Austrian companies. They could pack up and leave, so I'm not worried for them, but for Romania's economy", Kurz said, adding the taxes could deter investment and harm growth.

Investors' groups have also urged the government not to adopt the new measures, saying they could trigger an "economic crisis".
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had two cancerous nodules removed from her left lung on Friday, December 21, at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, the Supreme Court announced in a statement.

According to the statement, Ginsburg, 85, underwent a pulmonary lobectomy after two nodules were detected in the lower lobe of her left lung during tests that were performed at George Washington University Hospital while she was receiving treatment for rib fractures she sustained in a fall at her office on November 7.

Thoracic surgeon Valerie W. Rusch said that after an initial pathology evaluation, both nodules were found to be malignant. However, there is no evidence of any remaining cancer after the surgery, and pre-surgery scans didnt show the disease anywhere else in Ginsburgs body.

Currently, no further treatment is planned. Justice Ginsburg is resting comfortably and is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days, the statement read. The Supreme Court also promised updates as they become available.

Ginsburg previously underwent surgery in 1999 for colorectal cancer. She has also received treatment for early-stage pancreatic cancer.

In recent years, Ginsburg has become something of a pop culture phenomenon. Shes even the subject of two 2018 films directed by women: a documentary called RBG, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen, and the feature-film biopic On the Basis of Sex, starring Felicity Jones, which is set to open in theaters on Christmas Day, December 25.

Best wishes to Justice Ginsburg on her recovery!

(photo via Allison Shelley/Getty Images)
Scientists sound alarm over radiation in Nubian aquifer originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

This is an Inside Science story.

People in Egypt's western desert are drinking groundwater with naturally high levels of radium, a radioactive element, according to research presented last week at the American Geophysical Union meeting in Washington. Experts disagree on the cancer-related health risks, but babies who rely on the most radioactive wells could get more than 100 times the maximum levels recommended by the World Health Organization for long-term exposure from drinking water, according to the researchers. Many communities across the Middle East and northern Africa are likely also using water with elevated levels of radiation.

Identifying the danger

Most people in Egypt get their water from the Nile River. But in the adjacent deserts and the Sinai Peninsula, people rely instead on groundwater, said Neil Sturchio, a geochemist at the University of Delaware in Newark, who conducted the study with graduate student Mahmoud Sherif. In many cases, this groundwater is pumped from an ancient reservoir called the Nubian aquifer -- a sandstone formation that extends some 2 million square kilometers (about 800,000 square miles) beneath Egypt, Libya, Chad and Sudan.

Long ago when the climate was wetter, water soaked into the pores of the now-buried sandstone, said Sturchio. The oldest water in the Nubian aquifer has been there for about a million years. It is a nonrenewable resource; the more people pump out, the lower the levels drop. But it is vast. The aquifer waters in Egypt alone would be enough to keep the Nile flowing for 500 years, according to Sturchio.

(MORE: Ants turn carnivorous when salt is scarce, study says)

Sturchio and Sherif were inspired to test the Nubian aquifer after Avner Vengosh, a geochemist at Duke University, found high levels of radioactivity in a similar fossil aquifer in Jordan in 2009. These fossil aquifers are tempting resources for communities to tap because they contain fresh water that is low in most types of contaminants and disease-causing organisms. Vengosh initially assumed they would also be low in radioactive chemicals such as radium. Instead, he found radium levels up to 20 times higher than international standards.

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Radium forms naturally from uranium and thorium in rocks, and it is removed when it binds to certain minerals. But in the studied aquifers, the types of minerals that remove radium tend to be scarce, said Sturchio.

To see how widespread the radiation problem was, Sturchio and Sherif tested groundwater from sites across Egypt. They consistently found that radium levels in wells that tapped the Nubian aquifer exceeded safety thresholds set by the WHO. The deeper and more ancient the water, the more radioactive it tended to be, said Sherif.

PHOTO: Mahmoud Sherif samples groundwater in the western desert of Egypt. (Courtesy of Mahmoud Sherif)

The researchers published their findings from the eastern desert in 2017, and from the Sinai Peninsula in 2018. Last week they presented findings from 64 wells in the desert west of the Nile, which is drier than the other two regions and relies almost exclusively on the Nubian aquifer for irrigation and drinking water, said Sturchio.

In the western desert, the wells with both the highest and lowest radium levels came from the Bahariya Oasis, which lies about 230 miles southwest of Cairo and is home to 27,000 people. The WHO recommends that people take in no more than .1 millisieverts of radiation per year from drinking water. If people's drinking water contained radium levels equal to the average of all the Bahariya wells, an adult would be expected to take in about 5.4 times more than the WHO-recommended maximum, while a baby would take in about 54 times the WHO-recommended maximum, according to the researchers. Babies take in more radiation from the same water because they incorporate radium into their growing bones.

If a baby drank exclusively from the most radioactive well in Bahariya, it would be expected to receive nearly 138 times the WHO-recommended limit, according to the researchers' calculations. That's the radiation equivalent of nearly 690 chest X-rays or two chest CT scans per year.

And that's just from drinking water. People also use the water for irrigation, and radium can accumulate in crops and livestock, said Sturchio.

Unknown health impacts

Radium presents a potential health risk because as it decays, it produces ionizing radiation -- a high energy emission that can damage DNA and cause cancer. But to the best of Sturchio and Sherif's knowledge, there is no direct evidence that people who rely on the Nubian aquifer are getting more cancer than people elsewhere. Still, the researchers suspect that health impacts in those regions could go unrecognized. People who use the aquifer water are often poor and have little access to medical care, said Sturchio.

But Amal Ibrahim, a cancer epidemiologist at the National Cancer Institute at Cairo University and director of Egypt's National Cancer Registry, disagrees. While there may not be many hospitals in the western desert, he said, there are more than a dozen cancer care centers along the Nile that offer treatment free of charge.

"Once there are symptoms of cancer, people seek help," said Ibrahim. "And we give it to them."

Some parts of Egypt have elevated cancer rates due to hepatitis C, said Ibrahim, but so far he has seen no evidence for other regional differences in cancer rates. Still, he said, the radiation risk from groundwater deserves more study. He would like to see data on exactly how much aquifer water people are consuming, and whether the radium is making its way into crops, dairy products and bottled water.

(MORE: How corn farmers are adapting to climate change)

Vengosh agrees that more research would be helpful, but he sees no need to wait before taking action to protect the public, either from the Nubian aquifer or from the Disi aquifer he studied in Jordan.

"There are several studies in the U.S. and Canada that show that communities that were drinking these types of water -- much lower [radiation] than what we see in Disi -- had elevated and high prevalence of cancer," said Vengosh. "We don't need to invent the wheel."

Marc Serre, an environmental geostatistician at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, conducted one such study in North Carolina, where many people rely on private wells with elevated levels of radon. Like radium, radon releases ionizing radiation as it decays, and Serre and his graduate student Kyle Messier found a correlation between radon levels in groundwater and rates of lung and stomach cancers. According to Serre, such findings suggest that radioactive groundwater could indeed pose a threat in the Middle East.

"They need to be concerned about how people consume this water," he said.

The Middle East may face even more pressure to use fossil aquifers in the future, with a rapidly increasing population and a climate that is projected to become even drier. Libya already relies on the Nubian aquifer for almost all its water needs, said Sturchio, and Jordan pumps 100 million cubic meters (about 26 billion gallons) of water per year from the Disi aquifer to its capital city of Amman.

But even if fossil aquifers are dangerously radioactive, the downsides of using them must be weighed against the alternatives. The WHO cautions that while its thresholds are established to protect public health, they "should not be interpreted as a limit above which drinking-water is unsafe for consumption," since the health risks of inadequate drinking water are likely to be worse than those of radiation.

Moreover, there are ways to use radioactive water safely, said Sherif. People can treat it to remove radium or blend it with water from other sources to reduce the concentration.

"There is a health risk from drinking the water if it's untreated," said Sturchio. "It's one thing that needs to be addressed before people use the water more widely."

Inside Science is an editorially-independent nonprofit print, electronic and video journalism news service owned and operated by the American Institute of Physics.
WASHINGTON - In a late-night speech on the Senate floor on Wednesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham railed against President Donald Trump's decision to pull troops from Syria, calling the decision "disastrous" and a "stain on the honor" of the U.S.

The South Carolina Republican said the president's claim, which Trump included in a video to his Twitter on Wednesday, that the Islamic State had been defeated was "fake news." Graham said he'd just gotten back from a trip to the Middle East and knew for a fact that it was "inaccurate."

Graham, a key ally of Trump, has taken a vocal approach as of late to combat some of the president's decisions, most recently with how the administration handled Saudi Arabia and the regime's role in the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. He was part of a bipartisan chorus of lawmakers who objected to Trump's decision and warned the president that it would lead to disaster and a new wave of Islamic radicalism in the Middle East.

The withdrawal of the more than 2,000 troops is based on Trumps decision that the mission against ISIS is complete, a U.S. official told USA TODAY. Trump tweeted out a video statement in which he said U.S. "heroes" should be brought home because they have accomplished the mission of defeating ISIS. "Now we've won," Trump said. "It's time to come back ... they're getting ready; you're going to see them soon."

Military leaders, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, in recent weeks and months have spoken of the need for U.S. troops to remain in the eastern part of the country to help stabilize it and allow for peace negotiations to proceed. Graham, speaking on the Senate floor, said he was introducing a resolution that would condemn Trump's decision.

More: Trump orders US troops out of Syria, declares victory over ISIS; senators slam action as mistake

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In his speech, Graham pleaded for the president to rescind his decision, explaining that a "true leader" is open to changing their mind when wrong. He said he'd spoken with members of the Trump administration, including Mattis, and came to the conclusion that the president's decision, which he announced on Twitter, was "his alone."

"Mr. President, I too want our troops to come home," Graham said. "But I don't want to tell the American people that we're secure when I don't believe we are."

He said none of the officials he's spoken with thought pulling troops out of Syria was a good idea and pleaded with the president to simply fire his advisers if he thought they were giving him poor advice.

After historic victories against ISIS, its time to bring our great young people home! pic.twitter.com/xoNjFzQFTp  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2018

"To those who say we have defeated ISIS in Syria, that is an inaccurate statement. They have been hurt, they have been degraded and I give the president all the credit in the world for changing our policies regarding the fight against ISIS, but I will not buy into the narrative that they have been defeated," Graham said. "To say they're defeated is an overstatement and is fake news. It is not true. They have been severely damaged but they will come back unless we're there to stop them."

He added the choice will have a ripple effect in the region and compared it to former President Barack Obama's choice to pull troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Graham left Trump with a warning that the job of Congress was to provide oversight and threatened to make sure this decision is forever linked to the Trump presidency.

"This is a stain on the honor of the United States. I hope and pray the president will reconsider this. I know that every national security adviser understands that the time is not right to withdraw," Graham said. "If he does not decide to reconsider, then it will be incumbent upon the Congress to speak and hold him accountable."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., points at the Democrats as he defends Judge Brett Kavanaugh during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his nomination be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, on Capitol Hill September 27, 2018 in Washington, DC.

Others, including Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted that the move was a "major blunder" and against the Pentagon's advice. New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, top Democrat on the Foreign Relations panel, called it a dangerous decision that would destabilize the region, endanger Kurdish allies and embolden Americas enemies.

Were leaving the Kurds at risk, were creating a vacuum, and were doing it in a way that puts Israel at risk because of Irans presence in Syria, Menendez said.

But the decision was applauded by some, including Russia.

A foreign ministry spokesperson for Russia applauded Trumps decision, saying it could help create "a real prospect for a political solution" in Syria, according to TASS, the Russian state-owned news agency.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sen. Graham: Trump's claim of ISIS defeat is 'fake news,' pulling troops is 'stain' on US
SIemens chief executive Joe Kaeser warned of the tactics used by Chinese investors to takeover foreign companies. - www.siemens.com/press

European technology companies should be wary of Chinese investment tactics, amid mounting concern over the steady loss of research and intellectual property to Beijing, one of the continent's leading industrialists has warned.

The comments from Joe Kaeser, chief executive of German technology and engineering giant Siemens, come after a string of Chinese acquisitions of European technology companies, including UK chipmaker Imagination Technologies and Arm Holdings.

"The Chinese go into a company, give guarantees about employment and then everything is calm for a while, Mr Kaeser told German newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine in an interview. At some point, they set up a separate company that swallows the old one, and take away the research and development."

The Siemens boss was speaking after months of turmoil at German robotics firm Kuka, which prompted the resignation of former boss Till Reuter last month. His exit came two years after a $5bn takeover of the company by Midea, a Chinese electrical appliance manufacturer.

Mr Kaeser cited the German robotics firm as an example of worrying trends in Chinese investment. With a market value exceeding 83bn euros and over 370,000 employees, Siemens ranks among Europe's biggest companies.

Kuka has struggled since the acquisition by Midea and Mr Kaeser cited it as an example of the impact Chinese groups can have on the Western technology sector.

Earlier this year, SoftBank-owned Arm handed control of its Chinese operations to a consortium led by Hou An Innovation Fund for $775m. SoftBank claimed the deal would help Arm boost its business in China, but concerns are building about how much control European firms can maintain once Chinese investors have taken over.

Mr Kaeser has previously been a strong advocate of Chinese investors, tweeting in March that he looked forward to working with Chinese partners to help shape a sustainable future together ahead of the China Development Forum in Beijing earlier this year.

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But the recent comments mark a shift in tone from the Siemens boss, and come just a few days after German authorities tightened their rules on non-EU share purchases and company acquisitions in a move thought to target Chinese takeover ambitions.

New legislation approved by the German government on Wednesday apply to industries such as defence, high-tech and telecoms.

Siemens was actively looking at an acquisition of Kuka in 2016 but according to Mr Kaeser, the appeal of Chinese investment for Kuka was difficult to resist.

They were convinced that with the Chinese everything would stay the same, except that the market would be ten times bigger, he said.

Of course hindsight is everything, but they could have expected this from the start.

A number of EU countries have raised concerns about the growing influence of Beijing. Xi Jinpings Belt and Road Initiative, a giant infrastructure project that plans to connect China with other parts of the world through ports, pipelines and railways, seeks to push into Europe.

Last month, Mr Kaeser said Germany should aspire to have a distinct national strategy that will allow it to remain competitive with the likes of China.
Looking for a stock that has been consistently beating earnings estimates and might be well positioned to keep the streak alive in its next quarterly report? Signature Bank (SBNY), which belongs to the Zacks Banks - Northeast industry, could be a great candidate to consider.

This commercial bank has an established record of topping earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The company boasts an average surprise for the past two quarters of 0.53%.

For the most recent quarter, Signature Bank was expected to post earnings of $2.83 per share, but it reported $2.84 per share instead, representing a surprise of 0.35%. For the previous quarter, the consensus estimate was $2.80 per share, while it actually produced $2.82 per share, a surprise of 0.71%.

Price and EPS Surprise

For Signature Bank, estimates have been trending higher, thanks in part to this earnings surprise history. And when you look at the stock's positive Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction), it's a great indicator of a future earnings beat, especially when combined with its solid Zacks Rank.

Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.

Signature Bank currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.74%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner. We expect the company's next earnings report to be released on January 17, 2019.

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With the Earnings ESP metric, it's important to note that a negative value reduces its predictive power; however, a negative Earnings ESP does not indicate an earnings miss.

Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, but that may not be the sole basis for their stocks moving higher. On the other hand, some stocks may hold their ground even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.

Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
The Senate Speaker conveyed to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church the invitation of the President of the country, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to take part in the next Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which will be held in September 2022.
Want to get in on the smart home tech buzz but dont know where to start? A connected home is all about convenience and taking some of the stress out of modern life.

Getting an awesome new bit of tech is one of the most exciting gifts you can receive. But as there are so many options, it can be tough to decide what to buy.

So, weve scoured the web to find the best out there so that you dont have to. Whatever your budget, there is something for everyone.

Under 50

Tiles Pro (30)

A perfect gift for that person in your life that is always losing things. These are perfect for tucking into wallets, passports, handbags or sticking on laptops, notebooks or keys. Basically, you can attach one of these tiles to anything valuable that you are afraid to lose. It can track up to 150ft and cast an even wider search net by having the app on multiple phones to scan your surroundings. Genius.

Sammy Screamer motion sensor (34)

Hang a Sammy Screamer around the lid and shell bleep when she is moved, sending a notification to your smartphone. This fantastic little gadget from Bleep Bleeps can be put on the fridge, in draws, on your bag, on door handles, and even give you an alert if your buggy moves. This is a sweet little sensor to help you keep an eye on any object.

Fire Stick (39.99)

Amazons next generation of media stick now includes the Alexa Voice Remote search and over 7,000 apps, games and Amazon Video, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, Netflix, YouTube  the list goes on.

IllumiBowl (14.99)

A motion activated night light for the toilet. It lights up the toilet bowl as you walk into the bathroom. So, there are no more accidents in the dark. With a soft glow, it wont make you wide awake. It fits on any seat rim. If the person in your life needs landing lights, this is definitely the one.

Sphero Mini (49.99)

This little gizmo is fun for all the family. The Sphero ball is controlled via an app and is packed with tiny tech. A little gyroscope helps it rotate, an accelerometer controls its speed and LED lights make it flashy and fun. It comes with accessories including 3 mini cones and 6 mini skittles so you can create a robo-assault course of play games. It can be also used to learn how to code, using JavaScript via the app.

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Under 100

Amazon Echo (current price, 54.99)

The first step to a smart home is having a smart speaker. For anyone tempted to dip their toe into modernising their home, an Amazon Echo is a great place to start. You can control lights, your central heating and set timers and reminders. Being a smart speaker, it can also play music and the in-built voice assistant can entertain the whole family with games such as Hangman, The Name Game (Rhyming) and musical chairs.

Smarter iKettle (99)

A smart product that helps you save time can feel invaluable. The kettle from Appkettle allows you to boil it remotely from your bedroom when you wake up, or when youre on your way home from work and can boil at a pre-selected temperature for your perfect cup of tea. It also has a setting for making baby formula, so could even be perfect for any new parents in your clan.

FridgeCam (99)

Not just for checking on your childrens midnight feast habits, the FridgeCam allows you to see the contents of your fridge from anywhere via the Smarter app and suggests recipes based on the food in your fridge.

RING Video Doorbell (99)

Wi-fi enabled doorbell allows you to see, hear and speak to anyone who arrives on you doorstep via smartphone, tablet or desktop.

Under 500

Noise Cancelling Sony Headphones (349)

To be precise, the WH-1000XM3 Wireless headphones allow you to enjoy your favourite tunes with the latest HD noise cancelling technology. They cut more outside sound than ever but touch your ear and hear the outside through the Quick Attention function. They also have Voice Assistant compatibility.

Canary Flex (199)

A home security camera that knows when you leave, giving you an extra pair of eyes and ears to watch over your things. Canary will start recording as soon as someone it doesnt recognise enters your home  even if they have a key to get in. It sends you a notification to call the police and streams the live footage to your app.

Nanoleaf lights (179)

Nanoleaf is a beautifully personalized lighting display. The company does jazzy lightbulbs but their showstopper product is the wall lights that transform can a room. Add the Nanoleaf Rhythm (which turns the lighting into music visualizer) to bring the lights to life even more.

Under 1,000

Google Pixel 3 and 3XL (from 739)

The 12.2MP dual-pixel camera in Googles latest smartphone delivers the sharpest pictures around. It also takes the best pictures at night thanks to night sight mode without needing the flash. The XL is bigger than an iPhone 8, and both sizes comes in white, black and not pink.

Hadro Black AirPods (570)

Fancy a pair of Apples Airpods, but white isnt your colour? Based in Paris, the company says that each set of headphones and the charging case are individually handcrafted and you can add engraved custom initials on the case for an extra 45. (actual pricing is in euros).

U by Moen (960)

Although a shower product doesnt sound like natural idea for a gift, this thermostatic digital shower can be controlled by your smartphone and your smart speaker, so you can get the shower warmed up from afar. It will also pause the water until you get in. You can also set up profiles for each family member so everyone gets their preferred temperature, or change it up for different times of day or activities, like relaxation or post-workout.
Ride-hailing firm Grab plans to use investment to fund its new ventures such as food delivery and payments - REUTERS

SoftBanks Vision Fund is closing in on a deal that would see it invest at least $1bn in super-app Grab, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Grab, southeast Asias largest ride-hailing service, has raised $6.5bn to date as it plans to fund new ventures such as food delivery, mobile payments and health tech in its drive to become the super app of the region.

The company has raised around $2.7bn in 2018 alone and is valued at $11bn following a funding round in August.

Its principal backers, along with Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank, include Chinese ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing, Microsoft and Toyota.

Founded in 2012, Singapore-based Grab has quickly grown in its six-year lifespan and gained significant global attention after out-competing Uber earlier this year.

Ubers southeast Asia operations were bought by Grab in March following a costly battle for the Silicon Valley firm.

SoftBank took an early stake in Grab, investing $250m in the company in 2014. Its $93bn Vision Fund, the largest private equity fund in the world, was thought to be preparing a further $500m investment as recently as October but has made plans to at least double that, sources told Reuters.

Grab currently operates in eight different countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, and is keen to continue its expansion across southeast Asia, with competition heating up following similar moves from regional competitor Go-Jek.

According to a joint report from Google and Temasek, Singapores sovereign wealth fund, the internet economy of southeast Asia is expected to be worth $240bn by 2025.

The region holds more than 600m people and is increasingly becoming a point of interest for investors following the rise of tech firms such as Grab and e-commerce firm Tokopedia.
Barcelona (AFP) - More than 60 people were injured and 13 others arrested as Catalan pro-independence supporters clashed with baton-wielding police on Friday in protests against a Spanish government cabinet meeting in Barcelona, branded a provocation by separatists.

The weekly cabinet meeting usually takes place in Madrid but Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist government decided to hold it in the Catalan capital as part of efforts to reduce tensions.

The timing of the cabinet meeting -- a year to the day after Madrid held snap elections in Catalonia after blocking the region's bid for independence -- offended some Catalans. Far from reducing tensions it appeared to have the opposite effect, with some 40,000 people marching peacefully along the Paseo de Gracia main road, but with a firm message; "Let's topple the regime".

"This is a provocation. They have come here to provoke us," said one demonstrator, textile worker Carles Serra, 45.

Away from the peaceful march, protesters threw metal barriers and stones at officers and tried to breach a police barrier a few hundred metres (yards) from where the meeting was taking place.

A total of 62 people were injured, including 35 police officers while 13 people were arrested, regional authorities said.

- 'Ungovernable' -

Sanchez and the head of Catalonia's separatist government, Quim Torra, have expressed a commitment to an "effective dialogue" to try to resolve the dispute over the wealthy region's status within Spain.

At the cabinet meeting itself, the government approved a 22-percent increase in the minimum wage, a pay hike for public workers and announced investments in infrastructure projects in Catalonia.

"We came here to show (our) affection, (our) attachment to Catalonia," government spokeswoman Isabel Celaa said afterwards.

"We are working for the wellbeing of all our fellow citizens."

Spain's wealthiest region, Catalonia is home to some 7.5 million people and has its own language.

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A radical separatist group, the Committees for the Defence of the Republic (CDR), blocked a dozen main roads from around dawn on Friday, regional transport authorities said.

"We will be ungovernable on December 21," the group repeatedly tweeted.

The Spanish government sent police reinforcements to Barcelona and Catalan leaders repeated their call for protests to be peaceful.

- Divergent positions -

Catalonia declared independence in October 2017 after pushing ahead with a banned independence referendum, but Spanish authorities stifled the attempt.

Several Catalan independence leaders were detained on charges of rebellion or misuse of public funds, and prosecutors are seeking jail terms of up to 25 years.

Sanchez took office as prime minister eight months later after winning a surprise vote of no-confidence against the previous conservative government with the support of Catalan separatist parties.

He initially adopted a more conciliatory tone towards Catalonia than his conservative predecessor, but efforts to ease tensions with the region have hit a wall.

Sanchez and Torra were photographed holding talks in Barcelona on Thursday night, drawing fire from both the conservative right and radical separatists.

The leader of the conservative opposition Popular Party in parliament, Dolors Montserrat, branded the meeting "shameful" and "a betrayal of Spain".

"Dialogue seems like a step backwards to me," said separatist demonstrator Mariona Godia, 35. "That just looks like a photo aimed at calming people down."

While Sanchez has proposed giving Catalonia more powers, Torra wants a legally binding referendum on independence.
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

Another day, another data breach. It's easy for consumers to feel battered by what feels like an endless string of cyberattacks in which hackers steal very personal data.

In 2018 alone, data breaches at Facebook, Google, and Marriott affected hundreds of millions of consumer accounts, and in recent years data from hundreds of millions more were exposed to criminals in incidents involving the credit reporting company Equifax, retailers Target and Home Depot, and other large corporations.

It's inevitable that some consumer data will be stolen through cyberattacks or exposed through errors that accidentally leave information unsecured. But, security and privacy experts say, private companies can do much more to safeguard sensitive information.

Consider the 2017 data breach at Equifax, which compromised highly sensitive data on 143 million consumers.

A scathing Congressional report released in December called the breach entirely preventable. The 96-page report concluded that the financial reporting company failed to properly fix a vulnerability in its software that it was warned about in early March 2017. Then, a failure to implement routine security updates prevented Equifax from discovering the breach until hackers had access to the system for 76 days between mid-May and late July. The public wasn't informed of the data breach until September.

"All companies should be required to take strong measures to keep consumer data secure," says Maureen Mahoney, a policy analyst for Consumer Reports. "If they make that a priority, there's a lot they can do before a breach occurs."

Interviews with security and privacy experts reveal that there's a general consensus on steps to help prevent the next big data breach. And the one after that.

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1. Limit Data Collection

Data isnt like the other assets that companies hold. Its cheap to collect and virtually free to store, says Sarah Zatko, chief scientist at the data security firm CITL.

The default is to keep everything forever, she says.

But that can lead to trouble. The simplest way to make the next big data breach much smaller and less harmful? Collect less data, and don't keep it around as long.

This could help consumers without even harming profits, according to some analysts. Companies acquire and retain data in the hope that they can eventually monetize it, but that isn't always how it turns out, says Gartner technology analyst and research VP Alan Dayley. More than 70 percent of data remains dark or unused, he says. Much of it is in the form of redundant backups that companies ignore but that hackers can target.

Companies should treat data as a liability, rather than an asset, says Eason Goodale, co-founder of the digital security firm Disconnect. If they do that, there will simply be less data for cybercrooks to steal.

2. Institute Well-Known Security Practices

What about the data that are collected? It needs to be protected better, according to information security professionals. To start, companies should follow security practices that experts agree on.

For example, security experts say different kinds of data should be segregated into separate computer systems.

For example, consumer data and employee records should be kept on different serversno business process, such as billing or handling payroll, needs to use both kinds of data. But too many companies are storing all their data together, increasing the risk of a more devastating breach for consumers.

"They're not compartmentalizing things, so a breach means that a hacker gets everything," Zatko says.



Additionally, experts say, fewer employees should have the ability to log into sensitive systems. Steve Stasiukonis, managing partner of the security firm Secure Network, based in Syracuse, says that many companies give executives broader computer system permissions than they really need. "They give administrator access away like Pez candy," he says.

That means that hackers have more potential targets for attacks such as spear-phishing, which attempts to trick employees into providing log-in credentials or downloading malware by posing as fellow employees, contractors, or important clients.

When it comes to data security, consumers are gaining a powerful ally among insurance companies that provide cyberattack policies. And pressure from those insurers may make a big difference in the future, according to Prashant Pai, vice president of cyberstrategy for Verisk Analytics, a risk and data analysis firm based in New Jersey.

As insurers are slowly working to offer higher and higher limits on coverage, theyre trying to understand what they should and shouldnt underwrite, Pai says. As the limits start to increase, the insurance companies will be more invasive in their risk assessments.

3. Take Personal Data More Seriously

Companies that handle credit card data protect it carefully for a very good reason: Violating the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard carries with it serious financial penalties. A company could even lose the right to take credit card paymentsand that could be devastating.

Of course, companies do sometimes get sloppy with financial data. But problems are more likely to arise with other kinds of personal information.

For instance, it was revealed in June 2018 that a data broker called Exactis had accidentally left information on about 340 million consumers unprotected on the internet, without even the kind of password protection you'd put on a Netflix account.

A security researcher named Vinny Troia discovered the problem and alerted the company, apparently before the information was acquired by cybercriminals. The data included more than 400 individual details on consumers, including information such as religious and political affiliations, smoking habits, and even whether individuals owned a dog or a cat.

"I was surprised to find that much information in one place," says Troia, the CEO of Night Line Security in St. Louis. "They even had my mortgage information, and it was spot on."

Much of that information isn't covered under laws that require companies to safeguard personally identifiable information (PII), such as Social Security numbers and birthdates. Yet it could be used for identity theft or to trick consumers into revealing log-in credentials through a spear-phishing attack.

California's 2018 Consumer Privacy Act expands the definition of PII to include usernames and passwords, biometric data, geolocation data, browsing history, photos, and videos.

A number of federal data privacy proposals, including bills sponsored by Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., would similarly broaden the definition of PII.

4. Require Faster Breach Notification

The public often learns about a data breach months or even years after it happens, meaning a long delay before consumers can react by changing passwords or reviewing their account history.

Sometimes, the delay comes about because the company involved hasn't been monitoring their system carefully.

"You're not going to find a breach unless you're actively looking for it," says Zatko. Not that it's difficult, she says: "Your employees going over their normal operations using a database look entirely different from somebody who's trying to steal all your credit card data."

But there are many times when a company knows about a data breach and still doesn't reveal it. Equifax took more than a month to inform consumers that it discovered a data breach. Serious delays were a factor in many incidents, including those at Yahoo. Uberthe ride-sharing companyeven tried to cover up a breach by paying off hackers.

Federal law does not currently require companies to report data breaches within a certain time frame. Every state has some sort of data breach reporting requirement, but the rules and the penalties vary widely by jurisdiction.

Consumer Reports has called for a national data-breach notification law.

"Consumers deserve to know as soon as possible that their sensitive data has been breached," says CR's Mahoney. "The sooner they know, the more quickly people can lock down accounts and change passwords to help keep cybercriminals at bay."

Data breach reporting is another requirement of Europes new General Data Protection Regulation, a comprehensive consumer privacy law passed in the European Union in 2018. It requires companies to disclose a data breach within 72 hours of discovering it.

5. Impose Stricter Penalties for Missteps

"Equifax affected the lives of millions of people," says Stasiukonis. "But nobody holds the company accountable."



Despite the massive scope of the breach and the number of consumers affected, the company hasn't faced any significant penalties in more than a year since the breach was revealed. That's also been the case for many other companies that suffered data breaches.

But companies may face new penalties, due in part to the example of the new GDPR law in Europe. Under the law, companies are subject to penalties of up to 4 percent of their total annual revenues for the worst privacy and security violations. For a company the size of Equifax, for example, the toughest penalties could amount to as much as $125 million. The rules apply to U.S. companies that do business in Europe.

Health providers in the U.S. already face significant penalties for the mishandling of medical data, under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA. Penalties range from escalating fines to jail time for the most serious violations. There's also strong evidence that healthcare practitioners report data breaches, both large and small, more consistently than companies in other sectors.

"If the proper incentives were put into place, you'd see better behavior," says Goodale of Disconnect. "I would like for executives to be up at 4 a.m. thinking about data security the way that GM thinks about car safety."





More from Consumer Reports:

Top pick tires for 2016

Best used cars for $25,000 and less

7 best mattresses for couples





Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright  2018, Consumer Reports, Inc.
Yesterday, Subaru posted a 30-second teaser video of a speedy, camouflaged STI, titled "From Japan with Love."

The camouflaged star of Subaru's new teaser doesn't leave much to the imagination apart from the exterior paint color. Whereas most special-edition STIs don't make it to the US, this one definitely will -- and it's likely the S209, for which Subaru just filed a trademark for in the US.

The clip features the disguised car speeding around some foggy, vacant country roads. The only text overlay is at the end, and it says, "From Japan with Love" as the car speeds off in the distance.

Below, the caption reads, "Something special from Subaru Tecnica International is coming to America for the first time ever. 1/14/19 at the North American International Auto Show."

Given all this information, we know what's coming, and when it will land -- in less than a month.

This will be the first "S" model to arrive in the US, albeit most likely in extremely limited numbers. Only 300 units of the S206 model were built, 400 of the S207, and 450 of the S208, which featured a 2.0-liter H4 engine capable of 329 horsepower and 319 pound-feet of torque.

The STI variants in the US market right now are powered by a 2.5-liter H4. The car in the video does seem to put out more speed than that, but we'll have to wait to be sure.

The Subaru WRX STI starts at $36,595 and the S208 started at $52,963 last year, only in Japan. It's difficult to predict what the final MSRP will be for the S209, but we only have a few weeks to wait to find out.
Washington (AFP) - Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the eldest justice of the minority liberal faction on the US Supreme Court, underwent surgery Friday to remove two malignant nodules on her left lung, the court announced.

Ginsburg, 85, underwent the pulmonary lobectomy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The nodules were discovered last month in x-rays after she fell and fractured three ribs.

"Both nodules removed during surgery were found to be malignant on initial pathology evaluation," the court said.

"Post-surgery, there was no evidence of any remaining disease," it added.

"Scans performed before surgery indicated no evidence of disease elsewhere in the body. Currently, no further treatment is planned."

It said Ginsburg was "resting comfortably" and would remain in the hospital for "a few days."

The justice, who was appointed by president Bill Clinton in 1993, is one of four liberals on the nine-member court.

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has had the opportunity to replace two retiring justices, tipping the balance in the conservatives' favor.

Heavy attention is given to Ginsburg's health amid liberal worries that, if she dies or has to retire for health reasons, Trump would get another pick and lock the high court into a conservative ideology for a generation to come.

- Breaking barriers -

The court's oldest justice, Ginsburg -- fondly known as "The Notorious RBG," a riff on slain rapper The Notorious B.I.G. -- is a liberal stalwart who has said she will not retire as long as she feels she can do the work.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, into a Jewish family, she attended Cornell University and married a classmate, Martin Ginsburg, right after graduation.

She then studied law, first at Harvard and then Columbia University, at a time when the profession was almost exclusively male.

She graduated at the top of her class at Columbia, yet still, New York law firms snubbed her.

Story continues

"I had three strikes against me. One, I was Jewish. Two, I was a woman. But the killer was I was a mother of a four-year-old child," she said in an interview with CBS.

Partly due to the barriers she faced, she became a stubborn advocate for women's equal rights.

She helped start the Women's Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. In 1973, she was named general counsel of the ACLU.

Between 1972 and 1978, Ginsburg argued six gender discrimination cases before the Supreme Court, winning five times, while raising two children.

Almost 40 years later, when people asked her when she'll be satisfied with the number of women on the Supreme Court, she said: "When there are nine."

She was the second woman ever to serve on the court, after Sandra Day O'Connor. Only three members of the 100-member Senate opposed her in a confirmation vote.

Since then, she has been a reliable member of the court's liberal wing, defending abortion rights and same-sex marriage.

Her husband died in 2010, and despite her age, she has missed few days of work at the high court. She works out regularly, and is often seen at the Supreme Court gym in a sweatshirt emblazoned with the words "Super Diva."

Her health and impressive stamina keep her supporters transfixed.

She was treated for colon cancer in 1999, and a decade later, pancreatic cancer that was caught at an early stage.

In August, she broke three ribs in a fall in her office, and was hospitalized overnight for observation.

She was back at work as soon as the court opened its session at the beginning of September.
Synchrony Financial SYF has announced about its new long-term agreement to strengthen its consumer financing and credit relationship with Qurate Retail Group, a leading company in social, video and digital commerce.



In August 2019, Qurate Retails $2.3-billion interactive multi-channel retailer, HSN, elected Synchrony to be the provider of private label credit card services. HSN is going to replace its present financing provider with Synchrony, which is known to provide enriched customer experience and data insights. This deal brings together Qurate Retails advanced services in social, digital and video commerce, and Synchronys marketing, credit, data and technology capabilities.



Moreover, the company announced about the multi-year extension of its on-going deals with other Qurate Retail brands namely QVC and zulily. The relationship with QVC dates back to 2005 and the company has been working with zulily since 2017.



This deal is an addition to Synchronys strategy to invest in data analytics and mobile technologies to help its partners cater to the evolving needs of customers. Synchrony intends to enhance its embedded cross-functional team to boost unique services and products across Qurate Retail.



This year, the company completed more than 35 new credit collaborations in e-commerce, retail and healthcare industries, and extended 50 partner programs in various growth industries.



Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have lost nearly 41%, wider than its industrys decline of 28.9% in a years time.





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On Deck Capital operates as an online platform for small business lending in the United States, Canada and Australia. It managed to deliver positive results in three of the trailing four quarters, the average beat being 109.47%. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Story continues

Euronet provides payment and transaction processing, and distribution solutions to financial institutions, retailers, service providers, and individual consumers worldwide. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). It came up with average four-quarter positive surprise of 0.94%.



TCG BDC is a non-diversified closed-end investment company. It currently has a Zacks Rank of 2. The company managed to pull off average four-quarter earnings surprise of 5.63%.

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Ras al-Ain (Syria) (AFP) - Syrian Kurdish forces said Thursday they will keep fighting the Islamic State group in eastern Syria unless they come under Turkish attack, after their US allies announced their withdrawal.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stressed they would freeze operations if Turkey attacked, as widely expected after a pullout of US forces which have served as a buffer.

"The Hajin battles continues," said Mustefa Bali, a spokesman for the Kurdish-dominated force, referring to the main front against IS in the Euphrates Valley.

"The US decision is just a decision and does not yet affect the situation on the ground," Bali told AFP.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, fighting was ongoing on Thursday.

Backed by air strikes from the US-led coalition, SDF forces last week seized Hajin, the largest village in the last pocket of territory still controlled by IS in eastern Syria.

Hundreds of die-hard jihadists, however, have regrouped in Sousa and Al-Shaafa, the last two hubs in the ever-shrinking rump of the group's once sprawling "caliphate".

"We have previously said that, if attacked, we would dedicate ourselves to the defence of our land," Bali said.

"The scenario of a halt in the anti-terrorist battle is tied to Turkish threats," the SDF spokesman added.

He also hinted the US pullout, which many Kurds see as a betrayal, could make Syria's autonomous Kurdish administration less inclined to retain custody of detained IS fighters whom Western countries do not want to return home.

Bali did not suggest the Kurds would release detained jihadists but argued that Turkey risked targeting prisons in order to wreak chaos.

"Of course, if Turkey attacks, it will affect the fate of these prisoners," he said. "Turkey may target these prisons as it tries to release these terrorists."

The Kurds have repeatedly complained they do not have the capacity to handle the burden of more than 3,000 IS detainees and family members, urging Western powers to repatriate their nationals for trial at home.

Wester powers, including countries with significant contingents of captured foreign fighters such as France, have been reluctant to take back jihadists.
By Tom Perry and Ellen Francis BEIRUT (Reuters) - Kurds, among the biggest winners of Syria's war, stand to lose most from a U.S. decision to withdraw forces who have helped them battle Islamic State militants and deter their adversaries Ankara and Damascus. With U.S. help, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have captured large parts of northern and eastern Syria from Islamic State, but warn that the jihadists still pose a threat even if President Donald Trump has declared their defeat. NATO allies France and Germany agree, saying Washington's abrupt reversal of course on Syria - fulfilling a Trump presidential campaign pledge in 2016 - risks sapping the fight against Islamic State (IS). Not only will Trump's decision expose SDF territory to the risk of an IS resurgence, but it increases the possibility of an assault on Kurdish-dominated northern Syria by Turkey and its Syrian rebel proxies. It's shaping up to be a case of deja vu for the Kurds, a stateless minority divided between Syria, Iraq, Iran and Turkey whose national aspirations have historically been thwarted by foreign powers. The Kurds are the largest ethnic group left stateless when the Ottoman Empire collapsed a century ago. To protect themselves from Turkey, some analysts say, Syrian Kurdish groups may now beat a path to Damascus to make a deal with President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian allies who could shield them in exchange for the surrender of their autonomy. Unlike Syria's rebels, the SDF and the Kurdish YPG militia that leads it have never fought to topple Assad. At times, they have even cooperated against common insurgent foes and earlier this year political talks were held in Damascus. These however got nowhere: Assad opposes the Kurdish vision of a federal Syria that preserves their regional autonomy. Seen as the most likely winners from a U.S. withdrawal, Assad and his Iranian and Russian allies are already eyeing the recovery of SDF territory that spans roughly one quarter of Syria and is rich in farmland, oil and water. "The Syrian government must certainly take the area after the (U.S.) withdrawal," an official in the Iranian-backed regional alliance that supports Assad told Reuters. In the Kurdish regions of northern Syria, Trump's move has deepened fears of an attack by Turkey, which views Kurdish control of the north as a menace to its security and has demanded an end to U.S. support for the SDF. "Before, America was here and nobody was afraid. But now the (Turkish) threats scare us," said Bengin Seydo, 35, speaking in the town of Ras al-Ayn where a demonstration was held on Thursday against any Turkish attack. Trump's decision stunned the SDF, even though it had been wary of what it saw as shaky U.S. policy toward Syria, said Ahmad Sleiman, a Kurdish politician and commentator. "Relying on the Americans is always a failed experience, at the very least for Kurds," he told Reuters. "Now the Kurds' choices have become much tougher." "SERIOUS DANGER" FROM ISLAMIC STATE U.S. support for the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, the backbone of the SDF, evolved from 2014 when Islamic State was at its zenith and the Kurds were battling to prevent IS capturing the town of Kobani at the Turkish border. The relationship enraged neighboring Turkey, which views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a 34-year-old insurgency in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast. Ties expanded as YPG fighters rolled back Islamic State with air and special forces support from the U.S.-led coalition. Islamic State has now lost most of its territory in Syria. But at least 5,000 jihadists are still battling hard in their last enclave east of the Euphrates River near the Iraqi border, SDF commander-in-chief Mazloum Kobani told Reuters last week. These include hardened foreign combatants and possibly even the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Kobani said. Islamic State also has a pocket of desert territory west of the Euphrates in areas otherwise held by Damascus and its allies. Nawaf Khalil, a German-based analyst of Kurdish affairs with SDF ties, flagged the risk posed by the many former Islamic State members who had melted back into civilian life. "Within months they can rejoin Daesh (Islamic State), maybe under another name," he told Reuters, also noting the hundreds of foreign jihadists in SDF detention whose governments refuse to repatriate. "There is real, serious danger. Thousands of people joined Daesh. They did not evaporate," he said. REBEL PRAISES TRUMP MOVE Turkish attacks in Syria this year have led the SDF to temporarily halt operations against Islamic State. Now, Turkey is threatening to mount a major attack into the northeastern area targeting the YPG. "The operation east of the Euphrates will start soon, God willing," Abu Hatem Shaqra, head of the Turkey-backed Ahrar al-Sharkia Syrian rebel group, which is set to take part, told Reuters. Praising Trump's decision, he added: "Our aim is to take all the SDF-held areas." Much now depends on how the United States manages the withdrawal of the 2,000 troops. "If the Americans pull out fast, it will be chaos. If the Turks come in..., it will be terrible blood-letting," said Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria and head of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. The natural resources in the Kurdish area would represent potentially strong bargaining chips in a negotiation with Damascus, but the U.S. declaration has undermined the Kurdish negotiating position. "It's not clear who wins yet, but it is clear who loses. The YPG loses, and the Kurdish population loses," said Joost Hiltermann of the International Crisis Group think tank. "Their bargaining position is basically reduced to nil." (Additional reporting by Laila Bassam in Beirut, Khalil Ashawi in Turkey, Rodi Said in Ras al-Ayn, Syria, and Dahlia Nehme in Beirut; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
The Trump administration has announced it plans to ease onerous security requirements for sponsors of migrant children, meaning thousands who have been parked in shelters for months could soon be released and reunited with family members.

In a major policy reversal, the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the care of migrant children through its Office of Refugee Resettlement, said it would no longer require all members of a household where a child is to live be fingerprinted. Instead, fingerprints will be required only of the adult who is sponsoring the minor, typically a parent or another relative.

Sponsors of migrant children who cross the border and are taken into custody of US officials must still pass criminal and extensive background checks, the agency said in a statement. However, others in the same home will not be subjected to that extra vetting, which was introduced by the administration in June.

As a result, it will take significantly less time to place children with their families, and their stays in the shelters will be much shorter.

The agency said in its statement that it was in the best interest of the unaccompanied children for it to modify the policy.

Read more

Seven-year-old migrant girl dies after US Border Patrol arrest

Some 15,000 migrant children, including adolescents who crossed the border alone and young children who were separated from their parents, are warehoused in more than 100 shelters in the United States.

In an interview broadcast on National Public Radio on Tuesday, the assistant secretary at Health and Human Services, Lynn Johnson, put it bluntly: The children should be home with their parents. The government makes lousy parents.

She added that the extra screening is not adding anything to the protection or the safety of children.

Ms Johnson said about 2,000 children in shelters are to be released in the next four or five days to parents who have already been screened.

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The lengthy warehousing of minors had come under attack from immigrant advocates, Democratic lawmakers and medical professionals, who had expressed concern about its detrimental effect on the mental health of the children.

Studies have shown that the institutionalisation of children in general, and away from their families, has serious deleterious effects on their psychological and physical health, as well as their growth and development, said Amy J Cohen, a child psychiatrist who is an expert on trauma.

Its a tremendous relief to hear that the government is finally going to enable these children to be reunited with family so that they can start the healing process, said Ms Cohen, who has interviewed migrant children in shelters.

The influx of migrant youth reaching the border alone, along with the Trump administrations months-long practice of separating children from their families and the stringent security screening of potential sponsors, had stretched the shelters to nearly full capacity.

In June, the federal government erected a tent city on federal land in Tornillo, Texas, about 35 miles southeast of El Paso, as a temporary home for a few hundred migrant children. Several months later, it had expanded the camp to house about 2,800 minors, most of whom were transferred there from traditional brick-and-mortar shelters that were overflowing.

The creation and expansion of the desert shelter showed the degree to which the Trump administration had taken a disaster-oriented, militaristic approach to the housing of migrant youths who entered the country illegally, often fleeing gangs or poverty in their home countries.

Most of the children at Tornillo have been waiting for the results of FBI checks on their potential sponsors.

On Tuesday, staff members at a large facility in Texas operated by BCFS, a non-profit network of shelters, received notice they should prepare to release nearly half the children there in the coming days.

A worker at the shelter, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said staff members had also been advised to attend a meeting on Wednesday to learn the details of the new government policy.

The worker said many children at the shelter, which has a capacity of about 240, had shown signs of psychological duress as their stay there dragged on. The worker said some migrant youth had been at the facility for close to a year.

The longer they are here, the more they act up with incidents of aggression towards staff and other minors, the worker said.

The worker attributed the protracted stay to the burdensome fingerprinting and screening process, which took months to complete. The process also inhibited some relatives from collecting the children of others in their household, especially if they were unauthorised immigrants and refused to be fingerprinted out of concern they could be deported.

The number of Central American migrants who began leaving their countries and heading to the south-west border surged in 2014, and included many unaccompanied minors, typically adolescents, and parents with children.

The wave ebbed in the first year President Donald Trump was in office but has since strengthened.

The New York Times
Insane amounts of volatility in the stock market doesnt have Tilray CEO Brendan Kennedy backing down on a very bullish vision for how much his cannabis company could someday be worth.

I think you will see three companies with $100 billion valuation, and we would like to be one of them, Kennedy told Yahoo Finance. Kennedy, who reportedly put a $100 billion valuation tag on Tilray earlier in the year, believes Tilray will be among two other cannabis companies logging annual sales of $50 billion.

It remains early days in this industry, Kennedy said.

Indeed, Kennedy has the wind at his sails right now even with the broader market under severe pressure. Tilray (TLRY) shares are up an astounding 250% since the companys July initial public offering on pure hype on future potential of the cannabis industry. More recently, Tilray has inked a medical marijuana distribution deal with drug giant Novartis. It has also joined forces with beer king AB InBev to explore cannabis infused drinks.

Each announcement has only fueled the hype around Tilray.

But 2019 promises to bring extra scrutiny of the company's financials amid high expectations and a $7 billion-plus market cap. Tilray will have to significantly improve the performance it showed in the third quarter, or risk losing the momentum behind its stock.

Tilrays net loss, which includes stock-based compensation charges and higher operating costs, rose to $18.7 million, or 20 cents per share, compared with $1.8 million a year ago.

Other numbers of interest ahead of 2019:

-Tilrays net selling price per gram fell to $6.21 from $7.53. The company blamed greater bulk sales of products to customers.

-Gross profit margins tanked to 31% from 55% a year ago also because of more bulk product sales. Kennedy on a conference call with analysts reiterated he sees 50% profit margins over the long term.

-Tilray has racked up $34 million in operating losses year-to-date as it works to expand its operations and pays out stock-based compensation to executives.

Story continues

Brian Sozzi is an editor-at-large at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter@BrianSozzi

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An anti-Brexit activist holds placards at the media centre outside the Houses of Parliament, London on December 12, 2018. Photo: NurPhoto for Getty

A top expert in EU law has urged Britain to revoke Article 50 and halt plans for Brexit  at least for now.

Phil Syrpis, a professor in EU law at Bristol University, argued that the time had come to abandon negotiations for Brexit, under a plan of revoke and reconsider.

Syrpis set out why he believed there was little credible alternative to halting Brexit in a blog for the London School of Economics.

He highlighted two key issues  the ruling by the European Court of Justice that the United Kingdom can unilaterally revoke Article 50, and the EUs stance that they are not prepared to renegotiate the Withdrawal Agreement.

The professor argued that UK prime minister Theresa Mays agreement was unacceptable to both Remainers and Leavers. Because there will be more negotiations with the EU over the future relationship, the default position would not be to remain part of the union, but to move to the backstop agreement.

Syrpis said he was sceptical that any better deal could be negotiated by Labour. Its plan for a customs union, access to the single market and exemption from the EUs state aid rules did not appear to be workable, to command strong popular support or seem likely to be agreed on by the EU.

He also dismissed the possibility of Norway plus and claimed the so-called Peoples Vote campaign for another referendum acted as distraction, shifting attention away from the case for remain.

He concluded that the choice was between the UK governments Withdrawal Agreement, leaving without a deal and revoking Article 50  and recommended a policy of revoke and reconsider.

Syrpis concluded that disappointed Brexiters and Remainers could come together over a plan to call off the Withdrawal Agreement.

He said he expected there would be little will to restart the Brexit process, but were a consensus to emerge, Article 50 could be triggered again.

READ MORE: What is a no-deal Brexit?
The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday announced a new policy banning asylum-seekers from entering the U.S. and requiring them to stay in Mexico, a dramatic change that upends the way migrants fleeing persecution have been welcomed into the country for decades.

Under current U.S. law, people requesting asylum at the southern border  either at a port of entry or after illegally entering the country, and who pass an initial screening  are allowed to stay in the country pending an immigration judges decision on their application.

Under the new policy unveiled Wednesday by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, that will no longer be the case. Anybody who requests asylum will now be processed by federal immigration agents and then immediately returned to Mexico.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen visits the border in San Diego on Nov. 20, 2018.

The U.S. and Mexican governments had been negotiating over a similar policy for weeks dubbed Remain in Mexico, but the Trump administration was unable to reach an agreement with the administration of new Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office Dec. 1.

Instead, the U.S. implemented the policy unilaterally, Nielsen said during an appearance before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday. The Trump administration informed Mexico of its decision, and was told that the Mexican government would do what it could to house, feed, and protect the migrants. The Mexican government is already struggling to accommodate thousands of members of a migrant caravan who are camped out in Tijuana awaiting their chance to apply for asylum.

Let me be clear: We will undertake these steps consistent with all domestic and international legal obligations, including our humanitarian commitments, Nielsen told the committee. All affected migrants will receive humanitarian visas to stay on Mexican soil, they will be given the ability to apply for work, and other protections while they await a legal U.S. determination.

DHS is relying on authorities granted under a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows an attorney general to order the return of asylum-seekers arriving at a land port to the country they attempted to enter from. But the law states that the attorney general can only remove a migrant who "is not clearly and beyond a doubt entitled to be admitted."

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That may run counter to a separate part of the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows asylum-seekers entry if they simply show they have a credible fear of returning to their home country.

This plan cannot be done lawfully, said ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt, who led a lawsuit that forced the administration this summer to reunify families separated at the southern border with Mexico.

A senior Homeland Security official said the new policy goes into effect immediately but will be rolled out at ports of entry along the southern border. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to fully explain the policy, said the eventual goal is for asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico, and allowed to enter the U.S. only for necessary court hearings related to their application.

Nielsen says the new policy is needed to stem what has become a flood of unaccompanied minors and family units arriving at the U.S. to request asylum, knowing that they will likely be granted entry to the U.S. while their case slowly winds through the backlogged immigration court system. In the past two months, more than half of the 102,000 people caught illegally crossing the southern border were minors or family units.

DHS made the surprise announcement the same morning Nielsen was appearing before the House Judiciary Committee. Before the announcement, Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., who will become committee chairman in January when Democrats retake control of the House, warned Nielsen that her department would face intense scrutiny over its treatment of families, minors, asylum-seekers and all others along the southern border.

He likened the administrations "zero-tolerance" policy that led to thousands of family separations this summer to mass kidnapping by the federal government. He described policies attempting to limit asylum as dangerous, haphazard and chaotic. And he said Nielsen should prepare for investigations into all those matters.

"I want to put you and the department on notice: The time for accountability has arrived," Nadler said. "The Trump administration, including DHS under your watch, has launched a relentless attack against immigrants of all stripes. The time for zero accountability is over."

Nielsen received praise from committee Republicans for the new policy, with Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, thanking her for bringing some sanity back to the U.S. immigration system.

But Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., told Nielsen that the new policy will surely be met with lawsuits similar to those that have struck down two other attempts to limit asylum.

Youll be  in court, as you know  your policy does not adhere to the requirements of the immigration law," she said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Trump administration policy requires asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico, bans US entry
By Ginger Gibson, Richard Cowan and Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A partial U.S. government shutdown loomed at midnight on Friday as President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans in the Senate failed to secure the votes needed for a bill with $5 billion he has demanded for a border wall fiercely opposed by Democrats. Trump said the impending shutdown of key parts of the federal government could last "a very long time," and he sought to blame Democrats. They, in turn, put the blame squarely on him for his demand for wall funding after previously indicating support for bipartisan legislation that passed the Senate without such money. "President Trump has thrown a temper tantrum and now has us careening towards a 'Trump shutdown' over Christmas," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor. "You're not getting the wall today, next week or on January 3rd, when Democrats take control of the House," Schumer added. Hours before the deadline, lawmakers met with Vice President Mike Pence and other White House officials in a last-ditch effort to find a compromise government funding bill acceptable to both political parties and Trump. There was little indication any such agreement was at hand, but senators said talks would continue. Before meeting with Senate Republicans at the White House, Trump wrote on Twitter that "Democrats now own the shutdown," despite having said last week that he would be "proud" to close the federal government over the issue of border security and "I'll be the one to shut it down." Congressional funding for about one-quarter of the federal government's programs expires at midnight (0500 GMT), and a shutdown would ensue if Congress, controlled by Trump's fellow Republicans, does not pass legislation to provide money to keep the agencies open. Negotiators were discussing $1.6 billion for a range of border security measures - not specifically for a wall - and retaining financial assistance for areas hit by natural disasters that was added by the House of Representatives, according to a Republican Senate aide. That $1.6 billion would only be $300 million more than the amount the Senate approved in a temporary funding bill it passed late on Wednesday. "It's possible that we'll have a shutdown. I would say the chances are probably very good," Trump said at the White House. "We're going to get a wall," Trump added. A wall along the U.S.-Mexican border to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking was a key Trump campaign promise in the 2016 election, when he said it would be paid for by Mexico, and he sees it as a winning issue for his 2020 re-election campaign. Democrats oppose the wall, calling it unnecessary and ineffective. A Schumer spokesman said the senator met with Pence, Trump's new chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, and Trump son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner. Republican Senators Lamar Alexander and Marco Rubio expressed frustration with what they said was a shifting position by the White House. Rubio said that earlier in the week the Republicans went with their funding bill, which included $1.3 billion for general border security but nothing specifically for a wall, because Pence had told them the White House was open to such a proposal. "We had a reasonable path and there was every indication from the president that he would sign it," Alexander said. PROCEDURAL VOTE Trump summoned Senate Republicans to the White House on Friday morning to push for his wall funding before they took up procedural votes on whether to consider the bill passed by the House. The procedural vote stretched over several hours because many senators left Washington to start their Christmas break, thinking the temporary funding issue was settled on Wednesday, and had to return to the Capitol. The measure succeeded with Pence casting a tie-breaking vote, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the vote merely ensured that the White House and Democrats could keep discussing a potential compromise to avert a shutdown. Earlier in the week the Senate, where Republicans have a 51-49 majority, passed a short-term government funding bill that included no money for the wall. On Friday Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged his members to vote for a bill that was approved by the House on Thursday to give Trump $5 billion toward building the wall on the Mexican border. In a series of early-morning tweets on Friday, Trump called on McConnell to use the "nuclear option" to force a Senate vote on legislation with a simple majority, rather than the standard "supermajority" of 60 votes. But there was not enough support among Republican senators to do so. BAD DAY ON WALL STREET The possibility of a government shutdown fed investor anxieties that contributed to another down day on Friday for U.S. stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.82 percent, the S&P 500 lost 2.06 percent and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 2.99 percent. The showdown added to tensions in Washington as lawmakers also grappled with Trump's sudden move to pull troops from Syria, which prompted Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to resign and furthered concerns over the investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election that Trump won. Three-quarters of government programs are fully funded through the end of the federal fiscal year next Sept. 30, including those in the Defense Department, Labor Department and Health and Human Services. But funding for other agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department and the Agriculture Department, was set to expire at midnight on Friday. A partial government shutdown could begin with affected agencies limiting staff to those deemed "essential" to public safety. Such critical workers, including U.S. border agents, and nonessential employees would not get paid until the dispute ends. National parks also would close unless the government declares them essential. More than half of the 1,700 people who work for the executive office of the president would be furloughed. (Reporting by Richard Cowan, Ginger Gibson, Roberta Rampton and Susan Heavey; Writing by Will Dunham and Bill Trott; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Cynthia Osterman)
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump is considering a major withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the latest in a series of abrupt changes to U.S. military policy the president is either eyeing or has executed over the past 24 hours.

Trump is weighing the decision to pull back from the 17-year-old conflict, a senior U.S. official told USA TODAY.

The revelation comes as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, widely seen as a steadying figure in the administration, cited differing opinions with the president on Thursday to explain his decision to leave his post.

Taken together with Trump's announcement he is withdrawing roughly 2,000 troops from Syria, the moves appeared to represent a reshuffling of the administration's military strategy that more closely aligns with what Trump promised during his campaign but that has been opposed by Mattis and others inside the Pentagon.

The idea of pulling back from Afghanistan drew a sharp rebuke from Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he recently returned from Afghanistan and maintained that ISIS remains a threat there.

More: Defense Secretary Mattis leaving his job after clash with Trump over Syria

More: Read Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' resignation letter

Our Afghan partners are incapable of subduing the threat posed by ISIS-K alone," Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.

"The conditions in Afghanistan  at the present moment  make American troop withdrawals a high-risk strategy," he said. "If we continue on our present course we are setting in motion the loss of all our gains and paving the way toward a second 9/11."

Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told USA TODAY Thursday night that the decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is not tethered to a strategy for the war there.

The decision to remove U.S. forces will complicate negotiations with the Taliban over reconciliation with the Afghan government, Reed said.

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The message to the Taliban, especially the most difficult elements of the Taliban, is just to wait a little bit longer, Reed said.

It's not clear how many troops could be withdrawn, or even if Trump will follow through on the idea. The Wall Street Journal, citing an anonymous source, suggested the number could be as high as 7,000 troops, roughly half the current U.S. force deployed in Afghanistan.

Spokespeople at the White House and the Pentagon declined to comment.

The Trump administration increased the U.S. commitment to the country more than a year ago by authorizing nearly 4,000 additional troops for what war commanders described at the time as a stalemate. Trump detailed his Afghanistan strategy last summer in a prime-time address. Speaking at Joint Base MyerHenderson Hall in Virginia, he described his approach as a retreat from nation-building in favor of what he called "principled realism."

"My original instinct was to pull out and, historically, I like following my instincts," Trump said at the time. "But all my life Ive heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office."

But that decision represented a break from the rhetoric Trump embraced during his 2016 campaign. Trump, at the time , frequently questioned the nation's involvement in Afghanistan, at one point describing it as "a complete waste." Before he became president, Trump had called for an end to the war for years.

The roughly 14,000 U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan are training local military forces and fighting terrorist groups, including ISIS.

The U.S. began military operations in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks in 2001. President George W. Bush demanded the Taliban turn over Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and launched Operation Enduring Freedom when its leaders declined. There have been 2,400 U.S. military personnel killed in Afghanistan.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump considering withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan
Washington (AFP) - As he prepares to begin his third year as the president of the world's top superpower, Donald Trump finds himself increasingly isolated.

One by one, quietly or with some noise, the heavyweight advisors and aides who have kept his worst impulses in check are abandoning ship or being kicked out.

Belittling and oneupmanship, impulsive decisions taken without consultation and a White House seemingly in constant chaos are fueling concern among America's allies about a mercurial president operating largely alone.

National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, White House chief of staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, all former generals, had been seen by many as the steady hands advising a man who took office in January 2017 without any political, diplomatic or military experience.

McMaster is gone and Kelly and Mattis are on their way out the door.

For Mattis, the four-star Marine general who was often referred to as the last "adult in the room," Trump's abrupt decision this week to pull US troops out of war-torn Syria was a step too far.

The tone of his resignation letter was courteous but the underlying message of disapproval was clear and it was heard by friends and foes of the president alike and in capitals around the globe.

"This is scary," said Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia. "Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration."

It wasn't just Democrats who were expressing concern.

"This is a sad day," said Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska. "Secretary Mattis was giving advice the president needs to hear."

For Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, "Mattis clearly determined that he could no longer make enough of a difference to justify remaining part of an administration he so disagreed with."

- 'He makes the decision' -

Rex Tillerson, the former ExxonMobil chief executive who was unceremoniously fired as secretary of state in March after a little over a year in the job, recently made his concerns known after months of silence about his former boss.

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Trump is "pretty undisciplined," Tillerson said, adding that he "doesn't like to read, doesn't read briefing reports, doesn't like to get into the details of a lot of things."

The stream of departures from the Trump administration has not been met with concern from everyone -- many of his hard-core supporters have long felt that some of his advisors were putting the brakes on a president who prides himself on his instincts and keeping his campaign promises at all costs.

"Getting out of Syria was no surprise," Trump tweeted about a move which stunned many members of the coalition battling the Islamic State group. "I've been campaigning on it for years."

But many political and foreign policy analysts expressed concern about the potential danger of having a president surrounded only by "yes" men.

Gary Cohn, a former Goldman Sachs banker who stood up to the president on several occasions as director of the National Economic Council, left in the spring and was replaced by television commentator Larry Kudlow.

At the White House several weeks ago, while sitting between the president and his daughter Ivanka, Kudlow engaged in an astonishing display of public flattery.

"You've had an unbelievable career," Kudlow said as Trump basked in the praise. "You beat your critics. You beat your naysayers."

Asked on Friday on Fox News about the near-unanimous concerned and negative reaction to Mattis' resignation, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders brushed aside the worry and issued a reminder that it was Trump who won the presidential election.

"At the end of the day, the American people elected one person to be the commander-in-chief and to make decisions," Sanders said. "The president listens to all of his national security team, which is a big group. He takes their advice."

"And at the end of the day, he makes the decision," she added. "That's what he was elected to do."
WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, a stabilizing force in President Donald Trump's Cabinet, abruptly announced his resignation on Thursday and said Trump should pick a successor whose views align more with his own.

Mattis' resigned a day after Trump announced that U.S. troops in Syria would be withdrawn, a decision that upended American policy in the region, and on the same day that officials said the president was considering a substantial U.S. pullout from the long-running conflict in Afghanistan.

"Because you have a right to a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis said in his resignation letter, released by the Pentagon.

Trump, announcing Mattis' departure on Twitter, said he would nominate a successor soon.

"General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years," he said.

Mattis joins a long list of former Trump administration senior figures who have either quit or been removed, some unceremoniously like Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who Trump fired via Twitter in March.

Trump's White House has had the highest turnover of senior-level staff of the past five presidents, according to the Brookings Institution think tank.

....equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

Speculation that Mattis might not last long in his post grew in October when Republican Trump said in a CBS interview that the general was "sort of a Democrat" and might be leaving.

Mattis, along with other national security aides, was said to have opposed Trump's decision to remove U.S. troops from Syria. Many U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern about the decision and asked Trump to reconsider.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Steve Holland in Washington; writing by Tim Ahmann; editing by James Dalgleish and Grant McCool)
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey said Kurdish militants east of the Euphrates in Syria "will be buried in their ditches when the time comes", after President Donald Trump began what will be a total withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. Trump's decision to pull out completely was confirmed by U.S. officials and is expected in the coming months. The move stunned U.S. lawmakers and allies and upends American policy in the Middle East. For NATO ally Turkey, however, the news is likely to be welcome. The two countries have long had their relations strained by differences over Syria, where the United States has backed the Syrian Kurdish YPG in the fight against Islamic State. Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist group and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). "Now we have Manbij and the east of the Euphrates in front of us. We are working intensively on this subject," state-owned Anadolu news agency on Thursday reported Defence Minister Hulusi Akar as saying during a visit to a Qatari-Turkish joint military base in Doha. "Right now it is being said that some ditches, tunnels were dug in Manbij and to the east of the Euphrates. They can dig tunnels or ditches if they want, they can go underground if they want, when the time and place comes they will buried in the ditches they dug. No one should doubt this." It was not clear when Akar was speaking. President Tayyip Erdogan said this week that Turkey may start a new military operation in Syria at any moment, touting support from Trump even though the Pentagon had issued a stern warning to Ankara. The Pentagon had said that unilateral military action by any party in northeast Syria, where U.S. forces operate, would be unacceptable. 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 the river, partly to avoid direct confrontation with U.S. forces. (Reporting by Daren Butler; Editing by David Dolan)
By Phil Stewart and Ellen Francis WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United States will likely end its air campaign against Islamic State in Syria when it pulls out troops, U.S. officials said on Thursday, as President Donald Trump defended the planned withdrawal against criticism from allies abroad and at home. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who had opposed Trump's decision on Syria, abruptly announced on Thursday he was resigning after meeting with the president. In a candid letter to Trump, the retired Marine general emphasized the importance of "showing respect" to allies. NATO allies France and Germany said Washington's change of course on Syria risks damaging the fight against Islamic State, the militant group that had seized swathes of Iraq and Syria but has now been squeezed to a sliver of Syrian territory. Several of Trump's fellow Republicans in Congress, joined by opposition Democrats, urged the president to reverse course, saying the withdrawal would strengthen the hand of Russia and Iran in Syria and enable a resurgence of Islamic State. (GRAPHIC: Islamic State in Syria and Iraq - https://tmsnrt.rs/2Reo6JW) Trump, however, gave no sign of changing his mind and lashed out at Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican who is sometimes an ally of the president but who has said a withdrawal would have "devastating consequences" for the United States. "So hard to believe that Lindsey Graham would be against saving soldier lives & billions of $$$," Trump tweeted. "Why are we fighting for our enemy, Syria, by staying & killing ISIS for them, Russia, Iran & other locals? Time to focus on our Country & bring our youth back home where they belong!" Trump's troop announcement on Wednesday upended a pillar of American policy in the Middle East and caused consternation in domestic and foreign critics who argued it would make it harder to find a diplomatic solution to Syria's seven-year civil war. It also appeared to add momentum to Trump's long-stated goal of extricating the United States from its 17-year war in Afghanistan. U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday that the administration is planning to significantly draw down thousands of the 14,000 troops now in Afghanistan, where Mattis has argued for a strong U.S. military presence. France, a leading member of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, said it would keep its troops in northern Syria for now and contested Trump's assertion that the group has been defeated in the country. "Islamic State has not been wiped from the map nor have its roots. The last pockets of this terrorist organization must be defeated militarily once and for all," French Defence Minister Florence Parly said on Twitter. France has about 1,100 troops in Iraq and Syria providing logistics, training and heavy artillery support as well as fighter jets. In Syria it has dozens of special forces, military advisers and some foreign office personnel. Trump, however, tweeted that he was fulfilling a promise to leave Syria made during his presidential campaign and arguing that the United States was doing the work of other countries and it was "time for others to finally fight." Four U.S. officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the troop withdrawal is expected to mean an end to the U.S. air campaign against Islamic State in Syria. The U.S.-led air war has been vital to crushing the militants there and in neighboring Iraq, with more than 100,000 bombs and missiles fired at targets in the two countries since 2015. Still, one U.S. official said a final decision on the air campaign had not been made and did not rule out some kind of support for partners and allies. The United States told the U.N. Security Council it was committed to the "permanent destruction" of Islamic State in Syria and would keep pushing for the withdrawal of Iranian-backed forces in the country. The roughly 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, many of them special forces, were ostensibly helping to combat Islamic State but were also seen as a possible bulwark against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has retaken much of the country from his foes in the civil war, with military help from Iran and Russia. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which have been fighting Islamic State with U.S. support for three years, said the withdrawal of troops would let the militants regroup at a critical stage and leave Syrians stuck between "the claws of hostile parties" fighting for territory in the civil war. The SDF are in the final stages of a campaign to recapture areas seized by the militants. But they face the threat of a military incursion by Turkey, which considers the Kurdish YPG fighters who spearhead the force to be a terrorist group, and Syrian forces committed to restoring Assad's control over the whole country. The SDF said the battle against Islamic State had reached a decisive phase that required more support, not a precipitate U.S. withdrawal. THREAT ALIVE Islamic State declared a caliphate in 2014 after seizing parts of Syria and Iraq. The hardline group established its de facto capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa, using it as a base to plot attacks in Europe. According to U.S. estimates, the group oversaw about 100,000 square kms (39,000 square miles) of territory, with about 8 million people under its control and estimated revenues of nearly $1 billion a year. A senior U.S. official last week said the group was down to its last 1 percent of the territory it once held. It has no remaining territory in Iraq, although militants have resumed insurgent attacks since the group's defeat there last year. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he largely agreed with Trump that the group had been defeated in Syria but added there was a risk it could recover. He also questioned what Trump's announcement meant in practical terms, saying there was no sign yet of a withdrawal of U.S. forces, whose presence in Syria Moscow calls illegitimate. Israel will escalate its fight against Iranian-aligned forces in Syria after the withdrawal of U.S. troops, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. While Turkey has not commented directly on Trump's decision, an end to the U.S.-Kurdish partnership will please Ankara. Kurdish militants east of the Euphrates in Syria "will be buried in their ditches when the time comes," state-owned Anadolu news agency reported Defence Minister Hulusi Akar as saying. Turkey has intervened to sweep YPG and Islamic State fighters from parts of northern Syria that lie west of the Euphrates over the past two years. It has not gone east of the river, partly to avoid direct confrontation with U.S. forces. (Additional reporting by Daren Butler in Istanbul, John Irish in Paris; Michelle Nichols at the United Nations, Dan Williams in Jerusalem and Mohammad Zargham in Washington; Writing by Dominic Evans, Alistair Bell, Arshad Mohammed and Mary Milliken; Editing by Janet Lawrence, James Dalgleish, Frances Kerry and Cynthia Osterman)
By Tom Westbrook and Josh Smith SYDNEY/SEOUL (Reuters) - The abrupt resignation of U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis sparked concern among Asia-Pacific allies who credit the retired general with building trust and tempering isolationist impulses, regional officials and analysts said on Friday. The region - which includes strong U.S. allies Japan, South Korea and Australia - hosts some of the world's most volatile flashpoints, with high tension on the Korean peninsula and China's militarization of the South China Sea causing friction. Mattis, who embraced America's traditional alliances, said he was quitting after falling out with President Donald Trump over foreign policy, including surprise decisions this week to pull troops from Syria and start planning a drawdown in Afghanistan. "He has generally been referred to as one of the adults in the Trump administration," Australian government Senator Jim Molan told The Australian newspaper. He said his departure was concerning because it introduced "another extreme variable" into U.S. decision making. Mattis has been a vocal critic of China's increasing presence in the South China Sea but he worked to ensure tensions did not boil over. "He's been the point of continuity and the gatekeeper in the administration that they've relied on most to temper the instincts of Trump, which are much more, I think, isolationist and clearly highly skeptical ... about alliance commitments," said foreign policy and security analyst Euan Graham, executive director of La Trobe Asia at Australia's La Trobe University. Mattis' departure also robs Australia, without a U.S. ambassador since 2016, of a key ally in the Trump administration. "Australia has always had the ear of Mattis," a U.S.-based diplomatic source told Reuters. Australia has had roughly 800 troops in the Middle East since 2014, mostly based in Iraq, as part of coalition efforts to combat the Islamic State group. About 300 troops are based in Afghanistan, where they have had a presence since not long after the war began 17 years ago. Trump announced on Wednesday that U.S. troops in Syria would be withdrawn, a decision that upended U.S. policy in the region. A U.S. official said on Thursday Trump was planning to withdraw at least 5,000 of the 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Mattis had advocated for a strong U.S. military presence to bolster diplomatic peace efforts there. Adam Mount, defense analyst at the Federation of American Scientists, said Mattis was a steady hand on North Korea and was instrumental in preventing a war. "Mattis was bailing water out of an alliance being buffeted by an erratic president, an advancing North Korea, and an increasingly assertive China," Mount said. "His work kept the alliance afloat but major questions will have to be resolved to keep it strong," he said. (Reporting by Tom Westbrook in SYDNEY and Josh Smith in SEOUL; Additional reporting by Colin Packham in SYDNEY; Writing by Jonathan Barrett; Editing by Paul Tait)
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council on Friday unanimously approved the deployment of a U.N. advance team to monitor a ceasefire in Yemen's Hodeidah region after days of wrangling that pitted the United States against ally Britain. After a week of U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Sweden, the Iranian-aligned Houthi group and Saudi-backed Yemen government foes agreed last week to stop fighting in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah and withdraw forces. The truce began on Tuesday. The Security Council authorized U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to deploy - for an initial 30 days - an advance monitoring team. That team, led by retired Dutch General Patrick Cammaert, is due to arrive in Yemen shortly, said a U.N. spokesman, adding that the personnel will not be uniformed or armed. The council also asked Guterres to submit proposals by the end of the month on substantive monitoring operations for the ceasefire and redeployment of forces; support for the management of and inspections at the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa; and strengthening of the U.N. presence in the Hodeidah region. Guterres is also required to report weekly to the Security Council on implementation of the resolution, which endorses the ceasefire deal agreed in Sweden. "It's vital that the parties follow through on their commitments," British U.N. Ambassador Karen Pierce told the council after the vote. The Security Council has been wrangling over the British-drafted text since Monday and in an unusual move the United States, unhappy with Britain's efforts, came up with its own version on Thursday. Traditionally countries propose amendments to an initial draft rather than coming up with their own text. When asked about the negotiations with the United States, Pierce told reporters: "This is what diplomacy is meant to be about so I'm glad it worked on this occasion." U.S. WARNS ON IRAN The U.S. draft text, which was seen by Reuters, mirrored the British language focused on the ceasefire deal and authorizing U.N. support. However, Washington had stripped out language on the humanitarian crisis. The resolution adopted on Friday retained some of the British language on the aid crisis. The conflict has pushed impoverished Yemen to the verge of famine with millions relying on food aid. More than 80 percent of Yemen's imports used to come through Hodeidah port, but that has slowed to a trickle. The resolution calls on the government of Yemen and the Houthis to remove bureaucratic obstacles to the flow of aid and commercial goods, including fuel, and ensure all the country's ports are functioning. The United States had also wanted to condemn Iran for breaching an arms embargo on Yemen, but Russia objected, diplomats said. Iran has repeatedly denied accusations that it has supplied weapons to Yemen's Houthis. "We hope that in the days to come Iranian missiles or misdeeds do not shatter the promise of peace and bring us back to where we were before. But if that does happen, this council may come to regret this omission," U.S. diplomat Rodney Hunter, the political coordinator of the U.S. mission to the United Nations, told the Security Council after the vote. In order to reach a consensus Britain had to cut language on the "need for transparent, credible and timely investigations into alleged violations of international humanitarian law" and for those responsible to be held accountable. The U.S. draft did not include that language. A Saudi-led military coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 to back government forces. The United Nations and Western countries have criticized the coalition for killing a high number of civilians, including children. Western countries, including the United States and Britain, have provided arms and intelligence to coalition members. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Editing by James Dalgleish)
WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday added $5 billion to a government spending bill for President Donald Trump's wall on the southern border with Mexico, a move that boosted the odds of a partial federal shutdown on Saturday.

The bill must return to the Senate, where it is unlikely to find the Democratic votes needed to pass it. If the impasse continues, funding for agencies responsible for federal law enforcement activities, airport security screenings, space exploration and farm programs will lapse at midnight on Friday.

Trump had said he would not sign a Senate-passed bill to keep the government running through Feb. 8 because it lacked funds for the wall, so Republicans in the House of Representatives scrambled to add money to appease Trump.

Trump demanded $5 billion to put toward his campaign promise to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico that he argues is needed to keep out illegal immigrants and drugs, a down payment on a massive project which Democrats have rejected as ineffective and wasteful.

"The bill that's on the floor of the House, everyone knows will not pass the Senate," Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters ahead of the vote.

The funding uncertainty weighed on markets on Thursday but was dwarfed by another bombshell on the Trump administration after the close: the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Trump, who accused Democrats of playing politics with the border wall, has said he sees it as a winning issue for his 2020 re-election campaign. Last week in a White House meeting with Democratic congressional leaders, he said he would be "proud to shut down the government for border security."

Hard-right conservative pundits and lawmakers have urged Trump to push for border wall funding now, even if it leads to a shutdown, arguing that it would be impossible to get once Democrats take control of the House on Jan. 3.

"It's really about a president that is not willing to fold without a fight," Republican Representative Mark Meadows said in an interview on Fox News.

Trump had planned to leave Washington for a two-week vacation at his private resort in Florida, but the White House said he would not go in the event of a shutdown.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan, Steve Holland and Ginger Gibson; additional reporting by Lisa Lambert, Susan Heavey, Makini Brice, Mohammad Zargham and Chuck Mikolajczak; Writing by Roberta Rampton; editing by Bill Trott, Howard Goller and Cynthia Osterman)
By Kylie MacLellan and Andrew MacAskill LONDON (Reuters) - Britain set out the biggest overhaul of its immigration policy in decades on Wednesday, ending special treatment for European Union nationals in plans criticized by one business group as a "sucker punch" for many firms. In a policy paper on Britain's post-Brexit approach to immigration, the government said it would prioritize skilled workers and treat EU and non-EU citizens alike. The government promised to give businesses time to adapt to its new system, but one employers' group warned the government not to "pull up the drawbridge". Concern about the social and economic impact of immigration helped drive Britain's 2016 referendum vote to leave the EU, but Prime Minister Theresa May's promise to end free movement of EU nationals has left some business leaders worried about the ability to hire the staff they need. The policy paper did not spell out a specific target for annual net migration but said it would reduce the number to "sustainable levels" as set out in the Conservative Party's 2017 election manifesto, which was an annual number below 100,000. Asked by a lawmaker if it was still the government's intention to reduce net migration to this level, May said: "yes". Skilled workers coming to Britain under the new system will have to be sponsored by a company and will be subject to a minimum salary threshold, the level of which will be set following a consultation with businesses over the next year. The Migration Advisory Committee, an independent body which gives the government advice, has recommended it should be set at 30,000 pounds ($38,000) but many businesses have said this is too high. There will not be a cap on the number of skilled workers. The government has been criticized for taking so long to set out its plans, heightening uncertainty for businesses. Labour's home affairs spokeswoman Diane Abbott said the delay in producing the plans was a "disgrace" that had created concern among EU citizens, their families and employers. TEMPORARY WORKERS There will also be a transitional temporary worker scheme, which will allow EU nationals and workers of any skill level from other "low risk" countries, to come to Britain without a job offer for up to 12 months at a time. "Our new route for skilled workers will enable employers ... to access the talent they need," interior minister Sajid Javid said in the document. Javid said the temporary workers scheme would "ensure businesses have the staff they need and to help employers move smoothly to the new immigration system". The temporary workers scheme would be "tightly constrained", the government said, with no rights to settle, bring dependents or access certain public funds. The scheme will be reviewed by 2025. Workers under this scheme must leave Britain for a 12 month period before they can seek to return on another temporary worker visa, the policy paper said. Brian Berry, chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders, said the government was "hell bent" on ignoring the business community on immigration. "If the government wants to jeopardize the UK economy for the sake of meeting an arbitrary immigration target, its going the right way about it," he said in a statement. "If the 12-month work visa idea was supposed to be an olive branch to the business community, it leaves much to be desired." The government will introduce its immigration legislation to parliament on Thursday. EU nationals will not need a visa for a tourist visit to Britain of up to six months and Irish citizens will continue to be able to travel and work freely in Britain, the paper said. The new system will be phased in from the start of the post-Brexit implementation period, currently set to run until the end of December 2020. (Additional reporting by James Davey and William Schomberg; Editing by Janet Lawrence, William Maclean)
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously approved a resolution that authorizes the deployment of observers to war-torn Yemen to oversee a fragile truce in the strategic Red Sea port of Hodeida.

The draft, which was submitted by Britain, had been the subject of tough negotiations among the 15 council members, and was amended several times before the vote.

It also endorses the results of UN-brokered peace negotiations in Sweden last week. Yemen's warring parties agreed to a ceasefire that took effect Tuesday and the withdrawal of fighters in Hodeida, a major gateway for aid and food imports.

The city is a vital lifeline for millions at risk of starvation, and the ceasefire between Saudi-backed government forces and Huthi Shiite rebels is seen as the best chance yet of ending four years of devastating conflict.

The agreement also included a planned prisoner swap involving about 15,000 detainees.

The UN Security Council resolution "insists on the full respect by all parties of the ceasefire agreed" for Hodeida.

It authorizes the United Nations to "establish and deploy, for an initial period of 30 days from the adoption of this resolution, an advance team to begin monitoring" the ceasefire, under the leadership of retired Dutch general Patrick Cammaert.

Saudi Arabia welcomed the resolution which means the Huthis "will lose their margin of maneuver," Khalid Manzlawi, the kingdom's deputy permanent representative to the UN, said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

He also thanked Kuwait and Saudi Arabia's ally the United States "for reaching the appropriate formula for the resolution, which is in the interest of the people of Yemen and the maintenance of international peace and security."

According to the UN, Cammaert -- who served multiple times as a UN peacekeeper -- was expected in the Jordanian capital Amman before heading to the rebel-held capital Sanaa and Hodeida.

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The resolution also authorizes UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to "submit proposals as soon as possible before December 31, 2018 on how the United Nations will fully support the Stockholm Agreement as requested by the parties."

French ambassador Francois Delattre said the unanimous vote sent a "strong signal of the council's unity and engagement" on Yemen, and that it had put its weight behind the UN-brokered talks.

Diplomats said the UN observer mission could consist of 30 to 40 people, tasked with ensuring the withdrawal of the warring parties from Hodeida and the safe passage of humanitarian aid.

The UN said the first members of the mission were already en route to the region.

The observers will head up monitoring teams made up of government and rebel representatives, under the auspices of a Redeployment Coordination Committee headed by Cammaert.

- Food insecurity -

A week ago, following the talks in Sweden, UN envoy Martin Griffiths asked the Security Council for the quick deployment of observers.

But the negotiations were particularly tough, with Russia at one point threatening to use its veto if a mention of Iran supporting Huthi rebel attacks -- inserted by the United States -- was not removed.

In a compromise, the phrase "further condemning the supply, from Iran and other actors" of the Huthis became "the supply, from whatever source."

But in the end, the entire paragraph was scrapped from the final version.

The war in Yemen between the rebels and troops loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi escalated in 2015, when he fled into Saudi exile and the Saudi-led military coalition intervened.

Since then, the conflict has killed about 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization, although human rights groups say the real death toll could be five times as high.

On December 8, the UN said that as many as 20 million people in Yemen were "food insecure," calling the situation the "world's worst humanitarian crisis."

Louis Charbonneau, the UN director for Human Rights Watch, said the resolution "sends an important message to the suffering people of Yemen that they haven't been forgotten."

Charbonneau also called on the Security Council to consider imposing "targeted sanctions" on those who violated the laws of war in Yemen, including "senior Saudi, Emirati and Huthi officials."
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N. General Assembly endorsed a sweeping accord to ensure safe and orderly migration Wednesday over opposition from five countries, including the United States and Hungary.

The Global Compact for Migration, the first international document dealing with the issue, is not legally binding. But the escalating debate over people leaving their home countries for new ones has sparked increasing opposition and reservations among the U.N.'s 193 member states.

The General Assembly resolution endorsing the compact was approved by a vote of 152-5, with Israel, the Czech Republic and Poland also voting "no" and 12 countries abstaining. The vote in favor of the resolution was lower than the 164 countries that approved the agreement by acclamation at a conference in Marrakech, Morocco, earlier this month.

The compact represents a U.N.-led effort to give migrants seeking economic opportunity a chance to find it and to have authorities crack down on the often dangerous and illegal movements of people across borders that have turned human smuggling into a worldwide industry.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the resolution's adoption, saying the compact provides a platform for international cooperation that points the way "toward humane and sensible action to benefit countries of origin, transit and destination as well as migrants themselves."

"It calls for greater solidarity with migrants in situations of appalling vulnerability and abuse," the U.N. chief said. "And it highlights the imperative of devising more legal pathways for migration, which would also help to crack down on trafficking and exploitation."

According to a U.N. estimate, there are 250 million migrants around the world, or 3.4 percent of the global population. A McKinsey study cited earlier this year by Guterres said they "contribute 10 percent of global gross domestic product."

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The compact says that "the majority of migrants around the world today travel, live and work in a safe, orderly and regular manner." But Guterres told the Marrakech conference that "more than 60,000 migrants have died on the move since the year 2000" and called the loss of lives "a source of collective shame."

The secretary-general and other supporters of the compact contend that migrants contribute to the world economy, including by providing needed workers in aging rich countries and returning cash to poorer home countries through remittances.

The United States and other opponents argue that the compact is attempting to "globalize" how migration is carried out at the expense of the sovereignty of individual countries, and is trying to make new international law. Supporters counter that the compact is non-binding and every country remains sovereign and in charge of its borders and migration policy.

The 34-page compact addresses all aspects of migration  why people leave their home countries, how to protect them, integrate them and cooperate in returning them home safely. Its principles include recognizing the sovereignty of nations and reaffirming that migrants have the same human rights as all other people that "must be respected, protected and fulfilled at all times."

The compact has 23 objectives "for safe, orderly and regular migration" that seek to boost cooperation in managing legal migration and discourage illegal border crossings. These range from technical issues like collecting data, ensuring migrants have proof of their legal identity, and promoting faster and safer transfer home of earnings by migrant workers, to such matters as preventing and eradicating trafficking, providing access to basic services for migrants, and using migration detention "only as a measure of last resort."

Before the vote, General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa called the compact "a historic opportunity to cooperate, exchange good practices and learn from each other so that migration, a phenomenon that has marked the history of humanity, benefits all of us."

"Who can be against guidelines that strengthen the fight against migrant trafficking and human trafficking?," she asked, stressing that "no state, as powerful as it may be, is able to resolve alone the challenges of international migration."

By contrast, Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, whose country's right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban is vehemently opposed to migration, warned the assembly that approving the "unbalanced, biased and extremely pro-migration" compact would be "a serious mistake."

"This document describes migration as if it would be the best thing what (cq) has ever happened to humanity," he said. "But this is not true. Migration is a dangerous phenomenon" that has destabilized countries of origin and transit and "put enormous security risk on countries of destination."

Szijjarto said Hungary is also concerned "that this document will contribute to launch new massive migratory flows all around the world, which will put enormous risk around the globe."

The assembly chamber remained silent after Szijjarto's speech but after Philippines Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. spoke out in strong support of the compact, diplomats burst into loud applause.

Locsin stressed that "the compact does not derogate one iota from sovereignty, but it reveals sovereignty's fundamentally moral nature."

"A key aspect of sovereignty is the care states must take of people inside them, even if they are on the move from countries of origin through countries of transit to where they finally end up to be welcomed or booted out," he said.

Locsin said the compact "merely speaks truth to sovereign power and reminds it of its moral aspect." And it mildly suggests "what might be done out of decency about the problems encountered by migrants. It does not tell states what to do," he said.

Locsin said that "Western countries would be cesspools without migrants."

"Migrants are not slaves in transport, but free human beings on the move, with more courage to improve their condition aboard, than ... to persist in the wretched places they must flee or perish," Locsin said. "Sometimes the needs of state and migrants overlap, sometimes not."

The drafting process for the global compact was launched after all 193 U.N. member states, including the United States under President Barack Obama, adopted a declaration in 2016 saying no country can manage international migration on its own and agreed to work on a pact.

But the United States under President Donald Trump pulled out a year ago, claiming that numerous provisions in the compact were "inconsistent with U.S. immigration and refugee policies."

After lengthy negotiations on the often contentious migration issue, 192 countries unanimously agreed on the 34-page compact in July  every member of the U.N. General Assembly except the United States, which boycotted the meeting.

But in recent months, opposition to the compact has grown, reflected in the lower number of countries approving the compact in Marrakech and voting "yes" on Wednesday.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Veprek reiterated U.S. opposition, telling the assembly Wednesday that the United States honors the contributions of immigrants who helped build the country, but "we cannot support a compact or process that imposes, or has the potential to impose, international guidelines, standards, expectations or commitments" that might constrain government decisions, especially on security of borders and who to admit.
Phnom Penh (AFP) - Pregnant and scared, Yin hides in a house on the outskirts of Phnom Penh -- one of an untold number of Cambodian surrogate mothers risking jail time for lucrative payouts from Chinese clients.

The end of China's one-child policy has driven desperate couples too old to bring a baby to term to poorer countries in the Mekong region, where a "womb-for-rent" industry is brushing up against legal barriers.

Cambodia banned commercial surrogacy in 2016 but still has brokers -- and eligible young women -- skirting the ban for a price.

Yin, 24, was offered $9,000 by a Cambodian intermediary to carry a Chinese couple's baby, a fortune for her rice-farming family in rural Kampong Thom province, three hours from the capital.

"I hesitated at first because I was afraid of how the girls in my village would look at me," Yin, who did not want to give her real name for fear of being discovered, told AFP.

With money scarce, she agreed and was moved to a house in Phnom Penh to live with other women who underwent the same process.

China -- with more than 90 million women eligible for a second offspring after the one-child policy was eased -- forbids commercial surrogacy, driving couples yearning for a biological child to Southeast Asian countries where the practice is poorly regulated.

But a string of high-profile controversies in Thailand, including custody tussles and a case of a couple accused of abandoning their baby after it was born with Down Syndrome, prompted the country's junta to ban it in 2015.

Parents immediately looked across the border to Cambodia, but the government swiftly banned it a year later, worried that women in financial straits could face exploitation.

- 'Complete Strangers' -

Industry watchers eagerly wait for legislation in Cambodia that could eventually regulate surrogacy and protect the women and children from becoming victims of trafficking.

Meanwhile, a network of Cambodian and international intermediaries persists in the shadows, with raids and arrests revealing the scale of the demand.

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Experts say couples are willing to pay between $40,000 and $100,000 to have a child, while the surrogate mother typically gets $10,000 to $15,000.

Mariam Kukunashvili had a surrogacy agency in Cambodia before the ban, and said there are more than 100 Chinese or other Asian agencies still operating.

She said more regulation, not outright bans, is needed.

"Banning allows (the) industry to run under the table," Kukunashvili, director of Georgia-based New Life Global Network, told AFP.

She added that the Cambodian and Thai governments were putting the young surrogates' fate in the hands of "complete strangers".

Critics also say that authorities unfairly place blame on the women instead of recruiters when they are caught.

This year, more than 40 surrogate mothers in two different cases were arrested in Phnom Penh and charged with human trafficking.

In one case, 32 pregnant women were allowed bail once they promised under threat of imprisonment "not to give up" the babies.

"These women are victims of unethical agents and if illiterate, are unlikely to even understand the ban in place in Cambodia," said Sam Everingham, director of Australian non-profit Families Through Surrogacy.

- 'Face the law' -

For women able to carry babies without detection, they are moved to either Thailand or China to give birth, Everingham said, adding that hospital staff in China can be bribed to issue a birth certificate in the name of the intended mother.

Authorities are working to raise awareness about the ban and its repercussions, especially among vulnerable garment workers in factories throughout Cambodia, said Chou Bun Eng, vice president of the national anti-human trafficking committee.

"We are worried the movement (to recruit them) from factories could be spread if there is no prevention," she told AFP, explaining that women who were caught as surrogate mothers in the past had been factory workers.

Still she advocates a hard stance against those who run afoul of the law, including the women, who are often impoverished and trying to earn money for their families.

"It is an illegal business and if they still risk doing it, they will face the law."

Four months pregnant, Yin is growing increasingly nervous about her role in the clandestine operation.

Well into her second trimester, she has a new worry -- travelling to a foreign country.

"Another agent explained to me that I should continue my pregnancy in China," she said. "He said it is better for my safety and my baby's."
United Airlines announced a slew of new routes Wednesday amid what the carrier says is a record expansion of its network.

The 11 new routes are a mix of seasonal and year-round routes that will start when Uniteds summer schedule begins June 6. (Scroll down for full details)

The expansion adds one new city  Stockton, California  to Uniteds route map, but the other routes represent new connections to cities the airline already serves. About half are weekend-only service.

Uniteds Chicago OHare hub is the biggest beneficiary of the expansion, landing seven mostly seasonal routes that include options to Colorado, Florida and Nova Scotia. Also coming to Chicago are two routes to Oregon, including a seasonal option to Redmond and a year-round route to Eugene.

TODAY IN THE SKY: United Airlines expands in San Francisco with flights to Melbourne, New Delhi, Toronto

United also targeted its hub at Houston Bush Intercontinental for two new routes (Durango, Colorado, and Ontario, California) as well as one each for Los Angeles (Stockton) and Washington Dulles (Traverse City, Michigan). Those routes are seasonal, except for the Ontario-Houston service.

With the additions, United says it has announced 93 new routes in 2018, adding more flights than any U.S. airline, according to the company. Of those 93, 15 have been international routes, including high-profile additions to destinations in Tahiti, Australia, India, Israel and the Czech Republic, among others.

Most of the routes announced Wednesday focus on summer beach and mountain locales, but United touted its year-long expansion push.

TODAY IN THE SKY: First look: United shows off its first Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner (story continues below)

We are focused on giving our customers more reasons to choose to fly United Airlines, Ankit Gupta, Uniteds vice president of Domestic Network Planning and Scheduling, says in a statement. With nearly 100 new routes announced this year, we continue to deliver on our commitment to build a global network with destinations where our customers want to fly.

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Scroll down for the full details on the 11 routes United revealed on Wednesday.

Chicago OHare

Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Florida: Weekend-only service begins June 8; one round-trip flight each Saturday and Sunday on Bombardier CRJ-200 regional jets. Seasonal for summer schedule.

Durango, Colorado: Weekend-only service begins June 8; one round-trip flight each Saturday on Bombardier CRJ-700 regional jets. Seasonal for summer schedule.

Eugene, Oregon: Daily service begins June 6; one round-trip flight each day on Embraer E175 jets. Year-round. The Chicago-bound flight is a red-eye, departing Eugene at 11:40 p.m. and arriving in Chicago at 5:15 a.m. (all times local). Year-round.

TODAY IN THE SKY: United Airlines adds Prague and Naples, Italy

Grand Junction, Colorado: Weekend-only service begins June 8; one round-trip flight each Saturday on Bombardier CRJ-700 regional jets. Seasonal for summer schedule.

Halifax, Nova Scotia: Daily service begins June 6; one round-trip flight each day on Embraer E175 jets. Seasonal for summer schedule.

Panama City, Florida: Weekend-only service begins June 8; one round-trip flight each Saturday and Sunday on Bombardier CRJ-200 regional jets. Seasonal for summer schedule.

Redmond, Oregon: Daily service begins June 6; one round-trip flight each day on Embraer E175 jets. The Chicago-bound flight is a red-eye, departing Eugene at 11:45 p.m. and arriving Chicago at 5:15 a.m. (all times local). Seasonal for summer schedule.

TODAY IN THE SKY: United Airlines will fly to Germany from hub in Denver

Houston Bush Intercontinental

Durango, Colorado: Weekend-only service begins June 8; one round-trip flight each Saturday on Embraer E175 jets. Seasonal for summer schedule.

Ontario, California: Daily service begins June 6; one round-trip flight each day on Embraer E175 jets. The Houston-bound flight is a red-eye, departing Ontario at 11:40 p.m. and arriving to Houston at 5:10 a.m. (all times local). Year-round.

TODAY IN THE SKY: Sleepbox micro-hotel set open at Washington Dulles International Airport

Los Angeles

Stockton, California: Daily service begins June 6; two round-trip flights each day on Bombardier CRJ-200 regional jets. Year-round.

Washington Dulles

Traverse City, Michigan: Weekend-only service begins June 8; one round-trip flight each Saturday on Embraer E145 regional jets. Seasonal for summer schedule.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: United Airlines adds 11 routes amid 'record' network expansion
Washington (AFP) - The United States military will continue its air campaign in Syria at least in the short term, the Pentagon said Thursday, after President Donald Trump declared victory over the Islamic State group.

Trump shocked the US establishment and international allies Wednesday when he announced that all US troops would be withdrawn from Syria.

He did not address the air campaign, in which the United States and partner nations including France and Britain have spent years pounding IS targets across the country.

Pentagon spokeswoman Commander Rebecca Rebarich said the US would continue its air war while American soldiers were in Syria -- but she would not say if the campaign would continue afterward.

"As long are there are troops on the ground, the US will conduct air strikes in support of our forces," Rebarich told AFP.

"As for anything post-US troops on the ground, we will not speculate on future operations."

A US defense official told AFP that "there's not a lot of clarity on the future situation."

"What we do in the air campaign will depend on the situation on the ground, and what partners and allies who are continuing the fight against ISIS do," the official said.

France and Britain have already indicated they will continue counter-IS operations.

The air war has been the keystone of US operations in Syria, with warplanes and drones hammering IS targets since 2014.

According to the most recent official strike summary, published on Wednesday, the US-led coalition conducted 208 air and artillery strikes in Syria last week.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  A U.S. special envoy for North Korea on Thursday visited a border village the rival Koreas has been demilitarizing as part of steps to reduce military tensions amid a larger diplomatic push to resolve the nuclear crisis.

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul did not provide details about Stephen Biegun's visit to Panmunjom. He wasn't expected to meet with North Korean officials at the village, which is often used for diplomacy between the allies and North Korea.

Biegun said after arriving in South Korea on Wednesday that Washington was reviewing easing travel restrictions on North Korea to facilitate humanitarian shipments to help resolve an impasse in nuclear negotiations.

North Korea hasn't responded to Biegun's comments. The North's state media recently warned that the United States' continued commitment to sanctions and criticism about the North's human rights record could "block the path to denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula forever."

During his four-day visit to South Korea, Biegun plans to discuss with South Korean officials the allies' policies on North Korea, including the enforcement of sanctions. The meetings are likely to include conversations about a groundbreaking ceremony the Koreas plan to hold at Panmunjom next week for a project to reconnect their roads and railways.

The nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled since a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June, when they issued a vague promise for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula without describing how or when it would occur. The United States wants North Korea to provide a detailed account of nuclear and missile facilities that would be inspected and dismantled under a potential deal, while the North is insisting that sanctions be lifted first.

The stalemate has been a setback for liberal South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has been actively pushing for reconciliation with the North. Washington and Seoul also have disagreed over the pace of inter-Korean engagement, which Washington says should move in tandem with U.S.-led efforts to denuclearize the North.

Through three summits between Moon and Kim this year, the Koreas agreed to a variety of goodwill gestures and vowed to resume economic cooperation when possible, voicing optimism that international sanctions could end to allow such activity. The rivals have also taken steps to reduce their conventional military threat, such as removing mines and firearms from Panmunjom, destroying some front-line guard posts and creating buffer zones along their land and sea boundaries and a no-fly zone above the border.
Scarborough Leader

Funding for the project would come from a bond and through a capital campaign.
US army soldiers at coalition force Forward Operating Base (FOB) Connelly in the Khogyani district in the eastern province of Nangarhar - AFP

The US plans to dramatically cut troop levels in Afghanistan as President Donald Trump reshapes Americas foreign commitments and fulfills long-standing promises to bring military forces home.

The Pentagon will withdraw 7,000 of about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, according to a US defence official.

The decision emerged a day after Trump said he would pull US forces from Syria, a move most of his national security team had opposed for months. And it comes as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis announced plans to resign, citing differences with Trump over the value of Americas alliances and leadership in the world.

Trump has long criticised the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan, the longest military conflict in US history and one that has cost about 2,300 American lives. He only reluctantly agreed to his military advisers request to allow about 4,000 more troops to be sent to the country last year.

Since American troops first arrived in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Sept 11, 2001 terror attacks, the US has appropriated about $126 billion for relief and reconstruction, including $78 billion for security, according to a July report from a Pentagon watchdog. Yet the US presence and funding couldnt prevent conditions on the ground from deteriorating.

US Defense Secretary James Mattis and senior advisor Sally Donnelly arrive via helicopter at Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan April 24, 2017 Credit: JONATHAN ERNST/Reuters

According to the Pentagon watchdogs reports, the Kabul governments grip on the country has been consistently shrinking, civilian deaths have been rising and the production of poppy used to make heroin was surging.

Publicly, Trumps national security team has said its approach was effective. During a trip to Afghanistan in July, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo insisted that Trumps strategy to fight the Taliban was working. Those thoughts were similar to those shared by Mattis, who earlier this year called Afghanistan a tough fight but said the American effort is working from our perspective.

There was an acknowledgement, however, that American firepower could only go so far. The newest commander on the ground, General Scott Miller, said in an October interview with NBC News that the conflict is not going to be won militarily.

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My assessment is the Taliban also realises they cannot win militarily, Miller told NBC. So if you realise you cant win militarily at some point, fighting is just  people start asking why.

Trumps decision came hours after the Pentagon published a new quarterly report on Afghanistan that described the military situation as of Nov 30 as being at an impasse. The arrival of additional US advisers this year helped slow the momentum of a Taliban march that had capitalised on US draw-downs between 2011 and 2016, it said.

Afghan forces remain in control of most of Afghanistans population centers and all of the provincial capitals, while the Taliban control large portions of Afghanistans rural areas, and continue to attack poorly defended government checkpoints and rural district centers, it said.

The decision to withdraw forces comes as the US tries to broker talks aimed at bringing a more lasting peace to Afghanistan. American officials held talks with Taliban representatives in the United Arab Emirates this week, joined by officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the UAE.

One sticking point has been the Talibans refusal to talk directly with Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis government, saying doing so would be a waste of time because they see his government as illegitimate.
Beirut (AFP) - President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw US troops from Syria risks shattering a cornerstone of Washington's Middle East policy by allowing Iran to consolidate a "land bridge" to the Mediterranean.

The much-bandied about scenario that sees Iran redrawing the regional map by entrenching a land corridor across Iraq, Syria and Lebanon is becoming a reality, analysts say.

Critics of Trump's decision argue that for all his fiercely anti-Iranian stance, he has just gifted Tehran a decades-old strategic goal.

Trump made the shock announcement on Wednesday, saying that the troop deployment in Syria was no longer needed because the Islamic State (IS) group had been defeated.

Many in his own camp challenged that assessment and warned that such a move would abandon the ground to the United States' main regional foe.

The top Republican and Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee even issued a rare joint statement warning against "a strategic error" that would empower "malign actors such as Russia and Iran".

Iran has thousands of regular forces deployed across Syria in support of the regime, as well as thousands of militiamen it supports from various countries.

"It is clearly a strategic victory for Tehran," said Middle East analyst Julien Theron. "It will allow it to remove the Western buffer between Syria and Iraq."

The United States currently has around 2,000 forces deployed in Syria in two areas along the Iraqi border that did not fully block Iranian movement but kept it in check.

- Threat to Israel -

One is in support of Kurdish-led forces spearheading the ongoing battle against IS jihadists east of the Euphrates River in northeastern Syria.

The other is further south at the Al-Tanaf desert base, where Damascus and its allies have repeatedly said US troops had no reason to be.

US troops in Iraq and in Syria keep some level of pressure on the "Iranian land bridge", stretching from Iran to the Mediterranean.

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Syria's government, which has recently been reclaiming control over vast swathes of territory it lost when the war broke out in 2011, is aligned with Tehran.

The government in Iraq, a regional Sunni bastion until Saddam Hussein's fall in 2003, is Shiite-dominated and militia groups loyal to Iran play an important security role across much of the country.

One of the reasons for the White House to oppose a "land bridge" is preventing Iran from expanding its military footprint, including to positions in Syria and Lebanon near the border with US ally Israel.

"The White House should understand that a key element of its Iran policy is at stake here," the Washington Institute said in a policy paper.

"Namely, the effort to keep Tehran from entrenching itself in Syria, establishing a land bridge to Lebanon, and directly threatening Israel," it said.

Significant chunks of Lebanon are controlled by Hezbollah, a Shiite organisation with very close ties to Iran and a powerful military branch.

- 'Really messy' -

Hezbollah was created at Tehran's initiative as an anti-Israeli proxy, a few years after the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran.

Bassam Abu Abdallah, who heads the Damascus Centre for Strategic Research and is close to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said however that the impact of the US withdrawal was being exaggerated.

US national security adviser John Bolton had previously said that US troops would remain in Syria as long as Iranian forces remained deployed there.

Abu Abdallah argued that, similarly, Iranian troops would be less needed once US forces leave.

"There is no doubt that this withdrawal will lead in the long term to a scaling down of the Iranian military presence," he said.

"But for now the conditions are not yet there for a easing of the military deployment," he added.

Aaron Lund, an analyst at the Century Foundation, said however that it was too early to say who would fill the security vacuum left behind by the Americans.

"I think we'll have to wait and see what happens, how quickly and completely the United States withdraws and who fills the void," he said.

"It could get really messy," Lund said.
Washington (AFP) - US politicians and international allies scrambled Friday to make sense of President Donald Trump's momentous foreign policy decisions for Syria and Afghanistan -- epic reversals that prompted Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to quit.

Trump's historic moves to pull out of Syria and slash troop numbers in Afghanistan run counter to years of US doctrine in the region, and set the stage for a cascading series of events that could well result in more bloodshed across a scarred region.

While many Americans -- and not just his supporters -- lauded Trump's decision, fed up after years of costly and spiraling conflicts, politicians of every stripe were tripping over each other to voice their condemnation.

"Reducing the American presence in Afghanistan and removing our presence in Syria will reverse... progress, encourage our adversaries, and make America less safe," said Republican Congressman Mac Thornberry, a Trump ally who heads the House Armed Services Committee.

In the Pentagon, no one seemed to know what comes next.

"We are referring all questions to the White House," one spokeswoman said, when asked about the momentous Afghanistan withdrawal.

Mattis, who was seen as a voice of moderation and widely trusted by allies, resigned Thursday after telling Trump he could not abide the Syria decision.

It leaves vulnerable to a Turkish attack thousands of Kurdish fighters the Pentagon has spent years training and arming to fight the Islamic State group.

- 'No surprise' -

In Afghanistan, the Taliban welcomed Trump's partial pull out, with a spokesman saying the group was "more than happy."

Bill Roggio, an Afghanistan expert and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told AFP the Trump administration's Middle East policy is in disarray.

"I do not know what its policy is, specifically with respect to what was known as the War on Terror," he said.

Story continues

"Until Trump articulates a policy, it appears isolationism has won the day."

Trump campaigned on a pledge of "America First" and vowed to limit US engagement overseas, so his action on Afghanistan and Syria aren't bolts from the blue, and many observers were pleased with his actions.

Just weeks before Mattis announced a surge of troops in Afghanistan in August 2017, polls showed Americans were weary of war and lacked confidence that Washington had any winning strategy.

A Morning Consult-Politico poll at the time showed only 23 percent of people thought the US was "winning" in Afghanistan; 38 percent thought it was "losing."

"Trump ran on a platform of non-intervention, 'no more stupid wars,' and promised to get out of the nation-building business," Daniel Davis, a retired army lieutenant colonel and senior fellow at the Defense Priorities military think tank, told AFP.

"That, in general terms, is his policy, which is fundamentally sound."

In March, Trump said he wanted to bring troops home "soon" from Syria and last year, when he agreed to boost the US troop presence in Afghanistan, he said he was doing so against his own instincts.

"Getting out of Syria was no surprise," Trump tweeted on Thursday.

"I've been campaigning on it for years, and six months ago, when I very publicly wanted to do it, I agreed to stay longer," he added, noting that it was "time to come home" and "time for others to finally fight."

- 'Strategic mistake' -

Trump claims IS has been defeated territorially in Syria, even though thousands of fighters remain and still hold small pockets of land.

His withdrawal from Syria abruptly ends American influence in the war-ravaged country and gives the Turks an opening to attack US-backed Kurds.

Trump reportedly made the decision during a phone call last week with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

By ceding Syria, Trump is also yanking a keystone of his own administration's foreign policy: to push back against Iran, which supports President Bashar al-Assad and is seeking to expand regional influence.

"This is a huge strategic mistake that I hope the president will reconsider," Jack Keane, a retired general, told Fox News.

"If he does not, I believe with some degree of confidence that he will come to regret this decision."

Keane has been one of the names in the Washington rumor mill to replace Mattis.

He went on to warn that Trump was repeating the "mistakes" of president Barack Obama, who for years drew withering criticism from Republicans for pulling US troops out of Iraq, only to see the emergence of IS.

Trump's withdrawal orders, meanwhile, rattled Europe.

French Defense Minister Florence Parly said there was still "has a job to finish" in Syria and called on the US to discuss its withdrawal with other members of a coalition fighting IS.

Britain's junior defense minister Tobias Ellwood had contradicted Trump on Wednesday, retweeting his message that the jihadists had been defeated in Syria with the words: "I strongly disagree.

"It has morphed into other forms of extremism and the threat is very much alive," he wrote.
The slowdown in the global economy took a toll on FedEx (NYSE: FDX) in its fiscal second quarter. Partly as a consequence, management lowered its full-year guidance and backed off its longer-term forecast for its FedEx Express segment. There's a lot going on with the shipping giant at the moment, so let's take a closer look at what management reported.

FedEx second-quarter earnings: The raw numbers

Breaking down revenue and operating income by segment shows that the company's difficulties were pretty much isolated to its express business. FedEx Ground and FedEx Freight had strong quarters, and management's commentary concerning shipping during the holiday season suggested FedEx is handling the peak demand period well.

For example, said CEO Fred Smith on the Dec. 18 earnings call, "Just yesterday, 67% of FedEx Ground packages were delivered one full day earlier than scheduled, despite it being one of the busiest days in the history of our company."

Business Segment Revenue Revenue Year-Over-Year Growth Operating Income Operating Income Year-Over-Year Growth FedEx Express $9.604 billion 6% $620 million 3% FedEx Ground $5.142 billion 14% $586 million 18% FedEx Freight $1.918 billion 15% $148 million 37% Total $17.824 billion 9% $1.168 billion 5%

Data source: FedEx presentations.

Guidance cut

In fact, the weakness in the express segment was the reason management cut its fiscal 2019 earnings guidance:

Full-year diluted EPS before retirement plan accounting adjustments is now expected to be in the range of $12.65 to $13.40, compared to a previous forecast range of $15.85 to $16.45.

Full-year diluted EPS before retirement plan accounting adjustments and excluding TNT Express integration charges, legal matters, and deferred tax liabilities is now expected to be in the range of $15.50 to $16.60, compared to a previous range of $17.20 to $17.80.

Moreover, management revised its longer-term growth forecast for the express segment. "[T]he target to increase FedEx Express operating income by $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion over fiscal 2017 results will not be achieved in fiscal 2020," the company said in a press release.

Story continues

What's happening at FedEx Express

Management alluded to two issues, both of which relate to the TNT Express business that the company acquired in 2016 and folded into FedEx Express.

First, said Smith, "[O]ur international business, especially in Europe, weakened significantly since we last talked with you during our earnings call in September. In addition, China's economy has weakened due in part to trade disputes." Economic weakness in Europe has had a disproportionate impact on FedEx's profit improvement plan for its express segment because TNT is a European operator.

As Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Raj Subramaniam noted, "World trade [growth] slowed in Q3 to just 3.5% compared to 5.3% in Q3 2017. Leading indicators point to positive but even slower trade growth near term."

Second, FedEx continues to feel the aftereffects of 2017's NotPetya cyberattack. The impact of the attack was most heavily felt at TNT Express in 2017, but according to COO Dave Bronczek, "Following TNT's recovery from the cyberattack, we have seen an accelerated shift of our product mix to more freight than parcel, putting pressure on our system and, of course, our cost."

Bronczek discussed the issue on the earnings call, arguing that TNT's highly regarded freight and specialty freight products "came booming back, because no one is better than we are in that product." However, since they tend to have a lower margin than express and parcel products (which didn't come back as strongly), TNT Express is suffering a negative impact on margin.

As a consequence of these two issues, management lowered its guidance, and it's worth noting that the new earnings forecasts assume "no further weakening in international economic conditions."

A cargo port.

Image source: Getty Images

Looking ahead

While most of the media attention around international trade naturally focuses on the U.S./China trade dispute, FedEx's principal trouble spot at the moment is Europe. Specifically, the economic weakening in the region is putting the company behind schedule in terms of profiting from the integration of its TNT acquisition into FedEx Express.

In other words, even if President Donald Trump and President Xi Jingping start to see eye to eye on trade issues, FedEx could still face difficulties. That's something investors should keep an eye out for in the coming calendar year.

More From The Motley Fool

Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends FedEx. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
We are living through a revolution in home technology, with smart-home gadgets changing everything from our heating systems to how we store and order food.

Its going to change the way we design and build homes as rooms will no longer be centred on huge televisions, racks of video equipment and wall switches.

In fact, the home of the future might seem strangely simple compared to the cluttered dwellings we live in today.

Yahoo spoke to smart home installers and international technology experts to predict how technology is going to change the way we live and what the home of the future will look like.

Homes will look retro

To people today, the home of the future might seem almost retro in its simplicity, says James Tillyard of smart home installer Mosaic Audio & Visual.

Tillyard says, I see the home of the future being simplified, with a large dose of what might be considered retro. Integrating the lighting, heating, cooling and ventilation, using a single control platform, is already happening on high-end properties, but it will become the normal standard.

This, combined with the resurgence of turntables as an audio source, a cursory glance at the room of the near future will lead you to thinking that is has technology levels more in common with the 1950s than the 2020s.

Voice control will be built into every room

Voice command systems are already being built into the fabric of some new-build homes, with companies offering Alexa voice command capabilites built into every light switch.

In the future, homes could be controlled 100% by voice, according to Zak Vracevic of home audio installer M.E.G.A AV Installations.

Vracevic says, Voice control is slowly creeping into our daily lives and 100% voice control will become a norm very very soon. Alexa can already read you your daily calendar appointments or compile shopping list, even switch light or TV on and off. Those who experienced it never go back!

James Bond technology will become normal

Story continues

Features such as motorised gates have previously been the preserve of the rich, but easily available smart home technologies will bring such James Bond tech down in price.

From window blinds which glide up at the tap of a button to fireplaces which automatically ignite as you go past, such technology will become more common.

Matt Nimmons, Managing Director, EMEA of international home installer association CEDIA says, With the help of a home tech pro, almost anything is possible, from electronic weathervanes and gas fireplaces to snow melting systems and flood detectors to motorized windows and gates.

Home control can also give mundane tasks like heating and lighting control a futuristic kind of cool.

There will be fewer TVs

Rooms in future homes will no longer be dominated by huge, looming flat screens, and instead people will rely on projectors and handhelds.

Sonys Lifespace UX system was shown off in a futuristic home in which an (alarmingly expensive) short-throw projector could replace TVs, leaving rooms looking less cluttered.

Buyers of high-end smart homes are already buying fewer televisions, says Mosaics James Tillyard.

We are already seeing the decline in demand for televisions, he told us. Where we used to be expected to install one in every bedroom, even larger family homes might now only have one in the family room and another in the master bedroom.

In some cases there are no visible displays, with a projector being the sole fixed viewing platform.

Technology will be hidden

Smart home installers are already seeing demand for homes which hide technology, and in future, homes themselves will increasingly act like invisible servants.

Instead of homeowners having to replenish stocks of groceries, for instance, fridges will order it for them and lights will come on as users walk in, and switch off as they leave.

Christian Lane, CEO of smart appliance company, Smarter, says for me the smart home is the future home, with deep-learning and seamless technology that can identify your characteristics, routines and habits while continually working unnoticed in the background of your everyday life.

We want technology to become more ingrained in our lives and take on a more human approach to how we interact it with it, as is the case with the likes of Alexa voice command.

Every appliance in your house will be smart

In the future, every appliance in the home will be connected, with homeowners able to remote control them via apps or voice commands says, Fred Potter, Founder and CEO of French smart home appliance company, Netatmo.

Potter says, the home becoming fully smart is no longer an if but a when. We are confident in predicting that within a decade the majority of all products sold will be connected.

While the market is currently focused on things like light fixtures, air quality sensors, security and energy, the smart home will expand to include every feature of your home.

Home batteries will change the way we use electricity

In the future, many of us will actually sell electricity back to the National Grid, or to our neighbours, with high-capacity batteries built into our homes.

Green energy companies are already trialling home batteries, but the technology (championed by pioneers such as Elon Musk) will become widespread, with users buying cheap electricity off-peak to either use or sell on. Homeowners will also generate their own power using solar panels, and could even sell it to neighbours.

Allan Burns, director of green energy company, Ecoelectrical, says, a smart home user-interface might well give you a dial to decide how green you want your electricity and gas to be. Peer-to-peer energy trading using new technologies such as blockchain could erode the energy monopoly in this country.
In 2015 Kin Sung was appointed CEO of China Silver Group Limited (HKG:815). This analysis aims first to contrast CEO compensation with other companies that have similar market capitalization. Next, well consider growth that the business demonstrates. Third, well reflect on the total return to shareholders over three years, as a second measure of business performance. This method should give us information to assess how appropriately the company pays the CEO.

See our latest analysis for China Silver Group

How Does Kin Sungs Compensation Compare With Similar Sized Companies?

Our data indicates that China Silver Group Limited is worth HK$1.3b, and total annual CEO compensation is CN2.6m. (This figure is for the year to 2017). It is worth noting that the CEO compensation consists almost entirely of the salary, worth CN2.6m. We looked at a group of companies with market capitalizations from CN689m to CN2.8b, and the median CEO compensation was CN1.9m.

As you can see, Kin Sung is paid more than the median CEO pay at companies of a similar size, in the same market. However, this does not necessarily mean China Silver Group Limited is paying too much. A closer look at the performance of the underlying business will give us a better idea about whether the pay is particularly generous.

You can see, below, how CEO compensation at China Silver Group has changed over time.

SEHK:815 CEO Compensation December 21st 18

Is China Silver Group Limited Growing?

Over the last three years China Silver Group Limited has grown its earnings per share (EPS) by an average of 38% per year. Its revenue is down -20% over last year.

Overall this is a positive result for shareholders, showing that the company has improved in recent years. The lack of revenue growth isnt ideal, but it is the bottom line that counts most in business.

We dont have analyst forecasts, but shareholders might want to examine this detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Story continues

Has China Silver Group Limited Been A Good Investment?

With a three year total loss of 61%, China Silver Group Limited would certainly have some dissatisfied shareholders. So shareholders would probably think the company shouldnt be too generous with CEO compensation.

In Summary

We examined the amount China Silver Group Limited pays its CEO, and compared it to the amount paid by similar sized companies. Our data suggests that it pays above the median CEO pay within that group.

Importantly, though, the company has impressed with its earnings per share growth, over three years. Having said that, shareholders may be disappointed with the weak returns over the last three years. Considering the per share profit growth, but keeping in mind the weak returns, wed need more time to form a view on CEO compensation. Whatever your view on compensation, you might want to check if insiders are buying or selling China Silver Group shares (free trial).

Or you might prefer examine intently this intuitive graph showing past earnings and revenue.

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.
The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center on Thursday handed out its annual Lump of Coal award for the worst tax idea of the year. The impressive list of nominees from TPCs Howard Gleckman include:

* Seattles head tax on large employers to support programs that help the homeless, which Gleckman said could harm the citys job market and possibly make homelessness worse.

* President Trumps tariffs, which in the end are simply import taxes paid by American citizens.

* Deceptive PR campaigns by Big Soda in its fight against local taxes on sweet drinks.

* Tax breaks in Opportunity Zones that, while perhaps a good idea in theory, could end up being a give-away for real estate developers and wealthy investors, including some of the presidents relatives.

* The $2 billion in tax incentives provided by New York and Virginia to coax Amazon to locate its new headquarters in those states  even though evidence shows these giveaways rarely pay for themselves.

* The effort by blue state governors to have the new limits on state and local tax (SALT) deduction declared unconstitutional, despite a long record of Congress imposing such limits.

While thats certainly an impressive list, Gleckman argues that one other tax idea from the past year stands out as truly the worst:

* President Trumps phantom 10 percent tax cut for the middle class. Offered in the heat of the midterm political campaign, the promised tax cut for regular people never materialized. Yet despite the ideas dubious provenance and prospects, it received extensive coverage from policy experts and the media. For that reason, Gleckman declares that President Trump must share his lump of coal with those who, like mice on a wheel, chased after it as if it had been a serious proposal.

Read TPCs full list of bad tax ideas for 2018 here.

Like what you're reading? Sign up for our free newsletter.




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.
A US police department has blamed crime on young people having turned away from God and embraced Satan.

In a now-deleted Facebook post on Tuesday police in the town of Opp, Alabama, detailed a number of killings in the area over the past year, before offering an unusual explanation.

THESE MURDERS HAVE BEEN DONE BY OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, read the post, which was all in capital letters.

THIS IS HAPPENING BECAUSE WE HAVE TURNED AWAY FROM GOD AND EMBRACED SATAN. WE HAVE NOT MEANT TO DO SO BUT, WE HAVE.

IT IS TIME TO FULLY SUPPORT LAW ENFORCEMENT AND STAND BY THE OFFICERS AND DEPUTIES THAT ARE FAR TOO OFTEN HAVING TO WALK INTO THESE DANGEROUS SITUATIONS AND CLEAN UP THE MESS.

FRIENDS, IT IS TIME TO STAND UP AND BE RESPONSIBLE, GROWN UP LEADERS IN OUR COMMUNITY. BOTTOM LINE, THERE ARE SHEEP; THERE ARE WOLVES AND THERE ARE SHEEP DOGS. WHICH GROUP DO YOU BELONG TO?

Who is policing the police? The Freedom From Religion Foundation, thats who! The state/church watchdog is calling out the police department in the City of Opp, Ala. for blatant, illegal religious promotion on its Facebook page. https://t.co/ZUtXjISOg9 pic.twitter.com/k23u3WrgkT  FFRF (@FFRF) December 20, 2018

The message was criticised by Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRT), a group that opposes mixing government and religious faith.

The organisation said police in the town of 6,500 people were wrongly promoting religion. The group said it was illegal for a government entity to endorse or criticise religious belief.

Who is policing the police? FFRT wrote on Twitter, before condemning the blatant, illegal religious promotion on the police departments Facebook page.

Opp police appear to regularly promote Christian messages on their Facebook page.

God bless each and all on this Monday, one post read earlier this week, while another said: May God bless you and protect you.

Opp police have been contacted for comment.
For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  December 21, 2018 - Stocks in this weeks article are Amedisys Inc. AMED, Marine Products Corp. MPX, Foot Locker Inc. FL, Systemax Inc. SYX and Comfort Systems USA Inc. FIX.

Ride DuPont Analysis with These Top 5 Stocks

In a market where complacency levels may falter any time thanks to central banks moves, geo-political concerns and macroeconomic issues, picking the right stock is a challenge. The return-on-equity metric goes a long way in resolving this issue.

The metric enables investors to differentiate between a profit-churner and a profit-burner. It is a profitability ratio that measures the earnings that a company generates from its equity.

But to fine-tune this basic concept, one can land on DuPont analysis. This theory will take investors a step higher and better pick some quality stocks.

Here is how DuPont breaks down ROE into its different components:

ROE = Net Income/Equity

Net Income / Equity = (Net Income / Sales) * (Sales / Assets) * (Assets / Equity)

ROE = Profit Margin * Asset Turnover Ratio * Equity Multiplier

Why Use DuPont?

Although one cant play down the importance of normal ROE calculation, the fact remains that it doesnt always provide a complete picture. The DuPont analysis, on the other hand, allows investors to assess the elements that play a dominant role in any change in ROE. It can help investors to segregate companies having higher margins from those having high turnover. For example, high-end fashion brands generally survive on high margin as compared with retail goods, which rely on higher turnover.

In fact, it also sheds light on the companys leverage status, which can go a long way in selecting stocks poised for gains. A lofty ROE could be due to the overuse of debt. Thus, the strength of a company can be misleading if it has a high debt load.

So, an investor confined solely to an ROE perspective may be confused if he or she has to judge between two stocks of equal ratio. This is where DuPont analysis wins over and spots the better stock.

Story continues

Investors can simply do this analysis by taking a look at the companys financials. However, looking at financial statements of each company separately can be a tedious task. Screening tools like Zacks Research Wizard can come to your rescue and help you shortlist the stocks that look impressive with a DuPont analysis.

For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/343837/ride-on-dupont-analysis-with-5-top-stocks

Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.

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Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News

Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has more than doubled the market from 1988 through 2016. Its average gain has been a stellar +25% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>.

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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.



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P2 (2007)



Director:

Frankenfish (2004)



Director:

Late Phases (2014)



Director:

Lake Nowhere (2014)



Director:

The Haunting (1963)



Director:

A Self-Induced Hallucination (2018)



Director:

Dan Schoenbrun

The Wailing (2016)

Director:

Cam (2018)



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The Devils Doorway (2018)



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The Brood (1979)



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Graphic made using icons made by Roundicons from www.flaticon.com , under a Creative Commons license.

Here are some of the best horror films I watched this year; they're not necessarily films that were released this year. My rules for narrowing them down were that: It had to be a horror movie new to me, I had to rate it 4 stars or higher on Letterboxd, and no big-name 2018 releases. (So no, etc.) I loved those movies but I wanted to the list to be more interesting. So, here they are, in no particular order:Franck KhalfounAngela, a corporate climber, gets stuck working late on Christmas Eve and finds herself the target of an unhinged security guard. With no help in sight, the woman must overcome physical and psychological challenges to survive.Mark A.Z. DippeWhen the body of a man is found completely destroyed in the swamps in Louisiana, the medical investigator Sam Rivers is assigned to investigate the murder. He travels with the biologist Mary Callahan to the location where the victim lived in a floating house and he meets his family and friends. They find that Chinese snake-heads genetically engineered that belong to a wealthy hunter are attacking and killing the locals. While the group fights to survive, the hunter Jeff arrives with his team to hunt the predators.Adrian Garcia BoglianoWhen deadly attacks from the forests beset a secluded retirement community, it is up to a grizzled veteran to figure what the residents are hiding.Christopher Phelps, Maxim Van ScoyInspired by the dusty days of VHS, LAKE NOWHERE is preceded by original trailers & commercials, replicating the experience of watching a long lost bootleg tape. When a group of friends arrive at a desolate lakeside cabin, they are stalked and murdered by a Masked Maniac, whose lust for blood transcends our world. This age-old tale of senseless slaughter quickly spirals into the realm of supernatural horror and classic monster movies, as we learn the true power that lies within LAKE NOWHERE.Robert WiseDr. Markway, doing research to prove the existence of ghosts, investigates Hill House, a large, eerie mansion with a lurid history of violent death and insanity.All Ill share about A SELF-INDUCED HALLUCINATION is this: its about the internet, and its quite strange.Na Hong-jinA stranger arrives in a little village and soon after a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman is drawn into the incident and is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter.Daniel GoldhaberA young camgirl discovers that shes inexplicably been replaced on her site with an exact replica of herself.Aislinn ClarkeIn the autumn of 1960, Father Thomas Riley and Father John Thornton were sent by the Vatican to investigate a miraculous event in an Irish home for fallen women, only to uncover something much more horrific.David CronenbergA man tries to uncover an unconventional psychologist's therapy techniques on his institutionalized wife, amidst a series of brutal murders.
Chinese refiners are not buying more U.S. oil despite the three-month truce agreed by Presidents Trump and Xi last month, Reuters reports, citing cargo loading plans of Chinese downstream operators.

According the Reuters, Chinese demand for U.S. crude has been dampened by political uncertainty around the trade war and, more directly, by relatively high costs of transportation. This means that despite the truce and future positive developments in bilateral talks on trade, U.S. oil will have yet to become a major element of Chinas imported crude oil mix.

One Chinese analyst told Reuters that price was the top consideration of buyers and the price of U.S. oil simply wasnt competitive.

Chinese companies have little incentive to buy U.S. crude due to the wide availability of crude supplies today from Iran and Russia, Seng Yick Tee from consultancy SIA Energy said. Yet trade tensions are not helping, either. With the constant threat of more tariffs, refiners are reluctant to change their buying habits.

Even though the trade tension between China and the U.S. had been defused recently, the executives from the national oil companies hesitate to procure U.S. crude unless they are told to do so.

U.S. crude oil exports hit a high of 23.95 million barrels in October 2017, data from the Energy Information Administration shows, but have since then declined, reaching 2.17 million barrels in September this year before Chinese refiners completely stopped buying U.S. crude in October.

Yet Chinas total oil imports in October, on the other hand, hit 40.80 million tons (9.61 million bpd), of which teapots imported 8.22 million tons. This was the highest monthly oil import amount on record, according to customs data from Beijing. The increase came despite depressed refining margins that could have motivated lower appetite for crude but apparently did not. The independent refiners drove the increase as they sought to fulfill their import quotas until year-end.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Australia will likely export more liquefied natural gas in the next financial yearto end-June 2019after the start of production of three more large-scale facilities offshore during the second half of 2018, the Resources and Energy Quarterly report by the Australian Department of Industry said.

Following the launch of production at Chevrons and Woodsides Wheatstone LNG project and Inpex Ichthys, the Department of Industry expects the countrys total LNG exports next fiscal year to reach 74.9 million tons. In the next financial year, to end-June 2020, the department sees a further increase, to 78.3 million tons.

The FY 2018/2019 forecast, however, assumes Shells Prelude project will begin production before this years end, as scheduled. However, Shell has not yet announced the launch of commercial production at Prelude.

Wheatstone added 8.9 million tons of LNG to Australias total liquefaction capacity when it began producing, with Ichthys adding another 8.9 million tons. When it begins production, Prelude will boost this by another 3.6 million tons of LNG annually.

However, although export volumes will grow, this may not be the case for earnings from them, according to the Department of Industry.

Bulk commodity prices are expected to decline modestly over the outlook period, the the Resources and Energy Quarterly report said, as global supply of these commodities improves. These price declines will more than offset the impact of growth in export volumes during that period, leading to a modest decline in export earnings in 201920. Export earnings should still be well above 201718 levels however, reflecting the tightness of resource and energy commodity markets and the benefits of rising Australian commodity production.

Australia in November became the worlds top LNG exporter, surpassing Qatar with an export rate of 6.5 million tons, according to Reuters data. This compares to 6.2 million tons for Qatar.



By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Supermajor BP and partners announced on Friday the final investment decision for the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim liquefied natural gas (LNG) project offshore Senegal and Mauritania in West Africa.

The ultra-deep development, Africas deepest, received final investment decision after the governments of Senegal and Mauritania and the partners in the projectBP, Kosmos Energy, and the two countries national oil companies Petrosen and SMHPMagreed on the production sharing terms.

The Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project will produce gas from an ultra-deepwater subsea system and mid-water floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, BP said. The gas will then be transferred to a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility at a nearshore hub on the Mauritania and Senegal maritime border. The FLNG facility is designed to provide around 2.5 million tons of LNG per year on average, with the total gas resources in the field estimated to be around 15 trillion cubic feet.

The potential to unlock that amount of gas equals to around twice Africas entire 2017 gas production, BP said, noting that the projects location is ideally placed for exports to markets in Europe, South America, and Asia.

Project execution activities are planned to start as early as in the first quarter of 2019, with first gas expected in 2022.

BP is the second European oil and gas major to have given the green light to a major LNG project in the past two months, after Shell announced the final investment decision for Canadas first LNG export project in October. LNG Canada is a joint venture among Shell, Malaysias Petronas, PetroChina, Japans Mitsubishi, and Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS). Shell, which has the largest stake in the venture40 percent, says that first LNG from the Canadian project is expected before the middle of the next decade.

U.S. supermajor Exxon, however, has effectively shelved its WCC LNG project in Canada after withdrawing it from an environmental impact review in British Columbia.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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ExxonMobil has withdrawn its Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project WCC from an environmental impact review, effectively meaning that the plan has been shelved.

The WCC LNG project, led by Exxon and also participated by Imperial Oil Resources Ltd, withdraws from the Environmental Assessment process in British Columbia, the WCC LNG website says in a notice, adding that the website will be available until the end of 2018.

The project, which has been reviewed in Canada since 2015, proposed the development and operation of the WCC LNG Project in Tuck Inlet, within the city limits of Prince Rupert. The proposed Project was to include production, storage, transfer, and loading of LNG onto LNG vessels for marine transportation to international markets.

After careful review, ExxonMobil and Imperial (Oil Resources Limited) have withdrawn the WCC LNG project from the environmental assessment process, a spokewoman told Reuters in an emailed comment on Thursday.

We remain committed to our Canada operations and to ensuring the safe and reliable delivery of oil and gas to our customers, she added.

At WCC LNG Project Ltd.s request, the proposed WCC LNG project has been withdrawn from the environmental assessment process, BCs Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) said.



Related: Dark Horse In Battery Tech Could Beat Tesla

Nathan Braun, Executive Project Director at the EAO, wrote in a letter to WCC LNG Project Ltd Vice President Scott Pinhey:

The Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) has granted the request and the WCC LNG Project has been formally withdrawn from the environmental assessment process under the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Act. If you later decide to pursue the WCC LNG Project again, you will be required to start the process over with the submission of a new project description and associated fees. In that case, the EAO may work with you to determine what work, already completed under the withdrawn EA, is still relevant and could be carried over to the new EA.

This year Canada finally got its first LNG export project after the five companies behind the US$30 billion (C$40 billion) LNG Canada made a final investment decision to proceed with the project in early October.



By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Indias crude oil imports last month totaled 4.2 million tons daily, or 17 million tons for the whole period, which was 11.4 percent lower than the foreign oil intake for the same month last year, S&P Global Platts reported, citing data from New Delhis Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell. On a sequential basis, crude oil imports were down by 19.4 percent, the data also showed.

While part of the reason for the declineto a four-year lowwas a seasonal one, with many Indian refineries shutting down for regular maintenance, the Iran sanctions also had a part to play in discouraging refiners to keep up their usual intake of foreign crude.

However, for the first 11 months of the year, Indian crude oil imports jumped by 5.4 percent on the year to 207.8 million tons, or about 4.56 million barrels daily.

Earlier this year, Wood Mackenzie forecast that India will overtake China as the biggest driver of crude oil demand growth by 2024. In the longer term, between 2017 and 203, Indias oil demand would surge by a total 3.5 billion barrels daily, the firms analysts projected. The factors determining this projection are led by a growing middle class alongside greater mobility among the population.

This demand growth will account for as much as a third of the global total, Wood Mac said, noting that this trend will be accompanied by a possible decline in Chinese oil demand over the period. China has bet big on renewable energy for electricity and on electricity for transportation, which is bound to affect its oil demand sooner rather than later.

India, on the other hand, will need more oil refining capacity in order to be able to satisfy this growing demand for fuels with local products. However, for now signs point to a shortage: until 2023, India only plans to add 400,000 bpd in new refining capacity. But in the longer term, to 2035, it would need a total 3.2-47 million bpd in new capacity, Wood Macs analysts also said. This likely means more refined imports in the future until the capacity shortage problem gets a solution.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Just as OPEC and partners will have started the new round of production cuts to reduce oversupply, Frances Total is set to begin exports from the new ultra-deep Egina oil field offshore Nigeria in February 2019, at an initial rate of just over 100,000 bpd, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, quoting a copy of a loading program for the new grade it had seen.

The Egina oil field project is based on a subsea production system connected to a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit. The fields production capacity is forecast at 200,000 bpdaround 10 percent of Nigerias total oil production, the project operator Total says.

According to Bloomberg estimates, 200,000 bpd in exports will make Egina the fourth biggest Nigerian crude grade in terms of volumes.

The timing of the new field start-up coincides with the OPEC/non-OPEC production cuts, from which Nigeria wasnt spared this time around. The report of start of exports also comes as oil prices continue to be depressed by market fears that the cuts may not be enough to erase the oversupply, especially if fears of slowing global economic growth materialize.

Following a wave of militant violence in 2016 and early 2017, Nigerias oil production started to recover in the latter half of 2017, when attacks on oil infrastructure subsided.

This year, after some hiccups and pipeline outages during the spring and early summer, Nigerias crude oil production has been on the rise since August, and production is set to further increase with the imminent start-up of Egina.



Related: Whats Behind The Crash In Crude?

Despite some concerns over the stability of Nigerias oil operations ahead of the February elections, the country wasnt exempted from the new OPEC+ production cut deal. Fellow African producer Libya, alongside Iran and Venezuela, were granted exemption from the cuts, but Nigeria wasnt.

Nigerian Oil Minister Emmanuel Kachikwu told local news outlet THISDAY last week that the country hadnt asked for an exemption, and that it could contribute with up to 40,000 bpd to the 800,000 bpd OPEC has pledged to cut from January. The 40,000-bpd figure is some 2.5 percent of Nigerias current crude oil production of 1.7 million bpd, the minister said.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The United States has given Iraq a 90-day extension to the initial 45-day waiver allowing Baghdad to continue imports of electricity from Iran after the U.S. sanctions on Tehran returned, the U.S. State Department told the Associated Press on Friday.

Major Iraqi power plants are dependent on Iranian natural gas supply, while Iraq also imports electricity from Iran, as Baghdads power generation is not enough to ensure domestic supply.

Iraq has argued that it needs more time to find alternative sources of electricity supply, or it risks more and more power outages, which were one of the main reasons for protest rallies in the heart of Iraqs oil region in the southern city of Basra this summer.

The U.S., for its part, has been urging Iraq to become energy independent, at least energy independent from Iran.

U.S. Energy Secretary Perry visited Iraq last week for talks with the top government officials, including Oil Minister Thamir Ghadhban.

The Secretary made this trip ahead of the December 18th expiration of Iraqs waiver from Iran sanctions. During his meetings, he delivered a firm message on behalf of the Trump Administration to the newly formed government that the United States is serious about its desire to help make Iraq energy independent, however further steps are needed to improve the business climate and reduce the malign influence of Iran. These steps include increasing oil production and exports north to Turkey to levels not seen since 2017, the Department of Energy said last week.

While the recent agreement between the new government in Baghdad and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) has allowed for resumed oil exports through the Iraqi Kurdistan pipeline, work lies ahead to significantly increase exports, increase domestic electricity generation, and decrease natural gas flaring in order to utilize this readily available energy source. Ultimately, these efforts will reduce Irans influence on Iraq. The Secretary reiterated that it is a priority of the U.S. government to make this happen and we stand ready to offer our assistance in achieving this goal, the U.S. DoE noted.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Four Hongkongers sentenced to life in prison in the Philippines could be deported back home

The Philippine government is studying the option of deporting the four Hongkongers jailed for life in the country for possessing drugs, according to the countrys President Rodrigo Dutertes office.

The remarks followed the Hong Kong governments appeal to Manila to ensure proper treatment and due legal process for the four while Beijing also stressed it gave great importance to the safety and rights of Chinese nationals overseas and would follow the case closely.

The four Hongkongers  Lo Wing-fai, 44, Chan Kwok-tung, 31, Kwok Kam-wah 49, and Leung Shu-fook, 51  were sentenced to life in jail for possession of 467.8 grams of methamphetamines last week.

They have denied the charge and vowed to appeal, saying that their arrest was staged.

Salvador Panelo, presidential spokesman in the Philippines, said his office had been coordinating with the citys justice department on the possibility of deporting the group back to Hong Kong to finally rid this country of these foreign criminals.

Panelo also said that while the four would not be given any special treatment, they would be treated properly.

We also give assurance to their families that they will be given proper treatment in prison, and they will be humanely treated in accordance with the Bill of Rights under our Constitution, as well as with appropriate Philippine laws and rules, Panelo said.

He added the case was clear proof of the governments unrelenting war against illegal drugs.

The Post has contacted the presidents office for further comment.

While Panelo did not elaborate on what deporting meant, Hong Kong and Philippines signed an agreement on prisoners transfer in June 2002.

Under the agreement, Hongkongers jailed in Philippines may be transferred home to serve their sentences if certain conditions are met.

The jail sentence involved in a transfer must also be longer than three years, with at least one year left to serve.

Story continues

It also requires all legal proceedings related to the charge to be settled before the transfer, which implies the four will have to drop their appeal.

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Paul Tse Wai-chun said it was unlikely the Philippines would send the four back to Hong Kong and let them walk free.

Tse, who has been aiding Tang Lung-wai, another Hongkonger jailed in the Philippines, said the term deporting may be a loose reference.

It is more likely for them to deport someone after they have finished serving their sentences, Tse said.

Lo Shu-ho, the sister of Lo Wing-fai, said she would have to visit her brother in person to find out what he thinks about applying for the transfer.

It is more likely we will appeal, Lo Shu-ho said.

They will not admit to crimes they did not commit.

Since the conviction, the families have not been able to make direct contact with the jailed Hongkongers, she added.

Democratic Party lawmaker James To Kun-sun, who has been aiding the families, said there was no need to discuss the possibility of a transfer, as the families will not give up appealing.

They will not admit to being guilty  there is no need to discuss the matter, To said.

The Security Bureau said on Friday that Hongkongers serving sentences in the Philippines may apply to be transferred back to Hong Kong.

We will process their applications in accordance with the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Ordinance, it said.

To arrange a transfer, written consent from the local government where a Hongkonger is detained is also required.

In a reply to the Legislative Council last year, Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu said the Philippines has never responded to the Hong Kong governments request for such documents.

To realise the transfer, chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor would have to issue an inward warrant to the Commissioner of Correctional Services, to grant officers the power to bring the sentenced person to Hong Kong.

The arrangement is stipulated in the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Ordinance.

The Post has contacted the bureau to ask if any of the four had filed such an application.

This article Four Hongkongers sentenced to life in prison in the Philippines could be deported back home first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.
Japanese prosecutors re-arrested former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn over fresh allegations Friday, apparently dashing his hopes of being home for Christmas in the latest twist to a rollercoaster saga. The case of the once-revered 64-year-old tycoon has gripped Japan and the business world since he was arrested as he stepped off his private jet at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on November 19. He had appeared set for release Friday after a court surprisingly rejected the prosecutors' demand to extend his detention for further questioning. But instead of being freed on bail, Ghosn was arrested Friday over separate allegations of financial wrongdoing. "The accused was responsible for managing Nissan's overall operations and for dutifully fulfilling his role as CEO not to cause damage to Nissan and its subsidiaries... but he took action that betrayed his role and caused financial damage to Nissan," prosecutors alleged. They alleged he transferred personal losses worth some 1.85 billion yen ($16.6 million) sustained in the 2008 financial crisis to Nissan. He stands accused of wiring some $14.7 million from Nissan funds to another company for his own benefit. According to public broadcaster NHK, Ghosn denies this latest set of allegations. The Franco-Brazilian-Lebanese businessman has already been formally charged with under-reporting his income by tens of millions of dollars over several years and faces a second batch of allegations that this continued for three further years. On Thursday a court refused to extend his detention over the second set of allegations, reportedly because they were too similar to the first set. But this fresh arrest gives prosecutors 48 hours to question him on the new matter. Under Japanese law, they can then apply for a fresh extension of 10 days, plus a further 10 days, to investigate the new claims. His right-hand man, Greg Kelly, who faces the same initial charge, was not rearrested on Friday and his lawyer has requested bail, according to a court statement. NHK reported he would not be released before December 25. - 'Fractious alliance' - Since his stunning arrest last month, the once jet-setting executive has languished in a tiny cell in a detention centre in northern Tokyo, where he has complained about the cold and the rice-based menu. His lengthy detention -- in Japan, suspects can be "re-arrested" several times over different allegations -- has sparked criticism, especially from abroad. "The Japanese penal system has been revealed to the wider world. It is not necessarily Japan's best side and this is not good for business," Tokyo lawyer Lionel Vincent told AFP. Ghosn has an unusually high profile for a foreign executive in Japan and was credited with turning around the struggling car giant Nissan and forging a three-way alliance with French manufacturer Renault and fellow Japanese firm Mitsubishi Motors. He was seen as the glue holding together the fractious alliance and his arrest has exposed major rifts between Nissan -- which makes the most money -- and Renault, the dominant shareholder. Both Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors promptly sacked Ghosn as chairman following his arrest, on the basis of a months-long internal Nissan investigation. Renault has been much more cautious, keeping him on as chairman and CEO and appointing Thierry Bollore as interim boss. According to a source close to the investigation, Nissan would seek to bar Ghosn from their premises if he were to be released. - 'Scope broadening' - In addition to charges against Ghosn and Kelly, prosecutors have also indicted Nissan, as the company submitted the official documents that allegedly under-reported his income. The firm declined to comment on the latest twist but added: "Nissan's own investigation is ongoing, and its scope continues to broaden." Nissan has also accused its former boss of other financial impropriety, including using Nissan funds to purchase luxury homes around the world. One of these -- a luxurious spread with ocean views over Rio de Janeiro's famous Copacabana Beach -- has become the subject of a legal battle. Last week, Ghosn family members entered the flat, removed "personal effects" and opened the safes, according to Nissan. This followed a court order giving Ghosn's representatives access despite objections from the Japanese firm. The allegations show Ghosn was "drowning in money," said a source familiar with the issue. "It seems he was running the company for his own benefit."
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

THE Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) denied the presence of armed persons believed to be New Peoples Army (NPA) rebels in the towns of Tabuelan, Tuburan, Asturias and Balamban.

Senior Insp. Alejandro Batobalonos of CPPOs intelligence branch said he called the police stations after receiving the report, but he was told the information was not true.

He said the police in the four towns did not detect any movement of armed groups.

Capt. Joe Patrick Martinez of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command said they have no information on the armed persons.

Police Regional Office 7 had ordered the lower units to tighten their security, anticipating attacks from the NPA rebels in Negros Oriental and Cebu. From AYB Of Superbalita Cebu / KAL
More than 60 people were injured and 13 others arrested as Catalan pro-independence supporters clashed with baton-wielding police on Friday in protests against a Spanish government cabinet meeting in Barcelona, branded a provocation by separatists. The weekly cabinet meeting usually takes place in Madrid but Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist government decided to hold it in the Catalan capital as part of efforts to reduce tensions. The timing of the cabinet meeting -- a year to the day after Madrid held snap elections in Catalonia after blocking the region's bid for independence -- offended some Catalans. Far from reducing tensions it appeared to have the opposite effect, with some 40,000 people marching peacefully along the Paseo de Gracia main road, but with a firm message; "Let's topple the regime". "This is a provocation. They have come here to provoke us," said one demonstrator, textile worker Carles Serra, 45. Away from the peaceful march, protesters threw metal barriers and stones at officers and tried to breach a police barrier a few hundred metres (yards) from where the meeting was taking place. A total of 62 people were injured, including 35 police officers while 13 people were arrested, regional authorities said. - 'Ungovernable' - Sanchez and the head of Catalonia's separatist government, Quim Torra, have expressed a commitment to an "effective dialogue" to try to resolve the dispute over the wealthy region's status within Spain. At the cabinet meeting itself, the government approved a 22-percent increase in the minimum wage, a pay hike for public workers and announced investments in infrastructure projects in Catalonia. "We came here to show (our) affection, (our) attachment to Catalonia," government spokeswoman Isabel Celaa said afterwards. "We are working for the wellbeing of all our fellow citizens." Spain's wealthiest region, Catalonia is home to some 7.5 million people and has its own language. A radical separatist group, the Committees for the Defence of the Republic (CDR), blocked a dozen main roads from around dawn on Friday, regional transport authorities said. "We will be ungovernable on December 21," the group repeatedly tweeted. The Spanish government sent police reinforcements to Barcelona and Catalan leaders repeated their call for protests to be peaceful. - Divergent positions - Catalonia declared independence in October 2017 after pushing ahead with a banned independence referendum, but Spanish authorities stifled the attempt. Several Catalan independence leaders were detained on charges of rebellion or misuse of public funds, and prosecutors are seeking jail terms of up to 25 years. Sanchez took office as prime minister eight months later after winning a surprise vote of no-confidence against the previous conservative government with the support of Catalan separatist parties. He initially adopted a more conciliatory tone towards Catalonia than his conservative predecessor, but efforts to ease tensions with the region have hit a wall. Sanchez and Torra were photographed holding talks in Barcelona on Thursday night, drawing fire from both the conservative right and radical separatists. The leader of the conservative opposition Popular Party in parliament, Dolors Montserrat, branded the meeting "shameful" and "a betrayal of Spain". "Dialogue seems like a step backwards to me," said separatist demonstrator Mariona Godia, 35. "That just looks like a photo aimed at calming people down." While Sanchez has proposed giving Catalonia more powers, Torra wants a legally binding referendum on independence.
Phuket, Thailand, 20 December 2018: JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa celebrates its official 17th hotel anniversary today. The hotel anniversary and celebration included religious blessing ceremonies among Brahmin, Buddhism and Muslim as well as paid respect to the spirit house and the Brahma shrine who protect the place and Thais believe that will bring prosperity to their life, continue to the special treats to our associates at the Mafuang cafeteria and cake cutting led by General Manager, Mr. Matthias Y. Sutter.

In this time of gratitude, I would like to take this opportunity to express our sincerely thank you and appreciation to our clients, owner, business partners and associates. We value your patronage and appreciate your confidence in us. Thank you for choosing JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa to provide you, your family and or company the fabulous holidays and businesses. We are proud to welcome satisfied both business and leisure travelers/clients and look forward to many years of serving you said, Mr. Matthias Y. Sutter, General Manager, JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa.

JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa nestled amidst 27 acres of splendor of Mai Khao beach and adjacent to the Sirinat Marine National Park where is a protected marine turtle nesting area. The resort offers a truly authentic experience inspired by the unique surrounding. For the world famous diving spots to miles of sandy golden beaches, and rich local culture to exceptional guest rooms, every details of your stay with us is designed to nurture and celebrate your personal passions. Guests will never have to leave the resort, enjoy an extensive selection of international facilities and abundance of activities on and off shore.

Since opening in December 2001, JW Marriott Phuket Resort & spa has clinched over 250 awards and is highly recognized in Asia for its outstanding Family, Eco-friendly, MICE and 5-star luxury resort facilities.

Being on this years Readers Choice Awards complements other awards that the resort has won such as The Certified of Excellence Hall of Fame by TripAdvisor which unique accolade is granted only to those business that have won the Certificate of Excellence for five years in a row; ranked no. 2 hotels in Maikhao beach; Listed as the Best Hotel (Family Trip), Expat Living Readers Choice Award; Thailand MICE Venue Standard Award 2018  2010, certified by Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB); Ginja Taste named one of Thailands Best Restaurant 2018 by Thailand Tatler; Ranked No. 3 Family Hotel in Asia by Smart Travel Asia Readers Choice Awards  Best in Travel Poll 2018; The highly rated hotels on HolidayCheck Award in 2018 (scored 5.5 out of 6); Ctrip Gourmet List 2018, Local Favorite  Marriott Cafe (scored 4.2 out of 5); Nominated for family-friendly hotel/resort of the year, by Asia Spa award 2018; Voted as Best Beach Hotels & Resorts: Best For Families, granted by TripSavvy Editors Choice Awards and more.
In this Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, photo, Alba, an albino orangutan, is released by a conservationist of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation inside Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The world's only known albino orangutan climbed trees, foraged for food and began building a nest after being released into a remote Borneo jungle more than a year after conservation officials found her starving and dehydrated in an Indonesian village. (AP Photo/Andi Jatmiko)

The world's only known albino orangutan climbed trees, foraged for food and began building a nest after being released into a remote Borneo jungle more than a year after conservation officials found her starving and dehydrated in an Indonesian village.

The Borneo Orangutan Survival foundation says the great ape, called Alba after thousands worldwide responded to an appeal for a name, has tripled in weight since being rescued in April last year. Her name means "white" in Latin and "dawn" in Spanish.

Alba and another rehabilitated orangutan, Kika, were released inside Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park on Wednesday after a more than 24-hour journey from their rehabilitation center by vehicle, boat and hiking.

The foundation originally planned to create a 5-hectare (12-acre) "forest island" for Alba rather than a release into truly natural habitat because of health issues related to her albinism including poor sight and hearing and the possibility of skin cancer.

But the government's Natural Resources Conservation Agency and other agencies decided it was appropriate to release Alba into the wild because of her strong physical condition and intrinsically wild behavior.

She will be electronically tracked and regularly monitored by a medical team.

"Alba has no inferiority complex as we imagined before. She is very confident compared to other orangutans," said veterinarian Agus Fathoni.

In this Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, photo. Alba, an albino orangutan, sits inside a cage before being released at Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The world's only known albino orangutan climbed trees, foraged for food and began building a nest after being released into a remote Borneo jungle more than a year after conservation officials found her starving and dehydrated in an Indonesian village. (AP Photo/Andi Jatmiko)

"I think the real threat actually comes from humans. What we're worried about is poaching where this very special condition makes her a target," he told The Associated Press.

Patrols of Alba's new home by national park and conservation agency staff will aim to deter poachers, though they admit the number of personnel is limited.

"We don't have enough to cover all the area of the national park but we're confident of covering all the patrol lines that we have set," said national park official Wirasadi Nursubhi

Orangutans, reddish-brown primates known for their gentle temperament and intelligence, are critically endangered and only found in the wild on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and on Borneo, which is divided among Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

In this Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, photo. Alba, an albino orangutan, sits inside a cage before being released at Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The world's only known albino orangutan climbed trees, foraged for food and began building a nest after being released into a remote Borneo jungle more than a year after conservation officials found her starving and dehydrated in an Indonesian village. (AP Photo/Andi Jatmiko)

The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which declared Borneo's orangutans critically endangered in 2016, says their numbers have dropped by nearly two-thirds since the early 1970s as plantation agriculture destroyed and fragmented their forest habitat.

The Sumatran orangutan is a separate species and has been critically endangered since 2008.

Alba, approximately five years old, was given final medical tests and anesthetized for the journey to Bukit Baka Bukit Raya.

Workers shouted "Alba's going home" as her cage was lifted onto a truck at the Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Center in Central Kalimantan province on Borneo.

"It's true this is a big gamble but we hope that with our collaboration we will win the big bet we have made today" said the orangutan foundation's chief executive Jamartin Sihite after releasing Alba from her cage.

In this Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, photo. Alba, an albino orangutan, sits inside a cage before being released at Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The world's only known albino orangutan climbed trees, foraged for food and began building a nest after being released into a remote Borneo jungle more than a year after conservation officials found her starving and dehydrated in an Indonesian village. (AP Photo/Andi Jatmiko)

Explore further Foundation to create special reserve for albino orangutan

 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

It's happened before, and it could happen again.

Tens of thousands of years ago, a giant ice sheet in Antarctic melted, raising sea levels by up to 30 feet around the world. This inundated huge swaths of what had been dry land. Scientists think it could happen again as the world heats up because of man-made global warming, new research suggests.

Such a collapse would again cause seas to rise dramatically, which would lead to a global flood.

Researchers led by geologist Anders Carlson of Oregon State University said the ice sheet disappeared about 125,000 years ago under climate conditions that were similar to today's.

If future research confirms this finding, "the West Antarctic ice sheet might not need a huge nudge to budge," Jeremy Shakun, a paleoclimatologist at Boston College told Science magazine. That, in turn, means "the big uptick in mass loss observed there in the past decade or two is perhaps the start of that process rather than a short-term blip."

And once the ancient ice sheet melt got started, things got out of hand rather quickly. Global ocean waters may have risen as fast as 8 feet per century, a blink of an eye in climatological terms.

To do their research, Carlson's team examined several marine sediment cores taken offshore of Antarctica. The cores are long cylinders of mud and silt that give clues about past changes in Earth's climate.

Obviously, climate change 125,000 years ago was natural, not human caused as it is today.

Scientists speculate that a slight change in Earth's orbit and spin axis created warmer temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere, which caused climate changes around the world, Nathaelle Bouttes at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science in the U.K. told Smithsonian magazine.

The research was announced earlier in December at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Washington, D.C.

Some of the process is well underway: Global warming has caused over 3 trillion tons of ice to melt from Antarctica in the past quarter-century and tripled ice loss there in the past decade, a study released in June said.

That total is equivalent to more than 2 quadrillion gallons of water added to the world's oceans, making Antarctica's melting ice sheets one of the largest contributors to rising sea levels. That amount of water is enough to fill more than a billion swimming pools and cover Texas to a depth of nearly 13 feet.

Overall, scientists say the melting ice in Antarctica is responsible for about one-third of all sea-level rise around the world.

Explore further Ozone depletion increases Antarctic snowfall, partially mitigates ice sheet loss

More information: Paul Voosen. Antarctic ice melt 125,000 years ago offers warning, Science (2018). Paul Voosen. Antarctic ice melt 125,000 years ago offers warning,(2018). DOI: 10.1126/science.362.6421.1339

(c)2018 USA Today

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
This July 6, 2011, file photo shows a grizzly bear roaming near Beaver Lake in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. U.S. government attorneys are appealing a court ruling that restored protections for grizzly bears in the Northern Rockies and blocked plans to hold the first public hunts for the animals in decades. (AP Photo/Jim Urquhart, File)

U.S. government attorneys filed notice Friday that they are appealing a court ruling that blocked the first public hunts of grizzly bears in the Northern Rockies in decades.

The appeal challenges a judge's ruling that restored threatened species protections for more than 700 bears in and around Yellowstone National Park.

Protections for the animals had been removed in 2017. When the ruling from U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen came down in October, Wyoming and Idaho were on the cusp of hosting their first public hunts for grizzly bears in the Lower 48 U.S. states since 1991.

Federal biologists contend Yellowstone-area grizzlies have made a full recovery after a decades-long restoration effort. They want to turn over management of the animals to state wildlife agencies that say hunting is one way to better address rising numbers of bear attacks on livestock.

But wildlife advocates and the Crow Indian Tribe successfully sued to stop the hunts. Their attorneys persuaded Christensen that despite the recovery of bears in Yellowstone, the species remains in peril elsewhere because of continued threats from climate change and habitat loss.

The Yellowstone population has rebounded from just 136 animals when they were granted federal protections in 1975.

Grizzlies in recent years have returned to many areas where they were absent for decades. That has meant more dangerous run-ins with people, such as a Wyoming hunting guide who was killed this fall in a grizzly attack.

Christensen's ruling marked the second time the government has sought to lift protections for Yellowstone bears only to be reversed in court.

The agency initially declared a successful recovery for the Yellowstone population in 2007. But a federal judge ordered protections to remain while wildlife officials studied whether the decline of a major food sourcewhitebark pine seedscould threaten the bears' survival.

The Fish and Wildlife Service concluded last year it had addressed that and all other threats.

There was speculation the agency would not appeal the latest ruling and instead draft a new proposal to get the animal off the threatened list.

That possibility was raised by the agency's grizzly bear recovery coordinator during a meeting last month with Wyoming state lawmakers, according to the Powell Tribune.

Friday's appeal signals that at least for now the court battle over grizzlies will grind on.

But Andrea Santarsiere with the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the plaintiffs in the case before Christensen, said the government still has the option in coming months to dismiss the case.

"I think Fish and Wildlife should go back to the drawing board and come up with a new plan to actually recover grizzly bears across the West, rather than a piecemeal approach," she said.

Also pending before the 9th Circuit are appeals from parties that intervened on behalf of the Fish and Wildlife Service. They include the states of Idaho and Wyoming and groups representing hunting interests, gun rights and agriculture.

Cody Wisniewski with the Mountain States Legal Foundation said that if allowed to stand, Christensen's ruling could make it harder for other species to be taken off the threatened and endangered species list.

"Opinions like this move the goalposts," he said.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Jennifer Strickland referred questions about the case to the Department of Justice, which did not provide an on-the-record comment.

Explore further Grizzlies get back US protections, Rockies hunts blocked

 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A new University of Wyoming bulletin contributes to the growing knowledge base of ecosystem recovery following high-intensity forest fires.

The publication details an ongoing study examining ecological impacts of the 2012 Arapaho Fire, which burned nearly 100,000 acres in the north Laramie Mountains of southeast Wyoming, including the UW-owned Rogers Research Site (RRS).

Preliminary results indicate that marked soil chemical and biotic changes occurred at the 320-acre site following the fire. They are presented in RRS Bulletin 7, titled "Pre- and Post-Fire Soil Comparisons, Rogers Research Site, North Laramie Mountains, Wyoming."

"As wildfires are becoming more frequent across the U.S., it warrants solid knowledge about the consequences of these events for the recovery of ecosystems," says co-author Linda van Diepen, an assistant professor of soil microbial ecology in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management within the UW College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

"Through comparison of soil conditions pre- and post-fire, we are better able to understand the impacts of high-severity fires such as the Arapaho, which, in turn, helps us in measuring the recovery of the ecosystem back to its original state," van Diepen says.

In spring 2012, UW graduate student Claire Wilkin and her faculty co-adviser, Professor Steve Williams, established eight monitoring plots at RRS to document soils, plant distribution, water sources, topographic features and belowground biota.

Fortuitously, they collected soil samples within the plots just weeks before the lightning-caused Arapaho Fire, which started during an extreme drought. The fire burned across RRS and neighboring lands in early July, reaching temperatures estimated at nearly 900 F.

With this baseline information in hand, bulletin co-authors Wilkin and Williams refocused their study on pre- and post-fire soil comparisons.

"As such, understanding how fire impacts important nutrients in the soil is paramount to understanding ponderosa pine ecosystems, including the one at RRS and surrounding lands," Williams says.

After observing noticeable changes in soil chemical and biotic changes, Williams and Wilkin became interested in exploring the subsequent effect these changes might have on the soil microbial communities, which will be detailed in the nearly completed RRS Bulletin 8.

Since Wilkin's graduation and Williams' retirement, a team of UW faculty and students led by van Diepen has continued the soil studies and related post-fire ponderosa pine research at RRS.

"The research includes soil chemistry and biology, including carbon and nitrogen budgets, and microbial community composition, which are important factors determining nutrient availability to the recovering vegetation," van Diepen says. "We also are studying the recovery of ponderosa pine, grasses, forbs and shrubs, in addition to measuring how invasive plants are responding to the fire."

The 320-acre RRS was bequeathed to UW in 2002 by Col. William C. Rogers, who purchased the land shortly after retiring from the U.S. Army. He stated in his will that research at the site should focus, in part, on the improvement of forestry and wildlife resources.

"Understanding the responses of soil to wildfire and how it is related to vegetation growth after fire will aid land managers in determining priorities for enhancing forest recovery to provide habitat for wildlife," van Diepen says.

Other authors of Bulletin 7 include Larry Munn, a professor emeritus in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management; Michael Urynowicz, a professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering; and Robert Waggener, editor for the Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station (WAES).

WAES and one of its research stations, the James C. Hageman Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center (SAREC) near Lingle, manage RRS. They are within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The first seven bulletins detailing research, extension, teaching and other activities at RRS are posted on the SAREC website/RogersResearchSite.
As part of the ACToday project, Melody Braun helps to bridge the gap between climate information and vulnerable communities. Credit: Dannie Dinh

While traveling to Europe, Asia, and Africa as a graduate student, Melody Braun saw the effects that climate change was already having on vulnerable communities, and she realized that she wanted to work closely with these communities. Now she is a senior research staff associate at the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) at Columbia's Earth Institute. She is also one of the six country leads on a project called Adapting Agriculture to Climate Today, For Tomorrow (ACToday), which is led by IRI and supported by Columbia World Projects.

Braun is helping local partners in Bangladesh make more informed decisions by improving their access to and use of climate information. ACToday is introducing state-of-the-art climate information and prediction tools in five other countries as well: Ethiopia, Senegal, Colombia, Guatemala, and Vietnam. It aims to improve the production, translation, dissemination and use of climate information.

After graduate school and before joining IRI, Braun worked for three years for WorldFish Bangladesh, a research center part of the Consultative Group for International Agriculture Research (CGIAR) that addresses hunger and poverty issues through aquaculture and fisheries.

At IRI, Braun serves as a liaison between climate science and society. We sat down with her to learn how she helps bridge that gap in communities that are vulnerable to climate change. The conversation has been edited and condensed for space and clarity.

Q: How did you get inspired to work in the climate change adaptation sector?

A: During my graduate education, I had the opportunity to go to the United Nations Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in 2009 for a volunteer project. I met with a lot of farmers who had been accredited but could not get inside the conference center because of poor management and lack of space inside the conference center. They were saying, 'We experience climate change every day in our lives, in our countries, and we are here to talk about it, and they won't let us in.' It raised some questions in my mind. I realized that I should look more into what's happening in these countries. Then, I did my internships on adaptations to climate change in Cambodia and Togo, and wrote a thesis based on Senegal, and from there, I ended up working on adaptation, climate information, and finally climate services.

Q: You've visited the Bangladeshi camps that house Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. How did you make the decision to go to the refugee camps, and why did you think about strengthening the climate services in this sector?

A: When we presented our Bangladesh climate services work in a conference in Dhaka in January 2018, someone said that it would be useful to look into the Rohingya crisis, as there was a whole community of humanitarian workers who were not necessarily aware of where to find the right climate information to address and prepare for situations such as landslides during the monsoon season and flooding during cyclones. I went with my colleague Andrew Kruczkiewicz, to better understand the type of preparedness actions that could be taken, the types of climate information that were used and what could be needed to improve preparedness. I had never been to a refugee camp before; it was definitely a very strong experience.

Q: What was it like in the refugee camp?

A: The mega camp had approximately 600,000 people, which is the biggest refugee camp in the world. It is extremely well-organized.

It's a hilly area, where the trees were cut to make space for the tents. So, the area was extremely vulnerable to potential landslides and flooding. During the rainy season, water quality and sanitation were major issues, since a lot of latrines were not respecting international standards and there was a high risk of latrines contaminating tube wells. The shelters were made of plastic and bamboo, and hence they were not resistant to strong rainfall and winds.

Despite the huge challenges, I have to say I was impressed by how well the crisis was managed. We're talking about one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world, in one of the most densely populated countries in the world.

Q: Do the staffers in the refugee camps recognize the importance of climate information? What are the barriers that they face in using the climate information?

A: They do, for sure. Climate information is something that would have an impact on all the other sectors, such as food distribution, health care, women. There is a very high demand for accessing and using climate information.

There are a lot of people who are sending climate data to the camp managers, to the organizations working there, and sometimes when it is out of context, it is not necessarily useful. It can be confusing and potentially harmful if it is not used in the right way. So, there is huge concern from the organizations in the camps about the availability of good quality data and how to link the data to specific decisions.

Q: Some climate phenomena, such as El Nino, last for 9-12 months, whereas other processes, such as the Madden-Julian Oscillation, last for shorter time periods. How do you incorporate these different timescales into the climate services that you are developing?

A: That's a good question. What we are trying to do is to identify a range of concrete decisions that are made in different sectors that require climate information or can be improved if people have more access to climate information. From this range of decisions, we are working to identify the decisions that require short-term weather information, and those that require more subseasonal, seasonal or longer term information. Then, we work with the national meteorological service and with other relevant stakeholders on how to best provide this information at different timescales.

Q: While implementing climate services, how do you make sure that the rural communities get complete access to the climate information?

A: We don't work directly with communities, but we work with agencies and partners who do. For example, the Department of Agricultural Extension of the Ministry of Agriculture provides advisories to farmers on a regular basis. By working with them on how to better translate weather and climate information into agricultural decisions, and how to better integrate this information into advisories, you reach farmers in a way that is built into the national system in a sustainable way.

Q: How effective is it to use mobile services for climate information dissemination?

A: We are using mobile phones in some other projects. I think it's good, but it's not a standalone service, as it requires training, and preparation to interpret and use the information. Access is important, but it is not sufficient if people don't know what to do with the information they are receiving. In addition, in Bangladesh mobile phones are mostly used by men, as there is usually one mobile phone for the whole family, and it's usually the men who have it. Therefore, there is a risk of excluding women. I think it is good to use these strategies, but we need to have complementary strategies so that we can make sure that we are not limiting the access to information for people who cannot afford the service. So, definitely, more and more people are using the mobile phones and apps, there is a lot of potential, but still there is a lot of work to do.

Q: After witnessing the Bangladesh refugee camps, and having worked in multiple projects in the climate adaptation sector, did it change your perspective on how to better implement and use climate services?

A: The experience in the refugee camps definitely made us realize that the integration of climate information is not systematized in the processes of lot of the organizations. There is definitely an interest, and an awareness, to use climate information, but currently there is no system in place which allows them to do it systematically. If we manage to make the service more systematic, it would allow us to replicate it in other crises in other areas as well.

Through my work at WorldFish and IRI, I see a growing interest and growing opportunities, but also a real need to bridge the gap between climate science and other sectorspolicies, agriculture and development, humanitarian crises.

Explore further Analysis of data sources improves ability to respond to climate change in East Africa

Provided by Earth Institute, Columbia University

This story is republished courtesy of Earth Institute, Columbia University http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu.
British transport minister Chris Graying said there was no off-the-shelf solution to the threat from drones

Aviation chiefs are going to be on a steep learning curve to counter the security threat posed by drones after a costly and humiliating shutdown of London's Gatwick airport.

"This kind of incident is unprecedented anywhere in the world, the disruption of an airport in this way," Britain's Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said Friday.

Flights were suspended again at Gatwick on Friday by a drone alert, just hours after being reopened following the original unmanned drone sightings which caused travel chaos that left tens of thousands of passengers stranded over three days.

"We're going to have to learn very quickly from what's happened," Grayling told the BBC.

"There certainly isn't a straightforward commercial off-the-shelf solution that automatically solves all problems."

In fact, drone disruption at airports is not quite unprecedented.

In 2016, Dubai International Airport closed three times because of drones being used for leisure nearby. The delayed and rerouted flights cost millions of dollars.

In February 2016, an Airbus A320 flying the Barcelona-Paris route reported a near miss with a drone at 1,600 altitude (one mile up) as it approached Charles de Gaulle airport.

Potential catastrophe

The fear is that if a drone smashed into a passenger plane or was sucked up into one of its engines, its highly flammable lithium battery could cause a catastrophe.

Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate wants to see swift, coordinated action.

Some airports have looked at using birds of prey to tackle drones

"These events obviously highlight a wider strategic challenge for aviation in this country which we need to address together with speedthe aviation industry, Government and all the other relevant authorities," he said.

In 2016, the European Aviation Safety Agency logged 1,400 drone incidents in Europe, up from 606 between 2011 and 2015.

Deputies in the European Parliament approved EU-wide regulations on the use of drones, but still need formal approval from European ministers before taking effect.

Until then, it's up to individual member states to set their own rules.

In France, civil aviation chiefs have drawn up an interactive map of zones where drones are either restricted or banned. Airports, of course, are off limits.

Charles de Gaulle airport just north of Paris is looking at a long-distance protection system to tackle hostile drones.

But finding high-tech solutions to the drone threat in airport presents particular challenges, says Lucas Le Bell, founder of the start-up Cerbair that specialises in tackling the drone problem.

The noise levels at airports, the security requirements and the saturated level of communications make the task much harder.

His team is working on isolating the frequencies used to control drones, so they can not only detect and locate the devices but take control of them.

Elsewhere in France meanwhile, Mont-de Marsan airbase in the southwest has been working on a more low-tech solution.

The airforce, inspired by a similar experiment in the Netherlands, has been training golden eagles to search and destroy the intruders.

But that system still needs work: earlier this year, one of the eagles attacked a girl after mistaking her vest for the enemy.

Explore further Flights suspended again at London Gatwick after drone report

 2018 AFP
This photo is an aerial view of Folsom Dam and Lake in Sacramento County shows low water levels in January 2014. Credit: Paul Hames/California Department of Water Resources

When hydropower runs low in a drought, western states tend to ramp up power generationand emissionsfrom fossil fuels. According to a new study from Stanford University, droughts caused about 10 percent of the average annual carbon dioxide emissions from power generation in California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington between 2001 and 2015.

"Water is used in electricity generation, both directly for hydropower and indirectly for cooling in thermoelectric power plants," said climate scientist Noah Diffenbaugh, the Kara J. Foundation professor in Stanford's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences (Stanford Earth) and senior author of the study. "We find that in a number of western states where hydropower plays a key role in the clean energy portfolio, droughts cause an increase in emissions as natural gas or coal-fired power plants are brought online to pick up the slack when water for hydropower comes up short."

The study, published Dec. 21 in Environmental Research Letters, shows emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxidesair pollutants that can irritate lungs and contribute to acid rain and smogalso increased in some states as a result of droughts. Some of the largest increases in sulfur dioxide took place in Colorado, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The largest increases in nitrogen oxides occurred in California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Challenges to going carbon-free

In total, the researchers found drought-induced shifts in energy sources led to an additional 100 million tons of carbon dioxide across 11 western states between 2001 and 2015. That's like adding 1.4 million vehicles per year to the region's roadways. The power sector in California, which has a mandate to go carbon-free by 2045, contributed around 51 million tons to the total. Washington, where the legislature is expected in January 2019 to consider a proposal to eliminate fossil fuels from electricity generation by 2045, contributed nearly 22 million tons.

"For California, Oregon and Washington, which generate a lot of hydropower, the drought-induced increases in carbon dioxide emissions represent substantial fractions of their Clean Power Plan targets," said postdoctoral researcher Julio Herrera-Estrada, lead author of the study. Enacted in 2015, the Clean Power Plan established nationwide limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The policy has been rolled back under the Trump administration, but according to Herrera-Estrada, it remains a valuable benchmark for targets that states or the federal government may eventually set for the electricity sector.

Western states in recent years have suffered the kind of intense droughts that scientists expect to become more common in many regions around the world as global warming continues. The new research suggests that failure to prepare for the emissions impact of these droughts could make achieving climate and air quality goals more difficult.

"To have reliable and clean electricity, you have to make sure you have an energy portfolio that's diverse, such that low-emissions electricity sources are able to kick in during a drought when hydropower cannot fully operate," Herrera-Estrada said.

Assessing the West

The western United States offers an ideal testing ground for understanding relationships between droughts and emissions from the power sector. In addition to plentiful data from recent droughts, the researchers could examine how emissions change with different types of backup power plants because states across the region have a wide variety of energy mixes.

Colorado, for example, tends to ramp up coal-fired power plants when hydropower dwindles, while California and Idaho increase generation from natural gas. Oregon, Washington and Wyoming tend to increase both. Wyoming and Montana increase coal generation in part so that they can export the electricity to surrounding states that are also experiencing declines due to drought.

"For decades, people have been looking at the impacts of droughts on food security and agriculture," Herrera-Estrada said. "We're less aware of exactly how droughts impact the energy sector and pollutant emissions in a quantitative and systematic way."

Previous efforts to understand how drought affects electricity have mostly relied on models of power plants, which require researchers to make assumptions about factors such as the plants' efficiencies and decisions about how water resources are allocated. For the current paper, the scientists analyzed statistics reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

According to Herrera-Estrada, the new study can help validate existing models, which can then be used to gain a more complete picture of the risks associated with droughts and to inform efforts to tamp down drought-induced emissions.

Far beyond the American West, droughts may drive similar emission increases in places that normally rely heavily on hydropower and turn to natural gas, coal or petroleum when waterways run low.

"Other parts of the world depend on hydropower even more than the western U.S.," said Diffenbaugh, who is also Kimmelman Family senior fellow at Stanford's Woods Institute for the Environment. "Our results suggest that hydro-dependent regions may need to consider not only primary generation but also backup generation in order to meet emissions reduction targets, such as those in the UN Paris Agreement."
Non-cryocooled crystal mounted using the HAG method (A) and temperature-dependent equilibrium change of catalytic intermediates in copper amine oxidase (B). Credit: Osaka University

Enzymesbiocatalysts made of proteinsare hugely important molecules that catalyze the reactions and processes in living organisms. Ongoing work to understand their structures and reaction mechanisms is therefore vital to broaden our knowledge and contribute to scientific and medical advances.

X-ray crystallographyin which protein crystals are exposed to an X-ray beam, resulting in specific diffraction patterns that can be analyzedis the most widely-used technique for protein structural determination. Data collection in X-ray crystallography usually involves placing crystals under a cryogenic gas stream at 100 K; however, the cryogenic conditions do not generally allow for thermodynamic analysis of the conformational changes in the protein crystals. Now, researchers from Osaka University, Osaka Medical College, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI), and RIKEN have reported the details of structural changes during the catalytic reaction of a copper amine oxidase using a non-cryogenic technique. Their findings were published in PNAS.

The study used a "humid air and glue-coating (HAG)" method developed by JASRI at the synchrotron facility SPring-8. Instead of cryogenic cooling, the unfrozen protein crystals were coated with a water-soluble polymer and placed under a stream of humid nitrogen gas with precisely-controlled temperature. This allowed the nearly bare crystal to remain stable enough for the team to assess the equilibrium between the structurally distinct conformations of the redox cofactor (an essential component of the catalytic reaction) at a particular temperature.

"As a result of the precise temperature control we were able to achieve, we demonstrated the first successful in crystallo thermodynamic analysis of the working enzyme," says study corresponding author Toshihide Okajima. "Thermodynamic analyses based on crystal measurements give a closer representation of the structural changes than data acquired from solution studies, and are therefore more valuable to our understanding."

In addition, the obtained thermodynamic parameters showed a behavior that was similar to that in cytosol within cells. It is therefore thought that the HAG conditions can provide a useful model for physiological conditions. Various other crystallographic techniques have been reported for use at ambient temperature; however, they require specialized X-ray free lasers.

"By using the temperature-controlled HAG method, we have demonstrated that it is possible to acquire conformational information using a standard X-ray beam," Okajima explains. "We hope that the accessibility of the technique and its possibilities for providing thermodynamic information will make it an important addition to current crystallographic approaches."

Explore further Electron crystallography found to work as well as X-ray crystallography only on smaller crystals

More information: Takeshi Murakawa et al, In crystallo thermodynamic analysis of conformational change of the topaquinone cofactor in bacterial copper amine oxidase, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2018). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Takeshi Murakawa et al, In crystallo thermodynamic analysis of conformational change of the topaquinone cofactor in bacterial copper amine oxidase,(2018). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1811837116
Mountain lion cubs walk through the Irvine Ranch Conservancy along the West Coast. Credit: Irvine Ranch Conservancy

Fragmentation of wildlife populations is increasing on a global scale, and understanding current genetic structure, genetic diversity and genetic connectivity is key to informing future wildlife management and conservation.

This is true of mountain lionalso known as pumas or cougarspopulations in California, according to a new study conducted by a University of Wyoming research team.

"Large expanses of continuous habitat provide populations the opportunity to maintain large numbers of gene variants, called alleles. This is analogous to a deck of cards. If you have 40 cards, you are capable of harboring more types of cards than if you had 10," says Kyle Gustafson, an assistant professor of genetics in the Department of Biology and Environmental Health at Missouri Southern State University, but who started this work in Holly Ernest's Wildlife Genomics and Disease Ecology Lab at UW. "When populations get isolated, like many of the puma populations surrounded by urbanization, the only way for them to maintain a large number of alleles is through migration. Otherwise, natural selection and genetic drift will ultimately lead to genetic uniformity (fixation) and mating among related individuals (inbreeding)."

The new study, titled "Genetic Source-Sink Dynamics Among Naturally Structured and Anthropogenically Fragmented Puma Populations," was published Dec. 10 in Conservation Genetics, a journal that promotes the conservation of biodiversity by providing a forum for data and ideas, aiding the further developments of this area of study. Contributions include work from the disciplines of population genetics, molecular ecology, molecular biology, evolutionary biology, systematics and forensics.

Gustafson is the paper's lead author. Ernest, a professor in the UW Program in Ecology and the Wyoming Excellence Chair in Disease Ecology, was the senior and corresponding author. Roderick Gagne, a former postdoctoral research associate in the UW Department of Veterinary Sciences, was a contributing author."This study took nearly two decades for my lab to complete and could only be accomplished through coordinated efforts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, multiple research institutions and several nonprofit organizations," Ernest explains.

The analyses revealed that mountain lions in California exhibited strong population genetic structure, and some California populations had extremely low levels of genetic diversity, with some exhibiting estimates as low as the endangered Florida panther, another common name for the puma. Nine genetic populations of pumas were identified in California and one population in Nevada.

A female mountain lion and her cubs retrieve cached food. Credit: Irvine Ranch Conservancy

During the study, 992 mountain lions across California and Nevada were genotyped at 42 microsatellite loci. Microsatellites are neutral gene mutations, meaning they don't code for a specific trait, so their mutations can accumulate without causing harm. Loci are different locations on chromosomes.

"If you could imagine each card in a standard deck of 52 cards as a unique mutation and, if you could imagine each mountain lion holding a card, then you could see how we could group certain mountain lions together," Gustafson explains. "For example, we could lump mountain lions together if they were holding red cards, face cards or a specific number. By keeping track of the many DNA mutations and, by using dozens of hypothetical decks of cards, we can identify shared mutations among the individuals and then identify genetic populations."

Gene flow is critically important to individual fitness and to the evolutionary potential of populations because successful migrant animals can diversify gene combinations. Without gene flow, small populations are especially subject to inbreeding, genetic drift and increased extinction risk.

The considerable variation in genetic diversity and effective population sizes among California and Nevada populations are likely attributable to the variation in man-made barriers. Gene flow among adjacent mountain lion populations has been nearly negated by freeways in densely populated Southern California. In Nevada, the analysis showed mountain lions had fewer barriers to gene flow and weak population differentiation, likely because mountain lions have access to more contiguous land areas with fewer humans.

"Mountain lions are capable of long-distance travel, yet we found strong genetic structure, indicating mountain lion habitats are not well-connected in the state of California," Ernest says. "Most statewide studies in North America have found weak genetic structure, further indicating the genetics of mountain lions in California are not the norm and that there is cause for concern."

The paper's results have far-reaching conservation and management implications for mountain lions and indicate large-scale fragmentation in one of North America's most biodiverse and rapidly urbanized areas. Whenever possible, government agencies and other stakeholders should consider population connectivity and prevent further fragmentation by human development, both within and among populations.

"Our study provides wildlife managers with critical population-level data across two states," Gustafson says. "Certain mountain lion populations in the state of California have low genetic diversity that is concerning and are potentially at risk of inbreeding depression. Without our data, wildlife managers would not know which populations are at risk and which populations can help restore genetic diversity, if needed."

Explore further Southern California mountain lions' genetic connectivity dangerously low

More information: Kyle D. Gustafson et al, Genetic sourcesink dynamics among naturally structured and anthropogenically fragmented puma populations, Conservation Genetics (2018). Journal information: Conservation Genetics Kyle D. Gustafson et al, Genetic sourcesink dynamics among naturally structured and anthropogenically fragmented puma populations,(2018). DOI: 10.1007/s10592-018-1125-0
Remotely monitoring honeybee hives can help track the health of the colony. Credit: weter78/ Shutterstock

Worldwide honeybee populations are in peril  and it's a dire situation for humans. Threats from climate change, toxic pesticides, and disease have all contributed to a steep honeybee population decline since 2006. And as a third of the food we eat is a direct result of insect pollination  including by honeybees  there could be serious consequences for us if the species goes extinct.

We recently uncovered more about a well-known, important honeybee signal known as the dorso-ventral abdominal vibration (DVAV) signal. Known as the honeybee "wake-up call," this signal tells other bees to prepare for an increase in work load, particularly in relation to foraging. We developed a remote sensor which allowed us to monitor honeybee colonies without opening the hive. By understanding the frequency and strength of the DVAV signal in the hive, beekeepers and researchers might be better able to monitor the health of bee colonies worldwide.

In many countries (and in Europe in particular), the woodland habitat that honeybees require no longer exists, so the majority of honeybees only survive thanks to beekeepers, who provide boxes and hives for them to live in. As such, being able to continuously monitor honeybee colonies is essential to their survival.

Problems can arise quickly in a colony, with devastating effects. While commercial beekeepers are doing their best to monitor bee populations in hives, checking on every single hive's population is a near impossible task, as some professionals have more than 1,000 colonies to care for.

Recent research has focused on finding ways to monitor honeybee populations without having to physically open hives. This will help beekeepers better check the safety of their colonies and may help sustain honeybee populations.

A bee delivering a series of DVAV signals.

We have been particularly interested in researching the vibrations resulting from honeybee activity within hives to better understand their in-hive behaviour. By detecting and measuring the vibrations sent through the honeycomb by individual bees, we are able to study and decode the messages honeybees are sending each other.

Bee communication

The DVAV signal is one well-known form of honeybee communication which tells other bees in the hive to prepare for increased work load. This signal lasts one second and occurs when a honeybee grips a recipient bee with her front legs and rhythmically shakes her abdomen back and forth, usually 20 times per second.

Using an accelerometer sensor (which measures the rate of acceleration the bee's body vibrates) with automated recording software, we were able to continuously monitor activity in the honeybee hive. Our research found that we can pick up the DVAV signal in the hive when honeybees pass near our sensor. Knowing this allows us to refine our assessment of the health of the colony, as specific health disorders will be reflected in changes in the hive's overall DVAV activity levels.

This "wake-up call" was not previously known to produce any vibration within the honeycomb, but we now have recorded the associated waveform in outstanding detail. Additional video analysis allowed us to confirm that it was the DVAV signal our sensor was detecting. From this, we were then able to create further machine-learning software to automatically detect and log any occurrence of DVAVs from the data our sensor picked up.

A DVAV signal is detected.

We monitored this signal in three hives in the UK and France for up to 16 months. We found that the signal is very common and highly repeatable. It unexpectedly occurs more frequently at night, with a distinct decrease towards mid-afternoon  a trend that is opposite to the amplitude (strength, or loudness) of the signals. We also found that honeybees will commonly produce this signal directly onto the comb.

This, alongside other research, suggests the DVAV signal may not function only as a wake-up call. For instance, this signal might be a way for bees to probe the contents of the honeycomb in order to check the honey and pollen storage levels, or for the presence of eggs. The amplitude of the signal, which varies a lot between night and day, might indicate the context in which the message is being produced. Its nighttime enhanced frequency is both a new discovery and, presently, an amazing mystery.

This new insight into the DVAV signal will help scientists recreate it so that we can try to communicate with the bees. By driving a precise replica of DVAV signal waves into the honeycomb (something not possible before our study), researchers will be able to transmit meaningful messages to the colony. This will let them check that enhanced colony activity is achieved, and will also allow them to further understand the DVAV signal's specific functions.

Our new research builds upon the work done by Karl von Frisch who decoded the meaning of the honeybee "waggle dance". Von Frisch discovered honeybees use it to alert each other of nectar in the area, and it gives highly precise instructions on where to find it. The waggle dance is still discussed today as an example of astonishing sophistication in insect communication. The discovery also prompted a shift in our thinking about other life forms, and how they impact our lives.

With the current evidence we have about humanity's detrimental effect on Earth, it is likely that society's impact on the planet will only get worse. Despite our desire to protect endangered species, we frequently make decisions for humanity's benefit which are damaging to the environment. By highlighting another fascinating element of honeybee communication, we hope that our work will help shift humanity's thinking and make sustainability of the planet the top priority.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Outline of commercial trawling and elasmobranch catch per haul inside and outside of marine protected areas. Credit: Kristina Boerder

What began as a Dalhousie Ph.D. student's investigation into North Atlantic shark populations turned into an eye-opening discovery that shows a number of European Union-designated marine protected areas (MPAs) are falling short of protecting threatened biodiversity. The research will be published in Science this week (Dec. 21).

While governments are rapidly expanding MPA networks across the globeand that's considered a positive step for ocean healththis Dalhousie-led research team is recommending the development and enforcement of minimum biodiversity protection standards for MPA designation in light of their findings.

The Department of Biology's Ph.D. candidate Manuel Dureuil, post-doctoral fellow Kristina Boerder, and Killam Research Professor Boris Worm worked with partners at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Germany and Halifax's Sharks of the Atlantic Research and Conservation Centre (ShARCC) on the study.

The Worm Lab also has strong research ties with Global Fishing Watch (GFW) a non-governmental organization based in the U.S. Last February, the lab and GFW co-authored another Science study outlining how the use of satellite sensor data was able to quantify the global fishing footprint for the first time.

Building off those findings, the Dal team was able to use the same open-access data more recently to investigate patterns of fishing effort in more detail in and around MPAs.

The biologists investigated a network of 727 MPAs in European Union territory. They show that industrial fishing activity is present in at least 432 of the 727 MPAs, or 59 per cent. That's approximately 43,812 square kilometres of protected ocean.

"Industrially-fished marine protected areas will not adequately protect the species that most require it, such as sharks, skates and rays. These are among the most endangered marine animals today," says first-author Dureuil, who is also president and co-founder of ShARCC. "Even though many of these MPAs were not established to protect sharks and rays, our findings question their effectiveness for biodiversity protection under current policy."

Unexpected findings

The team was surprised to find that industrial trawl fishing, one of the most disruptive fishing practices, was 38 per cent higher per area in protected ocean zones when compared with non-protected zones. Dureuil was also able to show that shark, skate and ray populations decline by 69 per cent in heavily trawled areas, adding to the evidence that supports a call for improved MPA policies and minimum standards worldwide.

In the EU, many MPAs do not address commercial fisheries, which are mostly regulated under the EU Common Fisheries Policy. Yet all feature biodiversity protection as a cross-cutting objective.

"What we're concerned about here is how strong and meaningful those protected areas really are given that a large fraction of them experience industrialized fishing," says Dr. Worm, the senior author of the study. "That pattern of fishing is quite the opposite of what we'd expect."

Growing support for minimum standards

Earlier this fall, the Government of Canada released its Final Report of the National Advisory Panel on Marine Protected Area Standards. It provides recommendations on the planning and management of Canadian MPAs, and specifically calls for improved biodiversity protection standards that exclude industrial activities from protected areas more generally. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) also advocates for this and the implementation of enforced protection standards across MPA networks.

The Worm Lab is now adding another science-backed voice to amplify the message: if a region is called a 'marine protected area' then it should, at the very least, protect the most threatened species that call it home.

"There's oil and gas exploration in some MPAs, there's industrial fishing. That makes it unclear what an MPA actually means," says Dr. Worm. "When industrial use is elevated, rather than reduced in protected areas, we are not getting the conservation outcomes needed to safeguard the marine environment for the future."

Following the evidence

Endangered sharks, skates and rays are the most at-risk fish species in European territory today. Making matters worse they're often victims of bycatch, getting unintentionally caught in trawl nets that drag across the bottom, or near the bottom, of the seabed. Once entangled these fish have little chance to escape and survive.

"Sharks are what first brought us to this discovery," says Dureuil. "We were wondering where the shark hot-spots are in Europe. Then, the next question was: are these hot-spot areas already protected or not?"

Once he noted that many shark hot-spots were actually found outside of MPAs, he began to wonder.

"The question then became: are these MPAs poorly-placed? Or is there something going on in them that sharks don't like?" says Dureuil, explaining what led him to look at industrial fishing activity within MPAs.

Sitting a few feet away from him at the time was Dr. Boerder, a Ph.D. candidate at the time with expertise in MPAs and satellite-based tracking of fishing vessels. The two of them are at Dalhousie because of TOSST, a unique joint interdisciplinary graduate school with GEOMAR.

Dureuil asked her to take a look at his work to investigate whether there was more industrial fishing in areas with fewer sharks, including within MPAs. Dr. Boerder's data on the spatial location of trawl fishing vessels confirmed there is indeed a higher trawling intensity in those areas. This finding had wider implications for the protection of biodiversity, explains Dureuil, because sharks and rays are sensitive biodiversity indicators: they're the first species to disappear and the last to recover.

"It has been shown repeatedly that marine protected areas can successfully protect and rebuild marine ecosystems and species," says Dr. Boerder (pictured). "But in order to work they need minimum standards of protection; such as the exclusion of harmful industrial activities like trawling. We have strong safety standards for food and for cars, why not for ocean protection?"

On the positive side of things, the researchers also show that lightly fished areas do allow for recovery, so there's hope to bring species back from the brink.

"We're moving to stronger protected area standards on land," said Dr. Worm. We should do the same in the ocean. It we call something a protected area, it should actually be protected."

The paper is titled "Elevated trawling inside protected areas undermines conservation outcomes in a global fishing hotspot."

Explore further Marine Protected Areas overlook a large fraction of biodiversity hotspots

More information: Manuel Dureuil et al. Elevated trawling inside protected areas undermines conservation outcomes in a global fishing hot spot, Science (2018). Journal information: Science Manuel Dureuil et al. Elevated trawling inside protected areas undermines conservation outcomes in a global fishing hot spot,(2018). DOI: 10.1126/science.aau0561
An illustration of the step-wise metamagnetic transition of a new quantum material discovered in the lab of Rice physicist Emilia Morosan. Credit: Macy Stavinoha/Rice University

There's an oddball in most families, but Rice University physicist Emilia Morosan has discovered an entire clan of eccentric compounds that could help explain the mysterious electronic and magnetic workings of other quantum materials engineers are eying for next-generation computers and electronics.

Morosan and 30 co-authors describe the first family membera "semimetallic Kondo lattice" made from ytterbium, rhodium and silicon in a ratio of 1-to-3-to-7in a study this week in the American Physical Society journal Physical Review X (PRX). The paper describes two properties of YbRh 3 Si 7 "metamagnetism" and "low-carrier Kondo" effectsthat have rarely previously been measured in the same material.

Morosan, whose lab specializes in the design, discovery and synthesis of quantum materials, created the new family of 1-3-7's with support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Systems Initiative (EPiQS). She said few 1-3-7's had been described in the scientific literature prior to her Moore-funded research. Of the several compounds in the 1-3-7 family discovered by her group, four are magnetic, three are ytterbium-based and "each is more surprising than the last," she said.

"First, this gives us an opportunity to understand all of these, by themselves, and then to understand them in relationship to each other," said Morosan, who was named a Moore Foundation EPiQS Materials Synthesis Investigator in 2014. "For example, the structural and chemical differences between these are very small. The lattice parameters are almost identical. One would expect that the physical changes would therefore be minimal in these related compounds, but we're finding dramatically different magnetic and transport properties. If we can understand why that happens in this family, it might allow us to search for compounds with the properties we want."

In YbRh 3 Si 7 and all other crystals, atoms are arranged in an orderly way. Each crystal has its own signature structural pattern, or lattice. In crystals containing magnetic elements like iron or ytterbium, the orderly arrangement of atoms in a lattice often goes hand in hand with magnetic order.

For example, every electron acts like a tiny spinning bar magnet, with a positive and negative magnetic pole at either end of its spin axis. The electron's magnetic moment refers to the direction in which the spin axis points, and in elements like iron and ytterbium, which each contain many electrons, atoms can have a strong collective magnetic moment. In ferromagnetsthe materials stuck to countless refrigerators and automobilesthese magnetic moments all point in one direction. In antiferromagnets, like YbRh 3 Si 7 , half of the moments point one way and half point the opposite way.

Tech companies are increasingly interested in using spin in solid-state devices. Spintronics, a growing movement, is dedicated to creating spin-based technologies for data transfer, data storage and computation, including fundamentally new kinds of chips for quantum computers.

For those studying new magnetic materials, like YbRh 3 Si 7 , one way to probe magnetic order is by coaxing the moments to point in another direction in response to an external magnetic field. By measuring the amount of field energy needed to change the direction that the magnetic moments point, physicists can learn much about the role that the crystal lattice plays in how the magnetic moments express themselves.

In most materials, the magnetic moments of atoms gradually rotate towards the direction of the external field as intensity increases. In metamagnets, the forces of the crystal field exert such a pull that the moments stay locked in place, even as an external field is applied. But when the field energy reaches a critical level, the moments all snap instantly into a new arrangement that's more closely aligned to the field. If the field intensity is increased enough, the moments can be made to align with the field, but "only through this progression of stepwise changes that are reminiscent of a devil's staircase," Morosan said.

The finding of the metamagnetic transitions was the first clue that something strange was at work in the crystallographic structure of YbRh 3 Si 7 .

"There are very few examples of metamagnetism in ytterbium-based compounds," said study co-author Macy Stavinoha, a graduate student in Morosan's group. "That transition clued us into looking at the underlying magnetic structure, which was quite complicated. We had to use a manifold of techniques to confirm what was involved."

The eight-year experimental odyssey to decipher the material's magnetic order was led by former Ph.D. student and co-author Binod Rai and included trips to Tennessee's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Maryland's National Institute of Standards and Technology, the United Kingdom's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Florida's National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and New Mexico's Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Morosan said the experiments helped her team decipher the confusing competition of forcesstructural, electronic and magneticat play in YbRh 3 Si 7 .

"There was nothing simple, in the sense that you could sit down, look at the data from an experiment and immediately tell what was going on," she said.

For example, experiments showed that the metamagnetic transitions in YbRh 3 Si 7 occurred at lower fields when the magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the zero-field moment direction. This contrasts with metamagnetic transitions in almost all other ytterbium-based compounds, which occur when the applied field is parallel to the moment direction. Morosan said this points to a delicate balance between the different energy scales in YbRh 3 Si 7 .

Another example of competing energy scales in the material can be seen in the enhanced interaction between magnetic moments and conduction electrons. This interaction, known as "Kondo screening," arises when carrier electronsthe flowing particles in electric currentinteract with magnetically aligned electrons in the ytterbium atoms. Stavinoha said it's puzzling because YbRh 3 Si 7 has a lower density of carrier electrons than most known Kondo materials.

"You rarely find multiple Kondo systems in one family of isostructural compounds," Stavinoha said. "In the 1-3-7 family, we discovered three such Kondo systems with distinct magnetic and electronic properties. That combination of structural similarity and physical property dissimilarity present a great opportunity for comparative studies."

Explore further Correlation between the structure and magnetic properties of ceramics

More information: Binod K. Rai et al. Anomalous Metamagnetism in the Low Carrier Density Kondo Lattice YbRh 3 Si 7 , Physical Review X (2018). Journal information: Physical Review X Binod K. Rai et al. Anomalous Metamagnetism in the Low Carrier Density Kondo Lattice YbRhSi(2018). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.8.041047
Extremely Large Telescope. Credit: ESO/L. Calcada/ACe Consortium

A cutting-edge instrument developed by scientists at the University of Oxford has passed critical tests and gained a powerful adaptive optics system.

Oxford engineers and scientists leading the project to build HARMONI, one of the first-light instruments for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), are celebrating after it successfully completed the Preliminary Design Review process (PDR). By completing this vital step, the instrument can progress to the detailed design phase, aiming to be ready for remarkable observations of astronomical objects in the mid 2020's.

HARMONI the High Angular Resolution Monolithic Optical and Near-infrared Integral field spectrographhas been designed by a team led jointly by the University of Oxford and STFC's UK Astronomy Technology Centre. It will provide the European Southern Observatory (ESO)'s telescope with a sensitivity that is many hundreds of times better than any current telescope of its kind. The Review assessed the design of the instrument's optics, mechanics, software, and electronics, as well as its operational concepts.

Professor Niranjan Thatte from the University of Oxford's Department of Physics, who is leading on HARMONI, said: "HARMONI is a "work-horse" instrument and the spectrograph, equipped with an integral field capability, observes an astronomical target in 4000 different colours (wavelengths) simultaneously. Completing this review takes us all a big step closer to carrying out observations of a wide variety of astronomical objects, ranging from planets around nearby stars, to the very first galaxies, and the very first stars ever formed."

Perched over 3,000 metres above sea level on top of Cerro Armazones in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, the ELT will be the biggest optical telescope ever built and have a giant main mirror 39 metres in diameter. It is one of the first in a new class of massive astronomical instruments and will stand an impressive 8 metres tall, measure 10 metres long by 6 metres wide, and weigh in at a mighty 40 tonnes.

HARMONI is one of the biggest global science collaborations in history and includes an 88 million investment by the UK Government.

Professor Steven Balbus, Head of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford said: "The science potential of this incredible instrument is vast."

The University of Oxford is the lead institute for the HARMONI project and is home to the principal investigator, project manager, system engineer and instrument scientist.

Explore further Construction begins on the world's first super telescope
Sometimes we define what we go looking for by what we already know and, oddly enough, we can actually miss things entirely, says U of T's Barbara Sherwood Lollar. Credit: Diana Tysko

Is there life beyond Earth?

Recent discoveries point to tantalizing possibilities.

But to understand the possibilities, we have to do one important thing: Stop thinking that life as we know it  that which depends on oxygen  is the only kind of life.

"If there's one thing we've learned from this planet of ours, it's that it's very easy to fall into paradigms and assume that what we know is in fact the limit," says the University of Toronto's Barbara Sherwood Lollar. "Sometimes we define what we go looking for by what we already know and, oddly enough, we can actually miss things entirely."

Sherwood Lollar is a University Professor of geology and Canada Research Chair in Isotopes of the Earth and Environment. She was also the chair of the committee that recently published "An Astrobiology Science Strategy for the Search for Life in the Universe." It is a year-in-the-making report, commissioned by NASA, to recommend an approach to finding life beyond Earth in a planned, strategic and open-minded manner.

"Our work was to survey the landscape, identify discoveries and recommend areas of new direction," says Sherwood Lollar. The report is part of a "grassroots process" that leads into the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine's decadal surveys, where science communities map out what should be focused on over the next decade.

The committee's overarching approach is to use the fascinating discipline of astrobiology  the study of the origin, evolution, distribution and nature of life in the universe.

"With a definition like that," says Sherwood Lollar, "astrobiology is immensely interdisciplinary. To search for life beyond Earth, we need to try to understand the life and death of planets and their star systems, such as the influence of the sun on our solar system. And to do that, you need heliophysics, astronomy, astrophysics, biology, microbiology and geology, as well as advanced engineering and technology. And we will need to be able to interpret huge amounts of data, which is where machine learning and artificial intelligence will be essential."

With all of these possibilities still to explore, Sherwood Lollar and the committee have recommended that the search for life take a variety of forms of life into consideration.

"We need to go broad in thinking about the search for life in the universe. There might be oxygen in a planet's atmosphere, but that assumes life will be like life on Earth, resulting from photosynthesis. But life can survive through other metabolic strategies."

She points out that life on Earth has been dependent on oxygen only for the past 2.5 billion of the planet's 4.5 billion years. Before that, "we had lots of life, but no free oxygen in the atmosphere. And that's important to realize  planets evolve. At one point, Mars was probably more habitable than Earth. We need to look at that evolution with other planets."

So the goal in going broad in the search is to "keep the blinkers off and consider the huge variety of lines of evidence that might be important to really nail down the question."

Another important direction for future research is to explore what is going on beneath the surface of planets. Part of the excitement around the discovery of the ocean deep under the surface of Europa, a moon orbiting Jupiter, is that life underground has been discovered on Earth, too.

"One of the reasons I wanted to be a scientist was the discovery on the ocean floors in the 1970s that life down there was not driven by the sun's energy," says Sherwood Lollar. "It was not photosynthetic life, but life dependent on chemicals.

"Hydrothermal vents mixed with ocean waters to produce chemical energy and it was discovered that microbes in those systems can live in the deep parts of this planet off of that chemical energy. And it could then sustain higher order organisms like tubeworms. And it's since been found that life that lives on chemicals is not just on the ocean floors, but also the continental subsurface."

And if these forms of life  odd to us, but still life  can happen in Earth's subsurface, could they happen in the deep parts of other planets?

Consider these discoveries:

In July, researchers found what they believe to be a lake under the southern polar ice cap of Mars. Water is a key component of the life we know. "This really qualifies as a body of water. A lake, not some kind of meltwater filling some space between rock and ice, as happens in certain glaciers on Earth," Roberto Orosei of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics told the BBC.

The discovery of thousands of exoplanets  planets outside our solar system  by the NASA Kepler spacecraft increased the possibility for life elsewhere, especially those exoplanets at the special distance from their star in a habitable zone (that is, an area that has the right conditions for life). Planets in our solar system have moons; now astronomers are theorizing that exoplanets must also have moons, thus increasing the possibility for life.

While the report pushes exploring via an outside-the-box focus, Sherwood Lollar also emphasizes that "the committee is not recommending that space scientists and agencies do everything." In fact, she says, it is essential to strategize and to plan carefully and to ensure that governments, research institutions and agencies work closely together on how to conduct the search for life.

"It's a very human report in that sense. It's about teamwork. It isn't a solitary, ivory tower kind of exercise. Scientists have to be deeply engaged in their own communities and with the broader public. That's how we do our best work in any area of research."

But how important is this search for life elsewhere? Wouldn't the high expenditures associated with space research be better spent on the problems more directly associated with life on Earth?

"It's an excellent question and one I ask myself. So I say this: Astrobiology is about the study of life in the universe, which means it is about life on Earth. We need to take a broad view of the scientific enterprise and recognize that the search for life off Earth can have important ramifications for what we do to keep this planet habitable. Life will persist for us. The question is what will the quality of that life be?

"So if you care about this planet, there are aspects of astrobiology that are deeply integrated in the health of Earth. It's not an either-or proposition. It's about broad-scale thinking about how planetary systems are linked. And that becomes more vital by the day with climate change on this planet."

Explore further Searching for alien life on other moons

More information: An Astrobiology Strategy for the Search for Life in the Universe. An Astrobiology Strategy for the Search for Life in the Universe. www.nap.edu/catalog/25252/an-a  life-in-the-universe
A fusion power plant could provide clean, carbon-free energy with an essentially unlimited fuel supply. From the point of view of electrical power generation, the fusion device is just another heat source that could be used in a conventional thermal conversion cycle. Credit: PSFC, adapted from Wikimedia Commons

A new report on the development of fusion as an energy source, written at the request of the U.S. Secretary of Energy, proposes adoption of a national fusion strategy that closely aligns with the course charted in recent years by MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) and privately funded Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), a recent MIT spinout.

Fusion technology has long held the promise of producing safe, abundant, carbon-free electricity, while struggling to overcome the daunting challenges of creating and harnessing fusion reactions to produce net energy gain. But the Consensus Study Report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine states that magnetic-confinement fusion technology (an MIT focus since the 1970s) is now "sufficiently advanced to propose a path to demonstrate fusion generated energy within the next several decades."

It recommends continued U.S. participation in the international ITER fusion facility project and "a national program of accompanying research and technology leading to the construction of a compact pilot plant that produces electricity from fusion at the lowest possible capital cost."

That approach (which the report says would require up to $200 million in additional annual funding for several decades) leverages opportunities presented by new-generation superconducting magnets, reactor materials, simulators, and other relevant technologies. Of particular emphasis from the committee is the advances in high-temperature superconducting magnets which can access higher fields and smaller machines. The report recommends a U.S. program to prove out high-field large-bore magnets. They are seen as enabling faster and less-costly cycles of learning and development than extremely large experiments like ITER, which will not come on line until 2025, while still benefitting from the knowledge that emerges from those programs.

This smaller-faster-cheaper approach is embodied in the SPARC reactor concept, which was developed at the PSFC and forms the foundation of CFS's aggressive effort to demonstrate energy-gain fusion by the mid-2020s and produce practical reactor designs by the early 2030s. This approach is based on the similar conclusion that high-field high-temperature magnets represent a game-changing technology. A $30 million program between CFS and MIT to demonstrate the high-field large bore superconducting magnets is underway at MIT and is a key step to a compact fusion energy system. Despite a handful of other privately funded fusion companies having offered roughly comparable timelines, the National Academies report does not envision demonstration fusion reactors appearing until the 2050 time frame.

The report also affirms that the scientific underpinnings of the tokamak approach have been strengthened over the previous decade, giving increasing confidence that this approach, which is the basis of ITER and SPARC, is capable of achieving net energy gain and forming the basis for a power plant. Based on this increased confidence the committee recommends moving forward with technology developments for a pilot power plant that would put power on the grid.

"The National Academies are a very thoughtful organization, and they're typically very conservative," says Bob Mumgaard, chief executive officer of CFS. "We're glad to see them come out with a message that it's time to move into fusion, and that compact and economical is the way to go. We think development should go faster, but it gives validation to people who want to tackle the challenge and lays out things we can do in the U.S. that will lead toward putting power on the grid."

Andrew Holland, director of the recently formed Fusion Industry Association and Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate at the American Security Project, notes that the report's authors were charged with creating "a consensus science report that reflects current pathways, and the current pathway is to build ITER and go through the experimental process there, while meanwhile designing a pilot plant, DEMO."

Shifting the consensus toward a faster way forward, adds Holland, will require experimental results from companies like CFS. "That's why it's notable to have privately funded companies in the U.S. and around the world pursuing the scientific results that will bear this out. And it's certainly important that this study is aimed at getting the government-based science community to think about a strategic plan. It should be seen as part of a starting gun for the fusion community coming together and organizing its own process."

Or, as Martin Greenwald, deputy director of the PSFC and a veteran fusion researcher, puts it, "There's a tendency in our community to argue about a 20-year plan or a 30-year plan, but we don't want to take our eyes off what we need to do in the next three to five years. We might not have consensus on the long scale, but we need one for what to do now, and that's been the consistent message since we announced the SPARC projectengaging the broader community and taking the initiative.

"The key thing to us is that if fusion is going to have an impact on climate change, we need answers quickly, we can't wait until the end of century, and that's driving the schedule. The private money that's coming in helps, but public funding should engage with and complement that. Each side has an appropriate role. National labs don't build power plants, and private companies don't do basic research."

While several approaches to fusion are being pursued in public and private organizations, the National Academies report focuses exclusively on magnetic confinement technology. This reflects the report's role in the Department of Energy's response to a 2016 Congressional request for information on U.S. participation in ITER, a magnetic-confinement project. The report committee's 19 experts, who conducted two years of research, were also charged with exploring related questions of "how best to advance the fusion sciences in the U.S." and "the scientific justification and needs for strengthening the foundations for realizing fusion energy given a potential choice of U.S. participation or not in the ITER project."

The report's publication comes at a time of renewed activity and interest in fusion energy, with some 20 private companies pursuing its development, increased funding in the most recent federal budget, and the formation of the Fusion Industry Association to advocate for the community as a whole. But the report cautions that "the absence of a long-term research strategy for the United States is particularly evident when compared to the plans of our international partners."

That situation may be evolving. "We had a very nice meeting of stakeholders a month and a half ago in DC, and there was a lot of resonance among private companies, the research community, the Department of Energy, and Congressional staffers from both parties," says Greenwald. "It seems like there's momentum, though we don't know yet just what form it will take." He adds that the establishment of an industry association is very helpful for navigating and communicating in Washington.

"We would love to see the government have a role in things that lift all fusion companies, like advanced materials labs, the process of extracting heat from reactors, additive manufacturing, simulations, and other tools," says Mumgaard. "There are many opportunities for collaboration and cooperation; every company will have a different mix of partnerships, even on personnel exchange as we do with MIT."

Explore further A faster, cheaper path to fusion energy

This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching.
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GEORGE SOROS NAMED FINANCIAL TIMES PERSON OF THE YEAR LoP Guest

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12-21-2018 02:56 AM











Post: #1 GEORGE SOROS NAMED FINANCIAL TIMES PERSON OF THE YEAR

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Of course George Soros is the Financial Times Person of the Year. They could hardly have given the award to the embattled Emmanuel Macron. Nor would the retreating Angela Merkel have sent a particularly strong message. Jean Claude-Juncker? Gimme a break.



Yes, it is a sign of the decline of the neo-liberal, rules-based, world order that the best person the FT could muster is an 88-year-old billionaire who confesses to having no guilt over his Nazi-affiliated actions during the Second World War.



The papers hagiographic take on Mr. Soross life would be rage-inducing were it not so risible in its contentions.



The author, Roula Khalaf, appears to make virtue of Mr. Soross decision to short the pound in the early 90s, delivering a smashing blow to Britains economy in the short-term profiteering interest of the Hungarian-born billionaire.



He then proverbially scratches his head in the Marrakech interview with the FT, stating:





We had history on our side in the early years. It was a time when open societies were very successful and were gaining ground  But the course of history has changed. Thats the problem that Im trying to understand. What has made closed societies gain ground.



If he is indeed as smart as his lifes work and the article in question portrays, Mr. Soros should have no problem discerning precisely why closed societies are gaining ground. The dichotomy presented is also a false one. There are no closed societies in the West. There are just rules, laws, borders, and expectations of immigrants to assimilate.





SOURCE





https://dailycaller.com/2018/12/19/soros...-the-year/ No Joke: What a world he?Of course George Soros is the Financial Times Person of the Year. They could hardly have given the award to the embattled Emmanuel Macron. Nor would the retreating Angela Merkel have sent a particularly strong message. Jean Claude-Juncker? Gimme a break.Yes, it is a sign of the decline of the neo-liberal, rules-based, world order that the best person the FT could muster is an 88-year-old billionaire who confesses to having no guilt over his Nazi-affiliated actions during the Second World War.The papers hagiographic take on Mr. Soross life would be rage-inducing were it not so risible in its contentions.The author, Roula Khalaf, appears to make virtue of Mr. Soross decision to short the pound in the early 90s, delivering a smashing blow to Britains economy in the short-term profiteering interest of the Hungarian-born billionaire.He then proverbially scratches his head in the Marrakech interview with the FT, stating:We had history on our side in the early years. It was a time when open societies were very successful and were gaining ground  But the course of history has changed. Thats the problem that Im trying to understand. What has made closed societies gain ground.If he is indeed as smart as his lifes work and the article in question portrays, Mr. Soros should have no problem discerning precisely why closed societies are gaining ground. The dichotomy presented is also a false one. There are no closed societies in the West. There are just rules, laws, borders, and expectations of immigrants to assimilate.SOURCE spo snouou

Vocem sine nomine audivit!

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12-21-2018 03:04 AM



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Post: #2 RE: GEORGE SOROS NAMED FINANCIAL TIMES PERSON OF THE YEAR

Quote: But the foundations were the first out of the gate everywhere. I remembered the lesson my father who had lived through the Russian Revolution in Siberia taught me: In revolutionary times things that are normally impossible become possible.



In Ukraine, we set up the Ukrainian Renaissance Foundation before Ukraine became independent. In Tajikistan, we persevered with the foundation during the five-year civil war although we had no way of controlling its activities. Our impact was the greatest during that turbulent period.



When I set up the foundations in Eastern Europe I hoped the open societies of the West would follow in my footsteps, but in that regard I was disappointed. Unwilling to burden their own budgets, they gave the job to the International Monetary Fund, which was ill suited to the task.



The IMF was accustomed to signing letters of intent with governments, making the continuation of their programs conditional on the governments fulfilling their obligations. The countries of Eastern Europe fared better, but in the former Soviet states one after another, the programs largely failed.



East Germany was the exception: West Germany was willing to make the sacrifices that were necessary to integrate it. Eventually, the countries of Eastern Europe, including the Baltic states, also made the grade when the European Union gave them accession. But the rest of the former Soviet Union in the Caucasus and Central Asia never succeeded in making the transition.



This has left a bitter legacy. Rightly or wrongly, both the rulers and the people of Russia harbor a deep resentment against the West, which the West has not come to grips with.



The new order in Moscow that has emerged out of the chaos of the 1990s is very far from an open society. It is an authoritarian regime that preserves the outward appearances of democracy but derives its power from its control of Russia's national resources.



It uses those resources to maintain itself in power, to personally enrich the rulers, and to exercise influence over its neighborhood, both in Europe and in the former Soviet sphere. more:

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe...index.html





Soros was not a large donor to U.S. political causes until the 2004 presidential election, Between 1979 and 2011, he donated more than $11 billion to various philanthropic causes; by 2017, his donations "on civil initiatives to reduce poverty and increase transparency, and on scholarships and universities around the world" totaled $12 billion. He influenced the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s,and provided one of Europe's largest higher education endowments to the Central European University in his Hungarian hometown.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Sor...nvolvement



Evil Soros: Dog Whistling Anti-Semitism In Viktor Orbans Hungary



Read more: more:Soros was not a large donor to U.S. political causes until the 2004 presidential election, Between 1979 and 2011, he donated more than $11 billion to various philanthropic causes; by 2017, his donations "on civil initiatives to reduce poverty and increase transparency, and on scholarships and universities around the world" totaled $12 billion. He influenced the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s,and provided one of Europe's largest higher education endowments to the Central European University in his Hungarian hometown.Read more: https://forward.com/news/world/373162/ev...s-hungary/ LoP Guest

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Post: #3 RE: GEORGE SOROS NAMED FINANCIAL TIMES PERSON OF THE YEAR

Couldnt be a dog whistle from the daily caller? SkeptiSchism

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12-21-2018 03:21 AM



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Post: #4 RE: GEORGE SOROS NAMED FINANCIAL TIMES PERSON OF THE YEAR

Orange man bad memes bankin coin (This post was last modified: 12-21-2018 03:21 AM by SkeptiSchism .) LoP Guest

lop guest

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12-21-2018 03:36 AM











Post: #5 RE: GEORGE SOROS NAMED FINANCIAL TIMES PERSON OF THE YEAR

spo snouou Wrote: (12-21-2018 03:04 AM) Quote: But the foundations were the first out of the gate everywhere. I remembered the lesson my father who had lived through the Russian Revolution in Siberia taught me: In revolutionary times things that are normally impossible become possible.



In Ukraine, we set up the Ukrainian Renaissance Foundation before Ukraine became independent. In Tajikistan, we persevered with the foundation during the five-year civil war although we had no way of controlling its activities. Our impact was the greatest during that turbulent period.



When I set up the foundations in Eastern Europe I hoped the open societies of the West would follow in my footsteps, but in that regard I was disappointed. Unwilling to burden their own budgets, they gave the job to the International Monetary Fund, which was ill suited to the task.



The IMF was accustomed to signing letters of intent with governments, making the continuation of their programs conditional on the governments fulfilling their obligations. The countries of Eastern Europe fared better, but in the former Soviet states one after another, the programs largely failed.



East Germany was the exception: West Germany was willing to make the sacrifices that were necessary to integrate it. Eventually, the countries of Eastern Europe, including the Baltic states, also made the grade when the European Union gave them accession. But the rest of the former Soviet Union in the Caucasus and Central Asia never succeeded in making the transition.



This has left a bitter legacy. Rightly or wrongly, both the rulers and the people of Russia harbor a deep resentment against the West, which the West has not come to grips with.



The new order in Moscow that has emerged out of the chaos of the 1990s is very far from an open society. It is an authoritarian regime that preserves the outward appearances of democracy but derives its power from its control of Russia's national resources.



It uses those resources to maintain itself in power, to personally enrich the rulers, and to exercise influence over its neighborhood, both in Europe and in the former Soviet sphere. more:

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe...index.html





Soros was not a large donor to U.S. political causes until the 2004 presidential election, Between 1979 and 2011, he donated more than $11 billion to various philanthropic causes; by 2017, his donations "on civil initiatives to reduce poverty and increase transparency, and on scholarships and universities around the world" totaled $12 billion. He influenced the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s,and provided one of Europe's largest higher education endowments to the Central European University in his Hungarian hometown.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Sor...nvolvement



Evil Soros: Dog Whistling Anti-Semitism In Viktor Orbans Hungary



Read more: https://forward.com/news/world/373162/ev...s-hungary/

Soros's billions are funding the destruction of western culture through mass illegal immigration you fucktarded shill



https://www.thegoldwater.com/news/19916-...tion-Plans LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 441947

12-21-2018 03:37 AM











Post: #6 RE: GEORGE SOROS NAMED FINANCIAL TIMES PERSON OF THE YEAR

Caps lock doesnt make it true. LoP Guest

lop guest

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12-21-2018 03:38 AM











Post: #7 RE: GEORGE SOROS NAMED FINANCIAL TIMES PERSON OF THE YEAR

Shouldn't that read "piece of sh*t of the year." spo snouou

Vocem sine nomine audivit!

User ID: 350320

12-21-2018 04:02 AM



Posts: 67,593









Post: #8 RE: GEORGE SOROS NAMED FINANCIAL TIMES PERSON OF THE YEAR

spo snouou Wrote: (12-21-2018 03:04 AM) Quote: But the foundations were the first out of the gate everywhere. I remembered the lesson my father who had lived through the Russian Revolution in Siberia taught me: In revolutionary times things that are normally impossible become possible.



In Ukraine, we set up the Ukrainian Renaissance Foundation before Ukraine became independent. In Tajikistan, we persevered with the foundation during the five-year civil war although we had no way of controlling its activities. Our impact was the greatest during that turbulent period.



When I set up the foundations in Eastern Europe I hoped the open societies of the West would follow in my footsteps, but in that regard I was disappointed. Unwilling to burden their own budgets, they gave the job to the International Monetary Fund, which was ill suited to the task.



The IMF was accustomed to signing letters of intent with governments, making the continuation of their programs conditional on the governments fulfilling their obligations. The countries of Eastern Europe fared better, but in the former Soviet states one after another, the programs largely failed.



East Germany was the exception: West Germany was willing to make the sacrifices that were necessary to integrate it. Eventually, the countries of Eastern Europe, including the Baltic states, also made the grade when the European Union gave them accession. But the rest of the former Soviet Union in the Caucasus and Central Asia never succeeded in making the transition.



This has left a bitter legacy. Rightly or wrongly, both the rulers and the people of Russia harbor a deep resentment against the West, which the West has not come to grips with.



The new order in Moscow that has emerged out of the chaos of the 1990s is very far from an open society. It is an authoritarian regime that preserves the outward appearances of democracy but derives its power from its control of Russia's national resources.



It uses those resources to maintain itself in power, to personally enrich the rulers, and to exercise influence over its neighborhood, both in Europe and in the former Soviet sphere. more:

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe...index.html





Soros was not a large donor to U.S. political causes until the 2004 presidential election, Between 1979 and 2011, he donated more than $11 billion to various philanthropic causes; by 2017, his donations "on civil initiatives to reduce poverty and increase transparency, and on scholarships and universities around the world" totaled $12 billion. He influenced the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s,and provided one of Europe's largest higher education endowments to the Central European University in his Hungarian hometown.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Sor...nvolvement



Evil Soros: Dog Whistling Anti-Semitism In Viktor Orbans Hungary



Read more: https://forward.com/news/world/373162/ev...s-hungary/





GEORGE SOROS NAMED FINANCIAL TIMES PERSON OF THE YEAR



give the man a cigar ! GEORGE SOROS NAMED FINANCIAL TIMES PERSON OF THE YEARgive the man a cigar !

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Why are there not more mass demonstrations across the United States with a president as controversial as Donald Trump? The President's thoughts, tariffs, and tweets affect global economies, societies, and sensibilities. Amid all the anger, frustration, and unfairness felt by large sections of the American public, the lack of street demonstrations is surprising.

In "The Deprivation-Protest Paradox: How the Perception of Unfair Economic Inequality Leads to Civic Unrest," published in the December issue of Current Anthropology, Seamus Power illustrates how the tipping point at which tolerance for hardship and injustice turns into civic discontent in the form of street demonstrations could be reached and how it might be closer than it seems.

Power's article describes how the Irish people tolerated economic hardship following the collapse of the Great Recession, but counterintuitively began protesting during a recovery which was unequally felt after a new tax on water was introduced. But there's nothing particularly Irish about the Irish case.

Danny Dorling of Oxford University argues that suppressed, denigrated, or ignored voices build disgruntlement and breed frustration. Symbols can embody injustices (Wagoner, Aalborg University) and technology can spread these images (Jindra, Boston University). But it is comparison by comparing your lot in life with those of other groups, and perceiving that you are disadvantaged, that leads to anger and the possibility of protest. This finding explains why there were mass protests on Irish streets during an economic upturn: people expected to reap the benefits of an improving economy. But it was the rich, not the rest, who disproportionately benefitted from the upturn. A new water tax added insult to injury. Mike Norton and Serena Hegarty from Harvard Business School summarize the premise when they stated, "While periods of austerity may cause hardship, heightened awareness of inequality in the restoration periodand the shifting reference points that recovery engenderscan lead to the strongest reactions from citizens."

The lessons for the United States are stark: the perception of unfair economic growth can lead to mass demonstrations. Trump gained supporters during his presidential race by highlighting workers in the Rust Belt who got left behind during Obama's recovery. People expect to reap the benefits of voting for him, meaning they expect to benefit from economic growth. But the recent closure of manufacturing plants, and the resultant loss of jobs, can be the tinder for popular demonstrations against the president. In addition to prevalent and widespread sense of anger from many sectors of the population, the growing disgruntlement of voters who supported Trump, only to see their expectations and perceptions of fairness violated as economic promises are broken, can push towards the tipping point of civic discontent and mass protests.

It is not just objective economic conditions, but people's subjective understandings of them, that matter. This might seem paradoxical. But history of filled with these paradoxes. People take to the streets when the gap between their expectations and lived realities becomes too great. In the United States, as in Ireland, the surprising lack of street demonstrations does not mean there isn't tinder that is ready to ignite.

More information: Seamus A. Power, The Deprivation-Protest Paradox: How the Perception of Unfair Economic Inequality Leads to Civic Unrest, Current Anthropology (2018). Journal information: Current Anthropology Seamus A. Power, The Deprivation-Protest Paradox: How the Perception of Unfair Economic Inequality Leads to Civic Unrest,(2018). DOI: 10.1086/700679
Over 100,000 passengers have been affected by the shutdown

British police were Friday considering shooting down the drone that has grounded flights and caused chaos at London's Gatwick Airport, with passengers set to face a third day of disruption.

Police said it was a "tactical option" after more than 50 sightings of the device near the airfield since Wednesday night when the runway was first closed.

Police and airport authorities believe the drone is being flown in a deliberate act to disrupt the airport at one of the busiest times of year, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded just days before Christmas.

On Thursday Britain called in the army to offer additional support to police as they hunt for those responsible.

"We will do what we can to take that drone out of the sky and remove that disruption so we can get Gatwick back to normal," Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley said, despite earlier concerns that shooting the drone would be dangerous due to the danger of stray bullets.

"One of the options is to use firearms officers if that presents itselfthey have been out on the ground today and that's a consideration and a tactical option that's open to us."

He said he believed the drone had been modified with the "intent of causing disruption" and were looking through CCTV to identify the make and model.

The airport said late Thursday its only runway could not be reopened following further appearances of the drone.

"Gatwick's runway remains unavailable because of continued drone sightings," it said.

Specialist equipment has been deployed by the MOD (Ministry of Defence) to Gatwick airport to assist Sussex Police.

"We are there to assist and do everything we can," Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson told Sky News television, declining to give the troops' exact role and adding that it followed a request from local police.

Passenger planes grounded at London Gatwick Airport, the eighth busiest in Europe

'It's childish'

Gisele Fenech, 43, who was travelling to Malta, was among those stranded at the airport.

"We're meeting family and it's my daughter's birthday today so it's gone all wrong. We've been looking forward to this for so long," she told AFP.

"Everyone's trying to get home for Christmas."

Gatwick, around 30 miles (50 kilometres) south of the British capital, is the eighth-busiest airport in Europe and sits behind Mumbai as the world's busiest single runway air hub.

Inbound flights were diverted to other airports, including Paris, while passengers waiting to take off faced gruelling delays as airlines cut services.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said overnight restrictions would be lifted at some airports to help ease the situation.

Some 10,000 passengers were affected on Wednesday night, and a further 110,000 who had been due to either take off or land at the airport on 760 flights Thursday.

Musab Rashid, 22, who was going to Copenhagen, said: "It's wrong, it's childish of them to do this, because it's affected more than 100,000 people."

Cat-and-mouse manhunt

Two drones were first spotted flying over Gatwick at around 9pm (2100 GMT) on Wednesday. The airfield briefly reopened at 3am on Thursday, but had to be closed again following further sightings through the day.

Passengers wait at the North Terminal at London Gatwick Airport,as police frantically searched for the operators of the drones that had forced the suspension of all flights

Gatwick CEO Stewart Wingate said the incident was "a highly targeted activity which has been designed to close the airport and bring maximum disruption in the run up to Christmas".

"We are working very closely with the police and the security services to try to resolve this for passengers," he said, adding "as soon as we can we will" reopen the runway.

A cat-and-mouse manhunt is under way to catch those operating the drones, with more than 20 police units and dozens of officers from two local forces deployed.

"Each time we believe we get close to the operator, the drone disappears; when we look to reopen the airfield, the drone reappears," said police superintendent Justin Burtenshaw on Thursday, adding there were no indication the incident was terror-related.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said she sympathised with passengers and vowed action.

"We will continue to work with the Gatwick authorities and police will be working... in order to bring this to a close," she told a press conference in London.

Under a new British law, drones cannot be flown near aircraft or within a kilometre of an airport, or at an altitude of over 400 feet (122 metres).

May warned the perpetrators they could face up to five years in prison for endangering an aircraft under recently passed legislation.

"We're consulting on further aspects of this including further police powers," she added.

Gatwick serves more than 228 destinations in 74 countries for 45 million passengers a year.

Explore further Holiday chaos as drones shut London's Gatwick Airport

 2018 AFP
The spin structure in the atoms in the crystal made of light - it is possible to switch between simple and complex states. Credit: Vienna University of Technology

Electrons are not just little spheres, bouncing through a material like a rubber ball. The laws of quantum physics tell us that electrons behave like waves. In some materials, these electron waves can take on rather complicated shapes. The so-called "topological materials" produce electron states that can be very interesting for technical applications, but it is extremely difficult to identify these materials and their associated electronic states.

TU Wien (Vienna) and several research groups from China have now developed new ideas and implemented them in an experiment. A "crystal " made of light waves is created to hold atoms in a very special geometric pattern. These "light crystals", which have been used in different ways for the manipulation of atoms, can now be used to deliberately drive the system out of equilibrium. By switching between simple and complicated states, the system reveals whether or not it has topologically interesting states. These findings have now been published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Bread Rolls and Donuts

The importance of topology can easily be seen if we pack too many things into a shopping bag: a bread roll may be slightly crushed and squeezed into a shape similar to a banana. Bread rolls and bananas have the same basic geometric structure, topologically they are the same. On the other hand, a donut has a hole in the middleits topology is different. Even if it is slightly squeezed, its shape can still be easily distinguished from that of the bread roll.

Optical instruments at TU Wien. Credit: Vienna University of Technology

"It is similar with quantum states," explains Prof. Jorg Schmiedmayer from Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology (VCQ) at TU Wien. "Quantum states can have a nontrivial topology which protects them with respect to certain perturbations. That's what makes them so interesting for technology, because you always have to deal with perturbations in every experiment and in every real world technological application." In 2016, the Nobel Prize in Physics for research was awarded for research on topological states of matter, but it is still considered extremely difficult to determine whether or not a certain material allows topologically interesting quantum states.

"Quantum states that are not in equilibrium, are changing rapidly," says Jorg Schmiedmayer. "This dynamics is notoriously difficult to understand, but as we have shown, it is a great way to obtain extremely interesting information about the system." Schmiedmayer cooperated with research teams from China. "The experiment was led by Prof. Shuai Chen, in the research group of Prof. Jian-Wei Pan. Both were once collaborators in my group in Heidelberg, and ever since their return to China, we have been work closely together," says Schmiedmayer. The TU Vienna and the Chinese University of Science and Technology (USTC, Heifei, China) signed a cooperation agreement in 2016, which strengthened research cooperation, especially in the field of physics.

A topologically trivial bandstructure (left), much like a valley, in which a rolling ball approaches the lowest point. The structure on the right is more complex. Credit: Vienna University of Technology

An Imbalance Revealing Material Properties

With the help of interfering light waves, atoms can be held in pre-defined places, creating a regular grid of atoms, similar to a crystal, the atoms taking the roles of the electrons in a solid state crystal. By changing the light, the geometry of the atomic arrangement can be switched, in order to examine how the electron states would behave in a real solid state material.

"With this change, a massive imbalance is suddenly being generated," says Jorg Schmiedmayer. "The quantum states must rearrange and approach a new equilibrium, much like balls rolling down a hill until they find equilibrium in the valley. And during this process we can see clear signatures that tell us whether topologically interesting states are to be found or not. "

This is an important new insight for research on topological materials. One could even adapt the artificial light crystals to simulate certain crystal structures and in order to find new topological materials.

More information: Wei Sun et al. Uncover Topology by Quantum Quench Dynamics, Physical Review Letters (2018). Journal information: Physical Review Letters Wei Sun et al. Uncover Topology by Quantum Quench Dynamics,(2018). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.250403
Responsible innovation that considers the wider impacts on society is key to smart farming, according to academics at the University of East Anglia (UEA).

Agriculture is undergoing a technology revolution supported by policy-makers around the world. While smart technologies will play an important role in achieving improved productivity and greater eco-efficiency, critics have suggested that consideration of the social impacts is being side-lined.

In a new journal article Dr. David Rose and Dr. Jason Chilvers, from UEA's School of Environmental Sciences, argue that the concept of responsible innovation should underpin the so-called fourth agricultural revolution, ensuring that innovations also provide social benefits and address potentially negative side-effects.

Each of the previous revolutions was radical at the timethe first representing a transition from hunting and gathering to settled agriculture, the second relating to the British Agricultural Revolution in the 18th century, and the third to post-war productivity increases associated with mechanisation and the Green Revolution in the developing world.

The current 'agri-tech' developments come at a time when the UK government has provided 90 million of public money to transform food production in order to be at the forefront of global advanced sustainable agriculture. Many other countries are also prioritising smart agri-tech.

This, combined with private investment from organisations including IBM, Barclays, and Microsoft, means that 'Agriculture 4.0' is underway, with technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics increasingly being used in farming.

Dr. Rose, a lecturer in human geography, said: "All of these emergent technologies have uses in farming and may provide many benefits. For example, robotics could plug potential lost labour post-Brexit in industries such as fruit picking, while robotics and AI could enable better chemical application, saving farmers money and protecting the environment. They could also attract new, younger farmers to an ageing industry."

Writing in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Dr. Rose and Dr. Chilvers warn though that agri-tech could also have side-effects, bringing potential environmental, ethical, and social costs.

"In light of controversial agri-tech precedents, it is beyond doubt that smart farming is going to cause similar controversy. Robotics and AI could cause job losses or change the nature of farming in ways that are undesirable to some farmers. Others might be left behind by technological advancement, while wider society might not like how food is being produced," said Dr. Rose.

"We therefore encourage policy-makers, funders, technology companies and researchers to consider the views of both farming communities and wider society. We advocate that this new agricultural tech revolution, particularly the areas funded by public money, should be responsible, considering the winners, but particularly the potential losers of change.

Dr. Rose added: "This means better ways, both formal and informal, to include farmers and the public in decision-making, as well as advisors and other key stakeholders sharing their views. Wider society should be able to change the direction of travel, and ask whether we want to go there. They should be able to question and contest whether benefits to productivity should supersede social, ethical, or environmental concerns, and be able to convince innovators to change design processes.

"Responsible innovation frameworks should be tested in practice to see if they can make tech more responsible. More responsible tech saves controversy, such as that surrounding genetic modification, ensures farmers and the public are behind it, and can help to deliver on the policy objectives."

Explore further The battle for the future of farming: What you need to know

More information: 'Agriculture 4.0: Broadening responsible Innovation in an Era of Smart Farming', David Rose, Jason Chilvers, is published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2018.00087 'Agriculture 4.0: Broadening responsible Innovation in an Era of Smart Farming', David Rose, Jason Chilvers, is published in
Surfer's ear, bony bumps in ear canal. Male skulls from Cerro Juan Diaz, Panama site. Feature 3.2 (AD 350-600). Credit: Raiza Segundo, STRI

While examining a skull from an ancient burial ground in a pre-Columbian village in Panama, Nicole Smith-Guzman, bioarchaeologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), was surprised to discover an example of surfers' ear: a small, bony bump in the ear canal common among surfers, kayakers and free divers in cold climates. After inspecting more skulls, she concluded that a select group of male diversperhaps looking for pearls and oyster shells coveted for jewelry making, may have lived along Panama's Pacific coast long ago.

"Bone is a dynamic tissue that responds to external stimuli, so changes in bone structure provide great clues about where and how a person lived and died," Smith-Guzman said. "When I looked at an additional 125 skulls from nine burial sites across Panama, I found seven cases of surfers' ear in males and one in a female skull, all from sites near the Gulf of Panama."

No one really understands exactly how the bony growths, technically called exostoses, form. But the skin is thin in the ear canal and the accepted theory is that cold water or cold temperatures caused by wind and water make the bone react by growing extra layers, similar to the way bone spurs form on the feet and in other places where there is constant irritation or stress. Almost half of the members of a swimming club in England had surfer's ear according to a report cited in the study.

Unlike most tropical countries where seawater is warm, water temperature in the Gulf of Panama plummets between January and April when strong trade winds from the north force warm surface water out into the Pacific and colder, deep water rises to the surface to replace it. This deep, nutrient-rich water feeds tiny sea organisms, which in turn are eaten by fish and whales. The Gulf becomes an extraordinarily productive fishing ground supporting a thriving fishing industry and attracting dolphins, sharks and other top-of-the-food-chain animals.

Trade winds push warm surface water out into the Pacific creating seasonal cold water upwelling in the Gulf of Panama from December to April. Credit: From: Robertson et al 2009. Smithsonian Contributions to Marine Sciences.

Years ago, when co-author Richard Cooke, zooarchaeologist at STRI, unearthed a male skeleton with surfer's ear in Sitio Sierra, near Aguadulce in Panama, he was a STRI post-doctoral student with only rudimentary knowledge of physical anthropology. But he collected all of the human remains he found, enabling Nicole-Smith Guzman to reexamine them 43 years later.

Cooke spent much of his career studying ancient fishing practices. He found that Panama's pre-Columbian peoples fished from boats all along both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Panama. If fishing alone put people at higher risk for surfer's ear, then more cases of the bony growth would be present at all of the sites, but all of the examples came from areas near the Gulf.

"We think it more likely that diving in the cold waters of the Gulf caused these cases of surfer's ear," Smith-Guzman said. "Silvery mother-of-pearl ornaments, and orange and purple ones from two large 'thorny' oysters in the Spondylus genus were common in burials and comprised an important trade item in the region. Some of these shells wash up on beaches, but by the time Vasco Nunez de Balboa and other Spanish explorers arrived, their chronicles tell us that expert divers were trained from childhood to dive down to four fathoms to retrieve pearl oysters of desirable large size."

The Spanish encouraged this industry and for many years, Panama was known for its pirates and pearls, including La Peregrina, the largest pearl known at the time it was found.

Co-author Nicole Smith-Guzman. Credit: Sean Mattson, STRI

The team also ruled out fungal or bacterial ear infections common in the tropics that sometimes cause bone deformations: most of the skulls affected were from males, and infections should occur in both male and females at about the same rate. From the evidence they have so far, it looks like mostly males were involved in whatever activity caused surfer's ear in Panama. In another study, archaeologists in the Canary Islands found roughly equal numbers of cases of surfer's ear in ancient male and female skulls, suggesting that aquatic activities there were not restricted to one gender.

"I spoke to one ear, nose and throat specialist in Panama and she has never seen a case of surfer's ear here, but we want to do a follow-up study in which we look at skulls from a much wider area and also do a survey of doctors in Panama to find out if surfers or divers ever show up with surfer's ear these days," Smith-Guzman said.

Surfer's ear is an intriguing subject that archaeologists, anthropologists and medical doctors have explored for more than a century. Although the exact causes of this phenomenon is still debated, these bony growths offer important clues into the cultural activities, gendered division of labor and environmental conditions in the past.

More information: Nicole E. Smith-Guzman et al, Cold-water diving in the tropics? External auditory exostoses among the pre-Columbian inhabitants of Panama, American Journal of Physical Anthropology (2018). Journal information: American Journal of Physical Anthropology Nicole E. Smith-Guzman et al, Cold-water diving in the tropics? External auditory exostoses among the pre-Columbian inhabitants of Panama,(2018). DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23757
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

In a modern democracy, peddling conspiracies for political advantage is perhaps not so different from seeding an epidemic.

If a virus is to gain a foothold with the electorate, it will need a population of likely believers ("susceptibles" in public health speak), a germ nimble enough to infect new hosts easily (an irresistible tall tale), and an eager "Amen choir" (also known as "super-spreaders").

Unleashed on the body politic, a falsehood may spread across the social networks that supply us with information. Facebook is a doorknob slathered in germs, Twitter a sneezing co-worker, and Instagram a child returning home after a day at school, ensuring the exposure of all.

But if lies, conspiracies and fake news are really like germs, you might think that fact-checking is the cure, and truth an effective antidote.

If only it were that easy.

New research offers fresh insights into the stubborn role of ideology in maintaining support for those who peddle falsehoods, and the limited power of fact-checking to change voters' minds. Even in the face of immediate and authoritative corrections, we humans don't budge easily, or for long, from established opinions about politics, politicians and the coverage they receive.

And some of usin particular, those who endorse conservative positionsare quicker to believe assertions that warn of grim consequences or of sinister forces at work.

The findings of three new studies suggest that fact-checkers had better be persistent, and that their expectations of changing people's minds had better be modest.

But the research also suggests that if fact-checkers wants the truth to matter, they should not be shy about touting the value of their services.

Arguably, the need for fact-checking has never been greater. The Washington Post's "Fact Checker," which maintains a running tally of the president's false statements, has counted 6,420 false or misleading statements made by the president through Oct. 30, including more than 4,400 this year. A Fact Checker poll released this week has found that more than 6 in 10 Americans believe fact-checkers when they conclude that President Donald Trump has made a false claimmeaning that more than one-third of them do not.

Is credulity, and a vague mistrust of fact-checkers, unique to Americans, or is it a broader attribute of humans? It may be a bit of both.

In a study published Tuesday and conducted with a sample of 370 Australians, researchers found that the veracity of a political candidate's claims does matter to voterssometimes. When Australian subjects were shown an array of politicians' false statements corrected by fact-checking, they reduced their belief of those assertions. When they were shown fact-checked true statements, whether attributed to a politician on the right or one on the left, their belief in the assertions increased as well.

This fact-checking changed subjects' views about which politicians they supported, but only slightlyonly when false statements outnumbered true statements by a ratio of 4-to-1. When false statements and true statements were attributed to a candidate in equal numbersfour falsehoods in balance with four true statementsAustralian subjects didn't change their opinions at all.

Study co-author Adam J. Berinksy, a political scientist at MIT, said he considered those results a bit less depressing than what he found when he tried the same experiment on American subjects. When the authors presented fact-checked assertions from Trump and former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders to Americans, "the magnitude of the overall effect was minute," even when false statements outweighed true ones by the same 4-to-1 margin.

Those results, which are not yet published, suggest that, although both Americans and Australians are capable of distinguishing fact from fiction (with help from fact-checkers), they are loath to alter their overall view of their favored candidate accordingly.

"They seem to be saying, 'He may be a liar, but he's my liar,'" Berinsky said.

Also "slightly depressing," he added, was the short shelf life of a fact-check: A week after subjects in both countries saw politicians' assertions corrected for truthfulness, they had forgotten virtually all of what they had learned.

But Berinsky said he took heart in Australians' willingness to adjust their assessments of lying politicians even a little bit.

"I mainly study U.S. politics and am used to a world in which fact-checking doesn't work very well, where people are really stuck in their lane and politicians are seemingly immune to any kind of facts," he said. "It's good to know there are countries in which this still can work."

The findings echoed those of a report published last week in Plos One, which demonstrated that the inclusion of fact-checking in an experimental news feed made subjects hungrier and more confident news consumers. It also made them more inclined to trust "mainstream media outlets."

But there was a hitch: In addition to being very small, subjects' shifts in attitude became evident only when their news feeds included an occasional "defense of journalism" article. Usually, these were opinion pieces that countered attacks on the profession.

"Without defense of journalism, fact checking had no effect on any of these outcomes," Raymond J. Pingree, a professor of mass communications at Louisiana State University, and his coauthors concluded.

Self-identified Republicans in the study started out lower than Democrats in their trust of mainstream media, their confidence in their own ability to decide what is true in politics, and their intention to use a mainstream news portal in the future. But after a week of plying them with specialized news feeds, Pingree's team found that people across the political spectrum responded well to the combination of fact checking and defense-of-journalism pieces.

If you're starting to see a light at the end of the partisan tunnel, however, consider a third study published this week. It tested the idea that people are more inclined to believe unproven conspiracy theories when their party is out of power, a notion sometimes called the "conspiracy belief is for losers" hypothesis.

The study was led by UCLA anthropologist Daniel Fessler, who found that people whose political stances aligned them with American conservatism were far more likely than liberals to embrace falsehoods that warned of grim consequences.

Americans who hew to more progressive political stances were certainly credulous as well, the UCLA team found. But they were no more likely to believe a scary falsehoodsay, that a drunken airline passenger could pry open a plane's door in midairthan they were to buy into the far less terrifying myth that you can burn more calories by exercising on an empty stomach.

But were these inclinations real and enduring, or could they be explained by the fact that, when the experiment was run in October 2015 and September 2016, conservatives had been out of the White House for several years?

Fessler and Theodore Samore, a graduate student in UCLA's anthropology department, repeated the experiment in 2016, after Donald Trump had won the presidential election, and in 2017, after Georgia Democrat Doug Jones beat Republican Roy Moore in a special election for a Senate seat. After Trump's triumph, the researchers reasoned, conservatives should feel empowered and confident. After Jones' victory, they presumed, liberals would likely feel hopeful once more.

But their original findings did not change: As they moved further right on the ideological spectrum, people were consistently more likely to believe frightening false claims, and found them more credible than emotionally neutral falsehoods. The results were published last week in Plos One.

"It seems there's just a fundamental difference in how credulous people are about hazards as a function of their orientation," Fessler said. "How positively people feel about their party's future doesn't matter."

That dynamic has worrisome implications: When believers of ominous warnings succeed at the polls, "they have the megaphone that power brings," Fessler said. "And they use thatwhether cynically or genuinely I can't tellto issue additional proclamations of danger."

This, he said, has been Trump's stock in tradeforeign powers are taking advantage of the United States, dangerous hordes are storming the borders, and we need to build a wall to keep would-be invaders at bay.

"That cycle is very difficult to break," Fessler said. What's more, warning people who are inclined to believe that kind of narrative that they're being lied to seems more likely to reinforce the conspiracy theory than to induce a change of heart.

"I do worry," he said.

Explore further Research confirms political views predict whether people trust false information about dangers, even after party shift

2018 Los Angeles Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Extreme weather events, like Hurricane Irene seen here from the International Space Station, have the potential to severely damage wildlife populations. Credit: NASA

The mass death of flying foxes in extreme heat in North Queensland last month underscores the importance of University of Queensland wildlife research released today.

The UQ research sheds light on how various species have responded to major climate events.

A study led by UQ School of Earth and Environmental Science researcher Dr. Sean Maxwell has synthesised more than 70 years of research to quantify the responses of various species.

"The growing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as cyclones, droughts and floods is causing unpredictable and immediate changes to ecosystems and obstructing existing management efforts," Dr. Maxwell said.

"The deaths of up to one third of Australia's spectacled flying foxes in an extreme heatwave north of Cairns in November comes in the wake of our research, and is a stark illustration of the importance of the study.

"Some of the negative responses we found were quite concerning, including more than 100 cases of dramatic population declines and 31 cases of local population extinction following an extreme event.

"Populations of critically endangered bird species in Hawaii, such as the palia, have been annihilated due to drought, and populations of lizard species have been wiped out due to cyclones in the Bahamas."

Cyclones were the most prevalent extreme event for birds, fish, plants and reptiles, while mammals and amphibians were most responsive to drought events, with drought leading to 12 cases of major population decline in mammals.

Drought also led to 13 cases of breeding declines in bird populations and 12 cases of changes in the composition of invertebrate communities.

UQ Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science director Professor James Watson said the detailed information would help inform ecosystem management.

"The research clearly shows species will respond, often negatively, to extreme events," Professor Watson said.

"As climate change continues to ensure extreme climate and weather events are more and more common, we now need to act to ensure species have the best chance to survive.

"Wherever possible, high quality and intact habitat areas should be retained, as these are the places where species are most resilient to increasing exposure to extreme events."

The research is published in the journal Diversity and Distributions.

Explore further The Arctic is turning brown because of weird weather  and it could accelerate climate change

More information: Sean L. Maxwell et al. Conservation implications of ecological responses to extreme weather and climate events, Diversity and Distributions (2018). Journal information: Diversity and Distributions Sean L. Maxwell et al. Conservation implications of ecological responses to extreme weather and climate events,(2018). DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12878
With the ultrafast system in the Physics Centre at Kiel University (Germany), the behaviour of electrons can be filmed live. Credit: Jurgen Haacks, CAU

During the conversion of light into electricity, such as in solar cells, a large part of the input light energy is lost. This is due to the behaviour of electrons inside of materials. If light hits a material, it stimulates electrons energetically for a fraction of a second, before they pass the energy back into the environment. Because of their extremely short duration of a few femtosecondsa femtosecond is one quadrillionth of a secondthese processes have hardly been explored to date. A team from the Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics at Kiel University (CAU), under the direction of Professor Michael Bauer and Professor Kai Ronagel, has now succeeded in investigating the energy exchange of the electrons with their environment in real time, and thereby distinguishing individual phases. In their experiment, they irradiated graphite with an intense, ultrashort light pulse and filmed the impact on the behaviour of electrons. A comprehensive understanding of the fundamental processes involved could be important in future for applications in ultrafast optoelectronic components. The research team has published these findings in the current edition of the journal Physical Review Letters.

The properties of a material depend on the behaviour of its constituent electrons and atoms. A basic model to describe the behaviour of electrons is the concept of the so-called Fermi gas, named after the Nobel Prize winner Enrico Fermi. In this model, the electrons in the material are considered to be a gaseous system. In this way, it is possible to describe their interactions with each other. In order to follow the behaviour of electrons on the basis of this description in real time, the Kiel research team developed an experiment for investigations with extreme temporal resolution: if a material sample is irradiated with an ultrafast pulse of light, the electrons are stimulated for a short period. A second, delayed light pulse releases some of these electrons from the solid. A detailed analysis of these allows conclusions to be drawn regarding the electronic properties of the material after the first stimulation with light. A special camera films how the light energy introduced is distributed through the electron system.

Developed in Kiel: one of the world's fastest systems

With its ultrafast light rays, the Kiel system is one of the fastest and most powerful in the world. Credit: Jurgen Haacks, CAU

The special feature of the Kiel system is its extremely high temporal resolution of 13 femtoseconds. This makes it one of the fastest electron cameras in the world. "Thanks to the extremely short duration of the light pulses used, we are able to film ultrafast processes live. Our investigations have shown that there is a surprising amount of stuff happening here," explained Michael Bauer, professor of ultrafast dynamics at the CAU. He developed the system, together with the working group of Kai Ronagel, professor of solid state research with synchrotron radiation.

In their current experiment, the research team irradiated a graphite sample with a short, intense light pulse of only seven femtoseconds duration. Graphite is characterised by a simple electronic structure. Thus, fundamental processes can be observed particularly clearly. In the experiment, the impacting light particlesalso called photonsdisturbed the thermal equilibrium of the electrons. This equilibrium describes a condition in which a precisely-definable temperature prevails amongst the electrons. The Kiel research team then filmed the behaviour of the electrons, until a balance was restored after about 50 femtoseconds.

Film recordings show for the first time how the energy distribution in a graphite sample changes in the ultrashort period of 50 femtoseconds. Credit: Phys. Rev. Lett

Numerous interactions within an extremely short period

In doing so, the scientists observed numerous interaction processes of excited electrons with the impacting photons, as well as atoms and other electrons in the material. On the basis of the film footage, they could even distinguish different phases within this ultrashort period: first of all, the irradiated electrons absorbed the light energy of the photons in the graphite, and thereby transformed it into electrical energy. Then the energy was distributed to other electrons, before they passed it on to the surrounding atoms. In this last process, the electrical energy is ultimately permanently converted into heat; the graphite warms up.

The experiments of the Kiel research team also confirm theoretical predictions for the first time. They enable a new perspective on a research topic which has hardly been investigated on this short time scale. "Through our new technical possibilities, these fundamental, complex processes can be observed directly for the first time," said Bauer. This approach could also be applied in the future to investigate and optimise ultrafast motions of light-agitated electrons in materials with promising optical properties.

Explore further Physicists produce extremely short and specifically shaped electron pulses for materials studies

More information: G. Rohde et al, Ultrafast Formation of a Fermi-Dirac Distributed Electron Gas, Physical Review Letters (2018). Journal information: Physical Review Letters G. Rohde et al, Ultrafast Formation of a Fermi-Dirac Distributed Electron Gas,(2018). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.256401
Dark matter map of KiDS survey region (region G12). Credit: KiDS survey

It was another great year for science, and physics was front and center, as a team at the University of Oxford announced that they may have solved one of the biggest mysteries in modern physics. They came up with a new theory that could explain the missing 95 percent of the cosmos, and in so doing bring balance to the universe. Their theory unites dark matter and dark energy, resulting in a fluid, which they suggest possesses negative mass.

Also, a team at the University of Chicago suggested that gravitational waves provide a dose of reality about extra dimensions. In their study of data obtained from the team that first reported detecting gravitational waves last year, they found no evidence of extra spatial dimensions in a universe based on gravitational wave data, quashing ideas of a universe with more than three dimensions.

And a combined team of researchers working at the LHC on the ATLAS and CMS collaboration announced at this year's CERN that the long-sought decay of the Higgs boson had been observed. Coming six years after the discovery of the elusive particle, the new observation was found to be consistent with the hypothesis that the quantum field behind the Higgs also gives mass to the bottom quark.

This time-lapse video from the NACO instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile shows stars orbiting the supermassive black hole that lies at the heart of the Milky Way over a period of nearly 20 years. Credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Also, a team working on the ESO's Very Large Telescope announced that they had conducted the first successful test of Einstein's theory of general relativity near a supermassive black hole. The test involved studying the effects predicted by general relativity on the motion of a star as it passed through the extremely strong gravitational field near the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

And a team at Yale announced that they had found signs of a time crystal. Theory has suggested that a form of matter should exist that "ticks" when exposed to an electromagnetic pulse. Physicists have proposed that such a material would be in the form of a time crystala type of crystal whose atoms spin periodically in one direction, then change to spin in the opposite direction, a form of ticking.

And Einstein was again proved right with evidence from another galaxy, by a team of international astronomers who conducted the most precise test yet of gravity outside of our solar system. Using data from Hubble and the ESO VLT, the researchers were able to use a nearby galaxy as a lens to conduct very precise gravitational tests on an astronomical scaleshowing on a new scale that massive objects do indeed deform space-time.

It was also a pretty big year for space science, as a team with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory announced that they had seen a distant eruption as a black hole destroyed a star. Using data from the NSF Very Long Baseline Array and other radio and infrared telescopes, the researchers found they were able to track two galaxies as they collided approximately 150 million light years away. One of the galaxies, the researchers noted, had at its core, a massive black hole, which tore apart at least one star.

Also, it was noted that the moon did something this past year that it had not done in more than 150 years. It experienced three unique celestial events on the same nightJanuary 31st. It was a full moon, was at its closest to Earth and there was also a total lunar eclipse.

And a team at the University of Central Florida made waves when they announced that new research they had conducted suggested Pluto should be reclassified as a planet. They suggested that the reasoning behind the decision to declassify Pluto as a planet was not supported by the research literature. They point out that the requirement for a celestial body to "clear" its orbit to be classified as a planet was found in only one documentone from 1802.

Also, a combined team from the University of California and the University of Southern Queensland announced that they had identified 121 giant planets that may have habitable moons, greatly extending the list of possible places life could exist. Their findings are expected to play a role in future work as new telescopes are developed that are powerful enough to actually see them.

It was a big year for Earth sciences and evolution, too, as a team at the University of Auckland found that a "sinking" Pacific island nation was actually getting bigger. Using satellite images and aerial photographs, the researchers found that eight of Tuvalu's nine atolls and almost three fourths of its islands had grown larger over the period 1971 to 2014 due to geologic activity, such as volcanos spewing lava.

Also, a large team of researchers found evidence that suggested toward the end of the Ice Age, humans witnessed fires larger than the dinosaur killer, thanks to a cosmic impact. They found evidence that the planet was struck by multiple pieces of a disintegrating comet that showered the planet in fireballs, setting off a cataclysmic event that led to an extension of the Ice Age.

And a pair of researchers, Mark Stoeckle with Rockefeller University and David Thaler with the University of Basel, conducted a sweeping gene survey that revealed new facets of evolutionsuch as evidence that far-flung species such as ants, rats and humans are not more likely to become more genetically diverse as time passes, despite logic suggesting it should be so.

Also, a team at the University of Kansas conducted a study of fossil and extant bivalves and gastropods and found evidence that suggested evolution might favor 'survival of the laziest.' Over the course of five million years, such creatures with higher metabolic rates were found more likely to go extinct.

It was also a good year for technology, as a joint team with members from Monash University and the University of Texas discovered an efficient and sustainable way to filter salt and metal ions from water. Using a metal-organic framework, the team created membranes that mimicked the filtering function or "ion selectively" of organic cell membranes, perhaps setting the stage for a new way to filter sea water.

An international team of researchers announced that they had developed the world's fastest camera that can freeze time at 10 trillion frames per second. They achieved this feat improving the image quality of a femtosecond streak camera by adding another camera able to capture a static image, and then applying a Radon transformation.

And a team led by Trent University professor Ian Power announced that they had found a way to make a mineral that removes CO 2 from the atmosphere. They used polystyrene microspheres as a catalyst to get magnesite to form within 72 days at room temperature, offering a possible way to remove carbon dioxide from the air.

It was a good year for general science, as well, as a team of mathematicians at MIT announced that they had solved the age-old spaghetti mysteryif you bend a spaghetti noodle holding it at the ends, can you force it to break into just two pieces? Turns out, the answer is yes, but only if you twist it just right as you are bending it.

Richard Jantz with the University of Tennessee announced that he had found forensic evidence during an analysis of bones uncovered on a remote South Pacific island that they were the remains of famed pilot Amelia Earhart. He reexamined measurements carried out on the bones in the 1940s and used a computer program to first determine the gender of remains, and then to show that they were very similar to Earhart's.

And a team from the University of Copenhagen, University College London and the University of Cambridge announced that they had found evidence of bread that predated agriculture by 4,000 years at a dig site in northeastern Jordan. The charred remnant of a flatbread baked by hunter-gatherers represents the oldest evidence of bread-making to date.

Also, a team working at a lab at UC Santa Cruz documented paternal transmission of epigenetic memory via sperm in roundworms. They found evidence supporting theories that a father's experiences prior to conception can influence the health and development of his offspring, and in some cases, their descendants.

And a team at the University of Toledo announced that they had discovered the means by which exposure to blue light can speed blindness. They found that blue light from digital devices and also from the sun can transform important retinal molecules into cells that destroy other cells required for vision. The result is the common vision-impairing medical condition macular degeneration.

Also, a team at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute combined genomics with gene editing to develop a groundcherry that could possibly be used for mainstream farming. They suggest that the wild plant could be the next strawberry. By making it bigger and changing the shape of the plant and the degree of flower production, they took a wild plant rapidly bred one that could produce food for people in many parts of the world.

And finally, a trio of researchers from several institutions in the U.S. and Canada found evidence that spaghetti-looking nuclear material beneath the surface of neutron stars might just be the strongest material in the universe. Their simulation showed that the nuclear pasta was 10 billion times harder to break than steel.

Explore further Gravitational waves provide dose of reality about extra dimensions

 2018 Science X Network
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ILiAD Biotechnologies Secures Up to $20 million of Financing and Phase 2a BPZE1 Pertussis Vaccine Trial Initiates at Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Details Category: Vaccines Published on Thursday, 20 December 2018 12:22 Hits: 926

WESTON, FL, USA I December 19, 2018 I ILiAD Biotechnologies, LLC (ILiAD), a clinical stage biotech company developing the worlds most advanced next generation pertussis vaccine, today announced the initial closing of a Class C financing, which will provide ILiAD with up to $20 million of proceeds. The initial closing includes commitments to fund $12.8 million. These funds will enable the company to conduct a Phase 2b BPZE1 clinical study following the Phase 2a study currently in progress at the Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program.

The Class C financing is led by Network-1 Technologies (NYSE American: NTIP) and SDS Capital Partners. Existing shareholders JEMS Venture Capital and Seedlings Life Science Ventures also participated in the committed financing. With the addition of the current commitments, the Company has now secured $23 million in equity funding since inception. Including a previous European grant of 10 million and upon completion of the Class C financing, assuming the maximum offering is consummated, a cumulative $41 million will have been raised to develop ILiADs BPZE1 technology.

Corey Horowitz, CEO of Network-1, will join ILiADs Board of Directors and commented, I am very excited at the prospect of participating in the development and commercialization of ILiADs proprietary technology and intellectual property relating to BPZE1. ILiADs work to date is truly impressive and BPZE1s promise in protecting against B. Pertussis infection, as well as on a wide range of other chronic diseases, presents very significant commercialization possibilities.

BPZE1 is the most advanced next generation pertussis vaccine in the world, designed to overcome deficiencies of current vaccines, including poor durability and failure to prevent nasopharyngeal Bordetella pertussis infections that lead to transmission to vulnerable infants. Earlier this year, the FDA cleared the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for a Phase 2a BPZE1 study at the Vanderbilt Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU), sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) at the National Institute of Health (NIH).

BPZE1 was developed in the lab of Camille Locht, PhD, at the Institut Pasteur de Lille (IPL) and French National Institute of Health and Medical research (https://www.inserm.fr/en). ILiAD holds exclusive global rights to BPZE1 and related B-Tech technologies that are covered by 34 issued patents. An additional 24 patents are pending around the world.

In addition to funding continued operations, R&D and manufacturing development, the financing will support further clinical studies, including a multicenter Phase 2b clinical study that will compare ILiADs lead candidate vaccine, BPZE1, to Boostrix, an FDA-licensed intramuscular acellular pertussis vaccine. It is anticipated that the Phase 2b study will enroll up to 300 healthy adult volunteers.

The Class C financing not only provides ILiAD with critical resources to advance our pertussis vaccine program, but also expands our ability to explore the relationship between B. pertussis and other chronic pathologies, said Dr. Keith Rubin, Chief Executive Officer of ILiAD. Dr. Rubin added, We are grateful that Network-1, SDS Capital, and our other investors share ILiADs vision and commitment to put an end to escalating rates of pertussis, while also appreciating the enormous potential for our B-Tech platform to target a broad range of human disease.

Walter Greenblatt & Associates, LLC (member FINRA, SIPC), a life science-focused investment bank, served as the financial advisor to ILiAD for this financing as well as for ILiADs prior financing rounds. For more information visit: http://www.wgreenblatt.com.

About Pertussis

Pertussis (whooping cough) is a life-threatening disease caused by the highly contagious respiratory bacterium Bordetella pertussis. According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year pertussis affects approximately 16 million people globally, accounting for nearly 200,000 deaths. Although estimated global vaccination coverage is 84%, current vaccines have failed to control epidemics. In addition, current vaccines do not fully protect infants under age 6 months, since immunization requires multiple injections, usually at 2, 4 and 6 months.

About BPZE1

BPZE1 is a next-generation live-attenuated pertussis vaccine designed to induce comprehensive and durable protection against B. pertussis infection (colonization) and disease (whooping cough). BPZE1 is being developed to block B. pertussis from colonizing the adult nasal passage, protecting adults and adolescents, and potentially preventing transmission, including transmission to infants. While ILiAD is currently focused on developing a vaccine to directly protect adults and adolescents and to indirectly protect vulnerable infants, future development aims to immunize neonates directly.

About ILiAD Biotechnologies, LLC

ILiAD Biotechnologies (http://www.iliadbio.com) is a privately held, clinical stage biotechnology company dedicated to the prevention and treatment of human disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. The company is developing and acquiring key technologies, working with leading scientists to overcome the limitations of current vaccines, investigating the impact of B. pertussis in a range of human disease, and is focused on validating its proprietary vaccines in human clinical trials.

About Network-1 Technologies, Inc.

Network-1 Technologies, Inc. (NYSE American: NTIP) is engaged in the development, licensing and protection of its intellectual property and proprietary technologies. It currently owns sixty-two (62) patents covering various telecommunications and data networking technologies as well as technologies relating to document stream operating systems and the identification of media content. Network-1s strategy is to focus on investing its resources in developing high quality intellectual property assets, which management believes have the potential to generate significant licensing opportunities as Network-1 has achieved with respect to its patent portfolio, which have generated licensing revenue in excess of $185,000,000 from May 2007 through September 30, 2018. For more information visit: https://www.network-1.com.

SOURCE: ILiAD Biotechnologies
Alexey Dozmorov/iStock(CLEAR CREEK, W.Va.) -- Police issued an arrest warrant on Thursday for one of the four people who allegedly broke into a West Virginia mine to steal copper, according to court documents. Three of those who entered the mine got lost and were rescued after almost a week underground.



Authorities are looking to arrest Eddie Williams, 43, on charges of breaking and entering, felony conspiracy and giving false information to law enforcement officers, according to a criminal complaint.



Williams initially told police that he entered the abandoned Rock House Powellton mine in Clear Creek, about 30 miles southeast of Charleston, West Virginia, to search for three friends who were trapped, the complaint said.



He later recanted, though, telling police that he went inside with Cody Beverly, 21; Kayla Williams, 25; and Erica Treadway, 31, on Dec. 8, to see if they left anything behind, copper, or anything.



Eddie Williams said the pairs separated "to have sex" with he and Treadway going in one direction and Beverly and Kayla Williams going in another.



"Eddie said that the pairs had split up to have sex with each other," according to the criminal complaint. "Interviews with Kayla, Cody and Erica at a later date did say that they had separated to have sex."



Eddie Williams managed to escape on Dec. 10, and reported the others missing. They were pulled out of the mine three days later after a large-scale rescue operation.



While the rescue efforts were underway, Kayla Williams' father, Randy Williams, told ABC News, "The reason they're in there is to get copper."



"It's worth money," he said. "A couple years ago it was up to almost $4 a pound. You could go into a mine and make $1,000 a day."



It's unclear if the others will face charges. Eddie Williams said the group "had entered the mine before to try and make money, according to the complaint.



Beverly and Kayla Williams spoke with reporters outside of Charleston General Hospital, where they were taken for an evaluation after being rescued. Although they didn't offer details on why they entered the underground mine, they said the experience had taught them the biggest lesson of their lives.



"This is a life-changing experience for me," Beverly told ABC News. "This is the biggest lesson I've ever learned in my life."



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
4 hours ago

Norfolk Southern railroad names new CEO to take over in May

Norfolk Southern Corp. said its CEO will retire next spring, and it will promote one of its executives to replace him. The railroad said Thursday that Jim Squires will step down as chairman and CEO on May 1 after seven years of leading Norfolk Southern.

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Where Persecution Comes From

The strong presence of corruption at all levels of the Mexican government has resulted in various forms of persecution in the country due to a lack of protections for Christians. Criminal groups attack priests and pastors, while indigenous leaders attack converts to Christianity. In recent years, the secular ideology has become more prominent in the country, and associated groups are intent on eliminating religious expression in the public domain altogether. While the Roman Catholic Church continues to enjoy certain privileges, Christian groups are being disadvantaged, especially newer movements such as Pentecostalism and the Catholic Renewal Movement.

How Christians are Suffering

Believers in Mexico experience varying degrees and forms of Christian persecution. Secular intolerance affects all Christians who publically express their religious convictions, resulting in harassment, criticism and ridicule. In the regions they control, criminal groups persecute believers and churches, issuing death threats and murdering Christian leaders to silence them. These groups view Christian ministry as a threat to the criminal agenda. Meanwhile, indigenous Christians are often punished for abandoning tribal customs, resulting in expulsion from their homes. And Christian denominations outside the Roman Catholic Church experience pressure and discrimination as minorities.

Examples

In 2017, Christian converts from the indigenous communities of Chiapas and Jalisco faced economic sanctions, denial of access to basic services, and expulsion from their communities.

In June 2017, a Roman Catholic priest was killed in a church in Los Reyes La Paz in the State of Mexico. Since President Enrique Pena took office in 2012, 18 priests have been murdered.

In July 2017, the Mexican National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination (CONAPRED) officially declared that reorientation therapies for homosexuals (like those run by the Christian-based organization Exodus Latin America) are violent and discriminatory, making them unavailable to Christians who would choose to use them.
CALmatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to Commentary.
 Some holiday season highlights from Marijuana Law, Policy & Reform | Main | Bureau of Justice Statistics releases results of the 2017 National Crime Victimization Survey 

December 21, 2018

Prez Trump signs historic (though modest) FIRST STEP Act into law ... and now comes the critical work of implementing it well!!

President Donald J. Trump officially signed the FIRST STEP Act into law today, and I am so very excited that a significant piece of sentencing and prison reform finally became law after years and years and years of talk and effort by so many. I wish the reform was even more significant, especially on the sentencing side, but something is better than nothing and but for a modest reform to crack sentencing terms, we really have had nothing positive coming from Congress on the sentencing side in more than 20+ years.

The White House has this extended "fact sheet" about the FIRST STEP Act under the heading "President Donald J. Trump Secures Landmark Legislation to Make Our Federal Justice System Fairer and Our Communities Safer." Here is an excerpt:

CREATING SAFER COMMUNITIES AND A FAIRER FEDERAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: The First Step Act will make our Federal justice system fairer and our communities safer. The First Step Act will help prepare inmates to successfully rejoin society and enact commonsense sentencing reforms to make our justice system fairer for all Americans.

Among many reforms, the First Step Act will: Promote prisoner participation in vocational training, educational coursework, or faith-based programs by allowing prisoners to earn time credits for pre-release custody. Expand prison employment program opportunities. Enact fair, commonsense reforms to mandatory minimums. Eliminate the three-strike mandatory life sentencing provisions. Give certain offenders the ability to petition the courts for a review of their sentences.



As the title of this post highlights, I am viewing the enactment of the FIRST STEP Act only as completing stage 1 of achieving significant federal criminal justice reform. Stage 2 involves the critical work of implementation, and so many of the large and small elements of the the FIRST STEP Act involve important and challenging implementation issues. Most obviously, the risk assessment system for prisoner programming and time credits needs to be developed and deployed in a fair and effective way and that is easier said than done. And the instruction that federal prisoners be house, whenever possible, within 500 miles of their homes is easier to describe than to ensure. And the new authority created by the FIRST STEP Act for courts to consider directly so-called "compassionate release" motions for sentence reductions presents a profound opportunity and a profound challenge for taking a second look at extreme (and extremely problematic) sentences.

I could go on and on, but I will save FIRST STEP Act "issue spotting" for the days and weeks ahead (I have created a new category archive for this very purpose). For now I will just savor needed legal change and congratulate all those on the front lines who worked so very hard to help make this day possible. Wow!

December 21, 2018 at 02:21 PM | Permalink

Comments

Doug, lots of good stuff here. Right now I'm looking at the changes to the compassionate release program. Very pleased to see the legislation now provides for the process to be inititiated by the inmate (if over 70?) if BOP doesn't act in timely fashion. Would very much appreciate your analysis of these provisions.



Posted by: Michael R. Levine | Dec 22, 2018 10:57:35 AM

maybe the 500 mile requirement will prompt some new prison construction and more incarceration .. . .

I wonder how many FIRST STEP killings will happen

Posted by: federalist | Dec 22, 2018 12:34:03 PM

Federalist, do you propose inacarcerating every convicted criminal for life? After all, isn't that the best guarantee of no recidivism?

Posted by: anon1 | Dec 22, 2018 1:00:16 PM

Only executing ensures no future crime from a person, as incarcerated persons do commit crimes against guards and other prisoners and there is also the risk of escape and crimes thereafter (a risk increased by giving offenders no hope of lawful release).

That said, I am pretty sure federalist does not advocate lifetime incarceration for everyone, as he seemed to welcome some of Obama's clemencies and I believe he has praised all the Trump clemencies. (Speaking of Trump, as we approach the two year mark of his time in office, I am finding myself wondering if federalist sticks by his prediction that Trump could prove to be a more moral Prez than Obama.)

Posted by: Doug B. | Dec 24, 2018 2:28:40 PM

Can't speak for Federalist, but as for me, a life-long Republican, I am appalled by this unstable egomaniac we have elected and by the supine Republicans who enable him.

Posted by: anon7 | Dec 25, 2018 6:11:37 PM

Totally agree with anon7. Shame on the Rebuplican Senate.

Posted by: Emily | Dec 26, 2018 10:53:07 AM

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Ukraine on Friday presented the first two of 55 helicopters it ordered from European aerospace giant Airbus for civil use in a deal worth over half a billion euros.

The two H225 Super Puma helicopters went on display in Kiev's Boryspil international airport during a handover ceremony attended by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Airbus officials.

"This is an extraordinary event, clear evidence of the strengthening of the material resources for our border guards, for our rescue workers, for the National Guard," Poroshenko said at the ceremony.

In July, Ukraine signed a contract with Airbus to buy 55 of its civil helicopters for 555 million euros ($634 million at the current rate).

Eighty-five percent of that amount will be covered by a loan from the French treasury and French banks.

The 24 H125, 10 H145 and 21 H225 helicopters are set to be used for civil security needs including border monitoring, policing and emergency situations.

"First of all, they will be aimed at providing rescue services, including in mountainous areas (and) in the area of the Azov Sea and the Black Sea, where we, unfortunately, have to be prepared for any incidents," Poroshenko said on Friday.

He also expressed hope that Ukraine would reach a wider agreement with Airbus on delivering its military helicopters, saying this would be the "second stage".

In late November, Russia seized three Ukrainian navy vessels and detained 24 crew members in the most serious incident in years between the ex-Soviet neighbours.

Kiev accused Moscow of launching a new phase of aggression after the first open military incident between the countries since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea.
The bodies of two women from Denmark and Norway murdered by suspected jihadists while hiking in the High Atlas mountains in Morocco were flown back to Scandinavia on Friday. The remains of Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and 28-year-old Norwegian Maren Ueland were put on a plane that left Casablanca for the Danish capital, a police spokesman said. Moroccan authorities said Thursday that four suspects arrested following the murder of the two tourists had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group. The bodies of the two women were found Monday after they had pitched their tent at an isolated mountain site two hours' walk from the tourist village of Imlil. One of them was beheaded, according to a source close to the investigation. Imlil is a starting point for trekking and climbing tours of Mount Toubkal, which at 4,167 metres is the highest summit in North Africa. Hours after the grisly discovery authorities announced the arrest of a first suspect and later said he belonged to an "extremist" group, while the three other suspects were arrested on Thursday. Moroccan investigators are probing a link to Islamic extremism after a video emerged showing the suspects "pledging allegiance" to the Islamic State group, the Rabat prosecutor has said. Authorities were working to determine the authenticity of a video posted on social media networks allegedly showing the murder of one of the tourists, according to the prosecutor. "At this point, there is no tangible evidence that the video is not authentic," Norway's criminal investigations agency Kripos said Friday. - 'In shock' - All four suspects were arrested in Marrakesh, an hour away from the scene of the murder. Younes Ouaziad, 27, lived with his parents in the working-class Al-Azzouzia neighbourhood. His family and neighbours said Friday they were "in shock". "He was a boy without any history, private. There was nothing to suggest he could do something like that," 35-year-old Abdelaati, a vegetable seller in the neighbourhood, told AFP. The murders have prompted condemnation from authorities in Denmark and Norway. Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen denounced what he called a "beastly crime". Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg condemned what she called a "brutal and meaningless attack on innocents". Moroccan government spokesman Mustapha Khalfi described the killings as a "terrorist act" while Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani said it was a "stab in the back of Morocco and Moroccans". Tourism is a cornerstone of Morocco's economy, accounting for 10 percent of national income. Morocco has been spared jihadist attacks since 2011, when a bomb attack on a cafe in Marrakesh's famed Jamaa El Fna Square killed 17 people, most of them European tourists.
British car brand Jaguar Land Rover has developed the ultimate car door that opens automatically as the driver approaches or can be operated by gesture control. The mobility door prototype, currently being tested on a Range Rover Sport, uses motion sensors and existing keyless entry technology to detect the driver as they walk towards the vehicle before automatically opening the door to welcome them like an invisible valet.

The technology could help disabled people for whom a car is their main mode of transport as many as a third of whom report practical difficulties in their daily usage. In addition, it has benefits for those carrying child seats or large items as the driver no longer has to struggle to free a hand to open the door. Once on board, occupants can close the mobility door with an overhead button, without the need to reach out and pull the door shut. Software built into the infotainment system shows the status of each door and allows operation of the driver and passenger doors from inside the cabin. Radar sensors on the drivers door detect lamp posts or other obstacles to stop the door swinging open and bumping into objects. The door can also be programmed to close and lock behind you as you walk away. Jaguar Land Rover is working with a gold medal-winning Invictus athlete to trial the system. Former Royal Marine Commando Mark Ormrod is Britains first triple amputee from the Afghanistan conflict.

This innovative Jaguar Land Rover technology would be such a benefit to me and has real power to change lives for those who face problems getting in and out of the car. Opening and closing the car door may seem like such an insignificant task to many people but sometimes its the small, everyday obstacles which people take for granted that are most frustrating to overcome for those living with disabilities, Ormrod said.

Jaguar Land Rover research engineers developed the system on a laboratory rig over six months before testing it on a Range Rover Sport. As well as helping disabled people, they also see the technology as relevant to all future vehicles.

The mobility door is an exciting piece of technology that offers a real-world value to our customers. Theres also something very welcoming about the door opening on your approachsomething we think will be greatly valued as we become more familiar with shared mobility, adds Xu Zhou, Deep Learning Technical Research Manager at Jaguar Land Rover.

The post Jaguar Land Rover Unveils Prototype Door for PWDs appeared first on Carmudi Philippines.
The North Luzon Airport Consortium secured a 25-year contract from the government to operate and maintain the Clark International Airport. The government gave the notice of award to NLAC, comprising of Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings Inc., Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions Inc. and Changi Airport Philippines (I) Pte. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Changi Airports International. The contract was dubbed a hybrid Public Private Partnership project by the Bases Conversion Development Authority. We are thankful for this opportunity. The consortium envisions to create a new identity for Clark Airport as the Northern and Central Luzons gateway that will provide fast, efficient, and hassle-free travel experience, said Josephine Gotianun-Yap, president and chief executive of FDC, the lead consortium member. The improved Clark International Airport will facilitate and enhance connectivity between Central and North Luzon, and the rest of the Philippines and the world. The project includes the operations and maintenance of the existing terminal and the new terminal. The consortium is also set to develop the commercial assets, operate and maintain project facilities and fit out the new terminal.We are confident that with the vast experience of each member of the consortium in terms of property development, air transportation and airport operations, NLAC will be able to reinvent Clark International Airport to a world-class airport, meet the continued growth of international and domestic air travel, and deliver its commitment to the government and the public, Gotianun-Yap added. NLAC plans to establish a new reputation for Philippine international gateway airports to ensure ease and seamless travel in the Philippine airports with the consortiums technical partner, Changi Airport Philippines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Changi Airports International, which in turn is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Changi Airport Group, the operator of the most awarded airport in the world, Singapore Changi Airport. The operations and maintenance of the Clark International Airport by NLAC will spur economic development of the Central and North Luzon corridor and support the New Clark City initiatives. Clark International Airport is the second main gateway in Luzon. The new 100,000-square-meter terminal will double its capacity to eight million passengers a year, easing the strain on Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Paranaque City and boosting development of Central Luzon. Clark International Airport has an annual capacity of four million passengers. Airlines operating in Clark include Qatar Airways, Cebu Pacific, Tigerair, Jin Air, Asiana Airlines, Dragon Air, AirAsia Berhad, Philippine Airlines and Emirates Airlines. These airlines mount flights to Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Macau, Pudong, Incheon, Doha, Dubai, Davao, Cebu, and Kalibo.
Concerns are growing for the former Canadian diplomat detained in China after it emerged that he had not been given access to a lawyer.

Michael Kovrig, currently working as a senior adviser for Crisis Group, a non-governmental organisation, was detained by the Chinese authorities on December 10 accused of activities that endangered Chinese state security.

Another Canadian, Michael Spavor, a businessman based in the city of Dandong on the border with North Korea, was also detained over similar allegations.

Robert Malley, president of International Crisis Group, said Kovrig had not been allowed to see a lawyer.

That is the unfortunate bottom line, he said this week. At this point, all of our energy is focused on getting Michael out, reuniting him with his family. We want to make sure he gets out safely, and soon.

The detention of Kovrig and Spavor were seen as a retaliation for Canadas arrest of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou at the request of the US.

Meng, who is accused of fraud related to an alleged breach of US sanctions on Iran, has since been released on bail.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Friday that the details of Kovrigs detention and treatment needed to be checked, and referred questions to the relevant authorities, Reuters reported.

The Ministry of State Security, which is leading the investigation into the former diplomat, has no publicly available contact details.

We have already said that China has in accordance with the law guaranteed Michael Kovrigs lawful rights and humanitarian treatment, Hua told a daily news briefing.

Canada had been provided with the necessary help to provide consular access, she said.

I dont know whether you paid attention to the treatment or the human rights of the Chinese citizen who was illegally detained in Canada at the request of the United States? Hua said, referring to Huaweis Meng.

Story continues

On Thursday, China said a third Canadian citizen Sarah Mclver had been detained, but added that it was related to charges of working illegally as a teacher.

Sources familiar with Kovrigs case said he had been stopped in the street in Beijing and taken away at about 10pm on December 10, according to Reuters.

China formally notified the Canadian government of Kovrigs detention at 4pm on December 12.

Canada only gained consular access to him at a police station on Friday last week, when he was visited for half an hour by the Canadian ambassador and two other Canadian diplomats, the sources said.

He was not allowed to apply for bail or to see a lawyer, said one source, adding that Kovrig was being questioned every morning, afternoon and evening, not allowed to turn the lights off at night, and is being held at an undisclosed location.

He was also only allowed one consular visit a month and not allowed to see family or loved ones, the person said.

Kovrig was physically all right but tired and stressed, and did not appear to have been mistreated, the source said.

A third person said Kovrig was being confined to a single room, but despite the stress remained lucid.

Kovrig also holds Hungarian citizenship, according to another report by Reuters.

The European Union did not directly comment on the Hungarian citizenship, but said the detention of Kovrig and Spavor had triggered concerns in Europe about legitimate research and business practices in China.

The denial of access to a lawyer under their status of detention is contrary to the right of defence. The EU fully supports the efforts of the Canadian Government on this matter, an EU spokesman said in a statement.

On Thursday, representatives of six German policy institutes also expressed deep concern about the detentions.

Developments such as these increase uncertainty and distrust among foreign scholars who regularly conduct research within China, as they fear for their safety. This will clearly undermine efforts to better understand developments in China and to further constructive relations between China and other countries, they said in a statement.

The institutes include the German Marshall Fund, Global Public Policy Institute, Mercator Institute for China Studies, European Council on Foreign Relations, German Institute for International and Security Affairs and the German Council for Foreign Relations.

Chinas criminal law states that in cases involving state security, defence lawyers must obtain the approval of investigating organs before they are allowed to meet suspects.

Amnesty International East Asia Research Director Joshua Rosenzweig said that although denying suspects access to a lawyer was not necessarily a violation of Chinese law, it was a serious cause for concern.

The exception in the Criminal Procedure Law allowing authorities to deny access to defence lawyers in national security cases is also contrary to the rights to fair trial guaranteed under international law, he said.

[Its] a big problem and we shouldnt simply accept it. Access to a lawyer is one of the guarantees against torture or other ill-treatment in custody.

This article China denies detained Canadian ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig access to a lawyer first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.
The use of capital punishment is "declining" in China but abolition is still far away because of popular support for the death penalty, said a judge from the China's highest court. Beijing carries out more executions each year than any other country, according to human rights groups -- but the exact number is a state secret. While China's legal system has tightened regulation of capital punishment in recent years, "the conditions for abolishing the death penalty in China are not yet met," said Li Xiao, a judge at the Supreme People's Court. "Our history, our culture, as well as our current security needs, compel us to keep the death penalty, but we are cautious and restrained in its application," she told a rare group interview with foreign press Thursday. In 2007 the Supreme People's Court recovered the power to approve and refuse death sentences, a right previously held by provincial courts. Three years later, China enacted new provisions that strengthened the evidence requirements for death sentences, and in 2015 reduced the number of capital crimes from 55 to 46. "The number of death sentences has been dropping since then," said Li. But for "thousands of years, the idea that a murderer has to pay for his crime with his life is deeply rooted in the minds of Chinese people," she explained. "This is one of the reasons why we cannot abolish the death penalty today, and why we can't reveal specific figures," Li said. "If we published them, Chinese people would think we are not carrying out enough executions." Homicide, rape, drug trafficking and separatism are all capital crimes in China. Executions were mainly carried out by shooting, but authorities are gradually moving towards death by lethal injection because it is considered more humane and less destructive to the convict's body.
Plummeting shares in Chinese banks dragged down stock markets on Friday morning, after the central government reportedly ordered lenders to control profit growth and increase funding support for small and private businesses amid a worsening economic slowdown.

In Hong Kong, all Chinese lenders were in the red at the lunch break, with smaller ones sinking the most. Bank of Qingdao plunged 8.7 per cent, Bank of Jinzhou slid 7.2 per cent and Jiangxi Bank was off by 6.9 per cent.

On the Shanghai stock exchange, ICBC, the countrys largest lender, declined 1.9 per cent to 5.13 yuan, leaving it poised to hit the lowest level in nearly six months.

China Construction Bank, the second biggest bank by market cap, lost 2.3 per cent to 6.25 yuan, also the worst level since early July. China Merchants Bank dropped 2.1 per cent to 25.37 yuan.

The three stocks alone contributed 5 points, or 20 per cent, to total losses on the Shanghai Composite Index on Friday morning. The Shanghai Composite Index traded 1 per cent lower at 2,510.98 at the mid-session break.

Chinas banking regulators recently delivered a verbal message  a practice known as window guidance in Chinese  to banks telling them they should exercise moderate control of profit growth and not to let the figures shoot too high for 2018, according to the Securities Times, a newspaper run by the Peoples Daily, on Thursday.

Beijing has been stepping up efforts to stimulate economic growth, which has slowed sharply during the US-China trade war.

The financial system needs to boost its political thinking and be highly consistent with the [Communist] Party, meeting with the essential requirements that the finance sector needs to serve the real economy, according to a transcript of a policy meeting on the central banks website last month.

The financial sector must take the initiative to address the funding difficulties facing many Chinese firms, and take measures to create a favourable financial environment, the transcript said.

Story continues

Earlier this week, the Peoples Bank of China said it would invent a specific lending tool, namely the targeted medium-term lending facility, to support small and private businesses.

The move has confirmed Chinas monetary policy is still focusing on domestic issues, as the authorities have strengthened the resolve to loosen the liquidity when the economy faces bigger pressure, wrote analysts from Citic Securities in a recent note.

Chinese banking sector warned it faces day of reckoning as decade of easy money ends

The Securities Times also reported on Thursday that the banking regulators have told some urban and rural commercial lenders to cut their lending rates for small businesses. Meanwhile, the central bank has asked some lenders to lower their borrowing costs for individual households or small businesses.



The 10 most profitable Chinese banks all posted quarterly profit growth at or above 15 per cent, much higher than last years annual growth rates.

Nine of them are smaller regional lenders serving local businesses. Jiangsu Changshu Rural Commercial Bank posted net profit up 25.3 per cent from a year earlier, and higher than the 21.5 per cent growth for 2017. Bank of Shanghais net profit jumped 22.5 per cent in the third quarter, a threefold increase from last years 7.1 per cent growth.

On Friday, Jiangsu Changshu Rural Commercial Bank and Bank of Shanghai lost 2.7 per cent and 2 per cent respectively to 6.19 yuan and 11.17 yuan.

Among other top losers in the sector, Ping An Bank tumbled 3 per cent to 9.42 yuan, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank fell 2.2 per cent to 10.03 yuan, Citic Bank fell 1.5 per cent to 5.36 yuan, and China Minsheng Banking Corp gave up 1.2 per cent to 5.69 yuan.

This article Chinese banks shares sink after Beijing reportedly tells them to control profit to support economy first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.
A Japanese conservation group has accused Chinese poachers of being behind the sharp decline in the number of sea turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs on the southern island of Yakushima.

Yakushima Umigame-kan, a non-profit organisation that operates a small visitor centre on the north-west coast of the island off Kyushu, was contacted in October by researchers from Chinas Zhejiang University, after local police arrested smugglers in Zhoushan with 128 dead turtles in a truck.

Two female turtles seized by police had been tagged by Yakushima Umigame-kan volunteers when they had come to lay their eggs on the island; one in July 2008 and the other in June this year.

Beijing may be testing Tokyos resolve with drilling missions in contested parts of East China Sea

We know they had been here on Yakushima because they still had our monitoring tags on them when they were found by the police, although we have no way of telling just how they came to be in China, said Yuji Honda, a spokesman for the group.

The island of Yakushima has been recognised by Unesco as a World Heritage Site for its spectacular flora and fauna. It is the largest nesting area for loggerhead turtles in the North Pacific, with an estimated 50 per cent of the regions population nesting here every year.

Other endangered species of turtles also inhabit the waters around the island, including green turtles and red turtles.

A moreish proposal: Japans plan to control invasive species by turning them into food

Since 1985, the local charity has worked to monitor and protect the different species of turtles that use the islands sandy beaches to lay their eggs every year.

Founder of the group, Kazuyoshi Omuta, said turtle numbers around Yakushima had fallen by about a quarter in just five years, and that the reason is highly likely to be poaching and other human activities.

Omuta said that he believed as many as half of the dead turtles found with the poachers in China were born on Yakushima and he called for more efforts to monitor and protect the creatures.

Story continues

The poaching uncovered in Zhejiang Province is just the tip of the iceberg, he said. I must emphasise that efforts by private groups like ours are not enough to stop this from happening.

But instead of getting better, the situation for turtles off southern Japan looks increasingly threatened, with organisations like Yakushima Umigame-kan struggling to find volunteers and full-time staff to stay afloat.

Now 68 years old and in ill-health, Omuta has been appealing for people to assist him as he patrols the beaches where the turtles lay their eggs and to record their numbers and size.

This article Chinese poachers to blame for sharp fall in turtle numbers off Japan, says conservation group first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.
Japan's defence budget will swell to a record $47 billion for the next fiscal year, the government said Friday, as Tokyo beefs up its missile defence and deploys stealth jets in a bid to counter China. The defence spending was part of a $912-billion national budget for the fiscal year starting in April 2019, approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet. The government decided to set aside 5.26 trillion yen ($47 billion) for defence, the fifth record year in a row, defence ministry officials said. The defence funding will cover the cost of introducing the US military's Aegis Ashore land-based missile interceptor system, the officials said. The FY 2019 allocation covers six F-35A stealth jets, and part of it will be spent on Japan's first aircraft carriers since World War II. The budget is the initial allocation of Japan's new five-year defence plan, announced on Tuesday as the latest in a series of steps under Abe to boost the nation's military. Under the multi-year programme through March 2024, Japan will upgrade two existing helicopter carriers so that they can launch fighters. Abe's government argues the efforts are necessary given growing defence challenges in the region, including tensions with North Korea, and particularly "strong concerns" about the expansion of China's military footprint. But the move is controversial, with critics arguing it shifts Tokyo further away from its commitment to strictly defensive capabilities under Japan's post-WWII pacifist constitution. Beijing immediately expressed its "strong dissatisfaction and opposition" to the programme unveiled on Tuesday, urging Tokyo "to adhere to a purely defensive policy". Last year, China unveiled its first domestically built aircraft carrier as it continues to assert claims in the South China Sea. Beijing's first carrier, the Liaoning, is a second-hand Soviet ship built nearly 30 years ago and commissioned in 2012. Japan's new programme comes after pledges to buy more US military equipment, under pressure from President Donald Trump. The US leader has repeatedly complained about Washington's huge trade deficit with Tokyo and also urged Abe to expand the country's defensive capacity. For his part, Abe has campaigned for years to amend Japan's pacifist constitution, arguing that it ties the hands of the country's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) even in protecting the country's allies from attack. "Japan's growing defence budget is directly aimed to counter China's military threat," said Akira Kato, professor of international politics and regional security at Tokyo's J.F. Oberlin University. "The budget gain is also part of Japan's efforts to buy more US military equipment so that it can avoid a trade war with Washington," Kato told AFP, adding that Tokyo's defence budget is expected to continue expanding.
Clockster provides time and attendance solutions that is completed with biometric authentication technology

Kazakhstan-based human resource management platform Clockster today announced that it has raised a seed funding round from ABC-I2BF Seed Fund, angel investor and Paladigm Capital CEO Olzhas Zhiyenkulov, and one of the founders of the startup itself.

Though the exact amount of the funding round is undisclosed, Clockster said that it has raised US$350,000 in funding by far.

The startup provides a cloud-based time and attendance solution, in the form of biometric-based clock-in device with an easy, do-it-yourself set-up.

The platform aims to reduce human error and buddy punching to get the most reliable time-tracking data, empowering businesses with a transparent tool to calculate work hours.

Clockster wants to use the funding to expand to Southeast Asian markets and for R&D purposes.

Also Read: Why a Singapore coding school founder is funding a startup in Kazakhstan

Currently were developing and implementing a solution for facial recognition to replace fingerprints in the future, as well as developing sophisticated payroll systems, said Clockster Co-Founder and CEO Yerzhan Ryskaliyev in a press statement.

In terms of expansion to other markets, in the beginning of 2019 we will start selling Clockster in the Philippines as a first step, and after that we want to launch first sales in other Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore, the CEO continued.

The company named KFC, Costa Coffee, and Pizza Hut chains as their users in Kazakhstan.

Their investors ABC-I2BF Seed Fund was established this year by the countrys leading higher education institution Nazarbayev University and New York City-based venture capital (VC) firm I2BF Global Ventures, while Paladigm Capital is a Singapore-based liquid assets, portfolio and VC investment company aimed at late stage companies.



Image Credit: LYCS LYCS on Unsplash

The post Kazakhstans Clockster raises seed funding round, will expand to Southeast Asia appeared first on e27.
Two middle-aged people were being held Saturday over the suspected "criminal use of drones" at London's Gatwick Airport, where flights were returning to normal after three days of pre-Christmas disruption affecting 140,000 passengers. Police swooped on a 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman from town of Crawley, which neighbours Britain's second-busiest airport. A Gatwick spokesman said the airport planned to run a full schedule of 757 flights carrying 124,484 passengers on Saturday. But he warned that passengers should expect some delays and cancellations "as we continue to recover our operations". "We are grateful for passengers' continued patience as we work to get them to their final destination in time for Christmas," the spokesman said. Drones were first sighted buzzing around Gatwick on Wednesday then reappeared more than 50 times, forcing the government to bring in specialist military resources to help counter the threat. The dangers posed by drones include the possibility of a device smashing into a passenger plane or being sucked up into an engine where its highly flammable lithium battery could cause a catastrophe. The two people arrested late Friday were being held on suspicion of "disrupting services of civil aviation aerodrome to endanger or likely to endanger safety of operations or persons". "Our investigations are still on-going, and our activities at the airport continue to build resilience to detect and mitigate further incursions from drones, by deploying a range of tactics," said Sussex Police superintendent James Collis. The army was called in on Thursday to offer support, with the defence ministry deploying what was described only as specialist equipment. Government officials held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation. - Law change - Under recently-introduced laws in Britain, drones cannot be flown near aircraft or within a kilometre (about half a mile) of an airport, or at an altitude of over 400 feet (122 metres). Violators face up to five years in prison for endangering an aircraft. The Times newspaper reported Saturday that Transport Secretary Chris Grayling had shelved plans earlier this year to introduce laws regulating drone use despite being warned about the risk they posed to airports. A Department for Transport spokesman said: "Next year further laws will come into effect to ensure drone users must be registered and pass safety tests. "We are continuing to introduce further measures and recently consulted on extending police powers to deal with people who misuse drones, as well working on the development of counter-drone technology to ensure incidents like this can't happen again." Justin Burtenshaw, head of armed policing for Sussex and Surrey, described the cat-and-mouse hunt for the drone operators. "Each time we believe we get close to the operator, the drone disappears. When we look to reopen the airfield the drone reappears," he said Thursday. Darcis, 32, who was supposed to arrive from Milan on Thursday and had to sleep at the airport, said: "I cannot understand why such a small thing can cause an international airport like Gatwick (to close). They should be ready for these things. I really don't understand what we can do." Gatwick, around 30 miles (50 kilometres) south of the British capital, is the eighth-busiest airport in Europe and sits behind Mumbai as the world's busiest single-runway air hub.
A Malaysian vessel intruding into Singapore territorial waters off Tuas. PHOTO: Screenshot from Singapores Ministry of Defence video

Singapores High Commission in Kuala Lumpur said in a media statement on Thursday (20 December) that a report claiming that Singapore Navy vessels were spotted within the new Johor Baru Port Limits is mischaracterising what was happening in the waters.

It added that the MalayMail.com article of 16 December, titled Despite Malaysias olive branch, Singapore Navy seen inside Johor port limits, ignored Singapores efforts to maintain calm. Furthermore, the Republics security agencies have been exercising restraint in enforcing its territorial waters.

Two reports with inaccuracies

The statement also refuted another report on 15 December from the Malaysian media outlet, titled Is Malaysia really intruding into Singaporean waters?

The High Commission said that both reports contain inaccuracies, and added, Statements that the recent purported extension of the Johor Bahru Port Limits are within Malaysias territorial waters are inaccurate even going by Malaysias own conduct.

Singapores security agencies have been exercising restraint in enforcing Singapore Territorial Waters off Tuas despite repeated intrusions by Malaysian Government vessels, it said.

Report centres on territorial definitions made in 1979

On 25 October, Malaysia purportedly extended the port limits of Johor Bahru, prompting the Singapore government to protest against the move. Malaysian government vessels have since repeatedly intruded into Singapores territorial waters off Tuas.

The MalayMail.com report dated 15 December stated that the official maritime border between Malaysia and Singapore ends just slightly southwest of the original Tuas area, which was finalised in 1995 and based on the Straits Settlements and Johore Territorial Waters Agreement of 1927.

Beyond that, Malaysia has defined its own territorial waters and continental shelf in a map it published in 1979. However, Singapore has never acknowledged this boundary.

The report added that, despite Malaysia treating the 1979 line as the status quo for the maritime border, the converse was not true for Singapore, which has breached the 1979 line that it does not recognise as legitimate. The land reclamation at Tuas that started in 2002 was one such case, as it directly overlaps the Point 20 sliver on the 1979 line.

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Singapore says 1979 territorial claim made unilaterally

The High Commission referred to the 6 December statement by Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan, which stated that the recent purported extension of the Johor Bahru Port Limits goes beyond what even Malaysia itself claimed as its territorial waters in 1979.

This territorial waters claim, which Singapore does not recognise, was unilaterally made by Malaysia in a map which it published that year. At that time, no land reclamation at Tuas in Singapore had taken place.

Khaw added that he hopes that good sense will prevail and for the dispute to be managed in a peaceful, calm and professional manner.

The embassys statement noted that prior to 25 October, Malaysia had never laid claim to the waters covered by the recent purported extension of the Johor Baru Port Limits, nor protested against Singapores continuous exercise of jurisdiction in those waters.

This includes the regular deployment of Singapores security agencies in the area for several decades, it said. The purported extension of the Johor Bahru Port Limits and the intrusions by Malaysian Government vessels into what are clearly Singapore territorial waters off Tuas are a serious violation of Singapores sovereignty and international law.

Related stories:

Malaysian vessels stationed in Singapore waters do not make one iota of difference to legal claims: Khaw

Malaysia rejects Singapores counter-proposal on maritime spat, willing to take steps to de-escalate situation

Singapore rejects Malaysias cease and desist proposal on disputed maritime area

Singapore and Malaysia ties hindered by past baggage, need to avoid destructive path: Khaw

Malaysian vessels in Singapore waters raise tensions, risk causing dangerous incident: MFA
FGEN LNG Corp., a wholly-owned unit of First Gen Corp. of the Lopez Group, on Friday filed with the Department of Energy a notice to proceed with the construction of its proposed Batangas liquefied natural gas terminal project in the First Gen Clean Energy Complex in Batangas City. The FGEN Batangas LNG Terminal Project is intended to serve the natural gas requirements of existing and future gas-fired power plants of third parties and FGEN LNG affiliates, First Gen said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange. First Gen is one of the biggest independent power producers in the country and the leading gas power generation company in the Philippines with approximately 2,000 megawatts in operating gas assets. It operates four gas-fired power plants, namely the 1,000-MW Santa Rita Power Plant, the 500 -MW San Lorenzo Power Plant, the 414-MW San Gabriel Power Plant and the 97-MW Avion Power Plant, which all rely on Malampaya gas. First Gen on Dec. 5 announced it signed a joint development agreement with Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd. (Tokyo Gas) to pursue the FGEN Batangas LNG Terminal Project. Tokyo Gas will take a 20 percent participating interest in the FGEN LNG Project and provide support in development work to achieve a final investment decision . Upon reaching FID under the JDA, the parties will enter into a definitive agreement to proceed with the construction of the FGEN Batangas LNG Terminal Project, the company said.Tokyo Gas, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading LNG player with 130 years of experience and over 50 years in the LNG business. Tokyo Gas is one of the largest purchasers of LNG in the world with an annual volume of 14 metric tons a year. Tokyo Gas was declared by the Energy Department as one of the seriously interested companies to develop an LNG facility in the country. The government views an LNG terminal as a vital national infrastructure to maintain and enhance the countrys energy security once the Malampaya gas field in northwest Palawan is depleted by 2024. Finally, we both share the vision of the Department of Energy in the implementation of LNG projects in the Philippines. First Gen and Tokyo Gas intend to cooperate with all relevant stakeholders who share the same vision to participate in making LNG viable for the Philippines, said First Gen president Francis Giles Puno.
MedPlanner allows for the safe transfer of information between healthcare practitioners specialist advice, referral and handover

(L-R) MedPlaner Co-founders Danil Dahlan (CGO), Dr. Ezam Mat-Ali (CEO), Ahmad Fauzi (CTO)

Malaysia-based clinical communication app, MedPlanner, has closed RM1 million (US$240,000) via blockchain-powered equity crowdfunding (ECF) platform Ata Plus.

The funding round was fully subscribed by an unnamed single strategic investor, with vast experience in the management of healthcare delivery in Malaysia.

The funds will be channeled towards refining MedPlanners all-in-one clinical app, as well as the marketing and commercialisation, as the company set out to launch in five countries next year. This investment in MedPlanner will help us reach our goal of bringing our solution closer to the healthcare community while providing investors the opportunity to make substantial returns, said Co-founder and CEO Dr. Ezam Mat-Ali.

Also Read: The 10 most-read e27 Community articles of 2018

MedPlanner was founded in 2017 by Mat-Ali, a consultant paediatrician at the London North West University Healthcare. The startup has developed a clinical communication platform for collaboration between clinicians around the world to facilitate better communication and coordination in patient care delivery. It seeks to mitigate poor communication amongst healthcare professionals and allows for the effective and safe transfer of information between healthcare practitioners specialist advice, referral and handover.

With MedPlanners mobile app, clinicians can easily share results, obtain feedback on patients progress, and discuss multiple cases concurrently with their team. With over one million patient-related messages each day being processed over non-compliant chat apps in Malaysias public hospitals, we are in a unique position now to launch our solution into Malaysias healthcare industry, said added Mat-Ali.

Kyri Andreou, Co-founder and Director of Ata Plus, said: MedPlanners campaign has demonstrated to us once again the potential of ECF in Malaysia and the different groups of investors businesses attract with an ECF campaign  whether it be a large crowd of retail investors or a single individual investor. Since our launch, our platform has set the record for the largest number of investors in a single campaign (318 investors), the smallest minimum ticket size (RM 10), and now, the largest investment from a single investor (RM1 million).

The post Malaysias clinical communication app MedPlanner raises US$240K in equity crowdfunding appeared first on e27.
Protesters called for freedom as clouds of smoke from burning tires rose above them in Sudans East Nile area on December 21, according to Twitter user @Mars7_10.

Activists reported that live ammunition was used to disperse protests in Haj Yousif.

Several deaths have been reported since the start of the demonstrations, as protesters clashed with police in various Sudanese cities, including Gadarif, according to Al Jazeera.

Authorities declared a state of emergency in the states of al-Qadarif and Atbara, Reuters reported.

News reports said some protesters called for the overthrow of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir who has been in power since 1989. A constitutional amendment proposed this month would allow him to retain his position past the end of his term in 2020. Credit: @Mars7_10 via Storyful
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen  stung by her partys crushing defeat in last months local elections  could be in for another disappointment at the polls in 2020 if she tries to win a second term as the self-ruled islands president by playing the America card, analysts have warned.

Given that voters in the islands local elections expressed their deep dissatisfaction with Tsais record on local issues ranging from pension plans to labour laws, it would be Ill-advised for her to try to build her 2020 campaign on the promise of receiving economic incentives from US President Donald Trumps Taiwan-friendly administration, the analysts said.

But despite calls from within the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party for the president to drop out of the 2020 presidential race, Tsai could feel empowered to ignore the warnings because she remains the DPPs most powerful figure  and has no rival strong enough to challenge her, the analysts said.

Tsai is tipped to be the DPPs candidate in the 2020 polls and of all DPP bigwigs, she is the one  not [Premier] William Lai or [secretary general to the president] Chen Chu  who can best work with the United States, which also sees her as the best choice for cooperation, said Su Chi, head of the Taipei Forum and a former secretary general of the islands National Security Council.

Tsai  who stepped down as party chair in the wake of the overwhelming defeat  dismissed reports that party officials have forced her to drop out of the 2020 campaign.

Rather, Su said, Tsai quit as chairwoman because she accepted blame for the electoral defeat. But she stressed that she remained confident in the partys future and predicted she would rebound from the setback to lead our team to tackle the challenge in the next stage.

Democratic politics is not a royal court drama  and we must have a basic trust in democratic politics, Tsai told reporters during a brief news conference in the corridor outside her office in Taipei.

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The November 24 election debacle left the DPP in control of just six of 22 Taiwans cities and counties. By contrast, the mainland-friendly opposition Kuomintang party won 15 cities and counties, including Kaohsiung, a DPP pro-independence stronghold in southern Taiwan, in what pundits called a referendum on the governments disappointing administrative and economic performance.

This time, voters did not buy the Taiwanese identity or ideological card the DPP often is fond of playing. Basically, the party has tried to win over voters by warning them that if they did not vote for the pro-independence party and the KMTs mainland-friendly politicians got in, Taiwan would be swallowed up by Beijing.

But what the DPP did not count on this time was that even the younger voters who traditionally throw their support behind the party either did not bother to vote or voted for candidates they liked without giving much thought to political affiliations.

Now, analysts say, Tsai is left trying to deal with Beijing and boost her chances in 2020 by tapping the islands ties with the US for its support on a variety of items ranging from free-trade deals to business incentives.

Tsai will need to have stronger support from the US to offset a series of sweetening measures expected to be offered by China now that the KMT is in control of 15 cities and counties, said Yen Chien-fa, a business administration professor from Taiwans Chien Hsin University of Science. It would come down to Taiwanese voters choosing Washington over Beijing, if forced to pick one over the other, Yen said.

Beijing has already promised to work closely with Taiwan officials to bring substantive improvements to the KMT-controlled cities and counties. Among them is Kaohsiung, whose KMT mayor-elect Han Kuo-yu has openly declared his support for the 1992 consensus, which the mainland considers a political foundation for the resumption of cross-strait exchanges.

That move would be a significant step for Beijing, which sees Taiwan as a wayward province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

The mainland suspended official exchanges with Taiwan after Tsai was elected president in 2016 and refused to accept the understanding inherent in the consensus  that the two sides could continue to talk provided they agreed there was only one China.

Stephen Young, a former director of the American Institute in Taiwan, which represents US interests in the absence of formal ties, said Washington should provide further support for Taipei to stop Beijing from bullying or threatening the island.

The US can and should make it clear that our own commitment to Taiwans survival and self-defence is as solid as ever, he said at a recent forum in Taipei.

I believe such actions would not only hearten spirits in Taiwan but also reinvigorate confidence in Americas commitment to a free and prosperous Asia-Pacific region.

But analysts said playing the America card might not work in the 2020 polls, citing the non-reaction the US representative in Taiwan elicited from the islands voters when he suggested that Beijing was disrupting the local elections.

Ahead of the polls, James Moriarty, chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan, Washingtons de facto embassy in Taipei, called out attempts by external powers here in Taiwan to try and alter the debate and spread false information.

His remarks echoed the DPPs accusations that Beijing was trying to undermine the DPPs electoral chances.

Yen Chen-shen, an American and European studies research fellow with National Chengchi Universitys Institute of International Relations, said the local election results showed Taiwanese voters were more interested in having a strong economy and a better standard of living rather than their leaders political or diplomatic accomplishments.

What voters want is substantive things like a free-trade agreement that could help improve Taiwans economy, he said.

But until now, the US has not even agreed to sign the Trade and Investment Framework agreement long desired by us.

Talks on the proposed trade and investment deal have been on hold since October 2016.

Though the Trump administration had been friendlier to Taiwan than its predecessors, it cared more about its own interests and was using Taiwan as a pawn to gain leverage with Beijing, Yen said.

In August, Trump signed the US$716 billion National Defence Authorisation Act, which included provisions to improve Taiwan's defence capabilities and allow high-level military exchanges, including port calls, between the US and Taiwan. That followed the signing in March of the Taiwan Travel Act which allowed high-level officials from the US to visit Taiwan, and vice versa.

Yen said that while the US had approved two arms deals with Taiwan, they did not include state-of-the-art weapons, such as the F-35 fighter jets that Taiwan covets.

Moreover, top US officials such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo or Defence Secretary James Mattis had yet to visit the island, he said.

Wang Kung-yi, a political-science professor at Chinese Culture University in Taipei, said that if Tsai wanted a second term, she needed to augment improvements to her domestic policies by addressing cross-strait issues instead of trying to derive benefits from playing the America card.

This article Taiwans leader is asking for more misery at the polls if she plays the America card, analysts warn first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.

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Travellers flying through Hong Kong warned to take care of carry-on bags after spate of in-flight thefts

Travellers flying into and out of Hong Kong International Airport are being warned to pay extra attention to their carry-on bags after a spate of in-flight thefts.

On Thursday, police revealed they had arrested seven men from mainland China so far this year in connection with 12 thefts that occurred while planes were in the air.

Among the most daring crimes, an Algerian man flying to the city from Turkey found that HK$45,000 worth of US dollars in his wallet had been replaced by just HK$2,700 worth of Libyan dinars.

The man only discovered the theft once he had left the plane, and the thief has so far not been identified.

Meanwhile, the greatest loss involved valuables and cash worth a total of HK$55,000.

Six of the suspects, who are aged between 37 and 50 are awaiting trial, while a seventh man, who was arrested in April, was earlier found guilty and sentenced to a year in jail.

How rampant is theft on planes flying in and out of Hong Kong?



The total of 12 cases is five more than reported throughout last year, but remains much lower than the 22 and 77 cases reported in 2016 and 2015 respectively.

Switching currency was a common occurrence in this type of theft, according to detective inspector Annie Cheng Tsz-in.

We would like to remind all passengers to keep valuable belongings close to them, put a lock on their luggage, carefully check their bags before leaving the aircraft, and seek help from the cabin crew in time, she said.

Cheng said the police had also been providing training to flight attendants to raise their awareness of suspicious people and activities on-board planes.

At least two cases, both in November, were reported by the cabin crew, and in one of them the thief was stopped before he got to the victims property, Cheng said.

In that case, a man was spotted by a flight attendant as he tried to force open a padlock with his own key. In the other incident, another man was caught by cabin crew as he took another passengers bag from an overhead locker in which there was US$700 and 2,000 yuan in cash.

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The maximum sentence on conviction of theft on a flight operated by airlines registered in Hong Kong is 10 years in jail. But for theft on a foreign flight to Hong Kong the maximum punishment is a HK$50,000 fine and two years in prison.

How I was robbed flying Air India from New Delhi to Hong Kong



Including the 12 thefts, airport police recorded a total of 642 crimes between January and November this year, about the same level as 2017 when there were 698 cases for the year.

More than half of the crimes involved possession of restricted items, among which most involved people carrying extendable batons.

More than 60 per cent of the 154 passengers, aged between 16 and 83, arrested for keeping an extendable baton in their bags were in transit.

Of that number, more than 80 per cent of them bought the batons outside the city in places such as mainland China, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.

The extendable batons are relatively cheap and easily available in the market, therefore many people might buy it as a souvenir, or for self-defence, without knowing they are not allowed for personal possession in Hong Kong, Cheng said.

Police also arrested 138 passengers for carrying stun guns, 18 for possessing bullets, 12 with pepper spray, 10 with knuckle dusters, and three with flick knives, or butterfly knives.

Though some restricted items might be allowed in the countries and territories a passenger came from, we will have to arrest them when it is found in the luggage, Cheng said.

In that case, the passengers travel plan will definitely be disrupted and legal trouble will follow.

The police have also been holding regular seminars with the aviation industry, and asking foreign consulates tell their nationals who are planning to travel to the city.

This article Travellers flying through Hong Kong warned to take care of carry-on bags after spate of in-flight thefts first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.
Turkish President Erdogan speaks during a joint news conference in Ankara FILE PHOTO: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani (not seen) after their meeting in Ankara, Turkey, December 20, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

By Ece Toksabay and Dahlia Nehme

ISTANBUL/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey will take over the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria as the United States withdraws its troops, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, in the latest upheaval wrought by Washington's abrupt policy shift.

The surprise announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump this week that he would withdraw roughly 2,000 troops has felled a pillar of American policy in the Middle East. Critics say Trump's decision will make it harder to find a diplomatic solution to Syria's seven-year-old conflict.

For Turkey, the step removes a source of friction with the United States. Erdogan has long castigated his NATO ally over its support for Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters against Islamic State. Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist group and an offshoot of the armed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), fighting for Kurdish autonomy across the border on Turkish soil.

In a speech in Istanbul, Erdogan said Turkey would mobilise to fight remaining Islamic State forces in Syria and temporarily delay plans to attack Kurdish fighters in the northeast of Syria - shifts both precipitated by the American decision to withdraw.

The news was less welcome for other U.S. allies. Both France and Germany warned that the U.S. change of course risked damaging the campaign against Islamic State, the jihadists who seized big swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014-15 but have now been beaten back to a sliver of Syrian territory.

Likewise, the U.S.-backed militia spearheaded by the YPG said a Turkish attack would force it to divert fighters from the battle against Islamic State to protect its territory.

Islamic State launched an attack in Syria's southeast against the U.S.-backed SDF militia, employing car bombs and dozens of militants.

"We will be working on our operational plans to eliminate ISIS (Islamic State) elements, which are said to remain intact in Syria, in line with our conversation with President Trump," Erdogan said.

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The Turkish president had announced plans last week to start an operation east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria to oust the YPG from the area that it largely controls. This week, he said the campaign could come at any moment. But on Friday, he cited the talk with Trump as a reason to wait.

"Our phone call with President Trump, along with contacts between our diplomats and security officials and statements by the United States, have led us to wait a little longer," he said.

"We have postponed our military operation against the east of the Euphrates river until we see on the ground the result of America's decision to withdraw from Syria."

Erdogan said, however, that this was not an "open-ended waiting period" and that, due to past "negative experiences", Ankara welcomed the United States' statements with an equal amount of pleasure and caution.

Turkey has repeatedly voiced frustration over what it says is the slow implementation of a deal with Washington to pull YPG fighters out of Manbij, a town in mainly Arab territory west of the Euphrates in northern Syria.

The United States will probably end its air campaign against IS in Syria when it pulls out troops, U.S. officials have said. Erdogan's foreign minister said the withdrawal plan would be discussed by the two countries in Washington in January.

'TIME FOR OTHERS TO FIGHT'

Trump maintained that IS had been wiped out, a view not shared by key allies, that Washington had been doing the work of other countries and it was "time for others to finally fight".

His defense secretary, Jim Mattis, opposed the decision and abruptly announced on Thursday he was resigning after meeting with the president.

In a candid letter to Trump, the retired Marine general emphasised the importance of "showing respect" to allies that have voiced surprise and concern about the president's decision.

Russia said on Friday it did not understand what the United States' next steps in Syria would be, adding that chaotic and unpredictable decision-making in Washington was creating discomfort in international affairs.

Several of Trump's fellow Republicans in Congress, joined by opposition Democrats, urged the president to reverse course, saying the withdrawal would strengthen the hand of Russia and Iran in Syria and enable a resurgence of Islamic State.

Trump has given no sign of changing his mind. He promised to remove forces from Syria during his 2016 election campaign.

The roughly 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, many of them special forces, were ostensibly helping to combat Islamic State but were also seen as a possible bulwark against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has retaken much of the country from his foes in the multi-sided civil war, with military help from Iran and Russia.

IS declared a caliphate in 2014 after seizing parts of Syria and Iraq. The ultra-hardline Sunni militants established their de facto capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa, using it as a base to plot attacks in Europe.

A senior U.S. official last week said Islamic State was down to the last 1 percent of the territory it once held. The group has no remaining territory in Iraq, though militants have resumed attacks since their defeat there last year.

Islamic State launched an attack on Friday on positions held by the SDF in Syria's southeast and the U.S.-led coalition mounted air strikes in the area, an SDF official said.

Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria may not be able to continue to hold Islamic State prisoners if the situation in the region gets out of control after a U.S. pullout, top Syrian Kurdish official Ilham Ahmed said on Friday.

(Additional reporting by Sarah Dadouch, Ali Kucukgocmen and Ezgi Erkoyun in Istanbul and Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara and John Irish in Paris; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Andrew Roche)
The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously approved a resolution that authorizes the deployment of observers to war-torn Yemen to oversee a fragile truce in the strategic Red Sea port of Hodeida. The draft, which was submitted by Britain, had been the subject of tough negotiations among the 15 council members, and was amended several times before the vote. It also endorses the results of UN-brokered peace negotiations in Sweden last week. Yemen's warring parties agreed to a ceasefire that took effect Tuesday and the withdrawal of fighters in Hodeida, a key gateway for aid and food imports. The city is a vital lifeline for millions at risk of starvation, and the ceasefire between Saudi-backed government forces and Huthi Shiite rebels is seen as the best chance yet of ending four years of devastating conflict. The agreement also included a planned prisoner swap involving some 15,000 detainees. The UN Security Council resolution "insists on the full respect by all parties of the ceasefire agreed" for Hodeida. It authorizes the United Nations to "establish and deploy, for an initial period of 30 days from the adoption of this resolution, an advance team to begin monitoring" the ceasefire, under the leadership of retired Dutch general Patrick Cammaert. According to the UN, Cammaert -- who served multiple times as a UN peacekeeper -- was expected to arrive in the Jordanian capital Amman on Friday, before heading to the rebel-held capital Sanaa and Hodeida. The resolution also authorizes UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to "submit proposals as soon as possible before December 31, 2018 on how the United Nations will fully support the Stockholm Agreement as requested by the parties." French ambassador Francois Delattre said the unanimous vote sent a "strong signal of the council's unity and engagement" on Yemen, and that it had put its weight behind the UN-brokered talks. Diplomats said the UN observer mission could consist of 30 to 40 people, tasked with ensuring the withdrawal of the warring parties from Hodeida and the safe passage of humanitarian aid. The UN said the first members of the mission were already en route to the region. The observers will head up monitoring teams made up of government and rebel representatives, under the auspices of a Redeployment Coordination Committee headed by Cammaert. - Food insecurity - A week ago, following the talks in Sweden, UN envoy Martin Griffiths asked the Security Council for the quick deployment of observers. But the negotiations were particularly tough, with Russia at one point threatening to use its veto if a mention of Iran supporting Huthi rebel attacks -- inserted by the United States -- was not removed. In a compromise, the phrase "further condemning the supply, from Iran and other actors" of the Huthis became "the supply, from whatever source." But in the end, the entire paragraph was scrapped from the final version. The war in Yemen between the rebels and troops loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi escalated in 2015, when he fled into Saudi exile and the Saudi-led military coalition intervened. Since then, the conflict has killed some 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization, although human rights groups say the real death toll could be five times as high. On December 8, the UN said that as many as 20 million people in Yemen were "food insecure," calling the situation the "world's worst humanitarian crisis." Louis Charbonneau, the UN director for Human Rights Watch, said the resolution "sends an important message to the suffering people of Yemen that they haven't been forgotten." Charbonneau also called on the Security Council to consider imposing "targeted sanctions" on those who violated the laws of war in Yemen, including "senior Saudi, Emirati and Huthi officials."
The United States has charged two Chinese men it says hacked the computer systems of companies and government agencies in a dozen countries, in what Washington says was a wide-reaching state-backed campaign of cyber-espionage. NASA and the US Navy were among those allegedly targeted in a programme the US Justice Department said also hit a major bank, telecom companies and healthcare providers in 12 countries. The charges drew a furious response from Beijing, which accused Washington of "fabricating facts". Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said China had repeatedly broken President Xi Jinping's 2015 pledge to halt cyberattacks on US companies and commercial infrastructure. "It is unacceptable that we continue to uncover cybercrime committed by China against other nations," he said. "We want China to cease its illegal cyber activities and honor its commitment to the international community. "But the evidence suggests that China may not intend to live up to its promises." US ally Britain also joined the charge, with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt saying Beijing continued to hack computer systems for commercial and economic motives. "These activities must stop. They go against the commitments made to the UK in 2015, and, as part of the G20, not to conduct or support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property or trade secrets," he said. American officials said evidence showed hackers had targeted Managed Service Providers (MSPs) -- specialist firms that help companies manage their information technology systems -- potentially giving them access to the computer networks of dozens of companies. Individual firms were not named in the indictment, but the 45 victims in the United States included government agencies -- NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the US Navy, from which the personal information of more than 100,000 personnel was stolen. Internationally, the hackers are alleged to have broken into the computers of a major bank, three telecommunications or consumer electronics companies, mining and healthcare firms, and business consultancies. Beijing lashed out at the claims, the latest in a roiling dispute over cybersecurity that pits China against the US and its western allies. "The United States is fabricating facts, creating something from nothing, and unwarrantedly denouncing China on cybersecurity issues," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Friday. Beijing said it had lodged an official protest over the charges and warned the US to drop the prosecution, "to avoid serious damage to the relations between the two countries". - APT10 hacking group - The Justice Department said the two alleged hackers, Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong, worked for the APT10 group, which Washington, London and other allies say is backed by China's Ministry of State Security. From at least 2006 to 2018, the APT10 Group "conducted extensive campaigns of intrusions into computer systems around the world", the Justice Department said. APT10 stole "hundreds of gigabytes" of sensitive data and information from its targets, invading their systems through the hacked MSPs, it added. The indictments of the two men came less than two months after the US charged 10 Chinese also allegedly linked to APT10 -- including two intelligence officers -- over a five-year scheme to steal aircraft engine technology from US and French aerospace firms. Those cases involved both hacking and recruiting insiders to steal data and IT system passwords. - Heightened tensions - Relations between Washington and Beijing are already frayed over trade, hacking and geopolitical issues. In October, the Department of Justice obtained the unprecedented extradition of a senior Chinese intelligence official from Belgium to stand trial in the United States for running the effort to steal US aviation industry secrets. In early December, Canada arrested an executive of leading Chinese telecom company Huawei at Washington's request. The US plans to charge her with fraud related to sanctions-breaking business dealings with Iran. Since then, China has detained Canadian citizens, in what observers say is an apparent bid to pressure Ottawa into releasing the Huawei executive. And, according to reports, US officials believe Chinese government-linked hackers were behind the theft of data on some 500 million guests of hotel giant Marriott, first reported on November 30. Last week, Bill Priestap, head of the FBI's counterintelligence division, told Congress that China's cyberattacks were part of a broad campaign against the US. "The Chinese government is attempting to acquire or steal not only the plans and intentions of the United States government, but also the ideas and innovations of the very people that make our economy so incredibly successful," he said.
Senator Cynthia A. Villar, chairman of the Senate agriculture and food committee, on Friday debunked Agriculture Secretary Manny Pinols claim that the NFA will no longer sell cheap rice to the public since it can no longer import rice under the new law. She said that President Rodrigo Duterte himself had said that even with rice tariffication and liberalization of the rice industry, the NFA shall continue to provide the public particularly the less fortunate with rice that is affordable and safe. Once the law is passed, the NFA will be directed to buy palay from our local farmers. Together with Department of Agriculture, it will focus on developing cost- efficient system that will help reduce the production cost of locally-produced rice and stabilize rice prices, said Villar. In addition, she said the rice subsidy of the DSWD amounting to P28 billion should be bought from the local farmers. Villar said quantitative restriction on importation of rice by the Philippines allowed by the World Trade Organization expired on June 30, 2017. The Philippines has to liberalize the importation of rice so the Philippine Congress passed the law on Rice Tarification to protect the Filipino farmers from imported rice. The tariff will be pegged at 35% on rice imports from Asean countries as per agreement and 50% from the rest of the world. The proceeds from the tariff will be given to the farmers in the amount of P10 billion a year for the next six years to make the farmers competitive by mechanization (P5-b), better seed production (P3-b) cheaper credit from through ATI, Philmech, Philrice and TESDA (P1b). Earlier, Sen. Francis Kiko Pangilinan hit Pinol for being an alarmist. Pangilinan said that the rice tariffication bill, when it becomes a law, should not be used as an excuse to alarm the consuming public about available and affordable rice. Instead of causing alarm, he recommended to the Agriculture Secretary to fulfill his mandate as Agriculture Secretary to make rice farmers more productive and competitive through cheaper farm inputs and lower rice wastage and ensure bigger incomes for local rice farmers and to be more vigilant and use his power and authority under the Price Act to ensure that affordable rice is available to the public so that rice farmers incomes do not go any lower and that revenues from their harvest are not compromised by traders and retailers.Pangilinan said that under the bill, the oensure no overpricing, hoarding, profiteering, delay of importation, and other forms of price manipulation happen with respect to the country's staple. The DA Secretary shoud also convince the President and the economic team to suspend the increase in excise tax on fuel due to TRAIN Law as these factors in the transport of rice and other food products like fish (the catch and distribution of which is fuel intensive) and he should likewise work on ensuring that there is sufficient land for agriculture, especially rice. Meanwhile. Sen. Koko Pimentel sajd the objective of the law on rice tarificafion s to remove the low-priced NFA rice in the market. He said this would allow "competitors" for NFA because it has gotten too "complacent" in its monopoly power to import rice. NFA fell asleep so Congress made a radical move to awaken it about the truth, he said. Under the bill, he said the NFA will concentrate on keeping buffer stock of rice. He said the idea is to have low-priced rice in the market thru competition, adding that low-priced rice doesn't have to be NFA imported. Senator Chiz Escudero, for his part, said the provisions on the safeguard and assistance to farmers should be given equal import since rice, as a commodity, is always a balancing act. Prices will go down but we also have to give safeguards and support to our farmers, he said.
The 'witch' Tituba of Salem with Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams during the witchcraft delusion of 1692

Witchcraft is thriving in the US, with an estimated 1.5 million Americans now identifying as witches - more than the total number of Presbyterians. As Christianity declines across the country, paganism has swung to the mainstream, with witchcraft paraphernalia for sale on every high street and practises normalised across popular culture. In the past two years, it has also become darkly politicised.

Dakota Bracciale, a 29-year-old transgender/queer witch and co-owner of Catland Books and witch shop in Brooklyn, is pleased with the outcome of the ritual hex placed on US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in October. The curse, carried out from Catland Books, was well attended by witches, atheists ad humanists - and was followed around the country on social media.

Millennials, says Bracciale, are looking for spiritualism outside traditional religion. The hex centres on the notion that we live in a universe of chaos, entropy, destruction, death, decay with a final ending of oblivion - scientists are telling us. So the witch does everything for themselves - there is no other help in this universe of decay and chaos. If you dont get in the drivers seat things will just get worse, the witch said.

In a wide-ranging discussion with the Telegraph, Bracciale, who described the interview questions as sensationalist, talked about political hexes and witchcraft in general.

Bracciale is absolutely willing to cause physical harm through a hex - no issue with that. And while Bracciale would have been just as pleased with the new Supreme Court Justices death, resignation or physical disfigurement, the main goal of the Kavanaugh hex, and the three hexes on President Donald Trump from Catland Books this summer, was to let them be exposed for who they are - especially as impotent men. The curse began with a recitation of the Biblical scripture Psalm 109: 8: let his days be few, let another take his office.

A Black and a White Witch with a Devil Animal, Illustration from a collection of chapbooks on esoterica (woodcut) (later colouration) by English School

Catland Books is replete with Christian images including the Archangel Michael, Christian defender against the demonic, and the Virgin Mary. Bracciale, a self-described sexual abuse survivor, who grew up in a born-again-Christian evangelical cult in Arizona, takes umbrage at the notion that witchcraft and Christianity are mutually exclusive. Witchcraft has a ton of roots in Christianity, the Brooklyn witch says. Indeed, in Bracciales view, the Bible is a spell book, particularly the Book of Psalms.

Story continues

Witchcraft is powerful, according to Bracciale, because of the intersectionality of feminism, sexuality, gender, the fight for freedom, eschewing the patriarchy and having sort of a vitriolic response towards it.

Dakota Bracciale

US justice department memos were leaked to the press shortly after the Kavanaugh hex exposing potential attacks on transgender Americans' rights - signalling a successful hex for Bracciale. The witch also believes that the Catland hexes on Mr Trump helped facilitate the myriad woes the US president has experienced in the past six months.

Catland Books in Brooklyn Credit: Rachel Ray

Bracciale hopes that hexes or curses will be used more frequently in politics in the future.

Careful to point out that witchcraft is not a religion, its not a belief system, its not an ideology, its a practice, this witch has no time for Wicca, a religion that went public in 1954.

Catland Books in Brooklyn Credit: Rachel Ray

In the confusing, loosely defined but growing world of witchcraft in America, many millennial witches may disagree with Bracciales views.

Three religious surveys from Trinity College in Connecticut concluded that the practice of Wicca witchcraft has increased continuously between 1990 and 2008 in the US.

That growth trend was confirmed by the Pew Research Center in 2014, whose surveys reported that more Americans identify as Wiccan, a form of modern paganism created in England, or pagan than as Presbyterian. At the time of the surveys, there were 1.4 million American Presbyterians and about 1.5 million Wiccans.

In addition to political protest theatre, the American beauty industry now caters to the phenomenon referred to as the witch aesthetic.

Model Bella Hadid and singer The Weeknd are seen leaving Heidi Klum's 19th Annual Halloween Party at Lavo NYC on October 31, 2018

GOOP, the $250 million lifestyle company founded by the actress Gwyneth Paltrow, is not lacking for customers who are interested in the mystical side of the wellness industry that pushes the use of crystals, tarot cards, and astrology. The mainstream Nordstrom Department Store collaborated with the wellness crystal company Goldirocks to release a limited edition crystal set.

So, it may have surprised San Francisco-based Pinrose, an online fragrance retailer, when negative feedback from practicing witches persuaded them to cancel their launch of a Starter Witch Kit at cosmetics giant Sephora this October. The nine-piece set which would have retailed for $42 included fragrances as well as tarot cards, sage, and a rose quartz crystal.

Witchcraft or Paganism (or however you refer to it) is a religion. One with actual practices and guidelines. It is not a basic bitch bandwagon. Spirituality is not a toy. Don't buy the #witchkit@sephora is selling.  Chelsea: Hits Like McD Sprite (@_chelsearedd) September 4, 2018

Being a witch isn't trendy, it isn't cool because Halloween is next month, it doesn't make you quirky or creepy. Being a witch is a choice, and practicing is a form of religious worship. Do your research, and protect yourself when you practice. Always. & Don't buy a #witchkit.  liz (@Llizbowman) September 3, 2018

In September, Pinrose "profoundly" apologised to the witches via a statement on its website:

"First and foremost, to those who have shared their disappointment or taken offense to this product, we apologise profoundly. This was not our intent. We thank you for communicating with us and expressing your feelings. We hear you; we will not be manufacturing or making this product available for sale."

What do you think of the "Starter Witch Kit" from @pinrose? A gimmick to sell perfume, appropriation from #Native people's sacred practice, "fluffy bunnies" as Willow might say, or theft and profit from indigenous culture? Do you think @Sephora should CARRY it or CANCEL it? pic.twitter.com/CwVib9M6Ik  QueerBeautyWizard (@QueerBeautyWiz) September 3, 2018

All occult practitioners are not witches. Ellen Bourn has worked in the medium and psychic arena for forty years. She says she became aware of her ability to communicate with spirits at age eight and joined a spiritualist church when she was at college.

I joined a Spiritualist church while attending college and began training with their spiritual development classes," she said. "We were taught both mediumship and spiritual healing. One of the beliefs of the religion of spiritualism is that communication with all planes of reality is possible. I also read some of Sir Arthur Conan Doyles material on the same subject. I later elected to become a psychiatric nurse to further allow me to study more about neurology in an attempt to study mediumship from both a religious and scientific perspective.

Ms Bourn is a former president of the Lilly Dale Assembly, the worlds largest community of spiritualists. She does not practice witchcraft. Witchcraft is not allowed at Lilly Dale and alleged witches are not permitted to live in the village of Lilly Dale. Ms Bourn distinguishes her work thus:

"Witchcraft is a different belief system than Spiritualism. The term witchcraft has been used to mean those who participate in the religions of paganism, satanism, and gaiaism. There have been times when I have been referred to as a 'witch'. Some have said this as a joke, others as an insulting remark. Fear is usually the basis of these negative remarks."

Ms Bourn is skeptical of the current American witch aesthetic. She notes that the concept of being a female witch has been ultra-sexualised by the media and marketed as an appealing and alluring look.

Appearing witch-like might confer the concept of special powers of intensity, mystery and sexuality to the woman who selects this as her style, Ms Bourn says. But in addition to men who are attracted to the witch look, women put themselves at risk of also attracting negative entities.

Ellen Bourn with a tarot card

Although this is not an intentional outcome, Ms Bourn explains, it occurs because one is potentially drawing upon the black arts without realising it. Black magic is very dangerous as it removes a persons free will [to do the bidding of another]. This can be viewed as a violation of the souls purpose. This can be damaging to both the women and the gentlemen [the witch] may attract. Some sexual practices may lead to negative outcomes in a similar manner.

In regard to the Starter Witches Kit, Ms Bourn cautioned against improper use of sage, meant to be a cleanser and rose quartz crystals, which deal with a persons romantic emotions. When used improperly, Ms Bourn says, a person can draw to themselves manipulative and dangerous people.

The psychic services industry in which Ms Bourn works has grown steadily over the past five years with a 2018 projected US market value of $2.2 billion, according to industry analysis firm IBIS World.

The growth of witchcraft among millennials, aged 22 to 37 in 2018, coincides with a decline in Christianity in the US. Some Christian commentators and clergy have expressed alarm at how occult activity and symbols are now mainstreamed into US popular culture and considered morally neutral. But there is agreement that witchcraft and other occult practices seem to provide a spiritual experience for people no longer drawn to religion.

Margaret Hamilton as Miss Gulch/The Wicked Witch of the West and Judy Garland as Dorothy in the film 'The Wizard Of Oz'

In an interview with the Christian Post, Wanda Alger, a pastor at Crossroads Community Church in Winchester, Virginia, said:

"The sad thing is that these millennials who are exploring the dark side of the supernatural have more faith and belief than most Christians. Because they are open and spiritually hungry, the spirit realm responds. The biggest hindrance to understanding the realities of the Spirit realm is unbelief."
The Department of Transportation on Thursday said that motorcycle ride-hailing firm Angkas continues to defy the order of the Supreme Court to stop its operations. This, even as the department urged the ride-hailing firm to have a dialogue to discuss issues related to its operations as a public transportation service. The DOTr, LTFRB (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board), and LTO (Land Transportation Office) respectfully complied with the order of the lower court. Angkas, on the other hand, continues to brazenly defy the order of the Supreme Court. Lets thresh it out, the DOTr said in its statement on Thursday. The issue is not about the perpetual prohibition of motorcycles from serving as public transport. This is not about depriving the commuting public of an alternative mode of transportation. Instead, this is a matter of following the order of the Supreme Court, the same kind of obedience demonstrated by the government to the preliminary injunction of the lower court even if that order was not favorable to it, it added. The Supreme Court has issued a temporary restraining order earlier this month against the decision of the Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court to interfere with Angkas operations. It prevented the implementation of the writ of preliminary injunction issued by Judge Carlos Valenzuela of Mandaluyong RTC Branch 213 last August in favor of Angkas, which prohibited the DOTr and LTFRB from apprehending Angkas bikers, who had been engaging in their trade or profession based on its mobile application, from performing any act that will impede or obstruct the petitioners pursuit of its lawful business or trade as owner and operator of the Angkas mobile application. If Angkas wants to be heard, it should also learn to listen. Nothing good comes out of defying the law because the law, while existing and unamended, must be respected and followed. As we comply with the law, let us work together to improve legislation in the country, we are willing to talk. We are willing to listen, the statement read. The DOTr explained that some of the issues that needed to be resolved are: the types of motorcycles to be permitted; acceptable travel speed of motorcycles for hire; whether to allow the motorcycles on all roads or be limited only to secondary roads or areas not serviced by large vehicles such as buses or trucks, among others. Another integral aspect is safety. How do we ensure the safety of passengers? In the unfortunate instance of an accident involving a passenger, who will shoulder all the expenses? If the driver is injured or dies, what will be the motorcycle owners accountability? These details should all be thoroughly studied, and as such, the matter will not be resolved with Angkas continued flagrant defiance of the high courts order, the statement read. DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade has ordered the LTFRB to apprehend Angkas bikers, who deliberately defy the order of the Supreme Court. The agency said that Angkas bikers and operators who will be caught continuing their service will be meted a P6,000 fine and three-month vehicle impound, and will be blacklisted from securing a franchise with the LTFRB. But Angkas said in an earlier statement that the TRO of the SC will put to risk the livelihood of some 25,000 biker partners that depend on its operations for the daily needs of their families. It also claimed that it has a safety record of 99.997 percent, which may be considered as a potential model for responsible traffic safety nationwide. The motorcycle rides-haring firm said it will exert efforts to serve commuters in a safe and efficient manner and legitimize their riders. Motorcycles are not allowed to operate as public transport services under Republic Act No. 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code.However, various stakeholders in the transportation sector are pushing for the amendment of this law to enable motorcycles to provide public transport to commuters. Angkas has already appealed to Supreme Court to recall its temporary restraining order to allow its services to continue. In a comment, Angkas operator DBDOYC Inc. pleaded to the SC to lift the TRO issued by its second division last December 5 that effectively halted its services and allowed the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to proceed with its crackdown on the popular app-based service. The company also sought the dismissal of the petition of LTFRB and Department of Transportation challenging the writ of preliminary injunction issued by a Mandaluyong regional trial court last August, which stopped the government's apprehension of Angkas riders. Instead, it urged the high court to affirm the injunction order of the RTC that prohibited the government's transport agencies "from interfering, whether directly or indirectly" with Angkas' operations. The assailed RTC order prevented authorities "from apprehending Angkas bikers who are in lawful pursuit of their trade or occupation based on petitioner's Angkas mobile application; and from performing any act or acts that will impede, obstruct, frustrate, or defeat [the] petitioner's pursuit of its lawful business or trade as owner and operator of the Angkas mobile application." In a statement, Angkas took back its earlier statement that it would continue with its operations despite the TRO issued by SC, saying there is no ruling yet declaring its services as illegal. "We will comply with the TRO, and we will not prevent the LTFRB from apprehending our bikers. But we will give assistance to our bikers under the confines of the law," Angkas spokesman George Royeca said. "In fact, we have instructed our bikers to comply with the authorities should they be apprehended and always be courteous and respectful of the officers," he added. In the assailed RTC order, Judge Valenzuela directed LTFRB and DoTR from interfering with Angkas operations pending the hearing and resolution of DBDOYC Inc.'s petition for declaratory relief. The court order also prohibited the apprehension of Angkas bikers when they are in lawful pursuit of their work. The LTFRB stopped the operations of Angkas in Nov. last year due to lack of necessary franchise to operate. It said that the operator should secure a franchise from Congress to operate as a public utility vehicle under the Republic Act 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code.
PRESIDENTIAL HUG. President Rodrigo Duterte, who will be spending Christmas in his home city of Davao, embraces an unidentified boy during the Christmas Party with sergeant majors from the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command in Malacanang on Thursday while children of WestMinCom personnel (bottom) pay their respects to the 73-year-old Chief Executive. Malacanang Photo

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday called on the public to nurture the ideas of compassion, kindness, and reconciliation as he wished the country a happy and meaningful Christmas. Once again, it is the time of the year where we honor, gather our families and friends to celebrate the nativity of Jesus, share lifes many blessings and demonstrate our love and gratitude for each other, he said in his Christmas message. As we take part in this joyous occasion, may we contemplate on the worth of the lessons that we can learn from the narrative of Christs birth, he added, urging the Filipino people to embrace the spirit of shared humanity. Together let us bring hope and peace in our nation this Yuletide season as we welcome the coming year with much hope and optimism, he said.

On Friday, the Palace said that Duterte will again be spending Christmas in his home in Davao City. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo also said the President will visit sick children in Davao hospitals, a practice he started two years ago. Duterte has spent Christmas in his hometown for three consecutive years.That has always been the style of the President--to visit the handicapped. Hell be there. You know the President is very soft-hearted to the handicaps, special children, and cancer patients, he said. There you will see his compassion, he shed tears every time. In a speech during the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in the Palace grounds, Duterte emphasized the importance of observing Christmas. During this time of the year, few more sights evoke more feelings of cheer and goodwill and the bright lights of our Christmas tree. Gathering around this iconic symbol that gives us a chance to reflect on the lessons of the past year, and makes us hopeful for the new year ahead, he said. As you look forward to spend time with your loved ones during the holidays, may you be filled with warmth, happiness, peace in your hearts, he added. As a bonus this Yuletide season, Duterte had ordered his officials to facilitate the giving of P50,000 worth of Christmas bonuses to employees of the Office of the President.
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On this episode of Live at Politics and Prose, John Prendergast and Fidel Bafilemba discuss their book Congo Stories, with actor Ryan Gosling, who provided photography, and journalist Chouchou Namegabe.

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Its tempting to wonder how the debate over President Trumps announced withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan would have played out if it were a decision by Barack Obama or another Democratic president. The loudest criticism has come from Republican lawmakers and commentators of a neoconservative bent like Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, and Marc Thiessen, and Bill Kristol.

But some liberal voices, who would normally be skeptical of open-ended military commitments of dubious legality and strategic value, have also been rallying around Secretary of Defense James Mattiswho wants commitments of exactly that sort to continue indefinitelyand questioning Trumps motives.

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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called Trumps announcement a Christmas gift to Vladimir Putin. Sen. Tim Kaine, a leading critic of the executive branchs abuse of its wars powers, wrote in a statement, This irresponsible move by the President poses a serious threat to servicemembers as they conduct a hasty withdrawal in an uncertain security environment. Rachel Maddow devoted a segment of her show on Wednesday to the argument that Trump might be doing this to distract from the latest Mueller investigation news. The New York Times editorial board, which has raised alarms repeatedly about the forever wars, wrote on Wednesday that Trump should listen to his more hawkish advisorsthat withdrawal from Syria would be a gift to Putin and an abandonment of Americas Kurdish allies.

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Some left-wing Democrats, Rep. Ro Khanna for instance, have come out in full support of Trumps move. But other Democrats, particularly the leading 2020 candidates, seem to be mostly holding back, letting Republicans fight about this among themselves.

Are Democrats simply, as some contend, just hypocrites, opposing a withdrawal they would otherwise support simply because its Trump who ordered it? Some naked partisanship is clearly coming into play, particularly in the cable news reactions. And its also undoubtedly true that Democrats are more comfortable decrying forever wars in the abstract, without contending with what ending them would actually entail: strategic victories for U.S. adversaries, the abandonment of local allies and civilians to a grim fate.

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But its also more complicated than that. For one thing, many liberals have been consistent on this. Barack Obama also argued from the start of his presidency that the U.S. should prioritize the war in Afghanistan. The military operation against ISIS in Syria was an initiative begun by the Obama administration. Many of his advisers wanted him to do more to confront Bashar al-Assad. It should hardly be surprising that National Security Action, a new foreign policy pressure group started by former Obama administration officials, decried Trumps move. There are plenty of liberal analyststhe Center for American Progress Brian Katulis to take just one examplewho called for the deployment of U.S. military advisers to fight ISIS and now oppose their removal. And even if you support withdrawing troops, its still fair to object to Trumps incorrect statement that ISIS has been defeated and raise questions about his seeming eagerness to please the leaders of Turkey and Russia.

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Its also a legitimate, non-hypocritical position to support ending these wars and oppose the way Trump is going about it: spending two years ramping up both wars and removing safeguards meant to prevent civilian casualties, then abruptly pulling out, leaving ongoing diplomatic efforts twisting in the wind and abandoning U.S. allies to their fate without so much as a warning. Sen. Chris Murphy, a leading critic of Trump on war-powers issues, particularly on Yemen, attempted this sort of nuanced argument in his statement on Syria:

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The Trump administrations policy of prolonging the violence in Syria while locking people inside and refusing to allow refugees to come to the United States is morally repugnant and has without a doubt made us less safe. I support withdrawing troops, but we must also rejoin a diplomatic process that the Trump administration has left to other powers, and we need a surge in humanitarian relief. Thats the only way we can protect the Syrian people against a Turkish incursion or regime reprisals.

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That all seems basically correct, though understandably you wont hear many people making such a nuanced argument on cable news shows or the campaign trail.

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This is one question where partisan categories arent all that useful. There are left-wing Democrats and Freedom Caucus Republicans who have been skeptical of the U.S. military operations in Syria and Afghanistan under both Obama and Trump. There are hawkish Democrats and Republicans who wanted stronger U.S. commitments under both presidents.

As I wrote recently, many leading Democrats seem to be trying to thread the needle by adopting a framework of a global struggle against authoritarianism thats vaguely reminiscent of neoconservatism while eschewing the embrace of military force that defined that movement. Trumps current position somewhat confounds that stance by being both anti-militarist and accommodating to his authoritarian friends. In many ways, it was easier for Democratic critics when Trump was both embracing dictators and glumly going along with Mattis expanded troop deployments.

You can say one thing for the presidents foreign policy: Hes forcing his opponents to break out of easy ideological categories and figure out what their real priorities are.
On Wednesday, two state legislators in Kansas announced that they were switching parties. State Sen. Dinah Sykes and state Rep. Stephanie Clayton said that they no longer believed the Republican Party could best represent them or their constituents and that they were officially joining the Democratic Party.

They followed two other women who had left the party last week: State Sen. Barbara Bollier started the movement when she renounced her 43-year membership in the Republican Party last Wednesday, and outgoing state Rep. Joy Koesten, who lost her seat in this years primary to a conservative challenger, followed suit the next day.

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In making the decision, the four left the more powerful party in the state. Republicans have large majorities in both the House and Senate. In spite of the damage done to the states economy by a radical and experimental set of tax cuts in 2012, Kansas has continued to swing rightward. The moderate former Republican legislators said that their state party became more extreme to stay in step with the national party, but they have hope that the voters themselves wont followa belief they say is seen in Kansas election of a Democratic governor this November.

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Slate spoke separately Thursday with three of the legislatorsSykes, Clayton, and Koestento find out how they decided to break with the Republican Party and what they hope to accomplish from the decision. These conversations have been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

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How did you come to make this decision?

State Rep. Joy Koesten: When I entered the Legislature, I had a wonderful core group of moderate legislators: about 45 of us who worked hard to turn things around in Kansas. The leadership was still far to the right, and during the two years I served, there was clear evidence the party wasnt behind us. They were actively recruiting people to run against us in the primaries and funding campaigns against us.  It didnt make sense to stay in a party that didnt want moderate voices.

State Sen. Dinah Sykes: It was a lot of processing for myself, talking to friends, talking to family, talking to supporters, to people within the Republican Party, in the Democratic Party. And I had a sleepless night trying to determine what to do. But I always want my district to be represented by a moderate, pragmatic person. And it seems that even [at the state level], you were seeing more and more of the right wing taking over the party. You have to be in lockstep with me. Sort of this purity test. And that was not me.

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State Rep. Stephanie Clayton: The House and Senate leadership made an announcement they were planning on scrapping the education plan. The whole reason I decided to run was my then-young daughter started school, and I noticed schools werent funded. We did craft a wonderful school formula, accepted by courts and constituents as good solid plan. Both factions, Democrats and Republicans, had a voice in this. And now leadership wants to arbitrarily scrap it as part of a saber-rattling exchange with the [new Democratic] governor. I didnt feel I could be a part of it anymore.  It was destruction for the sake of destroying. Thats not how you run a state. Thats not how you run a country.

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When did you realize this was something you might do?

Koesten: The day I was elected, it was on the same day Donald Trump was elected. And that was probably the biggest jolt of reality Ive ever had. Certainly to indicate Id have some very tough maneuvering to try to keep my soul and still represent my district. And so I think its probably been brewing for some time as my party moves further and further to the right. Sen. Barbara Bollier announced her switch about a week and a half ago, and it didnt come as a great surprise to me. It felt like time to make that move.

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Sykes: It was probably closer to Thanksgiving when I really started thinking about it. There were times before then, but I always felt, No, I can make a difference. I could change this. Im a rational person. I have a rational voice. I can talk to my fellow Republicans.

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Clayton: Monday, [Dec.] 10, was when I heard about the plan to scrap the education plan. And on the 12th, my colleague defected for her own reasons. I thought, I am done. I cannot do this anymore.

How has national politics played a role in your decision?

Sykes: I could fight to try to save my party, or I could fight for my constituents or my state. And with whats going on nationally, it was hard to do both. You see the extremewhat Donald Trump and the Republican Party [are doing].

People in your district are saying, You have to speak out about this. Why are you a part of this? regardless of if my votes in the Senate would align with things that are coming out of national politics. This is pulling away from the job youre supposed to be doing: My job is not to respond about every crazy tweet or comment thats coming.

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Kris Kobach (the Republican nominee for governor) was supported by the president[Trump] came and campaigned for him. And that didnt help [the rhetoric]. But he was not elected governor, so we saw, overall, thats not what our state wanted. The way Kansas is  to fight that you have to have rational people running for precinct committee positions. But theyre so frustrated with whats happening nationally, they wont run for office. So how do you fix the system when they dont want to be a part of it because this label has become so toxic?

Clayton: Ive always been good at compartmentalizing. Like, thats Washington. Thats not here, thats not me, not affecting my district. [But] its the attitude more than anything. Lets just break government. This wasnt a thing that was broken.  I had worked for years within the Republican Party vocally attempting to change it. But it got to this point where even the association has been too much.

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Why do you think youll be able to make more of a difference as a Democrat?

Koesten: I had an amazing group of colleagues, all who identify as moderate Republicans. And I felt I was abandoning them. But there is a hard-right element in the party that is incredibly destructive. The hardcore, fervent religious rightand the outside moneyis so overpowering. You want to stay and fight the good fight, but I finally decided I cant fight from the inside.

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Sykes: Kansans, I think in general, are common-sense [people]. We want effective governmentnot too muchbut we want good services. We want good roads. And I think my voice as a Democrat will be able to do that because I wont be fighting within my party.

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Clayton: Within my new caucus, my voice will be heard. Its difficult within the Republican Party. They tend to silence people who are not following the party line. It would be really nice if the party line was just running things properlysince when is it not Republicans funding schools? But apparently its what Republicans do: They advocate for pure chaos. Im really disappointed that this seems to be what Republicans have become. This is my party, since I was 18. Its awful to see whats happened.

What has the response been to your announcement?

Koesten: Its been overwhelmingly a positive response. You get the trolls on Facebook and Twitter, the people wholl say, I knew she was never a Republican to begin with. It wouldnt have mattered how I voted or behaved. My Democratic colleagues are really excited. My Republican colleagues have been a little quieter, I think probably for self-preservation. Some of them knew I was going to do this, and they were very supportive.

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One of the things I have seen is some people saying, Oh my gosh, they have cheated their constituents. Theyve been dishonest. And Im thinking, theres not one of us that wasnt incredibly transparent what we ran on, what our values are, why we were running. So I dont feel any of us owes an apology for saying we can no longer exist in this space that is so hostile to a different point of view.

Sykes: Mostly, it has been very supportive. There have been calls from other states about how my changing party is the downfall [of the country]. Oh, I didnt realize I had that much power.

Clayton: Locally, the response is positive. Some response from folks out of state that are less than pleased with what Ive doneI wonder if they kiss their mothers with that mouth. But its normal when youre in public life, and particularly normal if youre female.

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Are you worried about your political future?

Koesten: Since Im no longer in office, it means getting involved in the local Democratic organization. I think well have opportunities in the years to come. I think [the state] is not as far right as was represented in the last election. And Im hoping to prove thats true.

Sykes: I will run for re-election. Would I be better to run as a Republican and possibly lose in a primary? To someone more conservative? And have to run against a Democrat in a general? How do you protect a moderate voice? In the end, I think this was the best decision. I hope my voting record will stand for itself. Im very engaged in my community. So many voted [for me] because of who I am, not based on the letter behind my name. But I know there are people who vote based on parties. I think thats part of whats wrong with our country, because we dont really dig in and find out who people are.

Clayton: I havent really thought about that, because if you make plans based on electability, then you dont deserve to be there. You need someone to make bold decisions.
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis will retire at the end of February, according to a late Thursday tweet from President Trump. His retirement, which has been rumored for some time, caps a series of departures from Trumps national security team this year, including national security adviser H.R. McMaster, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. Mattis was seen as one of the last establishment figures on Trumps team, increasingly dominated by more Trump-aligned figures like Mike Pompeo and John Bolton.

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Trump initially seemed excited to pick Mattis, a four-star Marine general who served in three wars and was commander of U.S. Central Command during the Obama administration, repeatedly using his nickname Mad Dog (a moniker Mattis reportedly never liked), but the two have frequently been at odds.

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At times, particularly early on, Mattis could be a moderating influence on Trump, talking him out of his initial support for torturing terrorism suspects, for instance. He also won a debate with thensenior adviser Steve Bannon over deploying more troops to Afghanistan. But Trump also repeatedly overruled Mattis on issues such as withdrawing from the Iran deal and moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. Trump frequently surprised Mattis by announcing policy changes without consulting him, including canceling joint military exercises with South Korea and ordering a ban on transgender troops in the U.S. military. Trump had reportedly started referring to Mattis as Moderate Dog behind closed doors in recent months.

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The announcement of his retirement, notably, comes just after Trump announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, a deployment Mattis has strongly supported continuing. For all he was often described as a moderating influence, Mattis was often more hawkish than his boss.

In his letter notifying Trump of his resignation, Mattis pointedly referred to the necessity of being resolute and unambiguous in our approach to authoritarian countries like China and Russia and the importance of treating allies with respect and the solidarity of alliances. He continued, You have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects.

His retirement will alarm NATO allies and national security leaders in Washington who saw him as a steadying hand on the Trump administrations often chaotic foreign policy. Given how chaotic its been with him in place, the amount of influence Mattis actually had over Trump is an open question, and well soon have a much better idea of the answer.
Secretary of Defense James Mattis didnt just resign on Thursday; he resigned in protest over the presidents policiesthe first time a Cabinet secretary has done that since Cyrus Vance quit his job as secretary of state, 40 years ago, over Jimmy Carters failed rescue attempt of the U.S. hostages in Iran.

President Trump tried to disguise this fact, tweeting late on Thursday that Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February. But administration officials dont retire. They resign, and Mattiswho already did retire as a four-star general from the Marine Corps in 2013is resigning with bitterness and fatigue.

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Mattis made this clear in his letter of resignation. Among its key lines: One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. Trump is outspokenly disdainful of those alliances. Mattis went on, rubbing the point in harder: We cannot protect our interests  without maintaining strong alliances or showing respect to those allies. One can almost picture Trumps face turning red upon reading that sentence. Mattis then pointed with particular pride to NATOTrumps least favorite alliancetouting its members commitment to fighting alongside us following the 9-11 attack on America. America First, indeed.

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After a few more sentences about the importance of allies, Mattis laid down the real reason for his resignation in no uncertain terms: Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.

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He added that he will leave Feb. 28, enough time for Trump to nominate a replacement and for Mattis himself to make sure the Departments interestsnote, the Departments interests, not Trumpsare properly articulated at upcoming events, including the congressional hearings over the fiscal year 2020 defense budget that he has just completed, and (just to poke it in Trumps eye on last time) the NATO Defense Managerial meeting.

Some have speculated that Mattis timed his resignation over Trumps withdrawal of troops from Syria, and there may be something to this, but rumblings have been heard for months now, from those who know him, that he would exit sometime soon after the midterm elections.

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Trump hired Mattis, in the first place, under the misconception that, because his nickname in the Marines had been Mad Dog, he would be getting a savage killer keen on torture. At a postelection rally where he announced some of his Cabinet picks, Trump bragged, Were going to put in the greatest killers of all time. In fact, Mattis hated the nickname, which few if any colleagues actually used. He once famously did tell the troops under his command in Iraq, Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meetbut he regarded the first part of that instruction as important as the second part. A more common nickname among his peers was Warrior Monk, referring to the fact that hes never married, reads deeply in history and philosophy, owns a library of about 7,000 volumes, and, in Iraq, carried a copy of Marcus Aurelius Meditations in his rucksack.

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During the presidential transition, Trump asked him about torture. Mattis said that hed squeezed more information from detainees using a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers. The president-elect deferred to the generalor, as he liked to say in those days, my generals, the others being thennational security adviser H.R. McMaster, who was booted earlier this year, and chief of staff John Kelly, who will be joining the two in the private sector in January.*

In his first several months in office, Trump gave Mattis in particular a wide berth over not just tactics and strategy in the countrys wars but also broad policy. He was keen to withdraw U.S.

troops from Afghanistan, but Mattis and McMaster persuaded him otherwise. As Trump grew more confident in his own judgment (for reasons that are hard to fathom), and as he hired new advisers closer to his own views (notably Mike Pompeo as secretary of state and John Bolton as national security adviser), Mattis fell further out of his inner circle, disagreeing openly over not just alliances but policy toward Russia, the Iran nuclear deal, the security implications of global warming, and other matters.

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The writing was on the wall in October, when Trump said in an interview that Mattis could go soon, adding, I think hes sort of a Democrat. In Bob Woodwards Fear, published a few weeks earlier, Mattis was quoted as saying, near the beginning of his term, that briefing Trump was like talking to a fifth- or sixth-grader.

On Thursday evening, in the wake of the Syrian pullout and the Mattis resignation, NBC News reported that Trump has ordered the Pentagon to draw up plans for the pullout of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.* [Update, 8:44 p.m.: The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Trump has ordered the start of the reduction of American soldiers in Afghanistan.]

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Rather than raise a stink, as Trumps first secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, had done, Mattis kept his head down and pursued his agenda more quietly. He led several new initiatives in NATO, most notably a plan to mobilize troops more rapidly to defend the Baltic states from Russian aggression. And many times he assured allied leaders that the United States would back them up, regardless of what they may have heard from other quartersto the point where some leaders in allied nations, and on Capitol Hill, referred to the Department of Defense under Mattis as the Department of Reassurance.

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A Cabinet secretarys reassurances can go only so far, though, when its clear that the presidentthe ultimate decision-makerdisagrees. The same pattern occurred when Colin Powell was President George W. Bushs secretary of state: Powell would say very welcome things on his trips to Europe, but after a while, they meant nothing, because it was clear they didnt reflect the views of the man in charge.

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Trumps myriad departures from normal practice this past year have stirred concern in allied capitals, in Congress, and among U.S. diplomats and combatant commandershis kowtowing to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, his expressed love for North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, his scorn for allies in once-cordial conferences, and now his withdrawals from Syria and Afghanistan, which arent entirely unreasonable except that they were so sudden and announced without appreciation of possible consequences or consultation with the regional players or even with his own security advisers.*

The departure of Mattisthe last grown-up in the roomis sure to set off tremors of anxiety. During the final phase of Colin Powells tenure as Bushs secretary of state, a European diplomat asked how he was coping with all the mishandled crises of that administration (which, compared to the current presidents, now seem trivial). He reportedly replied, I sleep like a baby  every two hours I wake up screaming. We all may be doing that soon.
After John Kelly and Donald Trump got fed up with each other and no one else wanted the job, Trump announced that Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney would take over for Kelly as White House chief of staff in 2019 on an interim basis. From the presidents perspective, this was a good outcome: Mulvaney, a former South Carolina congressman, is one of the relatively few members of Trumps Cabinet who seems at least passingly familiar with the subject matter he deals with and has gone two years without a major personal corruption scandal.

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Problem: Mulvaney hasnt started yet and people keep finding examples of him making fun of Trump and calling him a big idiot. First was the Daily Beast, which uncovered video of Mulvaney calling Trump a terrible human being just before the 2016 election. Then, on Friday, CNN posted an excerpt from an August 2015 radio interview in which Mulvaney describesfairly articulately!why building a giant wall (he uses the term fence, but his interviewer had specifically asked him about then-candidate Trumps border wall proposal) to separate the U.S. from Mexico would be a big waste of time:

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The fence doesnt solve the problem. Is it necessary to have one, sure? Would it help? Sure. But to just say build the darn fence and have that be the end of an immigration discussion is absurd and almost childish for someone running for president to take that simplistic of [a] view. And by the way, the bottom line is the fence doesnt stop anybody who really wants to get across. You go under, you go around, you go through it. And thats what the ranchers tell us, is that they dont need a fence.

Its looking likely, of course, that Mulvaneys first job as chief of staff will be to manage a partial government shutdown that Trump will have initiated because Democrats refuse to give him funding for The Wall. Thats if Mulvaney makes it to his first day on the job, of course.
To listen to the discussion, use the player below:

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Listen to Slates Political Gabfest via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

On this weeks Slate Political Gabfest, Emily Bazelon, David Plotz, and John Dickerson discuss the bipartisan criminal justice reform bill, Michael Flynns legal troubles, and new revelations about Russian trolling and Facebooks privacy violations.

Here are some of the links and references from this weeks show:

 RAND Corp. report: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education: A Meta-Analysis of Programs That Provide Education to Incarcerated Adults

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 Steven M. Teles and David Dagan for the New America Foundation: How Conservatives Turned Against Mass Incarceration

 Jennifer Rubin for the Washington Post: What the Criminal-Justice Reform Bill Tells Us About Congress

 Sadie Gurman and Aruna Viswanatha for the Wall Street Journal: Trumps Attorney General Pick Criticized an Aspect of Mueller Probe in Memo to Justice Department

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 Scott Shane and Sheera Frenkel for the New York Times: Russian 2016 Influence Operation Targeted African-Americans on Social Media

 Gabriel J.X. Dance, Michael LaForgia and Nicholas Confessore for the New York Times: As Facebook Raised a Privacy Wall, It Carved an Opening for Tech Giants

 Scott Shane and Alan Blinder for the New York Times: Secret Experiment in Alabama Senate Race Imitated Russian Tactics

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 John Sides, Michael Tesler, and Lynn Vavrek: Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America



 Masha Gessen for the New Yorker: Why the Russian Influence Campaign Remains So Hard to Understand

 Video: LeBron James Gave the Perfect Advice to His Son Bryce After a Bad Shooting game

 Andrea Diaz for CNN: George H.W. Bush Secretly Sponsored a Filipino Child for 10 Years. Read Some of the Letters They Sent Each Other

Here are this weeks cocktail chatters:

 John: Amelia Earharts highly unsentimental prenuptial letter to her fiance



 Emily: Margot Sanger-Katz for the New York Times: Set It and Forget It: How Better Contraception Could Be a Key to Reducing Poverty

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 David: Big Pixels ultra-high-resolution picture of Shanghai and a viral video of a bat trapped in an Irish home

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 Listener chatter from Ginny Boynton: Emily Mills for the Akron Beacon Journal: Stow Group Wipes Out $9,000 in School Lunch Debt in Five Days

For this weeks Slate Plus bonus segment the hosts discuss My Dads Friendship With Charles Barkley by Shirley Wang.

Topic ideas for next week? You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest.

Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter or post it to our Facebook page. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Become a fan of the Political Gabfest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @SlateGabfest. The email address for the Political Gabfest is gabfest@slate.com. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.

Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap.
On Friday, Chief Justice John Roberts joined the liberal justices in a 54 decision to maintain the block on President Donald Trumps new restrictions on asylum.

Trump issued a proclamation in November prohibiting refugees from seeking asylum if they entered the United States without authorization. U.S. District Judge Jon S. Tigar swiftly halted the policy, prompting Trump to dismiss him as an Obama judge. Chief Justice John Roberts then issued a rare rejoinder, telling the AP: We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them.



Then, on Dec. 10, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Tigars nationwide freeze on the new rule. In an opinion written by the conservative Judge Jay Bybee, a Bush appointee, the court explained that a federal statute expressly guarantees immigrants the right to apply for asylumwhether or not they come into the country lawfully. Indeed, the law was meant to implement a treaty which the U.S. had ratified that directed signatories not to impose penalties [on refugees] on account of their illegal entry or presence. Trump, the court held, cannot revoke Congress decision to extend asylum rights to unauthorized immigrants.

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The Department of Justice appealed to the Supreme Court, urging the justices to reverse the 9th Circuit and permit the asylum rule to take effect. On Friday, Roberts and the liberals refused to do so, ensuring that Tigars injunction will remain in place. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh noted their dissent.

It may be tempting to speculate that Roberts voted against the Trump administration to drive home his point about the judiciarys independence, or as a jab at the president. But that is almost certainly not the case. It is much more likely that the chief justice simply reviewed the case and recognized that there is no plausible argument for the new rules legality. The text of the statute is clear as can be: Any alien  who arrives in the United States  may apply for asylumeven if they did not enter through a designated port of arrival. Roberts probably read the law and recognized that this is an easy case, since Trumps proclamation directly contravenes the will of Congress.

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Unfortunately, Kavanaugh sees things differently. The newest justice appears to have suspended his judgment and reading skills to run interference for the Trump administration, thereby ending his streak of moderation. For two months, Kavanaugh appeared to have joined Roberts and the liberals in a series of decisions against the DOJ. The coalition swatted down an effort to stymie the census citizenship case as well as a climate change lawsuit, and declined to hear a case that involves Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood patients.

Kavanaugh seemed to be keeping his head low in the wake of his toxic confirmation hearings, and perhaps persuading Roberts that he, too, is a moderate conservative eager for compromise.

That ends now. The Trump administrations asylum policy is flagrantly unlawful any way you slice it, and it is deeply disturbing that Kavanaugh stood up for this indefensible rule. His vote on Friday should smash any remaining hope that the new justice is more of a centrist than some of his critics, as GOP Sen. Susan Collins insisted. He is exactly the judge Trump wanted him to be.
The joke going around is that, with the troops coming home from Afghanistan and Syria, President Donald Trump wont have to visit any war zones, a fear hes avoided facing in his first two years in office. But what about those left behind, what about the fate of the region, what about long-term U.S. interests? Clearly Trump doesnt care about anybody else, or even about his own countrys interests after his term is overand thats a huge part of this tragedy in the making.

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Still, Trumps instincts for withdrawingpulling out all 2,000 troops in Syria and half of the 14,000 in Afghanistanare understandable. Syria is the kind of messy game of multidimensional chess (a hodgepodge of interlocking warssectarian, civil, regional, big-power proxy) that weve never been good at fighting, even under more competent leadership. The war in Afghanistan has been going on for 17 years, with victoryhowever definedno closer than ever.

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Trump was all set to get out of Afghanistan until August 2017, when Secretary of Defense James Mattis and thennational security adviser H.R. McMaster convinced him not only to stay, but to send 5,000 more troops into the fray. McMasters gambit was to show him a circa 1970s photo of young women in Kabul wearing miniskirts, as if to prove that the place once wasand, by implication, could again bea normal country. Mattis method was to lay out a new strategy that could win the war, even though in fact it was just a slight intensification of old strategiesmore bombing, coupled with more active diplomacyand win remained a murky concept.

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The regrettable thing about Trumps timing now is that his announcementmade, as was his early-morning tweet about Syria, with no consultation with aides or alliescomes as the diplomatic side of the strategy finally seems close to bearing fruit. Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-born diplomat who serves as the administrations emissary to Afghanistan (and who was once posted there as U.S. ambassador), was making considerable progress toward bringing the Taliban to the peace tableeven toward luring them to sit down with the Kabul government (though they havent agreed to do so just yet).

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A crucial ingredient in any enduring peace deal must be the withdrawal of U.S. troopsnot all at once, and not unconditionally, rather hinging on some political settlement. But Trumps sudden move to cut the troop levels by half, with no concessions from the Taliban or anyone else, seriously erodes Khalilzads leverage.

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This unilateral move might not be so disastrous; it might even spur the peace talks if Khalilzad or some U.S. official played it as a confidence-building measure to entice further concessions from the Taliban. But this game is likely to lack credibility, in the context of Trumps hands-thrown-up pullout from Syria; his clear insouciance about throwing the Kurds under the Turkish tank treads; and the resignation-in-protest of Mattis, the last senior official standing who would have actively resisted this move.

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Even most of those who favor a U.S. withdrawal, who think the war has gone on long enough and will never yield a satisfactory result (and I include myself in that group), believe that a total pullout would spark disasteranarchy, civil war, the return of a terrorist regime, the strengthening of the local branch of ISISin a region of nuclear powers and great instability.

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A crucial ingredient in any enduring peace deal must be the withdrawal of U.S. troopsnot all at once, and not unconditionally.

Trump hasnt decided to pull out all of the troops, not yet anyway, just 7,000 of thema couple thousand more than the number he added to the deployment last year. So 7,000 U.S. troops will remainabout 1,400 fewer than President Barack Obama left in place at the end of his administration. Those troops were assigned two main missions: fighting terrorists and assisting (but not fighting on the ground alongside) the Afghan army. The more ambitious mission of counterinsurgency, which included reforming the Afghan government and its ability to provide essential services, was largely abandoned. (Obama tried it for 18 months, then dropped it after concluding it wasnt working.)

What will the 7,000 remaining troops do? Trump is leaving that up to the Defense Department, instructing officials only to come up with some way to bring down the numbers. Which region of the country the departing troops should come from, what tasks will be compromised or endedTrump doesnt really care. He just wants to please his base, honor a campaign pledge, and placate his own instincts to get out of a long, futile war.

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Again, in this one instance, his basic instinct isnt bad. But in matters of war and peace especially, instincts should be coupled to an awareness of consequences and a strategic sense of how to use ones last shred of power to achieve some of ones goals or, at least, to minimize the losses. Trump doesnt care about any of that either; nor does he know, or care, what the goals of this war ever were. Of course, he is hardly alone in that deficiency: Except for the wars initial, and worthy, aimcrushing al-Qaida and ousting the Taliban regime, which had been hosting Osama Bin Laden and his militiamenno one ever devised or pursued a goal that was consistent or realistic.

This has been Americas longest war and its most bewildering. Trump is trying to finish it, but in a way that will only deepen the damage and disillusionment.
President Trump will cut in half the American militarys presence in Afghanistan in the coming months, a withdrawal of some 7,000 troops, with the first soldiers coming home in a matter of weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The drawdown of the U.S. military footprint in Afghanistan comes shortly after Trump tweeted earlier this week that he was looking to get out of the still simmering Syrian conflict. The move in Afghanistan, the Journal reports, will come as the first stage of a phased drawdown and the start of a conclusion to the 17-year war that officials say could take at least many months.

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Taken together, the drawdown of American troops in what have been two long-running conflicts marks a significant shift in American foreign policy. On Thursday, Trumps Defense Secretary James Mattis, in what is likely not an unrelated move, offered his resignation. In both the Afghan and Syrian conflicts, Mr. Trump earlier this year voiced an interest in bringing troops home within the year or less, moves that were widely opposed within the U.S. national security establishment, according to the Journal. The Pentagon over the last weekend fended off a push by Mr. Trump to start bringing troops home from Afghanistan starting in January, officials said.

The 14,000 troops currently in Afghanistan are deployed to train Afghan forces and conduct counterterrorism operations.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana

The military will not stop combat operations against the New Peoples Army, even though the rebels have taken 12 militiamen and two soldiers hostage in Sibagat, Agusan del Sur and said they would not be released until attacks against them have ceased. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Friday they would not allow the rebels to use the captured troops as leverage. He said the militiamen and soldiers knew they were at war with the rebels and that if they were being held hostage, that was part of the job.Earlier, Armed Forces of the Philippines public affairs office chief Col. Noel Detoyato said that a Board of Inquiry has been formed to investigate the rebel raid in Sibagat last Dec. 19. He said troops were pursuing the rebels, who also carted away automatic rifles, ammunition, a radio and other supplies. Lorenzana also said the military would need more naval and aerial assets so it can perform its mandate and end threats to the countrys internal security.We need more ships, we need more helicopters, Lorenzana said when asked about his priorities for the Armed Forces of the Philippines during a press briefing Thursday. He said more equipment would boost the capability of government forces, especially in neutralizing Abu Sayyaf terrorists and communist insurgents. If we can reduce the problem areas to just a law enforcement problem which could be handled by the police, we can devote military to some other activities like organizing more engineering brigades so that we can also help in the development of the countryside, he said. Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order No. 70 directing the creation of a national task force to end the armed conflict with the communists, as well as the adoption of a national peace framework that will contain policies addressing the root causes of the insurgency.
We have a running gag here at Slate about how every month or so a breathless insider report declares that the White House is in chaosthat an increasingly isolated Donald Trump is lashing out as the walls close in on his imperiled presidency. These stories appear for two reasons. One is that many Washington journalists still cant wrap their heads around the reality that Trump doesnt actually lose political support or momentum, like other presidents would, when he creates giant fiascos by being an idiot. The other is that liberals love to click and read the stories because they present a wish-fulfillment fantasy in which the administration is on the verge of collapse. And yet, every time, Trump emerges from the chaos with the same level of control over the Republican Party (and thus the government) that he had before, and the country goes muddling along. (Which isnt to say, to be clear, that everything has been great since 2016thats not truebut that most things in Washington, D.C. and the rest of the U.S. continue to operate in a normal pre-Trump way and that major tragic developments have not been particularly related to White House intrigue and disorganization.)

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But, OK, yes, things feel chaotic right now. This still from CNN explains it well:

the CNN chyron that sums up the day pic.twitter.com/8IbEJ5YMfV  Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) December 20, 2018

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Lets run down where those stories are at Friday and throw in a few more:

 Secretary of Defense James Mattis is, indeed, resigning in protest over Trumps impulsive decision to withdraw forces from Syria. Its a decision that, according to the latest reporting, was more or less dictated by the authoritarian leader of Turkeywho wants America out so that he can slaughter the Kurds, longtime allies of the U.S. who we are surprising/betraying by leaving so suddenly.

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 As the national security writer Marcy Wheeler points out, among the reasons that Trump has to be deferential toward Turkey are 1) Turkey might have dirt about former national security adviser Michael Flynn advocating corruptly for pro-Turkey policies while he was on Turkeys payroll, 2) Trump needs Turkey to stop making noise about how the Trump administration allowed Saudi Arabia to kidnap, torture, and and murder Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul without any repercussions, and 3) Turkeys interests in Syria overlap with those of Russia, another country that may possess incriminating material about corrupt behavior by Trump and Flynn that has been in the news recently because of Robert Muellers special counsel investigation. The president is possibly being blackmailed! Very neat.

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 Acting attorney general Matt Whitaker, a random cable-news twit who worked until recently for a company that promoted next-generation hot tubs and toilets for men with large penises before it got shut down by the FTC, has rejected advice from Department of Justice ethics officials that he recuse himself from supervising the Mueller investigation. (Whitaker criticized Mueller in cable appearances before getting initially hired at DOJ to work for ex-A.G. Jeff Sessions, and was apparently advised that those statements created the appearance of bias.) It may not surprise you that the document Whitaker has released to justify his decision appears to be incomplete and confusing; it also puts him in a position to sabotage Muellers investigation just as it appears to be coming to a climax.

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 The House has passed legislation that will only continue funding the government if the budget includes $5 billion for Trumps vaunted border wall. That legislation does not seem like it can pass the Senate because it would require 60 votes (filibuster rules and all that) and there are not 60 Republicans in the Senate. But Trump has suddenly decided he wont sign any budget that does not include the funding for his widely unclamored-for 1,951-mile* wall through empty mountain/desert terrain (a wall which Mexico was supposed to pay for anyway), which means we are likely headed for a partial government shutdown.

 Axios reports that Trump is already complaining about incoming interim White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who took the job only after like a hundred other people said they didnt want it.

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 Stock market, still not great.

In summary, while things are typically disorganized and dumb in the Trump administration, they are now getting disorganized and dumb in a way that has widespread consequences: (More) people in the Middle East dying gruesomely, people losing their paychecks in the U.S. at Christmas, and maybe an unprecedented crisis of government regarding the presidents corrupt debt to foreign powers. #MAGA!
There were many important and troubling revelations in the New York Times latest investigation into Facebooks privacy practices. There were others that seem less sinister the closer you look at them.

Perhaps more important than either, however, was how the story resonated and what people took from itwhich, in many cases, was far more than it actually proved. People didnt just get mad; they got not-gonna-take-this-anymore mad.

Above all, what the story and its fallout tell us is this: Any benefit of the doubt that Facebook once enjoyedfrom the media, the government, the tech-savvy publicis long gone. And thats a bigger blow than any EU penalty or FTC fine the social network could incur.

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Lets look first at what the Times deeply reported piece actually did. It called well-deserved attention to the broad access to user data that Facebook handed out for years to its platform partners and its evidently lax oversight of those arrangements. And it highlighted several specific arrangements that are worrisome in their own right.

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For instance, the Times reported that Facebook struck deals with several companies that allowed for the sharing of users contact lists and address books, partly to enhance Facebooks shady People You May Know recommendation engine. One of those partners was the Chinese firm Huawei, which the U.S. government views as a national cybersecurity risk. Facebook also had a partnership with the Russian tech firm Yandex, which is suspected of Kremlin ties, that gave it access to Facebook user IDs. And not only did it sling user data around, the company failed to reel it back in once its partners no longer needed it.

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All of which is deeply disconcerting, even if the concrete harms remain speculative at this point. (No evidence has yet surfaced that Facebooks partners misused the data, though its certainly possible.) We now know that Facebooks carelessness with users information, highlighted in March by the Cambridge Analytica scandal, extended to its relationships with larger corporate partners, which got even more access than small-time developers. While this is hardly shocking, the Times deserves credit for unearthing the documents that prove it.

What has changed is that Facebook has forfeited our trust to the point that we are primed to assume the worst of it.

Of course, anyone paying attention already knew Facebook wasnt exactly Fort Knox when it came to users personal information. Moreover, the most alarming new details in the New York Times story, such as agreements that allowed Netflix and Spotify to read, write, and delete users private messages, appear to have been wildly overblown.

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A response from Facebook on Wednesday evening explained that these permissions were about allowing Facebook users to read, write, and delete their own Facebook messages from within Netflix and Spotify once they linked their accounts and logged in. It was a way of encouraging people to use Facebook features without leaving the streaming app, which was a strategy that Facebook pursued very publicly for years. While there are some key differences, from a functional standpoint its loosely analogous to the way that Google allows Apple iOS users to read, write, and delete their Gmail messages from their iPhone. And it makes far more sense than the notion that Facebook would give other big tech companies free rein to effectively steal the identities and communications of its users.

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Such nuance did not come across clearly in the Times story and was often lost completely in the public conversation that swirled around it. To pick just one striking example, heres an excerpt from an NPR interview with Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota on Wednesday. Klobuchar, mind you, is not just any senator, but she sits on the Commerce and Judiciary committees and is the co-author of a well-known social media privacy bill.

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NPRs Mary Louise Kelly: On the specific revelations that are coming out, the part I found most unsettling is this revelation that Spotify and Netflix, two other big tech companies, could read our private messages on Facebook. Sen. Amy Klobuchar: It is an unbelievable thought. So you are, you know, going back-and-forth with your mom andabout what movie they liked or what movie they were going to see and thenon Facebook. Never in a million years do people think that is then going to go to Netflix so they can presumably direct things at you, if you have an account with them, or try to lure you into their service by advertising thingsor the same with music and Spotify. Kelly: But to your point that weyou said we should not be surprisedI mean, should we be surprised? Or should we just accept that  Klobuchar: Im not surprised 

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Based on the available evidence, this is a complete misreading by both host and expert of the arrangement between Facebook and those two streaming companies. It is indeed an unbelievable thought that Netflix or Spotify were reading the messages people typed on Facebook, let alone using that information to target them with ads. Still more outrageous if they did this for people who werent even Netflix or Spotify subscribers, as Klobuchar implies.

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But by all indications, they were doing none of those things. The companies Facebook integrations simply allowed existing customers to log into their Facebook accounts from within the streaming app and use its messaging features without having to navigate to Facebook proper. Its the sort of arrangement that looks foolhardy or even sinister today but that many internet users took for granted at the time.

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I know that because I was one of them. I thought nothing of using Facebook to log into Spotify, because I naively trusted Facebook to guard my data, probably more so than I trusted Spotify. I even tested for a while a Mozilla Firefox feature that brought a Facebook feed directly into your browser, as a sidebar, so that you could see what your friends were up to even when you were on other websites. It eventually dawned on me that this was imprudent, and certainly there were some activists at the time who were sounding alarms, but it was hardly a scandal.

The real problem turned up by the Times reporting is that Facebook failed to pull the plug on this type of access until last year, even though many of the integrations had been abandoned years earlier. But that sloppiness, while inexcusable, isnt the part that made headlines.

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What has changed to make this sort of feature the subject of a front-page New York Times expose? Not Facebooks privacy practices, which by all accounts were worse several years ago than they are today. No, what has changed is that Facebook has forfeited our trust to the point that we are primed to assume the worst of it.

That confirmation bias has become so pervasive that even people like Klobuchar let it cloud their understanding of Facebooks actions. You can see it in her reply to Kellys follow-up question, when she says shes not surprised. You can see it in my own snarky tweet responding to the NYT report, before I dived deeper into its particularities. When your baseline assumption is that Facebook is nefarious, even cartoonishly fictitious misdeeds like letting Spotify delete peoples private Facebook messages dont surprise you.

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To be clear, Facebook has earned this mistrust, even if it hasnt earned all of the specific outrages that have been levied against it. From Cambridge Analytica to Zuckerbergs evasive congressional testimony to the massive data breach to the Definers affair to its internal emails to its perpetual evasiveness about People You May Know, the throughline is clear: For most of its history, Facebook has systematically prioritized its own growth over its users privacy while claiming to do the opposite.

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That doesnt mean Facebook is doomed, or even that #DeleteFacebook will dent its short-term bottom line this time any more than it did last time. What it does mean is that every Facebook privacy misstep from here on out is likely to be viewed as more villainous than it really is, including by people who have the power to do something about it. The complexity of Facebooks systems will no longer be countenanced as an excuse for failing to regulate it. Public naivete about its business model will gradually give way to paranoia.

And while these outcomes are probably still a ways off, its hard to see how this cycle ends except in some sort of seismic event: a sweeping privacy law, a federal antitrust suit, Zuckerbergs resignation. Otherwise, the blows will keep coming until they start to hit the company where it really hurts: in the same precious growth metrics that all of its aggressive, privacy-compromising initiatives were intended to fuel.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Genome editing has once again hit the headlines. This time its the report of the first CRISPR babies to be born: twins Lulu and Nana, whose genes have been edited in an attempt to confer immunity to HIV. From what we know, the process was ethically suspect: There wasnt a clear medical needthe twins didnt have HIV, and there are much safer ways to prevent people from getting itthe consent form provided to the parents was sketchy and opaque, and the research was done in secret. Its no wonder the story eclipsed another recent development in the world of genome editing, which unfolded at an important meeting of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity.

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The meeting focused on gene drivesa form of genome editing that can quickly spread genes throughout a population, ensuring that edited organisms offspring inherit the desired traits. Gene drive technology has potential environmental and conservation applications, such as eliminating invasive species that threaten ecosystems. Gene drives may even lead to eradicating diseases like malaria or dengue. Despite this promise, theres concern that scientists will rush ahead and use gene drives before theyre ready for primetime. Critics worry that gene drives may become like the Sorcerers Apprentice: replicating beyond control in ways that are unintended, unforeseen, and could result in serious harm to the environment.

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These worries came to a head at the conventions meeting this past November, when countries discussed a proposed moratorium on field tests of gene drives. The ban was ultimately rejected, however, because it would delay beneficial research into gene drive applications that could help alleviate some of todays most pressing issues in environmental conservation and human health.

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But theres another risk to gene drive research that has flown under the radar. This threat combines legitimate concerns about the safety of gene drives with skepticism about science and information warfare. Russia, or another U.S. adversary, could use the megaphone of social media to stoke worries about genome editing in the U.S. in a campaign timed with the next high-level meeting on gene drives. In fact, Russia has recently engaged in a disinformation campaign claimingfalselythat the U.S. is developing biological weapons in neighboring countries, and it has also used state-funded news outlets to cast doubt in the U.S. about the safety of GMOs. These campaigns are concerningthey can impact national security, international relationships, and tradeyet havent received nearly the same level of exposure as discussion about misinformation campaigns designed to achieve political objectives. As a report prepared for the U.S. Senate shows, Russia used every major social media platform, including Snapchat, Pinterest, and Tumblr, to target specific demographic groups in an effort to influence the 2016 presidential election. Similar information warfare tactics could be used to exploit Americans lack of knowledge and opposition to particular forms of genome editing.

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In a recent report on security and genome editing, we outline how a weaponized narrative on gene drive technology could unfold as part of a sophisticated information warfare campaign. It could start with an accidental release of mosquitoes that have been modified to contain gene drives. Maybe the lab is in New England and uses tropical mosquitoes to ensure that if they do escape, the harsh climate means that they cant survive and spread the gene drives. Of course, even if the risks to the environment and human health and safety were low, there would be real concerns about such an accident: Were appropriate safety measures in place, did the researcher get the proper training, what are the environmental impacts, how can future incidents be prevented?

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Legitimate news outlets could accurately report the story of the release, but its not hard to imagine Russia, or another country, pouncing and driving a false narrative claiming that the releases ecological effects will be disastrous. Perhaps some tweets and Facebook accounts further claim that there is a risk of the mosquitoes spreading throughout the country and contaminating food crops with genetically engineered organisms. Russian state-funded news outlets could spin the story to highlight the risks of GMOs to human health and the environment, the role of greedy corporations and unaccountable philanthropies in funding GMO research, and the lack of effective government oversight in genome editing. Because the mosquitoes have been genetically modified, these same news outlets link these risks to the mosquitoes release. Its perfectly plausible that this narrative could move from fringe social media accounts to more mainstream science doubters, who might then amplify the message.

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Such a campaign would be designed to fuel false stories, undermine the publics trust in science, and reduce the U.S.s national economic competitiveness by dealing a blow to life sciences research. It could reduce public support, and possibly funding, for basic research in gene drives. At the international level, it is possible that Russia could erect trade barriers under the World Trade Organizations sanitary and phytosanitary measures, which protect human or animal life or health within the territory of the Member from risks arising from additives, contaminants, toxins or disease-causing organisms. Such barriers could be erected in order to gain political or economic advantage even if the risk is unwarranted. Singularly, or in combination, these outcomes could slow scientific developments that could increase human health and well-being.

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Major social media outlets have taken steps to address the issue of false information distributed on their platforms. For example, Facebook purports to be deploying a mix of technological solutions, human reviewers, and educational programs that promote news literacy. Twitter is taking action against bot accounts by targeting applications that automate activity on the platform and decreasing the visibility of spammy posts. Media platforms and communications research centers should examine strategies to identify and manage misinformation specific to security and emerging technologies in the life sciences. Social media companies that use human fact-checkers should also ensure that these individuals have the skills and expertise necessary to review material in the life sciences, particularly CRISPR genome editing.

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The International Fact-Checking Network, which certifies third-party fact-checkers used by social media companies, could serve as an avenue for facilitating such expertise. While such measures could help curb false information on social media platforms, this isnt an easy fix. Patrolling social media is difficult, and companies are probably unwilling to commit the resources necessary for such expertise. For small platforms trying to break into the social media game, the necessary resources may simply be out of reach. It also remains an open question as to how much power democratic societies want to give private companies to police their content. The fundamental democratic ideal of the marketplace of ideas may come into conflict with what seems like common sense security measures.

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As a result, much of the responsibility in combating misinformation on these platforms rests with the end users. Misinformation campaigns surrounding scientific innovations like CRISPR and gene drives benefit from readers unfamiliarity with cutting-edge research. We cant expect everyone to become biosecurity experts overnight or unplug from the internet, but cultivating media literacy among social media users will be important in ensuring future misinformation campaigns fail to gain momentum. The drum of cultivating media literacy has been pounded for years, so theres good reason to be skeptical that things will change. But tweets, posts, and stories that seem to reside on the edge should be read with caution and cross-checked with more reputable news sources.

Lots of journalists report scientific breaking news in ways that are rigorous and accessible. Readers would do well to use them as their go-to sources for their science and tech news. That isnt to say that social media platforms cant play an important role in communicating scientific developments. They can. But a healthy dose of user skepticism may help mitigate the risk of weaponized bionarratives damaging important scientific advances.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Just so you dont think Im not your friend anymore, I just wanted you all to know Im taking a break from Facebook for the holidays, read a recent post from a friend.

My friends post about taking a break from Facebook is just a futile effort at an away message. In a few hours, her post will disappear from view, thanks to Facebooks algorithm, and theres a solid chance that the majority of her Facebook contacts will not notice that shes declared her intention to avoid actively participating on the platform. Because reallywho goes to a persons profile page anymore?

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While many of us will use the quiet time in December as a nice excuse for an out of office autoreply in our email, there is no such function for our personal lives when it comes to social media. None of the major social media companies has options to let you easily set up an autoreply, even on chat, to say Im taking a break or Im away for the holidays.

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We used to be able to mute our digital social lives easily. Maybe you remember the agony of coming up with a quippy away message on AOL Instant Messenger, or perhaps you still put something up in your Google chat thats more creative than the little red dot option (Gchat lives on Gmail, an email service you can step away from).

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Stepping away, once youve stepped into the fray, is nearly impossible.

If youre thinking about a New Years resolution to cut back on your social media use, or if you feel the need to step away from platforms after the news this week about the latest data privacy violations, the inability to set a social media away message may not have occurred to you just yetbut as you prepare to cut back on these platforms, the limitation becomes all the more frustrating.

You may be able to control your own social media habits, but you cant control the social media habits of your friends and professional contacts who might be tagging you, mentioning you, inviting you to parties, or asking for recommendations. Youre still on even if you, yourself, are not activeunless you delete or disable your accountand theres no autoreply or away message to let those people know that youve done it.

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And so my friend was not too far off in trying to warn people that she wasnt being a jerk and ignoring them, because there is a decent chance that someone might well think if she doesnt reply to a Facebook message, yes, indeed shes gone into ghosting mode.

Therein lies the genius of the present era of social media: Stepping away, once youve stepped into the fray, is nearly impossible. The away message on AIM has given way to the new, always-on status message.

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You can digitally disconnect from work, and in fact, some companies that want you to use their technology for work have used their presumptive respect for work-life balance as marketing. In 2015, Microsoft even went so far as to set up the Center for Out of Office Excellence, a short-lived meme-generating site for holiday away messages.

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Sure, on Facebook, you can disable your account, but you can still be tagged in photos, and Facebook will try to lure you back in with notifications and automated messages about how youre missedand again, theres no way to let anyone know that youve disabled your account.

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In addition to pissing off your friends, you can get into trouble for stepping away from social media in other ways, sometimes with even potentially harmful consequences that go beyond your own digital sanity.

A disinformation research team at the University of Southern California has suggested that Twitter and Facebook accounts, for instance, are more vulnerable to being hacked or taken over by bad actors if they are left idle. In fact, someone might take over your account and even go so far as to use it to spread disinformation on the platform.

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Since these are real accounts attached to real names, it might take the platform too long to flag that there is a problemnot to mention that since it was your account, this impersonation is not immediately clear to friends either. Its unclear whether idle account activity played a role in the vulnerability of Russian takeovers of Instagram accounts, but one can presume that hackers are extending their logic from one platform to another.

In other cases, it seems like the platform itself is just designed to foster the kind of emotional manipulation that can be devastating for teenagers and young adults. Snapchat has a particularly cruel feature, the Snapstreak, a tally of consecutive days you have chatted with a specific person.

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Taylor Lorenz, in reporting on Snapstreaks for Mic, quotes one teen as saying, If you lose the streak you lose the friendship. Snap is configured not to let its users take a breakstay away, lose a friend. When I ask my undergraduates to take a 24-hour social media fast, the Snapstreak is what ultimately dooms their effortsand in fact, the smart ones will strategize to time their 24-hour fast so that they sign on again just in time to keep the streak going. Consider how this inability to sign off the platform for a single day might play into the hands of miscreants engaging in online bullying.

Twitter is a slightly different example of a social media platform where work and social life blend and signing off might be OK for social contacts. But your work contacts continue to mention you, and if you dont reply, youve just violated that you mention me, I mention you norm of reciprocity that happens on the platform.

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Consider your options on Twitter, for example. Maybe you can pin a tweet to announce your intentions to take a break or, if youre super sophisticated, set up a Twitter bot away message and hope that you dont violate the terms of service (there are outdated articles that explain how to do such a thing, but no clarity from Twitter about whether youd be classified as a bad bot under todays regime).

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Twitter itself stopped individual autoreplies in March. Even if it were OK, Im not about to set up a Twitter bot at the moment Im trying to de-Twitter my life. On the other hand, the pinned tweet only works insofar as someone is actively going to my Twitter page to look at my profile. Otherwise, theyve got no way of knowing that Im offline.

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Tauntingly, Twitter greets you when you sign back on with a message about suggested tweets while you were away. But decreasing your own tweet output might cost you followers and even harm your chances to show up in Twitters while you were away recommendations.

The rise of in-platform chat appsby some measures even more popular than social media platforms in terms of user basereinforce how particularly infuriating the lack of an away message is. Its a reminder that once, one could reasonably step away, and now, theres no easy way to do so.

In the extreme case, recall that even when you die, your account still lives, your survivors must ask to turn it off, and on Facebook, even if your account has become a memorial, there is still no good automated response that can be set up saying that well, this person is, um, deceased.

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Of course, there are suggestions about how you might set up an away message, but none of these methods is actually the autoreply away message of old. For example, on Facebook, you can turn off chat, which pretty much just means that Facebook now shows you arent online to your chat friends. To a contact, that could just mean that youve turned off your phone, not that youre taking a break from the platformor worse, it could even suggest that youre deliberately blocking them.

So given that theres no easy way to step away without real costs, how do you do it? Perhaps the resolution we should make is to be more aware of how social media influence the patterns of our interpersonal interactions. In resolving to be more conscious about this, just know that if someone ghosts you on Facebook Messenger, it may be a more of an illusion than a ghoul.

Relax, then, when it comes to social media silence. And for text messages? Well, thats a whole other matter.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
When you Google abortion, the top results are relatively staid considering the divisiveness of the topic in American life. Theres a link to information about the procedure from Planned Parenthood, a Google map of nearby abortion providers, a link to an overview of anti-abortion and pro-choice arguments from the nonpartisan procon.org, and links to various news sources like the New York Times and the New Yorker.

If, until recently, you did the same over on Google-owned YouTube, it felt like you were searching in a whole other universe. Before I raised the issue with YouTube late last week, the top search results for abortion on the site were almost all anti-abortionand frequently misleading. One top result was a clip called LIVE Abortion Video on Display, which over the course of a gory two minutes shows images of a formed fetus tiny feet resting in a pool of blood. Several of the top results featured a doctor named Antony Levatino, including one in which he testified to the House Judiciary Committee that Planned Parenthood was aborting fetuses the length of your hand plus several inches in addition to several misleading animations that showed a fetus that looks like a sentient child in the uterus. The eighth result was a video from conservative pundit Ben Shapiro, just above a video of a woman self-narrating a blog titled, Abortion: My Experience, with text in the thumbnail that reads, My Biggest Mistake. Only two of the top 15 results struck me as not particularly political, and none of the top results focused on providing dispassionate, up-to-date medical information.

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I emailed YouTube Friday afternoon asking why anti-abortion videos saturated the search results for abortion, and if the platform thought accurate, health-focused information had a place there. By Monday morning, before the company got back to me, the search results had changed to include a number of news outlets among the top results, including a video from Vice about how women trying to get abortions are being stymied by anti-abortion centers that masquerade as clinics. The second video was a clip of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee describing his anti-abortion philosophy, and the third was a video titled Speak Out: Abortion Is Not a Human Right. By the end of this week, the top results (which are dynamic) included a news segment in Tamil, a video in which the director Penny Marshall (who died this week) Opens Up on Drugs and Her Abortion, and a clip of an anti-abortion advocate responding to the abortion-legalization law passed in Ireland. Anti-abortion content meant to enrage or provoke viewers was no longer purely dominating the results, though they still looked very different from the generally more sober Google results.

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Why this matters is that more than 1.8 billion people look for information on YouTube every month, and that could easily include someone who is considering getting an abortion, or simply trying to learn about the issue. Deb Hauser, the president of Advocates for Youth, a nonprofit that specializes in youth sexual education, told me she worries that the search results I originally found on YouTube could scare some people into delaying medical care or seeking advice from a doctor.* For the most part, those results gave an inaccurate portrait of what getting an abortion is like. The animation showing an abortion in the first trimester depicts a fetus with extended arms and legs and fully formed facial features, but neglects to note that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about two-thirds of first-trimester abortions happen within the first eight weeks of the pregnancy, when according to the Mayo Clinic, the embryo has formed buds and is only about a half-inch long.

The video then transitions to bullet points outlining the serious risks of getting the procedure, but doesnt add that major complications are extremely low, and occur less than one-quarter of 1 percent of the time.

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There are plenty of videos from credible reproductive health- care providers on YouTube, but none of those videos surfaced in the top 20 results for abortionboth before I asked about it and now. One reason for this, according to Becca Lewis, a researcher with Data & Society who studies extremists content on YouTube, might be that YouTube is often seen as a place where people can broadcast and share ideas that arent found in mainstream media. You see people talking about using YouTube to present the other side of an issue or story and a lot of times those are conspiracy theories or disinformation, Lewis said, adding that fringe right groups with political agendas in particular have proven to be very adept at placing keywords in titles and video descriptions to game YouTubes search engine to make their videos float to the top. Content like graphic abortion videos is also likely to stir anger and other strong emotionswhich can lead to high engagement on social platforms, an important ranking signal for search enginesbut clearly not the only signal search engines trust. While its unlikely Google or YouTube would directly curate such results, they do control what signals their algorithms look forand that matters a lot for ensuring that viewers encounter reliable and safe information.

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Its not just the top results that are a problem. A lot of viewing on YouTube happens through the platforms discovery features, which automatically play an algorithmically chosen new video for viewers after theyve finished their current one. The idea is that users will get more information on topics that interest thembut a growing criticism of the feature is that it directs users to more and more extreme content. With abortion, I found, even fairly nonpolitical videos were quickly followed by more heated content, generally of an anti-abortion bent. One video that came up in my search results this week, after YouTube updated them, was an AJ+ segment in which four women share their abortion experiences. From there, YouTube queued up a video titled Story time: I had an abortion and KARMA came after me! A video recommended after watching a BBC video was called Abortion or Baby: Before You Decide. It is a seven-minute animation that looks like a simple instructional video, but describes how a fetuses body parts are pulled apart by surgical instruments in the womb and half the video is about how marriage and raising the child is probably the best, most fulfilling option for a pregnant woman. After that, YouTube suggests a video called 911-Moans, Screams Heard From Botched Abortion Victim At Carharts NE Clinic, posted by vocal anti-abortion activist Cheryl Sullenger.

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YouTube did not address whether and how it tweaked the results for abortion, but did tell me it provides a platform for free speech where anyone can choose to post videos, subject to our Community Guidelines. It stressed that the company is working to provide more credible news content from its search and discovery algorithms and has given users more ways to fact-check information they may consume on YouTubefor example, by including links to Wikipedia on the bottom of a handful of videos the site about topics that attract conspiracists, like claims that climate change is a hoax or videos questioning whether the Holocaust happened.

When I asked Google about its own search results, a representative said, When someone types a word into Search, our ranking systems are designed to return relevant results from the most authoritative sources available. Two search engines, two very different results. Perhaps these corporate siblings ought to spend some more time comparing notes.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Building a plant on a green field enabled the installation of different technologies

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Before the Brexit referendum, in which Britons voted to leave the European Union, and the US-China trade war started to loom, the British-Indian carmaker Jaguar Land Rover decided to build a 1.4 billion plant in Nitra back in 2015.

These challenges have not changed JLRs plans in Slovakia. The plant was built and ceremonially opened in late October. It produces the luxury SUV Land Rover Discovery, but whether or not it will be included in JLRs ambitious electric plans has yet to be specified.

The future of the company is certainly electric, but in the medium term, clean petrol and diesel engines will continue to be the only credible mass-market solution, wrote operations director Alexander Wortberg in an e-mail interview with The Slovak Spectator.

The Slovak Spectator (TSS): During the October opening ceremony, Jaguar Land Rover boss Ralf Speth described JLRs plant in Nitra as the next generation manufacturing plant, representing the start of a new era in manufacturing for JLR. What are the differences and novelties of the Nitra plant compared to JLRs other facilities?

Alexander Wortberg (AW): Nitra will play an important role in our manufacturing strategy in the future and will serve markets globally. It provides additional production capacity for JLR, supplementing our manufacturing plants in the UK, not replacing them. The plant will be a full manufacturing facility including the body-in-white, paint shop, trim & final as well as supporting functions, such as logistics.

Read also:

Read also: The carmaker Jaguar Land Rover ceremonially opens its 1.4 billion brand new facility in Slovakia Read more

We are working with Kuka (BIW), Durr (Paint) and Rofa (Trim & Final) to install cutting-edge manufacturing technologies. We are the first in Europe to use Kukas Pulse carrier system, which is 30 percent faster than conventional conveyance systems. The paint shop, for example, features a highly-automated process to ensure the highest quality and minimise environmental impact.

TSS: What were the biggest challenges when building a brand-new car production facility in Slovakia?

AW: With the Nitra plant, we have had the unique opportunity to create a manufacturing plant on a green field site rather than adapt an existing facility. This means that we have implemented and integrated different technologies, hardware, software and control systems. In October 2017, Jaguar Land Rover launched its first big recruitment campaign in Slovakia. We had a good response to offered roles with people from a wide range of backgrounds. Naturally, we are aware of the challenges in the labour market. However, we remain optimistic that we will be able to recruit the additional people required.

TSS: What impacts would a no-deal or hard Brexit have on the Nitra plant? How is the Nitra plant preparing for such scenarios?
Coffee Design is proudly sponsored by Savor Brands , your boost in coffeedence through maximizing designs in packaging, sustainability and tech.

Among the many highlights at the Los Angeles Coffee Festival, one that stood out was getting my hands upon the new packaging of Tectonic Coffee. Tectonic Coffee, formerly Take Flight Coffee, is a California-based roaster founded by Deaton Pigot. The package debuted recently and is more than pretty colors and beautiful artno, what takes this to the next level is the clever implementation of QR codes found upon each box. A scan of the code takes any consumer armed with a mobile device deeper into the coffees story, complete with detailed descriptions of its origin and roast and even goes into specific brew parameters. Its the futureweve arrived! We scanned Founder and CEO Deaton Pigots QR code to learn more.

Tell us a bit about your company.

We are a small but mighty team of six with a combined coffee experience of 55+ years. Hailing from the likes of Intelligentsia, Tobys Estate Coffee USA, Handsome Coffee, and Verve just to name a few. We have long-lasting Direct Trade relationships throughout Central and South America and roast to perfection here in Los Angeles CA since 2016.

Were also making big strides into Technology with software that promote transparency, accountability, education, and aid our wholesale partners in their quest to increase online sales.





Who designed the package?

Julie Ticknor of J+T Design did the bones of the design, with some finessing from our in-house team.

What coffee information do you share on the package?

We share a lot! 

Label:

Country

Farm/ producer

Process

Altitude

Variety

Tasting Notes

On the bag inside we have unique QR codes for all of our Single Origin Coffees which share more metadata.

Coffees Story

Sensorial Graph

Customer ratings

Roasting Curves

Roast Time

Roast Development

End Time

End Temp

Roasters name

Brew Recipes

Chemex

V60

Espresso

Photo of the day (a fun way to bring personality to each day we roast)

Whats the motivation behind that?

We are looking for ways to engage with our customers, not just with a label but with the ability to interact directly through their phones. This provides all the information right at their fingertips without having to type in URLs or do a google search. It is a nice seamless way for our home coffee brewers to be involved and engaged.

Why are aesthetics in coffee packaging so important?

It is an expression of our creativity and personality. We love this packaging because it provides a balance with the feel of Kraft paper and the texture of the embossed logo. Every aspect adds to the experience of our coffee.

Where is the bag manufactured?

Both the boxes are manufactured in the USA, we print the labels in house, using a Primera LX900 label

maker.

For package nerds, what type of package is it?

Our box is made from .024 Kraft Bending Chipboard, which is a 100% recycled material made from 50% post waist and is 100% recyclable.

Is the package recyclable/compostable?

Yes

Where is it currently available?

We are available worldwide for wholesale and the home user, with online ordering for both B2B and B2C. If you want our coffee we have you covered wherever you are!

If you want to enjoy our coffee made by your favorite barista let us know where and well try to make it happen for you.



Location: Los Angeles, CA

Country: United States

Release Date: August 2018

Designer: J+T Design Company: Tectonic CoffeeLocation: Los Angeles, CACountry: United StatesRelease Date: August 2018Designer: Julie Ticknor

Zachary Carlsen is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Zachary Carlsen on Sprudge.
Andy Miller kept on rolling, Bill Mann fans cashed some big tickets and Dexter Dunn continued to prove he can drive on the big stage Thursday night at the Meadowlands.

Miller, fresh off being named the tracks Driver of the Week after having won five races over the course of last weeks (Dec. 13-14) pair of racing programs, swept the Early Daily Double.

Sergeant Seelster was a catch drive for Andy as David Miller did not drive on the card, and Andy moved the Mark Silva trainee to the top at the half and reported home a winner in 1:56 at odds of 5-1. Andy then scored on the front end with even-money favourite Ideal Romance -- who won for the fifth time in six starts -- to complete the double, which returned $26.20.

But it was Bill Mann who gave his fans Christmas bankrolls a big boost.

Mann scored in the fourth race with the longest-priced winner of the night  13-1 chance Fox Valley Bailey  and returned $29.60, taking the middle leg of the 50-Cent Pick-5, which came back $466.95.

Bill the Mann was back at it again in the ninth, scoring with the evenings second longest-priced winner, Our Els Dream N, who paid $18.00. For those savvy enough to make a $20 win bet on Manns only two drives of the night, they showed a profit of $436.

Not to be out-Dunn was New Zealand native Dexter, who entered the night tied for fourth in the Big M driver standings. Dunn scored in the sixth race with 5-1 shot Redonkulous before getting up on the wire in a thrilling stretch duel in the 10th and final, guiding 5-2 second choice Smooth Mocha past 8-5 favourite Spanish Art by an eyelash.

A LITTLE MORE: One sharp player was the only bettor to last six legs in the 20-Cent Survivor Pick-10 and walked away with $10,481.... Mann and Vincent Fusco Jr. each trained a pair of winners on the program...All-source wagering on the card totaled $1,152,114...Racing resumes Friday at 7:15 p.m. with an ultra-competitive 14-race program.

(Meadowlands)
The Central Ontario Standardbred Association (COSA) will be holding its ninth Annual General Meeting (AGM) this afternoon (Wednesday, Jan. 9) at 3:00 p.m.

The AGM has been scheduled to update all COSA members with respect to the ongoing business of COSA and to present the COSA 2017/2018 Audited Financial Statements from KPMG.

We will also be reviewing Proposed Bylaw Amendments and the new Racing Agreement.

Please bring your membership card, as membership will be verified at the door.

Below is information on the time and location of the AGM:

January 9, 2018 at 3 p.m.

Mohawk Chop House, Conservation Room

9230 Guelph Line, Campbellville, ON

(COSA)
The celebrities are at Eldorado Pompano Park this season, both on and the off the harness racing track. Celebrity Stallone qualified Tuesday, Dec. 18 at Pompano Park and in the race paddock and then on the track apron was Dante Stallone, the younger half-brother of world-renowned Hollywood star, Sylvester Stallone.

Sam Stathis, owner of Celebrity Farms, announced that Dante Stallone has purchased a share and is now a part-owner of the Father Patrick colt, Celebrity Stallone. Stathis is also Dante Stallones business manager.

I have known Dante for a number of years, said Stathis. And always promised him one day I would name a good colt after him and his family and that day has come. Dante wants to learn more about harness racing so I sold him a share of the horse.

Dante Stallone, 21, is attending Florida State University and studying towards a bachelor of science degree in biological science. He also works in his spare time as an actor, producer and screenwriter.

Before being introduced to the world of harness racing, Stallone said. The only experience I had with the sport was what I saw on TV. Getting licensed and now owning my own horse legitimizes my interests. It still seems so surreal.

After getting his owners license, Stallone was treated to a ride in the starting gate to watch a qualifying race. All Standardbred horses must trot or pace in a certain standard of time in order to be qualified to race at the track.

This was my first time at the racetrack, Stallone said. And what a blast it was. I had the best seat in the house to view my first race while riding in the starting gate.

Celebrity Stallone finished third and was race timed in 2:00.4.

From what I observed, Stallone said. Celebrity Stallone has major promise on the track. After gaining some more experience I believe hell be a force to be reckoned with.

Stallone said it was nearly a perfect night at the races.

The track was beautiful, the Eldorado casino was fantastic, and the restaurant superb, he said. We ate at Farraddays Steakhouse after the qualifying races and what great food and service. Also, I got my first taste of the thrill of horse gambling, losing $50 dollars on a shady tip!

Stallone, who is on Christmas break from college, will be in south Florida for a month and Sam Stathis said his education into harness racing will be fast and furious.

Already Friday morning I had Dante here at Olympia Palm Beach (formerly the South Florida Trotting Center), Stathis said. And Dante is learning how to groom horses, put on a harness and even got to take Celebrity Stallone on the racetrack in one of our Theometrics Exotic Chariots.

We are already working on a special night at Pompano Park, Stathis said. When both Celebrity Stallone and Celebrity Eventsy are both racing, we will be inviting newcomers from all over South Florida via networking to come out for a night of fun, hear about fractional ownership, get to meet Dante and learning about how great harness racing is.

The event date, times and location at Eldorado Pompano Park will be announced shortly. For more information, visit www.worldchariot.org.

(With files from Celebrity Farms)
The Philippine Constitution Association has warned the Bangsamoro Organic Law will destroy the country and dismember its territories, and asked the Supreme Court to declare the landmark legislation unconstitutional. Philconsa filed its 37-page petition questioning the passage of Republic Act 11054 or the BOL on Dec. 11, a full copy of which was only made available to the media on Thursday. In related developments:  Bangsamoro Transition Commission chairperson Ghadzali Jaafar has called on the Commission on Elections and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process to ensure a fraud-free plebiscite for the BOL set next month. Jaafar made the appeal during the signing of the memorandum of agreement between the Comelec, OPAPP and the BTC for an intensified information drive on what the BOL was and how the BOL referendum would be conducted. The BOL provides that the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will be replaced by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region governed by the Bangsamoro Parliament elected by the Bangsamoro Regions inhabitants. The BOL also grants the Bangsamoro Region 5 percent of the net national internal revenue collection of the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs as block grant, on top of the at least P5 billion worth of Special Development Fund for the Bangsamoro Region every year for the next 10 years, starting 2019.  The Commission on Elections said those who would vote in the plebiscite for or against the BOL ratification would not need identification cards to be able to cast their vote. Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez made the clarification during the signing of the memorandum of agreement between the Comelec, the OPAPP, and the BTC for an intensified information drive on the BOL and how the BOL referendum would be conducted.  A think tank said Friday land distribution in the Bangsamoro was one of the most critical issues local groups and indigenous tribes were considering a month before they cast their votes in a plebiscite that would determine the regions autonomy. Under the BOL, the cadastration of land, the allocation of ancestral lands and the designation of public lands will be determined by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority that would be headed by Moro Islamic Liberation Front chairman Murad Ebrahim. There are certain concerns of indigenous peoples groups about land that is being contested by Maguindanaoan settlers who left during the height of war against the Ilagas in the 1960s and 1970s and they might want to go back to reclaim their land, Francisco Lara, senior adviser of the peace advocacy group International Alert, told ANCs Early Edition. They have to reassure people, assuage those concerns with the indigenous peoples, Lara said. The Philconsa plea seeks to avert the destruction of the Republic of the Philippines, the dismemberment of its territory, the fragmentation of its people, the despoliation of its natural and human resources, and the wreckage of its tripartite system of government. Impleaded were the Senate, represented by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, the House of Representatives, represented by House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and the Office of the President, represented by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea. Philconsa is a non-stock, non-profit association founded by former President Sergio Osmena 57 years ago to defend, protect and preserve the Constitution. Among those who signed the petition were retired Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Manuel Lazaro and lawyer Rodolfo Reyes.This is the second petition filed against the BOL, which President Rodrigo Duterte signed in July. In October, Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan II also filed a petition against the BOL. The group urged the high court to issue a temporary restraining order and a writ of preliminary injunction to prevent the implementation of the BOL. Philconsa argued the 1987 Constitution only recognized one autonomous region in Muslim Mindanao. When R.A. 11054 abolished the ARMM and created the BARMM, a new and distinct territorial and political subdivision in lieu thereof, without first amending the Constitution, respondents legislative and executive departments violated and/or amended Sec. 1, Art. X of the Constitution, without jurisdiction or authority, with grave abuse of discretion tantamount to lack of and/or in excess of jurisdictions, it said. It added: The legislative and the executive departments, creations of the Constitution, must observe and stand beside the Constitution and not act above, defy or supplant it. According to the group, the creation of a Bangsamoro political entity is contrary to the Constitution which created only provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays, and autonomous regions in Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras, calling BAR an interloper or a stranger. The group also called out the grant of legislative powers to the Bangsamoro parliament, such as the power to grant tax exemptions and incentives, to create government-owned and controlled corporations, and to declare nature reserves, aquatic parks, forests, watershed reservations and other protected areaspowers which are reserved to Congress. The group also questioned a BOL provision giving the Bangsamoro parliament the power to enact laws governing commercial and other civil actions not provided under the Code of Muslim Personal Law, as well as criminal jurisdiction over minor offenses. It noted that the Constitution only gives special courts like the Shariah court jurisdiction over personal, family and property laws. Philconsa also objected to the grant of powers to the Bangsamoro parliament to enter into trade relations with foreign countries and to contract foreign loans. Under the Constitution, the group said, these powers belonged solely to the President. Philconsa also said the BOL violated the equal protection clause for its provision allowing national taxes like documentary stamp, donors and estate taxes to go straight to the Bangsamoro government, putting it at an unjustified advantage over other regions. It also found an issue with the creation of a Bangsamoro Economic and Development Council, which it said was contrary to a constitutional provision declaring NEDA as the independent planning agency of the government.
Eastern Ghouta suffered greatly during the siege and subsequent attack that followed and the women of Ghouta continue to suffer today writes Zaman Al Wasl.

The phrase Occupied Ghouta sounds contradictory to the truth, for some people, for others it sounds like an exaggeration of the situation in the eastern district of Damascus, which was brought back under regime control last April.

But insiders and eyewitnesses know well that occupied is the most accurate description for Ghouta.

Zaman al-Wasl has previously shed light on scenes full of injustice and darkness. The story of the four who had been arrested, one of which suffered a nervous breakdown after being raped by multiple security agents, for example.

The fall of eastern Ghouta was achieved in a brutal fashion and changed the course of the war.

More than 1,700 civilians were reportedly killed in the eight-week offensive.

Eastern Ghouta was the scene of the first major protests in the capital against the rule of Bashar al-Assad.

Today, Zaman al-Wasl continues to unveil the secrecy surrounding eastern Ghouta and the violations committed, especially against women. These violations are considered the regimes dirtiest and oldest methods, used to humiliate its opponents. The regime insists on using this approach of humiliation and violation in Ghouta, more than any other region, because it is aware of the nature of its society, which is very conservative and sensitive to any issue affecting women.

Zaman al-Wasl learned that the regimes atrocities against Ghoutas women have recently reached the point of arresting a 63-year-old woman. For the sake of privacy, we have held back her name and city of residence. The women followed her motherly instincts and returned to Ghouta from the north.

According to our sources, this Syrian mother went with one of her sons to the north of Syria, during the biggest displacement in the time of the regimes control of the city of Damascus, but the poor living conditions in the north and the longing for the rest of her children, led her to return to her city. Several days after her arrival, Air Force Intelligence agents raided her house and took her to an unknown destination.

This was not the only case of violations against women returning from the north. The regime had previously arrested a woman, her husband and her three children at the Qutaifah checkpoint, northeast of the capital.

There have been several cases of women in the occupied Ghouta, who have been detained and accused of charges that were fabricated. Five women were arrested in one of the cities of Ghouta, on charges of communicating with relatives in the north. They have even arrested a girl from Ghouta also for making contact with her fiance in northern Syria.

It is clear that the regime did not let the people of Ghouta live in piece, whether it was those who remained or those who decided to return, but choose humiliate them and cause indignity. People of Ghouta believe that, they paid the heaviest price during the siege, destruction, killing and displacement, greater than any price paid by any other Syrian region. It made them feel that the north did not embrace them properly and did not appreciate their sacrifices. This matter must be seriously considered by ruling forces in the North, so that the people of Ghouta do not find themselves prey to the regimes atrocities, and then the north would realize the difference between the raider and the traitor.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
For both pro-regime and pro-opposition commentators, the announced withdrawal by the US is a chance and lost opportunity writes Syrian Snack (independent website)

The pro-regime political writer and analyst Mazen Bilal, described the American withdrawal from Syria as an escalation par excellence. He believes that the security gap will be difficult for everyone to fill, and added that the east of the Euphrates has become a serious conflict.

Bilal is not the only one who has commented on the withdrawal. Many Syrian elites, politicians and journalists, both loyalist and opposition, have commented on the US decision, which is one of the most prominent events of 2018 and whose effects may not end in 2019.

The journalist and writer Abdullah Suleiman Ali, believes that the most dangerous aspect of the withdrawal comes in light of the efforts led by the US Envoy to Syria, James Jeffrey, to re-attract Turkey and to find a balanced settlement between them and the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Ali asks whether the position of Damascus, Moscow and Tehran will be to fill the gap left by the US or to leave for Turkey or some other ally of Washington.

However, he believes that as a whole, it is too early to evaluate this withdrawal, especially given that it comes at a time when strategies are changingand given that the new American strategy will not use a military presence as the cornerstone of its work.

The head of the National Construction Movement, Anas Jowda, suggested that the tweets of US President Donald Trump were part of an internal American struggle whose outlines had become clear since the Khashoggi case, with Jowda saying that Trumps tweets are a slap in the face for the Pentagons arsenal.

Jowda continued to stress the basic ideas that the Americans were occupiers and Turkey was upset, and that each country was working to achieve its interests, even if that is at the expense of Syrians. He said that the people of the northeast were Syrians and children of the country, in an indication of his rejection of the current rhetoric of schadenfreude and accusations of betrayal.

The researcher Mohamed Salah al-Fatih ruled out that this American withdrawal would be for free, and discussed the possibility that the withdrawal would come about with a consensus with an alternative party, which could be the Iraqi Peshmerga, or Arabs from eastern Syria, or the Turks.

He adds, Its ridiculous to suppose that the Americans would throw away an important card in their hands without calculation and without thinking about how to take advantage of it. Certainly Trump is drowning in his own problems and will not behave in a way that makes him look like he is giving a free service to Russia.

Mona Ghanem, the former head of the Building the State movement, believes that the withdrawal comes in a dangerous and escalatory context. She tweeted that it came after threats from the UN Secretary General to leave the Syrian issue to Russia and Jeffrey threatening to derail the Astana process if there was no agreement on the Constitutional Committee.

Ghanem believes that the Americans will remove their hands from the Syria issue and that this will obstruct any possibility of a political solution or any kind of settlement. She added that there will be no possibility of a solution unless the Syrian authorities accept the opposition and work with them towards a political solution, which is something that Ghanem fears is no longer at hand.

The pro-regime writer Emad Fawzi al-Shaibi believes that the withdrawal is an opportunity to get out of the chaos. He said, This is the moment that will require Ankara to urgently create an understanding with Damascus, or face increased migration. Damascus will have to choose between the Arab League and those who control it, and Turkey and its neighbors.

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.
A delegation from France, headed by Thierry Mariani, has expressed a desire to create new economic relations with Syria reports SANA.

On Wednesday, members of Damascus Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and a number of Syrian businessmen discussed with former French MP Thierry Mariani and the accompanying delegation means of reinvigorating trade and economic relations between Syria and France.

Head of Damascus Chamber of Commerce, Ghassan al-Qalaa, said France has to rectify its path towards Syria, pointing out the role French businessmen can play in reinvigorating economic and trade relations, by forging partnerships between businessmen in both countries.

The Secretary of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce, Mohammad Hamsho, said numerous European companies have a desire to work in Syria, indicating that the French government has backed terrorism in Syria and is now called on to show good faith and bring back relations to the level of companies and contribute to lifting unilateral coercive economic measures against Syria.

Mariani, for his part, said the majority of French people want to restore bilateral relations with Syria, calling for establishing a French-Syrian association to revive economic ties.

Mariani said Syria has jump-started the reconstruction stage as security and stability had returned to many areas, adding that France aspires to establish cultural ties involving Syrias heritage.

Commenting on the unilateral economic measures against the Syrian people imposed by some Western states and the EU, including France, Mariani said the stances of the Parliament and international public opinion and the media are not the same.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
With the news of a US withdrawal from Syria, Russia believes that the possibility of a political process is now strong reports SANA.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the US has started to realize that opposing the efforts exerted by the guarantor states of the Astana process (Russia, Iran and Turkey) in Syria harms the interests of the US itself.

Russia Today quoted Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in televised statements as saying that,  The US in its keenness on shedding light on its role has always shown its opposition of the joint initiatives of the three states, as it has focused its efforts on undermining Astana format.

The truth is that we have achieved great progress and the whole world watched that yesterday, therefore, continuing to hinder the work of Astana guarantor states means working against itself, and the US started to realize that, Zakharova added.

Commenting on the US decision to withdraw from Syria, Zakharova said A story which might evolve from this decision is a real prospect for a political solution.

She expressed Moscows conviction that the US decision will positively affect the forming of a committee to discuss the constitution and the situation in al-Tanf.

Moscow wants to understand what the US means by the new phase of the campaign in Syria, which was announced by the White House after the withdrawal of US forces, Zakharova said.

She added I want to understand what is expected in the new stage of the campaign and that what happened, for example in Afghanistan, will not happen as they completely withdrew their forces and they redeployed them in the subsequent following years.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
While insisting that there will be no negotiations with the government, the SDC points out that as of yet, no US troops have left Syria reports Damas Post.

The head of the Independent Syria Party, which is part of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), Ibrahim al-Qaftan, said that the coordinators from the American State Department have not yet withdrawn from north and northeastern Syria, and that the American observation points in Tel Abyad have not yet been removed.

Qaftan told Damas Post, This is not the first time that US President Donald Trump has announced the withdrawal of American forces, and the Pentagons behavior often contradicts these statements. It seems that these statements are the result of internal disputes in America.

He also said, So far, not a single American soldier has pulled out of any base in the Self-Administration areas. He added, We still have the ability to fight without America. There will be no acceptance of any settlement with the Turkish side, even if we remain alone in the fight.

Qaftan said that the Turkish reinforcements in the areas north of Manbij were ongoing, and that the American points deployed south of the al-Sajour river north of the city, remain as they had been, and that no fighters had withdrawn from them.

Qaftan closed by saying that there was no contact with the Syrian government or the SDC regarding the Turkish threats, and that they welcome any role for the Syrian army or the Syrian government in confronting the forces of the Turkish occupation and the militias loyal to them.

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.
By Darren Delmore

One of the greatest physical threats of being the National Sales Manager for Tablas Creek is accelerated weight gain from all the killer food being whipped up at restaurants around the country that serve our wines. Here's a shortlist of my heavenly highlights of 2018, which were many. Now, off to find the nearest cool sculpting place, or at least the hotel's treadmill!

In what may have once been a donut store on the eastern outskirts of Vallejo now quietly houses a dynamic husband-and-wife duo serving artistry on a plate, many courses at a time, for a steal. The word isn't entirely out yet, though the culinary cognoscenti that visit Napa Valley are known to Uber out here for one of two seatings a night. Michael and his wife Ali do everything, including washing dishes, and it's a real open performance. Ali is a fan of Tablas Creek whites and the evening I was there served an older vintage of our Grenache Blanc because she loved the petrol notes that arise with some bottle age. This truffle ravioli dish brought me deep into he wet, salty earth, only to come to when the made-before-your-eyes marshmallow ice cream closed out the evening.

My family lives a block away in Templeton from this Paso Robles institution. Ian McPhee, along with Laurent Grangien, were the OG wine country chefs for our aspiring wine region, and I think both chefs have improved with some time in the cellar. During the Hospice du Rhone wine festival in April, my old boss at Two Hands wines in Australia and the winemaker from Staglin wanted to have dinner and share some bottles, so I immediately booked a table and McPhee's did not disappoint. From baby back ribs, grass fed steaks, wood fired flatbreads and more, the locally-sourced fare went gorgeously down the hatch with the velvety match up of 2005 Tablas Creek Panoplie and 2005 Hommage a Jacques Perrin, among other bottled beauties.

Hitching Post

I serendipitously stopped by this classic in Buellton on the way back from the Ojai Wine Festival, and lo and behold got sandwiched by the legends themselves Frank Ostini and Gray Hartley. It'd been a while since I'd grabbed a seat at the notorious bar from the film Sideways, which keeps the old school Central Coast steakhouse vibe alive, complete with relish trays. They serve Tablas Creek Vermentino by the glass, along with the complete lineup of Hitching Post Pinot Noir, and I followed Gray's lead with ordering some grilled quail and a small grass fed flat iron steak. The oak-grilled aromas and flavors keeping the barroom -- which that night housed a mix of Cal Trans dudes, a bachelorette party, and other tourists posing out for a selfie or two -- classy.

Kitchen Door

In the bustling Oxbow Public Market in downtown Napa, Chef Todd Humphries continues to turn out wood fired Asian fusion comfort food, and often has Tablas Creek on tap! With only a half hour to burn here in the spring, I ordered (for a second time) the smoked salmon rillettes and crostini. Have a look at the buttery fat layer at the surface, the perfect foil for the bright acidity of Patelin de Tablas Rose.

A Tablas Creek wine dinner in the balmy heat of the summer while a south swell is raging along the beaches of Laguna? Sign me up. Chef Rick Guzman and owner/sommelier Chris Olsen hosted the sold out five-wine feast, beginning with a wood fired Crab melt and closing out the night lingering over a heritage pork and bean skillet that they matched with multiple vintages of Esprit de Tablas Rouge. We're coming back for more in 2019!

Bar Bianco

Hailing from a pizzeria family myself, it's incredible what is happening with pizza across the US! And it seems the wines being offered at pizzerias are slowly getting elevated to match the farm-to-table crusty cuisine being churned out city to city. In Arizona, the most talked about chef and restaurateur is arguably Chris Bianco, with his Pizzeria Bianco establishments, Tratto, and now Bar Bianco and its monthly wine dinner series focusing on organic vineyards around the world. I asked to have Tablas Creek be a part of the series way back in 2017, and with some perseverance, we combined forces in October and I got to nerd out with a signed copy of his infamous cookbook. Going hyper seasonal, we started with an Antipasto of Okra, Roasted Gold Peppers, Turnip, Sopressata, and Manchego, and concluded with a Braised Beef Shoulder, pickled winter squash and sweet onion German Potato Salad paired with 2014 Esprit de Tablas Rouge. Chris gave a heartfelt toast about community, how the power of good food and sharing a table can connect us all.

It's ironic that exactly where my rental car was heavily burglarized three years ago now resides a Michelin-star worthy hotspot called Alter. The Wynwood district in Miami is overflowing in beautiful graffiti art, new wave galleries, coffee roasters, and incredible places to eat and drink. It used to certainly be the Patelin of Florida. We hosted a Tablas Creek wine dinner here in November, five courses designed by Chef Brad Kilgore, with each expanding the imagination factor, but the duck breast and Cotes de Tablas Rouge 2016 blew the whole crowd out of their seats.

Longboat Key Club

Off the shimmery shores of Sarasota, Florida, there's an annual celebration of wine and Stone Crab known as Bacchus on the Beach. Our Vineyard Brands contact Freddy Matson and Bob Weil of Longboat Key Club put on a mesmerizing memorial dinner to Robert Haas on the powdery white sands, with an endless array of crustaceans and cuvees from both Tablas Creek and Chateau de Beaucastel. I've conducted dinners comparing the California and French bottling, but this was the first time we did all older vintages of Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc and Chateau de Beaucastel. The whites were stunning, spanning from 2005 to 2011, and a lot of VINsiders who turned out raved about the quality of the older whites and how they often don't think to age them. I stumbled away believing there may not be any finer white grape in the world to pair with buttery fresh crab than Roussanne.

Chez Delmore

After consuming all this brilliance, and as the nights dip into the 30's around Paso Robles, I've learned that the most memorable meals can often be crafted in your own home, shared by loved ones. I'm no chef, but I've been making a fairly wicked French Onion soup from the cookbook of Daniel Boulud for years. Our farmer's market down the street has all the ingredients for this simple but patience-driven dish, and I've always admired that Chef Boulud's wine recommendation for his soup, once it's pulled out of the broiler with melted Comte cheese and the salty, broth-soaked crust below, is Roussanne, and an older one if you can find it. I think I know some people. Happy Holidays!
And no civilians were harmed. *Perfect*

Happy Monday!

Via Washington Times.

The U.S. military over the weekend unleashed an intense air assault targeting al-Shabaab militants in Somalia, killing at least 62 in a series of strikes aimed at denying the terrorist group a safe haven from which to launch attacks.

The strikes in the Gandarshe region of Somalia  which mark the latest step in a growing U.S.-led military campaign targeting the terrorist group in Africa  were conducted in coordination with the Somali government, U.S. Africa Command said in a statement early Monday morning.

At least 34 militants were killed on Saturday and another 28 killed Sunday, Pentagon officials said.

The military said no civilians were killed or injured in any of the six separate bombings.
READ: Andaya to Diokno: Clarify insertions

President Rodrigo Duterte has spoken:. On Friday night, the Chief Executive backed the Senate over the proposed abolition of the agency supervising billions of pesos in public funds, which he said was being the "milking cow" of corrupt government officials. "I side with the Senate, and if it comes to a constitutional controversy, the Executive department will side with the Philippine Senate and its interpretation of the law that the process has been completed; that it has been sent to the Senate for approval and on time it was signed," he said in Pasay City at the change of command ceremonies of the Philippine Air Force. "I had a talk with [former] President [and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal] Arroyo, and apparently there was a misunderstanding because all along I really wanted to abolish the road tax, and [House Majority Leader Rolando] Andaya was one of those who said that it should be maintained. No, nagkamali sila doon {they were mistaken]," the President added.. "Ive always been wary about this office because it has been the milking cow of people who are corrupt in government," Duterte said, and noted its functions should be returned to the Department of Public Works and Highways. ". Its nothing but a depository of money and for corruption," he added. The Road Board oversees funds collected from the Motor Vehicle Users Charge (MVUC)  which now stands at P45 billion -- solely for road maintenance and drainage improvement, the installation of traffic lights and road safety devices, and monitoring air pollution. The Commission on Audit, however, has flagged irregularities, unauthorized and unnecessary expenses in the use of MVUC funds. The Palace said congressmen might have misinterpreted what Duterte said. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said it was Dutertes decision to abolish the Road Board since Day One. Since Day One, I have been against this road users tax because it's just being used as a cash cow of corrupt politicians'," Panelo quoted Duterte as saying. Meanwhile, Kabayan party-list Rep. Ron Salo declined to comment that he was among the 41 lawmakers who asked for Road Board funds for several infrastructure projects in 2017 and 2018. "Thanks. But I won't comment," he told the Manila Standard in a text message. Cibac party-list Rep. Sherwin Tugna said "we are still collating documents. As of now, I don't remember if I have referred or asked. I cannot comment," he told the Manila Standard. On the other hand, LPGMA party-list Arnel Ty said nothing has been released yet for each representative that has applied. We have been doing that even before. We just propose and if they [Road Board] entertain [our requests], they endorse them to the [proposed] General Appropriations Act, he said.Manila Standard tried to reach other lawmakers, such as PBA party-list Rep. Jericho Nograles and Surigao del Norte Robert Ace Barbers, to comment on their requests, but received no responses from them. The Palace, meanwhile, said the President might sign the bill abolishing the Road Board even without Arroyos signature, saying that lawmakers would have to court to challenge Dutertes move to get rid of the corruption-laden agency. Panelo said Malacanang has already received a copy of the bill signed by the Senate President, but not the Speaker. He said there could be a court battle if the Senate transmits the bill to the President even without Arroyos signature. Andaya previously said that Congress could not transmit an enrolled copy of the bill because it could not contain Arroyo's signature, but Malacanang viewed the Speaker's signature as only "ministerial." To resolve the legal question, Panelo said that "somebody will have to go to the courts." Maybe if the President really wants to end this, he will sign it and then they will go to the Court. Those from the House, they may question it," he said. Panelo agreed with Senate President Vicente Sotto III that the House could no longer recall the measure since it was already adopted and passed by the Senate. Both the Senate and the House passed a bill abolishing the Road Board during the speakership of Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez. However, three months after Arroyo assumed leadership following the ouster of Alvarez, the lower chamber adopted a bill voiding the previous House Bill No. 7436's approval on third reading. The Palace has said Duterte wants to abolish the Road Board amid allegations that some lawmakers want to use the road users tax for the 2019 elections. The President himself has said. I will abolish one to three agencies. That Road Board, they have to go," Duterte said at the time.
WashingtonUS Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday, leading a chorus of protests at home and abroad after President Donald Trump ordered a complete troop pullout from Syria and a significant withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump steadfastly defended his sudden push for retrenchment, vowing that the United States would no longer be the policeman of the Middle East and saying the 2,000-strong US force in Syria was no longer needed as the Islamic State group had been defeated. Mattis, a battle-hardened retired four-star general seen as a moderating force on the often impulsive president, made little attempt to hide his disagreements with Trump. Because you have the right to have a secretary of defense whose views are better aligned with yours, Mattis said in a letter to Trump, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position. Mattis hailed the coalition to defeat Islamic State as well as NATO, the nearly 70-year-old alliance between North America and Europe whose cost-effectiveness has been questioned by the businessman turned president. My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues, Mattis wrote. One day after the surprise announcement on Syria, a US official told AFP that Trump had also decided on a significant withdrawal in a much larger US operationAfghanistan. Some 14,000 troops are fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan as part of the longest-ever US war, launched in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Wall Street Journal reported that more than half would be returning. Trump has surrounded himself with former military men and shown an uncharacteristic public deference toward Mattis, a bookish 68-year-old who has disagreed with the president behind the scenes on issues from Russia to Iran to accepting transgender soldiers. He hinted at Mattiss departure as far back as October, telling CBS: It could be that he is (leaving). I think hes sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth... He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves. On Twitter Thursday, however, Trump had only praise for his defense secretary, who will serve until the end of February, crediting him with achieving tremendous progress. US lawmakers across the political spectrum voiced concern over a rebirth of the Islamic State group in Syria and sounded an alarm as Mattis unmoors from the unpredictable administration. Senator Marco Rubio, a member of Trumps Republican Party, said Mattis in his letter makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances and empower our adversaries. Democratic Senator Mark Warner called Mattis an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration and voiced fears of policy driven by the presidents erratic whims. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was unusually pointed, calling for the US to maintain a clear-eyed understanding of our friends and foes, and recognize that nations like Russia are among the latter.He said he was particularly distressed that he is resigning due to sharp differences with the president on these and other key aspects of Americas global leadership. Trump was quick to note that he has ramped up military spending, but he has been most interested in deploying troops at home to carry out his key domestic goal of cracking down on unauthorized immigration. Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East, getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing? Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight, he tweeted. The US withdrawal will make Russia, which has deployed its air power in support of President Bashar al-Assad, the pre-eminent global power in the Syrian conflict. The fact that the US has decided to withdraw its troops is right, President Vladimir Putin said during an annual year-end press conference, saying that on the whole I agree with the US president on the level of damage inflicted on Islamic State. Putin, who has described the fall of the Soviet Union as a historic geopolitical disaster, sees Moscows longtime ally Syria as a key asset in preserving influence in the Middle East. Irans Shiite clerical regime has also strongly backed Assad, a secular leader from the heterodox Alawite sect. Turkey opposes Assad and may be emboldened by Trump to attack Kurdish fighters inside Syria, who fought alongside US troops against the Islamic State group. Turkey links Kurds who dominate the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces to a decades-old insurgency at home, but had been reluctant to strike for fear of setting off a crisis if the United States suffered casualties. Mustefa Bali, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, said the fighters would keep up the battle against Islamic State -- but that all bets were off if Turkey attacks. Bali said the Kurdish forces would keep locked up the Islamic State extremists in their custody -- but alleged that Turkey may target prisons to sow chaos once US troops leave. The Islamic State movement has claimed credit for a slew of attacks around the world, including the 2015 coordinated assault on Paris, and experts estimate that thousands of sympathizers remain. Meanwhile Germany, which has taken in more than one million refugees stemming in large part from the Syria conflict, questioned Trumps assessment that the threat was over. While fighting has largely subsided in Syria and the Islamic State group holds little territory, a political solution remains elusive in ending the war that has killed more than 360,000 and displaced millions since 2011.
"It is clear that Mrs. Aquino took advantage of her dictatorial powers under the aegis of her so-called Freedom Constitution." "It is clear that Mrs. Aquino took advantage of her dictatorial powers under the aegis of her so-called Freedom Constitution."

Justice Antonio Carpio is citing an obscure Treaty of Washington purporting that Spain relinquished to the United States all titles and claims of titles, which may have at that time of the conclusion of the Treaty of Paris, to any and all islands belonging to the Philippine Archipelago, lying outside the lines of the Treaty of Paris. He, however, failed to state that the alleged treaty did not mention any island referred to as lying outside the lines. Such is an attempt to becloud the important Treaty of San Francisco signed much later on Sept. 8, 1951 by 48 countries led by the US ordering Japan to return Paracel and Spratly group of islands to China. This was reiterated by the Treaty of Taipei on April 2, 1952 containing almost the same provision, except that it ordered Japan to return the islands to Taipei to prevent China from having prior right over the islands. Carpio is clearly bent on confusing historical facts to validate his misplaced assertion. Likewise, petitioners former Bayan Muna representatives Neri Colmenares, Teddy Casino, and Satur Ocampo; the late Anakpawis representative Crispin Beltran; former Gabriela representatives Liza Maza and Luzviminda Ilagan; former Quezon congressman Erin Tanada and former Senator Teofisto TG Guingona III failed to take into account that the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the VFA and the EDCA not on the issue of the US bases per se, but on technicality that an executive agreement is valid even if not ratified by the US Senate, although our Senate went through the rigmarole of ratifying them. The JMSU and the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. and Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on the other hand, have nothing to do with the stationing of military bases, which is specifically prohibited by the Constitution. Rather, their ulterior motive is to find a way to declare the JMSU agreement unconstitutional to decapitate altogether the MOU with China. Re-examining the actions taken by the Cory administration, it is clear that Mrs. Aquino took advantage of her dictatorial powers under the aegis of her so-called Freedom Constitution to issue edicts to allow foreign oil companies to explore, operate and extract oil. Her government practically restored the discredited concession system which Marcos substituted in favor of service contract system. Many opposed the concession system because once private oil companies are granted permit, the role of the government would be limited just to receiving a paltry amount of royalty fee similar to mining concession plus tax based on the amount or volume extracted which is often padded and for which numerous tax exemptions are granted that often put the government at the losing end. This impelled the Marcos administration through the suggestion of Geronimo Velasco to replace the concession system with the service contract system. This also explains why the implanted former Shell oil executive, Cesar Buenaventura, was appointed to replace Velasco as Secretary of Energy. His first act was to suggest the abolition of the Department, thereby wrecking the countrys energy development program with some now fearful could be used by the opposition to spoil the MOU signed with China. Cory issued Executive Orders that had clear markings of political pressures promoted to advance the business interest groups led by the Lopezes, the Ayalas and the Aboitizes.E.O. No. 20, signed on June 19, 1986 abolished the Department of Energy under the guise of placing the Offices, Agencies and Corporations attached to it under the Administrative Supervision of the Office of the President. This effectively abrogated P.D. No. 1206. E.O. No. 55, issued on Oct. 1, 1986 mothballed the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) and guaranteed full payment of our obligation to an almost ready to operate plant. That decision effectively flushed to the toilet $2.1 billion in taxpayers money. Many suspect it was purposely done to sustain the expected increase in the number of power generation plants. In fact, the mothballing of BNPP forced Cory Aquino to issue E.O. No. 215 on July 10, 1987 to allow private companies to generate their own power, and sell their generated power directly to public utilities even if operated by them, amending P.D. No. 40. E.O. No. 131, signed on Jan. 30, 1987, reorganized the Ministry of Natural Resources and renamed it Department of Environment, Energy and Natural Resources. This in effect restored the concession system to grant permit and authority to private and foreign oil companies to explore and extract oil and gas in lieu of the discarded service contract system. E.O. No. 137 watered down the functions of The Oil Price Stabilization Fund (OPSF) by introducing amendments to include 1) the reimbursement to oil companies for cost increases in crude oil and imported petroleum products resulting from exchange rate adjustment and/or increase in world market prices of crude oil; 2) to reimburse the oil companies for possible cost underrecovery incurred as a result of the reduction of domestic prices of petroleum products. E.O. No. 171, signed on May 8, 1987, amended certain provisions of P. D. No. 334 creating the Philippine National Oil Company. This reduced the PNOC as the lead government agency in the exploration, exploitation and development of oil, petroleum and other energy resources secondary to private oil companies engaged in the same undertaking. This is now amplified by the consortium of four oil companies, namely Shell, Chevron, EDC and PNOC at Malampaya oil well. E.O. No. 279 signed on July 25, 1987 authorized the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources to negotiate and conclude joint venture, co-production or production sharing agreements for the exploration and development and utilization of mineral resources. Former Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque was correct in citing Section 2, 4th par., Article XII, to erase doubts, to quote: The President may enter into agreements, with foreign-owned corporations involving either technical or financial assistance for large-scale exploration, development, and utilization of minerals, petroleum, and other mineral oils according to the general terms and conditions provided by law, based on real contributions to the economic growth and general welfare of the country. This is now the grey area because many of these Filipino-owned corporations engaged in the exploration and utilization of oil and gas are partners to foreign-owned corporations, making it difficult to determine the exact 60-40 sharing provided in the constitution because of the modification and amendment introduced by P.D. Nos.87 and 443. E.O. No. 280, signed on July 25, 1987, expanded the incentive features of Letters of Instruction (LOI) No. 1352 dated Sept. 8, 1983 to encourage oil exports processing activities in the country by including therein immediate production for feedstocks and authorizing the swap or exchange of petroleum products, thereby amending LOI No. 1352. This has failed because foreign oil refineries built pursuant to this E.O. have been closed due to lower cost in imports than in processing crude oil. [email protected]
As the climate negotiations in Katowice, Poland conclude with a Just Transition Declaration stressing that a just transition of the workforce and the creation of decent work and quality jobs are integral to the fulfillment of the goals of the Paris Agreement, we are once again left with a reminder that anything were agreeing to in high-level political talks means significant changes on the ground for real people. At the end of the day, much as we disagree with their practices, the tight grip of the fossil fuel industry on our economies means thousands of people rely on them not just for power but for jobs that put food on dinner tables and send generations of children to schools. Ultimately, calling for a transition to a clean energy future means securing these sources of livelihood and ensuring the integration of workers rights in a new system powered by clean energy for all. As advocates, we must be conscious of the ramifications of the systemic change we are calling for on the most vulnerable sectorssectors who, by the cruel joke of inequity due to capitalism, bear the anxiety of job loss because of widespread economic changes and impacts as conglomerate owners get tax breaks and profits. In the Philippines, Ben* (not his real name), for example, has worked in a coal-fired power plant in Bataan for 10 years. He values his above-minimum-wage salary as an operator and the regular status of company employees. I recognize that coal plants have a bad effect on the environment and health, he said in a phone interview. But it is a good job that allowed me to have a school service business on the side to escape poverty. Ben is also part of a workers union that unseated an erring general manager in the past, but describes his relationship with the management now as harmonious. If coal plants do retire soon, I hope to find a job in a renewable energy plant. So what is the extent of the states responsibility to make sure workers are ready with the technical skills needed in an energy transition? Here, we have the Green Jobs Act of 2016 that seeks to identify needed skills, develop training programs, and train and certify workers for jobs in a range of industries that produce goods and render services for the benefit of the environment, conserve natural resources for the future generation, and ensure the sustainable development of the country and its transition into a green economy. This sounds promising, but on the ground, we have a long way to go in protecting workers rights as local renewable energy players start and expand operations.A source who does not want to be identified has informed us that one of the biggest solar panel companies in the country that just scored a major government contract is also deterring its workers from organizing themselves to assure fair wages and safe workplace conditions. This is similar to a situation in Tesla in the United States, where efforts to unionize to appeal for higher wages are being shut down by the management with threats of dismissal. This is concerning for a sector that claims to be for sustainable development for all. As advocates, we must ensure that our calls always reflect the needs and circumstances of marginalized sectors and the most vulnerable groups -- those who probably will never see the insides of negotiation halls. Frontline communities include not just those who are first impacted by climate change but also those who will be impacted by the systemic shift to a clean energy future. It is our duty to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for generations of abuse not just against the environment but against its people, and equally important, we must hold new players in the renewable energy sector to the same standard of ensuring the rights and welfare of workers and their families. Beatrice Tulagan is the founder of media non-profit Climate Stories. She is also the East Asia Regional Field Organizer of 350.org.
The investigation into the deaths of Richard Santillan and a woman companion may yet open a can of worms as gruesome as their double murder in the hands of policemen. Former congressman Glenn Chong says the case can prove the truth behind the massive cheating in the automated national elections orchestrated by the Commission on Elections and Smartmatic. The proof of widespread election irregularities are exactly the damaging truth that the murder brains wanted to keep concealed, according to Chong. Santillan, who was Chongs aide, was gunned down along with the woman while riding a Toyota Fortuner in an alleged encounter with members of the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group and local policemen in Cainta City last December 10. The election reform lawyer and former Biliran congressman strongly belied police claims that Santillan was engaged in highway robbery, gunrunning and illegal drugs trafficking. Police reports say the PNP-HPG men and the Cainta policemen were conducting a spot-operations in the area when they spotted the unregistered vehicle. Instead of stopping the vehicle, police say Santillan sped off and a firefight ensued. Chong refutes the scripted police encounter story which identified the two victims as members of Highway Boysa criminal gang operating in Region 4A. Chong described as fake news the purveyed by PNP Region 4A, under Chief Supt. Edward Carranza, and the PNP-HPG, under Chief Supt. Roberto Fajardo, saying the matrix presented to the media was easy to make. Kahit sinong college student puwedeng gumawa ng matrix na ganyan, said Chong. Chong said he believes he was the real target instead of Santillan in the wake of his expose on the massive cheating the in 2016 elections by some officials of the Comelec and the Smartmatic to favor certain candidates of the Liberal Party (LP), particularly Leni Robredo.In my one-on-one interview with Chong (which will be aired Saturday afternoon on Facebook and YouTube), he said it wouldve been too obvious if they killed him following his election fraud expose before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. Based on the autopsy conducted by the forensic team of the Public Attorneys Office on the cadaver, it appears that Santillan was tortured before he was executed as shown by wounds and missing toenails. Chong says the murder of his aide is a death threat against him coming from those affected by his expose wanting him to keep his mouth shut once and for all. The former solon also links the yellows to the death of Santillan because the two ranking PNP officials in Region 4A and the HPG have close ties to the Aquino administration. In a recent Rotary Club gathering, former PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa divulged that Carranza used to work under General Marcelo Garbo. Garbo was implicated by President Duterte in his narco-list last year. Garbo is a trusted aide of former DILG secretary Mar Roxas. Aside from being a loyal subordinate to Gen. Garbo, Carranza is a classmate of PNP Chief Director-General Oscar Albayalde in the Philippine Military Academy. HPG chief Fajardo was the chief of police of Naga City, Camarines Sur when deceased DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo was still the mayor of that city, according to Chong. Gen. Fajardo was the chief of the Northern Police District (NPD) when Kian delos Santos was summarily executed by three Caloocan City policemen in a staged drug raid. I agree with Atty. Chong that his aide was brutally murdered by those who benefitted during the last election. Also, can we still count on our police whose sworn duty is to protect and to serve the populace?
In our ongoing series on Luxembourg's Royals, RTL Today delves into the history of the Grand Ducal family.

Countess Stephanie de Lannoy was born on 18 February 1984 in Renaix, Belgium. She belongs to the House of Lannoy, a Belgian noble family whose oldest known ancestor lived in the 13th century.

She is the eighth and youngest child of Count Philippe de Lannoy and the late Countess Alix de Lannoy (born Alix della Faille de Leverghem). Along with her seven older brothers and sisters, she grew up on the family estate of Anvaing Castle, a moat castle dating back to the 16th century located the province of Hainaut, Belgium, close to the Flemish border.

The Lannoy family estate, where Countess Stephanie and her seven siblings grew up. /  Jean-Pol Grandmont

Despite growing up in a French-speaking household in Wallonia, the young countess began her education at the local Dutch-language primary school Sancta Maria in the nearby town of Renaix just across the border in Flanders. She continued her education at the College Sainte-Odile in northern France, where she stayed for two years, before moving on to the Institut de la Vierge Fidele in Brussels.

A young Countess Stephanie with her father Count Philippe de Lannoy and the late Countess Alix de Lannoy. /  Grand Ducal Court

After her graduation in 2002, Countess Stephanie de Lannoy moved to Moscow at the age of 18 to study Russian language and literature. She spent a year in the Russian capital before returning to the European continent to study German and Russian literature and Germanic philology at the University of Louvain and at the Humboldt University in Berlin. She earned her Masters degree by writing a thesis on the influence of German Romanticism on Russian Romanticism with a focus on E.T.A. Hoffmann and Pushkin.

After her studies, she returned to Belgium where she started to work for an investment company in Brussels. During this period, she lived at her family's home in the Belgian capital.

From Countess to Hereditary Grand Duchess

Countess Stephanie de Lannoy first met Luxembourg's Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume at a social gathering in Germany around the year 2004. The pair were introduced by friends and felt an instant connection, but they lost sight of one another afterwards.

The Countess before her royal engagement. /  Grand Ducal Court

After re-connecting at a party in 2009, sparks flew and the pair finally started dating. The couple kept their relationship under wraps in order for it to bloom away from the public eye. Despite their secrecy, Prince Guillaume couldn't resist teasing the couple's relationship to journalists while he was giving interviews on the occasion of his 30th birthday. He didn't reveal Countess Stephanie's name, saying only that he had met "a dear miss".

About six months later and after almost three years of dating, the pair finally went public with their romance when they announced their engagement at Berg Castle on 26 April 2012. Prince Guillaume, who will one day inherit the throne from his father Grand Duke Henri, had privately proposed to Countess Stephanie about three weeks earlier.

Countess Stephanie showing off her emerald cut diamond engagement ring on the day of the announcement.

As spouses aren't automatically granted Luxembourgish citizenship through marriage, the Lex de Lannoy was created for Countess Stephanie to expedite the process ahead of her wedding to the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg. It simply reads: "Citizenship is granted to Countess Stephanie de Lannoy". This special amendment lead to some public criticism. After the wedding, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie decided to renounce her Belgian nationality, although she could have retained it through dual citizenship.

Tragedy struck about two months before the royal wedding, when the bride's mother Alix de Lannoy suddenly passed away from a stroke at the age of 70 on 26 August 2012. The Grand Ducal family joined the Lannoy family at the funeral in Frasnes-Les-Anvaign, the family's ancestral home.

Countess Stephanie as an young child in the arms of her mother, Countess Alix de Lannoy. /  Grand Ducal Court

Countess Stephanie de Lannoy married Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume in a lavish two-day ceremony in Luxembourg City on 19 and 20 October 2012. A small civil ceremony was held on 19 October, conducted by Xavier Bettel who was the mayor of Luxembourg City at the time. A much more elaborate Roman Catholic wedding ceremony at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City followed the next day.

In honour of her late mother, Countess Stephanie wore her mother's engagement ring alongside her own at her church wedding on 20 October 2012. The bride also wore the delicate Lannoy family tiara, which her sisters and sister-in-laws had worn at their own weddings. Countess Stephanie de Lannoy took on the title of Hereditary Grand Duchess on her wedding day.

The bride wore an elegant ivory lace gown embroidered with silver filigree by Elie Saab for her church wedding. Rather unusually, Countess Stephanie wasn't the only one wearing a wedding dress at the Luxembourg City Notre-Dame Cathedral that day. In fact, her mother-in-law to-be Grand Duchess Maria Teresa donated her own wedding dress to adorn the statue of the Virgin Mary.

The wedding guest list included many notable figures of international royalty and nobility and the citizens of Luxembourg came out in droves to celebrate the union.

Stephanie de Lannoy's new life as Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

Since becoming the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Stephanie de Lannoy has become involved in many charities and an active patron of the arts.

The Hereditary Grand Duchess has chaired the board of directors of the MUDAM museum foundation since 2016. She is also a patron of the "Friends of Luxembourg's Art and History Museums" association, as well as Scienteens Lab which encourages teenagers to develop an interest in science. She joined the board of the "De Mains de Maitres" association in May 2017, an organisation that supports craft creation in Luxembourg.

 Grand Ducal Court, Eric Lalmand  Grand Ducal Court, Christian Aschman  Grand Ducal Court, Christian Aschman  Grand Ducal Court, Christian Aschman  Grand Ducal Court, Charles Caratini The photos published on this site are subject to copyright and may not be copied, modified, or sold without the prior permission of the owner of the site in question.

In honour of her late mother, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie is also a patron to the Bletz association that helps people affected by strokes.

Like her husband, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie has a penchant for classical music. She learned to play the violin and the piano as a child. Literature remains one of her biggest passions. As a language and literature enthusiast, she is fluent in Luxembourgish, German and English. Apart from her native French, she also speaks a bit of Russian and Dutch.

In September 2018, the Hereditary Grand Ducal couple moved to London to continue their studies. Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie has started studying art history at the prestigious Sotheby's Institute while her husband Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume is studying for his post-graduate degree at the Royal College of Defense Studies.

Sarah Cames is a twentysomething freelance journalist with a keen interest in anything to do with politics, history and pop culture.
Mining companies have invested at least $5 billion towards gold exploration in West Africa in the last decade but significant reserves are under-exploited, mineral industry experts said on Tuesday.

Delegates at the Ecomof mining and petroleum forum in the Ivory Coast commercial capital Abidjan were told that more must be done to attract international investors to develop mining potential.

"Throughout West Africa there are interesting minerals, gold, iron, nickel, manganese among others," said Kadjo Kouame, managing director of Sodemi, the Ivory Coast mining development company.

Ivory Coast and Ghana are among the world's top cocoa producers but are now seeking to diversify their economies by mining precious metals and newly discovered reserves of oil.

"But there is a real job to do to attract investors and diversify projects, too focused on gold," Kouame added.

Gold is currently attracting the most investment, according to figures shared at the forum, with West Africa now the world's fourth-largest gold region.

Ghana is Africa's second largest gold producer after South Africa.

Some 8 million ounces of gold were mined in West Africa 2016, according to figures from the World Trade Council supplied by Endeavour Mining.

Between 2006 and 2019, new gold deposits of 79 million ounces were discovered in West Africa -- the highest in the world. A third was located in Burkina Faso, followed by Ghana, Mali and Ivory Coast, the forum was told.
Foreign secretary Jean Asselborn appeared before the parliamentary commission in charge on Wednesday to explain the government's preparations.

Brexit will also affect Luxembourg. About 6,000 Brits live in the Grand-Duchy and about 2,000 Luxembourgers have made their home across the Channel.

On a personal level, Asselborn still says that he finds the arguments in favour of Brexit completely incomprehensible. The UK risks the scenario that, from one day to the next, planes could no longer be allowed to land, that border checks of people and goods could be reinstated and that and that the UK's financial sector could fall into chaos.

In order to minimise the impact of Brexit on the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the government is taking precautionary measures to be able to react to any possible Brexit scenario on short notice.

Asselborn appealed to parliament for their support. A simple majority vote is enough to be able to react quickly in any given scenario.

The government's efforts were lauded by the coalition parties as well as by the opposition. However, some questions remain. Laurent Mosar of the Christian Social People's Party is especially worried about Luxembourg's financial sector which depends heavily on expats, saying that other countries are already legislating.

Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party MP and president of the parliamentary commission Marc Angel said he is glad about the EU commission's support in the matter. The EU commission is organising seminars for officials from all 27 member states in order to establish common procedures and regulations in order to avoid ending up with 27 different solutions to the same problem.
This Christmas, many Americans will find the gifts under their tree may lead to a long-lost relative or a map of ancestral migrations.

Or perhaps the discovery that their father is not who they think he is.

Sales of DNA testing kits are booming, as citizens in a country founded by immigrants explore their genetic origins in record numbers.

"There were definitely surprises," said Flora Bertrand, 40, who gave her husband one of the kits, ordered online for under $100.

The kits contain a plastic tube which the user spits into and ships back to the company lab. About a month later, the results are available online at a personalized site.

That normally features a map of the world showing the customer the regions of the world their ancestors hail from, and what percentage of their DNA comes from there.

Flora's husband, who lives in Brooklyn but is originally from Trinidad and Tobago, was unable to trace his family ancestry back more than a few generations because they had been victims of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

"The biggest shock was how much European he had," she said. "Eighteen percent British and one percent Irish."

- Booming business -

For less than $100, users can have their genetic profile compiled simply by spitting in a tube and returning it to the company lab /  AFP

Millions of Americans have joined the search for their ancestors.

The market for DNA tests "has exponentially grown since 2017 and I would not be surprised if the market has doubled over the past year," said Heather Zierhut, assistant professor of genetics at the University of Minnesota.

This Christmas, the dozen or so companies offering test kits are redoubling their efforts with promotions and marketing drives that feature heart-warming tales of people finding unknown relatives or unexpected roots.

One example is a 69-year-old woman who found her 88-year-old biological mother, who had always thought her daughter had died shortly after being born.

"Genetic testing for ancestry looks at hundreds of thousands of our three billion DNA 'letters' and compares an individual's genetic data to that of databases of populations of people from different parts of the world," said Zierhut.

"The companies can also compare overall how much of your DNA is shared with other people who have taken the test," she said.

The two leading companies in the field, AncestryDNA and 23andMe, have carried out tests on 15 million people between them.

"In the 2017 holiday season, we sold 400,000 DNA kits," said Rafi Mendelsohn, spokesman for MyHeritage, whose sales leapt from $60 million in 2016 to $133 million a year later.

"We're planning on doubling our sales in Christmas 2018 versus 2017," said David Nicholson, co-founder of Living DNA, which offers its services in 90 countries.

- Stocking shockers -

Nevertheless, "DNA tests are absolutely not always the best gift for Christmas," warned Maarten Larmuseau, a researcher in genetic genealogy at University of Leuven in Belgium.

First of all, the results can be disappointing and vary from one test to the next because they depend so heavily on the database used for comparisons.

Secondly, participants are often "totally unaware that unexpected or sensitive results are always possible and might be delivered just by the click of a button," he said.

"I often receive emails or phone calls from people who found out that their father or grandfather is not their biological father or grandfather, or that they have unexpectedly a half-brother or half-sister," he said.

"These persons receive these life-changing and often traumatic results without any psychological assistance," said Larmuseau, noting with disapproval that the tests can also be carried out on children and babies.

He warned that an ancestry DNA test can become "a paternity test in disguise."

Furthermore, some companies offer optional testing for health issues, such as a person's predisposition towards developing Alzheimers or Parkinson's disease -- not the happiest gift to get from Santa, especially as some question the reliability of such tests.

The other serious problem is the security of extremely personal data, which may be at risk from hackers or be shared with partner companies, such as in the pharmaceutical field.

"The data (in de-identified form) can be used to refine a company's analysis or to be shared with other companies for purposes of research about ancestry, traits, and disease," said Sonia Suter, a law professor and bioethicist at George Washington University.

She said that while federal law protects privacy of medical data, "it applies only to health care providers, health plans, health care clearinghouses and business associates of these groups" and not to so-called direct-to-consumer companies.

"I do not think there is sufficient regulation of these entities," she said.

"This doesn't mean your information will immediately be accessible to insurers or law enforcement, but it's out there," she warned.

Her advice: "Think hard about whether you want the information and why. Don't use the test simply because you have it."
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday, leading a chorus of protests at home and abroad after President Donald Trump ordered a complete troop pullout from Syria and a significant withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Trump steadfastly defended his sudden push for retrenchment, vowing that the United States would no longer be the "policeman of the Middle East" and saying the 2,000-strong US force in Syria was no longer needed as the Islamic State group had been defeated.

Mattis, a battle-hardened retired four-star general seen as a moderating force on the often impulsive president, made little attempt to hide his disagreements with Trump.

"Because you have the right to have a secretary of defense whose views are better aligned with yours," Mattis said in a letter to Trump, "I believe it is right for me to step down from my position."

Mattis hailed the coalition to defeat Islamic State as well as NATO, the nearly 70-year-old alliance between North America and Europe whose cost-effectiveness has been questioned by the businessman turned president.

"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues," Mattis wrote.

In its air campaign, the US and partner nations have spent years pounding IS targets /  AFP/File

One day after the surprise announcement on Syria, a US official told AFP that Trump had also decided on a "significant withdrawal" in a much larger US operation -- Afghanistan.

Some 14,000 troops are fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan as part of the longest-ever US war, launched in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Wall Street Journal reported that more than half would be returning.

Trump has surrounded himself with former military men and shown an uncharacteristic public deference toward Mattis, a bookish 68-year-old who has disagreed with the president behind the scenes on issues from Russia to Iran to accepting transgender soldiers.

He hinted at Mattis's departure as far back as October, telling CBS: "It could be that he is (leaving). I think he's sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth... He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves."

On Twitter Thursday, however, Trump had only praise for his defense secretary, who will serve until the end of February, crediting him with achieving "tremendous progress."

- 'National security crisis' -

US lawmakers across the political spectrum voiced concern over a rebirth of the Islamic State group in Syria and sounded an alarm as Mattis unmoors from the unpredictable administration.

Senator Marco Rubio, a member of Trump's Republican Party, said Mattis in his letter "makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances and empower our adversaries."

Democratic Senator Mark Warner called Mattis "an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration" and voiced fears of policy driven by "the president's erratic whims."

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was unusually pointed, calling for the US to "maintain a clear-eyed understanding of our friends and foes, and recognize that nations like Russia are among the latter."

He said he was "particularly distressed that he is resigning due to sharp differences with the president on these and other key aspects of America's global leadership."

Trump was quick to note that he has ramped up military spending, but he has been most interested in deploying troops at home to carry out his key domestic goal of cracking down on unauthorized immigration.

"Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East, getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing? Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight," he tweeted.

- Putin praises Trump -

Key dates in the Syrian conflict /  AFP

The US withdrawal will make Russia, which has deployed its air power in support of President Bashar al-Assad, the pre-eminent global power in the Syrian conflict.

"The fact that the US has decided to withdraw its troops is right," President Vladimir Putin said during an annual year-end press conference, saying that "on the whole I agree with the US president" on the level of damage inflicted on Islamic State.

Putin, who has described the fall of the Soviet Union as a historic geopolitical disaster, sees Moscow's longtime ally Syria as a key asset in preserving influence in the Middle East.

Iran's Shiite clerical regime has also strongly backed Assad, a secular leader from the heterodox Alawite sect.

Turkey opposes Assad and may be emboldened by Trump to attack Kurdish fighters inside Syria, who fought alongside US troops against the Islamic State group.

Turkey links Kurds who dominate the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces to a decades-old insurgency at home, but had been reluctant to strike for fear of setting off a crisis if the United States suffered casualties.

Mustefa Bali, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, said the fighters would keep up the battle against Islamic State -- but that all bets were off if Turkey attacks.

- Worries in Europe -

Outgoing UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura has acknowledged that a goal would not be met of setting up a committee by the end of the year to write a new Syrian constitution /  AFP/File

Bali said the Kurdish forces would keep locked up the Islamic State extremists in their custody -- but alleged that Turkey may target prisons to sow chaos once US troops leave.

The Islamic State movement has claimed credit for a slew of attacks around the world, including the 2015 coordinated assault on Paris, and experts estimate that thousands of sympathizers remain.

Meanwhile Germany, which has taken in more than one million refugees stemming in large part from the Syria conflict, questioned Trump's assessment that the threat was over.

While fighting has largely subsided in Syria and the Islamic State group holds little territory, a political solution remains elusive in ending the war that has killed more than 360,000 and displaced millions since 2011.

burs-sct/ft/ska/dw
Everton to return to Africa next summer

Friday, 21 December, 2018



The exact dates of the exhibition game to contest the SportPesa trophy have yet to be decided but it will almost certainly be in July 2019, although the club are advising fans not to make any travel arrangements until everything is confirmed.

Everton made their first trip to the continent 18 months ago when they played Gor Mahia in Tanzania, with the Kenyan side making the return trip to Merseyside last month.

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" I wish someone in Malacanang has learned this most important lesson." " I wish someone in Malacanang has learned this most important lesson."

There is an ongoing debate on social media about a video showing an Ateneo de Manila high school student bullying another student. It appears like the bully, who represents the school in Tae Kwon Do competitions, was directing the videotaping of the incident as he seemed to speak with the one taking the video. There are also allegations that the same student has bullied other students in similar manner, and videos of these incidents also exist. As expected, netizens are up in arms and are demanding that the bully be severely punished by the school, some calling for expulsion. There are even those who want the student to be subjected to the same abuse he inflicted on others. Dapat makahanap ng katapat para tumigil, said one. People want blood. The Ateneo Junior High School Principal has since issued a statement that was immediately considered by many as too lame, and too safe. The statement called the bullying incident as depicting a fight among students even as the video clearly showed that the one being bullied was not fighting back. The statement also said that school authorities are investigating the incident and has called for a stop to the indiscriminate posting of the video because of privacy issues. Unfortunately, the statement made no mention of a standing policy in preventing and addressing bullying. As a leading private school, Ateneo should have such a policy because this is required by law. Passed in 2013, Republic Act. No. 10627 or the An Act Requiring All Elementary and Secondary Schools to Adopt Policies to Prevent and Address the Acts of Bullying in their Institutions defines Acts of Bullying as any severe or repeated use by one or more students of a written, verbal, or electronic expression, or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at another student that has the effect of actually causing or placing the latter in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm or damage to his property; creating a hostile environment at school for the other student; infringing on the rights of the other students at school; or materially and substantially disrupting the education process or he orderly operation of a school; such as, but not limited to, the following: Any unwanted physical contact between the bully and the victim like punching, pushing, shoving, kicking, slapping, tickling, headlocks, inflicting school pranks, teasing, fighting, and the use of available objects as weapons; Any act that causes damage to a victims psyche and/or emotional well-being; Any slanderous statement or accusation that causes the victim undue emotional distress like directing foul language or profanity at the target, name-calling, tormenting and commenting negatively on victims looks, clothes, and body; and Cyber-bullying or any bullying done through the use of technology or any electronic means. The abovementioned incident definitely falls under bullying and must be squarely and justly addressed by the school.The law requires all elementary and secondary schools to adopt anti-bullying policies that prohibit bullying in school premises, areas adjacent to school, at school-sponsored-or-related activities even if done outside of the campus, or even in non-school-related activities and through the use of technology or electronic devise if the act or acts in question create a hostile environment at school for the victim, infringe on the rights of the victim at school, or materially or substantially disrupt the education process or the orderly operation of a school. Such policies, the law says, should include educating students, parents, and guardians about the dynamics of bullying so the latter can provide support for and reinforce the policies. Moreover, these anti-bullying policies should be made known to all students, parents and guardians and should form part of the student and/or employee handbook. Further, the law includes sanctions against schools for noncompliance. Erring private schools shall suffer the penalty of suspension of their permits to operate. Thus, it is interesting to know if the Ateneo has the required policy and if said policy is operational. Make no mistake, I am angered by what this bully has done. However, I am also concerned that calling for blood may not be the answer. The students involved are all minors, thus, the concern for privacy is real. For me, it is wise to not mention the names of those involved and I agree with the school that indiscriminate sharing of the video should stop. Firstly, the video may continue to haunt the bullying victim in the future. The internet never sleeps and it is possible that some future acquaintances may taunt and torment the victim, and victimize him all over again. Just the thought of the videos existence may actually cause trauma and stress to the victim way beyond his high school days. We do not want this to happen. As far as the bully or bullies go, yes, discipline them strongly. The major bully should no longer be allowed by the school to represent it in Tae Kwon Do competitions. He should be subjected to severe disciplinary actions so he learns that abusing others has serious consequences. However, because he is a minor, I still believe that he should be given the chance to reform himself. He can change and turn into a better person still. Here, the school and his family should play key roles. Hopefully, his family will not condone his abuses. His parents should learn practicing tough love for the sake of their son. The school, on the other hand, should follow the law and institute procedures and mechanisms to effectively prevent and address bullying. The school has the responsibility to create a safe and secure environment conducive to learning. No one should be abused and violated. Parents and students have the right to demand this of schools. This bullying incident should wake us all up. We should not tolerate bullying but we must educate our young that abusing others is very wrong and has serious consequences. This way, bullying inside and outside schools, by both the young and the old may be lessened. How I wish someone in Malacanang has learned this most important lesson. @bethangsioco on Twitter Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook
Moroccos King Mohammed VI has said his country is fully committed to the respect, protection and promotion of human rights, affirming that this national commitment is not just enshrined in the Constitution, but it is a determinant of Moroccan political, economic and social agenda.

In a message addressed to participants in a meeting convened Thursday in Rabat to mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Moroccan Monarch said the Moroccan 2011 Constitution, which was drawn up using a participatory and inclusive approach, includes a real charter of basic rights and freedoms, itself based on the universal frame of reference for human rights.

The Moroccan Constitution guarantees the judiciary full independence and sets up a system of pluralistic and independent bodies for the protection of rights and freedoms and for the promotion of participatory democracy, human rights and good governance, stressed the king in his message read out by royal advisor Abdeltif Menouni.

I am keen to make sure Morocco consolidates its achievements and keeps moving forward. In this respect, the Kingdom is putting the finishing touches to a national action plan for democracy and human rights, said the Monarch, noting that this action plan includes a large number of measures aimed at consolidating democracy and strengthening respect for human rights in all areas.

In parallel, our country has continued to interact positively and energetically with the international human rights system, in particular the Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, underlined the King.

He cited in this regard the ratification by Morocco of nine International Human Rights Instruments, the visits paid to the country by several UN special rapporteurs, the Global Compact on Migration adopted in Marrakech and the active role played by Moroccan civil society in the protection of human rights and in participatory democracy councils set up by the state and local authorities.

In thirty years or so, the status of national human rights institutions has been steadily enhanced, and their contribution reinforced, both domestically and within the United Nations system, affirmed the Monarch.

King Mohammed VI views the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as an opportunity to take stock of the progress made during the last decade and to gauge the challenges facing us as well as the ground still to be covered.
A Cairo court has sentenced three police officers at Cairo international airport to 15 years in prison for taking bribes to facilitate the smuggling of money outside the country.

The three officers were charged with requesting, receiving and offering bribes.

The airport officers were accused of enabling several smuggling out operations. The defendants allegedly allowed traffickers to leave the airports security checkpoints undetected.

The court also pressed same lengthy sentences against four other airport staff who collided with the accused.

Prosecutors who referred the seven to the Cairo Criminal Court, also said the seven confessed the offenses.

A businessman and the owner of a currency exchange bureau who are accused of smuggling out money via Cairo Airport in collaboration with the accused officers and airport workers were also questioned, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reports.
The organizers of an annual photo contest held to showcase the beauty of Vietnam and its people have announced the winners of the year-long competition after sifting through nearly 8,000 entries.

Ten works were shortlisted for the final round of the Ve Dep Vietnam, literally translated as Beauty of Vietnam, contest held by Truyen Hinh Nhan Dan (People TV), a television channel run by the eponymous newspaper.

One grand prize, a first runner-up, and three second runner-up prizes were announced on Thursday.

A photo of traditional Vietnamese martial artists honing their craft in front of an ancient pagoda wins the first prize.

Ve Dep Vietnam has been held annually by Nhan Dan TV since 2016.

This year, nearly 8,000 entries were submitted by over 100 photographers relating to each of the monthly topics assigned to the last 11 months.

For each topic, the jury selected ten photos in a preliminary round before handpicking the second and first runners-up, and the winner for the final round.

While there were 11 monthly topics, only ten photos made it to the final round.

The contests awards ceremony took place in Hanoi on Thursday afternoon.

A speed photography competition, called Flash Moment using the theme Hanoi in One Day was organized from 12:00 pm December 19 to 12:00 pm December 20 as a complement to the final gala.

Below are the competition's ten finalists:

A photo of traditional Vietnamese martial artists honing their craft in front of an ancient pagoda wins the first prize.

A photo of two newborns wins the second prize.

A photo of two Vietnamese women preparing for Tet holiday wins the third prize.

A photo of Vietnam's ethnic women performing bamboo dance wins the third prize.

Photos capturing activities at a kindergarten win the third prize.

This photo wins the consolation prize.

The consolation prize

The consolation prize

A photo captures a female welder working.

A drone shot captures an iconic floating market in Vietnam's Mekong Delta on Tet holiday.

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The driver of a tanker truck was killed when his vehicle hit another fuel truck before plunging off a cliff along the Hai Van Pass in central Vietnam.

The accident occurred at around 4:45 pm on Thursday, when Nguyen Khanh, 33, was driving his tanker truck with license plate number 38C-101.72 down the Hai Van Pass from the central province of Thua Thien-Hue to the central city of Da Nang.

Stretching approximately 21 kilometers along National Highway 1A, the mountain pass crosses the border between Thua Thien-Hue Province and Da Nang City.

The truck at the bottom of the cliff following the accident. Photo: Tuoi Tre

As the vehicle made its descent down the pass, it crashed into another tanker truck traveling in the opposite direction driven by 34-year-old Nguyen Huu Tinh.

The collision caused Khanhs truck to drive right through the guard rails and plunge off a ten-meter cliff.

The tanker truck driver was killed and flames erupted around the vehicle.

The fence along the Hai Van Pass is damaged after being hit by the truck. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The drivers assistant, Dao Trong My, was able to jump out of the truck before it caught fire, suffering only minor injuries.

Hundreds of officers and about 20 fire engines from the Da Nang Department of Firefighting and Prevention were dispatched to the site to deal with the accident.

The flame was put out about an hour later.

According to Dang Thi Be, an eyewitness, she heard several explosions and saw a lot of smoke coming from the truck.

Authorities arrive at the crash site. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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HANOI - A court in Vietnam has handed a 17-year prison sentence to a tycoon at the heart of a corruption scandal that has ensnared several senior police and government officials, the Ministry of Public Security said on Thursday.

Phan Van Anh Vu, also known as Vu 'nhom' (aluminium), the former chairman of Bac Nam 79 Construction Co, was already serving a nine-year sentence for deliberate disclosure of state secrets.

Thursdays trial found Vu guilty of abusing power to appropriate property.

Vietnams graft crackdown has seen the government launch investigations into hundreds of public officials accused of mismanagement.

Several executives at state-owned enterprises, including one former politburo member, have been jailed for mismanagement or embezzlement.

Vu, who fled to Singapore but was arrested in Vietnam earlier this year, was jailed for nine years for deliberate disclosure of state secrets in a separate trial in July.

Tran Phuong Binh, former chief executive officer of DongA Bank, is escorted by policemen during his trial in Ho Chi Minh City on December 10, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The court in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday also sentenced Tran Phuong Binh, former chief executive officer of the local private lender DongA Bank, to life in prison for abusing power to appropriate property and violating state regulations on economic management, the ministry said on its website.

Vu, Binh and 24 others were found guilty of causing losses of more than VND3.6 trillion (US$154.5 million) at DongA Bank, according to the statement.

Since Vus arrest in January, Vietnam has arrested or prosecuted several senior officials accused of involvement in businesses or schemes controlled by Vu, including two former chairmen of Da Nang, a former deputy chairman of Ho Chi Minh City and two former deputy police ministers.
US actor Eliza Dushku has slammed CBS and her former co-star Michael Weatherly after reaching a settlement of $9.5m ($AU13.4m) over allegations of harassment on the set of Bull.

Dushku joined the show at the end of its first season with the expectation of becoming a regular cast member in Season 2 but was written off the show after three episodes.

I took a job and, because I did not want to be harassed, I was fired, Dushku tells the Boston Globe.

Dushku asserts that in addition to the money, she demanded as part of the settlement that CBS send a sexual harassment expert to monitor Weatherlys conduct on the set. She also asserts she was promised a meeting with Steven Spielberg, head of Amblin Partners, which produces Bull with CBS Television Studios. That meeting is yet to happen.

While the settlement included a non-disclosure agreement, she decided to speak up after reading deflection, denial, and spin from the network, Weatherly, and showrunner Glenn Gordon Caron in a report last week by the New York Times.

Allegations included Weatherly making comments about wanting to have a threesome with her and many other sexually charged remarks. After she complained to the studio, Dushku asserts that Weatherly worked to have her fired, accusing her of having a humour deficit.

Weatherly had a habit of exaggerated eye-balling and leering at me; once, he leaned into my body and inhaled, smelling me in a dramatic swoon, Dushku writes. As was caught on tape, after I flubbed a line, he shouted in my face, I will take you over my knee and spank you like a little girl. 

Pauley Perrette and Sasha Alexander  both of whom co-starred with Weatherly on NCIS  pledged their support for him.

This man I love, respect, trust, and I KNOW. TWO decades of friendship and respect, Perrette tweeted. The best. I love you @M_Weatherly. Always and forever.

Alexander echoed the sentiment, writing, I have been in trenches w/ my friend @M_Weatherly. Always laughs, true friend & [a heart] as big as they come.

In a statement to the New York Times, Weatherly apologised for his behaviour, acknowledging that what I said was both not funny and not appropriate, and I am sorry and regret the pain this caused Eliza.

He denied having anything to do with her firing.

Bull screens in Australia on 10.

Source: Variety, TV Line
Bali, Indonesia is a tropical paradise, with endless beaches, coral reefs, rice paddies, and volcanic mountain views. There is so much to do, including temples to visit, beach resorts to chill out in and yoga and meditation retreats.

However, Bali also has its own spicy and delicious cuisine to taste on a visit to the island. Five examples of traditional foods are included here.

1 Gado-Gado (vegetable salad) Gado-Gado is a tasty and healthy vegetable salad, made by lightly steaming or boiling a selection of seasonal vegetables along with boiled potato, fried tofu, tempeh and lontong (cooked rice wrapped in a banana leaf). The dish is topped with a boiled egg and served with a tasty peanut sauce. 2 Bebek Betutu (Spicy roasted or steamed duck) Bebek Betutu is a ceremonial dish in Bali, and consists of smokes or roasted duck, spiced with the local bumbu  a mixture of shallots, garlic, turmeric, ginger, chilli peppers, galangal, peanuts and shrimp paste, ground together with a mortar and pestle and sauteed in coconut oil to enhance the aroma and spicy flavour. It is served with salad, rice and vegetables. 3 Nasi Goreng (stir-fried rice) 4 Urutan (dry pork sausage) 5 Sate (satay - meat on a skewer)

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CNN awards journalists for good work with their Journalist of the Year award. One of the recipients, Claas Relotius, just got the boot for making up fake news for the German outlet, Der Spiegel. According to Fox News, he claims he fabricated the stories because he's "sick." Apparently, he feels that he needs "help" for what he did. However, it turns out he only got caught after another journalist noticed some discrepancies.

CNN mocked by former Governor Mike Huckabee

Over on Twitter, Mike Huckabee, a former Governor of Arkansas, USA, and father of President Trump's White House Press Secretary, Sarah Saunders, mocked CNN for awarding a fake news journalist.

He posted, "About right. World's most celebrated Fake News journalist who just made cr*p up out of thin air, was CNN's Journalist of the Year. Karma!"

About right. World's most celebrated Fake News journalist who just made crap up out of thin air, was CNN's Journalist of the Year. Karma! https://t.co/zGvA0ZiZVT  Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) December 20, 2018

Claas Relotius of Der Spiegel's not the first fake newsmaker

The journalist, award-winning or not, is not the first to ever make up stores. While he says he's "sick" and needs "help," over on Twitter, some people think that his fake stories are despicable. There's a growing intolerance for fake news since the American 2016 elections.

Historically, other reporters who invented news for the sake of a story included:

Pulitzer Prizewinner from 1981, Janet Cooke of The Washington Post. She fabricated a story called "Jimmy's World." It was about an eight-year-old addict. Unfortunately, it turned out such a strong heart-puller, people determined to track him down and help him discovered he never existed.

a story called "Jimmy's World." It was about an eight-year-old addict. Unfortunately, it turned out such a strong heart-puller, people determined to track him down and help him discovered he never existed. Jayson Thomas Blair resigned from the New York Times in 2003 after he was caught making up fake stories and plagiarising. In several of his articles, he claimed to have been in certain cities, interviewing people, when he hadn't even been there. He later wrote a book about his bipolar disorder. He was sick too, it seems.

Twitter reacts to fake stories by 'sick' journalist

Lots of the reactions about the journalist making up stories actually was directed at CNN.

Although not employed by them, people blame them for promoting a fake news writer. One of the reactions is shown in the following tweet:

Of course he would be the "journalist" of the year for the blog company that is known for being the best at delivering #fakenews.#DefundNPR.   Sharon Portman (@PortmanSharon) December 20, 2018

Meanwhile, @NRP77 made a sarcastic comment, posting, "Isnt telling good fairy tales a requisite for @CNN." Then along came the tweets from @KeithOlbermann who came up with a dodgy punchline suggestion.

Punch line to this about the now-fired @cnn journalist of the year award-winner Claas Relotius really SHOULD be that there never has been anybody NAMED Claas Relotius https://t.co/yf4pf9vWBm  Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) December 20, 2018

What do think about the CNN's Journalist of The Year who made up fake stories? Stay in touch with news from around the world by following Blasting Pop.
Key dates in the 30 years following the Lockerbie disaster:

1988

December 21: 270 people die as Pan Am flight 103 explodes over the Scottish town of Lockerbie.

2001

January 31: Following a trial at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands, Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is found guilty of mass murder and jailed for life.

2003

August 19: Libya accepts the blame for the Lockerbie bombing and agrees to compensate victims families.

2004

March: Then prime minister Tony Blair offers Colonel Muammar Gaddafi the hand of friendship following talks with the Libyan leader in a tent outside Tripoli.

The UK and Libya would go on to sign a memorandum of understanding, with a commitment to negotiate a prisoner transfer agreement (PTA).

Tony Blair and Gaddafi shake hands at a desert base near Sirte (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

2007

May: Oil giant BP and the Libyan government sign an exploration and production sharing agreement.

June: The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) recommends Megrahi is granted a second appeal against his conviction after the first, in 2002, was refused.

December 19: It is revealed the UK Government has decided not to exclude Megrahi from the PTA.

2008

September: Megrahi is diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer.

2009

May 5: The Libyan government submits an application to the Scottish Government for Megrahis transfer under the PTA, followed by an application for release on compassionate grounds.

August 20: Then Scottish justice secretary Kenny MacAskill announces that Megrahi is to be returned to his home country on compassionate grounds.

August 21: The UK and the US condemn the heros welcome given to Megrahi as he arrives in Tripoli to cheering crowds.

September 5: Then UK justice secretary Jack Straw acknowledges the prospect of trade and oil deals with Libya was a very big part of his decision to include Megrahi in the PTA.

Megrahi climbs the steps of a plane at Glasgow Airport, bound for Tripoli (Danny Lawson/PA)

2011

An uprising begins in Libya which would see Gaddafi killed by rebels by the end of the year.

Story continues

February 23: Libyas former justice minister, Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, tells a newspaper he has proof that Gaddafi ordered the Lockerbie bombing.

April 8: Police continuing their investigation into the bombing meet former Libyan foreign minister Musa Kusa, who has apparently defected.

July 26: Megrahi appears in a televised pro-government rally in Libya and says his conviction was the result of a conspiracy.

2012

May 20: Megrahi dies at home in Tripoli aged 60.

2013

December 22: The UK, US and Libyan governments vow to co-operate to reveal the full facts of the bombing.

2014

June 5: Six members of Megrahis family join forces with 24 British relatives of those who died in the atrocity to seek another appeal against his conviction in the Scottish courts.

December 20: Scotlands top prosecutor Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland reaffirms Megrahis guilt and pledges to track down his accomplices.

A fresh appeal against conviction is supported by Dr Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora died in the atrocity (Andrew Milligan/PA)

2015

July 3: Scottish judges rule that relatives of the victims of the bombing should not be allowed to pursue an appeal on Megrahis behalf.

October 15: Scottish prosecutors announce they want two Libyans they have identified as suspects to be interviewed by police.

2017

July 4: Megrahis family lodges a new bid to appeal against his conviction, five years after his death.

2018

May 3: The SCCRC says a full review of Megrahis case will be carried out to decide whether a fresh appeal against conviction can be made.

November 21: A police investigation finds no evidence of criminality in relation to the handling of the Lockerbie investigation and prosecution.
Saudi pro-government citizens have taken to Twitter to blast the US in what appears as call for demonstrations to achieve positive political and social change in the kingdom finding itself isolated by the American Senate following the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; a critic of Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman.

In a video sent from the US embassys Twitter handle, on Wednesday, the mission seems to endorse peaceful protests and informing viewers on how they could take part in movements demanding change.

Even in oppressive, authoritarian conditions protesters can tailor their campaigns to succeed, says a narrator in the video that sparked outrage in the kingdom.

Research shows that between 1900 and 2006, campaigns of nonviolent resistance were more than twice as effective as their violent counterparts, the narrator adds.

The post received a quick push-back from Saudis loyal to the throne.

This is a dangerous, unwarranted and will have the opposite effect. We demand this is removed because it is inciting demonstrations and riots, said Saudi media advisor Mubarak Al Attay.

Demonstrations are banned in the Gulf country, known for its harsh crackdown on dissidents.

The video came amid troubled relations between the Middle East most powerful country and the US.

The Senate last week adopted a double resolution holding the Crown Prince responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul and calling for ending US support for the Saudi-led international coalition in the Yemen conflict.

Riyadh rejected the resolutions that it termed as blatant interference in its internal affairs.

The Senate through the moves countered President Donald Trump over his support for the Gulf country that he views as a strong ally in the fight against terrorism and a key business partner.
ibm

REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Hackers linked to Chinas Ministry of State Security (MSS) breached Hewlett Packard and IBM, then broke into clients computers, according to Reuters.

The attacks were part of a Chinese campaign known as Cloudhopper, which the US and Britain on Thursday said infected technology service providers in order to steal secrets.

While cybersecurity firms and government agencies have issued multiple warnings about the Cloudhopper threat since 2017, they have not disclosed the identity of technology companies whose networks were compromised.

WASHINGTON/LONDON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hackers working on behalf of Chinas Ministry of State Security breached the networks of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co and IBM, then used the access to hack into their clients computers, according to five sources familiar with the attacks.

The attacks were part of a Chinese campaign known as Cloudhopper, which the United States and Britain on Thursday said infected technology service providers in order to steal secrets from their clients.

While cybersecurity firms and government agencies have issued multiple warnings about the Cloudhopper threat since 2017, they have not disclosed the identity of technology companies whose networks were compromised.

International Business Machines Corp said it had no evidence that sensitive corporate data had been compromised. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) said it could not comment on the Cloudhopper campaign.

Businesses and governments are increasingly looking to technology companies known as managed service providers (MSPs) to remotely manage their information technology operations, including servers, storage, networking and help-desk support.

Cloudhopper targeted MSPs to access client networks and steal corporate secrets from companies around the globe, according to a US federal indictment of two Chinese nationals unsealed on Thursday. Prosecutors did not identify any of the MSPs that were breached.

Story continues

Both IBM and HPE declined to comment on the specific claims made by the sources.

IBM has been aware of the reported attacks and already has taken extensive counter-measures worldwide as part of our continuous efforts to protect the company and our clients against constantly evolving threats, the company said in a statement. We take responsible stewardship of client data very seriously, and have no evidence that sensitive IBM or client data has been compromised by this threat.

HPE said in a statement that it had spun out a large managed-services business in a 2017 merger with Computer Sciences Corp that formed a new company, DXC Technology.

The security of HPE customer data is our top priority, HPE said. We are unable to comment on the specific details described in the indictment, but HPEs managed services provider business moved to DXC Technology in connection with HPEs divestiture of its Enterprise Services business in 2017.

DXC Technology declined to comment, saying in a statement that it does not comment on reports about specific cyber events and hacking groups.

Reuters was unable to confirm the names of other breached technology firms or identify any affected clients.

The sources, who were not authorized to comment on confidential information gleaned from investigations into the hacks, said that HPE and IBM were not the only prominent technology companies whose networks had been compromised by Cloudhopper.

Cloudhopper, which has been targeting technology services providers for several years, infiltrated the networks of HPE and IBM multiple times in breaches that lasted for weeks and months, according to another of the sources with knowledge of the matter.

IBM investigated an attack as recently as this summer, and HPE conducted a large breach investigation in early 2017, the source said.

The attackers were persistent, making it difficult to ensure that networks were safe, said another source.

IBM has dealt with some infections by installing new hard drives and fresh operating systems on infected computers, said the person familiar with the effort.

Cloudhopper attacks date back to at least 2014, according the indictment.

The indictment cited one case in which Cloudhopper compromised data of an MSP in New York state and clients in 12 countries including Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Britain and the United States. They were from industries including finance, electronics, medical equipment, biotechnology, automotive, mining, and oil and gas exploration.

One senior intelligence official, who declined to name any victims who were breached, said attacks on MSPs were a significant threat because they essentially turned technology companies into launchpads for hacks on clients.

By gaining access to an MSP, you can in many cases gain access to any one of their customers, said the official. Call it the Walmart approach: If I needed to get 30 different items for my shopping list, I could go to 15 different stores or I could go to the one that has everything.

Representatives with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security declined to comment. Officials with the US Justice Department and the Chinese embassy in Washington could not be reached.

A British government spokeswoman declined to comment on the identities of companies affected by the Cloudhopper campaign or the impact of those breaches.

A number of MSPs have been affected, and naming them would have potential commercial consequences for them, putting them at an unfair disadvantage to their competitors, she said.

NOW WATCH: How Ocean Spray harvests 220 billion cranberries a year

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PARIS (Reuters) - French presidency officials met representatives of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Paris on Friday and assured them of French support, an Elysee palace official said.

Officials from the U.S.-backed SDF met with advisers to French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday following U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. forces. The SDF officials included Ilham Ahmed and Riad Darrar.

"The advisers passed on a message of support and solidarity and explained to them the talks France had with U.S. authorities to continue the fight against Daesh (Islamic State)," an Elysee official said.

(Reporting by Michel Rose; Editing by Geert De Clercq and Alison Williams)
A court in Paris has ordered the French oil company Total to pay a symbolic fine of 500,000 euros for bribing Iranian public officials.

Total was accused of having spent over 26 million euros on bribing Iranian officials to ensure the success of a deal allowing the French company access to the South Pars oilfield. The bribes were paid between 2000 and 2004.

The court found that the money was ostensibly paid to a consultancy company, but was in reality used to pay back-handers.

Much of the cash was paid to Medhi Rafsanjani, the son of then Iranian president, Hachemi Rafsanjani.

Medhi Rafsanjani was the director of several subsidiaries of the Iranian National Oil Company, with which organisation Total finally concluded the South Pars deal in September, 1997.

In its defence, Total claimed that the payments had been necessary to ensure the success of the French bid. The company further asserted that, since the bribes were paid outside France, the case had no place before a French court.

The court did not agree and imposed a symbolic fine of 500,000 euros.
A BMW driver was treated for injuries after being launched into the air off a concrete barrier at the side of a tunnel entrance, hitting the top of the tunnel, and crashing onto the road below, near Poprad, Slovakia, on December 20, police said.

Slovak police said that the 44-year-old driver, from Bardejov, did not sustain serious injuries and passed a breathalyzer test. The driver was the sole occupant of the car, police said. Credit: Slovak Police via Storyful
By Kiyoshi Takenaka and Malcolm Foster

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Tokyo court unexpectedly ruled not to extend the detention of Nissan's <7201.T> ex-chairman Carlos Ghosn on Thursday, meaning he may soon be released from jail where he has been since last month facing allegations of financial misconduct.

The Tokyo District Court said it had also decided against extending detention for Greg Kelly, a former Nissan executive who was arrested along with Ghosn on Nov. 19.

It later overruled an appeal by prosecutors against the decision, clearing the way for the possible release of the two men which public broadcaster NHK said could come as early as Friday.

The court did not disclose reasons for its decision and NHK said it was "extremely rare" for it to reject the prosecutors' request to extend detention.

If Ghosn and Kelly are granted bail, conditions may require them to apply for permission to travel overseas. They could also be barred from contacting Nissan officials.

Ghosn's lawyer Motonari Otsuru entered the tower-like Tokyo Detention Center where Ghosn and Kelly are held after dark, passing a crowd of waiting camera crews.

Otsuru left about 90 minutes later and did not make any comment, while Kelly's lawyer was not available for comment.

Both executives have not been able to make any public statements since their arrest, although local media have reported that they have denied wrongdoing.

Ghosn, who formed a carmaking alliance Nissan, Mitsubishi Motors Corp <7211.T> and France's Renault SA <RENA.PA>, was indicted on Dec. 10 for allegedly understating his income by about half over a five-year period from 2010, and re-arrested for the same alleged crime covering the past three years.

The 10-day detention period for the second allegation ran out on Thursday, and the court was widely expected to extend it for at least another 10 days. Granting bail to suspects who say they are innocent has until recently been unusual in Japan.

Story continues

It was not clear how much bail would be, or if it would be granted. Activist fund manager Yoshiaki Murakami, arrested in 2006 for insider trading, paid an initial 500 million yen (3.55 million pounds) in bail.

GLOBAL SCRUTINY

The case has put Japan's criminal justice system under international scrutiny and sparked criticism for some of its practices, including keeping suspects in detention for long periods and prohibiting defence lawyers from being present during interrogations, which can last eight hours a day.

Japan has also come under fire for its 99.9 percent conviction rate.

The court's decision could reflect sensitivity to that criticism as well as changing attitudes, said Masashi Akita, a defence lawyer in Osaka with over 30 years' experience.

"They are very nervous about criticism of their lenient approach toward detention. This is a typical case of such changing, I suppose," Akita said in emailed responses to Reuters' questions. "I think this case has a big impact and effect on the Japanese justice practice, and such a move is favourable for the defence side."

Akita said it could take until the middle of next week for all procedures to run their course if the men are freed.

Ghosn's arrest marked a dramatic fall for a leader once hailed for rescuing Nissan from the brink of bankruptcy.

He has been detained in a small room without a heater and a toilet in the corner. Authorities have limited his opportunities to shower and shave, a person familiar with the matter previously told Reuters.

DEFERRED COMPENSATION

At the centre of allegations against Ghosn is his Nissan income, with Tokyo prosecutors charging him for failing to disclose compensation that he had arranged to receive later.

Nissan has said a whistleblower investigation also uncovered personal use of company funds and other misconduct.

The scandal has shaken the Nissan-Mitsubishi-Renault alliance, with Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa calling for changes to weaken the clout of Renault SA <RENA.PA>, which owns a controlling stake in Nissan.

Renault has so far not replaced Ghosn as its head, saying his compensation had been in compliance with its own guidelines.

Documents seen by Reuters showed that some discussions about compensating Ghosn out of the public eye were not confined to Nissan, but also included Renault executives. Renault told Reuters that any such pay would have had to be made public in France.

Nissan on Thursday said Saikawa earlier this week held a one-on-one meeting with Renault acting boss Thierry Bollore, saying Saikawa described the meeting as "positive". It did not disclose details of the discussions.

Nissan declined to comment on the court's decision.

($1 = 111.8700 yen)

(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka and Malcolm Foster; Additional reporting by Chris Gallagher and Tim Kelly; Writing by Ritsuko Ando and Malcolm Foster; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman, Christopher Cushing and Alexander Smith)
ODESSA, Ukraine (Reuters) - Secretary of State for Defence Gavin Williamson visited Ukraine on Friday where he told his Ukrainian counterpart that the Black Sea did not belong to Russia and that Britain had sent a Royal Navy ship there to show Kiev did not stand alone.

Williamson was speaking as tensions in the area remain high after Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews in the Black Sea last month, accusing them of illegally entering its territorial waters, a charge Ukraine denied.

Williamson on Friday met Stepan Poltorak, his Ukrainian counterpart, and visited the port of Odessa where a British Royal Navy ship, HMS Echo, docked earlier this week.

"The reason...that HMS Echo is here is that we firstly want to demonstrate the solidarity that we have with Ukraine and the fact that Ukraine doesnt stand alone," said Williamson.

"But also demonstrate our right to be able to come to ports such as Odessa, for freedom of navigation, for freedom for navies to be able to operate in the Black Sea. This isnt Russias sea, this is an international sea.

Relations between Moscow and Kiev have been locked in a downwards spiral since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and backed pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

(Reporting by Iryna Nazarchuk; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
This is the remarkable story of a stranger who saved the life of a man known to him as Chris. This Good Samaritan was Iain Lee who happens to be a renowned talk radio presenter. While hosting a late night program earlier this week, he received a call from one of his listeners whose name was Chris. He said he was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD for a long time and was dying on a street. He went on to add that he wanted to end his life and from the way he was talking, Iain Lee realized that he needed immediate help.

New Zealand Herald reports the Good Samaritan was a popular host and was determined to save the man.

The only way to do that was to keep him talking while making efforts to trace him because he had not disclosed his whereabouts. He was just a name and when Iain Lee explained the situation to his producer, he rose to the occasion and their combined efforts saved Chris.

It needed a lot of patience

Iain Lee had appeared on the UK version of I'm a Celebrity in 2017. It is not often that a radio host has someone like Chris on the line and once Lee heard his woes, he knew he had to talk him out of his mental setup. It needed an approach that would help Chris to look ahead and not succumb to despair. With that in mind, Lee kept up the conversation for nearly half an hour and went to the extent of addressing him as a brother.

Radio host saves man's life live on air https://t.co/3JIyWOfq32  Fou (@fou_1) December 21, 2018

He probed him for details like which street he was on, what he was wearing, what he looked like, etcetera. At times, there would be a long pause and Lees mind would think of the worst. Ultimately, an ambulance and police reached the spot, rescued him, and shifted him to a nearby hospital for further treatment.

Discuss this news on Eunomia

Social media described the radio host as a hero for saving the life of a dying man. Lee, in turn, thanked his supporters for their kind words.

A Good Samaritan saves a man

Daily Mail UK also confirms the story of Iain Lee, a radio presenter, who saved the life of Chris. The stranger called him while he was on air to say that he had taken an overdose and was dying.

The only location he disclosed was Plymouth, Devon. The Good Samaritan in Lee jumped into action and managed to save him.

This incident reminds me of the 1965 movie The Slender Thread starring Anne Bancroft and Sidney Poitier. In it, Poitier portrays Alan, a college student who is volunteering at a crisis call center in Seattle. He gets a call from a woman named Inga (Bancroft) who says she had taken a lethal dose of pills and wants to talk to someone before dying. Alan has to keep her talking until help reaches her.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged Thursday on receiving his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani that Ankara would fully support Tehran against what he called unjust US sanctions against Iran.

Erdogan held a joint press conference with the visiting Iranian President whose country has since August been under US sanctions following the rejection of the 2015 multinational nuclear accord by President Donald Trump.

Following the first tranche of punitive measure, which targeted Irans banking sector, Washington last month imposed a second round of sanctions targeting Irans oil sector.

Turkey, member of the NATO, is key buyer of Iranian oil and received a 180-day waiver to continue purchasing the Iranian commodity.

Erdogan at the press conference stressed that the sanctions will lead to regional insecurity.

We will continue to be in solidarity with brotherly Iran at a time when pressures on Iran mounts which we find unjust, he said.

There are so many steps that Turkey and Iran can take together to end the clashes in our region and ensure a peaceful environment, he added.

Both leaders indicated that the sanctions could be turned into opportunities.

This embargo can be both a threat and damage. It can both decrease our trade volume and limit our relations. However, we can make a good plan and transform these threats into opportunities, Rouhani said.

He urged Turkish businesspeople to invest in Irans energy sector vowing that Tehran will provide necessary facilities, substances, ports and regions.

Both countries announced their intention to increase bilateral trade currently estimated at $11 billion to $30 billion.
The United Nations has drawn a bleak picture of the situation of migrants and refugees in Libya, pointing out that the climate of lawlessness in the country provides fertile ground for illicit activities, leaving migrants and refugees at the mercy of countless predators who view them as commodities to be exploited and extorted.

A report, jointly drafted by the U.N. Libya mission (UNSMIL) and the UN human rights office (OHCHR), sheds light on what it describes as unimaginable horrors faced by migrants and refugees in Libya, who are kept in inhumane conditions and subjected to all forms of abuse.

From unlawful killings, arbitrary detention and torture, to gang rape, slavery, and human trafficking, the report covers a 20-month period up to August 2018, and details a terrible litany of violations and abuses committed by a range of State officials, armed groups, smugglers and traffickers against migrants and refugees.

Migrants are bought to detention centers that are formally under the control of the Interior Ministry but in reality are controlled by armed groups, it said; adding that migrants are forced to work inside detention centers or on farms and construction sites.

As of Sept. 18, a total of 6,800 migrants were held in detention centers in western Libya, the U.N. report said.

Amnesty International estimates that about 20,000 people were intercepted by the Libyan coast guard in 2017 and taken back to Libya.

Last year, CNN television aired a video showing African migrants being sold off at auctions.

At least 8,000 migrants are currently being held across 18 detention centers linked to the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, according to UNHCR.

As the UN report was being released, Libyas coast guard said they have intercepted about 15,000 migrants trying to reach Italy by sea in 2018. But the 61-page report gave a much higher estimate saying the coast guard had intercepted or rescued 29,000 migrants in the first nine months of the year.
NGOs: Regulation Needed for Selection Process of Supreme Court Justices and Chairperson

The new version of the Constitution went into effect at the moment the newly elected President was sworn in. According to it, Supreme Court justices are no longer nominated by the President but rather by the High Council of Justice (HCOJ), and they are appointed for life by the Parliament. The Chairperson of the Supreme Court is selected for a 10-year term by the same procedure.Notably, at this moment the legislation does not provide a transparent procedure for selecting and nominating the candidates for Supreme Court justice and Chairperson positions. Neither are there clear criteria against which the candidates are to be evaluated.The Supreme Court is the highest instance of justice over the whole territory of Georgia. Its decisions are final and are not subject to appeal by parties. The Supreme Court plays a huge role in establishing and developing court practices and the interpretation of legal norms. Given the important role of the Supreme Court in the justice system, Supreme Court justices must enjoy high public trust. Justice must be an independent, impartial, veracious and honorable professional who enjoys a good reputation with the public and professional circles.Since the Constitution of Georgia clearly states that additional qualification requirements for common court judges are determined by Organic Law, it is important to implement appropriate amendments to the Organic Law on the Common Courts before starting the selection process for candidates for the Supreme Court. These amendments should establish additional selection criteria and the procedure for nominating the candidates by the High Council of Justice.In addition, given the important role of the Supreme Court, we believe that the Organic Law should provide for the same vote requirement for nominating a Supreme Court justice candidate that is required for judges appointed to the first and second instance courts  no less than 2/3 support of the full composition of the High Council of Justice.To guarantee the selection of the judges of the Supreme Court of Georgia complies with international standards and to ensure public trust in the selected candidates, the interviews with judicial candidates at the High Council of Justice must be open and their biographies must be available for the public.The Coalition positively assesses Article 205 of the newly adopted Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of Georgia, which obligates the relevant committee to create a working group to assess candidates for the positions of Supreme Court justice and Chairperson in accordance with the requirements provided in the Constitution of Georgia and/or other laws.We believe that the working group should be made up of those legal professionals and representatives of civil society who uphold the principles of democracy and human rights in their work. The working group should be given a reasonable time for this process. The candidate hearings in the committee must be public and stakeholders must be allowed to pose questions. This type of process will ensure the maximal engagement of civil society, thereby raising public trust in the process.The Coalition believes that Supreme Court judges should not be elected before the Organic Law establishes detailed rules for the selection and nomination of candidates by the High Council of Justice.We call on the Parliament of Georgia to immediately start working on the amendments to the Organic Law of Georgia on Common Courts.We call on the High Council of Justice to refrain from nominating candidates before the relevant legislative amendments are adopted.
Elaine Pagels, people say, is a heretic. Its an ancient accusation, of course, and it hardly wields as much power as it used to, especially in the free-wheeling religious landscape of America. And Ms. Pagels is, in fact, one of the globes foremost experts in early Christian heresies. But as a woman who has been disrupting established orthodoxies for nearly half a century, her name still has the power to arouse disdain in certain religious circles. You know, people have sometimes called me Elaine Pagan, the Princeton University professor says during an interview with the Monitor, smiling as she reflects on the trajectory of her lifes work, her many orthodox critics, and her new book, Why Religion? A Personal Story. Forty years ago, Pagels first book, The Gnostic Gospels, was an unlikely sensation. A young historian without tenure and a specialist who read 1st century languages like Coptic, she was one of the first to illuminate an ancient trove of long-lost gospels and other writings about Jesus, writings which were simply stumbled upon by a local farmer near the Egyptian town Nag Hammadi in 1945.

Still, at the heart of Why Religion? is a quiet meditation on the meaning of human mortality, and the grief and soul-shattering anguish the famous scholar experienced over the course her life. More than 25 years ago, her firstborn son, then 6, collapsed in her arms and died of a rare respiratory illness. Just a year later, with her two younger children under her care, she lost her husband, who fell to his death while hiking in Colorado. I needed to write this, partly because I needed to bring forth those experiences that I had buried, because they were so difficult to deal with at the time, Pagels says of the reasons for writing such an intensely personal book. And I think for anyone, whether its people who write poetry or music or any other kind of expressive forms, you can ask, Why do we really need to do that?  More here.
Zachary Siegel in Undark:

ON OCTOBER 2, 2018, police psychologist Laurence Miller took the stand to testify in the defense of Jason Van Dyke, a white police officer who shot Laquan McDonald, a black teenager from Chicagos West Side, in 2014. The facts of the case didnt look good for Van Dyke. A 13-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, he had shot McDonald 16 times within seconds of exiting his squad car. Though McDonald was holding the knife he had reportedly used to damage a patrol vehicle, the 17-year-old was shot while walking away from cops in the middle of the street. None of these events were in dispute. The shooting had been captured by another police vehicles dashboard camera, and Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder, 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, and one count of official misconduct.

The 67-year-old Miller, who lives in Boca Raton, Florida, was not there to argue about external events. Instead, he asked jurors to focus on Van Dykes perception of the shooting. With the lights dimmed in the crowded courtroom, Miller presented a slideshow titled, The Neuropsychology of Deadly Force Encounters. In life-and-death situations, he explained, the bodys stress response can distort cognition, perception, and memory. For police officers, this can lead to a phenomenon he referred to as deadly force mindset, where the officer, flooded with neurotransmitters and hormones that ensure survival of the moment, feels his or her only option is to kill or be killed. Van Dyke, Miller argued, should be found not guilty of the charges against him. Jurors scribbled notes throughout Millers testimony.

The use of psychologists in courtrooms is nothing new, of course, and defense attorneys and prosecutors alike have long relied on expert testimony to help divine the complex soup of chemical hormones and electrical impulses that drive human behavior. But the use of psychology in the defense of police officer shootings is less common  in part because so few officers ever end up on trial.

More here.
Its no secret that as the temperature drops, heart attacks go up: Frigidly cold temperatures plus overexertion (shoveling a foot of snow off of your cars roof, anyone?) are to blame. But so, too, may be another of winter's gifts: the holidays. The risk of having a heart attack is a whopping 37 percent higher on Christmas Eve, peaking at 10 p.m., according to a new analysis published earlier this month in the British Medical Journal.

The researchers analyzed over 280,000 heart attacks in Sweden over a 16-year period. While the biggest spike was on Christmas eve, there was also increased risk on Christmas day, Boxing Day (December 26), New Years Day and Midsummer (an important Swedish summer holiday). People over the age of 75, and people with chronic health conditions such as heart disease or diabetes, were at even higher risk.

This finding isnt very surprising to cardiologists, ER doctors or even primary care physicians. Other research has found that deaths from heart disease shoot up around Christmas and New Years more than at any other time. We call them Christmas coronaries, says Darria Long Gillespie, an emergency department physician, national spokesperson for the American College of Emergency Physicians and author of the upcoming book Mom Hacks: 100+ Science-Backed Shortcuts to Reclaim Your Body, Raise Awesome Kids, and Be Unstoppable. There are a few reasons why:

Emotional roller coasters. Tis the season for stress  whether its financial (how are you going to swing your share of the bill for the whole-family holiday cruise?) or emotional (are you really going to have to listen to your brothers political ramblings for three hours again this year?). Depression, too, plays a role. The holidays are hard for older adults, who may not have as much social support as they did when they were younger, and thus feel lonely and isolated, says Waqar Khan, an interventional cardiologist in Houston and an affiliate faculty member at the Baylor College of Medicine. And the same emotions that leave you feeling anxious and frazzled can also raise levels of hormones such as norepinephrine and adrenaline, which in turn can raise your blood pressure and heart rate enough to boost your heart attack risk.

Subzero temperatures. Baby, its cold outside  and when youre exposed to it, blood vessels in the exterior portions of your body constrict, which in turn raises blood pressure and increases strain on your heart, says Gillespie. Pair that with walking into a house filled with family drama, and its the perfect recipe to land you in the ER.


Bob Edwards: Hello I'm Bob Edwards with an AARP take on today.

Last week, a federal judge in Texas ruled the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. Supporters of the health care law immediately said they would appeal the decision. The law will remain in place while the appeal continues. The ruling came on the day before the 2018 federal Marketplace open enrollment for coverage in 2019 ended.

In a statement, AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond called the ruling a profound blow to millions of Americans. She also said it threatens to cut off life-saving health care services millions of older Americans rely on including its protections against charging older Americans an age tax and protections for people with preexisting health conditions.

LeaMond said, if upheld, this decision will throw both the U.S. economy and health care system into turmoil because millions of people will be cut off from health care coverage and essential health benefits. AARP will continue fighting in both Congress and the courts on behalf of older Americans and their ability to obtain high-quality, affordable health insurance.

Bob Edwards: The holidays can be a joyful time when spirits are lighter. It feels good to enjoy time with loved ones and celebrate with family traditions, but for many caregivers the holidays can also bring added stress. And an already busy caregiver may find there's even more to do during the holidays.

According to an AARP family caregiving survey, nearly 70% of caregivers say it's emotionally stressful to care for their loved ones during the holiday season.

Joining us today is Amy Goyer an AARP caregiving expert to provide tips to help you make it through the holiday season with more joy and less stress.

Bob Edwards: Thanks for being here.

Amy Goyer: Thank you great to be here.

Bob Edwards: I think we've all had dinner conversations take a turn for the worse what advice would you give to caregivers as they gather for the holiday meal especially if they're already feeling stressed?

Amy Goyer: We want to have realistic expectations for these holiday meals. We don't want to bring up the hot topics that everybody goes off on and cause strife at the holiday dinner table so try to be appreciative of the loved ones who do show up for the holidays. If you're a caregiver it's a good idea to show appreciation but not get into the, gee why haven't you been here I'm burned out why aren't you doing more for mom or dad?

Bob Edwards: The holidays seem to be a time when we notice loved ones might need more help and care tell me about that.

Amy Goyer: Often we don't visit our older loved ones terribly often so over the holidays we gather and we may notice some changes. We may notice things like mail piling up or they're not taking care of themselves, their personal care is changing, their clothes are dirty, or the house is dirty, yard work etc., so this is a time when a lot of times family feel like oh my gosh we need to do something more let's talk about this. Sometimes it's a not the best time to talk about it but it's a good time to observe.

Bob Edwards: Well I was going to ask now are the holidays a good time to discuss caregiving for a loved one?

Amy Goyer: For some families thats the only time they're together and so they really want to have those discussions. I recommend that if you can just schedule of time in the future to have one of those more intense conversations it's a good idea use the holidays as that time to observe, if this is the only time you can do it then set aside a specific time for it so it doesn't infiltrate your whole holiday celebration. Maybe go out to lunch, maybe the adult children go out to lunch together and talk about what can we do more to help mom and dad more.

Bob Edwards: So what's the approach?

Amy Goyer: The key approach if you're going to be talking to your siblings let's say about care for your parents is we're all in this together, this is a team, our common goal is for mom and dad to be as independent as possible for as long as possible, we're going to approach this with love and an attitude of support, how can we divide up the help that they need as evenly as possible and not have it all fall on one of the siblings?

Bob Edwards: And what are some of the things that friends and family can do to help family caregivers during the holidays?

Amy Goyer: One of these things our survey and information always shows is that caregivers really appreciate someone to talk to over the holidays. It can be a very stressful time, it can be a higher level of depression, isolation when everyone else is out doing holiday activities you're stuck at home caregiving and so I really suggest that people offer just to listen. Give them a call on a regular basis, stop by and have sit down have a cup of cocoa or bring a meal. Also practical support because caregivers would love to celebrate the holidays also but they don't have a lot of time so maybe you provide some help for their personal life so they have time freed up for holiday activities or you provide respite care for their loved ones and give them a break. If you can't provide that care of yourself, pay for it, offer to do that.

Bob Edwards: Any tips to help those currently family member caregivers manage that stress?

Amy Goyer: Thats the tough thing for family caregivers. Really key to watch for signs of burnout. So if you're wanting to sleep all the time or you're not sleeping at all, if you're crying a lot more, if you're exhausted. One of the key things is if you just don't care, that's a really big sign especially at the holiday is that something's off and that's a red flag. So the first thing you have to do on your list is take care of yourself.

I look at it like my car, my car can't run on empty and neither can I so I have to do things on an ongoing basis to fill my tank and we all know what that is for ourselves. It might be getting more sleep, it might be exercise, it might be time with friends, it might be time away from caregiving and that is really crucial to have that as well. So do that, think about cutting back on your holiday activities this year. You can do just the things that are most meaningful, what's most meaningful to you and for your loved ones that you're taking care of and that's the bottom line is create some treasured memories and just appreciate the time with your loved ones.

Bob Edwards: And what advice would you give to those visiting relatives needing care and relatives giving care as they gather for the holiday meal?

Amy Goyer: If you're going to visit loved ones and let's say you have a sibling who's more nearby and providing more of the care, the last thing you want to do is come in and start criticizing what they're doing. You may not feel like it's criticizing, you may just pointing things out, oh mom needs some new clothes, mom needs that, this isn't happening you know, and be aware of how that feels to the person receiving it. They want help, offer help rather than criticism. So you might say, I can see that mom is needing a little more help I bet you're exhausted, what can we do to help support you or help provide more care for mom? And if you're visiting your loved ones who are care recipients, the key thing is to be respectful again their independence is everyone's goal, so look at the ways that you can provide that kind of support for them to be as independent as possible.

Bob Edwards: I imagine the post holidays can leave caregivers feeling tired or lonely, how can visiting family stay connected after the holidays and continue to show support?

Amy Goyer: Its key to ask what is needed. Dont think that you know, ask the caregivers in your family what would be most helpful? I used to have my sister call every night. She lived long distance couldn't provide a lot of help but she called my parents every night and that was a great contribution because she asked me what can be done? So ask the caregivers what would be most helpful for them. Can you help out financially? And is there a good way to stay in touch, should we start doing video chats? One of the best things you can do is schedule your next visit while you're there. Its something for the caregivers and loved ones to look forward to. they know when you're going to come and what kind of relief that you're going to provide and you know just make a commitment to stay closer in touch and you can be a cheerleader to those caregivers in your family and be the one that gets them support and reinforcement for what they're doing over the long haul.

Bob Edwards: Tell me about your book.

Amy Goyer: My book is called Juggling Life, Work, and Caregiving. Its a practical guide for family caregivers. It covers everything from kind of assessing the situation for yourself and for your loved ones, managing care for yourself as your caregiving, there's a whole chapter on that because it's so key, health issues, financial issues, legal issues, caring for a loved one at home or in a facility. Just because someone's in a facility doesn't mean you don't still have a big role. And then I also cover end-of-life and life after caregiving, which is a big challenge for a lot of people. So it's just a very practical, I've been a caregiver my whole adult life so I know you don't have time to read a book that isn't helpful, so it's really very navigable for caregivers.

Bob Edwards: And where can we find that?

Amy Goyer: You can find that via the AARP website at aarp.org/caregivingbooks or you can go on Amazon or Barnes & Noble's.

Bob Edwards: Thank you so much.

Amy Goyer: Great to be here.

Bob Edwards: For more advice and tips visit aarp.org/caregiving.

TRANSITION

Bob Edwards: In the market for a new car? If youre thinking of buying one with safety features like blind spot and lane departure warnings as a way to reduce your insurance costs, it may not be worth it.

In fact, insurers may charge you higher rates if your car is loaded with them. The reason: the parts can be expensive to replace. But what actually does drive up the cost of driving just might surprise you.

Like gender. Yes, guys, we are at a disadvantage, according to the Highway Safety Insurance Institute. But married folks, homeowners and those with higher education levels just might catch a break.

Your zip code matters, mostly where it comes to the local weather and car theft and vandalism rates. As does what you do for a living. Some states allow car insurance discounts for certain occupations like first responders, educators, medical professionals and those in the military.

Heres some good news. Its a total myth that car color will affect your insurance rates.

So that red car youve always wanted? Go for it.

For more, visit AARP.org/podcast. Become a subscriber. Be sure to rate our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, and other podcast apps. Thanks for listening, I'm Bob Edwards.
Editor's note: This story has been updated.

Four weeks into the partial government shutdown, federal agencies are recalling an increasing number of furloughed workers to provide services to the American people, including vital food inspections, processing of income-tax returns, and airplane safety checks.

The partial shutdown began on Dec. 22 because legislation needed to fund nine departments was not passed, so these agencies do not have money to operate. The affected departments are Agriculture (USDA), Commerce, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Interior, Justice, State, Transportation and Treasury. Although these agencies technically are not funded, more than 450,000 workers are carrying out their duties  most without being paid. (This week President Donald Trump signed a bill enabling these employees to be paid retroactively once the government fully reopens.)

Heres a look at how some key government responsibilities have been affected by this longest shutdown in American history.

Social Security and Medicare: These programs are funded and are not affected by the shutdown, so Social Security payments to retirees, individuals with disabilities and other beneficiaries have continued. Medicare beneficiaries are still getting health care services.

Mail service: Mail is being delivered. The U.S. Postal Service is an independent organization and is not affected by the shutdown.

National parks and U.S. monuments: Many of the countrys more than 400 national parks, monuments and historic sites are open but with very limited services. Park rangers are not on duty, and despite reports of volunteers stepping in to help, bathrooms and other facilities remain unattended and trash is piling up. At least one site, Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California, closed last week after reports of vandalism, including destruction of some treasured trees. Several states have intervened to keep some of the nations iconic sites open, including the Grand Canyon in Arizona and the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in New York. And just in time for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, the Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Foundation provided a grant to the National Park Service to reopen the city's Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park. The grant will fund the facility through Super Bowl Sunday, on Feb. 3.

Veterans benefits and services: The Department of Veterans Affairs is funded, so VA hospitals, medical centers and clinics are fully operational.

Taxes: The Internal Revenue Service is affected because it is part of the Treasury Department. But the IRS has recalled more than 46,000 furloughed employees to handle the processing of income-tax returns and refunds. Filing season officially begins on Jan. 28.

Travel: Flights are not affected, and air traffic controllers remain on the job, but if you're traveling by plane, you should get to the airport a little earlier than usual. While the Transportation Security Administration's airport security screeners are working, more agents than usual have been calling in sick, and that has increased waiting times at many airports. In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration has put thousands of safety inspectors and engineers back on duty to inspect and work on aircraft.

Nutrition: The USDA has enough money to pay for SNAP (formerly called food stamps) for February. Meals on Wheels and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program food-box deliveries are expected to be available through March.

Food safety: The Food and Drug Administration has recalled nearly 150 furloughed employees without pay to resume safety inspections on certain drugs, devices and high-risk foods, such as cheese, fruits and vegetables, and infant formula.

Passports: The State Department is continuing to issue and renew passports and visas, although some passport offices located in federal buildings may be closed. The department is also updating its travel advisories and providing other country-by-country information for travelers.

Job discrimination: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has been closed since the shutdown started. That means workers over 40 who believe they have been discriminated against because of their age may face challenges in getting claims filed and processed. For example, instead of being able to file an application online, workers will have to mail or fax their complaints to the EEOC during the shutdown. This is particularly important because discrimination charges are time sensitive, and the agency is warning that the time limits for filing complaints might not be extended because of the shutdown. Even so, the EEOC advises workers to begin the filing process and has tips on its website for what to do.

Housing: USDA loans for low- and moderate-income Americans who live in rural areas have stopped. The Federal Housing Administration is not issuing the needed paperwork for reverse mortgages to get approved. More than 1,000 contracts between HUD and landlords who provide rental assistance to low-income tenants have expired, and hundreds more will expire in February. This includes the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly program, which helps very low-income people over age 62. Without federal support, the buildings that house these tenants could fall into disrepair, and depending on how long the shutdown lasts, some residents could lose their housing.

Farm services: USDA recalled 2,500 Farm Service Agency employees to temporarily assist agricultural producers with existing farm loan payments and other pressing needs and to ensure they get the tax documents necessary to file their returns. The offices will be closed Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, but certain offices will be open Tuesday.
Fraud charge brings 10-year sentence, $7.78M in restitution for farmer

Former Watertown farmer who admitted to bank fraud was sentenced to 10 years in prison, $7.78 million in restitution.
Each holiday season, New Mexico nights are filled with the flickering glow from farolitos  or luminarias.

Depending on where you live in New Mexico, the word usage is different, and around the Land of Enchantment, each community celebrates in a different way.

Here are some events to check out this Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Mesilla

The town of Mesillas most awaited event will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 24.

Avenida de Mesilla will be lined with luminarias, lighting the way to the plaza in the beautiful, historic community.

Festivities will include live Christmas caroling and complimentary traditional Mexican hot chocolate.

The event is free to attend.

Albuquerque

For 54 years, ABQ Rides Luminaria Tour has been a tradition for many on Christmas Eve.

As in previous years, tickets for the annual event sold out in hours, but those willing can take their own tour.

Ticketholders are encouraged to arrive 20 minutes before their scheduled departure, according to an ABQ Ride news release.

According to city officials, the best place to park for free is at the Convention Centers east side parking structure, at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Broadway.

Free parking will also be available for disabled and special-needs individuals in the parking lot at the northwest corner of Third and Marquette NW, just north of Civic Plaza.

Parking underneath Civic Plaza is also free.

Tour buses will pick up passengers on the Second Street NW side of the Albuquerque Convention Center. Buses depart at 5:30 p.m., 5:50 p.m., 6:10 p.m., 6:45 p.m., 7:05 p.m. and 7:25 p.m. on Monnday, Dec. 24.

Bathrooms are available at the Convention Center. Drinks with lids will be allowed on the buses, but food and open liquid containers are prohibited.

The major areas of the Luminaria Tour are Old Town, the neighborhoods around Albuquerque Country Club, and Los Altos off Old Coors. The tour lasts about 45 minutes.

Taos

Drive up north to the scenic town of Taos for the holiday.

Beginning at sunset on Monday, Dec. 24, there will be the Christmas Eve procession at Taos Pueblo.

The event features a stunning contrast between massive bonfires and the Procession of the Virgin, with rifle salutes from the rooftops of the 1,000-year-old adobe pueblo buildings. For details, visit taospueblo.com

Then at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 24, there are the Christmas Eve Torchlight Parades.

Eventgoers will watch as skiers make their way down the mountain in the dark with flares as their only means of light. All the area ski resorts  Taos Ski Valley, Angel Fire, Sipapu, Enchanted Forest and Red River  have torchlight parades and fireworks during the holiday season.

And at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 25, there is the Taos Pueblo Deer or Matachines Dance. Visitors can witness the ancient Native American ceremonial dance honoring the depths of winter, as danced and drummed by the people of Taos Pueblo. No cameras, cellphones, or video cameras are allowed. Visit taospueblo.com, for information.

Santa Fe

On Monday, Dec. 24, Canyon Road will be transformed by farolitos as thousands of people visit for the annual Canyon Road Farolito Walk.

The Farolito Walk is free. No reservations or tickets are needed. The walk starts on Christmas Eve at dusk.

Organizers ask that visitors be prepared for crowds and a slow pace. To avoid the rush, consider going later in the evening, around 8 p.m. Strollers are difficult to maneuver along the cobblestone streets and uneven sidewalks, in addition to blocking pedestrian paths and causing traffic jams. Visit farolitowalk.com.
Visit Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel for some holiday cheer and gambling fun on Christmas Day.

Santa Ana Star will have free-play drawings on Tuesday, Dec. 25. Guests will earn an entry into the drawing with every 50 points they accrue playing their favorite games. Patrons will have a chance to win $100 in free play between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. Players also will receive four times the points when they play Dec. 25.

Dont miss your chance to win up to $100,000 during the Twister of Cash drawing. Guests earn an entry with every 500 points they accrue now through Dec. 30. Drawings will be held at 8 p.m. Dec. 29 and 30. Three guests will be selected in the drawings.

Santa Ana Star wraps up its $100,000 Yellow Brick Road to Riches promotion on Saturday, Dec. 22. Guests earn an entry into the drawing with every 500 points they accrue playing their preferred games. The final drawing will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday. Three players will be selected during the drawing for their chance at up to $100,000.

Santa Ana Star is helping you bring in 2019 right with Noon Years and midnight countdowns with free party favors while supplies last on Dec. 31. There will also be $100 free-play drawings. The drawings will be held hourly from 2 p.m. to midnight Dec. 31.

A New Years Day Car Giveaway will be held on Jan. 1. Patrons earn an entry into the drawing with every 500 points they accrue now through Jan. 1. The drawing will be held at 8 p.m. Jan. 1. Ten winners will be selected, with nine winning cash prizes and one winning a new 2019 Cadillac ATS. There also will be $100 free play drawings held hourly from noon to 6 p.m. and a New Years Day slot tournament from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 1 for a chance to win up to $500 cash.

Enjoy holiday dining at the Feast Buffet, Juniper Steakhouse and Cantina Rio.

The Feast will host a Christmas Eve buffet from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with a dessert and salad bar. The buffet is $10.60 for adults and is $5 off for patrons who are part of the casinos Club 50+. It will be closed Christmas Day. The Feast will serve a seafood and prime rib buffet from 11 a.m. to midnight on Dec. 31 for $29.95 per adult, with $5 off for Club 50+ members. A New Years Day brunch buffet will be offered from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 1. It will feature an omelet station, French toast, bacon, sausage and pastries for $15.95.

Juniper Steakhouse will offer a three-course dinner with roast turkey plus soup or salad and dessert for $45 per person on Dec. 24. It will be closed Dec. 25. A three-course meal featuring beef tenderloin and foie gras or Alaskan king crab legs, plus soup or salad, and dessert will be available for $65 per person on Dec. 31. A full menu will be offered on Jan. 1.

Cantina Rio will be open Dec. 24, Dec. 25, Dec. 31 and offer a prime rib dinner for $19.95 and a dessert buffet for $7 on those dates. Its full menu will be available on Jan. 1. For information on Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel, call 867-0000 or visit santaanastar.com.
An Albuquerque school has not made adequate progress in how it serves students with disabilities, despite months of being on a corrective action plan, and should face a revocation hearing, Albuquerque Public Schools staff told the Board of Education Wednesday night.

La Resolana Leadership Academy has been under the microscope after APS staff found the school was breaking federal and local special education law.

Months after the Board of Education voted not to renew its contract and the school appealed to the state, a charter oversight team is recommending the Board of Education officially move forward with revoking La Resolanas charter, which would shut down the school.

Joseph Escobedo, senior director of the Office of Innovation and School Choice, suggested a revocation hearing take place in February, but he clarified that the department is not suggesting closing the school immediately at that time.

The revocation recommendation comes after the team re-reviewed special education procedures at the school in November, finding the school had made progress in only about five of 16 areas.

Specifically, the school is still not up to par with education plans for students using special education services, according to a report.

There is no excuse in my mind, Escobedo told the board, highlighting the fact that the school only has 73 students.

Rob Leming, La Resolana Governing Council president, fired back in an emailed statement to the Journal, saying the school has made more progress than what was presented to the board.

At the upcoming February hearing, the school will have a chance to present its case.

We feel that not having an opportunity to address these issues during the discussion is a problem and look forward to bringing to light the true progress that LRLA made with regard to the corrective action plan, Lemings email said in part.

Board members expressed concern about the school at the meeting.

Member Candelaria Patterson called the schools lack of progress outrageous. And President David Peercy said charters should be cautious because of the challenges of serving special education students.

Leming said he felt the board didnt consider the schools progress in full, calling members comments threatening and derisive.

The Board of Education previously chose not to approve La Resolanas contract in June after the school was found to be violating federal and state special education law; at the time, APS officials said the school was slated to close down in July, but La Resolana appealed to the state.

PED Secretary-designate Christopher Ruszkowski concluded the district didnt go through the proper channels to shut down the school and required a PED-approved contract be executed.

Now that the Board of Education agreed to PEDs contract, it can officially move toward revocation.
WASHINGTON  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday after clashing with President Donald Trump over the abrupt withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria and after two years of deep disagreements over Americas role in the world.

Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Trumps administration, will leave by the end of February after two tumultuous years struggling to soften and moderate the presidents hardline and sometimes sharply changing policies. He told Trump in a letter that he was leaving because you have a right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours.

Mattis went to the White House with his resignation letter in hand to meet with the president and spoke to Trump for about 45 minutes, according to a senior U.S. official familiar with the incident but speaking on conditions of anonymity to discuss a private meeting.

There was no confrontation between the two men, the official said, and there was no one issue that caused the resignation. However, the official said, Syria likely was the last straw for Mattis.

His departure was immediately lamented by foreign policy hands and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who viewed the retired Marine general as a sober voice of experience in the ear of a president who had never held political office or served in the military. Even Trump allies expressed fear over Mattis decision to quit, believing him to be an important moderating force on the president.

Just read Gen. Mattis resignation letter, tweeted Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed toward a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances & empower our adversaries.

Mattis did not mention the dispute over Syria in his letter or proposed deep cuts to U.S. forces in Afghanistan, another significant policy dispute. He noted his core belief that American strength is inextricably linked with the nations alliances with other countries, a position seemingly at odds with the America First policy of the president.

The defense secretary also said China and Russia want to spread their authoritarian model and promote their interests at the expense of America and its allies. That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense, he wrote.

The announcement came a day after Trump surprised U.S. allies and members of Congress by announcing the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Syria, and as he continues to consider cutting in half the American deployment in Afghanistan by this summer. The news coincided with domestic turmoil as well, Trumps fight with Congress over a border wall and a looming partial government shutdown.

Trumps decision to pull troops out of Syria has been sharply criticized for abandoning Americas Kurdish allies, who may well face a Turkish assault once U.S. troops leave, and had been staunchly opposed by the Pentagon.

Mattis, in his resignation letter, emphasized the importance of standing up for U.S. allies  an implicit criticism of the presidents decision on this issue and others.

While the U.S. remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies, Mattis wrote.

Last year, Republican Sen. Bob Corker  a frequent Trump critic  said Mattis, along with White House chief of staff John Kelly and then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, were helping separate our country from chaos.

Tillerson was fired early this year. Kelly is to leave the White House in the coming days.

This is scary, reacted Senate Intelligence committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., on Twitter. Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration.

Jim Mattis did a superb job as Secretary of Defense. But he cannot be expected to stand behind a President who disrespects our allies and ingratiates himself to our adversaries, said William Cohen, who served as defense secretary under Bill Clinton and knows Mattis well.

Mattis departure has long been rumored, but officials close to him have insisted that the battle-hardened retired Marine would hang on, determined to bring military calm and judgment to the administrations often chaotic national security decisions and to soften some of Trumps sharper tones with allies.

Opponents of Mattis, however, have seen him as an unwanted check on Trump.

Mattis went to the White House Thursday afternoon to resign after failing to persuade the president in a tense Oval Office meeting to change his decision on withdrawing troops from Syria, according to two people with knowledge of the conversation but not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Another U.S. official said that Mattis decision was his own, and not a forced resignation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Trump said a replacement would be chosen soon.

The presidents national security teams job is to give him advice and its the presidents job to make a decision, said press secretary Sarah Sanders.

At the start of the Trump administration, the president had gushed about his respect for Mattis, repeatedly calling him Mad Dog, despite Mattis own public insistence that the moniker was never his. Instead, his nickname for years was CHAOS, which stood for Colonel Has An Outstanding Suggestion, and reflected Mattis more cerebral nature.

The two quickly clashed on major policy decisions.

During his first conversations with Trump about the Pentagon job, Mattis made it clear that he disagreed with his new boss in two areas: He said torture doesnt work, despite Trumps assertion during the campaign that it did, and he voiced staunch support for traditional U.S. international alliances, including NATO, which Trump repeatedly criticized.

Mattis was credited by some in the administration for blocking an executive order that would have reopened CIA interrogation black sites. Trump has said the Pentagon chief convinced him it wasnt necessary to bring back banned torture techniques like waterboarding.

En route to his first visit to Iraq as defense secretary, Mattis bluntly rebuffed Trumps assertion that America might take Iraqi oil as compensation for U.S. efforts in the war-torn country.

The two also were divided on the future of the Afghanistan war, with Trump complaining from the first about its cost and arguing for withdrawal. Mattis and others ultimately persuaded Trump to pour additional resources and troops into the conflict to press toward a resolution.

U.S. officials say there now is active planning in the Pentagon that would pull as many as half the 14,000 U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by summer. They say no final decision has been made.

Trump also chafed at the Pentagons slow response to his order to ban transgender people from serving in the military. That effort has stalled due to multiple legal challenges.

More recently, Trump bypassed Mattis choice for the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. David Goldfein, the Air Force chief, was Mattis top choice, but Trump chose Gen. Mark Milley, the chief of the Army.

The Pentagon has appeared to be caught off guard by a number of Trump policy declarations, often made through Twitter. Those include plans that ultimately fizzled to have a big military parade this month and the more recent decision to send thousands of active duty troops to the Southwest border.

Mattis has determinedly kept a low public profile, striving to stay out of the news and out of Trumps line of fire.

Those close to him have repeatedly insisted that he would not quit, and would have to either be fired or die in the job. But others have noted that a two-year stint as defense chief is a normal and respectable length of service.

Born in Pullman, Washington, Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969, later earning a history degree from Central Washington University. He was commissioned as an officer in 1972. As a lieutenant colonel, he led an assault battalion into Kuwait during the first U.S. war with Iraq in 1991.

In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Mattis commanded the Marines who launched an early amphibious assault into Afghanistan and established a U.S. foothold in the Taliban heartland. As the first wave of Marines moved toward Kandahar, Mattis declared, The Marines have landed, and now we own a piece of Afghanistan.

Two years later, he helped lead the invasion into Iraq in 2003 as the two-star commander of the 1st Marine Division. As a four-star, he led Central Command from 2010 until his retirement in 2013.

__

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Robert Burns contributed.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump knows how to make an entrance.

Minutes before signing a massive agriculture bill, he tweeted a video of himself at the 2006 Emmy awards dressed like a farmer and belting out the tune to Green Acres with Will and Grace star Megan Mullally.

Green Acres is the place to be. Farm living is the life for me, sang Trump, holding a pitchfork and wearing a white T-shirt, denim overalls and a straw hat.

The Green Acres tune then played just before Trump entered the auditorium where Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other guests had been waiting for about an hour.

Somebody had that and I said put it on. Not too much of it, but put it on,' said Trump, a former reality TV star.

Shortly after Trump tweeted the video, Mullally tweeted, omg.

Trump signed the farm bill Thursday after the Agriculture Department announced plans to tighten work requirement for food-stamp recipients under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Negotiations over the bill had stalled in Congress over a provision by the House to cut the food-aid program and the Senates unwillingness to go along.

Trump had voiced strong support for stricter work requirements. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said a pending regulation to tighten work requirements was a tradeoff for Trumps support.

The farm bill reauthorizes agriculture and conservation programs at a rough cost of $400 billion over five years or $867 billion over 10 years.

The light-hearted bill signing came as Washington was gripped by the threat of a potential government shutdown due to a funding dispute.

___

Associated Press writer Juliet Linderman contributed to this report.
Taos Air has begun flying to Dallas and Austin, Texas.

The non-stop service on 30-passenger jets will offer fights on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and holiday Mondays this winter, for a total of six round trips per week. Complimentary shuttle service from Taos Regional Airport to Taos Ski Valley will be available to guests staying at the mountain.

Taos Air is a significant milestone for Taos Ski Valley, but more importantly for the entire region. We believe this investment will help drive visitors to Northern New Mexico benefitting all of us in this region, said David Norden, CEO of Taos Ski Valley, Inc.
Albuquerque city officials told the Journal on Thursday that, in light of a recent state Court of Appeals ruling, police temporarily suspended the seizure of vehicles from certain suspected drunken drivers and others at the beginning of the week.

Police Chief Michael Geiers order on Monday brought a halt to a yearslong practice in Albuquerque of officers taking cars from people arrested on suspicion of their second or subsequent drunken-driving offense, driving on a revoked license, vice-related crimes, certain gun charges or drag racing.

The New Mexico Court of Appeals ruled Dec. 5 that Albuquerques vehicle seizure program doesnt comply with the New Mexico Forfeiture Act, which was amended in 2015 to sharply curtail when law enforcement agencies could take property that it suspects was used in a crime.

Santa Fe police, which operated a similar vehicle seizure program, quickly suspended the practice after the court ruling. In Albuquerque, officers continued to take vehicles under a city ordinance for about two weeks, until Geiers special order was issued.

The city provided the Journal with a copy of the order Thursday, the same day the Journal published a story on how Albuquerque police, as recently as last weekend, were still taking cars under a vehicle-seizure ordinance despite the appeals court ruling.

We did wait 12 days. But this is a huge public safety issue for us, said Sarita Nair, the citys chief administrative officer. We thought it was worth consideration.  There are problem drivers out there, and this program was taking their weapon away. If we cant do that anymore, then we are just going to have to continue our other enforcement efforts.

Nair said that now, when officers arrest someone on suspicion of a second or subsequent drunken driving offense, police may call for a private company to tow their car. The vehicle owner must contact the tow lot to retrieve the car.

As recently as last weekend, the practice was for Albuquerque police to have the car towed to a lot the city leased. Owners would then have to schedule a hearing and negotiate the terms of their vehicles release with a city official. Often, the vehicle owners would have to pay a fine of about $1,000 or more and agree to have their car booted for several months.

Nair said the city has decided not to appeal the recent court ruling.

The court has spoken. We didnt think that we were doing anything wrong when we did it, but we are going to respect the courts decision, Nair said. Our whole goal the whole time was just to do the right thing.
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Four Republican state lawmakers are asking the state Supreme Court to block the enforcement of 2017 campaign finance rules that require more disclosure of political spending by independent groups.

In a petition filed Thursday, the legislators accused Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver of overstepping her authority last year when she imposed the new disclosure requirements, after a series of public hearings.

The new rules came after Gov. Susana Martinez vetoed legislation that included similar disclosure requirements.

In a 30-page filing with the Supreme Court, the four legislators  Sen. William Sharer of Farmington, Sen. Mark Moores of Albuquerque, Rep. James Strickler of Farmington and Rep. David Gallegos of Eunice  said Toulouse Oliver had made an end run around the Republican governors veto.

An extraordinary breach of New Mexicos constitutional order lies at the heart of this case  a veto of a veto that effectively enacted law without a governors signature and without a veto override by the New Mexico State Legislature, the petition says.

A national advocacy group, the New Civil Liberties Alliance, and Albuquerque attorney Colin Hunter filed the petition on behalf of the legislators.

Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat and the states top election officer, rolled out the new campaign rules in 2017. She and her staff said they made changes to the initial proposal to address the concerns of opponents.

Critics argued that the new rules would chill free speech rights, because people might be harassed if their donations were made public.

The rules require nonprofit and other groups active in New Mexico campaigns  but not coordinating with candidates  to disclose their significant donors if they spend more than $2,500 on any one political advertisement for a statewide race or more than $7,500 total in an election cycle.

Before the new rule was adopted, New Mexico had been one of just three states that did not require people or groups to disclose independent expenditures, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

New Mexicos voters deserve to know who is spending money to influence their voting decisions, and this is a step in the right direction, Toulouse Oliver said in 2017 when the rules went into effect.

She said she was prepared to defend the rules in court if necessary.

The Journal wasnt able to reach anyone in the Secretary of States Office late Thursday.
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

Just weeks after one Albuquerque sick leave ordinance quietly failed, another one has arrived.

The citys latest paid sick leave proposal would cover employees at businesses of all sizes, extend to those who work part time or seasonally and permit lawsuits against employers alleged to have violated the law.

It would also allow absences to care for immediate family members as well as any other individual with whom the employee or spouse has the equivalent of a family relationship.

Albuquerque City Councilor Pat Davis on Monday filed the legislation, written in conjunction with several advocacy groups. He calls it a compromise bill that balances employee and employer needs.

But critics are already lining up, with some business groups saying it closely resembles a previous proposal they considered too onerous  one voters narrowly defeated last year.

That ordinance, called Healthy Workforce, made it to the ballot after advocacy organizations gathered about 14,000 signatures. About 91,000 votes were cast in the Oct. 3, 2017, election, and the proposed ordinance lost by about 700 votes.

That outcome prompted Councilors Ken Sanchez, a Democrat, and Don Harris, a Republican, to introduce a less comprehensive sick leave ordinance they considered more business-friendly. But their bill died last month when it failed to advance out of a council committee.

Davis said he sees his newly introduced bill as a way to reset that conversation.

His legislation would guarantee workers at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 56 hours of sick leave per year.

It would not require employers to change their existing policies if they complied with the requirements, nor would it preclude companies from offering more generous benefits.

Employees could use leave for their own illness or medical care; to care for family members or anyone with whom they or a spouse/partner consider the equivalent of a family relationship; or to cover absences related to domestic violence.

Unlike the past two proposals, Davis bill would not exempt small businesses or lower the requirements for them.

The Sanchez-Harris bill would have applied only to businesses with at least 50 employees. Healthy Workforce, meanwhile, had different provisions for businesses with fewer than 40 employees.

Restricting a mandate to those with 50-plus employees would affect only 240 businesses  1.8 percent of all businesses in Albuquerque, according to a new city-commissioned study from the University of New Mexicos Bureau of Business & Economic Research.

The same study found that 100,596 Albuquerque workers do not have access to paid sick leave, a figure Davis cited in his bill. That number includes 64 percent of those in the leisure and hospitality industry, which includes food services, and 44 percent of those who work in retail.

Organizations supporting Davis bill  including the Center for Civic Policy, the Center on Law and Poverty and New Mexico Voices for Children  issued a joint statement, saying workers without paid sick leave must make the tough decision between taking care of themselves if they get sick, or losing a days paycheck.

We have the opportunity to do right by all of our citys small businesses and working families, their statement said.

However, both the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and the New Mexico Restaurant Association  part of a collective that campaigned against the Healthy Workforce ordinance  said this week that they would oppose Davis bill.

Its just too similar to that bill, chamber Vice Chairman Sherman McCorkle said. We have not yet dissected it and taken it to the (chamber) board, but it would appear very difficult to repair by amendment.

The bills have similarly broad definitions of family, and both would extend paid sick leave benefits to any worker  even those who work seasonally, part time or on a temporary basis  as long as they log 56 total hours in a year.

The Sanchez-Harris bill would have allowed employees to use the leave only to care for themselves, their children or spouse, and it would have applied only to employees who worked an average of at least 20 hours a week.

Davis said his bill would give employers more latitude in structuring their policies than Healthy Workforce; one notable distinction is that they can require documentation for any sick leave absence. The previous bill would have allowed businesses to demand documentation only when a worker took three consecutive days.

Although both would prohibit retaliation against employees who take leave, Healthy Workforce presumed an employer had violated the ordinance if it had taken any adverse action against a worker within 90 days after the employee took sick leave or reported an alleged violation. Davis bill does not include that language.

However, Carol Wight, CEO of the restaurant association, said she is concerned partly because Davis bill would allow lawsuits against alleged ordinance violators even before a complaint had gone through the citys administrative process. The Sanchez-Harris bill would have established an administrative hearing process, after which any aggrieved party could have appealed in court.

It almost assumes that employers are trying to cheat people, and really, employers are just trying to do their best, she said.

But some business owners support mandating sick leave.

Ken Carson, the owner of Nexus Brewery, helped work on the bill as a member of the social advocacy nonprofit OLE.

Carson said he already offers paid leave for all his employees  something his applicants are often surprised to learn, especially servers who work part time.

Having left banking to start his restaurant and brewery, Carson said he doesnt understand why sick leave should be the standard in one industry but not in another  especially one in which compensation tends to be lower.

When youre on a budget, when your income is low, youre the least able to be able to afford missing a day of work, whereas our bankers  and Im sure the lobbyists for the Chamber of Commerce and all the people who are against it  all have leave, he said. Why do they get leave and others in our community dont?
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

The state Children, Youth and Families Department unveiled its new Childrens Wellness Center on Thursday, part of its efforts to get all of its Albuquerque services onto a single campus.

The wellness center is part of a complex at Indian School Road just east of Carlisle that also contains a new Childrens Receiving Center and offices for the agencys Statewide Central Intake.

On Thursday, CYFD Cabinet Secretary Monique Jacobson and Gov. Susana Martinez toured the new campus, a cluster of five former office buildings that will provide 230,000 square feet of space.

We expect a lot from the people who work at CYFD, and we will continue to do so, but we have to give them the tools. We have to give them the workplace to do the absolute best for the kids of New Mexico, Martinez said.

The new Receiving Center, which is about 13,000 square feet, was designed so kids who come into custody have a warm, beautiful environment to wait while were looking for a foster placement, so they dont have to sit in offices, or if they arrive in the middle of the night theyre not sleeping under desks, said Jacobson.

Its a place where they are treated with the love and care and respect that all the kids in our custody deserve.

The ultimate goal of the project is to relocate all of CYFDs Albuquerque operations, now in three separate buildings, to one location, explained Jacobson.

Phase One of the project, funded by a $20 million allocation from the state Legislature, covers the purchase of the property, renovation of three of the buildings, and the cost of relocating all the services from CYFDs building on San Mateo north of Central Ave., said Jacobson.

She noted that the 20-year lease on the San Mateo building expires at the end of the year.

About 400 employees are part of the Phase One move, which is expected to be complete by the end of January.

The move involves the relocation of Juvenile Justice field workers, half of Protective Service operations, the CYFD Training Academy, Statewide Central Intake, and a bigger and better equipped Receiving Center for children.

The Receiving Center contains a laundry room, showers, lockers, cots, a clothing exchange area, playrooms, quiet rooms where kids can decompress, a backpack wall where kids can select a backpack containing stuffed animals, writing journals, coloring books and other comfort items, and improved visitation space for families working to reunify with their children.

The Receiving Center building also houses larger space for Statewide Central Intake, which is open 24-hours a day, seven days a week, and fields about 40,000 calls a year from around the state concerning abuse and neglect. About 20 employees staff the phones at any given time in overlapping shifts.

We also installed a completely upgraded phone system, Jacobson said. One of my big concerns is for people who build up the courage to call, and then the phone call gets dropped, or theyre waiting on hold and they dont know how long the wait will be so they may not stay on the line.

Jacobson said that she has requested $29 million from the state Legislature to complete the renovations to the rest of the campus and the relocation from the other two CYFD Albuquerque buildings.

Pursuing that will have to be the job of the next administration and CYFD secretary. Jacobson leaves office at the end of the year.

A building is not going to solve all of the issues that we have, said Jacobson, but having a beautiful space for our children, our workers and our families does matter. It will bring a sense of dignity to all those who step onto this campus.

Martinez recalled that she began working with CYFD 32 years ago as an attorney.

The heart and passion of every social worker was there, but there was very little money, the buildings were dilapidated, children were sleeping under desks with blankets because it took hours and hours of phone calls at 2 a.m. Car seats? Didnt even exist, she said.

Inevitably, some kids who enter CYFD custody when theyre little end up later in the juvenile justice system, Martinez said. But having all of CYFDs services in a single campus will allow easier communication and collaboration between the various components of the department and make it easier to break that cycle.

Martinez also said she was proud of the fact that, since she became governor in 2011, about 2,500 children have been adopted and are now living in forever homes.
SANTA FE  Former Gov. Bill Richardson visited Pope Francis at the Vatican this week, and he had some advice for the pope about North Korea.

Richardson, a Democrat who served as governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011, traveled to see the pope as part of his work with the International Commission Against the Death Penalty.

I urged Pope Francis to accept the invitation from Kim Jong Un to visit North Korea, because it would reduce tension and promote religious freedom, Richardson said in a Facebook post. We also discussed issues related to Nicaragua and the Philippines, as well as the rise of populism in Europe.

The pope, who was celebrating his 82nd birthday, looked healthy and was in great spirits. He graciously met with us for over 50 minutes.

Richardson signed a bill in 2009 repealing New Mexicos death penalty and replacing it with a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Richardson called the pope a strong and outspoken ally in our mission to end this inhumane and unjust practice across the world.

Richardson, 71, is a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, energy secretary and congressman.

RICH ON RADIO: Republican Mick Rich will hit the radio waves every week, starting next month.

He will have his own half-hour segment at 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays, and he will be a regular guest on the weekday drive-time show that starts at 6 p.m.  both on KIVA radio in Albuquerque, 95.9 FM or 1600 AM.

Rich was the GOP nominee this year for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Martin Heinrich. He lost to Heinrich by 23 percent points, finishing second in a three-way race.

LAME-DUCK ORDER: Gov. Susana Martinez is down to her last couple of weeks in office, but shes still pursuing some policy goals.

She issued an executive order this week requiring state agencies to complete a financial analysis of the impact of any rule or regulation change they propose.

Improving our regulatory environment, Martinez said in a news release, has been a top priority for this administration, and analyzing each proposed rule is another step forward in ensuring that regulations are created responsibly and transparently.

A new governor, of course, will be empowered soon to issue her own executive orders.

Martinez, a Republican, will be succeeded by Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham on New Years Day.

Dan McKay: dmckay@abqjournal.com
Reading the Dec. 1 article concerning Gavin Clarksons experience, it is clear that the perception of New Mexico being a foreign country is still alive and well. I am an attorney, and a few years I ago encountered equal stupidity in a court matter in Indiana involving a criminal charge filed against a law enforcement officer concerning child support.

The individual involved had been divorced in Indiana and relocated to New Mexico. While living and working in Las Cruces, his child support obligation was reduced in a court proceeding, with the state of Indiana being a party to the litigation. Thereafter, the individual was indicted in a small town near Indianapolis for failure to pay the original amount of child support. Believing that the district attorneys office involved was not informed of the modification of amount of child support, I contacted the DAs office and sought to explain the effect of the child-support modification order, only to be told that Indiana does not recognize orders from foreign countries, with the office promptly hanging up.

Believing that the individual did not understand I was calling from New Mexico  not Mexico  I called again, only to receive the same information and hang up.

Being upset with such nonsense, I filed a motion to dismiss the criminal charge and described in detail the court modification made in Las Cruces and the position of the district attorney. Thereafter, my client and I traveled to Indiana and appeared in the district court there on the claimed criminal violation. At such hearing, the judge promptly dismissed the charge and inquired of the DA, where did you go to school? With the dismissal, the court entered sanction against the DAs office for costs of transportation to Indiana and attorney fees incurred in the proceeding.

The point of the matter is that such events as this and Clarksons demonstrate that our basic educational system has failed in many instances. In short, the lesson of the events may well demonstrate the need for economic development efforts to be made to indicate that New Mexico is a state.
Like many cities across the United States, Albuquerque faces challenges in protecting and preserving its supply of affordable housing for working families and senior citizens in the midst of rising demand.

The annual household income needed to afford a two-bedroom rental home at fair market rent in New Mexico is $33,062, yet more than 60,000 Albuquerque households have an annual income below $25,000. The Albuquerque Housing Authority (AHA) has the funding capacity to serve less than 10 percent of this population, and theres a shortage of 20,000 affordable units in the city.

Thats why the strong leadership provided by organizations such as AHA, YES Housing Inc. and the Greater Albuquerque Housing Partnership is a national inspiration in finding new and innovative solutions to address these challenges.

Two years ago, our firm, The Community Development Trust (CDT), announced a $25 million joint venture partnership with YES Housing to preserve 342 affordable housing units for senior citizens and people with disabilities in Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Roswell. The Albuquerque property is Brentwood Apartments, a 122-unit complex built in 1978 to serve very low-income seniors and special needs tenants. CDT and YES set aside over $600,000 in capital improvements.

The transaction, which represented our first investment in New Mexico, reflects the shared commitment of CDT and Albuquerque leaders to ensure affordable housing opportunities remain available now and for the citys long-term future.

Earlier this year, Albuquerque earned national acclaim within the affordable housing industry for its successful efforts to expand housing options that serve low-income families, the elderly and people with disabilities.

GAHP Executive Director Felipe Rael, Mayor Tim Keller, Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie OMalley and their legislative colleagues deserve praise for opening the Sterling Downtown apartment complex in the heart of the citys Downtown.

The propertys architecturally stunning modern design and diverse amenities dispel the common perception of affordable housing as undesirable. In addition to offering 107 units  90 percent of which are rent-restricted or income-based  the complex features a fitness center, rooftop deck with citywide views, solar-panel-covered parking and an internet cafe lounge.

AHA, meanwhile, celebrated the rehabilitation of the Rio Vista Apartments, the citys first new acquisition of an apartment building funded with Low Income Housing Tax Credits and the first expansion of affordable rental units owned by AHA since 1986.

Albuquerques visionary investments in these properties come at a time when developers around the country are purchasing affordable housing developments and transforming them into higher-end market-rate apartments with rents that are unattainable for many working families and seniors. The public support of high-quality affordable housing in Albuquerque demonstrates its possible to combat not in my backyard attitudes from critics across the U.S. who would otherwise severely limit the housing options of many lower or moderate income households.

CDT and industry leaders applaud Albuquerques forward-thinking strategies to retain and promote new high-quality affordable housing. We encourage more communities to take note of the Duke Citys progressive accomplishments.
Dehydration and shock. That is the cause of death reported for a 7-year-old girl, Jakelin Caal, who died in immigration custody on Dec. 8 after crossing the border in Lordsburg. According to media reports, Jakelin was not provided food, water or a medical examination upon arriving from Guatemala with her father. When she was taken to the hospital, her body temperature was 105.7 and it was too late to save her.

Jakelin joins many other children who come here with their parents fleeing circumstances that endanger them. Their families seek asylum and safety in the United States. Instead, they are detained in facilities that utterly fail to meet their needs. Children are kept in cages and sleep on cement floors. They are exposed to frigid temperatures, open toilets and lights on all the time. And they arent receiving adequate medical and mental health screening and care.

Since 2017, the AAP has stated that children should not be detained in Customs and Border Patrol processing centers because they fail to meet our evidence-based recommendations of how to care for children. In fact, what science tells us about stress modulation and the developing brain emphasizes that children should never be placed in detention centers at all, not for any amount of time, not under any circumstance.

Jakelins tragic death could have been prevented. It is long past time to re-evaluate immigration agencies policies and procedures for the care and treatment of children. As experts in the care of children, pediatricians phones are open. Please call us. We renew our offers, which have so far been ignored, to aid the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement in improving the conditions for children in their custody.

Earlier this fall, the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services proposed regulations that pave the way for major expansions of the detention of children and their parents. If the proposal were to take effect, thousands of children and their parents could be kept in detention centers for years, at great risk their health and safety. We cannot let this happen.

The AAP stands opposed to this proposal and to the detention of migrant children. We have called upon the federal government to appoint an independent team of experts who understand the physical and mental health needs of children. These experts need unfettered access to sites where children are held in federal custody to ensure that they receive optimal care while there. Now, more than ever, this oversight is essential.
Remember the old saw about the salesman who loses money on every sale, but thinks he can make up the shortfall by selling in volume?

Thats what comes to mind every time I hear people say that President Trump is being shrewd by pandering to his base.

Consider last weeks remarkable Oval Office meeting between Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Trump. There is photo evidence, but no audio, to suggest that Vice President Mike Pence was also in the room. What was supposed to be a brief photo-op turned into a dramatic confrontation when the president invited television cameras to stay for the conversation.

As always happens after one of these political reality show spectacles, the chattering classes set out to score the bout. According to conventional rules, Pelosi and Schumer came out the winners. They got Trump to admit that if theres a government shutdown over border wall funding, it will be all his doing. Just before the meeting, congressional Republicans were pre-spinning a Schumer shutdown. Pelosi solidified her claim to the House leadership, while Trump made future bipartisan deals with the Democrats  something he reportedly wants  less likely.

According to The Los Angeles Times Eli Stokols, even Trump realized he was taken when it was over: He stormed out of the meeting and threw a folder of briefing papers across the room.

Yet there was a loud contrarian analysis that said Trump came out a winner. Why? Because his base loves this stuff.

If you are a supporter of the presidents policies, wrote the Daily Beasts Matt Lewis  no Trump booster himself  this was an especially welcome display, a rare example of a president publicly fighting for his policy goal: a border wall.

Across Fox News opinion shows and right-wing talk radio, the view that Trump won was nearly unanimous.

Even Yahoo News Matt Bai, a decidedly left-leaning observer, excoriated liberals for not understanding that Trump knows that every time he flouts the staid convention of the office, every time he does the thing that seems inappropriate among the political set, hes winning with the chunk of the electorate he still has.

Sure. The problem is that chunk is not a majority.

Bais larger observation  that Trump is so embattled he cant afford to lose his hard-core supporters  is a good one in the context of gaming out how Trump can survive impeachment. When looking at what advances this administrations agenda or is good for the Republican Party, however, his base loves it doesnt score any points.

Worse, its self-fulfilling prophecy. As he sheds the mostly suburban voters who gave him his margin of victory in 2016, of course he clings more tightly to those who celebrate the behaviors that are bleeding the GOP of support. Theyre the only ones left. Proclaiming that his base loves it may be an explanation, but its no excuse. And it misses the point if you care about the GOPs long-term viability or even Trumps re-election prospects. Hes going to need more voters than his amen chorus.

Last months midterms showed what a national election looks like when only Trump enablers feel highly motivated to vote Republican. The GOP lost Orange County, Calif., the ancestral home of the conservative movement. New England now has more GOP governors than Republican members of Congress. In Iowa, the GOP lost all of its House races save for uber-Trumpy Steve Kings. A party in which only bigoted goons like King can thrive by fueling white resentment is destined for the dustbin of history.

The irony here is that Trumps base will forgive him for nearly anything. He easily could have used the wall as leverage to gain Democratic support for mandating that all employers use E-Verify to confirm a prospective employee has legal immigration status. This is what serious immigration hawks have implored him to do  and hed get credit for being the great deal-maker he claims to be.

But the larger irony is that his base-service led him to (this weeks) predicament: shutdown or back down.

Most presidents try to expand their coalition while holding onto their base. Trump has shrunk his coalition and laid the foundation for future shrinkage by forcing his party to endorse this behavior. Trump will be gone soon enough, but at this rate the party of Trump will be a rump party.

Email goldbergcolumn@gmail.com, Twitter @JonahNRO. (c) 2018 Tribune Content Agency LLC.
Nobody knows how much it will cost.

Nobody knows what it really requires.

Nobody knows whether it will produce results.

Still, various proposals and wish lists are being drawn up to bring New Mexicos public schools into compliance with a ruling by a Santa Fe District judge who concluded after a lengthy trial that the state isnt providing the quality of education required by the state Constitution.

Judge Sarah Singleton noted in a 75-page decision that evidence produced at trial in a lawsuit filed by two sets of plaintiffs shows New Mexico schoolchildren are caught in an inadequate system and will remain there unless better programs are instituted.

The current administration of Gov. Susana Martinez had argued students were making progress as a result of reforms, and throwing money at the problem wouldnt necessarily solve it. Singleton rejected that and noted lack of funds is not a defense to providing constitutional rights. New Mexico spends about 44 percent of its annual budget on K-12 education.

Singleton didnt convey any specific orders for how state lawmakers and others should address the issue, giving them until April 15 to come up with a plan to provide schools the resources they need to provide students with an education that will prepare them for college and career. Presumably, she will then sit as something of a super Legislature/executive and accept, reject or modify what the other branches of government come up with.

And thats exactly why this case should be appealed to the state Supreme Court  something Martinez favors, but incoming Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has said she does not. The current administration has notified Singleton of its intent to appeal, but she has not yet filed a final judgment that would allow that process to happen.

The projected cost of complying with Singletons ruling has been estimated at anywhere between several hundred million and $1 billion. One early proposal is to raise teacher salaries by $10,000 across the board to address a shortage, and Singleton has hinted she doesnt like the current teacher evaluation system that takes student achievement into account.

OK. But whos to say the raise shouldnt be $5,000? Or $15,000? Maybe Singleton will just pick a number she likes. And what if the programs she signs off on dont actually boost proficiency and graduation rates, especially for at-risk kids? Will she or her successor review the results in a few years and order up some additional spending or new programs favored by the plaintiffs? Is the real issue here programs or outcomes?

Its worth noting money doesnt always equal results. The District of Columbia is a prime example of maximum spend for minimal outcomes.

None of this is to say Singleton is necessarily wrong in her judgment. But a decision with such an enormous price tag and sweeping separation-of-powers issues deserves a thorough review by the Supreme Court, which hopefully would give guidance on what the states Constitution actually does require of public education. And an appeal wouldnt stop legislators and the new governor from moving forward on what they believe needs to happen with K-12 education in New Mexico. They have the ability to allocate whatever resources they think are appropriate  but unlike Singleton also have to fund everything from public safety to Medicaid.

Singleton is a veteran and respected jurist, but this is the equivalent of deciding something as constitutionally significant as same-sex marriage or the death penalty at the district-court level with no appeal. It is the job of the Supreme Court to provide definitive guidance on the Constitution and on separation of powers, but the court decides and opines only on cases that are brought before it.

As a public policy matter, thats what should happen here.

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.
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

A man wounded in a shootout with police last month will await his trial out of custody, an Albuquerque judge ruled Thursday.

When officers, responding to reports of an armed, aggressive man, arrived at Anthony Juarezs home Nov. 18, he retrieved a rifle from his truck and opened fire, according to a criminal complaint.

An officer fired back, hitting Juarez in the shoulder.

A spokesman for the District Attorneys Office said prosecutors plan to appeal the judges decision.

Juarez pulled out an AR-15 semi-automatic weapon and fired 26 rounds that night. Juarez has military level training in the use of these types of weapons. He targeted officers and put the lives of countless neighbors at risk, Michael Patrick wrote in an emailed statement. We disagree with todays decision and feel Juarez represents a danger to the community.

Prosecutor Sarah Ebbers relied heavily on the criminal complaint as she asked pro-tem Judge Richard Brown to find that Juarez posed a danger to the community and should be jailed until his trial.

But as Brown announced his decision, he said he had noticed problems in the complaint  namely that the detective who authored it had not provided a source for much of the information it contained.

He wasnt there. He may have gotten all his information from police officers, he may have gotten none of his information from police officers. I have no way of knowing, He said. He doesnt even identify the police officers in the complaint. Which officers gave these statements?

Defense attorney Noah Gelb argued that his client  who is a member of the National Guard  had no criminal record and there is no indication that he has ever done anything to pose a danger to the community in his 30 years, aside from the present allegation.

Hes stayed out of trouble his entire life, Gelb said.

Juarez received the lowest possible ranking on a 22-point scale designed to predict how likely a defendant is to reoffend or skip a court date.

While that assessment suggested that Juarez be released with no conditions, Brown ordered supervision by the courts PreTrial Services division, which could include a GPS monitor. He will live in Los Lunas with his parents and is not permitted to return to the home police were called to the night of the shooting.

I dont see anything in the record to indicate hes likely to do this again, Brown said.

Ebbers said in court that police were dispatched to a home on 67th NW in response to reports of a domestic dispute. When police arrived, Juarezs wife had escaped out a back window with her children and was at a neighbors home.

As officers approached, Juarez grabbed a rifle from his truck and told police, I have you in my sights. I will kill you, according to the complaint.

Police tried to talk to him, but Juarez started shooting in the direction of the Police Officer 1, Police Officer 2, Police Officer 3, Police Officer 4, and Police Officer 5. One officer returned fire.
WASHINGTON  The extraordinary resignation letter that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis handed to a surprised President Donald Trump was not just a product of two years of accumulating frustration with an impulsive boss, but an outline of the strategic hazards facing the next Pentagon chief.

Mattis, who was quietly back at work Friday while stunned Pentagon staff soldiered on around him, implicitly warned in his letter to the president of the threat to the U.S. from allowing alliances to fray and of the risk that disrespecting allies will undermine U.S. credibility.

It was an outline of the challenges facing the nation and whoever takes over as defense secretary when Mattis leaves Feb. 28.

As this Administration continues to implode, Secretary Mattis extraordinary resignation is a significant loss and a real indication that President Trumps foreign policy agenda has failed and continues to spiral into chaos, said Sen. Bob Menendez, the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee.

Mattis announced on Thursday his plan to resign, a move prompted by the decision by the president to pull all of the approximately 2,000 U.S. troops from the fight against the Islamic State group in northeastern Syria.

Mattis also was dismayed by plans under consideration to cut the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and, as his letter made clear, did not see eye to eye with a president who has expressed disdain for NATO and doubts about keeping troops in Asia.

The person nominated to succeed Mattis will face a Senate likely to probe for evidence of new strategic direction in hotspots like Syria, Afghanistan and the Korean peninsula.

In making clear that he could no longer tolerate Trumps approach to American foreign policy, Mattis appeared to fashion a resignation letter that not only expressed his reasons for leaving but also sounded an alarm. He implicitly criticized the presidents unwillingness to stand up to Russia or take a stronger stance against Chinese assertiveness.

I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours, Mattis wrote. It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritative model  to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbors, America and our allies.

Nurturing and extending U.S. alliances was a pillar of Mattis approach to his job, which means he was at odds with Trump on that score from the earliest months of his tenure.

While the U.S. remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies, Mattis wrote.

William Cohen, a former defense secretary and long-time friend of Mattis, put a finer point on this Mattis assertion by saying in response to his resignation, He cannot be expected to stand behind a president who disrespects our allies and ingratiates himself to our adversaries.

In addition to the frayed state of U.S. relations with NATO, Mattis successor also is likely to face other hazards hinted at in his resignation letter. These include preserving and rationalizing a strategy for ensuring a lasting defeat of the Islamic State group by the dozens of nations that had backed the U.S. after it entered Syria in 2014.

German officials expressed polite irritation that Washington had not consulted them on the Trump decision to pull out of Syria.

As an ally and member of the anti-IS coalition we would have considered prior consultation by the U.S. government about the withdrawal of U.S. troops helpful, government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said.

The Pentagon was still reeling Friday from the news that Mattis was leaving.

Inside what is normally a very orderly building, military members who are trained to take orders, salute and move ahead were stunned and a bit shaken.

Military missions in Syria and Afghanistan that just a week ago seemed clear and mapped out, were now thrown into chaos. Deep in the bowels of the Pentagon, planners scrambled to pull together a troop withdrawal strategy for Syria that the White House would accept, all while knowing that their boss a few floors above them quit over that order.

Mattis, 68, is the first Pentagon chief to resign in protest over a presidents foreign policy in many decades. In fact, there may be no historical equivalent to the circumstances of Mattis departure. The last defense secretary to resign was Chuck Hagel in November 2014, and although he had expressed differences with President Barack Obama over Syria policy, Hagel was essentially pushed out by an administration that viewed him as ineffective.

Robert McNamara, who served as defense secretary for seven years over two Democratic administrations, left the Pentagon in February 1968, three months after President Lyndon Johnson announced McNamara was resigning to become president of the World Bank. McNamara differed with Johnson and the military over Vietnam war policy amid an escalating anti-war movement, but his departure was not an explicit rejection of Johnsons policies.
SANTA FE  A father and his 13-year-old son who are wanted for first-degree murder in Colorado were arrested by State Police in Santa Fe Thursday.

Heith Gleason, 35, and his son Gage Gleason were taken into custody at the McDonalds on St. Francis Drive around 11 a.m. Thursday after officers got a tip from the Huerfano County Sheriffs Department that the two would be there.

The pair have been charged with the murder of 41-year-old Amy Garcia of Walsenburg, Colo., according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in Santa Fe Magistrate Court. Huerfano County deputies found Garcia dead in a burned-out car outside of the Gleasons home in rural Huerfano County Thursday morning.

A witness told deputies that Heith Gleason said Gage Gleason had earned his man card after allegedly taking part in the murder, the affidavit says.

Heith Gleason is being held at the Santa Fe County jail while Gage Gleason is in custody at the Santa Fe youth detention center. Its not clear from the affidavit what relationship Garcia, the slain woman, had to the Gleasons.

The witness, a 24-year-old man, called deputies early Thursday to say that Garcia may have been shot and her car burned at a location in Huerfano County, between Trinidad and Pueblo. Deputies found a sedan that appeared to have been incinerated with a deceased person, later identified as Garcia, in the drivers seat. There were also multiple bullet holes in the driver-side door and several .22-caliber casings at the scene, the affidavit says.

The witness said he, Garcia and the Gleasons were at the Gleasons house when they decided to go to Garcias house in Walsenburg to get alcohol. Only Heith Gleason and Garcia went inside Garcias house, and when they came out their attitudes had changed, the man told deputies.

When they got back to the Gleason house, the witness said Heith Gleason got a gun and said Ill kill her before going outside. The man said he heard a gunshot before Gleason came back inside.

Gage Gleason then grabbed a .22-caliber rifle and went outside. The witness said he heard another gunshot and that Heith said Gage had earned his man card, the affidavit states.

Police were able to track Heith Gleasons cell phone in Trinidad around 7:30 a.m. Thursday, then to Ribera and finally to Santa Fe. A man claiming to be Heith Gleason called Huerfano County dispatchers around 10 a.m. Thursday and said he and his son were involved in a murder, the affidavit says.

They were now heading to North Carolina for Christmas, the man added in the phone call.

State Police officers arrested the Gleasons without incident while they were parked at the McDonalds in a 2015 gray Dodge Ram. Officers also took three bulldogs and a Great Dane from the truck.
PARADISE, Calif. - The Mayor and Town Council of Paradise have been receiving letters from around the world since news of deadly and destructive Camp Fire spread.

Town Council Member Melissa Schuster shared some of the dozens of letters on Facebook Thursday.

There are letters and drawings from school children in New Zealand and the City of Oakland.

A woman who lives in the United Kingdom sent her condolences, as did the Ambassador to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the Consul General of Mexico.

The Mayors of Sonoma, Gillette, Wyoming and Boones Mill, Virginia also sent letters of support.

Schuster said it's both "humbling and inspiring" for the town to be surrounded with such love.
CHICO, Calif. - A man accused of killing a woman on Chico State's campus pleaded not guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

Samuel Johnson pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder chargesThursday.

He is accused of beating Linda Blacksten to death.

Her body was found just before dawn outside Kendall Hall Oct. 30.

Prosecutors say she was kicked in the head, had broken ribs and a broken neck. They also say that both Johnson and Blacksten were homeless.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for January.
SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. - The Shasta County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in locating two of Shasta's County's most wanted criminals.

Steven Sikora. 28, is wanted for grant theft charges.

Kera Wilson. 25, is wanted for charges of receiving stolen property.

If you see any of these criminals, you're asked to contact the Shasta County Sheriff's Office (530) 245-6025.
CHICO, Calif. - Sierra Nevada Brewery hosted 'Pint Night' on Thursday night to celebrate the release of its new beer to support Camp Fire relief, 'Resilience.'

The brewery is donating all sales from the beer to Camp Fire relief efforts.

Action News Now reporter Laura Eng was live at the event and said that it was crowded in the area, with many celebrating Resilience's success in breweries around the country. There are 1,500 breweries across the country helping Sierra Nevada Brewery make the beer.

It has been selling out fast in stores throughout Chico, but there's still a chance to buy the beer at the brewery.

It's available on tap for $5 at the brewery.

The brewery's goal is to raise $10 million overall for Camp Fire relief efforts.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Eight dogs and three cats surrendered by their owners after the Camp Fire arrived in San Diego overnight to be adopted.

The Humane Society Team deployed to Butte County for 10 days to rescue the pets.

They also spent time tending to animals injured by the fire.

The pets will undergo medical and behavioral screening before being adopted out.
Indias Premier English Business News Channel, successfully launched an on-ground initiative to educate the audiences on How to navigate current market uncertainty to build a winning portfolio in Mumbai recently. The channel is now gearing up to travel and spread this financial literacy program in the heart of Indias stock trading community in Gujarat later this week.

Money Manta is scheduled to take place on 22nd December 2018 in Ahmedabad. It is open to audiences who are keen to understand the dynamics of the current market situation and build their portfolio. The event is taking place Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry Shri Ambika Mills  Gujarat Chambers Building, Ashram Road, Ahmedabad at 4:00 PM

The event will be an interesting exchange between experts from the finance industry such as Mr. Nooresh Merani, Head of technical Research at AMSEC, Nilesh Kotak, - Director - Dhanvarsha Fincap Pvt Ltd, Mr. PV Subramanyam, CEO, www.subramoney.com. They will actively share experiences and recommendations on How to build your portfolio in uncertain market scenario. The session will be moderated by BTVIs Channel Director, Muralidhar Swaminathan. Audience can get their queries answered by these experts during Q & A after the panel discussion.

After a successful run in Mumbai, Money Mantra will be held in Surat and Ahmedabad on consecutive days. The channel plans to travel across metro cities i.e. Delhi-NCR, Bangalore, Chennai, over a span of next few months.

For free registration, please visit www.btvi.in/moneymantra or SMS BTVIMANTRA <Space> Name <Space> City and send it to 575758
ETMONEY, a Times Internet-backed fintech company, announced its partnership with Fullerton India Credit Company Limited (Fullerton India), a leading non-banking financial company with a strong pan-India presence, to offer Personal Loans up to Rs. 20 lakh in a hassle-free manner with minimal documentation.

In May this year, ETMONEY forayed into the lending space with a unique LoanPass solution that enables anyone to take recurring, small ticket unsecured loans with a single tap on their smartphone. It has seen great initial success with that, is on track for annualised disbursal of Rs.120 Crores through LoanPass. The present partnership with Fullerton India will allow ETMONEY to leverage the latters expansive presence across the country, to offer unsecured loans for various credit needs arising from marriage, medical emergencies, travel, home improvements, and more.

ETMONEY has grown into one of the largest integrated financial services mobile platform for millennial India, having grown 15x in the last 18 months. We are combining our reach, technology & data science capabilities with Fullerton Indias lending prowess to change the way millennials borrow for large ticket finance needs. This partnership should take our annualised loan disbursal to more than Rs. 600 crores, says Mukesh P Kalra, CEO, ETMONEY.

Large ticket unsecured loans have traditionally been document intensive and full of inefficiencies. Consequently, a segment of millennial users looking for large ticket loans at lightning fast speed is largely untapped and underserved until now. We are excited to partner with Fullerton India to remove these inefficiencies and provide a seamless borrowing experience to our users, says Manav Seth, Business Head - Lending, ETMONEY.

Commenting on the partnership, Nishant Jasapara, Head of Digital Business, Fullerton India, says, We live in a world of continuous technological innovations, where customers are constantly progressing and adopting digital channels. Our tie-up with ETMONEY is yet another step to achieve our overarching agenda of becoming a wholesome digital financial solutions provider to enhance customer experience and promote financial inclusion.

Through this initiative, an individual may avail a personal loan of up to Rs. 20 lakh with flexible EMI options and minimal documentation. The approval, disbursal, and repayment are carried out digitally through the ETMONEY app.
Soon after its association with Scarecrow M&C Saatchi earlier this year, Sebamed, a leading German skincare brand marketed by USV Pvt Ltd, has created an interactive digital film that has been released on social media.

Titled Fire Alarm, the interactive film captures some intimate moments of a mother and her baby when the fire alarm goes off. Its a panic situation. The mother quickly picks up the baby and is about to leave, when she forgets something. This is when the interactive part begins as the film stops and turns into a 360-degree video. A super appears asking the viewer to choose the three things a mother will pick up before she leaves the house, giving them 30 seconds to choose.

Of the three things a mother picks, if she fails to pick Baby Sebamed products, a message appears Oops! You have picked the right things but forgot something important. The video resumes and the mother turns back and picks up Baby Sebamed before leaving.

Manish Bhatt, Founder Director, Scarecrow M&C Saatchi, commented, Baby skincare is a tough category and the entire project has been a precious opportunity for Scarecrow. But with the groups ambitious plan for the baby skincare range, making this 360 interactive video turned out to be an inspiring experience for the entire team.

Shashi Ranjan, Senior Vice President & Business Head, USV Consumer Products Division, added here, We strive to provide an assurance to every mother that Sebamed range of products are made of highest quality ingredients and are clinically proven to be the best for babies, right from day one.

Ranjan further said, A key part of this process is the strengthening of our brand positioning together with the creative. Scarecrow M&C Saatchi had an intuitive understanding of what we are trying to achieve and was able to perfectly marry the creative inputs with our thought process.

Campaign Credits

Agency: Scarecrow M&C Saatchi

Credits:

Manish Bhatt, Founder Director

Raghu Bhat, Founder Director

Mangesh Mulajkar, Senior Vice President

Pooja Ghatak, Account Director

Kunal Parkar, Associate Creative Director

Nikhil Kerkar, Associate Creative Director

Dattadri Kothur, Group Head

Abhishek Jadhav, Group Head

Hrishikesh Bhayani, Copywriter

Kshitij Bhatt, Copywriter

Natasha Kanu, Account Executive

Production House: Monastery Films

Director: Keith Gomes / Sandeep Kamal

DOP: Veerdhawal Puranik

AD: Rayan Razdan

Costumes: Rashi Goel

Production: Annu/Ankur Pareek

Art: Bhavani Patel

Editor: Huzefa Lokhandwala

Associate Editor: Prabir Someshwar

Online: Renuka Braganza

Colourist: Rahil Merchant

Music: Roshan Machado

Sound Engineer: Kunal Dabholkar

Sound studio: Sounds Good

Digital Innovation: Root 16 Interactive Private Limited

Team: Rupesh Mandke, Krishna Thakkar, Hadi Patel, Sharayu Mudgat
Tata Capital, the financial services arm of the Tata Group, today unveiled a new social media campaign, #WedEqual, led by a video starring the popular comic artist Mallika Dua, Anubhav Pal, the very talented stand - up comedian. The #WedEqual campaign aims to spread the message of equality in the share of expenses at Indian weddings, which are typically skewed to one side. The campaign will also promote Tata Capitals latest Wedding Loans offering for young Indians.

In India, weddings are traditionally lavish affairs with a larger amount of the costs being borne by the bride or her side of the family. In keeping with the progressive nature of the brand, Tata Capital aims to inculcate a sense of equality in the share of expenses and the same is brought out through a light-hearted video. Mallika Dua and Anubhav Pal bring in the humour element to the video. To help with wedding expenses, on either side, Tata Capital offers a specially crafted Wedding Loan product.

The campaign will be promoted across social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to ensure maximum reach and visibility.

Speaking on the launch of the campaign, Abonty Banerjee, Chief Marketing & Digital Officer, Tata Capital said, A wedding is one of the most important events in a couples life and young India today has different aspirations about how their weddings should be. We at Tata Capital, with our #WedEqual campaign aim to break the traditional approach of unequal spending at weddings. With Tata Capitals wedding loans, couples can also plan their weddings without any financial pressure and make it truly special.

Wedding expenses as a category is expected to grow at 25 to 30 % a year with Young India aspiring only the very best for their wedding. Considering the potential, Wedding Loans as a category is a huge opportunity. Tata Capitals Wedding Loan product is easy, simple and hassle-free. One can apply for loan ranging from Rs. 75,000  Rs. 25,00,000 with a minimum tenure of 12 to 72 months.
As the end of the year approaches, people are getting high-strung about their New Year party plans. How about having someone sort out your plans for you! This year, The Irish House will take care of New Years Eve plans for a select number of couples across the country.

The Irish House, a pan-India franchise, launched a one-of-its-kind digital treasure hunt this week, which will be live till 22nd December, 2018. Participants can access the clues for the treasure hunt on the Instagram page of the renowned pub, starting with the comments section of the first post of 2018. When solved, each clue leads to another post by The Irish House in the year 2018, which effectively takes anyone attempting the treasure hunt through the brands social media journey this year.

Users must follow the clues and comment with the hashtags #IrishTreasureHunt and #2019WithIrishHouse on each post in the treasure hunt. The Irish House will announce the winners for their digital treasure hunt on 21st December, 2018, on its Instagram account.

Commenting on the contest, Shrenik Gandhi, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, White Rivers Media, says, "New Year being one of the most important days for the brand, the teams have cracked an interesting, insight-driven campaign. We are confident about the numbers and ROI of the same. The Irish House has a great fan following online as well as offline and we look forward to a great start to the year ending with this activity."

Shraddha Motipara, Head of Marketing, The Irish House, says, "NYE is an important event in our business and our NYE Hangover Party is an iconic one. White Rivers Media has been our trusted creative partner for more than 3 years now. When they proposed the concept of a digital treasure hunt, where the aim was to take the participants through our social media journey of 2018, getting them prepped up for the next edition of our NYE Hangover Party, we were immediately hooked on to the idea. We are very confident about this campaign. The contest has received an amazing response so far and we know the participants will have a great time cracking the clues to win the passes!"

Three lucky participants that successfully crack each clue to complete the treasure hunt will get a free couple entry for the iconic NYE Hangover 2.0 party, hosted by The Irish House, on 31st December, 2018.

The brand has collaborated with bloggers and influencers on social media to increase the campaigns reach and create buzz about it.

So, if youre still looking for a great way to bring in 2019, brush up your puzzle-solving skills, go to @TheIrishHouseIndia on Instagram right now, and win that treasure hunt!
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Amid a general uptick in Palestinian attacks against Israelis on the West Bank, at least two deadly attacks claimed by Hamas have raised speculation that the movement has activated cells to put pressure on Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Hamas military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades on Dec. 13 claimed responsibility for the Dec. 9 shooting attack near the Ofra settlement, east of Ramallah, that wounded 11 Israelis. The group also took responsibility for an Oct. 7 incident at the Barkan settlement in which a Palestinian who worked in a nearby Israeli factory shot and killed two settlers and wounded a third. The brigades threatened to carry out additional attacks.

The Israeli army conducted raids and arrests on Dec. 11, and during Dec. 13-14 apprehended and shot and killed the perpetrators of the October and December attacks. Later on Dec. 14, two Israeli soldiers were shot and killed, and others wounded, near Silwad, north of Ramallah, by a man Israeli authorities believe to be affiliated with Hamas and who remains at-large.

The increase in violence comes after Israeli military Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot warned in mid-September of a possible implosion on the West Bank. According to data released by Shin Bet Dec. 13, the number of attacks by Palestinians against Israeli soldiers and settlers there totaled 64 in August; 70 in September; 95 in October; and 114 in November. The perpetrators used knives, guns, rocks and Molotov cocktails.

These incidents represent a challenge to the Israeli and Palestinian security services, which in recent years have thwarted such attacks on the West Bank and have been able to dismantle Hamas cells there. With the PA stuck in the middle, as it were, the office of President Mahmoud Abbas on Dec. 13 condemned the violence of both sides.

Some Palestinian observers believe that Hamas is possibly seeking through its attacks to increase pressure on Israel to move forward with talks on a long-term truce, which had been ongoing but then stalled after a two-day military confrontation, Nov. 12-13, in Gaza.

Mahmoud Mardawi, a Hamas leader and former military official in the Qassam Brigades, told Al-Monitor that the attacks were in response to Israeli settlers constantly attacking Palestinians and the Israeli army raiding Palestinian areas and dragging arrested Palestinians from their homes at night. The ever-expanding settlements are also a factor. He claimed that Hamas and other Palestinian factions have a network of cells in the West Bank capable of striking at the Israeli army and settlers at any moment.

Mardawi denied the possibility that Hamas' attacks will harm the attempted reconciliation with Fatah, which he characterized as stalled due to Fatah's intransigence and its rejection of a political partnership with Hamas. He charged that the PA had threatened to impose more punitive measures on Gaza, such as halting government support for Gazans estimated at $96 million a month, in an attempt to incite the Palestinian street against the movement.

On Dec. 14 in Hebron, Palestinian security services violently suppressed a Hamas-led demonstration in support of the recent armed attacks. An unspecified number of protesters were arrested and released.

The security services will not allow any Palestinian entity to tamper with internal security and ignite [the situation in] the West Bank for its own objectives, a high-ranking security source told Al-Monitor, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Such a situation would be used by Israel as an excuse to reoccupy the West Bank.

He noted that coordination remained ongoing between the Israeli and Palestinian security services and that the PA has the ability to end it, if it so desires. The main problem threatening security coordination, he said, are the Israeli armys incursions into PA-controlled areas without first coordinating with the Palestinian services, in addition to attacks and threats by settlers against Palestinians. He said that on Dec. 11, settlers had called for killing Abbas, publishing posters to that effect.

Wassef Erekat, a former artillery commander for the Palestine Liberation Organization, told Al-Monitor that the cells that carried out the recent attacks are militarily trained. He cited as proof of this the accuracy of the attacks and the perpetrators' ability to withdraw and disappear. He noted that it had taken Israel a long time, some 60 days, to catch one of the attackers. Erekat believes Hamas is preparing to be able to take additional action against Israelis, so he is expecting increasing tensions on the West Bank.

Akram Atallah, a political analyst and writer for the daily al-Ayyam, told Al-Monitor that Hamas had timed its attacks in light of the anniversary of the movement's founding, Dec. 14. Hamas is sending a reminder to Israel that it will still conduct armed operations.

Atallah also said the attacks are embarrassing for the PA, which is being made to look like a bystander in the struggle against Israel and to not have a handle on the security situation in the West Bank. He claims that the PA is aware that Hamas, while seeking a truce in Gaza with Israel, at the same time wants a military escalation in the West Bank with Israel to punish the PA for its actions against the movement.

Israel is deploying more troops and erecting checkpoints in West Bank cities and intensifying intelligence operations to thwart possible attacks. The Israeli security establishment is predicting a continuation of the current uptick in attacks amid calls for a swift halt to them before it is too late.
Iran was hit by yet another terrorist attack on Dec. 6. This time, a rare target: the strategic port city of Chabahar, where a suicide attack on a police station killed four and wounded 42. Located in the southeastern Sistan and Baluchistan province, the 1,200-acre port with 10 active berths lies on the coast of the Gulf of Oman. It is Iran's sole oceanic port, bridging the country to the Indian Ocean via the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.

But Chabahar also holds significant value for Afghanistan and India. This shared regional importance brought together the three countries' presidents in Tehran in May 2016 to ink a deal in which New Delhi pledged $500 million in investments to develop the port. The project was meant to facilitate India's access to Afghanistan and Central Asian markets, bypassing neighboring foe Pakistan, which is not on good terms with the Afghan government.

Pakistan, on the other hand, is pursuing an agenda of expanding ties with India's leading regional competitor, China. To do so, Islamabad has attracted Beijing's investment to its Gwadar Port, which lies within 76 nautical miles of Chabahar.

Following the agreement in Tehran, the Indian investments started flowing. During a February 2017 visit by Iran's Hassan Rouhani to New Delhi, the Indian government also agreed to manage certain parts of Chabahar Port for 18 months. In June 2017, Indians expressed hope about operating the port by 2019. That, however, coincided with growing concerns over implications of the US pullout from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, including the reimposition of sanctions. This fueled fears about a complete Indian abandonment of the strategic port.

India sighed in relief after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a sanctions exemption on New Delhi's development project in Chabahar, effectively giving Iran the chance to keep its business running by playing host to the transit of Indian cargo to Afghanistan and Central Asia. This has also opened up a window of opportunity for the Sistan and Baluchistan province, which, according to official statistics, suffers Iran's highest unemployment rate.

Aside from its special economic value, Chabahar is strategically important in that it lies far enough from the Strait of Hormuz to remain immune from constant Persian Gulf crises. The port could also potentially emerge as a rival of Dubai, since, in the long run, regional economic competition is expected to tilt eastward from the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman and Bab el-Mandeb. A new regional maritime balance could be on the horizon, with Dubai on one side and Iran's Chabahar and Pakistan's Gwadar on the other.

There has been speculation about what role the United Arab Emirates will play. The UAE's Dubai Ports World (DP World) has turned into a giant of international port management. The firm runs some 80 thriving ports worldwide, including the Jebel Ali Port, which stands head and shoulders above all Middle Eastern ports in terms of cargo volume.

The UAE's widespread port control does not end there. In 2008, DP World signed a 100-year contract to renovate and supervise operations in Yemen's Aden, paving the way for the Emirati government's influence in the country. With the war in impoverished Yemen raging on, the UAE now effectively controls much of Yemen's south.

The development of Iran's Chabahar, therefore, could adversely affect business in Dubai as well as in Pakistan's Gwadar. Within that context, it came as no surprise that a tweet from Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif after the attack implicitly implicated the UAE and promised action. "In 2010, our security services intercepted & captured extremists en route from UAE," he wrote. "Mark my words: Iran WILL bring terrorists & their masters to justice."

Situated on the volatile Pakistani border, Iran's Sistan and Baluchistan province has witnessed numerous terror attacks carried out by a host of militant groups in recent years. Some of those groups have been busted by the Iranian intelligence apparatus, but they keep regrouping to commit fresh violence, including the Chabahar attack, for which Ansar al-Furqan claimed responsibility.

According to Fars, a semi-official news agency close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the group came out of a merger between Harakat Ansar Iran and Hezb al-Furqan in 2014. The two groups are affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban, and have engaged in cross-border operations in pursuit of their separatist agenda. Iranian authorities have accused the UAE and Saudi Arabia of funding and arming anti-Iran militant groups.

"The development of Iranian and Pakistani ports is perceived by the UAE as a threat to its monopoly over the Persian Gulf," Siavash Fallahpour, Arab world affairs analyst, told Al-Monitor. On the UAE role in the Yemen war, Fallahpour said, "Ever since the [Saudi-led] coalition took control of Aden, Abu Dhabi has been setting up its military wing in Yemen, which has practically crippled Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi's government."

Fallahpour further argued that when Aden was expected to serve as the interim capital for the Hadi government, when it had to fight to retake Sanaa, the UAE engaged in sabotage. "It resorted to terror operations against Hadi forces in a bid to bring southern Yemen under its full control and expand its own access to free waters well beyond the Persian Gulf," he said.

Given the UAE and Pakistan's shared interest in blocking Chabahar development and sabotaging India's investment, a terrorist attack in the strategic port could serve the right purpose. It now remains to be seen how Tehran will optimize the development of the port, an opportunity that has emerged thanks to the strategic goals it shares with New Delhi and Kabul.
On Dec. 17, the Zionist Camps Knesset faction held its regular meeting at the start of what appeared to be a promising week for the main opposition party. Reports about a wave of price hikes and the public protest it seemed to be generating looked like a lifeline for the Zionist Camp, which has been sinking into electoral irrelevance over the past two months. Avi Gabbay, chair of the Labor party that is the Zionist Camps main component, blamed the governments 2015 approval of a natural gas exploration scheme for the electricity price increase. At the time, Gabbay was minister of environmental protection representing the center-right Kulanu Party in the Netanyahu government, and the only minister who opposed the plan. He now felt it was his time to strike back at the government on the economic front and recoup public and electoral support for the opposition faction he joined some two years ago.

Contrary to Gabbays upbeat mood, most Zionist Camp Knesset members were still reeling from the poll results aired the previous evening by Hadashot TV. The poll sought to examine the effects of the price hikes, the tensions on Israels northern border and the impact of a possible political run by Lt. Gen. (res.) Benny Gantz as the head of a new party. According to the results, if the former military chief-of-staff does indeed establish a new party, the Zionist Camp would only get 10 Knesset seats in elections, less than half its current 24. The poll gives Gantz 16 seats and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud 28. That means that most Zionist Camps lawmakers would find themselves unemployed after elections are held in 2019.

While they have grown accustomed to bad poll results, there was something about this one that served as a cruel reminder of their dire political straits. If the Zionist Camp cannot rise in the polls with the government on the defensive over its economic policy, and with an as-yet nonexistent party with an unknown agenda led by Gantz poised to become the second Knesset party in size, saying the Zionist Camp is in deep trouble would be an understatement.

Depression over the poll may have been what led the lawmakers at their meeting to adopt an embarrassing decision to oppose proposed legislation by Knesset member Youssef Jabareen of the Arab Joint List revoking the Nationality Law (anchoring the Jewish character of the State of Israel). A vote on revoking the controversial law adopted by the government this past summer was scheduled for two days hence. In July, the Zionist Camp voted against the bill, arguing that it undermined the values of equality and discriminates against the countrys 21% Arab minority. It even waged a public relations campaign against the law from the opposition benches. However, although its decision this week to reject Jabareens bill runs counter to its original stand, only a few comments were heard about the illogical decision, which was then adopted.

When Haaretz reported the decision, some of the factions lawmakers realized the extent of the fiasco and lobbied to overturn it. Shortly thereafter, the faction backtracked, and its whip, Knesset member Yoel Hasson, informed lawmakers by WhatsApp that the faction would support all legislation designed to rescind the Nationality Law. One of the Knesset members who led the fight told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, The party cannot oppose rescinding a law that it considers wrong and against which it voted just to avoid the appearance of siding with Arab legislators. The lawmaker added that the decision stems from the desire to get closer to the moderate right, but it is completely unnecessary and even damaging. By doing so, we alienate our political base.

The flip-flop reflects the major problem of the Zionist Camps 2018 model: an absence of a clear identity and veering to what seems to be the prevailing Israeli public discourse, rather than forging a viable, nonapologetic alternative to the Netanyahu government. Todays Labor party bears little resemblance to the original, starting with the difference in the figures at its helm. The Zionist Camp leadership  composed of Labor and the Hatnua Party  is not homegrown. In fact, it all hails from the Likud. Avi Gabbay grew up in a family of Likud supporters and only joined Labor two years ago. His second-in-command, Knesset member Tzipi Livni (head of the Hatnua Party), and the head of the Knesset faction Yoel Hasson also hail originally from Likud. Labor does not speak the Likuds language and does not share its DNA, presenting voters with a hybrid devoid of any clear identity.

Gabbay is obviously not to blame. He joined a sinking party that saw him, if only for a short while, as a savior who could restore it to power. He bragged at the time that he would garner 30 Knesset seats for the Zionist Camp, and he promised to turn Likud voters into Labor supporters. None of these promises panned out, to the contrary. The more Gabbay tried to cozy up to the right wing and the West Bank settlers, voters and veteran party stalwarts began quitting. At this point, it would be hard to turn back the wheel.

The Zionist Camp is now facing more trouble with Gantzs appearance in the political arena. The man who had been expected (by some Labor seniors) to join the faction as Gabbays No. 2 has probably decided to go it alone at the head of a new party. Gantzs advisers and strategists are billing him as a defense hawk on the center-right of the political spectrum. That, in turn, puts Labor on the margins of the left, near the left-wing Meretz Party. That could prove disastrous for the Zionist Camp and result in a collapse of Gabbays original strategy of mobilizing right-wing support.

On top of it all, the Zionist Camp has serious internal problems. In addition to the tension between Gabbay and Livni, a group of Labor lawmakers is considering a split from the party in order to save themselves from the certain crash to which they see Gabbay leading them.

On Dec. 20, Gabbay pulled a new rabbit out of his hat. At a special faction meeting he convened, the partys pollster, Stephen Miller, presented results showing that if Gantz is named as Gabbays second-in-command and the Zionist Camps candidate for defense minister, the faction would get 29 Knesset seats compared to the Likuds 30. Gabbay told the assembled lawmakers that he had shown the data to Gantz.

The problem with the poll is its somewhat unrealistic assumption that Gantz would join the Zionist Camp under Gabbay. All signs point to his intention to form a new party. Gabbay is trying to gain time. He understands that if the situation in the polls continues to be so bad, an open move will be launched to replace him, a Labor lawmaker said to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.
On Dec. 17, Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs Hussein al-Sheikh met with top Civil Administration officials in Jerusalem to give them an overview of the miserable state of affairs in the Palestinian Authority (PA). After news of the meeting became public, Sheikh told the Palestinian Ma'an News Agency that Egypt and Jordan had asked him to warn Israel that if it continues its policy of opposing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the PA, it would have to bear the consequences.

Israel maintains an open channel of communications with Egypt over the situation in Gaza and is also in contact with Jordan. So it is doubtful that either of those countries pressured Sheikh to meet with the Israelis. It is far more likely that this was Sheikhs way to justify the meeting. Given the current situation in the PA, any contact it initiates with Israel could be interpreted as collaboration with the enemy.

Ever since he was first appointed president in November 2004, Abbas has never been as weak. In contrast, Hamas is on the rise, not only in Gaza but also in the West Bank. Sheikh is seen by the Israeli colleagues as someone whose assessments are trustworthy. When someone like him warns Israel that it will have to bear the consequences for its actions, what he is actually saying is that if Israel continues behaving toward Abbas as it does now, it will find that Hamas has replaced him and is now sitting along its fences in the West Bank, just as happened in Gaza in 2007.

In January 2006, Hamas won the election to the Palestinian parliament with 74 seats to Fatahs 45 seats. It is worth noting that Abbas was forced by President George W. Bush to call these elections to signal that he was upholding democracy in the PA In the time between his announcement of elections and the date that they were held, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip during what became known as the Disengagement in the summer of 2005. As far as the Palestinians were concerned, the Disengagement was seen as a Hamas victory over the Zionists. They succeeded where Abbas and his predecessor, PLO leader Yasser Arafat, had failed.

What did the Palestinian public learn from Israels disengagement from Gaza? I was asked at the time by Sufian Abu Zaida, a senior Fatah official who lived in Gaza (and who was quoted in my book "Getting to Know Hamas"). He answered: The only thing the Israelis understand is force.

About a year and a half after seizing control of the Palestinian parliament, Hamas military wing staged a coup in Gaza and took control of the local institutions of government in June 2007. One of the reasons that Abbas Fatah forces were subdued with such intolerable ease was that then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert decided to impose sanctions on the PA in February 2006 in response to the Hamas election victory. The result was that Hamas got stronger thanks to money and arms it received from Iran, while people working for the PA did not get their salaries because Israel placed a freeze on the transfer of tax money to the PA. At the time, Mohammed Dahlan, then a Fatah senior, pleaded with Israel to allow the transfer of arms, ammunition and military equipment to the PA so that it could prepare for an armed conflict with Hamas. Olmert said no.

So, while Hamas had access to up-to-date military equipment, the PAs security forces, including the Palestinian Preventive Security forces, were armed with old rifles and a limited number of bullets. But what caused more harm than anything to the PA and contributed to the humiliating defeat in Gaza was low morale. The Palestinian security forces were hungry and hopeless. Thats how Israel got Hamas on its border with Gaza. The rest is history.

Has Israel learned its lesson? As it turns out, it has not. To paraphrase Abu Zaidas remarks 13 years ago, all anyone can do is wonder what the Palestinians could conclude from the Israeli governments current attitude toward Hamas when compared to its attitude toward the Palestinian Authority and West Bank residents. Once again, the answer seems to be that the only thing Israel understands is force.

Israel had authorized the transfer of suitcases full of cash to Hamas so that it could pay salaries, practiced almost complete self-restraint when facing hundreds of rockets fired into its territory, and continues to avoid for weeks now escalation that would lead to an armed conflict with Hamas' military. At the same time, the Israel Defense Forces conduct arrests in the West Bank on a daily basis and target people suspected of planning and carrying out acts of terror. Similarly, Israel allows the demolition of homes in the West Bank like it would never dare allow in Gaza, and it humiliates Palestinian Abbas day after day. All the while, Abbas declares that he is opposed to armed conflict with Israel and even engages in security coordination with the enemy. And yet he is still accused by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ministers of inciting terrorism. I think it is too much to expect condemnation from the [PA], Netanyahu said at a meeting of the Likud after the attack at the entrance to Ofra on Dec. 10. They only contribute to incitement here, he added.

At a meeting of the PLO Central Committee Dec. 13 in Ramallah, senior Fatah officials claimed that extremist Jewish organizations supported by the Israeli government are calling for the assassination of Abbas. Senior officials in the Central Committee went on to warn that Israel would bear full responsibility for the results of its incitement.

Meanwhile, Abbas and the PA are considered pariahs by the Israeli government. There is no dialogue with them about what the future holds in store, nor does it look like there will be dialogue with them anytime soon. The consequences of this are as would be expected.

On Dec. 16, Khalil Shikakis Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research released the results of a comprehensive poll, which found that if elections were held now in the PA, Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh would defeat Abbas by 7 points (49% to 42%). Furthermore, some 75% of the respondents want Abbas to resign. It is the highest percentage opposed to Abbas since he took office in 2004. The mood on the ground is one of disappointment with the PAs rule, largely because of the weak behavior of its leadership when dealing with Israel as compared to the Hamas leadership in Gaza. Hamas has managed to force Israels hand and set red lines.

It was against this background that Sheikh met with his Israeli colleagues to warn them about the consequences of their attitude toward Abbas and the PA. He told his counterparts that if Israel does not stop incitement against Abbas and limit military activities in the West Bank, including collective punishments, they should not come crying later when they get Ismail Haniyeh instead of Mahmoud Abbas

Netanyahu has enabled far-right HaBayit HaYehudi to promote populist decisions against Palestinians in the West Bank in the Cabinet and the Knesset. The expected consequences of such decisions or of the Israeli policy will not necessarily force him into action, and it is not likely that he would try curbing them. As past experience shows, Israel will continue to bolster Hamas and weaken the PA, only to claim later that it had no one to talk to.
If it were possible, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have given one of his sharpest and most fiery speeches against President Donald Trump. It was the first time Netanyahu felt a hint of missing Trumps predecessor, President Barack Obama. Imagine to yourself what he would have done to Obama, a minister in Netanyahus government told Al-Monitor Dec. 19 on condition of anonymity, if he had announced an exit from Syria without prior warning and in outrageous opposition to the interests of the United States, its allies and the whole world. Netanyahu would have gone to speak before both houses of Congress; he would have sicced [pro-Israel lobby] AIPAC [the American Israel Public Affairs Committee], [American billionaire Sheldon] Adelson, the Conference of Presidents [of Major American Jewish Organizations] and everyone else on the president. He would have said that the president directly harms Israels security. The problem is that its not Obama, its Trump. Thus, all that Netanyahu could do is have a polite phone conversation with the president and announce that Israel will continue to act to ensure its security in Syria with American backing."

The prime minister was warned in the past year more than once that an American exit from Syria is in the cards and could happen at any given moment. Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot, like the heads of Israeli intelligence, knew that Trump was seeking an excuse to enact his campaign promise and spare himself the punishment of the Middle East. Netanyahu put all sorts of pressures on the White House in the course of the year and hoped that the evil decree would be canceled or at least postponed. This week, he understood that he was wrong in hoping so.

Until this week, Netanyahu enjoyed his ally Trumps victory and arrival at the White House. Netanyahu had everything going for him: He got an American Embassy in Jerusalem, he got the Americans to pull out of the nuclear agreement with Iran, and he greatly expanded the American diplomatic umbrella spread over most of Israels whims in all forums. But this week, Netanyahu paid the first installment on the price of the presidents unstable personality, uncontrolled impulsivity, and disordered and illogical policy.

Its unbelievable, said a senior Israeli intelligence source to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. He added, The president did it in opposition to all of his advisers, associates and senior staff. The source is correct: In recent months, senior Israeli figures at various levels received repeated and varied affirmations and promises from Trumps senior staff. Everyone spoke with the same language: The American presence in Syria is essential, theres no intention of leaving Syria in the near future, and even if there is an exit, it wont happen without America exacting a proper diplomatic price for its exit that would be tied to the effort to distance Iran from Syria and to safeguard the interests of Israel. This week, all of these promises expired with the thrust of a single presidential tweet. With them, several of the senior staff who made those promises expired as well. Defense Secretary James Mattis announced his resignation, which surprised no one in Jerusalem. The surprise happened a few days earlier.

Seemingly, theres no significant operational advantage to Israels security in the 2,000 American military personnel scattered between northern Syria and the Al-Tanf triangle (on the Syria-Iraq-Jordan border). In reality, the Trumpian withdrawal move holds destructive potential for Israeli strategy. To our great fortune, an Israeli military source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, our successes against the Revolutionary Guard [Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC] and the Iranian entrenchment in the last two years brought us to a place where it would be more convenient and easier to deal with the ramifications of the American exit.

This diagnosis is correct, but only partially. No one in Israel doubts that the hasty, not to say hurried, American exit is happening at the worst time one can imagine. It very much defers the possibility that Israel would indeed succeed in preventing Iranian entrenchment in the Syrian sphere.

Trump didnt even try to get to some kind of package deal with the Russians to sell his exit in exchange for distancing the Iranians or to leverage the event. Hes leaving for free, in defiance of the interests of his closest allies, in defiance of logic, in defiance of the detailed plans of all of his advisers. Thats what Trump is like, for good and for bad, one of the prime ministers senior advisers noted this week with sadness to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. He added, Up to now weve experienced mostly the good; now the bad has arrived, and all thats left for us is to hope that it isnt a coming attraction for the real bad that is to come, but an isolated flash that wont repeat itself.

In fact, the Israeli headache has to do mostly with the American exit from the area of the border triangle at Al-Tanf. The American base there was stuck in the throat of the Iranians, Russians and Syrians. The intersection of borders at Al-Tanf is a strategic spot, and the stars and stripes that flew there prevented the IRGC from expanding their weapons shipments heading for Damascus and Beirut by land. What did get through, according to the Syrian news agency Sana, was attacked by the Israeli air force using the American presence as a deterrent and declarative leverage. Now its all gone.

Trump essentially gave [Russian President Vladimir] Putin the keys to Syria, admitted a senior Israeli security source who spoke on condition of anonymity with Al-Monitor this week. The source added, The problem is that he did it utterly for free. Considering the fact that hes an experienced and hardened businessman, its strange, worrisome and depressing.

Israel doesnt have the privilege of being sad or protesting. Now the IDF is trying to form an operational response to the American exit. On the day-to-day operational level, said a senior Israeli officer to Al-Monitor who chose to remain anonymous, well continue acting as normal, the [Israeli] air force wont change its patterns of activity, and our struggle against the Iranian entrenchment will continue as usual.

The real problem belongs to the strategic, diplomatic and global arenas. We can still deal with it, said a senior Israeli source to Al-Monitor who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Jordanians are having a much scarier experience right now. The American presence at Al-Tanf was an essential life preserver for them. They fear that the exit from there would allow the Islamic State to reboot itself; they [the Jordanians] would be abandoned and left to the graces of the forces acting in the sphere, saiad the source. To the Jordanians good fortune, the one force that cant leave the region is Israel, and the strategic alliance between these two nations will have to continue to grow tighter in face of the mounting challenges.

Israel at the end of this week is different from the Israel at the beginning of the week. For the first time, Jerusalem is paying for Trumps presidency in hard currency, in cash and at a high price. Up to now we knew that Putins promises regarding Iran dissolve and dont hold water; now we know that we cant depend on Trump either, another Israeli diplomatic source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, adding,Well have to continue to depend only on ourselves.
AMMAN  Libyan Presidential Council Chairman Fayez al-Sarraj arrived in Amman on Dec. 1 on an official visit that coincided with an unannounced visit by Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter, commander of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army. The Jordanian government did not disclose the reason for Hifter's trip. The simultaneous visits by the two opposing officials whet the appetite of commentators about a possible Jordanian role as a mediator between them.

Libya has been plagued by political and military divisions since the fall of the regime of long-time leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. In its wake, two governments have been vying to establish their authority over the country, with competing armed tribal groups adding to the chaos. Hifter, who is allied with the so-called Interim Government based in the east, in al-Bayda and Benghazi, does not accept Sarrajs internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), which was formed as a result of the Libyan Political Agreement, signed in December 2015 in Sukhirat, Morocco, under UN auspices.

Article 8 of the LPA designates the head of the GNA as supreme commander of the Libyan army, but Hifter has refused to concede on the matter. In 2016, Hifters forces seized control of the main oil ports in eastern Libya.

According to a Jordanian security official who spoke to Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity, Amman's involvement in attempts to reconcile the Libyan parties is not a spur of the moment initiative. Over the past three years, Jordan has been working in coordination with France and Italy to urge the two sides to disarm militias, launch a national reconciliation effort, share power, unify the military establishment under the new government and start rebuilding the economy.

In a Dec. 3 interview with Jordan's al-Mamlaka network, Sarraj said unifying the military is one of the main factors in securing a political process in Libya and that some progress had been made in this regard. In October, Egypt submitted a draft to Hifter and Sarraj on the unification of the military. The plan outlined an organizational structure for the armed forces, defined the relationship between the military and the civil authority, and delineated the powers of military officers.

Sarraj said in the Mamlaka interview that there are some issues that the two parties still need to agree on, including the powers of the commander in chief of the army, which according to the LPA, rest with the Presidential Council. Once this issue is resolved, the military can then be unified under a semi-civilian political leadership, Sarraj contended. He further asserted, Reconstituting the Presidential Council should be done in accordance with certain mechanisms and criteria based on the LPA.

Also in the interview, Sarraj said he did not meet with Hifter during their visits to Amman. Sarraj said his most recent one-on-one meeting with him had been in November in Palermo, at the two-day international conference called to advance a political settlement of the Libyan crisis and pave the way for elections, among other issues.

While the Jordanian government continues to maintain its silence on what brought Hifter to Amman, about Sarraj's visit, government spokeswoman Jumana Ghunaimat told Al-Monitor, The reconciliation file was not raised during the recent visit. The main focus was on issues of common concern, where Jordan reiterated its position asserting the necessity of supporting a political resolution in Libya.

Sarraj met with King Abdullah II to discuss ways to settle the Libyan crisis. Abdullah stressed Jordans support for efforts aimed at finding a political solution. Sarraj also met with Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz and discussed, among other things, Libya's outstanding debt for medical care received in Jordan by Libyan victims of that country's civil war.

Jordan has been demanding that the Libyan government settle debts owed to private and public Jordanian medical facilities for treatment provided as per a 2011 memorandum of understanding between the two countries. The Libyans currently owe close to $300 million.

The two officials also discussed forming committees to promote Libyan investment in Jordan, student exchange programs, security coordination, and the exchange of expertise in the security sector.

Amer Sabaileh, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (MEMPSI), believes that Jordan is seeking to help reconcile the warring Libyan parties with the hope that it will ultimately lead to Jordanian participation in Libya's reconstruction. He told Al-Monitor that the Jordanians' involvement is not new, noting that the kingdom has had good relations with both Hifter and Sarraj, which gives it some advantage in guiding reconciliation efforts.

Sabaileh added, however, The problem for Jordan is the multiple parties engaged in the Libyan issue, by which he meant France and Italy, which have competing interests when it comes to the Libyan dossier. France supports Hifter, while Italy backs the GNA. In addition, Italy had opposed the French idea that Libya holds parliamentary and presidential elections by the end of this year, arguing that it would only lead to more chaos in the country.

Mohammed al-Sallak, spokesman for the Libyan Presidential Council, told Al-Monitor that Sarraj's visit to Jordan is part of a joint effort to enhance cooperation between the two countries on several levels and in different areas, including education, health, security, and trade and investment, and to outline mechanisms for joint action on them that serves the interests of both nations.

We appreciate the Jordanian king's support for the GNA and asserting his country's keenness to maintain the democratic process in Libya based on the LPA, Sallak said. We welcome any role the kingdom and its leadership could play, given its wisdom and openness to all parties for advancing the political process, reaching reconciliation and fostering stability.

In a Dec. 2 interview with the Al-Ghad network, Monzer Hawrat, an independent political analyst, remarked, Jordan has begun to play a political role in the region, and this role is accepted by all the Arab parties. He believes that Jordan's good relations with the two Libyan parties offer it a chance at helping craft a political solution, allowing it to launch initiatives aimed at plugging the gap between them or at least finding some common ground.
US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis resigned Thursday, a day after President Donald Trump announced plans to withdraw 2,200 American troops from Syria.

His resignation, effective at the end of February, removes one of the last remaining senior officials in the US administration with long-held foreign policy experience in the Middle East and elsewhere.

The commander-in-chief said in a tweet that Mattis planned to retire with distinction after a replacement had been selected. But in stepping down from his post, Mattis made clear that he could no longer effectively advocate for Trumps views, after the two men privately clashed for months over the US troop presence in Syria and Afghanistan and US support for the NATO alliance.

My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues, Mattis wrote. You have the right to have a secretary of Defense with views that are better aligned with yours.

Behind the scenes, the retired Marine Corps general spent months trying to convince Trump to keep a contingent of US troops and special forces in Syria to train and advise Kurdish units to fight the Islamic State.

Trump unveiled Mattis appointment at a rally in 2016, affectionately calling his pick Mad Dog and lauding his combat credentials in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the partnership was immediately marred by significant philosophical differences, chief among them Trumps concern that US military allies were taking advantage of Washingtons arsenal. Meanwhile, Mattis often encouraged working through partners, spending months reassuring US allies of long-standing military commitments amid Twitter rejoinders from Trump.

Mattis directly referenced NATOs invocation of its self defense mandate after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as well as the international coalition against the Islamic State as examples of allies contributing to US national security interests in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Mattis letter, which caught officials in the Pentagon by surprise, appeared to be a direct rebuke of Trumps conduct of foreign policy. In a series of early morning tweets on Thursday, the president questioned whether the United States should seek to be the policeman of the world. Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight, Trump wrote.

Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world, Mattis argued. Instead, we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense.

Mattis indicated he will depart his post on Feb. 28. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Gen. Jack Keane have been among the names rumored for the post. Keane however took himself out of the running in an interview on Fox News on Thursday.
ALEPPO, Syria  While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced from the central province of Konya Dec. 17 that his country was determined to launch a military operation against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) east of the Euphrates River, factions affiliated with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) started to send fighters to the Syrian-Turkish border.

We can start our operation against terrorists at any moment now, he said, adding, We have received a positive response from US President Donald Trump regarding the military operation we announced last week east of the Euphrates.

On Dec. 14, FSA factions gave the Turkish army the names of fighters willing to take part in the military operation. They will be transferred from the Euphrates Shield area in the countryside of Aleppo to southern Turkey along the border with Syria. The FSA-affiliated National Army in the Euphrates Shield area has also said that all of its factions would be sending members to take part in the military operation.

One FSA commander told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, The FSA factions sent more than 2,000 fighters into Turkey on Nov. 20 for military training. These were stationed along the Turkish-Syrian border. On Dec. 15, the Turkish army asked the FSA factions to send more fighters to the border area south of Turkey. Consequently, more than 2,000 fighters will be sent to the border, and this will bring the total number of fighters to 4,000.

He went on, Some FSA factions will refrain from sending large numbers of fighters to the border because many fighters do not want to take part in distant battles whose results could go either way. Those participating in the operation are mainly FSA fighters from Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa residing in the Euphrates Shield area. They are widely interested in the operation because they want to return to their hometowns that fall under the control of the SDF.

The National Army announced in a Dec. 16 statement that it is determined to fight what it dubbed the liberation battle alongside the Turkish army.

According to another FSA source, Turkey said that while the battle will initially target SDF positions in the city of Tell Abyad from Turkish territory, it will subsequently move to target the city of Ain al-Arab, Kobani and the city of Ras al-Ain. Subsequently, the source said, the SDF in the western parts of Kobani will be attacked from Jarablus in the areas east of the Euphrates River.

The source added that the Turkish army has given FSA commanders a detailed explanation of the size of its fortifications east of the Euphrates as well as a map of the land mines that they scattered, telling them the SDF might resort to violent resistance.

As soon as Erdogan first said on Dec. 12 that a military operation was imminent, the Euphrates Shield area witnessed three bombings. A car bomb exploded that day in the center of the city of Azaz, killing a 10-year-old girl and wounding a large number of civilians. A motorcycle exploded in the market of al-Rai city, wounding several civilians, and another blew up in the market of al-Bab, killing one civilian and injuring several others.

While no figures are yet available on the wounded, the bombings sparked fear among residents that other cities and towns would be targeted as the military operation draws near.

In a bid to restore security, the FSA's military police in the Euphrates Shield area announced Dec. 12 that all of its forces were put on high alert.

Youssef Hammoud, the official spokesman for the National Army, told Al-Monitor, The bombings that took place in Azaz, al-Bab and al-Rai are a direct message from the SDF to the FSA. The SDF are behind those explosions that came right after the Turkish presidents declaration that the military operation was drawing near. We in the FSA will do our best to ensure the success of the military operation launched by the Turkish army against the SDF. The SDF explosions will not scare us.

He explained that some "14,000 FSA fighters are willing to participate in the military operation" adding, "If the operation requires more fighters, then we are all for sending more fighters until their number reaches 20,000.

Hammoud concluded, The FSA will spearhead the battles against the SDF and will be supported by the infantry forces and fire cover of the Turkish army.

Mustafa Sejari, the head of Al-Moaatsem Brigade's political bureau, told Al-Monitor that the FSA was hoping that peaceful and logical solutions would be found to pave the way for the return of hundreds of thousands of people to the eastern Euphrates Shield area following their displacement by the SDF.

According to Sejari, hundreds of thousands of people from the eastern Euphrates Shield area currently live in Turkey and FSA-controlled towns in the Euphrates Shield area and cannot return to their towns. While some of them were displaced when the Islamic State organization gained control of those towns, others left after the SDF took over. People are afraid to return because they fear the SDF will recruit their children, Sejari added.

He went on to say that the SDF is behind the explosions that rocked FSA-controlled areas. The latest targeted the center of the city of Afrin Dec. 16, when a car bomb exploded in the city market, killing eight civilians and wounding 22 others.

We have no other option but to launch a military operation against the SDF. These groups are working on beefing up their military presence and have separatist intentions. They want to divide Syria. This is something that the FSA will not allow, he said.

The expected Turkish military operation has considerable support from residents of the Euphrates Shield area in the Aleppo countryside. Many of them believe that the SDF is no less dangerous than the regime and fear that the SDF will pursue its separatist intentions and set up self-administration in areas under their control.

Both the Turkish statements and the FSA deployment along the border seem to be pushing the United States toward giving consent to the operation, which could start now or in early 2019.
As Turkeys March 31 local elections draw nearer, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rarely misses an opportunity to recall the 2013 Gezi Park resistance and warn of serious consequences for those who might think of taking to the streets again to protest his government. In a series of recent speeches, Erdogan has attacked journalists and the main opposition leader, portraying the constitutional right to peaceful demonstration as a crime.

Naturally, a naive question comes to mind: Could it be that Ankara has obtained intelligence of certain anti-government organizations and groups planning massive street protests to topple the government? Hence, could it be that the government is pre-emptively warning oppositionists in a bid to thwart the protests before they have even started?

Yet there is another question that is not naive at all. Is the government fearmongering about the opposition taking to the streets actually a bid to prevent any slackening in its base as it feels the pressure of an economic crisis that is fueling unemployment and the cost of living for opposition and government supporters alike in the run-up to elections? Thus, is the government trying to further polarize the nation? Is this why journalists and the main opposition leader stand accused of calling the people to the streets?

While looking for the answers, lets start with some interesting details about a TV journalist in Erdogans crosshairs and the channel where he presents a popular program. Fox TV, which is owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, has had a Turkish-language channel of the same name since 2007, and the channels prime-time news program, presented by Fatih Portakal, has held the rating leadership in its category since 2013. A key factor  or perhaps the most important one  in Portakals rating success is that he could often be critical of the government  something that is inherent to journalism but is lacking on other TV channels, which are largely under government control. On the evening of Dec. 10, the first day of yet another week that saw Portakal dominate the ratings, he made comments that unleashed the wrath of the government.

The subject pertained to the right to hold meetings and demonstrations, which Article 34 of Turkeys Constitution is supposed to guarantee.

After presenting a news report about a police clampdown on yellow vests protests in France, Portakal brought the subject to the Turkish governments repressive stance against peaceful demonstrations and the corresponding heavy-handed approach of the police. You know that even peaceful protests would not be possible in Turkey and that police officers are obliged to follow the orders of their superiors against those who take to the streets for peaceful protests, he commented.

Then, he added, Come on, lets try. Lets protest in a peaceful way. Lets protest the price hikes, the price hikes on natural gas [for home heating]. Can we do it? How many people would take to the streets amid fear and apprehension? [How many would think] Ill be beaten up and so, yet Ill stand up for my rights, but will I get into trouble or not? Tell me, for Gods sake, how many people could take to the streets? So, this is how they are trying to suppress and intimidate individual and public opposition. It is the most natural right but it is not being implemented. Honestly, it makes no difference whether its France or Turkey.

On the day Portakal made those comments, a column in the pro-government daily Takvim called for chopping off the heads of anti-government protesters who took part in the Gezi Park demonstrations in the summer of 2013. The headline of the article, penned by Erkan Tan, was a harsh warning to anyone who might take inspiration from the yellow vests movement in France. Those who dream of yellow vests in Turkey will end up in yellow skirts, the headline read. It was a sexist expression suggesting that men who join street protests against the government would be humiliated by being forced to wear skirts, while insulting women in the meantime.

A couple of days later, Devlet Bahceli, the head of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party and an ally of Erdogan, sharpened the tone of the threats. In a written statement Dec. 12, Bahceli referred to the day after the March 31 polls and warned of a very hefty price to pay for anyone who might dream of a new Gezi and a new street movement on the morning of April 1. He added, Those who put on yellow vests should take the risk of lying down naked [later]. This is no joke.

While some social media users opined that lying down naked was an allusion to death, the overwhelmingly pro-government conventional media chose to not delve into what Bahceli meant.

Finally, Erdogan launched a direct attack on Portakal, five days after the journalist had argued that the right to peaceful meetings and demonstrations cannot be utilized in Turkey due to a climate of fear and apprehension gripping society. Speaking at an inauguration ceremony in the southwestern city of Denizli, the president lashed out at Portakal, without naming him. A person deprived of decency is calling the people to the streets. What a lowlife! The judiciary will certainly give him the appropriate response. What are you doing? Is this Paris here? Erdogan said in what was a call to duty to the judiciary to take action against Portakal. Erdogan went on to warn, Everyone already learned a lesson from the Gezi incidents and July 15 [the 2016 coup attempt]. Those who attempt such actions in the future will be paying a hefty price."

The president continued to blast the journalist during a ceremony in the central city of Konya two days later, accusing him again of inciting street protests. Know your place or else this nation will blow up your neck, he said in his speech.

After referring Portakal to the judiciary and the nation, Erdogan mounted a similar attack on Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the main opposition Republican Peoples Party, which is Erdogan's strongest rival in the municipal polls. In a Dec. 16 speech in Istanbul, the president addressed Kilicdaroglu, saying, This is neither Paris nor the Netherlands. Should you attempt something like Gezi, we will come down on you, just as this nation came down on [the putschists] and their lackeys on July 15.  This time, you wont even find the chance to run away.

Now we can answer the question in the headline: The governments worries of a second Gezi are not real. Two things are real, however. First, the government feels the need to close ranks in its voter base as the election approaches and the state of the Turkish economy deteriorates. Second, given those adverse conditions, the government feels compelled to frighten the opposition and its voters.

The fact that the government resorts to such measures ahead of elections despite the power it derives from controlling the bodies supposed to ensure fair and just elections as well as the overwhelming part of the media is a sign of a dramatic increase in political stress caused by the economic crisis.
Deeply frustrated by what it describes as Washington's broken promises, Turkey has decided to take matters into its own hands in Syria. The Turkish military is poised to start an operation east of the Euphrates River against US-supported Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG).

President Recep Tayyip Erdogans announcement of the operation  and his subsequent remarks about it  show that Turkey is committed to carrying out this operation regardless of what Washington says.

The Turkish militarys Operation Euphrates Shield in 2017 and its Operation Olive Branch this year  both of which were launched over US objections  show that Erdogan has to be taken seriously.

Ankaras new operation, which Erdogan says is only days ahead, is predicated on the assumption that Washington will ultimately remain passive, as it did during Turkeys previous operations.

The Pentagon warned Turkey last week that any unilateral action in northeast Syria would be unacceptable. There is, however, no indication that Turkey takes this statement seriously.

The unexpected decision by President Donald Trump on Dec. 19 to pull US forces out of Syria caught Ankara by surprise. It also appears to vindicate Erdogans stance.

Despite the satisfaction in Ankara over Trumps announcement, skepticism prevails because of past announcements by Washington that the Turkish side says were not honored.

Ankara is also noting the confusion in Washington, where the Pentagon and key congressmen are said to be working hard to try and alter Trumps decision, which they say would leave Washingtons Kurdish allies in the lurch.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo referred to YPG fighters as great partners in October and said that Washington would ensure that the Kurds have a seat at the table.

He added, during his address to the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, that their second objective in Syria was the removal of all Iranian and Iranian-backed forces from the country.

Such statements out of Washington led many to believe that the United States would remain in Syria for the foreseeable future, to contain Iran.

Trumps decision to pull US forces from Syria flies in the face of these statements and also highlights again the lack of a consistent and coherent Syrian policy in Washington.

The concern over a new operation by Turkey east of the Euphrates is that this may result in a face-off between Turkish and US forces, which are deployed in the region to ostensibly fight the Islamic State (IS) alongside their local allies in the YPG.

Many believe such a confrontation would be disastrous for already strained Turkish-US ties. It would also have dire consequences for NATOs unity.

Erdogan says the Turkish military has no intention of engaging US forces, and that they will only target terrorists. It is time to realize our decision to wipe out terror groups east of the Euphrates, he said during an address to a Turkish defense summit Dec. 12.

The United States reportedly has 2,000 Marines stationed at more than 20 military bases east of the Euphrates, a resource-rich area that represents a third of Syrian territory. Recent statements and military moves by Washington in the region have merely increased Turkish suspicions about US intentions.

These include Washingtons request for a special status for areas east of the Euphrates in any Syrian settlement; the US decision to set up a security force of over 30,000 local fighters in the region, which Ankara says will be YPG-led; and the joint US-YPG patrols that were started recently along Syrias border with Turkey.

These moves fueled Ankaras sense of urgency regarding the need to prevent further gains by the YPG and its political wing, the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, in northern Syria.

Former security and intelligence official Bulent Orakoglu, who currently writes for the pro-government daily Yeni Safak, argued that Ankara has effectively delivered a diplomatic ultimatum to the United States over the YPG issue.

Orakoglu also believes that the United States cannot afford to antagonize Turkey.

The risk that the US and Turkey may clash east of the Euphrates will undoubtedly empower Russia, which wants to destroy NATO, and make it even stronger in the region, Orakoglu wrote.

He also pointed to the strategic US and NATO bases in Turkey. The US will not obstruct Turkey under these conditions, Orakoglu contended.

If it does, victory  by the Grace of God  will be Turkeys, he added, reflecting the bullish mood on the Turkish side.

Orakoglu may not be far off the mark. In an interview with the Greek daily Kathimerini last week, US Assistant Secretary of State A. Wess Mitchell characterized Turkey as an indispensable ally. He added that the strategic position of the Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, where US forces are deployed, was also crucial for Washington.

The Turkish side, however, argues that if the United States was a true ally, it would never have sided with a terrorist group against Turkey in the first place. Ankara also believes that Washington is trying to juggle Turkey and the YPG, thus establishing parity between Turkey and a terrorist organization, which Turkish officials say is unacceptable.

In the meantime, Washington has been trying to appease Turkey with various enticements, such as the bounty it placed on the heads of the leadership of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Ankara says the YPG is linked to.

This week also saw the announcement by the US State Department that it had approved the sale of a $3.5 billion Patriot missile system to Turkey.

Despite Washingtons sweeteners, which have been welcomed in their own right, the Turkish side remains resolute over eliminating the YPG threat.

Trumps decision to pull out of Syria has also emboldened Ankara, despite its cautious wait-and-see stance over this development. Trumps decision came shortly after a phone conversation he held with Erdogan, in which northern Syria was discussed.

Erdogan told a gathering of supporters later, in the central Anatolian city of Konya, that he had received positive answers from Trump.

This gives the appearance that Erdogans threats to move against the YPG east of the Euphrates were taken seriously by Trump, who decided to climb down and pull US troops out of Syria.

This is a political bonus for Erdogan domestically, coming at a time when the country is preparing for crucial local elections. If Trump can carry out his decision, this will also add to Erdogans prestige among his new regional and global partners, starting with Russia.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhanis visit to Ankara this week has also gained added significance following Trumps announcement.

Notwithstanding all that, though, Ankara  where there is a lot of mistrust regarding US intentions  is not accepting Trumps decision at face value, since many questions about its implementation remain.

The chance that Trump will be forced by the Pentagon and Congress to revoke his decision also remains a real possibility for Turkish officials.

Security expert Abdullah Agar maintained that Trumps decision may be part of a fresh ploy to delay or prevent a new incursion by the Turkish military into northern Syria.

Turkey cant trust America under these circumstances, Agar said in an interview with CNN Turk. In recent times it claimed to be a friend and ally but acted as an enemy, and a sly enemy at that, Agar added.

If Turkey does indeed launch its new operation, which, judging by official remarks, is imminent, this will be Erdogans biggest gambit in Syria. He clearly believes, though, that the benefits of the operation outstrip the risks.

Citing information obtained from military sources, Mehmet Acet, who writes for Yeni Safak, reported that Turkeys operation will not be an all-out invasion of northern Syria, but will target 150 specific YPG targets near the Turkish-Syrian border.

If that is the case, the risk for Erdogan will be limited. He will score political points at home  where nationalist sentiment is running high  for carrying out his threat to strike the YPG in northern Syria.

Erdogans brinkmanship with the United States will also appear to be bearing fruit.
On Dec. 16, 1958, A Night to Remember premiered in theaters, one of seven movies made to that date about the sinking of the RMS Titanic. A Night to Remember was critically acclaimed and the most famous version until James Camerons 1997 Titanic. Like many of the films, Night featured a character from Alabama: Archibald Gracie IV.

Gracie was the only known passenger from Alabama aboard the Titanic on the fateful night of April 15, 1912, when the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg and slipped beneath the icy waters of the Atlantic. He survived the sinking but died a few months later at the age of 54.

In Night, a movie based on the book of the same name by Walter Lord, Archibald is portrayed by James Dyrenforth. Dyrenforth was a Chicago native whose career began and ended with the film, according to IMDb. He died in 1973. Character actor Bernard Fox portrayed Gracie in the hit 1997 film Titanic.

Archibald Gracie IV

Archibald was born January 17, 1858, in Mobile, Ala., a member of the wealthy Gracie family of New York. His father, Archibald Gracie III, attended West Point but later moved to Mobile to become a cotton broker. Archibald III was a Confederate general who was killed in the Civil War.

Encyclopedia-titanic.org says, On December 2, 1864, General Gracie was killed while observing Union Army movements at the siege of Petersburg, Virginia. Respected by his troops, he was eulogized in a poem Gracie, of Alabama by Francis O. Tickner.

Gen. Archibald Gracie III of Mobile, father of Archibald Gracie IV, Titanic survivor. (Public Domain | Wikimedia Commons)

Gracie IV was only five years old when his father died. In his 40s, he began writing about book about his fathers war experiences called The Truth About Chickamauga. It was released in 1912 after seven years of work and Gracies trip aboard the Titanic was taken as a vacation to celebrate its completion, the Encyclopedia-Titanica said.

By that time, Gracie IV, made wealthy by real estate dealings, had moved to New York and was a colonel in the U.S. Army. He was married to Constance Elise Schack but he was alone aboard the Titanic. (A 1919 article in The New York Times incorrectly states his wife and one daughter were on board with him, leading to continued confusion.)

Followed by tragedy

The Gracies were no stranger to loss, even before the sinking. One of Gracies daughters, Constance Julie Gracie, had been crushed to death at the age of 12 in an elevator accident in Paris in 1903. Another daughter, Edith Gracie Adams would die just six years after the sinking. She contracted pneumonia during the worldwide influenza pandemic in 1918.

Gracie himself didnt fare well after the sinking. He aided many women and children to lifeboats from Titanic. Gracie .. [helped by] loading the women and children into Lifeboat 4. One of the ladies Gracie lifted into the boat was the pregnant teenage wife of John Jacob Astor, the Encyclopedia-Titanica said.

As the ship slipped under, Gracie jumped into the frigid water, eventually managing to cling to an overturned collapsible lifeboat until he was rescued and taken aboard the Carpathia. He was traumatized and injured, however; his body covered with cuts and bruised. He never fully recovered from the ordeal and died in Dec. 4, 1912. Before he died, he completed a rough manuscript of a book of his experiences called The Truth about the Titanic. It was published in 1913.

Gracie IV is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in New York. His headstone is etched with the words Hero of the S.S. Titanic.
An interracial group of pastors is distributing more than $30,000 to assist Riverchase Galleria workers and others hurt by the boycott and protests in Hoover after a police shooting that killed a black man at the mall on Thanksgiving night.

Demonstrators have been protesting the Thanksgiving night shooting death of Emantic Fitzgerald E.J. Bradford Jr. at the mall. Two others were wounded.

Theres a dark cloud hanging over this situation; there are no winners, said said the Rev. Mike McClure Jr., senior pastor of the Rock Church. The family wants justice, the community wants justice.

A group of 130 pastors met Dec. 5 at Hunter Street Baptist Church in Hoover to form an interracial group called Pastors4People to heal divisions in the wake of the shooting.

It was a time for pastors to come together, to love the Lord, to pray together, to draw close together, said the Rev. Buddy Gray, senior pastor of Hunter Street Baptist Church in Hoover. When we seek to understand and love each other, we can make things better.

The group pledged $30,000 that day. Our job is to be a voice of reason and a voice of peace, McClure said. My biggest goal was to be a blessing to people who were impacted.

This weekend Pastors4People will be meeting applicants who say they were negatively affected by the boycott and deliver $400 each to 68 people, a total of $27,200, Thats a weeks worth of pay for some people, McClure said.

For example, there were waiter and waitresses who depend on tips to earn a living who were sent home from their jobs for lack of business, McClure said.

Pastors4People has given away toys to help 55 families with Christmas presents, he said.

In addition, 200 families received food boxes including a turkey from Christian Service Mission worth a total of more than $2,000, McClure said. The recipients included those affected by the Hoover boycotts and other who had requested assistance. Every person who filled out the application were helped, he said.

The first effort by Pastors4People has been smooth, McClure said.

The calls were getting are overwhelming. Many people called to say it was good to see that many black and white pastors standing together. Were just trying to be a light, to say, Heres what the church can be. I couldnt imagine it going better than it did.

Still, McClure said he has gotten criticism from both extremes over the protest. Some critics thought the group should be joining the protest, or condemning it.

I want to stand in the middle and be the bridge, he said. If youre going to be a bridge, youll get walked on by both sides.

Pastors4People will look for more projects in the future, McClure said.

Were praying and brainstorming about what were going to do next, he said. I believe its going to be a continuing impact. Im excited about it. I cant wait to see what the next project will be.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case on an Alabama abortion law ruled unconstitutional by lower federal courts.

In 2016, the Legislature passed a bill banning a procedure it described as dismemberment abortion, a procedure for second-trimester abortions that Marshall called particularly gruesome. Marshall said about 7 percent of abortions in the state are done with the procedure.

Abortion rights advocates said the bill outlawed the only method of abortion available in Alabama abortion clinics after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The method is known by the medical term dilation and evacuation.

The American Civil Liberties Union represented Alabama abortion providers in a lawsuit challenging the ban. Last year, U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson ruled that the law was an unconstitutional restriction on abortion rights.

In August, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Thompsons decision. Marshall said at that time the state would appeal.

Today, Marshall filed a 33-page petition asking the Supreme Court to hear the appeal. Marshall said state law allows alternative methods of second-trimester abortion.

The constitutionality of a state ban on dismemberment abortion is an important question of national significance, Marshall wrote in the petition. At least nine states have enacted laws to ban dismemberment abortion. Litigation over some of these similar abortion laws is pending in the Fifth Circuit, the Eighth Circuit and multiple state courts.

Read Marshalls petition.

The ACLU issued a statement saying that courts have consistently found that such bans are unconstitutional.

The states request that the high court take up the case is part of a long-standing strategy to ban abortion in Alabama, Randall Marshall, executive director of the ACLU of Alabama, said. The ACLU is committed to seeing this fight through to ensure that all women in Alabama can get the care they need without political interference, shame, or stigma.
A 72-year-old Alabama man is charged in the fatal shooting of another man in Georgia, authorities said.

Murder suspect Samuel Street is held in the DeKalb County jail in Alabama pending transfer to Georgia.

Samuel Street is charged with murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Street is accused of fatally shooting Justin Alfrey, who died Dec. 14 in Rising Fawn, a tiny community on the Alabama-Georgia line in Dade County.

Alfrey, 32, was from Valley Head, Alabama, according to The Chattanooga Times Free Press newspaper. The newspaper reported that Alfrey was found shot to death in a car on Highway 11 South shortly after midnight.

Street was arrested in Valley Head early this morning, according to the DeKalb County, Alabama sheriffs office. Hes held in the DeKalb County jail pending transfer to Georgia. State and local law enforcement searched Streets home and took him into custody, authorities said.

Further details werent immediately available.
WASHINGTON  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday after clashing with President Donald Trump over the abrupt withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria and after two years of deep disagreements over America's role in the world.

Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Trump's administration, will leave by the end of February after two tumultuous years struggling to soften and moderate the president's hardline and sometimes sharply changing policies. He told Trump in a letter that he was leaving because "you have a right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours."

Mattis went to the White House with his resignation letter in hand to meet with the president and spoke to Trump for about 45 minutes, according to a senior U.S. official familiar with the incident but speaking on conditions of anonymity to discuss a private meeting.

There was no confrontation between the two men, the official said, and there was no one issue that caused the resignation. However, the official said, Syria likely was the last straw for Mattis.

His departure was immediately lamented by foreign policy hands and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who viewed the retired Marine general as a sober voice of experience in the ear of a president who had never held political office or served in the military. Even Trump allies expressed fear over Mattis' decision to quit, believing him to be an important moderating force on the president.

Just read Gen. Mattis resignation letter. It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation,damage our alliances & empower our adversaries. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/ztc0Yihccn  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 20, 2018

Mattis did not mention the dispute over Syria in his letter or proposed deep cuts to U.S. forces in Afghanistan, another significant policy dispute. He noted his core belief that American strength is inextricably linked with the nations alliances with other countries, a position seemingly at odds with the America First policy of the president.

The defense secretary also said China and Russia want to spread their "authoritarian model" and promote their interests at the expense of America and its allies. "That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense," he wrote.

The announcement came a day after Trump surprised U.S. allies and members of Congress by announcing the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Syria, and as he continues to consider cutting in half the American deployment in Afghanistan by this summer. The news coincided with domestic turmoil as well, Trump's fight with Congress over a border wall and a looming partial government shutdown.

Trump's decision to pull troops out of Syria has been sharply criticized for abandoning America's Kurdish allies, who may well face a Turkish assault once U.S. troops leave, and had been staunchly opposed by the Pentagon.

Mattis, in his resignation letter, emphasized the importance of standing up for U.S. allies  an implicit criticism of the president's decision on this issue and others.

"While the U.S. remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies," Mattis wrote.

Last year, Republican Sen. Bob Corker  a frequent Trump critic  said Mattis, along with White House chief of staff John Kelly and then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, were helping "separate our country from chaos."

Tillerson was fired early this year. Kelly is to leave the White House in the coming days.

This is scary, reacted Senate Intelligence committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., on Twitter.

This is scary. Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration. As weve seen with the Presidents haphazard approach to Syria, our national defense is too important to be subjected to the Presidents erratic whims. https://t.co/9qPluSGLUc  Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) December 20, 2018

"Jim Mattis did a superb job as Secretary of Defense. But he cannot be expected to stand behind a President who disrespects our allies and ingratiates himself to our adversaries," said William Cohen, who served as defense secretary under Bill Clinton and knows Mattis well.

Mattis' departure has long been rumored, but officials close to him have insisted that the battle-hardened retired Marine would hang on, determined to bring military calm and judgment to the administration's often chaotic national security decisions and to soften some of Trump's sharper tones with allies.

Opponents of Mattis, however, have seen him as an unwanted check on Trump.

Mattis went to the White House Thursday afternoon to resign after failing to persuade the president in a tense Oval Office meeting to change his decision on withdrawing troops from Syria, according to two people with knowledge of the conversation but not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Another U.S. official said that Mattis' decision was his own, and not a "forced resignation." The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Trump said a replacement would be chosen soon.

"The president's national security team's job is to give him advice and it's the president's job to make a decision," said press secretary Sarah Sanders.

At the start of the Trump administration, the president had gushed about his respect for Mattis, repeatedly calling him "Mad Dog," despite Mattis' own public insistence that the moniker was never his. Instead, his nickname for years was CHAOS, which stood for "Colonel Has An Outstanding Suggestion," and reflected Mattis' more cerebral nature.

The two quickly clashed on major policy decisions.

During his first conversations with Trump about the Pentagon job, Mattis made it clear that he disagreed with his new boss in two areas: He said torture doesn't work, despite Trump's assertion during the campaign that it did, and he voiced staunch support for traditional U.S. international alliances, including NATO, which Trump repeatedly criticized.

Mattis was credited by some in the administration for blocking an executive order that would have reopened CIA interrogation "black sites." Trump has said the Pentagon chief convinced him it wasn't necessary to bring back banned torture techniques like waterboarding.

En route to his first visit to Iraq as defense secretary, Mattis bluntly rebuffed Trump's assertion that America might take Iraqi oil as compensation for U.S. efforts in the war-torn country.

The two also were divided on the future of the Afghanistan war, with Trump complaining from the first about its cost and arguing for withdrawal. Mattis and others ultimately persuaded Trump to pour additional resources and troops into the conflict to press toward a resolution.

U.S. officials say there now is active planning in the Pentagon that would pull as many as half the 14,000 U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by summer. They say no final decision has been made.

Trump also chafed at the Pentagon's slow response to his order to ban transgender people from serving in the military. That effort has stalled due to multiple legal challenges.

More recently, Trump bypassed Mattis' choice for the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. David Goldfein, the Air Force chief, was Mattis' top choice, but Trump chose Gen. Mark Milley, the chief of the Army.

The Pentagon has appeared to be caught off guard by a number of Trump policy declarations, often made through Twitter. Those include plans that ultimately fizzled to have a big military parade this month and the more recent decision to send thousands of active duty troops to the Southwest border.

Mattis has determinedly kept a low public profile, striving to stay out of the news and out of Trump's line of fire.

Those close to him have repeatedly insisted that he would not quit, and would have to either be fired or die in the job. But others have noted that a two-year stint as defense chief is a normal and respectable length of service.

Born in Pullman, Washington, Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969, later earning a history degree from Central Washington University. He was commissioned as an officer in 1972. As a lieutenant colonel, he led an assault battalion into Kuwait during the first U.S. war with Iraq in 1991.

In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Mattis commanded the Marines who launched an early amphibious assault into Afghanistan and established a U.S. foothold in the Taliban heartland. As the first wave of Marines moved toward Kandahar, Mattis declared, "The Marines have landed, and now we own a piece of Afghanistan."

Two years later, he helped lead the invasion into Iraq in 2003 as the two-star commander of the 1st Marine Division. As a four-star, he led Central Command from 2010 until his retirement in 2013.

--By Zeke Miller and Lolita Baldor
Alabama Senator Doug Jones called on federal authorities Thursday to take a close look to see if crimes were committed by a group of Democratic tech experts whose social media experiment was aimed at helping him win last years special Senate campaign.

Jones said hes as outraged as anyone else over a report in The New York Times that detailed a secret project, carried out on Facebook and Twitter, to support his candidacy and hurt Republican Roy Moore. Jones won the December 12, 2017, special U.S. Senate election by less than 22,000 votes.

He called on the Federal Election Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice to look into the issues raised in a New York Times story, and determine if a crime was committed.

We need to nip this in the bud and we should not encourage any groups, no matter how well-intentioned they may be, to do these things that illegally interfere in the election process, Jones said during his final media call ahead of the Christmas holiday.

Ive railed against Russian interference ever since I started campaigning and during my first year in the Senate, Jones added, referring to an ongoing federal investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election. Weve all focused too much on the Russians and not picked up on that there are some nefarious groups, whether right or left, that would interfere in elections.

Moore reacts

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks after narrowly losing the election to Democrat Doug Jones during an election night watch party Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017, in Montgomery, Ala. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

The interference came from a group that called itself the Alabama project, and involved the creation of a misleading Facebook page meant to divide Republicans and draw votes away from Moore, the Times cited based on an internal report it received about the effort.

The Times reported that the Democratic tech experts established a fake conservative Facebook page and encouraged visitors to support a write-in candidate and not Moore.

The project also involved a scheme to link the Moore campaign to thousands of Russian accounts which followed him on Twitter, according to the Times.

Jones denied connection to the social media efforts, which the Times reported was funded by Reid Hoffman, the billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn and orchestrated by several individuals including Jonathon Morgan, the chief executive of the cyber security firm New Knowledge.

We had some pretty sophisticated software to monitor these things, and we didnt see anything like (what the Times reported), Jones said. He said his own campaign accounts were also attacked by social media bots.

Robert Matney, with New Knowledge, said that Morgan was working as an independent researcher, and that the issues reported by the Times was not directly related to his firm.

Morgan described the project to the Times as a small experiment designed to explore how certain online tactics worked.

My involvement with the project described in the New York Times was as a cyber-security researcher and expert with the intention to better understand and report on the tactics and effects of social media disinformation," said Morgan, in a statement. "I did not participate in any campaign to influence the public and any characterization to the contrary misrepresents the research goals, methods and outcome of the project, and I never attended a presentation about the results as described in the article.

The Moore campaign, in October 2017, released a public statement addressing the influx of over 1,000 Russian bots following his Twitter account. The campaign filed a report with Twitter, requesting the firm take a closer look at the activity.

Moore, at the time, accused Jones and Democratic operatives of pulling a political stunt on Twitter.

On Thursday, he linked it to California Democrat Nancy Pelosi, the incoming Speaker of the House.

Recent reports of a secret experiment in the Alabama Senate race of 2017 demonstrate something weve always known: A lot of people and a lot of money went into a gigantic effort to allow a radical liberal Democrat to steal Alabamas Senate seat, Moore said through a spokeswoman in an emailed statement to AL.com. The immorality of our society has seeped into our political system to corrupt our election process, threaten democracy, and destroy our country. Only an appeal to God and our Constitution can preserve our Republic.

Moore cited an October 8 segment by Lou Dobbs on Fox Business, in which the TV host linked comments Pelosi made in June 2017 to a political strategy to merchandise false stories through social media. At the time, the Pelosi comments were linked to the Democratic efforts of undermining Brett Kavanaughs nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Now, we learn that they were using Russian tactics, Moore said.

The website, FactCheck.org, in an October 12 analysis, said that Pelosis statements had been taken out-of-context. The site concluded that Pelosis full statement was about tactics she felt Republicans, not Democrats, used against their opponents.

Election influence

The Alabama project cost around $100,000 to pull off, and the Times reported that the expense likely didnt alter the elections outcome.

Jones agreed. I dont think it had any effect, he said.

Dean Young, who served as a spokesman and strategist for Moore last year, said he believes the effort suppressed voters.

It turned them away from voting for Judge Moore and it had a tremendous effect on the state of Alabama no matter what these people who broke the law may say, said Young. It was $100,000, but well never know how much money they spent to destroy Judge Moores candidacy.

The $100,000, which was downplayed in the Times report, drew immediate rebuke from Jones and a representative from Moores campaign.

The mere fact that money was put into that, it really makes me mad, said Jones. Something needs to be done about it and the authorities need to use this example right now to start setting the course for the future to let people know this is not acceptable in the United States of America.

Said Young, They were doing everything they absolutely could to mislead the people of Alabama. It worked and they got away with it.

He added, Lets all sit back and watch and see if these people are criminally charged.

Troubling

Young called the activity a wake up call for Alabama to really verify their sources of information circulating on social media.

Jess Brown, a retired political science professor at Athens State University, said the case underscores a problem for social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and should serve as a warning for voters.

Its irresponsible, as a citizen in the United States right now, to rely upon Facebook and Twitter, said Brown. There is no accountability on the spending of the money or the accuracy of the source of the information. Its just a day dream for political consultants who have no moral compass and its an absolute nightmare for people who are interested in an electoral process that works.

He added, In order for the electoral process to work, you cannot have citizens bombarded and manipulated by this kind of information.

Richard Fording, a political science professor at the University of Alabama, said the lack of regulations and oversight of social media platforms to prevent future occurrences from happening.

Political campaigns, he said, had long relied upon disinformation to influence election outcomes, and that past efforts have taken form through pamphlets, robo calls and email blasts.

But what is so troubling now, I think, is that social media can reach so many people and the sophistication of microtargeting technologies that rely on these platforms has been advancing at a rapid pace, said Fording.

Fording said it is difficult to determine how much of an influence the social media activity had on the elections outcome.

But I think what happened in Alabama suggests this is something that goes far beyond Russian meddling, Fording said. This is the modern version of political disinformation campaigns and I think we are likely to see many more examples of these tactics being used by domestic campaign operatives unless Congress decides to do something about it.

This story was updated at 3:31 p.m. to correct the name of the federal agency Senator Doug Jones is asking to investigate the issues surrounding social media activity during last years Senate race. Jones is asking the Federal Elections Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice to look into the matter.

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A partial government shutdown looms, with many agencies closing shop at midnight tonight unless Congress and the president can reach an agreement over funding a wall at the U.S./Mexico border.

Unlike past shutdowns that shuttered almost every agency and left almost all federal workers off the job, the Christmas shutdown would cover about 25 percent of government operations. The remaining 75 percent of the federal government is funded through separate measures that are in place through September 2019.

About 850,000 employees work at agencies subject to shutdown; about 41 percent of those employees would be subject to furloughs. Furloughed employees are not guaranteed they will receive back pay though Congress has traditionally included that in appropriation bills.

In Alabama, the greatest impact would be seen at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, where some 95 percent of the centers thousands of employees would be subject to furlough. Critical operations would continue, NASA said.

Federal employees are on the job today but President Trump has given workers Christmas Eve off as a holiday.

What agencies, operations would be impacted by the shutdown?

The agencies that would be impacted by the shutdown include:

The Department of Homeland Security

The Justice Department

The Interior Department

The State Department

The Department of Housing and Urban Development

Here are some individual operations that would be impacted by the shutdown:

Many federal employees deemed critical will remain on the job but wont be paid until the shutdown ends. That will include 41,000 federal law enforcement and correctional officers and up to 88 percent of Department of Homeland Security employees, including 50,000 TSA agents, according to data compiled by Senate Democrats.

Also on the job without pay will be 5,000 Forest Service firefighters and 3,600 National Weather Service forecasters.

Furloughed without pay will be:

14,000 Department of Commerce staff

16,700 NASA staff

16,000 National Park Service staff

28,800 Forest Service staff

18,300 Department of Transportation staff

7,100 HUD staff

52,000 IRS staff

Impacts for Americans

In keeping with past shutdowns, National Parks will likely remain open but many services will be curtailed. Most IRS workers will also be off the job.

People will still be able to obtain passports though there could be slowdowns. Food inspections and other activities by the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration will see slowdowns due to furloughs and closures.

What services wont be impacted?

Mail will still be delivered in the event of a shutdown.

Postal Service operations will not be interrupted in the event of a government shutdown, and all Post Offices will remain open for business as usual. Because we are an independent entity that is funded through the sale of our products and services, and not by tax dollars, our services will not be impacted by a government shutdown, a spokesman said.

What about other critical services?

Air traffic will continue as normal, with air-traffic controllers and customs and border agents on duty. Social Security benefits, Medicare Services, food stamps and other social welfare programs will continue.
Four public schools in Montgomery are scheduled to become charter schools in an unprecedented step intended to improve learning in a troubled system.

State Superintendent Eric Mackey today announced the approval of the application of the Montgomery Education Foundation to convert Lanier High School and three schools that feed Lanier into charter schools.

The Alabama Legislature first authorized charter schools in 2015, something more than 40 other states had already done. A few charter schools have been approved across the state but they were started as charter schools.

The four Montgomery schools would be the first Alabama public schools to convert to charter schools.

Charter schools are public schools but have much more autonomy on issues such as hiring, curriculum and scheduling than traditional public schools. In exchange for the autonomy, they are expected to meet certain benchmarks such as academic improvements.

Besides Lanier High, the other Montgomery schools converting to charters are Davis and Nixon elementary schools and Bellingrath Middle School. They will remain publicly funded schools and serve the same students who live in their school zones.

Ann McKimmon Sikes, president of the Montgomery Education Foundation, said the conversion of four of Montgomerys 51 public schools is part of a larger plan under a state intervention of the Montgomery system. The state Department of Education intervened in 2017 because of lagging academic results in many Montgomery schools.

Were doing a charter not because we just want to do a charter, but this is about partnering with the district in the larger intervention work that has been undertaken and is so critical to the success of our schools and our community, Sikes said.

Sikes said a key component in the plan is to try to improve academic opportunities without disrupting the communities served by the four schools. The school names wont change, and the students zoned for the schools are guaranteed a slot, although they can opt out and attend another public school if they choose, Sikes said.

Our proposal was to do two elementaries, a middle and a high school that all feed to each other so it creates a feeder pattern, Sikes said. Also, we believe the students and families that start in an elementary deserve to have that continuum of excellence and accountability and performance through elementary, which then feeds to the same type of environment for middle and then of course on to high school.

Sikes said the basic funding for the schools wont change. The local, state and federal tax dollars, including money based on student enrollment, will still flow to the schools.

So, this is not taking away money out of the district, Sikes said. We have a district thats losing six to seven hundred students a year. Were hoping we can help start keeping students.

Each of the four schools will be run by its own board, not the local school board. At least 20 percent of each schools board members must be parents of students at the school.

Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange said hes wanted to explore the potential for charter schools in Montgomery since the Legislature passed the charter school bill. Strange said the city asked the Montgomery Education Foundation to take the lead in developing a plan.

Strange said he believes the placement of the four charter schools within the same feeder system will make it easier to quantify changes in student learning. Students in charter schools still have to take the same standardized assessments that other public school students take.

I think this is a smart way to go forward to see if in fact over a four- or five-year period of time we cannot make a difference in the educations of our kids, Strange said.

The plan calls for one elementary school to convert next year and one the year after, followed by Bellingrath Middle School and then Lanier. The goal is to convert all four by 2022.

Mackey said the specifics of how the schools will operate and their objectives will be spelled out in a contract between the Montgomery Education Foundation and the Montgomery Public Schools Board. Mackey said the contract should be completed in 60 days.

Mackey acknowledged that parents and the public would have many questions. He stressed that the four schools remain Montgomery public schools.

They are not going to become private charter schools, Mackey said. "They are not going to be sold off to some out of state company. They are going to still be the property of the Montgomery County school board, with an agreement that the Education Foundation will manage those schools."

Sikes said the twin pillars of the charter concept are autonomy and accountability. Charter schools can be more innovative and creative because of the autonomy on hiring, curriculum, scheduling and in other areas. The progress toward specific milestones in the contract will show whether the changes are helping students learn.

The innovation is really about creating the culture and climate and expectations around everyone in the building," Sikes said. "Thats parents, students, teachers, everyone. The belief that success is expected and not a surprise.

Strange said hes more optimistic about the outlook for the citys schools than he was a year ago, when he was afraid the school system was bound for deeper problems.

We still have a ways to go and we cannot do it alone, Strange said. Its going to take vast partnerships. The state is a piece of that. The board of education is a piece of that. The business community is a piece of that. Our young professional and young millennials, everybody has a role to play. I think were on the right path and I think weve taken some very important steps forward. But we have a long way to go.

Former state Superintendent Ed Richardson had given preliminary approval of the Montgomery Education Foundation application earlier this year but with some stipulations. Mackey said today all the stipulations were met.
Morgan County District Attorney Scott Anderson is suing Sheriff Ana Franklin over her use of the local jail food funds.

Andersons lawsuit seeks to prevent the outgoing sheriff from personally pocketing any of the local jails inmate food funds and demands repayment of any funds the sheriff may have improperly spent.

This is taxpayer money that was designed to pay for feeding the inmates in the Morgan County jail, Anderson said. Our goal in filing this lawsuit today is to preserve what money that is left in the fund and make sure it is used for its intended purpose.

Franklin declined comment, citing the ongoing legal matter. Her attorney didnt return a call for comment.

Anderson said in the lawsuit that Franklin has withdrawn thousands of dollars from the food fund this year. He also said the sheriff used money from the jail store account to pay for feeding inmates, creating a surplus in the jail food account.

While state law generally allows sheriffs to supplement their incomes with unspent jail food funds, it doesnt allow the sheriff to pocket jail store funds.

Anderson is alleging Franklin essentially pocketed money by transferring funds between the accounts.

The lawsuit was filed in Morgan County Circuit Court. Judge Glenn Thompson today issued an order that freezes the money in a food account that the sheriff opened in her name personally.

The sheriff last year was found in contempt of a since-terminated federal consent decree after it was made public that in 2015 she withdrew $160,000 and loaned $150,000 of the food fund to a now-bankrupt crooked used car lot that was co-owned by a convicted federal felon. Although the sheriff has said that she repaid that money, Anderson said today that the money wasnt deposited into the official jail food fund. Instead, Anderson said, the money was put in the personal food money account set up by the sheriff. He said today that he subpoenaed financial records, which show a $55,000 balance in the account. He said he doesnt know where the other $105,000 is.

The federal consent decree  which prohibited the Morgan County Sheriff from spending the funds on anything other than inmate meals  was issued after Franklins predecessor was jailed for contempt. Former Sheriff Greg Bartlett was dubbed Sheriff Corndog because he profited more than $200,000 while inmates ate corn dogs twice a day for weeks. The consent decree stemmed from a 2001 lawsuit against the county and then-Sheriff Steve Crabbe by inmates decrying conditions inside the jail. After finding Franklin in contempt, a federal judge agreed to terminate the consent decree.

Franklins food money loan to the Priceville Partners LLC car lot was first exposed to the public by the sheriffs nemesis, blogger Glenda Lockhart, on the Morgan County Whistleblower website.

Franklins successor, Hartselle police Chief Ron Puckett, will take office Jan. 15. Franklin did not seek a third term during this years election.

Anderson said he believes Puckett will properly oversee the jail funds. In a press release from the DAs office, Puckett issued the following statement:

I want to assure Morgan County residents that our office will be a good steward of their money, Puckett said. That means jail funds that are designated for the operation of the jail and the feeding of inmates will be used to operate the jail and feed inmates. That includes any money the District Attorney is able to preserve or recoup.

Andersons lawsuit seeks an accounting of any and all jail food accounts and for Franklin to reimburse the county and state for any money that was spent improperly.

A hearing is set Dec. 28.

Andersons announcement comes just days after Franklin reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in a tax investigation. Franklin on Wednesday agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of willful failure to file a 2015 tax return in federal court for the Northern District of Alabama. She is expected to formally enter a guilty plea at arraignment on Jan. 10, 2019.

In federal court, Franklin faces up to a year in prison and a fine up to $100,000. Prosecutors will recommend that the defendant be awarded an appropriate reduction in offense level for acceptance of responsibility, court records state. Prosecutors said they are leaving it up to the judge whether Franklin should serve prison time or be allowed to serve her sentence on house arrest or probation.

Updated at 4:28 p.m.
An Alabama employee was arrested Thursday, marking the fourth state correctional officer criminally charged this week.

The Alabama Department of Corrections announced the arrest of 34-year-old Tony Williams. He was taken into custody at the Fountain Correctional Facility in Atmore where he worked for attempting to smuggle illegal contraband into the prison.

Williams, of Frisco City, was arrested for prohibited activities and use of office for personal gain.

During a search of the officers personal vehicle, a K-9 unit alerted on Williams' vehicle where authorities found multiple packages containing 10 cell phones. Williams admitted to purchasing the phones with the intention of receiving payment from inmates.

Williams was taken to Escambia County Jail and booked following his arrest. He resigned from his job after more than 10 years with the ADOC.

Earlier this week, prison officials announced the arrests of three correctional employees for ethics law violations, accused of wrongdoing at two state prisons. All of the suspects are female. Two were officers at the Ventress Correctional Facility in Clayton. The third was a correctional officer trainee at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer.

The public should contact the ADOC Investigations and Intelligence Division at 1-866-293-7799 with information that may lead to the arrest of anyone attempting to introduce illegal contraband into state prisons or to report any criminal activity that could be taking place at any of the state prisons. The public may also report suspicious activity to law enforcement by going to the ADOC Website at http://www.doc.alabama.gov/investigationrequest.
A Birmingham man has been charged in the death of a woman who was hit by a van on her front porch Easter weekend.

Birmingham police charged Eddie King, 60, with manslaughter in the March 31 death of 62-year-old Daisy Lee Bell. The crime is a felony.

The crash happened about 3 p.m. that Saturday while Bell, a mother and grandmother, was celebrating with family at her daughters home at the intersection of Pearson Avenue and 31st Street S.W. Bell was sitting in a chair on the front porch when, according to authorities, a Dodge Caravan driven by King left the roadway, plowed through the front yard and crashed into the porch.

Bell was taken to the hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

Daisy Bell

According to court records made public late Wednesday, King was under the influence of alcohol and/or a controlled substance. Records show he lived not far from where the crash happened.

Birmingham police investigators obtained a warrant against King on Dec. 7. He was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on Dec. 13 and released the same day on $30,000 bond.

A court date has not yet been set.
Authorities have released the name of a man shot to death Thursday night in east Birmingham.

The Jefferson County Coroners Office identified the victim as Kirby Kermit Davis. He was 32 and lived in Birmingham.

Birmingham police East Precinct officers responded about 8:37 p.m. Thursday to Panorama East Apartments on a report of multiple shots fired. Once on the scene, they found Davis inside a vehicle suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene by Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service at 9:08 p.m.

Sgt. Johnny Williams said evidence at the scene suggested the incident may have started inside one of the apartments and carried over into the parking lot.

Investigators on Friday said they have not yet determined a motive in the slaying. No arrests have been made.

Davis leaves behind two young sons. He is Birminghams 104th homicide in 2018. Of those, at least seven have been ruled justifiable and therefore will not be counted by the Birmingham Police Department in its year-end tally. In all of Jefferson County, there have been 152 slayings, including the 104 in Birmingham.

Anyone with information in the death of Davis is asked to call Birmingham homicide investigators at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
Authorities are trying to identify a man suspected in a holdup at a Bessemer business.

The robbery happened about 6:45 p.m. Thursday at the CVS at Bell Hill Road and Eastern Valley Road, according to Bessemer police. Investigators said the suspect should be considered dangerous.

Lt. Christian Clemons said the suspect did not brandish a gun but made threats of violence. He fled the store with undisclosed controlled substances from the pharmacy.

Anyone with information on the suspect or the crime is asked to call Bessemer police at 205-425-2411 or Det. Justin Burmeister at 205-481-4366 or 205-481-4357. Tipsters can remain anonymous by calling the departments Tip Line at 205-428-3541.
Authorities are searching for a 19-year-old wanted for questioning in a Montgomery homicide earlier this week.

Central Alabama Crime Stoppers announced Friday that Montgomery police are trying to find Jamichael Tyler. Tyler is only wanted for questioning at this time, authorities said, in connection with the Wednesday shooting death of 34-year-old Decoris Davis.

Montgomery police and fire medics responded to the 3600 block of Oak Street about 1:50 p.m. after receiving a report of an adult male shooting victim. Once on the scene, they found Davis suffering from a gunshot wound.

Davis was treated on the scene and then transported to Baptist Medical Center South, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Anyone with information on Tylers whereabouts is asked to call police or Central Alabama Crime Stoppers through its 24-hour tip line  334-215-STOP. Tips can also be submitted through the P3-tips app, the website at www.215STOP.com or Central Alabama Crime Stoppers Facebook page.
The daughter of the German communist killed by the Nazis discusses her legacy in the modern fight against the far right.

I fought for the just and the good, to make the world better. If I must now say goodbye, I promise I wont give you any cause to be ashamed of me, not to my last breath. This is how German author Ruth Werner imagined Olga Benario Prestess final letter to her husband Luis Carlos Prestes and her daughter Anita before her death in 1942.

Killed in a Nazi euthanasia centre shortly after turning 34, the German communists words would have alluded to her lifelong fight against fascism.

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Hers is a story of bravery and resistance that speaks to the various times in which its been told, and which has left a legacy in Germany, Brazil and beyond.

For her daughter, Anita Leocadia Prestes, today a retired professor and historian living in Rio de Janeiro, its a legacy that needs to be remembered.

The 82-year-old tells Al Jazeera: Its important to publicise fighters like [Olga] Benario so people understand its necessary to stop the rise of fascism and to prevent similar tragedies. Her example is inspiring to young people who want to fight against fascism, and for social justice and freedom.

An early lesson in social justice

Born in 1908, Olga was the youngest of two siblings in a middle-class Jewish family from Munich. Her mother Eugenie was part of Bavarian high society, while her father Leo was a member of the German Social Democratic Party and a lawyer. He would often represent poor factory workers for free, and it was through him that Olga first learned about social justice.

Her relationship with her mother, however, was tense, as, from a young age, Olga questioned  and rejected  the comforts that came with her middle-class upbringing.

Olga Benario was born in 1908 to middle-class Jewish family in Munich [Image courtesy of Galeria Olga Benario in Berlin, Germany]

In 1923, the same year an Austrian named Adolf Hitler initiated the Beer Hall Putsch  a failed attempt to overthrow the Weimar Republic in Munich  15-year-old Benario joined the underground Communist Youth Organisation (KJVD).

Her activities with the group, including putting up illegal revolutionary posters around town, led local police to register her as a communist agitator.

Its Anita

Benario so people understand its necessary to stop the rise of fascism and to prevent similar tragedies. Her example is inspiring to young people who want to fight against fascism, and for social justice and freedom.]

She soon got into a relationship with Otto Braun, a fellow communist seven years her senior. When Olga was 18, the pair left to join the larger communist movement in Berlin and she took on similar activities in her role as a leading KJVD member in the working class neighbourhood of Neukolln.

Her arrest on charges of preparations for high-treason, followed by her successful attempt to break Braun out of jail in 1928, made Olga a well-known figure across the city.

A police headshot of Olga Benario taken when she was arrested in Berlin in 1926 [Image courtesy of Galeria Olga Benario in Berlin, Germany]

Katinka Krause, 64, is a bookshop owner who has volunteered at Galeria Olga Benario, a Berlin-based gallery, for more than 30 years.

There were posters of her all over town and images shown before cinema screenings offering 10,000 marks to find her. Many workers gave her a home and doors were made in different places so she could escape at anytime, says Krause.

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Now a target for the authorities, the pair headed to the Soviet Union, where Olga joined the Communist Youth International, a branch of the Communist International (Comintern).

Her relationship with Braun soon over, she underwent an intense period of military and strategic training, a skillset that included learning English, French and Russian, plus skydiving, horse-riding and piloting.

She also proved herself with successful international missions to Western Europe, getting arrested in Paris and London for her part in protests.

A gift to Hitler

In 1934, back in Moscow, Olga was tasked with accompanying Brazilian communist leader Luis Carlos Prestes, then in exile in Moscow, back to Brazil.

Olga was to be his bodyguard amid preparations to overthrow Brazilian leader Getulio Vargas, who looked to be sliding towards dictatorship. Disguised as a married Portuguese couple during their lengthy journey there, the pair reached the South American nation in love.

In 1934, Olga Benario was charged with escorting Luis Carlos Prestes, who had been in exile in Moscow, back to Brazil [Image courtesy of Galeria Olga Benario in Berlin, Germany]

The revolution against Vargas failed in 1935, and Olga was eventually captured. Vargas shipped her back to Germany as a gift to Hitler.

Swiss-German professor Robert Cohen has written three books on Olga Benario. The most recent, Der Vorgang Benario. Die Gestapo-Akte 1936-1942, (The Benario Process: The Gestapo File 1936-1942) examined the 2,000 Gestapo documents on her that came to light three years ago. According to Cohen, its likely to be the largest dossier of documents on any Holocaust victim.

Cohen describes Olga as physically and mentally tough, and says he has sought to represent her from a feminist perspective.

She took on roles only men were supposed to do, and was as brave and knowledgeable. When Prestes was arrested, the Brazilian police had the order to shoot him. By that point, Benario was two or three months pregnant, but she stepped in front of him and the police didnt know what to do. She didnt do this just out of love, she did it because it was her job.

Resistance in Ravensbruck

Shortly after her return to Germany in 1936, she gave birth to Anita in a Berlin prison. After 14 months, mother and daughter were separated and in 1939, Olga was transferred to the Ravensbruck concentration camp, situated 90km from Berlin in the north of the country.

A concentration camp only for women, it was built to house inmates considered deviants. Up until its closure in 1945, more than 130,000 women and children, including aristocrats, political prisoners and spies were held there. Olga was among the first batch of women to arrive.

A photograph of Olga Benario Prestes in the exhibit Women of Ravensbruck  Portraits of Courage, curated by Rochelle Saidel for the Florida Holocaust Museum. Artwork on the right by Julia Terwilliger

Rochelle Saidel is the founder and executive director of the Remember the Women Institute, an organisation based in New York that supports cultural and research projects that aim to include women in history.

She was whipped, put in a punishment bunker and worked as a slave labourer in the Siemens factory, which was one of the main slave labour companies at the camp, says Saidel.

Plus, she was very broken when they took her baby away from her. For a year-and-a-half she didnt know what had happened, for all she knew the baby could have been given to a Nazi family. Despite that, she continued helping other people and remained idealistic.

She never wavered before the enemy, stating that 'if others became traitors, she would never be'. She paid with her life for such steadfastness... Anita Leocadia Prestes, Olga Benario's daughter

Olga was named Blockalteste, or block elder. She made a small secret atlas to teach other prisoners about geography and war, collaborated on a clandestine newspaper and put together a detailed atlas which remains in archives today.

Then in February 1942, she was taken to the Bernburg euthanasia clinic, where she was gassed to death in April.

Olga Benario Prestes was 34 years old when she was killed by the Nazis [Image courtesy of Galeria Olga Benario in Berlin, Germany]

Her daughter says she maintained a firm stance towards her captors right up until the end.

She never wavered before the enemy, stating that if others became traitors, she would never be. She paid with her life for such steadfastness, since if she were to deceive her comrades, she would have had the chance to take up asylum in Russia, Mexico or England.

The politics of memory

Authors, filmmakers, curators and theatre directors have all sought to tell her story. Saidel says the various ways in which it has been narrated are a clear example of the politics of memory.

It depends on who, on why and when they are remembering, she says.

The Jewish part of her identity in particular has triggered much discussion. As a communist herself, Anita regards her mother more as a political prisoner than a Jewish victim of the Nazis.

Cohen says he sees both. Benario never insisted on her Jewishness, in fact as a communist she was very distant from it, he says. When they captured her in 1936, the documents showed they treated her mostly as a communist and a member of the Comintern, from whom they could learn secrets about what the Soviet Union and other communists were up to. But from 1940 onwards, they refer to her almost exclusively as a Jew.

Benario never insisted on her Jewishness, in fact as a communist she was very distant from it. Robert Cohen, Swiss-German professor and author

Anita was saved by her paternal grandmother Leocadia Prestes and reunited with her father in 1945. She has since written about her parents extensively. Her latest book, Olga Benario Prestes: Uma comunista nos arquivos da Gestapo (Olga Benario Prestes: A Communist in the Gestapo Archives) was published last year in Portuguese, and alongside Gestapo documents, features letters between her parents.

Anita Leocadia Prestes, Olgas daughter, is a retired professor and historian who has written about her parents [Photo courtesy of the Sao Paulo-based Boitempo publishing house, which published Anitas most recent book]

Anita says that in Brazil, her mother is seen as a symbol of the struggle of freedom fighters and communists. The 2004 Brazilian blockbuster film, Olga, was Brazils submission for the 77th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film category, although it was not accepted as a nominee.

Resist. We cannot accept what is going on. Olga Benario did it two ways. She fought fascism while she was free, and then she resisted the Nazis for six more years. That is almost unimaginable. Robert Cohen, Swiss-German historian and author

In Germany, during the Cold War, she was considered a heroine in the east of the country, with schools, care homes, factories and streets named after her.

Being a communist heroine in the East meant that the West ignored her. Krause, the volunteer at the gallery in former West Berlin, says thats now changing and more people are learning about her across the country.

For Cohen, Olga Benarios legacy, particularly today, as far right movements grow in prominence across much of the world, is clear.

Resist. We cannot accept what is going on. Olga Benario did it two ways. She fought fascism while she was free, and then she resisted the Nazis for six more years. That is almost unimaginable.

Across Europe, the far right is on the rise and it has some of the continents most diverse communities in its crosshairs.

To the far right, these neighbourhoods are no-go zones that challenge their notion of what it means to be European.

To those who live in them, they are Europe. Watch them tell their stories in This is Europe.
What is happening to Muslims around the globe? In China they are put into concentration camps, in Myanmar they are slaughtered en masse, in India they have been the targets of systematic pogroms, in Israel along with Christian Palestinians they are mowed down on a daily basis, in Europe and the United States they are subject to increasing demonisation and persecution.

The fate of Muslims in their own homeland is not particularly rosier. From one end of the Muslim world to the next, Muslims  in Iran, Syria, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia in particular  live under tyrannical regimes, ruthless dictators, murderous military juntas, with their most basic civil liberties and human rights denied. In Yemen, they are being slaughtered and subjected to man-made famine by the Saudis and their partners  and if one journalist dared to raise his voice he is chopped up to pieces in his own countrys consulate.

What is this? What is going on? What does it all mean?

Chinese gulag

Lets begin with China. How are we to fathom the criminal, vicious, atrocities of the Chinese authorities in their Muslim gulags? If ethnic cleansing takes place in China and nobody is able to hear it, does it make a sound? asks Josh Rogin, in a poignant piece for the Washington Post.  Thats what millions of Muslims inside the Peoples Republic are asking as they watch the Chinese government expand a network of internment camps and systematic human rights abuses designed to stamp out their peoples religion and culture.





The numbers and the very idea are staggering: the UN reported that more than one million Uighurs are in detention in counter-extremism centres and at least two million are in re-education camps.

In another investigative piece, BBC reports: China is accused of locking up hundreds of thousands of Muslims without trial in its western region of Xinjiang. The government denies the claims, saying people willingly attend special vocational schools which combat terrorism and religious extremism. That terrorism and religious extremism bit belies the malignant intent of these camps.

In another report, we read, Muslims forced to drink alcohol and eat pork in Chinas re-education camps. The same reports further add: The psychological pressure is enormous when you have to criticize yourself, denounce your thinking.

These are not just journalistic reports. British diplomats who visited Xinjiang, Britains foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has told parliament , [we] have confirmed that reports of mass internment camps for Uighur Muslims were broadly true.

Myanmar genocide and beyond

Then we come to Myanmar. The massacre of Muslim-majority Rohingya in Myanmar under the watchful eyes of the Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has horrified the world but been kept apace for years now.

Since 2016, Muslim-majority Rohingya in Rakhine State have been the targets of Myanmar armed forces and police, which have been accused of ethnic cleansing and genocide by the United Nations, International Criminal Court officials, human rights groups, journalists, and governments including the United States.





Then we go to India. The roots of Hindu violent mobs attacking Muslims in India is of course as old as British incitement of communal violence to sustain their own rule. The list of systematic Muslim massacres is gruesome: From 1964 in Kolkata and 1983 in Nellie to 1987 in Hashimpura all the way to the Gujarat slaughter of Muslims in 2002, in which Narendra Modi, who is now the prime minister of India, was accused of orchestrating the violence.

Now look at Palestine: Muslim and Christian Palestinians alike have been the subject of systematic ethnic cleansing in their own homeland now under the occupation of the European colonial enclave of Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus son has recently said h ed prefer if all the Muslims leave the land of Israel. Facebook temporarily banned the despicable thug from his habitual racism and deleted that call for genocide. But he was just airing what his father and other Zionist warlords have been practising for decades in Palestine.

Lets move to the other side of the globe: The historic xenophobia of the racist white supremacists in the US, the chief supporter of the Israeli settler colony, resulted in two major and many more US-led invasions of Muslim states in which hundreds of thousands of Muslims were slaughtered. When Americans freely and openly elected Donald Trump, he unleashed the most hateful campaign of terror and intimidation against Muslims in the United States. His infamous Muslim ban, sustained by the US Supreme Court, is the legal manifestation of this abusive treatment of Muslims.

In Europe too, the historic hatred of Muslims rooted in their version of Christianity have now reached epidemic proportions among racist, xenophobic, and proto-fascistic movements, best evident in the Brexit crisis but equally staged in the rest of Europe.

In Australia too, where Prime Minister Scott Morrison just recognised west Jerusalem as Israels capital, anti-Muslim racists enjoy wide-spread support among xenophobic nationalists. He is in the good league of the notorious Australian MP Pauline Hanson who believes her country is about to be swamped by Muslims.

Darkening horizons

But Muslims killing Muslims is not any less evident on the global scene. Saudi Arabia and its sidekick, the United Arab Emirates, have led a coalition of Muslim states to slaughter tens of thousands of Yemenis and drive millions more to starvation. Yes, the US and Europe are chiefly responsible for arming these Arab countries, but it is the Arabs who are pulling the triggers and dropping the bombs.





In Syria, it is first and foremost Bashar al-Assad (and his Russian and Iranian backers) who are responsible for the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Syrians and driving the rest to refugee camps in and out of their devastated homeland.

Yes, the US, Israel and multiple Arab states are equally guilty of the mayhem in Syria, but the net result is the massacre of more Muslims in Syria. Turkeys war with the Kurds amounts to even more Muslims murdering Muslims. In Egypt and Iran too, the ruling regimes have had no qualms maiming and murdering their own citizens in prisons or in the streets.

No doubt in each and every one of these circumstances one can come up with multiple and varied explanations as to what is happening to Muslims. One must make a distinction between the re-education camps in China and the Muslim massacre in Myanmar and the Saudi-led slaughter in Yemen, the incremental genocide Israel is committing in Palestine, and Bashar al-Assads mass killings in Syria.

But the net result is the same, there is a pandemic of Muslim cleansing around the globe, what amounts to incremental and cumulative genocide, in part committed by Muslim rulers and despots. That pandemic needs urgent attention  perhaps even a UN-sponsored conference. There is no single cause but there is a field of hatred and Islamophobia in which Muslims as Muslims or Muslims as humans or Muslims as critical thinkers or Muslims as defiant agents of their own destinies are seen as the enemy that must be neutralised, pacified, killed, and eradicated.

The centre and periphery

The epicentre of this Muslim cleansing in its current gestation is no doubt the rise of Islamophobia in the US and Europe rooted in historic hatred of Islam and Muslims in the European context.

And this fear and loathing of Muslims is the extension and mutation of the historic fear and loathing of Jews writ large and rendered global. The pathological roots of Euro-American Islamophobia are rooted in their endemic anti-Semitism.

With Islamophobia, however, that European disease has shifted its target and become global in the age of globalisation. Since medieval European Christianity, both Jews and Muslims have been sources of fear and hatred in Europe. With the Holocaust, the European hatred of Jews came to a genocidal crescendo. With the writing of Samuel Huntingtons Clash of Civilizations (1993), Muslims have almost completely (but not entirely) replaced Jews as the civilisational other of the thing that calls itself the West.

To be sure in between that medieval version and the current gestation we have the agitation of Muslim-Hindu hatred in India during the British colonialism.

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In his book titled Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India, Nicholas B Dirks has demonstrated how what is globally coded as the Indian caste system was in fact the product of the encounter between India and British colonialism, when under British rule, the caste system became a stable term subsuming diverse forms of social formations. Even more so is the Hindu-Muslim communal violence deliberately exacerbated to serve the British colonial rule.

Therefore, the affinity between Hindu fundamentalism and European and US racism is hardly surprising. As Aadita Chaudhury has recently argued: white supremacy and Hindu nationalism have common roots going back to the 19th-century idea of the Aryan race.

What is happening in China is also aided and abetted by European and US Islamophobia, which offer the convenient cover. The anti-Uighur campaign is framed in the Western language of anti-terrorism and deradicalisation. That religious bigotry in China is also underlined by an equally poisonous ethnic element whereby Chinese imperial arrogance is dead-set to consolidate a Han hegemony over all other ethnicised communities.

In manufacturing a robotic labour and consumer person, China seems determined to erase any sign of cultural or human resistance to its mechanical project, very much on the dystopian model Herbert Marcuse anticipated in his One-d imensional Man (1946). Any deviation from a servile human consumer that does anything other than manufacturing Chinese labour and expansion of state capital is a waste of time and must be eliminated.

That dystopian nightmare is now spreading around the globe with the speed and in the form of Western-style Chinese Communist party-inspired capitalism. Communism was not destined to be the end of capitalism. Capitalism was the end of Communism. That very sentence spells out the monstrous chimaera our humanity faces today.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Earlier this month, an intergovernmental conference in Marrakesh, Morocco brought together leaders from around the world to address global migration. After two days of deliberations, some 150 nations signed the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) agreement, which called for the implementation of more humane policies to ensure safe, orderly and regular migration.

But the conference and the agreement were very much a platform for Western doublespeak and hypocrisy. European countries and the United States are by far not concerned with the safety of migrants and refugees heading for their borders.

In fact, the border security industry in Europe and the US is thriving and in both places, Israel with its infamous militarised security policies is serving as a role model and a major technology supplier. It is therefore no surprise that European and US border control mechanisms are increasingly becoming as brutal and inhumane as Israels.

In the case of Europe, it makes no difference that some of its leaders have made meek attempts at criticising Israels use of disproportionate force against Palestinians and its devastating siege on Gaza, which has been in place for almost 12 years. All the same, Europe is increasingly becoming one of the main markets for Israeli war and security technology  the same one tried, tested and used against Palestinians and migrants and refugees trying to reach Israeli borders.

In fact, Europe, and especially its rising far-right powers, have increasingly adopted Israels way of dealing with inconvenient populations.

Shared racism

We have a duty to protect our borders against illegal infiltrators, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a recent statement to the press. Thats what weve done, and thats what we will continue to do.

It is common knowledge that Israel is a state that discriminates against the indigenous Palestinian population based on race and religion. In recent years, a flow of African migrants and refugees, who try to seek asylum in Israel through the Sinai border, has added yet a new component to Israeli racism, one that is based on colour.

In March this year, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel called black people monkeys, using the Hebrew equivalent of the n-word during his weekly sermon. Netanyahu, along with other Israeli officials, has joined the racist tirade on many occasions. The flood of migrants from Africa is much worse than acts of terrorism emanating from Sinai, he said.

This racist discourse is increasingly finding its match among the European far right.

La pacchia e finita! (The party is over) is a recurring slogan used by Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini to convey the totally misleading notion that sees refugees as people who want to live off the Italian people. Members of Salvinis La Lega party have repeatedly and shamelessly dubbed Italys first African-Italian minister, Cecile Kienge a monkey, and prostitute, horrific words in an ever-growing racist vocabulary used by the countrys far-right parties.

It was no surprise, then, to find Salvini, the rising star of what can be considered Italys neo-fascist movement, a welcome guest in Israel.

In his first visit to Tel Aviv in March 2016, where he attempted to whitewash his reputation of racism and anti-Semitism  which has been historically associated with Italys far right  Salvini commended Israel as the perfect balance of different realities, while ensuring law and order. It surely is a role model for security and anti-terrorism policies.

In June this year, Salvini became Italys new interior minister and, arguably, the most powerful politician in the country. Thus, when he returned to Israel earlier this month, his friendship with Netanyahu was a source of pride for both of them.

His trip to Israel came right after the Marrakesh conference, where both countries also joined efforts to resist policies that work towards safe and dignified migration.

The Israeli government did not miss the opportunity to show off its border security to Salvini. He was taken on a tour of the border with Lebanon, where  according to his tweet  Islamic terrorists are digging tunnels and setting up missiles to attack Israel.

The tour was no coincidence. Italy is one of several European countries that are keenly interested in Israels border security technologies and strategies and are pushing for their adoption on the European Union level.

Israel and Europes border security craze

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) has been at the forefront of employing military technology for civilian purposes, despite the obvious implications of such a policy on the erosion of civil liberties and fundamental human rights.

Unfortunately, the European debate on this issue has been settled in favour of the security enthusiasts. Just a few years ago, the discussion on the possibility of using drones to control migration and refugee routes took centre-stage in European media and political circles.

At the time, many argued that such technology could infringe on fundamental rights, such as privacy, right to seek asylum  which is protected under international law  freedom of movement, and so on.

Today, the deployment of military drones is a matter of course, as the national security discourse has prevailed in the public sphere, thanks to fear-mongering and divisive politics.

In 2009, the European market for border control security was estimated at between 6 and 8 billion euros ($7-9bn). Today, this market is estimated to reach 50 billion euros globally ($57bn) by 2022, a large chunk of it being claimed by European spending.

Israel, as a country well-versed in manipulating the term security, is poised to benefit immensely from this development. It is already skillfully exploiting the security-obsessed European mindset in order to expand its military market outreach.

Israel is the seventh largest arms exporter in the world, and is emerging as a leader in the global export of aerial drones.

The Israeli brand is particularly popular because its technology is combat-proven. Indeed, the Israeli military has had ample opportunity to test its diverse weapons and security cache against Palestinian civilians.

Buying security technology tested on Palestinians

Earlier this year, Israeli military company Elbit won a two-year $68m contract with the EU to provide maritime unmanned aircraft system (UAS) services. It will deploy and operate its Hermes 900 Maritime Patrol system, the same one which was used during the bloody Israeli assault on Gaza in 2014. The Israeli military praised the UAS as phenomenal and a real asset in the war, which killed 2,250 Palestinians, including more than 500 children.

FRONTEX has already contracted the Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) for the use of its Airbus Maritime Heron Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) in daily security and coastal guard missions. This technology was also used in Israels assault on Gaza in 2014. FRONTEX is paying IAI 4.75 million euro ($5.57m). It has also concluded a contract with Italian part-state-owned defence company Leonardo (formerly Finmeccanica) for its Falco technology for 1.7 million euro ($2m).

It is ironic  and quite telling  that these companies that are feeding weapons to the Middle East and its conflicts are the same ones that are earning massive income from selling technologies used to stave off people fleeing these same conflicts.

While such businesses are aiding the systematic destruction of entire Middle Eastern countries, they are also contributing towards the increasingly popular idea that Fortress Europe needs militarised protection.

What is enabling the Israeli-EU cooperation and empowering Israel as Europes protector is the congruence between the far-right pro-Israel political discourse and the far-right populist movements that are plaguing Europe.

On December 16, just days following the Morocco conference on migration, thousands of far-right activists protested in Brussels against the GCM. The protest, named the March against Marrakesh, turned violent as angry anti-refugee protesters clashed with police.

Alas, the Brussels clashes represent the new face of Europe: intolerant, gripped by fear and vulnerable to racist and far-right ideas.

While the new political environment will not bode well for Europes future, it is a reality that suits Israel only too well, not only because it is consistent with its anti-migrant, anti-Muslim agenda, but also because it is a splendid opportunity to expand the market of its combat-tested weapons.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Police said the bus carrying college students and teachers drove off a highway in a mountainous area.

A bus carrying college students and teachers veered off a highway in a mountainous area of southwestern Nepal and plunged into a river, killing at least 21 people and injuring 15 others, officials said.

The bus was returning to the town of Ghorahi from an educational trip to Dang district when the accident took place on a road near Tulsipur town on Friday, police officer Prem Bahadur Shahi said.

It plunged about 700 meters below the road. We have found the bodies of 13 men and three women so far, he said.

Those injured in the accident were being treated at a local hospital, Shahi said, adding that at least two of them were in a critical condition.

Reuters news agency reported that the rescue operation was difficult since the crash site is situated in a remote area, around 400km west of Nepals capital, Kathmandu.

The students and instructors were from Krishna Sen Ichhuk Polytechnic Institute and were visiting a farm in a nearby district as part of their botany field trip.

Road accidents are common in mountainous Nepal, which in recent years has seen a drive to build roads connecting remote regions to towns and cities across the country.

Twenty people were killed last week when a mini-truck skidded off the road in Nuwakot district in central Nepal.
Various US media outlets have reported Donald Trump plans to withdraw 7,000 US troops based in Afghanistan.

The possible withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan will not affect the security situation of the country, senior Afghan officials have said, following numerous media reports that President Donald Trump was planning such a move.

If the few thousand foreign troops that advise, train & assist, leave it will not affect our security, Fazel Fazly, chief adviser to the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, said on Twitter on Friday.

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In the past four & half years our security is completely in the hands of Afghans and the final goal is that ANDSF [the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces] will stand on their feet to protect & defend soil on their own.

Presidential spokesperson Haroon Chakhansuri also said on social media that a US withdrawal will not have a security impact.

Various US media outlets reported on Thursday that Trump planned to withdraw some 7,000 of 14,000 US troops from Afghanistan.

The news followed a two-day meeting in Abu Dhabi between US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives at which the two sides discussed the withdrawal of international forces.

In 2002, some 130,000 international troops entered Afghanistan following the military intervention of US forces to topple the Taliban government. Since then, close to 2,500 US troops have lost their lives in the war.

Former Ministry of Defense spokesman Zahir Azimi said on Friday that a possible withdrawal could affect the capabilities of Afghan troops in conducting effective night raids. US aerial support is also critical to Afghan ground forces.

The US has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of a NATO-led mission, known as Resolute Support, and a separate US counterterrorism mission largely directed against armed groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group and al-Qaeda.

In addition, some 8,000 troops from 38 other countries in Resolute Support provide training and support for Afghan forces.

The Taliban are fighting to remove foreign forces from the country and defeat the Western-backed Kabul government.
Resolution also endorses UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden which saw a truce take effect in Hodeidah on Tuesday.

The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved the deployment of its observers to war-torn Yemen to monitor a fragile truce in the strategic Red Sea port of Hodeidah.

The resolution, submitted by the United Kingdom, was the subject of tough negotiations, and was amended several times before the vote on Friday.

The resolution also endorsed the results of UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden last week, when Yemens warring parties agreed to a ceasefire that took effect on Tuesday.

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A withdrawal of fighters in Hodeidah, a key gateway for aid and food imports in the impoverished nation, was a part of the truce.

The ceasefire between Saudi-backed government forces and Houthi rebels is seen as the best chance yet of ending four years of Yemens devastating conflict.

The agreement also included a planned prisoner swap involving some 15,000 detainees.

What the UN resolution says

After Fridays meeting, Karen Pierce, Britains ambassador to the UN, said UN ceasefire monitors were needed in Hodeidah urgently and a core group of them would be dispatched to Yemen within days.

In a second phase, Guterres would have one month to determine the full size and scope of the mission and how it will ensure troops vacate the city and port, Pierce told Al Jazeera.

Guterres is going to deploy an advance team first and that team will go in the next few days, said Pierce. He needs to get people there quickly and therefore the Security Council has been willing to authorise for 30 days an advance team.

Later, the UN chief will submit plans for a larger monitoring mission, she added.

French ambassador Francois Delattre said the unanimous vote sent a strong signal of the councils unity and engagement on Yemen, and that it had put its weight behind the UN-brokered talks.

Diplomats said the UN observer mission could consist of 30 to 40 people, tasked with ensuring the withdrawal of the warring parties from Hodeidah and the safe passage of humanitarian aid.

The observers will head up monitoring teams made up of government and rebel representatives, under the auspices of a Redeployment Coordination Committee headed by Cammaert.

Worlds worst humanitarian crisis

Yemen, the Arab worlds poorest country, has been devastated by a multisided conflict involving local, regional and international actors.

The conflict began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by the Houthis, who toppled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadis government.

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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, according to estimates by rights groups.

On December 8, the UN said that as many as 20 million people in Yemen were food insecure, calling the situation the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

Louis Charbonneau, the UN director for Human Rights Watch, said the resolution sends an important message to the suffering people of Yemen that they havent been forgotten.

Additional reporting by James Reinl in New York City.
Beijing says hasnt taken part in or backed commercial secrets hacking, urges US drop charges against two Chinese men.

China has strongly rejected allegations from the United States and a number of its allies criticising Beijing for economic espionage, accusing Washington of fabricating facts.

Britain, Australia and New Zealand on Thursday joined the US in chastising China over what they called a global campaign of cyber-enabled commercial intellectual property theft, signalling growing international coordination against the practice.

The move came on the same day as US prosecutors indicted two Chinese nationals allegedly linked to their countrys spy agency on charges of stealing confidential data from government agencies and companies in the US and nearly a dozen other countries around the world.

In a statement on Friday, the Chinese foreign ministry said it resolutely opposed the allegations and called on the US to drop the charges against the two Chinese citizens, identified as Zhu Hua and Zhang Jianguo.

The Chinese government has never participated in or supported anyone in any way in stealing trade secrets, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, calling the accusations a deliberate defamation pulled out of thin air.

She said China has lodged a formal protest with the US over the claims and urged Washington to immediately correct its wrong practices and stop smearing the Chinese side on cybersecurity issues.

Tensions between Washington and Beijing are high over tit-for-tat trade tariffs and after Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies, was arrested in Canada at the request of the US.

Meng was held in Vancouver on December 1, the same day Washington and Beijing agreed to talks amid efforts to resolve the trade dispute.

Hundreds of gigabytes

US authorities on Thursday said the two alleged hackers worked in association with Chinas ministry of state security, in an operation that targeted intellectual property and corporate secrets to give Chinese companies an unfair competitive advantage.

The pair, one of whom is nicknamed Godkiller, is accused of breaching computer networks beginning as early as 2006 in a range of industries, including aviation and space, finance, biotechnology oil and gas, satellites and pharmaceuticals. Prosecutors say they also obtained the names, social security numbers and other personal information of more than 100,000 Navy personnel.

Zhu and Zhang were allegedly members of a hacking group known within the cybersecurity community as APT 10 and also worked for a Tianjin company Huaying Haitai Science and Technology Development Co, prosecutors said.

In a new twist reflecting corporate computings evolution, the hackers often infiltrated cloud computing companies and other major technology providers to indirectly reach clients valuable documents.

Hacking targets included the US Navy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and companies involved in aviation, space and satellite technology, the indictment said, as well as technology firms that provide outsourced email, storage and other computing tasks, according to court documents.

Overall, prosecutors say, the alleged hackers stole hundreds of gigabytes of data, breaching computers of more than 45 entities in 12 states. They are not in custody and the US does not have an extradition treaty with China.

Rising tensions

Targeted nations named in the US indictment include Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.

Chinas goal, simply put, is to replace the US as the worlds leading superpower and theyre using illegal methods to get there, FBI Director Chris Wray told a news conference, adding that the companies targeted by China were a whos who of US businesses.

The US Justice Department accused China of breaking a 2015 pact to curb cyber espionage for corporate purposes.

In an operation coordinated with US allies in Europe and Asia, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said the inditement of the duo aimed to rebuff Chinas economic aggression.

We want China to cease its illegal cyber activities, Rosenstein said.

Einar Tangen, a China political analyst who advises the Chinese government on economic and development issues, said the US indictment reads more like something from the State Department that you would expect from the Department of Justice.

In terms of how this affects the relationship  because nothing is going to be provable unless they get these two individuals to go through a court trial  all it is doing is serving to create a greater divide especially in public opinion, especially in public opinion in the US and China, Tangen told Al Jazeera from Beijing.

This is the latest in a series of hacking cases brought by the US government against Chinese nationals. In October, it charged Chinese intelligence officers with stealing information on a turbofan engine used in commercial jetliners.

The same month, the Justice Department arrested an alleged spy for Chinas Ministry of State Security on charges of economic espionage and attempting to steal US aviation trade secrets.
Mattis tells Trump you have the right to have a defence chief whose views are better aligned with yours.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis abruptly announced his resignation on Thursday, a day after President Donald Trump overruled his advice against pulling troops out of Syria and pressed forward on discussions to withdraw forces from Afghanistan.

Mattis will leave by the end of February after two tumultuous years in the post, the latest high-profile exit to shake the Trump administration.

In his resignation letter, Mattis told Trump that he was leaving because you have a right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours.

Trump wrote on Twitter that Mattis was retiring  but thats not what the former Pentagon chief said.

The announcement came a day after Trump surprised Washingtons allies and members of Congress by announcing the withdrawal of all US troops from Syria, and as he continues to consider shrinking the American deployment in Afghanistan.

Trumps decision to pull soldiers out of Syria has been sharply criticised for abandoning Washingtons Kurdish allies, who may well face a Turkish assault once US troops leave, and had been staunchly opposed by the Pentagon.

Mattis, in his resignation letter, emphasised the importance of standing up for US allies  an implicit criticism of the presidents decision on this issue and others.

While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies, Mattis wrote.

Philip J Crowley, a former US assistant secretary of state and national security council senior official, said behind Trumps decision to pull forces out of Syria and the rumoured, at least partial withdrawal from Afghanistan was the lack of any kind of strategic process within the American national security system.

These are very consequential decisions, he told Al Jazeera.

I think both of them are defensible in one way  but in both cases then you need some sort of strategic shift: we finished our military operation here and then were moving ahead with a diplomatic initiative there, Crowley added.

The fact that the president seems to have done both of these things by instinct without broad consultation either within the American government or the allies around the world is contrary to how Jim Mattis would do business  and did do business throughout his distinguished career.

Successor to be announced

Mattis departure was quickly lamented by politicians on both sides of the aisle, who viewed him as a sober voice of experience in the ear of a president who had never before held political office or served in the military.

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This is scary, tweeted Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, who is a Democrat.

Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration.

Mattis departure has long been rumoured, but officials close to him have insisted that the battle-hardened retired Marine would hang on, determined to bring military calm and reason to the administrations often chaotic national security decisions and soften some of Trumps sharper tones with allies.

Opponents of Mattis, however, have seen him as an unwanted check on Trump.

A White House official said Mattis informed Trump of his decision to leave the administration on Thursday afternoon. Trump said a replacement would be chosen soon.

Crowley said what the US had lost in Mattis was the last genuine conventional thinker in terms of national security policy, someone who understands the importance of alliances and the importance of predictability in terms of policy.

He added: President Trump seems to surround himself now increasingly with more political thinkers and so it will be unclear who will be offered the job, who will take the job and what their prospective longevity will be.

Clashes over policy decisions

At the start of the Trump administration in January 2017, the president had gushed about his respect for Mattis.

The Mad Dog, as Mattis was nicknamed, was widely respected in the military. He served for 44 years, holding key positions during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and became a senior NATO commander.

But Trump and Mattis quickly clashed on major policy decisions.

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During his first conversations with Trump about the Pentagon job, Mattis made it clear that he disagreed with his new boss in two areas: He said torture doesnt work, despite Trumps assertion during the campaign that it did, and he voiced staunch support for traditional US international alliances, including NATO, which Trump repeatedly criticised.

Mattis was credited by some in the administration for blocking an executive order that would have reopened CIA interrogation black sites. Trump has said the Pentagon chief convinced him it wasnt necessary to bring back banned torture techniques like waterboarding.

En route to his first visit to Iraq as defence secretary, Mattis bluntly rebuffed Trumps assertion that the US might take Iraqi oil as compensation for US efforts in the war-torn country.

The two also were initially divided on the future of the Afghanistan war, with Trump complaining about its cost and arguing for withdrawal. Mattis and others ultimately persuaded Trump to pour additional resources and troops into the conflict to press towards a resolution.

Trump also chafed at the Pentagons slow response to his order to ban transgender people from serving in the military. That effort has stalled due to multiple legal challenges.

Long list of departures

The Pentagon has appeared to be caught off guard by a number of Trump policy declarations, often made through Twitter. Those include plans that ultimately fizzled to have a big military parade this month and the more recent decision to send thousands of active duty troops to the southwest border.

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Mattis has determinedly kept a low public profile, striving to stay out of the news and out of Trumps line of fire.

Those close to him have repeatedly insisted that he would not quit, and would have to either be fired or die in the job.

But others have noted that a two-year stint as defence chief is a normal and respectable length of service  Mattis managed to outlast a secretary of state, two national-security advisers and two White House chiefs of staff, among others.

He joins a long list of former Trump administration senior figures who have either quit or been removed, some unceremoniously like Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who the president fired via Twitter in March.

Trumps White House has had the highest turnover of senior-level staff of the past five presidents, according to the Brookings Institution think-tank.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that his country would postpone a military operation against Syrian Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria as he cautiously welcomed Washingtons decision to withdraw its troops in the area.

Speaking during a speech in Istanbul, Erdogan said the US decision meant Turkey would wait a little longer before launching the operation.

Of course, this is not an open-ended waiting period, he warned, adding that Turkey was working on plans to neutralise Daesh elements that still exist in Syria. Daesh is the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

Erdogan had announced on December 12 that Turkey would start an offensive in northern Syria in the next few days, but on December 14, he spoke to US President Donald Trump in a phone call.

According to Turkish daily Hurriyet on Friday, Trump decided to pull out of Syria during that call with Erdogan and ordered his national security adviser John Bolton to start the work to prepare withdrawing troops.

Clear ISIL, Kurdish armed groups

Erdogan also promised on Friday to clear Syria of US-backed Kurdish armed groups after the US decision to pull troops out.

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In the next months, we will see an operational style aimed at removing the YPG (Kurdish Peoples Protection Units militia) and Daesh (ISIL) elements on the ground in Syria, Erdogan said.

The Turkish government views the US-backed YPG as an extension of an armed group fighting inside Turkey.

Although Erdogan welcomed Trumps decision to leave Syria, he said he remained cautious because of past negative experiences, referring to Ankaras continued disappointment over the US administrations failure to stop providing military support to the YPG in their fight against ISIL.

In November last year, Turkish officials said Trump had promised not to supply weapons to the YPG, although the White House was not as explicit about its intentions.

American support of the YPG, which spearheaded Washingtons battles in Syria to eliminate armed groups, has long been a source of tension between the NATO allies.

Meanwhile, on Friday, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is made up of an alliance of Arab and Kurdish groups, said they may not be able to hold ISIL prisoners if the situation in the region gets out of control.

Ilham Ahmed of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) warned that the Trump administrations decision to withdraw all of its forces would have dangerous repercussions and a destabilising effect on the entire region.
Qassem al-Abbassi, 17, was killed by Israeli forces while he was in a car with his friends in occupied West Bank.

A Palestinian teenager was shot and killed at the Bet Il checkpoint at the northern entrance of the occupied West Bank city of al-Bireh.

Qassem al-Abbassi, 17, was killed by Israeli forces on Thursday night while he was in a private vehicle with his friends who were attempting to pass the checkpoint.

Abbassi is from the town of Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem. His body has been withheld by the Israeli army.

On Friday, Abbassis family contested claims by the Israeli military that he had attempted to ram his car into the soldiers.

In a press statement, family elder Moussa al-Abbasi said that what happened to Abbassi is murder, and demanded a full investigation into the shooting.

The family also called for an autopsy to be carried out on, and for Abbassis body to be returned to them in order to conduct a proper burial and funeral.

Maan, a local Palestinian news agency, reported that Mohammed al-Abbassi, a relative of the slain teen, was with him in the car at the time of the shooting.

We were on our way to Nablus when we reached the checkpoint, Mohammed said.

He said an Israeli policeman approached to tell them the road was closed.

As we attempted to go back to the main road, we were chased by either Israeli soldiers or settlers, he continued. We could barely see as there were not enough lights and it was very dark.

It was at that point, Mohammad said, they came under a heavy barrage of gunfire from all directions.

A spokesman for the Israeli army told the AFP news agency that soldiers opened fire in the direction of a vehicle which was attempting to break through a military barrier in the Ramallah region, killing one of the occupants. An investigation has been opened, the spokesman added.

In a separate incident, armed men opened fire at Israeli soldiers stationed by the illegal Jewish settlement of Ofra, east of Ramallah, late Thursday. The men managed to flee the scene.

Israeli media reported that shots were fired at the Israeli army and that soldiers responded with fire.
Family of seven-year-old Jakelin, who died in Border Patrol custody, calls on Trump to allow her father to stay in US.

San Antonio Secortez, Guatemala  Nine-year-old Audel Caal carries a small bouquet of artificial white flowers as he runs down the dirt path leading to his grandfathers home in the rural Guatemalan village of San Antonio Secortez.

Paying attention to the details, he carefully places the bouquet in a glass and straightens a framed photo of the younger sister, Jakelin.

Im really sad, Audel says, fighting back tears. We played a lot.

Jakelin died earlier this month while in the custody of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency. She was seven years old.

We dont want what happened to us to occur to anyone else, says Jakelins 61-year-old indigenous Qeqchi Maya grandfather, Domingo, who has lived in San Antonio Secortez since its founding more than three decades ago.

Migrants need more attention and protection from the United States, Domingo tells Al Jazeera. Every day, there are thousands and thousands of people migrating all over the world.

Jakelins grandfather says he doesnt want any other family to go through what his has been through [Jeff Abbott/Al Jazeera]

Family disputes US story

Jakelin died in CBP custody on December 8 after being detained along with her father, Nery, a day prior in New Mexico. US government officials initially claimed the seven-year-old died of dehydration, but her father refuted these claims. The official cause of death is pending as the autopsy results are being finalised.

The administration of US President Donald Trump blamed Jakelins father and the people smugglers, often referred to as coyotes, who led the pair, along with more than 150 more across the border.

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This is exactly why we try to encourage migrants to go a port of entry. Unfortunately, they arrived in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere, Kirstjen Nielsen, the Homeland Security Secretary, said before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday. As soon as [the father] indicated there was a health issue, we did what we could do as quickly as possible to get her to medical care  the men and women of CBP did everything they could do.

But the family rejects that Jakelin was sick upon arriving at the border.

The government and Donald Trump are negating the case of my daughter, Claudia Maquin, Jakelins 27-year-old mother, tells Al Jazeera in her native Qeqchi language through a translator. He is saying she didnt get sick in custody. It was in their country and they are responsible for her death.

Jakelins mother Claudia calls on the US to let her husband stay in the country to find work [Jeff Abbott/Al Jazeera]

Claudia, standing in her home in San Antonio Secortez, adds that she believes the US is trying to protect their backs.

Claudia wants the Trump administration to allow her 29-year-old husband to stay in the US in order to find work to pay back the debt he accumulated while fleeing to the US. She also hopes he can stay to live out Jakelins dream of living in the US.

The worst and the most painful thing that could happen to us is that my husband returns without completing his and our daughters dream, Claudia says.

Nery remains in CBP custody and may be deported as early as Sunday, according to the family.

Discrimination, poverty, climate change

Jakelin and her father fled to the US for the same reasons that have pushed hundreds from the area to leave. Guatemala has long suffered from systemic inequalities and discrimination against indigenous communities.

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The extreme poverty and lack of government attention have pushed many to migrate as a means of survival, especially in San Antonio Secortez. According to Domingo, Jakelins grandfather, at least 12 other families there have migrated to the US.

This is reflective of the rest of the communities across the municipality of Raxruha. According to Pedro Ico, the spokesman for the municipality of Raxruha, at least 200 families have migrated from the region.

The extreme poverty is causing many to migrate from our municipality, Pedro tells Al Jazeera, adding that families started leaving in 2017 due to lack of opportunities in the town.

The prices of the products that we produce here do not have any value, Pedro says. Farmers have to work day to night, but there is no return. Because of this, many are migrating.

Poverty and climate change are pushing many from the community to flee to the US [Jeff Abbott/Al Jazeera]

San Antonio Secortez sits in the lush Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz. Here, the land is among the most important assets for rural farmers.

For centuries, peasant farmers have faced the rampant expansion of agro-industry. This has led to extensive inequalities of land ownership, especially for the indigenous Qeqchi communities.

The community of San Antonio Secortez was founded in the early 1980s after years of struggle to gain access to the land, which according to Caal was once owned by General Fernando Romeo Lucas Garcia, the dictator of Guatemala between 1978 and 1982.





It was a difficult struggle. The Guatemalan military carried out massacres across the region during the dictatorship of Lucas Garcia and the subsequent administration of Efrain Rios Montt.

It was dangerous and it was a long struggle, Domingo says. There wasnt any liberty to carry out these type of actions.

Domingo was 27 years old when he won the rights to the land. He left this victory for his children.

Yet in the decades since the community has been heavily affected by the lack of opportunity and by climate change, these factors are driving many to make the dangerous journey to the US.

There is less rain every day and it is getting warmer, Domingo says.

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What little is produced is not enough to support the family.

Here, there is no opportunity to work, we are receiving low pay for what we produce and everyday things are more expensive, Claudia says. My husband decided to go to the United States to find the means to support our family.

Nery worked nearly 0.4 hectare of land. Through this, the family earns around 700 quetzals (roughly $90) every six months following the biannual corn harvest.

Expanding production was not an option.

We could not sell more since we needed the corn ourselves, Claudia says. And we could not plant any more since there was not any more land.

It pains us deeply that we lost our daughter while in search of a better life. Claudia Maquin, Jakelin's 27-year-old mother

According to Claudia, her husband had attempted to find work on the nearby palm oil plantations the previous year, but no one was hiring.

It was earlier this year that her husband began to talk about migrating to the US. His goal was to earn money to buy more land to support the family.

Unlike other neighbours, Caal did not mortgage his land to get the money to pay the smugglers, locally known as coyotes, to arrange his trip to the US.

My husband never had a debt with the coyotes. He has a debt with our neighbours and family members, Claudia says.

The stress of having to pay back the money weighs hard on Claudia, she says. For now, though, she must prepare to bury her daughter, whose body is scheduled to return to her community on Sunday.

It pains us deeply that we lost our daughter while in search of a better life.
Families of the two victims, one a 12-year-old boy, say they wont give up on justice as those convicted plan appeal.

Latehar, Jharkhand  Imtiaz Khan, a 12-year-old schoolboy, and Majloom Ansari, a 32-year-old cattle trader, were abducted, beaten and hanged from a tree in Latehar in the Indian state of Jharkhand in March 2016.

The two had been walking with their oxen they planned to sell at a cattle fair, some 40km away, when they were intercepted by members of a Hindu cow protection committee in the next village and fatally attacked.

They were beaten with sticks and axes, and hanged from a tree with the same nylon ropes they used for their cattle.

Now, more than two years later, a Latehar district court has held eight people guilty of murder and has sentenced them to life imprisonment.

As the accused were brought to the court, around 100 supporters shouted slogans such as Bharat Mata ki jai (Glory be to mother India) and Gau hatya band karo (Stop killing cows).

Fridays ruling is only the second such conviction in a series of lynchings by Hindu cow vigilantes across India in the last few years.

Nazma and Azad Khan, whose 12-year-old son Imtiaz was killed in Latehar [Manob Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]

Right reckoning

Pursuing the case legally for nearly three years was expensive as well as emotionally draining for the victims families, who are subsistence farmers in one of Indias poorest districts.

During the trial, the defence lawyers would act very aggressively. He would accuse me of lying when I described how Imtiaz divided time going to school and helping his father, and what took place that day, Imtiazs mother Nazma Khan told Al Jazeera in her house at the end of a dirt track in Arahara village.

I told the court: Imtiaz was my son, I brought him up. How can their lawyers claim that I dont know what I was saying?

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In Nawada village, Majloom Ansaris brother Afzal was still in shock over the killing.

How did these men think that they had the power to do this? Was it such small a thing for them, he said.

Majlooms father Mohammad Ibrahim Ansari said a life sentence was a right reckoning for the accused.

Indias Hindu majority regards cows as holy and their slaughter is banned in most Indian states.

Hindu vigilantes often roam the roads in India to protect cows, frequently resulting in assaults on Muslims and low-caste Dalits.

According to data analytics site India Spend, almost 80 cases of cow-related violence took place between 2012 and 2017, mainly targeting Muslims, who comprise some 14 percent of Indias 1.3 billion people.

Killings hit cattle trade

In Latehar, both the families said they used to support their meagre income from farming by buying and selling cattle at village fairs. Since the killings, the trade completely stopped, they said.

In 2016, just before the killings, Imtiazs father, Azad Khan, bought eight oxen that he planned to sell in neighbouring Hazaribagh district.

Because Khan had injured his leg in a motor accident, he asked his 12-year-old son to accompany Majloom in transporting the oxen.

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They had to travel 40km, so they left home at 4 am to go as far as they could before the sun came out, Khan told Al Jazeera.

They even had receipts for the purchase of the cattle for Rs 42,000 ($608) from the fair. But these men accused them of smuggling the oxen and selling them for meat and brutally attacked them.

A police investigation found that two men, who were returning from a wedding at dawn, spotted Imtiaz and Majloom carrying the animals and alerted six others from their village, Jhabahar.

One of the men, Arun Sau, was active in cow vigilantism in the name of Hinduism, stopping cattle traders in the past as well. He led the attack, said an investigating officer, who declined to be named.

Mohammad Ibrahim and Mohammad Imtiaz (R), Majloom Ansaris father and brother, in their house in Nawada village [Manob Chowdhury/Al Jazeera]

Will go to higher court

Defence lawyer Arvind Lal, who represented the eight accused, told Al Jazeera that the police acted irresponsibly during the investigation.

The police issued arrest warrants and then further warrants threatening to seize property within two days to put pressure on my clients and forced them to surrender and take the blame for the crime, said Lal.

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They did not even do a test identification parade. The police have shown mobile phone records as evidence but there is no proof that the mobile phones belonged to my clients.

Lal said he would challenge the verdict in a higher court in Jharkhand state.

In Arahara, Imtiazs mother, Nazma, said the families would also pursue the case further if the verdict is challenged and would not give up.

If they will go to a higher court, we will also go, she said. They killed my 12-year-old boy. They must be punished for what they have done.
Some 40 Palestinians, including four medics and two journalists, were wounded by Israeli forces in weekly Gaza rallies.

Four Palestinians, including two teenagers, have been killed and dozens of other protesters injured while taking part in the ongoing demonstrations along the lands east of the besieged Gaza Strip near Israels fence.

According to Gazas health ministry, Mohammed al-Jahjouh, a 16-year-old demonstrator, was killed after being struck in the neck by Israeli army gunfire on Friday.

Abdulaziz Abu Shreea, 28, succumbed to his wounds after he was shot in the stomach, the ministry added.

Maher Yassin, 40, a person with special needs, also died after being critically wounded by Israeli live fire.

The fourth person, Ayman Shbeir, died the following day after succumbing to wounds sustained during Fridays protest.

About 40 Palestinian protesters  including four medics and two journalists  sustained injuries, the ministry said.

39 Fridays of protests

For the 39th consecutive week, Palestinians converged along the Gaza-Israel buffer zone to take part in ongoing demonstrations against Israels decades-long occupation.

Israeli forces fired live ammunition and tear-gas grenades directly at Palestinian protesters gathered at the eastern borders of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, and in Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said, Troops responded with riot dispersal means and fired in accordance with standard operating procedures.

Fridays rally was held under the slogan, Honouring heroes of the resistance and witnessed a turnout of around 8,000 protesters.

In a statement, Gazas National Authority for Breaking the Siege urged members of the public to take part in Fridays demonstration.

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These demonstrations draw their strength from the heroes of the resistance and from their sacrifices, the statement read.

It went on to urge the Palestinian people to escalate all forms of resistance against Israels occupation.

The Great March of Return protests were launched on March 30 by thousands of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, who are calling for the right of return for Palestinian refugees to their lands, under UN Resolution 194, and demanding an end to the 12-year Israeli blockade.

Since the rallies first began, more than 215 Palestinians have been killed and at least 18,000 others injured by Israeli forces.
The defence funding will cover the cost of introducing the US armys Aegis Ashore land-based missile interceptor system.

Japans government has announced that its defence budget will rise to a record $47bn for the next fiscal year, as Tokyo beefs up its missile defence and deploys stealth jets in a bid to counter China.

The defence spending was part of a $912bn national budget for the fiscal year starting on April 1, 2019, approved by the cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The government decided to set aside 5.26 trillion yen ($47bn) for defence, the fifth record year in a row, defence ministry officials said on Friday. The budget request requires approval by parliament, where it has a majority.

The defence funding will cover the cost of introducing the US militarys Aegis Ashore land-based missile interceptor system, the officials said.

The 2019 allocation covers six F-35A stealth jets, and part of it will be spent on Japans first aircraft carriers since World War II.

The budget is the initial allocation of Japans new five-year defence plan, announced on Tuesday as the latest in a series of steps under Abe to boost the nations military.

Under the multi-year programme through March 2024, Japan will upgrade two existing helicopter carriers so that they can launch fighters.

Abes government argues the efforts are necessary given growing defence challenges in the region. Along with particularly strong concerns about the expansion of Chinas military footprint, Japan also remains wary of North Korean promises to abandon nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, which it has described in a defence white paper as its most serious and pressing threat.

But the move is controversial, with critics arguing it shifts Tokyo further away from its commitment to strictly defensive capabilities under Japans post-World War II pacifist constitution.

Beijing immediately expressed its strong dissatisfaction and opposition to the programme unveiled on Tuesday, urging Tokyo to adhere to a purely defensive policy.

Last year, China unveiled its first domestically built aircraft carrier as it continues to assert claims in the South China Sea. Beijings first carrier, the Liaoning, is a second-hand Soviet ship built nearly 30 years ago and commissioned in 2012.

Japans new programme comes after pledges to buy more US military equipment, under pressure from US President Donald Trump.

The US leader has repeatedly complained about Washingtons huge trade deficit with Tokyo and also urged Abe to expand the countrys defensive capacity.

For his part, Abe has campaigned for years to amend Japans pacifist constitution, arguing that it ties the hands of the countrys Self-Defence Forces (SDF) even in protecting the countrys allies from attack.

Japans growing defence budget is directly aimed to counter Chinas military threat, said Akira Kato, professor of international politics and regional security at Tokyos J F Oberlin University.

The budget gain is also part of Japans efforts to buy more US military equipment so that it can avoid a trade war with Washington, Kato told AFP news agency, adding that Tokyos defence budget is expected to continue expanding.
SDF discusses plan to release 3,200 local and foreign ISIL fighters after US decided to pull out its troops from Syria.

Kurdish-led forces in Syria may not be able to hold prisoners from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) if the situation in the region gets out of control, a senior Syrian-Kurdish official has said.

Ilham Ahmed of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) warned that the Trump administrations decision to withdraw all of its forces would have dangerous repercussions and a destabilising effect on the entire region.

Under the threat of the Turkish state, and with the possibility of Daesh (ISIL) reviving once again, I fear the situation will go out of control and we no longer be able to contain them, Ahmed said at a news conference in Paris on Friday when asked if the SDF was considering releasing hundreds of ISIL detainees.

On Thursday, The New York Times reported that the SDF had discussed releasing almost 3,200 local and foreign ISIL prisoners.

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Ahmed did not discuss whether the SDF were planning on releasing the fighters, but the Times, quoting a Western official from the United States-led coalition fighting in Syria, said that such discussions had taken place.

The discussions came after Trump stunned fellow Republicans and Western allies on Wednesday when he posted a video on Twitter declaring victory over the armed group.

The US president said he was fulfilling a promise from his 2016 election campaign, adding it was time for others to finally fight.

After historic victories against ISIL, its time to bring our great young people home, he wrote.

US officials have said many details had not yet been finalised, but they expect the countrys 2,000 forces to be out of Syria by mid-January.

The job must be finished

Western allies including France, Britain and Germany have criticised Trumps assertion of victory as premature.

We do not share the analyses that the territorial caliphate [of ISIL] has been annihilated, French Defence Minister Florence Parly told RTL radio on Friday.

France has about 200 special forces personnel operating in Syrias Kurdish areas and continues to carry out air raids on ISIL-held areas.

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Its an extremely grave decision and we think  the job must be finished, Parly said.

The SDF are in the final stages of a campaign to recapture areas seized by ISIL. However, they face the threat of a military operation by Turkey, which considers the Kurdish fighters who spearhead the force to be a terrorist group.

They are also under the risk of possible advances by the Syrian forces  backed by Russia and Iran  committed to restoring President Bashar al-Assads control over the country.

ISIL declared a caliphate in 2014 after seizing large swaths of Syria and Iraq. The group established its de facto capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa.

However, ISIL has lost all their strongholds and the vast majority of the territory it controlled since then.
Rights groups say delays in asylum processing puts migrants and refugees, unaccompanied minors, in harms way.

Tijuana, Mexico  The murder of two Honduran teens in the Mexican border city of Tijuana over the weekend represents a tragic example of how the delays in asylum processing are putting unaccompanied minors in harms way, rights groups say.

The teens, aged 16 and 17, were kidnapped not far from a youth shelter, before being strangled and stabbed to death, police said earlier this week. A third teen was able to escape.

Mexicos human rights commission has called for a thorough investigation of the murders by all levels of government.

On Wednesday, police said that at least three people have been arrested in connection with the murders.

Its a very painful time for everyone here, said Uriel Gonzalez, director of the migrant youth shelter where the two slain teens stayed.

Under Mexican law, unaccompanied minors must stay in shelters run by the Mexican System for Integral Family Development, but the institute doesnt have the capacity to house the thousands of children now in Mexico. Mexican government officials have placed many unaccompanied children into foster care or have deported them all together.

According to Gonzalez, the two teens had arrived at the youth shelter about three weeks ago.

The day they left the shelter they didnt let volunteers know they were stepping out, a policy the shelter director said is well established among the youth staying here. But Gonzalez added the shelter has an open-door policy and teens are allowed to travel to ports of entry to petition for asylum.

The killings highlight the dangers migrants and refugees, particularly youth, face in the city, rights groups say. And with Thursdays announcement that the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to send many asylum seekers back to Mexico while they await a decision on their request, advocates fear the dangers will only become worse.

Unaccompanied minors turned away

The United States uses a practice known as metering to limit the number of asylum seekers who are able to file their request each day. The practice has been slammed by rights groups, who accuse the US government of creating a bottleneck of migrants and refugees at the border  an allegation US officials have denied. According to rights groups, metering means asylum seekers may have to wait months before being able to submit their requests.

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Those who have been turned away include unaccompanied minors.

This week, US border officials blocked 15 Honduran migrants, including eight unaccompanied children, from seeking asylum at the Otay Mesa port of entry. Members of Congress waited for four hours until US authorities allowed the children to place their asylum claims.

Border patrol has turned away at least five unaccompanied minors at the San Ysidro port of entry since April, according to an Amnesty International report.

The more time they spend in this limbo, the more theyre susceptible to two things: growing desperation and violence like this because these are essentially defenceless children, said Gonzalez.

DHS did not respond to Al Jazeeras request for comment at the time of publication, and Customs and Border Protection could not be reached.

In announcing the new practice of sending asylum seekers back to Mexico on Thursday, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen offered little detail about how the policy will work.

We want to discourage those who are claiming asylum fraudulently, she said, describing the plan.

She added that policy will not apply to unaccompanied minors, who are offered special protections under US immigration law.

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Despite the guarantee for young people, Jaya Ramji-Nogales, an expert on asylum adjudication at Temple University, said the Trump administrations attack on asylum is having a negative effect on asylum seekers in Tijuana.

These unaccompanied minors presumably, had they made it to the border, would have presented themselves and asked for some kind of protection, she said, referring to the two young Honduran teens who were killed.

But instead, children must wait, she said. And for those who are escaping threats and sexual violence, the wait in Tijuana only presents new and dangerous challenges. You can see just how harmful this is to these vulnerable kids, she said.
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Protesters in capital call for the resignation of the president if elections arent held on Sunday.

Kinshasa, DRC  Angry opposition supporters gathered outside their party headquarters in the Congolese capital Kinshasa on Friday, hours after the electoral commission delayed Sundays scheduled poll by a week.

The electoral commission (CENI) said late Thursday the long-delayed poll will not take place on December 23 due to a delay in deploying voting materials to polling stations.

The hotly contested election, which was first scheduled to take place in 2016, will now take place on December 30.

For the last two years, they assured us that election will happen on time, Jean Mbaya, UDPS supporter told Al Jazeera.

If the election does not happen on Sunday, CENI president and Kabila (the countrys president) must resign and go, the 24-year-old labourer added.

We will no longer accept any delay. If we accept they will turn the seven-day to seven-month delay, he added.

The supporters, mostly young men, marched up and down the township of Limete  an opposition stronghold  shouting, If theres no election on the 23rd, we will kill each other as security forces kept watch from a distance.

We cannot accept any delay. We have lost many friends who called for elections. We have suffered for too long, Felly Kabambi, a tricycle driver, told Al Jazeera.





President Joseph Kabila, who took power following the assassination of his father in 2001, was meant to step down in 2016 after serving two five-year terms in office.

But the electoral commission said it didnt have the resources to hold the election on time.

Last week, a fire gutted one of the main warehouses of the electoral body in the capital destroying two-thirds of the polling materials for Kinshasa.

Kinshasa is home to about 15 percent of the more than 46 million registered voters in the vast mineral-rich country.

CENI said it had ordered five million ballots papers from neighbouring South Africa but so far, only one million have arrived in the country. The ballots papers were to replace those destroyed in the fire, CENI added.

The DRCs Minister for Environment Amy Ambatobe backed the decision to delay the vote.

We are very happy with the commissions decision, he told Al Jazeera.

Its not a bad move. It is good to make sure everything is in place first before elections can start.

The campaign period has been marked by deadly clashes between the security forces and opposition supporters.

On Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) said it will take action against anyone who commits a crime during the election period.





Dieudonne Mushagalusa, a coordinator for civil society groups in Kinshasa, said the electoral bodys decision to postpone the vote was the right one.

We welcome the electoral commissions decision and the courage they showed in telling the truth to Congolese people, Mushagalusa told Al Jazeera.

The decision is the right one since its technically justified. The commission has well done to delay for seven days instead of organising wrong elections that would create trouble in the country, he added.

Democratic Republic Congo, a country in central Africa roughly the size of Western Europe, has never had a peaceful transfer of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960.

Twenty-one candidates are competing for the countrys top seat.
Staffan De Mistura made no mention of the most significant recent Syria development  the withdrawal of US troops.

The outgoing UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan De Mistura, has given his last briefing to the Security Council, urging unity to help the Syrian people. De Misturas successor, Norwegian Diplomat Geir Pedersen, will take up his post in early January.

Al Jazeeras James Bays reports from the United Nations.
The decision alarmed Washingtons allies and Kurdish fighters in Syria who fear it will allow ISIL to regroup.

US President Donald Trump has been defending his decision to withdraw all US troops from Syria, and end an air campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

The announcement alarmed Washingtons allies and Kurdish fighters in Syria who fear it will allow ISIL to regroup. Trump says its time for other countries to step in.

Al Jazeeras Alan Fisher reports from Washington, DC.
A day after Syria move, US officials reportedly say Trump also decided to pull thousands of troops out of Afghanistan.

US President Donald Trump is planning to pull thousands of US troops out of Afghanistan, reports have said, a day after the Republican president rebuffed top advisers and announced the withdrawal of all US soldiers from Syria.

The reported move comes as US officials are currently engaged in talks with the Taliban, which was toppled following a Washington-led invasion in 2001 but now controls a significant amount of Afghan territory.

Trumps surprise decision to withdraw soldiers from Syria contributed to the abrupt resignation of Pentagon chief Jim Mattis on Thursday over significant policy differences with the president.

Mattis had also argued for maintaining a strong US military presence in Afghanistan to bolster diplomatic peace efforts. He quit shortly after US officials raised the possibility that Trump would order the withdrawal.

The United States has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan working either with a NATO mission to support Afghan forces or in separate counterterrorism operations.

US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, were quoted by news agencies and media in the US saying that the Pentagon was developing plans for the reduction of US forces in Afghanistan.

The Wall Street Journal reported that more than 7,000 troops would be returning in the coming weeks. Other reports put the figure to over 5,000, while AFP news agency quoted a US official as saying that a significant withdrawal will take place.

The reports could not be independently verified.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one US official told The Associated Press news agency that the troops could be out of Afghanistan by summer, but no final decision has been made.

It is unclear how the US, with significantly fewer troops in Afghanistan, will be able to fulfill the full set of missions now under way, including training Afghan forces, advising them in the field, and waging an air campaign against the Taliban and other armed groups.

Instead, Washington almost certainly would have to curtail its missions, something that could provide an opportunity for a resurgent Taliban to expand their offensives across Afghanistan.

The Pentagon declined to comment on Afghanistan.

Garrett Marquis, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said the White House would not comment on future strategic developments.

Civilian casualties

US troops stormed into Afghanistan in November 2001 in an invasion that followed the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Last month, a study by the Brown Universitys Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs found that hundreds of thousands of people have been killed due to the so-called war on terror launched by the US in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, including 38,480 civilians in Afghanistan.

An estimated 2,798 civilians have been killed and 5,252 others wounded in attacks across the country from January to September this year, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Afghanistans President Ashraf Ghani meanwhile said in November that 28,529 Afghan security forces had been killed since the start of 2015, a figure far higher than anything previously acknowledged. That is an average of about 20 soldiers killed every day.

The surge in violence comes as the US is pushing for a peaceful resolution to the 17-year-old conflict, while the Taliban has increasingly asserted control over vast tracts of the country.

Trump privately has been complaining about US military involvement in Afghanistan, telling an ally as recently as Wednesday words to the effect of, What are we doing there? Weve been there all these years.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, often a vocal Trump ally, warned of possible danger to the US if the withdrawal goes through.

The conditions in Afghanistan  at the present moment  make American troop withdrawals a high-risk strategy. If we continue on our present course we are setting in motion the loss of all our gains and paving the way towards a second 9/11, Graham said in a statement.

Trump last year approved an increase in US troops but acknowledged that he did so reluctantly.

Earlier this week, US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives held talks in Abu Dhabi on a deal that would end the war. Officials from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also took part.

The Saudi ambassador to Washington, Khalid bin Salman, tweeted on Thursday that the discussions had been productive and would bring very positive results by the beginning of next year.

But a former senior State Department official familiar with the issue said that the Taliban representatives rejected a proposal by Khalilzad for a ceasefire and demanded that the talks focus on a US withdrawal.
Britains second busiest airport reopens on Friday after rogue drone saboteur causes biggest travel disruption in years.

Britains Gatwick airport has reopened after a rogue drone saboteur wrought travel chaos for hundreds of thousands of Christmas travellers by playing cat-and-mouse with police snipers and the army.

After the biggest disruption at Gatwick airport since a volcanic ash cloud in 2010, Britains second-busiest airport said on Friday its runway was open and that a limited number of aircraft were scheduled for departure and arrival.

Gatwicks runway is currently available and a limited number of aircraft are scheduled for departure and arrival, the airport said.

Gatwick continues to advise passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport as departures and arrivals will be subject to delays and cancellations.

Gatwick said 700 planes were due to take off on Friday, although there would still be delays and cancellations.

Britain deployed unidentified military technology to guard the airport against what the UKs Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said were thought to be several drones.

Whats happening on the ground is a mix of measures taken to give confidence that aircraft can be safe  Some of those are military capabilities, Grayling told BBC television.

Grayling said there was not yet a straightforward commercial, off-the-shelf solution that automatically solves all problems.

Thousands of passengers remain stranded at the airport, south of the capital, London, as police continue to hunt for the operators of the large drones, which reappeared near the airfield on Wednesday and Thursday.

Police said there was no indication of a terrorism motive behind the devices, which first appeared on Wednesday night.

Police and airport authorities believe the drones, which were spotted near the airfield more than 50 times over a 24-hour period, were being flown in a deliberate act to disrupt the airport.

The spokesperson for Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the standoff as irresponsible and completely unacceptable.

Passenger Ani Kochiashvili had been bound for Georgia but spent six hours overnight sitting on a plane with her children.

Im very annoyed because Im with two kids, a three-month-old and three-year-old, she told Reuters news agency by phone among thousands camped in the terminal.

They require a lot of space and food and changing and all that, and the airport is crazy busy so its challenging.

Increase in near-collisions

With a surge in public enthusiasm for drones, there has been an increase in near-collisions by unmanned aircraft and commercial jets in recent years.

The number of near misses between private drones and aircraft in Britain more than tripled between 2015 and 2017, with 92 incidents recorded last year, according to the UK Airprox Board regulator.

Richard Parker, head of air traffic management technology firm Altitude Angel, said this was the first time a major airport had been hit by such a sustained and deliberate incursion into its airspace.

Its sophisticated, not from a technology side, but its organised. People have charged lots of batteries, and are deliberately trying to avoid being caught, probably by driving around to different locations, he told Reuters.

It really is unprecedented.

Drone expert Peter Lee of Portsmouth University said he and others had been anticipating disruption.

One of my concerns about today is that it may well encourage copy-cat incidents because you can achieve a high amount of disruption for a very, very low cost, he said.

It is illegal to fly drones within 1km of a British airport boundary, punishable by five years in prison.

Gatwick, which competes with Europes busiest airport, Heathrow, west of London, had previously said Sunday would be its busiest day of the festive period.

Passengers took to Twitter to share their stories.

One waiting at the airport said: At Gatwick Airport, drone chaos, surprisingly good natured, but complete mayhem.
Britain calls in army after dozens of drone sightings cancel all Gatwick flights, leaving tens of thousands stranded.

The United Kingdom has sent troops to its second-busiest airport after an unprecedented attempt to cripple Christmas travel with unusually large drones forced all flights to be grounded.

As tens of thousands of passengers on Thursday waited at Gatwick Airport, south of the capital, London, police hunted unsuccessfully for the operators of the large drones which reappeared near the airfield every time the airport tried to reopen the runway.

Police said there was no indication of a terrorism motive behind the devices, which first appeared on Wednesday night.

The assessment earlier on today was that we wouldnt be using firearms, Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley said late on Thursday. This is continually reviewed so you will know and have seen that we have firearm officers deployed.

Europes air traffic control agency Eurocontrol said the airport would remain closed until 06:00 GMT on Friday.

The armed forces were also deployed to help resolve the situation, with specialist equipment deployed by the Ministry of Defence to Gatwick airport to help Sussex Police.

We are there to assist and do everything we can, Defence Minister Gavin Williamson told reporters.

The airport said flights would remain shut down for the rest of the evening on a day when 115,000 people were scheduled to pass through, many en route to seasonal breaks.

Police and airport authorities believe the drones, which were spotted near the airfield more than 50 times over a 24-hour period, were being flown in a deliberate act to disrupt the airport.

The spokesperson for Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the standoff as irresponsible and completely unacceptable.

Passenger Ani Kochiashvili had been bound for Georgia but spent six hours overnight sitting on a plane with her children.

Im very annoyed because Im with two kids, a three-month-old and three-year-old, she told Reuters news agency by phone among thousands camped in the terminal.

They require a lot of space and food and changing and all that, and the airport is crazy busy so its challenging.

Every time Gatwick tries re-open, drones reappear

Flights were halted at 21:03 GMT on Wednesday after two drones were spotted near the airfield, triggering the biggest disruption at Gatwick since a volcanic ash cloud in 2010.

Police said more than 20 units were hunting the operators near Gatwick airport, 50km south of London.

Transport minister Chris Grayling said it was clearly a deliberate act. This is a commercial-sized drone, he said. Every time Gatwick tries to re-open the runway, the drones reappear.

Grayling temporarily lifted night-flying restrictions at other airports to ease congestion caused by diverted aircraft, Sky News reported.

With a surge in public enthusiasm for drones, there has been an increase in near-collisions by unmanned aircraft and commercial jets in recent years.

The number of near misses between private drones and aircraft in Britain more than tripled between 2015 and 2017, with 92 incidents recorded last year, according to the UK Airprox Board regulator.

Richard Parker, head of air traffic management technology firm Altitude Angel, said this was the first time a major airport had been hit by such a sustained and deliberate incursion into its airspace.

Its sophisticated, not from a technology side, but its organised. People have charged lots of batteries, and are deliberately trying to avoid being caught, probably by driving around to different locations, he told Reuters.

It really is unprecedented.

Gatwicks Chief Operating Officer Chris Woodroofe described one of the drones as a heavy industrial model.

The police advice is that it would be dangerous to seek to shoot the drone down because of what may happen to the stray bullets, he told BBC radio.

Drone expert Peter Lee of Portsmouth University said he and others had been anticipating disruption.

One of my concerns about today is that it may well encourage copy-cat incidents because you can achieve a high amount of disruption for a very, very low cost, he said.

It is illegal to fly drones within 1km of a British airport boundary, punishable by five years in prison.

Even after Gatwick re-opens, the backlog and disruption are expected to last for days.

Gatwick said it was working with its airlines, the biggest of which also includes British Airways and Norwegian Air, on recovery plans once the runway re-opens.

Safety was its foremost priority, it said.

Gatwick, which competes with Europes busiest airport, Heathrow, west of London, had previously said Sunday would be its busiest day of the festive period.

Passengers took to Twitter to share their stories.

One waiting at the airport said: At Gatwick Airport, drone chaos, surprisingly good natured, but complete mayhem.
Opposition groups boycott election after weeks of protests that killed four people in the capital Lome and other cities.

Voter turnout was low in Togo after calls by opposition and religious leaders for a boycott of parliamentary elections.

At least four people have been killed during protests in the capital Lome and other cities during weeks of anti-government protests, but election day was calm under a heavy military presence.

The ruling Union for the Republic party is expected to maintain its parliamentary majority.

Al Jazeeras Paul Chaderjian reports.
Saudi Arabia has said it is creating government bodies to boost oversight of its intelligence operations, in the wake of international outrage over journalist Jamal Khashoggis murder.



The kingdom has said Khashoggi was killed inside its Istanbul consulate on October 2 in a rogue operation led by the then Deputy Intelligence Chief Ahmad al-Assiri and Royal Court Adviser Saud al-Qahtani, both of whom have been sacked.



King Salman subsequently ordered a restructuring of the main intelligence agency under the supervision of his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who has faced global criticism over the journalists murder even though the government denies he was involved.



A committee headed by the prince has approved the creation of three departments to ensure intelligence operations are in line with the national security policy, international human rights law and approved procedures, the official Saudi Press Agency said on Thursday.



The statement made no mention of Khashoggi.

Bessma Momani, professor of political science at the University of Waterloo, said the modifications were an attempt to shift attention away from the crown prince.

I think the optics of reform are clear, she told Al Jazeera. The message being portrayed here is that there are checks and balances in the system, that there is oversight, but frankly is doesnt really address a bigger cloud hanging over the crown prince, that he was implicated in ordering this murder of Khashoggi.

The key issue doesnt go away, but I think the cosmetic restructuring is meant to try and deflect attention.

The idea here is that these three departments are going to be overseen by this committee, and this committee is going to be the crown prince. It really is, I think, quite difficult to see it as a genuine effort.

The intense global backlash over Khashoggis killing has tarnished the princes international reputation and left the oil-rich kingdom diplomatically weakened, analysts say.



It has also cast a fresh spotlight on the Saudi-led conflict in Yemen, which is gripped by what the United Nations describes as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.



The US Senate voted last week to end American military support for Riyadhs military campaign in Yemen, and separately held Prince Mohammed responsible for Khashoggis killing.



Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia slammed the Senate resolutions as blatant interference, warning that the move could have repercussions on its strategic ties with Washington.
Researchers develop rapid, inexpensive test for Zika

From PHHP site.

University of Florida researchers, with funding from the state of Florida, have developed a rapid, cost-effective point-of-care test for the Zika virus that can be used in the field.

Z. Hugh Fan, Ph.D., a professor and George N. Sandor Faculty Fellow at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineerings department of mechanical and aerospace engineering, and John Lednicky, Ph.D., a research professor at the College of Public Health and Health Professions department of environmental and global health, led a team that developed a miniaturized device for analysis of the virus in blood, saliva, and urine specimens. Using the device, they demonstrated the reproducible detection of Zika virus.

The team has published the results of their current research in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, and UF has filed for a patent on the technology.

Zika virus caused a widespread epidemic of disease in the Americas in 2016, and cases continue to occur because the virus has now become established in the Western Hemisphere. Simple to use, quick-working, and cost-effective devices that can be used to help diagnose Zika infections are sorely needed, Lednicky said. In particular, many methods are beyond the reach of physicians and laboratories in resource-strapped countries, and when available, the results of the confirmatory tests often take weeks to reach the medical caregivers.

Because fever due to Zika virus is not specific, (countless viruses induce fever) and an infection by the virus can be misdiagnosed, it is important to have a point-of-care testing platform to accurately and quickly identify Zika virus infection for patient management and clinical diagnostics. In addition, because Zika virus generally causes mild or no symptoms, affected patients in an outbreak area may not seek medical care. The virus can then be transmitted through other non-vector-borne transmissions, including sexual activities and blood transfusion. A point-of-care testing platform could be useful for screening asymptomatic patients to prevent possible Zika virus transmission, as well as for safeguarding the blood supply at blood-donation sites.

Current Zika tests require special equipment, and results can take up to three weeks to be reported to the attending physician.

Our invention is designed as a point-of-care device that can be performed at the physicians office, and the test results are available within an hour, Lednicky said. Apart from being cheap and easy to use, the device does not require expensive instruments to perform, and the results are easy to interpret and thus do not require extensive training.

The new UF device features innovative ball-based valves that enable the storage and sequential delivery of reagents, a mixing unit where the reaction (virus lysis) takes place, and a paper-based detection unit that allows for detection of the results by the naked eye or with the use of a cellphone camera.

We use an isothermal nucleic acid amplification method rather than (the) often-used polymerase chain reactions (PCR) so that thermal management is simpler, Fan said.

The paper unit is placed in a commercially available coffee mug that provides a constant temperature for the development of the resulting color.

The next step for Fan and Lednicky will be to do a large-sample validation test using their device.

Generally, symptoms of Zika disease are mild, including fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, and headache, which usually last for two to seven days. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the majority (about 80 percent) of people infected with Zika virus do not develop any symptoms. However, in October 2015, Brazil reported an association between Zika virus infection and microcephaly and other congenital anomalies in fetuses and newborns. Infection with the virus was also found to sometimes lead to Guillain-Barre syndrome, a condition in which the immune system attacks parts of the peripheral nervous system. To date, a total of 86 countries and territories have reported evidence of mosquito-transmitted Zika virus infection.

Read more at the UF Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering website
On the campaign trail in 2012, President Obama took credit for ending the war in Iraq and bringing all U.S. troops home from that country. Military leaders quietly decried the evacuation of troops from Iraq. To do so created a vacuum for hostiles, such as the displaced Baath Party members loyal to Saddam Hussein. In early 2014, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria appeared, rolling through the upper third of a largely unarmed and unprotected Iraq, setting the country ablaze.

Although removing U.S. forces from an unarmed Iraq was an obvious blunder, by September 2014, President Obama was dismissing complaints of his handling of the outbreak of hostilities. He declared that ISIS was the equivalent of "a jayvee team" and was nothing to worry about. In 2016, we learned from Secretary John Kerry that regime change in Syria, the removal of Bashar Assad, was the Obama administration's goal. Focused on this agenda, the White House intentionally gave arms to ISIS, betting that ISIS's success would force the Syrian president to acquiesce toward Obama's terms and step down.

U.S. political and military leaders knew that Iraq was working to build up its military, but it had not been able to reconstitute its armed forces in effective numbers. They knew that Iraqi recruits and pilots were in schools run by Americans and taught by Americans. The timing was right for war, as Iraq was utterly defenseless if ISIS came to town.

The Iraqi military had been decimated during Operation Iraqi Freedom. With Saddam Hussein gone, the new Iraqi government used its oil revenues to begin rebuilding the country and its military. Under the Bush and Obama administrations, billion-dollar contracts flowed to American companies. Boeing sold and delivered 747s and 737s for the new Iraqi Airlines. Beechcraft sold and delivered a number of C-12 small transport airplanes and, by 2013, 15 T-6 trainer aircraft. In 2008, Lockheed Martin sold six of its newest C-130J cargo aircraft as well as contracted for 36 new F-16s. I managed some of these contracts.

To maintain American-manufactured aircraft and their complex weapons systems, several million-dollar contracts were awarded. Aviation schools were set up in Amman, Jordan to teach hundreds of Iraqi air force recruits English and aircraft maintenance. Some handpicked, non-Baathist Party air force officers attended U.S. Air Force flight schools in Texas. In May 2014, the first Iraqi F-16IQ made its first flight, and Lockheed Martin began delivering the first batch of Iraq air force F-16s to Tucson, Arizona for Iraqi pilots to fly Iraqi-flagged F-16s.

With the advance of ISIS, the Iraqi government's authority collapsed in the north and affected F-16 deliveries to Iraq. There were real concerns among DOD planners that ISIS would be able to destroy Iraq's new jets as they were being delivered  and if not the jets, then the massive logistical tail  manpower, fuels, hangars, spare parts, ordnance  necessary to operate and maintain a front-line fighter. Those concerns were borne out in June 2014 as hundreds of newly trained, English-speaking, unarmed Iraqi air force recruits were massacred when ISIS overran their air force base in Balad. ISIS looted or destroyed weapon systems, armored vehicles, and even tanks.

When I arrived in Baghdad in November 2014 to sign a contract to establish a flight school in southern Iraq, ISIS was on the march and making inroads into the capital city. One day we were unable to continue contract discussions, as the road from the Baghdad International Airport to the Ministry of Defense in downtown Baghdad was shut down, the blast from a car bomb rocked our hotel and tore a bus-sized hole in the highway. As the worldwide price of oil continued to drop, and without a single Iraqi F-16 to engage the enemy, the Iraqi air force was forced to cancel our contract (and others), and the president redirected funds from aviation support programs to augment ground units engaged in fighting ISIS.

That was then. Today, the Iraq air force has a squadron of F-16s. Thirteen additional F-16 aircraft will be delivered in 2019, bringing to 34 the number of fighters operated by the service. A new flight school is up and running, and former U.S. Air Force instructor pilots are pumping out basic pilots who will learn how to fly and use the F-16 as a fighting weapon system. Late 2019 will see the Iraq air force flight school in Arizona closed.

This week, President Trump said he was bringing home all U.S. troops fighting ISIS in Syria. Politicians from both parties have denounced the president's decision as reckless or dangerous. But Obama's weapons shipments to ISIS have long ceased. Iraq is no longer unarmed or incapable of fighting ISIS in Syria, as it was when Obama brought back U.S. forces. There is no vacuum for a caliphate-seeking competitor to invade an unarmed Iraq and regain its capital. ISIS may be armed with inferior Soviet-era weapons now. It is being systematically destroyed by some of the best technology America can produce.

President Trump hasn't abandoned Iraq or the people of Israel or Jordan or Syria. Politicians who know better still object to President Trump's move, well aware that killing off what is left of ISIS in Syria can be handled by Iraqi, Israeli, Jordanian, UAE, and even Saudi air forces. A multinational coalition of Islamic countries has been attacking ISIS with their F-16s for years. While the Obama administration curtailed armament sales or hampered deliveries of ordnance to those Muslim countries, the Trump administration has greatly increased armament sales. The Iraq air force once had a few F-16s and some ordnance to attack ISIS in the north and Syria, but the detonators for those bombs were never provided. Today, Iraq F-16s are fully weaponized and bomb the living daylights out of ISIS.

The Iraq Ministry of Defense (MOD) awarded billions of dollars to U.S. companies to buy advanced armored vehicles, strengthen its national military supply chain, build new bases and infrastructure for its army, and buy advanced scout helicopters. The Iraqi MOD has made incredible progress re-establishing a viable military to compete with terrorists and ISIS and the remnants of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party.

Iraq is rearmed with U.S. manufactured equipment, and the militaries of the Middle East can handle a diminished ISIS without additional U.S. forces. Our men and women in uniform in Syria are no longer needed.

Our troops can come home.
It would be poetic justice, is deliciously named, and wouldnt cost the taxpayers a dime. It doesnt make Mexico pay for the wall, just one particular Mexican who has done great injury to the people of the United States and who is responsible for a major part of drugs flooding into the United States.

It is legislation introduced by Sen.Ted Cruz of Texas last year -- the Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order (E.L.C.H.A.P.O.) Act which would use fund confiscated from drug dealers like El Chapo and traffickers to pay for border security. As Cruz explained after introducing his bill in April of 2017:

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced a bill calling for the use of $14 billion seized from cartel drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman to be used to pay for the Presidents border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Fourteen billion dollars will go a long way toward building a wall that will keep Americans safe and hinder the illegal flow of drugs, weapons, and individuals across our southern border, Senator Cruz stated, according to a statement obtained by Breitbart Texas from the senators office The Texas senator said that leveraging criminally forfeited assets from El Chapo and other Mexican cartel members and drug dealers can offset the walls cost and make meaningful progress toward achieving President Trumps stated border security objectives.

Some might dismiss this idea as a campaign gimmick intended to help Cruz in his tough 2018 reelection bid, but it is an idea whose time has definitely come. El Chapo is responsible for many crimes against his people and ours, including the murder of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry using a weapon supplied by presidential wannabe and former Obama AG Eric Holder:

We assume Holder reads the morning paper and has heard of the 40 assault weapons illegally purchased under the Phoenix ATF's Fast and Furious operation that somehow wound up in the home of Sinaloa cartel enforcer Torres "the Jaguar" Marrufo. If he has, we suspect his reaction might have been akin to that of another famous sitcom character, Steve Urkel: "Did I do that?" This is no sitcom, but rather a major tragedy -- and a major crime. Marrufo is the enforcer for Sinaloa Cartel chieftain Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed at the hands of an illegal immigrant working for the Sinaloa cartel just 10 miles from the Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.

Among the weapons Obama and Holder supplied El Chapo with under Fast and Furious was a .50-caliber rifle liberals like to rail against: As Fox News reported about Mexican drug kingpin El Chapo:

A .50-caliber rifle found at Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmans hideout in Mexico was funneled through the gun-smuggling investigation known as Fast and Furious, sources confirmed Tuesday to Fox News. A .50-caliber is a massive rifle that can stop a car or, as it was intended, take down a helicopter Federal law enforcement sources told Fox News that El Chapo would put his guardsmen on hilltops to be on guard for Mexican police helicopters that would fly through valleys conducting raids. The sole purpose of the guardsmen would be to shoot down those helicopters, sources said.

Wisconsin Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner has proposed similar legislation in the House to spend money seized from the drug cartels to fund a border wall:

"This is a way to fulfill the president's desire to have Mexico pay for the wall," Sensenbrenner, a member of the Judiciary Committee, told the Washington Examiner. "Having the money seized from Mexican drug cartels would mean that the bad Mexicans would end up paying for the wall, and the bad Mexicans have been terrorizing the good Mexicans with crime and kidnappings and murders within Mexico itself." "The [Drug Enforcement Agency] has estimated that the gross receipts of the Mexican drug trade or somewhere between $19-$29 billion a year," he said. "We don't have to be 100 percent efficient to get the the money we need to completely pay for the wall relatively quickly."

Contrary to claims by Sen. Chuck Schumer that border walls are ineffective, the empirical evidence shows that border walls work and no place is better proof than the Yuma sector in Arizona:

For years, Yuma sector was besieged by chaos as a nearly unending flood of migrants and drugs poured across our border. Even as agents were arresting on average 800 illegal aliens a day, we were still unable to stop the thousands of trucks filled with drugs and humans that quickly crossed a vanishing point and dispersed into communities all across the country The bipartisan Secure Fence Act of 2006 -- supported by then-Sens. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and others -- mandated the construction of hundreds of additional miles of secure fencing and infrastructure investments. Yuma sector was one of the first areas to receive infrastructure investments. We built new infrastructure along the border east and west of the San Luis Arizona Port of Entry in 2006. The existing fence was quickly lengthened, and we added second and third layers to that fencing in urban areas. Lighting, roads and increased surveillance were added to aid agents patrolling the border. Although there is still work to do, the border in Yuma sector today is more secure because of this investment.

Trump was initially able to begin immediate construction of the border wall and open up bidding for contracts thanks to the 2006 measure signed into law by President George W. Bush and supported by Democrats including then-senators Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton:

Democrats are already grumbling about Donald Trumps proposed border wall, though Barack Obama and other leaders in their party voted not so long ago for George W. Bushs proposal to build a major wall on the border with Mexico. Bush signed the proposal into law in 2006, after it was passed by huge bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate. The law ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to construct about 700 miles of fencing along the southern border, and authorized the addition of lights and cameras and sensors to enhance security. The law explicitly required the wall to be constructed of at least two layers of reinforced fencing. Two-thirds of the Republican-led House approved the bill, including 64 Democrats, and 80 of 100 senators approved the bill in the Senate.

The Secure Fence Act of 2006 required the construction of 700 miles of new border fence along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border. The Secretary of Homeland Security shall provide for at least two layers of reinforced fencing, the installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras and sensors the act said.

It was to be modeled on the success of the border barriers in the San Diego sector of the U.S. border. The operative word was secure. Instead of this two-layer secure fence what has been built consists of flimsy pedestrian fencing or vehicle fencing consisting of posts people can slither through.

The two-tier fence in San Diego runs 14 miles along the border with Tijuana, Mexico. The first layer is a high steel fence, with an inner high anti-climb fence with a no-mans land in between. It has been amazingly effective. According to a 2005 report by the Congressional Research Service, illegal alien apprehensions in the San Diego sector dropped from 202,000 in 1992 to 9,000 in 2004.

Cameras and sensors played a part, but the emphasis was on physical barriers and roads that were patrolled by real live border guards, not by robots. Then in 2006, the Democrats took back Congress and, in 2008, the White House.

They saw in unrestricted immigration a means to fundamentally transform the demographics of America and its political landscape. A wave of what some called undocumented Democrats would be allowed to flood across the border as ICE was told not to enforce the law. Former border state governor Janet Napolitano, who became DHS secretary, reportedly once said: You show me a 50-foot fence and Ill show you a 51-foot ladder at the border, The rest, as they say, is history.

But the consequences of unrestricted illegal immigration soon became too big to ignore and with a candidate willing to touch the new third rail of American politics, border security, a political movement chanting build the wall swept Trump into power.

If President Trump compromises the wall into nonexistence, he risks his campaign mantra build the wall becoming his read my lips ticket to a single term. In Yuma and San Diego fences and walls worked. So will Trumps wall. Build the wall and make the likes of El Chapo pay for it.

Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
In the midst of the Vietnam War, Sen. George Aiken is reported to have said, "Let's just declare victory and get out." In October, President Donald Trump did "declare victory" over ISIS. "I want to get out," the president said. "I want to bring our troops back home. I want to start rebuilding our nation."

This week, it was announced that our 2,000 or so troops would be pulled out. Job done, go home, right?

There was a bit of a hedge by the Pentagon. Chief spokesperson Dana White said the campaign against ISIS is "not over," but "we have started the process of returning U.S. troops home from Syria as we transition to the next phase of the campaign. We will continue working with our partners and allies to defeat ISIS wherever it operates."

OK, still, we're pretty much done, right? In the narrowest sense, perhaps, although ISIS remains a regional scourge. But it raises the question of what to do when your war aims change in the middle of the war. The defeat of ISIS was, clearly, the first American goal. We were not involved in the Syrian civil war and not planning to be. So American forces took on what appeared to be a limited job. But nothing is limited in the Middle East.

By design or default, United States forces were serving two other functions. In September, secretary of state Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton made the case for Iran's continued presence in Syria creating instability that presented a strategic threat to American interests in the region  and would allow Iran to control the "Shiite Crescent" from Iran through Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea.

The U.S. had hoped Russia would help disengage Iran. Russia declined, leaving Washington to figure out how to block the Iranians on their march. One way was to support Kurdish forces that presently hold ground amounting to about 30 percent of Syrian territory. They stretch along the Turkish border in the north, to and along the Iraqi border in the east. Syrian Sunni rebels  including jihadists as well as secular Sunnis and allies of Turkey  hold territory in the north, but farther to the west.

Kurdish groups in Iraq and in Syria have been America's most reliable ally. Fighting Saddam, fighting ISIS, rescuing Yazidis in Sinjar, avoiding radicalization, and having relations with Israel, Kurds are, perhaps, the most forward-thinking group in the region. Our support is physical; financial; and, perhaps most important, a warning to others that the Kurds have powerful friends.

America's support for the Kurds  America's other function in Syria  is what presents the problem.

Turkey considers all Kurds terrorists and has instigated battles against their Syrian territory from inside Turkey as well as from inside Syria. Turkish forces have been careful not to involve American troops. Mostly. But according to the Army Times, Turkey has been increasingly belligerent, raising the odds of a U.S.-Turkey clash. That would be a military engagement between two members of NATO  an engagement that could have ramifications well beyond the immediate region.

America's relations with Turkey have been contentious at best, and not only over the Kurds. Turkey's growing closeness with Russia and Iran (its two historic enemies), its increasingly heavy-handed tactics at home against journalists and regime opponents  including kidnapping some from Europe, its support for Hamas, and rhetoric against Israel  have made it a difficult member of NATO, to say the least.

The contents of President Trump's phone call with Turkish president Erdogan on Wednesday are not public, but it was at the end of that call that the president made a point of the troop withdrawal. It is hard to avoid the uncomfortable  no, the downright nauseating  thought that the United States agreed to open the way for Iran to reach the Mediterranean Sea by abandoning our Kurdish allies for a somewhat less truculent Turkey.

But isn't it right for President Trump to do what he said he would do?

OK. So bring the troops home from Afghanistan, where American soldiers have been for 17 years, incurring nearly 2,500 American and more than 360,000 Afghan deaths (not to mention thousands of long-term injuries) and spending nearly $1 trillion in U.S. funds in the vain hope that a corrupt, secular-ish government in Kabul could make "peace" with its cousin, the jihadist Taliban revolutionary army harbored in Pakistan and funded by Iran. Coming home from there would make sense. The Afghan civil war is not our war, nor is there a broader strategic interest there. Yes, it may again become a haven for people who want to kill us. But so could any country in the region, most of the Middle East, and much of Africa. Whether they do or they don't is more a matter of Iranian involvement than anything else.

This brings us back to Iran.

It is not our job to occupy all the countries that may harbor those who seek to do us ill. But to offer Russia, Iran, and Turkey  not to mention Syria's war criminal president, Bashar Assad  a victory at the expense of Sunni Syrians and our Kurdish allies is, not in Aiken's words, "a victory," but is what in Yiddish is called a "Shonda."
In traditional Chinese culture, dragons have a positive image  they are seen as protectors. Modern China is a communist state, or more accurately a red fascist state. This China has another use for dragons in mind. With the help of technology giant Google, the Chinese government wants to implement a custom search engine capable of tracking Chinese users' every online move. This search engine would be used as a high-tech surveillance tool for a ruthless surveillance state. The CEO of Google recently tried to downplay the company's involvement in and the capabilities of Project Dragonfly. Even if the company really is distancing itself from the project, we are still left to wonder why it would ever be involved in this scheme in the first place.

Google has decided to stop doing business with the U.S. military because it apparently doesn't reflect Google's precious values. China runs a series of concentration camps filled with people who don't march in lockstep with its fascist overlords. Millions of Falon Dafa practitioners, Christians, Muslims, and political dissidents of all stripes have been subjected to torture and forced "re-education" for supposed crimes against the state. What values exactly does Google think it shares with China's thug regime?
When President Trump was elected, he made a promise to build a wall to protect Americans and to prevent people from entering the country illegally. Two years later, the wall has yet to be built despite Trump's repeated efforts to obtain funding for it. More particularly, President Trump has requested 5 billion dollars from Congress to build the wall and has been stonewalled with mediocre offers each and every time. As a result, President Trump recently threatened a government shutdown if any proposed budget did not include adequate funding for the wall.

According to Fox News, the Senate proposed a temporary budget that offered 1.6 billion dollars for the wall. President Trump should reject this proposal without reservation. If he does not, he could alienate himself from his strongest supporters and embolden House Democrats come January.

Many of Trump's most ardent supporters support the idea of building a wall. For these conservatives, Trump's stance on immigration was a huge selling point during the presidential election. According to Fox News, "Trump faced mounting pressure from immigration-minded conservatives to dig in on his demand for $5 billion to fund a border wall, a signature campaign promise -- before Democrats take over the House in January." To get an idea of how seriously some are taking Trump's upcoming decision regarding the proposed budget, one need only look at the reaction of some prominent Republicans. As NBC News reported, Anne Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, and Drudge all voiced concerns with regard to Trump's recent approach to the border wall issue.

If Trump fails to stand strong on his demand for funding and signs a temporary budget deal that provides little to no money for the border wall, he will be backing away from one of his primary promises to those who put him in office. He cannot afford to do that. According to House Freedom Caucus chair Mark Meadows, R-N.C., who spoke to Fox News on Wednesday, "the political fallout will start" soon, and Trump risks doing "major damage" to his re-election effort in 2020 if a spending deal without border funding is approved.

In addition to potentially hurting his reelection effort, Trump will embolden the newly elected House Democrats if he signs the temporary budget without obtaining the necessary funding for the border wall. As CNN reported, Democrats, including Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois and Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, have already started to blame Republicans if a government shutdown actually occurs. If the president backs away from his demands now, House Democrats will interpret this as a sign of weakness. They will view the president as a man who has a loud bark with a little bite.

President Trump has the chance to show his supporters (and the American public in general) that he intends to fulfill the promise he made to them two years ago. To do so, he will have to put the interests of the public ahead of the interests of the Washington bureaucrats, whose positions change like the wind.

President Trump should not have any trouble doing that and appears to be heading in that direction. According to Mediaite, citing Rush Limbaugh, "the president has gotten word to me that he is either getting funding for the border or he's shutting the whole thing down." If this is true, the president has decided to act with strength and resolve. Equally important, he has wisely listened to the will of his supporters.

Mr. Hakim is a writer, commentator, and practicing 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
All totalitarianism is leftist, but it is also vital to grasp that the ideological spectrum itself is simply a macabre and surreal fiction  a Jabberwocky for those familiar with Lewis Carroll  a term that describes nothing at all. Politics does not conform to any artificial geometrical model.

We believe in the existence of some geometrical model to describe politics because that nonsense has been as ubiquitous as Orwell's famous "War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength." In 1984, Oceania is one day at war with Eurasia and allied with Eastasia (and has always been at war with Eurasia) and the next day is at war with Eastasia and allied with Eurasia (and has always been at war with Eastasia.)

Orwell based his rejection of all ideology  "all those nasty little isms"  upon the surreal switches in wartime policy of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, who were mortal enemies, then bosom buddies, then mortal enemies again, depending entirely upon the leader's whims.

Conservatives  and the word "conservative" does have real meaning  will always lose, even when we "win," if we still used the rigged semantic game of our enemies, the totalitarians. Once we grasp the surreal contortion of language that deprives us of the means of understanding anything about politics, then we can always win, because all totalitarianism is exactly the same.

The early Fascists were all Marxists. Indeed, Mussolini was the most radical Marxist in Italy before the First World War, and Trotsky considered him one of the greatest Marxists in the world. Fascism famously stood for nothing except action. It was passionately philo-Semitic before 1938, when it adopted Nazi anti-Semitism. It professed support for Catholicism, and yet it attacked high clergymen and confiscated the Vatican periodical and beat up Italians who vended it.

Nazism was founded by men who strongly opposed "Capitalism," a nonsensical term invented by Marxists that requires a tacit acceptance of the Marxist lexicon to use in thought or writing. Many of the early Nazis were outright Marxists, and most of the powerful Nazis  Himmler, Goebbels, Bormann, and Ribbentrop  belonged to what was described at the time as the "left wing" of the Nazi Party.

Why does this matter still? It matters because those who seek state power, which is to say leftists, invariably paint their opponents as "Nazis" who are "diametrically opposite" leftists, despite the fact that Nazis and Marxists have almost identical belief systems and because this false and macabre argument still persuades those Americans who have been stripped of the ability of individual thinking by the institutions of power.

As one example, those people who fear and loathe Marxism have tried to link Jews and Judaism to Marxism, a silly and dangerous belief. The attempt to link Nazism to Christianity is just as pernicious.

There is a grander reason for challenging the very idea of an ideological spectrum and for making it clear that Nazis (whom we all rightly see as monstrous evil) and Marxists are the same: once Americans accept this truth, the battle is over, and we have won. Even the phony "moderate" label vanishes when that means a "moderate" Nazi or Marxist in comparison to an "extremist" free marketer or Judeo-Christian.

Liberty has no ideological tint except its argument for the absence of coercion and for a celebration of a Judeo-Christianity that has no particular bias except a bias in favor of the Blessed Creator and His Creation. Both of these values are celebrated in the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, the Gettysburg Address, and the other expositions upon which our unique and great land was founded.

The antithesis of these good and noble values is that black and grim nihilism that is the soul of leftism and its offspring, totalitarianisms, Nazism, Marxism, Maoism, Fascism, and their diabolical siblings. Once we make that argument clear, we will have begun to win the war that must be won.

Image: Louis P. Hirshman via Wikimedia Commons.
American Thinker readers were warned about General Mattis over a year ago in this article. Briefly, Mattis was and remains a supporter of global warming.

The issue of global warming continues to be a reliable and simple litmus test. If someone believes in global warming, then you can be sure he is a globalist who loathes Western civilization.

Then there was his support for the Islamist Anne Patterson, loathed by the Egyptian people for her support for the Muslim Brotherhood.

Then there was the matter of allowing one of his underlings to throw Fox Company, of Task Force Spartan in Afghanistan in 2007, under a bus so he could advance his own career.

Since that article, Mattis's charge sheet has expanded somewhat. Trump wanted to get trannies out of the military simply because of the costs involved in having them. Mattis pushed back and slow-walked the order. Gender dysphoria is one of the worst mental illnesses, with a 50 percent suicide rate. Who in his right mind would leave people suffering from this condition near weapons or machinery? Someone who ranks ideology above effectiveness and unit cohesion would.

Mattis argued the case for staying in Afghanistan, overriding Trump's gut instinct. There is no point in staying in Afghanistan. When someone stops paying for the imported grain that allows Afghanistan's population to double every 25 years, then Afghanistan will collapse. Mattis's reasoning for staying in Afghanistan is that we either fight them there or fight them here. The opposite is true. By continuing to feed them, we are creating more future terrorists. The way to keep this country safe is to forbid them to enter.

Mattis entered into a "suicide pact" with Steve Mnuchin and Rex Tillerson with the effect that if any one of them was fired, the other two would resign. Normally an employer, upon hearing that his employees have entered into such an undertaking, would fire all three straight away. The president didn't do that, and Tillerson showed how ineffectual he was. Tillerson won't be taking much of his time leading the Boy Scouts of America from now on; he allowed gay troop leaders, and now the venerable institution is considering bankruptcy in response to gay rape claims. Like Mattis, Tillerson rose through projecting an image. The reality fell far short of that.

Then Mattis did something that is either inspired or shows that he has a tenuous grip on reality: he ordered fighter aircraft availability to jump to 80% by September 2019 while at the same time reducing operating and maintenance costs. Mattis's order is looking delusional. For example, the F-35C had a 15 percent "fully mission capable" rate in 2017. For the USAF's F-35s, Lt. Gen. Jerry Harris said in a congressional hearing in March that "the newer F-35s with 3I or 3F software were available to fly 60 to 70% of the time, which is a good number, but that the Air Force's 100-block 2b and older F-35s' availability percentage sat in the low 40s. He said the cost of operation differed based on production block and usage but was approximately $50,000 per hour."

Mattis seemingly ordered the increase in availability without looking into the causes of why aircraft availability is so low.

What do we need in the next secretary of defense? For starters, someone who sees the need to kick Turkey out of NATO. All the money spent in Syria has been spent fighting proxy forces of our purported allies. Somone who has never ridden in a defense contractor's corporate jet and has no desire to do so. Someone who will tell the president to get rid of the secretary of the Air Force, who is an agent of Lockheed Martin. And the chosen one must not believe in global warming.

David Archibald's latest book is American Gripen: The Solution to the F-35 Nightmare.
A green energy scheme to supply a small town in Texas with 100% of its electrical needs via cheap solar and wind power is, instead, costing the city almost $7 million.

Georgetown, Texas was featured in the sequel to Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth as the "future" of American power generation. But falling fossil fuel prices are making the scheme ruinously expensive for the town.

Daily Signal:

"It's costing them big time," Bill Peacock, vice president of research at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told The Daily Caller News Foundation in an interview. "This doesn't appear to be the first time they've lost money, just the first time it was big enough to have to go public with it." Georgetown made national news after being featured in Gore's film "An Inconvenient Sequel," which was released in 2017. The film followed up on Gore's inaccurate 2006 film "An Inconvenient Truth." "I think Georgetown is already a trailblazer," Gore said during his 2016 visit to learn about Georgetown's plan to get 100 percent of its energy from wind and solar power. "And one thing that Georgetown demonstrates to other places that are just beginning to think about it is that the power supply is not only more affordable, the cost is predictable for at least 25 years into the future and really beyond that," Gore said.

Oh, really, Al? I bet Georgetown wishes it had never heard the term "green energy":

Georgetown began its shift toward 100 percent wind and solar energy several years ago, and the city says it reached that goal in July after the Buckthorn solar plant went online. The city owned utility contracts with Buckthorn and the Spinning Spur 3 wind farm for all its power needs. Georgetown Utility Systems contracted to buy wind and solar at fixed prices until 2035 and 2043, respectively. Georgetown is obligated to buy about twice as much power as it actually needs from green power plants. The city is the first in Texas and the second-largest in the U.S. to go 100 percent renewable. The idea was that Georgetown would have enough green power to grow into at fixed prices, avoiding market volatility and what it saw as the rising costs of fossil fuels. In the meantime, Georgetown would sell any excess power back to Texas' electricity market. But energy prices plummeted in recent years, particularly natural gas prices, meaning the city lost money selling power back to the market. Georgetown Budget Manager Paul Diaz told city councilors in late November the utility had lost $6.84 million. City officials are looking for ways to make up the shortfall. "[Georgetown Utility Systems] is in the process of opening negotiations with our current energy suppliers to adjust the terms of our contracts," City Councilman Steve Fought wrote in an email to constituents.

Putting solar panels on your home or office is probably a good bet. As long as you have reliable alternate fossil fuel sources to fall back on, your energy costs will probably be less.

But when you start fooling around with generating solar power on an industrial scale, you are always going to run into problems. Spain is a prime example and a case study in the failure of solar to deliver on its grandiose promises made by the Al Gores of the world.

That's not to say that solar power won't ever reach its potential to supply cheaper, cleaner electrical power. Solar cells are getting more efficient all the time, and perhaps in a decade or two, it will make economic sense for urban areas to convert to mostly solar power.

But even with massive government subsidies, solar power fails to deliver. Not only do these subsidies skew the market, but they also help choose winners and losers in the solar industry. As we saw during the Obama years, the "winners" usually end up being the companies that supported Democrats in elections.

Al Gore deserves all the criticism he gets. In this case, he deserves to be laughed at.
The open-borders crowd is running out of arguments for unvetted, cartel-financed illegal immigration. Congresswoman-Elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has already hit bottom by bringing up Hitler. With Godwin's Law operative now, the debate is actually over.

Leftists, however, don't take "no" for an answer, so now they're bringing up baby Jesus, which is quite a low blow, given that they're using the Savior, or God himself, as a means of promoting illegal immigration as a policy. Can you say "inappropriate"? A couple of instances stand out.

Start with Rep. Luis Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat, who made a jackass of himself bringing up the baby Jesus to advocate on the House floor for illegal immigration, his opening remarks in a congressional hearing a combination of creepily nasty personal insults and Pecksniffian piety about Jesus. As if secularist Democrats actually liked the baby Jesus, whom they sure as heck don't like at abortion-funding time, or whenever a Nativity display is about to go up, but now, as the topic turns to illegal immigration, the topic is politically useful. Gutierrez sneeringly made the claim that Trump's border wall would have killed the baby Jesus as the Holy Family fled into Egypt.



C-SPAN video.

What a guy.

Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen dismissed Gutierrez's baby-Jesus invocations "like a fly" in House testimony, as James Woods put it on Twitter, but don't expect the fake Christmas piety to go away. According to Fox News:

[Gutierrez] said it is ironic that Republicans would hold the hearing during the Christmas season, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Gutierrez, a Chicago Democrat, said that it is "repugnant and astonishing" that during the holiday season, migrant family separation would be a topic of importance to the GOP. Gutierrez said that, at the time of Jesus Christ's birth, King Herod became outraged and ordered all children under two to be murdered. "Thank God there wasn't a wall that stopped [Jesus, Mary, and Joseph] from seeking refuge in Egypt. Thank God that wall wasn't there," he stormed. "And, thank God [the Trump] administration [wasn't there] or He too would have perished on the 28th  on the Day of Innocence [sic: the 28th commemorates the Holy Innocents DJB] when Herod ordered the murder[s]."

So there's no such thing as a door in Trump's border wall, and immigration and asylum-seeking must be illegally done, or there's no immigration or asylum-seeking. One or the other: no legal immigration compromise. Nice political straw man you got there, Luis. How very Christmasy.

Gutierrez also smears the baby Jesus's family as all in for ignoring immigration law. We are talking about around the year 3 or 6 when Jesus was born. Talk about projection for political purposes, given that there's no evidence of such activity, and in fact, there's considerable evidence to the contrary. The Holy Family did flee into Egypt, all right  from one Roman province to another, meaning they were moving within one empire. They certainly didn't adopt the lawless pay-the-cartels form of illegal entry, using kids as fodder to obtain a foreign government's benefit package.

Here's another one, from open-borders advocate Pope Francis, painting the innkeeper in the Bethlehem story in a tweet as effectively a bigot:

Jesus knows well the pain of not being welcomed. May our hearts not be closed as were the houses in Bethlehem. #Internationalmigrantsday  Pope Francis (@Pontifex) December 18, 2018

Seriously? Even the biblical storyline is questionable on that one. The innkeeper was hardly in a position to evict a paying customer from his hotel just because a needy family he didn't know was at his door. What would that have done to his business, and why were the rights and feelings of the other guests not worth considering? Yet the fact is, he didn't slam any doors on them  he went out and found them the best kind of shelter he could under the circumstances, which was a shelter for animals, but still a shelter. He was obviously kind because he didn't turn them out into the street, dust his hands off, and shut the door, as the pope suggests. Give that poor man credit for being put into a difficult situation and trying to help. He sure as heck wasn't a door-slamming bigot.

As usual, the pope makes the individual the bad guy instead of the real bad guy here, which was the government, which put the census on and failed to plan for the residents' travel needs.

Will we see more of this as illegals flood our borders and try to game our immigration laws instead of come here legally? You can bet they will. Just don't call this religious; it's pure crude politics. You'd think the pope, at least, would know better.

Image credit: Screenshot from Fox News.
Every time I think I've heard the most outrageous example of cultural decline I can imagine, another one emerges to fracture any connection to commonsense reasoning. The latest illustration of how distorted our educational institutions have become is the news that a West Point Virginia high school has fired a teacher because he refused to refer to a girl as a boy. The girl, in this increasingly dysfunctional society, has decided "she" is a "he." In the current vocabulary, which seems to be evolving into Twilight Zone territory, she is now a person of "transgender," the definition of which is "a person whose sense of personal identity and gender does not correspond with his birth sex."

Therefore, if you wake up one day and decide you're not what you were born as, you can simply force the rest of the world to be as frivolous in its thinking as you are in yours. The West Point school district voted unanimously (which tells you how scared they are to be politically incorrect) to terminate Peter Vlaming, a veteran French teacher who is adored by his other students. Accusing him of (here comes another bizarre addition to our vocabulary) "misgendering" a student, the board said he was creating a hostile environment by such "discrimination." Incidentally, the teacher happens to be a devout Christian who feels that his religious rights are being violated. Even if he were an atheist, he shouldn't be forced to reject thousands of years of historical precedent regarding the two sexes.

The teacher didn't actually call the girl a girl; he merely used the pronoun "her" instead of "him" in two instances during the school term. When the girl's parents heard about it, they were angry enough to call for his termination. Being the duty-bound progressives they claim to be, the board complied. According to the parents, they felt "disrespected" that their little darling girl was a victim of not being referred to as the sex she thinks she is.

During a saner time in our history, those so-called "parents" would have been charged with child abuse or tossed into a rubber room for psychiatric counseling. When did the human race become so twisted in its reasoning? And when did the logical members of society become so frightened that they won't dare stand up against this perversion of our culture?

It's important to point out that the student "transitioned" over the summer, and her family notified school officials of the new name and chosen pronoun. The teacher used the new name but didn't use the pronoun he was ordered to use. That made the child feel "isolated."

Mr. Vlaming is only one example of how perilous it is to utter words unacceptable to the insatiable P.C. monitors. Tomorrow, you may come across someone who has transitioned from one perceived entity to another. Before you articulate a sound, think carefully, or risk being pilloried for succumbing to a lifetime of logical reasoning.

Mr. Vlaming has hired an attorney to defend against this monstrous attack on his religious principles and rational thought. Nonetheless, it's likely to be a long and expensive trial, especially for an unemployed married man with four children. But I suppose this is the price to be paid by anyone with the temerity to view the world as it is, rather than be coerced into perverting their God-given human intellect by submitting to the whims of a rapidly deteriorating value system.
In the first Masterpiece Cakeshop case, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Jack Phillips, a Christian baker, who refused to create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple based on his religious beliefs. At the time, the Courts ruling was quite narrow and focused more on the actions of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which were deemed hostile towards Phillips's religious beliefs. The decision did not answer the more pressing question, which was whether a business-owner's religious objections to the redefinition of marriage (or other practices) should be exempted from non-discrimination laws, thereby permitting the owner to refuse service. While the Supreme Court failed to address this question in the first Masterpiece case, it might have another chance in the most recent one, currently pending in federal court.

On the same day that the Supreme Court agreed to hear Masterpiece 1, Autumn Scardina asked Masterpiece to create a birthday cake to mark the seven-year anniversary of his "gender transition." Scardina, who calls himself a woman, requested a cake that was pink on the inside and blue on the outside. Masterpiece refused to create the cake based on religious grounds, and Scardina filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which found that Masterpiece had violated the state's Anti-Discrimination Act.

In an effort to stop the state of Colorado from taking additional action against him in the Scardina matter, Phillips, who owns Masterpiece Cakeshop, sought legal redress in a Denver federal court. According to the AP, Phillips's lawsuit alleged that the Commission treated him with hostility because of his Christian faith and that "Colorado violated his First Amendment right to practice his faith and his 14th Amendment right to equal protection." Per the AP, the lawsuit further alleged that Phillips "believes as a matter of religious conviction that sex  the status of being male or female  is given by God, is biologically determined, is not determined by perceptions or feelings, and cannot be chosen or changed."

Lawyers for the state argued that their decision was not based on religious grounds. Moreover, as set forth in the Washington Times, lawyers for the state referred to the "Kagan rule" (from the first Masterpiece case) and argued that "if you make a pink-and-blue cake for one customer, you must make a pink-and-blue cake for every customer." While this argument appeared sensical generally, Phillips's lawyer reminded the court that the message is important, not the colors, and that forcing Phillips to participate in a "gender transition" celebration would violate his First Amendment rights. Per Phillips's lawyer, "[a] blue cake with a pink interior means something different at a graduation party or a birthday party."

According to the AP, the presiding judge recently indicated that he needed to hear "evidence" before ruling on whether to temporarily block state proceedings.

The implications of this case are far-reaching. Regardless of how the federal court ultimately rules, the Supreme Court could be asked to weigh in on a larger, more pressing question that it failed to address in the first Masterpiece case: should religious beliefs allow a person to refuse service to certain customers? The answer to this question will not be easy, given the many competing interests and rights at stake, including but not limited to the Free Exercise Clause and the First Amendment. Justice Kennedy spoke to this when he wrote the majority opinion in the original Masterpiece case. There, he stated:

One of the difficulties in this case is that the parties disagree as to the extent of the baker's refusal to provide service. If a baker refused to design a special cake with words or images celebrating the marriage [sic]  for instance, a cake showing words with religious meaning  that might be different from a refusal to sell any cake at all. In defining whether a baker's creation can be protected, these details might make a difference. The same difficulties arise in determining whether a baker has a valid free exercise claim. A baker's refusal to attend the wedding [sic] to ensure that the cake is cut the right way, or a refusal to put certain religious words or decorations on the cake, or even a refusal to sell a cake that has been baked for the public generally but includes certain religious words or symbols on it are just three examples of possibilities that seem all but endless.

Justice Kennedy's points are legitimate and should be considered in any future Supreme Court decision. Given the potential far-reaching impacts and the endless number of possible scenarios, the Supreme Court will have a difficult decision to make.

Mr. Hakim is a writer, commentator, and practicing 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
The Holidays are right around the corner, with Christmas happening next Tuesday and then New Years a week later. That means that theres going to be lots of get-togethers with family, and friends. Google wants to make sure that everyone knows that the Google Home Hub can help make your holidays a bit more festive and easier to get through. The holidays are always a busy time, whether that is cooking, getting gifts, or planning where you are going on Christmas day. The Google Home Hub can help you out in many ways, some that you may not have even known.

Google Assistant, via the Google Home Hub or any other Google Assistant device, can do all of this. And that includes turning on the Christmas lights. Instead of needing crawl under the Christmas tree to turn them on, pick up a smart plug (they run about $20 or less, especially during the holiday shopping season). And with that, youll be able to tell the Google Assistant to turn on the Christmas lights in your home. If you want to go a step further, you could set up a Routine with the Google Assistant (maybe something like OK Google, start Christmas) which could turn on the lights, and also start playing some Christmas songs on your Google Home Max or another speaker at home.

Use Google To Prepare For Santas Arrival

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If you do have kids, they are going to be excited for Santa to come and bring them toys. Google can also help with that. Thanks to the Google Assistant working with Googles very popular Santa Tracker app, you can ask Hey Google, Wheres Santa on Christmas Eve, and it will tell you where the big guy is. Now if its before Christmas eve, you can ask the Google Assistant to Call Santa and your kids will get to talk to Santa and rehearse with him for his musical concert that happens after Christmas. Now this will work with any Google Assistant-enabled device  including the Google Home, Sony LF-S50G and other speakers. But you can get a cooler experience with a smart display like the Google Home Hub, due to the fact that it does have that display there. So you can actually see Santa.

Google Assistant Can Make Family Time More Fun

During the holidays, youre spending a ton of time with family. This is the perfect time to show them pictures, whether that is from a trip you took this year, or maybe you want to show some pictures of your kids and how much theyve grown this year. The Google Home Hub and Google Photos can help you out there. You can ask the Google Assistant to show you photos from last December or from a specific location or album  if you are one that has a ton of albums, they now support up to 2000 pictures! Google Assistant can also read a story to you, and with the Home Hub, it can show you the story too, for an even better experience. The Google Assistant can also play many different games. Perhaps after the kids are asleep, the adults might want to play some games, the Google Assistant can help with that. There are a number of trivia games available, as well as some charades that you can also play with everyone during the holidays.

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Google Home Hub Has A Ton Of Tricks Up Its Sleeve

The Google Home Hub was only announced back in October for $149 (and has been on sale as low as $99 during the holiday shopping season), but it already has a ton of great features available to help you get through the holidays. A big part of this is because it does have the Google Assistant built-in, and that is not new. Google has been working on the Assistant for many years  even before the Google Home launched in 2016. And it continues to get new features, as well as cool new ways to use it for different things. Google wants to make sure you are using the Google Assistant for literally everything, and this holiday season you really can. Google Assistant can help you in the kitchen by giving you recipes to cook, it can even show you YouTube videos for these recipes. It can also read stories to your kids so they can go to sleep, help them find out where Santa is and so much more. If you dont already own a Google Home Hub, it is definitely worth picking up this holiday season.
Google recently bought up a large parcel of land in San Jose with plans to erect a new building, but activists are calling for the search giant to refrain from building its new proposed campus, and instead repurpose the land to help house the citys many homeless. While Googles activities usually go without high-profile protest on a local level, this move is set to displace a number of homeless people who call the neglected area around Diridiron the closest thing they have to a home. On top of that, local residents worry that Google building its planned village, full of offices, homes, shops, and art installations, will drive up property values in the area and cause rent and mortgage spikes that will force many lower-income and financially vulnerable individuals to leave the area.

Background: Google paid around $100 million to buy up some 50 acres worth of city-owned and redevelopment land in the downtown area of San Jose, and has plans to develop it into a village of sorts. It would host a number of nature, cultural and art installations, along with places for its employees and others to live and work, and some retail installations. While this sounds like a great revitalization of a struggling downtown area on paper, there could be a real human cost to such an ambitious project. To demonstrate this point, activists obtained public records regarding the number of homeless people who died in 2017, and that figured turned out to be no less than 135, with the obvious exception of homeless people who may have stayed mainly in San Jose and died elsewhere or not been counted for any number of other reasons. Googles project will increase the overall wealth of an area, bringing in some 25,000 jobs and making the area much more attractive for both residents and tourists. This will inevitably cause gentrification and displacement, as has been demonstrated throughout southern California in the past. Another side effect of this project is the elimination of 50 odd acres of relatively safe land that the citys homeless population would otherwise be able to use without much issue.

Impact: Google, for its part, has stated that it is already involved in multiple charity efforts for the citys homeless population and other groups, and it is open to working with the city council and other entities to decide the best course of action. Developing such a large space into housing and other resources for the homeless would come at great cost to Google, who has already dropped over $100 million on the project, and would put a damper on the projected job growth that would come with such a program. There are serious costs and risks involved in both going forward with the project as planned and taking activists wishes to heart and using the land to help the downtrodden. For the time being, it appears that Google will be moving forward with its original plans for the area, though the large-scale protesting push could cause the company to come to some sort of compromise regarding its planned transit village.
Samsung seems to be working on its own low-light photography solution which will in effect be a rival to Googles Night Sight. The feature is currently being referred to as Bright Night and essentially will work in exactly the same way Night Sight does. The information on this comes directly from references found in the One UI code, suggesting that although the name might change prior to the features announcement, the feature itself is well into its development life cycle and will arrive in due course.

Samsung hoping to capitalize on Night Sight fame

Nearly all smartphone makers have brought to market their own software and hardware tweaks designed to improve low-light photography on their respective smartphones. However, and in spite of many working in much the same way, none have managed to attract the level of attention Night Sight did when it was first announced. In fact, Night Sight leaked in app form prior to its official announcement and so those looking to test out the feature ahead of time were able to. Barring the few exceptions, the general consensus on the feature was its magic. A sentiment that has been repeatedly made since the feature became official and more users have had the chance to play with it.

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Samsung will be looking to capitalize on that popularity and especially if it is able to improve the feature even more than what Google has. At the very least, keeping up with the likes of Google and the various other implementations of the same feature will satiate Samsung users who will want the same level of functionality without having to turn to a solution from Google or anyone else. Night Sight and Bright Night utilize the same underlying principles in the sense that the technology looks to capture multiple images of the same scene at the same time and use those to create one image that is much brighter than what would otherwise be possible, and regardless of how dark the environment might be at the time. What has proven most impressive with these solutions, and attracted the magic tag is the fact that the software is able to do all of this and significantly add far more light to a scene without actually having to rely on a flash to physically add light in the first place.

Likely to launch with the Galaxy S10

Samsung is highly expected to launch its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S10 in the opening months of 2019 and it is also highly expected the cameras will be one of the main aspects the company focuses on during the launch. Making the likelihood of Bright Night debuting on the Galaxy S10 somewhat of a given. This is even more likely when you consider the Galaxy S10 is expected to launch with Samsungs re-envisioned One UI and it is within the new UI that Bright Night references have now been found. The timing of everything, as well as the fact Samsung will really want to promote the Galaxy S10s cameras points very clearly to the inclusion of Bright Night.

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However, it is also unlikely Samsung will limit the use of the feature to just the Galaxy S10. Instead, it is possible it will initially be unveiled as a Galaxy S10 feature, and remain this way for some time, before becoming available on some of the more recent and current Galaxy smartphones, such as the Galaxy Note9 and Galaxy S9 line. This again would mirror the approach used by Google who although launched Night Sight as a feature thats apparently best-suited to the Pixel 3 and 3 XL, also made it available via an update to the camera app on the original Pixel and Pixel 2 lines as well.

Galaxy S10 shaping up to be an interesting device

Every major Galaxy smartphone garners considerable attention both pre and post-launch, however, after what many consider to have been a subdued year for Samsung, many now expect Samsung to go all-out in 2019 with its major smartphone releases. And if the currently rumor mill is to be believed, it would seem that is exactly what will happen as the Galaxy S10 has already been heavily rumored and leaked and theres even been multiple suggestions that multiple versions of the phone will launch catering to different user needs, such as different configurations, sizes, and even display aspect ratios. This is all in addition to a 5G model thats pegged to arrive with a very spec-heavy background- and most likely reflected in a very hefty price tag.
5G has been a big topic in the past few months, with AT&T and Verizon launching a form of 5G in select markets already, as well as carriers announcing devices that they will be carrying in 2019 that are 5G-capable. Surprisingly, T-Mobile has been pretty quiet on that front. That was until today, when T-Mobiles CTO, Neville Ray penned a rather lengthy blog post about 5G. Ray debunked some myths and put his competitors 5G plans into perspective. Starting with the fact that T-Mobile is also working with Samsung on that 5G smartphone. Stating that it is a phone ALL of us are working with this OEM to develop, and ALL of us are going to carry. Ray also stated that T-Mobile is working with other OEMs and chipset makers on 5G devices too, that will work across multiple spectrum bands. This pretty much confirmed that the 5G smartphone from Samsung is going to be a variant of the Galaxy S10. Which was already the rumor from the rumor mill. As it appears that Samsung is going to have a few different variants of the Galaxy S10 next year, with one being a 5G model.

Ray also noted that Verizon spend millions of dollars on dead-end 5G technology. And this technology is for a fixed 5G network, meaning that if you leave your home, youre no longer on 5G but rather using 4G LTE. Ray is referring to the use of millimeter-wave, which is a technology that both Verizon and AT&T are using. Though they likely wont be using it for long. T-Mobile has been against it from the start, because it doesnt cover much area, and the signal can be interrupted by things like walls, and furniture, making it very fragile, even compared to the spectrum used in 4G LTE today. Ray quoted a few publications that were at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit earlier this month, where they got to demo devices on a live 5G network from Verizon and/or AT&T, and noted that the device couldnt be moved because it needed to be at a specific angle. Thats not how 5G should work, and T-Mobile agrees.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile is going to have the spectrum assets needed to bring 5G to everyone in the US. That is if the Sprint merger is approved  which it looks like it will be approved, eventually. Ray notes that by 2021 it will be able to cover around 67-percent of the US population with speeds of 100Mbps or faster. And by 2024, that will increase to 90-percent. Ray says the other guys cant even come close anytime soon, and theyll need to work hard to catch up.

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T-Mobile isnt looking to be first, but rather be the first to do 5G right

While Verizon and AT&T are clamoring to be first at everything in the 5G space  from launching first, to doing the first 5G phone call, to announcing the first 5G smartphone  T-Mobile is taking its time to do it right. This is not new for T-Mobile, it has done this before with 4G (and then 4G LTE). Though that was under a different set of circumstances. T-Mobile was the last carrier in the US to launch its 4G LTE network, which really began in 2012, a good four years after AT&T and Verizon launched theres. Though it wasnt about doing it right back then, it was about what it could afford to do. In 2012, T-Mobile was a much different company. For one, it was not a public company, it was owned by Deutsche Telekom who were looking to get out of the US. It was also losing millions of customers every single quarter, and shrinking. Now its the complete opposite. And instead of racing to be first, T-Mobile is making sure it has all of its ducks in a row first. This is why T-Mobile says that it will be able to launch 5G in many markets all at the same time. Instead of doing it in just a handful of markets at a time. Getting the 2.5GHz spectrum from Sprint when that merger closes next year (pending approval, of course), T-Mobile could be first to cover the entire nation with 5G.

No 5G Pucks For T-Mobile

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Back at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, Neville Ray spoke to the press about its plan for 5G in 2019. He mentioned that his competitors are going to be making these 5G hotspots  also called pucks  as their first 5G devices. It was something that Ray and T-Mobiles CEO, John Legere both made fun of AT&T for doing. And after seeing its first 5G hotspot, its clear why, the thing is huge. But T-Mobile believes that Pucks are not something that consumers want to have, carry around or pay for. And he is correct there. AT&T is only offering these pucks to a few customers, and it will be at no cost for 90 days, basically a user-trial. Ray says that is not a launch, stating that AT&T cannot launch it because the tech is not ready. Meaning that AT&Ts launch of 5G is technically fake news.

T-Mobiles 5G is coming in 2019

T-Mobile is heavily banking on the regulators approving its merger of Sprint, for its 5G network. This is because of all of the spectrum that Sprint has, including that 2.5GHz spectrum that will be really good in 5G. Seeing as most of the world is going to be moving to sub-6GHz spectrum for 5G instead of using millimeter-wave for its 5G network, the 2.5GHz spectrum will be very valuable for T-Mobile. The merger has not yet been approved, but it should be in the beginning of 2019. It has gotten the green light from a few regulators already. Because T-Mobile launched its 4G LTE network later on, and has been launching new LTE tech on its network, it is in a better position to launch its 5G network next year, in many markets. Covering nearly two-thirds of the US population in just two years is pretty insane, and covering 90-percent in about five years is also pretty insane. But T-Mobile says they can and will do it.
Posted on: December 21, 2018 10:30 AM

Dear Citizens of Hong Kong:

Christmas is not only a day for celebration, it is also an important moment that changed the history of humankind and transformed lives. The birth of Christ brought good news to all people on earth: God has been incarnated on earth and has brought us life that is abundant and eternal. Through Him, we learn of the meaning and value of life. God cherishes and loves all men and women, irrespective of their skin colour, race, and religion. He values each and every one of us.

Unfortunately, many of us neither understand the true meaning of Christmas nor cherish life. According to WHO statistics, approximately 800,000 people commit suicide every year worldwide, and over one hundred million people are affected by such act. Based on the Coroners Court statistics, the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of the University of Hong Kong estimated that 12.4 out of every 100,000 people committed suicide in 2017. Compared to 2016, the number has fallen by 0.1. Although the suicide rate in Hong Kong is lower than the global rate, the estimated suicide rate of the age group 15 to 24 has increased from 8.3 in 2012 to 9.5 in 2016. Within this age group, the number of suicides committed by full-time students has risen by 52 per cent, and compared to 2012, the suicide rate has increased by 76 per cent. This means that for every 100,000 students, 8.1 committed suicide.

Causes for suicides are often complex and diverse, mostly involving family troubles, emotion issues, academic concerns, mental illnesses or financial problems. Those who commit suicide not only forfeit their own lives, but also perpetrate irreparable mental damages onto their family, friends and teachers. Plagued by guilt and tormented by negative emotions, some relatives and friends of victims might even fall into depression themselves.

Every suicide is a tragedy one too many and preventing them is better than dealing with its aftermath. To achieve this, all members of society must join hands in taking practical action.

We understand that preventing suicide is not an easy task and efforts might not yield immediate results. Yet, it does not mean that there is nothing we can do. As a priority, the government should provide sufficient resources to support agencies and religious organisations to create and enact suicide prevention policies and projects in areas such as education, social service, healthcare, and social media. These projects should help teachers, social workers and parents to communicate with youths-in-need and understand their troubles.

The government should also conduct a thorough review on the education system and school curriculums. They should look beyond academic achievements and student numbers and introduce life and spiritual education curriculums to cultivate holistic development in young people. People need to be taught about life when they are still young and learn to adopt the correct attitude in the face of both prosperity and adversity.

Life education, especially Christian religious education, contributes greatly to young people in their development of a correct and positive outlook on life. It encourages them to search for faith. People with religious belief understand the meaning of life. They are thankful when they achieve success, they rely on God when they face hardship, and have the courage to seek help from others. With courage, hope and faith, they overcome difficult situations.

Christmas teaches us that by relying on Jesus Christ, we can achieve hope and the ability to live abundant lives because Christ has promised that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world! (John 16:33).

My hope is that every one of you is filled with joy when you welcome the Saviour into your lives. May you have courage, energy, love, and hope to overcome lifes challenges and sufferings in times of adversity or prosperity, and may you live abundant and meaningful lives.

I wish all citizens of Hong Kong a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May the Lords blessing be with you always.

+ Paul Kwong
Posted on: December 21, 2018 2:46 PM

The governors of the Anglican Centre in Rome have announced the resignation of the Centres director, Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi, following an allegation of sexual misconduct. The Anglican Centre in Rome is the permanent Anglican Communion presence in Rome. Its director is also the Archbishop of Canterburys Personal Representative to the Holy See.

The resignation was announced today in a statement by the Centres Governors  its independent board of trustees. They said: the Governors of the Anglican Centre in Rome have accepted the resignation of its Director Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi following his suspension last week over an allegation of sexual misconduct.

The Governors are now taking urgent steps to appoint an interim director, who will also act as the Archbishop of Canterburys Representative to the Holy See.

Archbishop Bernard was installed as Director in October 2017. He was previously the Primate of the Anglican Church of Burundi. Before ordination, he was a civil servant who served as chief of staff to Burundis President, Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, He served four years in prison following the 1987 military coup. Later, he was appointed Bishop of Matana and then Archbishop of Burundi. He also worked as vice-chair of the countrys commission on truth and reconciliation.

The resignation comes at a time of significant change in the leadership of the Anglican Centre in Rome. The current Chair of Governors, Bishop Stephen Platten, steps down at the end of this year after 15 years in the Chair and 30 years of service to the Centre. In the New Year he will be succeeded by the Bishop of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory in the Church of Ireland, Bishop Michael Burrows.

Details of the allegation have not been made public. The governors have invited anyone with a safeguarding concern or requiring support to contact the Church of Englands national safeguarding team.
Posted on: December 21, 2018 4:02 PM

Police in Nigerias Rivers State have expressed their hope that the Bishop of Ahoada, Clement Ekpeye, will be released. He was kidnapped on Tuesday evening. Today, The Tide news website reports that the kidnappers have not made any contact to express ransom demands. The Tide reports a rise in serious tension and anxiety in the area following the abduction.

A family source told The Tide that the perpetrators used a ladder to gain access to Bishop Clements residence before heading to the kitchen. Shouts from a cook alerted the bishop who had been in his parlour. On seeing the bishop, they left the girl, and went for their target, forcing him into his own car and left before neighbours could render any help.

They said that the car was returned later that evening.

The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon, has urged the whole Anglican Communion to join me in praying for his safe release.
Posted on: December 21, 2018 3:25 PM

The Archbishop of South Sudan, Justin Badi Arama, is calling on Christians in the country to take part in a peace march and prayer service on New Years Eve. Archbishop Justins vision is for 10,000 Christians to take part in the march, which will set off from Buluk Field in Juba at 9.00 am EAT (6.00 am GMT) on 31 December. They will take part in a mile-long march to All Saints Cathedral, where a prayer service will be held, asking God for real peace in our nation in 2019.

There is renewed hope for peace in South Sudan since the warring parties signed a peace agreement in Khartoum at the end of August. But many Anglicans remain in exile in neighbouring countries - many of them in Uganda. Archbishop Justin has played a significant role in the peace negotiations and is working to ensure that peace on paper becomes peace on the ground.

The Episcopal Church of South Sudan facilitated the inter-communities Peace Conference between Jubek and Terkeka states, , which successfully concluded this week. I urge all the South Sudanese communities to embrace the same spirit so that we live in harmony, Archbishop Justin said afterwards. Last month, the Archbishop met with President Salva Kiir to pray for peace.

Peace and reconciliation was the core theme of his Christmas message, in which he said: I encourage all South Sudanese inside and outside the country to celebrate this Christmas with joy and hope, because we have the revitalised peace agreement which gives us hope and chance to build peace and enable the agreement to hold.

This year let us celebrate by forgiving one another, reconcile with those who have hurt us and work hard to push the peace agreement from paper to a practical peace on the ground.

Speaking about the peace march and prayer service, Archbishop Justin told the Anglican Communion News Service, that its purpose was: reminding and encouraging the politicians to commit to the implementation of the revitalised peace agreement and encouraging the people to embrace the spirit of trust and forgiveness.
BarcelonaAfter a lot of toing and froing, and disagreements as to the significance of the occasion, Catalan president Quim Torra greeted the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, at the gates of the Palau de Pedralbes with a smile, they shook hands and held a meeting. Meanwhile, Vice President Pere Aragones and the Minister of the Presidency, Elsa Artadi, gathered in another room with Spanish Vice President Carmen Calvo and Minister Meritxell Batet. Following the meetings, all six greeted each other. As a result, everyone was partially satisfied and the main objective had been achieved: to convey the message to Catalan and Spanish society that dialogue and negotiation are the only way to resolve the Catalan question. This was reflected in the joint statement declaring that "there is a conflict surrounding the future of Catalonia", which needs "a democratic response to the publics demands, within a framework of legal security".

On Thursday, therefore, a complicated situation was safely negotiated. However, today will be key to deciding the future course of events. And faced with the likes of Ciudadanos and the PP, who are waiting for the situation on the street to get out of hand in order to justify a new and this time much more severe application of article 155 [direct rule], Catalan society must once again demonstrate that it is perfectly possible to mobilize, as it has up to now, civically and peacefully. As inappropriate as this cabinet meeting may seem, the independence movement must not welcome it in any other way. As Jordi Sanchez said in an interview with ARA: "If we lose the argument of non-violence, we lose everything".

The events of 21 D must make two things clear: the publics outrage at the circumstances which those in jail and in exile find themselves in on the very day four of them called a halt to the hunger strike and the certainty that violence is not part of the culture or the methods of the majority who favour independence. And if any individuals disagree, they must be isolated and delegitimised. The situation is far too important not to be taken seriously.

Nevertheless, independence supporters must play their hand wisely. Clearly it is far better to initiate a dialogue with Pedro Sanchez and not let his government fall, than to risk a victory of the right (and the extreme right) in Spain or the change of alliances dreamt of by the more centralist faction within the PSOE: a pact with Albert Riveras Ciudadanos. In politics, one needs to be aware of the balance of power at all times and how the situation can be used for ones own benefit. And now perhaps is the time to explore in a more determined and unselfconscious way the path to dialogue and negotiation with the only partner that has so far taken steps in this direction. Inadequate and with a limited horizon, it is true, but it is all about moving towards turning something that today appears impossible into something inevitable.
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It can be discouraging, but we are resigned to keeping you up to date on the deaths of prominent musicians. The latest bad news is about the pianist John Williams, who died On December 14 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Williams achieved substantial renown in the 1950s for his work with several prominent leaders and for leading his own trio. Inevitably, he was occasionally misidentified as another John Williams who was once a jazz pianist but became known primarily as a composer for movies and a conductor of pops orchestras. The jazz John Williams died following one of several bad falls at home. In a post 7 years ago we addressed the name confusion and provided a bit of Williamss history.

(From the Rifftides archive: January 22, 2011)

The man on the left is John Thomas Williams, the pianist who worked with Stan Getz, Bob Brookmeyer, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn and Cannonball Adderley in the 50s. The man on the right is John Towner Williams, who had a brief career as a jazz pianist and went on to Star Wars and The Boston Pops, among other associations.

For a few decades, the jazz John Williams took side trips into successful careers in banking and government. He lives in Florida and, at 82, still plays gigs, mostly solo piano. When I spoke with him this morning, he sounded content, although he allowed that he wouldnt mind having the No John Williamss royalty income. To further dissipate confusion, heres a rerun of a Rifftides piece about him that first appeared on April 18, 2006. It contains a link to a reissue CD of Williams widely praised trio records.

THAT John Williams

During long stretches of 1953 and 54, John Williams was the pianist in Stan Getzs quintet and quartet. Wiliams is often described in biographies as a disciple of Bud Powell who was also influenced by Horace Silver. That is true. It is also true that oxygen influences flame, a fact that tells us nothing about the differences among flames. In the population of pianists influenced by Powell and Silver, Williams was identifiable by a keyboard touch that produced a spikey, percussive, rollicking forward motion, an infectious swing. Almost in contradiction, at the same time he somehow achieved a smoothness of phrasing that invested his improvised lines with the logic of inevitability. He managed to make his listeners anticipate what was coming in a solo and yet surprise them when he got there.

Williams first album under his own name was John Williams, a ten-inch LP on the Emarcy label, recorded in 1954. His trio had Bill Anthony on bass and the unique Detroit drummer Frank Isola, fellow members of the Stan Getz group. Williams jokes today that he often wonders who got the third copy of the album after he and his mother each bought one. It may not have been a big seller, but it quickly became a favorite of musicians and, after Emarcy pulled it, of collectors. In the 1990s, a broker of rare LPs who sold to Japanese LP zealots told me that a mint copy of John Williams was going in Japan for upwards of $300. I blush to confess that I sold him my beat-up copy for considerably less than that, making him wait while I first copied it to tape. As we listened, I hummed along to Wiliams solos, so embedded in my brain had they become over four decades of nearly wearing out the album.

It was a puzzle, given the LPs iconic status, why Emarcy did not reissue it on CD, and why Verve did not bring it out after the company acquired the Emarcy catalog. A good guess is that the decision was made by accountants. Time has cured that ill. Copyright laws in Spain declare that after fifty years, recorded material is fair game (Im not sure thats the exact wording of the law). So, the resourceful Fresh Sound label has put on one CD John Williams and the pianists second Emarcy album, a twelve-inch LP called John Williams Trio, recorded in 1955. This belated event probably doesnt do much for the inflated price of the original LPs, but it is a boon to the substantial number of Williams fans who have been clamoring for a reissue. It may also gain him new fans.

The second album, done in three sessions with shifting personnel among bassists and drummers, doesnt have quite the concentrated charm of the ten-inch 1954 session. That is in part, I suspect, because Frank Isola is on only one track. Nonetheless, it has wonderful moments. Taken together, the twenty tracks capture John Williams when his playing was full of freshness, vigor and peppery lyricism. By all accounts, including the evidence of an appearance with Marian McPartland on Piano Jazz, it still is. He has never stopped playing, but he took a few decades off to become a banker and, for twenty years, a city commissioner of Hollywood, Florida. In conversation, Williams tends to deprecate his playing in the 1950s as inadequate, an evaluation that flies in the face of the wisdom of his employersStanGetz, Bob Brookmeyer, Cannonball Adderley, Al Cohn and Zoot Sims among themand of listeners who have been stimulated by his work for half a century.
EV

UX 300e is aligned to the naming convention that Lexus uses on all of its models, with e referring to electric. For the time being, the UX 200 and UX 250h will have to make do both in North America and the Old Continent.The numerical part of the newcomers designation could be an indicator that Lexus has more ponies and torque in the pipeline for the UX 300e. The combined output of the UX 250h , for reference, stands at 176 horsepower. Two electric motors complement the M20A-FXS engine in the hybrid model, one of them integrated into the rear axle for all-wheel drive.For some reason or another, Lexus doesnt offer the adaptive dampers sold in other markets where the UX is also available. Even more curiously, the F Sport package adds paddle shifters despite the fact the continuously variable transmission simulates gear ratios.Word has it Lexus wont offer the UX 300e in the United States, at least for the first year of production. Expected to bow either at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show or later on at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, the UX 300e could also combine two electric motors for all-wheel drive.Demand for EVs is surging in Europe and Asia (especially in China), but were still having second thoughts about the rumor according to which the UX 300e wont be offered in North America. On the other hand, Toyota doesnt have a battery-poweredto sell in this part of the world either.The closest Toyota has come is the Mirai , which uses hydrogen to get from point A to point B. Similar to the subcompact crossover, the mid-sized sedan rides on the Toyota New Global Architecture. Built at the factory where the Lexus LFA supercar used to be manufactured, the Mirai is available in the U.S. through a 36-month lease for $349 per month and $2,499 at signing.
China's annual Central Economic Work Conference (CEWC) that sets the overall direction for the next year's economic policies just concluded in Beijing.

Why it matters: The signals from this meeting suggest, among other things, increased efforts to stimulate the economy and work out a trade deal with the U.S.

Caixin has the details  Top Economic Meeting Ends With Pledges of Greater Tax Cuts, Reasonably Ample Liquidity:

"The leaders pledged to cut taxes and fees on a greater scale, increase the issuance of special-purpose local government bonds by a relatively large margin, and strike a balance between monetary tightening and easing to ensure reasonably ample liquidity, as they promised to continue to take measures to address the financing difficulties faced by private and small companies. The measures are part of official efforts to strengthen counter-cyclical policy adjustments, which refers to government support to boost economic growth, according to Xinhua. Proceeds from sales of special-purpose local government bonds are often used to fund infrastructure investment, a key driver of economic expansion."

"They noted that the world is facing a once-in-a-century change that entails both crisis and opportunities. They urged the nation to turn crisis into opportunities by improving its technology and innovation capabilities, deepening reforms and opening up further, participating in global economic governance system overhaul, and speeding up a transition to high-quality growth, the report said."

My thought bubble: The Chinese economy is struggling, the debt mess is unresolved and the impact from the U.S. tariffs has barely begun. There are obvious downside risks but there is also the risk of being too bearish going into 2019.

The Communist Party will do everything it can to juice the economy and the message out of this meeting appears to confirm that multiple forms of stimuli will be forthcoming. Whether or not significant economic reforms will now also be forthcoming, and not just more promises, is the trillion dollar question.

Go deeper: China Pledges More Stimulus in 2019 as Economy Seeks Bottom Bloomberg and the official English-language readout from Xinhua
E&E News and the Tampa Bay Times report that House Democratic leaders have tentatively selected Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) to head the select committee on climate change they're reviving next year.

Why it matters: It's a tangible sign of the committee's makeup and direction. Castor represents a state and a region on the front lines of the effects of climate change, which is causing sea-level rise and more intense storms.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi's office declined comment.

"We need to raise the profile of the climate crisis. People are demanding action and don't understand why we're not leading the world on climate change innovation."

 Rep. Kathy Castor to the Tampa Bay Times

The intrigue: Castor, first elected in 2006, has a 93% rating from the League of Conservation Voters.

But her remarks to E&E News rankled activists pushing Democrats to adopt Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's plan for a Select Committee on a Green New Deal. They envision the panel writing a sweeping climate, energy and economic legislative proposal that's ready for launch in 2020.

Castor told E&E News that Green New Deal advocates have some "terrific ideas," but added, "that's not going to be our sole focus."

Castor also signaled that she did not believe members who have taken money from fossil fuel interests should be barred from the committee, a goal of activists.

However, she later told HuffPost, "Maybe that's a discussion we need to have in the caucus."

What they're saying: "Without a mandate to create a plan and a requirement that its members dont take fossil fuel money, we are deeply concerned that this committee will be just another of the many committees we've seen failing our generation our entire lives," said Varshini Prakash, co-founder of the Sunrise Movement that's pushing Ocasio-Cortez's plan.
The U.S.-directed arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Canada sounds an alarm for the increasingly contentious dynamic between China and the U.S.

Why it matters: When it comes to 5G, Huawei is the fastest horse in a thinning race, with potential to gain a monopoly in the next decade. But the U.S. has now launched a global campaign against the company without a serious domestic alternative for 5G infrastructure.

Background: The largest supplier of telecommunications and internet equipment globally, Huawei sells more smartphones than Apple, employs twice as many people as Google, and leads the world in 5G technology development.

Of the top 4 telecoms equipment brands, 2 are Chinese and none are American.

Although Huawei is banned from U.S. 5G networks, rural American markets often depend on the companys equipment.

The arrest comes on the heels of a broader U.S. effort to undermine Huawei's influence, in the form of a lobbying campaign to persuade other governments  including those of Germany, Italy and Japan  to drop the firm, offering potential payment as an incentive. As U.S.-China ties grow increasingly strained, the Trump administration may consider a stricter ban on the company.

AT&T execs have said Huawei was 70% cheaper than competing suppliers. Excluding the Chinese giant amounts to a tax on domestic telecoms that will cost the biggest players billions.

For a quarter of rural wireless carriers, dropping Huawei would incur tens of millions in switching costs. And it would take a decade to implement the change.

What's next: The U.S. now has to decide what it's willing to do to prevent a company with tight ties to China's NSA-equivalent from owning the network that delivers 5G to Americans. If Huawei is able to deliver 5G to other nations years before and for a cheaper price than U.S. alternatives, few, if any, countries will wait.

Graham Allison is the former director of Harvard Kennedy Schools Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
Kosovo voted last Friday to create a standing army. The move comes a decade after independence from Serbia, which was enraged by the move and went so far as to threaten military intervention.

The big picture: Kosovo's vote has divided the international community, writes Ryan Scherba of Balkan Insider.

Serbia immediately called for a UN Security Council meeting  with support from Russia  where the Serbian and Kosovar presidents traded barbs

The U.S. Embassy in Kosovo released a statement

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called stating:

Between the lines: The increase in the capacities of the KSF has been fraught with controversy. Some states, like Russia and Serbia, contend that it violates international law, while the U.S. and many EU countries consider it a sovereign right for Kosovo. Some of the hesitation from the international community is because Kosovo is bypassing a change to its constitution, which would be blocked by Kosovo Serb representatives.

What to watch: President Trump penned a letter to Kosovo's president urging him to agree to a comprehensive solution with his Serbian counterpart  and to sign it at the White House.
Prosecutors in Minnesota have decided not to file charges against Richard Liu, the billionaire CEO of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, who was accused of raping a University of Minnesota student in September.

Details: JD.com and Liu's lawyers have maintained that he is innocent ever since he was arrested, and then released, for the alleged sexual assault. Liu has since returned to China. "We are pleased to see this decision," a JD.com spokesperson said in a statement.
Vladimir Putin declared Thursday that the crisis in relations with Ukraine will continue "as long as Russophobes remain in the corridors of power in Kiev. Meanwhile, in Kiev, a brawl broke out in parliament over a poster accusing a Ukrainian politician of serving as Putin's agent.

The big picture: Tensions between Russia and Ukraine are still simmering 25 days after Russia intercepted, fired on and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels off of Crimea, taking 24 sailors prisoner in the process. Both sides continue to accuse the other of provocations that could lead to war.

Putin insisted that Russia will hold the sailors until they face trial. In Ukraine, a top national security official said Kiev has no choice but to send warships into the Sea of Azov  a move that could spark another confrontation.

Just because its been quiet for a couple weeks doesnt mean we wont have a Christmas surprise, Alexander Vershbow, a former NATO Deputy Secretary General and U.S. ambassador to Russia now at the Atlantic Council, tells me. The propaganda coming out of the Russians is at least preparing the ground for something new.

Vershbow says there are similarities between whats happening in Ukraine today and the creeping annexation by Moscow that preceded the 2008 war in Georgia. He says the lack of concrete actions from the U.S. and Europe after last months flare-up only make further aggression more likely.

Theyve essentially annexed the Kerch Strait, Vershbow says of the waters separating Crimea and Russia, where the confrontation took place, and the West swallowed it.

Where things stand...

Kurt Volker, the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine, says the push for more U.S. sanctions on Moscow is "gaining some traction. The EU extended existing sanctions, but theres no consensus on further steps.

Putin claims to respect Ukraines right to joint access of the Sea of Azov, but is in effect attempting to dictate access to the sea through the Kerch Strait. Russia is also suffocating

Martial law remains in effect in parts of Ukraine. It is set to expire next week, but could be extended.

Whats next

Ukraine has presidential elections in March, and President Petro Poroshenko is polling at approximately 10% in a crowded field. Hes hoping a rally-around-the-flag effect from the conflict with Russia and the dramatic Moscow-Kiev split in the Eastern Orthodox Church propel him into the second round.

Kremlin influence over much of the Ukrainian media, and the pro-Russia candidates on the ballot, could allow Russia to influence what Iryna Bekeshkina of the Democratic Initiatives Foundation describes as a divided and quite depressed and pessimistic Ukrainian electorate.

What to watch: Stephen Nix of the International Republic Institute says theres concern Russia may use Ukraines election to try out certain techniques they can use in the U.S. in 2020.
White House adviser Stephen Miller told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday that President Trump will "absolutely" shut down the government next week if he doesn't get funding for a border wall.

The big picture: In a heated exchange with Democratic leaders Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer last week, Trump declared he would be "proud to shut down the government for border security"  essentially eliminating Republicans' ability to pin the blame on Democrats. Schumer said on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday that Trump is "not going to get the wall in any form" and has offered no more than $1.6 billion for border security, paving the way for another tense week ahead of Friday's shutdown deadline.
Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said this week that President Trump has told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan he'll "take a look at" potentially extraditing Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen  the man Erdogan claims organized a coup attempt against him in 2016. Gulen has lived in the U.S. for two decades.

Between the lines: Soner Cagaptay, a fellow at the Washington Institute and author of The New Sultan, says it's unlikely Trump would be able to extradite Gulen without a court decision. Instead, Cagaptay says Trump's rhetoric, combined with the FBI's investigation into Gulen's network, seem intended instead to send a signal that "Gulen has overstayed his welcome."

He thinks the idea is to nudge Gulen to a third country that doesn't have an extradition treaty with Turkey.

According to Cagaptay, Gulen gains a certain amount of legitimacy by being protected by the most powerful country on earth, and Turkey's most important ally. That equation changes if he ends up somewhere else.

Worth noting: Cagaptay says Gulen is more than just "Erdogan's enemy"  his network once had millions of followers. He says there is now a widespread consensus against Gulen in Turkey: "Half of the country that loves Erdogan thinks Gulen tried to kill him, and the other half of the country that hates Erdogan hates Gulen" for empowering him earlier in his political career.

Go deeper: Mueller probing Michael Flynn plot to kidnap Gulen
President Trump reportedly intends to withdraw nearly half of the 14,000 U.S. troops currently in Afghanistan. Given repeated U.S. failures to eradicate the Taliban over the past 17 years, and at the expense of U.S. lives lost and billions spent, bringing troops home has its merits.

Yes, but: Withdrawing 7,000 troops also poses a major risk. In recent months, Washington has been trying to help launch a peace process between Kabul and the Taliban, and the timing of the announcement, along with the speed of the withdrawals implementation, could jeopardize its success.

Trumps decision comes just days after senior U.S. officials met in Dubai with top representatives from the Talibans political office in Qatar and its Pakistan-based senior leadership. The insurgents would now enter any formal peace talks from a position of deep strength, because theyve gotten the withdrawals theyve always wanted without having to give up anything in return.

Trump also reportedly intends to remove 7,000 troops within just a few months. Withdrawing so many personnel and all their associated equipment and other resources is safer and more efficient if staged through a more gradual process.

The bottom line: To be sure, withdrawing 7,000 troops isnt catastrophic. Seven thousand U.S. soldiers and 8,000 NATO troops will remain. U.S. financial support for Afghan security forces  essential to keeping them from falling apart  will presumably continue to flow. But Trump's decision will still deal a big psychological blow to beleaguered Afghan forces, embolden Taliban fighters, and potentially result in higher levels of violence in a nation already suffering extensive destabilization.

Michael Kugelman is deputy director and senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center.
Another reason this is a historic week  and what President Trump should really worry about  is that lots of different Republicans have been turning on him over different topics.

Why it matters: A former Trump aide who asked to be described as "a Trump ally" told Axios that the sudden wave of criticism from the Hill over Syria and Mattis should scare the president because he would desperately need these lawmakers' support during a possible impeachment battle.

"Once Republican lawmakers start rebuking the president publicly like this over policy, it makes it easier for them to say: 'It's not just Mueller or ethics. There are other concerns.' Then it's a slippery slope."

Catch up quick: In an unusually harsh statement, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was "distressed" about Mattis' departure: "It is regrettable that the president must now choose a new Secretary of Defense. But I urge him to select a leader who shares Secretary Mattis's ... principles."

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said after the Mattis announcement: "This is a sad day for America."

Bloomberg columnist Eli Lake: "Donald Trump may not know it yet, but his presidency is collapsing."

"As long as [Mattis] served the president, reluctant Republicans could point to the Pentagon and say: If Mattis supports Trump, then so do I. They can no longer do that."

Be smart: We talked all day yesterday with Republican officials, operatives and advisers who are truly scared for America.

But it's telling that few have the courage to say it publicly.

What to watch: Theres a working assumption inside the White House that Trump will be impeached by the House. He would then need a rock-solid base of 34 Republican senators to refuse to remove him from office (which takes 67 votes).

So nothing matters more to Trump than keeping his base happy and loyal.

Go deeper: As a sign of the mood inside, officials at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue tell us that Trump is complaining about his incoming chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, in conversations inside the West Wing and with Capitol Hill.
Without a spending bill, parts of the government began shutting down early Saturday for the third time this year. That means most federal services, including the Departments of State, Justice, Transportation, and Homeland Security, will close temporarily.

Why it matters: Even if you aren't a government employee, a shutdown can still affect you personally  from how your tax dollars are spent to which tourists sites you can't visit.

What could happen

420,000 federal employees will be working with delayed pay, per CNBC, including:

Over 41,000 law federal law enforcement officers from various departments

The majority of Homeland Security employees

Around 54,000 Customs and Border Protection employees

Several thousand Forest Service firefighters and National Weather Service forecasters

Another 380,000 federal employees would be furloughed, meaning they won't be going to work and won't be getting paid. This will include:

96% of NASA employees

86% of Commerce Department workers

30% of Transportation Department employees

80% of Forest and National Park Services

95% of Housing and Urban Development workers

What it means for you:

Mail: The U.S. Postal Service is an independent agency that doesn't rely on tax dollars to operate, so your mail will still be delivered.

The U.S. Postal Service is an independent agency that doesn't rely on tax dollars to operate, so your mail will still be delivered. Your wallet: When the government shut down for 16 days in 2013, it cost taxpayers $2 billion in lost productivity, according to the Office of Management and Budget.

When the government shut down for 16 days in 2013, it cost taxpayers $2 billion in lost productivity, according to the Office of Management and Budget. Tourism: All national parks, museums, and zoos will be closed. You might also have trouble getting a passport.

All national parks, museums, and zoos will be closed. You might also have trouble getting a passport. Transportation : There could be some airline and train delays, as "non-essential" employees will be furloughed.

: There could be some airline and train delays, as "non-essential" employees will be furloughed. Food stamps: You can still collect these. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a mandatory entitlement program.

You can still collect these. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a mandatory entitlement program. Federal courts: The courts won't close their doors immediately, but they could be affected if a shutdown lasts more than 10 days, according to past guidance.

The courts won't close their doors immediately, but they could be affected if a shutdown lasts more than 10 days, according to past guidance. Social security: You will still receive payments under the program, as it is deemed mandatory by the government.

You will still receive payments under the program, as it is deemed mandatory by the government. Loans: Whether you own a small business or are planning to buy a house, you'll have to wait if you need a loan from the government.

One government entity that won't be affected by a partial shutdown? The office of special counsel Robert Mueller, which is "funded from a permanent indefinite appropriation."

Go deeper: Trump's Christmas shutdown spooks GOP
The two top European Union officials have congratulated Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on his My Step alliances landslide victory in Armenias parliamentary elections held on December 9.

The elections were held with respect for fundamental freedoms and enjoyed broad public trust, Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, and Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, said in a joint letter made public on Friday.

You received a strong mandate for reforms from the citizens of Armenia. The European Union stands ready to support you in your reform agenda, they added.

An EU foreign policy spokeswoman likewise praised the Armenian authorities handling of the snap elections in a December 10 statement. She said the EU looks forward to working with the democratically elected new Parliament and the future Government.

Tusk and Juncker already expressed the EUs readiness to help Armenias new government implement sweeping reforms promised by Pashinian when they met with the latter in Brussels in July.

Shortly after those talks Pashinian criticized the 28-nation bloc for not boosting its financial assistance to Armenia following this springs velvet revolution that brought him to power. The head of the EU Delegation in Yerevan, Piotr Switalski, countered at the time that Pashinians government needs to propose specific reform-oriented projects before demanding greater aid.

In their congratulatory message, Tusk and Juncker also stressed the significance of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed by the EU and Armenia in November 2017.

They described the 350-page agreement as an ambitious blueprint for reforms. It will also support a resilient economic and social system conducive to building Armenia's prosperity, they said.

On Wednesday Pashinian chaired a meeting of an interagency government commission tasked with coordinating Armenias compliance with the CEPA. I am calling on you to work more actively towards the agreements implementation, he told its members.

The CEPA commits Yerevan to carrying out political reforms and gradually approximating Armenian economic laws and regulations to those of the EU.
By Jacek Rostowski

LONDON  British Prime Minister Theresa Mays plan to withdraw her country from the European Union in an orderly fashion is collapsing. Though she has survived a no-confidence vote, in January the House of Commons will almost certainly reject the exit deal she negotiated with EU leaders. In order to avoid a chaotic no-deal Brexit, her government will have to ask the EU for an extension on the departure date, or withdraw its intention to leave notification, at least temporarily.

Either way, the next step would be to hold a second referendum with the option of a so-called exit from Brexit, which would reverse the 2016 decision to leave. Voters could still decide to back Mays deal, opt for a Norway-style arrangement, or crash out of the EU with no deal. But recent polling suggests that the choice of remaining in the EU would win the day.

How did a country with 400 years of constitutional governance and a culture of political compromise end up here?

Most commentators point to the seemingly insoluble problem of the Irish border. Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which put an end to decades of violent hostility between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland, Britain agreed to permit the free movement of persons, goods, and some services across the border with the Republic of Ireland. A binding international treaty with no provision for exit, the Good Friday Agreement was signed under the assumption that both Britain and Ireland would remain in the EU indefinitely.

Mays deal with the EU includes a backstop that would prevent the reintroduction of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic in the absence of a formal post-Brexit trade deal. The problem is that well over 100 members of Mays own party have rejected the backstop outright and will vote against her deal for that reason alone, making it dead on arrival.

But the Irish backstop is, in fact, a side issue. Even if there were no Irish problem, an orderly Brexit would have been impossible within the two years allotted to the UK under Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon. As I pointed out in October, British manufacturing supply chains are so deeply integrated with those of continental Europe that they could not survive the sudden establishment of customs and other checks on the British border. Britains automotive, aerospace, and precision-instruments industries would be decimated.

To be sure, many non-European countries export large volumes of industrial goods to the EU. But, unlike British goods, these generally cross the EU border only once. The same would hold true for Britains goods only after the country disentangles itself from the web of European supply chains. That task alone would be comparable to the restructuring of post-communist countries following the collapse of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Comecon, the Soviet-era trade bloc). Completing it could well take five or more years.

After the 2016 referendum, Mays government should have had an adult discussion about the shape Brexit would take, rather than simply declaring, Brexit means Brexit. Scenarios in which the UK could remain in the single market, the customs union, or both were on offer from the EU. The government also should have done far more to apprise the business community of its plans.

Moreover, if the intention was always to leave both the single market and the customs union, retaining only a free-trade agreement with Europe, the government should have made clear that it would need an implementation period of at least five years to do this in an orderly manner. During this time it would be bound by European laws  including its obligation to pay around 13 billion ($16.4 billion) per year to the EU budget. May should not have invoked Article 50 until all of these decisions had been made, communicated to the relevant parties, and agreed upon at least in principle.

One reason Mays government ended up taking the exact opposite approach is that neither senior politicians nor bureaucrats understood the degree to which the British economy is intertwined with Europe. The fact that a quick Brexit into a free-trade agreement is logistically impossible seems to have been totally lost on them.

But the bigger problem was that a balanced consideration of possible options would have laid bare the lie upon which the Leave campaign was based. The idea that Britain could secure a bespoke deal and maintain frictionless access to the single market while pursuing its own trade accords elsewhere was always a fantasy.

Fearing the political consequences of acknowledging this basic truth, May adopted a completely unrealistic negotiating strategy, hoping that some kind of Brexit would happen before the British public realized it had been duped. Today, just three months before the departure date, this deeply deceitful demarche has disintegrated before Mays eyes  as well it should.

Copyright: Project Syndicate: R.I.P. Brexit?

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By Leman Mammadova

Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plans to restore direct flights from Baku to Astrakhan in spring 2019, after a four-year break, Denis Afanasyev, the Minister of International and Foreign Economic Relations of the Astrakhan Region, said.

We had a successful conversation with AZAL, it is planned to recover flights in the spring of 2019, said Afanasyev commenting on the outcomes of Astrakhan delegation's visit to Azerbaijan on December 18 and 19.

According to the preliminary plan, the flights will be operated twice a week, and the flight time will be from 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, depending on the type of aircraft. Technical issues and marketing policy are currently under discussion.

Afanasyev pointed to the fact that, in particular, there is good prospects for the development of mutual tourism relations between the Astrakhan region and Azerbaijan. Noting that Turkish Airlines left Astrakhan airport Afanasyev said that in this sense Baku airport can play coordinative port role to reach East and West.

Price policy should be competitive as well as suitable for passengers from the Astrakhan and other Russian regions. We also mean passengers from the western regions of Kazakhstan, he added.

The decision has been made within the cooperation agreement recently signed by Azerbaijani Tourism Agency and the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation.

At present, enterprises of 71 regions of the Russian Federation cooperate directly with Azerbaijan. Fifteen regions of Russia have relevant agreements with Azerbaijan on trade and economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation.

Astrakhan is the center of the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation. This city, named after Haji Tarkhan in the XIII-XIV centuries, became an important trading center on the seabed of the Volga River, located on the Silk Road in the Caspian Sea. Such a favorable geographical position allowed the old city to become the largest transportation hub of the entire Lower Volga region. Railway and air traffic, sea and river port of the Volga-Caspian basin made the city a frequently visited place not only in the list of connoisseurs of rich cultural heritage. The population of Astrakhan is multiethnic though it is mostly Russian. At present, Tatars, the main population of the region in the past, make up only 7 percent of the population. The main industry in the city is fuel-energy sector.

The Azerbaijan-Russia Bridge of Friendship was inaugurated in Astrakhan, Russia in 2012.

The opening of the business center of Azerbaijan, built on the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, took place in the Russian city of Astrakhan this year to introduce Made in Azerbaijan brand abroad. The interested Russian companies also have opportunity to conclude long-term contracts with specific suppliers from Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani investors became the first foreign businessmen in Astrakhans Lotos special economic zone in 2017. Azerbaijans ATEF Group of Companies launched the construction of a plant for the production of electrical equipment in the special economic zone. The construction of an electrical equipment plant with $ 18 mln in investment is currently underway.

According to the results of 2017, the volume of foreign trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Astrakhan province exceeds $ 16 million. It is 4.3 times more than in 2016.

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By Trend

A buyer will get back 15 percent of VAT when paying via the POS terminal in Azerbaijan, Deputy Minister for Taxes Sahib Alakbarov said, Trend reports with reference to the Vergiler newspaper.

In case of cash payment, 10 percent of VAT on the cash receipt will be refunded to the buyer, he noted. As for the entrepreneur, the total amount of cashless payments in the total turnover will be determined, and a 25 percent benefit will be applied to this amount.

He added that one of the factors hindering ensuring transparency is the very low level of non-cash payments.

In order to increase the level of non-cash payments in Azerbaijan, serious changes are needed in this area, because the amount of funds in cash circulation are very large, and this is one of the factors that create conditions for the shadow economy to flourish, he said.

He also reminded that Azerbaijans tax system is very young.

The legislation and the administration system are being improved, extensive incentive measures are being applied, even if this leads to some material losses for the state budget, he said. In the end, our economy and the citizens of Azerbaijan will win.

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By Trend

The decree signed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev On improving leasing activities in agriculture sector and state support to agriculture is an important component of the reforms carried out by the president, Trend reports referring to the Agriculture Ministry.

Over the past 14 years, via Agroleasing OJSC, Azerbaijan has been carrying out activities to form and improve the stock of agriculture equipment and pedigree animals.

During this period, about 44,000 agriculture equipment were imported and sold to farmers at reduced prices. During the period, over 35,000 heads of pedigree cattle were imported and leased on preferential terms, and 795,000 tons of fertilizers and 300,000 liters of pesticides were sold with discounts.

In accordance with the decree, the benefits on agricultural equipment and pedigree cattle will be provided to all suppliers. Sales of equipment and pedigree cattle will be carried out not by Agroleasing OJSC, but by supplier companies. As a result, competition in the agricultural machinery market will increase and prices will decrease.

Agroleasing's portfolio, equipment and functions on application of benefits on pedigree cattle will be transferred to the Agency for Agriculture Credits and Development.

Agroleasing OJSC wont participate in the sale of agricultural machinery and pedigree cattle, but will become one of the market participants carrying out only the sale of fertilizers and pesticides.

The leasing of agricultural equipment and pedigree cattle will now be processed not at Agroleasing OJSC, but at authorized banks.

In accordance with the decree, agrotechnical services at Agroleasing OJSC will be gradually privatized. The privatization will have a positive impact on the quality of agriculture services.

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By Narmina Mammadova

Azerbaijan aims at the rational usage of the potential of the local tobacco production and increase of its competitiveness.

The volume of tobacco production in Azerbaijan in aggregate expression is expected at the level of 62.7 million manats ($36.8) in 2018, which is 37.5 percent more than last year.

This is stated in the concept of socio-economic development of Azerbaijan and the forecast figures for 2019 -2022.

In subsequent years, according to government forecasts, tobacco production will expand. Thus, in 2019, this figure will be 76.9 million manats ($45.1), in 2020 - 94.4 million manats ($55.4), in 2021 - 115.7 million manats ($67.9), in 2022 - 141.7 million manats ($83.2).

Earlier, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree approving the "State Program for the Development of Tobacco Growing in Azerbaijan for 2017-2021" on August 10, 2017.

According to the order, the State Program is aimed at the development of tobacco growing, deepening the sphere of tobacco processing, increasing profitability and export potential as well as increasing employment of the rural population.

The state program takes into account all the necessary factors for the development of this industry - control over the quality of seeds, phytosanitary.

This shows that the state aims to create all conditions and provide targeted support for the development of tobacco growing.

Tabaterra CJSC intends to cover 80 percent of the demand for tobacco products in Azerbaijan, the company told Trend.

According to the company, the plant plans to install 5 production lines with an annual production capacity of 11 billion cigarettes. At the same time, the company added that, at present, the annual demand for cigarettes in the country is 14 billion pieces.

Currently, the bulk of raw materials that are used in production falls on imported products, but at the same time, the company is taking steps to localize the purchase of raw materials, the "Tabaterra" noted.

"The factory, built using British, German and Italian technologies, will produce cigarettes with a high-quality filter in three different formats that fully meet international standards. Currently, the factory produces cigarettes under its "Argo", "Kingston" and "Senate" brands. The products under the Argo brand have already been presented to consumers. It is also expected that the Kingston and Senate brands will be presented in the near future. In addition, the company plans to produce products of such world largest cigarette manufacturers as British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International and Imperial Tobacco," the company said.

Speaking about the company's goals for the future, Tabaterra noted that along with work in the domestic market, export opportunities are also being studied.

The first step we will take in this direction will be to ensure the presence of the company's products in the Trading Houses of Azerbaijan operating in foreign countries, the company pointed out.

Azerbaijan eyes to minimize the import of tobacco products. To this end, the manufacturer of tobacco products Tabaterra built its first factory in the Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park in November 16, 2018.

The factory produces 7 billion cigarettes per year.

Under the project, which cost $48 million, 200 jobs were created.

Currently, over 10 billion cigarettes are consumed in the country. Of these, only 1.6 billion are produced in Azerbaijan, while 9 billion cigarettes are being imported.

As of January-May 2018, 1,275 billion cigarettes were produced in the country. In the reporting period, the country produced more cigarettes than during the entire 2017, when 1.241 billion cigarettes were produced.

The price of a pack of cigarettes in Azerbaijan in average amounted at $1.2, while it is $3 in Turkey, $3.5 in Russia, and $4 in Poland.

At the same time, the state is concerned about the populations health and, in this connection, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a law on amending the Code of Administrative Offenses. The changes are related to the fines which concern smoking.

Smoking in buses regularly traveling on intracity (intra-district), intercity inter-district) and international routes is subject to a fine of 40 to 50 manats. This penalty will also apply to persons smoking in public motor vehicles and taxis.

Azerbaijan also adopted the law On Restriction of the Use of Tobacco Products in the end of last year.

In accordance with the law, smoking is forbidden throughout the territory of various educational institutions, in hotels, health care facilities, rehabilitation centers, health resorts, social facilities, theaters and cinemas, at exhibitions, reading rooms, libraries, museums and other cultural institutions, in underground and above-ground crossings, buses (including intercity and international), taxis, metro, air, railway, sea and river transport, bus stops, railway stations, river and sea ports, airports, elevators, common areas of multi-apartment buildings, in buildings and enterprises where flammable substances are stored, on playgrounds, beaches, workplaces of organizations, enterprises, offices, regardless of organizational and legal form and ownership.

In accordance with the article 212.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences, a fine of 30 manats ($17.6) is charged for smoking in prohibited places. For the absence of specially designated smoking areas at enterprises, offices and organizations as well as the absence of warning signs or Smoking is prohibited signs, office holders are fined 400 manats ($235), and legal entities  1,000 manats ($587).

Smoking prohibitions already exist in such countries as the U.S., Finland, Ukraine, Great Britain, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Syria, Egypt etc.

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By Leman Mammadova

India and Azerbaijan enjoy close and friendly relations and have an active cooperation between them in many areas including political, commercial and investment, educational and cultural.

Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev met Indian ambassador Sanjay Rana, who completed his diplomatic mission in Azerbaijan.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the current economic relations between Azerbaijan and India and opportunities for expanding cooperation.

Minister Mustafayev underlined the importance of bilateral cooperation with India, mutual visits and meetings in the development of relations, the importance of the Intergovernmental Commission on trade, economic, scientific and technological cooperation between Azerbaijan and India, informed about the projects implemented with the participation of Azerbaijan, transit opportunities, including the North-South international transport corridor.

Pointing out that about 170 Indian capital companies operating in Azerbaijan, the minister invited Indian businessmen to benefit from the favorable conditions created in industrial parks and neighborhoods created in our country and to organize joint ventures.

Rana noted that India attaches great importance to the development of relations with Azerbaijan and expressed his views on the development of Indian-Azerbaijani cooperation in the economic sphere.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992.

Bilateral trade turnover between the two countries increased by more than 60 percent in 2017 and reached $ 550 million, which included around $ 100 million of Indian exports to Azerbaijan and about $ 450 million worth of Azerbaijani exports to India. Azerbaijan imports many goods from India including pharmaceuticals products, engineering goods, automobiles and spares, agricultural and meat products and IT services.

India's main import from Azerbaijan is crude oil. The volume of bilateral trade has significantly increased from about $ 50 million in 2005 to nearly $ 250 million in 2015 due to the commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline. Indian company ONGC-Videsh is a stakeholder in the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli (ACG) oil fields (2.72 percent) and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline (2.36 percent), acquired $ 1 billion worth of shares in these projects. India's GAIL Limited has signed a memorandum of understanding with SOCAR for the joint realization of the liquefied natural gas capacities through liquefied natural gas supplies and the global promotion of liquefied natural gas projects.

Azerbaijan and India are working to sign a Bilateral Investment Treaty and Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement which would enhance the confidence of investors.

Indian companies are interested in developing mutually beneficial partnership in Azerbaijan, particularly in agriculture, IT and communications, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and education. India and Azerbaijan are also cooperating in development of International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) which will give big boost to trade and commercial exchanges in the region. India has developed the Chanbahar port in Iran, which began operating in November 2017, and this port will link Indian ports with Azerbaijan and other countries.

The 4th meeting of India-Azerbaijan Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation is scheduled to be held in October 2016 in Baku that would further provide a solid framework for their bilateral cooperation.

Azerbaijan is developing the non-oil sector and Indian companies are interested in using opportunities for non-oil sector development in such areas as agriculture, industry, pharmaceuticals and information technology.

India is very strong in pharmaceutical sector and our companies are keen to enhance their presence in Azerbaijan. Sun Pharma of India is building a pharmaceutical factory near Baku in a joint venture with Azerbaijani partners. Indian companies interested in many incentives provided by Azerbaijani Government for investors in Technology and Agro Parks.

India interested in cooperation with Azerbaijan's Small and Medium Business Development Agency and AZPROMO, and considers that sending the Azerbaijani export mission to India would be important for the development of relations in the economic sphere.

The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC), which offers training programs for Indian professionals and students across India, is a collaborative effort to increase knowledge and skills between India and Azerbaijan.

Both India and Azerbaijan have started online visa issuance from 2017 which greatly helped in tourists' travel.

Recently, Azerbaijan Tourism Association (AZTA) and the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation during the international tourism fair SATTE 2018 in Delhi on February 3, 2018, that is of great importance.

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By Leman Mammadova

Azerbaijan's relations with Astrakhan, Russia's strategic city in the Caspian Sea, are rapidly developing in recent years.

Recently, the Governor of the Astrakhan region of the Russian Federation Sergey Morozov was on a visit to Baku where he discussed cooperation with Azerbaijan particularly in trade and transport. The important agreement to restore direct flight between Baku and Astrakhan in 2019 was reached as part of these talks.

Astrakhan will open its business center in Baku in autumn 2019. The new center is aimed at increasing supply of Russian goods to the Azerbaijani market, Denis Afanasyev, the Minister of International and Foreign Economic Relations of the Astrakhan Region told AZERTAC.

Our business center is similar to the Azerbaijan business center in Astrakhan, and maybe the area is slightly larger. Sergei Morozov, the governor of Astrakhan province, got acquainted with the construction works during his visit to Azerbaijan. The construction is speeding up, the center should be opened in the autumn of 2019, he said.

At present, shipbuilding products, fish and flour-grinding products are being supplied to the Azerbaijani market from Astrakhan.

He also informed that Azerbaijan's logistics center, which supplies fruits and vegetables to Russia from Iran and Turkey, will accept the first cargo by the end of this year.

Noting that it is planned to supply up to 1 million tons of products via the center in 2019, Afanasyev said that Azerbaijan's KDY Logistics has almost completed the project and agreements reached with Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran.

"By the end of this year, we expect the arrival of the first batch of goods by railway. About 1 million tons of cargo will be delivered from Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran via the center in 2019, he added.

The logistics center is set up at Kutum station in 50 hectares that will reduce the cost of the products and the delivery time.

He also underlined that at present, fruits and vegetables are mainly exported through the sea, causing the product to be damaged or spoilt due to the high moisture content. Transportation of products by special railway transport will help to solve this problem.

Implementation of the project will create about 3,000 jobs in the region. Azerbaijan's KDY Logistics works jointly with Russian Railways on the creation of a railway center in Astrakhan.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Astrakhan region of Russian Federation has always existed as they share similar geographical position and ethnicity that bound them.

The location of both of them on the Caspian coast and on the East-West trade route makes mutual relationships inevitable.

The center of the Astrakhan region is city Astrakhan, named after Haji Tarkhan in the XIII-XIV centuries, became an important trading center on the seabed of the Volga River, located on the Silk Road in the Caspian Sea. Such a favorable geographical position allowed the old city to become the largest transportation hub of the entire Lower Volga region. Railway and air traffic, sea and river port of the Volga-Caspian basin made the city a frequently visited place not only in the list of connoisseurs of rich cultural heritage. The population of Astrakhan is multiethnic though it is mostly Russian. At present, Tatars, the main population of the region in the past, make up only 7 percent of the population.

The Astrakhan province was determined to play an important role in Russia's politics to the Caspian, relations with the East, as well as a reliable military and political outpost in southern Russia.

Thanks to access to the Caspian Sea, the Astrakhan region plays an important role in the system of international routes.

The region is located at the intersection of two Eurasian transport directions at once: the North-South corridor and the West-East corridor. The North-South Corridor connects Europe through the Caspian Sea and Iranian territory with India, and the West-East corridor runs from Europe through the Astrakhan Oblast and Kazakhstan in the direction of China.

In this regard, the transport and logistics complex, including the port and other infrastructure, is very intensively developed in the Astrakhan region.

Oil and gas, chemical, shipbuilding complex, agriculture, processing, engineering, building materials, transport and logistics, trade, food, fish, tourism are the main activity areas in the region.

The greatest popularity to the region was brought by reserves of hydrocarbons - natural gas and gas condensate. The continental part of the Astrakhan region and the Caspian Sea adjacent to it contain big reserves of oil and gas, which are the largest in the European part of Russia.

The resources of the land part of the region are about 6 trillion cubic meters of gas and more than 1.3 billion tons of liquid hydrocarbons. The main share of hydrocarbon reserves accounts for gas condensate fields of the Astrakhan geological arch.

Currently, the development of hydrocarbon deposits in the Russian sector of the Caspian Sea is actively underway, in which eight large oil and gas condensate fields have been discovered. The estimated resources of the Caspian Sea shelf part of the Astrakhan region for oil and gas condensate are about 1.1 billion tons, natural gas - about 800 billion cubic meters.

In addition, in the Astrakhan region there are deposits of salt, gypsum and iodine.

Moreover, the development of the shipbuilding industry is inextricably linked with the development of offshore oil and gas fields in the Caspian Sea.

One of the most important sectors of the economy of the Astrakhan region is the agro-industrial complex, which is represented by two main areas: crop production and animal husbandry. Astrakhan region is one of the largest vegetable producers in Russia.

The presence of significant fish resources in the Volga River and the Caspian Sea is the basis of the fishing and fish industry of the Astrakhan region.

Another major sector of the regional economy is tourism covering cultural, educational, business, pilgrim, ecological, fishing, hunting, gastronomic and ethnographic branches.

The unique geographical location of the Astrakhan region in the Volga River delta, the diversity of its landscapes and the richness of nature attracts over two million tourists to the region every year.

Astrakhan is often called the Volga Venice - it is located on dozens of islands, and all parts of the city are connected by a network of bridges and canals. Cruise tourism in the Astrakhan region is one of the most promising types of tourism.

A large list of mineral waters, which are the basis of health tourism in the region, has been identified in the region.

As relations between Azerbaijan and Russia are of strategic nature, the Astrakhan region plays a special role in the development of these relations.

Documents covering socio-economic, trade, scientific-technical and humanitarian spheres have been signed between Azerbaijan and Astrakhan province over the past decade.

The Azerbaijani investors became the first foreign businessmen in Astrakhans Lotos special economic zone in 2017. Azerbaijans ATEF Group of Companies launched the construction of a plant for the production of electrical equipment in the special economic zone. The construction of an electrical equipment plant with $ 18 mln in investment is currently underway.

The opening of the business center of Azerbaijan, built on the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, took place in the Russian city of Astrakhan this year to introduce Made in Azerbaijan brand abroad. The interested Russian companies also have opportunity to conclude long-term contracts with specific suppliers from Azerbaijan.

According to the results of 2017, the volume of foreign trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Astrakhan province exceeds $ 16 million. It is 4.3 times more than in 2016.

According to statistics, at the beginning of this year, 56 enterprises were represented in the region with the participation of Azerbaijani capital, which is about 12 percent of the total number of foreign enterprises operating in Astrakhan region. Mainly companies specializing in the manufacture of shipbuilding products, supplies of metal products, building materials and packaging containers, food products enter the Azerbaijani market from the Astrakhan region.

The main share in the structure of imports from Azerbaijan to the Astrakhan region in 2017 and early 2018 is occupied by pipes for drilling, which are supplied to the Russian company Rosneft. In total, in 2017, they were delivered in the amount of $ 14 million, and since the beginning of 2018 - in the amount of $ 4.6 million.

The tourism cooperation that has great potential. In this sense, restoration of direct flights will boost tourist flows mutually.

At present, the project of a cruise between the Caspian countries, that will boost tourism and transit potential of the littoral states, is at the development stage. Approximate commissioning of the liner is scheduled for next year. At the first stage, trips will be organized on the Astrakhan-Baku route, and, then, the route will be further expanded until 2020.

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By Laman Ismayilova

Gara Garayev`s 100th anniversary is widely celebrated in Azerbaijan.

A series of events are being held this year in accordance with the relevant decree of President Ilham Aliyev.

A chamber concert in honor of prominent composer was held at the International Mugham Center, Trend Life reported.

Famous Russian musicians, winners of prestigious international competitions - Olga Domnina (piano) and Stanislav Malishev (violin), as well as talented young vocalist Mahir Tagizade took part in the concert.

The gala concert featured composer's works, including series 24 Preludes for piano, sonata for violin and piano, Seven Beauties ballet suite, etc.

The concert was warmly received by listeners and caused a storm of applause

Having synthesized Eastern and Western musical traditions, his works cover essentially all genres. The works by Gara Garayev are performed all over the world.

Garayev inherited his love of music from his parents. His father Abulfaz Garayev was a famous pediatrician in Baku. Abulfaz Garayev was known for his kindness and generosity. When patients were too poor to pay for treatment, he often left money under the prescription that he had written out for them.

He knew Azerbaijani folk music very well and loved to sing. Garayev's mother, Sona Khanim, was among the first graduates of the Music School, the Baku branch of the Russian Music Society.

At the age of eight, Garayev first entered the junior music school at the Azerbaijan State Conservatoire. His exceptional musical talents let him to study simultaneously in two faculties at the conservatoire. His teachers were Georgi Sharoyev, Leonid Rudolf, and the prominent Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli.

In 1938, Garayev composed his first musical piece, a cantata "The Song of the Heart" to the poem by Rasul Rza. It was performed in Moscow's Bolshoi Theater in the same year. He was only 20 years old at the time.

Garayev returned to Baku in 1941. He began teaching students at Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Society.

In 1945, both he and Jovdat Hajiyev wrote the "Motherland" opera, for which they were awarded a prestigious Stalin Prize. At the age of 30, Garayev was again awarded this prize for his symphonic poem "Leyli and Majnun", based on the same-titled famous work of Nizami Ganjavi.

In 1952, under the direction of the choreographer P. A. Gusev, Garayev's "Seven Beauties" ballet was staged at the Azerbaijani Theater of Opera and Ballet. Based on Nizami Ganjavi's famous poem, "Seven Beauties", it became the first Azerbaijani ballet and opened a new chapter in the history of classical music of Azerbaijan.

His ballet, "Path of Thunder", staged in 1958, was dedicated to racial conflicts in South Africa. In the same year, he wrote the score for the documentary film" A Story About the Oil Workers of the Caspian Sea", directed by Roman Karmen and set at the Oil Rocks.

Through his life, Garayev wrote nearly 110 musical pieces, including ballets, operas, symphonic and chamber pieces, solos for piano, cantatas, songs and marches, and rose to prominence not only in Azerbaijan, but also worldwide.

He brilliantly juxtaposed features of Mugham with jazz, blues, African music, European counterpoint styles, and developments related to the 20th century Western music such as the 12-tone technique.

Garayev died on May 13, 1982 in Moscow at the age of 64.

The composer has left a legacy of music that will be felt for generations to come. The memory of great composer will always live in the hearts of Azerbaijani people.

President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on October 17 to mark the 100th jubilee of the legendary Azerbaijani composer.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Education and the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, are tasked to prepare and execute an action plan for the jubilee in consideration of proposals of the Union of Composers.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

The entire Caucasus region is faced with the enviromental threats Armenia had created.

Environmental and clean water activists are ringing the alarm on ecological pollution levels in this poor South Caucasian country. Photos of the Akhuryan (Arpachay) river littered with garbage appeared in social media recently. Arpachay is one of the important tributaries of Araz River. Flowing directly to Araz River it crosses Azerbaijans territories. The pollution of the Araz River by Armenia harms the ecosystem of Azerbaijan. The Armenians also pollute the Ganjachay, Goshgarchay, Shamkirchay, Agstafachay rivers that pass through the Azerbaijani territory.

Moreover, the Agstafachay reservoir in the border village of Azerbaijans Gazakh region is subjected to pollution from the Armenian side. The river that feeds the Agstafachay reservoir originates in the territory of Armenia.

Another proof of Armenias eco-terror against Azerbaijan is Sarsang water reservoirs, located in Agdara region, which is under Armenian invasion.

The most alarming threat remains to be the Metsamor nuclear power plant, built during the Soviet era. A list of environmental crimes that Metsamor carries includes global warming, greenhouse effect, ozone holes, reduction of biodiversity in the region, environmental pollution, erosion of fertile soils, increase in the number of previously unknown diseases and so on.

The ecological crisis is always a violation of the balance between nature and the human impact on it. Armenia has done everything to break this balance.

For many years, Azerbaijan suffers from ecological terrorism committed by Armenia in occupied Karabakh. Aggressors pollute rivers by chemicals, biological and other radioactive waste coming from the Armenian territories and forming sources of drinking water in Azerbaijan.

The ecological situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is critical, and this conclusion is real, even despite the fact that the Azerbaijani side has no information on the direct ecological condition of the territories occupied by Armenia. The Armenian ecological terror has significantly deteriorated ecosystems and natural resources for a long period, which has a harmful effect not only on current generation.

Armenia continues to carry out ecological terror in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, Azerbaijani Consul General in Los Angeles, Chairman of the Los Angeles Consular Corps, Nasimi Agayev, said in an interview with ECONEWS TV and radio company Nancy Perlman.

Agayev spoke about the geographical location, history of independence, rich culture, scenic nature, tourist potential and economic development of Azerbaijan.

He spoke about the occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia, stressing that Armenia continues to carry out ecological terror in the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

Agayev focused on the fact that Armenia dumps household waste, sewage and radioactive substances of industrial enterprises into the Araz River, thereby carrying out an ecological genocide against Azerbaijan. The Consul General stressed that the operation of the Metsamor NPP by Armenia, which does not meet any safety standards, poses a serious threat to the entire region, called on the international community to put pressure on Armenia in order to achieve closure of this station.

The government of Azerbaijan has repeatedly attracted the attention of the international public to the heavy ecological situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. The occupation authorities in Karabakh do not bear any responsibility to international organizations for the preservation of the ecological situation in the captured territories. Aggressors are required to pay for damages caused to Azerbaijans environment for many years and to improve the regions ecology after withdrawal from Azerbaijani lands.

In order to assess the short-term and long-term effects of deliberate arson and a dangerous environmental situation within the OSCE, an assessment mission and a commission were established. Unfortunately, the Armenian side did not fulfill the resolution on joint activities taken after the mission.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

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By Trend

Azerbaijans strong military potential is the key factor for resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev during the ceremony to give out apartments to servicemen in Sabunchu district, Baku.

The process of army building in Azerbaijan is progressing fast. Azerbaijan is among countries with a strong army. The material and technical infrastructure of our army is strengthening, the most sophisticated equipment and weaponry are being acquired. The two military parades held this year have demonstrated our military prowess to the whole world. Our army stands out on a global scale for the level of its technical equipment. Of course, our strong military potential is the key factor for resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said the head of state.

President Aliyev pointed out that the combat capability of Azerbaijans army is increasing.

Today, our army is ready to perform any task, it is capable of doing that. The events of recent years clearly demonstrate that. I can say that this year, as a result of our armys successful operation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in the Nakhchivan direction, 11,000 hectares of land completely passed under our control. We have taken over strategic heights. The capture of these heights allows us the opportunity to exercise full control over the strategic roads and communications on the territory of Armenia. Both the April fighting and the successful Nakhchivan operation once again testify to the high level of professionalism and combat capability of our army. There is a high spirit in our army and it can perform any task, added the head of state.

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A new print edition of the AZERNEWS online newspaper was released on December 21.

The new edition includes articles: Baku hosts Human Capital Forum, Nations second satellite reaches test orbit, SOCAR, BP to establish petrochemicals JV in Turkey, 2019 proclaimed as year of Imadeddin Nasimi etc.

AZERNEWS is an associate member of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

The online newspaper is available at www.azernews.az.
By Trend

A meeting with deputy chief of Israels diplomatic mission in Baku Avital Rosenberg was held at Trend News Agency.

Rosenberg reviewed the work of the agency and appreciated the cooperation with Trend during the meeting with the agencys staff.

During the meeting, she briefed about the recent developments in Israel.

Rozemberg noted that during the last weekend, IDF soldiers exposed a Hezbollah attack tunnel that crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon. The attack tunnel was dug in the area of the Shiite village Ramyeh and penetrated several meters into Israeli territory.

This message has been distributed to the relevant heads of local authorities, she said.

The diplomat noted that the efforts to expose and neutralize the attack tunnels will continue as necessary.

During the meeting, the issues of cooperation and media development at the regional and global levels were discussed.

Rosenberg also expressed hope for further intensification of cooperation in the future and wished success in the further activity of the agency.

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By Trend

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has congratulated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday.

Accept my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday, President Berdimuhamedov said.

Brotherly Azerbaijan is today confidently moving forward on the path of progress and development in all areas of life under your wise leadership, he said. The country's convincing success in internal and foreign policy are closely associated with you.

It is with great pleasure that I would like to note that relations between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are now taking on a new dimension, he said. Your recent official visit to Turkmenistan became an important point in the strengthening of the ties of friendship between our brotherly peoples and the deepening of cooperation between our countries in various fields.

I am strongly confident that through combined efforts, Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan bilateral relations will continue to develop to the benefit of our peoples, the president said.

Taking this good opportunity, I sincerely wish you the best of health, personal happiness and well-being as well as new success in all your endeavors and efforts for the sake of the brotherly people of the Republic of Azerbaijan, said Berdimuhamedov.

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By Trend

Chinese President Xi Jinping has congratulated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday.

I extend my sincere congratulations and best wishes to you on the occasion of your birthday, President Xi Jinping said.

China-Azerbaijan relations have maintained dynamic development tendency in recent years, he said. Bilateral ties between the two countries continue developing in all areas, and cooperation as part of the joint construction of the One Belt, One Road is successfully underway.

I attach great importance to bilateral relations between China and Azerbaijan, he said. I am ready to continue making joint efforts together with you in order to achieve new success in China-Azerbaijan relations of friendship and cooperation to the benefit of our two countries and peoples.

I wish you the best of health, President Xi Jinping said.

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By Kamila Aliyeva

Since the independence in 1991, development has become the Zeitgeist of Azerbaijan, Former President of the Republic of Croatia Stjepan Mesic told Azernews.

Enhancing the countrys prosperity, security, the government has positioned it regionally and globally as modern economy, not just the oil-dominated one. I visited fascinating Azerbaijan during my presidency, and after that, many times, and have witnessed huge changes have occurred bringing to Azerbaijan economic prosperity that has been posted as the Presidents and the governments priority, he said.

Speaking of Azerbaijans economic progress, Mesic underlined that decline in world oil prices in 2016 and 2017 revealed how President Ilham Aliyevs orientation to the diversification strategy of Azerbaijans development has been important for the countrys stability,

Mesic recalled that Azerbaijan had the worlds highest rate of GDP growth (reaching 34.5 percent in 2006) that put the country on progressive road.

The energy revenues and developing export routes for its growing gas production stay central, allowing Azerbaijan to diversify its GDP through investments abroad and at home in mega projects and other non-energy sectors like agriculture, logistics, information technology, and tourism. Declining of world oil prices in 2016 and 2017 revealed how the Presidents orientation to the diversification strategy of Azerbaijans development has been important for the country stability. The economic results, based on market economy reforms, are here and as a young independent country Azerbaijan works to resolve social and political development challenges, he noted.

The government has given the combat against corruption the high prominence, Mesic said, adding that all these achievements won approval of OSCE and the European Union because developments in this direction generate hope for further improvement that could not have meteoric rise, but gradual.

Azerbaijan improves position in WEF ranking

Touching upon Azerbaijans achievement and especially its improved position in World Economic Forum (WEF) ranking, the former Croatian president said that it should be seen as a result of Azerbaijani government policies focused on continuous opening up of the country to foreign investments thorough building favorable macroeconomic environment.

This transformation through improving the countrys infrastructure, education and business environment have been so profound and in deep national interest of Azerbaijan. This period of transformation is not over and the country needs more support and understanding of international institutions in its process of integration into global economy that is in deep change and radically diverged from the idea of economic globalization a decade ago, Mesic explained.

Azerbaijans role in future energy map of Europe

Turning to Azerbaijans energy policy, the former Croatian president pointed out that the empirical arguments on the ground can by itself support the claim Azerbaijan is a growing energy partner for the EU and SGC begins to manifest its pivotal role in the future energy map of Europe.

This partnerships significance extends far beyond SGC and its starting point, Shah Deniz-2 gas field, in Azerbaijan, if the EU continues to govern its energy strategy supplies on diversifying supply routes. The Sothern Gas Corridor has potential to decrease the dependence of EU countries on a single supplier of natural gas and other energy resources. In the future, this route should become a further significant supply source for the EU when it opens in 2020-2021, he said.

Mesic went on to add that the European Union has taken many actions, on the basis of the Ashgabat declaration (2015), to closely develop cooperation with Azerbaijan as one of gas suppliers and transit countries.

Azerbaijan is geopolitically important country and its section of the Southern Gas Corridor raises its strategic importance further, he added.

Mesic expressed hope that the EU-Azerbaijan Partnership Priorities, diplomacy, will in a longer view considerably and comprehensively improve their relations.

Azerbaijan stands as desirable model of interreligious dialogue

Speaking of the countrys activities with regards to interreligious and intercultural dialogue, Mesic emphasized that keeping the peace in the focus and all kinds of cooperation have occupied a strategic position in Azerbaijans diplomacy.

I have attended several international, economic and intercultural forums held in Baku and discussions were more and more on multilateralism, an opening up of Azerbaijan to new forms of interconnectedness, as well as economic liberalization and intercultural communication, he said.

But, at any rate, this relatively new forms of multi-layered Azerbaijans society are strongly supported and even generated by traditional interreligious and intercultural dialogue that is significant force of the countrys stability, Mesic said.

The former Croatian president noted that upgrading this state of high level of religious tolerance and harmony, the Azerbaijani government has successfully provided the answers, which cannot be found in the history on modern challenges like different kinds of terrorism.

The concept of remarkable religious tolerance that featured Azerbaijani everyday life sends essentially needed message to the world that in the Muslim majority country with long history of secularism, Christianity, Judaism, Russian Orthodox Christianity, and Albanian-Udi Christianity could be integrated within the society, he stressed.

This remains foundational for every society that focuses on successful handling of issues emerging from cultural and religious differences, Mesic stated.

In this time of rising religious non-tolerance and fracturing of multilateral order, Azerbaijan stands as a desirable model of interreligious dialogue that is worth to be followed. The Azerbaijani model of multiculturalism and a positive policy of state-religion relations contribute to improvement of the cooperation between EU and Azerbaijan, he added.

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Kamila Aliyeva, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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By Trend

Germany is considerably interested in the further development of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) project, Executive Director of the German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (AHK Azerbaijan) Tobias Baumann told Trend.

Baumann said that a number of global and well-known German companies are already actively involved in the construction of the 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," he underlined.

Further, Baumann said that a more promising economic outlook and the governments 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.

"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," Baumann stressed.

He further noted that oil and gas sector tops the priority areas of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Germany, adding that 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, digitalization has recently become a crucial topic of the oil and gas sector. In this view, the upstream industry also opens up great opportunities for German companies offering information technologies and digital services," Baumann noted.

He went on to say that within the diversification policy of the government, the current focus of the development strategy is maximizing integration of Azerbaijans upstream-midstream-downstream oil and gas value chain, adding that hereby, petrochemical industry is the field with great prospects for cooperation with German companies.

Baumann pointed out that development of the long-term energy strategy remains one of the key priorities in Azerbaijan, further saying that 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 framework.

"With that, there will be new chances for German companies to further position themselves in the market as providers of technology, equipment and expertise," he said.

Southern Gas Corridor envisages transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.

On May 29, Baku hosted the launch ceremony of the first phase of the Southern Gas Corridor.

The gas from the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field has already gone through the first segment of the Southern Gas Corridor - from the Sangachal terminal to the expanded South Caucasus Pipeline.

The Southern Gas Corridor project aims to increase and diversify European energy supply by bringing gas resources from the Caspian Sea to markets in Europe. The Southern Gas Corridor comprises the following four projects: (1) operation of Shah Deniz natural gas-condensate field (SD1 project) and its full-field development (SD2 project), (2) the operation of the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP project) and its expansion (SCPX project), (3) the construction of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP project) and (4) the construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP project).

The projects have an estimated investment cost of approximately $40 billion.

Upon completion, the SD2 project will add a further 16 bcm of natural gas per annum to 10.9 bcma (maximum production capacity) already produced under SD1 project.

Total length of the newly constructed SCPX, TANAP and TAP pipelines will be around 3,206 kilometers.

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The Moroccan National Committee for the Business Environment (CNEA) has partnered with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to improve the business climate in the North African country.

Under the agreement signed Thursday by the two parties, IFC pledges to support CNEA in identifying the main barriers to the development of Moroccos private sector. IFC, member of the World Bank, will also advise the CNEA on reforms that would encourage the development of domestic firms.

The signing ceremony also marked the launch of a national survey that will help Morocco gauge the challenges facing local firms. The survey will target a sample of local companies and identify the challenges facing businesses.

The IFC-CNEA partnership is designed to improve the business environment, help unlock the potential of Moroccan businesses, foster growth, and attract continued international investments.

The Moroccan government is working on multi-year plan to improve the business climate and enact the necessary reforms, a process that will involve consultations with the private sector.

Over the past 10 years, Morocco has implemented several reforms that have made doing business in the country easier. In the World Bank Groups 2019 Doing Business report, the country ranked 60th in the world.

According to Mr. Mouayed Makhlouf, IFC Director for MENA region, Morocco is sending a message that it is an attractive investment destination by making great strides in improving business environment and pushing forward the reforms that will unlock the potential of the private sector, create jobs and economic opportunities.

The National Committee for the Business Environment is tasked with proposing reforms that would make doing business in the country easier.

Since its creation in 2010, the CNEA has supported regulatory reforms, encouraged the adoption of digital technology, advocated for the simplification of administrative procedures, and fostered a dialogue between private businesses and government.
By Abdul Kerimkhanov

CSTO allies one after another cut off Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans path for retreat. Pashinyan himself, as a political figure, did everything to make relationship between CSTO and Armenia today so tense and critical. He could not convince the CSTO members to approve his candidacy into the organization.

The Russian president's position on the apointment of CSTO secretary general is yet unknown. Putin is silent, and the Armenian side still has hope that his opinion will be in favor of Yerevan.

In turn, the candidacy of the Belarus representative Stanislav Zas for the post of secretary general was supported by Kyrgyzstan. This was announced by the President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov at a press conference on December 19.

This year the chairmanship in the CSTO passed to Kyrgyzstan, I have received the Secretary of the Belarus Security Council, we talked and I signed the decision, Zheenbekov said, adding that leaving organization like the CSTO without secretary general is impossible.

President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon held a meeting with State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus, Stanislav Zas on December 14. He also expressed readiness to support the candidacy of the representative of Belarus for the post of the CSTO Secretary General.

You are a military man and have the appropriate education. We worked in the General Staff, the Security Council of Belarus. You are familiar with the work of the CSTO, participated in various meetings and conferences. We will support you, said Rahmon during a meeting with the State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus.

Earlier, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev expressed his support Stanislav Zas in a meeting with him in Astana.

Stanislav Zas was born in 1964 in Ukraine. He graduated with honors from the Baku Higher All-Arms Command School in 1985. In accordance with the Decree of Belarusian President, he served as State Secretary of the Security Council from July 1, 2015. He was appointed State Secretary of the Security Council in November 2015.

The post of the CSTO Secretary General remained vacant after Armenia withdrew its representative Yuri Khachaturov. A criminal case was initiated against him in Yerevan. Khachaturov is accused of overthrowing the constitutional order during the post-election events of March 1, 2008.

Valery Semerikov from Russia is currently the Acting Secretary General.

Armenia insists on maintaining this position until 2020. However, the CSTO stated that due to the political situation in the country, it would be inappropriate to give up the post again to Armenia.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

The Indian company, Synthite Industries Ltd, plans to implement a project for the cultivation and processing of pepper in Uzbekistan, Uzbek media reported.

Negotiations were held between the leadership of the Indian company and the Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Investments, Shamil Burnashev, on December 19.

Pepper is selected as an experimental crop for this initiative. Agreements on this were concluded in the framework of the official visit of the President of Uzbekistan to India. The total investment in the project is estimated at around $ 4 million.

Synthite Industries Ltd is India's largest producer and exporter of spices and essential oils. The company has more than forty years of experience in the world market, the range of products consists of 500 items focused on herbal ingredients for flavour and aroma solutions. The company's turnover in 2017 amounted to more than $ 250 million.

The company's products are widely used in the food industry for bakery and confectionery products, dairy products, pickles, various types of oils, sauces and ketchups.

"During the visit, the company representatives met with the leadership of Khokimiyats of Samarkand, Khorezm and Tashkent regions, where they were shown land for growing and processing agricultural crops. Previously, these regions were chosen as the sites for the project," the State Investment Agency noted.

During negotiations with Shamil Burnashev, the head of the delegation of Synthite Industries Ltd stressed that by the beginning of 2019 they plan to complete marketing research, and within a year begin to grow the first experimental samples.

At the end of the meeting, preliminary dates for the next visit of the delegation of Synthite Industries Ltd to discuss the next stage of the investment project were considered.

Diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and India were established on March 18, 1992.

Total trade turnover between two countries was $323.6 million, from which $291 million was imports from India and $32.6 million were exports to India.

Uzbekistan exports to India beans, balsams, raw silk, earth metals, fertilizers and other goods. The main products imported from India are medicines, ferrous metals, various technological equipment, spare parts for cars.

According to Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investment & Trade, 113 companies created with participation of Indian capital are working in Uzbekistan, out of which 19 companies are with 100 percent investment.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

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By Trend

Rouhani and Erdogan expressed concern about the effects and damage of unilateral US sanctions on people's lives, cooperation, prosperity and regional stability.

President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani and President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a joint statement issued at the end of the fifth meeting of the High Council of Strategic Relations insisted that any necessary steps to increase trade between them will be taken by strengthening the existing mechanisms, Trend reports citing Tasnim.

The presidents of the two countries also jointly expressed their deep regret over the withdrawal of the US from JCPOA and unfair sanctions imposed by the US on Iran, and expressed their concerns over the effect of the sanctions on the lives of innocent people and on regional trade, prosperity and stability.

The foreign ministers of the two countries attended the meeting as coordinators.

The two sides expressed their desire to take any necessary steps to increase trade by strengthening existing mechanisms, such as the joint economic commission, identifying new areas of economic cooperation and developing appropriate measures to bring about closer business partnerships.

Providing better conditions for investors in the two countries, facilitating the transportation of goods and enhancing private sector participation in business and cooperation were also the parts of the final joint statement.

The two sides reaffirmed the need for full implementation of JCPOA with the commitments of all parties.

Iran and Turkey emphasized the importance of working with international organizations, such as the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and the D-8, both of which are their members.

A document on press and media cooperation and a memorandum of understanding on health cooperation were signed in the presence of the presidents.

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By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

President Donald Trumps statement about the US withdrawal of troops from Syrias northern regions was perceived as a real victory amid the preparation for a new military operation by the Turkish Armed Forces in Syria against PYD/YPG, a Syrian wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

A number of Turkish political analysts perceived the US decision as a result of Turkeys political pressure on Washington.

Of course, the withdrawal of the US military contingent from northern Syria will simplify the operations of the Turkish Armed Forces in the fight against the PYD/YPG terrorists, but it is early to make success reports.

The withdrawal of the US military from Syria does not mean that the US will take away the weapons that once were given to the PYD/YPG fighters.

Earlier, the US authorities have repeatedly promised Ankara that as soon as the fight against "Islamic State" (IS) terrorists ends, the Americans will take away their weapons from PYD/YPG. Ankara has always been suspicious of that.

There is a probability that even if the US withdraws its troops from Syrias northern regions, Washington will not keep its promises regarding taking away weapons from the PYD/YPG militants.

It is quite obvious that it would be extremely thoughtless to believe that the US would simply leave Syria, which was planned to be used as a springboard against Iran, especially taking into account the fact that the withdrawal of the US military will unambiguously strengthen the positions of Turkey, Iran and Russia in the region, which directly contradicts Washingtons interests.

As is known, terrorist organizations have always been puppets in the hands of a number of countries and from time to time their masters change.

Presently, PYD/YPG is a real force in northern Syria. Here a question arises. Who will be the master of the Kurdish terrorists after the withdrawal of the US military from the region?

Presently, the US military bases are located in 10 settlements in northern Syria. No exact date for the withdrawal of troops has been determined.

Moreover, presently, the French military contingent, despite its small number, is still in northern Syria.

Taking into account all the above mentioned facts, it is possible to say that the statements voiced in Washington about withdrawal of the US contingent from Syrias northern regions may be another US attempt to delay the beginning of the military operation of the Turkish Armed Forces in northern Syria, by forcing Ankara to wait for the withdrawal of troops.

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By Trend

President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday that the Islamic Republic of Iran through a sound management will be able to chance sanctions into opportunity to tie Iran-Turkey economy, Trend reports citing IRNA.

According to the presidential website, Rouhani made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian businessmen in Turkey.

'Iran is ready to meet Turkey's energy demands in long term while once again described the US economic sanctions against the country as rough and unfair,' he added.

President Rouhani said that only the international rules and regulations and nations' interests should be of prime importance and no other power in the world should be able to leave 'impact on our economy as we are able through sound management to change all threats into opportunity' to bring the two sides economies much closer.

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By Trend

Iran and Turkey are to form joint electricity market committee according to an agreement reached between Iranian Minister of Energy Reza Ardakanian and his Turkish counterpart Fatih Donmez in Ankara on Thursday, Trend reports citing IRNA.

Ardakanian made the remarks after a meeting with his Turkish counterpart on the sidelines of the 5th Session of the High Council of Iran-Turkey Strategic Relations.

He said Turkey is to raise volume of electricity imports up to 1,050 megawatts by 2020 from the current 600 megawatts.

Ardakanian added that the two sides will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the near future to that effect.

The Iranian energy minister also pointed to his discussions in a separate meeting on Thursday, on environmental issues and erection of a border wall with Turkey, with Turkish minister of Environment and Urbanization Murat Kurum.

A joint committee is to look into the project in the near future, Ardakanian added.

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

The sanctions imposed on Iran seem to be considerably heavier, even taking into account the fact that they were imposed only by the U.S.

By the way, the United States is not an important trading partner for Iran. U.S. exports to Iran in January-July reached $ 95.4 million, while their imports from Iran amounted to $ 60.2 million. Thus, total trade turnover for specified months was $ 155.6 million, what is a drop in the ocean for such a giant economy as the U.S.

Irans advantage is that it has already had experience in living under the sanctions regime. In addition, Trump often said that he agreed to negotiate with the Iranian government. However, even in the event of these negotiations failure, Iran has enough allies in the region, one of which is Turkey.

Iran and Turkey are two regional forces that have a border of 560 km unchanged for about 400 years. Turkey seeks to develop bilateral relations with Iran on the basis of mutual respect, the principle of good neighborliness and non-interference in internal affairs. In particular, in the framework of recent visits at the highest level, efforts are being made to develop bilateral relations in various fields of activity and to interact on regional issues.

For a long time, Turkey and Iran have been competing with each other in a very wide area, including the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia. At the same time, the two countries cooperate within the framework of such economic and trade organizations as the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and the Islamic D-8.

Tehran aims to expand cooperation with Turkey in the energy sector and is ready to fully meet its energy needs in the long term, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a speech at the Turkey-Iran business forum in Ankara.

Rouhani is in Turkey on a two-day visit, he held talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the Turkish-Iranian Cooperation Council of the highest level was held under their chairmanship.

"We are ready to fully meet the requirements of brotherly and neighboring Turkey for energy resources in the long term," the Iranian leader said.

Rouhani noted that Iran is interested in attracting Turkish investments, in particular, in the petrochemical industry of the country. He expressed readiness to create comprehensive conditions for Turkish investors who want to operate in various sectors of the Iranian economy, including in the petrochemical sector.

"Products produced as a result of this activity can be exported both to Turkey and to third countries," added the Iranian president.

He sharply criticized the U.S. sanctions policy towards Iran.

"We are faced with a cruel and unjust embargo. These sanctions are a threat to us, can cause damage to us, reduce trade and limit communications. However, having developed a good plan, we can turn the sanctions to our advantage," said Rouhani.

As he said, Turkey and Iran, as opposed to the policy of sanctions, should make efforts to further strengthen ties between the two countries. Rouhani underlined that economies of two countries should be intertwined as much as possible in order to prevent any acts and pressure. He added that the countries of the region will never allow the "external forces" to make decisions about their future.

U.S. sanctions against Iran have a negative impact on the region, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Ankara during a joint press conference with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Erdogan noted that Turkey did not join these sanctions and does not intend to join them in the future.

The President added that Turkey will do everything possible in order to minimize the effects of sanctions that may affect the economy of Turkey.

The head of state also noted that relations between Turkey and Iran are currently developing in all directions.

As he said, work is also underway to increase the trade turnover between Turkey and Iran.

Following the results of October 2018, the trade turnover between two countries amounted to $8 billion, concluded Erdogan.

On November 2, Washington announced that it would grant eight countries permission to buy Iranian oil when imposing sanctions on Tehran from November 5 to 180 days without the possibility of extending this period.

On November 4, 2018, the U.S. re-imposed all remaining secondary sanctions on Iran that were previously lifted under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). This is the final action required to re-impose Iranian sanctions since President Trump's May 8, 2018 announcement of the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA. The U.S. initially imposed certain sanctions on August 7, 2018.

These sanctions were imposed on Iran's port operators and shipping and shipbuilding sectors, on petroleum-related transactions with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), Naftiran Intertrade Company (NICO), and the Central Bank of Iran, on transactions by foreign financial institutions (FFIs) with the Central Bank of Iran, on the provision of specialized financial messaging services to the CBI and Iranian financial institutions, on the provision of underwriting services, insurance, or reinsurance and on Iran's energy sector.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Abdul Kerimkhanov

The gradual normalization of relations between Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan has revived the idea of creating an analogue of the Schengen zone.

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in February 2019 can launch the Silk Visa general program, stated Acting First Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Tourism Ulugbek Kasimkhodzhaev.

As he said, the two countries agreed on the draft Silk Visa. He added that the parties should agree on technical details and equipment.

Kasimkhodzhaev noted that other countries in the region are also showing interest in this project. Among them - Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. At the same time, Kazakhstan also proposes to connect Azerbaijan and Turkey to this project.

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan signed in mid-November agreements on the mutual recognition of visa regimes by the countries of the Silk Road.

For the first time, the creation of a silk visa, uniform for the whole of Central Asia, was launched in June of this year, the idea is supported by Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. It belonged to the chairman of the committee on international relations, defense and security of Kazakhstan, Dariga Nazarbayeva. She also advocates the option of removing visa barriers in Central Asia.

At the core of the Asian continent lies Central Asia, a region rich in history and steeped in culture. This region benefits from a blend of national identities that have been carefully cultivated over many centuries. Central Asia, as it is defined today, is comprised of five former Soviet republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Central Asian countries constitute a large region with a population of about 70 million people.

According to the UN, over the past 10 years, the average GDP growth in Central Asian countries as a whole was 6.2 percent, when the whole world developed at a rate of 2.6 percent. There has also been a sharp increase in trade, which has doubled in 10 years, from $ 1.6 billion to $ 3.1 billion.

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan currently experience a rise in mutual economic ties. In 2017, the trade turnover between the two Central Asian nations increased by 8.6 percent and exceeded $ 2 billion. In January-June 2018, the trade turnover between the two countries increased by 52 percent, with Uzbek exports growth of 48 percent. Over 200 companies with Kazakh capital currently operate in Uzbekistan.

Earlier this year, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan agreed to take further measures to ensure the growth of trade turnover to $ 3 billion in 2018 and $ 5 billion by 2020. The countries also intend to increase the number of rail, bus and air communication between two states.

Uzbek investments in Kazakhstan for the past 10 years amounted to $ 31.3 million, half of which falls for 2016. Kazakh investments in Uzbekistan totalled $ 114.4 million in the past decade.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Japan will provide Tajikistan with more than $ 441,800 of grant funds within the framework of the Government of Japans program of free humanitarian aid projects for the general public, the Japanese Embassy in Tajikistan reports.

Earlier, the signing ceremony of documents for five new projects took place. The contracts were signed by Hajime Kitaoka, the Japanese ambassador to Tajikistan, and representatives of the beneficiary organizations.

About $ 91,900 is planned to be allocated for the improvement of medical equipment of the Central Hospital of the District of Abdurahmoni Jomi Khatlon region.

About $ 89,300 will be allocated for the construction of the new school building No. 60 in the village of Javonon, Faizabad district, almost the same amount will be allocated for the construction of an additional building of school No. 7, located in the Obi Garm village jamoat of Rogun city.

Over $ 89,200 will be used for the renovation of medical equipment at the Medical Center in Dushanbe, and about $ 82,200 - for the construction of the new building of school No. 79 in the Nurabad district.

Tajik-Japanese relations have been continuously and systematically developing since the establishment of diplomatic relations on February 2, 1992.

Tajikistan is interested in further expanding constructive cooperation with Japan within the framework of the United Nations and other authoritative international organizations and financial institutions. An important platform for the interaction is the Dialogue Central Asia + Japan.

The main documents governing bilateral relations at this stage are the Joint Communique of Friendship and Cooperation between Tajikistan and Japan of 2001 and the Agreement between the Government of Tajikistan and the Government of Japan on Technical Cooperation of 2005.

The activity of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which since August 2006 has been making a significant contribution to the development of the social spheres of Tajikistan, is important in strengthening bilateral cooperation.

Tajikistan-Japan Friendship Society was established in Tajikistan in 2013.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Travel companies in Azerbaijan will be divided into categories "A", "B", "C" and so on, said head of the public relations department of the State Tourism Agency Kanan Guluzade.

He noted that the categories will be determined in accordance with the number and type of services provided by travel agencies.

Guluzade noticed that there are travel companies with numerous activities, a large number of employees.

"In addition, such companies have the opportunity to provide services in the hotel business and transport sector, as well as provide guide services. Companies with a large number of types of services will receive a higher category. At the same time, there are travel companies that operate on the market with limited capabilities - with a small staff and not providing hotel and other types of services. Accordingly, they will be assigned a lower category," he noted.

Guluzade considers that the division of travel companies into categories stimulates the development of companies and contributes to the formation of healthy competition in the tourism market.

The head of the department noted that regardless of the category received, it is planned to include all travel companies in the tourist register.

"The registry will be available to everyone. The client will be able to select services that fit their budget through this registry and send the order to the company providing the required level of services," Guluzade concluded.

Tourism is one of the economy branches that has been developing rapidly in recent years. The location of the Land of Fire at the junction of Europe and Asia makes it very attractive for the development of tourism business. Of the 11 existing climatic zones of our planet, nine are represented in the territory of Azerbaijan, ranging from subtropics to alpine mountain meadows.

Azerbaijan was elected a full member of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) In September 2001. This allowed the country to have the right to vote in the WTO General Assembly, to participate in all the activities of this organization and, adopting the experience of advanced countries in the field of tourism, integrate into the world family of the tourism community.

Azerbaijan became the winner of the contest Best tourist destinations - 2015 held by the National Geographic Traveler magazine in the Discovery of the Year nomination in 2015.

In January-October 2018, as many as 2,420,400 foreigners and stateless persons from 194 countries arrived in Azerbaijan, and this indicates a 6.1 percent growth compared to the same period of 2017. Russians made up the majority of the tourists who visited Azerbaijan. As many as 31.1 percent of the tourists came from Russia.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Migrants and refugees are being subjected to unimaginable horrors from the moment they enter Libya, throughout their stay in the country and  if they make it that far  during their attempts to cross the Mediterranean.

The bleak picture of this hidden human calamity was depicted in a report released on Thursday, by the United Nations political mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the UN human rights office (OHCHR).

From unlawful killings, arbitrary detention and torture, to gang rape, slavery, and human trafficking, the report covers a 20-month period up to August 2018, and details a terrible litany of violations and abuses committed by a range of State officials, armed groups, smugglers and traffickers against migrants and refugees.

The findings are based on 1,300 first-hand accounts gathered by UN human rights staff in Libya itself, as well as from migrants who have returned to Nigeria, or managed to reach Italy, tracing the entire journey of migrants and refugees from Libyas southern border, across the desert to the northern coast.

The climate of lawlessness in Libya provides fertile ground for illicit activities, leaving migrants and refugees at the mercy of countless predators who view them as commodities to be exploited and extorted, the report says, noting that the overwhelming majority of women and older teenage girls report having been gang raped by smugglers or traffickers.

Many people are sold from one criminal group to another and held in unofficial and illegal centers run directly by armed groups or criminal gangs. Countless migrants and refugees lost their lives during captivity by smugglers, after being shot, tortured to death, or simply left to die from starvation or medical neglect, the report says. Across Libya, unidentified bodies of migrants and refugees bearing gunshot wounds, torture marks and burns are frequently uncovered in rubbish bins, dry river beds, farms and the desert.

Those who manage to survive the abuse and exploitation and attempt the perilous Mediterranean crossing are increasingly being intercepted  or rescued as some claim  by the Libyan Coast Guard. Since early 2017, the approximately 29,000 migrants returned to Libya by the Coast Guard were placed in detention centers where thousands remain indefinitely and arbitrarily, without due process or access to lawyers or consular services.

The report points to the apparent complicity of some State actors, including local officials, members of armed groups formally integrated into State institutions, and representatives of the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defense, in the smuggling or trafficking of migrants and refugees.

There is a local and international failure to handle this hidden human calamity that continues to take place in Libya, said Ghassan Salame, who heads UNSMIL.

The UN independent human rights expert on torture, Nils Melzer, estimates that, given the risks of facing human rights abuses in the country, transfers and returns to Libya can be considered a violation of the international legal principle of non-refoulement, which protects asylum seekers and migrants against returns to countries where they have reason to fear violence or persecution.

The situation is utterly dreadful, said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Thursday. Tackling the rampant impunity would not only end the suffering of tens of thousands of migrant and refugee women, men and children seeking a better life, but also undercut the parallel illicit economy built on the abuse of these people and help establish the rule of law and national institutions.

The report calls on European States to reconsider the human costs of their policies and ensure that their cooperation and assistance to the Libyan authorities be respectful of human rights, and in line with international human rights and refugee law, so they do not, directly or indirectly, result in men, women and children being trapped in abusive situations with little hope of protection and remedy.

afrique.latribune.fr

Lee Nak-yeon en Tunisie : la Coree du Sud veut charmer lAfrique

Par Ibrahima Bayo Jr.

5-6 minutes

Economie

Strategies

| 18/12/2018, 7:00 | 506 mots

Lee Nak-yeon, le Premier ministre sud-coreen rencontre aujourdhui mardi 18 decembre, son homologue tunisien, Youssef Chahed.

Lee Nak-yeon, le Premier ministre sud-coreen rencontre aujourdhui mardi 18 decembre, son homologue tunisien, Youssef Chahed. (Credits : Reuters)

Historique! A Tunis comme a Seoul, on sait saccorder sur le qualificatif de cette visite. Sous le sceau du cinquantenaire de letablissement de leurs relations diplomatiques, Lee Nak-yeon, le Premier ministre de Coree du Sud entame a partir de ce mardi 18 decembre, une visite de deux jours a Tunis. Une porte dentree pour le Dragon asiatique qui veut charmer lAfrique a coups de milliards de dollars. Details.

A Tunis, on sactive autour des derniers preparatifs pour accueillir cet hote de marque venu dextreme orient. Cest la premiere fois, depuis letablissement des relations diplomatiques entre Tunis et Seoul il y a 50 ans, quun Premier ministre sud-coreen se rend en visite dans la capitale tunisienne.

Au nom du cinquantenaire des relations tuniso-corennes

A la tete dune delegation dhommes daffaires et de facilitateurs institutionnels, Lee Nak-yeon, le Premier ministre rencontre ce mardi 18 decembre son homologue tunisien, Youssef Chahed. Ce nest pas le seul point detape de cette visite de deux jours.

Le Premier ministre sud-coreen devrait aussi etre recu en entretien avec Beji Caid Essebsi, le chef de lEtat tunisien ou encore le ministre Mohamed Naceur et le president de lAssemblee nationale. Au menu egalement, plusieurs signatures daccords de partenariat notamment dans lagriculture, lindustrie ou encore la technologie lors dun forum tuniso-coreen destine a renforcer la cooperation de laxe Tunis-Seoul fort dun volume dechanges de 200 millions de dollars

 Cette visite savere historique du fait quelle coincide avec la celebration du 50e anniversaire de letablissement des liens diplomatiques entre la Tunisie et la Coree du Sud, commente le gouvernement tunisien dans un communique. Elle  semera une nouvelle dynamique au sein des relations entre les deux pays dautant quelle hissera la cooperation bilaterale a un palier superieur.

Pour le gouvernement tunisien, la Coree du Sud est un partenaire que lon regarde comme un investisseur pour financer les projets du Plan quadriennal de developpement de la Tunisie 2016-2020. Atomes crochus, puisque Cho Koo Rae, lambassadeur de la Coree du Sud en Tunisie assurait en septembre 2018 que son pays souhaitait porter au double le montant de ses investissements dans le pays. Sans dire que cest pour contrer lavance de la Chine, lautre puissance montante dans le pays.

Une enveloppe de 5 milliards de dollars pour rever dAfrique

La Coree du Sud reve aussi dune extension de ses investissements dans tout le Maghreb. Lee Nak-yeon a pu caler dans son agenda une visite au Maroc (20 decembre 2018) et en Algerie. Le meme schema, signatures daccords commerciaux et diplomatiques, devrait etre reconduit.

Ces dernieres annees, la Coree du Sud reve dAfrique avec lAfrique du nord comme porte de penetration sur le marche continental. En mai dernier lors de la 6e Conference sur la Cooperation economique entre la Coree et lAfrique (KOAFEC) a Busan, Kim Dong-yeon, Premier ministre adjoint, avait annonce que son pays compte accorder une enveloppe dinvestissements de 5 milliards de dollars a des projets de plusieurs pays dAfrique entre 2019 et 2020.

Repartie en aide, financements ou prises de participation dans des entreprises africaines, cette enveloppe devrait etre destinee en priorite a des projets ficeles dans les domaines des infrastructures electriques -au moins le cinquieme de lenveloppe-, de lindustrialisation ou encore des nouvelles technologies.
The remains of the two Scandinavian backpackers who were killed near Imlil, in the Atlas Mountains, were repatriated, Friday, to Copenhagen, Denmarks capital.

Several local online media reported that the bodies of the two hikers who were found dead near their tent on Monday, were flown to Denmark Friday.

The Norwegian embassy in Rabat confirmed to one of these media, yabiladi.com, that the bodies of Danish student Louisa Jespersen and her Norwegian friend Maren Ueland were repatriated, Friday, on the same plane which is heading to Copenhagen.

Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, a 24-year-old Danish student, and her Norwegian friend, Maren Ueland, 28 were found dead inside their tent near Imlil by French mountaineers on Monday Dec.17.

Moroccan authorities have managed to arrest the four suspects who had pledged allegiance to ISIS one week before the killings.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said the killings were politically motivated and thus an act of terror

He said he was dismayed, disgusted and deeply distressed by the brutal murder of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and her Norwegian friend, Maren Ueland, confirming that a terrorist investigation has been opened.

The Danish intelligence service said in a statement Thursday this is a case of an unusually bestial killing of two totally innocent young women. Evidence suggests the killings may be related to the terrorist organization Islamic State, he intelligence service added.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said other leads are being followed as investigators seek a motive for the murders.

The first suspect arrested in Marrakesh on Tuesday was a member of an unidentified militant group, according to the Moroccan bureau for judicial investigations (BCIJ), which arrested later three more suspects, directly linked to the crime, while they were trying to flee Marrakesh by bus.

The BCIJ also announced it arrested, Thursday and Friday, nine other individuals, in five Moroccan cities. All are suspected of links with the four suspects in the savage killing of the two Scandinavian tourists.

The nine new suspects were arrested in the cities of Marrakech, Essaouira, Sidi Bennour, Tangier and Chtouka Ait Baha, said the BCIJ in a statement.

The various searches conducted by the BCIJ during these arrests led to the seizure of several electronic devices, a shotgun, several knives and suspicious products, which can be used in the manufacture of explosives.

The Washington Post, in a story on the two Scandinavians murder, said such killings are exceedingly rare in Morocco, a hugely popular tourist destination.

The last high-profile terrorist attack there was in 2011, when a bombing at a restaurant in Marrakesh killed 17 people, the US wide-circulation paper recalled.

Morocco has taken a number of steps over the last few years to improve security, dismantle terrorist cells and undermine the ability of violent groups to recruit and operate in Morocco, the daily quoted Haim Malka, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies focused on North Africa, as saying.

Malka said, Morocco is working more broadly to try to undermine the appeal of violent extremism. He said he doesnt see the murders as part of a larger wave of potential terrorist attacks in the country.

I see it as an isolated incident, a target of opportunity, Malka said. And the fact that these guys were caught already so quickly . . . doesnt point to a high level of sophistication.

Meanwhile, Moroccans from all walks of life continue to vent their anger and frustration and to denounce the awful acts while presenting their condolences to the families of the two victims on social media.

A viral message was posted by thousands of Moroccans, followed by a sorry and rest in peace hashtags. A similar message was massively shared by Moroccan internet users on Twitter, denouncing the barbaric and horrible acts.

In addition to the messages shared online, sit-ins were held in front of the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Rabat Thursday and friday.

The Moroccan Lawyers Club on its part announced they are organizing a sit-in in rabat on Saturday to express support to the victims families and pay tribute to them.

On Thursday, the Moroccan cabinet and the Parliament had also vehemently condemned the assassination of the two Scandinavian tourists.
President Trump and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis announced his resignation Thursday, writing in a letter to President Trump that the leader of the Pentagon should be someone who is better aligned with the presidents objectives. Thats an apparent reference to disagreements between Trump and Mattis over the withdrawal of American troops from Syria.

According to the Times, Mattis went to the White House Thursday in an attempt to convince Trump not to remove the 2,000 Americans currently in Syria. He was rebuffed, and told the president that he was resigning as a result, the Times reports.

In his resignation letter, Mattis criticized Trump without using his name:

One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies.

Just moments before the release of Mattiss resignation letter, Trump tweeted that the Defense Secretary would be retiring at the end of February.

General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years. During Jims tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

....equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

With the announcement of Mattiss departure, the Trump administration will soon be without him, Rex Tillerson, John Kelly, and H.R. McMaster, a quartet once described as the White Houses adults in the room.
A man was shot and killed earlier this morning at a Beaumont hotel.

Police said a call came in around 10:16 a.m. of shots fired at the America's Best Value Inn at 1155 Interstate 10.

Police said Reginald D. Eaglin, 30 of Beaumont, was found unresponsive near a vehicle at the inn's parking lot.

One person of interest has been taken into custody and is speaking with authorities.

"I have so many memories of the man, it's hard to choose one. He was the glue. He was always calling everyone, and if it weren't for him we probably wouldn't be as close of a family," Cousin Brandon Menefee, 23, said.

A woman at the scene that did not want to be identified said her kids grew up with the victim.

"It's terrible," she said.

"His family, his son, was the world to him. He always had jokes, and no matter the circumstances he was there for his family," Menefee said.

"Its really sad to see this happening in a time where we're all supposed to be loving - with the holidays around the corner. Hopefully we stop seeing this kind of stuff," Sergeant Cody Guedry with BPD said.

This is a developing story. Updates will be posted as more information becomes available.
WASHINGTON  Members of the House Freedom Caucus and other conservative lawmakers, including Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, rallied Thursday to block a stopgap funding measure that would keep the government open past Friday without money for a border wall.

Warning that the budget battle could be their last chance to fund President Donald Trump's promised wall before Democrats take control of the U.S. House in January, the conservatives pressed House Republican leaders to dig in against a bipartisan measure passed by the Senate that would fund the government until Feb. 8.

Moments after the Senate passed the temporary funding measure on a voice vote Wednesday night, Cruz issued a statement calling it a "missed opportunity" to make good on a marquee campaign promise.

"Unfortunately, this continuing resolution fails to reflect these priorities by not sufficiently securing the border," Cruz said. "This is a missed opportunity to deliver on the promises made to the American people."

Cruz's continued opposition recalled his role in a 2013 government shutdown as part of an unsuccessful push to block funding for the Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare."

Members of the House Freedom Caucus also took to the House floor late Wednesday night to denounce the Senate bill, which was backed  however reluctantly  by Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Senate GOP leaders eager to avert a partial government shutdown.

Congress already has funded the majority of the government for 2019, but some half-dozen agencies or departments, including Homeland Security, are operating under a temporary agreement that expires at midnight Friday.

Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows of North Carolina told reporters that Trump's "base will go crazy" if the new Senate funding bill were to pass without wall money. That sentiment was echoed in conservative social media and broadcast outlets.

Among the more outspoken critics was Texas Republican Louie Gohmert, a Freedom Caucus member from Tyler, who put Republican leaders on notice in a fiery speech on the House floor.

"We need Americans to help remind our Republican leaders to help our president build the wall, like we said," Gohmert said, putting GOP divisions on full display. "If we drop the ball on this biggest campaign promise, we're not going to have the majority in either house or the White House."

Trump, who is seeking $5 billion in wall spending for 2019, met with House and Freedom Caucus members Thursday and pressed Democrats to ease off their refusal to include wall dollars in the funding measure.

Later, at a signing ceremony for a farm bill, he said he considers border security an "absolute duty," and that any measure that funds the government "has to include border security."

Although Trump did not explicitly threaten a veto, House Speaker Paul Ryan said after their meeting that Trump would not sign a funding measure without money for the wall.

Ryan said House Republicans were working on a funding measure Thursday that would include wall funding  or at least increased money for "border security." But even if such a bill passes in the last hours of the Republican-led House  by no means a certainty  it would leave the House and Senate at loggerheads, increasing the chances of a Friday shutdown.

Democrats, meanwhile, suggested that the conservative rebellion was futile. "Vetoing the last train out of the station... would be doubling down on a Christmas shutdown and every single American would know it," said Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. "Most importantly, it would not move the needle an inch towards the president getting his wall."

If Friday's deadline passes without an agreement, the government would undergo a partial shutdown lasting possibly until January 3, when the House convenes with a Democratic Majority led by incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who could then pass a new funding measure.
They can put up with a lot, but now hes threatening their donors bottom line. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Most weeks, New York Magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich speaks with contributor Alex Carp about the biggest stories in politics and culture. Today, the consequences of Trumps erratic moves at home and abroad.

With the harsh words of Secretary of Defense James Mattiss resignation, the unexpected withdrawal from Syria, and the about-face toward a looming government shutdown, some close to President Trumps Washington feel like weve been thrown back into the chaotic early days of the administration, while others worry that the wheels may be coming off. Is it right to read this as the beginning of the end?

The beginning of the end of the Trump presidency came and went a long time ago. I have never wavered from my oft-stated convictions that (a) Trump will not finish out his term, and (b), the end will be triggered by a presidential meltdown that forces the Vichy Republicans in Washington to mount an insurrection  if only to save their own asses, not the country. This week was a big step toward that endgame, and surely one of the most remarkable weeks in American history.

We have a president of the United States who is moving to shut down the government at the same moment that he is inviting Americas adversaries to breach its defenses. The withdrawals in Syria and Afghanistan, combined with the exit of the last top administration official who aspired to serve the national interest rather than Trumps, invites hostile moves against the United States from ISIS, Russia, China, North Korea, and the Taliban. This has even grabbed the cynical Mitch McConnells attention: He has declared himself distressed by Mattiss resignation, a major step in rhetorical escalation in a party where Susan Collinss pathetic periodic expressions of concern are what pass for criticism of an outlaw president. Marco Rubios words were stronger, a move to protect his viability for another presidential run, but more outrage from more GOP leaders will follow. What will move them is not necessarily Trumps hara-kiri isolationist agenda but the damage his behavior both abroad and at home is inflicting on the financial markets. The sheer uncertainty of a chaos presidency is pushing the Dow to its worst December since the Great Depression. McConnell and his humiliated departing peer Paul Ryan have tolerated Trumps racism, misogyny, and nativism, his wreckage of American alliances, his kleptocracy, and his allegiance to Vladimir Putin. They have tolerated as well his con job on the coal miners, steelworkers, and automobile-industry workers of his base. But theyll be damned if they will stand for a president who threatens the bottom line of the GOP donor class.

The Mattis resignation is huge. Its not that he was the last adult in the room but that as a retired military man and a secretary of Defense with access to both foreign intelligence and the inner workings of the White House, he knows treason when he sees it. His resignation letter stops just short of saying that Trump is actively serving the interests of China and Russia as they try to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model. Certainly it is extraordinary that Trump consulted with the Turkish dictator Recep Tayyip Erdogan when making his abrupt move in Syria but did not bother to consult the American general, Joseph Dunford, who serves as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. For all we know, Trump also was directly or indirectly in touch with Putin, the most vocal defender of his actions.

What happens now? Surely the best fit for next secretary of Defense  one who aligns with Trumps interests  is Erik Prince, whose security firm, then known as Blackwater, carried out a massacre of Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007. Prince is Betsy DeVoss brother, an advocate of privatizing the military, and has caught Robert Muellers attention for his own alleged role in Russian collusion with the Trump campaign. But I speak in jest. Prince could never get through a confirmation process now, and who knows where America will be or who will be in charge by the time we get to Mattiss announced February departure date, more than two months from now. The country is going to be riveted by the televised testimony of lawyered-up Trump lackeys as they face the inquisitors of Nancy Pelosis Congress.

What we are likely to see in the meantime: further indictments of Trump family members and other close associates; a complete halt to governance in Washington whether theres actually a government shutdown or not; new overt and covert threats to national security; a further effort by Trump to destabilize the Federal Reserve and assault its chairman; and perhaps, at last, an intervention by those Vichy Republicans, in the financial sector as well as in the capital, who see their own necks on the line.

But meanwhile, we have more than two weeks in store of watching an isolated madman rampaging through the gilded rooms of Mar-a-Lago, wreaking whatever damage he can on the country as the walls of justice continue to close in on him. Happy New Year!
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and Aledade  a Bethesda, Md.-based ACO startup  joined forces to help hundreds of physicians in North Carolina launch ACOs.

Independent primary care practices in the following specialties will be eligible to join in 2019: Internal medicine, family medicine and adult general practice.

The collaboration will provide physicians with the tools, technology and data to better manage patient care and costs. BCBS will provide claims data and support while Aledade will offer data analytics as well as tools for care management, patient outreach and navigating regulations. Aledade has helped independent physicians in 18 states launch ACOs.

"Through commercial payer arrangements like this, we're empowering independent physicians to deliver the benefits of value-based care to all of their patients," Farzad Mostashari, MD, CEO and co-founder of Aledade, said in a press release.

More articles on accountable care:

ACOs saved $2.66B in 4 years

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In 2018, 12 hospitals and health systems announced or unveiled facility expansions and renovations with price tags of $1 billion or more.

1. Sutter Health's $2.1B campus to open in March

Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health plans to open its $2.1 billion hospital campus next March, a few months ahead of schedule.

2. Georgia approves $1.5B Children's Healthcare of Atlanta hospital: 3 notes

Georgia approved Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's certificate of need application to replace the 325-bed children's hospital in Atlanta with a larger one containing 446 beds, also in Atlanta.

3. City approves part of UPMC's $2B expansion plan

The Pittsburgh Planning Commission approved on Oct. 23 UPMC's plan to build a vision and rehabilitation hospital in Pittsburgh as part of the system's $2 billion expansion.

4. JPS Health Network seeks $800M toward $1.2B in campus upgrades

Fort Worth, Texas-based Tarrant County Hospital District, which does business as JPS Health Network, is seeking voter approval for an $800 million bond proposal that would fund more than $1.2 billion in hospital upgrades.

5. Colorado VA hospital to open $1B over budget after 5-year delay

Although it's five-years behind schedule and $1 billion over budget, the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center opened to outpatients July 27 and inpatients Aug. 4. The cost of the project was $1.7 billion.

6. Atrium Health to spend $1B on capital projects: 6 things to know

Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health plans to spend more than $1 billion to upgrade and expand several facilities in its network, representing the largest capital investment in the health system's history.

7. Banner Health has $1.7B worth of construction projects in the works

Phoenix-based Banner Health has 386 active construction projects across its markets, totaling $1.7 billion.

8. NewYork-Presbyterian unveils $1.1B ambulatory care center

New York City-based NewYork-Presbyterian completed construction April 24 of its David H. Koch Center, a $1.1 billion ambulatory care facility in Manhattan that will soon be home to a women and children's hospital.

9. Texas Medical Center unveils plan for 30-acre medical research campus: 8 things to know

Houston-based Texas Medical Center unveiled plans April 23 for a sweeping medical research campus that brings together five of the state's powerhouse research institutions. While leaders of the five founding institutions have yet to disclose the project's price tag, it's estimated to cost $1.5 billion.

10. Indiana University Health prepares for $1B transformation

Indianapolis-based Indiana University Health is preparing to start a major consolidation project, expected to cost $1 billion.

11. UC San Francisco to construct $1.5B hospital with support from record $500M donation

UC San Francisco unveiled plans Feb. 8 to build a $1.5 billion replacement hospital, supported by a record-breaking $500 million commitment.

12. Part of a $1B expansion project: BJC Healthcare unveils 12-story patient tower

As part of a planned $1 billion transformation project, St. Louis-based BJC Healthcare unveiled its 12-story inpatient tower at St. Louis-based Barnes-Jewish Hospital and an expansion of St. Louis Children's Hospital Jan. 19.
Hospital CFOs are required to have a certain skill set as they face today's healthcare challenges.

Regarding these challenges and navigating them, finance chiefs from hospitals and health systems shared the following pieces of advice with Becker's Hospital Review over the last year.

1. Atlanta-based Piedmont Healthcare CFO Michael McAnder shared his thoughts on the unique challenges health system CFOs face. "Obviously, the cost of healthcare in our country is a huge issue. If you're not managing your expenses, your bottom line is going to go away because revenues are going down," he said. "Each year, our managed care, our good-paying volume, goes down. Medicare and Medicaid, the lower-paying volume, is increasing. At some point, you will have an intersection. So that's why you really have to continue to be getting costs out of the system."

2. Mr. McAnder also shared his advice for other hospital CFOs. "I think what I'd say is try and look for the long-term play," he said. "You can't manage this business on a day-to-day basis. You have to have a clear direction and stick with it."

3. JoAnn Kunkel, CFO of Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health, offered her views on the essential hospital and health system CFOs need in today's healthcare landscape.

"Everyone likes to joke around about the traditional CFO who sits in their office with their green shade, a pocket protector that says no to everything," she said. "But it is such a different position today.  It's a position that requires strategic thinking, creative decision-making and the ability to look past just debits and credits."

4. Ms. Kunkel also shared her thoughts on the benefits of being part of a team. "It's important to remember you are only as good as your team.  Sometimes I think when you get into these leadership roles you can forget that. You always want to be inclusive, give credit to the work and the team and the efforts that help make you successful in your role," she said.

5. Amid industry discussion about rising healthcare costs, Marion (Ind.) General Hospital CFO Jeff Wakefield shared his views on the meaning of "cost."

"My opinion is that true healthcare cost is determined by what providers have to pay in the everyday course of operating," he said. "We must negotiate smartly with vendors when purchasing things like major equipment and medical supplies."

6. Dennis Dahlen, CFO of the Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic, shared his thoughts on the challenges hospital and health system CFOs faced in 2018.

"In these past two years, we've seen a lot of hospital mergers, and we've just heard about the finalization of the Aetna/CVS merger, so now we've got vertical integration, nontraditional partnerships," he said. "That's not a scale play, that's a disruption play. That's going to influence a lot of us. So, in addition to cost control, we have to address the shifting marketplace as well."

7. Mr. Dahlen also shared his views on operating major campuses in different regions and how Mayo's financial strategy differs by region.

"We operate today as one Mayo Clinic. I've only been here a year, and I just want to give credit to the leadership of John Noseworthy, MD. His term as CEO is up at the end of this year, but he initiated a massive integration effort over the past nine years that really took Mayo from a holding company to a single operating entity," he said. "It is paying dividends every single day for our patients, physicians and staff. But the business model across all three campuses is the same. We're focused on the complex and serious end of the care spectrum."

8. John Kurvink, vice president of corporate affairs and CFO of Brant Community Healthcare System in Brantford, Canada, discussed how hospital executives and physicians can ensure they're aligned around the same strategic goals.

"You have to walk a mile in the doctor's shoes to truly understand their pain points and motivations. You also need to provide them with robust, high-quality data. Anything less is a recipe for failure," he said "Lastly, you need to involve physicians up front, in a tangible way, when setting those goals. Anything less is just paying lip service."

9. Birmingham, Ala.-based UAB Health System CFO Dawn Bulgarella shared the most difficult aspect of her job.

"Hands down, the most difficult aspect of my job is managing email communication," she said. "We're all accessible now 24/7, 365 days a year, and this means easy access by colleagues, staff, vendors, recruits, family and friends. On the positive side, this helps keep us informed and allows us to inform others about relevant activity, news, concerns, etc. Unfortunately, this often leads to a constantly overflowing email inbox. In order to be an effective communicator, you've got to come up with an email management strategy that works for you and be prepared to modify as necessary."

10. Douglas Watson, CFO of San Francisco-based Dignity Health's Arizona service area, shared his thoughts on guiding other CFOs.

"With the new [CFO] skill set needed for the future, you have to think about their career. How do we give a new CFO or a director of finance aspiring to be a CFO exposure to operational, technology and management roles and experience? How do we give them a chance to work on an innovation project and not just be the person crunching numbers supporting it? You have to make time to help them grow into the type CFO we need in the future," he said.

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A California hospital that closed this summer is projected to reopen next spring, months later than planned, according to a Long Beach Post report.

Community Medical Center Long Beach (Calif.), which opened in 1924, closed July 3 due to the inability of the hospital to meet the state's earthquake-resistant standards.

The hospital's new operator, Molina, Wu, Network, previously said the hospital would reopen Jan. 1, but that date was pushed back as it seeks $45 million to bring the hospital up to earthquake-resistant standards, the Post reported. Additionally, Molina, Wu, Network, and the city of Long Beach, which owns the hospital and the land it sits on, continue to negotiate a lease agreement.

Hospital operator John Molina attempted to provide some reassurance to community members at a community meeting this week..

"We want to emphasize these are speed bumps; we haven't hit a wall," he told meeting attendees, according to the Post.

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Here are nine recent news updates on major health IT and technology companies:

1. Allscripts clients using the company's Professional EHR experienced unscheduled downtime Dec. 17, but the EHR vendor said the issue has since been resolved.

2. Amazon was in talks to purchase diagnostics startup Confer Health, which develops hardware for at-home medical tests.

3. Seven more hospitals and clinics joined Apple's health records project, including Cogdell Memorial Hospital in Snyder, Texas, and PeaceHealth in Vancouver, Wash.

4. Apple has quietly hired dozens of physicians in recent years, an indicator that it's serious about its move into the health technology space.

5. Change Healthcare acquired PokitDok, a platform-as-a-service company for healthcare that uses advanced blockchain and application programming interface technologies.

6. General Electric confidentially filed to take its healthcare unit public, advancing plans to spin the company out into a separate entity.

7. Livongo Health, a wearables company aimed at chronic disease management, tapped former Cerner President Zane Burke as its CEO.

8. It's been nearly 50 years since Meditech opened for business in 1969.

9. Mark Hirschhorn, executive vice president, COO and CFO of Teladoc Health, is resigning. The decision to resign comes on the heels of a class-action lawsuit shareholders recently filed against the company.
From a Baltimore-based health system facing a class-action lawsuit over a data breach to pharmacy owners being charged in a kickback scheme, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits making headlines:

1. Judge denies request to keep DC health system open

A judge denied the District of Columbia attorney general's office's request for a temporary restraining order to stop Washington, D.C.-based Providence Health System from shuttering most of its services.

2. LifeBridge Health faces class-action suit over 2016 data breach: 5 things to know

A local law firm filed a class-action lawsuit against Baltimore-based LifeBridge Health on behalf of thousands of consumers whose personal information was compromised in a 2016 data breach.

3. Former Cleveland Clinic executive gets prison time in $2.7M fraud scheme

The former executive director of Cleveland Clinic Innovations, the development and commercialization arm of Cleveland Clinic, was sentenced Dec. 19 to 30 months in prison for his role in a fraud scheme.

4. 8 pharmacy owners, marketers charged in $9.1M kickback scheme

Eight pharmacy owners and marketers were charged in an alleged $9.1 million kickback scheme.

5. Pharmacy owner gets prison time for role in $8.4M billing fraud scheme

The owner of a Miami pharmacy was sentenced Dec. 18 to more than seven years in prison for his role in a six-year Medicare fraud scheme.

6. How a New Jersey man allegedly defrauded BCBS of $10M

A man in New Jersey was charged Dec. 17 with conspiring to defraud several Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliates of more than $10 million.

7. Maryland attorney general seeks to uphold ACA after Texas judge's ruling

Maryland's attorney general is asking a judge in his state to weigh in on a recent ACA ruling as he seeks to protect the health law.

8. Florida hospital CEO can sue CNN for defamation, appeals court rules

A defamation lawsuit brought against CNN by Davide Carbone, the former CEO of St. Mary's Hospital in West Palm Beach, Fla., can move forward, an appeals court ruled.

9. Ex-healthcare CEO charged with billing fraud

Authorities charged the former CEO of a Tennessee-based behavioral healthcare provider with submitting false claims to government insurance programs.

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A judge denied the District of Columbia attorney general's office's request for a temporary restraining order to stop Washington, D.C.-based Providence Health System from shuttering most of its services, The Washington Post reports.



The health system began scaling back operations the week of Dec. 9. It primarily serves the city's underrepresented and low-income populations.

The attorney general's office filed a lawsuit against St. Louis-based Ascension, which owns Providence Health System, on Dec. 14, claiming it failed to secure approval from regulators for its closure plans and its move to shutter most of its services violates the terms of its operating license.

The attorney general's office filed the lawsuit after the closures started, citing recently passed legislation that outlines the city's ability to challenge hospital closures.

Although the judge denied the city's request for a temporary restraining order, the lawsuit is pending.

The hospital said it needed to close due to financial struggles and local residents have sufficient options for acute care at other facilities.

Suspended NICU nurse in Wisconsin charged with abuse goes to trial
A local law firm filed a class-action lawsuit against Baltimore-based LifeBridge Health on behalf of thousands of consumers whose personal information was compromised in a 2016 data breach.

Here are five things to know about the lawsuit:

1. In May, LifeBridge Health notified more than 500,000 patients that their personal information may have been compromised during a breach in September 2016. The health system learned of the breach after discovering malware on a server that hosts EMR data for the system's affiliated physician group and the shared registration and billing system for other LifeBridge providers in March 2018.

2. LifeBridge Health offered one year of free credit card monitoring and identity protection services to patients whose Social Security numbers were compromised. In an emailed statement to Becker's Hospital Review in May, LifeBridge Health said it did not believe patient information was misused.

"While we have no reason to believe patient information has been misused in any way, out of an abundance of caution, we are notifying potentially affected patients, as well as providing resources for those who have questions or concerns," the health system wrote in its prepared statement.

3. Baltimore-based law firm Murphy, Falcon & Murphy filed a statewide class-action lawsuit against LifeBridge Health Dec. 19 on behalf of the 530,000-plus Maryland consumers whose personal data were compromised in the breach. Murphy, Falcon & Murphy said Social Security numbers, birth dates and health insurance information, among other data, were stolen during the incident.

4. Murphy, Falcon & Murphy alleged hackers were able to access the LifeBridge Health server due to the health system's "failure to ensure the integrity of its servers and to properly safeguard patients' highly sensitive and confidential information," according to a news release from the law firm. The firm argued the 18-month privacy incident exposed patients to "serious harm."

"LifeBridge's failure to protect their patients' information demonstrates a serious lack of judgment and oversight," said Hassan Murphy, managing partner at the law firm. "LifeBridge should have implemented appropriate and adequate technological safeguards to prevent such a massive cyberbreach from occurring, and certainly should have notified its patients immediately after learning of the breach."

5. Murphy, Falcon & Murphy also alleged LifeBridge Health's conduct violated multiple privacy protection statutes in the state, such as the Maryland Personal Information Protection Act, the Maryland Social Security Number Privacy Act and the Maryland Consumer Protection Act.

A LifeBridge Health spokesperson told Becker's Hospital Review Dec. 20 the health system could not comment, as it had not received the lawsuit.
The owner and operator of a durable medical equipment company was sentenced to three years in prison for submitting fraudulent claims to the Texas Medicaid program, according to the Department of Justice.

George Louis Moreno, who pleaded guilty Jan. 24, 2018, owned and operated MARS DME, a durable medical equipment company in McAllen, Texas. From August 2008 to January 2016, Mr. Moreno billed Medicaid for incontinence supplies that were not delivered to beneficiaries. In some instances, he paid Medicaid beneficiaries cash in lieu of delivering supplies, according to the Justice Department.

In addition to his prison term, Mr. Moreno was also ordered to pay roughly $1.5 million in restitution to the Texas Medicaid program.

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Former President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to Children's National Health System in Washington, D.C., wearing a Santa hat and giving gifts to patients, The Hill reports.

Mr. Obama stopped by the hospital Dec. 19, meeting with patients and participating in art projects with children. He recorded a video for patients he was not able to visit, a Children's spokesperson said.

"We had a chance to talk to some of the wonderful kids and their families," Mr. Obama told a crowd in the hospital.
U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis resigned Thursday. Photo: Pool/Getty Images

Secretary of Defense James Mattis fired off a resignation letter Thursday after unsuccessfully asking President Trump to reconsider his decision to pull all troops out of Syria and half out of Afghanistan with no advance consultation with partners, according to the New York Times. The letter showed multiple signs of haste, in its missing articles and inconsistent punctuation, but not an ounce of hesitation in its thrust.

Mattis set out the core beliefs that liberal and conservative internationalists used to share (and polls suggest the majority of Americans still do): that our country is strengthened by alliances and partnerships; that we should use all the tools in the toolbox, not just the military, to support them; that we should be clear and consistent in response to opposition from authoritarian societies. Then Mattis said the president had the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, so he was resigning.

It was Mattiss confident adherence to those beliefs that had earned him respect across the ideological spectrum and around the world, and the trust of senators and heads of state  who told themselves, and each other, that Mattis was single-handedly holding together US alliances, reorienting the Pentagon to face down both China and Russia even if Trump wouldnt, and even somehow inserting himself in the nuclear chain of command to prevent rash launches.

This faith wasnt just about Jim Mattis personally or professionally, though his iron demeanor and impressive Marine biography didnt hurt. It was also about the enormous desire of Americans  including Trumps fellow Republicans  to believe that Trump didnt matter, or that American institutions could withstand him, or that Trump could have his cake and eat it too: that he could spout nativist rhetoric but keep enjoying the fruits of 70 years of alliances. And it was about the belief of the rest of the world that the United States wouldnt  couldnt  really be what Trump says that we are.

But the United States, including the Pentagon, is ruled by a civilian president. And that president is Donald Trump. Nothing the man touches escapes his imprint. Neither did Jim Mattis.

Because there is another side to Secretary Mattis, democracys savior. Mattis cut journalist briefings back to almost nothing and constricted data flows on issues from drone deaths to sexual harassment. A man who claimed to hold sacred the bonds of trust among warriors, he oversaw moves designed to force out of the military troops who had served bravely but were transgender, HIV-positive, or undocumented  and openly cast doubt on the capability of women in combat, even as they continued to shatter barrier after barrier during his time as Secretary. He put in place a National Defense Strategy so expansive that not even Trump thinks the U.S. can afford it. And when Trump sent troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in a pre-election stunt against a non-existent threat, and then claimed the troops were empowered to fire on migrants, in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, Mattis did not protest and he did not resign.

Mattis may be leaving with his personal reputation largely intact, but the larger values he sought to protect are diminished  not just this week, by Trumps decision to undercut our allies and partners, and tens of thousands of civilians, in northeast Syria with no warning or planning, but every week of the last two years by some action or inaction, large or small, tweeted or otherwise. The edifice of American power and norms Mattis took the job to protect eroded even as he stood guard over it. All the voices who argue that Trump is a temporary or short-term phenomenon whose effects we shouldnt over-dramatize  and that goes far beyond his Republican enablers  should take note.
Florence-based North Alabama Medical Center is breaking records for surgeries completed and emergency room visits since opening in a new building Dec. 6, according to the Times Daily.

After moving from the hospital's old Florence campus, Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital, the medical center handled 50 surgeries Dec. 7, said COO Mike Howard.

"The day after we opened, we did our highest volume of surgeries ever done in a single day," he said.

The hospital also has experienced record ER volumes, at times seeing about 160 patients daily, Mr. Howard said.

The increased demand has led to several problems with staffing and patient wait times.

"We did get filled up fast," Mr. Howard said. "We've been running that high pretty much since we opened.

"We were up to 245 patients in the hospital, and that caused a little bit of backup, so we did have some patients we held in the ER, and we apologize for that," he said. "I appreciate everyone's support of this hospital as we grow into this new building."
Horizon Healthcare, New Jersey's largest health insurer, and Envision Healthcare have reached a statewide multiyear agreement opening Envision's physician network to Horizon patients.

"This new agreement builds on our commitment to lowering the cost of healthcare for Horizon members while delivering access to critical health providers like those who work in any of the hospitals that rely on Envision Healthcare's practices for radiology, emergency medicine, anesthesia and other essential services," said Robert Franzoi, vice president of healthcare management at Horizon.

Nashville-Tenn.-based Envision, one of the country's largest providers of emergency room services, has nearly 1,800 clinicians in New Jersey.

Horizon, New Jerseys's oldest health insurer, is owned by Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

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As disruptors continue to push into the healthcare arena and pressure accumulates to reduce drug prices, pharmaceutical companies are taking steps to remain competitive and enhance their drug pipelines.

2017 marked a slow year of mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical industry. However, experts from some of the largest drug manufacturers are expecting the pace of deals in 2018 to significantly accelerate as a result of the tax overhaul. So far, they have been right. In the first quarter of 2018, the volume of pharmaceutical takeovers rose to a record-setting level, according to Bloomberg.

In the last two months, the following drugmakers announced or completed mergers, acquisitions, partnerships and general transactions.

Note: This is not an exhaustive list. Deals were reported by Becker's Hospital Review and are presented in the order they were reported.

1. Takeda wins shareholder approval for $58B takeover of Shire

Despite opposition by several parties, Takeda Pharmaceutical shareholders voted to approve its multibillion dollar deal to buy Shire, valued at about $58 billion.

2. GlaxoSmithKline to buy Tesaro for $5.1B

Drug giant GlaxoSmithKline agreed to buy cancer treatment company Tesaro for about $5.1 billion including debt.

3. AstraZeneca sells respiratory drug for $1.5B

AstraZeneca has sold U.S. rights to its treatment for infant lung infections to Swedish Orphan Biovitrum for $1.5 billion, the latest move by the drugmaker to trim its pipeline and refocus on priority drugs.

4. Eli Lilly buys $100M stake in gene-silencing drug firm

Eli Lilly & Co. is the latest drugmaker to bet on gene-silencing technology, spending $100 million for a stake in Dicerna Pharmaceuticals.

5. AstraZeneca bolsters cancer drug pipeline with $170M Innate Pharma deal

AstraZeneca has struck a $170 million deal with Innate Pharma that will bolster its cancer drug pipeline as the London-based drug giant pivots toward a future in oncology.

6. Novartis strikes $2.1B deal to buy cancer drugmaker Endocyte

In a deal valued at $2.1 billion, Swiss pharma giant Novartis AG will purchase Endocyte, a U.S.-based biopharmaceutical company developing new treatments for prostate cancer.
Motor vehicle accidents were the leading cause of death for young people, accounting for 20 percent of all deaths in 2016, according to a study cited by NPR.

The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, examined the most common causes of death among the 20,360 kids and teens who died in the U.S. in 2016.

Lead author Rebecca Cunningham, MD, of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, told NPR she sees a silver lining in the grim statistic.

Death rates from accidents have decreased significantly over the years, from 10 deaths per 100,000 children and adolescents in 1999 to 5.21 deaths per 100,000 in 2016, she said.

"In the U.S. we've invested in decreasing motor vehicle crash deaths, and we've been tremendously successful at that," she said. The researchers credited this improvement to seat belts, car seats for children, safety improvements to cars and better roads.

However, when it comes to firearms, which were the second most common cause of death among adolescents in the study, Dr. Cunningham said there have been no effective interventions to prevent deliberate and accidental gun deaths.

"I don't think it's acceptable for firearms to be a preventable cause of death and remain the second cause of death of children and teens," she said. "We're not doing enough to keep kids safe."
Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Donor Services celebrated organ donors Dec. 18 by decorating a Christmas tree with handmade ornaments, according to Deseret News Utah.

The ornaments contained messages that paid homage to individuals who donated their organs to recipients on waiting lists.

According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, about 114,000 Americans are on waiting lists to receive an organ transplant. About 20 people die per day while waiting on the transplant list.

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Louisville-based Hardin Memorial Hospital will add staff to better treat victims of sexual assault, according to Louisville news website WDRB.com.

Hardin Memorial Hospital was given a federal grant of $220,000 to hire additional sexual assault nurse examiners and a sexual assault care coordinator. The hospital will also create community engagements to bolster educational efforts.

In 2018, Hardin Memorial Hospital treated about 104 victims of sexual assault, a 108 percent increase from 2017.

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GV Prakash's next film is Sarvam Thaala Mayam, directed by Rajiv Menon, with AR Rahman composing the music. The film is slated for a release on 28th December. Ahead of the release, the film was screened at Tokyo International Film Festival and got great response from the audience.



The film was screened on October 28 and 30 at Toho cinemas followed by Q & A session. This was also the premiere of the film.



Rajiv Menon marks his return to direction after his Kandukondain Kandukondain, that came all the way back in 2000. This is also his 3rd collaboration with AR Rahman.



Photo credit: TIFF
Liverpool property developer Lawrence Kenwright has said there is "not a chance" he will proceed with a 10 million hotel project in the former Crumlin Road Courthouse if planning issues with Belfast City Council are not resolved.

Mr Kenwright's company Signature Living has been in dispute with officials for some weeks over the development of the new George Best Hotel in the former Scottish Mutual Building in Belfast city centre.

The hotel had been due to open earlier this month, but the developer said he is now aiming to open on February 14. However, he conceded the project remains "in abeyance".

Around 150 people will eventually be employed there.

Mr Kenwright hosted a joint Press conference yesterday with trade union Siptu in the hotel, where the union said it would ensure bargaining rights for staff and guarantee them a living wage.

The developer confirmed that a number of people have been on the payroll for some months.

"We're lucky that we're a hotel group that employs 1,400 people now, so we can sustain that loss at the start," he said.

"There is a certain amount of money you have to spend at the start when you set up a hotel."

After sending a scathing public letter to Belfast City Council chief executive Suzanne Wylie and Lord Mayor Deirdre Hargey earlier this month, Mr Kenwright sounded a more conciliatory tone yesterday.

"Originally we were critical of the council. We've got a lot of points ironed out. We think we're well on the way to sorting out what those issues are," he revealed.

"We've got a little more work to do, but we're really confident we can sort it out between ourselves.

"A lot of the issues come from different levels and different standards within planning that we have over in the mainland as opposed to here. We can take some responsibility for that and I think they can as well.

"We're here to open a hotel, we're not here to create battles or wars. We're here to make sure we get the building open."

Belfast City Council has declined to comment on the letter, but it is understood legal advice has been sought.

Despite the apparent softening of attitudes, Mr Kenwright said he remains serious about his threat to withhold 40m from 80m of funding he had pledged for Belfast.

He suggested it would include the 10m Crumlin Road hotel and other unnamed projects. The developer previously expressed his interest in the Floral Hall building at Bellevue and said he would like to replicate his Liverpool Signature Works co-working project here.

But Mr Kenwright said he would not proceed with the north Belfast hotel if he believes the experience will resemble the George Best project.

"Do I want to go into a battle with Crumlin Road in the same way I have done here? No, I don't," he added.

"Unless ground rules are established where I feel totally comfortable going into what is probably the most difficult building to bring back into play as a hotel, then I won't be doing it."

However, he did suggest he could still proceed with a plan to open a hotel in the former War Memorial Museum in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter.
The famous Samson and Goliath cranes at Harland & Wolff in Belfast

Harland & Wolff is up for sale as its Norwegian parent company Fred Olsen carries out a major restructuring.

The former shipbuilder behind the Titanic has diversified into renewable energy installations since the last ship sailed out of its famous yard in 2003.

The decline of shipbuilding has also been marked by a steady fall in employee numbers from as many as 30,000 in the 1930s to around 100 today.

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A sale would mark one of the biggest corporate transactions in Northern Ireland in recent years after three decades in the ownership of Fred Olsen.

Harland &Wolff covers two sites on Queen's Island in east Belfast, including the Belfast Repair Dock where some ship work is still carried out.

There is also the main building dock and manufacturing halls where the famous Samson and Goliath gantry cranes operate.

The combined surface area of the sites is nearly 90 acres.

The building dock is the biggest in Europe, and one possible use is for the construction of next generation very large vessels in excess of 500,000 tonnes.

Yesterday a spokesman said: "Harland & Wolff Heavy Industries Ltd can confirm that as part of wider restructuring activities, it is engaged in a marketing process that may lead to a potential sale of the business.

"The day to day running of the company is unaffected."

Earlier this year Harland & Wolff's dry dock was used for the refitting of luxury cruise liner the Azamara Pursuit by staff of Newry marine fit-out company MJM.

It was the first deal of its kind involving a cruise ship being taken to the territory of a fit-out company, instead of staff of a fit-out company travelling to work on a ship in a distant location.

Speaking at the time of its arrival in Belfast, Harland & Wolff chief executive Jonathan Guest said the deal was "a great boon for the economy".

"It's the first time a large-scale refit has been carried out in Northern Ireland and I think that's hugely significant.

"Harland & Wolff has a great history of cruise ships and cruise ship building, but not so much in the refit side.

"So we hope this is a new chapter in the development of Harland & Wolff along with MJM in bringing cruise ship refits to Belfast and seeing where that can take us."

According to industry magazine ReNews, market experts regard Harland & Wolff as a potential bridge into the UK offshore wind market and that it would be of interest to both international investors and established fabricators.

But despite winning some major deals in recent years, the company in Belfast has reported financial struggles.

During 2016 it saw turnover drop from 66.7m to just 8.3m.

As a result Harland & Wolff Heavy Industries turned the previous year's 1m profit into an almost 6m loss.

The company said "in recognition of the very difficult trading conditions" the firm "further reduced its core employment in the second quarter of 2016".

It now has 115 staff, down from 170 at the end of the previous year.

"The directors consider the results for the year to be unacceptable but reflective of the very difficult market conditions in 2016," the firm's strategic report said.

Economist John Simpson said it was no surprise that Fred Olsen was considering a sale of Harland & Wolff.

He said that, taken as a whole, it would make a valuable asset for sale.

And he suggested that the company's present management could consider a purchase themselves "if they can raise the capital".

"As part of any due diligence process, a buyer will be looking at their latest accounts, which you would hope would be better than last year's," he added.

However, the company would not comment on whether present management could mount a buyout.
Photo: Chesnot/Getty Images

Some might say this has been the worst year ever for Facebook, the scrappy, young social network with two billion users thats just trying to figure it all out. Its executives were hauled before Congress, it had to play Whac-A-Mole with foreign trolls and incendiary content, and it was revealed to have leaked the data of hundreds of millions of people.

All in all, I would say there is room for improvement. There have been so many scandals that you might come across a bunch of year-end lists about how many scandals Facebook has experienced. But heres the big question: should you actually care? The deluge of Facebook controversy has been so severe that its tough to know what you should spend your time caring about. Its exhausting to care about Facebook, so hopefully we can save you some time.

Here are Facebooks top 11 scandals, ranked from who gives a crap? to this is serious.

11. Zuckerberg called Trump after the 2016 election

In July, BuzzFeed reported that Mark Zuckerberg phoned President Trump following the election to congratulate him on his win. Could you be mad about this? I guess, but this is a CEO of a big company calling a powerful regulator  and a client who spent heavily on Facebook  to grease the wheel. Thats business as usual. Save your energy.

10. Facebook bans Alex Jones

When Facebook banned InfoWarss Alex Jones from using its platform in early August, the move was largely symbolic. Yes, Jones sucks. Yes, his ideas are dangerous. Still, he has plenty of fans who will spread his stuff anyway, and banishing him personally will not make Facebook less toxic. If it revealed anything, it was that Facebook is willing to make tough calls on moderation only after industry peers, like Apple, take the lead.

9. Facebook saved your unpublished videos

Amidst the fallout of the Cambridge Analytica scandal (well get there), New Yorks Madison Malone Kircher discovered that Facebook had retained draft video clips that were recorded, but never published. The creepy discovery indicated a larger problem for Facebook  aggressive data retention that not even the company was aware of. As Facebook struggles to right the ship, it is now butting up against legacy software systems that it must wrangle into compliance. Facebook has a lot of data on you, scattered across its many different systems, and it is struggling to manage it. An announced feature to let users clear their off-Facebook browsing history is delayed while Facebook figures out how to find all your records. Not a whole lot you can do about this one but wait!

8. Facebook massaged video metrics

A lawsuit filed against Facebook this year alleged that the company had misled clients about how many views their videos were receiving. Rather than admit a mistake, the lawsuit claimed, Facebook secretly tweaked the metrics over time hoping that nobody would notice. In the meantime, media organizations and advertisers invested heavily in Facebook video. Needless to say, they did not get a return on their investment. The allegations highlight Facebooks lack of transparency, and lack of consideration as to how many industries rely substantially on Facebook. Do you, an individual who likely does not work in media or advertising, need to care about this? Eeehhhh.

7. Russian trolls buy ads on Facebook

In May, the House Democrats released images of thousands of sponsored posts that were linked to Russian troll farms. The ads, presenting themselves as originating from the U.S., are inflammatory and concerning. They are also, for the most part, indistinguishable from American users posts on the same subject. Other Russian troll posts show relatively banal memes and image macros. Thats what social media is all about: sharing other peoples content and ideas! How do you solve a problem in which two different groups are essentially saying the same thing? Who knows! When foreign powers are able to interfere with the political process by simply doing what everyone else is already doing  thats seems like something to worry about.

6. Definers

A pitch-perfect encapsulation of how Facebook says one thing and does another, Facebook hired a consulting company to look into George Soross finances, a standard tactic among the right wing, and then insisted that top executives knew nothing about the issue, even as subsequent reporting confirmed that, yes they did. Facebook does not tell the truth unless you back them into a corner, and this incident confirmed how much Facebook is more interested in playing defense than being upfront. Plus, it doesnt help that the firm, Definers Public Affairs, used the same type of astroturfing that is against Facebooks terms of service.

5. Cambridge Analytica

Cambridge Analytica was less of an explosive, revelatory story, and more of one that was just the perfect storm of ingredients. It was revealed that Cambridge Analytica used Facebooks app system to harvest user data and then sell that data to other companies, a breach of Facebooks privacy policy (not that anyone at Facebook was monitoring developers that heavily). That Facebook allowed app developers to use its API to scrape vast amounts of user data was not a hidden fact, but it was something that has been tough to get people to care about. Enter Cambridge Analytica, whose biggest sin seemed not to be how it handled user data (which is: poorly) but that it was tied to Donald Trumps election win. Facebook has, notably, been locking down its platform more significantly in the aftermath, and the whole thing helpfully exposed how using Facebook as a universal login system was always a terrible idea.

4. Facebook stock plunges

The disheartening thing about the Cambridge Analytica scandal is that on Wall Street, it barely registered. Facebook stock continued to rise in value. Privacy is not something investors care about. What they do care about, however, is growth. When Facebook announced slowing growth and that it would spend more on security enhancements, the companys stock tanked 19 percent, causing a loss of roughly $120 billion in value. This difference between what users and investors want out of Facebook had never been illustrated more clearly: Facebook said it was spending more on protecting users, and the value of the company took a steep dive. Users cant affect Facebooks bottom line in the same way that the finance industry can, putting the future of the platform in the hands of a less-than-ethical industry.

3. The founder exodus

This year saw the exits of Jan Koum, the co-founder of WhatsApp, and both of the co-founders of Instagram, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. Koums exit had to do with arguments over plans to monetize WhatsApp and make compromises on user security. Systrom and Kriegers exit similarly had to do with the Facebook mothership wanting to exercise greater control. Instagram is now starting to feel like Facebook 2, and WhatsApp now has Stories  for some reason. Both cases feel like bad omens: after the years of controversy Facebook has been mired in, do you want that leadership team handling these other services too?

2. Facebooks token hack

In late September, Facebook revealed that a bug in a privacy tool on the site leaked access tokens for millions of users. This would allow anyone who obtained those tokens to get into your account. Millions of people had their names and email addresses scraped, some had even more granular data  like what theyd searched for  harvested. Who did this? Your guess is as good as mine. But the breach is the worst thing that happened to Facebook this year. Problems with Facebooks corporate philosophy and intentional decisions are one thing  public pressure, pressure from rivals, and regulation can help remedy those  but an unintentional cybersecurity screw-up is another thing entirely. Facebook is too big, its data stores too packed with granular data on billions of individuals, to allow something like this to happen. As the company juggles dozens of other controversies, it seems like this could easily happen again.

1. Facebook fuels genocide in Myanmar

In March, a UN report identified Facebook as a critical factor in the spread of anti-Rohingya sentiment in the country, helping drive support for genocide. That Facebooks moderation team was ill-equipped to handle the crisis and continued to be so for months provides the most tactile example of how Facebook drama spills into drastic real-world consequences. Can Facebook shoulder all of the responsibility for how bad people use its services? No, but the lack of awareness and a rapid, effective response points to a gap in how much Facebook values certain regions of the world. In many of those places, Facebook is, for all intents and purposes, the entire Internet. Similarly violent incidents  lynchings in India, fueled by misinformation on WhatsApp, and the works of Dutertes forces in the Philippines  point to intractable problems that will likely only get worse as Facebook continues to try and expand its global reach. 2018 was the year that the effects of platform mismanagement seemed more tangible than ever.
Consumers now feel more downbeat as Christmas approaches and 2018 draws to a close than they did when the year started, according to a report

Consumers now feel more downbeat as Christmas approaches and 2018 draws to a close than they did when the year started, according to a report.

GfK's consumer confidence index measures households' feelings about factors such as their personal finances, the wider economy, major purchase intentions and their ability to save.

The overall score for the December index was negative, at minus 14, decreasing by one point compared with November and down by five points compared with January.

Joe Staton, client strategy director at GfK, said: "At minus 14 this month, UK consumers are ending 2018 on a pessimistic note, with Christmas cheer in short supply.

"We are five points lower than this year's opening score in January and were no higher than minus 7 this summer.

"This represents a more than five-year low for the index, which has bumped along in negative territory since 2016."

Some measures used to calculate the overall index score indicated signs of improvement in December.

People were feeling slightly more positive towards their personal finances over the last year in December - although the score for this measure was still negative, at minus one.

Another area showing signs of improving confidence was whether people think now is the right time to make major purchases, such as furniture and electrical goods.

The score on this measure was in positive territory with a score of two - six points higher than December 2017. But the measure for the general economic situation during the last 12 months fell two points to minus 31 in December - back to the same level as in December 2017.

The outlook for the economy over the next year fell from minus 32 in November to minus 38.
Shares in Airbus fell by as much as 6% yesterday after reports that the US Department of Justice has opened an official investigation into alleged corruption by the European aeroplane maker.

Earlier this year the French aerospace giant acquired a 50.01% majority stake in Bombardier's A220 aircraft, formerly the C-Series. The wings of the plane are made in Belfast.

British and French authorities are already investigating alleged fraud and bribery related to Airbus's use of outside consultants in commercial plane sales.

Airbus has warned that the investigations could lead to significant penalties and promised to stop working with middlemen.

French newspaper Le Monde reported yesterday that US investigators have launched a formal probe of their own.

The report suggested Airbus could face record fines of several billion euros as a result of the combined probes into allegations of fraud, corruption and bribery.

Airbus is co-operating with US authorities, which requested information related to the British-French investigations that could fall within US jurisdictions.

But the group's chief executive Tom Enders appeared to hit back at the article yesterday via the firm's official Twitter account stating: "I'm not surprised to see some more sniping out of Paris. Some people over there just don't get it. Otherwise nothing new, investigation ongoing."

Mr Enders is due to retire at the end of April.

The company's share price dropped sharply after the report before rallying some ground by late afternoon, trading 4.8% lower at 83.05 (74.99).
Theresa May is battling to maintain Cabinet discipline as senior ministers set out rival plans for dealing with the rejection of her Brexit plan.

The Prime Minister insisted the Government was focused on getting her deal through Parliament despite Andrea Leadsom and Amber Rudd speculating about what might happen if MPs throw out the withdrawal agreement in January.

Commons leader Mrs Leadsom said a "managed no-deal" was a possibility, while Work and Pensions Secretary Ms Rudd acknowledged there was a "plausible argument" for a second referendum.

Mrs May said: "Cabinet ministers and I have all been very clear that we are working and focusing on ensuring that we can get the deal that we've agreed with the European Union agreed and through Parliament in the meaningful vote."

Mrs May said the UK was still seeking "greater political and legal reassurances" from the EU over elements of her plan, particularly the backstop measures designed to prevent a hard border with Ireland, before it is put before MPs in January.

She added: "Everybody is very clear that not only what Government policy is, but what we are all individually and collectively focused on is working to ensure that the deal is able to be agreed by and go through a meaningful vote in the House of Commons."

The Commons showdown over Mrs May's plan is expected in the week beginning January 14 after being postponed earlier this month.

In a sign of a shift in Whitehall's approach, a no-deal Brexit is now no longer described as an "unlikely" event in a series of documents on preparing for the March 29, 2019, withdrawal date.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "It's a straightforward reflection of the decision that was taken by Cabinet to move to a position where we're implementing our no-deal plans in full."

The prospect of the deal being rejected by MPs has led to open speculation within Government about what happens next.

Brexiteer Mrs Leadsom suggested she had been looking at the option of a managed no-deal - with a minimalist agreement with the EU - as an alternative.

She said: "A managed no-deal does not necessarily mean there is no withdrawal agreement at all.

"This is all speculation but what I'm looking at is trying to find an alternative that, in the event we cannot agree to this deal, there could be a further deal that looks at a more minimalist approach that allows us to leave with some kind of deal and some kind of implementation period that avoids a cliff edge, that avoids uncertainty for businesses and travellers and so on."

Ms Rudd insisted she was not calling for a referendum but wanted MPs across the Commons to reach a consensus to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

Her intervention was welcomed as a "massive moment" by campaigners calling for a so-called people's vote, with Tory former minister Anna Soubry praising Ms Rudd as "brave and principled".

Ms Rudd backed the idea of an indicative vote to find which Brexit options MPs would be prepared to support if the Prime Minister's deal is rejected.

The Work and Pensions Secretary told ITV's Peston: "Parliament has to reach a majority on how it's going to leave the European Union.

"If it fails to do so then I can see the argument for taking it back to the people again, much as it would distress many of my colleagues."
The Northern Ireland Prison Service has granted 68 prisoners Christmas home leave.

The prisoners have been granted leave for various periods from Christmas eve up until January 2. Of those released 38 are from the Northern Ireland's highest security prison, Maghaberry while 21 are to be released from Magilligan and nine from Hydebank Wood College which detains youths and women.

Of those 128 prisoners who applied for leave, 60 were rejected.

Last year 79 prisoners were released.

Prisoners granted home leave have been subject to a risk assessment and have either completed a home leave programme or undergone periods of unaccompanied testing in the community.

To be eligible to apply for Christmas home leave, life sentence prisoners/indeterminate custodial sentence prisoners must be within three years of completing their sentence, have had a parole commissioners recommendation for pre-release testing in the community and have successfully completed a period of overnight unaccompanied pre-release testing.

All prisoners granted leave must have served at least 50% of their sentence.

There were 1,364 prisoners being held in prisons in Northern Ireland as of Friday morning.
A man has been arrested as part of an investigation into "letters of harassment" sent to staff at a Co Armagh school.

It follows allegations of cheating in GCSE exams at St Patrick's High School, Keady.

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The BBC has reported that a man was arrested on September 24 on suspicion of offences including harassment and intimidation. The man has since been released on bail pending further inquiries.

Letters were sent to organisations outside the school claiming to come from staff, including the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA).

The CCEA previously discovered evidence of exam "malpractice" at the school.

The BBC has reported that 16 staff faced sanctions following an investigation, nine teachers and seven classroom assistants.

It is understood that 14 staff faced sanctions related to the monitoring of exams and assessments.

The CCEA has said that it does not comment on individual malpractice cases, but said that it works to ensure "no learner is advantaged or disadvantaged".

Chair of the St Patrick's High School governors, Dr Eoghan Fearon wrote to parents of pupils on Thursday to tell them that arrangements for exams at the school had been updated.

"The principal, Dr Moore, will continue to work very closely with CCEA and the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) to ensure the complete integrity of all our public examination processes and procedures," the letter read.

"We want to thank you the parents and guardians of our pupils for your patience and understanding during what has been a difficult time for our school community."

Chief Executive of the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools Gerard Campbell said that staff had worked to address issues identified by a CCEA review.

"It is important to pay tribute to the commitment of the staff who have worked so hard to deliver such significant progress over the past year," he said.
A jury found an elderly woman not guilty by a unanimous verdict of child cruelty offences on Friday.

Ruth Colvin (75), formerly of Glendhu Manor but now residing in a nursing home in the east of the city - had been on trial at Belfast Crown Court accused of six separate counts of child cruelty between September 1974 and December 1976.

The complainant, a woman now aged 53, spent all of her childhood in care which included a period in Bawnmore Children's Home in south Belfast.

At the time the complainant was a resident in the mid-70s, the home was run by Ruth Colvin who was then aged 31.

Described as "matron", "house mother" or "auntie", the wheel-chair bound defendant denied attacking the then-youngster on a number of occasions.

The former resident said she was beaten by Colvin with a wooden Scholl sandal and with a stick.

She also claimed that Colvin pulled her hair and told her things like "you won't be a blue-eyed dolly".

The Belfast woman told the jury of nine men and three women that what Colvin said to her as a child still haunts her.

The woman told the jury: "It's not even the hitting, it's what she said to me. I've travelled around the world, I've been to different places and her voice haunted me."

Under cross-examination by Colvin's defence barrister David McDowell QC, the woman was asked about an alleged assault in a laundry room.

She replied: "I got hit on the head with a Scholl sandal. I got hit that hard my nose bled and I thought my brains were going to fall out."

The woman denied defence suggestions that she was making things up, and confirmed she had a criminal conviction for cheque book fraud in 1996.

When it was pointed out to her that there were inconsistencies between various statements and allegations she made, the woman admitted she was "a wee bit sketchy" when it came to specific dates, but insists the assaults did occur.

In her evidence to the trial, Colvin told her defence counsel that after working in children's homes, she then trained and became a social worker. She said she came before the court with a clear criminal record, and no other complaints against her.

She said that when she first started in the home she found the complainant "unsettled", and when asked "how did you cope with that?", Colvin replied "by being firm with her....by talking strictly with her".

Asked if the children respected her, she replied: "I would say so. I was nice, normal with them."

She was then asked "did you ever hit a child? Did you ever hit (the complainant?)". Colvin answered "no" to both questions.

Asked what she thought of the allegations, she replied: "Personally, I find it very hard to take, to accept, because I didn't do it, and I can't see the reason why she said it. I don't know, because she was unsettled and disturbed, perhaps."

Colvin denied pulling her hair, assaulting her in a laundry room and hitting her with a wooden stick. And when the accused was asked "would you ever have taken your shoe off and hit her around the head with it?", Colvin replied: "No. It's outrageous.''

She added: "Others would have known if she had got hit. There would be marks. There would have been questions asked of me. There would have been an inquiry."

Earlier this week as the trial entered its second week, a former resident came forward after reading press reports about the case to refute allegations made by the complainant, branding them a "load of crap''.

The 54-year-old woman said she was contacted by the complainant herself, who told her she was taking Colvin to court, and asked that she go to the police.

The woman said: "We had a bit of a conversation and I said to her 'That's not happening. You are full of it'.

"I told her 'I'm not going to do that' and said to her 'you weren't even there that long. What are you talking about? Nothing happened to you. Wise up'.''

After deliberating for around two hours, the jury returned and the fore person told Judge Roseanne McCormick QC that they had reached unanimous not guilty verdicts on all six charges.

Prosecution barrister Rosie Walsh told the court that she was "offering no evidence'' on a further four child cruelty charges faced by Colvin involving a male who "did not make himself available'' for the trial.

On direction of the judge, the jury returned not guilty verdicts on the four counts.

Addressing the jury, Judge McCormick told them: "The court is very grateful for the careful attention that you have shown throughout the trial. I wish you a Happy Christmas and a healthy 2019.''

Turning to Colvin, who was sitting in the body of the court in a wheelchair, the judge told her: "There is nothing outstanding against you so you are free to go.''

Colvin replied: "Thank you very much.''
A Londonderry councillor has spoken of the abuse she received after supporting a local drive for beauty banks.

Beauty Banks collect cosmetic and hygiene products to help homeless women and victims of domestic violence.

Sinn Fein councillor Sandra Duffy called on people to donate and support local beauty banks this Christmas.

She told the Derry Journal that she received a torrent of abuse online after issuing her appeal.

I was quite shocked at some of the hurtful, misogynistic online comments made about an interview I gave to the Journal about the concept of so-called beauty banks. Its very clear that many of those commenting hadnt even read the article in full, Councillor Duffy said.

To make matters worse, I was contacted by a number people who simply couldnt believe that several elected representatives became part of this commentary in their haste to attack me.

"As part of a lengthy interview around the whole issue of period poverty I spoke about also helping beauty banks and the positive impact that can have in communities."

Councillor Duffy said that beauty banks play an important role in the community.

"Beauty banks are not my proposal. They are already being run by recognised charities who are doing sterling work helping thousands of homeless people and victims of domestic violence," she said.

"A simple online search would have established that. They are helping people who struggle to maintain personal hygiene because of their circumstances and who often find their confidence, self-esteem, and well-being suffer as a result, she said.

If people want to launch political attacks, they should direct it at the Tories whose policies are driving people into homelessness and poverty, not charities and those trying to help support them.
A former Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary has resigned his Labour Party membership and hit out at Jeremy Corbyn's handling of anti-Semitism within the movement.

Ivan Lewis has been suspended from Labour for more than a year following allegations of sexual harassment.

The Bury South MP - who was Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary between 2013 and 2015 - used his resignation letter to Mr Corbyn to criticise the Labour leader and his spin doctor Seumas Milne.

"It is for others to decide whether you are anti-Semitic, but what is absolutely clear is that you and Seumas Milne do not believe in the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in their own state," he said.

"This is different to your view on the right to self-determination for every other minority community." His suspension followed a BuzzFeed News report that a woman alleged Mr Lewis had touched her leg and invited her to his house when she was 19 at a Labour event in 2010.

He has strongly denied the allegations made against him and complained that he had been suspended "despite never having been interviewed about complaints which have been made against me".

A Labour source said: "His resignation means the complainants have been denied a hearing."

Mr Lewis claimed there had been an "unnecessary and politically motivated delay" in dealing with his case.

A Labour spokesman said: "Jeremy Corbyn thanks Ivan for his service to the Labour Party.

"This case was referred to a full hearing of Labour's National Constitutional Committee. The process is the same for everyone."
The Government is being urged to reveal if it is profiting by collecting tax on frozen Libyan assets that could be used to compensate IRA victims.

The value of frozen Libyan assets held by the UK has risen to 12bn and pressure is growing for the Government to release it to compensate victims of IRA attacks that used Semtex supplied by former dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

As yet, no UK victims have received compensation from Libya.

Following questions from the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee about the financial arrangements for the frozen Libyan assets, Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt has confirmed that they are not exempt from tax.

The committee has now written to the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, in an attempt to get concrete answers on the status of the frozen Libyan assets. For years, Jonathan Ganesh, a survivor of the 1996 Docklands bomb, has campaigned for financial redress for all IRA victims of Gaddafi's Semtex.

Yesterday he described the UK Government's stance as "deeply hurtful" for British victims, compared to the compensation secured from Libya by the French, German and US governments.

He said: "I'm completely baffled as to why the Government can't reveal if it's receiving tax on this money when it has a duty to the people who have elected them to reveal this information.

"It's unbelievable that they would refuse to answer the committee's simple question. For the victims who have been campaigning for over 12 years, it's deeply hurtful that the Government is staying silent.

"I'm sorry to say, but it's really becoming a very dirty and dishonest business now."

The chairman of the NI Affairs Committee, Dr Andrew Murrison MP, said Mr Burt's letter prompts more questions than it gives answers.

"It is inconceivable that the Government could profit from frozen Libyan assets but not use receipts to compensate victims. Compensation is needed now," he said. "My committee is pressing the Chancellor to tell us whether the Government has been collecting tax on the assets and related transactions and whether any funds or interest from the assets have been released."
Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

One of the myths about President Trump is that he is attracted to anybody who praises him (and repelled from anybody who criticizes him) in an automatic and unthinking fashion, like an amoeba moving toward the light. The reality, to the consternation of advisers who have sought to tame and limit him, is a bit more complicated. As Trump is remaking his administration, most recently through the resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis, he is proving that mere flattery is not enough to command his loyalty. He is learning to sift through the fake Trumpists and identify the real ones.

The acid test of the flattery theory is the presidents response to this weeks right-wing revolt over the budget and the wall. Conservatives pelted him with abuse and scorn over his plan to keep the government open. (Ann Coulter titled her column, Gutless President in Wall-less Country.) But rather than lash out at the people who were flaying him, Trump took their criticisms to heart and changed course.

Trump grasps that, however viciously Ann Coulter may express her occasional disagreements with Trump, and however politely Mattis may couch his, Coulter is operating out of some deeper loyalty to him, and Mattis is not.

The well-justified terror felt by establishment Republicans is that the method they believed they had devised to contain him is failing. The protective cordon built around the infantile president has broken, and Mattis represented its most important element. It was Mattis who stood between Trump and his most irreversible mistakes (the kinds that involve wars.) And it was Mattis who provided a diplomatic link to American allies, aghast at Trumps nationalism and affinity for Russia. Trump is drawn toward a white nationalist axis with Vladimir Putin at the expense of Americas traditional democratic allies. Mattis has been the one to quietly reassure them.

The terms of abuse Trump fixed upon his Defense Secretary are telling. He was initially impressed with the generals machismo, but eventually came to see him as a moderate or even, worse still, a Democrat. While the first description is questionable, and the second wrong, Trump was onto something. Mattiss dissent was ideological. Trump sees western leaders as rivals and Putin as a friend. Mattis sees it the other way around.

It is almost certainly not coincidental that this moment of purification, of distilling his administration down to its most loyal cadres, is also the moment of maximum peril. Trump understands that a failure to fulfill his most famous campaign promise, building the wall, would have devastating consequences. (He has warned in private conversations with Republican lawmakers that they all would get crushed in 2020 if they dont have this achievement.) And because he needs 60 votes to fund the wall, and hence Democratic support, he finds himself in the desperate and almost hopeless position of needing Democrats to give him the thing he needs to win reelection. He is shutting down the government out of angry panic.

More significantly, he and his family are encircled by multiple investigations. The Trump Foundation, a vehicle for looting, has been shut down. The Trump organization is being investigated for multiple crimes (tax fraud, business fraud, campaign finance violations, and, of course, collusion with Russia) by prosecutors at two levels of government  the state of New York, federal attorneys in the Southern District of New York, and the special counsel.

It is in response to the special counsel probe that Trump is remaking his administration most carefully. He installed a loyalist as Acting Attorney General, the comical hack Matthew Whitaker, and Whitaker has ignored the advice of ethics officials at the Department and refused to recuse himself from the Mueller probe. Trumps nominee to fill the position permanently, William Barr, has staked out an extreme anti-Mueller stance.

All this is occurring as questions about Trumps basic fitness for office, and even his loyalty, that laid partially submerged, are rising to the surface. Is Trump too beholden to hidden financial interests to look after the public good? Is he mentally capable of understanding politics and policy well enough to make competent decisions? Is his worldview even compatible with democratic values?

Republican professionals had hoped to stagger through four years without fully confronting these questions. Mattiss resignation letter is mild by the standards of public commentary, but scorching by the standards of a cabinet official. He paints Trump as indifferent or even hostile to the free world, and attracted to the authoritarian model of Russia and China.

For a Secretary of Defense to publicly confront the president who appointed him in this way would be historic, if so many similar things had not happened already. Trumps National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster subtly warned about the administrations resolve to resist Russian aggression. Trumps former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has depicted him as a moron. Fired FBI director James Comey has presented Trump as essentially a mob boss handed the powers of the presidency.

For all his mental limitations, Trump does have a mobsters talent for identifying character (or, more precisely, the lack of it). Trump is surrounding himself with lackeys who are untroubled by his corruption and immorality. And Trump grasps that he cannot win a fight like this without the rabid support of his ethnonationalist base and its media. For all the childish emotions that surround his actions, we can discern in them a pattern  a survival strategy.
A quantity of drugs and cash have been uncovered as part of an ongoing PSNI investigation into the East Belfast UVF.

A man has been charged after a quantity of drugs and cash were uncovered as part of an ongoing PSNI investigation into the east Belfast UVF.

Officers from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force arrested the 30-year-old man following the search of a house.

A quantity of suspected class A and B drugs as well as drug paraphernalia and cash have been seized.

Detective Sergeant Ricky Thompson said the search operation was in relation to an ongoing investigation into the activities of east Belfast UVF.

The man has been charged with drugs offences and is to appear in court on January 17. As is usual procedure all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.

The Paramilitary Crime Task Force is made up of members of the PSNI, HM Revenue and Customs, and the National Crime Agency.

The body is aimed at tackling paramilitary activity and its associated problems.
The mother and fiancee of murdered Belfast man Stephen Carson have said they are relieved his killers are behind bars.

Mr Carson was gunned down in his home in February 2016 while his young son and partner were present.

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Three cousins were jailed yesterday in connection with what police described as a "callous, brutal murder".

Michael 'Spud' Smith (40) and David 'Dee Dee' Smith (35), who were both convicted of murder, will spend at least 20 years behind bars.

Francis Smith (42) was handed a seven-and-a-half year sentence for his role after the murder, which included allowing the murder weapon to be stored in his flat.

Mr Carson's mother Bernie Murphy and partner Naomi Smyth both gave evidence during the trial.

After yesterday's sentencing they said they were relieved Mr Carson's killers had been taken off the streets.

Ms Smyth said she had just got engaged at the time and the couple had been trying for a baby.

Mrs Murphy said her grandson, now aged 11 and diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, is "just not the same wee boy".

Mr Carson's fiancee said the horrific events of that night would never leave her.

"I will never forget it, what they did. You see stuff like that on the news, but you never think it's going to come to your door," she said.

"He knew what was going to happen. He even planned his own funeral.

"Even though I'm happy at the sentence they got today, it's never going to be enough. It's not going to bring Stephen back."

Both women acknowledged Mr Carson was "no angel", but said he had been trying to turn his life around in the months before his death.

Remembering him as a "charmer", Ms Smyth added: "When he was good, he was good. If we had words or whatever, once that smile of his came out, that was it. I find it hard to go to his grave, but I will go up at Christmas."

Mr Carson's mother said the whole family, including his siblings, had been deeply affected.

"We are just not the same any more. Everything has changed. His son is just not the same wee boy," she said.

Stephen's father Paul Carson added: "I'm just glad it's over and we got justice for my son."

There was a heavy police presence in court yesterday.

Speaking outside, Detective Chief Inspector Pete McKenna welcomed the sentences for what he called a "callous, brutal murder".

"I want to pay tribute to Stephen's family, including his fiancee, who have remained dignified and supported our investigation throughout," he said.

He added that he hoped putting those responsible behind bars would bring some form of comfort.
The Ambulance Service yesterday revealed a new pilot scheme aimed at streamlining patient handover at emergency departments to help ease pressure on under-pressure crews this winter

The Ambulance Service yesterday revealed a new pilot scheme aimed at streamlining patient handover at emergency departments to help ease pressure on under-pressure crews this winter.

It said that at busy periods crews and their vehicles can be held up at A&E for some considerable time while patients are transferred into the care of nursing staff.

That means the vehicles and their crews are not available to answer 999 calls while handover formalities are completed.

In a bid to tackle this waste of emergency resources, a new "ambulance receiver" service is being piloted at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald.

The receivers, based at the hospital, will care for patients arriving by ambulance and then transfer them to the nursing staff.

The process will free up crews to be immediately available to answer new emergencies, where their skills and equipment could make the difference between life and death.

During 2017/18 delayed turnaround times at hospitals reduced emergency ambulance cover by 72,000 hours.

The Ambulance Service said that a trial of the scheme had gone very well.

It is hoped that the process could now be extended to other casualty departments across Northern Ireland.

"This pilot has proved to be successful in reducing the length of time that crews are actually at hospital and increased the time available for them to respond to life-threatening emergencies," it said.

"The Ambulance Service is keen that the pilot should now roll out to other emergency departments as appropriate."

It also urged people to consider alternatives before calling for an ambulance, especially during the busy winter period.

"We will do all we can to deliver the highest quality of care in the most timely manner possible," it added.

"However, the public also have a role to play by ensuring that they contact us only when it is necessary to do so."

And it called on people to respect ambulance staff as they carried out their lifesaving duties.

Earlier this month the BBC reported that there had been 2,278 reported incidents of abuse of paramedics here since 2012/13.
Two men will spend a minimum of eight years in jail for the the roles they played in the "pointless and tragic" death of Londonderry man Paul McCauley.

Piper John McClements (28) will spend a minimum of three years in jail for murder, while 31-year old Matthew Brian Gillon was handed a ten-year sentence for manslaughter with half the term to be spent in prison.

The 38-year old civil servant was attacked by a gang of up to 10 loyalists whilst attending a barbecue at a friend's house in the Chapel Road area of Derry in July 2005.

He suffered catastrophic head injuries in the unprovoked sectarian attack, and passed away at Longfield Nursing Home in Eglinton in 2015 after spending nine years in a persistent vegetative state.

During Friday's sentencing at Londonderry Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, Mr Justice Colton branded the assault on Mr McCauley and two of his friends as "a brutal and unprovoked attack by a large number of males".

The Judge also branded the sentencing as "unique", as McClements, from The Fountain in Derry, has already served a sentence for the same incident.

He was given a 13-year sentence in February 2009 for causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Mr McCauley, which Mr Justice Colton said he took into consideration when sentencing him again, this time for murder.

Both McClements and Gillon pleaded on the grounds of joint enterprise, and it was accepted by the Crown that it couldn't be determined who in the gang of between six and 10 men caused the fatal blow.

While McClements will serve a minimum of three years in jail before he is considered eligible for release by the Paroles Commission, Gillon will spend five years in jail, followed by a further five years on supervised licence when he is released.

Also injured in the incident were Mr McCauley's two friends, one of whom has Muscular Dystrophy and who sustained a broken jaw.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close McClements (pictured) and Gillon were jailed yesterday over Mr McCauley's death Photopress Belfast Matthew Brian Gillon Paul McCauley Piper John McClements Matthew Brian Gillen - Friday April 8, 2016 PA Paul McCauley in hospital after the attack / Facebook

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Whatsapp McClements (pictured) and Gillon were jailed yesterday over Mr McCauley's death

Citing the father of one's death as "a pointless and tragic loss of life", Mr Justice Colton said offences of "wanton violence upon young males are becoming prevalent", adding such "shocking incidents of gratuitous violence are all to common in the courts".

A previous hearing was told that hours before the attack, there was a sectarian incident in the Nelson Drive area against a Protestant, and that around six to 10 people travelled from the Fountain for retribution.

The gang's plan was initially to travel to the Waterside and remove a Tricolour from outside the lamppost of a bar on the Old Strabane Road. However, at around 3.30am the gang came across McCauley and his friends - who were having a barbecue and bonfire in the garden of a house at Chapel Road.

Those at Chapel Road heard the sound of running before they were attacked by a group of people, mostly in their mid teens. Mr McCauley was seen "wandering round looking disorientated" and bleeding heavily from his nose" in the aftermath of the rapid yet fatal assault, before he was put in the recovery position and rushed to Altnagelvin Hospital.

Despite medical intervention and after a period in hospital, he was subsequently transferred to a care home, where he passed away surrounded by family on June 6, 2015.

Mr Justice Colton paid tribute to the McCauley family for their "devotion, commitment and fortitude", and noted the devastating impact the death has had on his friends and family, including his teenage daughter.

The Judge said: "The impact of Paul's death will resonate with his family and friends for the rest of their lives. I recognise that the loss of Paul's life cannot be measured by the length of a prison sentence.

"There is no term of imprisonment that I can impose that will cure the anguish and loss suffered."

Speaking outside the court following today's sentencing, Paul McCauley's father James said: "The family would like to thank the police investigation team under the leadership of DCI Michael Harvey for their expertise and commitment in bringing this episode to a successful conclusion.

"It was a crime of the utmost cruelty and this could only be fully understood by those closely involved.

"I acknowledge the support of the family and the hospital care professionals who worked tirelessly with Paul for the nine years up until his death.

"We respect the judge's summary and sentence. Unfortunately, laws here tend towards lesser sentences than those in the rest of the UK."

Mr McCauley said he was "disappointed'' at the sentences handed down today but said it went down to the law in Northern Ireland relating to attacks to the head.

The father was asked if Gillon's 10 year sentence - five to be spent in custody and the remaining five on supervised licence on his release from jail - had "compounded'' the family's suffering as it was less than half the time his son had spent in a vegetative state following the sectarian attack.

He said: "It adds to it but at the same time these people have been caught. The police were met with a total wall of silence and to get these prosecutions is great."

Asked if he hoped others involved in the attack would be brought before the courts, Mr McCauley said: "That is a police matter but they have made it quite clear that the chase is still on so obviously they have leads to work on.

"It would be nice to see everyone involved brought to book. It is important for society that they are caught and can't do it again," he added.

Police welcomed the sentences handed down by the judge.

Paul was 29 years old when he was the innocent victim of this unprovoked sectarian assault from which he never regained consciousness. He was a much loved friend and family member who volunteered in his local community and his life was brought to a brutal end for no logical reason," Detective Chief Inspector, Michael Harvey said.

I hope todays sentencing provides some measure of comfort to Pauls family. Piper John McClements and Matthew Gillon carried out this despicable act of violence which ultimately took Pauls life and caused complete devastation to his loved ones."
A police officer has described how he survived a dissident republican bomb attempt on his life.

The officer, who does not want to be named, survived a bomb attack in Londonderry in 2012.

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He was on duty with a colleague in the Creggan estate when a bomb was thrown at their car.

The officer and his partner were badly shaken by the incident but escaped injury.

"All we heard was the bang on the roof of the vehicle, then something dark disappearing over the bonnet and then the loud bang," he told the BBC.

"You just went into an automatic mode, you made a radio transmission to your colleagues making sure they are aware of whats happened, the fact that there is nobody injured or killed.

"For us lucky enough the vehicle was still running and we managed to get ourselves and the vehicle out."
A total of 34 puppies have been rescued after officials launched a crackdown targeting the illegal movement of dogs at Northern Ireland's ports.

More than 2,000 vehicle checks were carried out at Belfast and Larne ports between December 3 and 10.

The joint operation by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Mid and East Antrim Borough Council and Belfast City Council resulted in 34 puppies being found without the correct paperwork. In some cases, they were kept in inadequate conditions.

Jackie Robinson, DAERA's head of animal health and welfare policy, said: "The illegal movement of dogs through our ports will not be tolerated."

On Tuesday, animal welfare officers were also searching vehicles arriving in Scotland by ferry in a crackdown on the illegal puppy trade.

The Scottish SPCA said thousands of puppies arrive in Scotland from Northern Ireland and the Republic every year. Inspectors were at Cairnryan ferry port to search vehicles coming in from Belfast and Larne.
The defendent was granted bail during the hearing at Belfast High Court.

A student accused of raping a woman in Belfast city centre allegedly thanked her afterwards, the High Coury has heard.

The woman also claims Marko Dolhir offered to pay her at some point during their encounter in the Little May Street area, a judge was told.

Details emerged as the 19-year-old Iranian national was granted bail on Friday.

Dolhir, with an address at Sandringham Drive in Leeds, denies charges of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault over the incident on November 25.

He insist any contact with the woman was consensual.

Crown lawyer Kate McKay said the woman told police she met Dolhir after leaving a city centre bar where she had been drinking with friends.

It was claimed that when she asked for directions he started walking with her, pushed her against railings and repeatedly tried to kiss her.

The alleged sexual assault then occurred, the court heard.

Referring to the woman's account, Mrs McKay said: "He stopped what he was doing, said thank you and walked away.

"She thinks at some point he offered to pay her, but she wasn't sure when."

Dolhir was arrested a week later in Leeds after CCTV footage established his identity, according to the prosecution.

DNA evidence allegedly links him to the complainant.

During interviews he claimed to have been in Belfast for a driving theory test.

He told police he was out with friends on the night of the alleged assault, but became separated and was approached by the woman while he searched for a lost card.

The court heard Dolhir said he asked if she was "working", to which she replied no.

He claimed the woman consensually undid his belt and pulled his trousers down before there was mutual touching between them.

But he also alleged that he then pushed her forward and said "I don't want" because he had no condoms.

Mrs McKay added: "He said they kissed each other again, both said thank you and then he left."

Mr Justice Horner was told the accused came to the United Kingdom as an unaccompanied child a number of years ago.

He is currently a student living in supervised care accommodation in Leeds.

Defence counsel Sean O'Hare claimed there were inconsistencies in the alleged victim's interview.

Granting bail, the judge ordered Dolhir to abide by any instructions from his supervisors and report to police daily.

He also banned him from any attempt to contact the complainant.
People gather for sunrise at Newgrange on the morning of the winter solstice (Brian Lawless/PA)

The shortest day of the year has been marked with events and activities across Ireland.

Visitors gathered at the Neolithic Passage Tomb at Newgrange in Co Meath to celebrate the winter solstice.

In clear conditions, the dawn sunlight illuminates the inner chamber of the 5,000-year-old tomb.

It has been a central ritual in the pagan belief system for thousands of years.

The guests were selected by ballot in September from over 28,000 applications.

Expand Close People gather for sunrise at Newgrange on the morning of the winter solstice, which is marked by pagan celebrations (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp People gather for sunrise at Newgrange on the morning of the winter solstice, which is marked by pagan celebrations (Brian Lawless/PA)

Although the sun was obscured by cloud, visitors from as far as the United States, Denmark and United Kingdom as well as Ireland enjoyed the unique experience of the solstice.

The event comes as it emerged that the very dry summer of 2018 revealed details of stunning archaeological monuments which became visible for the first time as cropmarks in the parched fields of the River Boyne floodplain.

Among the discoveries made in Bru na Boinne during the summer were this two large prehistoric henges. #WinterSolstice #Newgrange pic.twitter.com/PElkqhQ5OV  Tourism-Culture-Arts-Gaeltacht-Sport-Media (@DeptCulturelRL) December 21, 2018

Irish Culture Minister Josepha Madigan hailed the rare insights into prehistoric ritual and architecture.

This new information is a graphic illustration of the extent and density of ritual and ceremonial sites associated with the Newgrange Passage Tomb, she said.

As we celebrate this week the phenomenon of the winter solstice, sunrise illuminating the burial chamber of the passage tomb at Newgrange, this stunning new archaeological information provides fresh, spectacular and unique insights into the origins and development of the Neolithic landscape and society.

Meanwhile the winter solstice was also marked with dawn and sunset sea swims along Irelands coastlines, where waters are currently around 10 degrees.

Expand Close A group of sea swimmers marked dawn on the shortest day of the year with a dip in the sea at Helens Bay, Co Down. (Rebecca Black/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp A group of sea swimmers marked dawn on the shortest day of the year with a dip in the sea at Helens Bay, Co Down. (Rebecca Black/PA)

At the beach in Helens Bay, Co Down, a group of sea swimmers took part in a brief moment of reflection before taking a dip in Belfast Lough.

They entered the water just before 9am to mark sunrise.

Organiser Sean McGurk said he was inspired by the idea of celebrating the darkness at this time of year.

My intention in organising the Winter Solstice Splash was to celebrate the darkness  not to hide from it or deny it but to acknowledge and accept it, he told the Press Association.

As Kevin Barry says in the piece like all deluded romantics, I find winter to be the sweetest time, and here at its heart, on the shortest day of the year, as we wait for the great wheel to turn, I think its right to feel wistful for its imminent passing.

It was that article believe it or not that inspired me and also the belief that while its great to celebrate the summer and the light, we should acknowledge the darkness and give it a seat by the fire too, and that feels like the right thing to do at this time of year, especially on a small island on the north of Europe.
Donald speaks as Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue looks on during a roundtable with farmers. Photo: Olivier Douliery - Pool/Getty Images

Congress may have reached a farm bill compromise, but that conciliatory mood hasnt reached the Trump administration. On Thursday, the USDA announced a proposed rule that would, if it goes into effect, attach strict work requirements to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps. In a press release, the USDA asserted that the rule would restore the system to what it was meant to be: assistance through difficult times, not lifelong dependency. The rule would accomplish something congressional Republicans failed to do in the farm bill: expand work-for-welfare and ultimately shrink entitlement programs like SNAP. Long-term reliance on government assistance has never been part of the American dream, the release quotes Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. As we make benefits available to those who truly need them, we must also encourage participants to take proactive steps toward self-sufficiency. Moving people to work is common-sense policy, particularly at a time when the unemployment rate is at a generational low.

SNAP already has work requirements in place, but states have some flexibility in how they decide to structure the programs: They can apply for waivers, which suspend requirements in cities and counties with unemployment rates greater than 20 percent of the national average. The Trump administration wants to restrict that flexibility, as the Washington Post reported on Thursday, proposing that states only be allowed to waive the requirement in areas in which unemployment is above 7 percent. Since the unemployment rate is 3.7 percent, currently the rule allows waivers in places with unemployment above 4.44 percent. Approximately 2.8 million able-bodied recipients without children or an ailing person in their care were not working in 2016, according to the USDAs latest numbers. Roughly 755,000 live in areas that stand to lose the waivers, the Post wrote. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only three metropolitan areas in the country have unemployment rates above 7 percent: the Visalia-Porterville, California metropolitan statistical area, the Yuma, Arizona metropolitan statistical area, and the El Centro, California metropolitan statistical area.

The USDAs proposal isnt identical to work requirements as they were written into the initial House version of the farm bill. Had Democrats failed to block House Republicans from advancing that version to Trumps desk, needy recipients who make three consecutive paperwork errors would have lost their benefits for three years. Able-bodied individuals between the ages of 18 and 59 would have had to prove they were working at least 20 hours per week or enrolled in school or job training. This provision would have penalized individuals who cant find work, or who have irregular hours  a common problem for workers in the food service and retail industries.

Trump backed work requirements, but without Congress in his corner, he had to find another way to get the job done. Thus, the USDA. Trump, it turns out, can be consistent when he pleases. The great border wall might turn out to be a crowdfunded metal fence, but on the subject of poverty, Trump is a reliable antagonist. Low unemployment is a convenient justification for policies to which Trump was already committed: tax cuts for the wealthy, welfare cuts for everyone else.

While Secretary Perdue correctly notes that unemployment is low, wealth inequality remains steep. Americans are working, in other words, but that doesnt mean they are making enough to make ends meet. Stricter work requirements for SNAP would therefore penalize individuals who already live in extreme poverty, and theres not much evidence to support Perdues belief that the USDA can push people into the workforce by depriving them of food aid. As I previously wrote for Intelligencer, a 2018 study by the left-of-center Center for Budget and Policy Priorities reported that work requirements for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program  welfare  actually pushed the poor more deeply into extreme poverty. Another report, released by the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality in February, found that while theres some evidence work requirements may raise employment rates, that trend may also be attributable to events that have nothing to do with means-testing welfare, making it difficult to tell what role, if any, work requirements actually played in getting people into the labor force.

We do know, however, that attaching work requirements to entitlement programs amounts to welfare cuts. TANFs work requirements shrunk the number of families on welfare. In Arkansas, work requirements for Medicaid expansion have cost nearly 17,000 people their health-care benefits. Its a callous way to cut public spending, and unnecessary, too. There are less punitive ways for the government to save money. It could increase revenue by raising taxes on corporations and wealthy households. Or it could raise the minimum wage. One study by the Center for American Progress found that minimum-wage increases lead to statistically significant reductions in SNAP enrollment and spending. The reason, CAP concluded, was simple enough. When people can afford to buy food without government help, they dont ask for government help. Thats ideologically inconvenient for the Trump administration, and indeed for anyone else still committed to trickle-down economics. Its no sin to need welfare. That need, though, is still a moral indictment, not of the poor themselves, but of the actors who keep them that way.
Police are appealing for witnesses after a suspected cross-border burglary gang hit four properties in Fermanagh in less than three hours.

The break-ins took place between 6.30pm and 9.15pm on Thursday evening.

Police believe the break-ins are linked to a number of other similar burglaries in Co Cavan and Co Monaghan which also happened on Thursday.

The PSNI has said it is keen to speak to individuals seen travelling in a black Audi A3 and a white transit-style van.

A report of the first incident was made to police just after 6.30pm, when thieves in the Graffy Road area of the Fermanagh town forced entry to a home, ransacking rooms in the house and stealing a number of items.

The second break-in was reported in the Lisnaskea Road area of Lisnaskea with entry forced to the property, with rooms again ransacked and some jewellery being stolen.

Detective Inspector Trevor Stevenson said: The third incident was reported to us just before 9pm on the same road in Lisnaskea. At this time, it is not clear what, if anything was taken.

Around 9.15pm, a fourth burglary was reported to police in the Crom Road area of Enniskillen. A number of rooms were ransacked but again, it is not clear if anything was taken.

We believe these incidents in County Fermanagh are also linked to a number of other burglaries of a similar type in the Counties Cavan and Monaghan areas which also took place last night.

We are particularly interested in tracing the movements of a black Audi A3 and a white transit-style van which were seen in and around these areas last night between 6pm and 9.30pm. We would also like to speak to two people who were seen travelling in the car  one is described as wearing dark clothing with a hood and having his face covered while the other was reported to be wearing a jacket with sleeves darker than the body of the coat.

Anyone with information should contact detectives on 101, quoting reference number 1171 of 20/12/18."

Alternatively information can also be given to independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Gatwick airport has faced more than 24 hours of chaos (Victoria Jones/PA)

Flights have resumed at Gatwick Airport after a shutdown caused chaos for passengers. Here is everything we know so far:

 The disruption began at about 9pm on Wednesday December 19 when the airport reported that flights had been suspended. At the time, Gatwick said reports had been received of two drones flying close to the airfield.

 The runway was briefly reopened in the early hours of Thursday before further drone sightings forced it to close again.

Expand Close The runway at Gatwick Airport was first closed on Wednesday night (Pete Summers/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp The runway at Gatwick Airport was first closed on Wednesday night (Pete Summers/PA)

 Gatwick later said drones had been seen flying over the airports perimeter fence and close to the runway.

 The airports chief operating officer, Chris Woodroofe, said 120,000 passengers flights had been disrupted by the incident.

 Many inbound flights were diverted to other airports, including as far away as Amsterdam and Paris.

 On Thursday morning, police said the flying of drones in the area was a deliberate act to disrupt the airport, but added that there was no evidence to suggest it was terror-related.

 Officers were working on the assumption the drone had been modified, and were looking through CCTV to identify the make and model.

Expand Close Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley said Sussex Police were following up a number of persons on interest (Victoria Jones/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley said Sussex Police were following up a number of persons on interest (Victoria Jones/PA)

 More than 20 police units from two forces were searching for the perpetrator.

 Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley, of Sussex Police, said the force was following up a number of persons of interest in their investigations. According to reports, one line of inquiry was that a lone wolf eco-warrior was behind the incident.

 Shooting down the drone was being considered as a tactical option after other strategies failed.

On behalf of everyone at Gatwick I would like to repeat how sorry we are for the inconvenience this criminal behaviour has caused passengers..." Read the full statement from our CEO, Stewart Wingate. https://t.co/M47tA37itJ pic.twitter.com/FB5nHOlHe5  Gatwick Airport LGW (@Gatwick_Airport) December 20, 2018

 On Thursday night, police said there had been more than 50 sightings of the drone in the 24 hours from when the runway was first closed.

 Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said night-flight restrictions would be lifted at other airports so that more planes can get into and out of the country.

 At just after 6.30am on Friday, Gatwick Airport said the runway had reopened for a limited number of flights, with the first plane departing at 6.33am on its way to Lapland.
Police are investigating after a man was shot in Balloch (David Cheskin/PA)

A man is in hospital with serious injuries after he was shot in West Dunbartonshire.

The 30-year-old was in Lynn Walk, Balloch, when two men came up to him at around 6.50pm on Thursday.

Police said it appears he was shot by one of the men before they made off from the scene.

The injured man was taken by ambulance to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, where he is being treated for serious injuries.

His condition is not thought be life-threatening.

At this time our information leads me to believe that this may not be a random attack and that the injured man was the intended victimDetective Inspector Steve Martin

Police appealed for anyone with information about the incident to contact them.

Detective Inspector Steve Martin, the officer in charge of the inquiry, said: At this time our information leads me to believe that this may not be a random attack and that the injured man was the intended victim.

I am appealing for anyone who was in Lynn Walk, or the Balloch area, around the time of the shooting and saw anyone in a vehicle acting suspiciously to come forward.

While you may not think what you witnessed is significant, let the police know and we will be the judge.

Anyone with information should contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting reference 3427 of December 20, 2018, while information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Metal fencing has been erected to protect an artwork by street artist Banksy on a garage wall in Taibach, Port Talbot (Ben Birchall/PA)

Traffic wardens have been brought in to manage crowds which continue to descend on the site of Banksys latest artwork in a suburban backstreet.

The quiet alley in Taibach, Port Talbot, Wales, has been filling with art fans since the famous artists mural appeared on the side of a car garage on Tuesday morning, leading to concerns about the sudden increase in traffic for residents.

Neath Port Talbot Council said it will now be placing two members of staff at the site of Banksys latest work to help manage the large number of vehicles which are parking and filling the side street.

A council spokesman said: This will be a temporary measure over the Christmas and New Year holiday period because we believe, due to worldwide publicity, this area of Port Talbot is going to attract a large number of visitors.

Expand Close Artwork by street artist Banksy, which has appeared on a garage wall in Taibach, Port Talbot (Ben Birchall/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Artwork by street artist Banksy, which has appeared on a garage wall in Taibach, Port Talbot (Ben Birchall/PA)

We understand the excitement but we want to remind visitors this is a residential area and would ask that people coming to photograph or view the Banksy to do their best not disturb those living nearby.

We would also ask that motorists do not park in the narrow lane where the artwork is located but find a safe and appropriate place to park elsewhere and then walk.

The council also said it wants to use the world-famous artists work to strengthen its bid for a new National Gallery of Modern Welsh Art.

The Welsh Government is funding a feasibility study for a possible new national gallery which is expected to focus on 20th and 21st-century Welsh art.

Expand Close The painting appeared overnight in Taibach (Ben Birchall/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp The painting appeared overnight in Taibach (Ben Birchall/PA)

The leader of Neath Port Talbot Council, Councillor Rob Jones, said: At least one world-class contemporary artist appears to view the interesting mix of peaceful hillsides alongside striking urban and industrial landscapes as a piece of art in itself.

There are many interpretations of this work and the only person who truly knows its meaning is the artist.

If it is taken as a symbol of pollution and air quality issues  we, like other authorities  are working hard with the Welsh Government to counter and monitor pollution.

I hope the excitement over the sudden appearance of this piece of contemporary art in Port Talbot which has put the town  and Taibach  in headlines, on the web and on TV and radio right across the world may now give us an edge when it comes to hosting a new national gallery of modern art here.

Banksy claimed responsibility for the new artwork on his website and Instagram account on Wednesday after it appeared on the side of steelworker Ian Lewiss garage on Tuesday morning.

The work is Banksys first in Wales and is believed to be a comment on the towns industrial heritage and pollution linked to its famous steel plant.

Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council erected metal fencing around the garage wall on Wednesday, and was consulting other councils who have experience of dealing with Banksy artworks.
Police in Texas have been hailed as heroes after pulling a man from a burning car so hot it melted some equipment on their uniforms.

Footage posted to the Facebook page of Chambers County Sheriffs Office shows two deputies sprint towards the car, which is almost completely engulfed in flames, before pulling the unconscious driver to safety.

Had these deputies not acted quickly, decisively and without total disregard for their own safety, the seriously injured man would have perished inside the vehicle, read the caption accompanying the video.

Vehicle fire CCSO Sheriff Brian Hawthorne is proud to release this video of the heroic actions of two Chambers County Sheriffs Deputies. At approximately 8:33 p.m. on December 13, 2018, there was a major motor vehicle crash in the 3800 block SH 124, just south of Winnie. Upon arrival at this crash scene, Chambers County Deputies Braedon Boznango and Carlton Carrington found a vehicle fully engulfed in flames from the rollover crash. There was an unconscious male lying in the front seat with his abdomen and legs on fire. The two deputies approached the vehicle without regard for their own safety and began reaching inside the vehicle to rescue the sole occupant. Deputies Boznango and Carrington were able to pull the unconscious male through the door window opening and onto the ground. Both deputies were able to place the injured man into a nearby water puddle and extinguish all flames on his body. The male was airlifted to a Houston hospital in critical condition. Both deputies were uninjured during their rescue of this man, however, the intensity of this fire melted parts of their equipment while on their uniforms. Had these deputies not acted quickly, decisively and without total disregard for their own safety, the seriously injured man would have perished inside the vehicle. The attached video is a combination of three cameras, one in car and two body cameras. Posted by Chambers County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, December 18, 2018

While both deputies were uninjured some of their equipment melted due to the intensity of the heat, the sheriffs office said.

Chambers County Deputies Braedon Boznango and Carlton Carrington found a vehicle fully engulfed in flames from the rollover crash.

There was an unconscious male lying in the front seat with his abdomen and legs on fire, said police.

With flames completely filling the car and pouring out of the windscreen, the deputies pulled the driver through the side window and extinguished the fire on his body.

He was airlifted to hospital in critical condition after the incident on December 13.

Hundreds of people praised the men on Facebook.

Wow wow wow!!!! So proud! Yall are real life Heroes! Great job! wrote one Facebook user.

Awesome job, awesome deputies, wrote another.

Deputy Carrington took the time to thank many of the commenters for their praise in the replies on Facebook.
Apple is pulling older models of its iPhone from German stores after losing two patent cases brought by chipmaker Qualcomm, the company said.

A regional court in Munich ruled that Apple and its subsidiaries had breached a European patent held by San Diego-based Qualcomm, which has pursued similar cases in other jurisdictions.

Qualcomms campaign is a desperate attempt to distract from the real issues between our companies, Apple said in a statement.

Their tactics, in the courts and in their everyday business, are harming innovation and harming consumers, it said.

Expand Close An iPhone 7 (Yui Mok/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook

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Qualcomm insists on charging exorbitant fees based on work they didnt do and they are being investigated by governments all around the world for their behaviour.

Apple said that pending its appeal, the sale of iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models will be halted at its 15 own-brand stores in Germany.

The company noted, however, that all iPhone models remain available for sale from mobile phone carriers and resellers in the country.

The Munich court said Apple is banned from offering or distributing unlicensed devices that use the disputed patent, which regulates the amount of energy provided to the phones telecom chips.

Apple said the iPhone X, which was also mentioned in the verdict, has since been replaced by a newer model.

The court also ruled that Qualcomm should receive unspecified damages from Apple.
US defence secretary Jim Mattis has resigned after clashing with President Donald Trump over the abrupt withdrawal of US troops from Syria and two years of deep disagreements over Americas role in the world.

Mr Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Mr Trumps administration, will leave by the end of February after two tumultuous years struggling to soften and moderate the presidents hardline and sometimes sharply changing policies.

He told Mr Trump in a letter that he was leaving because you have a right to have a secretary of defence whose views are better aligned with yours.

Mr Mattis went to the White House with his resignation letter in hand to meet with the president and spoke to Mr Trump for about 45 minutes, according to officials.

There was no confrontation between the two men, the official said, and there was no one issue which caused the resignation. However, the official said Syria had likely been the last straw for Mr Mattis.

His departure was immediately lamented by foreign policy hands and members of congress on both sides of the aisle, who viewed the retired Marine general as a sober voice of experience in the ear of a president who has never held political office or served in the military.

Expand Close Donald Trump and Jim Mattis frequently disagreed over the US role in the world (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Even Trump allies expressed fear over Mr Mattis decision to quit, believing him to be an important moderating force on the president.

Just read Gen. Mattis resignation letter, tweeted Florida senator Marco Rubio. It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed toward a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances & empower our adversaries.

Mr Mattis did not mention the dispute over Syria in his letter or proposed deep cuts to US forces in Afghanistan, another significant policy dispute.

He noted his core belief that American strength is inextricably linked with the nations alliances with other countries, a position seemingly at odds with the America First policy of the president.

Just read Gen. Mattis resignation letter. It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation,damage our alliances & empower our adversaries. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/ztc0Yihccn  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 20, 2018

The defence secretary also said China and Russia want to spread their authoritarian model and promote their interests at the expense of America and its allies. That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defence, he wrote.

The announcement came a day after Mr Trump surprised US allies and members of congress by announcing the withdrawal of all US troops from Syria, and as he continues to consider cutting in half the American deployment in Afghanistan by this summer.

The news coincided with domestic turmoil, Mr Trumps fight with US congress over a border wall and a looming partial government shutdown.

The US presidents decision to pull troops out of Syria has been sharply criticised for abandoning Americas Kurdish allies, who may well face a Turkish assault once US troops leave, and had been staunchly opposed by the Pentagon.

Mr Mattis, in his resignation letter, emphasised the importance of standing up for US allies  an implicit criticism of the presidents decision on this issue and others.

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The outgoing defence secretary wrote: While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies.

Last year, Republican senator Bob Corker  a frequent Trump critic  said Mr Mattis, along with White House chief of staff John Kelly and then-secretary of state Rex Tillerson, were helping separate our country from chaos.

Mr Tillerson was sacked early this year. Mr Kelly is to leave the White House in the coming days.

Mr Mattis departure has long been rumoured, but officials close to him have insisted that the retired Marine would hang on, determined to bring military calm and judgment to the administrations often chaotic national security decisions and to soften some of Mr Trumps sharper tones with allies.

Opponents of Mr Mattis, however, saw him as an unwanted check on Mr Trump.

The US president said a replacement would be chosen soon.
US Marines fire mortars from an undisclosed location in Syria (US Marine Corps photo by Cpl Gabino Perez via AP)

President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw American troops from Syria was made hastily, without consulting his national security team or allies, according to US and Turkish officials.

It also came over strong objections from virtually everyone involved in the fight against Islamic State, the officials added.

Mr Trump stunned his cabinet, politicians and much of the world with the move by rejecting the advice of his top aides and agreeing to a withdrawal in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week, two officials briefed on the matter said.

The December 14 call gives a view into a Trump decision with profound consequences, including the resignation of widely respected defence secretary Jim Mattis.

The White House rejected the description of the call from the officials but was not specific.

In no uncertain terms, reporting throughout this story is not true, National Security Council (NSC) spokesman Garrett Marquis said.

It is clear from the context that this false version of events is from sources who lack authority on the subject, possibly from unnamed sources in Turkey.

The State Department and Pentagon declined to comment on the account of the decision to withdraw the troops.

US troops first moved into Syria in 2015 to fight IS, a year after the Pentagon first launched a campaign of air strikes against the extremists in Iraq and Syria.

Local ground forces with close US support slowly pushed back IS in the years that followed, and by the beginning of 2018 the militants had lost more than 90% of the territory they once held.

Despite losing the physical caliphate, thousands of IS fighters remain in Iraq and Syria and the group continues to carry out insurgent attacks.

Local commanders warn the group could easily move back into territory it once held if American forces completely withdraw.

Expand Close US soldiers survey the area during a combined joint patrol in Manbij, Syria (US Army photo by Spc Zoe Garbarino via AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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The December 14 call came a day after secretary of state Mike Pompeo and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu agreed to have the two presidents discuss Mr Erdogans threats to launch a military operation against US-backed Kurdish rebels in north-east Syria, where American forces are based. The NSC then set up the call.

Mr Pompeo, Mr Mattis and other members of the national security team prepared a list of talking points for Mr Trump to tell Mr Erdogan to back off, the officials said.

But the officials said Mr Trump, who had previously accepted such advice and convinced the Turkish leader not to attack the Kurds and put US troops at risk, ignored the script.

Instead, the president sided with Mr Erdogan.

The officials said the conversation set off a frantic, four-day scramble to convince the president either to reverse or delay the decision to give the military and Kurdish forces time to prepare for an orderly withdrawal.

Mr Trump, however, was unmoved, they said.

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The talking points were very firm, said one of the officials, explaining that Mr Trump was advised to clearly oppose a Turkish incursion into northern Syria and suggest the US and Turkey work together to address security concerns.

Everybody said push back and try to offer (Turkey) something thats a small win, possibly holding territory on the border, something like that.

Mr Erdogan, though, quickly put Mr Trump on the defensive, reminding him that he had repeatedly said the only reason for US troops to be in Syria was to defeat IS and that the group had been 99% defeated.

Why are you still there? the second official said Mr Erdogan asked Mr Trump, telling him that the Turks could deal with the remaining IS militants.

Expand Close American troops look out towards the border with Turkey from a small outpost near the town of Manbij, northern Syria (Susannah George/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp American troops look out towards the border with Turkey from a small outpost near the town of Manbij, northern Syria (Susannah George/AP)

With Mr Erdogan on the line, Mr Trump asked national security adviser John Bolton, who was listening in, why American troops remained in Syria if what the Turkish president was saying was true, according to the officials.

Mr Erdogans point, Mr Bolton was forced to admit, had been backed up by Mr Mattis, Mr Pompeo, US special envoy for Syria Jim Jeffrey and special envoy for the anti-IS coalition Brett McGurk, who have said that IS retains only 1% of its territory, the officials said.

Mr Bolton stressed, however, that the entire national security team agreed that victory over IS had to be enduring, which means more than taking away its territory.

Mr Trump was not dissuaded, according to the officials, who said the president quickly capitulated by pledging to withdraw, shocking both Mr Bolton and Mr Erdogan.
The logo of instant messaging service WhatsApp is displayed on a smartphone. Photo: THOMAS TRUTSCHEL/Photothek via Getty Images

On Thursday, the Financial Times outlined how Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp  which is among the worlds biggest messaging platforms  has become an open market for child pornography, with groups dedicated to trading illegal images that are both easy to find and easy to join.

Israeli nonprofits Netivei-Reshet and Screensaverz warned Facebook in September that it was a problem, with groups of 256 users trading images of child exploitation using easy to search for terms like cp or avatars with explicit images.

The Times found that the groups are still very much active, even after Facebook was warned. And there may be a reason for that. There are only 300 WhatsApp employees in total, and its unclear how many are assigned to moderate content on the platform. Even if WhatsApp were to task every single one of its employees with monitoring for child pornography, with 1.5 billion users, every employee would need to watch over 5 million WhatsApp users each.

The problem of moderation is not unfamiliar to Facebook. After facing criticism for allowing its own platform to run amok, Facebook beefed up its moderation team, doubling it in size from 10,000 to 20,000 over the past year. Still, these are contract positions, usually based outside of the United States, requiring employees to look at extremely unpleasant material and make often bizarre judgement calls.

And if WhatsApp were to follow the same model as Facebook and build out its own (low-paid, quickly trained) moderation force, it would be even more difficult. Users communications are encrypted end-to-end by design on WhatsApp, meaning that even if WhatsApp employees wanted to look at what messages were flying through the service, they couldnt.

WhatsApp has a zero-tolerance policy around child sexual abuse. We deploy our most advanced technology, including artificial intelligence, to scan profile photos and images in reported content, and actively ban accounts suspected of sharing this vile content, the company said in a statement. It said it had banned hundreds of thousand of users for sharing child pornography. Still, the Times was easily able to find examples of its ongoing sharing.

But the problems discovered by the Israeli nonprofits and the Financial Times werent ferreted out by going undercover into secret rings of child pornographers  they just used the search functionality built into WhatsApp.

Crimes against children are getting worse and worse, the kids are getting younger and younger, and the acts are getting more violent. Its all being fueled by these platforms, said Hany Farid, a professor of computer science at Berkeley who developed the PhotoDNA program used by hundreds of companies to prevent the spread of child pornography, speaking to the Times. The problem is deep-rooted in these companies. Its the move fast and break things model.
US vet sets up protest GoFundMe page against border wall (Sergey Tinyakov/Getty Images and Charlotte Clymer/@cmclymer)

A United States army veteran and activist has set up a charity GoFundMe page to pay for ladders so people can climb over Donald Trumps proposed Mexican border wall.

Since Wednesday 19 December, the page created by Charlotte Clymer has raised over 66,000 dollars (around 52,000).

Although the page jokingly claims to be raising money for ladders, Ms Clymer says funds will be sent to Texas-based charity the Refugee and Immigrant Centre for Education and Legal Services (RAICES).

The page reads: We wanna make sure ladders are ready to send over to our undocumented friends and help them.

Ms Clymer, who now works as press secretary at the Human Rights Campaign in Washington DC, set up the page as a protest to another GoFundMe, We The People Will Fund The Wall, in support of the Presidents border wall, which has surpassed 11 million dollars (around 8.6 million).

We The People Will Fund The Wall was set up on 16 December by triple amputee Air Force veteran, Brian Kolfage, and has a goal of one billion dollars (790 million).

The page reads: Its up to Americans to help out and pitch in to get this project rolling. If the 63 million people who voted for Trump each pledge 80 dollars, we can build the wall.

Mr Kolfage has contacted the Trump Administration to secure a point of contact to hand over the funds once the target has been met.

NBC News reports Mr Kolfage previously ran a number of Facebook pages that were removed by the social media site for spreading false information.

He told the US TV network he did not mention the pages on his fundraiser as he didnt want it to be a distraction.

Last night, @HoarseWisperer joked about a GoFundMe to buy ladders in response to this border wall nonsense. I laughed but then thought: "Wait, why not?"



We've now raised $13,000 for, um, "ladders". (Actually going to @RAICESTEXAS). #GoFundTheWallhttps://t.co/CHMKJZqj25  Charlotte Clymer  (@cmclymer) December 20, 2018

Ms Clymer, who served in the army for six years, told the Press Association: I am absolutely shocked that weve raised over 65,000 dollars in under 36 hours. Its a nice moment of humanity in a not-so-great year for America.

All of the funds will go to RAICES. They love the idea, and Ive already added one of their accountants to the page as a team member to directly withdraw the funds when the time comes.

I think the border wall GoFundMe is quite embarrassing. As a military veteran, its profoundly disappointing to see military service exploited as a cudgel against vulnerable, suffering people.

And for a wall that will not be built with funds that will certainly not be raised for a problem that isnt remedied by a wall.

Wow, this is now $60k.



Grateful to you all who put down your hard earned cash to fund some "ladders" (legal and social services for migrants).



From all at RAICES, huge thank you. https://t.co/EMF2f1Tq7z  RAICES (@RAICESTEXAS) December 21, 2018

The two separate GoFundMe pages come after US President Donald Trump clashed with Congress over the call for funding to build a border wall with Mexico.

Mr Trump demanded 5.7 billion dollars (4 billion) for the border wall, which was approved by the House of Representatives but is expected to fail in the Senate.

On 21 December, Mr Trump tweeted: Shutdown today if Democrats do not vote for Border Security!

If no deal is reached, several US federal agencies will begin to close at midnight on Friday in a partial Government shutdown.
Last week, I returned to Queens University to watch my son graduate. I say returned because in some ways I feel Ive never left my alma mater: the vital things that I learned there, and the men and women who taught me them, stay with me always. So, it was very special to see my son become one of the fortunate people who have passed through its halls.

Watching the formal academic procession leave the Whitla Hall after the ceremony, my thoughts turned to Helen Waddell, as they often do when Im at Queens.

Waddell, who was one of the first great wave of women to go to Queens after the university started admitting female students in 1882, is a personal heroine of mine.

To me, she embodies the spirit of intellectual endeavour, openness and curiosity that is at the heart of a great university education.

Helen was a writer, a poet and a medieval scholar, and although she has been largely forgotten today, she was one of the biggest literary stars of the 1920s and 30s. Her historical novel, Peter Abelard, was a runaway success, praised by everyone from Queen Mary to factory workers and prisoners.

More than that, she was an extraordinary human being. You can tell from the letters she wrote to her sister Meg, back home at Kilmacrew House, near Banbridge: they are brimming with wit and mischief and compassion.

Men frequently fell in love with Helen, and its easy to see why.

She came from deep Presbyterian roots.

Her father was a Presbyterian missionary, and her grandfather and her brother were Presbyterian ministers. Hers was an open-minded, liberal and erudite faith.

I wonder what Helen Waddell would have made of the current controversy engulfing the Presbyterian-run Union Theological College (UTC), which delivers Queens undergraduate theology degrees.

A review by a panel of senior academics at Queens has raised concerns about the diversity of teaching available at UTC.

These issues are so serious that the university has decided it will not be accepting new theology students to the highly problematic college in 2019.

A key point is the lack of female lecturers. All the full-time teaching staff at UTC are male and, as the report noted, are predominantly from a Presbyterian background.

Theres no plan to address this.

So, why the mysterious absence of women from the full-time teaching faculty?

Just a throwaway thought, but could it possibly be anything to do with the fact that the colleges principal, the Very Rev Dr Stafford Carson, does not support the ordination of women ministers?

Dr Carson believes that women should not preach or teach  activities which should be reserved solely for men.

He calls that being a complementarian.

Defending the indefensible lack of women lecturers at UTC, Dr Carson told the BBCs Sunday Sequence programme last year: Its just been the case that we havent had any suitably qualified candidates.

Remarkable. Think of all the women across the world who have taken their degrees since Helen Waddells day, and reached the highest levels of academic distinction.

Yet not one of them is suitably qualified to teach theology at UTC?

I first became aware of Dr Carsons existence back in 2007, when he was minister of First Portadown Presbyterian church.

For over 60 years, First Portadown shared its Christmas Day service with the nearby Armagh Road church. Not that year though, because the Rev Carson would not in conscience allow the minister of Armagh Road into his pulpit.

Why? Its because the churchs minister was  yes, youve guessed it  a woman: the Rev Christina Bradley.

This year, Dr Carson returned to the headlines when the doctrinal committee of the Presbyterian Church, of which he is convenor, came up with the idea of denying communion to same-sex partners and baptism to their children.

If Dr Carson and his associates are intent on turning Irish Presbyterianism into some kind of purified fundamentalist fiefdom, hostile to women and LGBT people, that is their own regrettable business.

But Union Theological College is an entirely different matter.

As a publicly funded institution, formally connected with Queens, the college must embody the same liberal virtues of academic freedom, independence and diversity.

Otherwise the connection cannot be allowed to continue.

A recent BBC documentary about Helen Waddell remains available on the iPlayer.

I suggest that Dr Carson and his all-male team make some time to watch it over the Christmas holidays.

You never know, they might learn something from this woman.
The sentencing of a television journalist this week for allegedly criticizing Indias Hindu nationalist government has amplified concerns over the constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech and how safely reporters can operate in the worlds most populous democracy.

Television journalist Kishorechandra Wangkhem was charged with uploading a video on social media last month calling Biren Singha, the chief minister of Manipur state, a puppet of the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The reporter was arrested on Nov. 27 under the National Security Act and sentenced on Wednesday to a year in prison.

We are in a poor kind of situation with the press freedom under complete control by the government of the day. I cant say freedom of press has been lost, the right to freedom of expression is there in our constitution, but it is under severe threat, Pamela Philipose, a social scientist and fellow at the Indian Council of Social Science Research, told BenarNews.

I think that the attacks on journalists are symptomatic of a larger picture. There is freedom of press but we are going through bleak times because the government is unsure how to handle dissent. The problem has been there since the inception of this government, Philipose added.

The journalists jailing occurred days after international free press watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called India a dangerous place for the media, in a report rounding up the numbers of journalists killed, held hostage or who had gone missing from Jan. 1 till Dec. 1, 2018.

Journalists also live in fear in India. Six were murdered this year and many others were the targets of murder attempts, physical attacks, and threats, Paris-based RSF reported. Hate campaigns against journalists, including incitement to murder, are common on social networks and are fed by troll armies linked to the Hindu nationalist right.

And on Thursday, the home ministry of the central government, which is controlled by a coalition led by the Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), authorized 10 select security and intelligence agencies to monitor any computer.

In response, the opposition Congress party condemned the government and accused it of trying to create a surveillance state.

The opposition was playing with national security and making a mountain where even a molehill doesnt exist, the Press Trust of India news agency quoted Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as saying.

Meanwhile in northeastern Manipur, journalism groups spoke out against Wangkhems arrest.

We strongly condemn the high handedness of the administration to arrest him under National Security Act, S. Nanda, secretary of the All Manipur Working Journalists Union, told BenarNews in a phone interview.

Nanda said the group had reached a compromise with the government after Wangkhem had previously committed similar acts that included the condition he would not indulge in such acts in the future.

Other groups spoke out against the arrest as well.

It is wrong to suppress a journalists freedom of expression, said David Laiphalang, president of the Shillong Press Club.

Dangerous profession

At least 31 journalists have been killed in northeast India in the past 30 years, according to data from media reports and journalism associations.

In strife-torn Indian Kashmir, in the north, there have been several instances of journalists being threatened, physically assaulted and detained by unknown gunmen, suspected militants and sometimes police.

Photo journalists have been the soft targets of stone-throwing crowds in the region, which is grappling with an insurgency that has claimed more than 70,000 lives, over the last three decades.

It is a double-edged sword for a journalist to operate in this conflict region. Under the garb of maintaining law and order during gunfights and shutdown calls by separatists, the security forces often go berserk and physically assault journalists covering the incidents, Showkat Dar, a journalist working with ETV News, told BenarNews.

At times, anti-India protesters intimidate and attack journalists during the clashes accusing them of not reporting anti-India protests with prominence, he said.

A leading English daily, The Hindu, said the detention of a journalist in Manipur under the stringent National Security Act for a social media post is a clear instance of misuse of power and a blatant violation of his rights as a citizen.

It indicates a dangerous trend among those wielding power to invoke laws aimed at preserving public order and security in a casual or vindictive manner, with utter disregard for constitutional provisions that uphold individual liberty, the paper said in its editorial.

Jhumur Deb in Guwahati, India, and Mohammad Amin Pirzada in Srinagar, India, contributed to this report.
Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani (left), looks on as Freeport-McMoRan CEO Richard Adkerson takes part in a signing ceremony in Jakarta, July 12, 2018.

Indonesia on Friday completed the process to acquire a majority stake in the worlds second largest copper mine, located in easternmost Papua province and operated by U.S.-based mining giant Freeport-McMoRan, President Joko Jokowi Widodo announced.

The deal means that the government, through its holding company PT Indonesia Asahan Alumunium (Inalum), now has a 51 percent stake in the gold and copper mine operated by PT Freeport Indonesia since 1973. The government, which signed a tentative deal with Freeport in July, spent U.S. $3.85 billion to increase its stake in the mine from less than 10 percent.

Today is a historic moment, Jokowi said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta. We will use the majority ownership for the prosperity of the people as much as possible.

Freeport-McMoRan CEO Richard Adkerson, who was present for the announcement, expressed relief that the deal was completed.

I thank you for supporting this solution. We strive to fulfill President Jokowis wishes and as a result we are given the authority to operate until 2041 with a stable fiscal policy, Adkerson said.

The next step is the transition from an open pit that we have operated since 1990, transforming into the largest underground mine in the world.

In August 2017, the company said it was giving up majority ownership in exchange for being allowed to operate the Indonesian mining complex until 2041.

Papua benefits

As part of the deal, the government awarded Papua province and Mimika regency, where the Grasberg mine is located, a 10 percent stake in the project.

The stake was a first step for the Papua government to offer financial aid and educational opportunities to its residents to meet Jokowis goal of bringing prosperity to the region, Inalum President-Director Budi Gunadi Sadikin said.

This is just a start. It will be repeated in all other contracts which will involve local communities, Budi told local media.

Freeport McMoRan is the best operator of underground mining. This is our chance to learn as much as possible so that in the future Indonesians can become the best operators, he said.

Freeport Indonesia operates six mines in Papua, the largest of which is Grasberg, according to the companys 2017 financial report. The companys revenues totaled $4.44 billion, up from $3.29 billion in 2016.

Jokowi has visited Papua, one of the poorest regions in Indonesia where literacy rates are low, at least eight times since taking office in 2014. The presidents nationalistic stance is popular in the province amid calls for the country to have more control of its vast resources.

Calls for military to leave

The presidents announcement came just hours after Papuan leaders on Thursday night called on the government to withdraw troops from Nduga regency, where separatist rebels were blamed for killing at least 19 construction workers earlier this month. The leaders said residents were traumatized by the presence of soldiers.

We ask President Jokowi to immediately withdraw the troops from Nduga, Papua Gov. Lukas Enembe said.

Enembe said he and other leaders want the troops out so the people in the majority Christian province can celebrate Christmas peacefully.

Responding Friday, Papuan Military Regional Command spokesman Col. Inf. Muhammad Aidi said troops were in the region to carry out the countrys duty to protect people.

If Gov. Lukas Enembe is to support the independence of the Papuan separatist movement and reject the national strategic program policy, then he has violated the law and should be prosecuted in accordance with the law, Aidi said, adding, most of our soldiers are also Christians.

I want to emphasize the violence that took victims and resulted in the trauma of the people in Nduga is not because of the presence of the military and police officers in the area, he said.

Victor Mambor in Jayapura, Indonesia, contributed to this report.
A military vehicle passes ruins in an area where government troops battled Islamic extremists in Marawi, Philippines, June 15, 2018.

A Filipino allegedly working with Islamic State (IS) militants was arrested in the southern Philippines, police said Friday, as government forces hunted for remaining members of a group of extremists blamed for last years attack on Marawi city.

The suspect, Jamio Sala, a 30-year-old member of Ansar al-Khilafah Philippines (AKP), was captured Wednesday evening when police raided a militant warehouse in General Santos City, regional police commander Chief Supt Eliseo Tam Rasco said.

We got hold of information from concerned civilians about his presence. He was part of a team that planned to set off bombs in the city, Rasco told BenarNews. A fragmentation grenade was recovered from his possession during the raid at his home.

Sala allegedly worked with a Singaporean bomber identified as Salahuddin Hassan, who was involved in a bomb attack in the town of Malapatan in Saranggani province that wounded seven people in 2010.

Jamio Sala [Courtesy Philippine National Police]

AKP, also known as Ansar Khalifa Philippines or Khalifa Islamiyah Mindanao, is an IS-sympathizer group in the southern Philippines whose members are trained mostly in building bombs.

Previously, authorities said AKP has been in contact with Filipino militants from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a splinter group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the countrys main Muslim separatist force that signed a peace deal with the government in 2014.

While it did not play a role in last years siege of Marawi city, AKP allegedly recruited militant fighters for a five-month battle with government forces. The group is also known for helping foreign militants in the southern island of Mindanao.

Its founder, Jaafar Sabewang Maguid, was killed in a firefight with police in January 2017.

Salas arrest followed government action earlier this month to extend martial law in the entire south for one more year, with officials justifying the move by saying that militant groups remained a threat in the southern region. Many of those groups are believed to be recruiting fighters, officials said.

At least 1,200 people, mostly militants, were killed in the battle of Marawi which ended in October 2017.
I have a confession to make. I think I have a problem, but I'd feel worse about it if I didn't know that at least some of you have the same problem. I'm addicted to series!



Okay, so that's not so bad, right? Except I'm in the middle of a million of them and caught up with only a handful. Help! I just can't say no to new-to-me series.



What about you? When you discover a new series, do you stick with it until you're caught up? Do you keep a record so you can read each year's new releases right away and never fall behind?



I should take stock and get a grip . . . but I seriously doubt that's going to happen any time soon. What follows are some of my favorite mystery/thriller serial reading of 2018. (The links lead to my most recent review in the series.)



M. C. Beaton's Death of series: Set in a small village in northern Scotland this series stars village cop Hamish Macbeth who loves his life and home so much he works hard to avoid being promoted to the city police force. The books are very short and lots of fun. Besides the murder, each installment features Hamish's neighbors, a little gossip, and sometimes a bit of romance. The series is my ultimate escape. The 34-book series is still going strong, and the most recent book was published this year. I just finished book 21, Death of a Bore.



Rhys Bowen's Royal Spyness series: This series, set in 1930s England, is so much fun. Our protagonist for these cozy mysteries is Lady Georgiana, who's thirty-something in line for throne. She is an independent woman in spirit but not in financial resources, and her spunk and active social life provides much fodder for social commentary on the titled gentry of a generation or two ago. Thanks to her cousin, the queen, Georgie is set to spying. All would be good if she hadn't discovered a dead body in her bathtub. I've read Her Royal Spyness, the first in the 12-book award-winning series. The latest book came out this year.



Andrea Camilleri's Montalbano series: This long series is set in Sicily and follows the cases of Salvo Montalbano, a police inspector. I've read only the first book, The Shape of Water, but loved the mix of murder, social commentary, and humor, not to mention the excellent food descriptions. Montalbano is quirky and unconventional, and it's a joy to watch him navigate the many sectors of Sicilian society. The series is very adult and is definitely riding close to the cozy side of the genre. These books have been translated, and there are currently 19 published in English, with two more available in Italian.



Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike series: In case you weren't aware, Galbraith is a pen name for J. K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame. This series is set in the very real world of contemporary London. Our protagonist is Cormoran Strike, a private detective and Afghan war veteran. We also meet Robin Ellacott, who comes to the agency as a temporary secretary. The books are gritty and sometimes dark, and the mysteries are well developed and hard to figure out. I've also enjoyed seeing how Cormoran and Robin grow and change. There are 4 books so far, and I'm caught up: Lethal White came out this year.



Jane Harper's Falk series: So far there are two books starring Aaron Falk, who is a federal agent in the Australian finance division. The murder cases Falk is assigned are complicated and involve accounting, banking. or other issues related to his expertise. We also learn something of Falk's personal life and the descriptions of Australia's rural towns and wilderness are vivid. Here's another series I'm caught up with; the second (and most recent) book is Force of Nature (2018).



Arnaldur Indridason's Reykajavic thrillers: This series is (duh) set in Iceland and features Detective Inspector Erlender Sveinsson. It's a police procedural that moves beyond just the case at hand to deal with family issues, broader social issues, police department politics and Erlender's personal life. The first book in the series is Jar City, and I think there are 12 books available in English at this point.



Peter May's Lewis trilogy: Set in the Outer Hebrides (Scotland), these books follow Detective Inspector Fin Macleod, who returns to his native Lewis Island to investigate a murder that caught the attention of his Edinburgh police superiors. The atmosphere of the first book, The Blackhouse, is haunting and Fin's personal journey is as gripping as the mystery. The final book in the trilogy was published in 2013. The audiobooks are a great help with the Gaelic language.



Keith McCafferty's Stranahan series: This is a contemporary mystery series set in Montana featuring Sean Stranahan, who moved to the state to start over after a divorce. He's an artist, a fly fisherman, and a private investigator. When he becomes involved in murders, he works with Sheriff Martha Ettinger. The books highlight fly fishing and the outdoor life but also include environmental issues and other modern-day concerns. There's a good mix of crime and Stranahan's personal life. The series is 7 books long and counting. I finished book 2, The Gray Ghost Murders.



J. D. Robb's In Death series: This series has three faces, and I love them all. Set in a futuristic New York, the books, starring police homicide detective Eve Dallas are part science fiction, with very cool technology and off-planet settlements. The murders are gritty, dark and not for the faint of heart, giving these books a place in the police procedural sub-genre. Finally, Eve's hot and heavy relationship with her extremely handsome and very, very rich husband, Roarke, gives this adult series a romance element. I finished book 10, Witness in Death, this fall. Only 37 more books to go before the newest book is published in February 2019.



I wish I could say these were the only series I read or started this year, but I can't. I confess to reading all kinds of series: fantasy/speculative fiction, general fiction, historical fiction and probably others. What's more, The series featured today aren't the only mystery series I'm actively reading (really; sigh). I told you I had a problem.





Are you a serial reader?
Is this the end for the Mullahs terror airline in Germany?

BILD has learned that, after intense consultations, the German government has decided to stop the operations of Iranian airline Mahan Air at German airports. This will take place during 2019.

Prior to this decision, US politicians and security agencies voiced their serious concerns about Mahan Air flights to destinations in Germany, to German government representatives. They allegedly pose a threat to, among others, the security of US citizens at German airports.

An dieser Stelle findest du Inhalte aus Twitter Um mit Inhalten aus Twitter und anderen sozialen Netzwerken zu interagieren oder diese darzustellen, brauchen wir deine Zustimmung. soziale Netzwerke aktivieren

Why must Mahan Air flights be banned?

At first sight, the Iranian Mahan Air seems like a completely normal airline company. Six times per week, it connects Germany with the Iranian capital, Tehran. Flights to Imam Khomeini International Airport leave from Dusseldorf four times per week and twice from Munich. The plane is an Airbus A340-300  a rather modern plane made by the European aircraft company of the same name.

However, Mahan Air is no ordinary airline. CEO Hamid Arabnejad is a former commander of Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps  who have been on the United States terror list since 2017. Arabnejad himself has also been subject to sanctions since 2013. Among other measures, he is not allowed to enter the US. Just like Qasem Soleimani, head of the foreign unit of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, Arabnejad stems from the region of Kerman in Irans south, where Mahan Air is registered.

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According to the Iranian opposition group NCRI, the Revolutionary Guard Corps are also a major shareholder of the airline via their foundation Mowla al-Movaheddin. In a nutshell, Mahan Air is a pseudonym for Revolutionary Guard Corps Air, Iranian analyst Heshmat Alavi concluded at the end of 2017.

The airline does not only have formal and informal connections with the Mullahs notorious military unit, observers say. The airline also transports troops for the terror groups foreign operations  primarily to and from Syria. Over 100 times, Mahan Air has provided dictator Assad with men, weapons, and ammunition, mostly on flights between Tehran and Damascus. The airline also carries out special flights on behalf of the Revolutionary Guard Corps and Syrian tyrant Assad.

An dieser Stelle findest du Inhalte aus Twitter Um mit Inhalten aus Twitter und anderen sozialen Netzwerken zu interagieren oder diese darzustellen, brauchen wir deine Zustimmung. soziale Netzwerke aktivieren

Observers have registered numerous flights between Damascus and the Iranian city of Abadan at the border with Iraq. From here, the company transports Iraqi-Shiite militia to Syria, where they fight for Assad on behalf of Iran. In 2015, Mahan Air was evidently the only civil airline company to fly to Aleppo in order to deliver provisions for the Revolutionary Guard Corps active there.

Passengers primarily included listed terrorists of the Lebanese Hezbollah, the Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah and Shiite mercenary groups. The latter consist of Pakistani and Afghan asylum seekers that Iran sends to the frontline in Syria as cannon fodder. This way, they can literally fight for a legal status in Iran for themselves and their families.

An dieser Stelle findest du Inhalte aus Twitter Um mit Inhalten aus Twitter und anderen sozialen Netzwerken zu interagieren oder diese darzustellen, brauchen wir deine Zustimmung. soziale Netzwerke aktivieren

The Iranian airline even flew officially on behalf of the state-owned Syrian airline Syrian Arab Airlines and operated the route between Damascus and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates under a Syrian flight number. In July, the US Secretary of the Treasury summarized the terror airlines activities as follows: Mahans regular flights to Syria are used to prop up the Assad regime and to provide weapons and foreign fighters.

An dieser Stelle findest du Inhalte aus Twitter Um mit Inhalten aus Twitter und anderen sozialen Netzwerken zu interagieren oder diese darzustellen, brauchen wir deine Zustimmung. soziale Netzwerke aktivieren

Against this background, it remains unclear why the airline is still allowed to fly to Germany. Over the past months, the US has increasingly urged the German government and German companies that cooperate with Mahan Air to end this collaboration. This will now apparently happen next year.


For Immediate Release, December 20, 2018 Contacts: Kristen Monsell, Center for Biological Diversity, (510) 844-7137, kmonsell@biologicaldiversity.org

Corey Himrod, Alaska Wilderness League, (202) 266-0426, corey@alaskawild.org

Leigh Anne Tiffany, Defenders of Wildlife, (202) 772-0259, ltiffany@defenders.org

Rebecca Bowe, Earthjustice, (415) 217-2093, rbowe@earthjustice.org

Carol Hoover, Eyak Preservation Council, (415) 250-9472 carol@redzone.org

Alyssa Roberts, League of Conservation Voters, (202) 454-4573, aroberts@lcv.org

Dune Lankard, Native Conservancy Land Trust, (907) 952-5265, dune@redzone.org

Anne Hawke, Natural Resources Defense Council, (646) 823-4518, ahwake@nrdc.org

Gabby Brown, Sierra Club, 914-261-4626, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org

Tony Iallonardo, The Wilderness Society, (202) 429-2699, tony_iallonardo@tws.org

Dawnell Smith, Trustees for Alaska, (907) 433-2013, dsmith@trustees.org

Malkolm Boothroyd, CPAWS Yukon, (867) 332-0310, mboothroyd@cpawsyukon.org Trump Ramps Up Reckless Assault on Arctic Refuge Hasty Environmental Review Ignores Human Rights, Public Support for Protection WASHINGTON On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the tax act that opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, the Bureau of Land Management released its draft environmental impact statement in preparation for an oil and gas lease sale in 2019 within the ecologically sensitive coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Americas premier wilderness refuge. This is the latest move by the Trump administration in a rushed process to allow drilling in one of the nations most remote and iconic landscapes. Earlier this year the Trump administration announced it would develop a leasing environmental impact statement with the aim of finalizing it in early 2019. It has recklessly charged ahead with its arbitrary and expedited timeline. Analyzing scientific data, examining the true negative impacts drilling would have on the landscape and wildlife, and engaging in meaningful dialogue with local communities and stakeholders cannot be rushed. This hurried process is incompatible with protecting the subsistence needs of the Gwichin people, who for thousands of years have depended on the Porcupine caribou that migrate through the refuge to calve in the coastal plain. To the Gwichin, that plain is known as Iizhik Gwatsan Gwandaii Goodlit, the Sacred Place Where Life Begins. Drilling the plain would forever scar the landscape and eviscerate the way of life of the Gwichin. At 19.3 million acres, the refuge is an amazing, wild landscape home to some of the most diverse and stunning populations of wildlife in the Arctic, including polar and grizzly bears, wolves and the Porcupine caribou herd. Nestled between the foothills of the Brooks Range and the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean, the refuges coastal plain contains the most important land denning habitat for polar bears across Americas Arctic coast. Birds from all 50 states migrate to the refuge, including the snowy owl and semipalmated sandpiper. An overwhelming majority of Americans support protections for the Arctic Refuge. Yet in 2017, after decades of bipartisan support for the refuge, Senate Republicans forced a provision into their tax bill to mandate an oil and gas leasing program there without meaningful debate. Publicly the administration promised a fair and robust review process. In reality it has placed arbitrary deadlines and limitations on the environmental review every step of the way. In the time since the tax bill became law, the Interior Department has pushed forward with an aggressive timeline for Arctic Refuge drilling that reflects the Trump administrations eagerness to sell off our public lands to the highest bidder and allow the coastal plain of this premier wildlife refuge to be turned over to oil companies.



Statements From Organizations

The Gwichin nation opposes any development in the calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, said Bernadette Demientieff, executive director of the Gwichin Steering Committee. The rush and fast pace that they are moving in only proves that they have no intention of addressing our concerns. Ninety-five percent of the Arctic is opened to oil and gas. Leave the remaining five percent alone. Our animals need somewhere clean and healthy to go. Thats what the coastal plain provides: a refuge for our animals. The Gwichin have a cultural and spiritual connection to the Porcupine caribou herd. Drilling in the Arctic Refuge is a direct attack on our way of life. Of all of the Trump administrations conservation rollbacks, the drive to sell off one of Americas wildest places for dirty, high-risk oil-drilling ranks among the worst, said Jamie Williams, president of The Wilderness Society. Americans have no desire to drill the Arctic Refuge, and this action is pure pandering to special interests in the oil lobby. Americans want to balance our energy needs with conservation of some places that are simply too wild to drill. Millions of acres in Alaska have already been opened for drilling under the Trump administration, and some places should remain untouched for future generations. The process laid out in the plan is rushed and reckless, defying good science and meaningful dialogue with stakeholders. A mere 52-day review for a plan that purports to drill for oil in the crown jewel of our wildlife refuge system shows the administration isnt at all serious about avoiding permanent damage to this untouched landscape. We urge Congress to act early next year to withdraw the 2017 tax bill rider that Americans never asked for and do not support. The Arctic Refuge is an ecosystem that is becoming more  not less  vital for birds and wildlife as development and a changing climate chip away at their habitat, said Sarah Greenberger, senior vice president of conservation policy for the National Audubon Society. With most of Americas Arctic coastline already open for oil and gas development, its inexplicable that we are considering destroying one of our last wild places. Every American is connected to this piece of our national heritage, by virtue of the birds that fly through our backyards to one of our most prolific bird nurseries. Maybe thats why two-thirds of Americans representing both major political parties oppose drilling in the refuge. Mining oil and gas from the Arctic Refuge makes no sense in climate terms, said Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition council member and ecologist Dr. Julianne Warren. It would potentially add more carbon to the atmosphere and oceans in two intersecting ways, which would be incompatible with a safely habitable ecosphere. First, burning any new below-ground reserves would discharge more ancient stores of carbon. Second, damaging one of the healthiest, intact lifescapes remaining on Earth would emit the carbon it is built from. Not only is protecting the ecological integrity of the refuge critical, restoring other already destroyed ecosystems world-wide is urgently needed to sequester more atmospheric carbon. Ultimately, I believe that defending life and the interpenetrating local and global conditions of life  including long interdependent Alaska native peoples  is a primary, sacred duty. This duty means no more drilling anywhere, especially in the Arctic Refuge. It means just transition from climate irresponsible to healthy energy economies. Despite promising a robust, scientifically sound review process, the administration is racing to authorize drilling, said Patrick Lavin, Alaska senior representative for Defenders of Wildlife. By placing arbitrary deadlines and limitations on the environmental review, the administration is making clear that it is working for Big Oil, not the wildlife and people who rely on the coastal plain for survival. There is no need to industrialize this treasured landscape, and no excuse for short-circuiting the review process. There is no way there will ever be enough oil to value the destruction of a people and a pristine ecosystem as productive and precious as the Arctic Refuge coastal plain, said Carol Hoover, executive director of the Eyak Preservation Council. Dont deny this  oil exploration on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will destroy a native people and their human rights. Destruction of habitat for traditional food sources essentially amounts to cultural genocide. That is no way for the American people, much less Alaska, to go forward. Nothing could be more reckless than drilling for oil in a wildlife refuge, said Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity. Once we industrialize our last great Alaskan wilderness areas, theres no going back. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is where we must make a stand against Trumps ignorance and greed. Here is where we protect our environment or accept climate chaos and the extinction crisis." Their rush to check the boxes of the environmental review process and sell off the Arctic Refuge to oil interests as soon as possible is further evidence of this administrations total disregard for Indigenous rights and the value of Americas wild places, said Alli Harvey, Alaska representative for Sierra Clubs Our Wild America campaign. When Donald Trump and Ryan Zinke look at the Arctic Refuge, they may see nothing but dollar signs, but the American people see much more than that. The Arctic Refuge is sacred to the Gwichin Nation and an important symbol of the wild. Thats why the plan to open this place up for drilling is so unpopular with the public, and pressure is growing on oil companies and the banks that fund them not to buy what this reckless administration is selling. We will continue to stand with the Gwichin people and fight back against this scheme to sell out Americas Refuge. This administration is hell bent on drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. At a time when our leaders should be focused on avoiding catastrophic climate change, they are running headlong toward it, inviting tragic consequences for the Arctic, said Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen. Oil and gas drilling in the coastal plain will imperil wildlife such as the threatened polar bear. It will violate the human rights of indigenous Gwichin people who rely for their way of life on the caribou that depend on the unspoiled Arctic Refuge habitat. It will bring irreversible harm to a cherished landscape valued by people around the world. Earthjustice stands prepared to uphold bedrock environmental laws and defend this precious place from the disastrous whims of the Trump administration. The Trump administration is trying to hastily push through this reckless oil and gas program, regardless of the law and impacts to wilderness and wildlife, said Brook Brisson, senior staff attorney for Trustees for Alaska. It defies the will of the majority of Americans who want this wild place protected. It undermines the science and agency process required to protect our lands, waters, wildlife and people. It disregards the human rights of the Gwichin people. You can bet we will go through the BLMs draft EIS with a fine-tooth comb and stand with the Gwichin people in fighting any oil and gas activity in the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge. The Arctic Refuge was founded in part to preserve unique arctic wildlife, and the coastal plain is integral in that protection. It offers a vital birthing ground, nursery and insect relief for the Porcupine caribou herd. Though some claim that caribou can and have coexisted with oil development on the North Slope for decades, coexisting and thriving are not the same, and the geography of the habitat the coastal plain provides makes development here especially unacceptable, said Lisa Baraff, program director at the Northern Alaska Environmental Center. The rush to move forward with the administration's plans has disregarded the ecological, geographical, and cultural realities of this complex place, not to mention the powerful legacy of protection it represents. In its zeal to drill the Arctic Refuge the administration is racing to poach public lands for private interests, said Geoffrey Haskett, president of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. For nearly 70 years the overwhelming majority of Americans have favored protecting the Arctic Refuge, their views reflected in bipartisan support to keep oil wells out of the refuge. But pro-drillers in Congress couldnt be up front with the American people, so they used a back-door budget bill to authorize drilling in the refuge last December. The Interior Department promised a rigorous environmental review but instead marginalized the wildlife expertise of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who has managed the Arctic Refuge since 1960 and empowered the Bureau of Land Management to expedite leasing. The Arctic Refuge  like all of Alaska's 16 federal national wildlife refuges  is protected by law as national interest lands that belong to all Americans, not just Alaskans. But the way this administration and Congress have favored private interests over the public interest means Americans conservation heritage is at risk like never before. Sadly, the Trump administration still hasnt seemed to process the message Americans delivered on election day, said Adam Kolton, executive director at Alaska Wilderness League. So far, at least 35 members of Congress who voted in favor of a tax bill that included Arctic Refuge leasing were defeated. Polls have shown that swing voters in battleground districts opposed refuge drilling by a 64-23 percent margin. This continued rush to drill Americas largest and wildest refuge is deeply unpopular, morally wrong, and threatens to turn back the clock on clean energy progress. Nineteen new House members have already pledged not to take a dime of fossil fuel money. Its vital that the new Congress, on day one, take steps to ramp up oversight over the backroom dealing and sidestepping of environmental laws that have defined this administration, and begin the work of restoring protections to a national treasure that belongs to all Americans. The impacts from oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge would not stop at the U.S.-Canada border, said Chris Rider, executive director of Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Yukon. Drilling in the Porcupine Caribou herds calving grounds could have devastating impacts across Alaska, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Its critical that Canadians stand with the Gwich'in and say no to drilling in the Arctic Refuge. The word refuge means a place that provides shelter and protection, said Niel Lawrence, Alaska director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. Oil and gas exploration would mean the exact opposite  threatening wildlife and leaving these lands forever marred. To open up this sacred place to that is an assault not just on one of the last truly wild places on the planet, but also on the human rights of the Gwichin. The environmental community will stand with these indigenous people challenging every step of this rushed process to cast open Americas largest remaining wilderness to corporate polluters. The American people recently took to the ballot box to deliver a strong rebuke to President Trump and Republicans in Congress and their agenda of selling out our public lands to the highest bidder, said Alex Taurel, conservation program director at the League of Conservation Voters. Poll after poll has shown that people in this country strongly oppose turning the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge into an industrial oil field. We condemn this administrations headlong rush to drill, which would permanently scar one of Americas most majestic landscapes that is home to polar bears, the Porcupine caribou herd, and birds that migrate to all fifty states. We stand with the Gwichin people in their efforts to continue preserving this place that is sacred to them. Rushing forward with a potentially disastrous plan for industrial oil development in one of the most pristine wilderness areas left on the planet makes no sense, especially given the increasing availability of far cleaner and more efficient energy from renewable sources, said Ed Johnson, president of Environment America. With the expansive rise in solar and wind power, we dont need fossil fuels anymore, and Americans can protect our special places, such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, for the next generation. There is no moral guidance from the Trump administration, said Matt Krogh, extreme oil campaign director of Stand.earth. With failed leadership from the White House, people need to make corporations act responsibly. The only right thing to do is to leave the refuge in peace, starting by making sure the environmental review fully assesses all environmental, climate and cultural impacts.
Photo: Photo-illustration by Joe Darrow for New York Magazine

Hormones have always been a third rail in female mental health. In New York Magazines latest cover story, contributing editor Lisa Miller looks at the surprisingly common, vastly understudied phenomenon of menopausal schizophrenia.

When the idea for this story first came up  someone sent me a link to a scientific article connecting menopause to schizophrenia onset  I had a really strong reaction, says Miller. I am middle-aged myself, and I thought, I will not write a story that reinforces the stereotype and proves that middle-aged women are crazy. But as I began to report the piece and talk with the wonderful, thoughtful, caring scientists and doctors who do this work, I began to see how to write a feminist piece. This small group of patients, who became psychotic in mid-life, are, in a way, like all of us: underserved by doctors, underinvestigated by scientific research. Even neuroscientists do most of their lab research on male animals. Female hormonal cycles are real, and they can sometimes affect our health, and that needs to be taken seriously and not just dismissed as whining or complaining, or relegated to the margins of medicine as womens trouble.
Dengvaxia is approved for use in several endemic countries in Latin America and Asia where reducing the human and economic burden of dengue is critical.

The European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for Dengvaxia, Sanofis dengue vaccine. The marketing authorization follows the October 18, 2018, recommendation by the European Medicines Agencys Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) to approve use of the dengue vaccine in European endemic areas.

Dengvaxia will be available in Europe to prevent dengue disease in individuals 9-45 years of age with a documented prior dengue infection and who are living in endemic areas. In some of the European overseas territories where dengue recurs regularly, people who have had a dengue infection previously are at risk of being infected with the virus again, explains Dr. Su-Peing Ng, Global Medical Head at Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine unit of Sanofi. As the second infection with dengue tends to be more severe than the first, it is important to be able to offer these people a vaccine that could help protect them against subsequent dengue infections.

According to the WHO, the global incidence of dengue has grown rapidly in recent decades and it now threatens half of the worlds population living in 128 countries. Dengue is endemic in several European territories located in tropical and sub-tropical climates prone to outbreaks of the disease particularly during the rainy season. Earlier this year, dengue outbreaks in La Reunion resulted in more than 6,000 people being made ill by the virus, which is spread by a day- biting mosquito that often lives in peoples homes. During past outbreaks of dengue in Guadeloupe and Martinique, more than 40,000 people reportedly contracted the fever.

The dengue vaccine has been evaluated in studies involving more than 40,000 people from 15 countries with up to six years of follow-up from large-scale clinical safety and efficacy investigations. Dengvaxia is approved for use in several endemic countries in Latin America and Asia where reducing the human and economic burden of dengue is critical. The vaccine is currently under priority review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as it would be considered a significant medical advance in the prevention of dengue, which is considered an unmet medical need by the FDA.
Cleanliness drive was organized on the run-up to the 70th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (IPC) which will be held from December 21 to 23 at Amity University.

Braving the cold weather outside, over 150 enthusiastic student volunteers of the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress Association (IPCA) took to streets and within Amity University campus on a Swachh Bharat cleanliness drive.

Armed by brooms and dust pans and stressing on the importance of hygiene and cleanliness through play card messages, the drive was conducted a day before the hosting of the largest congregation of pharmacists and pharmaceutical professional in India, as the 70th edition of the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (IPC) will be held at the university from December 21st to 23rd.

B. R. Sikri, Chairman Local Organizing Committee, 70th IPC, and Dr. Ashok K Chauhan, Chief Patron, 70th IPC led the group of students who in a matter of few hours cleaned the campus and surrounding area.

Cleanliness and hygiene factors are extremely important values for the pharmaceutical industry, given the fact that it is the high standards of hygiene that are a prerequisite for functioning in pharmaceutical lab and manufacturing. Therefore we have a much greater realization and appreciation for cleanliness. The students body thats engaged with the activity is the Indian Pharmacy Graduates Association (IPGA) which is also the body hosting the event.. said Mr. B. R. Sikri, Chairman Local Organizing Committee, 70th IPC.

Held with the theme of Pharma Vision 2030: Indian Pharma Industry, a Global Leader, the 70th IPC will be inaugurated by the Vice-President of India, Shri Venkaiah Naidu, and presided by President of 70th IPC and Managing Director of Sun Pharma Dilip Shanghvi on December 21st. The congress will discuss various challenges on including need for implementation of standard international level quality and hygiene parameters along with Good Manufacturing Practices across the pharma industry over the next three days.

The Indian pharmaceutical industry recorded registered sales of USD 36.7 billion in 2017, and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.4 per cent to reach USD 55 billion by 2020.

The Indian Pharmaceutical Congress Association (IPCA) is a federation of five professional pharmaceutical bodies, namely, Indian Pharmacy Graduates Association (IPGA) Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA), Association of Pharmaceutical Teachers of India (APTI), Indian Hospital Pharmacists Association (IHPA) and All India Drugs Control Officers Confederation (AIDCOC). This will be IPCAs 70th consecutive edition of Indian Pharmaceutical Congress.
The pathology labs will operate under the name 3Hcare Labs which assures same day delivery of reports and free home sample collection to all the neighboring customers. The lab is undergoing ISO certification and will soon be receiving NABL accreditation.

As a part of an aggressive plan to expand its offline footprints throughout India, leading online healthcare portal 3hcare.in, recently launched its first diagnostic lab. The online portal has started off with Kosi and is planning to gradually ramp up in other locations in Haryana and western UP soon.

The pathology labs will operate under the name 3Hcare Labs which assures same day delivery of reports and free home sample collection to all the neighboring customers. The lab is undergoing ISO certification and will soon be receiving NABL accreditation.

With tier 3 & tier 4 cities devoid of even the basic healthcare services like diagnostics, are in demand for critical attention. With advancements in the technology, basic pathology labs do not necessarily require the presence of specialized doctors but in fact, through its command centers reporting of test results can be done with ease and the patient can be directed for the right treatment.

Due to the absence of qualitative certification and entry barriers, local diagnostics in tier 3 &4 cities are thriving. In such a scenario, 3hcare labs (which is well established as 3hcare.in is the online segment) has a greater scope for penetration and a stronghold in these villages and towns in the offline segment as well.

There is a change in the pattern of disease, now more and more lifestyle-related ailments like diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease are on the rise which is not only confined to tier 1 city. Around 30-35% of the total cases are reported from tier 3 & 4 cities, which needs to be managed through regular tests. To cater to quality services, 3Hcare Labs offers better and consumer-friendly services like home sample collection and timely reports.

The online portal that has been pioneering in providing the best diagnostics services at the doorsteps also provides plan my surgery feature to get timing and availability of treatment or surgery from the best-accredited hospitals across India.
Positive news platform creates 878 million opportunities for South Africans to inspire hope

Beautiful News South Africa was founded to reflect the spirit, tenacity, and ability of South African people. As a counter-narrative to negative press, Beautiful News shares stories of positivity and inspiration  a celebration of the diversity of voices that represent the best of our nation.Created by Ginkgo Agency, and made possible by Mercedes-Benz South Africa, the positive news platform has, for the second year running, proved that in spite of adversity, South Africans are filled with positivity, strength, and determination to overcome.Every day at 4:14pm, in honour of the time Nelson Mandela gained his freedom from prison, Beautiful News has released a short film about a citizen who is contributing to the transformation of the nation.In 2018, Beautiful News stories demonstrated every aspect of the latter, from Mpho Makatu , the self-taught robot-maker who creates his work from trash, to Tom David and Warren Handley , the friends who walked 6,000 kilometres to raise funding for orphaned children. The nation was inspired by Sindiwe Magona , the writer who went from being a domestic worker to working for the United Nations, as well as William Baartman , the man who made it to Everest despite having permanent third-degree burns.In addition, Beautiful News launched My Beautiful South Africa , a series that celebrates the nations heartfelt connections to the most awe-inspiring destinations in the country. From the fairytale forests of Hogsback, towering peaks of the Drakensberg, and vast open spaces of the Cederberg to the heady gentrification of New Town Johannesburg and other cityscapes, locals and celebrated public figures shared their anecdotes that hold personal meaning over the destinations.The impact of this platform on South Africa has been unprecedented. The story of Mbali Mahlale , the 11-year-old who was born without arms, was viewed 2.4 million times on Facebook alone. In total, the stories released this year achieved more than 118 million views, with a reach of over 800 million on social media. After starting from a base audience of zero, Beautiful News followers have increased to 599,337 people within two years, becoming the fastest-growing media page in the country, and ranked 22 in South Africa according to research and reporting by Social Bakers Taking over the screens of South Africa, Beautiful News was shared by Mango Airlines, Airport TV, the V&A Waterfront, in Ubers through Hubble Africa, and at universities through Boo! Media. In 2018, content also dominated the airwaves with radio stations like Jacaranda FM, East Coast Radio, and Cape Talk among others featuring Beautiful News stories and interviewing subjects on air.As the patron of positive news and the enabler of the celebration of South African destinations, Mercedes-Benz South Africa is breaking ground as a purpose-led brand. Now more than ever before, audiences are seeking brands that offer positive contributions to society and the environment. The upward trajectory of audience reach and loyalty stands as proof that the reach of big business can hold value beyond economic stability.Thanks to the support of these partners and their shared vision to reframe South Africa, Beautiful News managed to reach millions of people and has for another year rewritten narratives, redefined the limits of capability, and reimagined the future.Apollo Zake, Programme Manager of Beautiful News, comments, These partnerships are about celebrating the South African spirit and honoring people who have dedicated their lives to making a difference. We'd like to thank each and every one of our partners for sharing Beautiful News and spreading positivity across the country. Together we've been able to touch the hearts of millions of people and amplify the goodness of South Africa.Talysa Rudah, Deputy-Commissioning Editor of Beautiful News, comments, As storytellers weve had the opportunity to be agents of change aiming to do justice to people who have trusted us with their stories. Each narrative that weve shared since we began on 1 November 2016 has been a true reflection and celebration of the full potential and beauty of the South African community. In the next version of Beautiful News we will continue to be a part of the social fabric of South Africa.Beautiful News will continue to release one short film at 4:14pm every day. For more information visit www.beautifulnews.co.za and connect on Facebook and Instagram To see or submit a story to Beautiful News, visit www.beautifulnews.co.za , email az.oc.swenlufituaeb@olleh or join the conversation with #BeautifulNews.For further information, contact: +27 (0) 21 419 3189.We are a vibrant, innovative, resourceful and warm-hearted people. A truth we often overlook. Beautiful News celebrates the extraordinary fabric of human nature that binds our nation by releasing one positive story every day at 4:14pm  the moment in time Nelson Mandela walked out of prison. Beautiful News founder, photographer and filmmaker, Adrian Steirn, previously created the 21 Icons series, which profiled the iconic individuals who led the nations journey to democracy and helped to unite its communities. Beautiful News is made possible by Mercedes-Benz South Africa.Website: www.beautifulnews.co.za Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautifulnewssa/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautifulnewssa/
Twitter has shared which South African brands won Twitter in 2018 across themes like brand voice, use of 6-second video, brand purpose, and launch moments.

Best Brand Voice

Best Digital to Physical Activation

Best Banter

Best CSI Campaign

Best Brand Propelling Social Change

Best Video Series on Twitter

Best Way to Fuel Fans

There are award-winning, perception-shifting, innovating campaigns happening on Twitter from leading brands across the world every day. We are celebrating the best marketing of the year on Twitter with a curated list of South African brands that won Twitter in 2018. These campaigns represent some of the best creative that taps into the receptive audience on Twitter.Barry Collins, senior director of Twitter client solutions EMEA commented: "While lots of other apps and platforms are about: 'Look at me', Twitter is saying: Look at this'. Twitter has the most valuable audiences, when they are most receptive and is the best platform for launching new campaigns and cutting through to get attention."For advertisers in South Africa who want to associate their brands with premium video content, Twitter offers the distinct ability to tie that video conversation to the biggest live moments and live content in the world. These campaigns represent some of the best creative that taps into the receptive audience on Twitter in South Africa, and we are excited to see continued creativity and innovation on the platform in 2019.Throughout this year FNB has made it their priority to be at the forefront of major Twitter conversations and events. This year they dominated major national events such as, Budget Speech (#FNBBudgetPlanning) and BlackFriday (#BlackFridayMe) FNB has communicated exceptionally well with its followers and has mastered tapping into key days and owning the conversation in a way that users want to take part in. By doing this FNB has shown its users that they are the brands no.1 priority.Nandos has stood out in the South African media scene for over a decade. They are a brand that is unafraid to be bold, sarcastic and quirky. And they perform as brilliantly on Twitter. The brand is extremely engaging, relevant and is brave enough to address political matters and other social issues swiftly while pushing products.When it comes to great banter and hard-hitting messages Nandos is the perfect example of how to maintain your voice on Twitter, and use the platform as not only an extension of your media plan but a stage to showcase your brand's personality.Castle Lite has spent the past few years associating themselves with the hip-hop scene in South Africa. And so they have created an image and a culture of hip-hop. Every year they host their Castle Lite Unlocks Concerts, along with a host of South African artists there is always an international act (2018 they had Chance The Rapper).They entice and get the conversation going on Twitter before the announcement of the International act; Using Video Website Cards and a Chatbot they drove ticket sales. During the event, they have a live stream for all those that couldn't make it. The event dominates the Twittersphere.Flying Fish saw a gap in the market. Most Saturdays in South Africa are spent wondering what they can do, and what activities are reliable and safe. Flying Fish came up with #SaveMySaturday , an activation that prompted users to reply with #SaveMySaturday within an hour of the initial Tweet being sent out.Flying Fish would then select 100 people who replied to them that would be sent a 6 pack of Flying Fish in an attempt to save their Saturday.Nando's has already been named as one of the top brand voices in South Africa and it is their banter that defines their voice. Nando's has built such a remarkable reputation, it seems that they are untouchable. Their persona on Twitter is no different.While Nandos does not banter back and forth with consumers - they rather choose to react and call out major events that take place in South Africa such as political, economic, and newsworthy events.Standard Bank is aware that social media is a place where change can start; where connections are made and where conversations fuel movements. This is why Standard Bank decided to use Twitter to action change.This belief combined with the confidence that words hold value and meaning, Standard Bank created #GoodFollowsGood . #GoodFollowsGood is a virtual tweet machine where every time someone tweeted using the hashtag #GoodFollowsGood a 3D Printer would print stationary for underprivileged school children in South Africa.Carling Black Label is often associated with sport and traditional views of masculinity. However this year Carling Black Label tries to break this mould and take a stance against the negative stereotypes associated with traditional masculinity. In 2018 the brand is all about addressing social matters e.g Women and Child Abuse.At the beginning of 2018 Carling Black label started their campaign with a flash mob during the halftime of a popular soccer game in South Africa - bringing the message right to Black Labels target market. The activation that took place in the FNB stadium in Johannesburg took the country by storm and #NoExcuse won multiple awards globally including a Grand Prix. #BoldBraveStrong is a continuation of #NoExcuse: to have a better country let's grow Kings and focus on breaking the mould of toxic masculinity while they are still young.Throughout this year Carling Black Label has brought this movement to Twitter and used these campaigns to fuel conversations that reach far beyond the conventions of a traditional beer campaign.Lion Lager knows its audience and knows they are active on Twitter. With this information, Lion Lager created a campaign centred around a video series that spoke to its audience.Lion Lager created a content series known as #iLobolaNgeBhubesi (Lions Lobola) that told a lobola story, which was usually told in Zulu with English subtitles to create a bond between them and their followers.Telling a lobola story was education as not all South Africans know about lobola negotiations. The success was cemented in Lion Lagers ability to educate, tell a story and push product at the same time.Ford used a Video Series on Twitter to push their new cars features. The series followed a couple on a road trip to a wedding and aimed to showcase the cars features e.g Hands-Free Calling, Voice Command etc.The World Cup is one of the biggest moments in the world, and on Twitter, it is one of the biggest conversations. Every World Cup there are key moments that trend and start a conversation, KFC knew this was going to happen and all they had to do was wait for the opportune moment.And so by tapping into one of the biggest global conversations in the world, KFC created #MakeAMealOfIt - To poke fun at soccer stars who overreact on the field and tie into what their fans and followers were saying during this time.
Photo: Courtesy of the retailers

Its the last big sales event before Christmas, and by this point youre either scrambling to get something at the very last minute (weve got you covered) or else youre very ready for your giftees to open up your excellent gifts. Before you take off for the holiday, check out some of the very good deals to be had, including on Common Projects sneakers, Cosabella shirts, Madewell totes, and lots of stylish J.Crew. We went through the sales bins to find all the actually good things youd actually want to buy.

J.Crew Daphne Boiled Wool Topcoat $228 A spare topcoat with a menswear vibe  we especially like how the sleeves are trim and short enough to let shirt cuffs peek through. $228 at Nordstrom Buy

J.Crew Classic Fit Lightweight Denim Sport Shirt $75 Just a plain old denim shirt that has surprisingly infinite uses (tucked in and buttoned up at work, worn loosey-goosey on Sundays, even a nice layering piece through the fall). $75 at Nordstrom Buy

Homesick Candle Collection $43 These funny candles  theyre meant to evoke the idea of a particular city or scent memory like Grandmas Kitchen  make killer gifts. $43 at Macy's Buy

Topshop Lily Knit Back Midi Coat $125 This coat is one of those things that you look at and say, Topshop?? The black contrast once you flip up the collar is the neatest part. (It comes in lots of other colors, too.) $125 at Nordstrom Buy

Madewell Halter Tie Back Midi Dress $158 In case youre looking for something to wear to a New Years party that wont look silly once you pull it back out again in May. $158 at Nordstrom Buy

The North Face Novelty Nuptse Vest $179 An excellent layering piece that offers a bit of neck coverage, too. For anyone who wants to wear North Face that doesnt look extremely North Face-y. $179 at Zappos Buy

Fresh Honeymoon Lip Kit $35 These Sugar lip balms are among the most popular things you can buy at Fresh, and not only does the lip kit make them more affordable, but now the kit itself is on sale. $35 at Nordstrom Buy

VEJA Esplar Leather-Trimmed Suede Sneakers $170 These leather and suede sneakers from French brand Veja arent much more expensive than what youd pay for an ordinary pair of Chuck Taylors  and are those Parisian? $170 at Moda Operandi Buy

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Facebook and Twitter said on Thursday they had removed accounts and fake news pages linked to the Bangladesh government that had posted anti-opposition content, days ahead of an election in the South Asian nation.

Facebook, Bangladesh's most popular social network with an estimated 30 million users, said it had removed nine fake news pages "linked to individuals associated with the Bangladesh government" which mimicked those of independent news outlets.

It also took down six accounts as they, along with the pages, were found "engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior". One of the accounts had 11,900 followers. Bangladesh's interior minister, Assaduzzaman Khan, said action would be taken against people behind the fake accounts. "Even if someone has a link with the ruling party, he will not be spared," Khan told Reuters.

Facebook's Head of Cybersecurity Policy Nathaniel Gleicher said in a statement Facebook did not want accounts created to mislead anyone.

"This kind of behavior is not allowed on Facebook under our misrepresentation policy because we don't want people or organizations creating networks of accounts to mislead others about who they are, or what they're doing," Gleicher said.

Twitter said it had identified and suspended 15 accounts originating from Bangladesh for "engaging in coordinated platform manipulation". "Based on our initial analysis, it appears that some of these accounts may have ties to state-sponsored actors," it added. The accounts had fewer than 50 followers, it said.

Facebook and other tech giants are under pressure to increase efforts to remove misleading or illegal content, and ensure fake news is not uploaded and disseminated. Although Facebook has stepped up fact-checking, it still faces criticism that it is too slow to close rogue accounts.

Mufti Mahmud Khan, a spokesman for the Rapid Action Battalion security force, which has been given the job of monitoring online content in the run-up to the Dec. 30 polls, did not comment on the Facebook statement.

But he said his team had arrested 30 people in recent weeks, some linked to the opposition, who posted "anti-government propaganda" by making clones of popular news websites.

Facebook's move comes as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League is seeking to win a third straight term in power amid accusations of carrying out attacks on opposition party candidates.

The opposition National Unity Front alliance said on Wednesday that 14 of its candidates had been arrested and 1,500 injured in attacks this month by ruling party workers. The Awami League has denied the allegations and accused the opposition of trying to disrupt a peaceful election environment. Hasina said on Wednesday her party would not use "unfair means" to win.

Under Hasina's decade-long rule several people have been arrested for putting up Facebook posts critical of the government, including a prominent photographer released last month after more than 100 days in prison.

The government has taken steps to improve Bangladesh's digital infrastructure, including making the internet more affordable, but it has kept tight control. During mass student protests this August, the police's cyber crime unit said it had scoured Facebook posts to crack down on what it called "fake news" being spread to provoke protests.
PR Newswire

TOMBALL, Texas, Dec. 20, 2018

TOMBALL, Texas, Dec. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Honda of Tomball is pleased to announce the opening of its brand-new eco-conscious Honda dealership in Tomball, Texas, on December 21, 2018.

The long-anticipated opening of the impressive 58,000 square foot Honda facility is poised to quickly become a premier automotive destination in greater Houston. Conveniently located just north of Houston at 22727 Tomball Parkway, in Tomball, TX, Honda of Tomball offers one of the largest selection of new Honda vehicles in the area.

"We're honored to serve the greater Houston community," says Lenny Gonzales, Managing Partner of Honda of Tomball. "Our brand-new Honda dealership was developed with two main objectives in mind: to provide customers with amenities that make buying and servicing their vehicle easier than ever and a commitment to building an eco-conscious, green facility to reduce our environmental impact in the community."

A few of the eco-friendly features of the dealership are energy star appliances and equipment, LED interior and exterior lighting to reduce energy consumption, native landscaping that will not require an irrigation system, occupancy sensors to automatically reduce power consumption, carwash reclaims 80-60% of gray water, and one of the largest white concrete lots in Texas.

For added convenience, Honda of Tomball's service department is open seven days a week with extended hours. No Appointment Necessary; Just Bring It In! In addition, customers can expect a courtesy car wash with any service or repair, shuttle service seven days a week, and courtesy loaner cars for extended repairs. The service department features ASE & Honda Master Technicians on hand to provide quality service at competitive prices.

Honda of Tomball offers customers a convenient location, friendly atmosphere, and amenities to make them feel right at home. The new dealership features multiple client lounges with HDTV's, a complimentary coffee bar & refreshments, massage chairs, children's play area, and complimentary Wi-Fi & Business Center for busy professionals.

Lenny Gonzales, Managing Partner of Honda of Tomball, says, "Our stylish, eco-friendly Honda facility combined with our commitment to exceptional customer service provides a refreshing and thoughtful experience for our customers." Prior to opening Honda of Tomball, Lenny served as General Manager for Pohanka Acura in Chantilly, VA the #1 Acura Store in the World 15 Years Running*.

Honda of Tomball is the newest addition to the Pohanka Automotive Group's portfolio of dealerships. Celebrating 100 years in business, they are one of the oldest and largest retail automotive groups in the country serving local communities since 1919.

Today, the Pohanka Automotive Group has 17 dealer rooftops selling a variety of makes, including Honda, Acura, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen, and employs over 1,400. Privately-owned, Pohanka Automotive Group serves customers across 6 states, including Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C., Delaware, Florida, and Texas!

For more information, visit http://www.HondaofTomball.com

*World's largest Acura dealer based on 2004-2018 AHM New Acura Volume Sales.

SOURCE Honda of Tomball
The Sensex slumped 689 points and the Nifty closed 197 points lower amid profit booking by investors and lower Asian markets on rising tension between the US and China amid fears of a potential US government shutdown. US Federal Reserve's outlook on future rate hike path dampened investor sentiment.

While the Sensex slumped 689 points or 1.89% to 35,742, Nifty closed 197 points lower to 10,754. Of 30 Sensex stocks, 27 ended in the red.

"The equity market witnessed selling ahead of the weekend, mainly due to fears of lower global economic growth in the coming year - OECD forecasts put the growth rate lower at 3.70% against the 3.90% indicated earlier, and the growth estimates for China has been downgraded by international agencies from 6.60 % to 6.30% - lowest ever growth for China in a decade, both of which point towards a slowdown with far reaching implications for the financial markets. The markets came down by almost 1.83 % (Nifty) and 1.86 % (Sensex), and the broader market too came down, giving up quite a major chunk of the gains made in the last one week," said Joseph Thomas, Head Research at Emkay Wealth Management.

Top Sensex gainers were NTPC (1.07%), PowerGrid (0.43%) and Coal India (0.34%).

Also read: Sensex, Nifty: 10 best performing stocks in 2018

Wipro (4.23%) , Adani Ports (3.76% ) and Maruti (3.49%) were the top Sensex losers.

All BSE sectoral indices ended in the red. Top sectoral losers were banking stocks with the BSE bankex index falling 1.55% or 472 points and auto index losing 2.12% or 454 points. Consumer durables stocks also led the weakness in Indian markets with the BSE index falling 425 points or 2.04%

Bank Nifty fell 383 points to 26,890.

"Generally, we do see some profit booking towards the end of the year and this time, especially the last couple of days, we have seen Indian markets react to global news," said Anand James, chief market strategist at Geojit Financial Services. "This could add to some volatility but overall we expect Nifty to be rangebound between 10,700 and 11,200 in the short term."

Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit said, "Concerns on global economy growth and threat of partial US government shutdown created headwinds to the domestic market. Rupee gave up some gains due to volatility in bond yields. However, fall in oil prices is expected to provide strength to rupee in the near term. Investors are using this opportunity to book profit after the recent rally, the market direction will turn positive as domestic economic indicators remain healthy."

Meanwhile, the mid cap and small cap indices closed 1.79% and 1% lower in trade today.

Market breadth was negative with 897 stocks closing higher compared to 1697 ending in the red on the BSE.

Jyoti Roy, Deputy Vice-President at Angel Broking said, "Indian equities are falling due to global markets. The Dow Jones has fallen by over 2,000 points from 25,980 on December 3. Indian equities have been bucking the global trend in the past few trading sessions. Therefore, today's fall is in sync with global markets. However, we are not really too much concerned over today's fall as there was bound to be some sort of a reaction post recent outperformance by the Indian markets."

On a net basis, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 386.44 crore on Thursday, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 87.96 crore, provisional data available with BSE showed.

"The Nifty 50 Index broke its long-term average of 10,767 with ease. The sentiments deteriorated on the back of weak and uncertain global cues. With lack of short-term positive triggers in the market, use rallies towards 10,950 and above to reduce long exposures. The next major event for the markets will be the quarterly results," said Arun Kumar, market strategist at Reliance Securities.

Domestic and other Asian stocks followed Wall Street that fell sharply after US President Donald Trump's demand for border wall funds pushed the federal government closer to a shutdown.

The White House said Trump will not travel to Florida Friday for the Christmas holiday if the government is shutting down. More than 8,00,000 federal workers will be facing furloughs or forced to work without pay if a resolution is not reached before funding expires at midnight Friday.

Meanwhile, China accused the US of fabricating facts after the US Justice Department indicted two hackers tied to Chinese security services who allegedly targeted companies and agencies in a dozen countries, adding fuel to the rift between the two countries, experts said.

The rupee, meanwhile, weakened against the US dollar, and was trading at 69.89 a dollar.

Brent crude, the international benchmark, was trading 0.66 per cent higher at $54.71 per barrel.

Global markets

Global stocks fell further Friday after Wall Street slid on recession fears, putting markets in London, Frankfurt, Shanghai and Tokyo on track to end 2018 down more than 10 percent.

In early trading, Germany's DAX lost 0.5 percent and France's CAC 40 retreated 0.4 percent. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index fell 1.6 percent and the Shanghai Composite Index ended down 0.8 percent.

The Chinese market is 2018's worst performer, down nearly 25 percent for the year.

Stocks usually end the year with a flourish. But investors worry global economic growth is cooling and the U.S. could slip into a recession in the next few years.

London's FTSE 100 gained 0.2 percent to 6,730.09 points, but is down 10.8 percent for the year.

Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 retreated 0.7 percent to 5,467.60 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gave up 0.3 percent to 25,546.99.

Taiwan gained while New Zealand and Southeast Asia declined. Wall Street is headed for its worst December since the Great Depression.

Edited by Aseem Thapliyal
About Me Scott Because prophetic scriptures are found throughout the bible, it is obvious that a comprehensive, systematic approach would be useful, if not necessary, for the understanding of prophecy. Past prophecies have been fulfilled in a literal manner, as confirmed by the dating of these writings and historical records of confirmation. These past prophecies also serve as a model of how to interpret future prophecies. A literal view of prophecy clearly indicates a certain sequence of events will occur within a single generation, concluding with the Tribulation and Second Advent and these events will be obvious. The prophetic signs appear to be present in this generation and we believe these signs are revealed in the news from around the world. View my complete profile
When Grade 7 student Avery Irvine said she wanted to spend almost $100 of her Christmas money helping less fortunate people in the community, her mother Janis said she was overwhelmed, but in a good way.

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This article was published 21/12/2018 (1077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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When Grade 7 student Avery Irvine said she wanted to spend almost $100 of her Christmas money helping less fortunate people in the community, her mother Janis said she was overwhelmed, but in a good way.

"(Avery) came home from (Brandon and Westman Christmas Cheer Registry)  she came home and she was just wired, she was so excited and I said Why is this different from anything else we do? I asked the reason it impacted her and she said Mom theyre low on things and I have $96 left and I want to spend it all on that," Janis Irvine said.

Avery Irvine spent $96 of her leftover Christmas money to buy hats, mitts and toys to donate to the Brandons and Westman Christmas Cheer Registry. (Submitted)

Janis said Avery went on a school trip with Youth Revolution to tour and help the Christmas Cheer Registry pack Christmas hampers  an experience that had a big impact on her.

"Im very proud, she recognizes when people are in need and knowing that shes a kid but knowing she can still have a part in doing something."

Janis said she herself is involved in the volunteer community in the city and Brandon Bear Clan, which she said she hopes has set an example for Avery to follow. She said helping people is part of her familys daily life and shes glad her daughter is having a positive influence on others.

"We drive around with a bag of mini mitts in our car all the time and (Avery) will recognize when people dont have mitts on and well pull over and offer a pair of mitts  she doesnt feel like its a big deal."

Avery said her and her mom went shopping with her extra Christmas money at Giant Tiger and Dollarama for mitts, toques, kids toys and toiletries, all things the Cheer Board was in need of to fill their hampers.

"I saw how many people were less fortunate to have gifts to give to their children and hampers of food they can feed to their children on Christmas, so I saw this I said Hey, maybe I can help out with this," she said.

Being a part of Youth Revolution and helping people in the community has had a big impact on her, Avery said. Avery and her mom also planned to help the cheer board deliver Christmas hampers in the lead-up to Christmas Day.

"It made me feel really good because it felt like youre helping your community because when you look at all the people who are less fortunate in Brandon, you want to help a lot," she said

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
Staff and contractors in Victoria have been crunching the numbers on climate change costs for the coastal city and it's not looking good, the mayor says.

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This article was published 21/12/2018 (1077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The British Columbia Legislature is reflected in the waters of Victoria harbour in the early morning in Victoria, B.C. Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. Staff and contractors in Victoria have been crunching the numbers on climate change costs and it's not looking good, the coastal city's mayor says. Lisa Helps pointed to a report commissioned by the regional government in 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Staff and contractors in Victoria have been crunching the numbers on climate change costs for the coastal city and it's not looking good, the mayor says.

Lisa Helps says based on a report commissioned by the regional government in 2015, storm surges combined with a one-metre rise in sea level  which is projected by the year 2100  could result in business disruption losses of $415,557 per day.

Victoria was one of the first municipalities in British Columbia to pen a letter to oil and gas companies last year asking them to chip in to cover growing bills in proportion to their emissions.

It is joining local governments around the world in seeking some relief.

"We're actively working through our climate leadership plan to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, but in the interim there are real costs to taxpayers," Helps said in an interview.

"It's pretty fair to say 'You caused this, you need to help us mitigate the cost,' even as we all  energy companies and cities  work toward a renewable energy future."

West Coast Environmental Law, which has driven the campaign in B.C., says 16 local councils have voted to write letters to fossil fuel companies. The most recent was West Vancouver, which voted last week.

"It's been increasing in momentum," said Andrew Gage, the organization's staff lawyer.

It's not about handing the entire bill to fossil fuel producers, but seeking a reasonable contribution relative to a company's pollution, he said.

"No one is saying the individual consumer bears no responsibility, it's a question of what the relative responsibility is," he said.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers declined comment, saying that since the letters are sent directly to companies, it considers the issue "company specific."

The campaign has largely flown under the radar until recently when the resort town of Whistler in B.C. drew the ire of Alberta for sending one of the letters to Calgary-based oilsands giant Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.

Last weekend, Alberta's economic development and trade minister, Deron Bilous, took a dig at Whistler Mayor Jack Crompton while speaking at a pro-oil rally in Grand Prairie.

"The people of Whistler need to tell the truth: that they are using Alberta gas for their cars, for their petrochemical products, and they're using our oil and it's time to smarten up," he told the rally.

Crompton apologized in a Facebook video last week.

Governments in other parts of the world are trying different tactics.

Several cities in the United States, including New York and San Francisco, have tried unsuccessfully to sue major oil companies over climate change.

The Shell Group said in a statement it's position on climate change has been a matter of public record for decades.

"We strongly support the Paris Agreement and the need for society to transition to a lower carbon future, while also extending the economic and social benefits of energy access to everyone," it said.

"We believe co-operation is required across all segments of society, not lawsuits that impede the collaboration needed for meaningful change. Individual communities can be powerful drivers of positive change in the energy transition, but filing lawsuits against the producers of energy that drives the world's economy, raises living standards and improves lives, is not the answer," it said.

In the Philippines, the Commission on Human Rights has an ongoing investigation into a complaint filed against 47 coal, oil, gas and cement companies.

Greenpeace says it's the world's first human rights investigation into corporate responsibility for climate change and was launched in response to complaints from typhoon survivors, advocates and community groups.

While there's no monetary element to the investigation, Greenpeace said it could set a precedent for other legal cases relating to climate change liability.

In Ontario, the legislature has twice debated a private member's bill intended to clarify the rules around suing fossil fuel companies. The bill was killed by the Progressive Conservative government under Premier Doug Ford.

Greenpeace Canada said it's working on a tool kit for local governments considering launching a legal challenge to fossil fuel companies similar to those in the United States.

"We'll be encouraging cities across the country, and I'll personally ask the City of Toronto, to launch this kind of a case," said Keith Stewart, senior energy strategist at Greenpeace Canada.

Stewart pointed to a city staff report that found between 2000 and 2012, Toronto experienced three one-in-100-year rain storms and it said the city would continue to experience extreme weather events.

"This wave of climate lawsuits, which have just picked up speed in the last couple of years, is not going to go away," Stewart said.

Whether the letter writing campaign will be effective beyond raising awareness has yet to be seen.

Since Victoria sent 19 letters to the largest fossil fuel companies in the world, none of which Helps said were Canadian, it has received only one response.

Shell Canada responded on behalf of Royal Dutch Shell in a letter that did not commit to any payment but highlighted the companies support for transitioning to a low carbon economy.

It also highlighted its Quest project, launched in Edmonton in 2015, as an example, saying it reduces carbon dioxide emissions from oil sands operations by more than one million tonnes per year.

"These are a few examples of the actions we are taking today, recognizing that the global energy transition will span decades, moving at different paces and producing different outcomes in different countries depending on local factors," says the letter signed by president Michael Crothers.

"We welcome efforts toward constructive, collaborative action as we collectively attempt to address this complex global challenge."
OTTAWA - After more than a week of expressing worsening upset about China's arrests of two Canadians, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland on Friday formally demanded that Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor be let go.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/12/2018 (1077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The employer of Michael Kovrig, who was recently detained in China, says the Canadian has not been granted access to a lawyer while in custody. In this image made from a video taken on March 28, 2018, North East Asia senior adviser Michael Kovrig speaks during an interview in Hong Kong. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP

OTTAWA - After more than a week of expressing worsening upset about China's arrests of two Canadians, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland on Friday formally demanded that Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor be let go.

"We are deeply concerned by the arbitrary detention by Chinese authorities of two Canadians earlier this month and call for their immediate release," Freeland said in a written statement.

Kovrig and Spavor were taken into custody on security grounds just days after Canadian authorities in Vancouver arrested Meng Wanzhou, a senior executive with Chinese firm Huawei Technologies, so she can be extradited to the U.S. to face fraud charges.

The United States alleges Meng lied to American banks about a corporate manoeuvre supposedly designed to get around U.S. sanctions against Iran; law-enforcement officials asked Canada to arrest her when she transited through Vancouver on her way to Mexico.

She has since been released on $10 million bail.

Western analysts say China's detention of the two Canadians is clearly retaliation for Meng's arrest.

"Canada is a country governed by the rule of law," Freeland said. "Canada is conducting a fair, unbiased and transparent legal proceeding with respect to Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer. Canada respects its international commitments, including by honouring its extradition treaty with the United States. The rule of law is fundamental to all free societies; we will defend and uphold this principle."

Kovrig's employer says the Canadian has not been given access to a lawyer while in custody.

Karim Lebhour, a Washington-based spokesman for the International Crisis Group, says Kovrig's arrest  for allegedly endangering Chinese security  is unjustified and he should be released immediately.

At the very least, Lebhour says, Kovrig should be allowed to see a lawyer and receive regular consular visits from Canadian officials.

Kovrig served as a diplomat in China until 2016 and had been working for the Crisis Group, a non-governmental agency.

A source familiar with the conditions of Kovrig's detention says he is questioned three times a day and kept in a room with the lights on continuously.

The source was not authorized to speak publicly about the situation due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Kovrig's supporters say he was working openly, had met numerous Chinese officials, attended conferences and appeared in the media.

Spavor is director of the Paektu Cultural Exchange and one of the few people from the West to have met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

John McCallum, Canada's ambassador to China, has met, at least briefly, with both Kovrig and Spavor.

A third Canadian was also recently detained in China, though her case is said to be unrelated to the other two.

Canada's allies backed Freeland on Friday, suggesting a co-ordinated effort.

Britain's Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said that he's "deeply concerned by suggestions of a political motivation for the detention of two Canadian citizens by the Chinese government. I call for them to be treated in a fair, unbiased and transparent manner."

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called for Kovrig and Spavor to be freed but the State Department repeated the sentiment Friday.

"We share Canadas commitment to the rule of law as fundamental to all free societies, and we will defend and uphold this principle. We also express our deep concern for the Chinese governments detention of two Canadians earlier this month and call for their immediate release," spokesman Robert Palladino said in a statement titled "Canada's Legitimate Arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou."

In yet another statement this week, the directors of several European policy institutions in Berlin expressed "deep concern" about the detained Canadians.

"Developments such as these increase uncertainty and distrust among foreign scholars who regularly conduct research within China, as they fear for their safety," the statement said. "This will clearly undermine efforts to better understand developments in China and to further constructive relations between China and other countries."

The bodies include the European Council on Foreign Relations, the Mercator Institute for China Studies and the Global Public Policy Institute.

"I wish to express Canada's appreciation to those who have spoken recently in support of the rule of law as fundamental to free societies," Freeland's statement concluded. "We share with our partners the conviction that the rule of law is not a choice: it is the bedrock of democracy. Canada will not compromise nor politicize the rule of law and due process."
MONTREAL - Quebec's attempt to establish a firearms registry is facing resistance, and with a January deadline looming, less than 20 per cent of the long guns believed to be in the province have been declared.

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Poly Remembers co-ordinator Heidi Rathjen speaks during a news conference calling on the government for increased gun control in Ottawa, Thursday, November 30, 2017. Quebec's attempt to establish a provincial firearms registry is facing resistance, and with a Jan. 29 deadline looming, less than 20 per cent of the long guns believed to be in circulation have been declared. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

MONTREAL - Quebec's attempt to establish a firearms registry is facing resistance, and with a January deadline looming, less than 20 per cent of the long guns believed to be in the province have been declared.

Pro-gun activist Guy Morin is calling on the public to "wait until the last minute" to comply with the law. The spokesman for Tous contre un registre quebecois des armes a feu (All Against a Quebec Gun Registry) said in an interview Friday his hope is either the registry will be abolished or so few people will register that it "cannot be enforced."

The government has put the number of long guns  mostly shotguns and rifles  in Quebec at roughly 1.6 million. But since the registry opened last January, only 284,125 guns had been declared, Public Security Department spokeswoman Louise Quintin said.

Morin, whose group cancelled a plan in November 2017 to hold a rally at a memorial site for the 14 women killed at Ecole Polytechnique, said Quebec's law is an affront. "We are Canadian gun owners, and this is insulting to us," he said. "Why do we have to register here when everywhere else in the country, you don't have to?"

The federal Liberals introduced the Canada-wide long gun registry in 1995, saying it would cost roughly $110 million. The figure multiplied and ended up costing taxpayers many times that before the Conservatives abolished it in 2012.

Following pressure from gun-control groups, Quebec passed a law creating its own registry in 2016. The government has given gun owners until Jan. 29, 2019 to register their firearms or face penalties of up to $5,000.

Quebec initially said its registry would cost $17 million and another $5 million annually to maintain. Quintin said in an email that the budget for setting up the registry is now set at $20 million.

Public Security Minister Genevieve Guilbault told reporters this week the government is hoping it does not have to resort to fines. "Yes, there are fines that can be applied for people who don't fulfil their obligations," she said. "But you know, before the repression part, I prefer to focus on the prevention part," she added, encouraging people to register their guns over the Christmas holidays.

Canadian law classifies guns in three categories. Prohibited guns such as automatics and restricted guns such as handguns must be registered with the RCMP. Long guns  rifles and shotguns that are mainly used for hunting and sport shooting  no longer need to be registered in Canada, except in Quebec.

Canadians have been debating the value of the long gun registry for years. The Ontario Superior Court ruled in 2014 against a constitutional challenge to the Conservative law abolishing the registry, saying "there is no reliable evidence" the decision "actually has, or will, increase the incidence of violence or death by firearms."

Morin said there was never a proper debate in Quebec about the registry because gun control has been a highly sensitive issue in the province since the 1989 Ecole Polytechnique shootings. "The anti-gun lobby is hiding behind those victims," Morin said. "There is no one at the political level who wants to displease these people."

Heidi Rathjen, co-ordinator of PolySeSouvient, a gun-control group formed after the 1989 Polytechnique massacre, lobbied for the creation of the Quebec registry. She rejects arguments it is a waste of money, pointing to provincial police statistics showing 80 per cent of firearms seized during crimes over the past 20 years were long guns.

Rathjen said a registry is essential because guns cannot be controlled if the government doesn't know how many there are and where they are.

"We've had the democratic debate," she said. "The bill was passed. This is now a question of whether or not the current government will yield to the pressure of a minority or will uphold the law."

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version gave an incorrect date for a cancelled rally.
MONTREAL - Quebec youth protection officials say an unspecified number of children who were with the ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect Lev Tahor have recently returned to the province.

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Members of the Lev Tahor ultra-orthodox Jewish sect walk down a street in Chatham, Ont., Wednesday, March 5, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dave Chidley

MONTREAL - Quebec youth protection officials say an unspecified number of children who were with the ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect Lev Tahor have recently returned to the province.

Myriam Sabourin, a spokeswoman for the regional health authority in the Laurentians region, north of Montreal, confirmed Thursday the children are under the authority's care. Citing privacy concerns, Sabourin declined to say how many children have returned and what services are being provided.

Lev Tahor created headlines five years ago, when Quebec youth protection services investigated allegations of child neglect in the community of about 200 people  half of them children  in Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Que.

A 2013 probe concluded that the community's housing was inadequate, the children's health needs were being neglected and they were not receiving a proper education, as most of them could speak only Yiddish. There were also allegations of underage marriages.

As a Quebec court ordered that 14 Lev Tahor children be placed in foster care in November 2013, sect members fled overnight, settling first in the southwestern Ontario region of Chatham-Kent. After Ontario courts took up the case, the group uprooted again, and by the summer of 2014 they were almost all in Guatemala.

There were reports the group had moved again in 2017, settling in Chiapas, a southern province in Mexico bordering Guatemala.

Lev Tahor spokesmen have previously denied allegations of mistreatment, though they acknowledge children are subject to a strict religious upbringing.

News of the children's return to Quebec comes as Yeshiva World News reported Wednesday that five members of the sect  identified as the current leadership group  were arrested in Mexico. That is where the sect's founder, Shlomo Helbrans, drowned in June 2017.

David Ouellette, who has followed the Lev Tahor situation as Quebec director for research and public affairs at the Jewish advocacy group CIJA, said he has not been able to independently confirm the arrests.

"However, if it turns out they have actually taken place, we hope that it could foretell the dissolution of this sect," Ouellette said Thursday. "And we hope the children who have been caught in this sect for far too long can be brought back to a secure family environment."

Helbrans founded Lev Tahor  which translates to "pure heart" in Hebrew  in the early 1980s in Israel before relocating to New York in the early 1990s.

After a conviction on a kidnapping charge, he was deported to Israel. He returned across the Atlantic to Canada, where he claimed refugee status and settled in the Laurentians. His sect established itself there for about a decade before attracting the attention of provincial authorities.

Quebec authorities were tight-lipped Thursday about the children and wouldn't say where in Quebec they are living. Sabourin said religious and language considerations were factored into the assistance being provided. "They are kids who are very distinctive given their culture, so it's part of the what we've kept in mind when offering the services," she said.

She added if other young sect members were to eventually return, the agency is ready to provide services.
OTTAWA - Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the most divisive prime minister in the history of Canada.

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Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer speaks with the media following Question Period in Ottawa, Tuesday December 4, 2018. Scheer says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the most divisive prime minister in the history of Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the most divisive prime minister in the history of Canada.

Scheer is lashing out at Trudeau and the Liberal party for dismissing anyone who disagrees with them, particularly anyone who has questions about Canada's immigration system.

"I actually think Justin Trudeau's approach to label people who have legitimate concerns with his issues as being un-Canadian and intolerant, that is very dangerous," said Scheer.

His comments come several days after Trudeau told The Canadian Press that Scheer and the Conservatives were playing a dangerous game themselves by lying to Canadians to drum up fear over immigration.

Both leaders are issuing similar accusations at the same time as they are promising to run positive, upbeat campaigns for the 2019 election.

Following their 2015 election loss the Conservatives acknowledged they had taken on a more negative tone and pledged to brighten up by the next campaign. In an interview in front of a roaring fire in the living room of his official residence in Ottawa, Scheer said he is confident the party has learned from that mistake.

If any of his MPs resort to name-calling  Calgary MP Michelle Rempel earlier this week called Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen a "chicken" on Twitter, for example  Scheer insists it is in reaction to the Liberals and doesn't apologize for it.

"When we're the victims of insulting language and attacks it's obviously going to evoke a response," he said.

But he said the general message the Conservatives will put to Canadians "will have a positive aspirational aspect to it."

It is on Trudeau's watch, Scheer said, that the country is facing regional divisions and jurisdictional battles over oil pipelines. And it is on Trudeau's watch, he went on, that what the Conservatives call "illegal border crossers" have become a major problem, Over 38,000 irregular migrants who originate from places like Haiti, Somalia and El Salvador have arrived in Canada since the beginning of 2017.

Scheer said he and his party are not anti-immigration, they are anti-cheaters.

"The Conservative party believes Canada is stronger for being able to welcome people from all over the world. We are proud of being in a country that has the ability to welcome people who are facing persecution and fleeing civil war and genocide. But in order to be able to continue to have that type of a system we have to maintain the confidence of Canadians in it. We have to make sure people come to Canada the right way," he said.

A spokeswoman for Trudeau said he is not going to shy away from pointing out inaccuracies or falsehoods in Conservative messages.

"Canadians clearly rejected Stephen Harper's divisive approach in the last election, which is the same approach the Conservatives are relying on now," said Eleanore Catenaro. "Whether it is spreading falsehoods about immigration, ignoring the science behind climate change, or engaging in personal attacks, Mr. Scheer and the Conservatives are continuing to play up people's fears and anxieties for short-term political gain."

Scheer's stance against the recent United Nations Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was one of the things that provoked anger in Trudeau. Trudeau said the Conservatives are flat-out lying when they say the agreement overrides Canada's sovereignty to make decisions about its immigration system or will force media to take specific positions on immigration.

Several immigration lawyers and experts say the compact is not binding and mainly is an attempt to help the world bring order and consistency to the growing numbers of migrants fleeing war, persecution, famine or extreme weather.

Scheer said when Trudeau and other Liberals dismiss any concerns with the compact out of hand, or try to tie people who challenge it to extremist groups because they have similar opinions on that subject, he is insulting not just the Conservatives but hundreds of thousands of Canadians who have the same questions.

"People who have those legitimate concerns deserve to be spoken to with respect and have their concerns taken into account, not brushed aside with insulting labels," Scheer said. "That's I think a very dangerous thing to do. "It really evokes a negative reaction."
OTTAWA - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' decision to resign creates a void for Canada, says former Defence Minister Peter MacKay, because of Mattis's deep understanding of Canada's role in joint NATO and UN missions and good ties with Canadian security officials.

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FILE- In this Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018 file photo, U.S. Secretary for Defense Jim Mattis arrives for a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The NATO military alliance said Friday, Dec. 21, 2018 that it has seen media reports that the United States could be readying to pull thousands of troops out of Afghanistan, and it paid tribute to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis after he resigned. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, Pool)

OTTAWA - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' decision to resign creates a void for Canada, says former Defence Minister Peter MacKay, because of Mattis's deep understanding of Canada's role in joint NATO and UN missions and good ties with Canadian security officials.

His years of experience in the U.S. military and on-the-ground understanding of the parts of the world where he served as a Marine general, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan, are "virtually irreplaceable," MacKay said.

After serving for two years at the top of the U.S. military machine, Mattis announced Thursday that he'd resign as of the end of February, in a move widely seen as a rebuke of Trump's decision to abrupt withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.

The retired general has been considered a moderating influence on Trump over his last two years as Pentagon chief, which is why concerns have been raised by ally nations about how his departure could affect U.S. security and foreign policy.

These concerns are particularly focused on America's role in the NATO transatlantic alliance after Trump said this week that not only will the U.S. military pull out of Syria, but the number of U.S. troops will also be cut in half in Afghanistan, where the U.S. is part of the NATO-led joint mission Operation Resolute Support.

"In spite of the moniker 'Mad Dog Mattis' he was anything but. He was a highly intelligent, highly rational guy and he saw first-hand the integration of defence, diplomacy, development that Canada was doing and was very full of praise and admiration for that," MacKay said.

Mattis's departure is even more keenly felt in light of the departures of H.R. McMaster and John Kelly, who U.S. President Donald Trump also appointed to serve in his administration, MacKay added. McMaster was an army general who was Trump's national-security adviser for a year; Kelly is a retired Marine general who served as secretary of homeland security and then Trump's chief of staff.

McMaster resigned last April; Kelly is to leave the White House at the end of this year.

"Jim Mattis and the others have and feel an abiding respect for Canada and our role in NATO and in NORAD, for our niche capabilities, what we were able to do along with others in the coalition, both the UN and NATO coalition in Afghanistan, our support role in other missions," MacKay said. "That, too, is in some jeopardy depending on who replaces Gen. Mattis."

But in spite of ongoing political tensions at the top, Canada's defence and security relationship with the U.S. is hardwired at the bureaucratic and institutional levels and has not materially changed with the election of Donald Trump, said Fen Hampson, director of the global security and politics program at the Centre for International Governance Innovation.

Mattis' resignation will not alter those ties, he said.

"There's a constant flow of exchanges and communication on, I would say, almost an hourly basis. That's not really going to change in substantive terms," Hampson said.

"I think where it's going to be probably felt most keenly is at the cabinet-to-cabinet level where our officials have met with Mattis and (Secretary of State Mike) Pompeo on a pretty regular basis and that's where the hole is going to be felt."

Dave Perry, a senior defence analyst with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, echoed this, saying he has heard of little change on the ground when it comes to the day-to-day bilateral work and partnerships between Canadian and American officials.

"It's a relationship that's pretty embedded at the working level in institutional agreements, exchanges, all the Canadians that work directly within the U.S. defence structure in the United States  so I think the degree of change has probably been overstated with this administration," he said. "A lot of things on the defence front have continued to work quite well quietly and will likely do so in the future."

While many analysts agree that Canada should be concerned about losing an ally in the Trump administration like Mattis, who acted as a stabilizer at the highest levels, this concern could be eased depending on whom Trump nominates as his replacement.

"The void now, within the defence and security world, will hopefully be filled with someone of his ilk and his acumen," MacKay said of Mattis. "Hope burns eternal. I remain very optimistic about the resilience of the Canada-U.S. relationship. It'll survive this administration, but boy, there's a lot of damage being done."

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OTTAWA - Fasten your seatbelt, Canada. It's going to be a bumpy ride to next fall's national election.

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau scratches his forehead as he listens to a question during an end of session news conference in Ottawa, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018. The past year has been a turbulent one on the Canadian political scene and the coming year is bound to get that much more tumultuous as politicians prepare for what both Trudeau and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer have predicted will be a nasty campaign. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - Fasten your seatbelt, Canada. It's going to be a bumpy ride to next fall's national election.

The past year has been a turbulent one on the Canadian political scene and the coming year is bound to get that much more tumultuous as politicians prepare for what both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer have predicted will be a nasty campaign.

Think of the first six months of 2019 as the semi-finals, with party leaders jostling for position, test-driving their messages and refining their trash talk at opposing teams. The finals will begin when Parliament breaks at the end of June, even though the writ won't officially drop until Sept. 1, at the earliest, for the vote scheduled on Oct. 21.

Trudeau's Liberals and Scheer's Conservatives are the main competitors as they head into playoff season; the NDP, Greens and Maxime Bernier's breakaway People's Party are bit players but potentially positioned as spoilers who will determine which of the two leading contenders walks off with the prize.

But if the past year is any measure, there will doubtless be numerous twists and turns.

For Trudeau, 2018 started with a disastrous trip to India that resulted in a slump in popularity from which he and the Liberals never seemed to fully recover. Despite a relatively robust economy, the lowest jobless numbers in 40 years and managing to navigate roller-coaster negotiations to renew the North American Free Trade Agreement, Trudeau has been beset by events that have interrupted his good-news narrative.

There was mercurial U.S. President Donald Trump slapping tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum and calling Trudeau "weak" and "dishonest" when he spoke out against them.

There was the continuing tide of asylum seekers crossing into Canada at unofficial border crossings.

And there was the court ruling that shut down work on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project the Liberals paid $4.5 billion to buy. The ruling knocked down one pillar of Trudeau's signature promise to tackle climate change by balancing economic growth and environmental protection.

And it shook the other pillar  imposing a price on carbon, starting in April  at a time when some of Trudeau's most reliable provincial Liberal allies on climate change were being replaced by fierce conservative opponents Doug Ford in Ontario and Blaine Higgs in New Brunswick, who promptly joined Saskatchewan's Scott Moe in challenging the constitutionality of Trudeau's carbon tax, along with Manitoba's Brian Pallister.

The pipeline issue has produced angry protests in Alberta, where talk about separating from Canada has been revived, fuelled in part by Quebec Premier Francois Legault's dismissal of another pipeline to ship Alberta's "dirty energy" to eastern Canada.

After enduring a summer diplomatic meltdown by Saudi Arabia over a Global Affairs tweet, Trudeau is now ending the year in a bitter dispute with China over Canada's arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the behest of the United States. China has detained Canadians in apparent retaliation.

While Trudeau insists there was no political interference and Canada is simply abiding by the rule of law, Trump has once again complicated his life by implying Meng's arrest was a ploy to gain leverage in trade talks with China.

For all that, pollster David Coletto says Trudeau retains considerable goodwill with voters as he heads into an election year. But an economic slump would undermine Trudeau's contention that his government has chosen the right path by running up steep annual deficits to invest in things that spur economic growth. The Liberals' failure to even set a date for a return to balanced budgets, contrary to their 2015 platform promise to do so by 2019, is already among Canadians' top worries and No. 1 on Scheer's hit list.

There's no telling what else could happen, particularly with the unpredictable Trump next door.

"For me, the big theme is do the Liberals look like they're in control of what's happening?" says Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data.

"I think their greatest weakness or liability is the sense that they've lost control over the budget, over the relationship with China, the relationship with Trump, questions around affordability ... You can imagine the narrative being developed by the Conservatives to say that this prime minister has just lost control, that he can't manage the complex world we live in," he adds.

"It hasn't fully happened yet but you can imagine that's a broader issue that's driven by smaller ones happening across the board that builds into a perfect storm that I think is very damaging to the Liberals politically."

Indeed, Scheer appears to have already adopted the "out-of-control" narrative, dubbing 2018 "a year of failure for Justin Trudeau" on virtually every front.

The risk in that approach, however, is that it will strike Canadians as overly simplistic and negative, particularly if Scheer is unable to convince them that he would be able to control the situation. Moreover, Coletto says Trudeau is shielded from such attacks  at least for now  by the fact that there remains a sizeable number of Canadians who still believe he has the country's best interests at heart and is doing his best in complicated circumstances.

While the two leading contenders duke it out, developments among the other parties could be crucial to the outcome of the election, starting with an early February byelection in B.C.'s Burnaby South, where NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh hopes to turn around his party's flagging fortunes by winning a seat in the House of Commons.

The Liberals, who benefit when the NDP is lacklustre, are hoping Singh wins; they don't want New Democrats to dump him before the election and potentially choose a more appealing leader who could siphon off progressive votes. Conservatives, who win when the centre-left vote is split, are equally fervent in hoping the NDP can get its act together by Oct. 21.

Coletto believes it's too early to write Singh off, assuming he can win the byelection, or the NDP, regardless of its leadership. His research suggests that just under 10 per cent of Canadians who back a specific party today say they're very likely to change their minds between now and the election.

"The real fluidity is on the left side of the spectrum, it's the Liberals and New Democrats and Greens and where those voters  more of them voted Liberal last time but some of them have now left that red tent  where do they end up? So I think there is a potential volatility," Coletto says.

By contrast, he says, "The Conservative vote is much more solid."

Which is not to say the Conservatives won't face their own potential for vote splitting. Bernier's upstart People's Party has thus far not made much of a dent in Tory support but Coletto notes it doesn't have to win any seats to have an impact. If it siphons off just one percentage point of votes from the Conservatives, it could help Liberals win in close-fought ridings and make the difference between a minority or majority government.

Moreover, Coletto says Bernier, who prides himself on his willingness to take politically dangerous stances on things like supply management, immigration and multiculturalism, may force Scheer to go further down those roads than he'd like  or than mainstream Canadians are comfortable with  to protect his right flank.

Which would likely suit Trudeau just fine. He's already trying to frame the election as a choice between positive Liberals who try to bring Canadians together and divisive Conservatives who prey on Canadians' fears and prejudices.

It's essentially a replay of one of the major themes of the 2015 campaign and one Coletto says might actually have more resonance now as the vast majority of Canadians recoil in horror from Trump's angry, divisive style of politics. If so, Trudeau might finally have a reason to thank Trump.
VANCOUVER - White Rock Mayor Darryl Walker says it could take months and millions of dollars to repair the city's beloved pier after part of it was ripped away during an intense windstorm that swept over British Columbia's southern coast.

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A boat is battered by waves and slammed into the White Rock Pier that was severely damaged during a windstorm, in White Rock, B.C., on Thursday December 20, 2018. One person who was trapped on the pier had to be rescued by helicopter. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

VANCOUVER - White Rock Mayor Darryl Walker says it could take months and millions of dollars to repair the city's beloved pier after part of it was ripped away during an intense windstorm that swept over British Columbia's southern coast.

It's one of several communities dealing with the aftermath of Thursday's storm, which BC Hydro is describing as among the most severe in many years.

The 457 metre pier will be closed until further notice after several boats broke away from their moorings and battered the middle of the pier, eventually collapsing a 30-metre section, Walker said.

"The damage that was done to our pier appears to be something that will take some months for us to recoup from, it's extremely damaged," he said.

The force of the waves also tossed logs and concrete picnic tables onto the popular promenade along the city's waterfront and Walker said that area will be cordoned off while repairs are made.

One person was trapped at the end of the pier and had to be airlifted by helicopter to safety at the height of the storm but no one was hurt.

BC Hydro said more than 100,000 customers were still without power by late Friday afternoon and some could remain in the dark for days as crews work to repair outages on Vancouver Island, Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast and Fraser Valley.

"Yesterday's windstorm was one of the most severe storms BC Hydro has experienced in years," a post on the utility's website said.

At its height, about 400,000 customers lost electricity and many remained without power overnight.

Environment Canada says gusts topped 100 km/h just south of Vancouver and in parts of the Fraser Valley, making the storm more powerful than the 2006 gales that levelled a large section of forest in Stanley Park.

The City of Nanaimo issued a statement Friday saying the storm caused its water treatment plant to breakdown.

While the water is safe to drink, the city urged its residents and businesses to restrict their use until the full system is restored, in order to preserve enough for firefighting emergencies.

The city's emergency operations centre has been activated and staff are preparing contingency plans in the event that the water treatment plant does not return to full operating capacity soon.

City pools and arenas are closed until further notice.

One woman died when a tree fell on her tent in a wooded area near Duncan, RCMP said.

There were four other people in the tent and two male occupants were also injured. One was airlifted, and the other was transported by ambulance, to hospital for treatment.

The BC Coroner Service said the woman was in her late 20s but it's too early in its investigation to release further details.

"Our investigation will look at how she died, where and by what means," spokesman Andy Watson said.

All wind warnings have been dropped and service is getting back to normal on BC Ferries routes after most sailings were cancelled Thursday.

The first sailings Friday were already full on most major routes, while power outages at smaller terminals were affecting those schedules.
OTTAWA - David Beasley was drawn to the tiny feet protruding from the blanket that a young mother was folding into a swaddle in the Sanaa hospital.

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OTTAWA - David Beasley was drawn to the tiny feet protruding from the blanket that a young mother was folding into a swaddle in the Sanaa hospital.

The head of the United Nations World Food Program was on his most recent trip to war-torn Yemen in mid-November, and as a father of four, Beasley couldn't resist giving the feet a tickle. He figured he'd "get a little smile or something" from the child. But it was "like tickling a ghost."

"There was no smile, no reaction, no nothing," Beasley said in an interview in Ottawa earlier this month, where he briefed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The suffering of children is the rule, not the exception in Yemen. Beasley said that's what drove him to deviate from the polite requests that leaders of his organization usually make to open up access for food and other relief supplies. He met with all sides in the four-year-old war that has essentially destroyed Yemen's economy and pushed its already poor populace to starvation.

Beasley, 61, was one of many international actors pushing for a breakthrough at Hodeida  the strategic Red Sea port through which 70 per cent of the country's food flows  and one month after his trip, their collective efforts paid off. The UN-sponsored peace talks in Sweden won a fragile ceasefire in Hodeida between the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi Arabian-led coalition.

"Any steps that help bring peace in Yemen represent progress, because people have suffered there for far too long," said Beasley, whose reassuring southern intonation and wide, deeply etched smile can give way in a nanosecond to a steely-eyed stare. "I had hard meetings, very difficult meetings, but we made progress."

Beasley is a Republican politician from South Carolina, who once served as the state's governor. He says a lifetime of lessons learned in southern U.S. politics served him well in an ongoing effort to push Yemen's belligerents into stanching the bloodshed that has killed tens of thousands, including countless children.

Beasley travelled to Hodeida last month, and held meetings with Houthis and government-backed forces. He's also travelled throughout the region, winning support from Saudi Arabia's key ally, the United Arab Emirates.

On his first trip to the region one year earlier, "I was brutal on the Saudis because of the blockade and because of the lack of financial, humanitarian support."

Back then, he told the Houthis, "I'm not doing this because I'm taking sides. I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do, and if you cross the line I will jump on your back just as hard."

On his return trip last month, Beasley concluded that the Houthis had indeed crossed a line. The Saudis and Emiratis gave political support to end the Hodeida blockade and they ponied up money. The Houthis weren't holding up their end.

"I told them very clearly that I was hard on the Saudis a year ago and it is my intention to let the world know that if children die because of lack of access  because of you  I will tell the world children are dying because of you," said Beasley.

"The result was very positive."

Saudi Arabia's murder of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October has raised the profile of Yemen's suffering. While Khashoggi's execution and dismemberment by a Saudi hit squad has drawn worldwide condemnation, many international observers noted the incongruity of the attention paid to Khashoggi's death and the largely overlooked suffering of Yemeni children, who have borne the brunt of the Saudi-led bombing campaign.

The bombs continued fall on Wednesday in other parts of the country, despite the Hodeida ceasefire.

The U.S. Senate recently passed a bipartisan resolution that blames Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for Khashoggi's killing and called for an end to U.S. support of Saudi Arabia's military action in Yemen.

The WFP is preparing to scale up its efforts to supply food to 12 million of Yemen's 30 million people. That means the WFP's monthly bill will grow from US$100 million to US$160 million, said Beasley, who is also going around with his cap in hand looking for government and private sector donations.

Canada has committed $130 million to Yemen's humanitarian relief efforts but made no new funding commitments on Beasley's latest trip to Ottawa.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada is "very engaged" in the peace talks, and she spoke last week with the UN's special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths.

"If there's something Canada can do beyond the humanitarian assistance we are already providing, then we're very, very keen to offer it. We are in active discussions with the UN on how Canada might be able to help," Freeland said in an interview.

Beasley said Canada remains a valuable partner because its foreign-policy focus on helping and girls and women will be crucial to any long-term strategy to rebuilding Yemen whenever the fighting does stop.

That can't come too soon for Yemen's overburdened hospitals, Beasley said, recalling a conversation with one physician last month while he was treating a little girl and a boy.

"I said, 'How many children like this come here every day? And he said, 'About 50.' "

The doctor told Beasley the hospital only had the capacity to treat 20 a day. So Beasley asked him what they do about the other 30.

"He said, 'We send them home to die.' "
HALIFAX - U.S. authorities are looking into potential illicit activity involving Colorado retreats connected to Shambhala International, a Halifax-based Buddhist organization roiled by sexual misconduct allegations.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 21/12/2018 (1077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HALIFAX - U.S. authorities are looking into potential illicit activity involving Colorado retreats connected to Shambhala International, a Halifax-based Buddhist organization roiled by sexual misconduct allegations.

A spokesman for the Larimer County Sheriff's Office says police have received information regarding possible criminal activity involving the Shambhala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, Colo.

Meanwhile, police in Boulder, Colo., say they have opened an investigation into at least one allegation of sexual assault by a Buddhist teacher from his time when he was teaching at Shambhala International in Boulder.

Shannon Aulabaugh, a spokeswoman for Boulder police, said the investigation had been underway since August, but no charges or arrests have been made. She said the teacher has since left the Shambhala community.

She declined to provide further detail, other than to note that two investigators with the police department are welcoming any information on the case.

Halifax police spokesman John MacLeod says the force has not received any reports of criminal activity involving Shambhala in the Nova Scotia capital, and says an incident would have to be reported before police would launch an investigation.

Shambhala International  one of the largest Buddhist movements in the western world  has come under intense scrutiny in recent months after a former member published reports from women accusing the organization's spiritual leader of sexual harm.

The allegations prompted Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche to step back from his duties pending the outcome of an independent investigation by a Halifax law firm, expected to be released next month.

The Kalapa Council  the governing body of the Buddhist movement, which has roughly 200 meditation centres and 12,000 members worldwide  also resigned en masse.

An interim board is overseeing the organization and is expected to receive the findings of the third-party investigation into sexual misconduct allegations next month.

In July, Mipham apologized for the "pain, confusion and anger" sweeping through the Shambhala community. But Michael Scott, a lawyer for the spiritual leader, made it clear his apology was not an admission of guilt and that "the Sakyong categorically denies assaulting anyone, sexually or otherwise."

David Moore, public information officer for the Larimer County Sheriff's Office, said investigators are looking into possible criminal activity involving Shambhala after receiving information, but are unable to provide details about the case.

Michael Gayner, director of the Shambhala Mountain Center, says it has offered its support to the sheriff's office if a formal investigation is launched.

Gayner says he's committed to transparency and ensuring the centre remains a safe and nurturing space.

"We are and will always be committed to transparency and full co-operation in any investigation," he said, adding "we have no information about the specifics of this examination."

Carol Merchasin, a lawyer who worked on "sunshine" reports raising allegations against Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, said in a telephone interview that the Colorado complaints are the first criminal probes she is aware of.

"We have known for some time there were at least allegations of conduct that could be criminal in nature and I think it's good they're being looked into and that it can be cleared up one way or another," she said in a telephone interview from Port Republic, N.J.

She said she has spoken to the detectives in Larimer County and describes them as "very professional and easy to talk to."

"I would hope that anyone who has information will take advantage of their call to step forward and speak to them," she said.

 With files from Michael Tutton
Aer Lingus deal with CityJet for the London City airport to Dublin route has been cleared after a Competition and Market's Authority probe.

Under the deal, CityJet provides Aer Lingus with aircraft, crew, maintenance services and insurance to operate the route.
The Government must "show more teeth" when it comes to consumer issues and not rely on the EU to lead the way, a leading consumer advocate body has said.

Bonkers.ie also called for the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to look closely at proposals from its UK counterpart, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), after the UK watchdog unveiled recommendations to Government in relation to customer loyalty penalties.

The CMA said it investigated a so-called "super complaint" by Citizens Advice that companies penalise existing customers by charging them higher prices than new customers.

The UK watchdog looked at cash savings, mortgages, household insurance, mobile phone contracts and broadband, and said it found a total loyalty penalty of around 4bn (4.44bn) a year in these markets.

It said vulnerable people, including the elderly and those on a low income, may be more at risk of paying the loyalty penalty.

It said its investigation has uncovered damaging practices by firms, which exploit unsuspecting customers, including continual year on year stealth price rises; costly exit fees; time-consuming and difficult processes to cancel contracts or switch to new providers; and requiring customers to auto-renew or not giving sufficient warning their contract will be rolled over.

The CMA said there were around 1 million in the mortgage market to nearly 12 million in the insurance market affected by paying more than newer customers.

It has made a number of recommendations to the Government including people being able to leave a contract as easily as they enter it; firms being publicly held to account for charging existing customers much more; and price caps to protect people worst hit by the loyalty penalty.

The CMA said phone providers must stop charging pay-monthly customers the same rate once theyve effectively paid off their handsets at the end of the minimum contract period.

Pricing interventions should also be considered in the insurance market, the CMA said.

Bonkers.ie spokesman Daragh Cassidy said entities like the CCPC should look closely at the CMA's proposals "to see what can be replicated and implemented here".

Businesses rarely reward loyalty. The simple truth is that if you've been with your current supplier for over a few years, then you're probably overpaying," he said.

Mr Cassidy said the onus should not be on the EU to protect consumers if a national Government could do so. Recent changes such as the Central Bank's mortgage switching code were a good start, he said.

The mortgage switching code places an onus on banks to let customers know if they could get a cheaper mortgage either with the bank itself or elsewhere.

Mr Cassidy said: "Over the past decade, we've seen consumer rights strengthened in many areas. But it many cases it's been because of EU legislation and hasn't been initiated at a national level. It's time for the Government to show more teeth in this area without being told to do so by the EU.

"We're seeing some small changes for sure but more needs to be done at a Government level and coordinated among the various consumer bodies such as ComReg, the CRU, the Central Bank and the CCPC."
A judge said it would be "a complete waste of court time" for him to spend up to five days on an application to recuse himself from continuing to hear a High Court case related to the Ponzi scheme run by jailed US fraudster Bernie Madoff.

Mr Justice Michael Twomey therefore adjourned generally a recusal application from British Virgin Islands (BVI) registered investment fund, Defender, pending that company's decision to appeal his ruling on December 4 last that it could not maintain a $141m damages claim against Dublin-registered HSBC Institutional Trust Services Ireland Ltd.

Defender claims, among other things, negligence and breach of contract HSBC's alleged role as a custodian of funds which were lost as a result of fraud by its alleged sub-custodian, Bernie L Madoff Securities LLC.

Ms Justice Twomey ruled that because Defender had already settled its claim against Madoff for loss of its investment, it could not also pursue its damages claim against HSBC.

This comes under an area of law relating to "concurrent wrongdoers" which meant Defender could not, therefore, pursue the other wrongdoer (HSBC).

While the December 4 decision ended the claim for damages, the court still has to deal with outstanding restitution and constitutional claims.

The judge said it was difficult to escape the impression that five months' court time was being sought in this case, not because the dispute could not be solved in a much shorter time, but because of the sums at stake and because the parties can afford to pay their own lawyers and therefore use up valuable court resources to resolve essentially a "private dispute".

Defender appealed that decision and separately applied to the judge to recuse himself from further hearing the case.

The judge refused, saying it would be a waste of time to spend three to five days on a recusal application in circumstances where there was an appeal pending in the Court of Appeal (CoA) over his damages ruling.

He said Defender sought that he recuse himself even before the CoA appeal was determined, or before a possible further appeal to the Supreme Court, "because it seems of the contents of that judgment of 4th December.".

The date when these proceedings return to the High Court is likely to be two or more years in the future, unless the parties get an expedited appeal in the Court of Appeal or a leapfrog appeal to the Supreme Court, in which case it is still likely to be many months into the future, he said.

Equally, and this was a relevant point when considering the efficient use of court resources, it was possible that for other reasons - for example, if the matter was settled - the case might not come back before the High Court at all.

The court "believes that it should make every effort to avoid using scarce publicly funded resources" given the pressures on those resources and that Ireland is at the bottom of the European league table when it comes to the number of judges per capita.

He therefore adjourned the recusal application generally. The parties can also apply to the court should there be any further developments under the terms of his order.
A pharmaceutical company facing a 1.6 billion tax demand from Revenue, says it will fight the decision through all available avenues.

The assessment made against Elan Pharma relates to the amount of tax paid on the sale of its stake in the groundbreaking drug Tysabri.

After the Apple tax case, it's the biggest ever corporate tax bill lodged by the Revenue Commissioners.

Perrigo which owns Elan issued a statement this evening, saying it strongly disagrees with decision.

It claims it contradicts Revenue's own guidance on such cases.

"Perrigo strongly disagrees with this assessment and believes that the Notice of Amended Assessment is without merit," they said.

"The Company asserts that Irish Revenues position is incorrect as a matter of law, based upon applicable case law, as well as both Irish Revenue published guidance and their related published precedents. In addition, no payment of any amount related to this assessment is required to be made, if at all, until all applicable proceedings have been completed, which could take a number of years. The Company will file an appeal and intends to contest the assessment vigorously through all available administrative and judicial avenues."

Perrigo's planning an appeal, which could lead to a lengthy legal battle.
The High Court has ordered that a company of Presidential election candidate Sean Gallagher which owns commercial premises in Dublin must provide a heating and cooling system to its tenant.

Ms Justice Teresa Pilkington, while finding Nokia Ireland was entitled to certain orders against its landlord Clyde Real Estate, Blanchardstown Ltd, has placed a stay on the order after being told it was not possible to reconnect the old heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system.

This was because the old one could not be restarted and a new one was in the process of being installed.

Nokia Ireland had sought various orders against its landlord Clyde Real Estate, Blanchardstown Ltd including an injunction preventing Clyde from closing down, demolishing or decommissioning the HVAC plant pending the outcome of the full hearing of the dispute.

The application, which was opposed, opened before the High Court on Tuesday when Ms Justice Teresa Pilkington heard claims by Nokia that conditions in its office, where 100 people are employed, were described as being "Arctic" and difficult to work in due to the alleged failure to provide proper heating services.

Mr Gallagher, who is CEO of Clyde Real Estate, disputed all the claims. Clyde also told the court that it was in the process of redeveloping the premises and installing a new HVAC system to replace one that had become obsolete, which it hopes to be up and running in early 2019.

Nokia claimed it had complained about excessively hot and cold temperatures at the premises since 2016, in recent months had been using portable heaters in the premises.

It initiated proceedings in June, when Ireland was experiencing a heat wave, claiming Clyde was in breach of a lease agreement of March 2015 and was required to provide heating, ventilating and air conditioning services in line with the terms of the lease.

In her ruling, Ms Justice Pilkington said that the relationship between the sides had become "fractious".

While there was a lot of evidence, much of it highly technical in nature, put before the court the judge said what was central in her consideration was the terms of the 2015 lease agreement.

That agreement placed on obligations on the landlord to provide heating/air conditioning for the tenant, the Judge said.

Because the landlord had shut down the old HVAC system without notice to the tenant, the Judge said she was satisfied to make an order compelling Clyde to turn on the old HVAC system, as well as an order that hot water supply also is reconnected to Nokia's offices.

However after being informed by Keiran Lewis SC for Clyde that the old HVAC could not be turned back on due to the replacement works, and hearing submissions from Michael Howard SC for Nokia the Judge decided to place a stay on that order.

The Judge who said the court had not been informed during the three day hearing that it would be impossible to get the old system back working, accepted submissions from Mr Lewis that his client was concerned of being in breach of a court order that was impossible to comply with.

The Judge said it had been her understanding from the evidence that while it restarting the old HVAC system would have had its difficulties, it would not have been impossible

The matter will return before the High Court at the end of January when the court could be updated on the progress of the new HVAC system.
Nine out of 10 inmates being granted temporary release (TR) this Christmas are coming from the country's two open prisons.

The percentage of prisoners getting Christmas TR this year, running at 4% of the prisoner population, is similar to last year and marks a decrease on the previous two years.

The Irish Prison Service says that following a decision by Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan 137 prisoners are being granted TR this Christmas.

The figures show that 125 (91%) of the total are coming from Loughan House, Co Cavan, and Shelton Abbey, Co Wicklow  the IPS's two open facilities.

Although details are not available, these can include people at the end of their sentences for serious offences, up to and including murder. Sex offenders are not included in the total number, with the two institutions housing sex offenders (Arbour Hill and Midlands) showing zero TR.

In addition to the two open centres, some seven inmates are being released from Portlaoise Prison, which is the country's only high-security jail. Two people are being released from Castlerea Prison and a further two from the Progression Unit, with one inmate from Dochas Women's Prison.

Prison sources indicated that no one contentious or anyone that could cause political embarrassment is being given TR.

The figures account for 4% of the numbers in custody, similar to 3.9% in 2017. Both years mark a drop on 2016 (5%) and 2015 (5.5%). As of yesterday, there were 3,910 inmates in custody  marking a significant rise on the same date in the previous years (3,688 in 2017, 3,663 in 2016 and 3,708 in 2015).

According to the IPS, many of the prisoners being released are nearing the end of their sentences: The overriding concern when considering the applications is the safety of the public."

In addition to compassionate and humane considerations, other criteria taken into account include the nature and gravity of the offence, length of sentence served to date, prior record on temporary release, behaviour while in custody and previous criminal history.

It said periods of release vary from one to seven nights.

In recent years, there have either been very few or no cases of those on Christmas TR not returning to their prison on time.
137 people have been given temporary release from prison this Christmas.

This represents about 4% of the total prison population and is a drop in the numbers granted a release in the last two years.

Prisoners can apply for temporary release for up to a week, under legislation.

The Department of Justice said many of the people allowed out of prison this Christmas are close to the end of their sentence. In the main, compassionate and humane considerations are taken into account in deciding on who gets out of jail and for how long.

However, there is also weight given to the nature and gravity of the offence, length of sentence served to date, prior record on temporary release, behaviour while in custody and previous criminal history.

The Department said the overriding concern when considering the applications is the safety of the public.

The periods of release vary from one to seven nights and all are subject to stringent conditions. Anyone in breach can be arrested and returned to prison immediately.
Christmas cheer took a nose-dive in Limerick this morning when a section of the citys festive street lights collapsed onto traffic.

One of the motorists involved, Martin Hennessy, got more than he bargained for after taking a day off work to do some Christmas shopping when the heavy-duty lighting structure fell and struck the roof of his car with a big bang, he said.

It is understood a crane attached to a truck, that had been delivering materials to a premises at the time, made contact with the overhead festive lighting structure causing it to fall down.

The incident occurred on Patrick Street, shortly before 10am, and caused traffic chaos, explained Mr Hennessy, from Annacotty, Co Limerick.

No one was injured.

Speaking at the scene shortly afterwards he said: I was stopped in traffic and then there was a big bang on top (of the car).

Theres a few scapes on the bonnet as well.

I got a (fright) alright with the bang...I was (thinking) what was that.

Theres a bit of damage to the roof, theres a dent and a few scratches. Theres no one hurt, thats the main thing, he said.

The lights fell down and that was it. I was stopped in traffic and then the lights came down. It was lucky there was no one injured.

There was (traffic) chaos here for a while because I wasnt moving. There was no one moving.

Someone came and cut the wires so we could move (the structure) out of the way, and (then) I moved my car out of the way, Mr Hennessy added.

Its believed a number of vehicles were damaged.

Joanne Moloney who witnessed the incident said: We were crossing the street and looking left and I noticed the crane lifting a pallet off a truck and I said to my son, thats going to hit the christmas lights, and as soon as I said it, it did.

They fell straight away.

Everyone started pulling out cameras and taking photographs and everyone was looking around in shock.

The chances of seeing that happening are slim.

Somebody could have easily have been hit because the roads were very busy, and the footpaths. Id say there was a lot of lucky escapes...Its mad.

A spokesman said the section of lights that were damaged would not be replaced in time for this Christmas.

Later, in a statement, a council spokesman said: One string of Christmas lights on Limericks Patrick Street was damaged earlier today due to work being carried out by a third party.

The string was struck by a truck and fell to the ground hitting a number of vehicles below.

Nobody was injured in the incident.

The string of lights have now been removed by Limerick City and County Council for repair. The Christmas Lights for Limerick City cost in the region of 100,000 in 2017.

The company of the truck said to have been involved in the incident have been contacted for comment.
A doctor who stabbed her three-year-old autistic son to death in their south Dublin home has been committed to the Central Mental Hospital having been found not guilty of his murder by reason of insanity.

Kuwaiti national Maha Al Adheem (aged 43) told a doctor that she is glad her trial is over and hopes to visit her son's grave.

The trial heard that she told gardai who arrived at the scene: I did it, I stabbed my son and then stabbed myself. A large amount of blood was observed on Ms Al Adheem's hands and clothing before the boy's body was found lying in the middle of a bed in the one bedroom apartment.

Omar Omran was stabbed 20 times, mainly to the trunk of his body. Four stab wounds had penetrated his lungs and heart, severing a vital artery. His cause of death was multiple stab wounds to his chest, abdomen and trunk as well as to his right thigh.

There were signs of defensive injuries to the boy's right hand and a silver stainless steel knife was found at the top of the bed. Ms Al Adheem told gardai in her interviews that a power had made her go to a drawer and remove the knife.

Ms Al Adheem, with an address at Riverside, Poddle Park, Kimmage, Dublin 12 had pleaded not guilty to murdering Omar Omran on July 10, 2017, at the same address.

Yesterday, after a period of one hour and 46 minutes deliberating, a jury of nine men and three women returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Today, prosecution counsel Michael Delaney SC called Dr Ronan Mullally, a consultant forensic psychiatrist at the Central Mental Hospital (CMH), to report on her condition and make recommendations for her ongoing care.

Dr Mullally told the court he has had a role in Ms Al Adheem's care at the CMH since July 2017. He said he spoke to Ms Al Adheem yesterday following the jury verdict and she showed "partial insight" into her illness and understood the purpose of the assessment.

She was happy that her trial is over, agreeable to ongoing treatment and hopes to visit her son's grave. She presented as neatly dressed, wearing a hijab, and made good eye contact, he said. Her speech is coherent, she described her mood as good and has no thoughts of self-harm or of harming others.

He saw no evidence of ongoing paranoia or delusions.

She suffers from schizophrenia and will require ongoing treatment, Dr Mullally said, including medication, psychological treatment and therapy. Her condition will be further reviewed by the Mental Health Review Board and in the future, she will be considered for conditional discharge.

The witness recommended to the court that Ms Al Adheem be committed to the CMH and he confirmed that there was a bed available for her there today.

Ms Justice Eileen Creedon said she was satisfied to make an order committing Ms Al Adheem to the CMH for inpatient care.

Two consultant psychiatrists gave evidence during the Central Criminal Court trial that Ms Al Adheem was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia in July 2017. The defendant was unable to appreciate that what she did at the time was morally wrong and would have been unable to refrain from her actions, they said. The doctor met the requirements for the special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, the court heard.

On the first day of the trial, defence counsel Anne Rowland SC made a number of admissions on behalf of her client including that Ms Al Adheem had inflicted stab wounds to the deceased and rang emergency services at 6.40pm on July 10 reporting that her son was dead.

Patrick Gageby SC, also defending, told the court that he would like to repeat and add to one of the section 22 admissions which his colleague Ms Rowland had previously made. The body of Omar Omran was removed to the Mater Hospital and then to the city morgue where an autopsy revealed stab wounds, which were inflicted by Ms Al Adheem who had the requisite intention required by the Criminal Justice Act of 1964, Mr Gageby said.
Two men who had been detained in connection with an attack on security guards in Roscommon last week have been released without charge.

Gardai searched four different locations, including houses and out-houses, took place in the county on Wednesday morning as part of the investigation into the incident which followed an eviction at a house in Strokestown.
The government has announced it will impose a ban on large trawlers from accessing waters within six nautical miles of the Irish coast.

The ban will apply for vessels over 18 metres in length from January 1, 2020.

It follows a lengthy public consultation on the subject, which ran from April to June this year.

In a statement, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed said the move would benefit smaller vessels who rely on inshore waters as well as the wider ecosystem and nursery areas.

"I am satisfied that there are sufficient fishing opportunities for these vessels outside of six nautical miles," he said.

I also believe that these actions will provide wider ecosystem benefits, including for nursery areas and juvenile fish stocks.

The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) welcomed the news, saying it was " a very significant step towards conservation of the marine environment".

IWT Campaigns Officer, Padraic Fogarty says Wed like to thank all the people who made submissions to the Minister to bring this decision about. It will hopefully mark the point where sea life starts to rebound from decades of overfishing. While much more needs to be done this is an important milestone.
The HSE has been accused of being "imprudent" in unilaterally cutting the number of people whose nursing home care will be funded under the Fair Deal scheme next year.

Nursing Homes Ireland, who made the charge, is concerned that patients seeking nursing home care under the scheme may face longer waiting times next year.

The health authority's 2019 Service Plan commits to funding 23,042 people under the scheme every month.

NHI point that the estimate is 191 less than the number of persons funded by the scheme at the end of September (23,233) and is a reduction of 292 on the number projected in the 2018 Service Plan (23,334).

The HSE is unilaterally reducing the number of people who will be funded under the Fair Deal in 2019 despite the increased care requirements, said NHI chief executive, Tadhg Daly.

Making a presumption that fewer people will require nursing home care against the backdrop of an escalation of our 'older old' population is imprudent.

We fear this could lead to an escalation in the number of older people remaining in our hospitals while they await nursing home care.

About two-thirds of the hundreds of patients in acute hospitals cannot be discharged because they require nursing home care.

NHI, which represents the private and voluntary nursing home sector, is urging the HSE to ensure older people will wait no longer than four weeks to access a bed under Fair Deal.

Launching the plan on Thursday night, Health Minister Simon Harris insisted there was adequate provision within the Fair Deal budget to ensure there was no return to the bad old days pre-2014 when there were very long waiting times.

However, while the HSE would do its utmost to maintain the 4-week waiting time, it could not give a guarantee it would be achieved.

The plan was described as "nothing short of a disgrace" by the National Association of General Practitioners.

What we have here is an abundance of spin and a complete lack of substance, said NAGP president, Dr Maitiu O Tuathail.

He said there was no indication of the level of resources available for general practice next year in the chapter on primary care.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is concerned that there was no extra funding under the plan to provide safe staffing levels for nurses and midwives.

There is a commitment in the plan to implement the Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix and that will increase the number of nurses in wards but there is no funding to implement it.

Mental Health Reform, the national coalition on mental health, is concerned that the plan has flagged a risk of having to ration mental health services next year.

Director, Shari McDaid, said the services were being asked to find savings because of increasing demand.

The service plan implies that public mental health services will be rationed next year to focus on those most in need, suggesting that some people who should get mental health services will not have access.

Fianna Fail's health spokesperson, Stephen Donnelly, said it was very clear from the HSE's plan that the difficult conditions being experienced in hospitals would persist next year.
By Sarah Slater

Double lung transplant warrior Orla Tinsley has celebrated her first year since her life-saving operation.

The Cystic Fibrosis campaigner took to Twitter to thank the family of her donor and members of the public for their support after she spent several days on life support at New York Presbyterian Hospital in December last year.

This day last year. pic.twitter.com/fGZQzVGkxd  Orla Tinsley (@orlatinsley) December 20, 2018

The 31-year-old had previously received six calls about a potential lung transplant but each time the donor lungs were deemed unsuitable. Her seventh call was successful.

Today is technically my birthday. I am one. I went into surgery the evening of December 20th and I came out of surgery early December 21st, she tweeted.

Today is technically my birthday. I am one. I went into surgery the evening of December 20th and I came out of surgery early December 21st. When I arrived home last night a tubular package was at my door. Whoever sent me that print : Thank you.  Orla Tinsley (@orlatinsley) December 20, 2018

My mother makes an excellent point. I got the call on the 20th, went down to surgery on the 21st and came out on the 22nd. My surgery was the night of the winter solstice. I will be holding my donor and her family extra close this week.

My mother makes an excellent point. I got the call on the 20th, went down to surgery on the 21st and came out on the 22nd. My surgery was the night of the winter solstice. I will be holding my donor and her family extra close this week. #OneYearLater #NinjaMoves #recycleyourself  Orla Tinsley (@orlatinsley) December 20, 2018

This time last year was very different. I was three days into the most extreme form of life support possible listening to my neighbour in great pain. Today I am snuggled up with the great Christmas bake off. I am so lucky. My doctors and my donor; my heroes.

Cystic Fibrosis is a lifelong genetically inherited disease that mainly affects the lungs and the digestive system.

The Kildare-born journalist, has been at the forefront of the fight to improve awareness and services has written extensively on the subject.

Her campaign work was instrumental in the opening of a dedicated CF unit in St Vincent's Hospital, Dublin.

Hundreds of people tweeted in response with one saying, Dear Orla, wish you a wonderful Christmas with friends and family. You are a true hero and such an inspiration!

Another added: I remember being happy yet nervous for you. Turned out to be my best Xmas present & I don't even know you (but feel I do), I was so relieved esp once post op update posted. The merriest of Christmases to you & yours this year & thinking also of donors family.

I remember being happy yet nervous for you. Turned out to be my best Xmas present & I don't even know you (but feel I do), I was so relieved esp once post op update posted. The merriest of Christmases to you & yours this year & thinking also of donors family. Xx  Anne-Marie Gleeson (@amg373) December 20, 2018

Ms Tinsley featured in a documentary on RTE last September which followed her journey and experiences of living everyday life with the condition.

Having left Ireland to study at Columbia University, she turned 30 in New York City, and, at almost the same time, was put on the list for a double lung transplant.

The documentary Orla Tinsley: Warrior was filmed over 14 months and documented her failing health, the excruciating six false alarms, and the lucky seventh transplant call which arrived at the 11th hour, just in time to give her a new chance at life.

She shared the moments of elation and devastation to raise awareness about organ donation, transplants, and Cystic Fibrosis.

Following the documentary, hundreds of people took to social media to praise her resilience.

Some 650 families going through similar experiences right now awaiting organ donation according to the Irish Kidney Association.
Update: The Irish Cancer Society has said that hospitals can waive charges or agree instalment plans for cancer patients who are finding it difficult to pay charges in cases of excessive hardship.

The head of the Cancer Society, Averil Power, said that, however, these alternatives are not always made known to patients.

The charity is calling on the Government to change legislation which allows the HSE to hire debt collection agencies to pursue cancer patients for fees for chemotherapy.

Letters from debt collection agencies are causing great distress to cancer patients, the head of the Cancer Society, Ms Power told RTEs Morning Ireland.

Cancer patients who dont have a medical card or private health insurance have to pay for each treatment, 80 per chemo session with a cap of 800 per year, she explained.

The charges are inpatient fees and are the same for all patients, the difference being, she said, that cancer patients require regular treatment, sometimes for months.

At present, the HSE policy is that 47 days after an invoice is issued if it is not paid, it is referred to a debt collection agency, said Ms Power.

If they dont pay then there are phone calls, letters, home visits and threats with Stubbs Gazette.

The Irish Cancer Society will today publish guidelines to make people aware of the alternatives and options open to them, she said.

This is HSE policy, thats why were calling to have it changed. It is up to the Government to stop the policy of pursuing cancer patients. It is the law so were urging the Government to change the law.

To be pursued in such a particular way is incredibly unfair. It is totally unacceptable. It should stop.

Earlier: HSE referring cancer patients to debt-collectors

There are calls for the HSE to stop referring cancer patients' debt to collection agencies.

The Irish Cancer Society says the practice is causing distress and worry to those going through treatment.

The Irish Cancer Society said that many people receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment without health insurance or a medical card are being "hounded" by debt collectors.

The charity, which is today publishing advice on the issue, says they have received complaints from many patients.

Chief Executive of the Irish Cancer Society, Averil Power, said the sums sought can vary but the whole process is very unfair.

Ms Power said: "Ranging from just 80 in some cases up to 800 or more in others, so they are getting letters from debt -collecting agencies, threatening phone calls, threats that their name will be made public if they don't the fees.

"These letters are being sent to six patients who are dealing with the physical impact of their cancer, the emotional impact and all the other stresses with their family and they really can't cope with this stress, as well."

Ms Power said there are options for patients.

She said: "I'm encouraging them to engage with the Finance Manager in the hospital even if a debt-collection agency has already been engaged.

"I am also making them aware that while agencies can legally pursue debt they can't make demands in a way that is threatening or so frequent that it causes great alarm or distress.

"We also want to make patients aware that we can help at the Irish Cancer Society."
A former charity director who stole over 1m from a voluntary organisation and from friends and family has received a partially-suspended sentence.

Greg Walsh, 70, of Woodbrook Crescent, Castleknock, Dublin, came to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on signed guilty pleas to 119 thefts totalling 998,476 from various parties, including Carline Learning Centre in Dublin, between 2008 and 2016.

He affirmed further signed guilty pleas to four thefts totaling 150,000 from Bank of Ireland, on dates in February and March 2015.

Judge Pauline Codd sentenced Walsh to four years' imprisonment, but suspended the final two and a half years of the sentence provided he keep the peace and be of good behaviour for a period of two and a half years upon release.

The Carline Learning Centre thefts of over 280,000 came to light when a staff member noticed discrepancies in the accounts when signing off on them before retirement.

Detective Garda Padraig Jennings revealed that Walsh had been director and treasurer of Carline Learning Centre, a Clondalkin-based charity for disadvantaged young people.

The court heard he misappropriated funds that were intended to pay the charity's tax bills, by lodging the cheques into his own account before making direct debit payments on Revenue's online system. The father-of-four has no previous convictions.

Det Gda Jennings told Diana Stuart BL, prosecuting, that Carline Learning Centre still had an outstanding bill to Revenue as a result of the misappropriated money. The detective said it had only managed to stay afloat through public support.

He agreed with Patrick McGrath SC, defending, that gardai thought they would be investigating the Carline matter only, when Walsh revealed details of the other injured parties.

Det Gda Jennings said these included friends who gave Walsh money to invest on their behalf while he acted as their bookkeeper. In each case, Walsh repaid the parties what they thought were dividends on their investments.

He said in other cases, Walsh acted as a tax agent to friends and to his nephew, who would give him money for Revenue.

The detective revealed that in many cases the funds received from individuals were not forwarded to Revenue, but used to pay the tax bills of other injured parties. He said these injured parties had suffered Revenue implications as a result.

'I'm very sorry, I'm in a bad place'

The court heard Walsh's nephew was at a loss of 10,000, because tax owed on rental income was not forwarded to Revenue.

Another man, the only injured party to make a victim impact statement, lost 14,138 through Walsh acting as his tax agent.

This man described how his pregnant wife called him after she had opened their door to a sheriff, while he was working abroad. The man said he had to pay a goodwill gesture to hold off Revenue until he found out what was going on.

He said Walsh told him over the phone I'm very sorry, I'm in a bad place. The man said he couldn't pay his mortgage or feed his family as Revenue had frozen his bank accounts.

He revealed his heart was breaking because he was now in heavy debt just when he thought he was getting back on his feet with his business.

Detective Garda Tyrone Houlihan told Ms Stuart that two brothers had initiated civil proceedings against Walsh for the 150,000 business debt he owed them.

The detective said to discharge this debt, Walsh wrote cheques from an empty Ulsterbank business account to his Walsh and Co Bank of Ireland trading account. Walsh then transferred the amounts to the brothers.

Judge Codd said the aggravating factors in the case were the multiplicity of offences, the breach of trust, the duration of the offending conduct, his concealing of the crime, the revenue implications the thefts had on several victims and the amount of money taken being in excess of 1m.

She said the mitigating factors were his guilty plea and co-operation with the investigation, his attempts at making restitution, his previous good character, his loss of reputation, his age and his serious health issues.

Judge Codd commented that Walsh seemed to start out on these crimes out of greed and that a need to cover his tracks ensured the continuation of his offending.

She rejected an application by the defence to allow Walsh to only begin serving the sentence in the new year, making reference to the numerous delays in sentencing.

'Robbing Peter to pay Paul'

Det Gda Houlihan explained to Judge Codd that as they were business accounts, Bank of Ireland allowed Walsh to transfer the funds before the Ulster Bank cheques cleared. He said in a personal account this would not happen.

The detective agreed with Mr McGrath that the bank, in this case, was at a loss and that his client had made full admissions to the crimes. Both detectives agreed with Mr McGrath that Walsh's guilty pleas saved a lot of time and work in preparing the cases for court.

Det Gda Jennings agreed that 785,095 was the net loss to various parties after all repayments to date. He further agreed that Walsh had paid a settlement and costs to Carline after civil proceedings, as well as transferring private pensions and life policies.

He agreed that Walsh, who began practising as a tax agent in 1976, had lost his family home and was now living off a State pension.

Det Gda Jennings accepted that robbing Peter to pay Paul was the best way of explaining all the allegations as things spiralled out of control for Walsh.

He said Walsh asked gardai to give him a few days before interviewing him, so he could ring and apologise to all people affected by his offending.
A 19-year-old man has appeared before the Special Criminal Court charged in connection with the murder of Aidan The Beast ODriscoll in Cork over two years ago.

Eoin Morrissey, with an unknown address, was charged in relation to the murder of Mr ODriscoll, 37, in Blackpool in Cork on December 7, 2016.

Mr ODriscoll, a senior figure in the Real IRA in Munster, died after he was shot up to four times as he walked along on the northside of Cork city just minutes after he had finished work.

Morrissey was firstly charged with impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Daniel Hegarty by providing him with a firelighter with which to burn a red Opel Astra car at Firmount, Donoughmore, Co Cork, a car which had which had allegedly been used to transport the alleged killers.

He was also charged with impeding the apprehension or prosecution of Daniel Hegarty by following him to Inchamay, Naad, Banteer, where a red Opel Astra car was burnt, so as to provide transport for him after the burning.

These offences are alleged to have occurred between December 8 and 19 2016, both dates inclusive.

State solicitor Ciara Vibien, for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), told the three-judge court that the DPP had directed that Mr Morrissey be tried in respect of the offences at the non-jury court.

In certain cases, the DPP can certify that in his or her opinion the ordinary courts are inadequate to secure the effective administration of justice.

Detective Sergeant Niall OConnor, of Watercourse Garda Station in Cork, told Ms Vibien that he arrested Mr Morrissey this morning at 7.15am for the purpose of charge and he made no reply.

The witness said he later met Mr Morrissey at 10.35am this morning in the precinct of the court and handed him a copy of the original charge sheet which was explained to him.

Ms Vibien said the DPP was applying to the court to make an order under Section 49 of the Offences Against the State Act that Mr Morrissey be tried before the Special Criminal Court.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, sitting with Judge Patricia Ryan and Judge Ann Ryan, made the order, directing that Mr Morrissey be tried before the Special Criminal Court.

Ms Vibien said the agreed conditions of Mr Morrisseys bail had been handed into the court and the case was put in for mention on January 21.

Earlier, two men pleaded guilty to certain charges in connection with Mr ODriscolls murder.

Colin Casey, 32, and Daniel Hegarty, 24, with unknown addresses, appeared before the Special Criminal Court in October and were both charged in relation to the murder of Mr ODriscoll.

Ronan Munro SC, defending Casey, told the court today that his client could be arraigned on the four counts.

The scene of the shooting in Blackpool, Cork.

Casey pleaded guilty to impeding the apprehension or prosecution of the alleged killers by collecting them from the Redemption Road area of Blackpool after they arrived in a silver Nissan Almera with a Tipperary registration, and driving them from that location in a white Vauxhall Astra with a 99 Galway registration plate.

He also pleaded guilty to impeding the apprehension or prosecution of the alleged killers by burning out the Nissan and the Vauxhall in which the alleged killers had fled the murder scene, and with driving them away from there in a red Opel Astra which had a Cork registration.

Blaise OCarroll SC, defending Hegarty, also told the court that his client could be arraigned on the four counts.

Hegarty pleaded guilty to impeding the apprehension or prosecution of the alleged killers by collecting and concealing a bag used by the alleged killers in the vicinity of Farranferris, Blackpool in Cork city.

Hegarty also pleaded guilty to impeding the apprehension or prosecution of the alleged killers by concealing the bag at Ballygibbon in Blarney, Co Cork and setting fire to a Honda CBR motorcycle with a Cork registration used to transport the bag, and concealing and burning out a red Opel Astra car he had allegedly driven after concealing the bag.

Ronan Kennedy BL, prosecuting, told the court that these were very early pleas in circumstances where the men had waived their right to a book of evidence.

The two men were remanded on continuing bail with the same terms and conditions until March 11.
A 62-year-old man has been jailed for three years for possessing almost 300,000 worth of prescription-only sleeping tablets.

Michael Hall, of Brewers' Hill Rd, Dunstable, Bedfordshire in the UK, was one of three men arrested on foot of a garda surveillance operation in Dublin four years ago.

Hall pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing just under 150,000 Zopiclone tablets for supply on August 16, 2014 at the Regency Hotel, Swords Rd, Drumcondra, Dublin.

One of the co-accused men is before the courts on the matter and the other died before his trial date.

Judge Melanie Greally sentenced Hall to four years in prison but suspended the final 12 months and ordered Hall not to return to the Republic of Ireland for ten years following his release from custody.

The court heard that Zopiclone tablets were not a controlled substance at the time of the offence, but have since become controlled.

Judge Greally said the experience of the court was that this type of sleeping tablet was very much in demand to people afflicted by drug addiction and presumably, that was their intended market.

The judge set a headline sentence of six years but reduced it on account of a number of mitigating factors, including Hall's significant health issues.

The court heard Hall had a double heart bypass in 2016, suffers from diabetes and requires a large amount of medication.

Detective Garda Brian Foran told Fionnuala O'Sullivan BL, prosecuting, that Hall and two other men were all observed driving separate vehicles and meeting in a carpark of the Regency Hotel on the night in question.

Two of the vehicles were parked rear to rear and the men were seen transferring something from one boot to another, before they left in convoy.

The three vehicles were stopped by gardai a short time later. One of them contained over 5,000 boxes of Zopiclone, each containing 28 tablets.

There were just under 150,000 tablets in total, amounting to a market value of approx 298,000.

One of the co-accused, who has since died, was found in possession of an envelope marked Driver and containing 2,000 in cash.

Hall was questioned and when released, he returned to the UK. He was returned to Ireland under a European Arrest Warrant on December 5, this year.

He has no previous convictions from this jurisdiction, but has 11 from the UK. These include supplying amphetamines, supplying cannabis, possessing MDMA and importing Class B drugs, for which latter offence he was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Luigi Rea BL, defending, said his client has significant health problems and is married to a woman with two daughters.

He said Hall left school aged 15 and worked as a bricklayer before qualifying as a professional driver and acquiring a fleet of lorries.

Judge Greally said, unfortunately, Hall had put his driving qualifications to use for criminal purposes on several occasions and had developed a very significant criminal record in relation to the supply and importation of controlled drugs.

The court heard that Hall himself has no history of drug addiction. The sentence was backdated to December 5.
A Mauritian woman who entered into a marriage of convenience after arriving here on a student visa has failed in a High Court challenge to a refusal to grant her residency.

Mr Justice Max Barrett said the woman could not benefit from an extension of a temporary residency permission granted after she got married because that temporary permission was "tainted by fraud".

He said her student visa expired in 2011 and she remained here illegally. In July 2015, she married an EU national and in January 2016 she got a temporary card to stay for another four months.

In April 2016, she was refused further residency on the basis that her marriage was one of convenience.

The Minister for Justice, refusing a subsequent application for permission to remain, said an extension did not arise because she did not have permission to stay when the after-marriage application was being made.

She brought High Court proceedings.

Mr Justice Barrett ruled the Minister was correct in his decision not to extend because "one cannot vary the non-existent".

While the Minister enjoys a discretionary power, she did not ask him to exercise that power nor was he obliged to do so, he said.

The Minister also told her if she left the State voluntarily, it was open to her apply from outside the State for another type of residency visa.

The judge said the court was coerced as a matter of law to refuse her application.
The Supreme Court has unanimously refused to order a retrial of former Fine Gael town councillor Fred Forsey Junior on corruption charges.

Mr Forsey has already served his entire sentence and the benefit to the public interest of a retrial is outweighed by the unfairness of putting him on trial again, given the lack of any practical consequences from the prosecution point of view and interference with his efforts to get on with his life, the five-judge court ruled.

Noting the sentencing process has a number of objectives, Ms Justice Iseult OMalley, who gave the ruling, said a person who has served his sentence is entitled to feel any debt to society arising from his actions has already been paid and that he can attempt to rebuild his life without further engagement with the criminal courts.

The sentence served by Mr Forsey - an effective four-year prison sentence - included a period of community service and a further two years complying with conditions, she said.

"The rehabilitative objective should also therefore have been satisfied."

Deterrence lies in the fact that sentences of this magnitude are available to the courts for such offences, she added.

Mr Forsey last month won, by a four-to-one majority, a Supreme Court order quashing his conviction.

He had already served his sentence after being jailed in 2012 for an effective four years after he was convicted of receiving, while a member of Dungarvan Town Council in 2006, payments totalling 80,000 from a developer.

Last week, the DPP applied to the court for a retrial, arguing it was in the public interest, including in retaining confidence in the administration of justice, public officials, local government and the planning process.

Noel Whelan SC, for the DPP, accepted, if there were a retrial and conviction, there was no prospect Mr Forsey would have to serve any further time in prison.

Remy Farrell SC, for Mr Forsey, said his client had not just served his sentence, the longest ever imposed for corruption here, but had also endured the consequences of that, including having the breakdown of his marriage dissected by the media.

Counsel also disputed there was overwhelming evidence against his client.

Mr Forsey, of Coolagh Road, Abbeyside, Dungarvan, was convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Acts (POCA) in connection with receiving a total 80,000 in 2006 in three separate payments from Michael Ryan, a developer with an interest in planning permission for a development of land at Ballygagin, Co Waterford.

He was also accused of behaving corruptly in trying to persuade officials and councillors in Waterford County Council to grant permission for the development, and when that was refused, attempting to alter the zoning of the land. It was further alleged he tried to get Dungarvan UDC, of which he was formerly an elected member, to bring the lands into its control.

He denied the charges and claimed the monies were loans.

He was convicted at Waterford Circuit Criminal Court and sentenced to six years, with the final two suspended.

Last month, the majority Supreme Court overturned the conviction over a legal error in the approach at Mr Forsey's trial to the onus of proof on a corruption charge as set out in Section 4 of the POCA, which Acts have since been replaced.

In his dissenting judgment, Mr Justice MacMenamin agreed with the majority's statement of the applicable law but disagreed the conviction should be quashed because he did not consider any "fundamental injustice" occurred at trial.
Tesco staff in Sligo and Carrick-on-Shannon are striking this weekend in a row over pay and conditions.

Workers in Sligo are walking off the job for the third time this month.

In the Carrick-on-Shannon store, staff plan to strike tomorrow for the first time.

Mandate Trade Union claims Tesco has not engaged with them in an effort to resolve the dispute.

John Douglas, Mandate General Secretary, said: It is unfortunate that our members are forced to strike yet again due to Tescos continued refusal to engage with their workers union and follow collective grievance procedures.

Our members dont want to be on strike, but it seems the company is happy to prolong this totally unnecessary strike for their own reasons.

"We hope the public will understand the necessity for our members to defend their interests and put the blame firmly where it belongs, with Tesco management.

Tesco released a statement saying they are extremely disappointed with the strike action.

They said: "This series of one-day strikes is entirely out of proportion as these are local disputes involving local issues that dont warrant such disruption in Christmas week. Despite the strikes, our stores will remain open today and Saturday and we thank our colleagues and our customers for their co-operation.

"We regret this action by Mandate and the disruption inflicted on our colleagues, our customers and to other businesses in the two towns by these unjustified strikes. It is particularly disappointing action by Mandate for these close-to-the-Border towns in the run-up to Christmas.

"We reject Mandates claims that the union is left with no option but to have strikes in Sligo and Carrick-on-Shannon or that it is Tescos failure to follow and implement agreed collective procedures. It is in fact the complete opposite, we remain committed to the States industrial relations machinery as we were before when we accepted a Labour Court recommendation that continues to remain rejected by Mandate. Unlike the union, we continue to respect the Industrial Relations processes and remain committed to them.

"Tesco remains committed to resolving this dispute. We request that Mandate, even at this late stage, desist from the industrial action and refer these issues back to the WRC where we are willing to engage with the union. Mandate should return to the agreed norms in industrial relations as is provided for in our current agreement and call off this unnecessary and damaging action.

"Mandate should revisit too its decision to refuse to take up the offer from the WRC for a conciliation conference on Sligo which was originally scheduled for October 24th. In Carrick-on-Shannon the local issues have not yet even been referred back to the WRC by Mandate indicating these strikes are pre-emptive.

"It is unfathomable that Mandate is taking this approach when Tesco fully respects our colleagues right to choose to be represented by a trade union, unlike many other retail stores and businesses this Christmas who do not recognise or engage with Mandate. "
Update: Aer Lingus says it intends to operate all flights in and out of London Gatwick today, subject to airspace at the airport remaining open.

However, the airline is warning that due to the disruption at the airport, there are considerable delays on all flights to and from the facility.

We intend to operate all flights to/from Gatwick today, subject to airspace remaining open. However, there are delays on all Gatwick flights so please check flight status before travelling. We're working hard to ensure everyone gets to their planned destination for Christmas   Aer Lingus (@AerLingus) December 21, 2018

The boss of Gatwick Airport has refused to rule out the possibility of future drone disruption once the military leave.

Gatwick chief operating officer Chris Woodroofe said there is currently no commercially available equipment he could put in place to neutralise the threat.

Speaking outside the airport on Friday morning, he apologised to passengers and said he hopes flights will be operating normally by Saturday.

Its a criminal act, deliberate act, he said.

This is an unprecedented issue. This isnt a Gatwick Airport issue. Its not even a UK issue. Its an international issue.

(PA Graphics)

Earlier: British Transport Secretary believes Gatwick drone disruption part of 'environmental protest'

Sussex Police assistant chief constable Steve Barry said the last confirmed sighting of a drone was at 10pm last night.

It comes as Ryanair and Aer Lingus will operate to and from other airports in London after a drone forced Gatwick Airport to shut down since Wednesday night.

British Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has speculated the drone could be part of "an environmental protest".

He said: "This isn't clear yet, we have not yet completed enquiries, police are following a number of leads there have been a number of pieces of speculation, it could be an environmental protest but we genuinely don't know."

The Cabinet minister told the BBC that whoever the perpetrator or perpetrators were, they needed to "go to jail for a long time".

Asked if it was possible the drone was being operated by an agent of a foreign government, Mr Grayling said: "I don't want to speculate on that, we genuinely don't know who it is or what the motivation was."

"I think it's unlikely to be, but at the moment I'm not ruling out anything", he added.

"The key is we've now got some options around the airport from a police perspective and that puts us in a much better position to respond to drone sightings," Assistant chief constable Steve Barry told BBC Breakfast.

"There are a range of options, some of them very sophisticated and some of them less sophisticated, but it has as I say put us in a much better position to respond to any of those drone sightings."

He went on: "The last few days has been unprecedented nationally I would say, I mean we have had minor incursions previously at Gatwick and we have responded to those really effectively.

"But like I say, this scenario that we're dealing with has been unprecedented so in terms of getting the level of options available to respond to it, to mitigate it, to detect it and respond to it, that has taken us some time, but I'm really confident now that we've got everything we possibly could have here at Gatwick."

Asked if the disruption was part of an environmental protest, he said: "Well it's certainly something that we would consider. Yes, I would agree that's a possibility.

"At this stage we're certainly not linking it to terrorism, but obviously we keep an open mind and I can understand the perception.

"It is, as I say, an unprecedented level of disruption to national infrastructure to the passengers themselves. It's really really significant. But in terms of the motivation as I say you know we're exploring lines of enquiry around that but at this stage we're not saying that it is terrorist related."

Earlier: Irish airlines put contingency plans into place as Gatwick reopens runway

Ryanair has announced that all of its flights scheduled to fly in and out of Gatwick Airport today will instead operate to and from London Stansted.

The airline says all affected customers have been notified.

Aer Lingus has said it is also putting contingency plans in place to minimise disruption.

Gatwick Update: We're putting contingency plans in place to minimise disruption, including increasing capacity to Heathrow and accommodating guests at other London airports. All guests booked to/from Gatwick on Friday 21 Dec have the option to change their flight for free.  Aer Lingus (@AerLingus) December 20, 2018

It is increasing capacity to Heathrow and also accommodating guests at other London airports.

A drone which has forced the airport to shut down since Wednesday night hasn't been seen since late last night.

The travel plans of more than 120,000 people have been affected by the chaos - with dozens of Irish flights among those cancelled or diverted.

Gatwick says any passengers travelling today should check the status of their flight before going to the airport.

It comes as a number of airlines have indicated that the runway at Gatwick has reopened.

A spokesman from Gatwick Airport said: "Gatwick's runway is currently available and a limited number of aircraft are scheduled for departure and arrival.

"Gatwick continues to advise passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport as departures and arrivals will be subject to delays and cancellations."

In an update on its website, easyJet said: "Gatwick airport have confirmed that the runway is now open. We do expect that the number of departures and landings will be restricted to begin with, which means that we are likely to experience more disruption to the flying programme.

"We would like to request our passengers to continue to check the status of their flight on the easyJet Flight Tracker."

In response to a customer on Twitter, British Airways said: "We've received confirmation approx 30 minutes ago from London Gatwick, advising the airport is back open and the majority of flights operating as scheduled".

According to Flightradar24, a plane from East Midlands Airport landed at Gatwick at 5.58am.

Gatwick chief operating officer Chris Woodroofe said the airport has scheduled almost 700 departures for today.

Mr Woodroofe, speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, said: "Our advice to our passengers is to check with their airline on each of those flights that they're intending to get, to establish whether it's one of the flights that's being operated or one of the flights that's being cancelled, before they come to the airport.

"I'd just like to apologise to all of those affected over the last 36 hours - 120,000 passengers who were due to fly to their destinations or arrive into Gatwick who have not travelled."

Mr Woodroofe was pressed on why the airport had decided to reschedule flights while the drone had not been found, he said: "We have been working overnight with the police, with a number Government agencies and with the military to put in place additional mitigating measures which have enabled me to reopen our airport."

Asked if the "mitigating measures" meant the drone would be shot down, he said: "You'll appreciate that there are certain things I can't talk about in detail."

The number of drone sightings at Gatwick Airport since Wednesday has been "unprecedented" but police now have "a number of options" around its perimeter to help prevent further disruption, Sussex Police assistant chief constable Steve Barry said.
Today is the shortest day of the year and one of the most popular days to view the Winter Solstice at Newgrange.

Every year at the Newgrange passage tomb, a ray of sunlight illuminates the chamber.

A group of people, chosen by a lottery system, gathered in the hope of seeing the phenomenon.

Our @ancienteastIRL colleagues welcomed the #WinterSolstice this morning at #Newgrange where for 5,000 years, a single ray of dawn sunlight has pierced the ancient tomb on the shortest days of the year, marking the end of winter and the start of new life. #Ireland pic.twitter.com/22dzuuGCYM  Failte Ireland (@Failte_Ireland) December 21, 2018

It comes as aerial surveys carried out in the summer there have revealed more history about the site.

A group of people, chosen by a lottery system, will gather later in the hope the morning sunrise at 8.56am will illuminate the chamber for 17 minutes.

The Office of Public Works opens the monument for the dawn from December 18 until December 23.

The weather prospects though for the 5,000-year-old site are not good with rain and cloud possible.

Sixty people, including visitors from as far afield as Australia, Brazil and Canada, will have had access to the chamber over those days.

Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan, said: "As we celebrate this week, the phenomenon of the winter solstice sunrise illuminating the burial chamber of the passage tomb at Newgrange, this stunning new archaeological information provides fresh, spectacular and unique insights into the origins and development of the Neolithic landscape and society."

However, results of aerial surveys carried out during the summer at the site have been revealed by the National Monuments Service.

They have identified "immense timber enclosures and large ceremonial henges" which they say were once features of the Neolithic landscape close to the tomb in County Meath.

The aerial reconnaissance was carried out at the Bru na Boinne World Heritage Site following the initial discovery of cropmarks in the parched fields of the River Boyne floodplain in July.

In an interim report published today, the NMS says these were once monuments that "clearly formed a deliberately structured and ritual landscape of great significance".

Minister Madigan, said: "This new information is a graphic illustration of the extent and density of ritual and ceremonial sites associated with the Newgrange Passage Tomb."

Meanwhile, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht said today's report "will provide a basis for a solid and refreshed research framework to be implemented in coming years in line with the aims of the Bru na Boinne UNESCO Management Plan".
Pope Francis has vowed that the Catholic Church will "never again" cover up clergy sex abuse and demanded that priests who have raped and molested children turn themselves in.

Francis dedicated his annual Christmas speech to the Vatican bureaucracy to abuse, evidence that a year of devastating revelations of sexual misconduct and cover-up has shaken his papacy and caused a crisis of confidence in the Catholic hierarchy.

The pope acknowledged that the church in the past had failed to treat the problem seriously, blaming leaders who out of inexperience or short-sightedness acted "irresponsibly" by refusing to believe victims.

But he vowed that going forward the church would never cover up or dismiss cases again.

Let it be clear that before these abominations the church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whosoever has committed such crimes," he said.

He urged victims to come forward, thanked the media for giving them a voice and issued a stark warning to abusers: "Convert and hand yourself over to human justice, and prepare for divine justice."

Francis's remarks capped a dreadful year for the Catholic Church, one that began with his own botched handling of a sprawling sex abuse scandal in Chile and ended with the US hierarchy in a free-fall of credibility as state prosecutors have begun uncovering decades of cover-up.

The pope has summoned church leaders from around the globe for a February abuse prevention summit, in an indication that he has come to realise that the problem is far greater and far more global than he had understood at the start of his papacy five years ago.

Francis warned the Vatican bureaucrats who run the 1.2 billion strong church that the scandal now undermined the credibility of the entire enterprise and that from now on the church and all its pastors must embark on a continuous path of purification.

He prayed for help so that the church can discern true cases from false ones, and accusations from slander.

"This is no easy task, since the guilty are capable of skilfully covering their tracks," and choosing victims who they know will keep silent, he said.

He urged those who have been abused to speak out.

"The church asks that people not be silent, but bring it objectively to light, since the greater scandal in this matter is that of cloaking the truth," he said.

The cardinals and bishops of the Curia listened attentively, including the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who has long been blamed for the Vatican's refusal to acknowledge the depth of the problem during the quarter-century pontificate of St John Paul II.

- Press Association
A shooting in central Vienna has killed one person and wounded another, Austrian authorities said.

Two people with gunshot wounds were found at about 1.30pm local time in the Lugeck square area of the Austrian capital, police said.
A Melbourne distribution company has collapsed, leaving 120 workers jobless and owed millions in entitlements on the eve of Christmas, a union says.

Employees of Fastline Logistics in Derrimut were told on Thursday the company had been placed in liquidation and told not to return to work on Friday, the CFMEU said.

They were also informed they would not be paid for their work this week, national secretary Jenny Kruschel said.

Ms Kruschel said the collapse would have a devastating impact on many workers.
One of the first things Kevin Rudd did when elected Prime Minister in 2007 was to establish the PM's Literary Awards, the only tax-free ones for writers. They are decided by a panel of 15 judges. "The judging panels recommend shortlists and winners across each of the categories," the awards' website points out. Then comes the but: "The Prime Minister makes the final decision."

The PM has apparently fiddled with those recommendations on three occasions. The most recent one was in 2014 when the judges for the fiction prize chaired by MUP boss Louise Adler recommended that Steven Carroll's A World of Other People should get the $80,000 but then-PM Tony Abbott insisted Carroll share it with Richard Flanagan's The Narrow Road to the Deep North, which had just won the Booker prize.

Behrouz Boochani's No Friends But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison has received fabulously enthusiastic reviews. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

So here's a hypothetical. What happens if the acclaimed No Friends But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison by Behrouz Boochani, who has been detained on the island for the past five years, should be recommended by the non-fiction judges for the award next year?

It's not an impossibility, but there is a long way to go first. No Friends But the Mountains has been shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's non-fiction award and is therefore in line for the Victorian Prize for Literature, worth $100,000 to the winner on top of the $25,000 category prize. Those awards will be presented at the end of January and will be the first to honour books published this year.
Some issues are methodically dealt with. One appreciates the splendour of Churchill's isolation among the appeasers, and the limits of his remit during the Bengal Famine. Others, such as strategic bombing, feel more cursorily addressed. In brushing off Yalta as simply "not Churchill's finest hour" and minimising Churchill's muted response to the Katyn massacre as politically "unavoidable", Roberts also seems too sanguine. At times it is as though Churchill's own momentum precludes deeper reflection.

To be fair, Churchill is a whale of a subject. Integral to his abiding popularity is that, such a profusion of political positions did he take and offices did he fill, he can be recruited to any number of causes. Not only did he denounce communism and fascism with equal fervour but he could coo like a dove as well as screech like a hawk. His first parliamentary speech was in favour of magnanimity towards the defeated Boers; his first significant campaign in the House of Commons was against military expansion.

Churchill was a born patrician who favoured silk underclothing and did not dial a telephone number himself until he was 73 but who decried the House of Lords ("one-sided, hereditary, unpurged, unrepresentative, irresponsible, absentee") and was imbued with a passion for social reform ("I see little glory in an empire which can rule the waves and is unable to flush its sewers"). He was dismissive of female suffrage but later believed strongly in equal pay for women; he was recklessly prejudiced about subject peoples, but was an ardent philo-Semite and discountenanced the US military extending its segregationism to Britain.

What engages the reader chiefly is the sense of style. Churchill craved action, rejoiced in danger, longed for fame ("the finest thing in the world"); not a sniffer of political breezes, he cheerfully courting unpopularity and distrust ("I ask for no quarter and bear no malice"); to him we owe the ubiquitous high-level meeting concept of the "summit".

He exuded the modern populist's disdain for experts, after damagingly falling in line with the economic consensus in the Gold Standard in 1924; he possessed the ancient democrat's scepticism of the overmighty. Roberts observes that the first time Churchill used the word "dictator", it was in reference to the revered British warlord, Earl Kitchener.
David Eastman's infamous blue Mazda, from which gunshot residue on its boot carpet was used to build the original murder case against the now-acquitted former public servant, will remain in police hands indefinitely.

The Mazda has been racked and locked, gathering a thick layer of dust, at the police property office in Mitchell since it was seized as a key exhibit following the arrest of Mr Eastman for the January 1989 murder of AFP Assistant Police Commissioner Colin Winchester.

A Mazda 626 sedan similar to the one owned by David Eastman.

Mr Eastman served 19 years for the murder before he was found not guilty in a retrial in November.

The Mazda 626 was purchased by the federal police under the order of former AFP Assistant Commissioner Simon Overland, then a detective attached to Operation Peat, the dedicated police team formed to investigate Mr Winchester's murder.
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There, he had the obligatory rigorous training as a junior lawyer - he remembers endless trips back to the office typing pool to correct tiny errors in the legal letters that had to be perfect before being signed by the senior partners. It made you really be aware of issues of accuracy and the way that you expressed yourself, and the proper form of address was very, very important in those days, he says Jon White at a ceremonial sitting to mark his retirement. Credit:Alexandra Back It still is, but it's been lost, a little bit, I think, over the years. He says many lawyers back then were almost obsessively ethical, even going so far as to recommend that he ask for further costs even when he had been their opponent. Its an aspect of the profession that he looks back on more than a little wistfully.

In running the DPP, I've really tried to instil in people the importance of those ethical niceties, he says. A born-and-bred Canberran - he completed his schooling at Telopea Park School - it has always seemed fitting that White has spent most of his career here. But, he says, there was nothing quite like working as a prosecutor in Sydney in the 1980s. I'm a big fan of the jury system because I think, first of all, it engages citizens in the criminal justice system. Jon White Sydney in those days was a very exciting time to be a prosecutor or a criminal lawyer - there were a lot of drug prosecutions, a lot of police corruption, organised crime, sensational murders, all of those sorts of things, he says.

Most of what I was involved in were drug importation prosecutions, because that's mainly what the Sydney commonwealth DPP did in those days, so just seeing the web of the underworld, how it operated, how it sometimes ensnared police into it, all of those sorts of issues - that was really fascinating. Jon White Credit:Jamila Toderas But moving back to Canberra and taking the top prosecutorial job has been no less fascinating, not least because of the opportunities the department has had for law reform. In a recent farewell speech before the capitals legal fraternity, White listed some of the departments achievements and innovations during his tenure, including helping to conquer delays in the Supreme Court, promoting gender equality in the profession, embarking on a staff swap arrangement with Legal Aid ACT, and a number of innovative legal approaches. Among these, he says, has been to wind back the number of judge-alone trials in the ACT - once a notable feature of the jurisdiction. He is, he says, a staunch fan of jury trials, despite having been on the losing side in countless such cases throughout his career.

You can imagine the hundreds of trials that I've been involved in. Sometimes you get a verdict from a jury that you wonder how they've not seen the case the way that you have, and what you thought was the strength of the evidence and so on, he says. But having said that, I'm a big fan of the jury system because I think, first of all, it engages citizens in the criminal justice system. We are in danger of presenting sometimes the justice system as being very separate from ordinary citizens, and something they're estranged from. So involving citizens in that process is very important. The basic principle is that justice should be done in public, in a transparent way. Jon White He believes juries, by and large, do their best to reach a proper conclusion, bringing a range of experience to the role as they do it. Of course, looming over this conversation is the case of David Eastman, the jury for which famously spent seven days deliberating before emerging with a verdict of not guilty. While he wont discuss the case in any detail, White is aware that there has been criticism for his ultimate decision to proceed with the retrial, an undertaking that took six months and cost Canberrans about $6.5 million.

What I will say about the decision is that as a prosecutor, you have very clear rules that you follow about making those sorts of decisions, he says. Loading Those rules involve the availability of evidence, and any public interest factors to be taken into account, and often public interest factors go both ways in a difficult decision like that. And weighing all of those matters into account, I decided to proceed with the matter. Now, the verdict doesn't take away from that decision, we don't expect every decision to end up in a plea of guilty in our system of justice - if that was the case, we'd be questioning the decisions that we make. Our decision is to get the matter before a jury, then it becomes a jury's task and responsibility, and they've discharged their responsibility in this case. Interestingly, White doesnt believe the issuing of suppression orders is necessary in many cases. There are far fewer examples of such orders in the ACT than in, for example, Victoria, where courts order more suppression orders than any other state.

The basic principle is that justice should be done in public, in a transparent way, and we should only depart from under the most extreme of circumstances, in issuing suppression orders, he says. I think we've come to a pretty common sense realisation that jurors can put extraneous material out of their heads, and they're instructed to do that and I believe that they do do that. Loading "Of course jurors bring their own experience of life to a decision, and the example of consent is an example of that. A judge for example who might have a particular middle-class upbringing frankly might not be the best person to understand the complexities of consent, why people get themselves into particular situations which has led to allegations of sexual offending." White was appointed a senior counsel in 2014, and plans to practice as a barrister in the near future - taking advantage of the Supreme Court's shiny new courtrooms at last. His successor, Shane Drumgold, will have some challenges ahead, among them the process of gaining fiscal independence from the Justice and Community Safety directorate, which still oversees the departments finances. White is also convinced that the office, along with Canberras justice system overall, can and will become paperless, putting an end to the endless paper-chasing that has always been a feature of the still-conservative legal profession.
The painters in the group were Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, James Collinson and Frederic George Stephens. They were joined by the sculptor Thomas Woolner and by Dante Gabriels brother, William Michael Rossetti, who worked as secretary to the group.

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, or PRB as they preferred to enigmatically call themselves, was a juvenile group of seven male Victorian artists; illustrators and designers who banded together in 1848 in opposition to what they perceived as the artificial and trivial pursuits at the Royal Academy.

In various manifestations, the PRB lasted until the turn of the century, by which time their modernised version of the Middle Ages and literary fiction, fundamentalist Christianity and somewhat simplified ideas on socialism and modern society had attracted widespread popular acclaim and had permeated into many cultural pursuits.

Praise for the PRB was far from universal and already by 1851, the foremost writer in England, Charles Dickens, described the work of Millais as the lowest depths of what is mean, odious, repulsive and revolting. Twentieth century modernist critics almost unanimously condemned the Pre-Raphaelites as the epitome of what they wanted to overthrow in the name of modern art.

John William Waterhouse, 'The Lady of Shalott', 1888, oil on canvas, 153 x 200cm. Presented by Sir Henry Tate, 1894. Credit: Tate, London 2018

R.H. Wilenski, painter and prominent champion of modernism, in a memorable turn of phrase described Millais as fundamentally philistine  commonplace, conceited, and sentimental. Nevertheless, the most articulate art critic in the English language of the Victorian era, John Ruskin, championed the PRB, especially for their heightened naturalism, which was part of his truth to Nature as a path to truth to God agenda.

The exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia consists of about 100 works, mainly paintings and drawings, by artists associated with the Pre-Raphaelites. It would be inaccurate to describe this exhibition as coming from the Tate, as fewer than half of the exhibits are from the Tate, with many borrowed from other collections, particularly the Manchester Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Art Gallery of South Australia and a private art collection in Melbourne. While factually it may be true to say that two of the iconic images in this show, Sir John Everett Millais Ophelia, 185152 and John William Waterhouses The Lady of Shalott, 1888, before may not have left the Tate together for the same venue, they are very well travelled paintings that are frequently out of the gallery on loan.
The Indigenous Apprenticeships Program has this year launched the public service careers of 238 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Apprentices from across Australia recently gathered in Canberra for their graduation, where they were treated to performances from Indigenous dance group Djuki Mala and The Voice grand finalist Kristal West.

Of this year's 238 graduating Indigenous apprentices, 153 have joined the Department of Human Services.

One recent graduate was Adam Spittles, a Wiradjuri man originally from Parkes and Dubbo in central NSW, and now based in Brisbane.

The day I got the call with the offer, I was filled with joy because it was something I never thought I would get, Adam said.
It is evident that there are serious questions to be answered with which the courts have been grappling for a long time with respect to both the justifications for and utility of suppression orders before them. In 1924, the lord chief justice of England Gordon Hewart (who, interestingly, started his career as a journalist) coined the oft-cited aphorism justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done. Frank Vincent: 'There are serious questions to be answered.' Credit:Eddie Jim Open justice is an essential characteristic of the Australian legal system. However it is also a fundamental principle of law in Australia that an accused has a right to a fair trial and that prejudicial publicity can jeopardise this. In some cases this can lead to delayed trials, appeals or even a permanent stay of proceedings. There is a conflict between open justice and suppression orders, but I think to the legal profession and the judiciary [in Australia] the most important principle is a fair trial in each and every case, says the public affairs manager of the Law Institute of Victoria, Kerry OShea.

After serial rapist Adrian Bayley was convicted of ABC staffer Jill Meaghers murder in 2013, he also faced three other rape trials. Broad suppression orders were imposed which prevented the media from naming Bayley as a rapist or murderer or reporting on his full criminal history until the conclusion of his final trial. Adrian Bayley arrives at court during the Jill Meagher trial. Credit:Justin McManus And thats because prior convictions are considered to be extremely prejudicial, OShea says. If a jury knows a persons prior convictions it is believed they are more likely to convict them of a subsequent offence. A number of media organisations, including The Age, inadvertently breached these orders, leading to Bayleys trials being repeatedly delayed.

In his 2017 review, Vincent wrote that one much-publicised matter ... serves to illustrate a number of the issues that can arise. In 1985 one of Australias worst paedophiles, Catholic priest Michael Glennon, was charged with sex offences against children. Convicted pedophile Father Michael Glennon. Credit:Mario Borg Melbourne radio identity Derryn Hinch, who is now a federal senator, said on air that Glennon was already a convicted paedophile and claimed other children were also at risk. With a trial pending, Hinchs comments were ruled prejudicial to potential jurors. The Human Headline was convicted of contempt and served 12 days in Morwell prison.

Glennons lawyers argued that the publicity surrounding Hinchs conviction made a fair trial impossible. The trial was delayed for years. Broken Rites, an organisation that supports survivors of sexual abuse within the church, accused Hinch of sabotaging the prosecution. It is the role of the court system, not a radio shock-jock, to supervise a prosecution, it says on its website. Hinchs interference meant that Glennons jury trial had to be postponed. Glennon was therefore released on bail and (thanks to Hinch) he continued acting as a freelance priest (and abusing children) instead of being in jail. Glennon was eventually convicted of five charges in 1991 but successfully appealed, jubilantly announcing outside court: I completely forgive Derryn Hinch for what he did. (The appeal was later quashed in the High Court.)

Hinch is unrepentant. I have no regrets about what I did then, he says. I know I was painted as some sort of shock-jock cowboy on radio. But the truth was when I first found out that Glennon, who had done time for the rape of a young girl, was still a (renegade) priest and was still running a camp for young kids at Lancefield even as he faced new charges, I thought something had got to be done. Derryn Hinch: 'Something had got to be done.' Credit:Penny Stephens Hinch says he approached the police commissioner, the premier and Church and all told him to leave it because the case was before the courts. But Hinch says Glennon was not due to face the County Court for another six months. The senator says his fears were later realised when Glennon was subsequently charged with molesting children at the Lancefield camp. In an analysis in The New York Times, The Fight for and Against Australian Secrecy, Damien Cave says that suppression orders that completely ban coverage related to continuing sensitive prosecutions have become more frequent in many parts of Australia. It happens more often when there are two related trials in close succession and the goal is obvious: to prevent the risk of prejudice by juries, and to ensure that accusers and the accused can have their cases heard without being undermined at trial or on appeal.

However, as Cave points out, other jurisdictions accomplish this in other ways, such as in the United States, where the right to free speech is enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution. In 1971, the US Supreme Court ruled that The New York Times had the right to publish the Pentagon Papers - top-secret documents revealing the history of US involvement in the Vietnam War - despite the government arguing an exemption on national security grounds. This precedent, which affirmed the nations commitment to free speech, was reinforced by the Nebraska Press decision four years later. Erwin Simants was charged with murdering six people in a small town in Nebraska. A state trial judge imposed a gag order on news coverage until a jury was empanelled, arguing that publicity would make it impossible to find an impartial jury. However the Supreme Court overruled the gag order, saying it violated the First Amendment.

According to the First Amendment Encyclopaedia, published by Middle Tennessee State University, chief justice Warren Burger reasoned that pretrial publicity, even when pervasive and adverse, does not inevitably lead to an unfair trial. Summing up Burger's argument, the encyclopaedia adds: Even when trying to balance two such important rights as the freedom of press with the Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial, it should be presumed that reporting on criminal proceedings will take priority." In high-profile cases such as the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, US juries are sequestered. This no longer happens in Australia. Credit:AP Cave says that for the most sensitive, dangerous or high-profile cases in the US, such as O.J. Simpsons murder trial, juries are sequestered. They are kept in a hotel, away from the internet, television and other media when not in court, and ordered not to discuss the case with anyone. However the US is the only country where sequestration of juries still commonly occurs.

Barrister Roxanne Burd and academic Jacqueline Horan say locking up juries during deliberations - common practice in Australia a few decades ago - is unlikely to make a return here. In theory sequestration may stop a juror from conducting research outside court hours and thereby assist with the problem of the Googling juror, they wrote in the Criminal Law Journal. In practice however the popularity of smartphones and similar gadgets means that people are able to connect to the internet anywhere and everywhere, including the jury room. Few dispute that suppression orders are required in some instances in the Australian legal system to ensure the administration of justice. Suppression orders may not be as effective as they were in the era where traditional media was the only source of information, but they do still have an effect, as the mainstream media is still the principal source of information for people, a Victorian Supreme Court spokeswoman said.

However over the past decade Victorian courts have been accused of a culture of suppression. In 2010 Minter Ellison lawyer Peter Bartlett, who acts for The Age, wrote that the terrorism trials and gangland war that raged through Melbournes streets for more than a decade had left a minefield of suppression orders in its wake. Vince Colosimo as gangland figure Alphonse Gangitano in Underbelly in 2008. Credit:Greg Noakes/Channel 9 This included a suppression on the broadcast in Victoria of Underbelly, a true-crime drama series based on the gangland wars, that was due to go to air at the same time as jurors in two trials were hearing evidence. Despite the orders, Victorians could download the first episode within half an hour of it being aired in other jurisdictions, Burd and Horan write. In reality, the publicity surrounding the suppression of the series only increased community interest and created demand for pirated copies.

Bartlett wrote that while the majority of suppression orders in the terrorism and gangland trials were justified, those in many other cases were open to challenge. In 2013 the Victorian government introduced the Open Courts Act 2013. According to a press release at the time, it established clear presumptions in favour of allowing free reporting of court proceedings and holding hearings in public. But Richard Ackland, who publishes the law journals Justinian and Gazette of Law and Journalism, describes the Act as Orwellian. He says the legislation has been applied increasingly to close off the courts from the community they serve. Richard Ackland: 'Suppression has become almost a knee-jerk response.' Credit:James Brickwood

Suppression has become almost a knee-jerk response to any request to cut off public reporting of court proceedings, he wrote in The Walkley Magazine. According to a tally kept by Gina McWilliams, senior legal counsel at News Corp Australia, Victoria issued 444 suppression orders in 2017, followed by NSW with 181 and South Australia with 179. Ackland writes that the sheer volume of these orders indicates that insufficient faith is put in judicial directions to juries to be true to their oath and not be deflected by material that is out of bounds. Its an odd dilemma - the justice system wants to retain juries, while it doesnt completely trust them. Retired judge Frank Vincent was commissioned to review the Open Courts Act in 2016. He found the Victorian courts were overwhelmingly open to public scrutiny, with the number of suppression orders relatively minuscule. But he also noted there was not a significant decrease in suppression orders since the passing of the Act. Vincent said there was little doubt the restrictions were influenced by a justifiable concern with which information has had been inaccurately, selectively and unfairly presented in the media.

However in 12 per cent of the suppression orders there were no grounds given, in clear breach of the Act. More than 20 per cent were blanket bans and 7 per cent did not specify their date of expiry. Viewed as a whole, these levels of both formal and substantive non-compliance are both surprising and unacceptable, he added. The Victorian government has yet to implement any of Vincents recommendations, which include a requirement that courts give written reasons for a suppression order and its duration. Premier Daniel Andrews, flanked by Police Minister Lisa Neville (left) and Attorney-General Jill Hennessy, announces the royal commission into Informer 3838. Credit:Chris Hopkins But it has agreed to 17 of the 18 recommendations and pledged to introduce them in this term of government. (It will consider the 18th recommendation, which is to fund a Public Interest Monitor whose role would be to make submissions and ask questions of judges imposing suppression orders.) Victorian Attorney-General Jill Hennessy has also flagged introducing judge-only trials, an option that already exists in Queensland and the ACT.

But judge-only trials deny the community the right to participate in the legal system. The Law Institute of Victorias Kerry OShea predicts next year will be extremely testing for the criminal justice system. I dont think its going to get any better despite the fact we have a commitment to introduce reforms to the Open Courts Act. OShea points to an Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) hearing in February into police handling of the investigation surrounding the 1998 murders of policemen Gary Silk and Rodney Miller. It will be public but parts of it may still be suppressed, OShea says.
It has been yet another week of political scandal and bad behaviour. Enough to remind us of what Donald Horne wrote in the 1960s: Australia is a lucky country run by second rate people who share its luck.

There were the sugar daddy antics of disgraced Nationals MP Andrew Broad. Another federal government MP is the subject of official concern he could be blackmailed because of his trips to seedy districts in southeast Asia known for prostitution and drugs. Meanwhile, two prominent Victorian Liberal figures were exposed swapping racist and homophobic insults about party members in text messages.

Sadly, few of us would have been surprised. Its easy enough to find examples of politicians behaving badly. The general rule is the louder a politician proclaims their traditional family values, the greater their indulgence of private vice and public hypocrisy.

As for racism and homophobia, we cant be shocked that right-wing powerbrokers casually throw around terms such as curries and fag Catholics. Not when so many on the political right regard the expression of bigotry as simply full-throated free speech. If thats their position on public speech, what else would you expect their speech to be like in private?
For some Australians, it wouldn't be Christmas without a sweet and smoky ham or a crispy pav.

But year after year, perhaps you've overindulged, and you're done with the prawns, the roast and the leftover ham sandwiches which live on well after Yuletide.

Ditching animal by-products and meat can open up the Christmas dinner table to a whole other realm of feasting, without skimping on any festive decadence.

Local vegan blogger Jessica Whalen celebrates Christmas in style. Credit:Jamila Toderas

Perhaps you don't know anyone whose Christmas spread includes meringues made with chickpea water or no-beef Portobello wellingtons, but Australia is the third-fastest growing vegan market in the world. So I warn you, the vegans are out there, and they're hell-bent on cooking up some good food.
An explosive offering from Beverley Izard of Sancrox: "I recently participated in the Australian Government National Bowel Scan screening program. After securing the samples in an envelope, you are required to sign to certify that the contents are not a dangerous good. Well hello!

"Some of us still write letters (C8) and love it," writes Carmel Burns of Turramurra. "I began writing to my penfriend in England in 1963 and we still correspond. Emails do not count as a letter. I hand-write a letter every month or so and have been doing so for 55 years. How did it start? From the Charlie Chuckles page in the Sunday newspaper." There is a downside, however, according to Susan Bricknell of Mortdale: "I have sent hand-written letters to my grandchildren, only to be told 'we cant read running-writing.' They can only read printed text. These letters have to be translated by their parents!"

More on curious taglines (C8), this one from Peter Miniutti of Ashbury: "There have been some absolute doozies of taglines used over the years, but one of my favourites was for the Chicago Homicide Squad  'Our day starts when yours ends.'"

"This morning I walked past a letter-box which is barely visible as it's engulfed in rampant, luxuriant foliage," writes George Manojlovic of Mangerton. "Above its slim portal is a sticker that reads 'The Wilderness Society'."

Still on nature, Stephanie Edwards' pondering on the requisite technique for sterilising male mosquitos (C8) brought about this historical yarn from Alasdair McDonnell of Glenbrook: "In ancient Japan they held a competition to find the greatest swordsman. The final three contenders each had a mosquito in a box that was released. One cut it in half, the next cut it into quarters, the last slashed at it and the mosquito flew away. 'That's not very good,' said the Shogun, 'you didn't kill it.' 'No,' said the swordsman, 'but it will never reproduce again'." As for terminology, David Witney of Pottsville suggests Mosectomy or Insectomy.
Rezoning more of Dulwich Hill to allow more apartments through the suburb is long overdue, the submissions said. Dont listen to the nay-sayers, the submissions warned, this is a prime location close to shops and public transport".

The problem, it turned out, was that the submissions were fake. Even some of those supposedly written by real residents who had given their real address.

The state government this week moved to change planning laws to make it an offence to provide false or misleading information in submissions to planning or rezoning proposals.

The Sydenham to Bankstown corridor. Credit:NSW Government

The changes follow an investigation by the Department of Planning and Environment, in concert with the police, into a clutch of fraudulent submissions made in favour of more high density development around Dulwich Hill station.
Dalby man Justin Boland had the shock of his life when he saw his father crash-land his airplane shortly after take-off in the Darling Downs after losing power.

His 78-year-old father, David Boland, was forced to dump his cargo in an effort to regain power when he left Dalby Airport moments after refuelling his Ayres Thrush 600 on Friday morning.

A pilot has crashed in Queensland shortly after take-off and has escaped serious injuries. Credit:Seven News.

He was flying to Bongeen, about 60 kilometres from Dalby, to fertilise crops when the incident happened about 5am near the Bunya Highway.

The experienced pilot of almost 60 years crashed in a paddock at the Dalby high school campus and escaped without serious injuries.




WASHINGTON, Dec 21: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday after clashing with President Donald Trump over the abrupt withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria and after two years of deep disagreements over Americas role in the world.

Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Trumps administration, will leave by the end of February after two tumultuous years struggling to soften and moderate the presidents hardline and sometimes sharply changing policies. He told Trump in a letter that he was leaving because you have a right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours.





His departure was immediately lamented by foreign policy hands and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who viewed the retired Marine general as a sober voice of experience in the ear of a president who had never held political office or served in the military. Even Trump allies expressed fear over Mattis decision to quit, believing him to be an important moderating force on the president.





Just read Gen. Mattis resignation letter, tweeted Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed toward a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances & empower our adversaries.





Mattis did not mention the dispute over Syria in his letter or proposed deep cuts to U.S. forces in Afghanistan, another significant policy dispute. He noted his core belief that American strength is inextricably linked with the nations alliances with other countries, a position seemingly at odds with the America First policy of the president.





The defense secretary also said China and Russia want to spread their authoritarian model and promote their interests at the expense of America and its allies. That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense, he wrote.





The announcement came a day after Trump surprised U.S. allies and members of Congress by announcing the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Syria, and as he continues to consider cutting in half the American deployment in Afghanistan by this summer. The news coincided with domestic turmoil as well, Trumps fight with Congress over a border wall and a looming partial government shutdown.





Trumps decision to pull troops out of Syria has been sharply criticized for abandoning Americas Kurdish allies, who may well face a Turkish assault once U.S. troops leave, and had been staunchly opposed by the Pentagon.





Mattis, in his resignation letter, emphasized the importance of standing up for U.S. allies  an implicit criticism of the presidents decision on this issue and others.





While the U.S. remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies, Mattis wrote.





Last year, Republican Sen. Bob Corker  a frequent Trump critic  said Mattis, along with White House chief of staff John Kelly and then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, were helping separate our country from chaos.





Tillerson was fired early this year. Kelly is to leave the White House in the coming days.





This is scary, reacted Senate Intelligence committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., on Twitter. Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration.





Jim Mattis did a superb job as Secretary of Defense. But he cannot be expected to stand behind a President who disrespects our allies and ingratiates himself to our adversaries, said William Cohen, who served as defense secretary under Bill Clinton and knows Mattis well.





Mattis departure has long been rumored, but officials close to him have insisted that the battle-hardened retired Marine would hang on, determined to bring military calm and judgment to the administrations often chaotic national security decisions and to soften some of Trumps sharper tones with allies.





Opponents of Mattis, however, have seen him as an unwanted check on Trump.





Mattis went to the White House Thursday afternoon to resign after failing to persuade the president in a tense Oval Office meeting to change his decision on withdrawing troops from Syria, according to two people with knowledge of the conversation but not authorized to discuss it publicly.





Another U.S. official said that Mattis decision was his own, and not a forced resignation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.





Trump said a replacement would be chosen soon.





The presidents national security teams job is to give him advice and its the presidents job to make a decision, said press secretary Sarah Sanders.





At the start of the Trump administration, the president had gushed about his respect for Mattis, repeatedly calling him Mad Dog, despite Mattis own public insistence that the moniker was never his. Instead, his nickname for years was CHAOS, which stood for Colonel Has An Outstanding Suggestion, and reflected Mattis more cerebral nature.





The two quickly clashed on major policy decisions.





During his first conversations with Trump about the Pentagon job, Mattis made it clear that he disagreed with his new boss in two areas: He said torture doesnt work, despite Trumps assertion during the campaign that it did, and he voiced staunch support for traditional U.S. international alliances, including NATO, which Trump repeatedly criticized.





Mattis was credited by some in the administration for blocking an executive order that would have reopened CIA interrogation black sites. Trump has said the Pentagon chief convinced him it wasnt necessary to bring back banned torture techniques like waterboarding.





En route to his first visit to Iraq as defense secretary, Mattis bluntly rebuffed Trumps assertion that America might take Iraqi oil as compensation for U.S. efforts in the war-torn country.





The two also were divided on the future of the Afghanistan war, with Trump complaining from the first about its cost and arguing for withdrawal. Mattis and others ultimately persuaded Trump to pour additional resources and troops into the conflict to press toward a resolution.





U.S. officials say there now is active planning in the Pentagon that would pull as many as half the 14,000 U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by summer. They say no final decision has been made.





Trump also chafed at the Pentagons slow response to his order to ban transgender people from serving in the military. That effort has stalled due to multiple legal challenges.





More recently, Trump bypassed Mattis choice for the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. David Goldfein, the Air Force chief, was Mattis top choice, but Trump chose Gen. Mark Milley, the chief of the Army





The Pentagon has appeared to be caught off guard by a number of Trump policy declarations, often made through Twitter. Those include plans that ultimately fizzled to have a big military parade this month and the more recent decision to send thousands of active duty troops to the Southwest border.





Mattis has determinedly kept a low public profile, striving to stay out of the news and out of Trumps line of fire.





Those close to him have repeatedly insisted that he would not quit, and would have to either be fired or die in the job. But others have noted that a two-year stint as defense chief is a normal and respectable length of service.





Born in Pullman, Washington, Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969, later earning a history degree from Central Washington University. He was commissioned as an officer in 1972. As a lieutenant colonel, he led an assault battalion into Kuwait during the first U.S. war with Iraq in 1991.





In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Mattis commanded the Marines who launched an early amphibious assault into Afghanistan and established a U.S. foothold in the Taliban heartland. As the first wave of Marines moved toward Kandahar, Mattis declared, The Marines have landed, and now we own a piece of Afghanistan.




The vice in that conduct is that its occurring in the workplace and shes talking about people shes slept with who are MPs or staff members who are known to the staff," Mr Senior said. Its not a quantitative issue, its the fact shes saying Ive slept with this person. Loading But Justice Rares noted the article reported in its first paragraph that Ms Husar "bragged about who she was having sex with ... according to allegations". He said the "fairly salacious" article "seems eminently capable" of conveying to readers the imputation as pleaded by Ms Husar's lawyers.

Justice Rares said that according to his "old-fashioned" understanding of the term, "slut" meant a person who engaged in casual sexual encounters without any emotional attachment. He said the article sounded "very much" like it was alleging Ms Husar had boasted about "sleep[ing] around" and said the imputation should not be struck out. Loading Allowing the imputation to remain in Ms Husar's statement of claim means BuzzFeed will either have to prove the allegation is true  known as the defence of justification  or rely on a range of highly technical defences, including qualified privilege. Qualified privilege relates to publications on matters of public interest and requires media outlets to convince the judge they acted reasonably. It is notoriously difficult for media outlets to establish.

"The fact that it may be difficult to justify [the imputation] only goes to show that you might have thought about what you did before you published it," Justice Rares told BuzzFeed's barrister. Ms Husar's barrister, prominent defamation silk Sandy Dawson, SC, successfully applied for BuzzFeed to pay the Labor MP's costs of the hearing on Friday. Ms Husar sees the case against Buzzfeed as part of a broader campaign to clear her name since she first learned complaints had been made against her by then-unnamed members of her staff. In documents filed in court, Ms Husar's lawyers say the August 2 article suggests she is "sexually perverted in that ... she repeatedly exposed her vagina to her Parliamentary colleague Jason Clare in his Parliamentary office in the presence of his son and one of her staff". This imputation is drawn from an allegation in the story that Ms Husar had been accused by an unnamed staff member of performing "the revealing leg-crossing move made famous by Sharon Stone in the film Basic Instinct in front of a Labor frontbencher".

Ms Husar and Mr Clare vehemently rejected these claims. Barrister John Whelan, an independent assessor appointed by NSW Labor to investigate a number of allegations made against Ms Husar by staff members, advised senior party officials on August 10 that allegations of "lewd conduct" in Mr Clare's office were not supported. He has also cleared Ms Husar of allegations of sexual harassment by a former staff member, saying that these, too, were not supported "on the balance of probabilities". Mr Whelan said the leaking of the allegations against Ms Husar had been "reprehensible". Ms Husar's action is the second Federal Court defamation case launched against BuzzFeed in Australia, putting pressure on the publisher's local arm. On October 12, NSW Liberal Party donor and president of its Bella Vista branch, Rudy Limantono, filed defamation proceedings against BuzzFeed Australia, its American parent company and Ms Workman over two articles published on September 25 and 26.
A country cop was having a quiet evening tipple and listening to country music with his dog when a stranger walked into his hallway.

The off-duty sergeant from Seymour, just north of Melbourne, asked the young man what he was doing in his home. The man, aged in his 20s, replied: Please man, Im being chased by the cops. Can you please help me?

The country cop did not wish to be named: he doesn't want any more home visits from Victorian criminals. Credit:Jessica Hromas

Youre running from the police? the policeman asked.

Yes. Can you please help? I cant go to to jail, the intruder replied.
The sad reality is that terrorism is now an accepted threat. As part of that shift, our youngest police, those on the beat and in cars now referred to as first responders, are being trained to take forceful, and if necessary, lethal action to deal with armed offenders. The days of trying to negotiate with terror suspects are over. In sieges involving terror suspects, more than 20 senior police are now authorised to order police snipers to kill at the first opportunity. Police officers attacked by the Bourke Street terrorist in November. He was shot dead. Credit:Marissa Calligeros It is not so much "shoot first and ask questions later" as "ask the questions but shoot before you get the wrong answers". Around the same time as the Bourke Street attack we revisited the terrible events in the same street from January 20, 2017, when a man in a car being slowly pursued by police drove up Bourke Street Mall, killing six people and injuring 27.

In the Supreme Court we watched the CCTV footage of the carnage as people were mown down. We saw people run for shelter and then - like the tide returning - run back to help the wounded and distressed. Ordinary people showing extraordinary compassion. With new federal encryption laws, Victoria Police next year will employ data scientists to mine message systems used by suspected terrorists. For senior police, 2018 has been stained with controversy that will dominate the headlines. First there is the case of Lawyer 3838, a gangland barrister who became a police informer. While her name is suppressed, the only creatures on the planet who dont know her identity are Antarctic Emperor Penguins and that is only because the internet keeps dropping out down there due to snowstorms. The Victorian government has announced a Royal Commission that will be headed by former Queensland Court of Appeal justice Margaret McMurdo and retired South Australian police commissioner Mal Hyde. The pair bring to the inquiry vast experience in the court process and practical knowledge of police work.

One of the questions they will need to answer is whether 3838 was acting as a barrister for her clients and simultaneously selling them out, or had veered so far away from the law that she was actually part of the underworld. In other words, was she a lawyer acting for gangsters or a gangster who happened to be a lawyer? There have been suggestions her popularity with certain crooks was sexually-based. This is utter nonsense. They used her because she was available 24 hours a day and was prepared to advise them on criminal enterprises rather than just provide a textbook legal defence in a court. The members of the Purana Taskforce who used her as a registered informer back in 2005 are adamant they did nothing wrong and that all their dealings with her are recorded and are above board. The external legal advice will be pivotal. If police were told using her as a registered informer was lawful, then it is play on. If they did not seek such advice, it points to a view that they knew what they were doing was perhaps over the edge. Then decisions will have to be made on the ensuing appeals. If crims pleaded guilty because of a mountain of evidence, it could be a case of letting sleeping dogs lie. If they were railroaded, they may get new trials. So far the Office of Public Prosecutions has written to 20 prisoners and ex-inmates to tell them their cases should be reviewed. It is a fair bet there will be more. What we do know is that it will be long and ugly. Perhaps it will also be a chance for the legal profession to reflect on its role in the affair. Many named and unnamed legal sources have expressed their outrage that police accepted information from a barrister that may have included client/lawyer confidential material, but none have reflected on how she got to such a position.

How is it that many of her peers who were concerned that she was running with her clients and was not acting professionally chose to do nothing? Why did they not go to the Bar with their concerns? As officers of the court, surely they had a duty to speak up. 2019 will see hearings into the investigation of the murders of Sergeant Gary Silk and Senior Constable Rod Miller. Credit:Joe Armao In February the Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission will hold hearings into what it describes as alleged serious misconduct in the investigation of the 1998 murders of Sergeant Gary Silk and Senior Constable Rod Miller. This has the potential to eat at the very fabric of the police culture in this state. In 2018 the issue of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder amongst serving and former police has been highlighted. An internal survey of sworn and unsworn force staff found that around 1700 have been diagnosed with depression and around 340 have admitted to suicidal thoughts in the previous year. One police officer takes his or her own life every 32 weeks in Victoria, and the figures involving retired officers are worse. Which brings us to Ron Fenton, a former policeman who has suffered terribly both physically and mentally after being shot on duty. Ron was destined to be one of those statistics until he met his best friend Yogi the trauma dog, a loveable Labrador trained by an inmate at Bathurst Prison.

I doubt I would be here if it wasnt for Yogi. Id be under the ground. He is with me 24/7, says Ron. Ron Fenton and Yogi. Credit:Joe Armao Most of what we do as journalists doesnt matter that much; we rarely alter opinions and certainly dont break governments, because no one changes their vote on the basis of an editorial. Some of it is called clickbait in the new world and fish-and-chip wrappers in the old. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the wheels do gain traction. A couple of weeks ago I received this message:

"Hi John, Weve never met. But Id like to thank you for saving my life one night. In October 2014, at the age of 27, I was struggling not to turn my own gun on myself at work as the result of a serious incident that occurred earlier that year and left me scarred both physically and mentally. I didnt know what to do and thought I had the options of suicide and ending my career. Alone in a police station on a Sunday evening with an incredibly itchy trigger finger, I turned to Google out of desperation. What I found there were articles that you had written. Articles about police members who had gotten help and gotten better. Those articles encouraged me to speak up and get the help that I needed. Your articles extended my career for another few years before it all became too much again. But your articles most certainly saved my life, and have encouraged me to be as open as possible about my struggles with PTSD so that future police members dont have to rely on Google.
Depths different types of oil and gas can be found in WA, compared to depths for coal seam gas being developed in other parts of Australia. Credit:Department of Mines , Industry Regulation and Safety This is what is known as conventional natural gas and what has been used around the world and in Western Australia for many years. WAs large LNG projects use conventional natural gas. Unconventional gas  shale gas, tight gas (and coal seam gas, though WA doesnt have any of that) are found deeper down, in dense shale rock or compacted stone. To extract it, you need to drill a horizontal well and use chemically treated water to fracture ('frack') the gas-bearing rock at depths of more than two kilometres to release the gas.

2. Why is it a thing now? In WA, 610 wells have been hydraulically fractured since 1958 but most were in conventional oil and gas wells on Barrow Island off the Pilbara Coast. Historically, it involved pumping a small amount of a water-chemical mix under relatively low pressure into underground rocks to open up small gaps in the rock to increase oil and gas flow. What a fracking project might look like. The average amount of land required to be cleared for a shale gas well site ('pad') is about 1.5-2 hectares. Credit:Styles, Keele University, UK But advancements in technology in recent years means higher pressures can now be used to create small fractures to release gas from shale and tight rocks.

In recent decades, 'fracking' has made trapped methane a more commercially viable resource. 3. Where is it a thing now? Canning Basin. Credit:Department of Mines , Industry Regulation and Safety. The government believes onshore reserves of "unconventional gas" in WA are double those offshore. It is all yet to be commercially developed.

Most of WAs shale and tight gas reserves are in the Canning Basin (Kimberley and East Pilbara). Canning Basin has been identified as the most prospective region for unconventional gas in the world outside the US, with about 229 trillion cubic feet of gas. Some is in the northern Perth Basin (the Mid West), mostly around the Dongara area. Perth Basin. Credit:Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety

4. What exactly is allowed? Fracking remains banned in Perth, Peel and the South West. It has restricted fracking to areas where full exploration or production licences have already been granted. Depending on whose spin doctors you listen to this is either only 2 per cent of the state or it is a whopping 5 million hectares.

It ruled out fracking on the Dampier Peninsula between Broome and Derby, in national parks and public water source areas. No information is yet available on a more specific boundary for the Dampier Peninsula ban. The fracking can only go ahead with the consent of landowners and native title holders. Pastoralists will not have the right of veto. The government accepted all 44 recommendations of the independent scientific inquiry and will implement all of them before any fracking production approvals are granted.

Major changes to the existing regulatory regime include: No fracking to be allowed within two kilometres of gazetted Public Drinking Water Source Areas;

All fracking projects, including exploration and production wells, to require EPA assessment;

The development of an enforceable Code of Practice to ensure high standards of health, safety and environmental protection; and

No fracking allowed within two kilometres of towns, settlements or residents. It's likely to be a lengthy and complex processes to get all this new regulation in place. The royalty rate for unconventional oil and gas will increase to 10 per cent, the same rate that applies to conventional gas production. Fracking royalties will fund new renewable energy projects via a special Clean Energy Future Fund with a $9 million seed allocation.

5. How has the governments decision affected industry players? The major fracking exploration leases are held by Major exploration leases across the Kimberley. Credit:Environs Kimberley Canning Basin

Squadron/Goshawk joint venture: 80 per cent Squadron Energy (Andrew Forrest, private company) 20 per cent Goshawk Energy (private Australian company)

Buru Energy ($95 million, WA company) / Mitsubishi (Japanese)

Other players: Oil Basins, Gulliver Productions The biggest loser from the governments ban on fracking the Dampier Peninsula is Andrew Forrests Squadron. It appears none of the eight onshore licences held by the joint venture, covering more than 75,000 square kilometres of the Canning Basin, could be fracked under what the government has allowed. Mr Forrest had wanted to spearhead the development of an onshore gas industry in the Canning Basin. The Perth businessman could follow in the footsteps of Gina Rinehart, who sued the Victorian government over its statewide moratorium on exploring for unconventional gas.

She sought $2.6 billion in lost future earnings but reportedly lost the Supreme Court case in September. Buru Energy has welcomed the governments decision as allowing it to further appraise and develop its major accumulation of natural gas in the Canning Basin. Its yet to be seen whether any Kimberley native title holders or landowners will refuse fracking on their land. Perth Basin Mitsui/Beach Energy joint venture: 50 per cent Mitsui (Japanese), 50 per cent Beach Energy (Australian)

Big Perth Basin players Beach Energy and Mitsui are busy fracking their conventional gas from their Beharra Springs and Waitsia fields around Dongara, before addressing tight gas potential surrounding these fields. You can search more titles here. 6. In what ways could fracking be bad? The inquiry examined the types of impact it could have on:

1) public health (through the wells failing and polluting air or groundwater) 2) biodiversity (physically clearing vegetation and animals) 3) climate change (through production of gas) All these things were the focus of the scientific inquiry headed by Environmental Protection Authority chairman Tom Hatton. This involved 12 months of reviews and analysis of 400 public submissions and diverse scientific literature that was both complex and at times contested.

It resulted in a highly technical report of almost 600 pages. Summarising its findings, Dr Hatton said the report was "silent" on whether the moratorium should be lifted. That was a decision for government. It made 91 findings and 44 recommendations. There's more on what it found below. 7. Is it going to harm our environment, public health-wise?

It seems probably not, barring the kind of disasters that can happen at any mine. The main risk to public health is potential groundwater contamination if something went wrong and a well was compromised. Long term integrity of wells is important. The inquiry report said the level of risk depended on the location and scale of industry development. The panel had considered plausible scenarios of development, for how big projects might become and where they would be.

Strict adherence to global design and construction standards would limit risk of below ground pathways for contaminants to a low level. Chemical and wastewater spills above ground were a greater risk, and a degree of precaution was justified to protect human health. The inquiry recommended wells be at least two kilometres from human drinking water sources and towns and the government accepted this recommendation. The inquiry said links between air pollution and health impacts had not been definitely proved but the link was plausible enough that caution was warranted and the panel recommended full monitoring systems. The principal recommendation was for an enforceable code of practice aimed at further reducing the risks.

8. Is it going to harm our environment, biodiversity-wise? Any mining project impacts flora and fauna as it clears vegetation and habitats. Projects are generally assessed in terms of what species it will damage most, whether those species are endangered and to what extent the damage is therefore acceptable. There are already instruments in place, via the EPA, to assess these things, which would also apply to the fracking industry.

The scientific inquiry found that this process was, however, limited to considering individual wells, not whole oil and gas fields. It therefore recommended development proposals for any fields go to the federal government for assessment under the EPBC act, which assesses proposals that could affect endangered species. The report also recommended industry contribute to a fund for "remediation of any legacy issues" and that "penalties for any environmental issues should increase as an incentive to compliance." All the recommendations were accepted.

9. Is it going to harm our environment, climate change-wise? The Paris accord signed by almost 200 nations including Australia pledged to keep warming to 1.5-2 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Australia has already warmed by about 1 degree. At 1.5, 70- 90 per cent of the world's coral reefs such as Ningaloo and the Great Barrier Reef will die. WAs scientific inquiry said direct emissions produced by the fracking industry would not prevent Australia meeting its Paris Agreement commitments. A prominent group of 38 leading Australian scientists then published a statement saying the scientific inquiry was not peer-reviewed, didnt include the impact of burning the gas for energy, and underestimated the industrys size.

Inquiry chairman Tom Hatton mounted a detailed defence in a letter to The West Australian. In turn, the Conservation Council president wrote a detailed rejection of Dr Hattons statements on social media. WAtoday will publish a comprehensive report into the details in the new year. Argy-bargy aside, while gas is a better fossil fuel than coal, burning it creates carbon dioxide. CSIRO Climate Science Centre director Helen Cleugh said on Wednesday the worlds warming was caused by increased greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide.

She spoke as CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology released their State of the Climate report. Key observations of Australias changing climate were more frequent extreme heat events, marine heatwaves, an increase in extreme fire weather, and declining rainfall. This follows the October release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report that said to keep warming under 2C, the world had to leave its remaining fossil fuel reserves underground. In this context, it is hard to imagine opening up gas reserves second only to the United States on a global scale will have no climate impact.

10. So there are potential costs. But will we get money and jobs? Left-wing think-tank The Australia Institute released a 28-page report that said fracking would do little for WA in terms of jobs, royalties and prices. But the report appeared cursory, comparing WA with other states in a way that might be apples and oranges. The same day, Premier Mark McGowans opinion piece spruiked the governments decision but only four of his 30 paragraphs mentioned economic benefit. WAtoday asked his office if there was jobs or royalties modelling but it did not provide any.

A spokesman said the onshore gas industry employed about 1200 people, and that our gas market was completely different to the east. WA controlled its own gas and mandated 15 per cent of it was available for domestic use. This meant about 40 per cent of our energy was from gas. This kept prices down and supported valuable industries, and therefore more jobs. The spokesman said the inquiry was not about economics but environmental impact. In effect, the government started from an assumption the industry would be economically desirable, and should only be banned if environmental cost outweighed the benefit. A cost-benefit analysis without the benefit analysis. So why not an economic inquiry? Well, if the government was spending our taxes or federal funds on major infrastructure, a cost-benefit analysis would have been required to prove the business case.

But governments dont decide whether whole industries will be big or profitable. Thats beyond their control, particularly when the effects of complex boundaries and regulatory processes remains to be seen. Governments can only regulate industries to mitigate risks. Based on this inquiry they decided the risk was acceptable. The Premier, talking about a significant industry with thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in royalties was not presenting an economic analysis; just helping the medicine go down.

11. What do Aboriginal communities think of it? Perth Basin The Southern Yamatji native title claim area. Credit:Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation No native title determination made over land containing unconventional gas reserves. Southern Yamatji native title claim over areas surrounding Dongara is in negotiations. Canning Basin

Exploration titles held over lands of at least 9 native title holders; views of major six summarised below. FOR: Who: Yungngora people

Where: Noonkanbah station, outside Fitzroy Crossing

Their inquiry submission said: Drugs and alcohol are the biggest threat to our community ... we want this project ... job opportunities to work on our own land and a future for our young people. AGAINST:


Police are looking for an American man who has not made contact with his family since he came to Perth on holiday earlier this month.

Joseph Barrett. Credit:WA Police

Joseph Barrett, 34, was last seen in Beckenham on December 18 and has not been heard from since.

Mr Barrett is described as being fair skinned with brown curly shoulder length hair, about 168cm tall, with a solid build and a fit physique.

He is also heavily tattooed from his neck to his torso, with Barrett on his neck.
Throughout yuletide several of my e-acquaintances have adopted the scrupulously religion-free sign-off have a lovely festive season or similar. It seems unexceptionable; anodyne to the point of nothingness. But, like all euphemisms, our murky reluctance to call Christmas by its name enables a dangerous hypocrisy. So the season to be jolly is also the season to be clear; even as we unpack the baubles we must also unpack the truly sinister implications of the Ruddock review and the Christian nationalism that lurks behind it.

Illustration: Simon Letch Credit:

I mean, I get where festive season is coming from. Theres a kind of embarrassment here. Christmas was pagan before it was Christian, and not everyone buys into its theology. Our coyness around the C-word derives from a rejection of the colonial mindset and a desire to be open, pluralist and tolerant.

To my mind, the fact that Christmas is far from universal enriches both it and us. Beauty is always particular. Mostly, we know this. At Diwali, or at Hanukkah, do we say enjoy the lights? At Chinese New Year do we say, have a great dragon dance? No. Other festivals we delight in calling by their names - but not Christian ones.

The danger is not simply that we misunderstand Christmas. The danger - as hardline Christian nationalism flexes its global muscles - is that, unless lovers of tolerance actively reclaim the Christian tradition that is its source, fundamentalism will threaten us all.
Robertson is the brainchild behind The Wool Road Project, an artistic trail of site-specific artworks and innovative interpretative signage at a string of significant sites along the Wool Road, which she hopes will highlight both the colonial and the indigenous history of the road. Jenny Robertson sits on an old sandstone block, a remnant of the South Huskisson wharf at the end of the Wool Road. Credit:Tim the Yowie Man The old road primarily follows an ancient indigenous songline from Nerriga to the coast, explains Robertson, who hopes the development of such a trail will shine the spotlight on the largely unknown story of how the Yuin people guided European settlers regarding the best place to establish the road from the mountain to the sea. She also hopes it will encourage more cultural tourism into Jervis Bay, particularly from Canberra. Although Robertsons tourist trail is in its embryonic stage due to planning and funding challenges, Peter Solness, a light artist, recently provided a snapshot of what the trail may entail when he crafted an eye-catching photo in one on Worrowings paddocks.

The yellow wheels represent the mechanical process of carting wool down the escarpment, whilst the wave-like trail unifies the elements and is suggestive of the unbroken dreaming tracks created by the Indigenous people of this area, explains Solness. Re-imagining the Wool Road. Credit:Peter Solness Although todays Main Road 92 deviates in several places, there are several locations where you can follow the very surface of the old Wool Road, at least on foot. One is a dirt track (beware: wear gum boots as it's boggy after rain) hidden on the fringes of suburbia linking Island Point Road to The Wool Lane in Sanctuary Point, but arguably the most spectacular stretch is at Bulee Gap, between Nerriga and Tianjara Falls. Here, in sections barely wide enough to spread your arms, you get a real sense of the 1840s engineering effort and evidence that explosives were used to blast the way through this sandstone escarpment. It would have been a tight squeeze for the bullock wagons to negotiate through these narrow cuttings.

Not far past Bulee Gap, the original Wool Road followed an even more direct route down the escarpment which adventurous (and only experienced) 4WDers can follow by turning off at Jerrawangala Lookout and then following Wandean Road to Wandandian. For everyone else, from Jerrawangala turn-off its an easy 27-kilometre stretch (keep to the speed limit, for the local constabulary are making a fortune out of Canberrans a little too desperate to dip their big toe in the briny) down to the Princes Highway at Tomerong and the beautiful Shoalhaven coast. Once youve checked in to your holiday digs, if you are feeling peckish grab some fish n chips (try the Salty Crab Seafood Shack on Moona Creek Rd) and beat a path to the beach at Vincentias Holden Street boat ramp. From here, not only is it a great spot to watch dolphins frolicking in the bay, but if you look hard enough at low tide, you might notice some partly submerged sandstone blocks. This is all that remains of the historic wharf built in 1840s, the official end of the historic Wool Road.



Fact File Main Road 92: A fully sealed alternative route from Canberra to Nowra. As the road traverses a number of local government areas, the route isnt signposted as best as it could be and changes name several times from Nerriga Road to Braidwood Road to Turpentine Road . It appears on most GPS systems, but take a map just in case. From Canberra to Jervis Bay the 190km journey via Bungendore, Tarago and Nerriga takes about 2.5 hours (stops extra)  thats about 30 minutes quicker than driving via the Hume and Illawarra highways and an hour quicker than via Batemans Bay.

Wool Road Highlights Several landmarks along the historic Wool Road can still be visited. Here are my top 4: Nerriga Hotel: Perched on the edge of the wilds of Morton National Park, this bush pub is open from 10am daily, with hearty lunches served noon3pm daily, and traditional pub grub dished up Friday to Sunday from 6pm8pm. Inside, the 165-year-old baltic pine that was once the floorboards is now the main feature of a polished wooden bar, and historic photos and maps hang from the corrugated iron walls.

Bulee Gap: Tianjara Falls, a must-see for modern-day travellers on the old Wool Road. Credit:Ken Charlton There are no official parking spots, but if travelling towards the coast there is just enough room to safely pull off (take care) on the western (left) side of the road about 5.5 kilometres from the Nerriga Hotel. The original section of the Wool Road can be found by walking a couple of hundred metres to the west of here. Tianjara Falls: Just metres from the side of Main Road 92, this 60-metre drop (28 km from the Nerriga Pub) can turn from barely a dribble to a cascading fury after a rain event. Jerrawangala Lookout: From this lofty vantage spot (37km from the Nerriga Hotel), accessible down a short dirt (2WD accessible except after heavy rain) you can gasp at the view from Gerringong in the north to Ulladulla in the south. According to local lore, Aboriginal people used this lookout to send messages to others trekking in the labyrinth of deeply channelled gorges and swamps spread out below.

Did You Know? Despite being short-lived as an agricultural transport route, the accompanying settlement created by the historic Wool Road spawned the workforce for a future ship building industry which ensured Jervis Bays relative prosperity for many years to come.

Light photography: Using long exposures and hand-illuminating his chosen subjects using small torches, Peter Solness is a master at creating other-worldly effects, not usually associated with traditional photography. For more of his stunning photography, check out: www.illuminated-landscape.com

Stay: If you want to bunk down on the old Wool Road, there are several options including the Nerriga Hotel (they now have two one-bedroom cabins for rent) and Worrowing Estate where there is a selection of self-contained accommodation ranging from large farm houses to wilderness huts and boat shed studios. 81 The Wool Rd, Worrowing Heights (between Sanctuary Point and Vincentia). More: www.worrowing.com.au



Holiday challenge A pair of pelicans spotted at Batemans Bay. Credit:Phill Sledge Over the last few summers, readers of this column have been issued with various summer holiday challenges, including searching for the longest blue bottle tentacle (three metres was the winner) and the biggest cuttlebone (38cm long) on south coast beaches. This years challenge is to photograph the highest number of pelicans perched on buoys, logs, jetties or any coastal (or inland) feature. To kick things off, here is a pair of pelicans recently snapped by Phill Sledge pole-sitting below Wray Street, Batemans Bay. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all.

Contact Tim: Email: timtheyowieman@bigpond.com or Twitter: @TimYowie or write c/- The Canberra Times, 9 Pirie St, Fyshwick.



Where in the region? Do you know the location of this sign? Credit:Tim the Yowie Man Clue: Dont let the sign fool you, this is actually a popular coffee stop on the way to the coast. Degree of difficulty: Medium
Is it possible to make sense of a tumultuous year in Australia politics (as if there is any other kind these days)?

Its fair to say that those on the centre left probably look back and see a mostly positive year with a couple of key risks. And pretty much everyone else sees it as a bad year with a couple of rays of hope.

There is little doubt the biggest winner of 2018 is Labor. Not only did they win a thumping victory in Victoria, and a slew of federal by-elections, but its clear that if Bill Shorten has another six months like the last 12, he will be prime minister next Christmas.

Bill Shorten has been one of the biggest winners in 2018, but Labor has still has its share of problems. Credit:AAP

That doesnt mean Labor hasnt had its share of problems, including the dramas surrounding Emma Husar. And Labors policies to bring down house prices probably looked a lot less threatening when prices were growing by double digits than they do now they are falling.
Australia is set to fall significantly short of its Paris climate change targets, undermining claims by the Morrison government that the economy will meet its international obligations "in a canter."

Official figures released by the Department of Environment and Energy on Friday show that on current trends Australia will only reach an emission reduction target of 7 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030, a massive 19 percentage points or two thirds of the way short of the minimum target mandated by the Paris agreement.

But the government will argue that under UN accounting rules, Australia is eligible to carry forward credit for targets it has met since 2008 - a move ruled out by Britain, Germany and New Zealand - slashing in half the emissions reductions required to meet our international obligations.

Environment Minister Melissa Price. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Hours after the release of the figures Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed the government would carry forward the credits and said the "significant progress highlights Australia is going to meet our 2030 target in a canter".
What do the years 1954, 1969, 1972 and 2001 have in common? They were rare occasions in which the major political parties contested a federal election on national security issues.

So-called khaki elections are unusual in Australian politics, bipartisanship having an almost sacred place on defence, foreign affairs and national security.

Matthew Guy tried it in Victoria a month ago and we saw how that worked out.

The Morrison government, as a new Sydney Morning Herald and The Age poll shows, enjoys a significant advantage with voters on border security, and on present indications it plans to play that advantage hard. If there is to be a national security dimension to the expected May election, that will be it.

Border security has had a heavily political slant since 2001, when the stand-off over asylum-seekers on Norwegian freighter the Tampa followed the September 11 attacks on the United States.
Guwahati: As the Union government has continued implementing various welfare schemes for the benefit of common Indians, the downtrodden section in the society should access to those schemes and here the media can play a vital role, said Ansumwi Khunguri Boro, executive member of Bodoland Territorial Council while addressing a media interactive session at Baksa locality of western Assam.





We, the government and the media alike, should ensure that people are aware of the various Government programmes and schemes so that they can avail benefits of those schemes. There are a huge range of schemes being implemented by the government nowadays whose main objective is to make the citizens lives better, added Mr Boro.





Organized by the Press Information Bureaus Guwahati office in collaboration with the Baksa district administration on 14 December 2018 at Musalpur town, the media interactive workshop titled Vartalap was also addressed by the host district magistrate Sanjeeb Kumar Gogoi.





Baksa is now considered as an aspirational district and hence we have to put extra efforts in all developmental spheres so that the residents can get benefits from various government schemes. The journalists should play a proactive role in making the public aware of these welfare schemes, said Gogoi.





He also informed that the district has recently received appreciations for its excellent coverage of government schemes among the public. Mentioning about the Ujjala scheme, Gogoi stated that 90% of Baksa households were covered, where gas connection initiative covered 100% homes in the district.





In the field of animal husbandry and agriculture too, Baksa has achieved significant success. I appreciate the initiative of media persons here that because of them we could succeed disseminating related information about these policies affectively, added the

deputy commissioner.





KS Dhatwalia, director general for NE Zone in the Union information & broadcasting ministry, while addressing the participating journalists of around 50 from different parts of the district, pointed out that Vartalap was an attempt to sensitize the media about disseminating proper information to the common people. He expected a positive and constructive media across the nation.





Journalist Nava Thakuria also emphasized on a responsible and credible media for the nation, where the scribes have to play the drivers role in the changing faces of journalism across the globe. He stated that the internet connectivity has made reporting easier, but also posed a serious threat to the professional journalists.





The role of a journalist has simply grown as we are increasing our family members with the increasing number of internet users in India. Now the media is held accountable for every word we write or speak. So it becomes extremely important to present facts without any bias, said Thakuria adding that the tendency of some journalists to denounce India as a nation is condemnable, even though they can criticize the regime in New Delhi.




Labor has asked the Australian Federal Police to urgently investigate a $350,000 job offer Scott Morrison's right-hand man Scott Briggs made to the man who was set to roll Liberal MP Craig Kelly for preselection in his seat of Hughes.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed on Thursday that Mr Briggs had offered Sutherland Shire councillor Kent Johns a $350,000 job for six months' work as the Liberals' federal campaign director in NSW, on the understanding he would withdraw from the contest against Mr Kelly.

Liberal MP Craig Kelly survived the preselection showdown only after intervention from the PM. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

That campaign role would normally be part of state director Chris Stone's position, although the party wants to bring in additional firepower because of the back-to-back NSW and federal elections.

Labor senator Don Farrell, the shadow special minister of state, wrote to AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin on Friday asking him to investigate the matter "to protect the integrity of our democracy", arguing the job offer could be considered a bribe.
Australians favour Prime Minister Scott Morrison to manage border security in a finding that highlights the challenge for Labor on a major election issue, amid an escalating political argument over the treatment asylum seekers.

Mr Morrison is backed by 49 per cent of voters who trust him more on border security compared to 32 per cent who trust Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, with stronger support for the government from older voters.

A special Ipsos survey, conducted exclusively for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, shows Mr Shorten has more support on border security from voters under the age of 25, who prefer him by 39 per cent against 37 per cent for Mr Morrison, but he loses this edge in every other age group.

Relative trust in Mr Morrison reaches 59 per cent among voters over 55, compared to 29 per cent for Mr Shorten.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size When bundles of New Idea were dropped outside newsagents before dawn, they arrived with an ominous thud that Andrew Broad's lawyers had been working frantically for weeks to prevent. Legal threats had been flying between the Nationals MP and the gossip magazine over plans to print a red hot story: Broad, a married conservative who regularly espouses family values, had met a woman who used the online alias "Sweet Sophia Rose" and wined and dined her during a work trip to Hong Kong in September. As dishes such as the $76 pan-fried scallops with violet potato, cream of leeks and wild mushrooms were served to guests at nearby tables, Broad regaled the younger woman with tales of a recent promotion to Prime Minister Scott Morrison's outer ministry and even referred to himself as James Bond. In earlier text messages, the regional Victorian MP wrote he knew "how to ride a horse, fly a plane and f--- my woman". In another, he said he wanted to run his hands down her back, softly kiss her neck and whisper "G'day mate". Pacific Magazines, publisher of New Idea, had been talking to the woman since November and it is understood she was not paid for the story. Despite the legal risks, New Idea editors contacted Broad early last week to say they were ready to publish. The story started rolling off the printing presses in western Sydney on Thursday night last week, setting off a ticking time bomb for the Morrison government. Within hours of the edition going on sale on Monday, a disgraced Broad quit his assistant minister role and the Coalition ended the political year in much the same way it started: weighed down by sex and sleaze.

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Just eight months earlier, Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce resigned as deputy prime minister after having an affair with his staffer, who became pregnant, and finding himself the subject of a sexual harassment allegation. Joyce thrashed around for weeks trying to save his job but the damage was so severe he had no choice but to quit. The lurid bookends to 2018 have tarnished the government's standing with female voters and raised big questions about the future of the Nationals, which wields enormous influence over its Liberal Party partners. The Broad revelations have also turbo-charged rumours inside Parliament House about other MPs. One is the subject of a particularly severe set of allegations which have not been proven. Labor heard about the claims months ago and referred them to the Australian Federal Police. While no evidence of criminality was uncovered, AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin still saw fit to brief Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Martin Parkinson about the issue. Andrew Broad entered Parliament in 2013 but his regional Victorian seat is now up for grabs following his fall from grace. Credit:Rebecca Hallas Andrew Broad joined the Nationals after an earlier stint as the president of the Victorian Farmers Federation. Credit:Jason South The Nationals' federal vice-president Katrina Hodgkinson says voters are entitled to demand a standard of behaviour from MPs over and above that of the general public. "That is the expectation. Because you're such a public figure and everything is reportable, you can't do something in Washington or New York and not expect it to be reported back in Sydney and Melbourne," the former NSW MP says.

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"You've just got to be on your best behaviour at all times. Obviously people make mistakes and when you make mistakes there will be forgiveness and understanding. But if there is an intentional abuse of power or exceedingly poor judgment, then that is going to weigh heavily on the minds of the electorate." Nationals leader Michael McCormack's handling of the Broad crisis has firmed the odds for a leadership challenge after next year's election, with Joyce, Agriculture Minister David Littleproud and the Nationals' deputy leader, Bridget McKenzie, the likely contenders. McKenzie could quit the Senate to run for Broad's seat, paving the way for a tilt at the leadership. In a sign of the threat the Broad scandal presented, MPs made a flurry of calls on Wednesday to discuss their exasperation with McCormack, who did not tell the Prime Minister about the impending crisis despite hearing loud alarm bells for weeks. Initially publicly claiming he only discovered the incident "a couple of weeks ago", McCormack actually knew as early as November that Broad had landed in trouble in Hong Kong. Fearing a possible blackmail attempt, he urged the Victorian MP to contact the AFP. Despite the possibility a government minister could be blackmailed in China, McCormack did not tell Morrison. McCormack also knew that New Idea had the story, but still didn't alert the Prime Minister. Deputy Nationals leader Bridget McKenzie is weighing up her options. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen McCormack dismisses the criticism, saying he's doing the best job he can in trying circumstances. He adds it is time for some Coalition MPs who were working against the interest of the government to consider leaving politics. "Surely they can see what's going to happen if they keep this up. Maybe some of them haven't been in the cold, desolate days of opposition." Labor powerbroker Graham Richardson, a supporter of Morrison, this week agreed the Prime Minister's attempts to make the government competitive against a united, disciplined Labor were being sabotaged by stupidity from within.

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"I feel for Andrew's family, I really feel deeply for them. It's all very sad but it's just so disruptive to Scott Morrison and his campaign. I mean here's poor old Scott, who wouldn't do the wrong thing in a fit, and yet every time he's got something and it all looks good, it's wiped completely by one idiot." "And that's what I think we've all got to understand - the capacity of one idiot to derail the show. Sadly, if you look at the few months Scott Morrison has been our Prime Minister, he has had so many difficulties." Loading For Broad, the killer blow was not the dating antics or partial use of taxpayer funds to get to Hong Kong, but the very public exposure of his hypocrisy. An opponent of same-sex marriage, Broad once compared gay men to rams having sex in paddocks, and threatened to quit the government should it abandon a plebiscite on gay marriage in favour of a free vote. During a speech to Parliament during last year's equality debate, Broad promised to support the reform given his electorate had backed it in the postal survey. "I do not cast judgment upon same-sex couples who are currently raising children," he said. "I'm sure your love is deep and enduring, and I wish nothing but the best for you. But I believe there is an essential truth that cannot be replicated without the influence of both a man and a woman in a child's development."

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Offering his view on the role of a father raising a daughter, Broad continued: "Between the ages of 14 and 18, the role of a dad is to take her on a date, open the door for her, teach her how a guy should treat her - with respect - and be a guard from guys who might come knocking, while ensuring that their intentions are pure." Broad's hopes for good intentions were in stark contrast to a text message New Idea claims he sent to the woman he met in Hong Kong: "My intentions are completely dishonourable." Government MPs fear the Broad story has not ended and more damaging information could come out over summer, given just a fraction of the messages he exchanged with "Sweet Sophia Rose" have been published. Barnaby Joyce's affair triggered a breakdown between the then deputy prime minister and the then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Richardson has seen his share of sex scandals over four decades in politics and says the same basic mistakes are always repeated. "Why is it that politicians cannot learn that emails and texts are items that don't go away? You can press the delete button but it never helps because someone at the end of the line's got it. So if you're going to be stupid why can't you pick up the phone and be stupid? At least then ... it can be quiet stupidity in private. "Broad's made a complete goose of himself with this - he's not the first one and he probably won't be the last." Broad will not recontest his regional Victorian seat of Mallee at the next election and the Nationals are scrambling to find a female candidate to minimise the local fallout.

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Former Liberal staffer Tim James has seized on a potential mystery vote or voter to launch a fresh challenge to North Shore MP Felicity Wilson's narrow preselection victory for the Sydney seat.

Ms Wilson last month defeated Mr James by one vote in a razor tight battle to contest the seat in next year's state poll.

Liberal Party preselectors handed North Shore MP Felicity Wilson a razor-tight victory of just one vote. Credit:James Alcock

But Mr James claims the result is invalid because an unidentified person bypassed identification checks to get inside the preselection event, or someone in the room voted twice in the ballots.

Mr James' loss in November after a bitter preselection campaign prompted him to launch an 11th-hour appeal against the verdict through the Liberal Party's dispute resolution process.
A top Congolese opposition leader has urged nations including Australia not to abandon his country as it struggles to take a massive stride with its first democratic change of government after years of civil war and dictatorship.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo faces perennial conflicts, corruption and struggles with the ebola virus, which led to the country being dubbed this week the worlds most neglected crisis hotspot.

Men and women at their stalls in a market on the streets of Kinshasa. General elections have been delayed for a week amid unrest. Credit:Kate Geraghty

It was poised to hold a presidential election on Sunday, but amid protests and violence, this has been pushed back a week.

Speaking ahead of the election delay, which could spark more fighting and chaos, leading opposition presidential candidate Felix Tshisekedi said his country needed now more than ever the United Nations peacekeepers whose numbers and budget were last year slashed.
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These restaurateurs have come a Long way!

The guys who years ago reopened Atlantic Avenues iconic Long Island Restaurant as a bustling bar with the same name debuted a brand new food-and-drink spot in Fort Greene this month.

But this time, the co-owners  who meticulously restored their Long Island Bar, which is within the landmarked Cobble Hill Historic District  built their new eatery Rockwell Place from the ground up, with a look they described as more modern than that of their other well-preserved watering hole, but not without some blasts from the past.

The interior is pretty radically different, its sort of an industrial modern space with furniture touches from the 1950s and 1960s, said Joel Tompkins. More modern sleek.

The new joint is tucked away on the quiet street it is named after, but just a short walk from some of the areas new high-rises and long-standing cultural venues such as Bric and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, whose residents and patrons started flocking to the restaurant shortly after it opened on Dec. 11, according to Tompkins.

More people are discovering it each day, he said. I really like the idea of having a bar around the corner from the Harvey Theater, where people can come and go after a show. As far as I know, you have to walk pretty far to get to a place with a similar caliber of cocktails and food.

Tompkins eyed the space for years  starting back in the early aughts when he used to live on the block  and said he and co-owner Toby Cecchini pounced on it when the lease finally became available in 2017.

Have a seat: The new eatery boasts a more modern look than its sister spot, according to its owners. Photo by Caroline Ourso

And Rockwell Places interior isnt the only detail that differentiates it from its sister spot  the chef at the 65-seat eatery is cooking up a menu of New American dishes that Tompkins described as more elevated than Long Island Bars pub food.

We have a similarly sized menu, but its a different style of food, he said.

The change in cuisine may come as a disappointment to fans of Long Island Bars burger, which many critics hail as among the citys best, but did not make the cut when it came to putting Rockwell Places menu together, according to Tompkins.

We dont have burgers and fries, he said.

Still, both he and Cecchini believe their Fort Greene eatery will become go-to neighborhood watering hole just like its beloved sibling.

Its just a delightful space to be in, warm and welcoming, Tompkins said.

Rockwell Place (31 Rockwell Pl. between DeKalb Avenue and Fulton Street in Fort Greene, www.thero ckwel lplac e.com ). Open weekdays from 5 pm to midnight, weekends from 5 pm to 2 am.

Where it all began: The restaurateurs who years ago opened Long Island Bar just debuted a brand new eatery in Fort Greene. Community Newspaper Group / Jaime Lutz
Kathmandu, Nepal: Former King Gyanendra Shah, who had created a tremble when he had danced at the dinner party in Kathmandu, resembled like his direct regime at tourist city Pokhara on Monday.





When former King Shah reached at Pokhara with his spouse Komal Shah, the couple was welcomed by a huge mass mostly the cadres affiliated to the royalist political groups including the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and others pro-royalist Hindu groups.





The former king Shah was feted with a 21-kg-garland and a traditional Panche Baja band when he landed at Pokhara airport and walked from Pokhara Airport to Birat Chok greeting well-wishers and accepting flowers on the way.




has elevated John Giannandrea to the company's executive team as Senior Vice President of (ML) and (AI) strategy.

Giannandrea, who joined from Google in April, oversees the strategy for AI and ML across products and services, as well as the development of Core ML and technologies.

His team's focus on advancing and tightly integrating into products is delivering more personal, intelligent and natural interactions for customers while protecting user privacy, the Cupertino-based giant said in a statement late on Thursday.

"John hit the ground running at Apple and we are thrilled to have him as part of our executive team," said Apple CEO

" and AI are important to Apple's future as they are fundamentally changing the way people interact with technology, and already helping our customers live better lives," Cook added.

Giannandrea's team is also working to enhance the developer experience with tools, including Core ML and Create ML, making it easier to integrate machine learning into apps.

ALSO READ: Apple to pull some iPhones from German stores after court ruling

Giannandrea joined Google in 2010 after the company acquired his start-up Metaweb Technologies.

He later worked as Google's Head of Search and and took the role of Senior Vice President of Engineering at Google from Amit Singhal in early 2016.

According to reports, Apple needs strong talent to improve its AI and ML efforts which lag behind its competitors like Amazon and Google.

The company has invested heavily in and HomeKit to compete with Google Home and Alexa-based smart home systems.
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Digital Editor
Facebook and some of the other largest technology firms in the world faced sharp criticism on Wednesday for failing to disclose the extent of the social networks data-sharing deals, many of which went back to the companys early years. Details of the deals, revealed in a New York Times report on Tuesday, set in motion a fresh round of rebukes from legislators who had singled out Facebooks sharing practices in the recent past. And they came at a moment when the Trump administration, Congress and even some Silicon Valley executives are calling for stricter privacy ...




Kathmandu, Nepal: The much more waited Standing Committee (SC) meeting of the ruling head Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has witnessed the heated debate over the joint political document presented by its chairmen duo Pushpa Kamal Dahal and KP Sharma Oli.





As co-chairmen duo presented a joint paper, defending the activities of the party and the government, during the SC meeting on Sunday, most of the leaders including senior vice president Bam Dev Gautam, who was considered as loyal to Oli, lambasted the joint political document even demanding for rewriting the paper.





Most of the leaders, who have casted their views till Monday have come up heavily against of the party leadership particularly the incumbent Oli-led government for failing to live up to peoples expectations in the past ten months.





Dissident leaders including senior vice chairman Gautam alleged the partys co-chairman and Prime Minister Oli of brewing factionalism even misusing the powers as head of the government.





Among the leaders who had aired their views on Monday, Shakti Basnet was alone to defend the government. Yubaraj Gyawali, Ghanashyam Bhusal, Agni Sapkota, Haribol Gajurel, Mukunda Neupane, Asta Laxmi Shakya, Beduram Bhusal and Ganesh Sah also criticized not only the document but also the government and party leadership.





The dissident leaders had warned the leadership of a disaster if the party leadership was not careful to correct the course of action. The vocal critics Ghanashyam Bhusal had raised a question mark over the intention, motivation and performance of co-chairman Oli, who is also the Prime Minister.





In what basis you selected the partys provincial committees? Bhusal questioned even alleging the party leadership, particularly the co-chairman Oli of bolstering his faction while appointing in the party committees and other governmental position.





Though the joint political document was presented stating of moving ahead effectively, ended syndicate, destroyed the nexus of smugglers and others, almost all the leaders had questioned over the claim. The government has failed to live up to peoples expectations even one year after coming to power; the dissident leaders had a claim.





As leader Gautam presented a supplementary report to counter the joint-report presented by the chairmen duo Dahal and Oli, others leader including Bhim Bahadur Rawal is also going to table another supplementary political document in the meeting.
It must have been the biggest nightmare to have a live video of one of your delivery boys actually opening up a food pack, partaking of its contents, re-arranging them, and closing the food pack again for delivery to an unsuspecting customer. Zomato took the hit right on the chin  with an explosive impact.

Within minutes, social media was ablaze. So enormous was the inferno of disgust and hate that Zomato was forced to put out a statement on its blog against food tampering saying: Last night, we came across a video of a delivery executive in a Zomato t-shirt, carrying ...

Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal. They do not reflect the view/s of Business Standard.
After dillydallying on rules for online pharmacies for nearly two years, the government has finally woken up to the sector and is working to expedite the rules for online pharmacies. The urgency for notifying the rules comes after conflicting observations from the Delhi and Madras High Court (HC).

The Drug Controller General of India will soon notify these rules, a senior official from the agency said. Though the agency has not so far received any complaint against such online pharmacies, these e-shops remain unlicensed in the absence of rules, the official said. While Delhi HC, ...
The Delhi High Court Friday dismissed former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar's plea seeking time till January 30 to surrender after being recently sentenced to life imprisonment in a

A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel said it saw no grounds to grant him the relief and rejected his application.

"Application is dismissed," it said.

The same bench had on December 17 convicted and sentenced 73-year-old Kumar to imprisonment for the remainder of his life in the case and had asked him to surrender by December 31.

He had sought more time, till January 30, to surrender saying he has to settle family affairs related to children and property and also needs time to file appeal in the Supreme Court against the high court verdict.

The application, filed through advocate Anil Dharma, had said Kumar was "under shock and surprise" since the time he has been convicted and he believes that he is innocent.

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 during that period.

The riots had broken out after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984 by her two Sikh bodyguards.

The high court in its judgement had said that the riots were a "crime against humanity" perpetrated by those who enjoyed "political patronage" and aided by an "indifferent" law enforcement agency.

It had set aside the trial court's verdict which had acquitted Kumar in the case.

The court had said there has been a familiar pattern of mass killings since the Partition, like in Mumbai in 1993, Gujarat in 2002 and Muzaffarnagar, UP in 2013, and the "common" feature of each was the "targeting of minorities" with the attacks being "spearheaded by the dominant political actors, facilitated by the law enforcement agencies".

ALSO READ: 1984 anti-Sikh riots convict Sajjan Kumar seeks until Jan 31 to surrender

The six accused, including Kumar who was a Member of Parliament at that time, were sent for trial in 2010. Three years later, the lower court convicted five of the accused but acquitted him of all the charges.

The high court upheld the conviction and varying sentences awarded by the trial court to the other five -- 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.

ALSO READ: Sajjan Kumar resigns from Congress after conviction in 1984 riots case

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.

All six, including Kumar, were directed by the high court to surrender by December 31, and not to leave Delhi.
When Nitin Gadkari rolled up his sleeves in 2014 to get down to building world class highways, he found inspiration in John F Kennedys quote that American roads are not good because America is rich, but America is rich because American roads are good. That quotation, framed, hangs on the wall of his fifth floor office at Transport Bhawan in the capital.

Since taking charge of the Road Transport and Highways Ministry, how has the MP from Nagpur fared? The answer seems to be not too bad. Compared to the tenure of the three road ministers in the second term of ...
Kathmandu, Nepal: The ongoing Mahasamiti meeting of the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC), the apex decision making body of the party, has been heading towards the agreement to have an additional position of office bearers in the partys executive committee.





Though the process of having additional position is becoming a huge matter of debate among the rival faction of the party, both the factions-one led by partys president Sher Bahadur Deuba and another led by partys senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel-, have reached on the conclusion to have additional position of vice president and joint general secretary.





Party president Deuba led faction has preferred for nominations by the party president while rival Poudel led faction has been insisting for the direct elections to select the office bearers of the party.





As Krishna Prasad Sitaula led faction, the newly merged fringe faction of the party, has also been backing the Poudel led faction, it is likely that the party would reach on the conclusion to have the additional position of office bearers through the direct elections.





The party leaders- namely the Vice President Bimalendra Nidhi and Central Committee member Ramesh Lekhak from the establishment faction and Arjun Narasingh KC and Minendra Rijal from the rival faction have led the Poudel led faction for the ongoing negotiations to settle the issue.





Though the Poudel led faction had proposed three vice presidents, general secretaries and joint general secretaries with the demand to fulfill through the direct elections, it has come to compromise for two positions.





Poudel led faction has been clinching on the demand for fulfilling the positions from direct elections with the belief that such a way would help to win the elections in the upcoming general convention of the party.




President Donald Trump is planning to withdraw more than 5,000 of the 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, a U.S. official said on Thursday, in the latest sign Trumps patience is thinning with Americas longest war and overseas military interventions. On Wednesday, Trump rebuffed top advisers and decided to pull all U.S. troops out of Syria, a decision that contributed to U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis abruptly quitting on Thursday over significant policy differences with the president. One official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said a decision had been ...
Hackers working on behalf of China's Ministry of State Security breached the networks of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co and IBM , then used their access to hack into their clients' computers, according to five sources familiar with the attacks. The attacks were part of a Chinese campaign known as Cloudhopper, which the United States and Britain on Thursday said infected technology service providers in order to steal secrets from their clients. Representatives of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and IBM said they had no immediate comment. While cybersecurity firms and ...
on Friday dismissed as untrue a US media report that alleged that it has hatched a secret plan to build fighter jets and other military hardware in as part of the $60 billion China- Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

The CPEC, which connects in with China's province, is the flagship project of Chinese Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The Islamabad datelined report in the New York Times said Pakistani Air Force and Chinese officials were putting the final touches to the secret proposal.

"Chinese officials have repeatedly said the Belt and Road is purely an economic project with peaceful intent. But with its plan for Pakistan, is for the first time explicitly tying a Belt and Road proposal to its military ambitions and confirming the concerns of a host of nations who suspect the infrastructure initiative is really about helping project armed might," the report said.

"According to our information the relevant report is not true," the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, told a media briefing when asked about the report, which coincided with the eighth Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting of the CPEC during which both sides signed an agreement to expand industrial cooperation in diverse fields and attract investment in special economic zones.

Hua said the CPEC is an important framework for cooperation bearing the long-term interests in mind.

All-weather friends and close allies, China and have been jointly building the J-17 Thunder, a single seater multi-role combat aircraft. Pakistan has been eyeing a number of new advanced Chinese jets including the stealth fighter.
US Defence Secretary will be "retiring, with distinction," in February, President has said, a day after he ordered American troops to rapidly withdraw from war-torn Syria in an abrupt decision criticised by many as premature.

In his resignation letter sent on Thursday, Mattis told it was the "right time" for him to step down because the US president deserved a defence secretary "whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects."



"The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department's interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the Defense Ministerial meeting in February," he said.

The 68-year-old Pentagon chief did not mention if he was resigning specifically over the troop withdrawal decision, which has surprised US allies and several lawmakers.

Analysts say the withdrawal of troops will please US enemies by clearing the way for Syria's Assad regime, Russia and Iran. Mattis had warned that removing ground forces from the Middle Eastern country would be a "strategic blunder".

After Mattis sent his resignation, announced he will be "retiring" in February.

"General will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my administration as secretary of defense for the past two years," the president said.

"During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting...," he said.

Mattis has been a great advocate of India-US defence relationship.

Earlier this month, he had hosted Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the Pentagon for talks on India-US Defence relationship. "The US-India relationship is a natural partnership between the world's oldest and the world's largest democracy," Mattis had said then.

Mattis and Trump reportedly have had differences on several foreign policy issues, including Syria and Afghanistan. Reports say the president is considering a drawdown of US troops from the 17-year-long conflict in Afghanistan.

He is the latest in long-list of senior Trump administration official to leave or removed. In March, Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in an announcement on Twitter.

On Thursday however, Trump praised Mattis for his service and for being a "great help" to him in getting allies and other countries "to pay their share of military obligations".

He said a new secretary of defence will be named shortly.

A day before, Trump had claimed in a tweet that the US has "defeated" the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria. The White House afterwards insisted that the main objective of American forces in the war-torn country was to destroy the ISIS and not to resolve the civil war.

But analysts and US lawmakers were far from convinced about the abrupt decision, which was also a reversal of the stated US policy. It has attracted criticism from leaders of Trump's own Republican party, who argued that the hasty decision would endanger American national security in the long run.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio said the full and rapid withdrawal of US troops from Syria is a grave error with broader implications beyond just the fight against the ISIS group.

Currently, there are about 2,000 US forces in Syria.

Also, Mattis said in his resignation letter that he believes the US must be resolute in its approach to countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with America's.

"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues," he stressed.

"We must do everything possible to advance an order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances," he added.

Defending his decision on Thursday to withdraw from Syria, Trump had tweeted that the US does not want to be the "policeman" of the In his resignation letter, Mattis said, "Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world.

"Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defense, including providing effective leadership to our alliances.
Defence Secretary has resigned, telling in a letter that he should choose a person who is more in tune with his world view after the US president decided to withdraw American troops from Syria.

Trump announced the resignation in two tweets on Thursday evening, and said Mattis, will leave at the end of February. Mattis was a great advocate of India-US defence relationship.

According to reports, 68-year-old Mattis went to the White House on Thursday afternoon in a last attempt to convince Trump to keep US troops in Syria. He was rebuffed, and told the president that he was resigning as a result.

In his extraordinary resignation letter, Mattis told Trump he had "the right to have a Secretary of Defence whose views are better aligned with yours".

Mattis' resignation letter, a spokeswoman said was hand-delivered to the president.

In the letter, Mattis told Trump it was the "right time" for him to step down.

"The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department's interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February," Mattis said.

The chief did not mention if he was resigning specifically over the troop withdrawal decision, which has surprised US allies and several lawmakers.

Analysts say the withdrawal of troops will please US enemies by clearing the way for Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime, Russia and Iran. Mattis had warned that removing ground forces from the Middle Eastern country would be a "strategic blunder". Currently, there are about 2,000 US forces in Syria.

After Mattis sent his resignation, Trump said, "General will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my administration as secretary of defense for the past two years.

"During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting...," he said on Twitter.

Mattis and Trump reportedly have had differences on several foreign policy matters, including Syria and Afghanistan. Reports say the president is also considering a drawdown of US troops from the 17-year-long conflict in Afghanistan.

Mattis said in his resignation letter that he believes the US must be resolute in its approach to countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with America's.

"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues," he stressed.

"We must do everything possible to advance an order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances," he added.

Mattis is the latest in long-list of senior Trump administration officials to leave or be removed. In March, Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

On Thursday, Trump praised Mattis for his service and for being a "great help" to him in getting allies and other countries "to pay their share of military obligations".

He said a new secretary of defence will be named shortly.

Defending his decision on Thursday to withdraw US troops from Syria, Trump tweeted that the US does not want to be the "policeman" of the Middle East. In his resignation letter, Mattis said, "Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world.

"Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defence, including providing effective leadership to our alliances."



Mattis' celebrated military career spanned four decades. Prior to joining Trump's Cabinet, the four-star general was the head of US Central Command, which directs military operations and oversaw the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He was known before and during his White House tenure for his even-keeled demeanour and strategic mind and is broadly held in high esteem among Republicans and Democrats alike.

"I'm shaken by the news because of the patriot that Secretary Mattis is," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
BRINGING DOWN THE COLONEL A Sex Scandal of the Gilded Age and the Powerless Woman Who Took On Washington Author: Patricia Miller Publisher: Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus & Giroux Price: $28 Pages: 368 It was on a fateful train ride in 1884 that Col. William Breckinridge, a Kentucky congressional candidate described by his supporters as a silver-tongued orator with presidential prospects, met Madeline Pollard, a student with literary ambitions. She asked for his help in a personal matter. He visited her at school. They went on a ...
US President made the shock decision to withdraw troops from Syria during a phone call with his Turkish counterpart who said Turkey could clear the remaining jihadists from the country, media reported Friday.

Trump stunned officials and allies on Wednesday with the decision to pull out 2,000 American ground forces, claiming the Islamic State extremist group (IS) had been "beaten" in Syria.

Trump's move came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to launch an operation against a Kurdish militia that is fighting against IS with American military assistance.

Erdogan and Trump spoke on the phone on Friday and during the conversation Trump told his national security adviser John Bolton to "start the work" to prepare withdrawing troops from Syria, according to Hurriyet daily.

The Turkish newspaper said that Trump's order to Bolton came after he asked Erdogan if Turkey would "clean up the remaining Daesh (IS) elements if we withdrew from Syria".

Erdogan reportedly told Trump that Turkey had cleared IS during its first military operation in northern Syria between 2016 and 2017 and could do so again.

Trump replied by telling him to go ahead and do it.

Relations between NATO allies Ankara and Washington have been strained over the US presence in Syria providing training to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia under the banner of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance.

Last week Erdogan said Ankara would start an offensive against the YPG in the "next few days" in the east of the Euphrates where there are American forces with the SDF.

The PKK is proscribed as a terror group by Ankara, the US and the European Union.

US-Turkey ties have warmed up since Turkey released a jailed American pastor in October.
Kathmandu, Nepal: Notorious gangster Rajiv Gurung aka Deepak Manange has been released from Dillibazar-based prison on Friday afternoon. He had been doing time at Dillibazar-based prison since April 2018 for organized crime including attempt to murder.





The Supreme Court (SC) had ordered to release Manange. Earlier, he was arrested following the order of the SC. He was arrested by a quad of police from the Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu on last April after SC ordered the government police to arrest him on the charge of attempt to murder.




A new policy shifts USAIDs focus away from international development and toward a vision that caters to the narrow interests of a small group of wealthy Americans. Key to this change is the use of a new set of criteria developed by right-wing organizations. As social scientists, we know that metrics profoundly shape what organizations do. Thats why we are concerned that USAIDs new grading system is lifted directly from highly political, conservative ...

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President Trumps decision this week to withdraw all American troops from Syria within 30 days risks leaving United States allies in the long-running war weakened while strengthening rivals backed by Iran and Russia. American troops entered Syria in 2015 as part of a coalition fighting the Islamic State, which had seized large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq. In the three years since, the extremist groups self-declared caliphate has crumbled. But the ongoing lack of stability in both Syria and Iraq could provide fertile ground for the jihadists to ...
regulator Friday directed and to take necessary steps to recover Rs 4.03 billion, along with interest, from Shivinder Mohan Singh, Malvinder Mohan Singh and seven other entities within three months.

The Sebi, through an order passed in October this year, had asked to recover the amount.

The fresh order comes after the two companies made representation to the regulator.

In the submission to Sebi, the firms said that the recovery of outstanding amount should be carried out by (FHsL)instead of (FHL), which would ensure that such sums are actually recovered and reflected in the balance sheet of

"The outstanding amount of Rs 4.03 billion ... had been advanced by FHsL itself to Best, Fern and Modland. As such, the outstanding amount is required to be returned to FHsL itself. Since the loan of outstanding amount had been made solely by FHsL, on its own account, upon recovery of the outstanding amount by FHsL, there would not be any consequent requirement upon FHsL to pay the same to FHL.

"Consequently, FHsL and not FHL would be the relevant entity which would be required to take steps for the recovery of the outstanding amount," as per the submission.

FHsL is a 100 per cent wholly-owned subsidiary of FHL.

Noting that the two firms have cited reasons and grounds which are prima facie sufficient for modifying the directions issued through the interim order, said, "FHL and FHsL shall take all necessary steps to recover the...amount of Rs 4.03 billion (approx.) along with due interest from noticee ( and seven other entities)... within three months from the date of the interim order".

It further said that Singh brothers, RHC Holdings, Religare Finvest, Shivi Holdings, Malav Holdings, Best Healthcare, Fern Healthcare and Modland Wears will have to jointly and severally, repay the amount.

Earlier, Fortis Hospitals was also required to repay the amount.

The regulator has barred from associating themselves with the affairs of Fortis Healthcare and Fortis Hospitals in any manner whatsoever, till further directions.

These entities, prima facie, acted in a fraudulent manner in diverting funds around Rs 4.03 billion from Fortis Healthcare Ltd, a listed company, for the ultimate benefit of parent company RHC Holding and group company Ltd, violating the securities laws, said in the interim order.
Amid the on-going drama over the BJP's demand for holding Rathyatra in West Bengal, Calcutta High Court allowed Congress leader and senior advocate, Abhishek Manu Singhvi to join argument on behalf of DGP and ADG Law and Order in the case.

This comes after the Chief Justice's bench agreed to hear the plea on Friday, which was filed by Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government on Wednesday, challenging the Calcutta High Court's single bench order permitting BJP's save democracy Rathyatra in the state.

Earlier on Thursday, the court allowed the BJP to proceed with its Rathyatra in West Bengal, which is perceived in some political circles as a major setback to the Mamata government.

The court gave permission to the BJP to hold three yatras in West Bengal and directed that the administration should ensure that there is no breach of law and order.

Before the court's decision, the state government had refused permission for the proposed yatra citing intelligence reports of possible communal violence in areas where the BJP has planned the rallies.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday moved a petition in Delhi's Patiala House Court seeking production warrant of Christian Michel, alleged middleman in Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam.

The production warrant is an order issued by a criminal court of law to produce a person before the court in connection with criminal proceedings pending against him.

The 54-year-old Michel is an accused in the case along with others including former Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief SP Tyagi. The AgustaWestland helicopter deal finalised during the previous government headed by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh got mired in the allegations of kickbacks.

According to the ED charge sheet filed in a court here two years back, Michel had received kickbacks to the tune of 30 million Euros from AgustaWestland for the deal involving the purchase of 12 VIP helicopters. The deal, signed in 2007, was scrapped in 2013 following the bribery allegations.

At present, Michel is in judicial custody and is lodged in Tihar jail. He too has filed a new petition asking the judicature to allocate him a special cell in the prison. In its plea, Michel has stated that the other inmates of the cell are bothering him with too many questions.

"It is submitted that the accused Christian James Michal apprehends that the inmates along with him in the cell are trying to interact with him in a detailed manner and asking him questions pertaining to the pending investigation," reads his petition.

"It is submitted that such interactions with the common people/residents in the cell may go against the interest of the investigation as well as the rights available to the accused in the jail. They tried to mention that the safety of the persons who are interacting with the accused may at some point of time be in jeopardy," the petition of Michel further reads.

"It is informed by the accused that the residents in the cell are putting uncomfortable questions to him which otherwise affect the personal liberty of the accused," the petitions adds.

"The accused apprehends that any wrong statements made by any of them through any media interaction may go against the interest of the accused as well the free and fair investigation and trial, which the Constitution of India guarantees," Michel stated in his plea.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC) in collaboration with the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) will observe a 24-hour long strike demanding wage revision and opposing the proposed merger of Dena Bank, Vijaya Bank and Bank of Baroda.

Scores of members belonging to various state-owned lenders were seen staging protests over the merger of public sector banks and bipartite wage settlement. Furthermore, protesting bankers also put forth a demand for rollback of the Pension Scheme (NPS) which was proposed by the Centre recently.

The AIBOC and UFBU will conclude their strike on December 21 midnight.

"AIBOC strongly opposes the Government proposal to merge Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank as this measure will not help the merged entity to tackle any of its problems including the NPA menace. The classic example of the merger of State Bank of India (SBI) with its associate Banks which was a financial disaster as the merged entity continuously posted humungous losses for three consecutive quarters. It also had to endure several other problems that arose on account of merger. The rationalisation of branches on account of merger is sure to derail the banking services to millions of ordinary customers in the country," AIBOC said in a statement.

The bankers' union also condemned the stand taken by the Indian banks association (IBA), ignoring the fact that majority of the banks have given unconditional mandate to them for wage negotiation. "IBA is also not coming forward to structure the bipartite negotiations based on our charter of demands by agreeing to discuss the wage revision of officers from scale I to scale VII and also based on the concept of minimum wages as envisaged in the 7th CPC," it added.

Protesters also opposed the planned move to merge Regional Rural Banks citing that it will unnecessarily trigger branch closures, loss of livelihood to many people, denial of smooth banking services to many farmers, artisans in rural India.

"This move is against the very purpose of creating Regional Rural Banks and will be against the interest of the common man in the country. This move will surely affect the flow of credit to the rural sector, which will affect the agriculturists, farmers, MSMEs, SHGs, Women, students, and the common man," the dossier issued by the AIBOC read.

The AIBOC strike of today is also against the serious Human Resource crisis blowing in Catholic Syrian Bank as well as IDBI Bank.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bombay High Court on Friday turned down a petition of activist Anand Teltumbde seeking to quash the FIR against him in the Bhima Koregaon violence case. But the court granted him protection from arrest for three weeks after his counsel requested the court that they wanted to file an appeal in the Supreme Court.

On December 15, the Bombay High Court had increased the interim protection of Teltumbde till December 17 and that of another accused Gautam Navlakha till January 14.

Earlier this month, the Pune police registered a fresh FIR against five more accused in connection with Bhima-Koregaon violence case. With that, a total of 33 FIRs have so far been registered by the affected people, including villagers.

The Pune police, in its charge sheet filed before the Pune Sessions Court in November, alleged that the "entire campaigning for Elgaar Parishad and speeches delivered at Elgaar Parishad (on December 31 last year) aggravated the Bhima Koregaon violence."

During the course of the investigation, the police examined nearly 80 witnesses. Pahad Singh, a Naxal who had earlier surrendered, was also examined by the Pune police. During the interrogation, Singh revealed that Milind Teltumbde is a Naxal leader.

The charge sheet further states that a letter recovered from one of the arrested accused revealed that a conspiracy was being framed to plan a Rajiv Gandhi like assassination to take down Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On January 1, violence had erupted during the 200th-anniversary celebrations of Bhima-Koregaon battle, leaving one dead and several others injured.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bombay High Court on Friday quashed an order of the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) issued to 69 Chinese nationals directing them to immediately leave India.

While quashing the notices, the court also directed the authorities to record fresh statements within two weeks before taking any decision.

On December 19, a Maharashtra based mobile phone manufacturing firm had knocked the doors of the Bombay High Court challenging the validity of 'Leave India' notices issued to Chinese experts visiting its plants in Silvassa and Daman.

According to media reports, FRRO had rolled out the notification on December 15 for an alleged breach of business visa conditions following a plant inspection earlier this month.

In its plea, Pacific Cyber Technology Private Limited has stated that the notices served by the FRRO are not drastic but unjustifiable and arbitrary.

The petitioner had stated that the FRRO action violates its right to equality and trade as such visits by foreign experts for technical guidance have been an essential industry norm for the past couple of years.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Centre's decision to hold a cabinet meeting in Barcelona, instead of Madrid, sparked protests by pro-independence Catalans who blocked roads and major highways in the region on Friday.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez made the decision for a meeting to be held here on Friday as a push for decentralisation, almost a year after a failed independence movement in the region.

Scores of anti-riot police forces have been deployed outside the venue, while Al Jazeera reported that videos being circulated also showed protestors throwing bottles and flares at the law enforcement officials.

Sanchez had on Thursday issued a joint statement along with Catalonia's President Quim Torra pushing for an "effective" dialogue to settle the crisis in the region.

Catalonia is one of Spain's most prosperous regions that represents around 20 per cent of the country's economic output. Around 15 per cent of the nation's population or almost 7.5 million people reside in the region which includes the provinces of Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Partly cloudy. High near 75F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Areas of dense fog developing. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.
Calcutta High Court's Chief Justice Bench on Friday quashed the single bench's order allowing the BJP to hold a yatra in West Bengal.

The Chief Justice bench set aside the single bench order based on intelligence reports.

The bench was hearing a plea filed by the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government on Thursday, challenging the order which permitted the BJP to conduct its 'Save Democracy Yatra' in the state.

Earlier in the day, the court allowed Congress leader and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi to represent the West Bengal DGP and ADG (Law and Order) in the case.

On Thursday, the court had allowed the BJP to proceed with its yatra in West Bengal, which was perceived as a major setback to the Mamata government in some political circles.

In its previous order, the court had given permission to the BJP to hold three yatras in West Bengal and directed that the administration should ensure there is no breach of law and order.

Before the court's decision, the state government had refused permission for the proposed yatra citing intelligence reports of possible communal violence in areas where the BJP planned to hold rallies.

The BJP had planned to hold three yatras in the state, beginning from Cooch Behar district on December 6 and moving further to Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas district on December 9 and Tarapith in Birbhum district on December 14.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday requested the Indian Army and Air Force to refrain from indulging in the ongoing debate over the Rafale fighter jet deal.

"We are not questioning the Air Force Chief, we are humbly requesting the Army and Air Force to stay out Rafale debate. If Air Chief really wants to comment, then he should ask the government why it is only buying 36 aircraft when there is a requirement of 126 aircraft," Chidambaram said while addressing a press conference.

Chidambaram's comments come two days after Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa said Rafale jets were a necessity, adding that all of India's adversaries had already upgraded their systems.

"Rafale is always a need for the Air Force. It (fighter jets) took a long time to come. Others have upgraded their squadron," he had said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Chidambaram also criticised the BJP for not letting a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe the Rafale case, and said, "Rafale deal is already being discussed in the Parliament and we weren't satisfied with the government response and asked for JPC. Now, why is the BJP citing shy of a JPC if everything is above board?"

The senior Congress leader further appealed to people to support his party's demand for the constitution of a JPC. "Rafale will remain our issue in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections as defence deal worth Rs 60,000 crore that will leave the country with only 36 aircraft as against 126 contracted for under the UPA cannot go unchallenged," he said.

Continuing his tirade against the Centre for entering into an entirely new deal with France, Chidambaram asked why a deal, that was 95 per cent finalised, had to be scrapped rather than being sealed by the NDA government. "From 95 per cent, the government should have taken it to 100 per cent. Instead of that why did they cancel an old deal and entered into a new agreement then even if they signed a new agreement then why buying only 36," he asked.

"The only pending issue between HAL and Dassault was that who will guarantee the performance of the aircraft that were supposed to be built in Bengaluru. Dassault's position was we can only guarantee the 36 aircraft, not the remaining 108 that are to be built in Bengaluru. However, HAL was of the view that if it's your technology and our factory then we should guarantee it together. I think it was a fair demand," he added.

Reacting to the apex court's decision on the Rafale deal and a subsequent filing of a plea to rectify an error in an affidavit filed by the Centre in court, Chidambaram asserted that the top court cannot be the answer to every issue. "Nobody from the Congress party went to the Supreme Court as we have said that it is not for the court to decide. For every matter, apex court is not a solution," he added.

Chidambaram also slammed Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for stating that the Rafale deal was retained at 20 per cent lower prices. "If prices were lower according to you (Defence Minister) then buy the remaining 90, why are you not contracting for 126? Let it be manufactured either in Paris or wherever because you cannot put the country's security at stake."

On December 14, the Supreme Court had dismissed petitions seeking a probe into the deal, saying it did 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.

Later, the Centre sought urgent correction in the wording of a particular paragraph in the order "in the interests of justice and in the facts and circumstances of the case", while noting that "the observations in the judgment have resulted in a controversy."

On the other hand, while addressing the media on Thursday Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa said, "The Supreme Court has given a very fine judgement and I am not going to comment on it. It has also said that this plane is badly needed. Rafale is always a need for the Air Force. It (fighter jets) took a long time to come. Others have upgraded their squadron. Also, very fine comments are given by the Finance Minister (Arun Jaitley) and our Defence Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman).

The Congress and some other opposition parties have been alleging that the due processes were not followed in the decision to procure 36 aircraft from French company Dassault.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A clash broke out between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)and Congress workers on Friday after the BJP workers organised a protest rally criticising the Congress leadership for raking up the Rafale deal issue.

The protest culminated near the state Congress headquarters, which led to verbal clashes between the Congress and BJP workers.

BJP state president Vinay Tendulkar who was present at the protest told ANI, "There was no clash as such; we were peacefully carrying out the protest. 10-12 Congress workers came and abused us and harassed our women. They attacked us, destroyed our flags. Clash was instigated by the Congress party."

However, Goa Pradesh Mahila Congress president Pratima Coutinho, alleged that she was abused by the BJP workers. "I was abused by male BJP workers, the worst part is that police also behaved like the puppets of the BJP. We were hardly 15-20 people who were attacked by BJP mobs. We condemn this attack. Whenever we have agitated we have not stooped down to this level," she told ANI.

Coutinho also filed an FIR against BJP workers for allegedly molesting her workers during the clash. BJP worker Kavita Kandolkar also filed an FIR against Congress workers for allegedly molesting her workers and assaulting them in the same clash.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has suspended Gujarat cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Rajnish Rai, who probed Sohrabuddin fake encounter case.

Three more IPS officers have been apprehended in connection with the case.

Rai, a 1992 batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, was suspended for "unauthorised handing over" the charge of IG & Principal, CIAT School, CRPF, Chittoor and abdication of office on 30.1. 2018 (AN)."

However, Rai has claimed that the order of suspension by the MHA is absolutely "illegal and unconstitutional" as he has already retired from the post. He wrote, "The order of suspension by MHA, GOI is absolutely illegal and unconstitutional as I have retired from service as for operations of law and rules after office hours on 30.11.2018."

The order, dated December 17, stated that "disciplinary proceeding against Shri Rajnish Kumar Rai, IPS (GJ:92) is contemplated in connection with his unauthorised handing over of the charge of IG & Principal, CIAT School, CRPF, Chittoor and abdication of office on 30.1. 2018 (AN)."

As per reports, the IPS officer's request for voluntary retirement was not accepted by the Centre. He then left leaving a note that "he be treated as retired", and filed an application before Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in Ahmedabad, challenging the rejection of his early retirement request.

Later, he moved the CAT after receiving an email asking him "to immediately join duties in view of the fact that his application for retirement had not been accepted by the Competent Authority of MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs).

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The Delhi High Court on Friday granted interim stay on the summons issued to Padmaja, wife of former Union Minister and TDP leader YS Chowdary, till the next date of hearing.

The court has also directed that no coercive steps should be taken till the next date of hearing on January 17.

Padmaja had approached Delhi HC against the Enforcement Directorate's recent summons against her on December 7.

Petitioner Padmaja argued that the issuance of the summons is contrary to sub-section (1) of Section 160 CrPC which provides that no male person under the age of 15 years or woman shall be required to attend an investigation at any place other than the place in which such male person or woman resides.

The present summons requires her presence in Chennai though she is a resident of Delhi, mentions her petition.

YS Chowdhary was recently raided by ED and Income Tax department to investigate allegations of money laundering and financial irregularities.

Chowdary in his response has termed it a case of political vendetta.

He said, "This is a case of political vendetta, just because the alliance was called off. I have been the former minister of the present government".

Delhi HC has given the interim protection to YS Chowdary till January 16 in the latest order.

ED during raids at YS Chowdhary's residences has seized six high-end cars including Ferrari, Range Rover and Mercedes among others which are registered in the name of dummy companies. These vehicles were seized under the provisions of PMLA, as per ED.

ED alleged that the companies owned by Chowdary had defrauded the banks.

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All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC) will stage a protest today against the merger of Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank, and Dena Bank, and put forth a demand for immediate wage revision as per charter of demands.

As per a joint statement released by the public sector banks, protestors will sit on a strike at Sansad Marg to oppose attacks and assault on bankers, mis-selling of third-party products, reduction in existing medical facilities for officers and steep increase in medical insurance premium for retirees.

The protest is being held to urge the government to focus more on business and non-performing asset (NPA) recovery, proper work-life balance and five-day weeks, updating or revision of pension and scrapping of Pension System (NPS), and switching over to defined pension payment scheme.

The other demands that will be raised by the PSU bank officials include parity in pension and other benefits of Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) with state-owned banks and immediate resolution of human resource issues in Catholic Syrian Bank and IDBI Bank.

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Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tej Pratap Yadav on Friday clarified that his divorce proceedings will continue.

"I will not reverse whatever decision I took. I have blessings of my father," Tej Pratap told ANI.

Five months after his marriage, the 29-year-old son of Lalu Prasad filed a divorce petition in a Patna court in November.

Tej's advocate, Yashwant Kumar Sharma, informed that he and his wife Aishwarya Rai could not get along with each other and, therefore decided to part ways.

However, some recent media reports suggested that Tej Pratap was mulling over rescinding his divorce petition. But the RJD leader denied the claims.

"There is no question to back divorce petition. Channels are flashing false news," Tej Pratap said assertively.

The eldest son of Bihar's two chief ministers is often in the news for rather unusual reasons.

He dressed up as Lord Shiva on one occasion, posted images on social media showing him preparing jalebis, rode a horse last Christmas, tumbled to the ground during a cycle race and even made an error while taking an oath of office in Nitish Kumar's cabinet in 2015.

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The French police here on Friday detained a suspect, Peter Cherif, associated with the Charlie Hebdo attackers who shot dead 12 people at the newspaper's office in Paris on January 7, 2015.

A French law enforcement official told CNN that Peter is linked to the two brothers - Cherif and Said Kouachi - who carried out the terror attack in retaliation of the newspaper's depiction of the Prophet Muhammad.

In 2015, Paris witnessed three days of terror, from January 7 to January 9, when a total of 17 people (including three suspects) were shot dead. The incident led to almost 3.7 million people carrying out anti-terrorism demonstrations across France on January 11, 2015.

The police are yet to announce if and when Peter will be taken to France. The exact role carried out by Peter in the attacks has also not been made known yet.

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The United Nations (UN) is closely monitoring the situation in Bangladesh where the general parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place on December 30, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on Friday.

"We are following the situation closely. It is very important-as a matter of principle-that anywhere there are elections, that they are concluded freely and fairly: and that space is given for people to express themselves," Dhaka Tribune quoted Dujarric as saying.

The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies had demanded that the 11th parliamentary elections should be deferred by a month as they had yet to decide whether they should participate in the elections or not. Consequently, the Bangladesh Election Commission changed the date from December 23 to 30.

To ensure a free and fair election, more than 600,000 security personnel from police, Border Guard Bangladesh, Rapid Action Battalion, Coast Guard, Ansar, and Village Defence Party, would be deployed at polling stations.

Almost 104.2 million registered voters will cast their votes at about 40,000 polling stations to elect their representatives from across the country.

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Former finance minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday joined Congress President Rahul Gandhi in endorsing the idea of having a single rate in the Goods and Services Tax (GST), while criticising the BJP's initial idea of having 8 rates as 'stupid'.

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Chidambaram made a slew of tweets and wrote, "When the Congress President said -- as I have said -- GST should be a single rate, it means that the standard rate of GST should be a single rate. That's absolutely correct."

"As Dr Arvind Subramanian's RNR report pointed out, when there is a standard rate there will also be a standard-minus rate and a standard-plus rate. That's elementary, not stupid," he added.

A twitter war has started between Congress and BJP, since after Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday indicated that the 28 per cent slab of GST will soon only be restricted to a few select commodities, such as luxury items.

Following the remarks by Prime Minister, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday tweeted, "The Congress Party has finally jolted Narendra Ji from his deep slumber on Gabbar Singh Tax. Though still drowsy, he now wants to implement what he had earlier called the Congress Party's, "Grand Stupid Thought". Better late than never Narendra Ji!"

This was followed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley taking a dig at UPA's 'legacy of higher indirect tax on most items', and terming Congress President's idea of the single slab as 'stupid'.

"A single slab GST argued by the Congress President is indeed a stupid Idea. Luxury and sin items can't be taxed at the same rate as the common man's item. The UPA had left behind a legacy of 31% indirect Tax on most items. The GST has already reduced 334 items to 12% and 18% slab. Wasn't the 31% Tax an oppressive idea- a stupid one at that," Jaitley tweeted.

However, Chidambaram on Friday also took a potshot at Jaitley's assertions, while outlining that filing GST returns has been a 'nightmare' in the last 18 months.

"The stupid idea was the BJP's idea of having 8 rates when GST was first implemented in July 2017! If the GST Council will discuss tomorrow 'Ease of filing returns', is that an admission that filing returns has not been easy in the last 18 months? The truth is filing GST returns has been a nightmare," he wrote.

The 31st Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting will be held on December 22 in the capital.

The agenda for the meeting has not been made official yet. However, topics such as simplified returns, completely online refunds process are likely to be discussed in the meeting.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited Gujarat's Statue of Unity in Kevadiya and inspected the "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat" parade held here.

The parade was led by the flag units of all states and union territories, central police organisations and the women officers band of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), BSF (Border Security Force) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) to give a message of unity.

CRPF, which was given Presidential Colours by the then Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, enthralled spectators with an incredible Rifle drill.

BSF Commandos and Gujarat police's first response force of terrorist attack also put a great show at the event.

Prime Minister Modi is on a two-day visit to Gujarat to participate in an annual conference of state police chiefs and to address BJP women's wing workers.

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Indian airline IndiGo and Istanbul-based Turkish Airlines, a member of Star Alliance, on Friday announced a codeshare and mutual cooperation agreement.

The signed codeshare and mutual cooperation agreement between the two carriers, the effectiveness of which is subject to receipt by IndiGo and Turkish Airlines of all necessary Board and regulatory approvals, will enable both carriers to provide more flexibility of choice to their respective customers to fly on sectors between India, Istanbul and beyond.

As per an official statement, this is the first codeshare agreement for IndiGo as part of its international expansion strategy. Through this cooperation, Turkish Airlines will be offering new destinations in India as Marketing Carrier on IndiGo operated flights, while IndiGo customers will be able to reach many European destinations through Turkish Airlines' extensive network.

Reacting to the agreement signed Rahul Bhatia, Director and Interim Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo said, "We are very excited to be launching our first codeshare with Turkish Airlines: apart from supporting our upcoming direct services to Istanbul, this strategic partnership will expand the choices available to our customers for journeys beyond Istanbul, using Turkish Airlines' extensive network. It will become possible for our customers to book itineraries into many cities in Europe on IndiGo, using Turkish Airlines and experiencing their renowned inflight service."

While Bilal Eksi, CEO and Deputy Chairman of the Board, Turkish Airlines said, "We are very happy to host new operators in our main hub Istanbul, and IndiGo will be the first Indian carrier starting flights to Turkey which is very welcome. We believe that it would be great opportunity to improve our cooperation with our new Codeshare partner IndiGo, which will provide new services and destinations for our passengers travelling to/from India.

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday compared the infrastructure in West Bengal with that of Europe.

Speaking at an event here, she asserted that Kolkata has changed drastically in just a few years under the Trinamool Congress rule.

"In just a few years Kolkata has changed. The infrastructure that has been built across West Bengal can be compared with any European country," she said.

In October 2017, then Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan had raised eyebrows when he said that roads in Madhya Pradesh were far better than those he had seen in the United States.

"When I got down at the Washington Airport and travelled on roads, I felt the roads in Madhya Pradesh are better than the United States," Chouhan had said.

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Two Army personnel lost their lives on Friday during a ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Keran sector of Kupwara.

The incident took place at around 12 noon today. The Indian Army retaliated strongly.

Earlier, an Army man was killed in firing from across the Line of Control (LoC) in the same district. The incident occurred in Jumgund area of Kupwara.

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Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday threw his weight behind Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, and castigated the Congress for criticising Air Force chief, who stressed the need for Rafale fighter planes to improve India's combat ability.

In a Facebook post, Jaitley wrote, "The Congress spokespersons are criticising the Chief of the Indian Air Force for having stated that the Air Force urgently needs the Rafale to improve its combat ability. It is the Indian Air Force and its Chief who are the most competent persons to comment on it."

Jaitley further said: "The Air Force was involved in the selection of Rafale when the UPA was in power, as also when the NDA is in power. The aircraft with its weaponry is needed to maintain the combat ability of our forces. Having shortlisted, both in terms of its potential and costing, Rafale as the most appropriate aircraft with weaponry in 2012, the Congress leaders' comments against it now lack credibility."

Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict on the Rafale jet deal. Addressing media during his visit to Air Force Station at Jodhpur, he said, "The Supreme Court has given a very fine judgment and I am not going to comment on it. It has also said that this plane is badly needed. Rafale is always a need for the Air Force."

Jaitley alleged that Congress has broken the unwritten rule of that is the forces are kept out of political discourse. "Additionally, by targeting the Chief of a Service in a political debate, the Congress Party has broken a long-standing unwritten rule of Indian We keep our forces out of political discourse," he said.

"Our military is a professional one and subject to a civilian authority. Unlike our western neighbour, it is non-political and non-partisan.After having ruled this country for decades, the grand old party needs to mature," said Jaitley.

Finance Minister Jaitley also accused the Congress of speaking out first and understanding the issue subsequently. "The power to intercept in the interest of security and public order already exists in law. This is only ordered as to who are the authorised agencies. It is only in cases mentioned in Section 69 of the IT Act," he said.

"The power existed and was used during the UPA government also. How else will terrorists who use technology extensively be traced? Otherwise, the terrorists will use IT, but the intelligence and investigative agencies will be crippled," Jaitley added.

The Rafale jet deal controversy has been on the boil over the last few a months. The Congress has alleged irregularities in the deal for 36 aircraft and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi led NDA government is buying these aircraft at a price much higher than the one that was being negotiated by the previous UPA government.

Last week, the Supreme Court dismissed petitions seeking a probe into the Rafale deal. But later the controversy on the Supreme Court's verdict started after the Centre filed an application before the top court seeking correction in its judgment on the deal.

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Sridevi is surely missed by her family, millions of her fans and celebrities, Karisma Kapoor is one of them and her Instagram post is proof!

On the day of 'Zero's' release, Karisma reminisced the time spent with the late actor and shared a behind the scenes photo from the flick on her Instagram account and thanked the film's team for giving her the opportunity to share screen space with her "favourite" Sridevi.

"Thank you @iamsrk and #teamzero for giving me the opportunity to share screen space ( even if it was for a few minutes )with the legend and my all time favourite #sridevi we miss you #specialmoments," she wrote alongside the photo.

In the snap, Sridevi looks stunning in an emerald green sequinned gown, while Karisma looks beautiful in a one-shoulder black gown. The duo can be seen fixing their makeup while holding a mirror.

The 'Mom' actor and Karisma both have brief cameos in the film along with a few other celebrities, including Alia Bhatt, Kajol and Rani Mukherji. Sridevi had filmed the scene before she passed away in February 2018 in Dubai, where she went to attend a family wedding. This cameo in 'Zero' is her last onscreen appearance.

She was known for her iconic roles in movies like 'Chandni', 'Lamhe', 'Mr India', 'Chaalbaaz', 'Nagina', 'Sadma', and many more. The Padma Shri awardee had also made a mark with her extraordinary performances in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada films. However, her last film was 'Mom' for which she also received Best Actress National Award, posthumously.

'Zero' shows the journey of Bauua Singh, a vertically challenged man played by Shah Rukh Khan, who is on a lookout for a bride. Apart from SRK, the flick also stars Katrina Kaif, who plays the role of an actress, battling alcoholism and Anushka Sharma, who portrays a challenging character of a scientist with cerebral palsy in the Aanand L Rai directorial.

The movie is produced by Gauri Khan and released on Friday.

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A committee led by the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohamed bin Salman, has given their nod to the creation of three departments in the Kingdom's intelligence service.

This comes in the wake of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey on October 2 this year, according to Al Jazeera.

Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi regime, had gone to the Kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey to attend to some official work when he was killed on the premises in what Saudi Arabia has described as a "rogue operation" led by two officials - the Deputy Intelligence Chief Ahmad al-Assiri and the Royal Court Adviser Saud al-Qahtani - who have since been sacked.

On the other hand, a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) report inferred the Crown Prince, also known as MBS, to be behind the scribe's death - the allegations of which have been repeatedly and strongly refuted by the Kingdom.

A restructuring of the main intelligence agency was ordered by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud subsequently. He further appointed MBS to overlook the restructuring.

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The Centre must withdraw the mass surveillance notification, which is a grave threat to an individual's privacy and independence, said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee here on Friday.

"Today I saw a notification where it is mentioned that all the computer resources will be under surveillance. Does this mean we don't have any independence or privacy? This notification should be withdrawn as it can be misused," added Chief Minister Banerjee.

The Government of India has authorised select security and intelligence agencies for the purposes of "interception, monitoring, and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource."

"The notifications need to be withdrawn immediately. What's the use of taking the oath of secrecy when government data will be shared," added Chief Minister Banerjee.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu also took to his Twitter account to express his concern over the notification. "Sweeping powers given to Central agencies to snoop phone calls and computers without any checks is extremely dangerous," he said.

"This step is a direct assault on civil liberties in general and fundamental right to privacy of citizens in particular, guaranteed by the Indian Constitution," further tweeted Chief Minister Naidu.

The Centre on Friday clarified that every individual case will continue to require the prior approval of Union Home Ministry or the state government.

"Union Home Affairs Ministry has not delegated its power to any law enforcement or security agencies," the Central government on Friday clarified on its latest directive that empowers security, intelligence agencies for mass surveillance.

"The notification does not confer any new powers and adequate safeguards are provided in the IT Act 2000," the government further clarified, stating that similar provisions and procedures already exist in the Telegraph Act along with identical safeguards.

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North Korea will not give up nuclear weapons until the United States eliminates its own "nuclear threat."

CNN cited North Korean state-owned news agency KCNA which published a commentary stating, "The proper definition of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is completely eliminating the American nuclear threat to North Korea before eliminating our nuclear capability."

The two nations have been in a deadlock over the negotiation of the denuclearisation of Korean peninsula.

The piece published in KCNA also hinted at a possible hindrance in the talks which is the US military assets based in South Korea and the protection of South Korea under the US nuclear umbrella.

During the first-ever summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump at Singapore in June, the two leaders had agreed to work towards the denuclearisation of the communist country.

However, negotiations have gone off track since then owing to Pyongyang's apparent continuation of nuclear tests, putting a question mark over its commitment to giving up nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

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A Hyderabad court on Friday issued a non-bailable warrant against senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh for not appearing before it in a criminal defamation case.

Speaking to ANI over the phone, Advocate Asim who filed the petition said, "Today 8th Additional Chief Metropolitan Court, Nampally issued a non-bailable warrant against Digvijaya Singh for not appearing before the court today in Criminal Defamation case."

He added that in 2016, Singh conducted a press conference and said that All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party and its chief Assadudin Owaisi contested the elections to mint money.

Following this AIMIM Joint Secretary SA Hussain Anwar filed the defamation case against Singh for passing derogatory comments and Siasat newspaper's editor Zayed Ali Khan for printing the article in his newspaper.

Both Singh and Khan failed to appear for the hearing but the warrant was only issued against the former as he neither appeared for the hearing nor did he file a petition. While on the other hand, Khan filed a petition before the court for not appearing.

The court has now slated the matter for hearing on January 3.

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Odisha state Cabinet on Friday approved Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme, amounting to over Rs 10,000 crore covering 92 per cent of cultivators.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said: "This scheme covers 92 per cent of cultivators; those who have taken farm loans, non-loanee farmers, sharecroppers, and landless agriculture labourers."

Hitting out at the Congress party for waiving off loans of farmers, Patnaik claimed that this had been done in the past and led to a massive crunch in the state economy as the people were not able to get salaries in time.

Speaking about the loan waivers' impact, he said: "I am sure most of you remember how the treasuries were bankrupt, how salaries could not be paid, how infrastructure suffered. The Kalia scheme is progressive including the employment and self-employment potential for the poorest of the poor."

On December 18, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had vociferously said that he won't let Prime Minister Narendra Modi sleep until the farmers' loans are waived off.

"We will not let Prime Minister Modi sleep till he waives off loans of farmers. All opposition parties will unitedly demand this. Till now, PM has not waived off a single rupee of farmers," Rahul had said while stepping up his attack on Prime Minister Modi.

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New Delhi [India], Dec 21 (ANI): A Parliamentary committee has recommended that Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry should take over hospitals and colleges of Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) so that these facilities are run in a better manner.

Public Accounts Committee's (PAC) 115th report for 2081-19 on Union Ministry of Labour and Employment says that "to efficiently utilise infrastructure already created by the ESIC and to ensure uniformity in standards of medical education across all government-run medical colleges, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare may be approached to take over ESIC colleges and medical education projects."

The report of PAC titled 'Performance Audit of Employees State Insurance Corporation and Special Audit of Medical Education Projects of ESIC' was presented to the Lok Sabha on December 14, and was laid in the Rajya Sabha on the same day. It is worth mentioning that the 22-member PAC including its chairperson is currently headed by Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress.

Given the 'capability' and 'mandate' of Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry (MoHFW), the PAC is of the view that ESIC hospitals and medical colleges can be run and developed like AIIMS if Union Ministry of Labour and Employment approaches MoHFW.

The PAC in its report also referred to Union Labour and Employment Ministry's submission to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that "since ESIC did not have the core competency to run medical colleges, they may be handed over to relevant agencies with capability and mandate to run medical colleges."

The Committee, however, expressed shock, while noting that "the lack of manpower planning resulting in vacant posts of medical and paramedical staff in ESIC hospitals and colleges." The committee while opining that "lack of planning at every stage and hasty decision making led to such a situation" has stated that "big projects should only be undertaken after analysing every related aspect and in active coordination with" the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Beginning in 1952 with just two centres in Kanpur and Delhi, the ESI Scheme today is implemented in 830 centers in 34 States and Union Territories and covers over 7 lakh factories and establishments across the country and benefits 2 crore workers and about 8 crore beneficiaries.

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The People-to-people exchange between China and India should be of the people and for the people, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Friday.

"We agreed to leverage strengths in respective fields. People to people exchanges should be of the people and for the people. It is a major initiative in the history of India and China relations," he said.

Co-chairing the first-ever meeting of India-China High-Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges, Wang and Swaraj, said that as China and India cooperation embraces, the people-to-people exchanges must also step up.

"It will also help in understanding the people to people mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries," they said during the meeting which took place at Jawahar Bhawan here.

"Both China and India are celebrated civilisations. Enhanced people to people exchanges and cultural communications between China and India will serve as a driving force for the progress of the entire mankind," Wang said.

A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said that the newly constituted India-China High-Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges has been established pursuant to the decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping of China, during their informal summit in Wuhan in April this year.

The mechanism underlines the important role of academic and scholarly exchanges in the people-to-people ties of both the neighbouring countries.

Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi have attached great importance to media communication and encouraged the media of both China and India to make reports on friendship and cooperation in an effort to build a friendly public environment.

External Affairs Swaraj, on her behalf, said, "I'm satisfied with the quality of discussion today. Ten priorities we discussed include enhancing cooperation in films, education, tourism, art, yoga, media, culture, sports, academics and youth exchanges."

She further noted that there have been many meetings and dialogues between India and China in the past few years. "But today's meeting was unique and very different as it was based on only two subjects, including cultural relations between India and China, and people-to-people relation between both the Asian countries," she added.

The two leaders also reviewed the progress made by the two countries in various fields of people-to-people-exchanges. They had profound views on future cooperation and forged common understanding in various fields. Wang said that India and China have many megacities, but in this context, the number of our sister companies is still too small.

"We shall take an active part in people-to-people-exchanges under the framework of BRICS, East Asia Cooperation and Ancient Civilisation forums as an effort to serve a driving force in enhancing regional and global peace development, leading to greater synergies in our people to people ties," Wang noted.

The Chinese Foreign Minister who is on a four-day trip to India met President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan earlier in the day and discussed bilateral relations with him.

The official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Raveesh Kumar took to Twitter, saying, "Providing positive & productive direction to relations. State Councilor & Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi called on #PresidentKovind @rashtrapatibhvn Discussed the shared vision of creating the mechanism to enhance people-to-people ties between #IndiaChina."

The Chinese Foreign Minister later in the day is scheduled to attend a gala event over the book launch, the launch of India-China Film Festival and other performances at the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in the capital.

On Saturday (local time), the Foreign Minister of China will emplane to attend an event in Aurangabad in Maharashtra. On Sunday, he is scheduled to attend an event in Mumbai. The Foreign Minister would be leaving for China on Monday night.

Minutes before the arrival of Chinese Foreign Minister Yi to India, Tibetan activists put up a massive banner on the flyover outside the Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport here, asking China to vacate Tibet.

The Foreign Minister of China along with his delegation landed in the capital at around 1:30 am on Friday and passed through the route where the Tibetans were organising the protest.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a laser show at the recently-inaugurated Statue of Unity in Gujarat's Kewadia on Friday.

The Prime Minister arrived at Kewadia earlier today for the Conference of Director Generals of Police and Inspector Generals of Police.

At the Statue of Unity, he witnessed a vibrant parade, featuring various police and paramilitary forces, which showcased the theme of "Ek Bharat, Shreshth Bharat." He also paid floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Through the day, in the tent city at Kevadiya, there were presentations and discussions on various subjects relating to security.

The Prime Minister also held discussions with select groups of officers, on specific security and policing issues over meals.

The discussions will continue tomorrow - December 22. The Prime Minister will also release a commemorative stamp on Police Memorial, and launch the Portal of the Cyber Coordination Centre.

He will also present President's Police Medals for distinguished service to IB officers, and address the gathering.

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Pope Francis, in his annual Christmas speech to the Vatican bureaucracy, called out sexual abusers from within the clergy and asked them to "convert and hand themselves over to human justice".

The Pope's call comes a year after shocking revelations regarding sexual abuse of minors by clergymen rattled the

"I myself would like to give heartfelt thanks to those media professionals who were honest and objective and sought to unmask these predators and to make their victims' voices heard," the Pope said, encouraging victims to come forward.

He further asserted that the Catholic Church will "never again" conceal priestly sex abuse towards minors.

"To those who abuse minors I would say this - convert and hand yourself over to human justice and prepare for divine justice," CNN further quoted the Pope as saying.

In August this year, a Pennsylvania grand jury report brought to the fore appalling accounts of sexual abuse faced by more than a thousand children by 300 priests since 1947.

"We believe that the real number of children whose records were lost or who were afraid ever to come forward is in the thousands," the report had mentioned.

"An effort will be made to make past mistakes opportunities for eliminating this scourge, not only from the body of the Church but also from that of society," the Pope said, underscoring that the church would make efforts "to protect children to avoid these tragedies".

A global meeting of bishops will be held in the Vatican in February next year to discuss sexual abuse, the Pope outlined.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russian President Vladimir Putin at his annual press conference on Thursday supported United States President Donald Trump's decision to pull out military from Syria.

In the year-end conference, Putin agreed with Trump that ISIS had been defeated in Syria and stated that it was time for Washington to move out of the war-torn nation, reported CNN.

Putin said, "As for defeating ISIS, I do generally agree with the President of the United States. We have struck major blows and advances. There are now concerns that those terror groups can infiltrate neighbouring countries and pose a risk to Russia, the US, Europe and Central Asia."

He further reiterated that if the decision was made to withdraw troops from Syria then it is a correct one, adding that the United Nations had not legitimised the US' intervention in Syria.

Expressing skepticism about the withdrawal of troops from Syria, Putin said, "As far as the withdrawal of US troops is concerned, I really don't understand what it's about because the US has been present for some 17 years in Afghanistan. They're (the US) still talking about withdrawing them, but they haven't done it yet."

Trump on Wednesday had hinted that the US troops will be withdrawn from Syria.

"We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency," Trump had tweeted on Wednesday, after which a US Defence official told CNN that planning is underway to pull the 2,000-strong troops out of the country.

After the US announcement, it has been speculated that a lack of American troops in Syria will give rise to the influence of Russia and Iran in the region.

The US troops aligned with the Syrian Kurds to push back the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) in Syria where fighting has been ongoing since 2011, according to Al Jazeera. Trump had, in April this year, claimed that he would "love" to get out of Syria at a joint conference held with French President Emmanuel Macron in the White House.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kerala High Court on Friday granted conditional bail to activist Rahul Easwar. The court directed him not to enter Pamba police station limits and report before investigation officers for two months.

A local court on December 15 had revoked the bail granted to Easwar for not appearing before the police last week.

Police had taken Rahul into custody from Nilakkal base camp on October 17 under Section 153 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly fuelling enmity between groups on religious grounds during the row over the entry of women into Sabarimala temple. Later, he was granted bail by a local court under certain conditions.

As per the bail conditions, Rahul Easwar had to report to Pathanamthitta police every Saturday. However, he didn't appear before the police last week, because of which the court cancelled the bail, ordering the police to arrest him.

When Sabarimala temple had opened for the public on September 17, Easwar had said that the believers of the old age tradition will stage a peaceful protest to stop women from entering the temple premises. The protest later turned violent.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Opining that Lord Hanuman belonged to the Jaat community, Uttar Pradesh Minister for Religious Affairs Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary joined the debate surrounding the identity of the Hindu deity.

The state minister likened the Hindu god's characteristics to that of a person belonging to the Jaat community.

"I think Hanuman ji was a Jaat, because upon seeing someone being troubled a Jaat also jumps in even without knowing the issue or the people. In this sense Hanuman ji's behaviour was very similar to that of Jaat because following Goddess Sita's abduction by Raavan he immediately came to Lord Ram's help as his follower", UP Cabinet Minister Laxmi Narayan told ANI on Friday.

Chaudhary, who also holds charge of Dairy Development, Culture, Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf and Haj, further explained that a person's lineage can be deciphered by noting their behaviour.

"Everyone who believes in the Sanatan Dharm would surely worship Lord Hanuman. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has already given explanation on this issue. When yesterday this topic came to my notice, I gave my view that it is through an individual's behaviour that we conclude about one's lineage," the minister opined.

On Thursday, BJP Member of Legislative Council (MLC) in Uttar Pradesh, Bukkal Nawab also gave a new dimension to the discussion over lord Hanuman's identity by claiming that he was a Muslim.

"I believe that Lord Hanuman was a Muslim. That is why the names of the people in Islam are almost similar to lord Hanuman, whether it is Rehman, Ramzan, Farman, Zeeshan and Qurban. Such types of names are found in Islam only," Nawab argued.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, while addressing an election rally in Alwar in Rajasthan, had said that lord Hanuman was a Dalit.

"Hanuman was a forest dweller, deprived and a Dalit. Bajrang Bali worked to connect all Indian communities together, from north to south and east to west," he had said.

Various political parties had condemned Adityanath's remarks, with Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav asking the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister to disclose the caste of other deities as well.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A seven-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped and murdered in West Bengal's Bardhaman district on Thursday.

Following the incident, the deceased girl's family and neighbours pelted stones at a police vehicle and blocked the highway-2 (NH2).

Although police attempted to bring the situation under control, agitators said the protest would not end unless they were assured immediate investigation in the case.

According to a local, the minor girl left her home at around 7 pm on Thursday to buy grocery. As she did not return after a few hours, the concerned family started searching for her and later found the girl's body near her house.

Asansol Commissioner of Police Laxmi Narayan Meena said two men have been detained in connection with the case. "Police is investigating the case," he added.

Meanwhile, the body of the minor girl has been sent to Asansol District Hospital for postmortem.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Felicia Frazar is the assistant editor of the Seguin Gazette. She can be contacted by e-mail at felicia.frazar@seguingazette.com.
The Investment Committee of Hinduja Ventures at its Meeting held on 20 December 2018, accorded its approval to make an aggregate investment of Rs. 3,50,68,977 by subscribing to 2,29,209 equity shares of Hinduja Leyland Finance of Rs. 10/- each offered to the Company on rights basis at a price of Rs. 153/- per share (including premium of Rs. 143/- per share) pursuant to Letter of Offer dated 13 December 2018.

The Company's shareholding after subscribing to the equity shares offered on rights basis will increase to 1,60,44,647 equity shares (as against 1,58,15,438 equity shares) which would be equivalent to 3.46% on the enhanced equity paid up capital of Hinduja Leyland Finance.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Volatility ruled the roost as the key benchmark indices dropped in morning trade soon after regaining positive zone after a subdued start. At 10:16 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 175.87 points or 0.48% at 36,255.80. The Nifty 50 index was down 56.80 points or 0.52% at 10,894.90. Negative Asian stocks weighed on the local stocks.

Domestic stocks turned positive soon after opening lower on negative Asian stocks.

The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was off 0.53%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was off 0.24%.

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, turned negative from positive. On the BSE, 817 shares rose and 1059 shares fell. A total of 100 shares were unchanged.

Overseas, Asian stock markets declined Friday as US stocks dropped overnight. US stocks closed sharply lower Thursday with investors rattled after the Federal Reserve's interest-rate policy and fresh concerns of a partial government shutdown undercut buying appetite.

Meanwhile, fears over a potential partial government shutdown intensified after reports that President Donald Trump told House Republicans he would refuse to sign an appropriations bill passed by the Senate that would avert a shutdown, unless both houses of Congress agree to appropriate $5 billion in extra funds for expansion of the US southern border wall.

On the macro front, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia released the results of its monthly regional survey of manufacturers, with the index showing a reading of 9.4, down from 12.9 in November.

Back home, Maruti Suzuki India (down 2.95%), Yes Bank (down 2.09%), Infosys (down 1.89%), Bajaj Auto (down 1.74%) and Asian Paints (down 1.69%) edged lower from the Sensex pack.

Tata Motors (up 1.19%), M&M (up 0.96%), Tata Steel (up 0.25%), edged higher from the Sensex pack.

Bosch fell 0.41%. Bosch announced that considering the current market situation and reduction in the volumes due to reduction in the customers' requirement, it is proposed to suspend all manufacturing operations at the company's Bidadi Plant in Karnataka on Friday, 28 December 2018 and Saturday, 29 December 2018. There is no financial impact on account of the proposed suspension of operations. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 20 December 2018.

Punjab National Bank (PNB) rose 0.07%. PNB said that credit ratings agency CRISIL revised ratings on PNB's bonds to CRISIL AA+/CRISIL AA- from 'CRISIL AAA/CRISIL AA. CRISIL has removed its ratings on the debt instruments from rating watch with 'Negative' and has assigned a 'Stable' outlook on the long-term rating. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 20 December 2018.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
State Bank of India announced that the Committee of Directors for Capital Raising at its meeting held on 21 December 2018 deliberated and accorded approval to allot 20,450 Non-Convertible, Taxable, Perpetual, Subordinated, Unsecured Basel III compliant Additional Tier 1 Bonds, for inclusion in Additional Tier 1 Capital of the Bank, in the nature of debentures of face value of Rs. 10 lacs each, at par, bearing coupon of 9.37% p.a. payable annually with call option after 5 years or any anniversary date thereafter, aggregating to Rs. 2,045 crore (Rupees two thousand forty five crore only) to the Bond subscribers on 21 December 2018.

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Twelve years after the sensational killing of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his associate Tulsiram Prajapati and rape-cum-murder of Kausar Bi, a Special CBI Court here on Friday acquitted all 22 accused in the politically sensitive case, saying "witnesses and proofs were not satisfactory".

"Witnesses and proofs the prosecution put forward were not satisfactory to suggest or establish the alleged conspiracy and murder in the 2005 encounter killing," said Special CBI Judge S.J. Sharma, who also observed that "the documentary and circumstantial evidence was not substantial".

The much-awaited verdict in the case came more than 12 years after the alleged 'fake encounters' of Sohrabuddin and his associate Prajapati, besides the rape-and-murder of Sohrabuddin's wife, Kausar Bi.

The 22 accused, including 21 lower police officials of Gujarat-Rajasthan police, who have been acquitted are: M.L. Parmar, Raman Singh, Narayansing Dhabi, Shyam Singh, Abdur Rehman, Himanshu Singh Rajawat, Balkrishna Choubey, Rajubhai Jeerawala, Ajay Parmar, Shantram Sharma, Yudhveer Singh, Kartar Singh, Narayan Singh Jat, Vijaykumar Rathod, C.P. Srinivasa Rao, Jethu Solanki, Kiran Singh Chauhan, Vinod Limbachia, Kanjibhai Kutchi, Karan Singh Sishodia, Ashish Pandya, and Naresh Chauhan.

According to the prosecution, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) had gunned down Sohrabuddin on November 26, 2005, in an alleged staged killing.

Prajapati was also killed in a similar fashion on December 28, 2006, while Kausar Bi, who had witnessed the abduction of her husband (Sohrabuddin) was later raped and murdered.

These killings kicked off a major political controversy in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Gujarat then, with allegations of the purported involvement of several top political bigwigs, IPS officers and other officials.

The prosecution contended that Sohrabuddin had connections with the Lashkar-e-Taiba and other terror groups and was conspiring to assassinate "an important political leader" presumably the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who is now the Prime Minister.

A total of 37 accused were named in the case of whom 16 -- mostly politicians and IPS officers -- were subsequently discharged by the Special CBI Court in Mumbai and another by the Bombay High Court.

Among those discharged initially were BJP President Amit Shah, who was the Gujarat Home Minister at the relevant time, the then Rajasthan Home Minister G.C. Kataria, high-profile ATS chief and DIG D.G. Vanzara, Superintendents of Police M.N. Dinesh and R.K. Pandian, among many others.

Interestingly, after appeals from various quarters, the politically-sensitive trial was shifted from Gujarat to Mumbai by the Supreme Court in September 2012.

When the Special CBI Court recorded the statements of the remaining 22 accused during the trial, all claimed "innocence" and said they were nabbed owing to rivalry among the Gujarat top police brass and related factors stemming from the then political situation prevalent in that state.

Of the 210 witnesses examined during the trial, 92 turned hostile, seriously undermining the CBI case, prompting the CBI counsel B.P. Raju to admit to 'lacunae' in the probe as the Sohrabuddin encounter took place in 2005, Prajapati in 2006, but CBI came into the picture only in 2010.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court on Friday rejected a plea seeking more time to surrender by former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who was given life imprisonment in an anti-Sikh riot case earlier this week.

Sajjan Kumar had sought more time to surrender so he could settle some family matters, as the court ordered him behind bars for the rest of his remaining life.

A Division Bench of Justices S. Muralidhar and Vinod Goel asked him to surrender by December 31.

Claiming his innocence, Sajjan Kumar had requested the court to grant him 30 more days so that he could settle certain property matter and meet his close relatives.

In his plea, the 73-year-old said that he has a big family that includes besides his wife, three children and eight grandchildren.

The Delhi High Court on Monday convicted Kumar in an anti-Sikh riot case of 1984 and sentenced him to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life. The court asked him to surrender till December 31.

Sajjan Kumar said he was shocked and surprised by the judgement as trial court had acquitted him in the case.

He told the High Court that he would appeal in the Supreme Court challenging its order and therefore he needed time to engage senior lawyers.

He also told the court that most senior counsels were on holiday as the apex court was closed due to winter vacation.

He informed the court that he was out on bail in the 1984 cases and never flouted any bail conditions or hampered investigation and has cooperated with the probe agencies.

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 in the wake of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Five policemen have been suspended in connection with the custodial death of a taxi driver in Manipur, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said on Friday.

Biren Singh, who also holds the Home charge, while replying to a calling attention motion moved by Congress MLA K. Joykishan, informed the state Assembly that five police commandos have been suspended for the custodial death of Abdul Gaffer.

He further said that a compensation of Rs 5 lakh shall be paid to the bereaved family. Besides, the government shall provide a suitable job to one of his family members.

According to Gaffer's widow, at 2.30 a.m. on Thursday, a team of police commandos and personnel of 26 Assam Rifles barged into their house and dragged away her husband without any explanation. Around 10.30 a.m., she was informed of his death.

Soon after, the news spread and people blocked vehicular traffic in Thoubal district, where the family stayed. They also submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister demanding, among others, a judicial inquiry and booking of the accused.

Later, Biren Singh assured the protesters that the cops would be suspended and other demands, including compensation and government job to the family and a magisterial inquiry, would be conceded.

At least 1,528 cases are pending in the Supreme Court in connection with "fake encounters" in Manipur.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Twelve years after the sensational killing of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his associate Tulsiram Prajapati and rape-cum-murder of Kausar Bi, a Special CBI Court here on Friday acquitted all 22 accused in the politically sensitive case, saying "witnesses and proofs provided were not satisfactory".

"Witnesses and proofs the prosecution put forward were not satisfactory to suggest or establish the alleged conspiracy and murder in the 2005 encounter killing," said Special CBI Judge S.J. Sharma, who also observed that "the documentary and circumstantial evidence was not substantial".

The Special Judge also expressed regrets over the court's inability to convict anyone in the case.

"I feel extremely sorry for the Sohrabuddin Shaikh's family and Tulsiram Prajapati, especially his mother Narmadabai. The evidence before me could not establish the roles of any accused persons and no material evidence to prove any of the charges against the accused," said Special Judge Sharma.

The much-awaited verdict, running into more than 500 pages in the case, came more than 12 years after the alleged 'fake encounters' of Sohrabuddin and his associate Prajapati, besides the rape-and-murder of Sohrabuddin's wife, Kausar Bi.

"The CBI prosecution tried its best to prove the case. Unfortunately even after three chargesheets, the evidences were not substantial enough to prove the allegations beyond doubt. Despite three investigations, the evidence is lacking," the Special Judge noted.

The 22 accused, including 21 lower police personnel, comprising 14 of Gujarat, six of Rajasthan, and one of Andhra Pradesh, have been absolved of all grave charges such as murder, conspiracy, and destruction of evidence.

They are: M.L. Parmar, Raman Patel, Balkrishna Choubey, Narayansing Dhabi, Jethusingh Solanki, Naresh Chauhan, Vinod Limbachiya, Ajay Kumar Parmar, Kanjibhai Kutchi, Shantaram Sharma, Ashish Pandya, Kiran Singh Chauhan, Karan Singh Sishodia, Vijaykumar Rathod (All Gujarat Police).

Shyam Singh Charan, Abdul Rehman, Narayan Singh Chauhan, Yudhveer Singh Chauhan, Kartar Singh Jat, Himanshu Singh Rajawat, (all Rajasthan Police), and Ghattamaneni Shriniwas Rao, Andhra Pradesh police.

The final acquitted (22nd) is Rajendra Kumar Jirawala, owner of the farmhouse outside Ahmedabad, where Kausar Bi was held captive for four days before she was eliminated.

According to the prosecution, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had gunned down Sohrabuddin on November 26, 2005, in an alleged staged killing.

Prajapati was also killed in a similar fashion on December 28, 2006, while Kausar Bi, who had witnessed the abduction of her husband (Sohrabuddin) was later raped and murdered.

The Special Judge debunked the story of Prajapati's abduction, saying in its third chargesheet, the CBI claimed he was the third person travelling with Sohrabuddin and Kausar Bi on the Hyderabad-Sangli bus.

"However, the material evidences and witnesses establish he was not on the bus and was arrested from Bhilwara (Rajasthan) on Nov. 26, 2005," Special Judge Sharma said.

These killings had kicked off a major political controversy in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Gujarat, with allegations of the purported involvement of several top political bigwigs, IPS officers and other officials.

The prosecution contended that Sohrabuddin had connections with the Lashkar-e-Taiba and other terror groups and was conspiring to assassinate "an important political leader" presumably the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the present Prime Minister.

A total of 37 accused were named in the case of whom 16 -- mostly politicians and IPS officers -- were subsequently discharged by the Special CBI Court in Mumbai and another by the Bombay High Court.

Among those discharged initially (2014) were BJP President Amit Shah, who was the Gujarat Home Minister at the time, the then Rajasthan Home Minister G.C. Kataria, high-profile ATS chief and DIG D.G. Vanzara, Superintendents of Police M.N. Dinesh and R.K. Pandian, among others.

Interestingly, after appeals from various quarters, the politically-sensitive trial was shifted from Gujarat to Mumbai by the Supreme Court in September 2012.

When the Special CBI Court recorded the statements of the remaining 22 accused during the trial, all claimed their "innocence" and said they were nabbed owing to rivalry among the Gujarat top police brass and related factors stemming from the then political situation prevalent in that state.

Of the 210 witnesses examined during the trial, 92 turned hostile, seriously undermining the CBI case, prompting the CBI counsel B.P. Raju to admit to 'lacunae' in the probe as the Sohrabuddin encounter took place in 2005, Prajapati in 2006, but CBI came into the picture only in 2010.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday trashed as "political theatrics" Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal's comment on the loan waiver announced by the Congress in Punjab and other states.

Lashing out at Badal for his "continued efforts to exploit the sentiments of the farmers, to whom the former (SAD) regime had failed to deliver even an iota of benefits", Amarinder said that the former deputy chief minister was trying to mislead the farming community in a desperate bid to wean it away from the Congress.

The chief minister pointed out that Congress President Rahul Gandhi had already promised waiver of loans for the beleaguered farmers across the country if the party was elected to power in the forthcoming elections.

"It is evident that the SAD-BJP combine is scared out of their wits by the Congress leadership's promise and their track record of delivering on their poll promises in all the states in which the party had been elected to power," said Amarinder.

"He (Badal) should give up such theatrics if he wanted his party to remain a serious contender in the political arena," Amarinder said in a statement.

Ridiculing Badal's "attempts to divert public attention from the erstwhile Akali-BJP regime's failure on all counts", Amarinder said: "For 10 years, the Badals did not take cognizance of the plight of the farmers and were now shedding crocodile tears for them."

Countering Badal's allegations with facts and figures, Amarinder pointed out that his government had delivered on its promise of loan waiver despite the severe financial constraints and fiscal mess it had inherited from the Badal regime.

"Not just the farmers of Punjab but those of the entire nation had appreciated the government's initiative, which had been replicated now by the newly installed Congress regime in three other states," he added.

Sharing numbers, the Chief Minister pointed out that his government had so far disbursed Rs 3,595.04 crore to 428,246 farmers against their debts, with the process for loan waiver to 159,632 small farmers also being initiated.

"Of this, Rs 1,815.78 crore had been disbursed to 317,965 marginal farmers against loans taken from cooperative banks and Rs 1,779.26 crore to 110,281 marginal farmers towards loans from commercial banks," Amarinder pointed out.

Challenging the SAD president to cite even one example of any benefit provided by their government to the farmers, Amarinder said: "These are hard facts that no amount of fabrications by Sukhbir Badal or anyone else can negate."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Indian army officer was killed and another critically injured on Friday in an unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan on the line of control (LoC) in Kupwara district of Kashmir.

Defence sources said Pakistan army resorted to ceasefire violation on Friday afternoon in Jumgund area of the LoC in Kupwara district.

"They used small arms and automatics to target our forward positions.

"Two junior commissioned officers (JCOs) were injured in sniper fire from Pakistan side.

"The injured officers were shifted to army's Drugmulla hospital where one JCO, Subedar Gamar Thapa, succumbed to injuries.

"The other injured JCO, Subedar, Raman Thapa, was later shifted to army's base hospital in Srinagar for specialised treatment", sources said, adding that the Indian forces retaliated strongly.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Rajasthan High Court on Friday suspended the sentence of yet another convict in the Asaram sexual exploitation case, Sharat Chandra, who along with Sanchita Gupta alias Shilpi, had been sentenced to 20-year imprisonment.

Chandra will, however, have to mark his presence in the court once a year till the hearing on his appeal against the sentence is completed.

The High Court had suspended the sentence of another convict, Shilpi, on September 29.

"Chandra will be out of jail soon. But he will have to attend the court once a year until the hearing on his appeal against the sentence is completed", said his counsel Nishant Bora.

A trial court had sentenced disgraced godman Asaram to life imprisonment on March 25 this year for sexual exploitation of a minor girl in his Chhindwara-based 'gurukul'. Two of his aides, Shilpi and Sharat, had been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.

The three had moved the High Court challenging their respective sentences. The two co-accused have got their sentences suspended while Asaram's application is pending before the court.

Two other aides of Asaram and co-accused in the case, Shiva and Prakash, had been acquitted by the trial court.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Australian government has urged Japan to reconsider its plan to resume whaling for commercial purposes.

Reports emerged on Thursday that Japan was preparing to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) so as to restart whaling, Xinhua news agency reported.

Addressing the reports, Australian Minister Melissa Price said while the government would "strongly prefer" that Japan remains a party to the IWC, the decision was "a matter for Japan".

"Australia remains committed to the IWC and acknowledges its crucial role as the pre-eminent international body responsible for the conservation of whales and the management of whaling," Price said.

"We will continue to work through the Commission to conserve whales, and remain opposed to all forms of commercial and so-called 'scientific' whaling."

The IWC in September denied Japan's request to resume commercial whaling.

Japan has continued to carry out whaling for research purposes but has argued that global populations have recovered to the point where the ban on commercial whaling should be lifted.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Accusing the NDA government of misleading the Supreme Court, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Friday demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the multi-million dollar Rafale fighter deal.

"A defence deal worth Rs 60,000 crore that will leave the country with only 36 aircraft, as against 126 aircraft contracted for under the UPA, cannot go unchallenged or unexamined," Chidambaram told reporters here at the party office.

"We are taking our cause to the people asking (them) to support the Congress party in its demand for a JPC to probe the Rafale deal."

Chidambaram's demand comes soon after party president Rahul Gandhi and senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge too sought a JPC probe.

The Supreme Court on December 14 had dismissed four petitions seeking a probe into the purchase of 36 Rafale fighters in a fly-away condition from French aerospace major Dassault Aviation, and said it could "not scrutinise each aspect of the acquisition".

The Congress leader remarked that the apex court had rested its judgement on the basis that it did not have the jurisdiction to go into various aspects of a defence procurement.

"The Supreme Court accepted various statements and claims made by the government and declined to examine their correctness. In the process, the court has committed a grave error when it observed that the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) had examined the deal," Chidambaram said.

The government has deliberately misled the court, as the CAG was yet to prepare its final report on the fighter jet deal, the former Finance Minister alleged.

The Congress leader also questioned the government's intent to scrap the earlier negotiations for the fighter jets made by the previous UPA government and enter into a new agreement with Dassault.

The multi-million dollar deal the UPA government did not finalise with French aircraft maker envisaged city-based Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) manufacturing 108 of the 126 Rafale aircraft under licensed production, and 18 delivered in a fly-away condition to the Indian Air Force (IAF) from the French aerospace major.

Scrapping the previous deal at the price negotiations stage, the Narendra Modi-led government signed another deal in 2015 with the French government to buy outright 36 Rafale fighters in flying condition for an estimated $54 billion.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Green corridors connecting cities by compressed natural gas (CNG)-fuelled buses would soon be set up in the country, in line with India's commitment to reduce pollution levels made at the Paris climate talks COP-21, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Friday.

Launching various digital customer initiatives of state-run Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL) here, Pradhan said that by February next year, CNG buses using type-IV cylinders will be plying separate services from Delhi to the cities of Agra, Chandigarh, Haridwar and Jaipur.

The Minister also said the waiting time for piped natural gas (PNG) connections for households has come down "drastically to an average of just one week, and people of NCR (National Capital Region) can now enjoy the clean, convenient and affordable fuel."

Pradhan launched IGL's CNG Queue Management System (QMS) which, through the "Oorja" mobile app, would provide information on the average waiting time at CNG stations.

He also launched the Social Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology platform that will address customer queries, complaints, service requests and grievances on various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

On the occasion, IGL also marked the crossing of one million domestic PNG customers in its areas of operation - Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and Rewari.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The cabinet expansion of the Karnataka coalition government is likely on Saturday with six Congress legislators joining, said party's state unit chief Dinesh Gundu Rao on Friday.

"The JD-S-Congress cabinet will be expanded tomorrow (Saturday) evening with the induction of six more legislators from our party to fill the vacancies in the 34-member ministry," Rao told reporters in New Delhi.

Although there is no communique from Raj Bhavan yet on the swearing-in ceremony time, a party source told IANS that Governor Vajubha R. Vala said he would be free from 5:30 p.m on Saturday for the swear-in of the six legislators as ministers.

"The Governor's office said Vala will be free at 5.30 p.m to administer the oath of office to the party's legislators as cabinet ministers," said the party official.

There are eight vacancies in the cabinet, including two of the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) from its quota of 12 , including Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, and six from the quota of 22 of the Congress, including Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara.

Among the probable lawmakers from the Congress tipped for the cabinet posts are M.T.B. Nagaraj, C.S. Shivali, Sathish Jharkiholi, R.B. Thimmapur, Rahim Khan and Tanveer Sait.

The party may ask its two ministers Ramesh Jharkiholi holding Municipal Administration portfolio and R. Shankar (Forests) to resign to induct at least two of the four senior lawmakers - H.K. Patil, M.B. Patil, Ramalinga Reddy and Roshan Baig.

"Sathish will replace his elder brother Ramesh in the reshuffle and two of the four seniors are likely to join the cabinet," said the official.

Besides Rao and Parameshwara, Congress Legislative Party leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah discussed the cabinet expansion with party President Rahul Gandhi at his residence in New Delhi earlier in the day.

"The cabinet expansion-cum-reshuffle is being done keeping in view the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the caste combination with regional representation from across the state," added the official.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy told reporters at Belagavi in the state's northwest region that his party (JD-S)'s supremo H.D. Deve Gowda would decide names of the two legislators to fill its vacancies in the cabinet.

"We have no problem in selecting our members for the two remaining cabinet posts," said Kumaraswamy.

--IANS

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Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, former party presidents V.M.Sudheeran and M.M.Hassan and the present chief Mulapally Ramachandran are likely to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Among the other names that have started doing the rounds are sitting party legislators Adoor Prakash and Hibi Eden.

Kerala has 20 Lok Sabha seats and in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress-led UDF won 12, the CPI-M led Left Democratic Front won eight and the BJP only managed to finish second in just one constituency - Thiruvananthapuram.

Among the 12 seats, the Congress won in eight, while the other seats went to its allies, the Indian Union Muslim League (2) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and the Kerala Congress (Mani) (one each)

At present, two seats are lying vacant. The Kottayam seat fell vacant after Jose K. Mani of the Kerala Congress (Mani) recently quit after being elected to the Rajya Sabha, and the Wayanad seat, represented by Congress leader M.I.Shanavas who passed away last month.

While the present ruling Left Front is desperate to increase its tally, the Congress after its poor performance in the 2016 assembly polls, knows that, if they are unable to better their performance, then things could go out of control. Hence, the party has decided to field the best candidates.

Other possible Congress candidates include Shashi Tharoor (Thiruvananthapuram), K.C. Venugopal (Alappuzha), Kodikunnil Suresh (Mavelikara), M.K.Raghavan (Kozhikode) and Anto Antony (Pathanamthitta), all of whom are sitting Lok Sabha members, and Mulapally Ramachandran (Badagara).

Chandy is most likely to be fielded from Idukki to wrest the seat that has for long been a Congress seat, which the party lost to a Left supported independent Joice George.

One major reason why the Congress candidate lost last time was due to the massive campaign the Left unleashed against Chandy's handling of the Kasturirangan report.

However, on Thursday, a rally was organised at Idukki to honour Chandy for the work he did to frame the amendments to the Kasturirangan report on Western Ghats, which his government had prepared in his tenure and was finally cleared last month by the Centre.

Chandy, who is presently a Congress Working Committee member, continues to be elusive and evades questions about contesting from Idukki.

Other seats that the Congress is eyeing include Kasargode, Kannur, Attingal, Thrissur and Chalakudi, which they lost in 2014.

Former Lok Sabha member P.C.Chacko, who won from Thrissur in 2009 and lost from Chalakudi in 2014, is keen on contesting from these two constituencies in 2019. Congress members K.Sudhakran is keen on contesting from Kannur, Sudheeran from Thrissur and Chalakudy and Adoor Prakash from Attingal.

T.Siddiq, who lost the 2014 polls from Kasargode by a narrow margin, is likely to be renominated for a second outing.

K.V.Thomas, a former Union Minister who represents the Ernakulam seat, is likely to be replaced by two time young Congress legislator Hibi Eden who represents the Ernakulam assembly seat.

Hassan is eyeing the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, which is considered a safe bet for the Congress.

"The Congress-led UDF can win as many as 18 seats this time, provided our candidate selection is right," said a top UDF leader who did not wish to be identified.

--IANS

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Criticising Centre's decision to allow 10 intelligence and investigating agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt any information on computers, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Friday said the party may move court against the MHA order.

Terming the BJP-led Central government as a government of "snooping and surveillance", the senior Congress leader claimed the order to be a direct interference into people's privacy.

"We have now a privacy judgement. Can you give the power to 10 agencies to simply snoop on you? As it is, there are several illegal technological methods to snoop on people, now such things are being given a legal power. We can say that we are going to study it. We will oppose it and, if necessary, we will go to court," Singhvi told reporters here.

"We have said that this government is a government of snooping, surveillance and undercover activities. This government does wrong things secretly in the dark of nights. This move by the government symbolises that," he said.

When asked whether his move to represent the West Bengal government in the Calcutta High Court in the case of BJP's Rath Yatra can be seen as a conflict of interest for his party that is fighting against the state's ruling Trinamool Congress, Singhvi said, "Not at the least. Those who think opposing a Rath yatra with highly provocative, inflammatory overtones is a disservice to the Congress are doing a disservice to the Congress themselves."

Singhvi's decision to represent the state government in the division bench of the High Court, which saw the previous court order allowing the BJP's rally crushed, led to protest demonstration by a section of Congress workers outside the court.

--IANS

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Dismissing the Centre's defence of its order putting all computers under surveillance, the Congress on Friday demanded to know the reasons including what was the threat to the nation behind giving a "blanket authority" to Central agencies to snoop on all computers.

Expressing alarm over the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) order giving 10 Central agencies and the Delhi Police powers to "intercept, monitor and decrypt any information in any computer source", the Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of turning India into a "police state" and a " state".

Taking to Twitter, Congress President called Modi an "insecure dictator".

"Converting India into a police state isn't going to solve your problems, Modi Ji. It's only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians what an insecure dictator you really are," said Gandhi.

After Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad came strongly in defence of the order saying it was a mere repetition of rules passed during the UPA regime in 2009, Congress leader Jaiveer Shergill accused both the ministers of "lying" and asserted that the latest order was vastly different from the 2009 rules.

He also said the order was unconstitutional, illegal and in contravention of the Supreme Court's 2016 verdict making right to privacy a fundamental right.

"This order is nothing but a way to replace democracy in the country with Modicracy. Both Jaitley are Prasad are lying and misleading the nation because unlike this order, the 2009 rules neither specify 10 investigating and intelligence agencies nor give them any blanket powers to snoop," Shergill told the media.

"When the 2009 rules are existing, then what is the need of passing a new order? The need is not in public interest. The Modi government has grown paranoid after losing the recent Assembly elections and wants to intimidate citizens, snoop and steal data and try to change the narrative that is emerging against them," he said.

Notified in October 2009, the "Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information Rules) provide that an order of interception or monitoring of any computer can be issued only by the secretary of the MHA at the Centre and in case of "emergency" such an order can be issued by an officer not below the rank of joint Secretary in the Government of India.

Shergill also contested the MHA order and its subsequent statement citing the Information and Technology (IT) ACT, to clarify that the December 20 notification "did not confer any new powers".

"The IT Act clearly states interception and monitoring of computers can be ordered only when it is expedient to do so in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, security of India , friendly relations with foreign countries or public order or for preventing a crime.

"The MHA order states none of these reasons. We demand the Modi to government to answer as to what is the threat to the nation or public order that it had to give a blanket order," said Shergill.

"The Modi government must come out explaining as to what is the public interest it wants to serves with this order," added Shergill.

Earlier in the day, Congress leader Anand Sharma said the government's move aimed at turning india into a state and asserted the opposition will collectively raise the issue in Parliament.

He also claimed that a host of people including Supreme Court and High Court judges and politicians' phones were being tapped.

"The latest order of putting all computers under is unacceptable in any democracy and we collectively oppose it. The opposition will unitedly raise this issue in Parliament," said the former Union Minister.
Buoyed by the Assembly election victories in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Friday said the national party is confident of winning in the same heartland states in the ensuing general elections in April-May 2019.

"The Congress is confident of winning the heartland states in the general elections as well, along with allies," Chidambaram told IANS at a news conference in the party's state unit office here.

Claiming that demonetisation and a "flawed" Goods and Services Tax (GST) had damaged India's economy, the former Union Finance Minister said every citizen knew that the twin measures had impacted the country, destroyed jobs and small and medium enterprises.

"No one can erase from the people's minds that demonetisation and a flawed GST have damaged India's economy. The BJP will not be able to erase that perception," reiterated Chidambaram when asked if the twin "blows" would impact the electoral prospects of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the national level.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on November 8, 2016 banned high-value currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations in a bid to curb counterfeit cash.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government implemented the GST from July 1, 2017 across the country in place of indirect taxes such as sales tax and VAT.

On the claim of the NDA government that additional jobs were created on the evidence of Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) data on people in payrolls, Chidambaram said such data meant that one more job was formalised and not an additional job.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Hyderabad High Court on Friday asked the Telangana government to file a counter affidavit to a petition filed by popular Telugu actor Prabhas, challenging the seizure of his guest house by the revenue authorities in Hyderabad.

Officials on Monday had seized the guest house of the 'Baahubali' actor and other private properties located at Rayadurgam on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

The revenue officials cited a recent order by the Supreme Court declaring the entire parcel of 84 acres of land as government property.

Prabhas, whose full name is Uppalapati Venkata Satyanarayana Prabhas Raju, filed a petition challenging the action by the revenue authorities without serving him a notice. He said he purchased the land in 2005 and paid the fee for its regularisation.

The High Court, which heard the petition on Friday, ordered that the status quo be maintained at the site till further orders. It asked the state government to file a counter affidavit by December 24 and adjourned the hearing to December 31.

The government's counsel informed the court that no demolition was was carried out at the seized property.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
That was reported at an international workshop hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on December 20.



According to the ministry, Vietnam-Middle East countries trade turnover reached only US$12.67 billion at the end of November.

With strongly developed economy, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of Middle East countries touches US$30,000-60,000 a year. The market is in high import demand of food, farm produce, seafood, consumer food and building materials.

The Middle Easts food import now approximates US$40 billion a year, it is forecast to increase to $70 billion in 2035. Domestic seafood supply meets about 25 percent of people in the United Arab Emirates and the remaining of 75 percent is dependent on import.

Import tariff in the Middle East countries is as low as 0-0.5 percent.

Vietnams farm produce and food export to the Middle East reached $774.6 million last year.

The cooperation potential between the two sides is very large so businesses should intensify trade promotion, market survey; build market penetration strategies and make products with quality and designs suitable with standard regulations and consumer customs in Middle East nations.

By MINH HAI  Translated by Hai Mien
A Delhi court on Friday asked Tihar Jail to respond to a plea by British national Christian Michel, the middleman accused in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal, seeking direction to allocate a seperate cell in Tihar Jail.

Special Judge Arvind Kumar listed the matter for December 22.

Michel's counsel Aljo K. Joseph and Vishnu Sankar told the court that other inmates were trying to interact with Michel inside the jail and asking him questions on pending investigation in AgustaWestland deal case.

Michel is currently in judicial custody till December 28. He was extradited to India on December 4 from the United Arab Emirates.

Michel is one of the three middlemen being investigated by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the VVIP chopper deal.

In January, the ED had lodged a request with the UAE authorities for extraditing Michel. Both the ED and the CBI had filed chargesheets in bribery cases in Indian courts and non-bailable warrants had been issued against the accused.

In its chargesheet, the CBI had named former Indian Air Force chief S.P. Tyagi, his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi alias Julie, then IAF Vice Chief J.S. Gujral and advocate Gautam Khaitan as the four Indians involved in the scam.

Others named in the chargesheet included Giuseppe Orsi, the former chief of Italian defence and aerospace major Finmeccanica, and Bruno Spagnolini, former CEO of AgustaWestland, apart from middlemen Michel, Haschke and Gerosa.

On January 1, 2014, India cancelled 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 on charges of paying kickbacks amounting to Rs 423 crore.

The CBI, which registered an FIR in the case on March 12, 2013, had alleged that Tyagi and the other accused had received kickbacks from AgustaWestland to help it win the contract.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The second day of the Delhi Assembly on Friday witnessed a ruckus after BJP MLAs asked the Delhi government to release funds to the MCDs according to the recommendations of the fourth Delhi Finance Commission (DFC).

There were heated exchanges between MLAs of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and BJP members.

On the request of Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta and BJP MLA Jagadish Pradhan, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel has called a special session of the Assembly on January 3 for the government to present a report on the DFC.

"The government must immediately release funds to local bodies for payment of pending salaries and arrears as well as other development works," Gupta said.

The Assembly also passed the Delhi Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2018 tabled by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday.

Sisodia also introduced the Contingency Fund of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (amendment) Bill, 2018.

The Assembly gave its nod for increasing the funds from the existing Rs 10 crore to Rs 100 crore.

Noisy scenes were witnessed after the leader of Opposition demanded the government immediately sanction the Delhi-Gaziabad-Meerut corridor of Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) "to save Delhi from severe congestion, air pollution and accidents".

Gupta wondered how the Delhi government with Rs 53,000 crore budget could not have funds of Rs 1,138 crore over a period of five years for the project.

He said the government would have to bear about Rs 227 crore per year as the Uttar Pradesh Government has already committed Rs 5,600 crore as its contribution to building the RRTS.

BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa gave a notice to the Speaker warning of resignation from the Assembly if his demand for assistance to the victims of 1984 riots was not met in 60 days.

"There is no point in being a representative if I don't work for the welfare of the needy and helpless or if I don't empathise with the pain of 1984 victims," he said.

"For the last two years I have been requesting the Chief Minister to extend support to victim-families of 1984 riots," he said.

Sirsa is demanding freehold and ownership rights of the victims over their homes along with government jobs for a family member.

--IANS

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Brussels, Dec 22 (IANS/AKI) The European Council on Friday extended the European Union's Operation Sophia migrant search and rescue mission until March 31 next year, the EU's top decision-making body said in a statement.

Italy earlier in December vowed that the EUs Sophia anti-trafficking mission would end when its current mandate expired at the end of the year if there was no change to the rules of the mission -- which currently lands all rescued migrants in Italian ports.

Currently commanded by Italian Rear Admiral Enrico Credentino, Sophia's core mandate is to help the EU smash migrant smuggling networks. It also trains the Libyan Coastguard and Navy and helps enforce a UN arms embargo.

Sophia also conducts surveillance activities and gathers information on illegal trafficking of oil exports from turmoil-hit Libya, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.

Headquartered in Rome, the mission was launched on June 22, 2015.

--IANS/AKI

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Senior Congress leader and former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to defer the inauguration of Bogibeel Bridge as it is Christmas Day and as such it is difficult for people from Arunachal Pradesh to participate in the historic function.

"We are aware that you will be inaugurating the historic Bogibeel Bridge over the river Brahmaputra on December 25 this year. While I congratulate you for the completion of this historic bridge which is of strategic and economic importance to the region, I would at the same time like to request you to kindly defer the said inauguration to any other date as December 25 is Christmas and one of the most important festivals of the Christians," said Tuki in a letter addressed to the Prime minister on Thursday.

If the inauguration of the bridge, which is a boon to the people of Assam and Arunachal, takes place on December 25, a large number of people from the Christian community will not be able to participate in the opening ceremony. Therefore, I request you to defer the date of inauguration and thus enable all sections of people of the region to witness the historic event, the letter added.

The 4.98-km long bridge will be inaugurated by Prime Minister on December 25, which the BJP government is set to celebrate as Good Governance Day.

Built at an estimated cost of over Rs. 5000 crore, the Bogibeel Bridge will be the longest rail-cum-road bridge in the country and the second longest in Asia. The bridge will provide faster connectivity between the people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

The bridge will also enhance India's capability to ensure faster movement of troops and supplies to Arunachal Pradesh that borders with China.

The bridge, closely modelled on the Oresund bridge that connects Sweden and Finland across the Oresand strait, is designed to withstand heaviest of Indian battle tanks.

Meanwhile, a controversy has also erupted over the naming of the bridge. Many organisations in Assam are demanding the bridge be named after their icons or heroes.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Defending farm loan waiver, senior Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday said freeing farmers from debt was imperative due to agrarian crisis across the country.

"Farm loan waiver is imperative in the present scenario. As the average indebtedness of farmer families is Rs 90,000-1 lakh, how can they ever pay such loans," Chidambaram told IANS at a news conference in the party's state unit office here.

As promised in the Congress poll manifestos, Chidambaram said the party's newly-elected governments in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have responded to the farmers' distress by waiving their loans.

Lamenting that in one district of Maharashtra alone, over 100 farmers committed suicide, the former minister said of the 10-crore farmer families in the country, 5.28-crore were small and marginal farmers.

Asked if farm loan waiver was bad economics and good politics, Chidambaram retorted that it was for the people to decide whether waiver was good or bad.

"Economists who criticise farm loan waiver should try and take up farming to experience the difficulties of farming," the Congress leader told IANS.

Economists, including former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan, have said farm loan waivers could pose enormous issues for state finances and had asked the Election Commission (EC) to ensure they are kept out of poll promises.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi had said in New Delhi on December 17 that he would not allow Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rest or sleep unless he waived loans of all farmers across the country before the next general election, due in April-May 2019.

In the southern state of Karnataka, after the former Congress government waived farm loans worth Rs 8,165-crore for 2016-17 fiscal, the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S)-Congress coalition government had announced in June to waive farm loans worth Rs 48,000 crore.

--IANS

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A 'Gandhigiri' bid by Congress workers to placate BJP workers protesting on Friday against the Congress leadership's strident attack over the Rafale deal went awry, after state BJP president Vinay Tendulkar allegedly flung a 'thali of samosas' and flowers, triggering commotion.

An FIR and a counter FIR have been registered at the Panaji police station by BJP and Congress workers respectively.

Tendulkar in turn has alleged that Congress workers assaulted and flung objects at his party workers protesting near the Opposition party's office near Panaji as part of a nationwide campaign organised by the BJP slamming the Congress on the Rafale deal in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling last week.

According to a First Information Report (FIR) filed by state Congress women's wing president Pratima Coutinho, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers allegedly assaulted women workers of her party during the commotion which followed on Friday evening.

"At the time when the leaders approached us, we maintained calm and peacefully welcomed them and offered them refreshments and flowers. Seeing our gesture, the BJP party president Vinay Tendulkar got furious and flung the 'thali of samosas' which was presented to him towards the face of the Congress worker. Thereafter, the bouquet of flowers which was presented was also thrown away," Coutinho said in her FIR at the Panaji police station.

The FIR filed against unnamed BJP workers has been registered under sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 323 (causing hurt), 504 (breach of peace), 509 (outraging modesty of women), 354 (criminal assault) of the Indian Penal Code.A

In a counter FIR filed by BJP worker Kavita Kandolkar, she has alleged that Congress workers flung bottles, 'samosas' and wood pieces at BJP workers in a bid to provoke and assault them.

Tendulkar, who also held a press conference late on Friday, however alleged that it was Congress workers who had started provoking and attacking BJP workers who were staging a peaceful protest.

"As part of our nationwide campaign, we were peacefully protesting against the attack by the Congress on our Prime Minister and the Central government over the Rafale issue. It was their workers who started attacking us. Coutinho even flung the bouquet at our workers, in a bid to provoke them," Tendulkar told reporters at the press conference held at the state BJP headquarters.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The initial motive of the 30-year-old Tamilian, who was arrested on Thursday for allegedly raping a British national near South Goa's Palolem beach village, was to rob her, Inspector General of Police Jaspal Singh said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters at the police headquarters, Singh said that the accused Ramachandran, a resident of Thanjavur, was previously arrested in connection with a theft at another beach village in North Goa earlier in December, but had escaped from the police custody.

"Primarily the motive was robbery. She was subsequently sexually assaulted also. All her belongings except the cash have been recovered, but now since he's in our custody. We will try to recover the cash also," Singh said.

A 42-year-old British tourist, a regular visitor to Goa, was raped and then robbed, as she was returning to her guest house from a railway station at 4.30 a.m.

Singh said that the accused was identified and arrested after he was seen on CCTV stalking the victim.

"He has also been involved in other theft cases at the Morjim village in North Goa," Singh further said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Despite forging collaborations to stop terror content online, we have much more to do and more tech companies must join to responsibly address terrorist content online, Google has said.

In June 2017, senior representatives from Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube came together to form the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT), a coalition to share information on how to best curb the spread of terrorism online.

"We understand that we must responsibly lead the way in developing new technologies and standards for identifying and removing harmful terrorist content," said Kent Walker, Senior Vice President of Global Affairs and Chair of GIFCT, in a blog post late on Thursday.

"Over the past year and a half, the forum also engaged smaller businesses around the world to discuss their unique needs and to share ways to responsibly address terrorist content online.

"With the UN's counter-terrorism directorate and the UN-initiated 'TechAgainstTerrorism' programme, we've worked with more than 100 tech companies on four continents," said Walker.

To enhance the understanding of the latest trends in online terrorist propaganda, GIFCT has been working with a research network led by the Royal United Services Institute.

"We are speaking with its network of eight think tanks around the world about how terrorist networks operate online, the ethics of content moderation, and the interplay between online content and offline actions," said Google.

That network will publish 10 academic papers over the next six months to benefit everyone working on the problem of terrorist content online.

Together with Google.org, the forum launched a $5 million innovation fund to counter hate and extremism. The fund gives grants to nonprofits that are countering hate, both online and offline.

"These are significant developments for the industry, but we know we have much more to do," said Walker.

"We will continue to expand our membership, vastly increase the size of our database of hashes, and do even more to help small companies and academic websites responsibly address terrorist content," he added.

--IANS

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The BJP's plans to take out Rath yatra rallies christened 'Save democracy rallies' in West Bengal again hit a roadblock, with a Calcutta High Court division bench on Friday quashing the order of a single bench that gave the conditional go-ahead to the programme.

The division bench comprising Chief Justice Debasish Kargupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar sent the case back to the single bench with a directive that the latter consider the intelligence inputs provided by the state agencies.

The Mamata Banerjee government had moved an appeal at the division bench against Thursday's single bench order and sought urgent hearing.

While setting aside the single bench's order, the division bench directed it to study afresh the 36 intelligence inputs from 31 police stations and five police commissionerates submitted by the state government before it.

The ruling came after state advocate general Kishore Dutta argued that the single bench had not considered the intelligence inputs and returned to the government without opening the sealed cover in which the inputs were given.

Dutta said the intelligence inputs had apprehended communal disturbances if the BJP's proposed programme was given the green light.

In an interesting development, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi pleaded as a counsel of the Director General of Police and the additional director general (law and order) and argued that the rally and the reception part of the programme would lead to huge traffic bottlenecks, inconveniencing commuters.

Sanghvi said with the BJP submitting that 1,500 people would take part in each of the three Rath Yatra rallies in the state, there would be a kilometre long bus convoy in each case, jeopardising vehicular movement. He said the police have no objection to the holding of meetings, and pointed out that nearly 2,100 such political meetings called by the saffron outfit in the last two years have got the nod in the state.

The police's objection was about the rally and reception part of the programme that could cause traffic chaos, he argued.

On Thursday, acting on a petition filed by the BJP against the government refusing permission for the rallies, the bench of Justice Tapobrata Chakraborty had given conditional permission to the programme, saying the organisers will be liable for any untoward incident or damage to public property.

The state government had last week rejected BJP's plea to hold the 'Rath Yatra', arguing there was "grave apprehension of major breach of peace and communal violence during and in the aftermath" of the programme.

The BJP had moved a single bench of the Calcutta High Court on December 17 after the Bengal government's decision and proposed December 22, 24 and 26 as fresh dates for the three Rath Yatra rallies.

The BJP was originally scheduled to hold three Rath Yatra rallies from north Bengal's Cooch Behar, South 24 Parganas district's Gangasagar and Birbhum district's temple town of Tarapith, flagged off by party president Amit Shah on December 7, 9 and 14 respectively. These rallies were meant to touch all 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state before converging at Kolkata in January.

Welcoming the order, the ruling Trinamool Congress said the BJP's plans to create unrest in the state would not succeed.

"We have full faith in the judiciary. The Rath Yatra is turning out to be the JP's bidai yatra (farewell rally). They don't have people with them. They want to foment trouble. Their eyes are on the chair, and not on the people. But they will not succeed," said Trinamool secretry general and state education and parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee.

BJP state vice president Jay Prakash Majumdar said his party would decide whether to approach the single bench of the High Court or move the Supreme Court.

"This government's constant objective is to not allow the opposition parties to hold their programmes. They are denying all democratic rights to the opposition," he said.

--IANS

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The BJP's plans to take out Rath yatra rallies christened 'Save democracy rallies' in West Bengal again hit a roadblock, with a Calcutta High Court division bench on Friday quashing the order of a single bench that gave conditional go-ahead to the programme.

The division bench comprising Chief Justice Debasish Kargupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar sent the case back to the single bench with a directive that the latter consider the intelligence inputs provided by the state agencies.

The Mamata Banerjee government had moved an appeal at the division bench against Thursday's single bench order and sought urgent hearing.

While setting aside the single bench's order, the division bench directed it to study afresh the 36 intelligence inputs from 31 police stations and five police commissionerates submitted by the state government before it.

The ruling came after state advocate general Kishore Dutta argued that the single bench had not considered the intelligence inputs and returned to the government without opening the sealed cover in which the inputs were given.

Dutta said the intelligence inputs had apprehended communal disturbances if the BJP's proposed programme was given the green light.

In an interesting development, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi pleaded as a counsel of the Director General of Police and the additional director general (law and order) and argued that the rally and the reception part of the programme would lead to huge traffic bottlenecks, inconveniencing commuters.

Sanghvi said with the BJP submitting that 1,500 people would take part in each of the three Rath Yatra rallies in the state, there would be a kilometre long bus convoy in each case, jeopardising vehicular movement. He said the police have no objection to the holding of meetings, and pointed out that nearly 2,100 such political meetings called by the saffron outfit in the last two years have got the nod in the state.

The police's objection was about the rally and reception part of the programme that could cause traffic chaos, he argued.

On Thursday, acting on a petition filed by the BJP against the government refusing permission for the rallies, the bench of Justice Tapobrata Chakraborty had given conditional permission to the programme, saying the organisers will be liable for any untoward incident or damage to public property.

The state government had last week rejected BJP's plea to hold the 'Rath Yatra', arguing there was "grave apprehension of major breach of peace and communal violence during and in the aftermath" of the programme.

The BJP had moved a single bench of the Calcutta High Court on December 17 after the Bengal government's decision and proposed December 22, 24 and 26 as fresh dates for the three Rath Yatra rallies.

The BJP was originally scheduled to hold three Rath Yatra rallies from north Bengal's Cooch Behar, South 24 Parganas district's Gangasagar and Birbhum district's temple town of Tarapith, flagged off by party president Amit Shah on December 7, 9 and 14 respectively. These rallies were meant to touch all 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state before converging at Kolkata in January.

--IANS

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At the receipt, the Vietnamese congress leader suggested the USDP president to continue promoting its role in mutual cooperation development between the two countries, especially supervising and inspecting implement of cooperation agreements between the governments in order to scale up Vietnam- Myanmar cooperation ties in multifaceted fields.



Mr. U Than Htay affirmed that USDP would actively contribute into pushing up the relationship between the two countries legal agencies.

BY HIEN THAO- Translated by Huyen Huong
In a setback to the Congress, the Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed a plea of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) challenging the Centre's October 30 direction asking the National Herald newspaper's publisher to vacate the Herald House within two weeks.

Justice Sunil Gaur said that if the House is not handed over to the Land and Development Officer within two week, the government can initiate proceeding under the provisions of Public Premises Act.

The court noted that by transfer of AJL's 99 per cent shares to Young Indian company, the beneficial interest of AJL's property worth Rs 413.40 crore stands clandestinely transferred to Young Indian Company. In fact, AJL has been hijacked by Young Indian, the court said.

"In the instant case, beneficial interest of petitioner AJL is not technically transferred by way of sale/mortgage/gift, but it falls under the last category of 'or otherwise', as by the afore-noted novel modus operandi, AJL has been taken over by Young Indian company for all practical purposes," the court said.

"This court is conscious of the fact that Young Indian company is a charitable company, but modus operandi to acquire 99 per cent of AJL's shares speaks volumes. The manner in which it has been done is also questionable."

During argument, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that transfer of 99 per cent shares of petitioner AJL to another company Young Indian violates Clause III(13) of the Lease Deed, which justifies cancellation of allotment and resumption of 'subject premises'.

The Urban Development Ministry had said the AJL's 56-year-old lease on Herald House had ended and asked it to vacate the premises by November 15.

The publisher had approached the High Court on November 12 challenging the Ministry's October 30 order.

The AJL told the court that it has been publishing the newspaper for decades. There was a temporary suspension due to financial trouble, but the newspaper and its digital media operations have now fully resumed.

The publication of the weekly 'National Herald on Sunday' was resumed on September 24, 2017 and it is published from the Herald House. On October 14, the AJL also resumed its weekly Hindi newspaper.

The government reportedly inspected the premises a few months ago and found that the area allotted to AJL was not being used for the publication of the newspaper for the past 10 years, the court was told.

The court observed that AJL has not disclosed as to what is the volume of the publication of their newspaper and the extent of circulation of petitioners' newspaper, both in print and online, across the country.

"What has been disclosed is that National Herald is a weekly newspaper and as regards the online publication of petitioners' newspaper, no data is forthcoming," the court said.

AJL has claimed that proceedings have been initiated for the purposes of scuttling the voices of dissent and the voice of the largest opposition party in the country.

The court also observed that AJL has not provided any instance to support its allegations of mala fide intention adopted by the ruling dispensation to

erase, efface and defame the legacy of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

"To say the least, the allegations of mala fide are preposterous and no note of these allegations is required to be taken. In the instant case, the allegations of mala fide levelled by petitioner (AJL) are bald and unspecific and so, no notice of these allegations is taken," the court said.

Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy had filed a complaint about "cheating" in the acquisition of AJL, which published the National Herald newspaper, by Young Indian, "a firm in which Sonia and Rahul Gandhi each own a stake."

Swamy accused Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi of allegedly conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying only Rs 50 lakh, by which Young Indian Pvt Ltd obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which AJL owed to the Congress.

--IANS

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Hezbollah's Deputy Leader Sheikh Naim Qassem has said resistance is the only way to confront Israel's aggression and violations in the region.

"When the resistance and its people and its will are present, Israel cannot achieve its goals in the region and it cannot exist among us in the future," he was quoted as saying by the National News Agency.

Qassem's remarks on Thursday came during the yearly memorial of the late Hezbollah militant Samir Kuntar, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said it is the resistance's right, and the right of the Palestinians to build their strength and use all the methods and means to confront Israel.

"You are not the ones who determine the quality and quantity of weapons that we use. The resistance will use all the means to win the battle, and to confront Israel and all its supporters," he said while sending a message to the international community.

Qassem said that Israel violates Lebanon's sovereignty without any reaction from the UN Security Council.

"Israel violated Lebanon's sovereignty over 150 times last month," he said. "Where are the Security Council and the international community when Lebanon's sovereignty is violated?" he asked.

Qassem's remarks also came a day following Israel's campaign at the UN Security Council against Hezbollah.

Israel called Wednesday on the council to act against Hezbollah after the discovery of four tunnels allegedly dug by the militant group into northern Israel.

--IANS

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In keeping with the Wuhan spirit in the wake of the informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in April this year, India and China on Friday identified 10 areas for boosting people-to-people cooperation.

Addressing the inaugural session of the third edition of the India-China High-Level Media Forum here after co-chairing the first-ever meeting of the India-China High-Level Mechanism on People-to-People Exchanges with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that Modi and Xi set the tone at the Wuhan informal summit for deepening cultural exchanges and people-to-people cooperation.

Xi hosted the Wuhan summit to improve bilateral ties after the armies of the two countries were in a face-to-face situation for 73 days at Doklam in the India-Bhutan-China international trijunction last year.

"Both our leaders believe that improving people-to-people ties will help in boosting bilateral relations," Sushma Swaraj said.

Stating that Friday's two-hour-long meeting was unique and different from all the earlier meetings she had with Wang in the last four years, she said that it focussed solely on bilateral cultural exchanges and people-to-people cooperation.

"Today, we identified 10 areas of people-to-people cooperation: cultural exchanges, films and television co-production, media, sports, youth affairs, tourism, exchanges between states and cities, traditional medicine, yoga and academics," Sushma Swaraj said.

"Both countries had very fruitful discussions and I am very satisfied," she said, adding that she was inspired by the positive approach from the Chinese side.

Stating that joint forums across different fields are designed to build trust among the two countries, the External Affairs Minister said that the media has a significant role to play in this.

"In the last 40 years, China developed fast through reforms and opening up the economy," she said.

"India will become a $5-trillion economy by 2025 and we will both benefit by cooperating with each other."

Expressing gratitude to the Chinese side for taking a number of positive steps after the Wuhan summit, Sushma Swaraj said that both Indian and Chinese armies are cooperating with each other now.

"Today, we are working together on a number of regional as well as international issues," she said.

"We are ending the year with a great sense of satisfaction."

On his part, Wang said that he fully agreed with Sushma Swaraj's positive comments about the meeting.

"Today's meeting was a full success," he said. "Our leaders have great expectations from cultural exchanges and people-to-people ties."

Wang said that mutual visits between the people of the two countries will be increased in the times to come as the current number is too small.

"Better people-to-people ties will be beneficial not only for China and India but also for the world," he said

"We will leverage our respective strengths in various sectors."

Stating that the first High-Level Mechanism meeting has been a good beginning, Wang said that it will benefit the 2.7 billion people of the two countries.

"China has just celebrated the 40th anniversary of reforms and opening up," he said.

"India, our most important neighbour, is also opening up and is developing fast."

Earlier, Modi in a message ahead of the meeting, said that as ancient civilisations and neighbours, India and China have been having deep cultural ties for ages.

"Today, the growing contacts and exchanges between our people will give new momentum to these ties," he said.

"This new mechanism is proof of the fact that cultural exchanges and people-to-people ties form an important part of our bilateral relations."

Modi said that these ties will become a new source of energy for the partnership between the two countries for rapid development.

--IANS

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President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday said that India looks forward to further strengthening bilateral relations with China based on mutual trust with due consideration to each others concerns, aspirations and sensitivities.

He made the remarks during his meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who called on him.

Kovind said India-China relations are an important part of India's foreign policy.

"As two major countries, expansion of cooperation bilaterally as well as regionally and internationally is in our mutual interest. India looks forward to its continued engagement with China for further strengthening of bilateral relations based on mutual trust and understanding, and with due consideration to each other's concerns, aspirations and sensitivities," he said.

The Chinese Foreign Minister is on a four-day visit to India.

--IANS

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The proverbial "wisdom of the crowd" is not all that reliable when it comes to Indian public, going by an online survey which revealed a wide gap between what people thought to be true and what actually was.

According to the MORI Perils of Perception Survey 2018, done by Ipsos India, an independent market research company, Indians stood at 12th rank in the "misperception index", behind several countries like, Italy, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Chile and Argentina, among others.

The countries which performed poorer than India were Thailand, Mexico, Turkey, Malaysia, and Brazil, which were ranked first in five, in that order.

Among the questions which revealed the wide chasm between what people perceived and what was real, was the number of Muslims in the country. Participants, who were asked this, guessed the number of Muslims in the country to be at 32 per cent of the total population, whereas the actual number was 14 per cent, the company said in a press release.

Their guess was even poorer when it came to number of immigrants in the country, which they estimated to be 24 per cent on average, while in reality immigrants constitute less than one per cent of the total population.

When the participants were asked about the size of Indian economy out of 200 countries, the people underestimated even that, putting it at 50th position, while in reality India is the seventh-largest economy of the world.

Most interesting was Indians' guess at how many times their compatriots engaged in sex in previous four weeks. Guessing liberally, they estimated women to be doing it 27 times and men to be at it 32 times. But the number stood much lower at three, for both the sexes.

The survey was conducted during September 28-October 16 this year in 37 countries online.

The people surveyed for the study in India were not nationally representative and referred by the surveyors as "Upper Deck Consumer Citizens".

--IANS

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Wrestling star and actor John Cena treated 21 children to a private screening of his new film "Bumblebee".

The WWE superstar along with the Make-A-Wish foundation rented out a private theatre for 21 kids to see "Bumblebee" here on Thursday, reports tmz.com.

The Empire State Building was lit in "Bumblebee" yellow colour, along with the blue Make-A-Wish star in the building tower, to celebrate the commitment to brightening lives of children.

Each child got bags, snacks and drinks and some time to hang out with the action hero.

Later on, Cena took some of the children to the Empire State Building where they posed for some photographs.

Cena has granted over 500 wishes to the Make-A-Wish Foundation -- making him the individual who has granted the most wishes. Cena and Hailee Steinfeld were joined by over 20 Make-A-Wish families in New York for this special celebration.

A Paramount Pictures movie, "Bumblebee" will be exclusively distributed in India by Viacom18 Motion Pictures. It will release on January 4 next year.

--IANS

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Intensifying his efforts to cobble up a Federal Front, Telangana Chief Minister and TRS President K. Chandrashekhar Rao on Friday announced that he will call on his Odisha and West Bengal counterparts early next week.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief will meet Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. On Monday he will call on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata.

After meeting the two leaders, KCR will reach New Delhi where he will have separate meetings with former Uttar Pradesh chief ministers Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav.

Buoyed by the landslide victory of TRS in the Assembly elections, KCR has decided to focus on national to work for cobbling up an alternative to both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress.

After the electoral victory on December 11, he had stated that a consortium of regional parties may emerge soon.

According to a statement from the Chief Minister's Office on Friday, the TRS has engaged a special flight for one month.

KCR, along with his family members, will fly by this aircraft to reach Visakhapatnam, the coastal city of Andhra Pradesh, on Sunday. They will visit Sharada Peetham and perform special prayers at Rajasyamala Temple. KCR will also seek the blessings of Swami Swarupanandendra and have lunch at the Ashram.

From Visakhapatnam airport, the TRS chief will proceed to Bhubaneshwar the same evening and call on Patnaik. After a night halt in the Odisha capital, he will visit the Konark Temple and Jagannadha Temple and return to Bhubaneswar and leave for Kolkata.

After a meeting with Banerjee, the Telangana Chief Minister will visit Kalimata Temple. Subsequently, he will leave for New Delhi, where he will stay for two-three days, said the statement.

KCR will make a courtesy call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will have meetings with some central ministers and discuss state related issues.

--IANS

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The first chocolate museum in the Middle East opened in Lebanon on Friday.

The museum is already present in Brussels, New York, Paris, Mexico and Prague.

"Today we are opening it in Lebanon for the first time in this (Middle Eastern) part of the world," Mohamad Hashwe, head of the board of directors of the museum, was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

The museum contains 350 paintings and artefacts, telling the story of chocolate and the development of this industry over the years.

The museum also has a training centre to provide courses for those interested in chocolate manufacturing, said Hashwe.

--IANS

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The Lok Sabha on Wednesday was adjourned till noon following ruckus created by Samajwadi Party (SP) and Trinamool Congress over various issues.

Soon after the House assembled, SP member Dharmendra Yadav stood on his seat and raised the issue about his party leaders and workers lathi-charged on Tuesday by the police in Prayagraj during protests triggered by the Uttar Pradesh government's denial of permission to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to travel to the city.

There was a white bandage on Dharmendra Yadav's forehead with visible blood and medicine marks on it.

The MP said his MLAs are being beaten up and that he as well as his colleagues were attacked.

As Speaker Smitra Mahajan did not allow him to speak saying he would be given time later, the Dharmendra Yadav protested.

He trooped near the Speaker's podium. He was joined by SP member and Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav, who joined the protest near the podium after taking blessings from her father-in-law Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Trinamool Congress party members also followed raising various issues against the Centre sloganeering "Modi kills democracy".

Mahajan tried to conduct the Question Hour but she was forced to adjourn the House till 12 p.m. over the pandemonium.

Earlier as the House met, the Speaker condoled the death of former Lok Sabha MP Kunjilal who died on January 7.

--IANS

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The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Friday after vociferous protests by the opposition over various issues, including the Rafale deal, bonded labourers rescued in Karnataka, Delhi sealing and Cauvery water dispute. The House will now meet on December 27, after Christmas.

As soon as the House met at noon after the first adjournment, official papers were laid on the table. The Zero Hour began.

Immediately, the Congress, AIADMK and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members trooped near the Speaker's podium and started sloganeering.

The Congress demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the 36 ready-to-fly Rafale fighter jets deal, while the AIADMK members demand that the proposal to construct a dam across the Cauvery river at Mekadatu must be withdrawn. The TDP raised several issues related to their demand for special status for Andhra Pradesh.

Amid the din, Bharatiya Janata Party's Prahlad Joshi raised the issue of labourers, who were rescued by the police in the Hassan district in Karnataka and demanded that a team of National Commission for SC/ST, Women and Human Rights should visit the spot and submit a detailed report.

The police in Savankamahalli village rescued 52 labourers, including Dalit bonded ones, who were enslaved and whipped. Reports said "kept in a small shed, these bonded labourers, including women and children, had lived for months and years in depraved conditions. There was no freedom, no wages and had to work for 17-hour a day. It was only after one of them managed to escape that the others were rescued".

"This horrifying incident has happened in the area from where the Karnataka Chief Minister (H.D. Kumaraswamy) hails. Karnataka government has not taken any proper action till now," Joshi said.

Trinamool Congess' Dinesh Trivedi also raked up the issue of the impact of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation on the MSME sector while Revolutionary Socialist Party's N.K. Premchandran raised the issue of Union Home Ministry's order that has allowed 10 central probe agencies to intercept and monitor information stored on any computer device.

Siromani Akali Dal's Prem Singh Chandu Majra demanded the government should initiate a process so that the British government should apologise for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

As the ruckus continued, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House for the day.

Before the adjournment, she took consent of the House to resume the proceedings on December 27 after Christmas vacation.

The House also witnessed an earlier adjournment when it met for the day during Question Hour session as the AIADMK, the TDP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members trooped near the Speaker's podium and started sloganeering in support of their various demands.

The AAP members led by Bhagwant Maan then demanded end of sealing in Delhi.

During the pandemonium Arakkonam MP G.Hari of the AIADMK tore some papers and through them towards the reporter's table.

Amid the din, the Speaker adjourned the House till noon.

--IANS

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on December 21, 2018

2018/12/22

Q: The US Department of Justice indicted two Chinese nationals on charges including conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft, accusing China of undermining the US cyber-security for a long time. What is your comment?

A: In response to the erroneous words and actions made by the US side on the cyber-security issue, China has made clear its stern position at the earliest time possible.

The US side fabricated stories out of nothing and made unwarranted accusations against China on the cyber-security issue. It "indicted" two Chinese nationals on the grounds of the so-called "cyber stealing". This move, with its egregious nature, has gravely violated the basic norms governing international relations and seriously damaged China-US cooperation. The Chinese side strongly opposes this and has lodged stern representations with the US side.

The Chinese government holds a consistent and clear position on the cyber-security issue. China is a staunch defender of cyber-security and has been firmly opposing and cracking down on all forms of cyber espionage. The Chinese government has never participated in or supported others in stealing commercial secrets in any form.

It has long been an open secret that relevant departments in the US have been engaging in large-scale and organized cyber stealing, spying and surveillance activities on foreign governments, enterprises and individuals. The US side making unwarranted criticisms of China in the name of so-called "cyber stealing" is blaming others while oneself is to be blamed, and this is self-deception. China absolutely cannot accept this.

We urge the US side to immediately correct its wrongdoings, stop defaming and discrediting China on the cyber-security issue, and withdraw its so-called indictment against the Chinese nationals so as to avoid seriously damaging bilateral relations and cooperation in relevant fields. China will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its cyber-security and interests.

I would like to add a few points here:

The US side was used to citing various anonymous sources or numbers that are "seemingly real" to accuse China of various things, which were later all proven wrong. This is nothing new. Not long ago, the Bloomberg Businessweek reported that Chinese hackers implanted microchips in the products of some of the US companies, including Apple and Amazon, to steal and channel out information. But Apple, Amazon and Supermicro all denied this story as soon as they could. Apple demanded a retraction of the report. Amazon said that there were many inaccuracies in the report, and no tampered hardware or problems arising from malware have been found. Supermicro said that the third-party's report did not identify any issues with suspicious chips or malware after a full review. We heard that Supermicro still reserves its right to pursue legal liabilities or take legal actions. Even the US Department of Homeland Security has publicly acknowledged that there was no evidence to prove that China has done such things. This time, the US side issued a so-called "indictment" on two Chinese people on the grounds of so-called "cyber-stealing", accusing them of infiltrating into the IBM and HP Enterprise. But I saw reports saying that the IBM has clarified in a statement saying that there is no evidence that sensitive IBM or client data have been compromised by China.

The US is the world's No.1 superpower. But it is filled with arrogance and selfishness. It has been leaving no stones unturned to suppress other countries' legitimate development rights because of its narrow-mindedness and zero-sum mindset in order to preserve its hegemony. It has gone so far to fabricate stories out of nothing. This is not what a superpower is supposed to do. A US like this augurs badly for world peace and development. In a long-term view, it is not helping its own interests.

Whether it is on cyber-security issue or on the so-called freedom of navigation that has been brought up before, some people in the US are so used to hurling groundless accusations at China and pinning various labels on us. Maybe they are convinced that "lies repeated a thousand times will become truth". But I want to tell them that lies will always be lies even if repeated ten thousand times. In this world, justice will always prevail over evil. Justice may be late to come, but it will come in the end.

Q: Sources familiar with the situation say that the detained Canadian citizen Michael Kovrig is being questioned throughout the day. He is not allowed to see a lawyer and is only allowed one consular visit a month by the Canadian diplomats. I knows that the Chinese government says that his lawful and legitimate rights are being protected. Does the government consider such treatment is indeed protecting his lawful rights?

A: I was wondering how you learned about this. Is that true?

The Chinese side has ensured Michael Kovrig's all legal interests, accorded him with humanitarian treatment, and provided necessary assistance to the Canadian side for its performance of consular duties in accordance with law. As to his specific situation, I would refer you to the relevant competent authority.

You are quite interested in how he was treated, but I was wondering if you ever cared about the treatment as well as the interests and rights of the Chinese citizen when she was illegally detained by the Canadian side at the request of the US?

Q: When taking questions on China-Russia ties at the annual press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke positively of the remarkable achievements of China's reform and opening-up over the past four decades and highly praised the Russia-China relations, saying that the cooperation between Russia and China in the international arena has become a factor of stability and predictability for the development of the international relations. What's your reaction?

A: We highly appreciate President Putin's positive remarks on China's achievements through reform and opening-up, which demonstrates the high political mutual trust and the high-standard comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between China and Russia.

The world today is far from tranquil, with increasing uncertainties and instabilities. In the face of profound and complex changes in the international landscape, the China-Russia relations have demonstrated rock-firm stability and injected many stabilizing factors into the complex and unstable world. The China-Russia strategic coordination has become a mainstay in upholding and promoting world security and stability.

President Xi Jinping and President Putin have deep friendship. They have met for four times in this year and exchanged visits to steer and guide the bilateral relations. The practical cooperation in such fields as investment and energy between the two sides have continued to deepen and achieved a host of positive outcomes. In particular, the cooperation on strategic projects in relevant areas has been advanced steadily, which demonstrates strong inherent driving forces and broad development prospect. The year of China-Russia sub-national cooperation and exchanges has been successfully held with close cultural and people-to-people exchanges. Specially, the two sides have maintained close strategic coordination in international affairs, advanced the political settlement process of hot-spot issues, championed multilateralism, opposed unilateralist acts and played a strategic stabilizing role in promoting world peace, stability, fairness and justice.

As the two countries will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Russia next year, we stand ready to work together under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state to further consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen strategic coordination, step up all-round cooperation across the board so as to ensure that the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between China and Russia will achieve more fruitful outcomes, bring more benefits to the two peoples and make greater contributions to promoting global and regional peace, stability, security and prosperity.

Q: What is China's take on the US plans to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan? Does it think that it will worsen the instability in these areas and what will China do? Some experts have said that they worry the US administration's real goal in reducing its commitments to the Middle East and Afghanistan is actually to focus its attention on the threat from China. What's your comment?

A: China's positions on the Syria issue and the Afghanistan issue remain consistent.

At present, the Syria issue is at a new crucial stage. The momentum for its political settlement is gathering. China maintains that the Syria issue should be resolved politically. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria be respected, and the future of Syria be determined independently by the Syrian people. We hope that all relevant parties could work together to create favorable conditions for an early launch of an inclusive Syrian-owned and Syrian-led political process so that a proper settlement for the Syria issue could be reached at an early date. This serves the common interests of all members of the international community.

Afghanistan is a friendly neighbor of China. China consistently supports Afghanistan's peace and reconciliation process owned and guided by the Afghan people. China will continue to make contributions to and work for the peace and reconciliation process of Afghanistan so that Afghan people could enjoy peace, security, stability and development at an early date.

Q: US lawmaker Marco Rubio and others said in a statement that they are deeply concerned by the escalating crackdown against Christians' religious freedom in China. It also said that Xinjiang Muslims are being detained and forced into labor. China "sinicizing" all religions are having a devastating toll. What is your comment?

A: Such a statement by US lawmaker Rubio is full of nonsense and is not worth refuting, because it is just another proof of the habitual arrogance, ignorance and egotism of some American individuals.

I just want to ask Senator Rubio two questions. First, does he know how many religions and religious believers China has? I wonder if he knows that China at the moment has five major religions, namely Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism, with nearly 200 million believers, about 144,000 places of worship registered for religious activities in China, and more than 380,000 clerical personnel. Chinese citizens are fully entitled to freedom of religious belief in accordance with the law.

Second, has he ever been to China or Xinjiang in particular? Does he understand the role and importance of the Xinjiang vocational training programs in combating terrorism and eradicating extremism? He seems confused about the fact that de-extremization and freedom of religious belief are two totally different things! Does he know that the local Chinese government is taking these preventive counter-terrorism and de-extremization measures to protect more people from being devoured by terrorism and extremism and to ensure the full and normal access to freedom of religious belief for more ordinary people! Would he like to do one real deed to take in all those affected by the extremist and terrorist forces and let them enjoy "absolute freedom" in the US?

Q: Can you comment on James Mattis' resigning as the US Defense Secretary?

A: We have no comment on this matter as it is the domestic affair of the US.

Q: Will the matter involving the accusations against the so-called hackers have any impact at all on the China-US trade negotiations going on right now?

A: I just said that we urge the US side to immediately correct its wrongdoings, stop defaming and discrediting China on the cyber-security issue, and withdraw its so-called charges against the Chinese nationals so as to avoid seriously damaging bilateral relations and bilateral cooperation in relevant fields.

Q: Yesterday, someone cited the New York Times story on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) where China and Pakistan plan to build some military equipment, including new fighter jets. Do you have any reaction to that?

A: This question was raised yesterday. I checked on it after the press conference. According to my information, the relevant report is not true.

The CPEC is an important cooperation framework with a view to the long-term cooperation and development between China and Pakistan in various fields, aiming to promote the economic and social development and enhance the livelihood of relevant regions. On December 20, the Joint Coordination Committee of the CPEC held its eighth meeting in Beijing. Going forward, the two sides will continue to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and consolidate the early harvest projects of the CPEC, in particular expanding the CPEC to such fields as the building of industrial parks and social livelihood.

Q: According to a report by the Voice of America (VOA), the World Bank warned about the possible severe consequences of the China-US trade war on December 20, advising China to intensify its efforts to correct unfair trade practices. What's your comment?

A: The report of the Voice of America is not accurate. We have also seen the report released by the World Bank, which pointed out that trade tensions and rising uncertainties could have an impact on global trade and income. The report positively affirmed the Chinese government's policy measures to address external risks, promote economic growth and boost investor's confidence, yet made no mention of "advising China to intensify its efforts to correct unfair trade practices".

As everyone knows, China has always supported open and free trade and firmly upheld the multilateral trading system. China doesn't want a trade war with any country. It is very clear what has led to and who is to blame for the current situation, and the international community also has a fair judgment on that. The heads of state of China and the United States successfully met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires. The economic and trade teams of both sides are working hard to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and advance consultations on economic and trade issues. In his important speech at the gathering in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening-up, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly stated that China will unswervingly deepen reforms in an all-round way, expand opening up, and continue to move forward reform and opening-up in the new era. The international community has responded positively to General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech and is full of confidence in China's investment environment and economic prospects.

Q: There was a report that the Vietnamese military has reportedly found a Chinese torpedo in relevant waters. Some thought that it may be strayed or something like this. Do you have more details?

A: I saw a brief news release issued by the Chinese Defense Ministry saying that they noted the news that "a Vietnamese fisherman in Phu Yen caught a Chinese torpedo". In early December, the Chinese navy lost a torpedo near the waters east of the Hainan Island while conducting drills, and it could have drifted to waters near Vietnam by currents. The torpedo is just a regular training dummy and not aimed at any target.
Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik has blamed the Odisha government for the delay in setting up an AYUSH hospital in Balasore district.

Replying to a letter of Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Naik said the state government is yet to submit the physical and financial progress of previously approved 50-bedded integrated AYUSH hospitals at Dhenkanal and Berhampur.

The non-submission of the progress report has led to the delay in the process of setting up the Balasore hospital.

The Minister said that the state government has submitted a proposal for setting up of a 50-bedded integrated AYUSH hospital in Balasore through the state annual action plan under the National AYUSH Mission (NAM) during 2018-19.

"However, the state government has not submitted the physical and financial progress of the earlier approved 50-bedded integrated AYUSH Hospitals," said Naik in a letter, which was released to the media on Friday.

AYUSH is the acronym for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.

The Ministry of AYUSH had sanctioned Rs 5 crore during 2016-17 and Rs 3 crore during 2017-18 for setting up of two units of 50-bedded integrated AYUSH hospitals at Dhenkanal and Berhampur, respectively.

"Therefore, Mission Directorate of National Ayush Mission has suggested that the state government has to utilise the previous sanctioned amount and submit the progress report to the Ministry of AYUSH," said the Minister.

He said the state government may project the proposal for setting up of up to 50-bedded integrated AYUSH hospital at Balasore through state annual action plan as per NAM guidelines.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Modi is obsessed with creating history everyday and if he can become the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Timbuktu he would do so whether it is necessary and impactful or not, says former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha.

There is one thing he has done which no Prime Minister has done before -- he has taken most of the existing government programmes and renamed them, so that the credit and glory accumulate to him, observes the former BJP leader in his book "India Unmade: How Modi Government Broke The Economy", a devastating essay on Modi and his government in the last four and a half years.

Sinha, who has been critical of the BJP-led government, has dedicated the book, published by Juggernaut Books, to "All those who are not afraid to pursue the truth" says Modi is the kind of man who wants to do everything himself.

In the chapter "Hail Caesar! Modi's Style of Functioning", the 81-year-old bureaucrat turned politician who was Minister of Finance and External Affairs in the Vajpayee government says Modi has centralised all decision-making powers in the government of India in himself, assisted by a few chosen officers in his PMO.

"However, he is known to be more interested in powerpoint presentations than in reading voluminous files. This is a pity. It means that he does not grasp the nuances that are stored in institutional memory. Perhaps it suits a man whose intellectual training lacks rigour at best (indeed, no one has seen his higher education degree in 'entire political science')," Sinha says in the book co-authored with journalist Aditya Sinha.

He says the government of India administration is driven by three centres: one, the prime minister and his PMO; the finance minister and his ministry; and three, the Planning Commission.

A politician used to head the Planning Commission earlier, but now it has been silenced and replaced by the Niti Aayog, where Modi has placed people who have zero influence on governance, Sinha says adding that leaves only two drivers of government.

The veteran politician, who had quit the IAS to join politics, observes that everyone knows how the finance minister's influence in government has declined to almost zero and he is unable to push things even in his own ministry.

"After all, why his finance secretary Hasmukh Adhia was involved in the infamous demonetisation exercise, the finance minister himself was in the dark. The finance secretary's proximity to the Prime Minister goes back to their days together in Gujarat.

"Everyone familiar with the functioning of the finance ministry is aware that independent political leadership of that ministry is absolutely essential to get things moving in the government."

Modi, he says, is unfortunately a man who is impatient with institutions. His faith in himself blinds him to the fact that he is not a king, that he is only the head of a parliamentary party with a majority that enabled it to form a government, and which is prescribed with limits by the Constitution that has inbuilt checks and balances.

Sinha says the cabinet is collectively responsible to parliament. But as an institution it has been turned into a rubber stamp for the prime minister's decisions.

"It is said that most cabinet ministers are not allowed to speak unless an item of their ministry is up for a decision. Modi stands on a different plane from the ministers, and he has no time for them, because they don't matter. Only he does, and he will rule through bureaucrats -- this appears to be his mantra," says Sinha.

The November 2016 demonetisation of high-value currency, for instance, was revealed to the cabinet only minutes before it was announced to the nation -- at no stage was it discussed with the collective political brains trust of the government.

He feels perhaps a wider discussion would have made it more effective in achieving any of the goals that Modi set for it again and again during that surreal winter.

Sinha refers to another big decision which took the concerned minister by surprise was the BJP's withdrawal of support to the PDP government in June this year with whom it was in a coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir.

"The home minister, who historically has been so important that he (L. K. Advani) has also been deputy prime minister, had just days earlier visited Jammu and Kashmir energetically with a peace initiative in mind. As soon as he heard the decision -- like everyone else, as it was breaking -- he scampered off home, unwilling to face his bureaucrats or the media."

Sinha also refers to the "most cavalier treatment" of External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj who was the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha. "She is trolled by lunatics on social media, and Modi goes on to congratulate some of those trolls for their activity on the internet on his behalf. She is not only kept out of important policy decisions, she does not even travel abroad with her Prime Minister."

This, he says, was in stark contrast to Vajpayee, who invited Sinha as foreign minister to accompany him on every foreign trip. He also observes that Modi did not take the Defence Minister into confidence while deciding on buying 36 Rafale fighter planes from France. "Vajpayee would never have done such a thing. But then it is my mistake to compare Modi to Vajpayee."

Writing about the campaign carried out by him along with former minister Arun Shourie and activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan on the Rafale deal, Sinha says, "despite Anil Ambani sending a 'cease and desist' notice to all and sundry on this clear case of undue favouritism, the nation awaits Modi's response."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K.Palaniswami on Friday condoled the death of S. Jayachandran, popularly known as the 'five rupees doctor'.

In a tweet Modi said: "Chennai-based Dr S Jayachandran is a hero. His was a life purely for the betterment of others."

The poor man's doctor, 71-year-old Jayachandran died on Wednesday. He had charged his patients Rs 2 since 1971 and later revised it to Rs 5 in 1998 as his consultation fee.

Palaniswami said Jayachandran wanted to be a doctor from his childhood to serve the poor.

For over 40 years Jayachandran gave good treatment to the poor patients, Palaniswami said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress on Friday accused the Narendra Modi government of turning India into a "surveillance state" over its order to put all computers under the watch of intelligence and investigating agencies, and said it was a direct assault on the fundamental right to privacy.

Addressing the media here, Congress leader and former Union Minister Anand Sharma said the government's move was unacceptable and the opposition will collectively raise the issue in Parliament.

"This is a very serious development, through this order the Modi government is turning India into a surveillance state.

"It is the ultimate assault on the fundamental right to privacy and is in direct conflict with the Supreme Court's order, which held right to privacy as a fundamental right," said Sharma.

He also claimed that a host of people including Supreme Court and High Court judges and politicians' phones were being tapped.

"We have raised the issue several times in Parliament that a large number of people, including politicians, judges, MPs and top government officials' phones were being tapped by the government.

"The latest order of putting all computers under surveillance is unacceptable in any democracy and we collectively oppose it. The opposition will unitedly raise this issue in Parliament.

"But as this government is unwilling to do, that is why it is not allowing Parliament to function," added Sharma.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala also attacked the Modi government over the issue.

"Modi government mocks and flouts the fundamental right to privacy with brazen impunity. Having lost elections, now wants to scan and snoop your computers. 'Big Brother Syndrome' is truly embedded in NDA's DNA," said Surjewala.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday issued an order giving 10 central agencies, including the CBI, the ED and the Delhi Police to "intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies' (NABCB) accreditation programme for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Certification Bodies has been accorded the recognition of equivalence in the Asia-Pacific region, the government said on Friday.

A Commerce Ministry release said that India's national accreditation body NABCB has signed the Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) of the Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC) earlier this week.

"The National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies has secured equivalence for its accreditation programme for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS) Certification Bodies in the Asia-Pacific region," it said.

"Any industry carrying ISO 45001 certificate with NABCB logo will be recognized in the Asia-Pacific region."

According to the Ministry, the immediate beneficiary of this equivalence is the Indian Industry which is exporting products to various countries, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.

"It can also be used by regulators for establishing confidence in certified units as Goa government has done by accepting OHSMS certification under NABCB accreditation in lieu of annual audits under the Factories' Act," the statement said.

NABCB can now facilitate the export of Indian goods by attesting that these are certified as per international standards by competent certifying bodies.

NABCB is the third accreditation body in the Asia-Pacific Region to become internationally equivalent in the region, the other two being the accreditation bodies of Hong Kong and Mexico.

The MLA with PAC would facilitate signing an MLA with International Accreditation Forum (IAF) to secure full international equivalence.

"IAF signatory member status signifies that the accreditation of certification bodies by NABCB for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems will be accepted as internationally equivalent," the statement said.

"NABCB has already secured international equivalence for its accreditation programmes for ISO 9001 certification bodies in 2002 and ISO 14001 certification bodies in 2007."

Accreditation bodies that are signatories to the PAC's MLA are evaluated regularly by an appointed team of peers to ensure confidence in the operation of their accreditation programs, the government said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Reiterating the Congress demand, senior party leader P Chidambaram on Friday said the next Parliament would constitute a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to inquire into the controversial Rafale deal the NDA government had signed with the French aerospace major Dassault Aviation in 2016.

"If the present Parliament does not constitute a JPC, the next Parliament will constitute it to probe the Rafale deal," said former Union Finance Minister at the party's state unit office here.

Observing that the main opposition party was not satisfied with the answers of the government on the deal, Chidambaram said Rafale would be an important issue in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, as it was live in the recent assembly elections in Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

"A defence deal worth Rs 60,000 crore that will leave the country with only 36 fighters as against 126 aircraft contracted for under the UPA government cannot go unchallenged or unexamined," asserted Chidambaram.

Accusing the NDA government of misleading even the Supreme Court, the former minister said the party was asking the people to support its demand for a JPC probe into the deal.

"The apex court rested its judgement on the basis that it did not have the jurisdiction to go into various aspects of a defence procurement after accepting the governmentas claim and declining to examine their correctness. In the process, the top court committed a grave error by observing that the Comptroller and Audit General of India (CAG) had examined the deal when it did not," he said.

Chidambaram's demand for JPC comes soon after party president Rahul Gandhi and its senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge made the same demand in the current winter session of Parliament in New Delhi since December 11.

The Supreme Court on December 14 dismissed four petitions seeking a probe into the purchase of 36 Rafale fighters in a fly-away condition from Dassault, saying it could "not scrutinise each aspect of the acquisition".

The Congress leader also questioned the government's intent to scrap the earlier negotiations for the fighter held by the previous UPA government to enter into a new agreement with Dassault.

The multi-million dollar deal the UPA government did not finalise had envisaged the city-based Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) manufacturing 108 of the 126 Rafale aircraft under licensed production, with 18 delivered in a fly-away condition to the Indian Air Force (IAF) by Dassault by 2022.

Scrapping the previous deal at the price negotiations stage, the BJP-led government signed another deal in 2015 with the French government to buy 36 Rafale fighters in flying condition for an estimated $54 billion.

"Though 95 per cent of the discussions concluded after Dassault Chief Executive Eric Trappier visited HAL in Bengaluru in 2012, the NDA government had scrapped them (discussions) in April 2015 and entered into a new agreement for buying only 36 Rafale jets," recalled Chidambaram.

The Congress leader also recalled then Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar saying on April 8, 2015 that the Rafale deal was not on the agenda during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Paris for discussion with then French President Francois Hollande.

"On April 10, 2015 the NDA government entered into a new agreement to buy 36 Rafale aircraft instead of 126 by cancelling the earlier agreement. Why? The Prime Minister and the Union Finance Minister (Arun Jaitley) are hiding the fact," added Chidambaram.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
There will be mellow sunshine and no snowfall on Christmas Day at most of the tourist destinations in Himachal Pradesh as the weather bureau on Friday predicted dry weather will continue to prevail in the state.

"No significant western disturbance is active in the region. Most of the towns in the state will witness sunny days for 8-10 days," Manmohan Singh, director of Shimla's Met office, told IANS.

But temperatures have been unusually low in most of the popular tourist spots like Shimla, Narkanda, Kasauli, Manali, Dalhousie and Chamba.

Keylong, the headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti district, was the coldest place with the minimum temperature dipping to 7.6 degrees Celsius below the freezing point.

The night temperature in capital Shimla was 5.5 degrees Celsius, whereas Kalpa, some 250 km from here, saw a low of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius.

It was minus 1.4 degrees Celsius in Manali and 6.6 degrees in Dharamsala and 6.2 degrees in Dalhousie.

But excited holidaymakers, mainly from the northern states, have already started descending on tourist resorts across the state.

"This weekend almost all our hotels have been packed to capacity," a senior official with the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) told IANS.

The HPTDC has 57 economy and high-end hotels across the state.

He said the arrival of the tourists in Shimla, Narkanda, Manali, Dalhousie, Dharamsala and Palampur is quite good.

The mountain peaks viewed from Shimla's historic Ridge have been wrapped in a thick white blanket of snow.

Popular resort Manali is getting a good share of tourists as its nearby hills have plenty of snow.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The diverse flora, fauna, people and culture of the North-East are attracting tourists but more efforts at conservation are required, a conservationist said at a book launch here.

"Tourism has increased in the North-East during Sanghai Festival in Manipur, Hornbill Festival in Nagaland and people are showing interest in the human life. Tourism has been beneficial but I don't think that it has helped in conservation of biodiversity," Biswajit Roy Chowdhury, member of State Wildlife Board, told IANS on the sidelines of the launch of his book, "North East India: Bio-resources, People and Culture" at the iconic Oxford Bookstore on Thursday.

The book is part of his research work on bio-resources.

"But this book is more of a popular thing, so there are mentions of the latest species and discoveries but in-depth study is not given," Roy Chowdhury said.

Dinabandhu Sahoo, the first Indian student to visit Antarctica during 1987-88 as part of the 7th Indian Scientific Expedition, is the co-author. The book contains amazing photographs and thoughtful explanation of the land.

The book aims to portray the vivid images of Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak of the world, deciduous Sal forest, endemic and endangered animals like red panda, one-horned rhinoceros, Satyr tragopans, species of rhododendrons, etc.

Describing the North-East as "diverse and fascinating", US Consul General in Kolkata Patti Hoffman said she was charmed by the beautiful terrains, people, languages, diverse culture, tribes, dance, music, costumes, diverse wildlife, diverse history, diverse neighbours and international borders when she visited Assam, Sikkim, Manipur and Nagaland.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Facing attack over its order allegedly allowing various intelligence and investigating agencies and the Delhi Police to intercept, monitor and decrypt any computer, the Union Home Ministry on Friday issued a clarification, saying the notification "does not confer any new powers" and "every individual case will continue to require prior approval" of the Ministry and the state government.

The statement of the Ministry said that "adequate safeguards" were provided in the Information and Technology (IT) Act 2000 and similar provisions and procedures already existed in the Telegraph Act along with identical safeguards.

"The present notification is analogous to the authorisation issued under the Telegraph Act. The entire process is also subject to a robust review mechanism as in case of Telegraph Act.

"Every individual case will continue to require prior approval of Home Ministry or state government. MHA has not delegated its powers to any law enforcement or security agency," said the statement.

Mentioning some points on lawful interception or monitoring or decryption of information through computer resource, the Ministry cited Rule 4 of the IT (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules 2009.

It said the rule provides that the competent authority may authorise an agency of the government to intercept, monitor or decrypt information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource for the purpose specified in sub-section (1) of Section 69 of the 'Act'.

"The statutory order dated December 20 has been issued in accordance with rules framed in year 2009 and in vogue since then. The notification has been issued to notify the ISPs (Internet Service Providers), TSPs and intermediaries to codify the existing orders.

"Each case of interception, monitoring, decryption is to be approved by the competent authority like Union Home Secretary," said the statement.

Referring to Rule 22 of the IT (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules 2009, the Ministry order said all such cases of interception or monitoring or decryption are to be placed before the review committee headed by Cabinet Secretary, which shall meet at least once in two months to review such cases.

"In case of state governments, such cases are reviewed by a committee headed by the Chief Secretary concerned."

The notification issued on December 20 will help to ensure that any interception, monitoring or decryption of any information through any computer resource is done as per due process of law, it said.

"Notification about the agencies authorised to exercise these powers and preventing any unauthorised use of these powers by any agency, individual or intermediary. The above notification will ensure that provisions of law relating to lawful interception or monitoring of computer resource are followed and if any interception, monitoring or decryption is required for purposes specified in Section 69 of the IT Act, the same is done as per due process of law and approval of competent authority like Union Home Secretary," the statement added.

The Home Ministry's December 20 order issued by Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba gave the interception powers to the Intelligence Bureau, National Investigation Agency (NIA), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Narcotics Control Board, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Cabinet Secretary (RAW), Directorate of Signal Intelligence (for service areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Northeast and Assam only) and the Commissioner of Police, Delhi.

The notification made it clear that any subscriber or service provider person in charge of any computer resource is bound to extend all facilities and technical assistance to these agencies.

In case any person or entity refuses to cooperate, it "will face seven years in jail and a fine".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said the Supreme Court should intervene to check the powers to snoop on computers that the Central government has given to various agencies.

Reacting to the Central government's decision to give powers to snoop on official and personal computers to central agencies, Omar Abdullah said in his Twitter handle: "Given that the government has now authorised multiple agencies to snoop on the personal & official computers of the Hon'ble judges of the Supreme Court, I hope the SC takes a long hard look at the legality of the order."

The order passed late on Thursday by the Cyber and Information Security division of the Union Home Ministry authorises 10 central agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate, to intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer.

--IANS

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(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.
The Opposition on Friday attacked the BJP-led government over its order allowing 10 central security and investigative agencies and Delhi Police to intercept, monitor and decrypt any computer, terming this a breach of right to privacy and describing it as a "surveillance and Orwellian" state.

"Through this order the BJP government is converting India into a surveillance state. It is an ultimate assault on the fundamental rights and Rights to Privacy," Congress leader Anand Sharma told reporters outside Parliament.

He said that the order was also in direct conflict with the Supreme Court judgement that "right to privacy is a fundamental right".

"The government has done it by strength we collectively oppose it. This gives unlimited powers to all these agencies to monitor every information," he added.

Senior Congress leader and former Home Minister P. Chidambaram said if anybody is going to monitor computers, then it is an Orwellian state.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also took to Twitter to attack the Centre's order.

"I have come to know that Union Home Ministry has issued an order yesterday authorising 10 Central Agencies to carry out interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource.

If it is for National Security, then only for that purpose Central Government already has the machinery. But, why all commoners will be affected? Public Opinion please... Blanket surveillance is bad in law," she said.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Manoj Jha said, "We have seen their modus-operandi through whatever we learnt from the corridors of te CBI. This goes on to confirm that we are living in an Orwellian state. It is a challenge and dangerous to the media also."

Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav described it as a "dangerous order" and alleged that the government was moving on the path of dictatorship.

"The decision is very dangerous and the government has started to move on the path of dictatorship," he said.

Yadav also said that the government has taken the step after its losses in the recently- concluded Assembly polls.

"I want to warn them that this order is in their hands only for four months and after that a new government would be here. So they should not dig holes for themselves," the SP leader added.

Communist Party on India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury also criticised the government for treating every citizens like a criminal and described the order as unconstitutional.

"Why is every Indian being treated like a criminal? This order by a government wanting to snoop on every citizen is unconstitutional and in breach of the telephone tapping guidelines, the privacy Judgement and the Aadhaar judgement," Yechury tweeted.

The remarks of the opposition leaders came on a Home Ministry order that allowed 10 central intelligence and investigating agencies and the Delhi Police to intercept, monitor and decrypt "any information" generated, transmitted, received or stored in "any computer".

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala also took to twitter and attacked the government.

"This time, attack on privacy. Modi government mocks and flouts Fundamental 'Right to Privacy' with brazen impunity! Having lost elections, now wants to scan/snoop your computers? 'Big Brother Syndrome' is truly embedded in NDA's DNA!," Surjewala said.

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said, "The sweeping powers given to agencies to snoop phone calls and computers without any checks and balances is extremely worrisome. This is likely to be misused."

"The Government order giving a blanket approval to electronic surveillance is a direct assault on civil liberties and personal freedom of citizens," he tweeted," Patel added.

AIMIM and Lok Sabha member, Asaduddin Owaisi, said: "Modi has used a simple government order to permit our national agencies to snoop on our communications. Who knew that this is what they meant when they said 'ghar ghar Modi'.

"George Orwell's Big Brother is here and welcome to 1984," he had tweeted late on Thursday.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan has rejected India's request to swap Kartarpur with another piece of land in order to make it a part of India.

"There is absolutely no question of any land swap," said Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal here on Thursday, on being asked whether his country would consider handing over the Kartarpur land to India in a swap deal.

Pakistan opened the Kartarpur border in November to facilitate visa free pilgrimage by Indian Sikhs to Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in Narowal district, where Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18 years of his life.

"The Kartarpur Corridor was a gesture for the Sikh minority community made on their request to provide a visa free corridor, facilitating their visit of a shrine of importance to them."

"The decision to open the Kartarpur Corridor was taken at the state-to-state level and the Indian government was fully involved in it," Faisal added.

The Indian Punjab Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution on December 14, seeking a land swap deal between the two neighbours on Kartarpur.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President of India Ram Nath Kovind on Friday arrived here on a four-day southern sojourn.

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and other top officials received Kovind at the Air Force Station, Hakimpet.

Telangana's Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, Legislative Council Chairman Swami Goud, former Assembly Speaker Madhusudhana Chary, Chief Secretary S.K. Joshi, Director General of Police Mahender Reddy and top defence and police officials were among those who welcomed Kovind.

The President later reached Rashtrapati Nilayam in Secunderabad, where he will stay till December 24.

He will visit Karimnagar on Saturday inaugurate the Centre of Excellence for Sickle Cell Anaemia, Thalassemia and other genetic blood disorders at Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences.

The President will host a reception for senior dignitaries of the state, ministers, officials, leading citizens and academics at Rashtrapati Nilayam on Sunday.

He will return to New Delhi on Monday.

Authorities have made elaborate arrangements for the President's stay, with the sprawling Rashtrapati Nilayam being spruced up.

This is the second southern sojourn of Kovind after he assumed the highest office. Last year too, he had spent four days at Rashtrapati Nilayam.

Kovind's predecessors used to have their southern sojourn for 10 to 15 days.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP President Amit Shah on Friday hit back at Congress President Rahul Gandhi on the government order for monitoring of all computers, saying he was doing "fear-mongering" and playing with the national security.

"Yet again Rahul (Gandhi) does fear-mongering and plays with national security. UPA put no barriers on unlawful surveillance. When Modi government puts safeguards for citizens, Rahul cries conspiracy.

"Why are you lying so much and what is the fear that you are hiding," he said in a series of tweets.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief also attacked the Congress saying that there were only "two insecure dictators" in the history of the country.

"There were only two insecure dictators in the history of India. One imposed emergency and the other wanted unrestricted access to read letters of common citizens.

"Guess who were they, Rahul Gandhi?" he said in an apparent reference to late prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

Shah's remarks came soon after Gandhi called Modi an "insecure dictator".

Earlier, the Congress chief said: "Converting India into a police state isn't going to solve your problems, Modi Ji. It's only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians what an insecure dictator you really are."

The BJP and Congress traded barbs after the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday issued an order giving 10 central agencies, including the CBI, the ED and the Delhi Police among others to "intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group's FMCG business is expected to break-even by March 2020, an official said on Friday.

Responding to a shareholder's question on "when will the demerged units be profitable" at the CESC (Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation)'s Annual General Meeting, Group's Chairman Sanjiv Goenka said: "Spencer's is already almost there (to become profitable).

"For FMCG, it will take some time. It is a peculiar situation. The more you grow, at one stage, your losses increase and after a certain point of time, it starts getting into profit. I think the inflection point (break even) will come somewhere around March 2020 or thereabout and till then, there will be losses at that company (FMCG)."

Notably, the group's flagship company CESC's board had approved a restructuring plan to demerge the large businesses into four separate entities -- power generation, power distribution, retail and other businesses.

According to its latest Annual Report, it has obtained the necessary clearance from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and stock exchanges. After that, a draft Restructuring Scheme was submitted to the Natonal Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), Kolkata Bench, in September 2017.

In March 2018, the NCLT passed an order sanctioning the scheme with a direction that the part of the scheme providing for demerger of CESC's generation undertaking shall be effective upon obtaining approval of the West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission (WBERC) on the Power Purchase Agreement between CESC and the generation undertaking proposed to be demerged.

"Your Company made an application in April 2018, seeking WBERC's approval. At the time of writing this letter, the approval is awaited," the report said.

Goenka also said the group's multi-format retailer has reached profit-before-tax (PBT) level in the first six months of the current fiscal.

"Spencer's for the first six months actually got to a PBT break-even... This is a very strong step forward," he told shareholders.

Asked about timeline for "demerged companies to be listed", he said, it is pending with the stock exchanges.

He said the company would set up electric vehicles charging stations and the first one is already "ready".

Goenka said all the group companies are contributing to its corporate social responsibility fund and the group is planning to set up an educational institution for which it is looking for land.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Rajya Sabha was on Friday adjourned for the day amid ruckus over the government order to give central investigative agencies and the Delhi Police sweeping powers to intercept computers.

As soon as the House reassembled at 2.30 p.m after an earlier adjournment, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad raised the issue of interception order issued by the Union Home Ministry on Thursday.

His party colleague Anand Sharma also joined in raising the issue.

Intervening amidst protests and slogan shouting by opposition members on the issue, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley accused the Congress of playing with the security of the country and making "a mountain where even a mole hill does not exist."

He said that the government had only "repeated" the same order of authorisation that was existing since 2009.

As per the Thursday's order, 10 agencies including the Intelligence Bureau, RAW and the Delhi Police, can "intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource" under the Information and Technology Act, 2000.

To this Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said that he has a copy of the order of the Ministry of Home Affairs and added that "nowhere in the order national security has been mentioned".

Jaitley replied: "It (national security) is mentioned in Section 69... And you are playing with the security of the country. That is what you have done just now."

This led to heated exchange between the opposition and treasury benches.

Deputy Chairman Harivansh pleaded to the members to restore order in the House. As both sides refused to relent, the Chair adjourned the House for the day.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Rajya Sabha was on Friday adjourned till 2.30 p.m. soon after it met for the day.

After the papers were laid, MoS for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel said the government was ready to discuss all matters. He requested the members to not bring any placards in the House.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said the Opposition was ready for discussion on all the pertinent matters including Rafale but the government must ensure a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Rafale deal.

This led to an uproar in the House. Meanwhile, a few Congress MPs trooped to the Chair's podium holding placards.

Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu asked the members to let the House function.

He said there were very few working days left and some important bills were pending. Also, discussion on other issues of public importance was waiting to take place.

However, as the din continued, he adjourned the House till 2.30 p.m.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At one point in time, the Sohrabuddin Shaikh and Tulsiram Prajapati shootouts and the alleged rape-cum-murder of Kausar Bi, the former's wife, had shaken Gujarat's political, bureaucratic and police establishments.

After 12 years, the curtains have finally downed on this politically-sensitive case that kept many bigwigs on tenterhooks for over a decade.

Here is a brief time-line of the major highlights during the period. (Wherever confirmed specific dates are not available only the month is mentioned):

2005:

Nov 22 - Sohrabuddin Shaikh and his wife Kausar Bi, travelling by bus from Hyderabad to Sangli in Maharashtra, intercepted and detained by Gujarat ATS team; taken away in separate vehicles

Nov 25 - While Sohrabuddin and his wife were lodged in Disha Farmhouse on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, their associate Tulsiram Prajapati arrested from Ahmedabad and packed off to Udaipur, to face trial in a case pending against him

Nov 26 - Sohrabuddin later taken to an isolated spot and gunned down in an allegedly 'staged encounter' by police personnel of Gujarat and Rajasthan. The police later claimed that Sohrabuddin was linked with terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and was planning to gun down an important political functionary, presumably then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, now the Prime Minister

Nov 29 - Kausar Bi, who was a witness to her husband's killing, was allegedly raped and burnt and her body disposed off in Gujarat's Illol village

December - Shrabuddin's brother Rubabuddin writes to the Chief Justice of India alleging fake encounter in the kiling of his brother and Kauser Bi. The Supreme Court asks the Gujarat Police to probe

2006:

Dec 27 - Prajapati was being brought from Udaipur Central Jail by a police team from the two states on a transit remand, but he reportedly tried to flee and was gunned down in an alleged 'staged encounter' near Sarhad Chhapri on the Gujarat-Rajasthan border.

2007:

Early in 2007, Tulsiram Prajapati's mother, Narmadabai Prajapati, writes to the Supreme Court on her son's death in an encounter and demands a CBI probe

April 30 - Gujarat police submitted a report to the Supreme Court saying Kausar Bi is dead, her body burnt and disposed off. The submission came in a plea filed a year before by Sohrabuddin's brother, Rubabuddin, and other family members seeking investigations into the encounter case of his brother and the disappearance of Kausar Bi. The apex court orders a probe by the Gujarat CID

2010:

Jan - Expressing displeasure over the shoddy probe by Gujarat CID, the SC hands over the Sohrabuddin-Prajapati encounter case and the Kausar Bi death probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)

July 23 - After its detailed investigations, the CBI files charge-sheets against 37 accused including the then Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah, then Rajasthan Home Minister G.C. Kataria and several IPS officers.

July 25 - Causing a major sensation, CBI arrests Amit Shah in the case, claiming he was the kingpin, and charges him with various offences.

Oct 8 - A Special CBI Court in Gujarat rejects Shah's bail plea.

Oct. 29 - After spending over three months in jail Gujarat High Court grants bail to Shah on a Rs 100,000 bond

2012:

April 8 - SC clubs the trial in the killing of Sohrabuddin, Kausar Bi and Prajapati in veiw of a common thread binding the three cases

Sept 27 - Following doubts raised in various quarters, including Sohrabuddin's family, the SC transfers the sensitive case from Ahmedabad to Mumbai, as sought by the CBI, to ensure a free and fair trial

2014:

July 9 - Barely three months after the NDA assumed power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, Amit Shah elected BJP President

Dec 1 - Special CBI Judge B.H. Loya, who was hearing the case, dies of a heart attack in Nagpur

Dec 30 - The Special CBI Court in Mumbai disharges Shah from the Sohrabuddin encounter case, along with 15 others, including senior IPS officers

2015:

Nov - Rubabuddin movs the Bombay High Court challenging Amit Shah's discharge; later withdraws the petition

Dec - Social crusader Harsh Mander also movs the Bombay HC against Shah's discharge

2016:

Jan 24 - As the case progresses in the courts, Amit Shah re-elected BJP President for a second term

April - Bombay HC dismisses Mander's plea, observing he has no locus standi in the matter, following which he movs the SC

Aug - SC also rejects Mander's appeal challenging the Bombay HC verdict

2017:

Oct. - Special CBI Court in Mumbai frames charges against the remaining 22 accused in the case

Nov - Special CBI Judge S. J. Sharma commences the trial. The prosecution examines 210 witnesses over the next one year, of which 92 turn hostile

2018:

Jan 14 - Judge Loya's son, Anuj B. Loya, holds a media briefing in Mumbai and states the family no longer had any 'suspicions of a conspiracy' in the death

April 19 - Dismissing a writ petition, Supreme Court rules that Judge Loya's death was natural

Sep - Bombay HC upholds the Special CBI Court discharge granted to senior IPS officers in the case

Nov 23 - Special CBI Court completes examination of witnesses and recording of statements of all the accused under Section 313 of the Cr.PC.

Dec 5 - The Special Court completes hearing the final arguments between the defence and prosecution and announces December 21 as the date of verdict

Dec 21, 2018 - Mumbai Special CBI Court Judge S. J. Sharma acquits all 22 accused in the case, mostly lower-level police officers, observing that the CBI failed to establish the charges against them.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Four militants, including Taliban commander Mullah Qadir, were killed in a clash in Afghanistan's Parwan province on Friday, the police said.

The incident took place in Qadir Khil village of Jabal Seraj district early morning, provincial police chief Mohammad Mahfoz Walizada told Xinhua news agency. Qadir was the chief of the military commission of the Taliban in the province.

The clash erupted after Qadir forcibly took a car from a person and was driving to an unknown location, when a rival Taliban commander intercepted the car and opened fire killing the four militants, including Mullah Qadir on the spot and injuring another.

Walizada said that Qadir's elimination can prove a major blow to the armed group.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
While the buzz around Artificial Intelligence (AI) gained ground in 2018, tech giants decided to utilise the Machine Leaning (ML)-based algorithms not just to help enterprises drive growth but also improve healthcare globally and India became an early adaptor.

Most of the year went into the debate on democratising or creating an ethical AI. In the meantime, real work took off on developing AI-based predictive models capable to perform human tasks such as visual perception, speech recognition, brain-computer network and translation between languages.

Today, only one in 10 people with disabilities globally has access to assistive technologies and products.

In May, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella kicked off "AI for Accessibility" -- a $25 million, five-year programme for developers globally including in India.

The programme has put AI tools in the hands of developers to accelerate the development of accessible and intelligent AI solutions for nearly one billion people with disabilities.

Designed for the low-vision community, one such Microsoft app called "Seeing AI" is harnessing the power of AI to describe people, text and objects. It can tell visually-impaired persons what is around them.

Amazon's Cloud arm Amazon Web Services (AWS) has a ML service called SageMaker that is helping developers create AI models for health care. GE Healthcare is training computer vision models with Amazon SageMaker that are then deployed in its MRI and X-Ray devices.

Amazon Comprehend Medical is a natural language processing (NLP) service for medical text which uses ML to extract disease conditions, medications and treatment outcomes from patient notes, clinical trial reports and other electronic health records.

Google is also using AI models on smartphones to help the blind. It is working on an app called "Lookout" that uses image recognition and AI to describe a scene through a phone's camera.

Touted as the world's "most human" AI assistant, Amelia -- created by New York-headquartered AI company Ipsoft -- combines automation, cognitive and emotional intelligence with ML capabilities to perform as a digital colleague.

Amelia allows patients to self-manage in scheduling doctors' appointments, tests and medicines. She also offers condition-specific advice and well-curated health management tips.

As tech giants began training AI for health care, the "AI for accessibility" dream also reached India in big way in 2018.

In December, Google announced it has developed an AI model that can detect diabetic retinopathy with a level of accuracy on par with human retinal specialists.

Google is working on rolling out this diabetic retinopathy initiative in clinics in India with Verily -- an Alphabet-owned company which works on life sciences research and development.

According to Google, the new assistive technology can help doctors and staff screen more patients in less time, sparing people from blindness through a more timely diagnosis.

NITI Aayog in October entered into a partnership with Microsoft to deploy AI technologies in areas such as agriculture, health care, natural language computing and sustainable environment.

In a novel effort to predict the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among the Indian population, Microsoft India and Apollo Hospitals in August launched the first-ever AI-powered heart disease risk score API (application programme interface).

Part of Microsoft's "AI Network for Healthcare" initiative, it will help doctors across the Apollo network of hospitals leverage the AI-powered API to predict risk of CVD and drive preventive cardiac care across the country.

The company also applied AI to devices for early detection of diabetic retinopathy to prevent blindness. Microsoft India also announced a partnership with SRL Diagnostics to expand the "AI Network for Healthcare" to pathology to detect cancer.

The Telangana government also adopted Microsoft Intelligent Network for Eyecare (MINE), which was developed in partnership with Hyderabad-based LV Prasad Eye Institute.

MINE uses ML and advanced analytics to predict regression rates for eye operations, enabling doctors to pinpoint the procedures needed to prevent and treat visual impairments.

The Telangana government is already using Microsoft's Cloud-based advanced analytics solution to screen children from birth to 18 years of age for major conditions affecting their health.

In October, global health technology firm Philips selected 19 start-up companies for its first global start-up collaboration programme that is focused on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.

The programme focuses on the application of AI-based clinical decision support tools, such as image interpretation, analysis and integration and workflow tools, such as intelligent treatment plans for radiology, ultrasound and oncology.

IBM in November joined hands with IIT-Delhi (IIT-D) to partake in a multi-year research collaboration on AI in India, with a focus on sectors such as healthcare and medicine.

According to Nadella, recent advances in AI have been "pretty stunning" but what the humanity is going to see soon will be even more profound across the spectrum and health care is set to become an AI-first industry, with 2018 setting up the pace.

(Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Writing on his Twitter feed, the MP said: Unbelievable, children should receive an education for a better future, not be educated for hate and violence? Federal government must provide an explanation. German tax money should not flow into terror propaganda.

Citing an investigation by education monitoring group Impact-se, the Bild report charged Palestinian textbooks as being full of instances in which terrorism is praised.

The Black September attack and Palestinian airplane hijackings are presented to schoolchildren as success stories that should be emulated, the report said. The murders of the Israeli athletes are only described as a strike against Zionist interests abroad, the report outlined.

The textbooks described female terrorist Dalal Mughrabi as a heroine and martyr. Mughrabi was behind Israels most lethal terror tragedy with the 1978 hijacking of a bus that claimed the lives of 38 Israelis, including 13 children. Several PA schools and events have been named after.

One instance said that Israels existence on a map of the region was left out altogether.

Germany has said it would launch an independent investigation of Palestinian school books with results expected in early 2019.

The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author of the article and not necessarily shared or endorsed by SteadfastAndLoyal.com

The books promote hate against Jews and do not even mention the existence of Israel. Frank Muller-Rosentritt, of the Free Democratic Party, has demanded that Merkel explain why Germany is paying for the anti-Semitic books. The textbook praises the Black September groups murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.That looks especially bad coming from the same country that tried to exterminate the Jewish population from the face of the Earth.
The Twitter stock nosedived over 12 per cent after a famed Wall Street analyst dubbed the micro-blogging platform the "Harvey Weinstein of social media", days after an Amnesty International study found Twitter a "toxic" place for women.

In a note to investors, online investment newsletter Citron Research's founder Andrew Left called the platform the "Harvey Weinstein of social media" and set a low target price of $20, TechCrunch reported.

Twitter immediately saw its stock plummeting over 12 per cent on Thursday.

Left cited the latest study by Amnesty that found Twitter was "a toxic place for women", particularly women of colour, politicians and journalists.

"Citron has been following Twitter for years and when we read the just-published piece from Amnesty International, we immediately knew the stock had become uninvestable and advertisers will soon be forced to take a hard look at all sponsorships with Twitter," Citron wrote in its report.

On December 18, an Amnesty International study said that on an average, women receive an abusive or problematic tweet every 30 seconds, adding that Twitter is a "toxic" platform for women.

"Women of colour (Black, Asian, Latinx and mixed-race women) were 34 per cent more likely to be mentioned in abusive or problematic tweets than White women," showed the findings.

In his research note, Citron's Left said that "we immediately knew the stock had become uninvestable and advertisers will soon be forced to take a hard look at all sponsorships with Twitter".

Left added that "this story has just begun and advertisers will be forced to make more morality-based brand building decisions".

Twitter reacted to Citron's note, saying it's been working to reign in the kind of abuses that the Amnesty report criticised them for.

"Our abusive behaviour policy strictly prohibits behaviour that harasses, intimidates or silences another user's voice," a Twitter spokesperson told TechCrunch.

Vijaya Gadde who is Legal, Policy and Trust and Safety Global Lead at Twitter also defended the company, claiming that it wasn't clear how Amnesty defined abusive language in the report.

"I would note that the concept of 'problematic' content for the purposes of classifying content is one that warrants further discussion. It is unclear how (Amnesty has) defined or categorized such content, or if (they) are suggesting it should be removed from Twitter," Gadde said in a statement.

The Amnesty study, however, defined "problematic content" as content that is hurtful or hostile, especially if repeated to an individual on multiple or cumulative occasions, but not as intense as an abusive tweet.

In its study, Amnesty International said that one in 10 tweets mentioning Black women politicians and journalists in a sample analysed by the organisation was abusive or problematic.

"We found that although abuse is targeted at women across the political spectrum, women of colour were much more likely to be impacted, and black women are disproportionately targeted," Milena Marin, Senior Advisor for Tactical Research at Amnesty International said in a statement.

"Twitter's failure to crack down on this problem means it is contributing to the silencing of already marginalised voices," Marin added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that it plans to deposit $3 billion in the State Bank of Pakistan to support the financial and monetary policy of the South Asian country, the state-run WAM news agency reported on Friday.

The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development said in a statement on Friday that it will deposit the said amount in the coming days to enhance liquidity and monetary reserves of foreign currency at the bank.

The country's support for Pakistan's fiscal policy was based on the historical ties between the two countries and the desire to further develop the bilateral cooperation in all fields, the agency reported.

Following the announcement, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan took to Twitter to thank the UAE government for "supporting Pakistan so generously in our testing times".

"This reflects our commitment and friendship that has remained steadfast over the years," he said.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also hailed the development. "We thank Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Zayed for his generous financial support... This is a manifestation of the close fraternal ties between Pakistan and UAE which have always stood the test of time," he tweeted.

The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development had financed eight development projects in Pakistan in sectors such as energy, health, education and roads.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The runway at Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest, reopened on Friday after more than 32 hours of complete shutdown due to drone sightings, affecting over 110,000 passengers during the busiest travel period of the year.

"Gatwick's runway is currently available and a limited number of aircraft are scheduled for departure and arrival," the airport said on Friday.

According to Flight Radar 24, a Thomas Cook flight was the first to land at the airport after almost two days of chaos.

Gatwick Chief Operating Officer Chris Woodroofe said the police had not yet found the drone operator but a hunt was on. Police officials say an environmental activist might be behind the act, the BBC reported.

The police were considering shooting the drone down, a "tactical option" previously ruled out over concerns for stray bullets, the BBC reported. Sussex Police spokesman Jason Tingley said the force would "do what we can to take that drone out of the sky".

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said there was no evidence it was terror-related. But he called it a type of disruption "we've not seen before" and "lessons need to be learned".

Gatwick had been closed since Wednesday 9 p.m. -- barring a brief reprieve of 45 minutes early Thursday -- after two drones were spotted near the airfield. A third drone was also sighted more than 24 hours later, leaving hundreds of flights grounded.

Thousands of passengers remained stranded at the airport overnight and on Friday morning as police investigations continued. About 120,000 people had been due to fly since the runway closed.

Passengers earlier complained of "freezing" temperatures in the south terminal, while others found themselves stuck abroad after inbound flights were either cancelled or diverted.

Dozens of passengers said uncertainty had led them to ditch their festive travel plans or spend extra money on new flights and hotel stays.

Budget airline Ryanair said it was switching all of its Gatwick flights to operate in and out of Stansted airport on Friday. Easyjet said it would resume services but expected departures and landings to be restricted at first.

Gatwick, located some 43 kilometre south of London, is one of Europe's main transport hubs, serving more than 32 million passengers a year.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday lashed out at the Centre for its order to give central agencies and the Delhi Police sweeping powers to intercept computers, saying India has been living in a state of "undeclared emergency" ever since the BJP government came to power.

"India has been under undeclared emergency since May 2014. Now, in its last couple of months, the Modi government is crossing all limits by seeking control of even the citizen's computers. Can such curtailment of fundamental rights be tolerated in the world's largest democracy?" Kejriwal tweeted.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Convener's reaction came after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday issued an order giving 10 central agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Delhi Police to "intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer".

The AAP also issued a statement on the matter and called the decision "unconstitutional, undemocratic and a direct attack on citizen's right to privacy".

"The order is in contempt of the Supreme Court's August 2017 verdict declaring privacy being a fundamental right. The Aam Aadmi Party will strongly oppose it in both Houses and will press the government to take it back," the party said in the statement.

The party also dubbed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "detective" who wants to spy on every citizen of the country and look into every house.

"By making these laws, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to seize the leaders of its opposition party. They are just interested in finding out what are the weaknesses of the opposition leaders and how can they be blackmailed," the party said.

The AAP also alleged that the BJP is misusing government institutions like the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), CBI and the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) for its political advantage and that these institutions are on the verge of collapse due to the Central government pressure.

"Today, the situation of the RBI has become so tragic that two successive Governors in the RBI left their position after being troubled by the BJP's dictatorship. The same situation remains in the CBI today. The whole country saw how the CBI officials were fighting under the BJP. The country's most powerful institution stands on the verge of collapse," it said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A major controversy broke out on Friday with the government authorising ten central security and investigating agencies to monitor and intercept all computers, a decision that came under severe attack from the Opposition which accused the government of creating a surveillance state.

Strongly defending its action, the government hit back at the Congress saying the order was a mere repetition of a notification issued in 2009 during the UPA rule.

The issue came to the fore with the Union Home Ministry on Thursday issuing an order authorising 10 central security and investigative agencies and the Delhi Police to "intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer".

The 10 agencies given the powers of interception are the Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, CBDT, DRI, CBI, NIA, RAW, Directorate of Signal Intelligence (for service areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Northeast and Assam only) and Delhi Police.

The Opposition, both inside and outside Parliament, slammed the government calling the decision an "undeclared Emergency" and an assault on the citizens' fundamental right to privacy and demanded its withdrawal.

Congress leader Anand Sharma said it was an attempt to create a surveillance state, a view shared by many other leaders who also termed it as an Orwellian state.

The issue rocked the Rajya Sabha which was adjourned with the opposition members protesting against the government and indulging in slogan shouting.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley rose to put up a strong defence of the government recalling that Thursday's order was only a repetition of a similar order issued under the rules framed during the UPA regime in 2009 to the Information and Technology Act enacted in 2000.

He said what was originally provided for in the Telegraph Act that applied to telephones was extended to computers under the IT Act with modernisation.

"Your government has used it in the past. Our governments have also used it. Every government has used it. The same agencies had the power earlier. In 2009 rules were framed which authorised the same agencies to intercept anybody who played with national security, public order and integrity of India."

Intervening during the private members' business, Jaitley accused the Congress of playing with the security of the country and said "And what you are doing, Anand Sharma, is making a mountain where even a molehill does not exist."

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the order nowhere mentioned "national security" which means the agencies can intercept anyone's data at will.

"An undeclared Emergency has taken its final shape. The central agencies have been let loose ," he said in the Upper House.

Sharma said that the move would make the country a "police state" and asserted that it was "unacceptable".

Outside Parliament, former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram termed it an "Orwellian order" while senior Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav said the Narendra Modi government was digging a hole for itself.

"I want to warn them that this order is in their hands only for four months and after that a new government would be here. So they should not dig holes for themselves," the SP leader added.

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee termed the move as "dangerous".

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said the order was unconstitutional and demanded that it be immediately rescinded.

"Why is every Indian being treated like a criminal? This order by a government wanting to snoop on every citizen is unconstitutional and in breach of the telephone tapping guidelines, the privacy judgment and the Aadhaar judgment," CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted.

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal said India was under "undeclared emergency" since May 2014 when the BJP came to power at the Centre.

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad defended the government.

"I would like to ask, is national security important or not? Is it a fact or not that ISIS is promoting radical Islam and recruiting gullible Indians to their platform through internet? Should this be allowed to go scot free? No," Prasad said.

As the issue created a storm, the Home Ministry, in a statement, clarified that the notification "does not confer any new powers" and "every individual case will continue to require prior approval" of the Ministry and the state government.

The statement of the Ministry said that "adequate safeguards" were provided in the Information and Technology (IT) Act 2000 and similar provisions and procedures already existed in the Telegraph Act along with identical safeguards.

"The present notification is analogous to the authorisation issued under the Telegraph Act. The entire process is also subject to a robust review mechanism as in case of Telegraph Act.

"Every individual case will continue to require prior approval of Home Ministry or state government. MHA has not delegated its powers to any law enforcement or security agency," said the statement.

Dismissing the Centre's defence, the Congress demanded to know as to what was the threat to the nation behind giving a "blanket authority" to the central agencies to snoop on all computers.

Taking to Twitter, Congress President Rahul Gandhi called Modi an "insecure dictator".

"Converting India into a police state isn't going to solve your problems, Modi ji. It's only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians what an insecure dictator you really are," said Gandhi.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah took on Rahul on the social media.

"There were only two insecure dictators in the history of India. One imposed Emergency and the other wanted unrestricted access to read letters of common citizens. Guess who were they Rahul Gandhi?" Shah said in a veiled reference to former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

"Yet again Rahul does fear mongering and plays with national security. UPA put no barriers on unlawful surveillance. When Modi government puts safeguards for citizens, Rahul cries conspiracy," Shah added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US Defence Secretary James Mattis has resigned after falling out with Donald Trump over the withdrawal of American troops from Syria and Afghanistan, saying in a parting letter that the President deserves someone atop the Pentagon "better aligned" with his views.

The retired Marine general's announcement came on Thursday, a day after the Trump administration said that the full withdrawal of US forces from Syria was under way. Mattis said he would leave by the end of February.

Trump overruled his advisers, including Mattis over Syria troop withdrawal and declared victory over the Islamic State. However, the Pentagon and State Department for months have been saying the fight against the group in Syria was far from over, the Washington Post reported.

The President also ordered the Pentagon, against Mattis' recommendation, to come up with a plan to pull out approximately half of the 14,000 American troops deployed in Afghanistan, a move likely to plunge the war-torn nation into further chaos.

Mattis released the parting letter after a face-to-face meeting with Trump in which the two men discussed their differences, a senior White House official said.

The retired general, in contrast to Trump, favoured international alliances and said that the US derives its strength from its relationships with allies and should treat them with respect. He also said the country must also be "clear-eyed" about threats, including from groups such as the Islamic State.

"We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances," Mattis wrote.

The Pentagon released the resignation letter moments after Trump announced on Twitter that Mattis would be leaving, saying the already retired Marine would "retire". Trump made no mention of his differences in opinion with Mattis.

"General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my administration as Secretary of Defence for the past two years," Trump tweeted.

"During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defence will be named shortly," he said.

Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas and Jack Keane, a retired Army general who was an early supporter of Trump, are possible replacements for Mattis, according to reports.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she was "shaken" by the resignation and described it as "very serious for our country".

Republicans were also dismayed by the decision. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the US must maintain its carefully built alliances and a clear understanding of its friends and foes.

Mattis was seen as a bulwark against Trump's "isolationist impulses" and extreme proposals. He served as a calm "reassurer-in-chief" while the President sent out provocative tweets, the Washington Post said.

His departure led to a chorus of concern about the President's temperament and decision-making ability and injected new uncertainty into the administration's approach to global threats.

A poll conducted in September found that nearly 90 per cent of US military officers had a favourable view of Mattis' work.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Donald Trump administration is planning to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan, the US media reported.

Reports, citing unnamed officials, said about 7,000 troops -- roughly half the remaining US military presence in the country -- could go home within months.

The Washington Post reported on Thursday the potential move was being met with opposition by some of Trump's senior cabinet officials, including outgoing White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and White House national security adviser John Bolton.

The reports came a day after the US President announced the country's military withdrawal from Syria -- a move that met with criticism from US allies and coalition partners.

A statement from a Kurdish-led alliance warned it would create a vacuum whereby the depleted Islamic State (IS) group could "revive itself", the BBC said.

Republican senator Lindsey Graham tweeted that any withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan would be a "high risk strategy" which could reverse US progress in the region and pave the way toward a "second 9/11".

Trump had repeatedly before his election campaign in 2016, publicly advocated leaving Afghanistan -- where US forces have been since 2001.

However, in 2017 he indicated he would keep boots on the ground in the country indefinitely to prevent the country's collapse amid a Taliban resurgence.

American-led combat operations against the group officially ended in 2014, but in the years since the group's power and reach has soared, the BBC said.

In September 2017, Trump announced the US would send 3,000 extra troops to the country amid a shift of strategy.

Reports about the sharp reduction of personnel emerged on Thursday around the same time US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis announced his resignation.

In his letter of departure, Mattis mentioned his diverging views with the president, but did not cite troops withdrawals directly. Neither has US defence officials confirmed the withdrawl reports, the BBC said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Donald Trump administration has ordered the US military to start withdrawing roughly 7,000 troops from Afghanistan, a move that is likely to plunge the war-torn country further into chaos.

President Trump made the decision to pull out the troops -- about half the number the US has in Afghanistan now -- at the same time he decided to pull American forces out of Syria, a defence official was cited as saying by the New York Times on Thursday.

The withdrawal of the troops could take months and the order marked a significant departure from Trump's August 2017 decision to slightly increase the number of US troops in Afghanistan and keep them in place with conditions on the ground dictating withdrawal, reports say.

The Afghanistan directive also came as the US was attempting to negotiate a peace deal with the Taliban to end the 17-year-old war. According to the Times, the abrupt troop withdrawal decision stunned Afghan officials, who said they had not been briefed on the plans.

The President's orders on Syria and Afghanistan led to the resignation on Thursday of his Pentagon chief James Mattis, who disagreed with him on a hasty withdrawal from both countries.

Trump's decision was also met with opposition by some of his senior Cabinet officials, including outgoing White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and White House National Security Adviser John Bolton.

The Times said that the troop withdrawals and the resignation of Mattis leaves a murky picture for what is next in the US' longest war and they come as Afghanistan continues to witness spasms of violence in its capital Kabul and other important areas.

The US has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, most of which are present as part of a larger NATO-led mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces. Any withdrawal would be complicated by the fact that the US is part of NATO's Resolute Support mission.

Senior Afghan officials and Western diplomats in Kabul woke up to the shock of the news on Friday. Several of them said that they had received no indication in recent days that the Americans would pull troops out.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted that any withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan would be a "high risk strategy" which could reverse US progress in the region and pave the way towards a "second 9/11".

Trump had repeatedly before his election campaign in 2016, publicly advocated leaving Afghanistan -- where US forces have been since 2001.

However, in 2017 he indicated he would keep boots on the ground in the country indefinitely to prevent the country's collapse amid a Taliban resurgence.

American-led combat operations against the group officially ended in 2014, but in the years since the group's power and reach has soared.

In September 2017, Trump announced the US would send 3,000 extra troops to the country amid a shift of strategy.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Controversial retired IPS officer DG Vanzara on Friday asserted that had it not been for the "genuine encounters" by the police, might have been successful in its design to assassinate the then chief minister and now Prime Minister and turn the state into another

In a statement after the special CBI's court's judgement in the Sohrabuddin-Tulsiram Prajapti encounter case in on Friday, Vanzara, who was earlier an accused in the case, said the police personnel of Gujarat, and were made scapegoats in the "political war" between the then BJP government in the state and the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre.

"The CBI court's judgement acquitting all the 22 accused police officers in the Sohrabuddin encounter case has only corroborated the claims I had been making right from the beginning that none of these encounters was stage-managed but were all genuine to annihilate the Pakistan-sponsored terrorists who had been coming to with the mission to kill Modiji.

"But for the encounters, it might have become difficult to ensure the safety of Modiji and by now would have succeeded in turning into another terrorist-ridden Kashmir," he said.

Vanzara, who was initially a prime accused in the Sohrabuddin-Kausar Bi alleged fake encounter case but was exonerated by the special three years back, held some "anti- elements" were responsible for turning the genuine encounter incidents into fake ones to assist the terror groups and harass the honest police officers.

He claimed that the Gujarat police had accurate information about the movements of the Pakistan-sponsored terrorists and acted swiftly to "ensure the safety of the country and protect the life of the then chief minister who was under constant threat."

Meanwhile, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister hailed the CBI court's judgment and accused the former UPA government of trying to tarnish the dispensation in Gujarat in the name of "fake encounter."

Patel also promised to consider restoration of the genuine promotions and other benefits due to the accused police officers in the last 13 years because of the pending case, now that they had been acquitted of all the charges.
In a bid to place art and aesthetics as inseparable to life, painted and crafted artworks of student-artists aged 9-12, came out of the classroom to adorn the galleries of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) here.

"Amidst The Stars", a two-day group exhibition where 53 young students of Noida's Shiv Nadar School took part, opened at the KNMA here on Thursday evening.

The walls of KNMA, one of the biggest patrons of art in India, stood full of colourful canvases. They spoke of stories that were once in children's minds but found a creative form through media like paint, wood, wool, clay and tissue.

But the works are not all. They were accompanied by brief notes from the student-artists themselves that give insight into their association with arts.

"When I work with clay I feel like an architect"; "I really enjoyed changing a clay ball into an animal"; "I like art because we get to think new things"; are all examples of children's testimonies to their innovative works.

Breaking the notion of arts being just a co-curricular activity, the exhibition not just fosters a sense of creativity essential to life, but allows young students to foray into arts with some seriousness as they are encouraged to open their works to an outsider's scrutiny.

Maulika Gupta, a Class 5 student at the school, proudly exhibited her painting that drew inspiration from "solar activities" and the universe among the "huge mighty stars".

"(Through art) we can express ourselves and go for our imagination. While doing this painting, I imagined the colours and darkness of the solar activities," Gupta told IANS, adding that it is her dream to become an artist.

Selected from a pool of over 500 submissions, the exhibited works were subjected to a set of selection criteria: "A clear central idea, certain technical things like positioning, neatness but most importantly meaningfulness", the School's arts coordinator Manjima Chatterjee told IANS.

Another student-artist, Vriddhi, showcased a resplendent piece which even enters the world of the abstract.

"I took one-two hours to make it, and used a sponge to create the sky with light purple and blue acrylic colours and then mixed them," she explained, amid the presence of many parents in the expo.

How important is it for parents for their child to take to arts?

"It will be with him for life, as a way to express himself and as an emotional anchor. It is extremely important to be able to draw, sing and dance, and not just copy what they are given. Art liberates and becomes your best friend," a visiting parent said.

"The idea is that the child does not get led by their own creativity alone; the prime objective is to unleash that creative potential but allow a disciplined study of art. Art is about life, and life has to be lived in its totality," the School's principal Shashi Banerjee told IANS.

While the artworks were certainly spaces of rumination for children, such opportunities also pose a question: Are the sheltered spaces as schools are known to be, changing?

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The controversial anti-transgender blog Gender Identity Watch posted that the site was no longer being run its founder Cathy Brennan, a self-described "radical lesbian feminist.

In an Oct. 7 post titled, "Gender Identity Watch Changes Hands," the blog announced it now be run by WoLF (Women's Liberation Front), a radical feminist organization "dedicated to the total liberation of women," according to their website.

The posting included a statement from Brennan.

"In 2012, I started Gender Identity Watch because it was abundantly clear that transgenderism was a tsunami devastating the rights of women and girls, and it would be important to understand how that wave grew.

Over the years Brennan has been accused of using Gender Identity Watch as a conduit for a variety of insensitive acts toward trans women, including outing trans kids at their schools as well as contacting trans women's employers and personal physicians.

Several of Brennan's accusers have posted compelling evidence which suggests that the accusations against Brennan could be true, such as an email allegedly sent by Brennan to the personal physician of trans woman Emily Horsman.

Also posted was a Facebook messagesent by Brennan to a woman's mother.

When SFGN reportedon Brennan's alleged actions in 2014, several people sent emails and wrote comments online claiming to have been targeted by Brennan.

More than 9,000 people signed a petitionasking the Southern Poverty Law Center to monitor Gender Identity Watch as a hate group.

In a 2014 interview with SFGN, Heidi Beirich, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project stated: "We don't list them (GIW) as a hate group because it's a blog and we don't compile a list of hate websites anymore, largely because it was becoming impossible to track what was happening on the web."

Gender Identity Watch is now coming under fire.

According to a blog posting at the WoLF website, the blog was taken offline by Wordpress on Nov. 16 for "malicious publication of private details related to gender identity, including former names."

WoLF hired an attorney, who, in a letter to Wordpress, demanded that Gender Identity Watchs files be turned over to WoLF so that the blog could be reposted under a different server.

According to WoLF, their legal counsel was obtained "thanksto the generosity of Cathy Brennan."

Shortly thereafter Gender Identity Watch was restored to the web with a different server.

On Dec. 5, an interview with Brennan was posted at Gender Identity Watch regarding Brennan's founding of "The Pussy Church Of Modern Witchcraft," a lesbian feminist religious organization.

Though it's been claimed that Brennan is no longer running Gender Identity Watch, it would appear that she is still a part of the blog.

There is no indication that anyone from the WoLF organization has been involved in Brennan's alleged behavior toward trans women.

SFGN reached out to WoLF attorney Trisha Scott, who declined to comment. Brennan, Wordpress attorney Paul Sieminski, and the WoLF board did not respond to SFGN's request for comment.
Senior Congress leader Friday said the Rs 600 billion worth should not go "unchallenged" after the Supreme Court expressed its limitations to examine it because of its jurisdictional limits.

He alleged the Centre deliberately misled the court and later accused it of "misinterpreting" the note.

"The government is also giving lessons in English grammar to the court," he told reporters.

"A defence deal worth Rs 600 billion that will leave the country with only 36 aircraft, as against 126 contracted for under the UPA, cannot go unchallenged or unexamined, especially after Supreme Court expressed its limitations to examine the case due to jurisdictional limits," Chidambaram said.

The party (Congress), therefore, is taking up the cause before the people and asking them to support its demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the deal, he said.

The former Union finance minister also questioned the decision to cancel an earlier MoU and enter into a new agreement.

The governments of India and France had entered into an MoU under which India would buy 126 Rafale twin-engine multi-role fighter aircraft, he said.

The price per aircraft discovered through an international bid opened on December 12, 2012 was Rs 5.26 billion, Chidambaram said, adding Dassault, the manufacturer, would supply 18 aircraft in fly-away condition.

The remaining 108 aircraft would be manufactured in India at the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd's (HAL) facilities in Bengaluru using Dassault technology that would be available to HAL under a Transfer of Technology agreement, he said.

"This MoU was cancelled and the prime minister



announced the new deal on April 10, 2015," he added.

Chidambaram also questioned the government for its decision to buy only 36 aircraft when the need was for at least 126 aircraft.

He said by all accounts, the government was purchasing the same aircraft from the same manufacturer under the same configuration.

"The last phrase is found in the joint statement dated April 10, 2015. Is it true that the price per aircraft under the new agreement is Rs 1,670 crore (as disclosed by Dassault) and, if true, what is the justification for the three-fold price increase?" he said.

The former finance minister said if the price of the aircraft under the new agreement was indeed cheaper by 9 per cent, as claimed by the government, "why is it buying only 36 aircraft and not all the 126 aircraft offered by Dassault?".

He also asked the reason for scrapping the agreement to transfer the technology to HAL, which has an experience of 77 years and has manufactured a variety of aircraft under licence from the respective manufacturer.

ALSO READ: BJP leaders detained for protesting against Rahul Gandhi over Rafale deal

"When entering into the new agreement, there was no mention of Transfer of Technology from Dassault to HAL," he said.

Chidambaram said former French president Francois Hollande had disclosed that the Indian government had suggested the name of a private sector company as the offset partner, and that France and Dassault had "no choice" in the matter.

The Centre, however, has denied that it had suggested the name.

"The question that arises is, did the government suggest any name at all and, if not, why did it not suggest the name of HAL?" the Congress leader added.
The Delhi High Court Friday dismissed former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar's plea for extension of time till January 30 to surrender, after being recently sentenced to life imprisonment in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

The high court said it saw no ground for granting the relief.

On Monday, 73-year-old Kumar was directed by the high court to surrender before authorities by December 31. He had moved a plea seeking extension of time to surrender.

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 during that period.

The riots had broken out after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984 by her two Sikh bodyguards.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Taliban welcomed the of the US plan to withdraw half its troops in Afghanistan by the summer, while Afghan generals warned Friday it would be a blow to the morale of the country's beleaguered security forces, who come under daily attacks from the insurgent fighters.

The announcement seems certain to complicate efforts to reach a peace deal, mostly because it gives the Taliban leverage by allowing them to hold off until a total US withdrawal, or step up their demands over a weakened Afghan government.

"I believe the Taliban will see this as a reason to stall, and therefore it disincentivizes the Taliban to actually talk to the Afghan government, which it has refused to do," said Bill Roggio an Afghanistan analyst with the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Afghanistan's security forces rely heavily on US airpower against both Taliban and an upstart Islamic State affiliate, and Afghan military officials note the announcement by the Trump administration comes as the country's security is at its worst since 2014, when more than 100,000 NATO troops pulled out of the country and handed off security to Afghans. The US and NATO retreated into a training and advising role.

"A complete withdrawal of U.S. forces would very likely cause the Taliban to make gains in key areas throughout Afghanistan," Roggio said. "This likely would cause the general collapse of the (Afghan National Security and Defense Force) as a cohesive fighting force and lead to the return of the warlords."



US President Donald Trump considers the war in Afghanistan a lost cause and has long pushed to pull the troops out. His decision was made public a mere few hours after he abruptly announced the US was withdrawing troops from Syria.

Trump's state of mind is sure to have given a sense of urgency to US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who has been working to reach a negotiated end to America's longest war and has been pushing for a deal by April.

In an interview with Afghanistan's TOLO TV on Thursday hours before the withdrawal plans were announced he noted Trump had campaigned for president on a promise to end the Afghan war, which has already cost Americans nearly USD 1 trillion. More than 2,400 American soldiers have also died in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.

"There was little doubt that Amb. Khalilzad was always working with limited time and a zeal of desperation to achieve something before the president pulled the plug," said Daniel Markey, senior research professor at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.

A Taliban official told The Associated Press the announcement was a positive step.

Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press, the official said Taliban officials think the promised departure could help the peace process because it could "lead to trust building that the US wants a political solution."



But there was no sign the Taliban were ready to move on the two major sticking points: Direct talks with the Afghan government and a cease fire while the two sides negotiate Khalilzad's so-called "roadmap for the future of Afghanistan."Peace talks aside, the announced withdrawal has Afghan generals and analysts worried about the ability of the beleaguered Afghan National Afghan Security Force to stave off a Taliban insurgency unfettered by U.S. troops and their pounding air power.

The Taliban are already stronger today than they have been since their ouster in 2001, controlling or holding sway over nearly half the country.

Several high ranking Afghan military officials, who spoke on condition they not be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the morale of Afghanistan's undertrained and poorly equipped security forces was already at a dangerously low ebb. The troops routinely complain about reinforcements that arrive too late, equipment that fails and even running out of food.

The officials called America's withdrawal a defeat, comparing it to the U.S.'s evacuation from Vietnam, and Russia's 1979 forced withdrawal from Afghanistan that capped a failed 10-year campaign.

US troops invaded Afghanistan in November 2001 in response to the Sept. 11 attacks.

Their ouster of the Taliban returned to power former warlords, whose bitter infighting and runaway corruption had resulted in vast tracts of the capital Kabul being destroyed and given rise to the Taliban, who used a strict and harsh interpretation of Islam to restore calm to the country.

Ordinary Afghans have mixed feelings about the presence of US and NATO troops.

Many fear their departure believing it will strengthen the Taliban, yet criticize their presence for doing little to improve security, which has deteriorated. Afghans complain bitterly about their deeply corrupt government and see the US which largely bankrolls the government as responsible.

Neighbour Pakistan, who has been harshly criticized by Trump for not doing enough to bring the Taliban to the table, had warned that a sudden departure of U.S. troops would result in chaos in Afghanistan and destabilize the region.

"The last thing it (Pakistan) wants is a radical Islamist state on its Western border, even if that eliminates or reduces Indian influence in Afghanistan," said Shuja Nawaz, author and fellow at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will on Sunday unveil the statue of late prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh in Patala town here.

Senior Superintendent of Police Upendra Agarwal confirmed the visit of the chief minister to the city on Sunday.

Adityanath will also lay down foundation stones of several projects and announce developmental schemes worth Rs 325 crore.

Agarwal said adequate security arrangements have been made in view of the chief minister's visit.

"Eight additional superintendents of police, 21 deputy superintendents of police, 100 inspectors, 425 sub-inspectors, 1800 constables and six companies of the Provincial armed constabulary (PAC) would provide security to him," he said.

The chief minister will lay foundation stones of Political Training Institute in the Raj Nagar Extension area, Uttarakhand Bhawan and Purwanchal Bhawan in Noor Nagar and Sihani villages, respectively, said District Magistrate Ritu Maheshwari.

The Political Training Institute is being built at a cost of Rs 170 crore, she added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Food safety regulator FSSAI has requested the IT ministry to ensure social media platforms put in place a mechanism to track fake messages with regard to safety and quality of food products, Parliament was informed Friday.

In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said FSSAI, in a November 27 letter, expressed concern over circulation of false and malicious videos on various social media platforms regarding the safety and quality of food available in the country.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has requested the ministry to "sensitise" social media platforms on the large-scale implications of such false propaganda, Prasad said.

The regulator has also asked the ministry to advise social media platforms to put in place a system for tracking of messages so that such mischievous perpetrators could be brought to book and penal action can be initiated against them, he added.

Prasad said the government has taken several steps to target such fake videos and messages to take action against people for circulating such false content.

The minister said the government has already issued a notice to messaging platform WhatsApp in July this year on spread of fake through its platform. WhatsApp, in its response, has conveyed a number of steps that it has taken to address the issue of fake

The government has been asking the Facebook-owned company to put in place a mechanism to curb fake messages on its platform, that incited mob fury earlier this year. More than a dozen people were killed across India this year in mob lynchings, fuelled by rumours circulated on WhatsApp.

The rumours ranged from suspicion of stealing children to victims being believed to be killing cows. Riots were instigated by people forwarding and misinterpreting videos on WhatsApp.

"Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) and Ministry of Home Affairs as well as police are in regular touch with various social media platforms to effectively address the issue of removal of objectionable content," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari, who had offered to donate Rs 1.1 lakh to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) provided its government passed Delhi Metro Phase IV project, expressed his commitment Friday to fulfil the promise.

Tiwari said he will donate the money to family members of two women workers of AAP, Santosh Koli and Soni Mishra, whose deaths were questioned by the BJP which levelled allegations against AAP leaders.

In a tweet, Tiwari said he was true to his promise and challenged AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal to call an all-party meeting on his "failure" to control pollution in Delhi, saying he will donate same amount again.

With approval of Delhi Metro phase IV by the AAP government, the party tweeted from its official handle "Hope Manoj Tiwari will not term it as a Jumla and fulfil his promise of donation(to the party)."



Reacting to this, Tiwari wrote on the microblogging site, "Arvind Kejriwal ji you are caught. Your party has admitted that Metro Phase IV was being stalled by you. I am true to my promise and giving the donation to the families of late Santosh Koli and Soni Mishra."



Koli was an active AAP member who died in an accident in 2013. Her mother, in September this year, had alleged that her daughter was murdered but the party did nothing to pursue the case.

Mishra was an AAP worker from Narela area who committed suicide in 2016. A magisterial enquiry was ordered by the AAP government and the matter was transferred for probe to Crime Branch of Delhi Police.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress president Rahul Gandhi Friday attacked the Modi government over the death of an Agra school girl after being set ablaze by two men, saying what could be worse about the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' slogan than the "heart-wrenching" incident.

A 15-year-old girl succumbed to burn injuries at the Safdarjung Hospital here Thursday, two days after she was set ablaze allegedly by unidentified men in Agra.

The class 10 student was Tuesday waylaid by two unidentified men, who allegedly poured petrol on her and set her on fire with a lighter.

"In the BJP rule, what could be worse about 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' than a school girl being set ablaze by anti-social elements while law and order watches open-mouthed.

"The incident that has happened with the Agra school girl is heart-wrenching," Gandhi said in a Facebook post.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
This article discusses two meetings. First, it reports on the meeting of the HIV Planning Council (HIV-PC). Second, it reports on the meeting of the South Florida AIDS Network (SFAN). At that meeting Kim Saiswick discussed the Florida Patient Care and Prevention Group (PCPG) meeting.

The Broward HIV Planning Council (HIVPC) oversees the Ryan White Care (RWC) Program of Broward (RWC-Broward). The South Florida AIDS Network (SFAN) advises the RWC program of the Florida Department of Health in Broward (RWC-FL DOH Broward). The PCPG advises the Ryan White Care program throughout the state of Florida.

The HIV Planning Council, Nov. 29, 2018

The HIVPC elected Claudette Grant of Broward House as its Vice-Chair.

Recently, two HIVPC members resigned. As those former members are living with HIV, the HIVPC now needs to recruit more people living with HIV. In January of 2019, the Council will launch a major recruitment drive. Members of the Council will go to provider agencies to recruit new members who are living with HIV. Requel Lopes, chair of the HIVPC, said, Instead of people coming to us, we are going to them.

Josh Rodriguez, RWC-FL DOH Broward, reported that 290 people have enrolled in the 90-day prescription program.

South Florida AIDS Network, Dec. 7, 2018

Wismy Cius, RWC-FL DOH Broward, announced that RWC clients without insurance can now receive antiretrovirals and other HIV medications through the mail.

Neil Walker reported that the peer training program has begun. This program trains people to become peer counselors about HIV. Currently 75 percent of these peer trainees are African-American. Another 17 percent are Latino, and 8 percent are White.

Kim Saiswick reported on the Patient Care and Prevention Group (PCPPG) meeting in Tampa. That meeting took place from Nov. 7 through Nov. 9. Florida will be conducting a Needs Assessment Survey in June/July of 2019. Out 67 counties in Florida, 41 are now providing PrEP services. Florida now has more than 430 HIV testing centers.

According to Saiswick, the Florida Department of Health will include Undetectable = Untransmissible (U=U) language for sexual transmission in its campaigns. The state Department of Health will incorporate U=U language about sexual risk. That language would say the following. People with HIV who take HIV medication as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to their HIV-negative sexual partner.

Two recent cases question whether an undetectable viral load can prevent HIV transmission through breast feeding. That mode of transmission involves a larger exchange of fluids than does sexual activity. The greater volume of breast milk would mean more viral particles would be present in breast milk, even if the viral load was undetectable. As these two cases only occurred last summer, much more needs to be understood about HIV transmission through breastfeeding while undetectable. These two cases, however, have no impact on the risk for transmission during anal or vaginal sex while undetectable.

Next SFAN Meeting: Friday, January 4, at 10:00 a.m. at Holy Cross Healthplex, 1000 NE 56thSt., Fort Lauderdale. SFAN welcomes newcomers.

Next HIVPC meeting: Thursday January 24, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. at Broward Government Center, Room GC430, 115 S. Andrews Ave.

Announcements

Where to Access PrEP (Florida)

https://pleaseprepme.org/florida

Where to Access PrEP (throughout the US)

https://preplocator.org/

https://pleaseprepme.org/

Announcements

Jan. 14, 2019 - TransSOCIAL will start a new TransConnect peer support group at Midland Medical Center, 1421 E Oakland Park Blvd, #101, 7:00 p.m.

Jan. 26 and 27, 2019 - Trans Art 2019, an art show by and for the transgender community will occur at the Villain Theater, 5865 NE 2nd Ave, Miami.

Follow Sean McShee on Twitter @SeanMcShee
Telecom operator Bharti Airtel and Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson on Friday claimed to have achieved broadband download speed of 500 Megabits per second (Mbps) on smartphones during live trial of a new technology.

"During the trial, data download speeds of over 500 Mbps were recorded on smartphones in an indoor environment. In outdoor environment, peak download speed of more than 400 Mbps was achieved with coverage of about 180 meters from the base station. The trial was conducted in Delhi-NCR," Airtel and Ericsson said in a joint statement.

Both companies jointly conducted India's first trial of Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) technology over a live 4G network.

LAA is a key technology wherein operators evolve their networks to achieve gigabit LTE (4G) by opening up previously untapped resources of unlicensed spectrum delivering speeds once thought only possible over fiber.

LAA enables the use of unlicensed spectrum in the 5 GHz band in combination with the licensed spectrum.

"Airtel used one LTE 5 MHz carrier aggregated with three 20 MHz carriers of unlicensed spectrum. Together with 4CC carrier aggregation, 4x4 MIMO and 256 QAM technologies, the trial was conducted using Ericsson Radio System," the statement said.

Theoretically, a full high definition two-hour long video can be downloaded in about a minute and standard definition video in few seconds.

Recently, the government freed around 550 Mhz of spectrum for public wifi and 5G services.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A special CBI court on Friday acquitted all 22 accused in the alleged fake encounter killings of gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi and his aide Tulsi Prajapati, citing insufficient evidence.

Special CBI Judge S J Sharma in his ruling said the court felt sorry for the families of Shaikh and Prajapati as "three lives were lost". But the system demands that the court go solely by evidence, he added.

All the accused, who were mostly police officials from Gujarat and Rajasthan, were out on bail during the year-long trial. The 13-year-old case saw several twists and turns, including 92 prosecution witnesses turning hostile. At one point, BJP president Amit Shah was also arrested in the case in July 2010 but was discharged in December 2014.

Judge Sharma said the prosecution had failed to establish a cogent case to suggest that there was any conspiracy to kill the three people, or that the accused persons had any role in it.

He said that while there was no denying that Shaikh and the others were killed, "going by the evidence on record, the court could not conclude that the present accused persons could be questioned, or, held accountable for those deaths."



The three victims were taken into custody by a police team from a bus while returning to Sangli in Maharashtra from Hyderabad on the night of November 22-23, 2005. The couple were taken in one vehicle and Prajapati in another. CBI, the prosecuting agency, said Shaikh was killed on November 26, 2005,allegedly by a joint team comprising Gujarat and Rajasthan police, and Kausar Bi three days later. Prajapati, who was lodged in an Udaipur central jail, was killed in an encounter on the Gujarat-Rajasthan border on December 27, 2006.

Of the 22 accused, 21 are junior-level police officials from Gujarat and Rajasthan, who the CBI said were part of the teams that abducted the three and later killed them in staged encounters.

The remaining accused was the owner of the farm house in Gujarat where Shaikh and Kausar Bi were illegally detained before they were killed.

"The prosecution has failed to put forth any documentary or substantive evidence to suggest or establish the conspiracy theory against the 22 accused. It has failed to establish all charges levelled against them. Hence all the accused stand acquitted," the judge said.

The court cannot rely solely on "circumstantial and hearsay evidence", he said.

Police said Sohrabuddin was linked with terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and was allegedly conspiring to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then the chief minister of Gujarat.

Despite sincere efforts made by the prosecution, a cogent case could not be established since the CBI lacked documentary evidence and reliable witnesses, the judge said.

"Two main prosecution witnesses turned hostile. What could the prosecution have done? It couldnt have forced them not to turn hostile," the judge said.

"Therefore, when this court ultimately went through all the evidence and testimonies on record, it concluded that no case of conspiracy could be established. Also, no link between these 22 persons and the three deaths could be established," he said.

When the CBI took over the case, it had charged 38 persons, including Amit Shah, who was then Gujarat home minister, Gulabchand Kataria, the then Rajasthan home minister, and and senior IPS officers like D G Vanzara and P C Pande. The prosecution had examined 210 witnesses, of which 92 turned hostile.

Sixteen people, including Shah, Kataria, Vanzara and Pande were earlier discharged by the CBI court due to lack of evidence against them.

The case was initially probed by the Gujarat CID before the CBI took over in 2010. The Supreme Court in 2013 directed that the trial be shifted to Mumbai from Gujarat on the central agency's request to ensure a fair trial.

The CBI had claimed that Vanzara had summoned Gujarat IPS Ashish Pandya while the latter was on leave, to be part of Prajapati's alleged encounter.

"The CBI failed to produce any substantial evidence, phone records etc to prove that Vanzara called Pandya for this specific purpose. There is nothing to conclude that Vanzara had any knowledge of the alleged conspiracy," the court said.

Shaikh's brother Rubabuddin, who was present in court Friday, said he was disappointed at the verdict and would appeal against it in the Supreme Court.

After the judge pronounced the verdict, all the accused, who were present in court, congratulated and hugged each other with relief writ large on their faces.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Friday claimed that all recruitments in the state are being carried out in a free and fair manner and rejected all allegations in this regard.

"All the recruitments being done by the UP Public Service Commission and others are being carried out in a free and fair manner as had never been done before," the chief minister told the Legislative Assembly during the Zero Hour.

"In the past one-and-a-half years, over a lakh recruitments have been made and appointment letters issued," he said.

Rejecting allegations of anomaly, he said the UP PSC was an autonomous body in which the government had no role.

"The decision on how an examination has to be conducted and which agencies have to be used for it is taken by the concerning commission and the government does not interfere in it," Adityanath stressed.

He attacked the previous governments in the state over the selection of UP PSC members, stating that a former chairman had to be removed following a direction by the high court as the individual did not have the required eligibility for the post.

"What used to happen (earlier) is that when recruitments were announced, members of a party or those connected with a family used to move about in the state with a bag to collect money," the chief minister said.

"We inherited solvers gangs which were active during the previous governments. STF and other agencies will nab these persons and then everything will be out in the open," he added.

The chief minister said since irregularities were committed during interviews, it has been done away with for non-gazetted posts and the scope of money being used for appointments has been checked.

"It has been made clear that in case of any shortcoming in appointments, the chairman of the board concerned will be answerable...stern action will be taken against anyone playing with the future of the youth," Adityanath said.

With Leader of the BSP Legislature Party Lalji Verma objecting to assertions of money being taken for appointments in the past, the chief minister asked him to prove the existence of such a practice under the current government and promised to take stern action against it.

"But if the charge is being levelled in the House without evidence, the member will have to apologise to the House and the state," Adityanath asserted.

Later, the House was adjourned sine die after a brief four-day winter session during which the second supplementary budget totalling Rs 8,054 crore was passed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An anti-noise pollution activist was allegedly threatened by a group of unidentified persons Friday evening when she was monitoring noise-levels during a fair in suburban Mahim.

Sumaira Abdulali, the activist who is the founder of the Awaaz Foundation, said that policemen present at the spot came to her rescue.

However, the police should probe the incident further, Abdulali said in a letter to the Mumbai police commissioner.

Around 5 pm, when she was recording noise levels outside Mahim Police Station where a band was playing, some people "gheraoed and threatened and verbally attacked" her, she said.

Policemen at the spot escorted her to her car, she added.

Awaaz Foundation has filed several public interest litigations on the issue of noise pollution, resulting in some landmark orders.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Army officer was killed and another personnel injured as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district Friday, an official said.

There was an unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Keran sector at 11.55 am. One junior commissioner officer (JCO) was killed and another injured in the firing, the Army official said.

He said the Indian Army responded to the ceasefire violation effectively.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court has come to the rescue of an Army man, who was dismissed from service for the offence of misconduct, saying there was clear violation of principle of natural justice as "there was no reason to deny him the benefit of legal representation" during court martial proceedings.

The top court said that prejudice caused to him was evident as the Army man, who had joined service on January 1, 2003 was dismissed from the service and sentenced to six months' imprisonment after Summary Court-Martial (SCM).

A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah set aside the order of December 18, 2012 of Armed Force Tribunal (AFT), Lucknow bench, and the decision taken on the basis of the Summary Court Martial.

"In the face of Army Rule 129, there was no reason to deny him the benefit of legal representation which he desired at his own expense," the court said.

The court said that there was a clear violation of the principles of natural justice as the "prejudice too is evident".

"The appellant was dismissed from service and sentenced to six months' imprisonment. Both his livelihood and liberty were taken away," the bench said while setting aside the order of AFT and the decision taken on the basis of the SCM.

The court, however, clarified that it has interfered with the order only on the ground of a violation of the principles of natural justice.

"It would be open to the Respondents (Union of India) to take further steps as may be permissible in accordance with law," it said.

The top court was hearing a plea of a sepoy who has challenged the order of AFT by which his petition challenging the decision of dismissal from service and six months jail imposed by the Summary Court Martial (SCM) was rejected.

According to sepoy's plea, a Summary Court Martial was convened on two charges--the first being of an assault on a superior officer while the second was the use of abusive language against a Subedar who had found the sepoy to be not properly dressed for the parade.

The SCM acquitted the sepoy of the second charge, but he was found guilty of the first charge of misconduct.

He was awarded a punishment of dismissal from service and six months rigorous imprisonment in civil jail. The sepoy challenged the decision before AFT, which was later rejected.

By his letter dated July 7, 2009, the sepoy requested the Commanding Officer to permit him to hire a civil advocate. On July 8, 2009, the request of sepoy was turned down on the ground that under Regulation 479 of the Army Regulations, a civil advocate is permissible to only those persons who are subject to trial for an offence which entails death penalty.

The bench said that Regulation 479 deals with a situation where a person, who is subject to the Army Act is to be tried for a court martial for an offence punishable with death while on the contrary, Rule 129 of the Army Rules which specifically deals with representation in a Summary Court Martial.

"The Rule clearly indicates that in a Summary Court Martial, the accused may have a person to assist him during the trial, whether a legal adviser or any other person. The expression 'may' must be read to mean that the person who is proceeded against has the option on whether or not to engage a legal advisor or any other person. It represents an entitlement to be represented," the bench said.

The petitioner sepoy contended that there was a violation of the principles of natural justice in conducting the SCM as he sought the assistance of a civil advocate under Rule 129 of the Army Rules, 1954 which was denied under Regulation 479 of the Army Regulations.

The counsel for the petitioner submitted that in a Summary Court Martial, the sepoy was pitted against the Commanding Officer and he should have been given the benefit of legal advise which was denied to him on the erroneous basis that it was only for an offence involving a possible sentence of death that such assistance could be allowed.

Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, appearing for Union of India said no prejudice was caused to the appellant and hence, the Court may not entertain the appeal.

The bench said, "In view of the specific provision of Rule 129, the Commanding Officer was evidently in error in declining the assistance of a lawyer on the ground that legal assistance could be admissible only where the offence was punishable with death".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
/ -- - To train healthcare providers on quality and affordable maternal care, contraceptives and better management of Diabetes in Pregnancy



Asian Research & Training Institute for Skill Transfer (ARTIST) has taken a huge leap by providing a packaged training programme through digital platform and leading doctors from Karnataka attended the first ever such programme in state. Another team of doctors and nurses connected to the class digitally from Mumbai and with ECHO team in Delhi.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/801567/ARTIST_Digital_Collaborative.jpg )



ARTIST vision is to collaborate with industry experts and train the frontline healthcare providers in ObGyn through skill transfer. In this direction it has combined its initiatives Manyata, Parivarthan (#WhoDecides) and Diabetes in Pregnancy in the training module.

Speaking about collaborating with Project ECHO Zoom for the Manyata sessions, National Convener of Manyata, Dr. Hema Divakar said, "Divakars Speciality Hospital is the first ever Manyata centre in Karnataka, and hopes to introduce digital platform for training teams from private sector providers pan Karnataka and beyond. The ECHO Zoom platform eliminates need to travel every month for the training. Healthcare providers can train at their centres with faster turnaround time. We are aiming to certify 100 hospitals for Manyata in Karnataka in the next one year."



"Having seen the ground realities in rural India, where there are no specialists available, I'm all keen on supporting the initiative to skill frontline providers and to save lives," said Dr. M. G. Hiremath, Vice President, FOGSI and Head of ObGyn, KLE Belagavi.

Signifying the importance of introducing digital platforms in medical trainings and educations, Dr. Hema added, "Project ECHO Zoom is smooth, sleek, easy to connect and converse. With its brilliant video conferencing features, it offers much more effective experiential connect with lesser cost and wider reach over massive scale. Tata Cancer Research Centre used to get approximately 1,42,000 patients in a month from across the country, many of whom had to travel for days, stand in queue for hours together just for a follow up - these numbers have come down to 30,000 since the introduction of Project ECHO Zoom for empowering the local healthcare providers. We aim to take quality, affordable, maternal healthcare to even the most remote parts of Karnataka and slowly spread across India."



Speaking on the latest initiative of ARTIST in collaboration with Population Services International (PSI), Dr. Hema, who is also CEO and Chairperson of ARTIST said, "Parivarthan is an initiative to bring about mindset change with the healthcare providers which caters to the changing lifestyle of today's youth. There are currently 12 master trainer doctors in Bengaluru, who will train 100 doctors each, on building awareness on reproductive choices, knowledge, attitude and dispelling myths and misconceptions about contraception among gen next. These doctors will in turn reach out to schools and colleges to guide the youngsters on preventive methods, contraception, change in mindset, decision making, and accessible healthcare. PSI has been of great help in providing high quality contraceptives at a nominal cost to the network hospitals. It will also assist in running a helpline on these issues. In Phase 1, we aim to train 3000 doctors, who will reach out to 3000 schools and colleges."



On the alarming increase in the rate of Diabetes among pregnant women Dr. Hema as the Vice-Chair for FIGO GDM Working Group said, "We observe Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) awareness day on 10th of March every year. But one day a year is not sufficient, as approximately 1 in 5 women who develop diabetes during pregnancy go on to develop Type 2 Diabetes within the next 2-4 years. Diabetes is a real problem which needs many more healthcare providers to address in the correct manner. Therefore, we want to empower even the non-diabetic specialists like us ObGyns, to be diabetes educators so that we also know how to guide the women for its prevention and long-term care."



About ARTIST Asian Research & Training Institute for Skill Transfer (ARTIST), a premier institute for learning, is based out of Bangalore, and aims to improve the capabilities and competencies of Obstetrics & Gynaecologists (ObGyns) in India. Having extensively surveyed the Knowledge, Attitudes & Practices (KAPs) amongst the ObGyns across India, ARTIST is able to gather startling facts and identify the GAPs in KAPs. ARTIST will conduct training, teaching and research in order to fill these gaps.

About Manyata Manyata aims to create a robust quality improvement and assurance system to help private maternity care facilities improve their quality of services and recognize those who consistently deliver quality care to the women they serve. Under this program, FOGSI and Jhpiego will provide the required support, training and help the facilities adhere to the recommended standards for certification of quality in maternity services. Certification process is by FOGSI and accreditation will be by independent agencies recognized by Quality Council of India.

About Parivarthan #WhoDecides Parivarthan is a collaborative initiative by PSI (Population Services International) and ARTIST. The project is about change in mindset of health care providers and youth of the country by building awareness, access and affordability for use of contraception. The project which is piloting in Karnataka will train doctors to implement contraceptive methods to plug the unmet needs of today's youth. It also will address college students on #WhoDecides on what they eat, how they exercise and who is responsible for their reproductive decisions.

About Project ECHO Zoom Project ECHO is a collaborative model of medical education and care management that empowers clinicians everywhere to provide better care to more people, right where they live. The ECHO model increases access to speciality treatment in underserved areas by providing front-line clinicians with the knowledge and support to manage complex cases by specialists through weekly virtual clinics supported by Zoom tele-conferencing technology, combined with mentoring and patient case presentations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: Ashok Leyland of Hinduja group and Engine Factory, Avadi, near here, Friday donated Rs three crore and Rs 5 lakh respectively to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund towards rehabilitation work in cyclone Gaja-affected districts of Tamil Nadu.

Chairman of Ashok Leyland Dheeraj Hinduja handed over a cheque for Rs 3 crore to Chief Minister K Palaniswami at the Secretariat, a press release said.

Similarly, the 1,300 employees of the Engine Factory, a defence production unit, contributed Rs five lakh from their salaries to the relief fund, the release said.

General manager of the factory Anil Kumar handed over a cheque for Rs 5 lakh to Palaniswami, it added.

The cyclone hit the coast near Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam district on November 16, claiming over 50 lives besides leaving a trail of destruction in 10 districts.

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Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi Friday condemned the Centre's move to authorise 10 central agencies to intercept "any information" on computers and indicated that the party may move court against the MHA order.

This is a direct attack on privacy of the people, he said adding that since independence, the country has never seen such an attempt to infiltrate into people's privacy.

"We condemn this move to snoop on people of this country. We will oppose it and if needed we will fight it in the court also," Singhvi told a press conference here.

"The BJP government is converting India into a surveillance state through the order. It is the ultimate assault on fundamental rights and the right to privacy," he said.

The order authorises 10 Central agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau, the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor, and decrypt "any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer".

Singhvi, while speaking on the Rafale fight jet issue, said the BJP has misled the Supreme Court and only a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) can expose the web of lies of the BJP.

"Why is the BJP afraid to conduct a JPC into the issue? Are they afraid that they might be caught?," he asked.

The Supreme Court on December 14 gave the Narendra Modi government a clean chit on the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France and dismissed all the petitions seeking direction to the CBI to register an FIR for alleged irregularities in the deal.

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 Congress has been demanding a probe by a JPC to the deal while the government has denied any irregularity in the deal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
AYUSH minister Shripad Naik on Friday held an interactive meeting here with ambassadors/high commissioners of 15 countries on globalisation of traditional and alternative medicine systems for the benefit of humanity.

The meeting was coordinated by Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) and attended by ambassadors and high commissioners of the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Hungary, UAE, Cuba, Iran, Ghana, Trinidad, Oman, Equatorial Guinea, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Mauritius, Bangladesh and Bhutan.

The focus of the meeting was on role played by traditional and complementary systems of medicine (TM&CM) in the health care of people with respect to combating non-communicable diseases and promotion of health, alongside the modern medicine across the world with very low cost, an official statement said.

Ambassadors, high commissioners and representatives from the participating countries acknowledged the need for diligent integration of TM&CM with modern medicine in combating non-communicable diseases to reduce the exorbitant health care expenditure for individuals and to the national exchequer.

"There was consensus in the meeting that all stake holding countries should come together to work for the globalisation of traditional medicine systems for the benefit of humanity.

"For this purpose, it was acknowledged, induction of Indian Medical systems like Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) of the WHO would be desirable," the statement said



The efforts made by the ministry in creating Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani (ASU) morbidity codes and standardized terminologies in line with WHO guidelines for quantification and reporting of health services by AYUSH systems at national level were also discussed, it said.

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Retired Judge Rand Hoch was recently named a Top Lawyer by Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles.

It is humbling to have been recognized by Marquis Whos Who for my work as an attorney, Hoch said. I am particularly honored to know that they value the pro bono legal work I have done for Floridas LGBTQ community for more than three decades.

Hoch is a well-known LGBT rights advocate in Palm Beach County and is also the president and founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council.

An accomplished listee, Judge Hoch celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field," a press release from Marquis stated. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

The rest of the press release details Hochs accomplishments.

In 1992, Florida Governor Lawton Chiles appointed Mr. Hoch to serve as a Judge of Compensation Claim. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Hoch practiced labor, workers' compensation and election law at the Law Office of Gerald A. Rosenthal from 1989 to 1991 and at Kaplan, Sicking and Bloom from 1985 to 1988. Mr. Hoch also served as a research assistant for professor Ruth Fleet Thurman at Stetson University College of Law from 1983 to 1985. Following his tenure on the bench, Judge Hoch formed the Law and Mediation Offices of Rand Hoch, where he continues to work as a private mediator helping parties resolve workplace disputes.

Prior to his career in law, Mr. Hoch served as a real estate broker in Florida and as a political consultant in Washington, DC, Massachusetts and Florida. While in undergraduate school at Georgetown University where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in American Government, he served as the research director for the Council of Active Independent Oil and Gas Producers from 1996 to 1997 and as national volunteer coordinator for the Henry M. Jackson for President Committee from 1974 to 1976.

In 1988, Mr. Hoch founded the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, a local independent advocacy organization for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. He served as President from 1988 to 1992 and from 2001 to the present. In that capacity, Judge Hoch was instrumental in the enactment of more than 130 laws and policies providing equal rights, protections and benefits for the LGBT community in Florida.

Throughout his career, Judge Hoch has been recognized for his contributions. The recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award from Palm Beach State College, he has also received an Inaugural Diversity Honors Award from the Harvey Milk Foundation. South Florida Gay News named him among their Out 50, and Florida Agenda named him one of Florida's Top 100 LGBT Movers and Shakers. Judge Hoch has been featured in numerous honors publications, including multiple editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law, Who's Who in American Politics, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in the South and Southwest, and Who's Who of Emerging Leaders in America.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Friday compared the Badals, who lead the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal, to scared rabbits with no hole to hide as they face an imminent defeat in next year's Lok Sabha polls.

Singh was reacting to SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal's remark Thursday that the recent loan waivers announced by the Congress governments in three states were a farce.

The chief minister said Badal's comments, at an Akali Dal party workers' meeting in Fazilka, were theatrics.

In an apparent reference to Sukhbir Singh Badal and his father Parkash Singh Badal, the CM said, Faced with imminent defeat in the upcoming parliamentary polls, the Badals are now running around like scared rabbits, with no hole to hide.

"If they continue with their desperate efforts to cheat the people, they will be thrown into political oblivion forever by the electorate, Singh said in a statement.

The new Congress governments in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisharh and Rajasthan announced loan waivers, promised by the party ahead of the recent assembly elections.

Earlier, Amarinder Singh's own Congress government had written off farmer loans in Punjab, but the SAD claims these form a a small proportion of the amount promised.

Singh said his government has so far disbursed Rs 3595.04 crore to 4,28,246 farmers as loan waivers.

Of this, Rs 1815.78 crore has gone to 3,17,965 marginal farmers who took loans from cooperative banks and Rs 1779.26 crore to 1,10,281 others who got them from commercial banks, he said.

The chief minister reminded that Congress president Rahul Gandhi has promised waiver of farm loans across the country if the party wins the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

It is evident that the SAD-BJP combine is scared out of their wits by the Congress leadership's promise, he said, reminding that the party had also delivered on it in the states where it won assembly polls recently.

For 10 years, the Badals did not take cognizance of the plight of the farmers and are now shedding crocodile tears for them, he added.

With the SAD completely marginalized in Punjab, and their ally, the BJP, also clearly losing political ground, the Akali chief is looking for a way out of the political alienation which the coalition is facing ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Singh said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, BJP president Amit Shah and Hindu saints Friday discussed ways to go ahead with the construction of a temple at the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya, religious leaders who participated in the meeting said.

Bhagwat and saints present at the two-day Hindu Acharya Sabha meeting at Rajkot, which is 210 km from Ahmedabad, explicitly expressed the view that construction of the temple should start before May 2019, when the term of the Narendra Modi government ends, they said.

In the meeting, Shah gave the assurance that the temple will be built in Ayodhya, the Hindu leaders said.

"The issue was discussed in detail. One way is the legal route... Political leaders are doing their bit. Saints said they want to push for construction of Ram temple as early as possible," Acharya Satgiri Maharaj, who took part in the meeting which concluded on Friday, said.

"I hope they will do something in two-three months," said Satgiri Maharaj, who hails from Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

The Supreme Court is likely to hear the Babri Masjid- Ram Janmabhoomi title dispute in January.

When asked if the BJP was given an ultimatum to start the construction of the temple before the 2019 polls, Satgiri replied in the negative.

"Mohanji has expressed his desire that construction of the Ram temple should start before 2019 polls, but no ultimatum was given," Satgiri said.

Another saint said Shah shared details of the legal case during the meeting and spoke about the Supreme Court's possibility of taking up the matter in January.

"Shah assured us that the temple will be built at the same spot (in Ayodhya which is under dispute)," the saint said.

A third saint called for patience, saying, "They (RSS and BJP) will do whatever is required (for the construction of the temple)."



RSS spokesperson Vijay Thakar said social, political and educational issues concerning Hindu society are discussed at the Hindu Acharya Sabha, which is held every two years.

Apart from Bhagwat and Shah, senior BJP leaders Ram Madhav and Subramanian Swamy participated in Hindu Sabha.

Swamy said arguments were in favour of Hindus getting the land for Ram temple, but now the question was when will the Supreme Court hear the case.

"(Former prime minister) Narasimha Rao had said 'if it was proved that there was a temple at the same place we will give the land to Hindus'; the Archaeological Survey of India has proved it.

"The Supreme Court has also ruled that the masijd is not an essential part for 'namaz' (prayer) which can be performed anywhere. All things and arguments are in our favour," Swamy told reporters.

"Now we just have to see when the hearing takes place and when the judgement comes," he said.

The meet, attended by around 100 participants, was held at Arsh Vidya Mandir in Rajkot.

Hindutva organisations, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, have in the past few months intensified their demand for early construction of the temple, with many of them, including Bhagwat, pitching for a law to enable it.

Though the BJP shares the sentiments expressed by these outfits, the party, which heads a coalition government at the Centre, has so far not come out in open support of a law to pave the way for temple construction.

There is a view within the saffron party that paving the way for the temple's construction will boost its prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Culling of birds has been ordered in four villages in Munger district as outbreak of bird flu has been confirmed in those areas, a senior state government official said Friday.

Divisional Commissioner, Munger, Pankaj Kumar Pal said though bird flu has been confirmed in some areas of Munger district but so far there were no case of avian influenza afflicting any human being.

Following reports of birds dying in some villages under Ghoraho Panchayat, samples were sent to a medical lab in Kolkata for tests wherein strains of the H5N1 virus were confirmed, he said.

"Culling of birds has, therefore, been ordered in four villages falling under the panchayat Chakhand, Amaiya, Belsira and Aphroj. A Central team has reached the villages with the necessary paraphernalia. Besides, those in the poultry business are being compensated," Pal told PTI.

"Although no humans have so far been found to be afflicted by the virus, antiviral drug Tamiflu is being made available in the affected region as a precautionary measure. An advisory has also been issued asking the people to avoid coming into contact with any migratory wild birds or consumption of their meat," the Commissioner added.

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A six-year-old boy was battered to death and his elder brother seriously injured allegedly by their abductors, who were nabbed by the police after a gunfight in Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

Priyansh, 6, and his elder brother Divyanash, 8, the sons of a Sultanpur-based businessman, Rakesh Agrahari, were kidnapped Thursday for a ransom of Rs 50 lakh from Katka Bazar in Gosaiganj area of Sultanpur while they were going to school, police said here.

Following the encounter with the alleged abductors, the police rescued the businessmen's elder son Divyansh and rushed him to the trauma centre of the King George's Medical University here in a serious condition, officials said.

The younger child, Priyansh, however, had already been killed by their abductors before the police could apprehend the abductors, the officials said.

The alleged abductors, including the domestic help of the businessman, got to now that the police were after them and brutally battered the two young children, killing one of them, police said.

Following the encounter, the police arrested four people, including the mastermind of the crime, the businessman's domestic help.

The arrested persons were identified as Raghubar, Hariom, Suraj and Shivpujan, who suffered a bullet injury in his leg during the encounter and has been admitted to a hospital here, police said.

"We have arrested four persons involved in the kidnapping, including the mastermind who was a servant of the businessman and had breached his trust," Sultanpur SP Anurag Vats told PTI over phone.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, meanwhile, visited the trauma centre here to to see the injured child and asked the hospital to take the best possible care of him.

He also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for Priyansh's family and Rs 2 lakh for Divyansh's treatment.

The chief minister also directed the DGP to start a drive for verification of the credentials of domestic servants all over the state.

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The BJP Friday described the National Herald case a "text book case" of corruption after Delhi High Court dismissed a plea by the publisher of the Congress mouth piece, challenging the central government's order to vacate its premises here.

In the Narendra Modi government, the Congress will not be allowed to "loot" the country, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, accusing the opposition party of indulging in corruption.

"As far as National Herald is concerned, it is a text book case. The newspaper is not being published but huge tracts of land be it in Delhi, Mumbai or Chandigarh is being aspired to be owned by a private trust," the Union Minister said, adding that the court has upheld the government's decision.

The Delhi High Court Friday ordered the publisher of Congress mouthpiece National Herald to vacate within two weeks its premises here, holding there was no mala fide in the Centre's eviction order.

Dismissing the allegations of mala fide against the BJP government as "preposterous", the court said the publisher Associated Journals Limited (AJL) was "hijacked" by Young Indian (YI) company in which party chief Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi are majority shareholders.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has alleged that a private trust, among whose trustee are the Gandhi family members, has tried to appropriate the real estate owned by the newspaper.

In hard hitting observations in its 17-page verdict, the court held that the AJL has not provided any instances to support the serious allegations of mala fide levelled against the ruling dispensation, a reference to the BJP government at the Centre.

It said the AJL will have to vacate its premises within two weeks failing which proceedings under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971, would be initiated for its eviction.

The court rejected the contentions of the AJL challenging the Centre's October 30 order ending its 56-year-old lease and asking it to vacate the Herald House.

The Centre and Land and Development Office (L&DO) have said in their order that no press has been functioning in the premises for at least past 10 years and it was being used only for commercial purposes in violation of the lease deed.

AJL had denied the allegations in the petition filed in the high court.

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Workers of the BJP and the Congress had a face-off on the streets of Panaji Friday evening during a protest march organised by the saffron outfit over the Rafale deal issue.

The BJP organised the march to protest against Congress president Rahul Gandhi for "misguiding" the people of the country on the Rafale fighter jet deal.

Workers of both the parties filed cross-complaints at the Panaji police station, accusing each other of engaging in violence, assault and intimidation.

Panaji police inspector Siddhanth Shirodkar said FIRs have been filed on the respective complaints lodged by the BJP and the Congress.

BJP workers were protesting outside the Goa Congress headquarters in the state capital.

Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar, general secretary Satish Dhond and ministers Vishwajit Rane and Mauvin Godinho were leading the protest.

The situation turned tense when the Congress, in a sarcastic move, installed banners "welcoming BJP to explain their lies on Rafale deal". The main opposition also stationed its women wing leaders with flowers and snacks in their hands, waiting for BJP protestors.

According to eyewitnesses, Goa Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee president Pratima Coutinho mixed amongst BJP workers under the pretext of serving them snacks.

Coutinho, later addressing a press conference, alleged she was "mobbed by BJPs male workers".

She said BJP workers were furious over her gesture and even hurled footwear at her.

Goa BJP spokesman Damodar Naik, however, refuted her allegations and accused the Congress of "instigating the peaceful morcha".

"Congress purposely instigated the peaceful morcha which was held to expose their party leaders over the Rafale issue.

"They wanted to divert the issue that is why they instigated our workers with tricks like distributing snacks and offering flowers," said Naik, a former MLA.

He accused Coutinho of spitting water on the face of BJP workers.

"There is clear video footage. You can go through it. You will see how Congress workers were instigating the BJPs peaceful morcha. You will see how Pratima was spitting water on the crowd," said Naik.

Amid the melee, BJP workers burnt an effigy of Gandhi outside the Congress office.

A large number of police personnel were stationed outside the Congress office to ensure BJP and Congress workers don't clash with each other.

Coutinho displayed shoes and sandals which, she claimed, were thrown at her.

Showing bruises on her hands, she claimed Mahila Congress workers were attacked by men who were part of the BJP protest.

"I would call them goons of BJP. They were not looking like workers of BJP," she said.

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The BJP's proposed 'Rath Yatra' in West Bengal hit a roadblock again on Friday with a division bench of the Calcutta High Court quashing a single bench order that had given a go-ahead to the ambitious roadshow of the saffron party.

The division bench also asked the single-judge bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty to hear the case afresh to consider intelligence inputs by state agencies and dispose the matter expeditiously.

Hearing a plea by the state government that there are apprehensions of communal unrest due to the roadshow proposed to be undertaken by the BJP across the state, the division bench of Chief Justice Debasish Kargupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar has asked the single judge bench to pass a fresh order after considering whether there were adequate materials to arrive at the conclusion to allow the 'yatra'.

The 'Rath Yatra', which was originally scheduled to be flagged off by BJP president Amit Shah on December 7 but was denied permission by the state government, has become the latest political flashpoint between the saffron party and the state's ruling Trinamool Congress.

The division bench said the order needs to consider afresh the 36 intelligence inputs submitted by the state government before the single bench.

Advocate General Kishore Dutta, representing the state, said that the single bench had not considered the intelligence inputs submitted to it in a sealed cover and had returned it to him without even opening it.

He had submitted intelligence inputs from 31 police districts and five police commisionerates before the bench, which he said talked about apprehensions of communal unrest if the BJP's proposed roadshows were allowed.

After hearing an appeal by the BJP, the single-judge bench had on Thursday allowed the mega event.

The West Bengal government, however, challenged the ruling before the division bench, which has now quashed the earlier ruling and sent the case back to the single-judge bench.

The chief justice's bench noted that the intelligence reports were placed before the single bench, but were not considered on objection by petitioner BJP.

The division bench said that when comprehensive reports obtained from district magistrates, superintendents of police, commissioners and intelligence agencies of all the districts were made available, the single bench should have considered those.

Appearing for the state director general of police (DGP) and additional DGP (Law and Order), counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi submitted that total prohibition or ban has not been imposed on the activities of the BJP and permission for meetings have not been denied to it.

He said that while rallies have not been refused permission, the 'yatra' have been disallowed for reasons including possibility of communal unrest, logistical problems like blockade of highways through which it will pass and requirement of large number of security personnel for nearly 39 days, during which it will be held.

Singhvi submitted that it is the apprehension of provocative and inflammatory ambience of the 'yatra' that has led to the refusal of permission to it.

A rally being a one-spot event, the police has not barred these as security aspects can be better taken care of, he submitted.

BJP's counsel S K Kapur submitting that the party is amenable to a revised schedule if the court suggested so, said the 'yatra' is a political programme and it is an inalienable right of a political party to hold rallies and processions.

He alleged that it is a policy decision of the state government not to allow political programmes of the BJP.

He said though the advocate general has claimed that 2,100 political rallies have been allowed in the state since 2017, there are numerous instances of meetings of Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and many other leaders being denied permission by the state government.

"A BJP-led government is at the Centre for four-and-half years and if it is so that the party is communal, then there would have been conflagration in the whole country," he submitted.

Setting aside the denial of permission by the state government, the single-judge bench had on Thursday allowed the 'yatra' while noting that courts can interfere if administrative authorities exercise their discretionary powers in a whimsical manner.

Following the court order, the BJP had come up with tentative new dates for its proposed three-phase programme starting December 28.

After today's order, there is uncertainty once again over the mega event that was to cover all 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The high court will go on a 10-day winter vacation from Saturday and will reopen on Januray 2.

Earlier on December 6, the same single-judge bench had refused permission to the BJP to hold the 'Rath Yatra', which was scheduled to be flagged off by Shah from Cooch Behar on December 7. The party had then approached a division bench presided by Justice B Somadder.

The division bench had then asked the state chief secretary, the home secretary and the director general of police to hold a meeting with representatives of the BJP and take a decision on the 'yatra' by December 14.

After parleys with the BJP team, the three officers refused permission for the rallies on December 15 on grounds that they might lead to communal tensions.

Following this, the state BJP had moved the court of Justice Chakraborty again challenging the government's denial of permission and had got the go-ahead on Thursday.

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An internal survey carried out by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has predicted a repeat of its 2014 performance in the coming Lok Sabha polls if forges a pre-poll alliance with the Shiv Sena.

A senior BJP minister, requesting anonymity, said the two parties are expected to win 42 out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra if they fight together.

This could be easier said than done as Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has said repeatedly that he will not have an alliance with the BJP.

"If the Sena refuses to have a poll pact, the BJP will still be the single-largest party, but will win fewer seats than in 2014. The survey, however, says the Sena will not win more than 4-5 seats," the minister claimed.

The BJP-Sena combine had bagged 40 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in 2014. The BJP won 22 while 18 seats fell into the Sena's kitty.

The Congress won only two seats, while the NCP did a tad better by winning five.

Quoting the survey, the minister said if the BJP-Sena alliance does not materialise, the BJP on its own can win 18 to 20 seats, while the Congress-NCP combine can win 22 to 24 seats.

BJP chief Amit Shah, during his recent visit to the city, had told Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that he wanted alliance with the Sena, the minister said.

Asked for a comment, Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande said her party had nothing to do with BJP's internal survey, and the Sena's future course of action has already been chalked out by party president Uddhav Thackeray.

"The survey may predict five seats for us, on the counting day everybody will see how many seats we actually get. It is the prerogative of our party president to decide if the alliance will happen," she said.

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The ruling BJP in Assam Friday emerged as the single largest party in the three-tier panchayat elections by bagging 42 per cent of the total seats, while Congress came second securing 34 per cent, the Assam State Election Commission (ASEC) said.

The BJP bagged 11,325 out of a total 26,784 posts, counting of which began on December 12 across Assam, the ASEC said in a statement after conclusion of the counting process.

The Congress has won a total of 8,970 posts, followed by Independents winning 3,048 seats, which is 11 per cent of the total seats.

The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), a constituent of the ruling alliance that contested separately, came fourth winning 1,963 posts while another opposition AIUDF bagged 1,319 posts. The two parties secured seven and five per cent of the total seats respectively, the ASEC statement said.

Out of the total posts, 21,970 are for gaon panchayat members (GPM), 2,197 each for gaon panchayat presidents (GPP) and anchalik panchayat members (APM), and 420 are zilla parishad members (ZPM).

No nominations were received in 52 GPM seats and by-elections will take place later in coming days to fill-up those posts, the ASEC said.

In GPM, the BJP has bagged 9,094, followed by the Congress (7,292), the AGP (1,689) and the AIUDF (1,024). The other seats were captured by the Bodoland People's Front (54), the CPI(M) (33), the CPI (3), the TMC (5), the CPI(ML) (4), the NCP (3) and Independents (2,717).

For the GPP posts, the BJP won in 994, Congress in 760, the AGP in 137 and the AIUDF in 130. The BPF bagged 2 seats, NCP one and Independents 173.

In the APM seats, BJP bagged 1,025, while 771 were won by the Congress, 118 by the AGP, 136 by the AIUDF, one by both the CPI(M) and the TMC and 142 by Independents.

The ASEC said in ZPM constituencies, the BJP won 212 seats, the Congress 147, the AGP 19, the AIUDF 26 and Independents 16.

The elections were held on December 5 and 9 recording an overall voting of over 82 per cent.

While there were 78,571 contestants in total, 734 were elected uncontested.

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Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee Friday said the BJP started a campaign to mislead the people by wrongly interpreting the Supreme Court verdict on Rafale deal.

The Congress is contemplating to lodge complaint against the central government for allegedly misleading and misinforming the apex court, on the basis of which judgment was formed, Mukherjee said here.

"The Rafale deal probe doesn't come under the purview of the Supreme Court. Only a Joint Parliamentary Committee can summon the Prime Minister and others to question about Rafale deal. So, a JPC must be formed," she told a conference.

Mukherjee, also daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, said the Congress also started a counter campaign to contest the claim of the BJP that the Supreme Court gave them clean chit on the issue.

The Congress leader said the court in its verdict cited a report submitted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), but no such report was given to the panel headed by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.

The central government has filed an affidavit with the Supreme Court saying the CAG report's mention was a "typographical error", Mukherjee said.

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As the brilliant comet 46P/Wirtanen streaked across the sky, NASA telescopes caught it on camera from multiple angles.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope photographed comet 46P/Wirtanen on Dec. 13, when the comet was 7.4 million miles (12 million kilometers) from Earth. In this visible light image, the comet's nucleus is hidden in the center of a fuzzy glow from the comet's coma. The coma is a cloud of gas and dust that the comet has ejected during its pass through the inner solar system due to heating from the Sun. To make this composite image, the color blue was applied to high-resolution grayscale exposures acquired from the spacecraft's WFC3 instrument.

The inner part of a comet's coma is normally not accessible from Earth. The close fly-by of comet 46P/Wirtanen allowed astronomers to study it in detail. They combined the unique capabilities of Hubble, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to study how gases are released from the nucleus, what the comet's ices are composed of, and how gas in the coma is chemically altered by sunlight and solar radiation.

NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, took this image of the comet on Dec. 16 and 17 when the aircraft was flying at 40,000 feet.

Comets and asteroids may be the source of Earth's water. SOFIA is studying the chemical fingerprints of different types of hydrogen in the comet's water, which will help us learn about the origins and history of water in the solar system -- including Earth's oceans.

The SOFIA image was taken with the telescope's visible light guide camera, using an orange filter to indicate the intensity of light relative to other objects. SOFIA's observations using infrared light to study the comet's water are now under analysis.

Comet 46P/Wirtanen made its closest approach to Earth on Dec. 16, when it passed just over 7 million miles (11 million kilometers) from our planet, about 30 times farther away than the Moon. Although its close approach is valuable for making science observations from Earth, and it is the brightest comet of 2018, 46P/Wirtanen is only barely visible to the unaided eye even where the sky is very dark. It is best viewed through binoculars or a telescope.

Backyard observers can currently find the comet near the constellation Taurus though with the challenge of added light from the Moon, but it will continue to be viewable in the weeks to come. Finder charts and other information are available at the Comet Wirtanen Observing Campaign website.

Comet 46P/Wirtanen orbits the Sun once every 5.4 years, much quicker than the 75-year orbit of the more famous Comet Halley. Most of its passes through the inner solar system are much farther from Earth, making this year's display particularly notable.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, in Washington, D.C.

SOFIA is a Boeing 747SP jetliner modified to carry a 106-inch diameter telescope. It is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center, DLR. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley manages the SOFIA program, science and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, and the German SOFIA Institute (DSI) at the University of Stuttgart. The aircraft is maintained and operated from NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center Hangar 703, in Palmdale, California.



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A member in the Lok Sabha Friday demanded that the British government should apologise for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre that happened in Amritsar in 1919.

The demand was made by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) member Prem Singh Chandumajra during the Zero Hour.

He said the Indian government should put pressure on the British government and seek an apology for the massacre.

It would be the centenary year of the massacre in 2019 and the government has prepared a blue print for the year-long commemoration.

Troops of the British Indian Army, under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer, had fired on civilians who had gathered at Jallianwala Bagh for a peaceful protest in 1919 and scores of people had died.

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Japanese prosecutors re-arrested former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn over fresh allegations Friday, apparently dashing his hopes of being home for Christmas in the latest twist to a rollercoaster saga.

The case of the once-revered 64-year-old tycoon has gripped Japan and the business world since he was arrested as he stepped off his private jet at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on November 19.

He had appeared set for release Friday after a court surprisingly rejected the prosecutors' demand to extend his detention for further questioning.

But instead of being freed on bail, Ghosn was arrested Friday over separate allegations of financial wrongdoing.

"The accused was responsible for managing Nissan's overall operations and for dutifully fulfilling his role as CEO not to cause damage to Nissan and its subsidiaries... but he took action that betrayed his role and caused financial damage to Nissan," prosecutors alleged.

They alleged he transferred personal losses worth some 1.85 billion yen ($16.6 million) sustained in the 2008 financial crisis to Nissan.

He also stands accused of wiring some $14.7 million from Nissan funds to another company for his own benefit.

According to public broadcaster NHK, Ghosn denies this latest set of allegations.

The Franco-Brazilian-Lebanese businessman has already been formally charged with under-reporting his income by tens of millions of dollars over several years and faces a second batch of allegations that this continued for three further years.

On Thursday a court refused to extend his detention over the second set of allegations, reportedly because they were too similar to the first set.

But this fresh arrest gives prosecutors 48 hours to question him on the new matter. Under Japanese law, they can then apply for a fresh extension of 10 days, plus a further 10 days, to investigate the new claims.

His right-hand man, Greg Kelly, who faces the same initial charge, was not rearrested on Friday and his lawyer has requested bail, according to a court statement.

Since his stunning arrest last month, the once jet-setting executive has languished in a tiny cell in a detention centre in northern Tokyo, where he has complained about the cold and the rice-based menu.

His lengthy detention -- in Japan, suspects can be "re-arrested" several times over different allegations -- has sparked criticism, especially from abroad.

"The Japanese penal system has been revealed to the wider world. It is not necessarily Japan's best side and this is not good for business," Tokyo lawyer Lionel Vincent told AFP.

Ghosn has an unusually high profile for a foreign executive in Japan and was credited with turning around the struggling car giant Nissan and forging a three-way alliance with French manufacturer Renault and fellow Japanese firm Mitsubishi Motors.

He was seen as the glue holding together the fractious alliance and his arrest has exposed major rifts between Nissan -- which makes the most money -- and Renault, the dominant shareholder.

Both Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors promptly sacked Ghosn as chairman following his arrest, on the basis of a months-long internal Nissan investigation.

Renault has been much more cautious, keeping him on as chairman and CEO and appointing Thierry Bollore as interim boss.

According to a source close to the investigation, Nissan would seek to bar Ghosn from their premises if he were to be released.

In addition to charges against Ghosn and Kelly, prosecutors have also indicted Nissan, as the company submitted the official documents that allegedly under-reported his income.

The firm declined to comment on the latest twist but added: "Nissan's own investigation is ongoing, and its scope continues to broaden."



Nissan has also accused its former boss of other financial impropriety, including using Nissan funds to purchase luxury homes around the world.

One of these -- a luxurious spread with ocean views over Rio de Janeiro's famous Copacabana Beach -- has become the subject of a legal battle.

Last week, Ghosn family members entered the flat, removed "personal effects" and opened the safes, according to Nissan.

This followed a court order giving Ghosn's representatives access despite objections from the Japanese firm.

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The RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group on Friday said the group was awaiting clearances from the bourses to get the non-power businesses of CESC Ltd.

"Stock exchanges need to give their clearances now," R P Sanjiv Goenka Group chairman Sanjiv Goenka said in response to a shareholder's question at the AGM of the CESC.

He said he is expecting to get the respective nods soon.

Under this proposal, Spencer's will be floated into a new company. It's business process division - FirstSource, the realty arm - Quest and the FMCG division will be merged to form CESC Ventures.

While the listed entity CESC Ltd will continue to operate its power business as it awaits state power regulator's nod. The two new companies is supposed be listed on the stock exchanges.

It was not immediately clear whether the West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission letter seeking details on demerger will bear any impact on listing of demerged non-power companies.

Meanwhile, Goenka said he hopes that its FMCG venture will hit the "inflection point" to become profitable by March 2020.

Spencer's is already positive at the PBT level, he said.

Goenka has targeted a revenue of Rs 100 billion in the next five years from this FMCG vertical and is also on the lookout to enter new business categories including non-baked food products.

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Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan Friday condemned the Centre's decision to authorise 10 central agencies to intercept data on any computer, calling it an attack on democratic values.

The former chief minister said the order amounts to authorising snooping in the name of security.

"This draconian political use of government machinery is also interference in the domain of the states. The repercussions are alarming," he said.

This is a "self-declared emergency" which has come in the wake of BJP's defeat in Assembly elections, Chavan alleged.

"It is an attack on people's privacy and also on democratic values," he said.

The Congress leader also claimed that the saffron party was a "sinking ship" and many of its leaders in Maharashtra were about to quit.

On the acquittal of all the accused in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh encounter killing case, Chavan said in a sarcastic tone, "The question to be asked is whether Sohrabuddin existed or not, did he murder himself or did he commit suicide.

"The witnesses had turned hostile long ago. The question is who influenced them. It is a matter of concern," the Congress leader said.

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China has warned the US that it would take "forceful measures" to resolutely safeguard its own interests after President Donald Trump signed a new law that imposes a visa ban on Chinese officials denying American citizens access to Tibet.

Trump signed the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018 into law Wednesday which passed by US Congress and the Senate, enraging China.

China insists Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries. The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 amid an abortive uprising against the Chinese rule in his Himalayan homeland.

Foreigners have to seek special permission from China to visit Tibet.

US citizens, including government officials, reporters and tourists who seek to enter Tibetan areas are routinely rejected, and the few who do get in are forced to stay on strictly controlled official tours, where the true situation of the Tibetan people is hidden from them, American officials say.

While the Chinese foreign ministry warned of consequences, China's National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday night expressed strong indignation and firm opposition to the United States for enacting the law.

The act is against the basic norms of international relations and a gross interference in China's domestic affairs, a statement issued by the NPC Foreign Affairs Committee said.

It has sent a seriously wrong message to "Tibetan independence" forces, the statement said.

Stressing that Tibet affairs are purely China's domestic affairs and allow no interference from other countries, the statement said adding that Tibet and Tibetan areas in the other four provinces are open to people from around the world.

Since 2015, the number of visitors to Tibet and these regions from the United States alone has reached nearly 40,000, including multiple delegations of US Congressmen received by the NPC, it said.

It defended the restriction of entry of foreigners, saying that taking into consideration factors such as Tibet's special geographic and climatic conditions.

The Chinese government has taken certain administrative measures in accordance with laws and regulations for foreigners to enter Tibet, which are totally necessary and give no ground for blame.

The act's accusations against China disregard the facts and are full of prejudice, and completely unacceptable by the Chinese side, it said.

"If the US side implement the act, it will definitely cause serious damage to bilateral relations including exchanges between legislative bodies of both countries, and China will take forceful measures to resolutely safeguard its own interests," the statement said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Thursday said China welcomes more and more foreigners to Tibet for visit, travel and business, and this policy will remain unchanged.

But the precondition is that they must abide by the Chinese laws and relevant regulations and go through necessary procedures, she said.

We urge the US side to fully realise the highly sensitive nature of Tibet-related issues, stop using them to interfere in China's internal affairs and refrain from putting the act into effect, otherwise the US itself has to bear all the consequences that may cause," she said.

This is the second major move by US relating to Tibet this month. Earlier this month a US official said Chinese government must not decide religious matters such as choosing the Dalai Lama amid fears that China will appoint a successor to the Tibetan spiritual leader aligned to its interests.

Meanwhile, officials in Tibet stepped up criticism against the Dalai Lama.

Tibet regional authorities have published a series of articles urging the public to completely understand the 14th Dalai Lama's "reactionary essence in politics," "hypocrisy in religion" and fraudulence in his tricks, state-run Global Times reported on Friday.

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A high-octane assembly poll, a thrilling government formation exercise filled with nail biting twists and turns, and never-ending coalition worries encapsulated 2018 in Karnataka, which also experienced a tragic touch of devastating floods.

The year that began with a campaign blitz for the May 12 assembly polls ended on a sad note with two tragedies striking in the form of a bus mishap killing 30 people and the death of 15 innocent believers after eating insecticide-laced prasad.

saw attempts at coming together of "like- minded secular parties" against the BJP-led NDA ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year, with top opposition leaders attending the swearing-in ceremony of the new Congress-JDS coalition chief minister H D Kumaraswamy.

After the elections threw up a hung assembly, the Congress and JDS stitched together a post-poll alliance to clinch power, days after the BJP, which emerged as the single largest party, failed to muster the numbers.

Alleged attempts by the to poach the ruling coalition MLAs to destabilise the government and return to power added drama to the state political scene.

The government's efforts for a separate state flag and religious minority tag for the dominant Lingayat community got mired in controversies.

The year ended on a sad note as it saw the passing away of Union Minister Ananth Kumar, veteran Congress leader C K Jaffer Sharief and matinee idol-turned-politician M H Ambareesh, all within the span of a few days in November.

Karnataka's water wars with neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Goa continued in 2018 over Cauvery and Mahadayi disputes respectively, with the southern neighbour again dragging it to court over the proposed reservoir at Mekedatu across the Cauvery.

The controversy over celebrating Tipu Jayanti marking the birth anniversary of the controversial 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan, raging on for the last three years, captured attention this year, too.

The year also saw the Special Investigation Team of Bengaluru police arrest some right wing activists for the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead right outside her Bengaluru residence in September last year.

In the middle of the year, the state saw protests in parts of north, with demand for creating a separate state over alleged discrimination by successive governments, including the current dispensation, in budget allocation, developmental work and representation in the cabinet.

To smooth ruffled feathers, the Kumaraswamy government decided to shift some government offices to the northern region.

For the Bengaluru-headquartered Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the year was a mixed bag.

The space agency that performed seven successful launches this year, faced a setback, as it lost contact with its communication satellite with military applications- GSAT- 6A- two days after the launch on March 29.

Weeks after this, in a move that raised eyebrows, ISRO rescheduled the launch of its another communication satellite GSAT-11 and recalled it from Kourou, French Guiana, citing the need for additional tests. The satellite was subsequently launched on December 5.

With new chairman K Sivan at its helm, the space agency also carried out a major technology demonstration in July, the first in a series of tests to qualify a Crew Escape System, which is a critical technology relevant for human spaceflight in an emergency.

saw political turmoil after voters gave a fractured verdict in the assembly polls, with winning 104 seats, while contesting separately the Congress and JD(S) won 78 and 37 MLAs in the 224-member house. The assembly also has a nominated member.

State president B S Yeddyurappa was sworn in as the chief minister by Governor Vajubhai Vala, an old BJP hand from Gujarat, but resigned without taking the floor test in the face of imminent defeat.

With the Congress pledging support to a government headed by the JDS to keep the "communal BJP" out of power, Kumaraswamy became the chief minister and proved his majority in the assembly.

In a major step to address agrarian distress, the Kumaraswamy government announced a Rs 45,000 crore farm loan waiver.

However, the opposition expressed doubts about its implementation, citing lack of clarity on how the government would go about it.

The coalition also managed to win most of the subsequent bypolls.

However, factional feud within the Congress party raised questions about the longevity of the government.

Reflecting strains in the JDS-Congress coalition, Kumaraswamy once said he was not happy being in the top post, and was swallowing his pain like 'Vishakantha' (Lord Shiva), who drank poison.

He also called himself the "child of circumstances", remarks that gave ammunition to the opposition, which said it showed he was wilting under pressure of coalition

The year witnessed devastating floods in Kodagu hill region and parts of coastal Karnataka, one of the worst in recent times, when neighbouring Kerala also reeled under nature's fury.

In Kodagu, about 20 people died and thousands were displaced, as landslides destroyed houses and rampaging waters wrecked standing crops in vast swathes in the countryside.

Tragedy struck on November 24 when 30 passengers of a private bus were killed after the speeding vehicle plunged into a canal in Mandya district.

In another dire incident, 15 people died and over 100 others are still in hospitals after they ingested prasad served at the Kichchugutti Maramma temple in Sulivadi village of Chamarajanagar district on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border.

Police have arrested a local seer, who allegedly nurtured a grude after being sidelined in the management of the temple, and three of his accomplices for allegedly plotting to kill devotees by mixing insecticides with the prasad that was served on December 14.
Over 3,000 books written by renowned writers across the globe, including 12 volumes of collected works of Mahatma Gandhi, amassed over six decades by an Indian-origin family has found a permanent home at a knowledge centre in South Africa.

Most of the books, once banned under the apartheid regime, were handed over at a ceremony by an internationally-renowned and South Africa-born academic, now living in the UK, Mohamed Keshavjee, a descendent of the Keshavjee family who came to South Africa from Gujarat and settled in Pretoria.

The ceremony was dedicated to Indian-origin lawyer Ismail Mahomed, who was appointed the first Chief Justice in democratic South Africa by President Nelson Mandela. Mohamed died in 2000.

"No one can deny the seminal role that Ismail Mahomed played in the restoration of the confidence of the people of South Africa in its judiciary as an important pillar of the Rule of Law in the new South Africa," said Keshavjee.

"I somehow became the custodian of this collection which grew from a handful of books in Marabastad (the old Asiatic Bazaar in Pretoria) to a library it has now become, as my 11 siblings and I travelled through a number of countries in three continents over the past 60 years, looking for a homeland, but never forgetting our roots which are deeply located in this beloved country," he said.

The Keshavjee family, along with most of the small but thriving Ismaili community from Pretoria, moved to Kenya and Uganda in the 1950's when draconian apartheid legislation came into effect after the minority white Afrikaners came to power.

Some of them, including Keshavjee, were again forced to leave Uganda when Idi Amin decided to expel all Asians from the country.

Keshavjee handed over his law practice to a local lawyer and started life afresh in Canada and the UK to become a highly celebrated academic specialising in mediation across the globe.

Now semi-retired, Keshavjee said he was delighted that the books were being housed in the country of his birth, where many of the books were once banned under the apartheid regime.

"After moving to Kenya, I was fortunate enough to be able to collect books on the African Freedom movement written by renowned African writers. I also collected books by many South Africans that were banned in their home country."



The collection also include the first 12 volumes of the collected works of Mahatma Gandhi, covering his entire life in South Africa.

In addition, there are biographies of Gandhi ranging from the first ever, by the Reverend J J Doke and other authors.

"We also have the first biography on Mahatma Gandhi ever written by a South African-Indian. This was by P S Joshi and I have a personally autographed first edition of it," Keshavjee said.

Chairperson of the National Committee for South Africa of the Ismaili community, Yasmin Kurmaly said that the books were now being catalogued to become an important resource, but because of the rare nature of the collection, could unfortunately not be part of a lending library.

"However, the Knowledge Centre has an early childhood development programme and this collection hopefully will inspire mothers to encourage their children to read," Kurmaly said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 19-year-old college student was arrested by the Cyber Cell of Madhya Pradesh police Friday for allegedly making obscene video calls on WhatsApp to a woman teacher.

Rohit Soni alias Golu, the accused, allegedly used 'virtual numbers' to hide his identity, police said.

Soni hails from Bhilwara in Rajasthan and is currently based in Kota to prepare for a medical entrance examination, police said.

Superintendent of Police (Cyber Cell-Indore) Jitendra Singh said that Soni had downloaded an app from Google Playstore which provided 'virtual numbers' for making calls.

Soni allegedly used this facility so that the calls should not be traced to him, the SP said. To the recipient it appeared that the call has originated in the United States.

When the harassed teacher blocked one number, he allegedly called her from a new virtual number.

The woman then filed a complaint with the Cyber Cell.

"We first sent a legal request to WhatsApp's India office for sharing details about the calls, but when there was no response, we approached its California-based head office in the US and got necessary information," Singh said.

After tracking down the accused, police arrested him Friday.

During the interrogation, Soni allegedly confessed that he used to make such calls to several women after watching porn films.

An FIR under relevant sections of the IPC and Information Technology Act has been registered and further probe is on, the police officer said.

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The Congress Friday accused the Modi government of violating the citizens' right to privacy by indulging in "data snooping, stealing" and "scaring" people, demanding immediate withdrawal of its notification that authorises 10 central agencies to intercept information from any computer.

In an order on Thursday, the Union Home Ministry authorised the 10 central agencies to intercept, monitor, and decrypt "any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer".

"The Congress demands that the Home Ministry order dated December 20, 2018, must be withdrawn with immediate effect as it violates the citizens' right to privacy, violates the Information Technology Act, violates the nine bench decision of the Supreme Court in the right to privacy matter and the Aadhaar judgment," Congress leader Jaiveer Shergill said.

The Centre, however, said the rules for intercepting and monitoring computer data were framed in 2009 when the Congress-led UPA was in power and its new order only notified the designated authority which can carry out such action.

Asked whether the Congress will take this issue in court, Shergill said the party will take the matter "first in the peoples' court, and if it is not withdrawn then all legal options are open".

The Congress leader said anticipating defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Modi government has given sweeping powers to "snoop not in public interest, but in Mr Modi's interest".

"Data snooping, stealing and scaring citizen is DNA of insecure Modi government," he said, adding that the BJP "stands for Bhrasht Jasoos Party".

"The truth is the BJP wants to transform India into a police state and transform democracy into 'Modi-cracy'," he said.

"Despite the Supreme Court judgment affirming the right to privacy, on what authority of law and basis, the Home Ministry has issued such cryptic, illegal cryptic illegal and invasive order?" he asked.

"The Modi government must explain which 'public interest' is served by snooping on every secure computer in each and every household," Shergill asked.

He said in the past 4.5 years, the nation has witnessed how the Modi government "does not believe in the Constitution of India, in the citizens' right to privacy, in upholding and enforcing the judgments of the Supreme Court of India, in serving people by consensus, but rather it is addicted to data snooping, data stealing and scaring the citizens."



Shergill also said that the order is violative of the Information Technology Act, the nine judge bench Supreme Court judgment on the right to privacy, the Aadhaar judgment and is against all tenants of law.

"In 2014, the prime minister came to power with the slogan 'Ghar Ghar Modi' and now clearly seen his exit from power he is resorting to 'Ghar Ghar Jasoosi' by issuing cryptic illegal orders with the sole objective of curbing right to privacy, freedom of speech and expression and govt criticism," he said.

Shergill said disappointed by the recent defeat in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan assembly polls, the Modi government has issued an "illegal, unconstitutional, arbitrary order" authorising various intelligence agencies to "intercept any computer of any citizen any system without any ground or justification whatsoever".

"This order can easily be labelled as 'Tuglaqi Farman' of a defeated tyrannical government," he said, adding that the Modi government has a "chequered and a notorious track record" for devising ways to infringe upon the right to privacy of citizens.

The opposition parties led by the Congress slammed the order as unconstitutional, undemocratic and an assault on fundamental rights and an attempt by the BJP government to convert India into a "surveillance state" by resorting to "snooping", inviting a sharp response from the ruling party.

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Horse Racing New Brunswick (HRNB) President Brock McEachern is pleased to announce that a deal has been reached between his organization and the Saint John Exhibition (SJ EX) that will keep horse racing alive and well in the city for the foreseeable future.

This is wonderful news for horse racing in New Brunswick, McEachern said. On behalf of Horse Racing New Brunswick, I want to thank the Saint John Exhibition group for all their hard work. We are looking forward to working together into the future.

HRNB and SJ EX agreed to terms on a new lease that will keep the races at the Exhibition grounds. The new lease is for three years, a move which McEachern said will significantly help horse racing in the province. We had been negotiating on a yearly basis, which meant we were always waiting to see what happens next. The stability in this new lease will allow us to focus on growing and improving horse racing as a sport in New Brunswick.

McEachern also said that HRNB is looking forward to the upcoming racing year, with 17 race days currently scheduled in Saint John.

At the end of the day, we were happy to be able to work out a deal SJ EX. We found a solution that works for everyone, he said. The future of harness racing is stable for the next three years.

(HRNB)
The BJP in Goa Friday accused the opposition Congress of "sabotaging" attempts to resume iron ore mining operations in the state by stalling Parliament, where the issue needs to be discussed.

Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar said the vexed issue of iron ore mining resumption in the coastal state could be resolved only if Parliament is allowed to function.

Tendulkar, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, urged Goa Congress leaders to impress upon their national leadership to allow Parliament to function smoothly.

"Congress has been disrupting Parliament regularly. I appeal to Goa leaders of Congress to appeal their national counterparts to let Parliament run without disruption so that the issue of mining can be taken up and resolved," he said.

The mining operations, a key source of revenue to the government, came to a standstill eight months due to a Supreme Court order which quashed 88 mining leases.

The BJP-led government in Goa has requested the Centre to amend the existing mining laws during the ongoing session of Parliament so that leases get extended.

Tendulkar said he wanted to raisethe issue in the Rajya Sabha on December 13 during Zero Hour and also put a question the next day.

"But Congress did not allow Parliament to function. Our attempt to resolve the mining issue is being sabotaged by Congress," he said.

"We can solve the issue through Parliament. Let Congress allow Parliament to function, then we will solve the issue," the BJP leader said.

The Goa Mining People's Front, an umbrella group of mining dependents - whose livelihood has been affected - had recently staged a three-day protests in New Delhi demanding resumption of mining activities.

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The Mumbai police faced flak from the All India Professional Congress (AIPC) for denying permission for a book launch and interaction with student leader Kanhaiya Kumar in the city Saturday.

Later in the evening, the authorities granted permission for the programme.

The AIPC is affiliated to the Congress party.

Sanjay Jha, AIPC Maharashtra unit chief, tweeted an image of suburban Bandra police's order denying permission on Friday.

The order cited "law and order issues" as the reason for disallowing the event to be held in a college in Bandra area.

"So we are not being given permission for holding the book launch and interaction with Kanhaiya Kumar on (the topic) "Bihar to Tihar" by Mumbai police. Shocking! law and order problems, really?" Jha asked on Twitter.

However, later the AIPC said the permission has been granted, which was confirmed by deputy police commissioner Paramjit Singh Dahiya.

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Due to the ability of the Indian pharma companies to produce drugs at economical rates, the cost of HIV/AIDS treatment has gone down to USD 400 per year from USD 12,000, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said Friday, hailing the country's "spectacular" contribution to global healthcare



He said India has always taken a "bold and exemplary" stand against "blind patent" protection that benefit global pharma giants and asserted that providing essential drugs and medicines at cost-effective prices was the key focus of the government.

Noting that India has since ancient times a very systematic, scientific and rational approach to treatment of diseases, he said the country it has now become the third largest drug manufacturer in the world.

Addressing the 70th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress, held at Amity University, in Noida, the Vice President saidpresently over 80 per cent of the antiretroviral drugs used globally to combat AIDS are supplied by the Indian pharmaceutical firms.

"Due to the ability of the Indian pharma companies to produce drugs at economical rates, the cost of HIV/AIDS treatment has gone down to USD 400 per year from USD 12,000 a spectacular contribution to global healthcare. India also has a large pool of talented scientists and engineers who have the potential to lead the industry ahead to greater heights," he said, according to an official statement.

The Centre has taken up a number of initiatives to create an ecosystem that fosters manufacturing and have identified a few key areas with pharmaceuticals being one of those due to the immense scope for technology, innovation and research in it, he said.

Naidu said India already has the second highest number of US FDA approved facilities, and labour costs in India are significantly lower than other manufacturing hubs and the Union Budget 2017-18 shows an increase of 23 per cent in the health expenditure that is likely to give further impetus to the pharma sector.

"The government has proposed amendments to the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules to ensure availability of generic drugs at reasonable prices and to promote the use of generic medicines. It has also introduced a range of fiscal incentives to promote domestic manufacturing, including the reduction of inverted duty structure and basic customs duty, he said.

Noting that drug patenting is significant in catalysing growth in the pharmaceutical sector, the vice president said India has always taken "a bold and exemplary stand" against "blind patent protection that benefit global pharma giants".

"This uncompromising stand has been demonstrated through the granting of compulsory licence in 2012 to an Indian manufacturer to produce a cancer drug, the patent for which was held by the German company Bayer. Bayer's pricing had made the drug unaffordable to poor cancer patients in India, Africa and elsewhere," he said.

The Supreme Court of India also upheld the 2006 decision of the Indian patent office that refused a patent for a mere incremental innovation to a Swiss Pharma major. The verdict disallowing patent protection caused an international uproar, Naidu recalled.

"Providing essential drugs and medicines at cost-effective prices is the key focus of Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers," Naidu said.

"Under the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy, as on December 15, 2016, ceiling price of 853 formulations are under price control. The fixation of ceiling prices on medicines has resulted in a total saving of USD 392 million since May 2014, he said.

Naidu said India has successfully maintained its "legacy of being a pioneer" in the field of pharmacology and today enjoys the exalted position of being the "Pharmacy to the world".

"The Pharma industry has posted a robust, double-digit growth over the last few years. The industry was worth USD 36.7 billion in 2017 and is projected to grow to USD 55 billion by 2020 India is now among the top five pharmaceutical emerging markets of the world, Naidu said.

He said India is the largest provider of generic drugs globally accounting for 20 per cent of the global exports in terms of volume with their export growing at a "very impressive" rate of around 24 per cent per year for the last four years.

"In 2012-13, India's pharmaceutical exports stood at USD 14.7 billion. More than half of it went to western markets which have tight regulations and strong accountability mechanisms. This is an eloquent testimony to the competence of the Indian pharma sector in terms of quality and pricing, the vice president said.

He said the country has the desire and capability to absorb new technologies in manufacturing and 'Make in India' is one of the key programmes launched by the government to boost the economy and the aim is to transform India into a global manufacturing hub.

Naidu said 'Pharma Jan Samadhan', a customer grievances redressal system was launched and a mobile application 'Pharma Sahi Daam' that provides real-time information to consumers on prices of Scheduled/Non-scheduled medicines has also been introduced.

Besides, quality medicines at affordable prices are now available to the poor and disadvantaged through the 'Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan aushadhi Kendras', he said.

"There are more than 700 medicines; more than 150 surgicals and consumables are available at affordable prices for all at more than 4000 'Jan Aushadi Kedras' across the nation.

"In a very proactive move, the government is setting up an electronic platform to regulate the profusion of online pharmacies that are coming up, under a new policy, to stop any misuse due to easy availability," Naidu added.

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A Delhi court Friday directed the CBI to cancel look out circular (LOC) issued against former IAF chief and co-accused S P Tyagi in the VVIP chopper scam.

Special Judge Arvind Kumar directed the probing agency to inform the concerned authorities regarding this.

The CBI on September 1, 2017, had filed a charge sheet in the case in which Tyagi and British national Christian Michel were named among the accused.

Nine others were also named in the charge sheet in connection with a bribery case in the VVIP chopper deal.

Tyagi (73) is the first chief of the Indian Air Force to be chargesheeted in a corruption or a criminal case by the CBI and he has denied all charges against him.

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A Delhi court Friday asked the Tihar jail authorities here to respond to a plea by Christian James Michel, arrested in the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP chopper deal case, seeking to be lodged in a separate cell as other inmates were putting "uncomfortable questions" to him.

Michel has said in his application that he has been shifted to a cell with 40 more inmates who are "trying to interact" with him in a detailed manner, asking him questions pertaining to the pending investigation.

"It is even trite to mention that the safety of the persons who are interacting with the accused (in the cell) may at some point of time be in jeopardy. It is informed by the accused (Michel) that the residents in the cell are putting uncomfortable questions to him which otherwise affect the personal liberty of the accused," the application said.

Michel has also said that he is a British citizen and should be provided with "decent facilities" as per the rules.

Michel, arrested in the UAE and extradited to India on December 4, was on Wednesday sent to Tihar jail after being remanded in judicial custody till December 28.

Special Judge Arvind Kumar asked the jail authorities to respond to Michel's application, filed through advocate Aljo K Joseph and Vishnu Shankar, in which he has sought a direction to "Superintendent of Tihar Jail to allocate a separate cell to accused Christian James Michel".

The court also issued production warrant for Michel and asked the jail authorities to produce him before it on Saturday on the plea of Enforcement Directorate, which has lodged a separate money laundering case in the chopper deal.

The ED's plea was filed through advocates D P Singh and Naveen Matta.

Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The two others are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.

The court is also scheduled to pronounce on Saturday its order on the bail plea of Michel.

In his application, Michel has said that on December 19, he was lodged separately in a cell at Tihar jail but during the night of December 19-20, he was shifted to a general cell where more than 40 inmates were accommodated.

"It is submitted that the accused is a foreign national and a citizen and passport holder of the United Kingdom. It is needless to mention that decent facilities need to be provided to him as per the Rules," the plea said.

He said that his interaction with other inmates in the jail might go against the interest of investigation as well as his rights in the prison.

"It is pertinent to mention here that few of the co- prisoners in custody where the accused is placed now are likely to the released in a few days either on parole or on bail in the forthcoming days," the plea said.

"The accused apprehends that any wrong statements made by any of them through any media interaction may go against the interest of the accused as well the free and fair investigation and trial, which the Constitution of India guarantees," it said.

He should be kept in a separate cell to avoid "scandalous remarks" by inmates, it added.

He has said the court should protect his rights and dignity and ensure a fair investigation and trial in the case.

The application said that it is one of the rare cases in which the accused is seeking "absence of contact" with any other prisoners during judicial custody.

"Therefore the accused apprehends the possibility of any person who has had any contact or any chance of contact with the accused at this stage may make random statements which may affect a free and fair investigation as well and the dignity of the accused at this stage," it said.

In September 2015, the Indian authorities had issued an arrest warrant against Michel and had applied a Red Corner Notice through INTERPOL, against him.

The CBI has alleged there was an estimated loss of Euro 398.21 million (about Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer in the deal that was signed on February 8, 2010 for the supply of VVIP choppers worth Euro 556.262 million.

The ED, in its charge sheet filed against Michel in June 2016, had alleged that he received EUR 30 million (about Rs 225 crore) from AgustaWestland.

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Compounding the Congress' woes in Telangana, four of its six MLCs defected to the ruling TRS on Monday, days after the opposition party's debacle in the assembly polls.

They have requested Legislative Council Chairman K Swamy Goud to recognise them as members of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi led by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

The four Congress MLCs -- M S Prabhakar Rao, T Santosh Kumar, K Damodar Reddy and Akula Lalitha -- met Goud and petitioned him to "merge" them with the TRS.

Two-thirds lawmakers of a party are required to split its legislature group in a House without attracting the provisions of the anti-defection law.

Acting swiftly, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir also met Goud and appealed to him to disqualify the four for their alleged anti-party activities.

The Congress has six members in the 40-member council.

"Swamy Goud assured (us) that he will think about (the matter) after considering the rules," Prabhakar Rao told reporters, adding they decided to quit the Congress at a meeting of its legislature party on yesterday.

Uttam Kumar Reddy and Shabbir met Goud soon thereafter.

"As the party president, I wish to convey that there was no meeting of the CLP on December 20," Uttam Kumar Reddy said.

He said Prabhakar Rao had defected from the Congress to the TRS in 2016 and a petition for his disqualification was pending with the chairman for the last two years.

Similarly, Damodar Reddy had defected to the TRS and his disqualification petition was also pending.

"The Indian National Congress party is a 130-year-old party and it is preposterous that some members, who have already defected to the TRS, are putting an application for merger of the CLP into the TRS party," Uttam Kumar Reddy said.

In his letter to Goud, the TPCC president contended that the chairman or speaker of the council were not competent authorities to decide on merger of parties. He claimed the Supreme Court had settled the issue through several judgements.

According to the constitution of the Indian National Congress, state units have no power to merge with other parties, Reddy said.

"A national party cannot be merged with a regional political party. Seeking (a) merger per se incurs disqualification. Rank and file of a political party throughout the nation have to accept the merger," he said.

Para 4 of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution is not independent and it has to be read in harmony with other paras, he added.

If the request of the four MLCs is accepted, the Congress would lose its opposition status in the council as 1/10th of the total strength of the House is required to enjoy the status.

The Congress suffered a drubbing in the recent Telangana assembly polls. The party, which formed a "grand alliance" with the TDP, CPI and the Telangana Jan Samithi, managed to win only 19 seats in the 119-member House.

The TRS scored a thumping win and returned to power for a second straight term winning 88 seats.

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President Donald Trump has decided to pull a significant number of troops from Afghanistan, a US official has told AFP, a day after he announced a withdrawal from Syria.

"That decision has been made. There will be a significant withdrawal," the official told AFP on Thursday on condition of anonymity.

Currently, the United States has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan working either with a NATO mission to support Afghan forces or in separate counter-terrorism operations.

Trump made his decision Tuesday, the same time he told the Pentagon he wanted to pull all US forces out of Syria. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis quit earlier Thursday, saying his views were no longer reconcilable with Trump's.

The president's twin foreign policy decisions on Syria and Afghanistan are nothing less than epic, and could begin to unspool a series of cascading and unpredictable events across the Middle East and in Afghanistan.

Mattis and other top military advisors last year persuaded Trump to commit thousands of new troops to Afghanistan, where the Taliban were slaughtering local forces in the thousands and making major gains. Trump at the time said his instinct was to get out of Afghanistan.

The Wall Street Journal reported that more than 7,000 troops would be returning from Afghanistan. The pull out comes as the US pushes for a peace deal with the Taliban.

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US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis will retire "with distinction" at the end of February, President Donald Trump has said, amid indications that the two had differences over the administration's decision to withdraw American troops from Syria.

"General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years," Trump tweeted on Thursday.

"During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting...," the US president said.

Trump's Twitter post comes a day after he announced abruptly to withdraw US troops from Syria. Media reports said this was against the advice of Mattis.

In his resignation letter to Trump, Mattis referred to the differences between them without mentioning the Syria troop withdrawal decision.

"Because you' have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis said in his resignation letter sent Thursday.

"The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department's interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February," he said.

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Delegations from the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association and students' union Friday met MPs from across political parties who promised to raise issues related to the varsity in Parliament, the JNUTA said.

The delegation has felt encouraged by the promise made by the parliamentarians to raise the matter in Parliament and also outside, they said.

The JNUTA also informed the MPs that 37 teachers have approached the Delhi High Court on the MCQ-based computerised online JNU entrance examination.

The body said they have sought the attention and intervention of the MPs in protecting a public university that has acquired excellence in research and teaching nationally and internationally.

"We provided the MPs a comprehensive document that exposes the vice chancellor's role in destroying the teaching and learning process in JNU.

"The delegation pointed out to the MPs about the vice chancellor's violations of the JNU Act, statutes and ordinances by constant misuse of his power of authority," the JNUTA said.

The MPs were also informed about "the drastic cut in the academic expenditure" in the university, including alleged fund cut for the JNU library and for e-journals, it said.

Issues of harassment of teachers, penalising members of the faculty and denying them their legitimate dues and undermining students' safety and welfare were also raised, the body said.

The JNUTA claimed that the Delhi High Court has said no disciplinary actions can be initiated against teachers for criticising the online entrance exams.

"Finding merit in the petition of the teachers, who it recognised as having the best interests of the students at heart, the HC in an interim relief observed that no disciplinary actions can be taken against teachers for raising their dissent to the process and extended the JNU administration's deadline of December 21 for submitting their question papers to December 31," it said.

The papers which are so submitted shall be subject to the outcome of the petition, they added.

The writ petition challenges the decisions made by the JNU vice-chancellor and its executive council on procedural and substantive grounds, the JNUTA added.

The petition also challenges the tripartite MoU signed between the varsity, HRD Ministry and the UGC without the approval of the academic council.

"The petition raises several substantive issues about the unsuitability of an exclusively MCQ-based online JNUEE for disciplines in the social sciences and the humanities, the implications it is likely to have on disadvantaged sections and persons with disabilities, the quantum of costs involved, the fallibility of technology, and several other points.

"The next date for the hearing is January 11 next year," the body said.

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The Delhi Police is in the process of finalising its charge sheet in the sedition case against former JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar and other activists, including Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, police sources said.

Kumar, Khalid and Bhattacharya were arrested in 2016 on charges of sedition for allegedly organising an event in Jawaharlal Nehru University campus against the hanging of Parliament-attack mastermind Afzal Guru. The arrests had triggered a huge controversy with the opposition slamming the police for "working at the behest of ruling BJP".

"The charge sheet is in the process of being finalised and is likely to be filed soon. The names of eight Kashmiri students also figures in the draft charge sheet," said a police officer, requesting anonymity.

The controversial programme sparked an outrage after allegations were made that anti-national slogans were raised.

The arrest of Kumar catapulted him to national fame and resulted in protests across the country.

After footage of the event was found to be authentic, some students were questioned by the Special Cell sleuths last year.

Sources close to Khalid said they came to know about the draft chargesheet through media reports and have learnt it might be finalised in the next week or so.

Left activist and students' leader Shehla Rashid said it is a "forgotten trump card" of BJP. She said, "When BJP kept playing the anti-national card (JNU, Ramjas), it kept winning state elections in Assam, UP, etc. Now, after facing defeat in state assembly polls, BJP pulls out the forgotten trump card for 2019 as it is #ZERO on farmer issues, economy, etc.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Reports indicate that an early morning fire on Friday (December 21) has claimed the lives of five Standardbreds at First Line Training Centre outside Campbellville, Ont.

The fire broke out around 1:40 a.m., with Halton Regional Police responding to the tragic incident along with firefighters from Milton and Halton Hills.

According to CP24, 35 of the 40 horses at First Line survived. Two horses perished in the barn while three required euthanization based on a veterinarian's assessment.

The fire has been extinguished, with the cause still under investigation. Milton Fire Chief Dave Pratt did speculate as to what started the blaze.

"In my opinion, just walking around the building, there is a tractor on the outside of the building that was plugged in that had a block heater in it. That appears to me to be the source," stated Pratt. "Well bring the investigation team in first thing in the morning once there is light and then well do a thorough investigation to determine origin and cause."

Trot Insider has learned that the fire affected a barn with horses trained by Mark Steacy. Steacy confirmed that five of his horses - three racehorses and two yearlings - passed with five others in hospital.

Here are the horses that passed in the fire:

Pearl Blue Chip, a three-year-old Somebeachsomewhere filly who earned nearly $100,000 from 20 starts. She competed on the Grand Circuit with a fourth-place finish in a $150,996 division of the Simcoe at Mohawk on Sept. 8 and a sixth-place effort in the $113,750 Glen Garnsey Memorial at The Red Mile on Oct. 6. She was slated to race on Dec. 22 at Mohawk against non-winners of $10,000 last five.

Mademoiselle Tammy, a two-year-old filly by Sunshine Beach whom Steacy also trained. She raced only five times and earned $3,333. She last competed on Sept. 10 in a division of the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots and finished seventh by 15 lengths.

Rap Royalty, a two-year-old gelding by Kadabra with one win from six starts and $14,071 earned. He broke his maiden on debut July 17 at Georgian Downs with a 2:03.2 effort in a division of the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots. He last raced on Sept. 20 at Mohawk where he finished seventh by 17 lengths in a division of the Grassroots.

Miss Wheely, a homebred yearling filly for Dale Larson by Wheeling N Dealin. She was nominated for the Champlain Stakes, Ontario Sires Stakes, SBOA and Simcoe Stakes in 2019.

Irma, a homebred yearling filly for Vieux Carre Farms by Explosive Matter. She was nominated for the Champlain and Simcoe Stakes in 2019.

In this time of emergency, Woodbine Mohawk Park has made available its backstretch barn area for the surviving horses. As of Friday morning, a total of 26 horses trained by Mark Steacy are currently being stabled in Mohawk Parks Barn Eight.

Everyone at Woodbine Entertainment was devastated to wake up Friday to the news of the barn fire at First Line Training Centre, said Jessica Buckley, President of Woodbine Mohawk Park. Were grateful that so many horses survived the fire and that we can make our barn area available for the horses and the Steacy stable during this difficult time.

Woodbine offers our sincerest condolences to all the connections of the horses lost and everyone impacted by this tragic event.

Woodbine Mohawk Park will hold a moment of silence in memory of the horses lost ahead of Friday evenings card of live racing.

Trot Insider will update this story throughout the day with more information as it becomes available.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to those affected.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday held discussions with top police officers on security and policing issues during the annual DGP and IGP conference at Krvadiya in Gujarat.

"Through the day, in the tent city at Kevadiya, there were presentations and discussions on various subjects relating to security. Over meals, the prime minister is holding discussions with select groups of officers, on specific security and policing issues," a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said.

The discussions would continue Saturday.

At the conference, Modi will also release a commemorative stamp on National Police Memorial and launch the portal of the Cyber Coordination Centre.

He will later present President's Police Medals for distinguished service to IB officers and address the gathering, the statement said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Friday advised the Congress party to become "mature" and not to drag armed forces in political discourse.

Jaitley's anguish follows comments of senior Congress leader and former Union minister M Veerappa Moily who Thursday accused Indian Air Force chief B S Dhanoa of "lying" a day after the latter called the Rafale deal a "game changer" and the Supreme Court verdict on it a "very fine" judgement.

"After having ruled this country for decades, the grand old Party needs to mature," Jaitley wrote in a blog -- 'Why drag the Air Force into political debate?'



The Finance Minister said that the Congress spokespersons are criticising the Chief of the Indian Air Force for having stated that the Air Force urgently needs the Rafale to improve its combat ability.

"It is the Indian Air Force and its Chief who are the most competent persons to comment on it," said the senior BJP leader.

The Air Force was involved in the selection of Rafale when UPA was in power, as also when the NDA is in power, he said and added the aircraft with its weaponry is needed to maintain the combat ability of our forces.

"Having shortlisted, both in terms of its potential and costing, Rafale as the most appropriate aircraft with weaponry in 2012, the Congress leaders' comments against it now lack credibility," Jaitley said.

Additionally, by "targeting" the Chief of a Service in a political debate, the Congress Party has broken a long-standing unwritten rule of Indian politics, he said.

"We keep our forces out of political discourse. Our military is a professional one and subject to a civilian authority.

"Unlike our western neighbour, it is non-political and non-partisan. We owe it to our armed forces the gratitude of having successfully defended this nation," said the senior minister in the NDA government.

Moily had said the IAF chief along with the head of Dassault Aviation, the manufacturers of Rafale fighter jets, had visited public sector HAL's Bengaluru headquarters days before the Paris agreement and found it a "competent body with necessary expertise".

"Today, to say it is fine (the SC judgement)...I think that IAF chief is not fine....he is not fine, he is lying. He is suppressing the truth. He is a party to suppressing the truth," Moily told reporters here.

Later, talking to a TV channel, Moily said, "Apology has to be given by Narendra Modi for having sacrificed the security of the nation, having sacrificed the exchequer.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Domestic air passenger traffic rose 11.03 per cent in November, with Indian airlines carrying 116.45 lakh passengers during the month.

The growth rate is one of the lowest in the last four years and the same stood at 13.34 per cent in October.

Latest data released by aviation regulator DGCA showed that no-frills airline IndiGo's market share inched up to 43 per cent while that of national carrier Air India remained unchanged at 12.2 per cent in November.

The traffic went up 11.03 per cent last month, according to the data.

In November, the market share of Jet Airways declined to 12.8 per cent from 13.3 per cent in the previous month while that of SpiceJet climbed to 12.5 per cent from 11.7 per cent during the same period.

The market share of GoAir and AirAsia India stood at 8.8 per cent and 5.3 per cent, respectively, as per the data.

Last month, a total of 786 passenger-related complaints were received by the scheduled domestic airlines.

"The number of complaints per 10,000 passengers carried for the month of November 2018 has been around 0.67," it added.

As many as 2,616 passengers were denied boarding and 26,148 fliers were impacted by flight cancellations in November.

Further, 1,15,741 people were affected by flight delays.

"SpiceJet has once again clocked the highest passenger load factor of 91.1 per cent in November 2018. This is the 44th successive month that we have flown with the highest loads in the country," the airline's Chief Sales & Revenue Officer Shilpa Bhatia said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Following orders of Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), drug inspectors have seized samples of various baby products of Johnson and Johnson from wholesalers, retailers and distributors across the country on Friday, an official said.

All the samples will be tested to see if they complied with all prescribed regulatory and manufacturing standards and also to check the presence of cancer causing asbestos, the government official said.

"Around 100 samples of Johnson and Johnson's baby shampoo, oil, soap, besides the baby powder have been lifted from wholesalers, retailers and distributors from across the country, which will be tested to see if these complied with all prescribed regulatory and manufacturing standards and to check the presence of asbestos," the official said.

The collected samples will be tested at the Central Drug Testing Laboratory.

The regulator on Thursday ordered Johnson and Johnson to not use talc raw material from its Mulund plant in Mumbai and Baddi unit in Himachal Pradesh for production till further direction.

The inspectors collected samples of Johnson and Johnson's baby powder from both the plants, amid reports that the product allegedly contained cancer-causing asbestos.

"We have prohibited the company from using any raw material, including talc, for the production of the Johnson and Johnson baby powder till further orders. The Baddi plant has around 82,000 kilogram of talc stored, while the Mulund unit has around 200 metric tonnes stored," he said.

The company said on Wednesday they were "fully cooperating" with the CDSCO by providing tests and samples, and said Johnson & Johnson's baby powder is asbestos-free and doesn't cause cancer.

The CDSCO, under the Union Health Ministry, said more samples of all brands of all products of Johnson & Johnson talcum may be collected from wholesalers and distributors from some more locations for testing.

A team of 100 drug inspectors have been deployed for this purpose.

The effects of long-term unsafe asbestos exposure on human health are well documented. Asbestos fibres are easily inhaled and carry into the lower regions of the lung where it can cause fibrotic lung disease (asbestosis) and changes in the lining of the chest cavity (pleura).

These diseases can lead to reduced respiratory function and death, while long-term inhalation of asbestos fibre increases the risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Some recent reports claimed that the American multinational pharmaceutical giant allegedly knew for decades about the presence of cancer-causing asbestos in their product.

The action by CDSCO has come at a time when the company is already embroiled in a controversy over its faulty hip implants.

The company Wednesday said they were "fully cooperating" with the CDSCO by providing tests and samples, and asserted that the characterisation of these visits as "raids or seizures was incorrect".

"The tests have been conducted in the regular way in which the FDA collects samples," the company spokesperson said, "we have scientific evidence to prove that our talcum powder is safe and beneficial for use."



The company pointed out that in the past, authorities in India like the FDAs and the CDSCO have confirmed that its products comply with Indian standards and are free of asbestos.

"We unequivocally stand by the safety of our products, which are fully compliant with regulatory standards and requirements in India. We will continue to work with the regulatory authorities," the spokesperson had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Transport Corporation will start inter-state services, with buses using CNG as fuel from February on pilot basis to develop green corridor around the national capital.

"We have got (safety) approval for Type-IV cylinder which is based on polymer or fibre. It is light and we have tested it on bus trial. We have decided to run these buses on long routes from Delhi to Agra, Jaipur, Haridwar and Chandigarh from February. We will call these routes green corridors because it will use clean fuel," Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told reporter here.

The minister was talking to media persons on the sideline of a function of Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) to launch various digital initiatives for its consumers.

Giving more detail about the pilot project, Pradhan said,"This service is being launched on trail basis which would be proved commercially viable eventually. After that, more such buses would be run on various routes".

A senior official said the cylinders have been imported from Germany that are lighter, and enables the bus to run for up to 700 kilometer in one fuel top up.

The existing ordinary CNG buses have five steel cylinders with a capacity of 100 kg fuel top up. The new buses will have seven fibre cylinders which can store up to 300 kg CNG. The existing ordinary bus cost is about Rs 32 lakh, while the one with fibre cylinder would cost Rs 39 lakh as each cylinder cost is Rs one lakh per unit.

He also said that once the pilot is successful then the cylinders will be manufactured here as it would reduce the cost from existing Rs one lakh per imported unit.

The official also said that the DTC can procure these buses from Ashok Leyland and the fibre cylinders would be installed over the bus instead beneath the vehicle.

The IGL has planned to press 8 such buses on long routes eventually next year to set example for other state transport departments and private operators.

The DTC had stopped inter-state bus service since 2010 when the entire fleet was switched to CNG due to no availability of this fuel in other states. This pilot project will also mark the DTC's entry into inter-state transport segment again after almost 8 years.

The digital initiative of the IGL include CNG Queue Management System (QMS) and Social CRM. The CNG Queue Management System through "OORJA" mobile application would provide information regarding the average waiting time at the CNG station and also alternative nearby CNG Station to the customers.

The customers will know the waiting time for three broad categories i.e. buses, cars and autos. They will also be able to see CNG Station nearby. This application will be available through invitation initially for ten days and would be available for download from January 1, 2019.

The technology platform-Social CRM will address customer queries, complaints, service requests, grievances on various social media platforms, such as facebook, twitter and Instagram. This can be used to effectively view and monitor the grievance redressal process by using the sentiment analysis.

Pradhan also said that Rs 70,000 crore is being invested in the CGD (city gas distribution) network in the country.

On this occasion the IGL also marked the crossing of one million domestic PNG (piped natural gas) customers in its areas of operation i e Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and Rewari. The company felicitated the one millionth customer and certain auto drivers selected through lucky draw process.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday ruled out replacing cut-offs with an entrance examination for admission to Delhi University undergraduate courses.

The DU admission committee was working out on details of the entrance based system and the issue was to be discussed in the next meeting of the panel which has experts, college principals and faculty as members. The issue was deliberated upon last year as well by the panel but a consensus could not be reached.

"For 2019-20 there will be no entrance test in DU and admissions will be conducted on basis of class 12 marks," Javadekar told reporters.

DU currently conducts computer based entrance test for nine undergraduate and postgraduate programmes while admissions to a majority of undergraduate courses are determined through the aspirant's scores in class 12 exams.

DU's first attempt at switching to an entrance-based admission system in 2017 had hit a roadblock after objection from different student groups.

The HRD Minister also said no final call has been taken yet on whether the JNU's entrance test will be conducted online and that too by the newly formed National Testing Agency (NTA).

However, JNU has already notified on the website that the exam will be conducted by NTA in 2019.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
/ -- Nagarro organized its 4th LSD (Learn, Socialize & Disrupt) conference on 'Practical AI: Future of Business with Intelligence' last week at Pullman, NCR. The conference brought together leading industry experts in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning who presented cutting-edge ideas on practical implementation of AI. The conference was also attended by a number of passionate technologists working in AI/ML and allied fields in their organizations.

The keynote speaker Manoj Marwah, Partner, E&Y, talked about how AI will completely revolutionize the human lives. He said, "Artificial Intelligence has already transformed the way in which we work and play, the day isn't far when human workforce will be replaced by computerized assistance." The sessions by tech leaders from exciting new start-ups like KazaCam and Sqrrl Fintech saw them sharing insights on how to leverage AI to solve business challenges across various domains.

This was followed by a panel discussion on understanding the role of AI in the near future. The panelists discussed AI-related technologies that can help solve some intractable problems like improving agricultural crop yields and detecting diseases early. Interestingly, the panelists also shared their own journeys and explorations into the world of AI. For Mohit Mathur, Practice Head at HCL Tech, the key was to experiment and create a few products on his own across a broad spectrum of AI use cases including NLP, self-driving cars and image processing.

The attendees also got a chance to experience AI in action through some interesting demos organized by the AI Centre of Excellence at Nagarro. "Industry insights and real demos from practitioners made this conference a unique learning experience for all the AI enthusiasts," one of them summed up.

About LSD



To stay competitive, enterprises must become disruptors that break old models only to replace with better ones. We strongly believe that in this era of disruption, learning through socialization is the key to fostering new ideas. Nagarro's LSD (Learn, Socialize & Disrupt) series aims at building a vibrant platform for discussions, talks, workshops, seminars, breakout sessions, and hackathons, to name a few.

About Nagarro



Nagarro drives technology-led business breakthroughs for industry leaders and challengers. When our clients want to move fast and make things, they turn to us.

Some of our clients include Siemens, GE, Lufthansa, Viacom, Estee Lauder, ASSA ABLOY, Ericsson, DHL, Mitsubishi, BMW, the City of New York, T-Systems, SAP and Infor. Working with these clients, we continually push the boundaries of what is possible to do through technology, and in what time frame.

Today, we are more than 5,000 experts across 20 countries. Together we form Nagarro, the global services division of Munich-based Allgeier SE. For more information, visit https://www.nagarro.com/en .

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah Friday said Congress president Rahul Gandhi is no longer a "Pappu" after proving his mettle as a leader by winning elections in the three Hindi heartland states.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister also hailed the opening of the Kartarpur corridor as a "step in the right direction".

He, however, said Pakistan needs to give up terrorism to build relations with India.

"Rahul Gandhi is no longer a Pappu. He has proved his mettle by wining three states," Abdullah said during an interactive session at a chamber of commerce here.

Gandhi has often been mocked by the BJP and his opposition as "Pappu", a colloquial sneer.

Stating that it was necessary to project young leaders in India to ensure the nation's progress, the National Conference leader said Rahul Gandhi should be given more time.

Later, he met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and described her as his "sister".

Abdullah expressed hope that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo will do her bit to save the country, which was currently heading towards a "wrong direction".

The National Conference leader also took on the NDA government at the Centre, alleging institutions like the RBI are being polluted under the present regime.

He alleged that efforts are being made to divide the country on religious lines.

"It is wrong the way they are trying to divide the nation on the basis of religion. The way there has been interference in Muslim religion and its practices is unfortunate," he said.

While speaking on the issue of unrest in Kashmir, Abdullah said the Army and the CRPF are not the solution to the problem of the Valley.

Until and unless cross-border terrorism from Pakistan stops there can never be any progress in bilateral relations. The only way the relationship can be built if Pakistan stop terrorism, he said.

India and Pakistan relations have to be solved to solve problems in Afghanistan, Abdullah said.

"Just because Pakistan don't stop cross border terrorism, Muslims in India are getting affected. The tragedy of terrorism is every Muslim is suspected to be a terrorists. All Muslims are not terrorists, Indian Muslims don't support Pakistanis," he said.

The National Conference leader appreciated opening of the Kartarpur corridor.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan last month laid the foundation stone for a corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev - to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district to facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims



Abdullah also questioned the need for the BJP's proposed Rath Yatra in West Bengal and wondered whether the party wants to project itself as a saviour of the Hindus.

Abdullah also criticised the Centre's decision to allow 10 agencies to intercept "any information" on computers and said the move would be detrimental to the country's interests.

"Whatever is happening in the country is very wrong. The central government's move (of authorising 10 central agencies to snoop on any computer) is also very wrong.

"The country is heading towards a wrong direction. That is the reason I have come to meet my sister (Mamata Banerjee). I hope she can create a force that will save the country from what it is currently going through," he told reporters.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Public sector lender Friday said the 'Alternative Mechanism' of the ministry has accorded in-principle approval for its merger with Dena and

"Ministry of Finance, Department of Financial Services on 20th December 2018 has advised that the Alternative Mechanism (AM) has accorded its in-principle approval to the proposed amalgamation of Bank of Baroda, and Dena Bank," it said in a regulatory filing.

is the transferee bank, while and Dena Bank are the transferor in the amalgamation process, it added.

The 'Alternative Mechanism' (AM) headed by Minister had decided to merge three with a view to create global size lender, which will be stronger and sustainable.

Following which, the board of directors of had given an in-principle approval for the proposed merger of the three state-owned lenders on September 29.

Both the other have also approved the merger proposal at their respective board levels.

The new entity to be formed with the merger of Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank is expected to be operational in the beginning of the next financial year.

The merged entity will have a combined business of Rs 14.82 trillion, making it the third largest bank after SBI and ICICI Bank.

It will have better financial strength. The net NPA ratio will be at 5.71 per cent, significantly better than public sector bank (PSB) average (12.13 per cent).

The merger of these three lenders comes after India's top lender State Bank of India (SBI) merging its five subsidiary banks and taking over Bharatiya Mahila Bank last year, which has catapulted it to be among top 50 global lenders.

Shares of Bank of Baroda traded 0.30 per cent up at Rs 115.20 apiece on BSE.
In yet another step towards improving ties, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi Friday held extensive talks under a newly established framework to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two nations.

The Chinese Foreign Minister arrived here early Friday on a four-day visit primarily to attend the first meeting of the new mechanism which was agreed to in the informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Wuhan in April.

In his written message, Modi expressed happiness over talks between the two sides under the 'High Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges, which was pushed by him during the Wuhan summit.

He also hoped that the new mechanism will help in further deepening cultural exchanges and engagement between people of the two countries.

"Age old links have been reinforced with increased contacts & exchanges between our peoples in contemporary times," Modi said.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the new mechanism is aimed at building synergies in people-to-people ties.

In a tweet, he said the two sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation in tourism, art, films, media, culture, yoga, sports, academic and youth exchanges.

After the over two-month face-off between their militaries at the Doklam tri-junction last year, the two countries have been initiating series of measures to reset ties.

Last month, Modi and Xi had met on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Argentina during which they concurred that there had been a "perceptible improvement" in bilateral ties after their Wuhan summit and both sides are optimistic that 2019 would be an even better year for India-China relations.

They also discussed joint efforts to further enhance mutual trust and friendship between the two neighbours.

Earlier this month, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale held talks here with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou and reviewed the progress made in the bilateral ties since the Wuhan summit.

In their informal summit in the Chinese city of Wuhan in April, Modi and Xi decided to issue "strategic guidance" to their militaries to strengthen communications so that they can build trust and understanding.

The informal summit had taken place seven months after the Doklam standoff.

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.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An engineering report deemed the steep ramp a public safety hazard. It will be closed for two years, during which time, officials hope to make it ADA compliant.
The Assam Police has arrested four Tripura residents for allegedly extorting money from truckers at Churaibari area of the neighbouring state, around 182km from here.

Churaibari area, spread across Tripura and Assam, connects the two states via National Highway-8.

North Tripura Superintendent of Police Bhanupada Chakraborty said the four accused had been reportedly extorting money from trucks over the past few days.

"I have come to know that these four men have been accused of extorting money from highways trucks on earlier occasions too. The Assam Police, acting on a tip-off, arrested them Thursday morning," Chakraborty said.

The SP also said that the family members of the four accused have filed a counter complaint in Tripura, stating that they were innocent.

"They family members have lodged a complaint at Churaibari police station in North Tripura claiming that the four accused were on their way to Silchar in Assam for medical treatment when they were arrested," Chakraborty said.

The complaint has been forwarded to the Assam Police, he added.

Goutam Das, the officer in-charge of Bazaricherra police station in Karimganj district of Assam, said the four men will be produced before Karimganj District Court.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Marriott International Friday announced the opening of Fairfield by Marriott Goa Anjuna, making it the 14th Fairfield hotel in India.

"This is our first Fairfield by Marriott property to debut in Goa and the 15th for the brand in South Asia," Mike Fulkerson, vice president, brand and marketing, Asia Pacific, Marriott International said.

Marriott International is based in the US and has a portfolio of more than 6,700 properties in 30 leading hotel brands spanning 129 countries and territories. *************** Radisson Hotel Group appoints Zubin Saxena as new MD, VP-Ops *



Radisson Hotel Group Friday announced the appointment of Zubin Saxena as its new managing director and vice president of operations, South Asia, effective January 1.

Saxena is also a member of the group's Asia Pacific executive committee and is involved in growing and directing the company's business in South Asia, a release said here.

He will take over the regional leadership role from Raj Rana, who has decided to move on from Radisson Hotel Group.

In his new role, Saxena will provide counsel to the South Asia team and will be responsible for implementing new brand standards and delivering on operational efficiency and effectiveness to our hotels. ********************** IHCL opens 2nd hotel in Udaipur *



The Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) Friday said its iconic brand Taj has opened its second hotel in Udaipur, Taj Aravali Resort & Spa.

The resort is spread across 27 acres with 92 rooms, suites and tents, IHCL said in a release here.

"With the opening of Taj Aravali Resort & Spa, we are enhancing our offering for the global traveller and reinforcing our commitment to Udaipur - the Venice of the East," IHCL managing director and chief executive officer Puneet Chhatwal said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
French prosecutors are calling for 14 people to be tried in connection with the January 2015 jihadist attacks including the massacre at satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, judicial sources said Friday.

It will be up to anti-terrorist judges to decide whether all 14 are tried.

The decision comes nearly four years after brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi and Amedy Coulibaly killed 12 people at the offices of Charlie Hebdo on January 7, 2015.

The next day a policewoman was killed just outside Paris, while another gunman took hostages at a Jewish supermarket, four of whom were killed. All the attackers were killed in separate shootouts with police.

Authorities said the attackers had claimed allegiance to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State militant group.

Those likely to face trial are accused of "complicity" in assisting the attackers, including providing them with weapons.

Another man, French national Peter Cherif, an associate of the Kouachi brothers, was arrested in Djibouti on December 16, French officials said Friday.

Cherif was expected to be extradited from Djibouti. He has not yet been indicted in connection with the Charlie Hebdo attack.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ten central agencies have been authorised by the Centre to intercept information from any computer, a move that set off a political storm Friday with the opposition accusing the government of trying to create a "surveillance state".

But the Centre said the rules for intercepting and monitoring computer data were framed in 2009 when the Congress-led UPA was in power and its new order only notified the designated authority which can carry out such action.

The opposition parties led by the Congress slammed the order as unconstitutional, undemocratic and an assault on fundamental rights and an attempt by the BJP government to convert India into a "surveillance state" by resorting to "snooping", inviting a sharp response from the ruling party.

In a strong defence of the government order, the BJP said it is legal with adequate safeguards and in the interest of national security, dubbing the opposition's criticism as a "text book case" of speaking without any homework. The Centre also rejected the opposition's charge of snooping.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that converting India into "police state" won't solve his problems and it only showed he is an 'insecure dictator'.

The order that authorised 10 central intelligence, security and tax agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt all the data contained in "any" computer system was issued Thursday night by the 'cyber and information security' division of the Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) under the authority of Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba.

As a controversy erupted, the MHA issued a statement, saying the order was issued to prevent "any unauthorised use of these powers".

The new order "does not confer any new powers" to any security or law enforcement agency, the statement said, adding "each case" of computer interception, monitoring and decryption is "to be approved by the competent authority, which is the Union home secretary".

The 10 agencies notified under the new order are the Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (for Income Tax Department), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, Directorate of Signal Intelligence (in service areas of J-K, North East and Assam) and Delhi Police commissioner.

The issue of notification also rocked the Rajya Sabha where Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged that "undeclared Emergency has taken final shape" and "all federal agencies have been let loose",



Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the authorisation was given under 2009 rules and dismissed opposition's charge of snooping.

Jaitley said the opposition was playing with national security and "making a mountain where even a molehill doesn't exist".

Congress leader Anand Sharma said the issue is serious as it is related to fundamental rights and "India will become a police state" with such "sweeping powers" to agencies to intercept information.

Responding to the charge, Jaitley said it would have been better if the Opposition had obtained all information before raising this issue. He told the House that the rules under which agencies will be authorised to intercept information were framed in 2009 when the Congress-led UPA was in power.

"So what you are doing Mr Anand Sharma is making a mountain where even a molehill does not exist.

However, Azad retorted that there is no mention of national security in the order. "The BJP seems to think it has ownership rights over national security and it means nothing to us," he said taking a swipe at the government."



To this, Jaitley said, "These are elementary things. It is an authorisation order. The provisions of national security are written in Article 69.... You are playing with the security of the country. That is what you have done just now".

Since the Act has been in place these orders of authorisation are repeated from time to time, he said, adding that they can be used for interception in cases related to national security, disruption of public order, etc.

Outside Parliament, CPI-M chief Sitaram Yehcury said the order was unconstitutional.

The BJP government is converting India into a surveillance state through the order, Anand Sharma said with other opposition leaders by his side.

"It is the ultimate assault on fundamental rights and the right to privacy. It is also in direct conflict with the Supreme Court judgement that right to privacy is a fundamental right. The government has done it by strength we collectively oppose it," Sharma told reporters.

The opposition parties, including the CPI(M), the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Trinamool Congress, said they will collectively oppose the order.

The BJP government, the opposition leaders said, was converting the country into a surveillance state.

"From Modi Sarkar to stalker sarkar, clearly the string of losses has left the BJP government desperate for information," the Congress said on its official Twitter handle.

According to the order, the 10 central probe and snoop agencies are now empowered under the Information Technology (IT) Act for computer interception and analysis.

The agencies, according to the order, have been authorised "for the purpose of interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource under the said Act (section 69 of the IT Act, 2000)".

In the statement, the Home ministry said adequate safeguards are provided in the IT Act, 2000 and similar provisions and procedures already exist in the Telegraph Act along with "identical safeguards".

"The present notification is analogous to the authorisation issued under the Telegraph Act. The entire process is also subject to a robust review mechanism as in case of Telegraph Act. Every individual case will continue to require prior approval of Home ministry or state government. MHA has not delegated its powers to any law enforcement or security agency," it said.

The ministry used Rule 4 of the IT (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules 2009 to elaborate its point.

It provides that "the competent authority may authorise an agency of the Government to intercept, monitor or decrypt information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource for the purpose specified in sub-section (1) of Section 69 of the Act", the ministry said.

Therefore, it said, the latest order has been issued "in accordance with rules framed in year 2009 and in vogue since then and no new powers have been conferred to any of the security or law enforcement agencies".

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the order is legal and the comments by opposition leaders amounted to playing with national security.

Prasad said the IT Act, which has provisions for such an interception, was brought by the Congress-led UPA dispensation, and the latest order has only made it more accountable by naming designated agencies which can carry out such an interception.

"The UPA had enacted the law. We have made it accountable," he said.

Responding to privacy concerns, he told reporters that the government will protect privacy but there can be no compromise with national security.

The ministry statement also said the new notification had three benefits.

It is aimed at among other things ensuring that any interception, monitoring or decryption of any information through any computer resource is done in accordance with due process of law.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government on Friday said it has authorised 10 central agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt all the data contained in "any" computer system and asserted that this was being done to prevent "any unauthorised use of these powers".

The new order, issued late Thursday night, "does not confer any new powers" to any security or law enforcement agency, the Union Home ministry said in a statement as the opposition termed the move an assault on fundamental rights and joined hands against it.

The order was brought out by the 'cyber and information security' division of the ministry under the authority of Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba.

According to the order, 10 central probe and snoop agencies are now empowered under the Information Technology (IT) Act for computer interception and analysis, officials said.

The agencies, according to the order, have been authorised "for the purpose of interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource under the said Act (section 69 of the IT Act, 2000)".

In a clarificatory statement, the Home ministry said adequate safeguards are provided in the IT Act, 2000 and similar provisions and procedures already exist in the Telegraph Act along with "identical safeguards".

The ministry said "each case" of such computer interception, monitoring and decryption is "to be approved by the competent authority, which is the Union home secretary".

"The present notification is analogous to the authorisation issued under the Telegraph Act. The entire process is also subject to a robust review mechanism as in case of Telegraph Act. Every individual case will continue to require prior approval of Home ministry or state government. MHA has not delegated its powers to any law enforcement or security agency," it said.

The ministry used Rule 4 of the IT (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules 2009 to elaborate its point.

It provides that "the competent authority may authorise an agency of the Government to intercept, monitor or decrypt information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource for the purpose specified in sub-section (1) of Section 69 of the Act", the ministry said.

Therefore, it said, the latest order has been issued "in accordance with rules framed in year 2009 and in vogue since then and no new powers have been conferred to any of the security or law enforcement agencies".

The notification, it said, has been issued to notify the ISPs (internet service providers), TSPs (telecommunications service providers), intermediaries among others to codify the existing orders.

"These powers are also available to the competent authority in the state governments as per IT (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules 2009," it added.

According to rule 22 of the IT (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules 2009, all cases of interception or monitoring or decryption are to be placed before the review committee, headed by the cabinet secretary, which shall meet at least once in two months to review such cases, the statement said.

In case of state governments, it added, such cases are reviewed by a committee headed by the chief secretary concerned.

The ministry statement also said the new notification had three benefits.

It is aimed at ensuring that any interception, monitoring or decryption of any information through any computer resource is done in accordance with due process of law.

The notification identifies agencies authorised to exercise these powers and is aimed at preventing any unauthorized use of these powers by any agency, individual or intermediary.

Also, it said, the latest order will ensure that provisions of law relating to lawful interception or monitoring of computer resource are followed. If any interception, monitoring or decryption is required for purposes specified in Section 69 of the IT Act, it has to be done in accordance with due process of law and approval of competent authority, which is the Union Home secretary.

The 10 agencies notified under the new order are the Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (for Income Tax Department), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, Directorate of Signal Intelligence (in service areas of J-K, North East and Assam) and Delhi Police commissioner.

Section 69 of the IT Act deals with the "power to issue directions for interception or monitoring or decryption of any information through any computer resource".

According to an earlier order, the Union home secretary is also empowered to authorise or sanction the intelligence and security agencies for undertaking tapping and analysis of phone calls under the provisions of the Indian Telegraph Act.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited chairman R Madhavan Friday said the HAL was capable of producing the Rafale aircraft but suggested that the question of transfer of technology does not arise in the current order of just 36 aircraft.

The Congress has alleged that Narendra Modi government is buying the military aircraft from French company Dassault Aviation at a much higher price than what was being negotiated by the previous UPA government, which planned to procure 126 aircraft.

The opposition has also accused the government of ignoring the state-owned HAL while negotiating the agreement, suggesting that some of the aircraft could have been manufactured by it through transfer of technology.

Madhavan said the HAL was capable of production when the initial discussions were on.

But the current government decided to purchase 36 aircraft separately as it was necessary to buy them as soon as possible, he said.

For the 36, the question of production here does not arise, he said.

If 126 aircraft were bought, some would have been purchased outright and others produced in the country, he said.

He said the HAL was not part of the process of the current deal.

The government has rejected the Congress charge that it paid an inflated price, saying that the cost of a fully-loaded aircraft could not be compared with that of a basic aircraft.

The HAL chairman was in the city to address an engineers' conference.

We need to make our students employable and skilled. We also need to increase investment in research and development, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump on Friday said that he has done more damage to the terror group Islamic State (IS) than all his recent predecessors.

"I've done more damage to ISIS than all recent presidents....not even close!" Trump tweeted a day after he announced that he has asked the Pentagon to start withdrawing troops from Syria.

Claiming that the extremist group (IS) had been beaten in Syria, Trump stunned officials and allies on Wednesday with his announcement of his decision to withdraw 2,000 US troops from the war-torn nation.

Trump said that he has taken the decision because he has achieved his mission to defeat the IS in Syria.

The US President's decision attracted widespread criticism from the lawmakers, think-tank community and experts.

US Defense Secretary James Mattis resigned Thursday due to the differences he has with Trump over withdrawal of troops from Syria.

After Syria, Trump has decided to pull around 7,000 US troops from Afghanistan also.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The CBI is yet to receive copy of the order in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh-Kausar Bi fake encounter case, an agency spokesperson said on Friday in a cautious response to queries related to its future course of action.

All 22 accused in the alleged fake encounter killings of gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi and his aide Tulsi Prajapati were acquitted Friday by a special CBI court because of insufficient evidence, even as it expressed sorrow over the loss of "three lives."



The spokesperson also remained economical in using words and refused to commit to the usual response of the CBI that it would study the order before deciding on filing of appeal in the matter.

He said his statement is limited to the sentence,"the CBI is yet to receive the order."



The agency which had reacted within minutes of the 2G scam verdict stating that it would file an appeal against the order stopped short of making any commitment on filing an appeal against the Special CBI court verdict acquitting 22 accused in the 13-year old fake encounter case.

The accused, who were mostly police officials from Gujarat and Rajasthan, were out on bail during the year-long trial after 92 of the total 210 prosecution witnesses turned hostile.

The three victims who were returning to Sangli in from in a bus were taken into custody by a police team on the night of November 22-23, 2005. The couple were taken in one vehicle and Prajapati in another.

CBI, the prosecuting agency, had alleged that Shaikh was killed on November 26, 2005, by a joint team comprising Gujarat and Rajasthan police, and Kausar Bi three days later.

Prajapati, who was lodged in an Udaipur central jail, was killed in an encounter on the Gujarat-Rajasthan border on December 27, 2006.

Despite sincere efforts made by the prosecution, a cogent case could not be established since the CBI lacked documentary evidence and reliable witnesses, the judge said.

"Two main prosecution witnesses turned hostile. What could the prosecution have done? It couldnt have forced them not to turn hostile," the judge said.

When the CBI took over the case, it had charged 38 persons, including Amit Shah, who was then Gujarat home minister, Gulabchand Kataria, the then Rajasthan home minister, and and senior IPS officers like D G Vanzara and P C Pande.

The prosecution had examined 210 witnesses, of which 92 turned hostile.

Sixteen people, including Shah, Kataria, Vanzara and Pande were earlier discharged by the CBI court due to lack of evidence against them.

The case also evoked controversy when judge B H Loya, who was presiding over the CBI court, died three years ago after a heart attack.

His family made unsubstantiated allegations that the judge was offered a huge bribe to rule in favour of the prime accused.
The Kerala High Court Friday granted bail to Ayyappa Dharma Sena leader Rahul Easwar, who was re-arrested earlier this week for defying the bail conditions imposed in a case related to violent protests at Sabarimala in October.

He was arrested on Monday after a local court revoked his bail.

Granting the fresh conditional bail, Justice Sunil Thomas directed the activist not to enter Pamba, an important pilgrim spot enroute to the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala.

The judge also directed him to sign at Pathanamthitta police station once every month.

Easwar was arrested from a rest house in Palakad on Monday, two days after the court at Ranni in Pathanamthitta district ordered his arrest for failure to appear before the local police as stipulated in the bail condition.

The Ayyappa Dharma Sena leader spearheaded protests against the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict permitting women of all age groups into the Lord Ayyappa temple.

He was earlier arrested in the case relating to violence at the Lord Ayyappa shrine when it was opened for the monthly prayers on October 17, for the first time after the apex court lifted the ban on menstrual age women visiting the shrine.

The local court, while granting bail, had stipulated several conditions, including that he has to appear in the Pathanamthitta police station every Saturday.

However, on December 8, he failed to appear, police had said, following which the court cancelled Easwar's bail.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Friday ordered status quo as existed before the set aside a government order for closure



of Sterlite's copper plant in Tuticorin.

Justices K K Sasindhran and P D Audikesavalu of the Madurai Bench also restrained the Vedanta group from taking any steps to reopen the unit.

Hearing a petition against reopening of the unit following the December 15 NGT order, the court directed that status quo will continue till January 21 and ordered the state government to inform by then whether it intended to file an appeal against the tribunal verdict.

The bench issued notice to the state chief secretary and the Chief Executive Officer of to file their counter.

On an appeal by the Sterlite, the NGT had quashed the May 28 order of the Board (TNPCB) for permanent closure of the plant in the wake of protests by locals, holding that that it was "non-sustainable" and "unjustified".

had on Thursday said it had sought permission from the TNPCB for reopening the plant.
Google India launched a completely new, redesigned, Google My Business App. The app is a simple and free tool for SMBs to start their digital journey through listings on Google and keep their business presence up-to-date on Google Search and Google Maps.

The new app allows businesses to update their profile, converse with customers, and attract new ones in real-time, on-the-go. New features such as the new post button, a customer tab and the bottom navigation bar, allow businesses to follow and message customers directly from the app, enhancing engagement between both the parties.

The new post button is a simple and free way to stand out on Google with a great Business Profile. Businesses can upload a photo, create an offer or an event, and add it right to their profile on Google for the world to see. Businesses can also manage their information seamlessly on Google from the profile tab and watch edits appear real-time across Search and Maps.

Businesses can connect with customers, reply to reviews and receive messages, all in one place, through the updated customer tab. The new tab also enables businesses to see all their followers on Google Maps and using the new post button, engage them with attractive content to encourage repeat visits. Through the new customer tab businesses can even respond to customer reviews and get notifications on new customer connections as well. And with the new bottom navigation bar, businesses can track results that matter, as it provides a one-tap access to the home tab, new customers tab, and profile tab.

Excited to launch this new updated version of Google My Business App, Shalini Girish, Director  Marketing Solutions, Google India said, The new Google My Business app deepens our commitment to help businesses grow online. The new app will encourage businesses to manage their presence on Google in real time, make their profiles more appealing and interact with customers. For instance, if youre a restaurant owner and have a packed house on a Friday night, the app allows you to create a post with a picture of the restaurant to engage with prospective customers on Maps and Search. Its this real-time presence that we hope will go a long way in helping businesses attract new customers and bring back existing ones.

The new, free Google My Business app is available for download in Google Play or the App Store.

Over the years, Google India has enabled businesses to grow online through several products and initiatives. Digital Unlocked is designed to arm SMBs with digital skills via offline and online training module and over 360,000 small businesses have been trained in the past two years. Primer is a free mobile app designed to teach digital marketing skills has been downloaded over 6.2 million times. Also, Websites with Google My Business, enables SMBs to create a free, mobile optimised website instantly in 10 regional languages and over 800,000 Indian businesses are already using it.

@Technuter.com News Service
The Allahabad High Court Friday declined to stay the arrest of an accused in the Bulandshahar violence, in which a police inspector and a local youth were killed.

On December 3, Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a local youth were attacked and killed in Bulandshahar by a mob, which was protesting against alleged cow slaughter in the area.

Dismissing a petition filed by accused Satish, a division bench comprising justices Naheed Ara Moonis and Manju Rani Chauhan directed him to surrender before the court within a week in connection with violence case.

On December 4, Subhash Chandra, a sub-inspector posted at the Syan police station in Bulandshahar, had lodged an FIR in connection with the killing of Subodh Singh.

The petitioner was named in the said FIR.

Satish in his plea claimed that his father's name was not mentioned in the FIR and as a result, police are harassing several persons in the area who are named 'Satish'.

Pleading he is innocent, Satish alleged that police was falsely implicating him in the Bulandshahr violence case and requested the court to stay his arrest.

However, the state counsel opposed the petition on the ground that the petitioner is named in the FIR.

Further, the case is a "very serious one" as one police inspector along with a local youth have been killed in the violence and government properties have been damaged in the violence, the counsel said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court Friday rejected the allegations of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), publisher of National Herald, that the Centre's move to evict it from its premises here was a covert measure to erase and defame the legacy of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

National Herald was founded by Nehru in 1938.

The high court also termed as "preposterous" AJL's claim that the eviction order of the ruling dispensation was mala fide, bias and issued with oblique motives.

"One fails to understand as to how the ruling dispensation has in any way erased, effaced or defamed Pandit (Jawaharlal) Nehru. To say the least, the allegations of mala fide are preposterous and no note of these allegations is required to be taken," Justice Sunil Gaur said.

The court said AJL has not spelt out what was the oblique motive in passing of the October 30 eviction order and no instances have been given to support the serious allegations of mala fide levelled against the ruling dispensation, a reference to the BJP government at the Centre.

It added that the allegations of mala fide levelled by AJL are "bald and unspecific".

The court's observations came while directing the AJL to vacate its premises at ITO area within two weeks failing which proceedings under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971, would be initiated for its eviction.

It dismissed the company's plea to set aside the eviction order issued by the Land and Development Office.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Minister Anant Geete said Friday the Department of Heavy Industries has proposed slashing of customs duty on parts of electric vehicles (EVs) to the finance ministry, which has to take a call on it.

"We have requested (reduction of import tariff) to the finance ministry. The finance ministry has to decide on it," Geete said at the launch of e-rickshaw, e-scooter and e-cycle manufactured by Nibe Motors here.

The e-scooter and e-cycle made by the Nashik-based start-up Nibe Motors have been certified by the Automotive Research Association of India, which comes under the administrative control of the Union heavy industries ministry.

Senior officials in the heavy industries ministry earlier said it has proposed reducing customs duty on EV parts, which are currently not exempt from import tariff to the Department of Revenue.

To boost production of EVs in the country, the ministry has also suggested defining semi-knocked-down and completely-knocked-down kits used for assembling such vehicles for streamlining of customs duty.

Currently, key components for EVs, including battery, controller, charger, converter, energy monitor, electric compressor and motor attract zero customs duty. On the other hand, parts including metals and plastics attract 28 per cent basic customs duty.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
These are the top stories from the northern region at 10 pm



NEWDELHI LGD5 DL-HC-LD SAJJAN



New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Friday dismissed former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar's plea seeking time till January 30 to surrender after being recently sentenced to life imprisonment in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

NOIDA DEL44 NCR-2NDLD CALL CENTRE-US



Noida (UP): The Noida police Friday arrested 126 people from a fake call centre allegedly involved in extorting money from US citizens after threatening them with arrest for having discrepancies in their social security number.

SRINAGAR DEL48 JK-LD CEASEFIRE



Srinagar: Two Army officers were killed as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district Friday, an official said.

LUCKNOW DES6 UP-ASSEMBLY-ENCEPHALITIS



Lucknow: The Congress walked out of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Friday, alleging that the state government had imposed an "emergency" in BRD Medical College to hide actual figures of encephalitis deaths in Gorakhpur from the media.

LUCKNOW DES11 UP-KIDNAP



Lucknow: A six-year-old boy was killed and his elder brother seriously injured allegedly by their abductors, who were nabbed by the police after a gunfight in Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

LUCKNOW DES5 UP-HANUMAN-JAT



Lucknow: The debate over Lord Hanuman continued on Friday, with an Uttar Pradesh minister claiming that the Hindu deity belonged to the Jat community.

LUCKNOW DES7 UP-MAYAWATI-CRIME



Lucknow: Citing the Agra case in which a girl was burnt alive, BSP leader Mayawati Friday lashed out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh for its failure to fight crime, particularly that against women.

DEHRADUN DEL67 UKD-LD LANDSLIDE



Dehradun At least seven labourers were killed, three others injured while another is missing in a landslide near the construction site of Char Dham all-weather road in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district Friday, police said.

CHANDIGARH DES22 PB-AMARINDER-BADALS



Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Friday compared the Badals, who lead the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal, to scared rabbits with no hole to hide as they face an imminent defeat in next year's Lok Sabha polls.

CHANDIGARH NRG11 HR-UNORGANISED WORKERS



Chandigarh: The Haryana government has decided to constitute a social security board for the socio-economic development of unorganised workers in the state, an official statement said on Friday.

NEWDELHI LGD20 DL-HC-LD TANDOOR



New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Friday ordered "forthwith" release of former youth Congress leader Sushil Kumar Sharma, serving life term for the murder of his wife Naina Sahni in 1995.

LUCKNOW DES11 UP-KIDNAP



Lucknow: A six-year-old boy was killed and his elder brother seriously injured allegedly by their abductors, who were nabbed by the police after a gunfight in Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

JAMMU DES44 JK-GUV-MEDIA



Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik Friday expressed displeasure over the "negative portrayal" of Kashmir in national media, adding none of the achievements of the Valley were being highlighted by the fourth estate.

KATRA DES24 JK-VAISHNODEVI-ROPEWAY



Katra (J&K): The Bhawan-Bhairon passenger ropeway project, which aims to make travel easier for Mata Vaishnodevi pilgrims, will be inaugurated on December 24, officials said Friday.

NEWDELHI LGD29 DL-HC-2NDLD TANDOOR



New Delhi: Former youth Congress leader Sushil Kumar Sharma, serving life term for the murder of his wife Naina Sahni in 1995, is to be released "forthwith", the Delhi High Court directed Friday saying various positive recommendations underline his readiness to be integrated in the society.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: A right-wing Hindu outfit has appealed to police to ban new year celebrationson the city's signature locations like MG Road and Brigade Road onDecember 31 to "protect the sanctity of Bengaluru."



In a two-page memorandum to Bengaluru police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti coordinator Mohan Gowda said "western culture has spoilt the present generation, where boys and girls drink, smoke and perform vulgar dance in an inebriated state which instigates criminals for eve-teasing."



Gowda recalled how some women wereallegedly molested en masse two years ago bringing a bad name to the city internationally.

"The most concerning matter is that there is a growing number of young boys, girls and women taking part in the celebrations in an inebriated state, which shows the decline of values among the youth of India today," Gowda rued in his memorandum.

Gowda urged police to ban such new year revelries.

Two years ago, on the night of December 31 on M G Road and Brigade Road, several women were allegedly molested and groped and lewd remarks passed by miscreants, despite the presence of police personnel to control unruly New Year revellers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Nitin Gadkari Friday said he hoped that there will be a "continuous flow" in the Ganga river by May next year.

In October this year, the Centre came out with a notification to have minimum environmental flow for the Ganga at various locations on the river.

"They (officials) say one metre, but I say even if there is one feet of water with continuous then that will be a great achievement. By May next, we can expect the continuous flow (of Ganga)," Gadkari said responding to a question at an event.

He also presided over the ceremony of signing of concession agreement for sewage treatment infrastructure in Kanpur under one-city-one-operator concept and Hybrid Annuity Mode between the National Mission for Clean Ganga, Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam and the private concessionaire -consortium of Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Ltd and SSG Infratech Limited. The cost of the project is worth Rs 816 crore.

The Kanpur projects, for which the agreement was signed, include the development of three new sewage treatment plants (STPs) at Unnao - 1.3 crore litres per day, Shuklaganj - 0.5 crore litres per day and Pankha - 3 crore litres per day, rehabilitation of the existing sewage treatment infrastructure with capacity of 45.7 crore litres per day, and operation and maintenance of all assets for 15 years under Hybrid Annuity based purchasing power parity mode.

Kanpur has a current sewage generation of about 37.5 crores litres per day and this is expected to increase to 46 crores litres per day in 2035 as per the population growth.

The existing treatment capacity from six STPs is 45.7 crore litres per day. Unnao, Shulaganj and Bithoor generate about 18.3 crores litres per day of sewage.

In another step taken to address the challenge of industrial pollution in Kanpur, a 20 MLD common effluent treatment plant (CETP) at the Jajmau project at an estimated cost of Rs 554 crore (Phase-I), is under tendering.

The work would start soon for treatment of sewage generated by the tannery industrial cluster which exists in Jajmau (380 units), a statement said.

Underlining the importance of cleaning the tributaries of Ganga, Gadkari said 11 projects are being taken up in the national capital for the Yamuna. Besides, projects are being taken up on other tributaries of the Ganga as well under the Namami Gange programme.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Wondering why his comments on mob violence were being misconstrued with some people calling him a "traitor", actor Naseeruddin Shah said on Friday that he spoke as a "worried Indian" and has the right to express concerns about the country he loves.

The veteran actor finds himself at the centre of a major controversy over his remarks on the spate of mob lynching cases in the country following the killing of a policeman in Bulandshahr earlier this month.

He said the death of a cow was being given importance over killing of a policeman.

"What I said earlier was as a worried Indian. I have said this earlier as well. What did I say this time that I am being called a traitor? It is very strange," Shah told reporters here at his alma mater, St Anselm's Senior Secondary School.

"I have to bear criticism. If they have the right to criticise, then I also have the same right. I am expressing concerns about the country I love, the country that is my home. How is that a crime?" he asked.

Shah was responding to a question about the backlash he is receiving on social media following his remarks.

The 68-year-old actor had expressed anxiety over the growing mob violence in a video interview with Karwan-e-Mohabbat India, which the organisation shared on its YouTube channel on Monday.

In the interview, the actor expressed concern over the well-being of his children, who he said have not been brought up as followers of any particular religion.

Shah said the "poison has already spread" and it will be now difficult to contain it.

"It will be very difficult to capture this djinn back into the bottle again. There is complete impunity for those who take law into their own hands. In many areas we are witnessing that the death of a cow is more significance than that of a police officer," he added.

On December 3, Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a student, Sumit Kumar, were killed in mob violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district after cow carcasses were found strewn around.

The main accused in the case is a local Bajrang Dal leader, Yogesh Raj.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chartered Accountants body ICAI said that from May next year, the CA exam will have 30 per cent multiple choice questions for selected papers at intermediate and final levels to strengthen conceptual clarity among the students.

Besides, a pilot project of centralised evaluation of one paper in final level is also being implemented. In the central evaluation, examiners will be evaluating the answer books in the presence of head examiner under their supervision, ICAI said in release.

"To strengthen conceptual clarity and sharpen the analytical skills of students... ICAI has introduced objective assessment for selected papers at the intermediate and final levels...from May, 2019 examination" Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) said in a release.

This reforms will make process of examination and evaluation more credible, it added.

Apart from that, on technology front 'Virtual ICAI' portal for students is being created. Using the portal, students will be able to fill the forms digitally for all purposes and check the status online.

Once the platform is fully operational, there will be no need for students to visit any branch or regional office for any queries, said ICAI.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a setback to the Congress in Telangana, four MLCs Friday urged Chairman of Legislative Council K Swamy Goud to merge their party in the upper house with the ruling TRS.

The Congress MLCs -- M S Prabhakar Rao, T Santosh Kumar, K Damodar Reddy and Akula Lalitha -- met the chairman and submitted a petition.

The four MLCs said in the letter that a meeting of Congress Legislature Party in the Council was held on December 20 and its merger with that of TRS in the Council was discussed.

"In the said meeting, we the undersigned have decided and agreed to merge into Telangana Rashtra Samithi Legislature Party in Telangana Legislative Council," the letter read.

They said they have the required strength for merger into Telangana Rashtra Samithi Legislature Party under para 4 of Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.

"There are six members of Congress party in all in the Telangana Legislative Council," they said.

"We therefore, request you to accept our merger into Telangana Rashtra Samithi Legislature Party in Telangana Legislative Council with immediate effect and our names may be shown in the list of Telangana Rashtra Samithi Legislature Party in Telangana Legislative Council," they said in the letter.

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Months after hitting rock bottom, relations between the United States and Turkey have quickly improved with President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from Syria raising speculation of a quiet pact.

Trump spoke with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, five days before the US leader's surprise announcement of a pullout of 2,000 troops from Syria as he declared the defeat of the Islamic State group.

The Turkish leader had been threatening an imminent offensive against Kurdish fighters in Syria who have battled alongside the United States against the Islamic State but whom Ankara describes as "terrorists" for their kinship with PKK militants at home.

In a diplomatic statement after their telephone conversation, the Turkish government said that Trump and Erdogan "agreed to ensure more effective cooperation" on Syria.

In a less diplomatic statement, Erdogan on Monday said: "I spoke with Trump. The terrorists must leave the east of the Euphrates. If they don't go, we will remove them." Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at the same time that Trump was again talking of withdrawing from Syria.

Few took Cavusoglu's comments seriously -- a State Department spokesman, asked about his remarks, assured that "the job is not yet done" in Syria -- until Trump suddenly announced the pullout on Wednesday.

Several US media outlets said Trump made his decision just after speaking to Erdogan. But Trump also prides himself on unpredictability and has long mused about leaving Syria, calling the involvement too costly.

"Trump's decision has in fact little to do with Turkey," said Sinan Ulgen, chairman of the Istanbul-based Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies.

"The timing may, however, have been precipitated by the call with Erdogan," he said.

Whether or not there was an explicit understanding, the withdrawal of US troops opens the way for an offensive by Turkey, which was much less likely to strike when risking US casualties.

"This is a major boost for Turkey and, I believe, an improvement in US-Turkish relations, while making Turkey less dependent on Russia also," said Faysal Itani, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington.

Turkey a member of NATO, the alliance designed as a bulwark against the Soviet Union alarmed the United States a year ago when it signed a deal for S-400 missiles from Russia.

Also this week, the United States announced the approval of a sale of USD 3.5 billion worth of Patriot and other missiles to Turkey, offering a stark choice to Erdogan on where to buy weapons.

Relations sank further when Turkey detained Andrew Brunson, a US pastor based in the coastal city of Izmir, and demanded the extradition from Pennsylvania of Fetullah Gulen, an influential cleric whom Erdogan accuses of plotting a failed 2016 coup against him.

The Trump administration, which counts on evangelical Christians as a core constituency, turned Brunson's detention into a top priority, slapping sanctions that rocked the Turkish economy including the value of the lira until his release in October.

"I believe the deal was that the Turks release Brunson in exchange for the US refraining from doing anything to damage the Turkish economy further," said Steven Cook, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

"The people in Washington who have argued for saving the relationship won," he said.

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Posted on Dec 21, 2018 in Boardgames, Front Page Features

Best Games of 2018! Holiday Buyers Guide

Rick Martin

Gaming Holiday Buyers Guide 2018

2018 has been an amazing year for gaming! In 2017, we said that maybe we were in a second Golden Age of Gaming. Well after 2018, if anyone doubts that we are in a second Golden Age of Games then they havent been paying attention. Let me reiterate  WE ARE IN A SECOND GOLDEN AGE OF GAMING! This year has had some fun surprises. From the adventure, tactical combat, puzzle solving Big Trouble in Little China the Board Game to fantastic games playable on your cell phone such as Mideast 67 to some great ancients and aviation games to Martian invasions of the Earth, 2018 had it all! And while we at Armchair General are still playing catch up on some games that came out in 2018 and have gone unreviewed (shame on us), we hit a good selection of game genres in our reviews this year. But wait my friends, theres more! 2019 will be positively smashing so look out! There is more goodness to come in a few weeks!

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So whether you need a good game for a late Hanukkah gift, or Christmas, or Kwanzaa or what-ever- get one of these fine games and you cant go wrong! All you need do is search on our site for these full reviews!

Sherman Leader 96% Ray  Sherman Leader is a fun game. And it does a good job presenting a narrative of battling the Axis in World War II.

The Invincible Armada  94% Rick  Small footprint, simple to learn but dynamic to play, great value for the price, exciting, plays perfectly well solo. Also a great educational experience.

878 Vikings  98% Rick  This game is simply fantastic. The design captures the ebb and flow of the warfare during this time period. The event cards add randomness which keeps replay value high. The components are all top notch and beautifully designed.

Sword and Sorcery  95% Rick  Sword and Sorcery has become my new go to game when I want do some fantasy role playing either solo or with a few friends. The realistic tactical combat system combined with immersive, dynamic scenarios makes this game highly addictive and fun.

Skies Above the Reich  98% Ray  Skies Above the Reich also represents great tool through which players gain an insight in the danger the Allied bomber crews faced. Instead of viewing it from the perspective of the bomber crew, you view this through the lens of the German pilots. 

Big Trouble in Little China the Board Game  99% Rick  Everything Epic has released a massive board game based on the film! Big Trouble in Little China the Board Game perfectly captures the feel and design aesthetics of the movie and draws the players in to a tactical struggle against the forces of Lo Pan and his Kung Fu thugs!

Blood on the Ohio  93% Ray  Under the banner of Manifest Destiny the Americans would wage a series of wars against the native peoples, continually displacing them from their lands. Blood on the Ohio puts you on the starting line of these events and provides a view into the shape of things to come.

Battlestar Galactica Starship Battles  97% Rick  the Battlestar Galactica Starship Battles starter set is amazing! It perfectly captures the frantic star fighter combat from the TV series! If you are a science fiction fan, get this game! By My Command!

New York 1901  95% Rick  New York 1901 abstractly simulates the sky scraper building boom of early 20th Century New York. New York 1901 stretches your strategic thinking in to the abstraction of territory pattern matching.

Corsair Leader  98% Rick  Dan Verssen Games gives you the opportunity to release your own Black Sheep and play in the cockpit of the famous Corsair fighter as you battle the famed Japanese Zero

For the People  98% Ray  Its a well-executed game that has stood the test of time. Even the most knowledgeable student of civil war games will find something familiar as well as something new across the span of the event cards.

Night Fighter Ace  95% Rick  Night Fighter Ace puts you in the cockpit of one German fighter as you try and survive the war. Its this intimacy which really draws the player in.

Gone to Pieces The Battle of Binh Gia  95% Rick  Gone to Pieces covers the Battle of Binh Gia which lasted from December 28, 1964 to January 1st, 1965. If you are interested in the Vietnam War or just want a cracking good war game for a few hours of play, Gone to Pieces will be your cup of tea and for less than $20, you really cant go wrong with this one!

The War of the Worlds  93% Rick  The collaboration between designers Seiga and Verssen has resulted in a truly unique and fun game which captures the tension of Wells novel.

And here are some of the other fine games weve reviewed this year with their percentage grade:

The Sadowa Campaign  96% Rick

BAOR and FRG  Expansions to MBT  99% Rick

Arquebus  97% Rick

John Tillers Modern Campaign  Mideast 67 for Andriod  93% Rick

Clash of Giants: Civil War  95% Ray

But Not in Vain: The Siege of Calais  95% Rick

Hastings 1066  90% Rick

Israeli Air Force Leader  96% Rick

Fortress Sevastopol 92% Rick

Fort Sumter  95% Ray

Down in Flames: Locked On  93% Rick

Wing Leader: Supremacy and Wing Leader: Blitz  96% Rick

Next War Poland  96% Rick

Honorable Mention  GMTs Hitlers Reich  90%  Great game let down by overly dense rule layouts. Rumor has it that rewritten rules are coming out. If they are easily approachable, this game could become a must have for World War 2 gamers.

Card Game Honorable Mention (See pictures) we didnt review these but they are a blast to play if you want card games! Key Forge by Fantasy Flight Games is a deck collecting fantasy and science fiction card game that is easy to play but very addictive. Christmas Lights is by 25th Century Games and is the perfect game to play with the entire family during the holidays! In Christmas Lights you are given rules to 12 different card games that utilize beautifully designed cards representing Christmas lights, power cords, plugs and such. You have to make your light design the most beautiful at the table  its fun, simple and very addictive!
India is Afghanistan's most reliable regional partner, the Pentagon has said as it praised New Delhi's contributions to the peaceful development of the war-torn country.

Pentagon, in its semi-annual Afghan report to the US Congress that covers the period of June to November 2018, said India interpreted the new US South Asia policy as an opportunity to increase its economic involvement with Afghanistan.

The South Asia Strategy, which was announced by President Donald Trump in August 2017, has focused on pressuring Pakistan to limit support and safe-haven for proxy terrorist and militant groups and to play a constructive role in facilitating Afghan reconciliation, the Pentagon said in the report.

Noting that the US strategy calls for a regional approach to enhance stability in South Asia, the report said this includes building a broad consensus for a stable Afghanistan, emphasising regional economic integration and cooperation, stressing cooperation for an Afghan-led peace process, and holding countries accountable for their use of proxies or other means to undermine stability and regional confidence.

"India is Afghanistan's most reliable regional partner and the largest contributor of development assistance in the region," said the Pentagon.

Since late 2015, India has pledged USD 1 billion in development assistance in addition to the approximate USD 2 billion already spent on Afghan infrastructure.

India continues to invest in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline, it said.

"India provides significant training opportunities for Afghan officers and enlisted personnel and has frequently offered to increase its burden-sharing for Afghanistan. Approximately 130 Afghans travel to India each year to attend various military academy and commissioning programs," the Pentagon said.

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US President Donald Trump Friday received unusual support from an Indian-American Democratic lawmaker on his reported plans for a substantial troop withdrawal from war-ravaged Afghanistan.

Congressman Ro Khanna, who was recently re-elected from the 17th Congressional District of California, said President Trump's instincts to withdraw from Afghanistan were correct.

He said to end the security challenge posed by terrorism in the war-torn country, it was important to encourage local peacebuilding efforts and engaging regional actors such as India and Pakistan.

"In sum, Trump's instincts to withdraw are correct. But the tactical implementation matters. He needs to surround himself with people like George Shultz, Bill Perry, Larry Korb, or Ben Rhodes who can help him carry it out," Khanna said in a statement.

So far, he is the only Democratic lawmaker to support Trump on his reported move in Afghanistan.

The White House so far has refrained from making any comment on the move to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

An overwhelming majority of lawmakers have vehemently opposed the idea. They argue that this will embolden Taliban and make America unsafe.

Khanna, who has been a bitter critic of Trump, in an unusual statement said he supported a responsible withdrawal of American military forces from Afghanistan.

"If we hope to end the security challenge posed by terrorism, the answer is not an indefinite deployment of US troops in the region. Instead, we must have a robust, multilateral, and inclusive diplomatic initiative to encourage national reconciliation, local peacebuilding efforts, and the engagement of regional actors such as Pakistan, Iran, Russia, China, and India," Khanna said.

The State Department needs a strategy to secure an inclusive and lasting peace settlement, a plan for the full withdrawal of US troops from the country and sustained support for nonmilitary peacebuilding solutions to secure any political settlement reached by the Afghan people, he said.

"We also need a short timeline for withdrawal so there can be a smooth transition, a sense of the intelligence platforms and networks that can replace them to guard against terrorist threats, and a plan on how we would act on actionable intelligence if terrorists posed a threat to our homeland," Khanna said.

He said the current approach of engaging in direct talks with the Afghan Taliban as a means of achieving a political solution to the conflict was good.

"After 17 years of war, we need a negotiated political settlement to the war that is acceptable to the Afghan people and allows the United States to end our involvement in war as soon as possible," he said.

"Over USD 43 billion dollars are currently being spent on Afghanistan each year and the Taliban now exerts influence or maintains control over 50 per cent of Afghan territory. This shows our military-first strategy and the surge is not working," Khanna added.

According to media reports, the White House has ordered the Pentagon to draw up plans for a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The White House has asked the Pentagon to look into multiple options, including a complete withdrawal, NBC reported quoting two defense officials.

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An Indian and a Chinese national were arrested in Nepal for possessing foreign currencies obtained from unauthorised sources, police said.

The arrests were made during a regular security check at Bouddhanath stupa area on the outskirts of Kathmandu, police said.

Those arrested are Indian national Chhiring Dorje and Chinese national Panchaudi, it said.

Police confiscated 1.35 million Nepali Rupees and 4,300 Chinese Yuan from the duo, besides a golden Buddha image, said a police statement.

An investigation has been launched into the matter, it said.

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IndiGo Friday announced signing a codeshare pact and a mutual cooperation agreement with Turkish Airlines as the budget carrier prepares expansion of its international flight network.

This is the first codeshare agreement for IndiGo, which is India's largest airline with a domestic market share of 43 per cent. It would allow passengers to travel on a single ticket on flights operated by the partner carrier.

The pact, subject to regulatory and other approvals, would allow IndiGo customers seamless connectivity to 20 European destinations beyond Istanbul, operated by the Turkish Airlines.

In turn, Turkish Airlines' customers would get direct access to all those cities in India which have IndiGo flights, the no-frills airline said in a release.

The codeshare agreement is a part of the airline's international expansion strategy, it added.

Codeshare allows an airline to book its passengers on its partner carriers and provide seamless travel to destinations where it has no presence.

"We are very excited to be launching our first codeshare with Turkish Airlines.

"Apart from supporting our upcoming direct services to Istanbul, this strategic partnership will expand the choices available to our customers for journeys beyond Istanbul, using Turkish Airlines' extensive network," IndiGo's Director and Interim CEO Rahul Bhatia said.

Besides Istanbul, IndiGo also reportedly plans to launch services to Gatwik (London), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Yangon (Myanmar) as part of its international expansion plans.

Turkish Airlines, a member of the 28-member international airlines grouping Star Alliance, currently flies to 306 destinations and covers 124 countries, with a fleet of 331 aircraft.

The reciprocal arrangement would allow IndiGo and Turkish Airlines to provide seamless connections to their customers, besides enabling them to use through check-in and many other facilities, the release said.

IndiGo would place its code '6E' on 20 points beyond Istanbul operated by Turkish Airlines. Similarly, Turkish Airlines will place its code 'TK' on IndiGo operated flights within India.

Operating codeshare flights with Turkish Airlines would enable customers book their journeys for European cities on IndiGo, using the services of Turkish Airlines, Bhatia said.

IndiGo operates over 1,300 daily flights to 52 domestic and 15 international destinations.

"We are very happy to host new operators in our main hub Istanbul and IndiGo will be the first Indian carrier starting flights to Turkey.

"We believe that it would be great opportunity to improve our cooperation with our new codeshare partner IndiGo, which will provide new services and destinations for our passengers travelling to/ from India," Turkish Airlines Deputy Chairman of the Board and CEO Bilal Eksi said.

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To expand its international footprint, IndiGo announced Friday that it has entered into its first codeshare agreement with Turkish Airlines, allowing either of the airlines to book seats for its passengers on each other's flight.

Moreover, Indigo -- which is the largest airline in India by market share -- also signed a "mutual cooperation agreement" with the Istanbul-based airlines Friday.

The signed codeshare and mutual cooperation agreement between the two carriers would come into effect after "all necessary board and regulatory approvals", according to IndiGo's statement.

"This is the first codeshare agreement for IndiGo as part of its international expansion strategy. Through this cooperation, Turkish Airlines will be offering new destinations in India as Marketing Carrier on IndiGo operated flights, while IndiGo customers will be able to reach many European destinations through Turkish Airlines' extensive network," IndiGo said in the statement.

"IndiGo will place its code '6E' on 20 points beyond Istanbul operated by Turkish Airlines. Similarly, Turkish Airlines will use its code 'TK' on IndiGo operated flights within India," IndiGo stated.

Turkish Airlines, which has a total of 331 aircraft, flies to 306 worldwide destinations currently. IndiGo has more 200 aircraft and it connects 52 domestic destinations and 15 international destinations.

Rahul Bhatia, Director and Interim Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo said, "We are very excited to be launching our first codeshare with Turkish Airlines: apart from supporting our upcoming direct services to Istanbul, this strategic partnership will expand the choices available to our customers for journeys beyond Istanbul, using Turkish Airlines' extensive network.

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Several hundred protesters chanted "God is Great" and "Get out, communist!" outside China's embassy in the Indonesian capital on Friday, demanding an end to mass detentions of Uighur Muslims.

The white-robed protesters, almost outnumbered by police, waved banners emblazoned with "Muslims unite to free Uighurs" and flags bearing the Islamic declaration of faith.

Protest organiser Slamet Ma'arif told the crowd that included members of the Islamic Defenders Front vigilante group that their Muslim brothers were "suffering oppression, torture and cruelty by the Chinese communist government."



Ma'arif, chairman of a conservative alliance behind the mass protests against Jakarta's minority Christian and ethnic Chinese governor in 2016, said Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, should expel China's ambassador.

"Save the Uighur community and give them freedom to worship as Muslims," he said.

"We also call on the Indonesian government to provide real action to help Uighurs like what has been done with Rohingya and we call on Muslims around the world to provide assistance and support for Uighurs," Ma'arif said.

Up to 1 million ethnic Muslims in China's Xinjiang region are estimated to be detained in camps where they are subjected to political indoctrination and pressured to give up their religion.

The Associated Press reported this week that some are forced to work in factories and tracked clothing made in one camp to an American sportswear company.

China describes the sites as vocational centres and says the trainees work voluntarily.

Indonesia's foreign minister Retno Marsudi on Monday summoned China's ambassador Xiao Qian to explain alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

Indonesia relayed the concerns of various groups in Indonesia and stressed that freedom of religion is enshrined in the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, according to foreign ministry spokesman Aarmanatha Nasir.

Xiao asserted that China is committed to the protection of human rights and its willingness to provide information about the situation in Xinjiang, Aarmanatha said.

Despite those steps, the Indonesian government also says it has no right to interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries.

It is reluctant to publicly criticize Beijing, fearing it could jeopardize potential Chinese investment or invite retaliatory Chinese support for separatists in Papua, a predominantly Christian Papua region where a pro-independence insurgency has simmered for more than half a century.

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The BJP on Friday made a strong defence of the government's move to authorise 10 central agencies to intercept any information on computers, saying there can be no compromise with national security, and dubbed the opposition's criticism a text book case of speaking without any homework.

Amid an all out attack by the Congress-led opposition, which panned the decision as unconstitutional, undemocratic and an assault on fundamental rights, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government move is legal and their comments amounted to playing with national security.

Prasad told reporters that the IT Act, which has provisions for such an interception, was brought by the Congress-led UPA dispensation, and the latest order has only made it more accountable by naming designated agencies which can carry out such an interception.

"The UPA had enacted the law. We have made it accountable," he said.

Responding to privacy concerns, he told reporters that the government will protect privacy but there can be no compromise with national security.

Each case of interception has to be approved by the home security, he said, claiming that a large number of unauthorised interception also took place earlier and that the new order will stop it.

Prasad spoke about attempts of Inter Service Intelligence, the Pakistani spy agency, to spread radical Islam in India and terrorist group Islamic State trying to recruit gullible Indians using internet, and stressed on the need to stop them.

"The Congress should answer as to whether terrorism is a threat to the country or not," he asked.

In a swipe at the Congress, he said the party and its president Rahul Gandhi have a tendency to speak without any homework and their criticism of the government's decision is a textbook case of this.

The decision to intercept anybody's computer can be invoked only in matters of national integrity and security, public order and friendly relations with other countries, he said.

The earlier mechanism was not defined and it has now been made robust and accountable, the law minister claimed.

The government order authorises 10 central agencies, including Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor, and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer.

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The US has granted Iraq a 90-day Iran sanctions waiver to allow it to continue to import electricity from Tehran, the State Department told The Associated Press.

Iraq's power sector is in disrepair and does not generate enough electricity to meet domestic demand. U.S. sanctions that went into effect in November have threatened to cut the country off from its chief supplier, Iran.

The US initially granted Iraq a 45-day waiver to allow it carry on buying electricity and gas from its neighbour while arranging for new suppliers.

Iraq will now have another 90 days where it can continue to pay for electricity imports, the State Department's public affairs office said. But it is barred from paying for gas imports, or it could face 'secondary sanctions' -- penalties for doing business with a sanctioned entity, Iran.

President Donald Trump moved to restore tough U.S. sanctions after withdrawing from Tehran's nuclear accord with world powers in May. U.S. sanctions targeting the country's energy and finance sectors went into effect in early November, ramping up pressure on Iran's economy.

The US is encouraging Iraq to break its dependence on Iran and develop its own gas and power generation sectors. Earlier this month, Energy Secretary Rick Perry visited Iraq with a trade delegation from the Chamber of Commerce to promote US investment in Iraq's energy sector.

"I'm here to tell you that America and its business community stand ready to assist you," he said.

Iraq's new oil minister, Thamer Ghadhban, has made it a priority to capture natural gas instead of flaring it off as a byproduct of crude oil production.

Meanwhile, nearby Qatar, already the world's leading exporter of liquefied natural gas, says it plans to increase gas production by 40 per cent.

Most experts, however, agree that Iraq will need at least a year to wean itself off Iranian energy imports, or risk worsening power outages. Electricity demand peaked at 24 gigawatts this year while domestic production was fixed at 16 gigawatts, leading to lengthy and unpredictable blackouts in the hottest months of summer.

The outages were one of the triggers to the unrest that shook Basra, Iraq's capital oil city, from July until September. Iraq has a contract to import 1.2 gigawatts of electricity from Iran, according to the Texas-based intelligence company Stratfor.

Iraq imports food and other goods from Iran, and the two countries keep close political ties. Trade between the two countries is expected to reach USD 8.5 billion this year.

The US granted eight other countries China, Greece, India, Italy, Turkey, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan 6-month sanctions waivers to give them time to reduce energy imports from Iran to zero.

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The Israeli army said Friday it has blown up a cross-border tunnel dug by Hezbollah from Lebanon, the first of four it has uncovered -- and pledged to destroy -- in recent weeks.

"A cross-border attack tunnel dug from the Shiite village of Ramyeh into Israel was detonated" in an operation on Thursday night, the army said in a statement.

The Israeli military "holds the Lebanese Government responsible for digging the attack tunnels and the consequences of this action," it said.

A video distributed by the army shows an officer using a megaphone to call on residents of the Lebanese village of Ramyeh to evacuate the area since the military was about to "blow up this tunnel built by Hezbollah".

Israeli soldiers are also seen inserting rope-like objects into a hole in the ground, while the explosion was documented from a number of angles.

On Thursday night, a military spokesman had said the detonation would be on the Israeli side of the demarcation line with Lebanon, known as the Blue Line.

"We are conducting a defensive activity," Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus told reporters.

In launching an operation to cut off the tunnels on December 4, Israel's military said it located four underground passageways infiltrating Israeli territory.

Israel alleges Hezbollah had planned to use the tunnels to kidnap or kill its civilians or soldiers, and to seize a slice of Israeli territory in the event of any hostilities, while noting they were not yet operational.

A month-long war in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

The UN confirmed the existence of the four tunnels and its Under Secretary for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix has called them "a serious violation of Resolution 1701", which ended the 2006 war.

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Veteran actor, producer and activist Jane Fonda will be honoured with the Producers Guild of America's (PGA) 2019 Stanley Kramer Award.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Fonda will be presented the honour at the 30th annual Producers Guild Awards on January 19 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

The award was established in 2002 and honours a production, producer or other individuals whose achievement or contribution illuminates and raises public awareness of important social issues.

A two-time Academy Award winner for 1971's "Klute" and 1978's "Coming Home", Fonda was cited in the announcement for her "prolific" work in support of many political and social causes.

Recent efforts include her nonprofit, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential, for which she celebrated her 80th birthday a year ago by raising USD 1.3 million to lower the teen pregnancy rate and improve the health and well-being of young people in Georgia.

The award's recipient is selected by a nine-person committee appointed by the PGA's National Board of Directors and operates independently of the PGA awards team and the PGA staff.

"Jane Fonda has built an extraordinary legacy as an outspoken advocate for the vulnerable in our society. Throughout her remarkable life, she has made and continues to make a significant impact on the lives of people through her work both on and off the screen. Fonda exemplifies the spirit of Stanley Kramer, and we are proud to honour her," PGA Presidents Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher.

Fonda will be only the second individual to receive the award, which is usually given to a film, like recent recipients "Get Out" in 2018 and "Loving" in 2017, and its producers. The first individual to be so honoured was Sean Penn in 2010.

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A Japanese naval ship has arrived at the Kochi port on a three-day visit.

The ship JMSDF (Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force) Samidare, commanded by Commander Gen Kawai, arrived on Thursday, a Defence release said Friday.

Captain Takahiro Nishiyama, Commander Escort Division Four called on Vice Admiral AK Chawla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, and interacted with him, it said.

Captain Takahiro Nishiyama was accompanied by the Commanding Officer JMSDF Samidare, Commanding Officer of the Japan Coast Guard Somalia Dispatch Investigation Team and Yamashita, Japan Coast Guard Attach/ Second Secretary, Embassy of Japan.

The visiting ships crew members were given a guided tour of certain professional schools and the Naval Maritime Museum to familiarise them with Indian Navys method of imparting training to its personnel and preserving its naval heritage.

The current visit of Japanese ship enhances the interoperability and friendship between the two navies, the release said.

JMSDF Samidare will be participating in anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden after its departure from Kochi, according to the release.

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The Jawaharlal Nehru University administration has issued show cause notices to its 27 teachers for participating in a hunger strike last month against the varsity's directives on rescheduling the academic calendar and compliance of faculty attendance, sources said Friday.

JNUTA president Atul Sood and secretary Avinash Kumar are among those who have received the show cause notices on December 19, they said.

The teachers have been given one week's time to explain their position, "failing which it will be presumed that they have nothing to say in their defence and disciplinary action under the admissible rules will be initiated against them", they added.

In the show cause notices, the varsity said the JNUTA were given an opportunity to "send two representatives or office-bearers to discuss the issues with the rectors, registrar and concerned officers of the university".

Through a circular issued on November 25, request was made not to hold protests or hunger strike at the JNU's administrative block and attention was also invited towards Rule M-7(6) of the Academic Rules and Regulations of the university to honour the Delhi High Court's directions which prohibit hunger strikes, dharnas within 100 meters from the administrative block and academic complexes.

"It was also informed that in case the protest is undertaken within 100 meters of the administrative block and academic complexes, appropriate action will be taken as per the University Rules and Regulations," the notice said.

It said despite the circular, some teachers came to the administrative block and participated in the 24-hour-long mass protest on November 26 which was in clear violation of the rules and regulations of the JNU and also contempt of the directions of the Delhi High Court.

Kumar said they are preparing a reply to the show cause notices.

"The administration claims that teachers have violated Regulation M7, but it does not apply to the teachers," the JNUTA secretary said.

The varsity administration and the Jawaharlal Nehru teachers' Association have been at loggerheads over the issue of compulsory attendance for teachers.

The teachers have said punitive actions have been initiated against them for failing to adhere to attendance rules with their leaves being cancelled or denied, while the varsity administration has accused them of feeding "misinformation" to the media.

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Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president N Sai Balaji Friday alleged his MPhil evaluation was blocked by the varsity's vice chancellor for allegedly raising "anti-Modi" slogans.

According to a statement by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU), its chief is at present facing two enquiries - one for raising "anti-Modi, anti-VC and anti-RSS" slogans outside an Academic Council meeting in the varsity.

He is also facing enquiry for taking part in a march called by contractual workers in the varsity to celebrate the court's order for 'Equal Work, Equal Pay' and for opposing the JNU administration's online entrance scam, it said.

Similarly, other activists and students have been facing harassment from the administration through false and politically-motivated cases, the students body alleged.

"In JNU, the Modi government is trying to silence the voice of students by directly attacking the students representative, by blocking Balaji's MPhil evaluation," it said.

The JNUSU also alleged that VC Jagadeesh Kumar, at the behest of the Modi government, has been torturing teachers with new notices slapped on them every other day.

The varsity sources, however, said the academic activities of the JNUSU president will continue.

He will continue to have access to library and hostel, attend classes and other things, but will not be allowed to access documents like marksheets, they said.

Meanwhile, the JNU Teachers' Association (JNUTA) condemned "the attempt of the JNU administration to block the MPhil evaluation of Balaji" on the grounds of a pending enquiry against him at the proctor's office.

"This is clearly an overreach by the proctor's office and its misuse and instrumentalisation by the JNU administration to harass and target students who raise voice against their irrational and illegal actions," the JNUTA said.

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Telecom tower industry body TAIPA has raised concerns over the mobile tower installation rule proposed by the Karnataka government, calling it a "retrograde" move.

"...the policy being considered by the government (Karnataka) such as licensing requirement, exorbitant charges and restriction on location is contrary to the industry submissions and standpoint and are retrograde," TAIPA Director General Tilak Raj Dua said in a letter to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara.

The draft guidelines on installation of telecommunications infrastructure towers regulation proposes restriction on location of mobile towers.

The Karnataka government has proposed to disallow erection of mobile towers within 100 metre distance from schools. hospital, buildings, religious buildings etc.

The draft proposes one-time mobile tower installation fee in the range of Rs 10,000-Rs 50,000 per tower based upon area.

Tower and Infrastructure Providers Association (Taipa), whose members include Indus Towers, Bharti Infratel, American Tower Corporation, said there is an urgent need to address the issues raised by the telecom industry on the said draft policy as the policy being envisaged by the state government cannot be implemented if notified.

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A 45-year-old man undergoing treatment after eating poison-laced 'prasad' at a temple in Karnataka died Friday, taking the toll to 16 in the incident allegedly perpetrated by a seer over a turf war, an official said.

Police faced a surcharged atmosphere and were forced to retreat while taking the accused, including the seer, to various places as the residents of tragedy-hit Sulvadi village in Chamarajnagar district demanded that they be handed over to them to deliver "instant justice", police sources said.

Joint director in the health department Suresh Shastry said Nagesh, a resident of village Marthahalli, adjoining Sulvadi, died at a hospital this morning.

On December 14, 15 people had died and more than 100 others were hospitalised after consuming 'prasad' distributed at Maramma temple in Sulavadi village.

Police have so far arrested four persons, including Salur Math, seer Pattada Immadi Mahadeva Swami and his three accomplices, including a woman, on charges of murder, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy.

Police claimed the 52-year-old seer and his accomplices had allegedly conspired and mixed a deadly pesticide in the 'prasad'.

The seer was upset with the temple management as he was sidelined in the decision-making processes and hence, he allegedly conspired with others to avenge the insult to him and to take control of the temple management, police said.

Police sources claimed the seer was unrepentant about his 'deed' even after so many deaths and believed that people 'deserved' it for sidelining him.

Police could not complete their mission of taking the accused to various places where the plot for killing the devotees was allegedly hatched.

Police sources said though 16 personnel accompanied the accused, the villagers started swarming around the four demanding that they be handed over to them.

Alarmed by the atmosphere, police abandoned the visit and returned in haste, the sources added.

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Seeking to step up efforts towards forging a non-Congress, non-BJP federal front, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will meet top leaders of the Trinamool Congress, Biju Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party next week.

Fresh from a landslide victory of the TRS in the Assembly polls, Rao will meet BJD chief and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar on December 23 and TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata the next day, according to a release from his office.

During his stay in New Delhi for two-three days from December 25, Rao, who was sworn in as chief minister for a second consecutive term on December 13, would call on BSP chief Mayawati and SP president Akhilesh Yadav.

He will pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also meet Union ministers to discuss state-related issues, the release said.

A day after taking over as chief minister, Rao had appointed his son, K T Rama Rao, as the working president of the party.

According to the release, in a special flight engaged for the TRS for a month, Rao would travel to Visakhapatnam, in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, on December 23 with his family members.

He will visit the Sharada Peetham in the port city and offer special prayers at the Rajasyamala temple. He would also seek the blessings of Swami Swarupanandendra, it said.

From the Visakhapatnam airport, Rao would proceed to Bhubaneswar and call on Patnaik at 6 pm and stay the night at the official residence of the Odisha chief minister.

On December 24, Rao would visit the Konark temple and the Jagannath temple and then proceed to Kolkata. At around 4 pm, he would call on Banerjee, the release said.

After the meeting, Rao would visit the Kali temple in the eastern metropolis and leave for Delhi the same night, it added.

A few months ago, Rao had met several leaders, including Banerjee (in Kolkata), DMK chief M K Stalin, former prime minister and JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda, as part of his efforts to forge a non-Congress, non-BJP front and to "bring about a qualitative change" in politics, while Akhilesh Yadav had called on him in Hyderabad.

Rao had alleged that both the Congress and the BJP have failed to meet the expectations of the people of the country even 70 years after Independence.

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Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), who announced plans to work towards forging a non-Congress, non-BJP federal front of regional parties, will meet his Odisha and West Bengal counterparts and also the chiefs of the BSP and the SP next week.

Rao will meet Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar on December 23 and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata the next day, a release from his office said.

During his visit to Delhi from December 25, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief would meet BSP supremo Mayawati and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.

The move is seen as part of Rao's renewed efforts to reach out to regional parties to float a consortium of regional outfits, sans the Congress and the BJP.

The TRS has swept back to power in the state, winning 88 seats in the December 7 Assembly elections.

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The Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed a petition filed by civil rights activist Anand Teltumbde seeking the quashing of an FIR lodged against him by the Pune Police for his alleged role in the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon Bhima violence and for his alleged Maoist links.

In his plea, Teltumbde denied all the charges against him even as the police opposed the same and claimed that they have ample evidence which implicated the activist in the case.

A division bench of Justices B P Dharmadhikari and S V Kotwal dismissed the petition.

However, the court granted Teltumbde interim protection from arrest for a period of three weeks, during which he can approach the Supreme Court.

Earlier, Teltumbde's lawyer, senior advocate Mihir Desai, had 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 sought that an FIR registered by the Pune Police, in which the activist has been named as a co-accused in the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon-Bhima case, be quashed.

Additional government pleader 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.

At the Elgar Parishad event at Shaniwarwada in Pune, held a day before the January 1 caste clashes at Koregaon-Bhima, located near Pune, several activists allegedly made inflammatory speeches and provocative statements that contributed to the violence, the police said.

Several activists were named in an FIR lodged on January 8.

Eight more activists, including Teltumbde, were named in another FIR filed in October.

Some of the activists like Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj, P Varavara Rao and Gautam Navlakha have already been arrested by the police.

According to police, the Elgar Parishad event was funded and supported by Maoists.

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Former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, convicted in a 1984 anti-Sikh riot case, tried using "delaying tactics" by appealing to the Delhi High Court to extend his surrender deadline, a riot victim said Friday.

Nirpreet Kaur also said Kumar had been trying to escape punishment for 34 years but was caught.

The high court Friday dismissed Kumar's plea for extension of time till January 30 to surrender. On December 17, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and the court had asked him to surrender by December 31.

"He has been escaping justice for 34 years. He says he needs one month to settle his family, what was he doing for 34 years," Kaur said.

She said Kumar was trying to escape from punishment for his crimes, but has finally been "caught". But, "even now he is using delaying tactics", the riot victim said.

On December 17, Kumar had moved a plea seeking extension of time to surrender in the case.

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 during that period.

The riots had broken out after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984 by her two Sikh bodyguards.

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A former prime minister, the current Supreme Court chief justice and a deceased Catholic cardinal are among Latvians who collaborated with the KGB during the Cold War, according to files released Friday.

The Latvian National Archives revealed all the former agents - many still active in politics and business - after a quarter century of legal and legislative battles in the Baltic state.

"The list of collaborators shows that KGB contacts were recruited from all professions and ages," political scientist Didzis Senbergs wrote at local portal Pietiek.com.

The KGB enlisted nearly 24,000 Latvians as collaborators and agents between 1953 and 1992.

Unlike other countries under Soviet rule at the time, Latvia managed to save its KGB archive from being destroyed when it regained independence in 1991.

The Latvian authorities took over the KGB building in Riga and threw the documents into huge sacks that they transported to a secure location.

Dubbed "the KGB sacks" ever since, the archive contains an index of all the collaborators as well as their codenames, real names, birthplaces and other data.

"The entire archive is enormous," said computer scientist Ilmars Poikans, a member of Latvia's scientific commission on the files.

"It includes information gathered by KGB spies and criminal investigations involving the KGB and its agents," he told AFP.

"There are also cases fabricated against Soviet-era dissidents and pro-democracy activists. Everything will be scanned and eventually released."



High-profile individuals mentioned include Ivars Godmanis, who twice served as Latvia's prime minister, was a European Parliament member and now sits on the board of the country's largest pharmaceutical company.

Others include current Supreme Court chief justice Ivars Bickovics, the Catholic cardinal Julijans Vaivods - codename "Omega" - who died in 1991.

Former foreign minister Georgs Andrejevs and Aleksandrs Kudrjashovs, the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church in Latvia, were also on the list. Several current and former parliament members, diplomats, artists and writers also appear in the KGB sacks.

They include Rolands Tjarve, who was enlisted as an agent while a student during the 1980s. He went on to become the head of the public broadcasting company LTV before getting sacked and becoming a journalism lecturer at the University of Latvia.

Another high-profile name is Rihards Eigims, who was arrested last week on suspicion of soliciting a bribe while serving as the mayor of Latvia's second city of Daugavpils.

"Only the court can conduct a full investigation and find out whether the individual was indeed a KGB collaborator," National Archives director Mara Sprudza warned in a statement ahead of the release.

"The documents are being published in their original order, but readers should beware that most of them are in handwritten Cyrillic." The index also contains the names of people who were pressured by the KGB into collaborating but who nevertheless refused to spy for them.

Latvia had for years debated whether to release the KGB sacks, running up against constant opposition from individuals suspected of having been KGB agents.

It was only in 2015 that a commission was set up to sort through the archives and prepare them for publication.

The National Archives are scanning the next batch of documents for release in January.

Anyone can access the files placed online so far at kgb.arhivi.lv by free registration.

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A 62-year-old lawyer was allegedly attacked by his junior outside the Nagpur District Court here Friday, causing him grievous injuries.

The accused drank poison and died at a hospital while the victim was undergoing treatment, police said.

Advocate Nokesh Bhaskar (34) allegedly attacked his senior Sadanand Narnavre (62) with an axe on the footpath outside the court around 4.45 pm.

"The victim sustained serious injuries and fell to the ground. Policemen on the court premises caught hold of the accused and took the victim to the government hospital," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Chinmay Pandit.

"The accused then said he had consumed poison, so immediately he too was rushed to the hospital where he (Bhaskar) died while undergoing treatment," the officer said.

"The accused did not reveal the reason for attacking the victim when he was caught," the DCP added.

Narnavre, who taught at the post-graduate department of law at Nagpur University, was practising at the district court after retirement.

Further probe is underway.

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A lawyer allegedly attacked a senior lawyer outside the Nagpur District Court here Friday, causing him grievous injuries, and later committed suicide by consuming poison, police said.

Lokesh Bhaskar (34) allegedly attacked Sadanand Narnawre (62) with an axe on the footpath outside the court around 4.30 pm and later consumed poison, a police official said.

Both were admitted to Mayo Hospital in the city where Bhaskar died, while Narnawre was undergoing treatment, said inspector Hemant Kharabe of Sitabuldi police station.

It was yet to be ascertained why Bhaskar attacked Narnawre, he said, adding that further probe was on.

Narnawre, who taught at the post-graduate department of law at Nagpur University, was practising at the district court after retirement, police said.

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The proceedings of the Lok Sabha were adjourned for nearly 50 minutes Friday morning amid din created by AIADMK, TDP and AAP members over a variety of issues.

There were no protests by Congress members who had been persistently attacking the government on the Rafale jet deal and demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe into the issue.

Friday is the 8th day of the Winter session which has seen repeated disruptions over several issues, including Rafale, dam over Cauvery River and sops for Andhra Pradesh.

Despite repeated adjournments, the Lok Sabha had on Thursday passed two bills.

As soon as the House took up question hour, AIADMK members rushed to the Well holding placards and raising slogans opposing construction of a dam over River Cauvery.

They were joined by members from the Telugu Desam Party who were demanding various sops for Andhra Pradesh.

Some of the Aam Admi Party members also joined AIADMK and TDP. They were holding placards denouncing sealing, apparently in Delhi. 'Atrocities in the name of sealing' was one of the placards they were holding.

As minister Sripad Naik was answering a question on the Ayush Ministry, some members in the Well hurled torn pieces of paper on the table where the Lok Sabha secretariat officials sit during proceedings.

The table is located in the Well near the Speaker's podium.

At this, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned proceedings till noon.

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A Lok Sabha member on Friday raised concerns about the Home Ministry's decision to authorise ten central agencies to intercept any information on computers, saying the move is a violation of fundamental rights.

Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader N K Premachandran raised the issue during the Zero Hour.

The order authorises 10 central agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor, and decrypt "any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer".

Various Opposition parties have also opposed the government's move and described it as unconstitutional, undemocratic and an assault on fundamental rights.

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A day after the announced Rs 1.5 billion relief to onion farmers, BJP's ruling ally Friday took a dig at the Devendra Fadnavis-led dispensation saying it has "woken up from slumber too late".

The party said although the decision to provide relief to onion farmers was good, the government needed to ensure that its implementation was done in a speedy manner.

It also alleged that the onion farmers were yet to get the financial aid that was promised to them under a similar scheme announced by the government in 2016.

The government Thursday announced Rs 1.5 billion as relief to onion farmers. The decision by the state cabinet came amid reports about farmers selling freshly harvested onions at as low as Rs 1.50 a kg in Maharashtra, the top producer of the bulb in the country.

The financial relief consists of an ex-gratia payment at the rate of Rs 200 per quintal (with an upper limit of 200 quintal per onion farmer) for the kitchen staple sold between November 1 and December 15, 2018.

"Despite spending Rs 1,000 per quintal as input costs to grow onions, the farmers had to sell the kitchen staple at Rs 500 per quintal in the market. The prices further came down to Rs 100-105 per quintal, which is Rs 1-1.50 per kg," the Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

In September, the farmers had urged the government to take immediate steps to control the decline in onion prices. But their demands went unheeded, it alleged.

"Prices of onions had similarly dipped in 2016 and the government had then announced a relief of Rs 100 per quintal. However, there are allegations that the onion growers have not received the money so far. If that is true, the question that arises now is when will the farmers receive the aid of Rs 200," it said.

"The government has woken up from slumber very late. Although the decision to provide relief to onion farmers is good, it sould ensure that money is disbursed on time," the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.

Last month, a farmer from Nashik, Sanjay Sathe, had sent Rs 1,064, which he earned after selling 750 kg of his onion crop in a wholesale market, to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) as a protest.

The farmer had said his intention was to prompt the government to take some steps to ease the financial stress that farmers were suffering because of the low prices.

The PMO had later returned the farmer's money order.

Another farmer from Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, Shreyas Abhale, had sent a money order of Rs 6 to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as a mark of protest against the crashing prices of onion and the paltry returns.

Abhale had said that after selling 2,657 kg onions at the rate of Rs 1 per kg at the Sangamner wholesale market in the district and adjusting market expenses, he was left with only Rs 6.
NCP leader Nawab Malik Friday claimed to have received threat calls from "fringe elements" after he participated in a debate show on a channel on actor Naseeruddin Shah's recent cow related remark.

He asked Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and police officials to look into the issue seriously.

Malik, a spokesman of the Sharad Pawar-led party, said it would be Fadnavis' responsibility if anything "untoward" happened to him.

"Post my debate on @News18India this evening, I am receiving threat calls from fringe elements.

@DevenBhartiIPS @Dev_Fadnavis @MumbaiPolice please make a note of this issue seriously. If anything untoward happens to me, the @CMOMaharashtra will be responsible. @NCPspeaks," Malik tweeted.

When asked Malik said the TV debate was regarding Shah's recent "cow death given more significance than a police officer's" comment.

"After the debate I got threat calls from two numbers. I have informed local police station too about it," he added.

Apparently referring to the recent violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr, Shah had said at many places the "death of a cow is being given more importance than the killing of a policeman".

The veteran actor also expressed anxiety over the well -being of his children, who he said, have not been brought up as followers of any particular religion.

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Malnourished mothers tend to give birth to malnourished children and the Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry is trying to address this problem through a number of schemes, the Lok Sabha was told Friday.

Calling malnourishment a complex problem, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Ministry Virendra Kumar said it required a convergence of various sectors and a multi-dimensional and inter-generational solution.

"In order to address this problem, this ministry is implementing schemes like Anganwadi Services, Scheme for Adolescent Girls and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojna under the Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services Scheme as direct targeted interventions," he said.

The problem of malnutrition is complex, multi-dimensional and inter-generational in nature, and requires convergence of various sectors, he said in a written response.

He said it has been seen through research that malnourished mothers tend to give birth to malnourished children.

In order to ensure convergence of these nutrition-related and those of health and other nutrition-impacting schemes, the government has started the Poshan Abhiyaan, which consists of a robust convergence action plan, Kumar said.

Poshan Abhiyaan aims to reduce stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia among children, women and adolescent girls along with reducing low birth weight in the country in a time-bound manner, he added.

Under the scheme, September was celebrated as the Poshan maah (month) and it witnessed a plethora of events and festivities at field level which accounted for more than 22 lakh activities leading to participation of 25 crore plus individuals across the country, Kumar said in response to another question.

"One of the most encouraging outcomes of the Poshan Maah has been the success in achieving convergence at all levels. The month logged 4.8 lakh converged activities across ministries and 32 per cent of all activities (22 lakh plus) were carried out by field functionaries (AWWs, ASHAs, ANMs, SHGs)," he said.

The minister said the Community Radio Stations (CRSs) proved to be an effective medium in building local content, communicating in local dialects and connecting with remote communities.

The Poshan Maah gave 100 Community Radios an opportunity to come together and demonstrate their strength and competence in disseminating information on issues of nutrition.

He said the government has also launched a toll free helpline (14408) as a follow-up and intervention mechanism.

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The Public Accounts Committee of Rajya Sabha has come down hard on the tourism ministry for its overseas offices saying they have been involved in malpractices.

It pointed out that the Indian tourism office (ITO) Beijing procured goods and services worth Rs 7.17 cr in gross violation of general financial rules while ITO London failed to follow transparent procurement process resulting in award of contract and payments to the tune of Rs 97.44 lakh for the same to non-existent firms.

Similarly, it pointed out anomalies in the tourism offices in Tokyo where lack of monitoring led to losses of at least Rs 62.18 lakh and a loss of Rs 62.18 lakh at the ITO in South Korea for procedural lapses.

"The scale of malpractices in the ITOs indicates connivance of the officials of Ministry and, therefore, desire that the independent inquiry into the same may be conducted and those responsible be brought to book," the committee led by Mallikarjun Kharge said.

It further said the ministry of tourism had failed to monitor the ITOs adequately and suggested that a robust mechanism for the same be developed to keep a check on such anomalies.

"Regular monitoring including periodical inspections by the Ministry will act as a deterrent for unscrupulous elements," it said.

India has several tourism offices abroad which are primarily responsible for promoting the country abroad as a tourist destination.

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Questioning the Centre's move to authorise 10 central agencies to intercept "any information" on computers, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday sought public opinion on the matter.

The chief minister also maintained that "blanket surveillance" was not favoured by law.

"I have come to know that the Union Home Ministry has issued an order yesterday authorising 10 central agencies to carry out interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource," she tweeted.

"If it is for National Security, then only for that purpose central government already has the machinery. But, why all commoners will be affected? Public Opinion please...," Banerjee added.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has allowed 10 investigating agencies and the Delhi Police to intercept, monitor and decrypt "any information" generated, transmitted, received or stored in "any computer", an action that has come under attack from opposition parties.

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A POCSO court In Rajasthan's Bundi district Friday sentenced a 35-year-old man to life imprisonment for abducting and raping a 16-year-old girl.

The POCSO court No. 2 Special Judge Sushil Kumar Sharma pronounced that Vijay Kumar Goswami, a resident of Kolipura, in Karauli district will remain in jail till his natural death.

He was held guilty under sections 363 (kidnapping), 366 (abduction) and 36 (effect caused partly by act and partly by omission) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) and the SC/ST Act, said special public prosecutor Mahendra Kumar Sharma.

Goswami, who was familiar with the victim, had on January 12, 2014, abducted the girl and later dropped her home after raping her, he said.

A case in this connection was lodged in Hindoli police station of Bundi district two days after the incident on January 14, 2014, under sections of the IPC, POCSO and SC/ST Act.

During the trial, 10 witnesses and 17 documents were presented before the court, the public prosecutor said.

The court also slapped a fine of Rs 20,000 on the convict, he said.

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Asserting that Urdu is a North Indian language, British politician and economist Meghnad Desai has hit out at Hindu nationalists for associating it with Islam.

The comments come amidst a slew of name changes of cities and towns in Uttar Pradesh by chief minister Yogi Adityanath, like Allahabad becoming Prayagraj.

"Urdu is not a Muslim language, it is a North Indian language. It is a wrong propaganda by some Hindu nationalists who say Urdu is a Muslim language," he told PTI in an interview and also mentioned about the name changes as an example of this attitude.

He said much of the antipathy towards the Muslims is a result of the scars of the Partition which are yet to go off the memory.

Desai also criticised the Congress for not doing enough to protect the secular fabrics of the nation saying the first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru was a towering figure who could rally the masses and make them secular but subsequent Congress governments failed on this front.

"India is still absorbing the experience of the Partition. The Congress tried the best in asking the nation to forget Partition, and making us a secular nation," he said.

He seemed to suggest that one need not read a lot into the incidents like Mohammed Akhlaq's lynching for allegedly eating cow meet in September 2015, and exuded confidence that our democracy will ensure that such tendencies are contained.

"The strength of our democracy is every vote counts and if you want to come to power, you can't neglect any vote- bank. I am an optimistic on this," he said, adding the people don't like "ugliness" of any kind.

Any majoritarianism cannot flourish as a permanent feature in this country and such tendencies will be contained, Deasi said.

There is a need for political parties to not get religion into the foreground of the political discourse and promote one religion at the exclusion of all others, just like it has happened in Europe, he said.

Desai, who runs the Meghnad Desai Academy of Economics for the past three years here, said there is a need for history to be written with the rigours of scholarly pursuit and not change things just because the earlier version is uncomfortable with the present administration.

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Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on Friday called for judicious use of developmental funds and quality implementation of projects in time-bound manner.

Inaugurating two RCC deck steel bridges over Obung Nallah and over Pibung Nallah along the Kaying Gaseng Gate road in Siang district, Mein said that the state government is committed to provide last mile connectivity.

The road would connect border villages under the district, an official release said.

Addressing a public rally at Kaying circle headquarters, the deputy chief minister while underscoring the importance of road connectivity to the remote and far-flung areas, called for judicious use of funds and quality implementation of the projects in toto.

Replying to a proposal submitted by state Power Minister Tamiyo Taga who represent the district, Mein assured to look into the construction of Part- B (Phase-I) of the Kaying Gaseng Gate road, besides road connectivity up to Payum Circle under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) or North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS) in the next financial year.

The deputy chief minister also assured to clear road project from Rumgong to Molom pending under Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) and also consider to look into the realignment of 1983 old road from Boleng to Kaying.

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Parts of Uttar Pradesh shivered amid intense cold on Friday, with Muzaffarnagar recording a minimum temperature of 1.2 degrees Celsius -- the lowest in the state.

The night temperatures in Allahabad, Lucknow, Bareilly, Varanasi, Faizabad, Kanpur, Agra and Meerut divisions were below normal, a meteorological department release said.

was dry over the state with shallow to moderate fog occurring at isolated places, it said.

The office has forecast cold wave conditions at isolated places in west Uttar Pradesh over the next two days and shallow to moderate fog at certain places.

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The organisers of the Ajmer Literature Festival on Friday called off an event, set to be addressed by Naseeruddin Shah, after protests by right-wing groups over the actor's recent remarks on mob violence.

The veteran actor found himself at the centre of a major controversy over his remarks in reference to the killing of a policeman in Bulandshahr earlier this month.

He said the death of a cow was being given importance over killing of a policeman.

The 68-year-old actor was supposed to deliver the keynote address of the fifth edition of the three-day literature festival here.

Before the event, many right-wing activists protested outside the venue. One of the protesters also hurled black ink on the poster of Shah.

Raas Bihari Gaur, coordinator of the festival, said, "Shah was scheduled to inaugurate the festival but he did not come because of the protest by some locals over his comments."



He was also scheduled to launch his book in the opening session, which was also called off due to the protests.

He said the festival, however, kicked off on Friday and will conclude on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, Shah visited his alma mater, St Anselm's Senior Secondary School, where he was asked by the reporters about the backlash he is receiving on social media following his remarks.

"What I said earlier was as a worried Indian. I have said this earlier as well. What did I say this time that I am being called a traitor? It is very strange," Shah said.

"I have to bear criticism. If they have the right to criticise, then I also have the same right. I am expressing concerns about the country I love, the country that is my home. How is that a crime?" he asked.

The actor had expressed anxiety over the growing mob violence in a video interview with Karwan-e-Mohabbat India, which the organisation shared on its YouTube channel on Monday.

In the interview, the actor expressed concern over the well-being of his children, who he said have not been brought up as followers of any particular religion.

Shah said the "poison has already spread" and it will now be difficult to contain it.

"It will be very difficult to capture this djinn back into the bottle again. There is complete impunity for those who take law into their own hands. In many areas we are witnessing that the death of a cow is more significance than that of a police officer," he added.

On December 3, Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a youth, Sumit Kumar, were killed in mob violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district after cow carcasses were found strewn around.

The main accused in the case is a local Bajrang Dal leader, Yogesh Raj.

(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.)
India Friday said there was a need to find a solution to its expanding trade deficit with China but largely expressed satisfaction over increasing trade and investment ties between the two countries.

After holding wide-ranging talks with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also hoped that China will provide support for market access to Indian goods and services.

Bilateral trade between India and China rose by 18.63 per cent year-on-year and reached a historic high of USD 84.44 billion last year. However, the trade deficit continues to remain high at USD 51.75 billion in 2017.

"Our bilateral economic ties have progressed well. While our bilateral trade is on the rise, we also need to find a solution to the continuously increasing trade deficit," Swaraj said in her media statement in presence of Wang.

She also thanked the Chinese side for specific steps taken by it in recent times to address the issue.

"We are confident that we will receive continuous support from the Chinese side so that we can increase our trade in a sustainable and balanced way," she said.

Swaraj and Wang held talks under the newly created framework -- High Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges -- which was agreed to during the Wuhan summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping.

She also hoped that China will continue to provide cooperation for market access to India's goods and services.

"Thanks to the economic reform carried out by China in the last 40 years, it has grown rapidly and became the second largest economy in the world. India too has had robust growth and is on the path of becoming a five trillion dollar economy by 2025," she said.

India has been voicing its concerns to China over the huge trade deficit for several years. Both sides have held several rounds of talks on the issue in the last few years.

The issue of trade deficit, which is in China's favour, was one of the main focus areas of the Wuhan summit in April this year.

India has been asking China to provide market access to its food and agro products, pharmaceuticals, IT and IT-enabled services (ITES), tourism and services in which it has proven strengths and significant global presence but minuscule presence in China.

It is not known whether the issue of trade deficit figured in the talks as Swaraj said she and Wang devoted two hours of their talks in deliberating on enhancing people-to-people contacts and cultural exchanges.

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The new draft e-commerce policy would focus on several areas including promotion of transparency in pricing and discounts, and protection of interests of both retailers as well as consumers, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said Friday.

He said the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) is working on the new draft policy and it will be put in public domain in the next 2-3 weeks for stakeholders' views.

"The key component of the policy is to increase the ease of doing business in e-commerce. It should benefit both retailers and consumers. There should be a complete transparency in the e-commerce businesses in terms of pricing and discounts," the minister told PTI.

Prabhu said it would also include provisions "for all wrongdoers" as there should be some sort of regulatory framework for consumer protection.

"We are not saying whether it (discounts by online retailers) should be given or not but there should be transparency," he added.

The minister said the new draft would be finalised taking into account the suggestions made by the earlier draft prepared by the Department of Commerce.

The exercise started after some concerns were raised on certain proposals of the first draft e-commerce policy, which was prepared by a task force.

The first draft suggested several steps to promote the growth of the sector. It also stated that online retail firms may have to store user data exclusively in India in view of security and privacy concerns.

It further stated 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 earlier draft also suggested to introduce a pre-set time frame for offering differential pricing or deep discounts by e-commerce players to customers.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has time and again raised concerns over heavy discounts being provided by certain online retailers.

Framing of a new policy also assumes significance as rich member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are pushing to frame global norms for e-commerce.

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Nexus Malls has recorded a robust annual sales growth of 9 per cent across the portfolio, a senior company official said here on Friday.

With the addition of two new malls, Esplanade One in Bhubaneswar and The Pavillion in Pune, Nexus Malls now has nine malls, which provide employment to over 20,000 people, Nishank Joshi, its Chief Marketing Officer said here.

"Housing over 1,700 stores, malls across the Nexus portfolio clock around 70 million footfalls annually.Marketing innovations and use of modern technology is making our malls a more happening place," he said.

The company informed that tech-driven aspects like artificial intelligence, data analytics, geo tagging, omni-channel shopping networks and consumer-centric platforms such as augmented realty or virtual reality will play an even bigger role in 2019.

"Innovative theme-based innovative marketing techniques and social kiosks can work wonders for mall owners. In fact, the key differentiator between present-day malls and malls of the future will be the constant integration of such technologies and multi-channel strategies," he said.

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Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday confirmed the death sentence of 14 "hardcore terrorists", who were involved in attacks on the armed forces and other law enforcement agencies and killing of innocent civilians.

Special military courts, set up after the Peshawar school attack of December 2014 for speedy trial of militants, awarded the death sentence to the terrorists, a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the army.

Twenty other terrorists have also been awarded jail terms by the courts, the statement said.

"The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) confirmed death sentence awarded to 14 hardcore terrorists, who were involved in heinous offences related to terrorism," according to the Army.

It said that they were convicted for attacking armed forces and other law enforcement agencies of Pakistan, destruction of communication infrastructure, police station, educational institution and killing of innocent civilians.

"On the whole, their terrorist activities resulted into death of 16 persons including 13 Armed Forces personnel and 3 civilians, whereas, injuring 19 others," the Army said.

On Sunday, Gen Bajwa confirmed the death sentence of 16 hardcore terrorists who were involved in the killings of innocent civilians and abetting the 2016 Christian Colony near Peshawar.

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The police Friday arrested 126 people, busting a fake call centre here which was being used to dupe US citizens, officials said.

A raid was conducted at the call centre, located in sector 63, late Thursday night on a tip-off that dubious operations were being carried out from there, Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Pal Sharma said.

Several telephone operators were questioned. On Friday, the police announced the arrest of 126 people.

The workers at the fake call centre would call up US citizens and intimidate them saying there were problems with their social security number, a nine-digit identification number issued to US citizens, and demand money to "fix" it, Sharma said.

Over the past few months, about a dozen fake call centres have been busted in Noida and scores of people arrested for duping foreigners, including Americans and Canadians, officials said.

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The Noida police Friday arrested 126 people from a fake call centre allegedly involved in extorting money from US citizens after threatening them with arrest for having discrepancies in their social security number.

In a late Thursday night raid at the call centre in Noida, Sector 63, the biggest so far by the district police, the sleuths arrested operators and callers, including women, besides seizing several computer systems and cash worth over Rs 2 million, a senior police official said.

Gautam Buddh Nagar Superintendent of Police Ajay Pal Sharma said a total of 126 people were arrested, 312 computer systems seized and cash worth over Rs 2 million recovered from the scene.

"The workers at the fake call centre would call up US citizens and intimidate them saying there were problems with their social security number, a nine-digit identification number issued to the US citizens, and tell them to pay penalty to get it fixed or face arrest," Sharma said.

He said the callers would ask for up to $3,500 and transfer it through target purchasing of "playstore cards" in the US which the call centre owners would get encashed with the help of their aides abroad.

"The call centre would make $50,000 every night on an average by duping gullible Americans," Sharma said, adding the money they have extorted runs into crores of US dollars.

The call centre owners have been operating the centre from different places in the Capital Region for last three years, Sharma said, adding they would keep it shutting and restarting every now and then to avoid detection.

The call centre would function from 7 pm to 5 am, Sharma said.

"An initial probe has revealed that they had partners in the US, Dubai and China where these "playstore cards" would be encashed. The 126 arrested included three key persons who were running the centre here but the mastermind is someone else and we are probing the case to reach them," SSP Sharma said.

They also used Truecaller, a global mobile app, to find the names of the people they would call up and address them by their full names, saying they are from the Social Security Department, leaving little chance for the panic-stricken people to doubt the credentials of the callers, speaking in English with an American accent.

A case has been registered against the arrested persons at the Phase 3 police station under Indian Penal Code sections 308 (extortion), 420 (cheating) and under various relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.

Over the past few months, about a dozen fake call centres have been busted in Noida and scores of people arrested for duping foreigners, including Americans and Canadians, officials said.

This was the biggest raid by the Noida police so far, in which they arrested largest number of call centre employees duping the US nationals, though the Special Task Force had earlier arrested over 300 such people involved in running the racket to dupe US nationals.
State-owned Oriental Bank of Commerce will issue up to 5 crore new equity shares to its employees under the employee stock purchase scheme (ESPS).

The bank received the approval of shareholders at its extra-ordinary general meeting held Friday, it said in a regulatory filing.

The remote e-voting held for the resolution approved with majority "to create, offer and issue up to 5 crore new equity shares...under employee stock purchase scheme (OBC-ESPS) in one or more tranches," it said.

The bank said the price has to be decided by the board/committee for the equity share allotment to employees.

The government in March 2017 allowed public sector banks to offer stock options to their employees, aimed at retaining experienced hands and better incentives besides a means for raising capital.

A number of public sector banks, including Allahabad Bank, Union Bank, United Bank of India and Canara Bank, have availed the new scheme to raise funds by issuing shares to their staff.

Syndicate Bank Thursday informed about raising Rs 500 crore through its ESPS by allotting 30 crore new shares to its staff.

Earlier on December 13, Punjab National Bank (PNB) said it had mobilised Rs 500 crore through ESPS by issuing 10 crore shares to its employees.

Shares of Oriental Bank of Commerce closed 0.53 per cent down at Rs 93.15 apiece on BSE.

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The Odisha Congress Friday accused both the Centre and state Government of "betraying" the farmers.

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik told reporters here that the party would hit the streets if the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and BJD regime fail to fulfil the promised they had made to the farmers.

Noting that Congress has already promised to waive farm loans if it is voted to power in Odisha, Patnaik said neither the Centre nor the BJD government in Odisha had taken concrete steps to provide bonus and remunerative Minimum Support Price (MSP) to farmers for their produce.

Asking Naveen Patnaik government to learn from the new Congress government in Chhattisgarh, the OPCC chief said it should announce bonus for farmers in Odisha.

The BJD government should provide immediate assistance to the farmers who have been severely affected by heavy rains triggered by the recent Cyclone Phethai, he said.

Reacting to Patnaiks remarks, Odisha Food Supplies Minister S N Patro claimed that the state government is unable to announce bonus for paddy above the fixed MSP because of guidelines of the Centre.

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A French court on Friday fined oil giant Total 500,000 euros (USD 575,000) for corruption after finding it guilty of paying bribes while bidding for a huge gas contract in Iran in 1997.

The French company was accused of paying USD 30 million in bribes to middlemen, in return for help in securing the rights to the South Pars natural gas field, the world's largest.

In 2013, Total paid USD 398 million in the US to settle similar charges arising in that country out of the joint French-US investigation.

The French part of the probe, which was launched back in 2006, initially covered both the 1997 South Pars deal, worth USD 2 billion, and the 1995 concession for the Sirri A and E oil fields.

Total was suspected of paying a total of USD 60 million in bribes between 1995 and 2004.

But in the end the multinational was only tried for the USD 30 million it paid in connection with South Pars after 2000, when a new French law on "corruption of foreign public officials" came into effect.

While convicting the company the court rejected prosecutors' call for it to seize 250 million euros in assets -- investigators' estimate of the value of the proceeds of the corruption.

Total's late CEO Christophe de Margerie, who was head of Middle East exploration at the time of the payments, was also being investigated before his sudden death in a plane crash in Moscow in 2014.

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One person has died and another has been seriously injured after shots were fired in the historic centre of the Austrian capital Vienna, an ambulance service spokesman told AFP.

Police said a man fired several shots in the vicinity of a street called Lugeck in the city's first district at 1:30pm (1230 GMT).

It said that early indications pointed to a "targeted crime".

"Following the shooting in the city centre, there are intensive search operations going on throughout the city," police said in a tweet.

"There is no danger to bystanders at this time!," it added.

A police helicopter hovered over the city centre near where the two casualties were found.

Local media reported that several streets had been cordoned off and that police in bulletproof vests and helmets had been deployed.

One witness told the Kurier newspaper that the victims had been shot at in a passageway.

"There were two people lying on the ground, and the third guy was saying: 'Brother, brother!' in a Slavic language," the witness said.

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Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi over his "insecure dictator" barb at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah said Friday India has seen only two "insecure dictators", one who imposed emergency and the other who wanted unrestricted access to read letters of common citizens.

While Shah's first reference is obviously to former prime minister Indira Gandhi, his second reference, BJP sources said, was to the Congress president Rahul's father Rajiv Gandhi who, they claimed, wanted a law for unrestricted access to read letters.

"There were only 2 insecure dictators in the history of India. One imposed emergency and the other wanted unrestricted access to read letters of common citizens. Guess who were they," Shah tweeted, tagging Rahul Gandhi.

Gandhi earlier attacked Modi over the Centre's move to authorise 10 agencies to intercept information on any computer system, saying converting India into a police state won't solve his problems but only proves he is an "insecure dictator".

Shah also accused the Congress chief of "fear-mongering" and playing with national security.

"UPA (United Progressive Alliance) put no barriers on unlawful surveillance. When the Modi govt puts safeguards for citizens, Rahul cries conspiracy," Shah said.

Playing on words of a popular film song, he also tweeted in Hindi, "Tum itna kyon jhutla rahe ho, kya dar hai jisko chhipa rahe ho" (why are you falsifying so much, what are you afraid of).

With this Shah tagged a government statement that the decision to designate 10 agencies for interception was in accordance with rules framed during the UPA government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Opposition parties on Friday launched a scathing attack against the government for its move to authorise 10 Central agencies to intercept any information on computers, describing it as "unconstitutional and an assault on fundamental rights" and demanded its immediate withdrawal.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi claimed that this is what the government meant when they said 'ghar ghar Modi'.

The opposition also raised the issue in both houses of Parliament and created uproar that led to adjournment in the Upper House.

Defending the order, the government said the authorisation was given under 2009 rules and that the opposition was playing with the national security by "making a mountain where even a molehill doesn't exist". On its part, the BJP said it is legal with adequate safeguards and dubbed the opposition's criticism as a "text book case" of speaking without any homework.

The Union home ministry on late Thursday evening issued an order enabling Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency, Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW), Directorate of Signal Intelligence (For service areas of Jammu & Kashmir, North-East and Assam only) and Commissioner of Police, Delhi to intercept information stored on any computer device.

The Congress along with the CPI(M), the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and National Conference said they will collectively oppose the order.

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the move, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi saying converting India into a police state won't solve his problems but only proves he is an "insecure dictator".

"Converting India into a police state is not going to solve your problems, Modi Ji. It's only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians, what an insecure dictator you really are," Gandhi said on Twitter.

"From Modi Sarkar to stalker sarkar, clearly the string of losses has left the BJP government desperate for information," the official Twitter handle of the Congress said.

Congress leader Jaiveer Shergill accused the government of "data snooping, stealing and scaring" Indians and demanded its immediate withdrawal that gave unbriddled powers to the government.

"Modi has used a simple Government Order to permit our national agencies to snoop on our communications. Who knew that this is what they meant when they said ghar ghar Modi'. George Orwell's Big Brother is here & welcome to 1984," Owaisi tweeted.

Big Brother is a fictional character and symbol in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. He is ostensibly the leader of Oceania, a totalitarian state wherein the ruling party wields total power "for its own sake" over the inhabitants. In the society that Orwell describes, every citizen is under constant surveillance by the authorities.

"Blanket surveillance is bad in law," TMC chief Mamata Banerjee said on Twitter and demanded that the notification be withdrawn immediately.

The Centre, however, said the rules for intercepting and monitoring computer data were framed in 2009 when Congress-led UPA was in power and its new order only notified the designated authority.

Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Anand Sharma, flanked by leaders of other opposition parties, said, "It is the ultimate assault on fundamental rights and the right to privacy. It is also in direct conflict with the Supreme Court judgement that right to privacy is a fundamental right. The government has done it by strength we collectively oppose it."



"If anybody is going to monitor the computer, including your computer, that is the Orwellian state. George Orwell is around the corner. It is condemnable," added his colleague P Chidambaram.

"Whenever the BJP feels it is going out of power, it talks about the nation being in danger. The country is not in danger...it is because of the BJP that the nation is in danger. If they go, the danger will come to an end...," Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal also tweeted his opposition to the MHA order and said India has come under undeclared emergency.

TMC member Sukhendu Sekhar Roy labelled the move "draconian" and accused the government of tapping the phones of all opposition leaders.

"Now, they have legalised interception of phone calls and computers. This is a draconian move of the government," he said.

Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav also termed the order unconstitutional and said the present government should refrain from making such moves with just a few months left for the general elections.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury voiced his opposition on Twitter.

"Why is every Indian being treated like a criminal? This order by a govt wanting to snoop on every citizen is unconstitutional and in breach of the telephone tapping guidelines, the Privacy Judgement and the Aadhaar judgement," he said.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah hoped the Supreme court will take a "long hard look" at the legality of the Centre's order which allows government agencies to intercept "any information" contained in any computer system.

RJD's Manoj Jha said it was a cause of concern for not just parliamentarians, but for every Indian. "We are perpetually living in a Orwellian state," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
parties led by the on Friday opposed the government's move to authorise 10 Central agencies to intercept "any information" on computers, describing it as unconstitutional, undemocratic and an assault on fundamental rights.

The parties, including the CPI(M), the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Trinamool Congress, said they will collectively oppose the Union Home Ministry's order issued on Thursday.

The BJP government, leaders said, was converting the country into a state.

"From Modi Sarkar to stalker sarkar, clearly the string of losses has left the BJP government desperate for information," the said on its official Twitter handle.

The order authorises 10 Central agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor, and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer.

Several leaders spoke out against the order.

"If anybody is going to monitor the computer, including your computer, that is the Orwellian state. George Orwell is around the corner. It is condemnable," said the party's leader P Chidambaram.

His party colleague Anand Sharma said the BJP government is converting India into a state through the order.

"It is the ultimate assault on fundamental rights and the right to privacy. It is also in direct conflict with the Supreme Court judgement that right to privacy is a fundamental right. The government has done it by strength we collectively oppose it," Sharma told reporters with other leaders by his side.

He said it gives ultimate powers to state agencies to monitor every information and intercept it through surveillance, which is unacceptable.

The Congress' Randeep Surjewala said the government was brazenly flouting privacy laws.

"Modi mocks and flouts Fundamental Right to Privacy' with brazen impunity! Having lost elections,now Modi wants to scan/snoop YOUR computers? Big Brother Syndrome' is truly embedded in NDA's DNA!" he said.

Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav also termed the order unconstitutional and said the present government should refrain from making such moves with just a few months left for the general elections.

"This government has only a few months left and it should not dig potholes for itself as a new government will be installed in the centre soon," he said.

chief Mamata Banerjee took to Twitter to criticise the order.

"I have come to know that Union Home Ministry has issued an order yesterday authorising 10 Central Agencies to carry out interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource.

"If it is for Security, then only for that purpose Central Government already has the machinery. But, why all commoners will be affected? Public Opinion please...", she tweeted.

Her party member Sukhendu Sekhar Roy labelled the move "draconian" and accused the government of tapping the phones of all opposition leaders.

"Now, they have legalised interception of phone calls and computers. This is a draconian move of the government," he said.

RJD's Manoj Jha said it was a cause of concern for not just parliamentarians, but for every Indian.

"We are perpetually living in a state," he said.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury voiced his opposition on Twitter.

"Why is every Indian being treated like a criminal? This order by a wanting to snoop on every citizen is unconstitutional and in breach of the telephone tapping guidelines, the Privacy Judgement and the Aadhaar judgement," he said.

AAP's Sanjay Singh also spoke out, saying that the order was "undemocratic and unconstitutional" and an attack on the right to privacy. He alleged that the order was a result of BJP's recent election losses.

According to the order, the subscriber or service provider or any person in charge of the computer resource will be bound to extend all facilities and technical assistance to the agencies. Failing to do so will invite seven-year imprisonment and fine.

The agencies are the Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Investigation, Investigation Agency, Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW), Directorate of Signal Intelligence (For service areas of Jammu & Kashmir, North-East and Assam only) and Commissioner of Police, Delhi.
The grievance cell of the Jammu and Kashmir administration has resolved over 37,040 complaints of the total 38,282 registered with it, officials said Friday.

Since the imposition of the Governor's Rule in the state on June 20, the grievance cell has received 38,282 complaints, of which 37,040 have been dealt with and forwarded to the quarters concerned for timely redressal, they said.

According to them, 826 complaints are under process.

All the advisers to the governor have been regularly meeting and hearing the grievances of delegations, deputations and individuals, officials added.

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Hospitality firm OYO has witnessed over twofold jump this year in bookings from solo travellers to cold destinations during winter holidays as compared to last year.

It has received a 131 per cent rise in such bookings for the December 25-January 6 period this season at cold destinations and Shimla is on the top of the list, said OYO in a statement.

According to the OYO Travel Index 2018, Shimla was followed by other hill stations such as Shillong, Gangtok, Mussoorie, Ooty and Dalhousie.

This winter has, so far, recorded a 104 per cent higher bookings in total.

"Interestingly, colder destinations are witnessing an increasing trend of couple as well as family vacationers when compared to beach destinations," OYO stated.

Besides, people are planning travels to beach destinations also such as Goa, Puri, Pondicherry, Port Blair, Alappuzha and Digha.

"These destinations have seen a 66 per cent increase in bookings as compared to the 2017 winter holiday season," it said.

It further added that the travel index has found a "99 per cent increase in couple and 106 per cent in family travellers to colder cities whereas the increase is 71 per cent and 63 per cent for couple and family travellers to beach cities respectively."



According to OYO Hotels & Homes Vice-President Burhanuddin Pithawala, "Solo travellers are the most significant contributors to bookings this holiday season. We only see this trend increasing year-on-year.

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A Pakistani citizen has been deported from the US for his role in smuggling individuals from South Asia, some with suspected ties to terrorist organisations, into the country.

Sharafat Ali Khan, 33, was the Brazilian-based facilitator of an alien smuggling organisation. On Monday, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers removed him from the country following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from the FBI, into the alien smuggling scheme. He was turned over to Pakistani authorities Wednesday.

In March 2014, the HSI New York and FBI special agents had initiated an investigation into an alien smuggling organization operating in South and Central America, focusing on the movement of illegal aliens from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, through South and Central America to the United States.

From 2014 to 2016, more than 100 people arrested by the HSI and the FBI identified Khan as their smuggler.

The investigation revealed that Khan and his co-conspirators charged each alien between USD 3,000 and USD 15,000 to facilitate their travel to the United States. Several of the individuals smuggled by Khan's organisation had suspected ties to terrorist organisations.

The Brazilian Federal Police executed a search warrant at Khan's residence in Brazil in June 2016. Khan fled Brazil and attempted to travel to Pakistan via a commercial flight transiting through Doha, Qatar. Around the same time, the US District Court for the District of Columbia (DCDC) issued an arrest warrant for Khan, charging him with conspiracy to encourage or induce an alien to enter the United States for financial gain. On the same date, authorities at Hamad International Airport in Doha detained Khan pursuant to the arrest warrant.

HSI agents extradited Khan from Qatar to the United States through Washington Dulles International Airport, and US Customs and Border Protection paroled Khan into the United States for criminal prosecution.

In October last year, DCDC convicted Khan of conspiracy to defraud the United States, and encourage or induce an alien for commercial advantage or private financial gain. DCDC sentenced Khan to 31 months' imprisonment.

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Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Jaipal Reddy has accused Manohar Parrikar of trying to "blackmail" Prime Minister Narendra Modi through the Rafale deal to retain his chair as the Goa chief minister.

Reddy was addressing the party's concluding function of 'Jan Akrosh' Rally at Margao town Thursday.

The Congress has been holding 'Jan Akrosh' rallies across Goa demanding "resumption" of governance in the state, claiming Parrikar's health has affected the functioning of the administration.

Reacting to Reddy's statement, the BJP said the Congress was trying in vain to raise the Rafale issue despite it being cleared by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court on December 14 gave the Narendra Modi government a clean chit on the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France and dismissed all petitions seeking a direction to the Central Bureau of Investigation to register an FIR for alleged irregularities in the deal.

The apex court had said there was no occasion to doubt the decision-making process in the multi-billion dollar Rafale deal.

The former Information and Broadcasting minister demanded Parrikar's resignation and said he was "sticking" to the chief minister's chair "like a leech".

"He talks of morality, what morality is there of Mr Manohar Parrikar sticking to the chair like a leech," Reddy said in the presence of Congress leaders, including state chief Girish Chodankar, former Goa chief ministers Digambar Kamat, Ravi Naik, Francisco Sardinha, and others.

"I know he is in a position to blackmail PM Narendra Modi... Is he blackmailing PM to keep him in the chair as chief minister? We need to think about it," he added.

Before assuming charge as Goa chief minister, Parrikar was Defence minister in the Modi Cabinet.

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LJP president Ram Vilas Paswan Friday met BJP leader Arun Jaitley amid indications that the two parties may soon arrive at a seat-sharing agreement in Bihar for the Lok Sabha polls.

Paswan's son Chirag, who has been vocal in airing his party's differences with the BJP, told reporters that talks were on and claimed there were other issues besides sharing of seats.

Another Lok Janshakti Party leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that talks have been positive and they were hopeful of an early solution.

"If all goes well, we will contest six of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar," he said.

There is speculation that the regional party has also sought a Rajya Sabha berth.

If the LJP is given six seats, as many as it had won in 2014, then the BJP and its another ally Janata Dal (United), which is headed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, will contest 17 seats each.

BJP president Amit Shah had earlier announced that his party and the JD(U) will be contesting equal number of seats in the politically crucial state where the BJP-led NDA had won 31 seats in 2014.

The deployment of Jaitley, an old Bihar hand in the party with friendly relations with leaders of different parties, by the BJP to buy truce with the LJP underscores the importance the saffron party has attached to continuing its alliance with Paswan's party, which enjoys strong influence among Dalits.

Top BJP leaders, including its president Amit Shah and Jaitley, had held an hour-long meeting with LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan and his son Thursday to resolved their differences.

Chirag Paswan had earlier written a letter to Jaitley asking him to explain what benefits demonetisation brought to the country.

He had also tweeted that a delay in seat-sharing announcement may harm the ruling alliance.

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Separatist-turned-mainstream politician Sajad Lone Friday said the People's Conference will not enter into a pre-poll alliance with any party for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections and contest all 87 seats.

The PDP had on November 21 staked claim to form a government with the backing of rival National Conference (NC) and the Congress. This was followed by another bid from the two-member Lone-led People's Conference that claimed the support of the BJP and 18 lawmakers from other parties.

Following the developments, Governor Satya Pal Malik abruptly dissolved the state assembly on November 21 night.

"There will be no pre-poll alliance with any party neither a regional party nor a national party," Lone told reporters here.

The People's Conference will field candidates on all the assembly seats across the three regions of the state, said Lone, whose party won the mayoral polls in the recently concluded municipal elections in the state with the BJP's backing.

"We will fight on all 87 seats. Just wait for the coming time, many people will join us whether those who are new to or those who have experience Whether it is Pir Panjal or Jammu, Chenab, south Kashmir, central Kashmir or north Kashmir or Ladakh, our candidates will be on all 87 seats, he said.

Lone was speaking to reporters at a press conference after former PDP MLA from Zadibal constituency Abid Ansari joined the People's Conference.

Abid's nephew and influential Shia leader Imran Ansari has already joined Lone's party.

Asked about his tweet on the civilian killings in Pulwama district in which he said anti-militancy operations by security forces should be called off if there was "even a remote chance of civilians getting killed", Lone reiterated the demand, saying such questions need to be asked.

"Forget politics, they (civilians) are amongst us. Whenever there is an operation by security forces, they should look at the cost and benefits. What I said was straight from the heart that if you have to kill seven civilians for killing three militants, then you have to ask questions," he said.

Seven civilians died in the district Saturday after security forces allegedly opened fire on a crowd that tried to storm the site of an encounter in which three militants and an army man were killed.

"A 14-year-old kid, who is a minor and he does not know what he is holding in his hand, if you know he is there (trapped), then call off the operation. What is the urgency to do it that time only? Our stand is clear on that," Lone said.

On NC vice-president Omar Abdullah's recent tweet calling for holding polls in the state on time, he said the National Conference has no right to give a time-frame for the polls as the party had boycotted the local bodies' elections earlier.

"We say let the polls should be conducted in February. We have a right to demand so. He (Omar) does not have any right to demand a time-frame because his party did not contest the local bodies' polls saying till there is no decision on the legal challenge to Article 35A.

"Now, there are two things either Omar lied then or he is lying now. He has to decide whether he lied then when he linked elections with Article 35A or he is lying now, Lone said.

He said People's Conference's stand is the Election Commission should conduct polls in the state in February and not wait till the Lok Sabha elections are over.

"The sooner a peoples' government comes, the better it is. But with a caveat, because we participated in the polls. They (NC) boycotted on the moral ground of (legal challenge to) Article 35A. Where has that gone? There has been no hearing yet (in the Supreme Court). Let him (Omar) decide when he was lying, so that at least people know what their stand is on such issues, Lone said.

On NC president Farooq Abdullah's statement on granting autonomy to all regions within 30 days if the party comes to power, he said the PC will support the move but only if there is a white paper first on who eroded the state's special status.

"I honestly think that at this age, (Farooq) Abdullah should start speaking the truth. Before this, when he had 62 MLAs in the 1996 elections, which was a selection and not an election, they passed a resolution (in assembly) but there was no response (from the Centre). Neither did he quit then nor did Omar resign as a minister of state in the Centre, Lone said.

The NC should say the truth that they broke away from the BJP not because the resolution on internal autonomy was not accepted, but because, (Farooq) Abdullah - according to Omar's then statement was not made the vice-president of the country which he was promised", he alleged.

What happened to that (autonomy) resolution? We will support any resolution but there is a condition that there should be a white paper on three things. One on which party had a role in erosions (to autonomy). Second on the elections of 1987, 1996 and 2002.

"There was eruption of militancy after the 1987 polls. If (expelled Congress leader) Sajjan Kumar, who led a mob in the 1984 (anti-Sikh) riots, was sentenced to life recently, why no one has been sentenced here? Around one lakh died here, is no one responsible? Would there never be a closure of 1987? he said.

Lone said his party also wants a white-paper on corruption in the state.

Let the means of income of every politician for the last 40 years and then their properties be checked, he said.

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The Delhi High Court Friday sought the response of the Centre, police and AAP government on a PIL alleging that persons belonging to other races and religions were being discriminated against as they were being denied entry into the Parsi fire temple near Delhi Gate here.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao issued notice to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Delhi Police, Delhi government and the Parsi Anjuman, which looks after the temple, and sought their stand on the plea by April 11.

The petition, filed by advocate Sanjjiiv Kkumaar, has alleged that the fire temple located near Delhi Gate Metro Station was "practising a system of apartheid, untouchability and communalism by not allowing Hindu, Muslim, Sikhs etc to enter the sanctum sanctorum of Fire Temple".

According to Kkumaar's plea, he came to know of the bar on entry into fire temple on people from other religions when he was denied entry there.

He has claimed that there is a notice outside the temple which states that only Zoroastrians will be admitted inside it.

Apart from directions to permit entry to all at the fire temple, the petition has also sought directions to the body managing the Jama Masjid here to permit women to offer prayers there.

The high court had earlier sought response of the Centre, the AAP government and police on a similar plea seeking entry of women into the sanctum sanctorum of the Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah here.

Apart from the Centre, the Delhi government and police, the high court also issued notice to the trust managing the 'dargah' (shrine) and sought their stand on the plea by April 11, 2019.

The plea has been filed by three women law students, who have claimed that the dargah here does not permit entry of women into the shrine.

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The Delhi High Court on Friday sought response of the Centre and AAP government on a plea challenging constitutional validity of a criminal law which requires even an acquitted person to provide a bail bond and sureties to be released from jail.

The provision -- section 437A of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) -- requires that a person acquitted has to furnish a bail bond and sureties, valid for a period of six months, to be released from custody. This is to ensure he or she is available if the state prefers an appeal against the acquittal.

A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Manoj Ohri issued notice to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Delhi government and the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) and sought their stand on the petition by a man who has been acquitted in a murder case but is languishing in prison as he could not arrange for any surety.

The trial court on November 19, 2018, while acquitting him in the murder case, had ordered his release on bail from custody on his furnishing a personal bond of Rs 20,000 and one surety of the like amount, as per section 437A CrPC, for six months.

Advocates Ajay Verma and Katyayini, appearing for petitioner Arvind Mehto, urged the court that some interim directions be issued exempting his client from the requirement of providing sureties.

The bench said that before issuing any interim directions, it has to know the background of the petitioner and directed the police to file a report after verifying his family's status, including the number of members, their occupation and their socio-economic condition.

The court said the report will also indicate whether Mehto was involved in any other crime in the past and would the police be preferring an appeal against his acquittal.

With the directions, the bench listed the plea for interim relief on January 7 and said it will hear the main matter, which challenges the constitutional validity of the provision, on February 5.

In his plea filed through advocate Katyayini, Mehto has said, "That even after the order of the release in his favour the petitioner is languishing in jail because he is unable to fulfil the condition of the surety attached with the order of his release.

"This is in clear violation of Article 21 of Constitution of India. Section 354 CrPC provides that after the judgement passed by the trial court the person tried be released forthwith."



The plea has contended that there are many poor persons and distressed women who are lodged behind bars, either awaiting trial for months and years or because they are unable to furnish the bonds or securities as required under section 437A due to their extreme poverty and ignorance.

"In most of the cases, no one on their behalf had even bothered to move to the court for relaxing, waving or reduction of the conditions imposed on them," it said.

The petition has alleged that section 437A of the CrPC appears to be neutral, but is "selective" in its impact as it "discriminates against one class of persons" -- those who are not wealthy, influential or privileged.

It has claimed that effect of such discrimination was that a person is not able to enjoy the liberty which is the consequence of acquittal and therefore, offends the equality guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution.

"The confinement of a person after acquittal violates freedom of movement guaranteed to every citizen under Article 19(1)(d) of the Indian Constitution and the legal fetters on the personal liberty restricts the fundamental right that Article 21 protects," the petition has said.

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The Delhi High Court on Friday sought response of the AAP government on a plea that an Advisory Board for Animal Welfare with a dedicated staff and budget be set up in the national capital at the earliest to tackle the issue of illegal breeding of pedigree dogs.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao issued notice to the Delhi government and sought its stand by January 14 to the plea by animal rights activist Gauri Maulekhi who has said that the Board has been constituted several times in the past, but it has remained "defunct".

Maulekhi, represented by senior advocate Raj Panjwani, has said in her plea that the Board was first constituted in 1992 and then again in 1995, 1999 and 2014.

However, it continued to be "totally defunct" as it has "not performed any functions at all since its inception" and only holds meetings twice a year, she has contended.

The application, filed through advocate Priyanka Bangari, said the Board was defunct as it "included ex-officio members from various departments and certain non-government members from civil society".

"However, not a single officer was deputed to the Board," it said.

The application said that time and again the Delhi government was reminded to make available facilities for the Board to perform its functions which now include registration of dog breeding and pet trade business and their regulation.

It has said that for regulating such businesses, the Board will need full time officers deputed to it from the Animal Husbandry Department as the duties "cannot be performed by ex-officio members of the Board or NGOs.

"It is submitted that constitution of the Board is imperative. However, it is more important that a proper office, budget and dedicated officer in charge, likely a civil servant, be deputed/appointed on the Board along with other staff members.

"That these staff members should have earmarked duties to perform. That this full time staff should work dedicatedly to discharge the functions of the Board," the application has said.

The application was moved in a PIL filed in July this year against the practice of "rampant illegal breeding of pedigree dogs" in the national capital.

The petition has said that such breeding practices also contribute to rise in street dog population as canines are sold without sterilising them.

It has said that dogs meant for breeding are kept in horrible conditions and breeders induce back to back pregnancies to obtain at least two litters of pups every year.

The breeders, none of whom are registered, sell the pups even before they are weaned, leading to lack of resistance in them towards infections and many often succumb to diseases at a young age, the petition has said.

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Keeping his poll campaign promise to utilise official buildings for public use, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday inaugurated a national university at the palatial PM House here.

The Islamabad National University is housed in the premises of the PM House and other institutes and departments of the university will be added over time in the extensive grounds of the property, Minister Shafqat Mehmood said during the inauguration ceremony.

After coming to power, the prime minister said he will not stay in the PM House and moved into his military secretary's three-bedroom house.

He said that governors will also not stay in Governor House as part of his cash-strapped government's efforts to cut down on costs.

Addressing the ceremony, Khan said the purpose of establishing a university in the PM House is to signal the need for and human development if Pakistan is to develop and progress as a nation, the Express Tribune reported.

He added that the his government prioritises and the gap between the government and the public should be lessened.

He also emphasised the need for higher education institutions of excellence and said funds recovered by the state through the accountability process would be channelled into developing the education sector.

His government has launched an accountability process to bring the looted money of the nation back to the country.

Establishing the institute and the university is a fulfilment of PM Khan's commitment to turn palatial official residences into facilities for public use, said Mehmood.

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Jharkhand police has felicitated additional public prosecutor S K Shukla for his commendable work that led conviction to 11 persons by a fast track court in a beef lynching case this year.

Ramgarh Superintendent of Police Nidhi Dwivedi said she handed over the felicitation letter, issued by Director General of Police D K Pandey to Shukla in her office here.

"I am happy that I performed my duties irrespective of caste, creed and religion," Shukla said.

A fast track court had convicted 11 of the 12 accused in a beef lynching case.

The 12th accused was a juvenile.

Shukla appeared during the trial in the fast track court of Om Prakash, which convicted 11 persons, who were later sentenced to life term imprisonment.

Alimuddin Ansari of village Manua in Ramgarh district was lynched by a mob for allegedly carrying beef in his vehicle on June 29, 2017 in Sanichar Bazaar locality of Ramgarh town.

All the 11 convicts were awarded life sentence by the fast track court on March 21 this year.

Later a division bench of the high court granted bail to 10 of the 11 convicts and one convict is behind bars.

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Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said Friday he will be meeting top leadership of US-based iPhone maker Apple in Davos next month to discuss their plan about setting up manufacturing facilities in India.

He said that talks are already on with the company, and the government can look at the demands of Apple Inc for setting up its manufacturing facility in the country.

"We are still talking to Apple. Negotiations are ongoing. If they agree, we will like them to set up offices in India as well. I am meeting Apple's top leadership in Davos in early January," the minister told PTI in an interview.

"When their offer came two-three years back and today, the situation has changed for them as well as for us. So, it is a good time to meet and discuss and finalise," he added.

When asked about tax and other concessions being demanded by the company, the minister said: "We can look into that".

The tax and other concessions demanded by them can be negotiated, he said, adding it is a good time for Apple to come to India, "we will be very happy to receive them".

The Cupertino-based iPhone and iPad manufacturer has asked for certain concessions for setting up its manufacturing unit in the country.

It had sought duty exemption on manufacturing and repair units, components, capital equipment and consumables for smartphone manufacturing and service/repair for a period of 15 years.

The company also wanted relaxation in the mandated 30 per cent local sourcing of components, besides reduction in customs duties on completely-knocked-down and semi-knocked- down units of devices that are to be assembled in the country.

Apple does not manufacture devices on its own but gets the job done through contract manufacturers. It sells its products through company-owned retail stores in countries like China, Germany, the US, the UK and France, among others.

It has no wholly-owned store in India and sells products through distributors such as Redington and Ingram Micro.

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President Ram Nath Kovind arrived here Friday on a four-day customary southern sojourn.

He was welcomed at the Hakimpet Air Force station here by Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana E S L Narasimhan, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and Home Minister Mohd. Mehmood Ali and several officials.

The President would stay at the Rashtrapati Nilayam in the city, one of the Presidential Retreats, till December 24, according to an official release issued earlier.

He will attend a programme at the district headquarters town of Karimnagar on Saturday.

He will host the 'At Home' at the Rashtrapati Nilayam on December 23 before returning to Delhi the next day, the release said.

It is customary for the President to visit Rashtrapati Nilayam and conduct official business from there at least once a year.

Located at Bolarum, Rashtrapati Nilayam building was taken over from the Nizam of Hyderabad after the country attained independence and handed over to the President's Secretariat.

Constructed in 1860, the single-storied building is located on a 90 acre site.

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A withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan would not affect security of the war-torn country, a spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani said Friday, in the first official response to the that has left officials in Kabul reeling.

"If they withdraw from Afghanistan it will not have a security impact because in the last four and half years the Afghans have been in full control," presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said via social media.

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: Amid the continuing stand off between two church factions,a priest of the Orthodox Syrian Church,who was prevented by Jacobite Church followers from entering a church in Kothamangalam, was Friday shifted to a hospital by police after his health condition deteriorated.

Fr Thomas Paul Ramban,the appointed vicar of the Orthodox faction, who had reached the place Thursday, armed with a high court order to offer holy mass, continued to remain in his car till this afternoon, insisting that he be allowed to enter the Church to do his duties.

Insisting that he had no health issues, Fr Ramban however, decided to go to hospital on the suggestion by police and the Ernakulam district administration.

Tension has been prevailing at Kothamangalam in Ernakulam district since Thursday after Jacobite Syrian Church followers prevented the entry of the priest of the Orthodox Syrian Church into the 'Marthoma Cheriya Palli' to offer holy mass.

Hundreds of Jacobite church followers, comprising women and priests, assembled at the church and blocked the entry of Ramban.

Many of them were arrested, but others remained on the church premises and staged a demonstration Friday.

Ramban was Thursday shifted from the area following mounting protests. Later, he returned to the church, but protesters again prevented him from entering the chapel.

Jacobite church head Baselios Thomas I has said no one would be allowed to take over the church and its property.

Ramban had reached the church amid tight security two days after the Kerala High Court dismissed a petition filed by the Jacobite faction against the Muvattupuzha Munsif Court order, granting police protection to him.

Jacobites have claimed that a majority of the devotees living in the parish belong to their faction, while Orthodox Church followers are very less in number.

Ramban has alleged that the protest by Jacobite followers and clergy were in violation of the court order.

Recently, a famous church in Piravom, controlled by the Jacobite faction, had witnessed high tension as police entered the premises to implement last year's Supreme Court order, giving control of the church to the Orthodox faction.

In its order, the Supreme Court had ruled that 1,100 parishes and their churches under the Malankara Church should be controlled by the Orthodox faction, as per the 1934 Malankara Church guidelines.

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Around 320,000 officers from various state-run have called for a one-day strike on Friday to protest against pending wage revision and proposed merger of Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and

They are demanding that the wage revision, which is pending since November 1, 2017, should be for employees from scale 1-7.

Currently, have given mandate to the Association (IBA) to negotiate for from scale 1-3.

"IBA is also not coming forward to structure the 11th Bipartite Negotiations based on our charter of demands by agreeing to discuss the wage revision of officers from scale I to scale VII and also based on the concept of minimum wages as envisaged in the seventh Central Pay Commission (CPC)," All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC) general secretary Soumya Datta said.

He said after 13 months of negotiation between and IBA, the latter has offered a wage revision of 8 per cent.

In the last wage settlement, which was for the period November 1, 2012 to October 31, 2017, IBA had give a wage hike of 15 per cent.



IBA has also offered a variable pay for bank employees, which will be based on the operating profit and return of assets (RoA) of a bank.

"Most of the are in losses due to large NPAs for which a bank employee can't be held responsible," he said.

The union is also opposing the government proposal to merge Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank, claiming this step will not help the merged entity to tackle any of its problems, including the NPA menace.

Meanwhile, the United Forum of (UFBU) have called for a one-day strike on December 26 to protest against the proposed merger to BoB, Vijaya Bank and

UFBU is an umbrella body of nine unions, including All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), All India Association (AIBEA) and National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW).

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Senior Congress leader Mohan Prakash Friday alleged the Rafale fighter jet deal is the country's "biggest defence scam" and sought to know why the Modi government is shying away from a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the mega contract.

Referring to the apex court's recent verdict on the Rafale deal, he alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government were guilty of "presenting falsehood to the Supreme Court".

"Rafale fighter jet deal is India's biggest defence scam and is an open and shut case of corruption. The Modi government is guilty of presenting falsehood to the Supreme Court and committing perjury as well as breaching the privilege of Parliament," Prakash told reporters here.

"The Modi government is shying away from constituting a JPC. Why? Because the one who had signed the deal will have to face the inquiry by the JPC," alleged the former AICC general secretary.

He alleged the Modi government had not only caused losses to the public exchequer, but also compromised national security.

"Modi is the champion in institutionalising corruption. He has done that in Gujarat by causing loss to state-run entity GSPC," the Congress leader claimed.

He said his party did not approach the SC over the contract as the party feels the court is not an appropriate forum to decide on issues of corruption, specifications, pricing and "crony capitalism" in the Rafale deal.

"This can only be done by a JPC. We have already made our stand clear in November. Even the apex court in its December 14 verdict concedes it is not an appropriate forum and can not decide issues of pricing, specifications and other technical matters," Prakash added.

Last Friday, the SC had dismissed the petitions 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 apex court had rejected the pleas, which sought lodging of an FIR and a court-monitored probe alleging irregularities in the Rs 58,000 crore deal, in which both the countries have entered into an inter-governmental agreement.

The Court had said that perception of individuals cannot be the basis of a "fishing and roving enquiry" by the court in such matters and it cannot "sit in judgement" over the wisdom of government's decision to go in for purchase of 36 aircrafts in place of 126.

It noted that process for procurement of 36 Rafale jets was concluded on September 23, 2016 and no questions were raised at that time and the petitions were later filed after reported statement of former French President Francois Hollande with regard to selection of Indian offset partners.

On the offset partner, the bench noted that this issue had "triggered" the litigation as petitioners had alleged that government gave a benefit to Reliance Aerostructure Ltd by compelling Dassault Aviation to enter into a contract with them at the cost of public enterprise, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

"We do not find any substantial material on record to show that this is a case of commercial favouritism to any party by the Indian Government, as the option to choose the IOP (Indian offset partners) does not rest with the Indian Government," it said



The ruling BJP and the Modi government have repeatedly denied any irregularities in the deal and accused the main opposition party of spreading "lies" over the issue.

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The Rajasthan High Court Friday suspended the sentence of one of the convicts in a rape case involving self-styled godman Asaram.

The Jodhpur bench of the high court suspended the sentence of Asaram's aide Sharat Chandra, who had been awarded a 20-year jail term along with another aide Sanchita Gupta alias Shilpi for conspiring in the rape case.

Shilpi's 20-year jail term too was suspended earlier on September 29 by the high court.

Asaram and his two aides were convicted earlier on April 25 by a POCSO court on charges of raping a minor girl over five years ago on the pretext of exorcising evil spirits from her in his Manai ashram near here. He was sentenced to life in jail.

Sharat Chandra's sentence was suspended by the high court's bench of Justice Vijay Bishnoi.

The high court suspended the sentence of Sahrat. However, he would have to appear in the court once a year till the hearing of the appeal against the sentence is completed," said Sharat Chandra's counsel Nishant Bora.

He said his client had been convicted under POCSO Act by the trial court and was awarded "such a harsh punishment" despite his name not being there in the FIR.

All three convicts had moved the high court challenging their conviction and sentences. While the sentences of the two co-convicts in the case have been suspended, Asaram's application for the suspension of his sentence is still pending with the court.

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Ahead of the launch of superstar Rajinikanth's political party, efforts are underway for starting a television channel by a forum floated by him, with the actor authorising the use of his name and photograph in its logo.

Rajinikanth has informed in a letter to the Registrar of Trademarks that an application made by the forum chief for trademarks be processed and he had no objection to the use of his name and photo in the logo of the proposed channel.

The matter came to light after the letter went viral on social media and sources close to the Tamil actor Friday confirmed its veracity.

Administrator of the Rajini Makkal Mandram, seen as a precursor to his party, V M Sudhakar applied for the trademarks 'SUPERSTAR TV, RAJINI TV, THALAIVAR TV,' all references to the actor.

The move is seen as keeping in line with the tradition of political parties in Tamil Nadu having their own TV channels to effectively propagate their policies and programmes.

While the ruling AIADMK had recently launched ' J' to propagate its views, a bouquet of channels under the 'Kalaignar TV' and the Marans-owned 'Sun TV' are said to be backing the opposition DMK.

'Jaya TV', managed by the relatives of jailed aide of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, V K Sasikala was originally a mouthpiece of the AIADMK, but now backs sidelined party leader T T V Dhinakaran since his fallout with current Chief Minister K Palaniswami last year.

In his letter to the Trademarks Registrar, Rajinikanth said he had "no objection to use my name, photo on the logo and label", adding the applications may be processed to the "next level".

The 68-year old actor had announced taking the political plunge in December 2017 while interacting with his fans here.

He had then said his to-be-launched political party will contest in all the 234 assembly segments in Tamil Nadu in the next elections, due in 2021.

Speculations of Rajini's political entry had started way back in 1996 when he made some 'frank' criticism of the then Jayalalithaa government.

He extended open support to the then DMK-Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) combine, which swept the 1996 assembly polls.

TMC was floated by veteran Congressman, late G K Mooapanar, after he quit the national party.

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Anil Gote, a rebel BJP legislator from Dhule, said Friday that he will campaign against the BJP in north Maharashtra.

Gote, who is still a BJP MLA as his resignation is yet to be accepted by the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker, said he will campaign against the saffron party in Dhule, Jalgaon and Nashik districts.

"I will start campaigning against the BJP even before the schedule of Lok Sabha polls is announced," he said, adding that he will ask people to vote for any party but the BJP.

"I felt Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is innocent and will give me justice. However, he cheated me, gave false promises and supported goons in Dhule civic polls," Gote alleged.

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Senior M Veerappa Moily Friday said if his party was voted to power in the next polls, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited would be accommodated as an offset partner and Anil Ambani's eased out of the Rafale deal.

Moily, who ruled out scrapping the Rafale deal if his party was voted to power, told reporters, "When our government comes, we will go back to the HAL as an offset partner...definitely we are committed to it".

"We believe in Rafale jet...it is good...it cannot be cancelled...it is our own baby, we only had finalised it with the HAL," he said.

Addressing a press conference here on his party's stand on the defence deal, the former Union minister said his party was only opposed to "unlawful gains" by somebody under the guise of the defence deal and not the fighter jet.

Asked if Reliance would be out of the ambit of the Rafale framework as an offset partner, he shot back, "how that company can be in..?"



To a question on approaching the since the has alleged that the court was fed "false information" by the government, Moily said constituting a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was their demand.

"The is very clear that only a Joint Parliamentary Committee will be competent to go into the Rafale deal...we are not going to ..we did not petition the court in the past too," he said, adding only Parliament would be the appropriate forum for the scrutiny.

Recalling the Congress-led governments constituting and facing JPCs in the past, Moily said the government wanted to hide the truth.

"They know that they have everything to hide and nothing to disclose," he alleged.

On Prime Minister accusing the Congress of threatening every institution in India, Moily said it was a "big joke".

It is only the BJP-led government that has destroyed the institutions, be it the CBI or the planning commission, he said.

On the BJP's demand for a debate in Parliament which they said was more powerful than a JPC probe, the Congress said the saffron party did not know the basic features of parliamentary procedures.

"A JPC can investigate the matter. The discussions had already been done on the deal. What more discussion would they like?" he said.

Asked about his accusation against chief B S Dhanoa, Moily said, "It is not correct to say that I called him a liar...one of the television channels took it out of context".

The Congress said he only questioned Dhanoa quipping "fine" following the judgment on the Rafale deal.

"I asked him what is fine...I think in a matter like this, the armed forces or the chiefs anyone, they should not unnecessarily get into political controversies," Moily said.

About the Supreme Court's ruling on the deal, he quoted extensively from it and said it was not a "clean chit to the government".

Both Modi and the would "face the music" since the court has been "misled", he alleged.

"If is a real democratic party, it should take up the challenge, constitute JPC and face it. They have no faith in Parliament," he said.

The prime minister did not have time to attend the sitting though he was available in his chamber, the Congress leader added.
The Gujarat High Court on Friday rejected petitions by two state BJP leaders, including a minister, challenging proceedings initiated against them by a special Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court in the alleged Rs 400-crore fisheries scam.

Justice J B Pardiwala rejected the petitions of Gujarat Minister of State (Mos) for Fisheries Parshottam Solanki and former MoS for Fisheries Dileep Sanghani.

It does "not see any good ground to interfere with the impugned order", the high court said.

Ishaq Maradia had filed a complaint against the two leaders in 2008, alleging that they flouted rules by allotting fishing contracts without floating tenders.

Solanki and Sanghani moved the HC after the ACB court in Gandhinagar issued summons to them after taking into account a ACB inquiry report.

Refusing relief to them, the high court said they can move a discharge application at a later stage.

The high court, however, converted the non-bailable warrants issued against them by the special court into bailable warrants.

Justice Pardiwala observed that "it is the rampant corruption indulged in with impunity by highly-placed persons that has led to economic unrest in this country" and corruption has "effectively arrested the progress of our society to prosperity."



"If the society in a developing country faces a menace greater than even the one from hired assassins to its law and order, then that is from the corrupt elements at the higher echelons of the Government and of the political parties," he further said.

The case dates back to 2008 when Solanki was MoS Fisheries and Sanghani the cabinet minister for agriculture.

Maradia alleged that Solanki was involved in a "scam" as he illegally granted contracts for fishing in 58 reservoirs across the state.

Based on his complaint, the special court ordered inquiry against the two leaders by the ACB.

Based on the inquiry report that suggested irregularities, the special ACB court issued proceedings against the two under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

After the Gujarat government led by then chief minister Narendra Modi refused the sanction to prosecute Solanki, Maradia moved the HC in 2012.

During past hearings in the HC, Solanki had said the contracts were granted by Sanghani as he was then designated as the cabinet minister.

Then Gujarat governor Kamla Beniwal, on July 30, 2012 overruled the state cabinet and sanctioned Solanki's prosecution under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Maradia then moved the ACB court demanding criminal prosecution of Solanki and Sanghani.

After the case was registered against Solanki and Sanghani, the special court asked the ACB to conduct an inquiry in May 2013.

The report was submitted before the ACB court in 2015 which indicated irregularities in awarding of contracts for fisheries.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Archaeological Survey of India has formulated a scientific cleaning and conservation plan to protect the surface of the iconic Taj Mahal from deposited pollutants, the Centre told the Lok Sabha Friday.

Minister of State for Mahesh Sharma, in a written reply, said according to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the pollutants from various sources have been superficially getting deposited on the marble surface of Taj Mahal as particulate matters, and due to scattering of light by these deposited particles, the marble surface appears to have changed in colour.

"The ASI has formulated scientific cleaning and conservation plan to protect the surface of Taj Mahal from deposited pollutants," he said.

"Accordingly, all four minarets, eight facades, four pedestal marble walls, interior portion of the periphery up to human height and four 'chhatries' at the rooftop of the main mausoleum, have already been cleaned and treated. However, the cleaning of the main dome requires some technical studies," he said.

Sharma said the ASI has informed that the water level of Yamuna was away from the northern wall of Taj Mahal.

"Therefore, specific study on the link between Yamuna water and the strength of the foundation of Taj Mahal has not been conducted," he said.

The Uttar Pradesh government had recently told the Supreme Court that it had paid 80 per cent money i.e.

Rs 51.89 lakh to Delhi-based School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) which is entrusted with the task of preparing a vision document for the protection of Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal, the monument of love, is among the Seven Wonders of the World.

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The municipal body for south Delhi Friday signed an agreement with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for developing two solar plants for generating total power worth 27.5 MW, officials said.

The work on the two units is likely to begin in the first half of April next year, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) said.

"The SDMC inked an MoU with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for generation of total 27.5 MW power from two separate solar plants, at Ghuman Hera near Najafgarh in Delhi, and a piece of land owned by the SDMC in Faridabad in Haryana," it said in a statement.

The agreement has been signed in continuation with the government of India's initiative on green energy concept and solar initiative of the SDMC.

The SDMC has decided to utilise these vacant land for installation of solar plants. The MoU was exchanged by SDMC Commissioner P K Goel and Director of SECI Shailender Kumar Mishra.

South Delhi Mayor Narender Chawla said in Haryana, the site has been identified at Ferozpur village.

"At Ghuman Hera (105 acres) and Ferozpur (9.45 acres) of land is available for setting up the solar plants. After a detailed study, the solar energy plants of estimated capacity 25 MW and 2.5 MW have been planned at Ghuman Hera and Ferozpur. They are expected to be commissioned in 18 months after the start of work," he said.

Chawla said the estimated cost for the projects at Ghuman Hera and Ferozpur are Rs 145 crore and Rs 20 crore respectively. The funds for this project will be generated through public bonds, and action for this has already been initiated.

SDMC's Standing Committee Chairperson Shikha Rai said the SDMC will save Rs 22.5 crore per annum from the Ghuman Hera project and earn Rs 1.55 crore from exporting energy generated by Ferozepur plant.

She said the commissioning of the two plants is in tune with SDMC's commitment to minimise consumption of thermal power, conserve natural resources and and earn huge savings.

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Any hasty withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, as in the case of Syria, would pave way for another 9/11, top US lawmakers and experts have warned.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday decided to pullout a significant number of American troops from Afghanistan, a day after he announced a withdrawal from Syria.

Currently, the US has nearly 15,000 troops in Afghanistan working either with a NATO mission to support Afghan forces or in separate counter-terrorism operations.

Trump is considering pulling out some 3,000 troops from the war-torn country.

The senators termed the withdrawal of American troops a high risk strategy.

"The conditions in Afghanistan --at the present moment-- make American troop withdrawals a high-risk strategy. If we continue on our present course, we are setting in motion the loss of all our gains and paving the way toward a second 9/11," Senator Lindsey Graham said.

The Republican Senator from South Carolina, who has just returned from Afghanistan, said that Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham-Khorasan (ISIS-K), an Afghanistan-based affiliate of ISIS, remains a direct threat to the US and they would dramatically benefit from a reduced American troop presence.

"Our Afghan partners are incapable of subduing the threat posed by ISIS-K alone. In addition, our intelligence capability and military might cannot be replaced by any other regional ally when it comes to subduing ISIS-K in Afghanistan or Pakistan. Like in Syria, troop withdrawal should be based on conditions on the ground," Graham said.

The withdrawal of the American troops from Afghanistan could take place in the next several weeks, according to media reports.

The lawmakers suggested that US' ongoing efforts in Afghanistan is a must to prevent another 9/11 type of terror attack.

"Our ongoing efforts in Afghanistan are necessary to ensure another 9/11 does not occur. With threats rising from ISIS-K and other terrorist groups, America's presence in Afghanistan today is as important as it has ever been to protect the homeland and our allies," Congressman Jim Banks said.

He said that it was important to prevent the terrorists from regaining control in Afghanistan.

"While we all want an end to the America's longest running war, it must be done the right way. Withdrawing half our troops from Afghanistan at this critical time is a major risk that would lead to greater instability and jeopardise America's national security," Banks said.

Congressman Will Hurd said:"An American retreat from Syria emboldens ISIS. An American retreat from Afghanistan emboldens Al-Qaeda and undermines the ultimate sacrifice already paid by thousands of Americans. Both will threaten our Homeland again".

Husain Haqqani, the former Pak Ambassador to the USA, indicated that the withdrawal of troops would be an immense boost for terror outfits such as the Taliban.

"If stories about US drawdown from Afghanistan are true, President Trump will have done exactly what President Obama did: Send troops in, only to withdraw them prematurely, thereby proving the Taliban's maxim: Americans have watches, we have time," he said.

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In a setback to the Congress in Telangana, four party MLCs on Friday requested Legislative Council Chairman K Swamy Goud to merge their legislature party in the upper house with that of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led TRS.

The four Congress MLCs -- M S Prabhakar Rao, T Santosh Kumar, K Damodar Reddy and Akula Lalitha -- met Goud and submitted a petition to him in this regard.

Acting swiftly, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir also met Goud and appealed to him to disqualify the four for their alleged anti-party activities.

The Congress has a total of six members in the 40-member council.

At least two-third members of a legislature party are required to split it without attracting the provisions of the anti-defection law.

In the petition, the four MLCs said at a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) on December 20, they decided to merge it into the Telangana Rashtra Samithi Legislature Party (TRSLP) in the state legislative council.

They claimed that they had the required strength for the merger under para 4 of Tenth Schedule of the Constitution and urged the chairman to accept it with immediate effect.

"Swamy Goud assured (us) that he will think about (the matter) after considering the rule position," Prabhakar Rao told reporters.

Uttam Kumar Reddy and Shabbir met Goud soon after.

The TPCC president urged Goud that the letter submitted by the four MLCs be rejected.

"As the party president, I wish to convey that there was no meeting of the CLP on December 20," Uttam Kumar Reddy said.

He said Prabhakar Rao had defected from the Congress to the TRS in 2016 and a petition for his disqualification was pending with the chairman for the last two years.

Similarly, Damodar Reddy had also defected to the TRS and his disqualification petition was also pending.

"The Indian National Congress party is a 130-year-old party and it is preposterous that some members, who have already defected to the TRS, are putting an application for merger of the CLP into the TRS party," Uttam Kumar Reddy said.

In a letter to Goud, the TPCC president stated that the chairman or speaker is not competent to merge a political party as per the Constitution of India, as held by several judgements of the Supreme Court.

As per the Constitution of the Indian National Congress, state units have no power to merge with other parties, Uttam Kumar Reddy said.

"A national party cannot be merged with a regional political party. Seeking (a) merger per se incurs disqualification. Rank and file of a political party throughout the nation have to accept the merger," he said.

Para 4 of the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution is not independent as it has to be read harmonious with other paras, he added.

If the request of the four MLCs is accepted, the Congress would lose its opposition status in the council as one-tenth of the total strength of the House is required to enjoy the status.

The Congress suffered a drubbing in the recent Telangana assembly polls. The party, which formed a "grand alliance" with the TDP, the CPI and the Telangana Jan Samithi, managed to win only 19 seats in the 119-member House.

The TRS scored a thumping win and returned to power for a second straight term by winning 88 seats.

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The government Friday said the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) is probing Sahara group firm Sahara Q Shop Unique Products Range Ltd after receiving 744 complaints against the company.

The embattled Sahara group is already facing action from markets regulator Sebi with respect to money raised by two entities -- Sahara India Real Estate Corporation Ltd (SIRECL) and Sahara Housing Investment Corporation Ltd (SHICL).

To a query on whether the government has received several complaints against Sahara Q, Minister of State for Finance Pon Radhakrishnan replied in the affirmative.

"As per MCA21 data, Registrar of Companies (RoCs), Mumbai, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, has received 744 complaints against the company Sahara Q Shop Unique Products Range Ltd," he said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

After examining the complaints and the documents filed by the company, the RoC submitted a report recommending an investigation, he added.

The minister said the corporate affairs ministry has ordered investigation into the affairs of the company to be conducted by the SFIO. The order was issued on October 31, 2018.

MCA21, under the corporate affairs ministry, is the portal for submitting filings under the Companies Act.

On whether Sebi has been directed to accommodate investors of other schemes of Sahara India Group namely Sahara India Q Shop as investors were forced to convert their investments into Sahara Q Shop from SIRECL and SHICL, Radhakrishan replied in the negative.

According to him, the Supreme Court, in its order on August 31, 2012, directed Sebi to make refunds to only those investors, who invested in Optionally Fully Convertible Debentures (OFCDs) of SIRECL and/ or SHICL.

"Accordingly, the investments in other schemes/ group companies of Sahara, including the Sahara Q Shop are prima-facie not covered in the said order of the Supreme Court," he added.

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Siemens boss Joe Kaeser on Friday lashed out at the practices used by Chinese investors to exercise total control over foreign firms, as disquiet grows about China's appetite for German technology and know-how.

The recent ousting of robotics maker Kuka's chief executive Till Reuter two years after the prestigious German firm was taken over by Chinese group Midea, was just the latest example, Kaeser told the regional daily Augsburger Allgemeine.

"The Chinese go into a company, give guarantees about employment and then everything is calm for a while. At some point, they set up a separate company that swallows the old one, and take away the research and development."



The unusually frank comments come just days after the German government toughened rules on non-EU share purchases or acquisitions of strategic companies, in a measure aimed at curbing Chinese takeovers.

Alarm has grown in Germany about the sell-off of vital technologies to the highest bidder since Chinese appliance giant Midea acquired Kuka for 4.6 billion euros (USD5 billion) in 2016.

Kaeser said Siemens was itself interested in purchasing Kuka at the time but the German conglomerate could not justify the high asking price.

"They were convinced that with the Chinese everything would stay the same, except that the market would be ten times bigger," the Siemens chief executive told the daily.

"Of course hindsight is everything, but they could have expected this from the start."



Under the new legislation approved by Chancellor Angela Merkel's government on Wednesday, Germany plans to lower the threshold where reviews apply to foreign purchase offers of 10 per cent of strategic companies, down from 25 per cent now.

The measures will apply to the defence, high-tech and infrastructure sectors, including utilities and telecoms providers, as well as media companies.

Concern has also grown in other European capitals in recent years as Chinese companies have bought up or purchased controlling stakes in high-tech firms, airports and harbours.

Several EU countries have also voiced reservations about Beijing's "Silk Road" initiative, which seeks to link the continents through a network of ports, railways, roads and industrial parks, but which critics see as an attempted influence grab by Beijing.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday said Sino-India relations are "actively" moving forward with deepening mutual trust and cooperation, as the foreign ministers of the two countries held extensive talks in New Delhi under a newly established framework.

In his message of congratulations to the first meeting of 'High Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges' being held in New Delhi, Xi said China and India are both ancient civilisations boasting long history and splendid culture.

The two civilizations, with close exchanges and mutual learning from the ancient time, have both made significant contributions to the human development and progress, he said.

"Today, China-India relations are actively moving forward, with mutual political trust deepening, practical cooperation accelerating, people-to-people and cultural exchanges flourishing, and bilateral coordination in international and regional affairs sustaining," state-run Xinhua agency quoted Xi as saying.

It has been proved by practice that a good bilateral relationship benefits not only both countries but also the whole world, Xi added.

The Chinese president also expressed the hope for the two sides to make proper use of the high-level people-to-people exchange mechanism.

With the help of the profound implication in the two Oriental civilisations, China and India should promote the communication between the minds of the two peoples and forge a closer development partnership, Xi said.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday held extensive talks in New Delhi and agreed on "ten pillars" of cooperation to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

The 10 pillars are cultural exchange, cooperation in films and television, cooperation in museum administration, cooperation sports, exchanges between youths, cooperation on tourism, exchanges between states and cities, cooperation in traditional medicine, cooperation in yoga and cooperation in education.

The 'High Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges' was decided upon during the Wuhan summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi.

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The government's move to authorise 10 Central agencies to intercept any information on computers on Friday rocked the Rajya Sabha, with Union Minister saying the was creating a mountain out of a mole hill as the authorisation was given under old rules.

Congress leader Anand Sharma raised the issue of the authorising 10 central agencies to intercept any information on computers.

Replying to him, Jaitley said it would have been better if the had obtained all information before raising this issue.

"The is making a mountain out of a mole hill where even a mole hill does not exist," he said.

"When senior members from Opposition raise an issue every word spoken by them has precious value and therefore they must know facts," Jaitley told the House amid the din.

He said the rules under which agencies have been authorised to intercept were framed in 2009 when the Congress-led UPA was in power.

The authorisation has been issued under the same rules. Since the Act has been in place these orders of authorisation are repeated from time to time, he said.

The order authorises 10 Central agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor, and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer.
As its move to allow 10 agencies to intercept information on computers triggered a row, the government Friday said the authorisation was given under 2009 rules and dismissed opposition's charge of snooping, saying they were playing with national security and "making a mountain where even a molehill doesn't exist".

The issue rocked Rajya Sabha as Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged that "undeclared Emergency has taken final shape" and "all federal agencies have been let loose".

Union Minister Arun Jaitley hit back saying Congress was crying foul over powers created by it when it was in government.

Congress leader Anand Sharma said the issue is serious as it is related to fundamental rights and "India will become a police state" with such "sweeping powers" to agencies to intercept information.

Responding to the charge, Jaitley said it would have been better if the Opposition had obtained all information before raising this issue. He told the House that the rules under which agencies will be authorised to intercept information were framed in 2009 when the Congress-led UPA was in power.

"So what you are doing Mr Anand Sharma is making a mountain where even a molehill does not exist.

"You must know this and as a leader of opposition your word is sacrosanct, so don't use it for a purpose where a power which you created, which is to be used in national security cases, now you are crying foul about that power," Jaitley said in the Upper House.

However, Azad retorted that there is no mention of national security in the order. "The BJP seems to think it has ownership rights over national security and it means nothing to us," he said taking a swipe at the government.

To this, Jaitley said, "These are elementary things. It is an authorisation order. The provisions of national security are written in Article 69.... You are playing with the security of the country. That is what you have done just now".

Since the Act has been in place these orders of authorisation are repeated from time to time, he said, adding that they can be used for interception in cases related to national security, disruption of public order, etc.

"When senior members from opposition raise an issue every word spoken by them has precious value and therefore they must know facts," Jaitley told the House.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad questioned if the Congress does not want action against terrorists and those who play with national security.

Unhappy with the government's response, the opposition members were on their feet raising slogans.

Congress Leader Anand Sharma said the issue raised by Azad is serious as it is related to fundamental rights.

"Right to privacy of every citizen on which the Supreme Court has also given its decision is a fundamental right.

"Nine agencies and the Delhi Police have been given a sweeping power to intercept through an executive order. India will become a police state, this is not acceptable," Sharma said.

The issue was also raised in Lok Sabha during Zero Hour with Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader N K Premachandran who alleged that the move is a violation of the fundamental rights.

The order authorises 10 central agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer.

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Defending the government's move to authorise 10 central agencies to intercept information on computers, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad Friday asserted that the decision was taken in the interest of national security, with adequate safeguards in place.

Rejecting charges levelled by the opposition, IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also said that the Congress, which had imposed "emergency, and censorship", should not talk about threat to democracy.

"As far as the opposition is concerned, particularly the Congress party, which imposed emergency, censorship, arrested leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and eminent editors like Kuldip Nayar, superseded judges...better not talk about democracy...," he said.

The contentious order issued by Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday, authorises 10 central agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate, to intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer under existing provisions of the IT Act 2000.

Prasad said that the process was so far on ad-hoc basis and the entire exercise has now been properly defined, and the 10 agencies have been codified, underlining their accountability.

Seeking to allay concerns over sweeping powers being given to the agencies, Prasad said: "Larger issue that we want to say, is that from point of view of national security, this is important... so we have done it. But its mechanism is accountable, perceptible and transparent. There are defined agencies. Each case of interception, monitoring, decryption is to be approved by the competent authority, that is the union home secretary".

The latest move is also being seen as means to curb misuse of social media, ahead of general election in 2019.

A source said if there were enough reasons to believe that such platforms were being misused, compromising national security, then the agencies can take action against errant intermediaries. In the past, there have been instances of rumour-mongering on social media platforms that have trigerred mob-lynching incidents in different part of the country. In addition, digital platforms are also being used by terrorist organisations for recruitment purposes.

At present, Section 69 of the IT Act provides for interception, monitoring or decryption of any information generated, transmitted, stored in any computer resource in the interest of national security, and public order.

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BJP leaders, including Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and former Gujarat police officers Friday welcomed the verdict in the Sohrabuddin Shaikh encounter case and claimed vindication of their stand, adding the court ruling has "exposed" the Congress.

They said the encounter was genuine and the entire case against policemen from Gujarat and Rajasthan, who were named accused, was part of a "political conspiracy".

A special CBI court in Mumbai Friday acquitted all 22 accused in the encounter killings of Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi and aide Tulsi Prajapati in 2005-06 in Gujarat, citing insufficient evidence. Most of the accused were junior-level police officials.

Sitharaman said the verdict has exposed the Congress' "conspiracy to malign Gujarat's image".

"BJP has been saying that it (encounter) was not a conspiracy. Court verdict has now established that it was a genuine effort by the police to stop a crime. Congress' conspiracy to malign Gujarat's image using CBI has been exposed today," she told reporters in Gandhinagar.

Former Gujarat IPS officer D G Vanzara said his stand that the encounter was genuine has been vindicated by the court.

Without naming the erstwhile Congress-led UPA government, Vanzara, who was behind bars for nine years in the case before being discharged, said police officers became victims of a "political conspiracy" under which genuine encounters were labelled as fake.

"But, Gujarat police officials suffered as they became victims of a political conspiracy," Vanzara told reporters in the state capital.

The retired police officer said some "anti-national" elements tried to prove that genuine encounters which took place in Gujarat over a decade ago were fake.

Asked to elaborate on his claim of political conspiracy, Vanzara said the police became victims of "cross- firing" between Delhi and Gandhinagar, an apparent reference to the UPA government at the Centre and the Narendra Modi-led BJP government in Gujarat at the time of encounters.

Vanzara said if the police had not carried out those encounters, terrorists may have succeeded in their "plan to kill Modi and turn Gujarat into Kashmir".

Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said the entire case against police was concocted by "some people" as part of a political conspiracy.

On Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's "maut ka saudagar" jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the then CM, during the 2007 assembly poll campaign in Gujarat, Patel said that party tried to win elections through such conspiracies.

"Opposition parties tried to take advantage of this case. During a rally, Sonia Gandhi even used the word maut ka saudagar (for Modi). Congress leaders tried to win polls by stooping so low," Patel told reporters in Gandhinagar.

Gujarat BJP leader I K Jadeja said the court verdict has proved the then UPA government at the Centre "misused" the CBI to harass political leaders and police officials of the state.

"With today's verdict, my stand on encounters has been vindicated. I have been saying since day one that the (Sohrabuddin) encounter was genuine.

"The judiciary has vindicated our stand of last 10 years. We have been saying that the UPA government misused the CBI to harass our leaders and police officials of Gujarat," Jadeja said.

The BJP leader sought an apology from former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

"The judiciary has established that Congress had tried to harass our leaders, the then CM (Modi) and ministers along with government officials," he said.

Referring to the arrest of BJP president Amit Shah by the CBI in 2010 in the case, Jadeja claimed political leaders were harassed at the behest of the UPA government and Congress leaders like Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Shah, a Gujarat minister at the time of his arrest, was discharged from the case by the CBI court in 2014.

Another former police officer NK Amin, who was also discharged in the case along with Vanzara earlier, said he is happy that the remaining policemen have also received justice.

"Though it came as a relief for them, no one can give them back those years which they spent in jail during trial," Amin said.

"This case was politically motivated and a malicious prosecution targeted police officers," he said.

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Sri Lankan parliament on Friday approved the interim budget to cover public expenditure for the next four months following weeks of political crisis that led to government dysfunction.

The Vote on Account (VoA) for Rs 176500 crore was approved with 102 MPs voting in favour and six Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) MPs voting against.

Parliamentarians from President Maithripala Sirisena's United People's Freedom alliance (UPFA) were not present at the time of the voting.

The newly-appointed Cabinet of ministers yesterday passed a proposal for a vote on account to allow state spending after the political and constitutional stand off which plagued the island's government since October 26 ended last week.

The budget for 2019 was to be presented to Parliament on November 5, but the political crisis erupted on October 26.

"This needs to be approved to cover the expenses such as wages, pensions payments for the next four months. We were to present the Budget on November 5 but we were denied the chance to do so by the events that happened on October 26," Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said.

Speaking during the debate in Parliament, the leader of the opposition, Mahinda Rajapaksa, accused Prime Minster Wickremesinghe government of giving into the IMF dictates in its economic policy management.

Sirisena on Thursday named a 30-member Cabinet while rejecting some of Prime Minister Wickremesinghe's nominees and retained control over the security forces and police.

The new Cabinet was appointed after an unexpected delay of three days since Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Prime Minister on December 16 following weeks of political crisis that led to government dysfunction.

The Cabinet formation delayed as President Sirisena did not agree with some nominees from the list submitted by Prime Minister Wickremsinghe.

On October 26, Sirisena sacked prime minister Wickremesinghe and installed former president Rajapaksa in his place, triggering an unprecedented constitutional crisis. Sirisena also dissolved the 225-member Parliament and called for a snap election on January 5. He publicly vowed not to reinstate Wickremesinghe.

However, Wickremesinghe was re-appointed as prime minister by Sirisena following a Supreme Court order, ending the 51-day political standoff in the country.

Analysts said that Cabinet appointments indicate that Sirisena and Wickremesinghe were still at loggerheads and the country's worst political crisis is far from over.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The US has told all its regional partners, including Pakistan, that state support for terrorist proxies will not be tolerated, the Pentagon has said, expressing concern over the free movement of some militant groups in Pakistan that are presenting security challenges for Afghanistan.

The Pentagon, in its semi-annual Afghan report to the US Congress that covers the period of June to November 2018, said on Thursday that Taliban and the Haqqani Network retain freedom of movement in Pakistan.

The Pentagon's remarks came amidst reports that President Donald Trump is planning to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan.

In the report, the Pentagon said that Afghanistan faces a continuing threat from an externally supported insurgency and the highest regional concentration of terrorist groups in the world.

"In this reporting period, the US continued to call on regional partners to reinforce our messages that state support for terrorist proxies will not be tolerated, that cross-border cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan is essential, and that the Taliban cannot achieve its objectives through continued military conflict," the Pentagon said.

"Although Pakistani military operations have disrupted some militant sanctuaries, certain groups such as the Taliban and the Haqqani Network retain freedom of movement in Pakistan. The United States continues to convey to all levels of Pakistani leadership the importance of taking action against all terrorist and militant groups," it said.

According to the report, the Haqqani network continues to be an integral part of the Taliban's effort to pressure the Afghan government in Kabul and eastern Afghanistan.

Sirajuddin Haqqani's role as a Taliban deputy probably increased Haqqani influence within the Taliban leadership, and resulted in an increase in Haqqani influence to areas outside its normal operating areas of Paktika, Paktiya, and Khost provinces in eastern Afghanistan, it said.

The Afghanistan-Pakistan border region remains a sanctuary for various groups, including the Taliban, al-Qaeda core (AQ), al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), the Haqqani Network (HQN), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), ISIS-K, East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).

Terrorist sanctuaries on both sides of the border present security challenges for Afghanistan and Pakistan and pose a threat to regional security and stability, the report said.

The South Asia Strategy, which was announced by Trump in August 2017, has focused on pressuring Pakistan to limit support and safe-haven for proxy terrorist and militant groups and to play a constructive role in facilitating Afghan reconciliation, the Pentagon said.

"Regional efforts in the South Asia Strategy aim to expand burden sharing, neutralize potential spoilers to US and coalition efforts, limit threats to the United States and our allies and partners, and develop and support a durable political settlement in Afghanistan," the Pentagon said.

The South Asia strategy prioritises regional engagement to limit hedging against the Afghan government and create an international consensus for peace.

The Pentagon said the existence of more than 20 terrorist or insurgent groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan requires an Afghan-supported US platform in the region to monitor, contain, and respond to these threats.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A street vendor died and another suffered injuries after being stabbed allegedly by two drunken fellows during a scuffle in central Delhi's Jama Masjid area, police said Friday.

The incident took place Thursday night when all four were in an inebriated state, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Mohammad Aziz, they added.

On Thursday, an altercation broke out between the four street vendors over a petty issue after which the accused duo stabbed the other two, a senior police officer said.

He said the victims were rushed to a nearby hospital where Aziz succumbed to injuries. Sonu is still hospitalised and has been declared "unfit by the doctor" to issue statement to police, he added.

Based on the statements of the witnesses, the accused, Mohammad Azghar and Dilshad, were arrested, the officer said.

Police said the weapon (knife) used in commission of the crime has been recovered from their possession.

A case has been registered and the investigation taken up, the officer said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency on Friday arrested suspected mastermind of a fake Ponzi scheme who defrauded people online of around three billion rupees.

FIA Additional Director Cybercrime Circle Mohammed Younis said Ghulam Sarwar was arrested just when he was leaving from his residence to board a flight to Saudi Arabia.

"He is wanted on charges of committing 'online electronic currency fraud' amounting to 3 billion rupees from Karachi," he said.

Younis said Sarwar is a primary suspect in the online fraud case which has affected more than 17,000 people in the country.

According to the FIA officials, the suspect along with other accomplices operated a fake website called 'Channel Timez', with its address shown in Italy, which they used to receive money from people on the pretext of providing lucrative returns on dollar investments.

Sarwar and his partners ran the illegal Ponzi scheme known as "MLM" (Multi Level Marketing) by using the a website for which they had opened several binary accounts for the collection of money from people, Younis said.

"The customers were promised they would be given a profit at the rate of 1.5 per cent in US dollars in electronic currency (e-currency) on a daily basis. Using this method this gang collected some three billion rupees from the customers," he said.

He said the gang was also involved in the illegal business of selling of digital currencies, including Perfect Money, One Life and One Coin, which have been prohibited by the State Bank of Pakistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A local court on Friday awarded life sentence to suspended RJD MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav and two others convicted in a case related to raping a minor girl over two years ago.

Three others were sentenced to 10 years rigourous imprisonment in the case.

The court had convicted Yadav and the five others, including four women, on December 15 for the rape of the minor girl at his residence in Bihar Sharif on February 6, 2016.

Special MP and MLA court judge-cum-Additional District and Sessions Judge Parshuram Singh Yadav awarded life imprisonment to Raj Ballabh Yadav under sections 376 (rape) and 120(B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act.

Yadav, who is an MLA from Nawada, now stands to lose his membership of the Bihar Assembly.

According to section 8(3) of Representation of People Act, 1951, a person convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years shall be disqualified from the date of such conviction and shall continue to be disqualified for a further period of six years since his release.

The court also slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 on Yadav.

The two others who were also awarded life imprisonment were ordered to pay a fine of Rs 20,000 each. A fine of Rs 10,000 was imposed on the remaining three.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) suspended Yadav from the party on February 14, 2016, after he was named as accused in the rape case.

In its chargesheet, the Bihar police had also named a woman and her relatives as accused on the ground that they were supplying women and girls to the MLA.

Yadav had evaded arrest for a considerable time and finally surrendered after a local court issued a proclamation notice and an order to attach his properties.

He had later secured bail from Patna High Court, which was cancelled by the Supreme Court on November 24, 2016.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In yet another step towards improving ties, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi Friday held extensive talks under a newly established framework and agreed on "ten pillars" of cooperation to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

Wang, who arrived here early Friday morning, said he had a "very successful" meeting with Swaraj under the 'High Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges' that was decided upon during the Wuhan summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping.

"India-China relations have reached a new historical stage," he said at the inaugural session of 3rd India-China High Level Media Forum.

Swaraj, in her remarks, said she was satisfied with the outcome of her two-hour dialogue with Wang during which they discussed ways to expand cultural and people-to-people ties.

She said India and China have agreed on '10 pillars' of cooperation to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

The 10 pillars are cultural exchange, cooperation in films and television, cooperation in museum administration, cooperation sports, exchanges between youths, cooperation on tourism, exchanges between states and cities, cooperation in traditional medicine, cooperation in yoga and cooperation in education.

Bilateral cooperation has improved significantly after the Wuhan Summit, Swaraj said, noting that the militaries of two countries were also enhancing cooperation.

Wang described the new mechanism for cultural and people-to-people exchanges as a "major initiative" in the history of India-China ties.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A city court Friday issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh for not appearing before it in connection with a defamation case filed against him by the AIMIM.

The Eighth Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Padmavathi issued the non-bailable warrant and posted the matter to January 3 for further hearing.

AIMIM leader S A Hussain Anwar had filed a petition against the Congress leader in August 2016 alleging that he had defamed AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, saying the Hyderabad MP's party was contesting elections in other states for the sake of making money.

Later, speaking to reporters, the counsel for the petitioner, Mohammed Asif Amjad said they had issued notice to both Singh and the Editor of a Urdu daily, which carried the article, seeking apology and subsequently moved the court as they failed to respond.

Singh failed to appear before the court and also did not file any petition seeking exemption from appearance, forcing the judge to issue a non-bailable warrant against him, the counsel said.

However, the Editor of the newspaper had filed a petition seeking exemption from personal appearance, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former youth Congress leader Sushil Kumar Sharma, serving life term for the murder of his wife Naina Sahni in 1995, is to be released "forthwith", the Delhi High Court directed Friday saying various positive recommendations underline his readiness to be integrated in the society.

56-year-old Sharma has already undergone over two decades of incarceration in the 'Tandoor murder' case.

While allowing his plea for release from jail, a bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said: "It is incumbent upon us to observe that the recommendations of Social Welfare Department, probationary officer and prison authorities which clearly and unequivocally allure to reformation of Sharma have not been accorded due weightage in determining his representation.

"The positive recommendation underlines his readiness to be reintegrated in the society. It also records that Sharma is in semi open jail and participating in construction work."



Sharma had shot dead his wife in 1995, objecting to her alleged relationship with a male friend. He had then attempted to burn her body in a restaurant oven.

Tandoor murder case is one of the landmark cases in India in which DNA evidence and a second autopsy were used to establish the guilt of the accused.

The high court set aside and quashed recommendations of the sentence review board (SRB) which had rejected Sharma's representation for pre-mature release.

It also set aside the "non-speaking affirmation" of SRB's recommendations by the Lieutenant Governor, who is the competent authority.

The board, which was constituted in 2004 as per Supreme Court directives and is chaired by the Delhi Home Minister, decides on the pleas of convicts and other related issues. The board also has representatives of Tihar Jail, Delhi Police and Home Department as its members.

It examines the records of those who have spent more than 14 years in jail and those who were given life term.

Advocate Amit Sahni, representing Sharma, had said that guidelines on premature release state that life convicts sentenced for a single offence are to be released after completion of 20 years of incarceration and those who had committed heinous crimes are to be granted the relief after 25 years.

The bench said the board cannot say that it is not bound by the guidelines, particularly, in view of the circumstances that it owes its very existence to them.

"SRB is bound by law to strictly adhere to the guidelines in the discharge of recommending function to review sentence of prisoner and refer them for release to the LG in appropriate cases," it said.

"There is no manner of doubt in our mind that the brief recommendation rejecting Sharma's representation suffers from vice of arbitrariness and illegality," the court held.

It added that to continue Sharma's incarceration, it was was incumbent upon the State to provide cogent and compelling reasons for his detention but they were absent here.

"Even after accepting the State's submission to the effect that the cap of 25 years in the guidelines do not warrant automatic release of a persons, we are of the view that Sharma's incarceration by the state does not admit of lawful sanction.

"In view of the foregoing discussion, we are of the view that SRB rejected Sharma's recommendation for pre-mature release arbitrarily and without due application of mind to the guidelines," the bench said.

The court said the incarceration of a convicted prisoner such as Sharma should not result in the suspension of all his fundamental rights and he should not be denuded of the rights enshrined in every person within the meaning of Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty) of the Constitution.

It said the issues in the matter are decided in favour of Sharma and against the state and said, "we accordingly direct that the state shall release Sushil Sharma forthwith. The writ petition is allowed."



In his petition, Sharma had said even though his case falls in the first category, he had also undergone 29 years of incarceration, with remission, and 23 years and six months, without remission.

Remission is part of sentence which is granted to an accused by accessing his behaviour and conduct during his stay in jail, on interim bail or parole or furlough. Remission is added to the sentence undergone by a prisoner in jail.

Sharma had also contended that his conduct in prison and while out on parole has been "exemplary" and he has never misused his liberty.

Sharma, who is in prison since 1995, had contended that he has already undergone the maximum prescribed sentence as mandated under the SRB guidelines.

Delhi government standing counsel (criminal) Rahul Mehra had said the LG, who is the competent authority to decide the premature release of convicts, had accepted SRB recommendations not to release Sharma and all records were put before him.

Sharma was awarded capital punishment by a trial court in November 2003 and it was confirmed by the high court in February 2007.

He appealed against the verdict in the Supreme Court which commuted the death penalty to life imprisonment in October 2013.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court Friday ordered "forthwith" release of former youth Congress leader Sushil Kumar Sharma, serving life term for the murder of his wife Naina Sahni in 1995.

Sharma has already undergone over two decades of incarceration in the case.

A bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Sangita Dhingra Sehgal passed the order.

Now 56, Sharma had shot dead his wife in 1995, objecting to her alleged relationship with a male friend. He had then chopped her body into pieces and attempted to burn it in a restaurant oven.

Known as the Tandoor (oven) murder case, it is one of the landmark cases in India in which DNA evidence and a second autopsy were used to establish the guilt of the accused.

The high court set aside and quashed the recommendations of the sentence review board (SRB) which had rejected Sharma's representation for pre-mature release.

It also set aside the "non-speaking affirmation" of SRB's recommendations by the Lieutenant Governor, who is the competent authority.

"We accordingly direct that the state shall release Sushil Sharma forthwith," the bench said.

The court had earlier issued notice to the Delhi government and sought its stand on Sharma's plea seeking release from custody on the grounds that he has been jailed for over two decades, including the period of remission, and his continued incarceration was illegal.

Sharma, who is in prison since 1995, had contended that he has already undergone the maximum prescribed sentence as mandated under the SRB guidelines.

Advocate Amit Sahni, appearing for Sharma, had said that guidelines on premature release state that life convicts sentenced for a single offence are to be released after completion of 20 years of incarceration and those who had committed heinous crimes are to be granted the relief after 25 years.

Delhi government standing counsel (criminal) Rahul Mehra had said the LG, who is the competent authority to decide the pre-mature release of convicts, had accepted SRB recommendations not to release Sharma and all records were put before him.

In his petition, Sharma had said even though his case falls in the first category, he had also undergone 29 years of incarceration, with remission, and 23 years and six months, without remission.

Sharma had also contended that his conduct in prison and while out on parole has been "exemplary" and he has never misused his liberty.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
/ -- The dynamic personality that conjured more than a whopping 1,500 Cr from a small amount of 40K is Mr. Kulwinder Singh Kohli, the Non-Executive Chairman of the well-diversified, Frankfinn Group.

At the age of 31, when his peers were focusing on stabilizing in their 'job-roles', Mr. Kulwinder Singh Kohli, a trained criminal lawyer, became an entrepreneur. He launched his first company Frankfinn Medico Infoservices Pvt. Ltd. in 1993 with just 40,000 INR, borrowed from a close friend; thus laying down the foundation of a group that has grown multi-folds in the subsequent years.

Although his initial business venture was doing well, and even his law career was bringing him unprecedented fame, Mr. Kulwinder Singh Kohli wanted to diversify into a business, in education, in the field of glamour that had a potential to get a pan-India presence and subsequently reach the international markets.

The visionary in Mr. Kulwinder Singh Kohli lead him to explore the potential in Aviation industry, which was undergoing transformation owing to the liberalization policies of the government, and this was the start of his journey in the skies.

One of his innovative achievements was the seven-day training program for preparing students to successfully face airline Cabin Crew selection interviews. He engaged seasoned and highly qualified faculty, who were no less than 'Dronacharyas' in their respective subjects and obviously costed a huge amount to the company. Their cost to the company was much higher than the other faculty who were generally hired by other Air Hostess training institutes. However, Mr. Kulwinder Singh Kohli was fully aware that if he had to make his mark in the industry, he had to raise the benchmark in training and post-training services to a much higher level. He made Innovation, Quality and Honesty as the pillars of the company.

At that point all other Air Hostess institutes/academies (approximately 450 pan-India), were run by ex-airline professionals, who had 20-30 years of experience in the industry to back them up. All these academies had one year courses, wherein they were providing the 'not-really-required' technical details. The minimum duration of the course at that time was 6 months; in fact, no other similar course was running with any shorter duration. The cost of these courses, way back in 1995 was approximately a humongous 1.5 lacs and that too, with no 'real' benefits for the students.

Whereas, Mr. Kulwinder Singh Kohli, who was not even from the industry, with his clear business vision and entrepreneurship skill to his benefit, studied the courses being taught by the leading Air-hostess academies and also, in parallel, studied the interview pattern of the Domestic and International Airlines. This study revealed a huge gap in what was being taught vs what was asked at the time of interview. Using the findings from the study, he hand-crafted a curriculum, which spread across seven days. The course curriculum was so comprehensive that it covered A to Z of all that was required to successfully clear the Cabin Crew interviews of all major airlines, leaving nothing to chance. When Mr. Kulwinder Singh Kohli launched the course, everyone from the industry was speculating that the seven-day course will not succeed and the company will close out soon. However, the Quality and Innovation paid off and Frankfinn became India's Number One Air Hostess training institute, with the largest number of Frankfinn students selected in airlines. Thereafter, the company never looked back and went on to become the World's Number One Air hostess training institute.

Mr. Kulwinder Singh Kohli, when he first commenced the education business, he defined Seven Brand values in the perspective, Value for Money, Quality, Fun, Innovation, Challenges, Royal, and Rebellious.

These continue to guide the working of the company even now.

Today, Frankfinn Aviation is transforming lives of many thousands of aspirants for jobs of Air Hostesses, Flight Stewards and Ground Hostesses, Air Ticketing Executives in Airlines and Guest Relation Executives, Front Office Executives in Hotels, Travel Industry and Customer Service Industries, empowering them with world-class opportunities across India. Frankfinn is the only institute in India with an exclusive worldwide tie-up with ICM, an institute of repute in the UK, having tie-ups with various reputed Universities, Colleges and Institutes across the Globe. Moreover - Frankfinn has tied up with Air India for detailed Cabin Service familiarisation program, for its students. At the end of this training, Frankfinn students receive a co-branded certificate from Air India. Frankfinn is also an approved Training Partner of NSDC (National Skill Development Corporation).

As per Mr. Kulwinder Singh Kohli, the Quality Training & Excellent Placements Track Record have always been the hallmarks for Frankfinn. This has been recognised through many awards received by the company such as the 'Best Training Partner 2017 - 2018' from the Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council, Award for 'Best Air Hostess Training Institute' - eight times in a row and the award for the 'Best Higher Vocational Institute for Skill Development - 2018' for the third time in a row from ASSOCHAM. The company's placements' record has also been highlighted in the Limca Book of Records.

Furthermore, the company has diversified into the arena of Music, Security, Modelling and Acting and Corporate Training with success. K5 Security, Frankfinn Institute Of Modeling & Acting, CorpExcel are some of the well recognised names in the country today.

Mr. Kulwinder Singh Kohli believes that the guiding principle of Frankfinn has always been to innovate, not imitate. Even when he transformed the training from a seven-day course to one year program, he diversified the program to include the fields of Hospitality, Travel, and Customer Service. He introduced 'swimming' in the curriculum, which was an industry requirement but ignored by other similar academies. This is one of the main reasons why Frankfinn has become the industry leader it is today, leaving its competition far behind.

To talk about the company's future prospects let us refer to a quote from the living legend, Mr Kulwinder Singh Kohli, "Within the next five years, our vision is to become one of the top ten companies globally in the aviation and music industries. To achieve this, we are contemplating major expansions and diversifications. We plan to soon launch our own regional airline called 'Air Frankfinn'."



Source: Frankfinn Aviation Services Pvt. Ltd.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thirteen miners died and up to 10 were injured after methane combustion at a mine in the east of the Czech Republic, a spokesman said Friday.

"In total we have 13 dead miners, 11 Polish and two Czech," Ivo Celechovsky, spokesman for the OKD mining company, told AFP.

The accident occurred at the CSM mine in the city of Karvina, about 300 kilometres (200 miles) east of Prague, on Thursday afternoon.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thousands of weary passengers remain stranded at Gatwick airport, the UK's second busiest, for the second day on Friday as police intensified their search for those responsible for the unprecedented chaos caused by unmanned drones ahead of the busy holiday season.

British Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said there was no evidence it was terror-related.

By Thursday night, 120,000 people had their flights cancelled, the BBC reported.

Gatwick's runway was reopened after on Friday and authorities said 765 flights were scheduled for departure and arrival.

Gatwick's Chief Operating Officer Chris Woodroofe said police had not yet found the drone operator. Police said it was possible they were an environmental activist.

He said extra "mitigating measures" from the government and military had given him "confidence to reopen" the airport.

The airport is expected to be "back to normal" by the end of Saturday, media reports said.

"We are now operating at almost normal runway conditions and the challenge for the airlines, as the result of this disruption, is that their planes are not all in the right place," Woodroofe said.

"So what we'll be doing today is recovering their operations so by tomorrow (Saturday) we are back to standard operation and continue to recover the situation for our passengers."



Thousands of passengers remain stranded at Gatwick as police continue their search for those responsible for the chaos, which started on Wednesday night, the report said.

The airport could not operate while the drones were in flight in case they hit and damaged a plane.

Officers have so far failed to locate the "industrial specification" drones or their pilot and had been considering plans to shoot a device down.

But Steve Barry, assistant chief constable at Sussex Police, said they were in a "much better position today".

He said there were a "number of lines of inquiry" into the "very malicious and criminal behaviour", including the possibility it could have been the work of an environmental activist.

Barry said a drone had last been seen at on Thursday night.

Gatwick boss Grayling called it a type of disruption "we've not seen before" and "lessons need to be learned".

He said the situation was "unprecedented, anywhere in the world".

"Every possible measure will be put in place to make sure this can't happen again," he said.

But he added there was "no simple solution" and "you can't fire weapons haphazardly around an airport".

Gatwick said the flights planned for Friday would have about 126,000 passengers on board. About 140 flights have been cancelled.

Woodroofe added: "My intention is to get those passengers to their destinations so that they can enjoy their Christmas."



As the West Sussex airport announced the reopening of its runway on Friday, some travellers were hopeful of getting airborne.

But others expressed concern that the operators of the drone had not yet been apprehended - and could go on to cause more havoc.

All weary travellers could do was monitor the arrival and departure boards - showing many cancellations and delays to flights - and hope their Christmas getaways would not be ruined.

The first flights in and out of Gatwick were Norwegian Air, Easyjet and BA departures and a China Eastern Airlines arrival from Shanghai.

Gatwick continues to advise passengers to check their flight status before turning up at the airport.

Gatwick's runway closed just on Wednesday night when two drones were spotted flying over the perimeter fence and into the airfield.

It briefly reopened at early on Thursday but was closed again about 45 minutes later due to further sightings. Outbound flights were grounded, while incoming planes were redirected to other airports.

Over 20 police units from two forces joined the search for the perpetrator, who could face up to five years in jail.

The military, with "a range of unique capabilities", was deployed to assist the police operation.

Superintendent Justin Burtenshaw, head of armed policing for Sussex and Surrey, said finding the drone's operator was "a difficult and challenging" prospect.

It is illegal to fly a drone within 1km of an airport or airfield boundary and flying above 400ft - which increases the risk of a collision with a manned aircraft - is also banned.

Endangering the safety of an aircraft is a criminal offence which can carry a prison sentence of five years.

The number of aircraft incidents involving drones has grown dramatically in the past few years, as the popularity of the devices has increased.

In 2013 there were zero incidents, compared to almost 100 last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thousands of weary passengers remain stranded at Gatwick airport, the UK's second busiest, for the second day on Friday as the Army was called in to help deal with the unprecedented crisis caused by drones, ahead of the busy holiday season.

As the airport resumed operations, British Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said there was no evidence it was terror-related.

By Thursday night, 120,000 people had their flights cancelled, the BBC reported.

Gatwick authorities said 765 flights were scheduled for departure and arrival on Friday.

Gatwick's Chief Operating Officer Chris Woodroofe said police had not yet found the drone operator. Police said it was possible they were an environmental activist.

He said extra "mitigating measures" from the government and military had given him "confidence to reopen" the airport.

The airport is expected to be "back to normal" by the end of Saturday, media reports said.

"We are now operating at almost normal runway conditions and the challenge for the airlines, as the result of this disruption, is that their planes are not all in the right place," Woodroofe said.

"So what we'll be doing today is recovering their operations so by tomorrow (Saturday) we are back to standard operation and continue to recover the situation for our passengers."



The UK's Civil Aviation Authority has said passengers were not entitled to compensation due to the extraordinary circumstances.

Grayling said he would talk to the insurance industry and hoped it would take an "enlightened view" on passengers' claims.

Police continue their search for those responsible for the chaos, which started on Wednesday night. The airport could not operate while the drones were in flight in case they hit and damaged a plane.

Officers have so far failed to locate the "industrial specification" drones or their pilot and had been considering plans to shoot a device down.

But Steve Barry, assistant chief constable at Sussex Police, said they were in a "much better position today".

He said there were a "number of lines of inquiry" into the "very malicious and criminal behaviour", including the possibility it could have been the work of an environmental activist.

Barry said a drone had last been seen at on Thursday night.

Gatwick boss Grayling called it a type of disruption "we've not seen before" and "lessons need to be learned".

He said the situation was "unprecedented, anywhere in the world".

"Every possible measure will be put in place to make sure this can't happen again," he said.

But he added there was "no simple solution" and "you can't fire weapons haphazardly around an airport".

Gatwick said the flights planned for Friday would have about 126,000 passengers on board. About 140 flights have been cancelled.

Woodroofe added: "My intention is to get those passengers to their destinations so that they can enjoy their Christmas."



As the West Sussex airport announced the reopening of its runway on Friday, some travellers were hopeful of getting airborne.

But others expressed concern that the operators of the drone had not yet been apprehended - and could go on to cause more havoc.

All weary travellers could do was monitor the arrival and departure boards - showing many cancellations and delays to flights - and hope their Christmas getaways would not be ruined.

The first flights in and out of Gatwick were Norwegian Air, Easyjet and BA departures and a China Eastern Airlines arrival from Shanghai.

Gatwick continues to advise passengers to check their flight status before turning up at the airport.

Gatwick's runway closed just on Wednesday night when two drones were spotted flying over the perimeter fence and into the airfield.

It briefly reopened at early on Thursday but was closed again about 45 minutes later due to further sightings. Outbound flights were grounded, while incoming planes were redirected to other airports.

Over 20 police units from two forces joined the search for the perpetrator, who could face up to five years in jail.

The military, with "a range of unique capabilities", was deployed to assist the police operation.

Superintendent Justin Burtenshaw, head of armed policing for Sussex and Surrey, said finding the drone's operator was "a difficult and challenging" prospect.

It is illegal to fly a drone within 1km of an airport or airfield boundary and flying above 400ft - which increases the risk of a collision with a manned aircraft - is also banned.

Endangering the safety of an aircraft is a criminal offence which can carry a prison sentence of five years.

The number of aircraft incidents involving drones has grown dramatically in the past few years, as the popularity of the devices has increased.

In 2013 there were zero incidents, compared to almost 100 last year.

Pilots' unions and aviation bodies in the UK have called for tougher measures and immediate action against drone-flying, including wider exclusion zones around airports.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three people, including a woman were killed in a clash over land dispute in Pursapur village in the district on Friday evening, police said.

The bodies have been sent for autopsy, they said.

In view of the tension, huge force has been deployed in the village under Khajni police station area to prevent any untoward action, they added.

The deceased are Durga Singh, 65, his wife Kamlavati, 50, and Munshi alias Manohar Yadav, whose age was not immediately known.

SSP SunilGupta, SP SouthVipal Kumar Srivastava and Circle Officer Khajni reached the site with heavy force.

"Police is identifying the people involved in attack from both the sides. As a precautionary measure force is deployed,"the SSP said.

As per reports, Durga Singh and Manohar Yadav had dispute over property.

A two-room house was sold to Manohar Yadav by Durga Singh's brothers Paras Singh and Dulare Singh for Rs 9 lakhs six months ago while Durga Singh opposed the deal.

Manohar Yadav had taken over the possession of the house and locked it.

On Friday, Durga Singh reached the site and unlocked the house and Manohar Yadav reached there with his armed accomplices.

After heated arguments with Durga, Manohar Yadav and his accomplices attacked him with sharp-edge weapons. Durga's wife Kamlavati rushed to save him but Yadav and his accomplice attacked her too.

Both the husband and wife died on the spot and the angry villagers reached the site in groups and attacked Manohar Yadav with sticks. Manohar later succumbed to his injuries at BRD medical college, police said.

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"Tiger Abhi Zinda Hai," says former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

The BJP leader, who served as chief minister 13 years before his party lost power to the Congress in the recently concluded elections, was speaking here to people from his constituency Budhni two days ago.

"Nobody needs to worry what will happen. I am still here. Tiger Abhi Zinda Hai (Tiger is still alive)," he said, evoking the title of a Salman Khan-starrer Bollywood film.

When a woman in the crowd said he would be the chief minister after five years, Chouhan replied, "May be it will not take five years."



It was apparently a dig at the Congress' tally which is two short of simple majority. With Congress getting 114 seats in the 230-member House, the Kamal Nath-led government is dependent on the support of the BSP, SP and independents.

BJP won 109 seats.

Chouhan, the longest-serving chief minister of the state, won his traditional Budhni seat in the November 28 election.

He hit out at the Congress government Thursday for setting a cut-off date of March 31, 2018 for its loan waiver scheme for farmers.

"I am not asleep but awake. I am keeping a hawk's eye on them (the new government)," he tweeted.

The Congress government has allotted a swanky bungalow to Chouhan, much bigger than houses usually allotted to MLAs. Chief minister Nath defended it by saying that allotment was as per the rules.

The bonhomie Chouhan enjoys with rival party leaders was on display the day Nath was sworn in. A beaming Chouhan was seen sharing stage with Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

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The controversial killing of tigress Avni, enforcement of plastic ban in the state and a fire in Aarey colony which wiped out a big chunk of the city's green 'lungs' dominated Maharashtra's scene during the year.

Avni, the six-year-old tigress and mother of two 11-month-old cubs, who allegedly killed 13 persons since June 2016, was shot in a controversial manner by sharpshooter Asgar Ali, son of famous sharpshooter Nawab Shafat Ali on November 2 this year.

The killing of the tigress triggered a full blown war of words between the forest minister in Maharashtra and union minister Maneka Gandhi, both belonging to the BJP.

Gandhi ripped into the minister for using a "trigger happy shooter" to kill Avni. "Despite several requests from many stakeholders, Sudhir Mungantiwar, ordered the killing," she said, and sought his resignation.

An inquiry panel later pointed out that rules were violated and doubts were expressed if the animal was actually killed in self-defence, as claimed by the state government.

On December 4, a massive fire erupted in Mumbais Aarey colony in suburban Goregaon, wiping out about four sq km of trees and other vegetation.

Minister for Ramdas Kadam termed the incident 'suspicious' and wrote to the state Home secretary to probe the cause of the blaze.

The fire triggered an alarm among environmentalists as it threatened to affect tribal residents in the city's biggest green lung. The fire brigade took nearly 12 hours to douse the flames.

Activists who have been labouring to save the Aarey area from encroachments alleged that these forest fires were not accidental. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) too got on the bandwagon and held a protest, with a large number of party workers gathering in the area.

The state government in March announced a ban on manufacture, use, sale, distribution and storage of plastic materials and gave three months to dispose of the existing stocks.

In a bid to make the ban more stringent, first time offenders will have to cough up Rs 5,000. For second time offenders, the fine will be Rs 10,000. Those who violate it for the third time will face a fine of Rs 25,000, along with imprisonment of three months.

As the year ended, Maharashtra was facing drought due to deficit rainfall this year. The government in October declared 151 talukas in 26 out of the total 36 districts in the state having 'drought-like' condition.

These 26 districts include eight each in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions, five in North Maharashtra, four in western Maharashtra and Palghar district in the coastal Konkan region.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis sought early Central assistance of Rs 7,962.63 crore from the Centre to tackle the drought.

The state government claimed 13 crore saplings were planted to increase green cover in the state. It said 20 per cent of the state is under forest cover, much less than the target of 33 per cent set by the national forest policy.

The state government also launched the Kanya Van Samruddhi Yojana scheme, under which around three lakh households in Maharashtra where a girl child was born in the last one year will get a gift of ten saplings each from the forest department.

The state government is on a memorial building spree, including that of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian sea, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray in suburban Dadar and BJP leader Gopinath Munde in Aurangabad at a collective cost of around Rs 5000 crore.

Social activists and environmentalists have termed these as ill-advised projects, which won't survive for very long even if completed.

Environmentalists claim that projects like the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji, the coastal road project and the Navi Mumbai airport would lead to rising tides and extreme climatic events.

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The federal government was careening toward a partial shutdown Friday after President Donald Trump's quest for a border wall left Congress without a clear plan to keep the government running past a midnight deadline.

The Senate was being called back to session to consider a package approved by House Republicans late Thursday that includes the USD 5.7 billion Trump wants for the border with Mexico.

It is almost certain to be rejected by the Senate. Senators already passed their own bipartisan package earlier in the week to keep the government running with border security at existing levels, USD1.3 billion, but no money for the wall.

Both bills would extend funding through February 8.

The White House said Trump will not travel to Florida on Friday as planned for the Christmas holiday if the government is shutting down. More than 800,000 federal workers will be facing furloughs or forced to work without pay if a resolution is not reached before funding expires at midnight Friday.

"The president's been clear from the beginning, he wants something that gives border security and he's not going to sign something that doesn't have that," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters.

At issue is funding for nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Interior, Agriculture, State and Justice, as well as national parks and forests.

Many agencies, including the Pentagon and the departments of Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services, are funded for the year and would continue to operate as usual.

The U.S. Postal Service, busy delivering packages for the holiday season, would not be affected by any government shutdown because it's an independent agency.

The shutdown crisis could be one of the final acts of the House GOP majority before relinquishing control to Democrats in January.

Congress had been on track to fund the government but lurched when Trump, after a rare lashing from conservative supporters, declared Thursday he would not sign a bill without the funding. Conservatives want to keep fighting.

They warn that "caving" on Trump's repeated wall promises could hurt his 2020 re-election chances, and other Republicans' as well.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., warned senators they may need to return to Washington for a vote Friday. Many senators already left town for the holidays.

"Now we find compromise," House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said. "We have time right now to get it done."



Late Thursday, the GOP-led House voted largely along party lines, 217-185, to attach the border wall money to the Senate's bill after GOP leaders framed the vote as a slap-back to Nancy Pelosi.

She is poised to become House speaker on January 3 and had warned Trump in a televised Oval Office meeting last week that he wouldn't have the votes for the wall.

House Republicans also tacked on nearly USD8 billion in disaster aid for coastal hurricanes and California wildfires.

Some Republicans senators cheered on the House, but prospects in the Senate are grim amid strong opposition from Democrats. Even though Republicans have a slim majority, 60 votes are needed to approve the bill there.

One possibility Friday is that the Senate strips the border wall out of the bill but keeps the disaster funds and sends it back to the House. House lawmakers said they were being told to stay in town for more possible votes.

With Pelosi's backing, the Senate-passed bill likely has enough support for House approval with votes mostly from Democratic lawmakers, who are still the minority, and some Republicans.

Others were not so sure. "I don't see how we avoid a shutdown," said retiring Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla.

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said he was not convinced after a White House meeting with GOP leaders that Trump would sign the Senate bill.

"I looked him in the eyes today, and he was serious about not folding without a fight," Meadows said.

Trump's sudden rejection of the Senate-approved legislation, after days of mixed messages, sent Republican leaders scrambling for options days before Christmas.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, exiting the hastily called meeting with Trump at the White House, said Thursday, "We're going to go back and work on adding border security to this, also keeping the government open, because we do want to see an agreement."



By afternoon, Trump shifted his terminology, saying he's not necessarily demanding a border wall but "steel slats" which is similar to the border security fencing already provided for in the bill.

"We don't use the word 'wall' necessarily, but it has to be something special to do the job," Trump said at a farm bill signing at the White House. The nuance could provide Trump a way to try to proclaim victory since the Senate bill includes money for fencing, but not the wall.

Democratic leaders have made clear they will not budge on their opposition to the border wall that Trump campaigned on saying Mexico would pay for it. Mexico has refused.

"The Trump temper tantrum will shut down the government, but it will not get him his wall," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Democrats favor border security, Schumer said, but he denounced the wall as "ineffective, unnecessary and exorbitantly expensive.

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Facing a midnight deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown, President Donald Trump said Friday a closure would drag on "for a very long time" and he tried to lay blame on congressional Democrats if there's no deal over his demand for US-Mexico border wall money.

Only a week ago, Trump said he would be "proud" to shut down the government, which Republicans now control, in the name of border security.

"I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down," he asserted.

But with the hours dwindling before the midnight deadline, Trump sought to reframe the debate and make Democrats the holdouts to settling an impasse that threatens hundreds of thousands of federal workers on the eve of the end-of-the-year holidays.

And he exhorted the Senate's Republican leader to corral enough Democratic votes to send a House-passed plan to the White House, even though the measure is almost certain to be rejected in the Senate.

"Senator Mitch McConnell should fight for the Wall and Border Security as hard as he fought for anything. He will need Democrat votes, but as shown in the House, good things happen. If enough Dems don't vote, it will be a Democrat Shutdown!" he tweeted.

Trump also encouraged McConnell, R-Ky., to change the Senate's rules in order to pass the spending bill, lowering the threshold for ending debate on legislation from 60 votes to 51, as it currently stands for judicial appointments.

"Mitch, use the Nuclear Option and get it done! Our Country is counting on you!," Trump tweeted, though McConnell has previously resisted the rules change.

The Senate has been called back into session to consider a package approved by House Republicans late Thursday that includes the USD 5.7 billion Trump wants for the border with Mexico.

Senators had passed their own bipartisan bill earlier in the week to keep the government running, with border security at existing levels, USD 1.3 billion, but no money for the wall. Both bills would extend government funding through February 8.

The White House said Trump would not travel to Florida on Friday as planned for the Christmas holiday if the government were shutting down.

More than 800,000 federal workers will be facing furloughs or forced to work without pay if a resolution is not reached before funding expires at midnight Friday.

At issue is funding for nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Interior, Agriculture, State and Justice, as well as national parks and forests.

Many agencies, including the Pentagon and the departments of Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services, are funded for the year and would continue to operate as usual.

The US Postal Service, busy delivering packages for the holiday season, would not be affected by any government shutdown because it's an independent agency.

The shutdown crisis could be one of the final acts of the House GOP majority before relinquishing control to Democrats in January.

Congress had been on track to fund the government but lurched when Trump, after a rare lashing from conservative supporters, declared Thursday he would not sign a bill without the funding.

Conservatives want to keep fighting. They warn that "caving" on Trump's repeated wall promises could hurt his 2020 re-election chances, and other Republicans' as well.

The GOP-led House voted largely along party lines, 217-185, to attach the border wall money to the Senate's bill. House Republicans also tacked on nearly USD 8 billion in disaster aid for coastal hurricanes and California wildfires.

Some Republicans senators cheered on the House, but prospects in the Senate are grim amid strong opposition from Democrats. Even though Republicans have a slim majority, 60 votes are needed to approve the bill there.

One possibility Friday is that the Senate strips the border wall out of the bill but keeps the disaster funds and sends it back to the House. House lawmakers said they were being told to stay in town for more possible votes.

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US President Donald Trump warned on Friday that a partial government shutdown would last "for a very long time" if the lawmakers do not approve money for his long-promised wall along the Mexico border.

The entire US government on Friday braced for an imminent shutdown because of the stalemate between the White House and the opposition Democrats on funding of the border wall.

The House of Representatives, where the Republicans currently enjoy a majority, has already passed such a bill.

But in the Senate the ruling Republican party needs additional eight votes from the Democrats to approve more than USD 5 billion for a wall across the US-Mexico border, which Trump argues is essential to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the US.

"The Democrats, whose votes we need in the Senate, will probably vote against Border Security and the Wall even though they know it is desperately needed. If the Dems vote no, there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time. People don't want Open Borders and Crime!" he said.

He said the Democrats would be responsible for such a shut down.

"The Democrats now own the shutdown!" Trump said in a tweet on Friday as



"Shutdown today if Democrats do not vote for Border Security!" he said.

"No matter what happens today in the Senate, Republican House Members should be very proud of themselves. They flew back to Washington from all parts of the World in order to vote for Border Security and the Wall. Not one Democrat voted yes, and we won big. I am very proud of you!" Trump said.

In another tweet Trump said the Democrats were trying to belittle the concept of a wall by calling it old-fashioned.

"The fact is there is nothing else that will work, and that has been true for thousands of years. It's like the wheel, there is nothing better," he said.

"I know tech better than anyone, & technology on a Border is only effective in conjunction with a wall. Properly designed and built walls work, and the Democrats are lying when they say they don't. In Israel the Wall is 99.9 per cent successful. Will not be any different on our Southern Border! Hundreds of USD Billions saved!" Trump said.

He asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to fight for the wall and border security as hard as he fought for anything.

"He will need Democrat votes, but as shown in the House, good things happen. If enough Dems don't vote, it will be a Democrat Shutdown! House Republicans were great yesterday!" he said.

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Two Nepalese men were found dead on Friday in a small cabin in a car parking area in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh, with police suspecting asphyxiation as the cause of death as they had lit a stove in the room.

The deceased were identified as Manbahadur (48), who worked as a watchman in the private parking area, and his close relative Jarang Bisht, police said.

When Manbahadur did not come out of his room, local residents informed the police. The room was closed from inside and they had to break open the door.

Manbahadur's body was found on the floor while Bisht's was on the bed.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Babita Rana said the bodies have been sent for post-mortem and their families have been informed.

The actual cause of death would be ascertained after receiving the post mortem report. However, preliminary inquiries have revealed that they may have died due to suffocation as they had lit a stove in the room, the police said.

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The UAE Friday said it will soon give USD 3 billion to cash-strapped Pakistan to bolster its foreign exchange reserves and the government's fiscal policies.

The UAE government's announcement came as Pakistan is negotiating a USD 8 billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to overcome a severe balance-of-payments crisis that threatens to cripple the country's economy.

The transfer of 11 billion dirhams (USD 3 billion) by the government-owned Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) to State Bank of Pakistan is expected to be carried out in the "coming days", the official WAM agency reported.

In Islamabad, Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday thanked the UAE government after it announced to provide USD 3 billion to bolster Pakistan's foreign reserves.

Khan who made two trips to the UAE since taking office in August took to Twitter to express gratitude to the friendly country.

"I want to thank the UAE govt for supporting Pakistan so generously in our testing times. This reflects our commitment and friendship that has remained steadfast over the years," he said.

The UAE's announcement of the financial support to Pakistan comes a week after its Finance Minister Asad Umar said that soon there will be an incoming investment package from the country's close ally Saudi Arabia that would be "the biggest foreign investment" in Pakistan's history.

The UAE'S support for Pakistan's fiscal policy is based on the historical ties between the two people and the two friendly countries and the desire to further develop the bilateral cooperation in all fields, the WAM report said.

Pakistan's all weather ally China has also pledged to provide a generous aid to Islamabad to overcome its financial woes. Beijing has not yet revealed the quantum of its financial support.

Prime Minister Khan has said Chinese President Xi Jinping has asked him not to reveal the amount.

Saudi Arabia has also announced that it will provide Pakistan USD 3 billion in balance of payment support and additionally give oil worth USD 3 billion on deferred payment after Prime Minister Khan met Saudi King Salman in Riyadh in October.

The Trump administration is making all efforts to ensure that any IMF loan to Pakistan is not used to repay its Chinese debt.

The US feels that the huge Chinese debt is responsible for Pakistan's economic challenges.

"We are working and making clear within the IMF that if it were going to supply any funding to Pakistan that it would not be used to repay Chinese loans," David Malpass, Under Secretary of Treasury for International Affairs, told lawmakers during a recent Congressional hearing.

There are concerns among American lawmakers that the Pakistan may use the IMF money to repay the Chinese debts.

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Friday inspected the ongoing works of the ambitious Purvanchal Expressway project of his government.

"The 340-km long Purvanchal Expressway project was launched by the prime minister on July 14 and our effort is to complete the earthwork by June 15," the chief minister said on the occasion.

Adityanath reiterated that all necessary steps were being taken by the government to carry out the construction work in a smooth manner.

"Big dumpers will come here bringing the heavy construction material which will damage the roads...the authorities carrying out the works have been instructed to give special emphasis on the repair works of roads so that it does not pose a problem for anyone," he said.

The Lucknow-Azamgarh-Ghazipur Expressway, renamed as Purvanchal Expressway, is an under-construction six-lane, divided and access-controlled highway.

It will connect Ghazipur and Azamgarh with state capital Lucknow.

The expressway is being developed by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority.

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Citing the Agra case in which a girl was burnt alive, BSP leader Mayawati Friday lashed out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh for its failure to fight crime, particularly that against women.

"It is a matter of grave concern that one girl is set on fire in Agra while another is subjected to gang rape, she said referring to two recent cases in the same district.

These incidents prove that hardened criminals are moving about freely in Uttar Pradesh," the Bahujan Samaj Party leader said in a statement.

The 15-year-old Dalit girl died Thursday at a Delhi hospital after being set on fire by two youths, who are yet to be traced.

Mayawati charged that the recent incidents and the state government's statements in the assembly showed that checking crime was not a priority for it.

"What to say about the honour of women, even their security is not being taken seriously," she alleged.

She said these incidents of crime against women soon after the Bulandshahr violence, in which a police inspector and a youth were killed by a mob protesting over alleged cow slaughter, had forced people to think there is no police or government worth its name in UP.

"The failure to nab the killers of the police officer in Bulandshahr even three weeks after the incident goes to prove the failure of the BJP government on the law and order front," she added.

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The Uttar Pradesh Navnirman Sena Friday said it will send veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah a air-ticket for Pakistan over his comments on the Bulandshahr violence.

The actor found himself at the centre of a major controversy over his remarks in reference to the killing of a policeman in Bulandshahr earlier this month.

He said the death of a cow was being given importance over killing of a policeman in the violence.

"If Naseeruddin Shah feels scared in India, he can go to Pakistan. The UPNS (Uttar Pradesh Navnirman Sena) has booked a air-ticket for him to Pakistan for August 14," UPNS chief Amit Jani said.

"Like him, if anybody else feels scared, the UPNS will also book air-tickets for them to Pakistan," he said.

Wondering why his comments on mob violence were being misconstrued with some people calling him a "traitor", actor Shah said Friday in Ajmer that he spoke as a "worried Indian" and has the right to express concerns about the country he loves.

"What I said earlier was as a worried Indian. I have said this earlier as well. What did I say this time that I am being called a traitor? It is very strange," Shah told reporters here at his alma mater, St Anselm's Senior Secondary School.

"I have to bear criticism. If they have the right to criticise, then I also have the same right. I am expressing concerns about the country I love, the country that is my home. How is that a crime?" he asked.

Shah was responding to a question about the backlash he is receiving on social media following his remarks.

The actor had expressed anxiety over the growing mob violence in a video interview with Karwan-e-Mohabbat India, which the organisation shared on its YouTube channel on Monday.

In the interview, the actor expressed concern over the well-being of his children, who he said have not been brought up as followers of any particular religion.

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The United States called on China to free two Canadians detained in apparent retaliation for Canada's arrest on Washington's behalf of an executive of Chinese telecom giant Huawei.

"We express our deep concern for the Chinese government's detention of two Canadians earlier this month and call for their immediate release," State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said Friday.

"Canada, a country governed by the rule of law, is conducting a fair, unbiased, and transparent legal proceeding with respect to Ms. Meng Wanzhou, the Chief Financial Officer of Huawei," Palladino said.

"Canada respects its international legal commitments by honouring its extradition treaty with the United States.

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Defence Secretary James Mattis, who batted for strong Indo-US military ties, has resigned, citing irreconcilable policy differences with Donald Trump after the US President shocked the Pentagon by deciding to withdraw American troops from strife-torn Syria.

Mattis, latest in a string of senior US officials to quit the Trump administration, in a letter to the president said that he should choose a person who is more in tune with his world view.

Trump announced the resignation in two tweets on Thursday evening, and said Mattis, will leave at the end of February.

According to reports, 68-year-old Mattis, a retired United States Marine Corps General, went to the White House on Thursday afternoon in a last attempt to convince Trump to keep US troops in Syria. He was rebuffed, and told the president that he was resigning as a result.

Separately on Thursday, there were reports the White House was also planning a sharp cut to troop numbers in Afghanistan.

In his extraordinary resignation letter, Mattis told Trump he had "the right to have a Secretary of Defence whose views are better aligned with yours".

Mattis' resignation letter, a Pentagon spokeswoman said was hand-delivered to the president.

In the letter, Mattis told Trump it was the "right time" for him to step down.

"The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department's interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February," Mattis said.

The Pentagon chief did not mention if he was resigning specifically over the troop withdrawal decision, which has surprised US allies and even Republican lawmakers.

Mattis was a great advocate of strong Indo-US defence relationship and New Delhi's growing role in the strategic Indo-Pacific amidst China flexing its muscles in the region.

Earlier this month, Mattis hosted Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the Pentagon for talks on India-US defence relationship.

"The US-India relationship is a natural partnership between the world's oldest and the world's largest democracy," Mattis had said then.

He visited India in September for the inaugural India-US 2+2 Dialogue.

In April this year, Mattis appealed to Congress to urgently provide India the national security waiver, saying imposing sanctions on it for buying the S-400 air defence missile system from Russia would only hit the US.

Analysts say the withdrawal of troops will please US enemies by clearing the way for Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime, Russia and Iran. Mattis had warned that removing ground forces from the Middle Eastern country would be a "strategic blunder". Currently, there are about 2,000 US forces in Syria.

After Mattis sent his resignation, Trump said, "General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my administration as secretary of defense for the past two years.

"During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting...," he said on Twitter.

He said a new secretary of defence will be named shortly.

Mattis and Trump reportedly have had differences on several foreign policy matters, including Syria and Afghanistan. Reports say the president is also considering a drawdown of US troops from the 17-year-long bloody conflict in Afghanistan.

Mattis said in his resignation letter that he believes the US must be resolute in its approach to countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with America's.

"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues," he stressed.

"We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances," he added.

Mattis is the latest senior administration to leave Trump's Cabinet, after former Attorney General Jeff Sessions was pushed out in November, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was unceremoniously fired in March and national security adviser H R McMaster was replaced earlier this year.

Defending his decision on Thursday to withdraw US troops from Syria, Trump tweeted that the US does not want to be the "policeman" of the Middle East. In his resignation letter, Mattis said, "Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world.

"Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defence, including providing effective leadership to our alliances."



Mattis' celebrated military career spanned four decades. Prior to joining Trump's Cabinet, the four-star general was the head of US Central Command, which directs military operations and oversaw the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He was known before and during his White House tenure for his even-keeled demeanour and strategic mind and is broadly held in high esteem among Republicans and Democrats alike.

"I'm shaken by the because of the patriot that Secretary Mattis is," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

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The Trump administration's special envoy for North Korea has expressed optimism about the diplomatic push to resolve the nuclear crisis a day after the North issued a surprisingly blunt statement saying it will never disarm unless the US removes what it calls a nuclear threat.

Stephen Biegun says ahead of a meeting with South Korean officials on Friday the allies are committed to ending seven decades of hostility and creating a "new, brighter future for all of the Korean people."



He did not directly address the North Korean statement, which jarred with Seoul's rosier presentation of the North Korean position and could potentially rattle the fragile diplomacy between Washington, Seoul and Pyongyang to defuse a nuclear crisis that last year had many fearing war.

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In a first of its kind, a top American industry advocacy group will open its Bihar chapter to become partners in the development and facilitation of investments in the state.

The US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF), whose membership comprises of Fortune 500 companies, announced its decision following a industry roundtable with the visiting Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.

Modi, along with a high powered state delegation comprising Health Minister Mangal Pandey and other senior officials, is currently on a visit to the US as part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's funded Bihar Technical Support Program.

Hosted by the USISPF, the roundtable on Wednesday was attended by representatives from some of the top American companies like Amazon, FMC and Qualcomm, whose officials expressed their keen interest in becoming a partner in Bihar's developmental journey.

The business leaders were apprised of the double-digit growth Bihar has achieved over the last decade and the vast investment opportunity it offers in sectors like agri-technology, food processing, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, energy and skill development among others.

Encouraged by the interest of US industries in the state, Gaurav Verma, chief operating officer of USISPF, announced to open a Bihar Chapter under the Strategic Partnership Forum to enable development of partnerships and facilitation of investments in an organised manner.

"The first of its kind initiative by this American industry advocacy group is aimed at establishing a 'true partnership' between Bihar, which is the fastest growing Indian State and the business and industry leaders in the United States, which is the world's largest economy," Verma said.

During the roundtable several business leaders showed interest to invest in Bihar considering wide opportunities.

Shawn Whitman from Agri-chem firm FMC (Food Machinery Corporation) expressed interest in exploring investment opportunities in agriculture technology and making Bihar their base for Eastern India, a media release said.

Similarly, Ron Somers representing the pharmaceutical innovator Gilead Sciences expressed interest in volunteer licensing to enable availability of top-line drugs for treating illnesses like Hepatitis, HIV and Kala-azar at low and affordable prices.

Other business groups expressed interest to invest in the arenas of technology, higher education among others.

David Roth from Amazon explained how organised retail is growing in Bihar and hoped to create more jobs by setting up logistics and distribution chains in the state.

The delegation from Bihar also had a meeting with World Bank officials in Washington DC, seeking help to address its major socio-economic challenges, in addition to improving its infrastructure.

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South African media giant Naspers says its USD 660 million investment in online food delivery platform Swiggy demonstrates the company's commitment to multiple sectors in India.

Naspers' investment made up the bulk of a USD 1 billion investment in Swiggy, announced on Thursday, that also included Chinese giant Tencent and several others.

Tencent has a 31 per vent stake in Naspers, which is Africa's largest company with a market capitalisation of 1.23 trillion rands.

Naspers earlier led a USD 540 million investment in Indian online learning app BYJU.

"Indian online consumers will be a significant driver of online growth in the world, and in addition to food and education, Naspers' investments and operations in India include online classifieds business, OLX; MakeMyTrip, the leading online travel company; and payments company, PayU, Naspers said in a statement.

The quality of the best Indian entrepreneurs and their ability to build innovative businesses that address the unique needs of the Indian consumer offer unparalleled growth opportunities, Naspers added.

We first partnered with Swiggy in April 2017 because we recognised the Swiggy team had built a sustainable, long-term business, that stood out amongst others in India, said Larry Illg, CEO Food and Ventures, Naspers.

Now, nearly two years later, we have even more confidence that Swiggy has the winning formula and will continue to build a leading business in the country.

Our latest round of capital will help to accelerate Swiggy's journey towards its vision of providing unmatched convenience in food ordering and delivery for Indian consumers, Illg said.

As we add more firepower to our vision of elevating quality of life for urban consumers by offering unparalleled convenience, we're pleased that visionary global investors share our purpose and have made such a significant investment in our future, said Swiggy CEO Sriharsha Majety.

Swiggy will use the latest funding to expand further in India, to bring more quality food brands closer to consumers and address gaps in supply through delivery-only kitchens under the 'Access' initiative for restaurant partners.

Additionally, Swiggy will use the capital to hire top-notch talent, especially for machine learning and engineering roles across mid and senior levels. delivery.

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The Bhawan-Bhairon passenger ropeway project, which aims to make travel easier for Mata Vaishnodevi pilgrims, will be inaugurated on December 24, officials said Friday.

"The Bhawan-Bhairon passenger ropeway project will be commissioned on Monday and it will be operational for the pilgrims visiting the cave shrine in Trikuta hills of Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district", CEO of Shri MataVaishnodevi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) Simrandeep Singh told PTI.

Singh said the trial runs have been successful, with respect to "run, loads, safety system and emergency mechanism. The system certificate has also been issued, officials said.

"Governor Satya Pal Malik will inaugurate the ropeway project on December 24", the CEO said. The ropeway project works had been undertaken by the joint venture of Garaventa AG, Switzerland and Damodar RopewaysConstruction Co (P) Ltd, Kolkata, under the supervision of RITES.

The equipment and cabins of the ropeway have been imported from Switzerland, Singh said, adding the system was being fully equipped in accordance to safety regulations.

The ropeway has a carrying capacity of 800 persons per hour and pilgrims to the cave shrine will be able to comfortably pay obeisance at Bhaironji Temple which was earlier difficult, particularly for the elderly and specially-abled, owing to the steep climb to an altitude of 6,600 feet, officials said.

The trial and testing of the project formally began on November 26 and has concluded, said Singh. Besides trial and testing of the passenger ropeway, mock rescue and evacuation drills were conducted, simultaneously the shrine board staffers have been trained for the same, officials said.

The disaster management task force (DMTF) of the shrine board had organised rescue and evacuation drills. The director security and enforcement Suresh Sharma, along with a platoon of 'sahayaks' and a section of SDRF team from Reasi, participated in the rescue drills last week.

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Christian James Michel, arrested in the VVIP chopper case, sought in a Delhi court Friday that he be lodged in a separate cell as other inmates were putting "uncomfortable questions" to him.

Michel said he apprehends that any wrong statement made by any of them upon release may go against him as also the interest of the case.

The court asked the Tihar jail authorities here to respond to his plea.

Michel has said in his application that he has been shifted to a cell with 40 more inmates who are "trying to interact" with him in a detailed manner, asking him questions pertaining to the pending investigation.

"It is even trite to mention that the safety of the persons who are interacting with the accused (in the cell) may at some point of time be in jeopardy. It is informed by the accused (Michel) that the residents in the cell are putting uncomfortable questions to him which otherwise affect the personal liberty of the accused," the application said.

He also said that he is a British citizen and should be provided with "decent facilities" as per the rules.

Michel, arrested in the UAE and extradited to India on December 4, was on Wednesday sent to Tihar jail after being remanded in judicial custody till December 28.

Special Judge Arvind Kumar asked the jail authorities to respond to Michel's application, filed through advocate Aljo K Joseph and Vishnu Shankar, in which he has sought a direction to "Superintendent of Tihar Jail to allocate a separate cell to accused Christian James Michel".

The court also issued production warrant for Michel and asked the jail authorities to produce him before it on Saturday on the plea of Enforcement Directorate, which has lodged a separate money laundering case in the chopper deal.

The ED's plea was filed through advocates D P Singh and Naveen Matta.

Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The other two are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa.

The court is also scheduled to pronounce on Saturday its order on the bail plea of Michel.

In his application, Michel has said that on December 19, he was lodged separately in a cell at Tihar jail but during the night of December 19-20, he was shifted to a general cell where more than 40 inmates were accommodated.

"It is submitted that the accused is a foreign national and a citizen and passport holder of the United Kingdom. It is needless to mention that decent facilities need to be provided to him as per the Rules," the plea said.

He said that his interaction with other inmates in the jail might go against the interest of investigation as well as his rights in the prison.

"It is pertinent to mention here that few of the co- prisoners in custody where the accused is placed now are likely to the released in a few days either on parole or on bail in the forthcoming days," the plea said.

"The accused apprehends that any wrong statements made by any of them through any media interaction may go against the interest of the accused as well the free and fair investigation and trial, which the Constitution of India guarantees," it said.

He should be kept in a separate cell to avoid "scandalous remarks" by inmates, it added.

He has said the court should protect his rights and dignity and ensure a fair investigation and trial in the case.

The application said that it is one of the rare cases in which the accused is seeking "absence of contact" with any other prisoners during judicial custody.

"Therefore the accused apprehends the possibility of any person who has had any contact or any chance of contact with the accused at this stage may make random statements which may affect a free and fair investigation as well and the dignity of the accused at this stage," it said.

In September 2015, the Indian authorities had issued an arrest warrant against Michel and had applied a Red Corner Notice through INTERPOL, against him.

The CBI has alleged there was an estimated loss of Euro 398.21 million (about Rs 2,666 crore) to the exchequer in the deal that was signed on February 8, 2010 for the supply of VVIP choppers worth Euro 556.262 million.

The ED, in its charge sheet filed against Michel in June 2016, had alleged that he received EUR 30 million (about Rs 225 crore) from AgustaWestland.

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The water level in the 370-feet-deep rat-hole mine receded by a few inches Friday as efforts continued for the ninth day to rescue 15 trapped miners in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district, police said.

The miners reportedly got trapped in the illegal coal pit on December 13 after water from the nearby Lytein river gushed into it. Incessant rains on Tuesday further increased water levels, hindering rescue operations.

Currently, rescuers are pumping out the water to reach to the miners and over 100 personnel of the centre and the state disaster response forces are working along with local police in the operation.

"Pumping out water is on with the hope that the water level will recede," Superintendent of Police (SP) of East Jaintia Hills district, S Nongtynger, told PTI.

A doctor here said that time is running out and the miners might be at a very high risk if the rescue operation takes long. "They have been without food and water we were informed. Time is running out for them if that is the case. Every minute is precious and authorities have to sort out the problem at the earliest," he said.

Mining expert and award winning rescuer Jaswant Singh Gill Thursday visited the spot and suggested that the state government should seek help of Coal India in the rescue operation.

Gill, who shot to fame after he successfully rescued 64 miners from a flooded quarry in West Bengal in 1989, also expressed concern after seeing the water level in the mine, a police officer said.

"As it is established that water that got in the mine was from the nearby river, we have to find out the location and plug it to prevent further water flow into the mine," Gill had told reporters.

"I have also advised the government to request Coal India to bring 4 to 5 high power submersible pumps which can be returned after use," he had said.

The district authorities are now in the process of sending Gill's advise to the state government, a senior district official told PTI on Friday.

Meanwhile, a National Green Tribunal (NGT) committee has asked the state government to pay compensation to the next of kin of all who have been killed in mine accidents in the state.

A top government officer, who deposed before the committee in its sitting here Thursday, has informed it that the state government will compensate Rs 1 lakh to the next of kin of the 15 miners. He also informed the committee that there were no records available of any other such accidents in the state.

"The state government did not have records of any such deaths and injuries caused during mining activities," Committee chairman B P Kakoti said.

He added, "I told them of the need to create awareness on safety and scientific mining following all labour laws."



Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has said that all efforts are on to rescue the victims.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The water level in a flooded mine in Meghalaya receded a few inches on Friday, holding out a sliver of hope for the survival of the more than dozen men who have been trapped inside the illegal coal pit since December 13 without any food and water, police said.

As frantic rescue efforts continued for the ninth day in the mine in East Jaintia Hills district, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said it is a major challenge and time is running out.

The water in the 370-feet-deep rat hole mine initially increased after the levels in the nearby Lytein river went up. Water from the river gushed into the pit on December 13, trapping the miners.

At present only two high power pumps are being used to flush out the water from the flooded mine.

"We need more pumps. That is the crux of the matter as time is running out to rescue the miners alive," the chief minister told PTI at his office here.

About 200 high power pumps are needed to flush out the water from the flooded mine, he said.

"The local people are saying this and that is the scale of work we are looking at. It is a major challenge as time is running out," he added, expressing his concern about the survival of the trapped men who many fear could be dead.

According to Superintendent of Police (SP) of East Jaintia Hills district (SP), S Nongtynger, work on pumping out water is on with the hope that the water level will recede.

Rescue efforts have been futile since the water level in the flooded mine in East Jaintia Hills district has not receded since December 13.

Over 100 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) as well as the state police are camping on top of the mine.

The lives of the miners are at a very high risk if the rescue operation continues without much results, warned a doctor from a leading hospital.

"They have been without food and water we were informed. Time is running out for them if that is the case. Every minute is precious and authorities have to sort out the problem at the earliest possible time," he said.

Mining expert and award winning rescuer Jaswant Singh Gill on Thursday visited mine and suggested that the state government seek help from Coal India.

Gill, who shot to fame after he successfully rescued 64 miners from a flooded quarry in West Bengal in 1989, arrived at Lumthari village in the district and expressed concern after seeing the water level at the mine and on receiving inputs about rat hole mining practised in the state, a police officer said.

"As it is established that water that got in the mine was from the nearby river, we have to find out the location and plug it to prevent further water flow into the mine," Gill told reporters.

"I have also advised the government to request Coal India to bring four to five high power submersible pumps which can be returned after use," he said.

The district authorities are in the process of sending Gill's advice to the state government, a senior district told PTI on Friday.

The chief minister also said he is yet to get an official report from the deputy commissioner on the recommendations made by Gill, the former mining engineer and mine expert.

A National Green Tribunal (NGT) committee has asked the state government to pay compensation to the next of kin of all who have been killed in mine accidents in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The White House said on Friday it will not comment on any future strategic developments, amid media reports that US President Donald Trump has asked the Pentagon to prepare a plan for a significant troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The White House has ordered the Pentagon to draw up plans for a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, NBC reported quoting two defense officials.

The White House has asked the Pentagon to look into multiple options, including a complete withdrawal, the report said.

"We are not going to comment on future strategic developments," Garrett Marquis, spokesman of the National Security Council, the White House told PTI when asked about the reports.

The US currently has 15,000 troops on the ground in Afghanistan.

According to multiple media outlets, Trump wants to reduce the strength of his troops by 7,000.

The White House has not responded to questions related to this except for saying that it does not want to comment on any future strategic decision.

Congressman Mac Thornberry, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he was deeply disturbed by reports that the administration is planning to cut the number of American troops in Afghanistan by half.

"Among my concerns are that such a move would complicate the remaining troops ability to protect themselves, cause coalition partners to reduce their presence as well and set back progress in helping the Afghan security forces be able to provide for their country's security," Thornberry said.

He said it will relieve pressure on the Taliban at a critical juncture in peace negotiations and allow ISIS, al Qaeda and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan to rebuild and eventually launch terrorist attacks against Americans.

"Considerable progress has been made in the last two years against terrorist organisations in a variety of places around the world. Reducing the American presence in Afghanistan and removing our presence in Syria will reverse that progress, encourage our adversaries, and make America less safe," Thornberry said.

Trump shocked the Pentagon this week by deciding to withdraw American troops from Syria, saying the US has "defeated" the Islamic State group in the strife-torn country.

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MLA Alka Lamba said Friday night she will tender her resignation as "demanded" by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejrwal over she not supporting a resolution in the assembly on revoking late PM Rajiv Gandhi's Bharat Ratna.

The Delhi Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in which it was demanded that the Bharat Ratna awarded to former prime minister be withdrawn, but the swiftly distanced itself from the reference to the Congress leader.

The matter became a major crisis with MLA Alka Lamba alleging she was "put under pressure" to support the resolution, which she resisted and boycotted.

Lamba said she was ready to face "any consequences" and claimed she spoke to AAP supremo and CM Kejriwal who, she said, asked her to resign as MLA. "I am ready to do so", she said.

The Chandni Chowk MLA said she was not happy with the demand to take back Bharat Ratna from Gandhi and staged a walkout in protest.

Interestingly, the AAP later distanced itself from the resolution.

"After I staged a walkout, I got a message from the chief minister to tender my resignation," she told PTI.

When asked whether she will quit, Lamba added, "I have won on a party ticket. I will tender my resignation as demanded by the party," the former Youth Congress leader said.

In a tweet, she said, "I was asked to support the resolution demanding taking back the Bharat Ratna awarded to former Prime Minister Since I didn't agree to this, I staged a walk out. I am ready to accept whatever punishment given to me.
With an eye on next year's general elections, Tourism Minister KJ Alphons has reached out to the Christian community to highlight the achievements of the government.

Alphons, considered to be the Christian face of the BJP-led government, has written letters to more than 300 bishops across the country and while wishing them for Christmas, he has listed the work done by the government for the "downtrodden".

"Happy May the peace and joy of the Lord be with you and your diocese. More than ever, the world needs to get together, and not build walls. I take this opportunity to place on record the good services being rendered by the Church in the field of education, health care and welfare of the downtrodden.

"It has been my privilege to serve the people of as the Minister of Tourism under the leadership of the Honorable Prime Minister. In all humility, kindly permit me to list some of the things government has done for the downtrodden," Alphons said, listing ten such things.

The list includes construction of 95 million toilets, distribution of 58 million LPG cylinders, opening of 300 million bank accounts for the weaker sections, 26.3 million houses, free medical treatment for the poor up to Rs 500,000, life insurance policies and accident cover of Rs 200,000 for them, among others.

Sources close to the minister said that he writes to the bishops before every Christmas, however, this time around with elections round the corner, Alphons has made a special effort to reach out to the community.

"Whenever the Church had an issue, I have taken it up with the appropriate authorities and most often we have been able to find a solution," the minister said in the letter.
A day after the LDF government rejected the allegations of fund diversion for the proposed 'Vanitha Mathil' (Wall of Women) in the Kerala High Court, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Friday said no money would be spent from the state exchequer for the programme.

He also dismissed propaganda that the left government was spending Rs 50 crore from state funds, earmarked for women's welfare programmes, for the initiative scheduled to be held on January 1.

The Wall of Women is against any attempt to push society back to the dark ages from its progressive values, the chief minister said.

"Leaving no room for doubt, it is made clear that the government will not spend any money from the state exchequer for it.

But, we will give all support for the programme. The government stand is that we will not backtrack from the progressive path. It does not mean that the government will meet the expenses of the initiative," he said at an employees' programme here.

State Finance minister T M Thomas Isaac said the 'Wall of Women' is an "official programme" of the government but not a single penny would be spent from the state exchequer.

However, Opposition Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala Friday lashed out at the government, saying it was "cheating" the people of the state in the name of 'Wall of Women' and trying to spend government funds.

"Even though the government is claiming that it won't use money from the state exchequer, ithad submitted an affidavit in the High Court, saying it would use Rs 50 crore from the government fund.

Now, their cheating has been caught red-handed and they are trying to cover up their mistake," he told reporters here.

Vijayan, earlier this month, had announced the'Women's Wall' would be formed on January 1 from the northerndistrict of Kasaragode to the southern most district ofThiruvananthapuram "to demonstrate the secular and progressivemindset of the state."



He had announced the decision after a meeting with over 50 socio-cultural organisations here, convened in the wake of the Sabarimala women entry issue.

The opposition Congress-led UDF and BJP had flayed the left government, saying it would create a 'communal divide' among the people and alleged that the government was misusing its machinery and welfare funds for the programme.

While considering petitions opposing the utilisation of public funds to organise the programme, the Kerala High Court Thursday had directed the government to inform it of the expenditure incurred to conduct the programme.

A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Hrishikesh Royand A K Jayasankaran Nambiar, also recorded the government's statement that no flood relief fund would be used fororganising the programme.

The CPI(M)-led LDF government had submitted that there was no diversion of money from the flood relief fund for the 'vanitha mathil', which, it said, was a totally different programme under the Women and Child Development Department.

"The Vanitha Mathil is to be considered as a campaign or event of the government forempowerment of women and to bridge the gap of gender equality," the government said.

"An amount of Rs 50 crore is earmarked for various schemes aimed at preventing atrocities against women," it submitted.

Meanwhile, Congress MLA K C Joseph submitted a breach of privilege notice to Assembly speaker P Sreeramakrishnan against the chief minister for "misleading" the House on the use of government funds for the Wall of Women programme.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Unveiling of the Statue of Unity, a 182-metre tall tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, death of several Gir lions and violence against migrants from Hindi-speaking states hogged the limelight in Gujarat during 2018.

The statue, billed the tallest in the world, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31 at Kevadiya in Narmada district. It has been attracting a large number of tourists.

In September, wildlife lovers were shocked when around 30 lions died in Gujarat's Gir sanctuary after getting infected by the Canine Distemper Virus.

Another 30 lions were kept under observation for the deadly virus, which wiped out 30 per cent population of the big cats in Serengeti jungles of Africa in 1994.

According to the 2015 census, Gujarat had 523 lions, which draw tourists and animal enthusiasts to the state.

The state government is now planning to shift some lions to places like Bardo Dungar forest area in Porbandar, but has refused to relocate them to neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.

The government is also planning to have a lion safari park near Ahmedabad to save the animal population in case of any epidemic outbreak.

The state was also in for sporadic incidents of attacks on migrant workers, especially from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, in October following the rape of a 14-month-old girl allegedly by a man from Bihar.

The violence led to exodus of over 75,000 labourers, prompting the government to appeal them to return, assuring them of adequate safety and security in the state.

The state also witnessed violent protests by the Karni Sena as its members vandalised and set theatres ablaze in January against the release of Hindi film "Padmaavat", based on the saga of a historic battle of 13th century between Maharaja Ratan Singh and his army of Mewar and Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi.

Protests continued for around a week and subsided only after theatre and multiplex owners decided not to screen the film in the state.

After the high pitched Gujarat polls in 2017, this year went by largely without any big political development.

However, prominent Koli community leader Kunvarji Bavaliya made when he quit the Congress to join the BJP.

The sitting MLA from Jasdan also resigned from the state Assembly, necessitating a bypoll in the seat.

After his induction in the BJP, Bavaliya was made a Cabinet minister in the Vijay Rupani-led state government and also fielded for the December 20 Jasdan bypoll against Congress candidate Avsar Nakiya.

In January, Congress chose young Patel community leader Paresh Dhanani as the Leader of Opposition, while another young OBC leader Amit Chavda was made the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee chief.

Quota agitation leader Hardik Patel continued to hog limelight as he sat on an indefinite hunger strike in August over his demand for reservation to the Patidar community.

However, when government did not budge, he ended his fast after 19 days.

In another significant development, over a thousand farmers moved the Gujarat High Court against land acquisition for the government's ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. The hearing in the case is underway.

In another key order, the HC acquitted former minister Maya Kodnani in the Naroda Patiya 2002 riot case. She was earlier convicted by a lower court and awarded life sentence.

Former incharge DGP of Gujarat P P Pandey was ischarged by a special CBI court in the Ishrat Jahan alleged fake encounter case due to lack of evidence.

However, the court turned down a similar application of former police officer D G Vanzara and N K Amin in the case.

Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt was also in the after he was arrested by Gujarat Police in September in connection with a 22-year-old case pertaining to alleged planting of drugs to arrest a lawyer.

Bhatt had earlier filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court against then chief minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of involvement in the 2002 riots in the state.

Gujarat hosted Israel Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu in January. He and Prime Minister Modi displayed bonhomie as they held a grand roadshow, flew kites, praised and hugged each other, marking a deepening of bonds between the two countries.

The state also hosted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for a day where he visited the Swaminarayan temple and delivered a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management- Ahmedabad in February.

In November, the daughter of India's "milkman" Dr Verghese Kurien rubbished former Gujarat minister Dileep Sanghani's claim that Kurien diverted dairy cooperative Amul's profit to fund religious conversions in the country.

Sanghani had alleged that the late founder-chairman of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation funded religious conversions by Christian missionaries from Amul's profits.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a relief to Pakistan's former president Asif Ali Zardari, a banking court on Friday extended till January 7 the pre-arrest bail of PPP co-chairperson in a case pertaining to alleged laundering of Rs 414 crore through fake bank accounts.

Zarari, 63, along with his sister Faryal Talpur appeared in the banking court in Karachi to seek extension of the bail before arrest which expired on Thursday.

The court after hearing argument extended the bail of Zardari and his sister till January 7, according to their lawyer Farooq H Naek.

Zardari and Talpur are facing probe as part of larger investigation about dozens of fake bank accounts which were allegedly used for money laundering.

During the hearing, the Federal Investigation Agency informed the court that the Supreme Court ordered a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to investigate the matter which already submitted its report to the apex court.

The banking court later adjourned the hearing after extending pre-arrest bail until the Supreme Court issued direction about the case in the light of JIT report.

Zardari's Pakistan Peoples party has accused government of targeting the former president and his sister as part of political vendetta.

We have seen the court's good and bad eras as well as their good and bad decisions. We are mentally prepared for everything but our media trial is being conducted, PPP leader Syed Khursheed Shah told media.

A large number of supporters of Zardari were also present in the court premises who raised slogans in his favour. But the court expressed displeasure at the presence of political workers.

Elaborate security measures were taken on the occasion to avoid any untoward security situation.

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Zimbabwe on Friday said it would not extradite Grace Mugabe, wife of former president Robert Mugabe, after an arrest warrant was issued in South Africa for her alleged assault of a model in 2017.

The 53-year-old reportedly attacked Gabrielle Engels using an electrical extension cord at an upmarket hotel in Johannesburg's business district of Sandton where the Mugabes' two sons were staying.

"We will not smile at something like that, for her to be harassed, embarrassed or ill-treated," deputy information minister Energy Mutodi told AFP.

"This incident happened when she was in office and she was granted diplomatic immunity. They can't now come back now and say they want to prosecute her. We are not going to support any extradition."



The Randburg Magistrates Court in Gauteng province issued the warrant of arrest on December 13, charging Mugabe with "assault causing grievous bodily harm".

South African police say they hope to arrest her, without giving further details.

Engels, now 21, suffered cuts to her forehead and the back of her head in the incident.

At the time, the government granted Grace Mugabe diplomatic immunity, allowing her to hurriedly leave South Africa.

A court scrapped the immunity in July, labelling the decision by the foreign ministry as "inconsistent with the constitution".

Robert Mugabe, 94, was ousted as president in November 2017 after a military takeover when generals stepped in to ensure that his wife was not in line to succeed him.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, his former deputy, recently revealed Mugabe had been in Singapore for medical care and was now unable to walk because of ill health and old age.

The couple's whereabouts are unknown.

Grace, a regular visitor to South Africa, earned the nickname "Gucci Grace" for her lavish lifestyle as Zimbabwe's economy collapsed under her husband's authoritarian rule.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's Adani Enterprises on Friday urged the government of Australia's Queensland state to approve a management plan that would allow construction to start at its controversial Carmichael coal mine. Adani, which has shrunk its initial plans for the thermal coal mine to around a quarter of its original size, said last month that it would fund the mine and rail project itself after failing to secure other finance. Adani Mining Chief Executive Officer Lucas Dow called on the Queensland government to provide certainty as to the process and timing for getting the outstanding ...
By Kane WuHONG KONG (Reuters) - Asia Pacific M&A volumes clocked their second-highest level on record this year and dealmakers are optimistic the momentum will persist into 2019, with inbound deals into China emerging as a strong theme amid political and macroeconomic headwinds.Japan, India and Australia are expected to drive deal flow for the region, while China is likely to change course to focus on industrial consolidation and reform amid tightened regulatory scrutiny and an ongoing trade war with the United States that has roiled markets worldwide.Private-equity firms, which are sitting ...
By Philip WenTIANJIN, China (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry said on Friday it resolutely opposed "slanderous" accusations from the United States and other allies criticising China for economic espionage, urging Washington to withdraw its accusations.The United States should also withdraw charges against two Chinese citizens, the ministry said, adding that China had never participated in or supported any stealing of commercial secrets and had lodged "stern representations" with Washington."We urge the U.S. side to immediately correct its erroneous actions and cease its slanderous smears ...
By Eric M. JohnsonSEATTLE (Reuters) - (The story was corrected to show that Green Africa deal is provisional, not firm in paragraph three)Boeing Co looked poised to beat European arch-rival Airbus for aircraft orders in 2018 by a wide margin after clinching billions of dollars in new business from Nigeria's Green Africa Airways and Saudi Arabia's flyadeal.The world's largest planemaker had already notched 690 net airplane orders through end-November, the last full month reported, surpassing Airbus' 380 total orders minus cancellations for the same period, company data showed. Boeing and ...
By Jessica Resnick-AultNEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell to their lowest since the third quarter of 2017 on Friday, heading for losses of nearly 11 percent in a week, as global oversupply kept buyers away from the market ahead of holidays over the next two weeks.Crude has lost ground along with major equity markets as investors fret about the strength of the global economy heading into next year. The prospect of a possible government shutdown in the United States, the world's biggest oil consumer, added to investors' worries. Oil markets have pulled back amid concerns about oversupply, ...
By Lawrence Delevingne and Koh Gui Qing(Reuters) - Minnesota prosecutors will not charge the billionaire chief executive officer of China's JD.com Inc, Richard Liu, after he was accused of rape by a University of Minnesota student during a recent U.S. visit, authorities said on Friday.Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman said there were "profound evidentiary problems which would have made it highly unlikely that any criminal charge could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt."In a statement, Freeman said that after an investigation by Minneapolis police and a review by four senior sexual ...
By Michael KahnPRAGUE (Reuters) - What's does a company do when it doesn't have enough workers and unemployment rates are at record lows? In eastern Europe answers includes workplace massages, free carp for Christmas and guaranteed jobs for spouses.With some of the European Union's lowest unemployment rates, companies in the region are increasingly being forced to adopt novel measures to attract and retain workers so they can carry on expanding.Take Amazon, which employs 20,000 people in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia and wanted to hire another 10,000 for the holiday season. To fully ...
Oil prices fell to their lowest since the third quarter of 2017 on Friday, heading for losses of 11 percent in a week, as global oversupply kept buyers away from the market ahead of the long festive break. Brent crude fell $1.56 to a low of $52.79 a barrel, its weakest since September 2017, before rallying to trade around $53.35, down 11.5 percent on the week, by 1435 GMT. US light crude oil was down 30 cents at $45.28, on course for a decline of 11.0 percent for the week. Crude has lost ground along with major equity markets as investors fret about the strength of the global ...
DUBAI/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates plans to deposit $3 billion in Pakistan's central bank "in the next few days", the UAE state news agency WAM reported on Friday, while a Pakistani official said Islamabad also hopes it will allow deferred payments for oil supplies.Pakistan is battling to bring under control a gaping current account deficit that's wobbled its economy and lowered growth.Islamabad is engaged in bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but has also sought financial help from allies China and Saudi Arabia.The UAE deposit is aimed at supporting ...
By Elisabeth O'LearyEDINBURGH (Reuters) - With no public profit or budget goals and quietly run by its 44 owner-partners, Edinburgh-based Baillie Gifford has ammassed 200 billion pounds ($253 billion) in funds under management.And Britain's 8th biggest fund manager has grown its assets under management, which rose by 24 percent last year versus 11 percent for the UK sector, by 9 percent from December 2017 to September this year, Baillie Gifford partner Stuart Dunbar said."We don't have infinite investment capacity. We don't have any business growth targets. It is not even our ambition to ...
By Makiko YamazakiTOKYO (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp has no immediate plans to sell its 40.2 percent stake in Toshiba Memory Corp, its chief executive told Reuters, as the world's No. 2 producer of NAND flash memory chips prepares to go public within the next three years.Toshiba's stake is seen by some analysts as a concern at a time when overcapacity in NAND memory chips, used in smartphones and data storage servers, has pressured prices and forced companies to give a dull near-term outlook.But Toshiba - which sold the chip business in June for roughly $18 billion and then reinvested $3.1 ...
Ranbaxy promoters Malvinder Singh and Shivinder Singh have lost an appeal filed before a Singapore court in the Daiichi Sankyo arbitration case where they had argued against an $500 million arbitration award against them. As per information available with BusinessToday.In, the High Court of Singapore has dismissed the plea to stay a Singapore tribunal arbitration award in favour of Japanese pharmaceutical major Daiichi Sankyo, and reserved its verdict.

The embattled billionaires can challenge the judgement passed by the High Court in the dispute related to sale of controlling stake in Ranbaxy Laboratories to Daiichi before the Supreme Court of Singapore within one month. The Supreme Court is the highest court of appeal in Singapore.

Back in 2016, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre had order the Singh brothers to pay $500 million for concealing information about alleged suppression of facts at Ranbaxy Laboratories when its shares were sold to Daiichi Sankyo for $4.6 billion in 2008. The case involved some 20 Ranbaxy shareholders who had sold a controlling stake in the multi-national pharmaceutical company to Daiichi.

ALSO READ: Religare files criminal complaint with EOW against promoters Singh brothers

The Ranbaxy promoters had challenged the decision by the arbitration tribunal before the courts of law in India and Singapore. The counsel representing Singh brothers had argued before Delhi High Court that the Singh brothers are not liable to pay till the matter is sub judice in the Singapore Court of Appeal.

While senior advocate Harish Salve had been representing Ranbaxy in Singapore Court of Appeal, Daiichi had appointed Gopal Subramaniam to represent it.

Daiichi, too, had filed a case in Delhi High Court, seeking direction to Singh brothers to pay the arbitration award decided in its favour. In October earlier this year, the Delhi HC had upheld the decision by the Singapore arbitration tribunal and ordered Singh brothers to pay Daiichi.

ALSO READ: Singh brothers fight in the open; Malvinder says younger brother Shivinder physically assaulted him

ALSO READ: The Baba, Singh Brothers and the Squandered Rs 225,00,00,00,000

ALSO WATCH:





Edited by Vivek Punj
There is a strong need to redefine new forms of jobs outside the binaries of formal and informal, says Shahana Chattaraj, Visiting Fellow at Centre for Policy Research. Formal sector in India constitutes a miniscule portion of the entire workforce with more than 90 per cent of jobs still being in the informal sector.

With the rise of gig economy, contract work and freelancers, this number is only set to increase, thanks to the large number of people preferring platforms such as Ola, Uber, UrbanClap, HouseJoy. Ola already has over one million drivers in India, said Aishwarya Raman, Associate Director at Ola Mobility Institute.

The downside is they are not covered under any welfare regulation or social protection for workers because of these companies' marketplace model, says Chattaraj. Currently, as per law, the platforms are seen as intermediaries. They are not obliged to provide protections and benefits to the people using the platform, who are considered 'self-employed' or independent contractors.

Even though these people are not full-time workers in a legal sense, they are not accessing it in the downtime but depend on them for their earnings. During her research, Chattaraj found that drivers using Ola and Uber typically worked 12 hours a day in both London and Delhi, some extending it to 18 hours too.

Also read: Gig work: India now contributes 1 in 4 freelancers

What is important is these companies often keep changing the incentives and terms of work. There are enough stories of frustrated drivers who bought cars when the incentives at Ola and Uber were high but now are struggling to make ends meet.

Often, the view of these companies is that most of the service providers don't use one platform but are registered on multiple aggregators. For instance, an Uber driver will switch to Ola anytime if the latter offers more incentives.

Also read: On-Demand Workforce

But, it calls for companies to look at social security differently. A case in point is Singapore-based ride hailing transport service Grab which in collaboration with AXA Insurance Singapore had launched AXA Pay-As-You-Grab (AXA PAYG) policy, which is essentially a usage-based commercial motor insurance for the car drivers where they pay insurance premiums calculated on a 'per kilometre' basis.

The question of whether drivers for Uber are workers or employees is now being debated in courts and by policy makers in cities around the world. In India, as the Government introduces social security for informal sector workers, platform aggregators may enable workers to access welfare schemes.

Raman says the company has been piloting a project where auto drivers that are part of trade unions can get social security from the state government. Currently, it is available only for taxi drivers. She adds, Ola also has a 'Chalo Befikar' insurance programme in partnership with Bajaj Allianz for its driver partners and a finance literacy programme to help them leverage loans as a tool for social mobility.
Bangladesh will collect and test samples of Johnson & Johnson 's Baby Powder for asbestos in a couple of days, its main testing authority said on Friday, after a Reuters report last Friday that the firm knew for decades that cancer-causing asbestos could be found in the product.

The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), under the Industries Ministry, said it will either do the tests inside or outside the country. "We take this issue seriously and within a couple of days we will collect samples from the market," SM Isahaque Ali, a director at the BSTI, told Reuters.

He said Bangladesh wouldn't stop the Baby Powder from being marketed unless it discovers asbestos is present. J&J has described the Reuters article as "one-sided, false and inflammatory".

J&J spokespersons in India and Bangladesh could not be immediately reached for comment on the Bangladesh government move.

J&J said on Thursday that its talc is routinely tested by both suppliers and independent labs to ensure that it is free of asbestos. It told Reuters in a statement: "All talc in India is sourced and exclusively sold in India and surrounding markets - including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives - and fully meets the regulatory standards of the Government of India".

Also Read: Johnson & Johnson baby powder case: DCGI gets into action on safety test

Johnson & Johnson knew for decades that its Baby Powder had asbestos: Report
Business schools are always on look out for new sources of revenue and newer ways to leverage their brand. Many tend to find an ideal combination of this in the executive MBA programme. So, it is not surprising that the Indian School of Business's (ISB), a leading school that has seen a rapid growth since its inception 17 years back, has decided to launch its weekend executive "MBA-equivalent" programme in Mumbai and Bengaluru.

The B-school has been offering this programme for a year now out of its Hyderabad and Delhi campuses and now plans to ring in the New Year by launching it in Mumbai and Bengaluru, the two important catchment areas for working executives.

The programme, called the Post Graduate Programme in Management for Working Professionals (or PGPpro in quickspeak), is a one year programme and is designed to meet "career-consolidation" goals of mid-career working professionals. These would be typically those with work experience of between 5 and 12 years and holding at least a bachelor's degree, explains ISB's spokesperson.

Also Read: Making The Cut

"It helps working professionals to gain deep strategy and leadership insights, specialise in either finance or marketing, enhance their decision-making abilities as well as strengthen managerial skills," says a note issued by the school.

The programme starts on January 13, 2019 in Mumbai and on January 18, 2019 in Bengaluru with a one-week residency on Mohali and Hyderabad campus, respectively. From then, the classes will continue with alternate weekend classes (Saturday and Sunday) system interspersed with online components in the intervening weekends.

It also includes one week of international residency in an Asian country later in the year, and ends with another week of classes on one of the ISB campuses. The classes will be conducted on alternate weekends at Hotel Sheraton Grand, Bengaluru and Indian School of Design and Innovation, Mumbai.

The admission process is on and will conclude by end of December. Currently, 50 people have taken this programme in Hyderabad and 35 in Delhi. The one year, weekend programme for working professionals costs around Rs 30 lakh per person. The business school right now has no plans to roll out the programme in other cities as it has covered some of the important catchment areas for now.

What MBA Schools Must Deliver
Congress President Rahul Gandhi has called Prime Minister Narendra Modi an "insecure dictator" as the political heat over the central government's order on snooping of personal computers of citizens picks up pace. The Central government on Thursday said a total of 10 central agencies are empowered under the Section 69 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, to intercept or snoop any personal computer in the name of national defence and security.

Talking about the latest order, Rahul Gandhi said such measures won't solve any problem for the government. "Converting India into a police state isn't going to solve your problems, Modi Ji. It's only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians, what an insecure dictator you really are," Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

Converting India into a police state isn't going to solve your problems, Modi Ji. It's only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians, what an insecure dictator you really are. https://t.co/KJhvQqwIV7 - Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 21, 2018

Delhi Chief Minister and APP convener Arvind Kejriwal called the Modi government rule an "undeclared emergency" and accused the government of crossing all limits to seek control of even ordinary citizens. "India has been under undeclared emergency since May 2014, now in its last couple of months Modi govt is crossing all limits by seeking control of even the citizens' computers. Can such curtailment of fundamental rights be tolerated in world's largest democracy," tweeted Kejriwal.

India has been under undeclared emergency since May 2014, now in its last couple of months Modi govt is crossing all limits by seeking control of even the citizens computers. Can such curtailment of fundamental rights be tolerated in world's largest democracy? - Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 21, 2018

TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also said: "blanket surveillance is bad in law".

Also read: Govt can read your private e-mails, messages on your PC; here's all you need to know

Congress leader Anand Sharma said the order was against the right to privacy, which was a fundamental right. "The government has done it by stealth and we collectively oppose it. This gives unlimited powers to all these agencies to monitor every information that interests them and complete surveillance which is unacceptable in a democracy," he said.

Former J&K CM Omar Abdullah said there was a need for the Supreme Court to look deep into the legality of the government order. "Given that the government has now authorised multiple agencies to snoop on the personal & official computers of the Hon'ble judges of the Supreme Court I hope the SC takes a long hard look at the legality of the order."

Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav termed the order unconstitutional and said the present government should refrain from making such moves with just a few months left for the general elections.

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted: "Why is every Indian being treated like a criminal? This order by a govt wanting to snoop on every citizen is unconstitutional and in breach of the telephone tapping guidelines, the Privacy Judgement and the Aadhaar judgement," he said. Meanwhile, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley accused the Congress has got into the habit of speaking out first and understanding the issue only subsequently.

"The Information Technology Act has been in existence for almost two decades. Section 69 of the IT Act authorises a Central or a State Government in the interest of sovereignty, integrity and defence of India, security of State etc. (The Article 19(2) Conditions as mentioned in the Constitution) to direct a notified agency to intercept or monitor or decrypt an information stored in a computer resource. This provision is similar to the power contained in the Telegraph Act in relation to telephones," said the FM.

He added the UPA government had laid down a detailed procedure for this in the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules, 2009. "Rule 4 authorises the competent authority to name the agencies, which can undertake this exercise. There are safeguards, as prescribed by the Supreme Court, which are included in the rules. An interception or monitoring is only authorised under an specific approval of the Home Secretary. It can only be in cases which deal with the purposes mentioned in Section 69 of the Act. These are restrictions on which free speech can be curtailed under Article 19(2) of the Constitution," he said.

He said that these rules have been framed in 2009 by the UPA government only. "The rules required authorised agencies to be notified. In the absence of this authorisation, any police officer may start exercising the power. In fact, during UPA-II in a detailed debate in Parliament relating to a corporate lobbyist, the then Home Minister P. Chidambaram strongly defended this power of interception being given to taxation authorities," he said.

Edited by Manoj Sharma
The last rites of popular YouTube vlogger and Ace of Space contestant Danish Zehen were held in Kurla, Mumbai on Friday with thousands of fans in attendance. On his way back from a wedding on December 20, Danish had met with a road accident near Vashi which claimed his life.

He had to leave Ace of Space due to some emergency and had recently shot a wild card episode. Danish was also a popular lifestyle blogger and had a substantial social media following, with 3.28 lakh subscribers on YouTube and 8.76 lakh followers on Instagram.

Sharing the sad news on his Twitter, Ace of Space host Vikas Gupta wrote: "Telling everyone else in #AceOfSpace was 1 of the toughest thing I had to do in life. May U rest in peace #DanishZehen Please pray for the family for strength to cope up with the loss. He was a wonderful soul & touched many lives with his smile & deeds. Thanku #Lostsouls 4 This (sic)"

Telling everyone else in #AceOfSpace was 1 of the toughest thing I had to do in life. May U rest in peace #DanishZehen Please pray for the family for strength to cope up with the loss. He was a wonderful soul & touched many lives with his smile & deeds. Thanku #Lostsouls 4 This pic.twitter.com/qpiwhWV5s2 - Vikas Gupta (@lostboy54) December 20, 2018

Other fans took to social media platforms to pay their last respects and bid a final adieu to Danish.
21 Dec 2018, 2:56 PM

Indian drugs regulator asks J&J to stop making baby powder using raw materials

Our very trusted baby brand Johnson and Johnson is in deep trouble. India's drugs regulator has ordered Johnson & Johnson to stop manufacturing its Baby Powder using raw materials in two of its Indian factories until test results prove they are free of asbestos. The official at the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), said a written order had been sent to the U.S. company telling it to stop using the "huge quantities" of raw materials stocked in its plants in northern and western India. The state-based food and drug administrations launched an investigation into J&J's Baby Powder following a Reuters report last Friday that the firm knew for decades that cancer-causing asbestos could be found in the product.

Infosys gets Nilanjan Roy as new CFO from Bharti Airtel; to join in March 2019

India's second largest IT company Infosys' search for a CFO has finally come to an end. The company announced the appointment of Bharti Airtel's current global CFO Nilanjan Roy as the next Chief Financial Office, effective 1st of March 2019. A veteran at Bharti Airtel, Nilanjan currently handles finance function across India and Africa and prior to that spent close to 15 years with Unilever in their global operations across India, Europe, and the US.

Air India: Govt to invest Rs 2,345 crore to revive debt-ridden national carrier

The government has sought approval from Parliament for equity infusion worth Rs 2,345 crore into struggling Air India and another Rs 1,300 crore for Air India Asset Holding. As part of efforts to revive the financial fortunes of the national carrier, the government has decided to transfer debt worth Rs 29,000 crore to Air India Asset Holding Company, a special purpose vehicle. The airline has debt worth around Rs 55,000 crore.

Govt to infuse Rs 83,000 crore in public sector banks in next few months: Arun Jaitley

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said the government will infuse Rs 83,000 crore in public sector banks in the next few months of the current fiscal. Earlier in the day, the government sought Parliament's approval for infusion of an additional Rs 41,000 crore in the state-owned banks through the second batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants. This would enhance the total recapitalisation in the current fiscal from Rs 65,000 crore to Rs 1.06 lakh crore.

Consumer Protection Bill, 2018, passed in Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Consumer Protection Bill, 2018. The bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha in January, mandates a harsh penalty and even imprisonment for misleading ads and food adulteration. The bill will now go in the Rajya Sabha for discussion. Once passed, the bill will replace the Consumer Protection Bill, 1986.

Chinese smartphone maker Gionee fails to pay debts, goes officially bankrupt

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Gionee's bankruptcy application has been accepted by the Chinese court in Shenzhen. Once a top smartphone manufacturer, Gionee has reportedly failed to pay its debt from various suppliers. The problem was compounded in November this year when Gionee chairman Liu Lirong reportedly "lost over $ 1.4 billion" while gambling at a casino in Saipan. However, Liu Lirong is still hopeful and has stated that he sees a turnaround in the company's fortune in 3-5 years.

Qualcomm wins Apple case, could lead to iPhone ban in Germany: court

A German court has found in favour of US chipmaker Qualcomm in a patent dispute case against Apple, which could lead to a ban on sales of iPhones in Germany. Given that Apple can appeal the initial ruling, the court said the injunction banning sales of affected iPhones can only be imposed immediately if Qualcomm laid down a security deposit amounting to 668.4 million euros (USD 765 million). Thursday's ruling marks a second major win for Qualcomm in a month after a court in China on December 10 ordered a prohibition on iPhone sales over a separate patent dispute there.

Ikea to invest Rs 5,000 crore in UP

Ikea is planning to invest Rs 5,000 crore in Uttar Pradesh, where the Swedish home furnishings major is planning to set up large and small format stores. The investment would create over 8,000 direct and indirect job opportunities in the state, said Ikea in a statement. Ikea, which is planning to set-up a large format store in Noida, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Uttar Pradesh government for opening of stores in the state.

RBI Governor to meet private sector lenders next week

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das Thursday said he will meet representatives of private sector banks and cooperative banks next week to discuss issues and concerns. As part of the consultative process, Das finished meeting with the public sector lender on Wednesday.
Domestic carrier lndiGo and Istanbul-based Turkish Airlines have signed a codeshare and mutual cooperation agreement, under which the IndiGo passengers will be able to fly to a total of 20 international destinations on the Istanbul-based carrier's network.

"This is the first codeshare agreement for IndiGo as part of its international expansion strategy. Through this cooperation, Turkish Airlines will be offering new destinations in India as Marketing Carrier on IndiGo operated flights, while IndiGo customers will be able to reach many European destinations through Turkish Airlines' extensive network," an IndiGo statement said.

This agreement will enable both of these carriers to provide more flexibility of choice to their customers. This reciprocal arrangement will allow seamless connections to their customers, besides enabling them to use through check-in and many other facilities, the release further said. "IndiGo will place its code "6E" on 20 points beyond Istanbul operated by Turkish Airlines. Similarly, Turkish Airlines will use its code "TK" on IndiGo operated flights within India," it added.

Also read: IndiGo defends decision to charge passengers for web check-ins; says practice followed globally

Explaining about the partnership, Rahul Bhatia, Director and Interim CEO of IndiGo said: "This strategic partnership will expand the choices available to our customers for journeys beyond Istanbul, using Turkish Airlines' extensive network. It will become possible for our customers to book itineraries into many cities in Europe on IndiGo, using Turkish Airlines and experiencing their renowned in-flight service."

The development is significant for IndiGo, which has a fleet of over 200 aircraft and offers 1,300 daily flights. The airline currently flies on 200 domestic destinations and 13 international places, and the pact with the Turkish airline would boost its global presence.

"We believe that it would be a great opportunity to improve our cooperation with our new codeshare partner Indigo, which will provide new services and destinations for our passengers travelling to/from India," Bilal Eksi, CEO and Deputy Chairman of the Board, Turkish Airlines said. Turkish Airlines claims to have a passenger and cargo fleet of 330 flying to 306 worldwide destinations in 124 countries.

Also read: Jet vs Air India: In a race to the bottom, which airline is beating the other?

Edited by Manoj Sharma
Chinese smartphone major OnePlus is looking to branch out and launch its first television in 2020. The company is targeting the Indian market for its first foray into the TV manufacturing and hoping to kill a few flagships (Read: Samsung, Sony and LG) like it did in the smartphone arena.

OnePlus' CEO Pete Lau told The Economic Times in an interview, "India will be one of the first markets to get the OnePlus TV. It will be available through Amazon India. We haven't set a deadline as yet, as we want it to be the best there is." Amazon and OnePlus have a strong ongoing association and recently celebrated a four-year partnership.

At the moment, OnePlus is looking to create software that would differentiate it from the other companies' offerings. OnePlus is playing a waiting game and is investing in research and development as it does not want to release something mediocre or something that is already available in the market.

Read More: Facebook to develop cryptocurrency for WhatsApp users

We see that currently, as one goes down the price points, the picture, sound and build qualities deteriorate. We want to create a seamless Internet experience that creates a true Smart TV, going beyond what is traditional in this space," Lau noted.

Lau hasn't highlighted any other market for the launch of its smart TVs. Initially, OnePlus could limit the release of the smart TV to fewer markets in order to test the demand and also ease the pressure on its supply chains.

Talking about pricing, CEO Pete Lau said the Smart TV will be "a flagship killer, like we do with smartphones, at a very competitive pricing."

Lau said that his company intends to create a true smart TV and offer seamless internet experience. There is no name at the moment for the OnePlus smart TV but the company has asked the 5-million strong online community of OnePlus fans to suggest a name for its next flagship killer.

Edited By: Udit Verma
Ireland's tax authorities have demanded that drugmaker Perrigo, formerly known as Elan, pay 1.64 billion euros ($1.9 billion) in taxes relating to the calendar year 2013, a U.S. securities filing showed.

It is one of the biggest demands for back taxes ever made in Ireland, although well below EU antitrust regulators' demand in 2016 that Apple pay the Irish government 13 billion euros.

According to the filing, Irish Revenue Commissioners say that intellectual property sales by Elan Pharma, including multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri, was taxed as trading income at 12.5%, when it should have been treated as a chargeable gain at a rate of 33%.

Dublin-based Perrigo, which is listed in New York, said in the filing that it strongly disputes the Revenue's assessment and will appeal.

It said the demand relates to the taxation of Elan Pharma's sales in April 2013 of Tysabri intellectual property and related assets to Biogen Idec, eight months before Perrigo bought Elan.

Perrigo said the Irish Revenue Commissioners submitted an audit findings letter to Elan Pharma in October 2018 and invited the company to bring any areas of disagreement to the authority's attention, which led to a meeting with the tax authority and two written submissions.

"However, less than a month later  at a time when Perrigo believed that discussions concerning the matter were ongoing Irish Revenue issued the NoA (Notice of Amended Assessment)," Perrigo said in the filing.

The Revenue Commissioners told Perrigo that no further information would be provided to clarify the basis of its assessment and that Perrigo should file its appeal by Dec. 28.

In 2016, EU antitrust regulators' demanded that Apple pay 13 billion euros in taxes plus interest to the Irish government after ruling that a special scheme to route profits through Ireland was illegal state aid. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
The British pound was steady on Friday after the British economy was confirmed to have grown at its fastest rate since 2016, with trading quiet ahead of the holiday period and a parliamentary vote in January on the prime minister's Brexit deal.

Sterling has gained this week, largely on the back of broad dollar weakness but also on signs that the British economy is holding up relatively well ahead of Brexit.

Retail sales data came in far better than expected on Thursday and data on Friday showed that the British economy was 0.6% larger year-on-year in the third quarter.

The pound rose 0.1% to $1.2674 in early European trading, bringing its week-to-date gains to 0.7%. That put sterling on track for its best weekly rise in seven weeks.

Against the euro, sterling gained 0.3% to 90.215 pence.

Despite the Brexit concerns, some foreign exchange analysts are predicting a bounce for sterling.

"According to our long-term valuation models for EUR/GBP, a fundamentally reasonable level for the currency pair would be around 0.75 instead of around 0.90 (pence per euro), said SEB analysts.

"Simply taking the expected EUR/GBP reactions in each one of the different alternative Brexit scenarios and the probabilities it would play out gives an expected value for EUR/GBP of 0.85."

Traders are predicting a volatile period for sterling in January, when Prime Minister Theresa May will seek parliamentary approval for her much-criticized Brexit deal.

Fears have grown that the United Kingdom will quit the European Union in March without a transition deal to minimize disruption. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
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The Public Health Agency of Canada collaborated with provincial and territorial public health partners, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada to investigate an outbreak of Salmonella infections.

Based on the investigation findings, exposure to raw turkey and raw chicken products was identified as the likely source of the outbreak. Many of the individuals who became sick reported eating different types of turkey and chicken products before their illnesses occurred. A single common supplier of turkey and chicken products was not identified through the investigation. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency did not issue any food recall warnings related to this outbreak. The Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency shared investigative findings with representatives from the turkey and chicken industries.

The investigation has been closed, however illnesses could still be reported because this Salmonella strain is present in some raw turkey and raw chicken products in the Canadian marketplace. The Public Health Agency of Canada will continue to monitor reports of illnesses and will provide updates in the future if there is an increase in newly reported cases or new investigation information is identified.

Salmonella bacteria are commonly found in raw or undercooked poultry like turkey or chicken. The bacteria are most-often transmitted to people when they improperly handle, eat or cook contaminated foods.

This outbreak is a reminder of the importance of using safe food handling practices if you are preparing, cooking, cleaning or storing raw turkey and raw chicken products. These raw products can have bacteria that can easily be spread around food preparation areas and can make you sick if safe food-handling practices are not properly followed.

Canadians across the country are reminded to always handle raw turkey and raw chicken carefully, and to cook it thoroughly to prevent food-related illnesses like Salmonella. The Public Health Agency of Canada is not advising that consumers avoid eating properly cooked turkey or chicken products, nor is it advising retailers to stop selling raw turkey and raw chicken products.

Investigation summary

In total, there were 130 confirmed cases of Salmonella Reading illness investigated in the following provinces and territories: British Columbia (33), Alberta (44), Saskatchewan (8), Manitoba (25), Ontario (9), Quebec (2), New Brunswick (1), Prince Edward Island (1), Northwest Territories (1), and Nunavut (6). Individuals were sick between April 2017 and January 2020. Thirty-nine individuals were hospitalized. One individual died. Individuals who became ill were between 0 and 96 years of age. The majority of cases (52%) are male.

The collaborative outbreak investigation was initiated due to an increase of Salmonella Reading illnesses that occurred in October and November 2018. Through the use of a laboratory method called whole genome sequencing, some Salmonella illnesses dating back to 2017 were identified to have the same genetic strain as the illnesses that occurred in late 2018. The majority of illnesses that were investigated occurred between October 2018 and January 2020.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) previously investigated similar Salmonella illnesses in several states that were linked to raw turkey exposure. There were some turkey products recalled in the U.S. that were associated with that outbreak. These products were not imported or distributed in the Canadian marketplace. The U.S. investigation was closed in April 2019.

Who is most at risk

Anyone can become sick with a Salmonella infection, but infants, children, seniors and those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness because their immune systems are more fragile.

Most people who become ill from a Salmonella infection will recover fully after a few days. It is possible for some people to be infected with the bacteria and to not get sick or show any symptoms, but to still be able to spread the infection to others.

What should you do to protect your health

Raw turkey and raw chicken products carrying Salmonella may look, smell and taste normal, so it's important to always follow safe food-handling tips if you are buying, chilling, thawing, cleaning, cooking and storing any type of raw poultry food products.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is reminding Canadians to always handle raw turkey and raw chicken carefully, and to cook it thoroughly to prevent food-related illnesses like Salmonella. You can use the following food safety tips to help protect you and your family:

Always wash your hands before and after you touch raw turkey and raw chicken. Wash with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand rub if soap and water are not available.

Always cook turkey and chicken products to a safe internal temperature that has been checked using a digital thermometer.

Turkey and chicken breasts, as well as ground poultry, including turkey and chicken burgers, should always be cooked to an internal temperature of 74C (165F) to kill any harmful bacteria. Whole turkey and chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 82C (180F).

Leftovers should be reheated to 74C (165F). Use a digital food thermometer to check, and place it in the thickest part of the food.

Thaw frozen raw turkey and raw chicken in the fridge. Thawing raw turkey and raw chicken at room temperature can allow bacteria to grow.

Never rinse raw turkey or raw chicken before cooking it because the bacteria can spread wherever the water splashes.

Use a separate plate, cutting board, utensils and kitchen tools when preparing raw turkey and raw chicken.

Clean everything that has come in contact with raw turkey or raw chicken with a kitchen cleaner or bleach solution and then rinse with water. Kitchen cleaner (follow the instructions on the container) Bleach solution (5 mL household bleach to 750 mL of water)

Keep raw turkey and raw chicken away from other food while shopping, storing, repackaging, cooking and serving foods.

If you have been diagnosed with a Salmonella infection or any other gastrointestinal illness, do not cook food for other people.

Do not feed raw ground turkey or raw ground chicken to your pets. Bacteria like Salmonella in raw pet food can make your pets sick. Your family also can get sick by handling the raw food or by taking care of your pet.

For more information, read our poultry safety fact sheet.

Symptoms

Symptoms of a Salmonella infection, called salmonellosis, typically start 6 to 72 hours after exposure to Salmonella bacteria from an infected animal or contaminated product.

Symptoms include:

fever

chills

diarrhea

abdominal cramps

headache

nausea

vomiting

These symptoms usually last for four to seven days. In healthy people, salmonellosis often clears up without treatment. In some cases, severe illness and hospitalization may occur. In some cases, antibiotics may be required. People who are infected with Salmonella bacteria can be infectious from several days to several weeks. People who experience symptoms, or who have underlying medical conditions, should contact their health care provider if they suspect they have a Salmonella infection.

What is the Government of Canada doing

The Government of Canada is committed to food safety. The Public Health Agency of Canada leads the human health investigation into an outbreak and is in regular contact with its federal, provincial and territorial partners to monitor the situation and to collaborate on steps to address an outbreak.

Health Canada provides food-related health risk assessments to determine whether the presence of a certain substance or microorganism poses a health risk to consumers.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency conducts food safety investigations into the possible food source of an outbreak.

The Government of Canada will continue to update Canadians if new information related to these investigations becomes available.

Epidemiological information

Figure 1 is an epidemiological curve for this outbreak. Outbreak investigators use this information to show when illnesses begin, when they peak, and when they trail off. It can take several weeks from the time a person becomes ill to when the illness is reported and testing confirms a link to the outbreak. Data are available for 130 cases.

Figure 1: Number of people infected with Salmonella Reading

Figure 1: Text description Table 1 - Number of people confirmed to be infected with Salmonella Reading by week of illness onset or specimen collection Week of symptom onset or specimen collection Number of cases March 2017 0 April 2017 1 May 2017 2 June 2017 1 July 2017 1 August 2017 3 September 2017 4 October 2017 4 November 2017 2 December 2017 6 January 2018 1 February 2018 3 March 2018 2 April 2018 3 May 2018 3 June 2018 3 July 2018 2 August 2018 3 September 2018 3 October 2018 10 November 2018 3 December 2018 9 January 2019 6 February 2019 2 March 2019 2 April 2019 4 May 2019 9 June 2019 4 July 2019 8 August 2019 9 September 2019 4 October 2019 6 November 2019 3 December 2019 2 January 2020 2 February 2020 0

Additional information

Media contact

Public Health Agency of Canada

Media Relations

613-957-2983

Public inquiries

Call toll-free: 1-866-225-0709

Email: info@hc-sc.gc.ca

Investigation history

Public Health Notice Update  December 18, 2019 The Public Health Agency of Canada is collaborating with provincial and territorial public health partners, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada to investigate an outbreak of Salmonella infections.

Based on the investigation findings to date, exposure to raw turkey and raw chicken products has been identified as the likely source of the outbreak. Many of the individuals who became sick reported eating different types of turkey and chicken products before their illnesses occurred. The outbreak appears to be ongoing, as recent illnesses continue to be reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Salmonella bacteria are commonly found in raw or undercooked poultry like turkey or chicken. The bacteria are most-often transmitted to people when they improperly handle, eat or cook contaminated foods. This outbreak is a reminder of the importance of using safe food handling practices if you are preparing, cooking, cleaning or storing raw turkey and raw chicken products. These raw products can have bacteria that can easily be spread around food preparation areas and can make you sick if safe food-handling practices are not properly followed. Canadians across the country are reminded to always handle raw turkey and raw chicken carefully, and to cook it thoroughly to prevent food-related illnesses like Salmonella. The Public Health Agency of Canada is not advising that consumers avoid eating properly cooked turkey or chicken products, nor is it advising retailers to stop selling raw turkey and raw chicken products. This public health notice update is being issued to inform Canadians of the investigation findings to date and to share important safe food-handling practices to help prevent further Salmonella infections. This notice will be updated as the investigation evolves. Investigation summary As of December 18, 2019, there have been 126 confirmed cases of Salmonella Reading illness investigated in the following provinces and territories: British Columbia (31), Alberta (44), Saskatchewan (8), Manitoba (24), Ontario (8), Quebec (2), New Brunswick (1), Prince Edward Island (1), Northwest Territories (1), and Nunavut (6). Individuals became sick between April 2017 and November 2019. Thirty-eight individuals have been hospitalized. One individual has died. Individuals who became ill are between 0 and 96 years of age. The majority of cases (52%) are male. The collaborative outbreak investigation was initiated due to an increase of Salmonella Reading illnesses that occurred in October and November 2018. Cases have continued to be reported since the investigation was initiated. Through the use of a laboratory method called whole genome sequencing, some Salmonella illnesses dating back to 2017 were identified to have the same genetic strain as the illnesses that occurred in late 2018. The majority of illnesses under investigation occurred between October 2018 and November 2019. It is possible that more recent illnesses may be reported in the outbreak because there is a period of time between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported to public health officials. For this outbreak, the illness reporting period is usually between 5 and 6 weeks. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) previously investigated similar Salmonella illnesses in several states that were linked to raw turkey exposure. There were some turkey products recalled in the U.S. that were associated with that outbreak. These products were not imported or distributed in the Canadian marketplace. The U.S. investigation was closed in April 2019.

Public Health Notice Update  October 1, 2019 This update reflects 14 illnesses that have been added to the outbreak investigation. There are now 110 illnesses under investigation. The Public Health Agency of Canada continues to remind Canadians to always handle raw turkey and raw chicken carefully, and to cook it thoroughly to prevent food-related illnesses like Salmonella. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has not issued any food recall warnings related to this outbreak. Investigation summary As of October 1, 2019, there have been 110 confirmed cases of Salmonella Reading illness investigated in the following provinces and territories: British Columbia (26), Alberta (36), Saskatchewan (8), Manitoba (24), Ontario (7), Quebec (1), New Brunswick (1), Northwest Territories (1), and Nunavut (6). Individuals became sick between April 2017 and August 2019. Thirty-two individuals have been hospitalized. One individual has died. Individuals who became ill are between 0 and 96 years of age. The illnesses are equally distributed among males (50%) and females (50%). The collaborative outbreak investigation was initiated due to an increase of Salmonella Reading illnesses that occurred in October and November 2018. Cases have continued to be reported since the investigation was initiated. Through the use of a laboratory method called whole genome sequencing, some Salmonella illnesses dating back to 2017 were identified to have the same genetic strain as the illnesses that occurred in late 2018. More than half of the illnesses under investigation occurred between October 2018 and August 2019. It is possible that more recent illnesses may be reported in the outbreak because there is a period of time between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported to public health officials. This period of time is called the case reporting delay. In national Salmonella outbreak investigations, the case reporting delay is usually between 5 and 6 weeks. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) previously investigated similar Salmonella illnesses in several states that were linked to raw turkey exposure. There were some turkey products recalled in the U.S. that were associated with that outbreak. These products were not imported or distributed in the Canadian marketplace. The U.S. investigation was closed in April 2019.

Public Health Notice Update - July 30, 2019 This update reflects 24 illnesses that have been added to the outbreak investigation. In Canada, there are now 96 illnesses under investigation. The Public Health Agency of Canada continues to remind Canadians to always handle raw turkey and raw chicken carefully, and to cook it thoroughly to prevent food-related illnesses like Salmonella. Investigation summary As of July 30, 2019, there have been 96 confirmed cases of Salmonella Reading illness investigated in the following provinces and territories: British Columbia (23), Alberta (31), Saskatchewan (8), Manitoba (21), Ontario (9), New Brunswick (1), Northwest Territories (1), and Nunavut (2). Individuals became sick between April 2017 and early July 2019. Twenty-eight individuals have been hospitalized. One individual has died. Individuals who became ill are between 0 and 96 years of age. The illnesses are equally distributed among male (50%) and female (50%). The collaborative outbreak investigation was initiated due to an increase of Salmonella Reading illnesses that occurred in October and November 2018. Cases have continued to be reported since the investigation was initiated. Through the use of a laboratory method called whole genome sequencing, some Salmonella illnesses dating back to 2017 were identified to have the same genetic strain as the illnesses that occurred in late 2018. Many of the illnesses under investigation occurred between October 2018 and July 2019. It is possible that more recent illnesses may be reported in the outbreak because there is a period of time between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported to public health officials. This period of time is called the case reporting delay. In national Salmonella outbreak investigations, the case reporting delay is usually between 5 and 6 weeks. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) previously investigated similar Salmonella illnesses in several states that were linked to raw turkey exposure. There were some turkey products recalled in the U.S. that were associated with that outbreak. These products were not imported or distributed in the Canadian marketplace. The U.S. investigation was closed in April 2019.

Public Health Notice Update - January 31, 2019 This update reflects 39 illnesses that have been added to the outbreak investigation. In Canada, there are now 72 illnesses under investigation. The Public Health Agency of Canada continues to remind Canadians to always handle raw turkey and raw chicken carefully, and to cook it thoroughly to prevent food-related illnesses like Salmonella. Why should you take note The Public Health Agency of Canada is collaborating with provincial and territorial public health partners, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada to investigate an outbreak of Salmonella infections. Based on the investigation findings to date, exposure to raw turkey and raw chicken products has been identified as the likely source of the outbreak. Many of the individuals who became sick reported eating different types of turkey and chicken products before their illnesses occurred. Twenty-five of the 72 illnesses included in this active investigation occurred between October 2018 and January 2019. These 25 illnesses are genetically related to another 47 illnesses that occurred between April 2017 and September 2018. The outbreak appears to be ongoing, as recent illnesses continue to be reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Salmonella bacteria are commonly found in raw or undercooked poultry like turkey or chicken. The bacteria are most-often transmitted to people when they improperly handle, eat or cook contaminated foods. This outbreak is a reminder of the importance of using safe food handling practices if you are preparing, cooking, cleaning or storing raw turkey and raw chicken products. These raw products can have bacteria that can easily be spread around food preparation areas and can make you sick if safe food-handling practices are not properly followed. Canadians across the country are reminded to always handle raw turkey and raw chicken carefully, and to cook it thoroughly to prevent food-related illnesses like Salmonella. The Public Health Agency of Canada is not advising that consumers avoid eating properly cooked turkey or chicken products, nor is it advising retailers to stop selling raw turkey and raw chicken products. This public health notice is being issued to inform Canadians of the investigation findings to date and to share important safe food-handling practices to help prevent further Salmonella infections. This notice will be updated as the investigation evolves. Investigation summary As of January 31, 2019, there have been 72 confirmed cases of Salmonella Reading illness investigated in the following provinces and territories: British Columbia (20), Alberta (24), Saskatchewan (6), Manitoba (13), Ontario (6), New Brunswick (1), Northwest Territories (1), and Nunavut (1). Individuals became sick between April 2017 and early January 2019. Eighteen individuals have been hospitalized. One individual has died. Individuals who became ill are between 0 and 96 years of age. The majority of cases (55%) are female. The collaborative outbreak investigation was initiated due to an increase of Salmonella Reading illnesses that occurred in October and November 2018. Cases have continued to be reported since the investigation was initiated. Through the use of a laboratory method called whole genome sequencing, some Salmonella illnesses dating back to 2017 were identified to have the same genetic strain as the illnesses that occurred in late 2018. Many of the illnesses under investigation occurred between October 2018 and January 2019. It is possible that more recent illnesses may be reported in the outbreak because there is a period of time between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported to public health officials. This period of time is called the case reporting delay. In national Salmonella outbreak investigations, the case reporting delay is usually between 5 and 6 weeks. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) is also investigating similar Salmonella illnesses in several states that have been linked to raw turkey exposure. There have been some turkey products recalled in the U.S. that were associated with this outbreak. These products were not imported or distributed in the Canadian marketplace. The CFIA is collaborating with the overall outbreak investigation and is liaising with the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding their investigation into the potential turkey source. The CFIA will issue food recall warnings to inform Canadians if any products recalled in the U.S. were imported in Canada.

Public Health Notice Update - January 8, 2019 This update reflects 11 additional illnesses that have been reported in the outbreak. In Canada, there are now 33 illnesses under investigation. The Public Health Agency of Canada continues to remind Canadians to always handle raw turkey and raw chicken carefully, and to cook it thoroughly to prevent food-related illnesses like Salmonella. Why should you take note The Public Health Agency of Canada is collaborating with provincial public health partners, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada to investigate an outbreak of Salmonella infections.

Based on the investigation findings to date, exposure to raw turkey and raw chicken products has been identified as the likely source of the outbreak. Many of the individuals who became sick reported eating different types of turkey and chicken products before their illnesses occurred. Many of the illnesses included in this active investigation occurred between October and December 2018. These illnesses are genetically related to illnesses that date back to 2017. The outbreak appears to be ongoing, as illnesses continue to be reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Salmonella bacteria are commonly found in raw or undercooked poultry like turkey or chicken. The bacteria are most-often transmitted to people when they improperly handle, eat or cook contaminated foods. This outbreak is a reminder of the importance of using safe food handling practices if you are preparing, cooking, cleaning or storing raw turkey and raw chicken products. These raw products can have bacteria that can easily be spread around food preparation areas and can make you sick if safe food-handling practices are not properly followed. Canadians across the country are reminded to always handle raw turkey and raw chicken carefully, and to cook it thoroughly to prevent food-related illnesses like Salmonella. The Public Health Agency of Canada is not advising that consumers avoid eating properly cooked turkey or chicken products, nor is it advising retailers to stop selling raw turkey and raw chicken products. This public health notice is being issued to inform Canadians of the investigation findings to date and to share important safe food-handling practices to help prevent further Salmonella infections. This notice will be updated as the investigation evolves. Investigation summary As of January 8, 2019, there have been 33 confirmed cases of Salmonella Reading illness investigated in the following provinces: British Columbia (9), Alberta (8), Saskatchewan (2), Manitoba (10), Ontario (3), and New Brunswick (1). Individuals became sick between April 2017 and early December 2018. Six individuals have been hospitalized. One individual has died. Individuals who became ill are between 0 and 93 years of age. The majority of cases (55%) are female. The collaborative outbreak investigation was initiated due to an increase of Salmonella Reading illnesses that occurred in October and November 2018. Cases have continued to be reported since the investigation was initiated. Through the use of a laboratory method called whole genome sequencing, some Salmonella illnesses dating back to 2017 were identified to have the same genetic strain as the illnesses that occurred in late 2018. Many of the illnesses under investigation occurred between October and December 2018. It is possible that more recent illnesses may be reported in the outbreak because there is a period of time between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported to public health officials. This period of time is called the case reporting delay. In national Salmonella outbreak investigations, the case reporting delay is usually between 5 and 6 weeks. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) is also investigating similar Salmonella illnesses in several states that have been linked to raw turkey exposure. There have been some turkey products recalled in the U.S. that were associated with this outbreak. These products were not imported or distributed in the Canadian marketplace. The CFIA is collaborating with the overall outbreak investigation and is liaising with the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding their investigation into the potential turkey source. The CFIA will issue food recall warnings to inform Canadians if any products recalled in the U.S. were imported in Canada.
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Gluttony is one thing but if we must be voracious consumers at Christmas time then there's a solid case to be made for the fiercely practical if somewhat boring gift. However, before embarking upon this worthwhile Christmas endeavour, there are some strict gender-specific caveats to be observed. For men choosing gifts for a female partner or significant other, practicality is a giving option fraught with uncertainty. From personal experience, the innocent proffering of sewing baskets and knitting needles may be hazardous to one's health. In fact, gifting anything sharp should be avoided. Soft furnishings make for a wonderfully dull, practical gift and hurt much less. Conversely, practical gifts for blokes are an easy fallback position. After all, our DIY lives revolve around the use of tools and machinery which can potentially inflict pain and/or injury. It's an offshoot business opportunity gone begging for Bunnings. ("Would you like our free finger damage coverage with that drop-saw, sir?") In our household, the giveaway silhouette of a hammer-shaped item gift-wrapped under the tree would lead to some excited speculation as to whether it may be a sculpted Estwing claw, the US-forged king of framing hammers. Equally, a small giftbox with rattly items inside may well contain Dremel attachments. Because as everyone knows, a person can never have enough Dremel attachments (unless you are unaware of what a Dremel is, in which case this would be incomprehensible). All this, of course, is yawn-inducing for those who can't tell a Phillips head from a square drive. A friend of mine whose stepfather, ironically, is an accomplished South Coast builder (so accomplished, in fact, that he built a house for a Red Hot Chilli Pepper at Congo), prides himself on having not even a modicum of DIY skills. His attempt at assembling a flat-pack dining table famously resulted in him swallowing a large screw. The extraordinary explanation to the emergency department nurses was that he just happened to have his mouth open (perhaps in fierce concentration or personal wonderment that he was even attempting this activity) whilst screwing the table leg to the tabletop from underneath. Thankfully, post X-ray, the harm passed (in a manner of speaking). But it has since reaffirmed his intent never to again repeat such form of physical activity. It's completely unfair that those of us who hanker for practicality in the Yuletide season are scorned and derided in equal measure. Unfairly, we are unfairly labelled as boring and Grinch-like. All I want for Christmas is a concrete mixer. Which, embarrassingly, makes me sound awfully like Eric Olthwaite. Michael Palin (of Monty Python fame) cleverly encapsulated the nature of the truly boring person in his often-forgotten classic short comedy The Testing of Eric Olthwaite (wonderfully, you can now find it online here). Eric lived in bleak, soggy, working-class Yorkshire (the short film begins with "it were always raining in Denley Moor, except on days it were fine") and he only had three topics of discussion: shovels, black pudding, and precipitation. He was so unbelievably dreary that his father, when arriving home from work, would only speak in French to avoid having a conversation with his son. Poor gormless, tiresome Eric then woke up one morning to find his parents couldn't stand him any longer and ran away from home. While Eric's shovel knowledge was mind-numbingly obscure, anyone who has done hour upon hour of serious digging will well understand there's a world of difference between a square mouth, a trencher and a scoop. So this Christmas, don't pity the Erics of this world. Just buy him a shovel. He'll be as happy as a dig in the mud.

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Six years ago, six long-time friends were taking their six kids in for their first day of school. This isn't the start of a nursery rhyme, but life at St Clare of Assisi Primary in Canberra - where all six parents also happened to work as teachers. On December 19, the school's brood of "teacher kids" will graduate - and there won't be many dry eyes in the staffroom. While two members of the original dozen, Anna Stincic and her daughter Lara, have since left St Clare's, the group say it's been smooth sailing over the years. They share rides to school, play sport together and take an annual group photo for the classroom wall. "[Graduation] will be very emotional...we've been so lucky as parents to be in such a [unique] position, we haven't missed out on anything but life moves on," parent and teacher Katherine Austin said. So what's it been like growing up with mum and dad at the front of the class? Katherine's daugther Amelia, who admits to being the "clingiest" of the teacher kids, says she'll miss sneaking into the staff room and scoring free lunches, warm from the microwave. But she brushed off questions of favouritism, stressing staying out of trouble was almost impossible with parents around. Ben Sweeney's son Rhys agrees: "They always know." Lindsay McArthur was not impressed by the long hours dedicated teachers like her mum Annie put in. "One time we stayed til 7pm. That was just not ok with me," she said. Belinda Breen said the kids had quickly learnt what they could and couldn't get away with - and what must never be repeated from the staffroom. "They're good kids, they might hear things they shouldn't sometimes but they've learnt to be discreet," she said. While most of the six parents had run classes with their own children at one point, the cohort had been largely split up to take the pressure off any one teacher at the school. "We've stepped back a lot," Ms Austin said. "When I'm at the front of the class, I'm the teacher, I'm not mum, they understand that." Mr Sweeney said it had been a privilege to come to work every day with his son. But it won't be over just yet - he still has two younger children at St Clare's. "It's a sign of a good school if the teachers bring their kids there," Mr Sweeney said. Ahead of graduation, the girls of the group are excited - Lara will be reunited with them again at St Clare's College next year while the boys are heading to St Mary MacKillop. "We'll probably keep having to do reunions...maybe they'll take each other to formals," Ms Austin laughed. "We've all known each other a really long time, even before this [job], so when our kids were all starting at once, it was just too good. "But that's Canberra."

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Jakarta: Imagine your boss had an affair with a colleague, regaled you with the salacious details and then, when you recorded him harassing you and shared it with a trusted colleague, you were the one who went to jail. This was Baiq Nuril Maknun's nightmare under Indonesia's infamous Information and Electronic Transactions (ITE) law. Nuril was sentenced to six months' jail and fined about 13 years' salary at the minimum wage for "shaming" her boss and his family. Her story is a singular reminder of how little impact the #MeToo movement  a worldwide campaign against sexual harassment and sexual assault, particularly in the workplace  has had in Indonesia, partly because of the ITE law. The law, which was passed in 2008, covers everything that happens online, including banking transactions, pornography, defamation on social media and hate speech, and it has been criticised by rights groups such as Freedom House and Amnesty. Nuril is a mother of three who lives on the Indonesian island of Lombok, and she is at the centre of a case that traverses internet regulation, harassment and Indonesian attitudes to sex, power and the role of men and women. While there is a growing expectation that women should not be subject to harassment in the workplace, the country's Supreme Court has judged that she broke the law, sentencing her to prison and a 500 million rupiah fine (about $48,000), or another three months in jail if she can't pay. It started in 2013, when Nuril was working as an administrative assistant at a school in Lombok. The school's principal, Haji Muslim, had an affair with a married colleague, a woman named Landriati. Somehow Nuril, an observant Muslim, got roped into being the couple's alibi. She would accompany them on "work trips" as cover, then they would ask her to leave so the couple could spend time together. Soon, Haji Muslim started to regale her with stories. "He shared vulgar details of their sexual experiences," Nuril tells The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. "I told him to stop, he just continued. Whenever there was only the two of us, he would share graphic details of their sexual acts. He would even pose in their positions for me. "I repeatedly asked him to stop, and after a while I just kept quiet and kept my head down. I don't know why he would tell me - maybe to brag, maybe to get me to have an affair with him, or maybe because he knew I would never tell anyone at school." Nuril told her husband, who was asking her why she was often late home. "He didn't like it. But I needed the job, so I did nothing. I didn't know what he did was sexual harassment. Not then, but I know now." Eventually, in early 2014, Nuril was fed up and recorded one of the regular phone calls Haji Muslim made to her, detailing his affair. She only played the audio to two people: her husband and a colleague who suspected Nuril herself was having an affair with the headmaster. But a few months later another male colleague of Nuril's, a man named Haji Imam Mudawin, asked for a copy. Mudawin said he needed the audio to help him remove the principal from his position. That's when things took a dramatic turn for the worse for Nuril. The audio was shared widely within school circles. The principal's secret affair was out. When Haji Muslim next issued contracts for people to work at the school, Nuril's name was not on the list. "I wasn't exactly fired, but no longer employed, just like that, no explanations, no nothing," she says. She told the headmaster how upset she was, adding that she had not shared the recording broadly. Haji Muslim said he would issue her a new contract, but before that could happen he was moved. "He is currently quite a high-ranking official at the education department in Mataram [the capital of Lombok]. I lost my job, went to prison and he gets promoted," she said. At the end of 2014, Haji Muslim filed a police report against Nuril, alleging she distributed audio with immoral content, then he demanded $48,000 "compensation" to withdraw it  a staggering sum in a country where the minimum wage is about $300 per month. Nuril was called in for questioning by the police, but years passed and there was no further progress. Choking back tears, she recalls the day in 2016 that she was arrested. "I was called by the police to come to the station, I took my youngest son with me. They told me I have to get someone to care for my boy because I am going to prison," she says. "I felt like the world ended, I was so crushed, my husband had to return from one of the Gili Islands [holiday islands where he worked] to fetch my son. I was in the police cell for 15 days, then more than 15 days at the Mataram prison. I couldn't sleep, I kept crying, I couldn't eat." Nuril was acquitted by the local district court, but prosecutors appealed to Indonesia's Supreme Court. Last month, the court imposed a six-month sentence and a 500 million rupiah fine. Chief judge Sri Murwahyuni said the court had found her convincingly guilty of the criminal act of distributing, transmitting or allowing access to electronic information that had immoral content. The end of Haji Muslim's career as a school principal and the shame Nuril had caused him and his family were aggravating factors, the judge said. Amnesty International's Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid has said this was another example of how the ITE law is being used to repress people, and was a travesty of justice. Tunggal Pawestri, a women's rights activist and movie producer, says there is little incentive for women in Indonesia to come forward and share their stories. "There is no adequate law to protect them, they will be blamed for it instead of protected and supported," she says. "The #MeToo movement, it's not that it doesn't exist in Indonesia, but yes, it's not as big as in other countries. The culture in Indonesia, victim blaming, it's happening in every level of the community. Baiq Nuril's case is a good example. Our laws failed to protect her." At a rally in Jakarta over a week ago attended by about 2000 people, Pawestri helped lead protests arguing for stronger laws to eradicate sexual violence. Rieke Diah Pitaloka, a member of Indonesia's parliament, supports the push for a new law. She has followed Nuril's case closely and believes she is not guilty. Nuril's last chance in court is a case review being prepared by her legal team. Yan Mangandar Putra, a member of Nuril's legal team from Mataram University, says the Supreme Court made errors in its ruling. Her legal team has also filed a police report against Haji Muslim. But the Indonesian wheels of justice tend to turn slowly. Komang Suartana, a spokesman for the local West Nusa Tenggara police, says their investigation is still at a preliminary stage. Dr Asmuni, a lawyer acting for Haji Muslim, says his client does not wish to speak to the media nor argue the case in public, but insists his client had told police "the total opposite" of Nuril's account. In the meantime, the Indonesian Attorney-General's office has said they will not execute the Supreme Court's judgement, keeping Nuril out of jail until her case review is completed. The case has become so high profile in Indonesia that even President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has weighed in. If after the judicial review she doesnt get justice, she can apply for a presidential pardon," Jokowi said last month. "When its at the pardon stage, Ill take over. Asked what advice she would give her daughters now, Nuril initially says that she has told them "to dress properly, to stay away from improper situations. Be modest, to not dress [in a way] that reveals their bodies." When it is pointed out that Nuril herself dresses modestly, she grows defiant. "I will tell them not to take it, not to allow something like this to happen to them. To fight, don't just stay quiet. "I will continue to fight, I will continue the case against [Haji] Muslim. I regret staying silent. I regret not doing anything then ... I never wanted any of this. But I will fight."

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The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.

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If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.

What is sex toys for Indian?

Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.

It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.

They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.

Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.

The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.

It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.

In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.

Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.

In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.

Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.

Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.

But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.

More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.

Sextoy situation in India

Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.

In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.

Mumbai

Kolkata

Bangalore

Delhi

Chennai

Hyderabad

These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.

In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.

If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.

If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.

What are Sextoys for beginner?

Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.

Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.

I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.

I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.

If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.

Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.

Advantages of using sextoy for Indians

There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians

You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.

Can have stimulating sex

Can develop new sexual zones

If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.

However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.

You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.

Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.

There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.

This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.

When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.

It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).

For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles

[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...

Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.

Sextoy for beginner men in India

So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.

For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!

The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men

Masturbator

Cock rings

Love Doll

Sex Lubricants

Toys for the prostate

Lets check each one in detail.

Masturbator

The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.

It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.

Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.

They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)

Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.

Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !

Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa   SEXToys India PR  (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018

Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.

If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here

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Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...

Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

If you want to check out womens toys, click here.

[BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm...

Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.

For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.

Sextoy is one of them.

Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.

SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.

They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.

Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.

To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.

ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.

Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.

Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.

Cautions for Indians using sextoy

When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind

Keep sex toys clean

Watch out for electrical leakage

Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy

As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.

Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.

It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.

In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.

Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.

If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.

You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.

Summary

What did you think?

In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.

The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.

As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.

However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.

If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?

Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.

I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.
Public Health Investigation

After CDPHLs notification of confirmed rabies, CDCs New York Quarantine Station initiated a contact investigation to identify animals or persons potentially exposed to dog A during its infectious period (10 days before symptom onset until death [December 921]). CDC contacted health departments in the chain of distribution of all five dogs in the cargo hold to initiate rabies exposure assessments; these health departments included the Maryland Department of Health, Virginia Department of Health, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and Washington State Department of Health. The investigation also included U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the U.S. Department of Agricultures Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the airline that transported the animals, and the domestic cargo offloading company at JFK.

State health department staff members interviewed dog As caretakers, volunteers, and employees associated with the involved rescue groups and veterinary hospital staff members for potential exposure. Public health investigators for Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Washington, and West Virginia determined that the animal transporters and foster home volunteers had no direct contact with dog A; therefore, no postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) was recommended for those persons. Connecticut public health officials, in accordance with national guidelines (4), recommended PEP for the flight parent bitten in Cairo, the caretakers of dog A, and the veterinary technician who was bitten. CDC and CBP conducted a contact investigation to identify potentially exposed persons and animals at JFK. CBP interviewed the airlines U.S.-based cargo staff members and reviewed surveillance video to identify transporters and CBP staff members who had potential exposure to dog A. CBP identified 13 cargo and baggage handlers and four CBP officers; New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene conducted risk assessments and determined that PEP was not recommended. All handlers reportedly wore gloves while handing the crates and had no direct contact with the dogs. CBP reviewed the importation paperwork and cleared the animals but had no physical contact with the dogs or the crates.

The domestic animal exposure investigations determined that all four dogs in the Egyptian shipment (dogs A, B, C, and D) were individually crated within the airplane cargo hold. A fifth dog (dog E, also in an individual crate), that was not part of the rescue organization shipment, shared the same cargo hold space. The animals were never removed from the crates during shipment, so they could not have had direct contact with dog A. Therefore, dogs B, C, D, and E were not considered exposed to dog A during transport. Dog A had no contact with any dogs after exiting the airport and was placed in isolation at the veterinary clinic. All five dogs had certificates indicating rabies vaccination both at 3 months and 30 days before arrival at a U.S. port of entry (Table), as required by CDC dog importation regulations (5). However, because dog As infection raised uncertainty about the validity of rabies vaccination for the five dogs, investigators determined that the four remaining dogs from the shipment should receive a rabies booster vaccination followed by confinement, as recommended by the Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control (6). In light of this uncertainty and the potential for unreported exposure before shipment, Maryland Department of Health elected to confine dogs B and C for 4 months; Virginia Department of Health and Washington State Department of Health elected to confine dogs D and E for 30 days (Table). Egyptian public health investigators instituted vaccination, confinement, and monitoring for four other dogs in the Egyptian rescuers possession and indicated that persons exposed to dog A were given PEP. Clarification by Egyptian authorities of why an appropriately vaccinated dog (according to the documentation provided) developed rabies is pending.
Discussion

Sub-Saharan African countries have improved access to safe and adequate blood supplies, but continued commitment and funding are required to maintain gains and achieve WHO targets. Although the number of blood units collected has increased since 2004, whole blood collections remain insufficient to meet national demand: 12 of 14 evaluated countries do not meet the WHO-recommended target (1). This shortfall especially affects women with pregnancy-related complications, trauma victims, and children with severe life-threatening malaria-related anemia (7).

Although most of the 14 PEPFAR-supported countries reported decreases in the percentage of collected blood units that screened positive for HIV since 2004, percentages remain significantly higher than the 0.003% reported by high-income countries (1). Seven countries have HIV screen-positive rates that exceed the WHO recommended target of <1.0%. Although HIV prevalence rates among blood donors have decreased, prevalences of other TTIs such as HBV, HCV, and syphilis increased in seven countries. To reduce the risk for TTIs in sub-Saharan Africa when PEPFAR support ends, MOHs can participate in cross-sector collaborations to implement blood bank quality and safety accreditation standards through the African Society for Blood Transfusion (AfSBT) or other international accrediting bodies and implement PEPFAR-supported blood safety information systems. Recent data indicate that 50% of PEPFAR-supported countries still do not have a computerized information system for blood donor tracking and TTI testing. Since 2016, blood safety information systems have been implemented in three countries, with another two planned by 2019. To date, only four NBTSs in sub-Saharan Africa (Namibia [accredited in 2012], South Africa, Rwanda, and Tanzania) have achieved accreditation by an external body. Seven countries are currently in various stages of the accreditation process through AfSBT. Global CDC blood safety targets are that 50% of NBTS sites reach at least the first of three accreditation steps under AfSBT during the next 23 years.

As countries move toward the United Nations 959595 targets (95% of HIV infection diagnosed, 95% of infected persons receiving antiretroviral therapy [ART], and 95% of those on ART achieving viral suppression) for achieving epidemic control, increasing outreach to priority populations for testing and preventive services become increasingly important (8). Currently, no systems exist within these NBTSs to link persons determined to be ineligible for donation through behavioral risk screening to HIV testing and preventive services.

During 20142016, four NBTSs transitioned from PEPFAR to full MOH funding. An additional five countries received 50% of their funding from MOHs; two countries reported a decrease in MOH funding. As PEPFAR transitions occur, countries should consider prioritization of funding to their NBTS to sustain the gains achieved (9).

The findings of this report are subject to at least four limitations. First, blood unit collections described in this report only represent units collected by the NBTS, and do not account for units collected in the private sector or by nonnational blood transfusion services. Second, variations in testing capacity and assays used for laboratory screening (most NBTSs lack HBV and HCV confirmatory testing) might result in over- or underestimation of TTI prevalence rates among blood donors. Third, lack of information systems to link donors who screen HIV-positive to treatment services might result in inaccurate estimations of the number of donors who are notified about their status. Finally, self-reported data from countries might result in inaccurate estimations.

A decade of PEPFAR support to NBTSs in 14 countries has led to increases in blood collections, fewer donors screening HIV-positive, and transition of support from PEPFAR to MOHs. However, gaps in linking deferred donors at high risk to HIV testing and prevention services, and in notifying HIV-positive donors of their status and linking them to confirmatory testing, care, and treatment underscore the need for enhanced focus on epidemic control, as well as innovative strategies to address donors who test positive for other TTIs. Ending reliance on unsafe blood donors requires continued investment in laboratory quality improvement, including increased engagement in external proficiency testing and increased use of highly sensitive assays at the NBTS and non-NBTS testing sites. Continued improvement of blood safety programs in sub-Saharan Africa will require sustained investments in continuous quality improvement, NBTS accreditation under AfSBT, linkage of deferred donors who report high risk behaviors and those who screen HIV-positive to HIV testing services and treatment, and stronger blood safety information systems. Strengthening health systems and developing local policy and sustainable financial resources are all important components to consider to ensure the future viability of blood safety programs.
Pakistan exports rise in November

21 December 2018

Pakistan's cement industry received foreign exchange revenue of US$26.77m by exporting 635,192t of cement during November 2018, compared to US$26.74m and 616,648t in the previous month. This shows minor MoM growth of 0.1 per cent and three per cent in terms of value and quantity, respectively, according to the Federal Bureau of Statistics.



However, if compared to November 2017, it translates to an increase of 48.4 per cent in earnings of foreign currency and 74.8 per cent YoY in quantity.



In the first five months of July-Nov 2018, export revenue rose 26 per cent to US$131.12m, with Pakistan exporting 3.03Mt of cement, compared to US$104.04m from 2.06Mt in the year-ago period.



The breakdown of exports, according to All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA), shows that export dispatches to Afghanistan and India continued to decline in the 5MFY18-19. Afghanistan exports fell by 25.1 per cent to 808,045t, and India was down 7.5 per cent to 424,657t. Meanwhile, Pakistans northern region observed a fall of 21 per cent in exports, whereas the southern region recorded an advancement of over 236 per cent.

Published under
BCCI and Saudi Arabia plan cement plant in northeastern Bangladesh

21 December 2018

Bangladesh state-owned entity, Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), and Saudi business firm, Engineering Dimensions, have signed an agreement to set up a new cement plant in northeastern Bangladesh.



Operating under the company name Bangladesh Friendship Cement Company Limited (SBFCCL), the plant will be located at Chhatak in the district of Sunamganj.



BCIC Chairman, Shah M Aminul Haque, and Engineering Dimensions President, Mohammed N Hijji, signed the agreement at the Ministry of Industries in Dhaka yesterday, said a press release. No details about project size, capital investment or completion date were announced.



BCIC owns Chhatak Cement Company Ltd (CCCL), which is located in the district of Sunamgonj and uses imported limestone from Meghalaya, India. The plant currently operated clinker and cement capacities of 1500tpd and 500tpd, respectively.

Published under
New plant commissioned in Uzbekistan

21 December 2018

A new facility in Korauzyak district, Karakalpakstan (Uzbekistan), has been commissioned, according to Trend News. The Uzbek-Chinese joint venture, Titan Cement, saw a total investment of UZS302.4bn (US$36.3m) in the 200,000tpa project.



Furthermore, in the Andijan region of Uzbekistan, a new US$630m project has begun construction with the support of Chinese companies.

Published under




Last Saturday, December 15, 2018, at around 3:40pm, American Airlines (AA) flight 1427 touched down at the Arygle International Airport (AIA), making it the first US carrier to fly non-stop from a USA port to SVG.





The historic flight was treated to a water salute in Miami, Florida before its departure for SVG, and a similar salute upon arrival at the AIA.





A number of State and Government officials were on hand to witness the landing, and to welcome the passengers.





Among the welcoming party were Governor General Sir Frederick Ballantyne and Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves.

Reigning Miss SVG Shellisa Nanton and CEO of the SVG Tourism Authority also extended warm Vincentian welcome.





Disembarking passengers received a welcome gift from the SVGTA.

Speaking at a brief Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the AA counter at the AIA, Mr Alfredo Gonzales, American Airlines Managing Director for the Caribbean, said the Airline was happy to add SVG as its newest destination in the Caribbean, as it expanded its network in the region, which it has been serving since 1971.

Minister of Tourism Cecil McKie, who had travelled on the AA flight, assured the Airline that, "You have made a very wise decision to take up the challenge of journeying from Miami to St. Vincent and return. I say challenge, but this is not a challenge, because I am confident that this is going to be a win win situation for American Airlines, for the passengers and for St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said that he was over-joyed with American Airlines decision to fly to St. Vincent. He said that Vincentians have been waiting for this flight and "we are happy that you are here it is AA at AIA.





The PM added, "We are very proud of our partnership we are looking forward to strengthen it, and we are hoping that it will grow from strength to strength.





American Airlines is the largest airline in the world when measured by fleet size, revenue, scheduled passengers carried, scheduled passenger-kilometers flown, and number of destinations served.

Officials here say that the service by AA brings the prospect of increased tourism and improvement in the economy of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The AIA was officially opened on 14th February 2017.
Managing Director for American Airlines (AA) Caribbean operation - Alfredo Gonzalez is of the opinion that the airlines entry into the SVG market brings with it prospects of increased tourism and improvement in the economy of the multi-island state.





During an interview with THE VINCENTIAN newspaper, Gonzalez explained that AA considers the different types of market when deciding on which country/market they would enter.

Those markets, he explained were the visiting family and relatives (VFR) market, the business market and the leisure market.

Along with considering the different components in a market, the airlines then gauges the size of the market before a decision is made, the Managing Director explained, adding that the process can be complex because of market changes.





The decision to fly to St. Vincent came down to a network planning group comprising tourism officials from SVG and senior level persons at the American Airlines headquarters in Dallas, Texas.

Gonzalez is hopeful that the SVG market would grow and projected, "We dont want to do it once a week. We would like to have more service because the more service you have, the more options our customers have in and out of St. Vincent.





And in explaining why Miami was chosen as the USA port for the weekly AA direct flight between the USA and SVG, to the AIA, Gonzalez said, "The great thing about Miami is it is a connecting city and its also a tourist destination. So people love to go to Miami and people connect from Miami, he said.

He, however, admitted that he was unsure about data on passengers using connecting flights from other Caribbean countries to St. Vincent, for transit to the USA using AA Saturday flights, since AA do not have an agreement with LIAT "Right now we have a daily flight from St. Lucia to Miami and we are adding a second overnight flight from Miami to St. Lucia and departing in the morning, said Gonzalez.

The AA Executive assured that "Whenever we enter into a market we are looking at the long term. We have got 40 plus years in the Caribbean where we are the largest carrier in the Caribbean. This is just the start of a long term relationship with St. Vincent.  We are very excited to be here.
Crew member of the Amaman accepts the prize for being the first to cross into Vincentian waters. Left: Bianca Porter, a former president of the SVGTA, highlighted that sailing is a big part of the tourism product in SVG.

The inaugural ARC+ St Vincent ended here over the weekend, with the official prize-giving ceremony

The event was a first for this country, having been added to St Lucia as destinations in the Caribbean for the ARC+ yacht rally, organized by the World Cruising Club.

Blue Lagoon Hotel/Mariner was selected as the final destination for the event which invites sailing enthusiasts to sail around the Atlantic, starting off at las Palmas de Gran Canaria with a stop at Mindelo in Cape Verdes and then on to SVG and St. Lucia.

The fifteen boats that arrived in SVG had left Gran Canaria on November 15, and departed Mindelo ten days later.

And already, there are ten boats registered to participate in next years edition.

Minister of Tourism, Cecil McKie expanded, adding that St Vincent and the Grenadines as a destination offered many experiences, including that of the 32 islands and Cays.

A lot has been done to improve arrivals by sea, the tourism minister said, adding that yacht arrivals had increased by 20 percent.

The night featured a small prize giving ceremony at Hotel Alexandrina, and among the winners was the vessel White Pearl that copped the Multihill Division; the BellaRose was awarded the Most Beautiful Yacht prize; Sancta Anna won the prize for landing the largest fish and the award for the Spirit of ARC+ St Vincent Rally.

This country was selected as demand for spaces on the ARC+ continues to grow.Bianca Porter, General Manager of the Young Island Resort and former Chairperson of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority (SVGTA), thanked Andrew Bishop, Head of the World Cruising Club, who was in discussion with local businessman Kelly Glass for bringing the event here."One of the niche markets is sailing and is a big part of the tourism product, Porter explained."We have diverse experiences with some of the best diving waters in the world, McKie said."This event marks the beginning of many more events to come, McKie said, adding that there were already plans to make the experience for the participants of the next event better."That is important for you and for us. We want you to have the experience here so that you can go back and tell all what a wonderful destination this is, the minister said.The vessel Amaman took the award for the first to cross into Vincentian waters, with Sail Be Happy winning the award for the shortest distance along the rhumb line. (DD)
A 27-year-old Philadelphia, Tn., man has been sentenced to 300 months in federal prison for child pornography. Justin Kyle Phelps was sentenced by Judge Pamela L. Reeves at Knoxville.

He was sentenced for enticing and attempting to entice minors for sex and using a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography.

Following his release from prison, Phelps will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years and be required to register with the sex offender registry in any state in which he resides, works, or attends school. Probation Office for 10 years and be required to register with the sex offender registry in any state in which he resides, works, or attends school.

Officials said, "In March 2017, Phelps was arrested when he traveled to Knoxville for the purpose of meeting a minor female for sex. The investigation revealed that he had victimized several minors between the ages of 12 and 15 years, including having sex with some of them and obtaining pornographic photographs of other minors taken at his direction. In July 2018, Phelps pleaded guilty to knowingly enticing and attempting to entice minors through social media for illegal sexual activity."

J. Douglas Overbey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, said, Online predators are constantly looking for children to sexually abuse. This prosecution represents part of our efforts to work with law enforcement agencies to protect children from persons who seek to manipulate kids, from the shadows of the internet, for illegal sex and child pornography.

The investigation was conducted by the Knoxville Police Departments Internet Crimes Against Children Unit and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Morris represented the United States in court proceedings.
The Hamilton County WWTA boards arrogance abounds. WWTA believes that county government has no say if they are sold. That is a very bold position for an appointed board to take.

The WWTA was formed at the pleasure of County Mayor Claude Ramsey, and the Hamilton County Commission voted to form the utility. There was enacting legislation that appears in Tennessee Code Annotated that facilitated the formation of WWTA.

Legislation may be amended, WWTA.

The Hamilton County Commission should intervene and replace their appointed board members, and remind them that the elected representation of the County Commission formed WWTA.

Legislation can be created to abolish and contract out operation with a new WWTA board.

I believe Hamilton County has three votes on the WWTA board.

Chairwoman Smedley, it is time to flex muscles here and get control of the WWTA board. Bullying and arrogance of power towards citizens is out of control from WWTA. The land owners at Mahan Gap were treated disgracefully by that agency.

The sale of the WWTA is not up to anyone in county government, says WWTA Chairman Moon. Are you kidding, WWTA chairman? The governing state legislation can be amended at any time. WWTA apparently believes they are untouchable.

The people of Hamilton County also have the right to collect signatures for a voters referendum, and let the voters decide.

I got news for your folks at WWTA, you are not the last word on what occurs with WWTA. The fact you cannot build the wastewater treatment plant on Mahan Gap Road should be a clue that there are authorities in charge of your agency. Yes, WWTA has bosses. In fact, WWTA cannot acquire bond issue funds without the County Commission vote in majority. The charter for your organization requires Commission approval of bonds.

So, who is the boss of WWTA?

The boss is usually the group holding the purse strings.

Keep pushing the citizens of Hamilton County with extraordinary arrogance, and trust me, they will collectively respond and referendum to abolish WWTA.

Arrogance of power always believes they are untouchable. Keep thinking that WWTA cannot be sold or contracted out, continue with the same behaviors, and see how the public responds.

No wonder Mr. Moorhouse and others are filling up the entire commission room, WWTA attitude.

April Eidson

* * *

You made some excellent points. I am not a customer of WWTA, my home is on septic. Three months ago I did not even know who this company was. Those were the 'good ole days'.





WWTAs culture of arrogance is empowered because they have the unwavering support of the Hamilton County Mayor (Jim Coppinger). He appoints the executive board and they serve at his pleasure'. Theyre what you might call friends with benefits. If you were able to attend the meeting on Dec. 19 you had a chance to see this relationship in action. When Mr. Boyd asked Mr. Coppinger to share his opinions on the proposed plant, Mr. Coppinger very cleverly said that he was neutral and doesnt get a vote. How convenient. He is correct, he does not get a vote, but when the vote was to deny the zoning it became immediately clear that he was anything but neutral. The relationship is that Mr. Coppinger doesnt get the proverbial blood on his hands and feigns powerlessness while the WWTA appear to be acting on their own authority. As long as the WWTA and Mr. Coppinger are In agreement (at least in the backroom) they can play good cop/bad cop to accomplish their goals. This does a lot to amplify the authority of the Authority. Unless the commissioners work together to change the WWTA's course, everything goes off without a hitch. Well played, Mayor.





How can a company with the proven track record of the WWTA be so arrogant? It makes no sense. Mr. Harrison stood before the commission and the community on Dec. 19 and essentially stated that the reason the WWTA has had so many issues is because those problems have been caused by the people. I could not believe my ears. He blamed his own customers for WWTAs failings.





I would like to ask how it is the fault of the customer that TDEC sent a memo in 2016 saying that the Snowhill pump station was too small and could not accommodate larger pumps and that without increasing the size of the pump station they would have overflows in the future. Mr. Harrison is in this memo stating that they had the money to fix the problem but their budget was not yet approved. Two and a half years later we have chronic raw sewage overflows at that location. Can someone please explain to me how that is the fault of the customer? It's nothing more than negligence.





Additionally, in order to wear arrogance well, you should be very good at what you do (with a long track record to support it). This means when planning for something as monumental as a new WWTP you bring a plethora of options to the table. You should expect the unexpected and have plans A, B, C & D. The WWTA say that they want Commissioners Geter and Bankston as well as resident Dean Moorhouse to tell them where they should put large holding tanks now that they cannot build their plant. The WWTA had no interest in working with the community on other locations and now it appears they almost sarcastically are placing the burden on those individuals who objected to their plans. Mayor Coppinger said that the sewage holding tanks could be more of a nuisance than the WWTP.

So, in other words, if WWTA doesn't get to have their plan A, then they will give you something far worse and show you just how bad it can really be. Their attitude is as if a 10 percent expansion of Moccasin Bend couldnt be an option. (Remember this whole plant is being built to handle just 6.7 percent of Moccain Bend's capacity). Decentralized systems could also be used. There is no mention of this. Just because WWTA doesn't like a plan doesnt mean its not a good one. As professionals WWTA should be able to provide the taxpayers line by line analysis for various options and those should be able to be reviewed by knowledgable third parties. I am not an engineer, but I find it very hard to believe that the only way we can develop this end of the county is to put multiple huge holding tanks all around our neighborhoods. Chattanooga is about to be on the map for being the nation's first solar airport. Do you really believe we can only build antiquated sewage solutions?





The egregious behavior of the WWTA toward their customers and the public is something that every resident in Hamilton County should be taking notice of. This plant will impact everyone who is part of their system in one way or another. The WWTP might not be in your backyard or wetland this time, but WWTA and our Mayor are showing all communities what they are like to work with when they come knocking. Pay careful attention. Taxpayers, we have been blessed with a group of commissioners who have taken a great deal of time to hear the legitimate concerns of our community. I was impressed with the humbleness of many of them. They freely spoke about their duty to serve the people who elected them to office. What a dichotomy.

Shannon Betts

* * *

I read the article regarding the WWTA boards take on the County Commission meeting the other day. Here is my take-away on that article.

The WWTA, and now some members of the WWTA board, want to blame the people of Northeast Hamilton County, and now some of the County Commissioners, for the results of their failure to act many years ago. They did not act in a timely manner, before subdivisions were built, when they knew a sewage plant in this part of the county was going to be needed. They waited until it was at a near crisis point to move and then appeared to try and sneak it by the homeowners in the area.

Now, they want to pass much of the burden of their failed decisions to the homeowners in the northeast part of the county and try and punish commissioners who voted against them. Some of those commissioners simply asked them to examine all of the possible options. That is not a ludicrous request. The WWTA refuses to own any part of this mess that their agency has created. In addition, they have created an atmosphere of distrust among the people.

Their very statement of that is the best place for it to go implies that there are other places that would work. They persistently talk about how they looked at other sites, but the only one is ever mentioned specifically is Birchwood. That statement may not be completely accurate. It seems that since this all has blown up, they have at least taken a cursory look at the Meigs County/Hamilton County border. Using their cost estimates to build a facility, it would add less than $5-$10 a month to ones sewer bill to put it where it will impact fewer people and is less likely to end up in the creek and, subsequently, the lake. Some of the increase in the sewer bill will be fines levied for the overflows.

Since their focus is really all about the money, in the end, lets talk about it. The WWTA blames old, inadequate systems as the cause of the overflows and, consequently, the upcoming consent decree. Much of the system probably is old. So, lets talk about why that situation exists. The WWTA sets their own fees. They could have raised fees to cover necessary repairs over time. They say they were trying to keep the sewer bills lower for the ratepayers. Neglecting to do what was necessary as they went, in the end, has not helped the ratepayers or the county at all. Now we have expensive fines that the public or, more precisely, the ratepayers will have to pay. That means the ratepayer will be paying for the fixes and the fines.

The WWTA shrugs their shoulders indifferently at the idea that homeowners in this part of the county, who are mostly on septic systems, will also have to pay. We will pay in terms of our property values. They contest that is not true but just look at the market in the last quarter (about the time this WWTA brouhaha started). There has been a 28 percent drop in this part of the county on the north side of I-75, where the WWTA wants to put the sewer plant. It has previously been a very hot market (for several years). Ooltewah, on the south side of I-75, has had only a two percent drop. That small two percent drop can be attributed to the season. One can only suspect that the cause of the significant drop on the north side of I-75 is that people, as a general rule, want to know where the sewer plant is going before they buy in this area. It is not hard to interpret that as people typically dont want to live near a sewer plant. They certainly arent going to pay premium prices to live there. Thus, we pay in our home values.

My advice? Quit blaming everyone else, WWTA. You did this to yourself. Own it. This community will work with you if you really want to work together to look for solutions.

Linda Davis

Harrison




Thanks to the generosity of local motorists during the annual Team Up for Kids Boot Drive sponsored in October by the Whitfield County Fire Department and the Dalton Shriners, 31 students from Cedar Ridge, Dawnville, and Eastside elementary schools were able to enjoy an extra special Christmas in 2018.Known as Santa in Uniform, the third annual event came together through the efforts of dozens of county workers (and many spouses) from the fire department, sheriffs office, and E-911.The fun started Tuesday afternoon, Dec.18, when all the children got a special visit one-on-one with Santa in front of a shiny red fire truck at Station 8. Then came an exciting ride aboard a bus to the East Walnut Avenue Walmart store, accompanied by flashing lights and sirens of the fire trucks and patrol cars as traffic came to a standstill for these special celebrities.Each child, escorted by public safety workers and their spouses, was able to pick out approximately $125 worth of clothes and toys. (The firefighters donated $100, and Walmart added another $25.)The students, who were also accompanied by several counselors from the county school system, had to buy at least one outfit, a jacket, or a pair of shoes before spending the rest on whatever they wanted.Each year this is truly one of my favorite events, said Tracie Simmons, lead social worker for the Whitfield County School System, just to see the excitement from the kids getting to pick out Christmas but also the excitement of the firemen as well. Im not sure who gets more of a blessing out of it  the kids or the adults.Simmons said the event is a positive way for the youngsters to establish a relationship early on with our men and women in uniform  and realize that they care about them all year around, not just in an emergency.The children always enjoy telling their teachers and classmates about the excitement of the day, she said. Weve had one little boy who has been so excited about this event, Simmons said, and all hes talked about is that he and the firemen are going to get to pick out some Legos!Simmons said she works closely with school counselors to see which students and their families would benefit most from Santa in Uniform.The parents are all very open to it, very appreciative, she said. Weve had some parents when we called them and let them know theyve been selected - seeing if this would be a help to them, several have cried and many have said this is just the answer to a prayer.Lt. Jesse Bond of the fire department, who has organized the event for the past three years, said he was very humbled again by the experience, pointing to the child he assisted and the boys willingness to share his good fortune to others. The child I helped spent only $40 on himself, he said, and the remaining amount on family members and even his pets.Bond expressed thanks to everyone who helped with the event, especially Walmart which dedicated four registers to checking out the youngsters gifts.After the gifts were loaded up in a trailer, everyone returned to Station 8, where the kids enjoyed slices of pizza and chocolate chip cookie.But the fun still wasnt over.The unsuspecting kids came outside to find a brand new bicycle waiting for each of them, courtesy of the Dalton Shriners.Its very rewarding for everyone involved, Bond said, giving something back to the community and helping Christmas be a little brighter for each of these children.The event was made possible thanks to the generosity of motorists who donated $21,053.33 during the boot drive this fall. Seventy-five percent of the collections went to the Dalton Shriners to treat young burn victims at the Shriners hospital in Cincinnati, and 25 percent went to the Whitfield County Fire Department to fund Santa in Uniform.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC)s School of Education has agreed to sponsor the UTC Teaching and Learning Institute at Tyner Academy. The UTC Teaching and Learning Institute is one of 20 Future Ready Institutes in Hamilton County Schools.

The UTC Teaching and Learning Institute is a four-year program at Tyner Academy that prepares high school students for a career in teaching. As part of the partnership, Tyner students will visit UTC classes, tour campus and meet with current UTC students to learn about their experience. Every Tyner senior is also matched with a mentor from the UTC faculty and staff to help navigate the application and financial aid/scholarship process. Teaching and Learning Institute graduates who meet UTC admissions requirements and enroll at UTC will receive a credit for the Foundation of Education course required for all education majors.

UTCs School of Education is excited to be a part of the work to recruit and prepare future teachers from Hamilton County to return back to their community to become the future teachers, said Renee Murley, director of the School of Education. We believe this partnership will benefit Tyner Academy Teaching and Learning students, the School of Education and Hamilton County.

Future Ready Institutes challenge the traditional approach to education in high schools by developing career-themed small learning communities. Themes include medicine, robotics, forensic science, engineering, hospitality, technology, business, marketing and more. Teachers of all content areas including English, math, science and social studies work closely with the career theme teacher to provide classroom instruction through the lens of a career. The goal is for students to clearly understand why a lesson is important and how they will use the information in the future.

Community partners are vital to the success of Future Ready Institutes in Hamilton County Schools, and UTC is a welcome addition to our efforts to train future teachers, said Dr. Bryan Johnson, superintendent of Hamilton County Schools. Future Ready Institutes are key learning opportunities in our schools today that will open doors to exciting possibilities for our graduates and our community.

Tyner Academy will host a formal induction ceremony with UTC on Feb. 8.
CHI Memorial Medical Group announces Cindy Simmons, PA-C, has joined CHI Memorial Family Practice Associates  Chickamauga.

Ms. Simmons earned a master of medical science degree from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. She is board certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.



Ms. Simmons has previous experience in primary care practices in LaFayette and Trenton, and in urgent care clinics in Georgia and Tennessee.



She joins Paul Ballinger, PhD, PA-C, at CHI Memorial Family Practice Associates  Chickamauga, 101 Kington Lane. Office hours are Monday  Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Ms. Simmons is welcoming new patients and has same day appointments available. To schedule an appointment, or for more information, call 706-375-9400.
The MV Captain Hugh Mulzac, the latest addition to the SVG Coast Guards complement of ships.

The SVG Coast Guard took possession of another vessel, and with that comes a quantum leap to this countrys marine capabilities.

Brenton Caine, Commander of the Coast Guard, was overcome with emotions at Saturdays event.

He was pleased with the arrival of the Captain Hugh Mulzac after its trans-Atlantic journey which started at Rotterdam, The Netherlands, November 23.

The delivery captain was Erik Hajer, from a company called Damen, along with colleagues Marck Golik, Marcus Selo and Arie Lont.

Commander Caine described the new acquisition as a "huge improvement in the functionality of the Coast Guard, that was "needed and welcomed.

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves inspected the vessel last Saturday and projected on difficult times for those trafficking people, arms, ammunition and cocaine.

The name Captain Hugh Mulzac is familiar to the SVG Coast Guard. In June 1987, tribute was given to the Union Island born Hugh Mulzac when a Coast Guard vessel was named in his honour. That vessel was decommissioned in 2010.

The new Captain Hugh Mulzac has accommodation for 19 crew, but can be adjusted to facilitate an increased number.

A new Coast Guard vessel named Captain Hugh Mulzac docked at the Cruise Ship Berth last Saturday.They were supported by eight Vincentian Coast Guard personnel: Sub Lieutenants Vinton John and William Theobalds; Chief Petty Officers Frankie John, Anthony Delpesche, and Brangurgon Glasgow; Petty Officer Alvis Daniel, and Leading Seamen Marlon Simon and Cosmos Peters.The vessel was commissioned at a cost of $7.5M.While the delivery crew has since returned home, an engineer remained to ensure a smooth transition.The Vincentian Prime Minister pointed to a smaller boat with the new Captain Mulzac. That boat, he said, can be jettisoned in quick fashion and is equipped to take on other craft.Captain Mulzac was the first black man to captain a fully integrated American supply vessel - the Booker T. Washington - from 1942. That vessel took tanks, aircraft and ammunition to the European front, and evaded the network of German submarines which had taken a toll of USA marine resources.Commander Caine outlined that, with this vessel able to spend up to two weeks at sea, they will be able to, among other things, carry out extended rescue missions.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation has awarded the contract for the I-75/I-24 interchange modification design-build project. The low bid of $132,644,398.00 was submitted by C.W. Matthews Contracting Co., Inc. The winning design-build proposal will complete design and construction of this project in less than three years, officials said.

By using the design-build contracting method for this complex project, we were able to explore every available option to deliver it in the most timely and cost-efficient way, Assistant Chief Engineer/Region 2 Director Joe Deering said. The process resulted in several innovative concepts, and the winning proposal will save two years of expected construction time.

Design-build is a project delivery method that combines all or some portions of the design and construction phases of a project into a single contract. TDOT is using the design-build concept on some of its larger projects to expedite project delivery and streamline design processes.

Over the next several months, the design-builder for the I-75/I-24 interchange modification project will complete the design of the project and acquire necessary permits. In the spring of 2019, the design-builder will begin geotechnical improvements to the project area with construction expected to begin in the late fall of 2019. Once construction begins, every effort will be made to minimize impacts to drivers, officials said.

The I-75/I-24 interchange modification project was one of 962 critical transportation projects included in the 2017 IMPROVE Act legislation.

Officials said, "The planned improvements to the interchange at Interstate 75 and Interstate 24 in Hamilton County will consist of modification and reconstruction between the Georgia state line and west of the East Brainerd Road interchange on I-75 and between Spring Creek Road and the I-75/I-24 interchange on I-24.



"The improvements will increase the safety, efficiency, and operation of the interstate, while providing congestion relief and addressing the deficiencies of the existing interchange.

"The existing I-75/I-24 interchange is a heavily traveled corridor that serves Tennessee and Georgia. Both I-75 and I-24 provide a direct connection to downtown Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain, and other area attractions, while I-24 also serves as a direct link between I-75 and I-59.

"Continued growth and increased traffic volumes along the I-75 and I-24 corridors have increased concerns for the safety of the interchange. A review of the project area revealed ramp geometry, merging distances, and Welcome Center access as operational deficiencies.

"Interchange modifications are necessary to increase capacity, correct merge points, and enhance ramp function. The planned design will improve the safety and operation of the interchange, while providing a facility that meets traffic demands.

"The existing project area is along the I-75 and I-24 corridors located southeast of Chattanooga in Hamilton County. The project extends from Spring Creek Road over I-24 to approximately one mile west of the I-75 interchange to East Brainerd Road. The total roadway length is 2.7 miles.

"Within the project area, I-24 is primarily a six-lane, controlled-access facility, separated by a concrete barrier wall with a right-of-way width of approximately 500 feet. I-75 is primarily an eight-lane, controlled-access facility, separated by a concrete barrier wall with a variable right-of-way width of approximately 300 to 600 feet.

"The planned design consists of widening the existing roads and ramps, increasing ramp radii, reconfiguring I-24 ramps to enter and exit I-75 from the right side, shifting the interchange to the west, and modifying the Welcome Center area traffic circulation.

"The project will also include new bridges for Spring Creek Road over I-24, as well as interstate bridges. Retaining walls will be required along interstate ramps and between I-75 and the Welcome Center area."
On New Years Eve, all CARTA bus services will operate on regular schedules.

There will be no CARTA services on New Years Day.

Additional information on CARTAs routes, schedules and services may be obtained by calling the CARTA Information Line at 423 629-1473, TDD users 423 624-4534, or by visiting the CARTA website at www.gocarta.org.


Three Jewish-themed, award-winning documentary films produced in Israel and the United States and will be shown on three consecutive Wednesday evenings at 7:15 p.m. beginning Jan. 9 at the Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 North Terrace Road. These films are suitable for those 16 and older. Individual tickets are $8 per person and include complimentary popcorn and a soft drink. These films have garnered international film awards and nominations, and have received recognition at film festivals throughout the United States, Europe and Israel.

For more information, contact the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga (423) 493-0270 or view information on www.jewishchattanooga.com.

The Documentary Series schedule is as follows:



Wednesday, Jan. 9, 7:15 p.m. - Jewish Soldiers in Blue and Gray, United States, English

88 minutes

This documentary chronicles the experiences of Jewish Americans during the Civil War, discussing acts of heroism and intelligence by Jewish soldiers, as well as General Ulysses S. Grant's decision to expel all Jews from his territory. This will appeal to anyone interested in Jewish or Civil War history. Sonia Young, whose husband Mel Young wrote about Jewish Civil War soldiers, will introduce the film. Jim Ogden from the National Park Service will lead a discussion following the film.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhtSM_h6MWk

Wednesday, January 16, 7:15 p.m. - Land of Milk and Funny, United States, English

78 minutes

American Jews relationship to Israel can be complex and emotional, but in Avi Libermans case, it is also humorous. Since 2001, Liberman has arranged widely acclaimed stand-up comedy tours in Israel to help boost morale, while donating all of the proceeds to a charity.

Trailer: http://landofmilkandfunny.com/trailer/

Wednesday, January 23, 7:15 p.m. - Inside the Mossad, Israel/Hebrew, subtitles

90 minutes

A few years after the Holocaust, the capture of Nazi war criminal, Adolf Eichmann, had set the myth of the Israeli Mossad  Israels foreign intelligence agency. Mossad agents were perceived as larger-than-life, who would do anything, even recruit ex-Nazi commanders, in order to obliterate the enemy. Decades later, the Mossad is a powerful organization with a strong regional power.

Trailer: http://www.israelfilmfestival.com/films/inside-the-mossad/

The Jewish Cultural Center, funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga, offers programs, classes and exhibits, social services, and a preschoolall rooted in Jewish values. The facility enables the Jewish community to raise its visibility, foster relationships, and strengthen its identity in the Chattanooga area. Located at 5461 North Terrace, the Center and its programs are open to everyone regardless of religious affiliation.


Bill Lee will be inaugurated as the 50th governor of the State of Tennessee on Jan. 19, 2019 amid a weekend of celebratory events that include free tours of the Tennessee State Capitol and the Tennessee Residence.



Maria and I are honored to serve Tennessee and we are excited to gather with folks from across the state for the inaugural, said Governor-elect Lee, who won 59 percent of the vote in the Nov. 6 general election. Weve visited all 95 counties twice, and we know that Tennesseans care deeply about our state. We live in a remarkable state with remarkable people, and I believe that as good a place as Tennessee is, we can be even better, and we can lead the nation.



Governor-elect Lees "Believe in Tennessee" celebration events will be held in Nashville on Jan. 18-20, 2019. Event details, tickets and reservations are available beginning today at www.BelieveinTN.com. With the exception of the ticketed Saturday evening inaugural dinner and ball (as noted below), all celebration activities are free and open to the public with limitations based on venue capacity.



Governor-elect Lee will take the oath of office on Jan. 19, 2019 at 11 a.m. CST at Legislative Plaza in Nashville. The oath will be administered by Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeffrey S. Bivins. The event is a joint convention of the 111th General Assembly.



Friday, Jan. 18, 2019: (all times Central)

 Boots on Broadway: Music & More, an evening of live music at Acme Feed & Seed, 101 Broadway, 8 p.m.



Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019:

 Inaugural Worship Service, Ryman Auditorium, 8:30 a.m.

 Inaugural Ceremony, Legislative Plaza, 11 a.m.

 Tours of the Tennessee State Capitol, 1-3 p.m.

 Tennessee State Museum tour, 1-5 p.m., 1000 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard.

 First Couples Inaugural Dinner and Ball, Music City Center, 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the black-tie optional event are $250 per person.

 Believe in Tennessee Inaugural Ball, Music City Center, 8 p.m. Tickets for the black-tie optional event are $50 per person.



Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019

 Tennessee Residence Open House, hosted by Governor Lee and First Lady Maria Lee, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Tickets and Reservations available at www.BelieveintTN.com.



Stuart McWhorter, who served as fundraising chairman for Bill Lee for Tennessee, is inaugural committee chairman and Knoxville businessman, Jim Haslam, is treasurer. Inaugural celebration events and activities are fully supported by private donations according to contribution guidelines.
The queen has had quite the ups and downs with Prince Charless ladies  particularly Camilla Parker Bowles, who he had an affair with. But, how did she really feel about her late daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales? Did Queen Elizabeth II dislike Princess Diana? Find out more about their relationship, ahead.

Did Queen Elizabeth II dislike Princess Diana?

Queen Elizabeth II has never really disliked Princess Diana. However, she didnt always agree with the Princess of Waless behavior. Case in point: Princess Diana was brutally honest and outspoken. She often revealed things about her personal life (and, as a result, the royal family) that a then very private queen did not approve of. That said, the people loved Princess Diana for telling it like it is and coming forward with some of her struggles. And, in the end, the queen would learn to be more like her late daughter-in-law.

Up ahead, we take a closer look at Queen Elizabeth and Princess Dianas relationship, including some of the things the Princess of Wales did to get under the queens skin.

Queen Elizabeth and Princess Dianas relationship

Before Princess Dianas death, the royal family  especially the queen  kept a lot to themselves and remained closed off to the public. But, not Princess Diana. Her Royal Highness went by the peoples princess because of the way she touched the lives of the British people, as well as those around the world. And, much to Queen Elizabeths disagreement, she would eventually have to change her ways and become more like her daughter-in-law. Heres an inside look at what Queen Elizabeth and Princess Dianas relationship was really like, plus some of the lessons Her Majesty learned from the Princess of Wales.

Princess Diana refused to say obey in her vows

When Princess Diana married Prince Charles, she refused to say she would obey Prince Charles in her vows. This was not the first time Her Highness broke royal protocol early on in their relationship. She also ordered her engagement ring from a catalog instead of having it custom made, which is royal family tradition. While the scenarios werent the worst things that could happen (they are actually quite awesome), the queen isnt someone who likes change and was probably bothered by these behaviors.

She leaked information about the royal family

When Andrew Mortons book, Diana: Her True Story came out, the queen was livid. The princess had connected the royal biographer to some of those closest to her (even members of her own family). Together, they provided insight to her life inside the palace. They also discussed her troubled marriage with Prince Charles. The book even discusses Queen Elizabeth and Princess Dianas relationship.

At the time, releasing information about her family to the public was foreign to Queen Elizabeth and she kept a very distant relationship with the public. And, although confirmation of Princess Dianas connection to the book did not come until after her death, Queen Elizabeth was pretty upset by it. However, she did learn some valuable lessons about being open with the public (just maybe not as open as Princess Diana) from her late daughter-in-law.

In addition to the book, Princess Diana gave several revealing interviews in her life, including one with BBC in 1995. In the interview, she spoke about her troubled relationship with Prince Charles, as well as her relationship with the royal family in general.

The queen asked Princess Diana to get a divorce

The queen clearly couldnt take Princess Dianas misery (or her outspokenness) any longer and allegedly wrote a letter to her daughter-in-law, asking her and Prince Charles to get a divorce. Queen Elizabeth wrote the letter with help from Prince Charles, the Prime Minister, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Diana (understandably) felt upset that someone else made the decision for her.

Queen Elizabeth had sympathy for Princess Diana

Much to Queen Elizabeths surprise, her aristocratic daughter-in-law had a hard time adjusting to royal life. And while it wasnt what the queen had expected, she still offered Princess Diana sympathy. She even consoled her many times at the beginning of Dianas relationship with Prince Charles. However, the sympathy wouldnt last long and she didnt always offer Princess Diana the advice she was seeking.

In the documentary, Diana: In Her Own Words, the late princess spoke of a time she sought advice from Her Majesty about her loveless marriage. I went to the top lady and said: I dont know what I should do. She said: I dont know what you should do. And that was it. That was help, Princess Diana shared.

The queen admired Princess Diana

Despite their differences  and the many times Princess Diana challenged The Crown  Queen Elizabeth had a lot of respect and admiration for Princess Diana. I want to pay tribute to Diana myself. She was an exceptional and gifted human being, Her Majesty said in the wake of Dianas death. In good times and in bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness. I admired and respected her  for her energy and commitment to others, and especially for her devotion to her two boys, she added.

The public slammed Queen Elizabeth for how she handled Princess Dianas death. The loss of Diana was a turning event for both the royal family and the queen. Today, Her Majesty embodies a little bit more of Princess Dianas character. Princess Dianas legacy has also touched the lives of others in the royal family and it is clear that Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle pay tribute to their mother-in-law in the way they address the public, the charities they involve themselves with, and the outspokenness they (particularly Meghan) have.

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He may have been born into royalty but Prince Philips upbringing was nothing like his wifes. Queen Elizabeth IIs husband came from a broken home and had a childhood marked by tragedy. Not only that, but some of his family members were believed to have affiliations with the Nazi Party; particularly his older sisters.

Heres the story behind how and if all of the Duke of Edinburghs siblings were connected to the Nazi Party.

Prince Philip was born in 1921 to Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg. He had four older sisters  Princesses Margarita, Theodora, Cecilie, and Sophie. A year after Philips birth, the monarchy in Greece fell and the family fled to Paris.

When Philip was 9 years old he was sent to a Cheam School in England and while he was away his family had broken up. His mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and committed to an asylum, his father took up residence in Monte Carlo with his mistress, and his sisters married German aristocrats and moved to Germany with them.

At one point, Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark, brought her brother to Germany to live with her just as Adolf Hitler was coming into power. But Philip didnt stay long and because of what transpired in later years he and his family will forever be tied to the Nazi party.

Princess Margaritas connections to Nazi Germany Princess Margaritas husband, Gottfried Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, was a commander in the German army. However, towards the end of World War II, his views began to change so much so that he became involved with a group that plotted to assassinate Hitler in 1944. Gottfried was eventually dismissed from the army for his role. Princess Cecilie was a member of the Nazi Party Princess Cecilie has the most tragic and dark story of all the dukes sisters. In 1937, Cecilie and her husband, Georg Donatus (known as Don); their two sons; and her mother-in-law were traveling by plane to London to attend the wedding of Dons brother. Unfortunately, they were facing bad weather and their plane was unable to land in Brussels as scheduled. When it was diverted to another airport the pilot clipped a factory chimney and the plane went down. There were no survivors. The princess was pregnant at the time and her babys body was found among the wreckage. Prior to their deaths, Cecilie and Don had become members of the Nazi party. This became evident at their funerals when several men were photographed around a then 16-year-old Prince Philip doing Nazi salutes.

Princess Sophie named her son after Adolf Hitler

Finally, the youngest of Prince Philips sister, Princess Sophie, actually named her oldest son Karl Adolf after the German dictator.

Sophie, who was married to Prince Christoph von Hessen, admitted that she was initially charmed by Hitler after meeting him for a private lunch.

I have to say here, that, although Chri [Prince Christoph] and I changed our political view fundamentally some years later, we were impressed by this charming and seemingly modest man, and by his plans to change and improve the situation in Germany, Sophie wrote in her memoir.

Read more: What is Prince Philips Relationship Like With His Grandchildren?

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Some inmates at the Belle Isle Correctional Institution here are taking real steps to equip themselves for life after incarceration.

Some twenty-two inmates have taken advantage of learning a new craft by becoming involved in a programme/project dubbed Grow in time.

This, Roudette said, will ensure a steady supply of the raw material, not to mention helping with the conservation of the soil in those areas.

Glenroy Browne, Supervisor at the Belle Isle Correctional Institution, praised Roudette for her commitment to the project.

He endorsed the high quality products from the venture, and while noting the obvious talent in the prison, he pondered whether there will be continuation as free citizens.

While the Grow in Time aspect involved the male population, the females in incarceration displayed their ingenuity with decorated cakes, pastries, and drinks.

The programme/project, the brainchild of creative artist Vonnie Roudette, exposes the inmates to the use of Lavender grass to make mats, hats, bags, clothes baskets and coasters, among other items.These products were on display at an Exhibition mounted last Friday, December 14, in an area just outside the precincts of Her Majestys Prisons, Kingstown.According to Roudette, the venture has gone into the cultivation of Lavender grass at plots in Penniston and Belle Isle.And, in addition to learning the skill and producing items, earnings from the sale of the items go towards assisting those involved while they are serving time, and with their rehabilitation upon release.There was recorded music to help create a festive atmosphere at the exhibition, and the female prisoners took the opportunity to showcase their skills on the hand drums. (WKA)
JOS, Nigeria, December 21, 2018 (Morning Star News)  Nearly three months after Muslim Fulani herdsmen in north-central Nigeria shot and killed his wife and four children, Samuel Wah will spend Christmas in his hospital bed, a bullet still lodged in his back.

Since the Oct. 3 attack on Ariri village, 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Miango in Plateau state, that killed 19 Christians, the 45-year-old member of St. Williams Catholic Church has remained in the hospital with the bullet lodged near his spinal cord. Doctors at Enos Hospital in Miango are not equipped to remove it safely, and Wah lacks the resources to transfer to another hospital for the advanced surgery, he said.

Wah was ill with fever the day of the attack, and he and his family had gone to bed when they were awoken at 11 p.m. by the sounds of stones hitting their roof, then sporadic gunshots, he told Morning Star News from his hospital bed.

I forced myself to stand up while my wife was saying the gunmen are Fulani herdsmen, he said. I moved to the door of my living room and then opened it, only to find a Fulani man standing and aiming the gun towards where I was standing. He shot me.

As he went down, Wah said, he heard the shooter call another armed Fulani over.

They were speaking Fulfulde, and since I understand the language, I overheard what they were saying to each other, he told Morning Star News. After shooting me, the Fulani man then shot my wife and children. All of them were killed. They must have thought that I was dead too, and so moved out of my house.

His wife, Laraba Samuel, was 39; his daughter, Reizeh, was 13; his son, Wah, was 10; his daughter, Jummai, was 7; and his son, Wei, was 5.

The herdsmen also attacked the house of 95-year-old Ahmadu Angah, 95, killing him and wounding his wife, Mary Ahmadu, 70, said Angahs son, Joseph Ahmadu. Four of Angahs grandchildren were also shot and killed: Bulus Danladi, 8; Gado Danladi, 7; Lami Monday, 5; and John Kurah, 7.

Joseph Ahmadu, a 42-year-old elder at the congregation of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Ariri village, told Morning Star News that 19 Christians were killed in the village that night and three others wounded.

He said Samuel Wahs brother, 60-year-old Monday Wah, was also shot and killed alongside his wife, Abigail Monday Wah, 40, and four children in their home: Alaska Monday Wah, 8; Talatu Monday Wah, 6; Peter Monday Wah, 4; and Ezekiel Monday Wah, 2.

The Muslim Fulani herdsmen also killed another relative, Mali Wah, 40, and his wife, Jummai Mali Wah, 30, in the house, Ahmadu said.

His grandmother, Asabe Ahmadu, 80, escaped unhurt, but her daughter, Azumi Oscar, 30, was shot and wounded. She also is receiving treatment at Enos Hospital, he said.

Ahmadu told Morning Star News that this was the third attack by Fulani herdsmen on them this year, following assaults in June and July. Slain in the June attack was Adamu Tureh, 80, a member of St. Williams Catholic Church in Ariri. In the July assault, Danladi Musa, 45, was wounded from gunshot in the eye, and Maiangwa Tshohu, 70, was shot and killed, Ahmadu said. Tshohu also was a member of the Catholic church in Ariri.

Ahmadu expressed sadness that in spite of the attacks, the Nigerian government has shown no inclination to protect them from herdsmen terrorism.

Ariri has been deserted by the few who have survived, he said. Many of our people have been forced to flee the village, and those of us remaining are finding it difficult to protect ourselves. I plead that the government protect us. I also want to appeal to the Fulani herdsmen to please end their unnecessary attacks on us, as we have done them no wrong.

We pray our Lord Jesus Christ forgive our attackers and give them repentant hearts."

Christians make up 51.3 percent of Nigerias population, while Muslims living primarily in the north and middle belt account for 45 percent.

Nigeria ranked 14th on Open Doors 2018 World Watch List of countries where Christians suffer the most persecution.

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
Though the demand for more Christ in Christmas seems to be losing momentum, most evangelicals still believe the holidayand its seasonal greetingsshould more explicitly reference the Savior.

Overall, the number of Americans who say Christmas should be more about Jesus has dropped from 79 percent in 2014 to 65 percent in 2018, according to LifeWay Research.

Saying Christmas should be more about Jesus is a little like saying Thanksgiving should be more about giving thanks. Its in the name of the holiday, said Scott McConnell, LifeWay Researchs executive director. Yet, it appears there is less cultural expectation for celebrations of the Christmas holiday to include the religious aspect.

American nones and those of other faiths account for the bulk of the shift. In LifeWays 2014 report, 63 percent of members of non-Christian faiths and nearly half of the countrys nones (46%) said Christmas should be more about Jesus. Four years later, those percentages dropped to 35 percent and 28 percent, respectively.

Even Christians are slightly less likely to want to see a greater emphasis on Jesus, with 8 in 10 agreeing this year compared to 9 in 10 in 2014. But nearly all evangelicals by belief, 97 percent, still insist on more Jesus.

A majority of evangelicals (65%) say they take offense when someone says, Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, though fewer than half of Christians (42%) and a third of Americans (32%) agree.

Over the years, LifeWay found the abbreviation X-mas to be just as controversial as Happy holidays or more, with 42 percent of Christians and 33 percent of Americans saying it was offensive in this years survey. Nearly 6 in 10 of those with evangelical beliefs (59%) find the use of X-mas instead of Christmas offensive.

The great irony in the distaste for the term X-mas is that it is thoroughly Christian, rather than an effort to remove the word Christ from the holiday.

The X in X-mas is not really an X at all. Its chi, the Greek letter at the start of the word Christ, or Christos (). Since the earliest era of political Christendom, X has been used as a shorthand for Christ, as LifeWays own Facts & Trends pointed out.

Constantine, the first emperor to convert to Christianity and whose Edict of Milan sought to free Christians from persecution, instructed his soldiers to inscribe the letter on their shields before the landmark Battle of Milvian Bridge. The chi X was paired with P, representing the Greek letter rho, the first two letters of and a signifier for the name Christ. Legend has it, the chi rho symbol came to Constantine in a vision.

Using X as an abbreviation for Christ is also thought to have appeared in many Greek manuscripts of the New Testament.

Even incorporating X into an English-language abbreviation for Christmas dates back a millennium. In the year 1021, an Anglo-Saxon scribe condensed Christmas to XPmas, and eventually the P was dropped to shorten the term even further,First Things noted.

According to the Christian Research Institute, the church was substituting Christ with X in the middle of the fifteenth century to save space and money when using newly invented printing presses, and Websters dictionary recognizes X-mas as a common term by the sixteenth century.

Matthew Schmitz, senior editor of First Things, states, That Xmas sounds for a time more commercial than Constantinian is no reason to give up on it use, not if we expect the Christian faith to outlast capitalist society.

In the eighteenth century, one of Englands most famous poets, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, was using X-mas in his writing.

More recently, in a 1954 essay called Xmas and Christmas, C. S. Lewis describes a mythical people who celebrate a winter festival called, critically, Exmas and find themselves hopelessly entangled, then exhausted, by the holiday rush. He uses the story to decry Christmas commercial abuses. Fellow English writer G.K. Chesterton, too, wrote a short poem called Xmas Day.

What Does the X in Xmas Mean? was one of 300 questions theologian R. C. Sproul compiled in a 1996 book.

The X in Christmas is used like the R in R. C. My given name at birth was Robert Charles, although before I was even taken home from the hospital my parents called me by my initials, R.C., and nobody seems to be too scandalized by that, he said in his response, now posted on the Ligonier Ministries website.

Even two decades ago, the late teacher defended the term against Christian skepticism.

People seem to express chagrin about seeing Christs name dropped and replaced by this symbol for an unknown quantity X. Every year you see the signs and the bumper stickers saying, Put Christ back into Christmas as a response to this substitution of the letter X for the name of Christ, he said.

Theres a long and sacred history of the use of X to symbolize the name of Christ, and from its origin, it has meant no disrespect.
Here are the top religion news stories CT reported this past year, ranked in reverse order by which ones readers read most. Many of the topics contain additional coverage, which can be accessed by clicking individual articles.
Harvest Bible Chapel, James MacDonald scrutinized for culture of fear, intimidation; church denies

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A prominent Chigaco-area evangelical megachurch is under scrutiny for an alleged culture of intimidation, fear, and suspicious financial activities, allegations the church says amount to an unfair attack from a journalist with an "unhealthy fixation" on it.

Harvest Bible Chapel, which has several campuses across the Chicago area, was the subject of an eight-month-long investigation by former Moody Radio host and author Julie Roys, who published her findings in the most recent issue of World magazine.

Her report detailed the actions of former elders who believed that longtime pastor James MacDonald was unfit to serve any longer in light of the New Testament requirements for being an elder or pastor. In 2013, eight of them penned a letter describing how MacDonald loved and mismanaged money, bullied people, and was known for "abusive speech," "outbursts of anger" and making misleading statements.

This set in motion a dispute that garnered some notable press coverage at the time. MacDonald ultimately apologized for the harsh way church leadership had disciplined three of those eight former elders and those three elders accepted his apology in exchange for leaving the church alone and allowing the current elders to reform the ministry. Yet now those three elders and others say that they think no reforms have been implemented and that the culture of abusive treatment and shady financial activity has continued.

Writing on her blog Tuesday, Roys elaborated further, quoting Randy Williams, a current HBC elder and former chairman of the church's executive committee  a group of a few elders and MacDonald that make financial and legal decisions for the church  who said in a November 2017 text message to a pastor at an independent Harvest Bible Chapel in Indianapolis that he was recusing himself from EC activities and the leadership team because MacDonald and the senior leaders conduct themselves with "deceitfulness and manipulation," and are trying "to run a cult and control the masses."

"I dont see anything short of a public media expose getting James [MacDonald] on his knees," Williams concludes.

Harvest's bylaws state that the executive committee has the "sole responsibility" for approving annual budget and salaries for MacDonald and senior staff.

Two other pastors once linked with HBC  David Wisen, teaching pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel Spring Lake, and Bill Borinstein, former pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel North Phoenix  likewise express in a separate text thread from July 2017 their concerns with how the church's affairs are being run and about MacDonald's ongoing patterns of behavior.

Roys obtained those words via a subpoena in defense of a lawsuit Harvest filed against her weeks before her investigative report was published.

She explains that in recent years the church brought under its authority formerly independent nonprofit entities like MacDonald's radio broadcast called "Walk in the Word" and the now disbanded church planting network, Harvest Bible Fellowship, enabling the shifting of funds between them.

A 2017 audit revealed that when HBF dissolved, the church used $1 million from Walk in the Word to cover its liabilities. Harvest also used money from Walk in the Word to pay for the creation of a "fenced trophy whitetail deer herd" at Camp Harvest, year-round church-owned facility in Newaygo, Michigan.

"According to a web page Harvest posted on Oct. 30, people may hunt at the camp for $6,000-$8,000 per deer, with proceeds going to a Camp Harvest scholarship fund," Roys reported.

The church acknowledged in a statement that Walk in the Word pays the camp a small annual maintenance fee for food, etc. for the herd as a thank you gift to the church.

Roys' reporting chronicled accounts of Harvest leadership expelling children from the church school when their father would not agree to sign a "noncompete" agreement  an agreement to not plant a church within 50 miles of the campus. She also highlighted how the church reportedly kept secret 20 percent of the budget, including paying MacDonald and his sons, and how he constructed a large new home with luxury elements, including a 10-car garage, while maintaining the house was under 5,000 square feet (not counting the garage and basement).

The exact value of the house is disputed. MacDonald says his home was appraised for $1.4 million, a 2017 Kane Co. tax bill (which reported the house size as 8,500 square feet) listed the market value at $2.1 million, and Borinstein estimated in the text thread that the house is worth $4-5 million.

The Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability, however, is defending Harvest. In a statement posted on HBC's website, it was noted that the council visited the church on Dec. 10 and examined the accusations against the church related to their broadcast and church planting entities.

As part of its ongoing compliance review process, ECFA staff were on-site at Harvest Bible Chapel earlier this month. Of particular interest was the churchs compliance with ECFAs Standard 6, Compensation-Setting and Related-Party Transactions. Harvest Bible Chapel is in full compliance with each of ECFAs Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship and remains a member in good standing with ECFA, the statement reads.

This week, it was announced on SBC Voices that MacDonald is withdrawing from the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention's Pastors' Conference and is also foregoing all outside speaking engagements.

In a statement, MacDonald maintained that the World story was a sordid re-hashing of opinions from a few "disgruntled former members."

"Harvest Bible Chapel has owned its mistakes and endured to become a happier and healthier church, whose members recently pledged  financially, in their walk/work for Christ, and in their promise to share Christ with others  at unprecedented levels. The anticipated attack that comes with Gods kingdom moving forward has come, sadly, not from those in the world but from other professing Christians," he said.

"We have chosen the high road and refused to engage in public assault on people we once served closely with who just cant seem to 'let it go,' even after all these years. The Elders are privy to many grace-filled private attempts to reconcile, extended in hopes that these unhappy Christians would find peace."

CP reached out to MacDonald Tuesday, inquiring specifically about his decision to withdraw from the SBC pastors' conference and outside speaking engagements and about the comments in the text threads Roys posted Tuesday.

A church spokesman replied in an email Wednesday that MacDonald has "been praying for a while about limiting his travel and speaking outside of Harvest. He felt led of the Lord to go ahead and do so for a season. That prayer preceded recent events.

The HBC elders issued statements Tuesday of their own, defending MacDonald, the elder board and their actions. They believe Roys is attacking the elder board, has an "unhealthy fixation" with Harvest, and is trying to show that MacDonald does not submit to Elder authority and has no accountability, something they insist is "false."

The Tuesday elder statement also asserts that Randy Williams is not the man they know who said what he did in the text threads Roys published and that he has not been available to them.

"If Randy Williams was secretly antagonistic about the health of our collective governance, it was not known to any of us. We offer him the grace we all need in the context of regrettable words or actions. Love prompts us to believe he does regret these words," the statement reads.

"Based upon what is known about his love for our church and Pastor James, we believe he must have read what Julie Roys published and felt devastated. Love compels us to believe the best; if that is not the case, we will of course make it known here."

HBC filed an emergency motion in court, an entry of protective order Friday to seal all the documents Roys subpoenaed, which the judged denied Tuesday morning. They then filed a regular motion which will be heard in January.

Roys' lawyer, Charles L. Philbrick, confirmed in a brief phone interview with The Christian Post Wednesday that Roys was not legally obligated to keep the specific text messages she released confidential.

CP will update this story as more emerges.
Chance the Rapper gives God the glory after quitting cigarettes while on sabbatical

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Chance the Rapper has given God the glory after successfully giving up cigarettes while taking a sabbatical to study the Word of God.

The Chicago-based rapper made the announcement on Instagram, writing: Today is my 7th day ZERO CIGARETTES #leaveitatthealter. The 25-year-old artist also shared a screenshot of Ephesians 3:20: Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Chance has previously opened up about his addiction to cigarettes  even naming a song on his album "Chain Smoker  and revealed he was attempting to break the longstanding habit in a May Twitter post.

Man, cigarettes are not a cool thing, he told xxxlmag.com. I never want to push that on to people. It's just been a big part of my life, reluctantly, because I've been addicted to cigarettes for a long time. I think there's something super poetic about cigarettes. I asked a question one time like, Why do you toss the filter? It's like the only part of the cigarette that's saving you, but we toss it at the end. It's a weird question.

Chances decision to quit smoking comes amid his sabbatical to study the Word of God. Earlier in December, he announced that he plans to read five or more books from Bible to get to know Jesus Christ on a deeper level.

Im on a plane headed out the country on my first sabbatical, the artist wrote. Im going away to learn the Word of God which I am admittedly very unfamiliar with. Ive been brought up by my family to know Christ, but I havent taken it upon myself to really just take a couple of days and read my Bible. We all quote scripture and tell each other what God likes and doesnt like, but how much time do we spend as followers of Jesus to really just read and KNOW His Word. Im definitely guilty of not devoting time to it.

Chance went on to explain that he made the decision to take a sabbatical following the birth of his nephew, Charlie Matthew.

Hes the first boy of the next line and he needs his uncle to be educated, he explained. So don't bother me, I'll be back soon enough, with five or more books from Bible read.

The artist later revealed hed successfully read through three books of the Bible: Otw to the second half of sabbatical, he captioned a photo of himself holding his photo of his 3-year-old daughter, Kensli. I read Romans, James and Galatians and Im currently on day 4 of ZERO CIGARETTES. I feel really good right now, thank u Father. #leaveitatthealter.

In a subsequent post, Chance shared a page from A Diary of Private Prayer, a devotional from the Scottish theologian John Baillie that contains prayers for the morning and evening.

Chances spiritual journey has inspired others. Rapper Kanye West recently credited the younger artist for helping reconnect him to his Christian faith. I need to speak about how Chance demanding that we record in Chicago reconnected me with my roots and also my faith in Jesus Christ, he tweeted on Dec. 15.
300 Hindu radicals terrorize Christian children at Sunday school, threaten to beat them

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A pastor in India said a mob of 300 Hindu extremists terrorized Christian children and threatened to beat them for attending a Sunday school class he was leading.

Pastor Selva Raj of Amathur village in Indias Tamil Nadu state told Morning Star News that the attack happened on Nov. 11. The mob of 300 or so radicals destroyed a shed near the worship building before descending upon children in a Sunday school class.

They took away the Bible storybooks and some song and activity books from the children and tore them into pieces, Raj told Morning Star News in a piece published on Wednesday. They scared the children away by telling them that they will be beaten up if they are seen in the church premises ever again.

The Hindu radicals then pressured both police and landlords to banish the pastor from the village.

Despite pressure to leave the village, Raj said he has refused to do so.

I told them that I am not going to write anything, he said. The inspector also told them, If he has done something wrong, you tell us, and we can give him a strong warning to not do it. But we do not have the authority to tell anyone to leave the village.

Raj explained that local Hindu leaders have been highly opposed to the presence of Christians in Amathur, and for years have been chasing away other pastors.

He vowed to continue offering Bible study classes for the children, no matter the cost.

Im ready to become martyr for Christ, the pastor said. Until my Lord provides us a building, we will continue serving the Lord. It is fine even if we do not have shelter, we will not stop worshiping Him. We are ready to die for Christ.

Christians have been attacked, beaten and threatened by Hindu radicals throughout rural areas in India, often falsely accused of trying to forcefully convert other believers.

A pastor who leads a congregation in Madhya Pradesh State said in September that 15 families were scared off from going to church due to threats made by Hindu radicals, but they continue to worship Jesus in secret.

"The radicals say they will beat and kill my church members if they continue to attend the services," Pastor Singh, as the church leader was identified, told International Christian Concern at the time.

"Prior to May this year, around 200 people used to worship regularly in my church," he added. "But now only 50 to 60 people attend my church on Sunday. They are under tremendous pressure from Hindu radicals."

In other instances, Christian families have been pressured into converting back to tribal religions. Three families faced such a fate in October in Lisiya village, West Singhbhum District, after Hindu radicals began destroying their homes and threatening to take their land and resources.

"Pastors and Christians from Lisiya and surrounding village churches tried to encourage them to continue in the Christian faith in these testing times," area resident Subod Sinku said of the difficulties placed upon the Christians.
Catholic senior center accused of censorship denies barring residents from saying 'Merry Christmas'

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A Catholic senior center in Washington state is refuting claims that it has barred residents from saying Merry Christmas and singing Christmas carols but is "doubling down" on a policy prohibiting residents from decorating the exterior of their apartment doors.

Providence Health Services, a nonprofit Catholic health care provider, received a letter Monday from one of the nations leading conservative religious freedom law firms relaying concerns made by a resident of its independent-living senior apartment complex in Chehalis, Washington.

Aided by funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide affordable housing to low-income elderly individuals, Providence Place has been accused by Alliance Defending Freedom of banning any Christian religious reference in any Christmas decoration, celebration, or Christmas card.

The letter from ADF attorney Blake Meadows states that the unnamed resident wanted to express her Christian beliefs during the holiday season by saying Merry Christmas to other residents and singing Christmas carols in the public common areas of the complex.

According to the organization, the resident also sought to place religious messages and secular Christmas cards on the outside of the door to her apartment. Additionally, the resident wants to replace a mezuzah on her door frame. She claims she was told to remove the mezuzah by building manager Katrina Newman.

As Christmas approached, Ms. Newman informed the residents that the Fair Housing Act prohibited residents from saying Merry Christmas, singing Christmas carols that reference Christ, or displaying any decorations referencing the Christian religion during the holiday season, the letter claims. Interestingly, Ms. Newman permitted a menorah in the public space because it was cultural

Expression.

Newman is also accused of informing residents who wanted to display their Christmas cards on their apartment doors that no cards with any religious reference could be displayed.

The resident is concerned that she will be punished or even evicted from Providence Place for engaging in private religious expression and celebration, Meadows' letter reads.

On Dec. 3, Newman sent a note to residents stating that when they decorate the common areas of the facility, they should think festive, not religious.

Newman deemed things like greenery, colored lights, and snowflakes to be appropriate, adding that Christmas trees, Santa Clause and a menorah were also deemed nonreligious by the HUD Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. Newman warned that items such as the Star of David, Nativity scenes and a crucifix shouldn't be used in common areas.

ADF, which has won nine U.S. Supreme Court cases in the last seven years, states that such censorship is not required by the Fair Housing Act to receive funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Meadows letter added that HUD does not prohibit the discussion of religion in facilities its funds and points out that HUD Secretary Mel Martinez assured over 17 years ago that HUDs policy is not to discriminate against people of faith by barring the use of religious symbols to celebrate faith-based events.

Because Providence Place is a private, nonprofit corporation  not a government controlled entity  it is not bound by the Establishment Clauses prohibition on the government endorsement of religion, Meadows letter contends. Indeed, Providence Place is free to allow the residents to engage in religious discussion and prayer.

Leslie Leber, compliance and quality director for Providence Supportive Housing, told The Christian Post that reports that Providence Place barred residents from saying Merry Christmas or singing Christmas carols are erroneous. She argued that the contents of the ADF letter are factually inaccurate.

Our residents may express themselves freely, including by wishing others a Merry Christmas and singing Christmas carols, she wrote in an email. We do not limit religious speech in any way.

Leber added that each resident is free to decorate their housing units as they choose. However, the exteriors of apartment doors are reserved by the facilitys landlord for their exclusive use.

According to Leber, the exterior door rule is applied consistently, irrespective of a residents religious tradition. She noted that Providence Place has not been contacted by any resident in regard to such issue.

Providence Place welcomes feedback from our residents and we maintain a tenant-grievance process that would allow a resident to raise an issue of this sort, she concluded. The contents of the letter sent by the Alliance Defending Freedom are factually inaccurate and do not reflect the mission and values of Providence Place, which is a place of peace and healing for our community.

ADF senior counsel Matt Sharp told CP in a statement that Leber's response indicates that Providence Place is "doubling-down" on "religious censorship."

"On Dec. 3, Providence Place told its resident that if they wanted to decorate the doors to their own apartments, Santa Clause and a Christmas tree are OK, but a Nativity scene or Star of David are 'religious symbols and should not be used,'" Sharp wrote. "Providence is now doubling-down on their religious censorship, claiming that they have the exclusive right to determine what decorations can be displayed by residents on their doorways and in other public places."

"More than 15 years ago, then-HUD Secretary Mel Martinez publicly affirmed that HUDs policy allows 'religious displays as well as nonreligious symbols [] in common areas of public housing sites.' HUD has not changed this policy," Sharp added. "Yet Providence Place insists on banning residents from decorating their doorways with religious Christmas cards or even a Nativity scene. We sincerely hope that Providence Place fixes this error so that all Providence Place residents can freely celebrate the holiday of their choice."

Sharp recently declared on radio outlet KTTH that ADF is looking at all potential legal options" if Providence doesn't do the right thing.

Weve seen this pop up a lot, this over sensitivity to the celebration and expression of Christmas and a complete misunderstanding what federal law is, Sharp said.

On Dec. 12, Providence Place Director of Housing Timothy Zaricznyj sent a letter [obtained by The Federalist] to residents addressing what he said were mistruths.

I also want to address those residents at Providence Place who feel that as Christians, they are somehow being attacked, Zaricznyj wrote. It is tremendously difficult for our team members to uphold these values [of acting in the spirit of kindness, grace, and generosity of spirit] when their efforts toward bringing Providence Place into compliance without standards is misrepresented by some residents and their personal integrity and intentions are slandered.
Child soldier trained to attack Christians explains how he found Jesus, escaped extremism

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A man who was trained as a child soldier to attack Christians shared what led him to the Bible and Jesus, despite threats to his life.

Christian broadcaster SAT-7 shared the story of the man, identified only as 24-year-old Jahan, in an article on Thursday, noting that he was born in Afghanistan.

I was young and loved rifles, and all I heard was about killing this person and that person because we were told they were no good, attacking infidels and those who had become Christians, Jahan recalled.

We were told we have to go to war against them. One day, my father was asleep, and I ran away. I worked and earned 20 rupees a day, and with hardship, I managed to get to Iran.

Smugglers helped him through a perilous journey over fields and mountains, until he finally reached Iran at the age of 15, and became a builders apprentice.

I experienced much hardship to be able to have light in my life. I got to read His book and found Him. One of my friends was a Christian and told me all about his faith over the phone, he said.

When I read the Bible, I understood that what I had been taught is very different. Someone who reads the Bible can go to his God and solve his problems.

Jahan declared that he is now in a happy place as a Christian, but is sad for his father and mother, who are still living a radicalized life.

They dont answer my calls and I know if they found me, they would kill me. Even here, I am in danger. To my father, I hope you live a long and healthy life. I am your child, but I dont want to live in a dark world, he said.

Persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA ranks Afghanistan as the second worst country in the world for Christians, behind only North Korea.

"Because all Christians in Afghanistan are essentially converts, they are unable to express their faith, even in private. In many cases, upon being discovered, these converts are considered insane for leaving Islam. If they cannot be convinced to return to their former faith, they are sometimes committed to psychiatric institutions," the group explains on its website of the suffering that Christians face.

"Others experience loss of personal property and businesses, beatings and even death at the hands of their own family members and communities. Knowing this, believers risk everything when telling others about Christ, also endangering those they witness to. Afghanistan Christian persecution is a tragic tale that is both old and new and seemingly not going anywhere."

Islamic extremism is a problem in the country. The Islamic State terror group, and other terrorist factions, have for years been at war with government soldiers. Back in November, IS fighters killed 27 soldiers at a mosque at an Afghan army base, wounding another 44.

Terror groups have stepped up their deadly attacks in the past couple of months, AFP noted, aiming to spread their influence in the country.
Christian comedian Rickey Smiley released from hospital after declaring Jesus is my doctor

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After a three-day stint in the hospital, Christian comedian Rickey Smiley revealed Thursday morning that he has been discharged and is at home resting.

Sporting a bandage on his right hand in a Facebook Live broadcast from his home, the nationally syndicated radio host who said he was medicated with morphine, thanked his fans for their prayers.

Ive been discharged from the hospital. Im at home. I just ate a big bowl of soup and Im good. Thank you everybody for their prayers, Smiley said.

He explained that he was getting ready to get some rest but also took time to thank staff at the undisclosed hospital where he was treated and promised to send them a gift from Edible Arrangements.

Im happy, Im safe. I feel better. I hope you all having a blessed day, he said.

Dressed in a hospital gown, Smiley wrote in a post on Instagram Wednesday that he had been hospitalized since Monday and declared that December had been a difficult month for him.

Ive been in the hospital since Monday, and December has been a rough, rough, rough month. Thank you for your well wishes. #JesusIsMyDoctor, Smiley said.

In the post that included a video clip of him breathing through a tube while declaring himself a survivor, Smiley said he didn't know what his medical problem was.

Bruh, Ive been in the hospital since Monday, I dont know what the Hell is going on but everybody has been nice, he said.

He also urged his fans to listen to their doctors if ever hospitalized, while noting that he had been getting up and walking around as directed.

In his update on Thursday, Smiley didn't provide any additional details on what led to his hospitalization.

Smiley, who has long been outspoken about his faith, recently revealed that he questioned some stories in the Bible which he believes are designed to perpetuate racism.

"I'm really questioning some of the Bible stories. And I think some of that stuff in the Bible is set up to train black people to be submissive to systematic racism and white supremacy. That I believe," Smiley, who turned 50 in August, told VLAD TV.

To explain his position, he challenged certain Scriptures like Matthew 5:38-40 which says: You have heard that it was said, Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.

Smiley argued: "Turn the other cheek or whatever. People don't mess with nobody that fight[s] back. People do not mess with nobody that fight[s] back. Black people have been taught to forgive and turn the other cheek for 400 years and what has changed. Nothing."

He insisted that the Bible and the church have been used with great effect as tools of control and continues in that grain today. This control, he said, can be seen through black pastors who have also historically enjoyed a certain amount of power in the system of oppression.
From left: Christopher Cushing (USAID), Minister Frederick Stephenson and Dr. Didicus Jules (OECS), the three signatories to the MOU governing the implementation of the JJRP in SVG.

By February 2019, a Child Justice Act will be passed here. A Select Committee is fine-tuning aspects of the document

That information was disclosed by Minister of National Mobilization Frederick Stephens on last Wednesday morning.

He was speaking at the signing ceremony signalling cooperation on the implementation of Phase Two of the Juvenile Justice Reform Project (JJRP), a project supported by USAID through the OECS, that is earmarked to be implemented in the six independent territories of the OECS: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines .

Last Wednesday was this countrys turn to sign the MOU, with USAID and the OECS.

Cushing noted a pattern of "moving away from harsh and punitive measures that have been proven counter-productive and costly, and pointed to "balanced, restorative approaches that hold young people accountable without compromising their future.

The USAID Mission Director outlined that "this approach fosters sustainability and moves countries from being recipients to partners equipped to chart their own future.

Since 2012, US$2.5M has been allocated to St. Vincent and the Grenadines through the Juvenile Justice Reform Project. Stephenson pointed to a $195.000 figure which was spent on the Liberty Lodge Training Centre.

In 2017, Memoranda of Understanding, setting out responsibilities of each party and providing guides for the projects implementation, were signed with the governments of St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Lucia.Christopher Cushing, Mission Director USAID Eastern and Southern Caribbean; Dr Didicus Jules, Director General Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, and Stephenson, all signed the agreement.There are challenges, and that is why Cushing wants to see participation to embrace families, communities, government and the local stake- holders to develop tools.There is a stigma that hangs over the project, which Cushing highlighted as one of the challenges."Even when a person appears to be on the right track, there are always competing forces which can set them back and destabilise or derail their progress, Cushing proffered.Stephenson described the event "momentous.Stephenson referred to the imminent passage of the Child Justice Bill as testimony of his governments commitment to "comprehensive reform.
Gov. Kasich accused of trying to score 'political points' in transgender policy change

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A conservative group is accusing Ohio Gov. John Kasich of trying to score political points on the way out the door by issuing an executive action this week to ban gender identity discrimination in state employment.

Kasich, the 66-year-old two-term governor and former Republican candidate for president, signed what has been reported as a surprise executive order on Wednesday afternoon just weeks before the end of his governorship.

The order bans state government agencies from discriminating against trans-identified people for employment.

The order effectively rescinds a 2011 order Kasich signed when he first got into office that removed gender identity from the state employment nondiscrimination policy enacted under former Democrat Gov. Ted Strickland in 2007.

Like past orders, this order also bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, race, gender, and other social identifiers.

The governor continues to be opposed to discrimination in state employment, and this order reflects how he believes that policy should be implemented, Kasichs press secretary Jon Keeling said, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

While the move has been praised by LGBT activists and supporters, the order has been deemed unnecessary by Aaron Baer, president of Citizens for Community Values, Ohios social conservative family policy council.

Unless his administration was rampantly firing individuals with gender dysphoria, the only purpose of his latest executive action is to score political points on the way out the door, Baer said in a statement. There is no evidence that this kind of discrimination is happening in state government today.

Kasich's signing of the order came after LGBT activist group Equality Ohio sent Kasich letters with stories from LGBTQ Ohioans about their experiences with discrimination throughout the year. Additionally, the group asserts that it had found opportunities to grow his familiarity with transgender people and their lives.

We worked behind-the-scenes with our friends at TransOhio to lay the foundation for this action to take place while he was in office, an Equality Ohio press release explains.

Equality Ohio Executive Director Alana Jochum told The Columbus Dispatch that Kasich heard this call.

[W]e are grateful for Gov. Kasichs leadership in extending nondiscrimination protections for transgender state employees, Jochum said.

Baer, however, argues that most Ohioans would prefer Kasich to keep his priorities focused on whats best for Ohio over the final days of his governorship rather than looking to endear himself to the coasts for his next political run.

LGBT supporters are calling on the Ohio legislature to pass broader LGBT discrimination protections in employment, housing, and public accommodations.

Only time will tell what step the states incoming governor, Republican Attorney Gen. Mike DeWine, will take in regard to Kasichs new order. DeWine touts himself as a social conservative who's endorsed by the likes of the Washington, D.C.-based social conservative advocacy group Family Research Council.

DeWine, who has served in both the House and Senate, fought to defend Ohios ban on same-sex marriage even after a federal court ruled against the state policy in 2014.

In an endorsement statement issued in September, FRC President and leading social conservative activist Tony Perkins assured that DeWine will be a dedicated advocate for limited government, for individual liberties, and for strong family values."

Joshua Eck, a spokesperson for DeWines transition team, told The Columbus Dispatch that the governor-elect will review all executive orders ahead of transition.

[He] will make decisions on them on or around Inauguration Day, Eck explained.
Jesus was more like Asia Bibi or Christians in China, not illegal migrants: Priest

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The suffering of Jesus Christ is closer to what persecuted Christian Asia Bibi went through than that of migrants, a Roman Catholic priest has said.

The priest, Father Alfredo Morselli, told Italian newspaper Il Giornale on Thursday that "Christ was a persecuted person, more like Asia Bibi or Catholics betrayed and sold off to the Chinese government, rather than migrants who would like to grant all rights.

When it comes to the topic of millions of migrants making their way from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe being compared to Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, he said: "For the anti-Christian creed, religion no longer concerns Jesus Himself, but indulges in peoples own interpretation of Christs story.

Morselli made references to several big developments when it comes to persecuted Christians around the world this year. Bibi, the Christian mother of five, spent eight years on death row in Pakistan on charges of blasphemy before being released in October.

Bibi said she relied on her faith in Jesus throughout the dark times and despite pressure from Islamic hardliners to claim guilt.

The Catholic Church in China has meanwhile been divided over the Vatican's decision to cooperate with the Chinese government and allow it to install its own bishops.

Some Catholic church leaders have said that the Chinese government will continue its crackdown on Christians, however, forcing churches to take on Communist ideology or risk being harassed, or even demolished.

In his interview with Il Giornale, Morselli insisted that Jesus must always be at the center, and not be pushed aside for political causes.

A church that sells the Cross and does not put Jesus in first place, the only [place where He belongs], does not attract anyone," he said.

Turning back to Bibi's plight, given that the Christian mother and her family remain in Pakistan without any concrete offer of asylum, he added: "I would say that as there was no place for Jesus in the hotel, there is no place for Asia Bibi in the Vatican.

While Morselli didn't mention Pope Francis by name, the head of the Roman Catholic Church has been one of many church leaders who've make a comparison between Jesus and the plight of refugees around the world.

"We encounter Jesus in those who are poor, rejected, or refugees. Do not let fear get in the way of welcoming our neighbor in need," Francis tweeted on World Refugee Day back in June.

Francis also argued that the dignity of a person does not lie with their status as a citizen or a refugee. He encouraged people to help those fleeing war and poverty, calling it an "act of humanity."

In Protestant circles, Paula White, U.S. President Donald Trump's spiritual adviser, positioned back in July that it was inaccurate to compare Jesus to migrants who were attempting to enter the U.S. illegally.

"I think so many people have taken biblical scriptures out of context on this, to say stuff like, Well, Jesus was a refugee," said White, the senior pastor at New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Florida.

"Yes, He did live in Egypt for three-and-a-half years. But it was not illegal. If He had broken the law then He would have been sinful and He would not have been our Messiah."

Mark Tooley, president of the Washington-based think tank Institute on Religion & Democracy, argued at the time that White is trying to defend Trump's hard stance on illegal immigration, however.

"We Protestants in our politics often want to think we have direct guidance from Him on public policy issues, as proven by a few select Bible verses we learned in Sunday school," wrote Tooley, who is a conservative Methodist scholar.

"But the Bible almost never gives us such detailed counsel for contemporary statecraft. Instead we have Scripture, the church and Christian tradition offering broad principles about human dignity and divine justice that should inform our debate and decision making."
Planned Parenthood head says killing unborn babies is a 'basic human right'

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Planned Parenthoods new president has argued that abortion is a basic human right and denounced what she called repeated attacks from the Trump administration against her organization.

Dr. Leana Wen, who replaced Cecile Richards as head of the nations largest abortion business that gets over $500 million in taxpayer funding every year and performs over 320,000 abortions annually, told People magazine in an interview published Tuesday that she viewed abortion as a basic human right.

Reproductive health care is health care, said Wen. Womens health care is health care. And health care is a basic human right.

And were proud to provide the full range of reproductive health care, from birth control to abortions. Were proud to provide breast and cervical screenings, were proud to provide care to our LGBTQ patients, to all patients.

Although Wen has repeatedly said that Planned Parenthood provides breast cancer screenings, in 2015 Richards testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that none of its clinics have ever provided mammograms, despite accepting annual contributions from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation for breast cancer screenings. When the Susan G. Komen Foundation attempted in 2012 to stop providing donations to Planned Parenthood, pro-choice activists staged a nationwide protest. The following year, the breast cancer foundation relented and gave Planned Parenthood $677,287.

While Planned Parenthood doesn't provide mammograms, it offers what's known as a breast self-exam. The Christian Post reported in 2016 that after calling several Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide to schedule a breast exam, only one said they might be able to perform a breast self-exam for a fee of $100, but it wasn't a service they were used to providing.

A breast self-exam is not recommended by either the American Cancer Society or the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation as the preferred method of examination. Instead, both organizations advise women to have an annual mammogram.

In her interview with People, Wen also denounced efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, claiming they are politically-driven attacks on their health care services.

We feel repeated attacks from the Trump administration against reproductive health and womens health almost on a daily basis, continued Wen. We are very concerned about the Trump administrations efforts to attack science, to attack medicine, to attack the fundamental right to health care.

Christina Vazquez of Life News took issue with Wens comments, saying in a piece published Wednesday that she considered the Planned Parenthood presidents remarks highly misguided.

The Trump administration has consistently clarified that taxpayer funding would be cut from Planned Parenthood unless they completely separate their abortion business from their taxpayer-funded services, wrote Vazquez.

Furthermore, in May, a federal judge ruled in favor of the Trump administrations decision to cut off Title X funding for Planned Parenthood. If Planned Parenthood were to house its abortion services in a different facility, with a different staff, it could still receive Title X funds, which could range from $50 million to $60 million annually.

In 2017, Live Action released an investigative report showing that only five Planned Parenthood clinics provide health care to pregnant women.

According to the pro-life group, 92 of the clinics responded by saying Planned Parenthood doesn't have an OB/GYN on staff and only use their ultrasound equipment on women seeking an abortion.

CP's own investigation found that only one clinic said they provide pregnant women with one pack of prenatal vitamins, if they have them in stock.

Earlier this year, the United Nations Human Rights Committee released a General Comment on the right to life that included a statement that governments should not deny effective access by women and girls to safe and legal abortion.

Although States parties may adopt measures designed to regulate voluntary terminations of pregnancy, such measures must not result in violation of the right to life of a pregnant woman or girl, noted the committee.

States parties must provide safe, legal and effective access to abortion where the life and health of the pregnant woman or girl is at risk, or where carrying a pregnancy to term would cause the pregnant woman or girl substantial pain or suffering, most notably where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest or is not viable.
Theology professor dismissed by Southwest Baptist U. appeals firing

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A theology professor who was fired from Southwest Baptist University will be appealing the decision and asking to be reinstated on Friday.

Clint Bass, a tenured professor at the university's Redford College of Theology and Ministry was dismissed "with cause" on Nov. 28 after he raised concerns about theological views held and being furthered by other faculty.

The university's president, Eric Turner, said in a letter to Bass that he had made unsubstantiated allegations against his colleagues that were unfounded, which he found disturbing and said warranted his firing.

When Bass informed SBUs administration about his concerns that the college of theology and ministry was doctrinally unstable, they reportedly demanded that he turn over his personal diary of notes supporting his claims, under threat of dismissal, a Change.org petition demanding his reinstatement asserts.

An Audio recording from a university forum reveals that some of the college's faculty have dismissed the understanding of Hell as a place of eternal torment and instead promote annihilationism, the view that the wicked will cease to exist. It also reveals an endorsement of "inclusivism," the notion that salvation can be found apart from Christ, and credence to purgatory, an after-death process of salvation.

Bass turned over his notes, and when those who were accused were confronted they either denied or reframed their views and he was fired, the petition continues. As of Friday morning, it had garnered over 1,220 signatures.

Several theology professors from other Southern Baptist seminaries and colleges have written letters in support of Bass, arguing that the evidence against him was insufficient for termination and asked the school to reconsider their move.

In Bass dismissal letter, Turner, who is in his first year as president, said that a systematic inquiry of the allegations was done and were "determined as unfounded.

Turner's letter expresses that he was "disturbed, disheartened, and discouraged" that Bass had relied on hearsay of students and his personal conclusions to base his allegations that fellow colleagues were promoting errant theology. The college president wrote he was also dismayed that Bass hadn't approached his colleagues with whom he interacts regularly nor his department chairs, dean, provost, and administration but instead maintained his own notes on his colleagues.

"It was only after learning of a denial of a promotion as a faculty member you chose to use your notes and accusations as leverage for your position," Turner said, providing several grounds for dismissal related to Bass' alleged failure to abide by the Matthew 18 standard of conflict resolution and the official University Principles and Expectations guidelines.

The Christian Post called Turner's office for further comment Thursday but did not receive a response by press time.

Andrew Walker, senior fellow in Christian ethics at the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and an SBU alumnus, expressed his concerns on Twitter Wednesday, asking for an additional inquiry because the school's action seemed hasty and the firing seemed "excessive."

"I want to believe that all parties are acting in good faith, and I've actively sought out the administration for details concerning this event, as well as asking to sit down with the new president to express alumni concerns. I hope such a meeting will occur," Walker said.

"As an alum, I've recommend[ed] SBU publicly. I did so with reservation. Until this matter is resolved and theological integrity clarified, I will be unable to recommend @SBUniv. Schools that market themselves as Southern Baptist schools should teach Southern Baptist doctrine."

He added: "A third-party investigation, were it to show the administration acted properly, would remove the suspicion that Bass' firing was theologically-motivated. Until then, there will be justified speculation and skepticism over the details of his dismissal."

SBU is a private, four-year Christian university in Bolivar, Missouri, that was founded in 1878. The school has an enrollment of 1,400 undergraduate students.
Trump signs prison reform bill FIRST STEP Act: 'Everybody said it couldnt be done'

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President Donald Trump signed into law on Friday what proponents say is the most comprehensive federal prison reform bill in decades.

Trump signed the bipartisan, evangelical-backed FIRST STEP Act at the Oval Office of the White House joined by criminal justice reform advocates, faith leaders, ex-offenders and lawmakers who've pushed hard to pass the bill before the close of the current Congress.

According to the White House, the bill paves a new pathway for our federal justice system and reforms decades of policies that have failed Americans.

White House officials noted that approximately 77 percent of state inmates and 38 percent of federal inmates are rearrested within five years of their release.

Trump admitted that he did start off a little bit on the negative side when it came to his opinion of the FIRST STEP Act but was persuaded over the last few weeks by speaking to people really involved and by looking at the successes that states like Texas, Kentucky, Georgia and others that are known for being tough on crime have had passing similar reforms.

Criminal justice reform  everybody said it couldnt be done, Trump said at the signing ceremony. They said that the conservatives wont approve it and the liberals wont approve it. They said nobody is going to approve it, everybody is going to be against it. It has been many years, numerous decades and nobody came close.

He thanked the individuals in the room for their efforts in pushing for the legislation, including his daughter, Ivanka, and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who received an applause from the advocates in the room for their efforts within the White House. He also thanked Democrat lawmakers Sens. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, among other congressional leaders, for their support of the bill.

This was incredible bipartisan support, Trump said. Everybody worked so hard on this. Behind me is a cross section of everybody in our country. We have everybody here.  We had everybody wanting this. We had a few people that didnt and thats OK. It is impossible to get 100 percent.

The bill passed in the Senate last week by a margin of 8712, a tally that the president called unheard of. In the House, the bill passed this week by a vote of 35836.

You look at this vote, 35836, you dont have votes like that, he added, before noting that border security isn't getting the same support.

Last month when announcing his support for the bill, Trump assured that the bill was only a first step but noted that it's a big first step. He said it will make communities safer and give former inmates a second chance at life after they have served their time.

Thanks to our booming economy, they all now have a chance at more opportunities than they have ever had before, Trump said at the time, stating that the job market is the best it's been in over 50 years.

This is true. Our economy is so strong that when people are getting out of jail they are actually able to find jobs," the president added. "I have three instances of companies that hire people coming out of prisons. And they are so thrilled by the performance of these people. Now they are doing it more and more and more.

He added that the legislation will provide low-risk inmates with new incentives to learn the skills they need to find employment, avoid old habits and follow the law when they are released from prison. The new incentives will encourage participation in vocational training, educational coursework and faith-based programs like Prison Fellowship that Trump says will help reduce their chances of recidivism.

Under the law, eligible prisoners can participate in such programs to earn time credits to spend part of their sentence in halfway houses or some kind of supervised release.

Prison Fellowship, an evangelical prison ministry founded by the late Chuck Colson, says that the bills passage opens the door for it to install the Prison Fellowship Academy in federal prisons. The program is installed at 80 prisons in 27 states and has helped countless ex-offenders find God and get on the right path to a successful release.

This legislation will increase the access of faith-based and nonprofit organizations, like Prison Fellowship, to provide desperately needed programming in the federal prison system and help reduce recidivism, Prison Fellowship President James Ackerman said in a statement. From our work in many states across the country, we can say without hesitation that these programs restore lives  putting people on a new path and eventually reduce crime.

The law also addresses some issues with mandatory minimum sentencing laws for low-level, nonviolent drug offenders by lowering mandatory minimums for second-time offenses to 15 years instead of 20 and lowering the mandatory sentence for a third offense to 25 years instead of life in prison.

The law also makes retroactive a 2010 bill reforming sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine offenses. The approximately 3,000 people convicted before the 2010 reforms that would have received lower sentences can petition for release.

Before the signing, the president mentioned the name of Alice Johnson, a grandmother who was sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for her role in a Memphis cocaine trafficking organization who exhibited good behavior in prison. Earlier this year, Trump commuted Johnsons sentence and she was released after an appeal from celebrity Kim Kardashian.

Alice Johnson, I let her out. She was in jail for 22 years and she had another 28 years and the crime was, let's say, I think most of you would agree, is not worth 50 years in prison, Trump explained.

The legislation also broadens the safety valve that allows courts to have discretion to avoid giving mandatory minimum sentences in cases where the mandatory sentences might not be appropriate.

There was another case where a judge came to me and he was mandated to put a man in jail for 28, approximately, years. He wanted him to go to jail for two years, Trump explained. He actually left the bench. He quit. He was a highly respected judge and is a respected person. He left the bench because he was so saddened that there was nothing he could do. Because this young man was mandated to spend a good portion of the rest of his life in jail and the judge had no power to do anything about it.

There was some opposition to the bill that felt that the law didnt go far enough to address the inadequacies in the U.S. mandatory sentencing laws and war-on-drug policies that have led to mass incarceration. Meanwhile, a few conservatives staunchly opposed the bill on claims that it could lead to the release of thousands of dangerous and violent criminals in federal prison.

Also speaking at the signing ceremony was Vice President Mike Pence, who assured Trump that he is fulfilling part of his vow to make America safe again by singing the legislation.

By opening the doorway to more opportunities for not just education but character education and faith-based programs in our system, we are going to see more families intact again, Pence, the former Republican governor of Indiana, said. More people are going to choose a better pathway when they come out having paid their debt to society.

I think back to that election night where you pledged to be the president to all the American people, Pence added. And today, Mr. President, I look across this room and this bill represents your commitment to stand up  for all of the American people and the values they hold dear.

The bill is modeled after successful reforms that have taken place in states like Georgia and Texas. In pushing for the passage of the bill, criminal justice advocates have continually pointed out that some of the same reforms that are also in the FIRST STEP Act have helped Texas reduce its crime to its lowest rate in decades, close eight prisons and save billions of dollars.

The legislation was backed by over 2,500 faith leaders from various theological backgrounds, according to the White House. Among those are prominent evangelical leaders. The Trump administration had over the course of the year met with various faith leaders to hear their thoughts on the issues with the justice system, including a heavily criticized meeting with black pastors.

The First Step Act responds to longstanding concerns that have been expressed by the National Association of Evangelicals and others about the overuse of incarceration and the destructive impact of prison life, Galen Carey, vice president of government relations at the National Association of Evangelicals, said in a statement.

Timothy Head, executive director of the conservative evangelical grassroots organization Faith & Freedom Coalition, said that it has been extremely challenging as the organization and other groups supportive of criminal justice reforms have lobbied hard over the past four years for some kind of substantial relief.

[T]odays bill signing proves that all of the time and effort was worth it as inmates in the federal system will now have a smarter, fairer, system that will reduce recidivism and restore lives, Head said in a statement. [F]ederal justice reform is now a reality.

Although some critics have questioned how much of an impact the FIRST STEP Act will have, supporters say it is the most consequential criminal justice bill in a generation.

The strong and effective leadership of conservatives made these reforms possible, Pat Nolan, the director of the American Conservative Union Foundations Center for Criminal Justice Reform and former Prison Fellowship executive, said in a statement. As a result, inmates will leave prison prepared to be good parents, good employees, and good neighbors. And our communities will be safer.
Why is Eric Metaxas defending alleged Russian spy Maria Butina?

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Conservative Christian radio personality and author Eric Metaxas has come to the defense of Maria Butina, an alleged Russian spy who had ties to conservative groups in the United States.

Last week, Butina pled guilty to one charge of conspiracy to act as an agent for Moscow in the United States, reversing her original plea of not guilty.

Metaxas, who interviewed Butina on his radio show in 2015, posted to Twitter on Monday denouncing what he believed was poor treatment of Butina by U.S officials, labeling it shameful.

It was a forced plea agreement. Totally shameful that they did this to her, threatening her with another YEAR in solitary, tweeted Metaxas.

Wait till [sic] the whole story comes out if you care about the truth. The only good thing is her faith has gotten much stronger as a result of her sufferings.

Metaxas also retweeted a post he made in September, in which he called on supporters to pray for Butina and that he would bet dollars to donuts that Maria Butina is guilty of NOTHING when this is all over.

The Christian Post reached out to Metaxas on Thursday for a response, however a spokesperson explained that because of a book project deadline, Metaxas could not return comment by press time.

Last week, while in federal court, the 30-year-old Butina admitted to having worked with an American and a Russian to create unofficial communication lines to U.S. politicians and the Kremlin.

This included creating ties to conservative groups like the National Rifle Association and organizing a Russian delegation to the 2017 National Prayer Breakfast, according to the plea agreement.

The Russian delegation to the National Prayer Breakfast was "coming to establish a back channel of communication" between the U.S. and Russia, Butina stated, according to the plea agreement.

Metaxas was a speaker at the 2012 National Prayer Breakfast.

As part of her plea deal, prosecutors dropped a second charge against her. Butina may serve as much as five years in prison before being deported.

For their part, Russias Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also claimed that Butina was forced to make the plea deal due to poor treatment.

Having created unbearable conditions for her and threatening her with a long jail sentence, she was literally forced to sign up to absolutely ridiculous charges, stated Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Wednesday, as reported by Reuters.

Butina's case was part of the larger investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election led by special counsel Robert Mueller. President Donald Trump has criticized the investigation as a "witch hunt." The investigation has thus far tallied 36 known indictments or plea deals, according to Vox. Metaxas has been one of Trump's most high profile evangelical supporters.

Metaxas' support for the alleged spy left some befuddled.

In a blog post published Wednesday, Grove City College psychology Professor Warren Throckmorton stated that he believed Metaxas has adopted the position of the Russian government over his own and was not considering key facts presented by non-Russian government sources.

According to the Voice of America fact checking website Polygraph, Butina and her attorney said in court that she was allowed visitation and time out of her cell, wrote Throckmorton.

In addition to her own statement and her lawyers statement, we have a transcript of a pre-trial conference call where it is clear that Butinas rights were respected. Not only did Butina get counsel about the nature of her right to a plea agreement, she had another attorney advise her when her own attorney thought there might be a conflict of interest.
Bill intended to gut Roe v. Wade sits on Ohio Gov. Kasich's desk; pro-lifers urge him to sign it

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An Ohio bill banning abortions at six weeks is being seen as legislation that would trigger a Supreme Court review in hopes of dismantling Roe v. Wade, now a possibility with the new composition of the high court bench.

A fetal heartbeat can be detected at six weeks gestation and bills outlawing abortions at that stage have long been a goal of pro-life advocates, who have emphasized the presence of a heartbeat is evidence that the unborn child is indeed a living being. The Ohio legislation, HB 258, also known as the "Heartbeat bill" passed overwhelmingly through the state legislature.

"The Heartbeat Bill should be passed in every state in America, and Ohio is leading the way to reclaim state constitutional and moral authority to enact protections for our tiniest babies," Dr. James Dobson, founder of Family Talk with Dr. James Dobson, wrote in a letter to Gov. John Kasich Monday.

"Just last year in 2017, there were a recorded 20,893 abortions in Ohio. This means that every day, on average, there are 57 little babies that die," he added.

"You know that this legislation is the morally correct action to give the smallest children a chance at life. I hope and pray that you will do the right thing and stand for the family and the sanctity of life. Make your signature on this bill the defining moment of your legacy for the great state of Ohio."

Two years ago Kasich vetoed a similar bill, arguing that the Supreme Court would declare it unconstitutional. Kasich did support a lame-duck measure banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, which provided an exception for saving the mothers life but none for rape or incest.

Republicans in Ohio are not hiding their dreams about what this 2018 measure accomplishes.

This legislation is 100-percent crafted to be an arrow that goes at the heart of Roe v. Wade, said Republican Rep. Christina Hagan, who is the primary sponsor of the legislation, Cleveland.com reported Wednesday.

Others hope it will force a more-conservative Supreme Court to take another look at the landmark case. In May the high court declined to hear an appeal on a similarly restrictive abortion law from Arkansas.

Yet now the composition of the high court is different with the summer retirement of long-time swing vote Anthony Kennedy and subsequent installation of Brett Kavanaugh in October.

During his tenure on the bench Kennedy voted in favor of abortion rights and was generally liberal on social issues, whereas Kavanaugh was regarded as more conservative and was widely supported by pro-life groups and social conservatives, though it remains to be seen how he will come down on such issues.

If Kasich vetoes the heartbeat bill again the state legislature may attempt to override it. He is expected to announce Thursday whether or not he will support it.

In January, Attorney General Michael DeWine, also a Republican and an ardent pro-lifer, will replace Kasich as Governor. He has said he would approve a heartbeat bill but cannot sign a bill approved under his predecessor. The legislature would have to reconvene in their next session and vote again on the bill and send it to his desk.
Evangelicals hail Senate passing bipartisan prison reform bill, despite some Christian opposition

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The U.S. Senate voted 87-12 to pass the First Step Act, a major prison reform bill, which has received evangelical support but also some Christian opposition.

Russell D. Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, tweeted his thanks to the Senate for the vote on Tuesday.

"The #FirstStepAct has been a long time in the making, and it is a good and needed development," Moore wrote.

The ERLC added in a tweet of its own that "this criminal justice reform bill has been a key part of our legislative agenda and we are thankful for the broad coalition that led to this victory!"

Prison Fellowship, America's largest outreach to prisoners, and one of the biggest Christian ministries to push for the bill, applauded the Senate for passing the First Step Act.

"This legislation will help reduce recidivism by preparing men and women to fulfill their God-given potential through restorative programming, including improved substance-abuse treatment programs, life-skills classes, and vocational training  building job readiness to fuel local economies. This is about getting smart on crime by giving men and women, made in the image of God, the tools to change their lives," said James Ackerman, president and chief executive officer of Prison Fellowship.

Craig DeRoche, senior vice president of advocacy and public policy, added: "Today, the Senate refused to double down on the failed policies of the past. The FIRST STEP Act's passage reflects America's growing demand for smarter and more restorative solutions to crime."

The bill includes efforts to reduce the federal recidivism rate, and offers time credit incentives for federal inmates to participate in rehabilitative and vocational training programs.

Among the other notable provisions, it reduces the second strike mandatory minimum of 20 years to 15 years, while the 3rd strike goes down from a mandatory minimum of life in prison to 25 years.

"This bill in its entirety has been endorsed by the political spectrum of America," said Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill, one of the legislation's main backers.

"I cant remember any bill that has this kind of support, left and right, liberal and conservative, Democrat and Republican," he added, according to ABC News.

The New York Times pointed out that one of the major effects will be that thousands of inmates will become eligible for immediate sentencing reductions, while thousands of new offenders will receive reduced sentences.

Were not just talking about money. Were talking about human potential, Senator John Cornyn, R-Tex., said on Tuesday.

Were investing in the men and women who want to turn their lives around once theyre released from prison, and were investing in so doing in stronger and more viable communities.

Despite the strong bipartisan backing and evangelical support, more liberal Christian bodies, such as the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, which includes various mainline Protestant denominations, had argued that the changes do not go far enough.

The United States is home to 5 percent of the worlds population and 25 percent of the worlds prison population. The current mass incarceration crisis was birthed out of racist intentions, and we must be just as intentional about addressing the embedded racism if we are to have any meaningful reform. This bill does not move us any closer to justice on either issue, the NCC had argued earlier in December.

One proposal in the bill that the NCC strongly opposed was the use of electronic monitoring as a form of surveillance for released prisoners.

President Donald Trump meanwhile took to Twitter to explain his support for the First Step Act, which he backed in November.

"America is the greatest Country in the world and my job is to fight for ALL citizens, even those who have made mistakes. Congratulations to the Senate on the bi-partisan passing of a historic Criminal Justice Reform Bill," Trump tweeted on Tuesday.

"This will keep our communities safer, and provide hope and a second chance, to those who earn it. In addition to everything else, billions of dollars will be saved. I look forward to signing this into law," he added.

The bill will now have to go back to the House, where an initial version was approved earlier in 2018. If, as expected, it passes there again, it will be presented to Trump for his signature.
Has the decline of Christianity led to extremist political cults in America?

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As churches and other religious communities in the United States find themselves with declining membership and attendance, some have argued that a new religion, the political cult, has taken their place.

In a recent exchange of arguments, three social commentators tackled the argument of whether the declining influence of Christianity in western culture has fueled the rise of political extremism.

Andrew Sullivan, author and columnist with New York Magazine, had a piece published Dec. 7 titled Americas New Religions that argued politics was filling the need for meaning found with growing secularization.

Everyone has a religion. It is, in fact, impossible not to have a religion if you are a human being, wrote Sullivan, who defined religion as a way of life that gives meaning, a meaning that cannot really be defended without recourse to some transcendent value, undying Truth or God (or gods).

The need for meaning hasnt gone away, but without Christianity, this yearning looks to politics for satisfaction. And religious impulses, once anchored in and tamed by Christianity, find expression in various political cults.

Sullivan went on to describe political cults as new and crude, saying that they lack refinement and experience, with examples being found on both ends of the spectrum.

We have the cult of Trump on the right, a demigod who, among his worshippers, can do no wrong. And we have the cult of social justice on the left, a religion whose followers show the same zeal as any born-again Evangelical, continued Sullivan.

They are filling the void that Christianity once owned, without any of the wisdom and culture and restraint that Christianity once provided.

Sullivan warned that these cults, both left and right threaten liberal democracy due to their rejection of compromise, doubt, reason, and the primacy of the individual.

They demonstrate, to my mind, how profoundly liberal democracy has actually depended on the complement of a tolerant Christianity to sustain itself  as many earlier liberals (Tocqueville, for example) understood, he noted.

Ezra Klein, founder and editor-at-large at Vox, penned a Dec. 11 rebuttal to Sullivans piece, arguing that Sullivans essay on political tribalism shows hes blinded by his own.

Yet even as Sullivan decries political tribalism, here is his theory of it: A decline in people practicing his form of Christian faith has led to a rise in political cultists who find their ultimate meaning in politics, who will stop at nothing to achieve their political goals, and who cannot be reasoned or compromised with, wrote Klein.

This is not an analysis of the thinking deepening our political divides, but a demonstration of it.

Klein also argued that Sullivans analysis was ahistorical, pointing to past times when American politics was violent and disruptive even though Christianity was more widely practiced.

The consensus is that American politics was far more illiberal in our past than in our present, continued Klein.

The era Sullivan looks back on fondly was, by almost any measure, more illiberal in its politics and more fundamental in its conflicts, in part because the meaning of America  who got to participate in it, and whose claims it heard  was so deeply contested.

Warren Henry, contributor to the conservative publication The Federalist, defended Sullivan and argued in a Dec. 13 piece that Kleins rebuttal was grossly oversimplified.

Henry quoted from influential seventeenth century philosopher John Lockes Letter Concerning Toleration, which stated in part that the toleration of those that differ from others in matters of religion is so agreeable to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Lockes principles were transmitted to Americans by pre-Revolutionary pastors. Thomas Jefferson took those principles to their logical conclusion in the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which extended freedom to all faiths, wrote Henry.

Sullivan is not claiming that Christianity lowers the stakes of political conflict. Rather, he is claiming the Lockean idea of tolerance allows political conflict to replace (or separate from) religious conflict in the philosophical sense.

Henry went on to argue that the political cult intolerance Sullivan described can be seen on the Vox website itself.

Fanatical intolerance also fuels the desire to destroy institutions protecting the heretics. This is why Kleins website promotes 'The case for abolishing the Supreme Court,' and attacks the Senate and the Electoral College, continued Henry.

Moreover, elevating group identity over the individual leads to the lefts current disregard for the presumption of innocence and other basic tenets of due process. It leads to the illiberalism Sullivan describes.

Sullivan also responded to Klein's rebuttal, explaining in a Dec. 14 piece he took issue with Klein's focus on tribalism, explaining that his original piece was meant to focus on "cults" not "tribes."

"... theyre not the same thing. A tribalism based on race or region or gender or partisanship, for example, is not a religious phenomenon," responded Sullivan.

"At best, Klein seems to be saying that all politics and life is tribal, and that every political argument is ultimately a tribal one. And I profoundly disagree. So, I might add, would every leading light of the liberal philosophical tradition. Was Locke tribalist? Montesquieu? Constant? Tocqueville? Rawls? Please."

"The core subject of the column was what happens to politics once God is dead and my point is far from new or original," Sullivan continued. "It is that the religious impulse will always be part of human nature, and it will occupy politics if it no longer finds expression in a spiritual space. Think of Soviet communism as a replacement religion for Orthodox Christianity, or national socialism for Protestantism. These were, in many ways, atheist theocracies, with all of the mind control and none of the occasional acts of mercy. They saturated politics with the question of ultimate meaning; and, in that feverish quest, they killed tens of millions of people and enslaved the rest. Red-blooded religious fanaticism has no time for liberalism."
Pro-lifers slam Francis Collins' support for fetal tissue research; not official position, HHS says

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The Department of Health and Human Services has clarified that National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins recent comments on the value of fetal tissue research do not represent an official position for the federal government entity.

A noted evangelical geneticist, Collins recently garnered outrage and calls for his resignation by pro-life groups when he expressed support for fetal tissue research at a meeting of NIHs Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) in Bethesda, Maryland.

There is strong evidence that scientific benefits come from fetal tissue research, [which] can be done with [an] ethical framework, said Collins, as reported by Science Magazine.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said in a statement released Monday that Collins remarks were more reflective of the previous administration rather than the Trump administration, which has consistently advanced the sanctity of human life.

Taxpayers expect their tax dollars to go to ethical and effective science. The fact is aborted baby parts havent been used to treat any person of a single disease, stated Perkins.

However, tax dollars are contributing to an industry that fosters the trafficking of body parts from aborted children. We must instead pursue the alternatives, and testimony before Congress in the House Government Reform hearing last week demonstrated the availability of noncontroversial approaches.

A spokesperson for HHS emailed The Christian Post a statement regarding the matter, distancing themselves from any comments Collins might have made on the subject.

As stated in September, we are conducting an internal audit and review of the Departments research, policies and procedures of the use of fetal tissue in research, read the statement.

No decision has been made regarding any changes in those policies. Nothing that Dr. Collins said should be seen as pre-judging the outcome of the review.

Lila Rose, president and founder of Live Action, said in a statement on Tuesday that she believed Director Collins must be replaced with someone who recognizes that children who are killed by abortion should be mourned, not experimented on.

Abortion is a barbaric and horrific human rights violation. It is unconscionable that taxpayers are forced to fund the gruesome baby body parts trade and that our tax dollars have been used to create demand for aborted children's parts, stated Rose.

Greg Schleppenbach, associate director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, said that he found Collins comments deeply disturbing.

Research using fetal tissue from aborted babies is unethical and should not continue under his leadership, stated Schleppenbach.

Researchers have demonstrated the ability to both pursue excellence in research and to avoid violating the rights and dignity of nascent human beings. Dr. Collins can and should lead the NIH in a way that honors both ends, incentivizing research that all Americans can support.

In late September, HHS terminated the Food and Drug Administration's contract with the California-based Advanced Bioscience Resources for "fresh" human fetal tissue following outcry from pro-life groups.

"After a recent review of a contract between ABR, Inc. and the [FDA] to provide human fetal tissue to develop testing protocols, HHS was not sufficiently assured that the contract included the appropriate protections applicable to fetal tissue research or met all other procurement requirements," stated HHS in September.

"As a result, that contract has been terminated, and HHS is now conducting an audit of all acquisitions involving human fetal tissue to ensure conformity with procurement and human fetal tissue research laws and regulations."
Left:Yugge Farrell, deckedin a black outfit that boasted an ankle-length overall, walked unescorted away from the Kingstown Magistrates Court. Right:Karen Duncan-Gonsalves, whom Yugge Farrell was said to have abused (vocally), was not in court last Monday.





A sharp call by attorney Grant Connell for his client Yugge Farrells case to be dismissed, instead of withdrawn, resulted in the Vincentian fashion model leaving the Kingstown Magistrates Court, a free woman on Monday.





Farrell was charged with, that on January 4 this year at Granby Street, Kingstown, in circumstances likely to cause a breach of peace, did make use of abusive language to, Karen Duncan-Gonsalves, to wit, "You dirty bitch.





Duncan-Gonsalves, the wife of Finance Minister Camillo Gonsalves, was at the time a senior crown counsel in the Attorney Generals Chambers.

The matter was slated for hearing on Monday and when Duncan-Gonsalves was called to take the stand, she was not present.





Prosecutor Curlene Samuel then informed the Court that the prosecution was withdrawing the charge.

But Connell, holding for Andrew Pilgrim QC of Barbados, lead lawyer in the matter, responded sharply with, "We are asking the Court to dismiss this matter for want of prosecution.





Connell told Senior Magistrate Ricky Burnett that the matter had been before the Court for almost a year, and to date, the Prosecution had not made any disclosure or shown their intention to prosecute.





He then pointed out that to withdraw at this stage would leave the door open for Farrell to be recharged.

Attorney Kay Bacchus-Baptiste, who was at the Bar table and said she had a "watching brief, agreed with Connell. She indicated that if the matter was withdrawn and not dismissed, it could always be brought back.

Bacchus-Baptiste disclosed that last week she had received a letter from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) headed "Dismissal, but the body of the letter stated that the case would be discontinued.

After listening to both lawyers, the Senior Magistrate ruled, "The matter is dismissed for want of Prosecution.

Farrell, who was decked in a black coat, black gloves and wearing a wig, appeared calm throughout the proceedings.





Following her acquittal and exit from the courtroom and building, and as she walked away from the precincts, , she looked back briefly and waved to onlookers, many of whom had turned up to show their support for the Vincentian model.




Christian conservatives defend Muslim teacher who lost job for refusing pro-Israel contract

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Prominent Christian conservatives and other supporters of the First Amendment are speaking up in defense of free speech after a Muslim school contractor in Texas claimed to have lost her job for not signing what has been described as a pro-Israel pledge.

Bahia Amawi, a speech pathologist who worked for nearly a decade with speech-impaired and developmentally disabled elementary school children in the Pflugerville Independent School District, has been told she can no longer work as a contractor for the school district if she doesnt sign a new contract agreement with the state.

The questionable part of the agreement, presented to her for this school year in September, asked for affirmation that the contractor does not boycott Israel and will not boycott the Middle Eastern nation during the length of the contract.

As an Austrian-born American citizen with Palestinian descent, Amawi felt that she could not in good conscience sign the new agreement because of her views on Israels treatment of Palestinians and has not been allowed to work for the school district because of the refusal.

According to the Texas Tribune, the new clause in Amawis contract was a result of a bill signed by the states Republican Gov. Greg Abbott that made it illegal for the state to contract with companies that boycott Israel. The legislation was a response to the Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions movement challenging Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories.

Amawi filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Western Texas on Sunday claiming that Texas ban on contracting with any boycott of Israel constitutes viewpoint discrimination.

Friends of civil liberty  right and left-need to stand up to the speech police  right or left-who would forbid people saying what they believe or compel their saying what they don't believe, Robert George, a Princeton University law professor and one of the nations most prominent Christian conservative scholars, wrote on Twitter. People are commenting that speech policing happens on the left too. Yes! Of course it does. I noted that in my tweet. There are people on both sides who do it & rationalize their support for it. They condemn people on the other side for doing it while doing it themselves.

Conservative writer and author Rod Dreher, a senior editor and blogger at The American Conservative who opposes the BDS movement, questioned in an op-ed what right should the state have to tell a public school teacher what she can and cannot buy, or what policies she cannot advocate.

That is un-American. I would feel the same way if a state law forbade teachers from boycotting, or advocating the boycott of, Christian-owned businesses, for whatever reason, Dreher wrote. Its not the states business, period, full stop.

Another law professor has called into question the accuracy of the reporting on Amawis case and whether or not Amawi fully understood the law that she was asked to affirm in the agreement.

He points out that the 2017 law that Amawis contracting agreement points to only prohibits contracts with companies boycotting Israel.

Note that, consistent with the language and obvious intent of the law (see the text here, it's even titled PROHIBITION ON CONTRACTS WITH COMPANIES BOYCOTTING ISRAEL), the school district certification applies to the business, it, not the individual she, David Bernstein, a professor at the George Mason University School of Law in Virginia and a Libertarian, wrote for Reason.com. Contrary to what I've been reading all over the internet, Ms. Amawi is not being asked to pledge that she, in her personal capacity, will not privately boycott Israel, much less that, e.g., she will not advocate for boycotting Israel or otherwise refrain from criticizing Israel.

In short, this story is being widely misreported, the hysterical claims that Amawi is being forced to sign a pro-Israel pledge or personally do or not do anything in particular regarding Israel outside the context of her business are false, and the First Amendment lawsuit will almost certainly lose, Bernstein added. Moreover, it's nearly impossible to think of a way in which Ms. Amawi's speech pathology business would ever have an opportunity to in any way boycott or otherwise economically harm Israel, rendering this pure political theater.

It is plausible, however, for non-legal experts (such as Amawi) to be confused by the wording of the contracting agreement.

Part of the agreement that Amawi was asked to sign reads:

Pursuant to Section 2270.001 of Texas Government Code, the Contractor affirms that it: 1. Does not currently boycott Israel; and 2. Will not boycott Israel during the term of the contract Pursuant to Section 2270.001 of Texas Government Code:

In response to Bernsteins op-ed, George issued a follow-up tweet.

[My previous tweets] are sound irrespective of their applicability to the case discussed in the piece, George wrote. I should however have looked more closely into the article before linking to it.

In a statement Thursday, Pflugerville ISD addressed Amawis lawsuit.

Unfortunately, Pflugerville ISD and all Texas school districts are at the mercy of the state and the regulations printed into law, and in situations such as this, we are forced to spend time on state political issues and not on our core mission  educating students, the statement reads. Although Pflugerville ISD is the focus of the lawsuit, this is a state issue that affects all Texas public school districts and should be addressed at the state level.
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The views in this article do not necessarily represent the positions or opinions of the Salvation Army, its partners or affiliates. The statements made belong solely to those making them.

The Salvation Army is a great organization to support during the Christmas! Full disclosure, I work for the Salvation Army and have for the past four years. But I'm very careful about where I donate my money. It's always wise to consider carefully which organizations you give your money to. Here are ten reasons why I think you should support the Salvation Army this Christmas season!

1. The Salvation Army has a proven track record going back over one hundred and fifty years. In fact the famed economist Peter Drucker said, "The Salvation Army is the most effective organization in the USA." And he also said, "The Salvation Army's goal is to turn society's rejects alcoholics, criminals, derelicts into citizens." In fact the co-founder of McDonalds Joan Kroc so trusted the efforts and effective results of the Salvation Army that she donated 1.9 billion dollars to the Salvation Army to build community facilities today known as "Kroc Centers" across the USA.

2. 82 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to help those in need through feeding programs, housing, rent assistance, clothing, homeless shelters, and rehabilitation programs among dozens of other programs.

3. The Salvation Army is a biblical Christian organization with a mission statement indicating, "the mission of the Salvation Army is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in his name without discrimination." The SA is not just focused on material needs, but spiritual needs as well!

4. Disaster services is a key service of the Salvation Army, where volunteers and officers will serve those directly affected by disasters, severe weather, and other concerns through giving out food, providing housing, and spiritual counseling. If it's on your heart to support those affected by disasters, please give this season!

5. The Salvation Army assists over 25 million people each year in the United States. There are thousands of corps facilities around the USA serving those in need and preaching the gospel.

6. One of the great ministries of the Salvation Army is prison ministry, and the hope of helping those who are lost in crime, addiction and sin is a great hope indeed when considering where to give during Christmas season.

7. Children's After School activities are one of the cornerstones of Salvation Army corps facilities across the USA. The SA serves children through daily after-school programs, character building activities, band classes, singing companies, vacation bible school, and other ministries as well.

8. When I began working for the Salvation Army and saw the thousands of kid's toys that they distribute during Christmas, I realized that being in the SA is kind of like being a mini Santa Claus! Children ought to have gifts to open on Christmas, SA makes that possible.

9. I think the single most exciting and dynamic ministry of the Salvation Army are the Adult Rehabilitation Centers. These facilities house those attempting to break free from drug and alcohol addiction. I've worked in this ministry personally, and I've seen how these men and women are hungry for hope and change, and the word of God, and how Jesus Christ saves them from addiction. It's amazing!

10. The Salvation Army preaches the gospel to many in our society who might otherwise never hear the gospel. One of the chief goals at the founding the SA in London was to reach those unreached by other churches. This continues to be an important goal of the Salvation Army, to preach the gospel of Jesus to those who might otherwise never walk into a church.
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A central goal of Christian apologetics is to persuade people to become and remain Christians. But what happens when that persuasion fails? In particular, what can we learn from those instances of failure when Christians reject the faith altogether?

In this conversation, I speak with Dr. John Marriott about the topic of Christians deconverting and becoming atheists  and what we can do about it. Needless to say, this is a hugely important topic, especially for anybody interested in apologetics, evangelism, or discipleship, and Dr. Marriott is ideally suited to address it. He is currently an adjunct professor in Philosophy and Intercultural Studies at Biola University and author of A Recipe for Disaster: How Parents and Churches Prepare Individuals to Lose Their Faith, And How They Can Instill a Faith That Endures (Wipf and Stock, 2018). You can learn more about Dr. Marriott online at https://www.johnmarriott.org/.

We cover a lot of ground in our conversation, and for that reason, Ive divided our exchange into two articles. This article addresses the problem while the sequel will turn to address the solutions.

RR: John, thanks for joining us. Your major area of research has been focused on deconversion, specifically from Christianity to atheism. What is it that drew you to this topic?

JM: Thanks for having me. I think the short answer to that question is that in the midst of my doctoral program I stumbled across a website for former Christians. I was both intrigued and shocked at the number of former believers who had posted their deconversion stories. And not just nominal folks. There were former pastors, missionaries, worship leaders and seminary grads. It was troubling to say the least. So, I began looking into deconversion and what I found was captivating. The number of people who once identified as believers but no longer do is increasing at record numbers and record rates. I wanted to find out why? What did they know that I didnt?

RR: That prompts several questions in my mind. But to begin with, could you say more about those record numbers? What kind of numbers are we talking about?

JM: Those are good questions. Its always hard to determine exact numbers. And we all know that you can get statistics to say just about anything you want. But in the case of faith exit, it really does seem to be the case that people are leaving the faith in droves.

For example, In 2001, the Southern Baptist Convention reported they are losing between 70 and 88 percent of their youth after their freshman year in college. Of SBC teenagers involved in church youth groups, 70 percent stopped attending church within two years of their high school graduation. The following year, the Southern Baptist Council on Family Life also reported that 88 percent of children in evangelical [Baptist] homes leave church by the age of eighteen. The Barna Group announced in 2006 that 61 percent of young adults who were involved in church during their teen years were now spiritually disengaged.

Supporting Barnas findings, a 2007 Assemblies of God study reported that between 50 percent and 67 percent of Assemblies of God young people who attend a non-Christian public or private university will have left the faith four years after entering college. A similar study from LifeWay Research that came out the same year claimed that 70 percent of students lose their faith in college, and of those only 35 percent eventually return. In May 2009, Robert Putnam and David Campbell presented research from their book American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us, to the Pew Forum study on Religion and Public Life, in which they claimed that young Americans are leaving religion at five to six times the historic rate. They also noted that the percentage of young Americans who identify as having no religion is between 30 and 40 percent, up from between 5 and 10 percent only a generation ago.

That same year, the Fuller Youth Institutes study The College Transition Project discovered that current data seems to suggest that about 40 to 50 percent of students in youth groups struggle to retain their faith after graduation. The 2010 UCLA study Spirituality in Higher Education found that only 29 percent of college students regularly attended church after their junior year, down from 52 percent the year before they entered college. A second UCLA study, The College Student Survey, asked students to indicate their present religious commitment. Researchers then compared the responses of freshmen who checked the born again category with the answers they gave four years later when they were seniors. What they found was shocking. On some campuses as high as 59 percent of students no longer described themselves as born again.

Given what we know regarding the loss of faith among American young people, it will come as no surprise that Americas Class of 2018 cares less about their religious identity than any previous college freshman class in the last forty years. A third study by UCLA found that students across the U.S. are disassociating themselves from religion in record numbers. The American Freshman study reveals that nearly 28 percent of the 2014 incoming college freshman do not identify with any religious faith. That is a sharp increase from 1971 when only 16 percent of freshman said they did not identify with a specific religion.

RR: Whoa, thanks for that helpful, if depressing, survey. So how widespread is the problem, geographically speaking?

JM: The focus of my research was on the United States. I have since broadened it to include Canada as well. Although I cannot prove it, I suspect that what we are seeing in the U.S. and Canada regarding the loss of faith is similar to the secularization process that has taken place in Europe. Although the prediction of Secularization Theory (as societies become more modern they will become less religious) has not been fulfilled on a global scale, it most definitely has proven to be true in the case of Europe. Canada is clearly following in Europes footsteps, and I suspect given enough time we will see a similar state of affairs in the United States.

RR: What are most of these people becoming when they deconvert? Do most become atheists? Or are many becoming spiritual but not religious nones?

JM: When individuals leave their Christian faith they have a number of new identities to choose from. They either become atheists, agnostics, nones or spiritual but not religious. The nones are not necessarily atheists. They may still believe in God but no longer identify with any kind of religious group. The spiritual but not religious folks are similar to the nones but they are more likely to be involved in spiritual exploration. It is hard to know how many former Christians are nones and spiritual but not religious and how many are atheists. Either way, there are large numbers of folks no longer identifying as Christians. My interest is in those individuals who were once committed Christians of an evangelical sort, that now identify as atheists. And by atheist I mean they no longer believe in God. They may either deny his existence or simply no longer affirm it.

RR: Thanks, thats very helpful. So keeping in mind that we can only scratch the surface here, how about we proceed by first addressing a diagnosis and then a solution? With that in mind, what are some of the major factors you see behind this precipitous decline in the faithful?

JM: I think there are at least three factors. The first is mistaking a particular take or interpretation of Christianity for Christianity itself. This becomes problematic when the take or interpretation that is assumed to be Christianity elevates an excessive number of doctrines and practices to the level of the non-negotiable. This produces a house of cards faith. If an individual comes to reject any one of those doctrines or practices, the entire edifice will collapse.

RR: Like what?

JM: For example, a common refrain among the deconverted is that they were told that the creation account had to be a literal 6 day, 24-hour period of time. If not, the rest of the Bible had no foundation and thus no justification for its claim that we are sinners in need of a savior. When, for various reasons, they came to the conclusion that the universe was billions of years old they felt that they could no longer be Christians. For them, being a Christian meant believing in literal 6 day creation. In rejecting the young-earth view they assumed they were rejecting Christianity. In reality they were only rejecting a doctrinally bloated take on Christianity they mistook for the real thing.

RR: I couldnt agree more. I regularly encounter people who left the church because of particular beliefs or practices that are far from what I would call mere Christianity. Young earth creationism is a great example, but there definitely are many others: everything from hell as eternal conscious torment to the idea that good Christians vote Republican.

So whats next?

JM: The second factor is unmet expectations. When God and / or the Bible doesnt live up to what deconverts expect a crisis of faith results. The problem, of course, is not God or the Bible but what many deconverts were taught to expect from the God or the Bible. One of the most common expectations that deconverts have is that the Bible is completely error free. And not just that it is inerrant but that it must be inerrant or else it cannot be the word of God. Somewhere along the way they were told that in order for the Bible to be the word of God it had to be free of error. Furthermore, the discovery of even one error would prove it wasnt the inspired word of God. Eventually, they encountered what they believed was an error in the Bible. And, given what they assumed about the Bible, they were forced to conclude the Bible wasnt Gods word. Rather than question the assumption of inerrancy, they took the more drastic action of concluding Christianity was a sham. The unquestioned assumption that the Bible is, and has to be inerrant, or else it cannot be the word of God, is the number one assumption / expectation that appears in deconversion narratives.

RR: Bart Ehrman is a great example. In his bestseller Misquoting Jesus he recounts how after studying at Wheaton College as an evangelical inerrantist, he came to study at Princeton. In one of his papers he focused on developing a long, convoluted argument that Jesus did not make a mistake in Mark 2 when identifying the priest during the time that King David ate bread from the temple. His prof responded to that long, convoluted argument with a simple observation: Maybe Mark just made a mistake. (Misquoting Jesus, 9)

Ehrman was initially very disturbed at this undeniably simple explanation. But eventually, he found himself considering that it was likely true: maybe Mark did just make a mistake. He then observes, Once I made that admission, the floodgates opened. For if there could be one little, picayune mistake in Mark 2, maybe there could be mistakes in other places as well. (9)

In Ehrmans case, its easy to see how a particular understanding of inerrancy helped send his faith right onto the rocks of agnosticism.

So whats the third example?

JM: Yes, Bart is a good example. In fact I tell his story in the book. Its clear that he not only had misguided assumptions and expectations about the Bible, but also of God. When God did not live up to what his expectations he became disillusioned. The one-two punch of unmet expectations concerning the Bible and God can be fatal to faith.

The third factor is that we have not done a good job of communicating the content of the faith in what Charles Taylor calls A Secular Age. Taylor, as you know, argues that the conditions for what is believable in the modern West have radically changed. No longer is belief in God, or the truth of Christianity the default position in our culture. To the contrary, affirming even bare theism is difficult for educated, reflective, culturally aware folks. And believing in the God of the Bible can be downright embarrassing.

How, former Christians ask, can an intelligent, educated person accept the biblical story of two naked people, a talking snake and a magical tree, at face value given the world we live in? Or that a man lived inside a fish for three days, people lived over 900 years, and the dead come back to life?

What such questions reveal is that although deconverts understanding of reality became more nuanced, and sophisticated, as they aged and became more educated, their biblical understanding stayed at a simplistic, Sunday school level. Ultimately, they could not bridge the gap between having a university understanding of reality with their Sunday school concept of the contents of the Bible. For many former Christians, the Old, Old, Story sounded more like an ancient fairy tale than it did sober history. Believing in fairy tales is embarrassing. Children, not adults believe fairy tales, and no one wants to be considered an intellectual child.

RR: Well said. I like to say that we live in the age of the flying spaghetti monster, that is, an age in which Christian beliefs are viewed by many in the wider culture as arbitrary, absurd, and infantile. And when you grow up within a Christian subculture where your beliefs are rarely if challenged, it can be a real shock to the system when you first encounter the deep skepticism of many in the wider culture. It becomes even worse when you discover that many of those people are articulate and thoughtful and appear to have good reasons for what they believe.

Stay tuned for part 2 of our conversation, The Solution to Christians Becoming Atheists. And for a far more in-depth exploration of these issues, be sure to check out John Marriotts new book, A Recipe for Disaster: Four Ways Churches and Parents Prepare Individuals to Lose Their Faith and How They Can Instill a Faith That Endures.
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If the Christian Bible isnt true, Christian morality is not good, and the Christian God doesnt exist, why be a Christian?

Certain beliefs ought to disqualify a person for certain jobs. For example, a vegetarian probably shouldnt be the lead chef at a steakhouse. A pacifist wouldnt make a good general. And an atheist shouldnt be a pastor. At least, thats what you would think.

A liberal denomination in the true north is giving that last bizarre scenario a go. The leadership of the United Church of Canada has settled a years-long controversy by voting to allow Reverend Gretta Vosper, a self-proclaimed atheist, to keep her post as lead minister at West Hill United Church in Toronto.

In her sermons and in her book With or Without God, Vosper has made it clear she doesnt see the Bible as the authoritative word of God. She views God as not a personal Being, but as a metaphor of love, compassion, and beauty. Each Sunday, members of West Hill United Church replace prayer with community sharing time, and then sing hymns that have been rewritten to accommodate secular sensibilities.

The head of Reverend Vespers denomination says hes happy with the decision to keep her, preferring to emphasize inclusiveness over the most basic belief of the Christian faithnamely that God exists.

In another recent story from the world of progressive Christianity, Reverend Nadia Bolz-Weber, a self-named pastrix in the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, downplayed the immorality of pornography. In a recent, hard-to-follow interview with a New Jersey LGBT publication, she seemed to be arguing that viewing pornography is mostly fine, as long as its ethically-sourced.

According to Bolz-Weber, there are issues of justice and exploitation within the porn industry that could make it immoral, but she denies that the consumption of pornography itself is a cause for shame. People have viewed erotic imagery since we could scratch it on the inside of caves, she says, and then she concludes that people who denounce porn are wrong and they probably look at it, too!

The interview was part of the promotion campaign for her upcoming book on sex. And as part of the campaign, shes encouraging young women to mail her their purity rings so she can melt them down and forge them into a giant statue of a female body part.

Progressive Christianityrepresented mostly in mainline Protestant denominations  nearly all of which are in membership freefall  has become almost impossible to parody. And thats at least partly because, as theologian J. Gresham Machen said of liberals in his day, the faith theyre teaching is not Christianity at all. Its a completely different religion, a social reform agenda fueled by feelings, informed by secular thought, while barely draped with religious language.

In his book, Christianity and Liberalism, Machen contrasted liberalism with real Christianity, which began with an announcement  a revelation about the supernatural life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and the implications of this good news for our lives. The faith once delivered to the saints makes demands on us. It has the power and the right to change us and our world. It challenges our deeply held beliefs. It rewrites our deepest concepts of who we are and whats true. It demands our lives change, be remade after the life of our Savior, and redefined by the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

If your god  however you define him, her, it, or they  never demands change, then your god is you. This is what progressive Christianity has largely become, and why its dying. If Gods desires are indistinguishable from our own and His commands identical with the progressive social agenda  to the extent that you dont even have to believe in Him to pastor a church  then we might as well all stay home on Sundays and listen to NPR.

Thank God, though, Christianity is worth believing. Thank God it is true, that it does make demands on our lives, and that it offers a salvation better than any that our culture mistakenly will ever call progress.

If the Christian Bible isnt true, Christian morality is not good, and the Christian God doesnt exist, why be a Christian?

Certain beliefs ought to disqualify a person for certain jobs. For example, a vegetarian probably shouldnt be the lead chef at a steakhouse. A pacifist wouldnt make a good general. And an atheist shouldnt be a pastor. At least, thats what you would think.

A liberal denomination in the true north is giving that last bizarre scenario a go. The leadership of the United Church of Canada has settled a years-long controversy by voting to allow Reverend Gretta Vosper, a self-proclaimed atheist, to keep her post as lead minister at West Hill United Church in Toronto.

In her sermons and in her book With or Without God, Vosper has made it clear she doesnt see the Bible as the authoritative word of God. She views God as not a personal Being, but as a metaphor of love, compassion, and beauty. Each Sunday, members of West Hill United Church replace prayer with community sharing time, and then sing hymns that have been rewritten to accommodate secular sensibilities.

The head of Reverend Vespers denomination says hes happy with the decision to keep her, preferring to emphasize inclusiveness over the most basic belief of the Christian faithnamely that God exists.

In another recent story from the world of progressive Christianity, Reverend Nadia Bolz-Weber, a self-named pastrix in the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, downplayed the immorality of pornography. In a recent, hard-to-follow interview with a New Jersey LGBT publication, she seemed to be arguing that viewing pornography is mostly fine, as long as its ethically-sourced.

According to Bolz-Weber, there are issues of justice and exploitation within the porn industry that could make it immoral, but she denies that the consumption of pornography itself is a cause for shame. People have viewed erotic imagery since we could scratch it on the inside of caves, she says, and then she concludes that people who denounce porn are wrong and they probably look at it, too!

The interview was part of the promotion campaign for her upcoming book on sex. And as part of the campaign, shes encouraging young women to mail her their purity rings so she can melt them down and forge them into a giant statue of a female body part.

Progressive Christianityrepresented mostly in mainline Protestant denominationsnearly all of which are in membership freefallhas become almost impossible to parody. And thats at least partly because, as theologian J. Gresham Machen said of liberals in his day, the faith theyre teaching is not Christianity at all. Its a completely different religion, a social reform agenda fueled by feelings, informed by secular thought, while barely draped with religious language.

In his book, Christianity and Liberalism, Machen contrasted liberalism with real Christianity, which began with an announcementa revelation about the supernatural life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and the implications of this good news for our lives. The faith once delivered to the saints makes demands on us. It has the power and the right to change us and our world. It challenges our deeply help beliefs. It rewrites our deepest concepts of who we are and whats true. It demands our lives change, be remade after the life of our Savior, and redefined by the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

If your godhowever you define him, her, it, or theynever demands change, then your god is you. This is what progressive Christianity has largely become, and why its dying. If Gods desires are indistinguishable from our own and His commands identical with the progressive social agendato the extent that you dont even have to believe in Him to pastor a churchthen we might as well all stay home on Sundays and listen to NPR.

Thank God, though, Christianity is worth believing. Thank God it is true, that it does make demands on our lives, and that it offers a salvation better than any that our culture mistakenly will ever call progress.

Resources

Christianity and Liberalism, J. Gresham Machen | Eerdmans Publishing | 2009

Originally posted at Breakpoint.
Weekly briefing: Prison reform, Syria, Christian baker

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We've compiled the top stories of the week. Here's what you need to know:

Trump signs prison reform bill into law

Many evangelical Christians, who have long pushed for reforms to the U.S. criminal justice system, are hailing this weeks congressional approval of the First Step Act.

The bill, which includes efforts to reduce the federal recidivism rate, was signed into law on Friday by President Donald Trump.

The First Step Act is the most consequential federal justice reform since 2010 and will provide people in federal prison with access to the transformational programming such as drug rehabilitation, skills training, and faith-based education that they need to ensure that they don't end up back in prison," said Faith & Freedom Coalition Executive Director Tim Head.

This is about getting smart on crime by giving men and women, made in the image of God, the tools to change their lives," James Ackerman, president and CEO of Prison Fellowship, commented.

Withdrawal from Syria could devastate Christian community

President Trumps decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria shocked his advisers and led to the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

Declaring that we have won against ISIS and beaten them badly, Trump said, Its time for our troops to come back home.

But many are worried that the withdrawal could be premature and make it easier for Turkish-backed jihadi groups to come into the Kurdish-majority areas of northeast Syria and carry out attacks.

The move, said Johannes de Jong, a Netherlands-based director of Sallux, means basically that you sacrifice the Christian community of northeast Syria for the Jihadists. If that happens, it is the end of the ten thousands of Christians in Northeast Syria.

Christian baker Jack Phillips back in court over a cake

Coming out of a six-year legal battle and a win at the Supreme Court this year over his refusal to make a same-sex wedding cake, Colorado baker Jack Phillips is back in another court fight over a transgender cake.

A hearing took place this week, during which the judge said he was inclined to let Phillips lawsuit against the state over its continuing hostility toward his religious beliefs move forward.

The lawsuit was in response to Colorado again ruling that the baker had violated its anti-discrimination act by declining to bake a transgender-themed cake.

[I]t appears that Colorado will not stop harassing him until he closes down or agrees to violate his faith, Phillips attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom said.

China arrests more Christians, religious leaders decry regression

After their church was shut down and 100 worshipers were arrested, members of an underground church (Early Rain Covenant Church) found themselves targeted again by Communist officials when they met at different locations.

The worsening crackdown against Christians comes as it was revealed that police are being assessed by the number of believers they detain.

In an open letter, Johnnie Moore, an evangelical and commissioner on USCIRF, and Rabbi Abraham Cooper are urging President Xi Jinping to put a halt to the closure of churches and the detention of Christians.

Pray for

Switchfoot guitarist Jerome Fontamillas who was diagnosed with cancer

Pat Boone's wife whose health is deteriorating

New releases

Movie:

Mary Poppins Returns (Dec. 19)

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Restart Your Heart: 21 Encouraging Devotions So You Can Love Like You've Never Been Hurt by Jentezen Franklin (Dec. 18)
Another 60 Christians arrested from Chinese church where 100 were already detained

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Another 60 members of the underground Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China, were arrested this past Sunday, in an ongoing crackdown against the Protestant congregation.

Police have reportedly been attempting to force churchgoers to pledge to leave the church.

This time, according to World Magazine, the arrests took place at a park where the congregation had decided to meet, due to the church building being shut down in a previous raid earlier in the month when 100 worshipers were detained.

The church members had been praying and reciting part of their Catechism, reading: What is your only comfort in life and death? That I am not my own but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.

Several other Christians who met at a separate location in the field of a nearby university were also taken by police.

As ChinaAid noted, the church's pastor, Wang Yi, has been charged with "inciting subversion of state power."

Some of the 100 Christian leaders and students who were arrested earlier in December had to leave their children unattended. A prayer letter released by the church after the arrests claimed that at least three believers who were detained by the Communist Party authorities had been tortured.

Photos of the injuries from the alleged torture have since emerged online, showing bruises and others signs of beatings that the Christians suffered.

One church member, who wished not to be identified, told BBC News that the lock on the church was broken, some of the churchgoers' homes were ransacked, and a number of believers were "under house arrest or are followed all the time."

"On Sunday, some members tried to gather at other places for worship but got taken away as well. The Church building has been manned with police and plain-clothes officers, not allowing anyone to enter to do worship service," the church member added.

She revealed that police have also been pressuring congregants to sign documents asking them to leave the church and take their children out of its Bible school.

Several other underground churches have been shut down this year, with both Catholic and Protestant congregations heavily targeted by the administration of President Xi Jinping. Video footage from this year shows Communist officials severing crosses from church buildings and demolishing churches altogether.

Wang had written a letter in the event that he would be taken by Chinese Communist authorities. It was released last week.

In it, Wang expresses how he is filled with anger and disgust at the persecution of the church by this Communist regime, at the wickedness of their depriving people of the freedoms of religion and of conscience."

The Early Rain Covenant Church pastor said that following the Bible, he accepts and respects the fact that this Communist regime has been allowed by God to rule temporarily."

At the same time, I believe that this Communist regimes persecution against the church is a greatly wicked, unlawful action. As a pastor of a Christian church, I must denounce this wickedness openly and severely, he added.

The calling that I have received requires me to use non-violent methods to disobey those human laws that disobey the Bible and God. My Savior Christ also requires me to joyfully bear all costs for disobeying wicked laws.
Christian, Jewish leaders decry 'heart-sinking religious persecution in letter to Chinese President Xi

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Johnnie Moore and Rabbi Abraham Cooper have written an open letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, decrying what they called the heart-sinking persecution of religious believers.

Moore, who is president of the Congress of Christian Leaders and a commissioner on the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom, called out the various crackdowns on Christians and Muslims in China in a letter published in Newsweek on Monday.

The letter, jointly written with Cooper, the associate dean and director of the Global Social Action Agenda at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, pointed out that China has been growing as an economic and political superpower in the 21st century.

"Yet, today, we fear we witness a heart-sinking regression as the Chinese government seems to be reaching for an altogether different set of values, values anchored in a darker time when religion, and religious leaders, were viewed as a threat instead of as valued citizens," Moore and Cooper wrote.

"We urge you, as the undisputed leader of your nation, to put a halt to the recent closure of places of worship, the detention of clergy and believing citizens, and to policies that have forced the reeducation of countless others, especially affecting your Muslim and Christian citizens," they asked.

"What should the world choose to think about a government that will arbitrarily place hundreds-of-thousands of its own citizens into internment camps to re-educate them, on the basis of their religion alone?"

Pastors and Christian believers have been crying out at the church demolitions, arrests of entire congregations, and raids of both official and underground churches, which intensified following the implementation of the revised religious regulations in February.

Reports from earlier this year separately found that close to one million Uighur Muslims are being held in Chinese concentration camps, supposedly for "re-education" purposes.

The true test of a great civilization is not only its prosperity, its technology or its strength but its acceptance and tolerance of its people. No country, large or small, can claim to be great  let alone to be a leader in the world  while arbitrarily suppressing the small but steadfast prayers of a believer, the reverend and the rabbi urged.

Furthermore, rather than giving the world the impression that Chinese society is threatened by the free exercise of religion, China should, in fact, become a world leader that sees the value of pluralism and diversity in its society.

Moore told The Christian Post in a phone interview in September that the communist government's actions are "incomprehensible."

"My personal experience with Chinese Christians is that they are incredibly patriotic about their country" and that they support their government, he told CP.

He positioned that the house churches are "filled with patriotic citizens."

"Why now? Why all of a sudden?" he asked about the crackdowns.

"It's a sign of weakness, it demonstrates paranoia," Moore added.

Sam Brownback, the U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, meanwhile spoke out against the latest major raids on Christians in China, when over 100 worshipers were detained at Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu. The church's pastor, Wang Yi, was charged with state subversion.

China's using same old playbook: using political charges of 'state subversion' to attack Early Rain Church Pastor Wang Yi & wife Jiang Rong for simply practicing their faith. #China must respect the right to #freedomofreligion & belief guaranteed in Chinese Constitution, Brownback wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
Trump's troop withdrawal 'sacrifices' Syrian Christians, gives 'victory' to jihadis: activist Trump turning his back on Syrian Christians by vowing to pull troops out of Syria, activists warns

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President Donald Trumps plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria will have dire consequences for tens of thousands of Assyrian and Kurdish Christians in the northeast, self-administered part of the war-torn Middle Eastern nation, a global affairs expert warned.

It was reported Wednesday that planning is underway for a full and rapid withdrawal of the about 2,000 U.S. troops on the ground in Syria. Trump even went on Twitter to declare that the Islamic State had been defeated and that defeating the group was the only reason for U.S. presence there during his presidency.

However, that decision could make it easier for Turkish-backed jihadi groups to come into the Kurdish-majority areas of northeast Syria and carry out attacks like the one seen last year in the city of Afrin, said a European international relations expert who works closely with the Syrian Christian community. Additionally, it could make it easier for Iran to have greater influence in the region.

ISIS is not defeated, Johannes de Jong, a Netherlands-based director of Sallux, an association that serves as the political foundation for the European Christian Political Movement, told The Christian Post. [The U.S. withdrawal] means basically that you sacrifice the Christian community of northeast Syria for the Jihadists. If that happens, it is the end of the ten thousands of Christians in Northeast Syria.

De Jong and others fear that another offensive like the one that happened in Afrin, where over 167,000 Yazidis, Christians and others were displaced earlier this year, could bring about the end to a self-administered part of northeast Syria where Syriac/Assyrian Christians, Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, and others people groups are coexisting peacefully.

The news of the planned U.S. withdraw comes as Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened this week to launch attacks against Kurds in the U.S.-controlled areas of northeast Syria.

In Afrin, de Jong said, Turkey used jihadi militias (of which some fighters are formerly of IS) as front forces to launch the offensive while Turkey used its airpower and equipment to back them up.

This will happen a similar way as in Afrin, he said. The first thing the Christians or northeast Syria [will see] when Trump withdraws from northeast Syria is a bunch of jihadis coming for them.

De Jong states that Turkey is accusing the Syrian Democratic Forces  an alliance of Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian/ Syriac militias that has fought to defend northeast Syria from IS  of being part of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist group by the U.S. and other countries

Turkey is playing the PKK card, de Jong explained. This is the same thing all over again. They will kill the Syriac/Assyrians, they will kill the Kurds, they will kill the Arabs simply because these people dont want Turkey to rule in Northeast Syria. There, the Kurds are free, which is not the case in Turkey. For this reason, they are all called PKK.

Earlier this year, the Self Administration in Northern and Eastern Syria (SANES) was established to link together self-administrations working in Arab and Kurdish regions. SANES also encompasses areas like Deir al-Zor and Raqqa, which were once under the control of IS.

The self-administration, de Jong says, has brought freedom to millions of people and created much-needed civil stability in an area about one-third the size of Syria.

Although Turkey claims to be focused on Kurdish militants, de Jong states that history shows that the offensive will impact Christians.

We dont consider these [Turkish] threats to be against Kurds only. It is a threat against this democratic project, and all the people who live east of the Euphrates, including Christians, Sanharib Barsoum, the deputy head of the Syriac Union Party in Syria, told Kurdistan 24 in a recent interview. We fear that we will become victims of new wars started by Erdogan.  Erdogans goal is to implement his radical project, to replace the democratic project.

In the area under the SANES umbrella, there are thousands of Assyrian/Syriac Christians as well as a new community of Kurdish Christian converts.

The new community of Kurdish converts, de Jong said, is located around the city of Kobane.

These are all converts and we know from the experience of Afrin that when Turks invade, they will be killed, hunted down or driven away, de Jong explained. Turkey is planning to deploy the same jihadis again they have used in Afrin. There is no denial they're on the side of Turkey, that they will use the same forces. These are the same forces that attacked Christians in Aleppo, Christians in Afrin and now they will attack Christians in northeast Syria.

Not only will another Turkish offensive destabilize northeast Syria but it will create a new refugee stream, de Jong argued. He asserted that another Turkish offensive will not help the fight against IS.

ISIS still there in the deep south, he asserted.

[We are] looking at the total slaughter of millennial-old Christian communities, bombed churches, people are driven away, women raped.

While the Trump administration has vowed to protect Christians in the Middle East, de Jong contends that a withdraw from Syria and allowing Turkey to advance its offensive in northeast Syria would be a major, moral defeat of the Trump agenda.

This is a Christian community that has fought against ISIS together with the Kurds and Arabs in the same region. The Syriac/Assyrian Christians have been fighting together with the U.S. Army against ISIS and now after having [almost] defeated these terrorists, then the U.S. Army will simply look on and allow them to be destroyed.

Additionally, de Jong added that a defeat of SDF forces will mean that Iran will take Eastern Syria.

[Russian President Vladimir] Putin and Iran are clearly warming up towards each other.  [Yesterday], Turkey, Russia and Iran were sitting together talking about their big plan for Syria, de Jong said. Turkey will give away Eastern Syria to Iran. that will mean a major defeat for the U.S. and a major threat for Israel.

Northeast Syria  this one-third part of Syria  is the only deterrence against Iranian influence in the region. The Federation of Northeast Syria is the only area that is Iran free, where Iran has no foothold. That would mean Iran would have all the big oil fields of Syria and they will exploit that. Basically, if Turkey is allowed to take 40 kilometers of northeast Syria, that will be the end of SDF and the end of any deterrence against Iran.

Also warning about the implications this could have on Irans influence in the region is conservative pundit David French of National Review, who wrote that a U.S. withdraw from Syria would be a great gift to Putin and Iran and a betrayal of our allies.

Considering that conservative evangelical Christians are one of Trumps most supportive voting bases, de Jong is calling on Christians in the U.S. to pressure the Trump administration to urge Trump not to withdraw from Syria.

Tell President Trump to protect the Christians of Northeast Syria against jihadists, de Jong urged. The U.S. should say on no uncertain terms that a Turkish attack in northeast Syria will be an attack against the U.S. The consequence of the Turkish rule will be a whole bunch of jihadist forces that are plundering killing and raping everything. That will be the legacy of President Trump in Northeast Syria. I think it will be very difficult to explain that as a victory for Trump against Islamic extremism because in this case, he has given the victory to Islamic extremism."

On Wednesday, the White House clarified that the withdrawal of U.S. troops does not mean the end to the global coalition fight against IS.

We have started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign, the White House tweeted.
After church split, Ukraine may force Moscow loyalists to badge themselves 'Russian'

Ukrainian MPs passed a law on Thursday that could force the Moscow-backed church in Ukraine to add 'Russian' to its name, aimed at curbing the influence of priests whom the authorities call a threat to national security.

Ukraine on Saturday created a new Orthodox church independent from Moscow, which leaders have lobbied for since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and Kiev says is a vital step to blunt Russian meddling in its affairs.

The move incensed Moscow, and prompted President Vladimir Putin to warn of possible bloodshed in his annual press conference. Relations between Ukraine and Russia collapsed after Moscow's seizure of Crimea in 2014.

The Kiev authorities have cracked down on priests in the church known widely as the Moscow Patriarchate, which has been beholden to Russia for centuries, whom they accuse of spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda and aiding separatist fighters. The church strongly denies doing this.

The Moscow Patriarchate typically calls itself the 'Ukrainian Orthodox Church' and sees itself as the only true church in Ukraine.

It opposes the creation of a new church and has labelled those wanting to join the new church as 'schismatics'.

Thursday's legislation obliges a religious organisation, whose governing centre is based abroad in a country waging war against Ukraine or occupying its territory, to change its name to reflect that. The new law could, for example, force the church's name to be changed to the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

'For more than 300 years, generations of Ukrainians have dreamed of a Ukrainian church. This is a broader question than a religious one, this is a question of the security and defence of our country,' Speaker Andriy Parubiy told parliament.

'There is no question that the church that blesses weapons, the killers of Ukrainians, should not bear the name of Ukraine,' he said.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) called on President Petro Poroshenko to veto the bill, which it said was discriminatory and could 'lead to unpredictable consequences in society'.

'As we see, this bill does not mention the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, but from public statements it is known that the intention is to apply it to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in order to please the newly formed religious association "Orthodox Church of Ukraine", which wants to take its name.'

Other laws are also in the works, including one by which a religious organisation must consult with the authorities on its leaders and on visitors from abroad.

Another law would make it easier for a religious community to switch its affiliation, potentially making it easier for parishes to join Ukraine's new national church and abandon the once-dominant Moscow Patriarchate.

Some MPs opposed the laws and lawmakers briefly came to blows after the vote. Vadim Novinsky of the Opposition Bloc, the heir to pro-Russian former President Viktor Yanukovich's Party of Regions, said 'these are bills aimed at the destruction of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church'.

The Moscow Patriarchate earlier dominated in Ukraine but has been challenged by a rival known as the Kiev Patriarchate formed after the 1991 break-up of the Russian-dominated Soviet Union.

Support for the Kiev Patriarchate swelled after the annexation of Crimea. It supported church independence and Ukraine's closer integration with the West.

Metropolitan Oleksandr, a high profile defector from the Moscow Patriarchate to the new church, estimates between 40-70 per cent of Moscow Patriarchate churches will join.

The Moscow Patriarchate says only a tiny fraction will, and last weekend pointed to that fact that only Oleksandr and one other high-ranking church official had joined the council that met to form the new church, which will include the Kiev Patriarchate.
John's Gospel: Christmas on a cosmic scale

This is the fourth in an Advent series by Dr Andrew Ollerton.

When I was a boy it's fair to say few things mattered more than the size of my presents. So imagine my horror when on Christmas eve, while rummaging around under the Christmas tree, I discovered the largest present had my sisters name on the label.

Worse still, the tiniest gift was for me. To my shame, under the cover of darkness, by torchlight, I carefully peeled off the labels and swapped them over. Christmas morning dawned. You can imagine the bemused look on faces as I unwrapped a pretty basket of scented soaps and bath salts; while my sister unwrapped the very Swiss Army knife that I so desperately wanted.

It's all too easy over the Christmas season to swap the important stuff for the big, shiny festive stuff and end up disappointed. Today as we turn to John's Gospel, we're reminded that the original Christmas present  wrapped in swaddling cloths and placed in a manger  would have appeared small and insignificant. But in fact it was the greatest of gifts. As the most famous verse in the Bible put it: 'God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.'

Now John's Gospel captures the scale of Christmas with a killer opening line: 'In the beginning was the Word.' It echoes Genesis and the opening line of the whole Bible. It's as if John is saying, the arrival of Jesus Christ is a new beginning for this broken world. Christmas is a time to hit 'refresh' and start over.

John's Gospel then draws on the theme of light and darkness: 'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.' Though just a small, frail baby, Jesus is the light of the world. As a single candle shatters the darkness, so the light of Christ conquers evil. The prophet Isaiah promised centuries before Christ's birth: 'There shall be no more gloom... for the people walking in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in deep darkness, a light has dawned.' This Christmas, where there is darkness, even deep darkness  anxiety, depression, bereavement  we can call on the name of Jesus and his invincible light.

John then gives the most profound summary of the Christmas story in the whole Bible: 'The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us' (verse 14). Talk about great things coming in small packages (forget the latest iPhone X)  think about what was contained in the Bethlehem baby. The living Word that called reality into being; the voice that said, 'Let there be light'; the meaning and beauty of the whole cosmos  the Word became flesh. Or as the hymn put it: 'Our God contracted to a span; incomprehensibly made man!'

We call this the doctrine of the incarnation. Carne is Latin for meat or flesh. So Christmas is God in-carne, God in the flesh, dwelling with us. I love how The Message paraphrases this verse: 'God became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood.' Pause for a moment and let the wonder sink in. Within this vast universe there are millions of suns and stars, billions of rocky planets and moons orbiting them. But our planet earth is unique. Not just because it is occupied by us humans, but because it was visited by God.

First Man is a new movie about that famous moment when humans first walked on the moon in 1969: 'One small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.' But amid the euphoric celebrations, Colonel James Irwin, himself an astronaut, made a most perceptive comment: 'The greatest event in human history was not when man walked on the moon. But when God walked on the earth.'

This Christmas, let's not swap the wonder of Christ for mere tinsel and more TV. It may seem bigger and more impressive. But it leaves us as disappointed as a seven-year-old boy with scented soaps and bath salts. Instead, let's put Christ back at the centre of Christmas. One practical way to do this is to gather family and friends in a dark room. Then light a candle and experience the power of light. Read some Scriptures like Isaiah 9 and John 1; put on Handel's Messiah or another worship track and lift up the name of Jesus Christ  the Word who became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

As my favourite carol puts it:

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,

Hail the incarnate deity.

Pleased as man with man to dwell,

Jesus our Immanuel...

Dr Andrew Ollerton is author of The Bible Course and works with Bible Society. Follow him on Twitter @andyollerton
Pope urges predator priests to turn themselves in

Pope Francis on Friday urged predator priests who have sexually abused minors to turn themselves in, making one of his strongest comments ever on the crisis sweeping the Roman Catholic Church.

While it was not immediately clear if Francis was referring to the Church judicial system, civil justice, or both, Vatican sources believed it was the first time the pope had made such a direct appeal.

'To those who abuse minors I would say this: convert and hand yourself over to human justice, and prepare for divine justice,' Francis said in his traditional Christmas address to the Curia, the Vatican's central administration.

He spoke two months before an extraordinary summit on the sexual abuse crisis that will be attended by the heads of some 110 national Catholic bishops' conferences and dozens of experts and leaders of religious orders in the Vatican.

Francis has previously used the Christmas address to denounce cases of corruption and mismanagement in the Curia. This time, he concentrated on the global sexual abuse crisis.

'Let it be clear that, faced with these abominations, the Church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whoever has committed such crimes. The Church will never seek to hush up or not take seriously any case,' he said.

When the pope has made similar promises of zero tolerance in the past, victim groups have scoffed, saying the Church has to come up with a clear policy to make bishops themselves accountable for the mishandling of abuse cases.

The groups say the February meeting must do precisely this.

In his address, Francis acknowledged that the Church had made serious errors in the past but promised to make 'past mistakes opportunities for eliminating this scourge' from both the Church and society at large.

Francis himself made such an error earlier this year when he first strongly defended a bishop in Chile who had been accused of covering up abuse, only later to launch an inquiry and accept the resignation of that bishop and other prelates in Chile.

'It is undeniable that some in the past, out of irresponsibility, disbelief, lack of training, inexperience, or spiritual and human short-sightedness, treated many cases without the seriousness and promptness that was due,' he said.

'That must never happen again. This is the choice and the decision of the whole Church.'
School children should learn about Jesus from Muslim and feminist perspectives, say academics

School children should not only learn about the Christian Jesus, say the authors of a new classroom textbook.

The free 'Who is Jesus?' textbook has been created by academics at the University of Exeter who say that children should also explore the Muslim and Jewish Jesus, as well as feminist, cultural and historical perspectives.

They argue that teaching children different perspectives of Jesus would make Religious Education lessons more rigorous.

'Through asking the question 'Who is Jesus?', this textbook encourages students to approach religion(s) and worldview(s) as inherently 'unstable', and as worth examining from a variety of perspectives,' they write in the introduction.

Co-author of the textbook, Professor Rob Freathy said: 'There is no single, neutral and objective answer to the question, 'Who is Jesus?'

'Answers differ depending on who is being asked. RE teaching and assessment that recognises that, by asking pupils to think about subject matter from different perspectives, is intellectually more rigorous and can promote the educational benefits of open-ended inquiry.

'It also best prepares pupils to enter a world characterised by a radical diversity of beliefs, religions and worldviews.'

The textbook also incorporates controversial artwork that the authors said was intended to encourage discussion on the marginalised groups Jesus might associate with today.

Images in the textbook include a painting called 'Jesus and the Crossdressers' by artist Brian J Turner and the 'Christa' sculpture of a female Jesus hanging on the cross by Edwina Sandys.

The 'Christa' sculpture triggered a huge backlash from critics who called it 'blasphemous' when it first went on public display in New York in 1984.

'We know these images are potentially controversial,' said Professor Freathy.

'They are designed to be provocative. But what we want to provoke is thought not outrage. According to the gospels, Jesus caused controversy by associating with people who were marginalised at the time, such as tax collectors and prostitutes.

'The "Jesus and the Cross Dressers" painting is used to stimulate discussion about which groups are rejected and excluded today, and perhaps with which groups a modern day Jesus would mix.'
Useful Idiots? As the UK sings Sudan's praises, the US designates it a country of 'particular concern'

On December 10, the UK's special envoy on freedom of religion or belief presented a rosy picture of tolerance in Sudan. The following day, the US State Department renewed its designation of Sudan as a country of particular concern. America ranks Sudan with Iran, North Korea, Burma and Saudi Arabia, citing the harassment of religious minorities.

The tolerance or intolerance of belief usually reflects a country's broader attitude to freedom of speech and civil society. What accounts for the gap between UK and US perceptions of a regime classified as unfree by the impartial watchdog Freedom House, and whose leader, Omar Bashir, has been indicted for genocide?

Lord Ahmad, a Foreign Office minister, visited Khartoum last summer. Responding to a question from Lord Alton about the well-documented persecution of Christians, he reported: 'What I saw on the ground of the relationships between the leaders I met from the Christian and Muslim communities was very positive. Indeed, in some of the challenges the Christian communities have in running their schools, particularly with the governor of Khartoum, the imams from the Muslim community were acting as their advocates.'

Ahmad's sunny conclusion left one Sudan specialist incredulous. 'Evidently, no one at the British embassy told him that the Sudanese government would control which religious leaders he would meet'  leaders who could be counted on to point to 'small problems' but to highlight 'how wonderful the situation in Sudan is now'.

A local lawyer defending leaders of the besieged Christian community who regularly face arrest, confirmed that 'Lord Ahmad's analysis does not correspond with the experience on the ground.' Activists working for freedom of religion and belief in Sudan say the UK embassy staff has never attempted to meet them, whereas other embassies have.

Campaigners cite the torture of nine Christians in Darfur in November by agents of Sudan's intelligence service, the listing of 25 churches in Khartoum that will be confiscated or destroyed so their land can be developed by friends of the regime, the bombing of church-run hospitals and schools in the Nuba Mountains, and the fact that every pastor has been arrested at some point.

It brings to mind the USSR's stage-managed propaganda trips in the 1930s. Several prominent intellectuals such as George Bernard Shaw and Sidney and Beatrice Webb, returned to the UK denying that Stalinist policies were causing mass starvation. Yet the novelist Arthur Koestler, visiting in the same period, witnessed scenes of horror in Ukraine; the philosopher Bertrand Russell also saw through the facade presented to him by Communist party officials. The fans of the 'new Soviet civilisation', gulag and all, became known as 'useful idiots' by Stalin's henchmen.

The NGO Open Doors reports on Sudan: 'The government regularly arrests and intimidates Christian leaders....When interacting with Sudanese Muslims, Christians must be extremely cautious, as any mention of their faith can be construed as an "act that encourages apostasy against Islam." Some Christians are arrested on charges of espionage, and many churches have been demolished, with others on an official list awaiting demolition. In areas with ongoing conflict, Christians are attacked indiscriminately.'

Moreover, the UK Foreign Office ignores President Bashir's own forthright statement on the position of religious minorities under his regime. Speaking in 2010, he said he would amend the Sudan constitution so, 'there will be no time to speak of diversity of culture and ethnicity...Shariaa [Islamic law] and Islam will be the main source for the constitution, Islam the official religion, and Arabic the official language.'

Evidently, promoting economic ties with the regime is a higher priority for the UK, despite what it says about respecting human rights and freedom of expression. According to government ministers, engagement with the pariah regime will lead to business opportunities. Hence the ongoing UK-Sudan Trade and Investment Forum meetings and visits to Khartoum, despite the country's unpromising commercial environment, as documented in detail by the World Bank ; Sudan gets the lowest possible marks for corruption from Transparency International.

Sudan is also key to Britain's attempts to stem migration at the point of origin in the Horn of Africa. However the Khartoum Process has been criticised for using former Janjaweed militia, famous for ethnic cleansing in Darfur, to prevent migrants reaching Libya. Sudan itself is one of the largest sources of refugees fleeing to the UK to avoid persecution at home. It is therefore perverse that the UK looks to Sudan for help, when the regime's policies are the cause of migration.

Meanwhile, the US has renewed its designation of Sudan as a state sponsor of terror. Yet the UK persists in prioritising its Brexit-era aims of reducing migration and building new trade alliances. Neither policies are likely to succeed, while they leave a stain on Britain's integrity.

Maddy Crowther is co-executive director of Waging Peace, which supports Sudanese refugees in the UK.
The Houston company behind the continent's largest natural gas liquids complex already had plans to grow its Mont Belvieu facility and now the facility could get even bigger.

Enterprise Products Partners is considering a new $1.2 billion unit that could significantly boost its propylene production if built, according to documents from the Texas Comptroller. The unit would convert propane into propylene, a building block for a common plastic known as polypropylene, used in a variety of consumer goods such as packaging, cold weather gear, rugs and car batteries.

The propane processing unit would be the second of its kind at the Mont Belvieu complex, and produce about 1.65 billion pounds of propylene annually.

EARLIER: Enterprise building 10th Mont Belvieu fractionator

Enterprise started up its first propane processing unit at Mont Belvieu last year, said Rick Rainey, spokesperson for Enterprise Products Partners.

The company has yet to decide whether it will build this second unit, but it would of the same scale as the first one, Rainey said.

The propylene could be sent via pipeline either to domestic customers, such as petrochemical plants that produce plastic pellets, or it could be sent to Enterprise's export hub on the Houston Ship Channel and be sent overseas, Rainey said.

The potentially expanded propylene production could come online as several oil and gas companies continue to grow their petrochemical production along the Gulf Coast.

IN PORT ARTHUR: Saudi Aramcos Motiva eyes $6.6B petrochemical expansions

"We're producing so much (natural gas liquids) and (liquid propane gas) in this country and at the same time domestic demand is flat and the demand overseas continues to grow," Rainey said. "We're looking at potentially more capacity that allows domestic production to continue and also provides global and domestic markets a cost-effective source of propylene."

There is no date yet for making a final investment decision.

but documents filed with the Texas Comptroller's office said that if the company moved forward with the project, construction could start in the first quarter of 2020 and finish in the third quarter 2023. A subsidiary of Enterprise filed a request for tax incentives with the Barbers Hill Independent School District in late November and that application was made available this week on the Comptroller's website.

The company estimates there would be 1,500 construction workers at peak construction. The project would create 25 permanent jobs with an average annual salary of $67, 000 per a year.

Already at the same complex, Enterprise Partners is growing its natural gas liquids processing capacity to take advantage of cheap supplies of natural gas from the shale boom in West and South Texas. The company said earlier this year it's starting construction on the tenth fractionator facility at the Mont Belvieu complex. The The expansion would increase Enterprise's natural gas liquid fractionation capacity to 1 million barrels per a day in the Mont Belvieu area, and approximately 1.5 million barrels per a day companywide, according to an Oct.31 release.

Fractionators take the streams of natural gas liquids from oil and gas wells and separate the natural gas liquids into their individual parts, such as ethane, butane and propane.

Enterprise already exports a lot of butane, propane and more, and is currently building an ethane export terminal along the Houston Ship Channel. The company also is planning to build a deepwater crude oil exporting terminal several miles offshore of the ship channel.
courtesy LyondellBasell

Houston engineering and construction company McDermott International has signed three deals over the past week to help build petrochemical plants that make a key type of plastic.

McDermott announced that it was awarded two polypropylene technology contracts from the Indian Oil Corporation and another one from the HPCL Rajasthan Refinery.
Moda Midstream has started loading its first supertanker at the Houston company's Port of Corpus Christi export terminal.

A Greek-flagged crude oil tanker named the Nasiriyah arrived at Moda's facility on Wednesday. Moda confirmed that the VLCC-sized tanker was being loaded on Thursday with 1.2 million barrels of crude oil from the Permian Basin of West Texas.

Occidental Petroleum Senior Vice President of Midstream and Marketing Cynthia Walker said that the Houston oil company arranged for the supertanker to arrive Moda's facility. Walker said the Nasiriyah will become the first VLCC-sized tanker to deliver U.S. crude oil to Europe where Permian Basin crude oil is in high demand.

Growth Industry: Crude oil exports to double by 2020

Calling the shipment a "significant milestone" for the company, Walker said the Port of Corpus Christi facility is well-positioned to receive and ship crude oil from the Permian Basin.

"Loading VLCCs with Permian Basin crude oil builds on our position as the largest oil producer in the basin and one of the largest exporters of light sweet crude in the United States," Walker said in a statement.

Touted as some of the largest tankers in the world, Very Large Crude Carriers, or VLCCs, are capable of holding up to 2 million barrels of crude oil of crude oil but the 45-foot depth of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel prevents them from being fully loaded. The Port of Corpus Christi plans to deepen and widen the ship channel to support two-way supertanker traffic.

$2.6 Billion Deal: Oxy sells Ingleside oil export terminal

Moda bought the facility from Houston-based Occidental Petroleum in August. Since that time, Moda has made dock modifications and installed loading arms that can load VLCC-sized tankers at a rate of 80,000 barrels per hour.

Before it sold the facility to Moda, Occidental Petroleum tested a VLCC-sized tanker at the Port of Corpus Christi terminal in May 2017. Although the dock and equipment tests were successful, the crude oil tanker left the facility without a shipment.

San Antonio-based NuStar Energy performed a similar test using a Suezmax-sized tanker at its Port of Corpus Christi facility in September. Suezmax tankers are one size below VLCC tankers.
President Trump has publicly blasted federal judges as liberals who thwart the will of the people and denounced their ability to issue orders that apply nationwide.

A key exception occurred this recently when the president sent out this message on Twitter: Wow, but not surprising, Obamacare was just ruled UNCONSTITUTIONAL by a highly respected judge in Texas. Great news for America.

That judge is Houston native Reed Charles OConnor, who is now a U.S. District Court judge in the Northern District of Texas.

Judge O'Connor , who has chambers in Fort Worth and Wichita Falls, has become the federal judge that Republican state attorneys general and politically conservative special interest groups across the U.S. turn to when they want a federal law or policy overturned or banned. And he has not disappointed.

Legal experts say that Judge OConnors decision late Friday striking down the Affordable Care Act clearly made the University of Houston graduate an automatic finalist for any future openings on the federal appellate courts or even the U.S. Supreme Court.

Since 2016, he has struck down Obama administration rules that expanded civil rights protections to cover sexual orientation, ruled that the Affordable Care Act illegally prohibited discrimination of gender identity, threw out a federal voting rights lawsuit against the city of Farmers Branch and declared portions of the Indian Child Welfare Act unconstitutional because it supported racial preferences.

In 2013, Judge OConnor issued a ruling declaring that the Obama Administrations immigration program called the Deferred Action Childhood Arrival, which provides protections from deportation for some younger undocumented immigrants, was illegal - though he withdrew his order a few months later declaring that his court did not have jurisdiction.

In a 55-page opinion last week, Judge O'Connor ruled that the Affordable Care Act is now unconstitutional because Congress effectively eliminated the so-called individual mandate last year as part of federal tax reforms.

If Obamacare is no longer a congressionally imposed tax, it is no longer permissible under the Interstate Commerce Clause.

This decision isn't terribly surprising, says Texas appellate law expert Chad Baruch. Judge O'Connor seems to be a bit more political in some of his decisions than many of his colleagues on the federal bench. He has a reputation for being well-connected politically, and certainly has made a number of rulings with significant political implications.

Other legal experts agree.

Judge OConnor is a conservative judge whose opinions are frequently affirmed in the Fifth Circuit, as are most district court opinions, says Haynes and Boone litigation partner Anne Johnson. The most recent statistics published by the Fifth Circuit show an overall reversal rate of 7.2 percent.

Judge OConnor has sided with the conservative position in several highly contentious, partisan cases and, not surprisingly, those kinds of cases continue to be brought in his court, says Johnson, who specializes in appellate litigation.

Born and raised in Houston, OConnor went to college at the University of Houston and then graduated in 1989 from the South Texas College of Law in Houston. After four years of practicing law, OConnor became a state and federal prosecutor from 1994 to 2003, when he went to work as legal counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, where he became close to one of its leading members, Texas Senator John Cornyn.

President Bush nominated OConnor to the federal bench in 2007. The Senate confirmed his appointment unanimously.

With a decade of federal trial experience now on his resume, Judge OConnor is widely viewed as a frontrunner for the next opening on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Commercial litigators who practice before Judge OConnor describe him as a hardworking and fast-moving jurist.

In one case that I had before Judge OConnor, I was surprised to receive a very important order very early  around 6 a.m.  on a Saturday morning, says Christopher Kratovil, a litigation partner at the Dykema law firm. "He has a reputation as being fair minded in civil litigation, with perhaps a slight preference for business defendants.

Kratovil and other legal experts say that Judge OConnor is a perfect example of how parties with a specific political agenda can pick a jurisdiction where they are guaranteed a judge they consider friendly to their cause or political leanings.

In short, Judge OConnor has been behind three of the highest profile district court rulings in recent memory, says Kratovil, who specializes in appellate law. Judge OConnor is a bold and fearless jurist, and he is a very capable legal writer. Hes not afraid to make controversial decisions in big cases with nationwide implications.

In these high profile and highly partisan cases, Judge OConnor seems in many ways to be the Red States answer to U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson of Hawaii, who has developed a reputation as the go to judge for Blue State attorney generals seeking a nationwide injunction, Kratovil says. This illustrates the power of one-judge divisions of federal district courts  in Judge OConnors case the Wichita Falls Division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

For a longer version of this article, please visit TexasLawbook.net.
Local bars and restaurants are serving your favorite Christmas treats by staying open this year.

Some establishments will open later in the day or close early, especially popular bars, many of which have pushed back their hours that day but will remain open 'til closing time.

>>See the full roundup in the gallery above.

Opt for a hot toddy as a festive drink, since you definitely won't need it to keep you warm that night. (We'll only be in the 60s that night!)

For those seeking a Christmas Day meal, take your pick from fine dining to diner or deli.

Downtown luxury hotel Lucienne, 1070 Dallas, will host a brunch that day from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. On the three-course menu: salmon gravlax with caviar, crepes and crab-topped eggs Benedict. This special meal is priced at $65 per person.

ONLY AT HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: 14 tasty holiday cookie recipes from Chronicle readers

Elsewhere, Brenner's on the Bayou, 1 Birdsall, will be open 4 to 9:30 p.m., which has become an annual tradition for the Houston stalwart. Included with this meal is the scenic tree-lined view.

Prefer to keep it casual? You can find some of Houston's best burgers at Rudyards, 2010 Waugh, or the Burger Joint, 2703 Montrose. The latter will close early, at an undetermined time, on Christmas Eve. For a place that usually closes as late as 4 a.m. weekends, there's no telling what "early" might mean...

Woodlands residents: you can choose to keep it local by heading to Fielding's Local Kitchen & Bar, 26400 Kuykendahl, which will keep its regular hours this holiday: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Need a late-night treat? Head to the House of Pies location at 1330 Lake Woodlands Drive.

NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.
A handful of Houston-area parents made the news this year for their alleged involvement in crimes ranging from murder and kidnapping to child abandonment.

One of the most gruesome and notable cases involves a Houston woman who allegedly drowned and decapitated her 5-year-old son. Luhui Lui, 43, was charged with capital murder in late November.
By Azernews





By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Travel companies in Azerbaijan will be divided into categories "A", "B", "C" and so on, said head of the public relations department of the State Tourism Agency Kanan Guluzade.

He noted that the categories will be determined in accordance with the number and type of services provided by travel agencies.

Guluzade noticed that there are travel companies with numerous activities, a large number of employees.

"In addition, such companies have the opportunity to provide services in the hotel business and transport sector, as well as provide guide services. Companies with a large number of types of services will receive a higher category. At the same time, there are travel companies that operate on the market with limited capabilities - with a small staff and not providing hotel and other types of services. Accordingly, they will be assigned a lower category," he noted.

Guluzade considers that the division of travel companies into categories stimulates the development of companies and contributes to the formation of healthy competition in the tourism market.

The head of the department noted that regardless of the category received, it is planned to include all travel companies in the tourist register.

"The registry will be available to everyone. The client will be able to select services that fit their budget through this registry and send the order to the company providing the required level of services," Guluzade concluded.

Tourism is one of the economy branches that has been developing rapidly in recent years. The location of the Land of Fire at the junction of Europe and Asia makes it very attractive for the development of tourism business. Of the 11 existing climatic zones of our planet, nine are represented in the territory of Azerbaijan, ranging from subtropics to alpine mountain meadows.

Azerbaijan was elected a full member of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) In September 2001. This allowed the country to have the right to vote in the WTO General Assembly, to participate in all the activities of this organization and, adopting the experience of advanced countries in the field of tourism, integrate into the world family of the tourism community.

Azerbaijan became the winner of the contest Best tourist destinations - 2015 held by the National Geographic Traveler magazine in the Discovery of the Year nomination in 2015.

In January-October 2018, as many as 2,420,400 foreigners and stateless persons from 194 countries arrived in Azerbaijan, and this indicates a 6.1 percent growth compared to the same period of 2017. Russians made up the majority of the tourists who visited Azerbaijan. As many as 31.1 percent of the tourists came from Russia.
More than a year. Thats how long it took the Butler Longhorn Museum in League City to reopen after it was damaged by flooding from Hurricane Harvey.

The first floor got 2 feet of water, and exhibits on the second floor received damage after wind wreaked havoc on the roof and rain snaked down the walls and into the building.

But now the repairs are complete and the museum  most of it anyway  is open and ready to receive the community again.

For a while, we werent even really able to give people an estimate on when we would reopen, said Monica Hughes, museum director. That was hard on everybody. Wed have people come in from out of town who had seen something about us online and wanted to come in and tour, but when theyd knock on the door, Id have to tell them we were closed. Id open up a little and let them peek in and they would be so upset.

Tearful brides

So for 15 months, the museum wasnt able to collect income.

The Longhorn museum isnt just a museum. It also serves in an event venue, hosting weddings, parties and showers for people whod like to celebrate their special occasion among relics of League Citys rich and colorful history.

We had to cancel all of the weddings, Hughes said. I had two brides break down in tears and that made me break down in tears. It was a mess.

But the sun has come out for the Butler Longhorn Museum.

The museum portion is open, Hughes said. We can have community members and students come in and tour, we can host events inside  we can continue our goal of honoring the Butler family and sharing that historical legacy they created with the rest of the world.

The Butler family migrated to the area in 1854 from Calcasieu Parish in Louisiana and owned about 50,000 acres over an area now part of League City, Kemah, Friendswood and much of mainland Galveston County. The family is credited with helping save the longhorns from extinction.

Of course, not everything could be saved. While most of the exhibits could be  and were  redone, there were murals painted on the downstairs walls of the museum that had to be torn apart, victims of the floodwater. They were initially provided by a $20,000 donation from Wells Fargo. It is estimated that it would now cost about $40,000 to have them repainted. Those have not been replaced and with funds low, Hughes does not know when, if ever, they will be.

6 feet of water in building

Another piece of the property put out of commission by the storm is the education building. The museum, which Hughes says has an inviting appearance after repairs, is a stark contrast to the ravaged education building, which served as a place for music lessons, lectures, performing arts, art lessons, childrens book clubs and summer camps.

The education center got 6 feet of water, she said. Its still destroyed. Basically its just a shell, which is a huge loss, not just financially for us because it served as a source of income, but especially for the community.

Focus on the community, education and the history of League City, is important to Hughes.

We have kids, young adults, teens who dont even know what we have here, she said. They come in and see a rocking chair with a hole in it and think its a regular chair, then I have to tell them its an indoor (toilet). They ask how it was flushed. Then you see their brains start working. Thats part of why this museum is so important, and why its so wonderful to be open again.

A visit to the museum makes kids think about where weve been, because if you dont know your past, you cant really every understand your future, she said.

For information on how to donate to the museum, a 501C3 organization, call 281-332-1393, or send an email to info@butlerlonghornmuseum.com.
Dayton ISD is one of 373 school districts in the U.S. and Canada being honored by the College Board with placement on the 9th Annual AP District Honor Roll.

To be included on the 9th Annual Honor Roll, Dayton ISD had to, since 2016, increase the number of students participating in AP while also increasing or maintaining the percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher.

Reaching these goals shows that this district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for AP.

The Trustees, administrators, and I are extremely proud of this prestigious award, said Dr. Jessica Johnson, superintendent of Dayton ISD.

Our staff is committed to continued improvements in getting our students ready for college, career, or the military--whatever their lifes choices may be.

National data from 2018 show that among American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students with a high degree of readiness for AP, only about half are participating. The first step to getting more of these students to participate is to give them access. Courses must be made available, gatekeeping must stop, and doors must be equitably opened. Dayton ISD is committed to expanding the availability of AP courses among prepared and motivated students of all backgrounds.

Success in Advanced Placement is a combination of students own motivation and the opportunities educators provide for them, said Trevor Packer, senior vice president of AP and Instruction at the College Board. Im inspired by the teachers and administrators in this district who have worked to clear a path for more students of all backgrounds to earn college credit during high school.

Helping more students learn at a higher level and earn higher AP scores is an objective of all members of the AP community, from AP teachers to district and school administrators to college professors. Many districts are experimenting with initiatives and strategies to see how they can expand access and improve student performance at the same time.

In 2018, more than 4,000 colleges and universities around the world received AP scores for college credit, advanced placement, or both, and/or consideration in the admissions process. Inclusion in the 9th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on a review of three years of AP data, from 2016 to 2018, looking across 38 AP Exams, including world language and culture. The following criteria were used.

Districts must:

Increase participation/access to AP by at least 4 percent in large districts, at least 6 percent in medium districts, and at least 11 percent in small districts;

Increased or maintained the percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students taking exams and increased or maintained the percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students scoring 3+ on at least one AP Exam; and

Improve or maintain performance levels when comparing the 2018 percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher to the 2016 percentage, unless the district has already attained a performance level at which more than 70 percent of its AP students earn a 3 or higher.

When these outcomes have been achieved among an AP student population in which 30 percent or more are underrepresented minority students (American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander) and/or 30% or more are low-income students (students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch), a symbol has been affixed to the district name to highlight this work.

I look forward to watching our students grow academically, graduate, and become our future leaders. Congratulations students and DISD staff! the superintendent said.

The complete 9th Annual AP District Honor Roll can be found here: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/score-reports-data/awards/honor-roll
Unless you live under a rock, you've probably seen a billboard or heard dozens of ads for Shen Yun Performing Arts.

But what is it? The answer is a little complicated.

Shen Yun, which returns to Jones Hall on Dec. 26 and runs until Jan. 16, bills itself as "the world's premier classical Chinese dance and music company." They have performances in 93 cities around the country, from Billings, Mont., to Little Rock, Ark. The dress code suggests you might want to wear a tuxedo or evening gown since you're "in for a special treat." If you buy a ticket to a show, you can expect two hours of traditional Chinese dance accompanied by a live orchestra.

And if you're to believe Shen Yun's own advertisements, you'll get so much more. The hyperbolic 2018 ad promises the performance will "move you to tears" and change how you see the world.

The former minister of culture of the Czech Republic is quoted in the advertisement calling it "truly a touch of heaven."

But (surprise, surprise), the ads may be overselling it a bit.

ALSO: The most San Francisco ways to celebrate the holidays

Some people who go to the show complain they didn't know what they were in for. Because nowhere in the effusive advertisements is it mentioned that Shen Yun has a political bent. Shen Yun translates to "divine rhythm," and according to the show's website, the artists who put on Shen Yun practice Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, a belief system that encompasses meditation, tai chi-type exercises, and "strict morality" (smoking, alcohol, and extramarital or same-sex sexual relations go against the teachings).

A 2017 Guardian article by Nicholas Hune-Brown describes one part of the show:

The curtain rose on a group of young students sitting in peace, meditating and reading oversized yellow Falun Gong books. The dancers performed elaborately pantomimed good deeds  helping an old woman with a cane, chasing down a woman who had dropped her purse. But when one unveiled a Falun Gong banner, suddenly a trio of men wearing black tunics emblazoned with a red hammer-and-sickle entered. The communist thugs began beating people up, clubbing and kicking innocent Falun Gong followers.

Scenes like that didn't sit well with all viewers.

The Fresno Bee's arts writer Donald Munro saw Shen Yun in 2016, and called the show "a beautiful and odd production that veers wildly between two extremes: delicate artistic excellence on one hand and a brusque, heavy-handed effort to inculcate political and spiritual viewpoints on the other."

Many people posting reviews on Yelp weren't as eloquent.

"Be warned: Religious sermon!" reads a Yelp review from someone who saw the show in Fresno. "I WALKED OUT as soon as anti-evolution statements were made on the screen. False advertising!"

"I rate this a Zero star. This show is purely CULT PROPAGANDA. Do not waste your money and time for this," said Ron F. from Pittsburg, Calif.

The Chinese government is not a fan either. The practice of Falun Gong is forbidden in China and its members are routinely persecuted. In condemning the "so-called 'Shen Yun'" performance, the embassy's website calls Falun Gong a "...cult that seriously harms the society and violates human rights, and is a cancer in the body of the modern and civilized society."

HOLIDAYS: Historic photos of Christmas in San Francisco

The Guardian reports "there's no evidence of the kind of coercive control that the label suggests." Besides, it's not like the Chinese government has a stellar human rights record. According to Shen Yun's website, many of the dance company's members were persecuted and tortured for practicing Falun Gong in China.

Falun Gong started as a form of exercise in 1992. Followers would gather in public spaces to do qigong, which combines slow movements and meditation. Falun Gong combined those physical practices with spirituality and Taoist moral principles. In the late 90s, as Falun Gong gained steam and millions of followers, the Chinese Communist Party may have felt threatened by its size and popularity, so it cracked down. Thousands of practitioners were imprisoned or in some cases tortured. The founder, Li Hongzhi, now lives in New York.

Multiple attempts to speak with a Shen Yun spokesperson, by phone and by email, for this story were unsuccessful.

Click through the gallery below to see some of the strongest worded reviews of Shen Yun's Bay Area performances:

For many disgruntled Shen Yun attendees, it's not necessarily that the show itself is bad  though to be fair, some complain it is. Most of the negative reviews were people upset they were blindsided by the political content.

According to Shen Yun's website, it's an "experience like no other." And on that note, it appears pretty much everyone agrees.

Read Alix Martichoux's latest stories and send her news tips at amartichoux@sfchronicle.com.

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A Humble couple have been charged in the September heat death of their 2-year-old daughter, who was left in the backseat of a car after a party.

The parents, Olga Esquivel and Angel Esquivel-Blanco, both 25, are charged with child abandonment in the Sept. 16 incident.

Their daughter, Alicia Esquivel, died of heat exposure after being left for hours in the backseat of a car. Olga Esquivel is also charged with tampering with a corpse.

Parents have a duty to protect their children, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a news release. And these parents will forever live with their childs horrible death and suffer the consequences of their actions.

ON THE DECLINE: Texas sentencing people to death row less frequently. Find out why at our subscriber site at HoustonChronicle.com.

The mother allegedly changed her story when speaking to police, according to court records.

She first told investigators that the family went to a party on Sept. 15, and the whole family fell asleep together inside their home after she helped her intoxicated husband inside, records show.

Olga Esquivel said she woke up around noon and that her daughter was hot to the touch. After about an hour, she and her husband said, they called 911 because they couldnt find one cell phone and another one was charging.

Authorities obtained photos and a video from the couples cell phones, taken as early as 10:40 a.m. that Saturday. Two photos and a video, apparently taken by the child, were recovered.

The photos showed the inside of the car and the girl could be heard speaking in discomfort in the video, investigators said. The video also showed a pair of scissors lodged in the area between the passenger seat and the door.

Police also found one of Alicias sandals in the driveway.

EXCLUSIVE: Third accuser comes forward in case of Houston-area priest accused of sexual abuse. Read the story only at HoustonChronicle.com.

When she was interviewed again, Olga Esquivel said that she did leave her daughter in the car overnight. After helping her husband inside the night before, they both fell asleep, she said.

It wasnt until noon the next day when she woke up and realized their toddler was still in the car, she said.

Olga Esquivel said she found her daughter unresponsive in the front passenger seat, because she wasn't in a car seat the night before. She splashed water on her daughter and performed CPR to try to save her before calling police around 2:55 p.m.

Angel Esquivel-Blanco still claimed that he didnt know his wife left Alicia in the car.

The charges are all second-degree felonies which carry up to 20 years in prison, according to the District Attorney's office.

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Yusi An may have started the Magical Winter Lights, a yearly light festival in Galveston County, with a background in public relations and marketing, but after nearly four years of dazzling residents with larger-than-life lantern exhibits, carnival rides and family memories, she now seems to be an expert in holiday cheer.

The spark which eventually grew into a full-fledged holiday attraction came from a love of tradition and maybe a tinge of homesickness.

I grew up going to lantern festivals in China, she said. They are beautiful. The lanterns are so intricate and the experience is so unique. I wanted to share that experience with people here, because Houston is my home.

An, who is the founder and executive producer of the festival, said that she felt the people of the Houston area would accept and embrace the tradition.

Something that I love about Houston and the whole surrounding area really is that it is so diverse and people are so accepting of other cultures, she said. Not only that but theyre interested in other cultures and want to share some of those experiences; so we did our research, secured the funding and gave it a try. It was a success.

An moved the festival to Gulf Greyhound Park in La Marque in 2016.

We have so much support and the community has also really welcomed us, she said.

Magical Winter Lights Where: 1000 FM 2004, La Marque When: 5-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Jan. 6 Tickets: $13 for children and senior adults; $22 for others. Family pricing is available More information:www.magicalwinterlights.com See More Collapse

Magical Winter Lights is a lantern festival, but An assures that it isnt like any lantern youve pictured before.

We send these plans to lantern technicians in the city my family is from, she said. These are extremely intricate, very large designs  some of them 40-to-60-feet tall.

Pictures dont do it justice, she said.

Eight themed lantern areas boast an estimated 6 million lights. There are a popular dinosaur area, a large palace, an ice area, an undersea exhibit and a Houston-themed exhibit. Carnival rides and two 40-minute Chinese acrobatics performances are offered nghtly.

Its amazing that weve been able to grow so much in four years, she said.

The family connection she feels to the festival is an added bonus.

This takes a village, she said. I look around and think, how did we do this? and its amazing. My family loves it, and we love being able to share part of our culture with people who are interested. Its really a joyful job  by spreading joy we get that joy back in return.

Because the festival draws people from as far as Cypress and Sugar Land  and most visitors show up between 6 and 8 p.m., An recommends getting there when the grounds open at 5 to avoid lines.

The lines move fast though  its not bad, she said.

Time is something An is incredibly familiar with.

The show runs for two months and I spend 10 months getting ready for the next one, she said. Were sending off designs to lantern techs, creating new themes, hiring staff  I dont even have time to decorate my own house.

Parking is at Gulf Greyhound park and cost $5 in cash. Tickets can be purchased online at www.magicalwinterlights.com or at the festival with credit card. ATMs are available on site.
Devin Sanders, program coordinator for Amaanah Refugee Services, lauded a recent initiative by Lone Star College-CyFair professors and students to place mini libraries at four Houston ISD schools.

Working as a service provider within the school districts in Houston has allowed me to see the need for more books for our students, Sanders said. These mini-libraries will provide our students with the opportunity to read and have access to books at any time.

The mini libraries were built by 13 LSC-CyFair students as part of a service learning project. The four mini libraries, filled with books, were placed at Walnut Bend Elementary, Las Americas Middle, Jane Long Elementary and Paul Revere Middle schools this fall. The projects goal was to directly impact refugee and low-income communities.

Professors Shamim Arastu and Valerie Jefferson, along with their classes, collaborated with Amaanah Refugee Services  a nonprofit organization for the integration of post-resettlement refugees  to complete the project and place the libraries.

Arastu said the project was a product of the learning community, Finding Me, which serves as a combination of the first-year experience and introduction to the teaching profession courses.

We geared it toward working with at-risk population and weve previously partnered with Amaanah in different arenas, Arastu said. When we talked to Amaanah they had told us there are several schools that have libraries but the access is minimal because of funding and librarians and things like that.

During their research, LSC students found that some grade-school students in the Houston area who are learning the English language are not able to further their development of English literacy due to lack of access to libraries.

Along with the libraries, LSC students created STEM activities and information handouts for the HISD students. Jefferson said the project is beneficial to LSC students in the Finding Me learning community because they are learning to contribute to the local community.

Because its a learning community, they had not only the learning experience, but they also go out to the community and provide service, Jefferson said. Most students take for granted that we have libraries in our elementary schools but a lot of these students where we did this have limited access, or none at all.

In the future, LSC-CyFair students plan to continue contributing to the libraries by donating more books and hosting a book drive, with one section of a college course dedicated to helping maintain the libraries, Jefferson said.

Lindsey Hurst, a student who contributed to the literacy project, said being able to impact the community was a revelatory experience.

Theres a lot of people that dont have as many advantages as we did growing up, regarding the library, she said. To see the faces and then filling the libraries books was a really neat experience. It was just overall really cool to see them excited to have the mini library.
British International School of Houston / British International School of Houston

British International School of Houston has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for 2018-2021 for its leadership and educational excellence in technology.

Apple Distinguished Schools are "centers of innovation, using technology to inspire creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. They showcase innovative uses of iPad and Mac in learning, teaching, and the school environment and have documented results of academic accomplishment. And they cultivate environments in which students are excited and curious about learning."
In three months, Noah Youngflesh of Cypress will be at Lackland Air Force Base for basic training. On Dec. 15, he joined others in placing wreaths on the graves of veterans at Magnolia Cemetery in Katy as part of the second annual Wreaths Across America ceremony.

He was part of a late-entry group of recruits who volunteered to be part of the ceremony organized through Katy American Legion Post and Auxiliary 164 and Katelyn Nitsche, who belongs to Way Out West Community Girl Scouts and is working on the wreath project to earn her Gold Award.

Coming from a long line of family members whove served in the military from an older brother and a cousin to grandfathers, Youngflesh said, Ive wanted to do this (serve in the military) since I was very young.

Like Youngflesh, this was the first time Cole Nongbri, 9, participated in the Katy Wreaths Across America program. A member of Cub Scout Troop Pack 1182, he placed pennies on the graves of veterans as part of a longstanding tradition to indicate someone has paid their respects.

His father Deven Nongbri thought it was a good thing to do this, explained Cole. It was very good, he added.

Its great kids are getting to understand about all this, said Marilyn Rawls of Pearland, as Cole laid a penny on the headstone of her sons grave. We need to remember the military and understand their sacrifice, she added.

Her son, Dustin Marshall Rawls, was a Katy High School graduate who served as a U.S. Marine in Iraq and lost his life in a 2007 traffic accident.

It was Rawls first time to participate in the wreath ceremony at Magnolia where Scouts, firefighters, families, National Charity League members and other volunteers placed more than 400 wreaths on the graves of veterans.

More Information National Wreaths Across America Day The second annual Wreaths Across America program was presented Dec. 15 at Katy Magnolia Cemetery. Members of the core team: Katelyn Nitsche, American Legion 164, & its Auxiliary, National Charity League - Katy Chapter, Lone Star Veterans Association, Navy Sea Cadets Supporting organizations: Way Out West Girl Scout Community - Katy, Cypress Boys and Girl Scouts, Taylor High School FFA, Houston Livestock and Rodeo - Houston Metro Go Texan Committee, Elks Lodge of Katy, Katy Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9182, Katy USAF Recruiting Air Station, T.E.A.M. Send-Off, Katy Fire Station See More Collapse

He was a great guy and people still honor him, said Rawls talking of her son, who was 25 when he died. He would spare no expense to make someone laugh, she added.

Marking her first time to attend the wreath-laying program, Denise Lesak said, Its beautiful that this many people are coming to support this program. Theyre from all walks of life.

We had well over 300 volunteers attend this year's event, said Sharon Nitsche, Katelyns mom. That is double compared to last year.

She said months of planning led to the event being a huge success. Last year, wreaths were placed on 330 grave sites compared to 425 this year, plus seven ceremonial wreaths. Wreaths were presented to honor veterans in each of the six branches of the military and those who last known status was prisoner of war or missing in action.

Aggressive fundraising efforts meant wreath sponsorships reached more than 600, said Nitsche. Sponsored wreaths not used this month can be used next year.

This event will continue to grow and the American Legion 164 has agree to continue this event after Katelyn graduates in 2020, added Nitschke. The mission of Wreaths Across America is to Remember, Honor and Teach.

Katelyn Nitsche told the mid-Saturday morning crowd that Magnolia Cemetery was among more than 1,100 sites across the country where people were gathering to honor veterans.

The United States of America was founded on ideals of freedom, justice and equality, she said. The freedoms we enjoy today have not come without a price. Laying here and in cemeteries across the nation are men and women who gave their lives so that we can live in freedom and without fear. We thank those who gave their lives to keep us free and we shall not forget you.

After quoting presidents George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, American Legion Post 164 Commander Harry Woodstrom said, Today we show a united front of gratitude and respect across the United States as we remember the fallen, honor those who serve and teach our children the value of freedom.

Joseph Thomas, commander, American Legion District 22, of Pasadena, delivered the keynote address. The ceremony concluded with a 21-gun salute and Taps.

karen.zurawski@chron.com
Citizens at the Brookwood Community welcomed a new furry companion this month when Demi, a trained therapy dog, moved in and became the facilitys goodwill ambassador to the greater Houston area.

Demi, a 3-year-old female English Field Trial Bred Black Labrador Retriever, was all smiles as she toured the Brookwood Community on Dec. 11 making friends and cheering up those she met along the way. The Brookwood facility is a nonprofit organization about 40 miles west of Houston that serves functionally disabled residents who live on the campus full time.

Jennifer Tiedt, senior marketing and development officer at Brookwood, said that in just the one week shes lived on campus, the black lab has already had an impact on the 225 resident adults living and working there.

Our Citizens are so excited to welcome Demi to our Brookwood family, she said. She has already brought a sense of calming and companionship, especially to some of our adults with disabilities who may struggle with anxiety.

The dog will live on the 485-acre campus full-time with her handler Greg Glauser, the communitys life director. As a facility therapy dog, Demi will be visiting with citizens, staff and guests on campus throughout the day.

Healing Pause, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide fully trained and sponsored on-staff therapy dogs to communities in need, donated Demi to the Brookwood Community. Its founder Nathan Davila said Demi as the facilitys therapy dog was the perfect fit.

Brookwood teaches not only its citizens, but all of us that: no matter who you are, inside of you lies the ability to make a difference in someone elses life, Davila said. Demi will now be a part of that legacy.

Davila said therapy dogs provide a full circle of healing to those who need it.

At the biological level, they help create neural pathways to deal with different traumas down to being able to help a human understand unconditional love, Davila said. At the point you can learn how God loves us and its a healing at the soul level.

Being able to pause and pet, snuggle or love on her will provide a physical and mental connection for the Citizens at Brookwood, he added.

Studies have shown that canine-assisted therapy for patients of all ages had a positive effect on their health and wellbeing.

In one study published by the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, authors found that therapy dogs can elicited positive quality-of-life experiences in institutionalized people with dementia. Another study by PLoS One showed that child patients with leukemia had a decrease in pain, stress and depressive symptoms when they connected with a therapy dog.

As Demi gets comfortable in her new environment, staff at the Brookwood Community will use her to accompany Citizens in the Meals on Wheels program and to assist in creating positive therapeutic responses in patients, Davila said.

As part of the sponsorship, Demi will be fully trained through Dratchen Performance and will have all her food, grooming and medical needs met, Davila said.
The wintry ambience punctuated by the snow machine blowing white flurries into the air may not have actually cooled the 60-something-degree weather Friday afternoon at Operation Blue Elf at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. Nonetheless, school-bus monitor Ciara Johnson said she felt chills over the outreach involved in the second-annual give-away.

It gives me chills .. what the community does for us, Johnson said.

Johnson, 42, and her wife, Danielle, 35, surprised Danielles children, Kali, 12, and James, 14, with a visit to the event spearheaded by the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office. The siblings, who were joined by close to 1,200 disadvantaged kids from throughout the county, giddily opened their gifts donated by different area sponsors.

Country Christmas music filled the exhibition hall as Santa hat-donning employees from the sheriffs office busily shuffled out gifts to the children who lined up from the doorway entrance out into the vehicle-packed parking lot.

Among the Santas helpers working Blue Elf duty was Officer Maggie Moseley, of the sheriffs office. Moseleys red and green Christmas bulb earrings sparkled as her camera flashed while she snapped photos of the children who, accompanied by officers, turned on the siren lights of parked patrol vehicles.

Being able to see up-close the merriful reactions of children attending the give-away, was itself a gift for Moseley.

They have such a positive outlook on life, no matter what, Moseley said. Life for adults is hard a lot of the times, so just seeing it from a kids perspective where everything can be positive, definitely changes your outlook.

For Jon Vasquez, Angels Bouncer employee who conducted the small train which kids rode through the hall, the Christmas cheer on display contrasted with the bad rap some police receive.

Its good to see the officers come together for this, Vasquez said. They put this together for the families and the kids that dont have for Christmas. Thats tremendous to see that, because on the news a lot of the times we just see the bad.

Lt. Scott Spencer described the festivities as a village-building effort involving people and organizations from all corners of the county.

We just had so many people work together to make this come true, Lt. Scott Spencer said. To be able to give this back to the children of Montgomery County truly is a treat.

The warm holiday scene drew to a close for a grateful Johnson family who posed for photos with Santa and Mrs. Clause before they shared an embrace with their burly police escort for the day, Lt. Brian Bagwell.


https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/former-lehigh-university-student-charged-poisoning-roommate-n950426?

Yukai Yang allegedly sickened his roommate, Juwan Royal over a few months with small amounts of thallium.

A former Lehigh University college student accused earlier this year of leaving racist graffiti for his roommate in their dorm room is now facing charges he tried to poison him.

Yukai Yang, 22, an international student from China, turned himself in on Thursday and was charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment, Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said Thursday.

The chemistry major allegedly sickened his roommate, Juwan Royal, 22, over a few months with small amounts of thallium and possibly other chemicals, Morganelli said at a press conference. Thallium is a toxic metal that is colorless, odorless and tasteless and can be fatal if consumed.

Yukai Yang is charged with trying to poison his roommate to death and vandalizing the victim's possessions with racist graffiti. Northampton County Department of Corrections

Initially, Mr. Royal was as dumbfounded by this as everyone else, because he believed they had a fairly cordial relationship as roommates, Assistant District Attorney Abe Kassis said.

Royal told police at the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, campus that in February he drank from a water bottle in his room and felt burning in his mouth.

Yang allegedly mixed the chemicals into his roommates food, drinks and mouthwash.

Royal became ill multiple times in March and his symptoms, which included dizziness, shaking and vomiting, became progressively worse, Morganelli said. Royal's blood tested positive for the chemical and he was treated for thallium poisoning.

Yang was confronted about Royal's sickness in a follow-up interview in May, a month after he was separately charged with ethnic intimidation, institutional vandalism and criminal mischief for allegedly scrawling a racial epithet on a desk in their room, authorities said.

He admitted purchasing various chemicals with the intent of harming himself if he did poorly on exams and told police he mixed them in foods and drinks stored in their shared refrigerator, prosecutors said.

The Lehigh University Police Department has worked closely with the District Attorney's Office on the investigation and will continue to do so, a spokeswoman for the school told NBC News, noting Yang is no longer enrolled as a student. From the outset, our concern has been the health and safety of the victim of these alleged behaviors and, as such, Lehigh staff and faculty have been providing support, services and assistance.
By Trend





Chairperson of the European Parliaments Subcommittee on Security and Defense Anna Fotyga has sent an appeal to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini regarding illegal visits to the occupied Azerbaijani territories, Trend reports.

According to the appeal, the number of EU citizens illegally visiting Azerbaijans lands has recently increased.

Such illegal visits sometimes proposed by travel agencies operating in the EU violate international law. These visits are aimed at justifying the occupation and ruin the EU international authority.

In many cases the individuals illegally visiting the occupied Azerbaijani territories are declared undesirable people, as well as the EU citizens who are visiting the territories where military clashes may happen every second, risk their lives.

The EUs steps which are being taken to prevent such unlawful visits are called into question. An appeal is made for the EU to notify the citizens online in advance of the consequences of illegal visits in terms of law and security.

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.
Hundreds of supporters, family members and friends cheered and stood to applaud during the Dec. 17 swearing-in ceremony for Yolanda Ford, the first woman and first person of color to be elected mayor of Missouri City. Among the crowd were a number of VIP guests including Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee and State Rep. Jarvis Johnson, who were both invited to speak before the standing-room-only crowd.

I am here because it is important to affirm history and today you make an enormous statement of history, a history that speaks to a new trajectory in the state of Texas, that weve moved to a point where people are elected from the basis of their credentials and as well respective of color, race or gender, the congresswoman told Ford. You sit here as the first African-American woman to be elected mayor of the City of Missouri City and that is no small measure. Ive found in life that there is no greater duty and beauty than serving people.

Missouri City, you have a fantastic, fantastic Mayor

Rep. Johnson told the crowd he came to congratulate his lifelong friend on her election win.

I wish you all the best and I want to let you know that you have a friend in the State House that will do all that I can to ensure your success as you build on one fantastic City and as you continue to do great work, Johnson said. Missouri City, you have a fantastic, fantastic Mayor.

In a runoff election held Dec. 8., Ford edged past 39-year incumbent Allen Owen to win with 51.95 percent of the vote. Before becoming mayor, she served as District A Councilmember from June, 2013 to November, 2018 and served as Mayor Pro Tem from November, 2017 to November, 2018.

I know we have a lot of differences, but with that we have to learn to appreciate our differences so that we can work together to get things done, Ford said. And, I also want to say that we have to learn to work together as brothers or well perish as fools.

Owen: Its been a great journey

In his farewell speech, Owen, who served as mayor from 1994 to 2018, thanked his supporters and voiced support for Ford.

I want to thank God for giving me the strength and courage to take this job on. I wish Yolanda the best of luck in her new role. And I want to thank my family, my wife of 51 years, for allowing me to do this for 39 of those years. I want to thank all the people that are here who supported me over those years, its been a great journey, Owen said. When I first started out this City had about 24,000 people in it. So, weve come a long way since then and Ive worked with a lot of great Council people, a lot of great City Managers, a lot of great staff and I look back over the years and weve come a long way. Were not the bedroom community we used to be, were the industrial giant, I think, of Fort Bend County.

Preston sworn in to third term

As her first official act as mayor, Ford presided over the swearing-in ceremony for At-Large Position 2 Councilmember Chris Preston, who recently won re-election with 64.19 percent of the vote.

I grew up here and I am a proud product of this community, Preston said. The schools raised me. The neighbors invested in me; they looked over me and the churches prayed for me. I owe a debt to Missouri City and I intend to pay that debt in full.

The swearing-in ceremony was held during the Dec. 17 regular city council meeting.
Houston ISD students were disciplined at significantly lower rates in 2017-18 compared to the prior year, though black and Hispanic students still were punished at disproportionately high rates compared to white peers, according to data published this week by the states largest district.

HISDs rate of in-school suspensions declined by 23 percent last year, while referrals to the districts alternative education programs fell by 21 percent and the out-of-school suspension rate dipped 1.8 percent. HISDs total discipline rate  22.3 actions per 100 students  ranks among the lowest in the Greater Houston area for medium and large school districts, according to state-published data.

Its certainly encouraging to see that, said Diana Tang, co-chair of the exclusionary discipline group for ONE Houston, a grassroots network that advocates for political and social change in educational settings. Theres still a lot of work to do to ensure that, even if suspensions arent happening, theres adequate support for students.

HISD officials have not publicly cited reasons for the decline, at least part of which likely is due to students missing 10 or more days of school after Hurricane Harvey. HISD did not make any district-level administrators available for an interview Thursday.

Despite the declines, the district continues to have one of the states largest racial and ethnic disparities in discipline. For example, the rate of out-of-school suspensions for black students  20.8 per 100 students  was nearly eight times higher than that for white students and nearly three times higher than Hispanic students last year.

School districts across the country have sought to reduce the use of suspensions, with some favoring so-called restorative justice methods that prioritize mending relations and educating students about harm done. In 2015-16, the most recent year with available data, suspensions of students declined about 4 percent from the previous year, according to the federal Civil Rights Data Collection agency.

Districts nationwide also have sought to tackle pervasive ethnic and racial disparities in discipline rates. Researchers generally have concluded disparities are caused by a combination of differences in behavior patterns, varying societal attributes among demographic groups and discriminatory application of discipline. However, researchers often disagree on how much each of those factors accounts for the gap.

The principal of HISDs Robinson Elementary School, Paige Fernandez-Hohos, said newly implemented restorative justice practices have brought her suspension totals down the past two years. Under that model, misbehaving students receive more creative disciplinary actions tailored toward mending relationships and educating about harm done, rather than being removed from class.

After averaging about 30 suspensions per year prior to implementing those practices, just one student at Robinson received a suspension in 2017-18, Fernandez-Hohos said.

Disciplinary rates Houston ISD boasts one of the lower student discipline rates among the state's largest districts. Here are the number of disciplinary actions per 100 students for the Houston region's five largest districts: District | In-school suspensions | Out-of-school suspensions | Total disciplinary actions Aldine | 34.8 13.6 71.7 Cy-Fair | 28.7 11.4 41.4 Fort Bend | 7.5 5.3 15.2 Houston | 10.3 10.7 22 Katy | 6.5 1.9 10.3 Source: Houston Chronicle analysis of Texas Education Agency data See More Collapse

A huge fallacy regarding the restorative discipline framework is that there are no consequences if there is no suspension, Fernandez-Hohos said. There are consequences designed to be more socially meaningful than getting a day off at home.

HISDs discipline rate ranks third lowest among the 14 Greater Houston school districts serving at least 25,000 students, according to separate data published by the Texas Education Agency. At the same time, several of the districts middle schools  Attucks, Cullen, High School Ahead Academy and Thomas  reported some of the states high rates of out-of-school suspensions.

The districts year-over-year reduction in disciplinary actions spread across all demographics: gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, special education status and English language learners. As a result, wide disparities in disciplinary rates remain in HISD. For every 100 students by each demographic, HISD issued the following number of disciplinary actions in 2017-18:

In-school suspensions: Black students, 14.9; Hispanic students, 9.4; white students, 2.7 Out-of-school suspensions: Black students, 20.8; Hispanic students, 7.3; white students, 2.7 Referrals to disciplinary alternative education: Black students, 1.2; Hispanic students, 0.6, white students, 0.2

HISDs student population last year was 62 percent Hispanic, 25 percent black and 8 percent white.

HISD officials also reported 132 in-school suspensions and 132 out-of-school suspensions for students in pre-kindergarten through second grade last year. HISD passed a policy in early 2016 barring students in those grades from being suspended unless required by law. The district reported 2,673 suspensions or expulsions among early-elementary students in 2014-15.

This is certainly a win for making schools a safer place for children, but we still have a long way to go, said Ruth Kravetz, a founder of Community Voices for Public Education, a grass-roots advocacy group whose members pushed for the policy change. I cant imagine any situation where a child should be suspended from school or expelled in pre-K through (second grade).

HISDs discipline patterns mostly mirror those in Fort Bend ISD, which resolved a six-year federal investigation into its practices in July. Fort Bend saw significant declines in suspensions over the past several years, though black students remained six times more likely to receive an out-of-school suspension and four times more likely to get in-school suspension compared to white students.

jacob.carpenter@chron.com

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A security guard is preying upon Spanish-speaking patrons of north Harris County nightclubs, officials said, robbing and beating them with his team's help.

The guard, identified as Pablo Garza, has been charged with aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping after one attack on a patron in July, but authorities with the Harris County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety said they believe there are many more victims.

Garza, 39, is believed to be the leader of a small group of security guards, some possibly unlicensed, under the name TexGuard who are hired to work at late night Hispanic clubs. The club owners had no role in the incidents, authorities said, adding that they are still working on identifying the other guards.

"We'd like to disrupt that and bring as many people forward (as possible) to hold them accountable for what they've done," Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at a news conference Thursday to announce the arrest and encourage other possible victims to come forward. He said officers will not ask about the immigration status of anyone who contacts them with information.

Garza was arrested this week, months after a man pulled into the valet lane at La Oveja Negra club on West Mount Houston Road at 3:30 a.m. on July 29.

A security guard known only as "Cowboy" ordered the man to place his hands behind his back and walked him around the corner of the club, where a group of other men were dressed in security uniforms, the man told the sheriff's office. Garza, the chief of security company TexGuard Services, was there, according to the sheriff's office.

The group beat the 33-year-old man with their firsts and a baton while threatening to kill him. Police say Garza allegedly took $4,000 in cash and a necklace, watch and rings from the man, then tased him. Then the men attempted to stuff him into the trunk of a car, saying, "Let's do to him what we did to the other one," said Lt. Jeff Stauber of the Violent Crimes Unit at the sheriff's office.

However, the presence of bystanders recording the attack on cell phones discouraged them from further violence, the man told police.

Prior business disagreements may have led Garza to target that man, according to court documents.

A woman listed as Garza's attorney on court documents did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Despite the state's request for a higher bond, a judge on Tuesday set Garza's bail at $35,000. He was released this week.

Garza's one-man security company TexGuard is licensed by the Texas Department of Public Safety, DPS Major Gerald Brown said. Authorities said night clubs would hire Garza to do their security, and he in turn found other men to work for him in that capacity. But the other men dressed as security guards may not have been licensed as required by law, Brown said.

Authorities said Garza's security company has worked at several clubs in the area, including Club Mesquite at 5900 North Freeway; El Bravo Night Club at 8412 S. Gessner; Los Cumbres at 8801 Airline Drive; La Oveja Negra at 2508 West Mount Houston; and Micholada on Airline Drive.

Any of these locations or other Hispanic-serving nightclubs in the Houston area could have been the location of an attack, authorities said.

Garza has been working as a security guard since 2002, and his company TexGuard has been licensed by the state of Texas since April 2015, authorities said. The alleged attacks by his group could stretch back as far as three years ago.

Patrons at Los Cumbres were grateful when authorities arrested Garza there on Monday, Stauber said. "One of the people came running up to investigators and said, 'Man, we are so glad that you finally took this man into custody,' " Stauber said. "That's why we know that we have more victims out there."

He, like Gonzalez, is encouraging other victims to come forward.

"It just seems like they're afraid to come forward to law enforcement," Stauber said. "We've got our arms open. We want that information," Stauber said." We want to bring these people to justice, and we feel like there's a lot more cases out there that we haven't even touched on yet."

The alleged attacks by Garza and his security guards are just one part of a pattern of criminal activity taking place long after most of the city has gone to sleep, the sheriff said.

"We're having serious problems with these after-hours clubs, especially in contributing to some of these fatal crashes that we're seeing out there," Gonzalez said. "They're breeding grounds for other crime," including drug- and alcohol-related offenses.

The Violent Crimes Unit at the sheriff's office can be reached at 713-274-9100. Crime Stoppers is also offering a $5,000 reward for any tips that lead to an arrest or charge in this case. Tips can be submitted at www.crime-stoppers.org or by calling 713-222-8477.
A Harris County Judge revoked bond and issued an arrest warrant for embattled rapper Tekashi69 after he didn't show up for his court hearing Thursday in County Criminal Court No. 1 in Houston, court officials said.

The case stems from Tekashi's encounter with a teenage fan in the Galleria Mall back in January, when the Brooklyn-born rapper was accused of grabbing the 16-year-old by the neck for recording a video of him.

TEKASHI: Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine arrested in New York for alleged assault inside Houston's Galleria Mall

The boy has since decided he doesn't want to move forward with prosecution, court records show. Meanwhile, Tekashi, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, is dealing with far more severe charges out of New York.

The rapper faces federal racketeering and firearm charges with five other men, all of whom federal authorities say were connected to the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods gang, also known as "Nine Trey."

In a news release issued last month, authorities said Hernandez and other gang members "wreaked havoc" on New York City with brazen acts of violence, including robberies, a shooting inside the crowded Barclay's Center and another shooting that wounded a bystander.

"This criminal enterprise has no business in our city, and we will continue to work with our partners to ensure that Nine Trey crew members, including the more well-known 'Tekashi 6ix 9ine,' are in a place where they cannot inflict further violence on our communities,"Angel M. Melendez, Homeland Security Special Agent-in-Charge at the New York Field Office, said in the release.

Court officials told Chron.com the new arrest warrant will require Hernandez to return to Houston before he's released from custody. A new hearing has not yet been scheduled in Judge Paula Goodhart's Criminal Court No. 1, records show.

It's unclear exactly where Hernandez is being held. According to WABC-TV in New York, Hernandez was booked at MDC Brooklyn in connection with the federal indictment. However, his lawyer told the station on Nov. 23 that he was transferred from the facility because of death threats.

He faces up to life in prison for the federal charges  the latest in a string of headline-making court cases against rapper this year.

RELATED: Attorney for Tekashi 6ix9ine asks Harris County prosecutors to use rapper's real name in court

Around the time of the federal indictment, he pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct charge in connection with a traffic stop in New York, according to the Washington Post. The previous month, he was sentenced to four years probation for his alleged involvement in a sexually explicit video featuring a 13-year-old girl in 2015.

Despite the legal troubles, the rapper's new album, Dummy Boy, hit No. 2 spot on the Billboard 200 chart.

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
By Trend





The order by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on providing one-time assistance to low-income families once again demonstrates that the well-being of the country's citizens is at the core of state policy in Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani MP, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Yeni Azerbaycan (New Azerbaijan) Hikmat Babaoglu said, Trend reported.

The MP said that the order by the Azerbaijani president is a clear indicator that the head of state is constantly focused on ensuring well-being and decent life of the Azerbaijani citizens.

"Low-income people who need social care always feel state care in various forms," he noted. "Citizens from this social category always receive state support, ranging from solving household problems to treatment, from providing benefits to one-time assistance. In accordance with the last order, on the occasion of the International Solidarity Day of Azerbaijanis and the New Year, there are plans to allocate a one-time payment of 100 manats to each family receiving targeted state social assistance. The total volume of assistance is 5 million manats, which is not a small amount."

The MP also said that as part of various programs and projects, a great deal of work is being done to ensure the employment of low-income families and to turn them into small entrepreneurs through the allocation of soft loans.

"As part of these programs, in 2018 alone, 7,000 such families were attracted to the self-employment program," Babaoglu said.

He noted that within ongoing large-scale projects, support is provided for solving the problems of low-income families.

"All this once again demonstrates that the well-being of the Azerbaijani citizens is at the core of the state policy in Azerbaijan," he added.
A developer wants to open a comprehensive, age-in-place senior community in east Pearland that would be a first in the area to allow older adults to live out their golden years on a 62-acre complex with the ability to transition from apartments or single-family residences to assisted-living quarters or a certified memory care unit without ever moving off the site.

But potential extension of Industrial Drive as outlined in the citys thoroughfare plan could pose an obstacle to the French Quarter project, said some on City Council at a Dec. 10 workshop meeting.

The age-in-place concept

People make friends where they live, said R. West Development Co. owner Renee West McGuire, who said her proposed French Quarter development would prevent older adults from having to move out of their community when they need to shift to assisted living.

Their family is located further away from them; so we thought this would be a great age-in-place, she said.

In a letter of intent to the city, R. West Development official Justin Barnett said renters or homeowners in the facility could make comfortable, concrete plans for future stages of life.

This can provide a great level of comfort to families and take much of the stress out of the caregiving relationship, he wrote.

The plan for the property is a lakeside senior living community that could house up to 320 residents in a complex including a three-story, 90-unit independent-living building; a two-story, 63-unit assisted-living facility and a single-story 28-unit memory care center.

In addition, planned to the south of those senior living facilities would be a subdivision of more than 160 lots for single-family homes for people age 55 and up.

The proposed community would include a clubhouse, a theater, pavilion with a pool, a system of wide sidewalks and trails, amenity lakes, a homeowners association, a dog park and open spaces. It would be a gated community with controlled entry, according to documents from the workshop.

The complex would span two tracts totaling 62 acres within the boundaries of Alvin Independent School District.

The name pays tribute to the historic French architecture of New Orleans.

Criticism of road extension idea

City Council and Planning and Zoning board members held the meeting to consider changing the zoning of the area from residential and light industrial to a mixed-use designation to allow for the community and the retail establishments it would include, according to a video recording of the meeting.

The development is planned for the west side of Pearland Parkway at Dixie Farm Road, just east of the dead-end of Industrial Drive and south of Towne Lake Estates, according to workshop documents.

The single-family homes, some of which have already been sold as empty lots and will cost around $250,000, will be owned by the occupants, McGuire said, but still benefit from the direct care from medical and support staff at French Quarter. If someone has surgery, for example, she said, the staff would help them stay in their home during recovery.

McGuire said demand for this type of project exists in Pearland and will only to increase.

I dont know where its been done here before, she said. We may be the first, if were able to do this. Its a concept thats really popular right now.

A portion of the proposed complex and most of residential subdivision would sit directly in the path of Industrial Drive, according to the the citys thoroughfare plan.

The drive is slated to connect with Pearland Parkway or Dixie Farm Road. But McGuire criticized that road extension plan.

Industrial property has been around here for a long, long time and it has not sold, it has not developed, she said at the meeting. The demand is along (Beltway 8). Thats where the businesses want to go; thats where the trucks want to go.

Were hoping you find its not economically feasible (to extend Industrial Drive) and no one needs it.

Some officials receptive to concept

City officials noted the extra demand the proposed community would place on water and sewer services and City Councilman Trent Perez said he saw problems with the plan that need to be fixed.

The roadway network doesnt work, the entrance doesnt work  even if it is a private road it needs to perform like a public road, he said in reference in to McGuires comment that the roadway entering the complex would be private.

The site was chosen for its proximity to the future Community of Faith Bible Church, which would be within walking distance, and a day center of the Forgotten Angels Foundation, a group that McGuire founded in 2001.

Forgotten Angels provides residential care for individuals with developmental, intellectual and physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular diseases, Down syndrome and autism.

City Councilman Adrian Hernandez said he is comfortable with the location but is not yet ready to form a final opinion.

Mayor Tom Reid expressed support for the facility, saying that nothing like it exists in Pearland.

I think it would be beneficial if we could work this out, he said.

The next step is for McGuire to come back to the citys planning and zoning committee with solutions to some of the citys concerns. If planning and zoning board members feel the solutions are sufficient, they will recommend that City Council discuss the project and the city would schedule the required public hearings.

City Councilman Woody Owens liked the idea of this type of community coming to Pearland.

Ive seen one similar to this off Westheimer and (Texas 6), Owens said of a complex that housed retail areas for senior adults to shop for food and use salons and spas, crafting-making activities and other community-oriented spaces. Its got the three stages, I couldnt believe it. Its a nice place, it s a progressive place. They have everything. Its a real community is what it is. I think its a great idea.

jaimy.jones@chron.com
Recent arrests in Pearland involved drug paraphernalia, marijuana and controlled substances, authorities said.

Police arrested a Houston woman, 40, for possession of drug paraphernalia Dec. 10 in the 2800 block of Business Center Drive.

Police arrested a 20-year-old Houston man for marijuana possession Dec. 10 in the 2800 block of Business Center Drive. A Houston woman, 20, also was taken into custody for resisting arrest, search or transport, police said.

A Pearland woman, 23, was arrested for marijuana possession Dec. 10 in the 2300 block of Cullen Parkway, police said.

Police arrested a Manvel man, 26, and Houston man, 24, for marijuana possession Dec. 11 in the 3000 block of Business Center Drive.

A Houston man, 20, was arrested for marijuana possession Dec. 11 in the 10800 block of Broadway Street, police said.

Police arrested a 27-year-old Pearland man for marijuana possession Dec. 12 in the 1900 block of Willow Lake Drive.

A 19-year-old Houston man was arrested for marijuana possession Dec. 12 in the 11200 block of Broadway Street, police said.

Police arrested a Houston woman, 20, for marijuana possession Dec. 12 in the 9400 block of Broadway Street.

A Pearland man, 53, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance Dec. 13 in the 4200 block of McHard Road, police said.

Police arrested a Pearland man, 29, for possession of a controlled substance and DWI Dec. 16 in the 2400 block of Main Street.

A Brazoria woman, 46, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance Dec. 16 in the 2200 block of Cullen Parkway, police said.

Theft

Police arrested an Humble man, 22, for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle Dec. 10 in the 1900 block of Main Street.

A Houston man, 29, was taken into custody for shoplifting and a Harris County Sheriffs Office warrant Dec. 10 in the 12600 block of Broadway Street, police said.

Police arrested a Pearland man, 54, for shoplifting Dec. 10 in the 14900 block of Texas 288.

Police took a Houston woman, 30, into custody for shoplifting Dec. 12 in the 11200 block of Broadway Street.

A Houston woman, 30, was arrested for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and an expired drivers license Dec. 13 in the 2800 block of Business Center Drive, police said.

Police charged two Houston men, 53 and 59, with theft Dec. 16 in the 11000 block of Shadow Creek Parkway.

Public intoxication

Police arrested a 51-year-old Pearland man for public intoxication Dec. 11 in the 5700 block of Broadway Street.

Two Pearland women, 31 and 35, were charged with public intoxication Dec. 16 in the 14200 block of Texas 288, police said.

Criminal trespass

A Houston man, 20, was taken into custody for criminal trespass Dec. 11 in the 9400 block of Hughes Ranch Road, police said.

Traffic

Police took a Pearland woman, 21, into custody for fictitious or altered motor vehicle registration and a warrant Dec. 11 in the 2800 block of Business Center Drive.

A Sugar Land man, 52, was arrested for driving while license invalid Dec. 12 in the 14900 block of Texas 288, police said.

Police arrested a Houston man, 43, for driving while license invalid Dec. 12 in the 9400 block of Broadway Street.

Threat

Police arrested a Pearland woman, 23, for terroristic threat of a family or household Dec. 11 in the 7300 block of Broadway Street.

Driving while intoxicated

Police arrested a Brazoria County woman, 28, for DWI Dec. 12 in the 3000 block of Oiler Drive.

A 70-year-old Pearland man was arrested for DWI and an accident involving damage to a vehicle Dec. 13 in the 7700 block of Broadway Street, police said.

A Pasadena woman, 33, was arrested for DWI Dec. 15 in the 9000 block of Broadway Street, police said.

False report

Police took a Pearland man, 20, into custody for false report Dec. 14 in the 2500 block of Cullen Parkway.

Assault

Police arrested a Brookside Village woman, 45, for assault Dec. 14 in the 3400 block of Highland Point Lane.

A Houston man, 36, was arrested for assault Dec. 16 in the 2000 block of Cullen Parkway, police said.

Fraud, forgery

Police arrested a Pearland man, 48, and a Houston man, 50, for forgery, failure to identify and possession of a fictitious drivers license Dec. 14 in the 11400 block of Broadway Street.

Failure to identify

Police took a Houston man, 23, into custody for failure to identify as a fugitive and a warrant Dec. 15 in the 5400 block of Camden Lane.

A Pearland man, 27, was arrested for failure to identify and no drivers license Dec. 16 in the 2700 block of Hatfield Road, police said.

Evading arrest

Police charged a Houston man, 36, with evading arrest Dec. 16 in the 12600 block of Mykawa Road.
Many Needville residents who consider the World War II-era water tower near the center of town a historic landmark were shocked when two years ago city officials proposed tearing down the aging structure, which still pumps city water. Soon after, a group of concerned area citizens lobbied successfully for preservation and efforts have been ongoing since then to raise funds for restoration. Preservation supporters hoped to take the water tower offline and have it remain standing as a city landmark. However, Mayor Ernie Stuart recently said preservation efforts had gone on too long after he and the city council voted to pay a local contractor $25,000 to demolish the water tower.

Its been over two years and theyve done nothing. I cant babysit these people, Stuart said by phone. People elected me to do what is right for the city and I dont have time to worry about the water tower. I need to move on.

In a narrow 3-2 vote, the Needville City Council voted on Nov. 14 to hire Rex Mechanical, a local air conditioning contractor, to demolish the tower.

According to a 2016 estimate by Dunham Engineering provided by mayor Stuart, repairing the water tower to remain servicing city water would cost $350,000. The cost to restore the structure for use as a landmark was not included in the estimate. However, officials from the Needville Preservation Group, a non-profit formed by area residents who raised over $13,000 for the water tower, spoke at the meeting and said the money they raised combined with $30,000 approved in 2011 by the Needville Economic Development Corporation would be enough to restore the tower and allow it to remain as a city landmark. Group president Lisa Thomas Morphis urged the council to save the tower and provided an estimate from a water tower restoration company totaling approximately $45,000.

REMEMBERING HOUSTON: The buildings that Houston has lost over the years due to age and progress

Other preservation group members question Mayor Stuarts plans to demolish the water tower.

The citizens need transparency, communication and the truth, Sharon Demel said by phone Thursday (Dec. 19). The contract approved by the council had no scope of work and its not clear about the final costs. In the past, weve also seen reports that the tower is contaminated by lead and handling these hazardous materials is dangerous. Is the demolition process going to be safe for the people who live near the tower? And, what are they going to do with the water tower once its dismantled? We dont know and we need the mayor to step up and share the facts and be transparent about the plan.

Council member Corey Kelly, who supports demolition, pointed to a 2017 report that detailed problems such as holes in the structure and other damage as a deciding factor. The tower also has not benefited from regular maintenance and repairs.

Once I was presented with actual information and facts, I had to make the best decision for the city, Kelly said.

City officials say the demolition could take place as early as Saturday.

However, efforts to save the water tower continue and could delay if not potentially block Mayor Stuart and the city council from tearing down the water tower.

Rick Sinclair, a former Needville City Council member who works as an engineer for a large Houston firm, claims city officials neglected to file needed permits with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to dismantle the tower, which Sinclair says is contaminated with lead. Sinclair says he has filed complaints with the TCEQ, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and intends to file complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Texas Municipal League.

SUBURBAN LANDMARK: Katy's water tanks win North American award

The city should have filed for a permit from the TCEQ to handle hazardous materials to make sure it is safe for the people who live around the tower and the workers who will be involved. The contractor hired by the city council is a nice guy, but I dont believe he is licensed or accredited to handle this level of lead abatement, Sinclair said.

I also question if the contract was a single-source contract and if it was put out for bids, Sinclair said. When I was on the city council, we always bid out our contracts to make sure we got the best price and most qualified company to work for us.

Mayor Stuart and other city officials did not respond to emails seeking information about the approved contract and the details of the demolition.
Stuart Lapps business card shows that hes a partner at the Stibbs & Co. law firm in Spring. But theres more to Lapp than his day jobhes also the 2018-19 board chairman on The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce.

He has a history here in The Woodlands, too. When his father was tabbed to help George Mitchell develop The Woodlands, Lapp of course came with him. While Lapp had the opportunity to see the community developed from the ground up, hes called the area home ever since.

Lapp sat down with The Villager to chat about his work and business in The Woodlands. And thats not all: he even shared thoughts about his hobby for certain smoked meats.

QUESTION: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

LAPP: I was born in Chicago, but only lived there for six weeks. We moved to Michigan for about two years, and then to Colorado which is where I grew up until I was in junior high school. We moved to upstate New York for a couple years, and then in 1973 we moved to Texas. We came to Texas because my father came here to work for George Mitchell to help build The Woodlands. I graduated from Spring High School, because there were no schools or houses in The Woodlands at that point in time. I consider myself to be a Texan  Ive been here for most of my life. Ive raised my family here and have a career here, and have become part of the community here. Im a lawyer, a partner in the law firm Stibbs & Co., were a business firm in North Houston. I have spent 30-some years practicing law in the Houston marketplace.

QUESTION: How did you know you wanted to be a lawyer?

LAPP: Because I didnt want to be a doctor. I dont mean it that flippantly, but I knew I wanted to do something to help people. My fathers a minister, and I decided I didnt want to be a minister. I didnt want to be a doctor because I didnt like blood and gore. I remember consciously making that decision when I was in fourth grade in the emergency room getting stitches. Law was something that I was attracted to, both because its an opportunity to help people and make a difference. Theres right and wrong, and the law helps us define whats right and whats wrong.

QUESTION: Has it been a fulfilling career for you so far?

LAPP: It has been very fulfilling. Ive done a variety of things in the practice. Ive had the opportunity to work at a medium-size law firm to start my career, Ive had my own firm, I worked in-house as general counsel for a multimillion-dollar company, and now I have the opportunity to work at this firm and make a difference in the community and mentor young lawyers who will also grow into the community to make a difference.

QUESTION: You mentioned that your father and George Mitchell had a work relationship. What was it like for you, as a younger gentleman, to see The Woodlands develop and be involved in that?

LAPP: George Mitchell was a tremendous visionary in a lot of ways. It was interesting to come here, and for my dad to come to The Woodlands on the ground floor. We came out here and there were no roads, offices or houses. I got to see it start from the very beginning. I watched the first (Municipal Utility District) townhomes go in in Settlers Corner. I worked in the woods saving trees. The day I turned 16, I went to Conroe and got my drivers license and the next day I reported to work in The Woodlands. I got to run boat concession at the wharf, they rented paddleboats and canoes and sailboats on the weekends, and I worked there in high school.

It was so neat to be part of a new community, really like a small town. Everybody knew everybody, there wasnt a grocery store and when one came, it was the center of the community. There was an energy around everything. It was exciting, it was new. Everyone complained that The Woodlands was too far away and nobody would move there, but the people who had a vision, and George Mitchell particularly had a vision that this is something that would be successful. And it has been, so far.

QUESTION: You were elected as the board chairman for The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce for the 2018-19 term. How did you get involved in The Woodlands business community?

LAPP: Initially I got involved through the company I worked for, as general counsel for Petroleum Wholesale. When they were relocating their offices, we got connected with the Economic Development Partnership, and they helped with a tax abatement to encourage the company to move. I served on the board of the EDP and was chairman of the board before I became chairman of the board of the Chamber of Commerce.

The business community in The Woodlands is unique in a couple of ways. Theres a major business concentration in The Woodlands, which is a suburban place. Its not a major downtown metropolitan area. There are major employers here, and a wide variety. From health care, schools, oil and gas, technology, retail, you name it. Its there. A lot of innovative companies are in The Woodlands.

When I was still on the board of the EDP, after I had cycled off as chairman, I was asked to consider serving on the board of the chamber. I agreed to do that. I was vice president for three years and was vice president for government affairs, which let me continue to be involved in the business relationships. The business community in The Woodlands, in my experience, is very generous with their time, with their talent, with their sponsoring local events, supporting charities, supporting community events, and supporting each other. Thats something the chamber really facilitates.

QUESTION: How do you see the business community changing and evolving over the next 10-15 years?

LAPP: I see the business community changing and evolving to get more engaged in the community, particularly in the direction of guiding the future of The Woodlands. One of the things thats unique about The Woodlands is that its designed from the ground up. You can live in The Woodlands, your kids go to school in The Woodlands, you can work in The Woodlands, you can shop in The Woodlands, you can dine in The Woodlands, you can go to church in The Woodlands, you can go to the hospital in The Woodlands, you can get buried in The Woodlands. That was the vision George Mitchell had of creating a true hometown not in the core of a major metropolitan area, but as an alternative to suburban sprawl as people left cities.

With that in mind, because of the business community and its location and participation in The Woodlands, it has both an opportunity and an obligation to support the community and the future. The residents support the businesses, and the businesses support the residents. Its a symbiotic relationship. I see the business communities having a real opportunity and taking that opportunity to help focus the future of our community.

QUESTION: Outside of business and work, tell us about some of your passions?

LAPP: Im a barbecue nerd. My law partners would say its an obsession, not a passion. I like to cook it, eat it, promote it and celebrate it. Our firm has started and sponsors a barbecue festival in The Woodlands each year. The festival is designed to help raise money for pulmonary hypertension.

One of my law partners is Jack Stibbs. When his daughter, Emily, was five years old she was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension, which is an incurable lung disease. When they asked the doctors what to do, they said she has about a three-year life expectancy, there arent any treatments and theres not any research being done for pediatric patients. The good news of that story is that Emily exceeded the doctors expectations  in August this year she got married. What Jack and his wife did when they got the diagnosis is they said, Thats not good enough for us, theres gotta be something that can be done to help the Emilys of the world. They started doing things to raise money for research, education and medication.

One of the things that weve been involved with is The Woodlands CrawPHish festival. I joined the firm three and a half years ago, and crawfish are OK, but it aint barbecue. We didnt start out to have a barbecue festival, but through my obsession with barbecue Ive gotten to know different people in the community and the pitmastersand we started The Woodlands BBQ festival, which we just had our third one in October. Its been an opportunity for us to have another avenue to raise money for pulmonary hypertension, bring awareness to the disease, and me selfishly the opportunity to get to know the people who, across the board, are selfless and wonderful people. I could talk about barbecue all day long. Its something thats uniquely Texan.

QUESTION: What is your favorite barbecue place?

LAPP: Im very fond of Corkscrew Barbecue, for a variety of reasons. The number one reason is that (the owners) are kindest, most caring and generous people you will ever meet in your life. Also, its close to my office. Their food is exceptionally good, and its consistent every time we go. I would say the same thing about others, but its hard for me during a work day to get in my truck and drive to Houston or Atascocita or Tomball. But, every single one of the barbecue joints that support our barbecue festival have been so generous and so giving and so kind and caring. They do this because they care, not because of any other reason. I have tried lots of barbecue in a lot of places, but I think theres something unique about the Texas barbecue community.

QUESTION: Would you ever open your own barbecue restaurant?

LAPP: One of my friends, Chip, we like to cook together. We cook for church. They suggested we should open a barbecue restaurant, and they started calling us Chip and Rustys Meat Emporium. Rusty is my barbecue alter ego. Its a running joke, Ive got a window decal that says that, weve had aprons and hats made. When we set up my pit and cook something for church, we call it that.

Would I ever (open my own)? No. Its too hard. I so much respect and admire the people who are able to do it and do it well, and make a living out of it. What I do on a daily basis, practicing law, its not easy but its a heck of a lot easier than cooking barbecue.

QUESTION: What are you most looking forward to in the new year?

LAPP: Im looking for the opportunity to take the chamber and the combined Montgomery County chambers to Austin for the legislative session. Im excited about the work the chamber has done in putting together legislative priorities, that we canvassed the business community about. Well let the folks in Austin know what our community thinks is important. Im excited about the fourth annual Woodlands BBQ Festival thats in October, and The Woodlands CrawPHish Festival coming up in March. My youngest daughter is a cadet at the Houston Police Academy, and shell graduate in March. Im looking forward to that.

Im excited about the opportunities that we have, here at the firm. When youre able to get up every day and be excited about what youre going to do that day, thats a good thing. Were all so blessed to have the opportunity to make a difference, and to take advantage of that opportunity is something I look forward to.

jane.stueckemann@chron.com
DALLAS (AP)  A 62-year-old man who spent more than 25 years in a Texas prison before being cleared in the deaths of two people is expecting to receive over $2 million in state compensation for his wrongful conviction.

KXAS-TV reports that it may take several months before Steven Mark Chaney is compensated.
Donald Moffat, the character actor who nailed Falstaffs paradoxes at the New York Shakespeare Festival, a grizzled Larry Slade in Eugene ONeills The Iceman Cometh on Broadway and a sinister president in the film Clear and Present Danger, died on Thursday in Sleepy Hollow, New York. He was 87.

His daughter Lynn Moffat said the cause was complications of a recent stroke.

It might have surprised many Moffat fans to learn that this stage, screen and television actor was a naturalized, thoroughly Americanized Englishman who in the early 1950s had been a player with the Old Vic theater company, the London crucible of many of Britains most ambitious performing arts.

Moffat (pronounced MAHF-at) had long ago lost all traces of his British accent. And in a career of nearly a half-century, he amassed virtually all of his remarkable 220 credits in the United States  roles in some 80 stage plays (he directed 10 more), about 70 Hollywood and television movies and at least 60 television productions, including series, miniseries and anthologies.

Moving to America as a 26-year-old actor was the realization of a dream for Moffat, his daughter Lynn recalled in a telephone interview.

One reason he was anxious to leave England was the class system, she said. He hated it. And he loved Americans.

He met many American GIs in Totnes, in Devonshire, where he lived as a boy. It was in the American sector for the D-Day invasions. He also met many Americans after the war at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, where he studied, including his first wife, Anne Murray.

American critics called Moffat a consummate pro who could play any supporting role from Shakespeare, ONeill, Ibsen, Beckett, Pinter or Shaw, as well as the lawyers, doctors, husbands and tough guys who are the stock in trade of movies and television  characters that make the stars shine and place the accomplishments of the ensemble above personal glory.

Moffatt was rarely accorded top billing. But when he played Falstaff, Shakespeares bravest coward, wisest fool and most ignoble knight, in Joseph Papps 1987 production of Henry IV, Part 1 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, he was the indisputable star. Mainly a comic figure, Falstaff, a sidekick to Prince Hal, the future King Henry V, embodies a depth more common to major Shakespeare characters.

He is the con artist extraordinaire and the liar par excellence, Moffat told The New York Times before going on. He has no income, but he lives fairly well, entirely by his wits. He gets trapped into being exposed, but he always finds his way out  so on to another level. There are all kinds of variations on that theme throughout the play.

Reviewing the production for The Times, Mel Gussow hailed Moffats rich, full portrait, adding: His Falstaff seems himself like a character actor: a man of many parts. He is a self-dramatizer, easily able to switch from barroom roisterer to battlefield campaigner (and coward), while always retaining a comic sense of equilibrium and an affectionate regard for Hal, who will, of course, in the subsequent play, abandon him.

Moffat also appeared at the Delacorte in 1989 in the title role of Shakespeares Titus Andronicus, and in 1992 as Touchstone, the fool who outwits one and all in As You Like It.

With his long face and bushy eyebrows, Moffat was a familiar figure to audiences, even to fans who could not quite remember his name. He was rarely out of work  especially in the 1970s and 80s, his peak years, when he sometimes packed into his annual schedule four movies, several plays in New York or regional theaters and a half-dozen television programs.

Moffat won an Obie for his 1983 portrayal of an artists aging father in an off-Broadway production of Tina Howes Painting Churches. He received two Tony Award nominations for best actor in 1967 for his portrayals of Lamberto Laudisi in Pirandellos Right You Are (if You Think You Are) and of Hjalmar Ekdal, presiding over a household of lies, in Henrik Ibsens The Wild Duck.

He was also nominated for Drama Desk Awards as an abusive husband and father in Joanna McClellan Glass Play Memory, on Broadway in 1984, and as Larry Slade, the grubby fellow drinker of the saloon philosopher Hickey (Jason Robards Jr.) in a well-received 1985 Broadway revival of ONeills The Iceman Cometh.

On television, Moffat appeared as Dr. Marcus Polk in the ABC soap opera One Life to Live (1968-69), as Rem the android in the CBS science-fiction series Logans Run (1977-78) and as the Rev. Lars Lundstrom in The New Land, the 1974 ABC drama series about Swedish immigrants. He was also seen in episodes of Mannix, Ironside, Gunsmoke and The Defenders.

Among Moffats better-known film roles were as Garry, the station commander, in John Carpenters The Thing (1982), about an extraterrestrial monster that terrorizes researchers in Antarctica; as Lyndon B. Johnson in Philip Kaufmans The Right Stuff (1983), about Americas first astronauts; and as an arrogant corporate lawyer in Costa-Gavras Music Box (1989), about a Hungarian immigrant accused of having been a fascist war criminal.

His motion picture credits also included Rachel, Rachel (1968), The Trial of the Catonsville Nine (1972), The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972), Showdown (1973), Earthquake (1974) and Winter Kills (1979).

Perhaps his most memorable film role was as the corrupt president  with perfect pitch to make the hero look good  in Clear and Present Danger (1994), the Harrison Ford vehicle based on the Tom Clancy novel. When the CIA agent Jack Ryan (Ford) bursts into the Oval Office and threatens to expose a plot involving President Bennett (Moffat), outrage crackles across the desk.

The president: How dare you come in here and lecture me!

Ryan: How dare you, sir.

The president: How dare you come into this office and bark at me like some little junkyard dog? I am the president of the United States!

Donald Moffat was born in Plymouth, England, on Dec. 26, 1930, the only child of Walter and Kathleen (Smith) Moffat. His parents ran a boardinghouse in Totnes, in western England. He attended the local King Edward VI School, performed national service with the Royal Artillery from 1949 to 1951 and studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London until 1954.

That year he married Anne Ellsperman, an actress known professionally as Anne Murray. The marriage ended in divorce. In 1970 he married actress Gwen Arner. Moffat died in hospice care at Kendal on Hudson, a retirement community in Sleepy Hollow.

Besides his wife and his daughter Lynn, he is survived by another daughter, Catherine Railton, from his second marriage; two children from his first marriage, Kathleen, known as Wendy, and Gabriel Moffat; 10 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Moffat also had a home in Hermosa Beach, California.

Moffat made his London debut at the Old Vic in 1954, playing the First Murderer in Macbeth. The next year he appeared there in several Shakespeare plays: as Sir Stephen Scroop in Richard II, as Earl of Douglas in Henry IV, Part 1 and as the Earl of Warwick in Henry IV, Part 2. He made his film debut as an uncredited lookout aboard the HMS Ajax in The Pursuit of the Graf Spee (1956).

Moffat moved to the United States in 1956, settling first in Oregon, his first wifes home state. He worked as a bartender and lumberjack but soon resolved to return to acting and stay in America. He made his Broadway debut as two characters in Under Milk Wood (1957), the Dylan Thomas comedy about the inhabitants of a fictional Welsh village.

His working pace, still brisk in the 1990s, tapered off into retirement a few years later. One of his last appearances was as an aging, penniless former President Ulysses S. Grant in an off-Broadway production of John Guares A Few Stout Individuals (2002). Ben Brantley, reviewing it for The Times, said Moffat registers a touching quality of imperiousness brought to its knees.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times
One of the most painful chapters in Southeast Texas history moved closer to resolution on Friday when a judge in Jasper County signed the execution warrant for the last of three white men convicted in the dragging death of a black man on a country road there 20 years ago.

John William King, whose latest round of appeals was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court in late October, now faces execution by injection on April 24.
The holiday season is here and residents and team members at Retirement Center Managements Village communities are spreading yuletide cheer wherever they go.

Whether crafting or hanging beautiful decorations, preparing home baked goods, gathering to light the menorah, or simply anticipating visits with family and friends, Village residents enjoy the spirit of the holidays throughout the year.
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

President Donald Trumps statement about the US withdrawal of troops from Syrias northern regions was perceived as a real victory amid the preparation for a new military operation by the Turkish Armed Forces in Syria against PYD/YPG, a Syrian wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

A number of Turkish political analysts perceived the US decision as a result of Turkeys political pressure on Washington.

Of course, the withdrawal of the US military contingent from northern Syria will simplify the operations of the Turkish Armed Forces in the fight against the PYD/YPG terrorists, but it is early to make success reports.

The withdrawal of the US military from Syria does not mean that the US will take away the weapons that once were given to the PYD/YPG fighters.

Earlier, the US authorities have repeatedly promised Ankara that as soon as the fight against "Islamic State" (IS) terrorists ends, the Americans will take away their weapons from PYD/YPG. Ankara has always been suspicious of that.

There is a probability that even if the US withdraws its troops from Syrias northern regions, Washington will not keep its promises regarding taking away weapons from the PYD/YPG militants.

It is quite obvious that it would be extremely thoughtless to believe that the US would simply leave Syria, which was planned to be used as a springboard against Iran, especially taking into account the fact that the withdrawal of the US military will unambiguously strengthen the positions of Turkey, Iran and Russia in the region, which directly contradicts Washingtons interests.

As is known, terrorist organizations have always been puppets in the hands of a number of countries and from time to time their masters change.

Presently, PYD/YPG is a real force in northern Syria. Here a question arises. Who will be the master of the Kurdish terrorists after the withdrawal of the US military from the region?

Presently, the US military bases are located in 10 settlements in northern Syria. No exact date for the withdrawal of troops has been determined.

Moreover, presently, the French military contingent, despite its small number, is still in northern Syria.

Taking into account all the abovementioned facts, it is possible to say that the statements voiced in Washington about withdrawal of the US contingent from Syrias northern regions may be another US attempt to delay the beginning of the military operation of the Turkish Armed Forces in northern Syria, by forcing Ankara to wait for the withdrawal of troops.
On Dec. 13, more than 200 Houstonians gathered at the home of Kelty and Rogers Crain for a Houston tradition dating back 66 years: the Holly Hall Silver Tea.

The event, chaired by Ellen Cluett Donnelly and Pamela Blakely, honored Dr. Carmel Dyer, a Houston visionary and advocate for the senior community.

Since opening its doors in 1951, Holly Hall Retirement Community has provided exceptional care for senior adults and has taken pride in the quality of life its residents enjoy.

One of the hallmarks of Holly Halls care and commitment to its residents is that it covers the cost of care for those residents who, over time, are no longer able to do so as they transition from independent living to assisted living and then to health care. This event raised approximately $150,000 to provide a peace of mind to residents in need of assistance, that they may continue to live in their home and receive the same high quality of care.

For the first time in the long history of the Holly Hall Silver Tea, an outstanding individual was honored. Dyer exemplifies the standard of excellence that Holly Hall strives to provide its residents and partners on a daily basis. Currently, Dyer serves as the executive director for the UT Health Consortium on Aging, which provides patient care; education to patients, caregivers and professionals; and works to advance interdisciplinary gerontological research.

Dyer is not only a doctor to the elderly, but a true advocate and educator who has tirelessly dedicated her lifes work to ensure that the senior community receives excellent, focused care and live a full, vibrant life. Holly Hall was proud to honor Dyer for her dedication to the senior community in Houston and beyond.

Dyer, Donnelly and Kelty greeted guests as they arrived to enjoy a traditional tea served on beautiful silver, and finger foods prepared by Holly Halls chef, Peter Huber. The home was filled with the scent of freshly baked gingersnap cookies.

As guests toured the Crain home, they were informed of Holly Halls history and services while giving generously to the critical need of providing care to those residents who are no longer able to afford their living expenses.

For more information about Holly Hall, visit www.hollyhall.org.
By Trend





At a government working meeting, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan Dadebay Amangeldiyev presented the general scheme of location and technical characteristics of the Ashgabat-Turkmenabat high-speed highway, Trend reports citing the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper.

He also spoke about the plan of placing payment terminals along this route, as well as resting places with motels, parking lots and other engineering and communication facilities. In accordance with the project, maintenance and road service points are also envisaged along the route with a length of 600 kilometers and a width of 34 meters.

Earlier it was reported that Turkmenautoban OJSC will build the highway. A soft state loan in the amount of up to $2.4 billion was allocated for the implementation of this project.

The commissioning of the Ashgabat-Turkmenabat highway will allow improving the quality of logistics services, expanding the international transit and transport infrastructure, and increasing trade with neighboring countries.

The high-speed highway will provide transit cargo flows with a quick access to Uzbekistan and to an extensive system of continental routes. Connection with the Ashgabat-Turkmenbashi highway will provide an opportunity to quickly and conveniently access the Turkmenbashi International Seaport.

It should be noted that there are a number of highways of international importance in Turkmenistan: TurkmenbashiAshgabatMaryTurkmenabatFarabstate border of Uzbekistan, AshgabatDashoguz, AshgabatGaudan, TurkmenbashiBekdash and SerdarGudriolum. On these routes, there is a constant increase in exports of hydrocarbons and finished products from Turkmenistan to Europe and Asia.
Dozens of Houston robberies committed in 2018 remain unsolved, and detectives are enlisting the public to help solve them.

From laundromats to grocery stores, these robbery suspects used a variety of methods, including threatening people with firearms or pointing guns at children.
The nephew of a pair of siblings admitted to killing his aunt and uncle who have been missing since August, Houston police said.

Dina Escobar, 60, and her brother Rogelio "Roy" Escobar, 65, were reported missing in late August, only a few days after the family say Dina went to look for her brother at his Houston home on Prudence Drive.

Their nephew  47-year-old Ramon Alberto Escobar was initially interviewed by Houston homicide detectives in connection with the siblings' disappearance but denied any involvement.

Denial

Roy Escobar was last seen Aug. 26 at his home on Prudence Drive in southwest Houston. His sister, Dina Escobar, went missing Aug. 28, only after she started her own search for her brother, according to Houston police.

The siblings were both reported missing on Aug. 28. Family members told police that Ramon Escobar was the last person to see either of them alive on those days, according to court documents.

A Houston police officer investigating the siblings' disappearance interviewed Ramon Escobar on Aug. 30 inside the home on Prudence Drive. The officer saw scratch marks on his throat, which he couldn't recall getting there. He later told homicide detectives he might have done it to himself.

During the interview, Ramon Escobar told the officer that he had only been at the home on Prudence Drive and in the area of the Southwest Freeway near Westpark Drive on both Aug. 26 and 28.

The officer asked to look through his phone, which Ramon Escobar allowed.

Location data stored on the Google Maps app on Ramon Escobar's phone corroborated his initial statements  but the officer also saw that the phone recorded location data in Galveston in the early morning hours of Aug. 30.

Ramon Escobar told the officer that he was in fact in Galveston around that morning.

During an interview downtown with homicide detectives later that day, Ramon Escobar denied being the last person to see either his aunt or uncle, instead claiming he only saw his uncle on Aug. 24. He also denied seeing his aunt on Aug. 28.

After leaving HPD's downtown headquarters Aug. 30, Ramon Escobar fled out of state to Santa Monica, California, according to court documents.

While he was in California, Los Angeles police officers implicated him in the murders of four homeless men, the attempted murders of eight others and several robberies between Sept. 8 and 24.

In those cases, homicide detectives said Ramon Escobar showed a pattern of "homicidal blunt force activities."

Confession

Los Angeles police homicide detectives arrested Ramon Escobar on Sept. 24. While in jail, he allegedly told jailers that he in fact killed both Dina and Roy Escobar in late August.

During a taped interview with Los Angeles detectives, he told them he was planning on killing Dina Escobar and her son because he "could not stand either of them nor the disrespect," according to court documents.

He tried stalking Dina Escobar's son, according to court documents, but was unable to find an opportunity to kill him, he told detectives.

Frustrated that he could not murder his cousin, he instead turned to Roy Escobar, detectives said. He told police he liked his uncle more than his aunt or cousin, but he felt sorry for Roy Escobar's "living conditions" and said his uncle had also disrespected him in some way.

Ramon Escobar told detectives that on the night of Aug. 26, he waited for everyone inside the Prudence Drive house to go to sleep before waking his uncle and asking for a cigarette.

While his uncle was distracted, Ramon Escobar allegedly beat his uncle over the head with an old police baton he had found.

After the beating, he wrapped Roy Escobar's body up in a plastic bag and dumped his body in a dumpster behind a warehouse on Skyline Drive in southwest Houston  which is near the intersection of the Southwest Freeway and Westpark Drive, according to court documents.

He told police that he thought his uncle was still breathing as he placed him in the dumpster.

Two days later, Ramon Escobar's aunt Dian Escobar showed up to the Prudence Drive house to look for her missing brother to no avail. As she searched room-by-room, hoping to find Roy, Ramon Escobar told detectives that was the moment he decided to kill her, according to court documents.

As she was inside the home, Ramon Escobar snuck into to her van and hid under some clothes in the back seat, according to court documents.

When Dina Escobar couldn't find her brother inside the Prudence Drive home, she walked back out to her van and started to drive to other places where Roy Escobar might be  including a trailer park in the 3500 block of Darlinghurst Drive just a few blocks away.

Ramon Escobar said that just as she stopped inside the trailer park, he attacked her from behind, attempting to strangle her, according to court documents. She was able to get out of his grasp, he told detectives, so he hit her with the same police baton.

The two struggled inside the van, and Dina Escobar wound up on the floorboard, according to court documents. Ramon Escobar told detectives that he then placed his knee on his aunt's chest, using his body weight to suffocate her until she was dead.

Much like her brother, he wrapped her body in a plastic bag and dumped it in a dumpster behind a warehouse  this time near Broadway Street near South Loop 610 in southeast Houston, he said.

He hid the van on a street near the Prudence Drive house before ultimately driving it to Galveston and torching it, he told police. Officials found the van burning along the beach in the early morning hours of Aug. 30.

Because of the time between the siblings' murders and the learning of where their bodies were stashed, Houston homicide detectives believe their bodies are in an unknown landfill "unlikely to be recovered."

He is due back in a Los Angeles court for the pending murder charges just after the new year. He is eligible for the death penalty in that state, according to prosecutors.

It is unclear when he will be extradited to Texas to answer for the recent capital murder charge.

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 Central Texas couple is accused of agreeing to let a man watch them have sex, then killing him when he tried to join in, according to court documents.

Mark James Stevens, 38, and Jeanette Lauralee Stevens, 38, face murder charges in the death of Brandon Lamont Fontenette, a 36-year-old Austin man. Both are being held in the Hays County Jail on a $250,000 bond.

According to arrest warrant affidavits for the Stevens, the couple met Fontenette at Railhouse, a bar and grill in Kyle, Texas, the evening of July 25. Mark Stevens told investigators that Fontenette wanted to have sex with the couple, and that he agreed to let the Fontenette watch he and his wife have sex at their home.

RELATED: Homeowner catches suspected vehicle burglar in the act, shoots him in the head, deputies say

Fontenette followed the couple to their Buda home. Mark Stevens told investigators that as he kissed his wife, Fontenette "attempted to force his way between them." Enraged, Stevens retrieved an Airsoft BB gun and a knife and started shooting at Fontenette, the affidavits say.

Fontenette tried to punch Stevens, but missed, and Stevens stabbed him in the back, according to the affidavit. The victim "stumbled into the [master] bathroom and collapsed on the floor," according to the affidavit.

Jeanette Stevens told investigators that after the attack, she went to her son's room to sleep. Her son, who was in his upstairs bedroom during the alleged killing, apparently left the house during the fight and went to stay at a neighbors home, authorities said.

As Fontenette bled to death in his bathroom, Mark Stevens contacted his brother, asking for help disposing of the body, according to the affidavit. The brother didn't believe his Mark Stevens was serious, but he contacted his father, who in turn asked for deputies to make a welfare check at the Stevens' house.

Meanwhile, Mark Stevens went to sleep in the master bedroom. Fontenette lay dead in his bathroom, the affidavits say.

RELATED: SAPD arrests man who allegedly sexually assaulted 11-year-old girl multiple times

Deputies responded to the home at about 8 a.m. They were greeted by Jeanette Stevens, who told them Mark was "using the restroom." A few minutes later she returned to the front door with her husband, who had "obvious minor injuries to his head," in tow, officials said.

"He refused to explain what occurred inside the home; however, he pointed to the back of the residence as if to suggest that another person was inside the home," reads the arrest affidavit.

Deputies went inside to investigate. They found Fontenette dead in the bathroom, cold to the touch with his legs folded beneath him, they said.

"There was an abundance of pooling, dried blood around the decedent typical of a traumatic injury," writes Hays County Sgt. Mark Opiela, in the affidavit. "The body was cold to the touch and displaying evidence of lividity and rigor mortis."

"It was obvious that no efforts had been made regarding life-saving measures," Opiela later notes.

Investigators found blood splatter in the master bedroom and bathroom. The medical examiner's office later discovered several BB's lodged in his body. Fontenette's personal items were found on the kitchen counter in a "Ziploc-type" bag. His clothing and cell phone were found in the master bedroom. His keys were found in Stevens' pocket, according to the affidavit.

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During his interaction with the deputies, Mark Stevens took a pair of personal handcuffs and shackled himself, authorities said.

"[I] observed Mark Stevens sitting on a chair on the front porch," Opiela writes in the affidavit. "He was dressed in a pair of pajama pants with no shirt and a blanket was draped over his shoulders covering his upper torso. His hands were placed in front of his body with his palms facing each other and a pair of black handcuffs were tightly fastened around his wrists."

Over the course of the ensuing months of investigation, Jeanette and Mark Stevens told investigators numerous versions of the events that night. Deputies were eventually able to secure a warrant for their arrest, which was executed this week.

If convicted, the couple faces up to 99 years in prison each.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

Caleb Downs covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com |

cdowns@mysa.com | @calebjdowns
Pride in our states exceptional history and traditions related to the Old West may help explain Texans clinging to some practices that should be consigned to the states past. That includes the death penalty, which continues to be carried out more frequently in Texas than anywhere else in America.

In fact, this year Texas reversed course from the national trend it had been following and executed 13 people; which was more than the 12 executions that occurred in the rest of the United States. Seven people were put to death in Texas in both 2016 and 2017.

After nearly 18 years in prison and numerous appeals, Joseph Garcia was executed Dec. 4 at the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville. Garcia was one of the Texas Seven inmates convicted of murder in the Christmas Eve 2000 slaying of a North Texas police officer during their escape attempt.

With 224 inmates currently on death row in Texas, a 25-year low, more executions appear certain to follow Garcias. Less certain is what those executions will accomplish other than removing those executed from society  a goal that could be achieved just as well and less expensively by life sentences.

The cost leading to an execution, including appeals and incarceration, easily exceeds $1 million; compared with less than $700,000 to keep an inmate in prison for 40 years.

Of course, money isnt the most important reason for Texas to reconsider capital punishment. With DNA testing and other improved evidence collection methods, it is now indisputable that sometimes the wrong person is sentenced to death.

The Innocence Project says at least 162 inmates have been released from death row nationwide because they were wrongly convicted. The reasons range from mistaken eyewitness identification, official misconduct, and false or misleading forensic evidence.

A report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that approximately one out of every 24 prisoners on death row nationwide between 1973 and 2004 was wrongly convicted.

Not even one death of an innocent person should be considered acceptable or the collateral damage of an imperfect criminal justice system. That imperfect system becomes even harder to defend when viewed through the lens of race, which shows the color of a defendants skin can determine whether he or she is sentenced to death.

All seven defendants sentenced to death in Texas this year were people of color. Thats no anomaly. In the past five years, more than 70 percent of death sentences in Texas have been imposed on people of color  and in particular, African Americans.

Blacks are less than 13 percent of the Texas population but 43 percent of the states death row inmates. Hispanics are 38 percent of the state population and 27 percent of those on death row.

The American Bar Association says the disadvantages faced by low-income defendants also play a role in who gets the death penalty. Since blacks are disproportionately poor in America, they are more likely to be represented by defense counsel with high caseloads, poor training, and inadequate resources.

A recent study in the Boston College Law Review said the discrepancy in how black defendants are treated in Americas courts is glaring. White defendants are 25 percent more likely than black defendants to have their most serious initial charge dropped or reduced to a less severe charge, the study said.

Prejudice shouldnt be the difference in whether someone is put to death. Neither should a clumsy defense, mishandling of evidence, a mistaken eyewitness, or an overly zealous prosecutor with political ambitions  all of which have been factors in wrongful convictions.

The Supreme Court in 1972 ruled the death penalty as applied was unconstitutional, only to reinstate it in a 1976 ruling establishing what were expected to be better safeguards against arbitrary death sentences. Nonetheless, most states have abandoned the barbaric practice. Thirty-seven states have not had an execution in the past five years, and 31 of those states have not executed anyone in the past 10 years. Texas needs to join them.

Capital punishment is no deterrent to murder. Despite the high-profile serial-killer and mass-murder cases that get the most news coverage, homicides are more likely to result from personal conflicts involving people who know each other and arent thinking about facing a judge in a court of law. A date with a lethal injection needle isnt on their minds.

No matter how or why a murderer killed someone, he should pay for his crime. Vengeance, however, should play no role in the outcome. Any vengeful satisfaction felt is fleeting. It will never fill the hole left in the hearts of a murder victims family and friends.
By Azernews





By Abdul Kerimkhanov

The gradual normalization of relations between Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan has revived the idea of creating an analogue of the Schengen zone.

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in February 2019 can launch the Silk Visa general program, stated Acting First Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Tourism Ulugbek Kasimkhodzhaev.

As he said, the two countries agreed on the draft Silk Visa. He added that the parties should agree on technical details and equipment.

Kasimkhodzhaev noted that other countries in the region are also showing interest in this project. Among them - Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. At the same time, Kazakhstan also proposes to connect Azerbaijan and Turkey to this project.

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan signed in mid-November agreements on the mutual recognition of visa regimes by the countries of the Silk Road.

For the first time, the creation of a silk visa, uniform for the whole of Central Asia, was launched in June of this year, the idea is supported by Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. It belonged to the chairman of the committee on international relations, defense and security of Kazakhstan, Dariga Nazarbayeva. She also advocates the option of removing visa barriers in Central Asia.

At the core of the Asian continent lies Central Asia, a region rich in history and steeped in culture. This region benefits from a blend of national identities that have been carefully cultivated over many centuries. Central Asia, as it is defined today, is comprised of five former Soviet republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Central Asian countries constitute a large region with a population of about 70 million people.

According to the UN, over the past 10 years, the average GDP growth in Central Asian countries as a whole was 6.2 percent, when the whole world developed at a rate of 2.6 percent. There has also been a sharp increase in trade, which has doubled in 10 years, from $ 1.6 billion to $ 3.1 billion.

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan currently experience a rise in mutual economic ties. In 2017, the trade turnover between the two Central Asian nations increased by 8.6 percent and exceeded $ 2 billion. In January-June 2018, the trade turnover between the two countries increased by 52 percent, with Uzbek exports growth of 48 percent. Over 200 companies with Kazakh capital currently operate in Uzbekistan.

Earlier this year, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan agreed to take further measures to ensure the growth of trade turnover to $ 3 billion in 2018 and $ 5 billion by 2020. The countries also intend to increase the number of rail, bus and air communication between two states.

Uzbek investments in Kazakhstan for the past 10 years amounted to $ 31.3 million, half of which falls for 2016. Kazakh investments in Uzbekistan totalled $ 114.4 million in the past decade.
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Its been one month since the Justice Department accidentally let slip that the Trump administration has secret charges filed against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The specific charges remain under seal, as a federal judge has delayed ruling on a motion by Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to make them public. At least for now, Assange remains legally free, ensconced in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

If the charges focus on WikiLeaks publishing activities or interacting with sources, the case could have disastrous implications for on press freedom. Ironically, charging WikiLeakswhich has been accused of helping Trump by publishing DNC and Clinton campaign emails allegedly hacked by Russia during the lead up to the 2016 electioncould be just the precedent Trump craves for stifling much of the journalism that has enraged him about the medias coverage of the Russia investigation.

Of course, Assange has been intensely criticized by much of the media for years. But even the most ardent Assange critics should have ample reason to fear how the Trump administration is wielding its power and the potential impact on journalists around the United States.

ICYMI: Claims and counterclaims fly around Guardian ManafortAssange scoop

Heres how it might negatively impact journalism if the Trump admin successfully prosecutes Assange.

At this point, there are clues that the charges were filed by Assistant US Attorney Kellen S. Dwyer, who has been in charge of the Justice Departments general investigation of WikiLeaks for a long time. Theres no indication the charges filed were by Robert Mueller, since the presiding Justice Department prosecutor named in legal documents is not part of Muellers team. This suggests the charges relate to one of the many document tranches WikiLeaks has published that relates to leaked classified information. There was also speculation earlier this year that prosecutors were probing whether Assange could be charged for WikiLeakss publications about classified CIA hacking tools, which a former government contractor was arrested in 2017 for allegedly leaking.

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First, its important to remember that newspapers publish classified information all the time, and that this has been especially true during the Trump administration. CJR has documented how leaks of classified information have changed and delayed controversial Trump administration proposals. Critically, many of the major stories detailing the Trump circles relationship with the Russian government have also hinged on information the government considers secret.

How do we know this? Beyond a cursory look at front page stories on The New York Times virtually every week, a Senate committee actually quantified how often leaks of classified information show up in the press in the first six months of the Trump era. The studys underlying premise was fundamentally flawedthe Senate committee was criticizing stories based on leaks of classified information, not praising their undeniable value to the public to understand the machinations of secret government. And the studys ultimate conclusions, as the Committee to Protect Journalists noted in its analysis, were also suspect.

Still, the report does serve the purpose of reminding Americans just how much our free press relies on the ability and right to report on information that the government considers classified to inform the American public.

As the study documented, in Trumps first 126 days in office, there were at least 125 stories that contained leaked classified information: Leaked stories appeared in 18 news outlets, sourced to virtually every possible permutation of anonymous current and former US officials, some clearly from the intelligence community. One story cited more than two dozen anonymous sources.

The stories ranged from foreign policy to the USs many Middle East wars, to intelligence agencies surveillance capabilities and more. But one issue was reported on using classified information more than any other: the Trump administrations relationship with Russia and the burgeoning investigation into those potentially nefarious ties.

As the report stated, The majority of leaks during the Trump administration, 78, concerned the Russia probes, with many revealing closely-held information such as intelligence community intercepts, FBI interviews and intelligence, grand jury subpoenas, and even the workings of a secret surveillance court.

If the Justice Department were to prosecute Assange for publishing classified information, or soliciting it from sources and then publishing it, the danger is that this precedent could then be directly applied to The New York Times and The Washington Post. While stylistically they could not be more different, legally speaking, theres virtually nothing that would separate Assange from other publishers like the Times.

There is no journalists exception to the Espionage Actthe law that would most likely be used in such a prosecutionwhere judges determine who is a journalist or not, or who gets the privilege to publish information others cant. (The Espionage Act is the law most often used to go after journalists sources, but is written in a way that would allow for the prosecution of publishers of national defense information. Its never been successfully used up until this point against a non-government employee because of the constitutional concerns). If the Justice Department does go down such a road, does anyone doubt that Trump would hesitate to use such precedent to then go after the Times and the Post?

This is not a fringe opinion, its the opinion of the Times itself. In little-noticed public comments from July 2018, longtime deputy general counsel of the paper, David McCraw, told a conference of judges that he feared any prosecution of Julian Assange. Heres how Courthouse News described it at the time: I think the prosecution of him would be a very, very bad precedent for publishers, McCraw said. From that incident, from everything I know, hes sort of in a classic publishers position and I think the law would have a very hard time drawing a distinction between The New York Times and WikiLeaks.

McCraw went on to clarify that while Assange employs certain methods that he finds discomfiting and irresponsible, such as dumping unredacted documents revealing the personal information of ordinary people, Assange should be afforded the same protections as a traditional journalist. Do I wish journalism was practiced in a certain way, like it is with The New York Times, The Washington Post, or The Wall Street Journal? Of course. But I also think new ways of publishing have their value. Our colleagues who are not only challenging us financially but journalistically have raised an awareness that there are different ways to report, McCraw said. But if someone is in the business of publishing information, I think that whatever privilege happens to applywhatever extension of the law that would applyshould be there. Because the question isnt whether hes a journalist. Its in that instance was he committing an act of journalism.

Former Trump Attorney General Jeff Sessions seemed to confirm this in April 2017 when he indicated the Justice Department would make arresting Assange a priority. He refused to rule out using any precedent the Justice Department gets in a WikiLeaks prosecution to then go after other journalists at the Times and Post.

So, hate Assange all you want. Criticize his tactics and protest his political views. But prosecuting him could be incredibly dangerous to the most cherished rights journalists rely on every single day.

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Trevor Timm is the executive director of Freedom of the Press Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports and defends journalism dedicated to transparency and accountability. He is also a twice-weekly columnist for the Guardian, where he writes about privacy, national security, and the media.
Donald Trump is a master of the media narrative. Sending the press scrambling after an outrageous tweet, lie, or policy has been a hallmark of his political style. By flooding the zone, he has managed to muffle damaging press and exhaust journalists and readers. And his base, fed by a relentless cycle of boosterish right-wing media commentary, has largely stayed on side.

Its interesting, then, that the latest news cycleinvolving the Russia probe, high staff turnover, sparring with Congress, fevered immigration rhetoric, and foreign policy convulsionsfeels less responsive to Trumps touch. Last week, The Atlantics Elaina Plott noted, the presidents Apprentice-style search for a new chief-of-staff successfully deflected some media attention from encircling investigators. But as the story dragged on with no appointment in sight, the narrative became that no one really wanted to work for himespecially when, last Friday, Chris Christie publicly snubbed Trump. And the Mueller/Russia/Cohen story, which never really went away, was back with a kick over the weekend: major news organizations reported that almost every aspect of Trumps pre- and post-election life is under official scrutiny.

ICYMI: A journalist exposes the systemic failures that led to his wifes death

This week, as headlines turned to the impending shutdown of the federal government, even Trumps most reliable media backers revolted. Many in the right-wing press argued that a budget deal without funding for Trumps long-promised border wall would be unacceptable. Standing in for Sean Hannity (who, just when Trump needed him most, was absent) on Fox Wednesday, Dan Bongino told the president that his base demands a wall. Yesterday morning, Fox & Friends, usually a hub of sycophancy, lit into Trump, too. Elsewhere, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, and Drudge were equally unsparing. Trump, watching in the White House, seethed and panicked about the stream of invective hes hearing from allies on television, according to Politicos Eliana Johnson and Burgess Everett. Finally, he did a U-turn, signaling that he wouldnt sign the package hed settled on with Congress after all. This is government by infotainment, The Philadelphia Inquirers Will Bunch tweeted.

In the middle of the domestic chaos, Trump announced on Wednesday, to wide surprise and alarm, that the United States would be withdrawing its troops from Syria, having defeated ISIS. A partial drawdown will also take place in Afghanistan. It looked like a signature Trump gambit to shift media attention. He succeeded in turning heads, but soon this story, too, got away from him. The Times reported that no Pentagon official would publicly support the approach, leaving Trump by himself in a video message. Yesterday, Defense Secretary James Mattis announced that he would resign, making clear in his letter to Trump that the choice to do so was over philosophical differences with the presidents worldview. This marked the first resignation of a Cabinet official in the Trump administration over a matter of principle that exploded into public view, the Post reported. The letter dominated coverage, as did the sense that the last grown-up in the room was on the way out. James Mattis just cut the worlds safety net, CNNs Stephen Collinson wrote.

This morning, the word chaos is splashed across the mediasphere. Theres nothing new about that, on its face. But its hard to remember a week when Trump looked so embattled on so many different frontsincluding among the outlets that tend to support him. Put together, the latest developments, and the way the media has covered them, portray a president whos finally losing his grip on the narrative.

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Below, more on chaos:

Going wobbly: Politicos Jason Schwartz has a good rundown of the right-wing media reaction to Trumps border compromise. It was a remarkable turn of events for conservative media, which has by and large excused nearly every bit of trouble thats cropped up around Trump since he took office, Schwartz writes.

Politicos Jason Schwartz has a good rundown of the right-wing media reaction to Trumps border compromise. It was a remarkable turn of events for conservative media, which has by and large excused nearly every bit of trouble thats cropped up around Trump since he took office, Schwartz writes. Media Mattis: Coverage has almost universally cast Mattis as a welcome restraining influence on Trumps worst foreign-policy instincts. Thats understandable, but Mattis is a complicated character with foibles of his own. This 2017 New Yorker profile by Dexter Filkins remains instructive.

Coverage has almost universally cast Mattis as a welcome restraining influence on Trumps worst foreign-policy instincts. Thats understandable, but Mattis is a complicated character with foibles of his own. This 2017 New Yorker profile by Dexter Filkins remains instructive. That was this week? Part I: On Tuesday, Trumps charitable foundation agreed to dissolve after New Yorks attorney general accused it of a shocking pattern of illegality. In a different week, that may have got much more attention. Then again, maybe not.

On Tuesday, Trumps charitable foundation agreed to dissolve after New Yorks attorney general accused it of a shocking pattern of illegality. In a different week, that may have got much more attention. Then again, maybe not. That was this week? Part II: Also on Tuesday, the Senate passed a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill after intense lobbying by the White House. CNNs Brian Stelter tracks the helpful role Fox played in the process, including a rare official statement of support aimed at wavering GOP lawmakers.



Other notable stories:

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Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
In late July, thousands took to the streets of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, to protest the deaths of two students who had been run over by a bus. In a country where nearly 20 people are killed in vehicular accidents every day, this was a tipping point. For weeks, the capital was at a standstill as people cried for safer roads.

On August 5, Shahidul Alam, an award-winning photographer, appeared on Al Jazeera English to comment on the chaos. He told an anchor that the road safety protests reflected the frustration of ordinary Bangladeshis. He called the government illegitimate and corrupt, drawing attention to its human rights abuses. Its an unelected government, he said of Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister, and her administration. So they really didnt have a mandate to rule but they have been clinging on by brute force.

That night, he went on Facebook and posted live videos saying more about the protests, condemning the governments handling of the demonstrations. (The government had tried to quell the crowds by firing rubber bullets and spraying tear gas; raging mobs backed by Hasinas partyand joined by policebeat up demonstrators.) A few hours later, after the Al Jazeera interview was broadcast, about 20 plain clothes police officers appeared at the doorstep of Alams apartment and whisked him away to jail.

ICYMI: Social media censorship in Bangladesh hints at long-term problems for publishers

Sofia Karim, a niece of Alams who lives in London, heard the news from her father, who was visiting the family in Dhaka. Its common, she knew, for law enforcement in Bangladesh to appear at someones doorstep and make an arrest on unknown charges, without a warrant. Often, families never hear word again. My first thought was, I hope he doesnt disappear, she recalls.

The next day, Alam was dragged from police custody to appear in court, barefoot and limping. He screamed that he was being tortured and that, before his court appearance, his tunic, having been stained with blood, had to be washed.

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Karim saw him on television and called her family in Bangladesh. It was extremely distressing to see him like that, she says. We were immediately contacting as many news organizations as possible and telling them straight away that he was being tortured.A lawyer friend requested that he be moved to a hospital and be examined for signs of torture incurred behind barseven before his arrest, the lawyer said, he hadnt been in good health. The police obliged, Karim says, but the hospital quickly returned him to custody, concluding that he did not require hospitalization.

The case sent a shock wave across Bangladeshi media, as journalistsalready in a precarious position, as Hasina has aimed to stifle dissentfeared the hostile reach of government. If they could jail a prominent figure like Shahidul Alam, then anything can happen with lesser known people like us, Asif Nazrul, a professor of law at Dhaka University and a longtime columnist at Prothom Alo, a national newspaper, says.

Alam was one of the most high-profile people to have been charged under section 57 of the Information and Technology Act. Established in 2006, its aim is to monitor and regulate digital communication, and in particular curb obscene material on social media. But it has been used broadly to muzzle dissent. In 2013, the law was amended to incorporate harsh penalties, such as lengthy jail time (between seven and 14 years) with no bail, and to eliminate the need for an arrest warrant. Persecution of journalists, torturing them, and imprisoning journalists is nothing new as other parties also did it, Tasneem Khalil, an independent Swedish-Bangladeshi journalist, says. What this government has successfully done is taken the models from previous governments and perfected the techniques on how to scare the journalists into silence.

In recent years, any criticism of Hasinaor the Awami League, her political partyhas been likely to result in an arrest. In April, Human Rights Watch released a 89-page report, No Place for Criticism, describing the threats to freedom of expression in Bangladesh. Since 2013, researchers found, nearly 1,271 cases related to section 57 had been filed to the Cyber Tribunal, a department set up specifically to handle ICT cases. The real risk to reporters arose from the laws vague language: under its provision, almost anyone could wage a complaint on grounds of defamation or offending ones religious views, and those complaints would inevitably lead to arrest.

As a result, journalists in Bangladesh have been operating under a cloud of fear. At least 19 reporters were arrested and charged under section 57 in 2017, according to the police. In one case, a journalist was arrested in July 2017 because he shared a story on Facebook about a minister giving a villager a goat as relief aid that died within a day.

Alams arrest, which comes against the backdrop of elections slated for December 30, has many journalists thinking that reporting in present day Bangladesh is simply not worth the risk. Alam, who grew up in Dhaka and fell in love with photography while in London as a graduate student of chemistry, is known for taking pictures that show an unglamorous, previously unseen side of Bangladesh. His photographs have covered everything from the womens communist movement to natural disasters to extrajudicial killings. He also managed to set up one of the first schools of photography in South Asia and a photo festival, Chobi Mela, that brings together photography talent from the region.

The sentiments he expressed on air were shared by other journalists too afraid to speak out. I almost could not believe that he said that on live television, Nazrul says. We were shocked. Alam has long been known as someone willing to confront injustice, but Karim believes that he did not expect to be arrested. If he had felt the risk, he would have gone into hiding, she says.

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CJR interviewed nine journalists to understand the risks they face reporting in Bangladesh. All of them agreed that self-censorship is on the rise and many requested anonymity due to fears of retaliation. This year, conditions have grown worse. Hasina ran uncontested during the last national elections, in 2014at the time, party workers and local politicians of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party were arrested and tortured by the Awami League. This time, she will face a challenger, Kamal Hossain. To maintain her hold on parliament, Hasina has taken steps to improve her image while continuing to impose strict control on the media.

In January, her administration announced that it would repeal section 57 and replace it with something called the Digital Security Act. In April, the bill was submitted to parliament for review. Upon reading it, journalists and activists working in the country observed that the new law would be even harsher than the last. The government of Bangladesh acknowledges that the current section 57 of the ICT Act is draconian, and needs to go, Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a press release at the time. But the new law being proposed is hardly an improvement, creating a series of new offences that will undoubtedly be used for years to come against government critics in the countrys highly politicized criminal justice system.

The Digital Security Act passedbut not before Alam was charged under 57, meaning that the old law will still be applied to his case.

Nazrul tells CJR: Every independent thinker and opinion leader is living with fear. Nazrulwho, in the past six years, has been charged with sedition, contempt of court, defamation, and violating section 57 for his writing in Prothom Alo and his comments on TVsays he has reduced his television appearances from three or four times a week to approximately two in the past six months. His encounters with law enforcement have made him wary. The TV channels that used to invite him on, he adds, have been threatened by the government and asked to not to engage with him. And, after 18 years writing for Prothom Alo, he has recently faced unprecedented censorship. In the past two years, three of his piecesones related to human rights abuses and bad governancewere not published. The editors told me that it is in the best interest of both the paper and me if we stay away from anything that can come across as critical of the government, Nazrul says. He adds, I no longer write the way I used to before.

During the protests this summer, authorities temporarily shut down the internet to stop people from publishing or sharing stories encouraging dissent on social media. Caught in the chaos was Shaer Reaz, a reporter at the The Daily Star, a national newspaper, who was on the streets to cover the action. He recalls filming discreetly as pro-government mobs attacked anyone holding a camera. In the afternoon, as the crowd grew in number, police officers responded by beating people. Reaz was kicked and punched; his phone was smashed. Later, he was taken to a police station for interrogation. When they were hitting me, I kept telling that I am from the press, Reaz tells CJR. But they took away my badge and threw it.

More than a dozen journalists were attacked and injured during the protests. At the police station, Reaz was subjected to more beatings. After nearly four hours, when his newspaper staff came looking for him, he was released. But a week later, police showed up at his house and asked his mother about his whereabouts and other details related to his work. Since then, he has tried to keep a low profile.

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There are dozens of TV stations and newspapers in Bangladesh. That might give the impression of a healthy media ecosystem. But reporters who have tried exposing corruption, human rights abuses, and the armys unsavory role in governance have been reminded that there are red lines. Many have been forced to flee Bangladesh and seek asylum in other countries.

Tasneem Khalil, who reported on extrajudicial killings, Islamic extremism, and the armys abusive practices for The Daily Star and as a stringer for CNN, was kidnapped by security forces in 2007. He was tortured in detention before being released thanks to immense international pressure. Shortly after, he fled to Sweden with his wife. Today, he continues reporting on the situation back home.

Khalil was one of the first journalists to report on Alams arrest, based on a tip he received from someone in the Bangladeshi security forces. He regularly receives information from journalists inside the country who are unable to publish anti-government stories, he says, because media companies are entirely or at least partially owned by the state or businessmen with ties to the ruling party. There are very few independent media outlets, he explains. The ones that exist end up losing ad revenues or face baseless allegations if the government disagrees with their reporting, Khalil says.

In 2015, Shahed Alam, a familiar face on Channel 24 reporting on the 2014 elections, left Bangladesh and moved to New York City. During that election, Alam had said on live television that the elections were rigged and that polling stations were empty. A few hours later, he received a call from his producer and was asked to go off the air. He was reassigned to a different department, where he worked mostly behind the scenes; a few months later, he was asked to leave his job altogether. There is a lot of pressure from the government on the media and I think they were left with no choice, he says. Before he fled, he continued to report on the government and radical groups; in response, armed men assaulted him on the street. The problem is, he says, you dont know who is going to stab you, whether it is the government or the Islamists.

Alam, now 37, speaks to me in the one-room office he keeps in Jackson Heights, Queensalso known as Little Bengal because of the large population of Bangladeshis living there. Outside, the streets are lined with ethnic grocery stores and restaurants selling Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi delicacies. In shop windows, passersby can see signs in Bangla explaining the cheapest methods of sending money home.

Alam, looking laid-back, wears a button-down and has a plaid jacket hanging behind the door. His office has tripods set up in every corner. Because of the censorship he has facedeven while working for Bengali outlets in New York, he sayshe is now fully independent, running a YouTube channel with nearly 350,000 subscribers and more than 100,000 followers on Facebook. I have people tuning in from Bangladesh to listen to my reports, he says.

As the elections draw close, he is publishing at least two reports a day. He talks about poor voter turnout in last elections, corruption, and possible violence at polling sites. I am encouraging people to go out and vote and helping them realize their potential, he says.

He has also been following Shahidul Alams case. Since August, the world has rallied behind his release: several Nobel laureates wrote letters to the Bangladeshi government; human rights organizations arranged protests. Finally, after spending nearly 100 days in jail, his bail was approved. If Awami League wins the election again, I think the first thing they will do is restrict the media even more and critical voices like Shahidul will continue to be harrassed, Shahed Alam says.

In Queens, Alam, free of the pressures of self-censorship and threats to his life, has not been afraid to weigh in on the happenings in Bangladesh. But he has no plans to return. I miss my country each day and leaving was not a choice I wanted to make, he says. I cant go back because you never know what they would do to me.

ICYMI: Reporter attends school meeting longer than other journalists. That ended up being a good decision.

This piece has been updated to clarify the nature of Shahidul Alams injuries prior to his court appearance.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Zainab Sultan is a former CJR Delacorte Fellow. Follow her on Twitter @ZainabSultan.
By Trend





Uzbekistans Craft Brewing Company imports ingredients (malt, hops, yeast) from Belgium and Germany, the Uzbek company told Trend on Dec. 21.

The main supplier of ingredients for the company is the famous Belgian malt house Castle Malting.

We chose the companies whose plants have been operating for dozens of years, who have improved their technologies over the years, thereby increasing the quality and efficiency of their products. The Belgian malt house Castle Malting, for example, has been operating since 1868 and is one of the oldest family malt houses in the world, the Uzbek company noted.

Craft Brewing Company emphasized that high-quality ingredients that comply with all basic regulations are a key element for improving beer culture by creating new styles and flavors.

We have big plans for 2019; we hope to develop a culture of drinking quality beer in the country and we plan to experiment with tastes, flavors, create new beers, improve the quality of our products and, of course, expand the market. Our brewery now produces nine varieties of draft beer (honey, cascade, porter, etc.) and six bottled beers (cherry stout, rice beer, milk stout, etc.). We already have a fairly big number of customers who, at the very beginning, having tried all our beers, stopped only on one particular, special for them, the company added.

The company representative emphasized that many consumers are falling victims to marketing tricks and believe that craft beer is a premium class beer, which is sold only at inflated prices that are affordable only for consumers with above-average incomes.

Far from it, craft beer is a product of a private brewery, for which, compared to a mass producer, the main priority is the quality, because it is in craft beer that brewers put their love. Our brewery proves that beer brewed from high-quality ingredients can be sold at affordable prices, the Craft Brewing Company said.

It should be noted that since the second half of the 1970s, the interest of beer drinkers in homebrewing began to grow in the West. This trend has led to the so-called craft revolution  the emergence of many small breweries opened by the real lovers of beer. Today, craft brewing has become widespread in many countries around the world, but its degree of penetration varies. In Germany and Russia, in 2010-2011, the share of small enterprises in sales was only 1 percent, while in the USA such enterprises took about 15 percent of the beer market.

In January-November 2018, as a result of measures taken to expand the range and stimulate the production of finished goods, the production of consumer goods in Uzbekistan increased by 11.9 percent and amounted to 75.7 trillion soums. Among food products, the share of wine, vodka and beer amounted to 7.5 percent.

(8325.59 UZS = 1 USD on Dec. 21)
In more than 50 years, Edward and Eleanor Rogaishio say they never saw a drop of water seep into the basement of their Massachusetts home on Harrison Place.

The property, which dates to about 1888, features a finished living space with wall-to-wall carpeting in the cellar, which is set inside a field stone foundation.

Edward, an 87-year-old retired Framingham deputy fire chief, said he and his wife fixed up the property slowly over the years, saving enough money to renovate one section at a time. When they stopped going out as much, the couple enjoyed special dinners in their cozy basement, though they used it less often in recent years.

It was sometime in early July when Eleanor, 81, spotted the first sign of trouble. She popped down to the cellar wearing a pair of socks, and felt a cold, damp sensation under her feet. The carpet was soaked from end to end, and about 1 inch of standing water covered the floor.

After five decades without any moisture problems, water was steadily infiltrating the basement. While they didnt know it at the time, a new gas meter installed by Eversource nearly four years earlier was likely to blame for the flooding. And getting the company to take responsibility would become a protracted battle for Edward Rogaishio, whose persistence finally paid off this week.

The Rogaishios traced the leak to the north side of their house. The sheet rock on that side was saturated with water and beginning to crumble.

The couple bought a dehumidifier and slowly drew the water out of the air, emptying one full tank of liquid after another into their sink. Edward underwent heart surgery three decades ago, and has a pacemaker. He was advised by doctors not to lift anything heavy, so his wife shouldered the burden, lugging what the Rogaishios estimate was several hundred gallons of water.

Above ground, they tried to seal up the house. They laid down tarps and spread caulking along cracks. Edward also had an inkling the water problems were tied to the new gas meter, which was installed around August 2014.

Responding to a new mandate from the state, Eversource replaced the meter inside the couples basement with an outdoor unit. The company ran a new pipe underground to connect it to the natural gas main along the street.

After the water leak began, an Eversource worker visited the home to investigate. Rogaishio said the man reinforced the seal around the top of his meter, but failed to check another section of pipe that sticks up from the ground.

I hate to say it, but he did not know his butt from his elbow what he was doing, he said.

Rogaishios son, Chris, who works in construction, came to visit a little more than a week later and identified what he believed was the problem: The pipe running from the street wasnt properly sealed where it emerged above ground, allowing water to seep in.

My son Chris said that anyone who deals with pipes should know that water chases pipes, Edward Rogaishio said,

So that if youve got a pipe that leads into the ground and its not sealed, any time it rains it follows that pipe, and it followed the pipe into our house.

Chris Rogaishio applied caulking along the base of the pipe and voila, the problem was fixed. But the damage to the basement was already done. A contractor estimated it would cost $3,210 to fix the cellar, where the sheet rock walls had crumbled.

The Rogaishios were adamant that Eversource should foot the bill. But the utility disagreed. The company denied their claim, writing that a three-year window had passed since the new gas meter was installed, and it was therefore too late for Rogaishio to seek compensation.

But Edward  who has dabbled in everything from painting to writing books since retiring from the fire department at age 51  didnt take no for an answer. He complained to the state Department of Public Utilities, then penned a letter to Gov. Charlie Baker to plead his case. And when that effort stalled, Rogaishio reached out to the Daily News.

That last measure appears to have spurred results. After being contacted by the newspaper Thursday, Eversource dispatched a supervisor to inspect the meter outside the Rogaishios home. The utility has since determined the meter was indeed the source of the water damage.

When they installed the unit, workers punctured the concrete apron around the home to put in a riser on which the meter sits. Water then leaked through the hole in the concrete, said Reid Lamberty, media relations manager for Eversource.

Lamberty said the company disputes the characterization of its initial installation work as shoddy, but takes responsibility for the damage. Eversource has reopened the Rogaishios claim, and the company intends to pay for any necessary repairs, Lamberty said.

We take responsibility and we are going to do right by him, Lamberty said.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A New Jersey judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the family of a man who died when the sand under his feet collapsed as he walked along the shoreline, plunging him into the swirling waters of an inlet.

Superior Court Judge John Porto dismissed a lawsuit Tuesday brought by the family of Brad Smith, of Horsham, Pennsylvania, who died in July 2012. The family sued the city of North Wildwood and the state of New Jersey.

The judge cited state law granting immunity to governments from injuries occurring on unimproved public property, or land that is in its natural condition. He ruled that conditions at the Hereford Inlet in North Wildwood were naturally occurring, and ended the litigation against the city and state.

Two other people died in a nearly identical manner three years earlier, but they were not part of the lawsuit.

This was a very tragic set of facts, the judge said. Thats not overlooked by the court.

But he ruled that New Jersey legislators were clear when they enacted a law regarding suits against public entities that governments cannot be sued for injuries sustained by members of the public on land that, while owned by a town or state, has not been altered by those governments.

Porto ruled that the inlet, by definition, is constantly shaped and re-shaped by the actions of wind, currents and tides. Man-made improvements located 400 feet to 600 feet from the waters edge, including a sea wall, did nothing to alter conditions along the inlets edge, or to cause a dangerous condition that did not exist before, he said.

Smith was walking in ankle-deep water at the beach with his daughter when the sand collapsed, plunging them and a friend into the swirling waters. A passer-by on a personal watercraft rescued the girl, who was being held above the waves by her father before he drowned.

Three years earlier, Jamila Watkins and 15-year-old Shayne Hart were walking along the waters edge when the sand gave way beneath them, plunging them into the swirling waters of the inlet, killing both of them.

Paul DAmato, a lawyer for Smiths family, presented pre-trial statements from North Wildwood beach patrol officers that said they knew potentially dangerous conditions existed at that particular spot along the inlet, and that similar tragedies were likely to happen again.

We started this case so that no other family would have to go through what they did, DAmato said afterward. Its just an incredibly sad day.

He said the Smith family would appeal the dismissal of the lawsuit.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Munich Re, US Appoints Kerner CEO of New Munich Re Specialty Insurance Unit

Munich Reinsurance America, Inc. (Munich Re, US) announced today the appointment of Michael Kerner as chief executive officer for Munich Re Specialty Insurance, a new commercial insurance unit in North America. He will report to Tony Kuczinski, president and chief executive officer, Munich Re, US. In this new role, Kerner will have oversight for uniting several Munich Re Group business units under the new primary specialty commercial insurance umbrella.

He brings with him more than 30 years of experience in the global re/insurance market. For the past two years, he served as executive vice president, Risk Management and Strategy at Everest Re. Prior to that, Kerner spent 23 years at Zurich Insurance Company in a variety of senior executive roles, including chief executive officer of General Insurance, chief executive officer of Global Corporate North America, global chief underwriting officer, global head of Group Reinsurance, and chief operations officer of North America Specialties. In the past, Kerner also held actuarial leadership roles in the industry.

Kerner is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Crawford & Company Appoints Bart to Global President of Global Technical Services (GTS)

Crawford & Company, a global independent provider of claims management solution announced that Andrew Bart has been promoted to the position of global president of Technical Services (GTS)  the large and complex business of Crawford.

Bart has 30+ years of claims and loss adjusting experience and 16 years with Crawford & Company, during which he has managed many large and complex claims across multiple product lines. As the current president of Crawford Australia and Asia Pacific, he has led the business through a sustained period of growth. In his new role, he will be responsible for building on the significant success that Crawford GTS has achieved since its launch. Crawford delivers a unified claims handling capability for complex and major losses  serving reinsurers, the corporate market and major loss/catastrophe divisions of insurers as well as the London Market and Lloyds syndicates.

In addition, the company announced that Tim Jarman, currently head of Crawford Claims Solu Australia, will be promoted to president of Australia effective January 1, 2019. He will be responsible for local oversight of all Crawfords global service lines in Australia to include claims solutions, large and complex claims, third party administration veteran of the industry, including 10 years with Crawford. He has worked in Australia since 2001 and is well known by clients and the market.

IFG Companies Announces New Promotions for Casualty Lines

IFG Companies announced that effective January 1, 2019, Michael G. Vought will be promoted to president of Primary Casualty and that Tiffany Y. Fann will be promoted to senior vice president and head of Excess Casualty.

Vought joined IFG Companies in 2014 to launch IFGs Excess Casualty unit. Prior to joining IFG, Vought was managing director and product line leader for Primary and Excess Casualty at Markel. He also spent time at Travelers as the president of E&S Lines.

In addition to her success with IFG Companies, Fann brings a wealth of experience in both excess and primary casualty. Her instrumental role in building IFGs Excess Casualty unit will provide a seamless transition and set a foundation for the continued success of the Excess Casualty unit. Fann joined IFG in late 2014 to establish and manage the Atlanta branch for IFGs Excess Casualty unit. Prior to IFG, she was the Atlanta branch manager, Specialty Umbrella for Zurich North America overseeing the Atlanta and Orlando offices. She also spent 11 years at Markel Corporation, serving as the Dallas branch manager for Primary Brokerage Casualty, Contract Binding and Excess and Umbrella.
It took Robb Lawson until he was 45 to finally confront a dark memory from his days as a Boy Scout.

Lawson was a teenager at the time, a member of a troop in Georgia, picked to attend a wilderness challenge to win entry in the Scouts prestigious Order of the Arrow. He recalls that he wasnt feeling well, and a trip leader took him to a tent and raped him.

The lawsuit he filed against the Boy Scouts of America in 2016 represented a personal turning point for Lawson. For the Boy Scouts, his story reflects the nationwide scandal and financial stakes that have pushed the 108-year-old organization to consider filing for bankruptcy.

Last week, Chief Scout Executive Michael Surbaugh acknowledged media reports that the group was considering Chapter 11 protection, saying its exploring all options available to ensure that scouting programs continue uninterrupted. Nothings been decided, said Boy Scouts spokeswoman Effie Delimarkos in an email. Its due diligence for an organization whose motto is be prepared to explore all of our opportunities and pathways forward.

The Scouts are fighting hundreds of claims, a rash of litigation fueled by the public emergence in 2012 of the organizations own meticulous records of thousands of sexual abuse and misconduct allegations. BSA executives say the documentsknown as the ineligible volunteer fileswere part of their system for protecting kids by weeding out those who shouldnt have been allowed to work with them.

Plaintiffs and their lawyers call it something else: evidence of a massive cover-up that endangered other children and, in the words of Lawsons suit, put scoutings image and financial interestsits brandahead of the safety of the scouts.

Already under pressure from declining enrollment, the Scouts have worked to minimize the financial impact of sex abuse litigation. The group has paid more than $11 million to the law firm leading its legal defense and has doubled its level of insurance reserves since the records were made public. The group has also raised dues and, in the interest of reaching a new audience, opened its programming to girls starting next year, when the traditional scouting program will be renamed Scouts BSA.

Its also in court with its insurance companies, which argue that they shouldnt have to pay claims related to abuse that the Scouts could have reasonably prevented. BSA and several councils sued the Hartford Accident and Indemnity Co. and First State Insurance Co. in Texas for $13.5 million in June, after the insurers argued that BSAs own records showed the organization hadnt done enough to warn or protect kids. These werent unrelated incidents, according to the insurers, but all the result of the organizations failure to warn parents of the risk. In a different legal dispute, insurers are refusing to pay for sex-abuse settlements and legal defense fees, arguing that the events werent accidents, or even unforeseen.

We have a social and moral responsibility to fairly compensate victims who suffered abuse during their time in Scouting, and we also have an obligation to carry out our mission to serve youth, families and local communities, Surbaugh said in his statement. At no time in our history have we knowingly allowed a sexual predator to work with youth, and we always seek to act swiftly when alerted to abuse allegations.

At the same time, the organization has lobbied lawmakers in various states to limit its exposure  seeking to defeat measures that would give child victims more time to claim damages as adults. Last year, the Boy Scouts spent almost $950,000 on lobbying, four times its average over the previous five years. The group doesnt say how all of that money was spent, but the increase was enough to draw the scrutiny of nine members of Congress, who expressed concern about the nature of the groups advocacy.

More kids participate in the Boy Scouts than in almost any other American organization. Even after years of declining enrollment, more than 2 million youth participated in its programs in 2017, where they were supervised by 889,000 adult leaders. By some measures, its reach dwarfs that of the U.S. Catholic church, which has been reckoning with its own history of systemic abuse: There are fewer kids in American Catholic schools than in Scouts programs, and grownup volunteers outnumber practicing priests in the U.S. by more than 20 to 1.

Since the 1980s, the Boy Scouts have made active efforts to address and prevent sex abuse, Delimarkos said. Volunteers have to pass background checks and complete youth-protection training every two years. Rules prohibit one-on-one contact between adults and kids, on social media and in person. All volunteers and employees are required to go to law enforcement with any allegations or suspicions of abuse. Theres a 24-hour help line for reporting concerns and violations, and staff members are available to support victims and their families.

Its good that theyre trying to address it, says Lawson, whose case awaits a judges ruling on whether his claims against the Boy Scouts as an organization can move forward. But I dont know how you atone for the past as well.

In personal-injury law, victims typically have a finite amount of time to seek damages. For a car accident or a slip-and-fall, that makes sense. Those injuries and related damages are readily apparent and describable. Survivors of sexual assault, especially those who were victimized as children, sometimes need decades to come forward, let alone press charges or seek damages. As the last 18 months have cast in sharp relief, even adults with power, fame and money are often loath to point a finger at an abuser.

Look at how hard it is for adults to come forward, says Steven Berkowitz, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and visiting professor in psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. There are so many factors and obstacles and difficulties in our legal system and otherwise, why would you put yourself through that?

In recognition of the obstacles for child victims, states have responded with laws that effectively give survivors more time to sue. Washington became the first to change its statute of limitations: Since 1988, victims of child sex abuse have been able to bring claims within three years of the act, or three years from the time they remember the abuse or realize its damaging effects.

In some parts of the U.S., survivors can now bring claims into their 30s and 40s. Several states have created opportunities, often referred to as look-back windows, to seek justice for older cases. California, Delaware, Minnesota and Hawaii are among those that have given plaintiffs limited time periods of one to three years to bring lawsuits that would have otherwise been barred. All told, about 3,525 cases have been filed that would have otherwise been too old, according to Child USA, an advocacy group that tracks legal protections for children.

Even when they cant overcome the statute of limitations for personal injury, some plaintiffs lawyers have gotten creative and, increasingly, judges have been receptive. In Idaho, Montana, Iowa and Oregon, courts have allowed plaintiffs to sue for fraud, using the Boy Scouts records as evidence that the organization knew about, and covered up, a pervasive sex-abuse problem. For fraud claims, the statute of limitations starts only when victims discover the alleged fraud.

The Ordeal provides Scouts with little food and requires them to sleep alone

Much of the litigation explosion traces to a case that began in 2007, when six men in Oregon sued the Boy Scouts, alleging abuse at the hands of an assistant scoutmaster in the 1980s. At the time, Oregon allowed victims to file suit up to their 26th birthday or three years from when they discovered the connection between their childhood abuse and their injuries. The state later extended the statute of limitations for victims to age 40.

During the first trial in the Oregon suits, the jury was allowed to read thousands of the Boy Scouts internal records related to abuse. This was a first; no previous jury or plaintiff had seen the scope and detail of how the organization handled sexual-misconduct allegations. The jury awarded plaintiff Kerry Lewis more than $19 million in damages.

The case brought new national attention to the BSAs problem with child abuseand eventually, the groups efforts to shield its internal records from public view unraveled. In 2012, Oregon forced the release of the files presented as evidence in the trial: a list of more than 1,200 men alleged to have been involved in sexual abuse or misconduct between 1965 and 1985, as documented and tracked by the national organization.

Survivors could suddenly see for themselves that their experience wasnt anomalous. One man who would eventually scroll through an online database of the files was Robb Lawson. In 2015, he began his own investigation of what happened to him in the Boy Scouts. He found an entry for Gainesville, Georgia, his hometown, with no name listed. It also contained a troop number that didnt exist in Gainesville, and no further documentation except a year: 1995.

With about 40,000 people, Gainesville is a small place, and smaller still for Lawson, whose great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather and mother had all served as mayor. Together with his lawyer, Lawson started asking around. It didnt take long to come up with a name for the trip leader Lawson remembered: R. Fleming Weaver, a deacon in the First Baptist Church of Gainesville and, for more than a decade, a scout troop leader in the area.

In 2015, Lawson got a legal opening to sue Weaver when Georgia instituted a two-year look-back window. Weaver, now in his mid-80s, denies Lawsons claims. His lawyer declined to comment.

The Georgia look-back window did not apply to institutions, but Lawson filed suit against the Boy Scouts as well, alleging the group engaged in racketeering and conspiracy by covering up Weavers actions and hiding the widespread abuse in other troops. He also alleged the group was creating a public nuisance: Despite knowing that child predators operate within their organizations, BSA and the Northeast Georgia Council continue to hold themselves out as organizations of integrity and safety and continue to actively solicit new members.

Lawsons lawyer, Esther Panitch, says that the Boy Scouts have a file of accusations against Weaver dating to his time as a troop leader before he moved to Georgia, but the BSA hasnt turned the records over. The organization has said in court filings only that it has since acquired knowledge that Weaver had been accused of sexually abusing Scouts in other troops prior to his work with Troop 26 in Gainesville.

The Boy Scouts asked the court to dismiss the charges, arguing that the claims are too old, and that Georgias look-back window applied only to cases against people, not institutions. The judge partially agreed, though he hasnt yet ruled on the conspiracy and public nuisance claims, which have a longer shelf life.

We are damned determined to explore any possible avenue toward getting the Boy Scouts to be held responsible, says Panitch. The problem is they are still hiding the files. Theres been a reckoning in the country, and the Boy Scouts are still not owning what they did.

In 2017, a new proposal with the potential to boost Lawsons case began making its way through the Georgia legislature: It would have opened a one-year look-back window for claims against institutions that intentionally or with conscious indifference concealed evidence of abuse. The Boy Scouts hired several lobbyists to fight the measure. After passing the state House unanimously last February, it died in the Senate judiciary committee.

The BSA takes pride in the political success of its graduates. By its own tally, 150 members of the U.S. Congress were scouts or volunteered as adults. It is also one of a relative handful of organizations to have a congressional charter, along with the U.S. Olympic Committee and a slew of veterans groups.

Advocates for statute of limitations reform say theres new hope for success. The New York State Senate, the stumbling block in previous efforts, has switched from Republican to Democratic control. And in California, Jerry Brown, who has twice vetoed such legislation since 2013, will soon be replaced by governor-elect Gavin Newsom.

At the federal level, congressional oversight is typically pretty minimal, but last month, a handful of representatives asked the Boy Scouts to answer questions about allegations that the group shielded volunteers it knew to be predators and reports of its efforts to stymie look-back proposals in Georgia, Michigan and New York.

As BSA prepares to welcome girls and young women into its programs, we are concerned about what your position means for the safety and well-being of these future recruits, Representative Jackie Speier, a California Democrat, and eight other representatives wrote in a letter dated Nov. 20. They requested information on safety procedures and reporting mechanisms, and additional precautions the organization may be putting in place as it tries to attract girls into the ranks.

In response, the Scouts plan to ask Congress for federal support to advance child safety, according to Delimarkos, including allowing youth-services organizations to share information about individuals who have been removed from their programs for alleged inappropriate conducteven if the individuals have not been arrested or convicted.

Meanwhile, the Boy Scouts continue to confer the Order of the Arrow on boys who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives. It begins with a mandatory induction ceremony, still called, as it was in Lawsons childhood, the Ordeal  a camping trip that provides little food and requires participants to sleep alone at night. Scouts are expected to maintain silence the entire time.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.
A Northern California utility on Monday said it terminated one of its contractors helping with wildfire recovery after three workers posted on social media insensitive photos and comments poking fun at victims and the region.

Pacific Gas & Electric said Bigge Crane and Rigging Co. will no longer help the utility repair widespread damage to its power lines caused by the states most destructive wildfire on Nov. 8.

PG&E spokesman Paul Doherty said he does not know if the San Leandro, California-based company will continue to work with the utility elsewhere in the state.

The posts were widely shared on social media and the photos showed the former workers sitting in front of destroyed homes, pretending to drive a burned out vehicle and jumping through the remnants of childs trampoline. One photo showed a dead cat with a beer bottle in its mouth.

Bigges corporate counsel, Randy Smith, said in statement Monday that the company fired the three workers after the Paradise city administrator complained about the posts.

We expressed  and express again  our deepest regrets to the residents of Paradise and Butte County who were egregiously insulted during an already devastating time at the hands of these three individuals, Smith said in a post on the companys Website.

Smith didnt return a phone call from The Associated Press on Monday.

PG&E is facing a growing number of lawsuits alleging its equipment started the Camp Fire that killed at least 86 people, destroyed 14,000 homes and leveled Paradise, a city of 27,000 residents. PG&E reported an equipment malfunction at the time and location where the fire started, causing its stock to plummet 40 percent.

The companys share price fell $1.57, or 6 percent, on Monday after the California Public Utilities Commission announced the utility falsified records to hide the fact it didnt have enough workers to locate and mark natural-gas pipelines between 2012 and 2017.

Investigators have not determined the cause of the wildfire, but say the utilitys equipment caused 17 wildfires last year. PG&E is liable for any damage caused by its equipment even if its not at fault.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
By Trend





Russia is a strategic partner of Turkmenistan, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said at a government meeting, Trend reports referring to the Turkmen TV channel Altyn Asyr.

The peculiarity of bilateral relations includes long-term close cooperation in the international political arena, mutual support of the initiatives being put forward, the Turkmen president said.

"The Turkmen-Russian economic partnership is characterized by a focus on expanding areas of joint work, establishing direct trade and economic ties with the regions of Russia," he noted.

About 190 companies with Russian capital operate in Turkmenistan.

The ARETI International Croup holding (formerly ITERA) has been operating since 2009 in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea on the basis of the production sharing agreement.








A student-run organization, Ohio Dreamers, is holding a motivational conference with speakers, executives and entrepreneurs from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, at the Hudson High School Auditorium.

Called the "Dream Event," attendees can hear how each speaker followed their dream path, and learn from their struggles and experiences. They will also be able to ask questions.

Speakers include Carl Topilow, conductor of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra; Dan Flowers, president of the Akron-Canton Foodbank; entrepreneur Rob Heiser; Cynthia Kubu, a Cleveland Clinic doctor and neuropsychologist; Mark Kawada, general manager of Pier W Restaurant; Jodi Berg, chief executive officer of Vita-Mix; James Rose, managing director of Deloitte Consulting; and Amanda Montgomery, vice president of human resources at The Timken Company.

Ohio Dreamers is based in Hudson. It was founded by Boston Meeker, who attended the Disney Dreamers Academy at Walt Disney World and was inspired to provide a similar experience on a regional basis.

To register for the Hudson event and purchase tickets, visitOhioDeamers.org.

From fresh ideas to fresh food: Shop the Geauga Fresh Farmers' Market from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 29, indoors at Lowe's Greenhouse, 16540 Chillicothe Road in Bainbridge. Township.

The indoor markets will continue every other Saturday through March 23. Keep up to date on weekly specials at geaugafarmersmarket.com.

Quilt Guild display: The Chagrin Valley Quilt Guild will display the crafts of its members during library hours in January and February at the Chagrin Falls Branch Library. The display opens Jan. 2. Contact 440-247-3556.

Solon student Landon Feinstein, right, helps a Lake Farmpark worker create a wooden toy for a Christmas gift. (Photo Courtesy of St. Rita School)

Solon students help Santa's elves: Second-graders from Solon's St. Rita School completed their service project and lent Santa's elves a hand to make wooden toys before Christmas at Lake Farmpark. The toys were wrapped with other small gifts and donated to Cuyahoga County Social Services. Social workers delivered the toys to families in need.

Oh, Christmas tree: When the needles fall and the tinsel tarnishes, the Chagrin Falls Street Department offers curbside collection of holiday trees. This season, that collection will occur on Monday, Jan. 7, and Monday, Jan. 21, from all homes in the village, weather permitting.

After removing all decorations, garland, tinsel and lights, place your tannenbaum on your tree lawn for collection. Trees will be ground up and recycled as mulch.

No decorated or artificial trees will be accepted. Call 440-247-5053 with any questions.

Onstage and off with Kurt Weill: Learn the back story of the creator of Bertolt Brecht, "The Threepenny Opera," from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Jan. 2-23, at 25700 Science Park Drive in Beachwood.

Kurt Weill had a successful career as an opera and concert composer before he fled Germany in 1933. Arriving in the United States in 1935, he wrote and orchestrated scores for Broadway shows and films.

Taught by Don Rosenberg, president of the Music Critics Association of North America, the program is presented by Case Western Reserve University's Siegal Lifelong Learning center.

Enjoy Sunday jazz underground: Chagrin Arts' popular offering of French cuisine and live jazz in a speakeasy environment is set to continue in the New Year at Paris Room, 7 N. Franklin St.

Unfortunately, the Jan. 13 date with musicians Kevin Muhammad and Al Kragel is sold out, but interested patrons can sign up for future gigs at chagrinarts.org. The cost is $55 per person and includes a four-course meal and live jazz show.

Borrow snowshoes this winter: If the snowshoe fits, borrow it. The Geauga Park District is offering free loaners for Geauga County residents from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily at The West Woods park.

There must be at least a few inches of snow on the ground to snowshoe, and the deeper it is, the better experience you'll have.

The snowshoes may not leave the park. Borrowers must be at least 18 years old, and there is a two-hour maximum per trip. Younger borrowers must be accompanied by an adult. Registrants must sign a waiver form and leave their driver's license as a security deposit. Out-of-county residents will pay a $5 rental fee with a credit card.

Reservations are not necessary, but a call to 440-279-0880 can be made to check availability on the first-come, first-served program.

For a guided experience: Add your name to the call list at bit.ly/gpdsscall2019 and you will be contacted when conditions are right through March 1 for a group snowshoe hike with a park guide or volunteer. The West Woods Nature Center is located at 9465 Kinsman Road in Russell Township.

To post your news and events, contact Rusek at jcooperrusek@gmail.com.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  A U.S. Marshals task force arrested a suspect in a Florida double homicide on Friday in Cleveland.

The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force arrested Raymond Diaz, 25, at a relatives home on Highlandview Avenue near West 130th Street, U.S. Marshals said in a news release.

Diaz is charged with two counts of murder in an Oct. 3 shooting in Palm Beach County, Florida. He shot two men in the back of the head as he sat in the backseat of a car, marshals said.

He fled to Cleveland after the shooting because he has family in the area, marshals said.

The Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office obtained a warrant for his arrest Thursday, and the task force arrested him without incident the next day, marshals said.

Daniel Del Valle, 30, and Osvaldo Gomez-Alberto, 22, were killed in the shooting. They were found dead in a car that crashed into an apartment building, according to The Palm Beach Post.

Diaz is in custody at the Cuyahoga County Jail as he awaits extradition to Florida.

To comment on this story, visit Fridays crime and courts comments page.
ASHLAND, Ohio  Two men who escaped from a jail in Kentucky were captured Thursday night near Ashland after a chase that lasted nearly 100 miles, according to reports.

Deputies with the Franklin County Sheriffs Department chased down and arrested Brandon Long, 32, and Paul Napier, 30, after the two inmates jumped from their car on Interstate 71 and tried to run, WCMH Channel 4 reports.

An unidentified person driving the vehicle also was taken into custody.

The men escaped from the Lewis County Detention Center in Vanceburg, Ky., at about 3 p.m. Thursday. Vanceburg is located on the Ohio River about 115 miles south of Columbus.

According to 10tv.com, a car crashed into a utility pole and knocked out power at the jail, allowing the two men to slip out of a side door.

At about 8:45 p.m., Around 8:45pm, a deputy spotted a stolen car believed to be driven by the suspects, WCMH reports, and began chasing the car. The chase started near Columbus and continued through four counties before ending near Ashland.

Long and Napier were in jail after both being convicted on burglary charges, WSAZ Channel 3 reports.

To comment on this story, visit the crime and courts comments page.
CINCINNATI, Ohio  A longtime officer with the Cincinnati Police Department was found dead Thursday in a vehicle in a city park, according to reports.

Sgt. Arthur T. Schultz had been with the department for 28 years and was well-respected, Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac tells the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Schultzs body was found in a vehicle in Eden Park at about 12:30 p.m., WCPO Channel 9 reports. Investigators have not said how he died but say it was not natural."

We always presume homicide until its proven otherwise, Hamilton County Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco tells the Enquirer. Sammarco says investigators are considering homicide, suicide and accidental causes.

It was a very emotional scene, Isaac said in a news conference, according to reports. This is a very difficult time for the department. My heart goes out to the family and the coworkers of our brother officer.

To comment on this story, visit the crime and courts comments page.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The question over who will lead the Ohio House may finally be settled next week, with a speakers vote scheduled after Christmas.

Republican members of the 133rd General Assembly -- in other words, the class that will be sworn in for a two-year term that begins Jan. 7 -- have been summoned to Columbus on Thursday for a leadership election. The leader will be a Republican, since the party will hold the majority of seats.

Speaker Ryan Smith of Gallia County and Rep. Larry Householder, a former House speaker from Perry County, have been locked in a nasty battle to secure enough votes to win the prized position.

Other representatives will likely throw their names into the race as well, although the competition most people are eyeing is between Smith and Householder, believing one of the two is most likely to prevail.

Smith was only elected speaker in June, after the resignation of former Speaker Cliff Rosenberger and after weeks of a similar Republican House impasse.

With the next General Assembly scheduled to begin in just three weeks, the question of who will lead the chamber is usually settled by now. But this year, the delays and behind-the-scenes cajoling have frustrated lobbyists, influential business organizations and other members of the public.

Since the proverbial buck stops with the speaker, knowing the identity of the next one helps people figure out who they need to appeal to for bills. The speaker also sets the tone and favors and opposes different kinds of legislation.

Most of the Smith/Householder battle has been behind the scenes. However, on Thursday, Housholder accused Rep. Jim Hoops, who has been among the voices calling for an immediate speakers vote, of pledging support to Smith in exchange for his recent appointment to the House.

Members of labor unions have tried to corral House Democrats into the Householder camp. Householder is seen as friendlier to organized labor than Smith.

However, Rep. Theresa Gavarone, a Republican who was involved in the selection process that resulted in Hoops' appointment, released a statement after the allegations, saying the speakers race wasnt a factor in the appointment.

In addition to speaker, members will also need to select people for the following positions, which each have a role in prioritizing and shepherding legislation to become law: speaker pro tempore, majority floor leader, assistant majority floor leader, majority whip and assistant majority whip.

Thursdays 3 p.m. GOP caucus will be closed to the public.

On Jan. 7, the first day of the next legislative session, there will be a vote on the House floor, in which Democrats will participate and likely throw their own candidates in. But a Republican is expected to win the speakership.
Republicans who run the General Assembly have virtually invited Republican Gov. John Kasich to veto a pay raise the legislature wants to give itself and other elected officials.

The part-time, do-very-little Ohio legislature doesn't deserve more money, although some local and state officials arguably may.

But the particularly seamy way this measure was passed and the last-minute timing in how it was inserted into an otherwise uncontroversial and worthy bill during the waning days of a lame-duck session are demonstrably wrong. Kasich should veto Senate Bill 296.

A state legislator's base pay is now $60,584 a year -- but most are paid more, either because of salary supplements doled out by the Ohio Senate president and Ohio House speaker or because they've been elected as officers of their chamber.

If Kasich doesn't veto SB 296, rammed through the General Assembly on Dec. 13, base pay for a legislator will rise to $63,007 in January, then, gradually, to $76,208 in 2028.

The bill would also boost other elected officials' salaries, including, in most of Ohio's counties, pushing up the pay of county commissioners, sheriffs, prosecutors, coroners, treasurers, auditors, engineers and clerks of common pleas courts by 5 percent next year, 5 percent in 2020 and 1.75 percent in 2021 through 2028.

The bill also would increase the pay of statewide officeholders. The governor's salary, for example, now $148,315, would rise to $154,248 when Gov.-elect Mike DeWine is sworn in next month, then rise gradually through 2028.

Some of this may be justified. But the legislature's debate wasn't data-based. Instead, the argument seemed to be that, well, it's been a long time since legislators have had a raise. (Countless Ohioans can reply, "Welcome to the club.") But that was enough for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to vote "yes." On the key roll-calls, proponents included 20 Senate Republicans and eight Senate Democrats, and 43 House Republicans and 25 House Democrats.

The Ohio Constitution forbids in-term pay raises. If an elected official will begin a new term on Jan. 1 - as will all 99 House members and 17 of 33 state senators - any raises for them must become law by Dec. 31. That check-and-balance is supposed to explain this month's Statehouse frenzy.

But the legislature first met last year. From then till this year's Nov. 6 election, Ohio's House and Senate had 672 days to pass a pay raise. Either legislators can't make a reasonable case to voters for a pay raise, or legislators don't trust voters' intelligence and logic (except, of course, when voters elect those same legislators).

What's more, consider this particularly deplorable facet of the pay raise: SB 296, introduced in May and co-sponsored by Sen. Frank LaRose, a Hudson Republican who'll become secretary of state in January, was aimed at increasing the death benefits Ohio pays survivors of law enforcement officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty. That's the worthiest of causes. It deserves every Ohioan's support.

But that's also exactly why, in a move that's cynical even by this legislature's "anything goes" standards, the House grafted pay raises onto LaRose's bill. That is, to vote against pay raises required a General Assembly member to also vote against better benefits for the families of the men and women who lose their lives protecting ours.

Little wonder that Frank LaRose, to his credit, said this in a Dec. 13 tweet: "Yesterday, a House committee added a pay raise for elected officials onto SB 296, my bill to extend death benefits for families of fallen first responders. I oppose that 11th hour maneuver, and as a result have directed the Senate to take my name off of the bill."

Yesterday, a House committee added a pay raise for elected officials onto SB296, my bill to extend death benefits for families of fallen first responders. I oppose that 11th hour maneuver, and as a result have directed the Senate to take my name off of the bill.  Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) December 14, 2018

The Senate did remove his name, and LaRose didn't vote on the bill.

Because Senate Bill 296 doesn't make an appropriation, Kasich can't line-item parts of it. He must sign SB 296, veto it, or let it become law without his signature.

Given the cynical maneuver used to crowbar the pay raises to passage, Senate Bill 296 has earned a veto. And when the 133rd General Assembly takes its seats next year, without Frank LaRose in the hall, someone else must take up the cause and reintroduce a bill to provide the benefits he intended for the families of those fallen Ohio first responders who sacrificed their lives for the rest of us.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio  U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan has some strong feelings about the potential government shutdown.

The Niles-area Democrat gave an impassioned speech on the House floor Thursday night chastising Republicans for chaotic nature of Washington politics. The message: get it together and govern.

Washington has been a hectic place this week. After the Senate announced a deal to fund the government, Republicans in the House  led by fellow Ohio U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan  along with President Donald Trump, instead said they would shut down the government. The hang-up on a funding deal is Trumps demand that Congress give $5 billion for a border wall.

Compounding that issue is Trumps decision  announced via Twitter  that he was pulling troops out of Syria and reports that hes possibly pulling some ground forces out of Afghanistan. Secretary of Defense James Mattis resigned, rebuking Trump in a letter on the way out.

In short, Washington hasnt functioned smoothly this week and Ryan  whos mentioned the possibility of running for president  made his distaste clear.

You guys are living in the past. And this government is in chaos, Ryan said. Its in a freefall. The markets in a freefall. The staffing at the White House is in a freefall. The Secretary of Defense is gone. Were pulling out of Syria. What is going on? You are in charge of the House, Senate and White House. Get a grip! And learn how to govern the country.

To view the whole speech, watch the video above.
COLUMBUS, OhioState Rep. Kathleen Clyde, the Democratic nominee for secretary of state this year, announced Friday she has resigned from the legislature to become a Portage County commissioner.

Clyde, a term-limited Kent resident who was set to leave office in a couple of weeks anyway, was appointed to the commission Thursday night by the Portage County Democratic Party Central Committee. She will take the seat vacated by Democrat Mike Kerrigan, who resigned earlier this month citing personal reasons.

Clyde, considered a leading Democratic voice on voting rights and elections issues, lost the Ohio secretary of states race last month to Republican Frank LaRose by about 4 percentage points.

In a statement Clyde said she would focus on fighting for economic development, workers and their families, and effective and efficient government.

After eight years in a gerrymandered legislature whose conservative majorities seemed increasingly out of touch with the struggles of every day Ohioans, it's so good to be home, she stated.

Clyde represents House District 75, which covers the southern half of Portage County. Democrat Randi Clites was elected in November to succeed Clyde starting next year.
SOLON, Ohio -- OVI, Ohio 91: At 3:20 p.m. Dec. 15, police responded to a call of a crash in which a car traveled left of center, struck an oncoming car and pushed that car into another vehicle.

The offending driver, a Twinsburg man, 63, was found to be impaired. He had a blood-alcohol content of .170, above the state minimum for drunk driving of .08.

Police charged the man with OVI, prohibited blood-alcohol content, driving left of center and, due to the injuries sustained by a passenger in one of the other vehicles, aggravated vehicular assault.

Theft, Aurora Road: At 2:20 p.m. Dec. 13, police were called to Market District, 34310 Aurora Road, where a man was seen stuffing merchandise into his jacket. When confronted, the man ran.

Police located the suspect nearby and recovered some of the stolen goods. The Erie, Pa., man, 50, was charged with theft.

Assault, Aurora Road: At 2:50 p.m. Dec. 13, officers were called to a home where an altercation between a man, 49, and a woman had taken place.

Officers learned that the woman, 47, had used her shoe to repeatedly strike and injure the man. Police charged the woman with assault.

Theft, S.O.M. Center Road: At 10:30 a.m. Dec. 14, a Hudson woman, 24, reported that, the day before, she had left her purse at Dunkin' Donuts, 6353 S.O.M. Center Road. When she returned to the store an hour later, she found that someone had taken the purse, which contained $250 to $300, a credit card, her driver's license and miscellaneous ID.

Police were unable to obtain video surveillance evidence of the crime.

Burglary, Pettibone Road: At 2:55 p.m. Dec. 14, residents returned to their home after having been away since 9:30 that morning. The residents found that their home had been ransacked. Cash was stolen.

The detective bureau is investigating.

Domestic violence, Aurora Road: At 1 a.m. Dec. 15, police were dispatched to an apartment where a woman had been heard screaming and glass was heard breaking.

Officers learned that the man and woman who live in the apartment, and who have two children together, had been arguing and that the man had assaulted the woman.

The man, 26, was charged with domestic violence for assaulting the woman, 28.

OVI, Ohio 43: At 3:45 p.m. Dec. 15, dispatch received a call about a van that was seen weaving and that had almost struck another vehicle. Police located the van, still weaving, and conducted a traffic stop.

The driver failed field sobriety tests and was later found to have a blood-alcohol content of .211.

The driver, a Solon man, 54, was charged with OVI, prohibited BAC and not driving within marked lanes.

OVI, U.S. 422: At 12:50 a.m. Dec. 16, an officer noticed a car repeatedly traveling over the fog line and conducted a traffic stop.

The driver, a Cleveland man, 27, failed field sobriety tests and had a blood-alcohol content of .095. Police charged the man with OVI, prohibited BAC and with a marked-lanes violation.

Theft, Aurora Road: At 12:35 p.m. Dec. 18, a Solon girl, 16, reported that eight days earlier, she had been in Starbuck's, 34182 Aurora Road, when she put down her wallet to put cream and sugar into her coffee.

The girl went on to leave the coffee shop, forgetting her wallet. On Dec. 17, a credit card that had been in the wallet was used to make unauthorized purchases on Amazon.com totaling $141. The girl canceled her credit card. Police are investigating.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.
Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (Added) has signed a service level agreement (SLA) with Federal Transport Authority  Land & Maritime to facilitate and simplify procedures of issuing final approval for economic licenses.



The SLA was signed at the headquarters of ADDED by Rashid Abdul Kareem Al Blooshi, acting undersecretary of ADDED and Ahmed Mohamed Shareef Al Khouri, director general of the Federal Transport Authority  Land & Maritime.



The agreement aimed at identifying the common operational framework, governing the relationship between ADDED and the Authority pertaining to all procedures of economic licenses & approvals in Abu Dhabi, besides defining roles and functions of each side to ensure business continuity and the delivery of high quality services.



Under this agreement, both sides shall work to create a working system that guarantee the simplification, facilitation and development of procedures required to obtain economic licenses in the Emirate through the single-window. In which coordination with competent authorities and mutual cooperation is maintained, in order to support initiatives & programs to meet the strategic objectives of Abu Dhabi Business Center.



The agreement includes regulatory appendices to implement the E-connectivity project between ADDED and the Authority concerning the scope of services and the operating system of Abu Dhabi Business Center, in addition to mechanism of collection (document of finance procedures for entities) and channels of communication, schedules of economic activities, technical requirements of the system, Change Management System, and powers of the use of the system.



Al Blooshi underlined that DED is keen to finalize E-connectivity project with all Government Federal & local entities, concerned with adopting the issuance of economic licenses at the level of the Emirate. Intended to simplify and facilitate prefectures by customers, reflecting the concern of the DED to enhance competitiveness of doing business in Abu Dhabi among international reports.



He also indicated that E-connectivity project between Abu Dhabi Business Center and Government Federal & local entities comes as part of the DED's initiatives and projects which aim to provide "single-window" services to customers to obtain their trade, industrial and tourism activities.



Al Khouri said that the authority is keen to support initiatives and projects of local departments thereby realizing its strategic objectives in enhancing the competiveness of the State in doing businesses at regional & international levels.



He also pointed out that the authority is interested in issuing the operating licenses for land transportation companies and the operating cards for vehicles working on federal roads. And among its other activities, it grants initial approvals for some economic licenses whose nature of work requires that.  TradeArabia News Service
GCC Engineering Federation secretary-general Dr Kamal bin Abdullah Al Hamad commended the UAEs global stature and achievements in the infrastructure sector at a meeting with Dr Abdullah bin Mohammed Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Infrastructure Development in Dubai.



The meeting, which was held at the ministrys headquarters in Dubai, was also attended by Engineer Mohammed Mashroum, president of the Engineers Association in the UAE, and Engineer Soliman Abdulrahman Al Hajeri, secretary-general of the association.



During the meeting, Al Nuaimi received an invitation to attend the "GCC Engineering Forum", which will be held in Saudi Arabia, under the title, "The Future of the GCC Engineer, in Light of the Fourth Industrial Revolution."



The federation also offered him an honorary membership to the federation, in appreciation of his efforts to promote engineering professions in GCC countries.



Dr Al Nuaimi lauded the achievements of the federation since its establishment in 1997, as well as the association while stressing that the ministry supports them both.-TradeArabia News Service
Walmart operates more than 11,000 locations across 27 countries. In June 2018, Walmart sold 80 percent of its stake in Brazil, a country where it once had 558 storefronts at its peak. Watch this video to find out why the American retailer had to pull back from the Brazilian market.






A key piece of legislation that will pave the way to a legal cannabis economy in the United States could pass as soon as 2019, Kevin Murphy, the founder, chairman and CEO of Acreage Holdings, told CNBC on Thursday.

"We believe it's not necessarily an if, but a when, and I believe it's not within the next couple of years. I believe it takes place in 2019," Murphy told Jim Cramer in an exclusive "Mad Money" interview.

Murphy was referring to the STATES Act, a bipartisan bill crafted by Sens. Cory Gardner and Elizabeth Warren. An acronym for "Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States," the bill would pave the way for U.S.-based cannabis businesses like Acreage to run their operations legally, have accounts at federally regulated banks and list on U.S. stock exchanges if passed.

Murphy said that the passage would also mark the start of a cannabis industry migration to the U.S. market.

"All of these companies today are headed to Canada. Canada is one-tenth the size of the opportunity here in the U.S., and we all know the prize is here," he said, adding that passing the act would lead to "big investment [and] big conglomerates coming back to the U.S."

Acreage Holdings made headlines in April when former Republican House Speaker John Boehner said he would join its board of directors, saying that his views on cannabis "evolved" as he learned more about its benefits.

Boehner isn't the only big name on Acreage's board. In recent months, the company has added the former CEO of Time Warner Telecom, former CFO of IBM and former prime minister of Canada to its upper ranks.

Those leaders, particularly the politicians, have "afforded [Acreage] great success" as the company expands its U.S. footprint, which has grown to 19 states, Murphy said.

"They can make a phone call, and they get accomplished, in that phone call, [something] that would've taken me six months to get done prior to that," the CEO said, adding that his positive outlook on the U.S. cannabis space stems from the notion that it "is one of the only bipartisan issues in Washington today."

Acreage Holdings is a cannabis investment company that describes itself as having "among the most diverse portfolios of cultivation, processing and dispensing operations in the U.S." The New York-based operator went public on the Canadian Securities Exchange in mid-November having raised more than $314 million ahead of the debut.

On the company's website, its stated mission "is to become the world's leading cannabis company, bringing safe, affordable cannabis to everyone who needs it."
Campbell Soup named Mark Clouse, the former CEO of Pinnacle Foods, as its new chief executive on Thursday, a key step in the U.S. company's efforts to regain market share and boost profits.

Clouse has a reputation as a seasoned food industry operator. Shares in Pinnacle Foods surged 54 percent during his tenure as CEO, widely outperforming packaged food peers, most of which have lost share value in recent years as they struggle to grow sales among increasingly health-conscious shoppers.

Reuters reported the news earlier on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter who said Clouse's appointment would be announced imminently.

He has the support of Campbell Soup shareholder and activist hedge fund Third Point, which has been hoping Campbell Soup will eventually be sold, according to the sources. Clouse led Pinnacle as CEO between 2016 and earlier this year, when that company was sold to Conagra Brands for $8.1 billion.

A military veteran who served in the U.S. Army after having graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, Clouse began working in the food industry more than two decades ago. He had been chief growth officer at Oreo-maker Mondelez International and previously worked in marketing at Kraft Heinz.

By picking Clouse, Campbell Soup has made good on its promise to name a new CEO before the end of the year. It operated for months with an interim chief, Keith McLoughlin, after former CEO Denise Morrison left in abruptly in May. McLoughlin will remain a director, Campbell said.

The exact details of Clouse's compensation package as Campbell Soup CEO could not be learned. In 2017, Clouse earned $5.22 million as Pinnacle Foods CEO. In 2016, he earned $14.1 million.

Campbell shares were down 1.1 pct aftermarket at $37.27.

The company has been struggling for some time, trailing other food companies, as its stock price tumbled 20 percent in the last 52 weeks. Its foray into fresh foods faltered, its soup sales shrunk and Wall Street questioned the company's aggressive acquisitions, led by former CEO Morrison, that failed to lift profits and saddled the company with fresh debt.

"Mark was the board's top choice due to his success leading organizations through significant transformations," Campbell said in a statement, adding that Third Point provided input into the CEO search process and supported Clouse's appointment.

The news of the new CEO comes just weeks after Campbell and Third Point settled a bitter proxy contest. Third Point initially proposed sweeping out all 12 Campbell's directors and then ended up settling for two board seats.

As part of the settlement, two Third Point nominees, marketing expert Sarah Hofstetter and food industry veteran Kurt Schmidt, were added to the board and a third director will be chosen later. The hedge fund was also given an opportunity to weigh in on who the new CEO would be, according to the settlement.

Campbell's board, including three heirs to John Dorrance, the chemist who invented condensed soup and ran Campbell's a century ago, conducted a strategic review earlier this year and agreed to sell its international and fresh refrigerated-foods units.

The Wall Street Journal had reported last month that Clouse was the leading candidate to be Campbell Soup's next CEO.
Special counsel Robert Mueller (2nd L) leaves after a closed meeting with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee June 21, 2017 at the Capitol in Washington, DC.

Special counsel Robert Mueller is nearing the end of his historic investigation into Russian election interference and is expected to submit a confidential report to the attorney general as early as mid-February, government officials and others familiar with the situation tell NBC News.

"They clearly are tying up loose ends," said a lawyer who has been in contact with the Mueller team.

The sources either did not know or would not say whether Mueller has answered the fundamental question he was hired to investigate: Whether Trump or anyone around him conspired with the Russian intelligence operations to help his campaign.

More from NBC News:

Democrats have a plan to get Donald Trump's tax returns  an obscure 1924 law

Whitaker cleared to oversee Mueller investigation

Judge in Michael Flynn and asylum cases has a tough reputation

Mueller has not made public any evidence proving such a conspiracy, though he has rebutted in court filings the president's assertion that neither he nor any of his top aides had met or talked with Russians during the 2016 race. They did, according to Mueller; and, in the case of his lawyer's negotiations over a Trump Tower in Moscow, Trump knew about it, court filings say.

Mueller has also examined the question whether the president obstructed justice, and is expected to address that matter in his report. Whether the special counsel will accuse the president of wrongdoing on that score is unclear.

Mueller was appointed in May 2017 in the wake of Trump's decision to fire the FBI director, James Comey. He inherited an FBI investigation that had been launched in July 2016, when intelligence agencies saw indications that people around Trump might be trying to help a Russian effort to boost the Trump presidential candidacy.

He has charged 33 people and convicted three senior Trump associates  former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn and lawyer Michael Cohen  who have cooperated with him to varying degrees.

One sign that Mueller is close to finishing, legal experts say, is that he has moved forward with the sentencing of those men  particularly Flynn, who he credited with substantial cooperation, much of which remains secret. Flynn's lawyers agreed to postpone his sentencing this week after it became clear the judge was considering imposing a prison sentence despite Mueller's recommendation of probation.

Generally, prosecutors prefer to delay the sentencing of cooperating witnesses until the case in which they are helping is over, to retain leverage over them and secure their testimony in court.

Mueller's spokesman, Peter Carr, declined to comment. The president's lawyer, Jay Sekulow, said, "We don't discuss conversations we've had or have not had with the office of special counsel."

Defense lawyers in the case have been talking among themselves about their belief that the investigation is coming to an end, two of them said.

The sources who spoke to NBC News warn that a few major outstanding matters could complicate Mueller's endgame. One is Mueller's desire to interview the president about all aspects of his investigation, including obstruction of justice matters about which the president has refused to answer questions.

If Mueller moved to subpoena the president, that could spark months of litigation that could delay his report. A source familiar with the matter says Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker would have to approve any such subpoena.

Vice President Pence has not been interviewed by the special counsel and has not appeared before his grand jury, according to a person familiar with his status in the investigation. Pence turned over emails to Mueller covering the presidential transition, the person said.

Whitaker, who made a series of disparaging comments about the Mueller probe as a television commentator, has not recused himself from supervising the investigation, NBC News reported Thursday.

It's not clear whether the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., has been interviewed by Mueller. The president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, spent seven hours answering the special counsel's questions in May, according to his lawyer, Abbe Lowell.

Another piece of unfinished business involves Trump associates Jerome Corsi and Roger Stone. Corsi has said he expects to be indicted for lying to investigators, which he denies, while Stone has told supporters, "Robert Mueller is coming for me," without offering specifics. The House Intelligence Committee voted Thursday to release a transcript of its interview with Stone at Mueller's request, a sign that that the special counsel could be moving to charge him. Corsi and Stone say they have done nothing wrong.

Mueller's report is not expected to address the separate investigation by New York federal prosecutors in which Cohen has implicated the president in a campaign finance felony. That investigation appears to be continuing, and Trump also will still have to contend with inquiries by the New York Attorney General and Congress.

U.S. officials familiar with the matter say the Justice Department and Congress have been planning for the delivery of a report by Mueller, on the assumption that at least some part of it would be made public. That would not be an easy process, given the extent to which the investigation has relied on classified information and grand jury testimony that is secret by law.

A Vietnam combat veteran who led the FBI after the 9/11 attacks, Mueller is not operating under the Independent Counsel statute that governed Kenneth Starr, whose salacious and controversial report about Bill Clinton's affair with a White House intern was delivered to Congress and the public at the same time in 1998, causing a sensation.

In Mueller's case, the acting attorney general, Whitaker, would receive the report and would have to decide what do to with it.

The regulations governing the special counsel say the special counsel "shall provide the Attorney General with a confidential report explaining the prosecution or declination decisions reached by the Special Counsel."

The Justice Department is likely to make some aspect of the report public, sources say. House Democrats, who will have subpoena power as of January, have said they will do everything they can to make sure it sees the light of day.
Construction workers are seen next to heavy machinery while working on a new border wall in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, as seen from the Mexican side of the border in San Jeronimo, on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico April 23, 2018.

A White House effort to win support for a border wall describing the project as "border security" with "steel slats" only serves as a reminder that the president's steep tariffs on the metal would make any such project much more expensive.

So far this year, the price of milled steel products is up roughly 25 percent, which matches the level of import duties Trump applied in March to all steel products made outside the U.S. That added cost to imports helped domestic makers of steel and milled products raise their prices as well.

Despite congressional Democrats' opposition to Trump's demands of $5 billion for a border wall, the president Friday seemed determined to force a government shutdown. The move is aimed at showing his core supporters that he is steadfast in his commitment to his signature campaign promise to build a physical barrier between the U.S. and Mexico.

In a fumbled effort at compromise with Capitol Hill, the White House on Thursday tried to appease wall critics in Congress by describing the project differently.

Trump "does not want to go further without border security, which includes steel slats or a wall," White House spokeswoman Sanders told reporters.

It remains to be seen what materials would be used for a U.S.-Mexico border wall, let alone how much it would cost. Various estimates have placed the final cost of walling off the entire 2,000-mile boundary as high as $70 billion, according to a report by the Brookings Institution. It is unclear what the $5 billion the president is demanding would ultimately cover.

Cost estimates vary widely in part because the White House has yet to come up with final specifications. Even a concrete wall would get hit by tariffs, though, as steel would be used in that construction as well.

In August, the Government Accountability Office, a government watchdog agency, found that the Department of Homeland Security had not completed an analysis required to efficiently build the proposed barrier along the Mexico border  which could result in wasted taxpayer money.

"DHS plans to spend billions of dollars developing and deploying new barriers along the southwest border," the study said. "However, by proceeding without key information on cost, acquisition baselines, and the contributions of previous barrier and technology deployments, DHS faces an increased risk that the Border Wall System Program will cost more than projected, take longer than planned, or not fully perform as expected."

GAO did not estimate how much money could be wasted.
A trade war between the world's two largest economies is likely to evolve into a dispute over intellectual property rights over the coming months, one analyst told CNBC Friday, with Apple set to bear the brunt of any further fallout. A long-running trade dispute between the U.S. and China has rattled financial markets in recent months, with a global stock market sell-off gathering pace in December amid escalating concerns of a possible economic slowdown. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping declared a 90-day cease-fire at the start of the month, but external observers remain deeply skeptical about the chances of Washington and Beijing agreeing to a comprehensive trade pact in the proposed timeframe. "There is a high probability that the debate about trade tariffs probably will calm down, but the debate about intellectual property rights (and) cybersecurity, probably will escalate," Bob Parker, investment committee member at Quilvest Wealth Management, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Friday. "I think that's going to be the big issue for the first half of next year," Parker said.

Apple 'most sensitive' to trade war

A global stock market sell-off in recent weeks has put Wall Street firmly on track for its biggest December loss since the Great Depression. It comes amid worries about a darkening economic outlook, with U.S. tech giants all falling into bear market territory of late. Amazon, Netflix, Alphabet and Apple all led the gains for the tech-heavy Nasdaq during the bull market. However, the benchmark is down by around 20 percent from a record reached at the end of August. Apple is down 32 percent from its latest high, while Amazon is off by 29 percent from its record. At their peaks, both were worth more than $1 trillion in market value.

Apple staff members celebrate as customers coming the Wangfujing store on October 20, 2012 in Beijing, China. Feng Li | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Complicating matters for Apple at present, the tech behemoth lost a second court skirmish in its worldwide patent battle with chip supplier Qualcomm on Thursday. The ruling comes weeks after Qualcomm secured a court order to ban sales of some iPhone models in China. Apple is contesting both rulings. Nonetheless, the case has fueled investor concerns of Apple's exposure to a deepening rift between the U.S. and China. "In the work we've done, Apple is actually the most sensitive company to conflict between the U.S. and China on trade," Parker said. "If you look at Apple, it is American technology, the product is produced in Chinese factories by a Taiwanese company (and) so it is right at the forefront of vulnerability to trade conflict."

Economic espionage
Stocks in Asia were broadly lower on Friday, with Japanese equities leading the fall. The Nikkei 225 fell 1.11 percent on the day as it closed at 20,166.19, while the Topix index declined by 1.91 percent to finish its trading week at 1,488.19. The benchmark Nikkei 225 dropped more than 2.5 percent in the previous trading session. Shares of Japanese banks fell on the back of the Bank of Japan's decision on Thursday to keep interest rate targets unchanged. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group shed 2.22 percent while Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group dropped 2.21 percent. Japanese banks have suffered as a result of the central bank's loose monetary policy, which has had the side effect of impacting the revenues of the country's lenders. Over in South Korea, the Kospi recovered from earlier losses to close slightly higher at 2,061.49  up 0.07 percent. In Australia, the lost its earlier gains to close 0.69 percent lower at 5,467.6, with most sectors slipping. Shares of the country's so-called Big Four banks declined, with Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, Westpac and National Australia Bank all seeing declines of at least 1 percent.

Chinese hackers charged

The mainland Chinese markets, closely watched in relation with Beijing's trade spat with Washington, slipped on the day. The Shanghai composite declined by 0.79 percent to close at around 2,516.25 and the Shenzhen composite lost 0.959 percent to end its trading week at about 1,284.66. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index recovered from its earlier losses to trade up by about 0.32 percent, as of its final hour of trade. On Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department announced charges against two Chinese nationals for being part of a global hacking campaign. The two individuals, Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong, are charged with conspiring to commit computer intrusions and wire fraud, as well as aggravated identity theft. It was part of campaigns that lasted for years, as they sought to steal from several foreign governments and dozens of companies. The two men remain at large. Prosecutors also accused the two of operating in conjunction with the Chinese government. "China will find it difficult to pretend that it is not responsible for this action," Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said at a press conference. "I think it's important to see these accusations as just the latest, really, in a series of moves by the Trump administration in recent months to frankly, apply more pressure to China across the board," Michael Fuchs, senior fellow at Center for American Progress, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Friday.

Wall Street sees second day of declines

In overnight market action stateside, stocks saw a second day of sharp sell-offs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 464.06 points to close at 22,859.6  bringing its two-day declines to more than 800 points and its 5-day losses to more than 1,700 points. The shed 1.58 percent to end the trading day at 2,467.41 while the Nasdaq Composite fell 1.6 percent and closed at 6,528.41 after dipping into bear market territory during the session. The Cboe Volatility Index  one of the market's best gauges of marketplace fear  rose above 30. The Dow and Nasdaq posted their lowest closes since October 2017, while the S&P 500 finished at its lowest level since September 2017. Stocks fell to the low for the day after U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan announced that President Donald Trump would not sign a temporary government funding resolution. Following the announcement, more political turmoil in the White House ensued when Defense Secretary James Mattis resigned from his post over disagreements with Trump. The moves Thursday came one day after the Fed decided to hike its benchmark overnight lending rate by one quarter point in the prior session. The Dow fell more than 350 points following the Fed's decision and pushed the major indexes to new lows for the year.

Oil prices stage partial comeback after Thursday plunge

Amid the slide in the stock markets on Thursday, oil prices plummeted to their lowest levels in more than a year, continuing a sell-off which has been driven by concerns about oversupply. International benchmark Brent crude futures dropped $2.89, or 5.05 percent, to settle at $54.35 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures declined by $2.29, or 4.75 percent, to settle at $45.88 a barrel. Brent hit a session low of $54.28 a barrel, its lowest price since mid-September 2017, while WTI sank to $45.67, its lowest price since late August 2017. Prices attempted to stage a comeback during the afternoon of Asian trade on Friday, as Brent rose 1.09 percent to $54.94 per barrel and WTI gained 1.09 percent to $46.38 per barrel.

Currencies
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note climbed to 2.7956 percent by 4:30 a.m. ET with the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond rising to 3.0224 percent. Bond yields move inversely to prices.

U.S. government debt prices continued to edge lower on Friday morning, reversing a recent rally, as investors digest the fourth rate hike this year from the U.S. Federal Reserve.

On Wednesday, the Fed announced an increase in its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to a target range between 2.25 to 2.5 percent, in a widely anticipated move. It marked the fourth increase this year by the U.S. central bank and the ninth since it began normalizing rates in December 2015. Bond markets initially rallied after the hike, with equities slumping, but have edged lower since.

Fixed-income investors will focus on $131 billion of auctions scheduled for next week, when liquidity is expected to be thin due to the Christmas holidays. The government raised $101 billion in the same series of auctions last year, according to Reuters.

The fragile mood in financial markets also intensified as President Donald Trump refused to sign legislation to fund the U.S. government on Thursday, raising the risk of a federal shutdown over the weekend.

On the data front, investors are likely to monitor a flurry of economic reports on Friday. Durable goods and personal income figures for November are both scheduled to be released at around 8:30 a.m. ET.

Philly Fed non-manufacturing data and a final reading of consumer sentiment for December are due to be published later in the trading session.

CNBC's Sam Meredith contributed to this article.
US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein at a press conference on Dec. 20, 2018 where he announced fresh indictments of Chinese government hackers who allegedly targeted scores of companies in a dozen countries, which US officials said showed Beijing had not fulfilled its pledge to stop such actions.

China's Foreign Ministry said on Friday it is resolutely opposed to accusations from the United States and other allies criticizing China for economic espionage, urging Washington to withdraw its accusations.

The United States should also withdraw charges against two Chinese citizens, the ministry said, adding that China had never participated in or supported any stealing of commercial secrets and had lodged "stern representations" with Washington.

"We urge the U.S. side to immediately correct its erroneous actions and cease its slanderous smears relating to internet security," it said, adding that it would take necessary measures to safeguard its own cybersecurity and interests.

It has long been an "open secret" that U.S. government agencies have hacked into and listening in on foreign governments, companies and individuals, the ministry added.

"The U.S. side making unwarranted criticisms of China in the name of so-called 'cyber stealing' is blaming others while oneself is to be blamed, and is self-deception. China absolutely cannot accept this."

U.S. prosecutors indicted two Chinese nationals linked to China's Ministry of State Security intelligence agency on charges of stealing confidential data from American government agencies and businesses around the world.

Prosecutors charged Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong in hacking attacks against the U.S. Navy, the space agency NASA and the Energy Department and dozens of companies. The operation targeted intellectual property and corporate secrets to give Chinese companies an unfair competitive advantage, they said.

The pair were members of a hacking group known within the cyber security community as APT 10 and also worked for a Tianjin company Huaying Haitai Science and Technology Development, prosecutors said.

Reuters was unable to locate immediately contact details for Zhu or Zhang.

Britain, Australia and New Zealand joined the United States in slamming China over what they called a global campaign of cyber-enabled commercial intellectual property theft, signalling growing global coordination against the practice.

China's Foreign Ministry said Britain and other countries had also made "slanderous comments" stemming from "ulterior motives".

Five sources familiar with the attacks told Reuters the hackers breached the networks of Hewlett Packard Enterprise

and IBM, then used the access to hack into their clients' computers. IBM said it had no evidence that sensitive data had been compromised. HPE said it could not comment.

"No country poses a broader, more severe long-term threat to our nation's economy and cyber infrastructure than China," FBI Director Chris Wray said at a news conference. "China's goal, simply put, is to replace the U.S. as the world's leading superpower, and they're using illegal methods to get there."

China-U.S. ties in recent months have also been affected by a protracted trade war, though there is currently a truce as both countries try and work out a resolution.

Adding to the tensions, on Thursday China denounced a new U.S. law related to Tibet.

The official China Daily wrote in an editorial on Friday that this added "additional flashpoint" to already rocky relations.

"With Washington favouring a confrontational approach aimed at maintaining its hegemony rather than a cooperative one for the common good, Beijing will have to be prepared to stand its ground and respond as necessary to safeguard its core interests."
Dubai South (the rebranded Dubai World Central) recently honoured contractors and consultant companies working within the development for the safety record achieved during 2018 which reached 35.8 million man-hours without any serious accidents or lost time incidents.



As part of Dubai South's commitment to address global concerns on construction site fatalities, these companies were hailed for their efforts at Safety at Heights health and safety campaign during an awards ceremony held recently at Dubai South headquarters.



The Safety at Heights is an initiative led by Dubai South Occupational Health, Safety, Security and Environment Authority (OHSSE) rolled out in November to increase awareness among workers on the safety rules and regulations within construction facilities.



Studies have revealed that 49 per cent of construction-related fatalities worldwide are caused by falls from heights and is the top cause for deaths and hazards in all sites.



The awarding ceremony was held in the presence of Khalifa Al Zaffin, executive chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai South, Dr Wim Raath, head of OHSSE, Ali Abdulla, senior vice president regulatory affairs and Mohsen Ahmed, chief executive officer Logistic District, who presented the awards to the respective consultants and contractors.



Safety at Heights engaged consultants and contractors within Dubai South to conduct various activities that will increase the awareness among workers within their companies. The participating companies prepared and held presentations, conducted training sessions and showcased the commitment of their management towards the campaign.



Al Zaffin said: "The highest risk within any construction site and most fatal accidents that occur involve working at heights. With any work activity that takes place at height, such as working on ladders, man-lifts, or on scaffolding, the risk of a fall resulting in serious injury or death is a fact."



"However, those risks can be managed by making sure that the work is always planned and organised with safety in mind. It is our obligation as the management team to ensure that our workers are safe, the condition which they work in and on, is safe and that they understand the risks involved in the work they need to carry out," he stated.



"Through campaigns like this, we will help raise awareness of the dangers and that the people will know they are empowered to work safely. We all need to work together to reduce the number of accidents and improve Safety at Heights throughout the construction sector," he added.



Dubbing it as a very important campaign, Dr Raath said: "We encourage the consultants and contractors working within Dubai South projects to be fully engaged and committed to empower workers in safe work habits. All consultants and contractors need to actively participate in the Safety through the Empowerment of People (STEP) programme, which include the Safety at Heights campaign.



"It is of paramount importance on all construction sites as too many lives are being lost because people are not working safely in high locations. Unsafe conditions, incorrect use or damaged equipment and ignorance plays a huge role in not following the correct practices,"he stated.



"Our aim through this campaign was to reduce the potential number of accidents resulting from fall from heights on construction sites and to provide support in empowering people in the construction industry, to stop and think before they undertake any work at heights. We are positive that this campaign will help cut the number of potential accidents and save lives," he added.



Ramesh Narayanan, manager of OHSSE, said that from January to December, Dubai South achieved 35.8 million man-hours without any serious accidents or lost time incidents within its construction sites, thus reflecting the serious commitment of the consultants and contractors to ensure workers are fully informed of the safety rules and precautions.



We applaud the effort of all of them and we encourage them to continue to be committed in providing a safe working environment especially for those working at heights while they safely complete all the iconic projects within Dubai South, he added.



All consultants and contractors within Dubai South were cooperative and participated to the campaign which were personally attended by Dr Raath and Narayanan, who both witnessed the high level of standards shown by the companies in the implementation of the campaign.



Seven companies have exerted extra efforts to promote the Working at Heights campaign and were recognsed accordingly, however, the most engaging campaign went to Nurol for the contractor and Khatib & Alami for the consultant.



Respectively, the seven consultants and contractors recognised during the ceremony include: U+A and Pivot Engineering & General Contracting Company; Atkins and Al Qabdah Global Contracting; DCM International and Amana Contracting  DBSchenker; GEO Co and Amana Contracting  Aerospace; WME Consultants and Dhafir Development & Contracting; Atkins and Intermass Engineering & Contracting; and Al Jabal Engineering and Fujairah National Construction Co.-TradeArabia News Service
A coordinated offensive against Chinese cyber-espionage from the United States and its allies shows a different approach to countering what they call theft of commercial and government secrets.

The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand joined Washington on Thursday in condemning cyber-espionage on the same day that Washington indicted two Chinese nationals, Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong, for participating in a 12-year global hacking campaign in conjunction with the Chinese government.

China's Foreign Ministry has rejected the accusations, calling them "slanderous."

The fact that Thursday's offensive was executed as a united front is significant, Abigail Grace, research associate in the Asia-Pacific security program at the Center for New American Security said in a tweet.

"Incredibly significant that this action was rolled out in conjunction with U.S. allies and partners. Multilateralism demonstrates that these are not U.S. standards or Western norms we're requesting China abide by--the international community demands that China does better."

Through trade and foreign policy actions, U.S. President Donald Trump has chastised China for side-stepping international standards for its own economical, technological and military benefit.

While the U.S. both under Trump and his predecessor Barack Obama  has long been publicly critical of Beijing's cyber wrongdoing, until recently, the other countries have not so vocal about their stance. Nations such as Australia have warned of specific state-based threats in recent years but shied away from publicly naming China until now.

All five countries involved are part of an intelligence alliance known as the Five Eyes that shares classified information about China's foreign activities.
Below is the transcript of an interview with P&G APAC and IMEA President, Magesvaran Suranjan. The interview will play out in CNBC's latest episode of Managing Asia on 20 December 2018, 6.30PM SG/HK (in APAC) and 11.00PM BST time (in EMEA). If you choose to use anything, please attribute to CNBC and Christine Tan.



Christine Tan: Suranjan, the last few years have been rather challenging for P&G. The company has been undergoing a restructuring process, trying to cut costs amid flagging sales. How has that affected your operations in Asia Pacific and IMEA, the regions you're in charge of?

Magesvaran Suranjan: These regions have done fairly well, and the APAC region has shown tremendous growth over the last three years in terms of how we're serving the consumers more and more. You can read that in shares and therefore what we have done here is actually invest. We've invested to grow and the growth is coming.

Christine Tan: So, you're still upbeat about growth in this part of the world?

Magesvaran Suranjan: Oh absolutely.

Christine Tan: What's driving it?

Magesvaran Suranjan: By 2030, 60 percent of the world's spending is going to be here. The population demographic trends are here and we are poised just right, I believe, to be able to innovate into these phases and we will grow. We will grow, we're growing now, and we will grow in the next 10 years.

Christine Tan: P&G relies a lot on China for its products and raw materials to manufacture and package many of its brands, like Head and Shoulders, Downy, Oral-B's toothpaste and toothbrushes. How is the company grappling with President Trump's latest round of tariffs against China?

Magesvaran Suranjan: First of all, we aim to serve our consumers as locally as possible. So, most of our manufacturing is local. Our supply chains are global in terms of ecosystems, and therefore, it doesn't impact us much. We obviously believe in free trade and that allows better competition and a fairer competition, but we are not impacted as much.

Christine Tan: But you still do import some raw materials and products from China?

Magesvaran Suranjan: Absolutely, absolutely.

Christine Tan: What are these raw materials? And is the company looking to find alternative sources?

Magesvaran Suranjan: We have multiple supply chains around the world and we leverage the supply chains optimally. We have to, just from a business continuity standpoint. And in China as with any other supply chain, it's similar.

Christine Tan: Ultimately, this means of course higher prices in the end for the consumer. How much can you pass on these costs without hurting demand?

Magesvaran Suranjan: I'm not sure this will translate to higher prices, if at all. Again, our supply chains are fairly local and therefore we don't see that much of an impact to our business model. Our business model at the end of the day, is going to be innovation, superior value to consumers, and superior go-to market. All that should not change and will not change.

Christine Tan: Where do you see profit margins here in this part of the world?

Magesvaran Suranjan: I think it will keep getting better as we do better at serving the consumer. We aim to be able to premiumize our products. We aim to serve in the categories with broader benefit space, and as we do that, I expect us to grow top line as well as bottom line.

Christine Tan: What's the biggest headwind you're facing here in Asia-Pacific?

Magesvaran Suranjan: As a global company, it'll be foreign exchange and commodities. These are the standard two. And if one isn't spiking, the other one is, and we have to have a business model that's able to cater to either of them, or sometimes both together as headwinds.

Christine Tan: How do you deal with, you know, fluctuating currencies when you're expanding your footprint in so many countries here in the region?

Magesvaran Suranjan: The best way is to be able to innovate, because when one innovates, one is able to premiumize the portfolio. And the second is productivity. In this business, in a fast moving consumer goods business, productivity is paramount. And this is finding better ways, cheaper ways, to do the same thing and do things better.

Christine Tan: Here in Asia, in particular, there is rising competition. You have to battle your rivals, to name a few, Unilever, Amway, L'Oreal, Shiseido. You have a product portfolio of 65 brands across 10 product categories. How are you fighting for market share?

Magesvaran Suranjan: There is a standard, the consumer will pick. She's the boss and she'll pick based on superiority, who is the most famous in the store, and how she hears about our products. And the brand that's able to achieve the three the best, will at the end of the day, serve their consumer best and be the choice.

Christine Tan: So does that mean you constantly have to revamp your product lineup just to make your products more compelling?

Magesvaran Suranjan: The consumer is evolving. The trends are evolving so fast. Just to keep up with her, we have to be able to innovate. And this is what's so magical about what we do, that you cannot stand still. You cannot stand still on innovation, you cannot stand still from a cost standpoint, and you cannot stand still from a communication standpoint. You know how we used to hear about products years back  TV Today, it's digital and even digital is passe, now it's mobile. You have to be mobile friendly as a first line of communicating to the consumer.

Christine Tan: You talk about the consumer person in a feminine form. Why is that?

Magesvaran Suranjan: Most of our products are for the female. We've got Gillette, awesome product, and that's one to the male. I believe the male part of the portfolio can expand and should expand. But today, most of our portfolio serves the female consumer.

Christine Tan: So you've just recently launched this E-Center 2.0 today. What exactly is it all about?

Magesvaran Suranjan: This is our latest and flagship on innovation centers. And this is focused on digital innovation, we know this is the future, and specifically what we hope to achieve here and learn from, is areas of iSupply- the future of supply chains, of e-analytics- data science and data hubs - e-commerce. These are three pillars of the E-Center 2.0.

Christine Tan: What does all of this say about the retail of the future? What are you gearing up for?

Magesvaran Suranjan: I mean just look around us, this is fast evolving. The way they shop the shops in the traditional format, and more importantly the way the shopper will shop in future formats, especially online, is something that we have to learn.

Christine Tan: How will retail shopping change in the future?

Magesvaran Suranjan: I think it's going to be much more personalized; it's going to be much more of what one does in one's spare time, as one is doing other things. It's one that's going to be direct, direct engagement with the brand versus a mass engagement. The second aspect is going to be the way of advertising before they get to the store and how to direct their attention to the brands in the news. The third is delivery. Who wants to lug shopping baskets anymore? You want to be able to pick, and you want it to come to your house. An idea is that it happens within 30 minutes.

Christine Tan: This data analytics that you're talking about, is it also a way for P&G to figure out what new products to launch in the future as they get closer to the consumer?

Magesvaran Suranjan: Absolutely, I think first of all, identifying what are the needs before one even knows what one's need are. And then secondly, as we think about different products for different consumer segments, is how we'll be able to position the product uniquely to that consumer.

Christine Tan: P&G is fast expanding into the health care OTC consumer or "over the counter market". The company recently did a deal with Merck to take over its consumer healthcare business. Is consumer healthcare the next big area of growth for the company?

Magesvaran Suranjan: I believe it is an area of growth. I don't know the specifics of it, since the Merck acquisition will only take effect on December 1st, but it's certainly an interesting area when we look at where the demographics are going and how we can...

Christine Tan: And where are the demographics growing?

Magesvaran Suranjan: At the end of the day the population is aging. There are millennials and the new age population, there are trends in the naturals. This is a wide area to play in in this area.

Christine Tan: What can you tell us about the tastes of the millennial consumer? How do you appeal to this younger generation of shoppers?

Magesvaran Suranjan: It's certainly different. And this is one of the trends that we have to get with and in front of. Their shopping experience to start with, is different. Mass marketing versus one-to-one marketing. The stores that the millennials will shop versus the past is different. We have to figure out how to serve these in the places where they shop, in the places where they can be communicated with, and then it goes to innovation as well, innovation...

Christine Tan: Is it all about hiring millennial employees just to get the thinking right?

Magesvaran Suranjan: We will be hiring, because at P&G, there's a flow of talent and our recruiting classes are significant. We've got great innovation on that front too.

Christine Tan: Are you coming up with specific products just for the millennial market?

Magesvaran Suranjan: Not that I know of. I think the extension of our brands, at the end of the day, we believe in the strength of our brands appealing to a broad set of consumers and I believe our brands have still got legs to be able to serve for millennials to the to the later stages in life.

Christine Tan: Suranjan, just down the road from here, P&G launched an innovation center in 2014 which houses some 500 scientists and engineers. What signature products have you developed from the center that's reached commercialization?

Magesvaran Suranjan: This is a center that we've invested half a billion dollars. We've got some of the most amazing people, scientists, PhDs, the best of the best, I'm so inspired. What they've been creating, and there's so much more in the pipeline, are things like the Pantene 3-minute Miracle. The latest one we just launched about three weeks ago was the Febreze micro mist with the finest mist one can get in a product out of a spray. We are working on skin technologies out of this center and there's many more. The ones I've described are the ones in the market right now.

Christine Tan: It's interesting you talk about how there are 14 smells that are present in this center. I want to know what this is all about?

Magesvaran Suranjan: You have to see this. I mean, it is a state-of-the-art facility where you've got rooms that we can use as labs. And you may know this, there are certified noses and these are folks that can discern the most minute of smell differences. And you'd want to certify the list, we've got a number of those folks here, these are people who we formally call the "noses" here at the Singapore innovation center.

Christine Tan: How exactly do you certify for a nose?

Magesvaran Suranjan: I don't know. But I do know that it's a long, lengthy and training process over many years. I'm always inspired when I see them, I've always wanted to test how many they can really do, but I trust that they're the most discerning noses in the world.

Christine Tan: These products that you come up with at this innovation center, are they mostly developed for the global markets or for Asia-Pacific?

Magesvaran Suranjan: It'll be for the global markets. We look at the consumers broadly, and then we will customize it as needed for the local segment. Of course we'll launch in a specific market first, we will learn, and depending on the consumer segment, it may have an applicability that's broader.

Christine Tan: I'm thinking that the idea is that whatever works in Asia can work anywhere else in the world. Has Asia become the global litmus test?

Magesvaran Suranjan: It has in some products and for some other products, not necessarily. The tastes are different. There are certain characteristics, and the need for fragrances is different. But that said, the products like, say the Tide pods, is universal. Everybody wants an easier way to do their laundry. The micro mist in Febreze, whether it's Olay's skin mask, these are all universally applicable and are universal needs that I think these brands can serve around the world

Christine Tan: So what are you working on next?

Magesvaran Suranjan: Goodness, our pipeline, as you can imagine, is rather full. What we have is looking at how we can appeal to two segments of the population; to what I like to call "the boomers", and the millennials, the new entrants to the market. Different needs, you've got the aging population's specific need of skin creams, of innovational packaging, you still do laundry, but you don't want to lug a 3 kilogram liquid bottle with you. Then, with the millennials and new entrants to the market in the future, their needs are very different. The shopping experience and the products that they're looking for are different. They're willing to try different stuff. They no longer look to their parents for inspiration to say, "Well, my mum used it, so I'll use it as well." Rather, it's different. So, we have to cater to that and find products that are able to uniquely appeal to them.

Christine Tan: Well, consumers are naturally attracted to the packaging of a product. What are you doing on this front to entice the shopper to buy your products?

Magesvaran Suranjan: The Asian consumer is certainly a very discerning consumer on packaging. More so than anyone else that I have seen. They require an innovation cycle that is almost independent of the product, "the juice within", if you may. And what we need is greater lightweight products, what we need are products that are easy to carry, easy to ship by e-commerce, more vibrant, if you walk the shelves today, or a store of today versus the store of yesteryear, you find that the shelf is so much more vibrant. The third, which is amazing, is the instructions. Asian consumers read the back label. It's amazing.

Christine Tan: And western consumers don't?

Magesvaran Suranjan: Well, not as much. Well, I grew up in the East and in the West, and I remember trusting the brand from the name, from the advertising and picking it and trying it. Here, when you stand in front of the shelf and observe, folks take the product and carefully read it for a couple of minutes, and I think that's a very unique and endearing habit that is different.

Christine Tan: As part of the overall restructuring efforts, your group CEO, David Taylor, has pledged to make another $10 billion in cost cuts by 2021. How does that affect you as you run Asia-Pacific and IMEA? What process do you have to go through to streamline the company further from here?

Magesvaran Suranjan: At the end of the day, cost is an essential part of the business model. And as we look at the different areas, and you may have seen this in the public space of our media costs, we are one of the highest spenders in media. We have got costs on the product side and I would say these are the two biggest spend elements, Christine. And as we look at those areas, there are still lots of room to grow especially with the evolution of technology. We can get things done so much faster, we can reach consumers so much more efficiently. And in these areas, I think we can achieve our share of the $10 billion and more.

Christine Tan: As part of the restructuring efforts, are you under pressure to cut costs and to keep your headcount low?

Magesvaran Suranjan: The headcount is a function of growth. So, there is no specific headcount that I would necessarily focus on. What we focus on is making sure we are winning, we're growing and as a result, do we make the needed margins and the cost pools in the product side and in the marketing side which are our biggest spend areas.

Christine Tan: You're 49 years old, born in Sri Lanka, a trained public accountant, MBA in marketing and finance, spent the last 24 years working for P&G in the various product departments, now in-charge of Asia Pacific and IMEA. How would you describe your leadership and your management style?

Magesvaran Suranjan: Goodness. It's been an amazing journey -- Sri Lanka, to the US, to China and now, here in paradise. No one has ever told me "no". They guided me and this has translated to into desired style of allowing people to go as far out to the frontiers as possible and if they fall, catch them so they don't get hurt. But let people go right to the edge and try stuff, let them experiment, let them innovate. My mentors and my bosses taught me and gave me that confidence, so every day I aspire to give the confidence to the people who work with me.

Christine Tan: How do you go about inspiring your employees and nurturing talent?

Magesvaran Suranjan: The thing that unites us all, that our parents taught us, is growth. Every parent wants their kids to grow. Every manager wants their employee to grow. Inspiration is about keeping true to growth. We all want to grow. We want our families to grow. We want to grow. And as long as we keep that growth in front of each person, every day, then I believe that inspiration, like it is for me, will happen for all of us.

Christine Tan: So, how is decision making carried on within a company? How much autonomy do you have?

Magesvaran Suranjan: I have full flexibility to run the region in the way that I and my leadership team sees best. Of course, we get clear guidance from my boss David Taylor and the global leadership team, and we use it as guidance and it's very helpful. The beauty of P&G is that we are a large company and we're able to get the perfect ecosystem of "g-local"-- global and local. From a region standpoint, across the 14 markets in APAC, and the many more outside APAC, that we serve what I'd like to see is a more localized decision making. I'd like folks to try stuff and learn. Learn about the consumer, learn about the customer, and learn about the shopper. And we do that by trying.

Christine Tan: So a little bit of trial and error?

Magesvaran Suranjan: It has to be. It won't be as random as that, but it has to be one in which, one has to feel that you've got enough rope to go to the edges and try.

Christine Tan: And finally, what's kept you in P&G all these years? What is it about the company that's kept you at P&G all these years?

Magesvaran Suranjan: Folks have not told me what not to do, and that has allowed me to grow every day. It is so liberating to come to work to have these kinds of resources, to work with this quality of people, to work with people not just within P&G, but all the other stakeholders we get to work with. And this everyday growth has been something that you wake up every day and say "Wow. I can't (wait) to get to work today".

ENDS

For more information:

Clarence Chen

Communications Manager APAC, CNBC International

D: +65 6326 1123

M: +65 9852 8630

E: clarence.chen@cnbc.com

About CNBC:

CNBC is the leading global broadcaster of live business and financial news and information, reporting directly from the major financial markets around the globe with regional headquarters Singapore, Abu Dhabi, London and New York. The TV channel is available in more than 410 million homes worldwide.

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About Managing Asia:

Managing Asia is the Asia Pacific region's ground-breaking interview programme featuring CEOs, entrepreneurs and other business leaders.

Showtimes

Asia (SIN/HK)

Friday 18:30

Saturday 10:00, 19:00

Sunday 04:00, 06:00, 08:00, 18:00

Monday 03:00

Australia (SYD)

Saturday 19:00, 22:00

Sunday 01:00, 03:00, 06:00, 08:00, 16:00, 18:00, 20:00

Monday 00:00,2:00,04:00,07:00

Europe (CET)
Passengers stranded at Gatwick wait for updates on their travel options on December 20, 2018. Athanasios Gioumpasis | Getty Images

Technology that stops drones delivering contraband to prisons could be used to prevent chaotic flight disruptions like those seen at London's Gatwick Airport this week, an industry expert told CNBC. A drone flying in the airspace around Gatwick caused the airport to shut down on Wednesday and Thursday, affecting at least 120,000 passengers. Flights resumed on Friday morning, but more journeys are expected to be delayed, canceled, or diverted. Brian Burridge, chief executive of the U.K.'s Royal Aeronautical Society, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" Friday there was potentially a commercial solution to the issue. "Given the prevalence of drones and very large drones in military operations, defense companies have been working on this for some time and mitigating measures (do exist)," he said. "For these commercial drones, technologies are being developed mainly (to confront) the way drones are used to deliver contraband to prisons." Burridge said companies Drone Defence and Eclipse Digital Solutions had provided what was "essentially an electronic fence" around a prison on the island of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency near the French coast.

"The perimeter of the prison, which only has 140 inmates, is tiny compared with an airport  but that technology in my judgement is scalable, so it could be deployed on large areas eventually," he added. "(To do this on) a tiny scale such as a prison in Guernsey I think costs under a million pounds, but airports often have 12 to 15-mile perimeters, so it's a very large area (and) the degree to which the same technology would have the power to cover a larger area remains to be seen." Burridge speculated there would now be "a flurry of activity" among regulators and governments to determine the optimum solution for any copycat scenarios. "(So far) there's only really been hobbyists flying their drones too close to airports, but even the law on where and when you can fly is insufficient to guarantee the levels of safety that we expect in aviation," he told CNBC.

'Drones are a weapon'
Beijing sees cyber espionage as necessary for China's national progress and will not be ending the practice on current terms, an expert said on Friday after the U.S. Justice Department announced hacking charges against two Chinese nationals. "I think it is very fair to say that China sees this cyber espionage for economic purposes as a necessary component of its national strategy to grow economically and to become a more powerful country, and that it is not going to stop  at least not with the current set of pressure that is being exerted by the U.S. and others," said Michael Fuchs, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a think tank. U.S. prosecutors charged the two Chinese citizens for their involvement in a global hacking campaign to steal tech company secrets and intellectual property. They were also accused of stealing the personal information of more than 100,000 members of the U.S. Navy, and were allegedly working with the Chinese government. Washington's allies  Australia, Britain and New Zealand  also leveled criticisms at Beijing for economic spying after the U.S. announcement. "China's goal, simply put, is to replace the U.S. as the world's largest global superpower," FBI Director Christopher Wray said earlier at a press conference. China, on Friday, responded by saying it resolutely opposed the accusations which it called "slanderous."

The escalation of tensions come as Beijing and Washington are embroiled in terse trade negotiations ahead of a 90-day deadline. U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed early in December to hold off on additional tariffs on each other's goods that were meant to take effect from Jan. 1, and continue negotiating as the two nations seek to break the impasse. The talks have already been complicated by the Dec. 1 arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, one of China's largest tech companies, who was detained in Canada at the request of the U.S. Washington has accused the Huawei executive of violating sanctions on Iran. The hacking charges against the Chines nationals were just the latest in a series of moves from the Trump administration "to apply more pressure on China across the board," said Fuchs, who highlighted Vice President Mike Pence's October speech blasting China for "meddling in America's democracy."

China's goal, simply put, is to replace the U.S. as the world's largest global superpower. Christopher Wray FBI Director

Even though the U.S. government has for years tried to address and put a stop to cyber security threats in its discussions with China, the Justice Department made it clear that "the Chinese have not stopped," according to Fuchs. "In many corners, they have perhaps tried actually to ramp up," he added. Addressing his nation as they marked 40 years of reforms last week, Xi struck a relatively defiant tone in response to international calls for changes to China's economy. Instead of giving clues on how he would approach the trade talks with Washington, Xi "made it very clear that the (Communist) party being in control of the country is the most important thing in China going forward, that he is going to continue, and the party will continue on the same economic path that they have been on in recent years," said Fuchs. He said that the Chinese leader was trying to make it clear "to the party and to his country that China is not going to be bullied by this trade war or frankly, by anybody else."

China slams US accusations as 'slanderous'

China's Foreign Ministry fought back on Friday saying the Beijing resolutely opposed "slanderous" accusations from the U.S. and its allies criticizing China for economic espionage. The U.S. should also withdraw charges against two Chinese citizens, the ministry said, adding that China had never participated in or supported any stealing of commercial secrets and had lodged "stern representations" with Washington.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 9, 2017. Fred Dufour | AFP | Getty Images
A mysterious company owned by an unknown foreign country is continuing a battle over an effort by a prosecutor  who quite possibly is special counsel Robert Mueller  to subpoena information from that corporation.

The fight could go all the way to the Supreme Court.

The battle, waged almost completely out of sight from the public, has ignited intense speculation in Washington about what the company does, what country owns it, whether the information sought relates to Mueller's sprawling criminal probe  and if that information relates to President Donald Trump or people close to him.

On Saturday the company asked the U.S .Supreme Court to step in after it lost an appeal in federal court. If the Supreme Court takes up this mystery case, experts say it could be the first time in SCOTUS history that the justices hear a case that's entirely under seal.

Earlier in the week, a panel of three judges on a federal appeals court revealed for the first time that the entity trying to keep its information secret was a company owned by what was identified only as "Country A."

The appeals court said the company must turn over the information sought by prosecutors.

Before that ruling, the identity of the appellant in the case was unknown.

The shadowy fight began in mid-August in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where a grand jury investigating a criminal matter had issued a subpoena for information on the firm.

Almost as a rule, a grand jury would take such an action at the request of a prosecutor who has been presenting evidence to the member jurors.

The company then filed a legal action seeking to quash the subpoena in the same court. The company's lawsuit appears as "Sealed vs. Sealed" on the federal court system's computer network.

Judge Beryl Howell rejected the company's effort. And Howell also imposed a $5,000 per week fine after she said the company was in contempt for still refusing to comply with the subpoena, records indicate.

Then, on Oct. 10, the company filed a notice of appeal with the federal appeals court in Washington, where the case is known as Number 18-3071, "In re: Grand Jury Subpoena."

The company, appeals records show, was arguing that it was immune from the subpoena under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. The firm also argued that the subpoena was "unreasonable and oppressive" under federal criminal procedure rules because it would require the company to violate the law of the country that owns it.

On Oct. 24, Politico reported that the case may be related to Mueller's probe. The special counsel is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, possible collusion with Russians by Trump's campaign and possible obstruction of justice by the president. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

Politico said that one of its reporters earlier in October had been inside the appeals clerk's office on a day when a filing in the subpoena-related appeals case was due, and overheard a man ask "for a copy of the special counsel's latest sealed filing so that the man's law firm could craft its response." The man declined to identify himself or the client.

"Three hours later, a sealed response in the grand-jury dispute was submitted to the D.C. Circuit," Politico wrote.

CNN reported that its own reporters in early September saw several prosecutors from Mueller's office enter Howell's courtroom not long after the judge issued a ruling upholding the grand jury subpoena. The same prosecutors were spotted entering Howell's courtroom on Oct. 5, after the appeals court referred the case back to her for a hearing.

Mueller's spokesman, Peter Carr, told CNBC on Friday that he could not comment on whether the special counsel was involved in the case.

The appeals court on Dec. 14 heard oral arguments on the company's quash request. Before the arguments began, the entire floor containing the courtroom where the hearing was held was closed to the public.

On Tuesday, the three-judge panel that heard the case issued its ruling, rejecting each of the claims raised by the company.

On Thursday, the company filed a motion that is sealed from public view. The motion is nearly 4,000 words long, according to an entry on the appeals court website.

Two hours after that motion was filed, a judicial order was issued in the case. That order likewise is sealed.

Entities that lose an appeal heard by a panel of three judges can ask for a so-called en banc review of the case.

If that request is granted, a panel comprised of all of the judges of the appeals court would consider the arguments.

If the foreign company in this case is not granted en banc status, or if it loses at that stage, it could ask the U.S. Supreme Court to consider its case.

However, the high court is not required to take the case. And if the Supreme Court rejects the request, the appeals court's decision would stand.
IBM is hard at work trying to disentangle the concepts behind artificial intelligence (AI) to clients, explaining to them how the technology makes decisions.

Eighty-two percent of C-suite executives it researched said they wanted to use AI but were concerned about unconscious bias and the skills needed. It's offering AI for a range of services and has implemented it itself in areas such as recruitment where it's used to make sure there is no bias in how job descriptions are written, according to IBM Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Michelle Peluso.

"Technology can help to make sure there's not bias in promotions and the like and so (there is) this grounded belief at IBM that inclusion is part of our 'brand state'," she told CNBC's "Marketing Media Money."

There are several ways marketers can best use AI, Peluso said. The first is in getting to know customers. "It allows us to understand more about our customers. We can analyze tone. We can listen in on chat bots, we can analyze personality and social (media), so we have the ability to develop a richer understanding of our customers," she said.

AI is also being used in how businesses interact with their customers, allowing chat bots to answer customer service queries, for example. The nature of advertising  where traditionally messages are broadcast to people one-way  could also become more of an interaction. "We can say in a digital ad (for example) what's in your refrigerator  And (it will) give you a great recipe, or (AI can) tell us why you're interested in a certain car. And we'll tailor the content live to make sure you're getting the answer, so it will change (so the advertising is) actually interacting  with customers," Peluso said.
Asian shares have had a wild ride in 2018, with major markets set to end the year in negative territory. But J.P. Morgan Asset Management likes them.

Greater China markets have so far been among the biggest losers in Asia. The Shenzhen composite has fallen by around 30 percent this year, while the Shanghai composite has chalked up a loss of more than 20 percent. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index has shed nearly 15 percent.

Other Asian markets haven't been spared. Japan's Nikkei 225 is down more than 10 percent this year, while South Korea's Kospi is nearly 17 percent lower.

The "market has been very difficult this year, but actually we remain long-term positive on Asia. And we think this is now a time to build core strategic positions," Janet Tsang, Asia Pacific and emerging markets investment specialist at J.P. Morgan Asset management, told CNBC's "Street Signs" on Friday.

Tsang is not the only one who likes Asian markets. Morgan Stanley's chief equity strategist for Asia and emerging markets, Jonathan Garner, told CNBC on Thursday that he's "outright bullish" on markets in Asia.

Such optimism comes as investors are increasingly worried about a global economic slowdown. Those fears have sent financial markets worldwide on a volatile ride in recent months. But Tsang said there are three reasons why investors should stay invested in Asia.
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, said a statement from Expo Live.



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.



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.



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



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, it said.



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, he said.



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, he added.



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, he added.



Khalifa Universitys GenoMatch, 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.  TradeArabia News Service


Republican megadonor and former Breitbart News investor Robert Mercer has all but vanished from the political donor scene after being one of President Donald Trump's leading supporters during his run for president in 2016.

Donors, strategists and Trump allies, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak openly about the situation, said the conservative financier has retreated from leading the way in financially backing the president's agenda.

Mercer and his family didn't make as many political contributions in 2018 as they had in previous cycles, especially in contrast to the 2016 cycle, when Trump ran for president. Political strategists believe Mercer's lack of involvement this year should sound the alarm for Republicans looking for assistance in the fundraising game when they fight for Trump's re-election in 2020.

Mercer still gave millions this year, but the sum didn't stack up with previous years' amounts. He gave $6.4 million to Republicans, the lowest amount since 2012, when he and his wife, Diana, contributed $5.8 million, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. The Mercers finished the 2016 election as one of the top 10 political donors, by giving just over $25 million to conservative causes.

Robert Mercer typically avoids public scrutiny, but his involvement with Trump thrust him into the political arena  an unwelcome development for him.

"They've disappeared," a prominent Republican bundler told CNBC, referring to Mercer and his daughter Rebekah, another prominent GOP backer. "I think they just don't like being in the spotlight," this person added.

"He's out," said a former associate of Mercer. "He's not going to play any major role going forward. They're tired of the attacks from the Democrats and the media constantly ganging up on them."

Notably absent from Mercer's 2018 contributions is any direct funding of Trump's campaign or his joint fundraising committees, which funnel donations to the Republican National Committee. The president's fundraising operation appears to have done fine without Mercer's help. Between his campaign and two joint fundraising committees, Trump managed to raise more than $100 million throughout this year.

Another leader in the GOP finance world said: "He really scaled back since all the Cambridge news."

During the presidential election, Mercer funneled millions of dollars into supporting Trump's run, including investing at least $15 million into the now-shuttered data gathering firm Cambridge Analytica, which was used to harvest private information of more than 50 million Facebook profiles.

Rebekah Mercer was on the board of the data-gathering company, which also boasted former Breitbart News boss and top Trump advisor Steve Bannon as an executive. The information that was gathered was used by the Trump campaign to create social media ads in an attempt to influence voters. The Department of Justice and the FBI are reportedly investigating the company.

Robert Mercer, through a spokesman, declined to comment on this story. A spokeswoman for Rebekah Mercer did not return repeated requests for comment.

A year before the midterms, Mercer stepped down as CEO of hedge fund Renaissance Technologies and sold his stake in Breitbart News, the conservative online news platform, to his daughters. In his letter to employees at the time, Mercer explained his reasoning for backing conservatives and his frustrations with the way he's been portrayed in the media.

"A society founded on the basis of the individual freedom that flourishes under a limited federal government has no place for discrimination," Mercer said at the time. "Of the many mischaracterizations made of me by the press, the most repugnant to me have been the intimations that I am a white supremacist or a member of some other noxious group."

The Mercers were also involved with propping up Trump's campaign through donations to Make America Number 1, a pro-Trump super PAC that was run by Rebekah Mercer. Her father was the PAC's top donor, with contributions ranging from $2 million all the way up to $11 million.

The PAC was named in a Federal Election Commission complaint by the nonpartisan watchdog group, Campaign Legal Center, in October 2016. The watchdogs claimed that Make America Number 1 broke FEC regulations by directly coordinating with the Trump campaign.

According to its latest filing, the PAC is still paying for legal counsel. The filing shows that the PAC paid high-profile law firm Greenberg Traurig LLP $118,580 in November for legal consulting. It's unclear whether the payment is related to the FEC complaint that was levied against the PAC two years ago.

When asked about the legal assistance being given to the PAC, the firm would not confirm whether their work has anything to do with any legal complaint.

"As you can see publicly, we have been their compliance counsel," a spokeswoman said.

Representatives for the FEC did not return requests for comment.

Most recently, another Mercer investment came under scrutiny as federal prosecutors in Manhattan reportedly opened an investigation into Trump's inaugural committee with a focus on the way it raised and spent its finances. Mercer contributed $1 million to the committee, which raised $107 million, almost double the amount brought in by Barack Obama's inaugural committee in 2008.

He recently wrote a check of $400,000 to a pro-Trump super PAC, the Great America PAC. Outside of that, however, he spent more to support the RNC, the National Republican Congressional Committee and super PACs helping Senate and House GOP candidates, including the Congressional Leadership Fund and Remember Mississippi.

Mercer also wrote a late $2,700 check to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and another to Rep. Martha McSally who was seeking retiring GOP Sen. Jeff Flake's seat in Arizona. Cruz went on to edge Democratic challenger Rep. Beto O'Rourke, and McSally lost to the Democratic nominee, Kyrsten Sinema. McSally was recently named to fill the late Sen. John McCain's seat after Sen. Jon Kyl, who had been appointed to fill McCain's seat in September, announced he would be leaving Capitol Hill at the end of the year.

For the upcoming 2020 elections, political strategists argue that Mercer's attempt to stay out of the limelight and, in turn, limit his contributions, embodies a larger problem for the president and Republican lawmakers: an overall cutback in funding as the party and the president see their popularity wane. A recent Quinnipiac University poll gave Trump a 39 percent approval rating.

"Losing Mercer would be a great loss. Any party needs as many people like him as possible," political strategist Hank Sheinkopf told CNBC in an interview. "You don't have to be a great forecaster to see that the GOP are going to have a real problem in 2020 because Republican futures right now are not something you want to put a lot of cash behind."
Tesla is losing a battery manufacturing leader, Jens Peter Clausen, to Zymergen, a synthetic biology company funded by Softbank.

Clausen's move is the latest in a string of executive departures from Tesla. As CNBC previously reported, more than 40 executives have left this year as the company contended with a difficult production ramp-up for its Model 3, punctuated by high-profile antics from its eccentric CEO, Elon Musk. Among those who left are engineering leader Doug Field, now with Apple's self-driving car project, Titan, and Tesla's general counsel Todd Maron.

At Zymergen, Clausen will help the company scale its manufacturing teams, processes and facilities.

Zymergen is experiencing growth "at a pace that I'm not sure has been seen in life sciences," CEO Joshua Hoffman said in a phone interview with CNBC.

Hoffman said his company hired Clausen after an extensive search, in part because of his experience "designing and improving largely automated manufacturing environments."

As vice president of Gigafactory 1, Clausen oversaw a rapid expansion of battery manufacturing at Tesla's humongous plant outside of Reno, Nevada. Tesla manufactures its vehicle batteries and energy storage products there using a mix of automated and manual processes alongside Panasonic, its supplier and partner in the facility. Before joining Tesla in July 2015, Clausen spent more than a decade in manufacturing at Lego, the toy company whose products are often used for prototyping in robotics.

Tesla Gigafactory workers told CNBC this summer that they thought Clausen was on leave, and they weren't sure if he was returning to the company. On Sept. 7, Tesla announced a spate of promotions as part of a broader restructuring. In that announcement, it named Chris Lister as Gigafactory vice president. At that time, Tesla said Clausen had no plans to leave the electric vehicle maker.
President Donald Trump speaks during an interview in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.

With less than 12 hours to go before a partial government shutdown, President Donald Trump was running out of ways to force Congress to fund his $5 billion border wall.

Chances were 'very good' for a government shutdown at midnight, Trump said following a last minute Oval Office meeting with Republican senators.

"It's totally up to the Democrats as to whether or not" there is a shutdown, he added. "We are going to be working very hard to get something passed in the Senate."

Late Thursday, the House passed a spending bill that contained the border wall funding that Trump demanded. The bill was dead on arrival in the Senate, however, where 60 votes are needed in order to bring a bill to a final vote.

Speaking on the Senate floor Friday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer left little doubt as to where his caucus stood on the bill. "Mr. President, you are not getting your wall today, next week or on January 3rd," he said.

Nonetheless, Trump attempted to pin blame for the shutdown on Democrats. "Now it's up to the Democrats as to whether or not we have a shutdown tonight," he said.

Republicans in the Senate planned to put the doomed spending bill on the floor for a vote on Friday afternoon.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump, a salesman so good that he sold his personal brand all the way to the White House, may finally have met something he can't sell: "Democrat Shutdown."

As the federal government careened toward a partial shutdown Friday night over Trump's demand for $5 billion to build a border wall, which does not have enough votes in the Senate to pass, Trump looked for someone to blame. But he quickly ran into trouble, not least because he'd already told the country he would take the blame himself.

"Senator Mitch McConnell should fight for the Wall and Border Security as hard as he fought for anything. He will need Democrat votes, but as shown in the House, good things happen. If enough Dems don't vote, it will be a Democrat Shutdown!" Trump tweeted on Friday morning.

A few minutes later, Trump tweeted, "Shutdown today if Democrats do not vote for Border Security!"

This message, that Democrats should be blamed for the government shutting down if they failed to approve funding for Trump's border wall, is not a new one for the president.

Trump said almost exactly the same thing 10 months ago, the last time the federal government was on the brink of a shutdown over the same border wall impasse.

"I'd love to see a shutdown if we don't get this stuff taken care of," Trump said at a White House meeting on the eve of a shutdown in February. "If we have to shut it down because the Democrats don't want safety, then shut it down."

That time the shutdown only lasted nine hours, so there wasn't very much blame to go around.

More importantly, Trump had been consistently blaming Democrats throughout the process, so it was more a case of two dueling messages  one coming from the White House and congressional Republicans, and one from the Democrats.

This time it's a different story. For one thing, a shutdown over the Christmas holiday would likely last for at least two weeks, owing to the congressional schedule, and would therefore be far more damaging to the economy and to the federal government.

Secondly, when Congress returns in January, Trump will no longer have the majority in both chambers. Democrats will take over the House on Jan. 3, while Republicans will add two seats to their current Senate majority.

If Trump doesn't solve the shutdown impasse before January, then Democrats will come sweeping into power, and take credit for solving a problem the president could not.

Most of all, however, Trump's goal of forcing Democrats to own the shutdown is complicated by the fact that Trump has already taken ownership of it himself. On national television, broadcast from the Oval Office.
A temporary government shutdown was all but guaranteed Friday night as Congress struggled to break a stalemate over money for President Donald Trump's proposed border wall.

Parts of the government will close if Congress cannot pass seven spending bills by midnight Friday. Lawmakers scrambled through the afternoon and into the early evening to break an impasse over whether to fund the barrier on the U.S.-Mexico border.

But the House adjourned at about 7 p.m. ET Friday without passing legislation that the Senate supports, and the chamber is not due back until noon Saturday. Then the Senate adjourned at about 8 p.m. ET without approving a spending bill that the House backs. Senators are expected back at noon Saturday, as well.

The deadlock leaves Washington almost certain to let funding lapse for the third time this year. A closure could last through Christmas and into the new year, past when Democrats take control of the House on Jan. 3. It would send the unified Republican government out in a swirl of chaos that marked Trump's first two years in the White House.

Still, lawmakers could move quickly to pass spending legislation this weekend if leaders reach an agreement. House Republicans told members they would get 24 hours of notice before a vote.

Shortly before 6 p.m. ET Friday, the GOP-controlled Senate voted 48-47 to advance a House-passed bill to keep the government running through Feb. 8 and put more than $5 billion toward the president's wall. Vice President Mike Pence had to break a tie after a vote that lasted five hours and 18 minutes, the longest in Senate history, according to NBC News.

Republicans decided to move the bill forward even though it would have failed in a final vote. Democrats have unequivocally said they will not approve money for the border barrier. Instead, lawmakers aim to use the House-passed bill to "preserve maximum flexibility" as Democrats try to strike a deal with the White House on a spending bill that can pass both the Senate and House, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.

"When an agreement is reached, it will receive a vote here on the Senate floor," he said. Both Sens. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., agreed to advance the measure with the assurance that lawmakers would next vote once they had a plan that could get through both chambers of Congress.

It left negotiators limited time to strike a deal before the shutdown deadline. Trump has promised to "take the mantle" and be "proud" if funding lapses as he tries to secure money for the wall. House Republicans, knowing funding for the barrier would not get through both chambers, approved their bill Thursday after Trump threatened to veto the Senate-passed measure without wall money.

As the procedural Senate vote remained open for hours Friday, Pence, incoming White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and Trump's advisor and son-in-law Jared Kusher navigated the Capitol trying to make progress toward a deal. They met with Schumer at the White House's request, a spokesman for the Democrat said.
James Mattis, the retired four-star general who resigned as defense secretary on Thursday, has long been viewed as a legendary figure in the U.S. military. One particular story, told in 2003 at an ethics lecture organized by the Center for the Study of Professional Military Ethics, perfectly explains why former staffers saw Mattis as a "cult figure."

In 1998, a now retired General Charles C. Krulak had been preparing for an annual tradition where he delivered hundreds of Christmas cookies to post guards. On Christmas day at around 4 a.m., Krulak headed to Virginia, to the command center at Quantico. Once there, he asked the lance corporal who the officer on duty was.

"Sir, it's Brigadier General Mattis," the lance corporal answered, as Albert C. Pierce, a director at the ethics center, explained at the lecture.

"No, no, no. I know who General Mattis is. I mean, who's the officer of the day today, Christmas day?" Krulak asked with persistence.

General Mattis, the soldier repeated.
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.
Houston-area Sabic employees have selected Houston Childrens Charities, C-STEM (Communications, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and Trees for Houston to receive $50,000 each  totalling $150,000 -- for their programmes impacting community needs.



In celebration of Novembers Giving Tuesday, Sabic employees were invited to vote for three local charities from a list of non-profits underpinning the companys corporate social responsibility goals.



Our employees care deeply about the community where they work and live, said Greg Adams, vice president, Sabic Americas. In the spirit of the holiday season, we are glad we can reach out to these worthy organizations to make an impact.



This is such a big surprise, said Dr Reagan Flowers, president and CEO of C-STEM. We couldnt believe it when we received a call informing us that we would receive the funds. Its incredibly generous and will be put to good use.



Sabic is working with each non-profit to determine how the funds will be applied.



It makes me feel proud to be part of Sabic, said Kim Wilson, senior manager, Sabic Americas Human Recourses. We got to pick where the funds would go. Now there could be children receiving new beds from Houston Childrens Charities, underserved students gaining communication and science skills from C-STEM and more trees planted throughout our city, thanks to Trees for Houston.



With three sites in the Houston area, including the companys Americas head office in west Houston and an office and technology centre in Sugar Land, Sabic currently has more than 500 employees in the Houston area.



We are pleased that we can contribute to the health and resilience of this community we call home, said Adams. - TradeArabia News Service
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.
Wireless as an industry has been growing and changing, year after year for decades. However, wireless is going to take a major leap forward in 2019 on several different fronts. Lets take a closer look at what we can expect not only from the mobile industry, but from other industries which will all use wireless to transform themselves all thanks to 5G.

5G is the next generation wireless service. In that sense it is similar to the jump from 2G to 3G to 4G. Its not about voice. Its about wireless data services. 5G is a much faster wireless data service.

This will empower the next generation of wireless network products and services for your smartphones, tablets and more. This is what we have experienced time and time again over the last several decades as network speeds and capacity increase.

However, as much as 5G will transform the wireless industry, it will also impact countless other industries and companies. That means it will impact every one of us in many new ways. We will see new and innovative technologies coming at us from all directions.

Lets take a look at a few of them.

AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Sprint

Besides AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint, wireless is also expanding to other service providers. Expect prepaid wireless to continue to grow. Expect speeds to increase. Expect data limits to rise.

Consider the cable television industry. Comcast started offering Xfinity Mobile a year and a half ago and have been doing well to date. Charter started offering Spectrum Mobile a few months ago. I expect them to do as well as well. They both resell Verizon Wireless.

Xfinity Mobile, Spectrum Mobile, Altice Mobile, Cable One Sparklight

Altice Mobile will launch in 2019 and will resell Sprint. In addition, last week we learned Cable One introduced a new brand name called Sparklight. This re-branding is similar to Xfinity and Spectrum.

This was not yet discussed, and I dont know when it will happen, but I predict Cable One Sparklight will enter the wireless space like Xfinity Mobile, Spectrum Mobile and Altice Mobile.

This cable TV entry into wireless will also increase. More cable television companies will enter wireless in the same way. And it wont stop there. This spark will see other companies in other industries do the same thing. Companies with a large customer base will be able to offer wireless to them.

There are also companies who help wireless carriers update themselves for the changing marketplace. Companies like Synchronoss Technologies who help wireless carriers transform the way they create new revenue and reduce costs with cloud, messaging, digital and IoT products that delight their customers.

Will Facebook and Amazon re-enter wireless?

This has already been tried by Facebook and Amazon.com several years ago, but it did not succeed. I dont think their effort to grow using wireless has been extinguished. I believe we will see them get back into wireless in coming years.

As well, other industries will use wireless to reinvent the way they do business. Think about this like the way Uber and Lyft reinvented the taxi and limousine industry using wireless networks and smartphone apps.

I also expect 5G wireless pay TV to enter the marketplace and compete with the landline IPTV and cable TV providers. This pay television service will be delivered over the wireless networks and bring TV to your home and office television, as well as your smartphone and tablet anywhere in the country.

5G wireless pay TV will enter and transform the marketplace

This has already begun with AT&T and T-Mobile. DirecTV NOW already offers wireless TV which they launched in the last year or so on the 4G network. T-Mobile using Layer3 TV is planning to do something similar. Last year Verizon also said they are considering the same thing.

5G is just the next step in the wireless pay TV journey. This will also mean some of the wire line pay TV providers will also jump into the wireless space. At this time, based on what I am hearing, I think over the next several years, we can only expect wireless pay TV to grow from existing and from new players.

That means the next question is which players will transform their industries like Uber and Lyft did to the taxi and limo industry? It will happen in more and more industries going forward thanks to 5G.

Wireless will continue to grow, continue to transform both itself and other industries. This transformation will be dramatic and wireless carriers will need help.

The next decade will be one of the most exciting and transformative places. It will transform industry after industry in company after company. Think about the changes we have seen over the last decade. A decade ago, a telephone company sold telephone and a cable TV company sold cable TV.

2019 is all about 5G wireless, AI, IoT and so much more

Today, these companies are exploding with growth in new segments and are now competing with each other. All these changes completely transformed their industries and the way we think about them.

Thats what we can expect from countless other industries starting in 2019. And all this change is centered around wireless, 5G, AI, IoT and so much more. We will see companies and industries reinvent themselves. We will see new winners and losers. We will see transformation of existing companies and introduction of new ones.

So, buckle up. 2019 will be one of the most exciting times in our lives. We will be able to tell stories to our great grandchildren of the amazing time of transformation we are all living through today. And it all centers around wireless. What an incredible time to be alive!
Gatwick re-opens amidst fears of copy-cat incidents

Gatwick reopened its runway this morning after a drone forced a near 36-hour closure of Britains second-biggest airport. A limited number of aircraft were scheduled to take off and land, the airport said in a statement on its website at about 6am today. It was unclear how long the resumption would last and whether the drones operator had been captured. Passengers were warned to check with their airline before travelling the West Sussex airport. The army was called in last night as the police appeared powerless to stop the drone. Sussex police said there had been 50 reports of a device being flown near the airfield since Wednesday. More than 115,000 passengers have already been affected and last night it was thought that as many

as 350,000 could have their travel plans disrupted in the days before Christmas after all flights were grounded or diverted.

Army drafted in as police lack kit  The Times

Ministers were accused of complacency amid claims that they had failed to heed warnings of the threat Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, was absent for much for the day before making a statement late in the afternoon. He toldlast night that he had been working throughout the day to try to resolve the situation.  The Times

>Yesterday: Video: WATCH: Grayling on the Gatwick drones shutdown. No suggestion this is a terrorist attack.

Prime Minister urges China to curb cyber-hacking campaign

Theresa May yesterday called out Chinese spies for running one of the worlds biggest malicious cyberhacking campaigns after President Xi snubbed her plea to stop it. A group of hackers known as Stone Panda has been stealing business secrets to cause economic damage to Britain and its allies. In a co-ordinated announcement yesterday designed to maximise pressure on Mr Xi, US officials unsealed charges against two Chinese citizens they accuse of stealing hundreds of gigabytes of data. Mrs May met Mr Xi on a visit to Beijing in February and a senior Whitehall official made clear that the government has been pleading at the highest level for the Chinese to stop. Jeremy Hunt, foreign secretary, said: This campaign is one of the most significant and widespread cyberintrusions against the UK and its allies uncovered to date, targeting trade secrets and economies around the world The hackers, described by the Whitehall official as more like a corporation than a gang, break into managed service providers. These are organisations such as Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Dell and Cisco who provide internet services to businesses. The ultimate targets of the Chinese are likely to be these web services clients.  The Times

Brexit: May losing grip on Cabinet as ministers tout alternative plans

T

wo of Theresa Mays most senior ministers have presented rival plans to her Brexit deal as Amber Rudd became the first member of the Cabinet to voice support for a second referendum. Mrs May was struggling to maintain Cabinet discipline as Ms Rudd, one of the most staunch Europhiles in the Government, said there would be a plausible argument for a second referendum if Mrs Mays deal was rejected by Parliament. Meanwhile Brexiteer Andrea Leadsom, the Leader of the House, used a BBC interview to push her own agenda for a managed no deal exit from the EU. Mrs May was forced to deny that she had lost control of the Cabinet as she insisted all of her ministers were focused on getting her deal approved by MPs. Ms Leadsom announced that the meaningful vote on the Brexit deal will be held on January 15, giving Mrs May a maximum of seven working days of Parliamentary time to persuade scores of Tory rebels to change their minds and back it.

S

he is expected to return to Brussels at least once before then in an attempt to seek concessions over the Northern Irish backstop, which is the main roadblock to her deal being approved by MPs.

H

Ministers at odds over second referendum  FT

Gauke hints at quitting if Cabinet backs no deal  Daily Telegraph

OShaughnessy resigns from the Government  Twitter

owever her ministers are clearly planning for what happens if, as expected, Mrs May loses the vote.  Daily Telegraph

Comment:

Rudd hasnt gone rogue, she aims to scare Brexiteers into line  Asa Bennett, Daily Telegraph

as she calls Rees-Mogg in for peace talks

Theresa May empathised with Jacob Rees-Mogg over his negative press coverage during a peace meeting at No 10 on Tuesday, The Times has learnt. The prime minister invited Mr Rees-Mogg, leader of the hard-Brexit European Research Group (ERG), along with nine other Conservative MPs six days after a failed coup attempt. Mrs May called the meeting to try to heal party divisions over Brexit. She appealed to us as long-standing Conservatives to come together and find a way through, one of those present said. The source claimed that Mr Rees-Mogg said it was nice of the prime minister to invite him so soon after the vote of no confidence. Even the policeman on the door looked surprised, he was said to have told the meeting. Mr Rees-Mogg indicated that the media coverage of the failed coup was not positive. Mrs May replied that if he thought his coverage in the past few days was bad, imagine what it had been like for her over two and a half years. She was supremely relaxed, one of the guests said. We had an hour. It was an eclectic mix of people.  The Times

Cross-party MPs table amendments against no deal  FT

Soubry accosted by Brexit supporters  The Guardian

Boles threatened with deselection  Daily Mail

>Today:

>Yesterday:

and Varadkar casts doubt on backstop

Ireland warns that no deal risks severe economic damage  The Sun

DUP claim threat of hard border has been exposed as a con  News Letter

Rees-Mogg shuts down border row with plan  Daily Express

Pledge of no extra checks for agricultural produce welcomed  News Letter

600 Whitehall staff to be redeployed ahead of no deal  Daily Mail

Leo Varadkar has suggested Ireland would seek to maintain an open border with the UK even in the case of a no-deal Brexit, in comments seemingly at odds with his campaign to include contentious backstop provisions in Britains exit treaty. Eurosceptics said the Irish prime ministers comments showed the backstop  the most controversial element of Britains withdrawal treaty  would not be needed if the UK did not deviate from the EUs customs and regulatory regime. The backstop, which seeks to prevent a hard border between the two countries, has become the focus of opposition within the UK parliament. But Mr Varadkar said on Thursday Dublin would seek to ensure no hard border, even without a deal. In such circumstances the exit treaty would not take force and there would consequently be no backstop. If the UK crashed out of the EU at the end of March, they would still be aligned on customs and regulations, Mr Varadkar said at a pre-Christmas press conference. So the problem would only arise if they decided in some way to change their customs and regulations. Thats where it could get difficult. He added that the Irish government would have to discuss such issues with London and Brussels in the event of no-deal.  FT

Comment:

Unionist opposition to the deal is completely reasonable  Owen Polley, Irish Times

>Yesterday:

Fraser Nelson: WTO Brexit might be the best option left for Britain

You need the passion of a Brexit warrior  which I lack  to be convinced that no-deal would end either in economic disaster or a magical turbo-charge. But the Cabinet members who sit through the key meetings, some twice a week, think its manageable  in a way they didnt a month ago. At least a dozen of them are now ready to pursue no-deal, and its by no means the diehard Brexiteers. Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, is emerging as perhaps the leading voice in the Cabinet backing what he calls a World Trade Brexit. So its the least bad option, but still a gamble. Better than the certain entrapment offered by Mrs Mays deal, or the Norway option variety of that deal. Its better than the pointlessness of a new referendum that would have no clearer information on what Brexit would look like, and which Leave would win by an even greater margin. Yes, there is a risk of a Tory civil war and a general election. But theres just as great a risk of this under Mrs Mays deal. And if we do prepare to leave without a deal, might the EU offer a better one? Perhaps. But it would be mad, at this stage, to count on it.  Daily Telegraph

No-deal Brexit is not the end of the world  Iain Martin, The Times

It could be the deal-making opportunity of a generation  Radomir Tylecote, Daily Telegraph

All thats certain is that nobody knows anything  Henry Mance, FT

British prosperity post-Brexit depends on small family businesses  Anthony Bamford, The Sun

London will remain a powerhouse for business  Nikhil Rathi, Daily Telegraph

Labours Brexit confusion would be comic if it werent so serious  Henry Newman, Times Red Box

ConservativeHome breaks the news that Johnson has been cleared over his burka column

Boris Johnson has been cleared of breaking the Conservative partys code of conduct over his comments about veiled Muslim women. An independent panel investigated the former foreign secretarys comments after he used his Daily Telegraph column to suggest women wearing the burqa looked like letter boxes or bank robbers. His comments triggered a furious response from senior Tories, with demands for an apology from party chairman Brandon Lewis. The panel is understood to have found he was respectful and tolerant and was fully entitled to use satire to make his point in his column in August. In the article, Johnson said he felt fully entitled to expect women to remove face coverings when talking to him at his MPs surgery. He said schools and universities should be able to take the same approach if a student turns up  looking like a bank robber. Johnson said the burqa was oppressive and it was absolutely ridiculous that people should choose to go around looking like letter boxes. The investigation into whether he broke party rules was triggered automatically after the receipt of a number of complaints over the column.  The Guardian

>Today: ToryDiary: Exclusive. In a timely manner. The best part of six months on, the Partys inquiry clears Johnson over his burka column.

Ellwood urges the Government to substantially increase defence spending

A defence minister is urging Theresa May to up military spending by at least 8 billion a year  or see Britain lose its place as a world power. Tobias Ellwood said France was on course to replace Britain as the European nation with the biggest military budget next year. And he revealed Chinas navy is growing by the size of our navy each year. He wants the PM to up the military budget from 2 per cent of the UKs economic output to between 2.5 per cent to 3 per cent. The current budget is 36 billion  compared with Americas 470 billion The blast comes after Mr Ellwood  who served as a captain in the Royal Green Jackets  risked the ire of No.10 by criticising Donald Trump for pulling out of the Syrian conflict. On Twitter he said the President was wrong to assume the war against Daesh was won. The Minister  who memorably tried to save PC Keith Palmer in the Westminster terror attack  said Britain had to adjust its military capability to reflect the changing threat from the grey zone.  The Sun

Call for armed police at every Westminster gate after terror attack  The Times

Labour 1) Whately presses attack on Corbyn over stupid woman remark

Only 12 per cent of people believe Jeremy Corbyns claim that he did not call Theresa May a stupid woman during prime ministers questions this week, a poll found, as the Labour leader accused the media of being obsessed with the issue at the expense of other problems facing the country. Sixty per cent of those surveyed by Sky Data said they thought Mr Corbyn had used the phrase. But more than half  56 per cent  concluded that it was not a sexist term. In the Commons on Wednesday, Conservative MPs demanded that the Speaker summon Mr Corbyn to apologise after he mouthed words at the prime minister that looked like stupid woman. He returned to the chamber insisting that he had said

stupid people, referring to Tory MPs.

May backs Leadsom in sexism row  The Sun

Labour leader hits back at stupid Tory MPs  Daily Telegraph

Corbyn rages at utterly obsessed media  The Sun

Helen Whately, the Conservative vice-chairwoman for women, subsequently said in an email to party members that Mr Corbyns comment was part of a long line of misogynistic behaviour, citing his mansplaining of International Womens Day to Mrs May in March John Bercow, the Speaker, was also criticised. It was alleged that he had used the phrase to refer to the MPs Andrea Leadsom and Vicky Ford. He did not deny saying it about Mrs Leadsom but said the matter had been dealt with months ago. He denied Ms Fords claim.  The Times

Comment:

Corbyns denial over jibe is a denial of just how big Labours women problem is  Claire Cohen, Daily Telegraph

Labour leaders real failing is his refusal to lead  Philip Collins, The Times

Why has out-and-out sexism become acceptable in politics?  Christina Odone, Daily Telegraph

Is this how parliament ends  not with a bang but a row about a whisper?  Jonathan Jones, The Guardian

Furore embodies the hard Lefts hypocritical attitude to misogyny  Tom Harris, Daily Telegraph

>Yesterday: Rosalind Beck in Comment: Corbyn shows how much still needs to be done to stamp out sexism in politics

Labour 2) Opposition lose another MP as Lewis resigns the whip

A former minister has quit the Labour Party, citing Jeremy Corbyns anti-western world view. Ivan Lewis, the MP for Bury South since 1997, has been suspended from the party since November last year after allegations of sexual harassment, which he denies. In his resignation letter, Mr Lewis said he could no longer reconcile my Jewish identity and current Labour politics and criticised Mr Corbyn and Seumas Milne, his communications chief, for their attitude towards Jews and Israel. It is for others to decide whether you are antisemitic, but what is absolutely clear is that you and Seumas Milne do not believe in the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in their own state, Mr Lewis, 51, wrote to Mr Corbyn. This is different to your view on the right to self-determination for every other minority community. He added: All too often you have been unwilling to condemn those whose hatred of Israel becomes Jew hatred, this is incompatible with being a lifelong campaigner against racism. Mr Lewis, who served continuously as a junior minister from 2001 to 2010 and then spent five years in the shadow cabinet, said the Labour leader had an anti-western world view which means it is no wonder that so many British people are uncomfortable at the prospect of you becoming prime minister. He will remain as an independent MP.  The Times

Convicted MP compares herself to Biblical figures  Daily Telegraph

Labour 3) Khan promises council tax hike to fight knife crime

Sadiq Khan has said he will increase council tax for Londoners by the maximum amount within his power as he attempts to tackle the brutal reality of violent crime in the capital. An average band D council tax payer will pay an extra 26.28 under plans to boost the mayor of Londons share of the levy, with 84.8 million in extra funding to be handed to the Metropolitan Police. Money from increased council tax and from business rates will provide 6.8 million to be invested in the capitals violence reduction unit, which has been set up to treat knife crime as a public health issue. Mr Khans critics have said that he could have raised extra money for policing by cutting waste within City Hall.

The mayor faced criticism last month for allocating 1.7 million to be spent on drinking fountains. There has also been a 9 million increase in staffing costs during his tenure.

Northern Line extension to Battersea delayed  FT

Under a police funding settlement announced last week, local authorities can raise the policing element of council tax by a maximum of 24 for the average band D property Shaun Bailey, Mr Khans Conservative rival for the 2020 London mayoral election, claimed yesterday that Mr Khan spent 9.3 million per year on public relations and said: If the mayor is going to increase taxes he should have the courtesy to first cut all of his waste at City Hall.  The Times

>Today: Local Government: Kevin Davis in Local Government: Each London borough should have its own directly elected mayor

Scottish Government calls for devolution of immigration

The Scottish Government has stepped up calls for control over immigration to be devolved north of he Border amid widespread criticism of the post-Brexit proposals outlined at Westminster. Scotlands Brexit Secretary Mike Russell said the long-held policys time has come and would provide a short-term solution prior to independence. The proposed curbs on EU workers coming to the UK after 2021, when freedom of movement ends, will mean workers from the EU must have some form of permission, and EU visitors will need to take part in an Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme. The number of EU nationals coming to work in the UK will fall by an estimated 85 per cent, seen as particularly acute for Scotland which needs migration to maintain the workforce and keep the population growing. The Scottish Government has already published catastrophic estimates about the impact of a 50 per cent drop, Mr Russell said CBI Scotland has already hit out at the prospect of draconian blocks on overseas workers, while the Scottish Tourism Alliance, Institute of Directors, National Farmers Union, Federation of Small Businesses and Universities Scotland have also hit out at the plans.  The Scotsman

Trumps Defence Secretary resigns

President orders withdrawal of up to half US presence in Afghanistan  Daily Mail

Jim Mattis has resigned as US defence secretary to protest against the way Donald Trump has treated allies and dealt with adversaries such as China and Russia, in a dramatic exit that came a day after the president said he would withdraw forces from Syria. Mr Trump tweeted on Thursday that Mr Mattis would be retiring. But in a resignation letter, Mr Mattis made clear he was leaving because he disagreed with the commander-in-chief over a wide range of policies and suggested that the president was putting the nation at risk. Mr Mattis and other officials opposed withdrawing troops out of Syria. Because you have the right to have a secretary of defence whose views are better aligned with yours I believe it is right for me to step down from my position, Mr Mattis wrote in the letter, which was released shortly after a meeting with Mr Trump. In the letter, Mr Mattis said US strength was inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. He said the US should be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours, including China and Russia.  FT

Comment:

Republican backlash should ring alarm bells for Trump  David Millward, Daily Telegraph

Editorial:

The President is undermining Americas allies  The Times

News in Brief:
Iain Dale is Presenter of LBC Drive, Managing Director of Biteback Publishing, a columnist and broadcaster and a former Conservative Parliamentary candidate.

In my role as a Brexit doctor, I have diagnosed various politicians and commentators with Brexit Derangement Syndrome. It predominantly affects ultra-Remainers. The symptoms are to lose all sense of perspective and say and tweet rather mad things.

Andrew Adonis has it worse, closely followed by Alastair Campbell, Sarah Wollaston and Anna Soubry.

On the Brexit side Andrew Bridgen also suffers from it, and Jacob Rees-Mogg showed signs of symptoms after the vote of confidence in Theresa May, although he seems to have recovered since.

Unfortunately, my good friend Nick Boles has seemingly now contracted it. See above for what he tweeted on Tuesday.

Consider me astonished. Nick isnt given to rushes of blood to the head, but this was an extraordinary tweet. Its the sort of view that in normal circumstances an MP would make known to his whip, before the Chief Whip then invites him in for a meeting without coffee.

Either the whipping system is breaking down or Nicks agenda is to encourage other Conservative MPs to follow his lead as part of a concerted public campaign to ensure No Deal. No one was surprised when Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston indicated that they would do the same thing.

On the same day, another sufferer of Brexit Derangement Syndrome, Chris Patten, described ERG Brexiteers as Maoists and rodents. Philip Hammond described them as extremists. Pot, kettle and black and three words which apply here.

Just image the outcry from hardline Remainers if members of the ERG used that kind of language about them, or threatened to resign the Conservative whip in the event of Article 50 being extended. They would quite rightly question the Conservative credentials of anyone who did this.

This is a time for cool heads. All 317 Conservative MPs are going to have to work together once this is all over (if it ever is) and they should all remember that careless talk costs votes and seats.

Having said that, I might as well save my breath because no one is in the mood to listen or compromise. Both sides are utterly convinced that they are right and that the other is motivated by warped beliefs. How very sad.

         

In 25 days time. the meaningful vote on Theresa Mays Brexit deal is finally due to be held.

Thats 25 days for the Prime Minister to come up with something to persuade both the DUP and the minimum of 71 Conservative MPs whove publicly opposed it.

On the face of it, it looks like a thankless task. But I just wonder I believe that she thinks its still possible to win. I also sense that things are starting to move in her direction. Ive lost count of the number of Conservative MPs whove told me that their Party members and constituents just want them to get on with it and support the Prime Minister.

The key is for her to drag a concession out of the EU, even at the last minute, which she can sell to Arlene Foster. If Foster can bring herself to support the deal, youd have to expect most Conservative rebels to fall into line, surely? The trouble is that the Prime Minister needs practically every single one to, and whether thats achievable is a very moot point indeed.

         

The peril of the iPhone autocorrect are a delight to behold. I was texting Matt Hancock the other day trying to arrange an interview for the New Year. I asked him Which of your multifarious Spads should I liaise with?

Unfortunately, I hadnt noticed that what I actually sent him was this: Which of your multifarious Slags should I liaise with? His reply? Jamie  he aint no slag!.

         

I dont feel at all Christmassy. I hope that changes in the next few days, but Im not sure it will. The older one gets, and the further away from your childhood you get, it just doesnt feel the same anymore.

Given that I dont have kids, I suppose thats not surprising. However, I will get to spend this Christmas Day with a friend of ours and his two year old. Wish me luck. Im not known as Uncle Herod for nothing

I hope you all have a very happy Christmas and that 2019 brings you all that you wish for. 2018 has been a pretty ugly year one way or another. My fear is that 2019 will make 2018 look like a halcyon era

On that happy note, I bid you farewell until January 11th.
From pomp to punk, the UK has always steered away from black and white perspectives. The Graham Chronofighter Vintage UK shows this spirit in its true colours, in this case those of the union jack flag.



The timely Swiss watch with a British heritage addresses Brexit with heart-felt honesty  by adding a question mark. As in any love affair, this tiny piece of punctuation speaks volumes. Should I go or should I stay? Can we still be friends? Will we ever get back together again? It sets the tone for a timepiece with stunning looks, a love of tradition and the courage to look to the future.



A red, white and blue painted dial flags up a mood of familiarity with a twist on this automatic chronograph with a day-date display. At first sight, the red and white stripes are boldly patriotic, yet a concertina effect lets through more blue than usual. Modernist design language or a subtle hint that a variation on European blue is still welcome? The iconic Graham Chronofighter trigger mechanism on the left-hand side enables a fast-action start/stop  a Brexit negotiators dream. The eye-catching timepiece comes with a blue calf leather strap with red and white stitching. A brown alternative is available for a stronger nostalgic statement.



The Graham Chronofighter Vintage UK is a non-negotiable limited edition of 100 pieces. Take it or leave it. - TradeArabia News Service


Exclusive. In a timely manner. The best part of six months on, the Partys inquiry clears Johnson over his burka column.

When we receive a formal complaint, we will investigate it in a timely and confidential manner, Part Two of the Conservative Partys Code of Conduct declares. Our readers must decide for themselves whether or not whether an inquiry that reports after the best part of six months is timely.

For that is how long it has taken the Party probe into Boris Johnsons Daily Telegraph column about the burka, originally reported on August 9, to conclude.

ConservativeHome is told that the former Foreign Secretary was tipped off during the past week that it has cleared him of breaching the code  indeed, his friends say that the report found him respectful and tolerant of wearing the burka. The decision appears to have been communicated last Wednesday  the very day that Tory MPs voted in a ballot of confidence in Theresa Mays leadership.

Launched amidst the inevitable blaze of publicity, after Brandon Lewis originally called on Johnson to apologise, the inquirys decision has been smuggled out like the fabled thief in the night.

Downing Street and CCHQ realised last summer that the strike from the top on the former Foreign Secretary had caused more trouble to them than it was worth, and was at one point poised to announce that he had been cleared. But it was decided to wait for a better moment, until all the fuss had died down. This is it (more or less).

What of the column itself? In our view, some of its extravagances and orotundities were over the top. Then again, thats what Johnson gets paid 275,000 a year for by the paper, and you will never see this site knock a journalists earning power.

The common sense response from CCHQ would have been to say that the column, though not its terms, had a point  after all, its own integration adviser had made much the same argument  but add that most Muslim women in Britain dont wear the burka or the niqab. So the former Foreign Secretarys point really didnt stretch all that far, at least as far as this country is concerned.

The long and short of it is that the Party hierarchys handling of the incident gave Johnsons column additional readership, made him into a free speech martyr, failed to satisfy his Muslim and other critics (who will now slam the inquirys decision)

gave anti-Muslim bigots an additional opportunity to call for a burka ban, let down Muslim activists who campaign against face veils, and risked claims of being motivated by bad blood over Brexit. That last consideration was scarcely minimised by the fact that  as we pointed out at the time  his ultimate judges would be Lewis and possibly Theresa May herself.

The very next day, the Party Chairman recused himself from elements of the inquiry. The code empowers him to appoint the investigating panel of any inquiry and sometimes to rule on its findings  a classic illustration in this case of the law of unexpected consequences.

In the wake of the terror attack on London Bridge, the Prime Minister said that enough is enough, and went on to range more widely, saying that dealing with extremism would require some difficult and often embarrassing conversations. We need to live our lives not in a series of separated, segregated communities but as one truly United Kingdom, she added.

Perhaps the biggest lesson of the Johnson burka controversy is that the Governments enthusiasm for participating in such conversations appears to be extremely limited.
Laura Farris is an employment law barrister and was a Conservative PPC in the 2017 General Election. Guy Opperman is Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pensions and Financial Inclusion, and the Conservative MP for Hexham.

In his Budget announcement on 29 October 2018, Philip Hammond informed Parliament that 3.3 million jobs had been created since 2010  a rate which comfortably exceeds a thousand jobs per day. This is an extraordinary achievement.

Contrary to the attacks of his opponents, data published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) on 25 October 2018 reveals that the proportion of those in insecure or low-paid jobs (defined as less than two-thirds of median pay) is now at its lowest since records began in 1997.

Yet despite the spike in employment figures, productivity growth trails that of our major competitors. Measured by output per hour, the UK is approximately 13 per cent below the G7 average.

The reasons for this are varied:regional variations in performance; uneven economic demand; and the under-utilisation of digital technology are among the contributing factors. But it was not for nothing that Hammond told the BBC this month that productivity growth was the single most urgent challenge facing the economy in the years ahead.

We dont pretend there is a silver bullet. However, we have argued that businesses are missing opportunities to maximise the efforts of those they employ and could reap benefits by re-thinking the way they remunerate and engage their workforce.

Employee ownership

First, there is untapped potential in employee ownership schemes. These may be well-established payment structures in some organisations, but for the most part remain the preserve of senior staff.

We state at the outset that, unlike Labour, we are not advocating the seizure of capital from shareholders or the imposition of rationed returns to employees. Indeed, McDonnells model of employee ownership is a double rip-off: punishing those who have set up their own companies by confiscating large chunks of them, and punishing workers by minimising their ownership stake so that government can pocket the rest.

But we do think that the basic principle of giving workers a meaningful stake in the enterprises in which they work is a good thing and should be expanded. Properly harnessed, employee ownership schemes can have a transformative effect on financial security and business productivity.

Until relatively recently, there was little empirical data as to their impact. That changed last year when the US National Center for Employee Ownership published a report on the impact of Employee Stock Option Plans (ESOPs). The study involved a cohort of 9000 workers from similar socio-economic backgrounds who been followed from 1997 to 2013; a period spanning most of their professional lives.

The results showed that by 2013 those who worked for companies with ESOPs had a 92 per cent higher median household wealth, 33 per cent higher income from wages, and 53 per cent longer median job tenure that those who did not. Significantly these differences applied regardless of gender, ethnicity, family or marital status  cutting across some of societys major fault lines.

But more striking still was that the ESOP companies that employed them typically demonstrated much higher levels of financial growth over the same period, suggesting that employee ownership enhanced the productivity of the workforce and created value for both businesses and staff.

To increase take-up the Government could extend efficiencies in existing tax arrangements, with employers building them into incentive structures to reward length of service or performance.

Mid-life MOT

Second, and aligned to our first point, we think that employers stand to gain from playing a more proactive role in their employees long-term financial well-being. With people both working and living longer, there are plenty of reasons for employers to help staff recalibrate their financial planning and draw up long-term professional objectives.

Aviva, for example, recently undertook a mid-life MOT pilot scheme involving a cohort of employees over the age of 45. It offered staff 12 hour-long classroom sessions covering wealth, work, and well-being, and plans to roll-out the scheme to all qualifying staff from 2019.

This is not just window-dressing. Research by Mercer revealed that just 32 per cent of employees in the UK feel that they have the mechanisms in place for financial security in retirement; a figure that falls to 26 per cent for women alone. Anxiety about financial security is the leading cause of work-related stress, itself a major contributor to absenteeism and poor-productivity.

Schemes of this kind can be tailored to meet individual requirements, for example for female workers who might have taken career breaks for family or for older employees who want to re-shape their working patterns. Long-term such schemes can reduce the attrition of experienced and productive talent and enhance the contribution of older members of the workforce.

Flexible working

Finally, survey after survey now shows that the benefit most valued by employees (after pay) is flexible working. A 2018 report by the recruitment consultants Badenoch and Clark found that this preference was now shared nearly equally between women and men but was still the benefit that employees felt most reticent about requesting.

There is scope for radical thinking in this area. Some firms in Silicon Valley are setting new standards in flexible practices. Asana, the software business, sets goals and objectives four months in advance. Employees have no fixed working hours or limits to the time they can take off. Daily attendance is encouraged but beyond that employees set their own schedules and performance is assessed by the attainment of KPIs.

Dropbox has gone one further  abandoning its old system of paid annual leave altogether. Its employees must meet targets but are entitled to unlimited paid time off and no meeting Wednesdays which are ring-fenced for uninterrupted work. Both have seen impressive results on productivity. We have found that when employees are given flexibility, they are far more highly engaged says Melanie Collins, Dropbox global head of people.

Such innovative working methods are unusual in the UK but those who would write this off as a Silicon Valley quirk miss the point. Armed with a smartphone and a laptop, employees across a range of sectors are able to discharge their duties remotely and value the opportunity to do so. We think employers seeking competitive advantage in talent and productivity should actively promote their approach to flexible working as part of the recruitment process.

Conclusion

The recommendations we have made are simple, scalable and cost-effective. If British businesses want to get the best from those they employee, we think these are potential solutions.
Al Salam Bank-Bahrain, one of the pioneering sharia-compliant banks in the kingdom, hosted a colourful ceremony to mark Bahrains National Day, the 19th Anniversary of His Majesty King Hamads Accession to the Throne and Bahraini Womens Day.

The celebration was attended by the Group CEO Rafik Nayed, Executive Management and employees of the Bank.

Commemorating the special occasion, Nayed praised the economic, financial and industrial achievements under the wise leadership of His Majesty, HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister and HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister.

He also emphasised the efforts of the Supreme Council for Women under the leadership of Princess Sabeeka Bint Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the wife of HM the King and president of the Supreme Council for Women, in helping the empowerment of Bahraini women and facilitating equal opportunities and instilling equitable partnerships towards building a sustainable and competitive society.-TradeArabia News Service
Dubai Airports and representatives from across the aviation sector gave a warm welcome to the airports billionth passenger, nine-year-old Arjun and his family, who arrived on December 20 from Orlando, Florida on Emirates flight EK220.

At a celebration held in Dubai International Airport (DXB), Arjun along with his mother Ramya, father Venkatesh and 13-year-old brother Varun, were personally greeted by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Airports and warmly welcomed on this, their first visit to Dubai.

They were also delighted with details of an unforgettable and surprising set of experiences that showcase Dubais longstanding reputation for excitement, luxury and modern Arabic hospitality, organised for the next few days of their trip.
BRIDGEPORT  A few windows of the Funchal Americana Buffet on the corner of Main Street and Fairfield Avenue had to be boarded up Thursday night after a car plowed into the building.

Bridgeport Assistant Fire Chief Rich Donofrio said firefighters responded for a report of a car into a building at the intersection of Main Street and Fairfield Avenue. The call about the crash came in around 8:40 p.m.

When the first fire units arrived on scene, they found that two cars had collided and one of the cars had crashed into the building. Donofrio said the drivers of each car were injured. There were no additional passengers in either car.

First responders rushed to the scene and got there in time to see the driver of the car that crashed into the building trying to flee the scene, Donofrio said.

He was kind of staggering around, said one passerby about the driver of the car that hit the building.

Donofrio said that driver tried to take off again, but this time police apprehended him.

By 8:51 p.m., he was standing on the sidewalk with blood on his face, asking for bystanders for a lighter or match to light his cigarette.

We let you have a light, now we want to check your cuts out, a police officer said.

The Funchal American Buffet closed at 7 p.m. Thursday. Police got in touch with someone from the store to swing by and make sure the broken windows were properly boarded up.
BRIDGEPORT  City Councilman Ernie Newton said he remembers being stopped and frisked by police years ago.

I know theres got to be a better way, Newton said in phone interview Friday. So Im going to back off ... because I recognize that the black community has had a serious long history of cops abusing their power.

Newton announced at a press conference at Summerfield United Methodist Church on Clermont Avenue on Thursday that he planned to pursue a bill introducing a version of stop and frisk to the city of Bridgeport following the murder of 12-year-old Clinton Howell on Tuesday.

My intention was to get these guns out of peoples hands that are killing one another and killing innocent people, Newton said.

He said he understands why critics were mad. Among those critics was social justice advocate and member of Bridgeport Generation-Now! Action Council, Kate Rivera.

Its ridiculous, Rivera said in a phone interview Friday. We all know that its a failed policy and that it doesnt work so I dont know why its even being brought up.

Were not doing this; no variation of this. Were just not doing it, Rivera continued. We know what works and this isnt it.

Newton said Friday that hes going to work with the community to search for other solutions.

Weve got to do better as a community, as people, he said. I will not submit the bill but I will sit down with our community leaders because we just got to stop it. We have to stop these kids carrying guns around our city.

Rivera said what the city needs is more help and more programs for young adults.

Dont dream up old, dysfunctional, racist policies, she said. What we need are after school programs, youth programs ... we need a huge increase in therapists and counselors in schools.

Rivera said increased funding for StreetSafe and the Juvenile Review Board, including tripling the size of its staff, are much-needed solutions that Newton and the greater community needs to consider.

Newton said the city is aching after losing Howell and that he felt something had to be done.

It could be my son, it could be your son, it could be your daughter, to get shot next, Newton said. They could be innocent, and they could be killed.

He said he initially brought up the idea of bringing a stop and frisk policy to Bridgeport because he was frustrated and upset with gun violence in the city.

Im tired of seeing the same thing over and over again, he said. But Im also tired of watching cops abuse their power when it comes to black and brown people. So well find another way to look at this serious situation.
BRIDGEPORT - A local man was arrested after police said he sexually assaulted a 4-year-old girl at his wifes daycare.

German Tejada, 50, of Main Street, was charged with first-degree sexual assault, fourth-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a child.
Jetex, a global leader in aviation services, is bringing the next-generation in advanced private jets to the Middle East after striking an agreement with Honda Aircraft Company to become the exclusive authorized dealer for the region.



The deal means Jetex is now the manufacturers sole representative for the new HondaJet offering sales and support across the Gulf and Middle East region, a statement said.



The official dealer signing ceremony between Jetex and the Honda Aircraft Company took place at the Jetex FBO Terminal Dubai, Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai South on December 9.



With Hondas brand strength and recognition in the Middle East, we have received tremendous interest in the HondaJet Elite. We are proud to appoint Jetex as HondaJet Middle East to provide our customers with a committed sales team in the region for the worlds most advanced very light jet, said Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino.



We are proud to be chosen by Honda Aircraft Company and excited to be awarded the role of dealer, said Adel Mardini, CEO and President of Jetex. Jetex will leverage our global network and our experience to offer unrivalled support for HondaJet in the region.



The announcement follows the original appointment of authorized sales agent made in May at Palexpo during the 2018 European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Switzerland, where the HondaJet Elite was unveiled to the world.



The aeroplane is a second generation aircraft in the private jet category and is the fastest, furthest and highest-flying plane in its class.



The new plane boasts many technological advancements and innovations including a unique Over-The-Wing Engine Mount (OTWEM) configuration, composite fuselage and a Natural Laminar Flow (NLF) fuselage nose and wing.



These improvements mean passengers can enjoy a largest cabin in its category as well as comfortable seating for up to seven people including a pilot. Other onboard facilities include a full service galley, private lavatory with optional belted seat and an exclusive Bongiovi sound system.



The advanced cockpit is built for optimum safety based on thoughtful ergonomic design and state-of-the-air situational awareness giving the pilot more space and greater visibility. The Garmin G3000 next-generation all-glass avionics system brings pilot and aircraft closer together with touch screen technology.  TradeArabia News Service
MILFORD  Miss Dallas Shop is a five-room oasis for unique tchotchkes and treasures, but most of all theres love and coffee inside the doors  and those are always free and flowing.

The sign behind owner Lynda Kilgores huge horseshoe shaped desk in the middle of the store reads, Throw kindness around like confetti and her business motto is, You come in as a stranger and leave as a friend.

That tone was set based on lessons about love learned by Lynda and her husband Jerrys late, beloved German shepherd, Miss Dallas.

Days after she opened the shop three years ago were filled with woe and she didnt know what to do about that, Kilgore said.

Then I realized I was here to hear peoples woes and to have a place where women meet women, she said.

The Kilgores, who live in Fairfield, greet customers like family, offering them cake, cookies, coffee and a seat at Lyndas desk, covered this time of year by sparkly Christmas trees and ornaments.

Its nice when people buy, but sometimes they dont even pretend to come in to buy  they just want a seat at Lyndas desk to talk about perhaps the loss of a spouse, a sick friend or whatever else is on their mind.

This is where friendships are created and where people come to share stories, she said.

Milfords Santa Claus  who resembles Rick George  calls Miss Dallas shop Milfords best kept secret and said the helpfulness and friendliness of the staff is unmatched anywhere in this day and age.

The shop is named after Miss Dallas, the rescue who inspired them because of the miraculous way she overcame a severe handicap through the couples love.

Miss Dallas was elderly when the couple adopted her and they noticed something special about her immediately: When they picked her up at the shelter, Miss Dallas looked every cat in the eye as if to say, Goodbye.

Jerry spent three months carrying the 95-pound pet up and down stairs, when suddenly Miss Dallas began doing stairs on her own, convincing the couple that all the love had healed her.

That taught me love can heal so much, Lynda Kilgore said. If Miss Dallas was alive, shed be off leash welcoming everyone.

The shop may have wound up Milfords best kept secret in part because of its location in an industrial enclave off Old Gate Lane at 16 Higgins Drive, a street far from foot traffic.

Its no retail blunder that the shop is located there as the Kilgores own Data Signal Corp., a custom cable assemblies factory attached to the shop in back.

The factory business, located in Milford for nearly 40 years and owned by Lynda Kilgore before she married Jerry 28 years ago, was booming until the recession of 2008. The couple lost millions in revenue as their customer base folded. They even tried to sell their house in Fairfield in order to survive.

It was that crunch that motivated Lynda to open Miss Dallas Shop for another income stream.

While its not on the beaten path, the shop has a large clientele all the way from Stamford, because of word of mouth. Its the kind of place that etches into your senses  the scented candles and homemade soap, the one-of-a-kind items and the friendships formed over coffee.

Lynda Kilgore said theres something for everyone and in every price range, from $5 to more than $500. They recently sold an original Mickey Myers lithograph for $450.

There are five rooms to meander through of tastefully staged jewelry, dishes, artwork, dolls, lamps, collectors items, handbags, tea cups and teapots and painted furniture. The items are new, used, vintage  the work of artisans from age 11 to 80 and in some cases, from estates or consigned.

The merchandise can change daily.

Customer Shawn Talton cant stay away from the place  shes bought a bishops table, a corner table, pedestals, glassware, earrings  and said she will bring her mom to shop for a lamp.

I love it here  every time Im here it makes me smile, Talton said. Its friendly, its very warm and when people do come in they look happy. Its a family kind of feeling.

The first time Shari Drinkwine walked in to the shop her reaction was, Wow! she said and, It gets wows every day.

Drinkwine is now one of the artisans who sells there. She specializes in making yard art such as bird baths.

Travis Allocca, who has bought jewelry for his wife, said: I love this store because its so unique. You go to every little room and theres something thats going to blow you away.

The shop was going to be Lyndas thing while Jerry worked the factory, but, Now Im 100 percent involved, he said.

He does admit that sometimes when the men shopping with girlfriends or wives get bored in the shop, he takes them back to the factory to look at tools.

The shop isnt profitable yet  not in terms of money  and when Jerry complains she spends $100 per week on cookies, Lynda said she comes back with: Its an investment. A work in progress.

Lynda still runs the cable business she founded at age 24, as well as the shop. She does a lot through her 38-year-old mechanical phone with no caller ID.

Running Miss Dallas and the manufacturing company with 60 employees is difficult, she said.

The shop is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but its not etched in stone. They leave when the last customer leaves and will open special on a Sunday.

Of her customers and visitors, Lynda Kilgore said, They are a collection of beautiful kind, loving people.

When you come in here, you have a Sicilian umbrella over you, Lynda Kilgore said, referring to her Italian heritage. People need a place to feel happy and safe.
MIDDLETOWN  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is recruiting lifeguards for the upcoming 2019 summer season at the eight Connecticut State Park guarded beaches.

To assist in recruiting, DEEP is offering American Red Cross Lifeguarding classes at no cost to those interested in becoming a lifeguard for the Connecticut State Park system this summer. Participants must successfully complete prerequisites and attend all days of the class to complete the certification. The certification will be retained by DEEP, and can only be used for the purposes of employment 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, said DEEP Deputy Commissioner Susan Whalen, 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 those people who have no current certification. DEEP is also offering a Lifeguarding with Waterfront Module Review class for guards who already have a certification but it will expire before next summer. The classes will be held at Woodrow Wilson Middle School: 1 Wilderman's Way, Middletown.

Lifeguarding with Waterfront Module Review Class: Thursday, Dec. 27: 11 a.m. -7 p.m. ; Friday, Dec. 28: 11 a.m. -7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 29: 12:30 p.m. -7 p.m.

Lifeguarding with Waterfront Module Class: Thursday, Dec. 27: 11 a.m. -7 p.m ; Friday, Dec. 28: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 29: 12:30 p.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 30: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

To register, Sarah Battistini at sarah.battistini@ct.gov or call 860-418-5958.

The basic duties of a lifeguard are to monitor activities in swimming areas preventing accidents and providing assistance to swimmers at State Park beaches; to caution swimmers regarding unsafe areas; to maintain order in swimming areas; to rescue swimmers in danger of drowning and administer first aid and/or CPR as required; to participate in physical and rescue skills training; to perform general maintenance tasks and other related duties as required. Hours of work are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., five days a week, for a total of 40 hours. Weekends and holidays are mandatory. Minimum age by May 25 must be 16 years for lifeguards, 18 years for lifeguard supervisors.

Lifeguards cover eight of the state parks beaches: Black Rock State Park, Watertown; Burr Pond State Park, Torrington; Hammonasset Beach State Park, Madison; Indian Well State Park, Shelton; Rocky Neck State Park, Easy Lyme; Sherwood Island State Park, Westport; Silver Sands State Park, Milford; and Squantz Pond State Park, New Fairfield To apply visit: to https://www.jobapscloud.com/ct/

Recovery group meets Fridays in Portland

PORTLAND  New Life Journey is a faith based recovery support community comprised of people from all walks of life who recognize that although our experiences shape and mold us, we are not limited to or defined by our stories. Recovery is not a term exclusive to substance abuse  it is applicable to all humans at their various levels of evolution and stages of life.

The group meets Fridays at 7 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church 345 Main Street, Portland. For more information email: Admin@NewLifeJourneyCT.com.

Hope and Support Groups to meet

DURHAM/MIDDLEFIELD  A new service for those who have a loved one struggling with substance abuse or addiction is being offered in the Durham/Middlefield area.

Hope and Support Groups provide a safe and confidential space for parents, guardians and all others dealing with a loved ones disease of substance abuse or addiction. The group is led by two trained facilitators, a licensed professional and a para-professional with lived experience.

Recognizing that this disease affects entire families, the group provides a forum to share openly while receiving peer support, information and the compassion that everyone deserves thus breaking the stigma and isolation created by the disease. The group meets from 7-8:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Middlefield Federated Church, 402 Main Street, Middlefield. Parents, guardians, siblings, partners and all others living with a loved ones substance abuse disorder or addiction are invited to attend.

This service is provided by TriCircle, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides resources for people and families affected by substance use disorders. Through education, research and community engagement they are dedicated to providing the tools that build strong futures.

Recovery support group meets in Middletown

MIDDLETOWN  New Life Journey is a faith based recovery support community, comprised of people from all walks of life who recognize that although experiences shape and mold them, they are not limited to or defined by their stories. The group meets on Fridays from 7-8:30 p.m. at First Church, 190 Court Street, Middletown. For more information, email Admin@NewLifeJourneyCT.com.

Young widows, widowers can attend support group

MIDDLETOWN  Middlesex Hospital Cancer Center and Middlesex Hospital Hospice and Palliative Care are holding a support group for young widows and widowers. Meetings will be held at the Middlesex Hospital Outpatient Center. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. To register, contact Doreen Gagnon at 860-358-2053 or doreen.gagnon@midhosp.org, or Sherry Russenberger at 860-358-6091 or sherry.russenberger@midhosp.org.

Adult education offers free classes

MIDDLETOWN  Adult education offers free classes for area residents ready to earn their high school diploma. High school completion options include online classes and GED.

English classes for non-English speaking residents are also available for all proficiency levels. Enrollment is ongoing and there is never a charge for area residents. Day and evening classes are available at 398 Main Street, Middletown. Call or stop by for more information, 860-343-6044.

Free GED instruction offered

MIDDLETOWN  Free GED tutoring is available days & evenings at 398 Main Street Middletown to help residents get their GED. There is no charge for area residents. Call 860-343-6044 for more information.
Jakob Owens

Instagram is no longer just a place to share FOMO-inducing vacation throwbacks, stalk your ex's new fling, and gawk at the latest Kardashian selfie: it's a platform to grow your business. Capable of delivering an engagement rate of 1.73 percent per postcompared to Facebook's 0.16 percentInstagram is a bona fide treasure trove for companies in search of a devoted community of customers.

Sounds great, right? Well, don't forget to read the fine print: In order for Instagram marketing to work for you, you have to actually have followers in the first place. Without them, you're just dedicating time, money, and other resources to content that few people will actually see, let alone interact with.
State Comptroller Kevin Lembo can sound methodical in his strategy for reducing the cost of prescription medications.

They negotiate pricing with the pharmaceutical company that manufactures the drug and they negotiate pricing with the pharmacy that dispenses the drug. Theyre in the middle of all that.

He can also sound a cop in a 1970s melodrama trying to bust up a drug ring in the streets, diagnosing the problem as They buy a drug for X, they sell it for Y, I reimburse them for part of that, and they keep the difference.

It will take both attitudes to bring cheaper prices to the people who get prescriptions from doctors but have less negotiating power than someone buying illicit street drugs.

Even scalpers hawking tickets at concerts have more transparency about profit margins, as original prices are printed on tickets.

Lembos office is in the process of exposing profit margins hidden by so-called pharmacy benefit managers. He refers to the repugnant bookkeeping tactic as hidden wealth exchanges.

His methodical plan is to do so through his offices request for proposal for Connecticuts new pharmacy benefits agreement.

But the street fight version is that he is trying to bust up the drug monopoly by fighting money with money.

Lembos office is too large a customer to be ignored, as they spend nearly $2 billion annually on health care.

Thats just Connecticut, and Lembo claims his office is the first to take the approach of demanding an RFP that ensures the middleman is not pocketing extra cash.

If the change saves coin for consumers, expect other states to follow Connecticuts lead. But Lembo  and we  are hopeful it can be even more influential by convincing other employers to call for the same mandates.

Its the first of its kind in the nation. We are pushing this in a very serious way. Lembo said.

The state is trying to protect consumers in other ways. First-time prescriptions would be limited to 30-day fills, a response to data that suggests less than one-third of 90-day first-time fills are not refilled.

The initiative has the potential to reform the industry quickly but is the result of Lembos patient resolve as well as legislation crafted to make drug companies more transparent about their pricing. The measure sailed through the General Assembly during the most recent session.

The states current pharmacy benefit management company is CVS Caremark. The new contractor is not expected to be chosen until the end of February. Once the new system starts, Lembo  along with the states 200,000 employees and their dependents  can start following the money.

Connecticuts future pharmacy benefit manager will also have to provide access for prescribers to compare the actual cost of medications with alternatives, turning state employees into their own watchdogs.

Lembo is no doctor but may have found a cure for this ailing system.
Latvian airline airBaltic has revealed plans to launch scheduled flights between Riga and Dublin, Ireland, beginning in March.



Starting March 31, 2019, the carrier will fly four times per week, with ticket prices starting from 39 ($44.4).



Martin Gauss, chief executive officer of airBaltic, said: We are glad to offer our guests regular flights to Dublin. This route has strong demand for years now and we are very happy that we can add Dublin to our expanding route portfolio. airBaltic passengers now will have direct flights between the two cities with the new Airbus A220-300 aircraft for very attractive prices and with business class level of service.



Dublin Airport managing director Vincent Harrison said he was delighted to welcome airBaltic back to Dublin Airport. This new service to Riga will further enhance the connectivity between Ireland and Latvia and is good news for passengers as it will offer additional choice and convenience.



Travelling on the Riga  Dublin route, passengers will be able to add a fresh meal to their booking starting from 7 ($7.9). In addition, when booking with airBaltic, passengers always receive free hand luggage and a personal item allowance that can be carried onboard.



airBaltic serves over 70 destinations from Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius, offering the largest variety of destinations and convenient connections via Riga to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, the CIS and the Middle East. For summer 2019, airBaltic has introduced three new destinations from Tallinn to Malaga, Brussels and Copenhagen. In addition, next summer airBaltic will launch new direct routes from Riga to Stuttgart and Lviv. - TradeArabia News Service




Navy Federal Credit Union had been experiencing banking problems since early Thursday morning.

According to a statement from Navy Federal on its Twitter page said, Were experiencing a delay with account deposits today, and were working through a solution. Currently members are unable to call in to speak with represenatitives. Online and mobile banking are available.

Navy Federal Credit Union, Vienna, Va. is the nations largest credit union with $95.3 billion in assets and 8.1 million members as of Sept. 30.

CU Times reached out to officials at Navy Federal and an unnammed person who answered stated that we are currently working on the situation. And no other details were provided.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has approved SriLankan Engineering to carry out Base Maintenance operations on Airbus A330 aircraft as per EASA Part-145 regulations.



SriLankan Engineering is the aircraft maintenance-repair-overhaul (MRO) arm of SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka.



This certification completes the requirements for SriLankan Engineering to conduct base maintenance operations on the A320, A321 and A330 families of aircraft of all airlines operating to Colombos Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA). This includes the entire SriLankan Airlines fleet, which is comprised of A320, A321 and A330 aircraft.



Earlier this year, EASA certified SriLankan Engineering as an MRO approved for EASA Part-145 Base Maintenance operations for Airbus A320 aircraft.



EASA is the aviation regulatory arm of the European Union with authority over airline industry matters, and maintains the highest global standards for airlines to comply with.



Vipula Gunatilleka, group chief executive officer of SriLankan Airlines, said: We are pleased to announce that we can now recommence our full services for other airline customers, as well as for our own fleet, and look forward to working closely again with both our existing customers and new customers. SriLankan Engineering is an important department of our airline and this new certification will undoubtedly enhance its capabilities and ability to contribute more actively to the bottom-line of the company.



D.A.G. Jayasuriya, chief technical officer of SriLankan Airlines, said: SriLankan Engineering has undergone a considerable transformation over the past two years to enhance and upgrade its facilities, organisational structure, and professional capabilities. We possessed these certifications for many years, but took a decision to voluntarily suspend the certifications while we carried out our upgrading programme, as it required the full attention of our staff and involved construction activities in some of our hangar facilities that restricted their availability for aircraft related work.



A team of auditors from EASA monitored the enhancements and carried out a full audit prior to reinstating the certifications. During the period of upgrading, SriLankan continued to hold all necessary certifications of the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL), which is the licensing authority for SriLankans own fleet.



SriLankan also possesses EASA certifications for its Line Maintenance and Engineering Workshops, including type certification of aircraft operated and EASA certified Part 147 Training.



The enhancements included enlargement of the floor area in SriLankan Engineerings Main Hangar to allow more aircraft to be served simultaneously; and enclosing of the Main Hangar with the installation of a new hangar door. Similar enhancements were completed earlier this year on SriLankan Engineerings smaller hangar that is dedicated for A320 aircraft. - TradeArabia News Service


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Boeing has raised its long-term forecast for commercial airplanes in India as unprecedented domestic passenger traffic and rapidly expanding low-cost carriers (LCCs) drive the need for 2,300 new jets over the next 20 years.



Boeing has raised its long-term forecast for commercial airplanes in India as unprecedented domestic passenger traffic and rapidly expanding low-cost carriers (LCCs) drive the need for 2,300 new jets  valued at $320 billion  over the next 20 years.



This year alone, more than 10 million passengers, on average, travelled within India each month.



"To meet this increased domestic air traffic growth, we see the vast majority of available airplane seats coming from LCCs," said Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president of Sales for Asia Pacific and India, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.



"The success of this market segment will mean more than 80 percent of all new airplane deliveries in India will be single-aisles. And the superior economics and fuel efficiency of the new 737 MAX airplane will be the perfect choice for Indian carriers."



According to Boeing's Commercial Market Outlook (CMO), India's commercial aviation industry has achieved 51 consecutive months of double-digit growth. This growth is matched in other sectors of the country's economy.



"The Indian economy is projected to grow by nearly 350 percent over the next two decades to become the third largest economy in the world," said Keskar. "This will continue to drive the growth of India's middle class and its propensity to travel both domestically and internationally, resulting in the need for more new fuel-efficient short- and long-haul airplanes."



With more than five percent of the world's fleet expected to operate in India by 2037, services will continue to be a major driver of growth in the region's commercial aviation industry. Commercial services such as flight training, engineering and maintenance, digital analytics among others will provide airlines with optimal operational efficiencies as they continue to expand to meet growth in the marketplace.



In the South Asian market, including India, Boeing forecasts a commercial services market valued at $430 billion over the next 20 years.  TradeArabia News Service
National carrier Turkish Airlines has signed a code sare agreement with Indias largest domestic airline, IndiGo, to leverage their respective networks to maximize travel opportunities for the traveling public.

Announcing the mutual cooperation agreement, the Turkish flag carrier said it will enable both carriers to provide more flexibility of choice to their respective customers to fly on sectors between India, Istanbul and beyond.

This is the first codeshare agreement for IndiGo as part of its international expansion strategy, it added.

Through this co-operation, Turkish Airlines will be offering new destinations in India as marketing carrier on IndiGo operated flights, while IndiGo customers will be able to reach many European destinations through Turkish Airlines extensive network.

This reciprocal arrangement will allow TK and 6E to provide seamless connections to their customers, besides enabling them to use through check-in and many other facilities.

IndiGo will place its code 6Eon 20 points beyond Istanbul operated by Turkish Airlines. Similarly, Turkish Airlines will use its code TK on IndiGo operated flights within India.

Turkish Airlines CEO and Deputy Chairman of the Board Bilal Eksi said: "We are very happy to host new operators in our main hub Istanbul, and IndiGo will be the first Indian carrier starting flights to Turkey which is very welcome."

"We believe that it would be great opportunity to improve our co-operation with our new Codeshare partner IndiGo, which will provide new services and destinations for our passengers travelling to/from India," he stated.

IndiGo Director and Interim CEO Rahul Bhatia said: "We are very excited to be launching our first codeshare with Turkish Airlines: apart from supporting our upcoming direct services to Istanbul, this strategic partnership will expand the choices available to our customers for journeys beyond Istanbul, using Turkish Airlines extensive network."

"It will become possible for our customers to book itineraries into many cities in Europe on IndiGo, using Turkish Airlines and experiencing their renowned inflight service," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Will your family, like mine, be switching on the TV at 3pm on Tuesday for the Queens Christmas message?

If so, you and I belong to a dwindling minority for whom the broadcast remains an essential fixture of the annual festivities. Indeed, if a survey this week by Families Online is to be believed, 81 per cent of households with young children will be giving it a miss this year. I find this both sad and a little worrying, for reasons Ill try to explain.

I should say at once that the broadcast is still remarkably popular. As recently as last year, it topped the Christmas Day ratings with 7.6 million viewers, knocking Mrs Browns Boys into second place, some 800,000 behind.

Will your family, like mine, be switching on the TV at 3pm on Tuesday for the Queens Christmas message?

But lets face it, the Monarchs message is never again likely to reach the peak viewing figure it achieved in 1980, when royal fever was building up for the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer the following year. Then, an astonishing 28 million in the UK alone tuned in to the Queen at Christmas. That was very nearly half the total population, which then stood at 56.3 million  all listening to the same words, at exactly the same time on December 25.

Even among those who will be watching this year, semi-comatose after the festive blow-out, I suspect that very few will rise to their feet for the national anthem at the end, as my family and countless others used to do in my Fifties childhood. Though I yield to nobody in my respect for Queen and country, these days even I hesitate to brave the jeers of the cynical Utley young by standing up at the familiar sound of that introductory drum-roll.

My point is that back in my boyhood, the Queens Christmas message was one of those invisible ties that held the nation together  a common experience that united every social class, age-group and region of the country in a sense of belonging to the same national family. And though the social glue of the Monarchy remains strong, there is no escaping the fact that it has grown considerably weaker over the six and half decades of my lifetime.

But then so, too, have other subtle bonds that used to reinforce our sense of shared nationhood. Take the BBC. In the early years, when it held a monopoly, every Briton with access to a radio or television, southern dukes and Durham miners alike, inevitably listened to and watched the same programmes.

Since the advent of commercial stations, weve gone our separate ways  a development that has accelerated dramatically with the proliferation of choice in this digital age (though I stick to my view that the wider the choice, the less there is worth watching).

Or consider what was once our strongest national bond of all, by which I mean the English language. I realise that as a native and resident of our multicultural capital, which seems increasingly like a separate city state, I probably have a distorted view. But it is no exaggeration to say that almost every day, we Londoners are likely to hear at least a dozen different languages spoken, and understand less and less of what others are saying.

Even among those who will be watching this year, semi-comatose after the festive blow-out, I suspect that very few will rise to their feet for the national anthem at the end, as my family and countless others used to do in my Fifties childhood

Only the other night, on my journey home from an umpteenth Christmas party, I had a typically surreal experience on the Tube. A young man and woman  Eastern Europeans, I guess, though I cant be sure  were chatting away loudly in their own tongue when they were suddenly seized by convulsive laughter.

As the young man gasped for breath, his voice rose higher and higher, while tears of mirth streamed down his cheeks.

I should say at once that the broadcast is still remarkably popular. As recently as last year, it topped the Christmas Day ratings with 7.6 million viewers, knocking Mrs Browns Boys into second place, some 800,000 behind

He was clearly recounting the funniest thing that had happened for years  and since laughter is infectious, the rest of us in the packed carriage, from any number of different countries, were soon smiling along. I turned to the woman strap-hanging next to me, and shrugged in bewilderment. She shrugged back  and then everyone was shrugging and chuckling, utterly mystified by the joke but enjoying it all the same.

Certainly, we were united in that moment, but only in our shared incomprehension. I cant help feeling that our common bond might have been even stronger if only wed understood what on Earth our helpless fellow passenger was laughing at. But such is London life in 2018.

On the other hand, it could be that if wed understood the joke, we wouldnt have laughed quite as much. This is because people brought up in other cultures tend to find different things funny. Which brings me to another of those invisible ties which I feel has loosened over the past 65 years: the national characteristic we once thought of as the British sense of humour.

Its absurd to over-generalise, of course, but I think it fair to say that when I was growing up, most of us tended to laugh at the same programmes, such as The Men From The Ministry or Round The Horne on the BBC Home Service (how that dates me!), The Morecambe & Wise Show or  dare I say it  Les Dawson and Benny Hill. Nowadays, even old staples such as mother-in-law jokes are frowned upon as sexist  never mind Benny Hills relentless pursuit of scantily dressed young women.

Meanwhile, old buffers like me listen in stony silence to programmes such as Radio 4s The Now Show, or watch the excruciatingly unfunny Mash Report, wondering why on Earth so many of our fellow countrymen seem to find this Leftist propaganda amusing

As for jokes about the Englishman, the Irishman and the Scotsman, its a brave modern comedian whos prepared to risk twitter-storms of abuse for national stereotyping.

Meanwhile, old buffers like me listen in stony silence to programmes such as Radio 4s The Now Show, or watch the excruciatingly unfunny Mash Report, wondering why on Earth so many of our fellow countrymen seem to find this Leftist propaganda amusing.

There were other bonds, too, that held us together in the good old days. At school, we were all taught roughly the same version of history. This was a mite flattering, I grant you, to Britain and its empire as forces for good in the world, but it helped to unite us in patriotic pride. By contrast, the focus today is on slavery and the evils of the colonial era  and, too often, children are encouraged to feel ashamed of our countrys past.

Then there was the national religion, which reinforced our common culture by uniting believers and non-believers in learning the same time-honoured hymns  Rock of Ages, Abide With Me, Lord Of All Hopefulness and the rest.

With church attendance plummeting, and many schools and ministers of religion now favouring obscure modern hymns, ever fewer of todays young know the words or tunes of even once-favourite Christmas carols, handed down to us over the centuries and dinned into my generation from our earliest childhood. Thus, another national bond is being severed.

the Monarchs message is never again likely to reach the peak viewing figure it achieved in 1980, when royal fever was building up for the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer the following year. Then, an astonishing 28 million in the UK alone tuned in to the Queen at Christmas. That was very nearly half the total population, which then stood at 56.3 million  all listening to the same words, at exactly the same time on December 25

As for why any of this matters, my fear is that what weve gained in cultural diversity  whether from mass immigration, the plethora of radio and TV stations on offer or the babble of disparate views on the internet  were losing in social cohesion and our sense of national identity. And the more divided a society, the harder it is to govern and the less room freedom has to breathe.

But I mustnt be gloomy at this time of year. So let me end by pointing out that there remains an awful lot to unite us  and never more so than at Christmas. Indeed, the Families Online survey of more than 1,000 parents finds a whopping 75 per cent of us will be sitting down to a similar feast of roast turkey on Tuesday, with a resounding 93 per cent pulling crackers and putting on paper hats in celebration.

Meanwhile, nearly half of us will set our smartphones aside to settle down afterwards to a traditional board game.

So, yes, much of the glue that once held this nation together may be coming unstuck. But I confidently predict that decades from now British children yet unborn  of every religion and none  will still regard Christmas as a hugely special and exciting day. I wish comfort and joy, peace and goodwill to one and all. Oh, and God save the Queen!
An artist famous for his thought-provoking satirical work has reimagined the Beckhams as the Simpsons in hilarious sketches.

Italian artist and activist Alexsandro Palombo, 43, who is based in Milan, shared his artwork inspired by Victoria Beckham's Instagram account with his 2,000 followers this week.

The pictures see Victoria's most famous poses reenacted against the famously blue skies of fictional town Springfield in the hit cartoon.

One snap shows the former Spice Girl, 44, as a yellow-tinged Simpson, lying on the sofa with her leg in the air, phone in hand as she poses for one of her most viral posts.

Italian artist and activist Alexsandro Palombo, 43, who is based in Milan, has reimagined the Beckhams as the Simpsons in hilarious sketches shared with his 2,000 followers this week- with Victoria and David's alter egos seen attending Harry and Meghan's wedding

The original sketch is inspired by power couple Victoria and David, who were seen arriving for the royal wedding at Windsor Castle in May of this year

One snap shows the former Spice Girl, 44, as a yellow-tinged Simpson, lying on the sofa with her leg in the air, phone in hand as she poses for one of her most viral posts

The picture was inspired by this photo of Victoria, which was imitated by celebrities -and her own family- across the world

Another shows Victoria and David, 43, as cartoon characters, dressed in the same attire they were seen attending Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in.

Elsewhere the artist pokes fun at Victoria's fashionista edge, imitating her lying in her own branded carrier bags with just her Eva pumps and a hint of her alter-ego's yellow legs visible.

Another perfectly poised picture sees Victoria crawling out of a carrier bag followed by her photographer, in a fun interpretation of the designer's snaps.

A hilarious sketch showing just the yellow legs and designer pumps- and a flash of underwear- belonging to Victoria's alter ego as she walks along with a bag over her head imitates one of the designer's more famous snaps

In September the former Spice Girl shared this creative snap which quickly went viral, writing: 'Putting Victoria into Victoria Beckham since 2008! Head to my website to shop my limited edition anniversary tee featuring the campaign by Juergen Teller x VB'

Another perfectly poised picture sees Victoria crawling out of a carrier bag followed by her photographer, in a fun interpretation of the designer's snaps

The original snap posted in September was taken by photographer Juergen Teller to celebrate 10 years of Victoria's brand. The designer captioned it: 'Juergen appearing in one of the images was really important to me - collaborating with him again was incredibly special'

This work is the more light-hearted side of the artist's portfolio, with much of his previous sketches aimed to highlight what goes on behind the scenes of families that appear 'normal' on the surface.

Alexsandro has previously hit headlines for his hard-hitting animation work, using cartoon characters and celebrities such as Kendall Jenner to highlight issues of domestic violence.

Speaking to MailOnline previously, he said: 'I wanted to give visibility to a problem that affects a great amount of women all over the world.

'Domestic violence is a problem so widespread that its victims and perpetrators could be anyone,' he added. 'Even in couples that appear to be normal.'

The artist, who lost his own leg to cancer five years ago, also gained wide applause for raising awareness around the subject of people with disabilities.

Elsewhere the artist pokes fun at Victoria's fashionista edge, imitating her lying in her own branded carrier bags with just her Eva pumps and a hint of her alter-ego's yellow legs visible

Victoria shared this picture in September, revealing the inspiration behind it by writing: 'When Marc Jacobs featured me coming out of a shopping bag a decade ago it really was just the beginning of my journey into the fashion industry'
Last Christmas Makena Houston, who has cystic fibrosis, was waiting for a lifesaving double lung transplant with no guarantee doctors would find a donor in time.

And this holiday season, eight months after she was gifted the precious organ, the 26-year-old from New Zealand has been chosen to perform in a local Mamma Mia musical.

'I have lungs that sing,' Makena wrote alongside a video clip of herself singing on Instagram.

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Last Christmas Makena Houston (pictured) was waiting for a lifesaving double lung transplant with no guarantee doctors would find a donor in time

'One of the greatest things my lung transplant has allowed me is the ability to sing again.

'For years pre-transplant thick, sticky phlegm, low lung function and an inability to breathe took away my voice and enjoyment in singing.

'Tonight I sang in my first recital since I was probably 12, but I still get the same thrill I used to get all those years ago.'

She urged anyone who was contemplating organ donation to consider discussing it with their family over Christmas because 'maybe one day you could give a girl back her voice'.

And this year, eight months after she was gifted the precious organ, the 26-year-old from New Zealand has been chosen to perform in a local Mamma Mia musical

In April Makenna was given the incredible news that she would be receiving the double lung transplant she so desperately needed

In April Makenna was given the incredible news that she would be receiving the double lung transplant she so desperately needed.

After 45 days in intensive care she was finally able to update the more than 900 fans she has amassed on social media that the transplant was a success - and today she looks healthier than ever before.

Before the surgery Makenna posed in a moving photo shoot while wearing her feeding tubes and breathing apparatus as part of New Zealand lingerie label Lonely's 'Lonely Girls Project'.

'It is what it is, I have to have those things on me and it shows a part of me you can't really see when I wear normal clothes,' Makena told FEMAIL at the time.

Makena Houston, from Auckland, NZ, (pictured) posing in a moving photo shoot

She was captured in a moving photoshoot while wearing her feeding tubes and beside her breathing apparatus as part of New Zealand lingerie label Lonely 's 'Lonely Girls Project'

'I have bigger issues to worry about than how my body looks, and just because I've got tubes in my nose and in my stomach it doesn't change who I am. This is who I am.'

Posing in a series of images shot by photographer Harriet Were, the one-time model said she felt at ease being herself while lying on her hospital bed.

She doesn't commend herself for being 'brave' by taking part in Lonely's 'real women' photoshoot. Her sickness means that, a lot of the time, having courage is an uphill battle and she is left without a shadow of optimism.

'I get sick of people saying I'm so positive and brave, because I'm not. I used to think of myself as a positive person. But that was before everything got really hard. And when it did I kind of gave up a little bit,' Makena said.

Makena was born with her chronic illness was on the waiting list for a double lung transplant for 11 weeks before the shoot took place.

Posing in a series of images shot by Harriet Were for Lonely lingerie, the one-time model (pictured) said she felt at ease being herself while lying on her hospital bed

She doesn't commend herself for being 'brave' by taking part in Lonely's 'real women' photoshoot. Her sickness means that, a lot of the time, having courage is an uphill battle and she is left without a shadow of optimism

Her failing lungs were teetering on the edge at 15 per cent capacity and she patiently awaited the bittersweet moment another person's death could save her life.



'Transplant is the last option for me before death,' Makena said. 'But because I have known about it my whole life, I have come to terms with it.'

Without a fresh pair of lungs Makena would have remained hooked up to oxygen 24/7. She couldn't walk 200m without getting short of breath and suffered from terrible bouts of coughing which eventually induced vomiting.

Makena was born with her chronic illness and has been on the waiting list for a lung transplant for 11-weeks, a drop in the ocean compared to countless other patients but torturous all the same

'I've always had to have medication every time that I eat and do treatments every day, but I think to the untrained eye, if you didn't know you wouldn't know,' she explained.

By sharing her story, Makena hopes it will change public opinion and raise awareness about the crucial need for organ donors in New Zealand.

'Without my double lung transplant I will die. 100 per cent. I don't know when, but this is the last card,' she said at the time.
Rumours of the Duchess of Sussex's 'difficult' nature have been swirling for weeks, and now royal insiders have suggested that tensions behind the palace doors may be down to a 'culture clash'.

A source told PEOPLE magazine that while Meghan is forthright about her visions for the future veteran royal aides 'might not be used to her "say-it-as-you-see-it" American mentality.

'The most difficult job in the royal family is to work with Meghan's ambitions and make them realisable,' added a source close to the family

'She will get frustrated if she is told, "You can't do this or can't do that".'

Meghan's forthright nature may also explain tensions with her sister-in-law Kate who is know for her more typical British reserve, with insiders having described the pair as 'very different people'.

Meghan Markle, 37, is the first American to marry into the royal family since 1937, and with her 'see-it-as-you-say-it' approach, is a culture clash to blame?

Kate Middleton, 36, has thrown herself into life as a mother and looks after her three children - Prince George, five, Princess Charlotte, three, and Prince Louis, eight months

Tensions among the 'Fab Four': The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend a National Service to mark the centenary of the Armistice at Westminster Abbey, London, Sunday November 11, 2018

Before joining the royal family, Meghan had a career as an actress and a platform for the issues she cared about, such as feminism, politics and human rights.

Since marrying Prince Harry she's had to shut down her social media accounts and fall into line with strict rules on royals not making political statements.

Meanwhile, future Queen Kate has had years to get used to maintaining a dignified and uncontroversial silence.

Earlier this week, royal biographer Joseph said that Meghan has faced more of a public backlash than her sister-in-law as she's trying to bring the monarchy into the 21st century.

The Duchess of Sussex tied the knot in an extravagant ceremony at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in May - and has continued to hit the headlines since

Speaking on the Victoria Derbyshire show, Claudia said: 'The reality is that Kate is a very different person.

'She's very quiet, she's not trying to change the Royal family, she's not trying to do anything differently, she's like William.

'She doesn't like the publicity, she doesn't like to be in the public eye. She has been in the press, there have been lots of stories about her over time.

'Not so quickly perhaps, but she's not breaking the rules in the same way as Meghan.'

Claudia claimed that Kate Middleton received less of a backlash when she joined the royal family due to her 'quiet and less involved nature', adding: she's not trying to change the Royal family, she's not trying to do anything differently, she's like William

Meghan, seen in June with the Queen, has long been vocal of her stance on feminism, politics and human rights, as well as reportedly being responsible for Harry skipping the royal annual Christmas shoot, due to the duchess being an avid animal lover

Meanwhile, there have been reports that Prince Harry, 34, and Meghan have not endeared themselves to royal household staff with their somewhat 'dictatorial' behaviour.

The Mail reported that Meghan had wanted air fresheners for the musty odour of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Recently the Sunday Mirror claimed that Meghan's personal assistant Melissa Toubati resigned after just six months, having broken down in tears over the stress of her job.

The Duchess of Cambridge was also reportedly left in tears after a bridesmaids dress fitting for Princess Charlotte ahead of Harry and Meghan's wedding in May.
Joe Swash has been ruthlessly mocked by Good Morning Britain viewers after making a hilarious gaffe in Friday's episode.

The actor turned TV presenter, 32, mispronounced the Prince of Wales's name several times, referring to him as 'Prince Chiles'.

Joe, who is in a relationship with fellow presenter Stacey Solomon, attended the same tea party as the royal at Dumfries House in East Ayrshire yesterday, but still hadn't got the hang of his name.

The mistake left Good Morning Britain viewers in stitches, with one saying: 'Who the hell is Prince Chiles?'

Joe Swash, 32, (pictured) mispronounced the Prince of Wales's name on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Friday, calling him 'Prince Chiles' instead of Prince Charles

The royal, 40, attended a tea party at Dumfries House in East Ayrshire yesterday (pictured), which Joe also attended

Joe was appearing from a live link from Scotland to the London studios when he made the gaffe.

It started off badly as he mistakenly said that Dumfries House belonged to the Duke of Cambridge, 36, instead of his father, 70.

Joe said: 'Ten years ago it got itself a brand new owner, Prince William no not Prince William! Prince Chiles, sorry Prince Chiles! Prince Chiles.

'And he's been heavily involved in the community. One project being loneliness and isolation, so throughout the year Prince Chiles puts on a tea party here at the House, and all the old people come down and have a good old knees up.'

The mistake left Good Morning Britain viewers on Twitter in stitches (pictured), with one saying: 'Who the hell is Prince Chiles?'

And the slip ups didn't stop there, as Joe continued to refer to the royal as the wrong name at the party.

Speaking to one guest, he said: 'Was you more taken aback by me than Prince Chiles?'

Many GMB viewers took to Twitter to question how Joe managed to get Charles's name wrong.

Joe (pictured on Good Morning Britain) continued to get Charles's name wrong throughout the cringeworthy segment

One tweeted: 'Joe swash pronouncing our future king as chiles?after getting wrong name?give me strengt.'

'Wtf did #JoeSwash just say who the hell is Prince Chile's #GMB [sic],' another posted.

A third said: 'Oi Joe ... Who the hell is Prince Chiles??? ... All those talented tv presenters out there & they choose this horror show.'

The tea party, which is held every three weeks, aims to help counter loneliness and social isolation, particularly among older members of the local community. Pictured: Prince Charles talks to guests at the event yesterday

Clad in a Christmas jumper and festive party hat, Joe was pictured at the event as he was there to film for Good Morning Britain

'Who the f*** is Prince Chiles?' another said, followed by laughing emojis.

Yesterday the Prince of Wales surprised hundreds of guests when he dropped into the tea dance.

The event is held every three weeks at Dumfries House and aims to help counter loneliness and social isolation, particularly among older members of the local community and adults with additional support needs.

Charles, who is known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland, chatted to guests who had enjoyed a Christmas lunch at the festive event.
The John Lewis & Partners AW18 collection from its new eponymous fashion line has been a runaway success, with key pieces selling out within days.

And now the retailer has announced that its 175 knee high slouch boots, one of the range's most popular hits, is finally back in stock.

The department store's Sienna Knee High Slouch Boots came out in early September when the 300-piece collection launched, but the burgundy style sold out within a day while the rest were gone in a week.

Now they're back in stores, but you'll have to move fast if you want to get your hands on a pair.

The neutral leather colour is sold out in all sizes but 4, while the burgundy and red have sold out in a size 3.

The department store's Sienna Knee High Slouch Boots are part of their AW18 collection, which came out in early September and included 300 pieces. The burgundy style, pictured, sold out within a day of going on sale

The rounded toe boots can also be worn in two different styles, the a soft slouchy top of the boot can be worn up or ruched down. Pictured: The neutral leather style has sold out in a size 4 after coming back into stock

The boots are available in both red leather, netural leather and burgundy leather. And have a heel height of 9cm.

The rounded toe boots can also be worn in two different styles, the soft slouchy top of the boot can be worn up or ruched down.

Perfect for wearing with jeans, long skirts and dresses, they'll definitely keep you warmer than ballet pumps.

John Lewis revealed to Good Housekeeping this week: 'Our Sienna John Lewis & Partners knee high slouch boots sold out in the first week  we have seen our customers really buy into the knee high with a midi hemline look this season.'

The boots are available in both red leather (pictured left), natural leather and burgundy leather, and have a heel height of 9cm. The burgundy style is the most sought after and has sold out for the second time (right)

The boots are perfect for wearing with jeans, long skirts and dresses, they'll definitely keep you warmer than ballet pumps.

The return of the boots comes as the store also restocked

The John Lewis & Partners Double Faced Belted Collar Coat, which comes in camel, sky blue and raspberry pink, was originally released in September from their AW18 collection costing 199.

But just weeks after it came out, it sold out in all sizes.

The coat, which proved to be a hit with John Lewis fans was originally priced at 199, but now it's back in stock, the brand has reduced it to nearly half the price - taking it down to a purse friendly 100.

Made with Italian fabric, woven at a family run mill in Tuscany, the soft belted wrap coat has large collars and stitching detail which matches the belt.

The John Lewis & Partners collection was unveiled this Autumn, dubbed its 'biggest and best yet' - emphasising 'riotous colours and easy silhouettes'.

Iain Ewin, partner and head of design for womenswear and accessories, said: 'We want to empower women to be individual, to be unique and find their own style.'

The launch came just weeks after the retail giant reported profits had fallen to 1.2 million for the six months to July 28 as its chairman blamed a 'challenging time for retail' which had been 'created in part by Brexit'.
A nationwide search has seen a hideous washroom with a brown suite and floor-to-ceiling floral tiles crowned Britain's worst bathroom.

Even the most talented estate agent would struggle to put a positive spin on these bathrooms, which are anything but 'suite'.

Hundreds of Brits submitted photos of their bathrooms in a competition run by Victorian Plumbing to find the worst in the country.

TV star Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen plumbed the depths of interior design to whittle them down to a final four.

The public then voted the brown bathroom in Norwich as Britain's worst - turning their noses up at its suite, taps, badly tiled bath and overall feel of the 1970s.

Interiors expert Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, pictured, has examined wash rooms all over the country to identify Britain's worst bathroom, with a brown floral suite scooping the top spot

This bathroom with brown suite and flowery floor-to-ceiling tiles has been crowned Britain's worst place to wash following a nationwide search, as judged by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen

Sarah Smith, a 42-year-old mum-of-two from Hellesdon, Norwich, moved into the house with the winning bathroom a year ago.

She said: 'Many people have asked me if I feel embarrassed. No was my answer.

'My brown bathroom was clearly someone's pride and joy at some point as it's as good as the day it was put in many years ago.

'It is very dark in my bathroom and it is not a relaxing place to take a bath. I look forward to brightening it up and it looking fresh and clean all the time.'

Green and brown were common themes among the finalists of the Victorian Plumbing competition, with thumbs down going to including avocado suites, carpeted floors and bathrooms with no flooring at all.

A mucky wooden floor, brown floral tiles and a tatty chest of drawers saw this bathroom shortlisted among Britain's worst bathrooms. Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen said: 'Badly designed bathrooms are a sign of low self-esteem'

An avocado suite with matching green tiles are the standout feature in this washroom, voted among Britain's worst bathrooms. Green and brown were common themes among the finalists of the Victorian Plumbing competition

Feeling blue! This floor-to-ceiling turquoise monstrosity was shortlisted among some of Britain's worst bathrooms.Hundreds of Brits submitted photos of their bathrooms in a competition run by Victorian Plumbing to find the worst in the country

A dreary-looking yellow wash room, complete with chipped paint and rusty nails, saw this bathroom shortlisted among the nation's worst. The survey also revealed 61 per cent of people changed or renovated their bathroom when they moved home

Who thought that was a good idea? The turquoise suite in this bathroom clashes with the red carpet and matching rug. Having a clean and modern bathroom makes life more relaxing while boosting the homes desirability when it comes to selling

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen said: 'Badly designed bathrooms are a sign of low self-esteem.

'When you're faced with a bathroom that looks absolutely repellent first thing in the morning, how are you going to face the world with a smile on your face? It's practically impossible.

'The big thing with bathroom design is to keep it practical, keep it cleanable. Anything too fussy, too frilly or too porous will end up becoming a boutique hotel for mould and germs.

'Finally, floral is fine in a bathroom, but try and pick flowers that actually look like flowers rather than leftover cabbages.'

Green-eyed monster: This headache-inducing suite was nominated among hundreds of entries to be crowned Britain's worst bathroom. Even the most talented estate agent would struggle to put a positive spin on these bathrooms, which are anything but 'suite'

This little piggy... A bizarre farmyard-themed mosaic adorns the walls of this colourful wash room which was shortlisted among the worst bathrooms in the country

Blast from the past! This retro-themed WC appears not to have been changed since the 1970s, complete with rusty plughole and murky green bathtub

A matching green bath tub, sink and toilet. Hundreds of Brits submitted photos of their bathrooms - leaving TV star Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen to plumb the depths of bathroom despair and whittle the list down to a final four

The builder appears to have used floor tiling to decorate the side of this bathtub. The public voted a bathroom in Norwich as Britain's worst

A mouldy floor, broken bath and pink suite saw this grotty bathroom voted as one of Britain's worst - although surprisingly it didn't make the top spot

A bizarre black and brown colour scheme make this retro bathroom look decidedly gloomy, and the retro floor-to-ceiling floral tiling weren't enough to save it

The competition follows research by Victorian Plumbing which found 34 per cent of Britons would like to update their bathroom while one-in-five admit they're embarrassed with their current one.

The survey also revealed 61 per cent of people changed or renovated their bathroom when they moved home.

Joe Pascoe, senior marketing manager at Victorian Plumbing, said: 'Our search for the nation's worst bathroom came from wanting to communicate a simple message: that people shouldn't keep putting up with bad design.

'From exposing dated, coloured suites to wallpaper that isn't fit for purpose, we wanted to encourage people to get their bathroom shame out there and begin the healing process.

'With Christmas just around the corner, we felt that now would be the perfect time to gift the owner of Britain's worst bathroom a much needed upgrade.'
The long-awaited adaptation of Watership Down begins on BBC One this weekend.

But one person who has mixed feelings towards the revamp of Richard Adam's 1972 children's classic is his eldest daughter - who has accused scriptwriters of 'social engineering' in their portrayal of female characters.

The novel, about a group of rabbits escaping the destruction of their warren, is dedicated to Adams' two children who originally inspired the story of beleaguered bunnies Hazel and Fiver.

And speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Juliet Johnson, 60, and Rosamond Mahony, 58, bemoaned some of the changes in the latest film adaptation.

Referencing the BBC's gender pay gap scandal, Juliet said it was her understanding that female rabbits were given a feminist makeover 'at the BBC's insistence' - in response to the controversy surrounding ex-China editor Carrie Gracie's resignation in January.

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Richard Adams with his two daughters Juliet and Rosamond (pictured in London in 2014), who have shared their thoughts on the new film adaptation of their late father's 1972 children's classic Watership Down set to air on the BBC later this week

Fiver convinces Bigwig to follow his plan and head for Watership Down in the new version of the 1972 Richard Adam children's classic, set to air on BBC this weekend

'I have that only on third party assurance,' she admitted. 'But if you're going to start social engineering like that, make sure your own house is in order, don't you think?'

Executive producer Rory Aitken told the newspaper that the team 'felt it would be beneficial to have a greater balance of male and female characters'.

He said: 'The female characters were always an important part of the narrative and we've built and expanded on this in the adaptation.'

MailOnline has contacted the BBC for further comment.

The daughters explained that their father, who died in 2016 , had sold the rights to a Hollywood producer 'in perpetuity' leading to the 1978 film adaptation.

'It was very ill-advised,' said Juliet. 'In fact it wasn't advised at all  he just did it. We should probably have had a lawyer check it out.'

Warning: Watership Down producers warned parents earlier this month that two-part BBC adaptation is 'not a kids film' after the 1978 film traumatised a generation of children

Rosamond, from London and Juliet, from Oxford, believe violent scenes in the book were given undue prominence in the film adaptation.

Juliet added: 'A lot of the deaths in [the movie] don't happen in the book. I actually feel a bit cross about this. The violence in the original film was not sensitively done.'

The new two-part animation, co-produced by Netflix and the BBC, is voiced by a star-studded cast including Olivia Colman, Rosamund Pike, John Boyega and James McAvoy.

Being careful: Producer Rory Aitken has admitted that the new adaptation is 'not appropriate for younger children', with the show coming with a minimum age of eight

Age rating: The two-part drama, which will be broadcast in the 7pm slot on December 22 and 23, has a recommended minimum age rating of eight years old

The two sisters have described the new version as 'far darker' than the novel in their interview with the Telegraph today, referencing a scene which some viewers have said has echoes of Jewish concentration camps.

Juliet believes their father would have branded the comparison as 'inappropriate and wrong'.

The pair also brushed off suggestions of hidden social messages between the book's pages, with Rosamond adding: 'He always maintained it was just a story about rabbits. Nothing else.'

Watership Down: The Journey and the Raid airs on BBC One on Saturday 22 December at 7pm
St George's Chapel will host its third royal wedding in a year when Lady Gabriella Windsor, daughter of the Queen's first cousin, Prince Michael of Kent, walks down the aisle this spring.

Following on from the May nuptials of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and October's marriage of Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank, 'Ella', as she is known to her friends, has chosen the Queen's favourite chapel as the venue for her wedding to fiance Tom Kingstone.

Unlike the other two events, Lady Gabriella's private wedding will be far more low key, unsurprising as she is only 50th in line to the throne.

Still, several senior members of the Royal Family are expected to attend and there is nothing the nation loves more than a wedding, particularly a royal wedding.

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Wedding bells! Lady Gabriella Windsor has chosen St. George's Chapel Windsor as the venue for her wedding to fiance Tom Kingston next spring (pictured at the same venue for Princess Eugenie's nuptials with Jack Brooksbank on 12 October 2018)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are currently expecting their first child, also picked St. George's Chapel Windsor for their wedding (pictured on the steps of the chapel on 19 May)

Princess Eugenie also tied the knot at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle when she wed tequila ambassador Jack Brooksbank on 12 October (pictured) followed by a reception nearby

It is understood that St George's Chapel was chosen by the couple as Gabriella, 37, has a particular affiliation with the royal residence.

Friends say she has fond memories of childhood Christmases at Windsor, before the Queen moved her festivities to Sandringham, and she was also a bridesmaid for her first cousin, Lady Helen Taylor, there.

Gabriella was also born on St George's Day  April 23rd 1981.

Like Harry and Meghan, Lady Gabriella will hold her reception at Frogmore House (although there will be no pre-drinks at the castle).

The event will be paid for privately by Prince Michael of Kent and his wife, Princess Michael.

Buckingham Palace have not yet confirmed a date for the wedding or whether the Queen will attend, although it is likely that the Kents would have sought permission from the Queen for their daughter to marry in her chapel.

A friend said: 'Lady Gabriella has a real personal connection with St George's, it is a place she loves.'

A view of the Quire in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, where Lady Gabriella Windsor and Tom Kingston will have their wedding service next spring, it emerged this week

Lady Gabriella works at global branding company, while her fiance, Tom Kingston, works in finance.

Intriguingly, Mr Kingston, once described as one of the most eligible men in London, is said to have dated an ex of Prince William, Natalie Hicks-Loebbecke.

He is also good friends with Pippa Middleton and he and Gabriella attended her wedding to James Matthews last year. It is anticipated that the invitation will be reciprocated.

A student of economic history at Bristol University, he started his career at the Diplomatic Missions Unit of Foreign Office, which involved moving to Baghdad in 2003 to work as a project manager for the International Centre for Reconciliation.

Like Harry and Meghan, and Peter and Autumn Phillips before them, Lady Gabriella will hold her reception at Frogmore House, pictured (although there will be no pre-drinks at the castle)

Like Lady Gabriella, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also held their wedding reception at Frogmore House in May (pictured leaving Windsor Castle on their way to their evening soiree on May 19)

The organisation was tasked with mediating in disputes between Iraq's political, religious and tribal leaders and which negotiated the release of foreign and Iraqi hostages.

He now works in 'frontier market investment' and is a director of equity company Devonport Capital.

He and Ella, who does not carry out any official royal engagements, have been dating for around three years. According to Buckingham Palace, they got engaged in August, with Tom proposing on the island of Sark.

Ella, 37, is the daughter of the Queen's first cousin, Prince Michael, who lives with his wife, Princess Michael  sometimes dubbed Princess Pushy for her imperious ways  at Kensington Palace.

Ella, 37, is the daughter of the Queen's first cousin, Prince Michael, who lives with his wife, Princess Michael (the couple are pictured here at the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank at St. George's Chapel, Windsor on 12 October 2018)

They do not receive any official funding and now pay rent for what was once a grace-and favour royal apartment, leading them to complain that they would go 'anywhere for a hot meal'.

Ella, who studied at Brown University in the US as well as Oxford, and her brother Lord Freddie Windsor, have both had to work for living.

She is a Senior Director at Branding Latin America, a brand-positioning platform that specialises in the region, as well working as a writer, contributing to The London Magazine.

A statement released by Buckingham Palace earlier this year said: 'Prince and Princess Michael of Kent are delighted to announce the engagement of their daughter Lady Gabriella Windsor to Mr Thomas Kingston.

'The engagement took place in August; Mr Kingston proposed on the Isle of Sark.

'It is anticipated that the wedding will take place in the spring of 2019.'
The Queen believes social media can be used to 'spread the magic' of the royal family, it has emerged.

The monarch, 92, sees platforms like Instagram and Twitter as valuable tools for engaging with the public, her former director of communications revealed.

Sally Osman, who this week left Buckingham Palace after five years, told CorpComms magazine that social media is key in strengthening the relationship between the monarchy and the public, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Forward thinking: The Queen, 92, sees platforms like Instagram and Twitter as valuable tools for engaging with the public, her former director of communications revealed. Pictured, the Queen arrives at King's Lynn railway station, Norfolk, yesterday for her Christmas break

Staying relevant: The Royal households each have their own social media accounts run by their respective press offices. The official Royal Family Instagram account has 4.3million followers

Ms Osman said: 'The monarchy has to be seen to be doing its job, otherwise people ask why we need it, which goes full circle back to what our job is, which is to engage people in the purpose, relevance and value of a modern monarchy.'

She added: 'Social media can also spread a bit of the magic - the views from the inside.'

The Royal households each have their own social media accounts run by their respective press offices.

The official Royal Family Instagram account has 4.3million followers.

The Kensington Palace Instagram account, which uploads posts about the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, boasts more than 7.1million followers.

Tech savvy: Meghan, 37, was prolific on social media before shutting down her accounts ahead of her engagement to Prince Harry, 34. Pictured, with the Queen in June

Photos range from official portraits at public engagements to behind-the-scenes looks at private events.

On the recent royal tour of Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji, the palace even uploaded informal images taken by Prince Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37, of each other.

The Kensington Palace Twitter account as 1.68million followers.

The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall's household at Clarence House also have Instagram and Twitter accounts, boasting 608,000 and 810,000 followers, respectively.

Close-up: On the recent royal tour of Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji, the palace even uploaded informal images taken by Prince Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37, of each other. Pictured, a photo taken by Meghan showing husband Prince Harry rehearsing for his speech

Meghan, 37, was prolific on social media before shutting down her accounts ahead of her engagement to Prince Harry, 34.

Fans speculated whether she could be planning a return to Instagram when her account was briefly reactivated earlier this week. However it was later confirmed as a technical glitch.

Princess Eugenie is unique in that she has her own Instagram account, where she shares professional and personal updates.
The single mother who took the now-famous photo of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan on Christmas Day revealed she has made 40,000 from the snap.

Karen Anvil, 40, was one of hundreds who braved the cold to get a glimpse of the royal family as they walked to St Mary Magdalene Church, on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk on 25 December last year.

After screaming to attract attention, Ms Anvil, who had two jobs at the time, snapped a candid picture of the 'fab four' that was quickly distributed to publications around the world.

Over the last year, royalties have brought Ms Anvil a regular monthly income of between 600 and 6,000 - and she said she's earned enough money to clear her debts, take a year off work and 'do up' her council house.

Money maker! The single mother who took this world-famous photo of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan at Sandringham last year revealed she has made 40,000 from the snap

Royal fan: Karen Anvil, left, had been waiting in the crowd with daughter Rachel, right, in the hope of catching a glimpse of the royals on their way into church on Christmas morning

Describing the experience as 'like a lottery win', Ms Anvil, of Norfolk, told the BBC: 'The biggest change for me was that it was so nice to go shopping at Tesco and not be worried about whether I've got the cash in the bank.'

One of the first purchases she made was a bed, having slept on a mattress on the floor for 18 months.

Ms Anvil had been waiting outside the church with daughter Rachel in the hope of catching a glimpse of the royals on their way in.

Photographers from around the world jostled for position to capture a photo of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with the then newly engaged Harry and Meghan - but it was Ms Anvil who trumped them all.

Prime position: Ms Anvil, pictured third from left in a blue coat, waited with daughter Rachel, seen on her left, in the hope of seeing the royals. She snapped a photo as they walked past

By 'screaming like a fan girl', Ms Anvil was able to draw looks from both Kate, 36, and Harry, 34, who are both smiling staring straight at her lens in the shot.

Meanwhile William, 36, and Meghan, 37, are striding ahead with broad smiles on their faces.

She uploaded the photo and by 5pm that day it had gone viral. It has since been sold to publications in countries around the world, with requests from Japan, the US, Canada, Spain and Italy all coming through.

In a tweet earlier this year, Ms Anvil told how she had spoken to Prince Harry about the photo when she met the royal during a walkabout in Birmingham.

She wrote: 'Got to speak to Meghan today! Also shook Prince Harry's hand and asked him if he liked the Xmas photo! He said he hoped I made lots of money from it! I'm absolutely buzzing!'

The proud mother previously said some of the money will go towards her daughter's education.
She's used to representing the royals on regular engagements, but today Sophie Wessex had a very special helping hand - her daughter.

The Countess of Wessex, 53, took her eldest child Lady Louise Windsor, 15, to the International Horse Show at London Olympia on Friday.

The royal looked cosy in a pretty pink turtle neck, which she wore with a flowing midi-skirt and black boots.

The Countess of Wessex, 53, (pictured) attended International Horse Show at London Olympia on Friday

Sophie (left) was joined by her daughter Lady Louise Windsor, 15, (middle) who looked stylish in a tweed suit and black boots

Her daughter, who she shares with the Prince Edward, 54, alongside James, Viscount Severn, 10, looked smart in a brown tweed jacket and matching skirt.

She teamed the look with a pair of sturdy black boots, which were similar to her mother's in style.

The mother and daughter duo listened intently as they chatted to organisers of the event.

Lady Louise has inherited a love of horses from her grandmother the Queen, 91, and was taught to ride at a young age.

Sophie (middle) looked cosy in a pretty pink turtle neck with a flowing midi-skirt and black boots as she chatted to the event organisers with her teenage daughter

She has also taken up carriage-driving, a past-time beloved of her grandfather, Prince Philip, 96, who is credited with popularising the sport in Britain.

The International Horse Show started on Monday and will finish this Sunday, December 23.

Sophie's appearance comes amid reports she has been cited as a potential role model to help Meghan Markle navigate the tricky territory of integrating with the royal family.

The Countess of Wessex experienced her own fair share of bad press in her early days.

She continued to work in public relations, following her marriage to Prince Edward in 1999, but things began to unravel following an indiscreet business talk Sophie had with a Middle Eastern man whom she believed was a potential PR client.

Sophie (right) accessorised with a gold pendant and wore a coat of mauve polish on her nails as she walked confidently into the arena

According to The Sunday Times, insiders have been using Sophie as an example of someone who endured a difficult beginning in the royal family, but is now one of its stalwarts after building a close bond with the Queen.

And sources say that the monarch is open to lending her support to pregnant Meghan.

'Her Majesty has seen it all and could offer the duchess some helpful advice at the moment,' an insider said.

'Meghan would do well to nurture that relationship and pop over for the occasional cup of tea with the Queen. That is what Sophie Wessex has quietly done so well.'
Beauty mogul Huda Kattan may be known for her glamorous makeup looks, but that doesn't mean she has always been confident.

The 35-year-old Huda Beauty founder took to her new personal Instagram page this week to share a throwback photo of herself before her rhinoplasty, revealing she ended up going under the knife because becoming a blogger made her self-conscious.

'Eeeek!! before I knew what I was doing! OMG! My makeup was a mess here and yes this was pre-nose job!' she captioned the image, which shows her sporting frosty eyeshadow and bubblegum pink lips.

Back in the day: Huda Kattan, 35, took to her new personal Instagram page this week to share a throwback photo of herself before her rhinoplasty

Then and now: The Huda Beauty founder revealed she got a nose job because becoming a beauty blogger made her self-conscious, not because she didn't like her looks

Keeping it real: In her caption, the social media star stressed that it is 'unhealthy' to be in front of the camera so much

Huda's natural curls are loose around her shoulders, and she is smiling for the camera. In her candid caption, she went on to admit that she never had an issue with her appearance until be became a blogger.

'For everyone wondering I didnt get a nose job because I didnt like my looks!' she said. 'I wasnt the cutest child, but by the time I hit high school, I thought I was cute!

'It wasnt until I became a beauty blogger that I became soooo self conscious!' she continued. 'I actually feel that being a beauty blogger can sometimes be tough on your confidence and being in front of the camera so much is honestly unhealthy!'

Huda ended the post by reminding her followers that they shouldn't rely on a photograph to measure their self-worth.

'Its so important to remember the camera sees things that humans dont and you are without doubt 1,000,000X more beautiful than you think,' she wrote.

Candid: Huda recently shared this childhood photo of herself, admitting that she always felt like she 'wasn't cute as a kid' because she was 'super skinny' and had a gap in her teeth

Huda, who had gotten a nose job in 2014, opened up about it two years later during an interview with Harper's Bazaar Arabia.

'It was shortened a bit, my nose was twisted on the end and he did get rid of my hump, it's the Arab hump,' she said of her plastic surgery.

The Instagram star's latest post about her transformation has received more than 29,000 likes, and many fans took to the comments section to tell her that she has always been beautiful.

'I am LOVING this raw and vulnerable side of u!! Thanks for keeping it real bb girl,' one person wrote, while another added: 'You were beautiful then and still beautiful now.'

The professional makeup artist started her blog, Huda Beauty, in 2010 and later introduced her YouTube channel, which now has more than 2.7 million subscribers.

New outlet: Huda launched her personal Instagram page earlier this week, saying she wanted an outlet where she could express herself without worrying about likes

Numbers: In less than a week, her new account has earned more than 127,000 followers, but her Huda Beauty Instagram page has a whopping 30.2 million

By 2013, she founded her Huda Beauty cosmetics line, which is based in Dubai. Her first beauty product was false eyelashes, and they were such a hit they ended up being worn by Kim Kardashian.

Huda is now one of the most influential women in the beauty business, and her Huda Beauty Instagram account has a whopping 30.2 million followers.

She launched a personal Instagram page earlier this week as a way to be herself on social media without worrying about likes.

'Im sure a lot of people are wondering what this page is about!' she wrote in the caption of her first post.

Behind-the-scenes: The business woman has been sharing plenty of family photos on the account, including this picture of herself posed with her husband, Christopher Goncalo

Dream vacation: The two recently traveled to Iceland and enjoyed some time in the Blue Lagoon, which Huda said is her 'happy place'

'Everything Ive ever done has always been for our brand, so I really wanted a place to express my self, my thoughts, my creative and just be free! Not worry about how many likes a post has or if the lighting is right, so this is going to be a very raw and very personal page!'

In just five days, she has more than 127,000 followers and keeping true to her word, she has already shared numerous throwback snapshots and family photos.

Huda also revealed this week that she is planning on launching a skincare brand in 2019, telling InStyle it will be independent of Huda Beauty with its own brand identity.

'My husband [Christopher Goncalo] and I love the saying, success is not owned. Its rented, and rent is due every single day, and I really and truly believe that,' she told the outlet.

'You need to constantly out-do yourself and constantly improve yourself. When you think youve made it, you need to keep pushing because the person next to you or your competitor is also getting better, and you need to be able to stay ahead.'
At least a dozen people in the US have caught bacterial infections after receiving stem cell injections derived from umbilical cord blood.

Health officials warned at least 12 patients in three different states - Florida, Texas and Arizona - have been struck down.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed all of the patients were hospitalized.

Three of the patients, who all sought the jabs for problems such as back pain, spent at least a month in the hands of doctors. None died.

Officials found bacteria in unopened vials provided by the distributor Liveyon, based in Yorba Linda, California (pictured, the headquarters of the firm)

Investigators don't think the contamination occurred at the clinics where the shots were given.

Instead, they found bacteria in unopened vials provided by the distributor Liveyon, based in Yorba Linda, California.

Liveyon voluntarily recalled the stem cells in October. However, the outbreak of infections has only just been reported.

Last month, the Food and Drug Administration sent a warning to Genetech Inc, the small San Diego company that processed the stem cells.

The FDA said the company should not be marketing the stem cells without regulators' approval.

The body added the firm deviated from manufacturing requirements in ways that could have led to bacterial contamination.

Stem cells are very young cells than can develop into specialized cells, such as blood cells, bone cells and brain cells.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that at least 12 patients in three states, Florida, Texas and Arizona, became infected after getting embryonic stem cell injections for problems like joint and back pain (stock)

The cells are being studied as a potential way to treat many diseases and are currently approved for a handful of medical procedures.

In recent years, hundreds of private clinics have opened, promoting their use for diseases in which there is little evidence they are safe or effective.

Stem cells can be harvested from adults, but another source is umbilical cord blood, which can be collected at the time of birth.

It is stored and later used as a treatment for the child or family members who develop conditions like blood or immune disorders.

Officials say stems cells from cord blood also are being sold to doctors to treat patients for conditions like pain in their joints, shoulders or back.

Last year, the FDA announced plans to crack down in doctors and businesses promoting stem cell injections for diseases ranging from arthritis to Alzheimer's disease.

The CDC reported stem cells from cord blood were the source of bacterial infections in seven in Texas, four in Florida and one in Arizona.

The average age of the patients was 74. Five different germs were seen in the patients, including one type of E. coli.

'These are not organisms you want in your bloodstream or joint space,' said Dr Kiran Perkins, the CDC medical officer leading the agency's investigation.
Meet the three mothers who formed a unique bond after they each overcame life-threatening strokes.

Angie Jorgensen, Tamsen Butler and Sarah Conway, all from Nebraska, suffered strokes within a few years of each other.

After meeting at events for stroke survivors, the three formed a fast bond - even dubbing themselves Stroke Homies, or Stromies.

They are now joining forces as they relearn to walk, talk, care for their children and raise stroke awareness at events around the country.

Sarah Conway (left), Tamsen Butler (center) and Angie Jorgensen (right) formed a unique bond after they all overcame life-threatening strokes

Angie, 52, suffered a stroke in December 2012 due to a rare tumor on her adrenal gland. Pictured: Angie in the hospital with her daughter at the time of her stroke

Tamsen, 44 (left, with her daughter), had her stroke in July 2015 after a genetic mutation she didn't know she had caused her blood to clot. Sarah, 37 (right, with her daughter), was already in the emergency room with her then three-year-old daughter in December 2016, when her stroke occurred

When Angie, 52, a sales director, suddenly went into cardiac arrest in December 2012, doctors said she had a five percent chance of survival.

Her family said their goodbyes as she slipped into a coma and her organs shut down.

She suffered a stroke due to a rare tumor on the adrenal gland called a pheochromocytoma, which she didn't know she had.

After she was in a coma for a week, Angie's heart unexpectedly began functioning normally and she woke up a few days later; unable to walk, talk or use her hands.

'As the doctors went over what I had been through over the past week, my first thoughts were in thanking God that I could go to my daughter's graduation and that this had to be some kind of miracle,' Angie said.

Angie had a long road of recovery ahead of her. She spent three months in cardiac rehabilitation, a program to improve heart health after a heart-related issues, and wore a defibrillator vest to monitor her blood pressure.

Finally she was able to have surgery to remove the tumor that had taken over her adrenal gland.

'Over the course of the year and one day at a time, I continued to recover,' she said. 'It has been a privilege to pay it forward with gratitude ever since.'

Angie and Tamsen were the first to meet at an event hosted by the American Heart Association and they both connected with Sarah via Facebook. Pictured, left to right: Tamsen, Angie and Sarah

Thee three formed a fast bond and dubbed themselves Stroke Homies, or Stromies. Pictured, left to right: Angie, Tamsen and Sarah

Tamsen, 44, a freelance writer and fitness instructor, suffered a stroke in July 2015 after a genetic mutation she didn't know she had caused her blood to clot.

'It was completely unexpected and was caused by holes in the heart I didn't know I had and a genetic mutation that gives my blood a propensity to clot,' she said.

As a result, she developed 'scatterbrain' tendencies that caused her to have temporary memory loss.

Angie and Tamsen were the first to meet at an event hosted by the American Heart Association and they both connected with Sarah via Facebook.

Sarah, 37, a stay-at-home mom, was already in the emergency room with her then-three-year-old daughter in December 2016, when she suffered an ischemic stroke, which occurs when arteries to the brain become narrowed or blocked.

Three days later, she had a hemorrhagic conversion - when an ischemic stroke turns into a hemorrhagic stroke after a weakened blood vessel bursts - and she spent five weeks in inpatient rehab.

The three mothers, who were all younger than the average age for stroke - which between 55 and 65 years old - and recovering better than expected, felt relieved to meet other women like them.

Sarah said she was 'socially awkward' before she became friends with the other women but now she is 'much more outgoing and personable'. Pictured, left to right: Sarah, Tamsen and Angie

Tamsen that she developed 'scatterbrain' tendencies that caused her to have temporary memory loss after her stroke, which the friendship helped her recover from. Pictured, left to right: Tamsen, Sarah and Angie

'We felt as though God brought us together. All three of us wanted to be able to provide others with the support that we desired while recovering after our strokes,' Sarah said.

'I was stuttering pretty badly when we first got together and somewhat socially awkward. My communication is now fluid and I am much more outgoing and personable.

'I am able to use a lot of my marketing and public relations background to facilitate social media for the Stromies and it makes me feel worthwhile. It's given me a sense of purpose.'

Tamsen said that ever since she formed a friendship with Angie and Sarah, she's recovered from her 'scatterbrain' tendencies.

'I know they've helped me recover because I was a lot more introverted post-stroke, but they drew me out of my shell,' she said.

'It's a powerful thing to go from "stroke victim" to "stroke survivor advocate" and that's what being a Stromie has helped me do.

Angie said the three of them now use their stories to remind other stroke survivors that there can be life after recovery.

'The three of us have an understanding because of what we have gone through and that is a pretty special thing. It helps us on a tough day and we can certainly find the humor in it which is also a good thing,' she said.

'We are each able to use our strengths and differing personalities in a pretty cool way. Our connection has evolved and strengthened over time.'
A 30-year-old former gymnast has lost her right arm and left leg after developing toxic shock syndrome (TSS) from a staph infection.

Anna Norquist had just returned home to South Bend, Indiana after driving to Chicago for a Friday night concert earlier this month.

By Sunday she was feeling ill. Within 24 hours, Anna was so weak that she couldn't lift her head to take a sip of water or go to the bathroom. Her kidneys ached. Her whole body seemed to be shutting down.

She had contracted a strep infection - her family would later learn - which had somehow made its way into her bloodstream, a phenomenon that causes toxic shock syndrome.

The vicious infection was killing her limbs. Doctors had to move swiftly to confine the damage, so they amputated her arm and leg. She has already had 10 surgeries was scheduled to have her left hand amputated on Friday, the family told Today.

Anna Norquist (left and right) developed toxic shock syndrome and as had to have her left leg and right arm amputated, and may lose her right hand as well. She has been in and out of consciousness since being hospitalized and sometimes placed in a coma due to pain

Between surgeries, Anna has periodically been awake and able to speak to the members of her family (including her mother, right) remarkably. But her family says she's 'delirious' and has no idea where she is or that she is missing limbs

Anna was once an impressive gymnast. Now her family is simply holding out hope she'll be able to keep one of her legs.

The 30-year-old's family describes her as 'the strong, bold and beautiful.'

She has had to been, ever since falling ill. At times, she has been in so much pain that doctors have put her into a medically-induced coma.

As is often the case with toxic shock, Anna's family and physicians have no idea how the infection entered her body and blood stream and 'will probably never know exactly where the infection entered,' her father, Gordon, told Fox59.

Toxic shock is rare, striking less 0.5 out of every one million people in the US each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Though for a time TSS from staph bacteria was the linked to tampon use - and became the subject of widespread fear among women - the infection can enter the body in many ways.

In fact, rates of TSS have fallen off substantially, and most cases, including Anna's, now have nothing to do with tampons or periods.

Anna's whole family has rallied around the 'bold, strong' young woman, as her brothers (one of whom is pictured here ) rally around her near South Bend, Indiana

Two women in Anna's family fix her hair as she lies in the hospital. Her brother strokes Anna's hair to comfort her between the more than 10 surgeries she's endured

TSS can result from a number of different bacterial infections, including staph.

Staph bacteria are part of the normal profile of human skin bacteria, and most people have naturally-occurring antibodies against it in the blood.

But if the bacteria sneaks into the blood through cuts wound, burns or as complications of infections like pneumonia, it can quickly become life-threatening.

Most symptoms begin like Anna's did: quickly, and flu-like. Some people also develop rashes.

Trying to cut off the infections spread, the immune system signals the blood to clot, cutting off the oxygen supply from a part of the body. Without oxygen, the tissue there begins to die, a condition called gangreene.

Once gangrene has set in, that body part has to be removed. Most often this means amputation of fingers, toes or limbs, but gangrene can strike organs as well.

Between her amputation surgeries, Anna has been surprisingly wakeful, and able to speak.

But she has been in a sort of 'ICU delirium,' Patrick told Today, and doesn't seem to realize yet that her limbs are missing.

With our without further amputations and operations, Anna is looking at at least a six month hospital stay - and a long road to recovery.

Her family have set up a GoFundMe to raise money to cover Anna's completely unexpected and horrific medical ordeal and eventual therapy.

'Its been devastating,' Patrick told Today.

'But I have to try to remain grateful that they were able to save her life. We can deal with life.'
Junk food should be taxed and vegetables subsidised to tackle our obesity crisis, Britain's top doctor has demanded.

Professor Dame Sally Davies said voluntary agreements with the food industry had failed to sufficiently reduce sugar and salt consumption  and that tough action is now needed to save children from a lifetime of ill-health.

In a defiant challenge to critics, the chief medical officer said: 'Do you want to call that nanny state? If so I am chief nanny.

Chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said she was horrified by the amount of salt and sugar being added to baby food

Dame Sally said the food industry is not paying for the damage their products caused

'If we get this right we will save 10,000 deaths in the first five years following a cancer diagnosis.

'My thesis is that we have an unbalanced environment  it's not easy to make healthy choices. We've got to make it easy to make the healthy choice.'

Launching her annual report on the nation's health, she called for:

Taxes on fizzy drinks to be immediately extended to the likes of milkshakes, hot chocolate and sugary coffee;

Added sugar and salt to be banned from baby food;

'Fiscal disincentives' for food high in sugar and salt;

Subsidies to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

Successive governments have tried to persuade companies to make their products healthier through voluntary agreements.

David Cameron's 'responsibility deal', launched to huge fanfare in 2010, was supposed to encourage co-operation by freeing companies from the 'burden of regulation'.

HOW THE GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO STOP OBESITY Proposed plans to restrict the number of calories in pizzas, pies and ready meals were last year revealed as part of drastic Government moves to try and cut down on obesity. A tax on added sugar in drinks came into force in April, requiring companies to hand over more of the money they make from drinks which contain more than 5g of sugar per 100ml of liquid. As a result, many soft drinks have had their recipes changed in order to avoid paying the tax and putting prices up. Sugary drinks are the biggest single source of sugar for children and teenagers. The Government is also considering making it compulsory for all restaurants and fast food outlets to display the number of calories in each meal on their menu. Some food outlets already do this but there can be unexpected numbers of calories in popular dishes, and the Government is consulting on the plans before a decision is due in spring. In March this year, Public Health England warned Brits to crack down on the number of calories they're eating, advising people to consume no more than 1,600 per day. The watchdog says adults shouldn't eat any more than 400 calories for breakfast, 600 for lunch and 600 for dinner  this would allow for some snacks, experts said. Examples of 600-calorie meals include a tuna pasta salad and a small cereal bar, a chicken salad sandwich and a pack of crisps, or half a pepperoni pizza with a quarter of a garlic baguette and a banana. Advertisement

This was shelved in 2015. Theresa May replaced it the following year with a 'childhood obesity strategy', which imposed a sugar tax on fizzy drinks but again relied on voluntary targets for other foods.

But with two-thirds of adults and a third of children in Britain overweight, Dame Sally said the Government must impose mandatory rules to force firms to change.

'As we know industry has not delivered,' she said. 'We have a system at the moment where people are benefiting from selling unhealthy foods and they are not paying for the harm that is doing to us as individuals, to us as a society and the costs to the NHS.

'Our sugar targets haven't been met so far and I think if we don't get there we will need a fiscal effort to mandate it. The same with salt.

'I think we should give them a chance but if they don't deliver it we need to threaten them with mandation  and then do it.'

Dame Sally also said she was 'horrified' at the amount of sugar and salt added to baby foods, adding: 'We are beginning to see type 2 diabetes starting younger and younger  too much sugar and not enough exercise is increasing the risk of diabetes across the lifespan.'

Health experts last night welcomed her intervention. Graham MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine at Queen Mary University of London, said: 'We strongly support any tax on unhealthy food and drink products.'

Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum, described Dame Sally's proposals as 'music to my ears'.

But Chris Snowdon, of the Institute of Economic Affairs think tank, said: 'While the rest of the country struggles with the cost of living, [Dame Sally] wants to make food more expensive.

'The mantra of taxing and banning has become extremely tiresome.'

Industry spokesman Kate Halliwell, of the Food and Drink Federation, said its members were 'fully engaged with the Government's reformulation programmes' and recognised there was 'more work to be done'.

But she added: 'There is no evidence that additional food taxes can change consumer behaviours over the long-term.'

The Government will receive Dame Sally's report today and respond in due course.
The president of the Royal College of Physicians Andrew Goddard supports the Daily Mails campaign with charity Helpforce to boost volunteer numbers in the NHS

The NHS needs an army of volunteers to cope with the burden of the UKs rising elderly population, a leading doctor says.

The president of the Royal College of Physicians, which represents more than 35,000 doctors, said it was an inescapable truth that the health service would increasingly require more help as demand continues to soar.

Professor Andrew Goddard joined a raft of health professionals supporting the Daily Mails campaign with charity Helpforce to boost volunteer numbers.

Professor Goddard, a consultant physician and gastroenterologist at Royal Derby Hospital, said he had personally seen the difference that volunteers can make.

He echoed the findings of a landmark report into volunteering published this month, which recognised the vital role volunteers play but cautioned that they could never take the place of trained staff.

Respected think-tank the Kings Fund found that the overwhelming majority of hospital staff felt volunteers improve patient experience in busy hospitals, while also relieving pressure on them. Professor Goddard said: The inescapable truth is that the NHS needs volunteers, and that demand will only increase as a result of this countrys ageing population.

Sir Thomas Hughes-Hallett who has setup 'Helpforce' a volunteer hospital volunteer organisation to help assist the NHS staff and patients. Pictured: Sir Thomas at the Chelsea and Westminster hospital with patient John Mackay

I firmly believe that everyone can benefit here. The benefit to patients is clear but Im sure that the volunteers benefit too  from meeting people they wouldnt otherwise have met, and from helping to brighten their days.

Having volunteers also embeds the local community in our work and allows young people to get experience in the NHS, which can lead to careers they might not otherwise have had.

The University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust has more than 1,000 volunteers, between the ages of 16 and 84. They assist with a range of jobs such as breastfeeding support and running a library.

Experts have repeatedly warned that the number of over-65s in the UK is expected to rise by more than 40 per cent by 2039, to reach more than 16million.

The number of over-65s in the UK is expected to rise by more than 40 per cent by 2039, to reach more than 16million

As a result of the Mails campaign, more than 24,000 readers have so far pledged more than 1.3million hours of their time to assist the NHS.

Stars including JK Rowling, Sir Cliff Richard, Geri Horner, Sir Tom Jones and Joanna Lumley have lent their support to the campaign, alongside Prime Minister Theresa May, NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens and the Royal College of Nursing.

The backing of the Royal College of Physicians comes after officials announced plans to increase the NHSs voluntary workforce from the current 78,000 to 156,000 over the next three years.
Vickie Sandilands feared she would never have a family when doctors warned she had 'more chance of winning the lottery' than ever becoming pregnant.

The 33-year-old, from Guisborough, North Yorkshire, was almost rendered infertile after undergoing chemotherapy to treat her breast cancer.

But she defied the huge odds and gave birth to natural twins, called Ella-Rose and Sebastian, two years after finishing her gruelling treatment. They celebrated their first birthday this week.

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Vickie Sandilands defied the huge odds and gave birth to natural twins, called Ella-Rose and Sebastian, two years after finishing her gruelling treatment (pictured together recently, the twins are now one)

Ella-Rose and Sebastian both weighed more than 5lbs when they were born - considered to be a low birth weight

Ms Sandilands said: 'I was told I was practically infertile after cancer treatment and that it was more likely that I'd win the lottery.

'It wasn't until three years after my diagnosis and treatment that I started to feel really ill as though I was constantly hungover.

'I decided to take a test anyway but I didn't want to get my hopes up.'

She added: 'We couldn't believe it when we saw the two lines appear and at my two month scan we were told it was twins.

'Following my harsh cancer treatment I didn't think I'd be having one baby, never mind two. They were born at nearly 37 weeks and they were absolutely perfect.

'It was the best Christmas present to have Ella-Rose and Sebastian home for December 25 last year.'

Due to Ms Sandiland's family having a history of cancer, she opted to have genetic testing in September 2013, which revealed she had the BRCA1 gene.

Two weeks after the tests, she noticed her right nipple was leaking fluid and she noticed a small lump in her right breast.

Due to Ms Sandiland's family having a history of cancer, she opted to have genetic testing in September 2013, which revealed she had the BRCA1 gene (pictured with her partner Chris Jessop and the twins)

Two weeks after the tests, she noticed her right nipple was leaking fluid and she noticed a small lump in her right breast (pictured holding up an image of her twins in hospital)

Her doctors recommended she had a biopsy, which she underwent six months later in March 2014 (she is pictured with Mr Jessop in hospital, with them holding the twins)

Ms Sandilands was told in October she had grade three breast cancer - the form of the disease which spreads the quickest (pictured with her partner during chemotherapy)

HOW CAN CHEMOTHERAPY AFFECT A WOMAN'S FERTILITY? Most chemotherapy (chemo) drugs can damage a womans eggs. This depends on the womans age and the types of drugs she gets. If a woman is young, she has more eggs in the ovaries, and therefore a higher chance of getting pregnant after treatment. Girls who had chemo before puberty or young women whose menstrual periods start back after chemo are at risk for early menopause. Even if a womans periods start back after cancer treatment has stopped, her fertility is still uncertain. Usually some eggs are destroyed by cancer treatment. It's advised to avoid getting pregnant during chemo, or the six months following, as many chemo drugs can hurt the eggs that were maturing during treatment or the developing fetus, causing birth defects or other harm. Source: American Cancer Society Advertisement

Her doctors recommended she had a biopsy, which she underwent six months later in March 2014.

Ms Sandilands was told in October she had grade three breast cancer - the form of the disease which spreads the quickest.

At the same time as starting chemotherapy, she had her right breast removed.

She said: 'I had to have the aggressive form of chemotherapy as hormonal treatment wouldn't work for me.

'All of my hair fell out, it was terrible and the treatment made my chances of conceiving very slim.

'My family dreams were ruined in an instant but I was thankful to doctors saving my life.'

Her gruelling rounds of chemotherapy ended in April 2015. At the same time, Ms Sandilands had a mastectomy on her other breast.

She and her partner Chris Jessop, 32, were over the moon when they realised they were expecting twins in May 2017 - two years after she finished treatment.

Ella-Rose and Sebastian both weighed more than 5lbs when they were born - considered to be a low birth weight.

After five days in hospital, Ella-Rose and Sebastian were finally released from hospital on Christmas Day last year (pictured earlier this week)

Ms Sandilands' gruelling rounds of chemotherapy ended in April 2015. At the same time, Ms Sandilands had a mastectomy on her other breast

Prior to her miraculous pregnancy, the couple were looking into donor eggs, meaning the child would not have been biologically her (pictured while she was pregnant)

And after five days in hospital, they were finally released from hospital on Christmas Day last year.

Ms Sandilands has since had an hysterectomy - a surgical procedure to remove her womb, in hope of stopping the cancer from returning.

Prior to her miraculous pregnancy, the couple were looking into donor eggs, meaning the child would not have been biologically her.

She added: 'I was desperate to be a mum and while we'd not fallen pregnant after trying for three years, I was willing to try anything.

'The donor eggs was an option but thankfully my miracle pregnancy happened in May.

'Ella-Rose and Sebastian are so perfect and have completed our family, we are so grateful to be parents.

'It's crazy that they were released on Christmas but it makes this time of year extra special for us.'

She added: 'I was desperate to be a mum and while we'd not fallen pregnant after trying for three years, I was willing to try anything' (pictured as a family)
Four brothers beat odds of roughly 50-million-to-one to become the UK's only naturally-conceived identical quadruplets.

Five-year-olds Alfie, Sam, Jake and William Thomson, of Carlisle, Cumbria, are one of just 70 sets of identical quadruplets in the world.

The 'Christmas miracles' were born via C-section to their parents Becky Graham, 32, and Barry Thomson, 40, four weeks early at Newcastle Royal Infirmary on December 5, 2013.

Weighing 3lb 10oz, 3lb 9oz, 3lb 1oz and 2lb 11oz respectively, Alfie - the heaviest of the boys - was diagnosed with cerebral palsy shortly after being born due to a lack of oxygen at birth.

Although raising four 'boisterous' boys can be tough, the couple, who are also parents to seven-year-old Olivia, call their sons the 'best present we could ever have wished for'.

Five-year-old brothers beat 50million-to-one odds to become the UK's only naturally-conceived identical quadruplets. Pictured left to right are Alfie - who has cerebral palsy - Sam, Jake and William Thomson at their home in Carlisle, Cumbria recently

Their parents Becky Graham, 32, and Barry Thomson, 40, (pictured with their boys) call them their 'Christmas miracle' and 'the best present they could ever have wished for'. The brothers were born four weeks early via C-section at Newcastle Royal Infirmary on December 5 2013

Ms Graham only discovered she was expecting quadruplets during her 12-week scan (pictured). Although in shock, she said: 'We were always going to keep all four of them'

Speaking of her boys' arrival, Ms Graham, who works in retail, said: 'The last five years seem like a whirlwind.

'They were given to me for a reason. They were the best present I could ever have wished for.'

The family are looking forward to having what they hope will be a relaxing Christmas Day during the stressful festive season.

'We are just looking forward to spending Christmas together,' Ms Graham said. 'It will be a day for us to just relax and enjoy being with each other.'

Christmas is an expensive time for the family, who spend well over 1,000 on presents for their five children.

Ms Graham and her partner Mr Thomson, a car dealer, also fork out 2,000 just filling their children's wardrobes every year.

'We have been saving all year for Christmas,' Ms Graham said. 'December is really expensive because we have four birthdays and Christmas to pay for.

'But they are our Christmas miracle and I wouldn't change our life for the world.'

Pictured with their boys and their seven-year-old daughter Olivia, the couple are looking forward to spending what they hope will be a relaxing Christmas Day at home together

Ms Graham discovered she was pregnant with quadruplets during her 12-week scan at a hospital in Carlisle.

'It was just a complete shock,' she said. 'We had a million thoughts going through our heads about how on earth we would manage.

'We were always going to keep all four of them.

'It was a scary pregnancy because of the risks involved but we felt so lucky to be having four babies.'

Due to the complexity of her pregnancy, Ms Graham was transferred to a hospital in Newcastle, where she had check-ups twice a week.

By week 20, Ms Graham's bump was already the size of a full-term pregnancy.

She was even forced to spend the four weeks before she gave birth in hospital so doctors could monitor her.

Pictured as two-year-olds, the boys' arrival instantly turned their family's life upside down

Pictured as four-year-olds on their first day of school, Ms Graham insists the boys are 'all very unique in their own way' despite many people getting them muddled up

Once the boys arrived, the couple's family instantly changed.

'We have struggled but it's hard to imagine being without them,' Ms Graham said. 'I wouldn't change our life for the word.'

She added, however: 'Meal times can be tough. I have to be quite strict otherwise I'd end up cooking five different meals.

'Living with four boys is a challenge. I do get called "super mum" at times. I'm constantly picking things up after them but they are so loving.

'They do fight over toys sometimes but really love each other. They are so cuddly and have a fantastic sense of humour.'

Although they all look very similar, which confuses some people, Ms Graham insists the boys all have very different personalities. 'They might all look the same but they are very unique in their own way,' she said.

Olivia also gets along well with her four brothers, but sometimes struggles with the lack of 'me time'.

'It can be hard for her at times and when she's had enough she will just have her own time in her room,' Ms Graham said. 'But they all play together.'

The family recently spent thousands renovating a five-bed house, with Alfie having his own specially-modified room, while the rest of the boys share.

The couple hurriedly bought a three-bedroom house when they discovered they were expecting quadruplets, after previously renting, but the place 'never felt like home'.

'It's so lovely to be settled in our new home,' Ms Graham said. '[Christmas] will be a special day for us.'

The couple spend well over 1,000 on Christmas presents for their five children every year and 2,000 just filling the youngsters' wardrobes. The boys are pictured in January 2015
Luke Broadbent, 13, had eight months of treatment after a diagnosis in April

Emotional footage shows the moment a teenager rings a bell marking the end of his eight-month treatment for stage four cancer.

Luke Broadbent, 13, from Walsall, West Midlands, was initially thought to have a virus by doctors, suffering with weeks of exhaustion, headaches and sickness.

But his family were devastated to find out he had a brain tumour in April this year, leaving his mother, Donna, 40, struggling to tell her son what was happening.

Luke had a medulloblastoma, which is the most common brain tumour in children. He underwent ten hours of emergency surgery to remove the mass, along with several rounds of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Luke was finally given the all clear last Tuesday, December 18, at Birmingham Children's Hospital, as nurses lined the corridors to celebrate him ringing the bell.

Luke Broadbent, 13, from Walsall, West Midlands, finished has eight months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and can enjoy Christmas. Pictured with his mother, Donna, 40

Luke, pictured at home showing the video which has now gone viral on social media

Luke found out he had a medulloblastoma, which is the most common brain tumour in April

The poignant clip has since gone viral, racking up 29,000 views on social media.

Ms Broadbent said: 'It's the best Christmas present I could have ever hoped for.

'It has been an emotional rollercoaster since he was diagnosed and I haven't left his side.'

'At first doctors thought Luke had a viral infection as he began suffering from crippling headaches and sickness.

'But in reality he was actually battling an aggressive brain tumour, it was such a shock.'

Figures show approximately 400 children in the UK and 4,000 children in the US develop brain tumours each year.

Between 15 and 20 percent of childhood brain tumours are medulloblastomas, according to Children with Cancer, with survival rates as high as 70 per cent.

Ms Broadbent, a stay-at-home-mother to four children, said: 'I took him to our local Manor Hospital A&E with his symptoms but the only test he didn't have while there for 10 days was an MRI.

Luke was finally given the all clear last Tuesday, December 18, at Birmingham Children's Hospital, when he rang the bell as his emotional family looked on

Nurses lined the corridors of the hospital to celebrate the end of Luke's treatment

Luke spent months in bed at Birmingham Children's Hospital during treatment

'It was only after his sickness continued that he was readmitted on April 16 and he had the crucial scan which led him to be diagnosed with a brain tumour the day after.

'I had no idea it would be cancer, let alone stage 4, it completely devastated us as a family.'

The tragedy of Luke's condition was too difficult for his mother to comprehend, and she was unable to tell him.

She said: 'I didn't tell him it was cancer at first as I didn't want to scare him. I would say there was a big ball in his head and that it was being treated.

'The doctor told him it was cancer as I couldn't face telling him, Luke cried but he soon got on with it. He is such a fighter.'

Ms Broadbent said Luke has barely been away from his siblings, Kane Barratt, 18, Jack Broadbent, 15, and Zoe-louise Broadbent, 14, before.

But ahead of him was a long road to recovery - eight months of intense treatment in hospital.

Luke was initially was thought to have a virus by doctors, suffering with weeks of exhaustion, headaches and sickness, according to his mother

Luke had to have the tumour, which is the most common type of brain tumour in children, removed in surgery in April this yea

Luke, who has a scar from his surgery, has missed school since his diagnosis in April. But his mother said there have been teachers coming around the wards every day

Luke's mother, Donna Broadbent, 40, said the diagnosis was too difficult for her to reveal to her son. Pictured, with Luke's sister, Zoe-louise, 14, during treatment in hospital

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF A MEDULLOBLASTOMA TUMOUR? The signs and symptoms of a medulloblastoma are usually caused by increased pressure in the brain. Symptoms may include: abrupt onset of headaches, especially in the morning nausea and/or vomiting feeling extremely tired loss of balance and co-ordination which may lead to difficulty walking abnormal eye movements blurry vision caused by swelling of the optic disc at the back of the eye (papilloedema) In some cases, the tumour can spread to the spinal cord, causing another set of symptoms, such as back pain, an inability to control the bowels and bladder and difficulty walking. Source: The Brain Tumour Charity Advertisement

'He has been through several sessions of radiotherapy, four cycles of chemotherapy as well as stem cell treatment,' Ms Broadbent said.

'We've lived in the hospital since his diagnosis as he needed such aggressive treatment.

'His hair fell out and he lost the hearing in his one ear as it was so harsh but we knew he needed it to save his life.

'He has missed school since his diagnosis in April but there has been teachers coming around the wards every day.

'I was so proud of him ringing the cancer bell on Tuesday, it's such a miracle he's here.'

Despite Luke being triumphant in beating his brain tumour, he still requires regular hospital check-ups.

Ms Broadbent said: 'Luke will have MRI scans every three months.

'His blood levels still aren't right at the moment after all the treatment but we're hoping our visits will be less frequent in the new year.

'Luke is such a miracle and it makes me so emotional thinking about the last eight months.

'Luke has been so brave and we can't thank the staff at Birmingham Children's Hospital anymore if we tried.

'Luke's half sister, Jodie Bryan,29 and half brother, Chris Brown, 27, have been amazing as well.

'I hope other families going through something similar see that there is light at the end of the tunnel, Luke is living proof that you can get through it.'
A two-year-old boy has been left infertile after doctors accidentally operated on the wrong testicle.

The unnamed toddler was admitted to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children on Monday for a procedure to treat an undescended testicle, known as cryptorchidism.

After being told there was 'minimal risk', doctors called the boy's parents, who have not been named to protect their son's identity, into a room to tell them the operation 'wasn't a success'.

They were told a surgeon mistakenly inserted a camera 'into the wrong side', meaning their son's healthy testicle would 'never work'.

The boy's angry father has lashed out at The University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, saying surgeons have 'destroyed everything and ruined my son'.

The trust has apologised.

The unnamed toddler was admitted to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children (pictured) on Monday for an operation to treat an undescended testicle. The University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust has apologised for the incident and launched an investigation

The boy's father claims the youngster was referred to a specialist after doctors discovered one of his testicles had not descended during a routine check-up.

After being referred to a specialist and then on to the Bristol Royal, the couple were told the operation would take just half-an-hour.

But, more than two hours later, they had still not heard anything.

'We were waiting and waiting,' the boy's father told the BBC. 'After two-and-a-half hours the manager, surgeons and consultants came and I knew something was not right.

WHAT ARE UNDESCENDED TESTICLES? Undescended testicles, known as cryptorchidism, occur when a baby boy's testicles are in his abdomen rather than his scrotum. In most cases the testicles gradually move down after three-to-six months. Yet around one in 100 boys have testicles that will stay undescended unless treated. During pregnancy, a boy's testicles form in his abodmen and move down to the scrotum one-to-two months before birth. It is unclear why some boys are born with their testicles undescended, with most cases being otherwise healthy. Being born prematurely, having a low birth weight and a family history of the condition all raise a boy's risk of cryptorchidism. If necessary, treatment usually involves an operation, called an orchidopexy, to move the testicles to their correct position. Surgery should be carried out before a boy's first birthday. This is due to cryptorchidism being linked to testicular cancer and infertility in later life. Source: NHS Advertisement

'Me and my wife started panicking, they called us into the office and told us things didn't go right and the operation wasn't a success.

'I was very distressed, it was an awful disaster for a simple operation. They destroyed everything and they ruined my son.

'They castrated him and now my son's future life has dramatically changed.'

The boy's mother also described the ordeal as 'absolutely horrible'.

Speaking of the surgeons, she said: 'They broke my heart and basically destroyed his future. I can't find the words to explain how I'm feeling  there are no words. Even tears, I have no more tears.

'We just hope for a miracle, this is what we hope.'

In a statement, the trust's medical director Dr William Oldfield said: 'On behalf of the Trust, I am deeply sorry that a serious incident has occurred in the treatment of a young child in our care and would like to offer our sincerest apologies.

'As soon as our staff realised what had happened they met with the family to offer their apologies and explain what had happened.

'We take patient safety and standards of clinical care very seriously and have begun a thorough investigation into this matter and will work with the family throughout this process.

'I would again like to offer my apologies to the family for this incident.'

Around one in every 25 boys in the UK and three per cent in the US are born with cryptorchidism. Although their testicles usually descend on their own, one in 100 require treatment.

Surgery is recommended within the first year due to the condition being linked to infertility and testicular cancer in later life. But, worldwide, around 75 per cent of baby boys with cryptorchidism are operated on after 18 months.

Father of the boy (pictured), whose identity has also not been revealed, has lashed out a doctors for 'castrating' his son and 'ruining' the toddler's life following the mishap




A mother has shared a touching video showing the moment her profoundly deaf son received the hearing aid he had lost in a cemetery two days before.

Ben Farrimond, 13, wears two cochlear implants to assist his hearing after surviving meningitis at ten months old, but was left deaf and with special needs.

But after he lost one of his implants, which cost 3,500 each on the NHS and give him perfect hearing, Ben was left in disarray and unable to hear out of his right ear.

His family, of St Helen's, Merseyside, desperately searched the cemetery where he had lost it.

His mother, Samantha, 35, decided to keep her finding of the hearing aid a secret, creating a magical moment whereby an early Christmas present arrived 'from the elves'.

Samantha Farrimond, 35 shared a video of the moment her profoundly deaf son, Ben, 13, received the hearing aid he had lost in a cemetery two days before

Ben lost one of his 3,500 cochlear implants, which give him perfect hearing, on Sunday, and was left in disarray and unable to hear out of his right ear

The family, including father Chris Farrimond, searched for the lost cochlear implant for two days, after Ben lost it in a cemetery playing with his brother, Daniel, 11

Mrs Farrimond, a full-time carer for her son, said: 'Ben was with his grandparents laying wreaths at the cemetery when he lost the implant whilst messing around with his brother, Daniel, 11.

'When he came back for dinner later that evening I noticed that the implant had gone and immediately I went into panic.

'We immediately went and searched the cemetery, but didn't find anything for two days.

'Luckily when we returned on the Tuesday night, I managed to find the implant and quickly hide it so that Ben didn't see it, as I had an idea.'

The next morning, Ben ran downstairs to see 'what the elves had been up to' - a Yuletide tradition the family have.

Ben, who also has global development delay - when cognitive development is slower than usual during childhood - was so shocked that his 'magic ear' had been returned.

Mrs Farrimond explained that her idea to get the elves to gift him the present came when he spotted Santa in the tree of the cemetery.

She said: 'When he was walking through the cemetery he saw a Santa toy sitting in the tree, and I told him that it meant he was always keeping an eye on him.

'So when I found the implant later on that evening, I knew that I had to incorporate him into the reveal somehow.

'Ben massively believes in Santa and the elves still, so it seemed like the perfect way to make him feel even more Christmassy.'

Ben was left with profound hearing loss and global development delay after surviving meningitis at ten months old. Pictured, with his mother, when he received his first implants

Age five, Ben was given his first cochlear implants, a surgically implanted neuroprosthetic device that provides a sense of sound to a person with severe hearing loss

When Mrs Farrimond got home, she scrawled a letter out from 'Buddy the elf', wrapped the gift and positioned them to look as though they were giving the gift to Ben.

'When he opened the letter he couldn't believe it, you can see the excitement in his face,' Mrs Farrimond said.

'He started reading out the letter and was just so shocked to have received a letter from Buddy the elf, let alone telling him about his ears.

'Then when he opened the present he was just speechless - he was so excited to have his ear back, but even more excited to see who had 'found' it.

'It was such a lovely thing to witness as he was so surprised, and now he can't stop telling everyone else about what happened.

'And I think he's definitely going to take better care of his "magic ears" now Santa has instructed him to do so!'

Hearing loss is the most common after-effect of bacterial meningitis, according to the charity MeningitisNow.

Inflammation from the illness can damage the nerves that run between the ear and brain, or swelling could sread to the inner ear, damaging the cochlea - a part of the inner ear.
A musician played the guitar during a six-hour operation to remove a recurring brain tumour.

Musa Manzini, who has won awards in his native South Africa, showcased his musical abilities while under the knife so surgeons were better able to preserve his talent.

He can be seen plucking away at the instrument while lying on an operating table at the Chief Albert Luthuli hospital in Durban last week.

Dr Basil Enicker, who co-led the surgery, said that by playing the guitar the medics were able to 'test regions of the brain before they were removed'. This enabled them to take out as much of the tumour as possible without causing damage.

Mr Manzini is recovering well and looking forward to recording another album.

Musician Musa Manzini played the guitar during an operation to take out his brain tumour. He is pictured on an operating table at the Chief Albert Luthuli hospital in Durban, South Africa, last week. The surgery enabled doctors to 'test regions of the brain before they were removed'

Mr Manzini (pictured on stage before the surgery) is looking forward to recording a new album

Mr Manzini, who is married, underwent a craniotomy - surgery to cut open his skull to access the brain.

Speaking from his hospital bed yesterday, the musician told news24: 'They put me to sleep and then drilled my skull open. Once my brain was exposed, I woke up and played my guitar.'

Dr Enicker, who led the surgery along with Dr Rohen Harrichandparsad, encouraged him to have the rare procedure so his finger movements could be monitored.

This enabled the doctors to avoid damaging the area of the brain that controls voluntary movements, known as the motor cortex, which can lead to speech problems and even paralysis.

The operation also enabled the medics to record the electrical activity of his brain via electrodes that were placed on the exposed surface.

Mr Manzini said the decision to stay awake and play the guitar during the surgery 'took into consideration his career as a musician'.

Dr Enicker told IOL: 'In this way, we can test regions of the brain before [the tumour is] removed. This allows for increased removal of the tumour, while minimising damage to the brain.'

Mr Manzini thanked the doctors, adding 'the most important thing is to look forward to life and to appreciate life'.

His recurring tumour was first discovered during an MRI scan in 2006. Following an operation to remove it, the growth reappeared in 2008 and again last May.

Doctors put Mr Manzini to sleep and 'drilled his skull open' (surgeons are pictured left and right during the operation). Once his brain was exposed, the musician woke up and started playing
The second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history is 'certainly' expected to continue for another three or four months, a health minister has said.

Deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo have reached 319, official figures from December 17 reveal, and the spread of the virus shows no sign of slowing down.

It is feared 549 people have been struck with the virus since the outbreak was declared in August.

The spread into more major cities and across borders into other countries remains the biggest concern, with ongoing armed conflict and increased commuting expected over Christmas.

Ahead of the presidential election on Sunday, several tonnes of hand sanitiser have been deployed for use in polling stations, where millions of people will use touch-screen voting machines.

The death toll of Ebola has reached a suspected 319, including 271 confirmed, in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the second biggest outbreak in history

DRC's Health Minister, Oly Ilunga, said the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history is 'certainly' expected to continue for another three or four months

It is feared 549 people have now been struck down with the killer virus since the outbreak was declared in August. Pictured is a Congolese health worker administering an Ebola vaccine to a woman who had contact with a sufferer in North Kivu province

Health officials have struggled to contain the outbreak in one city alone, but other major cities in eastern Congo - such as Goma near the Rwanda border, and across the heavily traveled border into Uganda - are of a huge concern.

Uganda in particular is the focus of 'intense collaboration' - the DRC's Health Minister, Oly Ilunga, said in an interview with The Associated Press - where cases have not yet been recorded.

This Ebola outbreak, which is mainly concentrated in the provinces North Kivu and Ituri, is the second deadliest in history, Mr Ilunga said.

Travels during the Christmas period may cause the Ebola outbreak to spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Uganda, experts fear.

Officials have warned that thousands of families will make the journey over the border to visit family and buy food during the festive period.

'This distance keeps on reducing,' said Samuel Kasimba, a local health official in charge of coordinating the effort to stop Ebola from entering Uganda.

'The outbreak is moving closer to Uganda. In case it comes, God forbid, we are ready.'

The so-called 'red zones,' where there is a strong threat of rebel attack, makes response work almost impossible.

The response in wary places like Beni, where more than 1,000 people have been killed in rebel attacks in recent years, has at times been harsh, with some health workers attacked.

The spread into more major cities and cross borders into other countries remains the biggest concern, among ongoing armed conflict and increased commuting over Christmas

People from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) wash their hands at the Ebola screening point bordering with DRC in Mpondwe, western Uganda, on December 12

Armed rebels have attacked, kidnapped and killed medical staff trying to combat the outbreak and equipment has been destroyed, making it difficult to help victims.

There are still risks of confrontation every time the virus spreads into a new area, Mr Ilunga said.

But 'we can notice today that there is an acceptance, in general, an engagement in the community,' he said.

His words contrast that of the World Health Organization, which said last week that efforts to contain the outbreak have been challenging due to 'non-engagement' from locals.

The minister tried to calm the concerns of the virus - spread via infected bodily fluids - ahead of the election.

Voters are being encouraged to sanitise their hands before and after using the machines.

Mr Ilonga claims to have seen 'clear, clear, clear improvement' in community responses to Ebola containment efforts.

The treatment of Ebola itself has taken an experimental turn in DRC, where scientists are now conducting a real-time study of how well pioneering drugs work.

Four experimental drugs are being used to try and combat the disease  mAb 114, ZMapp, Remdesivir and Regeneron.

Patients will get one of the four, but researchers will not know which they were given until after the study.

Despite difficulties, progress has been made across the outbreak affected areas. In Beni, for example, there has been a general decrease in case incidence in recent weeks.

The outbreak can only be considered as 'over' when 60 days has passed from the date of the last known case declared.
It's been a tumultous year on the London stock market. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index soared to an all-time high of 7,877 in May, but the trend since then has been steadily downward to current levels around 6,750.

But the stock market's overall performance hides a wide disparity in firms' share prices - indeed, some global firms have done very well out of the Brexit-weakened pound while other more domestically-focused companies are suffering from the uncertainty over our future relationship with the EU.

So we asked online investing platform AJ Bell to crunch some numbers and find the ten FTSE 350 stocks (see box below) that rose and fell the most in 2018 - and for its top stock market expert Russ Mould to tell us why.

And remember, just because a stock did well this year, doesn't mean it will next year. In fact, it could mean you've missed the boat.

BEST AND WORST PERFORMING FTSE 350 SHARES OF 2018 Winners Capital return Losers Capital return 1 Ocado 96.2% 335 Playtech -50.0% 2 Plus500 73.3% 336 Mediclinic -50.8% 3 Hikma Pharmaceuticals 68.2% 337 Metro Bank -51.0% 4 Evraz 60.6% 338 AA -53.5% 5 3i Infrastructure 44.1% 339 Kier -55.2% 6 Drax 40.0% 340 Capita -56.5% 7 Jardine Lloyd Thompson 38.4% 341 Spire Healthcare -59.3% 8 Syncona 30.7% 342 Superdry -75.4% 9 Pearson 30.1% 343 Indivior -76.7% 10 QinetiQ 26.3% 344* Thomas Cook -77.3% Source: Sharepad, Refinitiv data. From 1 January to 17 December 2018

*Note that six members of FTSE 350 were not in the index in January and do not have a full history for the year: Vivo Energy, Quilter, IntegraFin, Energean Oil & Gas, Avast and Amigo.

BEST PERFORMERS

Russ says: Ocado began to persuade investors that it was indeed really a software and technology play, rather than a marginally-profitable delivery firm.

The company signed more licensing deals for its Ocado Solutions technology and the shares roared higher, helped by a massive 'bear squeeze,' as short-sellers of the stock gave up betting on its shares going down over the summer.

They scrambled to buy stock to cover their short positions, driving the share price to new highs. However, Ocado has drifted lower by quite some way from its highs.

Russian steel producer Evraz did particularly well in the first half of the year amid hopes for a strong global economic recovery.

Management also sanctioned a substantial increase in the first-half dividend to suggest the shares offer a fat yield.

Drug developer Hikma finds itself on the verge of a return to the FTSE 100 after an absence of nearly three years.

WHY FTSE 350? The FTSE 100 index is a limited sample of UK stocks: some of the shares are not widely held by small investors and some of the corporations, although global, are hardly household names. Meanwhile, the FTSE 250 contains many well known brands and some very widely held shares. Why not all shares then? The small cap and AIM markets tend to throw up too many outliers: oil and mining minnows that soar or crash by massive amounts on the back one revelation or another.

After a trio of profit warnings in 2017 the firm showed improved trading in 2018 thanks to strong demand at both its generic drug and injectables businesses.

Hikma also showed strong progress towards commercial sales in its extensive research pipeline of new treatments.

Pearson has appeared to recover from a tumultuous 2017, which was mired with multiple profit-warnings and a dividend cut.

Boss John Fallon aimed to convince investors that the problems were due to the American academic textbook market, rather than a longer-term structural decline in the business.

A cost-cutting programme helped to convince investors that the future looks brighter, as did the lack of any further profit warnings.

Insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson accepted a 4.3billion takeover from America's Marsh & McLennan.

A bid at a 20 per cent premium to the prevailing share price for sector peer John Laing Infrastructure stoked fresh interest in 3i Infrastructure, despite investors' and politicians' concerns over public-private partnership (PPP) infrastructure projects, in the wake of the collapse of Carillion.

WORST PERFORMERS

The biggest share price loser title goes to Carillion, the construction giant and outsourcing firm, which saw its share price go to zero after it was liquidated with debts of 1.5billon in January.

Mediclinic issued the latest in a series of disappointing trading statements in October to cap a dismal year which had already seen the stock relegated from the FTSE 100 index in June.

Mediclinic cited disappointing patient numbers at its Swiss unit Hirslanden, the largest of the company's three operations at just under half of total revenues.

Margins also came under pressure here, thanks to change in Switzerland's regulatory regime.

Meanwhile, trading remains mixed in South Africa and the company's emerging market exposure also worked against it as investors sought safer havens following economic turmoil in Turkey and Argentina (even if the firm has no operations in those specific countries).

Weak first-half results took their toll on roadside assistance provider AA , which was also weighed down by its substantial debts

Weak first-half results took their toll on roadside assistance provider AA, which was also weighed down by its substantial debts, as investors finally lost patience with the firm, whose track record had become increasingly patchy following its stock market listing in 2014.

Bizarrely, the company said that too much demand had prompted a drop in first-half profits.

What it termed as a 'pothole epidemic', the result of the Beast from the East and a cold winter, meant that call-outs reached a 15-year high early in 2018 with the result that AA was forced to pay third-party garages to help customers with an unexpectedly high number of breakdowns.

Stock market analyst: Russ Mould of AJ Bell

Kier and Capita added to the support services sector's tale of woe, which had already seen investors in G4S, Serco, Mitie, Carillion and Interserve take their lumps and Babcock suffer a share price slide as doubts grew about its business model.

Kier announced a shock rights issue in December, to help reassure lenders and suppliers in the wake of Carillion's collapse.

Capita also tapped shareholders for more cash, raising 700 million spring, and the ongoing uncertainties over PFI contracts, pressure from the Government on new outsourcing contract prices and reports of poor progress on specific projects such as military recruitment all weighed on the stock.

Superdry is one of many retailers which will look back on 2018 with no fondness at all.

The Cheltenham firm blamed December's profit warning, its second in three months, on the hot summer but analysts began to wonder whether the brand was past its sell-by date.

Such a debate may be why founder, former boss and major shareholder Julian Dunkerton began to press for a return to the firm, to pile extra pressure on chief executive Euan Sutherland, whose is looking to fix product mix and range issues in the coming year.

Shares in travel agent Thomas Cook hit a six-year low in December after a profit warning prompted analysts to worry about its financial health.

Drug developer Indivior struggled all year in the face of a challenge from rival Dr Reddy's Laboratories to its key drug Suboxone and disappointing sales of its Sublocade injectable drug.

Legal judgements supported the generic challenger which prompted analysts to worry about whether Indivior would need to cut its prices to protect its market share, hitting its profits and therefore its ability to service its debts.

An upbeat trading statement in late December offered some comfort with regard to cost cuts, cash management and the company's plans for both Suboxone and Sublocade, although the share price rally still left investors facing a big loss on the year.

Shares in travel agent Thomas Cook hit a six-year low in December after a profit warning prompted analysts to worry about its financial health.

Earnings disappointed and net debt rose sharply as the company blamed Britain's summer heat wave, even as rivals like TUI and OnTheBeach continued to report healthy profit momentum.
The American owner of High Street beauty chain Boots has blamed tough trading in the UK for a fall in profits

The American owner of High Street beauty chain Boots has blamed tough trading in the UK for a fall in profits.

Walgreens Boots Alliance posted a 4.1 per cent dip in profits to 1.3 billion in the three months to the end of November compared with a year earlier.

UK pharmacy sales dropped 3.5 per cent, while revenues across the rest of its stores were down 2.6 per cent.

The group is now embarking on a major cost-cutting strategy which will see it aim to save almost 800 million over the next three years.

Future job cuts have not been confirmed but the programme will begin in the UK and US, and involve making the business more focused on its growing digital operations.

Across the group, sales rose 9.9 per cent to 26.7bn.

Walgreens has almost 4,800 stores outside the US, with around half of them in the UK.
HSBC and Standard Chartered have stopped offering banking services to under-fire Chinese telecoms giant Huawei

HSBC and Standard Chartered have stopped offering banking services to under-fire Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.

The British lenders are said to have decided dealing with Huawei is too risky after it was accused of evading US trade sanctions on Iran.

Earlier this month, Huawei finance chief Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada on the request of US authorities.

She faces allegations her company bypassed trade sanctions and sold goods to Iran.

The two banks helped finance its activities for a decade but have become wary of dealings with companies targeted by the US, after run-ins with regulators. HSBC did not comment.

Standard Chartered could not be reached.
Vodafone is searching for a new auditor after it was revealed that the company is involved in a legal dispute with its current auditor PwC.

PwC will remain Vodafone Group's official auditors until the end of the current financial year on 31 March 2019.

The disagreement centres around the collapse of high street chain Phones4U in 2014, when mobile firms cancelled their contracts with the independent mobile phone retailer, triggering its administration.

PwC, which was drafted in as joint administrator of certain companies within the group in 2014, has now launched legal action in relation to the collapse against Vodafone, EE and Spanish multinational telecommunications company Telefonica, which owns O2.

PwC will continue as Vodafone's official auditors for the year ending March 31 2019, but Vodafone has decided to launch a tender process for the following financial year.

'During the 2017 financial year the group was notified that a company for which a number of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) partners are acting as administrators was considering litigation against the group,' Vodafone said on Friday.

It continued: 'A legal action was filed by this company on 18 December 2018, naming Vodafone as one of a number of defendants.'

PwC will continue as auditors for the year ending March 31 2019 but Vodafone has decided to launch a tender process for the following financial year.

'While PWC are assessed as independent and will continue as the Group's statutory auditors for the year ending 31 March 2019, it is uncertain how this matter may evolve and whether future developments may give rise to risks to audit independence,' said Vodafone.

'Accordingly, the Vodafone Group Audit and Risk Committee has decided to launch a tender process for the audit of the year ending 31 March 2020,' it added.

Vodafone expects the process to conclude in February 2019.

It will come at a sensitive time for Britain's big four accountancy firms, which are set to have their powerful positions on the audit market challenged as part of a complete overhaul of the disgraced industry.

The competition watchdog Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has voiced 'serious' competition concerns caused by PwC, EY, KPMG and Deloitte's dominance of the audit market. It proposed changes to legislation to improve the sector and allow other audit firms greater access.

The CMA suggested that audits of the UK's biggest companies should be carried out by at least two accounting firms, one of which should be from outside the Big Four.
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Royal Mint relocating its operation from Tower Hill, London to Llantrisant, Wales.

The relocation took place in 1968 in order to accommodate the need for a bigger factory after the Government announced that decimalisation was due to take place.

This meant millions of coins would be taken out of circulation and millions more new ones would need to be minted.

This week is the 50th anniversary of the Royal Mint moving from Tower Hill in London to Wales

The Royal Mint Experience, the visitor centre that opened at the site of the Mint in Llantrisant in 2016, held a number of events over the weekend and on Monday to celebrate the occasion as well as opening a new temporary exhibition, commemorating the big move.

To celebrate the 50 years that the Mint has been operational in Wales, This is Money visited the exhibition to discover 50 facts about the Royal Mint that you might not know...

1. The Royal Mint moved from Tower Hill to Llantrisant in 1968, officially opening on 17 December of that year.

The move was due to the Mint preparing for decimalisation of the pound, which took place on 15 February, 1971, also known as Decimal Day. This meant that the Mint needed a bigger factory to make millions of new coins - and the London site wasn't viable.

The new system meant the pound was retained but was divided into 100 new pence, to make the payment system easier and simpler. 50ps, 10ps and 5ps were introduced and halfpennies, sixpence and shillings all went out of circulation.

2. The Government looked at different locations across the country, assessing 18 different sites when hunting for a new home for the Mint but finally settled on Wales.

It was decided that Llantrisant would be a good location, the Mint claims, because it is fairly close to London, but also because a reasonably large number of Royal Mint employees were happy to make the move there.

3. At the opening of the Llantrisant site, the Queen and Prince Philip were the first to strike coins.

4. There were 60-70 employees who moved from the Mint's previous site at Tower Hill to the new site in Llantrisant. Now, there are currently 900 employees who work for the Mint.

The new exhibition looks into the long history of the Royal Mint from it's time in London to now

5. The Royal Mint was previously located inside the walls of the Tower of London from 1279-1810. Working there was dangerous as coins were made by hand. Many employees were known to lose a finger or an eye due to the unsafe working conditions.

6. The Royal Mint Advisory Committee is the advisory body who promotes the study of coins in the UK. It also decides what will be the next design to go on coins.

The Committee, usually made up of 12 members, has to make sure that the designs are British and represent the values of the Mint.

7. Traditionally, when a new monarch is appointed, their face will appear on a new batch of coins but facing the opposite way to the previous monarch.

There was only one time in the history of the Royal Mint, however, that two monarchs were going to consecutively face the same way on a coin. Edward VIII asked to face the same way as the previous monarch, his father George V, as he preferred that side of his face.

However, as he abdicated the throne, the coins never entered circulation.

Our reporter, Grace, trying to lift up the heavy, solid gold bar that weighs 12.5 kilos

8. Anne Jessopp, current chief executive of the Royal Mint, is the first female chief executive in its 1,100 year history.

9. It can take up to two years for the next commemorative coin design to be decided upon. Anne Jessopp said: 'We do market research when deciding what commemorative coin to do next and look into what coins people have liked before.

'We look well in advance at the anniversaries coming up in the next couple of years.'

10. The Royal Mint Experience has opened a temporary exhibition for the 50th anniversary. Included in the exhibition is a gold bar that visitors can try and lift. The bar, which is monitored closely by security cameras, weighs 400 ounces and is worth 350,000.

11. A new record was set in 2016 when 4million 12-sided 1 coins were struck in a single day.

12. Sir Isaac Newton was the warden of the Royal Mint for the last 30 years of his life. The warden was responsible for a number of different minting procedures as well as acting as the immediate representative of the current monarch inside the mint. However, the role was abandoned in 1829.

13. The raised edges of coins stop them sticking together and protects the head and tail imagery.

A die is engraved before it is used to strike coins, engraving them with a signature head or tail

14. 750 coins are struck per minute in the coin pressing room at the Royal Mint  this equates to 12.5 per second.

15. The warehouse at the Royal Mint can hold 4,600 pallets of coins, which is worth approximately 46million.

16. A single pallet of coins can weigh a tonne.

17. Graham Dyer, the senior research curator for the Royal Mint museum, has worked at the Mint for over 50 years, making the move from London to Wales.

He said about his time working there: 'The Royal Mint is a special place to work  the loyalty and passion of the employees spills over into family life. Sons follow fathers into work here, meaning there is a strong family community.'

Graham has always been a fan of coins. He said: 'I've been a coin collector for all my life which is why I came to work at the Mint in the first place.

'It is the historical aspect I enjoy as coins takes us back through the centuries. My personal favourite coin that I have is a sixpence of Elizabeth I, which my father got for me when I was a boy in a pub.

'Another favourite is a farthing of William and Mary which is a double portrait on a coin, which is quite rare.'

Graham Dyer OBE and his wife, Beverly Dyer, at the 50th anniversary temporary exhibition

18. All 4,700 Olympic and Paralympic medals for the London 2012 games were struck at the Royal Mint.

19. British artist, David Watkins, designed the 2012 London medals. He also designs special effects, including the spacecraft in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

20. The gold and silver medals weigh 412 grams and the bronze medal weighs 357 grams.

21. The 1933 Penny is one of the most famous coins made.

Only six or seven were made in that year but no detailed records were kept and so it can't be known for sure if all were accounted for.

They are one of the most sought after coins by collectors.

22. One of the traditional activities that the Mint still participates is the minting of small silver coins that makes up the money of Royal Maundy.

Starting in the reign of Charles II in 1662, the reigning monarch will personally distribute specially struck silver coins to a number of elderly men and women, close to their age.

The amount of people who receive a purse of Maundy coins reflects how old the monarch is i.e. if they turned 90, 90 people would get a purse of coins.

23. There are 28billion coins currently in circulation in the UK.

24. Britannia, a female warrior, appeared for the first time on Roman coins in 1672 and has appeared on the coins of every monarch since then.

25. The Trial of the Pyx is an annual event where a number of coins are examined, tested and weighed to make sure that they are all consistent and meet the specifications set out in the relevant section of the Coinage Act or Royal Proclamation.

The 1933 Penny is one of the rarest coins that has ever been made - there are only 6 or 7

The Trial usually takes place in January or February at Goldsmith's in London every year and is thought to be the only Mint that conducts such a test.

26. The 1935 coin that was made to celebrate George V's Silver Jubilee was the first coin designed to be a collector's item.

27. When Sir Winston Churchill died in 1965, the Royal Mint issued a commemorative crown coin that was the first time a 'commoner' had been on the same coin as that of a monarch.

28. Lifelike portraits were only used for the first time on British coins in the reign of Henry VIII. Prior to that, no attempt was made to capture the features of a monarch.

29. The phrase 'spend a penny' came from the need to pay one penny for the use of a public toilet, which started during the Great Exhibition of 1851.

30. Proof coins are the highest standard of coin the Mint produces. Brilliant Uncirculated standard is the next level down.

31. The coin pressing machine has a 60 tonne striking pressure.

32. The Royal Mint owns an operational wind turbine, which has been painted green and yellow to make it look like a daffodil. There was a competition to name the turbine and it was dubbed 'Delilah'.

An image from the Royal Mint Tower Hill factory of workers using old coin pressing machines

Workers gather at the opening of the Royal Mint in Llantrisant, Wales, in December 1968

33. The Royal Mint is looking to encourage more young people to get involved in coin collecting. Anne said: 'We are using the Royal Mint Experience as a way to attract more young people and get them excited about coins.

'We've introduced coin albums so that they can start a collection and we also have a lot of school visits in an effort to encourage children to take an interest.'

Graham is also hoping that the younger generation will be interested in coins.

He said: 'The younger children that come to the Experience are so engaged and interested in what the coinage represents, it is refreshing to see. I think it is important to plant the seed of interest when they are young.'

34. Most coin designs are submitted through a design competition opened by the Royal Mint which is either open to the public or to a small group of professional artists.

The 2 coin that is currently in circulation was designed by Bruce Rushin, an art teacher from Norfolk, who won a competition to find the next design in 1997.

Revealed: The new temporary exhibition explains the process of how the coins are made

The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Victory medals were made by the Royal Mint

35. Community is very important to the Royal Mint. As the Mint is an enclosed site, for security reasons, the employees find that they have a strong bond.

Anne said: 'It was really important for us that we told the story of community when creating this exhibition. We wanted to tell the 50 years story through the people who helped create it.'

Chris Barker, information and research manager at the Royal Mint Museum, said: 'When the Mint was based in London, there was a distinct community and sons followed fathers into the business. This is the same in Wales and there is a very niche community.'

36. Chris has written a book about the move, called 'London to Llantrisant: 50 years of The Royal Mint in Wales'.

37. 1p coins are the most produced coins by the Mint.

The Penny Lane mini that is similar to the one that was in the Beatles' Penny Lane video

38. Both the Queen and the Chancellor have to sign off on new coin designs.

Chris said: 'When thinking up ideas for the next commemorative coins, the Royal Mint advisory committee makes up a list of themes, all of which have to be British.

'The shortlist is signed off by the Chancellor, having received feedback from the Treasury when making decisions and is then eventually signed off by the Queen.'

39. 1.5billion new coins are issued in the UK every year

40. Numismatists is the name for coin collectors and there are a number of reasons why people choose it as a hobby. Anne said: 'People collect coins as there is the thrill of the chase when trying to find a rare coin that is in circulation.

'Other people collect because they are interested in history or art, as a coin really is a tiny piece of art. For some, it is an investment for the future.'

Chris said: 'People collect coins as they enjoy the thrill of the hunt and searching for different designs. Since the Olympics, it has kicked off a wider field of interest.

'I want people to be interested in coins as there is so much that goes into the making of them. They really are a piece of artwork.'

The Royal Mint Experience has had over 200,000 visitors since opening its doors in 2016

41. The Royal Mint doesn't just make British coins, it produces coins for around 80 countries across the world, including Thailand and Kenya.

42. The Royal Mint Experience has had roughly 200,000 visitors since it opened in 2016 and has a slew of top ratings on Google and TripAdvisor.

This is Money visited at the start of 2017 to strike new 1 coins before they were released into circulation and said it was a good spot for a family day out.

43. The furnace that is used to soften the metal that will become the coins, making it easier for them to be pressed, is operational for 8,568 hours of the year and it is only closed for the week over Christmas.

44. If you add up the total value of each denomination in circulation today, it comes to 3.88.

45. In 1966, 4billion coins were in use but in 2018, there are nearly 30billion.

46. 20 per cent of the staff that currently work for the Mint have worked there for over 25 years.

47. In 1967, the Beatles released the single Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever which was accompanied by a music video.

In the video, at least two 'Penny Minis' were commissioned to promote the record, using pre-decimal pennies to cover the bodywork.

48. Since the fourteenth century, heraldic shields and crests, that represent royal dynasties, have been used to decorate the reverse of our coins.

49. The Mint has a larger capacity than any other mint in Western Europe, with some of the most advanced coining machinery.

50. The Mint is already thinking about the future and what they can do to encourage more visitors to come to the Experience, despite cash being used less.

Anne said: 'In the New Year, we are looking at starting a new experience where people can come and have their historic coins valued.

'Currently, we run a coin swap where collectors can meet up with other collectors and swap coins to help them complete their collections.'

Graham said: 'Even though we are moving towards a cashless society, we have been here for the last 1,100 years and we will still be here in the future.'
A payment card made from a new type of degradable PVC is set to be first of its kind launched in Britain next year.

Cashplus, a digital banking services provider, has said the introduction of the new card for millions of its customers offers them a more sustainable alternative to traditional plastic PVC debit and credit versions.



The new cards will be made using environmentally friendly degradable PVC, which contains an additive that makes it quickly degrade when left in compost, landfill or other microbe-rich environments.

It comes in a year in which the public have become more conscious about their plastic use, from drinking straws to carrier bags.

The new card, released by Cashplus, is the first payment card made from degradable PVC

The card, developed by Cashplus' card provider Tagnitecrest, looks, feels and has the same durability of standard PVC.

Rich Wagner, Cashplus chief executive, said: 'We're proud to be leading the way with the release of Britain's first degradable PVC debit and credit cards.

'Our business is based on the idea that banking services should improve our customers' lives, and this is a natural extension of that.

'We know people are increasingly conscious of plastic waste and other environmental issues, so want to offer customers, including the thousands of UK small businesses who use our services, a more sustainable choice.'

Around 6billion plastic payment cards are produced worldwide every year, which is roughly 30,000 tons of PVC  the equivalent weight of 3billion 500ml plastic water bottles.

The new card will not have a signature strip on the back, an option that is being authorised by Mastercard from April of next year.

Rich Wagner added: 'This is a card for the digital age, doing away with the signature strip may seem like a small step but, for our customers, it's an important sign that we understand how they want to use our banking services.

'Signature verification has been effectively obsolete for years and research has shown that banking customers place more confidence in modern technology-based security measures.'

Other banks may soon follow Cashplus' lead and start producing degradable cards.

A spokesperson for Cashplus said: 'I think it is likely that major banks will follow the example, now the material is available.

'As a challenger, we see it as our role to disrupt and improve what's available to customers and set a standard for others to follow.

'A good example is the account freeze/unfreeze feature which has recently been introduced, to great fanfare, by some of the high street banks.

'Cashplus started offering this three years ago and other digital challengers have been doing it for a year or more so it's clear the established players are starting to take notice of what we and others are doing.'

Cashplus says it is also tackling plastic waste by introducing a number of changes at its offices, including sustainable fruit baskets as well as reusable glass milk and water bottles instead of single-use plastics.

The finished design of the new Cashplus card was voted upon by Cashplus customers and the company said it is aimed at meeting the needs of today's businesses and consumers.

The new cards will be available to customers in March 2019.

The company started as a prepaid card provider and now offers digital current accounts for consumers and small businesses, foreign currency cards, expense solutions for employees and firms, as well as lending products.
Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black has revealed he came out to his conservative Mormon mother while she was ranting about 'sicko' gay military members, he writes in his upcoming memoir.

The 44-year-old had long kept his sexuality hidden from his family, going as far to try and impregnate a girl as a teenager in hopes starting a family would 'bring me more happiness than any passion or romance ever could'.

But while his mother Rosa Ann 'Anne', a deeply religious Southern woman, raged against Clinton's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, a 21-year-old Black couldn't hold back his 'secret', and from his tears his mother realized he was one of 'them'.

Despite worrying their bond was ruined, his mother accepted him and years later Black said she was overjoyed that he met his now-husband British Olympic diver Tom Daley, once catching her Googling pictures of him in a Speedo.

Black chronicles his close relationship with his mother, who died in 2014, and struggling with coming to terms of his sexuality while growing up in a religious, southern community in his upcoming book Mama's Boy, which is out in May.

Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black revealed he came out to his conservative Mormon mother Rosa Ann (pictured together) during Christmas in 1995 while she was ranting about 'sicko' gay military members

The 44-year-old had long kept his sexuality hidden from his family, going as far to try and impregnate a girl as a teenager in hopes starting a family would 'bring me more happiness than any passion or romance ever could'

Despite worrying their bond was ruined, his mother accepted him and years later Black said she was so happy that he met his now-husband British Olympic diver Tom Daley, once catching her Googling pictures of him in a Speedo

Black, who at the time was studying film at the University of California in Los Angeles, writes that he came out to his mother Anne over while visiting home for Christmas in 1995.

During a discussion about the new military policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Black writes that she started ranting: 'How dare this president allow those kinds of people to join? Even if they do keep it quiet, it's still wrong.

'We've worked too long and too hard and made too many sacrifices to desecrate the service of so many brave men and women in our armed forces.

'Who does this Clinton think he is to destroy the good name of our military by filling it with sickos?!''

Black writes that he 'wasn't ready to come out to her that night' but 'one single tear betrayed me.'

He continued: 'And once I felt it, there was another, and another. Soon decades worth of long-held tears came tumbling out. Then I did something quite brave: I looked into my mom's eyes so she could see them.

'And only after a long, heartbreaking silence... she parted her lips, her voice trembling, her eyes searching the room. ''Why, my baby? Why would you... choose this?''

Black, whose mother contracted polio when she was two years old and ever since wore leg braces and used crutches, said he looked into her eyes and asked her why did she 'choose' her crutches and braces.

He adds: 'It was indescribably painful. She had no answer. She knew full well that those crutches weren't a choice. Her only choice had been to survive them.

'And when she looked at me again, I didn't have to tell her this wasn't a choice for me either.'

Black writes he 'wasn't ready to come out to her that night' but 'one single tear betrayed me'

After his mother asked why would he 'choose' to be gay, Black asked her why did she 'choose' to use crutches and braces. Black's mother (pictured as a child) contracted polio when she was two years old and ever since wore leg braces and used crutches to get around

Although Black was concerned their relationship would be forever damaged, his mother accepted him and his bond grew stronger

Although Black was concerned their relationship would be forever damaged, his mother accepted him and their bond grew stronger.

Black began dating Tom Daley in 2013 after meeting him at a dinner party, writing he was 'quite taken' with the younger man.

He writes that he once called his mother 'from Heathrow Airport on my way back to Los Angeles, tearful that I had to leave him behind.

'I'd never felt so strongly about anyone, and now I had no idea what to do about this unrelenting, long-distance heartache. It felt like madness to me.'

But his mother was happy and excited, writing that she told him: 'I was afraid to say it, but I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever find this. It makes me so happy to hear that you have. You're in love Lancer, and boy do you deserve it.'

Black explains: 'She'd met Tom at Christmas, when he'd made a special trip to DC to frost Christmas cookies with us. Any young man who would cross an ocean to take part in her treasured Christmas traditions was marriage material as far as she was concerned.

'And soon after, I caught her Google image searching sexy pictures of Tom in Speedos. Like mother, like son.'

After his mother died in 2013, Black wrote Tom 'flew across an ocean and a continent to hold my hand and help give me strength.

'He had lost his own father to cancer a few years earlier. He knew what this was. He may or may not have been the answer to a soft-spoken white-haired Mormon man's prayers, but he was absolutely a gift from God.'

The pair got engaged in 2015 and were married in Devon, England in May of 2017. They announced they were expecting their first child together in February and welcomed their son Robert Ray Black-Daley in June.

Black began dating Tom Daley in 2013 after meeting him at a dinner party, writing he was 'quite taken' with the younger man

The pair got engaged in 2015 and were married in Devon, England in May of 2017. They announced they were expecting their first child together in February (pictured) and welcomed their son Robert Ray Black-Daley in June

Black admits he had struggled with thoughts of suicide over his sexuality, stemming from an incident at his junior high dance in 1986.

He writes: 'I believed that I was filled with monsters and devils: my crippling shyness, my crushes on boys, my sensitivity and my big temper at tiny injustices.

'If nothing else, I thought, ''I might survive my truly monstrous, unlovable self as a passable fraud. That's what I would aim to be in this life, and for now, that was fine by me.'

In effort to keep his 'straight' charade up, Black said he decided he would attend his school's dance and ask a pretty popular girl to dance. But upon his arrival to the dance, found her dancing and kissing another boy.

Embarrassed and determined to show his peers, whom he had already told his plans, that he wasn't bothered, he turned and asked another boy to dance.

Black writes: 'It wasn't a romantic invitation. It was a miscalculation of epic proportions. He looked at me like I'd just asked to eat his pet gerbil.

'A kind of angry laugh came vomiting out of him, and with it, ''What kind of f****t are you?!'' He was genuinely asking, and loud enough to make sure that everyone heard him say it, so that no one doubted his manhood in our exchange.

'All I recall is a sickening panic rising up inside of me - my monster laid bare.'

A tearful Black returned home alone, writing: 'I couldn't think of a single person who might help me. I was a sinner in my church, a criminal to the law and my community, and a pervert and a freak to everyone else. And so, that was the first of many nights I would lie in bed contemplating taking my life.

'I was ready to hurt myself but I couldn't bear to hurt my mom. So that night I made a pact with myself. If my mother ever died... that pain would surely be unbearable, but it wouldn't be my last. My final pain would come soon after, the price of taking my own life.'

Black admits he had struggled with thoughts of suicide over his sexuality, stemming from an incident at his junior high dance in 1986

In effort to keep his 'straight' charade up, Black said he decided he would attend his school's dance and ask a pretty girl to dance. But upon his arrival to the dance, found her dancing and kissing another boy. He asked another boy to dance with him and was called a 'f****t'

When Black was 14 years old in 1988, his mother, stepfather, two brothers and him moved out to Salinas, California, from Texas - where he made his first gay friend, even though neither were out yet.

He writes: 'Ryan Elizalde, a husky Latin eighteen-year-old with a thick, black '70s Freddie Mercury pornstache that made him look thirty.

'Ryan had a certain flare, a flamboyance I recognized, a swish he didn't seem to be trying hard enough to hide.

'Like me, he was a freak and a likely ''homosexual'' but unlike me, he was fearless - a wild man rule breaker in a town where sticking out in any way could literally get you shot.

'Ryan and I shared a bond, an invisible bridge, that secret Oscar Wilde's lover Lord Alfred Douglas had rightly observed dared not to speak its name - not in Europe a century before, and still not here in central California in the late 1980s.

'And so despite our many differences, we were members of a secret family as old as the ages, and we felt that sturdy bond, even while refusing to confess it.'

The two became extremely close and upon graduating high school, Black convinced Ryan to move down to Los Angeles with him, sharing a studio apartment but neither addressing their sexuality.

But in 1994, right before Black was about to head to Virginia, where his family had since moved, to spend his summer before starting at UCLA, Black decided to approach the topic with Ryan.

He writes: 'I wanted him to say those forbidden words plainly. I didn't want any gray area there.'

Ryan finally confessed that he was gay to Black.

When Black was 14 years old in 1988, his mother, stepfather, two brothers and him moved out to Salinas, California, from Texas - where he made his first gay friend, even though neither were out yet

The now 44-year-old had long kept his sexuality hidden from his family, going as far to try and impregnate a girl as a teenager in hopes starting a family would 'bring me more happiness than any passion or romance ever could'

But Black said he couldn't 'find the strength to follow his lead. Instead, I failed Ryan. And arguably worse, I lied.

'I'd offered him no acceptance, no love - only a hurtful lie told in the feeble, self-righteous hue called tolerance.

'I knew that the words I was employing were lies, delivered in exacting fashion, the way I feared straight people might use words against me if I ever came out. I was putting on my best straight act to ensure that my closet door stayed shut.'

Black adds: 'That summer I made a conscious decision to go in the opposite direction... I gave this new commitment my all.'

Embracing this attitude, while in Virginia and working as a lifeguard, Black agreed to go on a double date with a 'voluptuous, remarkably forward fellow lifeguard'.

Black writes that after the date 'came my first kiss. Then she let me know she had other designs, and revealed her breasts.

'I found them fascinating but far softer than I had anticipated or hoped. Then came the sex. I didn't tell her that I'd never done it.

'Thankfully, she knew what she was doing... All while knowing full well that I was exceedingly gay but just as determined not to be.

'Putting Mormon logic to the task, I convinced myself that if I had a child or ten, this potential family of my making would bring me more happiness than any passion or romance ever could.

'I tried my best to get this unsuspecting young woman pregnant. Condoms? Forget about it. Birth control? We never had the conversation. Go down there? No thank you.

'But no mater how hard I tried (and thanks to nineteen-year-old hormones, I actually could try hard), by summer's end I was convinced my sperm must be just as defective as I was.

'That summer of heterosexual sex wasn't all for naught. It made one thing abundantly clear: no amount of trying, no matter how beautiful, loving or supportive the unsuspecting woman might be, would ever cure me of my ''secret something.'''

Dustin Lance Black's memoir Moma's Boy will be released in May.
The injured climber who miraculously survived falling 1,500ft down Britain's biggest mountain battled for an hour to try and save his friend, MailOnline can reveal.

Leo Grabowski suffered bruising and broken ribs after a climbing accident on Ben Nevis in the Scottish Highlands which claimed the life of his friend Patrick Boothroyd.

Despite being dazed and disoriented after his huge fall, Mr Grabowski immediately rang 999 and did his best to help Mr Boothroyd.

He covered him with a survival bag and huddled next to him, shielding him from the freezing snow and wind as they waited for help to arrive.

After an hour the pair were rescued from a narrow gully by a HM Coastguard helicopter team but tragically Mr Boothroyd could not be saved.

Mr Grabowski's mother Rose Hester said he was very concerned for her son, not physically but mentally, after what he has been through.

She told MailOnline: 'I know he's OK physically but this will affect him for a very long time, and I'm worried about him.

Leo Grabowski, 28, (above) who miraculously survived falling 1,500ft down Britain's biggest mountain battled for an hour to try and save his friend Patrick Boothroyd

Mr Grabowski suffered bruising and broken ribs after a climbing accident on Ben Nevis in the Scottish Highlands which claimed the life of his friend Patrick Boothroyd (above)

Despite being dazed and disoriented after his huge fall, Mr Grabowski immediately rang 999 and did his best to help Mr Boothroyd. He covered him with a survival bag and huddled next to him, shielding him from the freezing snow and wind as they waited for help to arrive

'I can only imagine it's been a traumatic experience for him. We've only spoken on the phone, I know he survived and is OK.

'He's been through a lot and he's lost a close friend who he has known for years.'

Mr Grabowski had been excited about the trip and had posted a picture of his Christmas tree decaorated with climbing gear on Instagram.

The pair are believed to have fallen 1,500 feet after tying to scale Tower Gully on Ben Nevis last Sunday afternoon when an overhanging ledge of ice and snow is believed to have collapsed on top of them.

John Stevenson, team leader of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, said Mr Grabowski had no recollection of the fall but remembers waking up afterwards in a gully on the side of the mountain with Mr Boothroyd lying unconscious nearby.

He wrapped the strong lightweight, wind and water proof plastic bag - which acts as a personal emergency shelter by reducing loss of body heat - around Mr Booothroyd.

'He did admirably in the circumstances, he raised the alarm and then did all he could to try to save his friend,' Mr Stevenson told MailOnline.

'When the team reached him he was still quite dazed and said he couldn't remember anything to do with the fall.

'The only thing he remembers is coming to and seeing his friend badly injured below him.

'He managed to scramble down the slope to reach him and gave him as much shelter as he could; he did this by placing his friend inside a bag, a bright orange plastic bag that climbers use to protect themselves from the elements and to be visible for rescue teams.

After an hour the pair were rescued from a narrow gully by a HM Coastguard helicopter team but tragically Mr Boothroyd could not be saved

Mr Grabowski's mother Rose Hester said he was very concerned for her son, not physically but mentally, after what he has been through. She told MailOnline: 'I know he's OK physically but this will affect him for a very long time, and I'm worried about him'

Ms Hester told MailOnline: 'He's been through a lot and he's lost a close friend who he has known for years.' Mr Grabowski had been excited about the trip and had posted a picture of his Christmas tree decaorated with climbing gear on Instagram (above

'Bearing in mind that he'd had a very, very big fall, he sought to care for his friend until the HM Coastguard helicopter arrived just over an hour later and managed to winch them both away from the gully in an incredibly agile piece of flying.

'In my 38-years of being involved with Mountain Rescue, I've never known anyone to survive falling 450 metres - about 1,500 feet - and walk away with relatively minor injuries as he did.

'It's nothing short of a miracle that he's been left with only a few cracked ribs after falling the same distance as his friend, who sadly died.'

Mr Stevenson said they believed the climbers were trying to cut through a sheet of ice, snow and rocks around 25ft in length which came loose and fell on top of them.

The rescuer praised the skill of the HM Coastguard helicopter pilot who successfully reached the men in such a remote and awkward spot.

'The gully is very steep,' he said. 'It's an angle of about 75-80 degrees so even though weather conditions were fairly good that day it was still a risky rescue operation.'

As Mr Grabowski, a Cardiff graduate who still lives in the city, recovers from his injuries, friends and family of Mr Boothroyd paid tribute to the late climber.

Mr Boothroyd was the vice chairman of the Cardiff University Mountaineering Club and was well known and liked in the climbing community.

The pair are believed to have fallen 1,500 feet after tying to scale Tower Gully on Ben Nevis last Sunday afternoon when an overhanging ledge of ice and snow is believed to have collapsed on top of them. Pictured: Mr Boothroyd on another climbing trip

John Stevenson, team leader of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, said Mr Grabowski (above) had no recollection of the fall but remembers waking up afterwards in a gully on the side of the mountain with Mr Boothroyd lying unconscious nearby

'He did admirably in the circumstances, he raised the alarm and then did all he could to try to save his friend,' Mr Stevenson told MailOnline. 'When the team reached him he was still quite dazed and said he couldn't remember anything to do with the fall'

Alex Seekings, President of Cardiff University Mountaineering Club, said his death had 'left a hole' in the hearts of both the club and committee, adding 'We will all forever cherish our fond memories of him.

'He was a loved friend and amazingly valued member of our committee and club as a whole. He will be missed dearly by all.'

He added: 'Speechless, as we all are. CUMC is more than a club, it is a community. Lean on each other. Take care of each other. Or reach out to whoever you need to reach out to in this tragic time. I know we are hurting. We will miss you so much Patrick.'

Bournemouth University Climbing Club added: 'We would like to extend our sincere condolences to all our friends at CUMC, as well as to Patrick's family. Let's honour Patrick's memory by climbing harder and further than before.'

His avid climber father Nigel Boothroyd, who instilled a love of climbing in his son, wrote his own heartfelt tribute on social media.

Overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection for his son, he gave 'heartfelt thanks to everyone who has posted comments and condolences about our wonderful, amazing son Patrick'.

He went on: 'We are so proud of him and miss him so much. It is such a comfort to know how much you all thought of him and to know he had so many lovely friends.

'Thank you to all for being there to make his time at Cardiff so exciting and full of adventure: he certainly lived life to the full and made the most of every opportunity out there.'

As Mr Grabowski, a Cardiff graudate who still lives in the city, recovers from his injuries, friends and family paid tribute to Mr Boothroyd (above). Mr Boothroyd was the vice chairman of the Cardiff University Mountaineering Club

Alex Seekings, President of Cardiff University Mountaineering Club, said his death had 'left a hole' in the hearts of both the club and committee, adding 'We will all forever cherish our fond memories of him'

Mr Boothroyd, a third year undergraduate at Cardiff, had travelled extensively as part of his love of climbing.

Tom Chitson posted online: 'Sending condolences on behalf of everyone at University of Birmingham Mountaineering.

'A few of us met Patrick in Chamonix in the summer, and are deeply saddened to hear about the loss of such a friendly and energetic guy.'

Mr Boothroyd, a geology student of Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, had organised the trip as a Christmas treat for his club, of which he was the vice president.

An overhanging ledge of snow collapsed, sending him and his pal - a former Cardiff Uni student - tumbling down on Britain's tallest mountain.

His devastated primary school teacher mum Nicky had previously paid tribute to her 'amazing and brilliant' son, who had climbed all over the world.

Overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection for his son, Nigel Boothroyd gave 'heartfelt thanks to everyone who has posted comments and condolences about our wonderful, amazing son Patrick'

Paying tribute, Helen Astle from Plymouth University's mountaineering club, wrote: 'Our hearts are with you. As so many have said, societies are more than a club, they're a family - we simply cannot comprehend what you're going through.

'Just remember you're all in our thoughts, especially Patrick - and let us know if there's anything we can do. I'm sure, wherever he is, he's already found that next great peak to summit.'
Nelson Espinal fled his native Honduras in October because of the spiraling violence that engulfed his country

A Honduran man who fled violence in his home country has been shot dead days after being deported from the US.

Nelson Espinal, 28, was shot 15 times by three men Tuesday night.

Espinal was among the first to join the migrant caravan that set out from San Pedro Sula on October 13 and crossed into Guatemala before the Mexican government opened its border doors.

The Honduran migrant spent almost two months in the Mexican border city of Caborca near the border with Arizona.

As weeks came and went, Espinal got desperate and sought illegal avenues to enter the United States.

Espinal was detained after crossing the border illegally in Arizona, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

A child stands in front of Espinal's coffin during a viewing held at his home in Honduras

Sara Matamoros (second from left), the mother of the assassinated Honduran migrant, is comforted by friends and family outside her home during her son's funeral service

The Honduran man was deported to his home in the capital city of Tegucigalpa in late November and barred from returning to the United States for five years, according to documents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Family members told media outlets in Honduras that the determined Espinal, who worked in construction, planned to make another attempt to enter the country to join his brothers in January.

Proceso Digital said neighbors in the town of Jose Angel Ulloa de Comayaguela described Espinal as an easy going person who did not have problems with anyone.

Locals saw him back at work following his deportation, completing the pavement on neighborhood streets.

'He said that if he did not leave [Honduras], they were going to kill him,' his sister Patricia Espinal said.

Alicia Espinal mourns the death of her brother Nelson Espinal, who was shot 15 times Tuesday night

The 28-year-old murdered Honduran migrant was going to attempt to cross into the United States in January

'That's why he left following the caravan.'

Her brother stepped out of his home to go to a store to purchase hair gel when the men surprised him.

The town is a stronghold of the Mara Barrio 18, a rival of the MS-13.

Honduran media outlet La Prensa reported that witnesses said the men approached Espinal and fired at him without uttering a single word and fled the scene.

Thousands of Central Americans are still camping out near the border cities in Mexico in hopes of being approved for asylum.

On Wednesday, a U.S. federal judge struck down Trump administration policies aimed at restricting asylum claims by people citing gang or domestic violence in their home countries.
Two alleged Chinese hackers carried out an extensive campaign on behalf of Beijing's main intelligence agency to steal trade secrets and other information, US officials said on Thursday.

Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong are accused of stealing data from government agencies and 'a who's who' of major corporations in the United States and nearly a dozen other nations.

The indictment is the latest in a series of Justice Department criminal cases targeting Chinese cyberespionage.

The charge coincided with an announcement by Britain blaming China's Ministry of State Security for trade-secret pilfering affecting Western nations.

Alleged Chinese hackers Zhu Hua (left) and Zhang Shilong (right) are accused of stealing data from government agencies and 'a who's who' of major corporations in the United States and nearly a dozen other nations, in an indictment announced on Thursday by US officials

The alleged hackers, one of whom (Hua) is nicknamed 'Godkiller,' are accused of breaching computer networks beginning as early as 2006 in a range of industries, including aviation and space, finance, biotechnology oil and gas, satellites and pharmaceuticals.

Prosecutors say Hua and Shilong also obtained the names, Social Security numbers and other personal information of more than 100,000 Navy personnel.

In a new twist reflecting corporate computing's evolution, the hackers often infiltrated cloud computing companies and other major technology providers to indirectly reach clients' valuable documents.

Prosecutors said the alleged hackers stole 'hundreds of gigabytes' of data, breaching computers of more than 45 entities in 12 states including NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and Goddard Space Center.

Prosecutors said the alleged hackers stole 'hundreds of gigabytes' of data from computers of more than 45 entities in 12 states including NASA's Goddard Space Center (shown)

NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (shown) in Pasadena, California is also said to have been targeted

The hackers, identified as members of the group APT10, or 'Stone Panda,' are not in custody.

US law enforcement officials say the case is part of a trend of state-sponsored hackers breaking into American networks and stealing trade secrets and other confidential information.

More than 90 percent of Justice Department economic espionage cases over the past seven years involve China, said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and more than two-thirds of trade secrets cases are connected to the country.

'China's state-sponsored actors are the most active perpetrators of economic espionage,' FBI Director Chris Wray said in announcing the case.

'While we welcome fair competition, we cannot and will not tolerate illegal hacking, stealing or cheating.'

While none of the 'victim companies' was named, Wray called them a 'who's who of the global economy.'

'China's goal, simply put, is to replace the US as the world's leading superpower, and they're using illegal methods to get there,' Wray said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen released a joint statement accusing China of reneging on a 2015 commitment not to seek competitive advantage through theft of trade secrets, intellectual property and confidential business information.

The hackers, identified as members of the group APT10, or 'Stone Panda,' are not in custody. Hua and Shilong are shown on a poster displayed during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC on Thursday

US officials testified before Congress last week that Beijing's continued hacking has made a mockery of that 2015 commitment by President Xi Jinping following a first-of-its-kind indictment that accused Chinese hackers of stealing corporate data from brand-name US companies.

'We want China to cease illegal cyber activities and honor its commitment to the international community, but the evidence suggests that China may not intend to live up to its promises,' Rosenstein said.

Rob Silvers, a former Obama administration cybersecurity official, said cases like this create an important deterrent but should be supplemented by sanctions and other steps.

'It's necessary to do this kind of thing, but it's not nearly enough,' Silvers said. 'I don't think Rod Rosenstein would tell you that it's game, set, match.'

After a 2014 indictment against five alleged Chinese hackers, and a subsequent agreement with the US, Beijing at least temporarily reduced its hacking activity, Silvers said.

This case shows that 'China has taken the gloves off again,' he said.

Adam Segal, a cybersecurity expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, agreed that Beijing is unlikely to be swayed by sanctions alone.

The indictment filed in federal court in Manhattan describes how in recent years, as government agencies and corporations have shifted data to cloud computing providers and services including email and collaboration tools to tech service providers, the Stone Panda hackers followed, typically stealing the log-in credentials of system administrators in order to reach coveted proprietary data of clients.

Wray likened it to 'breaking into and getting the keys from the maintenance department.'

Britain's Foreign Office accused the Chinese elite hackers of conducting a 'widespread and significant' campaign of cyberespionage against the United Kingdom and its allies and 'almost certainly continues to target a range of global companies, seeking to gain access to commercial secrets.'

Targeted nations named in the US indictment include Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.

In recent months, the Justice Department has filed separate cases against several Chinese intelligence officials and hackers.

A case filed in October marked the first time that a Chinese Ministry of State Security officer was extradited to the United States to stand trial.

Chinese espionage efforts have become 'the most severe counterintelligence threat facing our country today,' Bill Priestap, the assistant director of the FBI's counterintelligence division, told a Senate committee.

Hacking by Chinese state-backed hackers dramatically escalated over the summer in response to the trade war with the US and military tensions in the South China Sea, said Tom Kellermann, chief cybersecurity officer of Carbon Black, whose company's threat-hunting tool is used in global cyber investigations.

He credited the Justice Department with targeting a group that he said was China's 'most prolific hacker crew.'

He said he was not optimistic that the pair would be prosecuted in the US, but that's not the point.

'The Chinese are operating on a 50-year plan of information dominance, a comprehensive national strategy, and it's high time we actually reacted,' Kellermann said.
US District Judge Brian Cogan on Thursday barred Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman's lawyers Michael Lambert and Mariel Colon from having cellphones in court for a year

The federal judge presiding over the trial of suspected drug kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman on Thursday imposed a ban on cellphone usage inside the courtroom by two of the defendant's attorneys over claims that they had arranged unauthorized contact between him and his wife.

Prosecutors asked the judge to sanction defense lawyers Michael Lambert and Mariel Colon in a filing late last month after a court security officer saw Guzman's 29-year-old ex-beauty queen spouse, Emma Coronel, using a cell phone in the Brooklyn courtroom where her husband is on trial. Only lawyers are allowed cell phones in the courtroom.

Because the filing was heavily redacted, it was not clear at the time which lawyer the prosecutors were accusing, or what evidence they had.

US District Judge Brian Cogan revealed in an order on Thursday that prosecutors believed lawyer Mariel Colon had given the phone to Coronel so she could communicate with Guzman.

Prosecutors last month asked the judge to sanction the defense lawyers after accusing them of facilitating unauthorized contact between El Chapo, 61, and his 29-year-old wife, Emma Coronel (right)

Guzman (seen in a December 18 courtroom sketch) was extradited to the United States in January 2017 on charges of trafficking massive quantities of cocaine and other drugs into the United States as leader of the Sinaloa Cartel

Judge Cogan accused the lawyers of displaying 'flagrant disregard of the Courts rules' and warned them to do better

They pointed to court security footage showing Coronel talking on a cell phone in the courthouse while Colon was alone with Guzman in the defense team's conference room, and the two women leaving the courthouse together soon after, according to Cogan's order.

Special security measures bar Guzman, who twice escaped from prison in Mexico, from communicating with his wife. The measures are so strict that he was not even allowed a brief hug at the beginning of the trial.

Guzman, 61, was extradited to the United States in January 2017 on charges of trafficking massive quantities of cocaine and other drugs into the United States as leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Coronel has been married to Guzman since 2007. They have twin daughters. He has 11 other children.

A court security officer last month saw Coronel using a cell phone in the Brooklyn courtroom, which is against the rules. She is pictured left with one of her twin daughters in October

Cogan wrote in his decision that the security footage was 'more consistent with a coincidence than with a scheme by defense counsel.'

Nonetheless, he said he believed Colon had given Coronel a phone, in violation of court rules, and barred both Colon and Lambert, in whose office she works, from bringing a phone into the courthouse for one year.

Cogan also offered the defense attorneys a stern warning after accusing both of 'lack of candor.'

'Mr. Lamberts and Ms. Colons conduct demonstrates not only a flagrant disregard of the Courts rules, but also a grave misunderstanding of the need for order and the importance of the security measures imposed in this case,' the judge wrote in his ruling. 'They are strongly cautioned that, in the future, they must be helpful, forthcoming, and candid in the representations they make to the Court.'

Lambert, who is not part of the trial team but works on Guzman's defense, later slammed Cogan's decision as 'nonsense' to the New York Post and bristled at the notion that his integrity has been called into question.

'I was not the target of [prosecutors'] motion, and yet have somehow become collateral damage,' Lambert told CNN of the cell phone ban.

The attorney further insisted that he never left his phone alone with Coronel and only used it to access Google Translate online.

Colon also told the judge that she gave Lambert's phone to Coronel to use Google Translate, according to Cogan's written decision.

Guzman, pictured during his extradition to the US last year, stands accused of conspiring to import more than 264,000lbs of cocaine into the United States between 1990 and 2005

The order comes near the end of the sixth week of the trial, which is expected to last up to four months. Jurors have already heard days of testimony from former associates of Guzman who are now cooperating with the prosecutors.

The often dramatic testimony has included stories of multi-ton drug shipments by air, sea and through tunnels, deadly wars between rival cartels and brazen corruption of Mexican public officials.

Guzman faces up to 17 charges laid out in six separate indictments filed by authorities in California, Texas, Illinois, Florida and New Hampshire, according to CNN.

He stands accused of conspiring to import more than 264,000lbs of cocaine into the United States between 1990 and 2005.

The Sinaloa cartel is also alleged to engage in murder, extortion, money laundering, drug trafficking, and other crimes.

His lawyers have said he was set up as a scapegoat by another drug lord, Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, who also faces US charges but remains at large.
An Australian jihadi has confessed he regrets joining Islamic State after being locked up for more than two years in a maximum security prison in Turkey.

Standing before the Turkish court, Neil Prakash, 27, admitted he made an error in judgment to join the extremist group, The Herald Sun reports.

'I feel regret for joining the Islamic State and for the time I spent with them. I feel repentant,' Prakash said in court.

An Australian jihadi Neil Prakash, 27, has confessed he regrets joining Islamic State after more than two years in a maximum security prison in Turkey

Prakash fought with the caliphate for three years before paying a people smuggler to take him to Turkey

The Melbourne-born jihadi has spent two years and two months in a H-Type maximum-security prison in Gaziantep, Turkey.

Prakash is facing terrorism charges for being a member of a terrorist organisation committing crimes against the state of Turkey.

He faces up to seven-and-a-half to 15 years in prison if found guilty.

In July, the Australian government lost a bid to have Prakash extradited to face local terrorism charges.

The Muslim convert became radicalised at a Melbourne bookshop and moved to Syria in 2013.

He fought with the caliphate for three years before paying a people smuggler to take him to Turkey.

The Melbourne-born jihadi has spent two years and two months in a H-Type maximum-security prison in Gaziantep, Turkey

Yet he was caught crossing the Syrian border into Turkey and arrested by police after an Australian tip off in October 2016.

Police said at the time he was a senior member for Islamic State.

He was accused of being part of a terrorist organisation, involved in recruiting and financing a terror group and urging terror attacks.

Prakashs next court appearance is on February 20.
A tornado damaged 80 homes in a mobile home park and a 90-year-old woman was taken to a hospital after a roof fell on her head after a day of wild weather in central Florida Thursday.

Officials in Pasco County, north of Tampa, said five homes were deemed unsafe due to major damage, 20 homes have moderate to major damage and 55 homes have minor damage.

Officials said they offered assistance to the affected residents, but all chose to stay with family and friends.

Pasco County Fire Rescue said some homes received minor to moderate damage inside the Forest Lakes Estates community

This image was taken in Zephyrhills, near Tampa, where a possible tornado also damaged 20 mobile homes

The storm swept through central Florida Thursday morning, spawning several tornadoes. The storm dumped about 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain on the area in just 24 hours, and prompted a flood watch in several central Florida counties through Friday afternoon.

The Lakeland Ledger reported that Marie Weddle was hit on the head when part of her condominium's roof collapsed in Lake Wales, which is in Polk County.

A neighbor told the paper that Weddle was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center as a precautionary measure.

Forecasters predicted that a cold front from the west Thursday night would sweep more rain into the area Thursday night into Friday afternoon.

Pictures showed the roofs of several houses having been torn off by the incredibly powerful winds

Central Florida was pummeled by heavy rain and lashed by strong wind on Thursday morning
Horrifying surveillance footage captured from outside a home in California shows the moment a man runs over his baby niece with a three ton truck before fleeing the scene.

The nightmare accident happened in the driveway of a family home in southwest Fresno, California on Tuesday.

Footage from a neighbor's home shows 23-month-old Zayliah Medina walking in the yard before stepping in front of the truck her uncle, 33-year-old Eddie Alvarado, was preparing leave in.

Mere moments later, Alvarado is seen pulling out of the driveway and crushing the young child, before quickly driving off.

Surveillance footage captured from outside a home in California shows the moment a man tramples his baby niece with a three ton truck before he flees the scene

The child, 23-month-old Zayliah Medina, is shown left walking in the yard before stepping in front of the three ton truck

Eddie Alvarado, 33, her uncle, (pictured in mugshot) was booked to jail Wednesday on hit-and-run charges

Fresno police Chief Jerry Dyer said in a press conference the department later learned another relative came after Alvarado and physically assaulted him.

The assault is assumed to be a retaliation for Alvarado trampling the child and then fleeing.

Dyer said in the conference: 'Alvarado would not tell us who physically assaulted him.

'Information was it was possibly family members who did this in retaliation for what he did to the child.'

Medina's mother rushed the baby to the Valley Children's Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

According to WVTM 13, Medina has been left with head trauma, spinal trauma, injuries to her organs and broken bones as a result.

Medina is seen approaching the front of the three ton truck before the nightmare accident

The child stands in front of Alvardo's vehicle mere moments before he takes off

'Here's the child coming around the front of the vehicle, stops right in front of it and then the vehicle goes forward,' Fresno police chief Jerry Dyer said as the surveillance video played in a press conference

Alvarado is seen pulling out of the driveway and crushing the young child before driving away

Dyer said: 'The mother stated that she did not want to get her step-brother in trouble.

'Even though she knew it was an accident, (and) and he was driving without a license.'

Alvarado was booked Wednesday on hit-and-run charges.

Dyer added in the conference: 'Had he just simply called the police department and reported the collision, that would've been the end of this.

'He would not have been arrested.'

The mother may also face charges for failing to report the crash.
Three romantic proposals ended in disaster on Friday morning after a hot air balloon carrying the lucky couple crash landed into a tree.

The disastrous flight saw the Triple M branded balloon become wedged in a tree near a reserve in Melbourne's Eltham at 7.30am after it ran low on fuel.

Up to 10 people were in the craft at the time but no one was injured in the crash, a Country Fire Authority spokesman said.

Emma Govan and Brendan OLoughlin (pictured) had just got engaged when the hot balloon crashed into a tree on Friday morning

Brendan OLoughlin, 29, was one of three blokes who popped the big question during the flight.

Mr OLoughlin got down one knee inside the basket and asked his girlfriend Emma Govan, 30, to marry him moments before the balloon came crashing down.

Despite the rough landing, they all said yes.

'I cant wipe the smile off my face,' Ms Govan told The Herald Sun.

'Its going to be one to remember.'

Up to 10 people were in the craft at the time but no one was injured in the crash, a Country Fire Authority spokesman said

Changing winds caused the balloon to go off course, Ms Govan said, which was why they had to land in the tight spot.

Commercial ballooning industry spokesman Damian Crock told the Daily Mail the balloon landed safely and it was only the fabric that was caught in the tree.

However, emergency service crews were forced to use a chainsaw to chop the balloon free, ultimately destroying it.

The Daily Mail has contacted the balloon company for comment.
Convicted rapist Scott Parilla, 48, has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for throwing a teen girl off a New York City roof after she refused to have sex with him in 1989

A convicted rapist is back behind bars after he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for throwing a 17-year-old girl of a New York City roof in 1989.

Scott Parrilla, who was 19 at the time, ended Noelis Bayanilla's life because she refused to have sex with him.

Parilla, now 48, received a 25 years to life sentence, meaning he will be eligible for parole after serving a minimum of 25 years.

Joann Estanislau-Caliz, Bayanilla's mother, said Parilla deserved to rot in jail for the rest of his life.

'I cannot put into words what you did to my only child,' Estanislau-Caliz said in a statement to Parrilla, who was not present in court during the sentencing.

'August 6, 1989, you cut off her life - and you cut out my heart that day. What you did, I will never understand.'

Around 5am on that fateful night, Parrilla walked Bayanilla home and they went up to the roof of her five-story apartment building in the Bronx.

Parrilla wanted to have sex with Bayanilla, who refused. They began arguing and she tried to escape.

That's when Parrilla grabbed her and pushed her off the roof.

Some residents of the building still remember the horrifying scene.

'It sounded like a refrigerator falling to the ground,' one resident told the New York Post.

'I looked out the window and saw her there. She was calling, "Mommy, Mommy!"'

Bayanilla was rushed to the hospital, where she died from her injuries two days later.

Multiple witnesses told investigators that Parrilla was the last person they saw with Bayanilla on the day of her death.

Parrilla, who was 19 at the time, ended Noelis Bayanilla's life because she refused to have sex with him. Bayanilla's murder case was cold for 20 years before a friend helped get it reopened

But he was never charged due to lack of evidence and the case went cold for 26 years.

That all changed in 2015, when one of Bayanilla's friends called the police and asked for an update.

New York Police Department Lt William O'Toole reopened the cold case with the Bronx Homicide Squad and began reexamining the evidence.

That's when they discovered that the DNA found under Bayanilla's fingernails was a match to Parrilla.

His DNA was already on file after he was convicted of rape and attempted murder in 1993.

Parrilla was arrested for Bayanilla's death on March 14, 2016 as he was getting released from Rikers Island, where he was serving time for larceny.

Parrilla was found guilty of second-degree murder earlier this month. He claimed in a written affidavit that he was innocent and that the judge made errors in his pretrial rulings.

His lawyer told the court that Parilla was suicidal, had PTSD, and suffered from substance abuse 'all his life'.

Meanwhile, Estanislau-Caliz talked about a life that never really got a chance to blossom.

Bayanilla dreamed of becoming an architect, she said. One day, she wanted to start a family.
A wrongful death lawsuit filed this year by the parents of U.S. college student Otto Warmbier against North Korea is now seeking more than $1 billion from the government the Warmbiers say tortured and killed their son.

Fred and Cindy Warmbier, of suburban Cincinnati, sued in April in federal court in Washington. North Korean authorities arrested their son in January 2016 for stealing a propaganda poster. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The 22-year-old died in 2017, days after he was repatriated to the U.S. with severe brain damage.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports a motion filed in October in the lawsuit seeks $1.05 billion in punitive damages and about $46 million for the family's suffering.

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Fred and Cindy Warmbier have filed the lawsuit against the North Korean state after their son's death last year

American student Otto Warmbier speaks to reporters in Pyongyang on February 2016 - a year before his death

North Korea has repeatedly denied the accusations that it tortured Warmbier.

Warmbier's parents made emphatic statements in court on Wednesday after the family began their legal action against the communist state in April.

In April Otto's mother, Cindy Warmbier said 'I'm going to stand up to evil when I see it. There is nothing more evil than North Korea.'

Cindy repeated that sentiment at the court house in Washington DC on Wednesday, saying: 'We are not going to be the victims. I want them to feel victimized,' CNN reported.

His father Fred said: 'We're here because we don't fear North Korea anymore. They're cowards.

Fred Warmbier and Cindy Warmbier look on as the casket of their son, Otto during his funeral in June last year

'They've done the worst they could do. This is the work of a coward.'

He said the regime had held them 'hostage,' WENY reported, as they were unable to denounce the North Koreans for fear Otto would not be returned while he was in custody.

Fred also spoke of the pain he felt when he was reunited with his son who was comatose and unable to communicate with him.

Otto's mother and father along with his two siblings Greta and Austin demanded 'closure' and 'justice' for their son from Kim Jong Un's regime.

Otto, from Cincinnati, Ohio, was arrested while waiting to depart Pyongyang airport after the 22-year-old visited as a student in January 2016.

Warmbier, center, being escorted at the Supreme Court in Pyongyang, North Korea where the 21-year-old University of Virginia student, from Wyoming, Ohio, was sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor

His upsetting confession was broadcast to the world in March of that year in which he admitted to the theft of a propaganda poster from a hotel in the North Korean capital.

His swift trial ended in a conviction and he was sentence to 15 years hard labor.

In June 2017, the Trump Administration secured the release of Otto but he was repatriated in a coma, with North Korean authorities claiming he was suffering from a rare illness called botulism.

American medical experts in Cincinnati could find no evidence of botulism on his return and he was taken off life support shortly afterwards on June 19.

The family are seeking damages for Otto's wrongful death, emotional distress and torture which they believe he was subjected to by the North Korean government.
The government is facing another scandal after a senior politician was caught visiting squalid south east Asian neighbourhoods known for prostitution and drugs.

The Australian Federal Police have concerns the MP, who can't be named due to legal reasons, could be blackmailed after it was revealed he had been transferring money to multiple accounts in the area.

A government financial intelligence agency discovered the transfers and notified the AFP.

A senior politician has been caught visiting squalid South East Asian neighbourhoods known for prostitution and drugs (stock image)

Further investigations found he was frequently visiting the 'dangerous' neighbourhoods, renowned for links to prostitution and drugs, the Herald Sun reported.

The inquiries were conducted as authorities were unable to encrypt messages he sent online, but no evidence suggests he committed any crime.

AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin referred the concerns to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Martin Parkinson.

Authorities are concerned as they believe the MP may become a victim of blackmail or extortion if his actions are revealed.

The Herald Sun was told the politician travelled on his personal passport but had been warned about the risks of travel to the areas he visited.

The AFP don't know the details of his visits, but the news has made government officials 'deeply uneasy'.

An AFP spokesperson said it 'does not confirm or deny who it may be investigating'.

The Australian Federal Police have concerns the MP could be blackmailed after it's been found he has been transferring money to multiple accounts in the area (stock image)

Daily Mail Australia is not implying the politician is guilty of any offence.

Another senior politician contacted the AFP after he was privately contacted by an embassy official who noted the trips could have an effect on Australia's diplomatic ranks.

The politician's activity while abroad has raised serious concerns among other MPs as his future was discussed within Coalition ranks.

'We are aware of an allegation made by a Labor front bencher that has been discredited and dismissed by the AFP,' a statement from the Prime Minister's office said.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Prime Minister and Cabinet's office for comment.
In the days leading up to the shocking explosion at Chadstone Westfield, a disturbing WhatsApp message was circulating, warning of terror to come.

The message, shared on Twitter on December 18, claims a friend of a girl named Chloe had helped a young Muslim girl who had dropped her wallet at Chadstone Westfield.

When Chloe returned the wallet, the story, which has been circulating in one form or another for years, claims the girl warned her not to go back to the shopping centre, as an 'attack' was planned before Christmas.

A viral hoax message posted to Twitter on December 18 foretold terror at Chadstone Westfield just two days before a car exploded in the carpark

The explosion sent the centre into lockdown, but police said there were no suspicious circumstances

A screenshot of the message was shared to Twitter on December 18, giving the hoax credibility, considering the explosion occurred on December 20.

But police have said there's no truth to it, and some social media users say they've seen the message before - but about different minority communities in different places.

'Police are aware of comments on social media which references remarks in regard to a shopping centre in Chadstone,' a statement from Victoria Police read.

'Similar comments have been received in the past and are not being treated as credible. As such, we would encourage the community to not share misinformation.'

At the time, Victoria Police said they were not aware of any threat to the Victorian community, and a spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia on Friday the explosion had been ruled not suspicious.

Thousands of people had to be evacuated, and 11 cars were damaged, but nobody was injured

The car burst into flames about 1.38pm on Thursday, sending the complex into a frenzy as thousands were evacuated, as their cars sat inside.

Up to three other vehicles also caught fire and thick smoke quickly spread throughout the car park.

The Melbourne Fire Brigade was called to the scene at 1.40pm as a thick blanket of smoke spread outside the complex.

In less than an hour, the fire was under control. In total, 11 cars were damaged, but nobody was injured.
The former Foreign Secretary was at the centre of race row four months ago after making the comparison in a newspaper column

Boris Johnson did not break any Tory Party rules when he compared women wearing burkas to bank robbers, a disciplinary panel has ruled.

The former Foreign Secretary was at the centre of a race row four months ago after making the comparison in a newspaper column, also saying the women looked like letterboxes.

An independent legal panel ruled that Mr Johnson was not in breach of party rules and was entitled to use satire to make his point.

Last night he told the Daily Mail: They have said I did, by my piece, actually foster respect and tolerance for the wearing of the burka, which is the opposite of what I was accused of. I have been vindicated.

In August Theresa May called for Mr Johnson to apologise, saying his comments had clearly caused offence, but the Uxbridge MP refused. Tory chairman Brandon Lewis also demanded an apology.

Mr Johnson had said that while he found it ridiculous that women should choose to go around looking like letterboxes [or] a bank robber, it was within their rights to do so. He added a total ban is not the answer.

An independent legal panel ruled that Mr Johnson was not in breach of party rules and was entitled to use satire to make his point, the Daily Telegraph reported last night [File photo of a woman wearing a burka]

After the Tories received dozens of complaints following his column in the Daily Telegraph, the matter was referred to an independent panel.

It examined whether Mr Johnson breached a party rule that requires MPs to foster respect and tolerance. Dismissing the complaints, the panel ruled: In a democratic society it should be careful not to be over-zealous in its scrutiny or censure of language.

The Code does not override an individuals right to freedom of expression ... and should not be read in such a way as to deprive party representatives of that entitlement.

Sources close to Mr Lewis, above, said Tory Party rules meant it had no choice but to investigate after it received a number of complaints over Mr Johnson [File photo]

The independent panel, led by Naomi Ellenbogen QC, said Mr Johnsons language could be considered provocative but it would be unwise to censor excessively the language of party representatives or the use of satire to emphasise a viewpoint, particularly a viewpoint that is not subject to criticism.

An ally of Mr Johnson told the Telegraph: Questions will now be asked about why the party chairman decided to waste large amounts of party funds on this ridiculous witch-hunt in the first place.

His decision to launch a very high-profile attack on Boris and call for an apology was very poor judgment and stinks of hapless political game-playing.

Sources close to Mr Lewis said Tory Party rules meant it had no choice but to investigate after it received a number of complaints over Mr Johnson.
Jessica Arong O'Brien was the first Filipina judge in Cook County, Chicago and was the first Asian elected president of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois

A woman who became the first Filipina judge in Cook County, Chicago, has been handed a one year prison sentence after she was found guilty of taking part in a $1.4 million mortgage fraud scheme.

Jessica Arong O'Brien, 51, was a respected jurist and civic leader in Cook County before a 2017 indictment and the ensuing court case where she was convicted of two counts of scamming several lenders in the purchase of two South Side properties. She was convicted by a federal jury in February.

The mortgage fraud scheme took place a decade before O'Brien took the bench, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.

O'Brien was reassigned to administrative duties following her 2017 indictment and resigned from her post earlier this year.

Appearing in court on Thursday for sentencing, O'Brien, who is married to Cook County Judge Brendan O'Brien, read out a tearful statement before the court.

'I'm an embarrassment,' she said, before brushing off her lawyer who had approached the lectern to try to cut her off.

O'Brien spoke of how she 'should have known better' as a lawyer that she was committing fraud and focused on how she'd shamed her family and lost a career she loved.

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O'Brien was convicted of lying to lenders to obtain more than $1.4 million in mortgages on two investment properties a decade before she took the bench

'Of course, I have remorse as to my stupidity,' O'Brien said. She is pictured above with her husband, who is also a judge

Throwback: Jessica Arong O'Brien is seen in an old photo. She moved to the U.S. when she was 16

'Of all those things that everyone has told you about me, one thing was missing  stupid,' O'Brien said. 'I mean, seriously. This whole process is crazy. I can't put my hands on it.'

'Of course, I have remorse as to my stupidity,' O'Brien added.

She told the court how her behavior had ruined her husband's name. She also blamed family issues in 2003 when she said she decided to get into the real estate game.

O'Brien went on to say she hoped her fall from grace would be a lesson to other lawyers and how they would be held to a higher standard.

'I hope some day when I am 6 feet under, they will learn from what happened here,' she said.

The trial had placed a good deal of focus on O'Brien's backstory as a Filipina immigrant who came to the U.S. as a 16 year old with almost nothing. She enrolled in a community college but was told she was not ready to take college course and put in a remedial program. O'Brien had worked her way up the career ladder.

The 51-year-old has degrees in culinary arts and restaurant management. Later, she decided to study law and in 1998 she graduated from the John Marshall Law School.

She was the first Asian elected president of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois and co-founded a foundation that awards scholarships to law students from diverse backgrounds.

In a profile interview for abc7 in May 2016 she said: 'I really believe that being the first, although it is a true honor, it is also a huge responsibility because I have to make sure I pursue excellence in everything that I do.'

At work: The 51-year-old has degrees in culinary arts and restaurant management. Later, she decided to study law and in 1998 she graduated from the John Marshall Law School

Law students recalled a trip she had organized to take them to Washington DC to meet Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Ruth Bader Ginsburg (seen above) and they visited the West Wing of the White House

In the profile clip, Timothy Evans, chief judge for the Circuit Court of Cook County lauded her saying: Shes open, optimistic, welcoming and tenacious. She wants people to be accountable for their conduct but shes fair, committed to justice, and sees that as a way of life and one that she perpetuates, believes in and practices every day.'

Speaking with law clerks and attorneys for the piece they recalled that she was 'inspirational, empowering and strong'. Law students also recalled a trip she had organized to take them to Washington DC to meet Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Ruth Bader Ginsburg and they visited the West Wing of the White House.

Her lawyer, Steve Greenberg told the court, as he argued for O'Brien's probation that hers was an inspirational story.

Jessica O'Brien, who is married to Cook County Judge Brendan O'Brien, (pictured right) said her behavior had ruined her husband's name

'She has fallen as far as she can fall. She has lost everything There is absolutely no reason to send this poor lady to jail,' Greenberg said.

O'Brien was convicted of lying to lenders to obtain more than $1.4 million in mortgages on two investment properties in Chicago that she bought and sold between 2004 and 2007 while owning a real estate company. At the same time she was a a special assistant attorney general for the Illinois Department of Revenue.

Prosecutors had alleged O'Brien made at least a $325,000 profit from the transactions by unloading the two homes and paying kickbacks to a straw purchaser.

The straw purchaser defaulted on payments causing losses to lenders and ending with the properties winding up in foreclosure.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Madden told the jurors in February that O'Brien had 'used lies to buy and sell these properties.'

U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin denied O'Brien's request for probation and said the fraud scheme had lasted nearly three years and wasn't done on impulse

She blamed family issues in 2003 when she said she decided to get into the real estate game. She is pictured above with her husband

Madden asked for a two-year prison sentence for O'Brien saying her success story was an aggravating factor because she didn't have a financial need to commit fraud but she did so regardless.

In denying O'Brien's and her lawyer's request for probation, U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin said the fraud scheme had lasted nearly three years and wasn't done on impulse.

'This wasn't stupid,' Durkin said. 'This was a crime You really didn't need to do this.'

Nearly two dozen of O'Brien's relatives and supporters listened intently to proceedings in the gallery.
Sir Thomas Hughes-Hallett who has setup 'Helpforce' a volunteer hospital volunteer organisation to help assist the NHS staff and patients

Sir Tom Hughes-Hallett is both delighted and mildly incredulous. As the originator of the scheme to recruit an army of volunteers into our brilliant but overstretched NHS, he is also, perhaps, entitled to a moment of quiet pride.

For in just three weeks, almost 25,000 public-spirited Mail readers have signed up to our Hospital Helpforce volunteer campaign, pledging more than 1.4 million hours of their time in 2019, and surpassing even his most optimistic hopes.

This is beyond my wildest dreams and I thank this newspaper and its readers from the bottom of my heart, says Sir Tom, 64, expanding on his vision of a nation where giving back to the NHS is ingrained in our social fabric, where vulnerable and elderly patients can expect companionship and support through the health system, and where communities support nurses and doctors.

The germ of his idea originated almost two decades ago when, prompted by his wife Jules, he decided to change his life. A father-of-three, he was then a wealthy investment banker when Jules suggested: Why dont you do something we can all be proud of?

It was a transformative moment.

I realised that not being with your family, not being there for your childrens birthdays, not being a support for your wife when she needed you because you were travelling the world earning money, was damaging to myself and them, he recalls.

Then I began to wonder if I was actually enjoying my job.

Determined to find a more fulfilling role, Sir Tom left banking to become chief executive of the then cancer charity, Marie Curie.

Sir Thomas Hughes -Hallett at the Chelsea and Westminster hospital with four volunteers

As well as overseeing a fundraising drive that brought in 1 billion during his 12 years at the helm, he sharpened the charitys focus and extended the care it provided to support patients through any terminal illness.

But vitally he also learned the true rewards of altruism: I realised I was working with people who were compassionate, caring; actually happier  and I became happier. It was at Marie Curie that he recognised the invaluable contribution of its 10,000-odd volunteers. (UK hospices have valued volunteers unpaid work in end-of-life care alone at 2.7 billion.)

Therein lay the seed of his idea for Helpforce. The concept  like all the best ones, audacious yet simple  was to transform patients experiences of our hard-pressed but treasured NHS, while helping its dedicated staff free up more time for what theyve been trained to do  treating the sick.

There are lots of fabulous volunteer roles that already exist, but theyre almost never joined up, he says. So all Im really doing is the obvious.

Its our job now to tell the NHS and the rest of the public: you can be involved, too!

Sir Thomas Hughes -Hallett at the Chelsea and Westminster hospital. handing over papers to Staff Nurse Daisy Palomares

And its not only the patients and staff who benefit: for volunteers it can be transformative.

Thats why Im proud to ask your readers to give not so much their money as their time; to spare a minimum of three or four hours a week  because volunteering is not only valuable to the NHS, its fun! says Sir Tom.

Theres a smile on everyones face when they volunteer. Theres a great deal of personal satisfaction. Almost every volunteer I ask says they do it for the pleasure of giving to others and because of the difference it makes to their own lives. Im often really moved when I hear how lives have been transformed.

Tall, genial and fizzing with restless energy, Sir Tom (knighted in 2012 for services to philanthropy) is a powerhouse of creative and enterprising ideas. He is easily moved to tears and is a great believer in the power of hugs.

I hug everyone, he declares brightly. He himself volunteers (of course he does!) at his local hospital, the Chelsea and Westminster, where he is also chairman.

Determined to find a more fulfilling role, Sir Tom left banking to become chief executive of the then cancer charity, Marie Curie

Im very proud of the lovely purple T-shirt I wear. Size XL. Although Im actually slimmer than I was because when I volunteer I take an average of 12,000 steps in three hours.

Im a bleep volunteer. Our key role is to get prescribed drugs as quickly as possible from the pharmacy to wards. This gets patients home earlier and frees up nurses to get on with their jobs.

I get a feeling of well-being when Im volunteering. I think hospital staff have more respect for me in my volunteer T-shirt than when Im in my smart suit as chairman.

When he steps down from this role, he promises to volunteer with Helpforce far more often. (He has put a lot of his own money into the charity and of course does not draw a salary himself.)

Ill need to keep busy, he laughs, because my wife cant stand me being here at home all day.

He and Jules  who runs her own award-winning charity Smart Works that helps unemployed women get back into the workplace  live in a Victorian townhouse in West London where a delicate butterfly tapestry, finely sewn and almost completed, lies on the coffee table.

Im making it for my daughter, for Christmas, Tom beams, and I am making a Highland cow for my grandson and a fox for my granddaughter. Jules suggested I start doing tapestries because I had panic attacks when I was flying. It became very difficult. Sewing definitely helped.

In 1990, he explains, he suffered a mental breakdown while at work.

I dont know what to call it, he says, but it was like a ginormous panic attack. I was in a dealing room in Sweden at the time and it taught me I was fallible.

Determined to find a more fulfilling role, Sir Tom left banking to become chief executive of the then cancer charity, Marie Curie

I like to think Id been reasonably humble up to that moment, but perhaps I was a bit too big for my boots. I was 36, chief executive of a bank, wealthy; earning a big bankers wage. Suddenly I became a bit of a wreck really, a burden on my family. It was a wake-up call.

Today, his family is at the centre of his life. He and Jules have three children, Grace, 32, an award-winning documentary director; Archie, 35, an NHS urological surgeon and trustee of Helpforce; as well as Arthur, 28, a management consultant. Arthur has a stammer and Tom credits the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children with transforming his sons life. Arthur is now a trustee of the Palin charity and a volunteer there: the habit of altruism has been passed from father to sons.

Although Tom still takes medication for anxiety, today he is a happy, purposeful man; fired with zeal and excitement for his project, bursting with boundless, Tigger-ish enthusiasm for its success and its future.

He hopes, for instance, to identify the best volunteer schemes throughout the country so they can be adopted nationally.

Looking further ahead, he has visions of developing a hospital transport app to help patients get to appointments, and another that could match elderly patients with a companion. Then the volunteer could take them to hospital appointments, explain about medication and drive them home, stopping for a cuppa, say, and buying a pint of milk en route.

Sir Thomas Hughes-Hallett at the Chelsea and Westminster hospital

Thats what we want: companions who accompany patients  those without loved ones nearby  on their hospital journey.

Helpforce volunteers will be subject to strict vetting and checks, and the training will be as rigorous as it would be for a member of NHS staff, he says.

And one of the lovely by-products is we attract volunteers who will go on and work in the NHS, and my goodness, it needs more staff! he says, reflecting that it is struggling to fill 100,000 job vacancies. He gives an assurance, too, that volunteering is not care on the cheap: There are very strict rules about what volunteers can and cant do, and they will never, ever take on the roles of salaried staff.

No volunteer will ever end up in a hospital if the consequence is to take away someone elses income. Were there to complement services that are under immense strain, not replace them.

And while the hospital helpforce may be a new initiative, Sir Toms vision mirrors that of William Beveridge, whose influential report led to the establishment of the National Health Service.

He wrote in 1942 about the value of volunteering: The State, in organising security, should not stifle incentive, opportunity, responsibility, he insisted. It should leave room and encouragement for voluntary action by each individual.

One of Toms particular aims is that no patient should ever die alone.

Ive sat with people who are dying, he says. Its an enormous privilege. If someone is alone, dying in a hospital side room, you cant expect one of the clinical staff to have time to be with them for several hours at the end of their life.

If I were terminally-ill, I wouldnt want to be in an elderly care ward with no one beside me. Appropriate physical contact is so important.

Were back to one of his favourite themes.

Someone should always be there to hold a hand, to offer words of reassurance and kindness; to give a hug when its wanted.
Senior White House advisor Stephen Miller has embraced his baldness, returning to television without the apparent spray-on hair that brought him in for intense mockery.

Miller, 33, appeared on CNN's The Situation Room on Thursday night to discuss President Donald Trump's renewed vow to force a government shutdown if he does not get wall funding.

Beltway observers instantly noticed a gleam on Miller's pate that was absent on Sunday, when he appeared on CBS Face The Nation with an odd-colored widow's peak that looked anything but natural.

An immigration hawk, Miller drew withering mockery from liberal critics for his mysterious change in hairline - but the derision did not let up after he reverted to his usual appearance.

Following his appearance with what appeared to be spray-on hair on Face The Nation on Sunday (left) Miller appeared on CNN on Thursday (right) with his typical hairline

On CNN Thursday, Miller discussed Defense Secretary James Mattis' resignation announcement, and advocated strongly in favor of Trump's plan to demand $5 billion in wall funding before signing a spending bill needed to avert a partial shutdown at midnight on Friday.

Twitter wags were more interested in his changing appearance than his policy message, however.

'Wait did Stephen Miller's spray on hair resign in protest as well?' one user asked.

'Stephen Miller's hair: Hair today, gone tomorrow,' wrote another.

Following the intense mockery that Miller's surprise hairdo prompted over the weekend, Washington Post columnist Monica Hesse questioned whether it would be as socially acceptable to mock a woman's appearance in the same way.

'Those who mocked him Sunday were likely those who loathed him already; were always more forgiving of the physical appearances of people we love,' Hesse wrote.

'But the other thing this saga highlights is that we dont know how to talk about mens appearances and cosmetic procedures.'

Hesse notes that the growing consensus on how to discuss changes in a woman's appearance is from a 'supportive, body-positive perspective,' citing gushing headlines praising Hillary Clinton for going without makeup for a major speech.

Stephen Miller appeared on CBS on Sunday 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

Such introspection was lost on the Twitter mob following Miller's fateful appearance on Sunday, however.

'Dude is so desperate to build a wall he started building one on his head,' wrote Jess Dweck, a Tonight Show writer.

Comic Patton Oswalt went with an allusion to spray-painted street art with the comment, 'Banksy strikes again!'

Trump, known for his own unique hair, has not made any comment regarding his spokesperson's changes in appearance.
This is the moment a nine-year-old boy befriends a massive huntsman and allows the spider to perch on his head.

The boy, known only as Harry, is happy to let the spider crawl over his face and hair but his mother isn't so pleased about her son's new pet.

'Um Harry you have something on your head,' his mother says while she tries to remove the huge huntsman.

Harry, nine, befriended a massive huntsman at his family home in Western Australia and allowed the creepy crawly to sit on his head (pictured)

The mother asked for advice from her daughter, Gretel, who can be heard giggling in the background.

'I like it on there, I can see its shadow,' Harry said.

'Yeah it's awesome Mum,' Gretel said.

The video shows the mother trying to remove the spider with a piece of paper but Harry picks it up again and then allows it to run up his arm and back onto his head.

The mother explains that she and her husband live with their eight children on a farm in a small country town in Western Australia.

The mother, who was not as keen on the spider, grabbed a piece of paper and slid it underneath to bring the creature to the ground

'The children are always finding and bringing all manners of animals and bugs to the house on a daily basis,' she said.

'My nine-year-old son is mad keen about all animals and wants to be a biologist when he grows up.

'This big huntsman that he found is non-venomous but can give a nasty nip, so I was trying to stay calm.

'I don't really mind the kids playing with big harmless spiders and lizards but I draw the line at them bringing home venomous snakes!'
A Catholic priest who had more than 2,000 photos and videos of child pornography on his computer and phone has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Thomas Faucher, a well-known priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise, will not be eligible for parole and must register as a sex offender.

Faucher, 73, pleaded guilty to five felony crimes after investigators discovered thousands of disturbing images and chats about raping and murdering young boys.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of sexually exploitative material, two counts of possession of sexually exploitative materials, and one count of drug possession.

Catholic priest Thomas Faucher, 73, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after investigators found more than 2,000 photos and videos of child porn in his possession

Faucher called himself 'one sick puppy' as he apologized to the courtroom before his sentencing on Thursday, according to the Idaho Statesman.

'I am deeply sorry that I was and have been connected to that in any way,' he told 4th District Court Judge Jason Scott.

'I was one really sick puppy. I screwed up big time. I feel so much remorse and anger.'

Faucher, a well-known priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise, will not be eligible for parole and must register as a sex offender

Faucher tried to convince the judge that he should not receive jail time so that he could help others and 'give lectures on the evils of child pornography', saying there were 'many people' who would 'benefit' if he wasn't behind bars.

'There are no people who will benefit if I am in jail or prison,' he added.

But Scott was not convinced, calling the priest a 'legitimate risk to the community'.

'This is a crime that has potential for both immediate and long-lasting consequences,' the judge added.

Detective John Brumbaugh of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force took to the stand on Thursday to describe the extent of disturbing content he found on Faucher's devices.

Brumbaugh said he first received a tip regarding two images that had been sent from the email address wtfauch@aol.com.

He then began investigating Faruch, discovering thousands of 'violent, disturbing, and torturous' images that involved 'young-looking subjects'.

Faucher spoke extensively to a person called 'Bruno', telling them that he wanted to have sex with boys - including some in his own family - and was attracted to six-year-old boys.

Faucher, 73, pleaded guilty to five felony crimes after investigators discovered thousands of disturbing images and chats about raping and murdering young boys

The priest also told Bruno that he had 'satanic desires' and that the 'thought of killing someone does begin to excite me'.

He admitted to fantasies about sexually abusing altar boys and babies and said he enjoyed watching a video of a boy being beaten to death.

Investigators found images of Faucher peeing on a cross and a canon law book. In one chat, Faucher claimed he urinated in the wine for Mass.

The priest had a Dropbox, shared with another user, titled 'Innocence Defiled'. He admitted in chats that he felt 'wonderful indifference' as he solicited more child pornography.

Faucher was was initially charged with 21 counts of felony sexual exploitation of a child when he was arrested in February

'It felt good to lie for no good reason except to do it,' Faucher told Bruno in one chat.

'Most of the time, I just make a new reality and believe it as long as it suits me.'

Details of the images and conversations were so graphic that many chose to leave the Ada County Courtroom on Thursday. Some were in tears.

Brumbaugh said the images even took a toll on himself and others who were working on the investigation.

'The volume was something I haven't come across,' he told the courtroom.

Faucher was arrested in February. He told Brumbaugh that no one else had access to his email account.

He was initially charged with 21 counts of felony sexual exploitation of a child, as well as one count of felony possession of LSD and possession of marijuana and ecstasy.

Brumbaugh said there was no evidence in which Faucher expressed that he did not want to receive child pornography.

While pleading guilty, Faucher claimed that he couldn't remember sharing child porn because he had alcohol-induced depression and dementia.

Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Kassandra Slaven had asked for a 30-year prison sentence, noting that Faucher was diagnosed a pedophile

Following Faucher's arrest, two men alleged that the priest had sexually abused them.

While the statute of limitations for most child sex crimes in Idaho was removed in 2006, the law was not retroactive - meaning abuse charges will likely never be filed.

Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Kassandra Slaven had asked for a 30-year prison sentence, noting that Faucher was diagnosed a pedophile and that an evaluation found there was a high risk he would reoffend.

'It shakes the community. It shakes the members of the Catholic Church,' she said. 'He portrays himself as a victim and is not at all accountable for his actions.'

Defense attorney Mark Manweiler asked that Faucher receive probation and treatment, arguing that the evidence didn't prove the priest looked at all the images on his computer and claiming Faucher 'never sexually abused any child'.

Faucher was a priest at St Mary's Catholic Church (pictured) before he retired in 2014

Officials from the Diocese of Boise were in court for the sentencing, and spokesman Gene Fadness said they will seek to have Faucher defrocked.

'It's been agonizing every day for the parishioners at Saint Mary's and for those in the community, even outside Saint Mary's,' he said.

'[Faucher] was not just a priest, but a prominent priest, well known. This has been very difficult for everyone involved.'

'Almost immediately after [Thursday], we will submit our case to Rome.'

The diocese also released a statement reiterating Fadness' words.

'The volumes of shocking information that the law enforcement investigation uncovered reveal the heinous nature of child pornography and the tragic impact upon its victims,' the statement read.

'While we cannot begin to fathom what brought Faucher to the point that he was able to enter into this evil and dark world, we are thankful for the efforts of the law enforcement community in doing what it can to protect our children from these crimes.'

Faucher was evicted from the home he rented from the diocese following his arrest. They had it exorcised before selling it.
A transgender woman and human rights activist has set up a GoFundMe page to pay for ladders so people can climb over Trump's proposed border wall.

Charlotte Clymer, who describes herself in her Facebook bio as a liberal writer and feminist from Texas, created the GoFundMe page titled Ladders to Get Over Trump's Wall on Wednesday.

The page was set up to counter the crowdfunding page We The People Will Fund The Wall, which has surpassed $10million.

Clymer's campaign began trending almost immediately - and already generated more than $40,000 of its $100million goal as of Thursday at 9pm.

The crowdfunding summary reads in part: 'We saw some folks are raising money for a border wall to keep out our migrant siblings and fellow human beings, who are fleeing violence and persecution and whose tragically-underpaid labor is essential to the US economy.

Charlotte Clymer, of Texas, created the crowdfunding campaign titled Ladders to Get Over Trump's Wall on Wednesday

The counter-campaign comes days as We The People Will Fund The Wall surpassed $10million of its $1billion goal

Clymer, (pictured above on Twitter) who is transgender, describes herself in her Facebook bio as a liberal writer and feminist from Texas

'Seems like a bad idea on countless levels for everyone involved. Maybe we should focus on human rights and creating a community that reflects our supposed values.

'And even though at a rate of $1.7million daily, it would take their fund about 35 years to raise the $21.7billion that Trump's own Deptartment of Homeland Security says would be needed to build said wall, we wanna make sure ladders are ready to send over to our undocumented friends and help them.'

Clymer, who works as the press secretary for rapid response at the Human Rights Campaign, further explains that if the goal is not met, funds raised will go toward the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES).

RAICES is the largest immigration legal services provider in Texas, according to its website.

'If this seems ludicrous, we welcome you to the coalition of reasonable adults,' the campaign summary further says.

The crowdfunding campaign to build a wall on the southern border had raised more than $9million in just four days by Thursday evening

'You see, theyll never reach their goal, but no matter how much we raise, were going to reach ours.

'Supporting an organization working to help immigrants seeking legal asylum. This GoFundMe isnt really about ladders at all. Its about lifting people up.'

Meanwhile, the crowdfunding page We The People Will Fund The Wall surpassed $10million of its $1billion goal as of Friday morning.

The campaign was launched Sunday by triple amputee Air Force veteran, Brian Kolfage.

The campaign was launched Sunday by triple amputee Air Force veteran, Brian Kolfage (pictured left and right with wife). The married Florida father-of-two lost both legs and his arm in 2004 insurgent attack in Iraq

Kolfage said on the GoFundMe page: 'Too many Americans have been murdered by illegal aliens and too many illegals are taking advantage of the United States taxpayers'

The campaign wars over the wall come after Trump appeared to back down from threats of a government shutdown to secure the $5billion he wants for the wall.

He signaled that he would sign the last spending bill he will get from a Republican-controlled Congress for the rest of his term without the desired wall money.

The sting for conservatives was deepened by an announcement on Tuesday that the U.S. will increase aid to Mexico and Central America to $10.6billion.

Democrats mocked the GoFundMe as evidence of Trump supporters' gullibility, gloating that federal funding for Trump's signature proposal is looking increasingly less likely.

'It's up to Americans to help out and pitch in to get this project rolling,' the page reads. 'If the 63million people who voted for Trump each pledge $80, we can build the wall.'

The fundraising page says it has contacted the Trump Administration to secure a point of contact where all the funds will go, but adds it has 'many very high level contacts already helping'.

The page says further: 'As a veteran who has given so much, 3 limbs, I feel deeply invested to this nation to ensure future generations have everything we have today,' while elaborating on Kolfage's history as a Purple Heart Medal recipient.

The married father-of-two lost both legs and his right arm in a 2004 insurgent attack in Iraq.

Trump said Wednesday the new trade deal means Mexico will pay for his wall

Trump on Wednesday claimed the military would build his border wall and Mexico would pay for it - indirectly under the new trade agreement.

'Mexico is paying (indirectly) for the Wall through the new USMCA, the replacement for NAFTA! Far more money coming to the US.

'Because of the tremendous dangers at the Border, including large scale criminal and drug inflow, the United States Military will build the Wall!,' he tweeted.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Tuesday the administration's legal team was looking into whether the White House could redirect funds to build the wall.
Half of young middle-class children who have electronic devices are given them simply to keep quiet, according to Government research.

Three-quarters of parents of under-fives say their children use tablets, phones, laptops or games consoles.

But it is well-off families who are most likely to use them as electronic babysitters rather than learning tools.

Middle class parents are more likely to use smart phones and tablets as 'electronic babysitters'

Education Secretary Damian Hinds said the devices were 'an easy distraction for both children and parents'

The Department for Education study will renew concerns children are becoming more sedentary  and risk becoming addicted to iPads and phones before they even start school.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds yesterday described the devices as an easy distraction for both children and their parents and a double-edged sword. More than 3,500 parents of children aged up to five were questioned about their use of devices at home as part of the DfEs annual early-years survey.

Researchers found 64 per cent of under-fives use a tablet, 40 per cent a smartphone, 16 per cent a PC or laptop and 15 per cent a video games console.

Of those using devices, 44 per cent were given them simply so they remain occupied or quiet, the survey found.

For families earning 30,000 to 45,000 a year, the proportion was 47 per cent. But this rose to 49 per cent among households who bring in more than 45,000.

Among families on annual incomes of under 10,000, the proportion was just 35 per cent.

The poll also found children in lower-income families were more than twice as likely to use the devices for learning on a daily basis than those in richer households.

Thirty-two per cent of children in households on under 10,000 use a device as a learning tool at least once every day.

This compares with 15 per cent of those in households earning 45,000 or more.

Dr Richard House, a psychologist and campaigner on the impact of ICT on children, last night said busy parents must avoid falling back on using such gadgets as a simple distraction.

He said: That means placing slower parenting and real, face-to-face relating with our children ahead of seductive and addictive techno-gadgetry, and consciously making the time for those real human relationships that help our children to become fully human.

We just have to do it  or else our childrens mental ill-health will continue to soar to even more terrifying levels.

Mr Hinds said: This survey underlines that technology is a double-edged sword.

We all know that phones and devices are an easy distraction for both children and their parents, me included.

But also when used in the right way, technology can actively support a childs learning and is something we must harness in our mission to support parents with childrens learning at home.

Research published by the National Literacy Trust earlier this year revealed that, amid the widespread use of smartphones and tablets, more than 750,000 British children do not own a single book.
The NHS will fund drunk tanks over the festive period to relieve pressure on emergency services and keep intoxicated patients out of A&E.

Up to 300,000 will pay for dozens of alcohol recovery units run by charities, councils and voluntary groups, in conjunction with ambulance trusts.

The tanks are often fitted with recliner beds for binge drinkers to sleep off the worst effects, while those who are dangerously inebriated may be treated with IV drips and stomach pumps. They are designed to keep hospitals free from the drunken revellers who can overrun A&E and ambulance services at the busiest time of the year. Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, said the NHS was not the national hangover service and should be preserved for those most in need of medical help.

The NHS will fund 'drunk tanks' to help alleviate the pressure from A&E units this Christmas

But, while the scheme might help fulfil that aim, it does also mean that NHS funds will be used to nurse overindulgence.

Overall bed occupancies remain dangerously high at more than 93 per cent, well above the 85 per cent deemed safe, official figures showed yesterday.

Ambulances were diverted 30 times last week because A&E departments were full, with one in nine left waiting up to an hour during patient handovers.

Dr Nick Scriven, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, warned it will require a near superhuman effort to keep the system safe for patients over winter. NHS figures show alcohol is responsible for around one in seven emergency admissions, placing a huge strain on an already stretched service.

This peaks on Friday and Saturday evenings, when up to 70 per cent of attendances can be alcohol-related.

It is also a leading cause of aggression against NHS staff, with the number of physical assaults recorded on ambulance workers increasing by a third since 2013/14.

A poll of GMB union members reveals almost one in three health service staff fear being attacked at work today  traditionally the busiest of the year for staff parties.

Mr Stevens said: I have seen first-hand... the problems that drunk and often aggressive people cause paramedics and A&E staff who just want to help those who need it most.

NHS does not stand for National Hangover Service which is why we want to help other organisations take care of those who just need somewhere safe to get checked over and perhaps sleep it off.

The Alcohol Intoxication Management Services (AIMS) are already being used by a number of local authorities including in Blackpool, Exeter and Norwich.One of the first programmes to benefit from the new funding will be the Soho Angels scheme in London, run by Westminster council and the LGBT Foundation.

Five ambulance trusts in the North East, East Midlands, South Central, West Midlands and North West have also applied for funding.

Mr Stevens also urged local authorities to make more use of the late night levy which they can impose on bars and clubs to provide safe spaces for drinkers.
A car that exploded into flames sending the biggest shopping centre in Australia into lockdown has been identified as a luxury Mercedes-Benz worth more than $100,000.

The car burst into flames about 1.38pm on Thursday in Chadstone Shopping Centre's car park in Melbourne, causing thousands of shoppers to be evacuated from the complex.

A source close to the investigation has told Daily Mail Australia the car was a late-model Mercedes Benz C-Class wagon worth at least $100,000.

The biggest shopping centre in Australia was in lockdown after a vehicle exploded in the car park

Thousands of shoppers were evacuated from Chadstone Shopping Centre

Melbourne Fire Brigade investigators have been told the female owner of the vehicle was entering the car park near David Jones when she noticed smoke pouring from the vehicle.

She jumped out of the car and ran for help as the car went up in a ball of flames.

Up to three other cars also caught fire and thick smoke quickly spread throughout the car park.

The woman is understood to have told investigators that she had no explanation for how the fire began and suspected some kind of manufacturers fault.

If established, the fault could lead to the recall of the Mercedes.

A spokeswoman for the MFB refused to tell Daily Mail Australia what the model of the car was and said specialist investigators remain at the scene today.

Mercedes-Benz has been contacted for comment.

MFB fire fighters responded to the fire at 1.40pm yesterday as a thick blanket of smoke spread outside the complex.

The rest of the centre was not affected and continued to trade as normal

More than 50 Victorian firefighters were called to the scene

The fire prompted the evacuation of the level-one David Jones car park and the closure of all other levels, the shopping centre tweeted on Thursday.

Up to 50 firefighters and 12 fire trucks rushed to the scene and brought the blaze under control by 2.27pm.

Eleven cars were damaged but no-one was injured.

The fire prompted the evacuation of the level-one David Jones car park and the closure of all other levels.

Customers waited for hours to get to their cars and kept trying to push past security despite the chaos

Police closed the Dandenong Road entrance to the shopping centre, causing delays for Dandenong Road, Belgrave Road and Chadstone Road.

No-one was injured in the fire.

The incident happened on one of the busiest Christmas shopping days of the year

Amid the busy Christmas shopping rush, a car burst into flames inside Chadstone Shopping Centre's car park in Melbourne

'Fortunately no one was injured but a number of cars were affected,' Chadstone tweeted.

Police confirmed the fire was accidentally caused due to a fault in the vehicle, and are not treating it as suspicious.

Police closed the Dandenong Road entrance to the shopping centre, causing delays for Dandenong Road, Belgrave Road and Chadstone Road, which caused traffic delays

Police warned of traffic disruptions in the area following the incident

Firefighters were working to clear the smoke and people were being told to avoid the area.

Customers have been waiting hours to get to their cars and keep trying to push past security despite the chaos.

A thick blanket of smoke quickly spread outside the complex as the Melbourne Fire Brigade urged the public to steer clear of the area
Japan could quit the International Whaling Commission so it can resume hunting, it was feared last night.

Commercial whaling was banned by the IWC in 1986 after some whale species were driven almost to extinction.

For years Japan has hunted whales for scientific research, selling the meat under a programme widely criticised by conservationists.

Japan could quit the International Whaling Commission so it can resume hunting, it was feared last night. Commercial whaling was banned by the IWC in 1986 after some whale species were driven almost to extinction

The Japanese government is expected to cite the recovery of certain species as justification for quitting the IWC, although it is thought to be considering hunting only in its own waters.

Wildlife protection groups have already criticised the planned withdrawal.

Hideki Moronuki, of the countrys fisheries agency said Japan has not yet come up with a decision. A formal announcement could come next week.

In September Tokyo tried to get the IWC to allow commercial catch quotas but the proposal was rejected. Japanese officials claim the IWC has become a biased anti-whaling body.

Coastal communities have hunted whales for centuries, but consumption has plummeted and critics doubt a whaling industry is sustainable, especially as many young Japanese no longer eat the meat.
After months embroiled in a high-profile diplomatic row, Italy has agreed a deal on its budget with the European Commission. The Commission had demanded changes to Italy's budget plans because of the country's high debt. As BBC writes in the article Italy budget deal struck with Europe after months-long row, Italy initially stood its ground, leading EU officials to threaten disciplinary action and potentially expensive fines.

But European officials said Wednesday's agreement avoided such action. Under the deal, Italy has agreed to lower its planned budget deficit from 2.4% to 2.04% - not so much of a reduction as European officials had hoped for. The value of Italy's concessions is understood to be a little more than 10bn (9bn).

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the compromise was a win for both sides. "We can say in conscience that we have realised in full the wishes of our citizens, demonstrating determination in the economic politics of the government," he told the country's senate. "We have achieved by means of a complete sense of responsibility, a shared solution, that is good for Italians and satisfactory to Europe."

Acknowledging that the concessions were less than what had been asked for, European economic commissioner Pierre Moscovici said it had been a difficult year for the Italian people, citing the collapse of the Genoa bridge in August and the widespread damage caused by recurrent storms. "The agreement reached today shows unambiguously that the European Commission is not the enemy of the Italian people," he said. "We are not a machine made up of insensitive bureaucrats, imposing austerity and denying democracy. I hope that today we can move beyond such caricatures. "I hope that today we can also put to rest any doubts over Italy's place in Europe."

Valdis Dombrovskis, the commission vice-president in charge of financial stability, said the agreed budget "still raises concern". But he said the deal meant disciplinary action could be avoided - "provided that the agreed measures are fully implemented".

While Italy's spending is below the 3% deficit rule -which many countries, like France, exceed - its debt pile is the second-highest in Europe, and the main concern for European officials was that the debt not increase.

Under the deal, the budget has been balanced with a reduced growth forecast, which has been revised downwards from 1.5% to 1% for this year and next. European officials had felt the Italian government's expectation of 1.5% growth was overly optimistic.

But officials are still concerned about the long-term cost of the Italian government's two flagship policies - a universal income for poor Italians and the reversal of pension reforms which would lower the retirement age. Those plans have been postponed by a few months as part of the changes to achieve the new budget goals.

Markets responded positively to the news of the deal, with Italian bonds and stocks performing better on Wednesday.

The deal still needs to be approved by the Italian parliament. The European Commission said it would watch closely to ensure the agreement was adhered to - and potentially resume its procedures if it is not.
Five boxes of documents relating to the Guildford pub bombings have been destroyed, Surrey Police have admitted.

The blunder was blamed on a driver who left them in the wrong place, a pre-inquest review at Woking Coroner's Court heard.

A coroner is considering whether to resume a full inquest into the 1974 IRA attacks.

Gerard Conlon, one of the Guildford Four, is released by the Old Bailey in 1989 after his conviction for being one of the bombers was overturned

Four soldiers were killed and dozens of people were injured when a bomb went off at the Horse and Groom pub on October 5, 1974

Original proceedings did not conclude after the Guildford Four were convicted over the bombings, which killed four soldiers and a civilian and injured dozens more.

They were handed life sentences, but had their convictions overturned in 1989, and their case became one of the best known miscarriages of justice in British legal history.

Jeremy Johnson, representing Surrey Police, said on Thursday that 3,895 documents have been catalogued over the past year, and it could take years to assess the remainder.

'It's known that five boxes of material have been destroyed, but they contain documents which, at least to a large extent and possibly to a complete extent, are copied elsewhere,' he said.

He said the boxes were requisitioned on November 7 2016 to address media enquiries before being returned to the store on December 8.

Five boxes of evidence relating to the attack were mislaid in December 2016 and destroyed

'The driver who returned them erroneously left them in the wrong place and they were collected by a contractor and destroyed.

'That obviously should not have happened and that matter was referred to the information commissioner at the time.'

Families of the victims of the Guildford bombings, as well as survivors and Paddy Armstrong  a member of the Guildford Four  are calling for the inquest to be resumed.

Soldiers Caroline Slater, 18, William Forsyth, 18, John Hunter, 17, and Ann Hamilton, 19, and civilian Paul Craig, 22, died in the blast at the Horse and Groom pub on October 5 1974.

Brenda Campbell QC, representing the family of Ms Hamilton, said: 'Their journey over the last 45 years as a family, and generations of the same family, is a very private one.

'They neither seek nor do they receive the limelight.

'They do not make this application lightly. They are aware it could increase the pain of their journey.'

Ms Campbell said they have pored over a yellowing scrapbook of newspaper cuttings, articles and photographs they collected in a bid to search for answers, and spoke of a 'deep void' of information.

She told the coroner they had not been involved in the criminal trial or a five-year public inquiry carried out by Sir John May, and are left asking basic questions about how Ms Hamilton died.

One example given was a discrepancy between whether the bomb went off at 8.30pm or 8.50pm.

'Of course they want to know who did it, of course they want to know why no one ever faced justice for what happened to our sister,' the barrister continued.

'But it is the big questions and the small questions that remain entirely unanswered for the purposes of this inquest.'

Ms Campbell said the confessions of two men  who admitted involvement but were not charged over the bombings  have never been the 'subject of any independent, meaningful investigation'.

Surrey Police force said in a statement it 'neither requests nor opposes the resumption of inquests' and the case is not being 'reinvestigated or made subject to a formal review at this time'.

Mr Johnson told the coroner: 'I would submit the focus is not on questions such as who planted the bombs, what were the bombs made of, what did the police get wrong in their original investigations.

'The focus is to be on the statutory questions an inquest is meant to answer and whether or not there is a practical proposition of throwing new light on these questions after all these years.'

Coroner Richard Travers said he would hand down his judgment on whether to resume a full inquest on January 31.
Anyone whos just spent a small fortune on some vintage Scotch for Christmas could be in for a nasty surprise  after tests found more than a third of bottles are fakes.

Analysis carried out on 55 samples of rare Scotch whisky found that 21 of them  worth an estimated total of 635,000  were frauds.

Researchers at the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre used radiocarbon-dating methods to establish the age of the whiskies. The 21 bottles that failed the tests ranged in value from 2,500 to 150,000. All the samples purporting to be from around 1900 or earlier were found to be fake. The research, commissioned by broker Rare Whisky 101, came in response to growing concern surrounding fake whisky in the secondary market.

Fans of vintage Scotch whisky have been warned that one-third of samples tested of bottles worth up to 150,000 have been proved to be fake

RW101 estimates that about 41million of rare whisky is fake. Founder Andy Simpson urged enthusiasts to refrain from selling or purchasing any pre-1900 distilled Scotch unless it has a professional certificate of distillation year by a carbon-dating laboratory.

Last year, the broker exposed a 7,600-a-dram bottle of The Macallan Scotch bought in a Swiss hotel as a fake.
Palestinian terrorists in the pay of the Iranian regime committed the Lockerbie atrocity, it has been claimed.

The daughter of a former terrorist has said her father admitted to relatives that his cell leader, Ahmed Jibril, led the 1988 plot to down Pam Am 103, which was blown up 30 years ago today by an explosive stored in a suitcase in the hold.

Her claim adds credence to the long-held theory that Tehran ordered the attack on the New York-bound flight, transporting mainly American civilians, as payback after a missile from a US Navy cruiser shot down Iran Air flight 655 five months earlier, killing 290 civilians.

The US has maintained its naval officers mistook the plane for a Iranian Air Force jet fighter, although the Iranian government says even if that is the case it would be criminally negligent.

In 2001 Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was found guilty of the murder of all 270 people who were killed on board and in the town of Lockerbie where it crashed.

Now Jordanian Saha Kheersat, 43, has claimed her father Marwan Khreesat left his wife a dossier of evidence showing that Ahmed Jibril - Marwan's boss in a Palestinian terror group - was paid millions of pounds by Tehran to mastermind the attack.

Ahmed Jibril, former leader of the terror group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, has been blamed by the daughter of a former cell member for the Lockerbie attack

Jordanian Saha Kheersat, 43, claimed her father Marwan Khreesat left his wife a dossier of evidence showing that Jibril, pictured above in 2001, was paid by Iran for the mass-murder

She even said he gave the name of the bombmaker to her mother.

She said her father played no part in the Lockerbie atrocity, blaming Jibril who was leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command. (PFLP-GC)

Interviewed by The Mirror in her home in the Jordanian capital of Amman, she said: 'I think he is responsible, and he has a deal with the Iran government.

'I do have a proof that Ahmed Jibril is responsible for Lockerbie. It might be papers or recordings and it is not in our house now.'

Khreesat was identified as a possible Lockerbie suspect shortly after the 1988 attack. He had been arrested two months earlier in Frankfurt with another PFLP-GC member who had plastic explosives hidden in a Toshiba cassette player in his car. The device was very similar to the one used on Flight 103.

He also later admitted his role in the 1972 failed bombing of an Israeli El Al passenger jet from Rome to Tel Aviv.

And just months after the attack, the British and American governments were blaming the PFLP-GC and Iran. The former King Hussein of Jordan even said the group was behind the attack in a 1996 letter to then-Prime Minister John Major.

Asked whether her father knew the name of the bombmaker, Saha said: 'For sure he knows but I don't know. My dad left something written about this but it's not in the house.

Marwan Khreesat, pictured, was identified as a possible Lockerbie suspect shortly after the 1988 attack

'If my dad made the bomb he would have taken lots of money but now we don't have anything because my dad didn't have anything to do with it.

'Ahmed Jibril took the first million and then he took the rest of the money and got very rich but my dad didn't take anything.

'The Lockerbie accident has so many hidden things and my dad gave his secret to my mum. He did not give it to me or to my siblings or anyone else. He did not hide anything from mum.'

Asked why her dad did not reveal this information while he was alive, she made reference to the US-led 1986 bombing of Libyan capital Tripoli, in revenge for terror explosions at a West Berlin nightclub.

She said: 'Maybe he just wanted to protect Jordan. Maybe he'll put Jordan in danger if he talked.

'What happened to Libya will happen to Jordan. Lockerbie is an important topic since it is related to America and no one is supposed to mess with America.'

Saha said her father left the terror cell after being accused of treachery.

She said: 'Jibril said Marwan Khreesat is a double agent for the Jordanian intelligence. He was not. My father was fedai [fighter]. Ahmed Jibril was his leader. They worked together in Syria and Lebanon. My dad quit.'

Khreesat died two years ago at 70. Jibril, 80, is believed to be in Syria fighting for Bashar al-Assad.

Saha insisted it was a coincidence her dad was with another PFLP-GC militant when held in Germany.

Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi remains the only man to have been found guilty of the murder of all 270 people, but his guilt has been questioned by official sources

She said: 'When they arrested him they arrested my dad too. Why did they let him go? Because there was no evidence against him.'

These claims also increase fears al-Megrahi may have been wrongfully convicted at his trial in the Netherlands in 2001.

The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission is currently considering ordering a posthumous appeal on behalf of Megrahi's family, having found in 2007 that no reasonable court could have concluded he was guilty on the evidence led at trial

He was released on compassionate grounds eight years later, suffering from prostate cancer, and died in 2012 aged 60.

Scottish MSP Christine Graham said: 'These various discoveries that you have made builds further on the case that it was, as many of us believe, Iran that was responsible for the Lockerbie bombing and that al-Megrahi was the fall guy. Libya took the rap for various reasons.'

Dr Jim Swire, whose 23-year-old daughter Flora died in the attack, added: 'This confirms what we have known for a long time and have never been able to say in public.'
Patti LuPones face lit up. Oh, look whats coming! she cried as a pair of three-tiered, bone-china stands loaded with finger sandwiches, cakes, scones and savouries were placed in front of her. Happiness! Happiness!! she cried.

At night Patti (Ive known her so long I feel entitled to use her Christian name) can be found on stage at the Gielgud Theatre, giving a masterclass in the Stephen Sondheim and George Furth musical Company as Joanne, the rich but rebellious New York society matron whos best friends with the shows main character Bobbie, played by Rosalie Craig.

Patti LuPone takes afternoon tea with Baz Bamigboye at The Zetter Townhouse Clerkenwell on 07 December 2018

Patti all but stops the show in Act 2 when she sings about The Ladies Who Lunch as she knocks back a vodka stinger.

But on this cold winters day were into non-alcoholic beverages: namely tea.

Were having a proper full English Tea in Clerkenwell, London, in Zetter Townhouse Hotels cosy parlour. Theres a roaring fire and the place is decorated with quaint, and faintly freaky bric-a-brac (I can see a stuffed cat dressed in a Santa suit).

I love eccentric London. Eccentric England, Patti said happily.

She picked the venue, having enjoyed an arvo spread at the Zetters sister hotel in Marylebone.

Tea isnt such a big deal in the United States. No, not at all, she agreed, before popping a glazed gammon and piccalilli delicacy into her mouth.

We have breakfast, lunch and dinner. Thats it. How did this happen?! she asked as we go on to discuss the rules of taking tea; and whether the jam goes on the scone before the cream; and how thrilled shed been, years ago, tasting clotted cream for the first time.

The jam has to go on first, right? Otherwise you smash the cream? she said (she is correct, by the way, in my opinion).

The idea for tea with Patti came when Chris Harper, business partner of Companys celebrated director Marianne Elliott, mentioned in passing that many of the boys from Company enjoy popping into the actresss stage level dressing room.

What we have are Pattis Panderings, she said...the name given to the gatherings by Richard Fleeshman, who plays Andy, the dim but strapping flight attendant whom Bobbi wants to devour during a number called Barcelona.

Patti explained that the guys come into my dressing room between numbers, and at the end of the first acttheres plenty of room  and their rooms are way up the stairs.

She and her esteemed dresser Murray Lane started feeding them. Apples with almond butter, and other tidbits. Ashley Campbell arrived one day with smoked salmon and cream cheese. George Blagden brought sausage rolls. Sometimes Patti picks up mini pork pies from a posh butcher in Holborn and serves them with chutney. A fruit course might include clementines and strawberries. Theyre only little nibbles, she said.

We gossip, and everybodys listening for the cue to go back on stage. Its turned into this very sweet, wonderful bonding of the company. In my dressing room.

The Broadway legend said that the guys have banned the women  though Mel Giedroyc shows up anyway.

I dont know why the women were banned, Patti mused. If theres anything left over, we give it to the girls.

With Christmas approaching were going wild now, she said, adding mince pies to the snacking menu.

I told her that, in my opinion, the best are to be found at Maison Bertaux in Soho (I shall be leaving a few at the stage door for them).

Its clear Patti has been enjoying her time in London. She will remain here until Company closes on March 30. I couldnt be happier, she said, with a cat-that-got-the-clotted-cream kind of smile. Happy on stage, and content in my life. Thats the way I phrase it.

Usually with musicals Im like: Whens its going to end? Im already mourning the end of this one, because its a great experience.

And its a great show. I caught up with Company (for about the fourth or fifth time) a couple of days before our tea date, and every performance has deepened: Pattis and Rosalies in particular.

The Juilliard School-trained thespian clearly adores her co-star  and the whole of the company of Company  and is torn about repeating the role if the show plays on Broadway. Which Im certain it will.

She said she faced a similar dilemma when she played in the original cast of Les Miserables at the Barbican, where she created the role of Fantine. (She also played Norma Desmond in the original, West End production of Sunset Boulevard.)

This is my company  I belong to this company, she said. I had said that Id never do another musical on Broadway. But I did this for Marianne, in London. I had no idea it would turn out to be this happy, incredible experience.

But doing it in New York? Starting in a new musical there would be so complicated. You start your first rehearsal exhausted. You start the run exhausted.

And then theres the acting...We discuss a revival of a play in New York which we both saw; and both struggled to understand.

I get told off about my diction but at this I was going What did they say?! I wanted to shout: Slow down! Enunciate!!

And the musical performances havent been much better. I go: Really? Really?! You call that a leading lady? You call that a leading man? They dont come across the footlights.

She noted that the great Ethel Merman (whom she never saw, live) could hit the theatres back wall without a microphone. A rare occurrence today.

Theyre forgetting how to P R O J E C T, she enunciated, with such command that hotel staff 20 yards away leapt to attention.

Often theyre miscast, just because they had success on TV or something. Theyre not successful, because theyre limited  because they dont come across the footlights.

I think people forget that theyre doing it for an audience, and that theres more to it than learning the lines and singing as beautifully as you can.

You have to want to do it. You have to have the technique to do it. You have to be fearless.

'Its clear Patti has been enjoying her time in London. She will remain here until Company closes on March 30. I couldnt be happier, she said, with a cat-that-got-the-clotted-cream kind of smile. Happy on stage, and content in my life. Thats the way I phrase it'

She went on to praise Rosalie Craig. She makes me cry because Ive seen women her age in musicals who have gotten great reviews and even won awards and Ive gone Why?

But watching Rosalie is different. Shes the essence of what a leading lady in musical theatre should be.

We paused, while she sampled more delights from Aunt Wilhelminas menu (little sandwiches), and I tackled Uncle Seymour (Scotch quail eggs, mini truffled sausage rolls).

There were cakes, and two snowman Pavlovas, which we happily donated Jo Davidson, my long-suffering photographer.

We could have carried on for hours, but five oclock was fast approaching and Patti wanted to get to the Gielgud. Her progress to the door was slowed by a group of American actors at the next table, keen to fete her. And who could blame them.

Heres to the sensational lady  who drinks tea.

Ben's unlikely blonde ambition

Some like it hot, and Ben Whishaw is preparing to walk through the flames to portray Marilyn Monroe in a new play. Yes, thats what I said.

Whishaw will star in a new work by Anne Carson, the renowned classics professor and poet. Its called Norma Jeane Baker Of Troy, the actor told me. Norma Jeane Baker was Monroes real name and the plays about Marilyn Monroe  and I play her . . . sort of.

He added that the American soprano Renee Fleming will sing in the production, which is being directed by Katie Mitchell at The Shed, a new arts complex opening in Manhattan in the spring.

'Some like it hot, and Ben Whishaw (left) is preparing to walk through the flames to portray Marilyn Monroe (right) in a new play. Yes, thats what I said

Whishaw is on the big screen at the moment in the delightful Mary Poppins Returns  he plays grown up Michael Banks, with Emily Mortimer as his sister Jane. The magical nanny, deliciously played by Emily Blunt, returns to Number 17 Cherry Tree Lane to help the siblings as much as Michaels three young children.

Whishaw sings in the Poppins film but stressed that he wont in Norma Jeane Baker Of Troy.

Its about as far away from Mary Poppins as you could possibly go, he told me.

Carsons piece, partly spoken and partly sung, is based on the Greek tragedy of Helen, the beauty whose face launched a thousand ships. Scholars have tried before to link the allure of Monroe with the Ancient Greeks. Moral philosophy lecturer Dr Edward Spence, for instance, noted Monroes comment in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes that when love goes wrong, nothing goes right, claiming that Plato would agree.

After Marilyn, Whishaw will join his 007 colleagues, as Q, in Bond 25, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga.

Now that's what I call a super-scary power couple

Director Adam McKay sets the opening scene of his film Vice, about Dick Cheney, George W. Bushs vice president, in the town of Casper, Wyoming.

Its 1963 and Cheney, then a very unpolished young man, is shown drunk as a skunk.

McKay then cuts to a shot of Cheney sitting in the White House Situation Room, where he has taken control of operations after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Bush was being flown to a place of safety  which suited Cheney just fine.

Director Adam McKay sets the opening scene of his film Vice, about Dick Cheney, George W. Bushs vice president, in the town of Casper, Wyoming. Amy Adams stars as Lynne Cheney in Vice

'In the film Cheney is seen in 1963 then a very unpolished young man'.Christian Bale as Dick Cheney in Adam McKay

McKays masterstroke was to cast Christian Bale and Amy Adams as Cheney and his wife Lynne. They are sublime.

Ive never seen someone so purely interested in power, McKay said of Cheney. Equally, its rare that Ive seen performances, such as the ones Bale and Adams deliver, that embody that sense of power on the screen.

McKay said he and Bale spent a lot of time talking about characters who internalise their emotions. They cover themselves up; and Christians very good at giving life to such people, McKay said. Cheney may not have been a great orator but he knew that the real power resides in the ones who are out of the spotlight.

McKay added that while preparing the film he thought of the 1986 movie Sid And Nancy, about Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. Both were junkies.

That was a love story, he commented, and this is a love story, too. Lynne Cheney wanted safety, security  and she wanted control. And if Dick was going to be with her, hes going to get those things. He has to, if he loves her.

I kept thinking of Sid and Nancy and how one of them had to become what the other wanted, if they wanted to be together, he told me when we met at the Soho Hotel. There are people in Casper who to this day claim that no matter who Lynne married, he would have made it to the White House.

Youre drawn in by the Cheneys in Vice  but they scare you half to death too.

Ive long been fascinated by the intricacies of American politics, so Vice was like caviar to me. It received six Golden Globes nominations, so I will watch with interest at the Globes ceremony in Beverly Hills on January 6. It opens here in the UK on January 25.
Popeyes' decision to launch an 'Emotional Support Chicken' TSA-friendly carry-on meal has prompted a stinging response from The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

The Popeyes in Philadelphia International Airport's Terminal C is offering a three-piece chicken tenders combo for the festive season that comes in a limited-edition cardboard carrier and promises comforting effects.

Splashed across the side of the carrier are the words 'Emotional Support Chicken.'

PETA took to Twitter accusing the the Louisiana-based fast-food chain of animal cruelty, along with mocking people with mental illness, coming up with its own alternative box

The limited edition chicken-shaped box containing a chicken tenders combo is approved by the TSA and can be taken on board at Philadelphia International Airport's Terminal C

'This chicken provides comfort and nourishment during stressful air travel. Unlike other chicken, it is marinated in real Louisiana spices for 12 hours and must be permitted to fly without restriction,' the carrier reads.

But the promotional gag has put the fast food chain in the spotlight in an already heated national debate over emotional support animals traveling on planes.

And PETA isn't laughing.

The world's largest animal rights organization blasted the fried chicken chain for 'mocking mental illness and animals.'

'#Popeyes is selling boxes of dead 'emotional support chickens' for the holidays, proving they're not above mocking mental illness AND animals who died gruesome deaths. This is what the box would look like if it told the truth about what goes into their food.' PETA wrote on its Twitter page.

Underneath is an illustration showing an alternative carry-on box featuring an unhappy looking chicken.

Popeyes product has put them into an already heated national debate over what emotional support animals can travel on planes

'This chicken needs emotional support. She had no comfort or nourishment during her incredibly stressful life. Like all Popeyes chickens, she was abused and killed and constantly restricted  never able to roam or fly. Popeyes is responsible for the slaughter of millions of chickens per year,' PETA's wording reads.

By law, emotional support animals can accompany owners almost everywhere, including on airplanes.

While traveling with dogs, cats and even pigs are commonplace, in recent years people have tried boarding flights with a much broader selection of animals, including tarantulas.

Earlier this year a woman tried to bring a peacock on board a flight in Newark, New Jersey.

Launching the chicken meal, Popeyes, the Louisiana-based fast-food chain explained in a press release that the promotion was inspired by recent headlines about travelers who have been 'pushing the envelope' with the types of animals they classify as 'emotional support animals' when flying.
The ex-wife of a racing driver has won her legal fight not to be cut out of his 11million fortune.

Yesterday Anita Brack, 51, won her case against retired Swedish driver Kenny Brack after taking him to court when she was left with 'almost nothing'.

The former IndyCar champion got his bride-to-be to sign a pre-nup when they were 'lying in bed, relaxing' on a romantic weekend to Niagara Falls ahead of their marriage in December 2000.

But Ms Brack claimed she was made to sign two more pre-nups in different countries as her husband's career took the pair around the world.

Anita Brack, 51, won her case against retired Swedish driver Kenny Brack (both pictured) after taking him to court when she was left with 'almost nothing'

Kenny Brack (pictured leaving London's Appeal Court today) wants his estranged wife's (right) bid for half the fortune dismissed

She was left with just 500,000 while the 52-year-old businessman took more than 10million in the Family Division of the London court.

But she said the court made a mistake and demanded that half the family money should be hers after the couple divorced after two children and 15 years of marriage.

Lady Justice King said yesterday that each party made equal contributions to the marriage.

She pointed out that the wife had no assets of her own but was landed with debt, some of which was owed to the husband.

'In my judgement the judge did fall into error in going so far as to conclude... that the wife had inevitably lost her sharing claim by reason of the prenuptial agreement,' she added.

It comes after another divorce judge rejected Ms Brack's claim for an equal share of the money due to her signing the agreement in full knowledge of what they meant.

Mr Brack told that judge he was 'not bothered' about marrying her and would have refused to had she not signed the pre-nups.

London's Appeal Court heard the Swedish couple married in December 29, 2000, after Mr Brack made her sign pre-nups in Canada, Sweden and the USA. They had been living together for six years prior to the marriage.

Mr Brack was an Indycar star in America at the time and had featured in the Hollywood film 'Driven', alongside Sylvester Stallone and Burt Reynolds.

A serious crash during a race in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2003 nearly killed him but he since resumed to driving. He had been a chief test driver for McClaren since May this year.

This is the 3million former matrimonial home of the estranged husband and wife in Berkshire

The pair raised their children at a 3million, five-bedroom property with a swimming pool in Cookham, Berkshire.

Mr and Mrs Brack both filed for divorce - the husband in Sweden and wife in the UK - in February 2015 and separated a month later.

A hearing about splitting the family money came before Mr Justice Francis in the Family Court in December 2016.

He said: 'I do not believe it to be fair, after a marriage of this length and with these contributions and these children, for the wife to be left with almost nothing and for the husband to be left with almost everything.

'The overwhelming majority of the assets were generated during the marriage,' he added.

But he went on to rule that the pre-nups must bite on the wife, as she knew what she was signing.

'I have found that the wife did understand that she was signing a pre-nuptial agreement that would govern the financial consequences of the marriage if it ended,' he said.

'The court should accord respect to the decision of a married couple as to the manner in which their financial affairs should be regulated,' he added.

He pointed to a diary entry made by the wife after signing the first pre-nup on the romantic break in Niagara whilst they were engaged.

It read: 'Vacation. Cosied up in the morning. Went to Niagara Falls. Back to the hotel and had a massage and pedicure! Went for a walk and ate at a worthless Italian restaurant. Was at hotel and watched a video. Signed the marriage papers.'

'These did not appear to be the musings of a person who was shocked by the request that she sign a pre-nuptial agreement after so many years together,' the judge commented.

He went on to say: 'I found the husband to be rather cold and matter of fact...I find his current approach towards the wife and the knock-on effect it would have on the children to be both mean-spirited and mean.'

'I find the husband to be financially mean...I accept as probably correct that he told the wife he would not marry her if she did not sign a pre-nuptial agreement.

'I find that the husband was far less bothered about the prospect of marrying than the wife. He was happy to carry on being unmarried.

'I reject the wife's assertion that the husband was guilty of serious misrepresentation in relation to the pre-nuptial agreements.

'It is important to bear in mind, at least in relation to the American agreement, the wife had independent legal advice and elected to ignore that advice.

'I cannot accept that the wife, on three separate occasions, signed a pre-nuptial agreement imagining it to be irrelevant,' the judge concluded.

The 3million family home was sold on order of the judge, with Mrs Brack getting half of the 2million equity as it was in both their names.

Yet after she had to pay back debts, including money owed to her husband, she was left with 560,000 compared to more than 10million of her husband.

Anita Brack (pictured) was awarded just 500,000 of the 11million but says that agreements she reached with her husband were unfair

He also ordered the husband to provide a 2m housing fund for his ex and the children on top of that, to be repaid to him when the kids grow up.

He was also told to pay 95,000-a-year for child maintenance and a carers allowance to his wife for looking after them.

Patrick Chamberlayne QC, for the wife, today challenged the judge's ruling, claiming he 'made crucial errors of law' when he rejected an equal division of the family wealth.

'He misunderstood the law relating to pre-nuptial agreements and as a result misdirected himself to the effect that, despite having found the pre-nuptial agreements to be unfair, he was precluded form making an award on a sharing basis, whether 50/50 or at all,' the barrister said.

Mr Chamberlayne also said the judge 'misread' clauses relating to an agreement that a needs-based award for maintenance must be dealt with in Sweden.

And he told Lords Justice Lewison, King and Peter Jackson that new email evidence has emerged since the Family Court hearing which proves that Mrs Brack didn't understand what she was signing.

'The emails make clear that the wife was telling the truth at trial when she said that, at the time she signed the agreements, the husband had told her that they would not govern the actual financial provision he would make for her.

'At trial, the husband had denied giving any such promise to the wife. The judge accepted his evidence. Had he seen the emails he would not have done so,' the barrister argued.

Martin Pointer QC, for Mr Brack, argued that Mr Justice Francis's ruling was correct. The Appeal Court hearing continues.
Democrats in Congress, along with a few Republicans, have cried out in alarm at the resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis, claiming that his departure will send the administration into chaos.

Mattis, 68, submitted his letter of resignation to President Donald Trump on Thursday, shocking Democrats and establishment Republicans who saw him as a steady hand in the cabinet.

Though most Republicans in Congress took the opportunity to issue straightforward statements thanking Mattis for his service and praising his accomplishments, some joined Democrats in raising the alarm.

'Just read Gen. Mattis resignation letter,' tweeted Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican. 'It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed toward a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances & empower our adversaries.'

Mattis (seen in November) submitted his letter of resignation on Thursday, shocking Democrats and establishment Republicans who saw him as a steady hand in the cabinet

Rubio went on to say that if necessary members of Congress must 'fulfill our constitutional duty to conduct oversight over the policies of the executive branch.'

Mattis in his letter noted his 'core belief' that American strength is 'inextricably linked' with its alliances and partnerships with other nations, a position seemingly at odds with the 'America First' policy of the president.

The defense secretary also said China and Russia want to spread their 'authoritarian model' and promote their interests at the expense of America and its allies. 'That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense,' he wrote, going on to imply that his views and the President's were at odds on these issues.

Leading the cries of outrage at Mattis' resignation was House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who is set to become the most powerful Democrat in Washington when Democrats retake the House next month.

'General Mattis was a comfort to many who were concerned about the path the Trump Admin would choose to take,' Pelosi said on Twitter. 'All of us should be concerned at this time.'

In his resignation letter, Mattis spelled out his strategic views and said Trump should find a defense secretary he agrees with more

'Secretary Mattis' extraordinary resignation is a significant loss and a real indication that President Trump's foreign policy agenda has failed and continues to spiral into chaos,' Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, said in a statement.

Menedez continued: 'Clearly, Secretary Mattis' resignation was prompted by the President's flawed and hasty decision to withdraw our troops from Syria. And as Secretary Mattis makes clear in his letter, President Trump's coziness with authoritarian regimes and his animosity to our closest allies are increasingly indefensible.'

'This is scary,' reacted Senate Intelligence committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia. 'Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration.'

Former Vice President Joe Biden also weighed in, saying that Mattis' 'voice of reason and experience will be missed in the Pentagon and the Situation Room.'

'Ive had disagreements with Secretary Mattis, but we shared the view  long-held by Democrats and Republicans in this nation  that respect for our allies and a commitment to the most important and effective alliances in history made America safer,' Biden wrote on Twitter. 'It is clear this administration has abandoned those core American beliefs.'

There were even calls for a Congressional probe into the statements Mattis made in his resignation letter.

'Secretary Mattis should testify before Congress and answer questions about the alarming contents of his resignation letter,' Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, wrote on Twitter.

Some Democrats expressed sympathy for Mattis and said they understood why he resigned.

'Jim Mattis did a superb job as Secretary of Defense. But he cannot be expected to stand behind a President who disrespects our allies and ingratiates himself to our adversaries,' said William Cohen, who served as defense secretary under Bill Clinton and knows Mattis well.

For the most part, Congressional Republicans held back their criticism and simply took the opportunity to praise Mattis, a retired Marine general, for his service.

'Secretary Mattis led us through rebuilding our military after the readiness crisis to developing a forward thinking National Defense Strategy that prepares our military for the realities of the future,' Senator Jim Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, said in a statement.

'He was devoted to the warfighter, military families and veterans. I always valued our close working relationship and our nation is better for his lifetime of service.'
Planned Parenthood has been accused of discriminating against pregnant employees, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former employees.

The organization known for its championing of women's rights has violated federal and state laws, with managers considering pregnancy in hiring decisions, pushing people out after they gave birth, or denying rest breaks recommended by a doctor, according to an article published on Thursday by the New York Times.

The allegations come from clinics across the country, in California, Texas, North Carolina and New York.

Additionally, though not necessarily discriminatory, 49 out of 55 of the organization's regions do not provide paid maternity leave to employees, prompting one Colorado worker to launch a GoFundMe page to pay for lost wages and emergency medical services related to giving birth eight weeks early in August.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America president Dr. Leana Wen, whose offices are headquartered in Manhattan, said the organization is investigating the claims lodged against it.

The headquarters provides some money and support to clinics in its 55 regions, which are otherwise funded through private donations and government reimbursement for treatment given to Medicaid patients.

Planned Parenthood has been accused of mistreating pregnant employees in several ways by more than one dozen women in California, Texas, North Carolina and New York. The sign hanging over the offices of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in New York City is shown in a file photo from December 7, 2001

In fiscal year 2016, Planned Parenthood clinics and regional offices brought in around $1.5 billion, half of which came from Medicaid services, a source of income which is constantly being threatened by conservative legislators.

The worry over money is a pressure for the organization that provides 2.4 million mostly low-income patients with things like cancer screenings, prenatal care, disease testing, and yes, even abortions in some places, though not all locations.

But that's no excuse for the allegations lodged against the oranization, if true.

The irony of the women's rights champion's alleged treatment of its pregnant employees was particularly painful for medical assistant TaLisa Hairston, 27, while pregnant and working at a Planned Parenthood in White Plains, in the Empire State.

The 27-year-old said she took the job because of its stated commitment to women.

'Planned Parenthood helped me give women a voice to do what they wanted with their bodies,' she said.

The irony of the women's rights champion's alleged treatment of its pregnant employees was particularly painful for medical assistant TaLisa Hairston, 27, while pregnant and working at a Planned Parenthood in White Plains, in New York (shown)

Hairston described how distressing it was for her as she advised her pregnant patients to take rest breaks at work and eat regular meals, while knowing she couldn't do the same for herself.

'I had to hold back tears talking to pregnant women, telling them to take care of their pregnancies when I couldnt take care of mine,' Hairston said. 'It made me jealous.'

Hairston said she would spend 10 hours on her feet, rarely took a lunch break, and that notes from her nurse requiring her to take breaks were ignored, when it was found her high blood pressure was putting her pregnancy at risk.

Eventually her blood pressure skyrocketed and she had to be put on bed rest, only to later return to work with strict limited hour requirements that weren't adhered, which landed her on bed rest again.

After an emergency c-section a few days later, she gave birth at 34 weeks, and said she received pressure after eight weeks to return to work early, prompting her to resign in June.

'I didnt get into the medical field to be treated like this,' she said.

Planned Parenthood regional chief executive Vincent Russell, who oversees the office where Hairston worked, denied those allegations.

Russell is the head of the Hawthorne, New York region, which has a history of problematic treatment of pregnant women, according to the Times.

Planned Parenthood was sued in 2009 by the former director of clinical services in White Plains, Tracy Webber, who said she was fired four weeks after giving birth, in a lawsuit that was settled with undisclosed terms.

A former employee who asked not be named alleged the same issue Hairston did, saying her note recommending frequent breaks was ignored by a manager in Rochester, New York. She also said that she was pressured to return early after having her baby.

At the same location, a medical assistant was fired on the day she returned from maternity leave in May, according to a former human resources manager who oversaw the clinic. That woman came to a confidential resolution with Planned Parenthood, according to her attorney Jonas Urba.

And a former human resources manager in the region, who also asked not to be named, said notes from doctors presented by pregnant employees were assumed to be excuses to work less, adding that it was perceived as lack of commitment to take a sick day.

Russell said, 'All the individuals identified in the article were treated fairly and equitably, free of any discrimination.'

Planned Parenthood Federation of America president Dr. Leana Wen (pictured), whose offices are headquartered in Manhattan, said the organization is investigating the claims lodged against it

Beyond the obvious allegations of discrimination highlighted above, other examples of alleged bias, though more subtle, are also troubling.

The women's reproductive health giant is said to have fostered an environment where women feared announcing a pregnancy to colleagues and supervisors, over worries they'd be viewed as abandoning their co-workers.

In South Florida, one current and two former Planned Parenthood employees told the Times that employees would often voluntarily share with supervisors that they were single, gay, or not planning to have children.

'It was looked down upon for you to get pregnant,' Carolina Delgado said, who worked in an office in Miami until 2012. 'I dont think that any supervisor had to literally say it for us to feel it.'

Planned Parenthoods head of human resources Dannette Hill, however, said that most parents who returned from leave in the Miami office were later promoted.

Other claims include being unsympathetic to workers' requests for special treatment, and seemingly viewing accommodation for expectant mothers as expensive and inconvenient.

At one Planned Parenthood in California, a former hiring manager said supervisors openly debated whether candidates were likely to get pregnant in the future, giving those who they deemed were preference for internal promotions.

The person also said the office once declined to hire a pregnant person and did promote one new mother, despite the fact that it's illegal to consider whether a job candidate is or will become pregnant under the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act.

It came down to money, the former manager said, admitting the collective feeling was the clinic couldn't afford to promote someone who they would lose for several weeks.

Though not necessarily discriminatory, Planned Parenthood as a whole also doesn't offer paid maternity leave at locations falling under 49 of its 55 regional offices, though 20 regions allow for partially paid disability leave for new mothers.

'I believe we must do better than we are now,' Wen said in a statement.

'Its our obligation to do better, for our staff, for their families and for our patients.'

Wen said the organization is also reviewing the cost that would be associated with providing 12,000 employees nationwide with paid maternity leave.

An employee of the organization in Colorado, a location that doesn't offered paid maternity leave, had to resort to launching a GoFundMe campaign after giving birth prematurely to a baby boy in August. Marshall, the son of Marissa Hamilton, shown

An employee of the organization in Colorado, a location that doesn't offered paid maternity leave, had to resort to launching a GoFundMe campaign after giving birth prematurely to a baby boy in August.

'On top of medical bills I cannot work,' Marissa Hamilton wrote, pleading for help to get by as she cares for her eight-week premature son, Marshall, who was born weighing less than four pounds and spent weeks in neonatal intensive care.

She's hoping to collect $15,000, and was just shy of one-third of that goal, early on Friday.

In Seattle, regional office head Christine Charbonneau inquired on the cost for just her region last year, and came back with an estimate of $2 million per year, which is equivalent to the entire annual budget for some clinics.

Opting for that kind of coverage for her region, which includes 27 clinics in the Northwest, would require some of those clinics to close.

'It is easy to accuse someone of hypocrisy if youre not the one trying to find $2 million out of thin air,' Charbonneau said. 'You try to be the Planned Parenthood that donors expect, and yet it is unattainable.'
A man with an interest in 'young-looking girls' has been jailed for grooming and sexually and physically assaulting a teenager over a number of years.

Peter Coomer, 42, previously pleaded guilty to 18 charges, including sexually penetrating a child under 16, indecent acts with a child, giving a drug of dependence to a child and assaults between 2001 and 2007.

Coomer, from Melbourne, began grooming the 'vulnerable' child when she was 12, telling her she was beautiful and giving her lollies.

A Melbourne man began grooming the girl when she was 12 and lured her in with lollies

Peter Coomer, 42, invited the girl to her house to play video games and later provided her with cannabis and bongs

He invited her to his house to play video games and 'play fight' and later provided her with cannabis and bongs.

Coomer told the child he loved her, and she said she didn't want to have sex with him, but eventually 'submitted' - the first occasion being in a public toilet block.

He put the girl down and called her names, assaulting her repeatedly.

On one occasion, he threw a fan heater at the girl and knocked her front teeth out.

The girl tried to leave Coomer on a number of occasions, but continually ended up homeless.

Coomer told the girl he loved her and she was sexually assaulted in a public toilet block

'It is his shame and his guilt. It is no longer a burden you carry alone,' County Court of Victoria Judge Meryl Sexton said to the victim while sentencing Coomer on Friday.

He was jailed for nine years and 11 months, and must serve seven years and eight months in prison before being eligible for parole.
Another day, another stunt at Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

There have been walls and there have been prison bars, but this time around there was just lots of blood - well, fake blood that is.

The culprit appears to have been part of a protest set up by PETA's Los Angeles chapter at Forever 21, which is located next to the star.

Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame has once again been hit, this time with red paint meant to resemble blood

The culprit appears to have been part of a protest set up by PETA's Los Angeles chapter at Forever 21, which is located next to the star

A surveillance camera set up by TMZ captured the man kneeling down next to Trump's star and pouring what appears to be red paint all over it.

The paint was removed within an hour, less than a day after two swastikas were scrubbed off the star.

Another man dressed in black was captured on TMZ's camera drawing the swastikas around 9am on Wednesday morning.

The fake blood and swastikas are hardly the first time Trump's star has made headlines.

The paint (pictured) was removed within an hour, less than a day after two swastikas were scrubbed off the star

In September, street artist Plastic Jesus placed bars on top of the plaque to show that the 'infamous star is caged'.

The British and Los Angeles-based artist used instant-drying, industrial strength, double-sided sticky tape to secure the bars.

Plastic Jesus said he wanted the stunt to show that Trump should pay the price if he's guilty of colluding with Russia in the 2016 presidential election.

The artist tweeted his final artwork on Wednesday writing: 'Today I put @realDonaldTrump behind bars.'

In September, street artist Plastic Jesus placed bars on top of the plaque to show that the 'infamous star is caged'

Thousands of tourists passed the plaque, many taking pictures of Trump's star behind bars

Plastic Jesus said he wanted the stunt to show that Trump should pay the price if he's guilty of colluding with Russia in the 2016 presidential election

'There have been calls to jail Trump since the day he was elected, and today he was certainly put behind bars,' the artist told Huffington Post.

'At least his now infamous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was caged.'

However his art installation didn't last long as a Trump supporter damaged it.

'Although it was very quickly damaged by a Trump supporter trying to remove it, the bars did appear to be stuck fast and were there several hours later - to the amusement of thousands of passing tourists,' Plastic Jesus added.

In 2016, Plastic Jesus set up a six-inch-high wall around Trump's star - complete with barbed wire and American flags, protesting the president's cry for a wall along the US-Mexico border

Trump's star was installed in 2007 and has been vandalized many times, such as with this golden toilet that says 'Take a Trump!'

In 2016, Plastic Jesus surrounded Trump's star with a six-inch wall as a protest to Trump's call for a wall to be built on the US border with Mexico.

His model was complete with barbed wire and a tiny American flag.

In July Trump's star had to be completely replaced after a protester attacked it with a pickaxe, smashing in into pieces.

Austin Clay, 24, pleaded no contest to felony vandalism last month after he was caught on camera raising the axe high above his head and smashing it into the star.

In July, Trump's star was smashed to pieces with a pickaxe by protester Austin Clay, who was sentenced to one day in county jail for the vandalism

Clay must also pay the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce $9,404 in damages for the star and another $800 in fines

Clay was sentenced to one day in county jail, three years of probation, and 20 days of community labor.

He must also pay the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce $9,404 in damages for the star and another $800 in fines.

The West Hollywood City Council voted unanimously for Trump's star to be removed in August, but no action has been taken.

Trump's star was originally installed in 2007 to commend his work for the Miss Universe pageant, however the plaque has faced repeated attacks by protesters since he became president.
Washington extended a waiver from the anti-Iranian for Iraq from 45 to 90 days, so that Baghdad would have an opportunity to continue importing gas and electricity from Iran. The prolongation became a result of the Iraqi delegations negotiations in Washington. Recall that Washington has provided China, India, Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey temporary exemptions from the oil sanctions, and Iraq a waiver to continue gas and electricity imports.

As S&P writes in the article Iraq gets 90-day Iran sanctions waiver from Washington, Iraq can continue electricity and gas imports from Iran without violating US sanctions under an extension granted Wednesday, senior officials close to negotiations told S&P Global Platts. Washington appears satisfied with Baghdad's intention to reduce electricity and gas imports, among other actions, and gave a 90-day waiver just as the previous 45-day waiver expired. This provides additional time for Iraq to determine ways to pay Iran for the imports in non-dollar denominations and avoiding Iranian banks. The financial transactions technically violate sanctions, not power or gas purchases. Iraq stopped trading in crude with Iran prior to the November 5 snapback of American sanctions, which otherwise would have violated sanctions.

Iraq does not produce enough power itself or have enough feedstock for existing power plants.Imports from Iran account for nearly 30% of Iraq's 14,000 MW of daily electricity consumption. Cutting that supply would be devastating for Iraq's economy and, considering the ferocity of summer power protests, would likely destabilize an already fragile political balance. Around 1.25 Bcf/d is imported by pipeline feeding three power plants in Diyala and Baghdad provinces. Another 350 Mcf/d is sent by pipeline to a power plant in Basra. Hayan Abdulghani, the director general of the South Gas Company, told S&P Global Platts last week that he's overseeing projects that replace that line in two years. Iraq also is fed a total of 1,000 MW of electricity via power lines from Iran.

Negotiations began after the Trump administration made clear it would re-impose sanctions. While the specific violations were of primary concern, American officials alluded to additional requirements, multiple officials confirmed to S&P Global Platts. Washington wanted to see a plan by Iraq to eventually become self-sustaining in power and gas, thereby reducing the need for Iranian imports.

Iraqi and Kurdistan region officials were also pressed to strike a deal to restart oil exports from federally controlled Kirkuk fields through the Kurdistan-controlled pipeline to Turkey, which began at nearly 100,000 b/d in mid November.

It's unclear what specifically will be required of Iraq when the 90-day waiver expires.
The Trump administration's special envoy for North Korea on Friday expressed optimism about the diplomatic push to resolve the nuclear crisis, a day after the North issued a surprisingly blunt statement saying it will never disarm unless the United States removes what it calls a nuclear threat.

Following a meeting with South Korean officials, Stephen Biegun said Washington was eager to move to the 'next stage of discussions' with North Korea on denuclearization and setting up a second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who first met in June.

The leaders are trying to arrange another meeting for early next year.

Biegun did not directly address North Korea's recent statement, which jarred with Seoul's rosier presentation of the North Korean position and could potentially rattle a fragile trilateral diplomacy to defuse a nuclear crisis that last year had many fearing war.

U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, center left, speaks to the media during a visit to South Korea on Friday

Following the historic Singapore summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, progress on North Korea's denuclearisation has stalled, with both sides accusing each other of acting in bad faith

While North Korea has insisted that U.S.-led international sanctions against the country should be removed before any progress in nuclear negotiations, Biegun reiterated Washington's stance that the punitive economic measures should be maintained until the North takes firmer steps toward irreversibly and verifiably relinquishing its nuclear arsenal.

Biegun said Washington was prepared to 'explore a number of other things' that could build trust with North Korea and push diplomacy forward, but didn't elaborate what those were. He earlier said Washington was reviewing easing travel restrictions on North Korea to facilitate humanitarian shipments to help resolve the impasse in nuclear negotiations.

'The United States has no intention of easing our unilateral or United Nations sanctions,' he said. 'But we have a number of initiatives that we would like to look at as we begin the process of denuclearization of North Korea.'

Biegun arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for a four-day trip to coordinate the allies' policies on North Korea, including the enforcement of sanctions.

Biegun arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for a four-day trip to coordinate the allies' policies on North Korea

Biegun and South Korean officials also discussed the ongoing reconciliatory steps between the Koreas to reduce tensions, including a groundbreaking ceremony planned next week for a project to reconnect their roads and railways.

Biegun said U.S. officials will be working with their North Korean counterparts to set up the details of the planned meeting, but that they do not have a date or location yet to announce. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hours earlier told a Kansas radio station that Washington still hopes Trump and Kim 'will get together not too long after the first of the year and make even further progress on taking this threat to the United States away from us.'

The latest North Korean comments could be seen as proof of what outside skeptics have long said: that Kim will never voluntarily relinquish an arsenal he sees as a stronger guarantee of survival than whatever security assurances the United States might provide. The statement suggests North Korea will eventually demand the United States withdraw or significantly reduce the 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea, a major sticking point in any disarmament deal.

Kim and Trump met June 12 in Singapore where they agreed on a vague goal for the 'complete denuclearization' of the Korean Peninsula without describing when and how it would occur. But North Korea for decades has been pushing a concept of denuclearization that bears no resemblance to the American definition, with Pyongyang vowing to pursue nuclear development until the United States removes its troops and the nuclear umbrella defending South Korea and Japan.
A driver who was high on ice when he ran down and killed a grandmother has been slammed by a judge for his lack of remorse.

Gordana Vlatkovic, 79, was on her way home after playing the pokies, walking across the pedestrian crossing at the Murphy Street intersection in Melbourne's inner-east when she was struck and killed by a vehicle.

She was thrown through the air during the incident in July last year. Her body landed 14 metres away, the Country Court heard.

James Longley (pictured), 55, was found guilty of fatally running over Ms Vlatkovic by a jury on Friday

The driver, James Longley, 55, was found guilty of fatally running over Ms Vlatkovic by a jury on Friday.

Longley was seen driving erratically before the crash, the court heard. He did not brake before the impact.

A high level of the drug ice was in his system at the time.

He had also been out on bail when the crash happened.

During sentencing County Court of Victoria Judge Scott Johns said he was unable to detect any real remorse from Longley, The Age reported.

Gordana Vlatkovic (pictured), 79, was on her way home after playing the pokies, walking across the pedestrian crossing at the Murphy Street intersection in Melbourne's inner-east when she was struck and killed by a vehicle

'The evidence of your conduct at the scene, your rejection of responsibility from interview to trial and my observance of your during the trial [means] I am simply unable to make a finding you are remorseful.

'Sadly your entire record also reflects a self-centred and self-indulgent individual who despite being on bail ... drove after using several substances.'

He has been sentenced to seven years behind bars, he will not be eligible for parole for five years.
No criminal charges will be brought against anyone in relation to a deadly gas explosion that killed a volunteer firefighter and injured others on July 10 in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

Sun Prairie Police Chief Patrick Anhalt made the announcement Thursday.

'There was not probable cause to believe that a crime was committed,' Anhalt said.

He went on to explain that companies working on the project exchanged and relied upon 'incomplete and inaccurate information' and that law enforcement officials, including the county district attorney and state attorney general's office, agreed that criminal charges weren't warranted, Fox 6 Now reported.

Sun Prairie Police Chief Patrick Anhalt said there was not 'probable cause to believe that a crime was committed.' Volunteer firefighter Cory Barr (pictured) was killed in the explosion

The gas explosion in Sun Prairie on July 10 killed Cory Barr, injured 11 and leveled several buildings

'VT Tech proceeded with the fiber installation project, and while engaged in underground directional boring, cut through a We Energies gas line,' Anhalt said.

'We have determined that the intersection, including the specific location where the gas line was struck was not completely marked. This error appears to be the result of miscommunication between USIC, Bear Communications, Jet Underground and VC Tech,' Anhalt added.

The blast happened after a subcontractor who was installing fiber communication lines struck a gas main and the gas ignited.

Sun Prairie volunteer firefighter Cory Barr, who wasn't on duty at the time, was killed in the explosion.

Anhalt, (pictured center) announced on Thursday that no crime was committed in relation to the deadly explosion

Eleven other people, including five other firefighters and a police officer were injured.

The blast also destroyed a home and six businesses, including a bar that Barr and his wife owned called the Barr House.

Barr had gone to help evacuate and secure his business. He and another firefighter had just left when the explosion destroyed the building.

Firefighters and police evacuated dozens of people before the gas ignited.

'We do know that about 250 people were evacuated from the immediate area prior to the explosion,' said Chief Anhalt.

Investigators conducted 67 interviews over a five-month period, looked at 45 pieces of evidence and 400 pages of documents.
The former manager of a not-for-profit charity has avoided jail after he was caught stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for home improvements - including the installation of a backyard swimming pool.

Sandro Cirianni, 49, walked free from the County Court in Melbourne on Wednesday, accused of stealing $210,000 from Guide Dogs Victoria (GDV) from 2013 to 2016.

He was instead given a three-year community corrections order and fined just $3,750.

Cirianni issued 45 false invoices to the charity to cover home improvements and misused his corporate credit card 117 times, all while he was on a $162,000 salary as the organisation's general manager.

Cirianni (pictured) was named Not For Profit Manager of the Year in 2015, a year before he resigned and was caught for his crimes

Cirianni would frequently use the charity funds to buy groceries, pay for meals at restaurants and wash and re-fuel his car.

Issuing invoices to the charity, he installed a new pool in his own backyard, re-tiled his roof and renovated his bathroom, according to the ABC.

His exorbitant spending surmounted $210,000, ending only when he resigned from his position in 2016.

The GDV board began investigating him when three air-conditioners were expensed to the charity, but the units couldn't be found during a stocktake.

After contacting the supplier, they found the air conditioners had been installed in Cirianni's house.

He ended up paying the supplier more than $7,000 for the labour, but GDV followed up with an audit, uncovering dozens of fraudulent invoices.

Cirianni was spared jail time after telling a courthouse he was fearful for his health prospects when he stole from Guide Dogs Victoria (pictured)

Facing the prospect of jail time in court on Wednesday, Ciranni said he was anxious about the potential detriment prison could have on long-standing health issues.

Cirianni had previously been diagnosed with a brain cavernomas - bundles of blood vessels which can cause brain bleeds.

Judge Susan Cohen said the thief admitted he stole from the charity when he was diagnosed.

'You thought you were going to die and took these monies thinking of the future of your family,' she said.

But she also said he used the fraudulent funds to pay for a pool, roof, fence and bathroom renovations instead of investing the money.

If that had happened, she said, she 'might have seen the connection more clearly to your mortality as the reason for offending'.

'I do not accept  that this was genuinely to provide for your wife and children,' Judge Cohen said.

Cirianni took more than $210,000 from the Guide Dogs Victoria charity to pay for home improvements and day-to-day necessities

He was eventually spared jail, and handed a fine and three-year community corrections order.

Judge Cohen said she factored in the fact that Ciranni had paid back all the money in addition to paying the lawyers and auditors.

She also accounted for his health concerns and an early guilty plea.

Cirianni would have been jailed for at least 21 months had he pleaded not guilty, she said.
The mother of a prominent fashion blogger is lucky to be alive after her luxury car burst into flames at Australia's biggest mall.

Rozalia Russian said it was a 'Christmas miracle' her mum Helena was unhurt when her Mercedes Benz exploded in a Melbourne carpark on Thursday afternoon.

Helena had just entered the Chadstone Shopping Centre carpark near David Jones when she noticed smoke pouring from the vehicle, about 1.38pm.

She jumped out of the car and ran to call for help as the C-class wagon blew up.

Influencer Rozalia Russian (right) said her mother Helena was lucky to be alive after her Mercedes Benz C-class burst into flames

Ms Russian (left, and right with her husband, Melbourne hospitality identity Nick Russian, said 'all that matters in life is having your loved ones healthy and safe'

Chadstone shopping centre - Australia's busiest - was evacuated after the Mercedes Benz C-class wagon exploded in flames

Investigators believe the explosion was caused by a vehicle fault.

Ms Russian, a lifestyle blogger, said: 'In life all that matters are having your loved ones healthy and safe and this has been our little Christmas miracle.

'Materialistic things can be replaced and are irrelevant'.

She said she was glad no one else was injured in the catastrophe.

Eleven cars were damaged as a result of the blaze and thick smoke quickly spread throughout the car park.

Thousands of Christmas shoppers were evacuated as the blaze spread through the carpark

The end: pictures have emerged of the carnage after the explosion on Thursday

If the cause is confirmed to be a fault, it could lead to a recall by Mercedes Benz.

Ms Russian, who has 230,000 Instagram followers, has previously told media how her family fled the Soviet Union for Australia with just two suitcases and just $250.

'My mum, Helena, tells the stories of being pregnant with me and queueing all day for meagre rations,' she told Whimn earlier this year.

'Mum had to decide whether to eat to provide nutrition for me or feed my starving brother. '

Ms Russian said she was glad no one else was injured by the catastrophic vehicle fault

More than 50 Victorian firefighters were called to the scene

The fire prompted the evacuation of the level-one David Jones car park and the closure of all other levels, the shopping centre tweeted on Thursday.

Ms Russian has previously told how her family fled the Soviet Union for Australia with two suitcases and $250 in 1991

'She gave the food to him and would feel the hunger pains rumble around her pregnant body.'

The family were granted permanent residency and raised their daughter Rozalia in Melbourne.

Ms Russian is married to prominent hospitality identity Nick Russian and has two children.

She is a brand ambassador for Adairs, Anton Jewellery and Malvern Central shopping centre.
The world's only known albino orangutan has been released back into the Borneo jungle after she was found starving in an Indonesian village.

Alba spent more than a year in captivity getting back to a healthy weight and the Borneo Orangutan Survival foundation released her back into the wild on Wednesday.

The orangutan was named Alba, which means white in Latin, after thousands worldwide responded to an online petition.

This is the moment Alba the albino orangutan is released by a conservationist of the Borneo Orangutan Survival foundation inside Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

The stark white fur of the albino orangutan is a stunning sight as she returns to the wilds of Borneo and swings from the trees

Alba climbed trees, foraged for food and began building a nest after being released back into the jungle.

She was rescued in April last year and was rehabilitated alongside another orangutan called Kika who was released with her.

The apes were freed inside Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park after a more than 24-hour journey from their rehabilitation center by vehicle, boat and hiking.

The foundation originally planned to create a 5-hectare (12-acre) 'forest island' for Alba rather than a release into truly natural habitat because of health issues related to her albinism including poor sight and hearing and the possibility of skin cancer.

Alba had to put on a lot of weight after she was found starving and dehydrated in the Indonesian village; this was her in May 2017 in the early stages of her rehabilitation

Alba hooks her fingers through the cage as experts prepare to release her after more than a year in captivity

But the government's Natural Resources Conservation Agency and other agencies decided it was appropriate to release Alba into the wild because of her strong physical condition and intrinsically wild behavior.

She will be electronically tracked and regularly monitored by a medical team.

'Alba has no inferiority complex as we imagined before. She is very confident compared to other orangutans,' said veterinarian Agus Fathoni.

'I think the real threat actually comes from humans. What we're worried about is poaching where this very special condition makes her a target,' he told The Associated Press.

Patrols of Alba's new home by national park and conservation agency staff will aim to deter poachers, though they admit the number of personnel is limited.

This was Alba in May 2017 while undergoing rehabilitation at the Borneo Orangutan Survival foundation

Alba swings from the trees in the Borneo rain forest after a journey which took more than 24 hours from the conservation centre on the Indonesian mainland

'We don't have enough to cover all the area of the national park but we're confident of covering all the patrol lines that we have set,' said national park official Wirasadi Nursubhi

Orangutans, reddish-brown primates known for their gentle temperament and intelligence, are critically endangered and only found in the wild on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and on Borneo, which is divided among Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which declared Borneo's orangutans critically endangered in 2016, says their numbers have dropped by nearly two-thirds since the early 1970s as plantation agriculture destroyed and fragmented their forest habitat.

Alba can be seen making her first tracks back into the jungle and she was observed climbing trees, foraging food and building a nest after her release

Alba springs from her cage after being released onto the Borneo jungle floor by a conservation expert

Alba can be seen in the back of a truck as she is transported deep into the Borneo jungle after a year of rehabilitation in captivity

Alba the albino oragutan gazes out at the jungle as experts prepare to release her into the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

The Sumatran orangutan is a separate species and has been critically endangered since 2008.

Alba, approximately five years old, was given final medical tests and anesthetized for the journey to Bukit Baka Bukit Raya.

Workers shouted 'Alba's going home' as her cage was lifted onto a truck at the Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Center in Central Kalimantan province on Borneo.

'It's true this is a big gamble but we hope that with our collaboration we will win the big bet we have made today' said the orangutan foundation's chief executive Jamartin Sihite after releasing Alba from her cage.
More than 100 devastated workers have been left jobless in the days leading up to Christmas after their company was placed into liquidation.

120 employees of Fastline Logistics in Derrimut, in Melbourne's west, were told on Thursday not to bother returning to work.

They were also told they would not be paid for their work in the days leading up to the closure, national secretary for the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union Jenny Kruschel.

But Ms Kruschel fears that getting another job will be next to impossible for the laid off workers given majority of them are migrants with English as a second language.

More than 100 logistics employees have been made redundant only days before Christmas

'Many of these 120 workers have given years of loyal service to this company, yet they were given less than an hour's notice that they no longer have a job, won't be paid for their work this week and are unlikely to receive the entitlements legally owed to them,' she told AAP.

'For many workers, including loyal long-serving staff, this collapse is a devastating financial blow right on the eve of Christmas.'

The workers say they are owed annual and long service leave, redundancy packages, notice periods, wages and superannuation. Money they are not expecting to receive.

Administrators of the company were contacted for comment by AAP.

Workers at the Fastline Logistics in Melbourne's west (pictured) were told not to bother showing up to work on Friday

The union took action against Fastline earlier in the year, following revelations that more than $600,000 worth of superannuation had not be paid to employees.

'Thankfully, our efforts to recover this money before the company collapsed provides one piece of positive news for workers, but it does highlight the fact that management appear to have been dipping into employee entitlements to keep the business afloat,' Ms Kruschel said.

'Now, with the company being liquidated and major assets already stripped out, workers appear unlikely to see most of the unpaid wages, leave, and other entitlement owed to them.'

Fastline distributes products for retail brands and stores.

The liquidation comes on the same day national freight company RedStar Transport (pictured) ended 400 jobs

Only hours earlier, national freight company RedStar Transport went into liquidation, threatening about 400 employees with redundancies only days before Christmas.

Auditing group PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) were appointed on Thursday to wrap up the logistics company, with PwC's Stephen Longley telling the ABC he expected the process to be completed by the end of the week.

'This is a terrible situation at any time, let alone on the eve of the holidays,' Mr Longley said.

'We are doing everything we can in the circumstances to manage the fallout.'
A family have discovered their daughter missing for more than 30 years was killed in a car crash - but her death was recorded under a different name.

Ursula Barwick, 17, disappeared in September 1987, but an inquest into her death has confirmed she died under the alias of Jessica Pearce.

Her father, Peter, stepmother, Elizabeth, and brother, Andrew, embraced and cried after the findings were delivered at Glebe Coroners Court on Friday.

Ursula Barwick (pictured)'s family thought the 17-year-old had disappeared in September 1987, but an inquest into her death has confirmed the teenager died in a car crash, under the alias of Jessica Pearce

Ms Barwick died in a head-on collision on the Hume Highway near Tarcutta in October 1987 but was buried under the name Jessica Pearce - a name she adopted after moving to Sydney from the Central Coast.

The confusion was partly due to an acquaintance identifying the body as 'Jessica Pearce' in the morgue.

'To have this confirmed we're very, very sad - it is quite final,' cousin Melissa Pouliot told AAP outside court on Friday.

'Hearing those words is quite distressing but we are very happy we are able to move forward from this point.

'It is quite final': Her family embraced and cried after the findings were delivered at Glebe Coroners Court on Friday

Ms Barwick died in a head-on collision near Tarcutta in October 1987 but was buried under the name Jessica Pearce - an alias she adopted after moving to Sydney from the Central Coast

'We have been on such a rollercoaster for over 30 years but particularly in these last four years because the investigation did move quite rapidly in a lot of different directions.'

This year is the 32nd Christmas the family have had since Ms Barwick went missing and the 14th since they lost Ursula's mother Cheree.

'We wish Aunty Cheree was here with us today ... that was part of the drive to not give up and to keep pushing for this,' Ms Pouliot said.

NSW Deputy State Coroner Derek Lee said families usually gathered together at this time of year.

'Therefore, it is most distressing to know that Ursula's family have, undoubtedly for so many years, been left with an absence that cannot be filled, and a sense of uncertainty that would not be eased,' he said.

The confusion was partly due to an acquaintance identifying the body as 'Jessica Pearce' in the morgue, the inquiry found

'It is even more painful to know that for Cheree, that devastating sense of uncertainty about what happened to her daughter was never able to be lessened.'

Missing persons Senior Constable Adam Marsh in 2010 was provided with records on the death of 'Jessica Pearce' and identified a number of similarities with the circumstances surrounding Ms Barwick's disappearance.

After seeing a photo of Ms Barwick in 2015 he emailed his findings to a sergeant who passed on the information.

Two police officers took on the case and using information from those who survived the car crash, post-mortem photographs and other records it was established they were the same person.

Three years ago her family fronted the media to renew calls for information into her disappearance during Missing Persons Week.

An inquest into the death of 'Jessica Pearce' was held in 1998 in Wagga Wagga but was suspended due to doubts over her true identity.
Nissan's former chairman Carlos Ghosn will spend Christmas in a Japanese jail after his bail request was rejected when prosecutors added a new allegation against him.

Brazilian-born Ghosn, along with another executive American Greg Kelly, was arrested on November 19 and charged with under-reporting his income by nearly 10 billion yen (63 million) and faces up to 10 years behind bars if found guilty.

The fresh 'breach of trust' allegations were filed a day after a court rejected prosecutors' request for a longer detention of Ghosn and Kelly.

Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman of Nissan, has been charged with underreporting his income by at least $44million over five years

Their lawyers were hoping they could get them released on bail today.

So far, the new allegation only applies to Ghosn and Kelly could still be bailed.

Prosecutors alleged that Ghosn caused Nissan a loss of 1.8 billion yen (12.6 million) in 2008, according to Kyodo News service and other Japanese media.

They claim Ghosn put his personal investment loss during the Lehman crisis on to Nissan, according to Japanese reports.

Nissan executive Greg Kelly, was arrested on November 19 and charged with under-reporting his income by nearly 10 billion yen

Ghosn and Kelly are also facing allegations that they under-reported Ghosn's pay by about five billion yen (35 million) in 2011-2015, and another four billion yen (28 million) for 2016-2018, for which their first 10-day detention was to expire on Thursday.

The maximum penalty for violating the financial law is up to 10 years in prison, a 10 million yen (70,000) fine, or both.

The arrest of an industry icon has triggered international attention.

Prosecutors have been criticised for separating the same allegation into two periods as a tactic to detain Ghosn and Kelly longer.

They say Ghosn and Kelly are flight risks. No trial date has been set.

Kelly, 62, is suspected of having collaborated with Ghosn. Kelly's attorney in the U.S. says he is asserting his innocence, while Ghosn has not commented.

Ghosn was ousted as Nissan chairman and Kelly lost his representative director title, following their arrests, but they both remain on the board.

The 64-year-old was sent to Nissan by its partner Renault SA of France in 1999. He led a dramatic turnaround of the near-bankrupt Japanese automaker.

Carlos Ghosn is pictured, left, with his first wife, Rita, in 2008 and, right, with his second wife, Carole, in 2017

But Ghosn's star-level pay drew attention since executives in Japan tend to be paid far less than their international counterparts.

Only Ghosn's attorneys and embassy officials from Lebanon, France and Brazil, where he has citizenship, have been allowed to visit him.

Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission said it had filed criminal complaints against Ghosn, Nissan and Kelly.
A husband and wife who repeatedly sexually abused their five-year-old daughter under the ruse it was a game have been jailed for a combined 22 and 1/2 years.

The County Court heard on Friday the girl was abused by her parents over a seven year period, which lasted until she was 12, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

At least once a month the young girl was instructed to lie on the bed as her mother whispered comforting words in her ear and her father sexually abused her.

A husband and wife who repeatedly sexually abused their five-year-old daughter under the ruse it was a game have been jailed for a combined 22 and 1/2 years (stock image)

The parents also had sex in front of the girl and normalised the abuse by turning the acts into a regular family 'game' in their Melbourne home, the court heard.

The sentencing judge said on Friday the parents so effectively normalised the abuse the girl, now 17, reminisced on her childhood as 'good years of family and love'.

Revelations of the abuse only came out as the girl got older and she realised what her parents had been doing for most of her life was wrong.

'This ''game'' happened so often that it became normal activity for [the girl] and, not knowing anything else, she began to look forward to the special attention,' the judge said.

'The breach of trust was egregious, involving both of you, her natural parents, acting together for the bulk of the offending.'

Despite coming forward about the abuse, the court heard the girl mourned the loss of the relationship she had with her parents.

The County Court heard on Friday the girl was abused by her parents over a seven year period, which lasted until she was 12

While the 17-year-old has the support of some of her siblings, other family members have remained loyal to her parents, the court heard.

When sentencing the pair, the judge said the punishment would need to reflect the community's 'abhorrence' of incest and deter others from committing similar crimes.

The father was sentenced on Friday to 14 and a half years after a jury previously found him guilty of four counts of incest and four of committing an indecent act.

The mother was also jailed for eight years after she was found guilty of incest and two counts of committing an indecent act.

Both parents came to Australia as refugees, but the judge said the mother's ailments and limited English would make her time in prison more onerous.

She will be eligible for parole after serving a minimum of five and a half years.
North Korea will not relinquish its nuclear weapons until the US eliminates its own "nuclear threat," according to a commentary published by state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The proper definition of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is completely eliminating the American nuclear threat to North Korea before eliminating our nuclear capability," the commentary says.

As CNN writes in the article North Korea says it will not denuclearize until the US eliminates 'nuclear threat', the US and North Korea are deadlocked in negotiations over how Pyongyang will denuclearize in return for the easing of sanctions. On June 12 in Singapore, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump signed a vaguely worded pledge to "work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." However, in the six months since, talks have stalled and North Korean criticism of the US has sharpened, though Pyongyang has continued to heap praise on Trump.

North Korea has repeatedly refused US calls for it to unilaterally denuclearize, branding Washington's demands a "delusion." The commentary states that if North Korea gives up its nuclear weapons, rather than lead to denuclearization it would render North Korea a "defenseless state" where the "balance in nuclear strategic strength is destroyed" and the "crisis of a nuclear war is brought forth." KCNA instead called on the US to implement the measures that North Korea has asked of Washington, which it said would not be difficult to "commit to and carry out." These actions include ending the US' "hostile policies" toward North Korea and halting "unjust sanctions." "It is obvious that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is a joint business that cannot be achieved unless both Korea and the United States strive tougher," the commentary states.

However, Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have rejected calls from China, Russia and North Korea itself for the US to lift sanctions on the isolated state until further progress is made toward denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. It has also rejected suggestions it intends to reduce its military presence in the region as part of any deal with Pyongyang. Despite this, Trump announced in June that he intends to halt large military exercises conducted alongside South Korea in the region.

It is now possible a second summit with Kim will be held in the new year to clarify the exact definition of denuclearization, after Trump stated in early December that one is likely to be scheduled for January or February. US national security adviser John Bolton also said in early December that a second summit should be held, as North Korea has not lived up to its commitments."They have not lived up to the commitments so far," he said at The Wall Street Journal's annual CEO Council conference in Washington. "That's why I think the President thinks that another summit is likely to be productive."

US State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said Tuesday that the US "remains confident" about the push toward denuclearization, and that the US looks forward to the "commitments that Chairman Kim and President Trump have made."
A champion kickboxer who was left with brain damage after a convicted murderer bashed him over the head with a sandwich press in jail has won hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation.

Adam Watt, 51, won his negligence case against the state of New South Wales after it was found it had breached its duty of care to Mr Watt.

In the NSW Supreme Court on Friday, Justice Peter Garling also found that Mr Watt was entitled to damages with the amount yet to be calculated.

Mr Watt was a remand prisoner when he was seriously injured at Sydney's Silverwater jail in October 2009.

Champion kickboxer Adam Watt (pictured) has won a lawsuit after he was left with brain damage after a convicted murderer bashed him over the head with a sandwich press in prison

His attacker, Django O'Hara, hid a five-kilogram Breville sandwich press inside a pillowcase and bashed Mr Watt in the head.

The assault occurred in the common area of Pod 12 within the Metropolitan Reception and Remand Centre and was captured on CCTV.

As Mr Watt lay unconscious on the ground, O'Hara could be seen belting him with the weapon a second time.

Mr Watt was sitting at a table when O'Hara approached him from behind holding the pillowcase with the metal sandwich press concealed inside, the judge found.

Moreover, the judge found that the state breached its duty by placing O'Hara in the Pod when there was no plan to address the safety of other inmates.

Pod officers were also not given full details of O'Hara's history.

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His attacker, Django O'Hara, hid a five-kilogram Breville sandwich press inside a pillowcase and bashed Mr Watt in the head (pictured)

In addition, two Pod officers failed to observe and remove the pillowcase containing a the sandwich press being carried by O'Hara, or when it was placed on the floor during the time of the confrontation.

Mr Watt was sitting at a table when O'Hara approached him from behind holding the pillowcase with the metal sandwich press concealed inside (stock image)

O'Hara, who had a history of violence against other prisoners, was serving time for murdering a security guard.

The judge described O'Hara as 'notorious amongst corrections staff for being a violent, aggressive and unpredictable inmate'.

'Victims of his assaults in custody sustained physical injuries including burn injuries and extensive facial injuries requiring medical treatment,' the judge added, saying that O'Hara's threats and attacks were 'not at all infrequent or rare'.

The ultimate award will include $71,500 for permanent impairment, $30,000 for pain and suffering, about $60,000 for past and future out of pocket expenses, and economic loss of $735 a week.
A simple plea to cheer up an eight-year-old boy with terminal cancer turned into an incredible display of holiday spirit that has warmed hearts across the nation.

Drake Quibodeaux has received more than 40,000 cards from all over the globe wishing him a Merry Christmas.

Now his family's kitchen is stacked sky high with piles of packages and envelopes that continue to grow.

Some contain toys, others hold books. And some are simply notes wishing Drake and his family well during a hard time.

Drake Quibodeaux, who has terminal brain cancer, received more than 40,000 cards from all over the globe wishing him a Merry Christmas

His family's kitchen is stacked sky high with piles of packages and envelopes that continue to grow every day

The cards come just weeks after they received the news that Drake's tumor was growing.

Drake was diagnosed with Difuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, a highly aggressive tumor found at the base of the brain, earlier this year.

Only five percent of children with the tumor survive a year after they're diagnosed.

'At the start, they give you nine to 12 months,' Danielle Quibodeaux, Drake's mother, told WTHR.

The cards come just weeks after they received the news that Drake's tumor was growing

Drake was diagnosed with Difuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, a highly aggressive tumor found at the base of the brain, earlier this year. Only five percent of children with the tumor survive a year after they're diagnosed

Drake hit the nine-month mark on December 12, making the reality of his situation all the more real.

A family friend decided to try and bring some holiday cheer to the Quibodeaux home, and wrote a post on Facebook asking people to 'flood' Drake's mailbox with Christmas cards.

Letters and packages soon started coming in, hundreds at a time, completely shocking Drake and his family.

'It's not about presents, it's not about nothing,' Quibodeaux said. 'It's about letting him know the community loves him and they're behind him.'

A family friend decided to try and bring some holiday cheer to the Quibodeaux home, and wrote a post on Facebook asking people to 'flood' Drake's mailbox with Christmas cards

Letters and packages soon started coming in, hundreds at a time, completely shocking Drake and his family

Drake's goal was 190 cards. Within days, he had far surpassed it.

'We tape them to our front door,' Quibodeaux said. 'He just looks at them and says, "They love me so much mama." I'm like, "Yes baby."'

The family received letters from schools. People came by to decorate their house.

Drake received visits from police officers, soldiers, and even Santa Claus.

Drake received visits from police officers, soldiers, and even Santa Claus (pictured together)

Drake also received a visit from the Mike the Tiger, the Louisiana State University mascot

Louisiana Lt Governor Billy Nungesser sent a letter naming Drake a true 'Louisiana Ambassador'.

'We're blown away with the support,' Quibodeaux said. 'People will come up to me and they're like "Thank you for letting us take part in this."'

'I'm like, "I should be thanking you,"' she continued. 'I don't know why they're thanking me, because it should be the other way around. But we're blown away.'
Theresa May has held peace talks with Brexit rebels who tried to topple her from Number Ten just over a week ago, it has emerged.

The PM invited rebel ringleader Jacob Rees-Mogg and other hardline Brexiteers to Downing Street and urged them 'as long-standing Conservatives' to unite the party.

And she even lent a sympathetic ear to Mr Rees-Mogg as he complained about the negative press coverage his failed coup received.

The peace summit was held six days after the dramatic plot to topple Mrs May failed as she won the confidence vote by 200 to 117.

The bid to oust her dealt a major blow to her authority and she had to promise she would quit before the 2022 General Election as she tried to win the support of her MPs.

Yes Mrs May held out the olive branch to ten of her most fierce critics in the Conservative Party at the meeting at No10 just six days after the confidence vote.

One of those at the meeting told The Times: 'She appealed to us as long-standing Conservatives to come together and find a way through.'

Theresa May (pictured outside No10 yesterday) has held peace talks with Brexit rebels who tried to topple her from Number Ten just a week ago

The PM invited rebel ringleader Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured last week)and other hardline Brexiteers to Downing Street and urged them 'as long-standing Conservatives' to unite the party

The source said Mr Rees-Mogg said it was nice of Mrs May to invite him so soon after the failed coup, and told her 'even the policeman on the door looked surprised'.

Mr Rees-Mogg, leader of the European Research Group of backbench Tory Brexiteers, reportedly mentioned that media coverage of the coup had been negative.

But a sympathetic PM joked that if he though his coverage had been bad, he should imagine what it was like being her for the past two and a half years.

One of those at the meeting told the newspaper: 'She was supremely relaxed. We had an hour. It was an eclectic mix of people.'

At one point Mrs may - the daughter of a vicar - remarked that the main difference between her and Mrs Rees-Mogg is that she is a member of the Church of England whereas he is a staunch Catholic.

News of the peace summit has emerged after Mr Rees-Mogg launched an astonishing U-turn - publicly pledging his loyalty to the leader that he tried to oust.

The MP for North East Somerset stood up in Parliament earlier this week to announce that he now does have confidence in Mrs May,

The peace summit was held six days after the plot to topple Mrs May failed as she won the confidence vote by 200 to 117 (pictured, Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, reading out the result in Parliament last week)

And he followed up the act of loyalty the following day by promising that he would never vote to topple a Tory Government under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act.

He said: I lost the vote and I dont believe in a losers vote.'

He added: Look, Ive had my vote of no confidence in her and I lost, and I am not going to repeat the exercise.

The Prime Minister is secure under the party rules for a year, but I think to try and rerun something when you have lost it is not reasonable. It is not democratic.'

His remarks were in stark contrast with the comments he made immediately after the confidence vote, when he toured the TV studios to demand that Mrs May quit.
The brother of former NRL star Willie Mason has been charged in relation to an alleged drug syndicate.

Leslie Mason, 40, was arrested on Thursday at his home in Mayfield, Newcastle, north of Sydney, as part of several police raids, The Daily Telegraph reported.

He was charged with knowingly take part in the supply of a large commercial quantity of prohibited drug, and knowingly participate in criminal group, police said.

The brother of former NRL player Willie Mason has been charged in relation to an alleged drug supply syndicate after police raided a clandestine drug lab

Leslie Mason, 40 (pictured), was arrested on Thursday at his home in Mayfield, Newcastle, north of Sydney, as part of several raids

The former heavyweight boxer is accused of being part of a five-man drug supply operation, which allegedly includes a 'filthy' clandestine drug lab discovered at a Wangi Wangi home.

He didn't apply for bail when he appeared in Newcastle Local Court on Friday, and he will remain behind bars until his next court appearance on February 19.

Detectives arrested another four men allegedly involved in the five-man operation, including 28-year-old Rose Bay man Aaron Macey.

The 28-year-old was arrested in Sydney's CBD and taken to Surry Hills Police Station, where he was charged with six offences relating to drug supply, police said.

The other three men all live in the greater-Newcastle area.

Police said a 33-year-old and 28-year-old were arrested at a service station on Gateway Boulevarde in Morisset about 3.30pm on Thursday.

During the raids at Cameron Park, Mayfield, Wangi Wangi and Rose Bay, police said they seized large quantities of cocaine, GHB and cash

Mason (pictured right with brother Willie left) was charged with knowingly take part in the supply of a large commercial quantity of prohibited drug, and knowingly participate in criminal group

The pair allegedly had a large quantity of illegal drugs, believed to be cocaine, and cash - which prompted several subsequent raids, including Mason's home.

When detectives raided another property at Wangi Wangi, they allegedly discovered the clandestine drug lab, which they later dismantled.

The 35-year-old man was arrested at another Cameron Park property and taken to Belmont Police Station, police said.

Mason (pictured top) didn't apply for bail when he appeared in Newcastle Local Court on Friday, and he will remain behind bars until his next court appearance on February 19

He was charged with a total of 10 offences, including including supply a prohibited drug of large commercial quantity, importing a commercial quantity of border-controlled drug, and manufacture prohibited drug.

During the raids at the Cameron Park, Mayfield, Wangi Wangi and Rose Bay homes, police said they seized large quantities of cocaine, GHB and cash.

Superintendent Daniel Sullivan said outside court on Friday: 'The prohibited drugs, we will allege were manufactured in filthy conditions and it's a strong warning to people who are intent on taking drugs and parents.'

Strike Force Castlestead detectives began investigating the alleged drug syndicate in September.

Police investigations are continuing and more arrests are expected.
This is the terrifying moment two children, who were home alone, are forced to jump 40ft from a fourth floor window to escape a fire raging through their apartment.

Shocking video shows rescuers and passersby urging the boy, 12, and his sister, seven, to leap to safety in Russia's third largest city of Novosibirsk.

The children who are wearing their pyjamas both survived, but the boy suffered light injuries and the girl is said to be in a 'moderately grave condition.'

Smoke can be seen pouring from the apartment's windows as a crowd of people coax the children to jump.

When the first child leaps to safety dozens of witnesses exclaim, hoping that the youngsters aren't hurt.

A rescuer who held blankets to catch the children said they 'were one step away from death'.

An eyewitness said the pair stood on their window ledge 'screaming for help.'

With flames raging from their flat, they jumped through an advertising awning above the doorway to their block as several people stand waiting to help on the ground.

A man partially catches the boy on the video but the girl had a harder fall, hitting the advertising sign.

Rescuers (left) encourage the two children to jump from their fourth floor window and try to catch them (right) as they fall towards the awning in Novosibirsk, Russia

Locals also held blankets and put coats and cardboard on the ground to soften their falls.

Yulia, a witness, said: 'Some people brought blankets and held them, others put boxes underneath hoping to make it softer for the children when they fell.

'Some people gave their thick winter coats. A few men climbed on the awning wanting to catch children there. So they jumped.

'The boy was the first, he was not seriously injured. Then the girl jumped and unfortunately she hit the advertising structure.'

An emergencies' spokesman said: 'They are alive but both suffered injuries. We are finding out right now where their parents are.

'It is clear that the children were alone at home. The fire was large, covering 25 square metres (270 square feet). We are checking the reasons for the fire.'

After the rescue trolls claimed the children 'had made a nice present for their parents'.

Kirill Sidorenko, who was one of the men who helped, slammed the comments saying: 'I am one of those who were holding that rescue blanket for the children.

Smoke poured from the apartment as locals tried to coax the children to jump out the window

'They were one step away from death. These children could have died today in agony.'

He told the trolls: 'If you don't want to write anything good and be happy that children are alive, just write nothing.'

Mr Sidorenko added that the boy was a 'hero' for climbing onto the windowsill and shouting for help, rather than 'hiding' in the flat and hoping to be rescued.

He said: 'This boy gave us us a chance to save them. I will never forget the eyes and faces of these children who found themselves in this trap.

'The boy was the first to jump, he was older so he could better figure out the way of jumping.

Residents said firefighters with a ladder did not arrive at the scene in time to help the children

'The trouble was, it was dangerous not only because it was high, but because of the advertising structure which was a safety hazard.

'The boy did hit the board but he fell right into our blanket. I think we 95 per cent softened the fall for him.'

Mr Sidorenko explained the rescuers then had to coax the younger girl to jump.

He said: 'She could not make up her mind for a while, she was extremely scared.

'We were shouting non-stop asking her to jump, because the danger of being poisoned with smoke was high.

'Then she jumped. I will never forget those milli-seconds. It was not a perfect jump.

'She did hit the advertising awning and immediately fell into our arms.

'I was afraid that bump was strong but when I saw her face and those wide open eyes - she was about to cry - so I realised she was alive.'

Residents said firefighters with a ladder did not arrive at the scene in time.
Drivers have been warned to set off early on Christmas journeys to avoid festive traffic jams with millions of people set to hit the road today.

The RAC advised motorists to head off late tonight or early this morning and warned of delays of up to two hours on some routes.

More than 2million people are expected to hit the roads to spend the festive period with friends and family after finishing work for the festive season.

Travel chaos on Friday was worsened by the ongoing drone mayhem at Gatwick Airport, where the runway was again shut for more than an hour on Friday night.

Motorists queue on the M25 near the M3 for the Christmas getaway at Egham in Surrey today

Traffic building up on the A14 near Cambridge as people start their Christmas getaway today

Matt Dallaway of the RAC advised drivers to avoid peak times on busy roads, The Sun reported.

He said: 'Plan your journey, everyone is a hurry to see their loved ones and friends and family, but please think about when you're going to travel.

'Right now until about 6pm tonight it's going to be quite busy out there so if you can avoid that, do that - go later or early in the morning.'

Airports will have a spike in demand, although the plans of tens of thousands of people have been thrown into disarray after Gatwick's runway was shut due to drone activity on Wednesday night.

Trains will also be busier than normal as passengers complete journeys before parts of the network are shut down for Christmas engineering work.

Passengers at London Waterloo railway station begin their festive getaways this morning

Five people were injured in a four-vehicle pile up on the M60 in Greater Manchester today

A major crash this morning saw five people have been injured in a four-vehicle pile-up on the M60 near Stretford in Greater Manchester at about 9.20am.

Police, firefighters and paramedics were called to the collision near junction seven, and Highways England closed the main carriageway between junctions six and eight.

A North West Ambulance Service spokesman said: 'Four patients have minor injuries and one patient has got a serious head injury.

'The patient with a head injury, a man aged in his mid-fifties, was trapped in the vehicle. He has been taken to hospital.'

Some 59 per cent of UK drivers will take to main roads or motorways today, according to an AA poll of 20,000 motorists.

The breakdown recovery firm warned of queues on major routes and urged people to check traffic reports before setting off.

Six lanes of traffic snake along the A14 near Cambridge today as the getaway continues

Traffic queues on the left to join the M32 motorway and head out of Bristol this afternoon

The getaway begins as motorists battle though the Christmas traffic on the M5 in Bristol today

Passengers at London Paddington train station begin their festive getaway journeys today

Passengers wait for train information at London Paddington as the mass exodus begins today

Research by the RAC and traffic information firm Inrix suggested the M25, M6 and M40 will be the worst traffic hotspots.

Drivers travelling on the southbound M40 from the M42 (Warwickshire) to Junction 8A (Oxford) should expect delays of up to one hour and 50 minutes.

Highways England said it would lift more than 200 miles of roadworks on the country's motorways and major A-roads by 6am today.

This is to ensure more than 97 per cent of the network is open for the festive getaway.

The RAC's Mark Souster urged motorists to carry out basic maintenance checks on their cars - such as oil, coolant and screenwash levels and tyre condition - before setting off.

He said: 'It's vitally important every driver planning a trip gives their car a once-over to make sure it's up to the job.

'A single breakdown can bring some roads to a grinding halt, slowing down the Christmas getaway for all of us.'

The anticipated jams will be compounded by extensive disruption to the rail network, with planned engineering work and strikes forcing more people on to the roads over the festive period.

Strikes are likely to affect routes run by Northern Rail and South Western Railway, while Network Rail is planning extensive engineering work on lines running into major stations such as London Paddington and London Victoria.

Network Rail is planning extensive engineering work across Britain between Sunday and January 1, with a 25,000-strong workforce carrying out 330 projects.

As usual, there will be no trains on Christmas Day and a limited service will run on Boxing Day.

A fire at a substation near Ashford International station in Kent last night caused severe disruption as Network Rail had to evacuate a signalling centre.

Some lines have reopened but Southeastern services are expected to be disrupted until 5pm. Cross-Channel Eurostar trains have also been affected.

Travel trade organisation Abta expects more than 4.7 million people to head abroad from the UK between December 18 and January 2, with today the busiest travel day.

Passengers wait to check in at London Gatwick Airport as disruption continues this morning

EXPECTED CHRISTMAS GETAWAY TRIPS AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS DATE PLANNED LEISURE TRIPS WORST TIMES TO TRAVEL BEST TIMES TO TRAVEL WORST ROAD FOR LONG DELAYS TODAY 2.8million 11.30am to 6pm After 7.30pm M40 south from M42 Warwickshire to J8A (Oxford). Up to 110 minute delay TOMORROW 2.2million 10.30am to 4pm Before 9.30am or after 7.30pm M40 north from J8A (Oxford) to M42 Warwickshire. Up to 61 minute delay SUNDAY 1.9million 4pm to 6.30pm Before 11am or after 8pm - CHRISTMAS EVE 2.5million 11am to 1pm At other times M1 north J21 (Coventry/Leicester) to J26 (Nottingham/Ripley). Up to 22 minute delay

WHICH UK ROADS WILL BE WORST AFFECTED TODAY AND TOMORROW? REGION LOCATION PEAK CONGESTION TIME PREDICTED TRAVEL TIME (minutes) TOTAL DELAY (minutes) TODAY West Midlands M40 South (M42) to J8A (Aylesbury) 2.30pm 157 110 West Midlands M40 North J8A (Aylesbury) to M42 12pm 84 35 West Midlands M6 South J20 (Macclesfield) to J16 (Newcastle-under-Lyme) 5.15pm 58 33 West Midlands M5 North J4A M42 to Ray Hall interchange 7.45pm 39 21 Scotland M8 West J12 (Riddrie) to J29 (Paisley) 12.15pm 21 8 TOMORROW West Midlands M40 North J8A (Aylesbury) to M42 5.45pm 105 61 West Midlands M6 North J15 (Stoke-on-Trent) to J25 (Wigan) 7.15am 104 59 South West England A303 West Salisbury Road to A350 2.45pm 46 19 West Midlands M6 South J20 (Macclesfield) to J16 (Newcastle-under-Lyme) 12.30pm 43 18 West Midlands M5 North J4A (M42) to Ray Hall interchange 6pm 31 14

Passengers try to check in for their pre-Christmas flights at Gatwick Airport this morning

Winter sun lovers are heading short haul to Alicante, the Canary Islands and Egypt, while Dubai and India are among the most popular long haul destinations.

Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said: 'Christmas and New Year are always very busy times for the travel industry as people head off to spend their well-earned holidays with family and friends.

'Whether holidaymakers are flying away for some winter sun, travelling to a snowy destination or staying closer to home, this year's festive break looks set to be another busy one.

'It's important people allow extra time for their journeys and check ahead for any disruption if travelling by public transport.'
A venomous tiger snake has been spotted swimming underneath the bridge of a river.

Melbourne man Alistair McKenzie captured the snake while walking along the Yarra River near the intersection of Alexandra Parade and Punt Road on Wednesday.

The deadly creature was swimming upstream and frightened Mr Mckenzie and his friend Lucy when it began to veer towards them.

'The video stops because the snake was coming to the embankment. It looked like it was coming for us,' Mr Mckenzie told the Herald Sun.

A venomous tiger snake was spotted swimming in the Yarra River and frightened a man as it veered towards him

Alistair McKenzie was touring his friend Lucy from London when they spotted the tiger snake underneath the bridge of the river

Mr McKenzie was touring his friend from London when they noticed a number signs to beware of snakes.

'I've lived here for eight years and never seen a snake,' he said.

Meanwhile, another tiger snake was found near the corner of Collins and Spencer streets during midday in Melbourne's CBD in February.

A snake catcher said the snake could have come up the Yarra River through the drains before making its way to the CBD.

In January, CCTV footage captured a tiger snake slithering through a Melbourne sewer.

A deadly tiger snake was spotted slithering through a sewer in Melbourne in January

Mainland tiger snakes are responsible for the second-highest number of snake bites in Australia, according to the National Geographic.

The species are highly populated in the east coast of Australia.

A bite from a snake tiger can be fatal if untreated.
David Gauke has warned he could quit the Cabinet if Theresa May pushes ahead with a no deal Brexit.

The Justice Secretary said he would find it 'very difficult' to stay in the Government if the UK appeared on course to crash out of the EU.

His comments come as the PM is struggling to keep her warring ministers in line as they jostle to lay out their own visions of Brexit.

Mrs May has warned that Britain could crash out of the Brussels bloc unless MPs vote for her Brexit deal.

But speaking to the BBC's Political Thinking podcast, Mr Gauke lashed talk of a no deal.

He said: 'I think making a conscious decision to proceed with no deal would not be the responsible course of action.'

David Gauke (pictured left) has warned he could quit the Cabinet if Theresa May pushes ahead with a no deal Brexit. Meanwhile, Commons leader Andrea Leadsom (pictured right) has urged Mrs May to push for a managed no deal Brexit if her deal is rejected by MPs next month

He said he would be 'very surprised if the Prime Minister went down that route'.

Asked if he could remain in the Cabinet if that became the Government's policy, he added 'I think it would be very difficult for me in those circumstances.

'I am conscious that there is a risk of an accidental no deal... Although Parliament clearly doesn't want no deal, it's not clear that there is a majority for a specific course of action to stop no deal.

'The best way of stopping no deal is to back the Prime Minister's deal in my view.

'So I think it would be very difficult and I think if it came down to the Government saying consciously, 'well, we'll just have to do that', I don't think there would be a lot of support for it.'

The Cabinet is deeply divided over what to do if the PM's Brexit plan is defeated by MPs in the Commons next month.

And No10 fear a string of Cabinet ministers could quit if the UK looks set for a no deal - including Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd, Education Secretary Damian Hinds and Scotland Secretary David Mundell - as well Mr Gauke.

Ms Rudd has broken ranks with the PM to publicly say there is a 'plausible argument' for a second EU referendum if MPs cannot agree a Brexit deal.

But leading Brexiteers in the Cabinet, including Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom, are pushing for a 'managed no deal' if no agreement can get through Parliament.

Confronted about the splits at her top tale during a press conference in London yesterday, the PM insisted all ministers are focused on getting a deal.

She said: 'Everybody is very clear that not only what Government policy is but what we are all individually and collectively focused on is working to ensure that that deal is able to be agreed by and go through a meaningful vote in the House of Commons.'

The Tory Party and Cabinet remains bitterly divided over Brexit and are set for another bitter clash when Theresa May (pictured yesterday at a press conference at Lancaster House) MPs return from their Christmas break

But she is set to face a New Year Brexit battle as Tory Remainers join forces with Labour MPs to kill off a 'no deal'.

The group of MPs are tabling a slew of amendments to key pieces of legislation to try to bind the Government's hands so Britain cannot crash out of the bloc.

Tory MPs Nicky Morgan and Sir Oliver Letwin have joined with Labours Yvette Cooper and Hilary Benn to table an amendment to the Finance Bill.

If passed, it would stop the Government from changing taxes if there is a no deal Brexit without Parliaments explicit consent.

Further amendments are expected to be drafted to key pieces of Brexit legislation as part of the same campaign.

The MPs hope that they can stop a no deal Brexit and get the Government to pursue a 'plan B' if Mrs May's deal is voted down as expected next month.

They hope that the PM could be forced to adopt a softer Brexit - like a Norway-style deal which would keep Britain tied to EU rules and keep free movement.
Theresa May is set to face a New Year Brexit battle as Tory Remainers join forces with Labour MPs to kill off a 'no deal'.

The group of MPs are tabling a slew of amendments to key pieces of legislation to try to bind the Government's hands so Britain cannot crash out of the bloc.

Tory MPs Nicky Morgan and Sir Oliver Letwin have joined with Labours Yvette Cooper and Hilary Benn to table an amendment to the Finance Bill.

If passed, it would stop the Government from changing taxes if there is a no deal Brexit without Parliaments explicit consent.

Further amendments are expected to be drafted to key pieces of Brexit legislation as part of the same campaign.

The MPs hope that they can stop a no deal Brexit and get the Government to pursue a 'plan B' if Mrs May's deal is voted down as expected next month.

They hope that the PM could be forced to adopt a softer Brexit - like a Norway-style deal which would keep Britain tied to EU rules and keep free movement.

The Tory Party and Cabinet remains bitterly divided over Brexit and the amendments set the stage for another bitter clash when MPs return from their Christmas break.

Tory MPs Nicky Morgan (pictured left) and Sir Oliver Letwin have joined with Labours Yvette Cooper (pictured right) and Hilary Benn to table an amendment to the Finance Bill to try to stop a no deal Brexit

Mrs May has already had to pull a Commons vote on her deal after admitting it would be defeated by a massive margin, and her deal is expected to be voted down early next month.

But ministers are deeply split over what the PM should do if her deal cannot get through Parliament.

What are the no deal Brexit plans which have been enacted? Here are the emergency no deal plans which have been activated: Some 3,500 troops are on standby for no deal Brexit Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said the troops could be used by any department as needed - but that no specific requests had yet been made for them. Ministers will book space on ferries to ensure critical supplies, such as medicines, can get in if there are long queues at the borders Families are to to be given advice on how to prepare for a no deal Brexit Up to 10,000 lorries could be parked in Kent if no deal causes delays at the ports The Kent authorities have warned that the gridlock could mean pupils miss school and exams, while bodies could pile up Advertisement

Brexiteers in the Cabinet and Tory party at large have encouraged the PM to prepare for a 'managed no deal' Brexit.

Yet a string of Cabinet ministers - including Justice Secretary David Gauke - are expected to resign if Mrs May sets Britain on course for a no deal Brexit.

While Tory MP Nick Boles said he would quit the Tory party and vote in whatever way necessary to stop a no deal.

The PM has been on a desperate mission to try to persuade the EU to ditch the hated Irish backstop to give her Brexit deal a chance of passing Parliament.

The backstop keeps the UK tied to the customs union and imposes extra single market checks on Northern Ireland.

But her repeated pleas have been snubbed by the EU - fuelling fears that Britain could be hurtling towards a no deal unless a last-ditch compromise is brokered.

Meanwhile, Britain has ramped up no deal planning, pouring billions extra into preparations to try to avoid chaos at the borders if the UK crashes out.

Ministers have activated all 320 no deal planning projects - including placing 3,500 troops on standby and booking space on ferries to ensure critical medical supplies can still get into the country.

The public will also be urged to prepare themselves and their families, with detailed information on contingency plans set to be published over the coming weeks - including through the Christmas holidays.

TV adverts and social media could be used as Government uses a 'range of channels' to get information out to the public.

But Mr Gauke downplayed the prospect that Britain will have a no deal Brexit - and warned he could quit the Cabinet if it became policy.

He told the BBC's Political Thinking podcast: 'I think making a conscious decision to proceed with no deal would not be the responsible course of action.'

The Tory Party and Cabinet remains bitterly divided over Brexit and the amendments set the stage for another bitter clash when Theresa May (pictured yesterday at a press conference at Lancaster House) MPs return from their Christmas break

He would be 'very surprised if the Prime Minister went down that route'.

Asked if he could remain in the Cabinet if that became the Government's policy, he said: 'I think it would be very difficult for me in those circumstances.

'I am conscious that there is a risk of an accidental no deal... Although Parliament clearly doesn't want no deal, it's not clear that there is a majority for a specific course of action to stop no deal.

'The best way of stopping no deal is to back the Prime Minister's deal in my view.

'So I think it would be very difficult and I think if it came down to the Government saying consciously, "well, we'll just have to do that", I don't think there would be a lot of support for it.'
A couple who left their pedigree pooch with groomers at a pet store were left outraged after returning to find their dog had been stripped of all its fur.

Lesley and Steve Wilks had arranged for their one-year-old Maltese terrier, Effy, to have parts of her fur shaved after she had become matted following play fights with their other pooch, CJ.

Mr Wilks took Effy to The Groom Room at Pets at Home in Hull, East Yorkshire, on Wednesday morning and showed staff the matted hair on her two front legs and behind her shoulder.

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Lesley (pictured) and Steve Wilks had arranged for their one-year-old Maltese terrier, Effy (pictured), to have parts of her fur shaved at Pets at Home in Hull. But were shocked to find the pooch had received a much more drastic cut than they were anticipating

The couple claim the experience has left their dog 'traumatised'. Effy is pictured before the shave (left) and after (right), and now the couple say they will have to take the pooch to the vet 'because she is constantly shaking'

He claims he told staff he did not want to the dog to be fully shaved, but less than 90 minutes later he was horrified to return to the store and find Effy virtually 'pink' after having her body sheared by groomers.

Mr Wilks, 54, said: 'I told them I did not want her shaving all over. They said she was matted everywhere but she wasn't as she'd only been bathed and brushed on Monday.

'When I saw the state of her I wanted to shout and start swearing but I didn't - I kept my cool and I said nothing because I just wanted to get out of the store.'

But Pets At Home said Effy was shaved for her own welfare due to the extent of the matted fur.

After returning home, Mrs Wilks 'burst into tears' when she saw her beloved pet before angrily taking to social media to rant about the procedure which she likened to 'torture' for Effy.

Mrs Wilks, a 50-year-old beautician, said: 'We are absolutely distraught, disgusted and gutted [by] what The Groom Room Pets At Home Hull has done to my baby girl.

Mrs Wilks 'burst into tears' when she saw her beloved pet (pictured after the shave) before angrily taking to social media to rant about the procedure which she likened to 'torture'

'Her poor bottom has been completely stripped as has all her fur! Please be aware this place is nothing but a shave room.

'I hope [you're] happy and would love to get responses and advice from anyone, as I would love to sue them for what they have done.

'She has been shaking with anxiety since she returned this afternoon. Their attitude in response has been disgusting.'

Mr Wilks said he was even more aggrieved after Pets at Home charged him an extra 10 to have Effy's body shaved.

The dad-of-two said: 'Originally it was 40 but they put an extra 10 on for the satisfaction of shaving her all over which I didn't want done.

'They offered me the deposit back but they said it in such a nonchalant way I thought they were being clever.'

The couple, who have used The Groom Room twice before, went to the pet store because their normal dog groomer was on holiday.

However, he said the pair will now boycott the shop after Effy's shaving which has had serious repercussions on the young pup, according to Mr Wilks.

Pets At Home say Effy was shaved for her own welfare due to the extent of the matted fur. But Mrs Wilks (pictured) said their 'attitude in response has been disgusting'

Mr Wilks said: 'We wanted to get her done for Christmas like anyone would but now we are going to have to take her to the vet because she is constantly shaking and is even defecating inside.

'They have traumatised her and it's freezing now so she is constantly shivering. She is pink and it looks like she has just come out of an operation.

'They said they would have to shave under her legs which was not a problem. I understood that but the last thing I said to them was 'don't shave all over.'

A spokesman for Pets at Home said: 'Our groomers are highly trained and will always put the welfare of pets first.

'When Effy was brought in to our Hull store to be groomed it was explained that, because her coat was heavily matted, particularly around her legs and shoulders, it would have to be clipped close to the skin, purely for the welfare of the dog.

'We believe that clipping a matted coat is kinder, faster and gentler for the pet. Effy's owner, Mr Wilks, was advised of this, including the additional 10 matting charge.

'Our groomers offered to refund the deposit and not groom Effy, but the customer agreed to go ahead and signed both our clipping policy, and pet grooming salon contract.

'We hope that Effy will be happier and healthier with her matted coat now removed and our expert groomers would be happy to help if Mr Wilks has any further concerns.'
A group of the US senators presented a draft of the multinational operation in the Black Sea to ensure freedom of navigation. Moreover, the group demanded that the authorities implement it. This is happening against the backdrop of threatening statements by the leadership of Ukraine to arrange another march of Ukrainian boats through the Kerch Strait, but more prepared this time.

After some detente, tensions around the Kerch Strait began to increase again. Not a member of the Verkhovna Rada with a reduced sense of responsibility, but the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Oleksandr Turchinov, spoke about the next campaign of Ukrainian ships in the strait. His statement coincided with the words of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said that the Russian side knows the intentions of the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, to arrange a provocation in the Russian direction before the New Year. And then the draft of the American senators appeared.

The document calls on US President Donald Trump to organize and lead a multinational operation to ensure free navigation in the Black Sea, at the same time giving a rebuff to Moscows elevated claims. Along the way, the senators called on Washingtons European partners to boycott the Russian navy  to close their ports, refuse to refuel and replenish supplies and water. As for Ukraine itself, its very easy - to provide all the necessary assistance to improve security and enhance naval capabilities. The draft of the senators closely matches the recent statement by the US Special Representative for Ukraine, Kurt Walker, on the need to strengthen Washingtons presence in the Black Sea. The American side does not seem to have heard the response of the Russian Foreign Ministry that such a scenario is far from a peacemaking nature and only contributes to the escalation of tensions.

Recall that what happened was preceded by a maritime incident on November 25th, when three Ukrainian warships entered the temporarily closed water area and moved from the Black Sea to the Kerch Strait, thereby violating the sea border of Russia. Refusing to obey, they provoked the Russian side to use force and therefore were detained. Medical assistance was provided to three wounded Ukrainian sailors. The Russian side opened a criminal case on the fact of violation of the state border.

This is not the only incident in the last period. According to experts, it was Ukraine that began to undermine stability at sea, detaining the Russian fishing vessel Nord in 15 maritime miles from the border in March of this year, and Ukrainians didnt even have a formal reason for such actions. A week later, the Russian side responded by detaining Ukrainian fishermen in their (!) waters. Only in October, the parties managed to agree and make an exchange. But the incidents have not stopped. So in early November, in the port of Mariupol, a Russian ship heading for Belgium was detained. And before that, two Ukrainian search vessels passed through the Kerch Strait without coordinating the route with the Russian services.

The project of the group of the US senators appeared against such a difficult background. On the one hand, it is encouraging Ukraines actions, and, on the other, is of a precautionary nature for Russia. Political analyst, deputy head of the department of post-Soviet countries of the Russian State Humanitarian University, Alexander Gushchin, not excluding fully probable clashes at sea, believes that the document of the senators is more a probing of the West and a signal to maintain the general tension." Its not clear whether they will send massive ships, but the NATO ship may well appear as an observer. They most likely will not go into a direct confrontation. Do not forget about the internal situation in Ukraine  the electoral aspect. The martial law expires soon and there is a question - what to do next, "Alexander Gushchin told Vestnik Kavkaza.

TASS military commentator Viktor Litovkin, commenting on the situation, told Vestnik Kavkaza that no one can forbid the passage of Ukrainian warships through the Kerch Strait, provided that their crews observe the international and Russian navigation rules. "Firstly, they must receive permission from the Russian border guards to enter the Russian territorial waters, declare the purpose of entry. Secondly, approaching the Kerch Strait, they should line up at the passage. There are quite a few vessels that go to Berdyansk, Mariupol, Taganrog, Rostov-on-Don, and there is a queue for the passage because everyone will not be able to pass through the Kerch-Yenikalsky Canal at the same time. Third, they must apply for the passage to the captain of the Kerch port. He will provide them with a pilot who will arrive on the Ukrainian ship along with a representative of the border guards, and under their control, Ukrainian ships will be able to pass the Kerch Strait. Otherwise, it is impossible. For the first time when Ukrainian ships, a tugboat and a command ship, passed through the strait, they acted that way, although the Ukrainian media wrote that " they crossed the Strait of Kerch, despite the efforts of the Russian border guards ". This is nonsense, Viktor Litovkin said.

According to the expert, if there are OSCE observers or representatives of the NATO countries on Ukrainian ships, which is unlikely, no one will interfere with them. A Ukrainian ship - the territory of Ukraine. They can take anyone on board as passengers. "A warship of a third country may not be allowed to pass through the Kerch Strait. These are our territorial waters, whether anyone wants to admit it or not, but in fact, this is so, and the Russian sailors will defend their territory, as required by the charter," Litovkin told Vestnik Kavkaza.
British air passengers stranded around the world are facing a scramble to get home for Christmas as the impact of Gatwick's drone chaos spreads around the globe.

Hundreds of holidaymakers and expats hoping to return to the UK for the festive season are frantically booking alternative routes due to the knock-on affect of cancelled flights following Gatwick's shutdown.

Meanwhile, scores of others are trapped at European airports, where their planes were diverted when a rogue drone closed the London terminal's runway for more than 30 hours.

Tourist Jane Riley slammed British Airways after she was left stuck in Antigua with uncertainty over when she would be able to fly back to her home in England.

The daughter of another Briton stranded on the holiday isle said her fsther was now having to fly up to New York, then across to Paris, where he would get the Eurostar home.

The long route would take him three days, meaning that, even if all goes to plan, he'll only get back on Christmas Eve.

Kate Johnson and her boyfriend ate stuck in Toronto, Canada and are praying they get back to the UK in time to see her family at Christmas. They face delays of at least two days

British air passengers have been left stranded around the world due to Gatwick's rogue drone

Kate Johnson, who lives in Canada but was planning to return to the UK to see her family this Christmas, is facing two-day delays in Toronto.

She told MailOnline: 'I haven't seen a lot of my family for over a year.

'When we arrived at the airport, they said it was delayed until 00:20. We spent six hours in the airport only then to be told that the flight was cancelled.

'The airline doesn't cover any costs as it is unforeseeable circumstances out of their control which is completely understandable.

'However, we are now staying at a hotel near the airport in Toronto and costs are climbing as we pay for accommodation and food.

'We've just been told that they have put us on the next available flight which isn't until tomorrow night! So we have lost two precious days of our trip to see my family.'

Those stuck in French and Belgian airports are also facing anxious waits to see when they would be returning to their families.

Others are now stuck in terminals around Europe after their flights were diverted in mid-air

Joseph Ouechen, a photographer from Morocco, was due to fly into Gatwick on Wednesday night but had his flight diverted to Paris.

After arriving at Charles de Gaulle Airport at midnight, passengers with visas for the Schengen area were taken to a hotel but those without - 'about 20 per cent' - were left in the airport to fend for themselves, he said.

'There were families with babies who couldn't get to their suitcases for their milk and stuff,' he said. 'We were asking just for a favour if (airport staff) could help but they said they couldn't do anything.'

Firefighters eventually crossed the border through passport control with blankets and water at 3.30am, he said.

'To be honest, I'm so tired and when the guys from the fire (service) came with the bottles and blankets I was feeling like a war, like (I was) a refugee, but I'm just flying to the UK.

'It's surreal. I was flying to the UK and now there are firemen bringing me water and blankets.'

Joseph Ouechen said French authorities made things difficult for people when they landed in Paris after being diverted

More than 120,000 passengers were unable to either take off or land at the airport from 9pm on Wednesday and throughout Thursday.

A further 126,000 passengers were due to travel today, but 145 out of the scheduled 837 flights have already been cancelled as aircraft are out of position and the airport's operations are restricted to just a few departures and arrivals per hour.

Among those stranded abroad are 27 schoolgirls from the Bruton School in Somerset. They were due to be back with their families last night, but had to stay on in Innsbruck, Austria following a ski trip.

Teachers are hoping they can get on a flight today to return to their anxious parents.

Jon Carles and his partner are stuck in Lanzarote. Speaking yesterday, he told MailOnline: 'We were supposed to be to flying back to Gatwick today with EasyJet, but no one knows what's going on here and what's going to happen.

'Managed to get through to easyJet after 45 minutes on hold and they told us to wait until 6pm and see what happens. And if gets cancelled we can't get a flight back with them for 48hours.'

This shows where passengers heading for Gatwick have been diverted since 9pm last night

Mother-of-two's tears as Christmas in her homeland is cancelled Mother Liliana Cabrera broke down as she learned her flight to take her sons to visit their grandparents in Colombia had been cancelled. The 41-year-old had planned a three-week trip to Bogota with Isaac, six, and Leonardo, five, and had five suitcases filled with Christmas presents for her family. The museum worker from Greenwich, South East London, arrived at the airport at 3.45am only to find her 10am flight was cancelled. Liliana Cabrera with sons Isaac, six, and Leonardo, five, at Gatwick Airport Another flight was announced for 2pm but when the family went to the gate, as directed, they were simply given their luggage back. 'I don't want to cry but we just wanted to see my family at Christmas,' she said. 'Now we're waiting to see what we have to do next. We're hoping somehow we can still get to Colombia. [Staff have] said, 'You need to go home.' Our cases are full of Christmas presents for my parents and brother and sister.' Advertisement

Tracy Herbert Paton, from Dumbarton, was about to board a 6.30pm British Airways flight from Orlando, Florida, to Glasgow with a transfer at Gatwick on Wednesday night when she heard about the drones.

She said: We knew the drones were fluttering about, and I updated my Facebook status to say they had eight hours to fix it and have Gatwick open for us arriving.

At around 7am on the flight, the captain announced that Gatwick Airport was closed, and we were being redirected to Newcastle, which then changed pretty quickly and we ended up in Cardiff.

We landed in Cardiff at 7.25am and were sat on the plane on the tarmac for over four hours until 11.50am when we were allowed off the plane and into arrivals.

We claimed our bags and made our way to the car park where we were directed onto a coach to take us to London Gatwick  3.5 hours away. Which we are on now.

Weve had no food since 6am, when we had coffee and croissant  airplane style  and we dont actually know what happens when we get to Gatwick. BA have booked us onto a flight from London City airport to Edinburgh at 5.10pm but I dont think we will make that flight as we would need to get from Gatwick to London City then from Edinburgh to Glasgow. Well have been in five airports in 24 hours and we have our 12-year-old daughter with us.

Holidaymakers who went on pre-Christmas breaks to the Caribbean face long delays in getting back.

Londoner Jennifer, who is stuck in Jamaica, tweeted Gatwick bosses saying: 'I would like to get home for Christmas, but I'm stranded abroad at the moment. Is there any chance you could shoot the drones down?'

Dan Walters, from Wales, posted online: 'Flight from Antigua to Gatwick cancelled this evening. Now having to fly to New York tomorrow and then on to Heathrow.'

However, he saw the funny side, joking: 'There are worse places to be stranded though..'

One flyer hoping to reach London had to land in Paris - where he was told that he'd be diverted back to the UK on a bus. Others paid for hotels in the French capital out of their own pockets after failing to get information from their airlines.

Police are pictured at Gatwick's police station roof yesterday as they use equipment in the ongoing task to stop the drone unleashing chaos in Sussex

Off to Birmingham after Toronto flight cancelled Mother Pam Noakes was waiting to take her young children to spend Christmas with their grandparents in Canada. The mother-of-two was due to fly from Gatwick to Toronto, but was told at the airport that the flight would be leaving from Birmingham instead. Pam Noakes and her children, aged five and two, pictured stranded at Gatwick Airport Mrs Noakes, whose children are aged five and two, said: 'They're apparently putting on a coach to Birmingham. 'It should be leaving soon, because everyone has been told to get their suitcases checked in. It would have been my children's first Christmas in Canada with their grandparents. We'll have to see if we actually get there.' Advertisement

Corinne Roberts said that her parents-in-law were stuck in a departure lounge in Brussels as their visa don't allow them to enter the country beyond that point.

Those who didn't find themselves stuck abroad had to land more than 100 miles from their destination once they made their way back to the UK.

Chris Lister, from Somerset, who owns an online business, was travelling back from Kiev with his wife Freya.

He was due to land at Gatwick at 9.45pm yesterday but ended up trapped on the plane on the tarmac at Birmingham Airport until 6am.

'There were quite a few babies and kids on board, I think they were struggling more than we were and one woman had run out milk,' he said.

After starting his journey in Bangkok on Tuesday he was finally let off the plane at 6am, he said.

Gareth Jones praised easyJet's response to the chaos, telling MailOnline: 'My son was due to fly home from Salzburg this morning on an Easyjet flight that was obviously cancelled.

'They have transferred him to the same flight tomorrow and put him up in a four-star hotel, with meals, overnight.

'Fortunately, he has no work commitments or time issues so it's not a bad deal at the end of the day. easyJet get some bad press but this is good service on their part.'

Bride-to-be Tayo Abraham (centre) surrounded yesterday by her friends in the wedding party, at Gatwick Airport who were due to fly to Marrakesh in Morocco but face more uncertainty

Passengers wait to check in at Gatwick Airport this morning as the disruption continues

Passengers stranded last night at Gatwick Airport, which only reopened at 6am this morning

Family trip to Lapland ruined by a drone Natalie Carsey had hoped to take Immy and Patrick to Lapland Finance director Natalie Carsey, 43, had saved up all year to take her children Patrick, nine, and Immy, seven, on a day trip to see Father Christmas in Lapland. Mrs Carsey, from Hertfordshire, said: 'We had saved all year, and waited all year, for this. My daughter Immy has been crying since finding out. 'I've been ringing around desperately trying to find another holiday but they're all booked. The travel agents are going to try to give us a full refund but it's very disappointing. 'We're heartbroken. Seeing Immy cry has made me tearful.' Angry father Rob Threadgold was at the airport to take his two young sons on another 'Santa flight' to Lapland. He tweeted: 'To whoever is doing this at Gatwick. I wish you could see my kids right now and the devastation you have caused.' Advertisement

Sally Gardiner, who is in Nice, France, said: 'The problems caused by this malicious person extend way beyond Gatwick. My son was to join me in Nice today for a break before Christmas.

'I don't see him very often so my disappointment is immense.

'I have also paid in advance for his accommodation.

'I have French friends who were due to fly from Nice to Gatwick tomorrow for connecting flight to USA to spend Christmas with families there. The knock on effect is massive.'

Gatwick's runway only reopened at 6am today having been shut since Wednesday night due to devices flying over it, with chief executive officer Stewart Wingate saying they were designed to 'close the airport and bring maximum disruption'.

Thousands of families faced heartache as the chaos at Gatwick left holiday plans in ruins.

Children wept as they learned their flights were cancelled, and plans for family reunions were abandoned, just days before Christmas.

Some were left in limbo, waiting for hours at the packed airport to learn if their flights would finally go ahead. Tempers frayed as stranded passengers crammed into every available space, and berated airline staff for the lack of any updates.

Andy Ravenscroft with children Anders and Erica as the chaos at Gatwick Airport continues

Timeline: How drones shut down Gatwick 9pm, December 19: Drone is first spotted by airport staff hovering near the runway causing flights to be grounded or diverted. 9.15pm: It appears again leading Gatwick bosses to believe it is a deliberate act. 9.30pm, midnight: The drone is seen at least five more times in that period 3.01am, December 20: Airport re-opens its runway after the all clear is given 3.45am: Drone is seen again and flights are again grounded 7am: Small unmanned aircraft appears again 9am: Another sighting of the drone as police start hunting perimeter of the airport Midday: Police are unable find the drone pilot despite it appearing again at lunchtime with Gatwick saying all flights are grounded until at least 4pm 2pm: Airport admits it has 'no idea' when it will re-open as police struggle to find the pilot 3pm: The drone is spotted again as it buzzes across Gatwick's runway. It was just minutes after airport bosses announced they had hoped to re-open at 4pm. 4pm: Drone spotted flying over the runway yet again. 5pm: Ministry of Defence confirms that it is using specialist equipment to seek out the drone 8pm: Gatwick tells passengers not to come to the airport on Friday as drone buzzes across terminals 8.30pm-9.30pm: Another sighting of the drone on Thursday evening 10pm: The last known sighting of the drone hours after Army is deployed 3am, Friday December 21: Airport bosses deem the airspace is clear 6am: Gatwick re-opens the runway Advertisement

A couple due to be married tomorrow and their wedding party face further uncertainty at Gatwick following the flight disruption caused by drones.

Bride-to-be Tayo Abraham and her partner Ope Odedine were due to fly to Marrakesh in Morocco on Wednesday alongside nine family and friends.

The group boarded the Air Arabia flight, due to depart at 8.40pm, and were kept onboard 'in the dark' until 2am.

Miss Abraham, 31, a contractor from Glasgow, said: 'It's been a year that we've been planning this, we can't start rearranging the wedding.

'It's sad because it's Christmas time and people are trying to get to loved ones. Everything has been disrupted but aside from the cost it's the emotional side, the trauma.'

The group, including a four-year-old and a one-year-old, booked a hotel for the night after passengers were told to return to the airport at 11am yesterday.

Following another day of disruption, Ms Abraham and her fiance then booked an alternative flight from Manchester Airport for this morning at a cost of over 1,000.

She said they may have to 'trim' back on guests as the additional cost of rebooking flights was too high for everyone to pay.

She said: 'Most of the guests are there already. We have to be there. I just want to get there and get this over with, but it will be disappointing for everyone that isn't able to travel.'

The couple are due to fly back on December 26, with other members due to return to the UK on Sunday.

Ms Abraham's uncle Baba Sanwo, from San Diego, flew into Heathrow from the US on Tuesday in anticipation of Wednesday's flight, hoping to travel as a family.

The 63-year-old said he had been sat on the floor of Gatwick for over five hours.

He said: 'I'm uncomfortable, cold and hungry. What if there are people on medication, what if there was a wedding today?

Robert and Susan Pocknell only moved 20ft despite queuing for almost four hours at Gatwick

Can passengers stuck abroad claim refunds? Travel insurance customers affected by the Gatwick chaos will be able to make claims for the disruption they have suffered - if this is part of their policy - insurers have said. But the ABI said the first point of contact for consumers should be the airlines, who have a duty of care to look after their customers 'regardless of the exceptional circumstances'. The UK Civil Aviation Authority said on Thursday the events at Gatwick are considered an 'extraordinary circumstance'. In such circumstances airlines are not obliged to pay financial compensation to passengers affected by the disruption. But airlines do still generally have a duty of care to customers, which could include giving refunds for cancelled flights, putting people on alternative flights and providing refreshments for those affected by delays, the ABI said. The ABI said that, where people have bought travel disruption cover as part of their insurance, they are covered up to the limits stated in the policy for travel disruption. It said this is generally included within most travel insurance policies, including those bought through packaged bank accounts. Advertisement

Stella Phillips, the bride-to-be's aunt, from London, said: 'There's no information. Gatwick have been fine but they don't have any information for you, they say go to your airline.'

The 41-year-old said the group paid 300 for the hotel on Wednesday and they are unsure whether they can recover the costs.

Mrs Phillips said: 'This kind of thing can be avoided. You're saying you're trying to prevent loss of life, but you know it's a drone.

'Couldn't they have brought the military in ages ago? It might take another 24 hours for them to do what they want to do.'

Meanwhile Gisele Fenech, 43, who was travelling to Malta, was among those stranded at the airport yesterday.

'We're meeting family and it's my daughter's birthday today so it's gone all wrong. We've been looking forward to this for so long,' she told AFP. 'Everyone's trying to get home for Christmas.'

Musab Rashid, 22, who was going to Copenhagen, said: 'It's wrong, it's childish of them to do this, because it's affected more than 100,000 people.'

Meanwhile Andrew and Siv Ravenscroft were on their way to a Christmas family reunion in Norway with children Anders, 12, and nine-year-old Erica.

The family had flown from their home in Jersey to Gatwick on Wednesday night to catch a flight to Oslo, but their first flight was diverted to Stansted, where their plane was kept on the tarmac for three hours.

They paid 180 for a taxi from Stansted to Gatwick, only to find that their next flight from Gatwick to Oslo had been cancelled.

In desperation, the family spent another 1,000 for four tickets from Heathrow on a flight today. Mr Ravenscroft, 50, said: 'When we landed at Stansted we were stuck on the tarmac for three hours.

'People were shouting, saying they just wanted to get off.

'We were told there would be three coaches to get us to Gatwick, but there was nothing. We had to pay 180 for a taxi.

'We finally arrived at 3.30am for a 9am flight. They let us check our bags in so we thought we were travelling, then they called us to the gate and gave them back.

'We've now paid 1,000 for four one-way tickets to Norway for Friday morning from Heathrow. We're worried there will be a knock-on effect at other airports and we might not even make it.'

He added: 'The drone is really worrying. Anything could have been dropped on the runway. It's no wonder they take it so seriously.'

Pensioners Robert and Susan Pocknell were due to fly to Spain for Christmas.

They arrived at Gatwick shortly before 4am but were greeted by scenes of chaos, and had to join a massive queue to try to change flights.

After queuing for almost four hours, the couple from Hillingdon, West London, had moved barely 20ft in the queue, which stretched around the south terminal.

Mr Pocknell, 78, said: 'Everybody was arguing. There was no organisation whatsoever. No one even showed us where this queue was, we had to find it ourselves.

'We're going on a package holiday so I'm worried if we don't get to Malaga before Sunday we'll lose our room and won't have a hotel to stay in. I just want a refund and a new flight.

'We haven't even been offered any vouchers to get a bottle of water. It's a shambles.'

His 70-year-old wife added: 'We're British, so we just have to smile and get on with it. I'm more peeved that I might have to go home and cook.'
An Olympic champion is under investigation after his brother was allegedly caught dumping nearly $200million worth of cocaine into the ocean, a court has heard.

Dru Baggaley, the brother of Olympic kayaker Nathan Baggaley, was allegedly caught with 608kg of the drug in a dinghy of the coast of Byron Bay, NSW, in July.

Dru Baggaley, 36, and Anthony Draper, 53, are accused of trying to outrun a Navy patrol boat, before allegedly dumping the drugs in the water as officers closed in.

Detective Senior Constable Joseph Toohey told the Brisbane Supreme Court that it was 'one of the largest reported imports of... cocaine into Australia', according to The Courier Mail.

Olympic champion Nathan Baggaley (left) is under investigation after his brother Dru Baggaley (right) was allegedly caught dumping $200 million worth of cocaine into the ocean, a court has heard

Police allege that Dru and Draper met up with a 55-metre red 'mother' ship where they picked up around 30 packages.

Draper allegedly told police that he 'panicked and accelerated' the boat when he spotted the Navy patrol boat three hours later.

Dru allegedly threw the packages into the ocean as Draper steered the dinghy, while the patrol boat stopped following them to retrieve the drugs, the court heard.

Dru Baggaley claims to be in a de facto relationship with Zoo magazine cover girl Jade Harland (pictured) for two years

A Queensland water police boat intercepted the pair and arrested them four hours later.

'The police investigation is still continuing in Australia. Police have identified additional potential members of the syndicate in Australia, including the applicant's brother, Nathan Baggaley,' Detective Toohey told the court.

Dru Baggaley, who claims to be a de facto relationship with Zoo magazine cover girl Jade Harland, said that the packages contained tobacco, not cocaine, while adding that he did not know other members of the alleged drug syndicate.

Ms Harland is the ex-girlfriend of drug kingpin Matthew Delander, who is serving a nine-year jail sentence.

Dru Baggaley, whose bail application was refused, has been charged with possessing a commercial quantity of drugs and drug importation. He could face life imprisonment if convicted.

The police investigation is ongoing.

Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Nathan Baggaley or Ms Harland are guilty of any offence.
Ashley Vaughan (pictured above) attacked his partner Kayleigh Evans with a steak knife

A jealous boyfriend who stabbed his partner seven times and left her to die on the sofa has been jailed for 13 years.

Ashley Vaughan attacked Kayleigh Evans in her home with a five-inch blade while she watched television on the sofa.

33-year-old Vaughan had been playing with a steak knife in the kitchen before he burst into the living room and stabbed 29-year-old Miss Evans under the ribcage telling her, 'if I can't have you no f***** can'.

The mother-of-three did not initially see the knife and thought she had been punched. Vaughan then stabbed her a second time.

Miss Evans pleaded with Vaughan and reminded him that she had children, which only further riled him.

He shouted: 'You should have thought about that before you started shagging my friend.'

Vaughan had been left reeling after he found out that Miss Evans had gone to a local pub with one of his friends whilst the pair were separated.

During the attack Miss Evans tried to call 999, however Vaughan kept pushing the phone away and then held something to her neck.

He whispered: 'Go on, grass on me and your f***ing kids are next. If I can't have you, no f***er can.'

The Crown Prosecution Service released gruesome photographs of Miss Evans' injuries which left her unable to go swimming with her children.

Miss Evans said: 'I've lost all my confidence. I panic when I see something like a steak knife. A wave of emotion hits me and it takes my breath away.

Kayleigh Evans was left with horrendous injuries (pictured above) after Ashley Vaughan attacked her

'It takes me back to the moment when he was leaning over me with that knife. These thoughts will never leave me and now I have to live with this for the rest of my life.'

Miss Evans has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and can't look at her scarred body in the mirror.

She said: 'I find myself looking for clothes that will cover me up. I can't bear the thought of going on holiday and wearing clothes that would reveal my scars.

Kayleigh Evans (pictured above) has said she doesn't know how she will explain the scars to her children

'I can't even face the thought of going swimming with my children. I don't know how I can explain the scars to them.

'I'm dreading starting a new relationship and having to explain it.'

Vaughan was given a restraining order in 2017 preventing him from contacting Miss Evans, who works as a health care support worker after their two-year relationship ended.

But they got back together earlier this year and Miss Evans confessed she had been out with one of Vaughan's friends.

He felt people were laughing behind his back because she had been to a local pub on a date.

Following the attack, Cardiff Crown Court heard how Vaughan then stormed off to a pub leaving Miss Evans for dead at her home in the village of Pentre, Rhondda, South Wales.

Kayleigh raised the alarm with neighbours and was airlifted to hospital for life-saving surgery. She woke up at the University Hospital of Wales three days later.

The court heard she had four stab wounds to the heart and chest area, two to her stomach and one to her arm where she tried to protect herself.

The Crown Prosecution Service released gruesome photographs of Kayleigh Evans' injuries (above) which left her unable to go swimming with her children

Vaughan handed his bloodstained clothing to bar staff at the Pandy Inn, Tonypandy, where police arrested him after finding him 'drunk and wobbly' on a barstool.

He admitted attempted murder and was given an 17-year extended sentence. He will have to serve at least two thirds of the 13-year custodial element before his case can be referred to the parole board.

Judge Eleri Rees ruled that Vaughan was a dangerous offender and told him: 'You left Kayleigh bleeding and struggling to breathe. You did nothing to help her.'

The court heard Vaughan was given a 20-week jail term, suspended for a year, for assaulting Miss Evans in her home and causing criminal damage in July, 2017, a year before he tried to kill her.

Detective Inspector Arabella Rees, praised Miss Evans' 'amazing courage'.

She said after the case: 'Vaughan will spend a considerable time behind bars, which is what he deserves for this brutal attack on Kayleigh in her own home.

'He left her for dead and went to the local pub for a drink in the hours that followed, despite of the desperate state that his victim was in.'

'I would like to pay tribute to Kayleigh, who has shown amazing courage during her recovery and I hope that she will now be able to put this behind her.'

Outside court Miss Evans said: 'With the help of my loving family and the right support, I will rebuild my life for myself and my children.

'I hope to find someone to love and protect me, like I thought Ashley would.'
A school has been forced to hire a security guard after teachers were knocked to the ground and kicked when they tried to protect a student being attacked by a group of people.

Ninestiles Academy in Acocks Green, Birmingham hired the guard after the fight outside the school gates on November 26.

A pupil and two staff members suffered minor injuries, prompting the school to add extra security.

Ninestiles Academy, in Acocks Green, Birmingham, has hired a security guard after staff were knocked over and kicked when trying to break up a fight

A spokesman for Ninestiles Academy confirmed that the guard had been working 'for a couple of weeks now' and that parents had been made aware of the security move through an email.

Andrea Stephens, co-head of the Academy, told Birmingham Live: 'We wrote to all parents around four weeks ago to say that we had taken the initiative by arranging an additional security presence at our front entrance.

'This followed an incident (on November 26) that involved an assault by people from outside the school.

'This measure adds another layer of care and safety to the wellbeing of our students as they leave the school.

'We are taking a tough stand on poor behaviour and will not tolerate unkind or rude behaviour from a very few students.'

The assault took place at the end of the school day on November 26.

A group of non-pupils assaulted a student of Ninestiles Academy - with teachers on duty rushing to his aid in an attempt to protect the student.

A West Midlands Police statement said: 'Police were called to reports of an assault at Ninestiles Academy in Hartfield Crescent, Acocks Green at around 3.45pm on Monday (26 November).

Ninestiles School, which educates 1,345 pupils aged 11-18 is rated outstanding by Ofsted inspectors

'It is believed a fight started between a group of people at the school gates. When teachers tried to intervene, they were knocked over and kicked.

'Two staff members and a student were left with minor injuries.'

Ninestiles School recently hit the headlines after it banned pupils from talking in the corridors.

Those caught talking face being punished with a 20-minute detention.

Ninestiles School, which educates 1,345 pupils aged 11-18 and is rated outstanding by Ofsted inspectors, wrote to parents about the change, many who were angry at the plan.

The letter said: All student movement including to and from assembly, at lesson changeover and towards communal areas at break and lunch will be carried out in silence. Students will leave school in silence following the conclusion of their last lesson.

Despite the talking ban, the school says pupils will be able to relax and socialise in allocated speaking areas.
Russia has successfully tested a hypersonic missile for the fifth time after President Vladimir Putin claimed there are 'no foreign equivalents' to his weapons.

U.S. intelligence sources claimed that America isn't able to defend itself against the mass destroyer which is due to join Russia's weaponry in 2022, reports CNBC.

The ship-based missile was reportedly last tested on December 10 and managed to reach a speed of Mach 8, which is the equivalent of around two miles per second.

One of the insiders suggested that the weapon, which has been undergoing tests since 2015, is designed to be used as a target on land as well as a sea vessel.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the annual meeting at the Russian Defence ministry headquarter in central Moscow

Tsirkon, as the device is being known, was able to endure prolonged flight which is an essential component of a hypersonic weapon.

This comes days after Mr Putin claimed that Russia's new weapons will help ensure the country's security for decades, because they have no foreign equivalent.

The Russian president, speaking during a meeting with military chiefs in Moscow, specifically mentioned the new Kinzhal hypersonic missile and the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle.

This file photo released by the Russian Defence Ministry in 2017 shows a Russian Ikskander-K missile being launched at the Luzhsky Range near St Petersburg

Computer images released by the Kremlin of their Avanguard warhead; they say that the weapons will be operational as early as 2019

Kinzhal has already been commissioned by the military; defence minister Sergei Shoigu said aircraft carrying the missiles have flown 89 patrol missions this year.

Mr Shoigu said the Avangard will enter service next year.

Earlier this year Mr Putin said that the ferocious missile delivery system could travel at 20 times the speed of sound and can launch missiles from the north and south poles within minutes - making it capable of penetrating any missile defence system.

A high altitude variant of the Russian MiG fighter jet can be used to launch the nuclear weapons

The Russians claim their system is also highly unpredictable due to an exceptional manoeuvrability, making them almost impossible to track.

Aircraft and missiles are said to be hypersonic once they exceed speeds of Mach 5 and above, or five times the speed of sound.

This occurs at 1,715 metres per second (3,836mph / 6,174kmh).

The latest class of hypersonic missiles would be smaller, guided and designed to carry conventional explosives for time-sensitive, rapid response in theatre operations.

Mr Putin described his hypersonic arsenal as 'invincible' during a state-of-the-nation address in March.

The latest revelation puts the U.S. under more pressure to keep up with Russia and China who are creating these missiles at an incredible speed.

A computer generated image of the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle which sails on top of the atmosphere at incredible speeds

However Co-director of the Nuclear Policy Programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, James Acton, has suggested that Russia and China would not out-run America's efforts.

He said: 'I don't necessarily agree with the characterisation that the U.S. is on its back foot. All of the evidence I see is that the U.S. has significantly more ambitious goals than the Russians and Chinese.

Mr Action added that although they do not want to ignore these results as the development of a missile like Tsirkon is still notable, he believes that the developments can sometimes be overestimated.
Nakisa Hoodfar (pictured), 31, admitted child abduction at Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, and was sentenced to two years imprisonment suspended for two years

A runaway mother who kidnapped her own four-year-old son and took him to Kuwait for three years to start a new life has been spared prison after the boy's father urged a judge not to jail her.

Restaurant manageress Nakisa Hoodfar, 31, tricked Kyle Wallwork into signing passport papers on the false basis she and their son were going on holiday to Spain.

But she then spirited the boy away 4,000 miles away from home for a new life in the middle-eastern country Kuwait.

Mr Wallwork - who was separated from Hoodfar - only realised he had been duped when he tried to speak to his son only to discover he was living in the Arab country with Hoodfar and her new boyfriend.

The 32-year old, from Warrington, Cheshire was barely able to contact the boy except by Skype and email and it is believed a warrant was issued at the High Court for the mother's arrest.

Hoodfar, from Stockport, Greater Manchester who went on to have two more children with her unnamed partner spent three years in Kuwait before returning to the UK of her own accord in July this year.

She and her partner got married and the boy now eight is currently living with them at an address in Withington, Manchester.

Hoodfar (right), 31, tricked Kyle Wallwork (left) into signing passport papers on the false basis she and their son were going on holiday to Spain

Mr Wallwork (right) only realised he had been duped when he tried to speak to his son (centre) only to discover he was living in the Arab country with Hoodfar (left) and her new boyfriend

In a statement Mr Wallwork said: 'She took my son from me for over three years knowing that I would not have consented. That's a massive chunk of his life I have missed.

'I am always thinking of what is best for my son and I don't want to remove him from his mother. I do get to see him most weekends. I don't want her to go to prison, but what she did cannot go unpunished.

'Those three years have lost me a massive amount of time with my son.'

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Hoodfar admitted child abduction and was sentenced to two years imprisonment suspended for two years.

The abduction occurred in July 2015 after Hoodfar who had custody of her son found love with a new boyfriend after splitting with Mr Wallwork.

Prosecuting, David Lees, said: 'Mr Wallwork was having regular contact with his son but the defendant asked for his consent to get a passport for the boy so she could take him on holiday to Spain.

'Mr wallwork agreed but became suspicious when he couldn't get hold of Miss Hoodfar.

In mitigation defence lawyer Kelly Cyples, said that Hoodfar (pictured) kept her son and his father in regular contact, and invited Mr Wallwork to Kuwait to see his son

'He kept trying until August 31, called the police then found out that she had taken their son to Kuwait, which she was not allowed to do.

'A court order was made for his return but it was not until July this year that he was returned, so three years after he was taken out of this jurisdiction.

'But she would enable Skype contact between the two of them while in Kuwait. She told Kyle that she left the country to have a new life in Kuwait with a new partner. She did, however, return on her own accord.'

In mitigation defence lawyer Kelly Cyples, said: 'She accepts that, with no family support, she made contact with her now husband and then made a decision to go out and see him.

'Ms Hoofar did not intend remain out of the country for the amount of time that she did.

'What she saw was refuge for her isolated life, caring for her son and holding down a job while taking on the stresses and strains of being a parent. All the responsibility fell on her.

'In Kuwait, she kept her son and his father in regular contact, and she invited Mr Wallwork to Kuwait to see his son, but he declined.

'She didn't have any knowledge that what she did was an offence of abduction, she didn't realise you could abduct your own child.

'Taking a child away from a parent is obviously an offence, but that was not in her mind. She fell pregnant twice in Kuwait, both were unplanned, and there is a law in Kuwait that prevents the mother travelling without her child without the father's permission.

'There's no risk now of the boy being taken out of this jurisdiction again. Since her return, she has secured employment and she looks after three children.

'She is the only person in the house who has a job as her husband cannot work yet in this country.

'Your honour will rightfully regard this as a serious offence and the custody threshold may have been passed, but I invite your honour to step back from an immediate custodial sentence.

'The impact of a custodial sentence would be devastating on the family and Mr Wallwork also doesn't want to see her sent to prison.'

The abduction occurred in July 2015 after Hoodfar (right) who had custody of her son found love with a new boyfriend after splitting with Mr Wallwork (left)

Hoodfar (pictured left and right), from Stockport, Greater Manchester went on to have two more children with her unnamed partner while in Kuwait - before returning three years later to the UK of her own accord in July this year

Sentencing Judge Tina Landale said: 'Mr Walwork made a court order for his son's return, but you ignored this and didn't return until three years later at a time when he was much more developed.

'You did enable Skype contact between father and son and you were still in email contact with Mr Wallwork.

'He said he does not want to see you go to jail. Your offence is extremely serious. It is particularly serious because of the lengthy period you abducted him for - three years.

'Your offence has caused damage to the emotional relationship with him and his father.

'You kept him out of the country despite knowing there was a court order for his return. You have shown a total disregard for the court process.

'In mitigation, you do offer some contact with his father now and you are co-operating with the authorities to re-establish their relationship. The boy's father thinks that he is best with you.

'The personal mitigation and, most importantly, your son's welfare allows me to suspend your sentence.

'This, in my view, is a lenient sentence and there's a lenient sentence because of the boy's welfare, and if there's any breach at all then it's likely this sentence will be activated.'
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Bizarre photographs taken at a World War One camp give a whole new meaning to the term 'theatre of war' as British prisoners dress up in drag to keep moral up while imprisoned by the Germans.

Snaps reveal a selection of amateur dramatic society performances at the Schweidnitz camp in East Germany.

Performers pose in a variety of costumes, including some in drag costumes in the front row. No corners have been cut when it comes to the costumes, as the men appear in full suits with dresses and wigs for those in drag

Another photograph of another cast who pose for the camera at the Schweidnitz camp in East Germany during World War One

The 'actors' during one of the scenes from their play. Again, some of the men are in drag while the men are in suits. Fake moustaches appear to have been attached to the faces of the men

Another photograph shows the 'actors' performing on stage. Performing was a popular way which the group used to keep their minds occupied while in captivity. Sometimes they would spend up to six hours a day trying to master the role

The incarcerated British soldiers seem to be taking their role in the strange production very seriously and have gone the extra mile with their costumes.

Two of the prisoners of war dressed up as Roman centurions, while another officer is a damsel in distress in the arms of their captors.

Tuxedos, evening gowns and police uniforms were also included as part of the costumes used by the prisoners.

The archive contains a programme and character list for one of the productions, the farce 'The Magistrate'.

The shows would be advertised in camp newspapers and magazines including 'The Barb' magazine.

The officer camps of World War One tended to be far more welcoming places than the Nazi Second World War equivalents and guards turned a blind eye to prisoners smuggling in cameras.

The album, which contains 40 photos, has now sold for 40 with auctioneer Lacy, Scott & Knight, of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

Glenn Pearl, specialist at Lacy, Scott & Knight, said: 'Amateur dramatic societies were a popular morale-boosting feature at the officers' POW camps during World War One, alongside sporting societies, orchestras and other groups.

'Part of the barracks would be transformed into a theatre with prisoners producing their own costumes and sets, an important mental diversion to help lift the tedium of prison life.

'These camps were a far cry from the squalid conditions of camps in popular imagination, which was mainly formed by the very different experiences of captives in World War Two.'

Cross-dressing has more commonly been associated with World War Two officers' PoW camps, where being chosen to perform as a women was a big responsibility.

Actors rehearsed six hours a day for three months to master the role, during which they were taught elocution and expression.

They also had their 'unsightly masculine limbs' shaved, eyebrows plucked, hair on their head grown long and were made up with grease paint, cosmetics and nail varnish.

A scene involving five officers, one as a damsel in distress in the arms of a captor. The scene of the play appears to be taking place in a field, with prop trees on the side with people hiding behind them. Another tree is in the middle of the set, where one of the actors hides behind

The actors, dressed to the hilt in suits and hats, sit around a table during a scene from a play. The cast seem in high sprirs with the middle man smiling for the camera and the others refusing to break character for the photograph

A domestic scene in one of the performances by incarcerated British officers. One plays the role of the house wife, much to the confusion of the other actor looking at a pair of checkered trousers

Two performers dressed as Roman Centurions behind a blank stage. The snaps reveal a selection of amateur dramatic society performances at the Schweidnitz camp in East Germany
China has hit back at US and UK after the two countries yesterday accused Beijing of hacking major firms around the world to steal secrets.

China's Foreign Ministry said today that it resolutely opposed 'slanderous accusations' from Washington after two Chinese nationals said to be linked to Beijing intelligence were charged with stealing confidential data from American government agencies.

Beijing also named Britain as it blasted U.S. allies, saying that Britain was 'fabricating rumours' and 'having ulterior motives'.

Britain blamed China for a campaign of global cyber attacks aimed at stealing business secrets from the UK and allied countries.

U.S. prosecutors have indicted two Chinese nationals on charges of hacking major corporations in America and around the world. Pictures of the pair are shown on a poster displayed during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC yesterday

Alleged Chinese hackers Zhu Hua (left) and Zhang Shilong (right) are accused of stealing data from government agencies and 'a who's who' of major corporations in the United States and nearly a dozen other nations, in an indictment announced on Thursday by US officials

U.S. prosecutors yesterday indicted two Chinese nationals believed to be linked to China's Ministry of State Security intelligence agency on charges of hacking major corporations in America and around the world.

Prosecutors charged Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong in hacking attacks against the U.S. Navy, the space agency NASA and the Energy Department and dozens of companies. The operation targeted intellectual property and corporate secrets to give Chinese companies an unfair competitive advantage, they said.

The pair were members of a hacking group known within the cyber security community as APT 10 and also worked for a Tianjin company Huaying Haitai Science and Technology Development Co, prosecutors said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying today urged that the U.S. withdraw charges against the pair.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying (pictured) today urged US, UK and their allied countries to stop 'fabricating slanderous rumours' to avoid damaging bilateral relations

Ms Hua added that China had never participated in or supported any stealing of commercial secrets and had lodged 'stern representations' with Washington.

'We urge the U.S. side to immediately correct its erroneous actions and cease its slanderous smears relating to internet security,' it said, adding that it would take necessary measures to safeguard its own cyber security and interests.

It has long been an 'open secret' that U.S. government agencies have hacked into and listening in on foreign governments, companies and individuals, the ministry added.

'The U.S. side making unwarranted criticisms of China in the name of so-called 'cyber stealing' is blaming others while oneself is to be blamed, and is self-deception. China absolutely cannot accept this.'

Britain's Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt yesterday blamed Beijing for the 'one of the most significant' cyber attacks ever made against the UK and its allies.

Britain's Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt (left with the PM Theresa May yesterday) blamed Beijing for a campaign of global cyber attacks aimed at stealing business secrets from the UK

It is claimed that the 'sustained' campaign has tried to steal secrets from global companies based in Europe, Asia and the United States.

In addition, British spies are said to have assessed 'with the highest level of probability' that China is to blame for the hacking of corporate giants - warning the attempts to breach security are 'almost certainly' continuing.

Mr Hunt demanded the Chinese offensive action 'stop', warning they breach international agreements made at the G20.

Chinese Foreign Ministry said China would not accept and firmly opposed the smears made by Britain and 'other individual countries'.

'We urge these countries to respect the truth and stop the deliberate slanders against China in order to not to damage our bilateral relations and cooperation in key sectors,' said spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

The accusations of cyber espionage against China came amid mounting tensions between Beijing and Washington due to the arrest of the chief financial officer of Chinese telecom giant Huawei in Vancouver on December 1.

Political tensions between China, Canada and the U.S. have been escalating after Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of Huawei, was arrested in Vancouver at Washington's request. Ms Meng (pictured after being released on bail), 46, is one of the most powerful women in China

Meng Wanzhou, one of China's most powerful woman, was arrested in Canada at the request of the United States - a move that has enraged Beijing while it is engaged in a trade war with Washington.

Ms Meng is accused by the United States of misleading multinational banks about Iran-linked transactions, putting the banks at risk of violating U.S. sanctions.

She was released on bail in Vancouver, where she owns two homes, while waiting to learn if she will be extradited to the United States.

She is due in court on Feb. 6.
Thirteen miners have been killed and ten are left injured after a methane explosion erupted in a black coal mine in the east of the Czech Republic, according to a spokesperson for the mining company.

The explosion took place at the CSM mine 875 yards (880 meters) underground in Karvina, in the east of the country near the border with Poland on Thursday afternoon.

Rescuers initially discovered five dead miners and reported eight as missing, however all eight bodies have now been found deceased.

Mining rescue workers prepare their equipment as they head into the shaft in Karvina, near the Czech-Polish border, were five people were killed in an explosion on Thursday evening

Ivo Celechovsky, spokesman for the OKD mining company, reported that 11 of the miners were Polish and two were Czech.

The blast caused devastation in some underground work areas with poor visibility obstructing the efforts of rescue units.

Celechovsky said the fire was still burning, with rescuers building barriers to stop it from spreading.

Three rescue workers at the CSM coal mine where an explosion tore through the shaft

He added they would work there at least until Sunday.

Nada Chattova, a spokeswoman for the hospital in the nearby city of Ostrava, said two men had been treated at its burn centre.

'One was brought in by a helicopter, he is still in a critical condition. The other one is in a stable condition and his life is not in danger.'

One miner with a less severe injury was taken to a hospital in Karvina and seven were treated on the spot, also with lighter injuries, Czech media said.

People wait for information at the entrance to the mine where five workers were killed

'The blast at the CSM mine is a huge tragedy,' tweeted Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who will travel to the site on Friday morning along with his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki.

The prime ministers talked on the phone after the accident, Morawiecki said in a tweet, adding that Polish rescuers had also been sent to the mine.

Celechovsky said on Thursday the dead Polish miners were from the Poland-based Alpex mining company.

A mining rescue worker walks near the gate of the CSM coal mine near the Polish border

'We're one big family, it's a terrible tragedy,' a Czech miner told the local Polar TV.

'I was supposed to be there, I work with these teams every day. They sent me to work somewhere else today,' said a Polish miner.

'I feel like crying,' he told Polar TV.

OKD, which runs the mine, is controlled by the Czech state and expects to extract about five million tonnes of coal this year.

The accident is the most serious one at a Czech mine since 1990 when 30 miners died following methane combustion at another mine in Karvina.
The father of an escort who was bludgeoned to death by a City banker shouted 'scum' as her killer was taken away to start a life sentence today.

Christina Abbotts suffered catastrophic head injuries when she was beaten with a kitchen pestle by Zahid Naseem after a drug and alcohol-fuelled night of sex.

Her father, Michael, confronted the killer as he was led into a prison van this morning, having been ordered to serve at least 19 years for the murder.

After weeks of watching Naseem deny the charge and even claim Ms Abbotts attacked him, her father could not control his emotion outside Lewes Crown Court.

He shouted: 'You killed my f***ing daughter. He killed my f***ing daughter.'

Fighting back tears he added: 'You b*****d, you should be ashamed of yourself. You're scum. You're scum.'

Michael Abbotts, the father of murdered Christina Abbotts, shouted at his daughter's killer, Zahid Naseem, through a door at Lewes Crown Court today after Naseem was jailed for life

Her family told of their devastation today as they face Christmas without their daughter

Ms Abbotts (left) led a secret life as a high-class escort before she was attacked and killed by City financier Naseem (right) during a night of sex and drugs in Sussex. The pair were seen in a supermarket before the attack, with Naseem kissing Ms Abbotts in one of the aisles (right)

Police discovered Ms Abbotts battered body after being alerted by her friends when she failed to turn up at her 29th birthday party.

Naseem was today jailed for life and ordered to serve 19 years before he can apply for parole.

Miss Abbotts' devastated parents Michael and Pirrko and brother Stephen wept in the public gallery as a victim impact statement was read to the court.

In the statement Michael Abbotts, a retired BT engineer, said the family had worried constantly about their daughter living in London.

He said: 'As parents living in the West Midland we constantly worried for her safety and financial circumstances whilst living away in London. But she was so proud she always told us she was okay.

'We miss her coming home to visit is as she always managed to brighten up our lives, always happy and positive; now life seems like it will never be the same again.

'I was hoping one day to walk her down the aisle, she would have been such a beautiful bride and instead we had to take her in a coffin.'

Zahid Naseem has been jailed for life for murdering escort Christina Abbotts in a champagne and cocaine-fuelled attack

He said Christmas would be 'bleak' for the family as the details of her life and the murder resurfaced throughout the trial and take them back to the day they heard she had been killed.

He added: 'May she rest in peace. We love you Christina and miss you so much.'

Jailing Naseem at Lewes Crown Court today, Judge Christine Laing said Miss Abbotts had chosen a profession which had always been dangerous.

She said: 'She had chosen to earn her money in a business that is as old time and one that has always carried with it huge risks and dangers, as this case sadly demonstrates.'

Judge Laing said Naseem had presented as a well-spoken, educated, professional man who was looking for a good time but that the reality was very different.

'Your unsettled work situation was causing you considerable stress.,' she said. 'You seem to have become obsessed with escorts and you had a drugs and alcohol addition that was becoming out of control.

Christina Abbotts lived a secret life as a high-class escort, but told her friends and family she worked in IT. Her father, Michael, told the court: 'I was hoping one day to walk her down the aisle... instead we had to take her in a coffin.'

Naseem struck Ms Abbotts 13 times on the head with this pestle after a night together

Victim's grieving family were unaware of her double life as escort Ms Abbotts did not tell friends or relatives that she was earning thousands as an escort. In a tribute yesterday, her parents of paid tribute to their 'loving, caring' daughter and said the picture painted of her in court did not fully reflect who she was. 'It has not been mentioned but we would like to clarify that Christina held many legitimate jobs in estate agency and events,' they said in a statement on Thursday. 'She is not here to defend herself in this case and the way she has been portrayed does not reflect and define our Christina. 'What has been highlighted in this case does not change the fact that she was a loving, caring and loyal daughter, sister, niece and friend.' Advertisement

Naseem stayed in the flat for 12 hours after the murder - drinking, taking drugs and sending pornographic pictures and videos of himself performing sex acts to other escorts.

The father-of-two, who had huge debts despite a 250,000 salary, then claimed his 5ft 4ins victim tried to throttle him during a sex game.

Miss Abbotts, who studied at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester and Oxford Brookes University, told friends she was an IT consultant in London.

But in reality she was living a secret life as an escort girl charging 2,000 a time under the pseudonym Tilly Pexton.

She advertised her services online and met clients in luxury hotels in London and at a rented flat in Crawley, West Sussex.

The money allowed her to mix with a wide circle of 'posh' friends and she enjoyed the high-life, dining at 350-ahead restaurants and attending Royal Ascot and polo matches.

Lewes Crown Court heard she met Naseem, who was working for the Toronto-Dominion Bank, after he contacted her through a website.

He had become estranged from his long-term partner and was spending huge sums on drink, drugs and prostitutes.

This is the moment police stormed a flat to find Ms Abbotts dead and Naseem feigning unconsciousness in his dressing gown on the sofa (pictured)

Despite an outwardly successful career, Naseem was sacked from his last job at Aberdeen Asset Management after running up a 20,000 'entertaining' bill.

Miss Abbotts was preparing to celebrate her birthday at a hotel but was contacted by Naseem the previous evening and agreed to meet him at her Crawley flat.

After travelling by taxi from his Amersham home, the pair were caught on CCTV at Asda buying bottles of champagne.

The following day she received texts from friends and family wishing her a happy birthday and replied but did not attend her party.

Prosecutor Christopher Tehrani said Naseem launched the 'brutal' attack because he was angry that she was ignoring him.
Charles Dickens wrote in Oliver Twist that very sage, very deep British leaders established the rule that all poor people should have the alternative  of being starved by a gradual process in the [poor]house, or by a quick one out of it. If one were to believe a recent UN report on poverty, the fate of the poor remains Dickensian.

Or rather, Hobbesian, as UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston quoted the philosophers ubiquitous description of life as solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short in his preliminary statement on British poverty.

Yet Alston misrepresented the extent and depths of poverty and misdiagnosed its causes, while dismissing the most proven antidote to child poverty.

Confusing poverty with inequality and anecdotes with data

The UK follows much of Europe in measuring income inequality, which it defines as poverty; specifically, anyone making less than 60 percent of the median income is considered poor. In fact, Alston derided the notion the very notion of so called absolute poverty.

But the emphasis on relative equality leads to strange results. Alston reprimanded the UK while praising Mauritania for making significant progress in alleviating poverty, although 42 percent of the latter nation lives on less than 1,000 a year.

Alston belittled the May governments contention that there is no extreme poverty in the UK, and nothing like the levels of destitution seen in other countries. He then proceeded to quote a number of personal stories shared with him at food banks.

But the plural of anecdote is not data and, as Nobel-winning economist Paul Samuelson wrote in Newsweek in 1967, Anecdotes do not constitute social science.

What really matters is the average familys ability to afford necessities, and the verifiable facts paint a much different picture.

A mere six percent of people said they find it quite or very difficult to get by financially  less than half the number who reported being hard-pressed in 2012  according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS). As median household incomes have exceeded their pre-recession highs, the percentage of people satisfied with their household income has spiked since 2002.

Furthermore, Alston ignores key evidence from the ONS which shows incomes actually increased for the lowest income quintile over the period 2008 to 2017, writes Richard Norrie at the London-based Institute of Economic Affairs.

Given real problems in places like sub-Saharan Africa  where Alstons office typically focuses  why was he in the UK at all?

Associating austerity and Brexit with poverty

Alston said he made his offices fourth visit to a developed Western country in part because he wanted his study to help Brits better understand the implications of an austerity approach, which emphasizes cutting social spending.

Poverty is a political choice Alston said. Austerity could easily have spared the poor  but the political choice was made to fund tax cuts for the wealthy instead.

But tax cuts are not an expenditure. (They merely allow people to keep more of the money they earned.) The bemoaned austerity was never terribly austere, and Chancellor Philip Hammonds most recent budget boosted spending by 32 billion over last year.

Furthermore, he felt Brexit  the UKs exit from a supranational government  created an opportune time for the UN to intervene. His statement warns that fears and insecurity fueled the Brexit vote. Leaving the EU will contract the economy by as much as eight percent, and the poor will be substantially less well off than they already are.

In reality, the UKs economy outperformed expectations. Economic growth hit a two-year high this year. The greatest threat to the market is uncertainty which is caused, in large part, by the doubtful future facing the Brexit-light deal offered by Theresa May.

The government rightly assessed the extraordinary political nature of the report as wholly inappropriate.

Dismissing the poverty cure

Alston chided the UK government for highlighting the fact that unemployment has reached a 40-year low, because being in employment does not magically overcome poverty.

However, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS)  far from a Conservative Party institution  noted in a study last year that the rate of persistent poverty for children in households that have had someone in work in each of the last four years is just 5%  On the other hand, children in households that have had no one in work for at least three of the last four years account for slightly over 40%.

Put another way, employment is the most effective way to reduce child poverty, Alstons purported concern.

The only persistently depressing metric in the panoply of data offered by the ONS is the stubborn percentage of young Britons classified as NEETs: those in their prime working years who are Not in Education, Employment or Training.

The message they most need is not another political jeremiad blaming their problems on politicians who are too stingy with other peoples money. Young people at risk need to hear that unlocking their potential could change their lives, their communities, and possibly the world for the better.

The Catholic mystic Catherine of Siena once advised a young man, If you are what you ought to be, you will set fire to all Italy. The talents latent in every human heart can illumine every nation in the world.

If only Alston had delivered such a hope-filled message to children of God who find themselves sidelined in their own lives.

(Photo credit: An illustration of Oliver Twist. Public domain.)
Uzbekistan relocates the production of cars to Kyrgyzstan and opens a joint structure set up for cotton processing, textile production and tailoring in the republic. These are the first steps of the roadmap on trade, economic and investment cooperation, signed in Osh by the heads of government of the two countries, Abdulla Aripov and Muhammedkaliy Abylgaziyev. However, border issues remain unresolved.

Kyrgyz Minister of Economy Oleg Pankratov told journalists about the plans for future cooperation between Bishkek and Tashkent. According to him, the parties are discussing the possibility of opening an assembly shop for the production of cars in Kyrgyzstan. Uzbekistan already has experience in relocating production to neighboring countries, in particular, to Kazakhstan. A joint venture was established on the basis of the two countries' leading factories - GM Uzbekistan, SamAuto and Asia-Auto. According to experts, this is an attempt by Uzbek automakers to circumvent restrictions on the export of Uzbek cars within the EEU, where Uzbek cars are subject to serious restrictive measures, related to the localization of passenger cars production.

In the case of Kyrgyzstan, as noted by Oleg Pankratov, in addition to membership in the EEU, the republic is a member of the WTO and participates in the GSP+, which enables Kyrgyz exporters to deliver goods to the EU at zero tariff rates, that is, virtually duty free. "Without possessing geographic preferences, our country is a confident competitor in Central Asia," Pankratov noted. The minister stressed that Uzbekistan is interested in entering the European market, but does not yet have such status. He also noted the difficulties of entering the EU market. "Unfortunately, there are other problems in trade, besides tariffs. There are many other factors affecting trade volumes. It is very difficult to multiply trade volumes to the European Union because we are far away and the transport leg increases the cost of our products," Pankratov said. The minister added that the second reason is the EU's complicated technical regulation procedures. "The requirements themselves are not as complicated as the procedure for confirming the compliance of goods with the regulations. This also complicates the EU markets entry by our products. Nevertheless, even by removing barriers in the form of tariffs, we were able to increase exports and became more interesting for investors," the minister noted.

In the meantime, Kyrgyzstan imports cars, agricultural machinery, mineral fertilizers, cable products, rubber products, ceramic tiles, yarn, linen and even lemons from the neighboring country. As for the Kyrgyz products going to Uzbekistan, its list is limited. At the meeting in Osh, the resumption of potato supplies was discussed. The parties agreed to speed up the procedure for issuing permits for the import and export of regulated products. There have been cases of raw materials supplies from the quarries located in the southern regions of Kyrgyzstan. In a short time, the trade turnover between the countries doubled and reached $325 million.

The researcher at the Center for the Study of Central Asia, the Caucasus and Urals-Volga Region of the Institute for Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Alexander Vorobyov, told Vestnik Kavkaza that Uzbekistan is interested in Kyrgyzstan primarily due to its market and as a transit country. "The republic is part of the EEU. But it is perceived as an outsider in this integration union, because Kyrgyzstan cannot yet offer a large range of its products to the EEU market. Therefore, it uses its transit potential," the expert noted. This is a good niche for Uzbekistan, which it can enter with its products. And for Kyrgyzstan, it also creates jobs.

According to Vorobyov, expanding cooperation is a useful step for both Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. In addition to the economic dimension, there is also a political one: good first-person relations will promote the development of industries in Kyrgyzstan. In addition, Uzbekistan will strengthen its influence in the neighboring republic, especially since 14% of southern Kyrgyzstan's population are ethnic Uzbeks. Diaspora becomes an instrument of Uzbekistan's influence in Kyrgyzstan. Which means that many citizens will be provided with jobs.

Kyrgyz MP Ulan Primov, speaking with Radio Azatlyk (Radio Liberty), noted that it is important for Kyrgyzstan to use the potential of a strong Uzbek economy and the country's investment opportunities. "We must learn from their success and share our achievements with them. At the same time, Kyrgyzstan should always put its national interests first in cooperation with any state. For example, we are interested in buying many Uzbek goods. Their fruit and vegetables ripen 15-20 days faster than in Kyrgyzstan. This year, Uzbek farmers managed to sell their agricultural products through us not only to our market, but even to the EEU markets. And this situation had a negative impact not just on the Kyrgyz peasants. Our government has failed to take timely and necessary measures to protect interests of domestic farmers," the MP said.

If on trade and economic cooperation the two countries' delegations had no disagreement, then the border issues have yet remain unresolved. The delimitation of the Kyrgyz-Uzbek state border is planned to be completed in the near future, in order to begin the demarcation process. The heads of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan signed an agreement on on coordination of 85% of the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border in September last year. Issues on the remaining 15% of state borders linked to enclaves/exclaves remain unresolved. This not only creates tensions at the local level, but also contributes to the preservation of gray areas on the border, where criminals are more powerful than public authorities. Moreover, the successful resolution of border issues would be pretty convenient for Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, whose administration has recently been experiencing difficulties with successes that could be reported to the public.

"Bishkek has other concerns - fierce political battles around ex-President Almazbek Atambayev, who criticizes the new head of state. This provokes a political crisis. Local politicians consider these fights as something titanic and epoch-making. However, in reality they are just political microbiology, which has remote connections to the real problems of Kyrgyzstan. There is no doubt that these controversial 15% will still be involved in the legal space, but thanks to Tashkent's efforts and emerging economic realities," Deputy Director General of the Center for Strategic Estimations and Forecasts Igor Pankratenko told Vestnik Kavkaza.
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Around 30 police officers have been injured during violent clashes with pro-independence protesters in Barcelona today as riot police grappled with Catalan separatists.

The brutal conflict was sparked after the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez began a cabinet meeting in the regional capital Barcelona in an attempt at reconciliation.

The riot squad officers, members of Catalonias regional Mossos dEsquadra force, were hurt as they tried to stop masked demonstrators reaching the city centre venue chosen by Mr Sanchez for his weekly meeting.

Officers dragged masked demonstrators off highways and beat them with batons as they attempted to march closer to the Llotja de Mar where the meeting was taking place.

Protesters swarmed the streets and launched smoke bombs at the riot police who had been deployed to protect the area, after Mr Sanchez flew to Barcelona to meet with the region's pro-secession president, Quim Torra.

A woman scuffles with members of the Catalan regional police force during the protests sparked by a cabinet meeting held by PM Pedro Sanchez in Barcelona

Catalan riot police charge against demonstrators as they try to approach the site where Spain's cabinet held a meeting

Security forces intervene in protesters at the Llotja de Mar as one man wearing a skull mask brandishes a twig

Pro-independence supporters called the protests to show their disgust at Sanchez's decision to lead his weekly Cabinet meeting in Barcelona in a show of resolve against full independence.

The cabinet meeting usually takes place in Madrid but Prime Minister Sanchez's Socialist government decided to hold it in the Catalan capital as part of efforts to reduce tensions.

It appeared to have the opposite effect in some streets of the capital of the northeastern region, which last year made a failed attempt to break away from Spain.

A riot police holds his baton up at demonstrators to prevent them from approaching the cordoned off area

It appeared that the time of the meeting - a year to the day after Madrid held snap elections in the region after blocking its move for independence - offended some Catalans.

Textile worker Carles Serra, 45 said: 'This is a provocation. They have come here to provoke us.

Protester Joan Toll lamented lack of progress after an illegal referendum and self-declaration of independence in 2017, she said: 'If you think about what has happened in the last year, we have achieved nothing. We are only being repressed more.

'No one wants to see violence but people are getting tired.'

Catalan pro-independence supporters throw smoke bombs against the Mossos dAEsquadra as they protest

Mossos dAEsquadra officers arrest a Catalan pro-independence supporter who had been detained on the ground

- A member of the Catalan regional police force Mossos d'Esquadra kicks a smoke bomb thrown by protesters

Dozens of protesters, some wearing high-visibility vests, sat on the AP 7 highway, which runs down the Mediterranean coast, with their hands held in the air as police in riot gear pulled them from the road.

Protesters threw metal barriers and stones at officers and tried to breach a police barrier a few hundred metres from where the meeting was taking place.

It is currently believed that 11 protesters have been arrested during the demonstration, which was initially supposed to be a peaceful protest.

However, several thousand other demonstrators gathered peacefully near the city's Franca rail station. Some held signs reading: 'Occupying forces, out'.

A woman gestures for calm opposite members of the Catalan regional police force Mossos d'Esquadra as police dragged Catalan separatist protesters off highways on Friday

A demonstrator runs towards a police van with a stick as protests unfold in the streets of Barcelona

One man was arrested in central Barcelona carrying materials that could be used to build an explosive device, the regional Mossos police force said on Twitter.

Around 40 roads were affected by the protests, local media said.

The Catalan regional government, led by a coalition of pro-secession parties, is also supporting the protests despite an agreement with central authorities to work on a solution to the political crisis that has festered since Catalonia's failed secession attempt last year.

Members of the regional police force Mossos d'Esquadra detain a protester during the protest which was held after a cabinet meeting sparked fury due to its show of resolve against full independence

Officers push towards the swarm of protesters who have gathered in the street to take action against the cabinet meeting

Riot police apprehend a protester who is wearing a face covering and sunglasses during the outbreak

A police officer clashes with a masked protester in the street as a woman next to them holds up her hands

Members of the Catalan regional police force Mossos d'Esquadra stand guard

Protesters remove crowd control barricades during scuffles with police

Members of CDR stop the traffic as they march towards the Llotja de Ma carrying banners which say 'no pass'

Following the meeting the Spanish government appeared to have taken the first step to nullify a court-martial trial that led to the execution in 1940 of Lluis Companys, the Catalan regional president arrested by the German Nazi secret police in France and handed over to the regime of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco.

Spain's Socialist administration also proposed renaming Barcelona airport in honor of Josep Tarradellas, who headed the Catalan government in exile during the dictatorship.

Government Spokeswoman Isabel Celaa also confirmed nationwide measures previously announced: The country's monthly minimum wage will be raised from 736 to 900 euros ($1,019).

Civil servants' salaries will increase 2.5 per cent starting on January 1, as part of an effort to adjust incomes to the economic recovery after years of austerity.

Protesters try to build a barricade as others want to prevent it near where the meeting is being held

Catalan police prevent demonstrators from approaching the area by acting as a human wall against the protesters

Demonstrators gesture as they confront police officers during a stand off in the street where protesters held the region's flag

A member of the Catalan regional police force Mossos d'Esquadra kicks a smoke bomb thrown by protester

The 22 per cent minimum wage hike is part of the Socialists' deal to pass the country's 2019 budget with the support of Podemos, an anti-austerity party.

After their second meeting since both took power earlier this year, Sanchez and Catalonia's president, Torra, issued a joint statement on Thursday calling for dialogue to settle the conflict over the future of the northeastern region.

'Despite the notable differences about its origin, nature and ways of resolution,' the statement said, both governments 'share the commitment for effective dialogue that is linked to a political proposal that has the backing of a large part of Catalan society.'

That outcome was beyond the low expectations that had been placed before the talks, when disagreement over their scope and format kept officials negotiating until the very last minute.

A protester motions to throw something during the conflict between protesters and police

Police officers detain a demonstrator as campaigners took to the streets to show their disgust at Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's decision to lead his weekly Cabinet meeting in Barcelona

Members of the independence CDR gather in the streets of Barcelona before heading to the meeting

A woman with a Spanish flag faces the independence Catalan group Defense Committee of the Republic

Members of CDR stop the traffic as they march towards the Llotja de Mar where a Spains Cabinet meeting is being held

Catalan riot Police officers remove a protester while breaking a road block

Catalan riot Police officers remove protesters while breaking a road block

Spanish police vans drive in Barcelona's port area while dozens of protesters elsewhere sat on the AP 7 highway, which runs down the Mediterranean coast

Catalan pro-independence protesters stand behind crowd control barricades during the demonstration

Riot police guard as a woman with Spanish flag confronts demonstrators with Esteladas (Catalan separatist flags)

Pro-independence demonstrators march on a major road near the port of Barcelona

Protesters shout and jeer while holding banners while the cabinet meeting took place

Police forces take cover behind rubbish bins as they hold up their riot shields

Police forces take security measures as officers stand guard on the roof of a nearby building

But despite the progress, distrust prevailed. Security in the prosperous northeastern region, normally in the hands of the Catalan police, has been reinforced with hundreds of anti-riot officers sent by Spain's national police forces for Friday's ministers' meeting.

The venue, a 14th-century Gothic palace in downtown Barcelona, was shielded with various security cordons and fences, with anti-riot police and vehicles keeping protesters away from it.

There were moments of tension early Friday when regional Mossos d'Esquadra officers used batons to disperse protesters and open a major road near Barcelona's port.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, centre rear, presides over a weekly Cabinet meeting with government ministers held in Barcelona

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, centre, poses with government ministers before the meeting

A protester holding a stone gestures someone stood in the street wearing a hooded jacket and mask

Catalan police prevent a sea of people moving towards the area where the cabinet meeting is being held

Demonstrators clash with police as the officers hold up riot shields and step forward brandishing batons

Most of the protesters covered their faces with scarves as they took part in the demonstration

A girl who had covered her face with a black mask stood among the protesters in the streets of Barcelona

The area where the cabinet meeting was held was cordoned off by police who put up barriers to stop protesters

Police officers push back demonstrators during a protest against Spain's cabinet meeting with riot shields

Protesters run for cover from a member of the Catalan regional police force Mossos d'Esquadra during a scuffle

A Catalan pro-independence supporter (R) tries to prevent masked protesters from dumping garbage containers

A protester raises a crowd control barricade opposite members of the Catalan regional police force

Riot police face demonstrators who hold banners and flags in the crowd of angry protesters

Sanchez, who has been harshly criticised by the right-wing opposition for his meeting with Torra, wants to send the signal that the Spanish government should be able to hold its Cabinet meeting in anywhere in Spain.

He has also presented the visit as 'a way of showing affection to Catalonia.' But many separatists see it as a provocation, coming a year after a snap regional election called as a way out of last year's independence attempt.

More than one year after an illegal referendum on a split from Spain, the wealthy northeastern region of 7.5 million people is still bitterly divided.

Sanchez's choice of venue was both a show of resolve against full independence and also part of a strategy to secure the survival of his minority government with the aid of Catalonian pro-independence parties by offering them some more autonomy.

Members of CDR march towards the Llotja de Mar holding a banner which reads 'no'

Around 40 roads were affected by the protests, local media said

Last year, dozens were injured in numerous confrontations between national police and pro-independence protesters.

There were further signs of a spirit of compromise as four of the leaders ended a hunger strike, and their party said it would support Sanchez's broad plan for the national budget in 2019 and 2020, currently blocked.

The region unilaterally declared independence in October 2017, triggering Spain's worst political crisis in decades and prompting the previous conservative central government to seize control there for several months.

Pro-Independence demonstrators walk in downtown Barcelona waving Esteladas

Spain's constitution prohibits regions from breaking away.

The Socialists control fewer than a quarter of seats in the Madrid parliament and need the support of smaller parties, including Catalan nationalists, to pass legislation.

Failure to approve the 2019 budget could topple Sanchez's government, raising the possibility of a right-of-centre government with stronger centralist preferences coming to power - a risk some Catalan politicians would prefer to avoid.

A radical separatist group, the Committees for the Defence of the Republic (CDR), blocked a dozen main roads from around dawn on Friday, regional transport authorities said.

'We will be ungovernable on December 21,' the group repeatedly tweeted.

A grassroots separatist organisation, ANC, urged supporters to block the streets of Barcelona with their vehicles Friday.

About 20 pro-independence groups, including the ANC, called on their supporters to march through the streets of Barcelona at 6pm.

During last year's independence vote in Catalonia, Spanish police attempted to shut down impromptu voting stations, provoking international outcry with the use of batons and rubber bullets in melees that injured dozens.

Members of CDR stop the traffic and cause chaos on the streets as they make their way to the Cabinet meeting

Catalan riot police block access to demonstrators who are heading towards the venue
Zhaoyan Li (pictured above) has bombarded Professor Alex Edmans with calls emails and messages

An obsessive accountant who demanded a leading professor become her lover and mentor faces jail for stalking.

Zhaoyan Li became infatuated with Professor Alex Edmans after she heard him speak at a careers event.

The 40-year-old then started to attend Professor Edmans' church and even gate-crashed his fitness classes, 'appearing from the shadows' when a group picture needed to be taken.

She bombarded him with texts, calls and emails, which eventually led to Professor Edmans saving her contact details under the name 'Dirty Pervert'. She also booked a trip to the same destination as Professor Edmans so that she could continue to follow him.

Oxford-educated Professor Edmans, 38, who has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos and testified to Parliament was eventually too distressed to answer his office phone and quit regular activities.

Li, who currently lives in the Canary Wharf area of London, was convicted of stalking Professor Edmans between February 1, 2017 and September 13, this year.

During the hearing Li told the City of London Magistrates Court she may kill herself if convicted. She is set to be sentenced at the Old Bailey at a later date.

Professor Alex Edmans (pictured above) had saved Li's number under 'Dirty Pervert'

From behind a screen Professor Edmans told the court that Li enjoyed taking photographs of him working out at a Hyde Park boot camp fitness club and groped his biceps after a class.

She began stalking him after he spoke at accountancy giants PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) 'Finding Purpose In Your Career' seminar early last year.

'She said she wanted to become a partner at PwC, which was strange because she wasn't even a trainee,' he explained.

Zhaoyan Li told the City of London Magistrates' Court (pictured above) that she might kill herself if she is convicted

'She asked me if I was happy to have dinner with her because she had some questions about her career and I told her I had to go home.

'I went to Marks & Spencer's and when I left she was waiting for me outside and followed me on the westbound tube even though she lived in the opposite direction and sat next to me.'

Li then joined a Surrey getaway hosted by Professor Edmans' All Souls Church breakfast club.

Zhaoyan Li is set to be sentenced at the Old Bailey (pictured above) at a later date

'Every mealtime she'd sit next to me and try to talk to me, even if I was talking to other people and this was annoying. She was trying to encroach on me and continually interrupting conversations I was having.'

The professor admits he eventually resorted to getting physical. 'I squeezed the pressure points on her knee to cause a bit of pain.'

However, Li claims she took this under-the-table knee squeeze as a 'come on' of a sexual nature.

Li started turning up at the London Business School (pictured above) in order to use the internal phones

Professor Edmans was bombarded with WhatsApp and Facebook messages from Li, who suddenly appeared at his workout class when a picture needed to be taken.

'Out from the shadows Ms Li jumped up and said: 'I'll take the group photo.' She must have been on the side-lines watching.

'She started touching my biceps, which was not solicited and then started coming to the boot camp, not to participate, but to take photos, presumably of me working out.

'I blocked her on Facebook, but then she contacted me through other means, I blocked her on WhatsApp and saved her as 'Dirty Pervert.'

'She wanted to be in a relationship with me. It was as if she thought she had the right to have a relationship with me.'

In one message Li wrote: 'I want a Mr. Right who loves me and cares about my feelings.'

Eventually All Souls Church banned her and Professor Edmans reported her to the police, who gave Li an official warning in January.

'She then started coming to the London Business School campus and using the internal phone and called me on February 14 to say: 'Happy Valentines Day.'

'Normal things like checking emails filled me with horror and dread and each time I saw her number my heart sank because this ordeal was continuing.'

Eventually a panic alarm was fitted at the professor's office and he quit the boot camp and church breakfast club after Li booked herself on their Canary Islands vacation.

'I thought: 'There's no getting away from her if she turns up in Lanzarote for the entire eight days.'

Li constantly tried to delay and adjourn the trial and told the magistrates: 'If I get a criminal record I may commit suicide.'
A touching article said to be written by the chief financial officer of Chinese telecom giant Huawei as she faces possible extradition to the U.S. has been revealed.

Chinese national Meng Wanzhou () was arrested in Vancouver on December 1 under a U.S. warrant and has been released on bail by a Canadian court.

She wrote in her diary that she was moved by the help and encouragement extended to her from strangers during 'the difficult times'.

She wrote: 'There is true love in the world. It wasn't until I had to face a crisis did I realise I had been cared for by so many strangers.'

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A diary entry written by Meng Wanzhou after she was released on bail has been revealed. The 46-year-old Huawei CFO (pictured in a file photo) said in the article that she burst into tears after knowing many people had offered to help her when she was going through difficult times

Ms Meng wrote that her lawyer told her many strangers had proposed to offer sureties for her bail with their savings. One of Meng's fans is pictured holding a sign in support of Huawei outside of the B.C. Supreme Court during a bail hearing of the executive on December 10

The 46-year-old, daughter of Huawei's billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei, is facing possible extradition to the U.S. She said in her diary that she believed 'good things will eventually happen to kind people'.

The entry was published today on Huawei Xinsheng, a forum for the company's 180,000 employees. It was uploaded by an account identified as Huawei's department of public and government relations.

The post claimed that Ms Meng had kept a diary for many years and this entry was written on December 19, eight days after she was granted bail by a Canadian court.

It was written after one of Ms Meng's supporters from Japan sent her a letter last week to encourage her and express gratitude towards Huawei.

Ms Meng exits the court registry after she was released on bail by the British Columbia Superior Courts in Vancouver on December 11. She is facing possible extradition to the U.S

Ms Meng said in the article that she was touched by all the people who supported her despite the fact that they didn't know her personally.

She said she burst into tears on the day she was released on bail when her lawyer told her that many strangers had proposed to offer sureties for her with their savings.

'Even if they never met me or even knew about me, they knew Huawei and recognised Huawei, therefore they were willing to trust me,' Ms Meng wrote.

She then discussed in details how she travelled to Japan in 2011 after the earthquake to direct the repairing and rebuilding works on the ground.

The diary entry was published today on a forum for the firm's 180,000 employees (pictured)

She said she felt comforting and proud while receiving the letter from the stranger from Japan and she believed the support she got during the case was a reward for the good deeds Huawei had done.

Ms Meng, one of the most powerful women in China, is accused by the United States of misleading multinational banks about Iran-linked transactions, putting the banks at risk of violating U.S. sanctions.

She was released on bail in Vancouver, where she owns two homes, while waiting to learn if she will be extradited to the United States.

She is due in court on Feb. 6.
The BBC faces potential restrictions in Russia in response to an Ofcom ruling that found TV station RT broke impartiality rules after the Salisbury novichok attack.

RT which critics have branded a 'propaganda mouthpiece for the Russian state', failed to preserve due impartiality in seven news programmes over a six-week period, Ofcom said yesterday.

The watchdog is now considering sanctions, which, if imposed, could range from a statement read out on air, a fine, or, as a last resort, revocation of their licence.

This morning, the Kremlin's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova said Britain's actions against the Russian broadcaster leave Moscow with no option but to respond in kind.

The Kremlin also claimed BBC coverage was 'tendentious and politically motivated' and that questions over its reporting had accumulated over a long time.

It comes after Russia's media regulator Roskomnadzor said it would carry out checks to determine if the BBC World News channel and BBC internet sites complied with Russian law, a move it described as a response to British pressure on RT.

The BBC faces a potential ban in Russia in response to an Ofcom ruling that found TV station RT broke impartiality rules in the wake of the Salisbury novichok attack (pictured)

Roskomnadzor, the Russian media regulator, said in a statement its checks were Russia's response to a decision by Ofcom, which on Thursday said RT had broken impartiality rules in some of its news and current affairs programmes (file picture)

If any violations of Russian law are found, the BBC could be restricted in Russia, Interfax said citing a source familiar with the investigation.

Roskomnadzor, the regulator, said in a statement its checks were Russia's response to Ofcom's decision yesterday.

'The results of our check will be announced separately,' the Russian regulator said.

The BBC said today it worked in full compliance with Russia's laws and regulations to deliver independent news

'As everywhere else in the world, the BBC works in Russia in full compliance with the country's laws and regulations to deliver independent news and information to its audiences,' said a spokeswoman for the British publicly owned broadcaster.

Ofcom said on Thursday it was considering imposing some kind of sanction on RT, which is financed by the Russian state. It took issue in particular with its coverage of the poisoning in Britain of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

Britain has accused agents working for Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, of committing the crime, an allegation Moscow denies.

British Media Secretary Jeremy Wright also weighed in on Thursday, saying what he called RT's mask as an impartial news provider was slipping.

RT was ridiculed for failing to properly question the two prime suspects in the chemical weapons attack, Alexander Mishkin and Anatoly Chepiga

RT rejected Ofcom's findings, saying Ofcom had ignored its explanations and not paid 'due regard' to its rights.

Commenting on the launch of the Russian investigation on Friday, Margarita Simonyan, RT's editor-in-chief, said on Twitter that Ofcom had hinted that it planned to strip her channel of its broadcasting licence in Britain.

'(Welcome to the) brave new world,' she wrote.

'I assume they (the Russian regulator) will now look to see if the BBC expresses alternative points of view. With a microscope.'

Russian state media has criticised the BBC in recent days, accusing it of trying to falsely prove that Moscow was involved in whipping up street protests in France, a charge that Russia rejects.
The chaos that saw 120,000 passengers unable to take off or land at Gatwick this week was the third time a drone has caused trouble at the airport in 18 months.

The runway was closed twice on the evening of July 2 last year - once for nine minutes and once for five minutes  after a drone was spotted flying close to it.

But that disruption only resulted in the diversion of just one British Airways and four easyJet flights  as well as some other planes put into holding patterns.

An easyJet plane on its final approach before landing at London Gatwick Airport this morning

Passengers wait to check in at Gatwick this morning as disruption due to the drone continues

Operations were suspended that evening from 6.10pm to 6.19pm, and again from 6.36pm to 6.41pm, after a drone was spotted on the airport's final approach path.

Then over the summer this year, a drone was said by the UK Airprox Board to have 'put 130 lives at risk' after nearly hitting an aircraft approaching the airport.

The flying gadget passed directly over the right wing of the Airbus A319 as it was preparing to land at the West Sussex airport in July 2018.

The incidents will raise concerns over why 'jamming' systems that see radiowaves fired at drones to send them out of a controlled area are still illegal in Britain.

The length of disruption at an airport the size of Gatwick in recent days is unprecedented

The method sees sensors and permanent radiowave transmitters are set up around the edge of the area, ready to bombard drones detected inside the invisible 'fence'.

This disrupts signals between the pilot and drone, forcing it to land or travel back to where it took off. The systems have been fully effective around prisons in Guernsey.

Police believe more than one unmanned aircraft was responsible - but none have been seen since 10pm last night - and are probing the possibility of multiple culprits.

Military equipment is being used to stop further drone disruption, while a range of tactics are in place if any unmanned aircraft are seen inside the perimeter.

Passengers try to catch some sleep as they wait for flights at London Gatwick Airport today

One piece of equipment believed to have been deployed at the airport is the Israeli-developed Drone Dome system, which can detect drones using radar.

Officials believe the drone used at Gatwick had been technically modified, which is why they had difficulty dealing with it - after it bypassed certain security measures.

Meanwhile aviation experts and Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said the length of disruption at an airport the size of Gatwick in recent days had been unprecedented.

More than 120,000 passengers could not either take off or land at the airport from 9pm on Wednesday and throughout yesterday, before it reopened at 6am today.

Politicians debated drones in the House of Commons on July 18 last year, with Conservative MP Jeremy Lefroy warning of how drones were posing an 'increasing threat to the lives of aircraft crew, passengers and those living under flight paths'.

Drones have caused issues for planes at Gatwick on three occasions in 18 months (file image)

He added that drones 'encourage interest in aviation', but there was 'irresponsible or downright dangerous use, which poses a risk to aircraft and passengers.'

Technology that could have stopped the Gatwick drone chaos RADIOWAVE 'FENCE' Radiowaves can be fired at drones to send them out of a controlled area. Sensors and permanent radiowave transmitters are set up around the edge of the area, ready to bombard any drone detected inside the invisible 'fence'. This disrupts signals between the pilot and drone, forcing it to land or travel back to where it took off. Such 'SkyFence' systems set up around prisons in Guernsey have been 100 per cent effective, according to designers at tech firm Drone Defence. So-called 'jamming' remains illegal in the UK. MILITARY LASERS Military-grade technology can use radiowaves and lasers to shoot drones out of the sky. The 'Drone Dome' system  designed in Israel and delivered to the Ministry of Defence this year  can 'soft kill' a drone by hitting its communications. It can detect a drone using radars several miles away and fire radiowaves to bring it to the ground, as with the SkyFence. It can also 'hard kill' targets by shooting them down with a laser. However, it has been reported that the British Government opted out of this element. The purchase was confirmed in August, although it is not known if it is ready for use. DRONE-CATCHING NET Another drone armed with a weighted net can be deployed to take the illegal aircraft out of the sky. When an unwanted drone is detected inside a controlled area, the larger drone flies out at 20mph to track it using a camera and laser. It can fire its net from up to 60ft away before carrying it away to safety, or allowing it to drop to the ground. The company behind the DroneCatcher device says it can be used at airports, military bases or prisons. Having developed a prototype in 2015, the firm released a commercial version last year. Advertisement

Labour MP Richard Burden had said: 'It is not too much to expect ministers to come forward with a proper action plan for the appropriate regulation of drones?'

He added that this could 'promote safety and at the same time safeguard the innovation that the responsible use and production of drones can provide'.

One year later, new laws came into force in July this year which banned all drones from flying above 400ft and within 1km (0.6 miles) of airport boundaries.

Drone users who flout the height and airport boundary restrictions could face an unlimited fine, up to five years in prison, or both.

Laws introduced to the Commons in May this year also mean people flying drones which weigh 250g or more will have to register with the Civil Aviation Authority.

Drone pilots will be required to take an online safety test under the new legislation, with the requirements set to come into force in November next year.

But pilots and air traffic controllers blasted ministers for failing to do enough to protect passengers from a 'catastrophic collision' with drones.

The British Airline Pilots' Association (Balpa) described the legislation introduced in July as 'grossly inadequate'  warning it did little to prevent drones being flown into aircraft.

Air traffic controllers also claimed their fears had been 'repeatedly' dismissed and accused officials of prioritising commercial interests in the multi-billion-pound drone industry over safety.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority there have been 117 near-misses between drones and aircraft in the year to November  four times as many as 2015.

Only last week accident investigators reported how a drone came within 50ft of a Ryanair flight carrying 200 passengers as it came in to land at London Stansted in August.

Balpa described the chaos as a 'wake-up call' and urged that the exclusion zone is extended to 5km (3 miles), putting the UK in line with Australia and the Netherlands.

Shadow aviation minister Karl Turner said the regulations around drones were not tight enough and blamed Mr Grayling for failing to act.

'There should be wider exclusion zones around airports - I think the law says 1km at the moment, it should probably be 5km according to the experts,' he told BBC Two's Newsnight.

This shows where passengers heading for Gatwick have been diverted since 9pm Wednesday

'The Government should have brought this legislation forward, it's been an abject failure and I blame Chris Grayling.

Trouble caused by drones at other airports Drones have caused chaos at other airports over the past six months. Last week, a suspected drone crashed into a passenger plane in Mexico - ripping holes into the front of the craft as it attempted to land in Tijuana. The crew on board the Aeromexico Boeing 737-800 had to request help in order to land the mauled aircraft after hearing a 'very strong blow'. In October, a drone collided with a commercial aircraft as it was approaching to land in Canada. There were six passengers and two crew on the aircraft and the drone connected with its wing, but fortunately it suffered only minor damage, allowing it to land safely at Jean Lesage Airport in Quebec City. In June a Virgin Atlantic Boeing Dreamline avoided crashing into a drone by just 16ft (5m), in the nearest miss in British aviation history. At the time, Virgin said: 'It's vital that action is taken to regulate the use of drones near airports, and we urge the government to consider further proposals.' Two months later a drone, flying higher than the 400ft limit, came within 50ft (15m) of hitting a Boeing 737 that was landing at Stansted Airport. Advertisement

'He should have been in the House of Commons today making a statement and explaining to MPs why the Government has failed to bring this legislation forward.'

Yesterday, the Government also came under fire in the House of Lords, where an emergency question was raised on the issue.

Labour peer Lord Harris said he had been raising concerns about drones for more than two years and the government had 'repeatedly dragged its feet'

He said technical specifications could have been introduced to enable drones to be disabled and brought safely to the ground.

The military and GCHQ have also developed techniques to be able to jam or disable drones.

Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Randerson warned the incident at Gatwick demonstrated the ease with which drones could inflict 'massive damage on our safety, security and the economy'.

She said thousands more drones would find their way into the hands of 'untrained, unregistered users' this Christmas before new restrictions come into force next November.

Aviation minister Baroness Sugg denied being complacent and insisted ministers would look at new laws to combat the problem.

Lady Sugg said the government had not been complacent, arguing ministers had taken 'clear action' by introducing new legislation.

She said: 'We absolutely need to make sure that we introduce new laws to ensure that drones are used safely and responsibly.'
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These striking images depict the overshadowed invasion of the French Riviera by the Allies two months after D-Day, which played a vital role in winning World War II.

The photographs, which have been unearthed in a new book by Simon Forty, From the Riviera to the Rhine, show the unleashing of the second invasion of France, which was immaculately planned and effectively undertaken.

Once the Allies had broken out of their bridgehead and drove 400 miles into France they managed to liberate 10,000 square miles of French territory and inflict 143,250 German casualties.

Almost a month after the operation began, the Allies linked up with General George S. Patton's Third Army and advanced into the Vosges Mountains, reports the author of the new book.

The soldiers managed to take Strasbourg and hold the area against the German's final attack in the west which was dubbed Operation Nordwind, in January 1945.

A successful operation was undertaken by the U.S. Seventh Army and 6th Army Group which gave a third Allied army group its own independent supply lines, while the two northern Allied groups were struggling.

This force meant that the Allies didn't have to struggle to hold the frontage to Switzerland and the Third Army would have been vulnerable to attack, possibly causing disastrous repercussions.

However the feat was no easy task, as despite the historic images of sandy beaches and azure seas The Germans had word the Allies were coming and had strong defences across the area.

Landing crafts including LCTs and LCMs arrive bearing supplies for the Allies as they attempt their invasion of the French Riviera two months after D-Day, which played a vital role in winning World War II

Troops land on the beach at Pampelonne on August 15 after sailing from Naples on the USS Samuel Chase which is a veteran LCVP and had already seen action during Operations Torch, Husky, Avalanche, and Neptune

Soldiers march on Boulevard de Strasbourg on August 28 during the parade to celebrate the city's recent liberation after the Allies managed to liberate 10,000 square miles of French territory and inflict 143,250 German casualties

Troops disembarking landing crafts and make their way onto a beach by wading through the water carrying supplies from the vessels and taking them ashore

This image shows the trenches on Red Beach in Alpha Sector while soldiers on a stranded truck waits to unload its contents

German prisoners of war line up on the beach in St. Tropez wearing their uniforms after a battle with 57th Infantry Regiment, 45th Division that lasted a week in December 1944

U.S. troops coming ashore on D-Day off British LCI-133 and LCI-316 vessels which were built in the U.S., these large infantry landing craft were armed with a 2pdr QF Mk VIII and three 20mm Oerlikons and could carry 188 troops or 75 tons of cargo

Battle-weary soldiers the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion head through Le Muy, which is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region in southeastern France

A successful operation was undertaken by the U.S. Seventh Army and 6th Army Group which gave a third Allied army group its own independent supply lines, while the two northern Allied groups were struggling (pictured a soldier standing in the street)

The have been unearthed in a new book by Simon Forty, From the Riviera to the Rhine and show images such as this of a group of armed soldiers on a beach holding a French flag

This photograph shows a M4A1 crossing the Durance river at Mirabeau, which is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region in southeastern France

These are men of 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Division who had spent a week surrounded in hostile territory in December 1944 where the early days of the campaign saw light opposition, decent weather, and speedy success

M7 HMC firing on German positions in the Rhine Valley in December as the litter of shell cases shows the size of the fire missions

The striking images in the new book depict the overshadowed invasion of the French Riviera by the Allies two months after D-Day




ISIS fanatics have used a poster featuring a drone over New York City to threaten the West with attacks in the wake of the chaos at Gatwick airport.

The mocked-up propaganda picture shows a drone hovering over the US city carrying a parcel saying: 'private mailbox'.

In a separate caption, extremists have written: 'Sender: The Islamic State' while there are also pictures of previous atrocities claimed by the terror group.

ISIS fanatics have used a poster featuring a drone over New York to threaten the West with attacks in the wake of the chaos at Gatwick airport. The propaganda picture shows a drone hovering over the US city carrying a parcel saying: 'private mailbox'

It emerged as Gatwick finally re-opened its runway today after the Army deployed weapons to knock drones out of the sky.

The motivation of the drone operator, or operators, was unclear. Police said there was nothing to suggest the crippling of one of Europe's busiest airports was a terrorist attack.

This morning a jet carrying children to Lapland was the first plane to take-off at around 6.30am as 700 flights are now scheduled on the busiest travel day of the year - but the backlog may not be cleared until Christmas Eve.

The re-opening of the runway came after the final sighting of the drone at 10pm last night, which had buzzed over the airport more than 50 times since 9pm on Wednesday during the most disruptive airport trespass in UK history.

Police point an anti-drone device to the sky as the Army brought in equipment that jammed signals and had the power to disable one from a range of several miles as they ended the chaos

Detectives are investigating if the pilot is a 'lone wolf eco warrior' bent on grounding jets for environmental reasons and are scouring the area around the airport.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling admitted today it could have been a larger gang of climate change activists flying several drones and refused to rule out the chance a hostile foreign country could be behind the Gatwick drone chaos.

Furious passengers whose Christmas trips were left in tatters have blasted the police who were utterly bewildered about how to stop the drone and refused to shoot it down despite having snipers dotted along the runway all day yesterday.

The threat was finally neutralised after the Army was sent in with 'specialist equipment' - believed to be a 'kill-jammer' that cuts a drone's communications from up to two miles away and a 'drone dome' that shoots them out of the sky with a laser.
Strong winds took down power lines and caused road closures on the West Coast Thursday and the East Coast braced for pre-holiday travel disruption as a heavy rain and flooding was predicted through to Christmas.

The National Weather Service warned of a significant storm system bringing widespread impact from the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states to New England on Friday. The forecast said Northeast region was 10 to 15 degrees above the average temperature for this time of year.

As a predicted 110 million people are to travel, airport delays were possible for Atlanta (early), New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Tampa from Friday, while San Francisco and Seattle may face disruption Saturday and Houston could be impacted by Christmas Eve on Monday.

It comes after the Northwest experienced a battering from strong gusts that resulted in more than 300,000 households and businesses losing power, plus bridges and roads closing due to toppled trees causing destruction.

A worker from Seattle City Light checks out a snapped electric power pole and downed tree closing South Alaska Street between South Columbian Way and Beacon Avenue South between the Beacon Hill and Columbia City neighborhoods of Seattle

Waves crashed against a seawall at high tide as cars maneuvered past. A high wind warning remained in effect for much of area into Thursday evening, with gusts up to 60 miles an hour recorded earlier in the day

Temperature in the Northwest region was 10-15 degrees above average for this time of year

Winds reached 74 mph (120 kph) along the coast, near 60 mph (96 kph) inland and 117 mph (188 kph) at Mount Baker, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle.

Downed power lines blocked southbound Interstate 5 near Burlington on Thursday afternoon. Only one lane of northbound I-5 remained open in that area.

Officials temporarily closed the Hood Canal Bridge because of high winds and the Deception Pass Bridge because of downed trees and power lines.

The Northeast will experience heavy rain and flooding this pre-holiday weekend

Waves crashed near homes at high tide during a windstorm Thursday in Seattle. More than 140,000 households and businesses lost power Thursday as strong winds toppled trees

Waves crash against a seawall next to homes at high tide during a windstorm Thursday

Washington State Ferries officials said their northern waters runs such as the San Juan Islands run and the Port Townsend-Coupeville experienced cancelations and delays, while some Puget Sound runs faced delays, rough seas and limits on boarding space.

Some schools closed early in the run up to the Christmas break.

The severity of the winds decreased Thursday evening but not before trees smashed cars and landed on rooftops. No serious injuries were reported in the US but one person was killed by a fallen tree in British Columbia, Canada.

'I heard a big gust of wind and we ran outside to make sure no one was hurt,' Marlow Harris told KOMO-TV about a giant Western Hemlock landed on the roof of a home in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood. 'Everyone loved the trees here, so I'm sad that we lost a big old tree, it must have been 60 feet tall.'

As well as taking out power lines, the winds blew over shipping containers and even tore off part of a clock tower's exterior in western Washington.

Washington State Patrol Trooper Chelsea Hodgson tweeted photos of Grays Harbor

There was even trapped a trampoline between power lines in western Washington

She advised people to drive safely as many travel for the holiday period

Winds in Bellingham ripped part of the exterior from a clock tower while in Discovery Bay west of Chimacum an 80-foot (24-meter) sailboat was blown aground.

'Apparently trees aren't all we are dealing with today,' tweeted Washington State Patrol Trooper Chelsea Hodgson with a photo of a trampoline trapped between power lines in Grays Harbor.

Scott Wilson, a spokesman with the Kitsap County Sheriff's office, told the Seattle Times that Thursday's windstorm brought fallen trees and downed power lines to Port Orchard, but did not appear to have further damaged structures damaged Tuesday by a rare tornado.

Bender, who goes by a singular name, leans against the wind as waves crash against a seawall next to him at high tide
A former Rebels bikie is set to fight charges over an alleged road rage attack after he was granted bail when he told a judge that he wanted to watch his dog give birth.

Christopher Michael Rymer, 27, was accused of throwing glass bottles and intimidating a driver in Mooney Mooney last August.

He was granted bail a day after his arrest when he told a magistrate that his French bulldog was pregnant and that he wanted to be home to witness the birth of the puppies.

Former Rebels bikie Christopher Michael Rymer (pictured) is set to fight charges over an alleged road rage attack in Mooney Mooney last August

Rymer's lawyer previously told the court that the 27-year-old was now a devoted 'family man' and was no longer involved in the bikie game

Rymer pleaded not guilty to charges of destroying or damaging property, intentionally throwing an object at a vehicle, affray and intimidation.

Rymer's lawyer, Andrew Sant, previously told the court that the 27-year-old was no longer involved in the bikie game and that he was now a 'family man' to his two daughters, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The former bikie is famous on Instagram, where he frequently shares his day-to-day activities with family, parties with friends and his dog breeding business.

He is also known to share his lavish lifestyle on the social media platform by sharing photos of himself enjoying shopping trips, visiting theme parks on the Gold Coast and eating cafe food.

The heavily tattooed former bikie built a following for his ostentatious displays of wealth and details of his personal life, including getting his girlfriend pregnant (pictured)

Rymer quit Instagram earlier this year after bragging about his release from prison in 2017 and showing off his luxurious lifestyle online.

The heavily tattooed former bikie built a following for his displays of wealth and details of his personal life, including getting his girlfriend pregnant.

Rymer is scheduled for a hearing on February 25.
Donald Trump fired a retaliatory strike Friday at outgoing Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis after the retired general claimed in a pointed resignation letter that the president had an unrealistic view of threats posed by America's two biggest global adversaries.

Media reports Thursday focused on Mattis' veiled reference to Russia and China in the letter, which explained his belief in 'being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors.'

Trump defended his record in a tweet: 'There has never been a president who has been tougher (but fair) on China or Russia  Never, just look at the facts. The Fake News tries so hard to paint the opposite picture.'

Trum phas been widely criticized for a public soft-glove approach to Russia's Vladimir Putin, taking at face value the former KGB spymaster's claim that the Kremlin didn't order digital monkeywrenching campaigns to interfere with the 2016 U.S. elections.

At the same time, Mattis has worried that the White House is too aggressive with China and has emphasized the need to repair frayed ties between the two countries' military forces in order to head off misunderstandings that can quickly metastasize into armed conflicts.

Mattis handed Trump his resignation letter at the White House on Thursday during an argument after he realized he couldn't convince the president to reverse course and leave American troops in Syria, a move that he believes will embolden Russia.

His first order of business when he got back to his office was to tell aides to print 50 copies of the letter, ordering them to distribute them as soon as Trump announced his departure.

Outgoing Secretary of Defense James Mattis (left) make a final attempt Thursday, before resigning, to convince President Donald Trump that it was unwise to pull all of America's military troops out of Syria

Farewell to arms? Mattis, a former U.S. Marine Corps general, told aides to print 50 copies of his resignation letter and distribute them to top brass  and the press  as soon as Trump announced his departure

The president insisted Mattis was wrong about his posture toward Russia and China

In his resignation letter, Mattis spelled out his strategic differences and said Trump should find a defense secretary he agrees with more

Reporters got the letter at the same time Mattis' most senior generals did, just minutes after the president tweeted his rose-colored interpretation of the letter's thinly veiled venom.

Hours later, according to officials who spoke to multiple news outlets, Trump ordered a partial withdrawal from Afghanistan, pulling half of the 14,000 U.S. troops out of a conflict he has long claimed America should never have entered.

The president asked back in 2011, years before he began to flaunt his political ambitions: 'When will we stop wasting our money on rebuilding Afghanistan? We must rebuild our country first.'

Mattis, a famously well-read and edurite 'warrior-monk,' wrote in careful prose about America's failure to tend to its crucial international alliances and partnerships, concluding that Trump should find a replacement whose views aligned more with his own,

The president tweeted his thanks for the retired Marine Corps general's help with 'the purchase of new fighting equipment' and 'getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations.'

The White House hasn't denied that Mattis quit as a direct consequence of Trump's announcement, over his objections, that America's troops stationed in Syria would be pulling out.

That decision will leave large swaths of Syria unguarded against efforts by Vladimir Putin's Russia to prop up strongman Bashar al-Assad in his bloody civil war with rebel groups.

Mattis sees Chinese President Xi Jinping as a powerful adversary and blames Trump for not doing more to keep U.S.-China military ties strong in order to pre-empt future conflicts

Taking all of America's troops out of Syria will leave dictator Bashar al-Assad (left) in a much stronger position with Vladimir Putin of Russia (right) given a free hand to protect him

Mattis was a Marine's Marine, carrying his own pack as a brigadier general

President Donald Trump reportedly overruled Mattis' objection this week in deciding to withdraw American troops from Syria

Mattis' written message to Trump didn't mention the Syria conflict, but its unmistakable flamethrower rhetoric left little doubt.

'One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships,' he wrote.

'While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies.'

Mattis also declared that America 'must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours.'

At the White House, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told a crush of reporters that Mattis made the decision about the timing of his announcement.

'He and the president have a good relationship, but sometimes they disagree,' she acknowledged, responding to a question about the Syria troop pullout's role in the defense secretary's departure.

'The president always listens to members of his national security team, but at the end of the day, it's the president's decision to make,' she said. 'He was the one to be elected president, to be the commander in chief, and while he takes all of their opinions, and all of their advice into consideration, at the end of the day it's his decision to make.'

Mattis was regarded as a steadying influence on Trump and his departure will leave much of Congress worried about the lack of a check on the president's more arbitrary impulses

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders didn't deny on Thursday evening that Mattis timed his departure to show displeasure with Trump's decision to withdraw America's troops from Syria over his objection

The president stunned Washington with his announcement, making it on Twitter instead of in an official statement

Trump made waves Wednesday at the Pentagon by announcing his withdrawal of America's mid-size military contingent stationed in Syria.

The decision, reached Tuesday in a small group meeting at the White House, didn't include consultation with Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were in the room. Both objected.

Trump declared this week that his administration has won the war against the ISIS terror army, even though the Pentagon has said the group still has 30,000 soldiers in Iraq and Syria.

Reactions to Mattis' announcement fell along partisan lines on Thursday.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who will become speaker in January, said during a press conference at the Capitol that she was 'shaken by the resignation of General Mattis' and called it 'a very sad day for our country.'

Pelosi encouraged reporters to read the resignation letter, and to pray for the United States.

'You have leaders, great leaders who have left the administration in dismay and the rest of them have left in disgrace. And that's what this administration has been about,' she claimed.

Most Republicans thanked the defense secretary for more than 40 years of public service. Many Democrats lamented that one of the Trump administration's few 'adults in the room' would be leaving.

Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin said on Twitter: 'America has lost more than an exceptional Secretary of Defense. We have lost the adult in the room when the President goes off on a tweet-filled, uninformed rant about our national security.'

California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff will chair the House Intelligence Committee next year; he blasted Trump for ignoring Mattis' advice

Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin said the Trump administration has 'lost the adult in the room'

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was among very few Republicans to offer anything but wistful thanks; he tweeted that the Mattis resignation letter points to serious flaws in America's strategic thinking overseas

Tennessee Rep. Jim Cooper appeared to be tweeting from the same talking points. 'I worry the White House meeting rooms will soon be vacant of adults,' he wrote.

California Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez chimed in: 'The adults have officially left the building.'

Fellow Californian Adam Schiff, who will chair the House Intelligence Committee in 2019 and 2020, took his criticism a step further.

'Old Marines never die, but they do resign after the President ignores their advice, betrays our allies, rewards our enemies, and puts the nations security at risk. Turn out the lights when Mattis leaves; we will not see his like again while Trump remains in office,' Schiff tweeted.

Outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan, a retiring Wisconsin Republican, issued a more traditional statement, saying Mattis has made the nation 'a safer America at home, and a more commanding force abroad. His patriotism and grit are matched only by his humility and graciousness.'

On GOP dissenter, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, tweeted that Thursday's resignation letter 'makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation,damage our alliances & empower our adversaries.'

The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee called Mattis' planned departure 'scary,' saying the retired general 'has been an island of stability' amid Trump's chaos

Trump has speculated before about how long Mattis might stay in his Cabinet.

Asked in October during a '60 Minutes' interview whether his Defense Department chief might be on his way out, he responded: 'Well, I don't know. He hasn't told me that.'

'I have a very good relationship with him. It could be that he is. I think he's sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth,' he said.

'But General Mattis is a good guy. We get along very well. He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves. Everybody. People leave. That's Washington.'

Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner tweeted in horror on Thursday: 'This is scary.'

'Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration. As weve seen with the Presidents haphazard approach to Syria, our national defense is too important to be subjected to the Presidents erratic whims.'

Warner is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Mattis isn't the only senior official on the way out. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly will depart in a matter of weeks, and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is also on a glide path to the private sector.

The president drew cheers at political rallies during his late 2016 transition period when he announced that Mattis would run the Pentagon.

Trump was fond of calling him 'Mad Dog,' a nickname Marine lore described as a loving tribute bestowed by the men he led.

In fact, his men in the field had a different moniker for him when he was a Marine colonel. They called him CHAOS, short for 'Colonel Has An Outstanding Suggestion'a hat tip to Mattis' reputation as a thinking man's soldier.
A withdrawal of the US troops from Syria announced this week by US President Donald Trump has received mixed reactions in the world. Trump made it clear that from now on, the fight against ISIS (banned in the Russian Federation) on the Syrian territory should be conducted by Russia, Iran and Syrians themselves. Trump did not mention Turkey, although analysts believe that the withdrawal of the US troops from the SAR was coordinated with Ankara. Yesterday, Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that Ankara is conducting intensive work in preparation for the military operation in Syria, particularly in Manbij and in the east of the Euphrates. Ankara also said that the United States would not be able to prevent this operation.

As Hurriyet Daily News writes in the article Turkey-US relations head towards point of no-return, these statements, coupled with the news of increased military preparations on the Syrian border, puts Turkish-U.S. relations on a high-voltage line. If this tension continues to increase and is not taken under control, despite the telephone call made between Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump last week, a break that could surpass the resolution and sack crises  that happened during the U.S.s intervention in Iraq in 2003  can occur.

Since Erdogan binds himself to this extent in the face of public opinion and describes the operation as a vital necessity in terms of Turkeys interest, so long as the U.S. does not make a meaningful gesture or take a step back in some way, postponing or suspending the operation for Ankara seems like a remote possibility. The exercise of power Turkey has undertaken should be seen as a strategic move aimed at restraining the U.S. administrations intentions in the east of Euphrates, forcing a change in the countrys demeanor.

However, when looked at the huge gap created by the differences in fundamental attitudes of both countries regarding the east of Euphrates and YPG/PYD, a margin to reconcile the divergence does not exist in reality. At the very end of this conflict lies U.S.s intention on settling in the east of Euphrates in Syria, a region that covers almost a third of the country, after eliminating the ISIL threat. The U.S. plans to exist in the region through the alliance it formed with the YPG/PYD  the PKKs extension in Syria. As a matter of fact, the statements of the U.S. Chief of General Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford made at a defense forum organized by the Washington Post on Dec. 6 are suggestive in this manner. Dunford stressed the need to train a local force of 35,000-40,000 people in order to ensure security, by referring to the SDF for stabilization in the region in the period after ISIL (banned in Russia).

These statements indicate that the U.S. is also preparing for the shaping of the social and administrative structure of this region in the period which will start after the elimination of ISIL. Ankara sees such statements and signs from the field as a confirmation of the U.S. administrations assessment of a state-like restructuring of Kurds in Syria. Ankara considers the U.S. armys building of observation towers across the Turkish border in Syria as a step taken by Washington to protect the YPG/PYD. Within this framework, the operation Turkey plans to conduct has the strategic objective to disrupt the U.S.s intentions in the region which has Kobane and Jazira cantons, under the YPG/PYD control, adjacent to the border in the east of Euphrates.

After all, Turkey and the U.S. have embarked on a major power struggle on the territory of Syria through military moves they made on the future of Syria. And in this conflict, the U.S. is in alliance with the extensions of the PKK, which is a terrorist organization. Thus, the U.S.s alliance with Turkey has upended. In fact, even solely, this image tells us that the alliance between the U.S. and Turkey is now turned into a forced formality on paper.
The ex-jockey admitted two counts of causing serious injury through dangerous driving and was jailed for 34 months

An ex-top jump jockey who texted a pal 'about horses' moments before a devastating crash which left an elderly couple with life-changing injuries has been jailed.

Fearghal Davis - who rode for famous race-horse owners J P McManus and Sir Robert Ogden - was 'looking down and fiddling with his mobile phone' while speeding around a blind bend.

The 32-year-old then ploughed head-on into a Citroen Picasso which tried to swerve out of the way, a court heard.

Elderly couple William Savory, 77, and wife Rosemary, 76, had to be cut free from the vehicle when emergency services arrived before being rushed to Hull Royal Infirmary.

But Davis - who had an illustrious career on the jump circuit - fled by this point, leaving his wrecked Ford Focus at the scene in Gate Helmsley, near York.

A jogger said he saw Davis - whose hands and face were soaked in blood - 'being picked up in a navy-blue car and being driven away' from the crash site.

The Irish ex-jockey - who works at David O'Meara stables following his retirement from professional horse-racing - was arrested the following day at his home address.

He claimed to have no recollection of the crash because of recurrent memory loss following a riding accident he had at the age of 18.

Forensic analysis of his mobile phone showed a series of incriminating text messages sent between the former jockey and some of his friends.

Davis admitted two counts of causing serious injury through dangerous driving and was jailed for 34 months at York Crown Court on Thursday.

Fearghal Davis' wrecked Ford Focus. Davis fled the scene near York and left the wreckage

He was also given a four-year driving ban.

Prosecutor James Gelsthorpe said Mr Savory had slowed down at the bend as a precaution but Davis's car came straight at them on August 10 last year.

Mr Savory tried to swerve out of the way but it was 'too late' and the cars collided on the single-track road.

The couple's Citroen was 'flung' onto an embankment and Mrs Savory was 'crumpled up' inside the car.

Mr Gelsthorpe said there was no proof that Davis was over the drink-drive limit, but the defendant later admitted he had had a few drinks before the crash at about 3.30pm.

But in the moments before the crash, Davis sent a Whatsapp message to a friend 'regarding a horse', a court heard.

Prosecutor Mr Gelsthorpe said: 'The defendant's phone records indicate that leading up to (about 3.30pm), he was sending WhatsApp messages to (a friend) regarding a horse.'

William Savory and wife Rosemary's mangled Citroen Picasso. The pair were hospitalised after trying and failing to swerve out of the way of Davis's oncoming Ford Focus

Mrs Savory suffered a broken leg and neck and needed hip-replacement surgery. She also suffered nerve damage to her eye which led to blurred vision.

Mr Savory suffered five broken ribs and extensive bruising.

He was eventually discharged but later readmitted due to concerns about his 'memory and cognitive functions'.

It's believed that a pre-existing brain haematoma had been exacerbated by the crash and Mr Savory had to undergo surgery to have the blood clot drained.

The couple, from Stamford Bridge, North Yorks., said their lives had been ruined by Davis's reckless Actions.

They could no longer go on trips out in the car and Mrs Savory had been unable to return to her work at the supermarket in York due to ill health.

They had had had to fit 'every imaginable' mobility aid at their home including grab rails.

William and Rosemary with their grandchildren Oliver, eight, and Margot, six

Mrs Savory suffered from dizziness and sleeplessness and her husband had to give up his hobbies and had missed out on cherished activities with their grandchildren.

Mr Savory said he had slumped into severe depression, adding: 'I feel as though I've given up on everything.

'There has been no expression of remorse from (Davis) and no recognition of the damage he's done to our family.'

Defence barrister Robert Mochrie said Davis was a hard-working man with no previous convictions but conceded that he was 'looking down and fiddling with his mobile phone' before the crash.

Judge Andrew Stubbs QC said Davis had 'effectively attempted to pervert the course of justice' by trying to hoodwink police with claims of memory loss.

Andrew Savory, the victims' firefighter son, said Davis's sentence should serve as a warning to others who used their mobiles while driving.

He was given the devastating news by his boss while his parents were being cut free from the vehicle.

Choking back tears, the father-of-two said: 'He (Davis) has tried to evade justice all the way through and there was no tangible apology. It has been horrendous (and) my parents will never be the same again.'

Davis rode winners at Carlisle, Ayr and Kelso during his career - famously partnering future Cheltenham star 'Simply Ned' on multiple occasions.

His last race was at Newcastle, where he fell on Gorey Lane in November 2013.
A 'nervous' junior doctor hanged himself in hospital just one hour after finishing one of his first shifts where he had been struggling to get to grips with the IT system, an inquest heard.

Eduard Zigar took his own life just days after starting his job as a junior doctor at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

The 25-year-old had started work at the hospital on August 20 and had taken his own life on August 25.

Despite not turning up for his shift on August 26, the Lithuanian national's body wasn't found until 10pm on August 27 in a store cupboard in a separate part of the hospital.

The port mortem carried out on Dr Zigar (pictured above) showed no signs of alcohol abuse

Dr Zigar, who was based in Wolverhampton, was found hanging from a cupboard door frame. He was pronounced dead by a member of staff shortly after he was found, an inquest at Birmingham Coroner's Court heard.

An investigation by the hospital found no signs of any incident during his shifts which could have acted as a trigger to take his own life.

However, colleagues described him as 'nervous', 'quiet' and 'detached', and highlighted that he had struggled to use the hospital's IT system.

At the hearing consultant Dr John Whiting, who supervised Dr Zigar on the ward, said: 'Eduard had previously worked at a hospital on the Isle of Man for two weeks, and a Lincolnshire hospital for two months.

'The position we offered him was to be for three months, to cover a junior doctor who had an illness.

'The doctors who worked with him said he was a good, capable doctor - so that's why we offered him a post.

Eduard Zigar (pictured above) had previously worked at other hospitals in the UK

'I thought he was a very pleasant person, a little bit nervous which was not unusual for someone who had just started.

'Eduard was struggling a little to find his way around the IT systems.'

Results of the post-mortem examination carried out on Dr Zigar showed alcohol and drugs did not contribute to his death.

The inquest heard colleagues, including other junior doctors had offered support in the days before his death.

Swipe card records and CCTV footage show he finished work at 5.51pm on August 25 - earlier than he was meant to finish, at 8.30pm.

He then wandered the hospital for more than an hour, finally arriving at the Ambulatory Care Unit at 6.59pm, where his body was found two days later.

The inquest heard he was likely to have taken his own life shortly after arriving there at 6.59pm.

When he didn't arrive for a shift the following day, staff thought it was a rota error or that he had simply decided not to show up for work.

When his parents called later that day, saying they had not had contact with him for more than 48 hours, staff were unable to find any sign of him on the hospital system due to a spelling error of his name.

The body - discovered at this West Midlands hospital - laid undiscovered for three days before being found

His parents were advised to contact police and make a missing person's report.

Senior coroner Louise Hunt said: 'The evidence that has been provided confirms that Dr Zigar was working as a Locum Fy1 (first jobs awarded to a doctor) in the upper gastrointestinal surgery at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

'He commenced employment on August 20, and worked on the Bank Holiday weekend. He had worked with the team during the week.

'Consultant Dr John Whiting confirmed that while he may have appeared nervous and not fully-familiar with the IT system, there was nothing unusual about that.

'There were no signs that something so terribly serious was going to happen. He worked on Saturday, August 25.'

The coroner said that there had been no untoward incidents during that shift but that it has been noted that he was quiet and detached.

'It was noted he had been worried about the on-call but he talked to other colleagues and they had given him support and phone numbers and explained what he might expect.

'He finished his shift around 5pm. He left his bleeper on the desk.

'Officially, he hadn't been expected to finish until later, but we heard how there had been a bit of a mix-up with the rota and so everyone assumed he had gone because of that mix-up.'

Between 5.51pm and 6.59pm, he had been seen to walk through various parts of the hospital - including the main corridor on level two, the education centre and the University of Birmingham Research Laboratories on level one.

'The last recorded movement of his is at 6.59pm when he enters the corridor into the Ambulatory Care Unit. This is the area where he was subsequently found.

'On a balance of probabilities, I am satisfied that his death must have occurred relatively soon after that time - but of course, I cannot say specifically when. We do know that there is no further movement from him after that.

'It wasn't until August 27 at around 10pm that he was found by [healthcare assistant] Mohammed Ali in the store room at the rear of the Ambulatory Care Unit.

'It was clear to Dr Gareth Richards [one of the doctors who attended the scene] that he had been dead for some time.'

Police had attended and had not found any evidence to support any third party being involved in the death or any suspicious circumstances.

'An internal investigation by the hospital has not been able to identify any factors during his time at the hospital which might have contributed to what happened.

'The medical cause of death is hanging. For me to reach a verdict of suicide, I have to find on the balance of probabilities that he undertook a deliberate act that resulted in his death and he intended it that way - and all other reasonable explanations have been ruled out.

'I will be recording a verdict of suicide. I realise that may be very upsetting for the family, but I have to abide by the law. I would like to take this opportunity to offer my condolences to all of the family.

'It's impossible for any of us to imagine how painful it must be to lose Eduard in the day you did.

'I hope with time you can remember the Eduard you described to me, the 'extremely good person', the 'tolerant and loving man' who 'loved life very much'.

'I hope that is the man you can remember, and not the tragic way you lost him.

'My thoughts are with you.'

Speaking through an interpretor, Dr Zigar's mother Julia Zigar said: 'Eduard was an extremely good person. He was tolerant, loving and he loved life very much.

'I last had contact with him on Aug 24 - that was a text message.

'I texted him again on August 25 but I did not receive any response from him. It was about him coming back [to Lithuania] on September 1.

'There was never any indication of him having mental health problems or wanting to harm himself.

'It came as a massive shock to us.

'He was an extremely religious person and it would not be in accordance with the religion he followed.

'We were [previously] discussing [suicide] in our family, and we couldn't accept that in our family.'

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article then you can call the Samaritans on 116 123, alternatively you can visit the website at by clicking here.
A Florida paramedic has resigned after she was caught hoarding nude photos of her co-workers as 'insurance' in case she ever needed to 'blackmail' them and tried to trade pictures with her peers.

Amy Sherlock, a married mother-of-one, worked as a paramedic in Volusia County for 10 years but resigned from her position on December 4 after she was investigated for collecting nude pictures of her peers.

Authorities learned she had collected the pictures in an exit interview with her co-worker Chip Maher in September, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Ten-year Florida paramedic Amy Sherlock has resigned after she was busted for hoarding nude photographs of her co-workers which she claimed she kept as 'insurance' in case she ever needed to blackmail them

Sherlock was investigated after an employee reported her stash of pictures in September. She reportedly had images of four female co-workers and claimed she got them in a group chat with three of her male co-workers. Sherlock pictured with daughter and husband Henry

Sherlock claimed that she deleted all the pictures in May 2017 after she learned she was pregnant with her daughter. But two male co-workers speaking to police said she showed them pictures in the summer of 2018. Sherlock on duty pictured above

He revealed Sherlock had nude photos of several female EVAC co-workers and she even showed him at least two of those images.

He said Sherlock claimed the pictures were 'insurance should she ever need to blackmail someone to get out of trouble'.

When she was interviewed by authorities on October 15, she reportedly admitted to previously having a collection of nudes of four of co-workers.

She said that she got the pictures in a group chat with three former male employees where they shared nude photographs of the female employees they slept with and said she felt she had a friendship with the men through the chat, according to WFTV.

She said they shared the photographs because they were competing against one another, according to the report.

One of those pictures was of a lieutenant and Sherlock allegedly bragged that she got the photo from her husband Henry Sherlock who worked with her.

She had a picture of a female lieutenant which she claimed her husband Henry Sherlock had got. Sherlock husband Henry above

After three EVAC employees claimed she had the pictures in the October investigation, she was placed on paid administrative leave. She submitted her resignation on December 4

Her husband Henry claimed that his wife gave him permission to hook up with other women while she was in paramedic school, as 'she did not have the time to pleasure him.'

Officials said that Sherlock had three copies of all the nude photos she had of two co-workers stashed on her phone, her personal computer and an external hard drive.

Another one of her male co-workers corroborated Maher's claims, saying Sherlock told him she trades provocative 'selfies' with other people, according to cops.

She even asked allegedly this second male employee if he had any nude photos of employees that he wanted to trade.

She said in an interview with authorities that she deleted the pictures in May 2017 after she learned she was pregnant with her daughter. She also denied having shown any of those pictures to her peers.

But the two men interviewed by police contradicted her and said she offered to show them the pictures in the summer of 2018.

The investigation shows that a total of three EVAC employees said Sherlock told them about the photos or showed them the pictures. One said Sherlock claimed the photos helped her get out of trouble in the past.

Sherlock was placed on administrative leave with pay in light of the investigation and submitted her resignation on December 4.

The interim director accepted her resignation, waived the two-weeks notice, and thanked her for her service.
Elwyn Crocker Sr., 49, shown here, is the father of Mary and Elwyn Jr. and he has been charged with concealing the death of another and cruelty to children in the first degree

The bodies of two missing teenage siblings have been discovered by investigators near their home in Georgia leading to the arrest of their father and step-mom.

Investigators believe the remains are of Mary Crocker, 14, and her brother Elwyn Crocker Jr., who went missing in 2016 and would have turned 16 this year. They were found by the woods near their home in Guyton, Georgia, according to WSAV news.

An autopsy will be performed to confirm the identities of the remains as well as the cause of death.

The children's father Elwyn Crocker Sr, 49, and 33-year-old stepmother Candice Crocker, and the 50-year-old step-grandmother Kim Wright have all been charged with concealing the death of another and cruelty to the children in the first degree.

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Candice Crocker, 33, (left) the step-mother and Kim Wright, 50, (right) the children's step-grandmother are also included in the criminal charges

Elwyn Crocker Sr., Mary Crocker, Candice Crocker and Elwyn Crocker Jr. with an unnamed third child

Another child found at the home, believed to have special needs, was taken to a hospital for observation, but authorities say he appears to be in good condition.

On Wednesday night, Effingham County deputies were dispatched to the home for a welfare check after a getting a tip that a 14-year-old girl was missing and feared deceased.

The adults in the home claimed that Mary Crocker had gone to live with her mother during interviews with the deputies, but they concluded the story was false.

Information from the father, Elwyn Sr., led them to search the grounds of the home.

Investigators then excavated the area near the wood line where the bodies were buried.

Elwyn Crocker Jr. (left) was 14 when he apparently disappeared in November, 2016, while Mary Crocker (right) was 16 when she was last seen in October of this year

An excavator was brought to the scene at the Crocker home in Guyton, Georgia, where two bodies were found

The two bodies were found by deputies near the treeline on the property of the Crocker home

Earlier Crocker family photo from Facebook. With the investigation ongoing, Sheriff McDuffie says more charges could be forthcoming

Mary Crocker had last been seen in October of this year, while her brother Elwyn Jr. has apparently not been seen since November 2016. Neither child was ever officially reported missing, according to Effingham County Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie.

'I've been doing this 41 years, and a while ago I almost broke down in tears. It's that bad,' Sheriff McDuffie said in his news conference. 'I just - I cannot understand how you do children like this. It's horrible.'

Authorities are attempting to get in touch with the biological mother of Mary and Elwyin Jr. believed to be living in South Carolina.

'I just can't imagine this, it just tears me up that someone would do this to a child,' a neighbor Ruth Sikes told WSAV through tears. 'It just breaks my heart.'

With the investigation ongoing, Sheriff McDuffie says more charges could be forthcoming.
A sheriff's office in West Virginia has issued an arrest warrant for a man who escaped a coal mine where three other people were trapped  and a prosecutor says the other three are also being investigated.

The Raleigh County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday that it's seeking to arrest Eddie Williams Jr., 43, on charges of entering without breaking, providing false information to police and felony conspiracy, news outlets report.

Eddie and his cousin Kayla Williams, 25, along with Eddie's girlfriend, Erica Treadway, 31, and Kayla's boyfriend, Cody Beverly, 21, entered an inactive and abandoned Clear Creek, West Virginia, coal mine in the early morning of December 8. Once inside, they became separated and got trapped inside.

Authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Eddie Williams Jr., 43, on charges of entering without breaking, providing false information to police and felony conspiracy

Eddie and three others, including his cousin, Kayla Williams (center), entered and got list inside a West Virginia mine. Eddie escaped, while the others were rescued three days later

Eddie managed to escape on December 10 and raised the alarm with authorities, but it took rescue teams two additional days to locate the other three in the mine's labyrinth of tunnels.

The three were rescued December 12 by a team from West Virginia Office of Mine Health Safety and Training, Contura Energy and the National Guard.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Raleigh County Magistrate Court, the four entered the Rock House Powellton Mine to steal copper wire.

Eddie implicated the three others during an interview with a sheriff's detective, but they have not yet been charged.

Raleigh Prosecuting Attorney Kristen Keller said Thursday authorities are still investigating the others.

'Each of the four are being dealt with, in turn,' Keller said.

Eddie's cousin, Kayla Williams, 25, and her boyfriend, Cody Beverly, 21, were rescued by authorities after having been lost inside the mine for four days

Authorities believe that the four people had gone to the mine intent on stealing copper wiring. Kayla and Cody Beverly are pictured here shortly after being rescued on December 12

Eddie's girlfriend, Erica Treadway, 31, was also among those rescued from the mine

Authorities said that they intend to 'deal' with Treadway (pictured), Kayla and Beverly soon

Raleigh Sheriff's Detective Cory Suman wrote in the criminal complaint that the four went into the mine early on December 8 and were reported missing the next day.

Suman said deputies followed family to the entrance of the mine, where they found evidence of 'mining wire,' a term for stealing copper wiring.

The complaint says Eddie initially told authorities the others went in without him and he went in search of them when they didn't come out the next day, but later said the four entered the mine to look for 'copper to steal.'

He said he left the mine alone December 10, got a ride to Whitesville, West Virginia, where family was waiting and later spoke to law enforcement.

According to the The Register-Herald, authorities said that Eddie told them that once they had entered the mine, 'Cody and Kayla had gone one way and he and Erica had gone another' so the pairs could have sex, a statement which was later corroborated by the other three parties.

Beverly, meanwhile, told the newspaper that all of their lights had gone out shortly after entering the mine and that, in the subsequent chaos, Eddie left and said he would look for help.

Beverly said he stayed with the women, who were panicking.

Kayla's father told ABC News that his daughter and the other three had initially gone into the mine to steal any copper that had been left behind.

But, in an interview with Today, following their rescue, Beverly denied claims that they had entered the mine for that reason, saying that they had been 'just exploring'.

'I mean, taking two girls into a mine Do you think you're going in there to take the copper? We were just exploring,' he said.

The Register-Herald reports Eddie Williams was indicted in May on charges including trespassing and grand larceny related to the theft of copper wire from an Alpha Resources mine.
The grieving mother of Maddison Parrott has paid a touching tribute to her daughter - after a homeless vigilante was charged with her murder.

The 29-year-old's body was found inside the charred remains of a tent at the Geelong Showgrounds, on the outskirts of the Victorian town, earlier this month.

Maddison's mother Marlene has revealed the cherished and close nature of the pair's relationship.

'We had the best relationship that a mother and daughter could ever ask for,' Mrs Parrott told the Geelong Advertiser.

'She wasn't just my daughter, she was my best friend.'

The grieving mother of murder victim Maddison Parrott (pictured) has paid a touching tribute - after a homeless vigilante was charged with her killing

Since Maddison's vibrant life came to an allegedly violent end, local homeless man Nick Cross, 31, was arrested at gunpoint, before being charged with her murder.

Two others, a 31-year-old Tracy Menzies from nearby Bell Park and Todd Sell, 34, of Colac, were later charged with accessory to murder after the fact.

Maddison allegedly received a gunshot wound to the head before her body was dumped by the trio.

She had reportedly been living in a glamping-style tent at the campsite since the amicable breakdown of her marriage months earlier.

The spot now acts as a place of solace and solitude for those closest to her.

Since Maddison's vibrant life came to a violent end, local homeless man Nick Cross, 31, was arrested at gunpoint, before being charged with her murder

Nick Cross and his alleged accomplices were arrested at gunpoint at a home in Greystanes, in Sydney's west days after Maddison's body was found

'We love you Maddy,' reads an engraving into its soft terrain.

'We both looked up to the sky to tell Maddy she now can rest in peace and keep on living in our hearts' Mrs Parrott told The Addy of her first visit to the site.

Meanwhile, the former retail manager's alleged killer Nick Cross lashed out at police defiantly gave his middle finger during a hearing Geelong Magistrates' Court last week.

Maddison's alleged killer Nick Cross (pictured) lashed out at police defiantly gave his middle finger during a hearing Geelong Magistrates' Court last week

'Vic Pol takes kids. You f**kin dogs,' he yelled as guards wrestled him out of the packed court room.

Cross and his alleged accomplices were arrested at a home in Greystanes, in Sydney's west days after Maddison's body was found.

Officers surrounded the house and dragged the trio out in handcuffs after reports they could be armed.

The three accused have been remanded in custody to and are expected to reappear in court next year.
A South Dakota mom found dead at a crash scene was killed by gunshots from outside the car, as her husband confirmed he is as a 'person of interest' to police.

Melissa Peskey, 40, who was driving through Missouri with her two young children, did not die from the impact of the collision, according to reports.

The realtor's husband Ryan told KELOLAND News that authorities have now said he is a 'person of interest' in the case because he didn't answer the phone when they called to say Melissa was dead.

Melissa Peskey, 40, pictured with her husband Ryan, was found dead at a crash scene but had died from gunshot wounds and not the collision, police say

Ryan, pictured top left, said he is now a 'person of interest' after missing a call from cops to say his wife was dead, pictured top right, and their children have been taken into care

Melissa was found dead in the driving seat late on the evening of December 13. Both her children, Axton, five, and 11-year-old Charlee, survived.

The family had been driving to North Carolina to see friends from their home in Sioux Falls when the tragedy unfolded.

Ryan, a member of the South Dakota National Guard who recently returned from a deployment to Afghanistan, said he was at home asleep at the time.

The couple's two children have been put into care in Missouri.

Authorities tweeted an image of a car resembling the one driven by Melissa on the night she died as they appealed for witnesses to the tragedy

Melissa was found dead in the driving seat of her car as she made her way to North Carolina with her children from their home in Sioux Falls

The couple's two young children have been taken into care in Missouri

An autopsy showed Melissa died from gunshot wounds but police say there is 'no evidence or indication the public is in danger'.

Missouri Highway Patrol tweeted a photo of a vehicle like the one Peskey was driving when she was killed and are appealing for anyone who may have seen the family on their journey.

Ryan told KELOLAND News that he did not know the cause of his wife of 14-years death and will go before a judge Wednesday to ask to bring his children home.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to support the family which has raised more than $10,000 of its $13,000 goal.

In an interview in 2014 about the premature bith of their daughter Melissa spoke about her family.

She said: 'I thank God every single day for our family. We have been through such crazy obstacles and I think it's brought us closer together because of it.'
Gavin Williamson today pledged Britain will stand with Ukraine against Russian aggression after a Royal Navy ship was sent to beef up defence in the Black Sea.

The Defence Secretary said he had dispatched HMS Echo to the region to show Britain's 'solidarity' with Kiev.

But in a sign tensions are rising in the region, Vladimir Putin hit back by sending a Russian warship towards the Azov Sea, just north of the Black Sea.

The frigate was spotted 1.5 nautical miles off the Crimean coast in the area of the town of Feodosia, with a helicopter visible onboard.

Speaking on a visit to Odessa in South Ukraine today, Mr Wiliamson said: 'The reason...that HMS Echo is here is that we firstly want to demonstrate the solidarity that we have with Ukraine and the fact that Ukraine doesn't stand alone.

'But we also demonstrate our right to be able to come to ports such as Odessa, for freedom of navigation, for freedom for navies to be able to operate in the Black Sea. This isn't Russia's sea, this is an international sea.'

The visit comes amid rising tensions in the region and growing fears the simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine could explode into all out war.

Gavin Williamson (pictured on board a Ukrainian frigate today) today said Britain sent a Royal Navy ship to the Black Sea help Ukraine stand up to Putin's Russia

The Defence Secretary (pictured today disembarking from a Ukrainian Navy frigate) said the waters of the Black Sea do not belong to Moscow

Gavin Williamson (pictured meeting with his Ukrainian counterparts today in Odessa) is visiting the country amid rising tensions with Moscow

Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2014, annexing Crimea and sparking a civil war which still rages in the east of the country.

And tensions escalated last month when Russia fired on and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels off the Crimean Peninsula.

The stand-off sparked fears of an all-out war between the two countries and led Ukraine to declare martial law.

HMS Echo, a Navy warship equipped with cutting edge spy technology, docked in Odessa two days ago.

It is expected to carry out drills in the Black Sea as a show of strength against Russia.

Mr Williamson announced last month that they would 'strengthen their defence partnership in the face of intensifying threats and aggression' when his Ukrainian counterpart Stepan Poltorak visited the UK.

Speaking at the time, Mr Williamson said: As long as Ukraine faces Russian hostilities, it will find a steadfast partner in the United Kingdom.

'By continuing to work together, whether through training programmes or military exercises, we help Ukraine to stand up for our shared values.

'Those values of freedom and democracy cannot be traded. I have witnessed on the frontline the effects of the conflict in the East and this has completely reinforced my support for Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.'

HMS Echo, a Navy warship equipped with cutting edge spy technology, docked in Odessa two days ago (pictured)

Mr Poltorak said: 'The United Kingdom is a valued partner that has supported Ukraine's Armed Forces for the last four years in the face of Russian aggression.

'As we fight to defend our territory, the offer of extended support from the UK Armed Forces is vitally important and gratefully received.'

Mr Williamson also announced that HMS Echo would deploy to the Black Sea in 2019 to demonstrate the UK's support to ensuring freedom of navigation in the region.

And in January and February next year, training teams  made up of personnel from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and the Army  will deploy to Ukraine as part of the extension to the UK's military training operation.
Terry Yetman, a 38-year-old police officer in Bossier City, Louisiana, was arrested Wednesday and charged with 40 counts of sexual abuse of animals, half for performing sex acts and half for filming them. He is seen above in his mugshot

A Louisiana police officer has been arrested for allegedly filming himself having sex with an animal.

Bossier City Officer Terry Yetman, 38, is facing 40 counts of sexual abuse of animals, half for performing sex acts and half for filming them, according to the Louisiana State Police.

The charges are the result of an ongoing investigation by the LSP's Special Victims Unit that began back in August.

According to a news release from the LSP, investigators executing a search warrant discovered 'evidence indicating possession of pornography involving sexual acts with an animal' on devices belonging to Yetman. The type of animal is not specified.

An LSP spokesperson said the investigation is 'far from over' and that additional charges could be filed in the case.

Yetman turned himself in to authorities after a warrant for his arrest was issued Wednesday. He is being held held at the Bossier Parish jail on a combined bail amount of $350,000.

Yetman, who has been with the Bossier City Police Department since November 2014, was honored in October as a recipient of the 2018 Trey Hutchinson Award, a distinction presented by the Bossier Domestic Task Force to members of law enforcement who champion the rights of domestic violence victims and their families. He is pictured left at the award ceremony

Bossier City Police Department spokeswoman Traci Landry confirmed that Yetman, who has a young son, has been on the force since November 2014 and worked in the patrol division.

He was honored in October as a recipient of the 2018 Trey Hutchinson Award, a distinction presented by the Bossier Domestic Task Force to members of law enforcement who champion the rights of domestic violence victims and their families.

Yetman was placed on paid administrative leave last month after the department was notified of the LSP probe.

He will remain on leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation by the BCPD, Landry said.
Tanaya Lewis, 17, is accused of fatally stabbing a classmate at their Detroit-area school in an alleged dispute over a boy

A Michigan honor student accused of laughing as she stabbed a love rival to death in front of horrified classmates has been found competent to stand trial.

Tanaya Lewis, 17, is accused of killing 16-year-old classmate Danyna Gibson after the straight A students are said to have fallen out in a deadly dispute over a boy.

Lewis underwent a competency exam to determine if she understood the murder charge and could assist her lawyer and a report by the Center for Forensic Psychiatry found she is mentally competent.

Investigators say the attack occurred in front of a teacher and about 20 students, and that Lewis was laughing as she chased Gibson and stabbed her in the chest and back on September 12.

Prosecutors allege Lewis brought a steak knife to Warren Fitzgerald High School and stabbed her victim twice in the back as she tried to get away.

A judge issued the ruling Thursday to say the teen could stand trial over the alleged attack.

A hearing to determine if the case goes to trial is now scheduled for February.

Following Thursday's hearing, defense lawyer Mark Brown told The Macomb Daily that it's 'a sad case'.

He added: 'She's very upset about it but she understands.'

Scroll down for video.

A judge issued the ruling Thursday to say Lewis could stand trial over the alleged attack

Danyna Gibson, the 16-year-old girl Michigan high school student who was stabbed to death

A vigil to remember and honor the life of Danyna was held at the school following her death

Danyna was described as a straight-A student and was member of the high school cross-country team before her death.

Lewis - who had no history of trouble - is charged with first-degree murder and faces up to life behind bars if she is found guilty of the slaying.

Gibson's aunt, Vee Johnson, alleges her niece was stabbed out of 'pure hate, jealously and spite' as Lewis wanted to be valedictorian.

Lewis, pictured, is accused of stabbing 16-year-old Danyna Gibson in a classroom at Warren Fitzgerald High School on September 12

Prosecutors allege Lewis, pictured during her arrest, brought a steak knife to Warren Fitzgerald High School and stabbed her victim twice in the back

Investigators say the attack occurred in front of a teacher and about 20 students at Warren Fitzgerald High School

Speaking in September Macomb County prosecutor Eric Smith said: 'Premeditation is abundant in this case, as simple as the fact that she brought a knife to school.

'The defendant chased the victim throughout the class while this was going on. ... This was over something as simple as the victim being friends with a boy.'

Warren police Det. Donald Seidl told a judge that other students reported Lewis smiling and laughing as she pursued Gibson. A teacher got Lewis out of the room, he said, but the girl tried to get back in, declaring, 'I'm going to kill her.'
Kazakhstan's embassy in Azerbaijan is implementing a project to publish books in the Azerbaijani language, focused on important historical periods of the formation of Kazakh statehood and historical figures, as well as well-known scientists, cultural and literary personalities. The book of poems in the Kazakh language by an outstanding Azerbaijani poet and playwright of the early 20th century, Huseyn Javid, was presented yesterday at the Kazakhstan Embassy in Baku. The book was prepared by the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University with the support of the Kazakh embassy and ANAS. The rector at Al Farabi Kazakh National University, Vice-President of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Academician Galimkair Mutanov answered the questions of Vestnik Kavkaza after the presentation.

- Why did you choose Hussein Javid?

- If in Soviet times we knew such classics as Nizami and Fuzuli well, then with the coming of sovereignty new faces have appeared in our countries. Since Hussein Javid (1882-1941) was repressed, very few people knew him in Azerbaijan. However, in the last decades they started to publish his works, so these books reached Kazakhstan. Then it became clear that Hussein Javid, who suffered for his views, is comparable with [the Kazakh writer, one of the founders of the Kazakh literature] Magzhan Zhumabaev (1893-1938), who was also repressed. Zhumabayev was not published in the Soviet period, but now he is one of the most famous Kazakh poets. Today, people show great interest in his personality, in his works.

When we translated Hussein Javid's works into Kazakh, it became clear that he had a lot in common with Magzhan. They both dreamed of the independence of their countries, the rapprochement of the Turkic peoples, the future generation living in an independent state. These ideas, which were on many intellectuals' minds at that time, have been implemented. But we have to fill the gaps, talk about what people did not know before.

Hussein Javid and Magzhan Zhumabayev

Today we talked about Korkut. [The hero of the Oghuz epic 'Book of Dede Korkut', which is a symbol of rapprochement of the entire Turkic world, the legendary Turkic thinker, philosopher and poet of the 9th century, narrator, patron of poets and musicians. The epic tales about him can be found among Kazakhs, Azerbaijanis and Turks - VK] Korkut is our spiritual leader. And when Azeris and Turks talk about Korkut, you begin to understand that this is our common hero.

Few people know about al-Farabi also. [Abu Nasr al-Farabi - philosopher, mathematician, music theorist, one of the largest representatives of medieval oriental philosophy - VK] He is a native of Farab, now it is Otrar - a site of ancient settlement in the Otrar district of the Turkestan region. His works contain deep philosophy.

Al-Farabi

We should be proud of such people. President Nursultan Nazarbayev called upon the people of Kazakhstan to revive our spirituality, because our history was not presented as it is earlier. There is a lot of work in this direction. Creating a single, holistic history of the Turkic peoples requires efforts of scientists from all countries.

- What other projects are you planning to implement in this direction?

- Next year, at the initiative of our president, the International Congress of Turkology will be held in Astana. The first congress was held in Baku in the 1920s, when the tsarist empire was already destroyed, and the Soviet government was in its infancy. At that time, many had a desire to revive all national things, revive their statehood, culture, and spirituality. Then the congress discussed issues of writing, the transition to Latin. Many of the ideas that we are talking about were voiced at that time. But the USSR had other goals, other tasks. And now it's time to realize dreams that were on our spiritual leaders' minds at the dawn of the last century.
A leading ally of Jeremy Corbyn apologised today for tweeting in support of a jazz musician his own party labelled a 'vile anti-Semite'.

Labour MP Chris Williamson issued the grovelling apology after he posted a link to a petition backing Gilad Atzmon.

Islington Council had banned the saxophonist from playing with the Blockheads at a performance at the Islington Assembly Hall tonight.

They said the 55-year-old's appearance alongside Ian Dury's former band 'might harm' relationships with the north London borough's religious communities.

Mr Williamson, an ex shadow minister, posted a link to a petition to get him reinstated, alongside the caption: 'Hands off Gilad Atzmon - sign the petition!'

Labour MP Chris Williamson (pictured with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn during the 2017 election campaign) issued the grovelling apology after he posted a link to a petition backing Gilad Atzmon

After social media users and Jewish groups expressed their anger, he deleted the message and posted an apology instead.

The Derby North MP said: 'Earlier today I tweeted a petition about an Islington Council ban against the Blockheads performing with their chosen line up. The council has blocked jazz musician Gilad Atzmon from playing with the group.

'Since then I've learned that Atzmon, a former Israeli soldier, is not confined to the jazz world. I am told that in various blogs and in speeches he has adopted anti-Semitic language.

'I wasn't aware of this until after I tweeted the petition. As soon as I was informed, I deleted the tweet. I've always condemned all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism, and strongly disassociate myself from Atzmon's anti-Semitic views.

'I therefore apologise for tweeting this petition and any distress or offence it may have caused.'

Mr Atzmon has been accused of anti-Semitism on a number of occasions, having written in an essay in 2003 called 'On Anti-Semitism' that 'we must begin to take the accusation that Zionists are trying to control the world very seriously'.

In an article on his website in 2010 he asked: 'We should also ask for what purpose do the Holocaust denial laws serve? What is the Holocaust religion there to conceal?'

Despite Mr Williamson's apology, the Jewish Labour Movement called for Mr Williamson to be suspended from the party.

A spokesman said: 'Gilad Atzmon is an anti-Semite. Chris Williamson is a Jew baiter. Supporting Atzmon is baiting Jews.

'And Chris Williamson has been baiting Jews in the party for too long unchecked. No more ifs or buts.

'We expect Chris Williamson to be suspended from the Labour Party today.'

Islington Council had banned the saxophonist Gilad Atzmon (pictured performing in Turkey in 2015) from playing with the Blockheads at a performance at the Islington Assembly Hall tonight. They said the 55-year-old's appearance 'might harm' relationships with the north London borough's religious communities

The campaign group Labour Against Antisemitism tweeted in support of the Jewish Labour Movement, adding: 'There can be no equivocation: Chris Williamson MP must have his membership of Labour withdrawn today.'

A Labour spokesman said: 'Gilad Atzmon is a vile anti-Semite. Chris Williamson has said he was not aware of Atzmon's appalling views and rightly apologised for his tweet.'

The row began when Islington Council, which owns the Assembly Hall, rejected an appeal from Mr Atzmon against its decision to block him from performing.

It said in a statement: 'Under the Equality Act, the council must, in the exercise of its functions, have due regard to the need to foster good relations between different races and religions within the borough.

'The council took account of the fact Mr Atzmon's presence at the hall, and knowledge of his presence among residents, might harm such relationships, as well as the council's duty to tackle prejudice and promote understanding.'

Speaking to the Islington Gazette, Mr Atzmon accused the council of having 2adopted the role of book burners'.

More than 3,000 people have signed the petition calling for the decision to be reversed.
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The winter solstice arrived today marking the shortest day of the year and the 24-hour-period with the least amount of sunlight - as thousands gathered to celebrate the annual event.

Celebrations were held across the UK as about 2,000 turned out in Brighton to join its Burning the Clocks parade, which saw tributes to the melting timepieces of Salvador Dali's The Persistence of Memory.

Carnival-goers turned out in bonnets and masks as they waved flags and painted their faces to mark the solstice.

They hit the streets just hours after dozens of pagans woke early this morning to watch the sunrise at the prehistoric monument Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland.

Elsewhere, a number of people opted to celebrate the shortest day of the year with a swim in the waters at Helen's Bay, Northern Ireland.

Donning their swimwear, the brave group were seen jumping around in the chilly water with some retaining their woolly hats for the adventurous gathering.

In Somerset, hundreds gathered at Glastonbury Tor to mark the winter solstice - which will this evening also see the longest night of the year.

Celebrations have not yet concluded, as Stonehenge will holds its annual winter solstice celebrations early tomorrow morning. Although Friday, December 21 is typically recognised as the winter solstice, but the exact date can vary with the English Heritage preferring to host its celebrations according to the shortest day of the year astronomically.

Carnival-goers at the Burning of the Clocks festival in Brighton tonight parade through its streets with decorated lanterns in order to celebrate the shortest day of the year. Thousands have been pictured at the annual event this year, which began back in 1993

This winter solstice also offers the sight of a full moon (pictured, the moon over Henley on Thames) as some parts of the UK will also see meteor showers

Gathering pagans also sang and played music at the winter solstice celebration in County Meath, Ireland. Hundreds watched on as the traditional ceremony ensued throughout the early hours of the morning

Bonnets and facepaint were donned in Brighton as the carnival swept through the streets and people celebrated the shortest day of the year with painted lanterns that will be built into a bonfire on the beach

These participants carried a lantern modelled on surrealist artist Salvador Dali's The Persistence of Memory, which shows clocks melting

People parade through the streets of Brighton carrying huge customised lanterns which will then be built into a huge bonfire on the beach

Clothing covered in fairy lights are donned by masked parade participants in Brighton as they march through the city for the Burning the Clocks event

Costumes were donned at the carnival in Brighton as participants waved flags and wore headgear as they celebrated the shortest day of the year

Dozens of pagans woke early this morning to watch the sunrise at the prehistoric monument Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland. The site is famous as it is aligned with the rising sun and its light floods the chamber during the winter solstice every year

Newgrange, which consists of a large circular mound with a stone passageway and interior chambers, is perhaps best known for the illumination of its passage and chamber by the winter solstice sun. But celebrations also take place outside the structure, with attendees gathering in a circle to watch a traditional pagan ceremony

On mornings around the winter solstice a beam of light travels through a hole in Newgrange and lights up a 19 metre passage. As the sun rises higher, the beam widens so that the whole chamber is dramatically illuminated. Attendees are seen here hugging each other after watching the sunrise at the prehistoric monument

Pagans led traditional celebrations at the prehistoric site in County Meath, Ireland. Newgrange is believed to have been built during the Neolithic period, around 3200 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. Paganism refers to a group of contemporary religions which draw on nature and the religions of indigenous people around the world

Elsewhere, a number of people opted to celebrate the shortest day of the year with a swim in the waters at Helen's Bay, Northern Ireland (pictured)

Donning their swimwear, the brave group were seen jumping around in the chilly water at Helen's Bay in County Down, Northern Ireland with some retaining their woolly hats for the adventurous gathering

The winter solstice is an astronomical phenomenon which marks the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year. This morning people in County Down, Northern Ireland gathered to mark the shorted day of the year with a swim (pictured)

In Somerset, hundreds gathered at Glastonbury Tor (pictured) to mark the winter solstice - which will this evening also see the longest night of the year

The Tor (pictured) provides the ideal vantage point to watch the sunrise on the shortest day of the year, being much higher than the surrounding ground
Mexican actress Kate del Castillo is suing the Mexican government after accusing officials of 'political persecution' following her well-publicized meeting with Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman and Hollywood star Sean Penn.

Del Castillo, 46, is suing Mexican officials for $60million, claiming that former president Enrique Pena Nieto and his administration's Attorney General's Office [PGR] dragged her name through the mud during an investigation after her trip to Mexico to talk to the Sinaloa Cartel leader in October 2015.

She said Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Fels told her that Penn had a helping hand in El Chapo's capture in January 2016 after the drug baron had spent two years on the run.

El Chapo was then extradited to the United States and is currently facing trial in a federal New York court.

'Sean Penn helped with his (El Chapo's) location and subsequent capture,' Del Castillo said during a press conference Thursday, which marked her return to Mexico since the eventful meeting took place with the then fugitive kingpin three years ago.

'I was not aware of this situation and this is the betrayal I was talking about.'

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Kate del Castillo, 46, is suing Mexican officials for $60million. She is pictured Thursday at a press conference

Kate del Castillo (second from left) was joined by three lawyers at a press conference in Mexico City on Thursday, and accused Mexican government officials of 'political persecution'

Sean Penn (left), El Chapo (center) and Kate del Castillo (right) met at a secret location in Mexico in October 2015, just three months before the Sinaloa Cartel leader was arrested

Del Castillo has always steadfastly claimed that she was not involved in the operation that led to El Chapo's arrest.

She flew out with Penn and another Hollywood producer because she was interested in documenting El Chapo's life on movie screens, a project she is no longer interested in carrying out.

Rolling Stone ran a story of Penn's meeting with El Chapo soon after.

'He behaved very badly, he did not protect me and risked my life,' Del Castillo said of Penn during her hour-long press conference in Mexico City while flanked by her three lawyers.

Del Castillo narrated a three-part series, 'The Day I Met El Chapo', for Netlix which debuted in October 2017.

Kate del Castillo was investigated by the Mexican government after she met with El Chapo in 2015 but was never charged with a crime. She is pictured with her tequila during a press conference

Kate del Castillo says an Assistant U.S. Attorney told her that Sean Penn (left) played an important role in El Chapo's (right) captute

Mexican prosecutors opened an inquiry into Del Castillo following the secret sit down she arranged with Penn and the former fugitive drug boss.

'I have nothing to hide, I did not commit any crime and I was the victim of political persecution,' del Castillo said.

'Information was filtered to the media, which is an illegal act. It affected my rights to honor, dignity, freedom of expression and thought.'

The actress was never charged, she claims that prosecutors leaked information that damaged her reputation.

Del Castillo, who owns her own tequila brand, Honor, added that allegations made by government officials that charged that she was romantically involved hurt her opportunities as landing acting roles.

She is best known for her lead role the 2011 television series, 'La Reina del Sur' ['The Queen of the South], which is based a young woman that becomes the drug cartel boss in the south of Spain.

People in Spanish Awards recognized her at the 2011 Best Actress.

The second season of 'La Reina del Sur' slated to air in 2019.

Del Castillo is no longer in touch with Penn.
Standing at just 4 feet, 9 inches tall, Houston grandmother Guadalupe Rojas was no match for a pair of thugs who attempted to rob the Subway sandwich shop where she works, but armed with a box cutter, the fearless employee managed to foil the heist.

The Houston Police Department on Tuesday released surveillance video showing two unidentified suspects jumping the counter at the fast-food eatery in the 7500 block of Westheimer Road just before midnight on September 22 and demanding cash from Rojas, 44.

Instead of complying with the bandits' demands, Rojas, who has nine grandchildren, grabbed a box cutter and began waving it in the would-be thieves' faces.

Houston grandmother Guadalupe Rojas was working a late shift at Subway on the night of September 22 when two young men came in planning to rob the eater

they jumped over the counter and demanded that Rojas hand over all the cash from the register

Taking a stand: Instead of complying, Rojas, 44, grabbed a box cutter and confronted one of the assailants

She waved the knife in the man's face, showing little regard for her own safety

The thug then grabbed a metal trey and bashed Rojas in the face with it

The CCTV footage shows the Subway employee valiantly standing her ground and tussling with the two men.

One of the attackers grabs a metal trey and hits the employee over the head, then punches her in the face several times.

At one point, Rojas' co-worker comes in between her and the assailant to protect her from the blows raining down on her.

It appears from the video that Rojas managed to slash the thug who battered her in the arm, causing him to bleed.

Having encountered such a ferocious resistance from the feisty Subway worker, both suspects turned tail and fled the eatery empty-handed.

The woman continued showing resistance and managed to slash the bandit with the box cutter in the arm

Rojas' co-worker tried to come between her and the attacker in an effort to protect her

The suspects quickly turned tail and ran out of the eatery empty-handed

Rojas, who has nine grandchildren, has worked at the Subway in Houston for six years

'I dont know how I got the courage to did what I did,' Rojas, who has worked at the subway location for six years, told the station KPRC.

The 44-year-old woman said that during the struggle, she did not think about her own safety.

Two of her daughters said they were stunned to learn of their mother's act of bravery.

While Rojas was not given a raise in the aftermath of the thwarted robbery, she was rewarded with more work hours.

Police are now hoping the release of the surveillance video would help them identify and track down the two suspects.
Warren Stanley Bond, 78, is said to have mailed a letter to Rebecca Boldrick, Hogg's mother, at their Parkland home in June

An elderly Florida man has been charged with a federal crime of mailing a threatening communication to the home of Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg.

Warren Stanley Bond, 78, is said to have mailed a letter to Rebecca Boldrick, mother to the March for Our Lives activist, at their Parkland home in June.

Last month, the Sunrise man agreed to a Risk Protection Order for the incident.

Known as the red flag law, the order allows for law enforcement officers or family members to have firearms temporarily removed from a person who presents a threat.

The law was passed in an effort to bring about gun control following the mass shooting that took place at Stoneman Douglas High School, NBC Miami reports.

On June 25, Boldrick and her husband called the Broward Sheriff's Office to report the threatening mail.

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On June 25, Boldrick and her husband called the Broward Sheriff's Office to report the threatening email

The letter, addressed to the activist's mother, was white and used a self-adhesive. There was no return address on the envelope.

Inside, a piece of paper read: 'Keep F------ with the NRA and you will be DOA.'

Detectives and a Postal Inspector focused their efforts on Bond, who admitted to sending the letter when questioned.

'Yep! That is exactly what I told her, and you know what, I believe it today,' he is said to have said to the responding investigators.

Inside an envelope, a piece of paper read: 'Keep F------ with the NRA and you will be DOA'

Bond was arrested on Thursday and has no prior history of arrest. If convicted, he could pay a $250,000 fine and spend five years in prison.

He plans on hiring an attorney and is expected to appear in court on Friday.

In a text message, Boldrick shared that she was 'relieved he was caught'. She said: 'There should be consequences when you threaten to kill someone.'

Back in June, Hoggs' home was also targeted in a 'swatting' prank.
President Donald Trump's sudden decision to yank U.S. forces out of Syria came after a private call with the hard-line president of Turkey where the president ditched a script crafted by his aides and was told allies fighting alongside the U.S. were terrorists.

The fateful call occurred Friday, according to multiple press accounts, just as Turkey's President Recep Erdogan publicly saber-rattling about a campaign to wipe out U.S.-allied Turkish forces in northeastern Syria.

The U.S. has relied on Kurdish fighters in Iraq and Syria to take out ISIS elements in a multi-year military campaign that Trump cheered on Twitter Friday.

'Why are you still there?' Turkish President Recep Erdogan asked President Trump during a call where Trump ditched a script and ended up promising a withdrawal from Syria

Trump's national security aides prepared a script for the call, which the president abandoned during his chat. Rather than pushing Erdogan, a NATO ally, to hold off on military action, the Turkish leader seized control of the phone call and declared the U.S. Syria mission virtually completed, even as he went after the United States' kurdish allies.

He told Trump 'that the U.S. must stop aiding terrorists in the region and do this as soon as possible,' reported the pro-government Turkish paper Daily Sabah.

According to Turkey's communications directorate, Erdogan was threatening to move military 'at any moment.'

'We talked to Trump. These terrorists have to leave areas east of the Euphrates. If they do not leave, we will dispatch them. Because they are disturbing us,' he said.

President Donald Trump defended his campaign against ISIS after a Fox News host said he had 're-founded' the group

'NOT EVEN CLOSE!' Trump defended his anti-ISIS record, as he is under fire for his pullout plan

A wounded member of the US-allied Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) is carried by comrades outside a field clinic run by the YPG in the Syrian village of Raqa Samra, east of the Islamic State (IS) group bastion of Raqa, on June 21, 2017. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces began an operation to capture Raqa from fighters of the Islamic State group last year, and finally entered the city earlier this month

A handout picture released by the Turkish Presidential Palace Press Office shows Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) posing with US President Donald Trump during the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 1, 2018

Syrian Democratic Forces and U.S. troops are seen during a patrol near Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria November 4, 2018

On the call, Erdogan was able to seize control of the conversation by pointing to U.S. military success, saying the U.S. had already defeated 99 per cent of ISIS.

When he asked Trump 'Why are you still there?', it prompted Trump to pass on the query to his own security advisor, John Bolton, who was monitoring the call.

Sources on the call said Trump 'quickly capitulated' and yielded to Erdogan's withdrawal demand, the Associated Press reported.

Critical to the U.S.-led anti-ISIS campaign have been Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, consisting of arabs and kurds in Syria. The U.S. also backs People's Protection Units, or YPG, which consists mostly of Kurds but who Turkey considers to close to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, as Military Times reported.

Adding further intrigue to how the decision came about is the State Department's approval, announced Tuesday, of Turkey's decision to spend $3.5 billion purchasing U.S.-made Patriot missile defense systems.

It came amid U.S. concerns Turkey might go with the Russian-made S-400 system, which in turn could allow the Russians to spy on NATO activities.

Trump's decision to withdraw American troops from Syria was made hastily, without consulting his national security team or allies, and over strong objections from virtually everyone involved in the fight against the Islamic State group, according to U.S. and Turkish officials.

The Washington Post reported Thursday that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joseph Dunford, wasn't present at a Tuesday White House meeting where the final decision ultimately got made.

'We've been thinking that as the walls close in around Trump, we would have a 'Wag the Dog' scenario where he starts to lash out,' Obama administration Pentagon official Derek Chollet told the New York Times. 'But it won't be getting us into wars  it will be the opposite.'

Adding to the intrigue, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted that he has spoken to Trump Monday and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday and had been told of the U.S. plan  indicating that two foreign leaders may have been in the know before senior military and civilian officials did.

"In no uncertain terms, reporting throughout this story is not true,' National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis told DailyMail.com, responding to questions about the call and accounts that emerged in AP reporting and Turkish media sources.

'In no uncertain terms, reporting throughout this story is not true. It is clear from the context that this false version of events is from sources who lack authority on the subject, possibly from unnamed sources in Turkey,' he added.

Trump stunned his Cabinet, lawmakers and much of the world with the move by rejecting the advice of his top aides and agreeing to a withdrawal in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week, two officials briefed on the matter told The Associated Press.

The Dec. 14 call, described by officials who were not authorized to discuss the decision-making process publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, provides insight into a consequential Trump decision that prompted the resignation of widely respected Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. It also set off a frantic, four-day scramble to convince the president either to reverse or delay the decision.

The White House, State Department and Pentagon all declined to comment on the account of the decision to withdraw the troops, which have been in Syria to fight the Islamic State since 2015.

Despite losing the physical caliphate, thousands of IS fighters remain in Iraq and Syria, and the group continues to carry out insurgent attacks and could easily move back into territory it once held if American forces withdraw.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arranged the Dec. 14 call a day after he had unsuccessfully sought clarity from Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu about Erdogan's threats to launch a military operation against U.S.-backed Kurdish rebels in northeast Syria, where American forces are based.

Pompeo, Mattis and other members of the national security team prepared a list of talking points for Trump to tell Erdogan to back off, the officials said.

But the officials said Trump, who had previously accepted such advice and convinced the Turkish leader not to attack the Kurds and put U.S. troops at risk, ignored the script. Instead, the president sided with Erdogan.

In the following days, Trump remained unmoved by those scrambling to convince him to reverse or at least delay the decision to give the military and Kurdish forces time to prepare for an orderly withdrawal.

'The talking points were very firm,' said one of the officials, explaining that Trump was advised to clearly oppose a Turkish incursion into northern Syria and suggest the U.S. and Turkey work together to address security concerns. 'Everybody said push back and try to offer (Turkey) something that's a small win, possibly holding territory on the border, something like that.'

Erdogan, though, quickly put Trump on the defensive, reminding him that he had repeatedly said the only reason for U.S. troops to be in Syria was to defeat the Islamic State and that the group had been 99 percent defeated. 'Why are you still there?' the second official said Erdogan asked Trump, telling him that the Turks could deal with the remaining IS militants.

With Erdogan on the line, Trump asked national security adviser John Bolton, who was listening in, why American troops remained in Syria if what the Turkish president was saying was true, according to the officials. Erdogan's point, Bolton was forced to admit, had been backed up by Mattis, Pompeo, U.S. special envoy for Syria Jim Jeffrey andspecial envoy for the anti-ISIS coalition Brett McGurk, who have said that IS retains only 1 percent of its territory, the officials said.

Bolton stressed, however, that the entire national security team agreed that victory over IS had to be enduring, which means more than taking away its territory.

Trump was not dissuaded, according to the officials, who said the president quickly capitulated by pledging to withdraw, shocking both Bolton and Erdogan.

Caught off guard, Erdogan cautioned Trump against a hasty withdrawal, according to one official. While Turkey has made incursions into Syria in the past, it does not have the necessary forces mobilized on the border to move in and hold the large swaths of northeastern Syria where U.S. troops are positioned, the official said.

The call ended with Trump repeating to Erdogan that the U.S. would pull out, but offering no specifics on how it would be done, the officials said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a business meeting in Istanbul Friday, Dec. 21, 2018, a week after he held a call with President Trump where according to the Turkish government he called U.S. allies terrorists

Over the weekend, the national security team raced to come up with a plan that would reverse, delay or somehow limit effects of the withdrawal, the officials said.

On Monday, Bolton, Mattis and Pompeo met at the White House to try to plot a middle course. But they were told by outgoing chief of staff John Kelly and his soon-to-be successor Mick Mulvaney that Trump was determined to pull out and was not to be delayed or denied, according to the officials. The trio met again on Tuesday morning to try to salvage things, but were again rebuffed, the officials said.

The White House had wanted to announce the decision on Tuesday - and press secretary Sarah Sanders scheduled a rare briefing specifically to announce it. But the Pentagon convinced Trump to hold off because the withdrawal plans weren't complete and allies and Congress had not yet been notified, according to the officials. The first country aside from Turkey to be told of the impending pull-out was Israel, the officials said.

Word of the imminent withdrawal began to seep out early Wednesday after U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Joseph Votel started to inform his commanders on the ground and the Kurds of the decision.

Following the official announcement the White House emphasized that the U.S. will continue to support the fight against IS and remains ready to 're-engage' when needed. But in a tweet, the president said U.S. troops would no longer be fighting IS on behalf of others.

'Time to focus on our Country & bring our youth back home where they belong!'
Drivers can now cruise along the President Barack H. Obama Highway after signs went up Thursday showing a section of a Los Angeles freeway has been named in his honor.

The State Route 134 stretch that refers to the 44th President of the United States, runs from State Route 2 in Glendale through to the Eagle Rock section of LA's Interstate 210 in Pasadena.

Barack Hussein Obama II, 57, attended Occidental College in Eagle Rock from 1979 to 1981 and lived in Pasadena during his sophomore year.

Signs have gone up naming a section of a Los Angeles-area freeway as the President Barack H. Obama Highway, seen from Pasadena, California, Thursday

The former president attended Occidental College in Eagle Rock from 1979 to 1981 and lived in Pasadena

The signs posted Thursday on State Route 134 apply to a stretch running from State Route 2 in Glendale, Calif., through the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles to Interstate 210 in Pasadena

The designation was authorized in 2017 after local democratic activist John Gallogly suggested the idea to rename the freeway and the Legislature was taken to Sacramento where it was signed off on a resolution introduced by state Senator Anthony J. Portantino.

The Democrat's La Canada Flintridge district includes the area of the highway that Congressman Jimmy Gomez also approved.

Following the passing of Senate Concurrent Resolution 8, Southern California community members donated to the project earlier this year at an event hosted by Portantino, Bob and Faye Davidson and Occidental College.

While the California government states people across the country were eager to donate, they decided to limit it to a local project to supply Caltrans with money for the creation and installation of the signs.

Portantino said the sign was 'quickly paid for' after those within the area were given the opportunity to take 'ownership' of the Obama project.

Obama transferred out of the LA County Occidental College (pictured) in Eagle Rock, founded by members of the clergy and Presbyterian church, and went to Columbia in New York in 1981

Obama then studied at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1988

'This is an exciting day for Southern California and it showcases our deep respect and appreciation for President Obama,' Portantino commented. 'The President has often mentioned his fond memories of living in Pasadena and attending Occidental College, so it was very appropriate to name the portion of the freeway he travelled after him.

'Our community came together to make this happen. It is an honor to be in a position to have helped facilitate this wonderful symbol of our collective respect for the grace and dignity embodied by our 44th President.'

Obama transferred out of the LA County liberal arts college founded by members of the clergy and Presbyterian church and attended Columbia University in New York.

After obtaining a BA degree in 1983, majoring in political science, he went to Harvard Law School in Massachusetts in 1988.

However his time in the LA area is believed to have and an impact on his path to becoming an American leader for two terms from 2009 to 2017.

State Senator Anthony J. Portantino (left) and Congressman Jimmy Gomez (right) approved of the project

'So many generous people can share in the accomplishment of this appropriate recognition of an inspiring, positive leader,' Portantino added. 'I am very grateful to Caltrans for its rapid response to our community's generosity by installing the signs before Christmas. What a great way to bring in 2019. I hope to have a formal unveiling and program in the New Year to properly commemorate the President and our new freeway.'

It's not the only LA-area road approved to be named after Obama.

This August on the anniversary of Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech, Rodeo Road in the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw area got the go-ahead, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Obama Blvd.

The 3.5-mile road runs past Rancho Cienga Park where Obama held a campaign rally in February 2007.

Before he left the White House, in 2015 Old Dixie Highway in Riviera Beach, Florida was named after President Barack Obama.

On the anniversary of Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech, Rodeo Road in the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw area got the go-ahead for Obama Blvd, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced
A major Chinese military shipyard has expanded dramatically in the past few years, a new study revealed, as Beijing endeavours to build one of the world's most powerful naval forces.

Satellite images show that a shipyard belonging to the Jiangnan Shipbuilding Group has grown by 64 per cent in size since 2011 and at least 18 warships have been spotted there this year.

The shipyard is one of the most important naval shipbuilding plants in China and its name means 'south of Yangtze River'. It's located on Changxing Island in Shanghai at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

 Slide me  Two satellite images of the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai taken in 2011 and 2018 show the plant has grown rapidly in size. The images were published in a report by Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank based in Washington D.C. in the United States

Last year, the shipyard completed the construction of a new-generation, 10,000-tonne destroyer for the People's Liberation Army Navy. Equipped with new air defense, anti-missile, anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons, the formidable vessel was launched in June from Jiangnan.

The recent analysis of the Jiangnan shipyard was published by Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a think tank based in Washington D.C. in the United States.

It was conducted by CSIS's China Power project, and focused primarily on the activities within the shipyard in 2018.

China's new type of domestically-built destroyer, a 10,000-tonne warship, is seen during its launching ceremony at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai on June 28, 2017

Up to five Type 052D destroyers have been spotted on the satellite images of the shipyard this year, according to the study.

Type 052D, a class of guided-missile destroyer, has been described as the 'backbone' and 'workhorse' of the Chinese navy. A military report from China's Sina.com last week suggested Beijing aimed to have a total of 24 of those vessels. As of August, 14 of them had been launched and the rest are being built, it is reported.

Other vessels observed include icebreaker Xue Long, or Snow Dragon, and its upgraded version Xue Long 2.

Xue Long 2, China's first self-developed icebreaker, was launched from the Jiangnan Shipyard in September. The ship is China's second polar research vessel and puts Beijing on par with Washington in terms of operational icebreakers.

Seven to 10 Type 726A air-cushioned landing crafts were also found to be moored at the shipyard throughout the year. Media reports from last year claimed that the Chinese military was mass-producing the vessels in the Jiangnan Shipyard.

Icebreaker Xue Long 2 prepares to take water in the Jiangnan Shipyard on September 10

CSIS expert Dr. Matthew Funaiole said he and his colleagues decided to analyse the Jiangnan Shipyard to find out its importance to the modernisation of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

Dr. Funaiole told MailOnline: 'There is a lot of interested in the PLAN's modernisation, especially with regard to the pace at which China is producing modern, capable warships.'

China's state-run Xinhua News Agency last month reported that Beijing was building its third aircraft carrier, marking the first official Chinese media confirmation of the warship's construction.

Rumour has it that the warship is being built in the Jiangnan Shipyard.

Dr. Funaiole said the team also hoped to verify the claims, but they were not able to find any evidence of the construction of an aircraft carrier in the shipyard.

China currently has two aircraft carriers: Liaoning, a refitted Soviet ship it bought from Ukraine that went into service in 2012, and Type 001A, the country's first domestically designed and built carrier.

China's President Xi Jinping has vowed to build a world-leading naval force for the country

China's president Xi Jinping has vowed to build a leading navy since he took the office in 2012.

In April, China held its largest-ever naval parade on the South China Sea which involved 48 warships, 76 warplanes and more than 10,000 soldiers, according to Xinhua News Agency.

While reviewing the parade, President Xi said the mission for China to build a strong naval force had never been more pressing.
Lucas Antunes (pictured above) pleaded guilty to man slaughter

Two Harrods workers are facing jail after they were caught attacking a homeless man in Trafalgar Square, who later died after suffering from a serious head injury.

Lucas Antunes, plead guilty to manslaughter at the Old Bailey.

The 22-year-old had punched Desmond O'Beirne after the homeless man had asked for a cigarette.

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When the pair refused Mr O'Beirne walked away.

Antunes' friend, Luis Abella then kicked the 51-year-old.

Mr O'Beirne had allegedly threatened to 'shank them' at around midnight on June 3, 2017, when the pair had refused to give him a cigarette.

Mr O'Beirne died from a brain injury on December 20 last year. He suffered a serious head injury and clung to life in the Royal London hospital after a screw was fitted in his skull to relieve pressure.

But he caught pneumonia and died.

Antunes, of Tottenham, north London, pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the Old Bailey earlier in December. His co-defendant, from Lambeth, admitted attempted assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Friday 21 December.

The pair are set to be sentenced at the Old Bailey on February 8.

Bailing Abella, Judge Wendy Joseph QC said: 'Do not read into that any indication of what the sentence might be at the end.'

Earlier this year, police offered 20,000 to anyone who could help them track down the culprits.

Luis Abella (left) is facing jail after he was caught on CCTV kicking Desmond O'Beirne (right)

Mr O'Beirne was filmed running away from his attackers near the National Gallery before he was floored with a single punch.

A spokesperson for Harrods said: 'The individuals in questions were not Harrods employees. They were employed by Buzz Retail, who provide staff for product demonstrations, both for less than a year, in 2017.'

Detective Chief Inspector Noel McHugh, of Scotland Yard, said: 'This is a tremendous result. We have got some justice for Desmond and his family.

'He was punched in the back of the head and kicked while he was on the ground. He was out on a night out and he suffered injuries which would put him in a coma for six months.

CCTV footage from the Metropolitan Police shows the incident close to Trafalgar Square in London

'This case shows the power of the media supporting us and the amazing public coming forward to support this prosecution.

'Without you we would not have secured a conviction.'

The victim, originally from Ireland, was said to have had an itinerant lifestyle and had a sister living in Wales.

Mr McHugh expressed the hope that she would now be able to rebuild her life.

Abella had originally faced a manslaughter charge but it changed to the lesser charge following a review.

Antunes returned to Britain to face justice after authorities in the United States found him.

Mr McHugh said: 'Combined with some brilliant detective work in the UK, a huge thank you to our American partners who tracked him down and brought him back so swiftly.'
President Donald Trump mocked soon-to-be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi late Thursday night over her scolding Oval Office prediction that he couldn't muster enough votes to win funding for his long-promised border wall.

In a vote of 217-185, a lame-duck House controlled by Republicans passed a stopgap budget measure that included $5 billion for the project.

Trump tweeted Friday that he was proud of the GOP majority: 'Republican House Members should be very proud of themselves. They flew back to Washington from all parts of the World in order to vote for Border Security and the Wall. Not one Democrat voted yes, and we won big.'

Hours earlier, he gloated over Pelosi's dour forecast at the White House just 10 days ago.

'Soon to be Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, last week live from the Oval Office, that the Republicans didnt have the votes for Border Security. Today the House Republicans voted and won, 217-185,' Trump tweeted.

'Nancy does not have to apologize. All I want is GREAT BORDER SECURITY!'

House speaker-to-be Nany Pelosi (left) scolded President Donald Trump on Dec. 11 in the Oval Office, saying the House of Representatives would never pass a budget bill that funds his border wall project  something that ultimately happened Thursday evening

Pelosi wound up with egg on her face Thursday night, and a passive-aggressive Trump piled on

The president trolled Pelosi Thursday night, saying he doesn't need an apology from her

'We won big,' Trump tweeted Friday morning, saying they prevailed despite getting no support from any Democrats

Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer chided Trump on Dec. 11, with cameras catching every resulting glare and grimace, insisting that he couldn't persuade enough House Republicans to do what they did Thursday night.

'There are no votes in the House, a majority of votes, for a wall  no matter where you start,' Pelosi told the president and a stone-faced Vice President Mike Pence.

'That is exactly right,' Schumer agreed. 'You dont have the votes in the House.'

Trump disagreed at the time. 'If I needed the votes for the wall in the House, I would have them,' he said. 'In one session, it would be done.'

'Well, then go do it. Go do it,' Pelosi replied, waving a political red cape in his direction. 'Mr. President, let me just say one thing. The fact is you do not have the votes in the House.'

'Nancy, I do,' Trump said. 'And we need border security.'

'Well,' she sniped back, 'let's take the vote and we'll find out.'

The president has long promised to extend border walls like this one in San Diego to most of the 1,900-mile U.S.-Mexico border

'The fact is you do not have the votes in the House,' Pelosi told Trump pointedly on Dec. 11; 'Nancy, I do. We need border security,'the president responded

An hour later in a meeting of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, Pelosi groused that erecting a solid barrier between the U.S. and Mexico is 'like a manhood thing for him. As if manhood could ever be associated with him.'

'It was so wild,' she said of the free-for-all Oval Office meeting. 'It goes to show you: You get into a tinkle contest with a skunk, you get tinkle all over you.'

The budget measure is headed to the Senate on Friday, hours before a midnight deadline that will either extend funding for roughly 25 per cent of the government, or shut it down.

Trump complained in the Dec. 1 meeting with Pelosi and Schumer that the House vote would be meaningless without the support of 10 Senate Democrats. Budget measures in the upper chamber of Congress must win support from 61 senators before they can be officially voted on.

The president on Friday morning urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to set that rule aside and invole what lawmakers call 'the nuclear option,' lowering the threshold to a simple 51-vote majority.
Turkey will take necessary measures to use Russia's S-400 air defense missile systems without harming Washington's F-35 fifth generation fighters, a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

"During out talks with the United States, we assured that the S-400 systems will be used separately from NATOs systems, and in a manner that will help preserve sensitive information concerning the F-35 aircraft," TASS cited the source as saying.

"We will take all necessary measures in that regard," the source said when asked to comment on Bloombergs report saying that Ankara was considering providing US technical experts with an opportunity to study the S-400 systems.

Earlier, the media said that the U.S. administration had cleared Turkey to purchase the Patriot systems, worth a total of $3.5 billion.
Nine more people have been arrested across Morocco as the hunt intensifies to uproot the Isis cell responsible for the beheading of two Scandinavian hikers.

It follows the detention of four suspects in the gruesome killings which took place in the early hours of Monday, bringing the total number or arrests to 13.

The multiple arrests took place in Marrakech, Essaouira, Sidi Bennour, Tangier and Ait Baha in the centre of the country.

During the raids, electronic equipment was seized alongside an unlicensed hunting rifle, knives, binoculars, torches, a telescope, military vests and materials for manufacturing a bomb.

A suspect is arrested by the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) in coordination with the Royal Gendarmerie and national security services in Marrakesh

Another suspect is detained as part of the investigation carried out after finding the dead bodies of two foreign tourists in the region of Chamharouche (Al Haouz Province)

The developments appear to confirm fears that the attack was planned by a wider Isis network operating in the country, which has not seen a terror attack on westerners since 2011.

Meanwhile pictures have revealed the squalid house of one of the terror suspects accused of the Scandinavian women's murders.

Images show the dilapidated house of Younes Ouaziad, one of four men held over the murders of Dane Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and Norwegian Maren Ueland, 28, in the Atlas Mountains.

Family members say the 26-year-old, who lived in grinding poverty at his father's home in the El Azzouzia district of Marrakesh, had repeatedly refused to get a job - even after his wife had a miscarriage.

The obsessive hunter became intensely 'jealous' of his wife after he turned to religion, his wife added, forbidding her from leaving the house alone.

Younes Ouaziad (pictured) is one of four men held over the murders of Dane Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and Norwegian Maren Ueland, 28, in the Atlas Mountains

The obsessive hunter became intensely 'jealous' of his wife (pictured) after he turned to religion, his wife added, forbidding her from leaving the house alone

Images show the dilapidated house of Younes Ouaziad, one of four men held over the murders of Dane Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and Norwegian Maren Ueland, 28, in the Atlas Mountains

Louisa Vesterager Jespersen (left) and her friend Maren Ueland (right) were murdered in Morocco by suspected ISIS terrorists

The illiterate and unemployed father-of-one had recently become religious and was 'brainwashed' by his ISIS handlers, his brother, who refused to be named, said.

Ouaziad, arrested on a bus along with three others yesterday, lived at the property along with his wife, daughter, sister and her baby.

Speaking at their home, Ouaziad's family and friends spoke of their shock, painting a picture of a devoted family man who was chronically workshy and vulnerable to radicalisation after he turned to religion.

His father said: 'On Sunday night, police came to my house to investigate. I swear on my daughter, I was so shocked that I couldn't stand up on my legs. My wife has not left her bed since it happened.

'You can ask all the neighbours, my son was a good boy and nice to everybody. He always prayed on time and treated people well. I just don't know who brainwashed him.'

His wife, who asked not to be named, said that the only problems in the marriage were that Mr Ouaziad refused to work and was jealous of her.

The illiterate and unemployed father-of-one had recently become religious and was 'brainwashed' by his ISIS handlers, his brother, who refused to be named, said. Pictures show the inside of his home

Yesterday, Mr Ouaziad's father described how he asked him for a blessing before leaving to allegedly commit the grisly murder

She said: 'We were always fighting because he refused to get a job. Also, he doesn't let me go out. I don't have the right to go out alone.

'If I want to go out, he has to be with me. Wherever I want to go, whatever I want to do, he has to be with me.

'He isn't even that religious. He is just jealous, that's it. I've never seen him being abnormally religious. He was praying the same as everybody else.

'But we have been married for four years and he's never treated me terribly. What happened shocked me. It destroyed us.'

In an interview yesterday, she revealed that Mr Ouaziad was an obsessive hunter and refused to find work even after she had a miscarriage.

The suspect's sister showed reporters around the modest house today, pointing out where her brother slept.

'My brother bought a house but we had financial problems and he sold it,' she said.

Online footage has emerged showing four men suspected of launching the attack pledging their alliance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. One of them can be seen brandishing a knife

A picture has emerged showing a series of large knives found on a bus when the suspected killers were arrested

'He helped us with the money. I always get sick, I have a condition, and he helped us. He was always helping me.

'I never saw anything religiously extreme with him. It's lies, all lies. He's only ever done good things. My brother comforts me whenever I cry and he always tells me to remember faith in God.

'He says we are brother and sister so his things are mine, if I don't have something and he has it, he will give it to me.'

Clearly emotional, she added: 'This thing has shocked me a lot. I can't believe that it happened. Don't tell me that my brother did all this. I don't believe it is true.'

A childhood friend, who asked not to be named, added: 'We grew up together in the same neighbourhood. We spent our childhood together, studied together. He was always a normal person.

'Then, when he became religious, those cells exploited the fact that he is illiterate, and his poverty. Or maybe they promised to give him money if he did an attack.

'We don't want things like this to happen in our society. We are supposed to be better than this.

Yesterday, Mr Ouaziad's father described how he asked him for a blessing before leaving to allegedly commit the grisly murder.

The suspect said he was looking for work in the southern town of Dakhla when he actually went into the mountains to commit the alleged crime.

The father said: 'I said if it is for a job, I am happy for you to go. God bless you. He kissed my head and he asked me to pray for him.

'I told him, may God give him all the good things you want and may God bless you.'

It comes as a fifth suspect was arrested by Moroccan counter-terror police investigating the beheading of two Scandinavian hikers in the Atlas Mountains.

The man, identified as father-of-six Abd el Atif, 50, supplied wood to one of the four suspects currently in custody, who worked as a carpenter.

He was snatched by heavily armed police at his workshop last night and bundled into a van before being driven away.

Abd el Atif is a devout Muslim who never made eye contact with women when he worked in their houses, one of his neighbours said.

But his wife and one of his daughters, who did not want to be named, claimed that he was innocent and lived a simple life.

'I was married to him since I was 15 and I'm now 41. He was always nice, there was never anything bad about him,' his wife, who was dressed in a full niqab, said. 'He was just supplying wood to the suspect.'

His daughter, dressed in a beige niqab, added: 'He is a good man. We were shocked when they came to arrest him. He was working in his shop. Now we are worried that they might arrest my brother too.

'My brother is out of town. We are all very worried about him.'
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Climate change activists have staged a series of protests targeting BBC sites across the country, as they call on the corporation to make global warming its 'top news issue'.

Extinction Rebellion called on the BBC to declare a 'climate and ecological emergency' as members of the group demonstrated outside sites in London, Bristol, Glasgow, Sheffield and Birmingham.

The group urged the BBC to make the climate emergency its top editorial and corporate priority, divest investments from fossil fuel corporations, and to become zero carbon by 2025.

A protester is held during a Extinction Rebellion protest outside the BBC's Broadcasting House in London, during a protest against the way the BBC covers the 'climate emergency'

Members of the environmental campaign group protest outside the BBC in London. The group claims that the BBC is downplaying the environmental problems the world is facing

Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion chain themselves together outside the BBC Bristol building on Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol, during a peaceful protest

Several police officers and barriers were posted outside of the BBC's Broadcasting House in London during the Extinction Rebellion protest

A BBC spokesman said: 'We've received a letter from this newly-formed campaign group. The BBC has a proud record of leading the way in sustainability in the media industry and we've set out further action including cutting energy use further, eradicating single use plastic and minimising the impact of necessary travel.

'In the last Charter period, we reduced our carbon footprint by a third. People can also see the clear impact programmes like Blue Planet II and Dynasties have had on public debate about the impact of humankind on the planet.'

Serena Schellenberg of Extinction Rebellion said: 'Now more than at any time in its history, we need the BBC to honour its founding value to be ''independent, impartial and honest''.

'We're facing a potentially existential threat to both our nation and our species, but the BBC's coverage is nowhere close to reflecting this.

'We're sure that many of those working within the BBC agree with us on this, and that many more are willing to listen - so we're coming with music and noise not as antagonists, but as friends looking to implore this organisation to shift its policy and play a vital role in facing up to the ecological crisis.'

The group is urging the BBC to make the climate emergency its top editorial and corporate priority as part of a series of recent protests

A climate change protester outside of BBC London with black tape over his mouth. He was part of a group of activists urging the BBC to make climate change it's top issue

The group has held a series of protests in recent weeks.

Speaking to Mail Online, a spokeswoman said: 'We want to bring the climate emergency up to the top of the agenda in the media.'

The protests come just days after flights at Gatwick airport were grounded by a drone, believe to be a operated by an eco-warrior.

However, the spokeswoman denied that her group had anything to do with the drone. She added that the police had not been in contact with them about the incident at Gatwick.

The group added that the BBC is a respected media voice in the UK and so need to play a key role in 'enabling the transformative change needed'.

On their website, Extinction Rebellion highlighted where today's protests took place.

In London, protesters met on the steps of All Souls Church in Marylebone before descending onto BBC London.

Protesters in London held up signs as they tried to encourage the BBC to make climate change the most important editorial issue

The group was armed with pots, pans and songsheets and aimed to make as much noise as possible before falling silent to listen to speeches, music and poetry

This protester seems to have gotten themselves stuck as police try to help them out while other protesters and officers watch on

BBC staff at the Broadcasting House in London watch on from the windows during a protest from the Extinction Rebellion group

They were armed with pots, pans and songsheets and aimed to make as much noise as possible before falling silent to listen to speeches, music and poetry.

Extinction Rebellion's eight-point call to action to the BBC to tackle climate change 1. The director general, Tony Hall, agree to a meeting with a delegation from Extinction Rebellion to discuss how the BBC can tell the full truth on the climate and ecological emergency. 2. The BBC declares a climate and ecological emergency. 3. The BBC places the climate emergency as its top editorial and corporate priority by adoption of a climate emergency strategic plan, at the level of urgency placed on informing the public about the second world war. 4. The BBC to divest all pension funds, investments and bank accounts from fossil fuel corporations and their bankers. 5. The BBC, its subsidiaries and its supply chain to agree to be zero-carbon by 2025. 6. The BBC to publish an annual eco-audit of all BBC operations, including summary of key ecological and carbon data. 7. The BBC to take a lead on encouraging other national and global media corporations to join the global efforts to save humanity/nature from existential crises. 8. The BBC to only allow thinktank spokespersons on air to discuss the climate emergency whose funding is fully transparent. Advertisement

The group warned on its website that there is a 'possibility of some more disruptive civil disobedience'.

They also held services to honour the 27 people found burnt alive in the Greek village of Mati after July's wildfires, and the '315,000 people the UN estimates are already dying every year from the unfolding climate emergency'.

In Bristol, rebels met at Clifton Down Railway Station at 9.30am before moving in on the BBC office on Whiteladies Road for a Christmas party with the theme 'all I want for Christmas is the truth'.

Climate change activists chained themselves together outside the BBC Bristol building during the protest.

The event in Glasgow was less disruptive with more of a family-friendly focus. The group hosted children's activities and a mass-delivery of Christmas cards to the BBC branch alongside noise-making, singing and speeches.

In Cambridge, rebels requested an interview at their local studio and then gathered at 7am to either show gratitude or 'non-violent discontent', depending on the BBC's response.

Rebels in Birmingham gathered at midday with pots, pans and 'XR-rated' carols.

Meanwhile in Cornwall, members of the group called up Lawrence Reed's radio show between 12pm and 3pm to to discuss the climate crisis. Others appeared outside the BBC radio office in Truro.

In Sheffield, rebels met at 8am outside BBC Radio Sheffield with pots, pans and songs.

And the protests are even planned to reach Berlin at the BBC's branch on Schiffbauerdamm, starting at 10am UK time, where protesters will read out a 'list of some victims of the current mass-extinction', and hear the accounts of students who have taken part in recent strikes.

Many protesters held up signs bearing slogans. This protester said that 'we belong to the Earth' and 'the Earth does not belong to us'

Protesters from the climate change pressure group Extinction Rebellion hold up flags and signs as they demonstrate outside the BBC offices in central London

This protester covered himself in leaves as he joined dozens of others to protest about the media agenda when it comes to climate change

The protesters were from a range of ages with young and old members of Extinction Rebellion coming together on a day of protests

Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion chain themselves together outside the BBC Bristol building on Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol

In London, the group also held a service to honour the 27 people found burnt alive in the Greek village of Mati after July's wildfires

Speaking about its London protests, the group warned on its website that there is a 'possibility of some more disruptive civil disobedience'

This protester urged the BBC to 'speak the truth on climate change' as the group's leaders urged the corporation to stay true to its values

Jonathan Fuller, due to be speaking at the event in London, said: 'In September the UN Secretary General appealed to news outlets to cover his upcoming speech on climate change and on 10 September he delivered it, warning that we now face 'a direct existential threat' and warned of ''runaway climate change''.

'The BBC refused to cover this on TV or radio news.

'Following a string of stinging complaints the BBC has given some ground and promised to improve its coverage of news but it still refuses to allow the public to hear the really frightening material in connection with the various climate feedbacks and tipping points.'
Neil Bartlett (pictured above) was jailed for eight years

A 'morally devoid' fraudster who conned his victim's out of 4.5million of life savings has been jailed for eight years.

Neil Bartlett spent the money he scammed from his victims on an extravagant lifestyle including foreign travel, escorts and gambling.

The 53-year-old had posed as a legitimate financial adviser but had preyed on old ladies, friends he had known for decades and even his own family in order to get hold of their hard earned savings.

Bartlett was jailed for eight years at Liverpool Crown Court today, December 21, after pleading guilty to 14 counts of fraud, with another 14 counts taken into consideration.

The court heard that this year, Merseyside Police received a number of reports from Action Fraud (the National Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Centre) about Bartlett's business practices and a fraud investigation commenced.

One victim told the court: 'He has no conscience, he is morally devoid. I have witnessed and previously commented on his chameleon like nature even before we became aware of his duplicitous criminal behaviour. If he is showing signs of remorse, take it from me, it is an act.'

Another victim said: 'He has taken 450,000 from myself, my partner, my parents and my other best friend. We have all worked hard all our lives to accumulate that money and it was our future security.

'He then blew the lot on prostitutes, escorts and expensive holidays. I do not want to know or see him ever again and hope he gets the maximum sentence possible while we try to pick up the pieces and plan for our uncertain future.'

Detectives found Bartlett from Ainsdale, Merseyside, had been 'investing' people's money, pensions and often life savings into what they thought was a safe investment account with interest.

However, Bartlett had created a sole trader account with the same name as the company he worked for and paid himself the money.

The fraud is said to have started in 2013 and continued for five years, ensnaring 24 victims.

Earlier this year Bartlett took more than 740,000 from friends he had known since pre-school, together with his friend's parents and his own family.

He also took advantage of being the Power of Attorney for a vulnerable elderly victim and defrauded her.

The court heard he left the UK this year for Russia, where he was living the high-life in top hotels, enjoying foreign travel and gambling on the stock market.

Neil Bartlett was jailed for eight years at Liverpool Crown Court (pictured above)

He was arrested after flying back into Manchester Airport on Tuesday, November 27.

Bartlett persuaded investors  including his parents, children and close friends  to hand over their life savings and pension pots by promising good returns on their money.

He set up fake bank accounts and even forged investment statements to fool them into thinking their cash was growing. But in reality Bartlett was gambling away their money in high risk stocks and shares and splashed out 320,000 on one Romanian and two Russian prostitutes.

One woman lost her retirement fund of more than 600,000, while a commercial heating firm was scammed out of more than 1.5million, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Bartlett was caught when several investors telephoned the firm he worked for after he resigned, only to be told they had no record of their cash.

He fled to Russia but was arrested at Manchester Airport in November after flying home when his money ran out.

Yesterday Bartlett, who admitted 14 counts of fraud between October 2013 and August 2018, was jailed for eight years. The judge told him he had lived the life of a millionaire on the hard-earned savings of decent people.

Neil Bartlett was arrested when he flew into Manchester Airport (pictured above)

Judge Alan Conrad QC said: You were gambling away a large part of the money entrusted to you, while maintaining a playboy lifestyle with expensive prostitutes and luxury foreign travel. Some [lost] life savings or pension pots that they had worked over their lifetimes to accumulate.

The father-of-two claimed he suffered an emotional meltdown after his marriage ended in 2013. He said he would drink as much as a bottle of gin, two bottles of wine, plus beers, every night while gambling online. Bartlett, of Ainsdale, near Southport, admitted spending 140,000 on a Romanian escort as well as 180,000 on two Russian prostitutes and 41,750 on a girlfriend in London.

He also lavished thousands on his current girlfriend in China.

He blew 3.4million on gambling, and spent 540,000 on holidays to New York, Russia and the Maldives. He was also pictured on a yacht. In a Facebook post, Bartlett boasted about living the dream paying 4,000-a-month for a Romanian escort in Spain to be his girlfriend.

The court heard that, until earlier this year, Bartlett had been a qualified independent financial advisor. Many clients were teachers looking to invest their savings as they neared retirement.

One teacher was Rosemary Jones who wanted to invest her lump sum following 43 years in the profession. She made payments of 628,000 to what she thought was an Abacus Advisers bank account  but it was a bogus account.

Heating company Thermal Hire Ltd transferred 1.75million into Barletts Abacus account and lost almost all of it  save 250,000 which Bartlett returned.

Around 740,000 was also stolen from relatives and friends he had known all his life. A hearing has been scheduled for next year to try and claw some money back for the victims, but it is understood Bartlett has few assets left.

Detective Sergeant Christopher Hawitt, of Merseyside Police, said: 'It is never nice for anyone to fall victim to fraud but this was a particularly unpleasant case for Bartlett's victims as some of them had known him for over 50 years and so trusted him with, in some cases, their life savings.

'Bartlett thought of nobody but himself and furnishing his excessive lifestyle with the money he took from those who trusted him most.

'They are now forced to pick up the pieces of their lives but many have been left without the financial nest egg which was rightfully theirs and which they worked for many years to earn. In fact some of his victims, who have worked all their lives, are faced with the prospect of having to return to work.

'I would like to reassure the public that reports of any kind of fraud are taken extremely seriously and will be thoroughly investigated.

'If someone believes they have fallen victim to any kind of fraud then I would urge them to contact Action Fraud via their website www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 101 or the confidential Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.'
A man who won New Jersey's lottery twice in one year has been arrested on drug charges.

Police in Jersey City stopped James Callahan, 53, for a traffic violation on December 16, because his car had only one license plate.

During the stop, they allegedly seized nearly 350 prescription drug pills, a bulletproof vest and at least two weapons including an assault firearm.

A subsequent search of Callahan's $1million Downtown Jersey City apartment yielded cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs, police told the Jersey Journal.

James Callahan (pictured in 2016) faces 37 charges after authorities found 350 prescription pills, an assortment of guns, 200 hollow-point bullets and other things in his possession

Authorities searched Callahan's $1million apartment in this luxury Jersey City building and also arrested and charged the New Jersey man's live-in girlfriend on drug charges

Three weapons, silencers and more than 200 hollow-point bullets and several large-capacity magazines were allegedly found in a storage locker.

Authorities said they found six guns among Callahan's possessions and property, including a Glock 19 9mm handgun, a modified LRWC International M6A2 carbine 5.56 mm assault firearm and a handmade, spring-loaded zip gun.

The guns were not registered, according to police.

Callahan, 53, now faces 37 charges stemming from the searches. Meanwhile, his 22-year-old live-in girlfriend, Cindy Sanchez-Medina, faces seven drugs-related charges.

Callahan won nearly $700,000 total on winning tickets in New Jersey's Cash 5 game - once in November 2015 and again in November 2016.

News reports described Callahan as an ironworker who said he had worked on the World Trade Center transportation hub.

An attorney representing Callahan didn't immediately return a message seeking comment Friday.
A baby in India has been miraculously saved by police after the child's mother took her own life, while her newborn son was still attached by the umbilical cord.

Officers noticed the baby under the 36-year-old woman's sari after responding to an emergency call from her husband.

The baby boy was then cleaned and wrapped up by the police after they found his mother had hanged herself in a cowshed in the town of Katni, Madhya Pradesh state, on Thursday morning.

The baby has miraculously survived after his mother took her own life after giving birth

The infant was rushed to hospital after a doctor detached the umbilical cord and gave him first aid.

He is now in a healthy condition in hospital.

The women has been named by local police as Laxmi Thakur.

Police officer Kavita Saini said: 'When I reached the spot and examined the body, I found a baby dangling under her sari.

The baby was found attached by the umbilical cord under the mother's sari

'We cleaned the baby, wrapped him in a blanket and waited for medical help to arrive.

The baby is healthy and we have moved him to a district hospital.'

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article then you can call the Samaritans on 116 123, alternatively you can visit the website at by clicking here.
The owners of a cargo ship which was hijacked by stowaways from Nigeria have told of the moment the Special Boat Service (SBS) 'stormed aboard' the ship off the coast of Essex to secure the situation.

Paul Kyprianou, spokesperson for the Grimaldi Group, said the operation to contain the stowaways was 'very fast and quick' and that the iron bar wielding men were locked away in a cabin soon after the arrival of the SBS.

When the ship had made contact with the authorities, the engine vessels continued to run and were not shut down by the captain.

'The only thing that happened is when the operation made by the special forces was going to take place, we were asked to switch off the lights, then they stormed aboard,' Mr Kyprianou said.

The Ro-Ro Container ship Grande Tema arrives at Tilbury from Lagos

Grande Tema container ship arrives at Tilbury docks, Essex. The ship was raided by members of the Special Boat Service to detain four Nigerian migrants who threatened the ships crew with iron bars

No-one was hurt onboard following the incident which occurred yesterday afternoon

A unit of elite special forces was helicoptered onto a cargo ship after the men had threatened the crew with iron bars and tried to take control of it.

Four migrants had attempted to take over the Italian ship off the Kent coast, demanding the vessel be moved nearer the shore so they could swim to Britain.

Around 25 members from X Squadron of the Special Boat Service (SBS) - sister regiment to the SAS - were then deployed and stormed the ship as it sailed in the Thames Estuary.

Speaking to LBC Mr Kyprianou said: 'Last night at 11pm we had a special unit of the Special Boat Service  we had 12 men intervening and neutralising the stowaways.

'It was not a piracy situation or hostage situation.'

He added that the crew members had locked themselves away in the bridge of the vessel and that there had been no physical contact between the two groups.

Armed migrants who threatened a cargo ship have surrendered to British Navy special forces who have taken control of the vessel (pictured)

'We sometimes have stowaways but it's extremely rare that they act in this way.

'What they want to do is reach Europe so this is there aim, so I dont know if they knew they were in the UK, but they knew they were in Europe.'

When asked if the company were reviewing their security policy following the incident Mr Kyprianou said there was a special team and department which were currently dealing with the fallout from the incident.

The stowaways had attempted to take over an Italian ship (pictured early this morning) off the Kent coast, demanding the vessel be moved nearer the shore so they can swim to Britain

'When you have a big fleet, there is a possibility of finding a stowaway. We are doing whatever is possible, but we also need to work with local authorities and whoever works inside the ports to avoid this incident.'

The crew of the Grande Tema, a 770-foot cargo ship on its way to the UK from Nigeria, found four stowaways on board this week and locked them in a cabin.

But they broke out yesterday morning armed with iron bars and brandished them at the crew who had fed and looked after them.

This graphic shows the ship's route to Britain as well as five piracy incidents along the coast of Africa

The crew quickly locked themselves on the ship's bridge and sent out an alert to the coastguard.

The operation lasted around 25 minutes and no-one onboard was hurt. Four men have been arrested under the Immigration Act and the ship taken to the Port of Tilbury, where is arrived just after 4am this morning.

Essex Police said it had secured the vessel and detained four men under the Immigration Act, and no-one on board had been injured.

SBS Special forces (pictured above in a file photo)

The force said: 'The vessel was boarded and secured shortly after 11pm on Friday December 21 and will now be brought safely into dock at the Port of Tilbury.'

It added: 'It followed reports at around 9.15am (on Friday) of concerns for the safety of crew after a number of people were found on board.'

The force said the vessel, in the Thames Estuary, was boarded at around 11pm and will be brought to the Port of Tilbury to dock.

The Grande Tema, an Italian-registered container ship, circled the English Channel after migrant stowaways were found on board and demanded crew move the ship to shore

The ship's operator, Grimaldi Lines, said four stowaways had been found on board and were armed with iron tubes.

They were calling on the crew to navigate closer to the coast. The force said the ship has been secured and no-one had been injured.

The crew of 27 Italian and Filipino personnel are holed up in the control tower, Mr Kyprianou, added: 'They threatened the crew, they picked up what was around like iron tubing,' he said. 'They wanted to get closer to the shore so they could make their way to the UK. It is a quite a tense situation.

This red line shows how the ship is going in circles as the migrants demand that they are taken to Britain's shores and the crew remain in control

'They were found on board four days ago and were locked in a cabin. The crew have been feeding them under international regulations.

'They feared they might break free, which they now have. The crew are now waiting for the police to board the ship.'

He told Sky News: 'We found four stowaways on the vessel. The vessel was coming from Nigeria and was bound to Tilbury and those four stowaways were in the cabin, and today they managed to escape from the cabin and they started threatening the crew, requesting the master of the vessel navigating very close to the coast.

A photo taken off the coast of Margate today. Many container ships put down anchor in the area on their way up the Thames Estuary

'That request was probably because they wanted to jump and reach the British coast.

'The crew reacted and they locked themselves in the bridge of the vessel and so they are safe, we haven't had any injuries.

'The master is in continuous contact with the UK authorities, particularly with the Essex police and the coastguard. We are waiting to see what is going to happen, we expect authorities to intervene.'

Shipping monitoring sites show the position of the vessel just north of the town of Margate

The migrants are on the ship's weather deck trying to negotiate with the captain, it is understood.

The nationality of the men is not known and the captain of the ship is still reportedly in charge.

The 71,543 tonne ship, which is based in the Sicilian city of Palermo, is carrying cars, vans and earth-moving equipment to the UK.

This map shows the journey of the boat on which armed migrants are currently threatening a crew off the English coast

It had been travelling to the huge container port at Tilbury after leaving Lagos, Nigeria on December 10.

It has not made any stops since, leading owners to believe the migrants snuck onboard in Lagos.

Dover-based marine photographer Nigel Scutt was one of the first alerted to what was going on.

'I had calls from two separate sources,' he said. 'One said it was stowaways on board.

'But the other said that stowaways had come out and made their presence known and have taken over areas of the ship or the vessel itself and threatened the crew in the process.

Close-ups of the ship's movements (green) show it repeatedly turning around during the day

'If that is the case then that is piracy. You normally hear of this off the Horn of Africa - not the Thames Estuary.'

Dover Strait Shipping reported just after 11am: 'BREAKING: Piracy in the Thames Estuary... Reports coming in of stowaways aboard Grande Tema threatening the crew. Incident is ongoing.'

The Grande Tema had previously docked in Benin, Ghana, the Ivory Coast and Morocco. It is not known where the stowaways boarded but Mr Scutt added that the ship, which usually transports containers and heavy machinery, had 'plenty of hiding places'.

The number of piracy incidents in the Horn of Africa more than trebled between 2015 and 2017  up from 16 cases to 54. However, the majority of these involved being boarded by raiding parties.

The increase has led to rising operational costs in rerouting, increasing speed when faced with suspicious boats, and taking out kidnap and ransom insurance.

In 2014, 35 Afghan Sikhs, including 13 children, were found 'screaming and banging' inside a shipping container in Tilbury that had arrived from Belgium.

One man died and the others were treated in hospital for severe dehydration and hypothermia after their 4,000-mile journey.

British Police insist Friday's incident is not being treated as a 'hostage, piracy or terror related incident'.

An Essex Police spokesman said only: 'We continue to deal with a complex incident on board a vessel that is in the Thames Estuary close to the Essex and Kent borders.

'This follows a call relating to the safety of crew on board at around 9am today.

'We have received no reports that anyone had been harmed and don't believe they are at risk.

'We are not currently treating this as either a hostage, piracy or terror-related incident.'

Over the last two days, the ship has moved up through the English Channel, before the incident this morning. It had originally come from Lagos, in Nigeria

The police spokesman added: 'We are working working closely with our partners to resolve this incident as quickly as possible.

'We are not in a position to provide any details about who is on board at this stage.'

The huge ship continues to circle off the Kent coast. Both the Home Office and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have declined to comment on the incident, saying Essex Police were in charge.
Relatives of a Florida woman slain in Costa Rica are suing Airbnb and the resort where she was vacationing when she died.

Carla Stefaniak's family filed the lawsuit Thursday in Hillsborough County, Florida. The Tampa Bay Times reports the lawsuit says the Villa le Mas resort and Airbnb failed to conduct a background check on a Nicaraguan security guard who was in Costa Rica illegally.

Airbnb security guard Bismark Espinosa Martinez, 32, was taken into custody on December 12, a day after Carla Stefaniak's body was found half-naked and covered in plastic bags near the San Jose vacation rental she had been staying in.

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Carla Stefaniak's family filed the lawsuit Thursday in Hillsborough County, Florida

Her Airbnb security guard, Bismark Espinosa Martinez, 32, (pictured) was taken into custody on December 12. The lawsuit says the Villa le Mas resort and Airbnb failed to conduct a background check on a Nicaraguan security guard who was in Costa Rica illegally

Authorities in the Central American country say the guard killed Stefaniak on November 28 after she returned alone to the apartment she rented through Airbnb.

The suit claims that Martinez's job came with free use of a hotel apartment next to the one that the woman was staying in. Martinez also had a pass key to every room in the complex.

Included in the suit are a plethora of negligence claims against the resort's owner and Airbnb. Most of the claims against Airbnb stem from the third-party vendors failure to protect customers.

The suit claims that all profiting parties should have been aware of the dangers posed by giving the guard 'unsupervised access to vulnerable women guests in a private setting'.

Martinez was placed in handcuffs before police in San Jose loaded him into a police van

In the suit, Airbnb is accused of allowing landlords to operate outside the laws governing conventional hotels. It also claims that Airbnb failed to do background checks on the staff at the complex.

They also claim in the suit that Airbnb removed negative guest reviews on the site.

'While defendant, Airbnb, posted complimentary and positive reviews of the resort property and its hosts, there are and were multiple reports since 2013 of guests who encountered bad experiences and recounted being victimized by personnel affiliated with the resort that Defendant, Airbnb sanitized from its own promotions and advertising materials,' the lawsuit asserted.

The lawsuit says both companies also failed to alert customers to U.S. State Department warnings about violent crime in Costa Rica.

Airbnb has removed Villa le Mas from its rental properties website. Villa Le Mas' attorney has said the resort's owners are cooperating with investigators.

Costa Rican media outlets report that up to four perpetrators may have played a part in the sexually-motivated murder of 36-year-old Stefaniak.

Forensic examinations conducted since then have led investigators to believe that multiple people, likely all men, were involved in the killing. Police, however, have released little details due to the confidentiality of the case.

Investigation found insurance agent Stefaniak (pictured on her social media pages) was killed with multiple weapons

Q Costa Rica reports that Stefaniak was murdered with more than one weapon, including a knife that left her with cuts on her upper extremities, and a metal pipe, which caused her to have a stroke after suffering a blow to the head, all while she fended off a sex assault.

Investigators reportedly received a tip from an Airbnb guest who said they heard noises coming from the rental the night Stefaniak was murdered. Family and friends last heard from her the evening of November 27.

The local outlet said the guest heard 'furniture being moved and cleaning inside the villa'.

The day Stefaniak's body was found December 3, the Organismo de Investigacion Judicial entered the villa and said it had been cleaned, aside from the traces of blood found left behind, which led them to the security guard's next door villa.

Stefaniak's body was found half-naked and covered in plastic bags last Monday near the San Jose vacation rental she was staying in

Traces of blood were found left behind in the Airbnb, which she described as 'sketchy' in a text to her sister-in-law

Stefaniak described the vacation rental as 'pretty sketchy' in a text message to her sister-in-law November 27, when she said the power was going out.

Stefaniak also told a friend in a FaceTime call that night she was planning to meet up with the guard to ask him to buy water because of the storm.

That was the last the friend heard from her before her phone battery died around 9pm.

Stefaniak, who was employed at a Miami insurance agency before her death, was celebrating her 36th birthday in Costa Rica with her sister-in-law, April Burton.

She was scheduled to fly home alone November 28 - a day after Burton left Costa Rica.

Stefaniak was vacationing in Costa Rica with her sister-in-law April Burton (left) to celebrate in her 36th birthday

Stefaniak dropped Burton at the airport and returned their rental car before taking a 30-minute Uber to an Airbnb that she had checked in to for her final night.

The victim checked into her 1pm flight but never made it to the airport - and never responded to a number of birthday messages from concerned family and friends.

Her loved ones said in a statement regarding her death: 'Words cannot express the devastation within her family and friends.

'We want the world to know that we will never forget Carla... we will never forget the joy she brought into our lives, how much she made us laugh.

'We will always be with her and we know she will always be with us. May god bless her soul.'
An armed bank robber in the world's northernmost settlement in the Arctic circle has been mocked online after he was captured shortly after his rash crime.

The heist was the first ever bank robbery in living memory on Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago about halfway between Scandinavia and the North Pole.

'There was an armed robbery at around 10.40am,' Terje Carlsen, a spokesman for the local governor in Longyearbyen, the capital of Svalbard said.

Almost the whole town of Longyearbyen can be seen in this picture and the daring armed robber, who was visiting as a tourist, would have had nowhere to run to

The town of Longyearbyen is the capital and largest settlement on the northern most Norwegian territory of Svalbard in the Arctic circle

'A man with a gun seized a sum of money. He was arrested quite quickly' in the town centre he added.

Police said the suspect was a foreigner travelling in the region, but declined to give more details about his identity, the amount stolen or the weapon used in the robbery.

He has since been transferred to the town of Tromso on the Norwegian mainland where he will be questioned.

The odds of the heist succeeding were always low on the archipelago, famous for glaciers and its polar bears who outnumber residents.

Longyearbyen has around 2,000 inhabitants and practically everyone knows each other. The airport is the main means of leaving the settlement.

Midnight sun on the Longyearbyen waterfront in Svalbard in the Norwegian arctic in the summer

Commentators on social media were quick to make fun of the failed bank robbery.

'The most reckless bank robbery in Norwegian history?' said one Twitter user.

'He probably forgot to think about his escape route,' commented another.

The Svalbard archipelago, roughly twice the size of Belgium, lies about 600 miles from the North Pole.

Temperatures in winter regularly plunge to below minus 20 degrees Celsius and can drop below minus 40.
Sarvenaz Fouladi (pictured outside court) has had her victory upheld at the appeal stage after complaining about noise from her neighbours

A couple ordered to pay a neighbour over 100,000 damages due to the noise of their young family on wooden floors must hand over the money after losing an appeal.

Sarah and Ahmed El Kerrami were sued by their banker neighbour, Sarvenaz Fouladi, 39, over what she called the 'intolerable' noise of the family-of-five.

She said the sound of everyday activity above her 2.6million apartment - from children playing to dishes being washed - was keeping her up at night.

The 'constant' ordeal only began after the installation of a new uncarpeted wooden floor in the El Kerramis' upstairs flat in 2010, she said.

Judge Nicholas Parfitt awarded her 107,397.37 damages and ordered work be done to solve the noise problem at county court in May.

The couple appealed, but after a four-day High Court hearing - which ran up tens of thousands of pounds more in legal costs - saw the bill upheld.

High Court judge, Mr Justice Morgan, said the problem was that the new floor did not prevent transmission of noise between the luxury flats.

The old floor had been taken up and replaced with a new one 'which did not provide good insulation against sound transmission', he said.

At Central London County Court, Miss Fouladi claimed that there had been no noise at all before work was done in 2010 prior to the El Kerramis moving in.

Sarah and Ahmed El Kerrami (both pictured, outside court) had hoped to overturn the decision at the appeal stage - but it was upheld

Since then, she and her mum, Fereshent Salamat, had been bombarded with noise from a boiler, fridge, taps and a fireplace above, she said.

The El Kerrami family used the flat 'like a playground, kids running and dropping things for seven hours non-stop', she told the judge.

Awarding her damages, Judge Parfitt said it was the noise of simple 'day-to-day living' which had caused the problems in the mansion block.

Although he said Miss Fouladi and her mum's evidence was exaggerated, the judge said noise was '...sufficiently loud to be invasive and disturbing...'

The neighbours live in this plush property in Kensington, West London, where they began to feud about noise

The El Kerramis and the family company which owns their flat should have had carpets on the wooden floors in living areas, he said.

And, when the floor was replaced before they moved in, nothing had been done to limit noise transmission between the flats.

Appealing, the El Kerramis argued that, having found Miss Fouladi's evidence exaggerated, Judge Parfitt was wrong to find in her favour.

Ms Fouladi (pictured) said noise was raised to an 'intolerable' level at the apartments in Kensington, west London

But appeal judge, Mr Justice Morgan, said there had been plenty of evidence on which the judge could find there was 'noise nuisance'.

Council officers had attended the flats, in St Mary Abbots Court, off High Street Kensington, and heard noise for themselves.

Dismissing the appeal, he said: 'The judge was not impressed by the evidence given by Miss Fouladi and her mother, but he rightly directed himself that he did not have to reject everything that was said on their behalf.

'Equally, although the behaviour of [the El Kerramis] was open to specific criticisms, the judge used very moderate language in that respect and was not prepared to hold that they had done very much which went beyond using the flat for ordinary purposes.

'The problem, as found by the judge, was that the floor laid as part of the 2010 works was not a suitable floor to prevent the transmission of noise and was worse than the floor which was there before the works.'

He upheld the 107,397.37 damages order, which will increase at a rate of 40-a-day until remedial work is done.

At the county court, Miss Fouladi had a breach of contract claim against the freeholder of the block, St Mary Abbots Court Limited, rejected by the judge.

She appealed against that ruling, but had her case dismissed by Mr Justice Morgan.

ends
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to eliminate all Kurdish forces and ISIS fighters left in Syria as he revealed that he prompted the US decision to withdraw troops after telling Donald Trump he could defeat the jihadists himself.

However the US-backed Kurdish forces who have been on the front-line in the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria have responded by threatening to release thousands of Islamist terrorists.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces are said to be 'discussing the release of 3,200 Islamic State prisoners' following Trump's announcement, according to the New York Times.

Trump stunned his Cabinet, lawmakers and much of the world when he rejected the advice of his top aides and agreed to a withdrawal in a phone call with Erdogan last week, two U.S. officials briefed on the matter told The Associated Press.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (pictured) has promised to eliminate Kurdish fighters and ISIS jihadists left in Syria after the US decision to pull troops out

Erdogan said today that he had reassured Trump during a phone call that Turkey could eradicate the remnants of Islamic State group from the country with just logistical help from Washington.

Erdogan said Trump's decision to pull out came after that conversation.

Addressing a business meeting in Istanbul Friday, Erdogan said operations would take place aimed at removing 'remnants' of the terror group and the YPG - Kurdish People's Protection Units - from Turkey's war-torn neighbour.

'We will be working on our operational plans to eliminate (ISIS) elements, which are said to remain intact in Syria, in line with our conversation with President Trump.'

'We will adopt an operational style geared toward eliminating (Kurdish militia) and (ISIS) remnants,' he added.

It comes after the surprise announcement from U.S. President Donald Trump this week that Washington would withdraw its roughly 2,000 troops from Syria, a decision which immediately prompted the resignation of his Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis.

Mattis handed Trump his resignation letter at the White House on Thursday after he realized he couldn't convince the president to reverse course on Syria, a move that he believes will embolden Russia.

The retired general claimed in a pointed resignation letter that the president had an unrealistic view of threats posed by America's two biggest global adversaries - Russia and China.

On Friday, Trump defended his record in a tweet: 'There has never been a president who has been tougher (but fair) on China or Russia  Never, just look at the facts. The Fake News tries so hard to paint the opposite picture.'

It comes after the surprise announcement from U.S. President Donald Trump (pictured) this week that Washington would withdraw its roughly 2,000 troops from Syria

Critics say Trump's move to pull US troops out of Syria will make it harder to find a diplomatic solution to the country's seven-year-old civil war.

Erdogan welcomed Trump's decision but said he remained 'cautious' because of 'past negative experiences', referring to Ankara's continued disappointment over the US administration's failure to stop providing military support to the YPG against ISIS.

The Turkish president had announced plans last week to start an operation east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria to oust the YPG from the area that it largely controls. This week, he said the campaign could come at any moment. But on Friday, he cited the talk with Trump as a reason to wait.

'Our phone call with President Trump, along with contacts between our diplomats and security officials and statements by the United States, have led us to wait a little longer,' he said.

'We have postponed our military operation against the east of the Euphrates river until we see on the ground the result of America's decision to withdraw from Syria.'

Erdogan said, however, that this was not an 'open-ended waiting period' and that, due to past 'negative experiences', Ankara welcomed the United States' statements with an equal amount of pleasure and caution.

In November last year, Turkish officials said Trump had promised not to supply weapons to the YPG militia, although the White House was not as explicit about its intentions.

American support to the YPG militia which spearheaded Washington's battles in Syria to eliminate jihadists has long been a source of tension between the NATO allies.

Turkey says the YPG is a 'terrorist offshoot' of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.

US forces patrol the Kurdish-held town of Al-Darbasiyah in northeastern Syria bordering Turkey last month

The PKK is blacklisted as a terror group by Turkey, the US and the European Union.

Erdogan said on December 12 that Turkey would start an offensive in northern Syria in 'the next few days' but on December 14, he spoke to Trump on the phone.

According to Turkish daily Hurriyet on Friday, Trump decided to pull out of Syria during that call with Erdogan and ordered his national security adviser John Bolton to 'start the work' to prepare withdrawing troops.

The Turkish head of state on Friday said the US decision meant Turkey would 'wait a little longer' before launching an operation which would involve Syrian rebels.

'Of course this is not an open-ended waiting period,' he warned, adding that Turkey was working on plans to 'neutralise Daesh elements' that still exist in Syria.

'Mr Trump told us during our conversation 'will you clean Daesh from here?' We have cleared them and after this, we will clear them. As long as you give us the support in terms of logistics. And have they (the US) started to withdraw? They have,' he added.

A senior Kurdish politician Friday called on France to play a larger role in Syria following the US withdrawal, warning that Kurdish fighters may have to withdraw from the front lines in the fight against the Islamic State group.

Ilham Ahmed also suggested that the main Kurdish militia may no longer be able to hold the hundreds of IS militants detained in its prisons in northeastern Syria in the case of a Turkish attack, noting they might head to Turkey or farther abroad from there.

The group known as the Syrian Democratic Forces is known to hold hundreds of militants from various nationalities, including Europeans, in detention centers across areas under their control in northern Syria, and their families have been rounded up in camps run by the group. The Kurds have not decided how to handle them, since their home countries don't want them back and also don't recognize Kurdish-run courts.

'We fear things will get out control and we would no longer be able to contain them (IS militants) in the area, and this would open the door to their renewed spread and movement toward the Turkish border and from there to the rest of the world,' Ahmed said. She was in Paris as part of a delegation attending talks on the planned U.S. military withdrawal from Syria and Turkey's warnings that it may launch a military operation against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria.

The delegation met with French President Emanuel Macron's representative to Syria, Francois Senemand.

In France, an official at Elysee Palace said that during the meeting with the Syrian visitors, Macron's aides 'provided a message of solidarity and support and explained exchanges that France was having with the U.S. to continue the fight against Daesh.' The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for not being authorized to speak publicly, used an Arabic acronym to refer to IS.

Ahmed said France as a NATO member has a moral obligation to prevent Turkey from attacking Kurds.

Her comments reflected the desperation and turmoil within the Kurdish forces following Trump's surprise announcement that he would withdraw the 2,000 troops in Syria.

Underscoring the ongoing fight against ISIS, a Kurdish news agency and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported that ISIS launched a counteroffensive in the area on the outskirts of Hajin, the last town controlled by ISIS in Syria which the SDF recaptured a week ago.

Trump feuds with Mattis in public claiming no other president 'has been tougher (but fair) on China or Russia' after defense secretary quit while slamming failure to handle 'malign actors'

ByDavid Martosko, U.s. Political Editor For Dailymail.com

Donald Trump fired a retaliatory strike Friday at outgoing Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis after the retired general claimed in a pointed resignation letter that the president had an unrealistic view of threats posed by America's two biggest global adversaries.

Media reports Thursday focused on Mattis' veiled reference to Russia and China in the letter, which explained his belief in 'being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors.'

Trump defended his record in a tweet: 'There has never been a president who has been tougher (but fair) on China or Russia  Never, just look at the facts. The Fake News tries so hard to paint the opposite picture.'

Trum phas been widely criticized for a public soft-glove approach to Russia's Vladimir Putin, taking at face value the former KGB spymaster's claim that the Kremlin didn't order digital monkeywrenching campaigns to interfere with the 2016 U.S. elections.

At the same time, Mattis has worried that the White House is too aggressive with China and has emphasized the need to repair frayed ties between the two countries' military forces in order to head off misunderstandings that can quickly metastasize into armed conflicts.

Mattis handed Trump his resignation letter at the White House on Thursday during an argument after he realized he couldn't convince the president to reverse course and leave American troops in Syria, a move that he believes will embolden Russia.

His first order of business when he got back to his office was to tell aides to print 50 copies of the letter, ordering them to distribute them as soon as Trump announced his departure.

Outgoing Secretary of Defense James Mattis (left) make a final attempt Thursday, before resigning, to convince President Donald Trump that it was unwise to pull all of America's military troops out of Syria

Farewell to arms? Mattis, a former U.S. Marine Corps general, told aides to print 50 copies of his resignation letter and distribute them to top brass  and the press  as soon as Trump announced his departure

The president insisted Mattis was wrong about his posture toward Russia and China

In his resignation letter, Mattis spelled out his strategic differences and said Trump should find a defense secretary he agrees with more

Reporters got the letter at the same time Mattis' most senior generals did, just minutes after the president tweeted his rose-colored interpretation of the letter's thinly veiled venom.

Hours later, according to officials who spoke to multiple news outlets, Trump ordered a partial withdrawal from Afghanistan, pulling half of the 14,000 U.S. troops out of a conflict he has long claimed America should never have entered.

The president asked back in 2011, years before he began to flaunt his political ambitions: 'When will we stop wasting our money on rebuilding Afghanistan? We must rebuild our country first.'

Mattis, a famously well-read and edurite 'warrior-monk,' wrote in careful prose about America's failure to tend to its crucial international alliances and partnerships, concluding that Trump should find a replacement whose views aligned more with his own,

The president tweeted his thanks for the retired Marine Corps general's help with 'the purchase of new fighting equipment' and 'getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations.'

The White House hasn't denied that Mattis quit as a direct consequence of Trump's announcement, over his objections, that America's troops stationed in Syria would be pulling out.

That decision will leave large swaths of Syria unguarded against efforts by Vladimir Putin's Russia to prop up strongman Bashar al-Assad in his bloody civil war with rebel groups.

Mattis sees Chinese President Xi Jinping as a powerful adversary and blames Trump for not doing more to keep U.S.-China military ties strong in order to pre-empt future conflicts

Taking all of America's troops out of Syria will leave dictator Bashar al-Assad (left) in a much stronger position with Vladimir Putin of Russia (right) given a free hand to protect him

Mattis was a Marine's Marine, carrying his own pack as a brigadier general

President Donald Trump reportedly overruled Mattis' objection this week in deciding to withdraw American troops from Syria

Mattis' written message to Trump didn't mention the Syria conflict, but its unmistakable flamethrower rhetoric left little doubt.

'One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships,' he wrote.

'While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies.'

Mattis also declared that America 'must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours.'

At the White House, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told a crush of reporters that Mattis made the decision about the timing of his announcement.

'He and the president have a good relationship, but sometimes they disagree,' she acknowledged, responding to a question about the Syria troop pullout's role in the defense secretary's departure.

'The president always listens to members of his national security team, but at the end of the day, it's the president's decision to make,' she said. 'He was the one to be elected president, to be the commander in chief, and while he takes all of their opinions, and all of their advice into consideration, at the end of the day it's his decision to make.'

Mattis was regarded as a steadying influence on Trump and his departure will leave much of Congress worried about the lack of a check on the president's more arbitrary impulses

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders didn't deny on Thursday evening that Mattis timed his departure to show displeasure with Trump's decision to withdraw America's troops from Syria over his objection

The president stunned Washington with his announcement, making it on Twitter instead of in an official statement

Trump made waves Wednesday at the Pentagon by announcing his withdrawal of America's mid-size military contingent stationed in Syria.

The decision, reached Tuesday in a small group meeting at the White House, didn't include consultation with Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were in the room. Both objected.

Trump declared this week that his administration has won the war against the ISIS terror army, even though the Pentagon has said the group still has 30,000 soldiers in Iraq and Syria.

Reactions to Mattis' announcement fell along partisan lines on Thursday.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who will become speaker in January, said during a press conference at the Capitol that she was 'shaken by the resignation of General Mattis' and called it 'a very sad day for our country.'

Pelosi encouraged reporters to read the resignation letter, and to pray for the United States.

'You have leaders, great leaders who have left the administration in dismay and the rest of them have left in disgrace. And that's what this administration has been about,' she claimed.

Most Republicans thanked the defense secretary for more than 40 years of public service. Many Democrats lamented that one of the Trump administration's few 'adults in the room' would be leaving.

Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin said on Twitter: 'America has lost more than an exceptional Secretary of Defense. We have lost the adult in the room when the President goes off on a tweet-filled, uninformed rant about our national security.'

California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff will chair the House Intelligence Committee next year; he blasted Trump for ignoring Mattis' advice

Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin said the Trump administration has 'lost the adult in the room'

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was among very few Republicans to offer anything but wistful thanks; he tweeted that the Mattis resignation letter points to serious flaws in America's strategic thinking overseas

Tennessee Rep. Jim Cooper appeared to be tweeting from the same talking points. 'I worry the White House meeting rooms will soon be vacant of adults,' he wrote.

California Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez chimed in: 'The adults have officially left the building.'

Fellow Californian Adam Schiff, who will chair the House Intelligence Committee in 2019 and 2020, took his criticism a step further.

'Old Marines never die, but they do resign after the President ignores their advice, betrays our allies, rewards our enemies, and puts the nation's security at risk. Turn out the lights when Mattis leaves; we will not see his like again while Trump remains in office,' Schiff tweeted.

Outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan, a retiring Wisconsin Republican, issued a more traditional statement, saying Mattis has made the nation 'a safer America at home, and a more commanding force abroad. His patriotism and grit are matched only by his humility and graciousness.'

On GOP dissenter, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, tweeted that Thursday's resignation letter 'makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation,damage our alliances & empower our adversaries.'

The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee called Mattis' planned departure 'scary,' saying the retired general 'has been an island of stability' amid Trump's chaos

Trump has speculated before about how long Mattis might stay in his Cabinet.

Asked in October during a '60 Minutes' interview whether his Defense Department chief might be on his way out, he responded: 'Well, I don't know. He hasn't told me that.'

'I have a very good relationship with him. It could be that he is. I think he's sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth,' he said.

'But General Mattis is a good guy. We get along very well. He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves. Everybody. People leave. That's Washington.'

Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner tweeted in horror on Thursday: 'This is scary.'

'Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration. As we've seen with the President's haphazard approach to Syria, our national defense is too important to be subjected to the President's erratic whims.'

Warner is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Mattis isn't the only senior official on the way out. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly will depart in a matter of weeks, and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is also on a glide path to the private sector.

The president drew cheers at political rallies during his late 2016 transition period when he announced that Mattis would run the Pentagon.

Trump was fond of calling him 'Mad Dog,' a nickname Marine lore described as a loving tribute bestowed by the men he led.

In fact, his men in the field had a different moniker for him when he was a Marine colonel. They called him CHAOS, short for 'Colonel Has An Outstanding Suggestion'a hat tip to Mattis' reputation as a thinking man's soldier.
Iran considers Russia to be a reliable partner on the international stage and is particularly grateful for its position on the nuclear deal, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said at a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Ryabkov.

"I totally agree that Iran and Russia and reliable partners. Our cooperation concerning the regional and international agenda has been very honest, we have similar positions on many regional and global issues," TASS cited Araghchi as saying.

The minister pointed out that the global situation was negatively affected by the policies of the United States and some of its close allies in the Middle East. "We are very pleased to see Moscow maintain a logical, just and balanced position," he said. "I would like to thank Russia for its position on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," the Iranian deputy foreign minister noted added.

He said that the current crisis surrounding the nuclear deal had stemmed from Washingtons actions. At the same time, he was hopeful that other participants in the deal would continue to implement it. "We hope that the JCPOAs European participants will remain committed to their obligations," Araghchi concluded.
Jared Walter, 31, who has been arrested 17 times for sexual offenses is free to go back on Oregon public transportation

The 'TriMet Barber' who has been arrested 17 times for incidents including masturbating into women's hair, cutting it and gluing the strands around public transit is free to go back on Oregon public transportation, despite being arrested as recently as last month.

Jared Walter, 31, is a registered sex offender who has constantly violated parole stemming from his offenses over the past decade, but there's nothing bus operators can do to stop him from using the service again until he finds another victim.

The pervert was given five years of probation in March but didn't appear to take the conditions seriously as he was arrested again four months later and then three more times including in October.

His probation was revoked when he failed to report to his supervising advisor.

He was sent to jail for a one year in November but released only six days later due to time served.

A judge had given him the maximum allowable sentence for the misdemeanour however there are now no pending offenses therefore nothing to stop him taking the bus or MAX Light Rail.

'There are no longer any probation requirements,' Rashel Greer, a deputy Washington County District Attorney, said to OregonLive.

Scroll down for video

One victim said 'It's going to happen again' after hearing about his conditions

It wasn't the only way Walter has violated his probation, court documents state he passed out in Portland last month despite his conditions stating he must stay in Washington County.

In October, staff at a shelter where the man - who claims to be homeless - was staying caught him viewing porn in a public area.

When he moved to another shelter in Portland law enforcement found materials, including women using the toilet, on his phone.

The last time he was known to have used the TriMet system was in July when he was found to possess a transportation ticket.

But with his history of lewd acts stemming back to 2009, TriMet created a long-term exclusion ordinance in 2017 inspired by Walter and added it to their code of conduct.

He cannot be banned from TriMet until he commits another offense. Walter served six days in prison in November after being sentenced to a year but now he has no probation conditions

'In the past, we always worked with the DA's Office to make a ban on riding TriMet during the probation part of the sentence. Now with the long-term ban, we don't have to rely on that again,' TriMet spokesperson Roberta Altstadt told KGW.com. 'We put this ordinance into place because of this individual.'

With no probation conditions, it's somewhat good news for his past victims after in November the Department of Community Corrections described him as a 'very high risk to the community' who 'doesn't appear amenable to supervision at this time'.

The new rule took effect last September but can only be applied to someone who has 'committed a sexual assault, committed an assault that resulted in serious injury or death, or used a weapon to injury another person'.

One of his victims who was attacked on a bus in 2013 is still traumatized.

'I can't forget about it, I just can't,' she told Fox 12 recently. 'He was grabbing it multiple times. It really is disgusting.

'What are they going to do? Are they going to wait for him to do it again? It's going to happen. It's going to happen again. You know it's going to happen again.'

After being arrested for masturbating into the hair of three women on buses in May 2013, Walter apologized and got a five-year ban.

He said: 'I'm sorry that I hurt a lot of people -- the victims, my family, myself. I want help. I just don't know how to get it.'

He has been constantly caught for a decade and has regularly violated probation. He has been arrested for gluing women's hair around public transportation

The same year he was arrested for ejaculating into the hair of at least three different women riding the bus. He was sentenced to two years in prison but was released in July 2014.

In 2014 he was arrested for cutting a woman's hair at a Dollar Tree store in Oregon City.

He was released from prison December 2014 and taken into custody again the following month in January 2015.

In May 2017 he was caught by a vigilant community member after committing multiple offenses.

The first 911 report of Walter came on May 1 after a woman accused him of cutting out locks of her hair with a scissors.

'I see this person really close in my space, so I turned around, and said "what the hell are you doing?", the victim told KGW.

'And I see coming, out of the edge of his hoodie are a pair of scissors. So, I start screaming at him. Are you cutting my hair?!'

Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon,offered a reward of $1,000 for anyone who had information about him.

The pervert inspired TriMet to create a long-term exclusion ordinance in 2017 but it can't be enforced against him until he attacks again. He was caught my a member of the public in 2017

Christian Coats, recognized Walter while shopping at his local Walmart with his seven-year-old son, KGW reported.

Coats followed Walter after dropping his son with a family member and spent an hour and a half chasing him around the neighborhood.

During this time, other community members who had spotted him were also closely following him. But it was Coats who finally caught the man near a park.

Speaking about the moment he caught him Coats said: 'Hes like, "I surrender, I give up, please don't hurt me," he was ready to give up by the time I cornered him.

'When you got people like that out there, hes a sex offender, you gotta get him. You have all that adrenaline. I knew I had to get that guy.'

Coats called the police who took Walter into custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center, where was held on $8,000 bail, according to jail records.

As far back as 2010, Walter was imprisoned for 14 months for cutting and gluing women's hair on public buses around Portland.
Ville Vahamaki, of the Finns party, is suspected of cheating parliament out of 13k

A Finnish MP is being investigated by police on the grounds he may claimed a sauna as his second home.

Ville Vahamaki, of the nationalist Finns party, is suspected of cheating parliament out of 13,000 euros (11,733) after claiming allowances for a second home that turned out to be a Helsinki sauna.

He has denied any wrongdoing.

Finnish tabloid Iltalehti reported in July he and another member of parliament had been claiming elevated housing allowances for a sauna facility which they had rented from a chief police officer in the basement of an apartment building.

'In practice, I use it for laundry and so forth,' Vahamaki told the newspaper at the time.

Vahamaki is suspected of having defrauded parliament in the form of unjustified allowances, the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation said in a statement, adding he had already paid the money back.

The prosecutor will now consider the charges.

Police found no grounds to suspect the other member of parliament of a similar fraud.

Finland has a population of just 5.5 million people but is home to around 3 million saunas.

A view of the building where Ville Vahamaki of the nationalist Finns Party rented premises in Toolo, downtown Helsinki
A FDNY marshal has been arrested for allegedly beating his wife and threatening to kick her out of their home if she didn't perform sex acts, authorities have revealed.

Joseph Sullivan, 42, was charged with two counts of coercion and one count each of assault, obstruction of breathing and criminal mischief on Sunday.

Court papers said Sullivan choked his wife, derided her as a whore and savagely beat her in the incident on Sunday night at their house in Long Island.

According to the New York Daily News, Sullivan had been due to be promoted on Saturday to fire marshal commander - but the move was halted after the allegations emerged.

The 42-year-old had served in the FDNY for 18 years and has now been suspended [file photo]

The 42-year-old, who has served in the FDNY for 18 years, is accused of busting his wife's iPhone, ripping off her robe and wrapping it around her neck as he tried to choke her.

The papers claim he then loosened his grip and punched her on both sides of the face, cutting her lip.

He then reportedly turned the situation sexual by trapping her inside the bedroom and cuddling her as she lay in agony on the bed.

The papers claimed Sullivan forced her into degrading sex acts, but she eventually managed to escape and ran into a neighbor's house for help.

'Over the period of my marriage to Joseph Sullivan, I have been mentally and physically abused by him,' the wife said in her statement.

Sullivan was due to receive a promotion on Saturday which he will now reportedly be denied [file photo of a FDNY truck]

'He has forced me by intimidation to perform sexual acts to him that I did not want to perform  Joseph would tell me it's my wifely duty and if I did not perform such sexual acts that he would kick me out of the house and I would never see my two children again.'

'Joseph would also promise me that each sexual act would be the last time I would have to do so,' she added. 'However, the promise is never kept.'

Sullivan has now been released after posting $10,000 bail, and has been suspended by the FDNY.
State Rep. David Cook was arrested after authorities say they saw him swerving and drifting from lane to lane

An Arizona lawmaker is accused of telling police officers they were making a 'mistake' and warning them 'you'll get yours' after being pulled over for drink driving.

State Rep. David Cook, 50, was seen swerving and drifting from lane to lane in Mesa, according to authorities, and was almost twice the legal limit.

Police say Republican Cook was arrested Wednesday night in Mesa with a blood-alcohol content registering 0.158 per cent.

A Department of Public Safety (DPS) report says Cook then asked an officer: 'Do you know what you're doing, son? You're making a mistake.

'I'm fine, don't worry, you'll get yours.'

Cook is also said to have given cops his House of Representatives ID card when asked for his license and said that he would be ok because his wife works for the state's Motor Vehicle Department.

His speech was 'slow and slurred' according to the report and he had 'bloodshot and watery eyes'.

Cook is said to have told officials he may have been driving erratically as he had dropped his cell phone 'and was trying to pick it up'.

Cook is said to have given police his House of Representatives ID card and said he would be ok because his wife works for the state's Motor Vehicle Department

Cook later apologized on Facebook and said the DPS officers who handled the matter 'behaved professionally and did their job well'

Cook, who a member of the state legislature since 2017, apologized for his actions on Facebook.

He wrote: 'No lunch, no dinner, and some drinks with friends sounds harmless enough, but get behind the wheel and try to drive home and you're taking a chance you just shouldn't take.

'I'm lucky, because I got pulled over and got a DUI, but there was no accident, no one got hurt, etc. I'll be paying a real price for it, and it's a humiliating experience for sure, but compared to what can happen when someone drinks and drives, the good Lord was looking out for me.

'I apologize to all of you because I hold myself to a higher standard and I've let everyone down, friends and family alike.

'The DPS officers who handled the matter behaved professionally and did their job well. I didn't request or receive any sort of special treatment as a result of holding office, as it should be.'

Arizona state House-Speaker-elect Rusty Bowers told AZ Family: 'I'm disappointed and saddened by Representative Cook for failing to meet the standard expected of all Arizonans, much less an elected official.

'When I've had an opportunity to learn all the facts and speak with Representative Cook and my colleagues about it, I will announce action the House will take against Representative Cook.'
Entrepreneur Joy Mangano is leaving her HSN gig after nearly 20 years with the company.

HSN announced Thursday that Mangano, the inventor of Huggable Hangers and the Miracle Mop, will be leaving her longtime infomercial home 'to pursue other professional opportunities.'

The news that the 62 year old, whose innovative twists on old standby home items turned her into a multimillionaire, is parting ways with HSN comes just two months after QVC's parent company, Qurate Retail Group, took over rival HSN.

HSN announced Thursday that longtime infomercial queen and inventor, Joy Mangano, is parting ways with the TV network after nearly 20 years

Mangano joined HSN after selling her company to them in 1999. She'd been regularly seen on air for nearly 20 years while selling her products, including her famed Huggable Hangers

Since the takeover, Qurate eliminated 350 positions at HSN in an effort to combine its business and buying teams with those of QVC, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Among the jobs cut in October were 66 positions at Long Island-based Ingenious Designs, the company that Mangano founded in 1991 and sold to HSN in 1999, at which point she became the face of the network, shilling products on-camera including her flocked hangers, self-wringing mop, Ultimate Closet organizers and My Little Steamer.

The Ingenious Designs layoffs and company closure reason were listed as being 'economic' and will be completed in February 2019, Newsday reported.

Qurate had previously stated that Mangano's company was closing due to duplicate work being handled by staffers at QVC's West Chester, Pennsylvania, offices.

Mangano with her self-wringing Miracle Mop (left, in undated image). Her story of going from a single mom to a multimillionaire inspired the biopic, Joy, starring Jennifer Lawrence

Mangano and Lawrence pictured at the premiere of the Mangano biopic, Joy, in 2015

'We and our customers are enormously grateful for all that Joy has done for our shopping community,' HSN president Mike Fitzharris said in a statement Thursday. 'She has been an important part of the family for many years, and her creativity has influenced us all. We thank her for her contributions.'

Fitzharris also said that even though, 'Joy may be leaving,' HSN will continue to sell many of the products that Mangano created and sold on-camera for years.

Mangano, whose single mom-to-millionaire inventor story inspired the Jennifer Lawrence-starring 2015 film, Joy, has not yet made a public statement about her split from HSN.

Her Twitter handle still lists her as being an 'HSN personality' and her last tweet, featuring Huggable Hangers, was posted on December 19, the day before the announcement was made. Her website continues to list her HSN-famous products available for sale.

It is unclear where Mangano will land next or what projects she intends to take on.
The defense lawyer for Making a Murderer convict Steven Avery has taken on the case of a woman convicted of murdering her husband.

Kathleen Zellner has been representing Avery during the second series of the popular Nexflix documentary which follows Avery's appeal against a murder conviction in 2005.

The popular Netflix program details the allegedly wrongful convictions of Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey over the murder of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.

Kathleen Zellner, who has been representing Steven Avery, will also investigate the case of Sandra Melgar who was convicted of killing her husband on their anniversary night

Now Zellner, 61, will investigate the case against Sandra Melgar, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for stabbing her husband, Jaime 'Jim' Melgar, to death on the eve of their 32nd wedding anniversary.

The emotional case dates back to December 23, 2012, when Jaimie Melgar was found bound and fatally stabbed 31 times in the closet of the home he shared with Sandra.

She was found tied up in her bathroom closet as her husband lay dead in a bedroom cupboard at their home in Houston, Texas.

Melgar, who suffers from Lupus and seizures, has maintained her innocence and says she does not remember parts of the night.

The emotional case was centered on the prosecution's claims that Sandra Melgar (right) stabbed her husband Jaimie (left) 31 times before she tied herself up in a bedroom closet

Sandra and Jim's daughter, Elizabeth 'Lizz' Melgar Rose, has stood by her mother, believing she is innocent and an intruder is the likely culprit.

She told KHOU 11 News: 'This is huge for us. I'm very excited and very hopeful this is going to lead to an overturned conviction.

'I just hope that we can get some justice and start moving forward with life the best we can and we finally get to grieve my dad like we should have been able to from the beginning.'

Zellner wants to retest DNA evidence and other evidence that was not originally examined.

Yesterday Zellner tweeted: 'In January I will be meeting w/ Houston prosecutors in cooperative effort to test some evidence in murder case they WON. Will this ever happen in Wisconsin ????????????????? #Texas1inExonerations #NothingtoFearButtheTruth #MakingAMurderer2'

A spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney's Office said there was no date set for a meeting with Zellner, but told KHOU 11: 'We would cooperate with Kathleen Zellner, as we would with any defense lawyer representing a client.'

Ms Rose, 32, had previously spoken to Dateline saying: 'I've lost my father and here I am, about to lose my mother.

The entire premise of season one of Making a Murderer is unpacking the lingering question of whether Steven Avery (pictured), a salvage yard owner who had already spent 18 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, and his nephew Dassey, had been framed for the murder of Halbach, who was a 25-year-old photographer.

'They were talking about the future and what they were looking forward to.

'This is supposed to be the justice system that - it's just completely broken.'

Jaimie Melgar was found bound and fatally stabbed 31 times in the closet of the home he shared with his wife Sandra on December 23, 2012.

Prosecutors previously admitted the difficulty they faced in proving their theory that Sandra Melgar concocted the robbery story, motivated by a $500,000 life insurance policy on her husband.

'I couldn't put the knife in her hand... I didn't have any eye-witnesses that she killed him,' prosecutor Colleen Barnett told Dateline. 'She didn't confess.'

At trial, defense attorney Mac Secrest also laid bare the problems with a lead investigator on the case, who was later fired for backdating a search warrant in a different murder case.

Jaimie Melgar was found tied up and stabbed to death in a closet two days before Christmas. Investigators (pictured) said they found his wife tied up in a separate closet

Sandra Melgar had been married to her husband for 32 years when the murder occurred on the eve of their wedding anniversary.

She claimed she blacked out and had no idea what happened after she was discovered tied up in a separate closet, but later blamed robbers.

No items were missing from the home, according to reports.

A grand jury indicted her in 2014 and the contentious trial ended in a murder conviction in August.

Sandra Melgar cried hysterically in court when the judge read the verdict.

She was sentenced to 27 years in prison and will be eligible for parole in 2031.
A Briton accused of heading a key European drug trafficking network has been jailed for 22 years after smuggling 1.3 tons of cocaine into France.

Robert Dawes, 46, was convicted of arranging an estimated 216 million worth of cocaine to be trafficked into France on an Air France flight from Venezuela to Paris in 2015.

The drugs, stuffed in 30 unregistered suitcases, were discovered after an Air France plane arrived at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport from Caracas.

Dawes denied organising the 2013 shipment on an Air France flight from Venezuela ever since police arrested him at his luxury villa on the Spanish Costa del Sol in 2015.

Robert Dawes, 46, was convicted of arranging an estimated 216 million worth of cocaine to be trafficked into France on an Air France flight from Venezuela to Paris

Police are pictured storming into Robert Dawes's mansion in Benalmadena, Spain. The kingpin from Nottinghamshire has been convicted of drug trafficking

Officers are pictured arresting drugs kingpin Robert Dawes after they raided the home of the UK criminal in Spain

Police lead Robert Dawes away in footage of the raid on his mansion in Benalmadena, Spain

Robert Dawes is led away in handcuffs by the police who raided his mansion. He has now been jailed for 22 years in France

Dawes denied organising the 2013 shipment on an Air France flight from Venezuela ever since police arrested him at his luxury villa on the Spanish Costa del Sol in 2015.

But Spanish police secured a video taken at a Madrid hotel in which they say he claims ownership of the drugs. They extradited him to France shortly after his arrest.

Ahead of the verdict, prosecutor Isabelle Raynaud told the court, said: 'Far from a small-time fall guy, today we are judging men in the highest ranks of organised crime who supplied European networks.'

Dawes had hoped to get the video dismissed on legal grounds, before prosecutors discovered his defence team had submitted a forged Spanish document trying to prove the recording was illegal.

He then surprised the court - and evidently his lawyers - by saying his claims in the video were 'just a made-up story' intended to provoke the police into arresting him so that he could prove his innocence.

He has denied knowing the other defendants on trial: two Britons and three Italians.

They were arrested after undercover officers tricked them into trying to transport some of the cocaine to Italy shortly after its arrival at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport in September 2013.

Dawes is of being one of the biggest drug dealers in Europe, running an empire that stretched across eight countries and dealt in cocaine, heroin, money laundering and murder

The investigation linked him to the Italian mafia, South American cartels, and a murder spree that included killings in Holland and the UK.

From his base in Andalucia, he is suspected of importing 'furniture from China and fruit containers from South America which he would fill with cocaine'.

His cartel also shipped heroin from Turkey and Afghanistan to Britain, police said.

Dawes mainly used shipping containers to move the drugs around, but also lesiure boats and commercial flights such as the Air France one, they added.

He would allegedly meet regularly with representatives of South American crime empires, including the notorious Medellin cartel, at hotels in Madrid.

He is also accused of buying large amounts of drugs from Italy's secretive 'Ndrangheta mafia, which is thought to run much of Europe's cocaine trade from Calabria.

Dawes's alleged criminal empire stretched from Portugal, France and Belgium to Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Venezuela and Mexico.

His suspected right-hand man, Dutch citizen Emiel Brummer, was arrested in April 2016 on Spain's Costa del Sol and extradited to the Netherlands.

Father-of-three Dawes has associated with some of the UK's most notorious crime syndicates including the London-based Adams family.

Dawes grew up on the Leamington estate in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, and is thought to have begun his criminal career in the 1990s working as an enforcer.

He was described as a 'highly significant international criminal wanted for murder in Holland and drug importation in the UK' in documents written by the Serious Organised Crime Agency, which later became the UK's National Crime Agency.

Dawes left Nottinghamshire for the Costa del Sol around nine years ago, moving to a villa in the resort of Benalmadena.

He later relocated to Dubai where he was arrested in 2008 for money laundering.

After serving his sentence, he was rearrested on an international warrant in April 2011 over the seizure of nearly 200kg of cocaine - then worth around 14 million - near Madrid in 2007 and extradited to Spain the following month.

Police in Madrid accused Dawes of using Spain as a 'trampoline for trafficking drugs to several European countries', mostly Britain, in a statement released at the time.
The mother of two British children who faced being stranded 11,000 miles away in New Zealand over Christmas has said she is 'so proud' of them both.

Ben and Olivia Sargent, aged six and nine, were enjoying a dream holiday in New Zealand with their parents Kerry and Jules Sargent.

But while going for a night out for dinner with friends, Kerry, 42, from Gloucester, was tragically killed in a devastating road smash near Whangarei, north of Auckland, while Jules, 49, suffered life-threatening injuries.

Ben and Olivia Sargent, aged six and nine, were enjoying a dream holiday in New Zealand with their mothers Kerry (left) and Jules Sargent (right). Tragedy struck when they were involved in a head-on collision which killed Kerry and left Jules seriously injured

Speaking from her hospital in New Zealand, Jules said: 'The children have been through such a traumatic experience as they were initially stuck in the car whilst it was on its roof and had to be rescued by friends smashing the windows to get them out.

'It was a terrifying experience for everyone but Ben and Olivia have shown so much courage throughout this whole situation.

'I am so proud of them of both.

'Ben said he "can't think about the good times before the accident all he can remember is the accident."'

The children, who were left hanging upside down in the wreckage of the overturned vehicle, have been left badly traumatised by the crash, but escaped serious physical injury.

Jules is battling to recover but is not well enough to return to Britain meaning the family is stranded in the country.

Kerry, who was a front seat passenger in one of two vehicles that rolled in the crash on October 20, died at the scene. Another woman, Mary Peneamena, 65, from Auckland, was killed in the second vehicle.

Olivia, nine, and Ben are said to be 'traumatised' by the incident

Jules is undergoing gruelling physiotherapy before doctors can assess whether she is fit enough to take the children on their long journey home.

The two children, who were not seriously injured in the crash, now have to spend their Christmas in Whangarei and are to be schooled in New Zealand while their mother recuperates.

Grief-stricken Olivia and Ben are said to be 'traumatised' by the crash and are being cared for by friends.

Ben has told his mother he can't remember the good times before the crash.

A GoFundMe page has been set up in a bid to raise 10,000 and help the family create some 'magical moments that they can all look forward to'.

The horror smash happened near Whangarei as the group were enjoying a night out with friends

Family friend Alan York told the Mirror: 'Currently, Jules is recuperating in New Zealand with the friends she went out to visit and will need a substantial period of recovery before the family can return to England.'

Jules broke her ribs, right leg and two vertebra, and her toes were dislocated.

Her left arm was also injured and she has an open wound to her left hip area which is also fractured.

It could take years for Jules to recover from her injuries, Gloucestershire Live reported.

Jules also said she was 'so shocked when Alan first told her about the Magical Memories campaign.

She said: 'I didn't think people would respond in this way to our situation, but it is really comforting to know how much people care and want to help my children.'

Click here to support the campaign.
Lauren Michelle Myres, a 26-year-old social worker from Fort Walton Beach, Florida, has been sentenced to six years in prison for having sex with a 17-year-old boy after she adopted him earlier this year

A 26-year-old Florida social worker has been sentenced to six years in prison for having sex with her 17-year-old adopted son.

Lauren Michelle Myres, of Fort Walton Beach, was arrested earlier this year and admitted to having sex with the victim 'seven to eight times' between March 26 and May 30, according to court filings.

Myres had been assigned to the boy's case while she was working at the Family First Network. She decided to foster him herself before ultimately petitioning to adopt him.

Court documents indicate that Myres and the victim, who has not been named because he is a minor, began having sex after the adoption was finalized.

Police received an anonymous tip about the sexual relationship on May 31.

When questioned by investigators, Myres 'stated she knew it was wrong and allowed the sexual relationship to continue', according to an arrest report.

'The defendant also told the victim that what they were doing was illegal and the defendant was aware the victim was 17 years old,' the report said.

The boy allegedly told investigators that he did not believe the relationship was wrong because 'he was not being raped and was about to be 18'.

Myres had been assigned to the boy's case while she was working at the Family First Network. She decided to foster him before ultimately petitioning to adopt him. The pair's sexual relationship, revealed in May, is believe to have begun after the adoption was finalized

Myres admitted to having sex with the boy 'seven or eight times' between March 26 and May 30. Her home, where some of the sex acts took place, is pictured above

Speaking during Myres' sentencing hearing on Thursday, Florida State Attorney Bill Bishop said: 'I cant say Ive ever seen a case like this where an adoption occurred and sex occurred shortly thereafter.

'There have been cases of older women having sex with young boys across the country, but this is the first Ive ever seen.'

Myres entered a no contest plea to a charge of sexually battering a minor on December 11.

As a result of her conviction she will be registered as a sex offender and will spend the next six years in prison.

Upon her release, Myres will be put on sex offender probation for four years and have to complete sex offender counseling. She will also be prohibited from having contact with the victim or any minors.

Myres had been working at Family First Network for about two-and-a-half years after having graduated with a degree in criminal justice from the University of West Florida in 2015.

The 26-year-old was fired from the family service center immediately after officials learned of her arrest.

Court filings indicate that Myres had been married at the time that her affair with the minor began. She and her husband filed to dissolve their marriage in April and had been divorced for nine days prior to her arrest.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg had two cancerous growths removed from her lower left lung Friday, the Supreme Court has announced.

The associate justice, 85, had the growths removed after they were discovered by a CT scan when she cracked three ribs in a fall in her office last month.

The court said that there are no remaining signs of cancer in her body after the treatment, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

She remains in hospital where she is 'recovering comfortably' and will do so for a few days, the court said.

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Ruth Bader Gisburg has had two cancerous growths removed from her lungs, the Supreme Court announced Friday. She spoke about her health in New York on Saturday 15 December during a question-and-answer session at the Museum of the City of New York

Current bench: Bader Ginsburg's colleagues on the Supreme Court are from front left: Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, and Associate Justice Samuel Alito Jr. Standing behind from left: Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Elena Kagan and Associate Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh.

The statement said that Ginsburg had a 'pulmonary lobectomy.'

'According to the thoracic surgeon, Valerie W. Rusch, MD, FACS, both nodules removed during surgery were found to be malignant on initial pathology evaluation,' the court statement said.

'Post-surgery there was no evidence of any remaining disease. Scans performed before surgery indicated no evidence of disease elsewhere in the body. Currently no further treatment is planned.'

Treatment: Thoracic surgeon Valerie W. Rusch has found no evidence of remaining disease after removing two cancers

The justice fell in her office on November 8, fracturing three ribs.

She was treated at George Washington University hospital in Washington D.C., where the tests were carried out which led to Friday's surgery in her native New York.

The survival rate for patients who undergo lobectomies is high, with between 85 to 95 per cent of people treated living five years or more afterwards.

It is Bader Ginsburg's third treatment for cancer since she joined the court in 1993.

In 1999 she was successfully treated for colorectal cancer and in 2009 for pancreatic cancer.

Among other health problems, she also broke two ribs in a fall in 2012 and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery in 2014. She was hospitalized after a bad reaction to medicine in 2009.

Ginsburg has never missed Supreme Court arguments in more than 25 years on the bench. The court won't hear arguments again until January 7.

Appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, Ginsburg is now both the oldest member of the bench and the leader of its four-justice liberal wing.

She rebuffed suggestions from some liberals that she should step down in the first two years of President Barack Obama's second term, when Democrats controlled the Senate and would have been likely to confirm her successor.

The 85-year-old Brooklyn native was interviewed by NPR legal correspondent Nina Totenberg last Saturday, speaking of her health and saying she was 'almost repaired'

Movie phenomenon: Ruth Bader Ginsburg is to be played by Felicity Jones (center) in On The Basis of Sex, which comes out on Christmas Day. It also stars (from left) Justin Theroux, Mimi Leder, and Armie Hammer, and was directed by Daniel Stiepleman

With the star: Justin Theroux and Armie Hammer both posted pictures with the Supreme Court Justice earlier this month, ahead of a Washington D.C. screening of On The Basis of Sex

She already has hired clerks for the term that extends into 2020, indicating she has no plans to retire.

Ginsburg had spoken of her health in New York on Saturday, saying she was 'almost repaired' from the fall in her office which cracked two ribs.

The 85-year-old Brooklyn native was interviewed by NPR legal correspondent Nina Totenberg and when asked how her health is, Ginsburg said 'it's fine, thank you,' adding that her ribs are 'almost repaired'.

'And yesterday was my first day doing my whole workout routine,' she said, in a reference to a high-intensity workout which has become famous in its own right.

Her trainer had stopped her from doing upper body work in the aftermath of the fall.

Ginsburg was the second woman to become a member of the Supreme Court, following Justice Sandra Day OConnor, who retired in 2006. O'Connor, 88, said in October she is suffering from dementia.

Ginsburg called Trump an egotistical 'faker' when he was running for president in 2016. Trump responded by saying her 'mind is shot' and she should quit the court. Ginsburg later expressed regret for her comments, saying 'judges should avoid commenting on a candidate for public office.'

When she fell last month, however, Trump said he was praying for her recovery.

Bader Ginsburg's cultural fame has led to her being nicknamed 'Notorious RBG.' and she is now the subject of an upcoming biopic, On The Basis of Sex, in which she is played by British actress Felicity Jones.
Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has congratulated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on his birthday, according to the Azerbaijani presidential website.

"Accept my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday. Brotherly Azerbaijan is confidently moving forward on the path of progress and development in all areas of life under your wise leadership. The country's convincing success in internal and foreign policy are closely associated with you," Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said.

According to him, the Baku-Ashgabat relations are taking on a new dimension, and Ilham Aliyev's recent official visit to Turkmenistan became an important point in the strengthening of the ties of friendship between the brotherly peoples and the deepening of cooperation between our countries in various fields.

"I am strongly confident that through combined efforts, Turkmenistan-Azerbaijan bilateral relations will continue to develop to the benefit of our peoples," the Turkmen president stressed.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov wished lham Aliyev the best of health, personal happiness and well-being, as well as new success in all his endeavors and efforts for the sake of the brotherly Azerbaijani people.
Karla Jean Winterfeld has been jailed for 12 years after admitting to 'multiple sex acts' with a former student aged just 15

An award-winning married Minnesota teacher has been jailed for 12 years after admitting to multiple sex acts with a former student.

Mom Karla Jean Winterfeld, 34, wept in the dock as a judge told her she had 'destroyed' the boy's life.

The Duluth middle school teacher admitted to engaging in multiple sexual acts with the victim over the course of several weeks in May.

Police found pictures and videos showing the acts and there was evidence that Winterfeld had researched consent laws, according to The Grand Forks Herald.

Judge David Johnson told Winterfeld: 'He had hope for a better life and you, through your actions, destroyed that. You destroyed his life. I can't get past that. I simply can't.

'We're here for sentencing related to your rape of an underage child. That's the charge, and that's what you've pled guilty to.'

Winterfeld pleaded guilty in October to a felony count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

A packed public gallery watched on as the former Lincoln Park middle school teacher, who resigned after 11 years with Duluth school district, apologized her actions.

She said: 'I will never forgive myself for what happened. I will live with this guilt for the rest of my life.'

In a letter to 'the courts and the Duluth community' she wrote: 'My children are my world and I want to become the mother they deserve. I made a terrible choice and have hurt many people.

'To my victim I am sorry I didn't handle the situation properly. I am the adult and you are the child.'

A judge told Winterfeld she had 'destroyed' the boy's life as he jailed her for 12 years

The Duluth middle school teacher wept in the dock and apologized for her actions

Winterfeld wrote this letter of apology to 'the courts and the Duluth community'

The victim's uncle told the court: 'I can see it in his face, his eyes, his actions. He's starting to bottle up. He won't talk to me. All the effects are starting to show.

'It hurts. It shouldn't have happened. You should've known better. You say this is far from over. Well, I've got to deal with this for the next few decades.'

A therapist at the mental health clinic, Jessica Metzger, told the court: 'She has been very motivated, very engaged, very interested in learning why she did what she did.'

But St. Louis County prosecutor Jon Holets added: 'There is nothing particularly different or special about this case except that the courtroom happens to be filled.

'This is exactly what sexual assault and sexual abuse look like. She is not the victim.'

Winterfeld waa given the 2016 Greg Irons Teacher Award and had two nominations for the Goldfine Gold Star Teacher Award during her career, Twin Cities Pioneer Press reports.
A Florida man has been charged with the murder of his missing wife after confessing to police that he fatally stabbed her, despite giving distressed interviews pleading for her to be found and calling her the love of his life.

Sunrise man Joseph Edward Traeger, 50, was arrested for killing his wife Jeneed Ann Catanzaro, 50, on Friday, after she was reported missing three weeks ago.

He was also charged with giving false information to police and tampering with evidence.

Catanzaro was reported missing on December 2 by her mother Joanne Roma.

They had been married for 10 and a half years, but were having marital problems due to money problems and his heroin addiction, Traeger said.

After giving several contradictory statements to Sunrise Police, Traeger finally confessed to killing Catanzaro on Thursday, saying he fatally stabbed her with a kitchen knife after she refused to let him move back in to their home after he was violent.

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Joseph Edward Traeger, 50, has been arrested and charged with the murder after he confessed to killing his wife Jeneed Ann Catanzaro, 50, who's been missing since December 2

He was arrested on Friday after cops began a death investigation in her disappearance

Traeger pictured above being escorted by police while wearing handcuffs on Friday

On Wednesday detectives said they had reason to suspect that Catanzaro was dead and 'begun a death investigation into the circumstances surrounding her disappearance', according to CBS Miami.

At first Traeger said his wife's disappearance was a mystery.

He told detectives he last saw his wife at their home on November 29 before he went to work. Her parents reported last talking to Catanzaro one day prior on November 28.

Traeger had repeatedly denied having anything to do with his wife's disappearance.

In an interview on Thursday, Traeger hailed Catanzaro as 'the love of his life'.

When asked: 'Did you have anything to do with it' Traeger responded: 'Absolutely not. Listen I've had police here three different times, crime scene investigators, they went through the house, there's nothing, nothing, nothing for me to be suspect of.'

'I last saw here on the morning of November 29th and she must have been on foot. She didnt take a car. I have not heard from her since and I am devastated,' Traeger said.

'She meant the world to me, my wife. I have known her since I was nine-years-old, since I was 10 years old. We have known each other 40 years,' he added.

He told detectives he believed his wife met up with a friend to plan a garage sale and went missing afterwards.

However, that friend told cops that they never met because he had to work.

Catanzaro's mother said she suffered from anorexia and bipolar disorder and was on medication.

Catanzaro was reported missing by her parents on December 2. Traeger said he last saw his wife on November 29

Catanzaro had also filed two domestic violence reports with Sunrise police this year saying Traeger struck her and threw her down the staircase

Catanzaro told him to move out of their home on the 100 block of Riverwalk Circle (above). On November 28 he returned asking to move back in and when she refused he snapped and violently threw her on the floor and fatally stabbed her

Cops questioned Traeger on December 5, three days after she was reported missing.

He told police he didn't know of her whereabouts and he kept trying to call her phone. But according to cell phone records, Traeger called Catanzaro three minutes before he arrived home and sent two texts she didn't reply to. Then there was no further activity.

Traeger told investigators that she could be at one of the two gyms she frequented. Police checked the gyms and were told the last time she was in was November 27.

Detectives checked activity on her card and found it was used at at a supermarket and a Speedway gas station in Ft. Lauderdale - both transactions Traeger confirmed that he made.

Police also resourced security video from a neighbors home and found Catanzaro arrived to her home on November 27 but never left the residence after that.

When he was questioned again he changed his story and cops said he 'provided a completely fabricated account regarding the whereabouts of Jeneed'.

He then claimed he went to his wife's home on November 28 and after taking a shower he found his wife lying in a pool of blood downstairs.

He claimed she allegedly suffered a seizure and fell on the kitchen floor and hit her head.

So then he panicked and placed her body in three large trash bags and put her in the trash to be picked up and taken away.

According the arrest report he allegedly circled the neighborhood until the garbage trucks took away the body, then went to the casino for the rest of the day.

On Thursday he was interviewed by local media and said 'absolutely not' when he was asked if he had anything to do with her disappearance

'She meant the world to me, my wife. I have known her since I was nine-years-old,' he said in an interview on Thursday, the day before his arrest

Catanzaro's stepfather Michael Lenover called police on December 7 saying Traeger had exhibited violent behavior towards his wife.

Because he was violent, Catanzaro had kicked him out of the house.

Lenover was '100 per cent certain that Joseph had killed Jeneed,' according to the arrest report.

A look at Traeger's track record reveals a history of violence.

Traeger was convicted of attempted murder for strangling and raping his ex-wife in 1997.

Lenover was so worried he forced Catanzaro to call him every morning to let him know she was alive.

Finally on Thursday, Traeger contacted a detective and asked to stop by the Sunrise Police Department where he confessed to killing his wife.

He said in October Catanzaro told him to move out of their home on the 100 block of Riverwalk Circle. On November 28 he returned asking to move back in.

When she refused, but permitted him to enter the house to shower.

Once inside he snapped and threw her on the kitchen floor and covered her mouth so the neighbors couldn't hear her screams, according to Local10.

He grabbed a knife on the kitchen counter and stabbed his wife once in the back of the head at the base of the skull. He said she died instantly, according to his confession to authorities.

Then he washed the knife in the dishwasher and threw it in the dumpster of an unknown restaurant.

Her body was later found in the landfill at 4400 State Road 7 in Davie, according to the Sun Sentinel.

Catanzaro had also filed two domestic violence reports with Sunrise police this year saying Traeger struck her and threw her down the staircase.
Chase Bishop, 30, pleading guilty to third-degree assault after accidentally shooting a man in the leg while dancing at a bar in June

The off-duty FBI agent who accidentally shot a person while dancing at a Colorado bar has pleaded guilty to third-degree assault to avoid jail time.

Chase Bishop, 30, was sentenced to two years probation after pleading guilty to the misdemeanor charge during a disposition hearing on Friday, according to the Denver Post.

He had previously pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault in November and had a disposition and motions hearing set for dates in January 2019, after having been offered an undisclosed plea deal at the time, the Denver Channel reported.

Bishop made headlines in June when a video of him dancing at the Mile High Spirits Tasting Room in Denver went viral.

In the video, which was taken on June 2, Bishop could be seen doing a backflip, during which his handgun fell from his waistband holster and onto the floor.

In a video, Bishop could be seen doing a backflip when his gun fell out of its holster. When he went to pick it up, the gun went off and the bullet struck a bystander

The firearm accidentally went off when he picked it up, with the bullet striking nearby Thomas Reddington, 24, in the leg. Seemingly unaware that someone has been shot, Bishop put the gun back into his waistband and walked off the dance floor with his hands up.

After turning himself in to authorities after the incident, Bishop was allowed to travel back to Washington, DC, where he lives and works. Five weeks after the accidental shooting, Bishop was allowed to have his gun back and carry it both on and off duty.

In June, Reddington, told Good Morning America that he had watched Bishop's dancing footage a number of times and was still confused by how the shooting managed to occur.

Bishop pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault in November (pictured). After pleading guilty to third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, he was sentenced to two years probation

Thomas Reddington, 24, was sitting at a picnic table when the bullet from Bishop's gun hit him. The bullet struck him just below the left knee and tore through his leg

'We sat down at one of those picnic tables, I heard a loud bang and I thought some idiot set off a firecracker,' Reddington said.

'Then I looked down at my leg and see some brown residue. I'm still thinking it's a firework... all of a sudden from the knee down my leg became completely red.

And that's when it clicked in my head, 'Oh, I've been shot'.

'I like stand up and like start walking in a little circle saying, 'Hey, I think I've been shot. Can someone call 911?'.'

The bullet struck Reddington just below his left knee and tore through his leg.

He said he blacked out and woke to find someone using a belt to put a tourniquet on his leg to stop the bleeding.

Bishop had been in Denver on a personal trip when the shooting occurred, CBS Denver reported.
Gregory Stanley Brannigan, 61, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, is charged with disorderly conduct and resisting an officer

A Wisconsin man faces charges after acting the Grinch by attacking his neighbor's Christmas decorations and kicking at her door while intoxicated and in the nude.

Gregory Stanley Brannigan, 61, of Green Bay is charged with disorderly conduct and resisting an officer after cops tried to end his rampage in the buff on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Green Bay Press Gazette.

A neighbor called police when Brannigan appeared at her residence naked and apparently drunk making comments about heroin. The criminal complaint she filed also says that he was ripping down her decorations and kicking at her door.

Cops arrived to find a stumbling nude Brannigan who told them he had to take care of alleged heroin dealers next door.

Temperatures in Green Bay on the afternoon of December 19 were above freezing but still in the chilly area of 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 Celsius).

Holiday adornments at a private home. Gregory Stanley Brannigan is charged with vandalizing his neighbor's Christmas decorations while intoxicated and nude (file photo)

Brannigan allegedly resisted arrest and swore at the police while further threatening his neighbors. The officers also added that he wasn't wearing shoes.

He also claimed he could not trust the police who were in cahoots with the dealers, so he had decided to manage things on his own.

A breathalyzer test administered to the naked vandal showed he had a blood alcohol level of 0.21 percent, over double the legal limit in Wisconsin for motor vehicle operation. No drugs, heroin or otherwise, were found in Brannigan's apartment.

Brannigan was released on a $700 cash bond, and is scheduled to appear back in court on January 4.
An Indiana man was sentenced to 80 years in prison for the 1988 abduction, rape and killing of 8-year-old April Tinsley.

Allen County Judge John Surbeck sentenced 59-year-old John D. Miller to 50 years for murder and 30 years for child molestation on Friday after he pleaded guilty on December 7.

He only spoke to state his name in a 'strong by shaky voice' to a packed court room where every chair was filled and spectators stood at the back where there was no sitting room.

WPTA.com reported April's cousin told him she uses the word human loosely when she describes him and referred to him as an animal during a statement in court.

Christina Snyder ended her speech by looking directly at him to say: 'Burn in hell you monster.'

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A plea agreement calls for John Miller to serve 80 years in prison - 30 for child molestation and 50 for murdering April Tinsley. He left the Allen County courthouse using a wheelchair

This booking photo released by the Fort Wayne, Indiana, Police Department shows John D. Miller (left), who was arrested Sunday, July 15 for killing April Tinsley (right) in 1988

He pleaded guilty Friday December 7, 2018, to murder and child molestation charges in long-unsolved killing of the 8-year-old

Many of April's family members spoke in court Friday.

The girl was abducted on April 1, 1988. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled.

Her case was closed more than 30 years after the little girl's body was found in a ditch on Dekalb County Road by a jogger.

It was about 20 miles (32 kilometers) away from her Fort Wayne neighborhood three days after she was snatched and she had been dead due to suffocation for at least two days.

April had been playing with friends outside when she told them she'd left her umbrella at one of their houses. She said she would collect it and come back.

She never did.

A witness at the time told police that a man in his 30s had yelled at April from a blue pickup truck and then pulled her inside.

One of her shoes was found 1,000 feet from her body.

It came more than 30 years after the little girl's body was found in a ditch on Dekalb County Road by a jogger. One of her shoes was found 1,000 feet from her body

Miller was finally arrested at home in Grabill - northeast of Fort Wayne - on July 15

Investigators got help from a website that compares DNA to public information on genealogy databases

Miller left anonymous messages in 1990 on a barn and in 2004 attached to girl's bikes outside homes in Fort Wayne

Miller appeared in Allen Superior Court wearing shackles a jumpsuit from Allen County Jail. He left the Allen County courthouse using a wheelchair and will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

His attorney read a statement expressing his regret but prosecutor Karen Richards cried in court and said she didn't believe his apology was genuine.

The Journal Gazette reports that April's mother, Janet Tinsley, urged prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Miller but that was before his surprise early guilty plea.

Richards agreed she would have liked to see the death sentence for Miller.

Before his guilty plea Miller had been scheduled to stand trial in February. Then his sentencing was brought forward from December 31.

She later said she understood why the prosecutors went after the deal but admitted her frustration at the lesser punishment.

April's mother, Janet Tinsley, urged prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Miller but that was before his surprise early guilty plea

April's family was 'numb and emotional' after hearing the sentence. They attended court wearing a blue T-shirt sporting her photograph and the words 'Never Forgotten'

April's mother spoke to Miller via an appearance at Allen County Courthouse before he was sentenced after hearing him say for the first time that he killed her daughter two weeks ago

April's family was 'numb and emotional' after hearing the sentence. Her parent attended court wearing a blue T-shirt sporting her daughter's photograph and the words 'Never Forgotten'.

'We're glad the case is solved and has come to closure a little bit, but in a way  April really didn't got the justice that she deserves,' Tinsley said according to Wane.com 'Right now, it's a start. But we're never going to forget her. Her name's going to be out there.'

She spoke to him via an appearance at Allen County Courthouse before he was sentenced after hearing him say for the first time that he killed her daughter just two weeks ago.

The crime became one of the most notorious in the area's history but the long-unsolved killing remained a mystery until DNA evidence and genealogy databases helped investigators link Miller to the blond girl's death.

Police said Miller began taunting them in 1990 when officers were called to a barn where they found a note left by him that read, 'I kill 8 year old April M Tinsley, did you find her other shoe haha I will kill agin (sic),' as reported by NBC.

In 2004 more messages, in bags, containing used condoms, subsequently tested for DNA, were left on girls bikes outside homes in Fort Wayne, police said. That year they arrested a man but released him after DNA did not match.

The community didn't forget about April and set up a memorial site featuring her picture and colorful decorations at Hoagland and Masterson avenues (pictured March 2018)

The cold case had received nationwide attention and featured twice on the television program 'America's Most Wanted'

The suspects were eventually whittled down to two brothers. Investigators pulled out used condoms containing DNA evidence from Miller's trailer park trash in July.

Miller was finally arrested at home in Grabill - northeast of Fort Wayne - on July 15 after investigators got help from a website that compares DNA to public information on genealogy databases.

Court documents state he replied 'April Tinsley' when authorities showed up to detain him.

The cold case had received nationwide attention and featured twice on the television program 'America's Most Wanted'.

For decades authorities had received calls from people hoping to help.

The community didn't forget about April and set up a memorial site featuring her picture and colorful decorations at Hoagland and Masterson avenues.
They cremated the body, before their daughter arrived home safe four days later

Her family believed she was dead when a mutilated body was found in same city

A woman, known as Naina, 26, went missing in Patiala, India, earlier this month

A family who believed their daughter was dead cremated a body before their daughter arrived home safe four days later.

The woman, known as Naina, 26, had gone missing from her house on Saturday December 8 in Patiala, Punjab, India.

The man who she had left with had also gone missing from his house.

The woman, known as Naina, 26, had gone missing from her house on Saturday December 8 in Patiala, Punjab, India [File photo]

A mutilated body of a woman in her 20s was found in the same city just days after her disappearance on December 11.

Police had suspected Naina had been killed by the man she had eloped with, the Times of India reported.

The body of a woman was found by a local farmer inside a 'gunny bag' sack in a field. An autopsy confirmed the woman had been strangled to death.

Naina's family then claimed it was her body, and cremated the body the next day.

A mutilated body of a woman in her 20s was found in the same city just days after her disappearance on December 11 [File photo]

However, their daughter returned home safe four days after the cremation, along with the man she had left with.

Local police said they took fingerprints and DNA from the body. They are re-starting the process to identify the dead body.

A police spokesman said that the body would have been cremated anyway.
U.S. government sources have reportedly confirmed that China last month tested a new submarine nuclear missile that could reach North America.

According to the report, first published by Washington Free Beacon on Tuesday, the JL-3, or Julong-3, is designed to be fired from the Type 096 nuclear ballistic missile submarine, which can carry up to 24 missiles.

The Type 096 is under construction and would be ready in 2020, the report said.

Previous reports have suggested that JL-3 was an improved version of Beijing's DF-41 ballistic missile (pictured). DF-41 is said to have the longest range of any ballistic rockets in the world

Washington Free Beacon claimed that the deadly missile, whose name is said to be 'giant wave' in Chinese, was being built near Dalian on China's eastern coast and the flight test was likely to have taken place on November 22.

The report also quoted a Chinese military who said the JL-3 would have a full operational range of between 7,456 miles and 8,700 miles, which is enough to destroy targets in most part of the United States from Chinese coasts.

The allegedly test of the missile has also been reported by The Diplomat.

The current-affairs magazine reported yesterday that Beijing conducted the flight-test of the JL-3 ballistic missile in the Bohai Sea. However, it claimed that the test took place on November 24, citing U.S. intelligence agencies.

The report also said JL-3 did not fly to its full range during the test, but its full range was likely to be farther than 9,000 kilometres (5,592 miles).

China has never openly confirmed the development of JL-3. Nearly all of the information of the missile on the Chinese internet is cited from U.S. media reports.

Chinese media Sina Military said Beijing would begin building the Type 096 nuclear submarine in a few years while U.S. Department of Defence said in its annual report this year that the construction would start in 2020. Pictured is a Type 094 submarine from the Chinese navy

Shanghai Observer, a Chinese news site affiliated to the state-run Jiefang Daily, today blasted the report by Washington Free Beacon, saying it was fake.

CHINA'S OTHER MISSILES China's DF-21 missile boasts a firing distance of up to 1,926 miles (3,100km) and has been dubbed 'the killer of aircraft carrier'. The missile is potentially capable of sinking a U.S. Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in a single strike, media have claimed. The DF-10 missile, on the other hand, is the best performing long-range cruise missile in the world, according to Chinese news site Sina.com. Sina said the 990-pound (450kg) weapon could strike a maximum distance of 1,242 miles (2,000km) and could reach Japan and Taiwan if it's fired from inland China. Advertisement

To start with, Julong does not translate to 'giant wave' in Chinese, said the Chinese outlet, indicating that the report could not be true because the author could not even get the name of the missile properly.

Julong could mean 'giant dragon' in Chinese' while Julang means 'giant wave'.

Shanghai Observer also questioned a comment Washington Free Beacon published which was allegedly made by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

According to Washington Free Beacon, Xi visited a submarine base in June and said: 'As a nation's ultimate instrument, submarines shall see great developments.'

Xi also reportedly said: 'Our seaborne nuclear forces need to advance by leaps and bounds. We pin our hopes of development and advancement on your era so that our navy and our submarine forces shall have a rapid rise.'

Shanghai Observer critised the Washington Free Beacon author of fabricating the comments, saying 'we could not find such sentences in the report from Xinhua News Agency (China's state news agency)'.

According to Chinese media, Xi visited the naval base of the northern war zone of China on June 16. Reports said he boarded a nuclear submarine, coded Changzheng 16, but no such comments from him were published during the visit.

Previous U.S. reports have suggested that JL-3 was an improved version of Beijing's Dongfeng-41, or DF-41 ballistic missile. DF-41 is said to have the longest range of any ballistic rockets in the world.

JL-3 was also mentioned in this year's annual report about China from the U.S. Department of Defence to the U.S. congress.

The report said: 'China's next-generation Type 096 SSBN (ballistic missile submarines), reportedly to be armed with the follow-on JL-3 SLBM (submarine-launched ballistic missile), will likely begin construction in the early-2020s.'

This contradicts the reports from Washington Free Beacon and The Diplomat which claimed that the Type 096 submarine was being constructed already.

According to a report from Sina Military in July, Beijing will begin building the Type 096 submarine 'in a few years'.
Convicted murderer Jeffrey MacDonald, 75, suffered a major legal setback when an appeals court denied his request for a new trial

A former Green Beret surgeon convicted of slaughtering his pregnant wife and their two young daughters at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, nearly 50 years ago has been denied a new trial.

Jeffrey MacDonald, 75, has adamantly maintained his innocence in the 1970 slayings and insisted that his family were killed by drugged-up hippies reminiscent of the Manson Family, including a woman who chanted 'acid is groovy; kill the pigs.'

Prosecutors say MacDonald killed his pregnant wife, 26-year-old Colette, and their two daughters, 5-year-old Kimberley and 2-year-old Kristen, with a knife and ice pick, then stabbed himself with a scalpel to make it look like he was attacked while trying to protect his family.

They say he used his wife's blood to write the word 'PIG' over their bed to mimic the Charles Manson murders six months earlier.

MacDonald told the police he called to his home on February 17, 1970, that he was awakened by the screams of his wife and daughters and was attacked by intruders  three men and a woman with long blond hair, a floppy hat and boots who carried a lighted candle.

MacDonald was an Army surgeon at Fort Bragg in 1970 when his pregnant 26-year-old wife, Colette, was slaughtered along with their children

The couple's two daughters, 5-year-old Kimberley and 2-year-old Kristen, were killed with a knife and ice pick

Prosecutors say MacDonald used his wife's blood to write the word 'PIG' over their bed inside their home on the Army base to mimic the Charles Manson murders

After decades of failed appeals, MacDonald sought to clear his name by asking the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a federal judge's 2014 ruling rejecting a new trial. On Friday, the 4th Circuit court upheld that ruling.

MacDonald's latest appeal was based on three hairs found at the crime scene that did not match the family's DNA and a statement from a deputy US marshal, Jimmy Britt, who accused the prosecution of intimidating a witness.

Britt told defense attorneys in 2005 that Helena Stoeckley told prosecutor Jim Blackburn that she was at the scene the killings.

Stoeckley was a troubled local woman MacDonald had identified as one of the attackers.

Britt said Blackburn threatened to indict her with murder if she said so in court. When Stoeckley got on the stand, she said she couldn't remember where she was that night.

Stoeckley also told several others that she was present for the murders, but the district court said her heavy drug makes her alleged confessions unreliable. Britt and Stoeckley have both since died.

A handcuffed Macdonald is led away from Federal Court in Raleigh in 1979 after a jury found him guilty of one count of first-degree murder and the two count of of second-degree murder

MacDonald has always maintained his innocence. He married a woman named Katheryn in 2002 while serving three consecutive life sentences

A three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit agreed with the lower court judge that the new evidence does not warrant a new trial.

'Simply put, we cannot say that the new evidence ... considered with all the other evidence, would be sufficient to establish by clear and convincing evidence that no reasonable factfinder would have found him guilty of the murders of his wife and daughters,' Judge Robert King wrote for the panel in the unanimous ruling.

The killings became known as the 'Fatal Vision' case, the title of a 1983 true-crime book MacDonald asked author Joe McGinniss to write to show that he was innocent. Instead, McGinniss became convinced of MacDonald's guilt.

McGinniss eventually agreed to pay MacDonald $325,000 to settle breach of trust claim. He died of cancer in 2014, aged 71.

The killings became known as the 'Fatal Vision' case, the title of a 1983 true-crime book MacDonald asked author Joe McGinniss to write

MacDonald is serving three consecutive life sentences in federal prison in Cumberland, Maryland.

For year, the former Army doctor refused to apply for parole after becoming eligible in 1991, arguing that doing so would essentially amount to admitting guilt.

He finally applied in 2005  in part out of a desire to live with the woman he married in 2002 while in prison  but was denied early release. He is not eligible for parole again until 2020.

'It would be a dishonor to their memory to compromise the truth and 'admit' to something I didn't do  no matter how long it takes,' MacDonald said in a 2000 letter to his current wife, Kathryn MacDonald.

MacDonald's lawyer, Hart Miles, called Friday's ruling 'devastating news,' but said MacDonald "will continue to fight for his freedom.'

'He continues to maintain his innocence and wants to express his sincere thanks to all the supporters who have stood by him,' Miles said in a statement.

The 4th Circuit overturned MacDonald's convictions in 1980, ruling that the nine-year delay to bring him to trial violated his right to a speedy trial.

The US Supreme Court reversed that decision in 1982, and MacDonald was returned to prison.
A British backpacker who broke her neck in Thailand will begin her long journey home on Christmas Day.

Sophie Wilson, 24, from Shepshed, Leicestershire, damaged two vertebrae diving into the shallow end of her hotel pool on December 1.

Her accident prompting a worldwide fundraising effort to help pay her hospital bills and fly her home.

Sophie Wilson, 24, broke her neck in two places and is unable to use her legs after diving into a pool

Shortly before midnight on December 25, Sophie will be boarded onto a plane on a stretcher with three Thai medics and her parents to make the 13-hour flight from Chiang Mai to Heathrow.

There, an ambulance will meet the plane on the tarmac and she will be taken to Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham where she will be assessed for further treatment.

Her mum, Jane, 59, said: 'We're all looking forward to getting back now and settling down to some kind of normality.

'It won't be normal life for a while and she won't be going home straight away but we've got the flight arranged now, at least.'

Sophie has said the situation is heartbreaking and she had previously led a very active life style

About 65,000 has been raised on the family's GoFundMe page, which will help cover the hospital costs, as well as the price of the flights for the family, and the three medical staff, who will have to be flown back to Thailand.

Jane said: 'We're very pleased with all the fundraising and so happy people have done so much to help us.

'The hospital is letting us leave without paying because we have to come home to get access to the money that's been raised.

'It's looking like the total cost will be about 91,000, including 37,500 on flights to come home and send the three medics back again.

'We've been waiting for the British Embassy to get us visas for the three medics to enter the UK, which seemed to take quite a while.

The former coffee shop manager will have to be flown home with special medical assistance

'But it was done within a week and from what the hospital have told us that's quick.'

Sophie is still unable to walk and Jane said her daughter was 'having ups and downs' as she dealt with the impact of the injury on her life.

Sophie had been just one week into a six-month backpacking tour of Asia when she suffered the injury.

She underwent 10 hours of surgery to try to correct the damage and in recent days has been undergoing physiotherapy to ensure she is fit enough to fly.

Sophie's insurers, Insure and Go, would not cover the cost to fly her home with the medical care she needs.

Sophie misjudged the depth of a swimming pool a week into her dream six month trip to the Southeast Asian country.

Miss Wilson had dreamed of travelling around Asia for up to six months but is now hoping to come home

She was rescued from drowning and rushed to hospital, fearing she was paralysed.

Sophie, who managed a coffee shop in the UK, had earlier said she may never be able to walk again despite having two surgeries. She is now able to move just one arm.

She told iNews earlier this week: 'Initially I was in shock, I never had any reason to believe the pool to have been so shallow as people were jumping and diving in before me. I never lost consciousness.

'I couldn't feel my body, just excruciating pain in my neck. I remember saying that I couldn't feel my legs.

The Wilson family from Shepshed, Leicestershire (left to right): John, Sophie, Jane and Georgina

'It is heartbreaking as I previously led a very active life style and the doubt of whether I will be able to walk again is hard to take.

'But I believe that being negative will only make things harder. I'm lucky to still be here.'

Parents John and Jane rushed out to the country to be with their daughter after her accident in Pai in northern Thailand.

Sophie's sister 25, began a fundraising page for her.

She wrote: 'Sophie is one of the bravest women you could ever wish to meet and she is our little miracle. Our wish now is to get her home as soon as is physically possible, so that she can begin her rehabilitation programme to support the recovery process and be re-united with her loving family, after what has been the most challenging time of our lives.'

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A Romanian man who threatened to eat his heavily pregnant girlfriend before killing her with a pair of scissors was convicted of murder today.

Ioan Campeanu, 43, repeatedly stabbed Andra Hilitanu, 28, in the bathroom at their home in Neasden, northwest London, on June 1.

The mother, who was seven months pregnant with her third child, suffered multiple injuries including a fatal neck wound.

Campeanu later told police: 'She's dead, I killed her.'

Ioan Campeanu (left), 43, who repeatedly stabbed girlfriend Andra Hilitanu (right), 28, in the bathroom at their home in Neasden, northwest London, on June 1 was convicted of murder today

Tonka Nikolova, the couple's flatmate, lived with her boyfriend in the room next door to them between October 2016 and May 2018.

She told an Old Bailey jury through an interpreter that Campeanu often hit Ms Hilitanu and she sometimes found her crying on the kitchen floor covered in bruises.

Once she had a very bad black eye after he punched her in the face, the court heard.

Ms Hilitanu's cousin, Roxana Dragoi, told investigators that she had earlier witnessed the killer threatening his partner: I'll kill you Andra, I'll eat your flesh.'

Ms Hilitanu, who was seven months pregnant with her third child, suffered multiple injuries including a fatal neck wound

She also described seeing Campeanu kicking her cousin in the groin.

Prosecutor Brian O'Neill QC said: 'You may think that's significant given she was pregnant at the time.'

Campeanu was convicted of murder by an Old Bailey jury following a two-week trial today but they are still considering a charge of child destruction which he denies.

Earlier Mr O'Neill told how Campeanu murdered his pregnant partner, then left their home and went for a drive before returning an hour later.

He said:'Some forty minutes after his return he phoned emergency services.

'During that 999 call he confessed to having killed Andra as he also did to police who attended the scene, telling them that he had killed her some two and a half hours earlier.

'He had previously called his daughter, who lived in London, and confessed to her what he had done.'

After stabbing Ms Hilitanu, Campeanu called the London Ambulance Service and told them: 'She's dead, I killed her'

The prosecutor said there was a fifteen year age gap between the couple, adding: 'She was just 28 years old when she met her death.

'They had lived together as a couple in a room in a flat at 104 Neasden Lane since about January 2016, although not continuously.

'Throughout their relationship the defendant regularly assaulted Andra.'

The pair had lived in a rented room in the building's basement flat, sharing a kitchen and bathroom with other tenants.

After they returned home that evening, their flatmate Daniel Neves-Gabriel texted the landlord complaining of a loud argument.

Later that evening, Mr Neves-Gabriel texted their landlord Borivoj Cisler saying: 'Big problem here, the girl is dead.'

The defendant's daughter, Sabina Campeanu, received a phone call from her father shortly after midnight.

In the phone call, Campeanu told her: 'I got rid of her, take care of yourself.'

She rang him several times throughout that evening. During these conversations her father said 'she is gone, she is in the bathroom,' and, 'I did not realise what I did.'

Mr O'Neill said shortly after killing Hilitanu, Campeanu had taken his red Mazda for a spin, driving into central London before returning to Neasden an hour later at around 1:40am.

Ms Hilitanu had lived with Campeanu in a flat in Neasden since about January 2016, although not continuously

At 2:24am, Campeanu called the London Ambulance Service and told them: 'She's dead, I killed her.'

Asked how he had killed his pregnant partner, the defendant replied: 'With some scissors.'

Police arrived at the flat at around 2:40am where the Campeanu was waiting outside and waved officers over.

One of the officers told jurors how Campeanu appeared relaxed and 'was in no rush.'

Mr O'Neill said: 'The defendant gestured towards the bathroom door, which was slightly ajar, and behind which the deceased was laying on the floor - the bathroom radiator was off the wall.

'The deceased had multiple puncture wounds all over her body and neck. She was extremely cold to touch.'

He added that the murder weapon was 'a very ordinary pair of scissors,' which were found at the scene stained with the victim's blood.

The killer was interviewed with the aid of a Romanian interpreter the following evening and gave a no comment interview.

Campeanu, of Neasden Lane, Neasden, denied murder but was convicted.

He denies child destruction.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran will be able to chance sanctions into opportunity to tie Iran-Turkey economies through a sound management, according to the presidential website.

"Iran is ready to meet Turkey's energy demands in long term while once again described the U.S. economic sanctions against the country as rough and unfair," IRNA cited the Iranian leader as saying.

Speaking during the meeting with Iranian businessmen in Turkey, Rouhani said that only the international rules and regulations and nations' interests should be of prime importance.

"No other power in the world should be able to leave impact on our economy as we are able through sound management to change all threats into opportunity to bring the two sides economies much closer," he added.
Released Indian prisoner Hamid Ansari, accompanied by his mother Fauzia Ansar, arrives at the India Pakistan border on December 18

An Indian man released this week after being jailed for six years in Pakistan issued advice on Friday not to follow his example and fall in love on Facebook.

Hamid Nehal Ansari,33, illegally entered Pakistan from Afghanistan in 2012 to meet a woman he had fallen for on the social media network.

But Pakistani police were waiting for him at the woman's house and arrested him on the spot.

The engineer was later jailed for spying and forging documents.

'Do not be emotional about strangers and don't fall in love on social media including Facebook,' Ansari told AFP three days after being released and returning to India.

Local media showed Ansari hugging his mother and bowing to touch his head to the ground after crossing over to India at an overland border on Tuesday.

A video released by India's ministry of external affairs shows Ansari being reunited with his mother and the Minister of External affairs Sushma Swaraj.

'My India is great, my madam is great. Madam did everything,' his mother told Ms Swaraj according to local media.

Released Indian prisoner Hamid Ansari (centre) accompanied by his mother Fauzia Ansari father and brother, arrives at the India Pakistan Wagah border on December 18, 2018

Realitves of Hamid Ansari, including mother Fauzia Ansari (centre), his father (white shirt and tie) and his brother (second from right) speak to the media ahead of the deportation of Hamid Ansari from Pakistan

'Getting deported was the happiest moment of my life,' the 33-year-old later said by phone from his home in Mumbai.

'(Now I will) start a business, get married and work on building back my life. No more social for me,' Ansari said.

Arch-rivals Pakistan and India have fought three major wars since independence from Britain in 1947. They routinely arrest each other's citizens on spying charges.
Still more comments have emerged where Mick Mulvaney bashed Donald Trump, this time on his cherished border wall, years before Trump decided to name him as his next chief of staff.

Newly-unearthed comments show Mulvaney blasting Trump's posture on the border wall as 'childish' as well 'simplistic.' He also repeatedly referred to it as a 'fence,' rather than a wall.

The comments emerged before the shut down, in part over Trump's demand for a border wall, with House Republicans bowing to his demand and inserting $6 billion in new border funding that immediately ran into resistance in the Senate.

The comments, discovered by CNN, come on top of other more personal insults by Mulvnaney, such as when he called Trump a 'terrible person.' Compounding the poor timing, the comments were rediscovered just a day after Defense Secretary Mattis put out a blistering resignation letter saying he and Trump don't share the same values on U.S. alliances.

DIDN'T TAKE LONG: President Trump has begun complaining about his new acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney

And in another swat, Mulvaney foresaw in Trump someone who could be lawless in pursuit of his goals, at a time when it was standard fare for House Republicans to accuse Obama of violating the law and the Constitution.

'I wonder who is more interested in going around the Constitution in order to get things done. Barack Obama or Donald Trump?' Mulvaney asked.

In his border comments, he said: 'The fence doesn't solve the problem. Is it necessary to have one, sure? Would it help? Sure.'

'But to just say build the darn fence and have that be the end of an immigration discussion is absurd and almost childish for someone running for president to take that simplistic of [a] view,' Mulvaney said, when asked about Trump's position in 2015.

He also compared the wall to telling people 'what they want to hear'  years before Trump would build his midterm strategy over stressing the migrant caravan and calling again for a wall.

'And by the way, the bottom line is the fence doesn't stop anybody who really wants to get across,' Mulvaney said.

Trump is aware of recordings where Mulvaney called him a 'terrible human being'

SOMETHING BETWEEN US: Mulvaney in 2015 called Trump's mantra of building a wall telling people 'what they want to hear'

'You go under, you go around, you go through it. And that's what the ranchers tell us, is that they don't need a fence. What they need is more manpower, and more technology, and more willingness to enforce the law as it exists today. There are parts of our border that are secure and parts of our border that are not. A lot of that comes down to whether or not we are just willing to enforce the law as it exists. So it's easy to tell people what they want to hear, 'build the darn fence, vote for me,"' he added.

Trump, meanwhile, has begun grousing about his new chief of staff before his old one has even left the building.

Trump this month tapped Mulvaney to serve as his 'acting' chief of staff, following an awkward search after his announcement that chief of staff John Kelly will be leaving shortly.

Soon after he revealed the choice this month, audio and video emerged of Mulvaney trashing Trump during the 2016 campaign  even as he endorsed him over rival Hillary Clinton. It may have hit a nerve.

According to Axios, Trump recently asked an adviser, 'Did you know [Mulvaney] called me 'a terrible human being'' back during the campaign?'

The was a reference to a debate video where Mulvaney did, in fact, call Trump a 'terrible human being.'

Trump was 'furious' when he saw the video, according to the account. It quoted a spokeswoman saying the recording was from before Mulvaney met Trump  implying it would not be a breach of friendship.

Immediately after the video surfaced, newly unearthed audio recordings revealed still more condemnation by Mulvaney.

Audia has emerged of incoming acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney saying Donald Trump wasn't a role model and would ordinarily be disqualified from office. It comes after Mulvaney on video trashed Trump as a 'terrible human being' during the 2016 election

As with earlier explosive video recordings, these comments from 2016 include cutting comments by Mulvaney, a former House member, against the character and integrity of the man who tapped him to fill what is traditionally one of the nation's most powerful positions.

In an ordinary universe, would both of these people's past activities disqualify them for serving for office? Yes.'  then-Rep. Mick Mulvaney, on Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton

Mulvaney lamented that Trump had said 'atrocious things' on the infamous 'p****' tape that came out a week before the spoke in the newly uncovered radio interview, and said Trump should in no way be a model for his own daughters.

But incredibly, Mulvaney slipped the scathing comments into an endorsement of Trump, arguing he was the lesser evil in a choice between the GOP candidate and Hillary Clinton, who he compared to a 'man-eating lion.'

'Should either of these people be, be a role model for my 16-year-old triplets? No,' Mulvaney told South Carolina's Jonathon and Kelly show, which is broadcast by Clear Channel, CNN reported.
Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg has been accepted into Harvard University after launching a high profile campaign for stricter gun control.

The 18-year-old's mom shared the happy news that he would be off to the prestigious Ivy League school to major in political science.

Rebecca Boldrick is said to be 'super proud' of her teenage son, TMZ reports.

David survived the Parkland massacre which saw 17 of his fellow students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida shot and killed by gunman Nikolas Cruz.

Since then Hogg, along with classmates like Emma Gonzalez and Cameron Kasky, helped to launch the March for Our Lives movement.

Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg will go to Harvard University to major in political science after helping to launch the March for Our Lives movement

He has already spoken at the school twice this year and some of his relatives are alumni.

UC Irvine also offered Hogg a place but it is understood he will go to Harvard.

His mom Rebecca is said to be 'excited for his future' with the teen understood to be starting the Massachusetts college in the fall of 2019.

She had previously said: 'We could never afford Harvard. Never. It wasn't on our radar. I looked it up and saw how much it cost and said, ''There is no way.''

'With any luck at all, he can get into Harvard and they can help us financially.'

It comes as an elderly Florida man has been charged with a federal crime of mailing a threatening communication to the family's home.

Warren Stanley Bond, 78, is said to have mailed a letter to Rebecca in June.

The letter, addressed to the activist's mother, was white and used a self-adhesive. There was no return address on the envelope.

Inside, a piece of paper read: 'Keep F------ with the NRA and you will be DOA.'

David, pictured here with his mom Rebecca Boldrick, has already spoken at Harvard twice this year and said he wants to join a 2020 presidential campaign

David and fellow survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting speak at an event at Harvard after launching a high profile campaign for stricter gun control

In August this year Hogg said he wants to join a 2020 presidential campaign and revealed he aspires to run for Congress when he is 25-years-old.

Cruz stormed Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, killing 17 students and staff, leaving up to 50 injured.

He is facing the death penalty for Florida's deadliest school shooting.
Bradley Michael Thomas held by Detective Doug Jackson had his previously unreported injuries listed during his father's release hearing

A baby abandoned in Oregon woods by his father last spring had serious injuries and meth in his system it has been revealed.

Blouin's request to be released from jail was denied by Judge A. Michael Adler, who even increased the bond of $200,000 the prosecutors requested to the sum of $500,000, the Bend Bulletin reports.

Thirteen-month-old Bradley Michael Thomas' ordeal was fully detailed for the first time in public.

'When he was discovered naked in the brush, he had a broken leg, skull fractures and meth was found in his system,' prosecutor Van McIver told the court.

Brandon Michael Blouin, 26, is awaiting trial for the May incident that got him charged with child abandonment and reckless endangerment, and was attending a hearing to see if he could be released from custody after his rearrest in July.

Another previously unreported detail the prosecutors introduced into the hearing was that on the night Blouin allegedly ran off with Bradley and having a nearby resident call 911, Katelin Dawn Jordan, 19, the baby's mother had also wandered off to another nearby home.

A local resident reported Jordan on their property 'mumbling incoherently' covered in bruises and scratches. The young woman told a sheriff's deputy that arrived on the scene that Blouin had beaten her and left with their baby.

Brandon Blouin (left), 26, is charged with child abandonment and reckless endangerment of 13-month-old Brandon Thomas (right) after leaving him in the woods for nearly six hours

'She appeared to be under the influence of meth,' the prosecutor said. Jordan was not charged in the incident.

With these newly introduced details at the hearing, the judge took Brandon to task for overstepping terms of his release last summer that got him rearrested.

Blouin left Oregon without permission and went to stay in Ohio with his grandparents, who put up $2,500 for his release in July, and his 4-year-old daughter.

Blouin told investigators that he had been staying in an SUV with his son and the boy's mother, Katelin parked on forest land

'This is one of the most blatant violations of a release agreement I've seen,' Judge Adler said of Blouin's previous escapade. He added that Blouin's grandparents would not be getting their money back either.

'Brandon is a major flight risk,' Bradley's legal guardian, his maternal grandmother Mellisa Jordan, wrote to the court. 'He is a danger to anyone and anything in his path.'

Brandon Blouin allegedly took Bradley from his legal guardian, Mellisa Jordan of Parkersburg, West Virginia, leading to the night that left the baby in such danger.

Bradley was found lying in the dirt about one mile from the SUV by Detective Doug Jackson

After Blouin came out of the woods and onto a strangers's property, the witness said the man asked them to call 911.

He told investigators that he had been staying in an SUV with his son and the boy's mother, Katelin, and added that the SUV was parked on the forest land. He claimed the mother left Bradley with him.

The Sheriff's office said that when she did not immediately return, Blouin told them that he took the baby to go looking for his mother.

When Brandon confessed to putting the infant down and leaving him at one point, it sparked off a six-hour search for the baby.

He was found lying in the dirt in the area of Sholes Road and Tekampe Road, in southeast Bend, near a fence post, approximately one mile from where Blouin's SUV was parked.

The Bulletin also reported that Brandon claims he abandoned the boy because a group of men and a woman armed with machetes and firearms were following him.

Deschutes County Sheriff Detective Doug Jackson who found the boy and wrapped him in a sheriff officer's jacket to keep him warm, was also the arresting officer when Brandon Blouin had skipped town. He was in attendance at the hearing.

Blouin's trial is scheduled for April.
Lyrico Steede died five days after being lured into a park by a 15-year-old girl and set about by a gang of four boys in Nottingham

Four boys and a teenage girl have been found guilty of killing a 17-year-old boy who was lured into a park, stabbed and left him for dead.

Lyrico Steede, 17, was enticed to a park in Nottingham by a then 15-year-old girl in February and set upon by a gang.

Mr Steede managed to stumble to a nearby house for help and was rushed to hospital, although he died from his wounds five days later.

Two members of the gang, Kasharn Campbell, 19 and Christian Jameson, 18, were found guilty of Mr Steede's murder.

Remmell, Campbell-Miller, 18, a 17-year-old boy and the 16-year-old girl were all found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court.

The court heard the girl lured Mr Steede to the park where he was chased by the gang and stabbed several times.

The jury heard Mr Steede was 'a sitting duck'.

The court heard Mr Steede ran when he saw the gang but tripped over a low wall in the dark park which allowed his assailants to catch up.

A woman told the court that she heard a faint knocking on her door when she noticed Mr Steede on the step.

He had suffered wounds to the face, arm, leg and back.

Prosecutor Peter Joyce QC told the jury: 'He was pleading for help.'

'He explained he had been attacked by four males who had stabbed him all over. He pleaded "help me, I'm dying".'

Christian Jameson, left, Kasham Campbell, center and Remmell Campbell-Miller will be sentenced in the New Year.

Detectives involved in the investigation discovered there was a long-running feud between Mr Steede and members of the gang.

Detective Chief Inspector Hayley Williams of East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) Major Crime, who lead the investigation said Christian Jameson and Remmell Campbell-Miller had been chased in the past by a group of Mr Steede's friends.

A video mocking the incident was put online and DCI Williams said she believed the murder of Lyrico was 'a question of respect'.

Speaking outside Nottingham Crown Court, she said: 'There's no winners in this case a child has lost his life, Rico Steede, 17, was set up essentially by four other children and one adult - clearly the ring leader Kasharn Campbell.

'The defendants each told different lies during the trial so its difficult to establish truly why, however, what we did establish is that there had been a long running feud between certain members of the group - Kasharn Campbell, Remmell Campbell-Miller and Christian Jameson.

'We found that Christian Jameson and Remmell Campbell-Miller had been chased in the past by a group of Rico's friends and a video had been made about this mocking Kasharn, Christian and Remmell and we believe, sad though it sounds and insignificant though it sounds, that it was a question of respect and their reaction was way over the top and inappropriate.'

All five will be sentenced in the New Year.
John Hughes retired early from his post at Bangor University amid accusations of harassment by his ex-wife

A vice chancellor has stepped down after emails allegedly taunting his ex-wife's new lover were circulated to staff.

Professor John Hughes retired early following a controversy in which he was accused of harassment, ageism, sexism and racism by his former partner.

He was due to leave Bangor University in north Wales next summer, but will instead be gone within days.

The sudden departure of Professor Hughes, 65, after eight years in charge comes after emails about his private life were reportedly forwarded to staff  for the second time in two years.

They were originally forwarded to the university by his ex-wife, Dr Xinyu Wu, in 2016, according to BBC Wales.

The messages related to Dr Wu, who was the university's director of international development from 2011 to 2015.

Professor Hughes, whose salary and pension package is 257,000 a year, has claimed the emails were 'doctored'.

BBC Wales said it had seen emails Dr Wu forwarded to members of the university's council and senior leadership in 2016.

In one sent from a LinkedIn account to Dr Wu's new partner, Professor Hughes apparently wrote: 'Well done mate. I had her youth and beauty, you will have her menopause and her old age (have you seen how Chinese women age!).'

Professor Hughes (pictured with ex-wife Xinyu Wu) departed his post after private emails were reportedly forwarded to staff for the second time in two years

Another email sent from his university account to Dr Wu shows a picture of him with his new partner and the message: '10 years younger than you'.

Dr Wu told BBC Wales that the messages sent to her and her new husband 'were not only harassment but they were ageist, sexist and racist'.

After receiving the emails in 2016, Dr Wu complained to the university about his behaviour, writing: 'Could someone please stop your Vice Chancellor from repeatedly harassing us and damaging the university.'

Dr Wu now lives in the US, where she has been director of Michigan State University's visiting international programme since September 2015.

Professor Hughes is understood to have emailed staff last Monday after the emails resurfaced recently.

The emails related to Dr Wu (pictured), who was the university's director of international development from 2011 to 2015

The mathematician and theoretical physician apologised for any 'distress or unease' caused, adding: 'This morning, some of you received an email purporting to relate to my private life.

'The messages attached to this email dating from 2016 have been doctored and, whilst I do not want to go into details regarding a very personal matter, I wanted to assure you that the messages are not what they seem.'

A university spokesman said: 'An email was sent in 2016 by the vice chancellor's former wife. Action was taken by the university to resolve the issue.

'Then, this month emails were sent to people at the university which appear to come from multiple email accounts. These refer to the 2016 correspondence.'

The spokesman said the university faced a several challenges and needed leadership in place that could manage any changes in the long term.

She said: 'As a result, Professor Hughes has agreed to step aside sooner than announced, and will be leaving at the end of December.'

Professor Hughes was criticised by students two years ago for his luxury grace-and-favour residence, which has cost the university 750,000.

Dr Wu did not respond to a request for comment last night.
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall today give their enthusiastic backing to the Daily Mails hospital volunteering campaign.

In a rare joint statement, Charles and Camilla hail the initiative as an outstanding example of the British spirit that will make a real difference to peoples lives.

The royal endorsement came as the number of readers who have signed up to the volunteer drive last night passed the 25,000 mark.

This means that the time pledged so far will give the health service more than 1.4million hours of additional, voluntary support from ordinary people next year.

Tribute: Charles and Camilla spoke of the incredible impact of volunteers

Paying tribute to the UKs long and proud history of volunteering, Charles and Camilla praise the many wonderful, selfless people willing to give their time to help others.

And they say volunteers have an incredible impact on the NHS, providing vital support to one of our most cherished institutions.

The Mails campaign, in conjunction with the charity Helpforce, has generated an extraordinary public response since its launch earlier this month. Readers have been asked to volunteer to help at a hospital for either three hours a week, or one eight-hour day a month, for a minimum of six months. Those who pledge their time are being matched with a local NHS trust to fulfil one of hundreds of possible volunteer roles, from patient befrienders to hospital guides. The placements are due to start in the spring.

In their statement, Charles and Camilla predict the Mails campaign will make a difference for years to come. Charles has long supported volunteering, even personally helping with Her Majestys coastguard while at school in Scotland.

In their statement, Charles and Camilla predict the Mails campaign will make a difference for years to come

As well as his work with the Princes Trust, Charles is also patron of the youth charities Step Up To Serve and Youth United.

Charles and Camilla say today: The National Health Service is one of our most cherished institutions, providing care and support for those who need it whatever their circumstances and wherever they may be.

As my wife and I travel around the country, we often have the opportunity to visit hospitals and to meet the dedicated staff who make this great institution what it is.

The Mails campaign, in conjunction with the charity Helpforce, has generated an extraordinary public response since its launch earlier this month

We also hear, at first hand, of the incredible impact that volunteers have on the organisation through the support that they give to front line staff. Indeed my own organisations, Step Up To Serve and Youth United, are both already involved in NHS volunteering programmes so I am well aware of the difference such work can make.

The statement continues: We are a nation that has a long and proud history of volunteering, and my wife and I are constantly struck by the dedication of so many wonderful, selfless people who are giving such service in this country. This newspapers Helpforce campaign is another example of that spirit and that service to the people of the United Kingdom.

Its success will make a real difference to so many peoples lives in the months and years to come.

Experts have warned that Britains ageing population, and the growing complexities in healthcare, mean volunteering has an increasingly vital role to play in supporting the NHS and freeing up professional staff to do the work they need to do.

The initiative has been backed by healthcare leaders, unions and politicians since its launch on December 1. Officials have confirmed it will form a key part of NHS Englands imminent Long Term Plan, with proposals to double the current helpforce over the next three years.

Mail gives 25,000 to charity The Daily Mail has pledged to give 25,000 to charity Helpforce. The money has been donated in celebration of our readers incredible response to the volunteering campaign. Yesterday, the total number of people who have signed up to help exceeded 25,000. So far, 25,409 generous readers have pledged a total of 1.44million hours to the NHS, consisting of 14,652 people offering three hours a week and 10,757 one day a month, for a minimum of six months. The application process will remain open until the end of December. Sign up at hospitalhelpforce.com And signing up now does not mean youll be expected on the wards on Christmas Day. You will start volunteering some time in 2019. Once Helpforce has put your NHS organisation in touch with you, it can take up to three months  and in some cases six  before you start. Advertisement

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has also announced plans to make it easier for the public to get involved in volunteering. He is championing a scheme to bring in volunteer passports to slash bureaucracy and speed up the process of registering as a helper, which currently takes between three and six months.

The passports, being built as a smartphone app, aim to condense this down to a month.

It will also enable those helping in hospitals to work in another part of the NHS without having to register again. Theresa May lauded the campaign as fantastic while Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby praised volunteers for providing a shoulder to cry on during times of need.

The campaign has also won the hearts of stars such as JK Rowling, Sir Tom Jones, Sir Cliff Richard, Joanna Lumley, Kate Garraway, Simon Cowell, Spice Girl Geri Horner and Davina McCall. So far, volunteer numbers in the NHS have swelled by a third, to more than 100,000. Helpers will be asked to perform a huge variety of hospital roles, from playing games with children with cancer or ferrying patients to appointments.

Last night, 25,409 readers had signed up to help patients in their area in just three weeks since the campaign was launched.

Sir Thomas Hughes-Hallett, founder of Helpforce, hailed the total as another incredible milestone.

He said it would be some comfort to the thousands of NHS staff working tirelessly over the festive period.

He added: As many of us break for Christmas, we should reflect on how many NHS staff will be working to keep our friends and our families safe. Lets all make a resolution to help them next year by joining the incredible 25,000 who have already pledged to the Daily Mails wonderful Hospital Helpforce campaign.

A huge thank you and seasons greetings to everyone who has already joined already. May the force be with you.
The family of missing Colorado mom Kelsey Berreth has spoken out for the first time since her fiance was arrested and charged with murder on Friday.

JoDee Garretson, 50, from Washington, tells DailyMail.com she feels 'numb' after police announced her cousin, who disappeared nearly a month ago, may no longer be alive.

Kelsey, 29, was last seen on Thanksgiving Day entering a supermarket with her one-year-old daughter Kaylee, before allegedly dropping her off with fiance Patrick Frazee later that day.

After weeks of speculation and a two-day search of his home, Frazee, 32, was taken into custody on Friday and charged with first-degree murder and solicitation of murder.

In a picture provided by Kelsey's cousin Jodee Garretson, the 29-year-old mom is seen (Center) with her cousin (far left) mom Cheryl Berreth (far right), two years ago just before Kelsey moved from Washington state to Colorado

Fractured family: Police served an arrest warrant on Patrick Frazee early Friday morning in Colorado, one mother after his fiancee Kelsey Berreth (above with her daughter Kaylee) went missing

'I don't know what to feel at this point. It doesn't feel real, it really doesn't. It feels like these things don't happen, but they do and I get that, but it doesn't feel like it,' JoDee said.

'I think for me I'm probably waiting to hear more details which is horrible-sounding I'm sure, but to make it more real.'

JoDee revealed Frazee, a cattle rancher, met Kelsey online two years ago and helped her move from her home state of Washington to Colorado months later.

'I don't know anything about him. I was looking through my messages to Kelsey just over time. She just said how she was so happy when she first moved there,' she added.

'She told me she met him online but she didn't elaborate. She just said they met online and after a few months he came down (to Washington) and moved her over there.

'In retrospect, there's a lot of questions I didn't get to ask.'

JoDee said her cousin had been 'very excited' to be having a baby.

The pair had been together for more than two years, had baby Kaylee in October 2017, but did not live together. Kelsey was living in Woodland Park while Frazee lived with his mother on her ranch in Florissant.

In custody: Frazee (above in his mugshot) was booked at 8:33am and a government data sheet simply said he had committed a felony

Ranch: The property where Frazee lives with his mother, which authorities have searched multiple times (above)

Suspect: Police served an arrest warrant on Patrick Frazee early Friday morning (above being cuffed) in Colorado, one mother after his fiancee Kelsey Berreth went missing

Baby Kaylee had been in Frazee's care since Kelsey's disappearance, but is now 'safe with authorities,' according to JoDee.

She said she hopes Kelsey's mother Cheryl will get custody of Kaylee after Frazee allegedly prevented her from seeing the baby girl after Kelsey disappeared.

JoDee refused to say whether or not she had suspected Frazee saying: 'At this point I can't say anything, I've been having to bite my tongue for a while so I should probably continue.'

She added: 'My first concern is Kelsey's very immediate family, I worry so much for Kaylee, for Cheryl, her dad Darell and her brother.

"That's where my first thoughts go, but definitely secondary to that absolutely I hope that all the answers come out so the family can have all the questions answered and justice is done. Right now where my heart is just with her family.'

Kelsey's parents are in Woodland Park, Colorado, and her brother has been there for a large part of the search for his sister.

JoDee had expected a development in the case after investigators were seen painstakingly searching Kelsey's Woodland Park, Colorado, town again Thursday night.

She had hoped Frazee's arrest might lead to authorities locating Kelsey alive but that hope was dashed with the announcement it was a first-degree murder charge.

However she still wants to know exactly why police say they think Kelsey is dead as they have not yet found the body.

She said: 'I found out about half hour after his arrest. I started getting messages on my phone. With so much happening last night at Kelsey's house, it was constant online watching people take pictures, evidence being taken out and everything, it was like something had to be happening soon.

Kelsey Berreth's Woodland Park home. Police believe the mother-of-one was killed in her home

Last image: She was last seen at a supermarket on Thanksgiving with her daughter Kaylee, 1, (above) but Frazee previously told authorities he saw his fiancee later that day

'So when I first heard it, honestly it might sound bad but I almost felt kind of elated, like something is going to happen, but my hope was more that we'd find Kelsey, now that someone's arrested we can find Kelsey.

'And then when I saw it was her first degree murder, I was still kind of holding out hope. At the press conference I was thinking they were going to share more concrete reasons why they believe she was dead, I get why they can't.

'That still kind of leaves me with they believe but they didn't say that they know. 'I know it's not realistic, but how do you decide that that's true if they can't say that's definite yet.'

Tearfully paying tribute to her cousin, JoDee said: 'I can't do her justice. I just want the world to know that Kelsey's a beautiful, beautiful soul.

'I hope her daughter grows up knowing how special her mom was. She has Kelsey's little nose and looks like her mom, I just pray for her daughter that she grows up surrounded by love and able to know her mom through all of her loved ones.

'When you're around Kelsey, I think you just feel like a better person, being around Kelsey makes me smile, it makes me smile just to think about her, she's just a good person.'

On Friday, Kelsey's brother-in-law Brandon Kindle, wrote on Facebook: 'Thank you to everyone who has been supportive of Clinton and I and our family. This is beyond anything we can comprehend. We will continue to pray for answers. God give us strength...'

Kelsey's neighbor Angie Gerber, 71, told Daily Mail.com that Woodland Park police first did a wellness check at Kelsey's house the day she was reported missing by her mother Cheryl on December 2.

'Then over the next three days there were police vehicles around here all the time. They did a really thorough investigation of the place,' Gerber said.

Gerber was out of town for Thanksgiving and last saw Kelsey the week before the holiday when she gave her a baby gate for her house . She said Kelsey 'seemed fine.'

She had always assumed Frazee lived there with Kelsey and the baby as she would see him come and go in his red work truck.

When asked if she ever heard any arguing, she said: 'No never really. These places are built really well as far as that goes, but no everything was always really quiet.'

JoDee thinks the search of Patrick's ranch and his suspicious appearance at a waste management dump earlier this week may have led cops to clues to what to search for at Kelsey's home.

She said: 'I don't know, I would assume, that whether what they found at the waste management place or in his search, I would assume that let them know what to actually look for.

'For whatever reason it wasn't anything obvious or they would have taken it, they must have found some type of evidence that helped them focus on something specifically but I don't know what that is.'
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall hailed the Daily Mail's hospital volunteering initiative as an outstanding example of the British 'spirit' that will made a 'real difference'.

Charles and Camilla's endorsement came as the number of readers who have signed up to the Hospital Helpforce passed the 25,000 mark last night.

Below is Prince Charles's full statement endorsing the Mail's campaign.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall endorsed the Daily Mail's volunteering initiative

'The National Health Service is one of our most cherished institutions providing care and support for those who need it whatever their circumstances and wherever they may be.

'As my wife and I travel around the country, we often have the opportunity to visit hospitals and to meet the dedicated staff who make this great institution what it is.

'We also hear, at first hand, of the incredible impact that volunteers have on the organisation through the support that they give to front line staff. Indeed my own organisations, Step Up To Serve and Youth United, are both already involved in NHS volunteering programmes so I am well aware of the difference such work can make.

'We are a nation that has a long and proud history of volunteering, and my wife and I are constantly struck by the dedication of so many wonderful, selfless people who are giving such service in this country.

'This newspapers Helpforce campaign is another example of that spirit and that service to the people of the United Kingdom. Its success will make a real difference to so many peoples lives in the months and years to come.'
Helena Keane, 24, was found dead on May 21 after she failed to turn up to her first holy communion at the school

Young women are taking a dangerous date rape drug as a zero-calorie alternative to binge drinking on nights out, an inquest has heard.

A toxicologist warned that GHB has become a recreational drug of choice as it doesnt contain sugar or induce a hangover, while having euphoric effects.

The worrying development comes after an exceptional teacher at a prestigious Catholic school next to Westminster Cathedral died from an accidental overdose of the drug, also known as liquid ecstasy.

Helena Keane, 24, taught reception year at St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary  a feeder school to top secondaries, such as the London Oratory attended by Tony Blair and Nick Cleggs sons.

She was found dead on May 21 after she failed to turn up to her first holy communion at the school, which has close links to the cathedral.

Tests revealed she had 518mcg of GHB per millilitre of blood  double the level that can cause a coma.

The class C illegal drug has been associated with date rape  after victims drinks were spiked with doses  or chemsex, where GHB is used to enhance libido.

This week, Dr Rebecca Andrews, deputy head of toxicology at Imperial College London, told Southwark Coroners Court: Its been reported to be used by females as a drug used on nights out because it has no calories, it doesnt cause hangover effects and its very cheap. A recreational drug on nights out for the euphoria effects.

The inquest was told the drug, which comes in a powder or liquid form, is considered safe as the dose can be as small as a teaspoon.

But in reality there is a risk of accidental overdose as a tiny amount, when mixed with another central nervous system depressant such as alcohol, can put the user into a coma within minutes.

In this years Global Drug Survey, out of 1,000 GHB users, one in four women admitted they have overdosed in the last 12 months alone.

Dr Andrews explained that GBHs small required doses was the most dangerous thing about it.

Keane, 24, taught reception year at St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary  a feeder school to top secondaries, such as the London Oratory attended by Tony Blair and Nick Cleggs sons [File photo]

She added: The main thing is the fine line between taking a recreational dose and taking something that may cause someone to have toxic effects.

It is not known how Miss Keane consumed the drug prior to her death. Her father Richard asked on behalf of the family at the inquest whether it was possible his daughters drink had been spiked.

Dr Andrews replied: Thats one of the uses of GHB but it also has other recreational uses where people choose to take it.

Miss Keane, originally from north Staffordshire, was last seen by a flatmate on May 19 when she returned home to her maisonette in Tulse Hill, South London, after having drinks with colleagues.

Text messages on her phone indicated she planned to meet a drug dealer near her home that evening.

Her body was found in her room two days later by her flatmates after she failed to respond to the headteachers phone calls.

Miss Keanes father said: Her death was an absolutely enormous and devastating shock to every one of us. None of us ever had the slightest suspicion she was even using any sort of drugs.

Assistant coroner Tony Badenoch QC recorded a conclusion of a drug-related death. He described Miss Keane as an exceptional teacher.

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate  or GHB  was first synthesised for use as an anaesthetic in the 1960s.
Chairman of the Russian Federation Councils Foreign Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev said that the departure of U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis is a positive signal for Russia, since Mattis was far more hawkish on Russia and China than U.S. President Donald Trump.

Kosachev wrote on his Facebook page that Mattis and Trump had dissenting views on some fundamental issues, including Washingtons approach towards those countries whose strategic interests were out of sync with Americas, that is namely, China and Russia.

"One can thus draw a conclusion that Trump deviated from Mattis stance as far as attitude towards Washingtons allies, relations with Russia and China and a reduction of Americas presence abroad are concerned. It is not for nothing that he considered Mattis to be somewhat of a democrat. This is indeed closer to the Democratic Partys line," TASS cited him as saying.

According to the chairman of the Russian Federation Councils Foreign Affairs Committee, Trump considered the continuation of the chosen course to be "more important than keeping James Mattis at his post." "Thats an interesting signal, and a more positive [than negative] one at that," Kosachev stressed.
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Hundreds of people from the hometown of one of the Scandinavian students killed in Morocco earlier this week have held a torchlit procession to show solidarity with the victim's families.

Between 500 and 1000 people from Bryne in Norway, where Maren Ueland grew up, marched through the streets of the coastal town on Friday evening.

The 28-year-old's parents, friends and other family members participated in the march, alongside Reinert Kverneland, mayor of the municipality.

The event was organised by the council, the local business community and various groups including the district branch of the Red Cross, which opened the doors of its offices after the torch procession to give people the opportunity to comfort each other and speak to experts in psychological first aid.

People from Maren Ueland's hometown of Bryne in Norway walked in a torch-lit march to support her family and friends on Friday evening. Reinert Kverneland, mayor of the municipality, is pictured leading the procession

Between 500 and 1000 people attended the event, after which the local Red Cross opened its doors to allow people to receive counselling if they wished to

The organizers said the event was not a memorial but a way to stand together with Ms Ueland's family and friends and show emotions, including shock and grief

It was emphasized that the event was not a memorial, but a way to show support and compassion to Ms. Ueland's friends and family.

'It's important to stand together and be important for people to show solidarity,' Thor Inge Sveinsvoll, manager of the Rogaland county Red Cross, told Norway's Aftenposten.

'It's important to stand together and show emotions, it's shock and grief you cannot understand.'

'We want to show that we care about each other, and that we are together for a kinder world,' said Odd Ivar Nese, one of the organizers.

A gathering has been planned outside the Norwegian Embassy in the Moroccan capital Rabat tomorrow to condemn terrorism, honour the victims and support their families.

Thousands of people have said on Facebook that they will attend.

Louisa Vesterager Jespersen (left) and her friend Maren Ueland (right) were murdered in Morocco by suspected ISIS terrorists

A Moroccan man places a Norwegian flag next to flowers and the portraits of murdered Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Nowegian Maren Ueland, as he pays tribute to them, in the Moroccan central city of Marrakesh. A vigil has been planned outside the Norwegian Embassy in the Moroccan capital Rabat tomorrow

The bodies of Ms Ueland, 28, and Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, were found on December 17, after the two friends had pitched their tent at an isolated mountain site two hours' walk from the tourist village of Imlil in Morocco.

They had died from neck injuries consistent with ISIS-style beheading, and a video showing the gruesome act is being widely circulated by gloating ISIS fanatics on social media.

The footage shows a man using a large knife to sever the head of a woman, believed to be Louisa Jespersen, while shouting 'it's Allah's will'.

Suspect are arrested by the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) in coordination with the Royal Gendarmerie and national security services in Marrakesh

Ms Ueland and Ms Vesterager Jespersen, who were studying to be outdoor guides at a Norwegian university, were spotted with three men in Marrakesh before heading to the Atlas mountains to hike.

They had been travelling around the country as part of a month-long trekking holiday.

Thirteen people have so far been arrested across Morocco as the hunt intensifies to uproot the Isis cell responsible for the beheadings.
A protest by climate change activists left DJ Simon Mayo trapped inside BBC Radio 2s offices before his final drivetime broadcast.

The central London offices were put on lockdown early yesterday afternoon, leaving staff, including Mayo, Ken Bruce and Anneka Rice, unable to go in and out of the building.

Mayo was stuck inside Wogan House  named after the late Sir Terry Wogan  which is home to Radio 2 and Radio 6 Music.

Simon Mayo (pictured above) found himself trapped in Wogan House after Extinction Rebellion campaigners blocked him in with a protest

Members of the environmental campaign group protest outside the BBC in London. The group claims that the BBC is downplaying the environmental problems the world is facing

The Extinction Rebellion group, who blocked five London bridges in a demo last month, staged a series of protests at BBC sites around the country yesterday.

It is demanding that the BBC uses its position to declare a climate and ecological emergency.

The group is urging the BBC to make the climate emergency its top editorial and corporate priority as part of a series of recent protests

A protester is held during a Extinction Rebellion protest outside the BBC's Broadcasting House in London, during a protest against the way the BBC covers the 'climate emergency'

Mayo, 60, who has hosted the drivetime slot since 2010, wrote on Twitter: Due to a demo outside the BBC, Ive been told I cant actually leave Wogan House. Ironically.

The group urged the BBC to make the climate emergency its top editorial and corporate priority, divest investments from fossil fuel corporations, and to become zero carbon by 2025.

A BBC spokesman said: 'We've received a letter from this newly-formed campaign group. The BBC has a proud record of leading the way in sustainability in the media industry and we've set out further action including cutting energy use further, eradicating single use plastic and minimising the impact of necessary travel.

Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion chain themselves together outside the BBC Bristol building on Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol, during a peaceful protest

A climate change protester outside of BBC London with black tape over his mouth. He was part of a group of activists urging the BBC to make climate change it's top issue

In the last Charter period, we reduced our carbon footprint by a third. People can also see the clear impact programmes like Blue Planet II and Dynasties have had on public debate about the impact of humankind on the planet.'

Serena Schellenberg of Extinction Rebellion said: 'Now more than at any time in its history, we need the BBC to honour its founding value to be ''independent, impartial and honest''.

'We're facing a potentially existential threat to both our nation and our species, but the BBC's coverage is nowhere close to reflecting this.

Protesters in London held up signs as they tried to encourage the BBC to make climate change the most important editorial issue

The group was armed with pots, pans and songsheets and aimed to make as much noise as possible before falling silent to listen to speeches, music and poetry

'We're sure that many of those working within the BBC agree with us on this, and that many more are willing to listen - so we're coming with music and noise not as antagonists, but as friends looking to implore this organisation to shift its policy and play a vital role in facing up to the ecological crisis.'

The group has held a series of protests in recent weeks.

Speaking to Mail Online, a spokeswoman said: 'We want to bring the climate emergency up to the top of the agenda in the media.'

This protester seems to have gotten themselves stuck as police try to help them out while other protesters and officers watch on

BBC staff at the Broadcasting House in London watch on from the windows during a protest from the Extinction Rebellion group

The protests come just days after flights at Gatwick airport were grounded by a drone, believe to be a operated by an eco-warrior.

However, the spokeswoman denied that her group had anything to do with the drone. She added that the police had not been in contact with them about the incident at Gatwick.

The group added that the BBC is a respected media voice in the UK and so need to play a key role in 'enabling the transformative change needed'.

On their website, Extinction Rebellion highlighted where today's protests took place.

In London, protesters met on the steps of All Souls Church in Marylebone before descending onto BBC London.

They were armed with pots, pans and songsheets and aimed to make as much noise as possible before falling silent to listen to speeches, music and poetry.

Extinction Rebellion's eight-point call to action to the BBC to tackle climate change 1. The director general, Tony Hall, agree to a meeting with a delegation from Extinction Rebellion to discuss how the BBC can tell the full truth on the climate and ecological emergency. 2. The BBC declares a climate and ecological emergency. 3. The BBC places the climate emergency as its top editorial and corporate priority by adoption of a climate emergency strategic plan, at the level of urgency placed on informing the public about the second world war. 4. The BBC to divest all pension funds, investments and bank accounts from fossil fuel corporations and their bankers. 5. The BBC, its subsidiaries and its supply chain to agree to be zero-carbon by 2025. 6. The BBC to publish an annual eco-audit of all BBC operations, including summary of key ecological and carbon data. 7. The BBC to take a lead on encouraging other national and global media corporations to join the global efforts to save humanity/nature from existential crises. 8. The BBC to only allow thinktank spokespersons on air to discuss the climate emergency whose funding is fully transparent. Advertisement

The group warned on its website that there is a 'possibility of some more disruptive civil disobedience'.

They also held services to honour the 27 people found burnt alive in the Greek village of Mati after July's wildfires, and the '315,000 people the UN estimates are already dying every year from the unfolding climate emergency'.

In Bristol, rebels met at Clifton Down Railway Station at 9.30am before moving in on the BBC office on Whiteladies Road for a Christmas party with the theme 'all I want for Christmas is the truth'.

Climate change activists chained themselves together outside the BBC Bristol building during the protest.

The event in Glasgow was less disruptive with more of a family-friendly focus. The group hosted children's activities and a mass-delivery of Christmas cards to the BBC branch alongside noise-making, singing and speeches.

In Cambridge, rebels requested an interview at their local studio and then gathered at 7am to either show gratitude or 'non-violent discontent', depending on the BBC's response.

Rebels in Birmingham gathered at midday with pots, pans and 'XR-rated' carols.

Meanwhile in Cornwall, members of the group called up Lawrence Reed's radio show between 12pm and 3pm to to discuss the climate crisis. Others appeared outside the BBC radio office in Truro.

In Sheffield, rebels met at 8am outside BBC Radio Sheffield with pots, pans and songs.

And the protests are even planned to reach Berlin at the BBC's branch on Schiffbauerdamm, starting at 10am UK time, where protesters will read out a 'list of some victims of the current mass-extinction', and hear the accounts of students who have taken part in recent strikes.

This protester urged the BBC to 'speak the truth on climate change' as the group's leaders urged the corporation to stay true to its values

Speaking about its London protests, the group warned on its website that there is a 'possibility of some more disruptive civil disobedience'

In London, the group also held a service to honour the 27 people found burnt alive in the Greek village of Mati after July's wildfires

Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion chain themselves together outside the BBC Bristol building on Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol

The protesters were from a range of ages with young and old members of Extinction Rebellion coming together on a day of protests

This protester covered himself in leaves as he joined dozens of others to protest about the media agenda when it comes to climate change

Protesters from the climate change pressure group Extinction Rebellion hold up flags and signs as they demonstrate outside the BBC offices in central London

Many protesters held up signs bearing slogans. This protester said that 'we belong to the Earth' and 'the Earth does not belong to us'

Jonathan Fuller, due to be speaking at the event in London, said: 'In September the UN Secretary General appealed to news outlets to cover his upcoming speech on climate change and on 10 September he delivered it, warning that we now face 'a direct existential threat' and warned of ''runaway climate change''.

'The BBC refused to cover this on TV or radio news.

'Following a string of stinging complaints the BBC has given some ground and promised to improve its coverage of news but it still refuses to allow the public to hear the really frightening material in connection with the various climate feedbacks and tipping points.'
Drones have caused chaos at other airports over the past six months.

Last week, a suspected drone crashed into a passenger plane in Mexico - ripping holes into the front of the craft as it attempted to land in Tijuana.

The crew on board the Aeromexico Boeing 737-800 had to request help in order to land the mauled aircraft after hearing a 'very strong blow'.

In October, a drone collided with a commercial aircraft as it was approaching to land in Canada.

There were six passengers and two crew on the aircraft and the drone connected with its wing, but fortunately it suffered only minor damage, allowing it to land safely at Jean Lesage Airport in Quebec City.

In June a Virgin Atlantic Boeing Dreamline avoided crashing into a drone by just 16ft (5m), in the nearest miss in British aviation history.

At the time, Virgin said: 'It's vital that action is taken to regulate the use of drones near airports, and we urge the government to consider further proposals.'

Two months later a drone, flying higher than the 400ft limit, came within 50ft (15m) of hitting a Boeing 737 that was landing at Stansted Airport.
Popular apps like Tinder, OkCupid and Pregnancy+ may be siphoning off private user data and sharing it with Facebook.

The apps were found to be collecting data like users' religious affiliation, dating profiles and healthcare data, according to a report from German mobile security initiative Mobilsicher, which was first spotted by BuzzFeed.

Mobilsicher tested the Android version of religious apps like Bible + Audio and MuslimPro, health-related apps such as Pregnancy+ and Migraine Buddy, as well as dating apps including OkCupid and Tinder and found Facebook collects data from them.

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Popular apps like Tinder, OkCupid, Migraine Buddy and Pregnancy+ were found to be collecting data like users' religious affiliation, dating profiles and healthcare data

WHAT APPS SHARE DATA WITH FACEBOOK In total, Mobilsicher concluded that approximately 30 percent of all apps in Google Play's Store 'contact Facebook at startup and transmit user data.' The firm called out several apps: Bible+

Curvy

ForDiabetes

Grindr

Kwitt

Migraine Buddy

Moodpath

Muslim Pro

OkCupid

Pregnancy+ Advertisement

In total, Mobilsicher concluded that some 30 percent of all apps in Google's Play Store 'contact Facebook at startup and transmit user data.'

'This way, the company knows which apps you use and when you use them  including apps related to religion, sexuality or health,' the firm explained.

'For users, this data-transmission is entirely invisible.'

What's more, many of the developers Mobilsicher contacted about the practice explained that they thought the information Facebook receives is anonymized.

The personal information is being collected via Facebook's Software Developer Kit (SDK), a platform that the firm offers to developers and lets users login to other services with their Facebook account.

App developers give Facebook information about users' activity on the app and, in exchange, Facebook gives the app developers information about where users click, how long they use the app and your location when you use it, BuzzFeed noted.

Facebook can see information from developers like the type of device used, what time users are on the app, the IP address of the device that used the app and an advertising ID that's specific to a certain user.

Mobilsicher, a German mobile security initiative, concluded that some 30 percent of all apps in Google's Play Store 'contact Facebook at startup and transmit user data'

While a user's advertising ID is often considered anonymous, Mobilsicher asserts that it's not.

'The Advertising ID is unique for every device and can be read by any app installed  no permission or user interaction necessary,' the firm explained.

'Facebook makes use of this: If you log on to your Facebook account just once using your smartphone, Facebook collects your Ad ID and connects it to your account.

'If your name, birthday, email address or other personal identifiable information is stored in this account, it is very far from being anonymous,' Mobilsicher added.

Using that information about a user, Facebook may generate more targeted advertisements based on details it learns from your app use.

The practice has raised privacy concerns among some who say many of the apps found to share user data might include sensitive information, especially in an app like Pregnancy+, which provides detailed data about a woman's pregnancy.
Researchers have mapped out the range of more than 100 bird species in North America.

The collaboration between NASA and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has made for unprecedented visualization of birds habits across the continent, using the more than 600 million observations from the online database, eBird.

The new maps provide important insight on the abundance, habitats, and trends of 107 bird species, and could prove beneficial for conservation efforts.

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Researchers have mapped out the range of more than 100 bird species. The new map uses data from the eBird database and NASA environmental data. The map above shows data on the abundance of the American crow, with orange indicating low and purple being high

These models can learn what kind of habitat or land cover is associated with the blue jays, for example, said Daniel Fink, a senior research associate and statistician at Cornell.

We use land cover information to produce maps that predict where blue jays will occur across the landscape in places where people havent observed them directly.

When we look at these maps, the continuous coverage they provide is there because of the continuity of the NASA data products. Its critical.

The eBird database was formed 16 years ago, and has partnered up with NASA on multiple projects over the last few years.

With millions of observations from scientists and birdwatchers alike, the database allows for a glimpse into the life cycles of North American bird species.

The new maps use both eBird observations and NASA satellite data to track the paths of 107 species, including the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Mourning Doves.

We can now map for the first time through really good data visualizations the current status and future trends across the annual life cycle of more than 100 North American bird species on a weekly and seasonal basis, said Steve Kelling, the senior director of information science at Cornell who manages eBird.

The collaboration between NASA and the Cornell Lab has made for unprecedented visualization of birds habits across the continent, using 600 million observations from the online database, eBird. This includes data on the Western Tanager, shown

WHY DO MIGRATING BIRDS FLY IN A V-FORMATION? Birds fly in a v-formation to help them fly more efficiently, staying aloft while expending as little energy as possible. Scientists learned the aviation secrets of migrating birds after attaching tiny logging devices to a flock of 14 northern bald ibises that not only tracked their position and speed by satellite but measured every flap of their wings. The 14 birds used in the study were hand-reared at Vienna Zoo in Austria by the Waldrappteam, an Austrian conservation group that is re-introducing northern bald ibeses to Europe. Birds fly in a v-formation to help them fly more efficiently, staying aloft while expending as little energy as possible (stock image) The birds were studied as they flew alongside a microlight on their migration route from Austria to their winter home in Tuscany, Italy. Lead researcher Dr Steve Portugal, from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London, said: 'The distinctive V-formation of bird flocks has long intrigued researchers and continues to attract both scientific and popular attention, however a definitive account of the aerodynamic implications of these formations has remained elusive until now. 'The intricate mechanisms involved in V-formation flight indicate remarkable awareness and ability of birds to respond to the wingpath of nearby flock-mates. Birds in V-formation seem to have developed complex phasing strategies to cope with the dynamic wakes produced by flapping wings.' When flying in a V formation, the birds' wing flaps were approximately 'in-phase', meaning all the wing tips followed roughly the same path, the scientists found. This helped each bird capture extra lift from the upwash of its neighbour in front. Occasional shifts of position within the formation meant that at times birds flew directly one behind the other. When this happened, the birds altered their wing beats to an out-of-phase pattern to avoid being caught by downwash. Advertisement

Weve dramatically improved the quality of the data people are submitting and have gone outside the United States to become a global project.

Since its inception, eBird has gathered 600 million observations from 453,000 observers in more than six million locations.

The database plans to incorporate hundreds more species in the coming years, with potential to add up to 600 more within the next year alone.

The team also plans to expand its coverage to include South America, Europe, India, and Australia.
The Army used a cutting-edge Israeli anti-drone system to defeat the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that brought misery to hundreds of thousands of people at Gatwick airport.

The British Army bought six 'Drone Dome' systems for 15.8 million in 2018 and the technology is used in Syria to destroy ISIS UAVs.

Police had been seen on Thursday with an off-the-shelf DJI system that tracks drones made by that manufacturer and shows officers where the operator is (DJI is the most popular commercial drone brand.)

However, the drone used at Gatwick is thought to have been either hacked or an advanced non-DJI drone, which rendered the commercial technology used by the police useless.

At that point, the Army's 'Drone Dome' system made by Rafael was called in. Details of the system are publicly available.

Army officers use a high-tech radar and a laser rangefinder to locate drones within a 2.1 and 6.2 miles radius.

Once the system has a lock on the drone, a radio frequency jammer is then used to overload the drone with signals - knocking out the commands from the unknown owner.

This can be used to make a 'soft-kill' and cease control of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and land it safely.

The system also comes with a high-powered laser which can make a 'hard-kill' on drones by effectively melting them, but the British Army did not buy this version.

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Army officers use a laser rangefinder and a high-tech jammer to overload the drone with signals - knocking out the commands from the unknown owner. The British Army bought six of the 'Drone Dome' system in 2018 and the technology is used in Syria to destroy ISIS UAVs

'Drone Dome' (pictured) was used by the Army to liberate Mosul in Iraq and neutralise ISIS drones but passengers trapped at Gatwick are furious the weapons were not brought in earlier

A similar system was used by British and US special forces to protect them from drones while liberating Mosul in Iraq and neutralise ISIS drones but passengers trapped at Gatwick are furious the weapons were not brought in earlier.

It is described by Rafael, an Israeli defence technology company, as an 'end-to-end system designed to provide effective airspace defence against hostile drones used by terrorists to perform aerial attacks, collect intelligence, and other intimidating activities'.

It uses four radars to give full 360 coverage to scan the entire skyline.

This detection process can spot transport aircraft from about 31 miles away but for a smaller UAV, like the one used to terrorise Gatwick, the 'Drone Dome' can only offer a detection range of between 2.1 and 6.2 miles.

It allows the authorities to perform a 'soft-kill' when the detection programme is integrated with the radio frequency jammer.

An antennae made of gallium nitrate is used and this allows the tech to be portable and easy to set up.

Police were forced to turn to the military devices dafter failing with commercially available technology.

They first tried to identify the location of the drone and its operator by using a briefcase-sized piece of commercially available equipment called AeroScope.

It is believed to be on loan at Gatwick airport from COPTRZ, a commercial drone firm based in Leeds.

It is only able to identify DJI drones from the extensive database provided by the Chinese manufacturer. It remains unclear if the drone over Gatwick was a DJI model.

George Burne, a UAV strategist at COPTRZ, told MailOnline that the device allows author

'Drone Dome' uses four radars to give full 360 coverage to scan the entire skyline. This detection process can spot transport aircraft from 31 miles away but for a smaller UAV, like the one used to terrorise Gatwick, the Drone Dome can offer a detection range of between 2.1 and 6.2 miles

It is believed a laser rangefinder (right) and a high-tech jammer (left) were present and may have been used to overload the drone with signals - knocking out the commands from the unknown owner

The DJI Aerospace AeroScope device (pictured left), a briefcase-sized machine with two protruding antennae, was spotted being used by police on a rooftop around Gatwick. It is designed to detect drones by manipulating the radio frequency it is operated on

The AeroScope uses the drone's GPS (pictured) to find location, flight path and even its home location. With sufficient time, specialists can utilise the GPS capacity of the drone to identify the location of the perpetrator, where the drone is, its make and model and also the flight-path the machine has been on

DJI Aerospace AeroScope (pictured) allows authorities to piggybacks the signal of DJI drones without the operator knowing with a 'sleeper-bot'

It is a complex piece of equipment which is designed to detect drones by manipulating the radio frequency it is operated on.

With sufficient time, specialists can utilise the GPS capacity of the drone to identify the location of the perpetrator, where the drone is, its make and model and also the flight-path the machine has been on.

Once police have this information, they are able to active a feature which is in-built in all drones known as 'return to home'.

This ground-based device is used throughout industry and at many events to ensure protection from drones.

'The detection system is able to pick up frequencies from up to 20 km (12 miles) away and gives a huge radius to spot the machines,' Mr Burne told MailOnline.

'By identifying the signal from the drone, the authorities would be able to know everything about the drone and its operator.'

This ground-based device is used throughout industry and at many events to ensure protection from drones. 'The detection system is able to pick up frequencies from up to 20 km (12 miles) away and gives a huge radius to spot the machines,' Mr George Burne, a UAV strategist, told MailOnline

Timeline: How the drone chaos at Gatwick Airport unfolded After a drone caused chaos for tens of thousands of passengers at Gatwick Airport, we look at how the events have unfolded so far: DECEMBER 19 9pm - Gatwick suspends flights in and out of the airport after reports of two drones flying near the airfield. Some planes are diverted to other airports. DECEMBER 20 3am - The runway reopens 3.45am - The runway shuts again after a further report of drone sightings 10.20am - Sussex Police reveal the flying of drones close to the airfield is 'a deliberate act to disrupt the airport', but 'there are absolutely no indications to suggest this is terror related' 12.20pm - The airport's chief operating officer Chris Woodroofe says around 110,000 passengers are due to travel on Thursday, most of whom will see cancellations and disruptions. 3.50pm - The Ministry of Defence says police are in 'ongoing discussions' with the Army about assisting with the operation to find the drones. 5.50pm - Gatwick's chief executive officer Stewart Wingate says the drone flights are 'highly targeted' and have 'been designed to close the airport and bring maximum disruption in the run up to Christmas'. 9.30pm - Mr Woodroofe says the airport will remain closed for the rest of the evening after drone activity was reported 'within the last hour'. 9.30pm - Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley, of Sussex Police, says there have been more than 50 sightings of the device in the past 24 hours. He reveals that shooting down the drone is a 'tactical option' being considered by police. DECEMBER 21 5.58am - According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, a plane from East Midlands Airport lands at Gatwick. 6.30am - Gatwick Airport says the runway is 'currently available' and that a 'limited number' of planes are scheduled for departure and arrival. Advertisement

The COPTRZ website states: 'AeroScope is able to broadcast real-time identification information including UAV serial code, make and model, UAV position, speed, latitude and ground controller location.

'This allows the operator to take mitigation action against the drone threat and at the same time dispatch law enforcement/security teams to apprehend the pilot.'

A military specification range finder and signal jammer were also seen around Gatwick in the wake of the drone furore.

This allows authorities to overwhelm the drone and perform a 'soft-kill' by ordering it to descend to the ground.

The drone buzzed across Gatwick's runway more than ten times and police claim every time they got close to it 'disappeared'

This was the first picture of the drone causing chaos at Gatwick. Flights have now resumed as Gatwick tries to clear the backlog of flights and passengers

Military grade technology allows for this to occur over far greater distances than are possible with commercial products.

The AeroScope was utilised at the latest G20 summit in Hangzhou, China to protect world leaders.

It was used to identify real-time illegal drone activity during the summit, after a 20-kilometre no-fly zone, within which drones were not permitted to take off or enter for the full five days, was ordered.

It successfully discovered 18 'infringement incidents', COPTRZ says.
On the day of winter solstice, many Native American communities will hold religious ceremonies or community events.

The winter solstice is the day of the year when the Northern Hemisphere has the fewest hours of sunlight and the Southern Hemisphere has the most.

For indigenous peoples, it has been a time to honor their ancient sun deity.

They passed their knowledge down to successive generations through complex stories and ritual practices.

As a scholar of the environmental and Native American religion, I believe, there is much to learn from ancient religious practices.

On the day of winter solstice, many Native American communities will hold religious ceremonies or community events. File photo

Ancient architecture

For decades, scholars have studied the astronomical observations that ancient indigenous people made and sought to understand their meaning.

One such place was at Cahokia, near the Mississippi River in what is now Illinois across from St. Louis.

In Cahokia, indigenous people built numerous temple pyramids or mounds, similar to the structures built by the Aztecs in Mexico, over a thousand years ago.

Among their constructions, what most stands out is an intriguing structure made up of wooden posts arranged in a circle, known today as 'Woodhenge.'

To understand the purpose of Woodhenge, scientists watched the sun rise from this structure on winter solstice.

What they found was telling: The sun aligned with both Woodhenge and the top of a temple mound  a temple built on top of a pyramid with a flat top  in the distance.

They also found that the sun aligns with a different temple mound on summer solstice.

In Cahokia, indigenous people built numerous temple pyramids or mounds (pictured), similar to the structures built by the Aztecs in Mexico, over a thousand years ago.

Archaeological evidence suggests that the people of Cahokia venerated the sun as a deity.

Scholars believe that ancient indigenous societies observed the solar system carefully and wove that knowledge into their architecture.

Scientists have speculated that the Cahokia held rituals to honor the sun as a giver of life and for the new agricultural year.

Complex understandings

Zuni Pueblo is a contemporary example of indigenous people with an agricultural society in western New Mexico.

They grow corn, beans, squash, sunflowers and more. Each year they hold annual harvest festivals and numerous religious ceremonies, including at the winter solstice.

At the time of the winter solstice they hold a multiday celebration, known as the Shalako festival.

The days for the celebration are selected by the religious leaders. The Zuni are intensely private, and most events are not for public viewing.

The winter solstice is the day of the year when the Northern Hemisphere has the fewest hours of sunlight and the Southern Hemisphere has the most

But what is shared with the public is near the end of the ceremony, when six Zuni men dress up and embody the spirit of giant bird deities.

These men carry the Zuni prayers for rain 'to all the corners of the earth.'

The Zuni deities are believed to provide 'blessings' and 'balance' for the coming seasons and agricultural year.

As religion scholar Tisa Wenger writes, 'The Zuni believe their ceremonies are necessary not just for the well-being of the tribe but for 'the entire world.'

Winter games

Not all indigenous peoples ritualized the winter solstice with a ceremony. But that doesn't mean they didn't find other ways to celebrate.

The Blackfeet tribe in Montana, where I am a member, historically kept a calendar of astronomical events.

They marked the time of the winter solstice and the 'return' of the sun or 'Naatosi' on its annual journey. They also faced their tipis  or portable conical tents  east toward the rising sun.

They rarely held large religious gatherings in the winter. Instead the Blackfeet viewed the time of the winter solstice as a time for games and community dances.

As a child, my grandmother enjoyed attending community dances at the time of the winter solstice.

She remembered that each community held their own gatherings, with unique drumming, singing and dance styles.

Later, in my own research, I learned that the Blackfeet moved their dances and ceremonies during the early reservation years from times on their religious calendar to times acceptable to the U.S. government.

The dances held at the time of the solstice were moved to Christmas Day or to New Year's Eve.
This nativity scene is so small it can fit inside the eye of a needle  invisible to the naked eye.

But with a microscope the scene in all its intricate details is revealed.

Named the Nano Holy Family, it is a miniature replica of the Nativity Scene at Cathedral Square in Vilnius, Lithuania.

In it, baby Jesus is smaller than a human cell.

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This nativity scene is so small it can fit inside the eye of a needle  invisible to the naked eye. But with a microscope the scene in all its intricate details is revealed (file photo)

Jesus is approximately 22.822 micrometers with a diameter of about 12.5 micrometers.

A human cell has a 50 micrometre diameter.

He is accompanied in the stable by Mary, Joseph, the Three Kings, (Melchior, Caspar, Balthazar), three shepherds, a camel, a bull, a donkey, two sheep, and the manger.

All the sculptures have been placed on a disc which has a diameter of just 300 micrometers.

The sculpture was created by a 30 strong team comprising staff from Vilnius Gediminas Technical University and the Vilnius University Laser Research Center in December 2017.

To create the sculptures, the statues in Cathedral Square were all scanned with lasers.

Then each of the 15 individual sculptures were painstakingly built up with a 3D printing technique.

Named the Nano Holy Family, it is a miniature replica of the Nativity Scene at Cathedral Square in Vilnius, Lithuania. In it, baby Jesus is smaller than a human cell. This image shows shows a six image combination of the minuscule nativity scene

This involved using a laser to precisely carve the sculptures from tiny lumps of plastic.

The researchers say that the technique allows 3D fabrication of almost any imaginable shape micro-structures with extremely high resolution.

Lithuania unveiled the nativity scene as a Christmas present for Pope Francis last December.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite looked through a microscope to see a replica of the crib at Vilnius's downtown Cathedral Square, on Friday, December 22.

It took three months for Lithuanian scientists and students to create the minuscule crib from a 3D scan of the life-size creche, reducing it 10,000 times.
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NASA has shared a look at a rather festive feature spotted in the southern sky.

The space agency posted an image this week captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, revealing what looks like a holiday wreath made of sparkling lights.

In reality, the brightly glowing swirls photographed by Hubble are the result of dust illuminated by a huge star at the center, estimated to be about 6,500 light-years away.

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NASA has shared a look at a rather festive feature spotted in the southern sky. The space agency posted an image this week captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, revealing what looks like a holiday wreath made of sparkling lights'

According to NASA, a huge star called RS Puppis sits in the middle of the wreath-shaped feature.

This star is ten times more massive than the sun and 200 times larger, the space agency says, giving rise to a wide ring of illuminated dust on all sides.

RS Puppis is whats known as a Cepheid variable star, and brightens and dims periodically along a six-week cycle.

On average, its about 15,000 times brighter than the sun.

The nebula flickers in brightness as pulses of light from the Cepheid propagate outwards, NASA explains.

Hubble took a series of photos of light flashes rippling across the nebula in a phenomenon known as a "light echo."

Even though light travels through space fast enough to span the gap between Earth and the Moon in a little over a second, the nebula is so large that reflected light can actually be photographed traversing the nebula.

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a stunning image of the massive shadow cast by a planet-forming disk 1,300 light-years away. The so-called Bat Shadow, which stretches 200 times the length of our solar system, can be seen in the upper right portion of the picture

Much like spotting shapes in the clouds down near Earth, NASA frequently shares images of recognizable shapes seen in distant cosmic objects.

Earlier this year, the space agency revealed Hubble has captured a stunning image of the massive shadow cast by a planet-forming disk 1,300 light-years away.

This feature, nicknamed the Bat Shadow, was spotted in a stellar nursery known as the Serpens Nebula.

And, its truly enormous.

According to NASA , the distant Bat Shadow as Hubble viewed it stretched roughly 200 times the length of our solar system.

NASAs Hubble Space Telescope is still working and has made more than 1.3 million observations since its mission began in 1990 The Hubble telescope was launched on April 24, 1990, via the space shuttle Discovery from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. It is named after famed astronomer Edwin Hubble who was born in Missouri in 1889. He is arguably most famous for discovering that the universe is expanding and the rate at which is does so - now coined the Hubble constant. The Hubble telescope is named after famed astronomer Edwin Hubble who was born in Missouri in 1889 (pictured) Hubble has made more than 1.3 million observations since its mission began in 1990 and helped publish more than 15,000 scientific papers. It orbits Earth at a speed of about 17,000mph (27,300kph) in low Earth orbit at about 340 miles in altitude. Hubble has the pointing accuracy of .007 arc seconds, which is like being able to shine a laser beam focused on Franklin D. Roosevelt's head on a dime roughly 200 miles (320km) away. The Hubble telescope is named after Edwin Hubble who was responsible for coming up with the Hubble constant and is one of the greatest astronomers of all-time Hubble's primary mirror is 2.4 meters (7 feet, 10.5 inches) across and in total is 13.3 meters (43.5 feet) long - the length of a large school bus. Hubble's launch and deployment in April 1990 marked the most significant advance in astronomy since Galileo's telescope. Thanks to five servicing missions and more than 25 years of operation, our view of the universe and our place within it has never been the same. Advertisement

The effect shown in the new Hubble photo is much like a fly that wanders into a flashlights beam, the space agency explains.

It was captured using Hubbles near-infrared camera.

The latest image release followed a three-week shutdown that halted Hubbles operations after its pointing system was compromised.

The problem was the result of an aging gyroscope and a failed backup.

Eventually, however, the Hubble team was able to coax the backup gyroscope into operations, allowing the telescope to come back on.
Fifty years ago on Christmas Eve, a tumultuous year of assassinations, riots and war drew to a close in heroic and hopeful fashion with the three Apollo 8 astronauts reading from the Book of Genesis on live TV as they orbited the moon.

To this day, that 1968 mission is considered to be NASA's boldest and perhaps most dangerous undertaking.

It also generated one of the most famous photos in history - 'Earthrise,' which shows our blue and white ball - humanity's home - rising above the bleak, gray lunar landscape and 240,000 miles (386 million kilometers) in the distance.

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Apollo 8 generated one of the most famous photos in history - 'Earthrise,' which shows our planet rising up from the Moon's horizon. It was captured as the crew orbited the lunar surface

The unforgettable moment has since been recreated by NASA in a video which attempts to reconstruct how Earthrise was shot in real time.

Earthrise was captured on December 24th as Apollo 8 crew members Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders were orbiting the Moon and shooting photographs of the lunar surface.

Anders snapped the iconic Earthrise photo during the crew's fourth orbit of the moon, frantically switching from black-and-white to color film to capture the planet's exquisite, fragile beauty.

'Oh my God, look at that picture over there!' Anders said. 'There's the Earth coming up. Wow, is that pretty!'

Before the flight, no one had thought about photographing Earth, according to Anders.

The astronauts were under orders to get pictures for potential lunar landing sites while orbiting 70 miles (112 kilometers) above the moon.

Anders caught site of the Earth from one of the spacecraft's windows but it quickly moved out of view before he could get a shot in color.

Then, the earth reappeared in the craft's hatch window, where Lovell was able to capture the iconic photo in color, at 250mm.

'I got it framed, it's very clear right here!' Lovell said before snapping the photo. 'Two-fifty at f/11.'

Before the flight, no one had thought about photographing Earth, according to Anders.

The astronauts were under orders to get pictures for potential lunar landing sites while orbiting 70 miles (112 kilometers) above the moon.

'We came to explore the moon and what we discovered was the Earth,' Anders is fond of saying.

His Earthrise photo is a pillar of today's environmental movement.

It remains a legacy of Apollo and humanity's achievement, said professor emeritus John Logsdon of George Washington University's Space Policy Institute, forever underscoring the absence of political borders as seen from space.

Anders snapped the iconic Earthrise photo during the crew's fourth orbit of the moon, switching from black-and-white to color film to capture the planet's exquisite, fragile beauty

Anders caught site of the Earth from one of the spacecraft's windows but it quickly moved out of view before he could get a shot in color. Then, the earth reappeared in the craft's hatch window, where Lovell was able to capture the iconic photo in color, at 250mm

This Dec. 29, 1968 photo made available by NASA shows the large moon crater Goclenius, foreground, approximately 40 statute miles in diameter, and three clustered craters Magelhaens, Magelhaens A, and Colombo A, during the Apollo 8 mission

Anders wondered then - and now - 'This is not a very big place, why can't we get along?'

Lovell remains awestruck by the fact he could hide all of Earth behind his thumb.

'I don't know who said it, maybe all of us said, 'Oh my God. Look at that!'' Anders said in an interview with NASA.

'And up came the Earth. We had had no discussion on the ground, no briefing, no instructions on what to do.

'I jokingly said, "well it's not on the flight plan," and the other two guys were yelling at me to give them cameras. I had the only color camera with a long lens.

'So I floated a black and white over to Borman. I can't remember what Lovell got. There were all yelling for cameras, and we started snapping away.'

Astronaut-artist Nicole Stott said the golden anniversary provides an opportunity to reintroduce the world to Earthrise.

She and three other former space travelers are holding a celebration at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Friday, 50 years to the day Apollo 8 launched.

Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders, the first men to leave Earth orbit. 'We came to explore the moon and what we discovered was the Earth,' Anders said of the iconic photo.

In this Dec. 21, 1968, file photo, the Apollo 8 crew lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Friday, Dec. 21, 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the historic mission

'That one image, I think, it just gives us the who and where we are in the universe so beautifully,' she said.

It wasn't until after the astronauts were back that the significance of their Earth pictures sank in.

That first voyage by humans to another world set the stage for the still grander Apollo 11 moon landing seven months later.

There was unprecedented and unfathomable risk to putting three men atop a monstrous new rocket for the first time and sending them all the way to the moon.

The mission was whipped together in just four months in order to reach the moon by year's end, before the Soviet Union.

Humans had never set eyes on the far side of the moon, or on our planet as a cosmic oasis, surrounded completely by the black void of space.

A half-century later, only 24 U.S. astronauts who flew to the moon have witnessed these wondrous sights in person.

The Apollo 8 crew is still around: Borman and Lovell are 90, Anders is 85.

WHAT WAS THE APOLLO PROGRAM? NASA photo taken on July 16, 1969 shows the huge, 363-foot tall Apollo 11 Spacecraft 107/Lunar Module S/Saturn 506) space vehicle launched from Pad A, Launch Complex 39. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), at 9:32 a.m. (EDT). Apollo was the NASA programme that launched in 1961 and got the first man on the moon eight years later. The first four flights tested the equipment for the Apollo Program and six of the other seven flights managed to land on the moon. The first manned mission to the moon was Apollo 8 which circled around it on Christmas Eve in 1968 but did not land. The crew of Apollo 9 spent ten days orbiting Earth and completed the first manned flight of the lunar module  the section of the Apollo rocket that would later land Neil Armstrong on the Moon. The Apollo 11 mission was the first one to land on the moon on 20 July 1969. The capsule landed on the Sea of Tranquillity, carrying mission commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin. Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the lunar surface while Michael 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.' Apollo 12 landed later that year on 19 November on the Ocean of Storms, writes NASA. Apollo 13 was to be the third mission to land on the moon, but just under 56 hours into flight, an oxygen tank explosion forced the crew to cancel the lunar landing and move into the Aquarius lunar module to return back to Earth. Apollo 15 was the ninth manned lunar mission in the Apollo space program, and considered at the time the most successful manned space flight up to that moment because of its long duration and greater emphasis on scientific exploration than had been possible on previous missions. The last Apollo moon landing happened in 1972 after a total of 12 astronauts had touched down on the lunar surface. Astronaut Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin unpacking experiments from the Lunar Module on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Photographed by Neil Armstrong, 20 July 1969 Advertisement

To Lovell, the journey had the thrill and romance of true exploration, and provided an uplifting cap for Americans to a painful, contentious year marked by the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, nationwide riots and protests of the Vietnam War.

The mission's impact was perhaps best summed up in a four-word telegram received by Borman. 'Thanks, you saved 1968.'

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine - who at age 43 missed Apollo - marvels over the gutsy decision in August that year to launch astronauts to the moon in four months' time.

He's pushing for a return to the moon, but with real sustainability this next go-around.

The space agency flipped missions and decided that instead of orbiting Earth, Borman and his crew would fly to the moon to beat the Soviets and pave the way for the lunar landings to come.

And that was despite on its previous test flight, the Saturn V rocket lost parts and engines failed.

'Even more worrisome than all of this,' Bridenstine noted earlier this month, Apollo 8 would be in orbit around the moon on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

'In other words, if there was a failure here, it would wreck Christmas not only for everybody in the United States, but for everybody in the world.'

In this Dec. 18, 1968, file photo, Apollo 8 astronauts, from left, James Lovell, command module pilot; William Anders, lunar module pilot; and Frank Borman, commander, stand in front of mission simulator prior to training in exercise for their scheduled six-day lunar orbital mission at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida

Borman and Anders never flew in space again, and Soviet cosmonauts never made it to the moon. Lovell went on to command the ill-fated Apollo 13 - 'but that's another story'

As that first moon shot neared, Borman's wife, Susan, demanded to know the crew's chances. A NASA director answered: 50-50.

Borman wanted to get to the moon and get back fast. In his mind, a single lap around the moon would suffice. His bosses insisted on more.

'My main concern in this whole flight was to get there ahead of the Russians and get home. That was a significant achievement in my eyes,' Borman explained at the Chicago launch of the book 'Rocket Men' last spring.

Everyone eventually agreed: Ten orbits it would be.

Liftoff of the Saturn V occurred on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 21, 1968.

On Christmas Eve, the spaceship successfully slipped into orbit around the moon. Before bedtime, the first envoys to another world took turns reading the first 10 verses from Genesis.

It had been left to Borman, before the flight, to find 'something appropriate' to say for what was expected to be the biggest broadcast audience to date.

'We all tried for quite a while to figure out something, and it all came up trite or foolish,' Borman recalled.

In this Dec. 22, 1968 image from video made available by NASA, Frank Borman waves goodbye at the end of a television transmission from the Apollo 8 spacecraft enroute to moon

This Dec. 24, 1968, file photo shows a television screen with a view of the moon transmitted by the Apollo 8 astronauts as it orbited. The curves within the television image are caused by the edges of the spacecraft windows and the lunar horizon

Finally, the wife of a friend of a friend came up with the idea of Genesis.

'In the beginning,' Anders read, 'God created the heaven and the Earth...'

Borman ended the broadcast with, 'And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you - all of you on the good Earth.'

On Christmas morning, their spacecraft went around the moon for the final time.

The engine firing needed to shoot them back to Earth occurred while the capsule was out of communication with Mission Control in Houston.

Lovell broke the nervous silence as the ship reappeared: 'Please be informed there is a Santa Claus.'

Back in Houston, meanwhile, a limousine driver knocked on Marilyn Lovell's door and handed her a gift-wrapped mink stole with a card that read: 'To Marilyn, Merry Christmas from the man in the moon.'

In this Dec. 21, 1968 photo made available by NASA, the Saturn V rocket carrying the Apollo 8 crew launches from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with 7.5 million pounds of thrust. The vehicle has just cleared the tower at Launch Complex 39A

Lovell bought the coat for his wife and arranged its fancy delivery before liftoff.

Splashdown occurred in the pre-dawn darkness on Dec. 27, bringing the incredible six-day journey to a close. Time magazine named the three astronauts 'Men of the Year.'

By July 1969, Apollo 8 was overshadowed by Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin moon landing.

But without Apollo 8, noted George Washington's Logsdon, NASA likely would not have met President John F. Kennedy's deadline of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

Borman and Anders never flew in space again, and Soviet cosmonauts never made it to the moon.

Lovell went on to command the ill-fated Apollo 13 - 'but that's another story.'

That flight was the most demanding, he said, 'But Apollo 8 was the one of exploration, the one of repeating the Lewis and Clark expedition ... finding the new Earth.'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the U.S. forces withdrawal from Syria in the phone conversation, according to the statement issued by Israeli Prime Minister's Office.

The sides also exchanged views on increasing cooperation between the U.S. and Israel in their efforts against Iran, Anadolu Agency reported.

Trump ordered all of the U.S.'s forces in Syria to withdraw from the country on Wednesday, saying the defeat of ISIS was his sole reason for being in the war-torn country.

Reports have suggested all State Department personnel would depart Syria within the next 24 hours, while U.S. forces will leave within 60 to 100 days.
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Brand new concept images have given a sneak peek into what London City Airport's new multi-million pound terminal is set to look like.

The terminal building, at the city's Docklands area hub, is set to become four-times bigger as part of a 500million development that is due to be completed in 2022.

And the new renderings provide a glimpse of the interior of the expanded airport including a new check in area, security, departures lounge, baggage reclaim and gates.

The planned new departures area at London City Airport is set to have more than double the shops, restaurants and facilities than now. Airside seating will also increase by 75 per cent

The new check in area, pictured, will have around 25 desks kitted out with the latest technology for self service check in

The new East Pier area of the departure lounge, which will house eight new gates to serve the eight new aircraft stands

Once the development is complete, passengers will enter departures by travelling up an escalator. It will boast a large-format digital screen

City Airport says the new terminal design will reflect 21st century London, and will also feature new shops, restaurants and bars, which are synonymous with the capital.

London-based designers, The Design Solution, which has created the concept images, believe that style will be matched with substance, with more space, better facilities and choice for passengers.

The designers explain that the River Thames plays a role in the design concept, with the interiors soft curving lines inspired by the fluidity of the river  from materials to the colour palette.

They also claim that the 21st century London theme will be reinforced by light features, art installations, graphic wall panels and furniture from the citys abundant talent, with large format digital screens providing spaces for storytelling.

The major overhaul forms part of the 500million City Airport Development Programme, which began in 2017 and includes the new terminal facilities, eight new aircraft stands and a parallel taxiway, next to the runway.

Construction is underway, and terminal facilities are being built both to the east and west of the current building.

One of the planned new gate lounges, which is inspired by London fashion. Each gate lounge will be spaces that can showcase London's arts scene

The new entrance to the terminal for passengers arriving on the Docklands Light Railway. It expected that public transport use to and from the airport will increase to 75 per cent following the transformation

After passing security, passengers will be greeted with a 'rest area' where they can repack or take a seat while looking at the departure boards

A concept image showing the brand new dedicated arrivals hall, which will also feature shops and cafes for passengers

London City Airport says the new terminal design will reflect 21st century London, and will also feature new shops, restaurants and bars, which are synonymous with the capital. Pictured is the new arrivals hall

The expansion will see the terminal grow to cover 68,000 metres squared. It is currently 17,000 metres squared.

Once the transformation is complete the airport will be capable of accommodating a further two million passengers a year and 30,000 additional flights.

Ahead of this, next year the airport will begin testing a new digital air traffic control tower, a global first for an airport of its scale, ahead of its introduction in 2020. It is also set to welcome five million passengers in 2019.

Robert Sinclair, CEO of London City Airport, said: 'Through our transformation programme, we have a blank canvas and a great opportunity to provide our passengers with an airport experience that truly reflects modern London, the greatest city in the world.

As part of the newly designed terminal there will be a larger international baggage hall on the ground floor for arrivals

The arrivals hall will lead to the Docklands Light Railway where customers can travel to Bank in central London in 21 minutes, Canary Wharf in 13 minutes and Stratford in 20 minutes

The planned new entrance to new expanded security area on first floor of the airport. It will have nine new search lanes

'We also welcome millions of visitors to London every year and we want to create an unforgettable first and last impression of the city, showcasing the very best of the capital and demonstrating it is open for business and thriving.

'Alongside this we will of course maintain an airport experience that is grounded in our fundamentals of providing speed, efficiency, convenience and excellent customer service.'

While Kevin Patience, design director at The Design Solution, added: 'Working on Londons most central airport has been a privilege and inspiration. Developing plans to deliver a great mix of London-focused retail, and food and beverage options has been pivotal to the success of the new scheme.

How the planned new entrance to the terminal will look. The expansion will see the terminal grow to cover 51,000 metres squared. It is currently 17,000 metres squared

A view of how London City Airport looking towards the north west of London will look once the development has been completed in 2022

Once the transformation is complete the airport will be capable of accommodating a further two million passengers a year and 30,000 additional flights

'A fluid lined interior design encouraging passenger flow has been inspired by the River Thames, which is right on the airports doorstep.

'The interior is punctuated with digital installations and interior features that celebrate Londons diversity and creative energy, from art, culture, fashion, sport, film and music.'

New routes from the airport to Munich, Budapest, Vilnius, Warsaw, Newcastle and Split commence in the New Year.
Cuba was flooded by a record number of visitors in 2018, with 4.75million tourists exploring the colourful country.

Government officials revealed tourism is up almost 60 per cent from four years ago, with this largely down to greater arrivals on cruise ships.

It's estimated that the number of passenger ships docking at Cuba's Havana port has grown by 48 per cent, with the majority of liners sailing in from the U.S.

Cuba was flooded by a record number of visitors in 2018, with 4.75 million tourists exploring the colourful country

Although the influx of visitors is positive for Cuba, analysts say that the day-tripping cruise ship passengers fail to add much to the island nation's economy with no accommodation or meals out needed.

The number plane arrivals to Cuba was said to have dropped by six per cent in the past year.

This meant, overall, fewer tourists stayed at Cuban hotels and bed-and-breakfasts.

Canada remains Cuba's top tourist market, with 1.1 million Canadians visiting in 2018.

The commercial director of Cuba's tourism ministry, Michel Bernal, said that the spots that worry the country most in terms of low visitor numbers are the five main European markets - Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Germany.

He says this is where the tourism ministry will concentrate its main efforts next year.

Meanwhile, the body will also look at developing potential markets such as China, Japan, India and South Africa.

Although the influx of visitors is positive for Cuba, analysts say that the day-tripping cruise ship passengers fail to add much to the island nation's economy with no accommodation or meals out needed

Mr Bernal noted that there were more Cubans living overseas who were returning to their homeland for visits.

Numbers were up by 17 per cent to 585,600 in 2018 but like the cruise ship passengers, most of them did not check into hotels during their visits, staying with friends or family instead.

Overall tourism arrivals are expected to rise seven per cent next year to 5.1 million.

Cuba's tourism took a hit in late 2017 from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Irma and tighter U.S. travel restrictions imposed by the Trump administration.

The climate only started recovering in the second quarter this year, Mr Burnel said.

Over recent years Cuba has been busy building and renovating hotels to cater to a boom in tourism and brace for an even bigger one that would come with the lifting of the decades-old U.S. trade embargo.
Her beau Jamie Horn proposed just two months after they first began dating.

And in the upcoming Christmas special of the The Jonathan Ross Show, Sheridan Smith looks happier than ever as she discusses the love of her life, who she met on Tinder.

The acclaimed actress, 37, admitted that she found herself on a dating app as she wanted a bit of 'normality', before going on to reveal she also keeps grounded by spending time with the donkeys on her farm.

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Happy: Sheridan Smith discusses her engagement in the upcoming Christmas special of the The Jonathan Ross Show

During her appearance on the show, Sheridan looked sensational as she wowed in a tight black dress.

Host Jonathan was quick to congratulate her on her engagement and pressed her further on how they first met.

Sheridan admitted: 'Its difficult now isnt it and I think, were always working with people in the industry and I wanted a bit of normality.

'I dont ever get to meet anyone who is not in the industry, not that thats bad but I just really wanted someone away from that and thats what Ive got.'

Romance: The acclaimed actress, 37, admitted that she found herself on a dating app as she wanted a bit of 'normality' before Jamie proposed after two months

And it looked like Sheridan's efforts to search for love elsewhere paid off, as she confessed: 'I met him and I just, they say you know instantly and Ive always been a bit like, "Oh come on" but I dont know, we just clicked and suddenly it just wasnt difficult anymore.'

With her past troubles well documented, Sheridan admitted she took extra lifestyle precautions away from the limelight.

'Weve got our little farm with my donkeys. Its my little bit of sanity away from the madness, to be honest,' she explained.

Meanwhile, Sheridan also utilised the talk show to chat about her new album, claiming: 'The first time it was just covers and this time round it is quite revealing.'

New man: Sheridan gushed to Jonathan of her new man Jamie (pictured with the star in March) 'I wanted a bit of normality'

In love: 'I met him and I just, they say you know instantly and Ive always been a bit like, "Oh come on" but I dont know, we just clicked,' she gushed of her fiance

Speaking about the writing process, the stage star revealed: 'The record label, whilst I was on tour for the last album, they brought a load of songwriters and didnt explain to me why they were really there.

'What it turned out is they had been working all night and psychoanalysing me. So everything Id been saying, theyd been writing it down, emailing each other.

'Then suddenly they come round with these demos which was all words that I had said. [I said], "This is like youve been in my head!" They said, "No, you said it."

'After that we got in the studio and I think they were worried I might be offended by that but I thought it was a fascinating way of working,' she revealed.
She's best known for her seductive turn in the Fifty Shades trilogy.

But Dakota Johnson, 29, kept things simple when she was spotted picking up an iced coffee in West Hollywood on Thursday.

The actress, was comfortably dressed in a black and grey flannel plaid shirt plus skinny jeans and brown ankle boots.

Chilly treat: Dakota Johnson, 29, kept things simple when she was spotted picking up an iced coffee in West Hollywood on Thursday

The beautiful brunette left her long tresses to cascade down over her shoulders, as she walked along holding her beverage.

With the temperature a balmy 78F in the city, Dakota protected her eyes with a pair of celebrity must-have sunglasses.

She tied things together by throwing a large leather bag over her shoulder.

On ice: The 50 Shades star was comfortably dressed in a black and grey flannel plaid shirt plus skinny jeans and weathered brown ankle boots on a warm winter's day in the city

The outing comes amid reports that the Suspira actress will be 'engaged soon' to Coldplay beau Chris Martin, per US Weekly.

According to the insider, Chris had held off from proposing until his ex Gwyneth Paltrow, 46, had wed Glee co-creator Brad Falchuk, 47.

'He wanted to make sure the kids didnt have too much change all at once. Hes a great dad,' the source added.

Engaged soon?: Dakota and her beau Chris Martin popped out to get a round of coffees in Los Angeles in November. The Coldplay rocker is said to be ready to pop the question

But that wedding went down on September 29 and there's been no word from the rocker yet.

Meanwhile, Dakota and Chris have been dating for more than a year.

Dakota is the genetically blessed daughter of actors Don Johnson, 69, and Melanie Griffith, 61, while her grandmother is Alfred Hitchcck muse Tippi Hedren, 88.
Are newlyweds Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough set for a rocky marriage?

One of Australia's leading astrologists claims the couple's star signs suggest they lack compatibility - which could result in 'a very interesting ride' in the coming years.

Teymara Wright - who has worked with countless celebrities - told Daily Mail Australia she predicts Karl and Jasmine going the same way as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who split acrimoniously in September 2016.

EXCLUSIVE: A celebrity astrologer has claimed Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough (left) have 'no connection besides sex' and lack compatibility - and hints they could go the same way as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (right)

Teymara - whose previous clients include Michael and Janet Jackson, Marcia Hines and Lionel Richie - helps people find their way through life using the power of numbers and the stars.

'I found no connection, no matter how hard I tried. No connection - that is, except a sexual one,' she said, adding that Karl and Jasmine's charts were eerily similar to when she studied Brad and Angelina's more than a decade ago.

Brad ended his five-year marriage to actress Jennifer Aniston in 2005. Three months after their divorce was finalised, he and Angelina announced they were expecting their first child together.

In 2014, having welcomed six children together, the pair secretly married in France after a two-year engagement.

However in 2016, Angelina filed for divorce and to this day the former couple remain embroiled in a bitter divorce and custody battle.

Similar fates? 'I found no connection, no matter how hard I tried. No connection - that is, except a sexual one,' said Teymara Wright, who added that Karl and Jasmine's charts were eerily similar to when she studied Brad and Angelina's more than a decade ago

Teymara claimed that Karl and Jasmine's star signs - which are Leo and Aquarius respectively - 'could be a case of opposites attract', but she nonetheless predicted 'a very interesting ride' ahead.

Speaking broadly of Karl's star sign being associated with larrikin behaviour, a strong ego and a critical nature, she said: 'With his critical nature  all has to be perfect.'

Turning her attention to Jasmine, she added: 'Nearly every aspect in her charts is to do with business and career [so] I feel interesting times ahead for these two.'

Star-crossed rivals? Teymara claimed that Karl and Jasmine's star signs - which are Leo and Aquarius respectively - 'could be a case of opposites attract', but she nonetheless predicted 'a very interesting ride' ahead. Pictured on May 15, 2017 in Sydney

The ex-wife: Teymara also observed that Cassandra Thorburn's charts implied she was 'the glue that kept the marriage and family working'. Karl and Cassandra are pictured in June 2012

Teymara went on to suggest Karl and his first wife Cassandra Thorburn's charts were impacted by 'Jupiter aspects prior to, and at the time of, their break-up'.

'With Karl it was an aspect of wanting to take his life in a new direction plus questioning who he wanted to be in the world and what he really wanted to do,' the astrologer explained.

She also observed that Cassandra's charts implied she was 'the glue that kept the marriage and family working', adding: 'From his chart, I would say she felt a lot of the time she had four children - which included Karl.'

Dumped! After marrying Jasmine in Mexico earlier this month, Karl was sacked as host of the Today show on Wednesday while on honeymoon in Aspen. Pictured with Georgie Gardner

Karl and Cassandra - who have three children together, Jackson, 19, Ava, 13, and River, 12 - split in mid-2016.

It is believed the former Today host began dating Jasmine in early 2017 after meeting at a boat party on Sydney Harbour in December, 2016.

After marrying Jasmine in Mexico earlier this month, Karl was sacked as host of the Today show on Wednesday while on honeymoon in Aspen.

Despite being removed from the breakfast program, he will remain with Channel Nine at least until the end of 2019.
In 1992, he delivered an unforgettable performance in a movie that remains in the top 10 highest grossing Australian films ever.

But fast-forward 26 years and this actor is completely unrecognisable - in fact, he almost looks like a different person to the man who won hearts around the world.

So can you guess who he is?

Guess who? In 1992, this actor delivered an unforgettable performance in a movie that remains in the top 10 highest grossing Australian films ever - but he looks remarkably different today

The man who made a rare appearance on Today Extra on Friday morning is none other than Paul Mercurio.

Paul played handsome dancer Scott Hastings in Baz Luhrmann's hugely successful film Strictly Ballroom.

He is now 55 years old and marching to the beat of a very different drum.

Is that him? Paul Mercurio made a rare TV appearance on Channel Nine's Today Extra on Friday

Remember this? Paul played handsome dancer Scott Hastings in Baz Luhrmann's hugely successful film Strictly Ballroom

Once the principal dancer for the Sydney Dance Company, today Paul runs his own food business, Beerlicious Condiments.

The range features 'a hot beer mustard and a beetroot and stout chutney, along with a range of four rubs for spicing things up on the BBQ'.

Paul appeared on Today Extra to promote his role as choreographer for new musical Lola Montez, an Australian production which debuted in 1958.

Career change: Once the principal dancer for the Sydney Dance Company, today Paul runs his own food business, Beerlicious Condiments

The musical focuses on the four days Irish dancer and actress Lola Montez visited the Ballarat Goldfields in Victoria in the 1860s.

Paul joked about the fact he is noticeably thinner on top than in his Strictly Ballroom heyday, saying: 'I've got a lot less hair now, haven't I?'

In addition to his accomplishments in the film and food industries, Paul is also a Guinness World Record holder for sorting coloured Jelly Babies using chopsticks in the fastest time.
She's known for her catchy pop performances and her unique sense of style.

And Dua Lipa worked her magic once again as she took to the stage at The SSE Arena Wembley in London on Thursday, for the 'Ellie Goulding for Streets Of London' charity gig.

The New Rules hitmaker, 23, was dressed to impress in a head-turning thigh-skimming playsuit as she twerked in front of the crowds and belted out her smash hits.

Work it! Dua Lipa, 22, worked her magic as she took to the stage at The SSE Arena Wembley in London on Thursday, for the 'Ellie Goulding for Streets Of London' charity gig

The sleeveless one-piece featured a plunging lace-edged neckline and sparkling miniature stud detailing.

The pop princess drew attention to her slim frame with a thin jewel-adorned bronzed coloured rope, tied into a bow around her waist.

Dua stormed the stage in chunky black ankle boots and covered her toned pins in skin-coloured fishnet tights.

The brunette beauty added a touch of glamour to her look with a dramatic smokey eye and styled her raven locks into a classic bob.

Yes girl! The New Rules hitmaker was dressed to impress in a head-turning thigh-skimming playsuit as she twerked in front of the crowds

Stunning: The sleeveless one-piece featured a plunging lace-edged neckline and sparkling miniature stud detailing

Gorgeous: The pop princess drew attention to her slim frame with a thin jewel-adorned bronzed coloured rope, tied into a bow around her waist

She finished off her look with a pair of metallic statement earrings, a gold wristwatch and fierce red nail extensions.

Before taking to the stage, Dua posed for photos behind the scenes in her sensational ensemble.

Dua was recruited by Streets of London ambassador Ellie Goulding who, once again, supported the charity, hosting a huge fundraising concert at Wembley SSE Arena.

Saucy! Dua stormed the stage in chunky black ankle boots and covered her toned pins in skin-coloured fishnet tights

Beauty: The brunette beauty added a touch of glamour to her look with a dramatic smokey eye and styled her raven locks into a classic bob

Working every angle: Dua showed off her great dance moves on stage

Cheeky: Dua stuck her tongue out at the crowd as she performed

Finishing touches: She finished off her look with a pair of metallic statement earrings, a gold wristwatch and fierce red nail extensions

This year's show featured an incredible line-up, with Dua performing alongside Bastille, Sigrid, Jax Jones, Mabel, Dermot Kennedy and Grace Carter.

The 2018 show marked the fifth consecutive year that Ellie has lent Streets of London her support in this way.

Her support of the charity began with a multi-artist show at Shepherd's Bush Empire in December 2014

Peachy: The singer showed off her pert derriere in the ensemble

Beaming: Dua couldn't stop smiling as she performed on stage for the adoring crowd

Helping out: Dua was recruited by Streets of London ambassador Ellie Goulding who, once again, supported the charity, hosting a huge fundraising concert at Wembley SSE Arena

Sing it girl! Dua belted out her smash hits for the crowd to enjoy

But first: Before taking to the stage, Dua posed for photos behind the scenes in her sensational ensemble

This was followed by a concert at the Roundhouse in 2015 and then events at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in 2016 and 2017.

This year's Wembley SSE Arena show raised much-needed money for Streets of London's work funding homelessness projects across the capital.

To date, Streets of London concerts featuring Ellie Goulding have raised more than 300,000 in aid of the charity.
Paris Hilton just brought their old feud back into the headlines.

But the ill feeling did not seem to be affecting Lindsay Lohan in the slightest when she was spotted hitting the street in Manhattan this Wednesday.

The 32-year-old was seen with a huge smile on her face as she warded off the cold with a thick off-white hooded zip-up anorak.

What feud?: The ill feeling from Paris Hilton did not seem to be affecting Lindsay Lohan in the slightest when she was spotted hitting the street in Manhattan this Wednesday

Lindsay wore jeans advertising New York, the city where she was born, and she folded up the hems stylishly over her white sneakers.

The multiple-time rehab attendee swept her red hair back and complemented it with an eye-popping slick of deep scarlet lipstick.

Lindsay, who has been good-humored about her past substance abuse while advertising for Lawyer.com, slung on a diamond-stitched purple and green purse.

Her former friend Paris recently went on Andy Cohen's SiriusXM radio show and revealed why their bond fell apart all those years ago.

Christmas cheer: The 32-year-old was seen with a huge smile on her face as she warded off the cold with a thick off-white hooded zip-up anorak

Out and about: Lindsay wore jeans advertising New York, the city where she was born, and she folded up the hems stylishly over her white sneakers

'Back in the day we were friends. [Lindsay] is just, like, one of those people I just don't really trust,' said the hotel heiress, who recent split from fiance Chris Zylka.

Paris, who also fell out with her The Simple Life co-star Nicole Richie, added: 'And I only like to be around positive energy and good people  good vibes only.'

One evening in 2006, Paris and Britney Spears were going out of an evening, only for Lindsay to join uninvited - an experience Paris revisited on Andy's show.

So chic: The multiple-time rehab attendee swept her red hair back and complemented it with an eye-popping slick of deep scarlet lipstick

Accessorizing: Lindsay, who has been good-humored about her past substance abuse while advertising for Lawyer.com, slung on a diamond-stitched purple and green purse

'We were all at the Beverly Hills Hotel at the bungalows and we were at an after-party and then Britney and I wanted to leave to go home,' said Paris.

Lindsay made for Britney and Paris and 'squeezed' herself unasked into the 'two-seater' car they were taking to get away from the party venue.

Paris said that she allowed Lindsay to get into the vehicle because 'I didn't want to humiliate her in front of all the paparazzi and be like: "Get out of my car."'
Camille Grammer's wedding was shown in the brief trailer for the upcoming ninth season of the Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills.

The star, 50, wed David C. Meyer in late October at a destination wedding in Hawaii.

In another scene, the newlywed got emotional as she said: 'I'm homeless' after she lost her home to a devastating Southern California wildfire that happened in November.

Camille Grammer's wedding was shown in the brief trailer for the upcoming ninth season of the Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills.

RHOBH star Denise Richards was seen emerging from the ocean clad in a black bikini.

Erika Jayne said in the trailer: 'My visuals of you and Aaron having sex are right up there with my favorite porn,' via People.

A glimpse of Denise and Aaron's wedding day is seen.

Lisa Vanderpump said 'I don't know why she's doing it so quickly.'

Kyle adds: 'Shotgun wedding.'

The newlywed got emotional as she said: 'I'm homeless' after she lost her home to a devastating Southern California wildfire that happened last month

Sweet: A glimpse of Denise and Aaron's wedding day is seen

Denise is heard saying: 'Keep your friends close, your enemies closer.'

Former housewives Brandi Glanville and Kim Richards are seen in the trailer.

'Cheers b***ch,' Brandi tells Denise.

Kim and Denise appear to get into an argument in the trailer; Kim said: 'That's a lie,' to which Denise said: 'It's not a lie Kim.'

Erika is heard saying: 'That's not friendship, that's bullsh**.'

Yikes: 'Cheers b***ch,' Brandi tells Denise

Drama: Erika is heard saying: 'That's not friendship, that's bullsh**'

The group enjoy a holiday together to a private island with the group seen enjoying group workout on a yacht.

Kyle: 'It's our very own private island.'

The Housewives are seen in the trailer having cocktails and swimming in the ocean before the group is seen on another trip - complete with a palatial place to stay in -this time in Europe.

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season nine returns Tuesday, February 12 at 9 pm ET on Bravo.

Good times: Kyle: 'It's our very own private island'

Wow: The group enjoy a holiday together to a private island with the group seen enjoying group workout on a yacht
Jenny Stefanovic has broken her silence after her sons, Karl and Peter, were axed from the Today show and Weekend Today respectively.

The mother-of-four admitted it had been a 'tough time' for the family following the sackings, but vowed that her boys would overcome their current hardships.

'It's a tough time of change for all,' she wrote on Instagram late on Thursday night.

Speaking out: Jenny Stefanovic (right) has broken her silence after her sons, Karl and Peter, were axed from the Today show and Weekend Today respectively

'They have been in war zones, earthquake areas and many other natural disasters,' she continued.

'[They have] seen suffering and devastation throughout the world. They have all worked hard for themselves and the Nine Network and they will overcome these changes as well.'

Jenny made the comment on Instagram after her sister shared a photo of Jenny and Peter's wife Sylvia Jeffreys at Karl's recent wedding to Jasmine Yarbrough in Mexico.

Proud mum: 'They have been in war zones, earthquake areas and many other natural disasters,' Jenny wrote on Instagram

'They will overcome this': Jenny made the comments (above) on Instagram on Thursday

Karl joined Nine News as a presenter in Brisbane in the year 2000, before becoming the co-host of the Today show in 2005, where he covered stories like the Royal wedding and interviewed politicians and celebrities.

Peter worked as a senior news reporter at Nine and co-hosted Weekend Today - but before that he was employed as foreign correspondent for a decade.

The role, which saw Peter witness 'death and destruction' in places like Africa and the Middle East, was detailed in his 2016 autobiography, Hack in a Flak Jacket.

Happier times: Jenny is mother to sons Karl (left), Tom (centre back) and Peter (right), as well as daughter Elisa

On Tuesday, Peter was dropped from Channel Nine after his contract wasn't renewed.

Karl was kicked off the Today show the following day, but remains with the network.

The 44-year-old set to resume filming the second season of This Time Next Year in February, however his future with the broadcaster nonetheless looks uncertain.

'For the last 14 years I've co-hosted the best show on television,' Karl said in a statement announcing his departure from Today this week.

Double dumping: On Tuesday, Peter was dropped from Channel Nine after his contract wasn't renewed. Karl was kicked off the Today show the following day, but remains with the network

'I can't thank Nine enough for the opportunity. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be good enough to host this grand show for so long,' he added.

'Thanks to our viewers mostly, you are what matters most. It's been a tough time. Thanks for hanging in there. I look forward to seeing you in another capacity at this great network soon.'

A spokesman for Peter, 37, also said that he was 'exploring new opportunities' and was 'looking forward to spending weekends with his wife' Sylvia Jeffreys after leaving Channel Nine.
Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that oil producers who agreed a deal on cutting production will continue to monitor prices, indicating he does believe an emergency meeting between OPEC and other oil producers is necessary.

"I believe that we should monitor, the end of the year is not indicative," the minister said, when asked to comment on falling oil prices and the possibility of an extraordinary meeting between the OPEC and other oil producers.

Oil prices are down more than 30% from their peak in October on concerns oil demand will drop because of a slowing global economy and signs of a supply glut, Reuters reported.
Karl Stefanovic has returned to Australia after being unceremoniously sacked from the Today show while on his honeymoon in Aspen, Colorado.

The embattled Channel Nine star, 44, looked tense as he wheeled his luggage through Sydney Airport on Friday morning alongside his wife Jasmine Yarbrough.

However, as soon as Karl caught sight of photographers, he flashed a huge smile across his face and seemed determined to project an image of happiness.

Honeymoon's over! Karl Stefanovic looked tense while returning to Australia with his wife Jasmine Yarbrough on Friday morning - after being sacked from the Today show

Karl, who appeared to be in the early stages of a beard, dressed casually for the long-haul flight in a black T-shirt and denim jeans.

He wrapped a fleece around his shoulders and tucked a pair of designer sunglasses into the neckline of his top.

The father-of-three seemed to be doing most of the heavy lifting, pushing along several items of luggage while Jasmine, 34, rolled along a single suitcase.

Keeping it simple: Karl, who appeared to be in the early stages of a beard, dressed casually for the long-haul flight in a black T-shirt and denim jeans

That's gotta hurt! Karl's return to Australia comes after he was unceremoniously sacked from the Today show while on his honeymoon in Aspen, Colorado

Keeping up appearances? As soon as Karl caught sight of photographers, he flashed a huge smile across his face and seemed determined to project an image of happiness

Meanwhile, the shoe designer looked a little tired after her whirlwind honeymoon.

Jasmine wore minimal makeup for the journey and styled her blonde hair in a simple bun at the nape of her neck.

Her outfit consisted of a plain grey jumper and skintight leather trousers, which were perhaps not ideal for the hot Sydney weather.

What a rock! As she climbed into a waiting vehicle, the Mara & Mine co-founder flashed a rare glimpse of her wedding and engagement rings

She's outta here! Looking rather strained due to the media attention, Jasmine swiftly closed the car door before the couple drove away

As she climbed into a waiting vehicle, the Mara & Mine co-founder flashed a rare glimpse of her wedding and engagement rings.

The custom-made rings, by Cerrone Jewellers, are believed to be made of 18ct rose gold and diamond.

Looking rather strained due to the media attention, Jasmine swiftly closed the car door before the couple drove away.

How chivalrous! The father-of-three seemed to be doing most of the heavy lifting, pushing along several items of luggage while Jasmine, 34, rolled along a single suitcase

Effortlessly chic: Jasmine's outfit consisted of a plain grey jumper and skintight leather trousers, which were perhaps not ideal for the hot Sydney weather

Daddy cool! Karl wrapped a fleece around his shoulders and tucked a pair of designer sunglasses into the neckline of his top

There it is! Karl also showed off his rarely-seen wrist tattoo, which is an infinity symbol surrounded by a 'J' for Jasmine and a love heart

Pictured: A close-up view of the wrist tattoo Karl got last year as a tribute to his second wife

Meanwhile, Karl's job prospects for when his Channel Nine contract ends in 2020 are looking bleak.

After being sacked from the Today show on Wednesday - on his honeymoon, no less - he still has a year left on his $3million deal with the network.

But should Nine choose not to renew the contract, Karl may have trouble finding employment at other TV stations.

Heavy lifting: Karl, who was wearing black sneakers with colourful shoe laces, lifted a heavy suitcase into the back of a waiting vehicle

Never mind the sacking! Karl wished photographers and journalists a 'merry Christmas' as he walked through the airport parking lot and loaded up his vehicle

You've still go it, Karl! At one stage, the former breakfast TV star pulled a goofy 'finger guns' pose for the paparazzi pack

Next stop... Centrelink? Meanwhile, Karl's job prospects for when his Nine contract ends in 2020 are looking bleak, with Channel 10 and Seven claiming they have no interest in him

Nine's commercial rivals have claimed they have no interest in the star.

In a withering statement from Channel 10, a spokesperson mocked Karl's situation, suggesting he should try reality TV instead.

'We are very happy with our current news and current affairs team,' they said.

'Obviously Karl is no longer available for The Bachelor, but if he wants to go to the jungle [for I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!], put on his dancing shoes or strap on a MasterChef apron, he knows where to find us.'

Channel Seven is reportedly also not interested in hiring Karl, despite bidding for his services in late 2015.

Bad look: One possible reason TV networks are turned off by Karl is that he has reputation as a 'celebrity' anchor with a tabloid-bating personal life. Pictured with Jasmine Yarbrough on his wedding day in Los Cabos, Mexico on Saturday, December 8

One possible reason TV networks are turned off by Karl is that he has reputation as a 'celebrity' anchor with a tabloid-bating personal life.

It is understood that he and brother Peter - who was axed by Nine altogether earlier this week - were nicknamed 'the Kardashian sisters of Willoughby' at the station.

In an official network statement announcing his departure from Today on Wednesday, Karl said: 'For the last 14 years I've co-hosted the best show on television. I can't thank Nine enough for the opportunity.

'I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be good enough to host this grand show for so long.

'Thanks to our viewers mostly, you are what matters most. It's been a tough time. Thanks for hanging in there. I look forward to seeing you in another capacity at this great network soon.'

Meanwhile, it is rumoured the fallen breakfast TV star could be redeployed as Nine's U.S. correspondent, where he would serve out the remainder of his contract.

Too demanding? Karl and his brother Peter - who was axed by Nine altogether earlier this week - were apparently nicknamed 'the Kardashian sisters of Willoughby' at the network

Image problem: Today's ratings began a steep decline in 2016, after Karl left his wife-of-21-years Cassandra Thorburn (left) and began dating a younger woman, Jasmine, later that year

It comes after Nine sources claimed earlier this week that executives were 'horrified' by the coverage of Karl's wedding to Jasmine in Mexico.

Senior management figures were particularly outraged by the fact 'exclusive' photos from the December 8 ceremony had been supplied to Who magazine.

While it's understood there was no paid deal with the publication, higher-ups were upset that a rival outlet had been prioritised over Nine.

Today's ratings began a steep decline in 2016, after Karl left his wife-of-21-years Cassandra Thorburn and began dating a younger woman, Jasmine, later that year.

Home sweet home? After flying into Sydney, Karl was driven to his multi-million dollar home

Finally, some privacy! Karl looked relieved to be back in familiar territory after a tumultuous few days

Oops! Karl appeared to pretend to speak to someone on the phone. Despite holding the phone to his ear, the screen was on display rather than switched off, as is customary during calls

Audience figures plunged to a 12-year low in September, and it's believed network executives finally decided to axe Karl this week after his 'over-the-top' nuptials.

Nine insiders told The Australian that management had no choice but to sack the host, 44, due to the 'crazy' media headlines surrounding his personal life.

Meanwhile, according to the Herald Sun, Karl was 'assured his job was safe' before flying to Los Cabos for his four-day wedding at the start of the month.

He was apparently blindsided by the sacking, with a source claiming: 'Karl had no idea - he left for Mexico thinking he would still be on Today. They told him face to face. They looked him in the eye. But the writing was on the wall.'
She is an acclaimed star of stage and screen with a career spanning more than seven decades.

And Joan Collins, 85, looked like Hollywood royalty as she stepped out with husband Percy Gibson, 52, to host the Shooting Star Chase festive afternoon tea at The Dorchester in London on Wednesday.

The Dynasty actress looked more in love than ever as she cuddled up to her husband of 16 years, before greeting guests at the charity event.

Stunning: Joan Collins, 85, looked like Hollywood royalty as she stepped out to host the Shooting Star Chase festive afternoon tea at The Dorchester in London on Wednesday

Dame Joan turned heads in a sultry black dress which she teamed with a sleek black suit jacket.

The iconic actress stole the limelight in the intricately detailed jewel-adorned blazer as she posed for photos with Santa Claus.

Adding an extra dose of sparkle, Dame Joan stepped out in shimmering silver heels which featured a matte black pointed toe.

She accessorised with a delicately designed silver necklace and a coordinating statement ring, with simple short drop earrings tying her look together.

Cute: The Dynasty actress looked more in love than ever as she cosied up to her husband of 16 years Percy Gibson, 52, before greeting guests at the event

Gorgeous: Dame Joan turned heads in a sultry black dress which she teamed with a sleek black suit jacket

Dazzling: The iconic actress stole the limelight in the intricately detailed jewel-adorned blazer as she posed for photos with Santa Claus

Fabulous friends: The Hollywood star posed up a storm with some of the notable attendees, including Prince Azim of Brunei

The RADA alumna, who is a patron of the children's hospice charity, completed her effortlessly elegant look with perfectly coiffed locks.

Dame Joan enhanced her featured with a dark smokey eye, a light dusting of bronzer and a confident slick of crimson lip gloss.

The Hollywood star posed up a storm with some of the notable attendees, including Prince Azim of Brunei and publicist Stella Wilson.

Adorable: Dame Joan was also caught off guard while delighting in the company of one of the young children whom she presented with a Christmas gift

Glam: The RADA alumna, who is a patron of the children's hospice charity, completed her effortlessly elegant look with perfectly coiffed locks

Dame Joan was also caught off guard while delighting in the company of one of the young children whom she presented with a Christmas gift.

Shooting Star Chase is a leading childrens hospice charity caring for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their families.

The event at The Dorchester saw supported children and their families enjoy sandwiches, cakes and tea in style.
On Thursday, Beyonce Knowles-Carter shared rare footage of her 18-month-old twin son Sir and daughter Rumi enjoying their stay in India last week.

The 37-year-old R&B diva - who boasts 211.7M followers - posted two snaps of the privileged siblings chilling on a Mumbai beach on her official website.

Fans last saw Sir and Rumi looking glam as the 22-time Grammy winner renewed her wedding vows with husband Jay-Z in home movies screened during their 48-date On the Run II Tour.

Ballin': On Thursday, Beyonce Knowles-Carter shared rare footage of her 18-month-old twin son Sir and daughter Rumi enjoying their stay in India last week

Seaside: The 37-year-old R&B diva - who boasts 211.7M followers - posted two snaps of the privileged siblings chilling on a Mumbai beach on her official website

Beyonce brought her twins, mother Tina Lawson, and her second husband Richard Lawson to the lavish wedding of Anand Piramal and Isha Ambani (the daughter of India's wealthiest billionaire).

But it was a work trip for Knowles-Carter, who performed her hits Perfect and Crazy In Love during a private pre-wedding concert in Udaipur on December 9.

The Houston-born Texan and the 49-year-old rap mogul (born Shawn Carter) are also parents to six-year-old daughter Blue Ivy.

On Wednesday, Bey and Jay had a hot date at Travis Scott's Astroworld - Wish You Were Here concert at The Forum in LA's Inglewood neighborhood.

Home movie: Fans last saw Sir and Rumi looking glam as the 22-time Grammy winner renewed her wedding vows with husband Jay-Z in footage screened during their On the Run II Tour

Glitzy affair: Beyonce brought her twins, mother Tina Lawson (M), and her second husband Richard Lawson (L) to the lavish wedding of Anand Piramal and Isha Ambani

Hefty paycheck: But it was a work trip for Knowles-Carter, who performed her hits Perfect and Crazy In Love during a private pre-wedding concert in Udaipur on December 9

Family portrait on July 2: The Houston-born Texan and the 49-year-old rap mogul (born Shawn Carter) are also parents to six-year-old daughter Blue Ivy

The 26-year-old Grammy nominee (born Jacques Webster II) was so starstruck he Insta-storied a pap picture of the pair captioned: 'Wow!!! Thanks for coming to the experience.'

Queen Bey likely gave the 'hubby' of Kylie Jenner advice for when he performs with Super Bowl LIII half-time show headliners Maroon 5 in Atlanta on February 3 - according to TMZ.

The Family Feud hitmaker headed up the Super Bowl XLVII half-time show in New Orleans in 2013, as well as joining Bruno Mars and Super Bowl 50 headliner Coldplay in Santa Clara in 2016.

Hot date! On Wednesday, Bey and Jay attended Travis Scott's Astroworld - Wish You Were Here concert at The Forum in LA's Inglewood neighborhood

The 26-year-old Grammy nominee (born Jacques Webster II) was so starstruck he Insta-storied a pap picture of the pair captioned: 'Wow!!! Thanks for coming to the experience'

In demand: Queen Bey likely gave the 'hubby' of Kylie Jenner advice for when he performs with Super Bowl LIII half-time show headliners Maroon 5 in Atlanta on February 3

She's a pro: The Family Feud hitmaker headed up the Super Bowl XLVII half-time show in 2013, as well as joining Bruno Mars (2-R) and Super Bowl 50 headliner Coldplay in 2016

Speaking of the British band, Beyonce makes a cameo in Mat Whitecross' rock-doc Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams, which started streaming November 16 on Amazon Video.

In it, Knowles-Carter lays down vocals for the 2015 track Hymn For The Weekend with frontman Chris Martin in his son Moses' bedroom.

The hip-hop power couple will next compete for three trophies - R&B performance, urban contemporary album, and music video - at the Grammy Awards airing February 10 on CBS.

'Legend': Speaking of the British band, Beyonce makes a cameo in Mat Whitecross' rock-doc Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams, which started streaming November 16 on Amazon Video

'You're saving our career': In it, Knowles-Carter lays down vocals for the 2015 track Hymn For The Weekend with frontman Chris Martin in his son Moses' bedroom
She left her role on Coronation Street last year to focus on her family.

And Catherine Tyldesley was clearly in the festive spirit, as she stepped out for a Christmas carol concert at the Cathedral in Manchester, on Thursday.

The actress, 35, upped the glamour as she wrapped up against the winter chill in a leopard print jacket which she wore over a simple black dress.

Chic: Catherine Tyldesley upped the glamour in a black dress and leopard-print coat as she arrived at a carol concert in Manchester on Thursday night

Catherine boosted her figure in a pair of thigh-high boots, while she kept her accessories simple with a small grey handbag.

Her brunette locks were brushed into a sleek, straight style, and her fair tumbled over her shoulders gracefully.

The soap star wore a glamorous palette of make-up for the occasion, as she brushed on bronze eye shadow and a slick of black eyeliner to accentuate her features.

Stylish: Catherine boosted her figure in a pair of thigh-high boots, while she kept her accessories simple with a small grey handbag

Her outing comes after the actress has been focusing on herself and her family since she decided to leave Coronation Street.

While she admitted she may make a return to the cobbles, the star laid out her plans to travel as a family with her husband Tom Pitford and her young son Alfie, three.

She told Manchester Evening News: 'The timing seemed right. My son Alfie doesnt start at school for another two years so as a family we wanted the chance to travel.

'I have relatives in Australia, but we didnt want to go for just a couple of weeks, wed like to go over there and spend six weeks or more over there and then visit as many countries as possible.

'Tom and I had always talked about travelling and we are keen for Alfie to visit different cultures.'

She then added: 'In between there will hopefully be some exciting projects for me as well.'
Ali Oetjen is getting into the Christmas spirit.

The Bachelorette star was spotted shopping for gifts at Rundle Mall in Adelaide on Tuesday.

And despite rising to a new level of fame earlier this year on the series, the 32-year-old reality star proved she wasn't too posh to grab a bargain.

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From Target to Tiffany! Bachelorette Ali Oetjen goes shopping at discount department store before buying herself a bracelet at designer jewellers... but where's Taite?

The blonde beauty was seen toting a Target shopping bag as she perused several shops, happily chatting away with sales assistants.

Ali did her best to go incognito during the outing, wearing a tan snap back cap and sunglasses to conceal her identity.

She dressed casually in a pair of ripped jeans and a sheer white billowing shirt.

Bling ring: Her first stop was Tiffany & Co., where she spent considerable time in looking at jewellery, before settling on a pretty bangle

Her first stop was Tiffany & Co., where she spent considerable time looking at jewellery before settling on a pretty bangle.

A short time later, the busty blonde emerged from the upscale store clutching one of their famed blue shopping bags.

Not joining Ali on the shopping trip was her Bachelotte beau Taite Radley, following reports the couple are 'faking their relationship'.

Retail therapy: A short time later, the busty blonde emerged from the upscale store clutching one of their famed blue shopping bags

According to a recent Woman's Day magazine article, the reality TV couple are staying together purely 'for the sake of the franchise'.

An insider told the publication that they feel obliged to stay together after this year's Bachelor Nick Cummins 'caused major embarrassment for Channel 10 by leaving empty-handed.'

A Bachelorette producer also made similar comments, telling Who magazine that Ali and Taite would split 'in less than six months'.

Where was he? Not joining Ali on the shopping trip was her Bachelotte beau Taite Radley, following reports the couple are 'faking their relationship'

The pair have also been heavily criticised for the amount of sponsored holidays they have taken together.

Since the finale of the reality dating series, Ali and Taite have toured far north Queensland, the Northern Territory and recently came back from Mount Franklin.

'When do you guys work,' one social media user lashed out while another said: 'For real? Do you guys even work or?' under an out-of-state Instagram snap.
She's had a stellar year at work and in her love life.

And Myleene Klass was in the mood to celebrate with her celeb pals on Thursday as she hit Piers Morgan's star-studded Christmas party.

The presenter looked gorgeously glam in a floor-skimming gown as she left the bash, held at Kensington's Scarsdale Tavern, hand in hand with her handsome boyfriend Simon Motson.

Feeling festive: Myleene Klass was in the mood to celebrate with her celeb pals on Thursday as she hit Piers Morgan's star-studded Christmas party with boyfriend Simon Motson

Myleene, 40, chose a metallic dress for the big night out, adding a smart black blazer over the top of the maxi.

Her glossy locks were styled into tumbling curls while she added dark eye makeup for an extra pop of glam.

Simon was looking dapper in a smart grey coat and jeans as he led his girlfriend out of the bash.

Always glam: The presenter looked gorgeously glam in a floor-skimming gown as she left the bash, held at Kensington's Scarsdale Tavern

Hand in hand: Myleene, 40, chose a metallic dress for the big night out, adding a smart black blazer over the top of the maxi

The party-loving star shared selfies with Piers and their mutual pal Amanda Holden during the bash, as well as posing with You Magazine editor Jo Elvin.

Myleene was feeling the effects of the wild evening though as she also shared an Instagram video of her 'midnight feast' once home.

The health-conscious star tucked into cheese and bread before bed as she cheekily blamed Piers for the snack.

Pals: The party-loving star shared selfies with Piers and their mutual pal Amanda Holden during the bash

Host: Piers hosted his TV friends at one of his faviourite Kensington haunts

Long time friends: A happy Myleene also posed with You Magazine editor Jo Elvin

Last month, mother-of-two Myleene enjoyed a sun-soaked getaway to the United Arab Emirates with her businessman boyfriend.

The star has plenty to smile about after seeing both her work and personal life go from strength to strength over the past few years.

She recently paid tribute to her boyfriend of two years, on his birthday, calling him 'the love of my life'.

Yum! Myleene was feeling the effects of the wild evening though as she also shared an Instagram video of her 'midnight feast' once home
They enjoyed a dramatic summer in the Love Island villa, embarking on romances that ended a short time later.

And Samira Mighty and Sam Bird reunited as they stepped out at the Nativity! The Musical musical Gala Night in London on Thursday.

The reality stars were delighted to be catching up as they took to the red carpet, cracking identical smiles as they supported their BFF and Love Island queen Dani Dyer, who stars in the musical.

Love Islanders: Samira Mighty and Sam Bird reunited as they stepped out at the Nativity! The Musical musical Gala Night in London on Thursday

Samira, 22, who had a brief romance with Frankie Foster who she met in the villa showcased her braless cleavage in a plunging black cardigan, which she paired with skinny jeans.

The star boosted her height with black stiletto sandals.

Her raven tresses were styled sleek and straight while her pretty features were enhanced with fluttery lashes, smoky liner and a slick of rose gloss.

Happy: The reality stars were delighted to be catching up as they took to the red carpet, cracking identical smiles as they supported their BFF and Love Island queen Dani Dyer, who stars in the musical

Busty display: Samira, 22, who had a brief romance with Frankie Foster who she met in the villa showcased her braless cleavage in a plunging black cardigan, which she paired with skinny jeans

Sam, 25, who romanced Georgia Steel in the villa, was dapper in a black t-shirt teamed with checked trousers and a black jacket.

Others celebs including Harry Hill, Linda Robson, Kady McDermott, Claire Sweeney and Nicola McLean also attended the star-studded gala night.

Dani Dyer and her dad Danny proved they had got well and truly into the festive spirit as they dressed up as Christmas baubles for their opening night onstage on Wednesday.

The Love Island winner, 22, and her EastEnders actor father, 41, put on a comical display as they slipped into metallic sphere-shaped costumes with gold helmets to represent the ornamental hooks.

Glamour: Claire Sweeney and Nicola McLean looked stylish for the night

Demure: Shelby Tribble sported a white woolen dress and thigh-high boots

Baking queen: GBBO winner Candice Brown looked chic in an emerald outfit

Funny man: Harry Hill looked delighted to be in attendance

Gorgeous: Actresses Jorgie Porter and Emma Barton brought the glamour

Devoted dad: Dean Gaffney and his daughter Chloe posed up

Stars: Simon Lipkin (Mr Poppy) and Scott Garnham (Mr Maddens) posed up

Festive feeling: Dani Dyer and her dad Danny proved they had got well and truly into the festive spirit as they dressed up as Christmas baubles for Nativity! The Musical at the Hammersmith Eventim Apollo on Wednesday

Happier than ever: Dani's beau Jack Fincham proved they were stronger than ever after their brief split as he stepped out to support his love

Dani's petite frame was swamped by a gold and orange costume paired with lime green PVC tights, with Danny opted for a multicoloured ensemble.

Showing off their close bond, the stars held hands as they sweetly sang together.

They were joined by a host of celebrity pals on the press night held on Thursday, with Dani's beau Jack Fincham proving they were stronger than ever after their brief split as he stepped out to support his love.

Cracking identical smiles, the pair showed their rift was behind them as they sweetly cuddled at the after-party.

Water under the bridge: Jack and Dani have gone from strength-to-strength since their one day split

Razzle dazzle: The Love Island winner, 22, and her EastEnders actor father, 41, put on a comical display as they slipped into metallic sphere-shaped costumes with gold helmets to represent the ornamental hooks

Here she is: Jo Brand threw gold dust into the air as she sang

Success story: The play has been hotly-anticipated

The former pen salesman, 27, looked dapper in a black sweater and cream chinos, paired with tan brogues for the red carpet.

He covered his luscious locks with a black Baker Boy cap.

Family: Linda Robson looked chic as she stepped out with a young family member

Others celebs including Harry Hill, Linda Robson, Claire Sweeney and Nicola McLean also attended.

The former barmaid is starring opposite father Danny, in Nativity! The Musical at the Hammersmith Eventim Apollo this Christmas, marking her first acting gig since hitting the limelight.

And Wednesday's opening night saw the aspiring actress and her EastEnders star dad receive a wash of rave reviews from theatregoers as they left the Apollo after the show.

Appearance: Madeleine Costigan and Ryan Sidebottom posed up

Father-daughter duo: Danny and Dani looked delighted as they posed up

Glamour: Kady McDermott and her best pal Jodie Charles took to the red carpet

Showbiz: Rudolph Walker and Dounne Alexander looked elegant for the evening

Devoted dad: Dean Gaffney and his daughter Chloe posed up

Elegance: Tilly Keeper donned a black trouser suit for the musical

Pals: Joe McFadden, Candice Brown and David Elliot looked delighted to be catching up

Style: Maisie Smith looked happy as she attended the after-party

Curtain call: The cast took to the stage for their curtain call

Happy: Dani looked radiant in green as she took a bow for the crowds

Curtain up! The former barmaid is starring opposite father Danny, in Nativity! The Musical at the Hammersmith Eventim Apollo this Christmas , marking her first acting gig since hitting the limelight

'Just on our way home, really enjoyed it, an excellent opening night,' one fan gushed on Twitter, as another posted: 'Nativity the musical was AMAZING!! @Dani_MasDyer and @MrDDyer singing a duet dressed as baubles was the best thing...'

'@Dani_MasDyer & @MrDDyer absolutely smashed their duet in Nativity tonight! It was just amazing! They both looked brilliant aswell!!! Wish I could just watch it over and over again!  #smashedit #verygood #welldone #amazing #5stars #goodtimes,' another enthused.

Someone else posted: '@Dani_MasDyer Made my childrens night seeing you and your Dad in @nativityuk. Thank you!'

A fifth penned: 'Absolutely brilliant! It was the kids last day at school, my sons birthday tomorrow and a fabulous start to the Christmas holidays! Nativity Rocks!'

Like father like daughter: Wednesday's opening night saw the aspiring actress and her EastEnders star dad receive a wash of rave reviews from theatregoers as they left the Apollo after the show

All together now: The cast posed for an ensemble snap after the show's opening night

'Safe to say @MrDDyer and @Dani_MasDyer just nailed @nativityuk tonight! Big congratulations!' a sixth typed.

Another praised Jo Brand, who also stars in the show: 'Two lovely people to work with. As is the fabulous, funny and adorable Jo Brand @nativityuk @Dani_MasDyer @MrDDyer!'

Seasoned star: Danny once starred in Doghouse with his daughter, but is best known currently for his role as Mick Carter in EastEnders, which he has starred in since 2013

The show also stars Simon Lipkin and runs until New Year's Eve.

Danny plays Hollywood producer Mr Parker Lewis in the musical, and imitating life, Dani will portray Polly, his daughter.

Polly is an aspiring actress and her father will do anything to get her into the spotlight.

While Danny is a stalwart actor, Dani has thus far failed to launch a career as a performer - until now.

Nerves: Dani snapped another video from her dressing room, ahead of the show, telling her followers how she was feeling

She rose to fame over the summer on Love Island, going on to win the show with partner Jack Fincham.

The pair split for a few days earlier in December but are now back on, with the break-up branded merely 'a blip'.

They are also set to star in their own fly-on-the-wall reality series, which will air on ITVBe from January.

Dani used to work as a barmaid, but has expressed a desire to be an actor, like her father.

She has been trying to gain recognition since the start of 2018, where she was briefly cast in ITV2 series Survival Of The Fittest.

Co-stars: Danny plays Hollywood producer Mr Parker Lewis in the musical, and imitating life, Dani will portray Polly, his daughter

She injured herself on the first day and had to pull out - consequently paving the way for her to star on Love Island instead.

Nativity is thought to be Dani's first mainstream stage role; she has appeared in films Doghouse (2009), We Still Kill The Old Way (2014) and Age Of Kill (2015).

Dad Danny also starred in Doghouse, but is best known currently for his role as Mick Carter in EastEnders, which he has starred in since 2013.

Danny's stint at the Apollo will followed by more stage work in January and February. He will star in the Pinter At The Pinter season opposite Martin Freeman in the play The Dumb Waiter.
Left it late for your Christmas shopping? Fear not  a bumper crop of box sets and anniversary reissues should provide plenty of ideas for those still on your list.

Heres our pick of the best . . .

Paul McCartney is finishing 2018 on a high.

His new album Egypt Station topped the U.S. charts and he rounded off his UK tour last weekend with a London show that featured an appearance by Ringo Starr.

The Freshen Up tour was also notable for the number of Wings songs he featured alongside Beatles classics  and the reappraisal of his often-derided other band continues apace with the repackaging of the first two Wings albums.

His new album Egypt Station topped the U.S. charts and he rounded off his UK tour last weekend with a London show

Wild Life (MPL)

Rating:

The groups 1971 debut Wild Life (MPL) was recorded in a week and sounds hurried, but it still contains forgotten gems in the lo-fi country-rocker Bip Bop and Some People Never Know, with Linda McCartney adding harmony vocals.

Now available with bonus tracks as a four-disc bundle (130), double CD (17) and on vinyl (36), its raw charms have aged surprisingly well.

Rose Speedway (MPL)

Rating:

Follow-up Red Rose Speedway (MPL) surfaced in 1973 and captured a maturing, road-hardened outfit gearing up for the classic Band On The Run, which arrived the same year.

Now out as a six-disc box set (160), double CD (17) and on vinyl (36), its a more polished affair featuring the lush My Love and an Abbey Road-style medley.

The bonus material impresses, too, with two songs from the period, Live And Let Die and Hi Hi Hi, still part of Maccas live show.

68 Comeback Special (Legacy)

Rating:

Elvis and the Stones are in on the reissue act, too. Presleys 68 Comeback Special (Legacy) marks the 50th anniversary of The Kings return to the stage with a seven-disc box set (100) that gathers together all the recordings from his fabled NBC TV special.

Despite some repetition, the set chronicles a superb show, with Elvis all black leather, sideburns and immaculate phrasing on big production numbers like Trouble and intimate, sit-down performances with his original sidemen Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana.

Beggars Banquet (Abkco, HHHHI)

Rating:

The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet (Abkco), also turned 50 this year.

Out on CD (10) and vinyl (41), it was a tight return to bluesy rock and roll after the underwhelming psychedelic flirtations of Their Satanic Majesties Request.

Featuring Street Fighting Man, inspired by Mick Jaggers experiences at an anti-Vietnam War rally, and Sympathy For The Devil, it also includes Factory Girl, a folk tune sung on the Pyramid Stage in 2013 as Glastonbury Girl.

Every Move You Make (A&M)

Rating:

The Polices Every Move You Make (A&M) is a bumper affair containing all five of the groups studio albums, plus extra tracks, on vinyl (110).

Although signed by A&M as a peroxide-haired punk act, the trio were already showing their artistic scope on 1978s Outlandos DAmour, a debut that fused pop and reggae on So Lonely and Roxanne.

By the Eighties, tensions between Sting and drummer Stewart Copeland had come to a head, but Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic and Every Breath You Take were still pop songs of rare sophistication.

Loud & Proud! (BMG)

Rating:

Even weightier, literally if not metaphorically, is Nazareths mammoth Loud & Proud! (BMG). A 41-disc box of vinyl and CDs (119), it marks the golden anniversary of a Scottish band who paid their dues in Dunfermline.

Fronted in their heyday by gap-toothed blues belter Dan McCafferty, the groups honest, hard-rocking sound had a foot-stomping commercial edge that took singles like Broken Down Angel and Bad Bad Boy into the charts. If such a bulky box set is off-putting, theres an easily digestible three-CD version (20) plus a double LP on vinyl (25).

The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (BMG)

Rating:

Described by Ray Davies as the most successful ever flop, The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (BMG) was widely overlooked  and failed to chart  on its release in 1968. Now seen as a masterpiece, it has been repackaged on vinyl (19), CD (10) and as a box set (130).

Originally released on the same day as The Beatles White Album, its character sketches (Do You Remember Walter?) and bouts of nostalgia (Last Of The Steam-Powered Trains) make it a concept piece closer in style to Sgt. Pepper.

Joe Strummer 001 (Ignition)

Rating:

Joe Strummer was a fiery rock and roller who made his mark fronting The Clash.

His career extended well beyond the punk era, though, and the extensive anthology Joe Strummer 001 (Ignition) gathers together newly unearthed solo material plus songs by his other bands The 101ers and Mescaleros.

Overseen by Strummers widow Lucinda, who found the tapes in the couples Somerset barn after her husbands death in 2002, its out as a box set (95), CD (8) and on vinyl (39).

Despite patchy moments, its a treasure trove, with unreleased songs such as U.S. North, with ex-Clash bandmate Mick Jones on guitar, and Rose Of Erin available for the first time. A demo of The Clashs This Is England is a bonus.

For anyone seeking calm amid the Christmas chaos, Brian Enos four ambient albums have all been re-mastered on vinyl as single (21) and double (26) LPs.

Discreet Music (Virgin EMI)

Rating:

The pick is 1975s Discreet Music (Virgin EMI), a melodic synthesiser record conceived after a bed-ridden Eno heard an album of harp music mingling with the sound of drizzle outside his window.

Music For Films (Virgin EMI)

Rating:

The following years Music For Films (Virgin EMI) featured Phil Collins and Robert Fripp and pioneered many of the styles that Eno would carry forward to David Bowies classic 1977 album Low.

A five star year for classical releases

By Tully Potter

BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 7 etc. (DG 479 8494)

From the orchestra that premiered this great symphony in 1884 comes a stupendous live recording.

The Leipzig Gewandhaus performances, by the resident orchestra under Andris Nelsons, took place in March and the CD marked the ensembles 275th anniversary.

The way Nelsons unfolds the magnificent Adagio, Bruckners elegy for Wagner, is the soul of simplicity, but he tightens his grip as it goes on.

The Gewandhaus Orchestra brass, including four Wagner tubas and contrabass tuba, have a field day and the faster movements have Brucknerian grandeur.

Suitably, the disc begins with Siegfrieds Funeral March from Wagners Gotterdammerung.

DEBUSSY: La Mer etc. (Erato 9029568704)

In a deluge of releases for the Debussy centenary, this CD stands out for its idiomatic performances and the recording quality.

Former violinist Emmanuel Krivine knows how to get the most out of an orchestra and having French musicians makes for an authentic sound.

The revised 1909 version of La Mer is supplemented with a section from the third movement with the original fanfare.

The three Images for orchestra include the famous Iberia, which itself is in three parts. This is the essence of the orchestral Debussy.

SCHUMANN: Fantasiestucke etc. (Warner 9029570494)

Among many piano recitals, this one by the German-Italian Sophie Pacini has captured my attention.

She has cleverly chosen pieces by Robert Schumann, his wife Clara and the brother and sister Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Hensel.

The tone is set by a beautiful account of Franz Liszts transcription of Schumanns song Widmung; Clara is represented by her C minor Scherzo; Robert by his Fantasiestucke and Toccata; Felix by his Rondo Capriccioso; and Fanny by a Song for piano from her Op. 2.

The Steinways tone is very well caught by the recording engineers.

VIVANCO: Missa Assumpsit Jesus (Hyperion CDA68257)

Music by a Spanish composer unknown to most of us turns out to be grand and profound.

Sebastian de Vivanco (c.1551-1622) had the same training as his more famous contemporary Tomas Luis de Victoria, but while the latter moved to Rome, he forged a career at home.

De Profundis, a Cambridge male-voice choir conducted by Robert Hollingworth, revel in Vivancos amazing harmonies.
The adult son of Atlanta rapper Jeezy has been involved in a deadly altercation in Georgia.

Jadarius Jenkins, 22, was slashed in the face in the fracas that left one man dead, TMZ reported Thursday.

The incident took place Sunday morning and law enforcement responded to the scene following reports of gunshots.

Trouble: Jadarius Jenkins, son of Atlanta rapper Jeezy, was involved in a deadly altercation in Georgia, TMZ reported Thursday. The father and son are pictured together in August 2017

According to TMZ, police officers found a 37-year-old man who'd been shot when they arrived on scene.

He was transported to a hospital where he later died.

The website, citing law enforcement, said Jadarius sustained a 'possible knife wound to the face' and was treated at the scene.

Investigations are ongoing into what transpired.

Hurt: Jadarius, 22, sustained a 'possible knife wound to the face' during an altercation Sunday morning in which a 37-year-old man died after being shot

In a statement to TMZ, Drew Findling, an attorney for Jeezy's son, said: 'We are grateful to law enforcement for releasing Jadarius after their preliminary investigation.'

'He continues to receive medical treatment for the injury he endured during the incident,' the statement added.

Meanwhile, a source claimed to the website that Jadarius acted 'in self-defense'; and that police are looking into two burglaries that occurred around the same time at the shooting.
She got married for a second time on December 1.

But two weeks on from her romantic Mexican beach wedding, Malin Akerman was back down to earth as she took her son shopping in Los Angeles.

The Billions actress, 40, held on tightly to her five-year-old's hand as she headed to the stores.

Shopping trip: Billions actress Malin Akerman, 40, held on tightly to her five-year-old son Sebastian's hand as they stepped out in Los Angeles on Thursday

Malin was on trend, rocking a Led Zeppelin t-shirt and very distressed blue jeans cropped at the calf.

She stepped out in white ankle boots featuring straps and buckles and accessorized with a pretty necklace.

Her blonde bobbed hair was worn with a center parting and appeared to be made up with a touch of black mascara and lip gloss.

Her son Sebastian, whose father is her first husband Roberto Zincone, was dressed in a green check hoodie over a stripy top and black sweatpants and trainers.

Casual: Malin rocked a Led Zeppelin t-shirt and very distressed blue jeans cropped at the calf while Sebastian wore a green check hoodie over a stripy top and black sweatpants

Newlyweds: Just two weeks ago, the pretty blonde tied the knot with British actor Jack Donnelly, 32, in a Mexican beach wedding. Sebastian is her son from her first marriage

Malin tied the knot at the resort of Tulum with British actor Jack Donnelly after first being linked to him in March.

She had announced her engagement to the 32-year-old in October via Instagram.

'It just feels like the last piece of the puzzle clicked and it feels right,' she explained to UsWeekly at an event a week ago.

Sebastian had a big role to play at her nuptials, with UsWeekly reporting he sang a special song to his mom and new stepdad at the dinner the night before the couple exchanged vows.

Malin has previously stated that her son and her new husband get on well and are 'inseparable.'

'It makes my heart warm. Im very glad to be bringing Jack into our lives for good,' she said.

The Swedish-American star was previously married to Zincone from 2007 to 2014.
In December, the PowerBlog is marking the centenary of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyns birth (Dec. 11, 1918)

Why didnt they tell us this? I never heard this from my teachers.

Thats the late Edward E. Ericson Jr., Solzhenitsyn scholar and Calvin College professor, describing a typical reaction in his classroom when his students first encountered Aleksandr Solzhenitsyns The Gulag Archipelago.

The video that follows below was found in the Acton archives. It is from the raw interview recording that ultimately was edited and published in the 2010 interview in Religion & Liberty titled, Literature and the realm of moral values.

In the interview, Ericson, who died in 2017 (see Remembering Edward Ericson, Calvin College teacher and Solzhenitsyn scholar on the PowerBlog) talked about working with Solzhenitsyn to produce an abridged version of The Gulag Archipelago. Distilled from the massive three-volume original, the abridged version appeared in 1985. In an note of appreciation, Solzhenitsyn thanked Ericson for his generous initiative as well as his tactfulness, the literary taste, and the understanding of Western readers  
Employees of Armenia's Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Diaspora have started a labor strike this morning. They are protesting the republic's acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans intention to dissolve these two ministries.

As a result of reorganization of the Armenian government structure, the number of ministries is expected to be reduced from 17 to 12.

The demonstrators noted that if there are too many ministries in Armenia, let them study and try to resolve this problem, but this has nothing to do with the main functions of the Ministry of Culture.

Employees of the Ministry of Diaspora noted that the dissolution of their ministry was a wrong decision, and that the respective view of the Armenian diaspora was not considered when making this decision.

Employees of the ministries, who were demonstrating outside their ministries building for an hour, marched to the government building to hand over a letter addressed to acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to a government representative.

"We ask that a response be given by Monday morning. We demand a meeting with the Prime Minister. If our request is not considered, we are ready to go on labor strike; well do a sit-in, too," News,am cited the letter as saying.

The writer, journalist, Vesti FM radio station host Armen Gasparyan, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that liquidation of Mindiaspora has political reasons. "Not all representatives of the diaspora in the world supported the events, which took place in Armenia in April-June. Most likely, Pashinyan understands that there is a very serious political danger: much depends on the diaspora's views on events in the republic, and from this point he simply doesnt need the Ministry of Diaspora. One can expect that there will be a structure subordinated to him personally or through the government apparatus, which will be engaged in building the necessary ties and disposing of possible negative statements. There is tough situation for Pashinyan: he was striving to power with the slogan of the political monopoly elimination, but eventually created his own monopoly, which caused unpleasant questions from the Diaspora," he explained.

The unification of the Ministry of Culture with the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Education and Science can be explained only by an attempt to save money. I dont see any advantages here, because these are three completely different spheres. In this case, Pashinyan turns out to be a hostage of the promises he made - that it is necessary to lower the number of bureaucrats. Obviously, its much easier to unite culture, sport and education, rather than the ministries of economy, defense and internal affairs, But still its difficult to understand what this will lead to. Pashinyan received absolute power, so let's see how his election statements will be implemented. Being an opposition is one thing, but leading the republic in a very difficult foreign policy situation is quite another," Armen Gasparyan stressed.
Karl Stefanovic lost his high-paying job as host of the Today show on Wednesday - but that didn't stop him taking a luxury flight home two days later.

Karl and his new wife, Jasmine Yarbrough, potentially spent up to $50,000 on first class tickets flying Qantas from the U.S. to Sydney on Friday.

While it's unclear which American airport they departed from, Karl's luggage tag was clearly marked 'first class' as it passed through customs at Sydney Airport.

Scroll down for video

Flight of fancy! Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough may have spent up to $50,000 flying first class from the U.S. to Australia - just two days after he was sacked from the Today show

A first-class ticket, flying 15 hours non-stop from LAX to Sydney on Qantas, costs approximately $23,000.

But the exorbitant price tag did not seem to bother the happy couple, who had just returned from their five-star honeymoon in Aspen.

Indeed, two first-class plane tickets would have hardly compared to what they spent on their luxury wedding in Los Cabos, Mexico on December 8.

Hey, big spender! While it's unclear which American airport they departed from, Karl's luggage tag was clearly marked 'first class' as it passed through customs at Sydney Airport

Karl reportedly set aside $500,000 for the four-day affair, which was held at the One&Only Palmilla resort in San Jose del Cabo.

The wedding was particularly expensive because Karl and Jasmine apparently paid for multiple family members to travel overseas.

The pair also booked two villas at the world-famous resort, one priced at $11,600 per night and another at $15,000 per night.

Cash reserves: Two first-class plane tickets from the USA to Sydney would have hardly compared to what Karl spent on his luxury wedding to Jasmine in Mexico on December 8

Karl set the bar high back in February when he popped the question to Jasmine with an engagement ring rumoured to have cost $100,000.

Woman's Day magazine previously reported that Karl had spent about $250,000 flying Jasmine around the world last Christmas.

Karl reportedly earns $3million a year at Channel Nine, a salary which is unlikely to be affected by the fact he is no longer hosting the Today show.

Money man: Karl set the bar high back in February when he popped the question to Jasmine with an engagement ring rumoured to have cost $100,000

However, the controversial TV star still has financial liabilities to contend with.

It has been widely reported that Karl's ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn received much of the former couple's assets in their divorce settlement - including an $8million mansion - as well as $35,000 in monthly payments.

Also weighing Karl down financially is the mortgage on his $7million Mosman home.
She's a famous comedienne.

But Rebel Wilson flew under the radar while out to lunch with a male friend in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angles on Thursday.

The Pitch Perfect favorite, 38, dressed in a Kelly green sweater with stripes across the slightly belled sleeves.

Casual chic: Rebel Wilson dressed down in a green sweater and black leggings while out in LA with a friend on Thursday

Keeping casual, she teamed the look with a pair of tight black leggings, and monochrome trainers.

Rebel did add a glamorous touch with a Balenciaga purse and sleek, blonde, high ponytail.

Besides the Aussie actress was a male pal, who wore a black sweater, jeans and bright red shoes.

After the valet fetched their vehicle the pair hopped in and drove away.

Designer style: Rebel added a glamorous touch with a Balenciaga purse

The actress Wilson will return to the big screen next year as the lead romantic interest in big budget comedy, Isn't It Romantic.

And while the movie doesn't hit theaters until Valentine's Day next year, Rebel has already started doing press with her co-stars.

Earlier this month, the Australian actress posted a sweet selfie with Liam Hemsworth and Adam DeVine from the set of a promotional shoot.

Smile! Liam Hemsworth (L), Rebel Wilson (center), and Adam DeVine (R) posed for a cute selfie while promoting their new film Isn't It Romantic

In the photo, both Rebel and Adam playfully stick their tongues out while Liam flashes a pearly white smile.

In the film, Rebel stars as Natalie, a woman who grew up idolising the 1990 film Pretty Woman, only to be told by her mother she is 'no Julia Roberts'.

After almost completely giving up on ever finding love, Natalie decides she needs to put herself out there more.

She's back! Rebel Wilson will return to the big screen next year in the big budget comedy, Isn't It Romantic

But when she's mugged on the NYC subway system, she runs into a pole while trying to escape her attacker, and knocks herself out.

When she finally comes to, she notices 'someone has put a beauty filter across New York City'.

Suddenly, Natalie finds herself living in one of the romantic comedies she grew up watching.

Unlikely heroine: Rebel stars as Natalie, a woman who grew up idolising the 1990 film Pretty Woman, only to be told by her mother she is 'no Julia Roberts'

Steamy: The film promises some steamy scenes between Rebel and Liam Hemsworth

And it isn't long before she attracts Liam Hemsworth, who plays the impossibly handsome Blake.

After waking up to a shirtless Blake strolling into her bedroom, Natalie hilariously tackles him to the floor.

The film also stars Priyanka Chopra, Adam DeVine and Betty Gilpin.
Jasmine Yarbrough appeared to be exhausted as she stepped off a plane on Friday morning, amid a blaze of publicity over her new husband's axing from The Today show.

But just hours later, when the 34-year-old left the Mosman home she shares with Karl Stefanovic, 44, she had completely changed her demeanour.

The blonde beauty appeared relaxed, and she grinned broadly while leaving the property.

Not so stressed now! Jasmine Yarbrough appeared all smiles as she left the Mosman home she shares with husband Karl Stefanovic ... just hours after their tense return to Australia

Jasmine was still dressed in the outfit she had worn on the long haul flight back from Aspen, Colorado, but had traded her grey jumper for a basic sleeveless top.

She paired the casual singlet with skin-tight leather trousers and a pair of Adidas sneakers, which retail for $150.00.

The Mara & Mine co-founder's blonde hair was pulled into a loose bun at the nape of her neck.

Happy and relaxed: Jasmine was still dressed in the outfit she had worn on the long haul flight back from Aspen, Colorado. The blonde beauty appeared relaxed, and she grinned broadly

The newlyweds returned home to a media frenzy after it was revealed that Karl had been axed from the Today Show while the pair were meant to be enjoying their honeymoon in Aspen, Colorado.

Karl's departure from the Today show was announced on Wednesday, with Channel Nine confirming that he was parting ways with the breakfast program after almost 14 years in the role.

'For the last 14 years I've co-hosted the best show on television. I can't thank Nine enough for the opportunity. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be good enough to host this grand show for so long,' Karl told Daily Mail Australia in a statement.

Newlywed bliss: Karl and Jasmine were married during a lavish four-day wedding in Mexico earlier this month (pictured on their wedding day)

'Thanks to our viewers mostly, you are what matters most. It's been a tough time. Thanks for hanging in there. I look forward to seeing you in another capacity at this great Network soon.'

Meanwhile, Darren Wick, Director of News and Current Affairs at Channel Nine, confirmed that Karl would be staying with the network and will continue to host This Time Next Year.

Time to go: Karl's departure from the Today show was announced on Wednesday, with Channel Nine confirming that he was parting ways with the breakfast program

'Nine and Karl Stefanovic have agreed it is time for him to step off the Today Show. Karl remains on contract with the network and will continue to host This Time Next Year, which records in February,' Wick said.

'For over 14 years Karl has been at the centre of the Today Show bringing his unique personality and perspective to the day's news and current affairs.

'An announcement on the new line up and format of the Today Show will be made in the coming weeks.'
Twilight alum Kristen Stewart did some last-minute Christmas shopping at the Chanel boutique in Beverly Hills on Thursday with yet another redheaded companion.

It was the same mystery woman the 28-year-old Cesar Award winner was pictured having lunch with in Los Angeles last Friday.

The coy twosome certainly did some damage at the Rodeo Drive store from the number of Chanel shopping bags piled in the backseat.

Close: Twilight alum Kristen Stewart did some last-minute Christmas shopping at the Chanel boutique in Beverly Hills on Thursday with yet another redheaded companion

Intrigue: It was the same mystery woman the 28-year-old Cesar Award winner was pictured having lunch with in Los Angeles last Friday

Kristen even swapped out her blue jean jacket for a classic b&w Chanel cardigan from the French company's cruise 2018/2019 collection.

There's no doubt Stewart received a substantial discount having served as brand ambassador for Karl Lagerfeld's label since 2013.

As the Lizzie actress - who fronted Chanel's Gabrielle perfume campaign in August -browsed the store, her long-haired lady friend was never far behind her.

The former child star - who relies on stylist Tara Swennen - also wore ripped black denim shorts and an Airwalk crop-top with her designer jacket.

Merry Christmas! The coy twosome certainly did some damage at the Rodeo Drive store from the number of Chanel shopping bags piled in the backseat

Quick change! Kristen even swapped out her blue jean jacket for a classic b&w Chanel cardigan from the French company's cruise 2018/2019 collection

Muse: There's no doubt Stewart received a substantial discount having served as brand ambassador for Karl Lagerfeld's label since 2013

Intimate: As the Lizzie actress - who fronted Chanel's Gabrielle perfume campaign in August - browsed the store, her long-haired lady friend was never far behind her

Casual: The former child star - who relies on stylist Tara Swennen - also wore ripped black denim shorts and an Airwalk crop-top with her designer jacket

Rolled out of bed: Kristen sported serious bedhead and she wore black shades over her make-up free complexion

Kristen sported serious bedhead and she wore black shades over her make-up free complexion.

Aside from Stewart's shopping buddy, she's also been hanging out with another flame-haired gal pal, Sara Dinkin.

Earlier on Thursday, the Interpol video vixen had lunch in LA with Sara, who describes herself as 'a style visionary and artistic influencer.'

Meanwhile, the LA native hasn't been pictured with her girlfriend - Lions Model Stella Maxwell - since October, having first canoodled at the Met Gala in 2016.

Not the same woman: Aside from Stewart's shopping buddy, she's also been hanging out with another flame-haired gal pal, Sara Dinkin (R)

Held hands too: Earlier on Thursday, the Interpol video vixen had lunch in LA with Sara, who describes herself as 'a style visionary and artistic influencer'

Still on? Meanwhile, the LA native hasn't been pictured with her girlfriend - Lions Model Stella Maxwell (L) - since October (pictured with Irina Shayk on December 13)

Last Friday, Deadline reported that Universal Pictures 'is near to closing a US distribution rights' to Justin Kelly's hoax drama Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy.

Kristen portrays Savannah Knoop, the woman who pretended to be HIV-positive teenage boy JT Leroy before the literary persona was exposed as her sister-in-law Laura Albert (Laura Dern).

Stewart also recently wrapped Elizabeth Banks' 2019 reboot of Charlie's Angels in Europe on December 11 alongside castmates Ella Balinska and Naomi Scott.

She plays Savannah Knoop: Last Friday, Deadline reported that Universal Pictures 'is near to closing a US distribution rights' to Justin Kelly's hoax drama Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy
Karl Stefanovic was booted off the Today show on Wednesday, with rumours rife that Brenton Ragless could replace him as co-host of the show.

And on Friday, in what could have been an awkward encounter, Brenton, 42, missed Karl by just minutes at Sydney Airport.

Grinning widely as he made his way through the airport with his wife of eight years, Hayley, and their two young sons, Edan and James, Brenton appeared oblivious to the fact Karl had made the exact same walk just minutes earlier.

Awkward! Karl Stefanovic's rumoured Today show replacement Brenton Ragless (pictured) misses the ousted TV host at Sydney Airport by just MINUTES

Brenton -who has been filling in for Karl, 44, on the Today show during his absence - has all but been confirmed to take over permanently from the embattled TV host.

While an official announcement is yet to be made on Karl's replacement, persistent rumours suggest Brenton has been handed the role.

His demeanour while at the airport preparing for an outbound flight certainly suggested he was in possession of some happy news, with the Adelaide newsreader unable to wipe the smile off his face.

Jetting in: Only minutes earlier, Karl Stefanovic (pictured) was seen arriving back in Sydney with his new wife Jasmine Yarbrough on the back of his honeymoon in the US

Something to smile about: The journalist was seen grinning widely as he made his way through the airport with his wife of eight years, Hayley, and their two young sons, Edan and James

With his baby strapped to his front, Brenton appeared to have been in high spirits, as he pulled a small suitcase behind him and carried a blue bag in one hand.

The TV star was dressed casually in jeans and a short-sleeve print shirt.

Only minutes earlier, Karl was seen arriving back in Sydney on the back of his honeymoon in the US following his lavish Mexican wedding earlier this month.

Despite it being announced that he wouldn't be returning to the Today show after 14 years, the beleaguered TV host did his best to put on a brave face for the waiting cameras.

Accompanied by his new wife, Jasmine Yarbrough, 34, Karl attempted to appear upbeat as he pushed a trolley loaded up with suitcases through the airport terminal.

New gig? Brenton - who has been filling in for Karl on the Today show during his absence - has all but been confirmed to take over permanently from the embattled TV host

Top job: While an official announcement is yet to be made on Karl's replacement, persistent rumours suggest Brenton has been handed the role

Fresh talent: In a report published earlier this month, The Australian described Brenton as 'the anti-Karl'

Keeping it together: Despite it being announced that he wouldn't be returning to the Today show after 14 years, the beleaguered TV host did his best to put on a brave face

In a report published earlier this month, The Australian described Brenton as 'the anti-Karl.'

And it appears Brenton has been settling in nicely in the role during Karl's absence.

'It is a bit more light and shade than the news, and it allows a bit more of the old tour guide Brenton Ragless to come out,' Brenton told The Australian.

'I love what I do in Adelaide with the news, but it's nice to come and work with a different format. It's an exposure to a world I've never experienced in Adelaide.'

Something to tell us? Brenton's demeanour while at the airport preparing for an outbound flight certainly suggested he was in possession of some happy news

Clueless: Brenton appeared oblivious to the fact Karl had made the exact same walk just minutes earlier
She recently returned home from a mental health rehabilitation program.

So Selena Gomez was happy to spend an evening out with friends Thursday night at Firefly bar in Studio City, California.

The former Disney Channel talent, 26, was effortlessly elegant in an orange and red Bohemian-patterned duster worn with a chunky, tan infinity scarf.

Night out: Selena Gomez went to meet friends at Firefly bar in Studio City, California on Thursday. Just days prior, she was staying out of the spotlight while in treatment for mental health issues

Appearing coy, she covered part of her face with her scarf.

The star continued her look with a black cotton jumpsuit.



Selena styled her hair long and loose with natural body, also keeping her face clean and fresh.

Patent leather loafers offered the perfect finishing touch.

A bit shy: Appearing coy, she covered part of her face with her scarf

She's a natural! Selena styled her hair long and loose with natural body, also keeping her face clean and fresh

Hippie chic: The former Disney Channel talent, 26, was effortlessly elegant in an orange and red Bohemian-patterned duster

In October, Selena reportedly checked herself into rehab for her mental health.

Her decision followed from issues that arose from her battle with Lupus, which resulted in a kidney transplant, according to E!.

It appears that her time in rehab did her well, as Selena has been seen hiking and tubing with friends.

A source spoke with Us Weekly, and gave an update on the star's health.

Taking care of herself: In October, Selena reportedly checked herself into rehab for her mental health

'Selena is definitely in a healthier place than she was a few months ago. It took lots of energy, focus and therapy to get over that particular hump in her life.'

The site said that the star 'was hospitalized twice in late September for a low white blood cell count in the wake of her 2017 kidney transplant.'

She later suffered a panic attack, which resulted in her voluntary check-in to rehab.
She won hearts with her humble and heartwarming demeanor on Love Island.

And Laura Anderson continued to prove herself to be as gracious and elegant as ever as she hit back at a troll on social media on Thursday after sharing an image from her night out at London's Winter Wonderland.

The 29-year-old Scottish stunner was met with a horrific comment from a troll, who branded her 'ugly, pathetic and desperate', however she responded to the comment with the simple message: 'You're really pretty. Have a good Christmas .'

Moving on: Laura Anderson continued to prove herself to be as gracious and elegant as ever as she hit back at a troll on social media on Thursday after sharing an image from her night out at London's Winter Wonderland

Laura was plagued with cruel comments during her time in Love Island as many fans insisted she looked older than her 29 years in unkind comments.

Despite this, the former air hostess remained defiant as she has been kind in the face of the cruelty - yet again staying gracious.

The latest unkind comment came from a troll, who penned: 'You're ugly Laura and you look about 40 years old with your overly made up face and very obviously fake boobs. You're such a pathetic and desperate woman.'

Fans were supportive of the star: 'Wheres your profile picture! Obviously a munter right! Dont be jel be reem darling. Happy Christmas... what a f**king knob you are! What do you gain from doing this???...

Moving on: The 29-year-old Scottish stunner was met with a horrific comment from a troll, who branded her 'ugly, pathetic and desperate', however she responded to the comment with the simple message: 'You're really pretty. Have a good Christmas'

'WOW!!!! Why even follow @lauraanderson1x if thats what you think! People like you try to pull us independent, confident woman down! You will never win! If you have nothing nice to say dont say anything at all! #jealousyisab***h...

'Well arent you just such a pleasant person gold medal for being d**khead of the day... Dont you know Christmas is about spreading good cheer?'

Laura recently confirmed her romance with fellow Love Island alum Max Morley, 25. At the time, she again hit back at trolls who criticised her for 'looking old' in a passionate Instagram post last month.

Shock: Laura recently confirmed her romance with fellow Love Island alum Max Morley, 25. The star again hit back at trolls who criticised her for 'looking old' in a passionate Instagram post last month

The beauty shared a minimal make-up selfie, with the caption: 'I'm a lil bit fed up of the 'you look old without make up' comments [sic]... 'IM NOT OLD and I've never had a complex about going bare faced. I spent most of my days in the villa like so.'

'Yes I have a little pigmentation hence why Ive been keeping up a healthy skincare regime. Thank you @proformaesthetic for my facials over the years and making me feel beautiful in my own skin. #ILOVEMYFRECKLES #we'realldifferent [sic]'.

Many doting fans were quick to reassure Laura that her make-up free face was beautiful.

One said: 'Do people genuinely link you looking old with freckles?!' Another added: 'You look great with or without make up who cares what others say!' A third commented: 'Wish I looked like that without makeup!'
She's experienced a rollercoaster year.

So Charlotte Dawson decided to see off 2018 in style as she jetted off on a romantic holiday to Spain with boyfriend Matt Sarsfield.

The Ex On The Beach star, 26, looked sensational as she strutted her stuff around the pool on the arm of her beau.

Cute couple: Charlotte Dawson decided to see off 2018 in style as she jetted off on a romantic holiday to Spain with boyfriend Matt Sarsfield

Showcasing her hourglass curves, the reality starlet looked sensational in a hot pink swimsuit with cut out detailing that showed her ample cleavage and taut stomach.

Refusing to tone down her typical glamour for her day by the pool, Charlotte teamed the skimpy one-piece with a pair of towering nude heels and accessorised with oversized sunglasses.

Clearly not planning on a dip in the pool, the Celebs On The Farm star styled her glossy brunette locks in voluminous giant waves and carefully painted her face to highlight her plump pout.

Pretty in pink: The Ex On The Beach star, 26, looked sensational as she strutted her stuff around the pool in her sexy swimwear

Sizzling: Showcasing her hourglass curves, the reality starlet looked sensational in a hot pink swimsuit with cut out detailing that showed her ample cleavage and taut stomach

It's been a year of ups and downs for the reality starlet - who is the daughter of late comedian Les Dawson.

Charlotte launched her own fashion line, Fredafunk in February and gained a new legion of fans with her hilarious stint on Celebs On The Farm over autumn.

However, she also faced heartache when her boyfriend Matt faced jail for punching a stranger outside a club.

Working it: Refusing to tone down her typical glamour for her day by the pool, Charlotte teamed the skimpy one-piece with a pair of towering nude heels

All about the accessories: Charlotte donned a pair of giant oversized sunglasses

Brunette bombshell: Clearly not planning on a dip in the pool, the Celebs On The Farm star styled her glossy brunette locks in voluminous giant waves and carefully painted her face

In August, Matt was left 'sickened' in court, after hearing details of how he drunkenly landed a single blow to Daniel Jackson's bottom lip on April 2 this year, which may leave him with permanent scarring.

He hit the aspiring actor without warning in an unprovoked attack, Wigan and Leigh magistrates heard.

Matt was sentenced to six months in prison which has been suspended for two years, as well as being handed a community order and hefty fine.
Zara McDermott has responded to mean trolls after they cruelly called her a 'fat whale' while using two photos to compare her figure during and after Love Island.

In a candid open letter, the former civil servant, 22, admitted that she used to survive on just one bag of carrots a day when she was a size six.

Zara revealed that she's now curvier at a size eight to ten, but she likes having her boobs and a bum.

Hitting back: Zara McDermott has responded to mean trolls after they cruelly called her a 'fat whale' while using two photos to compare her figure during and after Love Island

Talking to The Sun about the cruel comments over her bikini photos, she said: 'To the trolls who posted so many nasty comments about my weight, I want you to know that before being signed to Love Island, I was almost starving myself and eating just a bag of carrots a day.'

Responding to the 'before' picture of her used in the cruel tweet, Zara revealed that she was so 'unhappy' and had been 'skipping meals for months' after suffering emotional abuse from an ex-boyfriend.

She continued: 'I remember one day, my friends had noticed how my weight had dropped and that I had skipped meals. They took me to Tesco and begged me to pick something to eat.'

Yet Zara picked just a bag of carrots, as she admitted her anxiety caused her to 'barely eat a thing' some days.

Shocking: In a candid open letter, the former civil servant, 22, admitted that she used to survive on just one bag of carrots a day when she was a size six (pictured in 2017)

Beautiful at any size: Zara revealed that she's now curvier at a size eight to ten, but she likes having her boobs and a bum (pictured in 2017, left, and this week, right)

However, the reality star revealed that despite being now in love and happy with her Love Island co-star Adam Collard, she has never received so much hate over her body.

And instead of spending time in the gym, a busy Zara added that she would rather spend her spare time relaxing and enjoying lots of yummy food.

She finished her open letter lamenting that it is 'not OK' for trolls to body-shame people, she added: 'I dont want to sit back and let people abuse me online. For me to call someone out and say they are body-shaming  I hope it makes that person look like an absolute tool.'

As well as using her platform to speak out against fat-shaming and trolls, Zara has also been educating her followers about politics - something she is passionate about.

Cruel: The reality star revealed that despite being now in love and happy with her Love Island co-star Adam Collard, she has never received so much hate over her body

Out and about: Following the chat, she was pictured out and about

On Thursday, the former Government Adviser, who used to work in the Department of Education, appeared on Politics Live to discuss whether reality stars are better role models than politicians.

Debating the topic, she said: 'For me yes and no, I think their intentions are all, I hope, good and trying to do the best thing for their version of society, which differs for each political party.

'However, obviously etiquette in parliament and their behaviour, there needs to be a huge reform on that kind of political landscape in order to set a good example for young people.'

The reality star's responses were met with praise from the panel and in particular fellow panellist Ayesha Hazarika, who said she wanted the 22-year-old to get into politics, she joked: 'We could have our new future!'

Candid: Instead of spending time in the gym, a busy Zara added that she would rather spend her spare time relaxing and enjoying lots of yummy food (pictured recently)
She caused ructions when her rip-off clothing company was launched.

Yet Sam Faiers was shirking the controversy on Thursday as she took to Instagram to share a stunning snap as she held her baby daughter Rosie during their family holiday to the Maldives, alongside her partner Paul Knightley and his mum Gaynor.

The Mummy Diaries star, 27, looked sensational in a nude swimming costume as she showed off her svelte frame while also displaying the idyllic scenery.

Nude ambition: Sam Faiers was shirking the controversy on as she took to Instagram to share a stunning snap as she held her baby daughter Rosie during their family holiday to the Maldives

Sam's 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.

She 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.

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.

Bliss: The Mummy Diaries star, 27, looked sensational in a nude swimming costume as she showed off her svelte frame while also displaying the idyllic scenery

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.'

Clearly extremely enraged by the action, another show watcher commented: '@SamanthaFaiers won't be watching Clearly 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'.'

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

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.

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.

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

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.
United States Defense Secretary James Mattis will retire at the end of February, U.S. President Donald Trump announced via Twitter.

"General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years," Trump wrote.

The U.S. leader promised that a new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly.

Trump added that during Mattiss tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment. According to the president, the general was a great help to him in getting allies and other countries to "pay their share of military obligations."

In his resignation letter, Mattis said he was leaving his post so the president could have a Defense secretary whose views were "better aligned" with his own.

"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues," he wrote. "We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances," NBC cited Mattis as saying.
Dick Van Dyke has admitted he's been ridiculed for his 'atrocious' accent in Mary Poppins for over 60 years.

The 93-year-old legendary actor told the New York Times he's taken the jokes 'on the chin' about his British Cockney accent in the iconic 1964 film where he played jack-of-all-trades Bert.

He said: 'I've taken it on the chin for 60 years about my atrocious Cockney accent in the first movie.'

Hilarious: Dick Van Dyke has admitted he's been ridiculed for his 'atrocious' accent in Mary Poppins for over 60 years

Dick then added that the poor reception meant he had to receive vigorous voice training for his role in the sequel Mary Poppins Returns, where he plays elderly banker Mr. Dawes Jr.

He added: 'No one has ever forgotten it. Because of that, they had a language gal almost handcuffed to me. She made me sound pretty good. They won't laugh at me on this one.'

Mary Poppins Returns has been one of the most anticipated films of the year, as Emily Blunt takes over the role of the iconic nanny.

Not so good: The 93-year-old actor told the New York Times he's taken the jokes 'on the chin' about his British Cockney accent in the iconic 1964 film where he played Bert

Dick went onto explain that Emily took more inspiration from the version of Mary first portrayed in the series of books published by P. L. Travers, who famously disliked the original film adaptation due to its overly fantastical elements.

The Diagnosis Murder star added that he thinks the Australian author would have been happier with this newer version of Mary.

So far the sequel has earned a rapturous reception from critics and audiences, with Emily Blunt being appropriately branded 'practically perfect in every way.'

Sensational: Dick also make an appearance in the sequel Mary Poppins Returns, where he plays Mr Dawes. Jr

The actress previously spoke about Dick's role in the film, where he basically plays the son of the elderly Mr Dawes. Sr, who he also played in the original film.

She said on The Graham Norton show: 'Dick is so lithe nobody could believe that it is him actually dancing.

'We all sat around him like kids wanting to know all about the original. He is so instantly magical, positive and so full of life, it was very moving having him around. It was very special.'
Hollywood's brightest got in the holiday spirit with a little help from James Cordon.

Ariana Grande, Cardi B, Paul McCartney and more superstars joined the host of The Late Late Show for a special festive edition of Carpool Karaoke on Thursday.

Lending their vocal talents to the classic Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), celebrities such as Barbra Streisand, Adam Levine, and Migos surprised fans with the impromptu mashup.

Festive fun: Michael Buble joined the host of The Late Late Show James Cordon for a special festive edition of Carpool Karaoke on Thursday.

Cordon began the segment sitting in his automobile voicing concerns for his sour Christmas mood.

Classic crooner Michael Buble suddenly appeared in a Santa hat and holiday sweater to lift his spirits.

The two handsome bucks high five each other and begin their rendition of the song as the back seat is filled with colorful wrapped gifts.

Belt it out: Ariana Grande showcased her vocal talents for the classic Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

Clap back: A joyfully clapping Cardi B rocks a yellow business suit as she adds her signature purr to the mix

Fully loaded: Migos - including Cardi B's ex beau Offset - break in down in the backseat

A joyfully clapping Cardi B rocks a yellow business suit as she adds her signature purr to the mix.

McCartney plays it straight as he shares soothing singing voice.

Migos - including Cardi B's ex beau Offset - break in down in the backseat.

Classic: Paul McCartney plays it straight as he shares soothing singing voice

Joyful noise: Adam Levine was a superstar

Legend: Barbra Streisand looked magnificent as she ends her dulcet tones by adding a 'Happy Hanukkah!'

Handsome Shawn Mendes rocks a simple black tee as he gives a soulful rendition.

Streisand looks magnificent as she ends her dulcet tones by adding a 'Happy Hanukkah!'

And Cordon leaves Christina Aguilera for the end to showcase her powerhouse vocals as she looks fresh faced and gorgeous rocking a denim jacket.

Stud siger: Handsome Shawn Mendes rocks a simple black tee as he gives a soulful rendition
She recently returned from a luxury beach break in the UAE.

But Montana Brown seemed to be pining for the sunshine as she uploaded a throwback holiday snap to Instagram on Friday.

The Love Island star, 23, flaunted her toned body in a skimpy black bikini as she posed up a storm in the snap from her trip to Dubai earlier this month.

Booty-ful: Montana Brown looked relaxed as she showcased her peachy bottom in a throwback photo from her holiday in Dubai in a snap posted to her Instagram on Friday

The reality TV personality stood with her back to the camera as she gazed into the distance from behind a pair of sunglasses.

Proving she wanted all attention on her posterior, the beauty captioned the photo: bottoms up to her 1.3 million fans.

The starlet swept her raven locks into a low bun that sat at the nape of her neck for her day of basking in the sunshine.

Montana posted a similar image during her trip away which showed her face on towards the camera.

Poolside: The Love Island star, 23, flaunted her toned body in a skimpy black bikini as she posed up a storm in a similar shot posted earlier this month

The snap shared on December 1 showed the stunner's washboard stomach and enviable legs.

She tagged her itsy bitsy bikini in the post and revealed that it was from Kendall and Kylie Jenner's swimwear range.

Montana is happily loved-up with new beau, model Elliot Reeder, who she sparked up a romance with last year.

The Love Island alumni and Elliott have been dating for almost a year after bonding over their shared loves of fitness and travelling.

Fun in the sun: The TV personality tagged her itsy bitsy bikini in the post and revealed that it was from Kendall and Kylie Jenner's swimwear range

It appears to be a happy ending for the raven-haired beauty, after her Love Island romance with Alex Beattie failed to last more than a few weeks after leaving the villa.

Montana recently said she '100 per cent' regrets having sex with Alex on TV during her stint on the ITV2 show.

Speaking to Fubar Radio hosts Lizzie Cundy and Mark Byron about her decision to have sex on TV, Montana said: 'I 100 per cent wish I didn't do it. I wasn't in love and I didn't stay with him for very long.'

The brunette also admitted she and former flame Alex don't keep in touch, adding: 'With him?! Absolutely no way!'

Loved up: Montana is happily loved-up with new beau, model Elliot Reeder, who she sparked up a romance with last year




They have jetted to Dubai for some last-minute winter sun ahead of Christmas.

And Adam Thomas and his wife Caroline couldn't resist keeping their fans updated on Instagram with a slew of family snaps of their luxurious break.

The soap star, 30, treated his four-year-old son Teddy and his seven-month-old daughter, Elsie-Rose, to the holiday of a lifetime as they stayed at the famous five-star hotel, Atlantis.

Holidaying in style: Adam Thomas and his wife Caroline couldn't resist keeping their fans updated on Instagram with a slew of family snaps during their luxurious break to Dubai

Adam shared a sweet snap of Caroline and Elsie in matching swimwear as they enjoyed a swim in one of the hotel's many pools. He simply captioned it 'my girls'.

In another picture, Elsie and Teddy roared with laughter as they played in a sand pit with a crocodile statue for company.

On Thursday evening, the family enjoyed a spot of sight-seeing with Adam proudly snapping his son at some of the city's famous landmarks.

Besotted: Adam shared a sweet snap of Caroline and Elsie in matching swimwear as they enjoyed a swim in one of the hotel's many pools. He simply captioned it 'my girls'

Amazing: The soap star, 30, treated his son Teddy, four, and his seven-month-old daughter, Elsie-Rose, to the holiday of a lifetime as they stayed at the famous five-star hotel, Atlantis

Cute: The couple looked every inch the doting parents in the sweet family snaps

Angelic: On Thursday evening the family enjoyed a spot of sight-seeing with Adam proudly snapping his son at some of the city's famous landmarks

They then headed to an open air cinema where they tucked into pizza and observed a stunning fireworks display.

The family are currently residing in the sprawling 800million resort boasting a 13,000-a-night suite and dolphins flown in from the South Pacific, all atop a palm tree-shaped island.

The resort contains a giant open-air tank with 65,000 fish, stingrays and other sea creatures and a dolphinarium with more than two dozen bottlenose dolphins flown in, amid controversy, from the Solomon Islands.

But the hotel's top floor aims squarely at the ultra-wealthy. A three-bedroom, three-bathroom suite complete with gold-leaf 18-seat dining table is on offer for 13,000 a night.

They then headed to an open air cinema where they tucked into pizza and observed a stunning fireworks display

The holiday comes after Caroline spoke about her joy of welcoming a younger sister for the couple's son Teddy in OK! Magazine.

'Im so happy I have a girl, because now I have one of each,' she wrote. 'Myself and Adam have discussed it, and now theres no pressure to have another one because I think if this baby had been a boy, wed have tried again to have a girl.'

However, Caroline admitted that she has endured ill health this time, explaining: 'I loved being pregnant first time round, but at the start of my second pregnancy I was really unwell. I was a little bit sick when I was pregnant with Ted, but I could still get on with things, but this time round Ive been so poorly.'

Doting mum: Caroline previously spoke about her joy of welcoming a younger sister for the couple's son Teddy

Wow: The family are currently residing in the sprawling 800million resort boasting a 13,000-a-night suite and dolphins flown in from the South Pacific

Breathtaking: The resort contains a giant open-air tank with 65,000 fish, stingrays and other sea creatures and a dolphinarium with more than two dozen bottlenose dolphins

Having fun: They then headed to an open air cinema where they tucked into pizza and observed a stunning fireworks display

Happily married: Adam and Caroline tied the knot in a romantic ceremony held at Delamere Manor, Cheshire, on August 27, 2017

Adam and Caroline tied the knot in a romantic ceremony held at Delamere Manor, Cheshire, on August 27, 2017.

Meanwhile, Adam's twin brother Ryan is said to be 'in pieces' after his girlfriend Lucy Mecklenburgh was pictured putting on a cosy display with a mystery man in a Dubai nightclub.

Insiders revealed to MailOnline the former Coronation Street actor, 34, is devastated by her actions yet believes her version of events that she was merely saying goodbye to a pal and was overly tactile due to drink.

A source said: 'He is in pieces over the video  really upset. He's a pretty forgiving guy and knows how tactile Lucy can be but this footage seems a little more than someone saying goodbye.'

However Lucy has remained defiant in the face of her ongoing scandal, in which she was spotted getting close to a mystery man in a Dubai nightclub.
She was reportedly given a 'legal warning' advising her to stop 'attacking her ex-husband's new girlfriend' via social media earlier this year.

Yet Lisa Armstrong made her thoughts about Ant McPartlin and Anne-Marie Corbett very clear after she liked a tweet claiming they are 'mocking' her on Twitter on Friday.

The Strictly Come Dancing make-up artist, 42, was responding to pictures published of the new couple during a walk in Wimbledon on Thursday.

Hitting back: Lisa Armstrong made her thoughts about Ant McPartlin and Anne-Marie Corbett very clear after she liked a tweet claiming they are 'mocking' her on Twitter on Friday

During their festive outing, Ant's new girlfriend, Anne-Marie, wore a cheeky top reading 'HIIT happens' - a tongue-in-cheek reference to the term 's**t happens'.

And Lisa has appeared to have taken offence over the item of clothing as she liked a tweet which called the fashion statement 'immature' and that it's making a 'mockery' out of her.

It read: 'There's absolutely No reason to wear a top with HIIT HAPPENS on it. She is mocking YOU Lisa. That much is true.

'It's been a year next month and they need to move on w/out acting immature. Merry Christmas Lisa. A brand New year beckons for you....'

Not impressed: The Strictly Come Dancing make-up artist, 42, was responding to pictures published of the new couple during a walk in Wimbledon on Thursday (pictured in September)

'Immature': During their festive outing, Anne-Marie wore a cheeky top reading 'HIIT happens' - with Lisa appearing to have taken offence over the item of clothing and liking this tweet

In October, Ant and Lisa's divorce was finalised, after eleven years of marriage, in a 30-second hearing after he admitted adultery with his new girlfriend Anne-Marie.

The I'm a Celeb host and his teenage sweetheart had been together for 23 years and married in 2006 but announced the end of their marriage in January.

Court documents revealed that McPartlin had 'committed adultery' and that his former wife found it 'intolerable to live with' the TV star.

Under divorce laws, Ant technically had to admit adultery because he was still married when the relationship began.

Moving on: In October, Ant and Lisa's divorce was finalised, after eleven years of marriage, in a 30-second hearing after he admitted adultery with his new girlfriend Anne-Marie

Meanwhile, after the hearing in October, Lisa was reportedly issued a 'legal warning' advising her to stop 'attacking Anne-Marie' via social media and responding to negative tweets.

At the time, a source told The Sun: 'Its getting increasingly bitter. After everything Lisa has been through she feels so angry and hurt.

'Lisa was at a very low point earlier in the summer when she realised their marriage was over and felt betrayed when Ant admitted he was in a relationship with Anne-Marie, who she thought was her friend.

'She was inundated with supportive comments on social media. She liked some posts but she didnt expect a legal warning.'

MailOnline contacted a representative for Lisa at the time.

However, despite the alleged 'legal warning', Lisa was seen hitting the 'heart' symbol underneath tweets just hours after.
Dad blogger LadBaby has beaten Ariana Grande to Christmas number one, after releasing a novelty single to raise money for charity.

YouTuber Mark Hoyle, 31, from West Bridgford, Nottingham unexpectedly stormed up the charts with 'We Built This City...On Sausage Rolls', a parody of the 1985 Starship song.

After the announcement on Friday, Mark revealed he was 'speechless and lost for words' over the shock victory, which also saw him fight off Ava Max to the top spot.

Winner! Dad blogger LadBaby who had never sung before WON Christmas No. 1 with charity single about sausage rolls, it was revealed on Friday... after beating Ariana Grande to top spot

Mark took the crown over Ariana's Thank U, Next and Avas Sweet But Psycho, which had been tipped to win after taking a mid-week lead.

In a message to his fans, Mark told OfficialCharts.com: 'Thank you everybody in the UK who has got [the song] to the top.

'I cant thank you enough, not only for downloading the song but for raising money for such an incredible charity.

'Im honestly speechless and lost for words. Thank you so much. Yes mate!'

Tough competition: Mark took the crown over Ariana's Thank U, Next and Avas Sweet But Psycho, which had been tipped to win after taking a mid-week lead

Ecstatic: He revealed that he's 'speechless and lost for words' over the shock victory, which also saw him fight off Ava Max to the top spot

Mark recorded the ode to sausage rolls, as opposed to rock and roll, with his wife Roxanne and their two sons, and proceeds from the single will go to The Trussell Trust, which supplies food banks.

According to the Official Charts Company, the song sold 75,000 combined sales in the last week, of which 93% were downloads.

This meant it finished 18,500 units ahead of Maxs Sweet But Psycho, which claimed runner-up, while Ariana's single was forced into third place, after reaching number one last weekend.

The track is the first novelty song to become Christmas number one since Bob The Builders Can We Fix It? in 2000.

Gushing: In a message to his fans, Hyde told OfficialCharts.com: 'I cant thank you enough, not only for downloading the song but for raising money for such an incredible charity'

Mark's win is all the more remarkable as he has never sung before in his life - even at karaoke - and initially recorded the single as a joke.

'Im not someone that sings in the shower, which everyone can probably hear if theyve listened to the song,' the father-of-two told Femail on Thursday.

'There's no doubting my voice isnt quite as good as Arianas, but if we can knock a megastar off the top spot with a sausage roll and raise money for charity at the same time, then brilliant.'

Impressive: Mark's win is all the more remarkable as he has never sung before in his life - even at karaoke - and initially recorded the single as a joke

Sweet: The comical dad blogger, pictured with his son Phoenix, two, gained millions of fans after posting Ladbaby videos of the antics of being a first-time parent

Mark and his wife Roxanne have amassed more than 470,000 followers on YouTube by chronicling the trials and tribulations of raising their sons Phoenix Forest and Kobe Notts.

They share hilarious videos about parenting and budgeting on YouTube, Facebook and other social media platforms.

And the idea for the charity single all started as a joke, too.

'About six months ago, someone who follows my LadBaby blog and knew my love for sausage rolls tweeted me as a joke,' explained Mark.

Making his mark: The track is the first novelty song to become Christmas number one since Bob The Builders Can We Fix It? in 2000

Hilarious: In the music video, Mark's unsuspecting wife Roxanne looks shocked to find him behind a microphone, before exclaiming: 'You can't sing!' Then she joins in the fun

'He was like, one day you should release this song. I just laughed it off but then downloaded the original version and started playing it for my little boy Phoenix, who was two at the time. He loved it. I thought, if hes up for it, then so am I. It just snowballed from there.

In the video for 'We Built this City...On Sausage Rolls', Mark's unsuspecting wife Roxanne walks into a recording to find him behind the microphone.

'You can't sing!' she exclaims, to which he replies: 'Don't worry about that  we'll tune it or whatever!'.

Singing about one of the public's favourite pastries, the lyrics include: 'If you've never had one, And don't recognise the taste.

'It's a cylindrical bit of pork wrapped, In a puff pastry case.'

Candid: Before his win was revealed, Mark said: 'My voice isnt quite as good as Arianas, but if we can knock a megastar off the top spot with a sausage roll...then brilliant'

But while the whole concept of singing about a sausage roll may be a joke, the charity single comes with a serious message.

There are 14 million people in the UK live below the poverty line. 4 million of these are children,' reads the shocking statistics which flash up on the screen.

And the profits are being donated to The Trussell Trust - which aims to stop hunger in the UK. It's a charity very close to Mark's heart.

About two years ago, when we first became parents, we had to go down to a single-parent income,' said the blogger.

Success: Mark also took the crown over Avas Sweet But Psycho, which had been tipped to win after taking a mid-week lead

'It was something we wasnt prepared for. We really did struggle for a long while. We never actually used a food bank but we were on the verge and had to do some research into it. Thankfully we were fortunate not to ever need one, but we know what its like trying to struggle to make ends meet.'

While celebrities haven't got in touch to share their support, Mark's been overwhelmed by the positive reaction he's received from the public.

'We dont need celebritieswell do this with the people, he said.

Family matter: In the song, and video, Mark's amused wife Roxanne joins in the song - along with their sons Phoenix Forest and Kobe Notts

And no matter what the outcome tomorrow, Mark and Roxanne will be celebrating.

'Today Ive been the most popular Ive ever been in my life,' Mark joked. 'Whatever the result, my wife will make us get a takeaway. She loves that  any excuse.

'Ill no doubt have a fridge full of sausage rolls because anyone I meet has given me one.

'Were going to have a lot of eating and well put the kids to bed and pop open some bubbly to celebrate.

Going all out: In the video, the comedy family blogger poses on a piano while chowing down on a sausage roll, while his wife Roxanne starts to hit some keys

Adorable: Mark was joined by his son in the music video, who seemed excited to sing along

Outside of the pitched battle for number one, Mariah Careys festive hit All I Want For Christmas Is You took fourth place - as it did last year, while Halseys Without You placed fifth.

Last Christmas by Wham! reentered at seven while Grande featured again as her most recent single Imagine entered at number eight.

The Pogues Fairytale Of New York sat at 11, Band Aids Do They Know Its Christmas? took 13 and Michael Bubles Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas claimed 16.

Still on top: On the Christmas albums chart, the cast recording of The Greatest Showman won a festive number one with its strongest week of sales since its release in December last year

Over on the Christmas albums chart, the cast recording of The Greatest Showman scored a festive number one with its strongest week of sales since its release in December last year.

It sold 69,000 combined units to claim its 23rd non-consecutive week at number one, the recording has not exited the top five once this year and went five times platinum this week, according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

It fought off competition from Michael Bubles Love, which took second place, and George Ezras Staying At Tamaras which took third.
She is known for her cool retro chic whenever she hits the town.

And Dita Von Teese displayed her fashionista style credentials even as she enjoyed a casual outing in Hollywood on Thursday.

The 46-year-old burlesque dancer was spotted while out shopping, clad in a 1950's inspired gown with a knee-grazing hemline.

On point: Dita Von Teese displayed her fashionista style credentials even as she enjoyed a casual outing in Hollywood on Thursday

Adding some glitz to her ensemble, Dita slipped her hourglass curves into the elegant black dress while donning a chic silver heart brooch.

The beauty's dark tresses were in an intricate up-do and she painted her lips a robust red, adding to her outfit's classic feel.

Matching her vibrant red nails to her makeup look, Dita accessorised with a large black bag and lace-up shoes.

Ageless beauty: The 46-year-old burlesque dancer was spotted while out shopping, clad in a 1950's inspired gown with a knee-grazing hemline

Last month, Dita returned to her Burlesque roots as she performed an intimate show at central London venue The Box Soho.

The show was part of her The Art of the Teese tour, which took place in city across Europe in October and November.

Speaking about her new tour after the full roster of dates were announced last year, the dancer admitted she was delighted to be returning to the stage.

'Its always a thrill to create new acts, exploring new ideas that capture the spirit of vintage burlesque that we love, but in ways that havent ever been seen before,' she said in an official statement.

All hail the Queen! Dita returned to her Burlesque roots as she performed an intimate show at central London venue The Box Soho, last month

'It was especially enjoyable to infuse elements of Absolut Elyxs fabulous style with the ideas for the new acts. People know me for my cocktail glass acts, so it was fun to create one around the glamorous and whimsical copper imagery that is instantly recognizable with their brand.'

She added: I cant wait for fans to see the new costumes, which are blinding sparkly, thanks to my favorite designers and Swarovski.

'Im especially fired up to be bringing my show to cities Ive never performed before!'

The Michigan-born beauty wrapped up the tour earlier this week with a show in Prague. She also said she be hitting the road again in 2019.
They announced they were expecting their first child together back in September.

And Richard Gere enjoyed a beach day with his wife Alejandra Silva earlier in the week in Miami.

The 69-year-old actor kept things casual in a blue cotton shirt and was seen walking back from the shore.

Day out: Richard Gere was spotted enjoying a day at the beach with his pregnant wife Alejandra Silva in Miami on Wednesday

Richard - who used to be married to Cindy Crawford and Carey Lowell - teamed the look with a pair of darker blue shorts and carried his slides while walking barefoot.

He accessorised with a cap and appeared loved-up beside his wife.

Alejandra flaunted a hint of her baby bump during the lovely outing on Wednesday.

Keeping things casual: Richard teamed the look with a pair of darker blue shorts and carried his slides while walking barefoot

Gorgeous: Alejandra flaunted a hint of her baby bump during the lovely outing on Wednesday

She stunned in a maxi dress and kept warm with a light long sleeve denim shirt over the top.

She wore a pair of flip slops and shades while appearing to be makeup free.

Richard is preparing to welcome his second child, first with this third wife Alejandra.

Alejandra shared a photo of herself and husband Gere meeting the Dalai Lama - who put his hand on her bump to bless the unborn child. Gere is a long-term friend of the Dalai Lama, Tibets exiled spiritual leader.

Baby news! Alejandra shared a photo of herself and husband Gere meeting the Dalai Lama - who put his hand on her bump to bless the unborn child. Gere is a long-term friend of the Dalai Lama, Tibets exiled spiritual leader

A Buddhist himself, Gere is a a prominent advocate for human rights in Tibet - something he says led to him being blacklisted in Hollywood. His support for the state also led to him being banned from entering China.

Their baby news comes after screen icon Richard tied the knot with Alejandra in April, after four years together.

Respected Madrid-based daily newspaper ABC broke the news of Geres wedding to the pretty Spaniard, 33 years his junior, earlier this year.

Richard was previously married to Cindy Crawford between 1991-1995 and Carey Lowell between 2002-2016.

Carey and Richard are parents to 18-year-old son Homer James Jigme Gere.
She is never one to disappoint on the fashion front.

And showcasing her style credentials as she stepped out with her Coronation Street co-stars in Manchester on Friday night, Lucy Fallon stunned in snakeskin print shirt dress and court heels.

The beauty, 23, was joined by a glamorous looking Bhavna Limbachia and I'm A Celebrity's Sair Khan, as the girls celebrated Victoria Ekanoye's birthday.

So chic: Lucy Fallon stunned in snakeskin shirt dress and court heels as she stepped out with her Coronation Street co-stars in Manchester on Friday night

Lucy made sure she was dressed to impress for the occasion and slipped into a stylish statement frock for the evening - choosing to accentuate her slender frame by cinching in her dress at the waist with a leather belt.

She teamed her frock with a chic pair of olive green court heels and kept the chillier temperatures at bay with a furry-lined leather jacket.

The beauty wore her blonde locks down in a straightened style and completed her evening look with immaculate make-up.

Lucy, who plays Bethany Platt on the ITV soap, appeared in high spirits for her night out on the town with her female co-stars, and was later joined by her boyfriend of two years Tom Leech.

Girls just wanna have fun: The beauty, 23, was joined by a glamorous looking Bhavna Limbachia (R) as the Corrie girls put on a stylish display while enjoying a fun night in the city

Gorgeous: Lucy slipped into a stylish statement frock for the evening - choosing to accentuate her slender frame by cinching in her dress at the waist with a leather belt

Tom cut a dapper figure in light-wash jeans and a shearling-lined coat and was pictured holding hands with Lucy as they strolled through the city centre together.

Their appearance comes after Lucy recently opened up about the duo's relationship, telling OK! magazine that she is in no rush to marry her beau.

The soap star joked: 'Were like an old married couple already!

Her partner Tom insisted marriage 'might be a while yet', explaining how he has yet to pick a ring, revealing: 'I do get asked about when Im planning to propose a lot when were out with Lucys co-stars.'

He added: 'After a few drinks, its only a matter of time before one of them sidles up to me and says: "So?" and points at their ring finger with raised eyebrows!

Sweet: Lucy, who plays Bethany Platt on the ITV soap, appeared in high spirits for her night out on the town with her co-stars, and was later joined by her boyfriend of two years Tom Leech

Beaming: I'm A Celebrity star Sair Khan (L) stunned in suede knee-high boots as she flashed a smile alongside Nicola Thorp (R)

'I need to get a ring first, though, and depending on what Lucy is expecting, that might be a while yet!

Meanwhile, the pair were joined by Lucy's close pal Sair Khan - who featured on this year's series of I'm A Celebrity, later won by Harry Redknapp.

Sair stunned in an all-black ensemble and sultry suede knee-high boots. She flashed a smile as she cosied up to birthday girl Victoria (who plays Angie Appleton on Coronation Street).

Bhavana Limbachia, meanwhile, looked sensational in her tailored getup that paired together a risque pair of leather trousers and a fitted double breasted blazer.

The raven-haired beauty wore her dark tresses up into a chic topknot and offset her ensemble with a bold red lip.

Smile! Sair stunned in an all-black ensemble as she cosied up to birthday girl Victoria (who plays Angie Appleton on Coronation Street)

Birthday girl: Victoria looked lovely in a stylish olive green frock that came complete with a mesh overlay

Strutting along in a pair of black pointed heels, Bhavana beamed as she met up with her co-stars for a fun-filled evening together.

She is best known for her role as Rana Habeeb on ITV's Corrie and her character's relationship with Faye Brookes character Kate Connor in the soap.

The lesbian couple are fan favourites on the soap, but were recently caught at the centre of a controversy on the show, as Coronation Street was criticised for being 'homophobic' by viewers.

Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom received 66 complaints from Coronation Street viewers, after fans lambasted the girls' latest storyline, which has seen Rana and Kate split, after Kate attempted to seduce Adam Barlow in her bid to have a baby.

The fallout led to scenes which saw Rana furiously dump Kate after hearing of her secret plot, and many fans branded the episode's conclusion 'inexcusable'.

Delight! Bhavana Limbachia looked sensational in her tailored getup that paired together a risque pair of leather trousers and a fitted double breasted blazer

Glamorous: The raven-haired beauty wore her dark tresses up into a chic topknot and offset her ensemble with a bold red lip

Fans saw Kate reach breaking point in her quest to have a baby, breaking down in tears as she told Rana she wanted a child to fill the space in her life that had been left by her brother Aidan's suicide earlier this year.

After Rana admitted she wasn't ready to be a parent, Kate tried to seduce lawyer Adam (Sam Robertson) in an attempt to fall pregnant.

While she originally kept her true intentions a secret, Adam rumbled Kate's plan when she refused his offer on contraception, leading him to pull away in disgust.

As Kate made an embarrassed exit, she was soon rumbled by Rana's brother Imran, who spotted her kiss with Adam in the middle of the Street. This led to a furious row with Rana, who decided enough was enough and dumped Kate for being unfaithful.

The storyline led to furious complaints from many viewers who branded the plot everything from 'inexcusable' to 'disgusting.'

They penned on Twitter: 'Having a lesbian character who has never once shown attraction to men suddenly seduce and kiss a man is incredibly irresponsible.

Shocking: Corrie viewers were appalled by recent scenes which saw Kate (Faye Brookes) seduce Adam Barlow as part of a desperate attempt to fall pregnant

Furious: When Kate's fiance Rana (played by Bhavana) discovered she had cheated on her, the nurse proceeded to break off their engagement, dumping her in rage

'It enforces a homophobic rhetoric that lesbians can be 'fixed' and become heterosexual in the 'right' circumstances. Shame on @itvcorrie.'

'Because of your disgusting scenes tonight I nearly had a panic attack. Yes, a physical reaction your disgusting homophobia.

In light of the complaints, a spokesperson for Ofcom has said: 'We are assessing these complaints against our broadcasting rules, before deciding whether or not to investigate.'

Meanwhile, producer Iain MacLeod said on Tuesday, in response to the backlash: 'Kate was out of her mind with grief for Aidan and thinks shes lost Rana. She came to her senses before going through with it.

'Shes gay, and loves Rana, and cant believe she nearly let her grief-fueled obsession for a baby almost lead her into betraying who she is and making the biggest mistake of her life.'

It remains to be seen how the rest of the storyline will play out, and fans will be left hoping whether Kate and Rana can patch it up in time for the festive season.
It is her first Christmas as a big sister.

So Dusty Rose read up on family holiday traditions with a little help from her dad Adam Levine on Friday.

The daddy and daughter duo were spotted out for a stroll together in Los Angeles.

Daddy daughter duo: Adam Levine and daughter Dusty Rose were spotted out for a stroll together in Los Angeles on Friday

The Maroon 5 frontman, 39, rocked a cosy ensemble of blue Jordan sweatpants and a matching hoodie, and blue and white Jordan sneakers.

His two-year-old looked darling in a pink hoodie of her own with tiny matching pink trainers, with a red tutu skirt.

After visiting a coffee shop, Adam purchased the tot a new book: Dyno Dinosaur Family Christmas Adventures.

The youngster seemed inpressed with the selection, happily leafing through it as her dad pushed her stroller.

Cosy: The Maroon 5 frontman, 39, rocked a cosy ensemble of blue Jordan sweatpants and a matching hoodie, and blue and white Jordan sneakers

Not present for the outing was Dusty's mom  model Behati Prinsloo  nor her new ten-month-old little sister Gio Grace.

The 30-year-old Victoria's Secret Angel told Us Weekly earlier this month about the family's Christmas plans.

'Adam is obviously born and raised in LA, so thankfully, we stay here and we do our thing,' she said.

'Me and Adam host a Christmas party every Christmas Eve and then we do Christmas Day with his grandparents, so its kind of all over the place between his mom, his dad. Everybody lives in LA, so we kind of split our time between the two families.'

Reading up: After visiting a coffee shop, Adam purchased the tot a new book: Dyno Dinosaur Family Christmas Adventures

The Namibian-born stunner said her eldest has been getting into the Christmas spirit.

'Dusty just all of a sudden got very excited about the tree, very excited about Santa. Scared to sit on his lap, but excited to get something from him,' she shared.

'But yeah, theyre still young, so its hard for me to get them excited about these things. Next year, I think, when shes three, shell tell me what she wants.'
Russian oil companies will cut their output proportionally with an agreed total volume of 228,000 barrels per day, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said.

Russian companies confirmed their willingness to participate voluntarily in the framework of joint actions by the OPEC and non-OPEC producers, Novak said after a meeting with Russian producers, Xinhua reported.

Earlier this month, the OPEC and non-OPEC producers agreed to cut crude oil production by a total of 1.2 million bpd from January 2019 for an initial period of six months. The OPEC members will contribute 0.8 million bpd and non-OPEC members, including Russia, will contribute 0.4 million bpd from the October level.
Gretchen Rossi has decorated her California mansion to the hilt for Christmas.

And this week the Real Housewives Of Orange County star showed off her winter wonderland on Instagram while in a robe and Santa hat.

This comes after the 40-year-old announced she's expecting her first child with longtime partner Slade Smiley, 50. She shared the news on The Doctors.

Christmas time: Gretchen Rossi has decorated her California mansion to the hilt for Christmas. And this week the Real Housewives Of Orange County star showed off her winter wonderland on Instagram while in a robe and Santa hat

New path: This comes after the 40-year-old announced she's expecting her first child with longtime partner Slade Smiley, 50. She shared the news on The Doctors. Seen in April

Her home seemed to have every inch covered in Christmas decor.

The theme was white, gold and beige throughout her place.

There were decorations in the dining room, living room - where the fireplace mantle got a nice treatment - and kitchen.

The couple gave an update on their fertility battle to The Doctors' OB/GYN Dr. Nita Landry, who asked how things had been since Gretchen had an embryo implanted seven weeks prior.

Grand: Her home seemed to have every inch covered in Christmas decor. The theme was white, gold and beige throughout her place

Looks great: There were decorations in the dining room, living room - where the fireplace mantle got a nice treatment - and kitchen

'Finally, we have news that we are pregnant!' Gretchen, 41, told Dr. Landry.

'And were freaked out but in a good way,' Slade added.

In a flashback clip the couple were seen sitting at a booth together as they got the happy news in a phone call from their fertility doctor.

'Its been such an emotional journey for us. Because of that, its brought us so much closer together,' Gretchen added.

Warm: 'Love coming down the stairs to this view every morning! Even though I want to puke every morning (pregnancy struggles) seeing this makes me feel better,' she said

The overjoyed couple told People: 'It's pretty exciting that we have our little Christmas miracle,'

The blonde beauty revealed she's suffering with morning sickness which doesn't just hit her at the start of the day.

'I think they lie to you when they tell you youre gonna get morning sickness. They lie to you  its all day sickness! But the good news is that my doctor told me thats actually a good sign.'

Happy holidays: She also said, 'Thanks for all the love on my Holiday Decor! Yes I do it all myself! I have just always loved designing a space and decorating! Getting so many requests of where I shop and where I find a lot of the items in my home, so I have starting linking them in my instastory for you guys;

The couple - who will celebrate 10 years together in February - will be welcoming their new addition in July 2019.

It will be Slade's third child as he already has two sons; Grayson and Gavin from a previous relationship.

Over the summer Gretchen discussed her struggle to conceive a child after Slade reversed his vasectomy and the duo underwent several rounds of IVF treatment.

Good details: Rossi added, 'You can also click the link in my bio then click shop your likes to find the picture you like from my feed and shop it! Hope this helps! Swipe left!'

In a podcast the 40-year-old Real Housewives of Orange County star got candid as she discussed her ongoing fertility treatment and the depression she has dealt with during the 'arduous' process.

'Sadly, we lost 14 embryos six hours before they were going to implant in me, so that was beyond devastating,' Gretchen recalled of her first round of treatment on the Jeff Lewis Live podcast.

'Took about a year and a half for me to get through that and the depression.' she added.

When Jeff suggested the incident sounded 'suspect' Gretchen agreed, adding that the loss hit her very hard, 'I dont really know exactly what happened,

'I think I was in bed for days crying. It was just really, really hard.'

Future: There were three stockings - one for her, one for Slade and one for the baby

Slade added: 'It wasn't even the term, "You lost them." It was that everything arrested. So basically, everything just died,'

'It wasn't like [they] thawed  it was a fresh transfer. She had just recently had the eggs withdrawn, so it was just basically growing at that point.'

Slade - who already has two children from a previous relationship - had his vasectomy reversed in an effort to increase the couple's odds of conceiving.

Before the reversal Slade went through another surgery which involved taking sperm directly from the tissue in his testicle.

'I still walk with a limp, it's been four years,' Slade joked.

'He went through that first major surgery, and we [had] six vials of his sperm. And then we went back and we did a [vasectomy] reversal for us, to see if we can just try to get pregnant naturally,' she said. 'And he did that. And we tried for 18 months and that didn't work, sadly.'

Their latest leg of IVF started in January and Gretchen says they have five vials of sperm left and no intention of quitting, despite the physical toll it's taking on her body.

'I am bloated, I am tired, I am 10 lbs. overweight,' she said. 'You get a lot of cellulite. I have cellulite  on the back of my arms, on my stomach, on the back of my legs  that Ive never had before. But youre pumping yourself with a ton of hormones. And its just been a very arduous process.'

'Finally we're pregnant!': Rossi has revealed she's expecting her first child with partner Slade Smiley on The Doctors

Gretchen proposed to Slade in 2013 at the top of a building in downtown Los Angeles but the couple have yet to set a wedding date.

Explaining the delay to Jeff, Gretchen admitted that their schedules just got too crazy to plan a wedding.

But their biggest issue now is the increasing costs of IVF, as Gretchen recalled the time four years ago when she knew family should be her focus.

'I started going like "oh my gosh I'm 36, I need to think about having a baby",

'Finally, we have news that we are pregnant!' Gretchen, 41, revealed on the show when Dr. Landry asked for an update on their fertility battle

'Everybody that's done IVF knows how incredibly expensive it is and we've been through three rounds, so you can imagine how much that money is.

'Even just trying to have the baby, our resources have gone there.' she admitted.

Gretchen opened up about her struggles to conceive in February, telling DailyMailTV that the couple of almost 10 years had considered breaking up over their difficulty in having children.

'A lot of people don't talk about the lows. They don't talk about the moments where you're sitting in your bed crying at night, wishing and longing for something so badly with the person that you love,' she said.

'There were definitely days where I questioned, should I be with somebody who I can't have a biological child with?

'But through that pain it forced me to address those things, take a deep look at our relationship and realize that no matter what the outcome is, he is the one that I want to be with.'

Slade added that he even offered to let her find someone who could give her a child.

'I love and care for Gretchen so much that there were times when I said well maybe we need to end this,' he said.

'I love you enough to let you go. If I'm not the person who's able to give you a child, the one thing you so desire in this world, I'm willing to end this relationship and let you go find it elsewhere. Those conversations happened.'

Gretchen starred on the Orange County installment of the Bravo franchise from season four through season eight from 2008 to 2013 - and appeared as a guest in season 12 last year.
They were there to feed a holiday meal to the homeless of Skid Row.

But that didn't stop Lisa Rinna feeling amorous, as she shared a kiss with husband Harry Hamlin at the Los Angeles Mission Christmas Event.

The two embraced as they served up meals and helped hand out gifts to disadvantaged children at the annual event, which helps 1000s of the city's huge homeless population.

Christmas kiss: Lisa Rinna kisses Harry Hamlin as RHOBH star gets into the Christmas spirit at the LA Mission with daughters Delilah and Amelia on Friday in Los Angeles

Family values: The couple were joined on the day by daughters Amelia and Delilah, who joined their parents in the good work

The couple were joined on the day by daughters Amelia and Delilah, who joined their parents in the good work.

Other celebrities doling out the dinner included Pharrell and Danny Trejo.

REal Housewives Of Beverly Hills star Lisa and her husband are often spotted together. The two have been married an incredible 20 years - and together for 27.

Harry recently opened up about his love for Lisa, saying the two are completely different people.

Good deed: The family served up meals and helped hand out gifts to disadvantaged children at the annual event, which helps 1000s of the city's huge homeless population

Mother and daughter: Delilah Hamlin and Lisa Rinna

'Just miraculous,' Hamlin told LaPalme Magazine of his romance with Lisa.

'We're still firing on all cylinders after 26 or 27 years. It simply comes down to: we really like each other and - we're complete opposites.'

The LA Law star added that he and his lippy wife 'never get tired of each other's stories.'

Harry and Lisa tied the knot in 1997 and have two daughters, Delilah, 20, and Amelia, 17 together. Harry also has son Dimitri, 38, from a previous relationship.

'Listen, we put a lot of time in therapy and talking and reading books and trying to figure out how to create a foundation for a family,' the star explained.

Christmas elves: Danny Trejo and Pharrell Williams are pictured doing their charity work

Tuck in: Danny Trejo was doling out the mac n cheese at the annual event

All hands on deck: Kevin McKidd was in charge of the green beans
Jake Gyllenhaal is off the market again, with the actor confirmed to be dating French model Jeanne Cadieu.

While there is a 16-year age difference between the 38 year old actor and the 22 year old model, their relationship is progressing quickly.

'Jeanne is very mature for her age. She's quirky, smart and loves history, reading; she's a really great and well-rounded person,' said an US Weekly source.

New girlfriend: Jake Gyllenhaal is dating French model Jeanne Cadieu

New relationship: While there is a 16-year age difference between the 38 year old actor and the 22 year old model, US Weekly reports that their relationship is progressing

'She and Jake really took things slow, but are now pretty serious,' the source added.

Both the actor and model are still trying to keep their relationship a secret, with neither of them following each other on social media, which Gyllenhaal is still very new to.

The Spider-Man: Far From Home star joined Instagram for the first time earlier in December, making his debut in a hilarious Instagram story video from his co-star Tom Holland.

Tom and Jake: The Spider-Man: Far From Home star joined Instagram for the first time earlier in December, making his debut in a hilarious Instagram story video from his co-star Tom Holland

While they've been trying to keep things under wraps, both Gyllenhaal and Cadieu have been spotted together over the past few months.

The couple were spotted in London this past July, and then in Greece a month later in August.

Cadieu also posted a rather cryptic quote from Paris, along with a shot of the Eiffel Tower, 'My own brokenness. my broken was attracted to your broken, maybe thats why I allowed you to break me.'

Social Jake: While they've been trying to keep things under wraps, both Gyllenhaal and Cadieu have been spotted together over the past few months

Cryptic Jeanne: Cadieu also posted a rather cryptic quote from Paris, along with a shot of the Eiffel Tower, 'My own brokenness. my broken was attracted to your broken, maybe thats why I allowed you to break me'

Gyllenhaal has previously been romantically linked to stars such as Taylor Swift, Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman and Kirsten Dunst.

When he was asked about Swift, who he dated for just three months, by The Guardian in 2017, he made it clear he wasn't happy discussing his personal life.

'I think when youre in a relationship, you are constantly scrutinized, your friends are scrutinized, but... I would love to not talk about my personal life.'

Tricking Ryan: Gyllenhaal was also recently tagged in an Instagram post from Ryan Reynolds, who claimed that both him and Hugh Jackman tricked him into showing up to a party in an ugly sweater.

Gyllenhaal was also recently tagged in an Instagram post from Ryan Reynolds, who claimed that both him and Hugh Jackman tricked him into showing up to a party in an ugly sweater.

'These f***ing a*****es said it was a sweater party,' Reynolds said in the caption of his photo where he was flanked by a laughing Jackman and Gyllenhaal.

Gyllenhaal was recently in Brazil to promote his new role as Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Spider-Man star: Gyllenhaal was recently in Brazil to promote his new role as Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home
A new fact-checking service will be launched by national newswire Australian Associated Press in time for the federal and NSW election campaigns, set to kick off early next year.

Political statements and comments by public figures will be scrutinised when AAP launches AAP CrossCheck in February ahead of the NSW March poll, and the federal election due before mid-May.

"In a era of high spin and half-truths, calling out misleading statements has never been more important in news gathering," AAP Editor-in-Chief Tony Gillies said on Friday.

The news verification team will raise red flags in news coverage, targeting the statements of politicians, public figures and institutions contributing to public debate.

Mr Gillies said AAP's new media unit was developed with the support of the Google News Initiative.

"We are grateful to Google for its financial support. And while we would welcome additional partners for this project, AAP's editorial independence is central to its success," Gillies said.

"AAP will make its own decisions about the statements it will scrutinise."

While AAP CrossCheck will initially focus on political content, it may became a permanent fixture in Australia's media landscape.
African treasures: The royal statues of the Kingdom of Dahomey -- modern-day Benin -- on display at the Quai Branly Museum-Jacques Chirac in Paris

Ivory Coast said Wednesday it had drawn up a list of 148 works of art taken during the colonial period that it wants France to return.

Last month, the west African state joined Senegal and Benin in lobbying France, their former colonial power, to hand back cultural treasures.

Ivorian Culture Minister Maurice Bandaman told a press conference: "We have compiled a list of 148 works. In 2019, all or part of it will be returned."

Bandaman refused to give details about the list, other than to say that one of the items was a beloved "talking drum" called the Djidji Ayokwe, which is in the Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac Museum in Paris.

The drum was "hauled away, confiscated, captured" by the French because its "voice (had) mobilised the Akan people" against the colonial troops, he said.

The request follows a landmark speech by French President Emmanuel Macron during a visit to Burkina Faso in November 2017.

Last month, Macron's office said France would hand over to Benin 26 works of art plundered by troops in 1892.

Senegal then called on France to return all works of art taken from the country, and Ivory Coast said that in a first step it would seek the return of "about a hundred" items.

Bandaman, at Wednesday's press conference, said tens of thousands of Ivorian artefacts were in foreign museums.

They included more than 4,000 in the Quai Branly and the Met in New York and more than 3,000 in the Rietberg Museum in Switzerland.

"At least 50 museums around the world have Ivorian works, and this does not include private collections," Bandaman said.

- 'Ecosystem' -

The minister defended a slow-track approach to the return of the artefacts.

Ivory Coast would have "nowhere to put them" if the treasures were suddenly handed back in large numbers, he said.

"We have to be realistic," he said. "We have to create an ecosystem that can host these works."

Ivory Coast, he said, was building an "international-class museum" in the Treichville suburb of the capital Abidjan that would open in 2022-2023, and 12 cultural centres, including museums, would be built around the country.

In addition to these, a private museum of African art is being built in Abobo, also in the Abidjan area.

Returned artworks should be "put on display," generate income and "circulate," he said.

Macron's initiative has generated goodwill in African countries incensed by the loss of treasures, but it also has stirred concern in France.

A report by French experts urging the return of artworks calls for changes to laws that forbid the government from ceding state property, even in well-documented cases of pillaging.

But the head of the Quai Branly, Stephane Martin, said the report had recklessly thrown open the door to "complete maximalist restitution".

It tainted "everything that was collected and bought during the colonial period with the impurity of colonial crime," he told AFP.

Many items had not been plundered -- they were gathered during scientific expeditions or bought by individuals during the colonial era or had been given as gifts, he said.

Macron has called on other European countries to consider their position on the issue, including Belgium, Britain and Germany, which also have huge collections of African artefacts.

Bandaman, who was flanked by a French cultural official, stressed that meetings with the French over the return of the artefacts had fostered a "non-conflictual relationship".
US forces with armored vehicles have been supporting the fight against IS in Syria

President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw US troops from Syria risks shattering a cornerstone of Washington's Middle East policy by allowing Iran to consolidate a "land bridge" to the Mediterranean.

The much-bandied about scenario that sees Iran redrawing the regional map by entrenching a land corridor across Iraq, Syria and Lebanon is becoming a reality, analysts say.

Critics of Trump's decision argue that for all his fiercely anti-Iranian stance, he has just gifted Tehran a decades-old strategic goal.

Trump made the shock announcement on Wednesday, saying that the troop deployment in Syria was no longer needed because the Islamic State (IS) group had been defeated.

Many in his own camp challenged that assessment and warned that such a move would abandon the ground to the United States' main regional foe.

The top Republican and Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee even issued a rare joint statement warning against "a strategic error" that would empower "malign actors such as Russia and Iran".

Iran has thousands of regular forces deployed across Syria in support of the regime, as well as thousands of militiamen it supports from various countries.

"It is clearly a strategic victory for Tehran," said Middle East analyst Julien Theron. "It will allow it to remove the Western buffer between Syria and Iraq."

The United States currently has around 2,000 forces deployed in Syria in two areas along the Iraqi border that did not fully block Iranian movement but kept it in check.

- Threat to Israel -

One is in support of Kurdish-led forces spearheading the ongoing battle against IS jihadists east of the Euphrates River in northeastern Syria.

The other is further south at the Al-Tanaf desert base, where Damascus and its allies have repeatedly said US troops had no reason to be.

US troops in Iraq and in Syria keep some level of pressure on the "Iranian land bridge", stretching from Iran to the Mediterranean.

Syria's government, which has recently been reclaiming control over vast swathes of territory it lost when the war broke out in 2011, is aligned with Tehran.

US President Donald Trump said the US has "defeated ISIS in Syria"

The government in Iraq, a regional Sunni bastion until Saddam Hussein's fall in 2003, is Shiite-dominated and militia groups loyal to Iran play an important security role across much of the country.

One of the reasons for the White House to oppose a "land bridge" is preventing Iran from expanding its military footprint, including to positions in Syria and Lebanon near the border with US ally Israel.

"The White House should understand that a key element of its Iran policy is at stake here," the Washington Institute said in a policy paper.

"Namely, the effort to keep Tehran from entrenching itself in Syria, establishing a land bridge to Lebanon, and directly threatening Israel," it said.

Significant chunks of Lebanon are controlled by Hezbollah, a Shiite organisation with very close ties to Iran and a powerful military branch.

- 'Really messy' -

Hezbollah was created at Tehran's initiative as an anti-Israeli proxy, a few years after the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran.

Bassam Abu Abdallah, who heads the Damascus Centre for Strategic Research and is close to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said however that the impact of the US withdrawal was being exaggerated.

US national security adviser John Bolton had previously said that US troops would remain in Syria as long as Iranian forces remained deployed there.

Abu Abdallah argued that, similarly, Iranian troops would be less needed once US forces leave.

"There is no doubt that this withdrawal will lead in the long term to a scaling down of the Iranian military presence," he said.

"But for now the conditions are not yet there for a easing of the military deployment," he added.

Aaron Lund, an analyst at the Century Foundation, said however that it was too early to say who would fill the security vacuum left behind by the Americans.

"I think we'll have to wait and see what happens, how quickly and completely the United States withdraws and who fills the void," he said.

"It could get really messy," Lund said.
Burundi has been caught up in crisis since President Pierre Nkurunziza sought a third term in office in 2015

An East African summit scheduled for December 27 to help broker an end to Burundi's political crisis has been postponed for a second time, according to a regional bloc organising the talks.

Burundi has been caught up in crisis since President Pierre Nkurunziza sought a third term in office in 2015, provoking civil unrest that left at least 1,200 dead and displaced over 400,000 people.

The East African (EAC) bloc of countries is seeking to broker a political deal between the government and the opposition to hold elections.

The EAC said on its Facebook page that consultations were underway to set a new date.

"The decision to postpone the summit on December 27 was taken because most of the heads of state were not available during the holiday period," said a senior official from one of the countries involved.

The summit had been originally planned for November, but Burundi's government had said it could not attend.

The government has refused to hold talks with some opposition groups that it brands terrorists, despite mediation efforts by the regional countries under former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa.
Gaulish tribes always feared that the sky would fall on their heads; it is what nearly happened to the Macron government when it recently faced millions of Gilet Jaunes (Yellow Vests) in the streets of France. This phenomenon is a bit difficult to understand from India. It involved some atavism; in fact, the Gaulish character traits have never really disappeared, they keep re-emerging from time to time. One of these traits is not to accept any establishment.

Remember in the comic, Asterix the Gaul?

The Gaulish character trait of defying establishment often re-emerges inside the French. (Photo: Wikipedia)

French pride

Centurion Gracchus Armisurplus, commander of a Roman Compendium fortified garrison, pays a heavy price each time the Gauls walk out of their village; Asterix and his companions could not accept the established Roman hierarchy.

When Emmanuel Macron became President with a comfortable majority, he probably knew that France was ungovernable.

Whether in May 1968 or today, the French love to march down the streets to protest; nobody can stop them shouting Ras le bol, (the bowl is full) or chanting Macron, du Pognon (Macron, give dough), while blocking the roundabouts of France.

Emmanuel Macron probably knew that France was ungovernable. (Photo: Reuters)

Initially, it might have been for some good reasons as there are indeed shocking inequalities in French society, and for millions, the end of every month is tough, but it soon turned violent.

When Macron spoke of Gaulois refractaires (change-allergic Gauls), it created a huge commotion among his countrymen (though they are proud of their Gaulish DNA).

To cool down the situation and bring back a semblance of calm to the country, Macron had to finally announce a series of concessions and suspend the reforms.

It is in these circumstances that Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, visited India on December 14 and 15.

The French love to march down the streets to protest. (Reuters photo of Yellow Vests protest)

But there was more than the Gilets Jaunes to the visit; India had been caught in the electoral high-pitched fever, with one party accusing the government to be a chor, filling up the ruling partys coffers through the French Rafale deal.

For anyone who had followed the issue since 2001, when the government issued a Request for Information, it was clear that it was only a campaign tactic to show the BJP as a corrupt government; never mind if the truth was the first victim.

Though for some 65 years, Dassault has been one of the most reliable defence partners of India, the issue had started poisoning the bilateral relations between France and India.

Interestingly, the morning Le Drian arrived in Mumbai the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the deal; it was certainly a huge relief for both the countries (as well as the Indian Air Force).

During his interaction with the French Minister, without pronouncing the R word, Prime Minister Modi welcomed the strengthening of bilateral ties in all spheres, including defence, space, counter-terrorism, maritime security, and civil nuclear cooperation.

For some 65 years, Dassault has been one of the most reliable defence partners of India. (Photo: Twitter)

Rafale and reactors

The bilateral relations were back on the rails, after Le Drian met his Indian counterpart, Sushma Swaraj.

The French Minister noted the great convergence of views and shared ambition: we attach the same importance to multilateralism, respect for the rule of law, the same ambition to usher in a just and sustainable world.

Despite France being ungovernable, the people-to-people relations are blooming (perhaps because India is not easy to govern too).

In 2018, about 7,500 Indian students went to France to pursue their studies and in 2007, about 7,00,000 Indian visitors travelled to the land of Asterix.

Of course, one can doubt that the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) project in Jaitapur, Maharashtra, will fructify soon, though it was decided to adopt an action plan to guide our work for the coming months.

If it materialises one day, EPRs will have a capacity of 9,600 MW helping India to achieve her objective to produce 40 per cent of its electricity from non-fossil fuels by 2030. But the project is facing huge ideological, political, engineering and legal hurdles.

Strategic ties

Interestingly, the day Le Drian landed in Mumbai, totalitarian China announced that its first EPR went into operation at the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant. But India is not China; India, like France, is a democracy, having to play by the rules.

In Delhi, Le Drian spoke of the strategic front, notably the strengthening of the bilateral exchanges in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

The Observer Research Foundation (ORF) stated: Indias policy in the IOR suffers from one serious deficiency. New Delhi has for long lacked a reliable partner to develop her own interests. The Joint Strategic Vision for Cooperation recently concluded with France promises to change that.

Though this aspect of the bilateral relations is not often mentioned, it is deeply significant and symbolises the Indo-French convergence of interests.

The connection runs deeper. (Photo of Le Drian meeting Bollywood stars/Twitter)

In October, Florence Parly, the French Defence Minister, said that Paris would send its aircraft carrier to the Indian Ocean in 2019, to defend freedom of navigation at a time of growing Chinese assertiveness in disputed waters. Whenever there are infringements of this fundamental principal of international law, as is currently the case in southern China, we shall make a show of our freedom to act and sail in such waters, she added.

One trait of the unruly French tribes was their steadfastness in their friendship.

This trait remains true till date  remember 20 years ago, when India went ahead with her nuclear test; very few defended India. It is the time France chose to sign a Strategic Partnership with India; it was this message that Le Drians visit wanted to convey. His meeting with Bollywood stars was a mere cherry on the anniversary cake.

(Courtesy of Mail Today)

Also Read: Yellow Vest protests: Why President Macron is to blame for the anger spilling out on Frances streets
In India, there is no paucity of credit, technology, skill or innovation. What is lacking is the will to ensure that bank credit serves the ultimate purpose

We cant jeopardise the future of one business to save the other. Similar is the case with the banking system that runs on a few ethical principles. If a person commits fraud by submitting spurious documents, declaration or statement of his/her account, he/she should be treated as an economic offender. By committing fraud, one not only cheats the bank but also puts peoples hard-earned deposits at risk. Millions of poor, pensioners, widows and workers of the unorganised sector keep their hard-earned money in banks with expectations that they would earn interest and would get their money back whenever they need them. Banking business actually thrives on peoples low-cost current and savings account deposits. It is another matter that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) keeps reserves to protect the banks from crisis, which safeguards peoples deposits. Given that the Indian banking sector is fast integrating itself into an unstable global financial system, reserve funds always work like cushion.

Over the years, a large number of scamsters has taken undue advantage of banking loopholes to run away with huge credits. As per RBI data, as on September 30, 2017, there were 5,879 reported incidents of frauds amounting to Rs 32,048.65 crore in 2017-18. Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) in banks stood at more than Rs 7.34 lakh crore in September this year, according to ratings agency ICRA. The need, therefore, is to strengthen the law and put stringent guidelines for wilful defaulters who try to break the very backbone of the countrys financial system. In doing so, they also create trust deficit between banks and borrowers that adversely affects the credit cycle of the banks. Experts have suggested that the public sector banks (PSBs) be privatised. In reality, the workings of PSBs are entirely different from the private sector banks  it has a wide network to reach people in the remotest area. PSBs face tough challenges, like political interference at the village level, manpower shortage and pressure to meet social sector objectives. On the other hand, private sector banks have better operational efficiency, investment skill and less response time. Nevertheless, both have their strengths and weaknesses. Privatisation of the PSBs is not a sound option but an escape from the difficult task of reforming the banks itself.

Professional CEOs, equipped with updated management information system, effective board of directors, sound HR policy, state-of-the-art internal and concurrent audit system, dedicated asset supervision mechanism and a detailed information structure can prevent frauds and reduce NPAs. Equally, banks must pay more focus on fraud prevention measures than post-fraud correctives. A new mechanism must be adopted to judge the reporting, communication skill and decision-making capacity of the employees. There is also an urgent need to stop the practice of giving incentives to the CEOs so as to achieve desired targets. Many PSB chiefs are known to put pressure on the entire staff. This results in oversight, leading to frauds. All kinds of post-retirement assignment should be stopped for the good health of the banking sector.

Defaulters of the likes of Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya and Mehul Choksi among others could not have duped the banks had their boards, audit teams, supervising officers, loan review committee, asset verification teams, information system auditors and CEOs worked in tandem. Few banks conduct dedicated physical verification of assets, which in many places invites risk. Here, the Government must provide adequate security to the bankers. Physical asset monitoring is a must for banks. Over the years, bad loan in the agriculture sector has witnessed an alarming increase from Rs 24,800 crore in 2012 to Rs 60,200 crore in 2017 due to loan waivers, poor credit end use, unviable methods of agricultural practices and lack of dedicated research and planning. Politicians desperately cling to loan waivers for votes and cause immense damage to entrepreneurial life cycles. This creates massive idle energy across the country. Politicians should revive village ponds, wells, ground water, bio-diversity and above all natural agricultural practices. Subhash Palekar, agriculturist and research scholar, has revived natural agriculture practices free from all kinds of pesticides. His model works well in villages with rich bio-diversity, which helps increase the farmers income in order to help save banks from a defunct credit cycle in rural areas. There is no paucity of credit, technology, skill and innovation in the country. But there is lack of will to ensure that bank credit serves the ultimate purpose.

(The writer is a freelance commentator)
President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday said expansion of India-China ties in all spheres is in "mutual interest" of both the countries as he met the visiting foreign minister of the neighbouring country here.

The Chinese foreign minister , Wang Yi, called on Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The President, a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson said, welcomed Yi and said India-China relations are an important part of his country's foreign policy.

"As two major countries, expansion of cooperation bilaterally as well as regionally and internationally is in our mutual interest.

"India looks forward to its continued engagement with China for further strengthening of bilateral relations based on mutual trust and understanding and with due consideration to each other's concerns, aspirations and sensitivities," the spokesperson said quoting the President.

The Chinese foreign minister arrived in India early Friday on a four-day visit primarily to attend the first meeting of the new mechanism which was agreed to in the informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Wuhan in April.
Turkey welcomes the decision by President Donald Trump to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a visit to Malta in comments that were broadcast on Turkish television.

Cavusoglu said that all countries need to be vigilant toward the remnants of the ISIS group (outlawed in Russia).

He also warned that the withdrawal should not create a vacuum that could be filled by terrorist groups, Associated Press reported.

The minister stressed the international community needs to focus on a political process for the future of Syria.
India is Afghanistan's most reliable regional partner, the Pentagon has said as it praised New Delhi's contributions to the peaceful development of the war-torn country.

The Pentagon, in its semi-annual Afghan report to the US Congress that covers the period of June to November 2018, said India interpreted the new US South Asia policy as an opportunity to increase its economic involvement with Afghanistan.

The South Asia Strategy, which was announced by President Donald Trump in August 2017, has focused on pressuring Pakistan to limit support and safe-haven for proxy terrorist and militant groups and to play a constructive role in facilitating Afghan reconciliation, the Pentagon said in the report.

Noting that the US strategy calls for a regional approach to enhance stability in South Asia, the report said this includes building a broad consensus for a stable Afghanistan, emphasising regional economic integration and cooperation, stressing cooperation for an Afghan-led peace process, and holding countries accountable for their use of proxies or other means to undermine stability and regional confidence.

"India is Afghanistan's most reliable regional partner and the largest contributor of development assistance in the region," said the Pentagon.

Since late 2015, India has pledged USD 1 billion in development assistance in addition to the approximate USD 2 billion already spent on Afghan infrastructure.

India continues to invest in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline, it said.

"India provides significant training opportunities for Afghan officers and enlisted personnel and has frequently offered to increase its burden-sharing for Afghanistan. Approximately 130 Afghans travel to India each year to attend various military academy and commissioning programs," the Pentagon said.
Sushil Kumar Sharma, the former president of Delhi Youth Congress, who was convicted for the murder of his wife Naina Sahni, was set free by the Delhi High Court on Friday.

The court ordered forthwith release of Sharma, serving life term for the murder of his wife Naina in 1995. Sharma has already undergone over two decades of incarceration in the case.

A Bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Sangita Dhingra Sehgal passed the order. Now 56, Sharma had shot dead his wife in 1995, objecting to her alleged relationship with a male friend.

On the night of July 2, 1995, Sushil came home and saw Naina talking on the phone and consuming alcohol. Naina on seeing Sushil hung up. Sushil redialed the phone to find her alleged boyfriend on the other end. Enraged he fatally shot Naina. He had then chopped her body into pieces and attempted to dispose it off in a tandoor (clay oven) of Baghia restaurant which he owned.
In a big setback for the Congress, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday ordered the eviction of the publisher of Congress mouthpiece National Herald from Herald House, the headquarters of the newspaper, within two weeks, dismissing the petition filed by the publisher Associated Journals Limited (AJL).

Finding no irregularity in the Urban Development Ministrys Land and Development Office (L&DO), the judgment said there is total violation of the lease agreement by the publisher who is holding the building for past 56 years.

The court also said AJLs takeover by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhis floated firm Young Indian is questionable modus operandi.

After the HC order, the focus will now be on several other buildings like Patriot House (Link House), which continues to commercially exploit their premises in violation of several provisions of lease agreements. To circumvent the provisions of the lease agreement, the Patriot House (Link House) owners have revived The Patriot, a weekly magazine, but it is hardly visible on stands.

In its 17-page order on the eviction of AJL, Justice Sunil Gaurt said, The subject premises was leased out to legendary AJL for its publication, but the dominant purpose is now practically lost. This court is constrained to observe that major portion of the subject premises has been rented out and petitioners newspaper, which was to be housed originally in the basement and ground floor, has now been shifted on the top floor with hardly any press activity.

This court is conscious of the fact that Young India Company is a charitable company, but modus operandi to acquire 99 per cent of AJLs share speaks volumes. The manner in which it has been done is also questionable, said the judgment.

Observing that there was no wrong in eviction notice, the judgment also said that petitioners contention that the Government move was to erase, efface and defame the legacy of Pandit Nehru was not at all acceptable. One fails to understand as to how the ruling dispensation has in any way erased, effaced, or defamed Pandit Nehru the allegations of malafide leveled by petitioners are bald and unspecific and so no note of these allegations taken, said the judgment

AJL approached the Delhi High Court after the L&DO slapped an eviction notice on it on October 30, based on the complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy. AJL was represented by Congress leader and noted lawyer Abhishek Singhvi, and the Government was represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. The court had reserved its decision on AJLs plea on November 22.

The HC said AJL will have to vacate the premises at ITO in Delhi within two weeks after which proceedings under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971 would be initiated.

The L&DO had ended the lease  entered into with AJL on August 2, 1962 and made perpetual on January 10, 1967  asking the company to hand over the possession by November 15. The L&DOs order had also said that failure to hand over possession would lead to initiation of proceedings under the Public Premises Act.

In its plea, AJL has said the digital versions of English newspaper National Herald, Hindis Navjivan and Urdus Qaumi Awaz commenced publication in 2016-17. The weekly newspaper National Herald resumed publication on September 24 last year, AJL had said, adding that the Hindi weekly newspaper Sunday Navjivan was also being published since October this year from the same premises.

Later in the evening, welcoming the judgment, the Urban Development Ministry said, It was found by the inspecting team of the Ministry on April 09, 2018 that no printing press was functioning at any floor of the premises and no paper stock was found anywhere.

In earlier inspection also, the basement where press machine should have been was found vacant. Further, it was also found that almost all shares of AJL were transferred to Young Indian Ltd having same address as that of AJL without any permission of the Ministry. As per a report of Income Tax Department, in Young Indian Ltd, majority of shares (76%) are held by the Gandhi family and the rest by Shri Motilal Vora and Shri Oscar Fernandes. It was also observed that instead of using the land given to AJL for press purpose, they are earning a huge sum of money by renting out almost entire building except one floor which has negated the purpose for which the land was originally allotted, said the Ministry in a statement.
Cracking the whip on the violators, East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) on Friday slapped show-cause notices to 15

hospitals and malls in East Delhi area for charging parking fees despite a public notice issued by the corporation, said an official.

As per the public notice issued by EDMC, malls and hospitals are not allowed to charge any parking fee. Notices have been issued to them for charging despite the notices issued by EDMC and Delhi High Court, said a senior EDMC official.

According to the official, apart from not providing free charging, the hospitals and malls were also charging higher than usual.

EDMC charges Rs 20 per hour for parking in areas falling under its jurisdiction. These hospitals and malls were charging rates according to their footfall which were higher than usual and were highly commercial, the official said.

The places that have been issued the notices include Cross River Mall (Shahdara), Aditya Mega Mall (Shahdara), Parsvnath Mall (Shahdara), V3S Mall (Laxmi Nagar), Star City Mall (Mayur Vihar Phase-I), Shakti Mukund Hospital (Dayanand Vihar), Dharamshila Hospital (Vasundhara Enclave), Max Hospital (Patparganj), and Metro Hospital (Preet Vihar).

The corporation has asked the organisations to reply within one week, the official added.

If the response is found unsatisfactory, a demanding notice will be sent to the places further. Also, sealing can be done if the violators fail to justify themselves, the official further said.

Bipin Bihari Singh, Mayor of East Delhi also said that in case the response was found unsatisfactory, strict action would be taken against the defaulters.
(): Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath rushed to the Trauma Centre of King Georges Medical University in Lucknow to enquire about the health of Divyansh, who was injured after being attacked by kidnappers in Sultanpur.

The CM announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh for deceased Priyansh and Rs 2 lakh for the injured Divyansh.

Expressing grief on the death of Priyansh, Yogi directed DGP OP Singh to launch mass identification and certification process of servants engaged by the people in the state. He also directed the police to initiate stringent action against the arrested kidnappers and their aides and asked doctors to provide the best possible treatment to the injured Divyansh.
Ayushman Bharat is blessing for India, said Ashwini Kumar Choubey, the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare during 8th Healthcare Excellence Awards and Summit 2018. Around 35 awards were given to various institutes in the ceremony.

Ayushman Bharat is a one-of-a-kind program which plans to ensure that 10.5 crore families making up more than 50 crore people are covered under the Ayushman Bharat, he said. Over 4.5 lakh people have been benefited so far, he added.

The awards were given to various healthcare providers in around 35 categories. Among various categories, Best Multi Specialty Tertiary Care Government Hospital of the year was given to Civil Hospital.

While Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences was chosen as the Most Trusted Medical College and Hospital of The Year, Best Upcoming Healthcare & Wellness Island Retreat in India was given to Vedic- The Island Retreat.

Similarly, Most Trusted Multispecialty Hospital with Patient Care of the Year was given to Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital. Also the title of Best Hospital for Wellness & Healthcare in Karnataka was given to Gurunanak Life-line Hospital.

The awards were presented by Worldwide Achievers which are decided by

worldwide achievers after a comprehensive market research study and opinion surveys conducted. PK Choudhary, President, Worldwide Achievers said, The winners have exemplary healthcare providers amongst the respective industries and regions. Apart from the state health minister, Manoj Tiwari, President of Delhi BJP was also present as a guest of honour for the event and gave away the awards.
Chhattisgarh has stood 19th among states in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index of NITI Aayog with a score of 53, the Central Government informed on Friday.

The states in the performer category were-- Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Delhi and Lakshadweep

The NITI Aayog on Friday had released the Baseline Report of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index, which comprehensively documents the progress made by Indias States and Union Territories towards implementing the 2030 SDG targets.

The SDG India Index, which was developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Global Green Growth Institute and United Nations in India, was launched by NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar, NITI Aayog Members Dr Ramesh Chand, Dr VK Paul and Dr VK Saraswat, CEO Amitabh Kant, UN Resident Coordinator Yuri Afanasiev and MoSPI Secretary and CSI Pravin Srivastava.

NITI Aayog has the twin mandate to oversee the implementation of SDGs in the country, and also promote Competitive and Cooperative Federalism among States and UTs. The SDG India Index acts as a bridge between these mandates, aligning the SDGs with the Prime Ministers clarion call of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, which embodies the five Ps of the global SDG movement  people, planet, prosperity, partnership and peace.

The world is now into the third year of the SDG era. The SDGs are ambitious global development goals that address key aspects of universal well being across different socio-economic, cultural, geographical divisions and integrate the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development.

Indias National Development Agenda is mirrored in the SDGs. Indias progress in SDGs is crucial for the world as the country is home to about 17% of the world population.

The SDG India Index tracks progress of all States and UTs on 62 Priority Indicators selected by NITI Aayog, which in turn is guided by MoSPIs National Indicator Framework comprising 306 indicators and based on multiple-round consultations with Union Ministries/Departments and States/UTs.

The Index spans 13 out of 17 SDGs. Progress on SDGs 12, 13 & 14 could not be measured as relevant State/UT level data were not available and SDG 17 was left out as it focuses on international partnerships, it informed.

A composite score was computed between the range of 0-100 for each State and UT based on their aggregate performance across 13 SDGs, which indicates average performance of State/UT towards achieving 13 SDGs & their respective targets.

If a State/UT achieves a score of 100, it signifies that it has achieved the 2030 national targets. The higher the score of a State/UT, the greater the distance to target achieved.

The SDG India Index is available via an interactive dashboard which has cross-sectoral relevance across policy, civil society, business and academia. The Index is designed to function as a tool for focussed policy dialogue, formulation and implementation, moving towards development action pegged to globally recognisable metrics of SDG framework.

The Index also supplements NITI Aayogs continuous efforts towards encouraging evidence-based policy making by supporting States/UTs to benchmark their progress, identifying priority areas and share best practices.

The SDG India Index will also help highlight crucial gaps related to tracking SDGs and the need for India to develop its statistical systems at National & State/UT levels. This shall lead to the index evolving and becoming more comprehensive over the coming years. The indicators shall be further refined and additional indicators will be added with improvement in data collection, reporting processes & methodology. NITI Aayog is also exploring potential for disaggregating data and developing capacity for real time monitoring and measuring incremental progress.
Haryana Government on Friday approved amendment in Haryana Police Act, 2007 to set up a Commission for selection of Director General of Police.

The decision was taken during the cabinet meeting held under Chief Minister Manohar Lal here.

The cabinet also decided to convene winter session of Haryana Vidhan Sabha from December 28, amended procedure for selection of HCS from Register A-II of members of the Group-C service, eligibility for appointment of State Election Commissioner and constituted State Social Security Board.

The cabinet has approved a proposal for amendments in Haryana Police Act, 2007 for selection of Director General of Police and procedures related his removal, said Haryana Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Krishan Kumar Bedi while talking to the mediapersons after the cabinet meeting.

With the decision, the State Government would not have to send a panel to Union Public Service Commission for the appointment of DGP.

He said that the State Government would bring a Bill regarding the amendment in the upcoming winter session of State Assembly.

The neighbouring Punjab Government had also okayed a Commission for the selection of DGP earlier this year, Bedi said. Giving details, the Minister said that State Security Commission has been constituted in place of State Police Board for the selection process. The State Security Commission will consist of the Chief Minister as chairperson, the Home Minister as vice-chairperson, the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, a retired High Court Judge, the Advocate General, Haryana, the Chief Secretary as members, the Administrative Secretary in charge of the Home Department as its Member-Secretary, the DGP as its member secretary, two non-political persons.

Since the Home Minister is Chief Minister himself, he will nominate another Minister from the cabinet as vice-chairperson, Bedi said.

The DGP can be removed from the post only after consultation with the Commission, Bedi said.

He added that a committee is proposed to be constituted under Chief Secretary with Additional Chief Secretary, Home and DGP Haryana (incumbent) as its members and Special Secretary Home as its Member Secretary.

The Committee will recommend a panel of three officers from amongst officers of Director General rank and State Government will appoint DGP out of this panel, Bedi added.

Notably, the Supreme Court had recently permitted the incumbent DGP BS Sandhu in Haryana, whose terms expire on December 31, to continue in office till January 31, 2019.

HPSC to hold written test and interview for HCS selection from Group C

In a bid to ensure transparency in selection process for recruitment to HCS (executive branch) from Register A-II of members of the Group-C service, the Haryana Public Service Commission will invite applications from now onwards.

The cabinet has made amendment in the Haryana Civil Service (Executive Branch) Rules, 2008. The new Rules will be called the Haryana Civil Service (Executive Branch) Amendment Rules, 2018, said an official spokesman.

The HPSC will now conduct written test and interview for the candidates.

Eligibility of SEC changed

An officer, who has served the Government in the rank of Principal Secretary to Government, Haryana or above will be eligible for appointment as State Election Commissioner. For, the State Government has amended the State Election Commissioner (SEC) Conditions of Service Rules, 1994.

An officer of the rank of Commissioner on appointment as State Election Commissioner being relatively junior may not be in a position to chair the meetings with senior officers.

State Social Security Board to be constituted

A State Social Security Board would be constituted for the socio-economic development of unorganized workers in the state. The Board would be constituted under the Unorganised Workers Social Security Act, 2008.

MoU for Kishau and Renuka projects approved

The cabinet gave nod to the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) amongst the shareholder states for the construction of Kishau and Renuka multipurpose projects on river Yamuna and its tributaries. The Cabinet also granted ex post facto approval of signing the MoU of Lakhwar project.

Conversion fee reduced

Haryana Government approved the amendment in the policy parameters for conversion of residential plots for commercial use and regularization of illegal conversions in Rehabilitation, Town Planning and Improvement Trust Schemes located within municipal limit. Under this, the conversion charges or fee has been reduced to 50 per cent.
The Supreme Court repealed the propaganda created by the Congress party from last three months on Rafale Jet and Air fighter purchase deal said BJP Jharkhand Spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo on Friday in Latehar. The Congress party should apologise to the nation for creating such kind of propaganda, he added.

Addressing a press conference in Latehar on Friday Shahdeo said the Congress has no shame as the party is raising finger on the verdict of the Apex Court. The Central government had already applied for the spelling correction of a paragraph of the verdict, he added.

Lauding the verdict of the SC on the deal Shahdeo said, The SC has approved the Central governments right on the three points of the deal. The three issues are- the process of purchase of plain, price of the air fighter and choice of the offset partner. The Congress party should apologies to the nation for its bad work. But instead of repentance they are now raising finger on the Apex Courts decisions. This instance exhibits that the party has no faith on the Constitutional institutions.

Hitting hard on the Congress party the State BJP Spokesperson said, Involved in big defence scandals such as Bofors Scandal, HD Submarine scandal and AgustaWestland scandal they have no worry about the countrys sovereignty. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has started the talk on Rafale but till 2014 they had not finalised it.

Speaking on the occasion Shahdeo said, The Government of India and The government of France have signed agreement on the issue, not with the Rafale Company. As it said earlier on several times the government has purchased the Jet at nine per cent lower than the price fixed by the UPA government. And the Air fighter price is 20 per cent less than the price of UPA government.

He further demanded that if the Congress Partys leaders have any shame then they should apologies in front to the nation.

MLA Harikrishan Singh, the Latehar District General Secretary, Jaivardhan Singh and District Vice President Premchand Pandey were also present at the occasion.

At another press conference in Lohardaga on Friday Shahdeo said that

since Rahul showed his irresponsible face in the matter he must leave his post as the Congress Party president. District BJP President Rajmohan Ram said that the countrymen will teach Congress right lesson in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2019 by not giving a single seat to it. Manir Oraon, Neeraj Kumar Nalin, Balkrishna Singh, Sarita Devi and the district BJP media incharge were among those who were present in the Press Conference.
The High Court of Uttarakhand has quashed an earlier stay on the forest department order for vacating the Ashram of jailed preacher Asaram Bapu on forest land in Rishikesh. With the stay being quashed, the forest department can now remove the Ashram from forest land.

According to the case details, the lease on the said land at Muni ki Reti in Rishikesh had expired in 1970 and not renewed. Due to this, the forest department had in 2013 issued a notice for vacating the said land. Later in 2013, the high court had ordered a stay on the implementation of the forest department notice.

The forest department had received a complaint seeking that Asarams Ashram be removed from the said forest land since the lease period for the land had expired.

His request to be made a respondent in the petition filed on behalf of Asaram was accepted by the court which had directed him to file an affidavit.

In his affidavit, the complainant also present a copy of the original lease deed signed for a period of 20 years in 1950. Advocate Kartikey Hari Gupta said that he had informed the court that the forest department had issued a notice to the body concerned during February 2013 regarding illegal construction at the said Ashram. Gupta further informed that in its order, the high court single bench has stated that the lease deed expired in 1970 and was not renewed. It is clear that the management of the Ashram was conducting non-forest activities without the permission of the forest department. Considering this, the high court quashed the earlier stay order.

The High Court of Uttarakhand has rejected the bail petition of Priya Sharma-one of the accused in the national highway 74 scam. The matter was taken up for hearing by the single bench of justice Sudhanshu Dhulia.

According to the case details, an FIR had been lodged in January 2018 in the Rudrapur police station in which it was stated that she had given Rs 1.5 crore to a data entry operator for depositing in an account.

This amount was to be given to some official as commission. During investigation, Priya Sharma told the investigating officer that the money was security deposit for a plot of land. Meanwhile, the single bench of justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari granted bail to other accused in the scam including suspended sub divisional magistrate Tirath Pal, former land consolidation officer Ganesh and farmer Om Prakash. The bail applications of the main accused in the NH 74 scam- DP Singh and others will be taken up for hearing in the first week of January.
The United States told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that it was committed to the permanent destruction of Islamic State in Syria and would keep pushing for the withdrawal of Iranian-backed forces in the country, Reuters reported.

The pledge followed President Donald Trumps surprise decision to start what will be a total withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. Trump declared on Wednesday that the troops had succeeded in their mission to defeat Islamic State, a decision that drew strong criticism from some fellow Republicans and concern among foreign allies.

During a U.N. Security Council meeting on Syria on Thursday, U.S. diplomat Rodney Hunter, the political coordinator of the U.S. mission to the United Nations, did not specifically mention Trumps decision.

The United States remains committed to the permanent destruction of ISIS and other terrorist groups in Syria and around the world, Hunter told the council, using an acronym for Islamic State. We will use all instruments of our national power to press for a withdrawal of Iranian-backed forces.

We will continue to work together with our allies to fight terrorism. The United States will also work with like-minded states, the United Nations, and the Syrian opposition, to seek a diplomatic end to this conflict, he said.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration has issued show cause notices to its 27 teachers for participating in a hunger strike last month against the varsitys directives on rescheduling the academic calendar and compliance of faculty attendance, sources said Friday. JNUTA president Atul Sood and Secretary Avinash Kumar are among those who have received the show cause notices on December 19, they said.

The teachers have been given one weeks time to explain their position, failing which it will be presumed that they have nothing to say in their defence and disciplinary action under the admissible rules will be initiated against them, they added.

In the show cause notices, the varsity said the JNUTA were given an opportunity to send two representatives or office-bearers to discuss the issues with the rectors, registrar and concerned officers of the university.

Through a circular issued on November 25, request was made not to hold protests or hunger strike at the JNUs administrative block and attention was also invited towards Rule M-7(6) of the Academic Rules and Regulations of the university to honour the Delhi High Courts directions which prohibit hunger strikes, dharnas within 100 meters from the administrative block and academic complexes.
The police arrested Sujit Maharaj, the monk of Sonari-based Bharat Sevashram Sangha (BSS) on Friday morning in the minor rape case. He was subsequently sent to Ghaghidih Central Jail after he was produced before a judicial magistrate.

Sonari police station OC, Naresh Prasad Sinha confirmed that they have arrested the monk and sent him to jail this morning.

"We have arrested the monk on charges of raping a 15-year-old girl on Tuesday evening. In this connection, the victim had lodged an FIR with the Sonari police station, after which we had roped in the CWC which interrogated the victim and sent her to the Sadar Hospital, Khasmahal for a medical examination on Thursday," said Sinha.

On the basis of statement made by the victim before the police and also before Child Welfare Committee (CWC), the police arrested the monk but there are contradictions at certain points between the girl's statement and the CCTV footage obtained by the police.
Relief from extreme weather conditions was witnessed at few places in the state while most of the places continue to shiver in nights.

The lowest night temperatures are still near freezing temperatures in the state as Khajuraho and Mandla recorded 3 degree Celsius on Thursday night.

Weather conditions in the state capital provided relief as clear sky conditions remained throughout the day on Friday.

Met department has issued warning of cold waves in Shahdol division, Chattarpur, Panna, Tikamgarh, Mandla, Jabalpur, Narsinghpur and Hoshangabad districts in the next 24 hours.

Intense cold day conditions were witnessed at Narsinghpur while cold day condition was witnessed at Sheopur.

Umaria, Jabalpur, Mandla, Khajuraho and Datia witnessed cold wave conditions in the past 24 hours.

State capital recorded day temperature at 26.4 degree Celsius and night temperature at 7 degree Celsius. The forecast claims that the day temperature would remain around 26 degree Celsius while night temperature would be recorded around 8 degree Celsius which is 1 degree Celsius higher.

Except Sagar night temperatures have been recorded below 10 degree Celsius.

The day temperatures have recorded increase and recorded around 29 at few places while several recorded day temperature over and around 26 degree Celsius and are likely to increase in the next 2-3 days.

Regions which recorded night temperatures at lower levels were Datia, Gwalior, Nowgong and Rewa around 4 degree Celsius, Jabalpur, Shajapur and Betul around 5 degree Celsius. The regions which recorded night temperatures around 6 degree Celsius were Rajgarh, Ujjain and Khargone.
Amid walkout by Congress members over the rise in vector-borne diseases in eastern Uttar Pradesh and gag on the media on publishing news of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and Japanese Encephalitis (JE) deaths, the Yogi government informed the Vidhan Sabha on Friday that diseases and deaths related to these diseases had come down drastically this year.

Replying to a question of Congress member Ajay Kumar Lallu, Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh said that the government was doing good work by spreading awareness among the people about vector-borne diseases, and this had paid dividends during the last one year.

We have already trained around 74,000 people in affected districts, while around 100 ventilators have been added in district and other government-run hospitals, he said.

Quoting national reports, Lallu claimed that around 268 children had died of AES and JE in east UP. The minister, however, denied the deaths and said that as per information with the government the toll was minimal.

The House witnessed heated discussion when Ajay Kumar Lallu alleged that there was a gag order on the media on publishing report on AES and JE deaths of children and no release was being issued by BRD Medical College Hospital in Gorakhpur in this regard.

It is like an undeclared emergency in the state, the Congress member said. This irked the Health Minister and he said that everyone knew who had imposed Emergency in the country.

However, the minister admitted that since the media was creating unnecessary controversy by misreporting about the disease and deaths, BRD Medical College hospital had stopped issuing daily bulletins to the media.

Dissatisfied with the Health Ministers reply, Congress members staged a noisy walkout from the House.
The wife of the 35-year-old Genpact India Assistant Vice-President, who ended his life late Tuesday night, has blamed company responsible for her husband death. She alleged that the company didnt follow the protocol.

Swaroop Raj committed suicide at his Noida home following complaints of sexual harassment by two of his colleagues. Police on Thursday on the basis of the complaint given by his wife registered an First Information Report (FIR) against companys management and two women employees for abetment to suicide.

Talking to The Pioneer Kirti Srivastva, wife of Swaroop Raj said that the two women had given complaint on Saturday and her husband was suspended on Tuesday without ascertaining the veracity of the complaints against her husband.

We are not aware whether Swaroops immediate boss was aware about complaint or not. He was not in India and the action was taken against Swaroop in absence of his superior, Kriti alleged.

My husband was informed about the complaints against him on December 18, and he ended his life the same day. He was suspended immediately without any inquiry into the matter, she said in her FIR.

I work in the same company. I have not heard any such allegation against him in the office, she further stated in her complaint.

The Surajpur police have registered a case under Section 306 of the Indian Penal

Code. She has named senior employees, members of the committee handling sexual harassment matters, and people involved in the suspension of the deceased as responsible for the suicide of her husband, said Munish Chauhan, station house officer (SHO), Surajpur police station.
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Norfolk Southern Corp. said its CEO will retire next spring, and it will promote one of its executives to replace him. The railroad said Thursday that Jim Squires will step down as chairman and CEO on May 1 after seven years of leading Norfolk Southern.

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Individuals entering the United States illegally or without proper documentation and seek asylum will be sent to Mexico to wait for the duration of their US immigration proceedings, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, individuals entering illegally or without proper documentation "trying to enter the US to claim asylum will no longer be released into our country, where they often disappear before a court can determine their claim's merits."

They will instead "be processed by DHS and given a 'Notice to Appear' for their immigration court hearing," CNN reported.
The Howard Hughes Corp. engages in the development and management of commercial, residential, and mixed-use real estate. It operates through the following segments: Operating Assets, Master Planned Communities; Seaport District; and Strategic Developments. The Operating Assets segment consists retail, office, hospitality, and multi-family properties along with other real estate investments. The Master Planned Communities segment focuses in the development and sale of land in large-scale, long-term community development projects in and around Las Vegas, Nevada; Houston, Texas; and Columbia, Maryland. The Seaport District operates an approximately 453,000 square feet of restaurant, retail, and entertainment properties situated in three primary locations in New York, New York: Pier 17, Historic Area/Uplands, and Tin Building. The Strategic Developments segment involves in the other real estate assets in the form of entitled and unentitled land and residential condominium developments. The company was founded on November 9, 2010 and is headquartered in Woodlands, TX.

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Our portfolio of high quality UK commercial property is focused on London Offices and Retail around the UK. We own or manage a portfolio valued at A13.7bn (British Land share: A10.3bn) as at 30 September 2020 making us one of Europe's largest listed real estate investment companies. Our strategy is to provide places which meet the needs of our customers and respond to changing lifestyles - Places People Prefer. We do this by creating great environments both inside and outside our buildings and use our scale and placemaking skills to enhance and enliven them. This expands their appeal to a broader range of occupiers, creating enduring demand and driving sustainable, long term performance. Our Offices portfolio comprises three office-led campuses in central London as well as high quality standalone buildings and accounts for 65% of our portfolio. Our Retail portfolio is focused on retail parks and shopping centres, and accounts for 31% of our portfolio. Increasingly our focus is on providing a mix of uses and this is most evident at Canada Water, our 53 acre redevelopment opportunity where we have plans to create a new neighbourhood for London. Sustainability is embedded throughout our business. Our places, which are designed to meet high sustainability standards, become part of local communities, provide opportunities for skills development and employment and promote wellbeing. In April 2016 British Land received the Queen's Award for Enterprise: Sustainable Development, the UK's highest accolade for business success for economic, social and environmental achievements over a period of five years.

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Former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor's biggest problem is not showing up on time, UFC President Dana White said.

The UFC President told how it would irritate him when the Irishman arrived late for various events over the years.

"If people ask me whats the biggest problem you have with Conor? Its not showing up on time," BJ Penn.com cited White as saying.

"Other than that, Conor's incredible. Conors a fun guy to be around, hes hilarious, hes a great fighter, hes fun to watch. If the guy showed up on time, hed literally be perfect. Hed be perfect," he concluded.

In fact, McGregor was so late for the first UFC 229 pre-fight press conference that his opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov actually left before he arrived.
The following companies are subsidiares of Jones Lang LaSalle: 225 Fitness Inc., 360 Commercial Partners, ACREST, AGL, AMAS Limited, AVM Partners, Advanced Technologies Group Inc., Alaska UK (GP) Ltd, Alkas Consulting, Aoyama Holding Limited, Australian Valuation Solutions, Avenue9, BRG, BRG International LLC, BRG Resource Group ULC, BRG WORKPLACE MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS (EUROPE) LIMITED, BRG Workplace Management Solutions (India) Private Limited, BRG Workplace Management Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Beijing Dazheng Zhongheng Enterprise Consulting Co. Ltd., Beijing Guotai Zhongheng Enterprise Consulting Co. Ltd., Beijing Jones Lang LaSalle Property Management Services Co. Ltd., Big Red Rooster Flow LLC, Bill Goold Realty, Bradford McCormack & Associates, Brune Consulting Management GmbH, Building Services Network Inc., Business Products Group Inc., Business Resource Holdings Inc., CIG III Technoparc Nominee II Inc./Fiduciaire CIG III Technoparc II Inc., CMM Projekt & Office Solutions GmbH, COBERTURA - SOCIEDADE DE MEDIACAO IMOBILIARIA S.A., CTH, Capital Realty LLC, Carolyn House (General Partner) Limited, Charter Oaks Financial Services Inc., Churston Heard Ltd, Claygate Residential (General Partner) LLP , Claygate Residential (Nominee) Limited, CoR Advisors, Cobertura, Colliers Baltimore, ComRef LIM Co-Invest LLC, Corporate Concierge Services Inc., Corporate Concierge Services of Hawaii Inc., Corporate Realty Advisors, Corrigo, Corrigo Incorporated, Credo Real Estate (Singapore), Creston Residential (General Partner) LLP, Creston Residential (Nominee) Limited, DST International Property Services, Dalian Jones Lang LaSalle Services Limited, ECD Energy and Environment Canada, ECD Energy and Environment Canada Ltd., EID (General Partner) LLP, ELPF Lafayette Manager Inc., Eleven Eleven Construction Corporation, Environmental Governance Ltd, Europe Fund III Alberta GP Inc., Europe Fund III GP LLC, FACILITY ASSOCIATES RECRUITMENT LIMITED, FIVE D PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (NSW) PTY LTD, FIVE D PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (NT) PTY LTD, FIVE D PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (QLD) PTY LTD, FIVE D PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (SA) PTY LTD, FIVE D PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (TAS) PTY LTD, FIVE D PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (VIC) PTY LTD, FIVE D PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (WA) PTY LTD, Five D Holdings Pty Limited, Five D Holdings Pty Ltd, Five D Property Management (ACT) Pty Ltd, Fox RPM Corp., GFN Property Investments L.L.C., Guangzhou Jones Lang LaSalle Property Services Company Limited, Guardian Property Asset Management, Guardian Property Asset Management Limited, H Park Germany LP GmbH, H Park Germany Verwaltungs-GmbH, HALL AND KAY FIRE HOLDINGS LIMITED, HFF, HFF Holdings Limited, HFF InvestCo LLC, HFF Partnership Holdings LLC, HFF Real Estate Limited, HFF Securities L.P., HFF Securities Limited, HG2 Limited, HUB PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LIMITED, Halcyon Real Estate, Hall & Kay Fire Services Ltd, Harry K Moore, Hentschel & Company LLC, Hercules Property Manager (Jersey) Limited, Holliday Fenoglio Fowler L.P., Holliday GP LLC, Hunter Facilities Management (HFM), Huntley Mullaney Spargo & Sullivan Inc., Huntley Mullaney Spargo & Sullivan LLC, IFM Services Finland OY, INTEGRAL UK HOLDINGS LIMITED, Inmobiliaria Jones Lang LaSalle Limitada, Integra Realty Resources, Integra Realty Resources - Dallas, Integral, Integral Facility Services Limited, Integral UK, Integrated General Administration Services K.K., J P Sturge Limited, J.L.W. Nominees Limited, J.L.W. Second Nominees Limited, JLL 2002, JLL 2003 Limited, JLL CAMBRIDGE LTD, JLL CMG LLC, JLL Capital Markets AB, JLL Chile Asesorias Inmobiliarias Limitada, JLL Corporate Solutions - Servicos De Conservacao e Manutencao de Imoveis Ltda, JLL Corporate Solutions AB, JLL Corporate Solutions Holdings Inc., JLL Corretagen e Trasacoes Imobiliarias Ltda., JLL Expertises SARLAU, JLL Infrastructure Advisory Pty Ltd, JLL Ingenierie, JLL Investment Scottish Limited Partnership II, JLL Kapitalmarkand Holding AB, JLL Kapitalmarknad AB, JLL Ltd, JLL Macau Limited, JLL Mall Management K.K., JLL Marketplace LLC, JLL Morii Valuation & Appraisal K.K., JLL Mortgage Services Pty Limited, JLL Nevada Inc., JLL Properties LLC, JLL Public Sector Valuations Pty Ltd, JLL Puerto Rico Realty & Co. S. en C., JLL Real Estate Capital Pte. Ltd., JLL Scottish II G.P. L.L.C., JLL Singapore Capital Pte. Ltd., JLL Transaction Services AB, JLL Treasury Support AB, JLL Valuation & Advisory Services LLC, JLL/BWXT Naval Facility Experts LLC, JLLBRR LLC, JLLINT Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle & Compania Limitada, Jones Lang LaSalle (ACT) Pty Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle (B) Sdn Bhd, Jones Lang LaSalle (Barbados) Ltd., Jones Lang LaSalle (Beijing) Consultants Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle (China) Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle (Fiji) Pte Ltd, Jones Lang LaSalle (Geneva) SA, Jones Lang LaSalle (Luxembourg) Secs, Jones Lang LaSalle (NSW) Pty Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle (PNG) Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle (Philippines) Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle (Portugal) - Sociedade de Mediacao Imobiliaria S.A., Jones Lang LaSalle (Puerto Rico) Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle (QLD) Pty Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle (S E) Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle (SA) Pty Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle (Shenzhen) Commercial Consultancy Company Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle (VIC) Pty Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle (WA) Pty Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle (pty) ltd, Jones Lang LaSalle - Central Texas LLC, Jones Lang LaSalle - Front Range LLLP, Jones Lang LaSalle - Northeast Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle - Texas Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle -Sociedade de Avaliacoes Imobiliarias Unipessoal Lda, Jones Lang LaSalle 1. Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Jones Lang LaSalle AG, Jones Lang LaSalle Acquisition Corp., Jones Lang LaSalle Administration B.V., Jones Lang LaSalle Advisory Services Pty Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Americas (Illinois) L.P., Jones Lang LaSalle Americas Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle Arizona LLC, Jones Lang LaSalle Asia Holdings Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Asset Management GmbH, Jones Lang LaSalle Australia Pty Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle BV, Jones Lang LaSalle Bangladesh Private Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Beihai Holdings L.L.C., Jones Lang LaSalle Belgium Holdings LLC, Jones Lang LaSalle Billion Management Services Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Brokerage Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle Building Operations Private Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Bulgaria EOOD, Jones Lang LaSalle Capital Investments Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Charities, Jones Lang LaSalle Co-Investment Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle Co. Ltd., Jones Lang LaSalle Constructions K.K., Jones Lang LaSalle Corporate Appraisal and Advisory Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Corporate Finance Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Corporate Property (VIC) Pty Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Corporate Property Services Pty Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Dorchester Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Ecuador S.A. JLL ECUADOR, Jones Lang LaSalle Electronic Sarl, Jones Lang LaSalle Espana S.A., Jones Lang LaSalle Europe Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle European Holdings Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle European Services Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Expertises SAS, Jones Lang LaSalle Facility Services S.L., Jones Lang LaSalle Finance BV, Jones Lang LaSalle Finance Europe, Jones Lang LaSalle Finance Luxembourg Sarl, Jones Lang LaSalle Finland Oy, Jones Lang LaSalle French Co-Investments Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle Gayrimenkul Hizmetleri Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Jones Lang LaSalle German Holdings B.V. & Co. KG, Jones Lang LaSalle Global Finance Luxembourg Sarl, Jones Lang LaSalle Global Finance UK Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Global Finance US LLC, Jones Lang LaSalle Global Holdings BV, Jones Lang LaSalle GmbH, Jones Lang LaSalle Great Lakes Corporate Real Estate Partners LLC, Jones Lang LaSalle Group Finance Luxembourg Sarl, Jones Lang LaSalle Group Holdings BV, Jones Lang LaSalle Group Holdings SNC, Jones Lang LaSalle Group Services spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Jones Lang LaSalle Guatemala Sociedad Anonima, Jones Lang LaSalle Gutland S.a.r.l., Jones Lang LaSalle Haiti S.A., Jones Lang LaSalle Holding AB, Jones Lang LaSalle Holding BV, Jones Lang LaSalle Holding SAS, Jones Lang LaSalle Holdings Cyprus Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Holdings Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle Holdings Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Holdings Y.K., Jones Lang LaSalle Holdings spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels (NSW) Pty Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels Participacoes Ltda., Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels S.A., Jones Lang LaSalle IP Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle Innovation Development L.L.C., Jones Lang LaSalle Insurance Services Ltd, Jones Lang LaSalle International Holdings Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle International Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle International Properties Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Investments LLC, Jones Lang LaSalle Israel Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Jamaica Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle K.K., Jones Lang LaSalle KFT, Jones Lang LaSalle Kenya Ltd, Jones Lang LaSalle LLP (Kazakhstan), Jones Lang LaSalle Lanka (Private) Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Laser Ltd, Jones Lang LaSalle Limitada, Jones Lang LaSalle Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Limited Liability Company, Jones Lang LaSalle Lithuania UAB, Jones Lang LaSalle Ltd (Ireland), Jones Lang LaSalle Ltd., Jones Lang LaSalle Ltda., Jones Lang LaSalle Luxembourg Star Sarl, Jones Lang LaSalle Malta Holdings Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Malta Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Management Services Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Management Services Taiwan Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Michigan LLC, Jones Lang LaSalle Midwest LLC, Jones Lang LaSalle Misr LLC, Jones Lang LaSalle Multifamily LLC, Jones Lang LaSalle Multifamily Member LLC, Jones Lang LaSalle New England L.L.C., Jones Lang LaSalle Northwest LLC, Jones Lang LaSalle Pension Trustees Ltd, Jones Lang LaSalle Procurement Funding Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Procurement Ltd., Jones Lang LaSalle Property Consultants (India) Private Ltd, Jones Lang LaSalle Property Consultants Pte Ltd, Jones Lang LaSalle Property Fund Advisors Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Property Management Pte Ltd, Jones Lang LaSalle Property Management Services LLC, Jones Lang LaSalle Real Estate Advisory Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Real Estate Brokerage Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Real Estate Services Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle Receivables Holdings LLC, Jones Lang LaSalle Residential Development GmbH, Jones Lang LaSalle Resources Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle S. de R.L., Jones Lang LaSalle S.R.L., Jones Lang LaSalle S.p.A., Jones Lang LaSalle SAS, Jones Lang LaSalle SE, Jones Lang LaSalle SEA Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle SSC (Philippines) Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle Sarl, Jones Lang LaSalle Saudi Arabia Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Secs, Jones Lang LaSalle Securities L.L.C., Jones Lang LaSalle Services (Jersey) Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Services (Malta) Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Services (Private) Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Services AB, Jones Lang LaSalle Services AS, Jones Lang LaSalle Services ApS, Jones Lang LaSalle Services B.V., Jones Lang LaSalle Services Bahrain S.P.C., Jones Lang LaSalle Services Gmbh, Jones Lang LaSalle Services LLC, Jones Lang LaSalle Services Lebanon S.A.R.L., Jones Lang LaSalle Services Limited (Nigeria), Jones Lang LaSalle Services Ltd, Jones Lang LaSalle Services S.r.l., Jones Lang LaSalle Services SA/NV, Jones Lang LaSalle Services SAS, Jones Lang LaSalle Services SRL, Jones Lang LaSalle Services Sarl, Jones Lang LaSalle Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, Jones Lang LaSalle Sociedad Comercial de Responsabilidad Limitada, Jones Lang LaSalle South Africa (Proprietary) Ltd, Jones Lang LaSalle Strata Management Pty Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Surveyors (Shanghai) Company Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Taiwan Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle Technology Services Pte Ltd, Jones Lang LaSalle Trinidad Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle UAE Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle UK FC, Jones Lang LaSalle UK Hanover, Jones Lang LaSalle Vietnam Company Limited, Jones Lang LaSalle d.o.o. (Croatia), Jones Lang LaSalle d.o.o. (Serbia), Jones Lang LaSalle de Venezuela S.R.L., Jones Lang LaSalle of New York LLC, Jones Lang LaSalle of Pennsylvania Inc, Jones Lang LaSalle s.r.o, Jones Lang LaSalle s.r.o., Jones Lang LaSalle sprl, Jones Lang LaSalle spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Jones Lang Wootton Ltd, Jones Lang Wootton Property Management Services Ltd, KHK Group Limited, Kensington CA LLC, Keystone Partners, King & Co Limited, King Sturge, King Sturge Holdings Limited, King Sturge Management SPRL, LAOF V (General Partner) LLP, LASALLE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT BV, LAVA (General Partner) LLP, LIC II (General Partner) Limited, LIC Lafayette Manager Inc., LIM Advisory Services S.a r.l., LIM Asia Co-Investments Pte. Ltd., LIM Associates L.L.C., LIM Consejeros S. de R.L. de C.V., LIM Management Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., LJPF Co-Investments GK, LMF Investments LLC, LPI (Australia) Holdings Pty Ltd, LRA MKP TRS L.P., LREDS II PF L.P., LREDS III Carry Partner L.P., LUKSS I Carry Partner L.P., LUKV Carry Jersey Limited, LUKV/CPP Co-Investment L.P., LaSalle (Shanghai) Industrial Co. Ltd. [ () ], LaSalle - VA Industrial GP LLC, LaSalle AIFM Europe S.a r.l., LaSalle Acquisitions Corp., LaSalle Asia Opportunity II GP LLC, LaSalle Asia Opportunity II Investors GP LLC, LaSalle Asia Opportunity III GP Ltd., LaSalle Asia Opportunity IV GP LTD, LaSalle Asia Opportunity Investors III GP Ltd., LaSalle Asia Opportunity V GP Ltd., LaSalle Asia Recovery L.L.C., LaSalle Asia Venture Co-Investment Trust, LaSalle Aureum Verwaltung GmbH, LaSalle Blooms General Partner Limited, LaSalle CAVA Industrial Carryco LLC, LaSalle CIG III GP Inc., LaSalle CIG IV GP Inc., LaSalle Canada Core Real Property GP Inc., LaSalle Canada Property Fund GP Inc., LaSalle China Logistics Venture GP Ltd, LaSalle China Logistics Venture GP S.a r.l., LaSalle China Logistics Venture SCSp, LaSalle Co-Investment L.L.C., LaSalle Co-Investment Management (General Partner) Limited, LaSalle Direct General Partner Limited, LaSalle EMEA (Scots) Investments GP LLP, LaSalle Euro Growth II S.a.r.l. , LaSalle European Co-invest (Scotland) LLP, LaSalle European Investments L.L.C., LaSalle European Recovery III (GP) LLP, LaSalle French Fund II Co-Investment GmbH, LaSalle French Fund II G.P. L.L.C., LaSalle Fund Management B.V., LaSalle Funds General Partner Ltd, LaSalle Funds Management Limited, LaSalle GPS Holdings LLC, LaSalle Genco G.P. L.L.C., LaSalle German Income and Growth G.P. L.L.C., LaSalle German Retail Venture GP L.L.C., LaSalle Global Partner Solutions Limited, LaSalle GmbH, LaSalle Income & Growth Fund VI Carry L.L.C., LaSalle Income & Growth Fund VI GP L.L.C., LaSalle Income & Growth Fund VI L.P., LaSalle Income & Growth Fund VII Carry L.L.C., LaSalle Income & Growth Fund VII GP L.L.C., LaSalle Income & Growth Fund VIII Carry L.L.C., LaSalle Income & Growth Fund VIII GP L.L.C., LaSalle Investment (Luxembourg) SARL, LaSalle Investment Limited Partnership II-A, LaSalle Investment Management, LaSalle Investment Management (Canada), LaSalle Investment Management (Canada) Inc., LaSalle Investment Management (Jersey) Limited, LaSalle Investment Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, LaSalle Investment Management Asia Pte Ltd, LaSalle Investment Management Australia Pty Ltd, LaSalle Investment Management Co. Ltd., LaSalle Investment Management Distributors LLC, LaSalle Investment Management Espana S.L.U., LaSalle Investment Management Hong Kong Limited, LaSalle Investment Management Inc., LaSalle Investment Management K.K., LaSalle Investment Management Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, LaSalle Investment Management Korea Yuhan Hoesa, LaSalle Investment Management Luxembourg SARL, LaSalle Investment Management SAS, LaSalle Investment Management Securities B.V., LaSalle Investment Management Securities LLC, LaSalle Italia SRL, LaSalle Japan Logistics II GP Ltd, LaSalle Japan Logistics III GP Ltd, LaSalle Japan Logistics Investors II GP Ltd., LaSalle Japan Logistik-Immobilienfonds GP SARL, LaSalle Japan Property Fund GP Limited, LaSalle LIC II A G.P. Ltd., LaSalle LIC II A UK LLP, LaSalle LIC II B G.P. LLC, LaSalle Land General Partner Limited, LaSalle Land Trustee Limited, LaSalle Logistics GP LLC, LaSalle Mariner Co-Investment Fund Carryco L.L.C., LaSalle Mariner Co-Investment Fund G.P. L.L.C., LaSalle Medical Office Fund III GP LLC, LaSalle Mexico Advisors Inc., LaSalle Mexico Fund I Investors A G.P. LLC, LaSalle Mexico I (General Partner) LLC, LaSalle Mortgage Real Estate Investors Inc., LaSalle North American Holdings Inc., LaSalle Paris Office Venture General Partner L.L.C., LaSalle Partners (Mauritius) Pvt Ltd, LaSalle Partners International, LaSalle Partners S. de R. L. de C. V., LaSalle Partners Services S. de R.L. de C.V., LaSalle Property Fund GP Holdings LLC, LaSalle Property Fund GP LLC, LaSalle Property Fund REIT Inc., LaSalle RECC GP LLC, LaSalle REDS GP Inc., LaSalle REDS III GP Sarl, LaSalle REDS TSA GP LLC, LaSalle REIT Advisors K.K., LaSalle Ranger Co-Investment Fund G.P. L.L.C., LaSalle Ranger Co-Investment Fund II G.P. L.L.C., LaSalle Ranger Co-Investment Fund III G.P. L.L.C., LaSalle Ranger II Carry L.L.C., LaSalle Ranger III Carry L.L.C., LaSalle Real Estate Debt Strategies II (GP) LLP, LaSalle Real Estate Investment Strategies GP S.a r.l., LaSalle Residential Finance Fund GP Inc., LaSalle Residential Fund III GP Inc., LaSalle Retail Japan-Immobilienfonds GP S.a r.l., LaSalle Salt River Carry L.L.C., LaSalle Special Situations Carry GP LLC, LaSalle Special Situations II Venture GP S.a r.l., LaSalle Student Housing L.L.C., LaSalle Transpennine GP (Scot) LLP, LaSalle UK Property Services Limited, LaSalle UK Ventures (General Partner) Limited, LaSalle UKSS I GP Ltd., LaSalle UKV Co-Investor GP LLC, LaSalle UKVA GP LLC, LaVA Carry (Scotland) L.P., LaVA Feeder (Scotland) LP, Lava II GP S.a r.l., Lead Fast Investments Limited, Lee & Klatskin Associates, Leechiu & Associates, Lexington MKP Management L.P., Light bluu Limited, LodgeTax, MSCI's Global Occupiers business, Maloney Field Services, Martin Potts & Associates, Means Knaus Partners, Merlin UK Property Venture GP Limited, Merritt & Harris Inc., Midosuji Management GK, Morii Appraisal & Investment Consulting, Neo-Swiat, New England - Jones Lang LaSalle LLC, Nextport, Nima Mountaineer AB, Oak Grove Commercial Mortgage, Office Blocks Pte. Ltd., Opex Consulting, Orchid Insurance Limited, Oxford General Partner Limited, P.1 Administracao em Complexo Imobiliarios Ltda., P.2 Administracao em Complexo Imobiliarios Ltda., P.3 Administracao em Complexo Imobiliarios Ltda., PDM International, PDM International (Beijing) Limited, PDM International (Chengdu) Limited, PDM International China Limited, PDM International HK Limited, PDM International Limited, PMX, PT Jones Lang LaSalle, PT. Procon Indah, Pacific Real Estate Partners, Peloton Commercial Real Estate, Primary Capital Advisors, Prime Property Consultants Limited, Procofin, Propell National Valuers Pty Ltd., PropertyLinx Pty Ltd, Quadrant Realty Finance, Rogers Chapman UK Ltd, SBR Continental Europe GP LLC, Sage Capital, Salt River Investors GP LLC, Sandalwood Mall Management Private Limited, Shelter Bay Retail Group, Sovereign Asian Properties Inc., Spaulding and Slye Federal Services LLC, Stessa Inc., Strategic Advisory Group, TETRIS ARQUITECTURA SL - SUCURSAL EM PORTUGAL, TETRIS Arquitectura S.L, Tansei Mall Management Co. Ltd., TeTriSolutions LLC, Tenzing AB, Tetris Amenagement SARL, Tetris Design & Build BV, Tetris Design & Build Romania SRL, Tetris Design & Build Sarl, Tetris Design & Build sprl, Tetris Design and Build (Pty) Ltd, Tetris Design and Build S.R.L (Italy), Tetris Design and Build Sarl, Tetris Poland spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Tetris Projects GmbH, Tetris Projects Ltd, Tetris SAS, Tetris Tasarm ve Insaat Hizmetleri A.S, The Apartment Group, The Horizon Management Services Limited, The Spargo Corporation, The Standard Group LLC, The Staubach Company, Travis Commercial Real Estate Services, Triangle General Partner Limited, Trinity Funds Management, Trussard Property Consultants, Tetris Design & Build Servicos de Arquitetura Ltda., Tetris Design & Build s.r.o., Utrillo Ltd, ValuD Consulting, Veronique Nocquet, W A Ellis LLP, Washington Partners, Whitetail GP LLC, Wilson Retail Group, Wonderment BV, YY Property Solutions, bluu City Limited, bluu Projects Limited, bluu Regions Limited, bluu Solutions Limited, and bluuco limited.
The following companies are subsidiares of Molina Healthcare: Aetna & Humana - Medicare Advantage, Affinity Health Plan, AmericanWork Inc., Better Health Network, Camelot Care Centers Inc, Children's Behavioral Health Inc., Choices Group Inc., College Community Services, Dockside Services Inc, Family Preservation Services Inc., Family Preservation Services of Florida Inc., Family Preservation Services of North Carolina Inc., Family Preservation Services of Washington D.C. Inc., Family Preservation Services of West Virginia Inc., Florida NetPASS LLC, Hclb Inc., Magellan Complete Care, Maple Star Nevada Inc., Maple Star Oregon Inc., Mercy CarePlus, Molina Clinical Services LLC, Molina Healthcare Data Center Inc., Molina Healthcare of Arizona Inc., Molina Healthcare of California, Molina Healthcare of Florida Inc., Molina Healthcare of Georgia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Molina Healthcare of Iowa Inc., Molina Healthcare of Louisiana Inc., Molina Healthcare of Maryland Inc., Molina Healthcare of Michigan Inc., Molina Healthcare of Mississippi Inc., Molina Healthcare of Nevada Inc., Molina Healthcare of New Mexico Inc., Molina Healthcare of New York Inc., Molina Healthcare of North Carolina Inc., Molina Healthcare of Ohio Inc., Molina Healthcare of Oklahoma Inc., Molina Healthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., Molina Healthcare of Puerto Rico Inc., Molina Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, Molina Healthcare of Texas Inc., Molina Healthcare of Texas Insurance Company, Molina Healthcare of Utah Inc., Molina Healthcare of Virginia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Washington Inc., Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin Inc., Molina Holdings Corporation, Molina Hospital Management LLC, Molina Information Systems LLC dba Molina Medicaid Solutions, Molina Medical Management Inc., Molina Pathways LLC, Molina Pathways of Texas Inc., Molina Youth Academy, NextLevel Health Illinois, Pathways Community Corrections Inc., Pathways Community Services LLC, Pathways Community Support of Texas Inc., Pathways Health and Community Support LLC, Pathways Human Services LLC., Pathways of Arizona Inc., Pathways of Delaware Inc., Pathways of Idaho LLC, Pathways of Maine Inc., Pathways of Massachusetts LLC, Pathways of Oklahoma Inc., Pathways of Washington Inc., Providence Community Services, Providence Human Services, Raystown Developmental Services Inc., The Game of Work LLC, The RedCo Group Inc., Total Care Medicaid plan, Transitional Family Services Inc., Unisys -Health Information Management, and YourCare Health Plan.
There is not enough analysis data for CNOOC.

4.0 Community Rank

Outperform Votes CNOOC has received 306 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes CNOOC has received 206 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment CNOOC has received 59.77% outperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about CNOOC and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe CEO will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe CEO will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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China Mobile Limited provides mobile telecommunications and related services in Mainland China and Hong Kong. The company offers local calls; domestic and international long distance calls and roaming services; and value-added services, such as caller identity display, call waiting, conference calls, and others. It also provides wireless Internet service, as well as digital applications comprising music, video, reading, gaming, and animation; wireline broadband services; and wireline voice services. In addition, it offers dedicated line and IDC services to corporate customers in a range of industry sectors; and basic corporate communication products comprising corporate VPMN and SMS, and tailor made solutions. Further, the company provides international telecommunications services, which includes IDD, roaming, Internet, MNC, and value added business services. Additionally, it offers telecommunications network planning, design, and consulting services; roaming clearance, IT system operation, and technology support services; value-added platform development and maintenance services; mobile data, and system integration and development services; network construction and maintenance, network planning and optimizing, and training services; electronic communication products design and sale of related products; and non-banking financial services. It also provides mobile cloud research and development services; call center services; e-payment, e-commerce, and Internet finance services; and mobile Internet digital content services, as well as operates a network and business coordination center. The company serves 950 million mobile customers and 187 million wireline broadband customers. The company was formerly known as China Mobile (Hong Kong) Limited and changed its name to China Mobile Limited in May 2006. The company was incorporated in 1997 and is based in Central, Hong Kong. China Mobile Limited is a subsidiary of China Mobile Hong Kong (BVI) Limited.

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Brookfield Business Partners LP engages in owning and operating business services and industrial operations. It operates though the following segments: Business Services, Infrastructure Services, Industrial Operations, and Corporate and Other. The Business Services segment includes services such as residential mortgage insurance, healthcare, road fuel distribution and marketing, real estate and construction, entertainment, financing, and other businesses. The Infrastructure Services segment consists of services to the nuclear power generation industry and offshore oil production industry: and access, forming, and shoring solutions and specialized services. The Industrial Operations segment deals with automotive batteries, graphite electrode, and other manufacturing; water and wastewater services: natural gas production and well servicing; and a variety of other industrial operations. The Corporate and Other segment comprises cash and liquidity management, and activities related to the management of the partnership's relationship with Brookfield. The company was founded on October 1, 2015 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.

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Medtronic Plc is a medical technology company, which engages in the development, manufacture, distribution, and sale of device-based medical therapies and services. It operates through the following segments: Cardiac and Vascular Group; Minimally Invasive Technologies Group; Restorative Therapies Group; and Diabetes Group. The Cardiac and Vascular Group segment consists of products for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of cardiac rhythm disorders and cardiovascular disease. The Minimally Invasive Technologies Group segment focuses on respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, renal system, lungs, pelvic region, kidneys, and obesity diseases. The Restorative Therapies Group segment comprises of neurostimulation therapies and drug delivery systems for the treatment of chronic pain, as well as areas of the spine and brain, along with pelvic health and conditions of the ear, nose, and throat. The Diabetes Group segment offers insulin pumps, coninuous glucose monitoring systems, and insulin pump consumables. The company was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

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The following companies are subsidiares of BorgWarner: B80 Italia S.r.l., BERU AG, BW El Salto S.A. De C.V., BWA Receivables Corporation, BWA Turbo Systems Holding LLC, Borg Warner Europe Holdings (PDS) B. V., BorgWarner (China) Investment Co. Ltd., BorgWarner (Reman) Holdings L.L.C., BorgWarner (Thailand) Limited, BorgWarner Aftermarket Europe GmbH, BorgWarner Alternators Inc., BorgWarner Arden LLC, BorgWarner Arnstadt RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Asia Inc., BorgWarner Automotive Asia Limited, BorgWarner Automotive Components (Beijing) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Jiangsu) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Wuhan) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Brasil Ltda., BorgWarner Chungju Co. LLC, BorgWarner Comercial e Distribuidora de Pecas para Veiculos Automotores Ltda., BorgWarner Comercializadora PDS S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner Componentes PDS S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner Cooling Systems (India) Private Limited, BorgWarner Cooling Systems GmbH, BorgWarner Diversified Transmission Products Services Inc., BorgWarner Drivetrain Engineering GmbH, BorgWarner Drivetrain Management Services de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner Drivetrain de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner Electric Motors L.L.C., BorgWarner Emissions Systems (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Emissions Systems (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Emissions Systems Holding LLC, BorgWarner Emissions Systems India Private Limited, BorgWarner Emissions Systems LLC, BorgWarner Emissions Systems Portugal Unipessoal LDA, BorgWarner Emissions Systems Spain S.L.U., BorgWarner Emissions Systems of Michigan Inc., BorgWarner Emissions Talegaon Private Limited, BorgWarner Engineering Ketsch RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Engineering Kibo RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Esslingen GmbH, BorgWarner Europe GmbH, BorgWarner Europe Holding S.a. r. l., BorgWarner Gateshead Limited, BorgWarner Germany Holding GmbH, BorgWarner Germany Holding Services GmbH, BorgWarner Germany REH GmbH, BorgWarner Germany REM GmbH, BorgWarner Germany Verwaltungs GmbH, BorgWarner Global Holding S.a. r. l., BorgWarner Heidelberg I RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Heidelberg II RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Heidelberg REH GmbH, BorgWarner Heidelberg REM GmbH, BorgWarner Holding Inc., BorgWarner Holdings Limited, BorgWarner Hungary Kft., BorgWarner IT Services Europe GmbH, BorgWarner India Holdings Inc., BorgWarner Investment Holding Inc., BorgWarner Ithaca LLC, BorgWarner Ketsch Plant RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Ketsch REH GmbH, BorgWarner Ketsch REM GmbH, BorgWarner Kft., BorgWarner Kibo RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Korea Holdings (PDS) B.V., BorgWarner Korea Holdings LLC, BorgWarner Korea LLC, BorgWarner Limited, BorgWarner Ludwigsburg GmbH, BorgWarner Ludwigsburg RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Markdorf Plant RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Markdorf REH GmbH, BorgWarner Markdorf REM GmbH, BorgWarner Massachusetts Inc., BorgWarner Mauritius Holdings Ltd., BorgWarner Mexico Holding BV, BorgWarner Mexico Holdings II LLC, BorgWarner Mexico Holdings LLC, BorgWarner Morse Systems India Private Limited, BorgWarner Morse Systems Italy S.r.l., BorgWarner Morse Systems Japan K.K., BorgWarner Morse Systems Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner Muggendorf RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner NW Inc., BorgWarner Netherlands Holdings (PDS) B.V., BorgWarner Oroszlany Kft., BorgWarner PDS (Anderson) L.L.C., BorgWarner PDS (Changnyeong) LLC, BorgWarner PDS (Indiana) Inc., BorgWarner PDS (Livonia) Inc., BorgWarner PDS (Ochang) LLC, BorgWarner PDS (Thailand) Limited, BorgWarner PDS (USA) Inc., BorgWarner PDS Brasil Produtos Automotivos Ltda., BorgWarner PDS Irapuato S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner PDS Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner PDS Technologies L.L.C., BorgWarner Poland Sp. z o.o., BorgWarner Pyongtaek LLC, BorgWarner Romeo Power LLC, BorgWarner Rzeszow Sp. z o.o., BorgWarner Shenglong (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner South Asia LLC, BorgWarner Southborough Inc., BorgWarner Spain Holding S.L.U, BorgWarner Sweden AB, BorgWarner Systems Lugo S.r.l., BorgWarner Thermal Systems Inc., BorgWarner Thermal Systems of Michigan Inc., BorgWarner TorqTransfer Systems Beijing Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Tralee Ltd., BorgWarner Transmission Products LLC, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Arnstadt GmbH, BorgWarner Transmission Systems GmbH, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Korea LLC, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Tulle S.A.S., BorgWarner Trustees Limited, BorgWarner Turbo & Emissions Systems France S.A.S., BorgWarner Turbo Systems Engineering GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems LLC, BorgWarner Turbo Systems Worldwide Headquarters GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems of Michigan Inc., BorgWarner Turbo and Emissions Systems de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner UK Financing Ltd., BorgWarner UK Holding and Services Ltd., BorgWarner US Holding LLC, BorgWarner USA Industries L.L.C., BorgWarner United Transmission Systems Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Waterloo Inc., BorgWarner Wrexham Limited, Cascadia Motion LLC, Creon Insurance Agency Limited, Delphi Technologies, Dytech ENSA, Gustav Wahler GmbH u. Co. KG, Haldex, Kuhlman LLC, Kysor Europe Limited, M. & M. Knopf Auto Parts L.L.C., NSK-Warner (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., NSK-Warner K.K., NSK-Warner Mexico S.A. de C.V, NSK-Warner U.S.A. Inc., New PDS Corp., Old Remco Holdings L.L.C., Old Remco International Holdings L.L.C., Remy International, SeohanWarner Turbo Systems LLC, Sevcon, Sevcon New Energy Technology (Hubei) Company Limited, and Transmission Systems AutoForm LLC.
The following companies are subsidiares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft: 87 Leonard Development LLC, ABFS I Incorporated, ABS MB Ltd., Acacia (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., Accounting Solutions Holding Company Inc, Alex. Brown Financial Services Incorporated, Alex. Brown Investments Incorporated, Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft mbH, Amber Investments S.a r.l., Ambidexter GmbH, Ambidexter GmbH i.L., Argent Incorporated, BHW - Gesellschaft fur Wohnungswirtschaft mbH, BHW Bausparkasse Aktiengesellschaft, BHW Holding GmbH, BHW Kreditservice GmbH, BNA Nominees Pty Limited, BT Globenet Nominees Limited, BTAS Cayman GP, BTD Nominees Pty Limited, Baincor Nominees Pty Limited, Bainpro Nominees Pty Ltd, Baldur Mortgages Limited, Bankers Trust Investments Limited, Barkly Investments Ltd., Bayan Delinquent Loan Recovery 1 (SPV-AMC) Inc, Bayan Delinquent Loan Recovery 1 (SPV-AMC) Inc., Berkshire Mortgage Finance, Betriebs-Center fur Banken AG, Biomass Holdings S.a r.l., Birch (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., Blue Cork Inc, Blue Cork Inc., Borfield Sociedad Anonima, Breaking Wave DB Limited, Cape Acquisition Corp., CapeSuccess Inc., CapeSuccess LLC, Cardales UK Limited, Cardea Real Estate S.r.l., Career Blazers LLC, Career Blazers Management Company Inc, Career Blazers Management Company Inc., Career Blazers Personnel Services Inc, Career Blazers Personnel Services Inc., Career Blazers Personnel Services of Washington D.C. Inc. Washington D.C., Caribbean Resort Holdings Inc, Caribbean Resort Holdings Inc., Carpathian Investments Designated Activity Company, Cathay Advisory (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Cathay Advisory (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Cathay Asset Management Company Limited, Cathay Capital Company (No 2) Limited, Cedar (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., Centennial River 2 Inc., Centennial River Corporation, Chapel Funding, Charlton (Delaware) Inc, China Recovery Fund LLC, China Recovery Fund LLC, Cinda - DB NPL Securitization Trust 2003-1, City Leasing (Thameside) Limited, City Leasing Limited, Consumo S.p.A., Consumo Srl in Liquidazione, Cyrus J. Lawrence Capital Holdings Inc., Cyrus J. Lawrence Capital Holdings Inc., D B Investments (GB) Limited, D&M Turnaround Partners Godo Kaisha, D.B. International Delaware Inc., D.B. International Delaware Inc., DAHOC (UK) Limited (in members' voluntary liquidation), DAHOC Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, DB (Barbados) SRL, DB (Malaysia) Nominee (Asing) Sdn. Bhd., DB (Malaysia) Nominee (Tempatan) Sendirian Berhad, DB (Pacific) Limited, DB (Pacific) Limited New York, DB (Pacific) Limited New York, DB Abalone LLC, DB Alex. Brown Holdings Incorporated, DB Alps Corporation, DB Aotearoa Investments Limited, DB Asia Pacific Holdings Limited (in voluntary liquidation), DB Asset Finance I S.a r.l., DB Asset Finance II S.a r.l., DB Aster II LLC, DB Aster III LLC, DB Aster Inc., DB Aster LLC, DB Beteiligungs-Holding GmbH, DB Boracay LLC, DB Capital Investments Sarl, DB Capital Markets (Deutschland) GmbH, DB Capital Partners Inc., DB Capital Partners Inc., DB Cartera de Inmuebles 1 S.A.U., DB Cartera de Inmuebles 1 S.A.U., DB Chestnut Holdings Limited, DB Commodity Services LLC, DB Consorzio S. Cons. a r. l., DB Corporate Advisory (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., DB Covered Bond S.r.l., DB Credit Investments S.a r.l., DB Delaware Holdings (Europe) Limited, DB Direkt GmbH, DB Elara LLC, DB Energy Commodities Limited (in members' voluntary liquidation), DB Energy Trading LLC, DB Enfield Infrastructure Holdings Limited, DB Equipment Leasing Inc., DB Equipment Leasing Inc., DB Equity Limited, DB Finance (Delaware) LLC, DB Finance (Delaware) LLC, DB Finance International GmbH, DB Ganymede 2006 L.P., DB Global Markets Multi-Strategy Fund I Ltd., DB Global Technology Inc., DB Global Technology Inc., DB Global Technology SRL, DB Group Services (UK) Limited, DB HR Solutions GmbH, DB Holding Fundo de Investimento Multimercado Investimento no Exterior Credito Privado, DB Holdings (New York) Inc., DB Holdings (New York) Inc., DB Holdings (South America) Limited, DB IROC Leasing Corp., DB Immobilienfonds 1 Wieland KG, DB Immobilienfonds 2 KG i.L., DB Immobilienfonds 4 KG i.L., DB Immobilienfonds 5 Wieland KG, DB Impact Investment (GP) Limited, DB Impact Investment Fund I L.P., DB Impact Investment Fund I L.P., DB Industrial Holdings Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, DB Industrial Holdings GmbH, DB Intermezzo LLC, DB International (Asia) Limited, DB International Investments Limited, DB International Trust (Singapore) Limited, DB Investment Managers Inc., DB Investment Managers Inc., DB Investment Partners Inc., DB Investment Partners Inc., DB Investment Resources (US) Corporation, DB Investment Resources Holdings Corp., DB Investment Services GmbH, DB Io LP, DB Litigation Fee LLC, DB London (Investor Services) Nominees Limited, DB Management Support GmbH, DB Managers LLC, DB Municipal Holdings LLC, DB Nexus American Investments (UK) Limited (in members'voluntary liquidation), DB Nexus Investments (UK) Limited (in members' voluntary liquidation), DB Nominees (Hong Kong) Limited, DB Nominees (Singapore) Pte Ltd, DB Omega BTV S.C.S., DB Omega Holdings LLC, DB Omega Ltd., DB Omega S.C.S., DB Operaciones y Servicios Interactivos Agrupacion de Interes Economico, DB Overseas Finance Delaware Inc., DB Overseas Finance Delaware Inc., DB Overseas Holdings Limited, DB PWM, DB Portfolio Southwest Inc., DB Print GmbH, DB Privat- und Firmenkundenbank AG, DB Private Clients Corp., DB Private Wealth Mortgage Ltd., DB RC Holdings LLC, DB Re S.A., DB Service Centre Limited, DB Service Uruguay S.A., DB Services Americas Inc., DB Services Americas Inc., DB Servizi Amministrativi S.r.l., DB Strategic Advisors Inc., DB Strategic Advisors Inc., DB Structured Derivative Products LLC, DB Structured Derivative Products LLC, DB Structured Finance 1 Designated Activity Company, DB Structured Finance 2 Designated Activity Company, DB Structured Holdings Luxembourg S.a r.l., DB Structured Products Inc., DB Structured Products Inc., DB Trustee Services Limited, DB Trustees (Hong Kong) Limited, DB U.S. Financial Markets Holding Corporation, DB UK Bank Limited, DB UK Holdings Limited, DB UK PCAM Holdings Limited, DB USA Core Corporation, DB USA Corporation, DB Valoren S.a r.l., DB Value S.a r.l., DB VersicherungsManager GmbH, DB Vita S.A., DBAB Wall Street LLC, DBAH Capital LLC, DBAH Capital LLC, DBCIBZ1, DBCIBZ2, DBFIC Inc., DBFIC Inc., DBNZ Overseas Investments (No.1) Limited, DBOI Global Services (UK) Limited, DBOI Global Services Private Limited, DBR Investments Co. Limited, DBRE Global Real Estate Management IA Ltd., DBRE Global Real Estate Management IB Ltd., DBRE Global Real Estate Management IB Ltd., DBRE Global Real Estate Management US IB L.L.C., DBRMS4, DBRMSGP1, DBUK PCAM Limited, DBUKH No. 2 Limited, DBUSBZ1 LLC, DBUSBZ1 LLC, DBUSBZ2 S.a r.l., DBUSBZ2 S.a r.l., DBX Advisors LLC, DBX ETF Trust, DBX Strategic Advisors LLC, DBO Vermogensverwertung GmbH, DEBEKO Immobilien GmbH & Co Grundbesitz OHG, DEE Deutsche Erneuerbare Energien GmbH, DEUFRAN Beteiligungs GmbH, DEUKONA Versicherungs-Vermittlungs-GmbH, DEUTSCHE BANK A.S., DG China Clean Tech Partners, DI Deutsche Immobilien Treuhandgesellschaft mbH, DIB-Consult Deutsche Immobilien- und BeteiligungsBeratungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., DISCA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, DNU Nominees Pty Limited, DSL Portfolio GmbH & Co. KG, DSL Portfolio Verwaltungs GmbH, DTS Nominees Pty Limited, DWS Alternatives France, DWS Alternatives Global Limited, DWS Alternatives GmbH, DWS Asset Management (Korea) Company Limited, DWS Beteiligungs GmbH, DWS CH AG, DWS Distributors Inc., DWS Distributors Inc., DWS Far Eastern Investments Limited, DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA, DWS Group Services UK Limited, DWS Grundbesitz GmbH, DWS International GmbH, DWS Investment GmbH, DWS Investment Management Americas Inc., DWS Investment Management Americas Inc., DWS Investment S.A., DWS Investments Australia Limited, DWS Investments Hong Kong Limited, DWS Investments Japan Limited, DWS Investments Shanghai Limited, DWS Investments Singapore Limited, DWS Investments UK Limited, DWS Management GmbH, DWS Real Estate GmbH, DWS Service Company, DWS Trust Company, DWS USA Corporation, De Heng Asset Management Company Limited, De Meng Innovative (Beijing) Consulting Company Limited, DeAM Infrastructure Limited, Deloraine Spain S.L., Delowrezham de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Deposit Solutions, Deutsche (Aotearoa) Capital Holdings New Zealand, Deutsche (Aotearoa) Foreign Investments New Zealand, Deutsche (Mauritius) Limited Port, Deutsche (New Munster) Holdings New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Access Investments Limited, Deutsche Aeolia Power Production Societe Anonyme, Deutsche Alt-A Securities Inc., Deutsche Alt-A Securities Inc., Deutsche Alternative Asset Management (France) SAS, Deutsche Alternative Asset Management (UK) Limited, Deutsche Asia Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd, Deutsche Asset Management (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Asset Management (Japan) Limited, Deutsche Asset Management (Korea) Company Limited, Deutsche Asset Management S.A., Deutsche Asset Management S.G.I.I.C. S.A., Deutsche Australia Limited, Deutsche Bank (Cayman) Limited, Deutsche Bank (Chile), Deutsche Bank (China) Co. Ltd., Deutsche Bank (China) Co. Ltd., Deutsche Bank (Malaysia) Berhad, Deutsche Bank (Suisse) SA, Deutsche Bank (Uruguay) Sociedad Anonima Institucion Financiera Externa, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, Deutsche Bank Americas Holding Corp., Deutsche Bank Bauspar-Aktiengesellschaft, Deutsche Bank Capital Finance LLC I, Deutsche Bank Capital Finance Trust I, Deutsche Bank Europe GmbH, Deutsche Bank Financial Company, Deutsche Bank Holdings Inc., Deutsche Bank Holdings Inc., Deutsche Bank Insurance Agency Incorporated, Deutsche Bank Insurance Agency of Delaware, Deutsche Bank International Limited, Deutsche Bank Investments (Guernsey) Limited, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A., Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A. - Fiduciary Deposits, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A. - Fiduciary Note Programme, Deutsche Bank Mutui S.p.A., Deutsche Bank Mexico S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple, Deutsche Bank Mexico S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple, Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, Deutsche Bank National Trust Company Los, Deutsche Bank Nominees (Guernsey) Limited, Deutsche Bank Nominees (Jersey) Limited, Deutsche Bank Polska Spolka Akcyjna, Deutsche Bank Representative Office Nigeria Limited, Deutsche Bank S.A. - Banco Alemao, Deutsche Bank S.A. - Banco Alemao Sao, Deutsche Bank SPEARs/LIFERs Series DBE-8011 Trust, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Limited, Deutsche Bank Services (Jersey) Limited, Deutsche Bank Sociedad Anonima Espanola, Deutsche Bank Sociedad Anonima Espanola, Deutsche Bank Societa per Azioni, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Delaware, Deutsche Bank Trust Company National Association, Deutsche Bank Trust Company National Association, Deutsche Bank Trust Corporation, Deutsche CIB Centre Private Limited, Deutsche Capital Finance (2000) Limited, Deutsche Capital Hong Kong Limited, Deutsche Capital Management Limited, Deutsche Capital Markets Australia Limited, Deutsche Capital Partners China Limited, Deutsche Cayman Ltd., Deutsche Colombia S.A.S., Deutsche Custody N.V., Deutsche Domus New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Equities India Private Limited, Deutsche Finance Co 1 Pty Limited, Deutsche Finance Co 2 Pty Limited, Deutsche Finance Co 3 Pty Limited, Deutsche Finance Co 4 Pty Limited, Deutsche Finance No. 2 Limited, Deutsche Foras New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Immobilien-Leasing mit beschrankter Haftung, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Immobilien-Leasing mit beschrankterHaftung, Deutsche Global Markets Limited, Deutsche Group Holdings (SA) Proprietary Limited, Deutsche Group Services Pty Limited, Deutsche Grundbesitz Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Deutsche Grundbesitz Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., Deutsche Grundbesitz-Anlagegesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Deutsche Holdings (BTI) Limited, Deutsche Holdings (Grand Duchy), Deutsche Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., Deutsche Holdings (Malta) Ltd., Deutsche Holdings Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 2 Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 3 Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 4 Limited, Deutsche Immobilien Leasing GmbH, Deutsche India Holdings Private Limited, Deutsche International Corporate Services (Ireland) Limited, Deutsche International Corporate Services Limited, Deutsche International Custodial Services Limited, Deutsche Inversiones Dos S.A., Deutsche Inversiones Limitada, Deutsche Investments (Netherlands) N.V., Deutsche Investments India Private Limited, Deutsche Investor Services Private Limited, Deutsche Knowledge Services Pte. Ltd., Deutsche Leasing New York Corp., Deutsche Mandatos S.A., Deutsche Master Funding Corporation, Deutsche Mexico Holdings S.a r.l., Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Group Limited, Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Group Public Limited Company, Deutsche Mortgage & Asset Receiving Corporation, Deutsche Mortgage Securities Inc., Deutsche Mortgage Securities Inc., Deutsche Nederland N.V., Deutsche New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Nominees Limited, Deutsche Oppenheim Family Office AG, Deutsche Overseas Issuance New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Postbank, Deutsche Postbank Finance Center Objekt GmbH, Deutsche Postbank Funding LLC I, Deutsche Postbank Funding LLC II, Deutsche Postbank Funding LLC III, Deutsche Private Asset Management Limited, Deutsche Securities (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Securities (Proprietary) Limited, Deutsche Securities (SA) (Proprietary) Limited, Deutsche Securities Asia Limited, Deutsche Securities Australia Limited, Deutsche Securities Inc., Deutsche Securities Israel Ltd., Deutsche Securities Korea Co., Deutsche Securities Mauritius Limited, Deutsche Securities Menkul Degerler A.S., Deutsche Securities S.A., Deutsche Securities S.A. de C.V. Casa de Bolsa, Deutsche Securities S.A. de C.V. Casa de Bolsa, Deutsche Securities Saudi Arabia, Deutsche Securities SpA, Deutsche Securities Venezuela S.A., Deutsche Securitisation Australia Pty Limited, Deutsche Services Polska Sp. z o.o., Deutsche StiftungsTrust GmbH, Deutsche Strategic Investment Holdings Yugen Kaisha, Deutsche Trust Company Limited Japan, Deutsche Trustee Company Limited, Deutsche Trustee Services (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Trustees Malaysia Berhad, Deutsche Wealth Management S.G.I.I.C. S.A., Deutsches Institut fur Altersvorsorge GmbH, Durian (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., EC EUROPA IMMOBILIEN FONDS NR. 3 GmbH & CO. KG i.I., Elba Finance GmbH, Elizabethan Holdings Limited, Elizabethan Management Limited, Emerald Asset Repackaging Designated Activity Company, Erste Frankfurter Hoist GmbH, European Value Added I (Alternate G.P.) LLP, Exinor SA, FARAMIR Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungs GmbH, FRANKFURT CONSULT GmbH, Fiduciaria Sant' Andrea S.r.L., Finanzberatungsgesellschaft mbH der Deutschen Bank, Franz Urbig- und Oscar Schlitter-Stiftung Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-037, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-039, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-040, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-041, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-043, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-044, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-047, Funfte SAB Treuhand und Verwaltung GmbH & Co. Suhl "Rimbachzentrum" KG, G Finance Holding Corp., G.O. IB-US Management L.L.C., G918 Corp., GAC-HEL Inc., GWC-GAC Corp., Galene S.a r.l., Gemini Technology Services Inc., German American Capital, German American Capital Corporation, Gladyr Spain S.L., Global Markets Fundo de Investimento Multimercado, Global Markets III Fundo de Investimento Multimercado - Credito, Greenwood Properties Corp., Grundstucksgesellschaft Frankfurt Bockenheimer Landstrae GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Kerpen-Sindorf Vogelrutherfeld GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Leipzig Petersstrae GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Wiesbaden Luisenstrae/Kirchgasse GbR, HTB Spezial GmbH & Co. KG, Hollandsche Bank-Unie, IOS Finance EFC S.A., ISTRON Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungs-GmbH, IVAF I Manager S.a r.l., IVAF I Manager S.a r.l., Immobilienfonds Buro-Center Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben I GbR, Immobilienfonds Buro-Center Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben II GbR, Immobilienfonds Mietwohnhauser Quadrath-Ichendorf GbR, Immobilienfonds Wohn- und Geschaftshaus Koln-Blumenberg V GbR, J R Nominees (Pty) Ltd, Joint Stock Company Deutsche Bank DBU, Jyogashima Godo Kaisha, KEBA Gesellschaft fur interne Services mbH, Kidson Pte Ltd, Konsul Inkasso GmbH, Kradavimd UK Lease Holdings Limited, LA Water Holdings Limited, LAWL Pte. Ltd., Latitude Australia Secured Personal Loans Trust, Leasing Verwaltungsgesellschaft Waltersdorf mbH, Leonardo III Initial GP Limited, Lindsell Finance Limited, London Industrial Leasing Limited, MEF I Manager S. a r.l., MEF I Manager S. a r.l., MHL Reinsurance Ltd., MIT Holdings Inc., MIT Holdings Inc., MPP Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Maher Terminals Holdings (Toronto) Limited, Morgan Grenfell & Company, MortgageIT, MortgageIT Inc., MortgageIT Inc., MortgageIT Securities Corp., Motion Picture Productions One GmbH & Co. KG, NCW Holding Inc., Navegator - SGFTC S.A., Navegator - SGFTC S.A., New 87 Leonard LLC, Nordwestdeutscher Wohnungsbautrager Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, OOO "Deutsche Bank TechCentre", OOO "Deutsche Bank", OPB Verwaltungs- und Beteiligungs-GmbH, OPB Verwaltungs- und Treuhand GmbH, OPB-Holding GmbH, OPB-Nona GmbH, OPB-Oktava GmbH, OPB-Quarta GmbH, OPB-Quinta GmbH, OPB-Septima GmbH, OPPENHEIM Capital Advisory GmbH, OPPENHEIM Flottenfonds V GmbH & Co. KG, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Manager GmbH, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, OPS Nominees Pty Limited, OVT Trust 1 GmbH, OVV Beteiligungs GmbH, Opal Funds (Ireland) Public Limited Company, PADUS Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, PARTS Funding LLC., PB Factoring GmbH, PB Firmenkunden AG, PB International S.A., PB Spezial-Investmentaktiengesellschaft mit Teilgesellschaftsvermogen, PBC Banking Services GmbH, PCC Services GmbH der Deutschen Bank, PT Deutsche Sekuritas Indonesia, PT. Deutsche Verdhana Sekuritas Indonesia, Pan Australian Nominees Pty Ltd, Peruda Leasing Limited, Plantation Bay Inc., Plantation Bay Inc., Postbank Akademie und Service GmbH, Postbank Beteiligungen GmbH, Postbank Direkt GmbH, Postbank Filialvertrieb AG, Postbank Finanzberatung AG, Postbank Immobilien GmbH, Postbank Immobilien und Baumanagement GmbH, Postbank Immobilien und Baumanagement GmbH & Co. Objekt Leipzig KG, Postbank Leasing GmbH, Postbank Service GmbH, Postbank Systems AG, QR Tower 2 LLC, Quantiguous, R.B.M. Nominees Pty Ltd, REO Properties Corporation, RREEF, RREEF America L.L.C., RREEF China REIT Management Limited, RREEF European Value Added I (G.P.) Limited, RREEF Fund Holding Co., RREEF India Advisors Private Limited, RREEF Management L.L.C., RTS Nominees Pty Limited, Reference Capital Investments Limited, RoPro U.S. Holding Inc., RoPro U.S. Holding Inc., Route 28 Receivables LLC, Route 28 Receivables LLC, SAB Real Estate Verwaltungs GmbH, SAGITA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SAPIO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SCUDO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., SEDO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., SENA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Objekt Kamenz KG, SIFA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SOLIDO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SP Mortgage Trust, SPINO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., SPV I Sociedad Anonima Cerrada, SPV II Sociedad Anonima Cerrada, STATOR Heizkraftwerk Frankfurt (Oder) Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Sal. Oppenheim, Sal. Oppenheim Alternative Investments GmbH, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. AG & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. Beteiligungs GmbH, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. Komplementar AG, Sechste Salomon Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Sechste Salomon Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., Service Company Four Limited, Sharps SP I LLC, Singer Island Tower Suite LLC, Somkid Immobiliare S.r.l., Stelvio Immobiliare S.r.l., Structured Finance Americas LLC, Structured Finance Americas LLC, Swabia 1. Vermogensbesitz-GmbH, Suddeutsche Vermogensverwaltung Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, TAKIR Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, TELO Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, TEMATIS Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., TERRUS Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., TESATUR Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Objekt Halle I KG i.L., TESATUR Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Objekt Nordhausen I KG i.L., TOSSA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, TRIPLA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, TRS Aria LLC, TRS Leda LLC, TRS Maple II LTD, TRS Oak II LTD, TRS SVCO LLC, TRS Scorpio LLC, TRS Tupelo II LTD, TRS Venor LLC, TRS Walnut II LTD, Tagus - Sociedade de Titularizacao de Creditos S.A., Tasfiye Halinde Deutsche Securities Menkul Degerler A.S., Tempurrite Leasing Limited, Thai Asset Enforcement and Recovery Asset Management Company Limited, Tianjin Deutsche AM Fund Management Co. Ltd., Treuinvest Service GmbH, Triplereason Limited, UKE Beteiligungs-GmbH, UKE Grundstucksgesellschaft mbH, UKE s.r.o., Ullmann - Esch Grundstucksgesellschaft Kirchnerstrae GbR, Ullmann - Esch Grundstucksverwaltungsgesellschaft Disternich GbR, Ullmann Ullmann Krockow Krockow Esch GbR, VCJ Lease S.a r.l., Vesta Real Estate S.r.l., VOB-ZVD Processing GmbH, WEPLA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, WEPLABeteiligungsgesellschaftmbH, Wealthspur Investment Ltd., Whale Holdings S.a r.l., World Trading (Delaware) Inc., World Trading(Delaware)Inc., Zumirez Drive LLC, db PBC, and norisbank GmbH.
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, a diversified financial institution, provides various financial products and services to personal, business, public sector, and institutional clients in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through four strategic business units: Canadian Personal and Business Banking; Canadian Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; U.S. Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; and Capital Markets. The company offers chequing, savings, and business accounts; mortgages; loans, lines of credit, student lines of credit, and business and agriculture loans; investment and insurance services; and credit cards, as well as overdraft protection services. It also provides day-to-day banking, borrowing and credit, investing and wealth, specialty, and international services; correspondent banking and online foreign exchange services; and cash management services. The company serves its customers through its banking centers, as well as direct, mobile, and remote channels. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce was founded in 1867 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Exxon Mobil: AKG Marketing Company Limited, Aera Energy LLC, Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company, Ampolex (Cepu) Pte Ltd, Ancon Insurance Company Inc., Barnett Gathering LLC, Barzan Gas Company Limited, Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Celtic Exploration Ltd., Coral FLNG S.A., Cross Timbers Energy LLC, Ellora Energy Inc., Esmeroon Oil Transporta Imperial Oil Limited, Esso (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd, Esso Deutschland GmbH, Esso Erdgas Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 17) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Overseas) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Chad Inc., Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Offshore East) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited, Esso Global Investments Ltd., Esso Italiana S.r.l., Esso Nederland B.V., Esso Norge AS, Esso Petroleum Company Limited, Esso Raffinage, Esso Societe Anonyme Francaise, Exxo Holdings Inc., Exxon Azerbaijan Limited, Exxon Chemical Arabia Inc., Exxon International Finance Company, Exxon Luxembourg Holdings LLC, Exxon Mobile Bay Limited Partnership, Exxon Neftegas Limited, Exxon Overseas Corporation, Exxon Overseas Investment Corporation, ExxonMobil (China) Investment Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil (Taicang) Petroleum Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil Abu Dhabi Offshore Petroleum Company Limited, ExxonMobil Alaska Production Inc., ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., ExxonMobil Australia Pty Ltd, ExxonMobil B Resources Company, ExxonMobil Capital Finance Company, ExxonMobil Capital Netherlands B.V., ExxonMobil Central Europe Holding GmbH, ExxonMobil Cepu Limited, ExxonMobil Chemical France, ExxonMobil Chemical Gulf Coast Investments LLC, ExxonMobil Chemical Holland B.V., ExxonMobil Chemical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil China Petroleum & Petrochemical Company Limited, ExxonMobil Development Africa B.V., ExxonMobil Development Company, ExxonMobil Egypt (S.A.E.), ExxonMobil Exploracao Brasil Ltda., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Norway AS, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Tanzania Limited, ExxonMobil Finance Company Limited, ExxonMobil Financial Investment Company Limited, ExxonMobil France Holding SAS, ExxonMobil Gas Marketing Europe Limited, ExxonMobil General Finance Company, ExxonMobil Global Services Company, ExxonMobil Golden Pass Surety LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Company Holland LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Norway AS, ExxonMobil Hong Kong Limited, ExxonMobil International Services SARL, ExxonMobil Iraq Limited, ExxonMobil Italiana Gas S.r.l., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Ventures Inc., ExxonMobil LNG Services B.V., ExxonMobil Lubricants Trading Company, ExxonMobil Oil Corporation, ExxonMobil PNG Limited, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical BVBA, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical Holdings Inc., ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, ExxonMobil Production Deutschland GmbH, ExxonMobil Production Norway Inc., ExxonMobil Qatargas (II) Limited, ExxonMobil Qatargas Inc., ExxonMobil Ras Laffan (III) Limited, ExxonMobil Rasgas Inc., ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, ExxonMobil Russia Kara Sea Holdings B.V., ExxonMobil Sales and Supply LLC, ExxonMobil Technology Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Funding Ltd., Fujian Refining & Petrochemical Co. Ltd., Golden Pass LNG Terminal Investments LLC, Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC, Gulf Coast Growth Ventures LLC, Imperial Oil Limited, Imperial Oil Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources N.W.T. Limited, Imperial Oil/Petroliere Imperiale, Infineum Italia s.r.I., Infineum Singapore Pte. Ltd., InterOil Corporation, Jurong Aromatics Corporation Pte Ltd, MPM Lubricants, Marine Well Containment Company LLC, Mobil Australia Resources Company Pty Limited, Mobil California Exploration & Producing Asset Company, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company, Mobil Chemical Products International Inc., Mobil Corporation, Mobil Equatorial Guinea Inc., Mobil Erdgas Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Mobil Exploration & Producing Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil International Petroleum Corporation, Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil Oil Exploration & Producing Southeast Inc., Mobil Oil New Zealand Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Mobil Producing Texas & New Mexico Inc., Mobil SerLimited, Mobil Venezolana De Petroleos Inc., Mobil Yanbu Petrochemical Company Inc., Mobil Yanbu Refining Company Inc., Mountain Gathering LLC, Mozambique Rovuma Venture S.p.A., Palmetto Transoceanic LLC, Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas Global Company LDC, Permian Express Partners LLC, Phillips Exploration LLC, Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (II), SPI Limited, Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company Ltd., Saudi Yanbu Petrochemical Co., SeaRiver Maritime Inc., South Hook LNG Terminal Company Limited, Tengizchevroil LLP, Terminale GNL Adriatico S.r.l, Trend Gathering & Treating LLC, Wolverine Pipe Line Company, XH LLC, XTO Delaware Basin LLC, XTO ENERGY, XTO Energy Canada, and XTO Holdings LLC.
Hertz Global's quiet period expires on Monday, December 20th. Hertz Global had issued 44,520,000 shares in its IPO on November 9th. The total size of the offering was $1,291,080,000 based on an initial share price of $29.00. During Hertz Global's quiet period, underwriters and any insiders that worked on the IPO are restricted from issuing any research reports for the company because of regulations issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Following the end of the company's quiet period, it's expected that the brokerages that served as underwriters on the stock will initiate research coverage on the company.
innogy SE operates as an energy company in Europe. The company operates in two divisions, Grid & Infrastructure and Retail. The Grid & Infrastructure division is involved in the operation of gas distribution network in Croatia, as well as electricity distribution network in Poland and Hungary; and water business. The Retail division sells electricity and gas. The company serves residential, commercial, industrial, and corporate customers, as well as distributors. innogy SE has a strategic partnership with Nordex. The company was formerly known as RWE International SE and changed its name to innogy SE in September 2016. innogy SE was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Essen, Germany. innogy SE is a subsidiary of E.ON Verwaltungs SE.

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Invesco Municipal Income Opportunities Trust is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Invesco Ltd. The fund is co-managed by Invesco Advisers, Inc., INVESCO Asset Management Deutschland GmbH, INVESCO Asset Management Limited, INVESCO Asset Management (Japan) Limited, Invesco Hong Kong Limited, INVESCO Senior Secured Management, Inc., and Invesco Canada Ltd. It invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. The fund primarily invests in municipal bonds rated BB or better by Standard & Poor's or Ba or better by Moody's. It employs fundamental analysis with bottom-up security selection approach to create its portfolio. The fund was previously known as Morgan Stanley Municipal Income Opportunities Trust. Invesco Municipal Income Opportunities Trust was formed on September 19, 1988 and is domiciled in the United States.

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J Sainsbury plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the food, general merchandise and clothing retailing, and financial services activities in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It operates through three segments: Retail A- Food, Retail A- General Merchandise and Clothing, and Financial Services. The company operates various store formats, including convenience stores and supermarkets. It is also involved in online grocery and general merchandise operations. As of March 6, 2021, the company operated 598 supermarkets, 813 convenience stores, 737 Argos stores, and 306 collection points, as well as 3 Habitat stores. In addition, the company offers financial services, such as credit cards, and travel money and personal loans, as well as home, car, pet, travel, and life insurance products. J Sainsbury plc was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

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Genworth Financial, Inc. is a financial services company, which engages in the provision of insurance, wealth management, investment and financial solutions. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Mortgage Insurance, Australia Mortgage Insurance, U.S. Life Insurance, and Runoff. The U.S. Mortgage Insurance segment offers mortgage insurance products predominantly insuring prime-based, individually underwritten residential mortgage loans. The Australia Mortgage Insurance segment offers flow mortgage insurance and selectively provides bulk mortgage insurance that aids in the sale of mortgages to the capital markets and helps lenders manage capital and risk. The U.S. Life Insurance segment offers long-term care insurance products as well as service traditional life insurance and fixed annuity products in the United States. The Runoff segment includes the results of non-strategic products which are no longer actively sold but continue to service its existing blocks of business. Its non-strategic products primarily include variable annuity, variable life insurance, institutional, corporate-owned life insurance and other accident and health insurance products. The company was fo

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KAZ Minerals PLC, together with its subsidiaries, engages in mining and processing copper and other metals primarily in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan. It operates through Bozshakol, Aktogay, East Region and Bozymchak, and Mining Projects segments. The company operates the Aktogay and Bozshakol open pit copper mines in the east region and Pavlodar region of Kazakhstan; three underground mines in the east region of Kazakhstan; and the Bozymchak copper-gold mine in Kyrgyzstan. It also develops greenfield metal deposits; operates Koksay deposit in Kazakhstan, and the Baimskaya licence area in the Chukotka region of Russia; and produces and sells various by-products, such as gold, silver, molybdenum, and zinc. In addition, the company supplies and distributes heat, water, and electricity; and offers construction, project management, financing, management, sales and logistics, and repairs and maintenance services. The company was formerly known as Kazakhmys PLC and changed its name to KAZ Minerals PLC in October 2014. KAZ Minerals PLC was founded in 1930 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.

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SunTrust Banks, Inc. operates as the holding company for SunTrust Bank that provides various financial services for consumers, businesses, corporations, institutions, and not-for-profit entities in the United States. It operates in two segments, Consumer and Wholesale. The Consumer segment provides deposits and payments; home equity and personal credit lines; auto, student, and other lending products; credit cards; discount/online and full-service brokerage products; professional investment advisory products and services; and trust services, as well as family office solutions. This segment also offers residential mortgage products in the secondary market. The Wholesale segment provides capital markets solutions, including advisory, capital raising, and financial risk management; asset-based financing solutions, such as securitizations, asset-based lending, equipment financing, and structured real estate arrangements; cash management services and auto dealer financing solutions; investment banking solutions; and credit and deposit, fee-based product offering, multi-family agency lending, advisory, commercial mortgage brokerage, and tailored financing and equity investment solutions. This segment also offers treasury and payment solutions, such as operating various electronic and paper payment types, which comprise card, wire transfer, automated clearing house, check, and cash; and provides services clients to manage their accounts online. The company offers its products and services through a network of traditional and in-store branches, automated teller machines, Internet, mobile, and telephone banking channels. As of December 31, 2018, it operated 1,218 full-service banking offices located in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. SunTrust Banks, Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Franklin Resources: AdvisorEngine, AdvisorEngine Inc., Alumcreek Holdings LLC, Athena Capital Advisors, Balanced Equity Management, Balanced Equity Management Pty. Limited, Benefit Street Partners, Bissett & Associates Investment Management, Brandywine Global Investment Management Europe Limited, CCPF GP Holdco No.2 Limited, CCPF No.2 (GP) Limited, CCPF No.2 LP, CP Industrial Management LLC, CP Intermediate Holdco Inc., CRM Software LLC, Clarion Gramercy (Deutschland) GmbH, Clarion Gramercy (UK) Limited, Clarion Gramercy Limited, Clarion Partners Europe Ltd., Clarion Partners Holdings LLC, Clarion Partners LLC, Clarion Partners Securities LLC, Clarion REIM South America Holdings LLC, Clarion REIM South America Invsetimentos Imobiliarios Ltda, ClearBridge RARE Infrastructure (North America) Pty Limited, ClearBridge RARE Infrastructure International Pty Limited, Darby - Hana Infrastructure Fund Management Co. Ltd., Edinburgh Partners, FT FinTech Holdings LLC, FT Opportunistic Distressed Fund Ltd., FTC Investor Services Inc., FTCI (Cayman) Ltd., FTPE Advisers LLC, Fiduciary International Holding Inc., Fiduciary Investment Management International Inc., Fiduciary Trust (International) Sarl, Fiduciary Trust Company International, Fiduciary Trust Company International of Pennsylvania, Fiduciary Trust Company of Canada, Fiduciary Trust International LLC, Fiduciary Trust International of California, Fiduciary Trust International of Delaware, Fiduciary Trust International of the South, Franklin Advisers GP LLC, Franklin Advisers Inc., Franklin Advisory Services LLC, Franklin Marketplace Loan GP LLC, Franklin Mutual Advisers LLC, Franklin SystematiQ Advisers LLC, Franklin Templeton Alternative Investments (India) Private Limited, Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Private Limited, Franklin Templeton Asset Management (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Franklin Templeton Asset Management Mexico S.A. de C.V. Sociedad Operadora de Fondos de Inversion, Franklin Templeton Austria GmbH, Franklin Templeton Capital Holdings Private Limited, Franklin Templeton Chile SpA. V., Franklin Templeton Companies LLC, Franklin Templeton Digital Advisory Services GmbH, Franklin Templeton Fund Management Limited, Franklin Templeton GSC Asset Management Sdn. Bhd., Franklin Templeton Global Investors Limited, Franklin Templeton Holding Limited, Franklin Templeton International Services (India) Private Limited, Franklin Templeton International Services S.a r.l., Franklin Templeton Investment Management (Shanghai) Limited, Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited, Franklin Templeton Investment Services GmbH, Franklin Templeton Investment Services Mexico S. de R.L., Franklin Templeton Investment Trust Management Co. Ltd., Franklin Templeton Investments (Asia) Limited, Franklin Templeton Investments (ME) Limited, Franklin Templeton Investments Australia Limited, Franklin Templeton Investments Corp., Franklin Templeton Investments Japan Limited, Franklin Templeton Investments Poland sp. z o.o., Franklin Templeton Investments South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Franklin Templeton Investor Services LLC, Franklin Templeton Investimentos (Brasil) Ltda., Franklin Templeton Luxembourg S.A., Franklin Templeton Magyarorszag Kft., Franklin Templeton Management Luxembourg S.A., Franklin Templeton Overseas Investment Fund Management (Shanghai) Co. Limited, Franklin Templeton Private Equity LLC, Franklin Templeton Services (India) Private Limited, Franklin Templeton Services LLC, Franklin Templeton Servicios de Asesoria Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Franklin Templeton Slovakia s.r.o., Franklin Templeton Social Infrastructure GP S.a r.l., Franklin Templeton Strategic Investments Ltd., Franklin Templeton Switzerland Ltd., Franklin Templeton Trustee Services Private Limited, Franklin Templeton Turkey Advisory Services A.S., Franklin Templeton Uruguay S.A., Franklin Venture Partners (Talos Cayman GP) LLC, Franklin Venture Partners LLC, Franklin/Templeton Distributors Inc., ITI Capital Markets Limited, K2 Advisors, LM (BVI) Limited, LM Holdings 2 Limited, LM Holdings Limited, LM International Holding LP, Legg Mason & Co (UK) Limited, Legg Mason & Co. LLC, Legg Mason (Chile) Inversiones Holdings Limitada, Legg Mason Asset Management Australia Limited, Legg Mason Asset Management Hong Kong Limited, Legg Mason Asset Management Singapore Pte. Limited, Legg Mason Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Legg Mason Holding (Switzerland) GmbH, Legg Mason Inc., Legg Mason Investment Funds Limited, Legg Mason Investments (Europe) Limited, Legg Mason Investments (Switzerland) GmbH, Legg Mason Overseas Investment Fund Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor LLC, Legg Mason Royce Holdings LLC, Onsa Inc., RARE IP Trust, RARE Infrastructure Limited, REDROSE Caesar S.a r.l., Random Forest Capital, Random Forest Capital LLC, Rensburg Sheppards plc, Riva Financial Systems Limited, Royce & Associates GP LLC, Royce & Associates LP, Royce Fund Services LLC, Royce Management Company LLC, TSEMF III (Jersey) Limited, TSEMF IV (Jersey) Limited, Templeton Asset Management (Labuan) Limited, Templeton Asset Management (Poland) TFI S.A., Templeton Asset Management Ltd., Templeton Global Advisors Limited, Templeton Global Holdings Ltd., Templeton International Inc., Templeton Investment Counsel LLC, Templeton Restructured Investments III Ltd., Templeton Restructured Investments IV Ltd., Templeton Restructured Investments L.L.C., Templeton Turkey Fund GP Ltd., Templeton Worldwide Inc., Templeton do Brasil Ltda., Templeton/Franklin Investment Services Inc., WHITEROSE Caesar S.a r.l., Western Asset Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Western Asset Management (Brazil) Holdings Limitada, Western Asset Management (Cayman) Holdings Limited, Western Asset Management Company Distribuidora de Titulos e Valores Mobiliarios Limitada, Western Asset Management Company LLC, Western Asset Management Company Limited, Western Asset Management Company Pte Ltd., Western Asset Management Company Pty Ltd, and Winfield & Company.
The following companies are subsidiares of Tenet Healthcare: 1 Subsidiaries of this entity in which Tenet Healthcare Corporation directly and indirectly held a 95% ownership interest at December 31 2020 are set forth in the table below., 25 East Same Day Surgery L.L.C., 300 PBL Development LLC, 45th Street MOB LLC, 601 N 30th Street I L.L.C., 601 N 30th Street II L.L.C., 601 N 30th Street III Inc., AHM Acquisition Co. Inc., AIG Holdings LLC, AIGB Global LLC, AIGB Group Inc., AIGB Holdings Inc., AIGB Management Services LLC, AMC/North Fulton Urgent Care #1 L.L.C., AMC/North Fulton Urgent Care #2 L.L.C., AMC/North Fulton Urgent Care #3 L.L.C., AMC/North Fulton Urgent Care #4 L.L.C., AMC/North Fulton Urgent Care #5 L.L.C., AMI Information Systems Group Inc., AMI/HTI Tarzana Encino Joint Venture, APN, ARC Worcester Center L.P., ASC Old Co. LP, ASC of New Jersey LLC, ASJH Joint Venture LLC, Abrazo Health Network EP Clinical Services LLC, Abrazo Surgical Outpatient Center LLC, Advanced Ambulatory Surgical Care L.P., Advanced Center for Surgery  Vero Beach LLC, Advanced Regional Surgery Center LLC, Advanced Surgery Center of Metairie LLC, Advanced Surgery Center of Sarasota LLC, Advanced Surgery Center of Tampa LLC, Advanced Surgical Care of St Louis LLC, Advanced Surgical Concepts LLC, Advantage Health Care Management Company LLC, Advantage Health Network Inc., AdventHealth Surgery Center Celebration LLC, AdventHealth Surgery Center Mills Park LLC, AdventHealth Surgery Center Wellswood LLC, AdventHealth Surgery Center Winter Garden LLC, AdventHealth Surgery Centers Central Florida LLC, AdventHealth Surgery Centers West Florida LLC, Adventist Midwest Health/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Alabama Cardiovascular Associates L.L.C., Alabama Digestive Health Endoscopy Center L.L.C., Alabama Hand and Sports Medicine L.L.C., Alamo Heights Surgicare L.P., All Star MOB LLC, Allegian Insurance Company, Alliance Surgery Birmingham LLC, Alliance Surgery Inc., Alvarado Hospital Medical Center Inc., Ambulatory Surgical Associates LLC, Ambulatory Surgical Center of Somerville LLC, American Institute of Gastric Banding Ltd., American Institute of Gastric Banding Phoenix Limited Partnership, American Medical (Central) Inc., Amisub (Heights) Inc., Amisub (Hilton Head) Inc., Amisub (North Ridge Hospital) Inc., Amisub (SFH) Inc., Amisub (Twelve Oaks) Inc., Amisub of California Inc., Amisub of North Carolina Inc., Amisub of South Carolina Inc., Amisub of Texas Inc., Anaheim Hills Medical Imaging L.L.C., Anaheim MRI Holding Inc., Anesthesia Partners of Gallatin LLC, Arizona Care Network  Next L.L.C., Arizona Health Partners LLC, Arlington Orthopedic and Spine Hospital LLC, Arrowhead Endoscopy and Pain Management Center LLC, Asia Outsourcing US Inc., Aspen Healthcare, Atlanta Medical Center Inc., Atlanta Medical Center Interventional Neurology Associates L.L.C., Atlanta Medical Center Neurosurgical & Spine Specialists L.L.C., Atlanta Medical Center Physician Group L.L.C., Atlantic Coast Surgical Suites LLC, Atlantic Health-USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Avita/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., BBH BMC LLC, BBH CBMC LLC, BBH DevelopmentCo LLC, BBH Imaging Jasper LLC, BBH NP Clinicians Inc., BBH PBMC LLC, BBH SBMC LLC, BBH WBMC LLC, BCDC EmployeeCO LLC, BHC-Talladega Pediatrics LLC, BHS Accountable Care LLC, BHS Affinity LLC, BHS Integrated Physician Partners LLC, BHS Physician Performance Network LLC, BHS Physicians Alliance for ACE LLC, BHS Physicians Network Inc., BHS Specialty Network Inc., BT East Dallas JV LLP, BW Cardiology LLC, BW Cyberknife LLC, BW Hand Practice LLC, BW Office Buildings LLC, BW Parking Decks LLC, BW Physician Practices LLC, BW Retail Pharmacy LLC, BW Sports Practice LLC, Bagley Holdings LLC, Baptist Accountable Care LLC, Baptist Diagnostics LLC, Baptist Health Centers LLC, Baptist Physician Alliance ACO LLC, Baptist Physician Alliance LLC, Baptist Plaza Surgicare L.P., Baptist Surgery Center L.P., Baptist Womens Health Center LLC, Baptist/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Bartlett ASC LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Baylor Plano LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Blue Star LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Granbury LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Mansfield LLC, Baylor Surgicare at North Dallas LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Plano LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Plano Parkway LLC, Bear Creek Surgery Center LLC, Beaumont Surgical Affiliates Ltd., Bellaire Outpatient Surgery Center L.L.P., Berkshire Eye LLC, Bloomington ASC LLC, Blue Ridge/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Bluffton Okatie Primary Care L.L.C., Bluffton Okatie Surgery Center L.L.C., Bon Secours Surgery Center at Harbour View LLC, Bon Secours Surgery Center at Virginia Beach LLC, Bozeman Health/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Bozeman MOB LLC, Briarcliff Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Bristol Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Broad River Primary Care L.L.C., Brookwood - Maternal Fetal Medicine L.L.C., Brookwood Ancillary Holdings Inc., Brookwood Baptist Health 1 LLC, Brookwood Baptist Health 2 LLC, Brookwood Baptist Health 3 LLC, Brookwood Baptist Imaging LLC, Brookwood Center Development Corporation, Brookwood Development Inc., Brookwood Diagnostic Imaging Center LLC, Brookwood Garages L.L.C., Brookwood Health Services Inc., Brookwood Home Health LLC, Brookwood Occupational Health Clinic L.L.C., Brookwood Parking Associates Ltd., Brookwood Primary Care - Homewood L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care - Inverness L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care - Mountain Brook L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care - Oak Mountain L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care - Vestavia L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care Cahaba Heights L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care Hoover L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care The Narrows L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Network Care Inc., Brookwood Specialty Care - Endocrinology L.L.C., Brookwood Sports and Orthopedics L.L.C., Brookwood Womens Care L.L.C., Brookwood Womens Diagnostic Center LLC, C7 Technologies LLC, CGH Hospital Ltd., CHIC/USP Surgery Centers LLC, CHN Holdings LLC, CHRISTUS Cabrini Surgery Center L.L.C., CHVI Tucson Holdings LLC, CML-Chicago Market Labs Inc., CRNAs of Michigan, CS/USP General Partner LLC, CS/USP Surgery Centers LP, California Joint & Spine LLC, Camp Creek Urgent Care L.L.C., Camp Lowell Surgery Center L.L.C., Captive Insurance Services Inc., Cardiology Physicians Associates L.L.C., Cardiology Physicians Corporation L.L.C., Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Associates L.L.C., Cardiovascular Clinical Excellence at Sierra Providence LLC, CareSpot of Austin LLC, CareSpot of Memphis LLC, CareSpot of Orlando/HSI Urgent Care LLC, Carmel Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Carondelet St. Marys-Northwest L.L.C., Cascade Spine Center LLC, Castle Rock Surgery Center LLC, Catawba-Piedmont Cardiothoracic Surgery L.L.C., Cedar Hill Primary Care L.L.C., Cedar Park Surgery Center L.L.P., Centennial ASC LLC, Center for Advanced Research Excellence L.L.C., Center for the Urban Child Inc., Central California Healthcare Holdings LLC, Central Carolina Physicians - Sandhills L.L.C., Central Carolina-IMA L.L.C., Central Jersey Surgery Center LLC, Central Texas Corridor Hospital Company LLC, Central Valley Quality Alliance LLC, Central Virginia Surgi-Center L.P., Centura Ventures Surgery Centers LLC, Centura/USP Colorado Springs Surgery Centers L.L.C., Chalon Living Inc., Chandler Endoscopy Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Charlotte Endoscopic Surgery Center LLC, Chattanooga Pain Management Center LLC, Chesterfield Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Chesterfield Anesthesia Associates of Missouri LLC, Chico Surgery Center L.P., Childrens Hospital of Michigan Premier Network Inc., Citrus Heights ASC RE LLC, Clarkston ASC Partners LLC, Clarksville Surgery Center LLC, Coast Healthcare Management LLC, Coast Surgery Center L.P., Coastal Carolina Medical Center, Coastal Carolina Medical Center Inc., Coastal Carolina Physician Practices LLC, Coastal Carolina Pro Fee Billing L.L.C., Coastal Endo LLC, Colorado GI Centers LLC, Commonwealth Continental Health Care Inc., Community Connection Health Plan Inc., Community Hospital LLC, Community Hospital of Los Gatos Inc., Conifer Care Continuum Solutions LLC, Conifer Ethics and Compliance Inc., Conifer Global Business Center Inc., Conifer Global Holdings Inc., Conifer Health Solutions LLC, Conifer Holdings Inc., Conifer Patient Communications LLC, Conifer Physician Services Holdings Inc., Conifer Physician Services Inc., Conifer Revenue Cycle Solutions LLC, Conifer Value-Based Care LLC, Conroe Surgery Center 2 LLC, Coral Gables Hospital Inc., Coral Ridge Outpatient Center LLC, Corpus Christi Surgicare Ltd., Covenant/USP Surgery Centers LLC, CreAtiv Management Company Inc., Creekwood Investors LLC, Creekwood Surgery Center L.P., Crown Point Surgery Center LLC, DH/USP SJOSC Investment Company L.L.C., DH/USP Sacramento Pain GP LLC, DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital Premier Clinical Co-Management Services LLC, DMC Education & Research, DMC Harper University Hospital Premier Clinical Co-Management Services LLC, DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital Premier Clinical Management Services LLC, DMC Imaging L.L.C., Dallas Surgical Partners LLC, DeTar/USP Surgery Center LLC, Delray Beach ASC LLC, Delray Medical Center Inc., Delray Medical Physician Services L.L.C., Denton Surgicare Partners Ltd., Denton Surgicare Real Estate Ltd., Denville Surgery Center LLC, Des Peres Physician Network LLC, Desert Cove MOB LLC, Desert Regional Medical Center Inc., Desert Ridge Outpatient Surgery LLC, Desoto Surgicare Partners Ltd., Destin ASC RE LLC, Destin Surgery Center LLC, Detroit Education & Research, DigitalMed Inc., Dignity/Abrazo Health Network LLC, Dignity/USP Folsom GP LLC, Dignity/USP Grass Valley GP LLC, Dignity/USP Las Vegas Surgery Centers LLC, Dignity/USP Metro Surgery Center LLC, Dignity/USP NorCal Surgery Centers LLC, Dignity/USP Phoenix Surgery Centers II LLC, Dignity/USP Phoenix Surgery Centers LLC, Dignity/USP Redding GP LLC, Dignity/USP Roseville GP LLC, Dignity/USP/John Muir East Bay Surgery Centers LLC, Doctors Hospital of Manteca Inc., Doctors Medical Center Neurosciences Clinical Co-Management LLC, Doctors Medical Center Orthopedics Clinical Co-Management LLC, Doctors Medical Center of Modesto Inc., Doctors Outpatient Center for Surgery LLC, Doctors Outpatient Surgery Center of Jupiter L.L.C., EPHC Inc., EPIC ASC LLC, East Atlanta Endoscopy Centers LLC, East Cobb Urgent Care LLC, East Cooper Coastal Family Physicians L.L.C., East Cooper Community Hospital Inc., East Cooper Hyperbarics L.L.C., East Cooper OB/GYN L.L.C., East Cooper Physician Network LLC, East Cooper Primary Care Physicians L.L.C., East Portland Surgery Center LLC, East West Surgery Center L.P., Eastgate Building Center L.L.C., Effingham Surgical Partners LLC, Einstein Montgomery Surgery Center LLC, Einstein/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., El Mirador Surgery Center L.L.C., El Paso Center for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy LLC, El Paso Day Surgery LLC, El Paso Urology Surgery Center Curie LLC, Emanate/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Emanuel Medical Center, Emerson Surgery Center LLC, Encinitas Endoscopy Center LLC, Endoscopy Center of Hackensack LLC, Endoscopy Center of South Sacramento LLC, Endoscopy Consultants LLC, European Surgical Partners Ltd., Eye Center of Nashville UAP LLC, Eye Surgery Center of Nashville LLC, FMC Medical Inc., FMCC Network Contracting L.L.C., FPN  Frisco Physicians Network, FREH Real Estate L.L.C., FRS Imaging Services L.L.C., FSC Hospital LLC, FSH IT Services LP, First Choice Physician Partners, Flatirons Surgery Center LLC, Folsom Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., Fort Bend Clinical Services Inc., Fort Worth Hospital Real Estate LP, Fort Worth Surgicare Partners Ltd., Foundation Bariatric Hospital of San Antonio LLC, Foundation San Antonio Borrower Sub LLC, Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, Fountain Valley Surgery Center LLC, Franklin Endo UAP LLC, Franklin Endoscopy Center LLC, Fresno Surgery Center L.P., Frisco Medical Center L.L.P., Frontenac Ambulatory Surgery & Spine Care Center L.P., Frye Regional Medical Center Inc., FryeCare Boone L.L.C., FryeCare Morganton L.L.C., FryeCare Physicians L.L.C., FryeCare Valdese L.L.C., FryeCare Watauga L.L.C., FryeCare Womens Services L.L.C., GCSA Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Gamma Surgery Center LLC, Gardendale Surgical Associates LLC, Garland Surgicare Partners Ltd., Gastric Health Institute L.L.C., Genesis ASC Partners LLC, Geneva Surgical Suites LLC, Georgia Endoscopy Center LLC, Georgia Gifts From Grace L.L.C., Georgia Musculoskeletal Network Inc., Georgia North Fulton Healthcare Associates L.L.C., Georgia Northside Ear Nose and Throat L.L.C., Georgia Physicians of Cardiology L.L.C., Georgia Spectrum Neurosurgical Specialists L.L.C., Georgia Spine Surgery Center LLC, Glen Echo Surgery Center LLC, Golden Ridge ASC LLC, Good Samaritan Medical Center Inc., Good Samaritan Surgery L.L.C., Grapevine Surgicare Partners Ltd., Grass Valley Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., Graystone Family Healthcare - Tenet North Carolina L.L.C., Great Lakes Surgical Suites LLC, Greater Dallas Healthcare Enterprises, Greater Northwest Houston Enterprises, Greenville Physicians Surgery Center LLP, Greenwood ASC LLC, Greystone Internal Medicine - Brookwood L.L.C., Gulf Coast Community Hospital Inc., HCH Tucson Holdings LLC, HCN Emerus Management Sub LLC, HCN Emerus Texas LLC, HCN Laboratories Inc., HCN Physicians Inc., HCN Sunnyvale Holdings LLC, HCN Surgery Center Holdings Inc., HDMC Holdings L.L.C., HMA/Solantic Joint Venture LLC, HMH-USP Surgery Centers LLC, HMHP/USP Surgery Centers LLC, HNMC Inc., HNW GP Inc., HNW LP Inc., HPI Holdings LLC, HPI North LLC, HPI Physicians LLC, HSRM International Inc., HSS Palm Beach Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, HSS/USP Surgery Center LLC, HUG Services Inc., HUMC/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Hacienda Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Hagerstown Surgery Center LLC, Hardeeville Medical Group L.L.C., Hardeeville Primary Care L.L.C., Harlingen Physician Network Inc., Harper-Hutzel AHP Services Inc., Harvard Park Surgery Center LLC, Haymarket Surgery Center LLC, Hazelwood Endoscopy Center LLC, Health & Wellness Surgery Center L.P., Health Horizons of Kansas City Inc., Health Horizons of Murfreesboro Inc., Health Horizons/Piedmont Joint Venture LLC, Health Services CFMC Inc., Health Services HNMC Inc., Health Services Network Care Inc., Health Services Network Hospitals Inc., Health Services Network Texas Inc., HealthCorp Network Inc., Healthcare Compliance LLC, Healthcare Network Alabama Inc., Healthcare Network CFMC Inc., Healthcare Network DPH Inc., Healthcare Network Georgia Inc., Healthcare Network Holdings Inc., Healthcare Network Hospitals (Dallas) Inc., Healthcare Network Hospitals Inc., Healthcare Network Louisiana Inc., Healthcare Network Missouri Inc., Healthcare Network North Carolina Inc., Healthcare Network South Carolina Inc., Healthcare Network Tennessee Inc., Healthcare Network Texas Inc., Healthcare Partners Investments LLC, Healthmark Partners Inc., Healthpoint of North Carolina L.L.C., Heart and Vascular Institute of Michigan, Heritage Park Surgical Hospital LLC, Hershey Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., Hialeah Hospital Inc., Hialeah Real Properties Inc., Hickory Family Practice Associates - Tenet North Carolina L.L.C., Hill Country ASC Partners LLC, Hill Country Surgery Center LLC, Hilton Head Health System L.P., Hilton Head Regional Healthcare L.L.C., Hilton Head Regional OB/GYN Partners L.L.C., Hilton Head Regional Physician Network LLC, Hilton Head Regional Physician Network  Georgia L.L.C., Hinsdale Surgical Center LLC, Hitchcock State Street Real Estate Inc., Holston Valley Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Holy Cross Hospital Inc., Home Health Partners of San Antonio LLC, Hoover Doctors Group Inc., Hoover Land LLC, Horizon Ridge Surgery Center LLC, Hospital Development of West Phoenix Inc., Hospital RCM Services LLC, Hospital Underwriting Group Inc., Houston Northwest Partners Ltd., Houston PSC L.P., Houston Specialty Hospital Inc., Houston Sunrise Investors Inc., Hyde Park Surgery Center LLC, ICNU Rockford LLC, Imaging Center at Baxter Village L.L.C., InforMed Insurance Services LLC, Integris/USP Health Ventures LLC, International Health and Wellness Inc., Irving-Coppell Surgical Hospital L.L.P., JFK Memorial Hospital Inc., JFP UAP Sugarland LLC, Jackson Surgical Center LLC, Jacksonville Endoscopy Centers LLC, Journey Home Healthcare of San Antonio LLC, KHS Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, KHS/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Kingsport Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Laguna Medical Systems Inc., Lake Endoscopy Center LLC, Lake Health Care Facilities Inc., Lake Lansing ASC Partners LLC, Lake Surgical Hospital Slidell LLC, LakeFront Medical Associates LLC, Lakewood Regional Medical Center Inc., Lakewood Surgery Center LLC, Lancaster Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Lansing ASC Partners LLC, Lawrenceville Surgery Center L.L.C., Lebanon Endoscopy Center LLC, Legacy Warren Partners L.P., Legacy/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Leonardtown Surgery Center LLC, Liberty Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Lifemark Hospitals Inc., Lifemark Hospitals of Florida Inc., Lifemark Hospitals of Louisiana Inc., Lone Star Endoscopy Center LLC, Longleaf Surgery Center LLC, Los Alamitos Medical Center Inc., Lubbock ASC Holding Co LLC, MASC Partners LLC, MCSH Real Estate Investors Ltd., MH Memorial City Surgery LLC, MH/USP Bay Area LLC, MH/USP Brazoria LLC, MH/USP Kingsland LLC, MH/USP Kingwood LLC, MH/USP Kirby LLC, MH/USP Main Street LLC, MH/USP North Freeway LLC, MH/USP North Houston LLC, MH/USP Richmond LLC, MH/USP Sugar Land LLC, MH/USP TMC Endoscopy LLC, MH/USP West Houston L.L.C., MH/USP Woodlands Parkway LLC, MSH Partners LLC, MSV Health/USP Surgery Centers LLC, MVH/USP Surgery Centers LLC, MacNeal Management Services Inc., MacNeal Medical Records Inc., MacNeal Physicians Group LLC, Magnetic Resonance Imaging of San Luis Obispo Inc., Magnolia Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Manchester Ambulatory Surgery Center LP, Maple Lawn Surgery Center LLC, Marion Surgery Center LLC, Mary Immaculate Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Mason Ridge Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Mayfield Spine Surgery Center LLC, McLaren ASC of Flint LLC, Meadowcrest Hospital LLC, Medical House Staffing LLC, Medical Park Tower Surgery Center LLC, Medplex Outpatient Medical Centers Inc., Medplex Outpatient Surgery Center Ltd., Memorial Hermann Bay Area Endoscopy Center LLC, Memorial Hermann Endoscopy & Surgery Center North Houston L.L.C., Memorial Hermann Endoscopy Center North Freeway LLC, Memorial Hermann Specialty Hospital Kingwood L.L.C., Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Surgical Hospital L.L.P., Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Brazoria LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Cypress LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Katy LLP, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Kingsland L.L.C., Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Kirby LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Main Street LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Memorial City L.L.C., Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Northwest LLP, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Pinecroft LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Preston Road Ltd., Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Richmond LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Southwest L.L.P., Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Sugar Land LLP, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Texas Medical Center LLP, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Woodlands Parkway LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center  The Woodlands LLP, Memorial Hermann Texas International Endoscopy Center LLC, Memorial Hermann West Houston Surgery Center LLC, Memorial Hermann/USP Surgery Centers II L.P., Memorial Hermann/USP Surgery Centers III LLP, Memorial Hermann/USP Surgery Centers IV LLP, Memorial Surgery Center LLC, Memphis Urgent Care #1 L.L.C., Memphis Urgent Care #2 L.L.C., Merced Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Mercy/USP Health Ventures L.L.C., Metro Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Metro Surgery Center LLC, MetroWest HomeCare & Hospice LLC, Metrocrest Surgery Center L.P., Metropolitan New Jersey LLC, Michigan ASC Partners L.L.C., Michigan Pioneer ACO LLC, Michigan Regional Imaging LLC, Mid Rivers Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Mid State Endo UAP LLC, Mid-State Endoscopy Center LLC, Mid-TSC Development LP, Middle Tennessee Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Midland Memorial/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Midland Texas Surgical Center LLC, Midwest Digestive Health Center LLC, Midwest Pharmacies Inc., Midwest Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Millennium Surgical Center LLC, Mobile Imaging Management LLC, Mobile Technology Management LLC, Modesto Radiology Imaging Inc., Monocacy Surgery Center LLC, Mountain Empire Surgery Center L.P., Munster Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Murdock Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, NHSC Holdings LLC, NICH GP Holdings LLC, NKCH/USP Briarcliff GP LLC, NKCH/USP Liberty GP LLC, NKCH/USP Surgery Centers II L.L.C., NKCH/USP Surgery Centers LLC, NMC Lessor L.P., NMC Surgery Center L.P., NME Headquarters Inc., NME Properties Corp., NME Properties Inc., NME Property Holding Co. Inc., NME Psychiatric Hospitals Inc., NME Rehabilitation Properties Inc., NSCH GP Holdings LLC, NSCH/USP Desert Surgery Centers L.L.C., NUCH of Georgia L.L.C., NUCH of Massachusetts LLC, NUCH of Michigan Inc., NUCH of Texas, Nacogdoches ASC-LP Inc., Name of Entity, National ASC Inc., National Ancillary Inc., National Diagnostic Imaging Centers Inc., National HHC Inc., National Home Health Holdings Inc., National ICN Inc., National Imaging Center Holdings Inc., National Medical Services II Inc., National Outpatient Services Holdings Inc., National Surgery Center Holdings Inc., National Urgent Care Holdings Inc., National Urgent Care Inc., Network Management Associates Inc., New Dimensions LLC, New England Physician Performance Network LLC, New H Acute Inc., New Horizons Surgery Center LLC, New Medical Horizons II Ltd., New Mexico Orthopaedic Surgery Center LLC, New Salem ASC RE LLC, Newhope Imaging Center Inc., North Anaheim Surgery Center LLC, North Atlantic Surgical Suites LLC, North Campus Surgery Center LLC, North Carolina Community Family Medicine L.L.C., North Central Surgical Center L.L.P., North Denver Musculoskeletal Surgical Partners LLC, North Fulton Cardiovascular Medicine L.L.C., North Fulton Hospitalist Group L.L.C., North Fulton Medical Center Inc., North Fulton Primary Care - Willeo Rd. L.L.C., North Fulton Primary Care - Windward Parkway L.L.C., North Fulton Primary Care - Wylie Bridge L.L.C., North Fulton Primary Care Associates L.L.C., North Fulton Pulmonary Specialists L.L.C., North Fulton Womens Consultants L.L.C., North Garland Surgery Center L.L.P., North Haven Surgery Center LLC, North Miami Medical Center Ltd., North Shore Medical Billing Center L.L.C., North Shore Medical Center Inc., North Shore Same Day Surgery L.L.C., North Shore Surgical Suites LLC, North State Surgery Centers L.P., NorthPointe Surgical Suites LLC, NorthShore/USP Surgery Centers II L.L.C., Northern Monmouth Regional Surgery Center L.L.C., Northridge ASC RE LLC, Northridge Surgery Center L.P., Northwest Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Northwest Georgia Orthopaedic Surgery Center LLC, Northwest Regional ASC LLC, Northwest Regional Surgery Center LLC, Northwest Surgery Center LLP, Northwest Surgery Center Ltd., Novant Health/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Novant/UVA/USP Surgery Centers LLC, OCOMS Imaging LLC, OCOMS Professional Services LLC, OLOL/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Okatie Surgical Partners L.L.C., Oklahoma Center for Orthopedic and Multi-Specialty Surgery LLC, Old Tesson Surgery Center L.P., Olive Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Olive Branch Urgent Care #1 LLC, Ophthalmology Anesthesia Services LLC, Ophthalmology Surgery Center of Orlando LLC, Optimum Spine Center LLC, OrNda Healthcorp, OrNda Hospital Corporation, Orlando Health/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., OrthoArizona Surgery Center Gilbert LLC, OrthoLink ASC Corporation, OrthoLink Physicians Corporation, OrthoLink Radiology Services Corporation, OrthoLink/ Georgia ASC Inc., OrthoLink/Baptist ASC LLC, OrthoLink/New Mexico ASC Inc., Orthopedic Associates of the Lowcountry L.L.C., Orthopedic South Surgical Partners LLC, Orthopedic and Surgical Specialty Company LLC, PAHS/USP Surgery Centers LLC, PDN L.L.C., PHPS Inc., PHPS-CHM Acquisition Inc., PHS/USP Health Ventures LLC, PM CyFair Land Partners LLC, PMC Physician Network L.L.C., PPRE LLC, PSS Patient Solution Services LLC, Pacific Endo-Surgical Center L.P., Pacific Endoscopy and Surgery Center LLC, Pain Diagnostic and Treatment Center L.P., Paley Institute Global LLC, Palm Beach Gardens Community Hospital Inc., Palm Beach International Surgery Center LLC, Palm Valley Medical Center Campus Association, Palos Health Surgery Center LLC, Paramus Endoscopy LLC, Park Cities Surgery Center LLC, Park Plaza Hospital Billing Center L.L.C., ParkCreek ASC LLC, Parkway Recovery Care Center LLC, Parkwest Surgery Center L.P., Patient Partners LLC, Peak Gastroenterology ASC LLC, Pediatric Surgery Center  Odessa LLC, Pediatric Surgery Centers LLC, Physician Performance Network L.L.C., Physician Performance Network of Arizona LLC, Physician Performance Network of Detroit, Physician Performance Network of South Carolina LLC, Physician Performance Network of Tucson LLC, Physicians Performance Network of Houston, Physicians Performance Network of North Texas, Physicians Surgery Center at Good Samaritan LLC, Physicians Surgery Center of Tempe LLC, Physicians Surgical Center of Ft. Worth LLP, Physicians Surgery Center of Chattanooga L.L.C., Physicians Surgery Center of Knoxville LLC, Piccard Surgery Center LLC, Piedmont ASC LLC, Piedmont Behavioral Medicine Associates LLC, Piedmont Cardiovascular Physicians L.L.C., Piedmont Carolina OB/GYN of York County L.L.C., Piedmont Carolina Vascular Surgery L.L.C., Piedmont East Urgent Care Center L.L.C., Piedmont Express Care at Sutton Road L.L.C., Piedmont Family Practice at Baxter Village L.L.C., Piedmont Family Practice at Rock Hill L.L.C., Piedmont Family Practice at Tega Cay L.L.C., Piedmont General Surgery Associates L.L.C., Piedmont Internal Medicine at Baxter Village L.L.C., Piedmont Physician Network LLC, Piedmont Pulmonology L.L.C., Piedmont Surgical Specialists L.L.C., Piedmont Urgent Care Center at Baxter Village L.L.C., Piedmont Urgent Care and Industrial Health Centers Inc., Piedmont/Carolinas Radiation Therapy LLC, Placentia-Linda Hospital Inc., Pleasanton Diagnostic Imaging Inc., Point of Rocks Surgery Center LLC, Practice Partners Management L.P., Premier ACO Physicians Network LLC, Premier ASC LLC, Premier Adult and Childrens Surgery Center LLC, Premier Endoscopy ASC LLC, Premier Health Plan Services Inc., Premier Medical Specialists L.L.C., Prince William Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Professional Anesthesia Services LLC, Professional Liability Insurance Company, Pros Temporary Staffing Inc., Providence/UCLA/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Providence/USP Santa Clarita GP LLC, Providence/USP South Bay Surgery Centers L.L.C., Providence/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Pueblo Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, R.H.S.C. El Paso Inc., RE Plano Med Inc., RHC Parkway Inc., RLC LLC, Reading Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Reading Endoscopy Center LLC, Reagan Street Surgery Center LLC, Redmond Surgery Center LLC, Renaissance Surgery Center LLC, Republic Health Corporation of Rockwall County, Resolute Health Physicians Network Inc., Resolute Hospital Company LLC, Resurgens East Surgery Center LLC, Resurgens Fayette Surgery Center LLC, Resurgens Surgery Center LLC, Rheumatology Associates of Atlanta Medical Center L.L.C., Richmond ASC Leasing Company LLC, Rio Grande Valley Indigent Health Care Corporation, River North Same Day Surgery L.L.C., Riverside Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Rock Bridge Surgical Institute L.L.C., Rock Hill Surgery Center LLC, Rockwall Ambulatory Surgery Center L.L.P., Rocky Mountain Endoscopy Centers LLC, Roseville Surgery Center L.P., Roswell Surgery Center L.L.C., SCNRE LLC, SFMP Inc., SFMPE - Crittenden L.L.C., SL-HLC Inc., SLH Physicians L.L.C., SLH Vista Inc., SLPA ACO LLC, SLUH Anesthesia Physicians L.L.C., SMSJ Imaging Company LLC, SMSJ Tucson Holdings LLC, SPC at the Star LLC, SRRMC Management Inc., SSI Holdings Inc., Sacramento Midtown Endoscopy Center LLC, Safety Harbor ASC Company LLC, Saint Agnes/Dignity/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Saint Agnes/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Saint Francis Cardiology Associates L.L.C., Saint Francis Cardiovascular Surgery L.L.C., Saint Francis Center for Surgical Weight Loss L.L.C., Saint Francis Hospital Billing Center L.L.C., Saint Francis Hospital Medicare ACO LLC, Saint Francis Hospital Pro Fee Billing L.L.C., Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett Inc., Saint Francis Medical Partners East L.L.C., Saint Francis Medical Partners General Surgery L.L.C., Saint Francis Physician Network LLC, Saint Francis Quality Alliance LLC, Saint Francis Surgery Center L.L.C., Saint Francis Surgical Associates L.L.C., Saint Francis-Arkansas Physician Network LLC, Saint Francis-Bartlett Physician Network LLC, Saint Thomas Campus Surgicare L.P., Saint Thomas Surgery Center New Salem LLC, Saint Thomas/USP Surgery Centers II L.L.C., Saint Thomas/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Saint Thomas/USP  Baptist Plaza L.L.C., Saint Vincent Physician Services Inc., Salmon Surgery Center LLC, Same Day Management L.L.C., Same Day SC of Central NJ LLC, Same Day Surgery L.L.C., San Antonio Endoscopy L.P., San Fernando Valley Surgery Center L.P., San Gabriel Valley Surgical Center L.P., San Martin Surgery Center LLC, San Ramon ASC L. P., San Ramon Ambulatory Care LLC, San Ramon Network Joint Venture LLC, San Ramon Regional Medical Center LLC, San Ramon Surgery Center L.L.C., Santa Barbara Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Santa Clarita Surgery Center L.P., Savannah Endoscopy Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Schertz Surgery Center LLC, Scripps Encinitas Surgery Center LLC, Scripps/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Seaside Surgery Center LLC, Shands/Solantic Joint Venture LLC, Shelby Baptist Affinity LLC, Shelby Baptist Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Shore Outpatient Surgicenter L.L.C., Shoreline Real Estate Partnership LLP, Shoreline Surgery Center LLP, Shrewsbury Surgery Center LLC, Sierra Pacific Surgery Center LLC, Sierra Providence Health Network Inc., Sierra Providence Healthcare Enterprises, Sierra Vista Hospital Inc., Silicon Valley Outpatient Surgery Centers LLC, Silver Cross Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Silver Cross/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Sinai-Grace Premier Clinical Management Services LLC, Siouxland Surgery Center Limited Liability Partnership, Solantic Corporation, Solantic Development LLC, Solantic Holdings Corporation, Solantic of Jacksonville LLC, Solantic of Orlando LLC, Solantic/South Florida LLC, South Carolina East Cooper Surgical Specialists L.L.C., South Carolina Health Services Inc., South Carolina SeWee Family Medicine L.L.C., South County Outpatient Endoscopy Services L.P., South Denver Musculoskeletal Surgical Partners LLC, South Florida Ambulatory Surgical Center LLC, South Fulton Health Care Centers Inc., SouthCare Physicians Group Neurology L.L.C., SouthCare Physicians Group Obstetrics & Gynecology L.L.C., Southeast Ohio Surgical Suites LLC, Southern Orthopedics and Sports Medicine L.L.C., Southern States Physician Operations Inc., Southwest Ambulatory Surgery Center L.L.C., Southwest Childrens Hospital LLC, Southwest Endoscopy LLC, Southwest Orthopedic and Spine Hospital LLC, Southwest Orthopedic and Spine Hospital Real Estate LLC, Southwestern Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Spalding Regional Medical Center Inc., Spalding Regional OB/GYN L.L.C., Spalding Regional Physician Services L.L.C., Specialty Surgery Center of Fort Worth L.P., Specialty Surgicenters Inc., Spinal Diagnostics and Treatment Centers L.L.C., Spine & Joint Physician Associates, Springfield Service Holding Corporation, St. Augustine Endoscopy Center LLC, St. Christophers Pediatric Urgent Care Center - Allentown L.L.C, St. Josephs Hospital Surgical Co-Management LLC, St. Josephs Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, St. Josephs Surgery Center L.P., St. Louis Physician Alliance LLC, St. Louis Surgical Center LLC, St. Louis Urology Center LLC, St. Lukes/USP Surgery Centers LLC, St. Marys Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, St. Marys Hospital Cardiovascular Co-Management LLC, St. Marys Hospital Surgical Co-Management LLC, St. Marys Levee Company LLC, St. Marys Medical Center Inc., St. Vincent Health/USP LLC, St. Vincent/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Stockton Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Subsidiaries of USPI Holding Company Inc., Suburban Endoscopy Center LLC, Summit View Surgery Center LLC, Sun View Imaging L.L.C., Sunrise Medical Group I L.L.C., Sunrise Medical Group II L.L.C., Sunrise Medical Group IV L.L.C., SurgCenter Camelback LLC, SurgCenter Northeast LLC, SurgCenter Pinellas LLC, SurgCenter Tucson LLC, SurgCenter at Paradise Valley LLC, SurgCenter of Deer Valley LLC, SurgCenter of Glen Burnie LLC, SurgCenter of Palm Beach Gardens LLC, SurgCenter of Plano LLC, SurgCenter of Southern Maryland LLC, SurgCenter of St. Lucie LLC, SurgCenter of White Marsh LLC, Surgery Affiliate of El Paso LLC, Surgery Center at Mount Pleasant LLC, Surgery Center at University Park LLC, Surgery Center of Atlanta LLC, Surgery Center of Canfield LLC, Surgery Center of Columbia L.P., Surgery Center of Coral Gables LLC, Surgery Center of Okeechobee LLC, Surgery Center of Pembroke Pines L.L.C., Surgery Center of Peoria L.L.C., Surgery Center of Richardson Physician Partnership L.P., Surgery Center of Santa Barbara LLC, Surgery Center of Scottsdale LLC, Surgery Center of Tempe Real Estate II L.L.C., Surgery Center of Tempe Real Estate L.L.C., Surgery Centers of America II L.L.C., Surgery Centre of SW Florida LLC, Surgical & Bariatric Associates of Atlanta Medical Center L.L.C., Surgical Clinical Excellence at Desert Regional LLC, Surgical Elite of Avondale L.L.C., Surgical Health Partners LLC, Surgical Institute Management LLC, Surgical Institute of Reading LLC, Surgical Specialists at Princeton LLC, Surgicare of Miramar L.L.C., Surginet Inc., Surgis Inc., Surgis Management Services Inc., Surgis of Chico Inc., Surgis of Phoenix Inc., Surgis of Redding Inc., Surgis of Victoria Inc., Sutton Road Pediatrics L.L.C., Sylvan Grove Hospital Inc., TENN SM LLC, TFPS IV L.L.C., TH Healthcare Ltd., TH International Services Florida LLC, THV Park Cities LLC, THVG Arlington GP LLC, THVG Bariatric GP LLC, THVG Bariatric L.L.C., THVG Bedford GP LLC, THVG Bellaire GP LLC, THVG DSP GP LLC, THVG DeSoto GP LLC, THVG Denton GP LLC, THVG Fort Worth GP LLC, THVG Frisco GP LLC, THVG Garland GP LLC, THVG Grapevine GP LLC, THVG Irving-Coppell GP LLC, THVG Lewisville GP LLC, THVG North Garland GP LLC, THVG Park Cities/Trophy Club GP LLC, THVG Rockwall 2 GP LLC, THVG Valley View GP LLC, TLC ASC LLC, TMC Holding Company LLC, TOPS Specialty Hospital Ltd., TPG Hospital LLC, TPR Practice Management LLC, TPS VI of PA L.L.C., TRMC Holdings LLC, TSPE LLC, Tamarac Surgery Center LLC, Tempe New Day Surgery Center LP, Templeton Imaging Inc., Tenet Business Services Corporation, Tenet California Inc., Tenet Central Carolina Physicians Inc., Tenet EKG Inc., Tenet El Paso Ltd., Tenet Employment Inc., Tenet Finance Corp., Tenet Florida Inc., Tenet Florida Physician Services II L.L.C., Tenet Florida Physician Services III L.L.C., Tenet Florida Physician Services L.L.C., Tenet Fort Mill Inc., Tenet Global Business Center Inc., Tenet HealthSystem Bucks County L.L.C., Tenet HealthSystem Graduate L.L.C., Tenet HealthSystem Hahnemann L.L.C., Tenet HealthSystem Medical Inc., Tenet HealthSystem Nacogdoches ASC GP Inc., Tenet HealthSystem Philadelphia Inc., Tenet HealthSystem Roxborough LLC, Tenet HealthSystem St. Christophers Hospital for Children L.L.C., Tenet Hilton Head Heart L.L.C., Tenet Hospitals Limited, Tenet Network Management Inc., Tenet Patient Safety Organization LLC, Tenet Physician Resources LLC, Tenet Physician Services - Hilton Head Inc., Tenet Rehab Piedmont Inc., Tenet Relocation Services L.L.C., Tenet SC East Cooper Hospitalists L.L.C., Tenet South Carolina Gastrointestinal Surgical Specialists L.L.C., Tenet South Carolina Island Medical L.L.C., Tenet South Carolina Lowcountry OB/GYN L.L.C., Tenet South Carolina Mt. Pleasant OB/GYN L.L.C., Tenet Unifour Urgent Care Center L.L.C., Tenet Ventures Inc., TenetCare Frisco Inc., Terre Haute Surgical Center LLC, Teton Outpatient Services LLC, Texan Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Texas Endoscopy Centers LLC, Texas Health Venture Arlington Hospital LLC, Texas Health Venture Baylor Plano LLC, Texas Health Venture Carrollton LLC, Texas Health Venture Centennial LLC, Texas Health Venture Ennis LLC, Texas Health Venture Fort Worth L.L.C., Texas Health Venture Granbury LLC, Texas Health Venture Heritage Park LLC, Texas Health Venture Keller LLC, Texas Health Venture Las Colinas LLC, Texas Health Venture Mansfield LLC, Texas Health Venture Plano Endo LLC, Texas Health Venture Plano LLC, Texas Health Venture Plano Parkway LLC, Texas Health Venture Texas Spine LLC, Texas Health Ventures Group L.L.C., Texas Orthopedics Surgery Center LLC, Texas Regional Medical Center LLC, Texas Regional Medical in Sunnyvale, Texas Spine and Joint Hospital LLC, The 6300 West Roosevelt Partnership, The Ambulatory Surgical Center of St. Louis L.P., The Healthcare Insurance Corporation, The Healthcare Underwriting Company a Risk Retention Group, The Huron Corporation, The Outpatient Center LLC, The Southeastern Spine Institute Ambulatory Surgery Center L.L.C., The Surgery Center at Jensen Beach LLC, The Surgery Center at Williamson LLC, The Tresanti Surgical Center LLC, Theda Oaks Gastroenterology & Endoscopy Center LLC, Titan Health Corporation, Titan Health of Chattanooga Inc., Titan Health of Hershey Inc., Titan Health of Mount Laurel LLC, Titan Health of North Haven Inc., Titan Health of Pittsburgh Inc., Titan Health of Pleasant Hills Inc., Titan Health of Princeton Inc., Titan Health of Sacramento Inc., Titan Health of Saginaw Inc., Titan Health of Titusville Inc., Titan Health of West Penn Inc., Titan Health of Westminster Inc., Titan Management Corporation, Titusville Center for Surgical Excellence LLC, Toms River Surgery Center L.L.C., Total Joint Center of the Northland LLC, Tower Road Real Estate LLC, Tower/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Treasure Coast ASC LLC, Trophy Club Medical Center L.P., True Medical Weight Loss L.P., True Medical Wellness LP, True Results Georgia Inc., True Results HoldCo LLC, True Results Missouri LLC, Tucson Digestive Institute LLC, Tucson Hospital Holdings Inc., Tucson Physician Group Holdings LLC, Turlock Imaging Services LLC, Turlock Land Company LLC, Tuscan Surgery Center at Las Colinas LLC, Twin Cities Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Twin Cities Community Hospital Inc., UAP Las Colinas Endo LLC, UAP Lebanon Endo LLC, UAP Nashville Endoscopy LLC, UAP Scopes LLC, UAP of Arizona Inc., UAP of California Inc., UAP of Missouri Inc., UAP of New Jersey Inc., UAP of Oklahoma Inc., UAP of Tennessee Inc., UAP of Texas Inc., UCC Tucson Holdings LLC, UMC Surgery Center Lubbock LLC, UMC-USP Surgery Centers LLC, USC/Norris Cancer Hospital, USP 12th Ave Real Estate Inc., USP Acquisition Corporation, USP Alexandria Inc., USP Assurance Company, USP Athens Inc., USP Atlanta Inc., USP Austin Inc., USP Bariatric LLC, USP Beaumont Inc., USP Bergen Inc., USP Bloomington Inc., USP Bridgeton Inc., USP Cedar Park Inc., USP Chesterfield Inc., USP Chicago Inc., USP Cincinnati Inc., USP Coast Inc., USP Columbia Inc., USP Connecticut Inc., USP Corpus Christi Inc., USP Creve Coeur Inc., USP Denver Inc., USP Des Peres Inc., USP Destin Inc., USP Domestic Holdings Inc., USP Effingham Inc., USP Encinitas Endoscopy Inc., USP Fenton Inc., USP Festus Inc., USP Florissant Inc., USP Fort Lauderdale Inc., USP Fort Worth Hospital Real Estate Inc., USP Fredericksburg Inc., USP Fresno Inc., USP Frontenac Inc., USP Gateway Inc., USP HMH Surgery Center at Shore LLC, USP Harbour View Inc., USP Houston Inc., USP Indiana Inc., USP International Holdings Inc., USP Jersey City Inc., USP Kansas City Inc., USP Knoxville Inc., USP Little Rock Inc., USP Long Island Inc., USP Louisiana Inc., USP Lubbock Inc., USP Maryland Inc., USP Mason Ridge Inc., USP Mattis Inc., USP Michigan Inc., USP Midland Inc., USP Midland Real Estate Inc., USP Midwest Inc., USP Mission Hills Inc., USP Montana Inc., USP Morris Inc., USP Mt. Vernon Inc., USP Nevada Holdings LLC, USP Nevada Inc., USP New Hampshire Inc., USP New Jersey Inc., USP Newport News Inc., USP North Carolina Inc., USP North Kansas City Inc., USP North Texas Inc., USP Northwest Arkansas Inc., USP OKC Inc., USP OKC Manager Inc., USP Office Parkway Inc., USP Ohio RE Inc., USP Oklahoma Inc., USP Olive Inc., USP Orlando Inc., USP Philadelphia Inc., USP Phoenix Inc., USP Portland Inc., USP Reading Inc., USP Richmond II Inc., USP Richmond Inc., USP Sacramento Inc., USP San Antonio Inc., USP Santa Barbara Surgery Centers Inc., USP Securities Corporation, USP Silver Cross Inc., USP Siouxland Inc., USP Somerset Inc., USP South Carolina Inc., USP Southlake RE Inc., USP St. Louis Inc., USP St. Louis Urology Inc., USP St. Peters Inc., USP Sunset Hills Inc., USP TJ STL Inc., USP Tennessee Inc., USP Texas Air L.L.C., USP Texas L.P., USP Torrance Inc., USP Tucson Inc., USP Turnersville Inc., USP Virginia Beach Inc., USP Washington Inc., USP Waxahachie Management L.L.C., USP Webster Groves Inc., USP West Covina Inc., USP Westwood Inc., USP Winter Park Inc., USP Wisconsin Inc., USP-HMH Surgery Center at Central Jersey LLC, USP/Carondelet Tucson Surgery Centers LLC, USP/SOS Joint Venture LLC, USPI Group Holdings Inc., USPI Holding Company Inc.1, USPI Holdings Inc., USPI Physician Strategy Group LLC, USPI San Diego Inc., USPI Stockton Inc., USPI Surgical Services Inc., Ulysses True Results NewCo LLC, Underwood Surgery Center LLC, United Anesthesia Partners Inc., United Real Estate Development Inc., United Real Estate Holdings Inc., United Surgical Partners Holdings Inc., United Surgical Partners International, United Surgical Partners International Inc., Universal Medical Care Center L.L.C., University Surgery Center Ltd., University Surgical Partners of Dallas L.L.P., Upper Bay Surgery Center LLC, Upper Cumberland Physicians Surgery Center LLC, Urgent Care Centers of Arizona LLC, Utica ASC Partners LLC, Utica/USP Tulsa L.L.C., VB Brownsville LTACH LLC, VBOA ASC GP LLC, VBOA ASC Partners L.L.C., VHM Services Inc., VHS Acquisition Corporation, VHS Acquisition Partnership Number 1 L.P, VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 1 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 11 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 12 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 3 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 4 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 5 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 6 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 7 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 8 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 9 Inc., VHS Arizona Heart Institute Inc., VHS Brownsville Hospital Company LLC, VHS Chicago Market Procurement LLC, VHS Childrens Hospital of Michigan Inc., VHS Detroit Businesses Inc., VHS Detroit Receiving Hospital Inc., VHS Detroit Ventures Inc., VHS Harlingen Hospital Company LLC, VHS Harper-Hutzel Hospital Inc., VHS Holding Company Inc., VHS Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital Inc., VHS Imaging Centers Inc., VHS New England Holding Company I Inc., VHS Outpatient Clinics Inc., VHS Phoenix Health Plan Inc., VHS Physicians of Michigan, VHS Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan Inc., VHS San Antonio Imaging Partners L.P., VHS San Antonio Partners LLC, VHS Sinai-Grace Hospital Inc., VHS University Laboratories Inc., VHS Valley Health System LLC, VHS Valley Holdings LLC, VHS Valley Management Company Inc., VHS West Suburban Medical Center Inc., VHS Westlake Hospital Inc., VHS of Anaheim Inc., VHS of Arrowhead Inc., VHS of Huntington Beach Inc., VHS of Illinois Inc., VHS of Michigan Inc., VHS of Michigan Staffing Inc., VHS of Orange County Inc., VHS of Phoenix Inc., VHS of South Phoenix Inc., Valley Baptist Lab Services LLC, Valley Baptist Physician Performance Network, Valley Baptist Realty Company LLC, Valley Baptist Wellness Center LLC, Valley Health Care Network, Vanguard ASC LLC, Vanguard Health Financial Company LLC, Vanguard Health Holding Company I LLC, Vanguard Health Holding Company II LLC, Vanguard Health Management Inc., Vanguard Health Systems, Vanguard Health Systems Inc., Vanguard Holding Company I Inc., Vanguard Holding Company II Inc., Vanguard Medical Specialists LLC, Vanguard Physician Services LLC, Ventana Surgical Center LLC, Veroscan Inc., Victoria Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Virtua-USP Princeton LLC, WHASA L.C., Walker Baptist Affinity LLC, Walker Street Imaging Care Inc., Warner Park Surgery Center LLC, Watermark Physician Services Inc., Webster Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Wellington Endo LLC, Wellstar/USP Joint Venture I LLC, Wellstar/USP Joint Venture II LLC, West Boca Health Services L.L.C., West Boca Medical Center Inc., West Boynton Urgent Care L.L.C., West Bozeman Surgery Center LLC, West Palm Healthcare Real Estate Inc., West Suburban Radiation Therapy Center LLC, Westgate Surgery Center LLC, Westlake Hospital LLC, Westlawn Surgery Center LLC, Westminster Surgery Center LLC, Westminster Surgery Centers LLC, White Fence Surgical Suites LLC, Willamette Spine Center Ambulatory Surgery LLC, Wilmington Endoscopy Center LLC, Wilshire Rental Corp., Winter Haven Ambulatory Surgical Center L.L.C., Wisconsin Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Wymark Surgery Center LLC, and YNHHSC/USP Surgery Centers LLC.
Los Andes Copper Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, acquires, explores, and develops copper deposits in the Americas. It operates through Mineral Exploration and Hydroelectric Project segments. The company holds 100% interest in the Vizcachitas copper, molybdenum, and silver porphyry project located to the north of Santiago, Region V, Chile. It is also involved in the development of a hydroelectric project. Los Andes Copper Ltd. was incorporated in 1983 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

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SPDR Gold Shares' stock was trading at $153.93 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, GLD stock has increased by 7.3% and is now trading at $165.24.

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The following companies are subsidiares of MetLife: 1001 PROPERTIES LLC, 10700 WILSHIRE LLC, 1201 TAB MANAGER LLC, 150 NORTH RIVERSIDE PE MEMBER LLC, 1925 WJC OWNER LLC, 23RD STREET INVESTMENTS INC., 500 GRANT STREET ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, 500 GRANT STREET GP LLC, 60 11TH STREET LLC, 6104 HOLLYWOOD LLC, AFP GENESIS ADMINISTRADORA DE FONDOS Y FIDECOMISOS S.A., AFP PROVIDA S.A., AGENVITA S.R.L., ALICO EUROPEAN HOLDINGS LIMITED, ALICO HELLAS SINGLE MEMBER LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, ALICO OPERATIONS LLC, ALICO PROPERTIES INC., AMMETLIFE INSURANCE BERHAD, AMMETLIFE TAKAFUL BERHAD, American Life Insurance Company, BEST MARKET S.A., BIDV METLIFE LIFE INSURANCE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, BLOCK VISION HOLDINGS CORPORATION, BLOCK VISION OF TEXAS INC., BORDERLAND INVESTMENTS LIMITED, BOULEVARD RESIDENTIAL LLC, BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER LLC, CC HOLDCO MANAGER LLC, CHESTNUT FLATS WIND LLC, CLOSED JOINT-STOCK COMPANY MASTER D, COMPANIA INVERSORA METLIFE S.A., CORPORATE REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS LLC, COVA LIFE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, DAVIS VISION INC., DAVISVISION IPA INC., DELAWARE AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, DES MOINES CREEK BUSINESS PARK PHASE II LLC, ECONOMY FIRE & CASUALTY COMPANY, ECONOMY PREFERRED INSURANCE COMPANY, ECONOMY PREMIER ASSURANCE COMPANY, EURO CL INVESTMENTS LLC, EXCELENCIA OPERATIVA Y TECNOLOGICA S.A de C.V., FEDERAL FLOOD CERTIFICATION LLC, FORTISSIMO CO. LTD, FUNDACION METLIFE MEXICO A.C., GLOBAL PROPERTIES INC., General American Life Insurance Company, Grand Bank N.A., HASKELL EAST VILLAGE LLC, HIGH STREET SEVENTH AND OSBORN APARTMENTS LLC, HOUSING FUND MANAGER LLC, INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL AND ADVISORY SERVICES LIMITED, INVERSIONES METLIFE HOLDCO DOS LIMITADA, INVERSIONES METLIFE HOLDCO TRES LIMITADA, JOINT-STOCK COMPANY METLIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, LHC HOLDINGS, LHCW HOLDINGS, LHCW HOTEL HOLDING, LHCW HOTEL HOLDING LLC, LHCW HOTEL OPERATING COMPANY, LONG ISLAND SOLAR FARM LLC, LUMENLAB MALAYSIA SDN. BHD., Logan Circle Partners, MARKETPLACE RESIDENCES LLC, MAXIS GBN S.A.S., MC PORTFOLIO JV MEMBER LLC, MCJV LLC, MCMIF HOLDCO I LLC, MCMIF HOLDCO II LLC, MCP - WELLINGTON LLC, MCP 100 CONGRESS MEMBER LLC, MCP 1500 MICHAEL LLC, MCP 1900 MCKINNEY LLC, MCP 2 AMES LLC, MCP 2 AMES ONE LLC, MCP 2 AMES OWNER LLC, MCP 2 AMES TWO LLC, MCP 220 YORK LLC, MCP 22745 & 22755 RELOCATION DRIVE LLC, MCP 249 INDUSTRIAL BUSINESS PARK MEMBER LLC, MCP 3040 POST OAK LLC, MCP 350 ROHLWING LLC, MCP 4600 SOUTH SYRACUSE LLC, MCP 550 WEST WASHINGTON LLC, MCP 60 11TH STREET MEMBER LLC, MCP 7 RIVERWAY LLC, MCP 9020 MURPHY ROAD LLC, MCP 93 RED RIVER MEMBER LLC, MCP ALLEY 24 EAST LLC, MCP ASHTON SOUTH END LLC, MCP BLOCK 23 MEMBER LLC, MCP BRADFORD LLC, MCP BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER 2 MEMBER LLC, MCP BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER BLDG B LLC, MCP BURNSIDE MEMBER LLC, MCP CENTER AVENUE INDUSTRIAL MEMBER LLC, MCP CLAWITER INNOVATION MEMBER LLC, MCP COMMON DESK TRS LLC, MCP DENVER PAVILIONS MEMBER LLC, MCP DILLON LLC, MCP DILLON RESIDENTIAL LLC, MCP ENV CHICAGO LLC, MCP FIFE ENTERPRISE CENTER LLC, MCP FRISCO OFFICE LLC, MCP GRAPEVINE LLC, MCP HIGHLAND PARK LENDER LLC, MCP HUB I LLC, MCP HUB I PROPERTY LLC, MCP LODGE AT LAKECREST LLC, MCP MA PROPERTY REIT LLC, MCP MAGNOLIA PARK MEMBER LLC, MCP MAIN STREET VILLAGE LLC, MCP MOUNTAIN TECHNOLOGY CENTER MEMBER TRS LLC, MCP NORTHYARDS HOLDCO LLC, MCP NORTHYARDS MASTER LESSEE LLC, MCP NORTHYARDS OWNER LLC, MCP ONE WESTSIDE LLC, MCP ONYX LLC, MCP PARAGON POINT LLC, MCP PLAZA AT LEGACY LLC, MCP PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC, MCP SEATTLE GATEWAY INDUSTRIAL I LLC, MCP SEATTLE GATEWAY INDUSTRIAL II LLC, MCP SEVENTH AND OSBORNE MF MEMBER LLC, MCP SEVENTH AND OSBORNE RETAIL MEMBER LLC, MCP SHAKOPEE LLC, MCP SLEEPY HOLLOW MEMBER LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  ANAHEIM LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  BERNARDO LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  CANYON LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  CONCOURSE LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  FULLERTON LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  KELLWO00OD LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  LAX LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  LOKER LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  REDONDO LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  SPRINGDALE LLC, MCP STATELINE LLC, MCP THE PALMS AT DORAL LLC, MCP TRIMBLE CAMPUS LLC, MCP UNION ROW LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE ONE LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE OWNER LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE TWO LLC, MCP VANCE JACKSON LLC, MCP VINEYARD AVENUE MEMBER LLC, MCP VOA HOLDINGS LLC, MCP VOA I & III LLC, MCP VOA II LLC, MCP WATERFORD ATRIUM LLC, MCP WEST BROAD MARKETPLACE LLC, MCP  ENGLISH VILLAGE LLC, MCPF ACQUISITION LLC, MCPF FOXBOROUGH LLC, MCPF  NEEDHAM LLC, MCPP OWNERS LLC, MCRE BLOCK 40 LP, MEC HEALTH CARE INC., MET 1065 HOTEL LLC, MET CANADA SOLAR ULC, METLIFE 1007 STEWART LLC, METLIFE 1201 TAB MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 425 MKT MANAGER LLC, METLIFE 425 MKT MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 555 12TH MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 8280 MEMBER LLC, METLIFE ACOMA OWNER LLC, METLIFE ADMINISTRADORA DE FUNDOS MULTIPATROCINADOS LTDA., METLIFE ALTERNATIVES GP LLC, METLIFE ASHTON AUSTIN OWNER LLC, METLIFE ASIA HOLDING COMPANY PTE. LTD., METLIFE ASIA LIMITED, METLIFE ASIA SERVICES SDN. BHD, METLIFE ASSET MANAGEMENT CORP., METLIFE ASSIGNMENT COMPANY INC., METLIFE AUTO & HOME INSURANCE AGENCY INC., METLIFE BL FEEDER, METLIFE BL FEEDER LP, METLIFE BORO STATION MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CABO HILTON MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CAMINO RAMON MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CAPITAL CREDIT L.P., METLIFE CAPITAL LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, METLIFE CAPITAL TRUST IV, METLIFE CB W/A LLC, METLIFE CC MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CHILE ADMINISTRADORA DE MUTUOS HIPOTECARIOS S.A., METLIFE CHILE INVERSIONES LIMITADA, METLIFE CHILE SEGUROS DE VIDA S.A., METLIFE CHILE SEGUROS GENERALES S.A., METLIFE CHINO MEMBER LLC, METLIFE COLOMBIA SEGUROS de VIDA S.A., METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE INCOME FUND GP LLC, METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE INCOME FUND LP, METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE ORIGINATOR LLC, METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE REIT LLC, METLIFE CONSQUARE MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CONSUMER SERVICES INC., METLIFE CORE PROPERTY FUND GP LLC, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY FUND LP, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY REIT LLC, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY TRS. LLC, METLIFE CREDIT CORP., METLIFE DIGITAL VENTURES INC., METLIFE EMEKLILIK VE HAYAT A.S., METLIFE EMERGING MARKET DEBT BLEND FUND, METLIFE EU HOLDING COMPANY LIMITED, METLIFE EUROPE INSURANCE d.a.c., METLIFE EUROPE SERVICES LIMITED, METLIFE EUROPE d.a.c., METLIFE EUROPEAN HOLDINGS LLC., METLIFE FINANCIAL SERVICES CO. LTD, METLIFE FM HOTEL MEMBER LLC, METLIFE FUNDING INC., METLIFE GENERAL INSURANCE LIMITED, METLIFE GLOBAL BENEFITS LTD., METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDING COMPANY I GMBH, METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDING COMPANY II GMBH, METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDINGS CORPORATION S.A. De C.V., METLIFE GLOBAL INC., METLIFE GLOBAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT CENTER PRIVATE LIMITED, METLIFE GROUP INC., METLIFE HCMJV 1 GP LLC, METLIFE HCMJV 1 LP LLC, METLIFE HEALTH PLANS INC., METLIFE HOLDINGS INC., METLIFE HOME LOANS LLC, METLIFE INNOVATION CENTRE LIMITED, METLIFE INNOVATION CENTRE PTE. LTD., METLIFE INSURANCE AND INVESTMENT TRUST, METLIFE INSURANCE BROKERAGE INC., METLIFE INSURANCE K.K., METLIFE INSURANCE LIMITED, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL HF PARTNERS LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED LLC, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND I LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND II LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND III LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND IV LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND V LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND VI LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND VII LP, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LLC, METLIFE INVESTMENTS ASIA LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS PTY LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS SECURITIES LLC, METLIFE INVESTORS DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, METLIFE INVESTORS GROUP LLC, METLIFE IRELAND TREASURY D.A.C., METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY FUND GP LLC, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY FUND LP, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY OWNERS, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY OWNERS LLC, METLIFE LATIN AMERICA ASESORIAS E INVERSIONES LIMITADA, METLIFE LEGAL PLANS INC., METLIFE LEGAL PLANS OF FLORIDA INC., METLIFE LHH MEMBER LLC, METLIFE LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METLIFE LIFE INSURANCE S.A., METLIFE LOAN ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC, METLIFE MAS S.A. DE C.V., METLIFE MEMBER SOLAIRE LLC, METLIFE MEXICO HOLDINGS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., METLIFE MEXICO S.A., METLIFE MEXICO SERVICIOS S.A. DE C.V., METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT FUND LP, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT GP LLC, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT PARALLEL FUND LP, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT PARALLEL GP LLC, METLIFE MULTI-FAMILY PARTNERS III LLC, METLIFE MUTUAL FUND COMPANY, METLIFE OBS MEMBER LLC, METLIFE OFC MEMBER LLC, METLIFE ONTARIO STREET MEMBR LLC, METLIFE PARK TOWER MEMBER LLC, METLIFE PENSION TRUSTEES LIMITED, METLIFE PENSIONES MEXICO S.A., METLIFE PET INSURANCE SOLUTIONS LLC, METLIFE PLANOS ODONTOLOGICOS LTDA., METLIFE POWSZECHNE TOWARTZYSTWO EMERYTALNE S.A., METLIFE PRIVATE EQUITY HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE PROPERTIES VENTURES LLC, METLIFE RC SF MEMBER LLC, METLIFE REAL ESTATE LENDING LLC, METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF BERMUDA LTD., METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF CHARLESTON, METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF VERMONT, METLIFE RETIREMENT SERVICES LLC, METLIFE SAENGMYOUNG INSURANCE COMPANY LTD., METLIFE SECURITIZATION DEPOSITOR LLC, METLIFE SEGUROS S.A., METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING FINCO LLC, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING FUND LP, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING GP LLC, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING HOLDINGS LP, METLIFE SERVICES AND SOLUTIONS LLC, METLIFE SERVICES CYPRUS LIMITED, METLIFE SERVICES EAST PRIVATE LIMITED, METLIFE SERVICES EEIG, METLIFE SERVICES EOOD, METLIFE SERVICES SOCIEDAD LIMITADA, METLIFE SERVICES SP Z.O.O, METLIFE SERVICIOS S.A., METLIFE SLOVAKIA S.R.O. V LIKVIDACII, METLIFE SOLUTIONS PTE. LTD., METLIFE SOLUTIONS S.A.S., METLIFE SP HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE SYNDICATED BANK LOAN FUND SCSP, METLIFE SYNDICATED BANK LOAN LUX GP S.A.R.L., METLIFE THR INVESTOR LLC, METLIFE TOWARZYSTWO FUNDUSZY INWESTYCYJNYCH S.A., METLIFE TOWARZYSTWO UBEZPIECZEN NA ZYCIE I REASEKURACJI S.A., METLIFE TOWER RESOURCES GROUP INC., METLIFE TREAT TOWERS MEMBER LLC, METLIFE WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS LLC, METROPOLITAN CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN DIRECT PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN GLOBAL MANAGEMENT LLC., METROPOLITAN GROUP PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN LIFE SEGUROS E PREVIDENCIA PRIVADA S.A., METROPOLITAN LIFE SOCIETATE de ADMINISTRARE a UNUI FOND de PENSII ADMINISTRAT PRIVAT S.A., METROPOLITAN LLOYDS INC., METROPOLITAN LLOYDS INSURANCE COMPANY OF TEXAS, METROPOLITAN PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN TOWER LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN TOWER REALTY COMPANY INC., MEX DF PROPERTIES LLC, MFA FINANCING VEHICLE CTR1 LLC, MIDTOWN HEIGHTS LLC, MIM CLAL GENERAL PARTNER LLC, MIM EMD GP LLC, MIM I LLC, MIM METWEST INTERNATIONAL MANAGER LLC, MIM ML-AI VENTURE 5 MANAGER LLC, MIM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC, MIM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT OF GEORGIA 1 LLC, MIM THIRD ARMY INDUSTRIAL MANAGER LLC, MISSOURI REINSURANCE INC., ML - URS PORT CHESTER SC MANAGER LLC, ML 300 THIRD MEMBER LLC, ML ARMATURE MEMBER LLC, ML BELLEVUE MANAGER LLC, ML BELLEVUE MEMBER LLC, ML BRIDGESIDE APARTMENTS LLC, ML CAPACITACION COMERCIAL S.A. DE C.V., ML CERRITOS TC MEMBER LLC, ML CLAL MEMBER LLC, ML DOLPHIN GP LLC, ML DOLPHIN MEZZ LLC, ML MATSON MILLS MEMBER LLC, ML MILILANI MEMBER LLC, ML ONE BEDMINSTER LLC, ML PORT CHESTER SC MEMBER LLC, ML SENTINEL SQUARE MEMBER LLC, ML SLOANS LAKE MEMEBR LLC, ML SOUTHLANDS MEMBER LLC, ML SOUTHMORE LLC, ML SWAN GP LLC, ML SWAN MEZZ LLC, ML TERRACES LLC, ML THIRD ARMY INDUSTRIAL MEMBER LLC, ML VENTURE 1 MANAGER S. DE R. L. DE C.V., ML VENTURE 1 SERVICER LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 1 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 2 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 3 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 4 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 5 LLC, MLIA MANAGER I LLC, MLIA PARK TOWER MANAGER LLC, MLIA SBAF COLONY MANAGER LLC, MLIA SBAF MANAGER LLC, MLIC ASSET HOLDINGS II LLC, MLIC ASSET HOLDINGS LLC, MLIC CB HOLDINGS LLC, MLJ US FEEDER LLC, MM GLOBAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT CENTER S.A. DE C.V., MMP CEDAR STREET OWNER LLC, MMP CEDAR STREET REIT LLC, MMP HOLDINGS III LLC, MMP OLIVIAN OWNER LLC, MMP OLIVIAN REIT LLC, MMP OWNERS III LLC, MMP OWNERS LLC, MMP SOUTH PARK OWNER LLC, MMP SOUTH PARK REIT LLC, MREF 425 MKT LLC, MSV IRVINE PROPERTY LLC, MTC FUND I LLC, MTC FUND II LLC, MTC FUND III LLC, MTL LEASING LLC, MTU HOTEL OWNER LLC, NATILOPORTEM HOLDINGS LLC, NEWBURY INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, OCONEE GOLF COMPANY LLC, OCONEE HOTEL COMPANY LLC, OCONEE LAND COMPANY LLC, OCONEE LAND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LLC, OCONEE MARINA COMPANY LLC, OMI MLIC INVESTMENTS LIMITED, PACIFIC LOGISTICS INDUSTRIAL SOUTH LLC, PARK TOWER JV MEMBER LLC, PARK TOWER REIT INC., PJSC METLIFE, PLAZA DRIVE PROPERTIES LLC, PNB METLIFE INDIA INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, PREFCO FOURTEEN LLC, PREFCO XIV HOLDINGS LLC, PROVIDA INTERNACIONAL S.A., SAFEGUARD HEALTH ENTERPRISES INC., SAFEGUARD HEALTH PLANS INC., SAFEHEALTH LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, SEVENTH AND OSBORN MF VENTURE LLC, SINO-US UNITED METLIFE INSURANCE CO. LTD., SOUTHCREEK INDUSTRIAL HOLDINGS LLC, ST. JAMES FLEET INVESTMENTS TWO LIMITED, SUPERIOR PROCUREMENT INC, SUPERIOR VISION BENEFIT MANAGEMENT INC., SUPERIOR VISION HOLDINGS INC., SUPERIOR VISION INSURANCE INC., SUPERIOR VISION INSURANCE PLAN OF WISCONSIN INC., SUPERIOR VISION OF NEW JERSEY INC., SUPERIOR VISION SERVICES INC., Safeguard Health Enterprises, Security First Group Inc., THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH AVENUE MEZZANINE LLC, THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH RETAIL HOLDING LLC, THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH RETAIL OWNER, THE DIRECT CALL CENTRE PTY LIMITED, TRANSMOUNTAIN LAND & LIVESTOCK COMPANY, UVC INDEPENDENT PRACTICE ASSOCIATION INC., VERSANT HEALTH CONSOLIDATIONS CORP., VERSANT HEALTH HOLDCO INC., VERSANT HEALTH LAB LLC, VIRIDIAN MIRACLE MILE LLC, VISION 21 MANAGED EYE CARE OF TAMPA BAY, VISION 21 PHYSICIAN PRACTICE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, VISION TWENTY-ONE MANAGED EYE CARE IPA INC., Versant Health, WDV ACQUISITION CORP., WFP 1000 HOLDING COMPANY GP LLC, WHITE OAK ROYALTY COMPANY, and WHITE TRACT II LLC.
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..
NovaGold Resources Inc. explores for and develops gold mineral properties in the United States. It primarily owns 50% interest in the Donlin Gold project consisting of 493 mining claims covering an area of 71,420 acres located in the Kuskokwim region of southwestern Alaska. The company was formerly known as NovaCan Mining Resources (1985) Limited and changed its name to NovaGold Resources Inc. in March 1987. NovaGold Resources Inc. was founded in 1984 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

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The following companies are subsidiares of PerkinElmer: Analytica of Branford, Applied Biosystems, Arnel Inc., ArtusLabs, Beijing Huaan Magnech Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Longrun Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Beijing Meizheng Testing Lab Co. Ltd., Beijing OUMENG Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Bio Evolution SAS, Bioo Scientific Corporation, Biosense Picolabs Inc., Biosense Technologies Pvt Ltd., Caliper Life Sciences, Caliper Life Sciences Inc., Cambridge Research & Instrumentation Inc., CambridgeSoft, Ceiba Solutions, Chengdu PerkinElmer Medical Laboratory Co. Ltd., Chromo G.A. SAS, CisBio US Inc., Cisbio Asia Pacific Ltd, Cisbio Bioassays SAS, Cisbio China Ltd., Cisbio Group SAS, Cisbio KK, Cisbio.com, DNA Laboratories Sdn. Bhd., Dani Analitica S.r.l., Dexela, EUROIMMUN (Hangzhou) Medical Laboratory Diagnostics Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN (South East Asia) Pte Ltd., EUROIMMUN (Tianjin) Medical Diagnostic Technology Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN AG, EUROIMMUN Brasil Medicina Diagnostica Ltda., EUROIMMUN Diagnostics Espana S.L.U., EUROIMMUN France SAS, EUROIMMUN Italia Diagnostica Medica S.r.l., EUROIMMUN Japan Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostics (China) Co. Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostics Canada Inc., EUROIMMUN Medical Laboratory Diagnostics South Africa (Pty) Ltd., EUROIMMUN Medizinische Labordiagnostika AG, EUROIMMUN Polska Spolka z o.o., EUROIMMUN Portugal Unipessoal Lda., EUROIMMUN Schweiz AG, EUROIMMUN Turkey Tibbi Laboratuar Teshisleri A.S., EUROIMMUN UK Ltd., EUROIMMUN US Inc., EUROIMMUN US Real Estate LLC, Geospiza, Guangzhou EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostic Products Co. Ltd., Hangzhou EUROIMMUN Medical Diagnostic Products Co. Ltd., Horizon Discovery, Immunodiagnostic Systems, Integromics S.L., Jiangsu Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., LabMetrix Technologies, Labtronics, ManCell SAS, Nexcelom Bioscience, NovaScreen Biosciences Corporation, Opto Technology, Orchid Biomedical Systems Pvt Ltd., Oxford Immunotec, Pediatrix Medical Group - Newborn Metabolic Screening Business, Perkin Elmer Chile Ltda., Perkin Elmer Italia SpA, Perkin Elmer Sdn. Bhd., Perkin Elmer Yuhan Hoesa, Perkin Elmer de Mexico S.A., Perkin-Elmer Argentina S.R.L., Perkin-Elmer Instruments (Philippines) Corporation, PerkinElmer (Hong Kong) Ltd., PerkinElmer (India) Pvt Ltd., PerkinElmer (Ireland) Ltd., PerkinElmer (Schweiz) AG, PerkinElmer (Shanghai) Equity Investment Fund L.P., PerkinElmer (Shanghai) Equity Investment Fund Management Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer (UK) Holdings Ltd., PerkinElmer Analytical Solutions B.V., PerkinElmer Automotive Research Inc., PerkinElmer BVBA, PerkinElmer CV Holdings LLC, PerkinElmer Cellular Technologies Germany GmbH, PerkinElmer Danmark A/S, PerkinElmer Diagnostics Global Holdings S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Diagnostics Holdings Inc., PerkinElmer Espana S.L., PerkinElmer Finance Luxembourg S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Finland Oy, PerkinElmer Genetics Inc., PerkinElmer Germany Diagnostics GmbH, PerkinElmer Global Diagnostics S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Global Financing S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Global Holdings S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Health Sciences (Australia) Pty. Ltd., PerkinElmer Health Sciences B.V., PerkinElmer Health Sciences Canada Inc., PerkinElmer Health Sciences FZ-LLC, PerkinElmer Health Sciences Inc., PerkinElmer Health Sciences Pvt Ltd., PerkinElmer Healthcare Diagnostics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer Holding Luxembourg S.a r.l., PerkinElmer Holdings Inc., PerkinElmer Holdings Pty. Ltd., PerkinElmer IVD Pte Ltd., PerkinElmer Inc., PerkinElmer Informatics Inc., PerkinElmer Instruments (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer International C.V., PerkinElmer Investments Ky, PerkinElmer Israel Ltd., PerkinElmer Japan Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer LAS (Germany) GmbH, PerkinElmer LAS (UK) Ltd., PerkinElmer Life Sciences International Holdings, PerkinElmer Limited, PerkinElmer Ltd., PerkinElmer Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PerkinElmer Nederland B.V., PerkinElmer Norge AS, PerkinElmer Oy, PerkinElmer Polska Sp z o.o., PerkinElmer Pty. Ltd., PerkinElmer SAS, PerkinElmer Saglk ve Cevre Bilimleri Ltd., PerkinElmer Shared Services Sp z o.o., PerkinElmer Singapore Pte Ltd., PerkinElmer South Africa (Pty) Ltd., PerkinElmer Sverige AB, PerkinElmer Sweden Health Sciences Holdings AB, PerkinElmer Taiwan Corporation, PerkinElmer VertriebsgmbH, PerkinElmer chemagen Technologie GmbH, PerkinElmer do Brasil Ltda., Perten Instruments, Perten Instruments (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Perten Instruments AB, Perten Instruments France SASU, Perten Instruments GmbH, Perten Instruments Italia S.r.l., Perten Instruments of Australia Pty Ltd., RHS Ltd, RayAl Ltd., Shandong Meizheng Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., Shanghai Haoyuan Biotech Co. Ltd., Shanghai Spectrum Instruments Co. Ltd., Shanghai Spectrum Instruments Co. Ltd., Signature Genomic Laboratories, Solus Scientific Solutions Inc., Solus Scientific Solutions Ltd., Surendra Genetic Labs, Suzhou PerkinElmer Medical Laboratory Co. Ltd., Suzhou Sym-Bio LifeScience, Suzhou Sym-Bio Lifescience Co. Ltd., Tulip Diagnostics, Tulip Diagnostics Pvt Ltd., Vanadis Diagnostics, Vanadis Diagnostics AB, ViaCell, ViaCord LLC, VisEn Medical, VisEn Medical Inc., Wallac Oy, Wellesley B.V., Xenogen Corporation, ZeLab SAS, and chemagen Biopolymer-Technologie AG.
The following companies are subsidiares of Danaher: AB SCIEX, AB Sciex Germany GmbH, AB Sciex LLC, AB Sciex LP, AB Sciex Pte Ltd., Accu-Sort Systems, Acme Cleveland Corporation, Advanced Vision Technology, American Precision Industries, Applied Biosystems, Applitek NV, Aquatic Infomatics ULC, Aquatic Informatics, Armstrong Tools, BC Distribution BV, Beckman Coulter, Beckman Coulter Australia Pty Ltd, Beckman Coulter Biotechnology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Beckman Coulter Biyomedikal Urunler Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited [irketi], Beckman Coulter Canada LP, Beckman Coulter Commercial Enterprise (China) Co. Ltd., Beckman Coulter France S.A.S., Beckman Coulter G.m.b.H., Beckman Coulter Genomics Inc., Beckman Coulter Hong Kong Limited, Beckman Coulter Inc., Beckman Coulter India Private Limited, Beckman Coulter International SA, Beckman Coulter International Shanghai Trading Co., Beckman Coulter Ireland Inc., Beckman Coulter K.K., Beckman Coulter Korea Ltd., Beckman Coulter Laboratory Systems (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Beckman Coulter Limited Liability Company, Beckman Coulter Mishima KK, Beckman Coulter Nederland B.V., Beckman Coulter Nippon GK, Beckman Coulter S.L.U., Beckman Coulter Saudi Arabia Co.Ltd., Beckman Coulter Srl, Beckman Coulter Taiwan Inc., Beckman Coulter United Kingdom Limited, Beckman Coulter de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Beckman Coulter do Brasil Ltda., Beckman Finance ApS, Beckman Holdings Ltd., BioTector Analytical Systems Ltd, Biosafe S.A., Blue Software LLC, Cepheid, Cepheid AB, Cepheid Europe SAS, Cepheid GmbH, Cepheid HBDC SAS, Cepheid UK Ltd., ChemTreat, ChemTreat Inc., ChemTreat International Inc., Cispus Hong Kong Holding Limited, Cytiva, Cytiva BioProcess R&D AB, Cytiva Biotechnology (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., Cytiva Biotechnology (Hang Zhou) Co. Ltd., Cytiva Europe GmbH, Cytiva Sweden AB, Cytiva Sweden Holding AB, DH Europe Finance II Sarl, DH Europe Finance Sarl, DH Holding Italia SRL, DH Japan Finance Sarl, DH Life Sciences LLC, DH Netherlands BV, DH Technologies Development Pte Ltd., DHKAB Company AB, DTIL Ireland Holdings Ltd., Danaher (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., Danaher Hong Kong Limited, Danaher Medical ApS, Delta Consolidated Industries, Devicore Medical Products Inc., Easco Hand Tools, Esko, Esko BV, Esko Finance BV, Esko Graphics BV, Esko Software BV, FHAB Company AB, Fluke, G. Lufft Mess- und Regeltechnik GmbH, GE Biopharma, Gelman Sciences Inc., Gendex, Genetix Group, Gilbarco Veeder Root, Gilzoni Ltd., Global Life Sciences Solutions Austria GmbH & Co. KG, Global Life Sciences Solutions Germany GmbH, Global Life Sciences Solutions Korea Ltd., Global Life Sciences Solutions Manufacturing UK Ltd, Global Life Sciences Solutions New Zealand, Global Life Sciences Solutions Operations UK Ltd, Global Life Sciences Solutions Singapore Pte Ltd, Global Life Sciences Solutions USA LLC, Global Life Sciences Technologies (Shanghai) Co Ltd., Global Life Sciences Technologies Japan KK, Hach Company, Hach Lange Finance GmbH, Hach Lange GmbH, Hach Lange Sarl, Hach Sales & Services Canada LP, Hach Ultra Japan KK, Hach Water Quality Analytical Instru. (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., HemoCue AB, HyClone Laboratories LLC, Hybritech Incorporated, Hyclone Life Sciences Solutions India Private Limited, IDBS Group, IRIS International, Imaging Sciences International, Immunotech SAS, Immunotech Sro, Intabio LLC, Integrated DNA Technologies, Integrated DNA Technologies BVBA, Integrated DNA Technologies Inc., Integrated DNA Technologies Pte. Ltd., Iris International Inc., Joslyn Holding Company LLC, KVHG GmbH, KaVo, KaVo Kerr, Kaltenbach & Voigt, Keithley Instruments, Kipp & Zonen BV, Kollmorgen, Labcyte Inc., Laetus, Leica Biosystems Imaging Inc., Leica Biosystems Melbourne Pty Ltd, Leica Biosystems Newcastle Limited, Leica Biosystems Nussloch GmbH, Leica Biosystems Richmond Inc., Leica Instruments (Singapore) Pte Limited, Leica Microsystems, Leica Microsystems (UK) Limited, Leica Microsystems CMS GmbH, Leica Microsystems Cambridge Limited, Leica Microsystems IR GmbH, Leica Microsystems Inc., Leica Microsystems Limited, Leica Microsystems Ltd. Shanghai, Leica Mikrosysteme Vertrieb GmbH, Life Sciences Holdings France SAS*, Lifschultz Industries, Linx Printing Technologies, Linx Printing Technologies Limited, MDS Analytical Technologies, Marconi Data Systems, McCrometer Inc., Microtest, Molecular Devices, Molecular Devices (Austria) GmbH, Molecular Devices LLC, Navman Wireless, Navman Wireless OEM Solutions, Nihon Pall Ltd., Nihon Pall Manufacturing Limited, Nobel Biocare, OTT Hydromet Corp, Pall, Pall (Canada) ULC, Pall (China) Co. Ltd., Pall (Schweiz) GmbH, Pall Aeropower Corporation, Pall Artelis BVBA, Pall Asia Holdings Inc., Pall Australia Pty. Ltd., Pall Austria Filter Ges.m.b.h, Pall Corporation, Pall Europe Limited, Pall Filtersystems GmbH, Pall Filtration Pte. Ltd., Pall Filtration and Separations Group Inc., Pall France SAS, Pall GmbH, Pall India Pvt. Ltd., Pall International Sarl, Pall Italia Srl, Pall Korea Ltd., Pall Life Sciences Belgium BV, Pall Life Sciences Puerto Rico LLC, Pall Manufacturing UK Limited, Pall Medistad BV, Pall Netherlands BV Irish Branch, Pall Technology UK Limited, PaloDEX, Pantone LLC, Pelton & Crane, Phenomenex, Phenomenex Inc., Precision NanoSystems, QHC Ireland Finance Limited, Radiometer, Radiometer Basel AG, Radiometer K.K., Radiometer Medical ApS, Radiometer Medical Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Radiometer Turku Oy, Raytek, Reytek Corporation, SH Switzerland Finance Sarl, Sea-Bird Electronics Inc., SenDx Medical Inc., Shanghai AB Sciex Analytical Instrument Trading Co. Ltd., Sutron, Sybron Dental Specialties, TCIL Ireland Finance Ltd., Tektronix, Thomson Industries, Tianjin Bonna-Agela Technologies Co. Ltd., Trojan Technologies, Trojan Technologies Group ULC, VSS Monitoring, Videojet Do Brasil Comercio de Equipamentos Para Codificacao Industrial Ltda., Videojet Technologies (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Videojet Technologies Europe B.V., Videojet Technologies Inc., Viridor Waste Management Limited, Vision Systems Limited, Willett International, X-Ray Optical Systems Inc., X-Rite, X-Rite Europe GmbH, X-Rite Incorporated, X-Rite Switzerland GmbH, XOS, Yukon Hong Kong Holding Limited, and Zhuhai S.E.Z. Videojet Electronics Ltd..
The following companies are subsidiares of Sonoco Products: AMGH, APEI UK Limited, APEI Unlimited IOM, Associated Packaging Technologies Inc., Beteiligungen Sonoco Deutschland Vermogensverwaltungsgesellschaft mbh, CP Acquisition LLC, Can Packaging, Can Packaging SAS, Cap Liners Limited, Capseals Limited, Capseals Liners Limited, Cascades Sonoco Inc. (fka Cascades Conversion Inc), Clear Lam Flexible Films (Nanjing) Co. Ltd., Clear Lam Packaging Inc., Clear Pack Co., Clear Pack Company, Colombiana P.M. LLC, Conitex Sonoco (BVI) Ltd., Conitex Sonoco (Mexico) S. de R.L. de C.V., Conitex Sonoco Hellas S.A., Conitex Sonoco Holding B.V., Conitex Sonoco Inc., Conitex Sonoco India Pvt. Ltd., Conitex Sonoco N.V., Conitex Sonoco Shanghai Ltd., Conitex Sonoco Suzhou Co. Ltd., Conitex Sonoco Taiwan Ltd., Conitex Sonoco USA Inc., Convex Mold Inc., Corenso Holdings America Inc., Corenso North America, Corenso Richmond LLC, Corepak Limited, CorrFlex Graphics LLC, Demolli Industria Cartaria S.p.A., Engraph Inc., Engraph Puerto Rico Inc., Fair Lawn Packaging Services LLC, Friarsgate Studio Limited, Graffo Paranaense De Embalagens S.A., Graffo Paranaense de Embalagens S/A, Grove Mill Paper Company Limited, Gunther of America Inc., Hartsville Corrugating LLC, Hayes Manufacturing Group, Heathfield Reels Limited, Highland Packaging Solutions, Highland Packaging Solutions LLC, Industrial Machine Co. Inc., Inversiones Sonoco Limitada, Italtubetti SpA, Laminar Medica, Laminar Medica (CE) s.r.o., Laminar Medica Limited, Manufacturas Sonoco S.A. de C.V., Matrix Packaging Inc., Nathaniel Lloyd & Company Limited, OOO Sonoco Alcore (fka ZAO Sonoco Alcore), Ontario Inc., PT Conitex Sonoco, PT Papcor Asia Pacific, PT Papertech Indonesia, PT Sonoco Indonesia, Packaging Holdings Inc., Papcor (Dezhou) Packaging Material Co. Ltd., Papertech Dezhou Co. Ltd., Papertech SL, PenPack LLC, Peninsula Packaging Company, Peninsula Packaging LLC, Penpack S. de R.L. de C.V., Phoenix Packaging Corp., Plastique Holdings LTD, SAS Du Lagon, SCI Lagon Quest, SMB GmbH, SPC Capital Management Inc., SPC Liquidation LLC, SPC Management LLC, SPC Resources Inc., SR Holdings of the Carolinas LLC, Sebro Plastics Inc., Sonoco (Shanghai) Co., Sonoco (Taicang) Packaging Co., Sonoco (Weifang) Packaging Company Ltd., Sonoco Absorbent Technologies LLC, Sonoco Absorbent Technologies Limited, Sonoco Alcore - Demolli S.r.l., Sonoco Alcore AB, Sonoco Alcore GmbH, Sonoco Alcore N.V., Sonoco Alcore Nederland B.V., Sonoco Ambalaj Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Sonoco Asia Holding S.a.r.l., Sonoco Asia L.L.C., Sonoco Asia Management Company L.L.C., Sonoco Australia Pty Ltd, Sonoco Board Mills Limited, Sonoco Bonmati S.A.U., Sonoco Canada Corporation, Sonoco Capseals Liners Limited, Sonoco Comercial S. de R.L. de C.V., Sonoco Consumer Products Dordrecht B.V. (fka Dorpak B.V.), Sonoco Consumer Products Europe GmbH (fka Weidenhammer Packaging Group GmbH), Sonoco Consumer Products Hellas S.A. (fka Weidenhammer Hellas S.A.), Sonoco Consumer Products Limited, Sonoco Consumer Products Mechelen BVBA (fka Weidenhammer Belgium BVBA), Sonoco Consumer Products Montanay SAS (fka Neuvibox SAS), Sonoco Consumer Products Poland Sp. Z.O.O., Sonoco Consumer Products SAS, Sonoco Consumer Products South Africa (PTY) Ltd., Sonoco Consumer Products Zwenkau GmbH (fka fka Weidenhammer Plastice Packaging GmbH), Sonoco Cores and Paper Limited, Sonoco D & P LLC, Sonoco D and P York LLC, Sonoco Deutschland GmbH, Sonoco Deutschland Holdings GmbH, Sonoco Development Inc., Sonoco Display and Packaging LLC, Sonoco Elk Grove Inc., Sonoco Embalagens Ltda. (fka Sonoco Embalagens S.A.), Sonoco Europe Limited, Sonoco Flexible Packaging Canada Corporation, Sonoco Flexible Packaging Co. Inc., Sonoco Graphics India Private Limited, Sonoco Hickory Inc., Sonoco Holdings Inc., Sonoco Holdings UK Limited, Sonoco Hutchinson LLC, Sonoco IPD France SAS, Sonoco Iberia S.L.U., Sonoco International Holdings GmbH, Sonoco JV GmbH & Co. KG, Sonoco Kaiping Packaging Co. Ltd., Sonoco Limited, Sonoco Luxembourg Holding S.a.r.l., Sonoco Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sonoco Milnrow, Sonoco Netherlands Holding II BV, Sonoco Netherlands Holding III BV, Sonoco New Zealand Limited, Sonoco Operadora S. de R.L. de C.V., Sonoco Packaging Limited, Sonoco Packaging Tapes Limited, Sonoco Paper Mill & IPD Hellas SA, Sonoco Paperboard Group LLC, Sonoco Partitions Inc., Sonoco Phoenix LLC, Sonoco Pina S.A.U., Sonoco Plastics B.V., Sonoco Plastics Canada ULC, Sonoco Plastics Germany GmbH, Sonoco Plastics Inc., Sonoco Poland Holdings B.V., Sonoco Polysack A/S Inc., Sonoco Polysack Limited, Sonoco Products Company UK, Sonoco Products Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Sonoco Protective Solutions Inc., Sonoco Recycling - International Trade Group LLC (fka Reparco USA Inc.), Sonoco Recycling LLC, Sonoco Reels Limited, Sonoco Retail Packaging S. de R.L. de C.V., Sonoco S.A. de C.V., Sonoco SAS, Sonoco Saudi Limited Company, Sonoco Services LLC, Sonoco Singapore Pte. Ltd., Sonoco TEQ Holdings Ltd, Sonoco TEQ LLC, Sonoco TEQ Ltd, Sonoco TEQ Sp. Z.o.o, Sonoco Taiwan Ltd, Sonoco Thailand Ltd, Sonoco UK Leasing Limited, Sonoco Venezolana C.A., Sonoco Venture International Holdings GmbH, Sonoco Ventures UK Limited, Sonoco Wisconsin Rapids Core Plant LLC, Sonoco Wisconsin Rapids Inc., Sonoco Wisconsin Rapids Paper Mill LLC, Sonoco Yatai Pinghu Packaging Co Ltd, Sonoco de Colombia Ltda, Sonoco do Brasil Participacoes Ltda, Sonoco do Brazil Ltda, Sonoco of Puerto Rico Inc., Sonoco-Alcore AS, Sonoco-Alcore Ou, Sonoco-Alcore Oy, Sonoco-Alcore S.a.r.l., Sonoco-Alcore Sp. Z.O.O., Sonoco-Engraph Puerto Rico Inc., TPT Board Mills Limited, TPT Limited, Tegrant Alloyd Brands Inc., Tegrant Corporation, Tegrant International Inc., Tegrant Property Holdings LLC, Tegrant de Mexico S.A. de C.V., ThermoSafe Brands Asia PTE LTD., ThermoSafe Brands Europe Ltd., Thermoform Engineered Quality LLC, Trident Graphics Canada Corporation, Trident Graphics NA LLC, U.S. Paper Mills Corp., Unit Reels & Drums Limited, Weidenhammer Chile Ltda., Weidenhammer Packaging Group, Weidenhammer UK Ltd., and Wisenberg U.S. Inc..
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.
Toyota Motor Corp. engages in the manufacture and sale of motor vehicles and parts. It operates through the following segments: Automotive, Financial Services, and All Other. The Automotive segment designs, manufactures, assembles and sells passenger cars, minivans, trucks, and related vehicle parts and accessories. It is also involved in the development of intelligent transport systems. The Financial Services segment offers purchase or lease financing to Toyota vehicle dealers and customers. It also provides retail leasing through lease contracts purchase by dealers. The All Others segment deals with the design and manufacture and sale of housing, telecommunications and other businesses. The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda on August 28, 1937 and is headquartered in Toyota, Japan.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Procter & Gamble: "Procter & Gamble Services" LLC, "Procter & Gamble" LLC, Agile Pursuits, Agile Pursuits Franchising, Arbora, Arbora & Ausonia, Arborinvest, Billie, Braun (Shanghai) Co., Braun GmbH, Braun-Gillette Immobilien GmbH & Co. KG, Celtic Insurance Company, Compania Procter & Gamble Mexico, Compania Quimica S.A., Corporativo Procter & Gamble, Cosmetic Products Pty. Ltd., Detergent Products B.V., Detergent Products SARL, Detergenti S.A., Eurocos Cosmetic GmbH, FPG Oleochemicals Sdn. Bhd., Fameccanica Data S.p.A., Fameccanica Industria e Comercio Do Brasil LTDA., Fameccanica Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Fater S.p.A., Fountain Square Music Publishing Co., Gillette (China) Ltd., Gillette (Shanghai) Ltd., Gillette Aesop Ltd., Gillette Australia Pty. Ltd., Gillette Canada Holdings, Gillette Commercial Operations North America, Gillette Diversified Operations Pvt. Ltd., Gillette Egypt S.A.E., Gillette Group UK Ltd, Gillette Gruppe Deutschland GmbH & Co. oHG, Gillette Holding Company LLC, Gillette Holding GmbH, Gillette India Limited, Gillette Industries Ltd., Gillette International B.V., Gillette Latin America Holding B.V., Gillette Management LLC, Gillette Nova Scotia Company, Gillette Pakistan Limited, Gillette Poland International Sp. z.o.o., Gillette Poland S.A., Gillette U.K. Limited, Gillette del Uruguay, Giorgio Beverly Hills Inc., Hyginett KFT, Industries Marocaines Modernes SA, LLC "Procter & Gamble Novomoskovsk", LLL "Procter & Gamble Distributorskaya Compania", Laboratorios Vicks, Liberty Street Music Publishing Company, Limited Liability Company 'Procter & Gamble Trading Ukraine', Limited Liability Company with foreign investments Procter & and Gamble Ukraine, MDVIP, MERCK KGAA NPV, Marcvenca Inversiones, Modern Industries Company - Dammam, Modern Products Company - Jeddah, New Chapter, New Chapter Canada Inc., Olay LLC, Oral-B Laboratories, P&G Distribution Morocco SAS, P&G Hair Care Holding, P&G Industrial Peru S.R.L., P&G Innovation Godo Kaisha, P&G Israel M.D.O. Ltd., P&G K.K., P&G Northeast Asia Pte. Ltd., P&G Prestige Godo Kaisha, P&G Prestige Service GmbH, P&G South African Trading (Pty.) Ltd., PGT Health Care (Zhejiang) Limited, PGT Healthcare LLP, PPI ZAO, PT Procter & Gamble Home Products Indonesia, PT Procter & Gamble Operations Indonesia, Phase II Holdings Corporation, Procter & Gamble (Chengdu) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Sales Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (East Africa) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Egypt) Manufacturing Company, Procter & Gamble (Enterprise Fund) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Consumer Products Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Enterprise Management Service Company Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Health & Beauty Care) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Jiangsu) Ltd. China, Procter & Gamble (L&CP) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Procter & Gamble (Manufacturing) Ireland Limited, Procter & Gamble (Shanghai) International Trade Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Acquisition GmbH, Procter & Gamble Administration GmbH, Procter & Gamble Algeria EURL, Procter & Gamble Amazon Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Amiens S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Argentina SRL, Procter & Gamble Asia Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Australia Proprietary Limited, Procter & Gamble Azerbaijan Services LLC, Procter & Gamble Bangladesh Private Ltd., Procter & Gamble Blois S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Brazil Holdings B.V., Procter & Gamble Bulgaria EOOD, Procter & Gamble Business Services Canada Company, Procter & Gamble Canada Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Chile , Procter & Gamble Chile Limitada, Procter & Gamble Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Commercial LLC, Procter & Gamble Commercial de Cuba S.A., Procter & Gamble Czech Republic s.r.o., Procter & Gamble DS Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Danmark ApS, Procter & Gamble Detergent (Beijing) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Deuttschland GmbH, Procter & Gamble Distributing (Philippines) Inc., Procter & Gamble Distributing New Zealand Limited, Procter & Gamble Distribution Company (Europe) BVBA, Procter & Gamble Distribution S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Eastern Europe, Procter & Gamble Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Procter & Gamble Egypt, Procter & Gamble Egypt Distribution, Procter & Gamble Egypt Holding, Procter & Gamble Egypt Supplies, Procter & Gamble Energy Company LLC, Procter & Gamble Espana, Procter & Gamble Europe SA, Procter & Gamble Export Operations SARL, Procter & Gamble Exportadora e Importadora Ltda., Procter & Gamble Exports, Procter & Gamble Fabricacao e Comercio Ltda., Procter & Gamble Far East, Procter & Gamble Finance (U.K.) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Holding Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Management S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Financial Investments LLP, Procter & Gamble Financial Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Financial Services S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Finland OY, Procter & Gamble France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH, Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH & Co. Operations oHG, Procter & Gamble GmbH, Procter & Gamble Grundstucks-und Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Procter & Gamble Gulf FZE, Procter & Gamble Hair Care, Procter & Gamble Hellas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Holding (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Holding France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Holding GmbH, Procter & Gamble Holding S.r.l., Procter & Gamble Holdings (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Home Products Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Hong Kong Limited, Procter & Gamble Hungary Wholesale Trading Partnership (KKT), Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care Limited, Procter & Gamble Inc., Procter & Gamble India Holdings, Procter & Gamble Indochina Limited Company, Procter & Gamble Industrial - 2012 C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Industrial S.C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Costa Rica, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Guatemala, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Panama, Procter & Gamble International Operations Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble International Operations SA, Procter & Gamble International Operations SA-ROHQ, Procter & Gamble International S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Investment Company (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Investment GmbH, Procter & Gamble Italia, Procter & Gamble Japan K.K., Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan Distribution LLP, Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan LLP, Procter & Gamble Korea, Procter & Gamble Korea S&D Co., Procter & Gamble Lanka Private Ltd. Sri Lanka, Procter & Gamble Leasing LLC, Procter & Gamble Levant S.A.L., Procter & Gamble Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Berlin GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Marketing Romania SRL, Procter & Gamble Marketing and Services doo, Procter & Gamble Maroc SA, Procter & Gamble Mataro, Procter & Gamble Mexico Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Mexico Inc., Procter & Gamble Middle East FZE, Procter & Gamble Nederland B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Investments B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Services B.V., Procter & Gamble Nigeria Limited, Procter & Gamble Nordic, Procter & Gamble Norge AS, Procter & Gamble Operations Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Overseas India B.V., Procter & Gamble Overseas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Pakistan (Private) Limited, Procter & Gamble Partnership LLP, Procter & Gamble Peru S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals France SAS, Procter & Gamble Philippines, Procter & Gamble Polska Sp. z o.o, Procter & Gamble Portugal - Produtos De Consumo, Procter & Gamble Product Supply (U.K.) Limited U.K., Procter & Gamble Production GmbH, Procter & Gamble Productions, Procter & Gamble Productos de Consumo, Procter & Gamble RHD, Procter & Gamble RSC Regional Service Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Retail Services BVBA, Procter & Gamble S.r.l., Procter & Gamble SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Satis ve Dagitim Ltd. Sti., Procter & Gamble Seine S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Service GmbH, Procter & Gamble Services (Switzerland) SA, Procter & Gamble Services Company N.V., Procter & Gamble Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Share Incentive Plan Trustee Ltd., Procter & Gamble South America Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Spol. s.r.o. (Ltd.), Procter & Gamble Sports and Social Club Ltd., Procter & Gamble Sverige AB, Procter & Gamble Switzerland SARL, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Limited, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Sales Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Technical Centres Limited, Procter & Gamble Technology (Beijing) Co., Procter & Gamble Trading (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Tuketim Mallari Sanayii A.S., Procter & Gamble UK, Procter & Gamble UK Group Holdings Ltd, Procter & Gamble UK Parent Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Universal Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Verwaltungs GmbH, Procter & Gamble Vietnam, Procter & Gamble d.o.o. za trgovinu, Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.C.A., Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.R.L., Procter & Gamble do Brasil S/A, Procter & Gamble do Brazil, Procter & Gamble do Nordeste S/A, Procter & Gamble-Rakona s.r.o., Progam Realty & Development Corporation, Redmond Products, Richardson-Vicks Real Estate Inc., Richardson-Vicks do Brasil Quimica e Farmaceutica Ltda, Riverfront Music Publishing Co., Rosemount LLC, SPD Development Company Limited, SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH, Scannon S.A.S., Series Acquisition B.V., Shulton, Surfac S.R.L., Sycamore Productions, TAOS - FL, TAOS Retail, Tambrands Inc., Temple Trees Impex & Investment Private Limited, The Art of Shaving - FL, The Dover Wipes Company, The Gillette Company, The Gillette Company LLC, The Gillette co., The Procter & Gamble Distributing LLC, The Procter & Gamble GBS Company, The Procter & Gamble Global Finance Company, The Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Company, The Procter & Gamble Paper Products Company, The Procter & Gamble U.S. Business Services Company, This is L., US CD LLC, Vidal Sassoon (Shanghai) Academy, Vidal Sassoon Co., WEBA Betriebsrenten-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Walker & Company Brands, and iMFLUX Inc..
When I was a freshman, Willamettes motto, Not unto ourselves alone are we born, wasnt as widely talked about as it is now. But it was the time of JFK and the Peace Corps, and I guess I absorbed the concept of helping others by a kind of osmosis.

I grew up on a farm, and coming to Willamette was a big step. I really benefited from my liberal arts education, which gave me a broad appreciation for art, science and languages, as well as a more global vision.

I spent my junior year in Paris through Hamilton College in New York, as Willamette didnt even have a study abroad program at the time. That international perspective was an important part of my career, and it eventually led me to what Im doing now.

I taught French in high schools for 40 years in Oregon, Washington and California, and I started my own home stay program to take students abroad so they could learn to appreciate other cultures.

When I retired in 2004, my former Beta Theta Pi roommate, who had been teaching in Kenya, asked me to visit. Thats where I met Daniel, a local man working on a tea plantation, making about $2 a day and unable to support his family. Hed qualified to go to university but couldnt afford it. I offered to put him through college, and I supported him for five years through pharmacy school.

Each time I visited Daniels family, I came across other students who were struggling. So, I put them through high school or college. Ive always valued education, and its good to be able to make an immediate difference in someones life, especially when you know them personally. Education changes peoples lives  plus, it has ripple effects on an entire country.

One of my students in Mali, now in his third year of radiology school, will be one of only about 12 radiologists in the entire country. Other students have gone on to work as nurses, an accountant, a pharmacist, a doctor, a lawyer or in the hospitality and tourism industry.

When I reached the limit of my personal resources in 2017, I formed a nonprofit, WE Care (Water and Education Care International). The nonprofit recently drilled a well in Kenya to bring clean water to families in a village. Weve helped over 30 students in Kenya, Mali and Cambodia, from high school through post-graduate work. It costs about $300 to send students to high school for a year, plus the cost of books and uniforms.

Thats not a lot to many Americans, but many of these people are subsistence farmers. We helped one 90-year-old woman in Kenya who was raising her orphaned grandchildren. She was determined to put them through school because, like many people in these countries, she saw education as a way out of the cycle of poverty.

Its amazing to have these connections around the world. I read something the other day that fits me: I started traveling, and I went the first time as a tourist and came home as a humanitarian. Its interesting to see wildlife or beautiful places, but the most important part is the connections you make with people.

Those connections also reach back to Oregon. In Kenya, one of my friends mother, Celestine, works as a tailor. I thought some fabric scraps in her shop could be made into a quilt. I drew up a pattern, and Celestine began sewing the vibrantly patterned scraps into 12-inch squares, each one depicting the villages mud huts.

I brought the squares home, and Bonnie Hull, wife of Willamette professor emeritus Roger Hull, sewed them together and hand-quilted them.

Celestine made two other quilt tops, which two volunteers in Salem finished. We plan to auction off the quilts to raise money for WE Care.

Those quilts represent what WE Care is doing people from different countries combining their efforts to accomplish something good.

What does the Willamette motto mean to you? How does it show up in your life? Email wu-stories@willamette.edu.

This article was originally published in the fall 2018 issue of Willamette magazine.
McDermott International, Inc. provides engineering, procurement, construction and installation, and technology solutions to the energy industry worldwide. It operates through five segments: North, Central and South America; Europe, Africa, Russia and Caspian; the Middle East and North Africa; Asia Pacific; and Technology. It designs, engineers, and constructs upstream offshore oil and gas facilities, downstream oil and gas facilities, gas-fired power plants, liquefied natural gas import and export terminals, atmospheric and refrigerated storage vessels and terminals, water storage and treatment facilities, pipe and module fabrication, hydrocarbon processing facilities, pipe fabrication and manufacturing, and refining and petrochemical facilities. The company also provides gas processing, refining, petrochemical and coal gasification technologies, as well as a supplies catalysts, equipment, and related engineering services. It serves national, integrated, and other oil and gas companies, as well as producers of petrochemicals and electric power. McDermott International, Inc. was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

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Christopher & Banks Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty retailer of private-brand women's apparel and accessories in the United States. The company designs and sells women's apparel and accessories to customers ranging in age from 40 and older. Its stores offer women's apparel consisting of casual clothing, everyday basics, wear-to-work, leisure/active wear, and sleepwear in missy, petite, and women sizes, as well as jewelry and accessories. As of December 4, 2018, the company operated 461 stores, including 314 MPW stores, 80 Outlet stores, 35 Christopher & Banks stores, and 32 stores in its women's plus size clothing division CJ Banks in 45 states. It also operates christopherandbanks.com, an e-commerce Website for its Christopher & Banks and CJ Banks brands. The company was formerly known as Braun's Fashions Corporation and changed its name to Christopher & Banks Corporation in July 2000. Christopher & Banks Corporation was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota.

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Dec 21, 2018 | By Cameron

A team of Korean researchers from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and Seoul National University (SNU) has 3D printed a functional airway-on-a-chip. The on-a-chip moniker describes an analogue model that mimics biochemical responses; these models are used for studying illnesses and the effects of their treatments. In this case, airways are susceptible to respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic lung disease, and rhinosinusitis.

By creating a bio-ink containing a mixture of a decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) isolated from pig trachea and mucosal cells isolated from human trachea, the research team was able to 3D print a device with a network of blood vessels that connect with epithelial cells. Lead author of the study, Ju Young Park, explains, We reproduced an in-vivo-like 3D vascular network by assembling endothelial cells and fibroblasts using the dECM bio-ink in a one-step printing process.

The structure we produced has the same physiological functions as the biological airway epithelium and so can be used to model diseases like asthma, said Park, elaborating that the printed airway exhibited the natural allergic response when exposed to dust mites. The presence of blood vessels, for example, leads to an excessive production of proinflammatory cytokines in our airway model. This process (also known as the cytokine storm) occurs during asthmatic airway inflammation and allergen-induced asthma exacerbation in the physiological context.

The six-head 3D bioprinter used in the study is rather advanced. Two of the printing heads were connected to a pneumatic pressure-based system that dispenses a synthetic polymer to fabricate the supporting framework for the airway, commented Park. The other four printing heads operate on a three-axis motorized stage and we control their movement using computer programs.

Human airways are extremely complex, with layers of membranes that interact with each other. To mimic this complex 2D/3D structure and the cellular composition of the airway mucosa, we assembled a 2D airway epithelium on a 3D vascular platform, Park explained. We reconstructed the natural 3D vascular network by 3D cell printing the dECM bio-ink containing endothelial cells and fibroblasts. The dECM bio-ink in fact provides the cell with an in-vivo-like niche of native tissue that induces tissue-specific differentiation and function.

Despite the level of complexity involved, the 3D bioprinting technique is more efficient than other methods of fabricating organs-on-a-chip. Our 3D cell-printing system allows us to easily fabricate airway prototypes in high throughput and also allows us to directly place various types of cell at specific locations on the airway structure to mimic how cells arrange themselves in native tissue, Park relates. The technique could be used to design many types of chip and even print organ models other than the airway.

Testing drugs on animals and humans is costly, time consuming, and often unethical, so producing organs-on-a-chip that accurately mimic human organs is a necessary step in advancing medicine. Our new model could be used to study these interactions and better understand the role they play in human respiratory diseases, said Park. The 3D cell printed airway-on-a-chip could therefore be used as a powerful complement to animal models for analysing pathophysiology and testing the efficiency of drugs in the preclinical phase.

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Dec 21, 2018 | By Cameron

Solar and wind-power generation are becoming more cost effective than conventional sources like coal, oil, and gas, but the future will include renewable energy coming from even less likely sources: the walls. Specifically, exterior-facing walls as the 3D printed brick invented at King's College London generates electricity from the temperature differences that occur on opposing sides of the brick. If its warmer inside the building than it is outside (or vice versa), the brick generates electricity.

Their thermogalvanic brick is basically a solid-state form a Stirling engine (one of my favorite inventions), a machine that converts temperature differentials into mechanical motion that can be used directly, stored as thermal energy, or converted into electricity and stored in batteries. The magic happens in the 3D printed Schwarz D minimum surface structure that facilitates an electrochemical reduction and oxidation process in gelled water between the electrodes. The process consumes no compounds and the core can never be overcharged, so a wall made of these bricks could theoretically produce electricity into perpetuity.

While the bricks dont produce enough electricity to power a refrigerator, they can power lights and charge smartphones. In parts of the world where kerosene is still burned for light at night, this passive power generator could prevent many deaths and injuries associated with kerosene fires and vapor inhalation. Leigh Aldous, Senior Lecturer from the Department of Chemistry at King's College explains, "The idea is that these bricks could be 3D printed from recycled plastic, and be used to quickly and easily make something like a refugee shelter. By the simple act of keeping the occupants warmer or cooler than their surroundings, electricity will be produced, enough to provide some nighttime lighting, and recharge a mobile phone.

Energy is already expended by humans to make our living and working environments comfortable; we run the air conditioning in the hot summers and crank up the furnace in the cold of winter, so theres almost always a temperature difference between inside and outside. These bricks would essentially recapture some of the energy that is otherwise lost when we heat or cool our homes. By paying to make the room more comfortable, users of these bricks would also be paying to power their lights but at no extra cost.

Additionally, the thermogalvanic bricks are stronger than traditional bricks and not combustible like batteries. "Crucially, they do not require maintenance, recharging or refilling. Unlike batteries, they store no energy themselves, which also removes risk of fire and transport restrictions," said Aldous.

Conor Beale, an undergraduate chemistry student, commented, "What is so interesting is that we can take something so common and never thought about, such as temperature difference in houses, and use it to create electricity. For a family living in a developing country, this could have a substantial impact." Beale is right, and 3D printed solutions regularly do have a substantial impact.



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Benjamin Obeng wrote at 3/8/2019 10:39:37 AM:Thermogalvanic cells do not use semiconductors and are cheaper than thermoelectric generators.Dayseeker wrote at 12/27/2018 8:10:35 PM:What about the cost factor?Dayseeker wrote at 12/27/2018 8:08:28 PM:but what about the cost factor?Jack wrote at 12/24/2018 1:45:34 AM:Won't it be too luxurious to build a wall with semiconductors?






Maricunga Lithium Brine JV Updated DFS Completion Date

Sydney, Dec 21, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Lithium Power International Limited ( ASX:LPI ) ( OTCMKTS:LTHHF ) (LPI or the Company) confirms that the project Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) is in the final stages of completion awaiting the final independent written report from WorleyParsons.It is anticipated that WorleyParsons will have the final documentation completed for a detailed release of the DFS outcomes early in the New Year. This will meet AACE 18R-97, Class 2 estimation standards with a +/-15% accuracy.WorleyParsons is a global engineering company with headquarters in Australia and is listed on the ASX. The company has extensive expertise in engineering, procurement and construction and working across the infrastructure, mining, chemicals and hydrocarbon sectors. WorleyParsons undertook engineering design for the Definitive Feasibility Study on the Cauchari lithium brine project in Argentina. The company has also undertaken extensive engineering and feasibility works at the largest producing lithium brine project at the Salar de Atacama in Chile. The company brings a wealth of infrastructure design, geotechnical, chemical, mechanical and electrical skills to the project.Lithium Power International's Chief Executive Officer, Cristobal Garcia-Huidobro, commented:"We look forward to providing the results to shareholders early in the New Year. We wish all our shareholders well for the festive season and thank them for their support during 2018. For the Company, 2019 promises to be an exciting year, with completion of the feasibility study and the project advancing to approval of the project Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The lithium market continues to have a very positive outlook and we look forward to moving the project towards development."Maricunga JV BackgroundThe Maricunga JV is 51%-owned by LPI. The project is regarded as one of the highest quality undeveloped pre-production lithium brine projects globally, with a very high lithium grade and strong flow rates. Details of the project DFS will be provided early in 2019, with the project EIA under review pending approval.About Lithium Power International Ltd

Lithium Power International Limited (ASX:LPI) is a pure-play lithium explorer and developer, focusing on developing and fast-tracking to production the high-grade Maricunga lithium brine project in Chile.

LPI has a well-known performing technical team with the experience to take the Maricunga project all the way through the development stages to production.

The regions that LPI is currently focused on are:

1. Maricunga JV (Chile) - Located within the "Lithium Triangle", Maricunga is Chile's highest grade and most advanced lithium project outside the Salar de Atacama. The project lies 170 km northeast of Copiapo and 250 km from the port of Caldera.

2. Pilbara (Western Australia) - LPI has three granted exploration tenements covering 203 km2 in the Pilbara region of northern Western Australia. The largest granted exploration tenement is the Pilgangoora tenement which is 2-3 km west of the Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) and Altura Mining (ASX:AJM) lithium deposits.

3. Greenbushes (Western Australia) - LPI has two granted exploration tenements covering 400 km2 in the Greenbushes area of southern Western Australia. The tenements are adjacent to the world's largest hard rock lithium mine owned and operated by Tianqi/Talison.

4. Centenario (Argentina) - Through its Argentinian subsidiary, Lithium Power holds a total of seven granted tenements in the Centenario lithium brine salar within the Salta province of the Puna Plateau. In total, the seven granted tenements cover an area of 68.46 km2.

With the exception of the Maricunga JV, all tenements are 100% owned by LPI or LPSA (including rights to the Centenario tenements).
UPDATED

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has rescinded guidance created by the Obama administration to ensure that students of color arent disciplined more harshly than their peers.

Every student has the right to attend school free from discrimination. They also have the right to be respected as individuals and not treated as statistics. In too many instances, though, Ive heard from teachers and advocates that the previous administrations discipline guidance often led to school environments where discipline decisions were based on a students race and where statistics became more important than the safety of students and teachers, DeVos said in a statement Friday announcing her decision, which was made in conjunction with the Department of Justice. Our decision to rescind that guidance today makes it clear that discipline is a matter on which classroom teachers and local school leaders deserve and need autonomy. I would encourage them to continue to implement discipline reforms that they believe will foster improved outcomes for their students.

The 2014 guidance was jointly issued by the Obama-era Education and Justice Departments. A nonbinding document, the guidance suggested that schools could run afoul of civil rights laws if they disciplined students of color at higher rates than other students. Perhaps its most controversial element was its assertion that schools discipline policies could violate those laws if they had a disparate impact on disciplinary actions for different groups of students, even if the policies were written without discriminatory intent.

Observers have been expecting DeVos to formally toss out the guidance for many months. That expectation became all but a certainty when the Trump administration put out a school safety report calling for the guidance to go DeVos served on the commission that authored the report, along with other Trump cabinet members.

To justify its call for the guidance to be revoked, the Federal Commission on School Safetys report stated, among other things, that, Surveys of teachers confirm that the Guidances chilling effect on school disciplineand, in particular, on the use of exclusionary disciplinehas forced teachers to reduce discipline to non-exclusionary methods, even where such methods are inadequate or inappropriate to the student misconduct, with significant consequences for student and teacher safety.

That view echoed complaints from critics that the Obama guidance was too heavy-handed.

But the guidances supporters, including civil rights advocates, said it shielded students of color from unfair consequences for discipline infractions, and that it highlighted schools frequent, unequal treatment for those students. They also pushed back on the idea that the guidance had a connection to the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., which spurred the president to create the school safety commission. Parklands Broward County district had been using a discipline policy at the time of the shooting that had been held up as a model by the Obama adminstration.

Rescinding this important school discipline guidance signals that the federal government does not care that too many schools have policies and practices that push children of color out of school, Vanita Gupta, the president and CEO of the Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights, said in a Friday statement responding to DeVos decision.

The administration was already considering revoking the guidance before the Parkland shooting.

As our colleague Evie Blad wrote about the guidance recently , Federal data show black and Latino students are disciplined at higher rates than white students, and the discipline guidance said schools have an obligation to address those disparities.

View From Schools and Elsewhere

A survey of 950 school district leaders conducted by AASA, the School Superintendents Association, found that just 16 percent had modified their discipline policies and practices because of the guidance. Less than 1 percent of all respondents found that the guidance had a negative impact on school personnels ability to administer discipline, while 7 percent said it had a positive impact.

Educators who met with DeVos about the directive had a variety of views on its impact. Some said that it led to less control in their classrooms and that students perceived schools as more lax, which led to misbehavior.

But teachers who support the directive told DeVos that problems with discipline are often the result of how districts implement policies, not with the guidance itself, teachers who support the directive told DeVos. Schools need to properly train teachers in alternative ways of dealing with problematic behavior and in ways to relate to students that prevent behavior from escalating in the first place, they said.

A variety of organizations representing educational researchers, administrators, teachers, and racial justice groups had panned plans to rescind the guidance. Its a false choice to say schools cant be safe and make efforts to ensure equitable treatment of students, they said, noting that suspensions are often issued for non-violent offenses. Rescinding the guidance runs counter to the reports other recommendations, which call for safe and supportive learning environments that promote strong relationships between students and teachers, they said.

The guidances 2014 rollout was also praised by community-level youth and racial justice groups from cities around the country whod spent years pushing for less-punitive discipline and the end of zero-tolerance policies they said led to harsher punishments for students of color. They also took aim at broad infractions like defiance that can be applied subjectivelyand inconsistently.

The recommendation to rescind Obama-era school discipline guidance reflects Betsy DeVos deep-seated and fundamentally flawed view that combatting discrimination against students of color and those with disabilities is a worthless pursuit, the Alliance for Educational Justice said in a statement after the school safety report was released. This view is rooted in the disgusting belief that certain students, including youth of color, belong to an underclass of students attending our nations public schools who are unworthy of supportive learning environments and our protection.

But conservative groups had argued that schools and districts, fearing costly civil rights investigations, imposed too many restrictions on student discipline, leading to chaotic learning environments. The discipline guidance was an act of federal overreach that led schools to remove needed discretion from teachers, they said. And some local teachers unions have criticized their districts discipline changes, saying they werent adequately prepared for the changes.

Michael Petrilli, the president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and a critic of the Obama guidance, stressed that even without that guidance, students who feel they have been discriminated against on the basis of race through a schools disciplinary decisions can still file a formal complaint with the Education Department, and the department can still investigate.

The radical departure was in 2014, when the Obama administration embraced this disparate impact approach and came very close to requiring a quota system for discipline, Petrilli said.

He added that the end of the guidance opens the door to a much healthier conversation about school discipline, one that focuses on providing teachers the resources and help they need to deal with tough disciplinary decisions, while at the same time not over-suspending children.

The end of the guidance does not mean that schools cant adopt policies on their own that mirror the Obama guidances push to addresss racial disparities in discipline. But it does change the federal agencys approach to civil rights enforcement.

The guidance also stated that school police shouldnt be involved in routine student discipline. And it warned districts that they were responsible for ensuring that the officers placed on their campuses respect the civil rights of students.

DeVos decision means that close to two years into her tenure, she has revoked prominent Obama guidance related to transgender students, school diversity, sexual assault, and discipline.

Education Week Staff Writer Evie Blad contributed to this post

Photo: Max Schacter, father of Parkland victim Alex Schacter, right, speaks with President Donald Trump during a roundtable discussion on the Federal Commission on School Safety report, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Dec. 18, 2018, in Washington. From left, Trump, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Sheriff Kevin Byars, Marshall County, Ky., and Schacter. (Evan Vucci/AP)

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Andrew Ujifusa half of Politics K-12 @AndrewUjifusa.
Kingston has over 20 years experience of the UK pensions and investment industry and holds professional trustee roles at Capital Cranfield Trustees and Scottish Pension Trustees. She has chaired a number of trustee boards and has worked with schemes ranging from 3m right up to 6bn. She joins a team of five pensions and investment experts on the IAC. The committee has an independent chairman and has representatives from the Royal London Group and Royal London Asset Management as well as independent members. Kingston will be the third independent member. The IACs role is to meet on a regular basis to review RLAMs risk-graded Governed Portfolios and fund range. They are tasked with looking at whether the funds have the best blend of assets to meet customer objectives. It reports directly to the Royal London board and, critically, operates independently of RLAM who have day to day running of internal funds. Lorna Blyth, head of investment solutions at Royal London Intermediary, said: It is very important that we have independent voices on our IAC and Candias appointment ensures we maintain a robust independent presence. She has a strong track record of analysing and choosing appropriate investment strategies and managers across a range of different sized pension funds and we are very pleased to welcome someone of her experience and ability to the committee.


Mumbai: Aamir is one of the biggest stars when it comes to international fans and this is one of the reasons why his promotions for his next film at a university got cancelled.

On his recent promotional tour to China, Aamir Khan was supposed to attend an event in a Chinese university. Rumours were doing rounds that a university in China cancelled Bollywood's actor Aamir Khan's fan meet, citing the organiser's failure to seek permission to use the campus. However, the truth is, as a huge crowd turned up to see their favourite superstar, leaving the authorities in a panic.

Touted as the World's biggest Superstar, Aamir Khan has an unfathomable fanbase across the globe, however, the actor is particularly more loved in China.

The actor who recently visited China for promoting his recent film was invited as a special guest at the Guangzhou University, which is designed to accommodate 400 people.

However, as the news of the actor visiting the university broke out, people started turning up for the event in huge numbers. The small auditorium soon was filled with over 3000 people, forcing the authorities to cancel the event as they were not confident if they could handle the crowd.

Further, during his promotions, the Chinese authorities increased the security of Aamir Khan manifold to avoid similar situations.

With 3 Idiots gaining immense popularity in China, Aamir Khan opened doors to Indian cinema. As Dangal released in the neighbouring country, it created history minting the highest amount of money for an Indian film ever.

With global fan-base, Aamir Khan is undeniably World's biggest Superstar.
Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma have worked together for fourth time in 'Zero'.

Mumbai: With more than 15 Bollywood films, including four with Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma is celebrating her 10 years in the industry. The actor took this opportunity to thank King Khan for his enthusiasm and support.

Taking to her Instagram, Anushka penned a heartfelt note for SRK and thanked him for being there when she needed him.

She wrote, "Zero is a beautiful coincidence for me. I realised this very recently and I had to put it out. I started my career with you Shah Rukh and its really beautiful that on my 10th anniversary as an actor, we are releasing our fourth film together."

Calling him as the most giving actor that she has worked with, the 'Pari' star also mentioned that how Shah Rukh helped her grow and perform some challenging roles.

Talking about her upcoming film, 'Zero', the 30-year-old actor wrote, "Zero is a labour of love for Aanand L. Rai, Himanshu Sharma and Shah Rukh and it is incredible that they have dared to dream, dared to think that they can create something so spectacularly new."

Shah Rukh, in his reply to the post, wrote, "My Taani, Akira, Sejal, Aafia & Friend. I am privileged to have worked with u. U make me a better actor. Love u."

Anushka kick-started her career in 2008 alongside SRK in 'Rab ne Bana di Jodi' and gave blockbuster hits like 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil',' 'Pari,' 'P.K.,' 'Sultan,' 'NH 10' among others.

Her upcoming film, 'Zero' shows the journey of Bauua Singh, a vertically challenged man played by Shah Rukh, who is on a lookout for a bride. The film also stars Katrina Kaif who plays the role of an actress, battling alcoholism while Anushka portrays a challenging character of a scientist with cerebral palsy in the Aanand L Rai directorial.

The movie, produced by Gauri Khan, is all set to hit the screens on December 21, this year.
Iraqi Cardinal: the Birth of Christ, the Birth of a New Humanity

Baghdad -- The period of Advent that prepares for the coming of Christ is an occasion of "rebirth of huamnity", According to which man becomes human, not a "predatory beast". In fact, the status of human in Christ has been elevated to a "complete-perfect humanity" [the term used in Chaldean-Syriac language is "mithbarnashutha", which means humanization], writes the Chaldean primate, Card Louis Raphael Sako, in his Christmas message to Iraqi Christians and shared with AsiaNews. "Every human being - continues the cardinal - finds in Jesus a perfect example of humanity to follow and conforms to the image of God".

In a nation recently devastated by wars, violence, still present jihadist threats, political instability and a slow path of democratization, the value of "unity" between citizens of different ethnic groups and religions is the foundation on which to build the future. A mission to which Christians are also called "through the witness of our faith, prayers, love of neighbor" and with "the contribution of each one to the rebirth of our country".

The Iraqi cardinal will celebrate the Christmas Eve Mass together with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. For the first time in history, the closest collaborator of a pontiff will go on an official visit to Iraq, from December 24 to 28; he will visit the capital Baghdad, Erbil and some Christian towns on the Nineveh plain.

AsiaNews's Catholic sources in Iraq stress that Parolin's trip could represent the premise for a visit, in the near future, of a Pope in the Arab country.

Returning to the Chaldean patriarch's Christmas message, he emphasizes that in the birth and witness of the living Christ the suffering, death and resurrection are "completed". "Despite the many malice that dwell in man - he adds - the Christian has sufficient graces to complete the project of interior renewal".

Through the Sacraments, such as baptism and the Eucharist, "we receive the grace of unity in Jesus Christ and come embraced by him". A call, emphasizes the cardinal, who calls for "a daily commitment, courage and hard work" and which is addressed "to all men of good will, who open themselves sincerely to the grace of God", from a common point of view of "brotherhood, love and peace" that concerns all mankind, without distinction.

Addressing the faithful, the Chaldean primate recalls the "centrality" of faith in the life of every man and the importance of prayer and participation in the life of the community. Being Christian, he adds, requires a daily "witness of faith, prayer and service" to others. "Faith -- he warns - prepares the ground for a life lived according to the Word of God and helps us to be children of God, more than servants of the devil".

"I hope that Christmas - concludes the cardinal - is an opportunity to strengthen faith and witness to the service of love and peace" as desired by Pope Francis. "And those who are the source of division, create chaos and confusion exasperating the precepts of religion, ethnicity or gender do not believe in God and have no title to call themselves men of faith".
The lump that was removed in surgery was sent for a special investigation, called Frozen section pathology, to see if the margin of tissue removed with lump excision was adequate.

Bengaluru: Thanks to latest technology and surgical techniques, a 43-year-old cancer patient got a new lease of life.

City doctors treated a rare breast cancer that occurs in both breasts at the same time which is referred to as synchronous bilateral breast cancer (BBC), which is a mere 3 percent of all breast cancers.

Ramya (name changed) felt a painless lump in her left breast. When she got it checked at a nearby hospital, it was diagnosed as a non-cancerous lesion. But she continued to feel uneasy and decided to go in for a second opinion. Following the complete evaluation and assessment from BGS Gleneagles Global Hospitals, doctors recommended a bilateral mammography which revealed multiple small lumps in the right breast too. However, doctors suggested her to undergo PET CT scan which confirmed that she had cancer in both breasts.

Oncologists from all three divisions, surgical, medical and radiation, came together to discuss the treatment plan in the tumour board. The lump that was removed in surgery was sent for a special investigation, called Frozen section pathology, to see if the margin of tissue removed with lump excision was adequate. Additionally, a dye was injected around the lump before its removal to precisely locate the lymph nodes that might be involved with this cancer in the axilla and only those lymph nodes were removed.

Dr Mathangi J., Senior Consultant and In-Charge, Department of Radiation Oncology at BGS Gleneagles Global Hospitals, said, There are some specific advancements that have happened in the past decade in the management of breast cancers to not only improve local tumour control, faster recovery with lesser complications and better cosmoses but also to reduce long-term side effects.

After chemotherapy, Ramya underwent four weeks of radiotherapy. Both the breasts (chest wall) should be irradiated with no union of the fields avoiding over or under-dosing of the treated areas. The doses to heart and both lungs should be kept minimal. She was taken up for deep breath hold training for one week. The software detects her respiration in deep breath hold and 4D CT scan is done only in this phase. When the patient holds her breath in deep inhalation, the lung balloons out between the chest wall (the area to be treated) and the heart. This simple technique helps the doctor to plan the treatment with the least dose to the heart. The Gating software with the state-of-the-art treatment machine 

TrueBeam STx linear accelerator  keeps it simple and sophisticated by allowing treatment only if the patient holds the breath in the specified phase and automatically going off when it is not so.
Chennai: Even before the mammoth statue of Lord Vishnu measuring 64 feet and weighing over 300 tons, could reach the destination in Bengaluru to be formally installed, the impressive image started attracting hundreds of devotees from Villupuram and Tiruvannamalai districts in the State. En route Bengaluru, the 240-tyre trailer, carrying the statue of Vishwaroopa Mahavishnu, had to halt near Senji (Gingee) (in Villupuram district), about 155 km from here. According to sources the trailer was stopped at Senji apprehensive of damaging houses. Efforts were on to explore alternate route to take the statue without causing any problems to the habitations.

The impressive statue was carved out of a hillock in Korakkottai village in Vandavasi taluk of Tiruvannamalai, near here, and carefully placed on the 240-tyre trailer, recently. It had moved nearly 300 metres in the last few days. It took three days to move the vehicle from the quarrying site. From Senji the statue would be moved through Tiruvannamalai, Hosur and finally to Bengaluru.

Atleast 30 persons from the Mumbai-based logistics firm Reshamsingh Group are involved in moving the statue from the quarry site and Thellar-Desur Road. The geology and mining department had granted permission to S. Sadananda of Temple Trust to quarry 420 cubic metres of charnokite rock from the village in Oct. 2014.

Tiruvannamalai collector K. S. Kandasamy, who is the government appointed nodal officer to facilitate Kothandaramaswami Charitable Trust in Bengaluru to transport the idols, had visited the spot and enquired with the temple administration about the preparedness. The idols of Lord Vishnu and the seven-headed Adisesha would be shifted in about a months time.

A larger number of devotees who reached Senji, offered prayers in front of the statues and some of them were seen applying vermilion and turmeric on them. Says Kalaiselvi of Senji, I am very happy to see the Lord here, though I saw him at Thellar, but this is a unique experience. It is a beautifully carved

statue.
A forest source said that a well grown adult male elephant with a single tusk was found near the Chinnampathy beat in the Madhukkarai forest range a few weeks ago.

Coimbatore: Forest department have launched a search for a wild elephant in the Madhukkarai forest range in Coimbatore division close to the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border that allegedly suffered a bullet injury on one of its legs.

A forest source said that a well grown adult male elephant with a single tusk was found near the Chinnampathy beat in the Madhukkarai forest range a few weeks ago. It was struggling to walk and had suffered an injury likely to be caused by a gun bullet. Efforts to capture the elephant to treat it failed.We suspect that the elephant could have escaped from poachers in the neighboring Kerala forest and entered the Madhukkarai range in Coimbatore forest division, said forest sources. Some tribals sighted the elephant last week.Mr. D. Venkatesh told the DC, so far, I havent received such information from the range officer. A team of AP watchers will be deployed in additional patrolling for the elephant, he said.
Sajjan Kumar had moved a plea seeking extension of time to surrender, saying that he has three children and eight grandchildren and needs to settle matters related to his property. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar's request seeking time till January 30 to surrender after being convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots was rejected by the Delhi High Court on Friday.

The high court said it saw no ground for granting the relief.

On Monday, 73-year-old Kumar was directed by the Delhi High Court to surrender before authorities by December 31. He had moved a plea seeking extension of time to surrender, saying that he has three children and eight grandchildren and needs to settle matters related to his property.

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 torching a Gurudwara in Raj Nagar part II during that period.

The riots had broken out after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984 by her two Sikh bodyguards.
'I think Hanuman ji was a Jaat, because upon seeing someone being troubled a Jaat also jumps in even without knowing the issue or the people,' UP Cabinet Minister Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary said. (Photo: ANI)

Lucknow: Opining that Lord Hanuman belonged to the Jaat community, Uttar Pradesh Minister for Religious Affairs Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary joined the debate surrounding the identity of the Hindu deity.

The state minister likened the Hindu god's characteristics to that of a person belonging to the Jaat community.

"I think Hanuman ji was a Jaat, because upon seeing someone being troubled a Jaat also jumps in even without knowing the issue or the people. In this sense Hanuman ji's behaviour was very similar to that of Jaat because following Goddess Sita's abduction by Raavan he immediately came to Lord Ram's help as his follower, UP Cabinet Minister Laxmi Narayan told ANI on Friday.

Chaudhary, who also holds charge of Dairy Development, Culture, Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf and Haj, further explained that a person's lineage can be deciphered by noting their behaviour.

"Everyone who believes in the Sanatan Dharm would surely worship Lord Hanuman. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has already given explanation on this issue. When yesterday this topic came to my notice, I gave my view that it is through an individual's behaviour that we conclude about one's lineage," the minister opined.

On Thursday, BJP Member of Legislative Council (MLC) in Uttar Pradesh, Bukkal Nawab also gave a new dimension to the discussion over lord Hanuman's identity by claiming that he was a Muslim.

"I believe that Lord Hanuman was a Muslim. That is why the names of the people in Islam are almost similar to lord Hanuman, whether it is Rehman, Ramzan, Farman, Zeeshan and Qurban. Such types of names are found in Islam only," Nawab argued.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, while addressing an election rally in Alwar in Rajasthan, had said that lord Hanuman was a Dalit.

"Hanuman was a forest dweller, deprived and a Dalit. Bajrang Bali worked to connect all Indian communities together, from north to south and east to west," he had said.

Various political parties had condemned Adityanath's remarks, with Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav asking the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister to disclose the caste of other deities as well.
Bank officials said ATMs would be replenished with cash to ensure that customers do not have problems.

Hyderabad: Services in public sector banks and a few smaller private banks would be affected for six days starting December 21 due to a combination of strikes, weekend holidays and Christmas.

Leave would be sanctioned only after considering all the circumstances.

Bank officials said ATMs would be replenished with cash to ensure that customers do not have problems. An official said that ATMs are refilled the previous day whenever there is a long stretch of bank closures.

On December 21, the All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC) has called for a strike demanding that the uniform wage service be continued, and to have a five-day week. The AIBOC is also opposing the merger of rural banks, and proposed consolidation of public sector banks.

On December 26, the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has called for a strike against the proposed merger of Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank, said Mr P. Venkataramaiah, general secretary, Bank Employees Federation of India, Telangana.

The merger would shrink public sector banks. Only corporates will benefit from the proposed merger. People who approach public sector banks for their loans would be left with few options, he said.

The old generation private banks where staff may go on strike are those established before the 1990s, such as City Union Bank, Karur Vysya Bank and others.

This is expected to affect banking services like cash transactions, cheque clearances and loan payments. Internet banking and digital cash services will not be affected.

Different bank staff unions have called for strikes on December 21 and 26. Banks will be closed on December 22, the fourth Sunday, and 23, Sunday. Banks will be closed for Christmas on December 25, leaving only one working day on Monday, Dec. 24.

With only one working day left in the midst of holidays, there were apprehensions that staff could take leave on Monday, and enjoy a six-day yearend holiday. Asked about this, a bank official assured that they would make sure that all counters would be running on Monday.
Appreciating the unbiased NGT order, Ramnath said that the GO was based on technicalities, which were not grounds for closure.

Chennai: Vedantas Sterlite CEO P. Ramnath on Thursday said the copper smelter plant at Tuticorin will take at least two months to open after getting a clearance from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and the State government.

Talking to reporters in Chennai, the CEO said following the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order which allowed the reopening of the plant, they had approached the TNPCB and the Tamil Nadu government seeking permission for re-opening the plant, which was closed through a GO after anti-Sterlite protests turned violent, resulting in the death of 13 people in police firing on May 22.

The National Green Tribunal, five days ago, had delivered its judgment setting aside Tamil Nadu Governments closure order in May. It had directed the state pollution control board to renew Sterlite Coppers Consent to Operate, a key licence to run the factory, within three weeks. We need to be given permission for entry and the upkeep of the factory need to be ascertained. I would estimate about two months as a time required to start producing again, once all legal hurdles are cleared, Ramnath said.

Appreciating the unbiased NGT order, Ramnath said that the GO was based on technicalities, which were not grounds for closure. All our sulphuric acid is being used to make fertilisers. Tests also show that copper slag is not leachable, nor is it hazardous. It can be used for landfills, he said.

The NGT, on the December 15 order noted that the company was willing to spend Rs 100 crore for the welfare of people of Thoothukudi. NGT directed Sterlite to spend the amount of Rs. 100 Crores within a period of three years. Announcing their plan of action for the same, Ramnath said that a smart school, a world-class hospital will be constructed. Thoothukudi has a severe water crisis, for this, a desalination plant will be constructed. Further, several youth development schemes will also be initiated, he said.

To arrive at the above five plans, Sterlite officials conducted immersion programmes with at least 1500 families. A programmed called Ungaludan Naan- Ungalukkaga Sterlite was initiated. We have an already running skill development programme called Tamara Mutthukal. Everyone who enrols in this program is guaranteed employment. further, there is a daily health van which takes a round of two villages a day, Ramnath said.

Responding to a question on Vedanta accessing the NGT order even before it was released, Ramnath said that they were not aware of it.  I hear a case has been filed. Let them proceed, the truth will come out, he concluded.
Sheikh was killed in an alleged fake encounter on November 26, 2005, near Ahmedabad. His wife was killed three days later and her body was disposed of, the CBI said.

Mumbai: The special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Friday acquitted all the 22 accused in 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh and 2006 Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter case and of the charge of killing Sheikhs wife Kausar Bi. The judge held that there was lack of evidence to prove the charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt.

Special CBI judge S.J. Sharma observed that the prosecution failed to establish that there had been any conspiracy to kill Sheikh and others and that the accused had a role in the conspiracy.

Judge Sharma said in his ruling that the court felt sorry for the families of Sheikh and Prajapati as three lives were lost, but the system demands that the court go solely by evidence. ....I am helpless, the judge said.

The judge also noted that 92 prosecution witnesses out of the 210 examined by the prosecution had turned hostile. According to the judge, some important witnesses did not stand by their statement to the police in the past and this had a strong impact on the prosecutions case. The case remained on circumstantial evidence and hearsay and as a result the chain of events was not complete enough to believe that the encounter was the result of a criminal conspiracy, according to the judge. What could have prosecution done? It couldnt have forced them not to turn hostile, said the judge in open court while talking about reasons that led to the acquittal of all the accused. The judge said that the prosecution made sincere efforts to prove its case. However, it could not bring on record some relevant documentary evidence and reliable witnesses, as statements of some witnesses were hearsay on which court cannot rely upon, he said.

The judge said that though Sheikh and others had been killed, going by the evidence on record, the court could not conclude that the present accused persons could be questioned or held accountable for those deaths.

Special public prosecutor B.P. Raju said he could not comment before perusing the judgment. He, however, in the past had told the judge that, initially, the local police handled the case, then it was transferred to a special investigating team of the state CID and it was finally transferred to the CBI. He had said that the case came to CBI after a long gap and it was a very difficult task to investigate the matter further.

While pronouncing the judgment, the judge also spoke about former DIG D.G. Vanzara who had already been discharged from the case in August 2017. The judge said that it was improbable that Vanzara could have any knowledge of the alleged conspiracy. The CBIs case is that it was Vanz-ara who called Gujarat police officer Ashish Pa-ndya, who was on leave at that time, to lead Praja-patis encounter. Howe-ver, according to the ju-dge, the CBI could not br-ing on record any subs-tantial piece of evidence.

The judge also expressed disbelief in the theory that Prajapati was the third person that was abducted along with Sheikh and his wife from a luxury bus and that he was witness to the abduction of Sheikh and Kausar Bi. Since the court discarded this theory, the judge also disbelieved that Prajapati was killed in a fake encounter to eliminate the eyewitness in Sheikhs case.

The CBI had charge-sheeted 38 accused of whom 16 accused, including Vanzara, BJP president Amit Shah, Rajasthan home minister Gulabchand Kataria, Rajasthan-based businessman Vimal Patni, former Gujarat police chief P.C. Pande, additional director general of police Geetha Johri, Gujarat police officer Abhay Chudasama, Gujarat police official N.K. Amin, Yashpal Chudasama and Ajay Patel (both senior office-bearers at the Ahmedabad District Co-Operative Bank), Gujarat IPS officer Rajkumar Pandiyan and Andra Pradesh cadre IPS official N. Balasubramanyam, were discharged before the commencement of trial.

In total, 22 accused faced trial. Of them, only one, Jeerawala  the owner of Arham farmhouse, is a civilian and all the policemen are junior police officers and constables.

The prosecutions case is that the Gujarat police abducted Sheikh, an alleged gangster, his wife Kausar Bi and his aide Prajapati from a bus when the trio was on their way to Sangli in Maharashtra from Hyderabad on the night of November 22, 2005.

Sheikh was killed in an alleged fake encounter on November 26, 2005, near Ahmedabad. His wife was killed three days later and her body was disposed of, the CBI said. The agency claimed that a year later, on December 27, 2006, the Gujarat and Rajasthan police shot Prajapati dead in an alleged fake encounter near Chapri on the Gujarat-Rajasthan border.
Chennai: While fortifying its plea for a Joint Parliamentary Probe (JPC) into the Rafale fighter jets deal after the Supreme court declined to order a probe into the purchase in view of security interests of the country, senior Congress leader, Mr. M Veerappa Moily on Friday hinted that Reliance would be out of the contract if Congress was voted back to power at the Centre in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Mr. Moily, who visited the Congress headquarters here, 'Satyamurthy Bhavan', taking a range of issues from media personnel, also played down the initial seemingly adversarial reactions to the DMK president M K Stalin on his recent declaration that his party proposed Congress president Rahul Gandhi for the Prime Minister's post, by other leaders in the secular alliance, notably the Left parties and the West Bengal Chief Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee. "They had only described the timing as inappropriate and accused the media of twisting the whole issue," Moily said, dispelling impressions that Congress was cool to Mr. Stalin's proposal.

Mr. Veerappa Moily said the West Bengal Chief Minister and the Left had only described the timing as not appropriate to naming Rahul Gandhi as the Opposition's Prime Ministerial candidate.

Moily said this in response to a question from reporters here on the opposition to DMK chief M K Stalin's call days earlier in this connection and whether his party would officially declare Gandhi as its Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

On December 16, Stalin had vowed to 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 made the pitch 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 that day.

"This is all false. What Mamata has said that it is not the appropriate time to declare a Prime Ministerial candidate...this is what she said... they were not opposed.. ...it is only the press that twisted it and it is very clear.

The Opposition parties are being united now and the stand of parties like Trinamool Congress on the timing does not rule out Rahul Gandhi becoming the common leader," he told reporters here.

Eventually, the NDA government-led by the BJP should be dislodged from the Centre and a government comprising Opposition parties "just like the United Progressive Alliance," should be back in power, he said.

"Don't come to a conclusion, they are not coming to a conclusion, why should you,"? Moily asked.

To a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charge that Congress was only paying lip-service to farmers issues, he claimed that just prior to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Prime Minister had assured that loan waivers would be the 'first agenda' of his cabinet, if his government was voted to power.

Such promises turned out to be false, he said. The Congress, in contrast, had always honoured its promises, he claimed.

In 2008-09, Rs 72,000 crore loans availed by about 13 crore farmers was waived by the Congress-led UPA government and in about 2-3 months time, the banks were paid the loan amount so that they did not collapse, he said.

Also, in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Karnataka, farm loans were waived by the Congress, which has a history of keeping its promises, he added.
Hyderabad: Congress MLC Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy has demanded that Centres decision to monitor online content has to be discussed in Parliament before being implemented.

Mr Reddy told mediapersons, In the national interest, the Congress will definitely support the decision taken by the BJP. But, it has to be discussed in Parliament. This kind of decision may invade the privacy of citizens.

On protecting the party in the state, Mr Reddy said, The AICC should take up reforms in the party in the state. Keeping in view of the forthcoming elections the Congress should be strengthened.
Bengaluru: Coming down hard on the views of some economists on demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST), senior Congress leader, P. Chidambaram on Friday refused to buy their argument against farm loan waiver either.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, If they say farm loan waiver is bad politics, let the people decide. Economists cannot decide whether the farm loan waiver is good or bad.

Pointing out that of the 10 crore farming families in the country, 5.28 crore had oustandings of between Rs 90,000 to a lakh, he demanded, What do these small and marginal farmers do? I think economists do not understand the plight of these farmers.

He added that the new governments in Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan had waived farm loans for this very reason. On GST, Mr Chidambaram maintained that the world over it had only one slab , but the Modi government had created several slabs and now intended to bring in only one, which the UPA had always advocated. When we suggested this the NDA described it as Grand Stupid Tax. Now, the next GST council is going to bring in only one slab, he said.

On the Rafale deal, he said the Congress had always maintained the Supreme Court could not handle the issue. It has virtually expressed its inability to examine various aspects of the deal because of its limits of jurisdiction. The question is what next? The obvious answer is a joint Parliamentary Committee to examine the Rafale deal. A defence deal worth Rs 60,000 crore that will leave the country with only 36 aircraft, as against 126 contracted under the UPA, cannot go unchallenged and we are asking the people to support the Congress in its demand for a JPC to probe the Rafale deal, he added.
BJP MLAs stage a protest in the well of the House during winter session in Belagavi on Friday  DC

Belagavi: The Legislative Assembly on Friday passed a Bill removing the tag of office of profit from certain posts in the government, including that of political secretary to the Chief Minister.

The issue has become controversial following the disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs on the ground that they held offices of profit, which the Delhi High Court later stayed. Since the coalition government in the stae is in the process of appointing a political secretary to the Chief Minister, the amendment was moved to avoid a repeat of such a controversy in the state.

The House passed two other Bills as well amidst protests by the BJP before the Speaker adjourned the House sine die. They included Bills amending the law on KPSC recruitment and the Rai Technological University Act, pertaining to private agricultural universities.

As BJP members continued their protest in the well of the House, the Bill on the Rai Technological Universities to remove some provisions of the existing law that were obstructing agricultural research by private universities was passed by a voice vote. It was earlier passed in the Legislative Council with certain amendments..

The House also passed a Bill amending some provisions of the law pertaining to recruitment by the Karnataka Public Service Commission(KPSC). Under the new law SC/ST candidates, who have scored more than general category candidates, will be selected in the general category, leaving their slot open to the next highest scorer in the reservation category.

With the High Court and Supreme Court striking down reservation in promotions for SC/ST candidates selected in the reservation category, the state government has amended the recruitment rules to ensure that the high scoring candidates among them dont lose out on promotions.
Mysuru: Among the 104 patients treated at various hospitals since the Kuchuguththi Maramma temple tragedy in Sulawadi, 64 have been discharged, including 10, who were allowed to go home on Friday.

Another 41 patients, including 17 men , 20 women and four children, are still being treated at nine different hospitals in Mysuru. The condition of 19, who are on ventilator and three others, who are in ICU continues to be serious.

The incident has left people so afraid of eating any kind of food meant for mass consumption, that the police prevented distribution of pulav brought by a local politician for the relatives of patients being treated at the KR Hospital. And the head of the federation of farmers' organizations, Kuruburu Shanthakumar has written to the Chief Minister to ban distribution of prasada at temples, which do not have permission to do it

Meanwhile, considering that most of those, who fell ill are poor daily wage workers, the Chamarajnagar district administration is giving families of each of the survivors and also of the dead a kit of 25 kgs of rice, 5 kgs of dal, two litres of oil and 3 kgs of sugar. Also , hospitals in Mysuru have been instructed by the government to provide food to the attenders of patients too.

Also, staff of six primary health care centres in the area have been told to be open 24/7 and ambulances with ventilators are being stationed at strategic points for the convenience of the patients returning home. Additional doctors are being deputed to the Kollegal hospital and a team of doctors is visiting a few of the discharged patients at home for a follow -up, according to Chamarajangar district health and family welfare officer, Dr K H Prasad
Hyderabad: With the Lok Sabha elections approaching, Telangana Rashtra Samiti president and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has intensified efforts to form a Federal Front against the BJP and Congress at the national level.

Mr Rao is visiting three states from Dec. 23 to discuss the formation of the Front with leaders such as Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, and former Uttar Pradesh chief ministers Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati.

In Delhi, Mr Rao will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is reported to be a courtesy visit. The TRS has engaged a special flight for the period of one month for Mr Raos visits.

On Dec. 23, Mr Rao and his family will be in Visakhapatnam to visit Sharada Petham and perform prayers at Rajasyamala temple, seek the blessings of Swami Swarupanandendra Swami and have lunch at the Ashram.

After his Visakhapat-nam visit, Mr Rao planning to visit Bhubanes-war and he will call on Chief Minister Navin Patnaik at his residence.

On December 24 he will go by road to the Konark temple and Jagannadha temple, and return to Bhubaneswar for lunch. He will leave by special flight for Kolkata and call on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. After the meeting, he will visit the Kalimatha temple, and then leave for Delhi.

Mr Rao will stay in Delhi for two or three days from December 25. He will make a courtesy call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi  usually a new Chief Minister calls on the Prime Minister as a courtesy.

Mr Rao will also call on the Chief Election Commissioner. As part of the effort to whip up support for the new political formation, he will meet Bahujan Samajwadi Party president and former UP Chief Minister Mayawati, and former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party.

He is also expected to meet several Union Ministers to discuss pending issues related to Telangana state.

Sources close to Mr Rao say he will be preoccupied with formation of the new front till the Lok Sabha elections. He may announce his new cabinet on December 30.
Hyderabad: The Nampally Metropolitan Magistrate court on Friday issued a non-bailable warrants against Congress senior leader Digvijay Singh for non-appearance despite summons in a defamation suit.

Advocate Asim, who filed the said petition in 2016, said that Mr Singh conducted a press conference and said that the MIM and its chief Assadudin Owaisi contest elections to make money.

Following this, MIM joint secretary S.A. Hussain Anwar filed the defamation case against Mr Singh for passing derogatory comments and against a newspaper editor for printing the report.

Both Mr Singh and the editor failed to appear for the hearing but the warrant was only issued against the Congress leader as he did not appear for the hearing and also did not file a petition.

The court has been posted the matter for hearing on January 3.
Hyderabad: The landside victory in the Telangana state Assembly elections has emboldened the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) to take on the Congress and reduce it to zero in the Legislative Council and ensure it does not have the status of the main Opposition party in the Assembly.

The Congress won 19 seats in the recently held Assembly elections. If it is to be considered the main opposition party, it must have at least 12 MLAs in the 119-member state Assembly. If eight Congress MLAs shift to the TRS, the Congress will lose the status of being the main Opposition and will be recognised as a group only. If the Congress gets Opposition status the Opposition leader will be given Cabinet rank and will get other facilities of a Cabinet minister.

In the 2014 assembly elections, the Congress won 21 seats and about 10 MLAs left it to join the TRS. According to TRS sources, several Congress MLAs are in touch with their leaders to join the party this time too. The TRS has successfully reduced the Congress to zero in the Legislative Council. At present the Congress has only two MLCs and both are retiring in March 2019, leaving the Congress with no representation in the Council, as is also the case with the Telugu Desam. The People's Front led by the Congress will not have any representation in the Council after March 2019.

There is much speculation in political circles that Congress MLAs will defect. Keeping this in view TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy hosted a dinner for all Congress MLAs and MLCs two days ago, to counsel them. The TRS is working on getting at least eight Congress MLAs to leave the party so that it loses opposition status.

The TRS has got a majority in the Assembly this time and does not need the support of defecting MLAs. In the 2014 elections, the TRS had won 63 seats when it needed 60 to form the government.

The party had encouraged defections then to make itself secure, and at the time the Assembly was dissolved earlier this year, the TRS's strength was up to 90. But this time the TRS is reportedly encouraging defections not because it needs the numbers but in order to demoralise the Congress leaders and cadre.
The prison department suspended Kumaraswamy and filed a complaint with the Parappana Agarahara. Since then Kumaraswamy was on the run.

Bengaluru: The Parappana Agrahara police have arrested a 32-year-old physical education instructor at Central prison, who was on the run since August

after he was found smuggling ganja inside the prison to sell it to inmates.

The accused, Kumaraswamy, a resident of Parappana Agrahara residential complex, was a physical education instructor at the prison.

M.V. Boralingaiah, DCP, south east (division), said Kumaraswamy was working in the prison for the last five years and was peddling marijuana to the convicts for a price.

Regarding his modus operandi, the DCP said, He used to conceal the drugs in his clothes and avoid security checks while gaining entry into the prison and handover the packets to the convicts in return for cash. The racket was busted when the prison officials during a random check caught Manjunath, a convict with four packets of marijuana, weighing 100 grams each, while he was working on computer server room in August 21.

A detailed probe led Manjunath to confess that Kumarswamy had given him the packets to hand it over to other convicts who had placed the order.

The prison department suspended Kumaraswamy and filed a complaint with the Parappana Agarahara. Since then Kumaraswamy was on the run.

After keeping a watch the police tracked down Kumaraswamy at Alamadenahalli village in Chitradurga, where he was taking shelter. Since then, he was evading us. His bail petitions at lower court were rejected and he was trying to approach Karnataka High Court for bail, a senior officer said.

The police have brought Kumaraswamy to Bengaluru and taken him into custody to ascertain the source of drugs and since how long he was running the racket.
All Parliamentarians have come here after getting the mandate from the people. They are representatives of the people. It's everybody responsibility to ensure that the House functions, Sumitra Mahajan said. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: With the Lok Sabha witnessing repeated disruptions, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Friday said she expected self-discipline from the members of Parliament (MPs) since they are elected representatives of the people.

Mahajan's comments came after she chaired a meeting of the Rules Committee that was convened to discuss the smooth running of the House.

"We are trying to make sure that the House functions. We are talking to all parties for co-operation to support for functioning house," she told ANI.

Referring to Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge's comments that his party was ready to discuss the Triple Talaq Bill on December 27, the Speaker said: "I believe that on 27th the House will function smoothly," he said.

When asked whether there was any need to initiate disciplinary action against members who disrupt the House, Mahajan said there is no such need in these times.

"There is a need for self-discipline. All Parliamentarians have come here after getting the mandate from the people. They are representatives of the people. It's everybody responsibility to ensure that the House functions," she added.

The House has not been functioning properly ever since the Winter Session began on December 11, as members from some parties have been creating uproar over various issues.

The issue of triple talaq was taken up in the Parliament in August last year after a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional a law that allowed Muslim men to divorce their wives simply by uttering "talaq" three times in quick succession.

In a landmark 3-2 verdict, the top court found the practice un-Islamic and "arbitrary", and disagreed that Triple Talaq was an integral part of religious practice.

The Triple Talaq Bill was taken up earlier this year in the House during the Monsoon Session of Parliament. However, owing to lack of consensus, the Bill could not be passed.

Subsequently, an ordinance was passed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Cabinet in September.

On Monday, a fresh Bill which prohibits divorce of Muslim couples by pronouncing 'talaq' (divorce) three times by their husbands, was first introduced in the Lok Sabha to replace the ordinance issued in September.

Under this proposed law, Muslim men giving instant triple talaq will attract imprisonment of three years.
Hyderabad: Home minister Mahmood Ali visited Dargah Yousufain for invocation and paid floral tributes before assuming charge as home minister.

Mr Mahmood Ali told mediapersons he came to the dargah for thansgiving as his wish had been fulfilled and the TRS had emerged as a strong regional party.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is a great leader, no one is like him in the country. He is working as a messiah and godfather to the poor, he said.

Mr Mahmood Ali said the CM had worked for development of the state and welfare of the people belonging to all sections of society and the people had therefore reposed trust in him.

He nominated dynamic youth leader K.T. Rama Rao as working president of the party, who will serve the state with more enthusiasm, he said.

On his plans as home minister Mr Mahmood Ali said the police would ensure that justice is done to the people. He praised the functioning of the She Teams and said protection of women was society's responsibility.

The motto of the police is to ensure peace and tranquillity and to maintain law and order, he said adding helping oppressed people was the responsibility of the police.
Hyderabad: Congress MLC Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy on Thursday met chief secretary S.K. Joshi and requested him to help the farmers of the erstwhile Khammam district those crops were damaged by cyclone Phethai. He said that around 12,000 farmers were affected in Khammam district alone.

Mr Ponguleti also submitted a memorandum to the chief secretary requesting him to issue necessary orders to the officials concerned to estimate the crop damage, establish more procurement centres and provide the best support price to the damaged, besides issuing instructions to the banks to extend fresh crop loans.
US Withdrawal From Syria Could Force Christian Minorities to Flee

US forces' withdrawal from northern Syria could negatively impact Christian communities living in the predominantly Kurdish region, Thomas Schmidinger, who wrote the book Rojava, wrote in The Region.

Armenians and Assyrians who live in border towns like Qamishli may be forced to flee if Turkey steps up its military operations into the region following the US exit.

The United States will abandon recently built observation posts on the Turkish-Syrian border, aimed in part at defusing tensions between Turkey and Syrian Kurdish rebels.

Qamishli was founded after World War I by Christians and Jews who preferred French-protectorate Syria over Turkey.

"Until the 1970s, the city had more than 60 percent Christians, and they still are an essential part of the diversity of this multi-ethnic and multi-religious town," he added.

Armenian communities are also found in Ras al-Ayn, al-Hasaka, and Al-Malikiyah. Some towns have Armenian schools where their native language -- Western Armenian, which differs from what is used in the Republic of Armenia -- is taught alongside Arabic.

ISIS ransacks ancient Assyrian city of Khorsabad

Many Armenians there still view Turkey as perpetrators of the genocide against their ancestors. Many migrated to in the area after massacres. "Family histories are told in detail," Schmidinger said.

Under the structures of the self-administration, which were set up in 2012, religious freedom is granted," Schmidinger wrote.

"There are even Christian churches of Kurdish converts in the region. ... If Turkey continues to invade the remainder of the Kurdish region, these Christians will have to flee again."

He added that "all of these Armenians are descendants of survivors of the 1915 Genocide. When talking to Armenians in Qamishli and DArik, I realised several times how this history is still present. For the Armenians in the region, Turkey is still predominantly seen as the nation who massacred their fathers, mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers. Although some of the older Armenians in the area still speak Turkish as a second or third language, they fear Turkey as the nation of perpetrators who never even accepted their historical responsibility for the Genocide. Family histories are told in detail. Every church has a memorial for the victims of the Genocide, and every year in every community the 24th of April is celebrated as Armenian Genocide Victims Remembrance Day."
Hyderabad: TRS MLAs have still not snapped out of election mode. Before the Assembly elections, the TRS candidates had held rallies in their respective Assembly constituencies seeking votes from the people. After the results, the winners are once again holding rallies as TRS MLAs to thank the people.

With the delay in Cabinet formation, the legislators are utilising the time to visit their constituencies. Keeping in view the ensuing Panchayat elections, the TRS government has decided to distribute Bathukamma saris to women across the state. While visiting the constituencies, the MLAs are distributing the Bathukamma saris.

The TRS government wanted to distribute Bathukamma saris before the Assembly elections but the Election Commission barred it.

If the Panchayat election notification is issued, the model code of conduct will come into force and distribution of saris would not be possible. So before the Panchayat election notification the government wants to complete the distribution of the saris.

Meanwhile, after the results are declared, usually the Chief Minister along with some Cabinet colleagues takes the oath. In 2014, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao took the oath as Chief Minister along with five Cabinet ministers. This time Mr Rao took oath along wtih one Cabinet minister, Mr Mohammad Mahmood Ali. MLAs thought that the Cabinet would be formed in three or four days after that.

They waited in Hyderabad for three or four days. When it did not happen, they returned to their constituencies.

Former minister and Sircilla MLA K.T. Rama Rao was appointed TRS working president after Mr Chandrasekhar Rao took oath as Chief Minister. Mr Rama Rao visited his home constituency Sircilla as TRS working president to thank the people. After his Sircilla visit, Mr Rama Rao has decided to tour all districts. Former ministers T. Harish Rao (Siddipet), Etala Rajendar (Huzurabad) and other MLAs are busy touring their constituencies.
Hyderabad: In a major development, the Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) on Friday accorded in-principle approval for the Regional Ring Road (RRR) which will connect Hyderabad with surrounding districts.

The 360-km RRR will run past Sangareddy, Gajwel, Choutuppal, Mal, Kadthal, Shadnagar, Chevella and Kandi and will connect major national highways. It will be constructed with expressway norms and have four to six lanes.

The estimated cost of the project is Rs 12,000 crore, with about Rs 3,000 crore going for land acquisition. The state government has proposed to pay for 50 per cent of the land acquisition cost.

The decision came after Telangana MPs met Union minister Nitin Gadkari and explained the importance of the project. TRS MP K. Kavitha, broke the news on her Twitter handle, terming the project as Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Raos brainchild.

Brainchild of KCR Garu, Regional Ring Road connecting the surrounding districts to Hyderabad city will soon be a reality. TRS MPs have been working with NHAI & facilitating with TS authorities for speedy sanction of this work, Ms Kavitha tweeted (sic).

According to officials from the roads and buildings department, the RRR will be better than the Mumbai-Pune and Ahmedabad-Vadodara expressways. The RRR junctions with the Vijayawada, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Nagpur highways will have amenities such as parking, food courts, rest rooms, parks, childrens play area, shopping malls, drinking water, toilets, provided on an area of 300 to 500 acres each.

It is still not clear whether the project will be constructed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) or the R&B department. Speaking to this newspaper, R&B engineer-in-chief Ganapathi Reddy said the department would expedite land acquisition for the project. He said the R&B department would immediately embark on a survey to obtain land details.

Asked who would execute the project, Mr Reddy said clarity would be available soon. Mr Reddy said the execution and infrastructure cost has been estimated at Rs 9,000 crore. Since the project was upgraded to expressway from four lane, the price has been escalated from Rs 5,500 to Rs 12,000 crore. The expressway will be developed on par with global standards and will be the best in the country, he said.

While reviewing the RRR project in August, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had said, The city is developing by leaps and bounds because of its affordability and ideal climatic conditions with people here living harmoniously. With this being the case, there will be an increase of commuters from different regions to the city which makes the existing Outer Ring Road insufficient for floating traffic in the days and years to come.
Hyderabad: Citizens and the Opposition parties have severely criticised the Central government following its recent order that gives sweeping powers to 10 Central agencies to tap data on citizens computers.

The move is undemocratic, unconstitutional and unacceptable, said leaders from Opposition parties including Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamul, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Aam Aadmi Party.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of turning the country into a police state.

Converting India into a police state isnt going to solve your problems, Modiji. Its only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians, what an insecure dictator you really are, said Mr Gandhi on Twitter.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal tweeted, Supreme Court held privacy to be a fundamental right, GOI through a midnight notification says Commission of Police, CBDT, ED etc have a fundamental right to invade our privacy to de-encrypt encrypted material. Desh Badal Raha Hai.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said Mr Modi was like George Orwells Big Brother. Modi has used a simple government order to permit our national agencies to snoop on our communication. Who knew that this is what they meant when they said Ghar Ghar Modi, George Orwells big brother is here & welcome to 1984, Mr Owaisi tweeted, referring to the famous book by the British author on how insidiously a police state is created.

Former MP and vice-president of the Rashtriya Lok Dal, Jayant Chaudhary, who was among the firsts to criticise the order, said, Among larger questions of limits to government control in our lives and the privacy vs national security debate, a puzzling addition to agencies empowered by this snooping order, the commissioner of Delhi police, government wants unfettered access on eve of elections.

Former additional solicitor general of India Indira Jaising did not mince her words when the issue was raised in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. This is a gross violation of the Supreme Court judgement. This is void for vagueness since the expression any information could cover anything from our Facebook profiles to your WhatsApp messages, to twitter, it is being challenged as surveillance.

Citizens have accused the government of turning the country into a surveillance state. Srinivas Kodali, a city-based independent researcher, puts it succinctly: The Intelligence Bureau was snooping on the CBI Director, while the ED was busy investigating Vijay Mallya who skipped customs. Revenue Intelligence was trying to figure actual revenue through GST while RAW was directing NIA to use Aadhaar to dig into everyones past. However, the BJP-led NDA government, as usual, blames the Congress.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said, The authorisation given to these agencies was brought to the law under the UPA government in 2009. We cannot gain access to anybodys phone or data unless it is related to national security.

Countering Mr Gandhis insecure dictator jibe at PM, BJP chief Amit Shah tweeted, There were only 2 insecure dictators in the history of India. One imposed emergency and the other wanted unrestricted access to read letters of common citizens. Guess who were they @RahulGandhi?
US President Donald Trumps decision to end Americas military presence in Syria by removing all 2,000 US soldiers there, and to cut by half the US troop deployment of 14,000 in Afghanistan, has been assailed by his domestic friends and critics alike, and come in the face of contrary military and diplomatic advice. It goes against the grain of the core military and international security thinking of the American establishment, which is underscored by the resignation of defence secretary Jim Mattis, a highly-regarded former US marine general, in protest against the Presidents decision to order the American military out of Syria.

Mr Mattis resignation letter underlines the need to ensure that in no part of the world may any forces be permitted to cohere that could build the capacity and the organisation to challenge the American mainland and US interests across the world.

Ever since Pearl Harbour in 1941, but especially after the September 11, 2001 attacks on America, this has been at the heart of US policy, which has been criticised as being in the neo-colonial mould. However, Americas friends and some others believe US power and hegemony is needed for the stability and security of all regions of the world.

However, the US President has asked in a tweet why America should be the policeman of the Middle East. He thinks ISIS has been defeated by the US in Iraq and Syria  territories where it was entrenched  and with its defeat other countries in the region should manage their security themselves and pay for it.

While this reasoning may appeal to anti-colonial forces, the latter should be mindful that in other spheres, especially in trade and building of digital power  which derives from advances in microchips and in artificial intelligence  on which may rest the future leadership of the world, Mr Trump leans in the direction of the US wielding overarching power and advantage over all nations. This of course is an essential prerequisite of the neo-colonial belief system in our times, whether practised by the US or China.

The US President has disregarded the view of influential critics  in the US and among allies, notably Britain and Israel, that pulling troops out of Syria will leave the field open for the spread of Russias and Irans influence in West Asia. He is evidently confident that these nations do not really challenge America, though he has not advanced arguments to buttress this understanding. Mr Trump appears more focused on dealing with China.

In Afghanistan, the Trump administration has had a reconciliation process started with the Taliban, but seems almost ready to comply with the Talibans condition that all foreign forces must depart. India needs to look at nuances to see how it can continue to remain meaningfully engaged with Afghanistan even after US force levels are drawn down, leaving the Afghan military more vulnerable to Pakistani activity.
NASA has relied on Russian rockets to ferry astronauts to the space station since the United States retired its Space Shuttle program in 2011.

Three members of the International Space Stations crew returned safely to Earth on Thursday, landing in Kazakhstan on a Russian Soyuz craft, NASA reported.

It was the first return from the space station since October, when US astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin landed unharmed on the Kazakh steppe after their rocket bound for the station failed two minutes after liftoff.

NASA astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor landed along with her German crewmate Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev at 12:02 a.m. EST (11:02 a.m. local time, 0502 GMT), NASA said in a blog post.

Aunon-Chancellor had been in space for 197 days and contributed to hundreds of scientific experiments aboard the orbiting space station.

NASA has relied on Russian rockets to ferry astronauts to the space station since the United States retired its Space Shuttle program in 2011, though the agency has announced plans for test flights carrying two astronauts on commercial rockets made by Boeing and SpaceX next April.

The crew were reported to be in good condition and Aunon-Chancellor is expected to return home to Houston following medical checks, NASA said.

The October accident was the first serious launch problem experienced by a crewed Soyuz space mission since 1983, when a crew narrowly escaped before a launchpad explosion.

Three crew remain on the station: NASAs Anne McClain, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and Russias Oleg Kononenko. Three additional crew will join them in February.

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The German case is Qualcomms third major effort to secure a ban on Apples lucrative iPhones.

A German court ruled on Thursday that iPhone maker Apple Inc infringed a hardware patent of Qualcomm Inc and said the US company could no longer sell some iPhone models in Germany which contain a particular component.

The ruling is not final as Apple can appeal to a higher court, judge Matthias Zigann told the court.

The German case is Qualcomms third major effort to secure a ban on Apples lucrative iPhones over patent infringement allegations after similar court efforts in the United States and in China, one of which resulted in Chinese court ordering a ban on sales of some iPhones there earlier this month.

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Jim Mattis did not mention if he was resigning specifically over the troop withdrawal decision, which has surprised US allies and several lawmakers. (Photo: File | AP)

Washington: US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis will be "retiring, with distinction," in February, President Donald Trump has said, a day after he ordered American troops to rapidly withdraw from war-torn Syria in an abrupt decision criticised by many as premature.

In his resignation letter sent on Thursday, Mattis told Trump it was the "right time" for him to step down because the US president deserved a defence secretary "whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects."

"The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department's interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February," he said.

The 68-year-old Pentagon chief did not mention if he was resigning specifically over the troop withdrawal decision, which has surprised US allies and several lawmakers. Analysts say the withdrawal of troops will please US enemies by clearing the way for Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime, Russia and Iran. Mattis had warned that removing ground forces from the Middle Eastern country would be a "strategic blunder".

After Mattis sent his resignation, Trump announced he will be "retiring" in February.

"General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my administration as secretary of defense for the past two years," the president said.

"During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting...," he said on Twitter.

Mattis has been a great advocate of India-US defence relationship.

Earlier this month, he had hosted Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the Pentagon for talks on India-US Defence relationship.

"The US-India relationship is a natural partnership between the world's oldest and the world's largest democracy," Mattis had said then.

Mattis and Trump reportedly have had differences on several foreign policy matters, including Syria and Afghanistan. Reports say the president is considering a drawdown of US troops from the 17-year-long conflict in Afghanistan.

Mattis is the latest in long-list of senior Trump administration officials to leave or be removed.

In March, Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a Twitter announcement.

On Thursday however, Trump praised Mattis for his service and for being a "great help" to him in getting allies and other countries "to pay their share of military obligations". He said a new secretary of defence will be named shortly. A day before, Trump had claimed that the US has "defeated" the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria.

The White House afterwards insisted that the main objective of American forces in the war-torn country was to destroy the ISIS and not to resolve the country's civil war. But analysts and US lawmakers were far from convinced about the hasty decision, which was also a reversal of the stated US policy.

It has attracted criticism from leaders of Trump's own Republican party, who have argued that the decision would endanger American national security in the long run.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio said the full and rapid withdrawal of US troops from Syria is a grave error with broader implications beyond just the fight against the ISIS group. Currently, there are about 2,000 US forces in Syria. Also, Mattis said in his resignation letter that he believes the US must be resolute in its approach to countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with America's.

"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues," he stressed.

"We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances," he added.

Defending his decision on Thursday to withdraw US troops from Syria, Trump tweeted that the US does not want to be the "policeman" of the Middle East.

In his resignation letter, Mattis said, "Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world. Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defense, including providing effective leadership to our alliances."
CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. (Representational Image | AFP)

Beijing: China on Friday dismissed as untrue a US media report that alleged that it has hatched a secret plan to build fighter jets and other military hardware in Pakistan as part of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The Islamabad datelined report in The New York Times said Pakistani Air Force and Chinese officials were putting the final touches to the secret proposal.

"Chinese officials have repeatedly said the Belt and Road is purely an economic project with peaceful intent. But with its plan for Pakistan, China is for the first time explicitly tying a Belt and Road proposal to its military ambitions  and confirming the concerns of a host of nations who suspect the infrastructure initiative is really about helping China project armed might," the report said.

"According to our information the relevant report is not true," the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, told a media briefing when asked about the report, which coincided with the eighth Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting of the CPEC during which both sides signed an agreement to expand industrial cooperation in diverse fields and attract investment in special economic zones.

Hua said the CPEC is an important framework for cooperation bearing the long-term interests in mind.

All-weather friends and close allies, China and Pakistan have been jointly building the J-17 Thunder, a single seater multi-role combat aircraft.

Pakistan has been eyeing a number of new advanced Chinese jets including the stealth fighter.
Indias announcement of a $1.4 billion financial assistance package to the Maldives will go some way in drawing the strategically-located Indian Ocean archipelago out of the Chinese sphere of influence. The assistance, which will include budgetary support, currency swap agreements and concessional lines of credit, was announced during the first official visit of Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to India. This is expected to reduce Males dependence on China. India-Maldives relations deteriorated drastically during the authoritarian rule of Solihs predecessor, Abdulla Yameen. Yameen developed a strong economic and strategic relationship with the Chinese and in the process, drove the country into massive debt owed to China  the Maldives reportedly owes China over $3 billion in debt, making it vulnerable to Chinese pressure. Not only did Yameen undermine his countrys India First policy, a founding principle of Maldives foreign policy but also weakened Indias security interest. With Yameens ouster from power, space has opened up for the new government to correct the Maldives excessive tilt towards China. But such correction requires Maldives to be less dependent on Chinese investment. Indias $1.4 billion aid will provide the archipelago with a lifeline.

During Solihs visit to India, the two sides identified areas for development cooperation, including construction of housing and infrastructure, water and sewerage systems in the outlying islands, healthcare, education and tourism. They agreed to reinforce maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean region through coordinated patrol and aerial surveillance. India has also promised the Maldives 1,000 additional slots over the next five years for training and capacity building in fields such as policing and law enforcement, local governance, sports, etc.

India and the Maldives have taken the first steps towards reviving their friendship. However, governments in both countries should be cautious as it may not be easy for the Solih government to wriggle free from Chinas grip. Cancelling contracts with China for loans and infrastructure building will not be easy and will come with a cost that could be too high for the Maldives to bear. Solihs visit was positive and he and his party may be inclined to improving ties with India but that should not be read to mean that his government wants to break ties with Beijing. How the India-Maldives relationship evolves in the coming years will depend on how Delhi engages Male. It should deliver on its promises. Yameen began his presidency with positive words for India but before long, relations soured, pushing him to embrace China. In addition to avoiding past mistakes, Delhi should avoid following the Chinese route to taking control of Maldives. Indian interests will be best served by contributing to Maldives development and engaging it with respect and sensitivity.
A Bill that exempts a legislator appointed as the chief ministers political secretary from the office-of-profit clause was passed by both Houses of the legislature without any debate on Friday, the last day of the winter session at Belagavi.

Apparently, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is planning to appoint a few disgruntled legislators, upset at not being made ministers, as his political secretaries.

Already, Parliamentary secretaries are exempt from disqualification under the office-of-profit clause, which had landed over a dozen Aam Aadmi Party legislators in Delhi in soup earlier this year.

The Karnataka Legislature (Prevention of Disqualification) (Amendment) Bill, 2018, was passed amid a din and sloganeering by the Opposition BJP. The Bill exempts a political secretary from facing disqualification for being a member of the Assembly or the Council.

A political secretary assists and advises the chief minister on decisions pertaining to political affairs. The late N Dharam Singh had appointed Congress MLC N S Bose Raju as his political secretary whereas BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa had his trusted lieutenant B J Puttaswamy for the post. Kumaraswamys predecessor Siddaramaiah had appointed 10 Parliamentary secretaries.

A political secretary to the chief minister is entitled to salaries and facilities like bungalows, vehicles, travel and dearness allowances on par with a Cabinet minister.

Amid the din, another Bill to protect the interests of SC, ST and OBC candidates during recruitment to state civil services was also passed in both Houses.

The Karnataka Civil Service (Procedure for Selection of Candidates during Recruitment) Bill, 2018 seeks to circumvent a 2012 High Court order to restore an old rule that SC, ST and OBC candidates who score high marks figure in the general merit list as well as under the reservation quota.

Social Welfare Minister Priyank Kharge and Backward Classes Minister C Puttarangashetty were up in arms after the government, last month, advised the Karnataka Public Service Commission to follow the High Court order.

The ministers complained that this would render injustice to the SC, ST and OBC candidates.

Lastly, the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (Amendment) Bill, 2018, which provides for appointing a professor with five years of experience as the universitys registrar was tabled, but not taken up for consideration.
Troop Withdrawal 'Sacrifices' Syrian Christians, Gives 'Victory' to Jihadis: Activist

A group of Assyrian Christian soldiers just outside their headquarters somewhere in Syria. President Donald Trump's plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria will have dire consequences for tens of thousands of Assyrian and Kurdish Christians in the northeast, self-administered part of the war-torn Middle Eastern nation, a global affairs expert warned.

It was reported Wednesday that planning is underway for a "full" and "rapid" withdraw of the about 2,000 U.S. troops on the ground in Syria. Trump even went on Twitter to declare that the Islamic State had been defeated and that defeating the group was the only reason for U.S. presence there during his presidency.

However, that decision could make it easier for Turkish-backed jihadi groups to come into the Kurdish-majority areas of northeast Syria and carry out attacks like the one seen last year in the city of Afrin, said a European international relations expert who works closely with the Syrian Christian community. Additionally, it could make it easier for Iran to have greater influence in the region.

"ISIS is not defeated," Johannes de Jong, a Netherlands-based director of Sallux, an association that serves as the political foundation for the European Christian Political Movement, told The Christian Post. "[The U.S. withdraw] means basically that you sacrifice the Christian community of northeast Syria for the Jihadists. If that happens, it is the end of the ten thousands of Christians in Northeast Syria."

De Jong and others fear that another offensive like the one that happened in Afrin, where over 167,000 Yazidis, Christians and others were displaced earlier this year, could bring about the end to a self-administered part of northeast Syria where Syriac/Assyrian Christians, Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, and others people groups are coexisting peacefully.

The news of the planned U.S. withdraw comes as Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened this week to launch attacks against Kurds in the U.S.-controlled areas of northeast Syria.

In Afrin, de Jong said, Turkey used jihadi militias (of which some fighters are formerly of IS) as "front forces" to launch the offensive while Turkey used its airpower and equipment to back them up.

"This will happen a similar way as in Afrin," he said. "The first thing the Christians or northeast Syria [will see] when Trump withdraws from northeast Syria is a bunch of jihadis coming for them."

De Jong states that Turkey is accusing the Syrian Democratic Forces -- an alliance of Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian/ Syriac militias that has fought to defend northeast Syria from IS -- of being part of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist group by the U.S. and other countries

"Turkey is playing the PKK card," de Jong explained. "This is the same thing all over again. They will kill the Syriac/Assyrians, they will kill the Kurds, they will kill the Arabs simply because these people don't want Turkey to rule in Northeast Syria. There, the Kurds are free, which is not the case in Turkey. For this reason, they are all called PKK."

Earlier this year, the Self Administration in Northern and Eastern Syria (SANES) was established to link together self-administrations working in Arab and Kurdish regions. SANES also encompasses areas like Deir al-Zor and Raqqa, which were once under the control of IS.

The self-administration, de Jong says, has brought "freedom" to millions of people and created much-needed civil stability in an area about one-third the size of Syria.

Although Turkey claims to be focused on Kurdish militants, de Jong states that history shows that the offensive will impact Christians.

"We don't consider these [Turkish] threats to be against Kurds only. It is a threat against this democratic project, and all the people who live east of the Euphrates, including Christians," Sanharib Barsoum, the deputy head of the Syriac Union Party in Syria, told Kurdistan 24 in a recent interview. "We fear that we will become victims of new wars started by Erdogan. ... Erdogan's goal is to implement his radical project, to replace the democratic project."

In the area under the SANES umbrella, there are thousands of Assyrian/Syriac Christians as well as a new community of Kurdish Christian converts.

The new community of Kurdish converts, de Jong said, is located around the city of Kobane.

"These are all converts and we know from the experience of Afrin that when Turks invade, they will be killed, hunted down or driven away," de Jong explained. "Turkey is planning to deploy the same jihadis again they have used in Afrin. There is no denial they're on the side of Turkey, that they will use the same forces. These are the same forces that attacked Christians in Aleppo, Christians in Afrin and now they will attack Christians in northeast Syria."

Not only will another Turkish offensive destabilize northeast Syria but it will create a new refugee stream, de Jong argued. He asserted that another Turkish offensive will not help the fight against IS.

"ISIS still there in the deep south," he asserted.

"[We are] looking at the total slaughter of millennial-old Christian communities, bombed churches, people are driven away, women raped."

While the Trump administration has vowed to protect Christians in the Middle East, de Jong contends that a withdraw from Syria and allowing Turkey to advance its offensive in northeast Syria "would be a major, moral defeat of the Trump agenda."

"This is a Christian community that has fought against ISIS together with the Kurds and Arabs in the same region. The Syriac/Assyrian Christians have been fighting together with the U.S. Army against ISIS and now after having [almost] defeated these terrorists, then the U.S. Army will simply look on and allow them to be destroyed."

Additionally, de Jong added that a defeat of SDF forces will mean that "Iran will take Eastern Syria."

"[Russian President Vladimir] Putin and Iran are clearly warming up towards each other. ... [Yesterday], Turkey, Russia and Iran were sitting together talking about their big plan for Syria," de Jong said. "Turkey will give away Eastern Syria to Iran. that will mean a major defeat for the U.S. and a major threat for Israel."

"Northeast Syria -- this one-third part of Syria -- is the only deterrence against Iranian influence in the region. The Federation of Northeast Syria is the only area that is Iran free, where Iran has no foothold. That would mean Iran would have all the big oil fields of Syria and they will exploit that. Basically, if Turkey is allowed to take 40 kilometers of northeast Syria, that will be the end of SDF and the end of any deterrence against Iran."

Also warning about the implications this could have on Iran's influence in the region is conservative pundit David French of National Review, who wrote that a U.S. withdraw from Syria would be a "great gift to Putin and Iran and a betrayal of our allies."

Considering that conservative evangelical Christians are one of Trump's most supportive voting bases, de Jong is calling on Christians in the U.S. to pressure the Trump administration to urge Trump not to withdraw from Syria.

"Tell President Trump to protect the Christians of Northeast Syria against jihadists," de Jong urged. "The U.S. should say on no uncertain terms that a Turkish attack in northeast Syria will be an attack against the U.S. The consequence of the Turkish rule will be a whole bunch of jihadist forces that are plundering killing and raping everything. That will be the legacy of President Trump in Northeast Syria. I think it will be very difficult to explain that as a victory for Trump against Islamic extremism because in this case, he has given the victory to Islamic extremism."

On Wednesday, the White House clarified that the withdrawal of U.S. troops does not mean the end to the global coalition fight against IS.

"We have started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign," the White House tweeted.
To the Times:

Thank you to Jodine Mayberry for pointing out how desperately we need action on climate change!

Now theres finally some very good news on this front. A bipartisan group of legislators has recently introduced HR 7173 in the U.S. House. This bill, called the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividends Act, is exactly the kind of big picture, market-based national policy we need. It imposes a gradually rising fee on fossil fuels and gives the funds back to American households on a per-capita basis. This is a win-win situation for the environment and the economy. Increased prices on heavily polluting products will spur innovation in cleaner technologies. Middle- and lower-income households will end up getting back more than they spend in higher prices. This plan will both cut carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent in 12 years and produce more than two million new jobs.

A so-called border adjustment tax is also included in the plan so that American companies will not lose competitiveness on the global market. The tax will not be imposed on goods from countries with similar carbon fees, which will encourage other countries to get on board with such a plan as well. We need our legislators to pass this bill and put our country on the path to being a clean energy leader.
PRISTINA, Kosovo  Serbia threatened a possible armed intervention in Kosovo after the Kosovo parliament on Friday overwhelmingly approved the formation of an army. Belgrade called the move a "direct threat to peace and stability" in the Balkans and lashed out at the United States for supporting it.

While NATO's chief called the action by Kosovo "ill-timed," the U.S. approved it as "Kosovo's sovereign right" as an independent nation that unilaterally broke away from Serbia in 2008.

All 107 lawmakers present in the 120-seat Kosovo parliament voted in favor of passing three draft laws to expand an existing 4,000 Kosovo Security Force and turn it into a regular, lightly armed army. Ethnic Serb lawmakers boycotted the vote.

Serbia insists the new army violates a U.N. resolution that ended Serbia's bloody crackdown on Kosovar separatists in 1998-1999. It has warned bluntly that it may respond with an armed intervention in its former province, with Prime Minister Ana Brnabic saying that's "one of the options on the table."

On Friday, Nikola Selakovic, an adviser to the Serbian president, said the country could send in armed forces or declare Kosovo an occupied territory. Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said Serbia will seek an urgent session of the U.N. Security Council over the issue.

The Security Council held closed consultations late Friday on the format of a meeting, possibly on Monday or Tuesday. Council diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because talks were private, said Russia, a close ally of Serbia, wants an open meeting to be addressed by Serbia's president while European nations want a closed session.

The decision will be made by Ivory Coast's U.N. ambassador, the current council president, the diplomats said.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres affirmed the U.N.'s desire to maintain the Kosovo Force as the body that ensures the safety of Kosovo, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said late Friday.

He said "the secretary-general calls on all parties concerned to exercise restraint and 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."

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic visited Serbian troops near the border with Kosovo and later Vucic addressed the nation, denouncing the United States for its apparent support of a Kosovo army and praising allies Russia and China for their opposition to the move.

He said that Kosovo and its "sponsor"  the U.S.  want to "quash" the Serbs, but that he won't allow it.

Vucic says Serbia has been "brought to the edge" by Kosovo's decision and now has no choice but to "defend" itself. It was one of the strongest anti-American outbursts by Vucic, a former pro-Russian ultranationalist turned alleged pro-EU reformer.

Any Serbian armed intervention in Kosovo would mean a direct confrontation with thousands of NATO-led peacekeepers, including U.S. soldiers, who have been stationed in Kosovo since 1999.

Russia denounced the move to form a Kosovo army, saying the ethnic Albanian force must be "disbanded" by NATO in Kosovo.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move not recognized by Belgrade or Russia. Tensions have remained high between the two sides, and NATO and the European Union  which has led yearslong talks to improve ties between the Balkan neighbors  expressed regret that Kosovo decided to go ahead with the army formation.

"I reiterate my call on both Pristina and Belgrade to remain calm and refrain from any statements or actions which may lead to escalation," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

He said the alliance remains committed "to a safe and secure environment in Kosovo and to stability in the wider Western Balkans." He said they will "re-examine the level of NATO's engagement with the Kosovo Security Force."

The new army will preserve its current name  Kosovo Security Force  but now has a new mandate. In about a decade the army expects to have 5,000 troops and 3,000 reservists, and a 98 million-euro ($111 million) annual budget. It will handle crisis response and civil protection operations  essentially what the current paramilitary force, which is lightly armed, does. Its main tasks would be search and rescue, explosive ordnance disposal, firefighting and hazardous material disposal.

It's not immediately clear how much more equipment or weapons the new army will have or need compared with the current force.

Seeking to reassure Serbia and the international community, Kosovo's Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said the new army "will never be used against them (Serbs)."

He added: "Serbia's army will now have a partner  Kosovo's army  in the partnership for peace process."

Serbia fears the move's main purpose is to chase the Serb minority out of Kosovo's Serbian-dominated north, a claim strongly denied by the government in Pristina.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said that the new army will be "multiethnic, professional and will serve all citizens, peace in Kosovo, the region and wherever in the world, when asked."

He called on a return to dialogue for normalizing ties with Serbia.

The United States hailed Kosovo's parliament vote to form a new army as a first step and reaffirmed "its support for the gradual transition ... to a force with a territorial defense mandate, as is Kosovo's sovereign right."

A U.S. embassy statement in Pristina urged Kosovo to continue "close coordination with NATO allies and partners and to engage in outreach to minority communities."

"Regional stability requires that Kosovo make genuine efforts to normalize relations with its neighbor Serbia, and we encourage both sides to take immediate steps to lower tensions and create conditions for rapid progress on the dialogue," it said.

In a sign of defiance, Serbs in northern Kosovo displayed Serbian flags on their streets and balconies. NATO-led peacekeepers deployed on a bridge in the ethnically divided northern town of Mitrovica to keep the peace.

Kosovo's 1998-1999 war ended with a 78-day NATO air campaign in June 1999 that stopped a bloody Serbian crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatists.

____

Semini reported from Tirana, Albania. Dusan Stojanovic and Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed.
WASHINGTON  The Trump administration will soon withdraw all of the approximately 2,000 American troops from Syria, a U.S. official said Wednesday as President Donald Trump declared victory in the mission to defeat Islamic State militants there.

Planning for the pullout has begun and troops will begin leaving as soon as possible, said the official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss military planning and spoke on condition of anonymity.

On Wednesday, as Vice President Mike Pence met with top military leaders in the Pentagon, Trump tweeted: "We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency."

That declaration of victory is far from unanimous, and the withdrawal decision immediately triggered demands from Congress -- including Republicans -- for more information and a formal briefing on the matter. Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., who just returned from Afghanistan, said he was meeting with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis late in the day.

The decision will fulfill Trump's long-stated goal of bringing troops home from Syria, but military leaders have pushed back, arguing that the IS group remains a threat and could regroup as it battles in Syria's long-running civil war.

Trump has argued for the withdrawal since he was a presidential candidate. But the decision underscores the division between him and his military advisers, who have said in recent weeks that pockets of IS militants remain and U.S. policy has been to keep troops in place until the extremists are eradicated.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who remains concerned about Iranian efforts in the area, reacted in noncommittal fashion after talking with Trump by telephone.

"This is, of course, an American decision," he said. Israel will learn of the timetable and manner of withdrawal, he said, and no matter what "we will safeguard the security of Israel and protect ourselves from this arena."

Leading Republican senators reacted with displeasure to the news.

Graham, typically a Trump backer, said he was "blindsided" by the report and called the decision "a disaster in the making." He said, "The biggest winners in this are ISIS and Iran."

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said the withdrawal would be a "grave error with broader implications" beyond the fight against IS.

Just last week, the U.S. special envoy to the anti-ISIS coalition, Brett McGurk, said U.S. troops would remain in Syria even after the Islamic State was driven from its strongholds.

"I think it's fair to say Americans will remain on the ground after the physical defeat of the caliphate, until we have the pieces in place to ensure that that defeat is enduring," McGurk told reporters on Dec. 11. "Nobody is declaring a mission accomplished. Defeating a physical caliphate is one phase of a much longer-term campaign."

And two weeks ago Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S. still has a long way to go in training local Syrian forces to prevent a resurgence of IS and stabilize the country. He said it will take 35,000 to 40,000 local troops in northeastern Syria to maintain security over the long term, but only about 20 percent of them have been trained.

Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, said in September that the U.S. would keep a military presence in Syria as long as Iran is active there. "We're not going to leave as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders and that includes Iranian proxies and militias," he said.

James Stavridis, a former Navy admiral who served as top NATO commander, tweeted Wednesday that "Pulling troops out of Syria in an ongoing fight is a big mistake. Like walking away from a forest fire that is still smoldering underfoot. Big winner is Iran, then Russia, than Assad. Wrong move."

The withdrawal decision, however, is likely to be viewed positively by U.S. ally Turkey, and comes following several conversations between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the past several weeks. The two spoke at the G-20 summit in Argentina and in a phone call last Friday. The Turks have targeted U.S.-backed Kurdish troops along the Syria-Turkey border, which Turkey considers an insurgent threat. A U.S. withdrawal -- including the end of joint U.S. and Turkish patrols along the border -- could open the door for more Turkish operations against the Syrian rebels.

Erdogan said Monday he had gotten "positive answers" from Trump on the situation in northeast Syria where he has been threatening a new operation against American-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters.

Just hours before the withdrawal decision became public, the State Department announced late Tuesday that it had approved the sale of a $3.5 billion Patriot missile defense system to Turkey. The Turks had complained that the U.S. was slow walking requests for air defenses and had signed a deal with Russia to buy a sophisticated system in a deal that Washington and Ankara's other NATO partners strongly opposed.

Completion of the deal with Russia for the S-400 system would have opened up Turkey to possible U.S. sanctions and driven a major wedge between the allies. It was not immediately clear if there was a connection between the Patriot sale and the decision on U.S. troops.

Although the withdrawal decision doesn't signal an end to the American-led coalition's fight against the Islamic State, it also will likely erode U.S. leadership of that 31-nation effort. The administration had been preparing to host a meeting of coalition foreign ministers at the State Department early next year.

The decision to withdraw was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Jennifer Cafarella, a Syria expert at the Institute for the Study of War, said the withdrawal is likely to create new problems.

"The bottom line is that the American withdrawal from eastern Syria will create a power vacuum that will lead to a new phase of international conflict in Syria," she said in a telephone interview. She predicted that the Russians, the Iranians, Syrian President Bashar Assad and the Turks will compete for the terrain and resources previously under U.S. control "at the expense of" the Syrian Kurds who have partnered with U.S. forces against IS.

The U.S. first launched airstrikes against IS fighters in Syria in 2014. In the years that followed, the U.S. began partnering with Syrian ground forces to fight the extremists.

The Pentagon recently said that IS now controls just 1 percent of the territory it originally held.

Hikmat Habib, a Syrian Kurdish, said he has not yet seen any evidence of a withdrawal, but added that the move is "part of the disagreement between influential states in Syria: American-Turkish disagreements, American-Russian disagreements." He said the U.S. also wants to end the Iranian presence in Syria and prevent it from spreading.

"We may see a new phase in the Syrian crisis in the coming days, and its features will be shown as Daesh is now limited to specific areas," he said, using another name for IS. "There may be a new mechanism for resolving the Syrian crisis" based on political processes and U.N. resolutions.

___

Associated Press writers Robert Burns and Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
BEN IS BACK  3 stars  Lucas Hedges, Julia Roberts, Kathryn Newton, Courtney B. Vance; R (language throughout and some drug use); Broadway; running time: 103 minutes

A lot can happen in 24 hours.

Set during a single 24-hour period on Christmas Eve, Ben is Back follows a mother scrambling to deal with the unexpected return of her son from rehab. The teenage Ben (Lucas Hedges) has struggled with opiate addiction ever since getting hooked on painkillers after a snowboarding accident when he was 14. As the film opens, hes 77 days sober and has managed to get a daylong furlough from his rehab clinic to spend Christmas with his family in Yonkers, New York.

The furlough is a surprise to his mother, Holly (Julia Roberts), who returns home from a Christmas pageant rehearsal to find her son waiting in the driveway. It's not exactly a happy reunion: Bens sister Ivy (Kathryn Newton) is instantly suspicious, still reeling from previous encounters gone bad. Bens stepfather Neal (Courtney B. Vance) has similar sentiments. Holly is hopeful, saying, this time will be different  youll see, but upon entering the house, she immediately starts hiding prescription medications.

After some back-and-forth, Holly agrees to let Ben stay under certain conditions  namely that he's not allowed out of her sight. She makes him take a drug test, he passes and the countdown begins.

As Ben joins in on his family's holiday activities, we get a painful and moving image of the damage he has wreaked on the community. A trip to the mall leads to an encounter with an old high school friend who assumed Ben was dead. When Holly insists on attending a Narcotics Anonymous meeting with her son, Ben is forced to confront a girl who used to buy drugs from him. It soon becomes clear Ben may never truly be able to come home, and when the family returns from the pageant to find their home burglarized, they realize their problems may be even more serious than they thought.

As the plot escalates, the story focuses on the relationship between mother and son, and Roberts does an excellent job portraying a woman desperately trying to help a child who may be consciously manipulating her. Hedges is spot-on as Ben; you can never quite tell when hes being sincere or when hes playing a part in order to satisfy his addiction. It isnt the easiest thing to watch, but for anyone who has had to cope with such things, it will surely be relatable.

Ben is Back comes from a director known for his exploration of family dynamics. Peter Hedges wrote the screenplay for About a Boy and later directed Steve Carell in the 2007 comedy-drama Dan in Real Life. But Ben is Back is nowhere near as whimsical as those films, and theres no attempt to inject humor into the subject. Yet, Ben is Back may carry Peter Hedges' most powerful message about family bonds to date.

There's a lot of similarities between Ben is Back and the recent film Beautiful Boy, which starred Carell as the father of a teenage boy dealing with substance abuse. But rather than leading to a criticism of Hollywood redundancy, Ben is Back offers a valuable complement to the other film and reinforces the seriousness of its issue.

As with Beautiful Boy, questions of performance and production in Ben is Back are almost beside the point. People who leave Peter Hedges film are only going to be asking themselves how best to solve a problem that seems to be running wild.

Rating explained: Ben is Back is a moving portrait of addiction and the determination of a parent, and the harrowing subject matter alone is enough to justify the film's R rating, but the movie also draws that rating for intermittent profanity.
SALT LAKE CITY  Heres a look at the news for Dec. 20.

A Utah mother was deported. She left on Christmas Day. Now a year later she lives with the choice she never wanted to make. Read more.

Utahs population swells more than any other state following the Great Recession. Read more.

A Utah judge reduces Jeremy Johnsons prison sentence after tearful apology. Read more.

Read our look back at December signing day 2018.

See how this Utah son built his mom the ultimate Christmas gift despite struggles with mental illness. Read more.

Read more from our featured voices:

Our most-read stories:

A look at national news:
SALT LAKE CITY  Members of Utah's all-Republican congressional delegation disagree over President Donald Trump's decision to pull U.S. troops from Syria.

Sen. Mike Lee said he "couldn't agree more" with the president, while Rep. Chris Stewart calls it a "mistake" and Rep. John Curtis wants to "stay the course" in the region.

And Lee said he takes Trump at his word that the U.S. military had achieved its goal of defeating Islamic State militants in Syria.

"If the president says that weve done that, I believe him. The president has access to more intel than the rest of us get, and I trust his judgment on this. I think he made the right choice," Lee told Fox News on Thursday.

Stewart said it's critical for the U.S. and its allies to remain engaged.

I believe the presidents new policy on Syria is a mistake," he said.

Most troubling, if we withdraw, we leave our allies exposed and in a weakened position, Stewart said. "The only ones who benefit from this decision are our adversaries in the region, Russia, Iran and Hezbollah."

Stewart, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said he is working with the Trump administration to change this policy to one that would "protect our vital interest in the region."

Curtis, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he strongly supports the military and agrees the U.S. needs to find a way to end the conflict.

"However, the defeat of ISIS is a long-term endeavor," he said. "I am concerned that the mission in Syria is not yet accomplished and we should stay the course to eliminate Iranian influence, counter Russias troubling behavior in the region, and ensure the long-term stability of Syria."

Curtis' and Lee's differing opinions show the split in the GOP on the Trump administration's move to withdraw all of the approximately 2,000 American troops from Syria.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called it an "Obama-like decision."

"I hope Im wrong, but I dont think I am. And I have no understanding of why were doing this. To me, it is an ill-conceived idea. The downside is really great and the upside is pretty small," he told reporters.

Lee told Fox, "I couldnt disagree more and I couldnt agree more with the presidents decision."

It's the opposite of an Obama decision, he said.

"Obama got us involved, Trumps taking us out. Congress never declared war or authorized the use of military force in Syria. We shouldnt be there anyway without Congress doing that," Lee said.

Lee said he had concerns about going into Syria from the outset. He said he could never get a "straight answer" from the Obama administration or Pentagon officials at the time about the objective.

"Are we trying to oust (Syrian President) Bashar al-Assad? If so, whats a post-Assad Syria look like? And is it going to be any more friendly to our interests?" Lee said.

The U.S. has supported opponents of Assad, though American troops in the country have mostly avoided direct combat with the Russian-backed Syrian Army and its proxies.

Stewart said American forces have always maintained a very small footprint in Syria, but a huge impact on humanitarian, political and military objectives.
SALT LAKE CITY  Many women cheered Thursday when they heard slacks are now a year-round option for female missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, except during church services and other occasions when more formal attire is required.

The change is effective immediately in all 407 of the faith's missions, where women now comprise 27 percent of missionaries, up from 12 percent in 2012.

With that increase have come notable changes for sister missionaries. A change in a dress code may seem minor, but returned missionaries say switching from dresses to pants can be complicated, is taboo in some cultures and eventually could impact church culture.

Latter-day Saint sister missionaries will continue to wear skirts and dresses when attending the temple and during Sunday worship services, baptismal services, mission leadership and zone conferences. Otherwise, they now have a new choice.

"This is truly optional," Sister Bonnie H. Cordon, Young Women general president and member of the Missionary Executive Council, said in a news release. "The sisters can wear dresses, they can wear slacks, whatever will help them in their service as they're out amongst the people."

Summer Hopper's legs swelled up when she began serving in Guatemala in 2015 because of mosquito bites she suffered wearing dresses and skirts. She said she developed a rash and got sick.

Hopper, 22, a junior in economics at BYU, said a number of women in the mission also got sick back then. The following year, in 2016, church leaders announced that women in areas with a high risk of those diseases could wear slacks during the rainy season. For Hopper in Guatemala, that meant year-round: "We had the wet season and the less-wet season."

To her surprise, she found herself conflicted about wearing pants.

"At first, I didn't feel like a missionary when I wore pants," she said. "Obviously that's a cultural thing. Another thing is that in Latin America, it was less culturally acceptable for women to wear pants. That made some sisters hesitate."

The mission president found that sisters who still chose to wear skirts got sick more often. He counseled them to wear only long skirts, and Hopper said it "made a huge difference."

Riverton's Kate Saunders, 21, started to serve after the 2016 change but still felt sad to wear slacks.

"I grew up with the picture of sister missionaries in dresses and skirts," said Saunders, a BYU-Idaho freshman who returned in August from her 18-month mission in Tampa, Florida. "But once I started to wear slacks, it became normal. It was great because we had more options, and we could do a lot more service."

A mission president's wife said the women she worked with in the Brazil Sao Paulo Mission had to wear pants for four or five months a year because of the danger of disease. Still, not all liked the 2016 announcement.

"It was really hard for many of them because the image of a sister missionary has always been a woman in a dress," said Spanish Fork's Cathy Silcox, who served from July 2015 to June 2018. "Then others arrived after the change who loved the idea of slacks and were disappointed they could only wear them four or five months a year. Some welcomed the time they got to wear skirts and others looked forward to putting on those slacks again."

Bottom line, "It did cut down on the incidents of Zika and dengue," Silcox said. "It did what they wanted it to do."

Rosalynde Welch served a mission and said she now sometimes wears slacks to church as a mother and Latter-day Saint scholar in St. Louis, Missouri. She said since pants themselves have little intrinsic meaning and no moral significance, it felt petty to invest them with greater significance.

Still, Welch said the decision takes place in a larger context and that she will be interested to see if an alteration to the dress requirements for sister missionaries will trickle down to the broader church.

"As sister missionaries have become a greater percentage of the missionaries serving in the church, their needs and convenience have had a greater presence on the radar screen," Welch said. "Now a sister sits on the missionary committee and I think that certainly has made a difference."

Saunders, Silcox and Welch said slacks help sister missionaries stay warm in the cold, better ride bicycles where necessary and more easily engage when a service opportunity arises.

"Mission work is an active lifestyle," Hopper added. "Sometimes wearing a skirt makes that hard, so I think wearing pants is a great idea."
SALT LAKE CITY  If youre among the weirdos whove already finished their Christmas shopping, then youve got time on your hands. Reward yourself, maybe with these weekend happenings?

Hip-hop ballet, old school Christmas villages, Pink Martini, a teenage ventriloquist and, shoot, even Tom Hanks  so many activities here.

Odyssey Dance Theatres Redux Nut-Cracker

This aint your grandmas Nutcracker. The Odyssey Dance Theatre brings its annual Redux Nut-Cracker show to Kingsbury Hall. Tchaikovskys original score is reinterpreted in a hip-hop/pop style. Odyssey Dance Theatre describes the show as a visual feast full of surprises. (Instead of soldiers, its robots; instead of Santas sleigh, its a DeLorean.) Dec. 21-22, 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 22, 2 p.m., 1395 E. Presidents Circle, $20-$40, children under age 6 not permitted (801-581-7100 or odysseydance.com).

Candlelight Christmas

The village at This Is The Place Heritage Park is decked out like an old-timey Dickensian dream. Theres a live Nativity scene, carolers, Christmas lights and campfires. The annual event comes to a close on Saturday, so dont delay. Now through Dec. 22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, 2601 Sunnyside Ave., $5 per person, free for children age 2 and younger (801-582-1847, thisistheplace.org).

Pink Martinis Holiday Spectacular

Portlands acclaimed jazz-pop mini-orchestra describes itself as The United Nations house band of 1962 meets Lawrence Welk on acid. Oddly specific, but well roll with it. Pink Martini headlines two nights of Christmas shows at Abravanel Hall, where it will be joined by the Utah Symphony. If youve never witnessed the bands eclectic musical blend, treat yourself. Dec. 21-22, 7:30 p.m., $15-$101 (385-468-1010, artsaltlake.org).

The Polar Express screenings

If you like Tom Hanks, this movie has you covered. Hanks voices six different characters in 2004s The Polar Express, which returns to Cinemark Movies 9 in Sandy. Dec. 21-27, times vary, 9539 S. 700 East, Sandy, $0.94-$2.25 (801-571-0958, cinemark.com).

Darci Lynne and Friends Live

We recently interviewed 14-year-old ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer  famous from her stint on Americas Got Talent  about how the show changed her. When I went on AGT, she was this timid, really shy rabbit and really adorable, Darci said of her puppet, Petunia. And when we won, I changed her personality and now shes a full-on diva and knows what she wants and knows how to get it. The duo headlines the Eccles Theater on Saturday. How many puppets will Farmer use? Our lips are sealed. Dec. 22, 7 p.m., 131 S. Main St., $30-$50 (385-468-1010, artsaltlake.org).
As the Affordable Care Acts federal exchange was being implemented, Utah had its own health insurance exchange for small business, which faced an uncertain future. Joel Ario, a national expert, come to Utah to help work through potential conflicts and problems. Previously an insurance commissioner in two states, as part of the Obama administration he was deeply familiar with the federal health insurance exchange.

After spending a day in the Utah Capitol with our stakeholder group, Joel expressed his highly positive impression of how things had gone. He noted that representatives from all sides of the issues attended, everyone engaged productively without rancor or partisanship, and we achieved a laudable outcome. I told him this is just the way Utah works.

Utah is small enough that people know each other, but big enough that we can often design and implement our own destiny. And we have a secret sauce  the Utah Way. The Utah Way is built on identifying and including opposing parties, finding common ground, negotiating in good faith, reaching compromise and sticking to the deal.

The Utah Way was at work again earlier this month when the Legislature passed and Gov. Gary Herbert signed ground-breaking legislation permitting the use of medical marijuana.

Marijuana has become ever more popular as medicine. Some states have legalized the use of marijuana altogether. Others have permitted marijuana and its derivatives to be used as medicine.

Legalizing marijuana is a sticky wicket. Under federal law, it is illegal to grow, possess and distribute it. There are no scientific or market standards governing the proper uses and the potency of dosages of the plant and its constituents. Because it is federally prohibited, scientific study has been greatly limited. Thus, much of the opinion favoring medical marijuana is based on anecdotal evidence. However, that has not lessened the ardor of its proponents, many of whom claim to enjoy significant relief from pain and from difficult and sometimes debilitating conditions like chronic seizures.

In recent years, the Legislature entertained various proposals to legalize medical marijuana. But their efforts failed to satisfy the more determined proponents, who successfully obtained an affirmative vote of the people on their ballot initiative on Nov. 6.

The ballot initiative was flawed. It lacked direction on many crucial issues, created serious enforcement issues and failed to address legitimate concerns about regulating the quality, growth, distribution, enforcement, prescription and dosing of marijuana.

Fortunately, some initiative sponsors such as the Utah Patients Coalition and the Libertas Institute agreed to enter negotiations to address perceived flaws in the legislation, as did opponents like The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Utah Medical Association. Senate President Wayne Niederhauser and House Speaker Greg Hughes mediated these discussions. Through extensive negotiations, the parties worked together to improve the law. The resulting legislation stands as a model for the rest of the country, as does the multiparty collaboration that achieved it.

The Utah Way was also at work in 2010 when the Utah Compact was forged. Anti-immigration sentiment was at a high, and draconian legislation was in the offing. However, various social, religious, law enforcement and business leaders came together to enunciate core principles that any legal solution should include. Utah showed the way again as advocates engaged with reason and reciprocity, while other states got carried away in the political heat of the moment with bad policy prescriptions.

About the same time, the LGBT community, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other former opponents reached a landmark compromise and joined in drafting and supporting enactment of Utahs nondiscrimination law, which prohibits discrimination by employers or landlords against persons based on sexual orientation while it protects religious freedom for those who advocate against same-sex sexual relations and marriage.

Utah faces tough issues  like every other place on the planet. But we have something rare  a way of working together. Too often it happens later rather than sooner, but we do know how to collaborate.

Now we need to harness the Utah Way to address the critical issues before us, such as improving our air quality and our kids education, developing a better-trained workforce, reducing intergenerational poverty and homelessness, treating addiction, enabling more mass transit ridership and healing the divides between us.
SALT LAKE CITY  New raw footage from a helicopter flight school has given us a brief glimpse into Disneylands Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge theme park.

What happened: Rogue Aviation, a California-based helicopter flight school and aerial film company, shot footage of the upcoming theme park, showing sections of rock-based locations and another urban, skyscraper area.

The Millennium Falcon also makes a brief appearance at the theme park, buried among towers and rock.

Watch the video footage below:

Photos: Head over to Walt Disney World News Today to catch a glimpse of the helicopters photos of the park.

About the park: Disney says the Galaxy's Edge park is one of the most detailed and immersive lands ever created in Disney Parks history.

The park will be based on a Star Wars planet called Batuu, which is a home for smugglers and adventures.

It will have two sections  one based around the First Order and another centered around the Resistance. Both groups are warring factions in the modern Star Wars trilogy.

Flashback: Back in March, Disney shared its own flyover video of the parks construction.

Disney released two trailers for the park back in November, too.

Open: The park will open in summer 2019 at Disneyland and fall 2019 at Disneys Hollywood Studios.
SALT LAKE CITY  A charity has paid off the mortgage for the family of Brent Taylor, the North Ogden mayor and major in Utah's Army National Guard who was killed in an insider attack in Afghanistan last month.

Taylor's widow, Jennie Taylor, accepted the donation on live television Thursday morning when Frank Siller, chairman and CEO of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, handed her the document paying off her family's home on Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends."

The foundation is named for a firefighter killed after the 9/11 attacks.

"It's the least we could do as a country and from the Tunnels to Towers Foundation," Siller, Stephen Siller's brother, said as he handed Jennie Taylor the document.

"This is paid off in full," he said. "It's done, it's finished, you never have to worry about it again."

Jennie Taylor gave Siller a hug, thanked him, and took a deep breath as she held the document.

"It's been very comforting to know that we're not mourning alone," Jennie Taylor said. "And we are very aware that we are not the only Gold Star family."

On top of the "emotional loss" of losing her husband, Jennie Taylor said one of her first worries was how to support her seven children going forward.

"I stay home with our seven children. That's where I want to be," she said. "I don't want them to lose him to war, and then all of a sudden I have to go work a couple of jobs to try to make ends meet. So this is just unbelievable."

Siller said he hopes paying off the mortgage "relieves one small burden from the Taylor family at this tragic time."

"The family can now look forward to celebrating Christmas in their home for years to come, just the way Brent would have wanted them to," Siller said.

Mayor and Maj. Brent Taylor, 39, was killed Nov. 3 while taking an unprecedented one-year leave of absence from his post as mayor for his deployment to Afghanistan. Shortly before his expected return, he was killed during an insider attack at a training base in Kabul.

Along with his widow, Brent Taylor left behind seven children ranging in age from 1 to 13 years.
LEHI  Vivint Solar announced Thursday it has filed a counter suit in a civil case brought by the New Mexico Attorney General's office in March, in which the company was accused of unfair business practices, fraud and racketeering.

Vivint Solar alleges the New Mexico Attorney General's office violated a New Mexico records statute when it failed to respond in a timely manner to a records request in the case. Vivint also indicated it was seeking disqualification of the law firm representing New Mexico in the case based on claims the firm had made campaign contributions to New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas in 2016. Vivint is also seeking dismissal of some claims made by Balderas' office in the case.

In a statement, a Vivint Solar spokeswoman said the company took action "after negotiations about resolving the litigation broke down" and that New Mexico's case "makes unfair accusations and misleading claims" and the company looks forward to defending the case in court.

"These actions further underscore the company's belief that the attorney general's lawsuit is baseless, creates confusion about the solar industry, and doesn't serve New Mexicans, who deserve better," the spokeswoman said.

In a March release, Balderas said an investigation conducted by his office uncovered evidence that Vivint's actions in New Mexico have led to "hundreds of clouded titles" to residents' homes, that the company employs "high-pressure sales techniques and procedures designed to mislead consumers," and binds customers into 20-year contracts under which rates increase "by over 72 percent" over the life of the agreement.

"I will fight to protect the rights of all New Mexico consumers and hold giant, out-of-state corporations accountable who abuse, mislead and employ dishonest practices to defraud our hardworking families," Balderas said at the time. "Every New Mexican deserves access to clean, affordable energy, and the development and expansion of rooftop solar should be encouraged by businesses that use the industry's best practices to help consumers become more energy independent."
India is generally known as the land of Hinduism and Buddhism, and rightly so. But it is also home to a unique branch of Christianity, the Thomas Christians.

According to the Acts of Thomas, written in the third century, Jesus apostle Thomas  the Doubter (see John 20:24-29)  visited India around A.D. 52, probably to preach to the Cochin Jews  a Jewish merchant colony in Kerala that was participating in the lucrative Roman-Indian trade of the age. During his 20-year mission in India, Thomas is also said to have preached to Gondophares IV, a king of the Indo-Parthian dynasty in modern Pakistan and northwest India. More importantly, Thomas is said to have founded seven churches in Kerala  paralleling the seven churches of Asia Minor  before being martyred by the local king for his preaching.

Whatever the accuracy of these early legends, it is clear that Christianity could be found in Kerala by the second century A.D., when Christians in the west mention that the Christians of India read a now lost Hebrew (or Aramaic?) version of the Gospel of Matthew. Through the centuries, Indian Christianity has flourished in Kerala. Today, Christians in the state of Kerala number 6 million, comprising 18 percent of the provinces population.

In the Middle Ages, Christians  called Nasrani (Nazarenes) in India  centered mainly on the southeast Malabar coast. Though largely independent in most matters, they were part of the broader Syriac Nestorian Church of Iraq and Iran and used medieval Syriac in their liturgy. Although the details of their history are unknown, Indian Christians are briefly mentioned in a number of different medieval sources, including Marco Polo, who visited them on his return sea voyage from China to Italy. The oldest surviving Christian building in India is the St. Thomas Church at Palayoor (Kerala), which was built on the ruins of an earlier Hindu temple; the church was destroyed by fire and rebuilt on the old foundations in the 17th century.

The story of Indian Christianity was transformed by the arrival of Portuguese explorers in 1498. They established colonies in Indian ports such as Goa and made the integration of Indian Christians into Catholicism a central colonial policy. In this they were largely successful; today, 50-60 percent of Indian Christians are Roman Catholic. Most ancient church buildings in India were eventually occupied and rebuilt by the Portuguese during the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the most famous is the St. Thomas Cathedral in Chennai (Madras), said to be the tomb of the apostle. The church dates from at least the 10th century and was rebuilt by the Portuguese in 1602, then again by the British in 1893.

Along with Portuguese attempts to integrate Indian Christians into Catholicism, the Jesuits organized missionary efforts among both Muslims and Hindus. The most famous of these missionaries was St. Francis Xavier himself, co-founder of the Jesuits, whose tomb rests in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa. These Jesuits made serious attempts to convert Akbar (1556-1605), the Muslim Mogul emperor of India. They were given permission to preach Christianity at Akbars court in Fatepur Sikri.

But the Jesuits confused Akbars religious curiosity with the possibility of real conversion; Akbar remained an idiosyncratic Muslim who devised his own syncretistic, short-lived theology, called Din-i-llahi  The religion of God  with Akbar as its prophet.

The final phase of the history of Christianity in India begins with the rise of the British Raj (reign) in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although they made no attempt to establish Christianity as the official religion of India, British rule encouraged Protestant missionaries to establish schools, hospitals and churches throughout India. St. James Anglican Church in Delhi, built in 1836, symbolized the triumph of the British colonial Christian ideology of Indias new rulers. Today, over 7 million Protestants, spread among numerous denominations, account for around 25 percent of Indias Christians.

Nonetheless, in contemporary India, Christianity ranks a distant demographic third, after Hinduism (80 percent) and Islam (14 percent). Although amounting to only 2.3 percent of the population of India, this still represents almost 30 million Christians, three times more than are found in modern Portugal.

In 1993, missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened a new Indian mission. Now, more than 13,000 Indian Latter-day Saints will soon celebrate Christmas with the subcontinents other Christians. And in April 2018 the church announced plans to build a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the ancient land of the Apostle Thomas.

Daniel Peterson founded the Middle Eastern Texts Initiative, chairs The Interpreter Foundation and blogs on Patheos. William Hamblin is the author of several books on premodern history. They speak only for themselves.
SALT LAKE CITY  Steve Bratteng isn't religious, but he does have a moral code.

So when Bratteng, a self-described atheist and humanist, was asked to officiate a wedding recently, he wouldn't lie about his beliefs in order to get ordained online, a step often taken by people officiating a wedding for friends or family members.

"Part of being a humanist is being honest and true to yourself. Using a Universal Life Church certification workaround is not honest," he said.

Bratteng, who serves as director of a secular community group in Austin, Texas, is a trained secular celebrant, which means he's attended a course on leading weddings, funerals or other ceremonies for people who don't want religion to be part of their event. However, state law doesn't allow him to use this training to officiate weddings, so he had to turn the couple down.

Bratteng's conundrum isn't unique. Most states across the country allow only judges and other state officials, as well as people ordained by religious organizations, to officiate weddings.

"It can't be done by secular celebrants in a vast majority of states," said Nick Little, vice president and legal counsel for The Center for Inquiry, a secular organization that advocates for keeping religion out of public policy.

The Center wants that to change. It filed a lawsuit last month along with Bratteng against the clerk of Dallas County, Texas, as part of an ongoing effort to change marriage laws. Similar challenges have already succeeded in Indiana and Illinois.

These legal and legislative efforts aren't aimed at reducing the rights of faith groups, Little said. Instead, the goal is to ensure that the growing number of nonreligious Americans are free to do what they want on their big day.

"There are a lot of people out there looking for someone to help them celebrate key events in their lives" who aren't religious, Little said.

Marriage is a vehicle for handing out so many benefits and protections.  Robin Fretwell Wilson, a law professor and director of the family law and policy program at the University of Illinois

The Center for Inquiry has struggled more with the slow pace of political change than outcries from people of faith. However, some Americans do worry about what an increase in secular weddings will do to the country's moral character.

"Religion imbues marriage and families with value, commitments and permanence that neither law nor culture can confer. Society is impoverished when fewer couples enter marriage through this portal," argued Religion News Service columnist Jacob Lupfer earlier this year.

Loose limits

States care about who can solemnize, or officiate, a wedding ceremony because marriage is serious business, according to Robin Fretwell Wilson, a law professor and director of the family law and policy program at the University of Illinois. It comes with legal and financial benefits, like shared insurance coverage.

"Marriage is a vehicle for handing out so many benefits and protections," Wilson said. "If you had a free-for-all, with basically anybody being allowed to marry you, you'd have fraud concerns."

States reduce the possibility of fraud by limiting the pool of eligible wedding officiants. Typically, the only people who can solemnize a wedding are government or religious leaders.

For example, the Texas law at issue in the lawsuit states that only "a licensed or ordained Christian minister or priest, a Jewish rabbi, a person who is an officer of a religious organization and who is authorized by the organization to conduct a marriage ceremony," judges or retired judges can conduct a marriage ceremony.

"There's a shared jurisdiction over marriage between ecclesiastical and civil authorities," Wilson said.

But these limitations aren't as limiting as they might at first appear, Wilson said. Governments don't want to get caught up in deciding what counts as a religious organization or defining ordination requirements, and so organizations like the Universal Life Church  a faith group that allows ministers "to practice their religion in whatever manner they feel most comfortable" and offers no theological guidance  can ordain anyone who comes to their website and has a few minutes to spare.

The Center for Inquiry has called attention to this situation while reaching out to legislators across the country. It's wrong that states reject someone who has been trained to be a secular celebrant but accept someone who has simply filled out a form online, Little said.

Secular celebrants "could go online and spend three minutes getting ordained and then perform services by pretending to be religious," he said. "That's actually insulting to religion."

Searching for solutions

The Center for Inquiry files lawsuits as a last resort, Little said. He prefers when lawmakers acknowledge that secular celebrants wouldn't undermine current laws and make necessary adjustments.

"This can often be sorted out with a one sentence amendment," he said.

States are discriminating against people who want to perform secular weddings and people who want to have secular weddings.  Nick Little, vice president and legal counsel for The Center for Inquiry

Oregon changed its marriage law to allow for secular celebrants last year, and the Center is working on a similar measure right now in Ohio. The Oregon law states that a celebrant of any secular organization, defined as a group "that occupies a place in the lives of organization's members parallel to that filled by a church," can solemnize marriages.

Sometimes lawmakers don't respond to the Center for Inquiry's requests or they move slowly, which prompts the Center to take legal action. In addition to the lawsuit in Texas, the organization is currently challenging marriage policies in Michigan. It previously won lawsuits in Indiana and Illinois.

These cases involve "a series of constitutional arguments," Little said. The Center for Inquiry claims typical officiant requirements privilege religious Americans over nonreligious ones, violating the First Amendment's establishment clause and the Constitution's promise of equal protection for all citizens.

"States are discriminating against people who want to perform secular weddings and people who want to have secular weddings," Little said.

Initially, in Indiana, these arguments didn't work. The federal district court ruled that limitations on officiants enabled the state to maintain control of marriage and were not discriminatory.

"(Indiana's) statute bears a rational relation to the  reasonable purpose of allowing the government to assume responsibility for the marriage regulation function without ostracizing its religious constituents," the ruling said.

The ruling also implied that secular celebrants were making a big deal about what seemed to be a small inconvenience. Nothing prevented secular people from hosting their own wedding ceremony in addition to being wed by a judge or getting ordained online through the Universal Life Church, it explained.

Reactions like that have been a key obstacle to the Center for Inquiry's efforts, Little said. People want secular couples to play along with the current system.

"I think what we're dealing with isn't so much opposition as it is inertia," he said.

To some community members, a lawsuit seems like an overreaction, Bratteng said.

"Some people have mentioned to me that Texas is a common law (marriage) state," which means couples don't have to participate in any sort of ceremony to declare themselves officially wed, Bratteng noted. They just have to agree to marry, announce it and live together after that declaration, according to Texas law.

Lawmakers who are religious themselves or represent a highly religious area of their state can also worry about the optics of paving the way toward more nonreligious weddings, noted Rep. Mitch Greenlick, who sponsored the Oregon legislation allowing for secular officiants.

"It took me 2 1/2 sessions" to pass the secular celebrant law, he said. "It made people nervous, especially if they were religious."

The rise of non-church weddings, which is helped along by online ordination, is concerning to people of faith who believe religious ceremonies lead to stronger marriages. Only 1 in 5 ceremonies (22 percent) in 2017 took place in a church, down from 41 percent in 2009, according to The Knot.

"Marriage without religion  trivializes the importance of a lifelong commitment made between two people," argued blogger Melanie Wilcox in a 2014 post about the Universal Life Church.

Increasing awareness

The Center for Inquiry's efforts to change officiating laws include educating policymakers and members of the public about why secular celebrants matter. When states allow for nonreligious officiants, atheists aren't the only ones who gain, Little said.

"We get requests from people who are religious but who are marrying someone from a different faith. They don't want to have a representative of either religion" at their ceremony, he said.

We want to have a system that acknowledges that secular people are citizens that deserve the same rights as religious folks do and can do the rites of passage that others do in their own way.  Nick Little, vice president and legal counsel for The Center for Inquiry

Secular people don't want to be seen as pests or whiners, Bratteng said. They want people to recognize the pain of not being able to have the wedding you want.

"We want to have a system that acknowledges that secular people are citizens that deserve the same rights as religious folks do and can do the rites of passage that others do in their own way," he said.

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals paved the way for that kind of system in 2014, when it overruled the District Court's decision regarding Indiana's marriage policy. The ruling stated that it's "irrational" to respect secular celebrants only if they lie about their religious beliefs.

"A marriage solemnized by a self-declared hypocrite would leave a sour taste in (a) couple's mouths; like many others, humanists want a ceremony that celebrates their values, not the 'values' of people who will say or do whatever it takes to jump through some statutory hoop," the ruling said.

Although the Center for Inquiry still has work to do to convince lawmakers and judges across the country to agree with that ruling, Little is confident that necessary changes will eventually happen.

"We believe this is a no-lose situation," Little said "Nobody loses by letting secular celebrants (solemnize weddings) and people do gain."

Some current wedding officiants disagree, especially if they're worried about secular celebrants cutting into their profits.

"This is going to make (the wedding market) only more crowded and hurt the officiants who take it seriously," said one officiant in a 2017 article for the website Best Wedding Oregon.
SALT LAKE CITY  Gov. Gary Herbert called the federal government shutdown a "sorry state of affairs," but said Utah will be just fine despite the impasse in Congress.

"We've insulated ourselves in anticipation and in preparation. Probably no state's better prepared than Utah when it comes to this kind of shutdown in Washington, D.C.," the governor said Friday.

Some federal services will shrink with a partial shutdown, but the state will continue to function, he said.

Utah's five national parks will remain open, though with limited services. Although many of the state's ski resorts operate on federal public land, they, too, will stay open.

"Parks should not take measures to keep visitors out of an area unless access presents a serious and imminent threat to human life, safety, or health, or a serious and imminent threat to the condition of a sensitive natural or cultural resource," according to Interior Department guidelines in the event of a shutdown.

But services, such as restrooms, trash collection, facilities and road maintenance, including snowplowing, campground reservations and backcountry and other permits will cease.

The national parks were closed during the 16-day government shutdown in 2013, but Utah provided $1 million in emergency funding to open up its national parks, monuments and recreation areas. The federal government has yet to reimburse the state.

The state believes it can help keep the national parks open during the holiday season at less than a tenth of that cost, according to a post on its website.

The Bureau of Land Management's Utah office warned on social media Friday that "in the event of a lapse in appropriations, the Bureau of Land Management will be closed. During a shutdown, we will not monitor or update social media or web information. Some areas are accessible, however access may change without notice, and there may be no BLM-provided services."

Utah can weather a short-term partial shutdown and was taking the necessary precautions Friday to ensure services continue, according to Herbert. State agencies that use federal funds have contingency plans in place.

"We have reserves put away," he said.

But a long-term federal government shutdown creates greater challenges and risk for everyone, according to the state.

Herbert expressed disappointment with "dysfunctionality" in Washington.

"We ought to call our congressmen and tell them, 'Hey, fix it. Do better,'" he said.

President Donald Trump told reporters Friday the chances of a partial government shutdown were "very good" after meeting with Senate Republicans at the White House.

Grid View En route to a meeting at the White House, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., left, walks with Sen. Richard C. Shelby, R-Ala., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, as work continues prior to a Friday night funding deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown, in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. Trump is imploring McConnell to change the Senate's rules in order to pass the spending bill with money for a border wall. J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., arrives at the Capitol as work continues to meet a Friday night deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown as President Donald Trump demands money for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. Trump is imploring McConnell to change the Senate's rules in order to pass the spending bill. J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., leaves the chamber as the Senate waits to take up a House-passed bill that would pay for President Donald Trump's border wall and avert a partial government shutdown at midnight, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., returns to the Capitol from the White House as work to avoid a partial government shutdown continues with President Donald Trump demanding funds for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. Trump is imploring McConnell to change the Senate's rules in order to pass the spending bill. Jose Luis Magana, Associated Press

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., leaves the chamber as the Senate waits to take up a House-passed bill that would pay for President Donald Trump's border wall and avert a partial government shutdown at midnight, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, the speaker-designate for the new Congress, talk to reporters as a revised spending bill is introduced in the House that includes $5 billion demanded by President Donald Trump for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, as Congress tries to avert a partial shutdown, in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press

The Capitol Christmas tree is seen outside of The U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. Republican-led House approved funding for President Donald Trump's border wall in legislation that pushes the government closer to a partial government shutdown. The bill now goes to the Senate. Jose Luis Magana, Associated Press

The Capitol is seen at day's end as the Senate works on a House-passed bill that would pay for President Donald Trump's border wall and avert a partial government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press

President Donald Trump speaks during a signing ceremony for H.R. 2, the "Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018," in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, on the White House complex, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018, in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press

President Donald Trump arrives to speak during a signing ceremony for H.R. 2, the "Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018," in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, on the White House complex, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018, in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press

Conservative Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a leader of the Freedom Caucus, leaves the chamber after the Republican-led House approved funding for President Donald Trump's border wall in legislation that pushes the government closer to a partial government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. The bill now goes to the Senate. J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press

Vice President Mike Pence, second from left, departs with White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, and incoming White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney as they depart for the night without a bill that would pay for President Donald Trump's border wall and avert a partial government shutdown, on Capitol Hill, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018 in Washington. Alex Brandon, Associated Press

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, the speaker-designate for the new Congress, talk to reporters as a revised spending bill is introduced in the House that includes $5 billion demanded by President Donald Trump for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, as Congress tries to avert a partial shutdown, in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press

The Capitol Christmas tree is seen outside of The U.S. Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. Republican-led House approved funding for President Donald Trump's border wall in legislation that pushes the government closer to a partial government shutdown. The bill now goes to the Senate. Jose Luis Magana, Associated Press

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, the speaker-designate for the new Congress, talk to reporters as a revised spending bill is introduced in the House that includes $5 billion demanded by President Donald Trump for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, as Congress tries to avert a partial shutdown, in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., leaves the chamber after the Republican-led House approved funding for President Donald Trump's border wall in legislation that pushes the government closer to a partial government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. The bill now goes to the Senate, where it has almost no chance of passing. J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, speaks with reporters on his way to the senate chamber, as the Senate takes up a House-passed bill that would pay for President Donald Trump's border wall and avert a partial government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. Jose Luis Magana, Associated Press

The U.S. Capitol is seen reflected after rain in Washington, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. The Republican-led House approved funding for President Donald Trump's border wall in legislation that pushes the government closer to a partial government shutdown. The bill now goes to the Senate. Jose Luis Magana, Associated Press

President Donald Trump speaks during a signing ceremony for criminal justice reform legislation in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018, in Washington. Evan Vucci, Associated Press

Vice President Mike Pence, second from right, walks with incoming White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, center, and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, second from left, after meetings to pass a bill that would pay for President Donald Trump's border wall and avert a partial government shutdown, on Capitol Hill, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Alex Brandon, Associated Press

The House passed a bill that would keep the government funded through Feb. 8 while also allocating $5.7 billion for the border wall President Donald Trump has demanded.

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, voted for the measure as did GOP Reps. Chris Stewart and John Curtis. Outgoing Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, did not vote.

"A government shutdown is never a desirable option," Bishop said Thursday after the House vote. "Once we answer the questions of border security, we will be free to address the many countless matters facing our nation's immigration policies. This work can only be done with an open and funded government. This vote was a no-brainer."

Following the meeting with Trump on Friday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced on the Senate floor that he supports the House bill and would be proud to vote for it.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, intends to vote for the spending bill, according to his office. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, did not immediately respond to a question about how he plans to vote.

"Securing our nation's borders is a fundamental responsibility of the federal government. Five billion dollars for border security efforts that will save lives is a very reasonable request, and I hope Democrats will end this spending impasse soon," Lee tweeted late Friday as time had expired.

Trump, who previously has said he wants and would take responsibility for a shutdown, said in a tweet Friday that Democrats "now own the shutdown!"

"The Democrats, whose votes we need in the Senate, will probably vote against Border Security and the Wall even though they know it is DESPERATELY NEEDED. If the Dems vote no, there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time. People don't want Open Borders and Crime!" Trump tweeted.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said on the Senate floor that the Senate had unanimously agreed to a spending bill earlier in the week and that Democrats would not support the House bill.

"President Trump, you will not get your wall," Schumer said. "You're not getting your wall today, next week or on Jan. 3 when Democrats take control of the House."
MIDVALE  A Hillcrest High School teacher has been charged with inappropriately touching students in his class dating back to last school year.

Gustavo Helamn Orellana, 28, of Orem, is charged in 3rd District Court with two counts of sexual battery, a class A misdemeanor.

A 14-year-old girl told police that sometime between Sept. 1 and Dec. 6, Orellana placed his hand on the girls buttocks while talking to another student, according to charging documents. The girl said she was afraid to say anything because he was her teacher.

A 16-year-old girl told investigators that last school year, sometime between Aug. 23, 2017, and June 1, 2018, Orellana touched her chest over her clothing as she was leaving class, according to the charges. She said he referenced some graphics on the front of her T-shirt before touching her and told investigators the actions made her uncomfortable. The student said "she has actively tried to avoid" the teacher since the incident occurred, the charges state.

A co-teacher told police he observed (Orellana) being affectionate with students and said that he was touchy and his interactions with students were inappropriate due to the teacher-student relationship, the charges state. He said, however, he had not observed any sexual contact with students.

The Canyons School District had previously stated that they were notified by a parent of the allegations on Dec. 6. The teacher was immediately placed on leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation into "unprofessional conduct" that violates district policy, said district spokesman Jeff Haney.

According to the schools website, Orellana is a science teacher.
Shah Rukh Khan starrer Zero is facing an imminent threat from piracy websites like Tamilrockers and Filmywap but before any of that could happen Twitter has already taken the lead in leaking the film online. Parts of Anand L. Rais Zero were leaked on Twitter by fans watching the film in theatres.





While watching Zero online for free on these illegal platforms is a convenient option for many, but just how much that hurts the filmmakers, is a realization many are far removed from. For those fans who have been waiting patiently for Zero to hit the theatres, beware of running into some crucial scenes from Zero floating around on Twitter. Shah Rukhs entry scene in Zero have been leaked online by fake Twitter pages in the name of Aamir Khan and Manoj Bajpayee.





TamilRockers and Filmywap have been notorious in leaking the latest movies releases for the audiences to watch online for free, but social media platforms are no less as users are increasingly using them to upload complete movies on them. Zero has taken the social media menace to a new height with several fake accounts being created in the names of popular reviewers to send out fake opinions regarding the film.

Read This Also: Zero Review - Shah Rukhs Impeccable Performance Salvages Zero; A Must Watch Movie.







Read: TamilRockers Leaked Simmba Full Movie Download Online

Zero is Decembers biggest Bollywood release and stars Anushka Sharma, Katrina Kaif and Shah Rukh Khan. The film is the story of a vertically challenged man who is looking for the love of his life. The film is Shah Rukhs biggest budget film so far and has garnered a great buzz with many looking forward to the film.

Read: TamilRockers Movies 2019 - Full Movie Download Link Leak History





Read Also: TamilRockers Leak Petta, Viswasam & NTR Kathanayakude Full Movie Download Online?
Aamir is one of the biggest stars when it comes to international fans and this is one of the reasons why his promotions for his next film at a university got cancelled. Touted as the World's biggest Superstar, Aamir Khan has an unfathomable fanbase across the globe, however, the actor is particularly more loved in China.

On his recent promotional tour to China, Aamir Khan was supposed to attend an event in a Chinese university, however, as a huge crowd turned up to see their favourite Superstar, leaving the authorities in a panic.

The actors who recently visited China for promoting his recent film was invited as a special guest at the Guangzhou University, which is designed to accommodate 400 people.





However, as the news of the actor visiting the university broke out, people started turning up for the event in huge numbers. The small auditorium soon was filled with over 3000 people, forcing the authorities to cancel the event as they were not confident if they could handle the crowd.

Further, during his promotions, the Chinese authorities increased the security of Aamir Khan manifold to avoid similar situations.

With 3 Idiots gaining immense popularity in China, Aamir Khan opened doors to Indian cinema. As Dangal released in the neighbouring country, it created history minting the highest amount of money for an Indian film ever.
Nokia and Ooredoo have set up the first 5G-ready Technology Centre in Myanmar.

The Nokia Technology Centre is the result of a successful collaboration with Yangon Technological University (YTU) that will be utilised by the students of Myanmars first diploma program in telecommunications. The curriculum, steered by the University of Oulu in Finland, will benefit from the new Nokia Technology Centre, which is equipped with end-to-end radio, anyhaul transport and a core network solution that supports the latest 5G technology in addition to 4G/3G/2G.

Earlier this year, the two universities launched a new diploma program designed for postgraduates. The program required a robust lab to enhance its curriculum and enable students to apply their theoretical knowledge in a testbed environment. The syllabus was developed based on Nokias technology, so Nokia and Ooredoo decided to join forces to create the Nokia Technology Centre as a key enabler for the program.

In addition, Nokia and Ooredoo will be providing an intensive internship program for students to work as technology developers and service providers, enabling them with a 360-degree exposure to the industry.

Dr. Myint Thein, Rector of YTU, said: The curriculum of the Telecommunications Diploma program was finalised embedding both theoretical and industry relevant components based on Nokias technology and solutions. Faculty members from YTU worked closely with the professors of the University of Oulu to have this program ready for the students.

Vikram Sinha, CEO, Ooredoo Myanmar Limited, said: Education and empowering youth are key focus areas at Ooredoo. We at Ooredoo care for communities and people of Myanmar, therefore, to train, develop and nurture the countys future engineering talent.

Dr. Danabalan Amirthalingam, Head of Nokia Myanmar, said: The Nokia Technology Centre will serve as a catalyst to provide students with the latest and most advanced 5G technology, featuring innovations from Bell Labs.
Emerging Markets 5G Microwave significantly expands the reach and capacity of mobile backhaul while offering dramatic cost reductions.

As the 5G era approaches, it is clear that microwave will remain the main backhaul solution for operators worldwide. 70% of base stations globally  excluding China, Japan and South Korea - will continue to use microwave backhaul by 2022, according to Huawei Research Institute. Moreover, the number of hops is forecast to increase by over 20% between 2017 and 2022 to a total of 2.8 million.

In emerging markets, reliance on microwave for mobile backhaul will be above the global average. In Southeast Asia, the technology will be used in 83% of deployments by 2022, while three other regions -the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa  will see it used in over 70% of deployments.

The reasons for microwave backhauls prevalence in emerging markets are well understood. These regions typically have a lack of legacy copper infrastructure outside the central metropolitan areas, and when this is taken together with challenging topography, large distances, low population density and low average incomes, it makes fibre prohibitively expensive for the vast majority of settings.

However, operators in emerging markets now face a significant challenge: demand for data services from existing end users is growing exponentially, while governments are ratcheting up the pressure to connect the unconnected to both voice and internet services. To meet these demands in the 5G era, extending the reach and capacity of microwave backhaul is essential - but this must be done at the same time as achieving dramatic cost reductions.

Microwave systems in emerging markets traditionally suffer from severely restricted capacity due to very high spectrum costs, limited spectrum availability, tower congestion, and high costs for upgrades. Comprised of ground based indoor units (IDU), outdoor units (ODU) and tower mounted antennas, the main challenges to upgrading existing systems are:

1. Limited spectrum availability and high costs: Emerging markets often require more hops due to topographic and climate-related conditions, yet spectrum can cost over US$2,000 per link per year in some countries (for example in the Middle East). In other countries, such as India, spectrum is extremely difficult to acquire due to strict regulation. These factors mean that spectrum can sometimes be more expensive than equipment.

2. Upgrade bottlenecks: Spectrum in emerging market is typically 28MHz compared to 100+MHz in developed markets. As a result operators face a critical challenge of balancing the need for exponential capacity increases with limited spectrum width.

3. High upgrade costs: The most common way of doubling capacity on a microwave network is by using Cross Polarity Interference Cancellation (XPIC) technology without additional spectrum. XPIC requires a different type of antenna but the antenna swap is prohibitively expensive due to the remote location of many networks. Moreover, in areas where tower sharing is common, tower congestion can prevent upgrades as new equipment is normally larger and heavier than the antenna being replaced and so requires more space on the tower.

Addressing these challenges was the objective Huawei had when developing Emerging Markets 5G Microwave. The system aims to revolutionise both the economics and the technology solutions for backhaul microwave, providing powerful new capabilities for operators to drive affordable mobile access in emerging markets.

The key elements of the solution are:

1. Enhanced- MIMO

MIMO (Massive Input Massive Output) doubles capacity without the need to acquire additional spectrum. Normally MIMO is hard to deploy in emerging markets due to the degree of separation needed between the two antennae. Huaweis new 5G Microwave Enhanced MIMO reduces the antenna separation distance by 70%, from around 15m to less than 5m. This is achieved by new algorithms which reduce the interference between the antennae. An industry first, this vital development makes MIMO deployment on one tower a reality. The development deliverers huge cost savings for operators by eliminating the need to buy additional spectrum, reducing the space needed on towers and the size and weight of new equipment to be transported and installed.

2. Super Dual Band (SDB)

In another industry first, Huawei SDB bundles E-band spectrum with traditional microwave spectrum bands to deliver high capacity and long distance hops.

The most commonly used spectrum bands for microwave are between 6-42GHz, which would be extremely expensive and difficult to procure in many emerging markets. The previously untapped 80GHz E-band spectrum is very much cheaper and capable of ultra-high capacity. The limitation with E-band is the transmission distance, which is normally limited to 3km.

SDB layers ultra-high capacity E-band links on top of existing common band links, reaching distances of up to 7km in good weather conditions with up to 10GB capacity. In less than perfect weather the distance may drop below this, and in a worst case scenario capacity may also fall below 8GB, but the connection is still maintained.

This means operators dont need to buy additional bandwidth. Existing capacity can be reused with new E-Band spectrum to achieve high capacity, long distance microwave backhaul over a single link. All that is required is the installation of the new E-Band products to connect their traditional band and E-band.

Super Dual Band very significantly lowers the compromise operators have traditionally had to make between capacity and distance. Huawei is the first vendor to develop an SDB antenna solution, the first with a full outdoor SDB solution, the first to deliver SDB over third party microwave, and the first and only vendor with a relay SDB solution.

Other important advantages include low CAPEX compared to existing solutions and low power consumption - around half of that used in a traditional microwave backhaul system.

3. Modular Antenna

Huaweis new modular antenna solution can be transformed from single to dual polarity, frequency A to B, or upgraded to XPIC. This can be done on-tower without changing the whole antenna. Major savings are achieved as a result of eliminating the cost of new antenna purchase, installation and alignment, and the cost of disposal of the old antenna. In addition, deployment times are significantly reduced compared to traditional antennae swaps.

4. Carrier Aggregation Outdoor Units (ODU)

Huaweis Carrier Aggregation ODUs aggregate four narrow band spectrums into a single ODU which then performs like a wide channel unit. As a result, a single ODU can achieve 1.47Gbps over 2x28MHz - four times the capacity one ODU could previously reach.

Additionally, the unit is lighter, smaller, requires less space on the tower, and comes with lower installation costs. Following installation the ODU can be remotely managed to achieve significant OPEX reduction.

Huaweis equipment has been successfully deployed in several emerging markets, demonstrating its suitability for these regions.

In India, large scale network modernization has been made possible by implementing cost-effective Modular Antennae, which are now augmenting over 8000 links across the subcontinent. In addition to delivering connectivity benefits, the technology reduces Antenna swap cost by over 60%, allowing for rapid network build-out and thereby greater connectivity.

Spectrum is a premium resource in the Middle East, with each link costing as much as US$2k. Doubling capacity via MIMO can in theory save operators 50% in spectrum fees, so the appeal is clear. Since Huawei launched its Enhanced MIMO solution, hundreds of MIMO links have been launched in the region and with many more planned for the near future. By affording operators major savings on spectrum costs, MIMO helps to dramatically reduce their Total Cost of Ownership.

However, this is not the only solution available to operators wishing to boost the capacity on their spectrum. In several Middle Eastern markets, including Qatar, Lebanon and Kuwait, Huawei has completed over a thousand hosting operations on its Super Dual Band solution. By enabling the hub/aggregate links to carry more traffic from areas that were previously unconnected, the solution enables a cost-effective way of rapidly increasing capacity as much as tenfold.

Huaweis Carrier Aggregation ODUs also allow offer operators a means of increasing capacity while reducing Total Cost of Ownership. The units reduce the cost of deploying and installing hardware as well as lowering tower rental fees as they take up less space. Operators in Myanmar have reported their TCO being reduced by over 30% after adopting the units, which have also enabled a 4x capacity increase.
Xiaomi has announced that NPCI has cleared Mi Pay for large group usage. Soon it will be available to all MIUI users.

Hightlights:

Xiaomi has announced Mi Pay in India

It has invited beta testers to sign up till December 31 and test the app

Mi Pay will support all leading credit cards and debit cards.

In a bid to get a piece of the pie in the digital wallet and online payment space, Xiaomi has announced Mi Pay, and has invited beta testers to try it before releasing it to the masses. Mi Pay will add to the existing players like Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Amazon Pay, etc that already have their operations running in the Indian digital payment service market. Xiaomi says that it is necessary that the testers who sign-up for the testing process be on the MIUI Global Beta ROM.

The Chinese company says that Mi Pay is supported by ICICI Bank and PayU in India. With Mi Pay, you can make payments using UPI, debit cards, credit cards, and Internet Banking. You'll also be able to make payments for several utilities with Mi Pay such as phone bill/recharge, DTH recharge, water bill, electricity bill, with just one tap, Xiaomi said in an official forum post. You can sign up for the beta testing programme till December 31.

The company also revealed that National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the umbrella organisation for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India, has cleared Mi Pay for large group usage. Xiaomi says that due to this clearance, the beta testing is going live, and soon it will be available to all MIUI users. At launch, Mi Pay will support all leading credit cards and debit cards.

Mi Pays biggest advantage is its deep integration within MIUI which makes transferring payments to contacts and vendors extremely easy. To begin with, Mi Pay would be integrated within the Contacts, SMS, Scanner apps as well as App Vault in MIUI. All user-generated data will be kept in a highly encrypted format within the India-based cloud infrastructure, the company said on the forum.

You can follow these steps to link a bank account to Mi Pay: open the Mi Pay app and select the option to add a bank account. Now enter the bank account details and wait for an SMS. Once you get the SMS, go through the verification for final confirmation. You can find a detailed guide on using Mi Pay here. Mi Pay was launched in China in September 2016 and supports NFC. In India, Mi Pay will enable transactions using the UPI PIN and virtual payments address (VPA).

Related Read:

Google Tez may be renamed as 'Google Pay'

Amazon Pay announces card-less EMI for select customers

Samsung Pay launched in India with Paytm and UPI integration
The Honor View 20 has also been spotted on a Chinese e-tailer website; A poster suggests that the phones camera is capable of taking 960fps videos.

Highlights:

Honor View 20 might be announced in a special Maserati Edition

The phone may launch in 6GB/64GB and 6GB/128GB variants

The phones camera is reportedly capable of shooting 960fps videos

The launch of the Honor View 20 is just around the corner but just a few days ahead of its December 26 launch event, some images and poster leaks have revealed a lot of information, including its price, a probable special edition of the phone and a camera feature. The images were posted on Chinese social media platform Weibo and the handset has also been spotted on Chinese etailer VMall.

Honor View 20 Maserati Edition

Chinese smartphone makers are aggressively tying-up with other brands and it seems Honor might be jumping the bandwagon as well. In an image on Weibo, the phone said to be the View 20 and it is seen sporting a Maserati branding on its back panel. It can be seen featuring a triple camera setup, an LED flash and Honor branding as well. A box is seen with V20 and Maserati branding on it, suggesting that the company has partnered with the Italian automaker to launch a special edition of the handset. This comes after other phone manufacturers like OnePlus, Oppo and Huawei have launched their respective special edition phones after partnering with automobile manufacturers.

Honor View 20 Leaked Pricing

A poster of the View 20 has also leaked on weibo and it tips at the device's variants, prices, camera lens resolution and the Link Turbo feature. According to the poster, the device might come in two variants: one with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage, which could be priced at CNY 2799 (approx Rs 28,500). The other variant might sport 6GB RAM and 128GB storage and is seen with a price tag of CNY 3299 (approx Rs 33,500). The poster mentions 48 million AI ultra clear photography, suggesting a 48MP sensor and an AI-powered camera.

The poster also suggests that the hanset will feature the Link Turbo tech, which the company has detailed before. Honor says that it can assess network conditions to automatically switch between Wi-Fi or 4G networks. Honors Link Turbo tech is said to be capable of boosting download speeds by adopting Wi-Fi and 4G networks. Its not clear whether both Wi-Fi and cellular networks are used simultaneously or not. The poster seems to be legit because the company announced the Link Turbo tech when it unveiled the phone earlier this month in Hong Kong. However, the same cannot be said for the alleged pricing since the company is to announce it officially.

Honor View 20 leaked camera specs

Instead of a dual or a triple camera setup, the Honor View20 features a single 48MP rear AI camera which employs Sony's IMX586 sensor. Apart from this, nothing much about the camera was revealed. However, a leaked image on Weibo suggests that the camera is capable of taking 960fps videos as well. The Huawei P20 series was the first smartphone from the company to be able to record at this high a frame rate.

As mentioned above, image of the Maserati Edition reveals a triple rear camera setup. So, it is possible that the regular variants might feature a single camera, while the special edition could come equipped with three rear shooters. Honor View 20 is also one of the first phones to come with a punch hole 25MP selfie camera.



Related reads:

Samsung Galaxy A8s launched with Infinity-O display, Snapdragon 710 SoC

Honor View 20 leaked retail box shows off punch-hole front camera

Honor View20 with 48MP rear camera, in-display front camera and 'Link Turbo' announced
The Xiaomi Mi 5 and Redmi Note 3 smartphones, however, will get the upcoming stable release of the MIUI Global ROM.

Highlights:

Xiaomi is dropping software support for Mi 5 and Redmi Note 3

These phones will receive the final MIUI Global stable update

Custom ROMs by the Mi Community will still be available for these phone

Xiaomi has confirmed that it is dropping the software support for two of its devices, the Xiaomi Mi 5 and Redmi Note 3. Both the smartphones were launched in 2016 and were included in almost every list of devices that had got various security and MIUI updates in last two years. The company, however, says that these phone will get the upcoming stable release of the MIUI Global ROM before their support ends for good.

According to a report, the Beta Team for both phones will be disbanded after the upcoming final (over-the-air) OTA update arrives. Though it could be a sad news for users of these phones, from a business point of view, Xiaomi is apparently taking a positive step. The Chinese company has been releasing a plethora of smartphones now and the software support for all of them is costly as well as time-consuming.

But there is a little need to be disheartened. There are plenty of ROMs based on the latest Android versions are available on the internet. You can flash the one you like to jazz up your phone. Recently, the Xiaomi Redmi 3S, Redmi 3S Prime and the Redmi 4 users started receiving the MIUI 10 Global stable update. The update is based on Android Oreo 8.1 Oreo and brings new features like a new UI, revamped systems apps and more.

Xiaomi launched the MIUI 10 at the Redmi Y2's launch event in India in June. At the event, Xiaomi's Product Manager, Sudeep Sahu, explained some key features of the new ROM. Sahu said that with MIUI 10, the companys focus has been on Speed, Design, Sound and AI Portrait image capturing. In terms of performance, MIUI 10 comes with two new features called lock free critical path and co-dependent prioritising, which are said to improve speed times of their devices by up to 10 percent.

Related Read:

Xiaomi announces MIIUI 10 roll out for 28 devices

Xiaomi Redmi 3s, 3s Prime and Redmi 4 receiving MIUI10 update

Xiaomi Poco F1 MIUI 10.8.12.4 beta update
Charter schools are less likely to respond to application inquiries from parents of students with severe disabilities, according to researchers from Columbia University and the University of Florida.

The new study dives into the old debate over whether charter schools favor the easiest-to-educate students when it comes to admissions either to save money or to make their schools look better academically.

The researchers looked at both charter schools and traditional public schools in areas where families can choose schools within a district.

All schools in the sample were less likely to respond to inquiries for students who appeared to have behavioral issues or poor grades, compared to inquires that did not indicate any specific issue with the students. Schools were also less likely to respond to parents with Hispanic-sounding names, especially if the schools had a mostly white student population.

Charter schools, like traditional public schools, are supposed to admit any student who comes to their door, provided there is space. But critics of charters have long alleged that the schools curate their student bodies in other wayssuch as by discouraging certain students from enrolling.

To test whether this happens, the researches sent emails from fictitious parents to nearly 6,500 charter and traditional public schools in 29 states and the District of Columbia. The sample included about half of all charter schools in the country.

The study found that charter schools were 5.8 percentage points less likely to respond to a query claiming to be from a parent of a student with severe disabilities.

So-called no-excuse charter schools, which serve predominately low-income minority students in a strict, college-prep academic environment, were 10 percentage points less likely to respond.

A recent analysis of federal data by the National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools found that students with disabilities make up about 10.6 percent of all charter school students, compared to about 12.5 percent in traditional public schools.

However, researchers for the study from Columbia and the University of Florida also found that state funding systems could play a significant role in whether charter schools respond to inquiries from families with students with severe disabilities.

Charter schools in states such as Michigan and Wisconsin that get reimbursed for a large portion of their realized expensesversus having special education services funded through a formula or block grantswere 7 percentage points more likely to respond than charter schools in other states.

This pattern of results is consistent with an explanation that the costs of educating certain students are imperfectly compensated in most contexts, write the studys authors, Peter Bergman of Teachers College, Columbia University and Isaac McFarlin Jr. of the University of Florida. This pattern could create an incentive for schools to provide less application encouragement to students with special needs.

Its important to note that when the researchers posing as parents asked for application details for their child with disabilities, they described having a student that required being educated in a restrictive environment&mdashlin other words, a costly student to educate.

If the signal were for less restrictive or less costly services, the results may have differed, write the researchers.

The study says that students with disabilities on average cost twice as much to educate compared to their non-disabled peers and can cost as much as eight to 14 times more money to educate.

The studys secret-shopper-style design is reminiscent of auditing programs that have been used in a couple of states , such as Massachusetts and D.C., to monitor charter schools to make sure they are not discouraging harder-to-educate students from applying.

The study concludes state agencies could get schools to respond to parents with harder-to-educate students if they regularly conducted similar audits.

Related stories:
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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  The Netherlands' highest administrative court has upheld an Amsterdam municipality ban on new stores in the city's historic heart that sell goods specifically to tourists.

The Council of State ruling Wednesday is a victory for the Dutch capital's attempts to rein in the negative effects of the huge number of visitors crowding its streets.





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Rendering by Tahoma Design Group [enlarge] Panattoni and PCCP acquired the 21.7-acre development site in Lakewood for $7.3 million in mid-2017. The deal works out to around $140 per square foot.





Through an LLC, Panattoni has sold its new and fully leased Tacoma Gateway, at 1408 Spring St. S.W. in Lakewood, for almost $65.6 million. Pierce County recorded the sale on Thursday.





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SEATTLE  A 100-bed homeless shelter opened this week at Harborview Hall in Seattle's Harborview Medical Center.

King Council provided $2.5 million for renovations and shelter services at the former nurses dorm, which had been vacant for years.





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SEATTLE  The Windermere Estates apartments, at 10746 16th Ave. S.W., have sold for almost $6.3 million, according to King County records.

The seller was Reverse Now VII LLC, which acquired the property in 2006 for almost $2.2 million.





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J&J told to stop using its baby powder raw material in India

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) is reported to have ordered pharma multinational Johnson & Johnson to stop using raw materials lying at two of its factories in India to manufacture baby powder until test results prove they are free from asbestos.

Reports quoting an unnamed senior CDSCO official said on Thursday that a written order has been served on the company to stop using the "huge quantities" of raw materials stocked in its plants in northern and western parts of the country.

The order follows collection of test samples of its talcum powder by CDSCO officials from the companys facilities, the company said on Wednesday.

Johnson & Johnson, however, vouched by the safety of its cosmetic talc, which it said was based on a long history of safe use and decades of research and clinical evidence by independent researchers and scientific review boards across the world.

CDSCO and state-based food and drug administrations launched an investigation into J&J's baby powder following a Reuters report last Friday that the firm knew of the presence of cancer-causing asbestos in the product for decades.

The company, which started selling its baby powder in India in 1948, just a year after independence, became synonymous with baby care in India with baby gift boxes containing the talcum powder, soap and other products meant for newborns and young children.

With retail network of pharmacies, the company commands a strong presence across the country and remains the No 1 seller of powder for babies. Despite adverse remarks against its products within and outside the country, including in its home base, the United States, there is no significant signs of a backlash against J&J products in India.

The fact is that there is no significant competition to J&J in India although local and international companies, such as Bengaluru-based Himalaya Herbals, and Italy's Artsana, which produces Chicco baby brands, also sell their products in India.
Finance ministry proposes Rs83,000-cr PSB recapitalisation

The centre proposes to infuse funds of over Rs83,000 crore in the coming few months in public sector banks (PSBs) facing liquidity crunch following a peaking of accumulated bad loans, most of which have gone sore.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday moved a proposal in Parliament for enhanced bank recapitalisation outlay from Rs65,000 crore to Rs1,06,000 crore in the current financial year, in a move to recapitalise state-owned banks to escape the NPA muddle and start lending again.

The government believes that banks need capital support to lend to productive sectors of the economy and to propel economic growth, cementing Indias position as the fastest growing economy of the world.

The enhanced provision of capital funds is aimed at meeting regulatory capital norms, especially of the better performing banks among those that are under the Reserve Bank of Indias Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework. Providing capital will help these better-performing PCA banks to achieve 9 per cent capital to risk-weighted asset ratio (CRAR); 1.875 per cent capital conservation buffer and the 6 per cent net NPA threshold, facilitating them to come out of PCA threshold.

Interestingly, the funds needed to recapitalise these NPA- and scams-hi banks will have to come from RBI itself, which the finance ministry hopes to come in the form of an interim dividend.

Infusion of funds will facilitate non-PCA banks that are in breach of some PCA thresholds to not be in breach while also strengthening amalgamation of banks by providing regulatory and growth capital.

Following comprehensive clean-up of the banking system under governments 4Rs approach of Recognition, Resolution, Recapitalisation and Reforms, the envisaged recapitalisation would equip banks financially at levels higher than the global norms.

Under the 4Rs government claims that the gross NPAs of PSBs have started declining after peaking in March 2018, registering a decline of Rs23,860 crore in the first half of the current financial year.

Non-NPA accounts overdue by 31 to 90 days (Special Mention Accounts 1 & 2) of PSBs have declined by 61 per cent over five successive quarters from Rs 2.25 lakh crore as of June 2017 to Rs0.87 lakh crore as of September 2018, substantially paring down credit at risk.

The government also claims that the Provision Coverage Ratio (PCR) of PSBs has risen steeply from 46.04 per cent as of March 2015 to 66.85 per cent as of September 2018, giving banks cushion to absorb losses.

Record recovery of Rs. 60,726 crore has been effected by PSBs in the first half of the current financial year, which is more than double the amount recovered over the corresponding period last year.

PSBs have also de-risked their portfolio as reflected in the Credit Risk-weighted Assets (RWAs) to Gross Advances ratio, which has been decreased from 80.26 per cent in September 2017 to 71.20 per cent in September 2018.

Indias global rank on getting credit under World Banks Ease of Doing Business Index has improved from 44 in 2016 to 22 in 2018, manifesting enhanced access and service excellence (EASE) in banking, the finance ministry claims.

The finance ministry also noted that Indias capital norms for banks are 1 per cent higher than the norms recommended under the global Basel-III framework. Further, unlike the early intervention regime of other major economies, Indias PCA framework for weaker banks has more onerous thresholds, viz, higher capital thresholds and a Net NPA threshold that further embeds capital requirement on account of provisioning of NPAs. Todays proposal in an expression of governments commitment that each PSB is an article of faith, and aims at securing compliance even for the higher regulatory norms.
State-owned banks remain closed as unions strike work

Employees of state-owned banks have staged a nationwide strike in protest against the proposed mergers that, the employee unions say, could cause job losses and demanded immediate hike in wages.

The strike called by the All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC) hit banking operations in most public sector banks across the country. However, it is business as usual for private sector banks as they are not part of the strike.

Most of the banks have already informed their customers about the strike and its impact on banking operations.

AIBOC has a membership of over two million officers and affiliates in all major state-run banks and 10 private banks. The strike by employees responsible for day-to-day operations of banks, however, shut down all customer services of state-run banks.

The 21 state lenders hold two-thirds of India's banking assets and account for 70 per cent of banking transactions in the country.

These banks also own bulk of the Rs10,50,000 crore soured loans in the banking sector last year, and are handicapped in their lending operations.

Bank unions blame the management and the government for loan losses, attributing this to banks dealing with unscrupuless borrowers. They say the employees bear the brunt of bank failures that are actually brought about by the management

Services at ATMs are expected to be normal during today's bank strike, but are likely to be affected on 26 December since more bank unions will be involved, news agency IANS reported.

Banks will thus remain closed for most part of the extended Christmas weekend because of the two days of strike and other holidays including Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday (Christmas). Between Friday and Wednesday, most bank branches will be open only for a day, on Monday.

The immediate trigger is the government proposal to merge of Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank.

The government, earlier this year, announced plans to merge the three state-run banks to create India's third-largest bank as part of efforts to clean up the banking system, which has been overburdened by bad debts.

Unions say that the merger of these three banks will lead to job cuts and allow private sector banks to dominate the industry.
SC allows I-T dept to reopen tax filings of Rahul and Sonia Gandhi

The tax matter is related to the National Herald case in which the Congress leaders are also facing criminal proceedings.

The Supreme Court has allowed the income-tax department to reassess the 2011-12 tax filings of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, but restrained the department from taking any action against the Congress president and his mother until 8 January 2019, which is the next date of hearing.

The two Congress leaders are awaiting a court verdict on the legality of I-T notices to them.

The issue arises from a not-for-profit entity called Young India, which is majority controlled by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, acquiring Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) that runs the National Herald newspaper. While the Congress calls Young India a not-for-profit company, the tax department sees income from the deal to the Gandhis.

A bench comprising justices AK Sikri, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer passed the short order on Tuesday before adjourning the case because of lack of time. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal appearing for the Gandhis sought interim protection to the Gandhis till the court could hear their plea seeking to have the notices quashed.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta resisted the court suggestion to restrain the I-T department from taking any interim action in the case against the Gandhis. The court should not give this impression that it was taking a prima facie view, he said. This (petition) deserves dismissal, he said.

The Delhi High Court had on 10 September rejected Gandhis pleas to set aside the tax departments notices to them.

According to the department, Rahul had concealed the fact that he was a director in Young India since 2010 and had slapped a Rs154-crore tax demand on him, instead of an original demand for Rs68 lakh. Young India was asked to pay Rs249.15 crore.
Indonesia's PT Inlam closes $3.85 bln Freeport acquisition deal

Indonesias state-owned miner PT Inalum on Friday announced the conclusion of all transactions connected with the $3.85 billion deal to acquire majority control over the local unit of Freeport-McMoRan Inc, operator of Grasberg, the worlds second-biggest copper mine.

Today is a historical moment since Freeport began operating in Indonesia in 1973, Indonesian President Joko Widodo told reporters at a press conference. For Widodo, who is seeking reelection next year, an Indonesian acquisition of a majority stake in the mine is a political boon.

Everything has been completed, and now all thats left is the work, Widodo said.

The landmark deal, which hands Inalum a 51.23 per cent stake in PT Freeport Indonesia, ends years of tough and often fractious negotiations over ownership rights to Grasberg, amid a push by Jakarta to gain greater control over its mineral wealth.

Freeport-McMoRan Inc had, in September, entered into a divestment agreement under which it would sell 41.84 per cent equity stake in PT Freeport Indonesia (PT-FI) for cash consideration of $3.85 billion.

As per the terms of the agreement, the Indonesian state-owned enterprise PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Persero) (Inalum) will acquire for cash consideration of $3.85 billion all of Rio Tinto's interests associated with its joint venture with PT-FI, and 100 per cent of FCX's interests in PT Indocopper Investama (PT-II), which owns 9.36 per cent of PT-FI.

Under the terms of the Divestment Agreement, the Rio Tinto interests will be merged into PT-FI concurrent with Inalums acquisition in exchange for a 40 per cent share ownership in PT-FI. The arrangements provide for FCX and existing PT-FI shareholders to retain the economics of the revenue and cost sharing arrangements under the joint venture. Following completion of the transactions, PT-FI will have an expanded asset base to include the Rio Tinto interests and Inalum's share ownership will be 51.2 per cent of PT-FI (subject to a dividend assignment mechanism to replicate the joint venture economics), and FCX's ownership will be 48.8 per cent.

At closing, Rio Tinto will receive $3.5 billion, and FCX will receive $350 million, in cash proceeds.

Following completion of the transaction, FCX expects its share of future cash flows of the expanded PT-FI asset base, combined with the cash proceeds received in the transaction, to be comparable to its existing share of future cash flows under the current Joint Venture arrangements. FCX will continue to manage the operations of PT-FI.

The transaction, which is expected to close by the first quarter of 2019, is subject to certain conditions including, the extension and stability of PT-FI's long-term mining rights through 2041 in a form acceptable to FCX and Inalum, resolution of environmental regulatory matters satisfactory to the Indonesian government, FCX and Inalum, various other Indonesian regulatory actions and approvals, and customary approvals from international competition authorities.

FCX is a leading international mining company with headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. FCX operates large, long-lived, geographically diverse assets with significant proven and probable reserves of copper, gold and molybdenum. FCX is the worlds largest publicly traded copper producer.

FCXs portfolio of assets includes the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia, one of the worlds largest copper and gold deposits; significant mining operations in the Americas, including the large-scale Morenci minerals district in North America and the Cerro Verde operation in South America.
The people of Donegal have always proven to be generous and when an appeal was launched for the homeless people of Dublin the clergy and communities rallied to their support.

Non perishable goods, financial donations, new baby clothes, nappies, hats and gloves among other items were all collected by the people of Doochary, Dungloe, Burtonport, Annagry, Leitirmacaward, Kincasslagh, Creeslough and Dunfanaghy.

To date, financial donations of up to 5,000 has been raised following an appeal for the homeless in the capital by Brother Kevin at the Capuchain Day Centre. The caring and kind brother shares strong affiliations with Donegal following his tenure as Guardian in Ards. Br Kevin is held in high regard and esteem by the people of this county for the work he carries out with those who are less fortunate in the capital.

A van load of essential supplies and donations were sent earlier in the week from the parishes of Kilcar, Killybegs and Glencolmcille. This work is being carried out by the parishes over the last number of years under the direction of Fr Eddie Gallagher.

Donations were received from others around the county including Gweedore, Donegal town, Letterkenny and many more places.

A spokesperson for the charitable collection said: "A special word of sincere thanks to all who made this possible. God reward you all with his peace and joy."

The young people of Creeslough will be hosting a coffee morning in The Day Centre Creeslough this Sunday, December 23 to raise funds for Br Kevin and the wonderful work of The Capuchain Day Centre for the Homeless. Please show wonderful support by your attendance at the coffee morning after the 9am and 11am Masses in Creeslough.


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The cable TV industry has been changing over the last decade and lately has been penetrating the wireless space. Brands like Xfinity Mobile, Spectrum Mobile and Altice Mobile have emerged. Cable One, a smaller cable television company, has announced its new brand, Sparklight. Could this be its first step toward offering a wireless service?

When Cable One introduced the new brand name, it said nothing about wireless. However, that's the direction I think it could be heading -- perhaps planning a new service called "Sparklight Mobile."

The entire cable TV industry seems to be spawning new brands and veering toward wireless. I expect more providers will enter the wireless space by reselling mobile services.

Xfinity Mobile, Spectrum Mobile, Altice Mobile

It started with Xfinity Mobile, which resells Verizon Wireless. Then Charter Mobile also began reselling Verizon Wireless. Altice Mobile will enter the wireless space next year as a reseller of Sprint services.

This new wireless strategy seems successful at Comcast so far. It's different from the way the regular wireless industry operates, however.

The cable television industry has a wireless growth strategy that differs from that of AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint. Cable companies are not trying to market and compete on the same level.

Sticky Service Bundles

Cable TV companies have been using wireless to create a sticky bundle of services in order to expand their customer base and fuel growth.

I have long predicted that as the pay TV industry continued to be challenged by new competitors and new technologies, it would move into wireless to stabilize its hold on the marketplace.

The cable television marketplace has changed dramatically over the last decade. Cable TV once was the main service, and things like Internet access and VoIP phone service were simply additional.

Internet access currently is the main service cable television companies offer. It is the center of their universe. They also offer cable TV or pay TV, VoIP telephone and now wireless -- but they are Internet service providers, or ISPs, at heart.

I believe wireless will be an increasingly important slice of their pie going forward. I also believe that wireless will spread from the big three -- Comcast, Charter and Altice -- to the rest of the cable television industry.

That's where we are with Cable One. Just as Comcast introduced the Xfinity brand and Charter introduced the Spectrum brand, Cable One has introduced the Sparklight brand.

Cable One wants to create a favorable opinion of itself in the changing marketplace. In the past, cable television companies had no competition. In that world, they focused on the investor, not the customer. That was because the customer had nowhere else to go. There was no competition in cable TV. So, the companies had nothing to lose.

Things are different now. New competition and new technologies have created a shifting marketplace. In this marketplace, every cable TV company needs to have a strong and positive relationship with its customer base. That's the reason for Cable One's new brand.

Pay TV Market Evolution

AT&T, DirecTV Now and Comcast Xfinity are the current leaders in the pay TV marketplace, which has seen a lot of change over the last decade.

The disruption started with AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS. Next, AT&T acquired DirecTV and created DirecTV Now, changing the pay TV industry with its innovations. It even has started to offer wireless pay TV.

AT&T DirecTV Now is the leading pay TV service in America at present. Add to that its acquisition of Time Warner, renamed "WarnerMedia," and you can see how well positioned the company is to continue transforming the market and winning.

This is similar to Comcast's strategy when it acquired NBC Universal several years ago. Today, both AT&T and Comcast are the leaders in the pay TV space.

Cable One's new Sparklight brand is a fresh take on the changing industry the company competes in. It will help Cable One compete better against an onslaught of new competitors and technologies.

Competing is something cable television companies never had to think about before. Some have been doing a good job transforming their thinking in the last several years. Others have not. In the new world of competition, staying on the cutting edge of marketing will be key to the survival and success of every player in the space.

I firmly believe this Sparklight shift is an indication that Cable One soon will enter the wireless space. We can expect to see the company do just that, perhaps with a new service called "Sparklight Mobile."

It looks as though Cable One intends to be one of the companies that gets it and that will make an effective transition in this new world. It wants to compete successfully with new companies and new technologies.

That means it understands the new three-legged stool that represents the state of the cable television industry. The top of the stool is the Internet, and the three legs are pay TV, VoIP telephone, and now wireless. Keep your eyes on this changing industry. Things are starting to get very interesting.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ECT News Network.

Jeff Kagan has been an ECT News Network columnist since 2010. His focus is on the wireless and telecom industries. He is an independent analyst, consultant and speaker. Email Jeff.




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Digital transformation has become a prime focus for retailers these days. In order to grow, brick-and-mortar stores realize they must use their digital touchpoints to enhance their customers' in-store experiences.

Online retailers recognize they need to separate themselves from the pack through faster and more informative shopping experiences. And omnichannel sellers and brands are aware they need to provide their customers with a seamless, cross-channel experience.

To meet the exigencies of digital transformation, retailers have been turning to business-to-consumer (B2C) commerce suites to automate their merchandising, streamline operations, and boost the impact of their business teams on the experience of their customers.

However, choosing such a platform can be difficult.

"It's a very competitive space. Differentiation is challenging," said Thad Peterson, a senior analyst with the Aite Group, a global research and advisory firm based in Boston.

"It's a maturing market, but some aspects of it are growing faster than the market as a whole," he told the E-Commerce Times. "The home mobile side is growing more quickly -- and in the developing world, it's growing much, much more quickly."

Hands On or Hands Off?

How much the business should be involved in the technical implementation and operation of the platform is one of the first questions a commerce platform shopper should consider, Gartner analyst Mike Lowndes suggested in a research note on digital commerce platform architecture. Gartner, a research and advisory company, is based in Stamford, Connecticut.

"If the business will be less involved, then a more packaged or single-vendor solution may be appropriate," he wrote. "However, if IT organizations are to be involved in more than governance, leaders need to understand the high-level approaches available to make the best decision for the business."

When examining a new digital commerce venture or replacing a legacy platform, organizations often search first for a digital commerce platform vendor before considering the impact of the vendor's product architecture on their business and future needs, Lowndes wrote.

"Alternatively, this decision is placed in the hands of a development partner or system integrator on behalf of the business," he added, "sometimes with unforeseen consequences to flexibility, future-proofing and fit for purpose."

Big Versus Small

When shopping for a B2C e-commerce suite, the size of the purchaser is an important consideration.

"If you're a sophisticated e-commerce provider with an IT group that does a lot of your Web development, then you don't need a turnkey solution. You just need good cloud-based functionality and a good, secure platform that's flexible so you can do what you need to do," Aite Group's Peterson explained.

"If you're a small organization, you may need Web services, Web design and a lot of other things," he continued. "If you're smaller, you're ceding more control to the provider. If you're larger, you're keeping more control to yourself."

A recent Forrester Wave report on B2C commerce suites notes, for example, that SAP Commerce Cloud is a suite suitable only for organizations with deep technical skills or a strong partnership with a system integrator.

"SAP commerce cloud is a best ft for companies looking for an industrial-strength full-function commerce platform in wide use across several industry verticals," the report points out.

IBM's Watson Commerce is another suite that requires technical chops to deploy, and IBM is also in the process of modernizing the solution's architecture.

"IBM is a good fit for large enterprises with the budget, resources, and willingness to bet on the company's ability to execute on its modern platform vision. Less mature organizations will likely find this suite too cumbersome," Forrester concludes.

What to Look For

At the start of the shopping process for a B2C suite, an organization has to evaluate what it sells. Is my product complex or is it simple?

"There are solutions that are better for selling simple products than complex products," said Gartner Vice President Penny Gillespie.

Where a product is being sold is another important consideration.

"Some platforms do better selling locally and regionally than globally," Gillespie told the E-Commerce Times.

For example, in Forrester's report notes that Digital River's commerce suite is a good fit for companies looking to expand globally and to outsource the transactional overhead of doing business internationally.

Forrester offers three general recommendations when shopping for a B2C suite:

Make sure the suite contains the core set of features that drive a customer's online experience -- including search, personalization and promotions, and the analytics to tie those three elements together. The ability to target content and products with consumer incentives across the consumer's shopping journey is essential to giving the consumer a differentiated shopping experience. Make sure the suite is agile enough to give business users the tools they need to rapidly change content. Business users need a 360-degree view of their customers, along with a promotions and campaign engine they can control, so they can attract customers and induce them to make purchases. Make sure the suite incorporates operational efficiencies that reduce costs and provide an upgrade process that requires little regression testing and no recoding. A containerized approach to upgrades that manages versions and automates scaling is critical to simplifying the upgrade cycle, as is the use of an abstracted API layer to isolate the commerce runtime from store customizations.

Transformation Versus Optimization

When purchasing a B2C suite, a buyer should understand the difference between a solution that's going to optimize an organization's performance and one that can transform it. A transformational solution is one prepared to deal with the future of e-commerce.

Just a scant six years ago, optimization was the driving force behind digital commerce investments, but that isn't the case anymore, Gartner research shows.

"In 2012, customers were investing in digital commerce for cost savings. In 2017, it was about transformation and delivering great customer experiences," Gillespie said.

"When I think about delivering a great customer experience, I think about delivering a personalized customer experience," she continued. "And when I think about delivering a personalized customer experience, I think of content being relevant, my process being easy and seamless, and content that resonates with me."

One characteristic of transformation is putting commerce in context. For example, the app for a furniture store will be able to show a consumer how a piece of furniture will look in a home, or a clothing store app will display how an item will look on the consumer.

Another characteristic is shifting from being reactive to a consumer's wants to being proactive or anticipatory of them.

"Today, 99.99 percent of all transactions are initiated by customers," Gillespie explained. "In the future, we're going to see more and more transactions by merchants or suppliers based on what they know about the customer."

Make a Road Map

Commerce platform shoppers should create a road map for digital commerce and manage technologies based on the digital commerce technology ecosystem, Gillespie recommends.

"This will lead to a complete digital commerce solution, maximizing the value of both the commerce platform and the corresponding digital commerce ecosystem applications," she said. "Organizations underestimate the requirements of a digital commerce solution. As a result, they deploy incomplete solutions that impede their journey to success."

It's important to scrutinize an IT vendor's digital commerce platforms to ensure they match the road map and requirements, Gillespie advised, and to identify requirements delivered natively. "This can reduce unplanned spending on additional technology and lower integration costs."

Create a Short List

Commerce suites need to provide customers with more than just access to a company's goods, observed Hayward, California-based Charles King, a principal analyst with Pund-IT, a technology advisory firm.

"It also needs to highlight and reinforce a company's brand and go-to-market strategy," he told the E-Commerce Times.

"Customization, search, personalization and support for company promotions are all critical parts of that process," King added. "I'd also add that mobile transaction support and optimization is a critical issue for many, if not most, retailers -- especially those in consumer markets."

After performing its initial analysis, suite shoppers will need to create short list of prospects. When making that list, "first and foremost, invest time and effort in determining what your own organization hopes to accomplish with online commerce, along with developing realistic budgets and timelines," King recommended.

"Then take a long and close look at primary vendors, along with whatever strategic partners -- banks, hosted service providers, designers and such -- are working behind the scenes," he continued. "That includes examining a vendor's existing sites, and arranging discussions with those customers."

If a suite shopper operates in a particular industry, platform providers that focus on that industry should be good candidates for a short list of finalists.

"You need to understand your vertical," said Aite Group's Peterson, "and identify players with expertise in that vertical, so you don't have to explain to them what you're doing or adapt their technology to what you're doing."

Keep Your Eye on the Ball

As a shopper works down the list of candidates for a suite deployment, sales pitches can start to fog the shopper's focus, but it's crucial to keep what needs to be accomplished front and center, King advised.

However, "companies also need to determine how flexible or willing to compromise they can be on specific points," he added.

"Realistically, it will be difficult to find a commerce vendor that's a perfect 100 percent fit for your situation," King continued, "but considering and remaining focused on your organization's core requirements will go a long way to determining which B2C partners are worthy of serious consideration."

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.


WAKEFIELD  It has been a typically busy year for the textile industry, and it has, as always, been the role of Ecotextile News to highlight the positive work undertaken to improve the sector while also exposing some of the bad practices which still require attention.

As businesses wind down for a brief spell over the festive period, we have collated some of the stories we feel were of the most significance throughout 2018 so you can enjoy a retrospective journey through the past twelve months of our reporting.

2019 already looks set to be very eventful, and we look forward to bringing you all the ups and downs throughout the year ahead.

There is only one place to begin. An undoubted highlight of 2018 for all at MCL News & Media was the ninth edition of Planet Textiles, held in Vancouver. Following the theme of sustainable textile innovation, the summit invited experienced and fledgling textile industry representatives alike to share their ideas with an audience of over 400 delegates.

The theme of innovation will be carried over into the 2019 edition of the event, set to be held as part of ITMA in Barcelona  an event which will host around 120,000 industry stakeholders from around the world.

While the news we reported throughout 2018 encompassed wider topics than any of us ever expected, there have been several keys themes which have dominated the headlines.

One of the unavoidable issues of the past twelve months has been textile-derived microfibres. The issue of garments shedding microfibres during domestic washing has really risen to prominence in the past year  not only within the industry but also increasingly within the mainstream public.

Surprise Leeds results test microfibre opinion

Scientists from Leeds University in the UK have developed a new test method that claims fewer textile microfibres are released through domestic washing than was previously thought.

Cellulosics dominate deep sea textile microfibres

A University of Plymouth study found microfibres derived from natural textile fibres  including cotton and linen along with regenerated viscose and lyocell  in greater abundance than synthetic textile microfibres in the deep seas of southern Europe.

Are textile microfibres more problematic than microbeads?

The negative environmental impacts of microbeads, which have already been banned from use in many nations, were compared to those of microfibres in a study published in July.

The issues surrounding microfibres lead nicely on to another sphere where 2018 has heralded a lot of progress: legislation. Many industry stakeholders have long been calling for governments and policy-makers to stimulate real, meaningful and long-lasting change in the sector.

Connecticut joins California in polyester warning labels bill

Specific to microfibre pollution, the US states of California and Connecticut sought to implement warning labels on polyester garments, aimed at educating consumers of the perceived microfibre shedding risks. While this was opposed and failed to become law this year, it was still a ground-breaking proposal.

UK fast fashion inquiry gathers pace; UK inquiry confronts fashion brands buying practices

There have been many Ecotextile News reports on the progress of the fast fashion inquiry since its launch in June. These two selected stories provide a flavour of the progress the investigation has made to this point. 2019 promises to be a big year for this particular parliamentary venture.

Bangladesh Accord suffers another farcical delay

Perhaps the closest our industry has to a soap opera, the process of the Bangladesh Accord nearing an extension, before edging towards an end to its tenure, just to receive renewed support has been a constant throughout the year. This story was our final update in 2018 but you can easily trace back our year of reporting on the topic. 2019 will be key for that sector.

In other news from the past twelve months, H&M and Burberry both faced mainstream criticism for incinerating unsold stock. One important point to note here is that no other brands were quick to speak out in condemnation, almost certainly due to the practice being commonplace within the sector.

It would be wrong to conclude any retrospective look at the year without paying tribute to the ground-breaking work undertaken by MADE-BY since its launch in 2004. The non-profit entered administration in late 2018.

Team talk

John Mowbray, Ecotextile News founder and editor, has chosen the exclusive story he broke in October which concerned the large amounts of contaminated commodity chemicals present in the textile supply chain which had, until that point, been undetected.

The fact huge volumes of commodity chemicals widely used in textile dyeing are loaded with hazardous contaminants is an inconvenient truth that no-one in textiles wanted to hear.

It also flags up a weakness in the original Greenpeace Detox campaign, which obsessed with tiny trace amounts of heavily regulated chemistry, rather than tackling large-scale pollution that is still rife within the dyeing industry.

At the moment, brands and NGOs are remaining tight-lipped on the cross-contamination of commodities. To be fair, its a very new problem, but we intend to press for more answers in the coming year. Stay tuned.

David Styles, deputy editor of Ecotextile News, picked a story from March regarding the disparity between the political posturing of Ivanka Trump and her eponymous fashion brands actions.

When it comes to CSR and the safeguarding of garment workers, the fashion industry often gets entangled with the political world; usually with very interesting consequences.

As soon as I saw that Ivanka Trump supported her fathers calls for Bangladesh to improve its record on workers rights to regain preferential trading with the USA, I immediately recalled her opposition to becoming an Accord signatory. Its a good feeling to hold companies feet to the fire when they arent practicing what they preach.

Our news editor Chris Remington selected a story he covered from the summer regarding progress made with the Green Supply Chain Map.

In August, both Levis and Tesco committed to joining the Green Supply Chain Map. It really was a significant milestone for the platform and the broader industry as it highlighted the lengths both retail and fashion giants are going to in order to improve transparency.

The fact that the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs only launched the platform this year, and has already received support from Puma, Target, Adidas and many more, makes this progress even more impressive.

For his editorial highlight, staff writer Kieran Mitchell, the latest addition to the Ecotextile News team, singled out a story on the rebirth on cotton in Fukushima following years of toil for the region.

I enjoyed writing the article on Fukushima in November, because the story demonstrates how textile production has helped to reinvigorate an area which was devastated by a natural disaster. It focuses on the human side of the cotton industry and not just the figures.

The Ecotextile News team wishes you a relaxing break over the festive season, and we look forward to returning in 2019 to continue providing your conclusive, up-to-the-minute coverage of environmental issues in the textile sector.

Happy holidays!
(Photo: REUTERS / Faisal Mahmood)Members of the Pakistani Christian community hold placards and wooden crosses during a demonstration to condemn the death of a Christian couple in a village in Punjab province on Tuesday, in Islamabad November 5, 2014. Police in Pakistan arrested dozens of people after a mob beat a Christian couple to death and burned their bodies for allegedly desecrating a Quran.

A court acquitted Asia Bibi of blasphemy in October, but she will still be in protective custody in Pakistan over Christmas.

A court acquitted Asia Bibi of blasphemy in October, but she will still be in protective custody in Pakistan over Christmas.

However, although the verdict said the mother of five was liberated, anger erupted from extremists and fundamentalist Muslim quarters in Pakistan, protests erupting in the country's major cities.

"She'll be spending Christmas in a closed room with her husband," said Wilson Chowdhry of the British Pakistani Christian Association, LifeSiteNews reported.

Bibi, 53, is the Catholic Pakistani woman who was acquitted of blasphemy by Pakistan's Supreme Court on October 31.

NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT CHARGE

She was a farm laborer accused by Muslim villagers of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a row over a cup of water. The supreme court judgment said there was no evidence to support the charge.

After her acquittal, however, there was mass unrest led by an Islamist political party in the overwhelmingly Muslim-majority country.

The extremists want to overturn Bibi's acquittal and ensure her execution forcing her, her husband, and her family into hiding, protected from would-be lynchers by the government.

The family of Bibi, who spent eight years on death row in Pakistan, said extremists going house to house were hunting them down with their photographs to try to track them down, refusing to accept the court verdict.

Bibi's family have been in hiding since her acquittal, The Guardian reported.

Her protective custody is part of a deal between the government and a hardline Islamic party, under which violent protests were called off during a review of the court ruling.

Bibi's lawyer, relatives, and supporters have appealed for the family to be given asylum in a European or North American country.

Several countries have said they are prepared to offer a home, but nothing concrete has emerged.

Canada, Spain, and France are thought to have offered asylum to Bibi. Germany and Italy have reportedly held talks with Pakistan on the issue, said The Guardian.

It reported that the UK government has declined to answer questions about whether it is considering an offer of asylum, saying it does not want to endanger Bibi and her family.

The former foreign secretary Boris Johnson and many other lawmakers have called for the UK government to act. Some reports have suggested that the government fears a backlash among British Muslims of Pakistani heritage if it offers Bibi asylum.

Bibi's lawyer fled Pakistan shortly after the court ruling saying his life was in danger.

On Dec. 19 Christianity Today ran a story headlined, "Not Just Asia Bibi: Pakistan's Very Vulnerable Christians."

More than 96 percent of Pakistan's 207 million people are Muslims, and most of them Sunni. Christianity Today said the country is a challenging place for the Christian and Ahmadiyya communities.

It ranks No. 5 on the 2018 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it's hardest to be a Christian.

COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom also classifies Pakistan as a Tier 1 Country of Particular Concern.

It recently forced out 18 international non-governmental organizations, including the Christian nonprofit World Vision.

"The reality is that most of the country's Christians are people who historically are from a lower caste system, which although officially abolished, still exists in the country, says Michael James Nazir-Ali, a former Anglican bishop in the Church of England, who was born in Pakistan," said Christianity Today.

"The bulk of the Christian population comes from these people who were landless, casual labor, just as Asia Bibi is, and were discriminated against and despised by many of the wealthier people around," said Nazir-Ali.

The Daily Telegraph reported on Dec. 18, "Pakistani Christians face an uneasy Christmas in the wake of Asia Bibi's release" noting that two Christian brothers have now been sentenced to death for web blasphemy in Pakistan

Qaiser and Amoon Ayub from Lahore were sentenced to hang by a district judge after they were convicted of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in articles and portraits posted on their website.

The brothers fled Pakistan after being accused of the crime in 2011 but eventually returned home.

Amoon, 38, was then arrested at the airport trying to leave the country a second time and Qaiser, 44, was also held. The pair has been in Jhelum prison since 2014.

Both men were convicted last week of the "use of derogatory remarks in respect of the Holy Prophet," under strict blasphemy punishments covered by Pakistan's penal code.

"The prosecution has proved its case against both the accused beyond the shadow of reasonable doubt," Judge Javed Iqbl Bosal concluded in a 28-page ruling. He said, "Hence, both the convicts are to be sentenced to death."

Public support for the strict blasphemy laws is strong and hardline politicians have often backed severe punishments, partly as a way of shoring up their support base.

But human rights groups have long asserted that the laws have often been used to get revenge after personal disputes, and that convictions are based on thin evidence.

Most those convicted are Muslims or members of the Ahmadi community, but since the 1990s, scores of Christians have been convicted.
Data played an important role in 2018, giving researchers and educators insight into current events ranging from the status of Puerto Ricos schools in the wake of Hurricane Maria to principals views on technology and social media. The charts, graphs, maps, and visualizations below all feature data that were released this year by the Education Week Research Center and other organizations, and convey some big takeaways about U.S. schools, students, and teachers in 2018.

1. We Graded States on Their School Systems. Overall Theyre Mediocre

Education Weeks annual state-by-state assessment of public education paints a portrait of middling performance overall with patches of high achievement. See how your state did this year:

Enlarge chart.

Related reading:

Quality Counts 2018: School Finance Report & Rankings

Quality Counts 2018: K-12 Achievement and Chance for Success

2. There Were 24 School Shootings With Injuries or Deaths in 2018

School shootingsterrifying to students, educators, parents, and communitiesalways reignite polarizing debates about gun rights and school safety. To bring context to these debates, Education Week journalists tracked the shootings on K-12 school property this calendar year that resulted in firearm-related injuries or deaths. There were a total of 24 school shootings.

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3. Most Young Registered First-Time Voters Identify as Democrats

Students are coming of political age in an era of deep partisan division, immersed in a social-media swirl of information and misinformation. Using a survey conducted with support from the Education Writers Association, Education Week created a profile of first-time voters .

4. Schools Have Seen a Steep Decline in Librarians

The nations public school districts have lost 20 percent of their librarians and media specialists since 2000, from more than 54,000 to less than 44,000 in 2015, according to an Education Week Research Center analysis of federal data. Many districts lost librarians even as student populations grew by 7 percent nationwide.

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5. Dozens of Schools Are Still Named After Long-Dead Confederate Leaders

This map from the Education Week Research Center shows where school with names tied to the Confederacy are located. Hover over the dots for more information, including when the school was built or named, and the percentage of non-white students at the school.

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6. Most States Require History, But Not Civics

High school students spend far more time in school learning about Americas history than they do learning about its civic values, according to a 50-state survey by Education Week. The results show that while most states require students to study civics, just eight require them to take a yearlong civics or government class in order to graduate.

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7. Hundreds of Puerto Ricos Schools Were Forced to Close After Hurricane Maria

In response to Hurricane Maria, as well as falling enrollment and the governments long-term financial woes, the Puerto Rico Department of Education plans to close nearly 25 percent of its public schools before the 2018-19 school year begins. Under the plan, 263 schools will close and 847 schools will remain open.

On the map below, zoom in to see the distances between the closing schools and those scheduled to receive students. Hover over each school to view its name, region, municipality, and grade levels.

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See more of our coverage of how Hurricane Maria impacted schools in 2018, including an overview of Puerto Ricos education system in numbers .

8. The Growth in Special Education Students Is Outpacing Teacher Supply

An analysis of federal data by the Education Week Research Center shows that while the number of special education teachers was dropping by more than 17 percent over the past decade, the number of students with disabilities ages 6 to 21 declined by only about 1 percent over the same time period.

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9. Principals Are Concerned About Student Tech Use

Even as districts rush to give every student his or her own Chromebook or iPad, 61 percent of principals say their students are getting the right amount of screen time in school.

Principals are also twice as likely to say theyre extremely concerned about students social-media use at home than their social-media use at schooleven as class assignments and homework increasingly move online, creating new opportunities for children to become distracted by YouTube and other popular digital platforms.

Click here for an interactive version of this chart.

10. How Long Do Kids Have to Stay in School? Longer Than They Did 5 Years Ago

Many states have significantly raised their mandatory-attendance age in the last five years, new federal data show. See where your state stands when it comes to mandatory school attendance as well as the number of years free education is offered:

Click here for an interactive version of this chart.

List Compiled By: Sasha Jones | Design: Education Week
Mexico City, Dec 21 (epa-efe).- President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday that Mexico will safeguard the human rights of Central American migrants who are trying to obtain asylum in the United States.

"We want to maintain a relationship of understanding and friendship with the United States government, but at the same time defend the principles of Mexico's foreign policy," he said during his daily morning press conference.

Amid pressure from Washington, the Mexican government agreed Thursday to provide temporary sanctuary for third-country nationals while they await adjudication of their US asylum applications.

Mexico will approach the migrant situation within the "framework" of respect for human rights, Lopez Obrador said.

The president was joined in front of reporters by Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, who stressed that Mexico's willingness to harbor the asylum-seekers did not constitute a de-facto "safe third country" agreement with the US.

Such an accord - Washington already has one with Canada - would designate Mexico as a safe country for asylum seekers and would make it difficult if not impossible for any asylum seeker on Mexican territory to apply for asylum in the US.

Signing a safe third country pact with the US is not under consideration, Ebrard said.

Given the unilateral decision by the US to expel the asylum applicants, Mexico's only options are to deport the migrants or allow them to remain on a temporary basis, he said.

"It is not the intention of Mexico to deport these people. If that were the case, it would have been done already," the foreign secretary said.

Next Monday, he said, Mexico will set forth a "definitive" position on the issue that will not involve deportations.

Mexican officials say that the northwestern border city of Tijuana is currently harboring 4,000 Central Americans who were part of the caravans that set out in October from Honduras and Guatemala with the aim of reaching the US.

Relacionados Mexico deports 98 migrants involved in attempt to rush US border
Havana, Dec 21 (epa-efe).- The reference to communism that had been left out of the first draft of a new Cuban constitution has been made a part of the document in response to a request from more than 1,800 citizens, Communist Party daily Granma said Friday.

Yusuam Palacios, a lawmaker representing Holguin, said ahead of parliament's vote on the draft that the preamble of the new charter includes this phrase: "the human being reaches his full dignity only in socialism and communism," Granma reported.

Cuba's current constitution, adopted in 1976, proclaims the Communist Party to be "the superior leading force of the society and the State, organizing and guiding the common efforts aimed at the highest goals of the construction of socialism and advancement toward the communist society."

Re-inserting the mention of communism "presents a reading that is revolutionary and coherent with what we have defended and must continue defending," Palacios said.

A constitutional commission led by former President Raul Castro - who remains Communist Party chief - put forward 760 proposed amendments after a consultative process that involved nearly 9 million Cubans.

While the draft does not envision political changes such as ending the monopoly of the Communist Party, it recognizes private property and the importance of foreign investment and establishes a new post of prime minister.

The National Assembly is expected to approve the new charter later Friday and a referendum is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 24.
La Paz, Dec 21 (efe-epa).- Members of Bolivia's LGBT community marched here on Friday to demand that the government ensure justice for a transgender woman killed in what is being called a hate crime.

The procession of roughly 100 people carried a symbolic black coffin from San Francisco Square across La Paz to the gates of the Ministry of Justice.

Transsexual activist Luna Humerez told EFE that the purpose of the protest was to demand that Justice Minister Hector Arce personally oversee the case through conviction and sentencing.

Litzy Hurtado, 24, was stabbed to death last weekend at a discotheque in El Alto, near La Paz, in an apparent act of transphobic violence.

The victim's 30-year-old sister was injured in the attack.

"Everything started with arguments and insults from which they defended themselves, but unfortunately they couldn't against so many people," Humerez said.

She criticized authorities for releasing three people identified as accomplices even as police continue to search for the person thought to have wielded the knife.

Relacionados Los servicios minimos se cumplen con normalidad en las primeras horas de la huelga en Renfe
Microchips CEO Steve Sanghi with DESIGN&ELEKTRONIK Editor-in-Chief Frank Riemenschneider.

Microchip's CEO Steve Sanghi usually rejects interview requests. For DESIGN&ELEKTRONIK, he made an exception and explained Microchip's rise to 18 billion, the biggest challenges in 27 years of CEO activity and why he finds Trump's punitive tariffs against China good.

Steve, while most of your competitors have significantly shorter CEO terms, you have been Microchip's CEO for more than 27 years since October 1991. Wouldn't you be tempted to look again for a new challenge, e.g. with a larger competitor?

No, absolutely not. Apart from the fact that Microchip itself has grown considerably through all the acquisitions, every colleague of mine in the management team has worked for Microchip for at least 18 years. It's our special culture that makes the company so attractive: Every August, our shareholders meet to elect a new supervisory board. We in the management team - and I myself have introduced this system - are resigning unanimously and the new board can appoint anyone else as new managers. But this has never happened before. I am still full of energy for this company and am not looking for any new challenges - except at Microchip itself.

When you look back on more than 27 years of CEO activity, what were the most challenging years and what challenges did you face?

The biggest challenge was right from the start: Microchip had only $16 million in revenue and incurred losses. It was about finding investors, optimizing our processes and ultimately making the company profitable so that we could go public. The next challenge was our huge growth of up to 50% per year, which they had to manage first. And can the economic crises came in 1996, 2000/2001 and 2008. The last 8-9 years have been about integrating all the acquisitions into our company. These are cultural challenges, trainings for new employees and a lot of other things. No, we don't get bored (laughs).

Microchip has been profitable for 112 consecutive quarters. How did you manage to remain profitable even during the major economic crises, while your competitors generated losses running into billions?

While our competitors achieved a gross margin (a business ratio representing the difference between sales revenue and cost of goods sold) of 32%, we had 60%. While the competition generated an operating result in the single-digit percentage range, we had 30 %. Mind you, in non-crisis times. In 2009, these figures - the worst case for us - fell by 18%. If you had 8% before, you will logically be negative and make losses. If you had 30% before, you will logically still be profitable. That is one thing. The other thing is that growth and profitability together are our most important financial indicators. Every employee knows that. When we go through difficult times, we all make sacrifices together to save money and keep the company profitable. That is our fundamental common principle for all we do.

In your annual report, you are praised exuberantly in several places, specifically Microchips' growth, profitability and strong positioning in key markets are attributed to your management skills. Is Microchip Inc. really a Steve Sanghi Inc. by now?

(laughs) No, fortunately not, because that would mean that if the CEO left, the company would go up against the wall. The opposite is the case: I have implemented a culture and processes that Microchip could continue very well without me.

With almost 2% of all shares, you are the fourth largest shareholder in Microchip and thus hold more than 200 times more shares than your fellow board members. Is your commitment to Microchip through a share purchase so strong or that of your colleagues so weak and why is this so?

(laughs) I didn't know, you have to ask my wife. The reason for this discrepancy is that I was the only one on board at the IPO and then as CEO, and my colleagues gradually took on their roles in the management team only later.

After you had already made two major acquisitions with Micrel and Atmel in 2015 and 2016, it was Microsemi's turn this year. To finance the purchase, you took out new loans worth 8 billion dollars. You yourself list numerous risks that can occur during takeovers, e.g. the loss of important employees, customers, business partners or problems with different corporate cultures. The acquisition of EnergyMicro by SiliconLabs is a warning example of cultural differences. Why do you still think Microsemi is worth the high price and risk?

We have now completed 20 acquisitions and all have been successful. Why? Point 1: We fully integrate the companies into our organization. That means for example to completely transfer their Oracle- or SAP-based systems into ours, there will only be one customer relationship from the organization, one kind of remuneration system for the employees, one distribution structure and in 2-3 years nobody can recognize any more, this is Microchip and this is Atmel or Micrel or Microsemi after we have integrated the old business areas into our organization. We have done a survey at the old Atmel sites 2.5 years after the acquisition, the results e.g. on employee satisfaction are very similar to those we see at traditional microchip sites. The secret of our success is full integration: financial, cultural, pricing, business units, sales, operations and factories. This allows us to control all the risks. As far as Microsemi is concerned, the biggest risk was the high inventory level of 4 months. We have now sold it off for 180 million dollars to the extent that it is at the same level as our own, namely only for 2.6 months. Most of the potential risks still mentioned in the annual report are already behind us.

After all, Microsemi has good customers who are working with the government and are now to serve as door openers for Microchip products as well. Microchip was always rather weak in this environment, why actually? You manufacture in the USA, have created a lot of jobs here, should politicians like that?

That is true, we have inherited many good contacts in the government organisation. Until now we were not dependent on political support because of our orientation, you only need it if you are in the military sector and/or in aviation. We were simply too busy expanding our business in industry and the automobile, for example, to have had the capacity to build a completely new relationship with the government. From Atmel we have already inherited a comparatively small military and aviation business with a volume of 35 million dollars and the best contacts e.g. to the European Aviation Authority ESA. The goal is, of course, to sell other microchip products in these markets as well, but this is a long-term process.

Not only have you inherited great products from Atmel, but you have also inherited various legal disputes which, to my knowledge, have still not all been settled. Are you afraid that this could happen again with Microsemi?

As far as Atmel is concerned, only one legal dispute is still pending. And at Microsemi we're talking about one or two litigations and that in a history of 28 years - that's nothing, please compare that with Intel or Tesla or Amazon, every successful company will be sued, you and I won't be able to change that. Our market value has risen from the original 10 million dollars to 25 billion dollars, which of course arouses desire.

Let's move on to manufacturing. You say that a high proportion of in-house manufacturing is part of your strategy to achieve the lowest costs and at least partially achieve the margin retained by the foundries yourself. On the other hand, you write that a growing proportion of your products are manufactured in foundries, in 2018 it was already 42% and with the purchase of Microsemi the share will continue to increase. How does this fit in with your in-house strategy?

It's relatively simple: what we can produce in-house, we can produce in-house. As you know, we are limited here to 200 mm wafers. A 300 mm production for 90 nm structures and below is extremely expensive and requires very high investments. With our in-house production we can go up to 110 nm. With ever smaller production geometries, the share of our foundry production is constantly increasing, by approx. 1 % per year from the current 42 %. Our competition is the same, so we have no competitive disadvantage.

While your competitors have microcontrollers manufactured in 40nm or 28nm processes in the future, their most advanced process today is 110nm in Fab 4. Regardless of other drawbacks such as higher power consumption in active mode, you also have higher material costs over a larger chip area. How does this fit in with your low cost strategy?

We have foundries manufacturing in 55 and 40 nm, and we're also going in the 28 nm direction. In this respect, there is no disadvantage compared to the competition with regard to the parameters you describe. As far as low costs are concerned, with these small production geometries you no longer have a cost advantage with in-house production. Why is this so? Because they would need extremely high volumes to achieve this advantage. With the exception of Intel and Samsung, these volumes can no longer be achieved by a single manufacturer, but only by a foundry.

Unlike your competitors, you manufacture controllers and memory in a single process, which keeps costs low, but makes specific optimizations for controllers on the one hand and memory on the other impossible. Why are your products still competitive? Is it just the lower price?

Our storage business now accounts for only about 5% of our sales, with a downward trend. We only develop new technologies for microcontrollers, i.e. the connection between controller and memory described by you no longer exists.

After the acquisitions, I can no longer specify exactly what this means - you have 6,000-7,000 microcontrollers in your portfolio, which generate by far the largest share of your sales, namely 55 %. How has the share of 8-, 16- and 32-bit controllers shifted in recent years?

As you know, we do not report exact sales figures for the individual segments. There are market researchers like Gartner or DataQuest who publish figures that we never confirm or call wrong. We are the world's No. 1 in 8-bit, No. 4 or 5 in 16-bit, and No. 4 or 5 in 32-bit.

What is your 32-bit strategy? After your PIC32 with MIPS CPU, you have now inherited Cortex M CPUs from Atmel Arms.

We will continue both lines, as there are a lot of customers for both today, even though in our 32-bit business today the arm portion we inherited from Atmel is larger than the MIPS portion. We develop identical peripherals and identical manufacturing processes for both lines.

After the bankruptcy of Imagination, the MIPS roadmap looks very bad. What have you promised your customers here?

The support is still good. What we need, we get. As you know, we develop our own development tools and debuggers, there is no dependency. What we needed were the cores, and we got them. We don't need another MIPS core.

You've introduced many controllers with proprietary analog IP in recent years. Is this the way to stop the ongoing price erosion in the MCU industry by developing very specific products for all kinds of applications instead of general purpose controllers?

The primary reason is a higher integration density in order to be able to offer the customer an inexpensive solution. Of course, it is also a more differentiating product, whose price stability is higher than with pure commodity products. I don't mean to say that the price remains constant for all eternity, but at least at a level where we can earn money (laughs). It would be great if prices stayed stable forever.

Another important building block in your strategy is easy-to-use and scalable development tools. Can a developer today program everything from the PIC8 to the 32-bit arm MCUs purchased from Atmel with identical tools?

This is true for all Microchip products and also for some of the products inherited from Atmel, but not for all Atmel products. Many of our customers now also want to use arm products and are familiar with the microchip tools, former Atmel customers usually want to stay with the Atmel tools and some even use both. We give the customer the choice by continuing to offer both tool lines. For future products there will be a uniform tool support, which you can no longer program with the existing tools (note: Atmel-Studio).

If you look at the sales development of your microcontrollers and your analog business, your storage business is growing at a disproportionately low rate. What are the reasons and what is your strategy for this business area?

Our storage business is not strategic and only serves to complete our customers' solutions. We don't want to abandon our storage business, but not to grow or gain market share. Nor did we make any acquisitions because of the storage business, but only to drive our microcontroller or analog business forward. In this respect, we can live well with the below-average growth in the storage business.

You say that the technical expertise of your salespeople and strong technical customer support are important for your sales success. Given the shortage of qualified embedded engineers in the labor market, where do you get these specialists in sufficient numbers anyway?

This is indeed a big challenge, as it is for our competitors. When we were a small company with only a few microcontroller families on offer, we had a global distributor for all products that was active all over the world. Today with more than 6,000 microcontrollers plus analog products plus wireless products plus network products plus Ethernet plus USB plus microsemi products this is no longer possible. We have changed to train specialists for individual functionalities such as engine control, digital power, touch, automotive and so on. We are not able to have these experts anywhere in the world. We therefore have experts in Taiwan who cover all of Asia via remote support or travel, or experts in Germany and England who cover Europe. With this approach, fewer specialists can cover larger regions.

You make 30% of your turnover in China and Hong Kong alone. In these regions, economic growth is slowing down, will Microchip also be affected and to what extent?

We are already affected, our current quarterly forecast for September to December is 7.5% lower sales and the main reason for this is China. The trade tensions between the USA and China are very negative, currently Chinese products imported into the USA are subject to a duty of 10%, possibly even 25% after the 90-day grace period expires on 1 January 2019. As a result, Chinese manufacturers are already reducing their inventories. Texas Instruments even expects sales to fall by 11%, Cypress by between 7.5% and 8% and Maxim by a similar amount.

Do you and your competitors in the USA talk to politicians about how you are negatively affected by customs duties?

No, I am not talking to politicians because I believe that I can have more and better influence by managing our company. Apart from that, I do not take a fundamentally critical view of customs duties. China has benefited from the US economy for decades, they copy our products and IP - 90 % of all Windows installations in China are pirated, and that is only a passing fad - force us into joint ventures with local companies that steal our technologies and then take over the entire market. Apart from that, our products destined for China are subject to a 16% tariff. Trump has done what we are suffering from in the short term, but in the long term trade relations must be fair. China will not fulfil its fair trade obligations until there are limits.

You say that you are significantly affected by product piracy in China, i.e. your products are being copied. Can you estimate your damage and how can you defend yourself against it?

Let me tell you the following story: A manufacturer of household appliances such as thermostats in Shanghai used our microcontrollers because they work very quietly in environments with high EMC exposure. They then set up a subsidiary for the design and manufacture of semiconductors and transferred all the know-how they had from us to this company and started copying our products with very similar technology. We sued them as well as many other companies in Taiwan and China, but it is extremely difficult to get justice in China. It is always delayed and postponed and in this case after 10 years there is still no verdict.

And the damage?

Well, an advantage of our industry is that the development is very fast and that the copies refer quite fast to older products. For example, if the new products are more energy efficient than the copies, they will of course be used. This means that the damage is still manageable. It's like a race between hare and hedgehog.

Around 54% of your turnover is achieved through distribution. The latter now increasingly wants to appear not only as a salesperson but also as a consultant to the customer and to tap into a higher part of the value chain. Are you afraid of losing influence on the end customer and becoming, so to speak, the plaything of distributors?

No, I'm not that afraid. No distributor can provide technical support for all our products and those of our competitors, so virtually all major customers turn to us directly when they need support.

I was a little surprised at the sentence that you sign contracts with extremely high risks for winning designs, such as unlimited liability for product defects and their consequences. What kind of customers from what business areas have such great power to force you into such contracts, especially since you don't, like other competitors, have large customers who alone account for 10 or more percent of your total sales?

We did not sign such contracts with unlimited liability. Not even with our major customers such as data centers, PC manufacturers or automobile manufacturers, even if they ask for it.

Oh, that surprises me now after reading...[1]

Maybe we did that 15 years ago. As a rule, small manufacturers do this because they have less to lose. Competition with large competitors is difficult and if they want to win a contract, they may agree to such contract terms. When we bought Micrel, there were some such contracts, we ended them all.

Why did you suddenly have to pay so much more tax this year than in previous years, which ruined your profits?

That was a unique effect based on the new tax legislation. Previously, you had to pay 35% tax on all profits that you generated abroad and transferred to the USA. With the new laws, profits could be taxed whether you brought them to the US or not. Assets abroad were subject to a one-off special tax of between 8 and 15.5 percent. Future foreign profits are to be punished with about 10 percent. As a result, many companies have returned their foreign profits to the USA. It was a one-off effect.

Steve, thank you very much for your time and your open answers!

M.Sc. Steve Sanghi

is chairman and CEO of Microchip Technology Inc. He is also the company's founder and first president.

Sanghi was named President of Microchip in August 1990, Chief Executive Officer in October 1991, and Chairman of the Board in October 1993. Prior to joining the Company, he was Vice President of Operations at Waferscale Integration, Inc. another semiconductor company from 1988 to 1990. From 1978 to 1988, Sanghi was with Intel, where he held various management and engineering positions, most recently as general manager of programmable memories.

He holds a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics and Communications from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, India, which he received in 1975.

Together with his wife Maria T. Sanghi, Steve Sanghi is Microchip's fourth largest shareholder and his more than 4,600,000 shares [2] represent nearly 2% of the company's shares and were valued at nearly $350 million at the time this article went to print.

References:

[1]: Quote from the Annual Report of July 12, 2018 on page 77 under the item Our contractual relationships with our customers expose us to risks and liabilities (https://www.microchip.com/sec/annual/FY18/2018%20Proxy%20Statement%20and%20Annual%20Report.pdf):

In order to win important designs, avoid losing business to competitors, maintain existing business, or be permitted to bid on new business, we have been, and may in the future be , forced to agree to uncapped liability for such items as intellectual property infringement, product failure, or confidentiality . Such provisions expose us to risk of liability far exceeding the purchase price of the products we sell under such contracts, the lifetime revenues we receive from such products, or various forms of potential consequential damages.

[2]: Annual Report of 12 July 2018, page 22: https://www.microchip.com/sec/annual/FY18/2018%20Proxy%20Statement%20and%20Annual%20Report.pdf

Relevante Anbieter
Charlie Hebdo attackers arrested in Djibouti

French jihadist Peter Cherif, a known associate of the Kouachi brothers who killed 12 people in the 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris, was arrested in Djibouti.

A suspected jihadi linked to the brothers who carried out the 2015 Charlie Hebdo killings is in French police custody in Djibouti, a law enforcement source told CNN Thursday.

Peter Cherif is allegedly an associate of Cherif and Said Kouachi, who killed 12 people at the satirical publication in Paris in apparent retribution over its portrayal of the Muslim prophet Mohammed in cartoons.

The attack, on January 7, 2015, sparked three days of terror in France as authorities staged an intensive manhunt for the suspects. A total of 17 people were killed.

The attacker will be extradited to France soon, according to the law enforcement source.
Germany: US shouldnt withdraw from Syria

The US sudden change of course on Syria is surprising and risks damaging the fight against Islamic State, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday.

US officials said on Thursday the United States would end its air campaign against Islamic State in Syria when it pulls out troops, sealing an abrupt reversal of policy which has alarmed Western allies as well as Washingtons Kurdish battlefield allies.

"US DECISION IS A CAUSE FOR CONCERN"

Daesh has been pushed back but the threat is not yet over. There is a danger that the consequences of this decision will damage the fight against Daesh and jeopardize the successes already achieved, Maas said.

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said the US decision was a cause for concern and added that the decision did not make it any easier for the United Nations to achieve a good solution for Syria during negotiations on its post-war order.

The president has given his direction but the speed, format and consequences must now be urgently discussed with partners. I assume the Americans wont withdraw in a mad rush but rather be aware of their responsibility not only toward their own troops but also toward others.
Putin praises Turkeys diplomatic manner

Putin hailed the decision by President Trump to withdraw US forces from Syria, calling it right because the US troops were not needed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said he agreed with US President Donald Trump that Daesh terrorist group has been defeated.

"RIGHT THING TO DO"

Putin said that the US announcement it will withdraw its troops from Syria is the right thing to do though he expressed skepticism about whether it will actually take place. He added that he broadly agreed with Trumps view that Daesh has been defeated in Syria. Donalds right and I agree with him, he said at his annual press conference in Moscow on Thursday.

Washington's has come after a phone call between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Donald Trump. Referring to the phone call, "Everything that has followed is implementing the agreement that was made in that call," he added.

"THE ROLE OF ERDOGAN IS GREAT"

Putin said both Turkey and Russia are working for strengthening bilateral relations in different domains, including the fight against terrorism and economy.

"Turkey pursues an independent international policy, we appreciate it very much, this creates predictability and stability of the relations. In this sense, the role of the Turkish president is great. We hope, this tendency will be continued under further leadership of Mr. Erdogan," he said.
Thousands of FETO members sought asylum in EU countries

Germany, Greece among top EU countries where suspected FETO members sought asylum after 2016 coup bid, says Turkish official.

The over 17,000 requests for asylum in EU countries from Turkey since October 2016 are dominated by members of the terrorist group FETO, said Turkish officials on Friday.

Germany and Greece were among the top EU countries where suspected members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, sought asylum after the coup attempt, according to a Turkish official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

THE LARGEST ASYLUM-SEEKER TERRORIST GROUP

Suspected FETO members made up the largest share of asylum-seekers coming from a terrorist group, followed by the terrorist group PKK, the source added. According to the source, before the 2016 coup attempt, there were almost no asylum applications from Turkey to EU countries, but in the two years since, there have been over 17,300, say EU figures.

Currently, the EU lists Turkey among top countries of origin for asylum-seekers along with Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Nigeria, Albania, and Venezuela. The source added that some Turkish citizens who already have residence permits in the EU countries they live in have not applied for asylum.

THE INCREASE COULD HURT THE VISA LIBERATION PROCESS

According to EU statistical authority Eurostat: The stock of pending cases for Turkish applicants has increased considerably over the past six months, with 10,623 open cases at the end of May, increasing to 17,332 pending cases by the end of October.

The increase in the number of Turkish asylum-seekers in EU countries could hurt the visa liberation process between Turkey and the bloc, according to the source. Under an EU-Turkey readmission agreement signed in March 2016, Ankara is supposed to readmit all irregular asylum-seekers who reach Greek islands from Turkey.

Visa liberation for Turkish citizens traveling to Schengen zone countries is one of the key EU pledges made under the deal.
Turkey-EU sign 400M protocol to educate Syrians

The protocol aims to support the integration of Syrian children into Turkish education system.

Turkey's National Education Ministry and the EU delegation signed on Thursday a 400-million protocol on the education of Syrians in the country. The protocol is part of the Project of Supporting Integration of Syrian Children to Turkish Education System (PICTES 2).

MORE THAN 600.000 CHILDREN RECEIVE QUALITY EDUCATION

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Turkish Deputy Minister of Education Reha Denemec said there are 655,000 Syrian children enrolled in the Turkish education system. He said 91 percent Syrian children of primary school age are getting a formal education. "This is a good number, however, the numbers fall in preschool and high school," he said.

Denemec said enrollment falls to 25 percent in high school because children have to contribute to the family income. He added that the PICTES 2 includes measures to prevent dropouts.

EU Ambassador to Turkey Christian Berger said more than 600,000 Syrian children receive a good quality education in Turkey and the EU will continue its support.

Turkey hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, more than any other country in the world. The country has spent more than $32 billion of its own national resources to help and shelter Syrians since the beginning of the Syrian civil war.
Year-end cybersecurity research reports reveal a security threat landscape thats becoming more perilous, particular for Internet of Things (IoT) devices and the rising threat of nation-state actors.

Other cybersecurity issues highlighted in December 2018 research reports include the need for identity and access management, bug bounty programs and vulnerability disclosures. Here are some findings from 7 reports released this month, along with cyber defenses organizations should consider implementing to reduce their risk.

Bugcrowd: Inside the Mind of a Hacker

Bugcrowd is in the business of operating managed bug bounty programs for its customers. With a bug bounty, a security researcher is awarded a financial reward (the bounty) for privately and responsibly disclosing security flaws.

In Bugcrowds Inside the Mind of a Hacker 2018 report, the company revealed that the average bug submission payout in 2018 was $783.38. The report also disclosed that 66 percent of those that participate in bug bounty programs spend up to 10 hours a week looking for flaws. Half of those that identified as bug bounty hunters did so on top of their regular day jobs, as a way to supplement income and as a way to gain experience to land a job in cybersecurity.

There is currently a glut of unfilled cybersecurity positions today, with some reports saying cybercrime will more than triple the number of job openings over the next 5 years, stated Casey Ellis, founder and CTO at Bugcrowd. Bug hunting is a perfect entry point for would-be info security professionals, providing real-world application security experience. Its also a great way for seasoned infosec professionals to hone their skills and supplement their income.

Key takeaway: Consider expanding your cybersecurity resources with a bug bounty program to supplement in-house skills.

Comodo: Global Threat Report 2018 Q3

Comodo released its Global Threat Report 2018 Q3 on Dec. 12, noting to no ones surprise that phishing continues to be a problem for global organizations. According to the report, phishing represents one of every 100 emails received by enterprises. The most phished brands in the quarter included Microsoft (19 percent), PayPal (17 percent) and Google (9.7 percent).

Comodo also identified an increase in malware distribution leading up to major national elections in Turkey, Mali, Sierra Leone, Azerbaijan and Columbia.

It is inescapable that state actors today employ malware and other cyberthreats as both extensions of soft power and outright military weapons, as do their lesser-resourced adversaries in asymmetric response, said Fatih Orhan, VP of Comodo Cybersecurity Threat Research Labs.

Key takeaway: Dont overlook email security. Its not a new threat, but its not a threat thats going away anytime soon either.

Juniper Networks IoT Security

The increasing use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and their security implications is the focus of a report issued this month by Juniper Networks.

The study found that 51 percent of organizations run their IoT application workloads in their private data or control centers, while 36 percent maintained deployments at the network edge and the remainder run their workloads in a public cloud. The top challenge identified by 51 percent of respondents is that it is hard to detect sophisticated IoT threats. 39 percent of respondents noted that maintaining compliance for IoT devices is also a key challenge.

In todays era of sophisticated zero-day attacks, the traditional perimeter-based approach to security is no longer sufficient, stated Laurence Pitt, Strategic Security Director for Juniper Networks. Safeguarding business assets, data and IoT ecosystems must start with the network. This means visibility and protection must be embedded into the network fabric to enable real-time monitoring, detection and remediation and prevent cybercriminals from compromising valuable business information.

Key takeaways: Make sure that your organization has network level visibility into all IoT devices and things to help control and mitigate risk.

McAfee Labs Threats Report December 2018

McAfee Labs Threats Report: December 2018 also found significant issues with IoT security. According to McAfee, new IoT device malware grew by 73 percent in the third quarter, as attackers continue to find ways to infect IoT devices and use them as entry points into organizations.

McAfee noted that while IoT devices typically lack computing power, when linked together, its possible to create unauthorized cryptocurrency mining operations. Overall during the quarter, McAfee reported a 55 percent increase in the volume of cryptomining malware.

Cybercriminals are eager to weaponize vulnerabilities both new and old, and the number of services now available on underground markets has dramatically increased their effectiveness, warned Christiaan Beek, lead scientist at McAfee.

Key takeaway: Have measures in place to identify and block unauthorized cryptocurrency mining.

Morphisec Labs Threat Report

Like McAfees report, the Morphisec Labs Threat Report also found an uptick in cryptocurrency mining malware. According to Morphisec, coin mining malware accounted for 30 percent of attacks in the third quarter.

Morphisec also reported an increase in attacks against the banking industry during the third quarter. Banking Trojans represented 25 percent of all attacks in the third quarter, up from 16.7 percent in the first quarter.

Attacks targeting the banking industry, and specifically payment records and credentials, consistently topped Morphisecs threat list for the second half of 2018, said Michael Gorelik, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Threat Research at Morphisec. Malicious actors utilizing banking trojans to make a quick financial profit are especially dangerous during Q4, as holiday browsing habits make victims more susceptible to threats.

Key takeaways: Take extra precautions and remain vigilant when using banking applications to avoid the risk of being victimized by a banking trojan.

Sailpoint 2018 Identity Report

For enterprises, having technology in place to manage user identity is a foundational element. The Sailpoint 2018 Identity Report found that 54 percent of organizations have some form of program in place to help manage identity.

The challenge is that while many organizations aim to manage identity, only 20 percent of organizations reported that they have visibility of all their users, and 7 percent have no visibility over their users at all. Going a step further, the study found that 88 percent of organizations are not properly governing access to data stored in files as part of an identity and access management program.

The ultimate goal of any identity program is to efficiently deliver access to users, securely and confidently, said Kari Hanson, Vice President of Corporate Marketing at SailPoint. When enterprises are able to see, understand and govern their users access to all business applications and data, they are better protected against potential threats.

Key takeaway: You cant govern what you dont manage, so make sure to have comprehensive identity and access management technology in place.

Tenable Cyber Risks

The need to measure IT operations in order to manage risk is a theme that Tenable picked up on in its Measuring and Managing the Cyber Risks to Business Operations Report.

The report found that 60 percent of organizations globally had suffered two or more business-disrupting cyber events in the last 24 months. Yet despite being a victim, the report found that 54 percent of organization are not measuring the business costs of cyber risk.

Other key challenges outlined in the report include the fact only 29 percent of respondents reported having sufficient visibility into their organizations attack surface. Additionally, 58 percent of respondents admitted that their organizations do not have the staff required to properly scan for vulnerabilities in a timely manner.

In todays digital economy, cyber risk equates to business risk, said Tenable CSO Bob Huber. Its shocking to learn that organizations are suffering business-impacting cyber events yet are struggling to accurately measure the resulting financial cost.

Key takeaways: Cybersecurity isnt just about providing defenses, its also about measuring and understanding risk.

Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eSecurityPlanet and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.
Columbia's Andrea Califano has developed a highly-predictive computer platform that can analyze all tumor types and predict which drug or drugs will be most effective in treating them.

Califano's lab uncovered so-called master regulators in these tumor cells by using advanced data science techniques. They first used a branch of mathematics called "information theory" to identify the genes regulated by every protein in GEP-NET cells, thus establishing a gene regulatory network for this type of tumors. Then they used the VIPER algorithm--a method akin to ray-tracing, i.e., tracing each light ray back from an object's surface to the source that illuminates it. The technique is used by the film industry to render realistic three-dimensional objects. VIPER allowed the team to navigate backward through the gene regulatory networks to identify the specific proteins that physically control the molecular signature of a patient's tumor. These are the critical proteins dubbed master regulators. The Califano Lab and Modlin collaborated on the research with Columbia's Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia's Department of Urology, the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT as well as 17 other research institutions.

"This research represents a first proof of concept for what may become a valuable new tool to deliver an effective and systematic precision-medicine approach to cancer patients," says Califano, the Clyde and Helen Wu Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology and chair of the Department of Systems Biology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). He is also a member of the Data Science Institute's Health Analytics Center at Columbia.

Califano is also part of a research team from CUIMC that recently received a 2018 Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) Challenge Award from the Prostate Cancer Foundation to advance prostate cancer research by studying master regulators that underlay tumor-micro environment interactions in metastatic prostate cancer. The two other principal investigators are Michael Shen and Charles Drake. The three researchers will combine their expertise in systems biology, basic science, immunology, pathology and medicine to develop precision-medicine treatments that target the prostate tumor micro environment.

Califano's lab additionally developed a computational framework, called OncoTreat, that can predict the drug or drugs that inhibit the activity of the master regulators. He says that oftentimes the same cancer-driving proteins - the master regulators - that his team discovered in one cancer type are active in patients with different kinds of cancer, an assessment based on the team's analysis of tumor tissues from more than twenty thousand patients. The tumor tissues were part of the Cancer Genome Atlas repository assembled by the National Cancer Institute. The team has also conducted experiments on mice to determine which of 120 FDA-approved drugs and 340 experimental compounds prove effective against cancer cells by targeting their master-regulator proteins. These experiments also allowed the team to develop the computer-based OncoTreat algorithm, which then recommends treatments for cancer patients based on the specific set of master regulator proteins that drive their tumors. The OncoTreat algorithms as well as VIPER have been validated in a series of papers published by Califano's lab.

Califano's research is garnering national recognition. He was recently elected to the National Academy of Medicine for his work on master regulators. And based on his research findings, the FDA recently approved a clinical trial at Columbia for patients with GEP-NET. During the initial phase of the trial, dozens of patients with this type of neuroendocrine tumors will have their protein levels assessed by Califano's team. His lab will also test a drug, entinostat, that was predicted to accurately target master regulator proteins in about a third of the patients. They'll also seek to identify additional drugs that might help patients lacking those specific master regulators. And in another clinical trial for pancreatic cancer patients, sponsored by the Lustgarten Foundation, his lab will work with CUIMC pancreatic-cancer specialist Kenneth Olive and oncologists in the center to test drugs predicted to be effective by OncoTreat, the only test designed to predict drugs matched to 10 aggressive tumors in patients using the tumor RNA profile. Those tumors include ovarian, breast, pancreas, prostate, bladder and lung cancer, as well as meningioma, sarcoma, glioblastoma and GEP-NETs. The test was co-developed by DarwinHealth, a precision-oncology company that grew out of the Califano Lab and Columbia's Department of Pathology and Cell Biology.

Onco Treat, which received Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certification by the New York State Department of Health, is also being tested in six clinical trials, including an innovative RNA-based "N of 1" study at CUIMC. That study focuses on patients who have rapidly progressing malignancies that have failed to respond to conventional or targeted therapies. The goal of the study is to identify and provide cancer patients with more effective and personalized therapies. And on Dec. 18, 2018, the Xiamen Encheng Group Co., a pharmaceutical services and precision medicine-focused company located in Xiamen City, China, announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with DarwinHealth. Specifically, the Encheng Group will exclusively license the DarwinOncoTarget and DarwinOncoTreat tests as part of a multi-year agreement that will grant Encheng the rights to deploy, evaluate, and market them in the Greater China region, including Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.

Overall, Califano is delighted by the progress his lab has made in analyzing a tumor's regulatory networks, which he says has proved to be a highly promising method for evaluating and treating cancer, "agnostic to its mutational state and even to its typical organ by organ classification."

"Such an approach is especially promising for patients with aggressive tumors that lack actionable DNA mutations," adds Califano. "It will also help patients who fail to respond to targeted inhibitors or immune-checkpoint inhibitors or who relapse following initial response to standard drug treatment. These patients, who unfortunately represent the majority of the aggressive tumor cases, have few if any effective therapeutic options right now. We think OncoTreat will offer oncologists alternatives when they run out of approved therapies - alternatives that are not predicated on educated guesswork but on an increasingly mechanistic understanding of cancer-cell regulation and response to drugs, Ultimately, we hope to make biology a much more precise and truly predictive science for treating cancer."

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A study published in JAMA Network Open showed: nephrologists treat the most complex patients. As ERA-EDTA president Professor Carmine Zoccali explains, kidney patients are highly vulnerable and need special care, but nephrology is a neglected discipline in many European healthcare systems. According to the ERA-EDTA it is time for a better financial funding of nephrology as well as more efforts to raise awareness for kidney disease in the population.

The complexity of patients varies substantially between different medical specialties. This is one of the findings of a Canadian retrospective population-based cohort study, in which more than 2.5 million participants were analysed. Another important finding is that nephrologists treat the most complex patients.

In this study, complexity was defined by nine markers: (1) the number of comorbidities, (2) the presence of mental illness, (3) the number of types of physicians involved, (4) the number of physicians involved, (5) the number of prescribed medications, (6) the number of emergency department visits, (7) the rate of adverse clinical outcomes (death, hospitalisation), (8) the risk of being placed in long-term care, and (9) the risk of death due to all causes. Over the follow-up period of one year 21,792 patients (0.8%) died and 217,920 (8%) were hospitalised.

The study showed that kidney patients had the highest number of comorbidities, the highest number of pills to take and the highest risk of placement in a long-term facility and the highest risk of mortality. They were second (after patients with infectious disease) when it came to number of physicians and the number of types of physicians they saw as well as the average length of their hospital stays.

As the study authors pointed out, payment to healthcare facilities is frequently based on patient volume rather than on patient complexity. In their view, policy makers should account more for the complexity and invest more in the treatment of vulnerable patients.

"This is a very important conclusion", explains ERA-EDTA president Professor Carmine Zoccali. "The study showed that kidney patients are the most complex and vulnerable patients, but in many European health systems nephrology is neglected compared with other medical disciplines. This does not only involve financial funding and infrastructure, but also the image and reputation of nephrology and the public awareness for kidney diseases. Against the background of this studys findings we have to increase our efforts to raise awareness about how to prevent chronic kidney disease."

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Press Contact:

ERA-EDTA PRESS OFFICE

Dr. Bettina Albers

Jakobstrasse 38

99423 Weimar

Germany

Tel. +49 3643/ 7764-23

Fax +49 3643/ 7764-52

[1] Marcello Tonelli et al. Comparison of the Complexity of Patients Seen by Different Medical Subspecialists in a Universal Health Care System. JAMA Netw Open. 2018;1(7):e184852. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.4852

About ERA-EDTA

With more than 11,000 members, the ERA-EDTA ("European Renal Association - European Dialysis and Transplant Association") is one of the biggest nephrology associations worldwide and one of the most important and prestigious European Medical Associations. It supports basic and clinical research in the fields of clinical nephrology, dialysis, renal transplantation and related subjects. It also supports a number of studies as well as research groups and has founded a special "Fellowship Programme" for young investigators as well as grant programmes. In order to involve young nephrologists in all its activities, ERA-EDTA has created the "Young Nephrologists' Platform" (YNP), a very active committee whose board includes members who are 40 years old or younger. In addition, it has established various working groups to promote the collaboration of nephrologists with other medical disciplines (e.g. cardiology, immunology). Furthermore, a "European Renal Best Practice" (ERBP) advisory board was established by the ERA-EDTA to draw up and publish guidelines and position statements. Another important goal of the ERA-EDTA is education: The series of CME courses combined with the annual congress offer an attractive scientific programme to cover the need for continuous medical education for doctors working in the fields of nephrology, dialysis and transplantation. The association's journals, NDT (Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation) and CKJ (Clinical Kidney Journal), are currently the leading nephrology journals in Europe; furthermore NDT-Educational is the Society's online educational journal , with free access for all users, as well as being a very important and useful feature of the NDT-Educational "Literature Review". The ERA-EDTA Registry is a large epidemiologic database comparing countries by assessing nephrology practices throughout Europe. ENP, the European Nephrology Portal, is the latest new initiative of ERA-EDTA, where all those interested in the activities of the Society can find everything that is happening, all in one place. Finally, ERA-EDTA is a member of the European Kidney Health Alliance (EKHA), a consortium of patients, nurses and foundations relating to renal issues that actively interacts with the European Parliament. For more information, please visit http://www.era-edta.org
Feynman diagrams are a powerful tool in condensed matter physics. By turning highly complex equations into sets of simple diagrams, the method has established itself as one of the sharpest tools in a theoretical physicist's toolbox. Giacomo Bighin, a postdoc in the group of Mikhail Lemeshko at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), has now extended the Feynman diagram technique: originally devised for subatomic particles, the simplest objects imaginable, the technique can now work with molecules, far more complex objects. The research, which was published in the journal Physical Review Letters, is expected to drastically simplify the description of molecular rotations in solvents. This brings scientists one step closer to their long-term goal of understanding chemical reactions in solvents at the microscopic level and, potentially, controlling them.

Sometimes when you're stuck on a problem, the solution could be closer than you think, for instance in a different area of the research field you are working in. But thinking across disciplines is difficult and requires a good mix of expertise and an environment that fosters such interdisciplinary collaborations. Giacomo Bighin found such an environment at IST Austria when he, a condensed matter physicist, joined the group of Mikhail Lemeshko, a molecular physicist. The result is a new method for molecular physics, one that can greatly facilitate the description of rotating molecules in solvents and paves the way for eventually controlling their reactions.

"Molecules always rotate, and how they interact with one another depends on their relative orientation. That is, if they hit another molecule with one end, it has a different effect than if they hit it with the other end," explains Mikhail Lemeshko. The orientation of molecules and hence chemical reactions have already been controlled in experiments on molecular gases, but it is quite challenging to do the same in solvents. This is a long-term goal that Mikhail Lemeshko and his group are working towards, one step at a time. The step they have just taken is about being better able to describe the rotation of a molecule in a solvent--a prerequisite for eventually controlling reactions in this environment.

Transferring the method, however, was not easy. "Feynman diagrams work for point-like particles such electrons. Point-like means that they are not affected by rotations: if you rotate an electron, it looks exactly the same as before. Molecules, on the other hand, are more complex and can rotate and change their orientation in space" explains Giacomo Bighin. In order to transfer the method from electrons to molecules, he had to develop a new formalism. Previously, it was not known if it would even work for molecules, and adapting the method took Bighin more than a year. Now the formalism is ready to use in chemical problems.

"We expect that people from a more molecular background will see that it is now possible to study molecules in this way. The technique delivers extremely precise results in condensed matter physics, and it has the potential to achieve the same accuracy in molecular simulations," Lemeshko adds.

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About IST Austria

The Institute of Science and Technology (IST Austria) is a PhD-granting research institution located in Klosterneuburg, 18 km from the center of Vienna, Austria. Inaugurated in 2009, the Institute is dedicated to basic research in the natural and mathematical sciences. IST Austria employs professors on a tenure-track system, postdoctoral fellows, and doctoral students. While dedicated to the principle of curiosity-driven research, the Institute owns the rights to all scientific discoveries and is committed to promote their use. The first president of IST Austria is Thomas A. Henzinger, a leading computer scientist and former professor at the University of California in Berkeley, USA, and the EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland. The graduate school of IST Austria offers fully-funded PhD positions to highly qualified candidates with a bachelor's or master's degree in biology, neuroscience, mathematics, computer science, physics, and related areas. http://www.ist.ac.at
Bottom Line: An estimated 40 to 54 million Google searches for sexual harassment and assault were recorded in the United States in the eight months after public accusations against film producer Harvey Weinstein and the ensuing #MeToo movement. Searches related to reporting and preventing such actions also were up based on the results of a study that monitored and analyzed search activity.

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Authors: John W. Ayers, Ph.D., M.A., of the University of California, San Diego, and coauthors

To Learn More: The full study is available on the For The Media website.

(doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.5094)

Editor's Note: The article contains funding/support disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Journal JAMA Internal Medicine

Links will be live at the embargo time http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.5094
Bees can solve seemingly clever counting tasks with very small numbers of nerve cells in their brains, according to researchers at Queen Mary University of London.

In order to understand how bees count, the researchers simulated a very simple miniature 'brain' on a computer with just four nerve cells - far fewer than a real bee has.

The 'brain' could easily count small quantities of items when inspecting one item closely and then inspecting the next item closely and so on, which is the same way bees count. This differs from humans who glance at all the items and count them together.

In this study, published in the journal iScience, the researchers propose that this clever behaviour makes the complex task of counting much easier, allowing bees to display impressive cognitive abilities with minimal brainpower.

Previous studies have shown bees can count up to four or five items, can choose the smaller or the larger number from a group and even choose 'zero' against other numbers when trained to choose 'less'.

They might have achieved this not by understanding numerical concepts, but by using specific flight movements to closely inspect items which then shape their visual input and simplifies the task to the point where it requires minimal brainpower.

This finding demonstrates that the intelligence of bees, and potentially other animals, can be mediated by very small nerve cells numbers, as long as these are wired together in the right way.

The study could also have implications for artificial intelligence because efficient autonomous robots will need to rely on robust, computationally inexpensive algorithms, and could benefit from employing insect-inspired scanning behaviours.

Lead author Dr Vera Vasas, from Queen Mary University of London, said: "Our model shows that even though counting is generally thought to require high intelligence and large brains, it can be easily done with the smallest of nerve cell circuits connected in the right manner. We suggest that using specific flight movements to scan targets, rather than numerical concepts, explains the bees' ability to count. This scanning streamlines the visual input and means a task like counting requires little brainpower.

"Careful examination of the actual inspection strategies used by animals might reveal that they often employ active scanning behaviours as shortcuts to simplify complex visual pattern discrimination tasks. Hopefully, our work will inspire others to look more closely not just at what cognitive tasks animals can solve, but also at how they are solving them."

Brain size matters a lot when it comes to bees. They have only one million nerve cells in total, so they have precious little brainpower, and must implement very efficient computational algorithms to solve tasks. In comparison, humans have 86 billion nerve cells which are responsible for receiving information and sending commands.

To model the input to the brain, the authors analysed the point of view of a bee as it flies close to the countable objects and inspects them one-by-one.

The results showed the simulated brain was able to make reliable estimates on the number of items on display when provided with the actual visual input that the bee is receiving while carrying out the task.

Professor Lars Chittka, also from Queen Mary University of London and leader of the team in which the study was performed, added: "These findings add to the growing body of work showing that seemingly intelligent behaviour does not require large brains, but can be underpinned with small neural circuits that can easily be accommodated into the microcomputer that is the insect brain".

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When hydropower runs low in a drought, western states tend to ramp up power generation - and emissions - from fossil fuels. According to a new study from Stanford University, droughts caused about 10 percent of the average annual carbon dioxide emissions from power generation in California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington between 2001 and 2015.

"Water is used in electricity generation, both directly for hydropower and indirectly for cooling in thermoelectric power plants," said climate scientist Noah Diffenbaugh, the Kara J. Foundation professor in Stanford's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences (Stanford Earth) and senior author of the study. "We find that in a number of western states where hydropower plays a key role in the clean energy portfolio, droughts cause an increase in emissions as natural gas or coal-fired power plants are brought online to pick up the slack when water for hydropower comes up short."

The study, published Dec. 21 in Environmental Research Letters, shows emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides - air pollutants that can irritate lungs and contribute to acid rain and smog - also increased in some states as a result of droughts. Some of the largest increases in sulfur dioxide took place in Colorado, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The largest increases in nitrogen oxides occurred in California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Challenges to going carbon-free

In total, the researchers found drought-induced shifts in energy sources led to an additional 100 million tons of carbon dioxide across 11 western states between 2001 and 2015. That's like adding 1.4 million vehicles per year to the region's roadways. The power sector in California, which has a mandate to go carbon-free by 2045, contributed around 51 million tons to the total. Washington, where the legislature is expected in January 2019 to consider a proposal to eliminate fossil fuels from electricity generation by 2045, contributed nearly 22 million tons.

"For California, Oregon and Washington, which generate a lot of hydropower, the drought-induced increases in carbon dioxide emissions represent substantial fractions of their Clean Power Plan targets," said postdoctoral researcher Julio Herrera-Estrada, lead author of the study. Enacted in 2015, the Clean Power Plan established nationwide limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The policy has been rolled back under the Trump administration, but according to Herrera-Estrada, it remains a valuable benchmark for targets that states or the federal government may eventually set for the electricity sector.

Western states in recent years have suffered the kind of intense droughts that scientists expect to become more common in many regions around the world as global warming continues. The new research suggests that failure to prepare for the emissions impact of these droughts could make achieving climate and air quality goals more difficult.

"To have reliable and clean electricity, you have to make sure you have an energy portfolio that's diverse, such that low-emissions electricity sources are able to kick in during a drought when hydropower cannot fully operate," Herrera-Estrada said.

Assessing the West

The western United States offers an ideal testing ground for understanding relationships between droughts and emissions from the power sector. In addition to plentiful data from recent droughts, the researchers could examine how emissions change with different types of backup power plants because states across the region have a wide variety of energy mixes.

Colorado, for example, tends to ramp up coal-fired power plants when hydropower dwindles, while California and Idaho increase generation from natural gas. Oregon, Washington and Wyoming tend to increase both. Wyoming and Montana increase coal generation in part so that they can export the electricity to surrounding states that are also experiencing declines due to drought.

"For decades, people have been looking at the impacts of droughts on food security and agriculture," Herrera-Estrada said. "We're less aware of exactly how droughts impact the energy sector and pollutant emissions in a quantitative and systematic way."

Previous efforts to understand how drought affects electricity have mostly relied on models of power plants, which require researchers to make assumptions about factors such as the plants' efficiencies and decisions about how water resources are allocated. For the current paper, the scientists analyzed statistics reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

According to Herrera-Estrada, the new study can help validate existing models, which can then be used to gain a more complete picture of the risks associated with droughts and to inform efforts to tamp down drought-induced emissions.

Far beyond the American West, droughts may drive similar emission increases in places that normally rely heavily on hydropower and turn to natural gas, coal or petroleum when waterways run low.

"Other parts of the world depend on hydropower even more than the western U.S.," said Diffenbaugh, who is also Kimmelman Family senior fellow at Stanford's Woods Institute for the Environment. "Our results suggest that hydro-dependent regions may need to consider not only primary generation but also backup generation in order to meet emissions reduction targets, such as those in the UN Paris Agreement."

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Diffenbaugh is also an affiliate of the Precourt Institute for Energy. Co-authors on the paper are affiliated with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg, Austria, Princeton University and the University of Southampton, in Southampton, United Kingdom.

The work was funded by the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship, NOAA, the Department of Energy and Stanford University.
While examining a skull from an ancient burial ground in a pre-Columbian village in Panama, Nicole Smith-Guzman, bioarchaeologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), was surprised to discover an example of surfers' ear: a small, bony bump in the ear canal common among surfers, kayakers and free divers in cold climates. After inspecting more skulls, she concluded that a select group of male divers--perhaps looking for pearls and oyster shells coveted for jewelry making, may have lived along Panama's Pacific coast long ago.

"Bone is a dynamic tissue that responds to external stimuli, so changes in bone structure provide great clues about where and how a person lived and died," Smith-Guzman said. "When I looked at an additional 125 skulls from nine burial sites across Panama, I found seven cases of surfers' ear in males and one in a female skull, all from sites near the Gulf of Panama."

No one really understands exactly how the bony growths, technically called exostoses, form. But the skin is thin in the ear canal and the accepted theory is that cold water or cold temperatures caused by wind and water make the bone react by growing extra layers, similar to the way bone spurs form on the feet and in other places where there is constant irritation or stress. Almost half of the members of a swimming club in England had surfer's ear according to a report cited in the study.

Unlike most tropical countries where seawater is warm, water temperature in the Gulf of Panama plummets between January and April when strong trade winds from the north force warm surface water out into the Pacific and colder, deep water rises to the surface to replace it. This deep, nutrient-rich water feeds tiny sea organisms, which in turn are eaten by fish and whales. The Gulf becomes an extraordinarily productive fishing ground supporting a thriving fishing industry and attracting dolphins, sharks and other top-of-the-food-chain animals.

Years ago, when co-author Richard Cooke, zooarchaeologist at STRI, unearthed a male skeleton with surfer's ear in Sitio Sierra, near Aguadulce in Panama, he was a STRI post-doctoral student with only rudimentary knowledge of physical anthropology. But he collected all of the human remains he found, enabling Nicole-Smith Guzman to reexamine them 43 years later.

Cooke spent much of his career studying ancient fishing practices. He found that Panama's pre-Columbian peoples fished from boats all along both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Panama. If fishing alone put people at higher risk for surfer's ear, then more cases of the bony growth would be present at all of the sites, but all of the examples came from areas near the Gulf.

"We think it more likely that diving in the cold waters of the Gulf caused these cases of surfer's ear," Smith-Guzman said. "Silvery mother-of-pearl ornaments, and orange and purple ones from two large 'thorny' oysters in the Spondylus genus were common in burials and comprised an important trade item in the region. Some of these shells wash up on beaches, but by the time Vasco Nunez de Balboa and other Spanish explorers arrived, their chronicles tell us that expert divers were trained from childhood to dive down to four fathoms to retrieve pearl oysters of desirable large size."

The Spanish encouraged this industry and for many years, Panama was known for its pirates and pearls, including La Peregrina, the largest pearl known at the time it was found.

The team also ruled out fungal or bacterial ear infections common in the tropics that sometimes cause bone deformations: most of the skulls affected were from males, and infections should occur in both male and females at about the same rate. From the evidence they have so far, it looks like mostly males were involved in whatever activity caused surfer's ear in Panama. In another study, archaeologists in the Canary Islands found roughly equal numbers of cases of surfer's ear in ancient male and female skulls, suggesting that aquatic activities there were not restricted to one gender.

"I spoke to one ear, nose and throat specialist in Panama and she has never seen a case of surfer's ear here, but we want to do a follow-up study in which we look at skulls from a much wider area and also do a survey of doctors in Panama to find out if surfers or divers ever show up with surfer's ear these days," Smith-Guzman said.

Surfer's ear is an intriguing subject that archaeologists, anthropologists and medical doctors have explored for more than a century. Although the exact causes of this phenomenon is still debated, these bony growths offer important clues into the cultural activities, gendered division of labor and environmental conditions in the past.

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The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, headquartered in Panama City, Panama, is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The Institute furthers the understanding of tropical biodiversity and its importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems.

Reference: Smith-Guzman, N., Cooke, R. 2018. Cold-water diving in the tropics? External auditory exotoses among the Pre-Colombian inhabitants of Panama. American Journal of Physical Anthropology
WASHINGTON -- For the first time, researchers have used tiny gears made of germanium to generate a vortex of twisted light that turns around its axis of travel much like a corkscrew. Because germanium is compatible with the silicon used to make computer chips, the new light source could be used to boost the amount of data that can be transmitted with chip-based optical computing and communication.

The researchers, from the University of Southampton in the U.K., and University of Tokyo, Toyohashi University of Technology and Hitachi Ltd., all in Japan, describe the new light-emitting gears in The Optical Society (OSA) journal Optics Express. With a radius of one micron or less, 250,000 of the gears could be packed into just one square millimeter of a computer chip.

There is a great deal of interest in generating light that is twisted, or has orbital angular momentum, because of its advantages for communications and computing. Today, light is used to carry information by varying the number of photons emitted or switching between light's two polarization states. With twisted light, each twist can represent a different value or letter, allowing the encoding of a great deal more information using less light.

"Our new microgears hold the potential for a laser that can be integrated on a silicon substrate-- the last component needed to create an integrated optical circuit on a computer," said the paper's first author Abdelrahman Al-Attili, from the University of Southampton. "These tiny optical-based circuits use twisted light to transmit large amounts of data."

Using strain to improve light emission

It has been impossible to make a usable miniaturized light source on silicon, the material commonly used to make computer chips and associated components, because the material's properties led to poor light-generating efficiency. Although germanium has similar limitations, applying strain by stretching it can improve its light emission efficiency.

"Previously, the strain that could be applied to germanium was not large enough to efficiently create light without degrading the material," said Al-Attili. "Our new microgear design helps overcome this challenge."

The new design features microgears that are freestanding at the edges so that they can be stretched by an oxide film deposited over the structures. This allows tensile strain to be applied without breaking the germanium's crystal structure. The gears stand on a silicon pedestal that connects it to the top of the silicon substrate and allows heat to dissipate during operation.

To demonstrate their new design, the researchers used electron beam lithography to fabricate the very fine physical features that form the gears' teeth. They then illuminated the gears with a standard green laser that did not emit twisted light. After the microgear absorbed the green light it generates its own photons that are circulated around the edges forming twisted light that is reflected vertically out of the gear by the periodic teeth.

Precision optical simulations

The researchers tested and tweaked their design using computer simulations that model the way light propagates in the gears over nanoseconds or even shorter time periods. By comparing the prototype's light emission with computer simulation results, they were able to confirm that the gears generated twisted light.

"We can precisely design our device to control the number of rotations per propagation wavelength and the wavelength of the emitted light," said Al-Attili.

The researchers are now working to further improve the efficiency of light emission from the germanium microgears. If successful, this technology would make it possible to integrate thousands of lasers onto a silicon chip for transmitting information.

"Silicon fabrication technologies that were developed to make electronic devices can now be applied to make various optical devices," said Al-Attili. "Our microgears are just one example of how these capabilities can be used to make nano- and microscale devices."

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This research is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Paper: A. Z. Al-Attili, D. Burt, Z. Li, N. Higashitarumizu, F. Y. Gardes, K. Oda, Y. Ishikawa, S. Saito, "Germanium vertically light-emitting micro-gears generating orbital angular momentum," Opt. Express, 26, 26, 34675-34688 (2018). DOI: * https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.26.034675.

About Optics Express

Optics Express reports on new developments in all fields of optical science and technology every two weeks. The journal provides rapid publication of original, peer-reviewed papers. It is published by The Optical Society and edited by Andrew M. Weiner of Purdue University. Optics Express is an open-access journal and is available at no cost to readers online at: OSA Publishing.

About The Optical Society

Founded in 1916, The Optical Society (OSA) is the leading professional organization for scientists, engineers, students and business leaders who fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate achievements in the science of light. Through world-renowned publications, meetings and membership initiatives, OSA provides quality research, inspired interactions and dedicated resources for its extensive global network of optics and photonics experts. For more information, visit osa.org.

Media Contact: mediarelations@osa.org
The worlds largest deposit of iron ore is the Bakchar deposit located in Western Siberia, Russia. Its proven reserves are over 28 billion tons. Scientists search for an answer to a global question: Where from and how was there the accumulation of a huge amount of iron. Researchers propose the origin of the Bakchar ironstone deposit by upward migration of a mixture of Fe-rich brine and hydrothermal fluid through marine sediments.

Scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University together with colleagues from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay refute a widespread theory that iron in such kind of deposits came into the sea from the eroded mountainous areas of the ancient continents. According to their last article published in the journal Marine and Petroleum Geology, the emissions of solutions containing iron, breaking through the seabed could be the source of iron.

95 million years ago, there was a shallow warm sea there. The Bakchar ironstone deposit is considered the most promising in the West Siberia iron ore basin which is in turn world's largest deposit.

However, to date, there is no ore mining at the deposit.

As.Prof. Maksim Rudmin from the TPU Geology Department, a co-author of the article says: 'This geological object is truly unique by scale. There is no precise answer yet where such great amount of iron came from. The oolit iron deposits were formed 90 to 56 million years ago within the ancient sea in quiet seashore conditions. The most common theory claims that iron was transported into the sea by the erosion of ancient mountainous areas by the river systems. A careful study of the geological situation and ore samples from the deposit allows us to disagree with it.'

The scientists argue that firstly, currently there are no traces of giant sources of iron in the regions which were eroded in the period when the deposit was formed. Secondly, no major intermediate deposits were found in the areas of ancient rivers that should have transported iron. Thirdly, the coastline of the ancient sea repeatedly shifted while the Bakchar deposit was formed at a certain location, though its borders also had to shift and stretch.

'These are just some counterarguments. If the source of iron is not in the ancient continent then where? We believe that a promising direction for search is the deep parts of the sediment basin. That is the source of iron can be under the deposit itself. Firstly, in the ore we found iron, lead, zinc, silver, copper sulphides, mineral forms of arsenic, mercury and barium sulphates, which are closely associated with iron-containing minerals. These minerals are not stable, river water could not bring them, and they would dissolve during such a travel. Secondly, we identified the features of distribution and relationship of a number of rare metals, for example, nickel, cobalt, lead, zinc, copper, molybdenum, arsenic, vanadium which are observed in other marine ferrous sediments on the planet, exposed to emissions of hydrothermal solutions through sea or ocean bed,'

Explains the scientist.

In addition, the researchers found the inclusion of methane bubbles in the ore. In their opinion, this could occur if in this area there were upward methane fluxes from the bottom through the sediments.

'It is possible that different elements, including iron, could have come together with methane and water. Thus, in the ore samples, we found mineral forms of metals that accompany ore accumulation, i.e. lead and zinc sulfides (galena and wurtzite), lead selenide (claustite), cobalt and nickel arsenide and others. Their origin is beyond doubt. They got in the ore via the emission of gas-liquid fluids from the underlying layers,' says Maksim Rudmin.

If further research of the West Siberian Iron Ore Basin confirms the theory of the TPU scientists, this will make it possible to take a fresh look at the exploration methods both for similar iron deposits and genetically related minerals. These include, for example, lead and zinc deposits that are significant for industry.

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We are constantly exposed to the facial expressions of the people around us, expressions that reflect their emotions. But do we interpret them correctly? And do we trust our own judgment? This trust is essential for avoiding misunderstandings or even potentially dangerous situations. That is the reason why researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG), Switzerland, have been testing how confident we feel when judging other people's emotions, and what areas of the brain are used. These results - which you can read all about in the journal Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience - demonstrate that beliefs of our own emotional interpretation stem directly from the experiences stored in our memory. In other words, our past life influences our interpretations... and sometimes leads us astray.

Our daily decisions come with a degree of confidence, yet confidence doesn't always go hand in hand with decision's accuracy. We are sometimes wrong even when we are entirely confident in having taken the right decision - as, for instance, when making a poor investment on the stock market. The same goes for our social interactions: we are constantly interpreting the expressions on the faces of those around us, and the belief we have in our own interpretations is paramount. "Take the case of Trayvon Martin in the US, which is a perfect illustration of this," suggests Indrit Begue, a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Psychiatry in UNIGE's Faculty of Medicine and a doctor in the Adult Psychiatry Service in the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health at HUG. "Trayvon was a 17-year-old African-American teenager who was shot dead by George Zimmerman, despite being unarmed. Zimmerman thought the young boy "looked suspicious", an altercation broke out with the fatal outcome that we're all familiar with." But why was Zimmerman so sure that Martin "looked suspicious" and thus, was dangerous, when all he was actually doing was waiting in front of his father's house? It is in an attempt to answer this type of question that the UNIGE and HUG researchers were so keen to test the level of confidence we have in our interpretations of the emotional behaviour of others, and to discover which areas of the brain are activated during these interpretations.

Emotion recognition: overconfidently wrong

The scientists decided to measure confidence-related behaviour by asking 34 participants to judge emotional faces displaying a mix of happy and angry emotions, with each face being framed by two horizontal bars of varying thickness. Some of the faces were very clearly happy or angry, while others were highly ambiguous. The participants first had to define what emotion was represented on each of the 128 faces that flashed up. They, then, had to choose which of the two bars was thicker. Finally, for every decision they made, participants had to indicate their level of confidence in their choice on a scale ranging from 1 (not at all sure) to 6 (certain). "The bars were used to evaluate their confidence in visual perception, which has already been studied in depth. Here it served as a control mechanism," says Patrik Vuilleumier, a professor in UNIGE's Department of fundamental neurosciences.

The results of the tests surprised the researchers, to say the least. "Strikingly, the average level of confidence in emotional recognition was higher (5.88 points) than for visual perception (4.95 points), even though participants made more errors in emotional recognition (79 % correct answers) than with the lines (82% correct answers)!" says Indrit.

In fact, learning emotional recognition is not as easy as for perception: our interlocutors may be ironic, lying or prevented from expressing their facial emotions due to social conventions - if their boss is present, for instance. It follows that it is more difficult to correctly calibrate our confidence in recognising other people's emotions in the absence of any feedback. In addition, we have to interpret an expression very quickly because it is fleeting. So, we feel that our first impression is the right one, and trust our judgment about an angry face or mouth. On the other hand, judging perception may be more attentive and benefits from direct feedback about its accuracy. If there is hesitation, confidence is lower than for emotions, because we know that we can easily be wrong and be contradicted.

Confidence based on memory

As for the brain correlates, the UNIGE and HUG researchers examined the neural mechanisms during this process of confidence on one's emotional recognition by providing participants with a functional MRI. "When the participants judged the lines, the perception (visual areas) and attention (frontal areas) zones were activated. But when assessing confidence in recognising emotions, areas linked to autobiographical and contextual memory lit up, such as the parahippocampal gyrus and the retrosplenial/posterior cingulate cortex," points out professor Vuilleumier. This demonstrates that brain systems storing personal and contextual memories are directly involved in beliefs on emotional recognition, and that they determine the accuracy of the interpretation of facial expressions and the trust placed in them. "The fact that past experiences are so fundamental to govern our confidence may cause problems in our day-to-day life, because they can skew our judgment, as happened in the Trayvon Martin case, when Zimmerman didn't see just an impatient young man waiting outside his home, but an angry black man lurking in front of a house," explains Indrit. "That's why it's crucial to give feedback about our emotions early on, so we can teach children to interpret them correctly."

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Hundreds of new genes linked to blindness and other vision disorders have been identified in a screen of mouse strains. Many of these genes are likely important in human vision and the results could help identify new causes of hereditary blindness in patients. The work is published Dec. 21 in Nature Communications Biology.

"This is extremely valuable for people with hereditary eye disease," said Ala Moshiri, associate professor of ophthalmology and vision science in the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine and Eye Center. "The whole ophthalmic community is going to start using these data."

The results are the latest to come from the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium, of which UC Davis' Mouse Biology Program is a founding member. The goal of the consortium is to identify a function for every gene in the mouse genome, by creating lines of "knockout" mice that lack a single specific gene and screening them for their effects. Consortium researchers have previously identified a set of genes essential to life, genes linked to deafness and even those linked to hereditary bad breath.

To date, the consortium has generated more than 7,000 strains of gene-knockout mice, of which 4,364 have been characterized across 11 organ systems.

"The data being generated by the IMPC is accelerating the application of genomics in clinical medicine," said Kent Lloyd, director of the UC Davis Mouse Biology Program and principal investigator of the Knockout Mouse Production and Phenotyping (KOMP2) project at UC Davis.

261 new genes linked to blindness

The team led by Bret Moore, resident at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, Moshiri and colleagues combed the consortium database for genes linked to eye and vision defects. They identified 347 genes, of which 86 were either well-established as involved in eye disease or were associated with vision in some way. Three-quarters of the genes -- 261 -- were not previously known to cause eye disease in any species.

"In 2018, if someone has a form of hereditary blindness, we can identify the cause 50 to 75 percent of the time," Moshiri said. "In the remaining cases, we know the mutation is there but we don't know where to look. Now eye centers that do DNA sequencing can call back patients and screen them for these new genes."

While the mouse and human genomes clearly differ, most human genes have an analogous counterpart in mice. The UC Davis team is collaborating with eye centers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and the University of Iowa to check the newly identified mouse genes against their human equivalents, Moshiri said.

The new genetic information could also enable new therapies for hereditary eye disease. In 2017, the FDA approved the first gene therapy for any disease -- treating hereditary blindness caused by a defect in the retinal gene RPE65.

"We expect that more and more of these genetic diseases will be treatable," Moshiri said.

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The research in this paper was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Medical Research Council in the U.K. Additional support came from Research for Preventing Blindness, the International Retinal Research Foundation and the government of Canada.

UC Davis authors in addition to Moore, Moshiri and Lloyd are: Brian Leonard, Lionel Sebbag, Sydney Edwards, Ann Cooper, Denise Imai, Christopher Reilly, Stephen Griffey, Lynette Bower, David Clary and Sara Thomasy. Other authors were from institutions including the MRC Harwell Institute, U.K.; European Molecular Biology Laboratory, and The Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge, U.K.; Universite de Strasbourg, France; The Centre for Phenogenomics, The Hospital for Sick Children and Mt. Sinai Hospital, Toronto; Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine; Nanjing University, China; RIKEN BioResource Center, Tsukuba, Japan; Queen Mary University of London; Seoul National University, South Korea; CNR Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Italy; and German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
Ellen Hartigan-O'Connor and Lisa Materson of the University of California, Davis, collaborators in research and teaching of women's and gender history for 10 years, were keenly aware of many fascinating stories about women in history, as uncovered by female historians.

But getting those stories into the big narratives of history was more than one or two people could accomplish.

Then Oxford University Press asked the UC Davis scholars, both associate professors of history in the College of Letters and Science, to create a women's history handbook.

Oxford publishes definitive handbooks on hundreds of academic subjects, but none had been done on women in American history. So Hartigan-O'Connor and Materson took on the project, determined to showcase not only women's and gender history, but also the scholars whose intellectual innovation continues to bring women's stories to life.

In a process that included a conference at UC Davis, Hartigan-O'Connor and Materson discussed, sought, collected and edited dozens of historians' essays on topics ranging from slavery to politics.

The resulting book came out in October: The Oxford Handbook of American Women's and Gender History.

The essays illustrate the history of an entire continent through women and their ideas about gender: migration, colonialism, warfare, free and unfree labor, incarceration, sexuality, race, music, and women in the work force, in politics and in motherhood. As the first sentence of the book's introduction proclaims: "Half of the people who have lived in North America and the United States have been women."

Materson and Hartigan-O'Connor introduce the volume of 29 essays by explaining that female historians in previous generations "trained themselves and each other within university departments that were teaching history as defined and dominated by men ... and as a result pioneered alternative methodologies and perspectives.

"This book continues their innovations, by presenting new chronologies, transnational themes, and the integration of histories about diverse women's lives with the history of ideas about gender and their consequences."

Timely publication From the time of their conference four years ago, Materson and Hartigan-O'Connor knew the handbook would be relevant in today's society. But they had no idea how timely its publication in the fall of 2018 would be -- amid the "MeToo" anti-sexual assault movement and during the run-up to the midterm elections in which women made historic gains.

"The handbook appears at a time when Americans are interested in understanding more about women and gender," Materson said in a recent interview. "There is an urgency; it's so important for people to learn U.S. women's and gender history. There is direct relevance to our contemporary world."

The editors, seizing on the timing of publication, wrote an article for the History News Network after confirmation hearings on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to be an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. In "What Historians Could Teach Senators on the Judiciary Committee," Materson and Hartigan-O'Connor make the point that women's history is often written from archives that have critical gaps.

"The archive is shaped by those who preserve it: Notes can be filed or shredded. Calendars can be preserved or tossed. And whispered confidences can go unrecorded," they wrote.

"Multiple institutions control who gets to interpret."

With their new work, Materson and Hartigan-O'Connor have even more well-researched articles to cite and assign in "Women and Gender in America," a two-quarter course on the period before 1865 and from 1865 to present.

UC authors throughout the book Nine, or nearly a third of the essays, are penned by UC authors, including Lorena Oropeza, a UC Davis history professor. Said Hartigan-O'Connor: "This just shows the long-standing important role UC plays in training and hiring scholars of women's and gender history."

Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, professor and chair of Asian American studies at UC Irvine, said she was honored that the authors asked her to write an essay on some dimensions of the history of feminism. "The essay allowed me to explore the political, economic and sexual dimensions of U.S. feminisms, exploring the significance as well as limitations of these movements and ideas by foregrounding the agency and experiences of women commonly considered marginal to the U.S. nation-state," she said.

Sharon Block, a professor of history at UC Irvine, said the editors approached her with the idea of writing a history of sexual violence across all of American history. "This gave me a wonderful opportunity to link my interests in combating modern-day sexual harassment to my historical knowledge. Especially in this Me Too era, it's crucial for us to understand the ways that sexual violence and coercion grow out of intersecting racial, colonial and gendered power inequities across time and place."

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Additional Information: Publisher's site and book description. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-american-womens-and-gender-history-9780190222628?cc=us&lang=en&
Why are there not more mass demonstrations across the United States with a president as controversial as Donald Trump? The President's thoughts, tariffs, and tweets affect global economies, societies, and sensibilities. Amid all the anger, frustration, and unfairness felt by large sections of the American public, the lack of street demonstrations is surprising.

In "The Deprivation-Protest Paradox: How the Perception of Unfair Economic Inequality Leads to Civic Unrest," published in the December issue of Current Anthropology, Seamus Power illustrates how the tipping point at which tolerance for hardship and injustice turns into civic discontent in the form of street demonstrations could be reached and how it might be closer than it seems.

Power's article describes how the Irish people tolerated economic hardship following the collapse of the Great Recession, but counterintuitively began protesting during a recovery which was unequally felt after a new tax on water was introduced. But there's nothing particularly Irish about the Irish case.

Danny Dorling of Oxford University argues that suppressed, denigrated, or ignored voices build disgruntlement and breed frustration. Symbols can embody injustices (Wagoner, Aalborg University) and technology can spread these images (Jindra, Boston University). But it is comparison by comparing your lot in life with those of other groups, and perceiving that you are disadvantaged, that leads to anger and the possibility of protest. This finding explains why there were mass protests on Irish streets during an economic upturn: people expected to reap the benefits of an improving economy. But it was the rich, not the rest, who disproportionately benefitted from the upturn. A new water tax added insult to injury. Mike Norton and Serena Hegarty from Harvard Business School summarize the premise when they stated, "While periods of austerity may cause hardship, heightened awareness of inequality in the restoration period--and the shifting reference points that recovery engenders--can lead to the strongest reactions from citizens."

The lessons for the United States are stark: the perception of unfair economic growth can lead to mass demonstrations. Trump gained supporters during his presidential race by highlighting workers in the Rust Belt who got left behind during Obama's recovery. People expect to reap the benefits of voting for him, meaning they expect to benefit from economic growth. But the recent closure of manufacturing plants, and the resultant loss of jobs, can be the tinder for popular demonstrations against the president. In addition to prevalent and widespread sense of anger from many sectors of the population, the growing disgruntlement of voters who supported Trump, only to see their expectations and perceptions of fairness violated as economic promises are broken, can push towards the tipping point of civic discontent and mass protests.

It is not just objective economic conditions, but people's subjective understandings of them, that matter. This might seem paradoxical. But history of filled with these paradoxes. People take to the streets when the gap between their expectations and lived realities becomes too great. In the United States, as in Ireland, the surprising lack of street demonstrations does not mean there isn't tinder that is ready to ignite.

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A UTEP professor's momentous year will close with a monumental honor.

Jorge A. Lopez, Ph.D., the Schumaker Professor in The University of Texas at El Paso's Department of Physics, has been named a recipient of the lifetime achievement in mentoring award as part of the 2018 Nature Awards for Mentoring in Science. The honor -- given by Nature, the world's leading multidisciplinary science journal -- was formally presented Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, during a ceremony on the UTEP campus.

"We are truly delighted that Professor Jorge Lopez has received this prestigious lifetime award from the international science journal, Nature," said UTEP President Diana Natalicio. "For the past 29 years, UTEP students have benefited from the mentorship of this dedicated and innovative educator. A native of Cd. Juarez, Mexico, who is proud to have earned two UTEP degrees, Dr. Lopez has successfully applied what he learned during his personal educational and career trajectory to profoundly impact the UTEP students who are following in his footsteps. All of us at UTEP celebrate this well-deserved recognition of Dr. Lopez's fine work, and we extend to him our congratulations and appreciation for his commitment to UTEP and the students we serve."

Sir Philip Campbell, editor-in-chief of Springer Nature, which publishes Nature and other science publications, lauded Lopez, one of two recipients of this year's lifetime achievement honors announced by the publication. They are joined by two mid-career award recipients.

"I am delighted at the achievements of our awards winners, including Dr. Lopez, and I am especially delighted this year at the diversity of their experiences and of their commitments to mentoring," Campbell said. "I know that the judges had a strong field of applicants. It's terrific for Nature to be able to celebrate researchers who have been so outstanding in their encouragement of a strong scientific ethos in those who come after them."

Lopez said he is elated to be named a recipient of the award. He maintains that any recognition of his efforts is a tribute to the work of the students with whom he has been associated.

"I am humbled and honored to be named a recipient of this award," Lopez said. "This is a testament to the far-reaching impact of students I have had the privilege to mentor. I have been fortunate to be able to contribute to many students' lives and am always amazed to see them reach milestones in their professional lives. I hope this award can serve as an example of the importance of mentors and showcase the caliber of faculty members that work at UTEP."

Nature established the mentor awards in 2005 to recognize the vital importance of mentorship in the research process throughout the world. The awards for outstanding scientific mentorship focus on a specific country or region each year. In 2018, the publication focused on mentors from the South of the United States.

"I have enormous admiration for Jorge Lopez as a faculty member and a truly inspirational mentor," said Robert Kirken, Ph.D., dean of the College of Science. "Throughout the evolution of our campus, Jorge has dedicated himself to students with an unflinching commitment to guide and inspire their academic and professional dreams. I feel intense gratitude for this award that recognizes his efforts to create an unparalleled learning environment for our students and an intellectually innovative environment for our faculty and staff."

For Lopez, the announcement from Nature caps a year in which he received another significant honor. Lopez entered the 2018-19 academic year as a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM), the highest national mentoring award bestowed by the White House.

Lopez received the prize along with 38 other winners during a ceremony at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., this summer. The awards, issued by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, with the National Science Foundation, recognize outstanding efforts of mentors who encourage the next generation of innovators and help develop a science and engineering workforce that reflects America's diverse talent.

Lopez arrived at UTEP in 1990 after earning a Ph.D. in nuclear physics at Texas A&M University, spending four years as a postdoctoral researcher in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Berkeley, California, and a one-year stint at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The Juarez, Mexico, native -- and UTEP graduate (B.S. 1977, M.S. 1979) -- returned to El Paso to be closer to family.

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If humanity is going to push the boundaries of space exploration, we're going to need plants to come along for the ride. Not just spinach or potatoes, though--plants can do so much more than just feed us.

A science experiment aiming to demonstrate plants' capabilities in space has arrived at the International Space Station and is ready to begin relaying data. The experiment, according to University of Utah chemistry professor and project chief scientist Ming Hammond, will assess in real-time whether plants engineered to bio-manufacture specific proteins, in a process called synthetic biology, can do so in space. The experiment began on Dec. 18 and will run through Dec. 28.

See photos of the team and images of the installed experiment from the space station here.

"There's a lot of promise, potential and hope that we can use the tools developed in synthetic biology to solve problems," Hammond says, "not just that you would find in space, but where you have extreme limitation of resources."

Hammond's involvement in this experiment, called Hydra-1, began at the University of California, Berkeley, before her recent move to the U. She and Berkeley graduate student Rebekah Kitto joined with a "very multidisciplinary team", Hammond says, of scientists and engineers looking to perform synthetic biology experiments in space.

Synthetic biology is a field that engineers biological systems. In this case, the team is looking at plants as potential bio-factories. Every organism naturally produces countless proteins as part of its biological function, so why not engineer a plant to produce, say, a needed medication or a polymer that could be useful in future long-term space exploration missions?

"The benefit is that you can take seeds with you," Hammond says. "They're very lightweight. They grow and gain biomass using the CO 2 that we breathe out. And if those plants can produce proteins on demand--we know that plants are able to produce anti-viral and anti-cancer antibodies on a large scale."

Synthetic biology is already established on Earth. But translating that same technology to spaceflight requires a different set of considerations. Hammond and her team encountered many of these constraints when adapting their experiment to operate within a small cube-shaped enclosure, and without tending from the space station crew. The enclosure is the same size (10 cm on a side) as the small low-cost CubeSats that are rising in popularity.

For an experiment on earth, researchers could test samples of plants as they grew to see if they were producing the desired protein. But that's not an option in space - in the early stages of planning, the team didn't even know if they'd get the experiment back at the end.

So the team decided to engineer plants to change color as they produced the target protein, and monitor the progress with a camera. It's an elegant and innovative solution, based on a previously published method, but adapted for the constraints of a cube in space.

"We had to take something that worked beautifully in the most carefully controlled and nurturing conditions," Hammond says, "and get it to work under very stringent, harsh and challenging conditions without human intervention in the plant cube." The plant cube was designed with the forward vision of preparing for plant growth studies on the Moon, and the Hydra-1 mission is a technology development step towards that goal.

The team of collaborators spans two continents, with other partners at NASA Ames Research Center, the International Space University, and the University of Strasbourg. But as one of the experiment's lead scientists, Hammond will be monitoring data from the experiment, and conducting the matching Earthbound control experiment, here at the University of Utah. The control experiment will grow the same plants, engineered to produce the same protein, but lag behind the experiment on the space station by one day, so that researchers can match both experiments' temperature conditions.

The entire experiment will take 10 days. "By day four or five we should know if the experiment worked," Hammond says. "There's so many variables that we can't know the answers to." In January, the cube will return to Earth and will be further analyzed in Strasbourg. "I plan for this experience to prepare us for doing more chemistry experiments in space!" Hammond says.

On the engineering side, the Hydra-1 experiment will help develop a framework, through a commercial company called ICE-Cubes, to commercialize similar cube-based space science experiments in the future.

It takes a lot of time and effort to put equipment in space, and Hammond appreciates the many hours of work that the team has put in over the past two years. "We are a small but dedicated group of volunteers," she says. "In the past two weeks, people worked nonstop to fix last-minute things that came up before launch. I'm just really proud of the effort that everyone has undertaken to get us to this point."

Hammond and her family traveled to the NASA Kennedy Space Center to watch the Dec. 5 launch of her experiment, which was nestled within a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on a resupply mission to the International Space Station. "I think most of us feel the allure and excitement that is stirred by the wonder of looking up and thinking about humans living and working at the space station," she says. "It was an amazing opportunity to share the launch with my 6-year-old son and other family members. Of all the things I've done in science this, for them, is the one that probably inspires the most interest and awe."

Read the International Space University's release here.

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Fragmentation of wildlife populations is increasing on a global scale, and understanding current genetic structure, genetic diversity and genetic connectivity is key to informing future wildlife management and conservation.

This is true of mountain lion -- also known as pumas or cougars -- populations in California, according to a new study conducted by a University of Wyoming research team.

"Large expanses of continuous habitat provide populations the opportunity to maintain large numbers of gene variants, called alleles. This is analogous to a deck of cards. If you have 40 cards, you are capable of harboring more types of cards than if you had 10," says Kyle Gustafson, an assistant professor of genetics in the Department of Biology and Environmental Health at Missouri Southern State University, but who started this work in Holly Ernest's Wildlife Genomics and Disease Ecology Lab at UW. "When populations get isolated, like many of the puma populations surrounded by urbanization, the only way for them to maintain a large number of alleles is through migration. Otherwise, natural selection and genetic drift will ultimately lead to genetic uniformity (fixation) and mating among related individuals (inbreeding)."

The new study, titled "Genetic Source-Sink Dynamics Among Naturally Structured and Anthropogenically Fragmented Puma Populations," was published Dec. 10 in Conservation Genetics, a journal that promotes the conservation of biodiversity by providing a forum for data and ideas, aiding the further developments of this area of study. Contributions include work from the disciplines of population genetics, molecular ecology, molecular biology, evolutionary biology, systematics and forensics.

Gustafson is the paper's lead author. Ernest, a professor in the UW Program in Ecology and the Wyoming Excellence Chair in Disease Ecology, was the senior and corresponding author. Roderick Gagne, a former postdoctoral research associate in the UW Department of Veterinary Sciences, was a contributing author. "This study took nearly two decades for my lab to complete and could only be accomplished through coordinated efforts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, multiple research institutions and several nonprofit organizations," Ernest explains.

The analyses revealed that mountain lions in California exhibited strong population genetic structure, and some California populations had extremely low levels of genetic diversity, with some exhibiting estimates as low as the endangered Florida panther, another common name for the puma. Nine genetic populations of pumas were identified in California and one population in Nevada.

During the study, 992 mountain lions across California and Nevada were genotyped at 42 microsatellite loci. Microsatellites are neutral gene mutations, meaning they don't code for a specific trait, so their mutations can accumulate without causing harm. Loci are different locations on chromosomes.

"If you could imagine each card in a standard deck of 52 cards as a unique mutation and, if you could imagine each mountain lion holding a card, then you could see how we could group certain mountain lions together," Gustafson explains. "For example, we could lump mountain lions together if they were holding red cards, face cards or a specific number. By keeping track of the many DNA mutations and, by using dozens of hypothetical decks of cards, we can identify shared mutations among the individuals and then identify genetic populations."

Gene flow is critically important to individual fitness and to the evolutionary potential of populations because successful migrant animals can diversify gene combinations. Without gene flow, small populations are especially subject to inbreeding, genetic drift and increased extinction risk.

The considerable variation in genetic diversity and effective population sizes among California and Nevada populations are likely attributable to the variation in man-made barriers. Gene flow among adjacent mountain lion populations has been nearly negated by freeways in densely populated Southern California. In Nevada, the analysis showed mountain lions had fewer barriers to gene flow and weak population differentiation, likely because mountain lions have access to more contiguous land areas with fewer humans.

"Mountain lions are capable of long-distance travel, yet we found strong genetic structure, indicating mountain lion habitats are not well-connected in the state of California," Ernest says. "Most statewide studies in North America have found weak genetic structure, further indicating the genetics of mountain lions in California are not the norm and that there is cause for concern."

The paper's results have far-reaching conservation and management implications for mountain lions and indicate large-scale fragmentation in one of North America's most biodiverse and rapidly urbanized areas. Whenever possible, government agencies and other stakeholders should consider population connectivity and prevent further fragmentation by human development, both within and among populations.

"Our study provides wildlife managers with critical population-level data across two states," Gustafson says. "Certain mountain lion populations in the state of California have low genetic diversity that is concerning and are potentially at risk of inbreeding depression. Without our data, wildlife managers would not know which populations are at risk and which populations can help restore genetic diversity, if needed."

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Researchers from Missouri Southern State University, University of California-Davis, University of Nevada-Reno, the National Park Service (Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife also participated in the study.

The study was funded by the California State Parks Department, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, The Nature Conservancy, Foothill East Transportation Corridor Agency, San Diego County Association of Governments, the National Science Foundation and the Natural Communities Coalition of Orange County. Additionally, the following agencies contributed funding: the San Diego Foundation, Anza Borrego Foundation, McBeth Foundation, Felidae Fund, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, the Eastern Sierra Center for Applied Population Ecology and the Institute for Wildlife Studies.
'Topological materials' are very interesting for technology, but difficult to study; TU Wien and the University of Science and Technology in China are presenting new approaches

Electrons are not just little spheres, bouncing through a material like a rubber ball. The laws of quantum physics tell us that electrons behave like waves. In some materials, these electron waves can take on rather complicated shapes. The so-called "topological materials" produce electron states that can be very interesting for technical applications, but it is extremely difficult to identify these materials and their associated electronic states.

TU Wien (Vienna) and several research groups from China have now developed new ideas and implemented them in an experiment. A "crystal " made of light waves is created to hold atoms in a very special geometric pattern. These "light crystals", which have been used in different ways for the manipulation of atoms, can now be used to deliberately drive the system out of equilibrium. By switching between simple and complicated states, the system reveals whether or not it has topologically interesting states. These findings have now been published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Bread Rolls and Donuts

The importance of topology can easily be seen if we pack too many things into a shopping bag: a bread roll may be slightly crushed and squeezed into a shape similar to a banana. Bread rolls and bananas have the same basic geometric structure, topologically they are the same. On the other hand, a donut has a hole in the middle - its topology is different. Even if it is slightly squeezed, its shape can still be easily distinguished from that of the bread roll.

"It is similar with quantum states," explains Prof. Jorg Schmiedmayer from Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology (VCQ) at TU Wien. "Quantum states can have a nontrivial topology which protects them with respect to certain perturbations. That's what makes them so interesting for technology, because you always have to deal with perturbations in every experiment and in every real world technological application." In 2016, the Nobel Prize in Physics for research was awarded for research on topological states of matter, but it is still considered extremely difficult to determine whether or not a certain material allows topologically interesting quantum states.

"Quantum states that are not in equilibrium, are changing rapidly," says Jorg Schmiedmayer. "This dynamics is notoriously difficult to understand, but as we have shown, it is a great way to obtain extremely interesting information about the system." Schmiedmayer cooperated with research teams from China. "The experiment was led by Prof. Shuai Chen, in the research group of Prof. Jian-Wei Pan. Both were once collaborators in my group in Heidelberg, and ever since their return to China, we have been work closely together," says Schmiedmayer. The TU Vienna and the Chinese University of Science and Technology (USTC, Heifei, China) signed a cooperation agreement in 2016, which strengthened research cooperation, especially in the field of physics.

An Imbalance Revealing Material Properties

With the help of interfering light waves, atoms can be held in pre-defined places, creating a regular grid of atoms, similar to a crystal, the atoms taking the roles of the electrons in a solid state crystal. By changing the light, the geometry of the atomic arrangement can be switched, in order to examine how the electron states would behave in a real solid state material.

"With this change, a massive imbalance is suddenly being generated," says Jorg Schmiedmayer. "The quantum states must rearrange and approach a new equilibrium, much like balls rolling down a hill until they find equilibrium in the valley. And during this process we can see clear signatures that tell us whether topologically interesting states are to be found or not. "

This is an important new insight for research on topological materials. One could even adapt the artificial light crystals to simulate certain crystal structures and in order to find new topological materials.

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Contact:

Prof. Jorg Schmiedmayer

Atominstitut, Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology (VCQ)

Technische Universitat Wien

Stadionallee 2, 1020 Wien

T: +43-1-58801-141801

hannes-joerg.schmiedmayer@tuwien.ac.at
December 21, 2018 - At least for brief periods, overlapping surgery is safe for patients undergoing outpatient or "same-day" orthopaedic surgery procedures, reports a study in the December 19, 2018 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio in partnership with Wolters Kluwer.

The study adds to a growing body of evidence showing no increase in the risk of complications for patients undergoing overlapping orthopaedic surgery - procedures where a single surgeon is the primary surgeon for more than one patient simultaneously in separate operating rooms. "Our data suggest that briefly overlapping surgery is a safe practice in the ambulatory orthopaedic surgery center," comments lead author Charles A. Goldfarb, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis.

New Data on Safety of Overlapping Ambulatory Orthopaedic Surgery

Dr. Goldfarb and colleagues compared the outcomes of overlapping versus nonoverlapping surgery at their university-affiliated orthopaedic ambulatory surgical center (ASC). In overlapping surgery, the attending surgeon is present for "critical" parts of the procedure, leaving another surgeon to perform noncritical portions - typically skin closure. Overlapping surgery is commonly used to maximize operating room efficiency.

Although this practice is not new, it has become controversial in the wake of recent high-profile media reports. Most previous studies of overlapping surgery have focused on inpatient procedures, performed on hospitalized patients.

The analysis included more than 22,000 outpatient orthopaedic procedures performed between 2009 and 2015. The patients underwent a wide range of elective surgeries, including knee, hand, and shoulder procedures. No joint replacement or spine operations were included in the analysis.

Twenty-three percent of the procedures were overlapping surgeries. Median overlap time in these procedures was eight minutes. According to this ASC's policy, another attending surgeon -not a resident or fellow in training - was present during the overlapping portion of the procedure.

The overall complication rate (morbidity) was 0.66 percent in the overlapping surgery group and 0.54 percent in the nonoverlapping surgery group. After the authors adjusted for other factors, the morbidity risk was not significantly different between groups. The same was true for all individual complications considered: surgical site infections, noninfection surgical complications, and transfer to an inpatient hospital.

Anesthesia and overall surgery times were slightly longer in the overlapping surgery group, but these surgical factors did not increase the risk of complications.

Most studies of orthopaedic and other types of overlapping surgery have reported no difference in complications, compared to non-overlapping surgery. A recent study in Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery found no increase in complication rate among inpatients undergoing overlapping orthopaedic surgery, compared to nonoverlapping cases.

The researchers note that although this study includes a large number of outpatient orthopaedic surgery cases, the data represent the experience of only one ASC. Nevertheless, the results suggest that overlapping orthopaedic surgery can be safely carried out in ambulatory surgery settings - at least as practiced at the authors' institution.

Dr. Goldfarb and colleagues conclude, "Practitioners, payers, and patients should be reassured that limited overlapping surgery is appropriate and reasonable in this setting."

Click here to read "Complications Following Overlapping Orthopaedic Procedures at an Ambulatory Surgery Center."

DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.18.00244

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About The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery

The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (JBJS) has been the most valued source of information for orthopaedic surgeons and researchers for over 125 years and is the gold standard in peer-reviewed scientific information in the field. A core journal and essential reading for general as well as specialist orthopaedic surgeons worldwide, The Journal publishes evidence-based research to enhance the quality of care for orthopaedic patients. Standards of excellence and high quality are maintained in everything we do, from the science of the content published to the customer service we provide. JBJS is an independent, non-profit journal.

About Wolters Kluwer

Wolters Kluwer is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the health, tax & accounting, finance, risk & compliance, and legal sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with specialized technology and services.

Wolters Kluwer, headquartered in the Netherlands, reported 2017 annual revenues of 4.4 billion. The company serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide.

Wolters Kluwer Health is a leading global provider of trusted clinical technology and evidence-based solutions that engage clinicians, patients, researchers and students with advanced clinical decision support, learning and research and clinical intelligence. For more information about our solutions, visit http://healthclarity.wolterskluwer.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @WKHealth.
The European robin and Turtle dove have had their genetic codes sequenced and assembled for the first time

The European robin and Turtle dove have had their genetic codes sequenced and assembled for the first time by scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and their collaborators. The genomes, completed* today (21 December) will enable researchers to explore the genetic switches controlling bird migration and give insight into the magneto receptors that help robins 'see' the Earth's magnetic fields for navigation. The Turtle dove genome will help conservation efforts to save one of the UK's fastest declining bird species.

European robins live throughout Europe, Russia and western Siberia. While most British robins reside in the UK over winter, some birds will migrate to southern Europe to overwinter in warmer climates. Simultaneously in winter, migrant robins from Scandinavia, continental Europe and Russia head to the UK to avoid the harsh weather back home.

Turtle doves also migrate, visiting their breeding grounds in Europe and spending the winter months in Africa. However, since 1995, 94 per cent of Turtle doves have been lost and there are fewer than 5,000 breeding pairs left in the UK. The Turtle dove is the UK's fastest-declining bird species, and as a result, they are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List**.

Migration patterns and behaviours vary across species, but also within species. Similarly, environmental pressures such as disease and limited food resources affect various bird species differently. To fully understand the genetic components of complex traits, such as migration and breeding, the whole genetic code must be read and analysed.

The European robin and Turtle dove's genomes were read by the Sanger Institute and its partners, in celebration of Sanger's 25th anniversary.

Collaborators at the University of Lincoln sent robin and Turtle dove samples*** to the Sanger Institute near Cambridge. The sequencing teams extracted DNA from the samples and used PacBio SMRT Sequencing technology to generate the first reference genomes for robins and Turtle doves.

The European robin genome will enable researchers to explore the genetic switches underpinning migration, which tell robins when to leave and where to go. The robin's role as a model of bird migration will help in understanding the magneto receptors in birds' eyes that allow them to use the Earth's magnetic fields for navigation and also unpick migratory behaviour in other bird species.

Dr Miriam Liedvogel from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plon, Germany, said: "Birds can use the Earth's magnetic field as a reference for orientation during the migratory journeys, and the magnetic compass in birds was first described in a robin. The European robin genome will allow us to identify what's driving migration in birds, and understand the variability of migration in other bird species as well."

The Turtle dove genome will provide a genetic reference for determining effective population sizes and establishing breeding programmes in efforts to help conserve this threatened bird species.

Dr Jenny Dunn from the University of Lincoln, said: "To give Turtle doves the best chance of survival in the future, we need to first understand the pressures that are affecting their population decline. The Turtle dove genome will give insights into how diseases and limited food resources impact on their health and will aid practical conservation efforts to maximise the genetic diversity of introduced populations."

The European robin and Turtle dove join the Golden Eagle as the first of 25 UK species to have their genetic code sequenced and assembled. The 25 Genomes Project**** includes species such as grey and red squirrels, blackberry and brown trout.

Dr Julia Wilson, associate director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: "Genome sequencing has a lot to offer the natural world. Genetic information can bolster the conservation of threatened species and help unravel the tree of evolution in understanding the species we share this planet with."

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Notes to Editors:

*The European robin and Turtle dove genomes have been completed to the Vertebrate Genome Project platinum standard. Research continues to improve the quality of the genome sequences, which will be made available in 2019.

**https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22690419/119457869

***Robin and turtle dove DNA samples were taken from blood collected from live birds during routine health checks of populations.

****For more information on the 25 Genomes Project, visit https://www.sanger.ac.uk/science/collaboration/25-genomes-25-years

Funding:

The 25 Genomes Project is supported by Wellcome.

Selected websites:

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plon, Germany The Max Planck Society is Germany's most successful research organization. Since its establishment in 1948, no fewer than 18 Nobel laureates have emerged from the ranks of its scientists. The currently 84 Max Planck Institutes and facilities conduct basic research in the service of the general public in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. Max Planck Institutes focus on research fields that are particularly innovative, or that are especially demanding in terms of funding or time requirements. The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plon (Germany) consists of the three departments Evolutionary Genetics, Evolutionary Theory and Microbial Population Biology and currently five independent research groups. It focuses on basic research to unravel general evolutionary processes, such as ecological adaptations, the evolution of cooperation or origins of multicellularity. The scope of the work includes ecological, organismic, molecular and theoretical approaches.

About the University of Lincoln

The University of Lincoln was awarded Gold - the highest standard possible - in the national Teaching Excellence Framework, an independent assessment of teaching quality in UK higher education. The award reflects our exciting teaching, great support for students and excellent employment outcomes. Lincoln is a top 50 UK university (The Guardian University Guide 2018; Complete University Guide 2018), known for a pioneering approach to working with employers, which has been recognised with a Lord Stafford Award and Times Higher Education Award. In the National Student Survey 2017, students rated Lincoln in the top 20 in the UK for academic support, learning resources and learning community with several of our courses placed number one overall for their subject areas. Among our most recent graduates, 95 per cent were in work or further study six months after finishing their course, with almost three quarters in graduate level roles. More than half of our research is judged to be internationally excellent or world leading (Research Excellence Framework). http://www.lincoln.ac.uk

The Wellcome Sanger Institute

The Wellcome Sanger Institute is one of the world's leading genome centres. Through its ability to conduct research at scale, it is able to engage in bold and long-term exploratory projects that are designed to influence and empower medical science globally. Institute research findings, generated through its own research programmes and through its leading role in international consortia, are being used to develop new diagnostics and treatments for human disease. To celebrate its 25th year in 2018, the Institute is sequencing 25 new genomes of species in the UK. Find out more at http://www.sanger.ac.uk or follow @sangerinstitute

Wellcome

Wellcome exists to improve health for everyone by helping great ideas to thrive. We're a global charitable foundation, both politically and financially independent. We support scientists and researchers, take on big problems, fuel imaginations and spark debate. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk
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A Florida man was arrested last week after allegedly causing an accident following an apparent extended incident of road rage.

At approximately 7 a.m. Dec. 14, Artesia Police Department officers were dispatched to U.S. 285 North in reference to a reckless driver behind the wheel of a tractor trailer. The reporting party informed dispatch the driver of the truck was tailgating him, honking his horn, and flashing his lights as the two vehicles headed south on 285 toward Artesia.

According to the report, while in route, the victim told dispatch the truck driver had come alongside his vehicle and cut him off, causing him to wreck into the median near the intersection of First Street and Richey Avenue. Dispatch then told police they were receiving multiple calls regarding the wreck from witnesses stating the tractor trailer was driving away from the scene.

At the nearby Allsups, officers made contact with the victim, who was driving a white 2000 Mitsubishi four-door. The Mitsubishi driver told police he had first noticed the truck driving erratically near mile marker 96 or 97 on 285, and the truck then began driving too closely behind him, flashing its lights and honking the horn.

The victim stated he had switched lanes in an attempt to prompt the truck to pass but had to switch back due to a vehicle turning out of his lane. The truck again began tailgating him, honking, and flashing its lights. The truck driver then moved alongside the victims vehicle, started pushing his brakes to make a sound, then slowed down and moved back behind him, honking again.

According to the report, the victim stated the truck once more came alongside him, and the driver began hanging out his window, gesturing for the victim to pull over and fight. The man stated the truck driver then accelerated and moved into his lane, forcing him into the median.

The two vehicles pulled over at Allsups, at which time the victim told police the truck driver approached him like he wanted to fight and stated, You dumb son of a bitch, you messed up my clutch. The victim told the driver he was on the phone with the police, and the truck driver re-entered his truck and drove away.

Officers also spoke to witnesses, who advised them the truck had also been dogging them as they left Roswell heading south on 285, driving erratically and running up the back of their vehicle as they passed the Hagerman area. Witnesses told police the truck was driving so close to them it would have been impossible to fit half of a small car between them.

The driver stated she had sped up to around 90 mph in an attempt to avoid being struck by the truck. Witnesses also reported the truck was weaving in and out of traffic while speeding before eventually beginning to tailgate the victims vehicle.

The witnesses also saw the wreck, telling police the truck driver had deliberately driven over into the victims lane in an attempt to hit his car.

Other witnesses corroborated.

Police were subsequently able to locate the tractor trailer in question at the intersection of U.S. 285 and Mill Road, where it was scheduled to pick up a load. The driver was escorted back to the Allsups, where he was positively identified by the victim.

Police spoke with the driver, identified as Keith Edward Humphrey of Wauchula, Fla., who stated he had been travelling south on 285 and fell in with the flow of traffic, travelling approximately 80 mph. According to the report, Humphrey told police the victims car had jumped in front of him and slammed on the brakes. He also said hed heard something hit his truck but was unsure what it was or if the driver had thrown something at him, so he began following the car in order to obtain a license plate number.

Humphrey also told police he had cleared the victims vehicle when changing lanes, seen the victims car strike the median, and pulled over at the Allsups, where he said the victim acted as if he wanted to fight. When asked why he left the scene when the victim informed him he was on the phone with police, Humphrey told officers he had just assumed the victim was calling and was unsure whether he actually was.

Humphrey did not answer to why he himself had not contacted law enforcement.

Due to sufficient evidence and witness statements, Humphrey was placed under arrest on charges of aggravated assault, reckless driving, and leaving the scene of an accident involving damage to a vehicle.

He has been scheduled for a 9 a.m. Jan. 23, 2019, before incoming Judge Jimmy C. Foster in Artesia Magistrate Court.
The Brexit saga continues with political infighting, straining UK/EU relations and a considerably muted Pound Sterling (GBP) all par for the course.

Significant progress remains notably absent from the ongoing Brexit-spurred turmoil as political gridlock over the route ahead persists.

As the Brexit deadline looms and PM Mays withdrawal agreement continues to be met with fierce opposition from opposition and Tory MPs alike, speculation over alternative outcomes is on the rise.

Justice secretary and cabinet member, David Gauke, is in Friday headlines following recent comments objecting to the possibility of a no-deal hard Brexit. In the event that PM Mays withdrawal agreement is voted down in the upcoming meaningful vote in the House of Commons, Gauke said Making a conscious decision to proceed with no deal would not be the responsible course of action, adding however that he would be very surprised if the prime minister went down that route

Under those circumstances, as a pro-EU remainer, Gauke responded to the question of whether he would maintain his cabinet position with I think it would be very difficult for me in those circumstances, indicating he may be compelled to resign should a no-deal scenario be forthcoming.

Government Prepares for Christmas Recess Despite Lack of Brexit Resolution

Critics of the governments approach to the Brexit crisis have become increasingly outspoken as we head towards Parliaments Christmas recess.

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran highlighted her concerns over taking a holiday while serious issues remain unresolved, We have 99 days until the supposed exit day. I stand ready to cancel my Christmas and get on with deciding the next steps in sorting out this shameful Brexit mess. Other MPs should join me and the Liberal Democrats to demand the government reschedules the meaningful vote now.

Irish Border Row Remains Key Objection Point

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar announced that his government have made no preparations whatsoever to prepare infrastructure in the event of a no-deal Brexit scenario.

An Irish report published on Thursday stated For Ireland, a no deal Brexit would potentially involve severe macroeconomic, trade and sectoral impacts. Grappling with the enormous range of impacts both in the immediate short term and in the longer term will involve difficult and significant choices of a practical, strategic and political nature.

Always ready to offer his opinion, leading Brexiteer, Jacob Rees-Mogg weighed in on the issue, proposing a simple solution to the increasingly convoluted and controversial issue. In a tweet he said No deal means no hard border so no need for the backstop.

Pound Sterling Edges Higher on Peer Weakness

Despite the continuing political turmoil and warnings from the Bank of Englands monetary policy committee over growing economic uncertainty in the face of Brext concerns which have intensified considerably in recent months, the Pound Sterling US Dollar exchange rate (GBPUSD) edged higher this week as the American currency outlook looks increasingly questionable.

Above: GBP/USD x-rate graph
Friday, December 21, 2018

Today Schumer Should Remember Gorsuch

By Peggy Orchowski

Here we go again. If a bill doesn't pass the Senate by midnight tonight, the "government will shut down".

That is, parts of the government that haven't been funded as yet will temporarily face not having money in their budget to pay employees. Those workers who are considered to be "non-essential" will not be allowed to go to work during the Christmas holidays. Other "essential employees" such as law enforcement and emergency workers will officially work on the books without pay. But there is no doubt that all will receive back pay once the government is re-opened by the new 116th Congress on Jan, 3. Only question is, will the oath of office be taken in the dark?

President Trump is fully willing to take the blame for the shut down this time. He figures the ups for him are far better than any downs. Ups include the appearance of strength: standing firm on his campaign promise and two-year efforts to get money to build a border wall, The surge of thousands of migrants breaching the southern border illegally since last summer to request asylum in the U.S., even though Mexico has offered them refugee status, has given the wall an urgency not present before. The image of defiant even rock-throwing migrants has been helpful for the President's case. House Republicans led by the Freedom Caucus and Senate Republicans fully support the move to have a $5+ billion border wall amendment added to a stop gap bill passed by both houses this week.

But the Democrats are holding firm. NO funding for a wall period, even though it was promised when Trump signed the omnibus budget bill last May. It's an all or nothing feel-good strategy perhaps. But it can have a very serious consequence. There is a very serious precedent.

No it's not about the dismissal of the DREAMERS as a negotiating chip for the wall even though the Democrats held up a former wall bill unless the President agreed to a Dream Act that greatly expanded the number who would qualify from 1.8 million to 4 million. That turned out to be a poison pill. (remember the Queen of the Hill charade? see my column on May 14).

But the grave precedent this time is the nuclear option that the Senate voted down for choice of justices that allowed Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to be approved with only a majority of Senate votes - 51 instead of 60. It happened when Democrats refused to consider a vote for Gorsuch  in a move by Schumer considered by most tobe retribution to Republican Senators holding up a vote on the Democratic nominee I 2016 after the conservative icon Justice Antonin Scolia died. But once President Trump was elected, the selection of a conservative like Gorsuch was a given. A conservative for a conservative. Democrats should have just lived with it.

But Schumer decided to oppose the Gorsuch nomination. NO Democratic votes he said. Period. The Republicans threatened to do the nuclear allowing judicial nominations to be approved with only a small majority 51 votes, not 60. Schumer said no compromise So the Republicans "went nuclear".

As a ten year Congressional correspondent, it was clear to me that the Dems in effect used up the one weapon they had when the inevitable 2nd nomination came around  this time the swing vote Justice Kennedy. The nominee Just Kavanaugh won with 51 votes after the Democrats threw everything they had hi including unsubstantiated rape charges.

Now Schumer is saying All or Nothing again. Has he learned nothing?

This time a much more serious nuclear option could be suggested. The end of the filibuster for all issues. The President has suggested it. Some Senators are looking at it. It would subject every issue to a majority only vote. No 60-vote threshold would be needed to stop a filibuster and move to a vote. It would make the majority all powerful and the President's agenda almost unstoppable.

Schumer may need to reconsider the consequences of all-or-nothing this time.

# # # # # #
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Bond-rating agency Fitch got the big headline Wednesday for downgrading the city of San Antonios general obligation bonds from AAA to AA+.

The agency called out the referendum that passed Nov. 6 regarding firefighter pay negotiations.

First things first: Dont panic.

Sure, theres political fallout from the downgrade. After Fitchs announcement, for example, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and City Councilmember Greg Brockhouse  who are expected to compete in the May city election  each attempted to land uppercuts via social media over the passage of Proposition C.

The proposition empowers firefighters to force binding arbitration in their contract negotiations, weakening the citys bargaining position for controlling employee costs in the future. Firefighter costs currently make up 25 percent of general fund costs, so its a big part of the city budget.

In terms of actual financial impact, however, the ratings downgrade was largely symbolic. Councilman Rey Saldanas statement to the Express-News that basic infrastructure like fire stations, streets, drainage, parks and police equipment will cost more tomorrow than it did before the November vote simply isnt, literally, true.

To understand the real financial impact, without the overheated rhetoric or political fisticuffs, we need to unpack how ratings agencies interact with the real world.

First, theres the role rating agencies play in driving bond pricing, which affects the citys cost of borrowing - the interest it will pay on the bonds. Next, theres the specific role of Fitch in the bond-rating agency hierarchy. Finally, theres the magnitude of Fitchs move compared to San Antonios starting position, which was frankly excellent.

Bond ratings do not directly drive bond yields, and the cost of borrowing in an immediate cause-and-effect way, for a few reasons. First, costs only rise when the borrower goes back to the market for additional debt. Theres no impact until then.

San Antonio will refinance $24.5 million in bonds in January. Contradicting statements Wednesday that borrowing costs are immediately going up, the refinancing is intended to lower interest costs. Rating agency Moodys estimates total savings from the January sales of around 2.7 percent. In other words, they anticipate savings from the refinancing next month of about $661,500.

In frequently traded bonds, the ratings agencies are generally lagging indicators, meaning they are typically slower to react than investors. The United States lost its top AAA rating, when S&P Global downgraded it to AA+, in 2011. In response, U.S. bond yields actually moved downward, in the opposite direction than expected, effectively lowering the United States cost to borrow. While this doesnt appear logical, it reflects the simple fact that markets and investors -- especially in the short run - can, and often do, disregard rating agencies moves.

Although the headlines Wednesday emphasized Fitchs rating cut, arguably more important to future municipal bond investors was the fact that both S&P Global and Moodys -- Fitchs competitors -- affirmed San Antonios top bond rating of AAA and Aaa respectively. S&P Global specifically noted in its report that San Antonio ranks higher in their ratings than the United States.

Also, its Fitch. This is a bit mean to Fitch, but S&P Global and Moodys are the top two rating agencies, leaving Fitch a distinct third. In the rating-agency world, Fitch is really Wendys, up against McDonalds and Burger King. Fitch is the Dr. Pepper soda compared to the Coke and Pepsi juggernauts. I take no pleasure in saying this because the folks writing my check, Hearst Corp., own Fitch. (Note my clever back-handing and disclosure at the same time.)

Finally, theres the context of where San Antonio starts credit-wise. S&P Global notes the city ran a budget surplus of 2.2 percent across all funds in 2017, and is on track for a moderate surplus in 2018 as well. San Antonio is still a sterling AAA credit, and Fitchs move doesnt really change that. Both Moodys and S&P Global provided a stable outlook to their top AAA and Aaa ratings, respectively, meaning they dont anticipate any rating changes in the next two years.

If San Antonio were a high school kid, the city currently has the equivalent of a 3.95 grade point average. The Fitch downgrade this week is a single quiz score of 89, leaving the city still on track for a 3.93 GPA. San Antonios credit rating is still top-notch, and its still getting into a top college next year.

A wise friend with children told me once that with parenting, its best to remember: Dont bleed before youre shot  meaning, we can anticipate the worst, but sometimes the worst doesnt come true. The same is true for bond ratings.

The Fitch downgrade is not in itself the pain. The pain comes when the city tries to maintain fiscal discipline and control employee costs in the years ahead  despite Prop C. Thats the thing to worry about in the long run. In that sense, the Fitch ratings move is a useful warning. And its really a multiyear warning, the consequences of which are iffy. Many more bad things would have to happen before the city suffers actual fiscal damage.

So, stay vigilant, but dont overreact.
A slate of luxury apartment towers, state-of-the-art headquarters and hotels under construction promise to fill in the downtown San Antonio skyline  but residents may have to wait a while longer to see the results.

Many projects are still at least a year away from completion, with some delayed by heavy rains, rising construction costs and difficulty in obtaining city building permits.

Heres a rundown of the progress of 10 major projects in and around downtown San Antonio.

Credit Human headquarters

Tenants of a two-tower complex that will house San Antonio-based credit union Credit Humans new headquarters and provide office space for Bank of America could begin moving in by May 2020, said Bill Shown, managing director of real estate for Silver Ventures, which is developing the site.

Shown said Silver Ventures, which also developed the nearby Pearl mixed-use complex, expects to complete the projects shell in early 2020. The towers office tenants could be up and operating at the beginning of the second quarter of 2020, Shown said.

Credit Human is building its new headquarters with the help of $8.8 million in tax abatements and rebates from the city and Bexar County. The credit union will take up all the complexs southern 10-story building.

Bank of America signed a lease in October to occupy 2 floors of a separate six-story building. Shown said that northern building is about 65 percent leased.

There are other tenants that were talking to but nothings been formalized yet, Shown said.

GrayStreets Broadway tower

Downtown developer GrayStreet Partners plans to begin work early next year on a 20-story hotel and office tower on Broadway near the Pearl, said the firms development director Peter French.

GrayStreet got the go-ahead from the city Historic Design and Review Commission on Dec. 5 to begin site work at 1603 Broadway. But the commission will need to give final approval for the project in the spring, French said.

The tower will have 10 stories of hotel space, four stories of offices, three stories of parking and ground-floor retail. French said Graystreet has lined up some retail and office tenants but the firm is not ready to announce them.

CPS Energys new headquarters

The sight of the now-gutted twin towers formerly occupied by AT&T and Valero Energy Corp. wont loom over downtown San Antonio for much longer.

Bill Badger, project manager for CPS Energys $210 million new headquarters at the site, said construction crews will begin placing exterior wall panels on the buildings in January with plans to enclose the towers by June, allowing workers to begin interior renovations. Crews have already begun placing glass on the sides facing the San Antonio River, Badger said.

Heavy rains in September and October delayed the construction of the headquarters parking garage, now set for completion in March 2020.

Construction and renovation of the two buildings is on track to finish in May 2020, Badger said.

The Arts Residences at the Thompson San Antonio

Construction on the $116 million high-rise at 123 Lexington Ave., with 63 luxury condominiums and 162 premium hotel rooms, is expected to wrap in early 2020, officials with development firm DC Partners said.

About 65 percent of the towers condominiums already have been sold, including three of its six penthouses, company spokeswoman Julie Kleine said.

DC Partners is building the high-rise with help from a $10 million incentive package from the Center City Housing Incentive Policy, a city program that gives developers property tax rebates and construction loans, forgivable under certain conditions, to build housing in downtown San Antonio.

The incentive package was the largest ever awarded under CCHIP before the program was overhauled by City Council members earlier this month to expand the programs reach beyond downtown and require projects that receive incentives to set aside some units for affordable housing.

Frost Tower

San Antonio will soon have its first new downtown office tower since 1989, the result of a complex deal between Frost Bank and the city.

The $140 million, 24-floor Frost Tower at 111 W. Houston St.  with 460,000 square feet of office and retail space  is expected to open in early 2019, according to the towers website. The tower will house Frost Bank and other tenants.

Randy Smith, CEO of Weston Urban, the buildings developer, was not available for comment.

Main Plaza hotel and office tower

Local firm REM Hospitality plans to build a $56 million tower on Main Plaza with 45,000 square feet of office space and 184 rooms from the boutique Cambria hotel brand.

Anand Bhakta, one of the REM partners, said the project will also feature 5,000 square feet of retail and a 75,000-square-foot restaurant on the second floor.

The firm hopes to secure $45 million in financing and break ground in March, Bhakta said. The tower is projected to cost $56 million but that figure could increase to $60 million because of rising construction material costs, he said.

REM bought the land at 100 N. Main in 2016.

Canopy by Hilton hotel

Chris Hill, the owner of Esquire Tavern, is building a 197-room, 138,000-square-foot hotel next to the swanky downtown bar on East Commerce Street.

The Canopy by Hilton hotel is on track to open by the end of next year, said Patrick Shearer, president of Crockett Urban Ventures, which is building the hotel.

Floodgate Tower

Esquires going to have some tall neighbors.

Earlier this month, the Historic Design and Review Commission gave local developer Keller Henderson approval to demolish two buildings on East Commerce Street to make way for Floodgate Tower, a luxury apartment complex. Henderson said he expects to begin the demolition early next year.

The project stood at 10 stories when it was proposed in 2016. Now, the tower will reach 17 stories with 60 residential units, three penthouses and about 10,000 square feet of commercial space, Henderson said.

Henderson previously told the Express-News he expects construction to last 20 months.

Villita Tower

Dallas developer JMJ Development wants to build a 24-story residential and office tower at 112 Villita St. that would sit right on the San Antonio River, but the projects future is in doubt.

The tower  with more than 200 apartments and 4,000 square feet of office space  was initially expected to break ground in 2016, then this January.

On the recommendation of the citys Office of Preservation, the Historic Design and Review Commission was set to vote against the project at their Wednesday meeting, but the vote was postponed to January.

JMJ Development CEO Tim Barton did not return emails requesting comment.

Hard Rock Hotel near the Alamo

JMJ Development stirred some local controversy in July when it told the Express-News it was planning a 14-story Hard Rock Hotel that would sit on top of the 131-year-old Joskes building at Shops at Rivercenter mall overlooking Alamo Plaza.

The proposal was for a 300-room hotel with a rooftop bar, a ballroom, a spa and a pool deck.

But the developer has since stayed quiet. Barton, the firms CEO, did not return emails requesting comment.

Joshua Fechter is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering real estate, economic development and philanthropy. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFreports
The Justice Department is investigating possible misuse of federal money by Southwest Key Programs, the nations largest operator of shelters for migrant children, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The inquiry could upend shelter care for thousands of children, escalating government scrutiny of the nonprofit even as it remains central to the Trump administrations immigration agenda. The charity operates 24 shelters to house children who were separated from their parents at the border or arrived on their own.

The U.S. attorneys office for the Western District of Texas is examining the finances of Southwest Key, based in Austin, and whether it misappropriated government money, according to the people, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the inquiry. Prosecutors on the case are working with the FBI.

The inquiry comes after a New York Times report this month detailing possible financial improprieties by Southwest Key, which has collected $1.7 billion in federal grants in the past decade, including $626 million in the last year alone.

The nonprofit has engaged in potential self-dealing with its top executives, stockpiled tens of millions of taxpayer dollars and lent out millions for real estate purchases, acting more like a bank than a traditional charity, according to records and interviews. It has funneled government money through a web of for-profit companies, converting public funds into private money for the organization, which has paid top executives millions of dollars.

In response to The Times report, a spokesman for Southwest Key, Jeff Eller, acknowledged management mistakes but said there had been no criminal intent by the charitys officials, nor a desire to game the system. Southwest Key also said it would commission an internal investigation.

Eller said Thursday that the charity had not yet been contacted by the FBI or the U.S. attorneys office, but it had a policy of working with any and all investigations.

Southwest Key, which became a focal point during the Trump administrations decision to separate migrant children from their families this year, now houses up to 5,000 children in its facilities. One of them is a converted Walmart Supercenter in Brownsville, Texas, that can hold 1,400 children, drawing complaints that it was warehousing them.

The organization is a linchpin in the shelter system, which is nearing a breaking point. A record 14,000 migrant children are now in federal shelters, housed across 100 permanent sites and a sprawling tent city in the Texas desert.

Federal prosecutors interest in Southwest Key builds on a continuing inquiry by the FBI into the finances of a smaller Texas-based shelter provider, International Educational Services. That nonprofit lost its federal contracts in February for possible self-dealing, including renting shelters owned by charity officials and using public funds to pay them well above what the government permits. Southwest Keys founder and chief executive, Juan Sanchez, helped start IES more than 30 years ago, though he is no longer affiliated with it.

Last year, at least eight of Southwest Keys executives earned more than the federal salary cap of $187,000. Sanchez made $1.5 million. His wife earned $500,000 as a vice president, and the organizations chief financial officer made $1 million.

Additionally, Sanchez and the chief financial officer have for years collected government money in rent as landlords of a Southwest Key shelter. The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees migrant shelter grants, requires shelter employees to avoid private financial gain, or even the appearance of it. Asked by The Times about the payments this fall, the nonprofits leaders said they would sell their personal stakes in the property.

Though Southwest Key has come under scrutiny after a series of abuse allegations at shelters in Arizona in recent months, the organization has remained a critical partner to the government. Sanchez and the former Walmart have become symbols of the migrant shelter industry.

To get that former superstore up and running, Southwest Key engaged in a convoluted real estate transaction, loaning $6 million to a pair of South Texas developers to buy and renovate the property. Southwest Key now pays nearly $5 million annually in rent  more than the property itself cost. It is unclear whether prosecutors are scrutinizing that deal, which has the potential to disguise kickbacks.

Officials at HHS declined to comment Thursday on the Justice Departments investigation into Southwest Keys finances. HHS has hired forensic accountants to review the finances of shelter operators. That review is continuing and could affect the governments future grant decisions, a spokesman for the agency said. According to government records, HHS last paid grant money to Southwest Key at the end of the past fiscal year, on Nov. 6.

Should Southwest Keys contracts be in jeopardy, the government would need to find a new custodian for the children in Southwest Keys shelters across Arizona, California and Texas. When the government revoked the contracts of IES this year, its shelters operations were transferred to another organization, Comprehensive Health Services, a for-profit company.

Sanchez founded Southwest Key in the 1980s to work with juvenile offenders. Over the years, he steered the organization into migrant shelters  which now constitute the bulk of its work  as well as charter schools and a range of for-profit businesses that even included a florist for a time.

As the federal investigation proceeds, Southwest Key is poised for growth. It has explored opening a shopping center in Austin and secured approval from Texas state authorities to open as many as 11 more charter schools.

The fact that we have been a very successful organization upsets some people, Sanchez said in an interview with The Times in October. Whether its because they havent been able to do it or theyre jealous or they wish they could do it. For whatever reason, we just became part of that attack.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times
Win McNamee/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Amid outraged questioning from Democratic lawmakers over the death of a 7-year-old migrant girl apprehended at the southern border, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Thursday she could not provide a specific number of how many other people might have died in U.S. government custody.



I dont have an exact figure, Nielsen said testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, about two weeks after the death of a 7-year-old girl Jaklin Caal Maquin from Guatemala who was taken into U.S. custody after she and her father were taken into custody near the New Mexico border.



"I work every day as do the men and women of DHS to try to limit the perils of that journey," Neilsen said. "The journey is dangerous and smugglers are not humanitarians. Our system should not incentivize that type of journey and use of criminals to get here," she added.



"One death is too many," she said.



But multiple Democrats pressed Nielsen on the question of how many have died, including news reports of other deaths in DHS custody. Two members asked Nielsen about reports of 52-year-old Gerardo Cruz, a father of six, who died in March after 25 days in CBP custody, an ABC News investigation found.



In one notably testy exchange, Democratic Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island pressed Nielsen for at least an estimate.



Madame Secretary, did I understand you correctly to say that as you sit here today, you do not know how many human beings have died while in the custody of the department that you lead?" Cicilline asked. "And in preparation for todays hearing, you didnt ascertain that number, that you dont know it today?



Pushed by Rep. Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat, for an approximate number, Nielsen said she would not guess under oath.



Nielsen said she would get back to Congress with an exact number, but said she could give the number of migrants who were rescued by border patrol in remote border areas -- about 4,200, she offered.



Later, Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King, known for his hard-line stances on immigration, asked Nielsen for an estimate on the number of people who die on their way through South and Central America, before they cross the border into the U.S.



Thousands and thousands and thousands, Nielsen said without hesitation.



Nielsen also said the departments inspector general is in the midst of investigating other cases, in addition to the death of Maquin. Maquin was apprehended in a section of New Mexico desert on Dec. 6 around 9 p.m. Though her father signed a form in English that she was not currently sick, eight hours later, by the time she was put on a bus headed to a border patrol station about 90 miles away, her father reported she was vomiting, DHS officials said. She died at a childrens hospital of septic shock and dehydration that morning.



According to Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington state, there have been 12 deaths during Nielsens tenure as DHS secretary, including a suicide in a detention center south of her Jayapal's district. She asked Nielsen for a commitment that there would be no further deaths.



Our goal is always to take care of those in our custody, Nielsen said. You have my commitment to ensure that all of our detention centers take good care of those in our care.



Lawmakers who visited the station where Maquin was brought before she was airlifted to a hospital in Texas were sharply critical of the facilities they saw and the resources Customs and Border Protection agents had available for health care, they said in a news conference and in interviews with ABC News after the visit.



What Ive found here is there are some really serious systemic obstacles, and problems, and failures in the system, to provide the care that a child so lovingly deserves when they're in our custody, Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., said outside the Lordsburg facility.



Ruiz, who has a medical degree from Harvard University and worked as an emergency room doctor, said he was concerned that Maquin was not provided a bed, but was instead laid on a "hard, flat table," and border patrol agents didn't have cell phone service or broadband internet to communicate with paramedics.



In an interview after the visit, he emphasized the importance of getting information from CBP and DHS to the public.



It is uncommon to have deaths while in custody, that is very, very rare, he said. However, the illnesses, the lack of care, and the hardships the migrants face while in custody  that is a day to day phenomenon and I do think it's important the American people see how the migrants are treated, without any of the standards of care we can hold ourselves accountable to as a nation."



Chairman-elect of the caucus, Rep. Joaquin Castro, said a range of systemic failures in Maquins case and at facilities around the border should lead to Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenans resignation. McAleenan testified before Congress days after Maquin's death, which Nielsen confirmed her office knew about on Dec. 8 but didn't disclose the death in his hearing.



Maquins death, which members of Congress said should be investigated independently, has not been the only death of a child to occur after being detained by CBP.



In August, a mother filed suit against a detention center because of the death of her toddler, who died from a respiratory infection more than two months after her and her mother were detained.



According to a claim filed by Yazmin Juarez, whose young daughter was named Mariee, the little girl contracted the sickness in the immigration detention facility.



Human Rights Watch, which reviewed the 52 publicly available death reports of the 81 detainees who have died in detention since 2010, determined in June that almost half of those deaths were linked to substandard care.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Inside a cubicle of high glass walls, 18-year-old Angel Mosqueda held what looked like the largest-ever remote control, with a full keyboard underneath a screen the size of an Etch A Sketch.

But the object the Legacy High School senior controlled was even more remarkable  a massive robotic arm holding a tiny dry-erase marker, which he was using to play tic-tac-toe with himself on a whiteboard.

For Mosqueda, this was more than just a game. Learning to use the robot will help him along the path toward becoming a mechanical engineer.

Its just something that Im passionate about, he said. I like to work with machines.

The welding robot was worth $92,000 in 2005, when it was one of the first Toyota installed at its San Antonio plant, said Melissa Sparks, a spokeswoman for the automaker.

It started our line for us, she said.

Now the machine has found a second life in retirement, teaching Legacy students how to seal cars against water and other environmental factors, and helping them earn industry-recognized certifications in safety and advanced manufacturing.

READ ALSO: Southwest ISD launches aeronautical program for all grades

They have that advantage where theyve actually experienced a program thats being used on the production line, said Dionicio Ramirez, who teaches engineering and robotics. It gives them a head start.

Legacy became the first school, and the only local one, to receive a welding robot from Toyota. The company later donated one to Texas State Technical College in Harlingen.

Before Legacy even opened in the fast-growing Southwest Independent School District last year, Toyota donated five smaller, table-top robotic arms to the school. Later that year, the automaker trucked over the huge robot in an 18-wheeler, using a forklift to install it in Ramirezs classroom.

Ramirez kept it covered until the spring, piquing his students curiosity. When the cloth came off, some students were excited. Others were intimidated. They showed off the robot to elementary and middle-school kids. Fellow classmates still slow down when walking by the classroom and stare at it.

The students in Ramirezs robotics class are mostly seniors who can soon leverage their new skills into internships or careers at Toyota. Theyll be able to pursue the two-year advanced manufacturing technician program at St. Philips College, which allows them to pay off their degree by working for the auto company three days a week, Sparks said.

Before they turn 21, they could be making between $50,000 and $70,000 per year  starting pay for technicians experienced in robotics, Sparks said.

Thats the category of team member that we are always lacking in, she said.

OnExpressNews.com: San Antonio robotics company making strides in logistics industry

The robots are not just bait to get students to work at Toyota, Sparks said. Students use them to learn skills they can apply to other jobs, including at Amazons new Schertz warehouse. Those skills are also building blocks for students pursuing higher-level engineering degrees.

Its a community investment initiative, Sparks said. Theyre still enriching San Antonio, and thats for the benefit of all of us.

The St. Philips advanced manufacturing program also has partnerships with CPS Energy, H-E-B and Holt CAT. All those companies helped create CAST STEM, a high school that opened this year within Legacy to prepare students for careers in advanced manufacturing, engineering, logistics and energy.

Open to students all over Bexar County, the school now only has freshmen, who are not yet prepared to use the robotic arms.

Mario Hernandez, a 17-year-old senior at Legacy, said operating the welding robot has taught him computer programming and safety skills. Those will help if he pursues aerospace engineering, a career hes considering.

Its a stepping stone into what you want to do for the rest of your life, Hernandez said. Even a speck of what that might be is cool to see.

Alia Malik covers several school districts and the Alamo Colleges District in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | amalik@express-news.net | Twitter: @AliaAtSAEN
North East Independent School District trustee Jim Wheat will leave the board to become the associate judge of Bexar Countys 289th District Court, the district has announced.

Wheat, who joined the board in 2012, will resign effective Dec. 31 and will soon be appointed to the juvenile court, NEISD said.
Federal officials are investigating an immigrant smuggling case in San Antonio in which a woman and her children were held captive at an East Side home by men allegedly associated with the now-splintered Zetas cartel.

The woman and her two children were rescued following a standoff on Tuesday at the home in the 700 block of South New Braunfels. After monitoring the home much of the day, the San Antonio Police Department dispatched a SWAT team and arrested three men, whom federal authorities charged Wednesday with immigrant harboring charges.

Despite the claims of ties to the Zetas, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday that federal officials are not confirming that its connected to any criminal group.

A federal court-filed affidavit said the SAPD Special Victims Unit was notified after the womans ex-husband reported the crime.

Officials said the man told them the woman and children were deported earlier in December after a first attempt to enter the country.

The man said that after being deported, his ex-wife was told by Zeta gang members they could get her and her children back into the United States for $12,000. The woman and children were smuggled and held in stash houses until the money was paid by her ex-husband on Dec. 14.

READ ALSO: Bail denied for ex-Army Ranger accused of trafficking guns for Mexican cartel

According to the affidavit, the victims were then brought to San Antonio and held captive. The man told police the Zetas demanded an additional $12,000 for their release.

With the information and cell phone numbers provided by the man, police tracked down the home where the mother and children were held.

A pickup left the home Tuesday with the two children and mother, along with two suspects, the affidavit said. Police followed the truck, rescued the victims and arrested the two men, identified as Jose Luciano Rocha Ortiz and Juventino Hernandez Cruz.

Rocha and Hernandez admitted to being Mexican citizens in the country illegally, and that they were ordered by an Eddie to hold the victim and her children captive until fees were completely paid. Rocha told investigators that "Eddie" is with the Zetas.

The affidavit said police served a search warrant at the home, and found another man, Fermin Cordero-Chavez and another migrant.

OnExpressNews.com: Feds say ex-U.S. military member from San Antonio was supplying Mexican cartel with guns

Cordero-Chavez told authorities he was sent to San Antonio from Nuevo Laredo to operate the stash house. He said he was gong to be paid $700 a week to do so and admitted participating in preventing the victims from leaving the home.

The three suspects appeared in federal court late Wednesday, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Bemporad ordered them detained for hearings in the next two weeks. However, since they are suspected of having no legal status, they are likely to waive bail hearings and remain in jail.

According to court records, the mother may be a witness in the case and would remain in the country with her children until a trial is held.

Guillermo Contreras covers federal court and immigration news in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | gcontreras@express-news.net | Twitter: @gmaninfedland
As Christmas holidays go, this years promises to better than usual for Pvt. Lucas Perry-Johnson and certainly better than some in his past.

Hes heading home to see his family. Mom is in Phoenix. Dads in Tuscon.

It was only six years ago that he was homeless at the age of 12.

We really didnt have anywhere to go. Stayed in a hotel room, my grandma got me a pair of jeans, and thats about it, recalled Perry-Johnson, 18, of Tucson. Its little things like that really make you appreciate all the things that youve gone though.

Well before dawn Thursday, the first of 5,500 soldiers, sailors and airmen due to go on Christmas leave got out of bed and headed to San Antonio International Airport, part of the annual holiday pilgrimage known as Exodus.

Around 3,000 are soldiers at the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School, which trains combat medics and other health personnel.

The soldiers, along with airmen and sailors, will continue to stream out of their bases through the weekend. Around 380 sailors left San Antonio on Thursday, with 500 scheduled to depart on Friday and another 120 due to fly out over the weekend, said Larry Coffey, a spokesman for the Navy Medicine Education, Training and Logistics Command.

More than 1,500 airmen also will leave town, many of them from technical schools and the Air Forces Special Warfare training pipeline at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, said Bob Rubio, a spokesman for the 37th Training Wing.

Others will come from Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo.

READ ALSO: For those in the military, Thanksgiving dinner served all sorts of way

Airman Yaneli Cameros, 18, was among the first from Lackland to reach the airport. Fresh out of Security Forces training, she had never been away from home before joining the Air Force and couldnt wait to get back to Spring Valley, New York, so she could surprise her family and enjoy some homemade food.

Yet more was on her mind than just impressing her mom, Rina Cameros, with her uniform or catching up with her brother, Samuel, now 8. Her 21-year-old sister, Esmeralda, is pregnant and just learned the baby will be a girl.

Im excited. Its my first niece, my moms first grandchild, Yaneli Cameros said. I was actually trying to postpone taking leave so I could go around the time the baby was due.

Pvt. Aaron Goldman, 18, wasnt as ambitious. His plans after arriving home in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday afternoon were as simple as they get  sleep in.

And sleep a lot.

When I go home, Ill probably sleep for the rest of the day, he said. That was a big change, going from sleeping whenever I wanted to being on strict, scheduled early wakeups. So it will be nice to go home and sleep when I want to.

Dreams of getting away from the prying eyes of ever-watchful NCOs were part of the Christmas spirit. So, too, was the handful of troops playing video games in the USO Lounge at the airports Terminal B.

Others napped in recliners, a couple played chess and one or two watched Jimmy Stewarts character George Bailey get thrown out of Nicks Bar in the Christmas movie, Its a Wonderful Life.

Now Playing: Pvt. Danielle Nelson, USO volunteer Gary Wilke and Pvt. Lucas Perry-Johnson talk about going home for Christmas. Video: San Antonio Express-News

Two sailors played the board game Battleship.

I sunk the whole fleet, said Hospitalman Devon Paditsone, 23, of New York City.

The fleet commander he defeated, Hospital Apprentice Arleen Claveria, 19, of Chicago, came up with an idea that was bound to be a hit with her parents.

Im going to change into my dress blues at the airport when I get home and surprise them, she said. You know, just for the Christmas spirit, to make them happy.

OnExpressNews.com: As their careers take off, Air Force women try to balance work and family

Around the corner, Pvt. Danielle Nelson had the look of a soldier headed out on Exodus. It turned out she had just arrived in San Antonio, along with other GIs, from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where theyre in basic training. Though tired after being up since 8 p.m. the night before, she was brimming with excitement.

Her next stop was a day-care center, where Nelson, 18, was to pick up her niece, Kiyah Marie Stevens, age 9 months, and nephew, Prince Wayne Scott, 2. They live on San Antonios East Side.

I pretty much raised them, said Nelson, who graduated from East Central High School last summer and joined the Army to help the kids have a better life.

When she goes back to basic training, she plans to hang their photos on her wall locker.

I cant wait. I dont think Ive ever been this excited before. Ive had a lot of great experiences but this is by far a great feeling, Nelson said. Just the feeling of being so happy to come home.

On the other side of the USO Lounge, a couple of those watchful NCO-officer types, Majs. Gary Billingsley and Damian Pardue, reflected on their first time arriving at San Antonio International as enlisted men headed to basic training.

Pardue, 46, of Vancouver, Washington, began his Air Force career here in 1994. Bill Clinton was president then, and the United States was at peace. He hadnt seen much of the world and wondered if joining up had been a mistake.

Going in my mind was just the fear of the unknown, Pardue said.

Did I make the right choice? laughed Billingsley, 43, of Sedalia, Missouri, an 18-year veteran. What am I doing?

Goldman and Perry-Johnson, who will go to Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division next year, were among those headed home who harbored no doubts about their decisions, even with the country at war.

With Christmas just days away, both were humble and grateful.

I still know that there is a lot to learn, and I dont necessarily deserve anything more than I did before. I havent fully made it through, said Goldman, who has 3 more months left in his medic course.

But Im proud of the fact that I made it through basic and that Im doing something that not a lot of people do. I just know its not the end of my journey. Theres still a lot left, he said.

Perry-Johnson, the private from Tuscon, said this would probably be his best Christmas yet because I get to spend all this time with my family.

It really makes it more significant and sentimental, because luckily I havent missed a holiday with my family yet, so its good to kind of carry on that tradition, he said. But knowing I probably wont see them for a long time, it makes me appreciate the time I have with them a lot better.

sigc@express-news.net
On July 17, Janice Dotson-Stephens stood outside the Mt. Zion elder community on San Antonio's East Side and adamantly told the police she wouldn't leave.

"The only place I'll go is jail," she told officers, according to a police report. The officers obliged. They arrested her on a Class B misdemeanor charge of criminal trespass and booked her into the Bexar County Jail.

Her bail was set at $300, meaning she likely could have been bonded out for about $30, according to county officials. But the 61-year-0ld Dotson-Stephens would remain an inmate at the Bexar County Jail until her death almost five months later. The maximum penalty for the criminal trespass charge is six months in jail.

Her family says they had no idea where she was until her death.

"My mom did not deserve to die in jail," said her daughter, Brigette Lott. "She was not a criminal. She was a mentally ill woman."

Since her death on Dec. 14, Dotson-Stephens' family has been left to wonder why she was detained for so long, and they're concerned the same tragedy could befall other families. Now, the family has filed a civil rights lawsuit against Bexar County, Bexar County pre-trial services and the University Health System.

"The question is, 'What did you do to treat her?" said Les Sachanowicz, the attorney representing the family. "Did you give her the standard of health care that the community would have?"

He later added, "We're convinced that their mom was ignored to death, and what I mean by that is there is a culture of deliberate indifference for her and other inmates in the pre-trial system and at the Bexar County Jail."

The suit claims Bexar County officials were required to evaluate Dotson-Stephens on an ongoing basis, protect her from physical and psychological harm and provide her with the mental health care she needed. According to the suit, Bexar County officials did not do so, violating her civil rights and the Sandra Bland Act.

Bexar County "deprived Janice Dotson-Stephens of her rights and privileges as a citizen of the United States, and defendants caused Janice Dotson-Stephens to suffer injury and death," according to the suit.

Bexar County officials, however, maintain that they were not made aware of Dotson-Stephens's mental health issues and afforded her the same care she would've received outside of jail.

Sachanowicz said at a press conference on Friday that the suit was being filed to "find out what exactly happened" between Dotson-Stephens' arrest and her death.

A history of mental illness

Dotson-Stephens, a San Antonio native, was diagnosed with her mental illness when she was a teenager. Lott, 43, wasn't sure exactly what she suffered from, but said it was some combination of a severe mood disorder with possible schizophrenic side affects.

"She dealt with it her whole life. She was in and out of the hospital, always on medication," Lott said.

Dotson-Stephens' illness put her in contact with police on a regular basis. According to court records, she was arrested in 1982 on a charge of injury to a child. After her arrest, she was held at Rusk State Hospital for treatment.

She was later found competent to stand trial, but the case was dismissed because "medical reports and police statements indicate that [Dotson-Stephens] was legally insane at the time of offense," according to court documents. Bexar County prosecutors asked the presiding judge to order her to seek outpatient treatment.

In 1996, she was arrested for theft and received deferred adjudication and six months of probation.

In 2010, she was arrested on an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge. She was later found incompetent and pleaded down to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge, according to court records.

Lott said in each of these instances and others, her mother was taken into custody and almost immediately transferred to a state hospital. There, she would receive the care she needed and be released to her family. The cycle would then repeat itself.

"It was absolutely normal that my mom would just leave and we might not hear from her for a long time," she said. "That was normal for us. We were under the assumption that it was a regular cycle. She'll get in trouble, then she'll get better, then we'll start the cycle all over again.

"Nobody has lived through this like we have," she said.

Lott said she doesn't necessarily blame the jail for her mother's death, but she is confused about why, this time, her mother was not taken to a hospital. She had a clear, documented history of mental illness. Why was she in jail so long this time?

Refusals

According to court records and police reports, Dotson-Stephens was not eager to cooperate with officials.

The night of her most recent arrest in July, she insisted she was a resident at Mt. Zion Sheltering Arms for the Elderly in the 3200 block of Martin Luther King Drive. The police report lists her as homeless. An official at the elderly community told police Dotson-Stephens was not and never had been a resident, that she was "always causing problems" and was scaring the residents.

Dotson-Stephens' husband did, however, live at Mt. Zion, her family said.

Dotson-Stephens initially refused to tell police her name and "got mad" at an officer, according to the report.

"If you're going to take me to jail, then take me," she said.

Police finally learned her name, but after Dotson-Stephens again refused to leave, saying she lived at the elderly community, the officers arrested her on the criminal trespass charge and booked her into the Bexar County Jail.

The lawsuit claims Bexar County officials knew of her mental illness, but records from the jail contradict that claim. When inmates are booked into the Bexar County Jail, they're asked four questions to evaluate them for any "red flags" that would indicate mental health issues. Dotson-Stephens answered "No" to each one, effectively saying she had no mental health issues. She also had no mental health indication on her booking slip.

In most cases, it is up to the defendant to notify their court appointed attorney, jail officials or the judge presiding over their case of any mental health issues they may be facing. The judge, or jail officials in extenuating circumstances, can then order a mental health evaluation, according to Monica Ramos, the public information officer for the Office of the County Manager.

The Bexar County Jail works with the Center for Health Care Services to evaluate a defendants competency. Based on the results of the evaluation, the defendant is then ordered to go to a mental health facility, receive counseling or undergo some other form of treatment.

That apparently never happened.

According to court documents, Dotson-Stephens refused on four separate occasions to be considered for a personal recognizance bond, which would let her out of jail for free. She also waived her bond hearing on July 23. The presiding judge set her bond at $300.

Ramos said Dotson-Stephens should have been eligible to bail out of jail for 10 percent of her bond through a bondsman, much like any other inmate.

Dotson-Stephens apparently did not seek legal representation, either. On nine different occasions, she refused to be considered for a court-appointed attorney. At her arraignment hearing on Aug. 8, a judge assigned her an attorney despite her refusals.

Finally, on August 27, a judge ordered Dotson-Stephens to undergo an informal inquiry into her competency. Officials with the University Health System completed the evaluation on Oct. 2 and forwarded it to Judge Andrew Carruthers. The results of the evaluation are unknown.

On Dec. 14, Dotson-Stephens died in jail.

Sachanowicz said Dotson-Stephens' history of mental illness essentially invalidates her refusals. Authorities should've recognized her incompetency and acted on it sooner he said.

"She can't waive those things when she's not competent," he said. "She had episodes at the state hospital. She was mentally ill. There are instances where a person gets stuck in the system and people just check the box. They don't look at them as human beings."

'Mixed feelings'

Throughout her stay in the Bexar County Jail, Dotson-Stephens' family was unaware of her situation. Lott said her grandfather, who was Dotson-Stephens' power of attorney, called the mental facility where she's usually held after an arrest and was told she wasn't there. She said he also called the jail, but jail officials said she wasn't there either.

Patricia Hernandez, the manager of the Bexar County Central Records division, said no records are kept of inquiries into specific inmates. The office receives thousands of such calls a day and documenting each one would be practically impossible.

Contrary to the police report, Lott said Dotson-Stephens' wasn't homeless, and she has a husband she lives with and a family who cares for her.

Lott and her family know Dotson-Stephens appears to have refused to cooperate with authorities at almost every juncture, but they question why they weren't notified of her arrest, especially given her history of mental illness.

"We have mixed feelings. We know its a struggle dealing with someone with a mental illness," she said. "However, if that person's history shows they've been in jail before and have been sent to the hospital, why didn't they do it this time? It was a major breakdown in communication, and we want to know why anyone wasn't notified."

Ramos said contacting family members is not in law enforcement's purview and is typically the responsibility of the inmate or the inmate's attorney.

"In some cases, the individual won't want to notify their family because they're ashamed," she said.

Lott said she knows the medical examiner has determined her mother died of natural causes, but she wonders whether five months in a county jail played any role in her death.

Dotson-Stephens was prescribed medication for her mental illness and high blood pressure, and Lott is worried she wasn't receiving it while in jail, possibly because she wouldn't speak with anyone.

Johnny Garcia, a spokesman for the Bexar County Sheriff's Office, was not able to speak to Dotson-Stephens' specific case, citing HIPAA privacy law, but he said the jail's medical staff "does their best to afford inmates the adequate care and medication they would normally have on the outside."

Due to the Sandra Bland Act, which requires outside agencies to investigate in custody deaths, the Converse Police Department is now looking into the circumstances surrounding Dotson-Stephens' death. Lott and her family are hoping for more answers, some of which may quell the unpleasant suspicion their loved one was severely neglected.

"They might think she was staying in jail for three hots and a cot, but that's not the reality," Lott said. "Something went wrong. I'm not sure if it even can be fixed. She had a lot of issues, and she had to die in jail because she was overlooked."

Caleb Downs covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com |

cdowns@mysa.com | @calebjdowns
Through the miracle of television, I witnessed  no, gloried in  our nations tribute to a fallen hero, President George Herbert Walker Bush. Yes, he was all the things we heard of him. Yet I was overwhelmed by the history, the music, the magnificence of our young nations response to a heros ultimate journey.

Some similarities occur in my thoughts about the late president and my brother. They are allied in the Greatest Generation.

Shortly after the horrific bombing of Pearl Harbor, my brother, Bob Bartlett, joined the Marines. Our parents had to sign permission for his enlistment as he was two months away from his 17th birthday. He would narrowly escape death when a missile tore through the bottom of the Scout Bomber Dauntless as he manned his machine gun in the tail section.

I was 11 and wept for him, and his friends that I had known and loved who also seized the need to defend our country. Innocently I baked cookies and mailed them to the vast Pacific Ocean. I was stunned to see his coffee cup and saucer rattle in his hands when he had a brief visit home. Praise God, they all came home.

Through the GI Bill, a godsend for many, especially for a young man who still had his high school diploma to earn and a wartime bride and child to care for. The boy, often barefoot, who left an unproductive farm in Texas had become a man, as George Bush said, through the terrifying experience of war. Bob became a noted veterinarian and eventually program director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In his 80s, he had a mobile clinic where he served the community, often free of charge.

Our country honors its warriors. I am proud, so proud, that Bob has a plaque in the Memorial Courtyard at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg.

I digress. As I watched the ongoing ceremony, the words ruffles and flourishes peeked into my thoughts. I had a dim understanding of the words. Ruffles and flourishes. Murmured the words to my daughter who said, Ive never heard of that. Ruffles, drums, and flourishes, bugles, preceding Hail To The Chief. Four ruffles and flourishes are the highest honor.

Many instances of being part of a choir have given me some knowledge of the vast body of music. From childhood singing of My Blue Heaven to The Magnificat in a combined choir of Highland Park Presbyterian Church and Southern Methodist United Church for broadcast worldwide, I have a smattering of musicality. I contemplate ruffles and flourishes  the drums, the bugles slowly build to the burgeoning triumph of the reveal of the chief.

Ruffles and flourishes. Hmm. It is soft yet strong. It projects a meaningful note to what will come. It is as if all the muted voices of heroes past are yearning to be heard, with one immense sigh. The nation, the powers that be, have done their weeping. The glorious voices singing those beautiful notes have thrilled and soothed us.

I hear those collective sighs.

Carolyn B. Taylor lives in Canyon Lake.
WASHINGTON  A long-awaited House Ethics Committee report on Rep. Elizabeth Esty and her handling of a former chief of staff accused of sexual abuse found although many of her actions were ill advised, the matter should be closed with no further action.

The report, undertaken at Estys request in April after Hearst Connecticut Media and other outlets reported on her easing the chief of staff, Tony Baker, out of her office and giving him a job recommendation, found Esty committed several errors in judgment.

Among them are commissioning two former staffers to investigate Bakers conduct; allowing Baker to carry out his duties at full pay while the former staffers investigated, and agreeing to a $5,041 lump-sum severance payment and positive job reference.

While Representative Esty could have better handled the investigation of Mr. Bakers behavior, the Committee found that Representative Estys response to allegations of Mr. Bakers misconduct warrants no further action, said the report of the committee, whose chairman, Rep. Susan Brooks, R-Ind., was a friend and occasional ally of Esty on bipartisan legislation.

Punishments for ethical violations include reprimands, censure and expulsion  with a vote of two-thirds of House members.

Esty said in a statement late Thursday she was gratified the Ethics Committee probe concluded she had not violated any House rules or standard of conduct.

But, she added, I would do things differently if confronted with a similar situation now.

After news broke of her lapses regarding Baker, Esty announced she would not seek re-election this year.

With just two weeks to go before her departure from Congress, Esty arguably has paid a high price. A once-promising career on Capitol Hill lay in tatters after the revelation, with no prominent Democrats in Connecticut willing to stand beside her as she offered public mea culpas.

The 38-page report recounts in often-excruciating detail how Baker abused and intimidated a female employee identified as Former Staffer A  Anna Kain, who allowed herself to be identified after the story broke on March 29 of this year.

Baker and Kain were romantically involved in 2013, soon after Esty arrived in Washington after winning her first term in the 2012 election. They broke it off mutually, but Baker subsequently became chief of staff and, in effect, Kains boss.

Kain, who earned a promotion, attempted to engage Baker in a discussion on increasing her responsibilities in the office. After listening, Baker asked her to have sex on a desk. She declined, but asked if Bakers request was related to her asking for more responsibilities.

Mr. Baker replied that it was not related to her request but obviously it would help, the report stated.

Bakers downfall began in May 2016, after Kain had left the office, when they encountered each other at a happy hour office gathering at a Capitol Hill bar. Baker became intoxicated to the point of blacking out, and later left profanity-laced voicemail messages on Kains phone threatening to kill her.

What followed was a lengthy investigation of Bakers actions that concluded with a report to Esty on July 20, 2016. Despite the reports damning conclusions, Esty left Baker on the payroll until early August  enough time for him to accompany her and other staffers to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia that year.

Esty ironed out the termination agreement with Baker on Aug. 5, and announced to the staff on Aug. 8 that Baker would be leaving to return to his native Ohio. She said little about the circumstances of his departure, the report said.

Esty told the committee she had relied on advice from the House employment counsels office.

But, the report said, she acknowledged that there were several ways in which she did not engage in best practices, which she now, with the benefit of hindsight and a greater understanding of sexual harassment in the workplace, wishes she had handled differently.

The report noted there was no practical guidance for House members confronting such a situation.

It listed several actions members should take going forward.

Among them: Take swift action to uncover the truth, limit the accused staffers interaction with others in the office while an investigation takes place, and remove the employee if the individuals behavior put the safety or well-being of those in the office at risk.

The committee stated, No severance payments should be made to employees who are discharged due to their own unethical conduct.

dan@hearstdc.com
STAMFORD  Boo is gone now. After about 14 years, all of his lives ended last month.

He was a peaceful cat, big but not fat, whose favored spot in the house was the bathroom.

He lived with Jon and Dianne Saunders after showing up at their door one day in 2009 hungry, his long black fur dirty, matted into a helmet.

He looked like an armadillo, Jon Saunders said.

Things were good for Boo after he moved into the Saunders century-old house off Hope Street, but on Nov. 16 he succumbed to a number of medical conditions, including arthritis and possibly a stroke.

He leaves behind a book.

Its called Nine Lives on the Street  Jon Saunders speculations on what Boo could have been up to before he lived in Glenbrook. Its a childrens book for adults, or maybe an adult book for children, I dont know, Saunders said.

Told by Boo, the story opens with an explanation of his name, which is unrelated to Halloween. He got it because he liked to watch the neighborhood kids play, just like Boo Radley, the reclusive character in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

But, to tell you the truth, it doesnt matter what you call me, the first page reads. I wont come unless I want to. Im a cat.

In the story, which Saunders wrote in 2015, Boo lives with a wealthy older woman in a luxury high-rise on Manhattans Park Avenue. Hes a pampered pet until the day he walks into the kitchen and sees his owner on the kitchen floor  dead, presumably, of advanced age.

Thats why it may not be a childrens book, Saunders said.

Police arrive at the Park Avenue apartment and during their investigation call animal control officers, but Boo isnt having any of that, and takes off, Saunders said.

It begins a series of adventures in the big city. Chapter headings include Park Avenue and 81st Street, 77th Street Station, Central Park, East 110th Street and Under the FDR.

Boo, whod never walked a street or even met another cat, is snatched by a group of punks who steal his Tiffanys collar. Then hes jumped by gangster cats. Chapter Four is subtitled I Face Certain Death Beneath the No. 4 Train. He is temporarily adopted by a Brooklyn family and renamed Twinkie.

In the bowels of Grand Central Station, Boo learns of the Great Cat from a guru of feline philosophy. In Central Park, hes nearly lifted away by a hawk. Then comes Saunders favorite adventure  Boo is nearly sacrificed in a ceremony conducted by witches.

Saunders got the idea for the book because hed long wondered about Boos life before he appeared in their yard, scraggly and starving.

I set the story in New York, even though Boo was a Stamford cat, said Saunders, who for 20 years worked in Manhattan as an advertising copywriter and creative director. I thought there was more opportunity for adventure there. I gave him an interesting life.

He thinks the real Boo provided a couple of clues about his early years.

We knew hed been someones cat at some point, because hed been neutered, Saunders said. We think he lived in an apartment because whenever his litter box wasnt to his liking hed go upstairs and use the bathtub. Many times people who live in apartments put the litter box in the bathroom. Boo liked to use the bathroom.

There was another hint.

We think maybe he never had a chance to be a kitten, because he really didnt know how to play, Saunders said. He didnt do cat things, like grab at a piece of string.

No one will ever know whether Boo lived through anything like what Saunders imagined for Nine Lives on the Street, which ends with an adventure involving an Army Ranger, a Daily News reporter, gunfire, a trial, and a cat hairdo known as a lion cut.

If Boos fictional tale has a lesson, its that its possible to change, Saunders said. He starts out as a rich, spoiled, lazy cat and at the end hooks up with a homeless ex-soldier.

The storybook cat evolves into one that more closely resembles the gentle real-life Boo, described by Saunders as an old soul whod seen it all.

He always liked cats, Saunders said, though hes not sure why.

I dont know if cats give you unconditional love, he said. They certainly give you unconditional acceptance. Theyre not upset if you are something other than what you are supposed to be.

The book is a love note to the late Boo, and a testimonial to the rewards that can result from welcoming a stray.

I got the feeling Boo had been through a lot and, because of it, hed achieved a certain Zen, Saunders said.

Nine Lives on the Street is available on Amazon. Saunders donates a portion of the profits to Friends of Felines, a Stamford nonprofit that cares for homeless cats.

acarella@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2296.
Gov.-elect Ned Lamont has recruited Joseph J. Giulietti, the former president of Metro-North, the commuter railroad that is Connecticuts vital economic link to New York City, to be his commissioner of transportation.

With his key State Capitol staff in place, Lamont is now turning to naming agency heads, relying on national recruiting and local connections to help find executives who can help the new administration grow a state economy that has recently showed signs of strength.

Lamont, sources said Thursday, sees hiring Giulietti as a coup that places a well-regarded mass-transit executive in charge of transportation and signals to Fairfield County commuters that easing their commute as an economic development tool is a priority.

Joe Giulietti is a national transportation leader, a visionary and, most importantly, a true believer in the connection between strategic transportation planning and economic development, Lamont said in a statement Friday morning. I look forward to working with him to implement my bold rail vision - including substantially reducing travel time from New Haven and our other towns to New York City - and other transportation and infrastructure projects that will support and enhance Connecticuts economy and growth.

Giulietti retired last year at age 65 as the president of Metro-North, one of the nations busiest commuter rail systems, connecting 124 stations along 384 miles of track in New Haven and Fairfield counties in Connecticut and seven counties in New York. The New Haven line into Manhattan is one of three east of the Hudson River operating out of Grand Central Station in New York City.

I look forward to bringing my experience and background in rail to Connecticut, a state ripe for rail enhancement and upgrades on its Metro North lines, as well as the expansion of its newly launched CT Rail line, Giulietti said. I also appreciate the governor-elects focus on upgrading the states aging infrastructure and using strategic transit-oriented development to help drive economic growth and prosperity for the states residents.

He was widely praised for his management of a railroad that had been cited for safety deficiencies by federal railroad officials before his arrival. He began his career at Metro-North in 1983, departing in 1998 to run the Tri-Rail system in southern Florida.

He returned to Metro-North as its leader in early 2014, not long after four passengers were killed in a crash on the Hudson Line train near Spuyten-Duyvil.

Not long after his arrival, he and other transit leaders visited Hartford to accept a public dressing down from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and acknowledge that a spate of accidents and service interruptions are symptomatic of problems deep within the commuter railroad.

Its not by coincidence. Theres something going in the organization, said Thomas F. Prendergast, the chairman and chief executive of the railroads parent, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. There are management and cultural issues, and I think well find those, and well root them out.

Thomas F. Prendergast, then chairman of the MTA, left, and Joseph J. Giiulietti, then president of Metro-North in Hartford in 2014.

Prendergast and Giulietti met privately with Malloy and top administration officials at the State Capitol, then stood by as the governor described the railroads management in withering terms during a televised news conference.

I have made perfectly clear, as I think was evident to both of the gentlemen, that they have lost the confidence of many of our riders and our citizens in the state of Connecticut, and it is their job to earn it back, Malloy said.

By most accounts, Giulietti succeeded.

Giulietti grew up in the New Haven area. According to an announcement when he became Metro-North president, Giulietti began his railorad career in 1971 with Penn Central while attending Southern Connecticut State University, where he received his bachelors degree in history and English.

He was a foreman and assistant manager at Conrail before joining the newly formced Metro-North in 1983 as the superintendent of transportation, holding a string of management posts before departing for Florida.
Flotek Industries, Inc. is a technology-driven, specialty chemistry and data company that serves customers across industrial, commercial and consumer markets. It operates through the following segments: Chemistry Technologies and Data Analytics. The Chemistry Technologies segment develops, manufactures, packages, distributes delivers, and markets sanitizers and disinfectants for commercial, governmental and personal consumer use and also includes specialty chemistries and logistics which enable customers to improve efficiencies in the drilling and completion of well. The Data Analytics segment includes the design, development, production, sale and support of equipment and services that create and provide valuable information about the composition of energy customer's hydrocarbon fluids. The firm also empowers the energy industry to maximize the value of hydrocarbon streams and improve return on invested capital through real-time data platforms and chemistry technologies. It serves downstream, midstream and upstream customers, both domestic and international. The company was founded on May 17, 1985 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.

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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.
CapitaLand is one of Asia's largest real estate companies headquartered and listed in Singapore. The company leverages its significant asset base, design and development capabilities, active capital management strategies, and extensive market network and operational capabilities to develop high-quality real estate products and services. Its diversified global real estate portfolio includes integrated developments, shopping malls, serviced residences, offices and homes. The Group focuses on Singapore and China as our core markets, while it continues to expand in markets such as Vietnam and Indonesia. The company also has one of the largest real estate fund management businesses with assets located in Asia.

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iShares MSCI South Korea ETF's stock was trading at $52.04 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWY shares have increased by 51.9% and is now trading at $79.06.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF's stock was trading at $25.60 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWU shares have increased by 26.9% and is now trading at $32.48.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
The following companies are subsidiares of Teledyne Technologies: Alia Corporation Inc, Bolt Technology Corp, Bowtech Products, CARIS, CDL do Brasil Equipamentos e Servicos Submarinos Sociedade Empresaria Ltda., CETAC Technologies, DALSA, Demo Systems, Detcon Holdco Inc., Ensambles de Precision S.A. de C.V., Falcon Analytical, Frontline Test Equipment, GMI Group Holdings Limited, Hafmynd ehf, Hanson Research Corp, IST Oldham Instruments India Private Limited, Industrial Control Machines, Intelek, Intelek Limited, Intelek Pension Trustees Limited, Intelek Properties Limited, LeCroy (Beijing) Trading Co. Ltd., LeCroy Corporation, Lidar Aviation Services Inc., Maple Imaging LLC, Micralyne Inc, Ocean Design Ltda., Oldham Instrument (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Oldham Simtronics SAS, Oldham-Winter GmbH, PDM Neptec, Reynolds Industries Limited, Rhombi Canada LP, Rhombi Holdings Limited, Rhombi Netherlands B.V., Rockwell Scientific Company, Simtronics AS, TDY Jersey Limited, Teledyne Advanced Pollution Instrumentation, Teledyne Australia Pty Ltd, Teledyne BlueView, Teledyne Bogatin Enterprises LLC, Teledyne Bowtech Limited, Teledyne Brown Engineering Inc., Teledyne C.M.L. Group Limited, Teledyne CARIS B.V., Teledyne CARIS Inc., Teledyne CARIS UK Ltd., Teledyne CARIS USA Inc., Teledyne CDL Inc., Teledyne CDL Limited, Teledyne Catalyst Enterprises Inc., Teledyne Computer Access Technology Corporation, Teledyne Controls LLC, Teledyne Cougar, Teledyne Czech s.r.o., Teledyne DALSA (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Teledyne DALSA Asia-Pacific Ltd., Teledyne DALSA B.V., Teledyne DALSA GmbH, Teledyne DALSA Inc., Teledyne DALSA Industrial Products Inc., Teledyne DALSA K.K., Teledyne DALSA Semiconductor Inc., Teledyne Dalsa, Teledyne Defense Electronics LLC, Teledyne Denmark A/S, Teledyne Detcon Inc., Teledyne Digital Imaging Inc., Teledyne Digital Imaging US Inc., Teledyne Energy Systems Inc., Teledyne Europe Holdings C.V., Teledyne France, Teledyne France SAS, Teledyne Gas Measurement Instruments Limited, Teledyne Gavia ehf., Teledyne Germany GmbH, Teledyne Hanson Research Inc., Teledyne ICM SA, Teledyne ICM SPRL, Teledyne Innovaciones Microelectronics S.L.U., Teledyne Instruments Inc., Teledyne Instruments Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Teledyne Japan Corporation, Teledyne Korea Ltd., Teledyne Labtech Limited, Teledyne LeCroy AB, Teledyne LeCroy Delaware LLC, Teledyne LeCroy GmbH, Teledyne LeCroy Inc., Teledyne LeCroy India Trading Private Ltd., Teledyne LeCroy Japan Corporation, Teledyne LeCroy Korea Ltd., Teledyne LeCroy OakGate Inc., Teledyne LeCroy S.A.R.L., Teledyne LeCroy S.R.L., Teledyne LeCroy SA, Teledyne LeCroy Singapore Pte. Ltd., Teledyne Limited, Teledyne Micralyne Inc., Teledyne Monitor Labs, Teledyne Monitor Labs P.R. Inc., Teledyne Netherlands B.V., Teledyne ODI, Teledyne Optech Inc., Teledyne Paradise Datacom Limited, Teledyne RD Instruments, Teledyne RD Technologies (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Teledyne RESON, Teledyne RESON A/S, Teledyne RESON B.V., Teledyne RESON GmbH, Teledyne RESON Holding B.V., Teledyne RESON Inc., Teledyne RESON Pte. Ltd., Teledyne RESON UK Limited, Teledyne RISI Inc., Teledyne Rad-icon Imaging Corp., Teledyne Redlake MASD LLC, Teledyne Reynolds Inc., Teledyne SG Brown Limited, Teledyne Scientific & Imaging LLC, Teledyne Scientific Imaging GmbH, Teledyne Scientific Imaging Limited, Teledyne Signal Processing Devices Sweden AB, Teledyne Singapore Private Limited, Teledyne TSS Limited, Teledyne Taiwan Company, Teledyne Technologies (Bermuda) Limited, Teledyne Technologies (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Teledyne Technologies International Corp., Teledyne Technologies Israel Ltd., Teledyne Tekmar Company, Teledyne UK Limited, Teledyne VariSystems, Teledyne VariSystems Inc., Teledyne Wireless LLC, Teledyne e2v, Teledyne e2v (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Teledyne e2v (Overseas) Holdings Limited, Teledyne e2v Asia Pacific Limited, Teledyne e2v Limited, Teledyne e2v Semiconductors SAS, and The Oceanscience Group Ltd..
Ferrellgas Partners, L.P. distributes and sells propane and related equipment and supplies. The company transports propane to propane distribution locations, tanks on customers' premises, or to portable propane tanks delivered to retailers. It conducts its portable tank exchange operations under the Blue Rhino brand name through a network of independent and partnership-owned distribution outlets. The company's propane is primarily used for space heating, water heating, cooking, outdoor cooking using gas grills, crop drying, irrigation, weed control, and other propane fueled appliances; as an engine fuel for combustion engine vehicles and forklifts; and as a heating or energy source in manufacturing and drying processes. It serves residential, industrial/commercial, portable tank exchange, agricultural, wholesale, and other customers in the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. As of July 31, 2018, it operated 72 service centers and 859 propane distribution locations. The company is also involved in the sale of refined fuels; provision of common carrier services; and retail sale of propane appliances and related parts and fittings, as well as other retail propane related services and consumer products. Ferrellgas Partners, L.P. was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas.

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Guess?, Inc. engages in designing, marketing, distributing and licensing of contemporary apparel and accessories for men, women and children that reflect the American lifestyle and European fashion sensibilities. It operates through the following segments: Americas Retail, Americas Wholesale, Europe, Asia, and Licensing. The Americas Retail segment includes the Company's retail and e-Commerce operations in North and Central America and its retail operations in South America. The Americas Wholesale segment consists of the Company's wholesale operations in the Americas. The Europe segment comprises the Company's retail, e-commerce and wholesale operations in Europe and the Middle East. The Asia segment refers to the Company's retail, e-commerce and wholesale operations in Asia and the Pacific. The Licensing segment includes the worldwide licensing operations of the Company. The company was founded by Paul Marciano and Maurice Marciano in 1981 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.

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by David Wyze | Thunder Correspondent | Fri, Dec 21st 2:39am EST

As expected, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander logged his least amount of minutes since prior to Lou William's hiatus with a hamstring injury in Thursday's 125-121 win over the Dallas Mavericks at home. Gilgeous-Alexander provided just four points on 2-of-4 shooting with one rebound, one assist, one steal, and one turnover in just 19:12 of play.
Farm and Dairy traveled with Robert Hunt and his spouse and chief instigator Joyce Hann, of Glen Allen, Virginia, to the World Heritage Site of Avebury, the most complex of Britains surviving Neolithic henge monuments (think Stonehenge). The October 2018 trip to the United Kingdom took in many sites (and sights!), including the Victoria and Albert Museum and Hyde Park in London, and Glastonbury Abbey, the legendary burial place of King Arthur.

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Welsh farming is staring into the abyss of a 'no deal' Brexit scenario, which would see farmers locked out of their largest and closest export market, a farming leader has said in his Christmas message.

John Davies, President of NFU Cymru has used his annual speech to urge all parties and factions to come together in the best interests of the country.

He calls on the Government to secure the continued free and frictionless trade that Wales' 7 billion food and drink industry needs to continue to grow, both in terms of value and jobs to Wales.

Welsh farmers have frequently said that Brexit is the single biggest challenge facing sector within Wales.

For example, around a third of the Welsh lamb crop is exported and over 90% of this goes to the EU.

Mr Davies said: Whilst we continue to hope that our Government and Parliament in Westminster will be able to navigate their way to a deal with the EU that delivers our key trade asks, if that is not achievable then all other options that avoid a catastrophic no deal scenario must be actively considered.

It will be a dereliction of duty by our politicians if they simply allow the clock to run down to a no deal Brexit.

Farmers in their thousands have made their views known on the Welsh Governments proposals for a post-Brexit agriculture policy for Wales.

It proposes a phased withdrawal of the EU's Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) to be replaced by two new schemes; an Economic Resilience Scheme and a Public Goods Scheme. The plan is to phase them in from 2020.

But Mr Davies said that a future policy must have food production at its core, supporting the people that take the financial and business risks associated with producing food.

Both NFU Cymru and the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) believe the proposals lack acknowledgement of the importance of food production.

We need a policy that will underpin the development of Brand Wales, a brand to help market and promote Wales to the world on the basis of high quality food production underpinned by a strong natural asset base, Mr Davies said.

He goes on to criticise the Welsh Government for forgetting the importance of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to farmers.

The CAP currently supports a Welsh agricultural industry that employs over 50,000 people on farms and has a gross output of nearly 1.6 billion.

For nearly half a century the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has provided the stability that the industry has needed to ensure a secure supply of safe, high quality, traceable and affordable food valued by the consumer, Mr Davies explained.

It seems to me that Welsh Government, in its criticism of the CAP, forgets the importance of the CAP in underpinning the regular and affordable supply of food to the consumer.

I believe Welsh Government has overlooked this important role of the CAP and how prone food supply chains are to political instability, protectionism, trade bans and weather extremes across the globe.

The CAP has delivered, providing a level of stability to farming businesses to cope with shocks that are completely outside a farmers control and this in turn has ensured continuity of supply to our food processors and, ultimately, the consumer.

He added: No farmer would say the CAP is perfect; we all accept the need for further change and evolution of policy. But what we must do is ensure that we build on the stable base that we have and design a new policy for Wales that meets our ambition for the further sustainable growth of our farming businesses, the food supply chain and our rural communities.
Organically farmed food has a bigger climate impact than conventionally farmed food, due to the greater areas of land required, a new study suggests.

Researchers developed a new method for assessing the climate impact from land-use, and used this, along with other methods, to compare organic and conventional food production.

The results show that organic food can result in greater emissions, the Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden study suggests.

Our study shows that organic peas, farmed in Sweden, have around a 50 percent bigger climate impact than conventionally farmed peas, says Stefan Wirsenius, an associate professor from Chalmers, and one of those responsible for the study.

For some foodstuffs, there is an even bigger difference  for example, with organic Swedish winter wheat the difference is closer to 70 percent.

'Greater land-use'

Yields per hectare are much lower for organically farmed food, primarily because fertilisers are not used. To produce the same amount of organic food, a bigger area of land is therefore needed.

The ground-breaking aspect of the new study is the conclusion that this difference in land usage results in organic food causing a much larger climate impact.

The greater land-use in organic farming leads indirectly to higher carbon dioxide emissions, thanks to deforestation, explains Stefan Wirsenius.

The worlds food production is governed by international trade, so how we farm in Sweden influences deforestation in the tropics. If we use more land for the same amount of food, we contribute indirectly to bigger deforestation elsewhere in the world.

Even organic meat and dairy products are  from a climate point of view  worse than their conventionally produced equivalents, the study, published in the journal Nature, claims.

He adds: Because organic meat and milk production uses organic feed-stocks, it also requires more land than conventional production.

This means that the findings on organic wheat and peas in principle also apply to meat and milk products. We have not done any specific calculations on meat and milk, however, and have no concrete examples of this in the article.

Carbon Opportunity Cost

The researchers used a new metric, called the Carbon Opportunity Cost, to evaluate the effect of greater land-use contributing to higher carbon dioxide emissions from deforestation.

This metric takes into account the amount of carbon that is stored in forests, and thus released as carbon dioxide as an effect of deforestation.

The study is among the first in the world to make use of this metric.

The fact that more land use leads to greater climate impact has not often been taken into account in earlier comparisons between organic and conventional food, says Stefan Wirsenius.

This is a big oversight, because, as our study shows, this effect can be many times bigger than the greenhouse gas effects, which are normally included. It is also serious because today in Sweden, we have politicians whose goals are to increase production of organic food.

If those goals are implemented, the climate influence from Swedish food production will probably increase a lot.

Latest figures released by Defra show the number of UK producers farming organically increased by almost 2% in 2017 - the first increase in at least six years.
Any new agricultural tech revolution should be 'responsible', which considers the winners but particularly the potential losers of change, academics say.

Agriculture is undergoing a technology revolution supported by policy-makers around the world.

While smart technologies will play an important role in achieving improved productivity and greater eco-efficiency, critics have suggested that consideration of the social impacts is being side-lined.

According to academics at the University of East Anglia (UEA), responsible innovation that considers the wider impacts on society is key to smart farming.

In a new journal article Dr David Rose and Dr Jason Chilvers, from UEAs School of Environmental Sciences, argue that the concept of responsible innovation should underpin the so-called fourth agricultural revolution, ensuring that innovations also provide social benefits and address potentially negative side-effects.

Radical change

Each of the previous revolutions was radical at the time - the first representing a transition from hunting and gathering to settled agriculture, the second relating to the British Agricultural Revolution in the 18th century, and the third to post-war productivity increases associated with mechanisation and the Green Revolution in the developing world.

The current agri-tech developments come at a time when the UK government has provided 90 million of public money to transform food production in order to be at the forefront of global advanced sustainable agriculture. Many other countries are also prioritising smart agri-tech.

This, combined with private investment from organisations including IBM, Barclays, and Microsoft, means that Agriculture 4.0 is underway, with technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics increasingly being used in farming.

'Side-effects'

Dr Rose, a lecturer in human geography, said that emergent technologies have uses in farming and may provide many benefits, but warns of side-effects.

For example, robotics could plug potential lost labour post-Brexit in industries such as fruit picking, while robotics and AI could enable better chemical application, saving farmers money and protecting the environment. They could also attract new, younger farmers to an ageing industry, he said.

Writing in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Dr Rose and Dr Chilvers warn though that agri-tech could also have side-effects, bringing potential environmental, ethical, and social costs.

In light of controversial agri-tech precedents, it is beyond doubt that smart farming is going to cause similar controversy. Robotics and AI could cause job losses or change the nature of farming in ways that are undesirable to some farmers.

Others might be left behind by technological advancement, while wider society might not like how food is being produced, said Dr Rose.

We therefore encourage policy-makers, funders, technology companies and researchers to consider the views of both farming communities and wider society.

We advocate that this new agricultural tech revolution, particularly the areas funded by public money, should be responsible, considering the winners, but particularly the potential losers of change.

The academics call for better ways to include farmers and the public in decision-making. They also call for wider society to change the direction of technological advances.
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Aardhya Looks Super Excited

Just like yesterday, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan brought Aardhya Bachchan to school today too. Aishwarya is sporting a formal look in black with a blazer whereas Aaradhya is wearing a red costume for her performance. She looks super excited to get to school and can be seen skipping all the way to school. A video of Aaradhya dancing at her school's annual day last year went viral and we have no doubt she will put up a smashing performance this time too.

A Shy AbRam

Gauri Khan brings a shy AbRam to the Ambani School today for its second day of annual day function. Gauri is wearing a black dress with ruffles on the shoulders. Five year old AbRam Khan is looking too cute all dressed up in a red and white costume. AbRam seems to be shy of the cameras clicking him so he hides his cute little face.

Hrehaan & Hridhaan Roshan

Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan's sons, Hrehaan and Hridhaan were seen going to their school's annual day function today too. Like yesterday, they were dressed up in what looks like Spanish costumes. We hope we get to see their performances.

Abhishek Bachchan Waves For The Cameras

After Aishwarya dropped off Aardhya to school, she went to pick up Abhishek Bachchan and the two of them can be seen walking together to the event. Abhishek is dressed casually in a white hoodie, jeans and white sneakers as he waves to the camera.

Isha Ambani Poses With Mum Nita Ambani

Newly married Isha Ambani made time to attend the second day of the Dhirubai Ambani School annual day, with her mother Nita Ambani. Isha Ambani loks pretty in a white floral midi dress and Nita Ambani is wearing a white shirt with a white blazer and jeans.

Akash Ambani And Wife Shloka Ambani

Akash Ambani and wife Shloka Ambani walk out hand in hand after the closing of the Dhirubai Ambani School annual day. Akash Ambani is looking smart in a white shirt and blue pants, while Shloka Ambani is looking pretty in a black top.

Raveena Tandon And Daughter Rasha Smile

Raveena Tandon was seen later in the evening at the close of the event with her daughter Rasha Thadani. Raveena was dressed formally in a grey blazer and white shirt and her daughter looked pretty in a yellow t-shirt and white denims. They both smiled for the cameras.

Zuni Chopra Is A Published Author!

Anupama Chopra and her husband Vidhu Vinod Chopra were both seen with their daughter Zuni Chopra at the close of the event. Zuni, at a young age, is already a published author with three books to her name.
Television actor and Ex-Bigg Boss contestant, Armaan Kohli has always been in news for all the wrong reasons! Recently, Armaan was in news for threatening a fashion designer Nadia of physical abuse. She had lodged FIR against Armaan and two other people. But he had denied the allegation saying that his name was dragged into the matter. A few month ago, the actor was in news for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend and business partner Neeru Randhawa. An FIR was lodged against him at the Santacruz police station. Now, yet again the actor is in news!

This time, Armaan has been arrested for illegal possession of 41 bottles of Scotch Whisky, a majority of which were purchased abroad! Apparently, one isn't allowed to keep more than 12 liquor bottles in their possession for longer than a month. Also, a person can bring two bottles of liquor at a time from abroad.



According to TOI report, the police were questioning him at their Bandra excise station and are trying to ascertain the cost of the entire stock that was found in his possession.

The senior excise officials revealed to the leading daily that other than the 41 Scotch bottle, the actor has 35 bottles of Scotch that were consumed at private parties. If found guilty, the actor could be jailed up to three years with a fine (that will be decided by court), under section 63(E) of Bombay Liquor Prohibition Act, 1949.

Most Read: These Were Danish Zehen's Last Words; Thousands Of Fans & Followers Attend Danish's Funeral!
Rating: 3.0 /5 Star Cast: Varun Tej, Lavanya Tripathi, Aditi Rao Hydari, Satya Dev, Srinivas Avasarala Director: Sankalp Reddy

With a promising trailer and a confident team, Sankalp Reddy's Anthariksham 9000 KMPH has hit the screens today (December 21, 2018) amidst stiff competitions from many movies across different industries. The movie has been tagged as a space movie which would evoke excitement and anticipation amongst the general audience. It needs to be seen whether the movie does justice to movie lovers.

Mihira, a satellite loses track in the space which causes panic and chaos in the space research centre in Andhra Pradesh as they worry that the communication networks would black out across the world. This is where the hero's character is introduced as the research team decides to get back Dev (Varun Tej) into the team to fix Mihira. At the same time, Dev has a past as well.

While the need of the hour is to fix Mihira as it is in danger of colliding with another satellite, Dev is hell-bent on not getting into the task and finally, he is convinced for the task. He gets on board with Riya (Aditi Rao) and two other astronauts in space and are almost successful in the mission. But, they run into a small issue and are left with just 3 minutes to fix the issue. What happens ahead has been narrated in Anthariksham 9000 KMPH. It also answers a few more questions.

While Sankalp Reddy deserves a huge thumbs-up for coming up with such a concept, the effort that he has put in and the genre that he has chosen, it somehow appears that the movie as an entire package isn't as entertaining & convincing as it was perceived to be. There are definitely few scenes which would put the audiences at the edge of their seats.

VFX for the movie's budget is indeed good but overall, it is pretty average. The screenplay could bore the audience at parts as the flick gets a bit predictable. Rest of the technical department have chipped in with their parts at a decent level.

Varun Tej is improving with each movie and Anthariksham 9000 KMPH is a testimonial to the same. His expressions, body language and performance are commendable and so is Aditi's performance. Lavanya & Srinivas are equally good.

Final Verdict

A commendable attempt which could have been even better for a fantastic experience. Not a must watch product.
Ajay Devgn, the two-time National Film award winner is known for his charisma and personal appeal. In 2016, the government of India honoured him the Padma Shri for his contribution to the arts. Here's a list of Ajay Devgn's upcoming movies that we are all excited about.
European leader in integrated automotive logistics with a number 1 position in finished vehicle logistics and one of the top 10 international players in multimodal supply chain solutions

Global multimodal network which spans 5 continents, 47 countries and more than 300 destinations

Strategically positioned across the entire value chain with end-to-end specialized logistics and time-critical solutions

Asset-light and flexible business model driving resilient margin, cash flow and attractive return on capital

Strong growth across all divisions and continued improvement in profitability supported by performance initiatives

Continued profitable growth expected over the coming years

THIS DOCUMENT IS NOT DIRECTED AT OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO ANY PERSONS LOCATED IN THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION, OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH IT WOULD BE UNLAWFUL

GEFCO (the "Company") today announces the registration of its Document de Base (or "Registration Document") with the AMF under number I. 18-075 dated December 20, 2018 (the "Document de Base

The registration is an important step towards an initial public offering (the "IPO") of GEFCO shares on the regulated market of Euronext Paris. It follows the announcement made on October 25, 2018 by the Company and its shareholders. The completion of the IPO remains subject to market conditions, receipt of regulatory approvals and the AMF's visa on the prospectus for the transaction.

This IPO will allow GEFCO to enhance its growth opportunities and increase its leadership position in the automotive and broader logistics sectors.

Luc Nadal, Chief Executive Officer of GEFCO, commented: "This planned IPO will increase GEFCO's visibility vis-a-vis clients and partners and provide additional flexibility to accelerate our development. It comes at a time when the company has proven its ability to deliver sustained profitable growth and is well positioned to harvest further growth opportunities in the sector going forward. The registration of the Document de Base is an important milestone in our IPO project."

Through this transaction, RZD is considering a reduction of its stake to below 50% of the Company's share capital at IPO (subject to final approval by the Russian Federation). PSA Group that still holds 24,96% of GECO is considering reducing its stake to below 10% of the Company's share capital, with the remaining holding subject to a 2-year lock-up period.

The leader in European automotive logistics and number 1 in finished vehicle logistics, primed for the next phase of growth

Since RZD, one of the world's largest rail operators, acquired 75% of GEFCO's capital from PSA in 2012, GEFCO has enjoyed the continued support from its two main shareholders and delivered robust growth, both in its core automotive logistics business as well as in new verticals such as pharmaceutical, technology or industrials, leveraging the acquisition of IJS Global in 2015, a specialized freight forwarding company based in the Netherlands.

With consolidated revenues of 4.4 billion in 2017 (5.1% increase compared to 2016), the Company provides integrated logistics solutions through 4 divisions: Finished Vehicle Logistics, Overland Contract Logistics, Air Sea and Industrial Services. In the year ended December 31, 2017, the Group generated a Recurring EBIT of 139 million (22.2% increase compared to 2016), resulting in a Recurring EBIT margin of 3.1%. This solid recurring EBIT margin increase combined with a strong, flexible balance sheet have supported GEFCO's industry-leading ROCE of 31.0% as of December 31, 2017. For the nine months ended September 30, 2018, the Group generated revenues of 3.5 billion (up 9.8% like-for-like) and Recurring EBIT of 123 million (3.5% margin) after IFRS16 Impact.

While GEFCO continues to support PSA's logistics needs globally (including Opel-Vauxhall) from strategic planning support to final product delivery, the share of PSA (including Opel-Vauxhall) has decreased over the past years and represented 56% of 2017 consolidated revenues, demonstrating the Company's ability to successfully diversify its customer base outside of its core historical clients.

This successful diversification strategy has led to the increase in non-auto revenues and the expansion into new end-markets; in 2017, 33% of the Company's revenues from Value Key Accounts (international customers excluding PSA and Opel-Vauxhall) were generated from non-automotive end-markets.

Pavel Ilichev, Vice President, Finance Strategy commented: "Capitalizing on the strong momentum across all divisions, the continued performance initiatives and a low level of debt, GEFCO is confident in its ability to deliver strong, profitable growth over the coming years by delivering on a clear and focused growth strategy centered around five pillars: consolidate FVL global leadership, expand auto inbound adjacent logistics segments, continue the development of 2nd hand car transaction services, further grow in non-auto verticals and continue developing new geographies trade lanes."

On July 3rd 2018, GEFCO signed an agreement to establish a joint venture with Berge, a leading player in multimodal logistics services in Spain, to create a leading company in the Finished Vehicle Logistics market in Spain. The transaction received antitrust clearance on December 12th and is expected to close early in January 2019.

For the full year 2018, GEFCO expects consolidated revenue to be between 4.6bn and 4.7bn and Recurring EBIT to reach c.160m. For the full year 2019, GEFCO expects revenue to grow by c.4.0% and Recurring EBIT to reach c.200m. For the full years 2020 and 2021 (medium term targets), GEFCO expects an organic revenue CAGR of c.4.0% with Recurring EBIT margin expected to further improve by 50bps to 80bps over the period.

It is intended that the Company's governance post-IPO follows the recommendations of the AFEP-MEDEF Code. The Supervisory Board of GEFCO is expected to be composed of 7 members representing RZD, 1 member representing PSA, 4 independent members and 1 employee representative. Following the listing of the Company's shares on the regulated market of Euronext Paris it is expected that RZD will remain the Company's reference and controlling shareholder.

AVAILABILITY OF THE DOCUMENT DE BASE

GEFCO's Document de Base is available on the website of the Company (www.gefco.net) and will be on the AMF (www.amf-france.org) website too and is available free of charge upon request from GEFCO SA, 77/81, rue des Lilas d'Espagne, 92402 Courbevoie Cedex. GEFCO draws the public's attention to Chapter 4 "Risk Factors" of the Document de Base registered with the AMF.

ABOUT GEFCO GROUP

GEFCO is the European leader in automotive logistics and one of the top 10 global players in multimodal supply chain solutions. Building on 69 years of expertise and our 11,000 employees, GEFCO designs innovative and flexible solutions to meet the most complex supply chain challenges in all industry sectors. In 2017, the Group generated sales of 4.4 billion. With a presence in 47 countries and an integrated network, GEFCO serves 300 destinations worldwide across five continents. www.gefco.net

ABOUT RZD

Created in 2003, the Open joint stock company 'Russian Railways' (RZD) brings together advanced competencies and the latest technology in the field of rail engineering under a single brand. The company offers: suburban, cross-regional and long-distance passenger transportation services, locomotive and infrastructure solutions, logistics, freight forwarding solutions as well as large-scale infrastructure projects both in Russia and abroad. Present in over 40 countries with 750,000 employees, RZD features 85,000 kilometers of railway lines that transport more than 1 billion people and over 1.2 billion tons of freight annually.

ABOUT GROUPE PSA

Groupe PSA designs unique automotive experiences and delivers mobility solutions to meet all customer expectations. The Group has five car brands, Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel and Vauxhall, and provides a wide array of mobility and smart services under the Free2Move brand. Its 'Push to Pass' strategic plan represents a first step towards the achievement of the Group's vision to be "a global carmaker with cutting-edge efficiency and a leading mobility provider sustaining lifetime customer relationships". An early innovator in the field of autonomous and connected cars, Groupe PSA is also involved in financing activities through Banque PSA Finance and in automotive equipment via Faurecia.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain information included in this press release are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs, expectations and assumptions, including, without limitation, assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Group operates, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results or other events, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and the Group expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update or revisions to any forward-looking statements included in this press release to reflect any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. Such forward-looking statements are for illustrative purposes only. Forward-looking information and statements are not guarantees of future performances and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of the Group. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, forward-looking information and statements.

DISCLAIMER

This press release does not constitute or form a part of any offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities in France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, the Russian Federation or any other jurisdiction. No communication and no information in respect of this press release or of the Company may be distributed to the public in any jurisdiction where a registration or approval is required. No steps have been or will be taken in any jurisdiction (other than France) where such steps would be required. An offer of securities in France would only be made after the delivery by the French Autorite des marches financiers of a visa on the corresponding prospectus.

This announcement is not a prospectus within the meaning of Directive 2003/71/EC of the European Parliament at the Council of November 4th, 2003.

This document is not an offer for sale of securities in the United States. The shares, rights or other securities of the Company referred to in this document have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration thereunder. This press release may not be published, forwarded or distributed, directly or indirectly, in the United States.

The distribution of this press release is not made, and has not been approved, by an "authorized person" within the meaning of Article 21(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. As a consequence, this information is only being distributed to and is only directed at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom, (ii) to investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 as amended (the "Order"), (iii) high net worth companies, or (iv) other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). Any investment activity to which this document relates will be only available to, and will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents. This press release is not a prospectus which has been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority or any other United Kingdom regulatory authority for the purposes of Section 85 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

This document is not for release, publication or distribution in whole or in part in the Russian Federation. These materials do not contain or constitute an offer, or an invitation to make offers, sell, purchase, exchange or transfer any securities in the Russian Federation or to or for the benefit of any Russian person or any person in the Russian Federation, and do not constitute an advertisement of any securities in the Russian Federation and must not be passed on to third parties or otherwise be made publicly available in the Russian Federation. No securities of the Company have been, nor will be, admitted to public placement and/or circulation in the Russian Federation and may not be offered to any person in the Russian Federation except as provided by Russian law.

The distribution of this document in certain countries may constitute a breach of applicable law. The information contained in this document does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in Canada, Australia, Japan or the Russian Federation or any other country in which it would be contrary to the laws and regulations of that country. This press release may not be published, forwarded or distributed, directly or indirectly, in Canada, Australia, Japan or the Russian Federation or any other jurisdiction in which it would be unlawful.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181220006030/en/

Contacts:

GEFCO

Corporate Finance Investor Relations

Cedrik Gallien

cedrik.gallien@gefco.net

+33 (0)1 49 05 23 91



NewCap

Emmanuel Huynh

gefco@newcap.eu

+33 (0)1 44 71 94 99
Regulatory News:

Sopra Steria (Paris:SOP) has entered into exclusive negotiations with seven banks in the Sparda banking group, based in Germany. A letter of intent has been signed by the parties. The aim is to transform the Sparda banks' IT system based on Sopra Banking Software's Sopra Banking Platform solution. Contracts could be signed during the first half of 2019.

About Sopra Steria

Sopra Steria, a European leader in digital transformation, provides one of the most comprehensive portfolios of offerings on the market, spanning consulting, systems integration, industry-specific solutions, infrastructure management and business process services. It provides end-to-end solutions to address the core business needs of large companies and organisations, helping them remain competitive and grow. Combining added value with innovative high-performance services, Sopra Steria excels in guiding its clients through their transformation projects to help them make the most of digital technology. With 42,000 employees in more than 20 countries, Sopra Steria generated revenue of 3.8 billion in 2017.

Sopra Steria (SOP) is listed on Euronext Paris (Compartment A) ISIN: FR0000050809

For more information, visit us at www.soprasteria.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181220005767/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations

Olivier Psaume

olivier.psaume@soprasteria.com

+33 (0)1 40 67 68 16

Press Relations

Simon Zaks (Image 7)

szaks@image7.fr

+33 (0)1 53 70 74 63
MADRID and LAS VEGAS, December 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

QUANTIC NANOTECH, a product division of Spanish DEMAC S.A. group has today announced the presentation in Eureka Park at CES 2019 of the first real wearable device for the aid, prevention and home treatment of osteoarthritis.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/801551/QUANTIC_NANOTECH_Logo.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/801550/First_Digital_Health_wearable_device.jpg )

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=casVVtHKgkQ&feature=youtu.be

The new product is simple and convenient and can be used at home, controlled by any smartphone or as standalone IoT device, monitored remotely by medical personnel.

"Three years ago I was diagnosed with hand osteoarthritis. When I went to the hospital I found the treatment so cumbersome and complicated that I decided to create a more simple and efficient solution for everyone," said Jose Luis Torre DEMACgroup CEO and author of many international related published patents.

The product has been awarded internationally at various shows like InPEX Pittsburgh, ITEX Indonesia and 'Salon International des Inventions' Geneva and integrates cutting-edge technologies like memory shaped alloys and latest generation materials.

Dr. Juan Mulero MD Rheumatologist of the Ruber Internacional Hospital of Madrid said:

"The customized adaptation along with the possibility of applying topical treatments provided for this device can be very useful in hand osteoarthritis " who also declared: "This device is a way to apply at the same time and during the night several modalities of treatment in the osteoarthritic hand . This disease is very common, because according to the Framingham Ostearthritis Study it produces in US symptoms of pain and deformity in 16% of women and in 8% of males. The local management of hand osteoarthritis combines both non-pharmacological and pharmacological approaches. Topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are recommended as a first-line pharmacological treatment, and splints might offer warmth, support and stabilization of joints."

QUANTIC NANOTECH has secured a seed capital investment already for the development of the product, and is looking for specialised Venture Capital for rapid worldwide implementation.

Rheumatism and osteoarthritis is a very common disease and is the major cause of sick leave worldwide with USD$ 304 Billions of total medical and earning losses just in the US alone approximately equivalent to 1% of US gross domestic product GDP (Source: arthritis.org - 2013).

About DEMAC S.A.

Established in 1992, DEMAC S.A. group is formed by a team of Engineers with passion for innovation that has been serving the consumer market in Spain and USA and has an extensive patent portfolio.

Media Contact

Javier Parraga

jp@qnanotech.com





Related links

qnanotech.com




New Holland Agriculture has received the prestigious Good Design Award for its Methane Powered Concept Tractor from the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies

London, December 21, 2018

New Holland Agriculture, a global agricultural brand of CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI), received the award from an international panel of judges, consisting of design professionals, leading industry specialists, design journalists and critics. The Methane Powered Concept Tractor, first unveiled in the summer of 2017, was recognized for its reimagined design features and its pioneering alternative fuel technology. It was selected by the jury from a record number of submissions from the world's leading manufacturers, industrial and graphic design firms from over 47 countries. The Good Design Award recognizes the most innovative and cutting-edge products from around the world, and the selection is based on the quality of the design, its form and function. As a winner of the award, the Methane Powered Concept Tractor will feature in the Good Design Yearbook for 2018-2019.

CNH Industrial's design team developed a revolutionary, fully integrated design where the hood, front and rear fenders, and the fuel tank create a flowing, stylish look. Wrap-around glazing provides 360-degree visibility, with a 20% increase in the glazed area compared to a standard tractor. The floating glass domed roof with fully integrated Precision Land Management receiver provides a completely panoramic design - an agricultural first. The interior of the cab offers a clutter-free operating environment, with all essential controls on the integrated armrest and additional parameters controlled through the interactive headliner display.

New Holland's Methane Powered Concept Tractor features a powertrain that uses ground-breaking efficient combustion technology specifically developed for agriculture applications by FPT Industrial, a brand of CNH Industrial that has pioneered natural gas traction for more than 20 years. The 6-cylinder NEF methane engine delivers the same power and torque as its standard diesel equivalent, together with up to 30% running cost savings and around 50% reduction in drive-by-noise. In real field conditions, the methane powered concept tractor produces at least 10% lower CO 2 emissions and reduces overall emissions by 80% compared to a standard diesel tractor. Its environmental performance further improves when fuelled by biomethane produced from crop residues and waste from farm-grown energy crops, which results in virtually zero CO 2 emissions. The Methane Powered Concept Tractor creates a vital link that closes the loop in the Energy Independent Farm's virtuous cycle by running on the energy produced from the land and waste products, making New Holland's vision for the sustainable future of farming achievable today.

CNH Industrial N.V.

Sign up for corporate news alerts from the CNH Industrial Newsroom:



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Media contact:

Laura Overall

Corporate Communications Manager

CNH Industrial

Tel. +44

www.cnhindustrial.com

Attachments
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

On 14th of December 2018 the official opening ceremony of the exposition dedicated to the International Specialized Exhibition Astana EXPO-2017 and its legacy took place at the World EXPO Museum (Shanghai, China).

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/801643/Astana_EXPO_2017_Shanghai.jpg )



The event was attended by The General Secretary of the Bureau International des Exposition (BIE) Mr. Vicente Loscertales, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the World EXPO Museum, Mr. Hong Hao, Director of the Department of International Cooperation JSC NC Astana EXPO-2017, Mr. Nurbek Yergeshbayev, as well as representatives of the Chinese business community.

The General Secretary of the Bureau International des Exposition (BIE) Mr. Vicente Loscertales has remarked: "Today Astana EXPO-2017 is the most successful among specialized exhibitions and it has a positive impact on the development of the entire Central Asian region. This exposition has become a part of the World EXPO legacy."

The World EXPO Museum in Shanghai has been the only international museum and documentary repository of the Bureau International des Exposition in the entire history of exhibitions since 1851. The museum was established in cooperation with the Shanghai government in order to preserve the history of EXPO exhibitions and demonstrate the scientific, technical and cultural achievements of the world community.

The Astana EXPO-2017 exhibition hall consists of four zones, where exhibition objects are displayed, including information on the symbol of the exhibition - the Nur-Alem sphere, the Astana International Finance Center, "Astana Hub" and the Center for Green Technologies, etc.

The exposition will be demonstrated until March 2019, whereafter the exposition will be transferred to the World EXPO Museum fund and will become a part of the permanent exhibition.

Moreover, on 13th of December 2018 the Forum on Development and International Cooperation with the participation of JSC NC Astana EXPO-2017 was held at the World EXPO Museum, where the main implemented results and the concept of post-exhibition use of the EXPO objects were presented.
BlackRock Latin American Investment Trust plc (LEI: UK9OG5Q0CYUDFGRX4151)



Change in Directorate



21 December 2018

BlackRock Latin American Investment Trust plc ("the Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Craig Cleland as a non-executive Director of the Company with effect from 1 January 2019. Mr Cleland will also serve as a member of the Company's Audit Committee and Nomination and Management Engagement Committees.

Mr Cleland is Head of Corporate Development/Investment Trusts, at CQS (UK) LLP, a multi-asset asset management firm in London with a focus on credit markets, where his responsibilities include advising and developing the closed-end fund business. He was previously at JPMorgan Asset Management (UK) Limited, latterly as Managing Director, and led their technical groups in the investment trust business. He also worked with the AIC technical committee on SORP and taxation changes in connection with this role. Prior to that he was a Director and senior company secretary at Fleming Investment Trust Management, transferring to JPMorgan Asset Management after Chase Manhattan Bank acquired Robert Fleming Holdings Limited. Mr Cleland currently sits on the Board of Invesco Perpetual Select Trust plc.

Mr Cleland has held the following directorships of publicly quoted companies in the last five years:

Non-Executive Director Invesco Perpetual Select Trust plc

Mr Cleland does not have any interest in the ordinary shares of the Company at the present time.



There are no further details or disclosures required under Listing Rule 9.6.13R in respect of Mr Cleland.





Sarah Beynsberger

For and on behalf of BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited

Company Secretary










Regulatory News:

Total (Paris:FP) (LSE:TTA) (NYSE:TOT) has agreed to develop joint activities in the downstream petroleum sector in Angola, with national company Sonangol. Already long-term partners in the upstream business, the two companies have decided to establish a Joint Venture company to develop a common retail and distribution activity in the country, the fourth largest market in sub-Saharan Africa.

While developing B2B activities, the Total-Sonangol Joint Venture will initially focus on fuel distribution and lubricants sales on the B2C segment, starting with a network of service-stations under the TOTAL brand.

Depending on the outcome of the ongoing liberalization process, Total also intends to address through this partnership both petroleum products logistics and supply, including imports and primary storage of refined products.

Under the current agreement, Sonangol will bring in 45 already existing urban and highway service-stations, with a key presence on selected locations in 10 coastal and central provinces. Total will work alongside his partner to rapidly develop this network, in order to meet the highest international retail standards and improve fuel quality distribution throughout the country. The newly-established company will invest in both infrastructures and marketing activities and will benefit from Total's expertise in retail and its customer-minded approach.

"Total is very pleased to establish a new partnership in Angola, following decades of collaboration in upstream with Sonangol. Through the establishment of these joint fuel distribution activities, Total is further strengthening its footprint in the country." commented Momar Nguer, President Marketing and Services and Executive Committee Member at Total. "This agreement is in line with our strategy to expand in large growing markets worldwide. Already the largest retailer in Africa, we intend to capitalize on this opportunity to roll out in Angola our offer of products and services and to develop additional synergies, for the full benefits of the Angolan customers."

The transaction is subject to competition authorities' review.

About Total in Angola

Present in Angola since 1953, Total is the country's leading oil operator. Total's production averaged 229,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2017 from Blocks 17, 14 and 0, as well as Angola LNG.

In addition to the Kaombo project on Block 32, Total also operates Block 17 (with a 40% interest) where investment decisions have been recently taken on the Zinia 2 CLOV 2 and Dalia 3 projects. Total is also a partner in Blocks 14 (20%), 14K (36.75%) and 0 (10%), as well as Angola LNG (13.6%) and several other assets. Last May, the Group signed a risk service agreement with Sonangol for the deepwater Block 48 exploration license, which Total will operate.

In Angola, Total is fully committed to contributing to the development of the Angolan oil industry by training the local workforce. Total is strengthening the local economy through its ambitious program to develop and maintain local talents.

About the Marketing Services division of Total in Africa

The Marketing Services division of Total develops and markets products primarily derived from crude oil, along with all of the associated services. Total is the leading distributor of petroleum products in Africa and serves everyday more than 2 million customers in its network of over 4,500 service stations in 40 African countries.

About Total

Total is a major energy player, which produces and markets fuels, natural gas and low-carbon electricity. Our 100,000 employees are committed to better energy that is safer, more affordable, cleaner and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, our ambition is to become the responsible energy major.

Cautionary note

This press release, from which no legal consequences may be drawn, is for information purposes only. The entities in which TOTAL S.A. directly or indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. TOTAL S.A. has no liability for their acts or omissions. In this document, the terms "Total" and "Total Group" are sometimes used for convenience where general references are made to TOTAL S.A. and/or its subsidiaries. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" may also be used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them.

This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TOTAL S.A. nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181221005176/en/

Contacts:

Total

Media Relations:

+33 1 47 44 46 99

presse@total.com

@TotalPress

Investor Relations:

+44 (0)207 719 7962

ir@total.com
ABINGDON, England, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- NPXe limited and Linde jointly announced the enrollment of the first EU patient in a pivotal Phase III trial of Xenon gas in Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome. (Xenon gas for inhalation is an investigational drug, the safety and efficacy of which has not yet been established.)

The Phase III trial will include approximately seventy sites, roughly fifty in in Europe. Denmark is the first EU country to begin enrolling. The companies plan to extend the trial to Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Austria, and Poland in the coming months as local ethics committee guidelines are met.

Dr. Christian Hassager, Professor of Cardiology at the University of Copenhagen, the first enrolling site, commented on the trial, "Patients with PCAS have so few options. Presently, the standard of care is cooling. If Phase III data matches Phase II data in the target population, this would be a major advance in patient care."

Urmi Richardson, Global Head of Healthcare, at Linde elaborated, "We are excited to see this key milestone being delivered, showing that we are on track to being able to bring this pioneering therapy into the European market."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a Special Protocol Assessment1 for the trial and the drug has been granted its Fast Track designation2. The company expects the regulatory submission to be a drug and delivery device combination and are working towards and anticipated U.S. regulatory approval and launch in late 2020.

Learn more about the U.S. trial on clinicaltrials.gov here.

1.The Special Protocol Assessment allows for an interim analysis at 50% of trial completion of the primary endpoint follow up, and if the primary and secondary endpoints are positive at that review the trial would be halted for success. If the primary or secondary endpoints are futile at that point, the trial will be stopped for futility.

2.The Fast Track designation is provided to drug candidates that "treat a serious condition and fill an unmet medical need." The key benefits to recipients of a Fast Track designation include more frequent contact with the FDA on the development program and the option of Rolling Review, which allows a company to submit completed sections of the New Drug Application (NDA) for individual review by the Agency. This compares with the normal process where the entire NDA must be completed before submission. The frequency of communication under the Rolling Review better assures that questions and issues are resolved quickly, potentially leading to earlier drug approval and patient access.

About Xenon Gas for Inhalation in Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome ('PCAS')

Xenon is a noble gas that has been used as an inhaled therapy in several studies to date. In PCAS, more N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors ("NMDAR", a calcium channel found in neurons) are overactivated, causing extreme ion imbalances, neuronal damage and cell death. Studies have shown that xenon may help to inhibit the NMDAR through a unique inhibition at the glycine-binding site and can help moderate the flow of damaging ions through the calcium channel. By mitigating neuronal damage and cell death, xenon may be able to improve functional outcomes and reduce mortality rates in survivors. The FDA has not yet established the safety and effectiveness of xenon gas for inhalation for PCAS.

About NPXe

NPXe is developing xenon gas for inhalation for the treatment of Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome. The Company has a Special Protocol Agreement with the FDA and A Scientific Working Party Agreement with the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Both the FDA and EMA have provided the sought PCAS indication with Orphan Drug status. Orphan status prolongs the period of market exclusivity post approval. The FDA has also granted the drug Fast Track designation. Linde has licensed the rights to market xenon gas for inhalation in the EU, United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland and Iceland are licensed to a third party. A third party has licensed the rights to market xenon gas for inhalation in North America, Australia and Japan upon approval in each country.

About Linde Healthcare

Linde Healthcare is a global leader specializing along an integrated respiratory care path. It combines pharmaceutical gases, medical devices, services and clinical care into solutions with the patient in mind. Its products and services make a difference in the lives of its patients and to its healthcare partners in the care continuum from hospital to home. A global business unit of The Linde Group, it is present in over 60 countries and generated revenues of EUR 3.361bn in 2017.

For more information, visit Linde Healthcare online at www.linde-healthcare.com

About The Linde Group

In the 2017 financial year, The Linde Group generated revenue of EUR 17.113 bn, making it one of the leading gases and engineering companies in the world, with approximately 58,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business, with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

For more information, see The Linde Group online at www.linde.com

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS RELATED TO FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release includes forward-looking statements concerning xenon gas for inhalation including expectations with regard to clinical trials, future regulatory actions and potential impact on patients. The statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: satisfaction of regulatory and other requirements; actions of regulatory bodies and other governmental authorities; changes in laws and regulations; issues with product quality, manufacturing or supply, or patient safety issues; future commercialization efforts; and other risks identified and described in more detail in the "Risk Factors" section of Mallinckrodt's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC, all of which are available on its website. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date hereof and Mallinckrodt does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

Contacts:

Linde

Peter Senior

Global Healthcare Portfolio Coordinator

peter.senior@linde.com

Phone: +49.89.7446-2340









NPXe: Consilium (NPXe PR adviser): Carol Burns Chris Gardner, Matthew Neal, Communications Director Lindsey Neville Carol.burns.op@neuroprotexeon.com neuroprotexeon@consilium-comms.com +1-716-332-7200 Ext. 155 +44 (0)20 3709 5700

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LONDON, December 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Luxury watch dealer Arlington Watches now accepts payments in all major currencies through their web shop for modern and vintage timepieces at arlingtonwatches.com

The UK based company has sold watches to all corners of the world through their website for over a year. Until now all prices have been displayed and payments have been captured in British Pounds.

Recognising their worldwide customer base and the need for a transparent and straightforward shopping experience, the web shop now displays all prices in their customers' own currency, based on their location. For added flexibility there is also the option to change the default currency to the currency of your choice. This is useful when comparing prices to competing watch dealers in other markets, or when placing an order from your smart phone while travelling abroad.

The prices are constantly updated using a spot rate and so the cost of buying a watch through arlingtonwatches.com is the same regardless of which currency you choose to pay in.

The driving force behind the implementation of multiple currencies in their web shop was one of customer service, says Christine Ljunglof at Arlington Watches:

"Naturally everybody has a sense of the value of things based on their own currency. You receive your salary in your own currency, pay your bills in it, and your bank statement is in your own currency. By displaying our prices in that same currency our customers will instantly recognise how much a watch will cost them. Furthermore, many credit card providers will charge an extra fee for foreign currency transactions. This is no longer a concern for our customers as they will be able to buy a watch and complete the payment in their own currency."

Arlington Watches is a family business who offers certified authentic pre-owned modern and vintage luxury timepieces and watch accessories with worldwide delivery, free returns and one-year warranty. To find out more, visit www.arlingtonwatches.com

Media Contact:

Henrik Ljunglof

info@arlingtonwatches.com


LONDON, December 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

CQS is pleased to announce Xavier Rolet, previously CEO of the London Stock Exchange, will join as Chief Executive Officer. Sir Michael Hintze, CQS' founder, will continue as CQS' Senior Investment Officer and will become Group Executive Chairman. Mr Rolet will begin as CEO on January 14, 2019.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/801233/CQS_Logo.jpg )



As CEO, Mr Rolet will lead the Firm's next stage of growth, enabling Sir Michael to focus on investment management as SIO. Mr Rolet's appointment will harness his management experience and leadership skills with Sir Michael's investment acumen. Their complementary skillsets will enable CQS to more effectively meet client needs and grow.

Sir Michael Hintze, Founder and Senior Investment Officer, commented:

"I am excited that Xavier is joining us and very pleased that we have been able to attract a CEO of such calibre who will help establish CQS for the long-term. He has the experience and has demonstrated he knows how to build financial services businesses. As CEO he will be responsible for managing and growing our firm. As Executive Chairman, I will continue to help shape CQS' vision and direction. This will allow me to dedicate my time to investment management, leading our investment teams and client engagement. I have a passion for markets. I enjoy problem solving and puzzles, and markets are one big puzzle.

It is imperative that we meet client needs, perform, build business resilience and provide opportunities for our people. Over the last several years we have invested in our investment management capabilities, strengthening our hedge fund, bespoke alpha and long only offerings. We have been institutionalising our business and we have professionalised by putting in place appropriate governance and hiring additional talent. Importantly, Xavier and I have known one each other for 35 years, having worked together early in our careers in finance. There is mutual trust and respect. Xavier is a man of great integrity and one of the best CEOs I know. He is the ideal candidate."

Xavier Rolet, CQS' Chief Executive Officer, commented:

"CQS has a strong platform from which to grow. It has a great brand, investment management platform and talented people. I am very much looking forward to working with our teams to grow the Firm in a rapidly changing environment for investment management. I have known Michael for a long time and admire his intellectual curiosity and power, his passion for investment, and above all his integrity.

I am looking forward to working with him and CQS's world-class Board, senior leadership and staff to further develop the business."

Xavier's appointment as Chief Executive Officer of CQS is subject to the relevant regulatory approvals.

Notes to Editors:

CQS is a credit-focused multi-strategy asset manager founded by Sir Michael Hintze in 1999. As at 1 December 2018, CQS had funds under manager of USD18.1bn. The Firm's deep experience allows it to offer solutions for investors across a range of return objectives and risk appetites. CQS is an active asset manager with expertise across corporate capital structures including corporate credit, structured credit, asset backed securities, convertibles, loans and equities. It is committed to delivering performance and high levels of service to our investors.

CQS has offices in London, New York, Hong Kong and Sydney. Our investors include pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, funds of funds, endowments and foundations, and private banks.

Sir Michael Hintze GCSG AM

Prior to establishing CQS in 1999, Sir Michael held a number of senior roles at CSFB and Goldman Sachs. He began his career in finance in 1982 with Salomon Brothers, New York, after working as an Electrical Design Engineer in Australia, where he had also served as a Captain in the Australian army.

Michael is a fluent Russian speaker. He holds a BSc in Physics and Pure Mathematics and a BEng in Electrical Engineering both from the University of Sydney. He also holds an MSc in Acoustics from the University of New South Wales, an MBA from Harvard Business School and received a DBA (honoris) from the University of New South Wales.

Xavier R Rolet KBE

Xavier was Chief Executive Office of the London Stock Exchange from May 2009 until November 2017, having been appointed to the Company's Board in March 2009. He was Chief Executive Officer of Lehman Brothers in France from July 2007 to 7 January 2009. He became a member of Lehman Brothers' European Operating Committee in 2003, having joined the firm in February 2000 in New York as co-head of Global Equity Trading. Xavier started his career on the International Arbitrage desk at Goldman Sachs & Co. in New York in January 1984. In 1990, he moved to London as co-head of European Equity Sales and Trading. He joined Credit Suisse First Boston in 1994 as global head of European Equities before moving to Dresdner Kleinwort Benson as global head of Risk and Trading, and deputy head of Global Equities in 1997.

After graduating from the KEDGE Business School with an MSc in management science and finance in 1981, Xavier served as a second lieutenant and instructor at the French Air Force Academy, earned an MBA from Columbia Business School in 1984 and a post-graduate degree from Paris-based IHEDN (Institute of Advanced Studies in National Defence) in 2008.

Board of Directors CQS Management Limited:

Sir Michael Peat is Chairman of the Board. He and Sir Michael Hintze are Executive Directors. The Board's Non-Executive Directors are The Lord Myners, Catherine Cripps, Richard Hayden, General The Lord Richards, Alexander Downer, James Shinn and Adrian Collins.

www.cqs.com

Source: CQS as at 1 December 2018.
PUNE, India, December 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

ReportsnReports adds Global and China Forklift Industry Report, 2018-2023 study to its online research database. In 2017, global forklift Market sales reached a record high of 1.334 million units with a year-on-year increase of 15.7%; wherein, China's sales rose 34.2% year on year to 497,000 units, still ranking first worldwide. In 2018, the Chinese market maintained rapid growth, with the fork sales outnumbering 500,000 units in the first ten months of 2018 and expectedly approaching 600,000 units throughout the year. In the future, the Chinese Forklift Market will still have huge growth potentials and forklift sales in 2023 will double that in 2018.

Major Global Forklift Market Companies:

Toyota Industries Corp

Kion Group

Jungheinrich Group

Crown Equipment Corp.

Mitsubishi Logisnext Co., Ltd.

Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc.

Komatsu Ltd.

CLARK Material Handling International

Doosan Industrial Vehicle

Major Forklift Companies in China:

Anhui HeLi Co., Ltd, Hangcha Group Co.,Ltd, Anhui VMAX Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., Lonking (Shanghai) Forklift Co., Ltd., Xiamen XGMA Machinery Co., Ltd., Noblelift Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd., Guangxi LiuGong Machinery Co., Ltd, Tailift Machinery & Equipment (Qingdao) Co., Ltd., Hyster-Yale Maximal Forklift (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd, EP Equipment Co., Ltd., Anhui Jianghuai-Yinlian Heavy-Duty Construction Machine Co., Ltd., Ningbo Ruyi Joint Stock Co.,Ltd, Zhejiang Goodsense Forklift Co., Ltd. and 18 more company profiles.

Electric forklifts, particularly electric warehouse forklifts, saw the highest growth rates in 2017 and 2018, namely 48.4% and 49.8% respectively (Jan-Oct). This is largely due to intensive introduction of environmental protection policies, increased fuel costs, and robust demand for warehousing logistics. Moreover, the demand picks up in the new energy forklift market to which more and more entrants have accessed. BYD lithium battery forklifts have been promoted by annual sales of 10,000 units; Anhui HeLi, Hangcha Group, EP Equipment, Noblelift, Ningbo Ruyi and Tailift have without exception produced their own lithium battery forklifts. A total of 8,681 lithium battery forklifts were sold in China in 2017, according to China Forklift Association. Although with a small share in electric forklifts, lithium battery forklifts are growing rapidly with its sales volume in 2018 expected to double that in 2017. As logistics go automated and intelligent, AGV sales have soared. Major forklift producers like Hangcha Group, LiuGong and Linde have rolled out forklift AGV to seize the market.

Get Discount on Global and China Forklift Industry Report, 2018-2023 athttps://www.reportsnreports.com/contacts/discount.aspx?name=1820562

The burgeoning market in China has prompted many overseas companies to speedily get their business optimized and integrated for competitive edges. In January 2018, KION Group entered into a strategic partnership with Zhejiang EP Equipment; the partnership will focus on joint product development and supply chain synergies and is expected to make both parties more competitive in terms of their product offerings. In June 2018, Hyster-Yale Materials Handling completed its acquisition of 75% shares in Zhejiang Maximal Forklift. In July 2018, the subsidiaries of Mitsubishi Logisnext -- MF (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Nichiyu Forklift Manufacturing Co., Ltd. were integrated into Mitsubishi Logisnext Forklift (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., which will be responsible for marketing and services of all forklift brands of Mitsubishi Logisnext in China with a sales target of more than 10,000 units in 2020. In addition, Hyundai announced its return to the Chinese market in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province in June 2018 after exiting the market in 2016, and launched a number of new products.

Meanwhile, two Chinese forklift giants integrate resources to be more competitive in key components. In February 2018, Hangcha Group invested in Zhengzhou Jiachen Instrument Co., Ltd.; in the same month, ZF set up a joint venture named ZF-HELI Drivetech (Hefei) Co., Ltd. with Anhui Heli.

The report highlights the followings:

Status quo of the global forklift market, the development of forklift markets in USA and Japan , and the list of the global top 20 forklift manufacturers;

, and the list of the global top 20 forklift manufacturers; Size, structure, import & export, corporate competition and development trends of Chinese forklift market;

Status quo, key enterprises and development trends of Chinese forklift market segments - electric forklifts, internal combustion forklifts, new energy forklifts, alternative fuel forklifts, AGV forklifts, etc.;

Status quo and trends of Chinese forklift aftermarket (forklift rental, used forklift and forklift parts);

Operation and forklift business of 9 global and 31 Chinese forklift manufacturers.

Direct Purchase of Forklift Market Research Report athttps://www.reportsnreports.com/purchase.aspx?name=1820562

Table of Contents:

1 Overview of Forklift

2 Global Forklift Industry

3 Chinese Forklift Market

4 Chinese Forklift Market Segments

5 Chinese Forklift Aftermarket

6 Major Global Forklift Companies

7 Major Forklift Companies in China

Another Related Research Report "Global and Chinese Electric Forklift Industry, 2018 Market Research Report" report provides key statistics on the market status of the Electric Forklift manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry.

The companies include: Toyota, Kion Group AG, Jungheinrich AG, Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Crown Equipment, Mitsubishi Nichiyu, UniCarriers Corp, Komatsu, Anhui Heli, Clark Material Handling Company, Hangcha, Doosan Ind et al. In this part, the report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2013-2018 market shares for each company. Order a Copy of this Research Report at https://www.reportsnreports.com/purchase.aspx?name=1725230

About Us:

ReportsnReports.com is an online market research reports library of 500,000+ in-depth studies of over 5000 micro markets. Not limited to any one industry, ReportsnReports.com offers research studies on agriculture, energy and power, chemicals, environment, medical devices, healthcare, food and beverages, water, advanced materials and much more.



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PORTLAND, OR / ACCESSWIRE / December 21, 2018 / Hybrid Tech, LLC - the premier design & engineering firm for the cannabis and hemp industries, congratulates all industry advocates, entrepreneurs, and consumers on the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill . The bill legalizes the nationwide cultivation and sale of industrial hemp - defined as cannabis that contains less than 0.3% THC. Effective immediately, States may now regulate the production, commerce and research of hemp & cannabidiol, with approval from the US Department of Agriculture.

"The end of the prohibition on hemp and CBD is a huge step forward for the country, and provides enormous opportunity for American farmers. The addition of hemp as a fully legal commodity crop will dramatically change the landscape of the agricultural sector." said Chris Gromek, Hybrid Tech's Chief Marketing Officer, "This is also an important win for millions of patients that rely on CBD for treatment and relief."

Due to the company's ongoing experience in the cannabis sector, Hybrid Tech is uniquely positioned to provide a full suite of engineering, architectural, and process train services to operators. Planning large-scale industrial hemp operations is no simple feat, but having the right team involved from the start can make all the difference.

"We are now working with hemp processors in multiple states. Our experience with cannabis extraction lends itself directly to the hemp sector. Setting up a processing facility can be a daunting task, but we've already tackled many of these problems with our unique multidisciplinary approach. We have an all-star team of licensed engineers and extraction experts that know how to get these big projects done," said Dan Gustafik, Hybrid Tech's founder and President. "We are also happy to provide support to architects and other consultants that need experienced MEP, as well as specialized cultivation and extraction expertise."

The hemp-derived CBD market is expected to outpace the rest of the already-booming cannabis market, and grow to an estimated $22 Billion by 2022 . American entrepreneurs can expect this sector to heat up quickly as capital investment grows, retail channels emerge, and consumer demand increases both nationwide and in global markets.

Operators that are interested in establishing a hemp processing or cultivation operation are encouraged to reach out to Hybrid Tech for a free initial consultation.

SOURCE: Hybrid Tech, LLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/531213/Hybrid-Tech-Providing-Nationwide-Engineering-Services-for-US-Hemp-Industry
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
RECORDATI ACQUIRES TONIPHARM S.A.S. IN FRANCE

Milan, 21 December 2018 - Recordati announces the signing of an agreement for the acquisition of 100% of the share capital of Tonipharm S.A.S., a French company based in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris, active mainly in the self-medication market with over-the-counter (OTC) products. The company is expected to realize sales of around  26.5 million in 2018. The closing of the transaction is planned to take place at year-end.

Tonipharm was established in 1991 and promotes a wide portfolio of self-medication products together with some prescription drugs. The company's sales are generated mainly by the line of products sold under the umbrella brand Ginkor, OTC treatments based on ginko biloba which are very well known on the French market. The company also promotes Alodont, a line of products used for oral hygiene.

"The acquisition of Tonipharm represents a further opportunity to enhance our portfolio in the French self-medication market with well-known brands and good market shares" declared Andrea Recordati, CEO. "We continue to develop our presence in the OTC segment, which remains an important diversification area in a growing market, and the Tonipharm brands are a valid addition to our portfolio."

Recordati, established in 1926, is an international pharmaceutical group, listed on the Italian Stock Exchange (Reuters RECI.MI, Bloomberg REC IM, ISIN IT 0003828271), with a total staff of more than 4,100, dedicated to the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals. Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Recordati has operations throughout the whole of Europe, including Russia, Turkey, North Africa, the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, some South American countries, Japan and Australia. An efficient field force of medical representatives promotes a wide range of innovative pharmaceuticals, both proprietary and under license, in a number of therapeutic areas including a specialized business dedicated to treatments for rare diseases. Recordati is a partner of choice for new product licenses for its territories. Recordati is committed to the research and development of new specialties with a focus on treatments for rare diseases. Consolidated revenue for 2017 was  1,288.1 million, operating income was  406.5 million and net income was  288.8 million.

For further information:

Recordati website: www.recordati.com

Investor Relations Media Relations

Marianne Tatschke Studio Noris Morano

(39)0248787393 (39)0276004736, (39)0276004745

e-mail: investorelations@recordati.it e-mail: norismorano@studionorismorano.com



Statements contained in this release, other than historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements are based on currently available information, on current best estimates, and on assumptions believed to be reasonable. This information, these estimates and assumptions may prove to be incomplete or erroneous, and involve numerous risks and uncertainties, beyond the Company's control. Hence, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All mentions and descriptions of Recordati products are intended solely as information on the general nature of the company's activities and are not intended to indicate the advisability of administering any product in any particular instance.

Attachment
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 21, 2018) - Romios Gold Resources Inc. (TSXV: RG) (OTC Pink: RMIOF) (FSE: D4R) ("Romios" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed the first tranche of a non-brokered flow-through share private placement (the "Offering") with the sale of 8,307,692 flow-through shares (the "FT Shares") at a price of $0.065 per FT Share for aggregate proceeds of $539,999.98.

Proceeds from the Offering are expected to be used for exploration of the Company's properties in British Columbia and Ontario.

The Company paid eligible finders cash compensation of $43,200 and issued 664,615 Compensation Options. Each Compensation Option entitles the holder to acquire one (1) common share of the Company at $0.065 for a period of one (1) year from the closing of the Offering.

The securities issued are subject to a statutory hold period expiring on April 21, 2019.

The Offering will remain open until the earlier of the sale of the remaining 3,692,308 FT Shares and December 31, 2018.

About Romios Gold Resources Inc.

Romios Gold Resources Inc., a progressive Canadian mineral exploration company established in 1995, is engaged in precious and base metal exploration primarily focused on gold, silver and copper on its properties in the Golden Triangle area, northwestern British Columbia. In addition to the properties in the Golden Triangle area, Romios holds a 100% interest in the Lundmark-Akow Lake property in Ontario, the LaCorne Property in Quebec and the Scossa Property in Nevada. It also holds a 2% Net Smelter Return Royalty on the Hislop property in Ontario.

This News Release contains forward-looking statements which are typically preceded by, followed by or including the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance as they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements and shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such statements.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information, please contact:

Tom Drivas, President and Director, (tel) 416-221-4124, (fax) 416-218-9772 or (email) romios@romios.com.

Frank van de Water, Chief Financial Officer and Director, (tel) 416-221-4124 or (email) fvandewater@rogers.com.
Effective Immediately Next Green Wave will begin trading on the OTCQB under the ticker symbol NXGWF

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 21, 2018) - Next Green Wave (CSE: NGW) (OTCQB: NXGWF) ("NGW" or the "Company"), a Canadian based California operating cannabis company established to provide premium products and brands to both medicinal and adult use consumers in the California market, today announced it has qualified to trade on the OTCQB Venture Market. It also has the intention to seek The Depositary Trust Company ("DTC") eligibility.

NGW stock will begin trading on the OTCQB, effective immediately, under the ticker symbol "NXGWF." U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

The OTCQB market is for established companies, both from the U.S. and other countries, that meet high financial standards, provide timely news and provide timely disclosure to investors.

"The team here at NGW is proud to qualify for a listing on the OTCQB marketplace, as it represents a significant milestone in the development of our Company. This signals to the markets that we are committed to creating the most value for NGW and its shareholders," said Leigh Hughes, Executive Chairman, NGW. "This OTCQB listing increases our exposure and accessibility to the US markets, providing further liquidity for our shareholders, and enabling NGW to fulfill its mission of becoming a premium supplier of cannabis products to the California market and beyond."

NGW was sponsored for OTCQB by McMillan LLP, a qualified third-party firm responsible for providing guidance on OTCQB requirements and recommending membership.

About Next Green Wave

Next Green Wave is a vertically integrated seed-to-consumer premium medicinal and recreational cannabis company operating in California, the world's largest cannabis market. Led by award-winning cannabis industry veteran, Michael Jennings, who is an industry innovator specializing in developing premium cannabis seeds and plants and known throughout the cannabis culture in the state. NGW central operations are in Coalinga which is centered between two major markets of San Francisco and Los Angeles and has been awarded permits for nursery, cultivation, extraction, and distribution. The Company has acquired over 15 acres of cannabis-zoned development land and has nearly completed the construction of its first 32,000 sq Ft. facility. NGW is fully funded having raised over CAD $21M, to bring the company into revenue in 2019.

About OTC Markets Group Inc.

OTC Markets Group Inc. operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 10,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN, we connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors.

On behalf of the board,

Leigh Hughes,

Executive Chairman

To view the video pertaining to this announcement please follow the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyYk1SYIClI&feature=youtu.be

For the latest company update please see the link below:

https://info.nextgreenwave.com/corporate-update_december2018?utm_campaign=NGW%20Updates&utm_content=81568201&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&hss_channel=tw-1035516140661829633

For information relating to Next Green Wave or the contents herein please contact Caroline Klukowski (VP Corp. Development) at 778.589.2848 or email IR@nextgreenwave.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, are "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, events or developments to be materially different from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the risk factors included in the preliminary prospectus, including without limitation dependence on obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals, including acquiring and renewing state, local or other licenses and any inability to obtain all necessary governmental approvals licenses and permits to complete construction of its proposed facilities in a timely manner; engaging in activities which currently are illegal under US federal law and the uncertainty of existing protection from U.S. federal or other prosecution; regulatory or political change such as changes in applicable laws and regulations, including U.S. state-law legalization, particularly in California, due to inconsistent public opinion, perception of the medical-use and adult-use marijuana industry, bureaucratic delays or inefficiencies or any other reasons; any other factors or developments which may hinder market growth; NGW's limited operating history and lack of historical profits; reliance on management; NGW's requirements for additional financing, and the effect of capital market conditions and other factors on capital availability; competition, including from more established or better financed competitors; and the need to secure and maintain corporate alliances and partnerships, including with customers and suppliers. Readers are encouraged to the review the section titled "Risk Factors" in NGW's preliminary prospectus. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Although NGW has attempted to identify important risk factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other risk factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements. NGW no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, even if new information becomes available as a result of future events, new information or for any other reason except as required by law.
Infiniti Research, a leading customer intelligence solutions provider has announced the completion of theircompetitive pricing strategy for an FMCG companyThe client is one of the most famous companies in the FMCG industry with over 5,000 brands in the global market. The company is known for its innovative product offerings in different markets. With the increasing global competition from different FMCG companies, the client realized the importance of an effective competitive pricing strategy to stay ahead of the competition. This compelled the client to leverage Infiniti Research's customer intelligence solutions to gain insights into competitors' strategies with regard to their product offerings.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181221005293/en/

Competitive pricing strategy for an FMCG company. (Graphic: Business Wire)

With the rising competition, FMCG companies are trying various strategies to gain success in the market. Competitive pricing strategies can help companies in doing so by offering price increment opportunities and projecting the right image of the brand. An effective competitive pricing strategy helps companies to improve profit margins.

To know how competitive pricing strategies can help you in generating better revenues, Request a free proposal today!

According to the experts at Infiniti Research, "The growing competition in the FMCG market has compelled companies in the FMCG industry to gauge new opportunities and pricing frameworks that can help them stay ahead of the competition."

The unique competitive pricing strategy devised by Infiniti Research helped the client to differentiate their brand by setting unique prices for their products. This resulted in the generation of $45 million in annual revenue and helped them surpass the global competition by capturing a top spot in the market space. The intelligent pricing solutions offered by Infiniti Research also helped the client to enhance both customer satisfaction and customer retention levels.

Infiniti Research's competitive pricing strategy helped the client to:

Generate $45 million in annual revenue.

Attain top position in the global market space.

Are your competitors getting benefitted by the pricing strategies opted by your company? Not anymore, Get in touch with our experts and know where you're going wrong.

Infiniti Research's competitive pricing strategy offered predictive insights on:

Setting unique prices for their products.

Enhancing customer satisfaction and customer retention levels.

To know the impact of robust pricing strategies in marketing campaigns, Request more information

About Infiniti Research

Established in 2003, Infiniti Research is a leading market intelligence company providing smart solutions to address your business challenges. Infiniti Research studies markets in more than 100 countries to help analyze competitive activity, see beyond market disruptions, and develop intelligent business strategies. To know more, visit: https://www.infinitiresearch.com/about-us

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181221005293/en/

Contacts:

Infiniti Research

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

US: +1 844 778 0600

UK: +44 203 893 3400

https://www.infinitiresearch.com/contact-us
MONTREAL and LONDON, December 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/

Fiera Capital Corporation (TSX: FSZ) ("Fiera Capital" or the "Firm"), a leading independent asset management firm, announced today that it has reached an agreement for the acquisition of an 80% interest in Palmer Capital Partners Limited ("Palmer Capital"), a leading UK focused real estate investment manager, based in London, UK. The acquisition will be made through Fiera Capital's wholly owned subsidiary, Fiera Properties Limited ("Fiera Properties"), its dedicated real estate investment management company, which provides direct real estate investment opportunities to institutional investors, foundation and endowment clients, and high net worth individuals.

Palmer Capital, founded in 1992, has over 800 million in assets under management with an additional 215.5 million managed through the joint ventures of eight regional property companies in which it is a minority shareholder (as at 30th September 2018). It will remain independently managed but will become the UK arm of Fiera Properties, part of Fiera Capital's alternative asset offerings. Ray Palmer, the founder of Palmer Capital, will remain the Executive Chairman and Alex Price, Chief Executive Officer, will continue to run the day to day strategy and operations of the business.

"Palmer Capital is a perfect fit for us as we look to further grow our footprint outside of North America," said Vincent Duhamel, Global President and Chief Operating Officer, Fiera Capital. "This is a strategic acquisition with a growing business in Europe and the United Kingdom - key areas of focus for us as we expand globally. We have grown significantly over the last decade by acquiring stakes in best in class boutique firms, underpinning them with operational and strategic support and leaving their talented investment professionals to focus their time and skill on delivering strong positive investment performance."

John Valentini, President and Chief Executive Officer, Fiera Private Alternative Investments, added: "This transaction, which sees Fiera Capital taking a long-term view of the UK real estate market, is very much in line with our strategy of expanding our current service offering in alternative strategies and provides an excellent platform for both Fiera Properties and Palmer Capital to expand their domestic businesses and become part of a coordinated and growing global business. The combined business significantly expands the range of offerings to our existing client bases."

This acquisition marks Fiera Capital's first acquisition of a real estate investment management business outside of Canada and its second acquisition in the UK market following its acquisition of boutique fund manager Charlemagne Capital in 2017. Expanding globally, in March 2018 Fiera Capital increased its presence in Asia with the acquisition of Clearwater Capital Partners.

Chief Executive Officer of Palmer Capital, Alex Price, commented: "We are delighted to become the UK arm of the Fiera Properties business, and to use this strategic alliance to improve the service we can give to our clients. We also welcome the opportunity to more easily access North American capital seeking access to the UK, a market where we see opportunity in 2019. From a cultural, product and philosophical view point, ourselves and Fiera Properties are very similar and we look forward to continuing to support the growth of our backed property companies, our client portfolios and Fiera Properties in the UK."

Under the terms of the purchase agreement for the acquisition, the 80% interest to be acquired by Fiera Capital has an equity value of 40 million and an enterprise value of 30 million, subject to post-closing price adjustments. Of the purchase price payable by Fiera Capital, 10 million will be payable in Class A Subordinate Voting Shares of Fiera Capital ("Fiera Capital Class A Shares"), to be issued at a price equal to the volume weighted average price of the Fiera Capital Class A Shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange for the period of 10 consecutive trading days preceding the date that is two business days prior to closing. The Palmer Capital management shareholders will retain a 20% equity interest in Palmer Capital.

The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive, adding single digit accretion to adjusted earnings per share within the first full year post-closing.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2019. The transaction will increase Fiera Capital's headcount in the UK to over 100.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events and reflect management's expectations or beliefs regarding such future events, based on information currently available to management. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may", "will", "plans", "believes", "expects", "aims", "intends", "anticipates", "estimates", "projects" or words or terms of similar substance or the negative thereof.

With respect to management expectations regarding accretion resulting from this transaction in 2019, financial performance is based on information available to management and certain assumptions, including the accuracy of Palmer Capital's financial statements, the level of Palmer Capital assets under management retained following the acquisition, as well as assumptions regarding the growth in Palmer Capital assets under management and realization of synergies. Actual results could differ depending on a number of factors, including the ability to retain key personnel following the acquisition, the ability to retain clients and assets under management following the acquisition and general market conditions.

By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and a number of factors could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. In evaluating these statements, readers should specifically consider various factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. These factors include, but are not limited to, market and general economic conditions, the nature of the financial services industry, and the risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in Fiera Capital's interim and annual consolidated financial statements, and its Annual Report and Annual Information Form filed on http://www.sedar.com. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this document, and Fiera Capital assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances.

Non-IFRS Measures

This press release makes reference to adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of Fiera Capital, which is a non-IFRS measure. Adjusted EPS is not a recognized measure under IFRS, does not have a standardized meaning under IFRS and is unlikely to be comparable to similar measures used by other companies. The rational for the use of the non-IFRS measures is presented in Fiera Capital's Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A), which is available on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com.

About Fiera Capital Corporation

Fiera Capital Corporation is a global independent asset management firm with over C$143 billion in AUM as at September 30, 2018 delivering customized multi-asset solutions across traditional and alternative asset classes to institutional, retail and private wealth clients across North America, Europe and key markets in Asia. Fiera Capital strives to be at the forefront of investment-management science and is passionate about creating sustainable wealth for clients. Fiera Capital trades under the ticker FSZ on the Toronto Stock Exchange. http://www.fieracapital.com

In the U.S., asset management services are provided by the Firm's U.S. affiliates who are investment advisers that are registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Further, the Firm's affiliates Fiera Capital (UK) Limited and Fiera Capital (IOM) Limited are both registered as investment advisers with the SEC. Fiera Capital (UK) Limited is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom and Fiera Capital (IOM) Limited is licensed by the Isle of Man Financial Services Authority. Registration with the SEC does not imply a certain level of skill or training.

Additional information about Fiera Capital Corporation, including the Firm's annual information form, is available on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com.

About Fiera Properties Limited

Fiera Properties is a Canadian real estate investment management company that provides direct real estate investment opportunities to institutional investors, foundation and endowment clients, and high net worth investors. As part of Fiera Capital's alternative asset offerings, Fiera Properties is a team of experienced real estate practitioners backed with the kind of support that empowers it to offer innovative solutions to its clients' investment challenges.

Fiera Properties currently manages approximately C$3 billion of commercial real estate in Canada through its investment funds and accounts. They provide strategies from Core through Opportunistic in both equity and debt and across all major sectors (as at November 30th, 2018).

About Palmer Capital

Palmer Capital is a UK focused real estate investment management company with over 800 million in AUM as at September 30, 2018. Founded in 1992, the company has approximately 26 years of experience in direct real estate.

The business has two distinct divisions - minority shareholdings in eight regional property companies and the fund management of pooled and segregated property vehicles. Palmer Capital's AUM is split 56% in Enhanced Return strategies and 44% in Core strategies over approximately 60 projects and has 4.2 million square feet under management (with a further 600,000 square feet. within Palmer Capital's property company joint ventures). Palmer Capital has 27 staff within its headquarters based in London and a further 45 people located across the UK within the firm's regional property companies.

For further information: Mariem Elsayed, Director, Investors Relations and Public Affairs, Fiera Capital Corporation, +1-514-954-6619, melsayed@fieracapital.com; Media contacts: United Kingdom & Europe, Ged Brumby, Smithfield, +44-20-3047-2527, gbrumby@smithfieldgroup.com; North America, Stephanie Ronson, Edelman, +1-647-252-2859, stephanie.ronson@edelman.com; Emily Cullen, Smithfield, +44-20-3047-2530, ecullen@smithfieldgroup.com
EBRC (European Business Reliance Centre), IT service operator specialized in the management of sensitive information and WALLIX Group, a European publisher of Privileged Access Management (PAM) software, partnered with the aim of setting up "by design" protection of IT systems and guaranteeing the companies' trust in digital.

EBRC and WALLIX want to provide businesses and organisations with the means to implement a cyber-resilience strategy to deal with digital environments that are increasingly exposed to risks of cyber-attacks and subject to extremely stringent regulatory constraints, particularly in the fields of finance, health and the public sector.

WALLIX helps organisations protect their critical IT infrastructures by securing and tracing access to servers, terminals and connected objects in the cloud environment. By encouraging organisations to design their cybersecurity policy according to the "Privacy & Security by Design" principle, WALLIX also enables them to meet compliance requirements and changes in regulations.

Since its creation in 2000, EBRC has positioned itself as a specialist in the management and protection of sensitive information and has developed an offer that is unique in the market as it integrates the full value chain: consultancy, outsourcing, cloud, security, business continuity and data centres enabling it to offer a cyber-resilient service offering. This offering is aligned with the highest level of requirements, including international standards and certifications: ISO 27001, ISO 22301, ISO 20000, PCI DSS and Tier IV, to name a few.

By relying on a trusted European partner such as WALLIX, EBRC further strengthens the value of its offering for the protection of business-critical data. Thus, EBRC offers WALLIX Bastion for the implementation of strategic IT projects within a standardised environment. The clients of EBRC's subsidiary, Digora, can enjoy the benefits of the Bastion solution.

By striking up this partnership, the two entities contribute to strengthen trust in digital by making a simplified cybersecurity solution available to organisations in order to ensure their compliance with all regulations.

Yves Reding, EBRC CEO

"The confidentiality, high availability and protection of data are among the highest priorities on Information Systems Managers' agendas. This also involves meeting ever-increasing needs with regard to traceability of interactions with business' digital assets. With WALLIX's Bastion, we are strengthening the framework of trust that we have implemented within EBRC since 2000. In addition, we are particularly pleased to have selected a European solution, making WALLIX a strategic partner within the framework of our integrated "Trusted Services Europe" offer."

Jean-Noel de Galzain, Chairman of the Management Board of WALLIX GROUP

"WALLIX and EBRC have based their offer on the alarming observation of the increase in threats in cyberspace and the failure to take the associated risks into account. Our two entities share the same vision of a digital world which must move towards greater compliance, trust and security. By entering into this partnership, we are able to offer a simple way of achieving that objective."

ABOUT WALLIX

A software company providing cybersecurity solutions, WALLIX Group is a European specialist in privileged account governance. In response to recent regulatory change (NIS/GDPR in Europe and OVIs in France) and the cybersecurity threats affecting all companies today, WALLIX's products and solutions help users protect their critical IT assets. The WALLIX Bastion secures access to servers, terminals and connected objects. It is the first market solution to have been awarded first-level security certification (CSPN) by France's National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) and thus meets all of the criteria for regulatory compliance. The DataPeps solution protects corporate data by providing an end-to-end encryption software component in SaaS mode, enabling organizations to meet the requirements imposed under the GDPR.

WALLIX assists more than 670 companies and organizations in improving their access management every single day. Its solutions are marketed through a network of more than 130 resellers and trained and accredited integrators. Listed on Euronext under the code ALLIX, WALLIX Group is a leader on the PAM market with a strong presence throughout Europe and EMEA. Alain Afflelou, Dassault Aviation, Gulf Air, Maroc Telecom, McDonald's, Michelin, and PSA Peugeot-Citroen trust WALLIX to secure their information systems.



WALLIX Bastion was a winner at the 2016 Computing Security Awards and has been rated Best Buy by SC Magazine, as well as being named among the PAM leaders in the Product and Innovation categories of the KuppingerCole 2017 Leadership Compass report. The company is a member of Bpifrance Excellence, a champion of the Pole Systematic Paris Region cluster and a founding member of the Hexatrust grouping of cybersecurity companies. In 2017, WALLIX Group was included in Forbes France's Futur40 ranking of fastest-growing listed companies, and has joined the Tech 40 index.

ABOUT EBRC

An ICT specialist founded in 2000 in Luxembourg, EBRC has become a European stakeholder that stands out by meeting the challenges of sensitive information and infrastructure management through six "Trusted" offers: Trusted Advisory Services, Trusted Managed Services, Trusted Cloud Europe, Trusted Security Europe, Trusted Resilience Services and Trusted Data Centre Services. The mastery, integration and certification of the entire value chain enables its customers to enjoy a comprehensive, end-to-end service.

EBRC meets the expectations of local and international customers requiring high-level guarantees in terms of risk management, level of service, compliance with the regulatory framework and quality of ICT operations.

With a strong historical presence in the banking and financial market, EBRC has developed unique know-how with regard to designing, implementing and operating critical e-Business and e-Commerce infrastructures and also offers its expertise to global stakeholders in industry, the e-Payment sector, the e-Commerce sector, the media industry, international institutions, the health industry, and many more.



Contact



EBRC

5, rue Eugene Ruppert

L-2453 Luxembourg

G.D. LUXEMBOURG

www.ebrc.com

Press contact EBRC

Jean-Francois Hugon

EBRC Head of Marketing

jean-francois.hugon@ebrc.com



Delphine Anzevui

EBRC Marketing Officer

delphine.anzevui@ebrc.com

WALLIX

250 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore

75008 Paris

www.wallix.com Press contact WALLIX

Joelle Monette

Press Relations

Tel. +33 (0)1 81 69 93 65

jmonette@walllix.com



ACTUS finance & communication

Financial Press Relations

Nicolas Bouchez

Tel. +33 (0)1 53 67 36 74

nbouchez@actus.fr

------------------------



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Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-56395-press-release-wallix-ebrc.pdf




The children of Palestine do Para, a remote town located in the state of Para in northern Brazil usually only get to see Christmas celebrations on television. This year, however, was different. Christmas was brought to them courtesy of a fleet of IVECO trucks filled to the brim with presents and toys - the culmination of two months of team work and charitable donations organized by IVECO's employees, customers, dealers and suppliers. Watch the episode online: www.cnhindustrial.com/christmascargo2018

London, December 21, 2018

IVECO, a brand of CNH Industrial (NYSE: CNHI /MI: CNHI), kick-started the initiative at its annual Gincana do Caminhoneiro, a skills and driving competition for professional truck drivers, in Campo Largo, Parana state where the participating drivers were invited to donate toys. They were joined by an IVECO customer in the city of Laranjal Paulista, Sao Paulo who donated thousands of toys and were also assisted by employees from FPT Industrial, the powertrain brand of CNH Industrial.

The campaign for donations spread throughout the whole IVECO supply chain; from dealerships, through to suppliers and customers, and also involved the employees at the IVECO manufacturing plant in Sete Lagoas, in Minas Gerais state. In all, after two months of hard work 3,685 toys were collected, which were subsequently distributed to 2,280 children.

The village of Palestine do Para was chosen due to its location in a particularly inaccessible part of the Country and for its low Human Development Index (HDI), a tool developed by the United Nations to measure levels of social and economic development. The trucks traveled some 5,000 kilometers, over rough terrain and through extreme weather conditions to reach the village. On entering the main square, the drivers were welcomed by a sea of smiling faces and excited children as Santa Claus stepped down from one of the trucks to start handing out Christmas presents.

The looks on the children's faces were ample reward for the IVECO truck drivers who had battled through treacherous conditions to deliver this precious Christmas cargo - a gift made possible through collective team work, hard work and solidarity. To integrate more effectively in the countries in which CNH Industrial operates, the Company adopts social initiatives that respect both people and the region.

Watch the webisode at: www.cnhindustrial.com/christmascargo2018

CNH Industrial N.V.

Sign up for corporate news alerts from the CNH Industrial Newsroom:



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Media contact:

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Corporate Communications Manager

CNH Industrial

Tel. +44

www.cnhindustrial.com

Attachments
EMMEN, SWITZERLAND / ACCESSWIRE / December 21, 2018 / ALSO Holding AG (SIX: ALSN):

ALSO Holding AG submits, together with the majority shareholder of the Polish company ABC Data S.A., a tender offer for ABC Data S.A. Following the completion of the offer and the approval of the regulatory authorities, ALSO Holding AG will take over the entire business operations of ABC Data S.A.

ABC Data S.A. operates in six Eastern European countries and generated sales of

PLN 4 635 million (EUR 1 080 million) in 2017. ALSO Holding AG is strengthening its market position in Eastern Europe.

That will enable the company to develop the solution and service business in line with its strategy.

ALSO Holding AG, one of the leading providers of ICT distribution, solutions and services in Europe, has signed an agreement with MCI Euroventures, the majority shareholder of the Polish company ABC Data S.A., to make a joint tender offer for all publicly held shares of ABC Data S.A., listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

The objective of the tender offer is to acquire 100% of ABC Data's shares, 60.7% of which are already indirectly held by MCI Euroventures. Subject to the completion of the offer and the approval of the regulatory authorities, ALSO Holding AG will take over and continue the entire business operations of ABC Data S.A. The tender offer is subject to the approval of the regulatory authorities.

The takeover of the business operations of ABC Data S.A. and the closing of ranks with the existing business in Poland will create the leader of IT equipment and consumer electronics distribution in the Polish market. In addition, the ALSO Group strengthens its existing business in Lithuania and will be present in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary. With the existing activities of ABC Data S.A. in the area of integrated IT solutions ALSO Holding AG aims to expand its highermargin solutions business. With the ABC Data platform, the company will also be able to offer its customers consumption-based IT-as-a-service via the cloud through the ALSO Cloud Marketplace (ACMP).

Gustavo Moller-Hergt, CEO of ALSO Holding AG, commented: "Part of ALSO's strategy is to strengthen its market position in markets where it does not have a dominant position. In addition, we have a clear intention to further develop the traditional transactional business, to increase the sales share of the Solutions business and to enable the highly attractive consumptional business with the ALSO Cloud Marketplace. The acquisition of ABC Data S.A. meets our strategical criteria. We will become the number one in Poland and a leading market player in five other Eastern European countries. The transaction is an important milestone in the implementation of our growth plans".

Direct link to the media release: https://www.also.com/goto/20181221en/

Contacts:

For investors and financial media:

Alexandre Muller & Thomas Balmer, Dynamics Group

+41 43 2683232

investor-relations@also.com

For other media:

Manuela Rost-Hein, Ketchum Pleon GmbH

+49 211 9541 2160

also.press@ketchumpleon.com

ALSO Holding AG (ALSN.SW) (Emmen/Switzerland) brings providers and buyers of the ICT industry together. The company offers services at all levels of the ICT value chain from a single source. In the European B2B marketplace, ALSO bundles logistics services, financial services, supply services, solution services, digital services, and IT services together into individual service packages. ALSO's portfolio contains more than 250 000 articles from some 525 vendors. The Group has 4058 employees throughout Europe. In fiscal year 2017 (closing on December 31), the company generated net sales of 8.9 billion euros. The majority shareholder of ALSO Holding AG is the Droege Group, Dusseldorf, Germany. Further information is available at http://www.also.com

Droege Group

Droege Group (founded in 1988) is an independent advisory and investment company under full family ownership. The company acts as a specialist for tailor-made transformation programs aiming to enhance corporate value. Droege Group combines its corporate family-run structure and capital strength into a family-equity business model. The group carries out direct investments with its own equity in corporate spin-offs and medium-sized companies in "special situations". With the guiding principle "execution - following the rules of art", the group is a pioneer in execution-oriented corporate development. Droege Group follows a focused investment strategy based on current megatrends (knowledge, connectivity, prevention, demography, specialization, future work, shopping 4.0). Enthusiasm for quality, innovation and speed determines the company's actions. In recent years Droege Group has successfully positioned itself in domestic and international markets and operates in 30 countries. More information: https://www.droege-group.com

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current assumptions and forecasts of the ALSO management. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the forward-looking statements made here and the actual development, in particular the results, financial situation, and performance of our Group. The Group accepts no responsibility for updating these forward-looking statements or adapting them to future events or developments.

SOURCE: ALSO Holding AG

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/531241/ALSO-Submits-Tender-Offer-for-ABC-Data-SA-the-Polish-Leader-of-IT-Equipment-and-Consumer-Electronics-Distribution
Regulatory News:

At its meeting on 18 December 2018, Peugeot SA's (Paris:UG) Supervisory Board approved the termination package to be awarded to Jean-Baptiste de Chatillon, as recommended by the Appointments, Compensation and Governance Committee. The package's terms comply with the compensation policy adopted at the Annual Shareholders' Meeting of 24 April 2018, the authorised commitments to Mr. de Chatillon and the Group's internal rules.

This press release has been prepared in compliance with the new recommendation set out in paragraph 24.5 of the AFEP-MEDEF Corporate Governance Code for listed companies in France, as revised in June 2018.

Fixed compensation for 2018

Mr. de Chatillon's fixed annual compensation for 2018 amounts to 680,000. The fixed compensation paid to him in 2018 was prorated to his actual period of service with the Group during the year, up to his last day of service.

Annual variable compensation for 2018

The Supervisory Board has decided that Mr. de Chatillon's variable compensation will be awarded and defined based on the level of achievement of individual and collective performance targets, and that the amount paid on this basis will be prorated to his actual period of service during 2018. The principle of increasing the annual variable compensation to reward outperformance compared to objectives will not be applied.

Mr. de Chatillon's variable compensation will be determined by the Supervisory Board at the meeting to be held in February 2019 to assess the level of achievement of the Managing Board members' performance targets for 2018 and fix the variable compensation amounts, in line with the compensation policy approved by the Annual Shareholders' Meeting of 24 April 2018.

In accordance with France's Commercial Code (Code de commerce), payment of this annual variable compensation will be subject to approval by the Annual Shareholders' Meeting to be called in 2019 to approve the 2018 financial statements.

Exceptional compensation in recognition of Mr. de Chatillon's contribution to the implementation of the PACE! recovery plan in 2018

The Annual Shareholders' Meeting of 24 April 2018 approved in principle the payment of exceptional compensation to Mr. Jean-Baptiste de Chatillon if Opel Vauxhall met the 2018 operating margin and operating free cash flow targets set in the PACE! recovery plan.

The Supervisory Board has decided that the exceptional compensation payable to Mr. de Chatillon will be prorated to his period of service in 2018 with the Group. The principle of increasing his exceptional compensation to reward outperformance compared to objectives will not be applied.

Mr. de Chatillon's exceptional compensation will be determined by the Supervisory Board at the meeting to be held in February 2019 to assess the level of achievement of the performance targets on which this compensation is based.

In accordance with France's Commercial Code, payment of this exceptional compensation will be subject to approval by the Annual Shareholders' Meeting to be called in 2019 to approve the 2018 financial statements.

Long-term compensation ("LTI" performance share award plans)

In 2016, 2017 and 2018, in his capacity as a member of the Company's Managing Board and in line with the applicable compensation policy, Mr. de Chatillon was awarded a certain number of performance shares under the LTI 2016, 2017 and 2018 plans. Details of the performance share awards are provided in the 2017 Registration Document, section 3.2.

Under the plans' terms, the Managing Board members' performance must be measured over the entire duration of each plan's performance measurement period. The Supervisory Board has therefore decided not to waive the requirement in each plan's rules for the grantees to still be employed by the Group on the vesting date. As a result, Mr. de Chatillon will forfeit his rights to the 180,000 shares originally awarded to him.

This decision has been made in line with the AFEP-MEDEF Code's recommendation concerning the consistency and measurement principles to be applied for the determination and implementation of executive management compensation policies.

Pension plan

The Supervisory Board has decided that Mr. de Chatillon will not be entitled to any 2018 matching contribution from the Group to the new defined-contribution pension plan set up in 2016.

In addition, he will not receive any final payment in settlement of his pension rights under the defined-benefit plan that was terminated in 2015, due to the requirement for plan participants to still be employed by the Group at the year-end.

The approved compensation policy applicable to Mr. de Chatillon does not provide for any multi-year compensation scheme, stock options, termination benefit or non-compete indemnity.

Governance practices, performance objectives and all components of compensation for the Managing Board members will be discussed in detail in the 2018 Registration Document.

About Groupe PSA

Groupe PSA designs unique automotive experiences and delivers mobility solutions to meet all customer expectations. The Group has five car brands, Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel and Vauxhall and provides a wide array of mobility and smart services under the Free2Move brand. Its 'Push to Pass' strategic plan represents a first step towards the achievement of the Group's vision to be "a global carmaker with cutting-edge efficiency and a leading mobility provider sustaining lifetime customer relationships". An early innovator in the field of autonomous and connected cars, Groupe PSA is also involved in financing activities through Banque PSA Finance and in automotive equipment via Faurecia.

Media library: medialibrary.groupe-psa.com @GroupePSA_EN

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181221005421/en/

Contacts:

Media contact: Karine Douet + 33 61 64 03 83 karine.douet@mpsa.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 21, 2018) - Bearing Lithium Corp. (TSXV: BRZ) (OTCQB: BLILF) (FSE: B6K2) ("Bearing" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Definitive Feasibility Study ("DFS") for the Maricunga Lithium Project (the "Maricunga Project") is in the final stages of completion awaiting the final independent written report from WorleyParsons. The Maricunga Project is wholly owned and operated by the joint-venture company, Minera Salar Blanco ("MSB") and Bearing holds an 18% interest in MSB.

It is anticipated that WorleyParsons will have the final documentation completed for a detailed release of the DFS outcomes in January 2019. This report will meet AACE 18R-97, Class 2 estimation standards with a +/-15% accuracy.

WorleyParsons is a global engineering company with headquarters in Australia and is listed on the ASX. The company has extensive expertise in engineering, procurement and construction and working across the infrastructure, mining, chemicals and hydrocarbon sectors. WorleyParsons undertook engineering design for the definitive feasibility study on the Cauchari lithium brine project in Argentina. The company has also undertaken extensive engineering and feasibility works at the largest producing lithium brine project at the Salar de Atacama in Chile. The company brings a wealth of infrastructure design, geotechnical, chemical, mechanical and electrical skills to the project.

Minera Salar Blanco's Chief Executive Officer, Cristobal Garcia-Huidobro, commented:

"We look forward to providing the results to shareholders early in the New Year. We wish all our shareholders well for the festive season and thank them for their support during 2018. For the Company, 2019 promises to be an exciting year, with completion of the feasibility study and the project advancing to approval of the project Environmental Impact Assessment ("EIA"). The lithium market continues to have a very positive outlook and we look forward to moving the project towards development."

About Bearing Lithium Corp.

Bearing Lithium Corp. is a lithium-focused mineral exploration and development company. Its primary asset is an 18% interest in the Maricunga Lithium Brine Project in Chile. The Maricunga Project represents one of the highest-grade lithium brine salars globally and the only pre-production project in Chile. Over US$30 million has been invested in the Maricunga Project to date and all expenditures through to the delivery of a Definitive Feasibility Study in January 2019, have been fully-funded by the earn-in joint-venture partner.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD



Signed "Jeremy Poirier"

Jeremy Poirier, President and CEO



FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Jeremy Poirier-- President and CEO Bearing Lithium - Telephone: 1-604-262-8835



Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.



Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information

This press release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating the future operating or financial performance of the Company, are forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this press release relate to, among other things, completion of a Definitive Feasibility Study, project financing and the future prospects of the Maricunga Project. Actual future results may differ materially. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: the occurrence of unexpected financial obligations, fluctuations in the price of lithium or certain other commodities; fluctuations in the currency markets; changes in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins and flooding); the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining and employee relations. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these times. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.
ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / December 21, 2018 / Findit, Inc. a Nevada Corporation that trades on the OTC Pinksheets Stock Symbol FDIT provides each and every member access to the same array of products and services to create great content on Findit to reach potential customers and increase the number of followers on an even playing field.

Findit is branded as a social networking content management platform that also provides a search engine for all content posted inside of each members Findit "site". Every member has the option to have their own unique Findit address. If a member does not want to have a unique Findit address that they choose, a random address is generated when the member joins and that is the address they are given until they decide to upgrade. The Findit address, often referred to as a Vanity URL, does come at a small price annually. This feature is unique when compared to Facebook (FB), Snapchat (SNAP), and Twitter (TWTR). While some of these sites provide you with your own URL and do not charge, some of them have been under scrutiny about selling the content members share with their friends and followers to third party sites. This week, it was widely reported that Facebook had granted access to Netflix the ability to see members' messaging in Facebook. Often members grant these permissions when they join and check the box. Findit does not sell members' data to third party sites or grant access to messages between members in Findit.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn4wZoJUVHw

Peter Tosto of Findit stated, "The value of Findit for its members is the way each member can join and create content on the fly and have it accessible to anyone who follows them as well, as and this it really important, anyone who does not follow them - This includes non members as well. What does this mean? No algorithms that control who can see your content. In the future, Findit is building controls to give the members an option where they can select if the content is public and who can see it."

With each post created in Findit members, are in essence creating landing pages. Each post a member creates can include a variety of content that can include pictures, video, audio and a long description of what the post is about. To the right of each page, members can include their contact information. By creating great content, search engines can crawl these pages and index them highly in search results depending on their relevancy. This is a great way to reduce the cost of online advertising while driving traffic and increasing your conversion ratio.

https://www.findit.com/savannahadditions

Individuals receive the benefits of posting in Findit, knowing that whatever they post will show up in their followers friends feed, every single time. Each posts can be shared as well to other social networking sites that often have algorithms that prevent your posts from being seen by your friends and followers. By creating your posts in your Findit account and then sharing those same posts, oftentimes, more people in your Facebook feed will see this when you @ the friends or followers you want to make sure they can see it. Anyone that sees your posts also has the option of sharing them as well to their social accounts.

https://www.findit.com/calvmonster

While social networking sites are under scrutiny by congress and their members for having algorithms that determine who sees your posts and who they sell your data to, Findit.com provides its members the ability to post the content they want people to see while not selling your data. Findit makes money from members purchasing a vanity URL along with other online marketing tools. So for a small annual fee of $7.95 for a vanity URL your information does not need to be sold for Findit to keep the lights on and our shareholders happy. Vanity URLs are optional you do not need to own one to get the benefits Findit offers.

https://www.findit.com/inground-concrete-pools-installed-cornelius-nc

About Findit, Inc.

Findit, Inc., owns Findit.com which is a Social Media Content Management Platform that provides an interactive search engine for all content posted in Findit to appear in Findit search. The site is an open platform that provides access to Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines access to its content posted to Findit so it can be indexed in these search engines as well. Findit provides Members the ability to post, share and manage their content. Once they have posted in Findit, we ensure the content gets indexed in Findit Search results. Findit provides an option for anyone to submit URLs that they want indexed in Findit search result, along with posting status updates through Findit Right Now. Status Updates posted in Findit can be crawled by outside search engines which can result in additional organic indexing. All posts on Findit can be shared to other social and bookmarking sites by members and non-members. Findit provides Real Estate Agents the ability to create their own Findit Site where they can pull in their listing and others through their IDX account. Findit offers News and Press Release Distribution. Findit, Inc., is focused on the development of monetized Internet-based web products that can provide an increased brand awareness of our members. Findit, Inc., trades under the stock symbol FDIT on the OTC Pinksheets.

Safe Harbor:

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), including statements regarding potential sales, the success of the company's business, as well as statements that include the word believe or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Findit, Inc. to differ materially from those implied or expressed by such forward-looking statements. This press release speaks as of the date first set forth above, and Findit, Inc. assumes no responsibility to update the information included herein for events occurring after the date hereof. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to factors such as the lack of capital, timely development of products, inability to deliver products when ordered, inability of potential customers to pay for ordered products, and political and economic risks inherent in international trade.

Contact:

Peter Tosto 1 404 443 3224

SOURCE: Findit, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/531263/The-Social-Networking-Site-That-Does-Not-Sell-Your-Data-to-Third-Parties-While-Providing-Members-with-Internet-Marketing-Tools-Findit
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 21, 2018) - Metals Creek Resources Corp. (TSXV: MEK) ("Metals Creek" or the "Company") announces that it has updated the terms to its recently announced private placement (See news release dated 19 Dec 2018) to complete a non-brokered private placement of flow-through and non flow-through units (the "Private Placement"). The Private placement is expected to close on or before 31 December, 2018.

The Company intends to issue up to 7,272,277 flow-through units at a price of $0.055 per unit (the "FT Units") for aggregate proceeds of up to $400,000. Each FT Unit will consist of one flow-through common share (the "FT Shares") and one-half of one non flow-through common share purchase warrant (the "FT Warrants"). Each whole FT Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional non flow-through common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.10 per common share for a period of 24 months from the date of issue. The FT Shares will entitle the holder to receive the tax benefits applicable to flow-through shares, in accordance with provisions of the Income Tax Act (Canada).

The Company also intends to issue up to 4,000,000 non flow-through units at a price of $0.05 per unit (the "NFT Units") for aggregate proceeds of up to $200,000. Each NFT Unit will consist of one non flow-through common share and one non flow-through common share purchase warrant (the "NFT Warrants"). Each NFT Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional non flow-through common share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.10 per common share for a period of 24 months from the date of issue.

In connection with the private placement, the company may pay finders' fees in cash or securities or a combination of both, as permitted by the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to a four-month hold period. The Private Placement is subject to approval by the TSX Venture Exchange.

The proceeds raised from the FT Units will be used for Canadian Exploration Expenses (within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada)), with the Company using its best efforts to ensure that such Canadian Exploration Expenses qualify as a "flow-through mining expenditure" for purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada), related to the exploration of the Company's exploration projects.

About Metals Creek Resources Corp.

Metals Creek Resources Corp. is a junior exploration company incorporated under the laws of the Province of Ontario, is a reporting issuer in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, and has its common shares listed for trading on the Exchange under the symbol "MEK". Metals Creek has earned a 50% interest in the Ogden Gold Property, including the former Naybob Gold mine, located 6 km south of Timmins, Ontario and has an 8 km strike length of the prolific Porcupine-Destor Fault (P-DF) that stretches between Timmins, Ontario and Val d'Or, Quebec. Metals Creek also has an option agreement with Quadro Resources on Metals Creeks and Benton Resources Staghorn Gold Project in Newfoundland as well as two option agreements with Anaconda Mining Inc. on Metals Creek's Jacksons Arm and Tilt Cove Properties also in Newfoundland. The company also has an option agreement on its Clarks Brook property with Sokoman Iron Corp. and is engaged in the identification, acquisition, exploration and development of other mineral resource properties, and presently has mining interests in Ontario, Yukon and Newfoundland and Labrador including the recently acquired Great Brehat project on the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland. Additional information concerning the Corporation is contained in documents filed by the Corporation with securities regulators, available under its profile at www.sedar.com. For further information, please contact:

Alexander (Sandy) Stares, President and CEO

Metals Creek Resources Corp

telephone: (709)-256-6060

fax: (709)-256-6061

email: astares@metalscreek.com

MetalsCreek.com

Twitter.com/MetalsCreekRes

Facebook.com/Metals.CreekResources
Not for Dissemination to United States Newswire Services or for Dissemination in the United States

CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / December 21, 2018 / International Cannabrands Inc. (CSE:JUJU) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed the third tranche of its previously announced brokered private placement (the "Offering") pursuant to an engagement letter with Gravitas Securities Inc. and Canaccord Genuity Corp. (collectively, the "Agents").

The Company sold an additional 4,000,000 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.10 per share. Each Unit consisted of one (1) common share (a "Common Share") and one (1) common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional Common Share at a price of $0.15 per share for a period of 36 months. Together with the first two tranches which closed December 7 and 14, 2018, the Company has raised total gross proceeds of $1,702,000 to date pursuant to the Offering.

CEO Steve Gormley commented: "We continue to persevere through these tough markets and have been extremely impressed with the tenacity and support from both Gravitas and Canaccord. We look forward to what 2019 brings for the Company and are eager to build out our aggregation platform."

The Agents will be paid a cash commission equal to 7% of the gross proceeds of the Offering and will also receive warrants to purchase such number of common shares as is equal to 7% of the Units sold under the Offering (the "Broker Warrants"). The Broker Warrants will be exercisable for a period of 36 months following closing of the Offering at an exercise price of $0.10 per share.

All of the securities issued under the private placement are subject to a hold period expiring four months and one day from the date hereof.

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 Royal

Julian 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 Gormley

Chief Executive Officer

1045 Lincoln Street, #106

Denver, Colorado 80203

Ph: (323) 828-4321 or steve.gormley@intlcannabrands.com

Media Inquiries: media@jujuroyal.net

THIS PRESS RELEASE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL SECURITIES OR A SOLICITATION FOR PURCHASERS TO BUY SECURITIES. THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS A PUBLIC OFFERING IN ANY PROVINCE IN CANADA UNLESS A PROSPECTUS RELATING THERETO HAS BEEN ACCEPTED FOR FILING BY A SECURITIES COMMISSION OR SIMILAR AUTHORITY IN SUCH PROVINCE.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAS REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities of International Cannabrands Inc. in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities offered have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any U.S. state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. Persons unless registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and applicable state securities laws or unless an exemption from such registration is available.

Disclaimer concerning Forward-looking Statements

Certain statements included herein constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, regulatory approval of the Offering. 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.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/531253/International-Cannabrands-Announces-Third-Closing-of-Brokered-Financing-Co-Led-by-Gravitas-Securities-and-Canaccord-Genuity
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 21, 2018 / Erin Ventures Inc. [TSXV: EV] announces that, further to its news releases of June 18 and September 18, 2018, Erin has agreed with InvestCo to extend the option exercise period of its Tranche 1 Financing Option (USD $5.135 million) until March 31, 2019, with all other terms in the strategic alliance agreement remaining unchanged. Recently, InvestCo has introduced a significant potential co-investor to Erin's Piskanja Boron Project. Both Erin and InvestCo's potential co-investor may require up to a 3-month period in which to complete due diligence on each other, prompting the need for the extension to the Tranche 1 Option period.

The extension of the Option until March 31, 2019 in no way puts Erin's work commitment on Piskanja at risk, the next phase of which is required to be completed by September 20, 2020 in order to keep the Piskanja license in good standing. Additionally, it is Erin's intention to complete the aforementioned due diligence procedure, while simultaneously advancing the requisite shareholder and TSX approval processes, so as to continue with the project development as soon as possible.

Additionally, Erin expects to have permission to publicly release the pertinent details on InvestCo and its potential co-investor in the near future.

Background

Erin announced in its news release dated June 18, 2018 that it had entered into a strategic partnership option agreement (the "Agreement") with a London based commodity investment specialist (the "InvestCo") for the continuing development of Erin's Piskanja Borate Project. Under the terms of the Agreement, InvestCo has the right to make equity investments in two tranches, totaling USD $20.135 million, subject to TSX Venture Exchange and shareholder approval, with the proceeds to be used for the advancement of Piskanja towards production. Further, on September 18, 2018, Erin announced that InvestCo's Tranche 1 90-day financing option of USD $5.135 million had been triggered as a result of Erin meeting a pre-condition of receiving an extension to its Piskanja exploration license until September of 2020.

*NOTE: Please refer to Erin's news releases dated June 18, 2018 and September 18, 2018 for additional salient terms regarding the potential strategic alliance between Erin and InvestCo.

The Agreement remains subject to both TSX Venture Exchange and shareholder approvals.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Blake Fallis, General Manager

About InvestCo

InvestCo was established in 2009 by the senior management team from one of the world's largest energy commodity trading companies. Its mandate since inception has been to invest in upstream mining projects, leveraging the founders' extensive commodity networks and decades of experience.

InvestCo takes a differentiated approach to engaging with project teams. In addition to providing capital to early stage mining projects, the InvestCo team seeks to work with management by providing marketing, hedging and structuring expertise gained over 20 years of commodity trading know-how across multiple markets.

InvestCo has a strong track record of leverage it's debt and equity network, in order to bring mining projects into production. Its team has worked with a number of alternative funding partners including sovereign wealth funds, family offices and hedge funds, accessing new sources of capital as an alternative to traditional capital markets.

About Erin Ventures

Erin Ventures Inc. is an international mineral exploration and development company with boron assets in Serbia. Headquartered in Victoria, B.C., Canada, Erin's shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "EV". For detailed information please see Erin's website at www.erinventures.com or the Company's filed documents at www.sedar.com.

About Boron

Boron is used in +500 products that shape modern life, with new applications developed regularly

Price 2015: US$850 boric acid; US$550 colemanite (Source: IM Industrial Minerals)

Boron market is valued at US$4.9B per year (2016)

Demand is forecast to outpace supply for the next several years

Supply is tightening despite competitive expansions

Commercial deposits of boron are extremely rare with 2 regions containing 80% of the world supply

World boron consumption by end-use in 2014: glass 51%; agriculture 14%; ceramics 13%; detergents 3%; other 19%

A lack of competition in supply helps keep prices very stable

Borates are a high margin industry

There are very few substitutes for borates especially in high-end applications and agriculture. These markets are expected to grow as global population grows and becomes more affluent

Room exists in the market for additional high-quality producers

For further information, please contact: Erin's Public Quotations Erin Ventures Inc.

Blake Fallis, General Manager

Phone: 1-250- 384-1999 or 1-888-289-3746

info@erinventures.com

www.erinventures.com Canada

TSX Venture: EV



Europe

Berlin: EKV USA

SEC12G3-2(B)#82-4432

OTCBB:ERVFF

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements:

Certain statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning (i) the Agreement, (ii) Option 1; (iii) Option 2; (iii) anticipated approvals; (iv) the time to the exercise of Option 1 and Option 2; and (v) results of the completion of the transactions contemplated in this news release. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "outlook", "objective", "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "should", "plans" or "continue", or similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements including, without limitation, the risks that: (1) the information provided to Erin by InvestCo turns out to be misleading, untrue or incomplete; (2) neither Option 1 nor Option 2 may be completed for any reason whatsoever, including that regulators may not approve the proposed Options; (3) the closings may not occur as scheduled or at all; and (4) Erin may not achieve the results currently anticipated. Although Erin believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information because Erin can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. In addition to other factors and assumptions which may be identified in this news release, assumptions have been made regarding and are implicit in, among other things, the timely receipt of required regulatory approvals. Details of the risk factors relating to Erin and its business are discussed under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in Erin's most recent regulatory filings which are posted on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which have been used. Forward-looking information is based on current expectations, estimates and projections that involve a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by Erin and described in the forward looking information. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is made as of the date hereof and Erin undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. "Inferred Resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and economic and legal feasibility. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource reported in this news release will ever be upgraded to a higher category or to reserves. U.S. persons are advised that while mineral resources are recognized under Canadian regulations, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission does not recognize them. U.S. persons are also cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource is economically or legally mineable.

SOURCE: Erin Ventures Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/531288/Erin-Ventures-Extends-Strategic-Partners-Financing-Option-Exercise-Period
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 21, 2018) - Alpha Peak Leisure Inc. (TSXV: AAP) ("Alpha Peak" or the "Company") announces that it proposes (i) to effect a cash distribution of $0.075 per common share (the "Common Share") to shareholders by way of a return of capital (the "Distribution") and to correspondingly reduce the stated capital (the "Stated Capital Reduction") of the Common Shares, and (ii) to sell (the "Transaction") all of the shares ("TWEL Shares") of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Total Wonder Enterprises Limited ("TWEL") to certain shareholders of the Company (the "Purchasers").

Alpha Peak shareholders (the "Disinterested Shareholders"), other than the Purchasers, will receive the Distribution in the form of cash. Purchasers will apply their proceeds from the Distribution to purchase TWEL Shares pursuant to the Transaction by means of a set-off in accordance with each of their share purchase agreements with the Company. No cash payment will be made to the Purchasers on account of the Distribution.

Pursuant to the Transaction, the Company proposes to sell all of the TWEL Shares to the following Purchasers, each of whom holds the number of and percentage of outstanding Common Shares set out opposite their names and proposes to purchase the number of and percentage of TWEL Shares at the purchase price set out opposite their names:

Name of Purchaser Number of Common Shares / Percentage of Outstanding Common Shares Number of TWEL Shares / Percentage of TWEL Shares proposed to be purchased (Purchase Price) CN Lifestyle Limited(1) 25,106,746 / 34.83% 13,854 / 47.89% ($1,883,005.95) Peter Kai-Sing So 10,361,351 / 14.38% 5,718 / 19.76% ($777,101.33) Yuxiu Zhao(2) 7,730,593 / 10.73% 4,266 / 14.75% ($579,794.48) Belva Global Company Limited(3) 5,555,556 / 7.71% 3,066 / 10.60% ($416,666.70) Merit Sign Holding Limited 3,672,378/ 5.10% 2,026/ 7.00% ($275,428.35) Total 52,426,624 / 72.74% 28,930 / 100% ($3,931,996.80)

Notes:



(1) Controlled by Messrs. Bob Hot-Hoi Chong and Charles Hok-Hei Chong who are former directors of the Company.

(2) Ms. Zhao is the Chairperson and Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

(3) Wholly owned by Ms. Pennie Baihan Zong, a director of the Company.

TWEL will also pay the Company $1,473,783.68 upon redemption of 10,843 TWEL Shares, which amount is also equal to the Distribution amount payable to Disinterested Shareholders (and which, together with the aggregate purchase price of $3,931,996.80 set forth above to be paid by the Purchasers for the TWEL Shares, represents the aggregate transaction consideration of $5,405,780.48).

The Distribution, Stated Capital Reduction and the Transaction are subject to certain closing conditions, including, without limitation, the approval thereof by the Company's special meeting of shareholders currently scheduled to be held in Toronto on January 24, 2019.

Following completion of the Distribution, Stated Capital Reduction and the Transaction, the Company will remain a reporting issuer in the Provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. The Company will be a "shell" company with no material assets or liabilities and no active business. The Company understands that the Common Shares will have to be transferred to the NEX board of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"). The TWEL Shares will be owned exclusively by the Purchasers and TWEL will continue as a private company.

In addition, the maturity of a loan (the "Loan") to the Company's subsidiary, Merit Sign Investments Limited, from certain interested parties in the amount of $2,052,064, has been extended to December 31, 2019. The Loan is unsecured and bears interest at a Hong Kong Prime Rate of 5% per annum (of which $72,316 interest was payable as of September 30, 2018).

Related Party Transactions and Valuation Report and Fairness Opinion

Certain Purchasers are related parties of the Company since, as indicated above, they fall into one or more of the following categories: (i) director of the company; (ii) officer of the Company; and (iii) owner of more than 10% of the outstanding Common Shares. There is an exemption available from the valuation requirements of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") for the Distribution, the Transaction and the Loan since the Common Shares are listed on the TSXV and not on the specified markets set forth in MI 61-101. In any event, the Company has obtained a valuation report and fairness opinion (the "Valuation Report and Fairness Opinion" from Hong Kong Appraisal Advisory Limited in connection with the Distribution and the Transaction as further described in the Circular (as defined below). Minority approval is not required for the Loan amendment pursuant to Section 5.7(1)(f) of MI 61-101. Furthermore, in accordance with the rules of the TSXV and MI 61-101, the Company will also seek minority approval for the Distribution and the Transaction. Any Common Shares held by the Purchasers will be excluded from determining such approvals (the "Disinterested Shareholder Approval").

The Valuation Report and Fairness Opinion from Hong Kong Appraisal Advisory Limited provides that the fair market value of the Company's 100% equity interest in TWEL (including its subsidiaries) and the equity interest of TWEL indirectly held by the Disinterested Shareholders as at September 30, 2018 is in the range of $3,822,000 to $4,718,000 (the "Fair Market Value") and approximately $825,000 to $1,022,000, respectively, and that the Distribution amount payable to the Disinterested Shareholders, which is $1,473,783.68 (or $0.075 on a per Common Share basis), is fair from a financial point of view to the Disinterested Shareholders of the Company as at December 19, 2018. The proposed cash Distribution of $0.075 per Common Share, represents a premium of 27% to the average Fair Market Value per Common Share and a premium of 28% over the 60-day volume weighted average trading price of the Common Shares on the TSXV prior to the date hereof.

The Special Meeting of Shareholders

In connection with the special meeting of shareholders, the Company will file a management information circular (the "Circular") and related voting materials which provide further details regarding the Distribution, Stated Capital Reduction and the Transaction to be approved by the shareholders. Shareholders of the Company should receive these meeting materials by mail shortly. These meeting materials will also be available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

The Company has decided to seek: (i) the combined approval of the Distribution and the Stated Capital Reduction; and (ii) approval of the Transaction; in each case by way of special resolution (being approval by two thirds of all votes cast at the Meeting) (the "Special Resolution") and by way of Disinterested Shareholder Approval.

HOWEVER, to proceed with the Distribution and Stated Capital Reduction, the Transaction must also be approved. Approval of the Transaction will proceed to a vote only if the Distribution and Stated Capital Reduction are accordingly approved at the meeting. As described in the Circular, shareholders have dissent rights in connection with the Transaction.

Your vote is important. The Company encourages shareholders to read the materials in detail. To ensure that your Common Shares will be represented at the special meeting, shareholders should carefully follow the voting instructions in the meeting materials. The deadline for the receipt of proxies is currently 8:30 a.m. (Toronto time) on January 22, 2019 or before 48 hours (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays) before any adjournment of the meeting.

Recommendation of the Board of Directors

After consulting with management and its financial and legal advisors and the receipt and review of the recommendation of the independent special committee, the Board of Directors has unanimously recommended that Shareholders vote FOR the Special Resolutions approving the Distribution and Stated Capital Reduction, and the Transaction.

The Distribution

The record date for the Distribution will be such date as the Board of Directors in its sole discretion may determine (the "Distribution Record Date"). If all of the above mentioned shareholder approvals are obtained, and the Company proceeds with the Distribution, the Distribution is expected to be effected by the Company on the date that is not later than 14 days after the Distribution Record Date or at such other date to be determined by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion.

Shareholders will retain their Common Shares and are not expected to exchange or forfeit any Common Shares to receive their Distributions.

Early Warning Reporting

As announced in a news release of the Company dated September 15, 2017, the Company closed, effective September 14, 2017, a non-brokered private placement at a price of $0.225 per share for total consideration of $1,739,383.43. As reported on the System for Electronic Disclosure by Insiders (SEDI), this purchaser was Yuxiu Zhao, a director of the Company, whose acquisition represents approximately 10.7% of the Company's outstanding common shares. Prior thereto, Ms. Zhao did not own any securities of the Company. Also, further to each of the early warning reports dated June 25, 2015 of Peter Kai-Sing So and CN Lifestyle Limited (together with Ms. Zhao, the "Acquirors"), the Acquirors confirm that they are also Purchasers and will vote in favour of the Special Resolutions, but will be excluded from voting with respect to Disinterested Shareholder Approvals. The Acquirors may acquire additional securities of the Company on the open market or through private acquisitions or sell securities on the open market or through private dispositions depending on market conditions, reformulation of plans and/or other relevant factors.

A copy of the respective early warning reports will appear on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and may also be obtained by contacting, as applicable, (i) for Ms. Zhao, Yuxiu Zhao at +86 553-5842035 (No.9 Urumqi Road, Baohe District, Anhui Province, Hefei, PRC), (ii) for CN Lifestyle Limited: Bob Hot-Hoi Chong, at +852 2861 5159 (20/F, Chung Nam Building, 1 Lockhart Road, Hong Kong), and (iii) Mr. So at +86 769 8680 6698 (5R Winner Building, 36 Man Yu Street, Hunghom, Kowloon, Hong Kong).

About Alpha Peak

The Company, via its wholly-owned subsidiary, Total Wonder Enterprises Limited, has a 40-year operating and development right with the Hailuo Valley Scenic Area Administration for Swallows' Gully, a national scenic location in China encompassing an area of approximately 593 km2.

For more information, please contact:

Jin Huang; Corporate Secretary

Telephone: (86) 1376173979

Email: jin.huang@alphapeak.ca

Forward-Looking Information

Except for statements of historical fact contained herein, information in this press release may constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Other than statements of historical fact, all statements that involve various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors are "forward-looking statements", including with respect to the dates of the special meeting of shareholders, the Distribution Record Date and the effective date of the Distribution, the ability of the Company to implement the Distribution, Stated Capital Reduction and Transaction on the terms described or at all, as well as the status of the Company and TWEL after the Transaction. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove accurate. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company in light of management's experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Known and unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the risk factors set out in the Circular, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements and information. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, Alpha Peak expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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.
Air India has debt worth around Rs 55,000 crore.

The government on Thursday sought approval from Parliament for equity infusion worth Rs 2,345 crore into struggling Air India and another Rs 1,300 crore for Air India Asset Holding.

As part of efforts to revive the financial fortunes of the national carrier, the government has decided to transfer debt worth Rs 29,000 crore to Air India Asset Holding Company, a special purpose vehicle.

In the second batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants 2018-19 tabled by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Lok Sabha, approval has been sought for Rs 2,345 crore equity infusion into the airline under a turnaround plan.

Besides, Parliament's nod has been sought for providing grants-in-aid of Rs 1,300 crore to Air India Asset Holding.

The airline has debt worth around Rs 55,000 crore.

A top civil aviation bureaucrat said in September that a $120 million capital injection for Air India was on the way, and the government was working on a relief package for the airline industry.

In the current financial year ending March 2019, the government will be spending nearly Rs 10,700 crore to keep the national carrier operational.

Air India had sought Rs 2121 crore of additional equity from the government for the fiscal year 2018-19 to make pending payments to its vendors, a source at the airline had told Reuters in July.

Earlier this year, the government's strategic stake sale offer for Air India failed to attract any bidders and since then, various other options are being explored to improve the financial position of the national carrier.

The sale was key to Prime Minister Narendra Modis plans to help keep the fiscal deficit at 3.3 percent of GDP, a goal which is already under pressure from giveaways to farmers and other welfare benefits ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Air India is staying afloat on a bailout package extended by the previous UPA regime.

As part of the turnaround plan, Air India is to receive up to Rs 30,231 crore from the government subject to meeting certain performance thresholds. The 10-year bailout package began from 2012.

Jet Airways, the country's largest full-service carrier, and Air India are struggling to stem losses in the worlds fastest-growing domestic aviation market, where competition is intense and fuel taxes are high.

The airline industry is forecast to lose up to $1.9 billion this financial year due to rising costs and low fares, according to consulting firm CAPA.

Meanwhile, the government has sought Parliament's approval for additional gross expenditure of Rs 85,948.86 crore for the current fiscal ending March 2019.
This will be AirAsia's third entry into Mumbai after discontinuing services to the city first by AirAsia Berhad in 2012 and then by its subsidiary Indonesian AirAsia X in April this year.

Mumbai: Budget carrier AirAsia India on Friday announced the induction of 20th aircraft in its fleet, making it eligible to fly on international routes.

The Tata Sons-Air Asia invested joint venture airline also said it will add Mumbai in its network from early next year with the launch of daily flight services to the country's financial hub from Bengaluru, starting 15 January.

This will be Malaysian airliner group's third entry into the Mumbai market after discontinuing the services to the city first by AirAsia Berhad in 2012 and then by its subsidiary Indonesian AirAsia X in April this year.

"We are pleased to make the much-awaited announcement of adding Mumbai to our network. We're also happy to welcome

our 20th Airbus A320 aircraft to our fleet," Sunil Bhaskaran, chief executive officer, AirAsia India, said in a release.

The daily services on the Bengaluru-Mumbai route will commence from 15 January, the airline said.

Launched in June 2014, AirAsia India is 51 percent owned by Tata Sons, while the remaining 49 percent stake are held by Malaysian no-frills carrier AirAsia Berhad.

The delivery of the 20th Airbus A320 plane to AirAsia will help it launch flight services in international markets as well.

Airlines were earlier required to fly for at least five years on domestic routes, and have a fleet of 20 aircraft before being allowed to fly international.

Now, they can operate in overseas markets just by having 20 aircraft in the fleet or 20 percent of total capacity (in term of average number of seats on all departures put together), whichever is higher for local operations, according to the 2016 civil aviation policy.

Earlier, the airline was mulling overseas flights from 2019. However, the airline is now going slow on its plans after the CBI launched a probe against AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes, Tata Trust executive and AirAsia India non-executive director R Venkataramnan for allegedly lobbying the government for international flight permits and violating rules that prevent foreign airlines from controlling an Indian operator.
Moving the Bill for its passage, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs Ramvilas Paswan said the Bill was non-controversial and was in the interest of the consumers.

The Consumer Protection Bill 2018 was passed by the Lok Sabha on Thursday for strengthening the rights of consumers and providing a mechanism for redressal of their complaints.

Moving the Bill for its passage, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs Ramvilas Paswan said the Bill was non-controversial and was in the interest of the consumers.

He said the Bill, which seeks to establish authorities for timely and effective administration and settlement of consumers' disputes, is above partisan politics.

The Minister said that a penalty provision has been incorporated in the Bill, but does not envisage jail terms. The Consumer Protection Bill 2018, which will replace the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, will now go to the Rajya Sabha next for passage of the Bill.

What the Bill proposes?

The bill, among other things, proposes setting up of the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and forums at the District, State and National levels for adjudicating consumer complaints.

It will have the power to set up a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect and enforce consumer rights as a class.

The Bill says if a consumer suffers an injury from a defect in a good or a deficiency in service, s/he may file a claim of product liability against the manufacturer, the seller, or the service provider. It defines contracts as "unfair" if they significantly affect the rights of consumers.

The Bill also defines unfair and restrictive trade practices and establishes Consumer Protection Councils at the district, state and national levels to render advise on consumer protection.

It sets up the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions as quasi-judicial bodies to adjudicate disputes and empowers the central government to appoint members to these commissions. The Bill does not specify that the commissions will comprise a judicial member.

If the commissions were to have members only from the executive, the principle of separation of powers may be violated, said the Bill.

Offences and penalties

The Bill says that any manufacturer or service provider who causes a false or misleading advertisement to be made which is prejudicial to the interest of consumers shall be punished with imprisonment for a term that may extend to two years and with fine to ten lakh rupees.

It says that the CCPA can also prohibit the endorser of a misleading advertisement from endorsing any particular product or service for a period of up to one year.

If a person does not comply with the orders of the District, State or National Commissions, he may face imprisonment up to three years, or a fine not less than Rs 25,000 extendable to Rs one lakh, or both, the Bill said.

Product liability

The Bill says that a product liability action may be brought by a complainant against a product manufacturer or a product service provider or a product seller for any harm caused to him on account of a defective product.

A product manufacturer shall be liable in a product liability action even if he proves that he was not negligent or fraudulent in making the express warranty of a product, it says. A product liability action cannot be brought against the product seller if, at the time of harm, the product was misused, altered, or modified, the Bill added.

--With inputs from agencies
India endeavours to take the Rs 11,000 crore methanol economy to about Rs 2 lakh crore in five years in a bid to promote cleaner fuel and cut down on the huge crude oil import bills, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said

New Delhi: India endeavours to take the Rs 11,000 crore methanol economy to about Rs 2 lakh crore in five years in a bid to promote cleaner fuel and cut down on the huge crude oil import bills, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Friday.

The transport minister, who inaugurated electric vehicle expo here, cautioned the manufacturers not to compromise on quality by importing substandard parts from China.

"India is now electricity surplus and there is also an abundance of coal and solar power. Government's thrust is to promote import substitute, cost-effective and pollution free transport that includes electric mobility.

"It is our endeavour to take Rs 11,000 crore methanol economy to Rs 1.5-2 lakh crore economy in five years," Gadkari said in his inaugural address.

He said methanol was priced at Rs 12 a litre in Israel, Rs 16 a litre in China and Rs 22 a litre in India and was much cheaper than petrol and diesel.

The minister said the electric mobility space has seen many changes in the last one year with e-rickshaws reaching every nook and corner of the country besides the advent of electric auto-rickshaws and bikes.

"A huge amount of foreign exchange goes out of the country due to crude oil imports. We need to check it...," the minister said adding that the government entity WAPCOS has inked a pact with Austria's Doppelmayr Group in the area of ropeways to provide mobility in hilly terrains besides tough areas.

Cautioning against the use of substandard parts in e-rickshaws and e-carts, Gadkari said the idea behind relaxation in norms was to benefit the poor and check the inhuman practice of hand-held rickshaws, and not profiteering.

"Pay attention to quality and standard. Do not compromise on quality with cheap imports of parts from China, else the government will take hard steps," he warned the industry.

A joint venture was also announced between Keto Motors and Kyto Green Technologies with the unveiling of electric auto 'KYTO'.

Goenka Electric's CEO Zafar Iqbal said his company planned to spend USD 5 million in India in two years time and will manufacture 20,000 units of high-speed electric auto 'Super King'.

MD of Saarthi brand of e-rickshaw Ashwani Sehgal said his company planned to manufacture 1,000 units of electric auto-launched during the expo. The company launched electric auto 'Shavak'.

Altius Technologies said it plans to expand its operations.

The government is taking steps for implementing methanol economy in India and has constituted five task forces including one on its production from high ash coal.

"Niti Aayog has set up an apex committee and five task forces under it for carrying out R&D activities and developing roadmap for implementing methanol economy in India," the government said Thursday.

It said India imported 212.7 million tonne of crude oil in 2016-17 and estimated that a 15 percent methanol blending can result in the replacement of around 31.9 million tonne of crude oil.
The crippled infra lender is selling the group's stake in IL&FS Education & Technology Services (IETS), along with other subsidiary businesses and IIML along with all its associated fund management platforms.

Mumbai: Debt-laden Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) Group on Thursday said that it has initiated a process to sell its stake in education business and in the alternative investment management business.

The Udak Kotak-led board of the crippled infra lender is selling the group's stake in IL&FS Education & Technology Services (IETS), along with other subsidiary businesses and IL&FS Investment Managers (IIML) along with all its associated fund management platforms, the company said in a statement.

The education business provides technology services to KG to XII class students through its proprietary digital content, devices, platforms and solutions, and offers job linked vocational skills programmes.

IIML manages private equity funds, infra debt funds, among others and has assets under management of around Rs 13,340 crore.

Earlier this week, the group had put its entire domestic road assets on sale and last month, it initiated a process to sell its stake in the renewal energy business.

The group, which is sitting on a debt of over Rs 94,200 crore, had also announced plans to divest its stake in IL&FS Securities Services and ISSL Settlement & Transaction Services, for which it claimed to have received interest from over dozen entities, including banks, PE funds and other financial services firms.

The board has appointed Arpwood Capital and JM Financial as financial and transaction advisors, along with Alvarez & Marsal as resolution consultants.

Meanwhile, IL&FS Financial Services in an exchange filing said it has defaulted in payment of a term loan of Rs 100.52 crore, due Thursday. It has already defaulted on payments worth over Rs 5,000 crore since late August.
Naresh Goyal retaining control was reportedly a major issue that became a roadblock in Jet Airways talks with Tata Sons for a possible stake sale over a month ago.

Mumbai: The board of Jet Airways met on Thursday and discussed ways to raise funds without taking an investor on board as chairman Naresh Goyal does not want to give up control in the loss-making carrier he set up 25 years ago, a source said.

At an unscheduled board meeting at the airlines headquarters in Mumbai, which lasted for over four hours, various cost-reduction measures also came up for discussions, said the source to PTI. In the red for three consecutive quarters, Jet Airways has been gasping for funds to keep the airline afloat amid liquidity crunch.

However, amid all this, rating agency Icra has downgraded Jet Airways' long-term rating for the second time in recent months and its largest lender SBI ordered for a "forensic" audit of the listed airline's books.

"Goyal wants to retain the control in the airline. He wants to explore alternative route of capital infusion. He wants the management to find out ways and means to resurrect the airline, the source said.

Notably, Goyal retaining control was reportedly a major issue that became a roadblock in Jet Airways talks with Tata Sons for a possible stake sale over a month ago. During the meeting it was also discussed how the airline can prune the cost further and make it viable in the long-term, the source added.

Goyal's penchant for control has emerged as a major obstacle as the indebted airline tries to negotiate a rescue deal, several people who have worked closely with him or known him over the years told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

He was a visionary in his day but those days are behind us, said a senior aircraft financier who has done deals with Goyal. This is the moment of truth for Naresh Goyal.

A query sent to a Jet Airways spokesperson remained unanswered.

Besides Goyal, the meeting was attended by board members Ashok Chawla, Nasim Zaidi and Rajshree Pathy, the source said. Group CFO and Goyal's key negotiator during the stake sale talks with Etihad in 2013, Hamid Ali, was also part of the meeting, among others, he added.

Shares of Jet Airways on Thursday gained about 3 percent amid reports that the airline's board is likely to discuss fundraising measures.

The survival of 25-year-old Jet Airways, founded by entrepreneur Naresh Goyal, is crucial for a host of companies from which it leases over 100 of its fleet of 124 planes. The airline also has 225 Boeing Co 737 MAX jets on order.

Jet, which owes money to vendors and employees alike, needs to urgently raise funds in order to meet its payments, a banking industry source told Reuters.

Meanwhile, early this week, 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.

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.

--With inputs from agencies
If NITI Aayog wants to push up public invesment, it has to change its policies

"Having served as a chief minister in the past, I am very much aware of the importance of actively consulting the states. NITI Aayog does precisely that," Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said immediately after the formation of the policy think tank in 2015. It was set up to replace the decade-old Planning Commission.

Modi had then said that unlike the Planning Commission, the NITI Aayog would not follow the 'one size fits all' approach. "Through NITI Aayog, we bid farewell to a 'one size fits all' approach towards development. The body celebrates India's diversity and plurality," he said.

The inception of NITI Aayog was a strategic decision by the Narendra Modi government. Its aim was to replace the idea of development planning from public perception. However, it is not simple to do that since it is meant to cater to the needs of those people who are either unable to seize opportunities or are excluded by the market.

The idea of development planning was first discussed in the country in the 1931 Karachi session of the Indian National Congress before Independence. It was initiated as part of the Freedom movement and to see the future of India from a development perspective. Indian development planning entered a new facet with the Five-Year Plans in 1950 under the Planning Commission, a separate entity. That continued till 2014.

The first decision of the newly-elected Modi government was to scrap the Planning Commission and replace it with a new agency, the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) with considerably less power and resources. It is true that the planning process had failed to deliver justice to the population; however, the idea of planned development is essential for the poor and needy. Even Jawaharlal Nehru was not happy with the planning process to a great extent. Reforms were inevitable, however, not at the cost of scrapping of the Planning Commission.

The new entity completely disowns the history and purpose of development planning in the country. Since its formation, NITI Aayog has come up with a number of proposals and policy framework to transform the country. However, all those suggestions depend on private initiatives. Unlike the Planning Commission, NITI Aayog proposes many methods of letting the private sector take over public policy responsibilities.

To be specific, every intervention and policy document of NITI Aayog is aimed at Public Private Partnership (PPP) as its core strategy. PPP is an encompassing concept and needs to share both capital and responsibility.

Putting all developmental projects including public infrastructure invites massive changes in the approach to development and primarily propagates the idea of prioritising development intervention. This is the context in which we should discuss the Strategy for New India @ 75 document. It proposes a set of ideas to transform India in 2022-23, i.e. at the 75th year of Independence. Of course, we need a strategic long-term vision and mission to achieve higher economic prospects for the country.

The strategic document released by NITI Aayog begins with a statement that India needs a development state that focuses sharply on the difficult and accountable delivery of key public goods and services. It looks sensitive and is the need of the hour, however, a close examination of suggestions and methods proposed in the report reveals that it fully relies on PPP and privatisation. It has been the strategy and vision of every government since 1991. Interestingly, the text of the plan is a continuation of another brief document prepared in 2014 for Prime Minister Modi. This report is still up in the NITI Aayog website--The Planning Era in India: A Retrospective.

NITI Aayog has put in a lot of effort to prepare a critical note on Indias decade-long development plan and each session of the report ends with a critical note explaining how it failed. It has listed the causes that play spoilsport such as labour laws, restrictions on land acquisitions and government control of the agriculture market, labour and resources. The proposed strategy follows the same arguments and suggestions.

All efforts have been on attaining double digit economic growth; the present strategy document also suggests an annual growth rate of 9 percent by 2022-23 to generate sufficient employment and development for all. It has listed out a comprehensive action plan and most important among them is the growth of Gross Fixed Capital Formation from the present 29 percent to 36 percent by 2022.

The report wants about half of GFCF from public investment. Chart 1 and 2 give a detailed account of Indias Gross Capital Formation over a period of time. Chart 1 shows which sector the capital is getting concentrated and chart 2 show the base of capital formation. So, the purpose of putting public capital upfront in this critical context is unrealistic, and apart from that Niti Aayog does not propose any plan or project for the government to intervene in the business of achieving higher growth rate.

If NITI Aayog wants to push up public investment, it has to change its policies. It has to include more sector-oriented public investment plans, for instance, agriculture where capital formation is taking place unlike other sectors. Only government can invest here and it is true that public invesesment is also declining over a period of time. And it also proves that GFCF is concentrated in the private sector and household sector.

There must be an action plan to boost pubic capital formation if we want to achieve the expected growth; however, it is a known fact that such a massive investment plan by the government is not anybodys agenda. Public invesment pertains to development project and plans. It could be a challenge when there is no planning taking place at the government level.

Similarly, the GDP growth envisaged in the report is unrealistic. It wants to increase tax GDP ratio to 22 percent by 2022 from the current 17 percent. However, the report depends on demonetisation and GST as the sources. The ability of GST to increase tax, GDP, is yet to be proven since the final assessment on the impact of GST is still not assessed. NITI Aayogs suggestion for the agriculture sector talks about business-oriented solutions. The sector is labour-oriented and hence suggestions by the policy think-tank such as skill enhancement, Aadhar-based payment delivery and transparency in labour inspection, etc may be difficult for a farmer to understand.

It is not limited to only agriculture but for all other sectors too. NITI Aayog proposes administrative reforms and does not put forward any strategic and structural changes. In industry, its major proposals is to have single-window system for ease of business across the country and not to put forward any specific plan for small and medium-scale industries which are reeling under a crisis after demonetisation and GST. It is really surprising that a government agency can come up a stratgic suggestion without any proper and feasible action plan.

Poverty and the poor get less reference in the report. It has referred to the poor in the context of Pradhan Manthri Awas Yojana housing scheme and Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojanaan insurance scheme with a healthcare cover of Rs 30,000 for a family of five members living below the poverty line. It proposes to continue the scheme with some financial provisions to meet outpatient expenditures. So, how can one trust such a strategic plan which talks only administrative reforms and endorses the government project without even proposing a critical evaluation to see the impact? It seems that NITI Aayog has lost its direction and is limited to a simple consulting firm which is not needed for an economy like India.

(The writer is Assistant Professor, Jamsetji Tata School of Disaster Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences)
There are scenes that are repetitive and overstretched.

Rating:

Cast: Yash, Srinidhi Shetty, Achyuth Kumar, Malavika Avinash

Director: Prashanth Neel

Hindi films may have borrowed liberally from Hollywood and other Indian movies, mostly, from the South, but in the last decade or so, many Bollywood filmmakers have inspired some directors from southern states too. Writer-director Prashant Neels KGF, a Kannada film dubbed in four languages, is an action thriller set in the Kolar Gold Fields, and is the first instalment in the two-part series that stars Yash and Srinidhi Shetty in the lead roles. Like me, if you are also wondering why for its Hindi version, producer Farhan Akhtar decided to bankroll the project, there may not be an answer, save, perhaps, its lead Yash, who has good screen presence, and could look for some meaty roles in Hindi too. Other than this obvious possibility, I didnt find any good enough reason for Akhtar to finance and release the film in theatres.

A period drama begins with a narration that dates back to the 1700-year-old history of the oppressed waging wars against their oppressors, and then quickly moves to the 60s and the 80s, as the first chapter centres around the protagonist who leads a battle against the oppressors. Mounted on an impressive scale, the story is narrated by a journalist (Anant Nag), who sings praises of the valour and greatness of Rocky (Yash) from childhood to adulthood. Rockys innocence as a child is suddenly and violently upended by an invasion that just his helpless single mother saw coming as he begins to grow in Mysore. Living in penury, she drills in a dream to get rich in life as she lay in her deathbed. Soon, a nomadic wanderer also tells him that he ought to be powerful too. And, thus, begins another challenging period of existence for the little boy: from being a cobbler on the streets of Mumbai to befriending the urchins to finally taking on the might of a policeman, he does everything that would help him to get dubbe

d as a dreadful survivor in the city of dreams. His transformation may be organic, in that he knocks out all the top gangsters; but what he doesnt forget is his dream to get rich. And powerful.

When the underworld boss makes an offer to Rocky to go in for more control and supremacy, Rocky cannot ignore it. He leaves for Bengaluru and lands himself in the midst of the mafia at a gold mine, both literally and figuratively. Obviously, he gets all the more charged to possess what he hankers after the most: riches and more power. His lust even becomes more profound as he decides to get to the bottom of other conspiratorial teams and own them all himself. However, Rockys goals are clearly meant for his own selfish gains and he doesnt pretend to have any grand notions of liberating other oppressed men and women.

And thats where the film loses steam. Becoming more of a revenge and heroic tale of a one-man army against many, KGF has no plots to unveil to sustain interest in the second half, and turns quite flimsy. Rockys determination to emerge as a rich person, which becomes his sole mission, is fine, but with so many villains it also should have been more than just a personal objective to set things right. There are scenes that are repetitive and overstretched.

Despite Yashs skills and impressive personality, KGF disappoints, and does not live up to its expectations. What could have been a racy thriller, is a long overextended narrative with a slow moving pace, and becomes predictable right from the time he is sent to the mines.

The second part of the film is expected to hit the screens soon, and lets hope it offers us more content for us to chew on.

The action sequences, and all the powerplay introduced in the first half of the film, dont add up to any grand finale.

A strong character in the lead should have had an equally potent and compelling storyline, but for all those fed on Bollywood masala thrillers, or the great masterful films like Bahubali made in Tamil, Telegu, Kannada and Malayalam, the lack of a plausible and gut-wrenching finale makes KGF rather dull!

The writer is a film critic and has been reviewing films for over 15 years. He also writes on music, art and culture, and other human interest stories.
Around 3.20 lakh officers from various state-run banks are a one-day strike on Friday seeking immediate wage revision and opposing the proposed merger of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda.

Mumbai: Around 3.20 lakh officers from various state-run banks are a one-day strike on Friday seeking immediate wage revision and opposing the proposed merger of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda.

The union also wants the wage revision, which is pending since 1 November, 2017, for employees from scale 1-7.

Bank managements have mandated the industry lobby Indian Bank Association (IBA) to negotiate for scale 1-3.

"The IBA is also not coming forward to structure the 11th bipartite wage negotiations based on our charter of demands by discussing the wage revision for officers from scale 1-7 and also based on the concept of minimum wages as envisaged in the seventh Central pay commission report," All- India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC) general secretary Soumya Datta said.

He said after 13 months of negotiations between the unions and IBA, the latter has offered a wage revision of 8 just percent. In the past wage settlement, which was for the period 1 November, 2012 to 31 October, 2017, the employees got a 15 percent hike.

The IBA has also offered a variable pay based on the operating profit and return on assets.

"Most banks are in losses due to large NPAs but for this an employee can't be held responsible," Datta said.

The union is also opposing the proposed merger Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda, saying this will not help the merged entity to tackle any of the problems it is facing, including the NPA menace.

Meanwhile, the United Forum of Bank Unions has called for one-day strike on 26 December to protest against the proposed merger.

This union is an umbrella body of nine unions, including All-India Bank Officers Confederation, All-India Bank Employees Association and the National Organisation of Bank Workers among others.
Earlier on Wednesday, Religare Finvest lodged a criminal complaint with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police against the Singh brothers.

The Singh brothers of Fortis are getting deeper into trouble. Now, Religare Enterprises (REL) and Religare Finvest (RFL) have approached the Corporate Ministry with a complaint against former Fortis promoters Malvinder Singh and Shivinder Singh besides REL's ex-chairman Sunil Godhwani accusing them of committing malpractices including fraud, said a media report.

The complaint stated that RFL had sanctioned loans to companies known to the Singh brothers but were never repaid, according to Business Standard. The loans stand at Rs 2,397 crore, with Rs 415 crore as interest to 19 entities, according to report based on the complaint, which has been filed under Sections 210, 212, and 447 of the Companies Act.

Earlier on Wednesday, RFL had lodged a criminal complaint with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police against the Singh brothers. The complaint also named Godhwani, among other directors, for cheating, fraud and misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 740 crore.

"Religare Finvest, a subsidiary of Religare Enterprises has filed a criminal complaint with the EOW the Delhi Police against the promoters of REL Malvinder Mohan Singh and Shivinder Mohan Singh as well as REL's former CMD, Sunil Godhwani, N K Ghoshal, the directors and officers of the promoter entities and other unknown persons for various offences under the Indian Penal Code," REL said in a regulatory filing.

The complaint has been registered for various offences including cheating, criminal breach of trust, misappropriation, fraud and forgery and criminal conspiracy, REL said.

"The complaint was filed basis internal inquiries (including an independent forensic review) undertaken by the new RFL board and management," it said.

REL was controlled by the warring Singh brothers until February 2018. Post their exit from the board of REL in February 2018, the boards of REL and RFL have been re-constituted.

Pursuant to reconstitution, the REL and RFL boards now consist of professionals widely recognised in their respective fields, who are unconnected to the promoters, it said further.

"The reconstituted boards have appointed a new professional management to manage the affairs of REL and its subsidiaries. Through the inquiries undertaken by the new RFL Board and management it has discovered siphoning and misappropriation of funds of RFL amounting to approx Rs 740 crores in aggregate through loans to entities that are controlled by, connected to or known to the promoters or their associates," REL said.

Earlier this month, the feud between the brothers took an ugly turn when they allegedly came to blows, following which the younger brother Shivinder said the incident had closed any possibility of them working together to resolve the issues.

The relationship between the Singh brothers, erstwhile promoters of Fortis Healthcare and Ranbaxy, went sour after allegations of fund diversion from the healthcare chain emerged.

It reportedly aggravated further over payment of arbitration award to Daiichi Sankyo. Shivinder had offered to pay his share of the Rs 3,500 crore award to the Japanese drug maker in a dispute related to the acquisition of Ranbaxy Laboratories.

Earlier in September this year, Shivinder had filed a petition before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), alleging that collective and ongoing actions of Malvinder and ex-Religare chief Sunil Godhwani led to a systemic undermining of the interests of companies and their shareholders.

 With PTI inputs
In his plea, Teltumbde denied all the charges against him even as the police opposed the same and claimed that they have ample evidence which implicated the activist in the case. A division bench of Justices BP Dharmadhikari and SV Kotwal dismissed the petition.

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed a petition filed by civil rights activist Anand Teltumbde seeking the quashing of an FIR lodged against him by the Pune Police for his alleged role in the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon Bhima violence and for his alleged Maoist links.

In his plea, Teltumbde denied all the charges against him even as the police opposed the same and claimed that they have ample evidence which implicated the activist in the case. A division bench of Justices BP Dharmadhikari and SV Kotwal dismissed the petition.

However, the court granted Teltumbde interim protection from arrest for a period of three weeks, during which he can approach the Supreme Court. Earlier, Teltumbde's lawyer, senior advocate Mihir Desai, had told the bench that on 30 and 31 December last year, his client was in Goa and not in Pune, or anywhere close to the site of the violence near Koregaon-Bhima.

Desai sought that an FIR registered by the Pune Police, in which the activist has been named as a co-accused in the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon-Bhima case, be quashed. Additional government pleader 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.

At the Elgar Parishad event at Shaniwarwada in Pune, held a day before the January 1 caste clashes at Koregaon-Bhima, located near Pune, several activists allegedly made inflammatory speeches and provocative statements that contributed to the violence, the police said.

Several activists were named in an FIR lodged on 8 January. Eight more activists, including Teltumbde, were named in another FIR filed in October. Some of the activists like Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj, P Varavara Rao and Gautam Navlakha have already been arrested by the police. According to police, the Elgar Parishad event was funded and supported by Maoists.
A look at the events which led to the 20 December MHA order on computer surveillance shows both the UPA and NDA governments have been on the same page when it comes to internet surveillance.

Surveillance of the public for the benefit of the government is not new in India. There have been numerous examples, before and after Independence, when governments used central investigative agencies for that purpose. Subhash Chandra Bose, the 1991 Rajiv Gandhi snooping case, the Amar Singh tapes, the Niira Radia tapes, and most recently in 2015, the alleged snooping of Rahul Gandhi are just a few examples. But these were localised cases.

The 20 December MHA order naming 10 investigative authorised to "intercept, encrypt and decrypt" any computer in the country, has created fear among the public that the government is giving a free hand to these agencies to carry out mass surveillance in the name of national security. Though the MHA later clarified on Friday that all requests for interception will be reviewed and that the order only further ensures due process of law as laid down in the sub-section 69 of the IT ACT 2000 (passed when the NDA was in power) and read with Rule 4 the IT Rules 2009 (cleared by the UPA).

A look at some crucial events in chronological order up to the 20 December order show that both the UPA and NDA are not only on the same page when it comes to snooping, they actively built the infrastructure to enable mass surveillance in India.

1885: The Indian Telegraph Act formulated by the British. Section 5 of the Act gives the central government and the state government the freedom to monitor private conversations in the occurrence of any "public emergency" or in the interest of "public safety", and if it is considered necessary or expedient to do so, in addition to the following instances: in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India; the security of the State; friendly relations with foreign states; public order; and for the prevention of incitement to the commission of an offense.

18 December 1996: In the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) versus The Union of India judgment, the Supreme Court sets guidelines for tapping phones and monitoring communication.

June 2000: The president gives assent to the Information Technology Act 2000. Section 69 of the act empowers the Controller of Certifying authority to direct a subscriber to extend facilities to decrypt information stored or transmitted through any computer resource. The conditions for interception are much in the lines of Section 5 of The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, but the IT Act does not contain the overarching condition that interception can only occur in the case of public emergency or in the interest of public safety as mentioned in the Telegraph Act.

Also, while the Telegraph Act provides certain protection to journalists restricting interception of press messages intended to be published in India of correspondents accredited to the Central Government or a State Government, not such protection is provided in the IT Act 2000.

2005-2006: According to an Outlook investigative report, India began purchasing the off-the-air GSM/CDMA monitoring systems in 2005-2006.

2006: CDs containing tapped conversations of then Samajwadi leader Amar Singh with actresses, then Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and several other politicians and industrialists reach newspaper offices.

7 January 2006: The first interception of a mobile phone conversation using the system was carried out by the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), a technical intelligence agency under the national security advisor in the Prime Minister's Office.

7 February 2006: Government of India notifies safeguards for monitoring internet traffic entitled Instructions for ensuring the privacy of communications. According to The Hindu, the notification mandated "all ISPs to have 'designated nodal officers' for communicating and receiving the 'intimations for interceptions'". These nodal officers, as per the safeguards, were required to hold meetings with the government to 'seek confirmation regarding their (interception orders) authenticity every 15 days'. The safeguards also included a procedure for monitoring traffic during 'exceptions in emergent cases'".

2007: Rule 419A was added to the Indian Telegraph Rules (1951) framed under the Indian Telegraph Act stating interception of communications must be issued by the Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs in the case of the central government and the Secretary to the state government in-charge of the home department in the case of a state government. The Rules also allow an officer, not below the rank of a joint secretary to the Government of India, who has been authorised by the Union home secretary or the state home secretary, to issue such interception in unavoidable circumstances.

December 2008: Government amends Section 69 of the IT Act 2000 expanding its power to order interception for "investigation of any offence".

2009: Government of India announces its plan to establish Central Monitoring System (CMS), a wide-ranging surveillance programme that will give its security agencies and even income tax officials the ability to tap directly into e-mails and phone calls without oversight by courts or parliament.

October 2009: The government issues notification for the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules, 2009, based on the IT Amendment Act 2008. According to the rules, only a competent authority: Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, in case of the central government, or, the secretary in charge of the home department, in case of a state government or Union territory: can authorise interception, monitoring and decryption requests.

However, certain exceptions are allowed, wherein the head or the second senior most officer of the security and law enforcement agency at the central level and the officer authorised in this behalf, not below the rank of the inspector general of police or an officer of equivalent rank, at the state or Union territory level can approve a request for interception. In either case, the MHA has to be informed in writing.

2011: The Government of India approves National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), an integrated facility which links databases of 21 departments and ministries to counter terror threats.

June 2011: India approves the plan to build CMS.

2013: The Hindu report claims Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) using Lawful Intercept and Monitoring (LIM) systems at international gateways of a handful of large ISPs to monitor Internet traffic, emails, web-browsing, Skype and any other internet activity of Indian users.

Reports also emerge of the government working on NETRA, a software system that will be capable of detecting words like 'attack', 'bomb', 'blast' or 'kill' in a matter of seconds from reams of tweets, status updates, emails, instant messaging transcripts, internet calls, blogs and forum.

April 2013: Government starts rolling out CMS. A Reuters report says nine government agencies will be authorised to make intercept requests, including CBI, IB and the Income Tax Department.

May 2013: National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC) receives in-principle approval from the cabinet committee of security, as per a Hindustan Times report. To cost around Rs 1,000 crore, the NCCC will provide real-time assessment of cyber security threats and generate actionable reports/alerts for proactive actions by law enforcement agencies.

"The NCCC will collect, integrate and scan [Internet] traffic data from different gateway routers of major ISPs at a centralised location for analysis, international gateway traffic and domestic traffic will be aggregated separately... The NCCC will facilitate real-time assessment of cyber security threats in the country and generate actionable reports/alerts for proactive actions by the concerned agencies, says a June 2013 report published in The Hindu, citing a secret government note.

January 2014: Government releases a fresh set of do's and don'ts for telecom companies for lawful interception bringing internet telephony VoIP, SMS and MMS under Indian Telegraph Act. According to The Hindu, the norms stated that "authorised security agencies can seek information under Section 92 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) of call records (CDRs), home and roaming network, CDR by tower location and by calling/called number, location details of target number within home or roaming network, and so on".

The circular, issued by the Department of Telecommunications, said that requests with overwriting and cutting and the ones received through telephone or fax should not be accepted under any circumstances. Apart from the nine Central agencies  IB, NCB, DE, CBDT, DRI, CBI, NIA, RAW and the Defence Ministry  state director-generals of police and the Delhi police commissioner, are authorised to request intercept, the report added.

November 2014: Indian and US intelligence agencies are working together to neutralise misuse of social media platforms in the virtual world by terror groups, claims a report in The New Indian Express.

December 2015: Minister for Communications and IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad tells the Rajya Sabha that the CMS is expected to be launched by end of March 2016.

May 2016: In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Prasad says the government is planning to introduce CMS, which automates the process of lawful interception and monitoring of mobile phones, landlines and the internet, in a phased manner.

Medianama claims CMS is already live in Mumbai and Delhi.

August 2017: Telecom minister Manoj Sinha says that technology development and pilot trials for CMS have been completed. He also says that 20 Regional Monitoring Centres (RMC) out of 21 RMC and a Centralised Monitoring Centre (CMC) have been technically commissioned. The remaining one RMC and the Disaster Recovery Centre for CMC are scheduled to be commissioned by end of 2017.

20 December 2018: Ministry of Home Affairs issues an order to telecom service providers, internet service providers and intermediaries, naming 10 agencies, who can snoop into a citizen's personal computer in the name of national security.

21 December 2018: MHA clarifies on the order, saying, no new powers have been granted to any of the 10 agencies named in its 20 December order. Says the order will ensure due process of law is followed during a request for an interception. Each process will go through the approval of competent authority, ie, the Union home secretary.
The Allahabad High Court on Thursday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to file a status report of the investigation into a recent mob violence in which a police inspector and a youth were killed.

Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court on Thursday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to file a status report of the investigation into a recent mob violence in which a police inspector and a youth were killed.

On 3 December, Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and the youth were attacked and killed in Bulandshahar by a mob, which was protesting against alleged cow slaughter in the area.

Hearing a petition filed by Shikhar Agarwal alias Shikhar Kumar, who was accused in the Bulandshahar violence case, a division bench of justices Ram Surat Ram Maurya and Anil Kumar directed the UP government to file a reply in response to the contentions raised by the petitioner.

The court has fixed 18 January as the next date of hearing in the matter. The petitioner said he is a medical student and alleged that instead of investigating the matter, local policemen were harassing his family.

Hence, he requested the court to direct transfer investigation of the Bulandshahar riot from the local police to some other agency in the interest of justice.

However, opposing the petition, the state counsel contended that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been set up to investigate the riot.

Further, magisterial inquiry is also going on in the violence, the counsel said. The counsel contended that the petitioner is named in the Bulanshahar riot case and is not cooperating in the investigation. In order to secure the presence of the accused petitioner, even his property has been attached, the state's counsel added.
A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Friday quashed the order of a single bench of the court that had allowed the BJP to carry out its 'Rath Yatra' in West Bengal.

In a blow to the BJP, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Friday quashed the order of a single bench of the court that had allowed the party to carry out its "Rath Yatra" in West Bengal.

A bench of Chief Justice Debashish Kargupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar has sent the case back to the single bench, and asked it to consider intelligence by state agencies.

The state government early on Friday moved an appeal before a division bench of the Calcutta High Court, challenging the single bench order. Moving the appeal before the division bench comprising Chief Justice Debasish Kargupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar, the state government expressed urgency and sought an immediate hearing.

The court granted leave to the state government to move the appeal and asked it to serve copies of its appeal to the respondent, the BJP, following which the hearing would commence.

The single bench, presided by Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty, granted the BJP permission for three yatras and directed that the administration should ensure that there is no breach of law and order.

The rath yatras will be a part of the BJP's "Save Democracy Rally".

On December 6, a single judge bench of the high court had refused permission to the BJP to hold the rallies, which was scheduled to be flagged off by BJP chief Amit Shah from Cooch Behar in North Bengal on 7 December. The party had then approached the division bench.

The division bench had on 7 December asked the state chief secretary, the home secretary and the director general of police to hold a meeting with three representatives of the BJP and take a decision on the yatra by 14 December.

After parleys with the BJP team, the three officers refused permission for the rallies on 15 December on the grounds that it might lead to communal tension. The state BJP had moved the court again challenging the government's denial of permission to its programme.

With inputs from PTI
James Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Trump's administration, will leave by the end of February after two tumultuous years struggling to soften and moderate the US president's abruptly shifting policies.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis announced his resignation, exactly 24 hours after Trump's shock withdrawal of US troops from Syria  the final straw for Mattis after a string of run-ins with the US president over many months.

Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Trump's administration, will leave by the end of February after two tumultuous years struggling to soften and moderate the US president's abruptly shifting policies. In his resignation letter, Mattis alluded to disagreements with Trump as the reason for his departure.

Defense Secretary James Mattis has resigned. Heres the letter: pic.twitter.com/e2PulyXpXZ  Elizabeth McLaughlin (@Elizabeth_McLau) December 20, 2018

Read his full resignation letter here:

Dear Mr President:

I have been privileged to serve as our country's 26th Secretary of Defence which has allowed me to serve alongside our men and women of the Department in defence of our citizens and our ideals.

I am proud of the progress that has been made over the past two years on some of the key goals articulated in our National Defence Strategy: putting the Department on a more sound budgetary footing, improving readiness and lethality in our forces, and reforming the Department's business practices for greater performance. Our troops continue to provide the capabilities needed to prevail in conflict and sustain strong US global influence.

One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies. Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world. Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defence, including providing effective leadership to our alliances. NATO's 29 democracies demonstrated that strength in their commitment to fighting alongside us following the 9-11 attack on America. The Defeat-ISIS coalition of 74 nations is further proof.

Similarly, I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours. It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model - gaining veto authority over other nations' economic, diplomatic, and security decisions - to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbours, America and our allies. That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defence.

My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues. We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.

Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defence whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position. The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department's interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defence Ministerial meeting in February. Further, that a full transition to a new Secretary of Defence occurs well in advance of the transition of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September in order to ensure stability Within the Department.

I pledge my full effort to a smooth transition that ensures the needs and interests of the 2.15 million Service Members and 732,079 DoD civilians receive undistracted attention of the Department at all times so that they can fulfil their critical, round-the-clock mission to protect the American people.

I very much appreciate this opportunity to serve the nation and our men and women in uniform.

With inputs from agencies
Daily bulletin: Amid talks over seat sharing in the alliance in Bihar, LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan is likely to meet Finance Minister Arun Jaitley; Deepak Talwar is named in the US DOJ's Airbus probe; day's top stories

LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan likely to meet Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today

An hour-long meeting on Thursday between BJP president Amit Shah, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan and his son Chirag remained inconclusive on the topic of seat sharing, according to a PTI report. The meeting came a day after the LJP leaders announced their 31 December deadline to finalise the NDA's seat-sharing arrangement for the 2019 Bihar elections.

However, BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav, who is his party's in-charge for Bihar and was present in the meeting, insisted that there is no problem in the alliance and that it is intact. LJP sources also said the BJP's defeat in the five state polls have ignited a rethink in the party over its ties with the saffron party.

Chirag, sources said, had written a letter to Jaitley with a copy to Modi after the results were announced on 11 December and asked him to list the benefits of demonetisation so that he can "explain" them to people. In his comments to media, Chirag has spoken about unease among farmers and youths, and had also tweeted about the ruling NDA passing through "trying times".

Meanwhile, RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha joined the Opposition's grand alliance in Bihar on Thursday.

Deepak Talwar's name emerges in US' Airbus probe

The US Dept of Justice (DOJ) has started a probe into European aerospace group Airbus' activities. Several corruption allegations have been levelled against middlemen in multiple countries, most of them being in Asia, including India and Malaysia.

According to reports, Deepak Talwar, a corporate lobbyist, who is being investigated by the CBI and ED for allegedly misusing funds received through CSR from Airbus in violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) has also been named in the US department's investigation.

Talwar has two FIRs filed against him by the CBI. The allegation was that over Rs 90 crore was transferred to Talwar's NGO Advantage India by Airbus and MBDA allegedly as kickbacks. According to sources, the middleman is currently in Dubai.

West Bengal govt to move court against BJP Rath Yatra

The West Bengal government will move the division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Friday against the order of the single bench on Thursday granting permission to BJP's three rath yatras.

The state government denied permission for the yatra twice in the last two weeks, citing law and order problems which prompted the BJP to move court. The BJP has proposed 22, 24 and 26 December as the proposed dates of the yatra.

Public sector banks on strike today

The strike call given by the All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC) is expected to hit banking operations across the country today. However, private sector banks would continue business as they are not part of the strike. AIBOC is demanding immediate wage revision and protesting merger of the state-owned banks.

The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of the top nine bank unions, has also decided to observe a strike on 26 December. Taking into account these two days of Unions' strike and other holidays, banks would be closed for most of the extended Christmas weekend.

Dangal, Maacher Jhol to be screened at India-China Film Festival

Amir Khan's Dangal, Bengali film Maacher Jhol and Chinese movie CZ12 will be among seven films that will be screened at the India-China Film Festival starting from Saturday.

In order to strengthen people-to-people connect and deepen cultural understanding between the two countries, the India-China film festival will be organised during the first India-China High Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges from 22 to 24 December.

The three-day festival will be organised at the Siri Fort auditorium by the Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. A total of seven filmsfour Chinese and three Indian filmswill be screened during the festival, an official statement said. The opening film of the festival will be CZ12 also known as Chinese Zodiac.

The list of Indian films to be screened are Dangal (Hindi), Maacher Jhol (Bengali), and Ventilator (Marathi). All the films will carry English subtitles.

With inputs from agencies
A chronology of events in the National Herald eviction case in which the Delhi High Court Friday directed its publisher Associated Journals Limited (AJL) to vacate the premises in the national capital within two weeks

The Delhi High Court Friday rejected the allegations of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), publisher of National Herald, that the Centre's move to evict it from its premises in New Delhi was a covert measure to erase and defame the legacy of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

The high court also termed as "preposterous" AJL's claim that the eviction order of the ruling dispensation was mala fide, bias and issued with oblique motives. "One fails to understand as to how the ruling dispensation has in any way erased, effaced or defamed Pandit (Jawaharlal) Nehru. To say the least, the allegations of mala fide are preposterous and no note of these allegations is required to be taken," Justice Sunil Gaur said.

The court's observations came while directing the AJL to vacate its premises at ITO area within two weeks failing which proceedings under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971, would be initiated for its eviction.

Following is the chronology of events in the National Herald eviction case:

- 20 November, 1937: AJL incorporated.

- 9 September, 1938: National Herald founded by Jawahar Lal Nehru.

- 1962-63: Land measuring 0.3365 acres allotted to AJL on Delhi-Mathura Road at 5-A, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, near ITO.

- Jan 10, 1967: Perpetual lease deed executed in AJL's favour by the Land and Development Office (L&DO) for construction of building to run a Press and no other purpose.

- 2002: The then All India Congress Committee treasurer Motilal Vora appointed as CMD.

- November 2010: Young Indian incorporated with a capital of Rs 50 lakh.

- December 2010: AJL makes book entry in accounts by substituting YI in place of AICC as entity entitled to recover Rs 90 crore debt. Right to recover debt assigned to YI for just Rs 50 lakh.

- December 2010: Entire control of AJL vested with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Motilal Vohra and Oscar Fernandes.

- 2011: YI acquires the beneficial interest in AJL's property worth Rs 413 crore

- 7 January, 2013: L&DO permits AJL to use basement and anyone floor of the building for the Press and offices and remaining floors could be let out for commercial concerns.

- 5 October, 2016: Breach notice issued by L&DO to AJL as no Press was functioning from the premises for years and was being used mainly for commercial purposes through sub-letting to various organisations.

- 9 April, 2018: Inspection conducted by L&DO at premises in Vora's presence.

- 18 June, 2018: Show-cause notice issued to AJL.

- 17 July, 2018: AJL replies to show-cause notice.

- 24 September 2018: Another show-cause notice to AJL on finding additional violations.

- 9 October 2018: AJL replies to second show-cause notice.

- 30 October 2018: L&DO issues eviction order to AJL and asks it to vacate premises by Nov 15.

- 12 November 2018: AJL moves Delhi High Court challenging eviction order.

- 15 November 2018: HC directs Centre to maintain status quo.

- 22 November 2018: HC reserves order on AJL's plea.

- 21 December 2018: HC directs AJL to vacate premises within two weeks by dismissing its petition.
Justice Sunil Gaur, hearing the matter said that AJL will have to vacate the premises at ITO in New Delhi within two weeks after which proceedings under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971 would be initiated.

In a major set back to the Gandhi-family owned Associated Journals Limited, the Delhi High Court has rejected its plea against Centre's order asking it to vacate premises at ITO in New Delhi. AJL, now acquired by a company partly owned by Rahul and Sonia Gandhi, is the publisher of National Herald newspaper, originally a brainchild of Jawaharlal Nehru. The court has ordered AJL to vacate its registered office at Herald House, 5-A, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi within two weeks.

Justice Sunil Gaur, hearing the matter said that AJL will have to vacate the premises at ITO in New Delhi within two weeks after which proceedings under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971 would be initiated. The court passed the order on AJL's plea challenging the Centre's 30 October order ending its 56-year-old lease.

In the order, the Centre and Land and Development Office (L&DO) has said that no press has been functioning in the premises for at least past 10 years and it was being used only for commercial purposes in violation of the lease deed.

AJL is entangled in legal trouble since 2009 as BJP MP Subramanian Swamy has alleged that the Gandhi family swindled funds by transferring all of AJL's properties to a bogus company Young India. Swamy alleges that Young India acquired almost all the shareholding of AJL and all its properties (alleged to be worth Rs 5,000 crore). A company linked to AJL is also accused of tax evasion, while a separate case is underway about the ITO premise.

In this case, the AJL had told the court that it had been publishing the National Herald newspaper for decades. There was a temporary suspension due to financial trouble, but the newspaper and its digital media operations have fully resumed.

The weekly National Herald on Sunday was resumed on 24 September, 2017, and it is published from the Herald House. On 14 October, the AJL resumed its weekly Hindi newspaper.

The government reportedly inspected the premises a few months ago and found that the area allotted to AJL was not being used for the publication of the newspaper for the past 10 years, the court was told. AJL said those who came for inspection did not visit the rooms where the printing press was installed along with stocks of papers.

Countering the allegation in connection with Young India being a shareholder of AJL, Singhvi told the court the change in shareholding does not mean that the property has been transferred to Young India, and that AJL still owns the premises. Young India is a firm in which Sonia and Rahul each own a 38 percent stake.

He said AJL remains the leaseholder of the building and that the addition of a new shareholder does not in any way violate the lease conditions nor does it constitute sale or transfer of the property.

However, the court accepted the government's arguments and ordered the post-Independence era newspaper to vacate its premises at the prime Delhi location.

With inputs from PTI
Shah Rukh Khan has what the other Khans, Kumars, Devgns et cetera dont have  he has daring.

Rating:

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, Katrina Kaif, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Tigmanshu Dhulia, R. Madhavan, Sheeba Chaddha, Abhay Deol & special appearances by Salman Khan, Kajol, Juhi Chawla, Sridevi, Rani Mukerji, Karishma Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Remo DSouza, Ganesh Acharya

Director: Aanand L. Rai

I feel split, terribly so. Split not just in two clean parts, each whispering contradictory things, but rather in one neat half saying one thing, while the other is ruptured in several small bits, each feeling and saying different, divergent things.

First, the big, neat part  Shah Rukh Khan.

Shah Rukh Khan has what the other Khans, Kumars, Devgns et cetera dont have  he has daring. Real daring.

He takes risks. Not just small, silly risks with negative roles that may cast the Bhagwan-ka-avatar image of our heroes in a shade thats mildly grey, but he risks everything  his stardom, his image, box-office prospects  not just by playing characters that our so-called heroes would simply balk at, but also by locating them in stories that are not straightforward, that are complex, which have nuances, layers. Stuff that the box-office loathes.

In Fan, and now in Zero, SRK has chosen to play characters that, in a sense, demean and poke at his star status as its come to be honed and defined by Bollywood.

He has chosen to play characters no one can aspire to, characters with seemingly no appeal, no redeeming factor, and then made them his own, in the process raising himself as an actor  a thinking, intelligent one who dares to wear his inner vulnerabilities on screen.

In Zero, at first the experiment of playing a midget seems mostly superficial, a VFX marvel, just. But it isnt.

Zero, written by Himanshu Sharma and directed by Aanand L. Rai, is about a bauna, a midget  his life and dreams, mistakes and desperate love.

But Zero doesnt want to tell the story of just one, but three aadhe-adhure characters who wont stop wanting, going after what they want, who, despite their frailties, cracks and chips, love themselves and want to grab life and give it a long, hard smooch.

Thats the kernel of the story, the idea which, sadly, gets lost in the listless meandering that Zero is prone to.

With the opening scene itself, SRKs Bauua Singh firmly roots the film in Meerut with his kachcha-baniyan and sadak-chaap banter.

And in a matter of minutes, with his quick, sharp, funny and self-deprecating dialogue-baazi, he breathes life into the character, giving it a personality, a context, an interior cosmos that aches and yearns.

But then

Often, while watching Zero, I wondered whether the entire cast and crew of the film were on drugs.

I mean, did they all come in the morning, sign in and were duly handed big, fat doobies that they all had to mandatorily smoke?

Must be, because there can be no other explanation for the tortuous turns to nonsense that the film repeatedly takes.

I mean, they are all intelligent people. Shah Rukh, Anushka and Katrina are A-listers, stars who have earned their special space in the Bollywood pantheon.

And Rai directed Tanu Weds Manu, which was written by Sharma.

Why else would all these people get together to create something that has a fun beginning, is seemingly substantive, but then takes off in directions so hair-brained and boring that its difficult to sit through?

Must be drugs.

Zero opens in Meerut  not in the land of katta-carrying men in open jeeps, but in a house where a bauna lives, and dreams.

Bauua Singh (Shah Rukh Khan) plans his dreams and in them he casts his father and maid in pivotal roles. This is how he would like his life to play out... Him playing the hero, always.

The films opening scene will make you smile, and youll keep smiling as the crackling family dynamics, made delicious by Sheeba Chaddha and Tigmanshu Dhulia (who play his mummy-daddy), unfolds.

It includes Bauuas pal Guddu (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub), who arrives to tell us a few significant things.

The 39-year-old midget is desperately looking for the love of his life while his heart throbs loudly for film star Babita Kumari (Katrina Kaif). So while he visits Singh Saab of the marriage bureau to look for a wife, he also fills in a form to compete in a dance competition to meet Babita.

Its through the bureau that he meets Aafia Yusufzai Bhinder (Anushka Sharma), a scientist purportedly with Nasa, though here its called NASF or some such. Shes a brilliant brain who has discovered water on some celestial thing, but also one who has trouble stringing a sentence together. Aafia has cerebral palsy. But Bauua doesnt see that.

He sees their similarities, compatibility. Theres a lot of flirting, connecting, romancing, both joyful and dreary...

Meanwhile, Babita is drunk and weeping over yet another lover who has ditched her bad. Her heart is broken, she is in a funk, and doesnt care that her mascara is running.

Though Aanand L. Rais Zero wants to tell the story of three broken people  Bauua, Aafia, Babita  but it is, in fact, madly in love with Shah Rukh Khan and cant seem to get enough of him.

Rais Zero savours every second of SRKs chichora act, which is fabulous, and watches his high-jinks boasts and laments lovingly. When its with him, the film rise, and when it leaves him, it dips.

At its core, the films story  which wants to mainstream and normalise both, cerebral palsy and dwarfism  is interesting, brave even. But its screenplay is to overwritten, so overwrought, that it literally drowns and kills Zeros soul.

For example, its a mystery why Aafia is made half-Afghani, half-Sikh.

Am also not clear about what the deal with Gullus eyesight was, or the great super power, vested in one of the lead characters, which comes and goes.

Not only is it not explained, but it also undermines the character of Aafia, the scientist who is working towards making humans a multi-planet species.

About the films climax  drawn as it is from those last-minute dashes to railway stations and airports  the less said the better.

Watching Zero wasnt just acutely boring. It also irritated and made me sad because it has excellent performances, not just by the supporting cast, but the lead actors as well.

Katrina, who makes her appearance with impossible pelvic gyrations, making me roll my eyes and think, Babes, Im like, bored already, actually starts acting and is not bad at all.

Anushka too, though laboured and conscious, was memorable.

And Shah Rukh Khan, of course, creates a character who will live with you much longer than the film itself.

For no reason, Rais Zero keeps hurtling to scenes and songs that drag on and on, with very little in them to hold our attention.

This listless meandering becomes routine all too soon and the film, in the second half especially, when its in America, becomes phenomenally stupid. The long sequence involving a chimp whose trip to Mars is nicked by our hero after he floats about in a zero-gravity zone to have the conversation with the love of his life have consumed minutes of my life that I will never get back.

A tighter screenplay, with a little more focus on its aadhe-adhure characters would have turned Zero into a film that would have said meant something.

In its ambition, potential for brilliance, but disastrous sinking, Zero reminded me of Raj Kapoors Mera Naam Joker.

Someone once wrote that Shah Rukh Khan the actor is the sum total of five expressions.

I didnt agree then and I vehemently challenge that silly comment now.

But there is this one thing that SRK does often that has always caught my attention.

One moment in most SRK films is where he dives inside, searching for his stardom to feel it first and then project it.

If you watch Zero closely, which can be a challenge, you will catch glimpses of it.

Its not great acting. But it gives a peep into the man and his psyche  the star with the inability to feel his own stardom. A man who needs to first feel it to be able to wear it, as a persona.

To me thats a man so beautifully real, complex and uneasy in his skin.

The vulnerability endears.

SRK as Bauua Singh entertains us by stripping down to his kachcha-baniyan repeatedly.

This carries a tinge of desperation which, for me, held deeper meaning, especially when the film takes some pathetic turns.

In the strangest, most awkward scene in Zero, all of Shah Rukh Khans part heroines turn up, amounting to nothing except, perhaps, for SRK to feel some love.

And then, another Khan arrives, to smile approvingly at Bauua Singh.

I cringed.

To play his characters, SRK is drawing more and more from inside, and that is both dazzling and intriguing.

But when he feels he needs to roll out other stars to entertain us is when it gets a bit worrying and pathetic.

This lack of confidence, thats too apparent and visible in some scenes in Zero, made me stop caring about the film and wanting to have a conversation with Shah Rukh Khan.

It also made me shed a tear.
The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the response of the Centre, police and AAP government on a PIL alleging that persons belonging to other races and religions were being discriminated against as they were being denied entry into the Parsi fire temple near Delhi Gate.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the response of the Centre, police and AAP government on a PIL alleging that persons belonging to other races and religions were being discriminated against as they were being denied entry into the Parsi fire temple near Delhi Gate.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice VK Rao issued a notice to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Delhi Police, Delhi government and the Parsi Anjuman, which looks after the temple, and sought their stand on the plea by 11 April.

The petition, filed by advocate Sanjjiv Kumar, has alleged that the fire temple located near Delhi Gate Metro Station was "practising a system of apartheid, untouchability and communalism by not allowing Hindu, Muslim, Sikhs, etc to enter the sanctum sanctorum of Fire Temple".

According to Kumar's plea, he came to know of the bar on entry into fire temple on people from other religions when he was denied entry.

He has claimed that there is a notice outside the temple which states that only Zoroastrians will be admitted inside it.

Apart from directions to permit entry to all at the fire temple, the petition has also sought directions to the body managing the Jama Masjid to permit women to offer prayers.

The High Court had earlier sought a response of the Centre, the AAP government and police on a similar plea seeking entry of women into the sanctum sanctorum of the Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah.

Apart from the Centre, the Delhi government and police, the high court also issued notice to the trust managing the 'dargah' (shrine) and sought their stand on the plea by 11 April, 2019.

The plea has been filed by three women law students, who have claimed that the dargah does not permit entry of women into the shrine.
Despite India being the world's largest democracy, attempts to silence journalists are steadily rising. India, according to Reporters Without Borders, ranks a low 136 among 180 countries when it comes to press freedom.

The government does not have data on how many journalists were murdered or attacked since 2014 as the National Crime Records Bureau does not compile data that is separated by professions, Minister of State (independent charge) for Information and Broadcasting, Rajyavardhan Rathore, told the Lok Sabha on Thursday. However, Rathore said that the government is "in the process of collating this information".

The minister's statement is daunting, especially with the rising number of journalists being attacked and/or killed seemingly on the basis of their views. It all hit the mainstream with the murder of Gauri Lankesh, a 55-year-old-journalist known for her left-leaning and strong anti-Hindutva views. She was shot dead in front of her house on 5 September, 2017 triggering nationwide outrage. Within less than a year of Lankeshs assassination, Shujaat Bukhari, editor-in-chief of Rising Kashmir, a Srinagar-based newspaper, was gunned down by unknown assailants in the heart of the city. Bukhari, many believed, lost his life for his unwillingness to fall in with an expedient us or them political line.

From Navin Nischal to Rajesh Mishra and Sudip Datta, the number of Indian journalists killed since 1992 is at least 48. And according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 33 of these cases have not resulted in the culprits being convicted.

To add to the mix, journalists like Swati Chaturvedi are even receiving death threats over their reportage. One more Gauri Lankesh in the making  that's what a tweet from one @Mitra_Cariappa, which has "A Proud Hindustani" in its bio, tweeted to Chaturvedi on 23 November. The authorities did nothing about it, despite calls for action on social media.

A journalist with over 20 years of field experience, Chaturvedi has reported on the Jain Commission, the Rafale deal, the CBI controversy, among other stories. "I have been in this profession for 20 years, but have only started receiving such threats for the last four years and eight months. Now, I get at least a dozen such threats every week. It's evident where they are coming from and what they mean, but the Centre is not even pretending to investigate such instances anymore," Chaturvedi said.

Fourth pillar of democracy broken

Despite India being the world's largest democracy, attempts to silence the media are steadily rising. And if the media truly is the fourth pillar of democracy, Patt Morrisson from the Seattle Times is perhaps right to say that "an attack on a newspaper is the same as an attack on the Constitution."

India, according to Reporters Without Borders, ranks a low 136 among 180 countries when it comes to press freedom. The annual press freedom index from the Paris-based watchdog is a measure of the freedom available to pursue unbiased journalism. India has been slipping badly on that score.

It is significant that while international agencies like Reporters Without Borders and the CPJ have extensive data on the status of Indian journalists, the Indian government itself keeps no records of the same. If anything, Rathore said that the Press Council of India has raised its concern about the authenticity and credibility of the reports and the basis on which the ranking is done and also the methodology used to rank the nations.

With the government apparently overlooking Article 19 of the Constitution, the fourth pillar of democracy is crumbling. With journalistic freedom slowly being compromised, it is getting clearer that authorities either lack the resources or the interest in bringing those who threaten journalists to justice.

A system must be established wherein journalists are allowed to express views safely, without fear of retribution or danger to their lives. Leaving them at their own mercy instead of fighting for the crumbling pillar seemingly stands to leave democracy three-legged.
Opining that Lord Hanuman belonged to the Jat community, Uttar Pradesh Minister for Religious Affairs Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary joined the debate surrounding the identity of the Hindu deity.

Lucknow: Opining that Lord Hanuman belonged to the Jat community, Uttar Pradesh Minister for Religious Affairs Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary joined the debate surrounding the identity of the Hindu deity.

The state minister likened the Hindu god's characteristics to that of a person belonging to the Jat community.

#WATCH Uttar Pradesh Minister Chaudhary Lakshmi Narayan says ' I think Hanuman ji was a Jaat, because upon seeing someone being troubled a Jaat also jumps in even without knowing the issue or the people' pic.twitter.com/Scjme1PgCD  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 21, 2018

"I think Hanumanji was a Jat, because upon seeing someone being troubled a Jat also jumps in even without knowing the issue or the people. In this sense, Hanumanji's behaviour was very similar to that of a Jat because following Goddess Sita's abduction by Raavan he immediately came to Lord Ram's help as his follower", UP cabinet minister Laxmi Narayan said on Friday.

Chaudhary, who also holds charge of Dairy Development, Culture, Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf and Haj, further explained that a person's lineage can be deciphered by noting their behaviour.

"Everyone who believes in the Sanatan Dharm would surely worship Lord Hanuman. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has already given an explanation on this issue. When yesterday this topic came to my notice, I gave my view that it is through an individual's behaviour that we conclude about one's lineage," the minister opined.

On Thursday, BJP Member of Legislative Council (MLC) in Uttar Pradesh, Bukkal Nawab also gave a new dimension to the discussion over lord Hanuman's identity by claiming that he was a Muslim.

"I believe that Lord Hanuman was a Muslim. That is why the names of the people in Islam are almost similar to Lord Hanuman, whether it is Rehman, Ramzan, Farman, Zeeshan and Qurban. Such types of names are found in Islam only," Nawab argued.

Earlier, Adityanath, while addressing an election rally in Alwar in Rajasthan, had said that Lord Hanuman was a Dalit. Hanuman was a forest dweller, deprived, and a Dalit. Bajrang Bali worked to connect all Indian communities together, from north to south and east to west," he had said.

Various political parties had condemned Adityanath's remarks, with Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav asking the Uttar Pradesh chief minister to disclose the caste of other deities as well.
With this, Jharkhand has joined several other states which have announced assistance to farmers in the recent past.

The Jharkhand government on Friday announced that it will give farmers financial assistance of Rs 5,000 per acre for kharif crops, an official press release said. The scheme has been called as the Mukhyamantri Krishi Ashirwad Yojana.

With this, the state has joined several others which have announced assistance to farmers in the recent past. This comes in the aftermath of the BJP's defeat in three key Assembly elections, during which the Congress had made agrarian distress a key issue.

The Jharkhand government announced that even farmers who have land holdings of less than one acre will be entitled to avail of assistance of Rs 5,000. The state government estimates that the scheme will benefit 22.76 lakh small and marginal farmers, and it is expected to cost the exchequer Rs 2,250 crore.

Chief Minister Raghubar Das said that the scheme will help realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aim of doubling farmers' incomes by 2022. He further remarked that it will ensure that farmers do not have to depend on assistance from banks to purchase seeds, fertilisers and other agricultural investments.

The scheme announced in Jharkhand is similar to the Rythu Bandhu Scheme in Telangana, under which farmers are given Rs 4,000 per acre per crop, or Rs 8,000 in a year for two crops. In the recently-concluded Assembly elections, while incumbent governments in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were voted out, the TRS government in Telangana won with a thumping mandate. This may be the reason why the scheme in the southern state is being emulated.

Congress-ruled states announce farm loan waivers

The new state governments in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have all announced farm loan waivers in the past week, sparking a debate on the efficacy of the measure.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath was the first one to make the announcement when he gave the nod to the proposal of waiving farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh as promised by Congress president Rahul Gandhi ahead of the state Assembly polls. This was just hours after he took over the post. Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel followed suit on Monday when he said, "Short-term agriculture loans to the tune of over Rs 6,100 crore for over 16.65 lakh farmers drawn from cooperative banks and Chhattisgarh Gramin Banks, as on 30 November, 2018, will be completely waived." Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot also announced a farm loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh per farmer, and the burden to the state exchequer would be to the tune of Rs 18,000 crore.

Taking a cue from the Congress-led governments' announcements recently, the BJP has promised to waive farm loans in Odisha if it wins power by defeating the BJD. In Gujarat, the Vijay Rupani-led BJP government announced a complete waiver of Rs 625 crore in unpaid electricity bills, under its one-time settlement scheme for over 6 lakh people living in rural parts of the state.

With inputs from PTI
Amit Topno, a correspondent from Jharkhand's Khunti was shot dead on 9 December. He fearlessly reported on issues like sand mining, illegal alcohol sales, adivasi rights, education, sanitation, human trafficking, land rights, culture and most recently the Pathalgadi movement.

In the intervening night of 8-9 December, 2018, Amit Topno, community correspondent from Jharkhand's Khunti working for Video Volunteers was shot dead. Amit had been with Video Volunteers (VV) since 2012 and reported for Newscode and OK Times and sometimes also drove a taxi for Ola Cabs.

Amit reported fearlessly on issues like sand mining, illegal alcohol sales, adivasi rights, education, sanitation, human trafficking, land rights, culture and most recently the Pathalgadi movement. His last report for VV was produced six months ago on the Pathalgadi, a movement in which adivasi communities across Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh asserted their right to self-governance. The movement has its roots in creating awareness and ensuring implementation of the key provisions of the Panchayats (Extensions Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 that empower a village as an administrative unit.

Like many of VV correspondents, besides being a community journalist, Amit was a social activist too. He followed up his video reports with on ground action to solve the problem he was reporting. He held community screenings, conducted village meetings, assisted the community in writing applications and approaching government officials and worked towards ensuring accountability. His efforts solved 45 percent of the problems he reported on. It made schools safer and encouraged the administration to deal with issues like the human-animal conflict in the area.

Those who knew Amit remember him as an inquisitive, warm, fun loving and an extremely helpful and courageous individual. "Jharkhand is a land caught up in a frightful storm. Its people are being whirled around in a storm of starvation, conflict and poverty. I am the headman of my village, Nichitpur, Jharkhand, and I'm tired of seeing my people die, Amit had said in an interview in 2014.

Amits body was found on the Namkum-Doranda road in Ranchi on 9 December. The autopsy report reveals that he was shot in the head and the bullet was still lodged in. The nature of the injury revealed that he was shot at close range. The autopsy report also stated that there were no signs of struggle or scuffle, not even a scratch. His taxi, phone and identity cards were missing but not the money. '

All of this, points to a pre-meditated and professionally-executed murder. It has been over 11 days since his murder, but no arrests have been made in the case yet, even though the police have said that they are closing on some leads.

On 14 December, more than a 100 people, including social movement leaders, activists, journalists, students and members of the VV network participated in a silent candlelight march to protest his murder. At the march, Jerrome Kujur, Dayamani Barla, Deepak Bara spoke out about the frequent threats and harassment of activists and journalists in Jharkhand. They urged the state to conduct a thorough investigation into this case and bring Amit's murderers to justice.

On 15 December, 2018, a delegation of civil society organisations, including VV, met with the superintendent of police and urged him to conduct a thorough and speedy investigation into Amit's murder. The SP assured that all possible angles will be investigated.

On 17 December, 2018, the Jharkhand Jantantrik Mahasabha organised a peaceful protest in Jamshedpur. Friends and allies of Amit also submitted an application to the National Scheduled Tribe Commission urging them to take note of the gruesome murder. Civil society organisations appraised this matter to the Chief Secretary of Jharkhand government and other ministers on 19 December 2018. Arup Chatterjee, an MLA from Nirsa Dhanbad, was handed over documents related to Amits work and he has promised to raise the issue in the upcoming winter session of the assembly starting on 24th December.

Though Amit had not informed his network of any threat or danger to him in the last 18 months, it cannot be ruled out that he was murdered because of his work as a journalist and social activist, raising issues affecting communities on the margins and working in an area, where conflict over land, resources is rife. In November 2018, another journalist from the same area was murdered. At a time when India ranks 14th on the Global Impunity Index, Amits murder is a reminder that journalists who speak to truth to power and report out of remote, rural areas are not safe.

The article originally appeared on Video Volunteers, a reporting network that's focused exclusively on providing broad coverage from the poorest, most media-dark districts in India.
Jojawars story as a water warrior began in 1995, when the monsoon failed and the water table plummeted.

It is rare in India for a man who launches a movement for water conservation and builds anicuts or check dams to contest in elections and win. It is even rarer if he also goes around sticking glimmering radium stickers on the horns of cattle to signal their presence to drivers zipping on highways at night. It is perhaps impossible for such a man to win if he dares to try his electoral luck as an independent candidate.

But these are precisely the credentials of Khushveer Singh Jojawar, who won from Marwar Junction by a slender margin of 251 votes in the recent Rajasthan Assembly elections. It was not his debut triumph; he had last won from here on the Congress ticket in 2003, but then went on to lose in 2008 and 2013. With the political wind blowing discernibly for the Congress in Rajasthan, Jojawar applied for the party ticket this time round as well.

His chances were rated bright, not least because of a unique meeting he had organised on 30 September in his village, Jojawar. Before an earthenware vase containing water of five riversBrahmaputra, Ganga, Yamuna, Narmada and Banasaround 35,000 people took oath to preserve water bodies and keep them clean.

But then, Indias complicated caste calculations knocked out Jojawar from the race. Finding he had been denied the Congress ticket, Jojawar turned to Vivek Bansal, one of the four Congress secretaries in-charge of Rajasthan, for an explanation.

Vivek Bansal said that the caste composition of my constituency went against me, said Jojawar, who is a Rajput.

The population of Rajputs in Marwar Junction is said to be between 10,000 and 12,000. The team from Delhi was going by the electoral playbook that rated as minimal the chances of a Rajput winning from a constituency where the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) dominate and Dalits are 18 percent. And to think, Khushveer Singh had adopted Jojawar as his surname to underplay his Rajput identity!

As the election campaign gathered momentum in Rajasthan, it became clear to the Congress that its candidate, Jasaram Rathore, who belongs to the Seervi caste, was lagging far behind in the race. Jojawar was requested to withdraw in favour of the Congress before Rajasthan was to vote on 7 December. I told the caller how dare he ask me to step down, Jojawar said.

It was a ding-dong battle between Bharatiya Janata Partys candidate and Jojawar, who ultimately piped his rival to the post. The Congress candidate trailed far behind, bagging 21,037 votes against Jojawars 58,921. About Jojawars victory, Magsaysay Award winner and Indias water man, Rajendra Singh, said, It is such a delight to see a water politician win an election.

It is a delight, a reason to celebrate, because Jojawar defied the politics of caste and religion to win the election, said senior journalist Shripal Shaktawat, who is the resident editor of TV channel News 18, Jaipur. Jojawar fought the election over the issue of water. If such people are elected to Assemblies and Parliament, our politics will change, Shaktawat said.

Jojawars story as a water warrior began in 1995, when the monsoon failed and the water table plummeted. People digging a well had to burrow as deep as 60-70 feet before they reached the water table. Often, the water was of poor quality, its depth ranging between 20-30 feet. It had Jojawar thinking  with Marwar Junction nestled in the foothills of the Aravali range, could he not try to retain the water that flowed down its slopes before draining out?

He floated a community-based organisation, Gram Vikas Samiti Jojawar, which was to build anicuts. People either contributed money or supplied cement and stones or provided free labour. Five anicuts were completed. Within a year or so, the water table began to rise, earning a name for Jojawar among those engaged in rural development.

In 2000, as yet another drought ravaged the area, Care India, a non-profit organisation, made Jojawar its point person to build water harvesting structures. Around 120 check dams, including those made of mud and loose boulders, were constructed. He established a Jal Samiti that collected money to carry out repair works. The buzz Jojawar had created prompted the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF), which Sonia Gandhi chairs, to send Indias water man, Rajendra Singh, to Pali for inspection.

The RGF was willing to provide two-third of the funds required to construct anicuts as long as the local populace raised one-third through contributions. Between 2001 and 2005, another 45 anicuts sprang up in a 40-km-long strip where there already existed the 100 structures that Care India had helped build. During this period, Jojawar was made the RGFs Rajasthan coordinator, but after winning the 2003 Assembly elections, he resigned from the post.

We have hardly had rains this year, said Jojawar, Yet, in over 50 percent of wells in Pali district, water can be drawn from just 5-10 feet below the surface. As for new wells, people reach the water table at just 15-20 feet. For the arid state of Rajasthan, such abundance of water is as good as wallowing in luxury.

Realising he could inspire people to strive for the change they wish to see around them, Jojawar initiated a campaign to relay the pasture land, which had been overtaken by prosopis juliflora, a thorny, poisonous shrub that is cited as the most compelling reason why mango, tamarind, jamun, date palm and custard apple trees have disappeared from Pali. Jojawar has had villagers plant dhaman (cenchrus setigerus) and sewan (lasiurus sindicus). Rich in protein, cows grazing on these two types of grass give a higher yield of milk.

Jojawars love for the bovine has not blinded him to the problems they pose. They have become a nuisance, they destroy crops, he said. During the monsoon season, they loiter on highways causing serious accidents. Last year, Jojawar gathered a team of volunteers to wrap radium stickers on the horns of cows and bulls. The stickers glimmer in the headlights of vehicles and forewarn drivers of the presence of animals at night.

His latest project is to check the bovine population. Jojawar has been asking people to keep cows and bulls separately in gaushalas, and also improve the breeds to enhance milk production. The mechanisation of agriculture has rendered bulls and oxen useless. The yield from our local breeds is down to a litre or less. I have been encouraging people to crossbreed the local cows with the Gir breed. I am doing it myself, said Jojawar.

His desire to improve the indigenous cow breeds had him suggest to the Congress manifesto team that it should substitute the word gaushala (home or abode of cows) with gau samvardhan-shala (Cow promotion home.) These people educated in cities did not accept my suggestion, said Jojawar, chuckling.

But it was Jojawar who had the last laugh on 11 December, the day on which the Congress fell short of the majority-mark in the Assembly by one seat. The Congress Delhi team called him to seek his support. I said I believe in the Congress ideology. My support is unconditional.

But Jojawar does not plan to return to the Congress. I want the freedom to speak in the Assembly, to raise my voice against the shoddy treatment of rural India, Jojawar said. A pause later, he added, Tell me, why is it that cities get electricity 24x7, but not villages?

If Jojawar is a metaphor of rural Indias innate wisdom and creativity, his electoral victory as an independent candidate is, to quote Rajendra Singh, a metaphor for India still retaining the ability to go beyond caste and religion to elect a few good people. By rejuvenating Marwar Junction, Jojawar has also invigorated the democratic idea of political representation.
A 34-year-old advocate who drank poison and attacked a senior lawyer outside the Nagpur District Court died at a hospital while the injured lawyer was undergoing treatment

Nagpur: A 62-year-old lawyer was allegedly attacked by his junior outside the Nagpur District Court here Friday, causing him grievous injuries.

The accused drank poison and died at a hospital while the victim was undergoing treatment, police said.

Advocate Nokesh Bhaskar (34) allegedly attacked his senior Sadanand Narnavre (62) with an axe on the footpath outside the court around 4.45 pm.

"The victim sustained serious injuries and fell to the ground. Policemen on the court premises caught hold of the accused and took the victim to the government hospital," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Chinmay Pandit.

"The accused then said he had consumed poison, so immediately he too was rushed to the hospital where he (Bhaskar) died while undergoing treatment," the officer said.

"The accused did not reveal the reason for attacking the victim when he was caught," the DCP added.

Narnavre, who taught at the post-graduate department of law at Nagpur University, was practising at the district court after retirement.

Further probe is underway.
Manipur, the easternmost Indian border state, plagued by unemployment and armed conflict, is fondly referred to as a paradise in journalistic circles.

Manipur, the easternmost Indian border state, plagued by unemployment and armed conflict, is fondly referred to as a paradise in journalistic circles for the huge varieties and hard-hitting news emerging from it. Thanks to the intolerance shown by the BJP-led state government, this sobriquet is about to become 'paradise in peril'.

Manipur government has invoked provisions of a preventive detention law meant to safeguard national security and maintenance of public order to detain a local journalist for criticising the government in his Facebook post using expletives.

Kishorechandra Wangkhem, a 39-year-old TV news and current affairs anchor, was recently slapped with the National Security Act and punished with detention for 12 months, the maximum period of detention permissible under the preventive Act for uploading a video post. He had accused Chief Minister N Biren Singh of being a puppet of the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The case is promising to be a historic one on the infringement of the rights of a common citizen, both in Indian context as well as in the context of Manipur," said Chongtham Victor, the legal counsel of the journalist, who has challenged his clients detention, filing a petition under habeas corpus on Tuesday.

"We strongly feel that the freedom of speech and expression, guaranteed by Article 19, Clause 1 of the Indian Constitution, has been totally violated," asserted the advocate who went on to say, "the facts of case clearly indicate as such."

Wangkhem was arrested for uploading a video post on Facebook in which he condemned the BJP-led state government for allegedly linking the role of the Rani of Jhansi in the freedom movement of Manipur in a state-organised commemoration function for the Rani. In the video post, Wangkhem dared the state government to arrest him for opposing the function and used expletives against the BJP-led government, chief minister, prime minster and the RSS.

He was detained under Sections 294 and 500 of the IPC and Section 124 A, which deals with sedition. However, on 25 November, the Chief Judicial Magistrate before whom the arrested journalist was produced released him on bail on the ground that his words were a mere expression of an opinion against the public conduct of a public figure in street language.

It does not appear to me as an act which is intended to create enmity between different groups of people community, sections etc nor does it appear to be one which attempts to bring hatred, contempt, dissatisfaction against the government of India or of the state. It is mere expression of opinion against the prime minister and chief minister of Manipur which cannot be equated with an attack to invite people to violence against the government of India or Manipur to topple it, stated the Magistrates order.

Wangkhem was re-arrested by the police the very next day and detained under the NSA. Even as he continues to be lodged at Manipurs Sajiwa central jail, the state government is challenging in court the bail order granted to him by the lower court. On the other side, the advisory board set up under Section 9 of the NSA Act to look into the veracity of the charges made against the journalist met on 11 December and approved his detention under the NSA after conducting hearings on the matter.

The journalist's wife Ranjita Elangbam, who is running pillar to post to get justice in her husbands case, said she is shocked to experience the unfolding vindictive events surrounding her husbands harmless but abusive Facebook post.

"Im really shocked. Why NSA? I fail to understand. Im not denying that he used certain abusive language but laws exist to tackle such issues. I would have appreciated it if they had taken recourse on that option. But after the court released him on bail, saying that the street language he used is not seditious as charged, in less than 24 hours, the police came in civil clothes and took him away, saying the SP would like to speak with him."

"They did not issue any formal documents or anything like that. Subsequently, they detained him under NSA. This occurrence is truly shocking and saddening to experience first hand," said an emotional Ranjita, who is at a loss of words in giving a comforting answer to her five-year-old daughters constant inquiry of her fathers whereabouts. Beside her daughter, Ranjita has to look after their one-year-old daughter.

While it is a fact that Wangkhems controversial post had generously used expletives and was published on a non-journalistic platform to express his criticism of the government, critics are of the opinion that NSA detention for insulting a government in a foul language is too harsh. Former chairman of the Press Council of India, Justice Markandey Katju, is one of the most vocal.

It is the essence of democracy that people have the right to criticise the government and ministers, for what else is democracy but rule by the people? The chief minister of Manipur is behaving like a little dictator, wrote Katju, a former judge of the Supreme Court, in his letter petition to the Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court. He further highlighted in his opinion: A flagrant violation of Article 19(1)(a) has taken place in the state of Manipur by the government of Manipur by detaining a journalist Kishorechandra Wangkhem under the National Security Act, for criticising the Manipur government and its Chief Minister.

My Lord, Katju continued, the judiciary is the protector and guardian of the fundamental rights of the people. You have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution. Please dont just ignore this flagrant violation of the rights of the people.

Another legal expert, Kameshwar Singh, while offering his view on the case, said, "This man has not done anything other than insult the government using derogatory language. He has not made incendiary speech saying we should revolt or kill people."

Manipur High Court advocate Soraisam Chitaranjan Singh, while explaining what NSA is, said that NSA is a 1980 Act which falls under traditional preventive detention laws. The idea behind this kind of law is that if there is a danger to the national security of country, there should an act to tackle such dangers. The act, which was passed during Indira Gandhis regime, empowers the central as well as the state government to detain a person to prevent him/her from acting in any manner prejudicial to the security of India, the relations of India with foreign countries, the maintenance of public order, or the maintenance of supplies of essential services to a particular community.

The lawyer further asserted that the act doesnt give the government the authority can go and arrest anyone for anything and put him or her under preventive detention.

"Now, a random journalist, who does not even have much of an influence, nor a large number of followers; a journalist criticising a government, no matter how derogatory his language is, cannot in anyway fall within these things. If you have anyone insulting the government and that is equivalent to damaging the defence of India, the security of India and the maintenance of public order, this goes against the rule of law. The courts have on multiple occasions ruled that when you talk about such dangers to public order and incitement of these things, you need to have some actual incitement. When it comes to sedition, for instance, courts always say that you have to first show some public disorder that has actually happened as a result of the speech," said Chitaranjan.

"NSA is a necessary evil for the sake of national security. It is akin to the old Rowlatt Act, enforced by the British in 1919 where the saying goes there is no need for a lawyer, there is no appeal and no argument neither. Similarly, when someone is booked under NSA, the person in question does not have the right to have a lawyer with him or her when they are being taken away nor does he have the right to appeal against the decision. Even the right to be produced before a magistrate within 24 hours of the arrest or detained is denied. Here, none of that applies," he added.

Expressing her anguish, Ranjita said, "How he poses a threat to the state, I fail to comprehend. After his Facebook post, there has not been any social crime, communal violence or any ill effects. It was just criticism and nothing else. But the police are saying he is working under somebodys pressure; he is working for some proscribed organisation. They are even trying to force us to admit that weve received money for the post. This is how were being put under pressure. Were really in a dark spot."

While Indian Journalists Union condemned Wangkhems detention under NSA and has been demanding his immediate release, the apex body of working journalists of Manipur, the All Manipur Working Journalists Union, AMWJU, has so far chose to remain a mute spectator, saying that Wangkhem acted in utter disregard of the resolution adopted by the AMWJU in August this year, which clearly stated that any person working in a media house of Manipur as journalist/non journalist must face his/her own consequences of posting/uploading derogatory, defamatory, illegal, unconstitutional, etc comment/video on social media that is not connected with the profession of journalism in whatsoever manner, and that AMWJU will not be responsible for it at all.

AMWJUs press statement further said it is compelled to take this resolution as a few so-called journalists including Kishorechandra himself were blatantly misusing social media by posting abusive and offensive comments against some people, political parties, organisations and their leaders in a very personal manner in the name of freedom of press and what not, that needed to be controlled and would create a lot of disturbances, if left unchecked."

When contacted, Brozendro Ningomba, interim president of AMWJU, reiterated that "there is no change in AMWJUs stand and it will stick to its August resolution." When asked whether the Union does not feel it is time for it to step in and voice its concern when the government slapped NSA on the journalist for his personal criticism of the government, Ningomba, who is also the editor-in-chief of IS TV (the local TV channel for which Wangkhem used to work as anchor), responded saying, "This is a legal matter which has to be fought legally by the concerned individual. AMWJU has nothing to do with it. We cannot be protesting and demand his release as it would amount to acting against our own stated stand. This is how we understand. Weve nothing to do with it. It has to be fought legally by his family along with his supporters and sympathisers. This is AMWJUs stand."

Meanwhile, a retired IAS officer who is currently a working journalist and a member of AMWJU, RK Nimai is of the view that the "government is making a non-issue into an issue. Better option for the government is to release him unconditionally."

Despite AMWJUs indifferent attitude, students bodies like the Manipur Students Association, Manipur Muslim Students Union and the All Manipur Students Union have come out opposing Wangkhems detention under NSA.

Now, both cases  the one challenging the grant of bail to Wangkhem and the other challenging his detention under NSA  are due to come up before the High Court of Manipur on 14 January and 2 February respectively. One has to wait to see how things pan out and whether justice is delivered to common citizens.
Wangkhem has been sentenced to 12 months of detention, the maximum period that can be awarded to anyone under section 13 of the NSA Act.

Kishorechandra Wangkhem, a 39-year-old staff reporter of a local cable network, ISTV, who was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) in the last week of November by the BJP-led coalition government in Manipur, has been sentenced to a 12-month jail term.

The district magistrate of Imphal West had ordered detention of Wangkhem on 27 November allegedly after he uploaded videos criticising the BJP-led governments in Manipur and the Centre for observing Rani Jhansi's birth anniversary.

However, the district magistrate's order putting him in jail makes some harsh observations, calling Wangkhem a 'habitual offender' who should be stopped through "an alternative preventive measure". The magistrate said that he was convinced that normal laws would not be adequate to restrain Wangkhem's behaviour.

"It is my considered opinion that Shri Kishorechandra Wangkhem, who is now on bail will resume activities which are prejudicial to the security of State and to the maintenance of public order as he is a habitual offender invoking offences that intend to cause fear or alarm..."

The magistrate said his opinion was based on Wangkhem's conduct in the "proximate past". "After considering the proximate past activities of the detenu and potential danger of his activities which are prejudicial to the security of the State and maintenance of public order and there is apprehension of his continuing to act in similar prejudicial activities, the moment he is released from detention."

Wangkhem has been sentenced to 12 months of detention, the maximum period that can be awarded to anyone under section 13 of the NSA Act. The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Imphal West, ordered his release after the first arrest on 27 November as his Facebook post did not amount to sedition. But, within a few hours, he was rearrested under the NSA.

In the video clips, Wangkhem had purportedly said he was saddened and shocked to learn that the present government in Manipur was observing the birth anniversary of Rani of Jhansi, according to media reports. He reportedly said Rani of Jhansi's deeds had nothing to do with Manipur and the state was observing her birth anniversary because the Centre had asked it to. In this context, he allegedly called Chief Minister Biren Singh a "puppet of the Centre" and a "puppet of Hindutva".

However, the magistrate's order took strong exception to Wangkhem's comments on social media. "... you posted some pictures with captions on your Facebook wall on 07.08.2018 that intends to cause fear or alarm to the public."

The magistrate's order also took exception to the 19 November videos. "On 19.11.2017 you posted four video clips wherein you used unconstitutional and invective words such as F**k you, s****u many times by showing your middle finger."

The magistrate's order stated that by calling the celebration of Jhansi queen's actions an insult to the freedom struggles of Manipur, Wangkhem displayed his "seditious attitude" and "spoke and acted in support of the militants/activists".

The chief minister had said that the Rani of Jhansi had played a role in the unification of India and 19 November celebrated as her birth anniversary. Laxmibai, the Rani of Jhansi, was one of the leading figures in the 1857 mutiny. Wangkhem's wife Ranjita Elangbam told PTI on Wednesday that she has appealed to the Ministry of Home Affairs to "cancel" the charges against him under the NSA but has not received any reply till now.

With inputs from PTI
The MHA has authorised 10 central agencies, including the IB, CBI, and ED to intercept, monitor, and decrypt 'any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer' for national security

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday clarified that its recent order authorising 10 agencies to snoop on any computer in the country in the interest of national security is based on the UPA-era IT Act and the IT Rules 2009 that allow for surveillance by a competent authority and said all cases of surveillance will be placed before a review committee headed by the cabinet secretary.

The MHA said that the 20 December order doesn't confer any new powers to any of the security or law enforcement agencies, and that the notification was issued to notify the internet service providers (ISPs), tekecom service providers (TSPs) and intermediaries, etc, to codify the existing orders. Contrary to the accusations, the MHA said that the order in fact, ensures that due law is followed during any interception, monitoring or decryption of information throught any computer resource.

The order, the MHA said, has been passed in accordance with Section 69 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, read in accordance with rule 4 the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules, 2009. It said that "no new powers have been conferred to any of the security or law enforcement agencies by the order".

The MHA said "each case of interception, monitoring, decryption is to be approved by the competent authority, ie, the Union Home Secretary". It said that these powers are also available to the competent authority in the state governments as per IT (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules 2009.

"As per rule 22 of the IT (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules 2009, all such cases of interception or monitoring or decryption are to be placed before the review committee headed by Cabinet Secretary, which shall meet at least once in two months to review such cases. In the case of State governments, such cases are reviewed by a committee headed by the Chief Secretary concerned," the MHA added.

"The order authorises 10 central agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor, and decrypt "any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer".

The other agencies which have been authorised to "intercept, monitor and decrypt information" lawfully also includes the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), National Investigation Agency (NIA), Cabinet Secretariat (RAW), Commissioner of Police, Delhi and the Directorate of Signal Intelligence. The DSI has been authorised to carry out surveillance only in service areas of Jammu and Kashmir, the North East and Assam, the source added.

According to official sources, the above notification will ensure that provisions of law relating to lawful interception or monitoring of computer resource are followed and if any, interception, monitoring or decryption is required for the purpose of national security, the same is done as per the due process of law and approval of competent authority, ie, the Union Home Secretary.

The recent government order will also allow the government to prevent unauthorised use of these powers, better compliance of existing provisions of law and rules as well as take action against miscreants posting unlawful material on social media platforms, sources said.

In recent times, several cases of posting of unlawful material have emerged on social media platforms to incite violence, crimes and even threats to senior functionaries, including Chief Justice of India.

The order, issued by the MHA, however, attracted criticism from Opposition leaders as well as the right to privacy activists, who have termed the order "unconstitutional, undemocratic and an assault on fundamental rights".

The Internet Freedom Foundation, which has been fighting to safeguard people's privacy, tweeted that "this order is unconstitutional and in breach of the telephone tapping guidelines, the Privacy Judgement and the Aadhaar judgment".

**RED ALERT** 1. The Home Ministry has issued a notification authorising 10 agencies to tap, intercept and decrypt all personal data on computers and networks in India. #SaveOurPrivacy pic.twitter.com/z1Ca5FGvXu  Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) (@internetfreedom) December 21, 2018

How the rules work

While Section 69 of the IT Act 2000, provides that Central Government or a State Government or any of its officers can direct any agency to intercept or decrypt any information for the purpose of national security, the IT Rules 2009, which was introduced by the UPA government, define the procedure and safeguards for such interception. While the IT Rules 2009 says that no person shall carry out the interception or decryption of any information except by an order issued by the competent authority. This competent authority, the rule says, "may authorise an agency of the Government to intercept or decrypt information".

So, while the UPA Government in 2009 made it compulsory that only authorised agencies can carry out surveillance, it did not give a list of the select authorised agencies. This left enough scope for unlawful and illegal surveillance.

"As per rule 22 of the IT (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules 2009, all such cases of interception or monitoring or decryption are to be placed before the review committee headed by Cabinet Secretary, which shall meet at least once in two months to review such cases. In the case of State governments, such cases are reviewed by a committee headed by the Chief Secretary concerned," the MHA added.

With inputs from agencies
PM wakes up to Grand Stupid Thought, says Rahul Gandhi.

New Delhi: Congress President Mr Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi saying the PM now wants implement what he once called Congress partys Grand Stupid Thought. Mr. Gandhi tweeted The Congress Party has finally jolted Narendra Ji from his deep slumber on Gabbar Singh Tax. Though still drowsy, he now wants to implement what he had earlier called the Congress Partys, Grand Stupid Thought. Better late then never Narendra Ji! The tweet of the Congress President comes after Prime Minister on Tuesday indicated that his government wants to ensure that 99 per cent things attract sub-18 per cent GST slab.

Mr Modi had said, Today, the GST system has been established to a large extent and we are working towards a position where 99 per cent things will attract the sub-18 per cent GST slab. He further indicated that the 28 per cent slab of GST would only be restricted to a few select items, such as luxury goods. Last year, in the run-up to the Gujarat elections, the Prime Minister had criticized Mr. Gandhi, saying a recently emerged economist was propagating a Grand Stupid Thought by suggesting that the GST rate should be capped at 18 per cent. Under their Grand Stupid Thoughts, they want basic necessities of the poor to be taxed at 18%. At the same time they want cigarettes and alcohol to be cheaper. What logic is this? Mr Modi had said.

Since GST was implemented last year, the Congress has demanded one 18 per cent tax slab as the standard rate today. The party has also accused the Center of double speak and hypocrisy on the issue alleging that the government is now eating its own words by implementing all that it had earlier mocked.
Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the government's order authorising ten central agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt data was done for national security.

Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday said that the government's order authorising ten central agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt all data contained in any computer system was done for national security.

"Of late, we are seeing Congress deeply worried over a notification issued today. Congress, including their president, speak without doing their homework," said Prasad. Earlier, Opposition parties, including Congress, had described the government's move as unconstitutional, undemocratic and an assault on fundamental rights.

"Isn't there threat of terrorism in India? Isn't it true that ISI and ISIS elements are engaging in radicalisation through the internet?" Prasad said. "And in this case, the agencies will only intercept data after approval from the home secretary," he added. "We respect people's privacy. Our government respects democracy. But we will not compromise on national security," he said.

"Even in case of a particular individual, the interception order will not be effective until approval by the home secretary," said the IT minister. Prasad then lashed out at the Congress for criticising the government's move. "Wasn't it a Congress government which imposed emergency?" he said. "We reject these accusations with all contempt. This (the government order) is a robust mechanism, fully accountable, in the interest of India's national security," he added.

The Ministry of Home Affairs also issued a clarification on the issue and reiterated that interception will only be done after the approval of the home secretary.

JUST IN: MHA issues clarification on its notification authorising 10 central agencies to carry out interception, monitoring &decryption of any Information. MHA says that the same is done as per due process of law and approval of competent authority i.e. Union Home Secretary. pic.twitter.com/xSuCfelpHA  The Leaflet (@TheLeaflet_in) December 21, 2018

Earlier, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the Opposition was creating a mountain out of a mole hill as the authorisation was given under old rules. "The Opposition is making a mountain out of a mole hill where even a mole hill does not exist," he said. "When senior members from Opposition raise an issue every word spoken by them has precious value and therefore they must know facts," Jaitley told the House amid the din.

He said the rules under which agencies have been authorised to intercept were framed in 2009 when the Congress-led UPA was in power. The authorisation has been issued under the same rules. Since the Act has been in place these orders of authorisation are repeated from time to time, he said. The order authorises 10 Central agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor, and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer.

With inputs from PTI
The three-day DGP conference began on Thursday in the presence of Union home minister Rajnath Singh. Before heading for the conference, Modi visited the Statue of Unity, the world's tallest statue, which he had unveiled on 31 October. Modi also paid floral tributes to Sardar Patel.

Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday arrived in Gujarat to attend the annual conference of Directors General and Inspectors General of Police. Modi arrived at the Vadodara airport in the morning, where he was received by Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani and deputy chief minister Nitin Patel, a state government release said.

Reached Kevadia in Gujarat for the Conference of DGPs/IGPs. Looking forward to fruitful deliberations that will strengthen our security apparatus. pic.twitter.com/opobcr3CPG  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 21, 2018

From the airport, Modi left for the Statue of Unity near Kevadiya in Narmada district to attend the annual conference of DGPs and IGPs. The venue for the meet is a 'tent-city' set up near the 182-metre tall statue dedicated to country's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The three-day event began on Thursday in the presence of Union home minister Rajnath Singh. Before heading for the conference, Modi visited the Statue of Unity, the world's tallest statue, which he had unveiled on 31 October. Modi also paid floral tributes to Sardar Patel. The prime minister tweeted that the discussions at the DGPs/IGPs conference would strengthen the country's "security apparatus". He said in the tweet:
Naseeruddin Shah found himself at the centre of a controversy over his remarks in reference to the killing of a policeman in Bulandshahr earlier this month.

Ajmer: The organisers of the Ajmer Literature Festival on Friday called off an event, set to be addressed by Naseeruddin Shah, after protests by right-wing groups over the actor's recent remarks on mob violence.

The veteran actor found himself at the centre of a major controversy over his remarks in reference to the killing of a policeman in Bulandshahr earlier this month.

He said the death of a cow was being given importance over killing of a policeman.

The 68-year-old actor was supposed to deliver the keynote address of the fifth edition of the three-day literature festival.

Before the event, many right-wing activists protested outside the venue. One of the protesters also hurled black ink on the poster of Shah.

Raas Bihari Gaur, coordinator of the festival, said, "Shah was scheduled to inaugurate the festival but he did not come because of the protest by some locals over his comments."

He was also scheduled to launch his book in the opening session, which was also called off due to the protests.

He said the festival, however, kicked off on Friday and will conclude on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, Shah visited his alma mater, St Anselm's Senior Secondary School, where he was asked by the reporters about the backlash he is receiving on social media following his remarks.

"What I said earlier was as a worried Indian. I have said this earlier as well. What did I say this time that I am being called a traitor? It is very strange," Shah said.

"I have to bear criticism. If they have the right to criticise, then I also have the same right. I am expressing concerns about the country I love, the country that is my home. How is that a crime?" he asked.

The actor had expressed anxiety over the growing mob violence in a video interview with Karwan-e-Mohabbat India, which the organisation shared on its YouTube channel on Monday.

In the interview, the actor expressed concern over the well-being of his children, who he said have not been brought up as followers of any particular religion.

Shah said the "poison has already spread" and it will now be difficult to contain it.

"It will be very difficult to capture this djinn back into the bottle again. There is complete impunity for those who take law into their own hands. In many areas, we are witnessing that the death of a cow is of more significance than that of a police officer," he added.

On 3 December, Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a youth, Sumit Kumar, were killed in mob violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district after cow carcasses were found strewn around.

The main accused in the case is a local Bajrang Dal leader, Yogesh Raj.
Parliament LIVE updates: After Anand Sharma raised the topic of the MHA authorising 10 Central agencies to intercept data on any computer and accused the government of infringing citizen privacy, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said that Sharma and Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad should have gathered all the facts before raising the issue.

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MP's can be seen continuing business as usual amid the din in Lok Sabha.

Both, the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, have convened for the day. Just as business in the Lower House commenced, Opposition parties began sloganeering and disrupting proceedings.

Accusing Sharma of "making a mountain where even a molehill does not exist", Jaitley concluded his statement by saying that Congress should not use its power to create a ruckus over an issue that was created during its own rule.

"What Anand said  every telephone and every computer will be monitored  that is not the case," he said, adding that the new law will only apply in matters of national security. Referring to the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 and the Information Technology Act, 2000, the finance minister said that the laws have only been updated to keep up with technological advancements.

After Anand Sharma raised the topic of the MHA authorising 10 Central agencies to intercept data on any computer and accused the government of infringing citizen privacy, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said that Sharma and Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad should have gathered all the facts before raising the issue.

Don't create mountains where even a molehill does not exist: Jaitley responds to Opposition criticism on privacy infringement

The Upper House of Parliament erupted into chaos after Arun Jaitley and Anand Sharma debated the issue of data privacy. The din continued despite Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh's repeated requests to settle down.

The chairman of the Upper House, M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned proceedings until 2.30 pm as BJP and Congress leaders began sloganeering against each other over the Rafale deal.

The Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018, has not be taken up in the ongoing Winter Session because of disruptions over the Rafale deal as well as the Cauvery water issue. It was passed in Lok Sabha during the Monsoon Session.

As per a report from The Hindu , The National Network of Sex Workers (NNSW) has written a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu, appealing to him to send the Anti-Trafficking Bill, scheduled to be introduced in the Upper House, to a Select Committee.

Ram Vilas Paswan had made a huge U-turn (having claimed earlier that he would prefer to drink poison than join hands with the BJP) and joined Modi's bandwagon ahead of the 2014 election. Reports have suggested that ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, he may yet again switch sides , leaving the NDA bandwagon to ride on the Mahagathbandhan ship.

Lok Sabha MP Ram Vilas Paswan, along with his son and Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag, on Friday met with finance minister Arun Jaitley in his chambers in Parliament, ANI reported.

On 27 December, the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, popularly known as the triple talaq Bill, will be discussed.

Earlier in the session, she granted the MPs days off on 24 and 26 December in lieu of Christmas. The recommendation for the Christmas holiday was made by MoS for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Meghwal.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the Lower House of Parliament shortly after proceedings resumed, and said that proceedings will resume at 11 am on 27 December.

He also said that the "undeclared Emergency has taken its final shape. All central agencies have been let loose," before the House erupted in chaos in response to his comments. Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh asked the House to settle down amid the din, and said that it is essential that the Upper House discuss the issues on the agenda instead.

Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad was the first to speak after the Rajya Sabha resumed proceedings at 2.30, and said that the House should discuss the President's Rule that has been established in Jammu and Kashmir.

Accusing Sharma of "making a mountain where even a molehill does not exist", Jaitley concluded his statement by saying that Congress should not use its power to create a ruckus over an issue that was created during its own rule.

"What Anand said  every telephone and every computer will be monitored  that is not the case," he said, adding that the new law will only apply in matters of national security. Referring to the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 and the Information Technology Act, 2000, the finance minister said that the laws have only been updated to keep up with technological advancements.

After Anand Sharma raised the topic of the MHA authorising 10 Central agencies to intercept data on any computer and accused the government of infringing citizen privacy, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said that Sharma and Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad should have gathered all the facts before raising the issue.

Don't create mountains where even a molehill does not exist: Jaitley responds to Opposition criticism on privacy infringement

The Upper House of Parliament erupted into chaos after Arun Jaitley and Anand Sharma debated the issue of data privacy. The din continued despite Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh's repeated requests to settle down.

FM Arun Jaitley in Rajya Sabha responds to Congress leader Anand Sharma over MHA order allowing ten agencies to monitor any computer: On 20 December, same order of authorisation was repeated that was existing since 2009. You are making a mountain where a molehill does not exist pic.twitter.com/sTcY3bqGOE

Parliament LIVE updates: After Anand Sharma raised the topic of the MHA authorising 10 Central agencies to intercept data on any computer and accused the government of infringing citizen privacy, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said that Sharma and Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad should have gathered all the facts before raising the issue.

"What Anand said  every telephone and every computer will be monitored  that is not the case," he said, adding that the new law will only apply in matters of national security. Referring to the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 and the Information Technology Act, 2000, the finance minister said that the laws have only been updated to keep up with technological advancements.

Accusing Sharma of "making a mountain where even a molehill does not exist", Jaitley concluded his statement by saying that Congress should not use its power to create a ruckus over an issue that was created during its own rule.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the Lower House of Parliament shortly after proceedings resumed, and said that proceedings will resume at 11 am on 27 December. The recommendation for the Christmas holiday was made by MoS for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Meghwal.

Earlier in the session, she granted the MPs days off on 24 and 26 December in lieu of Christmas.

Lok Sabha MP Ram Vilas Paswan, along with his son and Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag, on Friday met with finance minister Arun Jaitley in his chambers in Parliament, ANI reported.

Ram Vilas Paswan had made a huge U-turn (having claimed earlier that he would prefer to drink poison than join hands with the BJP) and joined Modi's bandwagon ahead of the 2014 election. Reports have suggested that ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, he may yet again switch sides, leaving the NDA bandwagon to ride on the Mahagathbandhan ship.

As per a report from The Hindu, The National Network of Sex Workers (NNSW) has written a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu, appealing to him to send the Anti-Trafficking Bill, scheduled to be introduced in the Upper House, to a Select Committee.

The Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018, has not be taken up in the ongoing Winter Session because of disruptions over the Rafale deal as well as the Cauvery water issue. It was passed in Lok Sabha during the Monsoon Session.

As the Winter Session of Parliament gears up for its ninth working day, disruptions and adjournments are expected to continue in both Houses.

In the Lok Sabha, The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2018 is on the agenda. Health minister JP Nadda is scheduled to move that the Bill be taken into consideration. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, popularly known as the triple talaq Bill, was put on the agenda for 27 December after Mallikarjun Kharge requested Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for the same. "I give you a commitment that Congress party will participate in the discussion on the Bill," he said.

On Thursday, proceedings in the Lok Sabha were adjourned thrice as members from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka sparred over the issue of building a dam on the Cauvery River and Congress leaders demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe on the Rafale fighter jet deal.

As the House met for the day, the proceedings barely lasted for 10 minutes and Mahajan adjourned the House till noon around 11.10 am. Not a minute went by since Mahajan took her seat before MPs began their protests in the Lok Sabha. BJP MPs were chanting "Rahul Gandhi maafi maango" and "Rahul Gandhi chor hai".

The Lok Sabha passed the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2018, which enforces consumer rights, and provides a mechanism for redressal of complaints regarding defect in goods and deficiency in services. The Bill proposes to set up Consumer Redressal Commissions will be set up at the district, state and national levels for adjudicating consumer complaints. Appeals from the district and state commissions will be heard at the next level and from the national commission by the Supreme Court.

The Lower House also passed the National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities (Amendment) Bill, 2018.

Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day without transacting any business after ruckus in the House over the Rafale fighter jet deal and Cauvery river issue.

Soon after the House met for the day, slogan-shouting members of Tamil parties  AIADMK and DMK  trooped into the well of the House over the Cauvery issue. Opposition Congress members also shouted slogans and held placards seeking a probe by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the purchase of Rafale jets from France.
Autism bill: The Parliament on Thursday passed a bill to streamline the appointment and resignation of members of a trust that helps people with disability to live independently.

The Parliament on Thursday passed a bill to streamline the appointment and resignation of members of a trust that helps people the condition to live independently. The bill, which was passed by Lok Sabha, had been approved by the Rajya Sabha last week.

The National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities (Amendment) Bill, 2018 seeks to amend the principal Act enacted in 1999.

According to PRS Legislative Research, an independent body, the law allows setting up of a national trust to enable persons with autism to live independently by promoting measures for their protection in case of death of their parents. It also evolves procedures for appointment of their guardians and trustees, and facilitating equal opportunities in society.

Under the legislation, the chairperson and members of the board of the national trust can hold office for a term of three years from the date of their appointment or until their successors are appointed, whichever is longer. The bill also states that the central government will initiate the process for appointment of the chairperson or any member of the board, at least six months prior to the expiry of their tenure.

In the lower House, on Thursday NCP member Supriya Sule said, "Autism is something that is really affecting a section of children. There is very less awareness in society as well as in educational circles. I request the minister to make sure that the Chairman and the Committee consist of people who work in the field of autism. There are a lot of technical experts in this country. So, please make sure that they are included in this."

What is autism?

Recent international studies show that around one in 68 people were diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in India. This means that there are over 18 million people with autism in India.

Autism, a lifelong neurological condition and one which occurs in the first few years of a person's life, is a developmental disorder. It is manifest largely in three aspects, which are: Communication, social interactions, and imagination. The three are often referred to as the triad of impairments.

According to reports, autism is also known as a 'spectrum disorder', because the extent of the symptoms differ, with some people having mild learning and social disability while others have "more complex needs with multiple difficulties" along with unusual behaviour.

Early diagnosis aides the treatment with counselling; diagnosis possible at the age of two. The New Indian Express quoted Dr Archana Nayar, from Autism Centre For Excellence (ACE) as saying, It is a matter of concern if the child is not making eye contact when spoken to, is not responding to his or her name and is not using or responding to gestures to communicate etc.

A report by India Today said, "A combination of genetic and environmental factors influence the development of autism. The disorder often is accompanied by medical issues such as gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, seizures and sleep disturbances."

Amendment to the National Disabilities Act, 1999

In January, the Cabinet had approved amending the term for the chairperson and members of the board to three years, as opposed to the provision of the Act passed in 1999 which allowed for a member to continue in office beyond three years.

"The wording of the above provisions of the Act in its present form has resulted in continuation of a chairman for an indefinite period as no suitable successor could be found eligible for appointment," an official statement had said, adding that, The proposed amendments in these provisions of the Act seek to avoid such a situation and will thus eliminate any chance of prolonged continuation in the same post by any incumbent."

In July, Congress leader Anand Sharma had alleged in the Rajya Sabha that the government was not serious about the topic of the amendment to the Act. A report by The Indian Express said, "Questioning how the government was not able to select a suitable chairperson for the trust for four years, (Sharma) said many eligible persons had applied for the post but they were not called for interview."

Dealing with mental disability in India

Reports say that Indian healthcare facilities are increasing at a steady rate every year, however, there is a lack of specialists in the country. A report by World Economic Forum said, "India currently needs 11,000 psychiatrists and 54,000 mental health professionals, but in reality we just have 3,500 psychiatrists and around 7,000 people in the mental health workforce, which comprises of clinical psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric social workers, and psychiatric nurses. Not only this, according to WHO, India spends around 0.06 percent of its health budget on mental health."

The report also said that the Centre needs to put in more effort to make society "more inclusive" towards people living with disability. Initiative can range from increasing awareness online and offline, to intervention programmes. "There is a need to provide parents with professional counselling when their child is diagnosed with a disability. The sooner we help a parent bridge the gap between denial and acceptance of a childs disability, the better they will be able to help their child in the future," the report added.

The TNIE report also said, "With one in 68 children being diagnosed with ASD in India, early diagnosis, social acceptance of kids suffering from the neurological disorder and clearing misconceptions about the same is extremely important for social welfare, say experts."

With inputs from agencies
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh flayed Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa for terror activities in Punjab and killings of Indian soldiers at the border

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's statement that Pakistan is attempting to revive the militancy in Punjab should set off alarm bells within the security establishment.

In Punjab, recent terror incidents and related interdictions indicate concerted efforts on part of Pak-establishment and Sikh extremist elements based in Pakistan to revive terrorism in Punjab with active support of radical entities based abroad, especially Europe & America.  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) December 20, 2018

After all, no one wants to see a return to the bad old days of the 1980s, when Punjab saw a spate of violence and Hindu migration to 'safer' areas reached its peak.

A bloody history

But it all kicked off on 13 April, 1978, when 17 people were killed, mostly Sikhs, when a procession by two Sikh organisations were attacked by members of the Nirankari sect.

The tension reached its apex with Operation Blue Star in June 1984  ordered by former prime minister Indira Gandhi  which was meant to flush out Sikh militants who were hiding and accumulating weapons in the Golden Temple. More than 400 people were killed in the operation, but few could have imagined what came next.

Four months later, Indira was assassinated by two Sikh bodyguards. General AS Vaidya, the army chief who supervised Operation Blue Star, was shot dead by militants in Pune: just months after his retirement in 1986.

In November 1986, 30 people in Punjab were killed by terrorists in two weeks, which caused fresh panic. Militants renewed the call for Khalistan from the Akal Takht. But the movement gradually declined in the 1990s and people returned to their lives. Journalist Kanwar Sandhu, in an India Today article, said how "the killing fields are back to being the granaries of the country. The migrants are returning, claiming their farms and factories."

Then, in June 2015, a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from a gurdwara in Faridkot. Villagers pointed the finger at the police, alleging a 'lackadaisical attitude' in recovering the holy book. There were huge protests in the area following the incident and police had to open fire to disperse the crowd.

Renewed concerns

Rajnath's statement at the inaugural day of the 53rd National Annual Conference of Directors General and Inspectors General of Police in Gujarat's Kevadia came just days after Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh slammed General Qamar Javed Bajwa during the foundation stone laying ceremony for the politically-sensitive Kartarpur Sahib corridor in Gurdaspur last month, where he dubbed the whole affair a "bigger conspiracy" hatched by the Pakistani Army.

Amarinder was referring to the 18 November grenade attack in Amritsar which left three dead and several injured. The blast occurred at a religious gathering on the outskirts of Amritsar and where members of the Nirankari sect reportedly gathered at Nirankari Satsang Bhawan in Rajasansi village, near the Amritsar international airport.

A day later, India Today revealed pictures of JuD chief Hafiz Saeed meeting Gopal Singh Chawla, a pro-Khalistan leader, months prior to the incident, and claimed this meet could have links to the attack. Senior Congress leader and former Ludhiana MP Manish Tewari also agreed with Amarinder and described the blast as ISIs attempt to reactivate the Khalistan file, The Tribune reported.

Tewari also drew a link between the attack and the first Akali-Nirankari clashes of 13 April, 1978, in Amritsar. "It all started on 13 April, 1978, like this. The ISI has activated its Khalistan file again... The recent terror attacks in Gurdaspur, Pathankot and now Amritsar are the ISI's gameplan, said Tewari.

Days before the attack on Nirankari Bhawan, Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat warned of "external linkages" fuelling attempts to revive insurgency in Punjab. He also warned that "it would be too late" if appropriate action was not taken, reported The Times of India.

Soon after the Nirankari grenade attack, C Pal Singh, retired inspector general of police with Punjab's rapid action force, also said in an interview to Rediff.com that the state police busted 16 terror modules in six months. He spoke of how terrorist organisations were trying to indoctrinate Punjab youth through social media. "A young boy who has not seen the worst days of terrorism in Punjab is still vulnerable. And this vulnerability of the young boys is either through social media or for money," he had said.

One of the two persons arrested recently for the grenade attack in Amritsar is the son of an army man who deserted the force after Operation Blue Star, reported The Indian Express.

There is also the contentious issue of Sikh separatist groups based in Canada. Chief Minister Amarinder met Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau in February, during which the former called for cooperation on issues of terrorism, crime and drugs, while seeking greater sharing of relevant information, in the interest of national and international security.
A special CBI court on Friday acquitted all 22 policemen who were in trial in the sensational Sohrabuddin Shaikh-Tulsiram Prajapati alleged fake encounter case of 2005. The policemen were acquitted due to lack of evidence

A special CBI court on Friday acquitted all 22 accused, including 21 policemen, in the alleged fake encounter killings of gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi and his associate Tulsi Prajapati.

The policemen were acquitted due to lack of evidence. "Government machinery and prosecution put in a lot of effort in this case. 210 witnesses were brought but satisfactory evidence didn't come and witnesses turned hostile. There is no fault of the prosecutor if witnesses don't speak," said the court.

Special CBI Judge SJ Sharma in his ruling said the court felt sorry for the families of Shaikh and Prajapati as "three lives were lost". But the system demands that the court go solely by evidence, he added.

Judge Sharma said the prosecution had failed to establish a cogent case to suggest that there was any conspiracy to kill the three people, or that the accused persons had any role in it. He said that while there was no denying that Shaikh and the others were killed, "going by the evidence on record, the court could not conclude that the present accused persons could be questioned, or, held accountable for those deaths."

The case has attracted much attention as BJP chief Amit Shah, who was Minister of State for Home in Gujarat at the time of the incidents, was one of the accused before being discharged in 2014. During the trial, as many as 92 prosecution witnesses turned hostile.

Of the accused, 21 are junior-level police officials from Gujarat and Rajasthan. The other was the owner of a farmhouse in Gujarat where Shaikh and Kausar Bi were illegally detained before they were allegedly killed.

The court earlier discharged, for want of evidence, 16 of the 38 persons charge-sheeted by the CBI. These included Amit Shah, the then Rajasthan home minister Gulabchand Kataria, former Gujarat police chief PC Pande and former senior Gujarat police officer DG Vanzara.

According to the CBI, Shaikh, an alleged gangster with terror links, his wife Kausar Bi and his aide Prajapati were abducted by Gujarat police from a bus when they were on their way to Sangli in Maharashtra from Hyderabad on the night of 22 and 23 November, 2005.

Shaikh was killed in an alleged fake encounter on 26 November, 2005 near Ahmedabad. His wife was killed three days later and her body was disposed of, the CBI said. A year later, on 27 December, 2006, Prajapati was also shot dead by Gujarat and Rajasthan police in an alleged fake encounter near Chapri on Gujarat-Rajasthan border.

The case was initially probed by the Gujarat CID before the CBI took over in 2010. The Supreme Court in 2013 directed that the trial be shifted to Mumbai from Gujarat on the central agency's request to ensure a fair trial. The prosecution examined 210 witnesses, of which 92 turned hostile.

Even as the trial has wound down to a close, two prosecution witnesses applied to the court Wednesday that they be re-examined. One of them, Azam Khan, an aide of Shaikh, claimed in his plea that accused Abdul Rehman, a former police inspector who had allegedly fired on Shaikh, threatened Khan that if he did not depose as told, he would be framed up in false cases.

His wife was also threatened, Khan claimed. Another witness, Mahendra Zala, a petrol pump owner, has alleged that the prosecution did not furnish to the court his statement recorded before a magistrate.

With inputs from PTI
There is a need to assess the actual efforts being taken by organisations to make workplaces inclusive. Mere tokenism is not enough

When the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgement decriminalising homosexuality on 6 September, 2018, we, as members of the LGBTQ community, felt hopeful that it would soon end the harassment and discrimination that we have been facing over the years.

At the Godrej India Culture Lab, we started writing a white paper, A Manifesto for Trans Inclusion in the Workplace, back in June 2018, during the legal existence of Section 377. When the judgement was passed, we realised that the importance of the Manifesto had increased manifold.

While the law supports the community, there is a lot of difference between decriminalisation and true equality.

In the process of empowering the LGBTQ community, corporate India has a major role to play, especially in terms of offering a dignified form of employment and ensuring the community is not discriminated against in the workplace. While prominent people, including corporates, spoke in favour of the ruling, there is a need to assess the actual efforts being taken by organisations to make workplaces inclusive. Mere tokenism is not enough, and we need to wait and see how policies are implemented.

We launched A Manifesto for Trans Inclusion in the Workplace in December 2018 (it can be downloaded here) as a practical guide. The paper suggests certain steps that corporate workplaces can adopt to be more inclusive to the transgender community. We decided to specifically focus on the transgender community as they tend to be one of the most neglected segments in the LGBTQ spectrum. Sample these statistics: Almost 92 percent of Indias 4.9 lakh trans people are unable to participate in any economic activity, and less than half have access to education (UNDP, 2016).

Why corporate India needs to be inclusive

One of the compelling reasons why companies need to become inclusive is because of the impact it has on the overall profit. Research that looks into the LGBTQ consumer bases purchasing power and characteristics indicate that the average gay consumer is college-educated, shops online and is interested in purchasing the latest technology. Our spending power is estimated to be $200 billion (according to a study done by Forbes India and Out Now Consulting), and we are the fourth largest economy in terms of GDP (LGBT Foundation, 2018). It doesnt make good business sense to discriminate against such a significant chunk of the population.

Not being inclusive can also affect a companys reputation. A 2016 World Bank report placed Indias loss in GDP due to homophobia and transphobia up to $32 billion, or 1.7 percent of our GDP (Radcliffe, 2016).

In terms of talent attraction, diversity is good for the workplace. A 2010 report by Kellogg Insight shows that diverse groups in the workplace tend to perform better. A 2016 study by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation found that 72 percent of people are more likely to accept a job at a company that is more supportive of LGBTQ employees. Millennials are one of the key segments that companies are targeting, and this segment is keen to work with LGBTQ-friendly brands (MINGLE, 2016).

Pro-LGBTQ advertising is also good for business. In 2017, P&G Vicks trans motherhood advertisement featuring Gauri Sawant was a big hit and the sales of their health products rose. Companies such as eBay and Myntra also successfully incorporated LGBTQ themes in their advertising.

What the Manifesto says

A Manifesto for Trans Inclusion in the Workplace outlines nine steps towards trans inclusion that include devising an anti-discrimination policy, active trans hiring efforts, sensitisation of employees, developing restroom infrastructure, offering health insurance and medical benefits, and establishing a support system for employees transitioning in the workplace.

As a first step, at the event, Nisa Godrej, chairperson of Godrej Consumer Products, announced the launch of gender inclusive bathrooms as well as a gender affirmation policy to cover transition costs for employees.

The launch featured corporate leaders who are pioneering LGBTQ inclusivity, including Keshav Suri, executive director, Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, and Radhika Piramal, vice chairperson and executive director, VIP Industries Ltd, who spoke on the gender inclusive policies that they follow in their companies. The white paper also profiles companies like Tata Steel, one of the first companies from the steel/manufacturing industry to launch an LGBTQ Employee Resource Group.

LGBTQ hiring also comes with its unique set of challenges. The Kochi Metro, another case study that features in the Manifesto, hired and trained trans employees but the employees found themselves unable to pay rent or commuting costs, were harassed on the job and didnt have access to gender neutral washrooms. The Kochi Metro has since then been working on addressing each of these challenges.

Such case studies offer some perspective on how small and large steps can pave the way for LGBTQ inclusion in the workplace. We are gratified as to how many other companies have downloaded the Manifesto since its launch and are using it in their own workplaces, and hope that many more do so.

Parmesh Shahani is head of Godrej India Culture Lab
No single party will get a full majority in the 2019 hustings and we should brace for either an NDA or UPA-led coalition government, Desai said and warned that if such an eventuality does happen, it would be difficult to run a smooth house and government

Mumbai: British politician and economist Meghnad Desai, a self-confessed Narendra Modi admirer till some time back, has accused the prime minister of not being a team player and predicted that the "disappointed" electorate will not vote him back with a majority.

Modi "over promised" and was wrong in believing that he could run the whole country with the help of a few bureaucrats and not with a strong cabinet, as he did in Gujarat when he was the chief minister, Desai said.

"Ultimately, the people are disappointed. Somehow, the feeling is that 'acche din ab tak nahin aaye' (the promised good days have not come in yet)," Desai told PTI in an interview Thursday. The London-settled Desai, a long-time Labour Party member, said Modi had a "great opportunity" and seemed to suggest that lack of team play may prove to be his undoing.

"Modi, while being a good politician is not a good team player, he is not a team leader. He is a mass leader, but not a team leader," he said, adding barring Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, no other minister in his cabinet had previous experience. In contrast, the UPA regime, led by the "unlikely" Manmohan Singh, had at least six cabinet ministers, including Pranab Mukherjee, Arjun Singh, Sharad Pawar and P Chidambaram, who are all prime minister materials, he said.

Modi had no idea that things would become so difficult and now it has come to such a level that he will have to ask for one more chance at power, Desai said. When asked if Modi has humility, Desai suggested that BJP's loss in the three Hindi-heartland states earlier this month should be humbling enough to make such a move.

No single party will get a full majority in the 2019 hustings and we should brace for either an NDA or UPA-led coalition government, Desai said and warned that if such an eventuality does happen, it would be difficult to run a smooth house and government, he said. We need to stop expecting politicians to do anything good, he said, adding less of governance will be the best for the economy.

Desai also attacked the Modi government for the crisis at the Reserve Bank saying it is not good to lose two successive governors, and specifically pointed out to the invoking of the never-before-used Section 7 of the Banking Regulation Act as a wrong step. If the government has to do something "spectacularly foolish" take the RBI reserves and spend it on "stupidities" like farm loan waivers, and you can see the "rupee is collapsed", he warned and termed the reserves as a "red line" that should not be crossed.

He also welcomed the speech by deputy governor Viral Acharya wherein he warned of the wrath of the markets if the central bank's autonomy is compromised, and said that was a "good warning". Asserting that a central bank should not be run for political purposes, Desai lashed out at the untimely removal of Nachiket Mor from the RBI central board and the prominence given to fringe organisations like Swadeshi Jagran Manch in the board now.

Organisations like SJM, to which S Gurumurthy belongs, have no place in the country at all, Desai said. When asked about governor Shaktikanta Das, Desai reminded of the independent work done by D Subbarao as the RBI governor despite hailing from the same bureaucracy that Das belonged to. He said the fact that this is the last job for Das, will also be of help.

When asked if Patel's resignation will make it be difficult to attract talent from overseas to head key public jobs, he said the Modi regime has to come out clean and set the record straight on the factors that led to the sudden resignation. "The next person invited from abroad to be a central bank governor will want to know what happened in the past and he will call up Patel and Rajan. The government has to give its side of the story clean," he said, should stop "pretending" that nothing has happened.
Journalist Vinod Verma was released on bail after police failed to file a charge sheet against him in the mandatory 60 days.

Vinod Verma Verma, a close confident of Baghel, was arrested from Ghaziabad in October 2017 by Raipur police after a case of blackmailing and extortion was registered at the Pandri Police Station in Raipur on a complaint by BJP leader Prakash Bajaj. (Photo: File | PTI)

Raipur: Senior journalist Vinod Verma, whose name had cropped in the "sex CD" episode last year, was appointed political advisor to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday.

The General Administration Department (GAD) appointed four advisors to the chief minister, an official statement said.

While Verma was appointed political advisor to Baghel, another journalist Ruchir Garg, who quit as an editor of a Hindi daily and joined the Congress ahead of the just concluded assembly polls, was named media advisor to the Congress chief minister.

Besides, Pradip Sharma was appointed planning, policy, agriculture and rural development advisor and Rajesh Tiwari parliamentary advisor to Baghel, the statement said.

Verma, a close confident of Baghel, was arrested from Ghaziabad in October 2017 by the Raipur police after a case of blackmailing and extortion was registered at the Pandri Police Station in Raipur on a complaint by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Prakash Bajaj.

Bajaj had alleged that he was "being harassed over phone by an unidentified caller", who told him he had a CD of his "aaka" (master).

The police had claimed to have recovered 500 CDs and some pen drives from Vermas residence during a raid.

After Verma's arrest, a "sex CD", purportedly featuring the then PWD Minister Rajesh Munat, had surfaced in Raipur.

Munat had termed the CD as "fake" and alleged it was made and circulated to tarnish his image. He had later filed a complaint against Baghel, the then state Congress president.

On recommendation of the then BJP government, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the investigation of two cases related to the circulation of the CD.

Verma was released on bail in December last year after the police failed to file a charge sheet against him in the mandatory 60 days.

In September this year, the CBI had filed the charge sheet in a special court in Raipur in the case, naming Baghel, Verma and three others as accused.

During the investigation, one more accused, Rinku Khanuja, had allegedly committed suicide in June this year. All the accused were booked under IPC sections 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 67A of the IT Act (whoever publishes or transmits or causes to be published or transmitted in the electronic form any material which contains sexually explicit act), according to the charge sheet.

Verma and Baghel had denied any involvement in the preparation or circulation of the CD.

Baghel had initially refused to apply for bail and stayed in judicial custody for a couple of days. The Congress leader, who had said he was falsely implicated in the case, later obtained bail from the court.
The matter was raised during the question hour by Congress Legislature Party leader Ajay Kumar Lallu. He sought to know the number of deaths due to Japanese Encephalitis and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome

Lucknow: The Congress walked out of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Friday, alleging that the state government had imposed an "emergency" in BRD Medical College to hide actual figures of encephalitis deaths in Gorakhpur from the media.

The matter was raised during the question hour by Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Ajay Kumar Lallu. He sought to know the number of deaths due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

Responding to him, health minister Siddharth Nath Singh claimed that compared to previous years, encephalitis cases and deaths have come down due to the government's sustained efforts.

"Due to training and awareness, the encephalitis cases and deaths have come down. In the budget, for the first time Rs 20 crore was earmarked for the awareness drive and people from all walks (of life) were associated with the campaign due to which we got success in containing the disease," he said.

Lallu, however, claimed that in Gorakhpur alone scores of people had died due to encephalitis.

"Emergency has been imposed on the media in the BRD college, where no regular bulletins are issued about the cases and deaths", he said.

Refuting the allegations, Singh clarified that "media could not differentiate between child deaths in PICU (Pediatric ICU) and MICU (Medical ICU) due to which confusion prevailed at times".

There is no emergency imposed on anyone, he said.

"It's the Congress party which believes in imposing emergency. Bulletins and information are given whenever sought, but entry of media is disallowed in PICU and MICU," he added.

Dissatisfied with the reply, the CLP leader termed the government as "non-serious" and accused it of hiding the real encephalitis data.

He then led the walkout of his party members.
It was after BJPs stunning victory in the February-March 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections that the party leaders began to boast about an imminent cakewalk in Telangana.

Last year, BJP leaders were talking of sweeping Telangana elections. By last month, they were talking about the party being only a kingmaker. And when results were finally out on 11 December, BJP was neither king nor kingmaker in the new state.

And thereby hangs the tale of BJPs soaring hopes and crashing dreams in the whole south for the 2019 Lok Sabha poll. The south or any state of it had never been a BJP bastion. In the 2014 Lok Sabha poll, the party won just 21 of the 129 seats in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Of these 21, Karnataka alone accounted for 17.

BJP has been hoping for a spectacular rise in its fortunes in the south that would compensate for any losses it might suffer elsewhere in 2019, but there is not even the faintest sign of that materialising. The party would be lucky to retain its 2014 seat tally in the south.

The only hope for BJP at this point of time is that it could possibly expect support from four regional parties in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu in case NDA falls short of numbers in 2019, even if they dont become pre-poll allies. These include YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), a breakaway outfit from Congress led by Jaganmohan Reddy (known as Jagan), Jana Sena of actor Pawan Kalyan in Andhra Pradesh, and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu. A fourth one, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), could also perhaps come to NDAs aid after the election, despite the anti-BJP and anti-Congress noises it makes.

Right now, YSRCP and AIADMK seem to be wary of joining hands with BJP for fear of turning away the Muslim votes. YSRCP is also apprehensive that voters may construe BJP as a party that didnt help Andhra Pradesh enough after it was broken in 2014 to form Telangana. This only means that potential allies in at least two key states consider BJP a political pariah that is too risky to align with.

In Andhra Pradesh, the main fight in 2019 will no doubt be between TDP and YSRCP. And in Telangana, BJP will be a poor third in what will primarily be a tussle between TRS and Congress. While Tamil Nadu still presents a muddled picture, the rise in BJPs vote share in Kerala is unlikely to be enough to help the party win seats. The dark cloud of the south has a silveror saffronlining in Karnataka, where BJP won 17 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 and emerged as the single largest party in this years Assembly election.

Telangana fiasco

It was after BJPs stunning victory in the February-March 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections that the party leaders began to boast about an imminent cakewalk in Telangana. There was already some talk at that time of elections being held before they were due in the new state.

BJP President Amit Chanakya Shah even said that Telangana should become the partys southern gateway. This didnt sound like the usual pre-poll hot air. The party indeed seemed sure of staging an encore of Uttar Pradesh landslide in Telangana.

Now look at what happened in Indias newest state in the 7 December Assembly election. BJP lost security deposits in 103 seats and won just one of the 119 Assembly seats, with state party president K Laxman topping the list of its losers. If voters vote the same way in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, TRS will walk away with 15 of Telanganas 17 Lok Sabha seats.

Of the remaining two, one may go to AIMIM, a friendly party of TRS, and Congress may get the other.

Its possible for voting preferences to be different in Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. But it amounts to building castles in the air if BJP imagines it can turn the Assembly verdict on its head and raise its performance to great heights in just a few months, whatever new narrative it dishes out.

Arrogance in Andhra

An overconfident and arrogant BJP quietly but unceremoniously dumped TDP as an ally in Telangana in March 2016, starting from some municipal elections. In March this year, it was the turn of TDP to ditch BJP in Andhra Pradesh, accusing it of not doing enough to help the state. Having won two of 25 Lok Sabha seats and four of 175 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh in 2014 in alliance with TDP, BJP is without allies there now.

An alliance of BJP with either Jagans YSRCP or Pawans Jana Sena or both is still in the realm of speculation. In terms of vote share, YSRCP came close to TDP in the 2014 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections and could be a worthy partner for BJP, which has already been dubbed Bharatiya Jagan Pawan.

Its hard to miss the fact that both Jagan and Pawan have never been overly critical of BJP on any issue. At the same time, they are dropping broad hints to suggest that it wont be easy for them to have anything formally to do with BJP at least for the time being.

Karnataka is best bet

The 2014 Narendra Modi wave saw BJP win 17 of Karnatakas 28 Lok Sabha seats with 43 percent vote share. In the May 2018 Assembly elections, BJP was the single largest party, though its vote share dropped to 36.3 percent. The party was happy that the hastily stitched up coalition government of Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) looked too fragile to last long.

But the uneasy alliance has not only survived but may even put up a good fight, though the two parties sing different tunes. On the other hand, its BJPs own election preparedness in the state that leaves plenty to be desired. The by-election defeat in the Ballari Lok Sabha Seat in November was symptomatic of inner-party rumblings that may stop BJP from delivering its best performance.

With the Lok Sabha poll only months away, Amit Shah is unlikely to heed to the clamour for changing the state leadership in Karnataka or any state for that matter.

Pipedream in Kerala

Minority appeasement by both the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) as well as BJPs efforts to polarise Hindus led to a steady rise in the saffron partys vote share in Kerala from a mere 4.75 percent in 2006 to 15 percent in 2016. The Hindu backlash against the 28 September Supreme Court verdict that allowed all women entry into the Sabarimala temple is unlikely to provide any significant boost to BJP. Any gain by the party has been largely at the cost of Congress to the benefit of CPM, as mentioned in an earlier article and as confirmed during last months local body by-elections.

BJP has never won a single Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala and picked up its first Assembly seat in 2016. After setting itself an ambitious goal of winning 12 of Keralas 20 Lok Sabha seats in 2019, it slashed the target to five later. Even that may remain a pipe dream.

Friendless in Tamil Nadu

In the south, Tamil Nadu has the largest number of 39 Lok Sabha seats, the most fluid politics and is BJPs weakest state. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the two main parties, AIADMK and DMK, were not part of either UPA or NDA. AIADMK almost made a clean sweep by winning 37 seats on its own. BJP, which had an alliance with six small parties, won one Lok Sabha seat, and its ally PMK won another.

In the 2016 Assembly poll, DMK had Congress among its allies, while AIADMK and BJP had their own separate alliances with small parties. Only one of its six allies in 2014 stayed with BJP in 2016, when it lost all the 232 Assembly seats it contested.

The deaths of AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa in December 2016 and DMK supremo M Karunanidhi in August 2018 together left a whole lot of uncertainty in the states politics, a fluid situation that still persists.

And for the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, the party line-up is still anybodys guess in the Dravidian land. Desperate to have a partner, BJP has been keeping both AIADMK and DMK in good humour. DMK leader MK Stalins talk of Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate, finally rules out his party as a BJP ally.

A deal between BJP and AIADMK seemed only a matter of time till recently. But BJPs poor show in the MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh elections is making even AIADMK reluctant to join NDA. BJP also wants to have actor Rajinikanth, the new entrant into politics, in its fold, but nobody seems to know where he stands. Each statement Rajinikanth makes is interpreted in so many mindbogglingly different ways that his own fans are at a loss to know what his next move is.

The author tweets @sprasadindia
WHY DONT YOU READ THESE?
Rahul Gandhi earlier attacked Modi over the Centre's move to authorise ten agencies to intercept information on any computer system.

New Delhi: Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi over his "insecure dictator" barb at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah said Friday that India has seen only two "insecure dictators", one who imposed Emergency and the other who wanted unrestricted access to read letters of common citizens.

While Shah's first reference is obviously to former prime minister Indira Gandhi, his second reference, BJP sources said, was to the Congress president Rahul's father Rajiv Gandhi who, they claimed, wanted a law for unrestricted access to read letters.

"There were only 2 insecure dictators in the history of India. One imposed Emergency and the other wanted unrestricted access to read letters of common citizens. Guess who were they," Shah tweeted, tagging Rahul Gandhi.

Gandhi earlier attacked Modi over the Centre's move to authorise ten agencies to intercept information on any computer system, saying converting India into a police state won't solve his problems, but only proves he is an "insecure dictator".

Shah also accused the Congress chief of "fear-mongering" and playing politics with national security.

"UPA (United Progressive Alliance) put no barriers on unlawful surveillance. When the Modi govt puts safeguards for citizens, Rahul cries conspiracy," Shah said.

Playing on words of a popular film song, he also tweeted in Hindi, "Tum itna kyon jhutla rahe ho, kya dar hai jisko chhipa rahe ho (Why are you falsifying so much, what are you afraid of?)."

With this, Shah tagged a government statement that the decision to designate ten agencies for interception was in accordance with rules framed during the UPA government.
West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra on Thursday blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for undermining the constitutional authority of the GST Council by indicating further cuts in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) ahead of the Councils scheduled meeting. The 31st GST Council meeting will be held on Saturday in New Delhi.

Kolkata: West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra on Thursday blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for undermining the constitutional authority of the GST Council by indicating further cuts in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) ahead of the Councils scheduled meeting. The 31st GST Council meeting will be held on Saturday in New Delhi.

"The statement of the prime minister made on 18 December just before the GST Council meeting undermines the constitutional authority of the GST Council as it pre-empts the decision-making authority of the council, Mitra told reporters at the secretariat.

The GST Council has been constituted under Article 279A of the Constitution and it can alone which has been constitutionally empowered to decide on the GST rate for goods and services, Mitra said.

The neutrality of the council in the decision-making thus stands severely eroded and will be highly detrimental to the future functioning of the GST Council, he said.

Modi had pledged further rationalisation of the GST rates so that items of regular are kept out of the topmost 28 percent slab.

All things related to common man will be 18 percent or below that 99 percent articles will be 18 percent or below 18 percent rate, Modi had said on Tuesday, adding that GST should be made as simple and as convenient as possible.

Mitra also said that the prime minister has spoken when the Parliament session is on which also violated the parliamentary procedures.

Is there any hidden agenda behind the prime minister giving directive to the finance ministers, he said.

Mitra said that West Bengal government had been demanding a reduction in the GST rates on essential items from 28 percent to 18 percent and from 18 percent to 12 percent.

It is surprising that the prime minister is now demanding what we had urged the Union government to do long back. If our demands were met a year ago, some of the negative effects of the faulty GST could have been avoided and the economy could have been saved, Mitra said. Mitra said he would be participating in the GST Council meeting on Saturday and register his protest in this connection.
While Verma was appointed as political advisor to Baghel, another journalist Ruchir Garg, who quit as an editor of a Hindi daily and joined the Congress ahead of the just-concluded assembly polls, was named media advisor to the Congress chief minister.

Raipur: Senior journalist Vinod Verma, whose name had cropped in the "sex CD" episode last year, on Thursday was appointed political advisor to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

The General Administration Department (GAD) appointed four advisors to the chief minister, an official statement said. While Verma was appointed as political advisor to Baghel, another journalist Ruchir Garg, who quit as an editor of a Hindi daily and joined the Congress ahead of the just-concluded assembly polls, was named media advisor to the Congress chief minister.

Besides, Pradip Sharma was appointed planning, policy, agriculture and rural development advisor and Rajesh Tiwari parliamentary advisor to Baghel, the statement said. Verma, a close confidant of Baghel, was arrested from Ghaziabad in October 2017 by the Raipur police after a case of blackmailing and extortion was registered at the Pandri Police Station here on a complaint by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Prakash Bajaj.

Bajaj had alleged that he was "being harassed over phone by an unidentified caller", who told him he had a CD of his "aaka" (master). The police had claimed to have recovered 500 CDs and some pen drives from Vermas residence during a raid. After Verma's arrest, a "sex CD", purportedly featuring the then PWD Minister Rajesh Munat, had surfaced in Raipur.

Munat had termed the CD as "fake" and alleged it was made and circulated to tarnish his image. He had later filed a complaint against Baghel, the then state Congress president. On the recommendation of the then BJP government, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the investigation of two cases related to the circulation of the CD.

Verma was released on bail in December last year after the police failed to file a charge sheet against him in the mandatory 60 days. In September this year, the CBI had filed the charge sheet in a special court here in the case, naming Baghel, Verma and three others as accused. During the investigation, one more accused, Rinku Khanuja, had allegedly committed suicide in June this year.

All the accused were booked under IPC sections 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 67A of the IT Act (whoever publishes or transmits or causes to be published or transmitted in the electronic form any material which contains sexually explicit act), according to the charge sheet.

Verma and Baghel had denied any involvement in the preparation or circulation of the CD. Baghel had initially refused to apply for bail and stayed in judicial custody for a couple of days. The Congress leader, who had said he was falsely implicated in the case, later obtained bail from the court.
The ninth day of Parliament followed the ongoing trajectory in the Winter Se3ssion thus far  minimal business getting completed. Both Houses were consistently interrupted by chaos, whether AIADMK protests over the Cauvery issue, or a spat between Union finance minister Arun Jaitley and Congress leader Anand Sharma.

The ninth day of Parliament followed the ongoing trajectory in the Winter Session thus far, and minimal business got completed. Both Houses were consistently interrupted by chaos, whether through AIADMK's protests over the Cauvery issue, or a spat between Union finance minister Arun Jaitley and Congress leader Anand Sharma.

Rajya Sabha

Rajya Sabha started on a peaceful note, but later faced repeated disruptions as the two Tamil parties - the AIADMK and DMK - continued their protest over the Cauvery River issue, while the Opposition Congress and treasury benches sparred over the Rafale jet deal.

As soon as the House met, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu appealed to all members to cooperate in the smooth functioning of the House as discussions on several urgent matters as well as the passage of important Bills were pending.

Naidu also said that he has admitted most of the notices for discussion on various issues and appealed to political parties for an honourable agreement for order in the House. However, Naidu's plea went unheeded as AIADMK and DMK members trooped into the well of the House with placards soon after listed papers and reports were tabled. Members of AAP were also seen in the Well, carrying placards, demanding an end to the sealing drive in the national capital.

Meanwhile, Naidu asked senior Congress leader Anand Sharma to put forward his views. Sharma said his party was ready for a discussion on all important issues and demanded an immediate debate on the imposition of President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir under Article 356 of the Constitution.

Sharma also said that his party was ready to discuss the issue of purchase of Rafale jets from French company Dassault but the government should agree for a probe into the deal by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). To this, Naidu said the government is also willing to discuss the issue.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel said the government is ready to discuss all issues including Rafale but the "Opposition is running away". Goel also informed that he had met Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and leaders of other parties in an effort to end the stalemate in the House.

As protesting members continued displaying placards, Naidu said he has received suggestions against members who are entering into the Well of the House. "I will not be happy to take action," he said, adding that if action against members would be taken it would be irrespective of party affiliation. The Chairman later adjourned the House till 2.30 pm.

After the Upper House resumed, Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad was the first to speak. He said that the House should discuss the President's Rule that has been established in Jammu and Kashmir.

He also said that the "undeclared Emergency has taken its final shape. All central agencies have been let loose," in reference to the MHA authorising ten central agencies to intercept data on any computer. The House erupted in chaos in response to his comments. Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh asked the House to settle down amid the din and said that it is essential that the Upper House discuss the issues on the agenda instead.

Following Azad, Congress MP Anand Sharma raised the topic of the MHA as well, and accused the government of infringing citizen privacy.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley responded to both statements, and said that Sharma and Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad should have gathered all the facts before raising the issue.

"What Anand said  every telephone and every computer will be monitored  that is not the case," he said, adding that the new law will only apply in matters of national security. Referring to the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 and the Information Technology Act, 2000, the finance minister said that the laws have only been updated to keep up with technological advancements.

Accusing Sharma of "making a mountain where even a molehill does not exist", Jaitley concluded his statement by saying that Congress should not use its power to create a ruckus over an issue that was created during its own rule.

Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha proceedings were again disrupted on Friday as AIADMK, TDP and Congress members protested over various issues, with Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourning the House for the day.

As soon as Zero Hour began, members from AIADMK, TDP and Congress trooped into the Well, displaying placards and shouting slogans. Members from the AIADMK protested against the proposed construction of a dam across Cauvery River and they also shouted slogans.

While TDP members sought to raise issues related to Andhra Pradesh, those from the Congress demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale deal. Papers, as well as reports of the Public Accounts Committee and two standing committees, were tabled.

In addition, five members spoke on various issues during the Zero Hour. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal said that many members have requested that December 24 and 26 should be a holiday for the House on account of Christmas. Congress leader KC Venugopal said he had also given a letter on the same issue. Later, Mahajan approved the request.

As the ruckus continued, the House was adjourned for the day. Earlier, the proceedings were adjourned till noon following protests.

The Lower House will now meet on 26 December as there would be no session on 24 and 26 December in view of Christmas.

With inputs from PTI
The NDA's tally has come down to 303 from an original 336 in the 16th Lok Sabha as allies abandoned ship and BJP failed to win by-polls in seats it had previously captured.

Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee would have told you about the importance of political allies. On 17 May, 1999, his government lost the trust vote by just one vote, and the late BJP leader still holds the record of losing the confidence of the House by the lowest margin.

Come 2019 and Narendra Modi too cannot ignore his allies in a country that is known to throw up a fractured mandate in Lok Sabha elections more often than not. With the BJP's aura of invincibility shattered by recent Assembly and bypoll results, and a united Opposition shoring up attack, the National Democratic Alliance should sure put its house in order and soon.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA's) tally has come down to 303 from an original 336 in the 16th Lok Sabha as allies abandoned ship and BJP failed to win by-polls in seats it had previously captured. The latest trouble arose from Bihar, where Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) quit NDA to join the supposed 'Mahagathbandhan' ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Ram Vilas Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party remains miffed and is considering his options. The Telegu Desam Party, the largest NDA ally after BJP had walked out earlier this year, and its leader Chandrababu Naidu is already seen flanking Rahul Gandhi at important Opposition events. The Shiv Sena, once touted be BJP's natural ally, is playing more the role of Opposition than ally from within the government; it has already announced it will break BJP's fake hindutva narrative. But more on this later. BJP has larger problems to deal with.

Modi's waning popularity will increase BJP's dependence on allies

What truly worries BJP is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's waning popularity. According to CVoter State of the Nation tracker survey, in October 2018 Modi's popularity had come down to 53.9 percent from the highest vantage point of 66.5 in 2017. Another survey by Lokniti-CSDS, Mood of the Nation survey pinned the prime minister's personal appeal at 37 percent in January 2018.

Another more troubling figure is that the BJP is quickly losing the advantage of if-not-Modi-then-who narrative. According to India Today Mood of the Nation (MOTN) poll, 46 percent of the survey respondents think Rahul Gandhi is the best alternative to Modi in 2019 elections, followed by TMC president Mamata Banerjee, who secured eight percent of the vote.

Even if you look at the elections faced by the Modi government in the recent past, a distinct trend emerges. The party won most of the polls before the recent Assembly elections in five states.

In 2016, Assembly elections were held in these states- Assam (BJP won), Kerala (LDF won), Puducherry (Congress won), Tamil Nadu (AIADMK won) and West Bengal (Trinamool Congress won). But most of these states were a new turf for BJP. In 2017, Assembly elections were held in Uttar Pradesh (BJP won), Uttarakhand (BJP won), Goa (BJP came second but still formed the government), Punjab (Congress won but the blame largely went on BJP's larger partner Shiromani Akali Dal), Manipur (Congress won). In Guajarat, BJP managed to win an election for the sixth straight term, and Himachal Pradesh also was won by the saffron party. In 2018, JDS and Congress formed the government after Karnataka Assembly polls in the month of May but the BJP managed to appear as the single largest party in the state.

However, things started looking bleak after the results in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana.

This shows that the BJP managed to play up the anti-incumbency factor against the respective ruling parties in several of these states and managed to retain Gujarat because of the Modi wave. However, the party won the prime minister's home state with the lowest margin in a long time and that started a trend of its decline. In 2018, when the party was faced with anti-incumbency factor against its own governments in three of five states, the Modi wave was not strong enough to salvage the party.

By extension, if we may presume, when faced with anti-incumbency and a united Opposition in 2019, the Lok Sabha elections will not be a cakewalk for the party as Modi's appeal has certainly ebbed.

Trouble with allies

In Bihar, by joining hands with Nitish Kumar, Modi lost two allies at the cost of one. First Nitish's bete noire, Jitan Ram Manjhi walked out with his Hindustani Awam Morcha after JD(U)'s return to the NDA fold. Now, the RLSP has quit NDA on the pretext of fundamental differences and BJP's 'arrogance'. But reports say things began to go sour since Nitish came back to the NDA.

It's true that the size and might of these two parties cannot be compared to JD(U), but if results of the recent bypolls are any help, Nitish will have a tough time proving his worth. JD(U) and BJP had lost Jehanabad and Araria to Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal, which spearheads the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar. The party had outperformed JD(U) by a mile even in the 2015 Assembly election, but had yet supported Nitish to take over as chief minister.

Then there's the LJP in Bihar, already giving signals that all is not well within the alliance. Heated parlays for seat sharing are already underway to persuade Ram Vilas Paswan to stay in the NDA fold. But the BJP can't overtly rely on the Paswans. Ram Vilas Paswan has been a part of almost all governments at Centre, be it a Congress-led government or a BJP-headed government. He has been a minister in almost all the governments formed at the Centre since 1989. The ideology of the party in power has never stopped him from forging alliances. In that sense, Paswan's friendship is guaranteed to the BJP only as long as its own fortunes favour its run to form the next government.

The LJP is already getting restless. Even as Paswan, a Union minister, was presenting a bill in Parliament, his son Chirag was criticising the Modi government. Chirag said that the BJP has lost focus and is too entangled in the Ram Mandir issue. The JD(U) too has been trying to get itself into a good bargaining position before 2019 general elections even though it failed to win even a single Lok Sabha seat in by-polls and under-performed in Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. Some reports even suggested that JD(U) wishes for an equal division of seats with BJP in 2019.

Bihar sends 40 members to the Lok Sabha but the BJP might have a tough time accommodating everyone without ruffling too many feathers.

Similarly in Uttar Pradesh, state minister and Suheldeo Bharatiya Samaj Party chief Om Prakash Rajbhar is openly criticising the BJP at any and every opportunity he gets. The party had swept the state in Assembly and Lok Sabha polls earlier. But a similar wave is clearly missing with rising unrest amid farmers, especially sugarcane farmers in western Uttar Pradesh. In case the Bahujan Samaj Party (with a strong Dalit Base), Samajwadi Party (popular among Yadavs, Kurmis and OBCs), and Rashtriya Loktantric Dal (supported by Jats and farmers in western UP) come together, the BJP can take a serious beating in parts of western Uttar Pradesh and rural areas of poorvanchal. The BJP might need the support of smaller parties like SBSP and Apna Dal.

In Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena has already announced it will walk alone in the 2019 polls. A post-poll alliance, at the moment, also seems unlikely looking at Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray's tepid response to several attempts by BJP to reach out to it.

Although much smaller in scale, another quarter where the BJP appears to be losing base is the Hills of West Bengal where the party garnered support of the Gorkha leadership in 2014. The party had garnered support from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha by promising a separate Gorkhaland carved out of West Bengal. However, torn between making inroads in Mamata bastion in the Bengali-dominated areas, and retaining support from the Gorkhas, the party has been dilly-dallying on its stand on a separate state for Gorkhas. After the 2017 pro-Gorkhaland protests in Darjeeling that had the hill town in perpetual lock down for over 100 days, the Gorkhas may revisit their loyalties.
Ameya Dalvi

What good is technology if it's far from the reach of the masses!

That adage stays true in the smartphones segment too. The flagship phones are the poster children for brands but the real business happens in the mid-range segment. The mid-range segment of smartphones has been getting hotter over the past couple of years and 2018 saw it reach never before seen levels. Typically, the segment has been about serviceable phones with a decent mix of features and specifications at an attractive price. But 2018 saw this segment take a dramatic turn. This year, we had phones with flagship SoC, ample RAM, high-quality cameras and designs that could easily belong to the premium segment.

While the start of the year saw the arrival of these highly competent Snapdragon 636 and Mediatek P60 SoC in the lower mid-range segment, the second half of the year saw Snapdragon 660 breach the Rs 15,000 barrier. If that wasnt good enough, we saw Qualcomms flagship SoC Snapdragon 845 first make its way to sub-30K phones, then breach the 25K mark and eventually flirt with the Rs 20,000 budget by the end of the year. The cameras got significantly better too this year.

So let's take a look at the top phones that not just offered the best value for money in 2018 but also made a deep impact and raised the bar in the mid-range segment.

Best value for money phones of 2018 in India

Asus Zenfone 5Z

Asus Zenfone 5Z was the first Snapdragon 845 SoC sporting phone to be priced under Rs 30,000 in India. The fact that its base variant often sells close to Rs 25,000 these days makes the deal even sweeter. Despite the aggressive pricing, Asus did not cut any corners in terms of features or design and posed a serious threat to the OnePlus 6. That doesnt happen too often. The base variant with 6 GB RAM and 64 GB storage debuted at Rs 29,999 with the top end version with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage selling for Rs 36,999. Unlike the OnePlus phones, the Zenfone 5Z lets you expand the storage further up to 512 GB with a microSD card.

The glass and aluminium combination makes the phone look elegant and sturdy and has a flagship feel about it. The 6.2-inch Full HD+ notched display is sharp and feels just the right size. 12 MP + 8 MP dual cameras at the back do an impressive job for this segment. The primary camera incorporates a f/1.8 bright 24mm wide angle lens with fairly large pixel size and 4-axis optical image stabilisation. This results in high-quality images in most lighting conditions. It can also record 4K videos at 30 FPS and slow-motion videos at 1080p and 720p resolution at 120 and 240 FPS respectively. As you can see, the Asus Zenfone 5Z is a solid all-round phone with premium looks, very good cameras, the fastest SoC currently available and doesnt cost a bomb. That translates to excellent value for money.

Poco F1

Xiaomi released their new sub-brand, Poco this year and did what Xiaomi does best with their first Poco phone  broke the market.

While Asus breached the 30K mark for Snapdragon 845 phones with the 5Z, Xiaomi took it down to 21K with the Poco F1. But unlike Asus, Poco did cut a few corners. For starters, the design is fairly generic and the plastic body doesnt help the aesthetics either. The 12 MP + 5 MP dual camera set up at the back does a good job in average to good lighting but withers away in low light. It also doesnt come with premium features like optical image stabilisation that one finds in flagship phones. But hey, we are talking about a sub-21K phone and the camera output is better than most phones you get in that budget.

And I repeat, it is powered by Qualcomms flagship Snapdragon 845 SoC with 6 GB RAM and 64 GB storage for the base variant starting at Rs 20,999, going as high as Rs 26,999 for its top-end Armoured edition with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. The storage can be further expanded up to 256 GB using a microSD card. If you are a performance buff or a gamer who doesnt overly care about design or camera output, heres a phone that lets you play PUBG Mobile in its full glory at close to Rs 20,000. The price to performance ratio of the Poco F1 is hard to beat.

Nokia 7 Plus

The Nokia 7 Plus may not be the phone to beat now but it did shake things up in the mid-range segment at launch. The phone launched earlier this year, much before the Poco F1 or even the Asus Zenfone 5Z arrived. It was perhaps the first phone in India to carry a Snapdragon 660 chip, an impressive upper mid-range SoC. But what stood out was its unconventional yet classy design with copper edges, along with a pair of cameras at the back with Zeiss optics and a stock Android UI with promised OS updates for two years minimum, courtesy of Android One.

The 12 MP + 13 MP camera combination at the back with 25 mm wide angle lens with Zeiss optics and 1/2.55-inch large primary sensor captured excellent images in most lighting conditions. It also provided you with a 2X optical zoom. A sharp 6-inch 18:9 Full HD+ display with narrow bezels and an impressive 3800 mAh battery rounded off the package. The Nokia 7 Plus was one solid all-round phone priced close to Rs 25,000 that ticked most of the right boxes and more importantly, outperformed most phones in that price bracket at launch.

Best mid-range phones of 2018 in India

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro

Why Redmi Note 5 Pro and not Redmi Note 6 Pro, you ask? Simple! The former was a revelation at the start of this year that raised the bar in the lower mid-range segment. The latter is just an incremental update and not even the best phone in the segment at launch, let alone pushing the envelope. Didnt deserve the Pro suffix either, if you ask me.

Coming back, the Redmi Note 5 Pro was the first phone to introduce the Snapdragon 636 SoC that added quite a processing muscle to phones in this segment. With a 6-inch Full HD+ narrow bezel display, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB expandable storage, metal body and 4000mAh battery, this was the phone to beat in the sub-15K segment in the first half of the year. Did I mention the best in class 12 MP + 5 MP dual rear cameras and a 20 MP front snapper for selfies?

Nokia 6.1 Plus

While Xiaomi set the ball rolling with the Redmi Note 5 Pro, Nokia showed how the same can be made to look way better aesthetically. The Nokia 6.1 Plus remains a landmark phone in terms of design in the mid-range segment. It can easily be mistaken for a phone 1.5 times its selling price. A metal body sandwiched between two sheets of glass with Gorilla Glass 3 protection makes it look extremely classy. It bears a 5.8-inch notched display with Full HD+ resolution with higher pixel density and sharper picture. The notch is quite small but doesnt miss out on any important sensors. The processing hardware and storage is exactly the same as that of the Redmi Note 5 Pro and the camera performance is at par too, but there is another department where the Nokia surpasses its Xiaomi counterpart.

The Nokia 6.1 Plus is an Android One device, meaning stock Android UI and regular OS updates for a couple of years. The phone has already received Android 9.0 Pie update. All this for a price close to Rs 15,000, and hence, a welcome addition to our list of best value for money phones of 2018.

Realme 2 Pro

If Xiaomi was the first to bring the Snapdragon 636 SoC to phones under Rs 15,000, Oppo through its sub-brand Realme, has done the same to the more powerful Snapdragon 660 SoC. Earlier this year, Oppo seemed to have had enough of Xiaomis dominance in the lower mid-range segment and launched their own sub-brand, Realme. After a couple of decent releases, they hit the bullseye with their third launch  Realme 2 Pro. This phone is a great combination of specifications and features at a hard to beat price that has set a new performance benchmark in this segment.

If the Snapdragon 660 SoC wasnt enough, it has a Full HD+ display with a tiny drop-sized notch that is generally seen in phones twice its price or higher. The 16 MP + 2 MP dual rear cameras are quite competent in most conditions but dont expect miracles in low light. A 3,500mAh battery keeps it powered for a day comfortably. All this for just Rs 13,990 for the 4 GB RAM/64 GB storage variant. Its top end 8 GB RAM/128 GB storage variant is priced as impressively at Rs 17,990. That has awesome value for money written all over it.

That concludes our list of the best flagship and mid-range phones that offered a great value proposition in 2018.

Lets hope this segment continues to pleasantly surprise us in 2019 too. I am sure it will.

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

Best Flagship phones of 2018: From Samsung Galaxy Note 9 to OnePlus 6 to Poco F1

Audio trends of 2018: Airpods, Alexa, Google Home, AI-powered speakers and more

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
Reuters

Hackers working on behalf of Chinas Ministry of State Security breached the networks of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co and IBM, then used the access to hack into their clients computers, according to five sources familiar with the attacks.

The attacks were part of a Chinese campaign known as Cloudhopper, which the United States and Britain on Thursday said infected technology service providers in order to steal secrets from their clients.

While cybersecurity firms and government agencies have issued multiple warnings about the Cloudhopper threat since 2017, they have not disclosed the identity of technology companies whose networks were compromised.

International Business Machines Corp said it had no evidence that sensitive corporate data had been compromised. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) said it could not comment on the Cloudhopper campaign.

Businesses and governments are increasingly looking to technology companies known as managed service providers (MSPs) to remotely manage their information technology operations, including servers, storage, networking and help-desk support.

Cloudhopper targeted MSPs to access client networks and steal corporate secrets from companies around the globe, according to a US federal indictment of two Chinese nationals unsealed on Thursday. Prosecutors did not identify any of the MSPs that were breached.

Both IBM and HPE declined to comment on the specific claims made by the sources.

IBM has been aware of the reported attacks and already has taken extensive counter-measures worldwide as part of our continuous efforts to protect the company and our clients against constantly evolving threats, the company said in a statement. We take responsible stewardship of client data very seriously, and have no evidence that sensitive IBM or client data has been compromised by this threat.

HPE said in a statement that it had spun out a large managed-services business in a 2017 merger with Computer Sciences Corp that formed a new company, DXC Technology.

The security of HPE customer data is our top priority, HPE said. We are unable to comment on the specific details described in the indictment, but HPEs managed services provider business moved to DXC Technology in connection with HPEs divestiture of its Enterprise Services business in 2017.

DXC Technology declined to comment, saying in a statement that it does not comment on reports about specific cyber events and hacking groups.

Reuters was unable to confirm the names of other breached technology firms or identify any affected clients.

The sources, who were not authorised to comment on confidential information gleaned from investigations into the hacks, said that HPE and IBM were not the only prominent technology companies whose networks had been compromised by Cloudhopper.

Cloudhopper, which has been targeting technology services providers for several years, infiltrated the networks of HPE and IBM multiple times in breaches that lasted for weeks and months, according to another of the sources with knowledge of the matter.

IBM investigated an attack as recently as this summer, and HPE conducted a large breach investigation in early 2017, the source said.

The attackers were persistent, making it difficult to ensure that networks were safe, said another source.

IBM has dealt with some infections by installing new hard drives and fresh operating systems on infected computers, said the person familiar with the effort.

Cloudhopper attacks date back to at least 2014, according to the indictment.

The indictment cited one case in which Cloudhopper compromised data of an MSP in New York state and clients in 12 countries including Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Britain and the United States. They were from industries including finance, electronics, medical equipment, biotechnology, automotive, mining, and oil and gas exploration.

One senior intelligence official, who declined to name any victims who were breached, said attacks on MSPs were a significant threat because they essentially turned technology companies into launchpads for hacks on clients.

By gaining access to an MSP, you can in many cases gain access to any one of their customers, said the official. Call it the Walmart approach: If I needed to get 30 different items for my shopping list, I could go to 15 different stores or I could go to the one that has everything.

Representatives with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security declined to comment. Officials with the U.S. Justice Department and the Chinese embassy in Washington could not be reached.

A British government spokeswoman declined to comment on the identities of companies affected by the Cloudhopper campaign or the impact of those breaches.

A number of MSPs have been affected, and naming them would have potential commercial consequences for them, putting them at an unfair disadvantage to their competitors, she said.
MHA has given power to 10 central probe agencies to 'intercept, monitor and decrypt' information on any computer device.

The subscriber or intermediary or any person who fails to assist the agency will face seven-year imprisonment and will also be liable to fine. (Representational Image)

Mumbai: Investigating agencies will now have more powers to intercept and monitor information stored on computer devices after the Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order on Thursday.

Ten central probe agencies have been given the powers of interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource.

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba issued the order enabling the Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency, Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW), Directorate of Signal Intelligence (For service areas of Jammu & Kashmir, North-East and Assam only) and Commissioner of Police, Delhi to snoop on any computer device.

The Home Ministry gave the authorisation under 69 (1) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 which says that centre can direct any agency after it is satisfied that it is necessary or expedient to do in the interest of the sovereignty or integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to above or for investigation of any offence.

Under the section, the subscriber or intermediary or any person who fails to assist the agency will face seven-year imprisonment and will also be liable to fine.

(Photo: egazette.nic)
Reuters

Facebook and Twitter said on Thursday they had removed accounts and fake news pages linked to the Bangladesh government which had posted anti-opposition content, days ahead of an election in the South Asian nation.

Facebook, Bangladeshs most popular social network with an estimated 30 million users, said it had removed nine fake news pages linked to individuals associated with the Bangladesh government which mimicked those of independent news outlets.

It also took down six accounts as they, along with the pages, were found engaging in coordinated inauthentic behaviour. One of the accounts had 11,900 followers.

Spokesmen for the Bangladesh government including for the home and information ministers did not respond to calls seeking comment late on Thursday.

This kind of behaviour is not allowed on Facebook under our misrepresentation policy because we dont want people or organisations creating networks of accounts to mislead others about who they are, or what theyre doing, Facebooks head of Cybersecurity Policy Nathaniel Gleicher said in a statement.

Twitter said it had identified and suspended 15 accounts originating from Bangladesh for engaging in coordinated platform manipulation.

Based on our initial analysis, it appears that some of these accounts may have ties to state-sponsored actors, it added. The accounts had fewer than 50 followers, it said.

Facebook and other tech giants are under pressure to increase efforts to remove misleading or illegal content, and ensure fake news is not uploaded and disseminated. Although Facebook has stepped up fact-checking, it still faces criticism that it is too slow to close rogue accounts.

Mufti Mahmud Khan, a spokesman for Bangladeshs elite security force Rapid Action Battalion that has been tasked by the government with monitoring online content in the run-up to the 30 Dec polls, did not comment on the Facebook statement.

He said his team had arrested 30 people in recent weeks, some linked to the opposition, who posted anti-government propaganda by making clones of popular news websites.

Facebooks move comes as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas Awami League is seeking to win a third term in power amid accusations of carrying out attacks on opposition party candidates.

The opposition National Unity Front alliance said on Wednesday that 14 of its candidates had been arrested and 1,500 injured in attacks this month by ruling party workers.

The Awami League has denied the allegations and accused the opposition of trying to disrupt a peaceful election environment. Hasina said on Wednesday her party wouldnt use unfair means to win.

Under Hasinas decade-long rule several people have been arrested for putting up Facebook posts critical of the government, including a prominent photographer released last month after over 100 days in prison.

Her government has taken steps to improve Bangladeshs digital infrastructure, including making the internet more affordable, but it has kept tight control.

During mass student protests this August, the polices cybercrime unit said it had scoured Facebook posts to crack down on what it called fake news being spread to provoke protests.
tech2 News Staff

The government has reportedly authorised 10 central agencies which will have the ability to access any computer in matters of national importance.

According to ANI, the 10 agencies which have been authorised will be able to intercept, monitor and decrypt any "information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer."

The agencies include the following  The Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, National Investigation Agency, Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Investigation. Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW), Directorate of Signal Intelligence (For service areas of Jammu & Kashmir, North-East and Assam only) and Commissioner of Police, Delhi.

The authorisation has been given under Section 69 of the Information Technology Act, 2000. It allows the government to direct any agency in the interest of the sovereignty, defence of India and security of the state among other reasons.

MHA: Competent authority hereby authorizes the following security and intelligence agencies (in attached statement) for purposes of interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource under the said act pic.twitter.com/3oH9e7vv6T  ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2018

What does the MHA notification mean?

According to the order, the aforementioned agencies can gain access to a person's computer and the person will have to provide access and technical assistance to the agencies. If they fail, there will be a punishment of up to seven years. Home secretary Rajiv Gauba has issued the order.

This basically gives the 10 agencies mentioned in the notification, complete authority to snoop on any data on computers owned by individuals who are under the scanner of these agencies.

According to Section 69(1) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, central or state governments allow agencies to intercept, monitor or decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource. As per the section, the government can direct any agency to do this if it finds it necessary in the "interest of the sovereignty or integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to above or for investigation of any offence."

Backlash against the notification

The move hasn't been received well by politicians, especially those critical of BJP-led central government's policies. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted:

Blanket surveillance is bad in law  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 21, 2018

Telangana MP Asaduddin Owaisi criticised it and mocked BJPs slogan "Ghar Ghar Modi." "Modi has used a simple Government Order to permit our national agencies to snoop on our communications. Who knew that this is what they meant when they said ghar ghar Modi," he said in a tweet comparing the order to George Orwell's 1984.

Modi has used a simple Government Order to permit our national agencies to snoop on our communications. Who knew that this is what they meant when they said ghar ghar Modi. George Orwells Big Brother is here & welcome to 1984. pic.twitter.com/DrjQkdkBKh  Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) December 20, 2018

The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah commented saying that the government was imitating North Korea.

We have the North Korean news channels & now we have the North Korean police state. Imitation, as they say, is the sincerest form of flattery. https://t.co/LIl3QV8yy5  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 21, 2018

Sitaram Yechury of the Communist Party of India called the move unconstitutional.

Why is every Indian being treated like a criminal? This order by a govt wanting to snoop on every citizen is unconstitutional and in breach of the telephone tapping guidelines, the Privacy Judgement and the Aadhaar judgement. https://t.co/vJXs6aycP0  Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) December 21, 2018

Congress leader Ahmed Patel told ANI that this notification gives sweeping powers to agencies to snoop phone calls and computers without any checks and balances in place. "This is extremely worrisome. This is likely to be misused," said Patel.
Reuters

Online food delivery company Swiggy said it had raised $1 billion in its latest funding round, led by South African internet group Naspers Ltd.

Chinas Tencent Holdings Ltd, Hillhouse Capital and Wellington Management Company also took part in the funding round, together with Swiggys existing investors, DST Global, Meituan Dianping and Coatue Management, Swiggy said.

Naspers said in a statement it had invested $660 million in Swiggy during this latest round.

Swiggy, based in the southern Indian tech hub of Bengaluru, is valued at a little over $3 billion after this funding round, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The company did not respond to an email seeking comment on the valuation.

Naspers said its Swiggy investment showed it was committed to India across multiple sectors.

Indian online consumers will be a significant driver of online growth in the world, it said.

Naspers other investments in India include online classifieds firm OLX, online travel firm MakeMyTrip and payments company PayU.

Swiggy will use the funds to hire and strengthen its technology backbone, the company said.

The firm, which runs a mobile-based application and a website for food-delivery services, currently operates in more than 50 Indian cities.

It competes with homegrown riding-hailing firm Olas Foodpanda, Ubers food delivery service, and Chinas Ant Financial Group-backed Zomato, which is valued at more than $1 billion.

Swiggy has raised a total of $1.26 billion since it was founded in 2014, including the latest round.

Naspers is in the middle of deploying a nearly $10 billion war chest to scale up its e-commerce ventures and make new investments in online classifieds, payments and food delivery platforms.

Cape Town-based Naspers earlier this year sold its 11.2 percent stake in Indian e-commerce company Flipkart to Walmart Inc.

But Naspers is still betting big on India and recently led a $540 million funding round in Indian edu-tech startup BYJUs.
tech2 News Staff

Yet another UN climate conference came to a close this year, with plans drawn up and decisions made at the COP24 to keep the world from messy, climate-induced doom.

And like the many that came before it, the COP24 too saw woman underrepresented from the global decision-making process, Earther reports. The COP24 saw women make up just 37 percent of the average delegation.

For some perspective, studies have suggested that at least 75 percent of the population affected by natural disasters in recent years are women. With more women providing for families today than ever before, scarcity of basic needs like food, water and land are important concerns for womankind today. Policies made by men that affect women in a disproportionate manner are both unfair and unjust.

The debate doesn't just concern the developing world. Countries like Portugal, Belgium, Spain and Ireland are all guilty of sending delegations with as few as 40 percent women.

The Womens Environmental & Development Organisation (WEDO) highlights the skewed gender statistics of the UN talks in a report. WEDOs data reveals that last years climate summit saw exactly the same, 37 percent representation of women.

Negotiating groups at the COP24 led by women this year was 26 percent, a tiny rise from the 15 percent of women-led groups ten long years ago.

The number of women participants at the UN COP has actually gone up ever so slightly over the years. The WEDO research quoted by Earther predicts that at the current crawl towards gender parity, it will be 2040 before we see any real difference.

Even then, equal representation is one thing, and equal participation is another. This is something the UN has acknowledged when it drew up the Gender Action Plan in 2017. The report states among its aims that it plans to achieve and sustain the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in UNFCCCs work.

This sentiment resonates in statements like this one on UNFCC's website:

"Women commonly face higher risks and greater burdens from the impacts of climate change in situations of poverty, and the majority of the worlds poor are women. Womens unequal participation in decision-making processes and labour markets compound inequalities and often prevent women from fully contributing to climate-related planning, policy-making and implementation."

But the problem could be a lot deeper than just statistics and numbers, fears Bridget Burns, Director of WEDO.

Even when we bring women into positions of power, they end up in discussions that are less powerful, Burns told Earther.

At the male-dominated COP24, the sheep among wolves was the delegation from Kyrgyzstan, with the only all-women team of negotiators.

We have landslides and avalanches and floods, and women who are living in their house with a child, they are more affected by these disasters. Thats why its important to have womens voices in the decision-making process, said Aizada Bareiva, the groups leading voice.

In a confusing irony, Bereiva also confessed to having a very different notion of equality.

She views women as naturally less-suited to handle positions of authority than men, who, due to their nature are better equipped to make decisions about the economy and global politics.

Bringing Burns fears to roost, Bereiva added that women could probably take on softer decisions  about climate, for instance. What matters is that real specialists are involved, she said.

All said and done, if the specialists at significant global events like COP24 are largely men, the interests of women could be overlooked merely by design. Where global policy is part of the equation, new policies under todays circumstances could be ill-suited to nearly half the worlds inhabitants.

Gender disparity at the summit in 2018 was just marginally different from a decade ago.

But thats no guarantee that their voices at the UN talks next year wont be just a little bit louder.

2018 has been an eventful year and here's our comprehensive list of year ender stories.
tech2 News Staff

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) released a short video with camera footage of its most recent satellite launch mission, the GSLV-F11/GSAT-7A mission, which successfully placed a military communication satellite for the Indian Air Force in orbit on 19 November.

The video begins with sights of the GLSV's "perfect" lift-off from Sriharikota, captured by optical and infrared cameras till the final (cryogenic engine) stage fires up, and cruises to take GSAT-7A to Earth's geo-transfer orbit.

The second half of the video shows the same events captured using different cameras fitted to the GSLV rocket's different stages. We see glimpses of the first stage, a thin separator between the first and second stages, and the GSLV's second stage fall off one after another from the GSLV with a beautiful view of Earth in the far distance.

As the GSLV tears through the Earth's atmosphere at roaring speeds, we also see the heat shield and payload fairing detach from the rocket, and the third and final stage of the GSLV detach and drift away carried by the cryogenic engine.

In the last few seconds of the video, the GSAT-7A satellite is also visible separating from the cryogenic engine stage.

GSAT-7A is a 2.25-ton military communications satellite built for the Indian Air Force. It is also the 35th Indian communication satellite built by ISRO.

On 20 December, ISRO began the first of its many orbital manoeuvres using thrusters on the GSAT-7A to raise the satellite to its final orbit above Earth.

The first orbit raising manoeuver of #GSAT7A satellite has been successfully carried out today by firing the Liquid Apogee Motor engine for a duration of 3895 seconds.#ISROMissions  ISRO (@isro) December 20, 2018

GSAT-7A/GSLV-F11 mission: All you need to know

ISRO successfully sent GSAT-7A, a military communication satellite, to orbit on the GSLV-F11 rocket on 19 December. In a 20-minute launch sequence, the GSLV-F11 lifted off from the First Launch Pad (FLP) in Sriharikota and released the satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit at a 270 kilometre-altitude.

The satellite is expected to substantially boost the communication systems of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which will be the sole user of GSAT-7A's communication capabilities. It is designed to help interlink the Air Force's ground radar stations, bases and airborne early warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft. It will also be used to operate the Indian Armys unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and drone operations.

With a successful GSAT-7A/GSLV-F11 mission, ISRO has completed three successful launches in 35 days.

Not, the final part of the mission  orbit raising and final adjustments is in progress, which the mission tracing team in Bengaluru will complete in a few days.
Dinesh C Sharma

Asessing a burn wound to know the status of healing is currently done using invasive processes like a biopsy, which is both painful and scarring.

Now scientists have developed a non-invasive technique that involves mere flash of laser light to assess healing.

The method exploits a particular property of some tissue proteins  ability to re-emit light upon absorption. Such proteins, known as tissue fluorophores, have chemical compounds that can re-emit light. Collagen is one such protein that is vital in wound healing. So when laser light is flashed on tissues under examination, the amount of re-emitted light from the healing tissue directly corresponds to collagen concentration, which in turn, indicates the status of the recovery process.

Researchers at the Manipal Academy of Higher Education used commercially available 325 nm laser light to inspect healing by exploring tissue fluorophores, and a detector to collect re-emitted light. The re-emitted spectra were recorded using a fibre optic probe kept very close  about three mm  to the wound site. The spectra was then analysed in a spectrograph connected to a computer.

The collagen levels measured by this technique, known as autofluorescence, were validated by biochemical tests of patient tissues. The comparison showed that autofluorescence was consistent and suitable for assessment of burn wound healing. This study also shown tissue collagen can be used as an optical biomarker for assessing burn wound healing, researchers explained. Tissue samples were collected from burn patients admitted to the Department of Plastic Surgery and Burns, Kasturba Medical College.

In earlier studies, the technique was used in lab-induced wounds in animals. Now it has been tested in tissue samples from human burn patients suffering from different degree of burn wounds. Tissue formed following treatment was excised before grafting and utilized for autofluorescence measurement.

Our technique is user-friendly and solely dependent on excitation and emission of tissue fluorophores without the addition of any external dye molecule. This helps maintain tissue architecture during the assessment of healing, Dr Vijendra Prabhu of Department of Biotechnology at the Manipal Institute of Technology, a member of the research team, told India Science Wire.

For clinical management of wounds, periodic evaluation of injured tissue is necessary to know progress of healing. Sometimes wound assessment is done by trained clinicians but it is a subjective method. The other method is to conduct histopathology and biochemical analysis to measure amount of collagen deposited. Repetitive invasive tests can result in fresh wounds and possibility of infection and scarring.

Through autofluorescence technique, collagen information of the tissue can be gathered just 10 to 15 seconds. It can provide complementary data conducive to making clinical decisions. After successful testing on clinical samples, we are ready for mass testing on burn wound patients. This system can also be utilized to test collagen disorders in patients, Dr Prabhu said.

The study was funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and research findings have been published in the Journal of Biophotonics.
Reuters

Thunderstorms forced Elon Musks SpaceX to postpone the 20 December launch of a navigation satellite for the US military, which was poised to be the rocket companys first national security space mission for the United States.

SpaceX said its Falcon 9 rocket and payload, a roughly $500 million GPS satellite built by Lockheed Martin Corp, were in good health and that it was now targeting a Saturday morning launch from Floridas Cape Canaveral.

The cancellation, which followed two previous launch attempts this week that were scrubbed for technical reasons, came as thunderstorms and wind gusts swirled around the launch site.

Patrick Burke, a meteorologist with the National Weather Services Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, said the weather might not clear up until Saturday.

A successful launch would be a significant victory for Musk, a billionaire and Tesla Inc chief executive, who spent years trying to break into the lucrative market for military space launches, long dominated by Lockheed and Boeing Co.

It would have marked SpaceXs first so-called National Security Space mission, as defined by the US military, SpaceX said.

SpaceX sued the US Air Force in 2014 in protest over the militarys award of a multibillion-dollar, non-compete contract for 36 rocket launches to United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Boeing and Lockheed. It dropped the lawsuit in 2015 after the Air Force agreed to open up competition.

The next year, SpaceX won an $83 million Air Force contract in 2016 to launch the GPS III satellite, which will have a lifespan of 15 years.

The launch would be the first of 32 satellites in production by Lockheed under contracts worth a combined $12.6 billion for the Air Force GPS III program, Lockheed spokesman Chip Eschenfelder said.

Air Force spokesman William Russell said: Once fully operational, this latest generation of GPS satellites will bring new capabilities to users, including three times greater accuracy and up to eight times the anti-jamming capabilities.

The launch was originally scheduled for 2014 but has been hobbled by production delays, the Air Force said.

The next GPS III satellite is due to launch in mid-2019, Eschenfelder said, while subsequent satellites undergo testing in the companys Colorado processing facility.
Shares in European aerospace group Airbus tumbled on Thursday after a French publication reported that US authorities are investigating the firm for suspected bribery and corruption, exposing it to billions of dollars in potential fines. It was the latest blow to Airbus as it tries to recover from several corruption probes before a new CEO takes the helm next year.

Paris: Shares in European aerospace group Airbus tumbled on Thursday after a French publication reported that US authorities are investigating the firm for suspected bribery and corruption, exposing it to billions of dollars in potential fines. It was the latest blow to Airbus as it tries to recover from several corruption probes before a new CEO takes the helm next year.

French daily Le Monde reported that the US Department of Justice had opened an inquiry into "improper practices" at the end of 2017, but only informed Airbus it was under investigation at the end of the summer. In a statement, the company said it was cooperating with US authorities.

The inquiry stems from Airbus's disclosure in early 2016 that it had neglected to inform authorities about payments to middlemen in securing several contracts, in particular in Asia.

Such third-party payments are allowed under anti-corruption guidelines set by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, as long as the recipients are clearly identified and the compensation fully reported.

But in 2013 the company began finding discrepancies in the amounts recorded for several contracts over previous years, and middlemen who had not been reported to national export agencies. Britain's Serious Fraud Office opened a fraud, bribery and corruption inquiry in 2016 over the alleged "irregularities concerning third-party consultants."

It has been cooperating with France's Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF), which also launched an inquiry into the deals. In late trading Airbus shares were down 4.6 percent at 83.23 Euros, having lost 9.6 percent at one stage on the Paris stock exchange, which was 1.5 percent lower overall.

High stakes

The US inquiry has the potential to be highly damaging, since a corruption conviction could effectively lock Airbus out of international contracts for several years. That would be a boon for its US arch-rival Boeing as well as China, which wants to break into the American market, Le Monde said.

Airbus is already trailing Boeing in new orders this year, with just 380 firm orders booked so far compared with 690 for Boeing. In October 2017, the aircraft maker revealed that it had told US officials of "inaccuracies" over its payments to middlemen covered by the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).

Le Monde reported that Airbus had recently dissolved its Strategy and Marketing Organisation (SMO) department, whose directors oversaw the management of middlemen used to facilitate the deals from 2009 to 2013 being probed.

By showing authorities it is taking drastic action in response to the alleged irregularities, it is hoping the US Justice Department will join the British and French inquiries, Le Monde said. In that case, Airbus might be able to spread the fine among the three agencies, instead of facing a huge US penalty as well as potentially crippling court cases.

That was the strategy pursued by British automaker Rolls-Royce, which paid a 763-million-Euro fine to British, US and Brazilian authorities to settle a foreign fraud inquiry. It had informed Britain's Fraud Office of the offences in 2012.

Turbulence at the top

Airbus has been wrestling with a series of corruption probes in recent years, most recently paying 81 million euros to settle a German inquiry into the suspected kickbacks in sale of Eurofighter jets to Austria. Its offices were also raided last year as part of an inquiry into alleged influence-peddling related to helicopter sales to Kazakhstan.

The company has shaken up its top management in recent months after CEO Tom Enders failed to win board backing for a new term. It has also faced challenges with the A380 superjumbo passenger jet, which has struggled to attract as many clients as hoped, as well as with the over-budget military transporter A400M.

France, Germany and Spain all hold significant stakes in the aerospace group, which is considered a strategic player in transport and defence. In October the board said Enders would be replaced next year by Guillaume Faury, currently head of the commercial aviation branch.
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - The Danish parliament approved funding on Thursday for a plan to hold foreign criminals on a tiny island, despite criticism from the United Nations and local opposition. With Denmark taking an increasingly tough stance on immigration, the government wants to send up to 100 people who have completed jail sentences but cannot be deported because they are at risk of torture or execution in their home countries, to the island of Lindholm. Funding for the scheme was included in the 2019 Danish budget, which lawmakers voted through on Thursday

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - The Danish parliament approved funding on Thursday for a plan to hold foreign criminals on a tiny island, despite criticism from the United Nations and local opposition.

With Denmark taking an increasingly tough stance on immigration, the government wants to send up to 100 people who have completed jail sentences but cannot be deported because they are at risk of torture or execution in their home countries, to the island of Lindholm.

Funding for the scheme was included in the 2019 Danish budget, which lawmakers voted through on Thursday. A centre for the people, who have been convicted of crimes ranging from murder and rape to less serious offences, is set to be established in 2021 and will cost 759 million crowns ($115 million).

Lindholm is used as a laboratory and crematorium by scientists researching swine flu, rabies and other contagious diseases. One ferry serving the three hectare (seven acre) island southwest of Copenhagen is named "Virus".

The plan has aroused opposition in the municipality of Vordingborg, of which Lindholm is part. "People think this is not the solution to the real problems," Vordingborg mayor Mikael Smed said before the vote.

U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet expressed serious concerns about the idea on Wednesday.

A majority of foreign criminals whose deportation sentences cannot be carried out are now detained at a centre in Jutland, in western Denmark. Residents there say they feel unsafe, although police report that crime has not risen in the area in recent years.

Now residents of Kalvehave, from where the ferry to Lindholm departs, fear for the future of their town which depends on tourism. "This won't benefit the area and it won't attract more tourists. Quite the opposite," said Klaus, 47, owner of a hotdog stand in the town which is home to 632 people.

Under the plan, the criminals can leave the island during the day but will have to report their whereabouts to authorities and return at night.

Denmark has struggled for decades with how to integrate immigrants, the overwhelming majority of whom are law abiding, into its welfare state. Public debate intensified in 2015 with the arrival of large groups of asylum seekers from conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere.

(Reporting by Emil Gjerding Nielson; Editing by Janet Lawrence and David Stamp)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Kushwaha lauded Rahul Gandhi for coming to the aid of farmers and youths and said the Congress President does what he says.

New Delhi: The Opposition alliance in Bihar got a shot in the arm on Thursday with Rashtriya Lok Samta Party chief Upendra Kushwaha joining the UPA days after he quit the NDA.

This was announced at the AICC headquarters here, that signals the new importance the Congress has acquired following its recent Assembly election victories.

At the press conference were senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, AICC state in-charge Shaktisinh Gohil, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav and senior Opposition leader Sharad Yadav.

Mr Kushwaha, a former Union minister, joined the UPA after holding talks with the Congress leadership. On a seat-sharing arrangement with the UPA, he said, We will take the right decision at the right time.

Mr Kushwaha said the main reason behind him quitting the NDA was the failure of the Modi government to fulfil the promises made to the people of Bihar, besides the insult he suffered within the NDA.

He said an aakrosh march will be taken out in Patna on February 2 in which various like-minded parties would participate.

Mr Kushwaha lauded Rahul Gandhi for coming to the aid of farmers and youths and said the Congress President does what he says.

He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of insulting the people of Bihar and the country by not fulfilling the promises made to them.

The RLSP chief alleged Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar conspired to weaken him within the NDA and that the prime minister remained a mute spectator when he was being insulted.

Our party was being weakened as part of a conspiracy. Nitish Kumar tried to break my party, he alleged.

The RLSP chiefs joining the UPA is likely to give a boost to the formation of a grand Bihar alliance to counter the NDA combine of BJP, JD(U) and Lok Janshakti Party.

The Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal and former Bihar CMs Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) are already part of the UPA in Bihar, and are seeking to give a fight to the NDA in the coming Lok Sabha polls. The saffron alliance had swept the Lok Sabha polls in 2014, winning 31 of the states 40 seats.

After JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar left the grand alliance in Bihar to join the NDA, political equations in the country as well as the state have changed. While the BJP suffered major reverses in the recent round of Assembly elections and byelections, the Congress and BSP-SP in Uttar Pradesh got a fresh lease of life with successive wins.
Trump made his decision on Tuesday, the same time he told the Pentagon he wanted to pull all US forces out of Syria. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis quit earlier on Thursday, saying his views were no longer reconcilable with Trump's.

Washington: President Donald Trump has decided to pull a significant number of troops from Afghanistan, a US official has told AFP, a day after he announced a withdrawal from Syria.

"That decision has been made. There will be a significant withdrawal," the official told AFP on Thursday on condition of anonymity. Currently, the United States has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan working either with a NATO mission to support Afghan forces or in separate counter-terrorism operations.

Trump made his decision on Tuesday, the same time he told the Pentagon he wanted to pull all US forces out of Syria. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis quit earlier on Thursday, saying his views were no longer reconcilable with Trump's.

The president's twin foreign policy decisions on Syria and Afghanistan are nothing less than epic, and could begin to unspool a series of cascading and unpredictable events across the Middle East and in Afghanistan.

Mattis and other top military advisors last year persuaded Trump to commit thousands of new troops to Afghanistan, where the Taliban were slaughtering local forces in the thousands and making major gains. Trump at the time said his instinct was to get out of Afghanistan.

The Wall Street Journal reported that more than 7,000 troops would be returning from Afghanistan. The pullout comes as the US pushes for a peace deal with the Taliban.
Any deal for North Korea to give up its nuclear arsenal must include completely removing the nuclear threats of the US, North Korean state media said on Thursday, in one of the clearest explanations of how North Korea sees denuclearisation.

Seoul: Any deal for North Korea to give up its nuclear arsenal must include completely removing the nuclear threats of the US, North Korean state media said on Thursday, in one of the clearest explanations of how North Korea sees denuclearisation.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un issued a statement after a historic meeting in Singapore in June reaffirming the Norths commitment to work towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and including US guarantees of security to North Korea.

Conflicting or vague views of what exactly denuclearisation means, however, have complicated negotiations that now appear stalled.

When we refer to the Korean peninsula, they include both the area of the DPRK and the area of South Korea where aggression troops including the nuclear weapons of the US are deployed, the Norths state-run KCNA news agency said in a commentary, using the initials of North Koreas official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

When we refer to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, it, therefore, means removing all elements of nuclear threats from the areas of both the north and the south of Korea and also from surrounding areas from where the Korean peninsula is targeted.

The United States deployed nuclear weapons in South Korea from 1958 to 1991. Since they were withdrawn, the United States has extended its nuclear umbrella of support to Japan and South Korea using bombers and submarines based elsewhere.

North Korea rejects American calls for it to unilaterally denuclearise, and Washington should give up its ambition to force Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons by high-handed practices and pressure, the news agency said.

The United States needs to understand the phrase denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula before it is too late, it said.

A spokesman for South Korean President Moon Jae-in - who has said Kim intends to achieve complete denuclearisation - declined to comment on the North Korean call to lift the US nuclear protection from South Korea, saying there was no need to respond to every KCNA comment.

'Self-evident truth'

The United States has said that it will not lift sanctions on North Korea until more progress has been made toward its verifiable denuclearisation. The United States has also rejected any suggestion that it would reduce its military presence in the region as part of a deal with North Korea.

But in a surprise step after the June summit, Trump announced that the Pentagon would cancel most of its largest military exercises conducted with the South Koreans.

The exact definition of denuclearisation is likely to be raised again as Trump has said he is working to meet again with Kim sometime early next year. It is a self-evident truth that the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is a joint work which can never come true unless the DPRK and the US make joint efforts, KCNA said in the commentary, arguing that US threats had forced North Korea to develop a nuclear deterrent.

It would be proper to say that the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula means completely removing the nuclear threats of the US to the DPRK, before it means the elimination of its nuclear deterrence.
By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Swarm Technologies Inc will pay a $900,000 fine for launching and operating four small experimental communications satellites that risked 'satellite collisions' and threatened 'critical commercial and government satellite operations,' the Federal Communications Commission said on Thursday. The California-based start-up founded by former Google and Apple engineers in 2016 also agreed to enhanced FCC oversight and a requirement of pre-launch notices to the FCC for three years. Swarm launched the satellites in India last January after the FCC rejected its application to deploy and operate them, citing concerns about the company's tracking ability

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Swarm Technologies Inc will pay a $900,000 fine for launching and operating four small experimental communications satellites that risked "satellite collisions" and threatened "critical commercial and government satellite operations," the Federal Communications Commission said on Thursday.

The California-based start-up founded by former Google and Apple engineers in 2016 also agreed to enhanced FCC oversight and a requirement of pre-launch notices to the FCC for three years.

Swarm launched the satellites in India last January after the FCC rejected its application to deploy and operate them, citing concerns about the company's tracking ability.

It said Swarm had unlawfully transmitted signals between earth stations in the state of Georgia and the satellites for over a week. The investigation also found that Swarm performed unauthorised weather balloon-to-ground station tests and other unauthorised equipment tests prior to the satellites' launch.

Swarm aims to provide low-cost space-based internet service and plans eventually to use a constellation of 100 satellites.

Swarm won permission in August from the FCC to reactivate the satellites and said then it is "fully committed to complying with all regulations and has been working closely with the FCC," noting that its satellites are "100 percent trackable."

Swarm co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Sara Spangelo said in a statement on Thursday that the company accepts the FCC decision "and appreciates the FCC's ongoing support for Swarm's mission."

Earlier this month, SpaceX launched three more satellites for Swarm on a Falcon 9 rocket after winning FCC approval.

FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said the size of the penalty "is probably not significant enough to deter future behaviour, but the negative press coverage is likely to prevent this company and others from attempting to do this again."

O'Rielly said an initial fine negotiated by FCC staff was rejected by some commissioners, which led to reopening settlement talks.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Dan Grebler)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
PRAGUE (Reuters) - Five miners died and eight were unaccounted for after a methane explosion at the CSM hard coal mine in the east of the Czech Republic on Thursday, the mine's operator OKD said. A company spokesman said on Czech Television eight others were injured in the blast, which caused devastation in some underground work areas with poor visibility obstructing the efforts of rescue units. State-owned OKD operates shafts in the Karvina region near the Polish border.

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Five miners died and eight were unaccounted for after a methane explosion at the CSM hard coal mine in the east of the Czech Republic on Thursday, the mine's operator OKD said.

A company spokesman said on Czech Television eight others were injured in the blast, which caused devastation in some underground work areas with poor visibility obstructing the efforts of rescue units.

State-owned OKD operates shafts in the Karvina region near the Polish border. Spokesman Ivo Celechovsky said the explosion took place about 800 metres (875 yards) under the surface after 5 p.m. (1600 GMT) on Thursday.

"The death toll has grown to five, eight miners are missing and 10 miners, mostly Polish, were injured," he said. "Rescue works are continuing."

(Reporting by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Alison Williams and Tom Brown)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Britains Gatwick Airport cancelled all flights on Thursday after drones flying near the airport grounded flights.

Flights resumed at London's Gatwick Airport on Friday after drones caused the shutdown of the airfield for more than 24 hours, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded or delayed during the busy holiday season.

The airport said in a statement at 6.14 am that "Gatwick's runway is currently available and a limited number of aircraft are scheduled for departure and arrival." But the statement urged passengers to check flight status before going to the airport "as departures and arrivals will be subject to delays and cancellations."

What exactly happened

Britains Gatwick Airport cancelled all flights on Thursday after drones flying near the airport grounded flights. The prospect of a deadly collision between what police described as industrial-grade drones and an airliner led authorities to stop all flights in and out. The drones were first spotted on Wednesday evening.

Police said they had no doubt the intrusion was a deliberate attempt to disrupt operations at the airport during a peak period, but there were "absolutely no indications to suggest this is terror-related."

The armed forces were also deployed to help resolve the situation. "We are there to assist and do everything we can," Defence Minister Gavin Williamson told reporters.

The crisis at Gatwick had a ripple effect on air travel in Britain, continental Europe and beyond as incoming flights were sent to other locations and outgoing ones were grounded. British authorities said they would lift some night-flight noise restrictions at other airports to ease the congestion.

Travellers described freezing conditions overnight at Gatwick as hundreds slept on benches and floors, and passengers and their families complained they weren't being kept informed about re-routed flights.

Police said the drones were of an "industrial specification," an indication they weren't the small, inexpensive machines sold to hobbyists. The larger drones are more dangerous to jets in flight and can stay in the air longer.

Earlier sightings

Britain had 120 reports of close encounters in 2018, up from 93 last year. In 2014, there were six, according to the UK Airprox Board, which catalogs air safety incidents.

In the United States, there were nearly 2,300 drone sightings at airports in the year ending 30 June, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. Runways have been temporarily closed, but an FAA spokesman said he could not recall drones ever leading to the shutdown of a US airport.

A drone hit a small charter plane in Canada in 2017; and the plane landed safely. In another incident that same year, a drone struck a US Army helicopter in New York but caused only minor damage.

Drone regulations currently

It is illegal to fly drones within 1 kilometre of a British airport boundary, punishable by five years in prison.

Jon Parker, founder of Flyby Technology and a former Royal Air Force fighter pilot told CNN that Drones up to 7 kilos are allowed to fly in airspace controlled by air traffic controllers, but they are not allowed to be flown higher than 120 meters.

British authorities are planning to tighten regulations by requiring drone users to register, which could make it easier to identify the pilot, reported The Associated Press. US law already requires users to register their drones and get certified as pilots.

Britain and the US prohibit drones from being flown too high or too close to airports and other aircraft. In Britain, it is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. Still, there is little to stop a drone operator bent on disrupting air traffic, which British officials say was the case with the Gatwick incident.

Difficulty in stopping drones

The number of close calls between drones and aircraft has increased dramatically in recent years as the popularity of drones has soared. Basic models for amateurs sell for under $100; larger, more sophisticated ones can cost hundreds more.

Authorities could capture drones with anti-drone "net guns" that fire lightweight netting, but such equipment can be pricey and have limited range, and it is not widely used.

As for taking one down with a rifle, hitting a small, fast-moving object like a drone would be difficult even for a marksman, and the bullet could hit someone, experts say. There's also the risk of damage or injury from a falling drone.

Jamming systems could disrupt the signals between drone and operator, but that could interfere with the many vital communication systems in use at an airport, Marc Wagner, CEO of Switzerland-based Drone Detection Sys told The Associated Press.

Local laws might also prevent the use of such electronic countermeasures. Wagner said in Switzerland jamming systems are allowed, while Britain and the US prohibit them. "The only method is to find the pilot and to send someone to the pilot to stop him," Wagner said. Drones that collide with planes could cause more damage than birds of the same size because of their solid motors, batteries and other parts, according to a study released by the FAA.

With inputs from agencies
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to take the notice of the alleged human rights violations in Kashmir

Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to take the notice of the alleged human rights violations in Kashmir.

During a telephonic conversation with Guterres, Imran "underscored (the) UN's role to end these violations", Dawn reported, citing a statement issued by the prime minister's office.

Khan's call to the UN chief comes days after he condemned the killing of seven civilians in Kashmir's Pulwama and threatened to raise the issue at the UN.

Separately, the federal Cabinet in its meeting condemned the presidential rule in Kashmir. Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the Cabinet meeting was held in Islamabad with Imran in chair.
By Giulia Paravicini and Aaron Ross KINSHASA (Reuters) - In his 74 years, Congolese historian Isidore Ndaywel has lived through independence from Belgium, two coups d'etat, multiple civil wars and three changes to the country's name. In the coming days, he hopes to witness another milestone: a presidential election meant to lead to Democratic Republic of Congo's first democratic transfer of power. But like many of his compatriots, he's keeping his expectations in check

By Giulia Paravicini and Aaron Ross

KINSHASA (Reuters) - In his 74 years, Congolese historian Isidore Ndaywel has lived through independence from Belgium, two coups d'etat, multiple civil wars and three changes to the country's name.

In the coming days, he hopes to witness another milestone: a presidential election meant to lead to Democratic Republic of Congo's first democratic transfer of power. But like many of his compatriots, he's keeping his expectations in check.

"There is no freedom," said Ndaywel, who has lived in hiding since last year because of his work with a Catholic group that has organised protests against President Joseph Kabila, who is stepping aside after nearly 18 years in power.

"There isn't much of a chance that these elections will be transparent," Ndaywel told Reuters.

In the latest twist to an election that had already been delayed by more than two years, the electoral commission announced on Thursday that the vote planned for Sunday would be postponed by a week because of a shortage of ballot papers.

Even so, for many of Congo's 80 million citizens, half of whom are registered to vote, the election offers a chance to draw a line under decades of conflict and economic stagnation.

Repeated crises have left the country mired in poverty and 15 million people in need of food assistance despite immense reserves of commodities such as copper and cobalt, which is important to the electric vehicle revolution.

That the election will happen at all - even with the latest delay - represents progress of sorts. The vote to replace Kabila, who succeeded his assassinated father in 2001, was first scheduled for November 2016 but has been repeatedly delayed.

Kabila's opponents accused the increasingly unpopular president of trying to cling to power, and security forces shot dead dozens of people protesting against him. The violence raised fears of a slide back into the kind of open conflict in which millions were killed around the turn of the century.

After refusing to comment publicly on whether he would defy the constitution to seek a third term, Kabila finally announced in August that he would step down and threw his support behind former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary.

For some Congolese, most of whom live on less than $2 a day and survive through informal odd jobs, the announcement provided a rare glimmer of hope.

"I congratulate Mr Kabila on having organised the elections. (It's) something serious we did not expect," said Joseph Mukuna, 32, a taxi driver in the capital, Kinshasa. "We ... think there will be big changes in our country."

VIOLENCE

Ndaywel, however, is wary of false dawns.

He recalled how, when he was a student in 1965 at Kinshasa University, a young army general named Joseph Mobutu seized power in a bloodless coup to the delight of much of the country, then known as the Republic of Congo.

"Certain students knew something was going to happen and they stayed up all night listening to the radio," Ndaywel said. "People were happy to have an energetic president at last."

But Mobutu, who later renamed the country Zaire and himself as Mobutu Sese Seko, did not organise open elections for the next 32 years.

The current election, in which Shadary's main rivals are two opposition candidates, Felix Tshisekedi and Martin Fayulu, has been marred by technical problems organising the vote and violence on the campaign trail.

Security forces have cracked down since last week on Tshisekedi and Fayulu's supporters, killing at least seven people and causing parallels to be drawn with the violence-plagued 2006 and 2011 elections.

And a fire, which authorities blamed on unidentified criminals, destroyed about 8,000 of 10,000 voting machines earmarked for Kinshasa, leaving election officials trying to recall machines from Congo's vast forested interior.

On Wednesday, Kinshasa's governor ordered campaigning in the city halted for security reasons. The electoral commission then announced on Thursday that the vote would be delayed until Dec. 30, a move that appeared certain to spark fresh protests.

VOTING MACHINES

Kabila's opponents accuse authorities of conspiring to rig the election with untested electronic voting machines, and have urged their supporters to be vigilant.

"After you have voted ... stay in front of the polling place until our observers have obtained the vote tally sheet to prevent any cheating," Tshisekedi, the president of Congo's largest opposition party, told supporters at a rally.

The government says the vote will proceed smoothly although its spokesman, Lambert Mende, accused opposition factions last week of "a radical desire to sabotage the electoral process".

The government refused to accept election observers from the European Union and the U.S.-based Carter Center, which said Kabila's re-election in 2011 was marred by widespread fraud.

Observers from the African Union and Southern African Development Community (SADC) will be present. Their criticisms tend to be more muted.

A poll in October by a research group at New York University showed Tshisekedi leading the race with 36 percent support. Shadary and Fayulu trailed with 16 and 8 percent, respectively.

But Shadary, who is under EU sanctions over crackdowns on protests while he was interior minister, is expected to benefit from the ruling coalition's grip on state institutions, including state media.

Victory for Shadary could help Kabila maintain influence behind the scenes. Opposition candidates say they will make a clean break with the Kabila era but have offered few specific policy proposals and many Congolese are not convinced they can bring about real change.

"Our politicians are incapable of telling the truth," said Christian Boka, a 24-year-old student who was selling power to recharge mobile phones in Kinshasa.

"Our politicians are mainly concerned about their own personal interest but want us to believe they care about the common interest."

(Editing by Timothy Heritage)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian at a roadblock in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry said.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian at a roadblock in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The Israeli military, in a statement that made no mention of any casualties, said a vehicle broke through the roadblock and soldiers opened fire. It said it was investigating the incident, which occurred at night near the Palestinian city of Ramallah.

The Palestinian health ministry did not immediately identify the dead man.

A series of deadly shootings have taken place in recent weeks in the West Bank, territory captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

Last Friday, soldiers shot dead a Palestinian during a clash with protesters throwing stones. That incident took place eight days after a Palestinian gunman killed two Israeli soldiers and Israeli forces fatally shot two Hamas gunmen blamed by Israel for earlier attacks.

(Reporting by Ali Sawafta and Jeffrey Heller, Editing by; Angus MacSwan)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The wheels are coming off the Donald Trump presidency. In one of the wildest days yet in the Trump era, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis quit exactly 24 hours after Trump's shock withdrawal of US troops from Syria - the final straw for Mattis after a string of run-ins with the US president over many months.

New York: In one of the wildest days yet in the Trump era, Defence Secretary James Mattis quit exactly 24 hours after Trump's shock withdrawal of US troops from Syria - the final straw for Mattis after a string of run-ins with the US president over many months. As Mattis' resignation spurred a chorus of protests at home and abroad, it can be argued that the wheels are coming off the Donald Trump presidency.

Trump's year of tantrums and meltdowns is ending exactly like it began  with Twitter decrees applauded in Russia and ripped to shreds in his backyard. "Breaking News" is no longer a phrase sufficient to describe the chaos in Trumpworld and today seemed like the last straw even for those who held their nose until now and tolerated Trump's unhinged manner. While these bombshells exploded one after another in Washington and Trump threatened to shut down the government over his $5 billion demand for a border wall, stocks went into free fall on Wall Street in what is shaping up as the worst December since the depths of the Great Depression, with prices dragged down by rising fears of a recession somewhere on the horizon.

Each of Trump's erratic domestic and foreign-policy moves have been part of a deliberate strategy to allow himself to operate in permanent freestyle mode, on the fly, spinning stuff out of thin air. Mattis' exit and Trump's border wall shutdown threat fit snugly with this theory of Crazytown.

Defense Secretary James Mattis has resigned. Heres the letter: pic.twitter.com/e2PulyXpXZ  Elizabeth McLaughlin (@Elizabeth_McLau) December 20, 2018

The resignation of Mattis  widely regarded as the last 'adult' in the White House  comes on a day when Trump pushed the US government to the brink of a shutdown ahead of the holiday season, claiming he cares deeply about border security and will not sign a funding bill that does not deliver his $5 billion for a wall along the US-Mexico border. In the past few weeks, Trump has come at this from every flank. He's said he will sign, he has said he won't sign, he has said he's proud to shut down the government, he ran on this in 2016 and claimed Mexico will pay for it. Nobody is foolish enough to even care any longer, Trump can wring the last drop of political mileage from this mythical wall only as long as it doesn't get built and this con is playing out in broad daylight. If he gets the money for it and the first bricks are laid, what will Trump rail about, which tinder box will he take a match to?

"Chaos!" and "shaken" - this is how rattled Washington politicos are reacting to the bizarre events of the day which confirmed that Trump was caving to hard-right media dog whistling for the wall to be built. Rush Limbaugh pushed Trump via his radio show to shut the government down and Trump texted Limbaugh back saying that yes, he is doing exactly that. Did that really happen? Yes, a reality television star turned president is being played by the most racially charged idiot box shows in town and he's caving. Veto this thing and then head down to Mar-a-Lago, Limbaugh said, referring to Trumps vacation plans. I will meet you on the first tee wherever you want to play golf, whenever, and this will end up being resolved in your favor.

Hours after this came the Mattis resignation and newsrooms across the country were scrambling to rewrite their Page One stories by the hour.

"You have a right to have a defence secretary whose views are better aligned with yours" is Mattis' parting shot to Trump.

The two have clashed from the early days over a troop drawdown in Syria and Trump's go-it-alone stance in world affairs. Other lead actors of Trumpism also fed Trump stories about how generals like Mattis had spent so many years in the Central Command that covered the Middle East and Asia that their scope became too wide for Trump's rather narrow economic goals. "They never cared about the cost of anything", Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon said of Mattis, writes Bob Woodward, in 'Fear'.

Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Trump's administration, will leave by the end of February after two tumultuous years struggling to soften and moderate the US president's abruptly shifting policies.

In his resignation letter, Mattis alluded to disagreements with Trump as the reason for his departure.

"Because you have the right to have a secretary of defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis wrote.

Trump's decision to pull troops out of Syria has been criticized for abandoning America's Kurdish allies, who may well face a Turkish assault once US troops leave. Mattis, in his resignation letter, emphasized the importance of standing up for U.S. allies in an implicit criticism of the president's decision.

"While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies," Mattis wrote.

Just in as the day winds up in the US East Coast: Robert Mueller is likely to submit his final report by February 2019, all signals indicate he is tying up "loose ends" reports NBC, where the story broke.
James Mattis resigned with a scathing letter which essentially underlined his strong differences with his Commander-in-Chief

Surprise is certainly the hallmark of President Donald Trumps administration. That, or shock. Just a day after the Pentagon released its Report to Congress on Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan , the White House announced that troops for the mission would be cut by half, which is around 7,000. This announcement came a day after the announcement of the return of 2,000 US troops from Syria. The next day, Defence Secretary James Mattis resigned with a scathing letter which essentially underlined his strong differences with his Commander-in-Chief on this and other issues. According to reports, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton were also consulted, and were against the move to bring back troops from Afghanistan. But Trump is clearly considering his voters and bringing troops home for Christmas is clearly going to sell. It's going to sell with the Taliban too. Another superpower tamed.

The Report to Congress by the Pentagon clearly states that the presence of US forces makes possible the execution of two well-defined and complementary mission-sets which are the NATOs training mission for the Afghan Defence Forces and the US Counter-Terrorism mission to defeat Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. The objective of the mission is to protect the US homeland, US citizens, US interests overseas, and our allies and partners. The report also reiterates that its final goal is a political settlement between the Afghan government and the Taliban, underlying which is the single national goal that it should never become a launch pad for terrorist attacks. Apparently Trump believes  in the teeth of advice to the contrary  that his objectives are being met.

In one area it seems that the US is getting its objective. As against earlier talks at Doha, the present round is being held in the UAE. The choice itself is interesting, since the US has roped in Saudi Arabia (which would never go to Qatar) who is to presumably persuade not only the Taliban, but also the Pakistanis who are now well and truly on a Saudi payroll, after Riyadh provided a $6 billion aid package and much more expected in terms of investment. This strange duo is therefore expected to bring the Taliban to heel, even while Riyadh is to additionally rein in the Pakistan Army and its intelligence agencies. What the two have in common for the Afghans future is another matter altogether. Recall, that it was this partnership that set in motion the deadly tide of extremism in Afghanistan, which then spread outwards.

While little is known about the talks which began on 17 December, one source available are the Talibans own news releases. The first of these seems to indicate separate meetings separately with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, after which discussions were held with the US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad. Then there are the denials, which include one a Tolo news report quoting a senior Taliban official who admitted that some 3,000 foreigners were still in the country.

It also denied that the talks were about a ceasefire, a caretaker government or anything else, instead indicating that the talks were entirely on US troops withdrawal. Both these show the hollowness of Taliban denials. Foreigners are aplenty in the country, especially when counting the Talibans Pakistani friends, and a variety of nationals who have filtered in as the US war in Syria picked up. But more importantly, it has so far seemed extremely unlikely that US commanders would insist on a great many pre-conditions that delivered their national objectives, well before any eventual phased withdrawal. Now, that is no longer certain. If half of US strength in Afghanistan is being withdrawn, then US Special Representative Zalmay Khalizad probably just lost a valuable trump card in negotiations.

Meanwhile the Taliban have had their own set of meetings. In a more than unusual move, Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah Akundzada summoned at least seven from the political office in Doha office to his Pakistan hideout. Since Haibatullah is more scholar than diplomat or fighter, the actual chair of these talks would be obvious to the poorest intellect. What transpired is obviously unknown, but the latest report from the Pakistani media notes the release from Afghan custody of Anas Haqqani, the brother of Sirajuddin Haqqani, and the military head of the group, together with eight aides.

An uncle of Sirajuddin is also likely to have been released. Theres more. Earlier in the year, the Taliban spokesman announced that five of the most hardline Taliban  earlier detainees in Guantanamo  were made part of the Doha political office. Since these included persons like Mohamad Fazl , former Taliban army chief, and Khairullah Khairkhwa , once close to Mullah Omar, it was probably felt that a heavyweight negotiating team would be able to bring recalcitrant Taliban on board. Whatever the motive, it means that these releases and appointments bring the Taliban straight back to their fundamentalist core. Clearly, a considerable path has been traversed well before this round of talks and concessions given. Unsurprisingly, the US special envoy is reported to have flown to meet the Pakistani Army chief General Bajwa, immediately following the talks.

Which brings the whole back to the issue of Mattis' resignation and what it means for India. Recall that the 2+2 dialogue, when the Defence Secretarys closing remarks reflected New Delhis satisfaction with Washingtons South Asia policy which hinged around Pakistan delivering the goods in Afghanistan. In a concession to reality, India also held its own unofficial talks with the Taliban in Moscow, mostly in step with the Kabul government.

Now it seems that Kabul has been calmly set aside in the present round of talks as well, leading to dismay among those who have staked their lives  quite literally  on keeping out the Taliban. In such a scenario, New Delhi is hardly likely to support the India Pacific strategy that is the fulcrum of the US policy towards China. An India beset by a Taliban resurgence to the west is hardly likely to look for new enemies in the east. It is probably back to the drawing board for Indian policymakers.
Shivraj declared to visit every village in the state in his mass contact programme after spending three days in Budhni from Friday.

Bhopal: Nine days after losing power in a cliff hanger battle in the recently held assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, outgoing chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan warned his adversaries, particularly the ruling Congress, not to write him off, saying Tiger abhi zinda hai (Tiger is still alive).

Significantly, Mr Chouhan forecast an early polls in Madhya Pradesh in the wake of no political party gaining majority in the November 28 assembly elections in the state.

Reassuring of his backing to electorates of his assembly constituency Budhni who dropped in his official residence here late on Wednesday night, despite being out of power, Mr Chouhan said, There is no need to worry about your wellbeing. Nobody can harm you as long as I am here.

Tiger abhi zinda hai, he said quoting the title of a Salman Khan-starrer Bollywood blockbuster.

Predicted a snap poll in MP in wake of the elections throwing a fractured mandate, he said, This government may not last its full tenure of five years.

May be it will not take an entire five years, maybe I will be back sooner than you expect, he quipped.

Later on Thursday, he tweeted, I have taken two steps back to take a big leap.

While Congress formed government in the state with support of SP (one seat), BSP (two seats) and four Independents after emerging single largest party by security 114 out of 230 seats, BJP lost the chance of retaining power in the state for fourth time in a row by bagging 109 seats.

Incidentally, Mr Chouhan on Thursday set out on a journey by train from Bhopal to Bina in MP to interact with people gathered to welcome him at every railway stations in the route.

He declared to visit every village in the state in his mass contact programme after spending three days in Budhni from Friday.
By David Shepardson and Lisa Lambert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top Democrats in the U.S.

By David Shepardson and Lisa Lambert

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top Democrats in the U.S. Senate are sounding alarms about the special counsel's investigation into possible Russia election meddling, saying President Donald Trump's pick for the next attorney general, William Barr, could derail the probe.

They are also concerned by reports that Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker does not have to recuse himself from overseeing the investigation, even though he repeatedly criticized it.

Whoever takes the job will supervise a major investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. The investigation already has ensnared Trump's former campaign manager, former personal lawyer, and former national security adviser. Trump, who has denied wrongdoing, has labelled it a "witch hunt," raising concerns he may attempt to shut the investigation down.

Russia has denied interference.

Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the Senate, said on Thursday Barr is disqualified from the post by his recent memo blasting any potential attempts by Mueller to look into possible obstruction from Trump.

"The president must immediately reconsider and find another nominee who is free of conflicts and will carry out the duties of the office impartially, Schumer said.

Trump said earlier this month he would nominate Barr, who was U.S. attorney general under President George H.W. Bush, to return to the position.

According to media reports, Barr gave the memo, which was provided to lawmakers late on Wednesday, to the White House as well as Justice Department officials before his name was floated for the job.

"We need answers as to why William Barr proactively drafted a memo against Special Counsel Mueller's investigation," Senator Dianne Feinstein, the senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, wrote on Twitter. "Theres no reason for a lawyer in private practice to do this unless he was attempting to curry favour with President Trump."

The vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Democrat Mark Warner, on Twitter called for a bill to protect the investigation from political interference. He said legislation was urgently needed after Justice Department ethics officials reportedly told Whitaker he does not need to recuse himself from overseeing the probe.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who has been overseeing Mueller's investigation, said on Thursday the Barr memo had not impacted the investigation and he had not shared confidential information with Barr.

"Bill Barr will be an outstanding attorney general when he is confirmed next year," Rosenstein said.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Bill Trott)

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RABAT/COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Moroccan authorities said on Thursday that four suspects in the murder of two female Scandiniavian tourists in the Atlas Mountains had pledged allegiance to Islamic State before the killings. The bodies of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, from Denmark and Maren Ueland, 28, from Norway, were found on Monday in an isolated area near Imlil, on the way to Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak and a popular hiking destination

RABAT/COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Moroccan authorities said on Thursday that four suspects in the murder of two female Scandiniavian tourists in the Atlas Mountains had pledged allegiance to Islamic State before the killings.

The bodies of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, from Denmark and Maren Ueland, 28, from Norway, were found on Monday in an isolated area near Imlil, on the way to Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak and a popular hiking destination.

Police arrested a suspect on Tuesday in the tourist hub of Marrakech who they said belonged to a militant group. Three more were picked up later in the city, the Central Bureau for Judicial Investigations said.

Morocco's general prosecutor on Thursday confirmed the authenticity of a video in which he said the four pledged allegiance to Islamic State and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

In the video, which was posted on social media, the suspects threatened to carry out attacks, the general prosecutor said in a statement.

Investigations by the bureau also showed the video was made last week before the killing of the two women. The evidence discovered so far pointed to a terrorist motive, the bureau said.

Preliminary investigations of the video found that it was shot in a different place from where the women's bodies were found, a police source told Reuters.

Danish intelligence said earlier on Thursday that Islamic State could be behind the killings.

"The video and preliminary investigation according to the Moroccan authorities indicate that the killings may be related to the terrorist organisation Islamic State," the Danish intelligence service said in a statement.

"This is a case of an unusually bestial killing of two totally innocent young women," it said.

Before leaving, Jespersen had posted on Facebook about her upcoming trip.

"Dear friends, I'm going to Morocco in December. Any of you guys who's around by then or any mountain friends who knows something about Mount Toubkal?"

Compared to other countries in North Africa, Morocco has been largely insulated from militant attacks. The most recent took place in April 2011, when 17 people were killed in a bombing of a restaurant in Marrakech.

"This is a brutal and meaningless attack on innocent people, which we react to with disgust and condemnation," Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said in a statement.

The Bureau for Judicial Investigations, established in 2015, says it has so far broken up 57 militant cells, including eight in 2018.

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Copenhagen and Ahmed Eljechtimi in Rabat; additional reporting by Emil Gjerding Nielson in Copenhagen and Terje Solsvik in Oslo; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Angus MacSwan)

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By Phil Stewart and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis abruptly said he was quitting on Thursday after falling out with President Donald Trump over his foreign policies, one day after Trump rebuffed top advisers and decided to pull all U.S

By Phil Stewart and Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis abruptly said he was quitting on Thursday after falling out with President Donald Trump over his foreign policies, one day after Trump rebuffed top advisers and decided to pull all U.S. troops out of Syria.

Mattis announced plans to resign after a face-to-face meeting with Trump in which they aired their differences, a senior White House official said.

"Because you have a right to a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis said in his resignation letter, released by the Pentagon.

A U.S. official said that Mattis' departure had not been forced by Trump.

Trump announced on Wednesday that U.S. troops in Syria would be withdrawn, a decision that upended American policy in the region. On Thursday, officials said the president was considering a substantial U.S. pullout from the 17-year-long conflict in Afghanistan.

Mattis, a retired Marine general whose embrace of NATO and America's traditional alliances often put him at odds with Trump, had opposed the decision on Syria, officials said. One official added it was a contributing factor to his resignation.

The news is certain to shock U.S. military allies, already bewildered by what they see as Trump's unpredictable, go-it-alone approach to global security, and raises questions about whether Mattis' successor will be as steadfast about traditional treaty commitments, including to NATO.

When Mattis interviewed with Trump for the job in 2016, he split with president-elect on a host of issues, including on NATO and the use of torture. Trump ultimately deferred to Mattis, who opposed the practice, signalling that he could be persuaded by his advisers.

But as time grew, Trump increasingly acted on his own instincts on a host of national security issues, choosing an "America First" agenda that contradicted Mattis' core beliefs.

Trump had also rebuffed Mattis' top pick to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, choosing instead Army General Mark Milley. Mattis supported Milley but had favoured Air Force General David Goldfein.

His letter indicated that he disagreed with Trump's isolationist policies, writing that it was his belief the United States needed to maintain strong alliances and show allies respect.

Trump has withdrawn the United States from several international agreements since taking office in January 2017.

The Mattis resignation letter also said that he believed the United States "must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours." He identified Russia and China as countries that "want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model."

WHITE HOUSE UNPREDICTABILITY

The shifts in significant aspects of U.S. foreign policy and Mattis' addition to the long list of senior Trump administration figures who have quit or been removed added to the sense of an increasingly unpredictable White House as Trump approaches the halfway point of his four-year term.

And if defence policy disagreements were not enough distraction for a president who is under investigation by a special counsel over Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, financial markets took a beating this week and a U.S. government shutdown loomed because of funding disputes over Trump's desire to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump, announcing Mattis' departure on Twitter, said he would nominate a successor soon.

"General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years," he said.

The two men met in the Oval Office on Thursday afternoon. During the session, Mattis told Trump of his plans to resign, the senior White House official said.

"He and the president had differences on some issues. I don't know if it was specifically Syria," the official said.

Trump's White House has had the highest turnover of senior-level staff of the past five presidents, according to the Brookings Institution think tank. Some departed unceremoniously, such as Trump's first Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whom Trump fired via Twitter in March.

Speculation that Mattis might not last long in his post grew in October when Republican Trump said in a CBS interview that the general was "sort of a Democrat" and might be leaving.

Mattis, along with other national security aides, was said to have opposed Trump's decision to remove U.S. troops from Syria. Many U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern about the decision and asked Trump to reconsider.

Mattis has argued for maintaining a strong U.S. military presence in Afghanistan to bolster diplomatic peace efforts.

The Pentagon declined comment on Afghanistan.

Garrett Marquis, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said that the White House was not going to comment "on future strategic developments."

U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said thousands of the 14,000 troops in Afghanistan could be sent home as a result of the deliberations, the disclosure of which could undermine peace efforts with the Taliban.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart, Steve Holland and Idrees Ali in Washington; writing by Tim Ahmann; editing by James Dalgleish and Grant McCool)

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By Phil Stewart and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general who was known as a stabilizing force in President Donald Trump's Cabinet, will leave his job at the end of February, Trump said in a tweet on Thursday. His departure had been anticipated since Trump announced on Wednesday that he was withdrawing U.S

By Phil Stewart and Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general who was known as a stabilizing force in President Donald Trump's Cabinet, will leave his job at the end of February, Trump said in a tweet on Thursday.

His departure had been anticipated since Trump announced on Wednesday that he was withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria despite opposition from U.S. allies and top U.S. military officials.

Mattis said in his resignation letter that he was stepping down so Trump could have a defence chief whose views align more closely with his own.

Trump said he would nominate a successor to Mattis shortly.

Mattis joins a long list of former Trump administration senior figures who have either quit or been removed, some unceremoniously like Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who Trump fired via Twitter in March.

Trump's White House has had the highest turnover of senior-level staff of the past five presidents, according to the Brookings Institution think tank.

Speculation that Mattis might not last long in his post grew in October when Trump said in a CBS interview that the general was "sort of a Democrat" and might be leaving.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Steve Holland in Washington; Editing by Tim Ahmann and James Dalgleish)

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CAIRO (Reuters) - Afghan peace talks held in the United Arab Emirates will yield 'very positive results by the beginning of next year', the Saudi ambassador to Washington said on Thursday, adding to hopes of progress to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan.

CAIRO (Reuters) - Afghan peace talks held in the United Arab Emirates will yield "very positive results by the beginning of next year", the Saudi ambassador to Washington said on Thursday, adding to hopes of progress to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan.

Khalid bin Salman added on his Twitter account that the talks were productive and would "help promote intra-Afghan dialogue towards ending the conflict".

The U.S. special envoy for Afghan peace talks, Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul on Wednesday to meet government leaders following his discussions with Taliban representatives in Abu Dhabi earlier this week.

Officials from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates took part in the Abu Dhabi meeting, at least the third encounter between Khalilzad and Taliban envoys since he was named to oversee the peace effort from Washington's side in September.

In an interview with Afghanistan's Ariana Television, Khalilzad repeated that, ideally, an agreement would be reached before presidential elections, currently scheduled for April 20.

"I think it would be great if we could reach a peace deal before the elections," he said, according to a transcript provided by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

"But it doesn't only depend on Afghanistans government. It depends on the Taliban too,"

The United States insists that any peace settlement must be agreed between Afghans but the Taliban have so far publicly refused to talk directly to the Afghan government, which they say is an illegitimate, foreign-imposed regime.

The urgency around the peace talks was heightened by President Donald Trump's unexpected decision this week, fulfilling a promise from his 2016 presidential election campaign, to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.

According to Western diplomats in Kabul, there is concern among some U.S. allies that Trump may decide a similar move in Afghanistan and Khalilzad is widely believed to have until the middle of next year to come up with a settlement.

In a separate interview with Tolo News, Khalilzad said Trump was "in a hurry", having promised the American people that he wanted to end the war in Afghanistan.

"But it should not be misinterpreted - we want peace here with respect to set objectives - that Afghanistan will not be a threat for the U.S. - and that we have a positive relationship with Afghanistan," he said.

"... but if the Taliban are not prepared for that and war continues, then we will stand by the Afghan government and people," he said.

Washington hopes Saudia Arabia and the UAE can push Pakistan to use its leverage on the Taliban to drop their refusal to talk directly with the Afghan government.

Khalilzad said that during the Abu Dhabi meeting, the two countries had proposed a three-month ceasefire between the Taliban and the Afghan government but that the Taliban had asked for more time to consult with their leadership.

"We told them, if they want peace or if they are serious about peace, they should sit with the Afghans and respond as soon as possible to the Emirati and Saudi suggestion."

(Reporting by Nayera Abdallah in Cairo, and James Mackenzie in Kabul; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Alison Williams)

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The documents, which were released by the State Department, reveal that then Pakistan's dictator General Zia-ul Haq and Chinese vice premier Deng Xiaoping were successful in extracting this price from the US in lieu of Islamabad's support to America against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Washington: The US acceded to Pakistan's demand, supported by China, to "set aside" its concerns over Islamabad's secretive nuclear weapons programme in the immediate aftermath of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, according to the latest documents declassified from the era.

The documents, which were released by the State Department, reveal that then Pakistani dictator General Zia-ul Haq and Chinese vice premier Deng Xiaoping were successful in extracting this price from the US in lieu of Islamabad's support to America against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

In addition to the US turning a blind eye to Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme, Deng also convinced the US to start giving more military and financial aid to Pakistan, according to the US Foreign Relations 1977-1980 volume on Afghanistan.

The voluminous document indicates that both Zia and Deng successfully convinced the then Carter administration that India under former prime minister Indira Gandhi would be pro-Soviet. "There are limits on our ability to aid Pakistan because of their nuclear explosive programme. Although we still object to their doing so, we will now set that aside for the time being, to facilitate strengthening Pakistan against potential Soviet action," the then US Defense Secretary Harold Brown said in a January 8, 1980 meeting with Deng.

Deng applauded the US decision as he was successfully able to convince the Carter administration on this issue. "That is a very good approach. Pakistan has its own reasons for developing a nuclear programme. We ourselves oppose the Pakistan effort on nuclear weapons because we believe it meaningless to spend money on such a programme," he said.

"Pakistan has its own arguments, ie, India has exploded a nuclear device but the world has not seemed to complain about this. So now you have decided to put this aside and solve the question of military and economic aid to Pakistan. We applaud this decision," Deng said.

He also convinced the US to not equate India and Pakistan when it comes to giving aid. "You may recall that I raised the question of aid to Pakistan with President Carter. He said the US will give aid in proportion to the population of the two countries. I said this was not feasible," Deng told Brown referring to his conversation with Carter.

"The Pakistanis and Indians are afraid of each other. If the population ratio formula should be used, Pakistan will be in an increasingly inferior position. We hope that since the United States decided to give aid to Pakistan, it will really satisfy Pakistan's requirements. We hope your aid to Pakistan will not be affected too much by India's reaction," Deng said.

"With regard to the question of South Asia, there is no other way except giving aid to Pakistan. It has always been our view that the US policy giving more attention to India than Pakistan is not an appropriate policy.

"Regarding India, we have always felt that the United States should try to cultivate good relations, and this has had a good effect. But India is not a stabilising factor. Perhaps you already know the general election results," Deng said.

He was referring to the then just-concluded parliamentary elections in which Indira Gandhi came back to power with a majority.

Observing that Gandhi had got 70 per cent of the vote, Deng said it was very difficult to judge that time how India will go. "Even if Indira Gandhi should follow India's previous policy; still India is not the most reliable and stabilising factor in southern Asia," he argued.

"Let's not talk about Indira Gandhi. The present government is thinking of recognising the Heng Samrin Regime. Perhaps after Pakistan has been strengthened, India will become a more stabilising factor. What one should try to achieve is to make Pakistan a genuine stabilising factor in South Asia," he said.

"We hope the United States will give earnest and sincere thought to this question. If one does not keep this clear in one's mind, then one's attitude toward India will make one vacillate in one's position toward Pakistan.

"In the past the United States has refrained from aiding Pakistan. I think in part this is the work of India, probably because of a fear of offending India. Since you now have decided to aid Pakistan, I am sure India will send you one note after another, strongly objecting," Deng said.

Around 10 days before Gandhi was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of India on January 14, 1980, Zia had a meeting with the then US Ambassador to Pakistan in which he successfully bargained for the US to keep an eye off its nuclear weapons programme in lieu of its support for America against the Russian invasion in Afghanistan.

President Carter's statement of 4 January "gives the impression that nuclear issue need not be an obstacle and Pakistan needs to know precisely what America proposes to do to help Pakistan" Haq is quoted as saying in a readout of the meeting.

In October, when Zia visited the US, President Carter offered F-16 to Pakistan. Zia asked for six more planes in addition to increasing military aid. "The freedom fighters need more anti-tank and anti-helicopter weapons (discussion of some defective SA7s). France has good weapons and the Europeans should be more helpful," he said.

"On another issue, I just want to say that Mrs Gandhi is no friend of Pakistan or the US," he told Carter.
By Sam Edwards and Andres Gonzalez MADRID/BARCELONA (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Catalan leader Quim Torra expressed a commitment to dialogue on Thursday in a symbolic joint declaration to ease tensions in the protracted crisis over Catalonia's ambitions to split from Spain.

By Sam Edwards and Andres Gonzalez

MADRID/BARCELONA (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Catalan leader Quim Torra expressed a commitment to dialogue on Thursday in a symbolic joint declaration to ease tensions in the protracted crisis over Catalonia's ambitions to split from Spain.

The statement indicates a turning point in the conflict between Madrid and the northeastern region, opening the door for a political solution to a dispute which reached its summit last year with its unilateral declaration of independence.

The meeting took place hours before a rare visit to Barcelona on Friday by the Spanish cabinet - an event which has led to protests being planned across Catalonia.

"Although maintaining notable differences...they share, above all, their commitment to an effective dialogue that conveys a political proposal with broad support in Catalan society," both governments said in a statement.

Sanchez and the pro-independence Torra agreed to keep working together, and Spain's vice-president Carmen Calvo and her regional counterpart Pere Aragones will meet again in January.

Earlier in the day, nine jailed Catalan separatist leaders called for large but peaceful protests and four of them called off a hunger strike they had started in early December.

In signs of a cooling down in the conflict, Torra's party and other pro-independence groups also supported the government's broad plan for budget deficits in 2019 and 2020, which could bode well for the 2019 budget vote in January.

The meeting prompted criticism of the leaders by the centre-right opposition People's Party and Ciudadanos, who accused Sanchez of "humiliation" and ask for Madrid to take control of the region again.

In October 2017, Catalonia unilaterally declared independence, prompting Madrid to intervene in the region bu dismissing its parliament and arresting secessionist leaders.

But Sanchez, who came to power in June 2018, has been more open to dialogue with Catalonia, which has 7.5 million people and accounts for about a fifth of Spain's economy.

His Socialists hold a minority in parliament and rely on the backing of pro-independence parties to pass legislation, including the 2019 draft budget.

Friday's planned demonstrations against Madrid will be the latest of many, some of which have drawn hundreds of thousands.

National police will be deployed in Barcelona to guard the cabinet meeting amid fears that extreme elements of the independence movement could stoke violence.

"(Sanchez's government) will want to provoke us, they will be angry, they would like us to be violent, and they will not succeed," the nine prisoners said in a letter released by their political parties.

"Our strength also lies in maintaining, always and everywhere, a civic and peaceful attitude," they wrote.

Spain's constitution prohibits regions from breaking away and the independence drive, backed by about half of Catalans, has caused the country's worst political crisis in decades.

During last year's independence vote, Spanish police attempted to shut down impromptu voting stations, provoking an international outcry with the use of batons and rubber bullets in melees that injured dozens.

(Writing by Andres Gonzalez,; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Angus MacSwan)

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general who was known as a stabilising force in President Donald Trump's Cabinet, will leave his job at the end of February, Trump said in a tweet on Thursday.

The departure of Mattis had been anticipated since Trump announced on Wednesday that he was withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria despite opposition from U.S. allies and Trump's own top military officials.

(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Tim Ahmann)

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By Diane Bartz and Jack Stubbs WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) - The United States and three allies chastised China for economic espionage on Thursday, ratcheting up tensions as U.S. prosecutors indicted two Chinese nationals linked to a spy agency on charges of stealing confidential data from American government agencies and businesses around the world. Prosecutors charged Zhu Hua and Zhang Jianguo in hacking attacks against the U.S.

By Diane Bartz and Jack Stubbs

WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) - The United States and three allies chastised China for economic espionage on Thursday, ratcheting up tensions as U.S. prosecutors indicted two Chinese nationals linked to a spy agency on charges of stealing confidential data from American government agencies and businesses around the world.

Prosecutors charged Zhu Hua and Zhang Jianguo in hacking attacks against the U.S. Navy, the space agency NASA and the Energy Department and dozens of companies. The operation targeted intellectual property and corporate secrets to give Chinese companies an unfair competitive advantage, they said.

Britain, Australia and New Zealand joined the United States in slamming China over what they called a global campaign of cyber-enabled commercial intellectual property theft, signalling growing global coordination against the practice.

"No country poses a broader, more severe long-term threat to our nation's economy and cyber infrastructure than China," FBI Director Chris Wray said at a news conference. "China's goal, simply put, is to replace the U.S. as the world's leading superpower, and they're using illegal methods to get there."

Five sources familiar with the attacks told Reuters the hackers breached the networks of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co and IBM , then used the access to hack into their clients' computers. IBM said it had no evidence that sensitive data had been compromised. HPE said it could not comment.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other officials in President Donald Trump's administration said China's hacking effort, which U.S. officials said began in 2006 and ran through 2018, violated a 2015 agreement intended to crack down on cyber espionage for commercial purposes.

Britain agreed. The campaign is "one of the most serious, strategically significant, persistent and potentially damaging set of cyber intrusions against the UK and our allies that we have seen," a British security official said.

Victims included NASA's Goddard Space Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Energy Department's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and companies involved in aviation, space and satellite technology, finance, electronics, healthcare, oil and gas exploration, according to court documents.

"The list of victim companies reads like a 'Who's Who' of the global economy," Wray said. He did not name the businesses.

Tensions between Washington and Beijing are high over tit-for-tat trade tariffs and after Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies , was arrested in Canada at the request of the United States. Meng was arrested on the same day the United States and China agreed to talks to resolve the trade dispute.

CONSPIRACY CHARGES

Prosecutors charged the defendants, who they said worked with China's Ministry of State Security intelligence agency, with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Zhu and Zhang were members of a hacking group known within the cyber security community as APT 10 and also worked for a Tianjin company Huaying Haitai Science and Technology Development Co, prosecutors said.

NASA said it did not believe agency missions were jeopardized by the hacking and took immediate action to secure affected servers. China's embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

APT10 also stole personal data including Social Security numbers from more than 100,000 U.S. Navy personnel, they said.

A Navy spokesperson said that sailors are notified immediately when there is a data breach, but declined further comment due to an ongoing investigation.

The hacking targets also include technology firms that provide outsourced email, storage and other computing tasks, according to court documents.

This is the latest in a series of hacking cases brought by the United States against Chinese nationals.

In October, the U.S. government charged Chinese intelligence officers with stealing information on a turbo fan engine used in commercial jetliners. The same month, the Justice Department arrested an alleged spy for China's Ministry of State Security on charges of economic espionage and attempting to steal U.S. aviation trade secrets.

In September, a Chinese national who had enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve was arrested in Chicago for allegedly working for Chinese intelligence to recruit engineers and scientists, including some who worked for U.S. defence contractors.

Australian officials issued a statement expressing "serious concern" about Chinese commercial intellectual property theft. An official in New Zealand said in a statement the country "joins likeminded partners in expressing that such cyber campaigns are unacceptable."

Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and Sweden also were expected to denounce Chinese cyber efforts, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz, Lisa Lambert, David Shepardson, Susan Heavey in Washington and Jack Stubbs in London; Additional reporting by Jim Finkle; Writing by Alexandra Alper; Editing by Will Dunham and Sonya Hepinstall)

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By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) - The judge presiding over the U.S. trial of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman on Thursday rejected an accusation by prosecutors that one of Guzman's lawyers had facilitated unauthorised contact between the accused Mexican drug lord and his wife, Emma Coronel. Prosecutors made the claim in a filing late last month after a court security officer saw Coronel using a cell phone in the Brooklyn courtroom where her husband is on trial

By Brendan Pierson

(Reuters) - The judge presiding over the U.S. trial of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman on Thursday rejected an accusation by prosecutors that one of Guzman's lawyers had facilitated unauthorised contact between the accused Mexican drug lord and his wife, Emma Coronel.

Prosecutors made the claim in a filing late last month after a court security officer saw Coronel using a cell phone in the Brooklyn courtroom where her husband is on trial. Only lawyers are allowed cell phones in the courtroom.

Because the filing was heavily redacted, it was not clear at the time which lawyer the prosecutors were accusing, or what evidence they had.

U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan revealed in an order on Thursday that prosecutors believed lawyer Mariel Colon had given the phone to Coronel so she could communicate with Guzman. They pointed to court security footage showing Coronel talking on a cell phone in the courthouse while Colon was alone with Guzman in the defence team's conference room, and the two women leaving the courthouse together soon after, according to Cogan's order.

Special security measures bar Guzman, who twice escaped from prison in Mexico, from communicating with his wife. The measures are so strict that he was not even allowed a brief hug at the beginning of the trial.

Cogan said the footage was "more consistent with a coincidence than with a scheme by defence counsel." Nonetheless, he said he believed Colon had given Coronel a phone, in violation of court rules, and barred Colon from bringing a phone into the courthouse in the future.

Colon declined to comment.

The order comes near the end of the sixth week of the trial, which is expected to last up to four months. Jurors have already heard days of testimony from former associates of Guzman who are now cooperating with the prosecutors.

The often dramatic testimony has included stories of multi-ton drug shipments by air, sea and through tunnels, deadly wars between rival cartels and brazen corruption of Mexican public officials.

Guzman was extradited to the United States in January 2017 on charges of trafficking massive quantities of cocaine and other drugs into the United States as leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. His lawyers have said he was set up as a scapegoat by another drug lord, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, who also faces U.S. charges but remains at large.

(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Tom Brown)

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'The Opposition is making a mountain out of a mole hill where even a mole hill does not exist,' Arun Jaitley said.

Arun Jaitley said it would have been better if the Opposition had obtained all information before raising this issue. (Screengrab | RSTV)

New Delhi: The government's move to authorise 10 Central agencies to intercept any information on computers on Friday rocked the Rajya Sabha, with Union Minister Arun Jaitley saying the opposition was creating a mountain out of a mole hill as the authorisation was given under old rules.

Congress leader Anand Sharma raised the issue of the MHA authorising 10 central agencies to intercept any information on computers.

Replying to him, Jaitley said it would have been better if the Opposition had obtained all information before raising this issue.

"The Opposition is making a mountain out of a mole hill where even a mole hill does not exist," he said.

"When senior members from Opposition raise an issue every word spoken by them has precious value and therefore they must know facts," Jaitley told the House amid the din.

He said the rules under which agencies have been authorised to intercept were framed in 2009 when the Congress led UPA was in power. The authorisation has been issued under the same rules. Since the Act has been in place these orders of authorisation are repeated from time to time, he said.

The order authorises 10 Central agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor, and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer.
As thousands of passengers waited at Gatwick Airport, south of London, police hunted unsuccessfully for the operators of the large drones which reappeared near the airfield every time the airport tried to reopen the runway.

London: Britain sent troops to its second-biggest airport after an unprecedented attempt to cripple Christmas travel with large drones forced all flights to be cancelled on Thursday.

As thousands of passengers waited at Gatwick Airport, south of London, police hunted unsuccessfully for the operators of the large drones which reappeared near the airfield every time the airport tried to reopen the runway.

Police said there was no indication of a terrorist motive behind the devices, which first appeared on Wednesday night. "The assessment earlier on today was that we wouldnt be using firearms," Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley said late on Thursday. "This is continually reviewed so you will know and have seen that we have firearm officers deployed."

Europes air traffic control agency Eurocontrol said the airport would remain closed until 0600 GMT on Friday.

The armed forces were also deployed to help resolve the situation. "We are there to assist and do everything we can," Defence Minister Gavin Williamson told reporters.

Drones were seen as recently as the last hour, a Gatwick spokesman said at about 2200 GMT on Thursday, more than 24 hours after their first sighting. The airport said flights would remain shut down for the rest of the evening on a day when 115,000 people were scheduled to pass through, many en route to seasonal breaks.

Prime Minister Theresa Mays spokesman condemned the standoff as irresponsible and completely unacceptable.

Passenger Ani Kochiashvili had been bound for Georgia but spent six hours overnight sitting on a plane with her children. Im very annoyed because Im with two kids, a three-month-old and three-year-old, she told Reuters by phone among thousands camped in the terminal. "They require a lot of space and food and changing and all that, and the airport is crazy busy so its challenging."

Flights were halted at 2103 GMT on Wednesday after two drones were spotted near the airfield, triggering the biggest disruption at Gatwick since a volcanic ash cloud in 2010. Police said more than 20 units were hunting the operators near Gatwick airport, 50 km (30 miles) south of London.

Transport minister Chris Grayling said it was clearly a deliberate act. This is a commercial-sized drone, he said. Every time Gatwick tries to re-open the runway, the drones reappear.

Grayling temporarily lifted night-flying restrictions at other airports to ease congestion caused by diverted aircraft, Sky News reported.

Complete Mayhem



With a surge in public enthusiasm for drones, there has been an increase in near-collisions by unmanned aircraft and commercial jets in recent years.

The number of near misses between private drones and aircraft in Britain more than tripled between 2015 and 2017, with 92 incidents recorded last year, according to the UK Airprox Board regulator.

Richard Parker, head of air traffic management technology firm Altitude Angel, said this was the first time a major airport had been hit by such a sustained and deliberate incursion into its airspace. "Its sophisticated, not from a technology side, but its organised. People have charged lots of batteries, and are deliberately trying to avoid being caught, probably by driving around to different locations," he told Reuters. "It really is unprecedented."

Gatwicks Chief Operating Officer Chris Woodroofe described one of the drones as a heavy industrial model. "The police advice is that it would be dangerous to seek to shoot the drone down because of what may happen to the stray bullets," he told BBC radio.

Drone expert Peter Lee of Portsmouth University said he and others had been anticipating disruption. "One of my concerns about today is that it may well encourage copy-cat incidents because you can achieve a high amount of disruption for a very, very low cost," he said.

It is illegal to fly drones within 1 kilometre of a British airport boundary, punishable by five years in prison.

Even after Gatwick re-opens, the backlog and disruption are expected to last for days.

Gatwick said it was working with its airlines, the biggest of which also include British Airways (ICAG.L) and Norwegian (NWC.OL), on recovery plans once the runway re-opens. Safety was its foremost priority, it said.

Gatwick, which competes with Europes busiest airport Heathrow, west of London, had previously said Sunday would be its busiest day of the festive period.

Passengers took to Twitter to share their stories. One waiting at the airport said: At Gatwick Airport, drone chaos, surprisingly good-natured, but complete mayhem.
Speaking at his annual news conference, Putin warned that 'it could lead to the destruction of civilization as a whole and maybe even our planet.' The Russian leader added that even though a nuclear conflict now seems impossible to most, the danger is close and real. 'We are witnessing the breakup of the arms control system,' he said.

Moscow: The world is facing a rising threat of a nuclear war because of the US pullout from arms control treaties and its destabilising military plans, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

Speaking at his annual news conference, Putin warned that "it could lead to the destruction of civilization as a whole and maybe even our planet." The Russian leader added that even though a nuclear conflict now seems impossible to most, the danger is close and real. "We are witnessing the breakup of the arms control system," he said.

He pointed at Washington's intention to walk away from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and its reluctance to negotiate the extension of the 2010 New START agreement. US officials say the withdrawal from the INF was prompted by Russian violations of the treaty, but Moscow vehemently denies any breaches.

"We will have to ensure our security," Putin said during the news conference that lasted nearly four hours. "And they shouldn't squeak later about us gaining unilateral advantages. We aren't seeking advantages, we are trying to preserve the balance and ensure our security." The Russian leader also scoffed at Western allegations that he is reaching for global domination, rejecting them as part of a smear campaign driven by domestic policy.

"As for ruling the world, we know where the headquarters trying to do that are located, and the place isn't Moscow," he said, noting that the Pentagon's annual budget of over $700 billion dwarfs Russia's defense spending of $46 billion. He dismissed claims that Russia is interfering abroad, from a nerve agent poisoning in Britain to an alleged effort to infiltrate the US National Rifle Association, charging that those accusations are part of US-led efforts to paint Russia as a bugaboo to strengthen the Western allies' unity.

"They need an external threat to cement NATO unity," Putin said, accusing the US and its allies of exploiting "phobias of the past" to achieve domestic political goals. Russia's hopes for repairing ties with the US under President Donald Trump have fizzled amid allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election  charges Putin has denied.

He noted that he's still keeping the door open for a meeting with Trump, but added that the prospect for that looks increasingly dim in view of the Democrats winning control of the House. "You can predict new attacks on the president with 100-per cent probability," Putin said. "I don't know if he could engage in a direct dialogue with Russia in such conditions." He charged that the continuing US political infighting reflects a "lack of respect for voters" who elected Trump. "They don't want to acknowledge his victory and do everything to delegitimise the president," Putin added.

He insisted that a Russian woman in US custody has not carried out any mission for the Russian government, even though she pleaded guilty earlier this month to acting as a covert agent of the government. Putin claimed that Maria Butina  accused of trying to infiltrate the NRA and American conservative circles around the time of Trump's election  made the guilty plea because of the threat of a long prison sentence in the case, which Putin described as fabricated.

Amid a litany of complaints over Washington's policies, Putin had one nice thing to say about the United States: He welcomed Trump's decision to withdraw the US military from Syria. The US "has done the right thing," Putin said, reaffirming the long-held Russian argument that the US presence in Syria is illegitimate because it wasn't vetted by the UN Security Council or approved by Syrian President Bashar Assad's government. The pullout is also likely to strengthen Russia's role in Syria's future.

He showed no sign of backing down from Russia's stance on Ukraine, accusing his Ukrainian counterpart of provoking a naval standoff with Russia to boost his electoral prospects. The Russian coast guard fired upon and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and 24 seamen when they tried to sail from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov in what the US and its NATO allies condemned as unjustified use of force by Russia.

Turning to nuclear weapons, Putin warned that if the US puts intermediate-range missiles in Europe after its planned exit from the INF Treaty banning them, Russia will be forced to take countermeasures. He noted that the US also appears to show little interest in extending the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty, which expires in 2021.

"You aren't interested? You don't need it? OK, we will survive," he said. "We will ensure our security; we know how to do it. But it will be very bad for the whole of humankind, because it would take us to a very dangerous area." The Russian president pointed at Western defense analysts discussing the possibility of using low-yield nuclear weapons, warning that its authors naively believe in a limited conflict involving smaller weapons. "Lowering the threshold could lead to a global nuclear catastrophe," he said.

Putin also emphasized that the US pondering the use of ballistic missiles with conventional warheads represents another deadly threat. He argued that the launch of such a missile could be mistaken for the launch of a nuclear-tipped one and trigger a nuclear retaliation. "Imagine a submarine firing a ballistic missile: How on Earth should we figure out whether it's nuclear or not?" he said. "It's extremely dangerous."
Mahajan has called a meeting of the Rules Committee, headed by the speaker herself, to look into the matter.

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Thursday expressed her displeasure over continuous disruption of the House for the seventh consecutive day and categorically told leaders of all parties that the image of Parliament is taking a hit due to the unruly behaviour of several lawmakers.

In a meeting with leaders of all parties, including the Congress leader in the House Mallikarjun Kharge and Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Ms Mahajan said that the Lok Sabha is being seen as a place where only ruckus happens, where nothing can be asked or listened, sources said.

It is not sending a good message outside. I have heard from people from abroad asking what is happening in the Indian Parliament, she thundered on Tuesday after repeated disruption of proceedings in the House. Parliament is for debate and discussion, but this is not the way. This session is very important and we all have to face elections next year. The government is ready for discussion. We have a responsibility. We have to maintain the standard of Parliament, she had said.

Ms Mahajan has called a meeting of the Rules Committee, headed by the speaker herself, to look into the matter.

The Rules Committee acts as an advisory body to the speaker for framing and amending rules for regulating and conducting the business in Lok Sabha. The committee considers matters of procedure and conduct of business in Lok Sabha and can recommend necessary additions or changes to the rules. The committee has members from almost all parties, while Mr Tomar along with two ministers of state for parliamentary affairs  Vijay Goel and Arjun Ram Meghwal  are its special invitees.

The ongoing winter session, the last full-fledged session of the BJP-led NDA government, is witnessing continuous adjournment of the house over Rafale deal and other issues for the past seven days amid sloganeering and displaying of placards in the well of the house by the opposition members and heated arguments with treasury bench members.

The Congress has been demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale fighter jets deal while accusing the government of lying before the Supreme Court on the matter.
Samsung Galaxy S10 flagships are expected to go official in February at the MWC 2019 event. Latest we hear that the company is working on Google Night shot like feature, which may be called Bright Night. This feature could debut on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10.

Similar to Night Shot, OnePlus has its own Nightscape, Xiaomis Night Scene, Honor has Super Bright Mode, and Huawei simply calls it Night Mode. Most of these camera modes have a common aim and take a similar approach; they take multiple pictures and combine them into one picture that is much brighter, shows more detail than a typical low-light photo, isnt overexposed, and doesnt rely on the LED flash.

Decompiling the Stock camera APK on the Galaxy Note 9s One UI/Android Pie build shows some interesting strings that explicitly describe a feature similar to what other night mode features do. Although this isnt confirmed, it makes sense for the company to debut it on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10. The company obviously will announce a large camera update with its latest flagship phones and this might be Galaxy S10s exclusive feature.

Samsung did this with the scene optimizer feature on the Galaxy Note 9 which was eventually added to the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ in their respective One UI beta updates. Until Samsung makes it official, nothing is confirmed, so stay tuned.

Source
Dividends can be a crucial component for any long-term wealth-building strategy. How so? Well, investors who reinvest dividend distributions over time can supercharge the power of compound interest. It's measured by a metric called total return, which simply takes stock price performance and adds dividend payments to the gain or loss.

Take Microsoft, for example. The stock has gained 419% in the last decade, but when dividend payments are added in, shares have posted a total return of 565%. That's an extra return of 146% just from owning the stock.

While well-known businesses such as Microsoft often grace the list of top dividend stocks to own for the long haul, sometimes the best income stocks are the ones nearly everyone is overlooking. Here's why three contributors at The Motley Fool chose WestRock ( WRK 3.33% ), Store Capital ( STOR 3.58% ), and Brookfield Renewable Partners ( BEP -2.02% ) as their best unknown dividend stocks.

A cash cow that's down on its luck

Maxx Chatsko (WestRock): Most investors have probably never heard of WestRock, but it's a leading manufacturer of paper products such as cardboard. While that market might be about as boring as a doorknob, it's consistently given rise to sustainable cash cows. That's evidenced by the company's current 4.1% dividend yield, as well as the fact that dividend payments have increased from $101 million in fiscal 2014 to a record $441 million in the just-finished fiscal 2018.

In addition to a strong legacy, the cardboard segment of the paper industry is also thriving right now thanks to a combination of rising online shopping, a growing global middle class, and China's increasing imports of finished paper products. That hasn't stopped Wall Street from sending shares of WestRock 35% lower in the last year over misplaced concerns about the trade war between the United States and China. But investors who take a closer look will see a lot to like about the business.

The trade war had no discernible impact on the business in fiscal 2018 (the company's fiscal years end Sept. 30). WestRock delivered year-over-year increases of 9% in revenue, 53% in operating income, and 27% in operating cash flow.

More important, the business just closed the $4.9 billion acquisition of KapStone. If the $200 million in annual cost savings are realized in the next few years, then the purchase price will work out to just seven times enterprise value to EBITDA. The acquisition will also allow WestRock to increase the volume of paper and cardboard products in its product mix going forward -- the most valuable products in the industry.

Therefore, although the stock has lost quite a bit of value in the last year, Wall Street might have a difficult time defending its sentiment. WestRock delivered a strong performance in fiscal 2018 and is about to get another shot in the arm from the KapStone acquisition.

This unfamiliar REIT is an income lover's dream

Todd Campbell (Store Capital): Most investors have never heard of Store Capital, but there's a good chance they're familiar with the companies leasing its real estate.

Unlike traditional mall operators, which are suffering from rising vacancy rates because of e-commerce, Store Capital leases about 2,100 freestanding buildings it's acquired at below-market rates to businesses less likely to see sales decline because of the internet. Its tenants include movie theaters, automotive repair, day care centers, gyms, restaurants, and other service-oriented retailers that are embedded in their local communities. Overall, it works with 400 customers, including Cabela's and Applebee's, across 500 retail concepts.

Of course, there's always a chance a tenant will falter, but Store Capital does a good job at avoiding this risk by evaluating tenant financials at an individual store level to avoid surprises and limiting its exposure to any one tenant. Its occupancy rate is about 99%, and no customer accounts for more than 3% of its annualized rental income.

Business has been so good for the real estate investment trust (REIT) that its annual dividend has increased an average 6.6% per year since its IPO in 2014. Currently, it yields 4.3%, and since revenue and funds from operations (FFO) are growing, those dividends could continue climbing for a while.

Last quarter, revenue rose 24% year over year to $137 million and FFO increased 26% to $97.4 million, or $0.47 per share. Since the REIT's only paying out 70% of its net income in dividends, it has plenty of financial flexibility.

The hydro-powered dividend

Travis Hoium (Brookfield Renewable Partners): Dividend stocks are no better than the underlying cash flows of the business that's paying them, which can often be overlooked when investors are searching for high yield. One company with stability of both cash flows and yield is Brookfield Renewable Partners, which owns and operates hydro-, wind-, and solar-power plants around the world, selling electricity into local markets and often with the backing of long-term contracts. The result is a stable stream of cash flows that's used to pay the 7.2% yield shares we have today.

Long term, the company aims to increase its dividend 5% to 9% organically by using excess cash flow to fund growth acquisitions. The company is paying out 100% of its funds from operations as a dividend today, but it aims to lower that to 90% by 2022 without having to make a significant outside investment and while increasing the dividend 5% per year.

What makes Brookfield Renewable Energy unique from other yieldcos is its base of hydroelectric power plants. Hydro plants make up about 80% of the company's cash flows, and unlike wind and solar farms, they're built to last 100 years or more. That provides certainty the company will be generating cash for many, many decades to come.
Speaking to the media, the Speaker said she was trying to make sure that the House functions smoothly with cooperation of all parties.

New Delhi: As Lok Sabha proceedings kept repeatedly being disrupted, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said on Friday said that self-discipline was expected from representatives of people and asserted that it was the responsibility of all to ensure that the House functions properly.

The remarks were made by Ms Mahajan while she was chairing the Lok Sabhas Rules Committee which deliberated upon the smooth functioning of the house. The Rules Committee acts as an advisory body to her for framing and amending rules for regulating and conducting the business in the Lok Sabha.

Speaking to the media, the Speaker said she was trying to make sure that the House functions smoothly with cooperation of all parties. All Parliamentarians have come here after getting mandate from the people. They are representatives of the people. Its everybodys responsibility to ensure that the House functions.

Asked if there is any need to initiate disciplinary action against the members who disrupt the House, Ms Mahajan said it was not required in these times. There is a need for self- discipline.

I believe that on 27th, the House will function smoothly, Ms Mahajan said referring to Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharges remarks that his party is ready to discuss the Triple Talaq Bill on December 27.

In a meeting with leaders of all parties on Thursday, Ms Mahajan is said to have conveyed her displeasure over continuous disruptions in functioning of the Lower House of Parliament.

Proceedings of the Lower House had been disrupted for the seventh consecutive day on Thursday amid sparring between members of various parties. On Friday too, Lok Sabha proceedings were disrupted as AIADMK, TDP and Congress members protested over various issues, with the Speaker adjourning the House for the day.
Rules framed by UPA in 2009, says Arun Jaitley.

New Delhi: The Centre, in a sudden and unprecedented move late on Thursday night, authorised 10 Central agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt all data contained in any computer system across India, setting off nationwide outrage, with a virtually united Opposition claiming that the country was moving towards an Orwellian state.

The order signed by Union home secretary Rajiv Gauba said: The competent authority hereby authorises the following security and intelligence agencies for purposes of interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource under the said Act (Information Technology Act 2000). As the Opposition came down heavily on the government, finance minister Arun Jaitley claimed the Opposition was creating a mountain out of a molehill as this order had been issued under old rules. The Central government clarified that the rules for intercepting and monitoring computer data were framed in 2009 when the Congress-led UPA was in power and its new order only notified the designated authority that can carry out such action. In a strong defence of the order, the BJP said it was legal with adequate safeguards and in the interest of national security, dubbing the Oppositions criticism as a textbook case of speaking without doing any homework. The Centre also rejected the Oppositions charge of snooping.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi said in remarks aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi that converting India into a police state would not solve his problems and it only showed that he was an insecure dictator. Converting India into a police state isnt going to solve your problems, Modi Ji. Its only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians what an insecure dictator you really are, Mr Gandhi tweeted. The Congress raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, accusing the government of turning the country into a surveillance state. The order that authorised 10 Central intelligence, security and tax agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt all the data contained in any computer system was issued by the cyber and information security division of the Union home ministry. The MHA issued a statement, saying the order was issued to prevent any unauthorised use of these powers.

The new order does not confer any new powers to any security or law enforcement agency, the statement said, adding each case of computer interception, monitoring and decryption was to be approved by the competent authority, which is the Union home secretary. The 10 agencies notified under the new order are the Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes (for income-tax department), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency, Research and Analysis Wing, the Directorate of Signal Intelligence (in service areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and the Northeast) and the Delhi police commissioner.

The issue of the notification also rocked the Rajya Sabha where Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said an undeclared Emergency has taken final shape and that all federal agencies have been let loose. Finance minister Arun Jaitley said the authorisation was issued under 2009 rules and dismissed the Oppositions charge of snooping. Mr Jaitley said the Opposition was playing with national security and making a mountain where even a molehill doesnt exist. Congress leader Anand Sharma said the issue was serious as it was related to fundamental rights and India will become a police state with such sweeping powers for agencies to intercept information. Responding to the charge, Mr Jaitley said it would have been better if the Opposition had obtained all information before raising this issue. He told the House that the rules under which the agencies will be authorised to intercept information were framed in 2009 when the Congress-led UPA was in power. The proceedings in Parliament were disrupted for the eight consecutive day on Friday over a variety of issues, including the latest snooping row, the Rafale fighter jet deal and the Cauvery dam.
The Kumbh Mela, which will begin next month in Prayag, is considered as the worlds biggest religious congregation.

The Kumbh Mela, which will begin next month in Prayag, is considered as the worlds biggest religious congregation. (Representational image)

New Delhi: Aimed at wooing the youth voters, a two-day event  titled yuva kumbh (congregation of youth) is being organised in Uttar Pradeshs capital Lucknow from Saturday. Young voters are considered to be one of the biggest support base of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The event is one of the seven intellectual kumbhs being organised by the UP government, but the entire RSS led Sangh parivar is said to be working behind the scenes.

The two-day event in Lucknow will see a gathering of nearly 5,000 youth from different fields, participating in sessions themed around shodh (research), seva (service), shakti (power) and samajseva (social work). Those attending the two day long meet have been invited through online registration.

Senior RSS and BJP leaders, including Dattatreya Hosabale, Krishna Gopal, chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, Rajyavardhan Rathore among other leaders will be participating in the two-day event. Four of the seven intellectual kumbhs have already been concluded.

Though the organisers had claimed that these intellectual kumbhs had been inspired by the forthcoming Kumbh Mela  which showcases Indias rich culture, tradition and heritage  sources said that the events are also aimed at wooing the voters ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The Kumbh Mela, which will begin next month in Prayag, is considered as the worlds biggest religious congregation. But more than its religious aspect, the forthcoming Kumbh at Prayag will also be politically important as a dharamsansad of saints and seers, affiliated with the RSS, are expected to take a decision there on the Ram mandir issue.

While the RSS and its affiliates had been putting pressure on the BJP led Central government to bring a legislation for construction of the Ram mandir in Ayodhya, Opposition parties had been criticising the Sangh parivar for misusing the sub-judice issue of political gains. These intellectual kumbhs, sources said, are also part of the BJPs efforts to woo voters.

The seven intellectual kumbhs are themed paryavaran (environment), samajik samrasta (harmony), matrr(women power), sarva samaveshi (inclusiveness), netra (eye), yuva (youth) and sanskriti (culture).
It also sent back the matter to the single-judge bench for further hearing.

Kolkata: Dashing the BJPs hopes, a division bench of the Calcutta high court on Friday quashed the order by a single-judge bench which allowed the saffron partys rathyatra 24 hours earlier. It also sent back the matter to the single-judge bench for further hearing.

This came as a shot in the arm of the Mamata Banerjee government that moved the division bench of Chief Justice Debasish Kar Gupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar on Friday morning.

Challenging Justice Tapabrata Chakrabortys order on Thursday which granted permission to the BJP for its grand procession under some conditions, the state goverment appealed for urgency and an immediate hearing. Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who is on the West Bengal governments panel of lawyers, appeared on behalf of state DGP Virendra Kumar and additional DGP (law and order) Anuj Sharma.

During the hearing, state advocate-general Kishore Dutta noted that the single-judge bench had not considered the intelligence inputs that were submitted in a sealed cover, but also returned it to him without opening it. He was referring to the intelligence inputs from 31 police districts and five police commissionerates. Mr Singhvi reasoned that the long procession as part of the rathyatra would create traffic jams which would leave the people inconvenienced during the festive season.

The division bench headed by the Chief Justice observed that the single-judge bench should have examined the intelligence reports before giving its order. It directed the single-judge bench to hear the matter quickly while considering if there were grounds to allow the BJPs rathyatra. This fresh ruling has left the BJP in a spot. It is yet to decide if it would move the single-judge bench or the Supreme Court as Friday was the last working day before the Christmas vacation.

Senior BJP leader Joy Prakash Majumdar, who was present at the hearing, said: The division bench set aside the single benchs order while sending the matter back to the single bench for hearing. We were continuously telling the high court that the state government was desperately trying to stop our rathyatra. We will take a decision soon whether to move the single bench or the Supreme Court against it. State BJP chief Dilip Ghosh claimed the division bench had not ignored the partys arguments.

It did not speak about stopping the rathyatra. It stressed that all government reports should be studied before a ruling, he said, adding: We have faith in the judiciary. We will wait for the verdict. After the verdict, the event will be organised as Save Democracy Rally. Till then, we will organise small protest rallies and meetings in the districts.

Trinamul Congress secretary-general Partha Chatterjee welcomed the division benchs order. We always have faith in the judiciary. When the ruling does not go in our favour, we accept it before moving against it at a higher court, he said. The BJP leaders are doing a gimmick over the rathyatra. All of them are placing their own views, which are different from each other. So it is not clear what kind of event  rathyatra or Goodbye Yatra  it is going to be. Now they are claiming it will be a Save Democracy Rally.
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Search Engine Giant Google has just shared their Year in Search 2018 numbers. It is a list of top 10 trends in different categories that defined the year 2018. Can you guess which game topped the Video Games category? the name is not going to surprise you.

2018s top video game search term was Fortnite (in the United States), followed by Red Dead Redemption 2 and Fallout 76. Ubisofts Far Cry 5, and Sony Santa Monicas God of War (PS4) completed the top five . You can check out the full list below. Kingdom Come Deliverance and Zombs Royale were the surprise inclusions in my opinion, with no place for PUBG (PUBG Mobile).

Fortnite Red Dead Redemption 2 Fallout 76 Far Cry 5 God of War Monster Hunter: World Sea of Thieves Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Kingdom Come: Deliverance Zombs Royale

Apart from the Video Games category, Fortnite also topped the GIF search as well. It seems like a lot of gamers in the United States wanted to know how to do a floss dance this year. Are you one of them?

You can read the complete Googles Year in Search data here, a wide range of categories has been covered: Actors, Athletes, Movies, and more
The judge also noted that 92 prosecution witnesses out of the 210 examined by the prosecution had turned hostile.

Mumbai: The special CBI court on Friday acquitted all the 22 accused in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh and 2006 Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter cases and on the charge of killing Sheikhs wife Kausar Bi. The judge held that there was lack of evidence to prove the charges against the accused beyond reasonable doubt.

Special CBI judge S.J. Sharma said the prosecution had failed to establish that there was any conspiracy to kill Sheikh and the others and that the accused had a role in the

conspiracy.

The judge also noted that 92 prosecution witnesses out of the 210 examined by the prosecution had turned hostile. He said some important witnesses did not stand by their statement to the police in the past and this had a strong impact on the prosecutions case. The case rested on circumstantial evidence and hearsay, and as a result the chain of events was not complete enough to believe that the encounter was the result of a criminal conspiracy, according to the judge.

The judge said though Sheikh and others were killed, going by the evidence on record, the court could not conclude that the present accused persons could be questioned or held accountable for those deaths.

Special public prosecutor B.P. Raju refused to comment on the verdict, saying he could not comment before perusing the judgment. He had, however, in the past told the judge that initially the local police had handled the case, then it was transferred to a special investigating team of the state CID and finally to the CBI. He had said the case came to CBI after a long gap and it was very difficult to investigate the matter further. While pronouncing judgment, the judge also spoke about former DIG D.G. Vanzara, who had already been discharged from the case in August 2017. The judge said it was improbable that Mr Vanzara could have any knowledge of the alleged conspiracy. The CBIs case was that it was Vanzara

who called Gujarat police officer Ashish Pandya, who was on leave at that time, to lead Prajapatis encounter.

However, according to the judge, the CBI could not bring on record any substantial piece of evidence like phone records to prove that Vanzara called Pandya during this period.

The CBI had chargesheeted 38 accused, of whom 16 accused, including Mr Vanzara, BJP president Amit Shah, Rajasthan home minister Gulabchand Kataria, Rajasthan-based businessman Vimal Patni, former Gujarat police chief P.C. Pande, additional director-general of police Geetha Johri, Gujarat police officer Abhay Chudasama, Gujarat police official N.K. Amin, Yashpal Chudasama and Ajay Patel (both senior office-bearers at the Ahmedabad District Cooperative Bank), Gujarat IPS officer Rajkumar Pandiyan and Andra Pradesh cadre IPS official N. Balasubramanyam, were discharged before the commencement of the trial.

Altogether 22 accused had faced trial. Of them, only one, Jeerawala, the owner of Arham farmhouse, was a civilian. All the police personnel are junior officers and constables.

The prosecutions case was that the Gujarat police had abducted Sheikh, an alleged gangster, his wife Kausar Bi and his aide Prajapati from a bus when the trio was on their way to Sangli in Maharashtra from Hyderabad on the night of November 22, 2005. Sheikh was killed in an alleged fake encounter on November 26, 2005, near Ahmedabad. His wife was killed three days later and her body was disposed of, the CBI said. It claimed that a year later, on December 27, 2006, the Gujarat and Rajasthan police forces had shot Prajapati dead in an alleged fake encounter near Chapri on the Gujarat-Rajasthan border.
Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Commonwealth Writers Prize winner and prolific author was given the Lifetime Achievement Award, instituted in 2016.

For the first time in the history of Crossword Book Awards, a celebrity dialogue between Gaur Gopal Das and Soha Ali Khan was organised.

In its 16th edition, the prestigious Crossword Book Award in association with Shoppers Stop, Home Stop and Kotak Mahindra Bank witnessed a remarkable literary event, which saw a venerable celebration of Indian writing in English for books published in the year 2017 at the majestic Royal Opera House - Mumbai.

As Indias oldest and most respected literary award, the Crossword Book Award encompasses a total of 11 awards in categories such as fiction, non-fiction, childrens, translation in the jury as well as popular categories. Two additional categories - business and management and health & fitness are part of the popular awards alone.

The summit of the evening is the Lifetime Achievement Award, instituted in 2016, given to a literary stalwart.

Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Commonwealth Writers Prize winner and prolific author with a global fan following, was conferred the same, for his exemplary contribution to Indian writing in English.

For the first time in the history of Crossword Book Awards, a celebrity dialogue between Gaur Gopal Das and Soha Ali Khan was organised. Moderated by veteran business journalist Arijit Barman, the panel discussed the theme #ReadingIsGood.

Accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award, veteran author Shashi Tharoor said, I started my literary journey with fiction, and then of course moved to non-fiction. Crossword Bookstores has always stood for the pleasure of reading which means a great deal to me. Reading is a pleasure that everyone in this audience has experienced. Books have an unparalleled ability to take you places. Sadly today, piracy has become a threat, much like the anecdote shared here today about Salman Rushdie, and how street sellers sent him greeting cards thanks to the money they earn out of his pirated books. Coming here today is not just about achievement, because I believe there is a lot more to be done."

Handing over the award to Dr. Shashi Tharoor was the Chief Guest, Lord Meghnad Desai, a celebrated author, academician, economist and politician.

Presiding over the awards, Lord Desai said, "It is nice to be at the Crossword Book Awards today because I have spent most of my life either in bookstores or libraries. I have also acted in a bit role with Soha Ali Khan," he said to thunderous applause.

Following were the awardees in each category

Winners: Popular Award

Fiction: The Boy Who Loved, Durjoy Datta (Penguin Random House India)

The Boy Who Loved, Durjoy Datta (Penguin Random House India) Non-fiction: Three Thousand Stitches: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives, Sudha Murty (Penguin Random House India)

Three Thousand Stitches: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives, Sudha Murty (Penguin Random House India) Biography: The Perils of Being Moderately Famous, Soha Ali Khan (Penguin Random House India)

The Perils of Being Moderately Famous, Soha Ali Khan (Penguin Random House India) Business and Management: Catalyst, Chandramouli Venkatesan (Penguin Random House India)

Catalyst, Chandramouli Venkatesan (Penguin Random House India) Health and Fitness: Youve Lost Weight: The Easy Guide to Receiving this Compliment Every Day, Dr. Sarita Davare & Sanjeev Kapoor (Popular Prakashan)

Youve Lost Weight: The Easy Guide to Receiving this Compliment Every Day, Dr. Sarita Davare & Sanjeev Kapoor (Popular Prakashan) Children: Looking for the Rainbow: My Years with Daddy, Ruskin Bond (Puffin - Penguin Random House India)

Group top management BS Nagesh, Chairman Shoppers Stop, Atur Talsania National Sales Head Saregama, Rajiv Suri, Vice-Chairperson Crossword Bookstores, Maulik Desai, Head, Crossword Bookstores gave away the popular awards. Social media phenomenon Mallika Dua and Shauna Chauhan, CEO ParleAgro also gave away key awards.

Winners: Jury award

Fiction: Leila by Prayaag Akbar, Simon & Schuster India

Leila by Prayaag Akbar, Simon & Schuster India Non-fiction: Dreamers by Snigdha Poonam, India Viking

Dreamers by Snigdha Poonam, India Viking Children: Unbroken by Nandhika Nambi, Duckbill Books

Unbroken by Nandhika Nambi, Duckbill Books Translation: Jasmine Days by Benyamin, translated by Shahnaz Habib, Juggernaut Books

Thanking the audience, Maulik Desai, Head, Crossword Bookstores said, India has the second largest English speaking population in the world, next only to the United States. The prose writing created by Indian writers, in English language, is proving to be a strong, significant global force. The Crossword Book Awards, since 1998, are a tribute to this organic, emergent force, and I am happy to see our tribe growing."

Commenting on the evening, Vice Chairman  Crossword Bookstores, Rajiv Suri said, For the past 26 years, Crossword Book Stores has been a focal point of cultural and social interaction between authors and ardent readers. The Crossword Book Awards was conceived 16 years ago with an aim to recognise our Indian authors who have immensely contributed to the countrys flourishing literary culture. The independent jury has worked incredibly hard to assemble this years list, which recognises exceptional literary talent and ranges from debut writers to established novelists. My colleagues and I would like to congratulate each of the shortlisted authors who have made it to this years esteemed award list.

The presence of authors Sudha Murty, Manu S Pillai, Radhakrishnan Pillai, Ira Mukhoty, Gaur Gopal Das, Amish Tripathi, Ravi Subramanian, Durjoy Datta, Anand Neelakantan, Sanjeev Kapoor, Rita Chowdhary, Benny Daniel, Perumal Murugan and actor Divya Dutta added gravitas to the evening.
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
The US would not have been less safe if it had not invaded Iraq and Afghanistan.

The establishment in Pakistan may be exulting in pride to hear that the war in Afghanistan cannot come to end without its help.

On December 1, 2018, the New York Times published a story, titled A Generation of Widows, Raising Children Who Will Be Forged by Loss, by Mujib Mashal and Fatima Faizi. It is about two young women who were widowed in the relentless, merciless war in Afghanistan.

The story sent me into a spin of depressive thoughts all evening. Despite my claim of stoicism, I must confess, a gush of silent tears sprang in my eyes, and I gnashed my teeth thinking of the ghastly figures of those who started this war, and who continue to prolong it, for avowed public motives and unexpressed private ones. Knowing history, the story did not offer any new revelations, but a reminder of ongoing tragedies will sometimes reignite a storm of anger at the merchants of war, local or foreign.

Mashal Kakar lost her husband, Sabawoon, a journalist, in a bombing in Kabul in April this year. She was eight-months pregnant at the time. Eight of his peers were also killed in the attack. His toddler son, Benyamin, still asks his mother when his father will come home. How do you explain a death to a three-year-old? Mrs Kakar, her baby, Sarfarz, in her arms, tries to distract him with toys. But when Benyamin keeps crying, she takes him to the balcony and points to the brightest star shining through Kabuls polluted sky. Aba is there, she says.

Rahila Shams also lost her husband in April. A district governor, Ali Dost Shams was killed in a Taliban raid. At the time, this 22-year-old widow was six-months pregnant with her second daughter. When her daughter was born, the family named her Shamsia, after the father she will never meet. I lost my love, my friend and the father of my two daughters. Everyone says stay strong, but no one says how, she said.

It was in the hours after Rahila gave birth to Shamsia that she broke down. I was in pain, but the loneliness of it was much stronger,she said.  cried a lot  for being a woman, for being a widow at 22, for being a mother of two girls. I thought about the future, about Shams, about loneliness. just want to leave this country and go somewhere peaceful. Somewhere where no one is killed and no one loses their life.

The authors published the stories of Mashal and Rahila in the New York Times thinking, perhaps, that it was an influential paper, that it might sway the movers and shakers in the US out of their apathy and towards bringing the war to an end. A forlorn hope it is.

The establishment in the US, or anywhere, in fact, will devote their years to the military-industrial complex, to the Pentagon and GHQs where the generals sit, plan, execute and seek glory in subduing people for the sake of the swollen egos of their Presidents. They care more about capturing the resources hidden beneath the earth than of the people living on it. Every living being  man, woman, child  is, to them, merely the collateral damage of war, just like a wall of bricks destroyed by a bomb.

When wars are planned and then waged, the process is totally devoid of empathy, concern and sympathy for the widows, orphans, the disabled, the unarmed civilians and the injured soldiers on both sides of the conflict. The reason is simple. The heads of states justify war in the name of their countries to make them more secure and prosperous. The generals happily go along with their plans because they seek the glory of having brought victories to their country. Historians, meanwhile, are worthy of scorn as they write about the exploits of war in glowing terms. It is the pages of their history books that such leaders seek to enter into.

Most wars have nothing to do with safety and to safeguard the interests of a country. The US would not have been less safe if it had not invaded Iraq and Afghanistan. The West would have been just as prosperous and safe if it had not conspired to interfere in Libya and Syria, bringing ruin to millions both living and killed. Had Saudi Arabia been more circumspect, the biggest famine in Yemen would not have resulted in starving babies looking more like writhing worms than human forms.

These are a few present-day examples. There is no just war, sanctified by the UN or not, except that which is fought in self-defence.

The establishment in Pakistan may be exulting in pride to hear that the war in Afghanistan cannot come to end without its help. It is a false and inhuman pride to be able to help bring a war to an early end and not do it. Sincerity of spoken words is fragrant. Lip service is foul breath.

Many tragedies can be avoided if private morality such as empathy and concern for human beings are allowed to enter into the worlds war rooms. This is perhaps too idealistic to expect, but must be repeated all the time, as it is what makes us human.

By arrangement with Dawn
Police said there was no indication of a terrorism motive behind the devices, which first appeared on Wednesday night.

The airport said flights would remain shut down for the rest of the evening on a day when 115,000 people were scheduled to pass through, many en route to seasonal breaks.

Britain sent troops to its second-biggest airport after an unprecedented attempt to cripple Christmas travel with large drones forced all flights to be cancelled on Thursday.

As thousands of passengers waited at Gatwick Airport, south of London, police hunted unsuccessfully for the operators of the large drones which reappeared near the airfield every time the airport tried to reopen the runway.

Police said there was no indication of a terrorism motive behind the devices, which first appeared on Wednesday night.

The assessment earlier on today was that we wouldnt be using firearms, Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley said late on Thursday. This is continually reviewed so you will know and have seen that we have firearm officers deployed.

Europes air traffic control agency Eurocontrol said the airport would remain closed until 0600 GMT on Friday.

The armed forces were also deployed to help resolve the situation.

We are there to assist and do everything we can, Defence Minister Gavin Williamson told reporters.

Drones were seen as recently as the last hour, a Gatwick spokesman said at about 2200 GMT on Thursday, more than 24 hours after their first sighting.

The airport said flights would remain shut down for the rest of the evening on a day when 115,000 people were scheduled to pass through, many en route to seasonal breaks.

Prime Minister Theresa Mays spokesman condemned the standoff as irresponsible and completely unacceptable.

Passenger Ani Kochiashvili had been bound for Georgia but spent six hours overnight sitting on a plane with her children.

Im very annoyed because Im with two kids, a three-month-old and three-year-old, she told Reuters by phone among thousands camped in the terminal.

They require a lot of space and food and changing and all that, and the airport is crazy busy so its challenging.

Flights were halted at 2103 GMT on Wednesday after two drones were spotted near the airfield, triggering the biggest disruption at Gatwick since a volcanic ash cloud in 2010.

Police said more than 20 units were hunting the operators near Gatwick airport, 50 km (30 miles) south of London.

Transport minister Chris Grayling said it was clearly a deliberate act. This is a commercial-sized drone, he said. Every time Gatwick tries to re-open the runway, the drones reappear.

Grayling temporarily lifted night-flying restrictions at other airports to ease congestion caused by diverted aircraft, Sky News reported.

With a surge in public enthusiasm for drones, there has been an increase in near-collisions by unmanned aircraft and commercial jets in recent years.

The number of near misses between private drones and aircraft in Britain more than tripled between 2015 and 2017, with 92 incidents recorded last year, according to the UK Airprox Board regulator.

Richard Parker, head of air traffic management technology firm Altitude Angel, said this was the first time a major airport had been hit by such a sustained and deliberate incursion into its airspace.

Its sophisticated, not from a technology side, but its organised. People have charged lots of batteries, and are deliberately trying to avoid being caught, probably by driving around to different locations, he told Reuters.

It really is unprecedented.

Gatwicks Chief Operating Officer Chris Woodroofe described one of the drones as a heavy industrial model.

The police advice is that it would be dangerous to seek to shoot the drone down because of what may happen to the stray bullets, he told BBC radio.

Drone expert Peter Lee of Portsmouth University said he and others had been anticipating disruption.

One of my concerns about today is that it may well encourage copy-cat incidents because you can achieve a high amount of disruption for a very, very low cost, he said.

It is illegal to fly drones within 1 km (0.6 mile) of a British airport boundary, punishable by five years in prison.

(Source)
Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL owners facing issues with call quality and microphone failure News oi-Karan Sharma Google Pixel 3 and 3XL users are facing issues related to the quality of phone calls. All you need to know.

Google launched its flagship smartphone the Pixel 3 this year in October. Just after the launch, there are many users who have reported issues with the smartphone. Now a new issue has been reported which is adding to the list. According to the report, the Pixel 3 and 3XL users are facing issues related to the quality of phone calls. The users are facing issues with poor sound quality during calls. A number of users are complaining this issue on online forums like Reddit and Pixel User Community forum.

Android Police has reported this issue first, according to there report the phone calls related problems are not isolated to a single telecom carrier or device SKU. Both Pixel 3 and 3XL users are highlighting this same problem from multiple countries on a number of operators.

"I'm having major issues with my Pixel 3 XL, rendering the phone useless for its primary function (calling people). When calling people, the sound quality on my end is fine but the quality on the receivers end is terrible. Sufficiently bad that I can't actually talk to people at times. Symptoms include choppy audio, words being cut off, extreme echo and tinniness, periods of complete silence, words being 'stacked' and more," James Denier, a Google Pixel 3 XL owner, explained on Pixel User Community website.

The issue is not only hampering the cellular calls but also affecting the Wi-Fi callings.

"Similar issue here (Pixel 3 XL, Android 9/Dec 5 patch, long time Project Fi user with Fi beta network tools enabled, connected to Wifi and Fi Network) but when I make or receive calls, I can hear the person on the other side but they cannot hear me," Google Pixel 3 XL owner posted on Google Pixel Forum.

This is not a fresh issue what Pixel 3 owners are complaining about, this issue was airing since the launch of the smartphone. But the company has not provided any fixed solution about the issue. Some users say that this is not impacting every call, and some seem to have found a way to mitigate these problems by disabling the Advanced Calling or by Enhanced 4G LTE Mode features.

Google has also replaced many devices related to this same issue but it seems that the replacement hardware also has the same problem. However, Google is yet to make any official statement on these new reports.

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Islamabad datelined report in NYT said Pak Air Force and Chinese officials were putting final touches to secret proposal.

CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. (Representational Image | AFP)

Beijing: China on Friday dismissed as untrue a US media report that alleged that it has hatched a secret plan to build fighter jets and other military hardware in Pakistan as part of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The Islamabad datelined report in The New York Times said Pakistani Air Force and Chinese officials were putting the final touches to the secret proposal.

"Chinese officials have repeatedly said the Belt and Road is purely an economic project with peaceful intent. But with its plan for Pakistan, China is for the first time explicitly tying a Belt and Road proposal to its military ambitions  and confirming the concerns of a host of nations who suspect the infrastructure initiative is really about helping China project armed might," the report said.

"According to our information the relevant report is not true," the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, told a media briefing when asked about the report, which coincided with the eighth Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting of the CPEC during which both sides signed an agreement to expand industrial cooperation in diverse fields and attract investment in special economic zones.

Hua said the CPEC is an important framework for cooperation bearing the long-term interests in mind.

All-weather friends and close allies, China and Pakistan have been jointly building the J-17 Thunder, a single seater multi-role combat aircraft.

Pakistan has been eyeing a number of new advanced Chinese jets including the stealth fighter.
Two Chinese Hackers Associated With the Ministry of State Security Charged with Global Computer Intrusion Campaigns Targeting Intellectual Property and Confidential Business Information

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, December 20, 2018



Defendants Were Members of the APT 10 Hacking Group Who Acted in Association with the Tianjin State Security Bureau and Engaged in Global Computer Intrusions for More Than a Decade, Continuing into 2018, Including Thefts from Managed Service Providers and

The unsealing of an indictment charging Zhu Hua (), aka Afwar, aka CVNX, aka Alayos, aka Godkiller; and Zhang Shilong (), aka Baobeilong, aka Zhang Jianguo, aka Atreexp, both nationals of the People's Republic of China (China), with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft was announced today.

The announcement was made by Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman for the Southern District of New York, Director Christopher A. Wray of the FBI, Director Dermot F. O'Reilly of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) of the U.S. Department of Defense, and Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers.

Zhu and Zhang were members of a hacking group operating in China known within the cyber security community as Advanced Persistent Threat 10 (the APT10 Group). The defendants worked for a company in China called Huaying Haitai Science and Technology Development Company (Huaying Haitai) and acted in association with the Chinese Ministry of State Security's Tianjin State Security Bureau.

Through their involvement with the APT10 Group, from at least in or about 2006 up to and including in or about 2018, Zhu and Zhang conducted global campaigns of computer intrusions targeting, among other data, intellectual property and confidential business and technological information at managed service providers (MSPs), which are companies that remotely manage the information technology infrastructure of businesses and governments around the world, more than 45 technology companies in at least a dozen U.S. states, and U.S. government agencies. The APT10 Group targeted a diverse array of commercial activity, industries and technologies, including aviation, satellite and maritime technology, industrial factory automation, automotive supplies, laboratory instruments, banking and finance, telecommunications and consumer electronics, computer processor technology, information technology services, packaging, consulting, medical equipment, healthcare, biotechnology, pharmaceutical manufacturing, mining, and oil and gas exploration and production. Among other things, Zhu and Zhang registered IT infrastructure that the APT10 Group used for its intrusions and engaged in illegal hacking operations.

"The indictment alleges that the defendants were part of a group that hacked computers in at least a dozen countries and gave China's intelligence service access to sensitive business information," said Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein. "This is outright cheating and theft, and it gives China an unfair advantage at the expense of law-abiding businesses and countries that follow the international rules in return for the privilege of participating in the global economic system."

"It is galling that American companies and government agencies spent years of research and countless dollars to develop their intellectual property, while the defendants simply stole it and got it for free" said U.S. Attorney Berman. "As a nation, we cannot, and will not, allow such brazen thievery to go unchecked."

"Healthy competition is good for the global economy, but criminal conduct is not. This is conduct that hurts American businesses, American jobs, and American consumers," said FBI Director Wray. "No country should be able to flout the rule of law  so we're going to keep calling out this behavior for what it is: illegal, unethical, and unfair. It's going to take all of us working together to protect our economic security and our way of life, because the American people deserve no less."

"The theft of sensitive defense technology and cyber intrusions are major national security concerns and top investigative priorities for the DCIS," said DCIS Director O'Reilly. "The indictments unsealed today are the direct result of a joint investigative effort between DCIS and its law enforcement partners to vigorously investigate individuals and groups who illegally access information technology systems of the U.S. Department of Defense and the Defense Industrial Base. DCIS remains vigilant in our efforts to safeguard the integrity of the Department of Defense and its enterprise of information technology systems."

According to the allegations in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:

Overview

Zhu Hua (), aka Afwar, aka CVNX, aka Alayos, aka Godkiller, and Zhang Shilong (), aka Baobeilong, aka Zhang Jianguo, aka Atreexp, the defendants, both nationals of China, were members of a hacking group operating in China known within the cyber security community as the APT10 Group, or alternatively as "Red Apollo," "CVNX," "Stone Panda," "MenuPass," and "POTASSIUM." The defendants worked for Huaying Haitai in Tianjin, China, and acted in association with the Chinese Ministry of State Security's Tianjin State Security Bureau. From at least in or about 2006 up to and including in or about 2018, members of the APT10 Group, including Zhu and Zhang, conducted extensive campaigns of intrusions into computer systems around the world. The APT10 Group used some of the same online facilities to initiate, facilitate and execute its campaigns during the conspiracy.

Most recently, beginning at least in or about 2014, members of the APT10 Group, including Zhu and Zhang, engaged in an intrusion campaign to obtain unauthorized access to the computers and computer networks of MSPs for businesses and governments around the world (the MSP Theft Campaign). The APT10 Group targeted MSPs in order to leverage the MSPs' networks to gain unauthorized access to the computers and computer networks of the MSPs' clients and to steal, among other data, intellectual property and confidential business data on a global scale. For example, through the MSP Theft Campaign, the APT10 Group obtained unauthorized access to the computers of an MSP that had offices in the Southern District of New York and compromised the data of that MSP and certain of its clients involved in banking and finance, telecommunications and consumer electronics, medical equipment, packaging, manufacturing, consulting, healthcare, biotechnology, automotive, oil and gas exploration, and mining.

Earlier, beginning in or about 2006, members of the APT10 Group, including Zhu and Zhang, engaged in an intrusion campaign to obtain unauthorized access to the computers and computer networks of more than 45 technology companies and U.S. government agencies, in order to steal information and data concerning a number of technologies (the Technology Theft Campaign). Through the Technology Theft Campaign, the APT10 Group stole hundreds of gigabytes of sensitive data and targeted the computers of victim companies involved in aviation, space and satellite technology, manufacturing technology, pharmaceutical technology, oil and gas exploration and production technology, communications technology, computer processor technology, and maritime technology.

In furtherance of the APT10 Group's intrusion campaigns, Zhu and Zhang, among other things, worked for Huaying Haitai and registered malicious domains and infrastructure. In addition, Zhu, a penetration tester, engaged in hacking operations on behalf of the APT10 Group and recruited other individuals to the APT10 Group, and Zhang developed and tested malware for the APT10 Group.

The MSP Theft Campaign

In furtherance of the MSP Theft Campaign, Zhu, Zhang, and their co-conspirators in the APT10 Group engaged in the following criminal conduct:

First, after the APT10 Group gained unauthorized access into the computers of an MSP, the APT10 Group installed multiple variants of malware on MSP computers around the world. To avoid antivirus detection, the malware was installed using malicious files that masqueraded as legitimate files associated with the victim computer's operating system. Such malware enabled members of the APT10 Group to monitor victims' computers remotely and steal user credentials.

Second, after stealing administrative credentials from computers of an MSP, the APT10 Group used those stolen credentials to connect to other systems within an MSP and its clients' networks. This enabled the APT10 Group to move laterally through an MSP's network and its clients' networks and to compromise victim computers that were not yet infected with malware.

Third, after identifying data of interest on a compromised computer and packaging it for exfiltration using encrypted archives, the APT10 Group used stolen credentials to move the data of an MSP client to one or more other compromised computers of the MSP or its other clients' networks before exfiltrating the data to other computers controlled by the APT10 Group.

Over the course of the MSP Theft Campaign, Zhu, Zhang, and their co-conspirators in the APT10 Group successfully obtained unauthorized access to computers providing services to or belonging to victim companies located in at least 12 countries, including Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The victim companies included at least the following: a global financial institution, three telecommunications and/or consumer electronics companies; three companies involved in commercial or industrial manufacturing; two consulting companies; a healthcare company; a biotechnology company; a mining company; an automotive supplier company; and a drilling company.

The Technology Theft Campaign

Over the course of the Technology Theft Campaign, which began in or about 2006, Zhu, Zhang, and their coconspirators in the APT10 Group successfully obtained unauthorized access to the computers of more than 45 technology companies and U.S. Government agencies based in at least 12 states, including Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. The APT10 Group stole hundreds of gigabytes of sensitive data and information from the victims' computer systems, including from at least the following victims: seven companies involved in aviation, space and/or satellite technology; three companies involved in communications technology; three companies involved in manufacturing advanced electronic systems and/or laboratory analytical instruments; a company involved in maritime technology; a company involved in oil and gas drilling, production, and processing; and the NASA Goddard Space Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In addition to those victims who had information stolen, Zhu, Zhang, and their co-conspirators successfully obtained unauthorized access to computers belonging to more than 25 other technology-related companies involved in, among other things, industrial factory automation, radar technology, oil exploration, information technology services, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and computer processor technology, as well as the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Finally, the APT10 Group compromised more than 40 computers in order to steal sensitive data belonging to the Navy, including the names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, salary information, personal phone numbers, and email addresses of more than 100,000 Navy personnel.

* * *

Zhu and Zhang are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison.

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the assigned judge. The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The case was investigated by the FBI, including the New Orleans, New Haven, Houston, New York, Sacramento, and San Antonio Field Offices; DCIS; and the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). Mr. Rosenstein, Mr. Berman and Mr. Demers praised the outstanding investigative work of, and collaboration among, the FBI, DCIS, and NCIS. They also thanked the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut, and the Department of Defense's Computer Forensic Laboratory for their assistance in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sagar K. Ravi of the Southern District of New York's Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit is in charge of the prosecution, with assistance provided by Trial Attorney Matthew Chang of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

Attachment(s): Download 2018 12 20 United States v. Zhu Hua Indictment

Topic(s): National Security

Component(s):

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

National Security Division (NSD)

Office of the Deputy Attorney General

USAO - New York, Southern

Press Release Number: 18-1673

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Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein Announces Charges Against Chinese Hackers

Washington, DC ~ Thursday, December 20, 2018

I am honored to be joined by FBI Director Chris Wray, National Security Division Assistant Attorney General John Demers, and Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman.

Today, the Department of Justice is announcing a criminal indictment of two computer hackers associated with the Chinese government. The charges include conspiracy to commit computer intrusions against dozens of companies in the United States and around the world. As with all American criminal charges, individual defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

This case is significant because the defendants are accused of targeting and compromising Managed Service Providers, or MSPs. MSPs are firms that other companies trust to store, process, and protect commercial data, including intellectual property and other confidential business information. When hackers gain access to MSPs, they can steal sensitive business information that gives competitors an unfair advantage.

The indictment alleges that defendants worked for a group known to cyber security experts as APT-10. These groups are designated as APTs, or Advanced Persistent Threats, because they use malware to gain access to computer networks and exfiltrate data over an extended period of time.

These defendants allegedly compromised MSP clients in at least a dozen countries. The victims included companies in banking and finance, telecommunications and consumer electronics, medical equipment, packaging, manufacturing, consulting, healthcare, biotechnology, automotive, oil and gas exploration, and mining.

The defendants allegedly committed these crimes in association with a Chinese intelligence service known as the Ministry of State Security.

This is not the first time the Department of Justice has accused Chinese state actors and associates of stealing commercial information. Since the indictment of five uniformed members of the People's Liberation Army in 2014, our Department has repeatedly cast a spotlight on Chinese state-sponsored criminal activity targeting U.S. companies.

More than 90 percent of the Department's cases alleging economic espionage over the past seven years involve China. More than two-thirds of the Department's cases involving thefts of trade secrets are connected to China. In the last few months of this year, our Department has announced charges in three cases alleging crimes committed at the behest of a branch of the Chinese Ministry of State Security.

It is unacceptable that we continue to uncover cybercrime committed by China against other nations. In 2015, China promised to stop stealing trade secrets and other confidential business information through computer hacking "with the intent of providing competitive advantages to companies or commercial sectors." The activity alleged in this indictment violates the commitment that China made to members of the international community.

We want China to cease illegal cyber activities and honor its commitment to the international community, but the evidence suggests that China may not intend to live up to its promises.

For example, the Chinese industrial policy, known as "Made in China 2025," lists ten strategic advanced manufacturing industries that the nation has targeted for promotion and development. Many of the companies allegedly targeted recently by Chinese defendants operate in sectors identified by that official policy. Whether through computer hackers operating from China, or Chinese nationals recruited to steal trade secrets from companies in other countries, the goal is the same: to dominate production in strategically important industries by stealing ideas from other nations.

Today's charges mark an important step in revealing to the world China's continued practice of stealing commercial data. Responding to that conduct requires a strategic approach to the threats that China poses. That is why the Department of Justice recently announced an initiative to address the full range of threats. One tactic is to increase our enforcement efforts. Another is to conduct foreign investment reviews to protect against China improperly acquiring sensitive information. A third is to find ways to better protect our telecommunications networks.

China stands accused of engaging in criminal activity that victimizes individuals and companies in the United States, violates our laws, and departs from international norms of responsible state behavior. Exposing these actions through the criminal justice system is a valuable tool. Faced with the detailed factual allegations released today, and the corroborating statements of other victimized nations, China will find it difficult to feign ignorance.

America and many allies know what China is doing. We know why they are doing it. And in some cases, we even know which individual people are doing it in association with the Chinese government.

The alleged criminals in this case are named Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong. We hope the day will come when the defendants face justice under the rule of law in a federal courtroom.

Until then, they and other hackers who steal from our companies for the apparent benefit of Chinese industries should remember: there is no free pass to violate American laws merely because they do so under the protection of a foreign state. The Department of Justice and the FBI will continue to use all available tools to respond to China's economic aggression and the threat that these actions pose to the prosperity and security of the United States and other nations that respect the rule of law.

Speaker: Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein

Topic(s): National Security

Component(s): Office of the Deputy Attorney General

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US Justice Department charges Chinese nationals for 'extensive' global hacking campaign

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 20, 2018 07:24PM

The US Justice Department has announced the indictment of two Chinese nationals who allegedly hacked dozens of companies in multiple countries, including the US.

The Thursday indictment said Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong had targeted numerous managed service providers (MSPs) -- specialist firms which help other companies manage their information technology systems -- potentially giving the hackers an entry into the computer networks of dozens of companies.

One specific MSP provider targeted in New York gave the Chinese nationals access to data from the company's clients involved in banking, telecommunications, medical equipment, manufacturing, health care, biotechnology, oil and gas exploration, and other fields, according to the Justice Department.

The Justice Department noted that the US Navy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as well as companies involved in aviation, space and satellite technology were among those targeted by the two.

It added that the two hackers, who worked for the so-called APT10 hacker group allegedly backed by China's Ministry of State Security, were employed with the ministry's Tianjin State Security Bureau.

The Justice Department charged China for breaking a 2015 pact to curb cyber espionage for corporate purposes.

"China's goal, simply put, is to replace the US as the world's leading superpower and they're using illegal methods to get there," FBI Director Chris Wray said at a news conference.

Wray noted that the companies targeted by China were a "who's who" of American businesses.

Britain also said it would hold the Chinese government responsible for the global hacking campaign targeting commercial secrets in Europe, Asia and the United States.

In an operation coordinated with US allies in Europe and Asia, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said the move was being made to rebuff "China's economic aggression."

Rosenstein slammed Beijing for repeatedly violating a pledge made by Chinese President Xi Jinping to then-president Barack Obama in 2015 to halt cyber attacks on US companies and commercial infrastructure.

"These defendants allegedly compromised MSP clients in at least a dozen countries," Rosenstein said.

"It is unacceptable that we continue to uncover cybercrime committed by China against other nations. We want China to cease its illegal cyber activities and honor its commitment to the international community," he said.

In a previous attempt against industrial espionage earlier this year, US judicial authorities indicted 10 Chinese nationals in October for planning to steal engine technology from US and French aerospace firms by hacking into the firm's systems.

Earlier that month, the Department of Justice obtained the unprecedented extradition of a senior Chinese intelligence official from Belgium to stand trial in the US for running an operation allegedly aimed at stealing secrets from the US aviation industry.

In early December, Canada arrested an executive of China's leading Huawei telecommunications company at Washington's request.

Since then, China has detained three Canadians, in an apparent bid to pressure Canada into letting the Huawei executive, who is now out on bail, go.

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Iranian Intelligence Ministry rejects Israeli PM's 'delusional' claims

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 20, 2018 07:57AM

Iran's Intelligence Ministry rejects the Israeli premier's claim that Tel Aviv's agents routinely visit the country for spying on its nuclear program, saying such "delusional remarks" are merely meant to ease the pressure on him over recent revelations about the Islamic Republic's successful infiltration of the regime's espionage services.

Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israeli spies have been working "all over the world in regards to Iran's nuclear program," claiming, "We also visit there periodically to 'catch up,'" without providing details.

In response, the director general for counter-espionage at the Iranian Intelligence Ministry told the ISNA news agency that Netanyahu "has the right to spin yards" of the regime's spying operations.

Netanyahu, the official added, "has come under the most intense internal and foreign pressure due to leaks about an Israeli minister spying for Iran as well as the large-scale infiltration of the Zionist regime's intelligence services by those of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The official was referring to the arrest in June of former Israeli energy minister Gonen Segev on charges of spying for Iran, giving the Islamic Republic information about the regime's energy sector, security sites and the identity of officials in the security and political establishments, among other things.

Investigators found that Segev had made contact with officials in the Iranian Embassy in Nigeria in 2012 and visited Iran twice to meet intelligence officials.

The Iranian official said that Netanyahu had recently ordered Israel's so-called Security Agency, better known by the acronym Shabak or the Shin Bet, to check on all political, parliamentary and intelligence officials for possible contacts with Iranian intelligence services.

"This order is indicative of the realities that do not need explanations," the official added.

The hawkish Israeli premier, a staunch opponent of the 2015 Iran deal, has long been lobbying against diplomacy with Iran over its nuclear program.

The deal placed Iran's nuclear program under the oversight of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has repeatedly confirmed the peaceful of nature of Tehran's nuclear work and praised Tehran for its full compliance with the nuclear deal.

Netanyahu has on several occasions drawn ridicule globally by using his showman skills and fabricating scenarios about the Mossad spy agency's capabilities and what the regime calls Iran's "secret" nuclear activities.

In late April, Netanyahu unveiled what he claimed to be "conclusive proof of the secret" Iranian nuclear program during a televised address from Israel's ministry for military affairs.

During another dramatic performance in early May, Netanyahu claimed Mossad agents had managed to break into the warehouse in an overnight operation and bring back "half a ton of the material" consisting of 55,000 pages and another 55,000 files on 183 CDs.

Months later, Netanyahu went to the UN with more theatrics and put on show pictures of an alleged Iranian nuclear weapons storage site.

Except in the US, Netanyahu's claims, however, have fallen on deaf ears.

The IAEA said in October that it does not take intelligence presented to it by Israel "at face value."

"The agency sends inspectors to sites and locations only when needed. The agency uses all safeguards relevant to information available to it but it does not take any information at face value," Director General Yukiya Amano said in a statement in early October.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, also said following one of Netanyahu's shows that the presentation failed to question Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement.

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US House Intel Committee Votes to Give Roger Stone Transcripts to Mueller Probe

Sputnik News

23:09 20.12.2018

The House Intelligence Committee voted unanimously on Thursday to hand over transcripts of Roger Stone's congressional testimony to special counsel Robert Mueller. Stone is a longtime ally of US President Donald Trump.

Mueller's team put in a formal request for the transcripts, although the date of the request is in question, as sources have told different media outlets different stories. ABC reports that the request was lodged on Wednesday, while the Washington Post reports it was last Friday.

The special counsel already had an unofficial transcript of Stone's testimony, which was given in September 2017, and so legal experts believe that the request for an official transcript indicates he is getting ready to charge Stone, as he cannot do so without an official copy.

Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee have maintained that Stone lied in his testimony. Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, was recently sentenced to more than three years in prison in part over a charge of lying to Congress.

ABC News on Thursday obtained a letter from Stone's legal team to committee chair Devin Nunes (R-CA), demanding that the transcript of his testimony be released to the public.

"In order for Mr. Stone to properly and effectively defend himself from the partisan attacks that have only been made possible by the committee's ongoing retention in secret of the only verified and accurate record of his testimony, Mr. Stone must be immediately provided this record, in full and without any arbitrary restrictions," Grant Smith, one of Stone's attorneys, said.

"Without regard to any decision or action the committee may take in response to a request by the [special counsel], or any other person or agency, for a copy of the interview transcript, either in whole or in part, Mr. Stone hereby demands the full and immediate release to the general public of the transcript, such that the American citizenry and the world are able to evaluate for themselves Mr. Stone's veracity," he added.

Stone's team responded to the committee's decision, telling ABC News, "With all the unsupported, wild accusations of the Democrats on the committee and the media frenzy surrounding the same, it is not surprising that the special counsel's office has asked for access to the transcript. In fact, we had believed that this had taken place a while ago."

The committee has already voted to release dozens of transcripts of testimonies given in connection to the special counsel's probe of allegations of collusion between members of Trump's campaign and the Russian government. Those documents aren't expected to be released until January, but Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) has promised to speed up the process after he takes the role of committee chair once Democrats take control of the House.

 Sputnik

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The archbishop of Seoul notes in his message that we should keep mercy in our minds which enables endless forgiveness and unconditional sharing. And True peace is Gods gift which we can receive only when we ask for [it] through prayers.

Seoul (AsiaNews) - The road to peace in Korea "is long and tough", so it is necessary to "keep patience and continue praying," writes Card Andrew Yeom Soo-jung (pictured), archbishop of Seoul, in his Christmas message.

In the letter, titled "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests" (Lk 2: 14), the cardinal reflects on the "peaceful atmosphere" that has come to the Korean peninsula this year after the Panmunjom summit.

Citing Pope John XXIIIs encyclical "Pacem in terris", the archbishop reminds the faithful that "peace on earth can, at last, be recovered and strengthened in the orders of God.

Pope John XXIII taught us that a peaceful world-order can be constructed by the Truth and Justice, completed by Love and Solidarity, and realised by security of Freedom. Hence, Christians are called to be the first builders of peace in the world."

"As Pope Francis has always stressed, we should keep mercy in our minds which enables endless forgiveness and unconditional sharing. We, above all, should start from prayers.

True peace is Gods gift which we can receive only when we ask for [it] through prayers. Thus, lets keep devoting our prayers for the peace in Korean Peninsula.

In concluding his Christmas message, Card Yeom turns to his brothers and sisters in North Korea. I hope Christmas can be a new hope and light for [our] brothers and sisters in North Korea, which can bring a big consolation for the hardship theyre having in their minds as well.
US Charges Two Hackers Linked to Chinese Intelligence

By Masood Farivar December 20, 2018

U.S. prosecutors unsealed charges on Thursday against two hackers linked to Chinese intelligence, accusing them of engaging in a campaign of computer intrusions over a 12-year period targeting technology firms that businesses and government agencies around the world hire to store, process and protect their data.

Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong, described by officials as members of a Chinese cyber-espionage group known as APT-10 and working for China's main intelligence service, hacked computers in at least a dozen countries, giving Chinese intelligence access to confidential business information, Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said.

"When hackers gain access to (managed service providers), they can steal sensitive information that gives competitors an unfair advantage," Rosenstein said at a press conference in Washington announcing the charges. "This is outright cheating and theft, and it gives China an unfair advantage at the expense of law-abiding businesses that follow the international rules in return for the privilege of participating in the global economic system."

Companies targeted

The hackers, working in association with China's intelligence service, targeted "manager service providers" (MSPs). Those are companies that remotely manage the information technology infrastructure of U.S. government agencies, more than 45 tech companies in at least a dozen U.S. states, and governments around the world, officials said.

Zhu and Zhang remain at large. They faces charges of conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated theft.

The charges come against a backdrop of growing U.S. concerns about Chinese economic espionge and maliciouscyber activities and rising tensions between Washington and Beijing over trade and intellectual property theft.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said in a statement that an escalation in cyberattacks by Chinese hackers connected to the country's intelligence service violated commitments made in 2015 by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the U.S. and other countries to refrain from engaging in cyber-espionage "with the intent of providing competitive advantages to companies or commercial actors."

"These actions by Chinese actors to target intellectual property and sensitive business information present a very real threat to the economic competitiveness of companies in the United States and around the globe," the statement said.

British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt described the Chinese cyber campaign as "one of the most significant and widespread cyber incursions against the UK and allies," saying it violated commitments Xi made to the U.K. in a bilateral agreement.

"These activities must stop," Hunt said. "Our message to governments prepared to enable these activities is clear: together with our allies, we will expose your actions and take other necessary steps to ensure the rule of law is upheld."

Long-term effort

FBI Director Christopher Wray described the Chinese government's campaignof cyber-espionage in recent years as part of a broader, long-term effort by China to surpass the United States as a superpower.

"As evidenced by this investigation, the threats we face have never been more severe or more pervasive or more damaging to our national security, and no country poses a broader, more severe long-term threat to our nation's economy and cyber infrastructure than China," Wray said. "China's goal, simply put, is to replace the U.S. as the world's leading super power, and they're using illegal methods to get there."

The Justice Department has responded to the Chinese cyber campaign by stepping up efforts this year to investigate and prosecute Chinese nationals and others suspected of carrying out economic and cyber activities on behalf of China.

According to a Justice Department summary released on Thursday, so far this year the department has brought charges in 10 China-related cases of espionage and hacking, including three recent cases involving alleged crimes committed at the behest of a branch of the Ministry of State Security, the country's main intelligence service.

In October, U.S. prosecutors charged two Chinese intelligence officers and their recruited hackers with conspiracy to hack private companies' computer networks in the United States and overseas for more than five years.

Last week, a U.S. official said investigators believe hackers working for China's intelligence service were responsible for the data breach that resulted in the theft of personal information from 500 million guests of the Marriott hotel chain.

In the latest case, Zhu and Zhang are alleged to have "acted in association with the Chinese Ministry of State Security's Tianjin State Security Bureau" while working for a technology company.

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Riyadh Reforming Intelligence Service After Khashoggi Murder  Reports

Sputnik News

01:33 21.12.2018

CAIRO (Sputnik)  Saudi Arabia is conducting the major reform of its General Intelligence Presidency after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, local media reported Thursday.

In October, a ministerial committee was established aiming to restructure the service as well as evaluate and update its procedures, methods, and powers in order to ensure its proper functioning, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The committee decided that separate departments for strategy and development, for legal affairs as well as for performance evaluation and internal review needed to be established within the General Intelligence Presidency, SPA added.

Saudi Arabia stressed its intention to continue development of its institutions to achieve best international practices.

Khashoggi, a US resident and columnist for The Washington Post, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Following more than two weeks of denials, Saudi Arabia admitted on October 19 that Khashoggi had been killed in a brawl inside the consulate in Istanbul.

According to Riyadh, at least 18 people have been arrested over their suspected involvement in the incident and the country's deputy intelligence chief has been fired.

 Sputnik

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Joining forces: Test team completes fourth Orange Flag of 2018

By Kenji Thuloweit, 412th Test Wing Public Affairs / Published December 20, 2018

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- In the skies above California, an F-35 Lightning II and F-16 Fighting Falcon from Edwards Air Force Base, are joined by an F-15E Strike Eagle and F-22 Raptor from the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron out of Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, along with a Navy F-18 Hornet from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 out of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.

The Orange Flag Evaluation Team executed its fourth successful event Dec. 13. Orange Flag, developed by the 412th Operations Group, evaluates teamwork across the sister services to integrate joint forces across a wide range of mission areas. The events enable the test community to capture data to assess the interoperability of multiple aircraft platforms in an environment outside of traditional Edwards testing.

"The latest event involved a total of 18 aircraft in six combat-relevant test tasks and experiments," said Maj. Christopher Campbell, Air Force Test Center, Orange Flag Evaluation Director.

In addition to the fighters, B-52 Stratofortress, B-2 Spirit and B-1 Lancer bombers participated along with KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-10 Extender aerial refueling tankers.

Campbell said the team will analyze the data collected and apply it to develop new air power capabilities.



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Taiwan reiterates claim over Diaoyutais amid Japan protest

ROC Central News Agency

2018/12/20 16:34:44

Taipei, Dec. 20 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) reiterated Thursday Taiwan's claim over the disputed Diaoyutai Islands in the East China Sea after the Japanese government issued a protest to the ministry as it found a record number of Taiwanese fishing vessels operating near the islands that are claimed by both countries.

The Tokyo-based Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported a day earlier that Japanese coastguard authorities have found that a record number of Taiwanese fishing vessels have "intruded" into the 12 nautical mile limit -- a country's territorial waters -- surrounding the Diaoyutais, known in Japan as the Senkaku Islands, this year.

As of Dec. 17, a total of 310 Taiwanese fishing boats had been found "illegally" operating near the islands, which is three times the number of a year ago, according to the report.

The Japan Coast Guard has issued a protest to Taiwan over the intrusions via diplomatic channels, the report said.

Asked to comment, MOFA spokesman Andrew Lee () on Thursday reaffirmed that the Diaoyutais are the inherent territory of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Despite the sovereignty dispute between the two countries, according to the 2013 Taiwan-Japan Fisheries Agreement, fishermen from both countries can operate in the overlapping areas of their exclusive economic zones (EEZ) in the East China Sea.

"We will continue to work closely with our fisheries agency to maintain a full grasp of the whereabouts of our fishing vessels, and will also engage in rational dialogue with the Japanese side over the matter," he noted.

The uninhabited Diaoyutais, located 170 kilometers northeast of Taiwan, are claimed by Taiwan, Japan and China, which calls them the Diaoyu Islands. They have been under Japanese administrative control since 1971.

Provisions set forth in the Taiwan-Japan Fisheries Agreement do not apply to waters within 12 nautical miles of the Diaoyutais due to their respective sovereignty claims.

(By Joseph Yeh)

Enditem/J

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Release

No. NR-347-18 December 20, 2018

DOD Releases Report on Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan

Today the Department of Defense provided to the Congress the semiannual report Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan covering events during the period from June 1 to November 30, 2018. The report was submitted in accordance with requirements in Section 1225 of the Fiscal 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) as amended by Sections 1231 and 1531 of the Fiscal 2016 and Fiscal 2017 NDAA.

The principle goal of the South Asia Strategy is to conclude the war in Afghanistan on terms favorable to Afghanistan and the United States. During this reporting period, the United States and its partners used military force to drive the Taliban towards a durable and inclusive political settlement. There have been some notable developments  the June Eid al-Fitr ceasefire and the support for peace from the broader Islamic community  which threatened the legitimacy of the Taliban.

The Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation (SRAR), Ambassador Zalmay Khalilizad, has reinforced U.S. diplomatic engagements with Afghans, neighboring states and interested parties in the broader region. Increased military pressure on the Taliban, international calls for peace, and the new SRARs engagements appear to be driving the Taliban to negotiations.

The introduction of additional advisors and enablers in 2018 stabilized the situation in Afghanistan, slowing the momentum of a Taliban march that had capitalized on U.S. drawdowns between 2011 and 2016. The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) remain in control of most of Afghanistans population centers and all of the provincial capitals, while the Taliban control large portions of Afghanistans rural areas, and continue to attack poorly defended government checkpoints and rural district centers.

The reinforcement and realignment of U.S. and coalition forces and authorities under the South Asia Strategy have significantly increased pressure on the Taliban. Continued DOD partnership with the Afghan Special Security Forces (ASSF) has produced an extremely lethal and agile offensive force. Enhanced efforts to train, advise and assist (TAA) the ANDSF, from strategic to tactical levels, including the employment of the Armys 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) improved Afghan offensive capabilities.

NATO allies and partners remain committed to Afghanistans long-term security and stability. At the July 2018 NATO Summit in Brussels, allies and partners reaffirmed their commitment to the Resolute Support (RS) TAA mission and agreed to extend financial sustainment of the ANDSF through 2024. Furthermore, RS welcomed Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as new operational partners, increasing the coalition from 39 to 41 allies and partners and providing evidence that our partners and allies know that our strategy is working.

Afghanistan held parliamentary elections in late October, and did so with minimal U.S. military support. Although the elections were not without violence, ANDSF preparation to secure polling stations resulted in an election that was less violent than any election conducted over the past ten years. The parliamentary elections demonstrated the significant growth and development of Afghanistans institutional and security capabilities, and help set the stage for presidential elections in 2019.

https://dod.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/1719572/

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Pakistan says Afghan peace a shared responsibility

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, Dec 20, IRNA -- Pakistan says it has played its role in talks between Taliban and the United States in the United Arab Emirates, as part of shared responsibility.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Muhammad Faisal said at his weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Thursday that Pakistan reaffirmed its support for peace and stability in Afghanistan and our role has been widely appreciated.

The US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said he had 'productive' meetings in the UAE with Afghan and international partners 'to promote intra-Afghan dialogue towards ending the conflict'.

Other attendees included officials from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, which along with the Emirati hosts were the only other countries to recognise the Taliban rule during its five-year reign starting in 1996.

The Taliban has refused to meet directly with the Afghan government, viewing it as a puppet of the US.

Khalilzad tweeted that he met with Pakistani officials on Wednesday to brief them before travelling to meet Afghan leaders in Kabul.

Muhammad Faisal called upon India to allow the UN Military Observer Group on India and Pakistan to monitor the situation on Line of Control and Working Boundary.

He said Pakistan will continue with its moral, diplomatic and political support to the people of Kashmir and their just right to self-determination.

The Spokesman said Pakistan has also written letters to the Secretary Generals of the United Nations and OIC and a meeting of Contact Group on Kashmir will also be held soon.

To a question regarding demolishing of two mosques in Allahabad, India, the Spokesperson said India should respect the rights of minorities living there.

He said a conference of diplomats will be held in Islamabad on 27th of this month.

The spokesperson also refuted the foreign media news sensitizing the issue of Pakistani women in China.

He said there are forty four women out of which six have been repatriated to Pakistan, three are under investigation, 23 are free and are living in Xinjiang and eight are voluntarily undergoing training in China.

272**6125**1420

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USNS Big Horn Completes US Fifth Fleet, US Sixth Fleet Deployment

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS181220-05

Release Date: 12/20/2018 10:14:00 AM

By Bill Mesta, Military Sealift Command Public Affairs

NORFOLK (NNS) -- Military Sealift Command's fleet replenishment oiler USNS Big Horn (T-AO 198) pulled into Naval Station Norfolk, Dec. 17, signifying the completion of their 10-month deployment in support of U.S. Navy and allied efforts in the U.S. Fifth Fleet and U.S. Sixth Fleet's area of responsibility.

"Some of the missions USNS Big Horn undertook during this deployment included the logistical support for the NATO exercise Trident Juncture and Carrier Strike Group 8 with the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman (CVN 75) and Destroyer Squadron 28 along with NATO Allies of the Royal Norwegian Navy and the Royal Danish Navy," said Capt. Timothy Porter, USNS Big Horn's master. "These operations took the USNS Big Horn throughout the British Isles, North Sea and North of the Arctic Circle. In accordance with long standing nautical tradition, the ship and its crew were appointed the 'Order of the Blue Nose' for the daunting trek."

The 'Order of the Blue Nose', also known as 'Northern Domain of the 'Polar Bear,' is an unofficial honorary title presented to mariners and sailors who travel north of the Arctic Circle (66-32 South latitude), according to the Naval History and Heritage Command website.

"USNS Big Horn's crew made all the difference while deployed as our operations were conducted smoothly and efficiently," said Porter. "At times, we would be delivering aviation fuel to USS Harry S Truman on the portside, marine fuel to a 'small boy' on the starboard side, and conducting flight quarter operations for palletized materials, all at the same time."

Big Horn is crewed by 82 civil service mariners who operate all aspects of the ship including, navigation, engineering and communications.

"Everyone pitched in and picked up their game when called upon during stressful re-supply operations," Porter said. "From the Cargo Officer Dale Cramer, to the bosun to the steward utilities, the whole crew would take part in the largest of replenishment events. Deckplate leadership by Cargo Mate Michelle Jackson and Ship's Bosun Justin Lyon ensured cargo flowed smoothly to our customers."

USNS Big Horn sailed over 65,000 nautical miles during the deployment. They delivered 14.1 million gallons of marine fuel, 5.4 million gallons of aviation fuel and 712 pallets of supplies.

Military Sealift Command's 15 fleet replenishment oilers provide underway replenishment-at-sea services delivering fuel, fleet cargo and stores to U.S. Navy and allied ships at sea.

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Pentagon chief Mattis announces resignation, citing differences with Trump

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 20, 2018 11:16PM

US Defense Secretary James Mattis finally announced his long-anticipated resignation to allow President Donald Trump to have a defense chief whose views are more aligned with the US president, he said in his resignation letter Thursday.

Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general who was known as a stabilizing force in President Trump's cabinet, will leave his job at the end of February, Trump said in a tweet on Thursday.

"General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years," Trump tweeted.

Trump also announced he would nominate a successor to Mattis shortly.

Despite Trump's talk of retirement, Mattis said in his resignation letter that he was stepping down so Trump could have a defense chief whose views align more closely with his own.

His departure had been anticipated since Trump announced on Wednesday that he was withdrawing US troops from Syria despite opposition from US allies and top US military officials.

Mattis joins a long list of former Trump administration senior figures who have either quit or been removed, some unceremoniously like Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who Trump fired via Twitter in March.

Trump's White House has had the highest turnover of senior-level staff of the past five presidents, according to the Brookings Institution think tank.

Speculation that Mattis might not last long in his post grew in October when Trump said in a CBS interview that the general was "sort of a Democrat" and might be leaving.

During an interview with CBS, the president was asked if Mattis  with whom he has at times reportedly had a strained relationship  was going to leave.

"I don't know. He hasn't told me that," he said. "I have a very good relationship with him. I had lunch with him two days ago. I have a very good relationship with him. It could be that he is. I think he's sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth."

He added, "General Mattis is a good guy. We get along very well. He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves. Everybody. People leave. That's Washington."

However, Trump said in the same interview there were some people in his administration he is "not thrilled with".

Speculation intensified in September with the publication of Bob Woodward's Fear: Trump in the White House, which claimed the former military officer had described Trump as an idiot and told colleagues the president "acted like  and had the understanding of  a fifth- or sixth-grader".

Woodward quotes one scene in which the president reportedly told the defense secretary to "kill" Bashar al-Assad after the Syrian leader was accused of using chemical weapons in an alleged attack on civilians in April 2017.

The book said Mattis told the president that he would get right on it. But after hanging up the phone, he told an aide, "We're not going to do any of that. We're going to be much more measured."

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Trump's Syria Withdrawal Announcement Criticized By Allies, Praised By Putin

By RFE/RL December 20, 2018

U.S. President Donald Trump has defended his unexpected decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, a move met with concern by members of the anti-Islamic State (IS) coalition, but lauded by Russia.

Trump said in several tweets early on December 20 that his decision was in line with his promise from his 2016 presidential campaign to withdraw from Syria.

He said the United States should not become "the Policeman of the Middle East," and it was "time for others to finally fight."

Trump made the surprise announcement in a video message posted on Twitter saying that "after historic victories" against IS militants, U.S. troops are "all coming back and they're all coming back now" from Syria.

"We have won against [IS], we've beaten them, and we've beaten them badly," he said in the video on December 19.

"Now it's time for our troops to come back home," he added.

The video posting came after confusion and some concerns were raised by U.S. lawmakers and allies in response to an earlier tweet by the president that said, "We have defeated [IS] in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency."

U.S. officials told media outlets the president had decided to rapidly withdraw all troops from Syria, and White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said some of the 2,000-strong U.S. force had begun to leave after the militants' "territorial caliphate" had been defeated.

France, Britain, and Germany, key members of the anti-IS coalition, reacted to the announcement with skepticism, saying that much remains to be done in Syria.

France said it would maintain its participation in the anti-IS coalition. "For now of course we remain in Syria," France's European Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau said on December 20, adding that "the fight against terrorism is not over."

A British government statement warned that "much remains to be done" in fighting the IS group in Syria.

"The global coalition against [IS] has made huge progress," the statement issued late on December 19 said.

"But much remains to be done and we must not lose sight of the threat they pose. Even without territory, [IS] will remain a threat," the statement said.

Junior Defense Minister Tobias Ellwood was more blunt, retweeting a message from Trump that the jihadists had been defeated in Syria with the words: "I strongly disagree."

Germany also voiced concern, with Foreign Minister Heiko Maas saying in a statement that "the abrupt change of course by the American side comes as a surprise not only for us." Maas said that while IS has been pushed back, "the threat is not yet over."

But Russia, who together with Iran has given Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government crucial support throughout the Syrian conflict, welcomed Trump's announced withdrawal.

President Vladimir Putin, speaking at his annual news conference in Moscow on December 20, said he agreed with Trump that the defeat of the Islamic State group removes the need for the U.S. military presence in the country.

Putin reiterated Moscow's long-held argument that the U.S. presence in Syria was illegitimate since it did not have the stamp of approval from the UN Security Council or from Assad's government.

"If the U.S. decided to withdraw its contingent, it has done the right thing," Putin said.

But the Russian leader added a note of skepticism, saying that it remains to be seen whether America will indeed withdraw and noting Washington's repeated promises to end its 17-year presence in Afghanistan.

In the United States, many Republican and Democratic lawmakers condemned Trump's move. Some said it handed a victory to Russia and Iran.

Others said it was a betrayal to U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in the war-torn country.

One U.S.-allied Kurdish militia, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said Trump's decision to withdraw from Syria would have a "negative impact" on the campaign to rout IS.

"The withdrawal decision will be a direct blow to efforts to completely defeat the terrorist organization and will have dangerous consequences on global stability and peace," the SDF said in a December 20 statement.

Addressing the UN Security Council later in the day, U.S. diplomat Rodney Hunter said the United States "remains committed to the permanent destruction of [IS] and other terrorist groups in Syria."

Washington will also "use all instruments of our national power to press for a withdrawal of Iranian-backed forces" in the war-torn country, Hunter added.

The Syrian conflict, which began with a government crackdown on protesters in March 2011, has left more than 400,000 people dead, displaced millions, and devastated many historic sites across the country.

In 2014, IS fighters seized large swaths of Syrian and Iraqi territory in a lightning offensive and proclaimed a so-called Islamic "caliphate."

IS militants have lost virtually all the territory they once controlled in Iraq, but still carry out sporadic attacks.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and the BBC

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-syria-troop-pullout- islamic-state-russia-turkey-iran/29666375.html

Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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U.S. Envoy Doubts Afghan Taliban 'Genuinely Seeking Peace'

December 20, 2018

The U.S. special peace envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has questioned the Taliban's determination to end the 17-year war, after the group's representatives refused to meet with an Afghan government-backed negotiating team.

"We have to wait and see their forthcoming steps," Khalilzad told Afghan news agency Ariana News on December 20, according to a translation of the interview provided by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

Khalilzad said that, while he was certain the Afghan government wanted to end the conflict, it was unclear whether the Taliban were "genuinely seeking peace."

Khalilzad's remarks came after his latest face-to-face meeting earlier this week with the Taliban, which was held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates and was also attended by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

The U.A.E. hailed the talks as "positive for all parties concerned."

And the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Khalid bin Salman, said that the meetings will produce "very positive results by the beginning of next year."

But the Taliban would not meet with a 12-person Afghan delegation, Khalilzad said, describing the decision as "wrong."

"If the Taliban are really seeking peace, they have to sit with the Afghan government ultimately to reach an agreement on the future political settlement in Afghanistan," the former U.S. ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan said.

The Taliban has refused direct talks with the Afghan government, which it says is an American puppet.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-envoy- doubts-afghan-taliban-genuinely- seeking-peace-/29667432.html

Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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by P. Savio

Savio, a priest of the underground Church, writes of his difficulties of conscience in accepting bishops who are involved with the Patriotic Association, because they support an "independent Church", incompatible with Catholic doctrine. For the priest there is an unresolved ambiguity in the Vatican's behavior. And he asks for help and for coherence.

Rome (AsiaNews) - We received and decided to publish this "open letter" from a priest of the underground Church in China, whom we will refer to under the pseudonym of Savio. It is an example of the difficulties and problems of conscience that many unofficial priests are experiencing. Yesterday we published the reflection of an underground priest of Mindong - which Fr. Savio cites - who, together with his Bishop Guo Xijin, resolved the matter, with obedience to the new Bishop Zhan Silu. But the problem remains: beyond government recognition, is it possible to lightly adhere to the Patriotic Association and support an "independent" Church? Fr. Savio asks for clarity from the Vatican.

After the recent signing of the Sino-Vatican Agreement, the difficult problem of where to place the seven bishops who have recently been legitimized remains to be resolved: they must become the ordinary bishops of their diocese, so the original bishops must resign and retire or step aside to make room for them.

In the past it has always been considered that the legitimacy of illicit bishops was not a problem, since with episcopal ordination they became bishops even if illegitimate: the ordination was valid even if they could not exercise episcopal ministry. The problem is where they are placed after legitimization, since the diocese already has an ordinary bishop ... according to official documents, it seems that the Holy See has solved this problem on paper.

But they are facing new problems and more serious problems, which perhaps they do not want to face or avoid discussing, putting us in front of a serious and painful choice: to accept or not the Patriotic Association?

Conscience and obedience are now in opposition. On the one hand, the Letter of Pope Benedict XVI to the Chinese Church is still valid, and clearly states that the principles of the Patriotic Association cannot be reconciled with the doctrine of the Catholic Church (see No. 7 of the Letter of Benedict XVI). On the other hand, bishops belonging to the National Patriotic Association can replace bishops who have been persecuted for not having joined the Patriotic Association in matters of faith and truth: this places clergy and the faithful in a contradictory dilemma, the very people who from the beginning have been faithful to the doctrine of the Church.

Vatican, please tell us what to do? Owing to obedience, must we voluntarily close our eyes, not consider the Letter of Pope Benedict XVI and pay no attention to our conscience by accepting the president of the Patriotic Association as our bishop? Or follow the principle of the supremacy of conscience and adhere to the basis of our faith, not accepting the Patriotic Association and its Bishops?

One must speak of obedience, because the official documents of the Vatican clearly state that a patriotic bishop replaces the ordinary. Msgr. Guo Xijin of the Diocese of Mindong and all priests in obedience are without guilt, unconditional obedience, in accepting a Bishop nominated by the Patriotic Association: the "loyalty of the Diocese of Mindong" is like drinking a sip of tea.

The term "fidelity" means loyalty to a superior authority, being faithful to the tradition of the Church, faithful to the representative of Christ on earth. When we chose to follow the line of "clandestinity", it was because the Holy See did not recognize the official bishops, for which we had refused communion in the administration of their sacraments. Now we accept the official Bishops as our Bishops, for the same command of the Holy See, so the rejection of then and the acceptance of today are of the same nature.

But what is not remembered, is that the prohibition of the Holy See at that time was because of the Patriotic Association and the choice to go underground was because of the non-reconciliation of the same Association with the doctrine of the Church: Does this indicate that the problem of the Patriotic Association has been solved ? If it is not solved, is not it a contradiction? Should we still consider Pope Benedict's Letter an instruction from the Holy See? Should our obedience be carried out with our eyes closed?

Conscience tells us that the Letter of Pope Benedict is still valid and Pope Francis has emphasized its validity. This is why the dilemma arises: since the Patriotic Association and the Church's doctrine cannot be reconciled, how can we accept the president of the association as our bishop? In line with the previous Pope's Letter, I cannot accept a patriotic bishop as my bishop, unless he leaves the Association. If you ask me to accept a patriotic bishop as my bishop, I can only neglect and forget the Pope's Letter which is still valid, unless it is clearly said that it is no longer valid. In this dilemma, leave me the freedom of choice: I cannot open one eye and close the other, I do not want to disobey, but not even betray my conscience: I can always go home and return to cultivating the fields.

I am an ordinary priest, I do not have the intellect of these great people who think so much; I have a simple faith that is based on yes is yes, no is no; I have no ambition for power, nor am I ambitious: in the contrast or contradiction between faith and obedience, between conscience and obedience, please, dear Vatican tells us: what should we do?
U.S. Defense Chief Mattis To Leave, Says Views Not Fully 'Aligned' With Trump

By RFE/RL December 20, 2018

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Defense Chief Jim Mattis will be leaving his post early next year, saying in his resignation letter that his views are not fully "aligned" with President Donald Trump and citing policies toward Russia and China as among the differences.

Mattis' comments came on December 20 in a letter to the president that was made public shortly after Trump announced on Twitter that the defense secretary would be retiring at the end of February 2019.

The upcoming departure is the latest in a flurry of announced exits from the U.S. administration as Trump nears the halfway point in his four-year term.

It comes a day after Trump surprised and angered many U.S. military leaders, lawmakers, and international allies by announcing he was withdrawing "all" U.S. troops from Syria, where they are assisting a Syrian Arab and Kurdish alliance fighting against Islamic State (IS) militants and other forces.

News agencies are reporting that Mattis and other national security aides opposed the decision, saying it handed Russia, Iran, and Turkey a victory. Reuters quoted an unnamed senior White House official as saying that Mattis resigned during a meeting with Trump after the two had a difference of opinions "on some issues."

The 68-year-old Mattis, a Marine Corps general, was one of the most-respected members of the Trump administration and had won praise from both Democrats and Republicans. Some, however, have criticized Mattis for not standing up to Trump for policies that many in Congress have opposed.

In his resignation letter, Mattis said, "I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours.

"It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model gaining veto authority over other nations' economic, diplomatic, and security decisions to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbors, America, and our allies."

Mattis added that his views of "treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues."

"Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis said.

Minutes earlier, Trump wrote on Twitter that "General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years."

"During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting....equipment."

"General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!" Trump added.

Trump announced on December 8 that John Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, would be leaving his post as White House chief of staff by the end of the year.

Trump and Kelly had been rumored to be at odds over many issues, with some U.S. media reporting the two are no longer speaking to each other.

Among other recent departures, Jeff Sessions, Trump's attorney general, was forced out of his position on November 7, while U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said on October 9 that she would step down at the end of the year.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was fired on March 13 after disagreements with the president. Trump later tweeted that Tillerson was "dumb as a rock" and "lazy as hell" after Tillerson said Trump was "pretty undisciplined," and did not read.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/mattis-defense-secretary- leaving-trump-russia-china/29667973.html

Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Reports: Trump Considering Significant Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan

By RFE/RL December 20, 2018

U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a significant withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, U.S. news media are reporting, citing multiple administration officials.

The Wall Street Journal on December 20 quoted an unnamed senior U.S. official as saying that Trump "wants to see viable options about how to bring conflicts to a close."

The reports come a day after Trump surprised and angered many U.S. lawmakers, administration officials, and international allies by saying he was pulling "all" U.S. troops out of Syria, where they are leading a multinational coalition backing local forces in the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants.

It also came shortly before Trump announced that his defense secretary, Jim Mattis, would be leaving his post at the end of February. U.S. media are reporting that Mattis opposed Trump's move to withdraw from Syria. In his resignation letter, Mattis said his views were not fully "aligned" with those of the president.

The WSJ report, and another by Reuters, did not specify a time frame or the number of troops that would potentially be withdrawn from Afghanistan. The Pentagon declined to comment.

A U.S.-led coalition has been in Afghanistan since 2001, when it drove the Taliban from power after Al-Qaeda militants -- whose leaders were being sheltered in Afghanistan -- carried out the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

However, the Western-backed government in Kabul has struggled to counter attacks from the Taliban and other militant groups since the withdrawal of most NATO combat troops in 2014.

U.S. officials have been attempting to push the Taliban to the negotiating table with the government in Kabul. Many Taliban leaders insist that U.S. forces depart before substantial peace talks can take place.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special peace envoy for Afghanistan, on December 20 questioned the Taliban's determination to end the 17-year war after the group's representatives refused to meet with an Afghan government-backed negotiating team.

Khalilzad said that, while he was certain the Afghan government wanted to end the conflict, it was unclear whether the Taliban were "genuinely seeking peace."

Khalilzad's remarks came following his latest face-to-face meeting earlier this week with the Taliban, which was held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates and was also attended by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

The U.A.E. hailed the talks as "positive for all parties concerned," while the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Khalid bin Salman, claimed the meetings will produce "very positive results by the beginning of next year."

Meanwhile, Trump defended his unexpected decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, a move met with concern by members of the anti-Islamic State coalition but was lauded by Russia.

Trump said in several tweets early on December 20 that his decision was in line with his promise from his 2016 presidential campaign to withdraw from Syria.

He said the United States should not become "the Policeman of the Middle East," and it was "time for others to finally fight."

With reporting by The Wall Street Journal and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-considers-troop-cuts- afghanistan-wsj-reuters/29668426.html

Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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IDF Starts Demolition of Hezbollah 'Attack' Tunnels Along Lebanese Border

Sputnik News

23:55 20.12.2018(updated 00:03 21.12.2018)

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday that they had started destroying attack tunnels discovered close to the Israeli-Lebanese border.

"The neutralization and destruction phase of Hezbollah's attack tunnels dug from Lebanon into Israel has begun. Our effort to expose additional tunnels continues according to plan," the IDF said on Twitter.

Following the launch of the Israeli operation, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said it had increased security patrols at the Lebanese-Israeli border to avoid potential escalation.

The IDF announced on December 4 that it had launched Operation Northern Shield aimed at neutralizing cross-border tunnels dug by the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, and allegedly used for covertly transporting Hezbollah militants to Israel.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Lebanese Ambassador to Moscow Chawki Bou Nassar on Thursday discussed the situation along the Lebanese-Israeli border, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

"During the meeting, the situation in Lebanon and around it was discussed with a focus on the situation in the area of the UN 'blue line' separating Lebanon and Israel. The Russian side reaffirmed its principle position in support of the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Lebanon," the ministry said in a statement.

Israel traditionally views Hezbollah's presence in Lebanon and Syria as a threat to its national security as the movement is backed by Iran, which is Israel's main rival in the region. The Blue Line is a border demarcation between Lebanon and Israel determined by the United Nations.

 Sputnik

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Update: air strikes against Daesh

The RAF are continuing to take the fight to Daesh in Syria.

20 December 2018

The Royal Air Force has continued its bombardment of key Daesh targets in Syria, helping Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and coalition allies advance through Hajin, the terrorist group's last significant territory.

Typhoon and Tornado jets struck buildings, individuals and vehicles on a daily basis throughout the start of December, supporting the SDF efforts on the ground to recapture Hajin.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

"The advance through Hajin is a huge milestone and shows that Daesh are being pushed further back into the shadows. Make no mistake though, although this is another significant battle won, much hard work still lies ahead to ensure we win the war."

On Wednesday 19 December, President Trump stated that Daesh had been defeated in Syria. The White House also made it clear that this signalled neither the end of the Global Coalition against Daesh, nor the campaign against the threat they posed. The UK will continue to work with members of the coalition on achieving this, to deny Daesh territory and ensure its enduring defeat, working alongside our critical regional partners in Syria and beyond. Much remains to be done and we must not lose sight of the threat Daesh will pose, even without territory.

Summary

Friday 23 November  Tornados and Typhoons struck seven Daesh targets near Hajin, including two armed trucks and a heavy machine-gun position.

Saturday 24 November  Tornados and Typhoons hit a further six terrorist positions near Hajin.

Monday 3 December  Tornados attacked three Daesh targets north of Hajin, including an armoured bulldozer and a tunnel occupied by terrorists.

Wednesday 5 December  Typhoons bombed two terrorist positions north-west of Hajin.

Thursday 6 December  Typhoons attacked a Daesh position north-west of Hajin.

Friday 7 December  Tornados bombed a group of terrorists and their vehicles near Hajin, whilst Typhoons dealt with two defensive strongpoints.

Saturday 8 December  Typhoons struck two more Daesh positions near Hajin.

Sunday 9 December  Typhoons destroyed a terrorist-held building on the outskirts of Hajin.

Monday 10 December  a Reaper conducted three attacks on terrorists in Hajin, and provided surveillance support to four coalition air strikes, including by RAF Typhoons which struck two targets.

Tuesday 11 December  a Reaper attacked three Daesh positions in and around Hajin, including a mortar team.

Wednesday 12 December  a Reaper hit four terrorist targets in Hajin, including a truck being loaded with weapons, whilst Tornados destroyed a Daesh operating base within the town.

Thursday 13 December  Tornados and Typhoons supported the Syrian Democratic Forces clearing terrorists from Hajin, striking nine Daesh positions.

Friday 14 December  a Reaper, Tornados and Typhoons conducted ten attacks on a total of twelve targets in the area around Hajin.

Saturday 15 December  a Reaper supported a coalition airstrike and engaged four groups of Daesh near Hajin, including terrorists loading a truck, whilst Tornados destroyed a defensive position south of the town.

Sunday 16 December  Reapers and Typhoons carried out seven attacks on Daesh to the south-east of Hajin, hitting nine targets.

Monday 17 December  Typhoons delivered three attacks south-east of Hajin, which struck five Daesh-held buildings and a group of terrorists in the open.

Detail

On Friday 23 November, Syrian Democratic Forces attacking Daesh positions to the north and north-east of Hajin came into contact with several groups of terrorists in the open desert. Two Tornado GR4s and two Typhoon FGR4s provided close air support to the SDF; a blanket of cloud covered the area, but close coordination with the SDF and the precision of the Paveway IV bombs allowed our aircraft to conduct strikes through the cloud on seven Daesh targets, all successful, despite the often close proximity of the SDF to the enemy. Two Daesh armed trucks and a heavy machine-gun position were amongst the targets reported by the SDF to have been hit. Similar close support was provided on Saturday 24 November, when the continuing difficult weather conditions did not prevent a flight of Typhoons from striking five groups of terrorists caught in the open, and a Tornado reconnaissance mission hitting a sixth.

No further targets required prosecution by RAF aircraft until Monday 3 December, when the SDF encountered Daesh positions a couple of miles to the north of Hajin. A pair of Tornados supported them, delivering two attacks in rapid succession. The first attack simultaneously targeted an armoured bulldozer and a group of Daesh in the open; although dropped through cloud, both Paveways were reported by the SDF to have struck their targets accurately. The same was true of the Paveway IV released shortly afterwards in the second attack, against a tunnel in which a number of terrorists were concealed.

On Wednesday 5 December, Typhoons supported an SDF advance north-west of Hajin. The SDF came into contact with two Daesh positions, but heavy cloud gave the terrorists no protection and both targets were successfully struck with Paveway IVs. Typhoons conducted a further strike in the same area the following day, accounting for a further terrorist position.

A Tornado flight was directed onto a group of terrorists, along with a number of vehicles, north-west of Hajin, on Friday 7 December. Once again, persistent cloud complicated the attack, but a Paveway IV was guided accurately onto the group and their vehicles. North of Hajin, the SDF reported being in a firefight with two Daesh defensive positions; Typhoons worked closely with the SDF to eliminate the threat from both targets, hitting them with Paveways. Two more Daesh positions nearby were bombed by Typhoons on Saturday 8 December. On Sunday 9 December, Typhoons used a single Paveway IV to destroy a Daesh-held building on the northern outskirts of Hajin.

With the SDF having now advanced into Hajin itself, a Reaper provided prolonged close air support to them on Monday 10 December. Its crew conducted three attacks with the Reaper's Hellfire missiles against Daesh terrorists engaged in often close-quarters combat with the SDF, and provided surveillance support to four attacks by other coalition aircraft. These included attacks by a pair of RAF Typhoons which destroyed two Daesh strongpoints. Another Reaper continued to support the SDF on Tuesday 11 December; its crew identified a group of Daesh with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades, firing at the SDF, and engaged them with a Hellfire missile. The Reaper's crew then observed another group of terrorists repositioning after a firefight with the SDF, and caught them in the open with a second Hellfire. Meanwhile, a coalition surveillance aircraft had identified a Daesh mortar team operating under cover of trees, and was able to direct the Reaper onto this target, which was successfully attacked with a GBU-12 guided bomb.

Reaper support to the SDF continued into Wednesday 12 December. Several terrorists were spotted in a treeline, and successfully targeted with a GBU-12. The Reaper's crew then observed extremists loading a truck with weapons and ammunition; they and the vehicle were struck with a Hellfire missile. Two more Hellfire attacks were carried out during the patrol, one hitting a group of terrorists firing at the SDF, the other striking a number of terrorists as they held a meeting behind the front line. Tornados were also active over Hajin, as the SDF advanced ever further into the town, and they carried out a successful attack with three Paveway IVs against a Daesh operating base.

Tornado and Typhoon flights provided close air support to the SDF as they fought to clear Daesh from areas of eastern and southern Hajin on Thursday 13 December. Very close coordination was required between our aircraft and the SDF since the latter were engaged in close-range combat with the terrorists; two attacks by the Typhoons accounted for five Daesh defensive positions, whilst three attacks by the Tornados dealt with a further four terrorist strongpoints.

On Friday 14 December, with the main town of Hajin reported to be largely liberated, a Reaper supported the SDF as they consolidated their control. Its crew conducted two successful attacks with Hellfire missiles against groups of terrorists observed south of the town. To the south-east, Tornados meanwhile assisted the SDF as they advanced down the main road towards Abu Kamal; Paveway IVs were used to eliminated a Daesh sniper team and a strongpoint, as well as cratering a road to prevent the terrorists moving up truck-bombs to attack a newly liberated area. Typhoons also provided close air support to the SDF, conducting attacks which struck six Daesh strongpoints, all of which had been firing on the SDF, as well as an armoured ZSU-23-4 anti-aircraft vehicle.

The SDF continued to push south-east from Hajin on Saturday 15 December: a Reaper supported a coalition airstrike, then employed Hellfire missiles to engage three groups of terrorists, including one group loading weapons and equipment onto a truck. A GBU-12 guided bomb was also used to target terrorists who were sniping at the SDF from a building. Tornados also patrolled the area, and bombed a Daesh position south of Hajin. The following day, a Reaper spotted a large group of extremists advancing towards the SDF. The Reaper helped disrupt this attempted attack with a series of three Hellfire and one GBU-12 engagements  among the targets struck was a light machine-gun team firing on the SDF  and also provided surveillance support to other coalition aircraft. A second Reaper worked with a pair of Typhoons over a nearby area; the Reaper struck a number of Daesh with a Hellfire, whilst the Typhoons conducted two attacks, hitting four Daesh-held buildings.

Typhoons conducted further attacks south-east of Hajin on Monday 17 December. The SDF advance ran into a series of Daesh defensive positions, but in the course of three separate Paveway IV attacks, the Typhoons were able to strike accurately through heavy cloud to hit five Daesh-held buildings, as well as a group of terrorists caught in the open. In each case, the weapons had to be delivered with great care and precision given the proximity of the SDF to the targets, with which they were engaged in firefights.

UK contribution to the fight against Daesh



Map of UK forces committed to Operation Shader

Campaign against Daesh



Map of Daesh losses and gains in Iraq and Syria since September 2014

Previous update

Royal Air Force aircraft have continued to provide close air support to the Syrian Democratic Forces attacking the one significant remaining area held by Daesh in eastern Syria. A Reaper remotely piloted aircraft responded to reports of a terrorist team planting improvised explosive devices north of Hajin on Monday 29 October; its crew were able to spot evidence of their activity around a large fuel tank positioned next to a road. Having checked that there were no signs of any civilians in the immediate area who might be placed at risk, the Reaper's crew fired a single Hellfire missile, which safely destroyed the booby-trapped fuel tank.

On Sunday 4 November, a flight of Typhoon FGR4s used two Paveway IVs to crater a road near Hajin, lest Daesh attempt to move truck-bombs along it to hold up the Syrian Democratic Forces' advance. The SDF meanwhile came up against four Daesh defensive positions in the area; these were all struck simultaneously by Paveway IVs dropped by Tornado GR4s through heavy cloud. The following day, Tornados were tasked with the destruction of a pair of buildings, to the east of Hajin, which Daesh were using as an operating base and command post. Each of the buildings received a direct hit from a Paveway IV.

Typhoons patrolled the Hajin area on Wednesday 7 November. A terrorist observation post was identified to the north-east of the town, and destroyed using a single Paveway. On Saturday 10 November, a further Typhoon patrol was directed to attack a large building in Hajin, which had been confirmed to be a Daesh logistics facility and a supposed "safe house" for their extremists. A careful check was made of the surrounding area, and then, there being no signs of civilians nearby, two Paveway IVs were guided onto the target.

A Daesh compound, which included an observation post keeping watch on the advancing SDF, was identified several miles to the north-east of Abu Kamal on Monday 12 November. A pair of Tornados attacked the compound with three Paveway IVs and successfully destroyed their targets within. Further assistance was rendered to the SDF on Thursday 15 November by a Typhoon flight, which bombed in turn three Daesh positions on the banks of the Euphrates, north-west of Hajin. The following day, a Daesh armed truck was reported to be firing to the north of Hajin; Typhoons responded, and destroyed it with a direct hit from a Paveway IV. The Typhoons were then directed to a ruined building, next to a road, within which the terrorists had been spotted hiding a truck-bomb. A second Paveway was used against this target, producing a large explosion which confirmed that the truck-bomb had been successfully detonated before any civilians or SDF had been placed in danger.

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2018 'terrifying' for Yemenis but ultimately a 'year for hope' says UN Special Envoy

20 December 2018 - It has been a "terrifying" year for Yemenis but ultimately one of hope, as December talks in Sweden yielded a ceasefire around a key port city with the promise of further substantive consultations between the warring parties next month, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, told UN News in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.

Despite the "remarkable" recent progress, Yemen continues to suffer from a humanitarian crisis described by the UN as the worst in the world, together with fighting between Government and Houthi movement opposition forces across the country, said Martin Griffiths, who said "it's still going to be a hard slog to make it work according to plan".

The unique role of the United Nations

The United Nations, said the Special Envoy, is the only organization capable of brokering an agreement such as the Hudaydah ceasefire, and putting a team on the ground to monitor the truce within a week of the talks in Sweden.

Mr. Griffiths admitted to many doubts and fears in the lead up to the talks, but also a sense of achievement at simply getting representatives of the two sides together for talks in the same room, after years of a brutal war, for the first time in over two years.

He was keen to stress the importance of using the meetings to move forward on the management of Hudaydah following the fragile ceasefire agreement; a key port which is the main hub for all humanitarian aid and commercial goods entering the war-torn nation.

On the humanitarian front, he said that detailed planning is already underway, with teams from the office of Lise Grande, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, and the World Food Programme (WFP) present as part on the UN mediating team in Sweden. WFP is expected to take the lead role in managing the port.

Another breakthrough was the agreement over a prisoner exchange, involving 4,000 in detention (2,000 from each side), who will now return home, described as an incredible moment for their families, and a "remarkable sign of hope for the people of Yemen". The International Committee of the Red Cross, which was present in Sweden in a support role, has agreed to manage the prisoner airlift from one part of the country to another.

Key role of Yemeni Women's Group

An important "backstage" element of the talks in Sweden was the active role of the Yemeni Women's Technical Advisory Group, which held meetings with the two parties as well as members of the diplomatic community. The Group discussed ways of bringing the voices of Yemeni women to the peace-making process and presented strategy papers and proposals to guide the Special Envoy in his mediation role, to bring the war to an end.

Despite the fact that they were not present at the formal negotiations, the members, said Mr. Griffiths, mixed easily and effectively with all representatives of the two sides, providing informal advice and providing the UN delegation with crucial information about what was actually happening behind the scenes. The Group was, he added, a "huge resource which, I hope, will only improve and expand over time".

Unresolved issues

Two issues were not agreed in Sweden: the reopening of Sana'a airport, and the collection of revenue by the Central Bank of Yemen. Regarding the former, Mr. Griffiths said that the opening of the airport is still being negotiated, and should be resolved before the next round of talks. It is hoped that technical experts from the Central Bank, with assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will be able to formulate a transparent process for revenue collection, in order to pay the salaries of civil servants throughout Yemen, who have often gone without pay for months on end.

By the end of this year, said Mr. Griffiths, international opinion became clearly fixed on Yemen, raising the prospect of an end to the conflict in 2019. Looking ahead, the Special Envoy expressed hopes that a new round of talks will go beyond humanitarian issues, to begin dealing with the essential elements of a political solution to the war.

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US Warplanes Keep IS in Crosshairs, for Now

By Jeff Seldin December 20, 2018

Islamic State fighters in Syria should not expect any relief from the pounding of U.S. and coalition airstrikes, at least for now.

The assurance Thursday from the Pentagon was one of the few details to emerge from defense officials just one day after U.S. President Donald Trump declared victory against the IS's self-declared caliphate and announced U.S. forces in Syria would be coming home.

The decision, which surprised many U.S. defense officials, diplomats and lawmakers, rattled U.S. allies on the ground and left many asking questions about what would come next.

No speculation on 'future operations'

But for now, the air campaign against IS will go on, even if the scope and intensity of the airstrikes remained murky.

"As long as there are U.S. troops on the ground, we will conduct air and artillery strikes in support of our forces," a U.S. defense official told VOA, declining to clarify whether any strikes would be carried out in support of partners like the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

"We will not speculate on future operations," the official added.

In recent weeks, the U.S.-led coalition has nearly tripled the number of airstrikes it has carried out against IS positions in and around the town of Hajin, where approximately 2,000 veteran IS fighters have been mounting a last stand in what has been the group's final stronghold.

That aerial bombardment has allowed the SDF, a mix of Kurdish and Arab fighters, to make inroads into Hajin after weeks of difficult fighting, though U.S. officials and SDF leaders warned it would likely be months before the entire area could be freed from IS control.

But as the first of about 2,000 U.S. troops, along with diplomats and intelligence officials, started pulling out of Syria, the resolve of the SDF fighters began to waiver.

A source close to SDF officials on the ground in Syria told VOA on Wednesday that while many of the group's Kurdish fighters were still actively fighting IS, they were prepared to withdraw from the front lines once the last of the U.S. troops had gone.

Many of them, the source said, expected to head north, to join Kurdish fighters preparing for an incursion by Turkish forces, who see them not as an ally in the fight against IS, but rather as terrorists in their own right.

Such talk seems to be gaining momentum, according to human rights groups that have been following the conflict in Syria.

SDF leadership was prepared to "withdraw all their fighters from the fronts with the Islamic State organization and move them to the front lines with the Turkish forces and the factions operating under their commands," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday.

The group also said SDF commanders had "seriously discussed the release of thousands of members of the Islamic State organization," many of them taken into custody as the SDF evicted IS from large swaths of Syria.

U.S. officials have put the number of captured IS foreign fighters at about 700, and for months have urged various governments to take them back so they could face justice in their countries of origin. But SDF officials say there are more than 1,000 fighters from 31 countries in custody, along with more than 2,000 women and children.

Sources familiar with the situation told VOA that the SDF also would consider turning them over to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad if such a deal could be struck.

Additionally, other U.S. allies have chafed at Trump's decision to pull out of Syria, some publicly contradicting on social media the U.S. president's declaration that IS was defeated.

"Daesh are being pushed further back into the shadows," British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said, using the Arabic acronym for IS, in a statement tweeted by the Ministry of Defense.

"Make no mistake, though," he added. "Much hard work still lies ahead to ensure we win the war."

The response from a NATO official was more muted.

"We have taken note of the U.S. decision," an official told VOA, noting the alliance does not have any forces in Syria but has been working to bolster the capacity of forces in neighboring Iraq to counter IS.

In the face of questions and criticism, President Trump defended his decision in a series of tweets Thursday.

The tweets prompted a harsh reaction from South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, often seen as a supporter of the president. He disagreed with Trump's assertion that U.S. foes were "not happy about the U.S. leaving."

"They're ecstatic," Graham said. "This is a big gift to them, and this is a devastating decision for our allies."

During a news conference Thursday in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the U.S. decision to pull out of Syria.

"Is the presence of American forces [in Syria] necessary? I think not," he said. "Let us not forget that their presence, the presence of your [American] forces, is not legitimate."

VOA's Wayne Lee contributed to this report.

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MSF: Famine Focus in Yemen Overshadows Health, Medical Needs

By Lisa Schlein December 20, 2018

The charity Doctors Without Borders says the medical and health needs of the Yemeni population are being overshadowed and neglected by the almost single-minded focus on a looming famine in the country.

Doctors Without Borders Program Manager Charles Gaudry has just returned from three weeks in Yemen. He said he was particularly struck by the extent of the needs of the population, which is paying the highest cost of more than three years of war.

He said they are victims of direct violence with thousands killed and wounded by airstrikes, shootings and shelling.

While this has taken a heavy toll on civilian lives, he said the indirect consequences of war are even greater. For example, he said more than 2,000 people died from the huge cholera epidemic that swept the country last year.

"But there are a number of others relating to all the hospitals that have closed or have seen their services drastically reduced because of not being able to pay their staff, no longer getting supplies," he said. "So, these have disrupted maternal services.These are hospitals that no longer have a surgeon."

Gaudry said more people are dying from diseases and lack of health care than they are from the war itself  and there is no support for basic health services.

He said he does not minimize U.N. warnings that millions of people in Yemen may be on the verge of famine. But he noted that many other humanitarian and health needs are not being addressed because of all the attention being placed on food assistance.

"Things need to work for the food assistance, which is necessary today to come in," he told VOA. "And, so it is important, and it is a way to raise the attention on the situation to make sure that this is going to work. But it cannot monopolize the debate on what is needed in terms of humanitarian assistance and medical in particular."

Doctors Without Borders runs a huge operation in Yemen. Its staff of more than 2,200 works in 12 hospitals and health centers across the country and provides support to more than 20 hospitals or health facilities across 11 governorates.

Since the war began in March 2015, the international charity has treated more than 1.6 million people for war related injuries, diseases, chronic illnesses and has performed surgical interventions.

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Pentagon Chief Mattis to Leave White House in February

Sputnik News

01:25 21.12.2018(updated 02:01 21.12.2018)

Defense Secretary James Mattis' retirement from the White House was announced by US President Donald Trump on Thursday, who said the general will depart the Cabinet February 28.

"General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years. During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service," Trump said over two tweets.

"Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours," Mattis wrote in his resignation letter, "I believe it is right for me to step down from my position." Reuters reported shortly after the announcement that Mattis had retired following a meeting with Trump on Thursday in which the two could not agree on several issues, citing a senior White House aide.

Mattis noted that one of his core beliefs was "that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships."

Further, he said he thinks "the United States should not be the policeman of the world. Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defense, including providing effective leadership to our alliancesThe Defeat-ISIS [Daesh] coalition of 74 nations is further proof."

The news of Mattis' departure follows Trump's Wednesday decision to withdraw all US forces from Syria starting immediately. On Thursday, reports surfaced that Trump is mulling a troop reduction in Afghanistan. The president made promises during his campaign to stop expending money and lives on foreign wars.

 Sputnik

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Trump Administration Mulls US Troops Reduction in Afghanistan - Reports

Sputnik News

01:04 21.12.2018(updated 01:15 21.12.2018)

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  US President Donald Trump is considering a significant reduction of US troops currently stationed in Afghanistan, according to media reports.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday citing US officials that a drawdown of American troops in Afghanistan could begin in several weeks.

Afghanistan has long been in a state of turmoil, with the government fighting the Taliban radical movement, which has been holding vast territories in rural areas under its control and regularly launches offensives on key big cities. The situation has been exacerbated by the activities of the Daesh terrorist group, which has been operating in Afghanistan since 2015.

The United States and NATO initially launched their military operations in Afghanistan in 2001 after the 9/11 terror attacks. While most of the US troops had been withdrawn from the country by the end of 2014, NATO launched a new mission in 2015, called Resolute Support, to provide training and assistance to the Afghan security forces. Over 16,000 soldiers from 39 NATO countries are currently serving in Afghanistan as part of the mission, with the majority of the contingent being the US soldiers.

The second deputy chief executive of Afghanistan, Mohammad Mohaqiq, told Sputnik in November that the US authorities and security servicemen were unaware of the real situation in the country, with the US servicemen deployed to Afghanistan having no incentives to fight and wishing to leave the mission area.

 Sputnik

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Three Members Of ISS Crew Return To Earth After 197 Days In Space

December 20, 2018

Three crew members of the International Space Station (ISS) have returned to Earth as they completed their 197-day mission.

The Soyuz capsule carrying German crew commander Alexander Gerst, U.S. astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor, and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Prokopyev landed early on December 20 on the Kazakh steppe, 140 kilometers southeast of Zhezqazghan.

Prokopyev commanded the Soyuz capsule on its return to Earth.

The three crewmembers spent 197 days aboard the ISS, performing experiments that can only be conducted in space.

Gerst handed control as the ISS commander over to Russian Oleg Kononenko earlier in the week.

On December 11, Kononenko and Prokopyev conducted a spacewalk and took samples of the exterior of the ISS as part of efforts to resolve the mystery of a small hole found in a craft docked at station.

https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-space-walk-hole/29651296.html

Kononenko, Anne McClain of the United States, and David Saint-Jacques of Canada arrived at the ISS in early December for their six-month mission.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, dpa, and TASS

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/three-members-of-iss-crew-return-to -earth-after-197-days-in-space/29666591.html

Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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by Vladimir Rozanskij

As soon as he receives the Tomos of autocephaly, the new Church will address various themes: the governing bodies, the date of Christmas (25 December and / or 7 January); the situation in the Crimea; relations with other Orthodox Churches. The patriarch of Moscow, Kirill, pushes for the isolation of the Ukrainian Church. Its showdown between Constantinople and Moscow.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - The new Metropolitan Epifanyj of Kiev, head of the autocephalous Ukrainian Church, gave his first interview on December 18 to Radio Svoboda, three days after his election. To the interest of many observers, as well as of the faithful Ukrainians themselves, he spoke of the structure of the new Church, which must still be defined. It will officially come into force only on 6 January, with the delivery of Tomos from Constantinople.

According to Epifanyj, after the official establishment of autocephaly, "the governing bodies of our Church will be formed. This is a completely new structure, which will require a great deal of work, but we will do it with great calm, wisdom and balance. We must work for unity, not for division ".

It will therefore not be just the extension of the "patriarchy" created in the 1990s by Filaret Denisenko, with the addition of the Church already called "autocephalous", which came out of hiding after Communism. In fact, the two Churches lived in a climate of great spontaneity and closeness, being outside of all canonical recognition, and they oriented themselves on the wavering directives of Ukrainian politics and social life.

Now, according to the new young primate, long pending and delicate decisions can finally be made. "Take for example the celebration of Christ's Birth, and in general the question of the calendar. Many would like to move the date from January 7 to December 25, but the people may not understand; we must explain that it is only a date, not a dogma".

In fact in Ukraine (and in most of Russia) both dates are celebrated, even if in December Christmas is more "commercial", simply called Christmas", with the liturgical celebrations in January and the exchange of gifts on New Year's Eve. Moreover, in many Orthodox Churches in the world, the Julian calendar has been suppressed, to adapt to the social context.

The Metropolitan of Kiev stressed that "the Church must be the spiritual foundation and basis of our Ukrainian state, in this difficult time of trials we are going through. We have the Crimea occupied, and we must bring it back to us; part of it was the Donbass, and we believe that the Lord will listen to our prayers for a just peace in one Ukrainian state, with one Church ".

The primates support for the political positions of President Petro Poroshenko is clear. It is not by chance that the politician orchestrated the primates election and in turn declared he "appreciates the words of the new metropolitan very much".

When asked how he intends to re-establish relations with the patriarchate of Moscow and its structures in Ukraine, Epifanyj noted that "it will be a very long process. When we have obtained the Tomos, which guarantees our state of autocephalous Church, we will begin to work, to try to communicate, to invite and to show our love and respect for the other Churches. I think that, with time, they will understand that there is no other way, if we do not come together to form one Ukrainian Church and build our future together ". This clashes with the resolute opposition of Moscow. The Patriarch of Moscow Kirill (Gundjaev) sent letters to the heads of the other Orthodox Churches on December 20 to invite everyone to distance themselves from the Ukrainian Church.

The metropolitan also expressed some clarifications on the election process of the Unification Council, in which the names of all the 200 bishops participating were written on the ballot papers, denying the rumors of a "piloted" election, already decided in advance, above all by policy makers. In the first round three candidates were chosen, and his name reached the majority in the second round; the data, as promised by Epifanyj, will be published at the time.

Immediately before the Unification Council, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople wrote to Metropolitan Onufrij (Berezovsky), who occupies the chair of Kiev in the name of the Patriarchate of Moscow, to explain that he will have to renounce this title if he refuses to participate. Recalling the ancient historical circumstances, Bartholomew recalled that "the Russian Synod separated itself in 1448 from the Holy Universal Church, but in the city of Kiev the canonical metropolitans continued to serve the Church of the ecumenical patriarchate, as its faithful and bishops were not subjugated in Moscow ".

Moscow refused the Greek metropolitans after the signing of the Union of Florence in 1439, without anyone having officially granted the autocephaly to the Russians. Bartholomew recalls that in 1685 Moscow unilaterally took the right to appoint the metropolitans of Kiev, after the annexation of these regions to Russia. Constantinople "temporarily" accepted these abuses for the good of the people, but today we have come to the reckoning of the history of the Orthodox Churches, above all of the conflict between Moscow and Constantinople.
S.Korea, DPRK agree to conduct joint inspection on DPRK's eastern road

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 17:17, December 20, 2018

SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) agreed Thursday to conduct a joint inspection on roads along the DPRK's eastern coast ahead of the groundbreaking ceremony next week to modernize and connect railways and roads across the border, Seoul's unification ministry said.

The 10-member South Korean working-level delegation will visit the DPRK Friday to inspect the 100-km road along the DPRK's east coast from Goseong to Wonsan for three days.

After returning home Sunday, the working-level officials will visit the DPRK again Monday to inspect the 4-km road near the DPRK's western border town of Kaesong together with DPRK officials.

The joint survey on the DPRK western road was completed in August, but the two sides agreed to do it again to complete the previous inspection, according to the Seoul ministry.

It would come ahead of the groundbreaking ceremony at the Panmun Station in Kaesong on Dec. 26 to modernize and eventually connect railways and roads along the eastern and western Korean Peninsula.

The two sides completed the 18-day joint inspection earlier this month on the western and eastern rail lines of the DPRK.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un agreed in their April summit at the truce village of Panmunjom to connect the inter-Korean railways and roads. The leaders agreed in Pyongyang summit in September to hold the groundbreaking ceremony before the end of this year.

The Seoul ministry said it had closely consulted with the United States and the United Nations to avoid violating international sanctions on Pyongyang.

The groundbreaking ceremony itself was not in violation of the sanctions, but bringing construction equipment to the ceremony could be subject to restrictions.

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North Korea 'not to denuclearize unless US nuclear threat removed'

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 20, 2018 10:25AM

North Korean state media say Pyongyang will never unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons program unless the United States removes its nuclear threat first, amid a protracted deadlock in nuclear negotiations between the two countries over the sequencing of the denuclearization process in the Korean Peninsula and the removal of international sanctions.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a statement released on Thursday that the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula had to mean "completely eliminating the US nuclear threat to Korea," as well as all neighboring areas.

"When we refer to the Korean Peninsula, the term encompasses the area of DPRK plus South Korean territory, where US nuclear weapons and other forms of aggression forces are deployed," the statement said, using the initials of North Korea's official name  the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"When we refer to the 'denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula' as well, it should be correctly understood as removing all nuclear threat factors from not only the North and the South but from all neighboring areas," it added.

It said Pyongyang rejected US calls for it to unilaterally denuclearize, and added that Washington had to abandon the "delusion" of forcing the country into giving up its nuclear weapons "via pressure and oppression."

"It is obvious that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is a joint business that cannot be achieved unless both Korea and the United States strive together," the KCNA statement said. "In this sense, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula should be defined as 'completely eliminating the US nuclear threat to Korea' before it can eliminate our nuclear deterrent."

The statement by the North Korean state media also suggested that Pyongyang would demand that Washington withdraw or significantly reduce the 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea, which has been a major sticking point hindering a potential disarmament deal.

A summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore last June opened up dialog on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula between the two countries after months of exchanging military threats.

There has been talk by the US of a second summit early next year, but it is unclear whether North Korea would agree to the holding of the summit.

US-North Korea talks for a denuclearization deal appear to have stalled, in part due to disagreements over the timing of sanctions relief.

Washington seeks the complete and irreversible dismantling of North Korea's nuclear program first, while Pyongyang is demanding a solid guarantee of its security and the removal of Washington's nuclear umbrella protecting allies South Korea and Japan.

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Pyongyang: We'll Disarm After 'American Nuclear Threat' Removed from Region

Sputnik News

00:57 21.12.2018(updated 00:58 21.12.2018)

On Tuesday, North Korea called on the US to remove "all sources of nuclear threat" in and around the Korean Peninsula as a precursor to North Korea's own denuclearization.

The process is "a joint business," the statement run by Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) says, noting that "it cannot be achieved unless both Korea and the United States strive tougher."

At the June 12 summit in Singapore, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed with US President Donald Trump to a mutual pledge toward total denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. However, since then, Kim has made clear that his country, formally named the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), has no intention of disarming unilaterally, having obtained nuclear weapons as a guarantee of self-defense in the first place.

"The proper definition of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is completely eliminating the American nuclear threat to North Korea before eliminating our nuclear capability," Tuesday's statement reads. "The United States must now recognize the accurate meaning of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and especially must study geography."

"When we talk about the Korean Peninsula, it includes the territory of our republic and also the entire region of [South Korea], where the United States has placed its invasive force, including nuclear weapons," the statement continues. "When we talk about the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, it means the removal of all sources of nuclear threat, not only from the South and North, but also from areas neighboring the Korean Peninsula."

It's unknown what nuclear weapons are stationed in the vicinity, and a US defense official contacted by CNN said, "We do not discuss the location of nuclear weapons." However, they noted that in the 1990s, "President George H.W. Bush announced the withdrawal of all naval and land-based tactical nuclear weapons deployed abroad."

Although the DPRK has taken many unilateral steps toward ending its nuclear program, including the dismantling of its nuclear testing ground and parts of a missile engine test facility, along with having suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests, the US is adamant that the DPRK must produce more unilateral proof of its intention to comply with the June 12 agreement before the US will lower economic sanctions against the country, which leave it with few opportunities for international trade.

Most recently, Pyongyang said in September it would dismantle its main nuclear facility at Yongbyon, which produces plutonium and tritium for thermonuclear weapons, if the US responded with "corresponding measures," which KCNA later specified as sanctions relief.

In turn, Western think tanks and media regularly drum up rhetoric claiming to have discovered some new secret test facility that proves the North Koreans aren't engaging in good faith or that some new action or statement proves Trump's folly at having trusted Kim to disarm.

"If we unilaterally give up our nuclear weapons without any security assurance despite being first on the US list of targets for pre-emptive nuclear strikes, that wouldn't be denuclearization  it would rather be a creation of a defenseless state where the balance in nuclear strategic strength is destroyed, and the crisis of a nuclear war is brought forth," the KCNA statement said.

"The corresponding measures we have asked the United States to take aren't difficult for the United States to commit to and carry out. We are just asking the United States to put an end to its hostile policies and remove the unjust sanctions, things it can do even without a snap of a finger."

Yang Moo-jin, a professor at Seoul's University of North Korean Studies, told AP Thursday that "Pyongyang is sending a message to Washington that confrontation and dialogue cannot coexist."

On the other side of the coin, 2018 has been a year of growing warmth between North and South Korea, which began in February with a joint Korean team competing in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, in September saw a historic end-of-war declaration by Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae In in Pyongyang, and most recently brought the relaxation of tensions along the demilitarized zone separating the two countries, including limited train passage, trade and tourism.

Commentary on 38 North, a website dedicated to analysis of Korean politics, noted late last month that at this stage in negotiations, demanding from Kim "a full and complete declaration and to agree on adequate verification measures" about the dismantling of North Korean nuclear weapons was "a dead end because it is tantamount to surrender."

"[I]nsisting on this approach is a dead end, certainly as long as Washington continues to apply 'maximum pressure' instead of moving to implement the steps on normalizing relations that President Trump agreed to in the June Singapore statement," wrote 38 North contributor Siegfried S. Hecker.

Clearly, Trump and Kim will have much to discuss at their proposed second summit in early 2019.

 Sputnik

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IRGC to raise its power: Iran cmdr

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Dec 20, IRNA -- Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) will enhance its power despite the sanctions, which have brought no effect on Iran's defense power, senior commander said on Thursday.

Iran's defense power has magnified during sanctions era, Brigadier General Hossein Salami, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC, told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) in Tehran.

Despite the world's criticism of Washington's anti-Iran measures, US President Donald Trump reinstated unilateral sanctions on Tehran on November 5 and imposed as he claimed the "highest level" of economic bans on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"Our defense and military sector was sanctioned from the outset of the [1979] Islamic Revolution," General Salami said, adding that the sanctions still continue.

He further said that Iran's military and defensive power is completely "indigenous."

The strengthening of power is on top of the agenda, the commander stressed.

1483**1420

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Japan Scrambles to Intercept Russian Su-24 Over International Waters

Sputnik News

21:54 20.12.2018(updated 22:01 20.12.2018)

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) scrambled fighters to intercept a Russian Su-24 Fencer ground attack aircraft over the Sea of Japan Wednesday, Tokyo announced shortly after the event. It was the second time in a week Japan rushed to meet foreign planes. Meanwhile, Japan has moved to massively expand its air fleet.

The Su-24 was on air patrol over international waters when the incident occurred.

The Russian jet didn't violate Japanese airspace, The Diplomat noted, citing the Japanese Defense Ministry. In lieu of an offensive air force, which is banned by its constitution, the JASDF concentrates on air defense and detection operations.

Manufactured by Sukhoi, the Su-24 was first introduced by the Soviet Union in 1974. It is a fast, variable geometry jet that can reach Mach 1.6 at a full sprint and is capable of carrying nuclear weapons, although the jets are used to fit a variety of combat and reconnaissance roles.

While this was the first time in five weeks the JASDF has rushed to confront a Russian plane (the last time was to meet a large Ilyushin Il-38 "Dolphin" anti-ship/anti-submarine warfare plane), only five days earlier, the self-defense force scrambled when it detected a Chinese spy plane in the vicinity of Okinawa, far to the south, in the East China Sea, The Diplomat noted.

On December 14, the JASDF intercepted a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF) Shaanxi Y-9JB electronic warfare and surveillance plane. The Chinese plane was also in international airspace.

However, despite Japan's constitutionally mandated neutrality, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has recently moved to expand the country's defense expenditure massively over the next five years, Sputnik reported, including taking on the costs of converting its Izumo-class helicopter destroyers into true aircraft carriers capable of projecting air power far from the Japanese archipelago. The Defense Ministry's plan to acquire over 100 new F-35 Lightning II stealth jets from the United States is a key part of that.

The Defense Ministry requested on Tuesday an additional $244 billion for defense spending starting next year, Sputnik reported, which would come on top of the already record-setting $46 billion increase set by the 2018 budget.

In late October, Abe and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a deal that would allow Indian ships the ability to use Japanese naval bases and give the JASDF access to Indian naval facilities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sputnik reported. Experts at the time told Sputnik the deal would give Japan little power in the Indian Ocean because of its constitutional neutrality, but if the Izumo destroyers are converted into true aircraft carriers, that could change the calculus of the situation.

Removing Article 9 from Japan's Constitution has long been a project of Abe's prime ministership. Sputnik reported in 2017 that Abe pledged to have the article, which mandates that Japan "forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes" and bars it from maintaining "land, sea and air forces, as well as other war potential," removed by 2020, although he later walked back that timetable.

 Sputnik

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Libyan army demands UN investigation into 'two weapons shipments from Turkey'

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 20, 2018 08:22AM

The Libyan National Army has called on the United Nations Security Council to launch an immediate investigation into what it says are two shipments of military hardware from Turkey to the North African country.

The army, in a statement released late on Wednesday, voiced deep concern over the arrival of shipments, carrying various types of rifles and munitions, at the western Libyan port city of al-Khoms on Monday and Tuesday.

"The ammunition in those shipments included more than 4.2 million bullets, enough to kill nearly 80 percent of the Libyan people, as well as pistols and rifles with their accessories, including silencers used for assassinations. This is a proof that the purpose (of those arms) is to be used for terrorist operations in the Libyan territories," the statement said.

It added, "The general command of the army demands the UN Security Council, the United Nations, and the United Nations Mission in Libya to condemn the Turkish Republic and start an immediate investigation into it."

Turkish authorities have not yet commented on the Libyan statement.

Reports about Turkey's role in the Libyan conflict began to emerge in January 2013, when Turkish-language newspaper Hurriyet reported that Greek authorities had found Turkish weapons on a ship heading to Libya, after it stopped in Greece due to bad weather.

In December 2013, Egyptian media outlets reported that the Egyptian Customs Authority had monitored four containers full of arms coming from Turkey and believed to be heading to Libyan militants.

In August 2014, Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar ordered his forces to shell a ship loaded with weapons coming from Turkey, and heading towards the Libyan port of Derna.

A Libyan army official said in January 2015 that both Turkey and Qatar were supplying the "Dawn of Libya" militant group with arms through Sudan, in flagrant violation of the UN arms embargo imposed on Libya since 2011.

Moreover, Turkey has been accused of harboring Takfiri terrorists in Libya.

In January 2017, according to Libyan media, al-Qaeda-linked Ansar al-Sharia militant group said its leader Mohammed al-Zahawi had died at a Turkish hospital, where he was receiving treatment for "an injury sustained in the battles of Benghazi." His body was sent back to the northwestern Libyan city of Misrata for burial, the reports said.

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Myanmar launches new 'clearance operations' against Rohingya

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 20, 2018 04:00PM

Myanmar forces are conducting new "clearance operations" in northern Rakhine state where thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been languishing in internal displacement camps.

Myanmar's commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing's office said Thursday security forces have been carrying out "area clearance operations along Pyu Ma Creek" in Maungdaw township.

The operations, he claimed, was sparked after two ethnic Rakhine Buddhist men were found on the creek bank with their throats slit on December 17.

On the same day, Min said, two members of another ethnic Buddhist minority were attacked while fishing along the creek by six men "speaking Bengali language".

Myanmar refers to Rohingya as Bengali to falsely imply they are newly-arrived immigrants from Bangladesh.

The latest violence occurred in the same area where troops waged a bloody crackdown against the Rohingya last year.

Thousands of Rohingya Muslims were killed, injured, arbitrarily arrested, or raped by Myanmar soldiers and Buddhist mobs mainly between November 2016 and August 2017. More than 720,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh following the crackdown.

Last week, a group advocating the cause of the persecuted Rohingya said a generation of the Muslims may be lost due to a lack of education for children and the youth at camps for the displaced in Bangladesh and Myanmar.

UN investigators want Myanmar's top brass prosecuted for genocide for alleged abuses carried out during the expulsion.

The campaign against the Rohingya, which the UN has described as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing, has seen mass killings, torture, and gang-rape of Muslims as well as arson attacks against their homes and farms in Rakhine.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya have been languishing in internal displacement camps since a previous wave of violence in 2012.

The Muslim minority has long been subjected to apartheid-like conditions in Rakhine, with lack of access to healthcare and freedom of movement curtailed.

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S Korean President Urges Further Enhancement of Country's Defene Capabilities

Sputnik News

15:46 20.12.2018

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - South Korea should continue increasing the country's defence capabilities even in spite of the recent positive dynamics in its relationship with North Korea, since peace was only possible with a strong military, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said.

"The peace is still temporary. Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the peace process are still well underway, but we must not let our guards down until (the processes) are completely finished. Next year, we must establish lasting peace that will not waver. Peace lasts when our military is strong", the president said, as quoted by South Korean Yonhap News Agency.

He added that the security situation in the region was changing rapidly and that maintaining national security required an adequate response from a high-tech military.

"Right now, security conditions surrounding the Korean Peninsula are changing rapidly. In times like these, the military must work to become a stronger force through swift reform Under the ever-changing security conditions, an advanced, high-tech military is a must to build a strong military", Moon noted.

The president noted that, just within one year, the situation on the Korean Peninsula had changed dramatically.

"This year, there have been many developments and changes. Until last year, the Korean Peninsula was on the brink of war amid tension and confrontation. In just one year, the South and the North declared the end of confrontation on the Korean Peninsula and opened an era of peace through dialogue", he said.

Moon pointed out that ordinary people living on the peninsula had also felt the changes in attitude in the region.

"I believe the people too may have sensed the change and peace on the Korean Peninsula. Our military accomplished a truly great deed", the president said.

In 2018, President Moon conducted three historic meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The countries signed a non-aggression pact stating that the countries will never again use military force against each other.

 Sputnik

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Russia says US raising risk of nuclear war by threatening to leave key arms control treaty

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 20, 2018 02:47PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin says the United States is making nuclear war more likely by threatening to leave an arms control treaty with Moscow and refusing to discuss the future of another such bilateral agreement.

Putin made the remarks on Thursday during his annual news conference, throwing the ball in Washington's court to avert the warfare.

"It's very hard to imagine how the situation will develop [if the US quits the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF)," Putin said.

The 1987 pact, which Washington has threatened to ditch, bans the two sides from stationing short- and intermediate-range missiles in Europe. The treaty did not cover sea-launched missiles.

"If these missiles appear in Europe, what should we do? Of course, we'll have to ensure our own security," said the Russian head of state.

He, then, proceeded to address the New START, another Russo-American pact that limits the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads each side can have. It expires in 2021.

"No talks on extending this are yet being held. Are the Americans not interested, do they not need them? -- Ok, we'll survive and will ensure our own security which we know how to do," Putin said.

"We are essentially witnessing the breakdown of the international arms control order and [the start of] an arms race," he added.

The Russian leader concluded, "In general, this is very bad for humankind because it takes us closer to a dangerous threshold," referring to the prospect of a nuclear conflict.

US inviting doom?

The Russian chief executive further cautioned, "If, God forbid, something like that were to happen, it would lead to the end of all civilization and maybe also the planet."

"These are serious questions and it's a real shame that there's a tendency to underestimate them," he asserted.

Putin, however, hoped that "humankind has enough common sense and sense of self-preservation not to take things to such extremes."

'Sanctions response to our power'

Separately, the Russian president said the issue of US-led Western sanctions targeting the country was nothing new as Moscow had always faced some bans of the sort.

The measures, he said, had been developed in response to an increase in Russia's power, and had, in a sense, proven to Moscow's benefit by making its economy resilient and changing its mindset in many aspects.

The US and its European allies have imposed multiple rounds of punitive measures against Russia over what they call Moscow's interference in Ukraine's affairs and allegations of the Kremlin's "malign activities" around the world.

Washington also accuses Moscow of interfering in the 2016 US presidential election.

Russia roundly rejects all the claims.

US Syria withdrawal

Putin also reacted to a recent announcement by the US that it was to pull its troops out of Syria.

"I don't know what this is about. The US has had a presence in Afghanistan for 17 years, lets say? And almost every year it says that it is withdrawing troops from there. But they are still present there," he said.

Putin added, though, "We don't see any indication of US withdrawing troops as of yet but I accept that it may be happening."

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump declared that the US had defeated Daesh in Syria, adding that the Takfiri terrorist group was the only reason that American troops were fighting in the war-ravaged Arab country during his presidency.

US officials said many details of the troop withdrawal were yet to be finalized, but emphasized that American forces would be back home by mid-January.

The US and a number of its allies have 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 US-led 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.

In 2015, US ground troops were deployed to Syria to fight Daesh and train Takfiri militant outfits.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the country.

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Putin Warns Of Risk Of Nuclear War, Talks Up Russian Economy In Annual Press Conference

By RFE/RL December 20, 2018

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the risk of a catastrophic nuclear conflict should not be underestimated and criticized the United States for abandoning Cold War-era arms treaties, while casting his country's economy in a positive light but calling for improvements.

Putin had plenty of harsh words for the West and for Ukraine's government in the press conference on December 20, an annual event he uses to burnish his image, reassure Russians that they are in good hands, and send signals to the United States and the rest of the world.

The televised press conference, which lasted three hours and 44 minutes, was held at a time when tensions with the United States, the European Union, and NATO are high and his ratings at home have fallen early in a six-year fourth term that could be his last stint in the Kremlin.

Putin said that a nuclear war could lead to "the death of all civilization," at least the second time in months he has publicly raised the prospect of such a catastrophe, but said he hopes common sense will prevail.

With the world "witnessing the collapse of the international system" of arms control there is a dangerous "tendency to underestimate" the risk of nuclear war, Putin said, blaming the United States.

There is also "a trend of lowering the threshold" for the use of nuclear weapons, he asserted, saying that "lowering the threshold could lead to a global nuclear catastrophe."

He said that the U.S. withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002 undermined the "strategic balance" and that the U.S. plan to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) was "yet another step" in this direction.

Putin also said it was bad that the United States and Russia are not holding talks about New START, a long-range nuclear weapons treaty that expires in 2021 but can be extended by five years if both countries agree.

Putin reiterated Russian denials of a series of accusations of what Western officials have called "malign activities" around the globe.

He suggested accusations that Moscow was behind a nerve-agent attack on former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England in March were an excuse for Britain and other Western countries to impose new sanctions.

"This is a pretext, just a reason to organize another attack against Russia," Putin said, lamenting what he called a "politicized, Russophobic approach" and adding: "If there were no Skripals, they would find out something else. For me that is obvious."

He said that there was "absolutely no reason" for the arrest of Maria Butina, a Russian woman who has pleaded guilty to conspiring to act as a foreign agent in a case the U.S. government said highlighted Moscow's efforts to influence U.S. foreign policy.

He said she pleaded guilty "under pressure" -- a claim that dovetailed with unsubstantiated Russian assertions that she was subjected to torture-like conditions, and added: "I can assure you, Butina was not carrying out any state-ordered activities there."

IS Has Been 'Defeated'

In another jab at the United States, Putin said that U.S. plans to withdraw its troops from Syria -- announced a day earlier by President Donald Trump -- was "not fully clear to us."

"U.S. troops have been in Afghanistan for 17 years and every year they say they are being withdrawn, but they are still there," Putin said.

He reiterated Russia's assertion that the presence of U.S. forces in Syria is "illegal" because, unlike the Russian military, they have not been invited by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.

However, Putin said: "As for victory over [the extremist group Islamic State], on the whole I agree with the president of the United States. We...have delivered serious blows to IS in Syria."

Trump said in a video posted on Twitter on December 19 that "we've beaten" IS in Syria "and we've beaten them badly."

In another remark about Syria, Putin called Trump by his first name, saying that "Donald is right."

Putin also voiced support for Trump -- who has called for better ties with Moscow but whose presidency has been clouded by questions about Russia's role in the U.S. presidential election in November 2016 -- but couched it in a suggestion that the United States and Britain are enveloped in political chaos.

The "Anglo-Saxon world" is going through "serious problems," Putin said. "Look, Trump won and that is an obvious fact. But nobody wants to recognize his victory. Efforts to de-legitimize his victory are under way."

He said efforts to avoid Britain breaking away from the European Union defy democratic principles because the matter was decided in the Brexit referendum in 2016.

On an issue that has raised tensions closer to home, Putin lashed out over the creation of an independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, where a church linked with Russia has long dominated.

He blamed the Ukrainian government for what he called "another step to divide the Russian and Ukrainian people" and seemed to mock Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who is considered the "first among equals" in Orthodox Christianity.

Putin referred to the Constantinople Patriarchate as the "Turkish" and "Istanbul" patriarchate and claimed that its decision to back the Ukrainian bid for an independent church was influenced by the United States.

He alleged, without citing evidence, that the Constantinople Patriarchate's support for the move was "about money. I think this is the main motive of Bartholomew, who wants to take over that territory and then make money on it."

Putin repeated Russian claims that both the church rift and an incident in which Russian forces fired on Ukrainian naval vessels off Crimea in November were the result of efforts Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to boost his popularity ahead of a March 31, 2019 presidential election.

He said that the fate of the 24 Ukrainian crewmen now jailed in Moscow would be decided after the legal process is complete, suggesting they will not be released or swapped and returned to Ukraine until a trial is at least held.

"They were counting on one of the sailors being killed," Putin said without citing evidence. "That didn't happen. An investigation is under way, and after the criminal proceedings it will be clear what to do next."

At the same time, he said that Moscow was willing to respect a Russian-Ukrainian accord governing the joint use of the Sea of Azov, which is the focus of the maritime tensions.

Kyiv blames Moscow for the dire state of their ties and Putin tried to turn the tables, criticizing Poroshenko's government ahead of the upcoming presidential election.

"As long as Russophobes remain in the corridors of power in Kyiv -- those who do not understand their own people's interests -- that kind of abnormal situation will continue no matter who is in power in the Kremlin," he said.

In addition to seizing Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014, Russia supports separatists in a war that has killed more than 10,300 people in eastern Ukraine since April of that year.

Economic Figures

Putin began the press conference by reeling off economic performance figures that he cast in a positive light, saying that unemployment was decreasing and that Russia's gross domestic product (GDP) was growing -- if modestly.

He repeated his calls for a "breakthrough" that would bolster the economy and improve living standards, saying that Russia needs a "new technological foundation" and must "concentrate its resources" and use them effectively.

Asked how a breakthrough is possible when annual GDP growth is not expected to exceed 2 percent any time soon and former Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin has said it is mired in "stagnation," Putin blamed external factors for some of the troubles.

Russia must break into a "new economic league" in terms of size and quality, he said, adding that "if we don't set ambitious goals, nothing will be achieved."

"We could very well take the fifth place in terms of size of economy. And I think we'll do that," Putin said.

Russia's economy is ranked 12th in the world by the International Monetary Fund, after the United States, China, Japan, Germany, Britain, and six others.

The Kremlin said a record number of journalists -- 1,702 -- were accredited to cover Putin's 14th such press conference as president.

The latest one comes amid what opinion polls indicate is a drop in Putin's popularity at home. A plan to raise the retirement age has prompted anger and protests. Regional elections in September saw several Kremlin-backed candidates lose.

On the international stage, Russia's relations with the West remain strained over its actions in Ukraine, its role in the war in Syria and other factors including its alleged interference in elections abroad and the attack on Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, which may have led to the death of a British woman who came into contact with the nerve agent Novichok in a fake perfume bottle.

Putin, 66, has been president or prime minister since 1999. The press conference was being watched for any indication of his plans for what comes after 2024, when a constitutional limit of two straight terms bars him from seeking reelection.

No question about that was asked -- a possible indication that the Kremlin does not want Putin to look like a lame duck.

Answering one about when he might marry again -- and whom, he said: "As a respectable person, I will have to do this at some point."

The Russian leader was married to Lyudmila Putina from 1983 until their divorce, announced in 2013.

'Non-Existent Russia'

On a broader issue, he responded to a question about whether he wants to rule the world by quipping: "We know where the headquarters of those who want to rule the world are located. And it's not in Russia."

The press conference is closely managed by the Kremlin, which chooses who can attend and ask questions. Once relatively modest, with a few hundred journalists attending, the annual event is now heavily hyped by the Kremlin and state media.

State TV ran a 24-hour countdown onscreen ahead of the press conference, and some of the questions seemed aimed at pumping up his image.

It is also known for its theatrics, with many reporters waving signs and standing up to attract attention, and for its length. The record was four hours and 40 minutes, in 2008, but it has not exceeded four hours in several years.

It has become a magnet for criticism by Kremlin opponents. This year, opposition politician Aleksei Navalny organized a live commentary show that was running at the same time as the press conference.

"If Putin begins to talk about patriotism and spirituality it means either he is going to steal something or he has already stolen something and wants us not to notice it and distracts us with these talks about spirituality," said the host of Navalny's show, former Deputy Energy Minister Vladimir Milov.

Putin "was telling you about a non-existent Russia, I will tell you about the real one," said Milov, who questioned the president's presentation of economic data and other statistics,

"Again we heard how everything is growing, how everything is rising, " Milov said. "He did not say...that we have a natural population decline more than 180 thousand people in 10 months. That yesterday [the state statistics service] published data in which it calculates the dynamics of real incomes of the population -- in annual terms it is negative. This means real incomes are declining."

Navalny was barred from the ballot when Putin won his fourth term with more than 76 percent of the vote in a March 2018 election that international observers said gave Russians no "real choice."

Growing Anxiety

Polls show that Putin's popularity has dipped amid growing anxiety over the state of the economy and plans to raise the retirement age.

The Levada Center, a leading independent Russian pollster, published a survey on November 22 showing the electoral rating of Putin had fallen under 60 percent for the first time in five years.

In a March state-of-the-nation speech and his inaugural address in May, Putin called for a technological "breakthrough" to bolster the economy and raise living standards.

But there are few signs of a turnaround. Kudrin, Putin's longtime former Finance Minister and now Audit Chamber chief, warned in late November that the economy is in one of its longest, deepest slumps since World War II.

Russia is in a "serious stagnation pit" and any additional Western sanctions could make it much worse, said Kudrin, Putin's finance minister in the era of oil-fueled growth in 2000-2008.

He said new sanctions could restrict technology transfers with the West -- a development that would dampen hopes for the kind of breakthrough the president has been seeking.

With or without new sanctions, Putin's stated goal of doubling GDP by 2021 may be unrealistic.

With reporting by Merhat Sharipzhan, Reuters, AP, AFP, TASS, and Interfax

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-annual-news-conference- questions-journalists/29666377.html

Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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In his meeting with the Curia for Christmas greetings, Francis retraced the past year, " external and internal amid successes and difficulties". In the face of abuse "the Church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whosoever has committed such crimes". The joys for the new blessed and also for the many consecrated who "live their vocation daily in fidelity, silence, holiness and self-denial".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The Church has had a year "mid joys and afflictions, amid successes and difficulties from within and from without". There are "there are consecrated men, the Lords anointed, who abuse the vulnerable, taking advantage of their position and their power of persuasion. They perform abominable acts yet continue to exercise their ministry as if nothing had happened. They have no fear of God "; there are those who "sow weeds", migrants who find death or barred doors, children who die from war or poverty, Christians killed for their fidelity to Jesus. These are "afflictions" on the path of the Church , indicated today by Pope Francis in the long speech addressed to the Roman Curia, received for the presentation of Christmas greetings.

But there were also "joys": "the successful outcome of the Synod dedicated to the young", "the steps taken so far in the reform of the Curia", "the new Blesseds and Saints who are the 'precious stones' that adorn the face of Church and irradiate in the world hope, faith and light" and "also the great number of consecrated and consecrated persons, bishops and priests, who daily live their vocation in fidelity, silence, holiness and self-denial".

The meeting with the Curia for Christmas greetings is traditionally the occasion in which the Pope traces the past year "internal" to the Church, while the meeting with the diplomatic corps at the beginning of the new year is the moment for a look at the world.

So again this year, in the certainty that " Christmas fills us with joy and makes us certain that no sin will ever be greater than Gods mercy; no act of ours can ever prevent the dawn of his divine light from rising ever anew in human hearts". " Each year, Christmas reminds us that Gods salvation, freely bestowed on all humanity, the Church and in particular on us, consecrated persons, does not act independently of our will, our cooperation, our freedom and our daily efforts. Salvation is a gift that must be accepted, cherished and made to bear fruit (cf. Mt 25:14-30). Being Christian, in general and for us in particular as the Lords anointed and consecrated, does not mean acting like an elite group who think they have God in their pocket, but as persons who know that they are loved by the Lord despite being unworthy sinners. Those who are consecrated are nothing but servants in the vineyard of the Lord, who must hand over in due time the harvest and its gain to the owner of the vineyard (cf. Mt 20:1-16)".

There are many afflictions". Franciscited immigrants who "meet death, or those who survive but find the doors closed". "How much fear and prejudice!". And " All those people, and especially those children who die each day for lack of water, food and medicine! All that poverty and destitution! All that violence directed against the vulnerable and against women! All those theatres of war both declared and undeclared. All that innocent blood spilled daily! All that inhumanity and brutality around us! All those persons who even today are systematically tortured in police custody, in prisons and in refugee camps in various parts of the world!"

Again: "we also live, in reality, a new age of martyrs". "New extremist groups are multiplying by targeting churches, places of worship, ministers and simple faithful. New and old circles and conventicles live feeding on hatred and hostility towards Christ, the Church and believers ".

But above all, in Francis's speech there is "the counter-witness and the scandals of some sons and ministers of the Church".

Like the biblical David, "today too, there are many Davids who, without batting an eye, enter into the web of corruption and betray God, his commandments, their own vocation, the Church, the people of God and the trust of little ones and their families. Often behind their boundless amiability, impeccable activity and angelic faces, they shamelessly conceal a vicious wolf ready to devour innocent souls".

" Let it be clear that before these abominations the Church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whosoever has committed such crimes. The Church will never seek to hush up or not take seriously any case. It is undeniable that some in the past, out of irresponsibility, disbelief, lack of training, inexperience, or spiritual and human short-sightedness, treated many cases without the seriousness and promptness that was due. That must never happen again. This is the choice and the decision of the whole Church. This coming February, the Church will restate her firm resolve to pursue unstintingly a path of purification. She will question, with the help of experts, how best to protect children, to avoid these tragedies, to bring healing and restoration to the victims, and to improve the training imparted in seminaries. An effort will be made to make past mistakes opportunities for eliminating this scourge, not only from the body of the Church but also from that of society. For if this grave tragedy has involved some consecrated ministers, we can ask how deeply rooted it may be in our societies and in our families. Consequently, the Church will not be limited to healing her own wounds, but will seek to deal squarely with this evil that causes the slow death of so many persons, on the moral, psychological and human levels."

"To those who abuse minors I would say this: convert and hand yourself over to human justice, and prepare for divine justice".

The last "affliction" is " the infidelity of those who betray their vocation, their sworn promise, their mission and their consecration to God and the Church. They hide behind good intentions in order to stab their brothers and sisters in the back and to sow weeds, division and bewilderment. They always find excuses, including intellectual and spiritual excuses, to progress unperturbed on the path to perdition. This is nothing new in the Churchs history. Saint Augustine, in speaking of the good seed and the weeds, says: Do you perhaps believe, brethren, that weeds cannot spring up even on the thrones of bishops? Do you perhaps think that this is found only lower down and not higher up? Heaven forbid that we be weeds! Even on the thrones of bishops good grain and weeds can be found; even in the different communities of the faithful good grain and weeds can be found (Serm. 73, 4: PL 38, 472). These words of Saint Augustine urge us to remember the old proverb: The road to hell is paved with good intentions. They help us realize that the Tempter, the Great Accuser, is the one who brings division, sows discord, insinuates enmity, persuades Gods children and causes them to doubt. Behind these sowers of weeds, we always find the thirty pieces of silver".

" All of us, then, in order to make Christs light shine forth, have the duty to combat all spiritual corruption, which is worse than the fall of the sinner, for it is a comfortable and self-satisfied form of blindness. Everything then appears acceptable: deception, slander, egotism and other subtle forms of self-centeredness, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14). So Solomon ended his days, whereas David, who sinned greatly, was able to make up for his disgrace (Gaudete et Exsultate, 165)".

But in the past year there have also been "joys". "They were numerous this year, "said Francis, recalling, in particular, " the new Blesseds and Saints who are precious stones adorning the face of the Church and radiating hope, faith and light in our world. Here mention must be made of the nineteen recent martyrs of Algeria: nineteen lives given for Christ, for his Gospel and for the Algerian people  models of everyday holiness, the holiness of the saints next door (Thomas Georgeon, Nel segno della fraternita, LOsservatore Romano, 8 December 2018, p. 6). Then too, the great number of the faithful who each year receive baptism and thus renew the youth of the Church as a fruitful mother, and the many of her children who come home and re-embrace the Christian faith and life. All those families and parents who take their faith seriously and daily pass it on to their children by the joy of their love (cf. Amoris Laetitia, 259-290). And the witness given by so many young people who courageously choose the consecrated life and the priesthood".

"A real reason for joy" is also the large number of people, bishops, priests, men and women religious, "who work patiently, out of love for Christ and his Gospel, for the poor, the oppressed and the last, without seeking to get on the front pages of newspapers or to occupy the first places. People who, leaving everything and offering their lives, bring the light of faith where Christ is abandoned, thirsty, hungry, imprisoned and naked (cf. Mt 25: 31-46) ".

At Christmas, concluded Francis, we must "open our hearts to the true light, Jesus Christ. He is the light that can illumine life and turn our darkness into light; the light of goodness that conquers evil; the light of the love that overcomes hatred; the light of the life that triumphs over death; the divine light that turns everything and everyone into light. He is the light of our God: poor and rich, merciful and just, present and hidden, small and great".
'Insider' Out: Journalist Who Helped Expose Novichok Suspects Barred From Putin Press Conference

By Carl Schreck December 20, 2018

The Russian investigative journalist Roman Dobrokhotov was not expecting problems when he showed up for President Vladimir Putin's annual news conference in Moscow. After all, he was on the Kremlin's list of journalists accredited to the December 20 event -- and even had an official badge.

But things went awry as Dobrokhotov, who has published high-profile exposes of two Russians suspected in the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy in England in March, was going through security.

"They said: 'Your background check isn't completed yet,'" Dobrokhotov told RFE/RL in a telephone interview.

After around 30 minutes, he was told without explanation that he would not be allowed to cover the event.

"It seems that after the list of accredited journalists was completed, someone looked at it, saw my name, got upset, and decided not to let me inside," Dobrokhotov said.

Putin's annual press conference this year came just months after Dobrokhotov's news site, The Insider, and the investigative group Bellingcat jointly published detailed investigations into the two Russians accused of poisoning Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury in March.

The investigations into the two men -- identified by Britain as Ruslan Boshirov and Aleksandr Petrov -- alleged that their true names are Anatoly Chepiga and Aleksandr Mishkin, respectively, and presented compelling evidence linking them to Russian military intelligence.

Prior to the reports, Putin had said publicly that the two men were simple civilians. Shortly thereafter, the suspects appeared on Russia's state-funded RT network and claimed they had traveled to Salisbury as tourists.

Britain blames the Russian government for the poisoning of the Skripals, who ultimately survived, with the Soviet-developed nerve agent Novichok, a charge Moscow denies. Dawn Sturgess, a British citizen who was exposed to the nerve agent, later died.

A Cellist's Wealth

Dobrokhotov told RFE/RL that he hadn't planned to ask Putin about the poisoning suspects if he had been given the microphone at the press conference, to which 1,700 journalists were accredited, because he figured other journalists in the crowd would.

Instead, he planned to ask about Russian cellist Sergei Roldugin, a friend of Putin's who was alleged in the Panama Papers expose to have controlled offshore firms through which some $2 billion flowed, including to entities and individuals close to Putin.

The Kremlin has brushed off the Panama Papers revelations, while Putin has claimed that Roldugin "spent nearly all the money he earned" to purchase musical instruments abroad and bring them back to Russia.

"It is absolutely clear that these offshore companies have nothing to do with musical instruments, but they have a direct relationship with Vladimir Putin. I would be very interested in how Putin would comment on this," Dobrokhotov said.

'It Happens, Unfortunately'

Citing an interview with Russian state television, the Russian newspaper RBK quoted Peskov as saying about the press conference: "We had to turn away a small number of journalists -- a handful -- due to security concerns. It happens, unfortunately."

Dobrokhotov, 35, is a former opposition activist who was ejected from a Kremlin event in 2008 for heckling then-President Dmitry Medvedev over amendments -- ultimately enacted -- to the Russian Constitution extending the presidential term from four to six years:

He told RFE/RL that he hadn't planned to disrupt the December 20 press conference, and that the 2008 incident hadn't affected his journalistic access to senior officials.

Dobrokhotov attended a Kremlin-backed youth forum that Putin addressed in 2012, though text messages purportedly leaked by hackers from the phone of Kremlin official Timur Prokopenko later revealed a discussion about how to prevent him from asking a question.

"We won't notice him. There are lots of hands there, unless the boss personally points at him," one message in the exchange reads.

"At the very least, no one turned me away from or kicked me out of the [2012] event," Dobrokhotov told RFE/RL on December 20.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/insider-out- journalist-who-helped-expose-novichok -suspects-barred-from-putin- press-conference/29667506.html

Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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OSCE Cites Torture, Executions Among 'Grave' Rights Violations In Chechnya

By RFE/RL December 20, 2018

Authorities in Russia's Chechnya region have committed torture, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and other "very serious" human rights violations and abuses, an expert report has concluded.

The fact-finding report on human rights violations and abuses in Chechnya, presented at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on December 20, said the victims included members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, human right defenders, lawyers, independent media, and civil society organizations.

It found a worsening "climate of intimidation" against journalists and civil society activists and a "climate of impunity," which it said is "detrimental to any accountability for human rights violations."

The report also noted that the Russian authorities responsible for investigating crimes in Chechnya "appear not to have lived up to their responsibilities" in addressing the "grave situation" in the region.

Chechnya is "treated like a special case, and area of exceptionwhere a special regime of impunity is tolerated for the sake of stability," the report says.

It calls on Russia to make sure that Chechen authorities "fully comply" with the country's domestic legislation and international human rights obligations.

Russia should also open "an inquiry into the actions of the government of the Chechen Republic towards [LGBT] persons in general, as well as a criminal case on the alleged violations of the human rights of [Maksim] Lapunov in particular."

Lapunov is the only person to publicly claim that he was a victim of an antigay crackdown in Chechnya in the spring of 2017 that triggered a global outcry.

An appeals court last month upheld the decision of a lower court that backed investigators who refused to open a criminal case based on his allegations that he was abducted and beaten by police in Chechnya because he is gay.

The expert report also said that human rights defenders and the media should be allowed to operate in Chechnya without reprisal, and called on the Russian authorities to immediately release Oyub Titiyev, the head of the prominent Russian human rights group Memorial's office in Chechnya, on bail.

Titiyev was detained in January by police in Chechnya who said they found marijuana in his car. He and his colleagues contend that the drugs were planted and have described the case as part of an effort to push Memorial out of Chechnya -- ruled for years by Kremlin-backed strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.

In a statement, the U.S. State Department welcomed the report and called on Russia to "protect the human rights of all within its borders, consistent with international law, OSCE commitments, and its own constitution."

The report is the result of the invocation in November by the United States and 15 other OSCE member states of a diplomatic tool known as the Moscow Mechanism.

The mechanism allows for an investigation to be launched without consensus and independently of the OSCE chairmanship, institutions, and decision-making bodies if one member state, supported by at least nine others, "considers that a particularly serious threat to the fulfillment of the provisions of the [OSCE] human dimension has arisen in another participating state."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/osce-cites -torture-executions-among-grave-rights- violations-in-chechnya/29667900.html

Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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System of Control Over Arms Falling Apart Across The World - Putin

Sputnik News

13:16 20.12.2018(updated 13:27 20.12.2018)

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The system of arms control is falling apart across the world, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated at the annual press conference.

"In fact, what we are seeing is the breakup of the international system of control over weapons, over arms race", Putin said.

Russia has gained some advantage due to its new weapons, but it is simply maintaining parity, the president said.

"We have a certain advantage, but, in terms of strategic balance, this is about restraining, about the parity. This is about maintaining parity, nothing more", the president stressed.

Putin remarked on the US plan to quit the INF treaty, saying that it was "hard to imagine how the situation would unfold.

"What if these missiles appear in Europe? What are we to do? Of course, we will have to ensure our security in some way. They should not squeal afterwards then about us obtaining some advantages. We are not working to gain an advantage, but to maintain the balance", Putin noted.

Use of Non-Nuclear Ballistic Missiles Dangerous

The use of non-nuclear ballistic missiles is dangerous as early warning radars cannot determine the presence or absence of a nuclear load in the missiles, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday at his annual news conference.

"The use of non-nuclear ballistic missiles, even though the US partners seem to have abandoned it, but this idea exists. What does it mean? A ballistic missile is launched  is it nuclear or non-nuclear? The early warning radar detects the launch and the location of the launching determines the flight path and the possible fall areas  It is a very dangerous thing", Putin said.

Russia Knows How to Ensure National Security

Russia knows how to protect itself but it is not looking for an edge over its rivals, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated in reference to arms controls that were thrust into the spotlight in fall after Washington said it wanted to quit the INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) Treaty.

"We are not looking for an edge, we want to keep the balance, we are trying to ensure our security Same with the New START [nuclear arms reduction treaty] treaty, which expires in 2021. No one is talking with us about extending it That's fine, we will ensure our own security, we know how to do it," Putin warned during his annual press conference.

Earlier in December Putin stated that Russia will take additional steps to ensure its security if the United States leaves the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

In recent years, Moscow and Washington 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 has noted that Moscow has very serious questions regarding the implementation of the treaty by the United States.



 Sputnik

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China: Syria's future should be determined by Syrians

Iran Press TV

Thu Dec 20, 2018 06:42PM

China says the future of Syria should be independently decided by its people and the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the country respected.

"Thanks to the joint efforts of the international community over a period of time, terrorist and extremist organizations in Syria have been under serious attacks," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Thursday.

"Now the Syrian issue is at a new and critical juncture, with a rising momentum of political settlement," she said.

Over the past few months, Syrian troops have made sweeping gains against foreign-sponsored Takfiri elements who have been wreaking havoc in the Arab country since 2011.

In her remarks, the Chinese spokeswoman underlined the importance of finding a political solution to the ongoing crisis in the Arab country.

"Under the current situations, we hope that all the relevant sides in Syria will join hands to facilitate the inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process as soon as possible, so as to promote the proper settlement of the Syrian issue at an early date. It serves common interests of the international community."

China earlier this year indicated its willingness to deploy troops to Syria to fight against foreign-backed terrorists.

The latest remarks by the Chinese spokeswoman come one day after the administration of US President Donald Trump announced that it had started withdrawing troops from Syria.

Trump's sudden announcement on Wednesday that US troops had defeated Daesh terrorists in Syria and that he sought to pull some 2,000 US troops out of Syria took many Americans by surprise.

Reacting to the development, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova said the US pullout creates good prospects for a political solution in Syria.

US forces in Syria were becoming a dangerous obstacle to finding a peace settlement, she said.

A report in late October said Daesh members were being provided with advanced weapons by the United States in Syria, revealing Washington's support for terrorists in the Arab country.

In September, the US-led coalition purportedly fighting Daesh airlifted to a safe sanctuary several commanders of the terror outfit from a region in Syria's eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr.

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.

The foreign-backed militancy in Syria, which enjoys vigorous Western support, has been plaguing the Arab country for the past seven years, killing hundreds of thousands and displacing millions.

The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups.

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UN Special Envoy Says Premature to Assess US Withdrawal From Syria

Sputnik News

23:49 20.12.2018

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - It is premature to assess the US decision to withdraw its military presence from Syria, UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura told reporters on Thursday.

"As far as I'm concerned, and I'm sure I'm talking not only on my behalf, it is totally premature for making any comments on my side on the implications, the effects of that important decision which was announced yesterday, both on the political ground and on the military ground," Mistura said.

The envoy added that the United Nations will never abandon the people of Syria.

Trump in a Twitter post earlier in the day said his decision to withdraw troops from Syria was "no surprise" considering he had been campaigning on the promise for years.

Russia, Iran, Syria and others, the US president added, are the local enemy of the Daesh. Trump claimed the United States had been doing Russia, Iran and the Syrian government's job.

On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders in a statement said the United States had defeated the Daesh territorial caliphate in Syria and was withdrawing troops to transition to the next phase of the campaign. She affirmed that the victories over Daesh in Syria do not signal the end to the US-led coalition or its campaign.

Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia.

 Sputnik

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Israeli Prime Minister Vows to Continue Aggressive Actions Against Iran in Syria

Sputnik News

16:34 20.12.2018

The US announced earlier this week that they had started to pull their troops out of Syria while the country's president Donald Trump said that the Daesh* terrorist group had been defeated.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that his country would "continue to act aggressively against Iran's attempt to entrench itself in Syria", the local outlet Haaretz reports. He promised to closely follow the withdrawal's timing and ensure that Israeli interests are well-guarded.

"In any case, we will make sure to ensure the safety of Israel and protect ourselves from this arena", he stated.

According to Netanyahu, Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo informed him of their intentions during a phone call on December 17.

"The US administration has told me that it was the president's intention to pull out their troops from Syria. They clarified that they have other ways to wield their influence in that arena", he said, as cited by Haaretz.

The country's prime minister also revealed that they are employing "special means" to neutralise the Hezbollah tunnels on the Lebanese border, the IDF believed were intended for staging secret attacks into Israel by the Shiite militant group.

He emphasised that Israel does not "intend to reduce efforts on either of these fronts, we will escalate them, and I know that we do so with the full support and backing of the US".

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon earlier stated that Tel Aviv would stick to combating Iranian troops in Syria even if the US pulls out its forces from the country "to protect our people regardless if you have American troops, Russian troops or any other nations".

Earlier on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said that the Daesh* terrorist group had been defeated in Syria after the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that US officials have started telling its partners in the northeastern part of the Middle Eastern state about plans to immediately pull all American forces out of the area. The White House has said that they have started pulling back forces from Syria but that this does not mark the end of the campaign.

According to Haaretz, Israel was aware of these plans and had tried to gain time over the past year.

Israel traditionally views Iran as its main opponent in the Middle East region and is concerned over the presence of Iranian military instructors as well as the Hezbollah Shia movement, backed by Tehran, in neighbouring Syria.

*A terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

 Sputnik

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US Withdrawal From Syria to Be Major Blow to Kurdish Militia - Syrian Envoy

Sputnik News

12:29 20.12.2018(updated 12:34 20.12.2018)

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The announced withdrawal of the US military from Syria will come as a hard blow for the Kurdish-led militia operating in the northeast of Syria, whose only sensible option now is to return the lands that they have seized back under control of the legitimate Syrian government, Syria's Envoy to China Imad Moustapha told Sputnik.

"The decision to evacuate [US troops from Syria] would constitute a major blow to the separatist Kurdish movements in northeast Syria that have foolishly believed the US troops there would be protection and guarantee to replicate the Iraqi Kurdistan model in Syria. Now they have to face reality, either they come back to their senses, and re-integrate that part of Syria with the rest of the country or they will become a prey to [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan's most vile schemes against them and the rest of Syria," the ambassador said.

The diplomat also noted that Damascus had never had any doubts that foreign states that had illegally deployed their troops to Syria would eventually come to realize that it had become too expensive to sustain their military presence in the country and would have to leave.

"However, we have no trust whatsoever in any US statement, or policy. The disastrous US policies in our region have taught us that US policies can fluctuate, change, reverse or reincarnate in other forms," Moustapha added.

US-Backed Syrian Democratic Forces have reported that the withdrawal of American troops would allow a revival of Daesh, with consequences for regional and international stability.

The statements come after US President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw its troops from Syria because the Islamic State terrorist group (outlawed in Russia), which was the only reason for the US presence in the Arab country, had been defeated in Syria. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that Washington had already started the process of withdrawing the troops, of which there are about 2,000.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which include the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), backed by Washington, still control parts of Syria's northeast. Syrian authorities have denounced the group's actions as illegal.

The United States has been active in Syria since 2014, when the US-led international coalition launched its counterterrorism campaign in Syria, without securing permission either from the United Nations Security Council or Damascus.

Turkey, in turn, launched Operation Olive Branch in the northern Syrian city of Afrin in cooperation with the Free Syrian Army opposition forces, against the YPG, which is regarded by Turkey as an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist organization by Ankara. As a result of the operation, the city fell under control of Turkish forces.

 Sputnik

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UK Foreign Office: Daesh Will Remain a Threat in Syria

Sputnik News

06:01 20.12.2018

LONDON (Sputnik)  The international coalitions fighting against the Daesh terror group has made huge progress but the terror organization remains a threat and should be defeated, the UK Foreign Office said, commenting on the US announcement of the withdrawal of the forces from Syria.

"The Global Coalition against Daesh has made huge progress. Since military operations began, the Coalition and its partners in Syria and Iraq have recaptured the vast majority of Daesh territory and important advances have been made in recent days in the last area of eastern Syria which Daesh has occupied. But much remains to be done and we must not lose sight of the threat they pose. Even without territory, Daesh will remain a threat," the UK Foreign Office said in a statement.

The statement noted that the United States had made clear that these developments in Syria would not result in the end of the operations of the US-led international coalition.

"We will continue to work with members of the Coalition on achieving this. We remain committed to the Global Coalition and the campaign to deny Daesh territory and ensure its enduring defeat, working alongside our critical regional partners in Syria and beyond. As the situation on the ground develops, we will continue to discuss how we achieve these aims with our Coalition partners, including the US. This Government will continue to do what is necessary to protect the British people and our allies and partners," the statement pointed out.

On Wednesday, the US Department of Defense confirmed the pullout of US forces from Syria. On the same day, US President Donald Trump said the Daesh had been defeated in Syria, adding that this was the only reason for the United States to be in the Middle Eastern country during his presidency.

Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia.

 Sputnik

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Russian FM: US Troops Withdrawal Enables Outlook for Syria Political Settlement

Sputnik News

03:01 20.12.2018

KHANTY-MANSIYSK (Sputnik) - The decision of the United States to withdraw its troops from Syria creates a real possibility for a political settlement in the crisis-torn Arab Republic, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

"A very important story that can follow this decision is a real prospect for a political settlement," Zakharova said.

She recalled that US troops had been present in Syria illegally, without a corresponding invitation from the government of the republic and without any resolutions of the UN Security Council.

Zakharova also stressed that with the withdrawal of US troops, places like At-Tanf and Rukban, which were located in the zone of deployment of the occupying troops and in the zone of support for the militants, regain hope and prospect for a peaceful settlement.

"Hope that these points on the map of Syria will follow the path of Aleppo and many other cities and locations that have already returned to peaceful life. While the US troops were there, there was no such hope," she added.

On Tuesday, the White House announced removal of all troops deployed in Syria, and the Pentagon said they have already started the process of returning US servicemen home. All State Department staff will evacuate from Syria within 24 hours, and the armed forces will be withdrawn in a period of 60 to 100 days, according to media reports.

Syria has been in a state of conflict since 2011, with numerous opposition groups and terrorist organizations fighting the Syrian Arab Army in an attempt to topple the government of Bashar Assad. Russia, along with Turkey and Iran, is one of the guarantor states of the Syrian ceasefire.

The US-led coalition of more than 70 countries is conducting military operations against the Daesh terrorist group in Syria and Iraq. The coalition's operations in Iraq are conducted in cooperation with the Iraqi government, but those in Syria are not authorized by the Syrian government or the UN Security Council.

Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia.

 Sputnik

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Remain united for Syrians, UN envoy de Mistura urges Security Council

20 December 2018 - Addressing the problems plaguing Syria and bring years of brutal fighting to an end, requires further "genuine effort" on the part of influential countries, to talk to each other and work constructively, the veteran United Nations Special Envoy for Syria has said.

In his last briefing to the Security Council in the job, Staffan de Mistura reminded the 15-member body of the mandate it entrusted to the UN, to facilitate a Syrian-owned, Syrian-led roadmap for peace.

That process, he said, is "the only way to enable the Syrians to determine their own future" and called on Council members to demonstrate a "renewed sense of common purpose" and concerted action, if 2019 is finally to be the "real turning point" after more than eight years of war.

Towards a new constitution

Mr. de Mistura updated the Council on the challenges that remain to create a new more inclusive constitution for post-war Syria, which was the subject of intensive consultations with senior ministers from Russia, Turkey and Iran earlier this week. One sticking point in determining the "middle third" list of the 50 individuals who will serve on a constitutional committee, alongside the 50 nominated both by the Government, and opposition leaders.

Recalling the meeting, he hosted in Geneva, involving the Foreign Ministers of the three countries which are heavily invested in Syria's future, the UN Special Envoy informed the Council of the "significant" deliberations over the names, saying that "we would not feel comfortable yet giving the UN stamp of legitimacy to all 50 of them as meeting the necessary criteria of credibility and balance."

"We have seen the loss of experienced experts of excellent credentials who would also have been natural bridge builders," he explained. "No list will be perfect. But in our assessment, it needs a further review and revision."

Outcomes  but  challenges remain

Looking back at his tenure as the Special Envoy and UN efforts to alleviate Syrians' suffering, Mr. de Mistura said that lives have been saved and some progress on humanitarian access "but nowhere near what civilians desperately needed and asked for, and despite hundreds of thousands being killed and millions displaced."

Talks were convened between the Government and opposition, and the UN also helped the process of uniting the opposition, "but we have not yet had the parties really recognize each other as interlocutors with whom they must do business and actually negotiate, let alone reach agreements." He said the involvement of Syrian women and civil society in the political process "is still constantly challenged."

Security Council must remain united

Noting that he "deeply regrets" that so much remains to be done to silence the guns, the UN Special Envoy said that the "Security Council should share that regret too."

In his final address, Mr. de Mistura, once again urged the Security Council to remain united in support of UN efforts, and impress on all parties, the need for compromise. "Make no mistake: as with my predecessors and me, [my successor's] success will depend on your unity and purpose to empower and support the United Nations, and pressure all parties to begin real dialogue, negotiation and compromise to address the grievances of the Syrian people and implement Council resolution 2254."

Staffan de Mistura's successor, Norwegian diplomat Geir Pedersen, will take up his post in early January.

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Fr Amer, a Syro-Catholic priest, describes how the atmosphere in the Syrian capital resembles that of before the war. Parishes are crowded and streets are decorated courtesy of the municipality. Reconciliation requires solidarity with the poor Muslims of Ghouta.

Damascus (AsiaNews)  Syrian Christians hope for "a Christmas of forgiveness and reconciliation", embracing "the whole country, non-Christians included. Without a new culture, one that doesnt forget the wounds but goes beyond them, it will not be possible to build "a future of coexistence, said Fr Amer Kassar, of the Church of Our Lady of Fatima in Damascus.

Speaking, to AsiaNews, the 40-year-old Syro-Catholic diocesan priest described the beautiful atmosphere in the capital as preparations get underway to welcome the birth of Jesus, like before the war".

In homes, streets and churches "we are getting ready for Christmas" in a context that is, "on balance, quiet". In Damascus, people hope "to spend this period in peace and serenity".

Parishes are crowded and lots of people are taking part in the celebrations. Many people are in the streets. We are preparing ourselves with prayer and works, decorating streets and homes."

The economy is not stable, the priest noted, and things are hard. Families cannot afford many gifts, least of all expensive ones, but just being able to experience Advent and attend services quietly "is worth a lot. We can enjoy ordinary things, eating and dressing up; luckily these are not in shortage supply."

What is needed "is a step towards reconciliation, like between the countries and peoples involved in the Second World War, even if for Syria and Syrians it wont be easy."

For the first time in eight years the streets of the capital are decorated and alight for the festivity. Memories of the shelling from the rebel enclave in eastern Ghouta, east of the capital, are still strong, but so is the desire to move forward.

Musical bands are preparing to fill the air with harmony and sound, something that has not happened for some time. The proclamations of the so-called great leaders of the earth are a distant echo, like US President Donald Trumps latest announcement that the Islamic State had been defeated. The impact of his words remains an open question but the White House no longer seems interested in removing Bashar al-Assad.

"Celebrating Christmas after eight years of war without fear is a great achievement, Fr Amer said. For a long time, the faithful had had to give up celebrating because of the fear of rockets and mortars."

In recent days, "municipal authorities did something beautiful, decorating the streets of predominantly Christian neighbourhoods, installing a Christmas tree. The show has piqued the interest of Muslim residents, who come to see, take pictures and enjoy the atmosphere of peace, serenity and tranquility."

The war has not been forgotten, the memory of the victims is still alive, and many wounds remain open "with martyrs aplenty, of all confessions". For the clergyman, our commitment as Christians is "to work in a perspective of reconciliation, which is one of the foundations of our faith."

One example is "the project by young people to help the poor and needy in eastern Ghouta, most of whom are Muslim.

Lastly, My hope for this holiday, said Fr Amer, is that the whole world can enjoy peace, because we who have endured war know how important and precious it can be. We also hope that many people, from the West, can come back to visit Syria."
Views Differ on Trump Pullout From Syria

By Edward Yeranian December 20, 2018

The Syrian government has applauded U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Kurdish regions in the north of Syria. Meanwhile, Kurds have condemned the decision, and the regional U.S. Arab allies are divided over the move.

Syrian government analyst Col. Ali Maqsoud told state TV the U.S. decision was prompting a new sort of national unity by Kurds and others who want the central government to defend them against a Turkish invasion.

He said the Kurds had learned that unless they join up with the central government, they will face a Turkish offensive alone, and the possibility of that happening has prompted what he called an uprising.

In the northeastern city of Hasaka, part of which is under Syrian government control, Kurdish civilians staged street protests in support of President Bashar al-Assad's government, according to Syrian TV. VOA could not independently verify those reports.

SDF dismayed

The Kurdish-dominated alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, has been fighting alongside the U.S. military to defeat Islamic State militants in the north and east of Syria. The SDF indicated within the past few days it was still fighting to drive out the last IS fighters from the eastern town of Hajin, near Deir el-Zour.

The SDF's media office voiced dismay about Trump's decision to withdraw from Syrian Kurdish areas, which the Kurds affectionately call Rojava. The SDF tweeted a short patriotic video of a Syrian Kurdish flag flying over territory the group controls, sporting the hashtag #DoNotAbandonRojava.

A Syrian opposition leader now based in Turkey, George Sabra, told Arab media, "Opinion is divided, and some Arabs are condemning Trump's decision, while others are applauding it."

Several countries that support the Assad government, like Algeria, Lebanon and Iran, indicated they hoped Damascus would regain control over the northern Kurdish territories, while the Turkish defense minister, Hulusi Akar, said his forces would "bury the Kurdish [SDF] fighters in their trenches, when the time comes."

Turkey doesn't like the SDF because of fears Kurdish separatists on its own soil will spark a push for independence in the heavily Kurdish regions in the southeastern part of the country. An outlawed group known as the PKK has been engaged in a bloody war with the Turkish military for three decades. Both Ankara and Washington consider the PKK a terrorist organization.

Allies unprepared

University of Paris professor Khattar Abou Diab told VOA that U.S. allies were not prepared for Trump's decision, despite the fact Trump had campaigned on a pledge to pull out of Syria and repeated it earlier this year.

He said friends and allies of America, including Israel and many Arab states, have come to expect over the years that the United States will do their dirty work and pay for it for them. This time, he said, they were not prepared for the U.S. decision.

Egyptian political sociologist Said Sadek told VOA that the United States had tarnished its image among its allies in the region.

"Definitely, the image of the United States as a stabilizer in the area, as someone who stands by his allies, is over. Maybe the Americans wanted the people of the area to fight against each other," Sadek said.

Following Trump's withdrawal decision, the Lebanese editor of the Saudi-owned Asharqalawsat newspaper, Ghassan Charbel, tweeted, "Countries that sleep on American pillows will no longer be able to sleep soundly."

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Trump Defends Victory Against IS Claim, Syria Troop Pullout

By Wayne Lee, Jeff Seldin December 20, 2018

In a series of tweets early Thursday, President Donald Trump defended his decision to start withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria, saying the U.S. does not want to be "the Policeman of the Middle East."

Responding to criticism from legislators and pundits, Trump says the U.S. presence in Syria is getting the U.S. "NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing?"

The president described Russia, Iran and Syria as the "local enemy of ISIS" and said "we were doing there [sic] work."

Without offering specifics, Trump declared a U.S. victory Wednesday over the Islamic State terror group, which was followed by a White House announcement the U.S. had started bringing U.S. troops in the war-torn country back home.

Until now, U.S. troops in Syria had been working closely with an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias known as the Syrian Democratic Forces. White House officials maintain the SDF and other partner forces will be responsible for eliminating the last pockets of IS-controlled territory.

The SDF issued a statement Thursday, though, rejecting Trump's assertion that Islamic State has been defeated, and saying a U.S. withdrawal would allow for a resurgence of the group.

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Trump's decision Thursday, reiterating his government's position that U.S. forces were not welcome in Syria. He also cited the U.S. presence in Afghanistan to express skepticism about whether the troops deployed in Syria would actually leave.

Trump's announcement Wednesday triggered a stream of criticism from some defense and diplomatic officials, as well as lawmakers, who were surprised. "It blindsided me," said South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, usually a Trump ally.

"We have started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said, adding the defeat of IS did not mean the military campaign by coalition forces is ending in Syria.

Hours later, Pentagon spokesperson Dana White said in a statement "the coalition has liberated ISIS-held territory, but the campaign against ISIS is not over."

By late Wednesday, Trump weighed in again, releasing a video statement. "We have won against ISIS. We've beaten them and we've beaten them badly," the president said.

Neither the White House nor the Pentagon would say how long it would take to safely withdraw all U.S. forces from Syria. White House officials also said that IS fighters continue clinging to one last pocket of territory in northeastern Syria, though they insist the terror group was not mounting enough resistance to postpone a declaration of victory.

Just last week, Brett McGurk, U.S. special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, told reporters at the State Department that liberating the last one percent of IS-held territory could take "a period of months."

Pentagon estimates from August of this year also warned IS still had at least 13,000 fighters in Syria, where the caliphate had already collapsed.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and other senior U.S. officials also have been advocating for a longer-term military presence in Syria to help ensure IS cannot re-emerge as a force in the Middle East.

The U.S. withdrawal also raises questions about the fate of hundreds of IS foreign fighters who have been taken prisoner and are currently in SDF custody. Many governments have refused to take them back, and there is a chance what is left of the SDF could set them free without the prospect of any U.S. support.

International reaction to the U.S. announcement has been mixed, with Britain noting progress made in the fight against IS and France pledging to continue the fight.

As for the next phase of the U.S. fight against IS, administration officials said there is no illusion the threat from IS is gone, but said the focus will move to Libya and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

A total pullout of U.S. troops from Syria would still leave the U.S. military with a sizable presence in the region, including more than 5,000 troops in neighboring Iraq.

VOA's Persian and Kurdish Services contributed to this report.

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Presidential Office thanks U.S. Congress for passing Asia policy bill

ROC Central News Agency

2018/12/20 21:56:45

Taipei, Dec. 20 (CNA) The Presidential Office on Thursday thanked the U.S. Congress for passing the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018, which includes a section reaffirming U.S. commitment to Taiwan, particularly regarding arms sales.

The bill, which cleared the floor of the Senate and the House of Representatives this month, includes a section reiterating U.S. commitment to Taiwan, including backing regular U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, and encouraging mutual visits by high-level officials between the two countries.

The bill will be submitted to the White House for President Donald Trump to sign, but it automatically becomes law after 10 days, even if Trump does not sign it.

In addition to the passage of the bill, six senators sent a letter to the U.S. administration urging action on allegations of China's interference in Taiwan's elections, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang () said in a press briefing Thursday.

Huang said this demonstrated the longstanding support from the U.S. Congress, the executive arms of the government and the civil society for Taiwan, and the Presidential Office wanted to thank them for their support.

The United States is Taiwan's most important friend in the international community and maintaining good Taiwan-U.S. relations and regional stability in East Asia is of crucial importance to all parties in the region, according to Huang.

As a member of the international community, Taiwan will continue working with the U.S. and like-minded countries in the region to contribute to peace, stability and well-being in the Indo-Pacific region, Huang added.

(By Yu Hsian and Evelyn Kao)

Enditem/cs

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Taiwan's former President Ma says independence not possible

ROC Central News Agency

2018/12/20 21:47:45

Taipei, Dec. 20 (CNA) Taiwan's options for the future lie only between maintaining the status quo tied to the "1992 consensus," a formula endorsing the one China principle, and unifying with China, while independence was not possible, former President Ma Ying-jeou () said Thursday.

Ma, who served as president from 2008-2016, made the assertions in what he said were "ultimate solutions" to the relationship between Taiwan and China, in his biography - "A Memoir of Eight Years in Office" launched on Thursday.

But he emphasized that the possibility of cross-strait unification can only be achieved "in a democratic and peaceful manner" through a referendum on the topic by the people of Taiwan and that no specific time frame should be given on such a vote.

"Pragmatically speaking, there exists no possibility of Taiwan independence. The only option is whether to reunify (with China) or not," Ma said in his book.

Ma's stance on cross-strait relations when he was in office was guided by the three principles of "no independence, no unification, and no use of force," known as "Three Noes."

In a recent speech, Ma has made a departure from the "Three Noes" by replacing "no unification" with "no ruling out the possibility of unifying with China," while sticking to the positions of "no support for Taiwan independence" and "no use of force."

Ma said he adopted the position of "no unification" when he was president because he had no plan to initiate talks with China about unification during his tenure.

However, it's an objective under the Constitution to pursue unification, Ma said, citing the preamble of Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China.

Ma said the only way to achieve unification is by staging a referendum to acquire the consent of Taiwanese people without a time frame set to rush the process.

"It's been 22 years since Taiwan's first presidential election (in 1996). There is no way that a question on whether Taiwan unifies with China is not decided by a vote," Ma said.

Meanwhile, Ma said that President Tsai Ing-wen's () approach to handling cross-strait relations by siding with the United States and Japan in an alliance apparently aimed at confronting China was not in the interests of Taiwan.

Tsai has failed to earn goodwill from China despite the fact that she has adopted a policy of maintaining the status quo, Ma said.

"This is because Tsai has refused to accept the '1992 consensus' which is a central part of the status quo," Ma said.

The biography was authored by Hsiao Hsu-tsen (), former deputy secretary-general of the Presidential Office, based on his interviews with Ma.

In response to Ma's statements, Presidential Office Spokesman Alex Huang () said that Ma's initiative of not ruling out unification "sent a wrong message to the international community" and "infringed upon the rights of the people of Taiwan in deciding their future."

At a time when China has been suppressing Taiwan by every means, an initiative like this was tantamount to sending a message to the international community that the people of Taiwan were fine with the suppression or even acquiesced to it, Huang said.

The rights of Taiwan's people to determine their future should never be used as a bargaining chip to exchange for goodwill from China, Huang said.

"Any politicians, whether they are in office or have left office, should uphold the position in the interests of the nation and its people," he said.

(By Shih Hsiu-chuan)

Enditem/cs

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Turkey Promises to 'Bury' Kurds in New Syrian Ops Amid US Withdrawal  Reports

Sputnik News

16:43 20.12.2018

Previously, Turkey conducted two ops, "Olive Branch" and " Euphrates Shield" in the Arab Republic in a bid to eliminate Kurdish forces there, allegedly tied to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), deemed a terrorist organisation by Ankara.

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar has announced that the country is "intensely" preparing to launch another operation against Syrian Kurds, which will take place in Manbij, Aleppo Governorate, and to the east of the Euphrates, Turkish Anadolu Agency reported.

"[Kurds are] digging some trenches and tunnels in Manbij and east of the Euphrates. Whatever they dig, trenches or tunnels [] when the time comes they will be buried in the trenches that they dig. Of this there should be no doubt", he said.

Akar's words come following the US announcing on 19 December about the withdrawal of its troops from Syria, where they supported Kurdish groups, such as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Overall some 2,000 US soldiers will be returning home within 100 days after US President Donald Trump announced the defeat of Daesh* forces in the Arab Republic.

Prior to this, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that a "counter-terrorist operation" east of the Euphrates could begin "at any moment", vowing to prevent the creation of a "terror corridor" along the Turkish border.

Turkey has already conducted two operations on Syrian soil without Damascus' consent  "Olive Branch" in Afrin District and "Euphrates Shield" in northern Aleppo Governorate, aiming to push out Kurds from northern Syria and create a buffer between them and Turkish border. As a result of these two operations, Turkey and Syrian militant groups clashed with Kurdish YPG, Free Syrian Army, and SDF forces, claiming some of their territories in Syria.

Turkey accuses Syrian Kurds of conducting terrorist activities along with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Ankara is also battling Kurdish forces on Iraqi territory by conducting airstrikes on their positions without Baghdad's permission. The latter condemned the latest Turkish airstrikes that took place on 14 and 15 December and reportedly led to a "loss of life and property". Ankara in turn responded that it will utilise its "legitimate right to self-defence" and continue conducting airstrikes against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) targets in Iraq.

Turkey has been fighting the PKK since the 1980s, when the group first demanded autonomy for Kurdish-populated territories. Ankara and the PKK reached a ceasefire in 2013 to fight the threat of Daesh*, but it was terminated in 2015, when the PKK accused Ankara of bombing its positions in Iraq, along with those of Daesh*.

*Daesh (also known as IS, ISIS) is a terrorist organisation, banned in Russia.

 Sputnik

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Ukraine Lawmakers OK Law To Rename Moscow-Loyal Orthodox Church

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service December 20, 2018

KYIV  Ukraine's parliament has approved a bill that would force the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) to change its name.

A total of 240 lawmakers voted for the legislation on December 20, as hundreds of people opposed to the bill held a mass prayer next to the parliament's building.

After the vote, the UOC-MP urged President Petro Poroshenko to veto the text, calling it unconstitutional.

The proposed law would require a religious organization whose governing center is based in a country waging war against Ukraine or occupying Ukrainian territory to change its name to reflect its affiliation.

The bill would force the UOC-MP, which remains subordinate to Russia, to add "Russian" to its name.

Moscow forcibly annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in March 2014 and supports separatists battling Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine in a conflict there has killed more than 10,300 people since April 2014.

"There is no question that the church that blesses weapons, the killers of Ukrainians, should not bear the name of Ukraine," Ukrainian parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy told lawmakers.

Oleksandr Bryhynets of the Bloc of Petro Poroshenko faction in parliament said the church "may choose any option for itself. For example, the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, the Russian Orthodox Church in Kharkiv, the Russian Orthodox Church in Kyiv. It is their right. They can choose [their name] during registration."

The move comes after Ukrainian Orthodox leaders last week agreed on the creation of a new national Ukrainian Orthodox Church and elected the 39-year-old Metropolitan Epifaniy to head it.

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 further raise tensions with Moscow, which has opposed Kyiv's efforts to secure an independent church.

With reporting by TASS, UNIAN, and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-lawmakers -ok-law-to-rename-moscow-loyal- orthodox-church/29667780.html

Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Putin: Kiev's Provocation in Kerch Strait Likely Helped Poroshenko Rise in Polls

Sputnik News

13:49 20.12.2018(updated 13:50 20.12.2018)

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Kiev's provocation in the Kerch Strait, when Ukrainian Navy ships illegally crossed the Russian border and as a result were seized by Russian border guards, has been successful in terms of boosting Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's ratings ahead of next year's election, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated.

"Whether it was successful or not  in terms of raising the rating, it was probably successful, because Poroshenko's rating seems to have increased. He moved from the fifth position to the second or third, where, in my opinion, fluctuations amount to about 12 percent", Putin said at his annual press conference.

The president added that the provocation in the Kerch Strait was aimed at aggravating the situation ahead of the presidential election in Ukraine, and it seems to be harmful to Ukraine.

"It seems to me that provocations are always bad. This provocation was aimed at aggravation of the situation. Why do our Ukrainian partners need such a development of events? It is clear that there will be elections there and they need to be aggravated in order to raise the rating of one of the presidential candidates  I mean the acting president Well, this is bad. Finally, it is harmful to the interests of his people and his state", Putin stressed.

According to Putin, it is possible to move forward without any provocations.

Putin considers that Poroshenko had increased his ratings at the expense of his country's interests and believes that this is a "bad method".

"The investigation is underway. After it is completed, it will be clear what to do with this", Putin said.

According to the president, the Ukrainian leadership was disappointed by the fact that none of the Ukrainian sailors, who crossed the Russian border, had died during the incident.

"Those who sent them hoped that someone would die. I see a great disappointment in the ruling circles [of Ukraine] that was caused by the fact that no one had died. They [Kiev] expected that some of them would die, but, thank God, this did not happen", Putin said.

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. Russia seized the Ukrainian vessels and detained 24 crew members after they failed to respond to a demand to stop.

 Sputnik

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133 people were executed between June 2017 and March 2018. Almost twice as many as the 67 recorded in the eight months that preceded the rise to power of Mbs. Saudi Arabia among the top five countries in the world for death sentences. Executions for crimes related to drug trafficking are increasing.

Riyadh (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Between June 2017 and March 2018, the number of executions in Saudi Arabia reached 133, almost twice as many as the 67 recorded in the eight months prior to the rise of the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Furthermore, almost half of the people who were in the executioner's hands this year were of foreign nationality, most of them poor migrants condemned to death for drug trafficking.

The Saudi number two, at the center of the controversy over the murder of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey and the bloody war in Yemen, with civilian casualties including children, seems to prefer an iron fist on the home front as well. According to a report by the British Reprieve, in the first eight months in power Mbs doubled the number of executions.

From 2014 the executioner has struck at least 700 times; this year there was an average of about 13 executions per month, peaking in July when the number of people executed were 27 and seven of them in a single day. Saudi Arabia is thus confirmed as one of the top five countries in the world by number of death sentences.

Activists and experts also recall that, on the rise to power, the young Mbs had declared that he wanted to remove the death penalty for crimes related to drug trafficking. "We have to reduce executions" the crown prince had affirmed at the time, adding that "if a person kills another person, we must execute them according to our law. But there are some areas in which we can move from death sentence to life imprisonment. "

In spite of the proclamations, in recent months the hangman has hit the drug traffickers as never before. "In addition, at least 30 people - declares the director of Reprive Maya Foa - among whom there are also minors, risk execution for having exercised their civil rights".

Moreover, in the kingdom there is an absolute Sunni monarchy, governed by a Wahhabi and fundamentalist view of Islam that does not admit any other worship except of Muhammad.

Recently in the country there have emerged reports of arrests of activists and torture in prison, once again illustrating that the program of "reforms" wanted by the 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and so much flagged by local media in the context of the Vision 2030 program is illusory and fake.

Some reforms have affected womens rights in the social sphere. However, the arrests of senior officials and entrepreneurs, the repression of activists and dissenters, the war in Yemen with civilian victims, even children, and the assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi cast more than a shadow on Mbs .

The Saudi kingdom is among the nations in the world with the highest rate of executions; the death penalty, often through decapitation in public places, is imposed for crimes ranging from terrorism to rape, from armed robbery to drug trafficking.
Toronto, December 21, 2018 - Chilean Metals Inc. ("Chilean Metals" "CMX" or the "Company")(TSX.V:CMX, OTCQB: CMETF, SSE:CMX, MILA:CMX, FRA: IVV1, BER: IVV1).

The Company announces that it has received final TSX Venture Exchange approval of its previous private placement of hard dollar units and flow-through units that was closed in June 2018. Please refer to the Company's earlier news release of June 8, 2018 which discloses the closing details. The Company expects its shares to resume trading shortly after Christmas.

"We thank our shareholders for their patience during this extended trade halt period."

About Chilean Metals

www.chileanmetals.com/



Chilean Metals Inc. is a Canadian Junior Exploration Company focusing on high potential Copper Gold prospects in Chile & Canada.

Chilean Metals Inc. is 100% owner of five properties comprising over 50,000 acres strategically located in the prolific IOCG ("Iron oxide-copper-gold") belt of northern Chile. It also owns a 3% NSR royalty interest on any future production from the Copaquire Cu-Mo deposit, recently sold to a subsidiary of Teck Resources Inc. ("Teck"). Under the terms of the sale agreement, Teck has the right to acquire one third of the 3% NSR for $3 million dollars at any time. The Copaquire property borders Teck's producing Quebrada Blanca copper mine in Chile's First Region.

Chilean Metals Inc. is the 100% owner of five Copper Gold Cobalt exploration properties in Nova Scotia on the western flank of the Cobequid-Chedabucto Fault Zone (CCFZ); Fox River, Parrsboro, Lynn, Economy and Bass River North respectively. It has also optioned two additional projects Trident at Bass River and Economy East. Chilean Metals is exploring, analyzing and drilling these properties in the summer of 2018.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF

Chilean Metals Inc.

"Terry Lynch"

Terry Lynch, CEO

Contact: terry@chileanmetals.com

The Qualified Person for Chilean Metals Inc., as defined by National Instrument 43-101, is Mick Sharry, M.Sc. Consultant

Forward-looking Statements: This news release may contain certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that CMX expects to occur, are forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements in this document include statements regarding current and future exploration programs, activities and results. Although CMX believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration success, continued availability of capital and financing, inability to obtain required regulatory or governmental approvals and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Copyright (c) 2018 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
Vancouver, December 21, 2018 - A.I.S. Resources Ltd. (TSX: AIS, OTCQB: AISSF) (the "Company" or "AIS") announces that the Company has continued as a British Columbia corporation under the provisions of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the "BC Act") and has applied for discontinuance of the Company in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The continuance in B.C. (the "Continuance") will not affect the Company's status as a listed company on The TSX Venture Exchange or as a reporting issuer under the securities legislation of British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec, and the Company will remain subject to the requirements of such legislation.

As management and the head office of the Company is located in British Columbia, management believes that it will be more efficient and cost-effective for the Company to be governed by the laws of British Columbia. Management also believes that the Continuance will provide the Company with increased opportunities and flexibility in obtaining financing.

The Company was, until recently, subsisting under the Commonwealth of the Bahamas Companies Act, 1992 (No. 18 of 1992), as amended (the "Bahamas Act"). On September 14, 2018 the Company continued its jurisdiction under the Commonwealth of the Bahamas International Business Corporations Act and on December 20, 2018 completed the Continuance under the BC Act. The Company is now subject to the BC Act as through it had been incorporated under the BC Act. Section 305 of the BC Act provides that upon continuance of a foreign corporation as a corporation under the BC Act:

(a) the BC Act applies to the continued company to the same extent as if the company had been incorporated under the BC Act,

(b) the continued company has, as its notice of articles, the notice of articles contained in the continuation application,

(c) the property, rights and interests of the foreign corporation continue to be the property, rights and interests of the continued company,

(d) the continued company continues to be liable for the obligations of the foreign corporation,

(e) an existing cause of action, claim or liability to prosecution is unaffected,

(f) a legal proceeding being prosecuted or pending by or against the foreign corporation may be prosecuted or its prosecution may be continued, as the case may be, by or against the continued company, and

(g) a conviction against, or a ruling, order or judgment in favour of or against, the foreign corporation may be enforced by or against the continued company.

The Continuance to British Columbia and adoption of the new charter documents has not resulted in any substantive changes to the constitution, powers or management of the Company, except as described below.

Comparison Between the BC Act and the Bahamas Act

The following is a summary only of certain differences between the BC Act, the statute that now governs the corporate affairs of the Company, and the Bahamas Act, the statute which until September 14, 2018 governed the corporate affairs of the Company.

Nothing that follows should be construed as legal advice to any particular shareholder, all of whom are advised to consult their own legal advisors respecting all of the implications of the Continuance.

Charter Documents

Under the BC Act, the charter documents consist of "Notice of Articles", which sets forth the name of the Company and the amount and type of authorized capital, and "Articles" which govern the management of the Company (collectively, the "Charter Documents"). Under the Bahamas Act, the Company had a "Memorandum of Association", which, among other things, set forth the name of the Company and the amount and classes of authorized share capital, and "Articles of Association" (collectively, the "Bahamas Articles") which governed the management of the Company. Upon the Continuance becoming effective, the Bahamas Articles were replaced with the Charter Documents.

The Notice of Articles and Articles under the BC Act provide for authorized capital consisting of unlimited number of common shares without par value and unlimited number of preferred shares without par value, whereas the authorized capital of the Company under the Bahamas Act was $15,000,000 in the currency of the United States of America which could be issued in any combination of common or preferred shares of no par value and convert all of the issued shares to no par value common shares. The attributes of the Common Shares are, in most material respects, similar to the attributes of the common shares previously outstanding under the Bahamas Act. The Preferred Shares may include one or more series and, subject to the BC Act, the directors of the Company may, by resolution, if none of the shares of that particular series are issued, do one or more of the following:

(a) determine the maximum number of shares of that series that the Company is authorized to issue, determine that there is no such maximum number, or alter any such determination;

(b) create an identifying name for the shares of that series, or alter any such identifying name; and

(c) attach special rights or restrictions to the shares of that series, or alter any such special rights or restrictions.

Vote Required for Certain Transactions

Under the BC Act, certain extraordinary corporate actions, such as certain amalgamations, continuations and sales, leases or dispositions of all or substantially all a company's undertaking other than in the ordinary course of business, and other extraordinary corporate actions such as liquidations, and (if ordered by a court) arrangements, are required to be approved by special resolution. A special resolution is a resolution (i) passed at a meeting by not less than two-thirds of the votes cast by the shareholders who voted in respect of the resolution, or (ii) approved in writing by all shareholders entitled to vote on the matter.

The Bahamas Act provides for mergers and consolidations, in certain circumstances, and in such case would require, unless otherwise specified in the Articles, consent of an ordinary resolution of shareholders. The Bahamas Act also provides that upon a merger or consolidation, the holders of not less than 90% of the shares may direct the company to redeem the shares held by the remaining shareholders.

Amendments to Corporate Charter

Any substantive change to the corporate charter of a company under the BC Act, such as an alteration of the restrictions, if any, of the business carried on by the Company, a change in the name of the company or an increase or reduction of the authorized capital of the company requires a special resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of the votes cast by shareholders voting in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the company, unless another type of majority is specified in its Articles. The Company has adopted Articles which alter the requirements for special resolutions in certain instances, as more particularly described below. Other fundamental changes such as an alteration of the special rights and restrictions attached to issued shares, also require a special resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of the votes cast by the holders of shares of each class entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company. The holders of all classes of shares adversely affected by an alteration of special rights and restrictions must vote by separate class votes.

As mentioned above, the Articles adopted by the Company provide in Article 10.1 that the following matters may be approved by resolution of the directors:

(a) the creation of one or more classes or series of shares or, if none of the shares of a class or series of shares are allotted or issued, the elimination that class or series of shares;

(b) any increase, reduction or elimination of the maximum number of shares that the Company is authorized to issue out of any class or series of shares or establishing a maximum number of shares that the Company is authorized to issue out of any class or series of shares for which no maximum is established;

(c) the subdivision of all or any of its unissued or fully paid issued shares without par value;

(d) if the Company is authorized to issue shares of a class of shares with par value:

(i) decrease the par value of those shares; or

(ii) if none of the shares of that class of shares are allotted or issued, increase the par value of those shares;

(e) a change of all or any of its unissued, or fully paid issued, shares with par value into shares without par value or any of its unissued shares without par value into shares with par value;

(f) the alteration of the identifying name of any of its shares;

(g) the consolidation of all or any of its unissued, or fully paid issued shares without par value; or

(h) the alteration otherwise of its shares or authorization of share structure when required or permitted to do so by the BC Act.

Further, Article 10.3 of the Articles to be adopted by the Company permits an alteration to the Company's Notice of Articles in order to change its name or adopt or change any translation of that name.

Under the Bahamas Act, the Bahamas Articles may be amended by ordinary resolution, which requires the approval of a majority of the votes cast at a meeting (or such greater number as may be specified by the Articles of Association) or approval in writing by all shareholders entitled to vote on the matter. The Board may not effect amendments to the Bahamas Articles on its own.

Dissent Rights

The BC Act provides that shareholders who dissent to certain actions being taken by the Company may exercise a right of dissent and require the Company to purchase the Common Shares held by such shareholder at the fair value of such Common Shares. The dissent right is applicable where any court order permits the dissent or where the Company proposes:

(a) by resolution to alter the articles to alter restrictions on the powers of the Company or on the business it is permitted to carry on;

(b) by resolution to adopt an amalgamation agreement;

(c) by resolution to approve an amalgamation into a foreign jurisdiction;

(d) by resolution to approve an arrangement, the terms of which arrangement permit dissent;

(e) by resolution to authorize or ratify the sale, lease or other disposition of all or substantially all of the Company's undertaking;

(f) by resolution to authorize the continuation of the Company into a jurisdiction other than British Columbia; or

(g) to ask shareholders to approve any other resolution, if dissent is authorized by the resolution.

The Bahamas Act provides that shareholders are entitled to payment of the fair value of their share upon dissenting from:

(a) a merger;

(b) a consolidation;

(c)any sale, transfer, lease, exchange or other disposition of more than fifty percent of the value or business of the company in certain circumstances;

(d) an arrangement, if authorized by the court; and

(e) redemption by the company following a merger or consolidation.

Oppression Remedies

Under the BC Act, a shareholder, or any other person whom the court considers to be an appropriate person to make an application, has the right to apply to court on the grounds that:

(a) the affairs of the Company are being or have been conducted, or that the powers of the directors are being or have been exercised, in a manner oppressive to one or more of the shareholders, including the applicant, or

(b) some act of the Company has been done or is threatened, or that some resolution of the shareholders or of the shareholders holding shares of a class or series of shares has been passed or is proposed, that is unfairly prejudicial to one or more of the shareholders, including the applicant.

On such an application, the court may make such order as it sees fit including an order to prohibit any act proposed by the Company.

The Bahamas Act does not provide for a similar remedy.

Derivative Action

Under the BC Act, a shareholder or director of the Company may, with leave of the court, prosecute a legal proceeding in the name and on behalf of the Company to enforce a right, duty or obligation owed to the Company that could be enforced by the Company itself or to obtain damages for any breach of such a right, duty or obligation.

The Bahamas courts have recognized derivative suits by shareholders in some limited circumstances. The Bahamas courts ordinarily would be expected to follow English precedent, which would permit a minority shareholder to commence an action against or a derivative action in the name of the company only:

(a) where the act complained of is alleged to be beyond the corporate power of the company or illegal;

(b) where the act complained of is alleged to constitute a fraud against the minority perpetrated by those in control of the company;

(c) where the act requires approval by a greater percentage of the company's shareholders than actually approved it; or

(d) where there is an absolute necessity to waive the general rule that a shareholder may not bring such an action in order that there not be a denial of justice or a violation of the company's memorandum of association.

Duties of Directors and Officers

Under the BC Act, in exercising their powers and discharging their duties, directors and officers must act honestly and in good faith, with a view to the best interests of the Company and exercise the care, diligence and skill that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in comparable circumstances. No provision in the corporation's notice of articles, articles, resolutions or contracts can relieve a director or officer of these duties.

Fiduciary obligations of directors under Bahamas Act are substantially the same as under the BC Act. The Bahamas Act does not directly address the issue of the limitation of a director's liability, however, Bahamas public policy will not allow the limitation of a director's liability for his or her own fraud, willful neglect or willful default. In addition, the Bahamas courts would be expected to follow English precedent in respect of fiduciary duties of the directors and officers of a company.

Indemnification of Officers and Directors

The BC Act allows a corporation to indemnify a director or former director or officer or former officer of a corporation or its affiliates against all liability and expenses reasonably incurred by him in a proceeding to which he is made party by reason of being or having been a director or officer if he acted honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the corporation and, in cases where an action is or was substantially successful on the merits of his defence of the action or proceeding against him in his capacity as a director or officer.

Under the Bahamas Act a company may provide for the indemnification of its directors, officers, employees and agents if he acted honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the corporation and, in the case of a criminal or administrative action or proceeding that is enforced by a monetary penalty, had reasonable grounds for believing that his conduct was lawful.

Income Tax Considerations

Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers with respect to the income tax consequences to them of the Continuance under federal, provincial, territorial and other applicable tax legislation.

About A.I.S. Resources

A.I.S. Resources Ltd. is a TSX-V listed investment issuer, was established in 1967 and is managed by experienced, highly qualified professionals who have a long track record of success in lithium exploration, production and capital markets. Through their extensive business and scientific networks, they identify and develop projects worldwide that have strong potential for growth with the objective of providing significant returns for shareholders. The Company's current activities are focused on the exploration and development of lithium brine projects in northern Argentina.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

AIS Resources Ltd.

Phillip Thomas, President & CEO

Corporate Contact

Phillip Thomas Martyn Element

President & CEO Chairman

T: 747 200 9412 T: 604 687 6820

E: pthomas@aisresources.com E: melement@aisresources.com

Website: www.aisresources.com

ADVISORY: This press release contains forward-looking statements. Although the Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the Corporation can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Corporation undertakes no obligations to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. 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.

Copyright (c) 2018 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
Bolivian state-owned company Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB) and the German company ACI Systems Alemania GmbH (ACISA) have formed a joint venture: YLB-ACISA. The aim of the JV is the sustainable extraction and industrialization of lithium as well as other raw materials from Salar de Uyuni, the worlds largest salt lake.

As part of this joint venture, lithium hydroxide is to be extracted from residual brine from existing evaporation basins, which were constructed for the production of potassium chloride and lithium carbonate.

With previous technologies, the residual brine could not be used for anything else and therefore had to be discarded. With ACISAs innovative process, the brine can now be utilized to produce lithium hydroxide profitably with a high lithium yield that is suitable for use in batteries.

There is a plan to establish a further joint venture to manufacture cathode material and battery systems in Bolivia and Germany.

Bolivia holds 51% of the shares in the JV through YLB. The start of production of lithium as a raw material is scheduled for the second half of 2021. By the end of 2022, an annual production capacity of 35,000 to 40,000 tons of lithium hydroxide is targeted.

On the basis of a feasibility study, investments for this project currently amount to approximately 300 million. There are plans to further expand capacity.

Together with partner companies, in particular K-UTEC AG Salt Technologies, ACISA developed a process enabling a high lithium hydroxide yield to be obtained from residual brine with a high magnesium content. At the same time, the innovative process cuts water consumption by around half compared with the technologies used to date.

In order to significantly reduce CO 2 emissions, 20 to 30% of the plants energy requirements will be provided by its own photovoltaic system at Salar de Uyuni. These technologies make a significant contribution to the sustainable and cost-efficient extraction of this raw material. In addition to lithium, other raw materials important for industrial use are also extracted from the residual brine, thus reducing waste to a minimum.

ACI Systems Alemania is a member of the ACI Group based in Zimmern ob Rottweil in Germany. The group of companies develops innovative and sustainable manufacturing solutions for the photovoltaic, battery and automotive industries. This includes applications for the manufacture of battery systems, energy storage systems and generators for electromobility, solar power plants, as well as the extraction of raw materials for these sectors.
DAF Trucks delivered its first fully electric truck to Dutch supermarket chain, Jumbo. The CF Electric was developed in a joint venture between DAF and VDL (earlier post), and will be used by Jumbo to supply its supermarkets in the south of the Netherlands.





The first DAF CF Electric to enter in-service operations represents a significant milestone for DAF Trucks, VDL and Jumbo. Delivery of the fully electric DAF commercial vehicle marks the start of a series of long-term field tests using both fully electric and hybrid trucks.

The DAF CF Electric is capable of deliveries within a radius of about 50 kilometers with zero local emissions and with minimal noise pollution. A charging station to charge the truck has been installed at the Jumbo distribution center in Veghel. V-Storage, a joint venture between VDL Groep and Scholt Energy Control, is working with Dutch research body, TNO, to assess the feasibility of fitting solar panels to power the charging station.

The DAF CF Electric is a 4x2 tractor unit developed for road haulage at up to 37 tonnes in urban areas, for which single-axle or dual-axle trailers are standard. The vehicle is based on the DAF CF and is electrically operated using VDLs E-Power Technology.

The center of this intelligent powertrain is a 210-kW electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery pack with a current total capacity of 170 kWh. The CF Electric has a range of approximately 100 kilometers, making it suitable for high-volume transport in the urban distribution market. The battery has a 30-minute quick-charge feature and a full charge takes just 1.5 hours.
Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) has delivered the first vehicle in its Freightliner Electric Innovation Fleeta Freightliner eM2 (earlier post)to Penske Truck Leasing, fulfilling its promise to put an electric commercial truck in customer hands in 2018.

The Freightliner eM2 106 is intended for local distribution operations in the food sector and last-mile delivery services. The batteries of the new electric version provide 325 KWh for up to 480 hp. The range of the eM2 is around 370 km (230 miles). The batteries can be recharged to around 80% within 60 minutes, sufficient for a range of around 300 km (184 miles).





The introduction of the eM2 into Penskes fleet is also a first in DTNAs co-creation approach with customers as it co-develops technology to shape the future of transportation.

As the first step in its infrastructure deployment, Penske Truck Leasing will install 20 high-power charging stations across five of its California locations starting this month.

Next year, Penske will put an additional nine medium-duty electric eM2 trucks and 10 heavy-duty eCascadia electric trucks into targeted service in California and the Pacific Northwest. Penske will place the electric vehicles into service within its expansive logistics, truck leasing and truck rental fleets.

The Freightliner Electric Innovation Fleet is partially funded with a nearly $16-million grant from South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). The US Environmental Protection Agency and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach also contributed to the grant.

Earlier this year, DTNA formed the Freightliner Electric Vehicle Council composed of 30 customers with strong use-cases for electric trucks, including Penske Truck Leasing, to further drive its sustainable transportation program. The company is working with the council members to ensure a holistic approach to launching electric trucks.

Members of the customer council benefit from co-development of deployment strategies for battery electric vehicles including applicable use cases, current legislation and requirements for facilities, charging infrastructure and service support.

The Freightliner eCascadia and eM2 are part of Daimler Trucks global electrified truck initiative, joining the companys Thomas Built Buses all-electric Saf-T-Liner eC2 school bus, the FUSO eCanter, and the Mercedes-Benz eActros.
UPDATE:

Missing subject has been located and is safe, police said at 7:10 p.m.

Original story:

GREENWICH  Police are asking for the publics help to locate a missing 78-year-old with dementia Friday.

Edward Jackson was last seen on Greenwich Avenue near the J. Crew store. He was wearing khaki pants and a blue jacket (as seen in the picture provided). Police said he his thin hair and is a dementia patient.

The photo provided was taken Friday.

Police ask that anyone who sees Jackson to stay with him and call 911 immediately.
GREENWICH  Critics of the first draft of the towns proposed $80.2 million capital budget for the next fiscal year called it a wish list stuffed with items that are nice to have but are not must haves.

The capital budget proposal includes funds for multiyear projects, including developing plans for a new northwestern fire station and a new ice rink; planning renovations at the Round Hill Fire Station; completing soil remediation at Greenwich High; restoring Roger Sherman Baldwin Park; and making site plans for Eastern Greenwich Civic Center.

But it appears to be a Santas wish list for everything in the town and I hope the selectmans office, the BET and the RTM will find a way to make reasonable cuts and try to preserve and protect Greenwich as best we can, Nancy Burke said at a public hearing about the capital budget plan on Tuesday night.

Many friends have left Connecticut due to the states fiscal woes and the high cost of living, said Burke, who represents District 2 on the Representative Town Meeting.

She was one of several residents, including other RTM members, who spoke out against the plan.

Henry Orphys, a member of the RTMs District 7, said he hoped the town would exercise as much restraint as we can in looking at capital expenditures. Although individual projects seem worthy, added together the projects carry a big price tag and might not gain support, he said.

Taxation is, at the end of the day, involuntary for those who oppose (projects) and to spend (tax) money on things that are nice to haves and not must haves in many cases requires some of our citizens to give up spending on things they consider to be must haves in exchange, Orphys said.

Danyal Ozizmir, vice chair of the RTMs Budget Overview Committee, said it is Greenwichs low taxes that make the town stand out and keep property values high.

The hearing was held before the Capital Improvements Projects Committee, which is overseen by First Selectman Peter Tesei. And the work on the capital spending plan is far from complete.

The CIP is a dynamic document, Town Administrator Benjamin Branyan said at the hearing. We learn things. We change things. We push things out and back, depending on the nature of whats in front of us.

Tesei will formally introduce the full 2018-19 municipal budget on Jan. 24.

Consider tonight a point of departure on a relatively long road trip, he said.

Work on a proposed northwestern fire station is a major addition to the budget. The RTM has voted down the project in the past, but it recently passed a sense of the meeting resolution calling for the first selectman and Board of Estimate and Taxation to study fire protection in town, particularly in the northwest corner.

Even if approved, construction of a station is still years away. But the 2018-19 budget includes $100,000 to do due diligence on finding a possible site for a fire house and Greenwich Emergency Medical Services station.

The fire station needs support from the BET and the RTM, and its advocates pushed hard for it at the hearing.

Gerald Anderson, chairman of the RTMs District 10, which covers northwest Greenwich, said it was a widespread misconception that the new fire station would benefit only one part of town.

It would of course protect more than 3,500 residents in that area as well as schools, businesses and churches in the northwest section, Anderson said. But it would also protect a much wider area of Greenwich because the fire service responds to emergencies as well as fires like accidents on the Merritt Parkway, rescuing people from storms and gas explosions and small plane crashes.

With no northwest fire station, fire trucks from other parts Greenwich must respond to that corner of town, he said. That can leave other parts of Greenwich without adequate protection in emergencies.

This is imperative not just for the northwest but for all of Greenwich, Anderson said.

Most of northwest Greenwich is more than eight minutes from a fire station, said Louisa Stone, also in the RTMs District 10 delegation. Other parts of town have fire stations in closer proximity.

This is not just a cost, its an investment, Stone said. It will add value to all properties in town. After all, the protection of lives and property is a primary responsibility of town government.

The capital budget also includes funds for maintenance and other work at town buildings. But it does not include work planned for school buildings, which are covered in a separate school budget.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
Qualcomm won another legal battle against Apple, this time in Germany. According to a German court iPhone 7 and 8 models with Intel modems infringe on one Qualcomm patent.

The court issued a sales ban on said models until Apple is able to reverse the decision. However third-party retailers can still sell the violating iPhones.

According to a statement from Apple the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR don't infringe on Qualcomm's patent and will remain on shelves.

Meanwhile Qualcomm has been having success in banning iPhone X, 8 and older models in China over a different patent issue. The chip maker is aiming to disrupt iPhone XS and XR sales in China as well.

Source
Motorola is getting ready to announce the Moto G7 lineup soon. Press renders for the Moto G7, G7 Plus, G7 Power, and G7 Play have leaked courtesy of DroidShout.com. The most apparent difference we can see is the addition of a now notched display which has black bezels. The Moto G6 had a perfectly rectangular display with bezels that matched the color of the model.





There are actually two types of notches between the four G7 models. The G7 and G7 Plus will have a tear-drop notch while the G7 Play has a full-sized notch with a single selfie camera and front-facing flash. Meanwhile, the Moto G7 only has a single front-facing camera, despite having enough room for an LED flash module.

As for the main cameras, both the Moto G7 and G7 Plus have horizontally-placed dual cameras while the G7 Play and G7 Power only use a single rear camera. Finally, the latter two models will have a fingerprint sensor embedded in the Moto batwing logo.





According to FCC filings, the Moto G7 will have variants with 4GB + GB for emerging markets, Asia Pacific and India while EU, AU, NZ,and JP will get 3GB + 64GB. Meanwhile, North and Latin Americas will get 3GB of RAM with the choice of 32GB or 64GB of storage.

The "Power" variant is set to have a 5,000 mAh battery so it would be the longest-lasting G7 variant.

The Moto G6 debuted back in April with the G6 Plus and G6 Play models arriving in May so its safe to assume we can expect Motorola to announce the new G7 lineup sometime later in Q1 or early-on in Q2 around April. Until then, we expect many phones to be announced now that CES and the MWC are coming up.

Source




Haiti - News : Zapping...





Budget against corruption, reduced by 20%

The budget of the Superior Court of Accounts (CSC/CA) reveals that the envelope has been reduced by 20%... while the executive promises to fight against corruption... Ronald Decembre, the Minister of Economy and Finance explains that it is not the only envelope to be reduced in order to free up resources for social actions.



PetroCaribe : PM orders to cooperate

Pascal Adrien, the spokesman of the Prime Minister says that following the correspondence sent by the Superior Court of Accounts and Administrative Disputes (CCS/CA) asking the Prime Minister to intervene, following the refusal of some ministries to collaborate in his investigation into the use of the PetroCaribe Funds https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26449-haiti-flash-csc-ca-unable-to-continue-investigation-on-petrocaribe-funds.html, PM Ceant's spokesman, Pascal Adrien, assures that the ministers concerned have received from the Prime Minister, the formal order to bring all their collaboration to the CCS/CA.



Temporary return of lawyers at work

The lawyers of the bar of the capital finally decided unanimously to temporarily lift their strike, at an extraordinary general assembly held this Thursday, pending the arrangements to meet all their claims. This decision came about a week after the resignation of the former government commissioner, Clame Ocnam Dameus claimed, however they continue to demand the arrest of police ofciers involved in the beating of several of their colleagues last October.



PNH : review of the operation "Mache pran yo"

Thursday, as part of an operation called "Mache pran yo" (from December 1, 2018 to January 9, 2019) launched by the West Departmental Directorate of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), which aims to ensure the security of the population for the holiday season, Gary Desrosiers, the Deputy Spokesman of the PNH, presented an initial report on the seizure of 10 firearms 11 vehicles, and 110 motorcycles.



Washington Embassy closed

The Embassy of Haiti in Washington DC, will be closed for Christmas Day Monday, December 24 and Tuesday, December 25, 2018. Please note that, temporarily, the Consular Service / Passport Unit does not work on Saturdays.



New Board of Directors at the CCIH

The Haitian-Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIH) wishes to inform the general public and in particular its members, national and international partners, that at the end of its ordinary General Assembly, a new Board of Directors was elected for a two-year term (2018-2020).



Claudel Dumas, President

Michel Lamarre, Vice President

Marc Pierre-Louis, Vice President

Michelle F. Mourra, Secretary

Nathalie P-L. Laroche, Assistant Secretary

Philippe A. Rocourt, Treasurer

Pierre Dumouchel, Assistant Treasurer

Gina Barthelemy, Councilor

Claude Martin Jr., Councilor

Herve H. Denis, Councilor

Elizabeth M. Lafontant, Councilor

Gerard Laborde, Councilor



HL/ HaitiLibre


















By Emily Mayer

Life was gradually getting back to the new normal in Havre 100 years ago. News about a couple of our boys fighting in France was published in the Dec. 21, 1918 edition of The Havre Plaindealer.

HAVRE BOYS AT FRONT ON LAST DAY OF WAR

Joseph Wild Write of Meeting Lloyd Gussenhoven

Frank Wild, the local inspector of customs, has received a letter from his son Joseph F. Wild in the service somewhere in France. Corp. Wild was with the 11th field artillery and his letter to his father was dated Nov. 19. Wild was right at the front until the last day of the war, and he says he saw Lloyd Gussenhoven of this city, on the last day of the fighting. Gussenhoven was in the machine brigade and passed through Corp Wilds detachment as runner bearing messages to another part of the front. Corp. Wild has been in the service abroad since May and has never been wounded. He enlisted in May, 1917 and for a while was stationed on the Mexican border and while there saw some action during the border trouble with the Mexicans that year.

Remember the Rev. E. J. Huston? Well, hes still making the news.

HUSTON IS ARRESTED UPON BENCH WARRANT

Minister Released Under Thousand Dollar Bond

Thursday, the Reverend E. J. Huston and O. G. Larson were arrested upon a bench warrant upon an information filed direct in district court, by the county attorney, charging political criminal libel, in the violation of the provisions of the corrupt practices act. The specific charge is the printing, writing, publication and circulation of the pamphlet known as The Black Record of the Havre Gang. It is alleged that the statements in this circular are false and reflect upon the character, morality and integrity of W. B. Rhoades, who was then candidate for re-election to the office he now holds. They were released under bond in the sum of $1,000 each, which were signed by Abe Crossan, popular county commissioner and G. W. Brown in both cases.

A warrant was also issued in the same case for Henry Kurtz of Chester.

They will be arraigned in the district court on Monday.

In this mornings Promoter the Rev. Huston is quoted at some length in reference to the charges against him. His statements are in his customary finished and pleasant manner and filled with the usual amount of those words not so commonly used by others of his calling. The attention of County Attorney Griggs was called to the article but he declined to be drawn into any statement other than that the roper lace for the trial of such a case was in the courts and not the newspapers. This will probably be the sentiment of most of those who read the article.

If anyone has a copy of this circular about the Havre Gang, please let me know as I would love to read it!

District court was very busy as of late. Someone had challenged the requirement of having flu vaccination certificates before entering certain places, and the district court decreed oh, no you dont.

FLU CERTIFICATES CANNOT BE REQUIRED

The district court Wednesday evening granted a temporary order against requiring a flu or vaccination certificate before admission to the city schools or the Lyric theatre. The defendant board of health and the city officials are ordered to appear in court Monday to show cause why the injunction should not be made permanent.

The injunction in the theatre case granted upon the petition of W. H. Wheeler, owner of the theatre was asked for upon the grounds that the board of health was discriminating against the petitioners place of business by requiring a person to have health certificates to enter the Lyric theatre and not requiring one at other places of business and it was also argued that the board of health was using the certificate plan to force the public to use the serum prescribed.

The district court also approved 31 applications for naturalization to become American citizens.

William Ball Pyper, superintendent of the U. S. Employment Service in the district of Havre was a part, was urging those who spent money going to Nitro, West Virginia, to contact him and provide documentation so he could go before the assistant federal director in Great Falls to get them their reimbursement. Those whose baggage had not been returned were also urged to contact Pyper and that, too, would be discussed with the assistant federal director.

Havre was in a gathering mood and anxious to get work done for various clubs around town. The Elks were hosting a comedy event; the local Masons ad Eastern Star lodges elected their officers, as were the Eagles.

May all of you have a wonderful and very Merry Christmas!
The Community Christmas Dinner is coming back again to Havre Tuesday, a more-than 40-year-old tradition that is still serving up meals for the holidays.

Youll see somebody who is real well-to-do sitting down eating with somebody that is literally a street person, Havre Eagles Club Manager Tom Farnham said. Theyre laughing and joking and having a good time while they are having dinner together.

Farnham said the Community Christmas Dinner will be served at the Eagles Club from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

If people would like to have their dinners delivered, because they are shut-in or dont have a ride, they can call the North Central Senior Citizens Center at 265-5464. Callers must place their order before 5 p.m. tonight.

The Community Christmas Dinner is open up to everybody, Farnham said. All walks of life, anybody that is hungry and needs a place to go  everyone is more than welcome.

He said they will start putting together meals at 10 a.m. Christmas morning and that this year the meal will be a turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, corn, dinner rolls and salad.

Volunteers should show up at 10 a.m. or whenever it fits their schedule, Farnham said.

If they cant get away till noon or whenever they can get here that would be great, he said.

Any of those volunteers that would like to join in on the festivities just need to show up and Ill put them to work, Farnham said.

He added that the community dinner always has returning volunteers from Havre, Big Sandy and the Chinook area.

Farnham said deliveries will start going out at 11 a.m. The drivers this year will be from the Havre Jaycees, the Montana Hammer Motorcycle Club and other volunteers.

He said the community dinner has been at the Eagles Club for more than 40 years, starting with Bob Sivertsen, who ran the dinner for 25 years before passing it over to Jerry Bergren and his family, who ran the dinner for 10 years, then turned it over to the Eagles Club.

Farnham said the dinner is free, adding that a donations are accepted, with the money going directly back to support next years community dinner.

A variety of different businesses and people in the community donate to the Community Christmas Dinner, he added.

Its a great day, Farnham said. You meet a lot of friendly people and everybody from all walks of life sit down and enjoy a good meal.

Show up with a smile and have a good time, he added.
The people of the Nakoda and Aaniiih Nations in north-central Montana have a saying about our home. We often say this land is as close to heaven as you are going to get.

For many years we have invited visitors to experience Fort Belknap. We have opened our reservation for others to learn our history and explore our water and mountains. We do this because we are proud of where we live and of our culture. Increasing tourism is one solution to bring more sustainable economic opportunities to our communities and build a better future for our children.

But honest work takes time. Our reservation shares the same hurdles as other communities on the Hi-Line who are working to promote the Missouri River Country. We are not very close to established visitor destinations and our infrastructure needs work to handle more people. However, Im a great believer that there is opportunity for everyone in our region to address these challenges and diversify our collective economy.

As the new director of Aaniiih Nakoda Tours/Discover Fort Belknap, I have joined our team and we have much planned and many ideas. That work includes continuing to improve our visitor infrastructure in the Fort Belknap Indian Community. It includes building more recreation opportunities like hiking trails and better promoting the experiences we are known for. Most importantly, it means continuing to build relationships with our neighbors, so we can all promote our region and expand the length of our visitor season.

I take much comfort in knowing we are not alone in this work. Our neighbor, American Prairie Reserve, is working hard to promote this region and have been busy building visitor infrastructure like campgrounds and more recreation opportunities. They are partnering with downtown Lewistown to bring a new National Discovery Center to that community. They are working with educational groups in Montana to introduce more kids to the great outdoors and help them develop a land ethic. They are organizing volunteers to restore and rehabilitate historical structures.

And, as more people learn about opportunities to explore north-central Montana, we need to be equipped to capture this opportunity. Thats why Im grateful for a recent collaboration with American Prairie Reserve and the National Association for Interpretation to train local people from our community to better interpret what visitors experience and discover.

In early December, several members of Fort Belknap Indian Community spent a week at American Prairie Reserves Enrico Education & Science Center. They joined APR staff to receive training to become Certified Interpretive Guides. These members received the nationally recognized certification from the NationalAssociation for Interpretation, which is designed for anyone in the interpretive field to help them better deliver education at visitor centers, nature centers, parks, museums and guide companies.

This is good news for Fort Belknap and the future of Aaniiih Nakoda Tours/Discover Fort Belknap. This is just one example of this communitys work with American Prairie Reserve over the years, and yet is just the beginning of what we hope to do.

I am a great believer that there is demand for more visitors to experience what we have to offer. I have personally interpreted the prairie landscape for visitors to Fort Belknap and nearby natural areas for decades. When people see this land they open their eyes. They eat our food and they meet our people. I believe they go home changed for the better.

I want more visitors to not just experience Fort Belknap, but also many other wonderful communities like Malta, Havre, Chinook, Zortman, Landusky and Lewistown. The things I want for my grandkids, I want it for our neighbors grandkids too. We can all work together for a better future because we are in this together.



George JuniorHorse Capture Jr. is director of Aaniiih Nakoda Tours, Discover Fort Belknap and has been an interpretive guide for a number years.
Editor,

Wooden signs, hand-crafted ornaments, homemade dog treats and welded metal work awaited lucky buyers Dec. 13 at the Sunnyside Intermediate School trade fair.

Thanks to the communitys stunning generosity, those items and much more  all created by students  raised $4,500 for area organizations. The money will go to the Havre Public Schools Scholarship, Havre Food Bank, Womens and Childrens Shelter, Shriners Travel Fund and the Hi-Line Sletten Cancer Center.

Through this success, our students learned how seemingly small acts of kindness can generate a large impact. Here at Sunnyside, we hope our students become citizens of their community and caring individuals after they exit these doors. In these uncertain times, it is perhaps more important than ever that the next generation learns the values of compassion and selflessness.

Thanks you, Havre community, for supporting these children and showing them how to spread goodness through their actions.

Sunnyside fifth-grade teachers, staff and students
The law of diminishing returns says that if all the factors in a process remain the same, except one, and that one is steadily increased, eventually a tipping point will be reached and everything will start failing, lose its luster, fall to wreck and ruin. You get what Im saying.

As an example, lets say your favorite full meal includes ice cream for dessert. One day you have your favorite meal with ice cream, but you just keep eating more and more ice cream.

Eventually, you will get sick of that ice cream, and then you will get sick from that ice cream. Its likely, then, that at least for a while, this will no longer be your favorite meal with dessert. But, if you do keep going back and eating like this, then you develop diabetes and it proves the theory in another way.

You see how this goes? Its actually an economics term that is considered what you might call a natural law. But when its applied in the real world it seems to be enforceable as an actual law.

Kathy Hill, a California woman who recently moved to Holly Hill, Florida, loves the phrase Bah, Humbug, which is associated with Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. Hill loved the saying because she associated it with the lesson Scrooge learns about the true meaning of Christmas, The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported Dec. 4 says.

She also loved it so much she bought Christmas lights to spell out the saying and hung that off the balcony of her beach-front apartment balcony.

She said she thought it was comical, different.

Hill is so naive, or an evil wrong-doer who must be punished. You pick.

Her neighbors complained to the condos community association, and the owner of the building got involved, and everyone demanded Hill take the lights down.

The apartment unit owner Laurie Borasky-Gigliotti told her to take down the display because other residents were coming unglued, the News-Journal said. She said balcony lights are against the rules  let alone Bah Humbug  and warned Hill to prepare for major, massive retaliation.

What?

Now Hill is very sad and any further violations of the law of diminishing returns will be punishable by fines and, presumably, visitation by three angels.



While most of us have fond memories of watching at least one of the Disney movies, David Berry Jr. of Springfield, Missouri, will be getting his fill of at least one of the Disney classics, Bambi.

Berry, who is now a resident of the Lawrence County Jail, was convicted in a multi-year poaching case in which hundreds of bucks were killed illegally for sale of their head mounts. Three other members of Berrys family were also caught and charged and at least 14 other people are or will be facing charges, the Springfield News-Journal says.

David Berry Jr., though, was sentenced this month to one year plus 120 days in jail on a variety of charges by Judge Robert George. The judge also sentenced Berry to mandatory once-a-month viewing of Bambi.

So the law of diminishing returns got Berry arrested for poaching, and the law of diminishing returns will either make him hate the movie, or hate hunting  depending on how this Disney-fueled scared-straight project turns out.



Finally, The Associated Press reported that 23-year-old Anthony Andrew Gallagher of Port St. Lucie, Florida, is demonstrating the law of diminishing returns for us today with a new economic law indicator: marijuana usage.

Seems Gallagher suffered from diminishing judgment when he went to the local McDonalds for breakfast and tried to pay with a baggy of weed.

Economists frown on the use of trade rather than money. McDonalds does, too, so the checker turned him down.

Besides McDonalds breakfasts are good, but no way theyre worth a baggy of weed on the open market.

When Gallaghers returns and judgment diminished further, he went back for another try at procuring breakfast, but the police were on the scene, and they arrested him on possession and driving under the influence charges.



I dont have any experience in drug bartering, but it seems to me that marijuana-for-food swaps would go over better during the late shift. Its a judgment call at http://www.facebook.com/viewfromthenorth40.com/.
A woman who suffered scarr-ing to her face when her car was rear-ended and pushed into a vehicle in front of her has been awarded more than 80,000 by the High Court.

Lorna Bentley had a pair of sunglasses on top of her head, but when the airbag went off they fell down on to her face, inflicting extensive lacerations, particularly to her left cheek.

Mother-of-two Ms Bentley (50), of The Commons, Lusk, Co Dublin, sued Liam Nolan, of Thorndale Lawn, Artane, who was driving the car that crashed into hers.

The accident happened on June 2, 2016 on Drumcondra Road, while Ms Bentley was stopped in traffic.

Liability was not an issue, and Mr Justice Anthony Barr assessed damages at 80,550.

The judge said the main aspect of Ms Bentley's injuries concerned the scarring to her face, though she also suffered soft tissue injuries to her neck and lower back along with bruising to the left side of her body and left arm.

The judge said Ms Bentley noticed a large amount of blood flowing from her face on to her shirt after the accident.

Three men who came to her aid told her to stay where she was and not to look in the car mirror. She was taken to hospital by ambulance.

Psychological

Ms Bentley underwent treatment for her injuries, but two years after the accident she continued to experience facial pain associated with the scarring and had continuing psychological difficulties.

A plastic surgeon thought it unlikely the scars would improve hugely with the passage of time, the judge said.

Ms Bentley told the court she was self-conscious of the scarring.

It was particularly difficult as a divorcee because she was now facing the prospect of returning to build a social life of her own.

Ms Bentley said she returned to work as a manager-secretary in the family motor business four weeks after the accident.

However, she continued to find it difficult dealing with members of the public, for fear that they would be looking at her.

Taking all the circumstances into account, and noting the scarring would be permanent and not amenable to revision surgery, the judge awarded her 30,000 for pain and suffering to date, 45,000 for future suffering and special damages of 5,550, totalling 80,550.

Higher

The court heard a higher sum of 93,000 to settle had been made before the case to Ms Bentley's side by way of tender offer.

Her lawyer said it came at the 11th hour, though this is disputed by the defendant.

A refusal to accept a tender offer has consequences for costs orders, which Mr Justice Barr said he would deal with in the New Year.
A hotel guest was arrested when he refused to leave the building after hurling abuse at a night porter.

Paul Ward (43) had "far too much to drink" when he caused a disturbance at the Ripley Court Hotel in Talbot Street, Dublin.

Ward, of Seafield Lawns, Avenue Road, Dundalk, pleaded guilty to threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour.

He also admitted failing to follow garda directions.

Dublin District Court was told gardai were called to the hotel in the early hours of last October 26 after Ward and his wife had checked in.

Ward became abusive to the night porter and was annoying hotel residents.

The porter asked him to leave the hotel, a garda sergeant told the court, but he refused.

Gardai also advised him to leave, but again he refused.

Ashamed

Ward then tried to push past officers, the court heard.

Gardai left, but when they went back a short time later, Ward had returned to the scene.

He resisted arrest and had to be restrained and handcuffed.

Ward, who had six previous convictions, was deeply embarrassed and ashamed of his actions on the night of his arrest, his solicitor told the court.

He said his client had suffered a recent bereavement and had drunk far too much.

Ward apologised to the court and gardai for his behaviour.

What happened was an "aberration" for him and he was trying to get back on track, said his solicitor.

Judge Bryan Smyth noted that Ward had suffered a bereavement, but said this did not excuse his behaviour.

Judge Smyth fined Ward 400.
Three masked men who robbed a rail depot and imprisoned a security guard in the boot of his car have been jailed for six years.

Martin Cunningham (36), Patrick Cunningham (21) and Patrick Martin (28) were looking for copper wiring to help pay off a 7,500 drugs debt.

The security guard, who was struck in the face with a knuckleduster, suffered serious injuries to his right eye and lost 50pc vision in it.

He was also bundled into the boot of his car by the men and spent 10 hours in it before he was found by a work colleague.

Judge Keenan Johnson said it was difficult to "comprehend the degree of callousness" of the robbery.

Judge Johnson said the three men were all equally culpable and he imposed nine-year sentences on each of them, suspending the last three years of the sentence for a period of three years.

Balaclavas

Martin Cunningham, of Crann Cottage, Clonegal; Patrick Cunningham, of St Mullin's; and Martin, of Myshall, all Co Carlow, had all pleaded guilty before Laois Circuit Court to robbery at the Irish Rail depot at Mountrath, Co Laois, on December 5 last year.

The court heard the men were looking for copper wire to pay off a drugs debt.

The three arrived at the depot at around 5am, wearing balaclavas.

The security guard was in his car on his phone. He was known to Martin Cunningham, as the defendant had worked at the depot.

Martin Cunningham was afraid the guard would recognise him so he stayed back while the other two robbers went to the man's car and smashed the driver's window.

The victim was hit with a knuckleduster on the side of the face and bundled into the boot of his car.

The men stole five reels of copper wire, which was later melted down and sold for 547.

Suffocate

In his victim impact statement, the 28-year-old security guard said he was trapped in the boot for 10 hours.

He suffered from asthma so struggled to breathe and feared he would suffocate in the boot.

When he was rescued his eye was in a very poor state and he was dehydrated.

He was taken to Portlaoise General Hospital and later to the Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin where he underwent surgery to save the sight in his right eye.

Since the robbery, the victim said he had suffered depress- ion and anxiety, had trouble sleeping, suffered from nightmares, was jumpy if he heard the slightest noises and was more irritable with his wife and children.

Judge Johnson said the aggravating factors included the level of violence and that no effort was made to release the victim from the car boot or to contact anyone.

Mitigating factors were the defendants' early guilty pleas and their co-operation with gardai.

They had also apologised to the victim and were ashamed and remorseful for their behaviour.
Victor and Eileen with their children  Rachel, Odhran, and Billy

One of Ireland's bravest children has proved that dreams can come true - after hospital doctors gave him the green light to spend Christmas at home.

Billy Goulding (6) has spent more time in hospital than any child his age should.

Four years ago, the Co Offaly youngster was left paralysed from the chin down after picking up a virus.

The fun-loving toddler had been playing outside the family home in Birr with his sister and cousin when he collapsed.

After being rushed to hospital, his parents - Eileen (38) and Victor (42) - were given the devastating news that Billy had transverse myelitis, an extremely rare neurological condition in which the spinal chord is inflamed.

Since then, Billy has required round-the-clock care and assistance for tasks most children take for granted, such as feeding himself.

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Until August, Billy - who attends the world-renowned Stoke Mandeville Hospital in the UK - needed a tracheostomy tube to breathe.

At one point, he spent a whole year in Temple Street Children's Hospital, where his infectious personality earned him the nickname 'King of Temple Street'.

Virus

Last month, further health complications meant he had to miss the annual Share A Dream ball in Limerick, where his fighting spirit was to be honoured.

Billy was rushed to hospital with pneumonia, a collapsed lung and another chest-related virus.

However, last week his family's prayers were answered when he made a strong enough recovery to be allowed to return to the family farm for Christmas. Eileen - who has two older children, Rachel (15) and Odhran (8) - said: "Christmas will be extra special this year now that we have Billy back. He was even able to go back to school earlier this week and take part in the school's Christmas play."

Despite the huge challenges Billy faces, proud Eileen remains hopeful that one day he will walk independently.

"There is hope for him because he's starting to get some feeling back in his body," she said.

"I'd give anything for him to be able to scribble on my walls or even break a window.

"That would be a nightmare for some families, but it would be a dream for me. I just want him to get better. That would be the best Christmas present I could dream of."

See Billy's Recovery Story on Facebook.
A hard border now looks inevitable as soon as Britain moves to strike trade deals with countries outside the EU.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has admitted that once the UK government changes its customs rules and regulations, there will be "real difficulties".

The Irish Government continues to insist it has not carried out any planning for physical infrastructure at the border.

Fears

However, there are mounting fears that while some initial leeway may be offered in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the EU and World Trade Organisation would demand checks on animals and food moving between the North and the Republic.

The UK parliament broke for a 17-day Christmas recess yesterday with Prime Minister Theresa May no closer to gaining approval for a withdrawal agreement that includes the Irish backstop.

Her government has now removed the word "unlikely" from its official guidance on how to prepare for a no-deal Brexit.

The European Commission has made clear what a disorderly Brexit means.

"Every consignment of live animals and animal products coming from the UK would have to undergo checks in border inspection posts at the point of entry to the EU," it has said.

Irish contingencies for a no-deal scenario restate the Government's commitment to maintain an open Border.

However, there is no detail on how this would be possible if the UK crashes out of the EU.

No one in the Government has explained how checks could take place without a border.

Mr Varadkar said yesterday that he is "nearly always loath" to take part in speculation about the border because "a lot of it raises more questions than I can give answers to".

"But what is certain to me is that in order to avoid a hard border, you must have alignment on customs and regulations," he added.

"It's all very well for people to say that nobody wants a hard border. Nobody wants it in Dublin, nobody wants it in Belfast, nobody wants it in Brussels or London, but if you don't have alignment on customs and regulations, then you get into real difficulties.

"If the UK crashed out of the European Union at the end of March, they would still be aligned on customs and regulations.

"So the problem would only arise if they decided in some way to change their customs and regulations. That's where it could get difficult."
For Subscribers Gangs: a 'four-letter word' some in the community won't acknowledge

Gangs remain a way of life in Washington County and some are trying to find ways to address it
Were the heavens and the earth created 6,000 years ago, as the Biblical Genesis Creation account suggests? Or, did the universe expand into existence nearly 14 billion years ago from a spontaneous "Big Bang" as modern science has described? Both dates cannot be right. Or can they?

Imagine medieval manuscripts, written some 800 years ago, that could help us decipher Genesis chapter 1 and thereby pinpoint exactly when the universe began-an instant squaring, moreover, with our most up-to-date scientific cosmological theories.

Further, suppose these same manuscripts could help us extract from Genesis unequivocal timelines for the development of life on Earth, again precisely as identified by the latest scientific evidence derived from the fossil record.

On Sunday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. in Nate's Shul in Longwood, Daniel Friedmann, author of "The Genesis One Code," will carefully examines the relationship between scientific theory and biblical teachings.

He will approach the origins debate from a fresh perspective informed by both scientific and spiritual research.

Friedmann will demonstrates an alignment between the dates of key events as described in Genesis 1 and 2 with those derived from scientific theory and observation.

Friedmann was CEO of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates, "Canada's largest space systems company" and the world's largest commercial communications satellite manufacturer, for 20 years. He is a professional engineer and holds a master's in engineering physics. He has worked for 30 years in the space industry, including being involved with NASA other major space agencies and participating on key projects from the Hubble space telescope to Mars missions and he has published many papers on space industry topics and cosmology.

His work on reconciling the biblical account with scientific observation, using his biblical clock formula, has been reported in the National Post, Toronto Star, the David Berner show and Off Planet Radio and Jewish Pride Radio talk shows and he has lectured to audiences all around the world.

In 2016, Friedmann was one of the first recipients of a Dean's Medal of Distinction from the University of British Columbia, Faculty of Applied Science, in recognition of his superb achievements.

Daniel Friedman

"We are honored to be hosting Mr. Friedmann in our community and are eagerly looking forward to his lecture" said Rabbi Yanky Majesky of Chabad North Orlando. "Yes, it is true that for the believer, the Torah does not need to be validated and for the non-believer, an intellectual argument probably won't change his or her mind. Nevertheless, Judaism demands that we internalize our faith and that the Torah permeates our intellect as well and that we try to logically understand our faith. It is my hope that this talk will give us another perspective to answer this age old question".

The entire community is welcome to come here Friedmann at Nate's Shul, 1701 Markham Woods Rd. in Longwood. Tickets are $14 and there is an early bird discount of $10 if you purchase the tickets before Jan. 8, 2019.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for $180, which includes private dinner for two with the speaker prior to the lecture. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.JewishNorthOrlando.com or by calling 407-636-5994.

There will be a book signing following the lecture.
(JTA)-Three years ago, Don Was walked into a Jewish service in Los Angeles without high expectations. Was, born Don Fagenson in Detroit, is a producer who has worked with musicians like John Mayer, Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt. Since 2012, he has also been the president of Blue Note Records, the historic and acclaimed jazz record label.

Since his bar mitzvah in 1965, he has rarely stepped into a synagogue.

But his aging father, who was getting remarried, was set to be honored by his beloved egalitarian congregation and wanted his son to be there. He also wanted him to see the congregation's live band, which played at its monthly service.

The congregation, named Nashuva (or "We will return" in Hebrew), is the creation of Naomi Levy, a Conservative rabbi who was among the first women ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in the mid-1980s. The 10-person band, which has mostly stayed the same over the congregation's 14-year lifespan, is a diverse amalgam of cultures and musical traditions, boasting Filipinos, Ethiopian Jews and other Jews and non-Jews from the local community. Levy isn't a musician by trade, but she sings in the band and helps write the melodies.

Was was quite impressed by the band's music at the service and approached Levy afterward, telling her that she should record its sound. They became friends and, six months later, Levy and the band found themselves in the famous Apogee Studios in Santa Monica, California.

"I was pretty knocked out by the fact that she took these profound prayers and transferred them in a way that everybody in the room could relate to, and it was a very uplifting evening," Was told JTA over the phone from Los Angeles.

The result of the Apogee session was "Heaven on Earth: Songs of the Soul," an album released earlier this month that puts 13 Jewish prayers to a mix of African-inspired world music beats and calming folk melodies. Was and Rolling Stones recording engineer Krish Sharma assisted in the recording, which was mixed by Grammy Award winner Ed Cherney.

In the studio, each song took at most two takes, a testament to how practiced the musicians were. Was invited congregants to lend their voices and fill out the sound, and at times the studio was so full that they had to sit on the floor.

Was, speaking just after completing a lengthy U.S. tour as part of a band backing Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir, compared the effects of the music played by Levy's band with what Weir evokes. He described the feelings that Weir would produce when playing the Dead's classic song "Ripple" during encores-Was could see members of the audience crying and hugging.

"I thought Naomi was doing the same things with these prayers that had been around forever," Was said. "She made them resonant in a really relevant way, which is not a small feat."

The Nashuva band's music is full of big, catchy melodies, which Levy said is part of the congregation's larger goal of attracting unaffiliated Jews who don't realize they are yearning for spiritual fulfillment. When Levy worked previously as a rabbi at a Conservative synagogue in Venice Beach, she'd see many stragglers poke their heads in to Saturday morning services but leave after a few minutes.

"I found myself more and more drawn to the Jewish outsider, I wanted to learn what they were about and how to reach them," she said. "They haven't found God or a soulful experience in synagogue. They find it in yoga class or at their zen center, but they haven't found it in Judaism."

Now Nashuva, which relies on volunteer help and grassroots donations, draws about 400 people at the monthly services and streams High Holiday programs to 70,000 around the globe.

Was' father, Bill Fagenson, who passed away earlier this year, was among Nashuva's biggest fans. Was said his father became less interested in Judaism as Was grew up, but Nashuva's message spoke to him, and he had a late-in-life return to the fold.

Thus Was post-bar mitzvah wasn't exposed to much of any Jewish life. But he received a great musical education growing up near Detroit in the '60s, which attracted all kinds of musical legacies thanks to its auto factories. Workers from all backgrounds migrated up to work in the factories and brought their favorite genres with them-from blues to jazz to country western.

In 1979, Was and his friend David Weiss-a fellow secular Jew-formed Was (Not Was), a quirky band that melded pop, funk and rock and experienced some album chart success by the late '80s. He built a producing resume at the same time, and by 1994 won the Grammy for producer of the year. (He has won three other Grammys and produced albums by artists ranging from the Rolling Stones to Neil Diamond to former One Direction pop star Niall Horan)

Was hasn't exactly returned to religion the same way his father did, but he attends a Nashuva service when he has time in his busy schedule and happens to be in L.A.

"She created a great vibe," he said of Levy. "And it's what you try to do with all music, really, is to improve the quality of the listener's life, help them understand something about life."
NEW YORK (JTA)-Liana Finck is in the eating area of a grocery store in Southampton, New York, and I've interrupted her beach excursion. Once a week, the Brooklyn-based illustrator rides a train to the east end of Long Island to channel her creative energy. She wakes up at 6:30 in the morning to catch that train and stays until the afternoon. Each year she picks a different beach.

"I think of the big picture of what I'm working on, and it's for some reason the only time in the week when I get to really assess what I'm doing," Finck tells me over the phone.

Due to a miscommunication, this interview ends up being scheduled precisely on her beach day, so she's talking to me instead of working. I offer to reschedule several times, feeling guilty about impinging on her creative process, but she reassures me that it's fine.

Finck, 32, has risen to fame in recent years through her clever cartoons and illustrated "Dear Pepper" advice column-named after her childhood dog-in The New Yorker. Her drawings, which she also posts on Instagram, poke fun at everyday awkward moments and annoyances, such as trying to get an automatic faucet to turn on and only wanting to hang out with the people who don't actually want to hang out with you. Her drawing style is simple and disarming. With a few jagged strokes she manages to capture a relatable feeling of discomfort in her character's faces.

Finck has been drawing ever since she can remember.

"I was really shy, so drawing was how I expressed myself, and there was always a lot I wanted to say. I made fun of teachers and drew funny animals," she says.

As she grew older, something shifted.

"I felt like I didn't deserve to draw unless I could make something that strangers wanted to pay money for and editors would like," she says. "So from the time I was a teenager, I started making things much more elaborate and polished, and with that came writer's block."

Apparently she has overcome her block. In addition to her frequent work for The New Yorker, Finck is the author, in 2014, of "A Bintel Brief: Love and Longing in Old New York," an adaptation of the famed Yiddish advice column that appeared in the Forward. The book dramatizes stories of recent immigrants from Eastern Europe who wrote Forward editor Abraham Cahan asking for advice on how to live in their new country.

Her latest book, "Passing for Human," is more personal, a "graphic memoir" in which she focuses on the experiences of the women in her family. In the whimsical yet serious memoir, each woman is born with a shadow that guides her life. But as they age they eventually lose the shadow. The book, published in September, features a main character, Leola, who looks for her own shadow and the shadows of her female relatives.

"It's half about me and half about my mom, and the thing we have in common is that we are women and we are artists, so that's what it's about," she says.

In the book, Finck draws on plenty of Jewish inspiration-ancient and modern.

At one point, she retells the biblical creation story, but her version features a female God and devil (who is good rather than evil). Though the Jewish immigration experience isn't central to "Passing for Human," the main character's great-grandmother is from Russia, but lost her shadow when she moved to the United States.

Finck grew up in Chester, a town in Orange County about an hour north of Manhattan. She attended a Conservative synagogue and a Solomon Schechter day school. As a teen, she says she was "a pretty weird and awkward person," and felt like an outsider at her Jewish school.

"The school was pretty suburban and small, and even if some individual people were my kind of people, the overall culture was so strongly mall shopping and not intellectual and so not shy," she recalls.

She has yet to find a Jewish community that feels like home, but her faith continues to play a major role in her identity.

"I didn't leave Judaism, but I did leave the community I grew up in," she says.

After high school she studied fine art and graphic design at Cooper Union College and traveled to Belgium on a Fulbright fellowship. She received a Six Points Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artists and contributed to the Forward and Tablet.

Her current style, which she describes as "very messy, very quick," is a reaction against the more put-together style she adopted in her teens.

"I make my stuff almost aggressively simple in order to trick the writer's block and the second guessing," Finck says.

There are other deliberate choices in her drawing, too. One recent cartoon labeled "default" shows a neutral face, no more than two dots for eyes and a line for a smile. Next to it is the same face, labeled "female," with long hair and lots of makeup. It's a comment on the kind of cliched representations of women in drawing that Finck tries to avoid.

"Most of my characters are female, and most of my characters aren't purely sexy because I don't feel that way, and I don't feel like my friends just exist to be sex symbols," she says.

As Finck has gained fans-her Instagram account has over 200,000 followers-she finds that the people close to her are watching.

"I do get a lot of people thinking the art is about them, and sometimes they're right and sometimes they're wildly wrong," she says.

Finck often takes inspiration from her real-life relationships, but alters the details to get at a specific feeling.

"I'll try to refine it into its purest form and then put it into a drawing," she says.

Sean Zanni/Getty Images for Moleskine Liana Finck attends an event at the Milk Gallery in New York City, Feb. 22, 2018.

She once drew a cartoon that featured a dachshund, and a man with whom she had gone on a date became convinced that it was inspired by him. He claimed that he had told her a story about the dog breed on their date, but Finck remembered no such thing.

"I don't think it came from him, I really don't," she says.

As our conversation draws to a close, it's time for Finck to resume her creative time at the beach. She only has a few hours left before the last train back to New York, and I don't want to keep her away from her work.

A week later, as I start working on this article, I find myself scanning her Instagram wondering if anything I said may have inspired a cartoon. There's one cartoon in which a woman talks on the phone with a robot-did I come across as too robotic?

But quickly I realize I'm becoming one of those people who study Finck's work too closely, hoping to see a trace of themselves in it. I close the browser and start writing.
Jewish Academy of Orlando hosted its annual gala with much fanfare. Attendees, dressed in 1920's attire, enjoyed the Roaring Twenties themed event at The Ballroom at Church Street. The event honored Nina and Dr. Ron Oppenheim with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The Oppenheims are pillars of the community and longtime Jewish Academy of Orlando supporters.

Nina and Ron's children and friends celebrated the honor and lifetime achievement award. "We would like to thank the Jewish Academy of Orlando for the great honor bestowed on us and especially thank our friends and the school's friends for making the evening so wonderful for us and a success for Jewish Academy of Orlando," stated gala honoree, Nina Oppenheim.

Jason Mendelsohn and friends enjoying the festivities.

The ballroom was set beautifully with a 1920's flare. Guests of the event danced, enjoyed 1920's drinks and dinner including the "Bees Knees" signature cocktail. The silent auction featured the artwork of Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz whose work has been displayed throughout Israel and North America. Rabbi Matt partnered with Jewish Academy of Orlando to sell 27 limited edition 11.5" X 16.5" lithographs from his lauded Passover Haggadah, titled "The Lovell Haggadah."

The annual gala is the school's biggest fundraiser of the year. Proceeds fund new curricula, field trips and new programs.

To learn more about Jewish Academy of Orlando, please visit: https://www.jewishacademyorlando.org or follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JewishAcademyOrlando.
JERUSALEM (JTA)-"Yosef! Yosef!" wailed Rabbi Eliyahu Meirav, calling out the name of his stepson lying covered in a shroud on the marble slab before him. "You were righteous. I didn't want to believe it. Yoau were all heart, completely pure, a holy and wonderful boy."

As he broke down in tears, the grieving father was joined by the sobs of those in the crowd, which included a mix of Orthodox Jews-haredi and religious Zionist-as well as secular mourners. Many were in uniform, bearing the unit pin of the haredi Orthodox Netzach Yehuda battalion to which Meirav's fallen child belonged.

"You are going to a better place," Meirav continued, breaking down again as he called his son a martyr. "God, it's enough, enough hate and death."

Sgt. Yosef Cohen, 19, was shot to death Thursday along with Staff Sgt. Yovel Mor Yosef when a Palestinian gunman opened fire at a bus stop they were guarding outside the Ofra settlement. Another soldier and a civilian also were wounded in the attack, which was the second to hit the Judean and Samaria community this week. Earlier this week seven people were wounded in an almost identical attack. One of the wounded, a 21-year old newlywed, underwent an emergency cesarean section after the shooting but lost the baby.

Jerusalem and disputed Judea and Samaria have been rocked by violence over the past week, including an alleged car ramming near Ramallah, the stabbing of two police officers in the Old City and the knifing of a soldier at the Beit El settlement.

Cohen's death also brought attention to the Netzach Yehuda battalion, which was formed in 1999 to allow strictly observant, or haredi, youth to serve in the army. Other Orthodox Jews, known as Modern or religious Zionist, have long served in the military, but the battalion accommodates the ritual and study needs of the fervently religious recruits. The Israeli army's Human Resource Division says 2,850 haredi soldiers were recruited in 2016 and 3,100 the next year.

The decision to serve, however, is often met with resistance in the soldiers' insular communities, where young men are expected to study Torah full time and leaders and families fear the secularizing influence of the army. Netanel Friedman, an Israeli-American member of Cohen's company, told JTA that Cohen was a lone soldier, or a soldier classified as serving without family to provide support. Apparently relations between Cohen and his family had been strained, but it is unclear to what degree relations had broken down.

According to media reports, Cohen was living with several other soldiers in Beit Shemesh rather than at home. A significant number of haredi Orthodox young men who enlist face a degree of social ostracism at home and Cohen "represented an entire population that we help," said Jake Flaster of the Lone Soldier Center, an organization that provides social and financial services to Israeli servicemen and servicewomen. "We've been helping Yosef for years."

In media interviews, his stepfather described how Cohen had spent the previous Shabbat at home, telling his family that he was thankful that he could "defend the Jewish people with my body."

Meirav, a former fighter pilot who later became religious and joined the Breslov Hasidic sect, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that although he had encouraged his stepson to enlist, telling him that it would "good and appropriate for him," Cohen's mother was against it for personal reasons.

"It is hard for a mother to send her child to the army," he explained.

At his funeral, however, Cohen's family repeatedly praised his service and character. All disagreements appeared forgotten as his mother approached his body and began crying helplessly, unable to hold her son one last time.

The Shamgar Funeral Home in Jerusalem was packed Friday morning as friends and relatives remembered Cohen as a gentle soul always willing to lend a helping hand.

"He was my best friend," Friedman told JTA. "We learned for years together" before enlisting and "it's hard to separate from him. He was funny and social, the best friend in the world. I cried for hours when I heard."

Friedman described how he had spoken with Cohen the day before his death, giving him a hug and telling him he would see him the next day.

"He said 'we'll see.' It's as if he knew. Everything comes from heaven," Friedman said inconsolably.

Yishai, a former Netzach Yehuda serviceman who did not know Cohen, said he came to the funeral because he "thought it was important to connect with these life-changing moments."

That sentiment was shared by Raphi Pollak, an American immigrant who said that he "felt the need to honor [his] sacrifice and the sacrifice of all haredi soldiers who have the courage to join the army" in the face of social pressure.

Cohen "died in the sanctification of God's name," said Shlomo Amar, the chief Sephardic rabbi of Jerusalem. "He died while on watch guarding Jews. You can't understand the level to which a martyr ascends. We cry but we won't break."

Cohen's commander, Matti Shevach, spoke while looking down at the slain soldier's body.

"We will continue to do what you were doing when you fell and defend the nation of Israel," Shevach said. "You are our messenger above. Tell God it's enough."
For Jewish seniors in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, it can be a challenge to keep up the Shabbat traditions of lighting candles and saying the blessings over challah and wine. But with Shabbat Boxes, the Jewish Pavilion is able to give Orlando Jewish seniors the gift of Shabbat.

The boxes were the idea of Sarah Gittleson, who leads SPARK, the women's division of JOIN (Jewish Outreach Initiative) Orlando. She was baking challahs and preparing for Shabbat at home one Friday when she got a message that a woman who had been attending some of her monthly challah bakes had broken a hip.

"I saw that she was in a hospital right near my house," Gittleson recalled. She decided to go visit the woman, and she didn't go empty-handed. "I took one of the challahs I was making, I took some chicken soup, I took some grape juice." Her friend was very touched by the gesture and was happy to be able to experience Shabbat even in the hospital.

Gittleson has been leading the monthly challah bakes, at which women gather to bake four challahs for their families to enjoy, for about three years. As she talked to her husband, Rabbi Gabi Gittleson, who leads JOIN Orlando, the idea evolved of enlisting the women who attend these gatherings to help bring that Shabbat experience to more people.

"What if I suggest that people make one [extra] challah roll, and we can make these little boxes for people who are sick or in the hospital," Gittleson asked her husband. "And then we started to create these Shabbat Boxes."

The boxes represent an important Jewish value, chesed (kindness), and offer the women at the challah bakes an opportunity to do a mitzvah (good deed) while they are making challahs to bring home with them. "They say if you want to be happy, do something for someone else," Gittleson said.

At first, Gittleson and volunteers were only taking them to people whose families got in touch with JOIN, but Gittleson knew that the Jewish Pavilion had a large group of seniors who would benefit from the boxes. It was a "shidduch"-a good fit, said Gittleson.

The attractive black boxes contain a kiddush cup, electronic candles, a plate, a challah cover, a grape juice bottle, a pamphlet with Shabbat blessings and-in a starring role-the homemade challah. "I think if you give people store-bought challah it wouldn't have the same effect," said Gittleson. The homemade challah brings with it "that feeling of hominess," she explained.

One recent beneficiary of a Shabbat Box was Bernice Shapiro, a resident at Life Care Center of Altamonte Springs. Growing up and with her own family, she was accustomed to lighting candles and saying the prayers over challah and wine, often accompanied by a traditional meal of chicken, matzoh ball soup (which she called "knaidlach"), and kugel.

Jewish Pavilion CEO Nancy Ludin brought a Shabbat Box to Bernice Shapiro.

But living in a skilled nursing facility, Shapiro does not have the means to celebrate Shabbat as she'd like. She regularly attends the Jewish Pavilion's monthly Shabbat and holiday programs at Life Care, led by Pavilion volunteer Phil Brown. But she misses that connection to her past on other weeks. That's why she was so pleased to receive the Shabbat Box.

It also gave her the opportunity to show a little chesed of her own. "I wasn't drinking the juice, so I brought it to the Shabbat service," said Shapiro. "I still have the cup and candles."

The Jewish Pavilion and SPARK have distributed about 100 of the Shabbat Boxes so far. To make a donation to support the boxes, connect with JOIN/SPARK at ShabbatBox.org. And if you would like to help bring Shabbat and Jewish culture to seniors in living facilities, contact the Jewish Pavilion at 407-678-9363.
Choices, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando's largest annual women's philanthropy event, celebrates its 25th year on Thursday, Jan. 10, at Congregation Ohev Shalom in Maitland.

The Presenting Sponsor for Choices 2019 is Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies.

Since 1994, Choices has been a showcase for women's philanthropy in the Central Florida Jewish community. It's a gala event where women gather to celebrate, socialize and inspire, all in support of the Federation. The theme this year is Celebrating Women's Empowerment.

Based on feedback from women who have attended Choices in recent years, the event will return to a sit-down dinner format with food by Arthur's Creative Events & Catering. A very brief program and raffle drawings will be held at the conclusion of dinner, but the emphasis for the evening will be on socializing and celebrating.

The evening kicks off at 5:30 p.m. with registration and a cocktail hour, featuring specialty hors d'oeuvres and drinks by Arthur's. An elegant dinner follows at 7:15 p.m., with fish, vegetarian and Glatt Kosher choices.

After dinner, some of the women who took part in this year's Momentum trip to Israel, which was made possible locally by the Federation and JOIN Orlando, will share some of the highlights of their eight-day journey.

The evening will be capped off with a light-hearted talk by one of the most recognizable voices in radio, Lynn Dictor, better known as her on-air persona, "Moira." Dictor been part of the Central Florida radio landscape for 35 years on such shows as "The Philips Phile" on WTKS 104.1 and her own "Moira's Mixed Company" on NewsRadio 93.1 WFLA.

Dictor is a proud graduate of the Jewish Federation's Bornstein Leadership Development Program. She and her family are members of Congregation of Reform Judaism, where she has served in leadership roles, including congregation president.

The Choices Raffle will feature prizes such as jewelry, dining packages, JCC memberships and reserved parking spaces on both the Maitland Jewish Community campus and the Rosen JCC campus. Women who register before 5 p.m. Dec. 27 will receive one free raffle ticket, a $25 value.

Choices is made possible in part by the generosity of our sponsors. In addition to Presenting Sponsor Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies, the Federation would like to give special thanks to this year's Ruby Sponsors, Krise Wealth Management and Florida Cancer Specialists.

Registration for Choices will remain open through Jan. 7. You can register on the Federation's website, http://www.jfgo.org/choices, via email at mwest@jfgo.org, or by calling the Federation office at 407-645-5933, ext. 236.
When Michaela Weinstein first encountered racist and anti-Semitic slurs at her California high school, she felt sick to her stomach.

Students at Albany High School, in the San Francisco Bay Area, were drawing swastikas on schoolbooks and posting photos on Instagram comparing black women to gorillas. Even two years later, anti-Semitism has remained a problem at the school: This fall, the outside walls of Weinstein's school gym were spray-painted with hate-filled graffiti.

"There were different slurs, anti-Semitic comments, the F-word, the N-word, and the words 'Swastika = good,'" Weinstein said. "Another one said, 'Get out of our country' and 'Free Hitler.'"

Weinstein and her classmate Melia Oliver decided to take action not long after they first encountered the problem. They and some friends created SPEAK, a program designed to encourage young people to identify and fight bigotry.

What makes this program unique is that the facilitators are high school students, who present workshops on social justice and empathy to fifth-graders in the local public school district. Weinstein and her group designed a curriculum for third-, fourth- and fifth-graders that focuses on combating prejudice and discrimination.

"We realized there was something about our education system that we needed to fix," she said. "There was apathy, and I think a lot of the things perpetrated at our school were done out of sheer ignorance about social issues. Education is the biggest way to cure ignorance."

On a recent morning, Weinstein, 16, visited a class of fifth-graders at a local school. She talked about racism and its historical manifestations, and then asked the students whether they had ever experienced racism themselves.

Five students raised their hands.

"They're 9 and 10 years old and they've already lived with anti-Asian and anti-black racism," Weinstein said. "It's easy to sweep bigotry under the rug because adults don't want to acknowledge that kids are going through this. But they are and they want to talk about it."

SPEAK's curriculum calls for teen facilitators to explain what prejudice is and that everyone has prejudices. It helps the children identify prejudice-their own and others'-and to work against it. The coordinators share examples of prejudice they or loved ones have experienced. They also talk with the students about how to try to stop prejudice in their communities.

"When your peers say something that you don't feel is right, find it within yourself to SPEAK up against that and politely tell them why you don't like WHAT (that) they said," the SPEAK curriculum says. "If we all work to improve ourselves, our world will change for the better."

Many of the school district's educators have embraced the program.

"Michaela's work is key to creating a more inclusive culture," said Darren McNally, coordinator of alternative education at Albany High. "As adults, it can be easy to forget that culture is often something that is communicated from student to student. Having older students intentionally ask what kind of schools they want to have, and then work to create it, is huge."

Earlier this year, Weinstein was awarded a 2018 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam award, which honors Jewish teens aged 13 to 19 for living the Jewish principle of tikkun olam-repairing the world and making it a better place. She and the 14 other winners each received a $36,000 grant from the Helen Diller Family Foundation to foster their leadership.

Weinstein says Judaism was the impetus for her first foray into social justice.

Prior to her bat mitzvah, she researched sex trafficking and discovered that Oakland, California, is one of the biggest sex-trafficking hubs in the United States. She spoke about it at her bat mitzvah.

"Being Jewish gave me my first taste of activism," she said. "This was the first time I spoke publicly and took leadership."

Weinstein credits the Jewish communities in her life-the Jewish summer camp Kee Tov and the socially conscious Chochmat HaLev synagogue in Berkeley-for nurturing her activist impulses.

She said that while she appreciated the funding that comes with the Diller Teen award, the real gift has been the opportunity to meet other young, driven Jewish teens who have a passion for social justice during the retreat the foundation ran for award winners.

"I was able to make really amazing bonds with other recipients," Weinstein said. "It can be a difficult task to go on in a world that feels so demeaning of so many people and full of hate. But when I'm surrounded by people who have a passion for tikkun olam, I'm able to get feedback and have a support system. It makes the task bearable."

This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with the Helen Diller Family Foundation, which sponsors the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards, annually awarding $36,000 to Jewish teens demonstrating exceptional leadership in repairing the world. Nominations/applications for 2019 are now open. This article was produced by JTA's native content team.
(CAMERA via JNS)CAMERAs Israel office prompted correction on Monday of a National Geographic article on the preservation of biblical archeological texts that contained an historical reference to disputed West Bank land.

As first noted yesterday on the Elder of Ziyon blog, an article in December print edition of National Geographic erroneously reported that the disputed territories had at one point prior to the Oslo Accords been under Palestinian control (The search for sacred texts):

In 1993, after signing the Oslo Accords, which provided a framework for returning disputed territories to Palestinian control, the Israeli government launched Operation Scroll, an urgent survey of all the archaeological sites the country potentially stood to lose.

At no point in history prior to the Oslo Accords did Palestinians control the West Bank or any other land, and therefore it is inaccurate to refer to their return to Palestinian control. The disputed West Bank was under Ottoman control until 1917, at which point it fell under British control as part of the Mandate. In 1948, when the British withdrew, and Israels War of Independence ensued, the West Bank fell under Jordanian control. The Jordanians ruled the territory until the Six-Day War, at which point, Israel gained control of the West Bank. The first Palestinian government came into existence only with the signing of the Oslo Accords.

CAMERA relayed this information yesterday to National Geographic editors, who thanked CAMERA and promptly published an online correction. It states:

December 2018

The Bible Hunters, Page 47: The 1993 Oslo accords provided a framework for transferring disputed territories to Palestinian control; they were not returned to Palestinian control.

In addition, editors have published an amended of the article online (Inside the cloak-and-dagger search for sacred texts). It accurately reports:

In 1993, after signing the Oslo Accordswhich provided a framework for transferring disputed territories to Palestinian control...
(JNS)-Angie Craig, 46, is a health-care executive who unseated incumbent Republican Rep. Jason Lewis on Nov. 6 and became the first LGBTQ person elected to Congress from Minnesota.

JNS talked with Craig by phone. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Q: What is your overall stance on the U.S.-Israel relationship?

A: I think with support we'll be an active part of promoting a strong, safe and secure Israel, and be supportive of strengthening the relationship our country shares.

Q: What do you think is the importance behind that relationship?

A: As the only democracy in the Middle East, I think it's very important that we share a strong economic relationship, innovation edge. One of the companies that I worked for over the past decade acquired a business in Israel with cutting-edge technology, so I'm very familiar with the innovation and the importance of making sure that Israel continues to be a democratic safe state in the Middle East.

Q: What is your stance on BDS?

A: I'm going to be an advocate in Congress for strengthening the relationship that Israel and the United States share. I support the efforts to discourage governmental entities, our trading partners and allies from participating in the BDS movement. I don't think BDS ultimately encourages the peace process, and therefore, I will not be an active supporter of the BDS movement.

Q: What is your reaction to your fellow Minnesota congresswoman-elect Ilhan Omar, who came out in support of BDS after being elected?

A: I represent the 2nd Congressional District of Minnesota, and I do not support the BDS movement against Israel. I'll stick with my own policy positions and let others articulate theirs.

Q: What is your position in terms of funding for Israel's military, especially in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas flare-up this month?

A: I believe the U.S. must continue to support the development of defense technology for Israel. So I will continue to be a staunch supporter of the renewal of our 10-year security agreement, and as such, I support fully funding the commitment made in that agreement.

Q: What is your view on American funding for the Palestinian Authority?

A: Israel has been the victim of countless terrorist attacks. The Palestinian Authority and Hamas have failed to condemn them, and I don't believe that it helps to encourage these blasts. We have got to insist that our partners, including the P.A., condemn such attacks and take steps to prevent them. Until such time, I could not support funding for the P.A.

Q: What is your stance on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and the overall Iranian threat?

A: I do not think the deal was a perfect deal. At this point, we have to stay constantly vigilant to make sure that we prevent Iran from getting any nuclear weapon. Even as we withdraw from the agreement, we have got to make sure that Iran is held accountable. We've also got to initiate additional sanctions for the long-range missile testing that may be outside this agreement.

Q: Did you support President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from it?

A: I did not support the decision to withdraw the U.S. from it, but I believe that Iran was in violation of the spirit of some of the agreement, and that we could've gotten a better deal to begin with.

Q: Do you support the reimposition of sanctions on Iran?

A: Yes.

Q: What's your reaction to America moving its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, along with recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital?

A: My calculus is always going to be that Jerusalem is an important and a critical piece of Israel. I'm not sure moving the embassy to Jerusalem at this time gets us closer to peace. We've got to get to an agreement that is good for Israelis and Palestinians, so I don't believe moving the embassy to Jerusalem gets us closer to that outcome.

Q: Do you have any specific plans in Congress regarding the U.S.-Israel relationship? For example, the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act would require the Department of Education to adopt the State Department's definition of anti-Semitism in evaluating such incidents on college campuses and at other educational institutions.

A: I would be supportive in ensuring that our colleges and universities are educated on anti-Semitic behavior and ensuring that [the definition] is well-defined.

Q: Is there specific legislation you would introduce related to the U.S.-Israel relationship?

A: Not at this moment. We've got to get to a point where America can support Israel in its efforts in the peace process and, at the same time, we need to make sure that we're not making it worse.

Q: Is there anything else our readers should know about you?

A: I believe that Israel is a special place, and that all of us should be supportive if working through a peace process that includes a two-state solution.
AMSTERDAM (JTA)The last time that a stranger directed an anti-Semitic insult at me, I was carrying supplies for my sons birthday party.

It was on a Sunday afternoon on Dam Square. Carrying Star of David party decorations in a see-through bag, I paused to snap some pictures on my cellphone of an anti-Israel rally.

I was busy sending them to a friend who had inquired about such events in the Netherlands when a bearded man sporting a Moroccan accent said loudly in my direction: Cancer Jew. Youre all made up, youre fake. Youre fake dogs.

The incident was far from extraordinaryI have experienced much worse abuse during my years of covering European Jewry and its problemsbut I found myself recalling it Monday following the publication of the unsurprisingly grim results from Europes largest survey of Jews on anti-Semitism.

About a third of the 16,395 Jews polled this year in 12 countries by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights said they avoid Jewish events or places out of fear for their safety. A similar number said they have considered emigrating in the past five years because they did not feel safe as Jews.

More than 80 percent of respondents said anti-Semitism was the most pressing problem facing them. Nearly 40 percent said they had experienced an anti-Semitic incident over the past five years, and of those, 79 percent said they didnt report it because they thought doing so would be a waste of time.

Vera Jourova, the EU commissioner for justice, consumers and gender equality, called some of the polls data shocking in an address she delivered Monday in Brussels during the presentation of the report.

She vowed tougher action on anti-Semitic crimes, especially online, and called on all EU member states to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism, which includes some forms of anti-Israel rhetoric, because you cannot fight it if you cant define it, she said.

The respondents appeared more affiliated than the average European Jew, with 45 percent saying they eat kosher at home and 84 percent declaring they fast on Yom Kippur. A sample with more respondents for whom Judaism is a less central element of life may yield different results.

But even for a secular Jew like me, the report was no more shocking than the presence of the armed special forces officers at our childrens Jewish kindergarten, where they block off the entire road twice a day, during pickup and drop-off hours.

My reporting has made me so used to such sightsthe result of several terrorist attacks by Islamists on Jewish institutions, including the 2012 bloodbath at a Toulouse schoolthat I was genuinely surprised by how disturbing this is to my wife, who is Jewish but rarely attends Jewish community events.

Certainly the head of the European Jewish Association wasnt surprised by the EU report.

Anyone who is shocked, Rabbi Menachem Margolin said in a statement, is disconnected from the reality on the ground.

Like so many of the polls respondents, I also brushed off the anti-Semitic incident I had experienced without reporting it to police.

After all, I do not believe Dutch police would have identified the man who accosted me. But if they did, he could have accused me of assaulting him and back his claim with false witnesses from his rallywho would land me in trouble.

The refusal by Dutch police to even investigate a Jewish community leaders complaint for assault did little to assure me that they have my back.

The Dutch governments resistance to adopting an internationally accepted definition of anti-Semitism was also of little assurance. Nor was a Dutch courts failure in July to charge a Syrian man with a hate crime for smashing up a kosher restaurant while waving a Palestinian flag.

These problems are not exclusive to the Netherlands.

In France, where half a million Jews live and the volume of anti-Semitic incidents increased by 69 percent in 2018, such occurrences have become a daily occurrence, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said last month.

In the United Kingdom, the countrys former chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, said that many people in his community feel they are facing an existential threat in the supporters of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Sacks, one of contemporary Judaisms most eminent representatives, called the far-left politician an anti-Semite. Corbyn, who has called Hamas and Hezbollah his friends and who had suggested that British Zionists are incapable of irony, has rejected the allegation vociferously.

In Sweden, anti-Semitic harassment by far-right activists led for the first time since World War II to the shuttering of a Jewish community anywhere in the European Union out of security concerns. The dissolution of Umeas Jewish community was a sad precedent in a country where Jews are regularly assaulted by Muslim extremists, often with Israel as a pretext.

Still, the news out of Brussels isnt all bad when it comes to the fight against anti-Semitism.

Last week, the European Council made a declaration against anti-Semitism, calling on EU member states to shoulder Jewish communities security costs and urging coordinated action against anti-Semitism.

And whereas some European governments 20 years ago took pains to deny the resurgence of anti-Semitism after the Holocaust and the reasons driving it forward, mainstream politicians in Europe today seem to be more conscious of the problems nature and more interested in confronting it.

Significantly, Jourova mentioned in her address not only anti-Semitism, but also anti-Zionisma reference that many believe would have been unthinkable only several years ago coming from a high-ranking EU official. She also mentioned Islamist anti-Semitism.

Such rhetoric reflects a reluctant acceptance in Europe of the effect of the arrival to the continent of millions of immigrants from anti-Semitic societies in the Muslim world. Whereas many integrated seamlessly into European societies and adopted their values, others have rejected them and reintroduced into the mainstream anti-Semitic sentiments that have been suppressed in Europe as part of the lessons of the Holocaust.

Labeled new anti-Semitism, this mutation of Jew hatred has baffled European progressives, who struggled to come to terms with the systemic targeting of one minority group by members of another.

Watchdog groups say that the vast majority of violent attacks on Jews in Western Europe today come from people with Muslim background. But accepting or admitting this has proven difficult for some advocates of Europes immigration policies.

Yet last year, French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that France will not surrender to anti-Zionism because it is a reinvention of anti-Semitism. It was the first time that a French president made such an equation.

Following Frances lead, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and several other countries mounted formidable efforts to protect Jewish community institutions, in some cases leading to a reduction in incidents.

Yet even under Macron, French authorities, who in the early 2000s downplayed the scale of anti-Semitic crimes, showed signs of relapsing. Last year, Frances National Consultative Commission on Human Rights asserted that it had no evidence to support what it called the new anti-Semitism hypothesis.

In May, a study published by a German federal entity said that anti-Semitism in Europe is unaffected by recent Muslim immigration, prompting a prominent critic to call the report selective and flawed.

As the debate rages on, many Jews like me are increasingly contemplating their futures in Europedespite major steps designed to ensure our ability to live freely and safely here.

Because amid polls, reports, discussions and declarations about the need to balance freedoms, for too many European Jews freedom of belief and the freedom to live without fear remain distant aspirations, as Michael OFlaherty, the director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, put it Monday during his address in Brussels.
The phrase, tip of the iceberg references the fact that theres much more beneath the surface of the water where an iceberg exists that is greater a threat than what is visible above the water.

Today in the Middle East we need to coin a new phrase that references the exact opposite: that which is beneath the surface is just a small representation of a much more dangerous threat above the surface.

This week, Israel revealed the presence of terror tunnels coming across the border from Lebanon into Israeli territory. The army launched Operation Northern Shield, destroying the first tunnel that was not yet fully operational but heading into an Israeli civilian community. This presents a new threat from Hezbollah, the Iranian backed terrorist group that controls Lebanon: the first such terror tunnels that have been revealed, with the potential threat of many more.

According to the IDF, the tunnel found Tuesday originated in Lebanon and was approximately 200 meters long. It was some 25 meters below the surface and approximately two meters tall by two meters wide. This would easily make it large enough for heavily armed terrorists to pass through.

The IDF released a video of terrorists discovering an Israeli robot that penetrated the tunnel, intuitively forewarning its destruction.

Prime Minister Netanyahu stated, These cross-border terror tunnels were built by Hezbollah with direct support and funding from Iran. They were built with one purpose in mindto attack and murder innocent Israeli men, women and children. This is a grave violation of Israels sovereignty, and a gross violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. It is an unacceptable act of wanton aggression.

The terror tunnel that was exposed today was built under a home in a civilian neighborhood in southern Lebanon...this is just one more example of how Hezbollah is committing a double war crime. They target civilians while hiding behind civilians.

The employment of underground tunnels to strike at Israel is not new. Its well known, that Hamas in Gaza has used terror tunnels for many years. They have dug numerous tunnels, some penetrating into Israeli territory as much as half a mile. These tunnels are built, and have been used. to conduct terrorist actions such as kidnapping Israeli soldiers and attacks on Israeli communities adjacent to Gaza.

Hamas terrorist tunnels also permeate under the Egyptian border and throughout Gaza itself, as if it were a subway system that transports people commuting to work. However, the Gaza terror tunnels are used to smuggle weapons and terrorists, outside the view of Israeli intelligence. They are also known to be used for human trafficking.

Gazas terrain is much easier to build tunnels because its sandy and relatively soft. The Hezbollah tunnels, under Israels northern border, pose a new threat. They are dug under a much harder surface making the engineering required more sophisticated. The other challenge, for which I am sure Israel has been preparing for many years, is that Hezbollah has a relatively free flow of sophisticated weapons from Iran and is known to be especially well armed. Its terrorists are battle tested having fought alongside and on behalf of the Assad regime in Syria in a war thats almost a decade old.

The above ground threat from Hezbollah in Lebanon is much more significant than the underground threat, the opposite of the tip of the iceberg. Hezbollah known to have some 150,000 long and short range rockets and missiles ready to fire at Israeli communities as soon as they (or Iran) deem it valuable or worthwhile to initiate a military campaign.

Recently Prime Minister Netanyahu met with American Secretary of State Pompeo to discuss the threat from Iran and Hezbollah. This is far from the first time Israel has made public its awareness of the Hezbollah/Iranian threats. Israel has revealed maps documenting that it knows where many military targets, including where many of their rockets, are located. Its understood that at beginning of the next significant battle with Hezbollah, these will be among the first targets, to destroy as many of the highly accurate rockets that have been hidden in civilian areas

By revealing the location of many of these weapons among the Lebanese civilian population, as Netanyahu underscored with the origin of the tunnel that was destroyed, Israel is also warning the people living there or not to allow their backyards, schools, mosques, and churches to be used as a staging ground for a military strike against Israel. Israel will not tolerate such a strike and will retaliate accordingly, punishingly, if not preemptively.

Other than publicizing this as a military strategy, and as a humanitarian gesture to avoid unnecessary death of people living in immediate range of where these weapons are being hidden, this is also a warning to the international community to restrain both Iran and Hezbollah from ever using the weapons that they have amassed.

Despite the U.S., Britain, Germany and even Russia acknowledging Israels rights to defend itself, unfortunately, one cannot rely on the international community not to condemn Israel when it is forced to undertake a military strike. In the case of an Israeli strike on these targets, international condemnations of Israel and calling to show restraint are inevitable.

We also cannot rely on the international community to prevent arms from flowing to the terrorists in Lebanon to begin with.

At the end of the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Israel negotiated a cease-fire under United Nations auspices. Security Council Resolution 1701 required the UN to supervise and prevent Hezbollah from re-arming after firing tens of thousands of rockets at Israel that summer. Yet the international community has failed miserably in its responsibility. It is well known that Hezbollah now has many more weapons than it did in 2006, ones that are much more accurate and which pose a greater overall threat.

What will come of this in the short term is anyones guess. Its certain that Israel has its intelligence abilities at the ready. But it is no game. Hezbollah might use this as cover to attack Israeli military engaged in destroying the tunnels, or some other pretext to do so. Time will tell. One thing that is a near certainty is that peace is not likely to break out any time soon.

U.S.-born Jonathan Feldstein immigrated to Israel in 2004. He is married and the father of six. Throughout his life and career, he has fellowshipped with Christian supporters of Israel and shares experiences of living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel. He writes a regular column for Standing With Israel at charismanews.com and other prominent web sites. He can be reached at firstpersonisrael@gmail.com.
(JTA)A Toledo, Ohio-area man was arrested for planning an attack on a local synagogue.

Damon Joseph, of Holland, Ohio, was charged in federal court in Toledo on Monday with attempting to provide material support to ISIS. He told an undercover FBI agent that he was inspired by the shooting attack on a synagogue building in Pittsburgh that left 11 worshippers dead.

I admire what the guy did with the shooting actually, Joseph said of the Pittsburgh shooting to an undercover agent, according to the Department of Justice. I can see myself carrying out this type of operation.

Joseph, 21, told the agent that he wanted to kill a rabbi, the Toledo Blade reported, citing an FBI affidavit. He also said, according to the FBI, that Jewish people were evil and deserved what was coming to them.

He sent a plan for his attack on one of two Toledo synagogues to the agent earlier this month with a request for weapons and ammunition. He took possession of the weapons, two AR-15 rifles, on Friday from the agent and was then arrested, according to the newspaper.

The FBI said that law enforcement became aware of Joseph earlier this year though his activities on social media. He pledged his allegiance to ISIS and made videos to encourage others to join ISIS, the jihadist militant group. He expressed hatred for Americanssingling out gays, Christians, Catholics and Jews, according to the FBI.

If convicted, Joseph faces up to 20 years in prison.

The Secure Community Network, a national Jewish community initiative, praised the FBI for their ongoing and thorough work on behalf of the safety and security of the Jewish community, noting that Joseph had been under surveillance for nearly a year before his arrest.

Michael Masters, SCN National Director and CEO, said in a statement that there is no known ongoing threat against the Jewish community related to Josephs actions. He called Josephs plans highly calculated and inspired by hatred.

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said Monday in a statement: We cannot tolerate hate directed toward people of Jewish faith, or of any other religion, and last months mass-killing at a Pittsburgh synagogue is a reminder of just how real this threat is. As Chanukah concludes this evening, all Toledoans should reflect on the holidays themes of liberation, identity, and most importantly, freedom from religious persecution.
The Zionist Organization of America has condemned the failure of the United Nations to condemn the terrorist actions of Hamas, the Palestinian Arab terrorist organization that has not only murdered over 1,000 Israeli civilians in scores of suicide bombings and hundreds of other attacks, but also calls in its Covenant for the destruction of Israel and the global murder of Jews.

A recent U.S.-sponsored resolution in the U.N. General Assembly mustered a clear majority in support of condemning the genocidally-inclined Hamas for repeatedly firing rockets into Israel and for inciting violence, thereby putting civilians at risk and for its use of resources in Gaza to construct military infrastructure including tunnels to infiltrate Israel and equipment to launch rockets into civilian areas.

The majority vote was 87 in favor, 58 opposed and 32 abstentions, but a last-minute procedural change at the behest of Kuwait, added an additional requirement of a two-thirds majority, which the resolution failed to obtain. Hamas and the other Palestinian Arab terrorist groups have interpreted the failure of the U.S.-sponsored resolution as amounting to an internationally sanctioned license to continue killing Jews, with senior Hamas official Khalil al-Haya, describing the failure of the vote as a big boost for the Palestinian resistance.

In the words of Palestinian Arab scholar Bassam Tawil, Besides the joy the terrorist groups have been expressing in recent days, they are now thanking and praising the countries that opposed the US resolution in particular, and the U.N. in general, for giving Palestinians a green light to continue the fight against Israel. In other words, Hamas is saying thank you to those countries that do not consider suicide bombings and rocket attacks as acts of terrorism ... By failing to endorse the US-sponsored resolution, the U.N. has sent the following message to Palestinian terrorists: You have nothing to worry about because the U.N. will not label you terrorists if you attack or kill Jews. This message has been fully absorbed by the terrorists in the Gaza Strip, who are now celebrating their victory at the U.N... Hours after the U.N. failed to endorse the resolution, the Hamas leadership announced that the armed struggle against Israel will continue. The announcement came as Palestinians were also marking the 31st anniversary of the eruption of the First Intifada, also known as the Rock Intifada. The resistance is a legitimate right guaranteed by all international laws and conventions, Hamas said. This includes the armed struggle, which constitutes a strategic choice for safeguarding the Palestinian cause and restoring Palestinian rights.

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, The failure of the worlds nations to vote in the UNGA in sufficient numbers to condemn Hamas for its monstrous terrorist activities is a dismal and disgraceful failure.

Even allowing for the remarkable and important fact that a clear majority of the world was prepared to back this, the first UNGA resolution seeking to condemn a terrorist group attacking Israel, the fact that a clear two-thirds majority could not be mustered is a sign of the entrenched anti-Israel environment at the world body.

Indeed, immediately after this resolution had been voted on, the UNGA voted on yet another anti-Israel resolution which condemned Jewish communities in Judea/Samaria by a 1565 vote, with only Israel, the United States, Australia, Liberia and the Marshall Islands voting against it.

This should not prevent us from congratulating the Trump Administration, President Donald Trump and out-going UN Ambassador Nikki Haley for sponsoring the resolution and working for its passage. Even in failing, the US-sponsored resolution achieved a remarkable, clear majority in a body previously distinguished solely for passing biased anti-Israel resolutions with lop-sided majorities.

This shows that a new US policy, resolutely adopted and pursued by Ambassador Haley towards the anti-Israel campaigning culture in the U.N., rather than being accepted as a fact of life, can produce results, even if much work remains to be done.

The Trump Administration deserve our thanks and recognition, even as the nations of the world deserve criticism for failing to support this resolution in sufficient numbers, including a number of U.S. allies. The Trump Administration has said that it will pay close attention to how its allies vote and we trust it is doing so right now.
(CAMERA via JNS)Airbnb, the worldwide online lodging service, has been in the headlines recently for succumbing to pressure by anti-Israel NGOs, most prominently Human Rights Watch, to delist (that is, boycott) Jewish-owned properties in disputed Judea and Samaria.

Some of the media coverage has been a pretext to repeat distortions about the territory and Israel, and far too few stories have shone a light on the deep bias of Human Rights Watch and its staffers.

The company claims it is evaluating situations on a case-by-case basis, but so far, it has singled out only Jewish-owned properties in Judea and Samaria. The companys claim that such settlements are at the core of the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians reflects a lack of understanding of the history of the region and of the history of the conflict itself. This is a clearly discriminatory act, and reflects the pressure tactics of the BDS movement.

CAMERAs affiliate, UK Media Watch, described in detail how The Guardian misleadingly portrayed the campaign against Airbnb as Palestinian-led, ignoring HRWs long record of engaging in an often obsessive campaign to demonize and delegitimize the Jewish state.

In addition, BBC Watchs Hadar Sela, writing in The Algemeiner, discussed how the BBC elected once again to ignore its editorial obligation of due impartiality by erasing from view the existence of legal opinions that contradict the BBCs selected narrative about the settlements and international law.

Some commentators have, however, noted that Airbnb continues to list properties in other disputed territories and conflict areas around the globe, and that Palestinian-owned properties in Judea and Samaria will still be listed. For example, Eugene Kontorovich explained in The Wall Street Journal, Airbnb lists homes in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara, one of the worlds most brutal occupations. It lists vacation homes in northern Cyprus, which Turkey invaded, expelling almost all Greek Cypriots and expropriating their homes. Nor does Airbnb have a problem serving Kashmir, Tibet and other such places. Last week a Kohelet Policy Forum report revealed many major companies active in Judea and Samaria also do business in occupied territories and with settler regimes around the world, without a word of criticism from the groups that pressured Airbnb.

In addition, NGO Monitors report on the organizations that pressured Airbnb explained, [Airbnbs] change in policy was a clear result of a coordinated and well-financed campaign targeting the company by NGOs involved in BDS campaigns against Israel, led by Human Rights Watch and Jewish Voice for Peace, in concert with the UN Human Rights Council, at least three Israeli groups, and the Palestinian Authority...

Airbnb acknowledged that offering listings in Judean and Samarian settlements was not illegal, meaning that its decision was the result of political pressure.

As NGO Monitor also points out, Human Rights Watch had been putting pressure on Airbnb for two years, and the timing of Airbnbs announcement indicates that it was attempting to deflect negative publicity from a forthcoming HRW report.

Of all the conflicts and territorial disputes in the world, Airbnbs actions singled out the one dispute that involves the Jewish state. In 2013, the American Studies Association infamously justified its decision to boycott Israel alone among the nations with a claim by its president that one has to start somewhere. (The ASA started and ended with Israel.) Similarly, Airbnbs after-the-fact claim that it would next examine Western Sahara reads like a feeble attempt at damage control.

Also after the fact, Airbnb amended its original statement to include the information that, Airbnb has previously removed listings in Crimea. This decision, however was a result of international sanctions on Crimea; U.S. law prohibits the sale or supply of goods and services to Crimea.

The claimed rationale for Airbnbs decision to boycott Israeli communities built on land that Israel captured from Jordan in a defensive war in 1967 is that those communities are the core of the dispute. This is a proposition that warrants further scrutiny.

The 1948 ceasefire lines, often erroneously referred to as 1967 borders, were agreed to as a temporary armistice between Israel and Jordan in 1949. There has never in history been a Palestinian state along these lines (or, in fact, anywhere). Prior to 1948, Jews lived in Gush Etzion, and prior to 1929, Jews lived in Hebron. In 1948, those living in Gush Etzion either fled from or were killed by the Jordanian army, and a 1929 Arab massacre of Jews in Hebron led the governing British authority to eventually expel the remaining Jewish population from Hebron.

Currently and for several years, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas has refused to even negotiate with Israel. He stubbornly insists that the temporary ceasefire lines agreed to between Israel and Jordan are the only boundaries he will accept. Indeed, he rejected Israels 2008 statehood offer that would have given him the vast majority of this land, as well as President Barack Obamas 2014 parameters. His predecessor Yasser Arafat rejected offers of statehood in 2000 and 2001.

Most importantly, even if Israel were to somehow agree to a return to the 1948 ceasefire lines, it still doesnt follow that the Israelis living in the areas beyond the Green Line are a central barrier to resolving the dispute.

Why cant they simply become citizens of the future Palestinian state? Those who dont want to would simply have to take it upon themselves to relocate back into Israel. If those that chose to remain could stay as Palestinian citizens, then settlements would pose no obstacle whatsoever to resolution of the conflict. After all, there are well over a million Arab citizens living in Israel. Are they at the core of the dispute?

Abbas, on the other hand, has demanded that a future Palestinian state be completely free of Israelis. And its not clear that safety could be guaranteed for those who would choose to stay. The Palestinian Authority bans the sale of land to Jews, and last week, a P.A. court sentenced two Palestinians to 15 years of hard labor for the crime of selling land to Jews.

Its this intolerance and intransigence on the part of the governing P.A. that is the real core of the dispute. Both Airbnbs decision, and much of the coverage of it, ignore this.

Karen Bekker is the assistant director of the Media Response Team at CAMERA, the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, a media-monitoring, research and membership organization devoted to promoting accurate and balanced coverage of Israel and the Middle East.
(JNS)International Human Rights Day was marked on Dec. 10, with special attention made to honoring the 70-year anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Over the last 70 years, technological innovations have radically changed how human-rights groups engage with the public at large. With the advent of social media, they can amplify their voice at minimal cost. A well-crafted tweet or an eye-catching infographic can enable an organization to reach millions of people in seconds. And while advancing human rights on social media is laudable, it also makes clear that the universal aspect is being replaced with more particularistic goals.

Following and analyzing the Twitter accounts of the two largest human-rights non-governmental organizations Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, lead to some uncomfortable conclusions regarding the groups supposed promotion of universal human rights. Sadly, these human-rights groups appear to be utilizing social media to promote just a small portion of the worlds human rights abuses, and not even actual war crimes.

For instance, on Nov. 12-13, Hamas and other terror groups targeted Israeli civilians with more than 450 rockets, amounting to nearly 500 war crimes. Yet HRW, the worlds leading human-rights group and its director, Ken Roth, did not take notice.

Not one tweet acknowledging these war crimes and the human-rights atrocities committed against Israelis. Not one post calling for the United Nations to condemn Hamas and the terror groups responsible. Not one article encouraging the world to express support for the children who spent nights in bomb shelters and will surely suffer ongoing psychological harm. One might conclude that the Arab-Israeli conflict is not a priority for the human-rights group.

However, when it came to Palestinian riots on the Gaza border, known as the March of Return, conducted with the sole purpose of breaking through the border and entering Israel, HRW and Roth made this a social-media priority. At the height of the riots, on May 13-16, approximately 40 percent of Ken Roths tweets focused on condemning Israel for its response to the violent riots.

During the same months as the Gaza riots, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards arrested scores of women who took to the streets of Tehran demanding freedom and democracy. However, HRW devoted four times more social media attention to supporting Hamas riots than to defending and praising the brave Iranian women.

HRW is far from the only human-rights group with questionable Twitter priorities.

In March, Ahed Tamimi was arrested for assaulting an Israeli soldier and calling for suicide-bombings, crimes with five- to 10-year sentences in many Western countries. In response, Amnesty International started a widespread social-media campaign demanding she be released despite her role in these internationally recognized crimes. While Amnesty was campaigning on behalf of this one young girl involved in violent crimes, 110 Nigerian girls were kidnapped to be sold as sex slaves. Neither Amnesty International nor HRW wrote even one tweet, article or Facebook post about the kidnapped girls. Yet Ahed Tamimis arrest warranted 11 posts on social media from the two organizations.

Similarly, in April, during the week that Tamimi was sentenced to eight months in prison for her crimes, the Assad regime launched chemical-weapons attacks on its citizens in Syria. Shockingly, yet consistently, Amnesty International had four times as many tweets on Ahed Tamimi as they did on the brutal Syria chemical-weapons attacks.

The phenomenon of ignoring violations against some while promoting the causes of others is a consistent approach by the worlds most renowned human-rights groups that cannot be ignored. Yet the question must be asked: Why does an organization that claims to promote universal human rights give more attention to an individual sentenced to less than a year in prison through a democratic process while completely ignoring the disappearance of over a hundred girls? Why too was this same individual given more social media attention than Syrians attacked with chemicals by their own government? And why do 400 war crimes committed by Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups in Gaza not warrant even a single tweet?

While one can infer a multitude of possible answers, one thing is clear: On social media, HRW and Amnesty International are not promoting universal human rights.

Rena Young is Digital Media and Communications Manager at NGO Monitor, a Jerusalem-based research institute.
(JNS)Back in January, the unlikely figure of Paddington Bearthe cuddly, bright-eyed cub much adored by young children through the yearsran afoul of the Russian government. As part of its policy of limiting the influence of foreign culture on Russias citizens, Vladimir Putins regime delayed the release of the movie Paddington Bear 2 by two weeks to prevent it from competing with locally produced films that hit the screens at the same time.

That decision was enabled by legislation from 2015 that also permits Russias rulers to, in the words of culture minister Vladimir Medinsky, set financial, political or ideological priorities for Russias own film industry. Nine out of every 10 films produced in Russia are funded by the regime, under regulations that forbid movies defiling the national culture, posing a threat to national unity and undermining the foundations of the constitutional order.

Russias use of film as an instrument of propaganda is nothing new; the same policy prevailed in its Soviet predecessor. That doesnt mean that the films lack artistic meritSergei Eisensteins Battleship Potemkin, about a 1905 mutiny of Russian sailors, is regarded by some critics as the greatest film of all timebut it does mean that Western audiences should understand that their fundamental purpose goes far beyond entertaining or informing. According to culture minister Medinsky, a Russian nationalist and admirer of the late Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, the goal of films, art and other media in Russia is to consolidate the state and society on the basis of values instilled by our history.

Those of you planning to see the Russian movie about the uprising of inmates in the Nazi death camp of Sobibor in October 1943, which is being released in the United States this week, may wish to bear that quote in mind as you take your seats. The film, titled Sobibor, was, according to the publicity accompanying it, largely funded by the Russian government. Why? Apparently, continued the press release, Russia [read: Putin] hopes to raise awareness of the uprising, which a Jewish Red Army officer led, but which has never received wide public recognition.

Putins regime sadly resembles the tyrannical Soviet Union in many ways, but differs in one important respect. Unlike his predecessors from the days when Russia was the USSRStalin, Brezhnev and Andropov, especiallyPutin himself has shown little evidence of personal anti-Semitism and seems well-disposed to his countrys Jewish community.

But he is also a former KGB officer and a current dictatorone who is wedded to the ideology and theology of Russias elevated place in the world, in common with Tsarist ministers, Russian Orthodox clergy, Communist Party apparatchiks and, not least, his own culture minister. So giving a Russian dictator control over how a historical episode, like the awe-inspiring Sobibor uprising, is reconstructed for a modern audience is a bit like appointing an arsonist as a fire-safety warden: really the last person you want in charge in a situation like that.

Located in eastern Poland, Sobibor was one of three camps dedicated solely to the extermination of its prisonersthe other two being Belzec and Treblinkathat were constructed in 1942 as part of Operation Reinhard. The operation was named for the leading Nazi official, Reinhard Heydrich, who was assassinated by the Czech underground in June of that year. Gas chambers were used to murder Sobibors inmates, and the corpses were then burned by grate fires in open pits.

In September 1943, a fresh batch of Soviet Jewish prisoners of war found themselves in Sobibor, among them Alexander Pechersky, who had served in the Red Army as a lieutenant. With extraordinary bravery, Pechersky and his comrades coordinated a camp uprising the following month, killing several SS officers and Ukrainian collaborators in the process. Three hundred of the inmates, including Pechersky, then escaped into the nearby forests. Pechersky and about 50 of the other Sobibor escapees went on to survive the war and tell their tale of courage.

There is no question that the Sobibor uprising was a critical example of Jewish resistance to the Nazis, and one that flies in the face of the demeaning lambs to the slaughter myth about Jewish behavior under Nazi occupation. It is, therefore, a tremendous subject for a moviedepending, of course, on who is behind it.

Again: Russia does not make movies for the sake of art, but for the sake of politics. American Jews should be wary of this latest attempt at seduction by Putins regime. After all, weve kind of been here before: During World War II, Stalin correctly calculated that American Jews could be an important source of support for the Soviet war effort, and so he sent members of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee to the United States on a successful awareness-raising tour. But after the war ended, that committee was brutally liquidated by the Soviet authorities, along with most of its members.

With that began a half-century of Soviet distortion of the Holocaust, as the Communist authorities viciously persecuted their Jewish citizens in the name of anti-Zionism. The extermination of the Jews was swallowed into a general tale of Russian heroism against the Nazis, which, of course, left out the inconvenient detail that Stalin and Hitler negotiated a non-aggression pact in 1939.

Anyone who described the Holocaust as a Jewish event was denounced as a Zionist. Similarly, Zionists were depicted as the real authors of the Holocaust because they had willfully collaborated with the Nazis. This appalling manipulation of the historical record was defied rather beautifully by the Soviet writer Yevgeny Yevtushenko, in his poem about the 1941 Nazi massacre of Jews at Babi Yar in Ukraine, an episode that was officially commemorated as the extermination of Soviet citizens.

Putins regime, even as it reinvents World War II as an epic solo fight against an enemy bent on exterminating the Jews, has never acknowledged (let alone apologized for) the abuse of the Holocaust in Soviet propaganda. Moreover, far-right and far-left forces across Europe today, all of whom deny or exploit or abuse the Holocaust in their messages, look to Putin as a source of financial, logistical and political support. So however uplifting and exciting the Sobibor movie is, any claim that its purpose is to commemorate Jewish heroism should be balanced against Russias shameful record of Holocaust abuse, as well as its present geopolitical ambitions.

Ben Cohen writes a weekly column for JNS on Jewish affairs and Middle Eastern politics. His writings have been published in Commentary, the New York Post, Haaretz, The Wall Street Journal and many other publications.
Twas the month before Christmas

And without so much as a flinch

AirBNB joined the Israel boycott

And became the new corporate Grinch.

In recent weeks, it seems as if there have been an unprecedented number of anti-Semitic decisions and declarations that have been dismaying and worrying. Some are cloaked in the veil of being only anti-Israel. Make no mistake, these are bald-faced, anti-Semitic acts and need to be called out. While there are no shortage of anti-Semitic grinches this season, and in general, there may be a light at the end of this long dark tunnel.

The Scourge of Boycotts Past is a three tier Arab-led boycott initiated before Israel was formally restored to Jewish sovereignty. The primary boycott prohibits direct trade between Israel and Arab countries. The secondary boycott is against foreign companies that do business with Israel. A third boycott involves the blacklisting of companies that trade with other companies that do business with Israel.

As a result, for most of Israels 70 years, many multi-national companies chose to join the boycott rather than risk losing business with the much bigger Arab world. Their decision was governed by dollars over sense, and certainly over integrity.

For instance, other than Subaru, it was hard to find a Japanese car in Israel. For years, McDonalds chose to pay a fine for violating U.S. laws rather than fry its burgers in Israel. And even the cola war took sides in the Arab-Israel war with Pepsis slogan touting itself as a the choice of a new generation in fact just perpetuating the anti-Semitism of generations.

Fortunately, much of the Arab boycott has waned. Today there is direct and indirect Israeli trade, some public and some under the radar. But lest there be a vacuum, since 2005 a new anti-Semitic Israel boycott has grown, The Scourge of Boycotts Present. Loosely, under the umbrella of BDS, this has blown a new wind in the sail of Israel haters. In parallel, a new wave of anti-boycott legislation has grown around the world, making companies that participate in such boycotts either in violation of the law and or subject to loss of government business for their discriminatory policies.

Ironically, one of the companies that does business in Israel has been subject to the most flak recently. Israel was the third country in which Ben and Jerrys operated, in a generation when their social activism branded flavors didnt have the taste of anti-Semitism. Recently however, Ben and Jerrys chose to use rabid anti-Semite Linda Sarsour as a poster child for their launch of a new flavor, the proceeds of which would benefit the U.S. Womens March.

This is played out in social media where friends, both Jews and Christians, who dont necessarily have any reason to interact otherwise, are posting, tweeting, and sharing messages, cartoons, memes and more, calling for a boycott of their calorie rich and integrity light desserts. My personal favorite highlighting this is this list of alternative Ben and Jerrys flavors: Berry Blood Libel, Nutty No Vanilla Farrakhan, Palestinian Sour Grapes, Whats all the Fuhrer Strudel, Blood-Orange Italian ISIS, Low Ara-Fat Quds Crunch, Roger Waters Brick Wall Brittle.

More recently, theres AirBNB. My social media and others are filled with calls to protest, cancel accounts, and a wide array of possible legal actions that might befall AirBNB for their actions uniquely discriminating against Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria. For cities, states and countries that have enacted anti-BDS legislation, indeed theres a potential legal and loss of business backlash which AirBNB probably didnt project.

Ambassador Michael Oren explained succinctly, Airbnb blacklists Jewish apartments in Judea and Samarianot Palestinian apartments, not apartments in Turkish occupied Cyprus, in Moroccan occupied Sahara, not in Tibet or the Crimea. Airbnbs policy is the very definition of anti-Semitism. No one should use its services.

Im easy. I canceled AirBNB after calling to register my protest. I can live quite happily without Ben and Jerrys. I also havent had a Pepsi in close to 40 or more years. Jews are heartened not only by the growth of Christian support for Israel in parallel to the evolution of the movements to boycott Israel. We see an opportunity to have a wider backlash against companies that do boycott Israel through the increased collective economic and political power of combined forces.

While the BDS scourge (Scrooge) has become more and more virulent, leaving no potential company out of its crosshairs, one of its most aggressive and successful targets and victims is SodaStream. As a result of BDS protests against SodaStream, they ended up moving their factory from an industrial area in part of Israel thats over the Green Line demarcating the 1949 armistice line, to a new location in southern Israel.

Because of the BDS boycott, the biggest losers were the hundreds of Palestinian Arab employees who lost their jobs when SodaStream moved its factory. The economic impact this caused is still wreaking havoc among Palestinian Arab families whose relatives used to work there.

This just underscores the anti-Semitism of the BDS scorched-earth tactics. They claim to support Palestinian Arabs, but have no hesitation to target major Israeli companies that employ them and from which they benefit far more than an average company in the Palestinian Authority. Israeli companies provide salaries far higher than they would get in the Palestinian Authority, along with medical and other social benefits that are simply foreign in their own society.

BDS anti-Israel venom is further highlighted in cases like this because companies like SodaStream, and many others, are perfect examples of coexistence between Jews and Arabs, even fostering close friendships. But in the case of supporting Palestinian Arabs, the anti-Semitic hatred against Israel trumps all, even when the Arabs are the losers.

Yet, through this, theres hope for the Scourge of Israel Boycotts Future. With the recent purchase of SodaStream by Pepsi, perhaps the pendulum of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic boycott of Israeli companies is swinging the other way. Pepsi, once a leader of the Israel boycott has now purchased a major Israeli company that is targeted by todays boycotters. Thats irony.

I doubt that anyone at Pepsi actively contemplated this being more than a good business move as they invested $3.2 billion in SodaStream. However, their practical decision is certainly a 180-degree turn from their position as leaders of the Israel boycott just a few decades ago. Now, they are not just doing business in Israel, but investing there significantly. So, in some capacity, even if its only a good business decision, the irony of Pepsi making this move is certainly a case of corporate repentance.

Maybe, however, someone at Pepsi has been reading their Bible. Maybe they realized that when God says, I will curse those who curse you (Genesis 12:3), they understand that multi-national corporations are not exempt.

Either way, whether in prayer for Israel, or united against anti-Semitic boycotts and protesting of Israel, Jews and Christians standing together wield a lot more influence both economically, and with God. Maybe, just maybe, the tide is turning against the haters.

U.S.-born and educated Jonathan Feldstein immigrated to Israel in 2004. Throughout his life and career, he has fellowshipped with Christian supporters of Israel and shares experiences of living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel. He writes a regular column for Standing With Israel at charismanews.com and other prominent web sites. He can be reached at firstpersonisrael@gmail.com.
The alacrity with which Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Kamal Nath, has announced the new governments two decisions  farm loans waivers and limiting government incentives to industries that employ 70% locals  has stunned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which lost its seemingly impregnable strongholds in the Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan in recent assembly elections.

Jayant Malya, former finance minister in the states outgoing BJP government, has dubbed them as decisions taken in haste and without proper homework.

Kamal Nath, a canny political strategist, knows that he has no time to lose as the 2019 Lok Sabha elections are not far away. The newly installed Congress government has to fulfil the two main poll promises the party made to electorates in the three states to retain their support.

Nath also realises that the challenge from the BJP is more formidable in Madhya Pradesh. Despite losing the numbers game, the BJPs vote share was 0.1 percentage point more than that of the Congress and the party has a strong base across the state.

In as many as 10 seats, the margin of victory was less than 1,000 votes. The Congress won seven of these. Two of the other three seats were decided by margins of less than 350 and 121 votes. The Congress came third in 14 seats in Madhya Pradesh and fared even worse in five seats.

In the current Lok Sabha, only two of the 29 seats are with the Congress  Chindwara. represented by Nath, and Guna, represented by Jyotiraditya Scindia. If the results of the recent assembly elections are extrapolated on the Lok Sabha post-2019 elections, the Congress can snatch at least 10 BJP seats.

Naths first test in the coming Lok Sabha elections will be not only to retain this edge but improve upon it, if possible.

This will not be easy. Apart from providing good governance, he will also have to tone up the party organisation in Malwa, Gwalior, Mahakoshal and Vindhya regions of the state. His seniority and acceptability across different factions are an advantage.

An even trickier question for the Congress in the run up to Lok Sabha elections will be to revisit the issue of its alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), a move that would have significantly improved its performance in recent elections.

Though the BSP could win only two seats in the 2018 Madhya Pradesh assembly elections compared to seven in 2008, at the aggregate level, it has improved its performance by winning 10 seats across the three states, which is two more than what it had won in 2013.

The issue of alliances with regional parties like the BSP and the Samajwadi Party (SP) is all the more relevant for the Congress in the post-2019 election strategy of forging a grand alliance against the BJP.

The announcement of loan waivers for farmers and more jobs to the locals in the states industries by the Nath government may be a good start. However, it will have to ensure that these promises and implemented immediately and effectively.

By setting up a 22-member committee for implementing farm loan waiver, the Madhya Pradesh chief minister has shown that he is earnest. But he will have to go beyond these populist measures, if the Congress has to consolidate its gains in the state.

His first task now is to pack his council of ministers with those who have required administrative skills and political sagacity besides representing different regions and social groups in the state. He must then set up a road map for his government, translating Congress poll promises into a time bound, actionable plan.

Farm distress was one of the key reasons for the BJPs loss in Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan. The state government must ensure that the promised loan waiver percolates to the marginal farmers. It must also ensure the kharif crop is purchased from farmers at the promised minimum support price.

As for jobs, cajoling the state industries to employ 70% of the natives of Madhya Pradesh is not enough. The government has to ensure that the states young people are better equipped with skills that make them employable.

Madhya Pradesh is the Hindutva partys oldest traditional stronghold and the opposition led by former chief minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, cannot be written off.

Moreover, the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh will know that it would soon run out of time. In fewer than four months, the Code of Conduct for the general elections will be enforced. Nath will really have to race against time.

Yogesh Vajpeyi is senior journalist and media consultant

The views expressed are personal
Around 5,000 elected representatives of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from across the country will congregate in Odisha in February for a two-day conclave where the partys agenda for the countrys tribespeople population will be finalised in time for 2019 general polls.

The conclave acquires importance in the face of the BJPs performance in the tribespeople-dominated areas in the recently concluded state assembly polls in five states.

In seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes, which have a higher share of the tribal population, the party lost both vote share and seat share in the three Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Its performance in two of these states this time was worse than its performance there in two previous Assembly elections.

BJP won just three of the 29 seats reserved for tribespeople in Chhattisgarh, a state with about one-third of the countrys tribespeople population. In Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the party won just half of the seats reserved for STs as compared to the previous election.

Sure, the partys decline in the three states was secular across voter groups and across both urban and rural areas but the loss of the tribespeople vote is of special concern to the party and its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), because the two have assiduously wooed tribes, which constitutes about 9% of the countrys population as per the 2011 Census.

The BJPs performance in the Hindi heartland states, where it lost power, has compelled the party to rework its strategy to win the tribespeople vote.

These votes are critical to winning in states such as Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Odisha and Jharkhand. There has been a dip in the vote share in Chhattisgarh, which the party will need to correct before we head into the 2019 elections, said a senior party functionary who asked not to be named.

The fear is that tribespople, who were considered as the vote-bank of the Congress till the late 90s, and then gradually moved to the BJP, are now moving away from it. Another senior party leader who is also involved in framing strategy for the tribal areas said the party erred in not giving adequate representation to tribespeople.

The Congress came up with an attractive manifesto, including the promise to waive off farm loans; but on the ground poor implementation of the centres policy for giving land rights to forest dwellers, ensuing minimum support price for forest produce are not being implemented; these had an impact. Also, there were also job expectations for the educated youth, which remained unmet, the second leader said, asking not to be identified.

As per the Census 2011 over two-thirds of the countrys tribespeople population is heavily dependent on agriculture either as cultivators or as agricultural labourers, and in the absence of land rights, their dissatisfaction was accentuated.

Sanjay Kumar of the Centre for Studies of Developing Societies said the recent losses are not an indication of anger but disenchantment. The BJPs loss in the tribal belt in Chhattisgarh has been more as compared to Rajasthan or MP. The party has not been able to retain the momentum that it built in the tribal constituencies in 2014 and the reason for the voters to move away from the BJP is not because of any one policy; it is because of the general disenchantment that groups such as the youth and the farmers are showing towards the party that had made tall promises but has not been able to deliver much, he said.

JC Patel, who teaches sociology at the Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, also said the shift in the tribal vote is not very significant. Tribespeople are not moving away from the BJP in significant numbers; its a gradual shift in some areas, he said.

A third party functionary who has worked extensively in tribal areas, however, said the party has to evolve state-specific plans, taking into account the peculiarity of the tribes and the nomadic communities to ensure that these communities do not drift away.

Central policies have a limited impact on the lives of the tribes. For instance in Tripura which was a Left-bastion in the North-East till BJP won the election and bagged as many as 9 of 19 tribal seats, tribespeople have found representation in the government, the third leader said.

For the first time, there are tribespeople who have been given key ministries such as finance, power and rural development and there is a district council budget allotted too. In Chhattisgarh and MP lack of representation in critical positions had become a sore point with them, the leader said on condition of anonymity.

The party has also received a crucial tip from the Sangh, which has a dedicated wing that works with tribal communities spread across states.

A senior Sangh functionary who asked not to be named, said in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh the leadership at the state level was not able to grasp the mood on the ground. Citing an example he said,  When the SC (Scheduled Caste) and ST (Scheduled Tribe) communities were up in arms after the amendment to the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, the government did pass an ordinance in Parliament, but its boots on the ground could not reach out to the communities and explain why the party was not anti-reservation.

The RSS has also flagged the absence of the ST leaders in positions of power within the party hierarchy. In some villages in Chhattisgarh steps taken to weed out left wing extremism was based only on police action. Villagers became collateral damage and the government erred by not having a political solution to the problem, said another functionary who is associated with a Sangh-backed think-tank.

As a voter group, tribespeople are important for the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The party won 27 of the 41 tribal reserved seats it contested in 2014.Its vote share in these was 36.4%, which was 5.3 percentage points more than that in the unreserved seats and 8.8 percentage points more than that in the seats reserved for the SCs. However, it was more challenging for the party to win these seats as its mean victory margin there was less than that in other regions.
It was a busy day for actor Shah Rukh Khan whose film Zero released on December 21. The actor hosted a special screening of the film a day before its release. He was earlier seen at son AbRams annual day function at Dhirubhai Ambani school during the day and looked tired at the screening. Also spotted at the movie theatre was Shah Rukhs elder son Aryan and wife Gauri Khan who came to watch the film.

Shah Rukh Khan spotted at the screening of Zero. (Viral Bhayani)

SRK at the Zero screening. (Viral Bhayani)

Shah Rukhs son Aryan at the Zero screening. (Viral Bhayani)

Aryan Khan at the Zero screening. (Viral Bhayani)

Gauri Khan at the Zero screening. (Viral Bhayani)

During the day, Shah Rukh was spotted with AbRam to attend his annual day function. Both the father-son duo were spotted in sweatshirts and denims as they arrived together for the event.

Zero stars Shah Rukh as a vertically challenged man called Bauaa Singh who hails from Meerut and is looking for a bride. Actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub is also seen in the film as his close friend Guddu. Anushka Sharma plays Aafia, a wheelchair bound NASA scientist who has cerebral palsy while Katrina Kaif plays an alcoholic superstar called Babita Kumari in the film.

Abhay Deol also has a special role in the film and features in the song Heer Badnaam as her love interest. Katrina has two dance numbers in the film  Heer Badnaam and Husn Parcham. A special romantic number Mere Naam Tu picturised on Shah Rukh and Anushka is also a part of the film. Salman Khan has also performed a special dance number with Shah Rukh in the song Issaqbaazi.

Late actor Sridevi also has a cameo in the film besides special appearances by Kajol, R Madhavan, Alia Bhatt, Karisma Kapoor and many others. While the critics have given a mixed response to the film, the trade analysts sound positive about it. Film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi has said, It has Shah Rukh Khan, Aanand L Rai, Anushka, Katrinawhat else can you ask for! It has all the elements that take to make a blockbuster. More importantly, the trailer has really connected very well with the people. The anticipation around it is huge. Its been a while since any big Hindi movie did great business. There is a huge audience waiting for an entertainer.

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India for the fourth time deferred the deadline to impose retaliatory customs duties on 29 US products, including almond, walnut and pulses, by another 45 days, the government has said.

According to a notification by the finance ministry, the implementation of the duty hike has been postponed until January 31, 2019.

The commerce ministry had asked its finance counterpart to extend the deadline further.

In June, India decided to impose retaliatory tariffs from August 4. But it was extended by 45 days till September 18 and then till November 2. In November, the decision to impose these duties was deferred till December 17.

As part of imposition of higher import duties, New Delhi has notified higher tariffs on several products. While import duty on walnut is to be hiked to 120 per cent from 30 per cent at present, duty on chickpeas, Bengal gram (chana) and masur dal will be raised to 70 per cent, from 30 per cent currently. Levy on lentils will be increased to 40 per cent, from 30 per cent.

The duty hike move by India was in retaliation to US President Donald Trumps March 9 decision to impose heavy tariffs on imported steel and aluminium items.

Senior officials of India and the US are in discussions to finalise a kind of trade deal. Both sides are holding two track discussions -- to increase trade in short and medium term, and identify long-term trade potentials.

India is pressing for exemption from high duty imposed by the US on certain steel and aluminium products, resumption of export benefits to certain domestic products under their generalised system of preferences (GSP), greater market access for its products from agriculture, automobile, automobile components and engineering sectors.

On the other hand, the US is demanding greater market access through cut in import duties for its agriculture goods, dairy products, medical devices, IT and communication items, the official added.

Indias exports to the US in 2017-18 stood at USD 47.9 billion, while imports were USD 26.7 billion. The trade balance is in favour of India.

Commerce and industry minister Suresh Prabhu will hold bilateral discussions on trade issues with US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on February 14 in New Delhi.
The governments note ban decision shaved off economic growth by at least 2% points for the October-December quarter of 2016 in which the demonetisation move was effected, according to a research paper co-authored by eminent economist Gita Gopinath.

India-born Harvard professor Gopinath, 46, is set to take charge as the chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) next month.

The paper further said that districts experiencing more severe demonetisation had relative reductions in economic activity, faster adoption of alternative payment technologies and lower bank credit growth.

Our results imply demonetisation lowered the growth rate of economic activity by at least 2 percentage points in the quarter of demonetisation, said the research paper titled Cash And The Economy: Evidence From Indias Demonetisation.

The paper is published by US-based National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and its co-authors include economist Prachi Mishra, who had headed the strategic research unit at the RBI, Abhinav Narayanan, manager-research at RBI, and Harvard professor Gabriel Chodorow-Reich is the lead author.

According to the paper, note ban also led to a decline in nightlights-based economic activity and a 3 percentage points or more drop in employment generation in November and December of 2016 relative to the counterfactual path.

The cross-sectional responses cumulate to a contraction in employment and nightlights-based output due to demonetisation of 2 percentage points and of bank credit of 2 percentage points in 2016 Q4 (calendar year) relative to their counterfactual paths, effects which dissipate over the next few months, the paper said.

Night lights satellite imagery has been seen as an alternative means for measuring economic activity. Night lights-based data rely on a scientific model for reaching at an estimated total economic activities, including formal and informal, for countries and states of the world.

The Indian economy grew at 7 per cent in the third quarter (when demonetisation was implemented) of 2016-17 and at 6.1 per cent in the subsequent quarter.

In 2017-18, the Indian economy grew by 6.7 per cent.

In the six quarters before demonetisation, growth averaged 8 per cent and in the seven quarters after, it averaged about 6.8 per cent (with a four-quarter window, the relevant numbers are 8.1 per cent before and 6.2 per cent after). The paper also noted that cash continues to serve an essential role in facilitating economic activities in modern India.

It also pointed out that there may be longer term advantages from demonetisation that arise from improvements in tax collections and in a shift to savings in financial instruments and non-cash payment mechanisms. Evaluating these long-term consequences requires waiting for more data and an empirical strategy suited to the study of longer term effects, it said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a televised address on November 8, 2016 had announced to ban the 500 and 1,000 currency notes from the system aimed at curbing black money, fake currency and terror funding, among others.

This policy made 86 per cent of cash in circulation illegal tender overnight, with new notes gradually introduced over the next several months.

The authors used a new household survey of employment and satellite data on human-generated nightlight activity to measure demonetisations effects at the district level Gopinath is the second Indian to be appointed to the role of chief economist after Raghuram Rajan.
After a delay of over two years, the Delhi government on Wednesday finally cleared the Delhi Metros Phase-IV project. Work on the 103.93-kilometre long line would begin from January, 2019, and is expected to be completed by December 31, 2024.

Despite stating previously that it would approve only three corridors, the Delhi cabinet, chaired by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, cleared all six lines of the project on Wednesday.

Elaborating on the cabinet decision, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said that the Phase-IV project was a New Years gift for Delhiites. Once ready, the upcoming lines will provide seamless connectivity, especially to people of outer Delhi. The Delhi government will give its share of Rs 9,707 crore for the construction of the Metro lines, estimated to cost around Rs 46,000 crore, he said.

While the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which will execute the project, refused to issue any statement on the matter, officials said the proposal will now go to the Centre for approval.

Approval from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs wont take much time as officials there have been seeking updates regularly. After the Centres approval, the DMRC will commence work on Phase-IV, a Metro official said on condition of anonymity.

The proposed lines Mukundpur-Maujpur (12.54 km), Rithala-Narela (21.73 km), Tughlakabad-Aerocity (20.20 km), Inderlok-Indraprastha (12.58km), Lajpat Nagar-Saket G Block (7.96km) and Janakpuri (west)-RK Ashram (28.92 km)  will cater to an estimated ridership of 10 lakh people every day.

Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said that after completion of the Phase-IV, the total length of the Metro network in Delhi-NCR will be approximately 453.58 kilometres. The DMRC said it will execute all the six corridors simultaneously. In case there are any operating losses in Phase-IV, then it will be shared between the Delhi government and the Central government in a 50:50 proportion, he said.

Metro officials also maintained they are not going to wait for the Phase-III project to be completed to start work on the Phase-IV corridors. All major lines remaining under the phaseIII, which spans across 107 kilometres, will be completed by next month. Only smaller links such Mayur Vihar to Trilokpur, which is a one-kilometre stretch, will be finished by mid-2019, another official said.

The Phase-IV project was earlier scheduled to be completed by 2022, but has now been pushed by two more years. The delay happened when the Delhi government had, in 2016, asked the finance department to conduct a feasibility study on Phase-IV.

In its report, the finance department wrote that the project could turn out to be a colossal waste of money and declared three of the six corridors financially unviable. Following this, the Delhi government refused to approve the project.

It was only in October that the Delhi government finally agreed to approve the Phase-IV project in its totality.

On November 4, Hindustan Times had reported how the cost of the project was slashed by nearly Rs 10,000 crore owing to reduction in the cost escalation projection.
A Central Pollution Control Board study released on Wednesday found high levels of heavy metals like barium and strontium, commonly used in firecrackers, in urine samples collected after last years Diwali. The study, however, does not contain data on levels before the festival and so, the authors warned against correlating the increase to firecrackers burst during the festival.

Compounds of both barium and strontium are harmful to humans and could trigger a range of disease related to the heart, lungs and bones.

In 2017, the Supreme Court had banned the sale of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR. According to reports, the capital witnessed its cleanest Diwali in three years although air quality was classified as very poor.

For the study, at least 470 samples were collected during the post-Dusshera period, and 787 samples were collected after Diwali from citizens from Pitampura, Kotla, Siri Fort and Parivesh Bhawan areas.

None of the samples whom we had chosen for the study were patients. They were all normal citizens and the samples were collected from door-to-door, said Dr M K Daga, director of the department of medicine at Maulana Azad Medical College, who led the study conducted by the Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health on the direction of the CPCB.

There was evidence of increased values of barium and strontium in urine samples of many subjects. It is also possible that the individuals were exposed due to bursting of fire crackers directly or indirectly in their locality, the CPCB report, released on Wednesday, read. The reports release was in compliance with the Supreme Court order that directed it to publish on its website all studies since 2010. The level of lead in urine was above permissible limit in Siri Fort area, with nine out of ten samples in the danger mark. The level of strontium in urine was above permissible limit in four out of ten samples in Siri Fort and Parivesh Bhawan areas. Other areas also showed high lead and strontium levels.

It would be too dogmatic to say that the concentration of heavy metals increased solely due to bursting of fire crackers. For this we need to collect data of these metals in the air even during the pre-Diwali period for a period of at least five years, said Daga.

In a separate section of the study, 20 hospitals too were surveyed.

There was a 20 per cent increase in admission of people in four hospitals, with stroke-related symptoms post-Diwali. There was a 40% increase in hospital admission due to cardiac problems post-Diwali in eight hospitals, the study said.

There was a 45% increase in hospital admission due to respiratory problems post-Diwali in nine hospitals and there was a 10 per cent increase in hospital admission due to burns post-Dussehra in two hospitals, the report said.

In another section, the study noted that there was excessive watering, redness and burning sensation in the eyes postDiwali among the sample groups .

In 2018, the Supreme Court had asked the CPCB to monitor air quality in Delhi seven days before and after Diwali. This report has been submitted before the court and is yet to be made public.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. It is back to Presidents rule in Kashmir with all parties seeking another round of elections. Kashmir is again on the edge following the killing of seven villagers last week in firing by the army in the hinterland of South Kashmir. The Pulwama incident fits well into a now-familiar but fearful pattern of protesting locals swarming the sites of gun fights between security forces and militants to disrupt the operations so as to help the trapped militants flee.

But, a high civilian toll, the highest in a single such incident in recent years, underscores a dangerous drift in Kashmir that is not only fuelling the popular rage, but also calls into question the governments claims about dwindling public support for militancy. In fact, the violent clashes between security forces and locals have emerged as a key trigger for young people to join militant ranks, radically changing their complexion in favour of the locals vis-a-vis foreign militants.

Alarmingly, it may negate whatever little gains that have been made by the completion last week of a multiphased polls to local bodies and panchayats in the state. The two-month-long exercise, though marked by a low turnout in the Valley, was by and large free of violence despite ominous threats from militants. It was an audacious gambit by the Centre to revive and empower the stalled politics at grassroots level after the BJP pulled the plug on its coalition government led by Mehbooba Mufti of the Peoples Democratic Party in June.

But Saturdays setback represents a heightening of the alienation of ordinary Kashmiris while strengthening a negative narrative on excessive use of force in dealing with civilian protestors. This was clear from the outrage articulated both by Kashmir-based mainstream political parties and secessionists. The secessionists went beyond the customary shutdown call by asking the people to march to the Badami Bagh cantonment, the Srinagar-based headquarters of 15th Corps that is in the vanguard of the anti-militancy grid in Kashmir. Such exhortation, last seen in the tumultuous 1990s, is seen as a part of Pakistans sinister strategy to pitch the local people against security forces.

Already, 2018 is turning out to be the bloodiest since 2012 , with 587 terror-related incidents till December 2, according to the home ministrys annual report. It put the number of militants and security personnel killed at 238 and 86 respectively  the highest in six years. Even more disconcerting is the rise in civilian killings by 167% in the last two years.

A spike in violence only adds to a deep political freeze that the state has been pushed into since the November 22 dissolution of the state assembly which was a precursor to the imposition of Presidents rule. The government has hinted at holding the J and K assembly elections along with the Lok Sabha polls next summer. Before that, however, halting the civilians killings in anti-militancy operations and stabilising the security environment will be the biggest challenges
The governments decision to extend the Ujjwala scheme to all poor families marks yet another step in what will be the defining legacy of the Narendra Modi government. When it was elected, many thought that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would dismantle Indias politics of welfare. Remember how it mocked employment guarantee scheme and critiqued what it called the sops and doles provided by the United Progressive Alliance government. Many saw in the BJP a right of the centre party which would focus purely on growth, and not on distribution; which would focus on urban and semi urban India, and not on rural India; and which would take forward unfinished reforms and minimise the role of the state.

The BJP government, for both political and ideological purposes, operated differently. It recognised that the bulk of the population lived in rural India; that most citizens were poor and deprived of even basic assets; and if the BJP was to prevent a recurrence of the failed India Shining campaign of 2004, it needed to get out of the urban bubble and expand among the poor and marginalised.

It was with this in mind that Mr Modi focused on Ujjwala as a flagship scheme that would both change the way rural Indians cooked, and create for the party a loyal constituency of women voters. Aided by technology and the direct transfer of financial assistance, the Modi government improved delivery of other welfare schemes, including rural housing and construction of toilets.

But the limits of the approach became clear in the last set of assembly elections. The electorate seems to appreciate the governments welfare programmes. And this is indeed crucial if rural India is to have a quality of life commensurate with any standards of modernity. But it is not enough because this is not accompanied with economic growth of the scale that would have created jobs for the young and enhanced rural incomes  particularly agrarian incomes. The government is now in a fix. Four months is too short a time to realign the economic paradigm and address these structural issues. And therefore, as the Ujjwala decision shows, it has decided to ramp up its politics of welfarism, with the hope that direct beneficiaries of its programmes  party estimates suggest there are 22 crore of those  will also express their political preference for the BJP. There are also murmurs of other schemes which provide direct income support to farmers. If vikas (development) was the partys trump card in 2014, it will be welfare in 2019. It has to be seen if this is enough for a changing, impatient and aspirational India.
The Niti Aayog has suggested that the upper age limit for entry into the civil services be brought down to 27 years from the present 30 years for general category candidates in a phased manner by 2022-23.

In the Strategy for New India @75 document released on Wednesday, the government think-tank also pitched for an integrated exam for all civil services.

The upper age limit for the civil services should be brought down to 27 years for the general category in a phased manner by 2022-23, the document said.

It also said the existing 60-plus separate civil services at the central and state level need to be reduced through rationalisation and harmonisation of services.

Recruits should be placed in a central talent pool, which would then allocate candidates by matching their competencies and the job description of the post, it said.

Concomitantly, the number of exams for civil services should ideally be brought down to one with all-India ranking. States may also be encouraged to use this pool for recruitments, the document added.

The document also said the service conditions for employees of autonomous bodies need to be regulated and harmonised.

It noted that reforms in civil services are a continuous process and several initiatives have been taken in recent years by the present government.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)
Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khans son Taimur Ali Khan turned two on December 20. To celebrate Taimurs birthday, Kareena and Saif are enjoying some well-deserved family time during their ongoing vacation in South Africa. Glam squad of the Veere di Wedding actor, who was in Cape Town for a photo shoot, posted a couple of cute pictures of Kareena and Saif relaxing by the water with their ever-so-cute son, Taimur Ali Khan. Not only have we been pouring over birthday boy Taimurs adorable photos from the trip, but weve also become quite taken by all the gorgeous looks his beautiful mother Kareena has shown off, while in South Africa.

For their ongoing family trip, Kareena Kapoor Khan is keeping things casual with her relaxed vacation style. Whether shes wearing a summery white maxi dress, flirty color-blocked separates, or a vibrant striped shirt, Kareena, like always, managed to look classy, refined, and totally stylish. She finished her beach-ready looks off with a myriad of statement round sunglasses. While we dont exactly have Saif, Taimur and Kareenas beach-side villa in South Africa (thankfully, the internet and Instagram exist), we can at least glean some inspiration from Kareenas stunning vacation style. Just in time for your Christmas and New Years getaways, weve rounded up some of Kareena Kapoor Khans best looks from her latest vacation  scroll through to see them all:

Although you dont want to be dressed head-to-toe in glam on vacation, that doesnt mean you should slack off when throwing on a pair of jeans and a shirt. As Kareena Kapoor Khan has shown, investing in a good pair of denim and a cool and stylish oversized shirt is never a poor decision. These are classic items that can easily look good thrown-together.

Like Kareena Kapoor Khan, wear a comfortable, beautiful maxi dress. Theyre a one-piece outfit, so even the laziest of us can pull together a handsome get-up in just a few minutes. Add statement accessories  sunnies and a bohemian hairband a la Kareena  to dress up your airy, dreamy maxi. It sounds simple enough, but have you ever wondered how stunning it is? Just look at Kareena.

For an enviable vacation look, pair a high-waisted side-stripe trousers with a contrasting crop top, and accessorize with your favourite pair of sunglasses. This Kareena Kapoor Khan look is perfect for making a sartorial statement, and would best be described as classic, especially with its timeless colour pairing: Beige and white.

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Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas got married at Jodhpurs Umaid Bhawan Palace in two wedding ceremonies: a Christian ceremony on December 1 and a Hindu ceremony on December 2. Few weddings were more talked-about in 2018 than Priyanka Chopras nuptials to Nick Jonas. As the couple is one of the best-looking celebrity pairs around, we had absolutely no doubt that their ensembles for the momentous occasion would follow suit. After wearing several head-turning outfits throughout their wedding festivities, for their first Mumbai reception on Wednesday  Priyanka and Nick are throwing a second one in Mumbai on Thursday, making it the newlyweds third wedding reception, since the Delhi reception on December 4, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi too made an appearance  Priyanka stunned in a midnight blue Sabyasachi gown.

Priyanka Chopra, who wore a red sequin-covered bridal lehenga by the ace fashion designer, has been spotted wearing several Sabyasachi ensembles since her wedding. Thus, it was only fitting that she chose the designer for her reception in Mumbai. Priyankas custom-made strapless gown at the celebration was fit for royalty, with its matching net dupatta. The dark blue number gleamed with hand-embroidered embellishments, and captured Priyankas sexy, yet elegant style.

Priyanka Chopras Sabyasachi look is pure bridal perfection: It had a curve-hugging silhouette without sacrificing the volume and drama of a traditional lehenga. Priyankas gown truly made a statement, with its strapless silhouette, sweetheart neckline, decadent golden beads and antique hand-embroidered detailing. The beauty was completed with extravagant jewellery from Sabyasachi Jewelry, channelling the same drama as Priyankas outfit.

The old adage, diamonds are a girls best friend certainly rings true for Priyanka Chopra. The exquisite diamond necklace she wore to the Mumbai reception is a vintage masterpiece. The opulent, one-of-a-kind necklace was crafted with uncut diamonds and pearls. It offered the perfect canvas for a messy-but-chic updo with delicate flowers. Priyankas hairstyle exuded elegance; it was traditional with a modern twist. To round off her ensemble, Priyanka wore a classic beauty look that suited the formal occassion and oozed timelessness: It was sexy and smoldering, but elegant. With eyelashes for days, bold eyebrows, an on trend brown-red lip and a slightly smoky eye, Priyankas stunning look was perfectly festive with a regal touch.

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Weeks after the November 29-30 farmers protests in the capital, trade unions are organising a 48-hour national strike in the new year to showcase workers discontent against the Narendra Modi government.

All central trade unions, except the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh-affiliated Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), have called a national strike on January 8 and 9 to protest against unemployment and other issues. Union leaders claim that 180 million workers, from the organised and unorganised sectors, are expected to join the strike, according to organisers familiar with the matter.

Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan, a powerful platform of farmers bodies, has lent support to the strike, added Tapan Sen, general secretary of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the workers arm of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The much-needed support may help trade unions penetrate rural areas as well.

But the trade unions unity suffered a setback with BMS refusing to join the strike. Its a politically motivated strike. They are utilising workers for political benefit. There is no justification for either the timing or the context, said Vrijesh Upadhyay of BMS.

While the farmers protests were centered around the agrarian crisis, the trade unions are focusing on the unavailability of jobs.

The unemployment situation is getting aggravated by job generation practically turning negative even in the most labour-intensive sectors. The phenomenon of closure and shutdown of industries and the forecast of huge job losses in the IT sector are adding fuel to the fire, said Sen.

Trade union leaders also cited a Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) report that says the unemployment rate in October rose to 6.9% and nearly 30 million youth are unemployed.

The government, however, rejected the charges. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointed out that under the Mudra scheme, at least 12 crore loans had been sanctioned. He cited Employees Provident Fund Organisation data to show how at least 4.1 million jobs had been created between September 2017 and April 2018. Government managers added that massive work on rural and urban infrastructure means high levels of job creation in the unorganized sector.
At least seven labourers died and four others were injured in a landslide as they were working on the Char Dham all-weather road project in Uttarakhands Rudraprayag district on Friday afternoon.

A rescue operation is underway by local administration and police to rescue those feared to be trapped under the debris.

Rudraprayag district magistrate Mangesh Ghildiyal said that the incident in the Ukhimeeth Bhiri area occurred at around 12.30 pm.

The construction work was going on when suddenly a landslide took place, bringing down silt and boulders on the labourers. The local administration and the police were immediately pressed into rescue operation after we got to know about the incident, he said.

So far, seven bodied have been recovered and four injured have been rescued from the spot and rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. The rescue operation is still on and the traffic on the highway has been blocked.

State disaster response force (SDRF) official Alok Praveen said, Two teams of the SDRF with required equipment and tools for the rescue operation have been sent to the spot from the SDRF base in Gaurikund area. Another team from Gochar is also on the way to join the rescue operation.

If it seems that the rescue operation has to be continued in the night also, then more teams would also be sent, he added.

The road project seeks to connect the Char Dham (Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath) for pilgrims all around the year.
All remaining 22 accused, mostly junior level police officers, in the alleged encounter killings of gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh, his wife Kausar Bi, and associate, Tulsiram Prajapati, were acquitted on Friday by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court, which cited insufficient evidence even as it expressed sorrow over the loss of three lives.

Several others have already been discharged in the case. At one point, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah was arrested with regard to the case (and released on bail), but he was discharged in December 2014.

Other high profile accused discharged in the case are former Rajasthan home minister Gulab Chand Kataria and police officers from three states, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, including two former Gujarat director generals of police PC Pande and Geeta Johri and deputy inspector general DG Vanzara.

I feel sorry for the families, since three lives were lost, but I am helpless, said additional sessions judge SJ Sharma on Friday, pointing out that the system requires courts to go strictly by substantive evidence on record and there is no substantial evidence to hold the accused guilty in the case.

The judge, who delivered his last judgment before retiring, said that on the basis of evidence on the record, he could not hold the accused responsible for the death of Sheikh and Kausar Bi.

When this court ultimately went through all the evidence and testimonies on record, it concluded that no case of conspiracy could be established. Also, no link between these 22 persons and the three deaths could be established, he said.

Sheikhs brother, Rubabuddin Sheikh, who was present in court on Friday, said he was disappointed at the verdict and would contest it in the Supreme Court.

CBI spokesperson RK Gaur declined comment on the grounds that the agency had not received a copy of the order. After the judge pronounced the verdict, all the accused, who were present in court, congratulated and hugged each other.

Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan claimed that the way eyewitnesses turned hostile and all accused were acquitted on account of lack of evidence proved that the CBI was working under pressure and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was responsible for this.

State BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said: Those who misinformed everyone over the encounter case have been exposed now. They all should apologise before the country.

Of the 22 accused, 21 are junior police officers from Gujarat and Rajasthan, who, the CBI said, were part of the teams that abducted the three and later killed them in staged encounters.

The last accused was the owner of the farm house in Gujarat where Sheikh and Kausar Bi were, according to CBI, illegally detained before they were killed.

The 13-year-old case saw several twists and turns, including 92 prosecution witnesses turning hostile, and 16 accused getting discharged during the course of the hearing since 2014. Key witnesses of the prosecution turned hostile, due to which the abduction of Sohrabuddin and further sequence of events has not been proven, the court said. Two main prosecution witnesses turned hostile. What could the prosecution have done? It couldnt have forced them not to turn hostile, the judge said.

This year saw a more curious twist to the case with the emergence of the theory that Judge BH Loya, presiding over the CBI court at the time, died in peculiar circumstances on November 30, 2014. The Supreme Court in April dismissed multiple petitions demanding an inquiry into Loyas death.

The CBI said the three victims who were returning to Sangli in Maharashtra from Hyderabad in a bus were taken into custody by a police team on the intervening night of November 22-23, 2005. The couple was taken in one vehicle and Prajapati in another. CBI alleged that Sheikh was killed on November 26, 2005, by a joint team comprising Gujarat and Rajasthan police, and Kausar Bi three days later. Prajapati, who was lodged in Udaipur central jail, was killed in an encounter on the Gujarat-Rajasthan border on December 27, 2006, the CBI said in the charge sheet.

The CBI took over investigation from the Gujarats crime investigation division on orders of the Supreme Court in 2010 and claimed that Prajapati was a key witness to the abduction, as he was travelling with the slain couple, and a joint police team of Gujarat and Rajasthan police killed him in a fake encounter apprehending that he could spill the beans.

On Prajapatis alleged encounter killing, the special court said, the prosecution failed to prove that the third person with the couple was Prajapati. Till 2011, nowhere it came on record that Prajapati was the eye witness to abduction of Sheikh and his wife, the court said, adding that it was only in the fourth supplementary charge sheet that CBI revealed the identity of the third person accompanying the couple as Prajapati.

The court said that the prosecution failed to prove that Prajapati had been abducted from Ahmedabad and was taken secretly by two people. The court observed that, In fact the prosecution witnesses have testified that he was seen in train with guards with his hands tied. The prosecution failed to prove involvement of the then Gujarat top cop DG Vanzara in the conspiracy, the court said.

Sharma said that the court cannot rely solely on circumstantial and hearsay evidence while acquitting the remaining accused in the one of the most high profile encounter cases in India in this century.
A local court on Friday awarded life sentence to suspended Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislator Raj Ballabh Yadav and fined him 50,000 for raping a minor girl at his residence in Bihar Sharif in Feb 2016.

Special MP-MLA court judge-cum-additional district and sessions judge Parshuram Singh Yadav awarded him life imprisonment under sections 376 (rape) and 120(B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Yadav, who is an MLA from Nawada, stands to lose his membership of the Bihar Assembly. Under section 8(3) of the Representation of People Act, 1951, a person convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years shall be disqualified from the date of such conviction and shall continue to be disqualified for a further period of six years since his release.

Two others convicted in the case for criminal conspiracy and trafficking, Sulekha and her mother Radha Devi, were given life imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of 20,000 each. Three others  Sulekhas daughter Chhoti Devi, her in-laws Sandip Suman and Tusi Devi, were sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment and fined 10,000

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A division bench of the Kolkata high court stayed Thursdays order by a single-judge bench giving conditional approval to the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) rath yatra, disrupting the partys plans to flag off the first rally of the yatra from the temple town of Tarapith in Birbhum district on Saturday.

Appearing on behalf of the West Bengal Police, Abhishek Singhvi, Congress MP and senior advocate, argued that the single bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty did not study the intelligence reports submitted in a sealed envelope before passing its order. He added that the reports are detailed ones in which the police have mapped out the route that the yatra is supposed to take and undertaken a thorough risk analysis.

The division bench of Chief Justice Debasish Kar Gupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar observed that the single-judge bench has to go through the reports in order to pronounce an objective order.

Significantly, the court will break for Christmas vacation on Saturday and resume business on January 2.

There will be a vacation bench only for one day in between, reducing the chances that the matter may be heard before January. The division bench has not disallowed the yatra. Our legal battle will continue. So will our agitation and programmes in different districts, said BJP Bengal unit president, Dilip Ghosh.

The state government wants to block the programme by hook or by crook. Therefore, we have called our rally a Save Democracy rally. We will decide our next step after consulting our lawyers, added BJP Bengal unit vice-president, Jay Prakash Majumdar.

Majumdar said the party will decide within a day or two whether to go back to the single bench or the Supreme Court.

There is a distinct apprehension of communal disharmony being triggered in Bengal over the yatra. Thats why the government is fighting it out in the courts, said Sudip Bandyopadhyay, leader of the Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha.

On Friday morning, BJP leaders said that the yatra would commence after a public meeting at noon at the Rampurhat rail grounds, where BJP president Amit Shah would address the public.

On Thursday, the single bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty criticised the Mamata Banerjee government for rejecting the BJPs programme in a whimsical and unreasonable manner.

The court allowed the yatras subject to a few conditions.

Incidentally, Friday was the last day of Chief Justice Kar Gupta. Senior most Justice Biswanath Somadder will become the acting CJ when the court reopens.

Meanwhile, Singhvis court appearance on behalf of the West Bengal police has ruffled feathers within his own party. Singhvi was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2018 from West Bengal with the support of the Trinamool Congress.

Irate state Congress workers agitated outside the court on Friday. State Congress president Somen Mitra will lodge a complaint with party president Rahul Gandhi about it, said state Congress spokesperson Ritzu Ghosal.

Only a small number of people protested and are making an issue out of it. I dont take unsolicited advice since I always compartmentalise my political and professional life, Singhvi told the media at a press conference.

A rath yatra with a communal overture is being opposed by a government and not by any political party. Whats wrong in my representing the government? Singhvi asked.
Actor Naseeruddin Shah became a talking point on social media on Thursday over his remarks that the death of a cow was given more importance than the killing of a policeman in some places.

What I said earlier was as a worried Indian. What did I say this time that I am being termed as a traitor? I am expressing concerns about the country I love, the country that is my home. How is that a crime?, said Shah after being trolled on social media over his remarks.

The actor had expressed anxiety over the well-being of his children, who he said had not been brought up as followers of any particular religion and would not be able to identify themselves on religious lines if confronted by a bloodthirsty mob.

Shahs comments evoked outrage among certain social media users and soul-searching among others. Shah, who is married to actor Ratna Pathak Shah, said they chose not to give any religious education to their children  Imaad and Vivaan  as he believed being good or evil has nothing to do with religion. I feel anxious for my children because tomorrow if a mob surrounds them and asks, Are you a Hindu or a Muslim? they will have no answer, he said.

These matters dont scare me, they make me angry. And I feel every right-thinking man should feel angry, not scared. This is our home, who dare evict us from here? he said.

Shahs remarks in an interview with Karwan-e-Mohabbat India were viewed as an apparent reference to the recent violence in Uttar Pradeshs Bulandshahr district, where a policeman and a civilian were killed during protests over alleged cow slaughter. After the incident, the state police said investigating who committed cow slaughter was the most important aspect of the case.

In the interview posted on YouTube on Monday, Shah said the poison has already spread and it will now be difficult to contain it. There is complete impunity for those who take the law into their own hands. In many areas we are witnessing that the death of a cow is of more significance than that of a police officer, he said.

While some commentators on Twitter urged the actor to leave the country, others took his side and echoed the view that a safer India would be in everyones best interests.
Do we know what pollutes Delhi/NCR air and the surrounding region? The answer is a very highly qualified yes. We know enough to inform action now, even while it is important to keep filling in the knowledge gaps. While there are multiple pollutants, in this article we focus on PM 2.5 or very small particles that experts agree are a major health hazard in India.

In examining sources, one fact stands out: There are at least four discrete sectors that each substantially contribute to Delhis pollution (see figure): industry; transport; biomass and waste burning; and dust. Delhis air problem is so hard to solve in part because it is not a single problem; it is a 4 X 25% (+/-10%) problem, with at least four implications.

Sector-based contribution to PM2.5 - Gfx (Delhi Metro pg 15; Date: December 21, 2018) - Embed code inline script.

Industry:

First, because Delhis air is already about 13 times the WHO safe levels, we have to make progress on all these sources if Delhis air is to be made safe. Even completely removing one or two of these sources will not achieve the objective.

Second, because all sources have to be addressed, it is pointless to debate which source is more or less at fault. At different times different sources predominate  crop burning in October, dust in the summer, transport year around  but on an annual basis, all are important. As a result, for Delhis citizens to point accusing fingers at farmers, or transport interests to point fingers at industry, and vice versa, ignores the data  all sources have to be reduced. Also, arguing whether most sources are within-NCR or largely outside NCR is also irrelevant  both must be addressed.

Third, a positive feedback loop  successful actions leading to public support for more action  is extremely hard to build. For example, a heroic effort to limit truck traffic may lead to reduced emissions, but this may not be perceptible; trucks are only a portion of all transport, which is only a quarter of all pollution. Wind and other atmospheric conditions further complicate matters. As a result, painful and disruptive measures may be successful but not appear so, and arouse a backlash. To counter this requires public patience and clear management of public expectations.

Read | Public health in India a casualty of air pollution

Finally, a sector-by-sector approach to solving Delhis air has the greatest chance of success  each distinct sector and sub-sector has different technical, regulatory and political characteristics. For example, power plants require high-level regulatory and enforcement solutions, while transport needs attention to behaviour and public procurement to enable a shift to public transport. The political context will also vary: crop burning is linked to agrarian politics, while construction dust involves powerful contractors and poor construction labour. The institutional scale will also differ: industries are regulated by pollution control boards, while RWAs can play a role in managing local waste burning. Air pollution solutions need to be based on understanding source sectors, even while keeping the larger picture in mind.

Also Read | Understanding the curse of air pollution

This point is underscored by a deeper dive into each source sector:

Industry sources are a large share (25-43%) of emissions year-round. About half of these are industrial emissions such as cement and brick kilns, where the main challenge is monitoring and enforcement. The other half are related to power plants and diesel gen-sets that require enforcement but in the longer run rest on cleaner energy sources.

Transport  passenger and freight  accounts for 20-30% of emissions year-round and is growing rapidly with vehicle ownership. For both, infrastructure is needed but for passenger transport, behavioural change is critical.

Biomass and waste burning comprise 20-38% and includes crop burning, waste burning, and household kitchen burning. Crop residue burning is highly seasonally specific and peaks in October; IIT-Kanpurs study suggests it accounts for 26% of winter emissions. Waste burning is disaggregated throughout the city, but also includes site-specific municipal waste burning in landfills. Household use requires a transition to cooking gas.

Dust includes both construction dust from within NCR and long-range transport of dust from the arid surroundings of Delhi and beyond. Dust is a bigger share of emissions in the summer than in winter; TERIs study suggests it accounts for 38% of summer emissions.

Air pollution in Delhi-NCR is a complex problem. Addressing it requires urgent, but also deliberate action, in keeping with the nature of the problem. We must recognise we are dealing with a multi-headed problem, that progress on all sources is needed, that we may not see progress immediately but should stay the course, and that solutions need to be tailored to the specific characteristics of each pollution source.

Navroz K Dubash is a Professor, Centre for Policy Research. Sarath Guttikunda is Founder of Urban Emissions (India), an independent research group, issuing three-day air quality forecasts for all 640 districts in India
The Delhi high court on Friday dismissed a petition by the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) that challenged an eviction order by the central government, and ordered the publisher of Congress mouthpiece National Herald to vacate its premises in central Delhi within two weeks.

The high court rejected AJLs allegation that the Centres move to evict it from the Herald House at Delhis ITO was a covert measure to erase the legacy of Jawaharlal Nehru, who founded the National Herald newspaper in 1938.

The Centre and the Land and Development Office (L&DO) said in the eviction order that no press was functioning at the premises for at least 10 years and it was being used only for commercial purposes in violation of the lease deed.

Justice Sunil Gaur said the allegations of mala fide [against the Centre] are preposterous and granted AJL two weeks to vacate the Herald House, failing which the L&DO would be free to initiate proceedings under the Public Premises (PP) (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971.

The court said that the show-cause notice by the Centre adheres to the principles of natural justice. It said that an inspection of the said building revealed that no press activity was being carried out.

The single-judge bench also said that the manner in which a company named Young Indian (YI) acquired 99% of the shares of AJL was questionable. Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi are majority shareholders in YI.

No instances have been provided by petitioners in the writ petition in support of the serious allegations of mala fide levelled against the ruling dispensation. It has not been shown as to how the impugned order is vitiated by mala fide or what is the bias. It is not spelt out as to what is the oblique motive in passing of the impugned order. One fails to understand as to how the ruling dispensation has in any way erased, effaced or defamed Pt Nehru, the court said. It added that YI had hijacked AJL.

The subject premises was leased out to legendary AJL for its publication, but the dominant purpose is now practically lost. This Court is constrained to observe that major portion of the subject premises has been rented out and petitioners newspaper, which was to be housed originally in the basement and ground floor, has now been shifted on the top floor with hardly any press activity, the court said.

The Congress said AJL will challenge the high courts order. The AJL is going to appeal against the order. It has a strong case and there is no illegality. We are confident that we will get justice based on strong facts and evidence in our favour, said Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill.

Attacking the Congress over the issue, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the matter was a text book case of corruption. In the Narendra Modi government, the Congress will not be allowed to loot the country, Union minister and BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
There were tears, celebrations and relief in the Ansari household in Versova, as their son, Hamid, returned home after serving a three-year sentence for illegally entering Pakistan from Afghanistan, on Thursday morning.

After the harrowing experience, the 33-year-old had some advice for youngsters.

Dont love anyone on Facebook, dont hide anything from your parents and follow a legal procedure to enter any country, said Ansari. I was worried and unsure if I would ever be able to return home from Pakistan, but eventually when I saw people supporting me, I started to pray. My family, the Indian government and Sushma Swaraj helped me a lot. I am thinking I should approach Aamir (Khan) for a movie to be made on me. I want to celebrate with my family, after that I will start looking for a job and only then will I marry and settle down.

When asked about the torture he faced in jail, he said, During the interrogation, I was tortured and my retina was torn. One cant expect to be treated well in a prison.

The family, which had shunned all functions awaiting their sons return for six years was ready to serve biryani.

Everything in the house was kept at the same place where it was six years ago, said Khalid Ansari, Hamids elder brother.

At the Wagah-Attari border, our first reflex was to thank our country. My parents havent attended a single wedding or social gathering in the past six years. We are too overwhelmed. First two days we didnt even believe that he was back, we would touch him every now and then to make sure that he is back.
Grief and anger gripped the village of the 15-year-old girl, who was set afire by two men on Tuesday, as soon as her body reached here from Delhi on Thursday evening.

Agitated over the death, the girls family and villagers demanded a compensation of 1 crore, a government job to the victims elder sister and early arrest of the accused.

They refused to perform the last rites till their demands were fulfilled.

As the body reached the village at about 5 pm, a large number of villagers gathered at the girls house. The villagers expressed anger over the absence of administrative officers in the village. Former MLA and BSP leader Kalicharan Suman also criticised BJP leaders for not visiting the family.

The girl was undergoing treatment at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi and succumbed to burn injuries at around 1.30 am on Thursday.

She had suffered 70 per cent burns in the incident.

ADM (city) KP Singh and SP, rural (Agra West), Akhilesh Narain Singh met the girls father and informed him about the steps being taken to nab the assailants.

They also promised a fair investigation into the case and asked the family to wait for post-mortem report from Delhi.

However, the family and the villagers remained adamant on their demands. The last rites were not performed till reports last came in.

Meanwhile, members of the Samajwadi Party took out a candle march in Agra to condole the gruesome killing of the school girl. The march began from Speed Colour Lab and culminated at Shaheed Smarak.

City unit spokesman of the Samajwadi Party Saurabh Gupta said, We condoled the girls murder and sought justice for the family. The incident reflects the failure of law and order machinery in the state. Women and girls no longer feel safe on roads even during daytime.

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Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) chairman R Madhavan on Friday said it is capable of producing Rafale aircraft but suggested that the question of transfer of technology does not arise in the current order of just 36 aircraft.

The Congress has alleged that the Narendra Modi government is buying military aircraft from French company Dassault Aviation at a much higher price than what was being negotiated by the previous UPA government, which planned to procure 126 aircraft.

The Opposition has also accused the government of ignoring state-owned HAL while negotiating the agreement, suggesting that some of the aircraft could have been manufactured by it through transfer of technology.

Madhavan said HAL was capable of production when initial discussions were on. But the current government decided to purchase 36 aircraft separately as it was necessary to buy them as soon as possible, he said.

For the 36, the question of production here does not arise, he said.

If 126 aircraft were bought, some would have been purchased outright and others produced in the country, he said.

He said HAL was not part of the process of the current deal. The government has rejected Congress charge that it paid an inflated price, saying that the cost of a fully-loaded aircraft could not be compared with a basic aircraft.

The HAL chairman was in Udaipur to address an engineers conference. We need to make our students employable and skilled. We also need to increase investment in research and development, he said.

(The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)
The worlds fastest growing source of mega-wealth hit a speed bump this year.

The 128 people in Asia with enough money to crack the 500-member Bloomberg Billionaires Index lost a combined $137 billion in 2018, the first time wealth in the region has dropped since the ranking started in 2012.

Global trade tensions and concerns that stock valuations are too frothy hammered some of the areas biggest fortunes. Chinas tech sector was hit particularly hard, while India and South Korea werent spared. The declines occurred even as banks and money managers aggressively stepped up efforts to cater to Asias richest.

Difficult stock market conditions this year and the uncertainty of the trade tensions likely have been a challenge to many businesses, said Philip Wyatt, a Hong Kong-based economist for UBS Group AG, who doesnt see the downdraft continuing through 2019 or significantly reducing the ranks of billionaires. Conditions are actually ripe for the region to create more of the mega rich as new technologies attract private capital and government support, he said.

For now, though, fear in the market is trampling fortunes. More than two-thirds of the 40 Chinese on the Bloomberg ranking saw their wealth dwindle. Wanda Groups Wang Jianlin, whose property conglomerate is selling assets to cut debt, lost $10.8 billion, the most of anyone in Asia. JD.com founder Richard Liu, who was arrested in the U.S. in August for less than 24 hours on suspicion of rape before being released, took the heaviest losses in percentage terms, with his wealth cut almost in half to $4.8 billion. No charges have been filed against Liu, who has denied the allegation.

Indias 23 richest people, meanwhile, saw $21 billion vanish. Lakshmi Mittal, who controls the worlds largest steelmaker, led the way, losing $5.6 billion, or 29 percent of his net worth, followed by Dilip Shanghvi, the founder of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, the worlds fourth-largest generic drugmaker, whose wealth declined $4.6 billion.

South Koreas tycoons didnt escape the carnage either. The market rout lopped $17.2 billion from the fortunes of the countrys seven richest people. The father and son who control Samsung Electronics, Lee Kun-Hee and son Jay Y Lee, account for more than a third of that decline.

In Hong Kong, titans of real estate took a big hit. Li Ka-shing, who retired as chairman of CK Hutchison and CK Asset in March, lost $6 billion in 2018, while Lee Shau Kee, the citys second-richest person, ends the year about $3.3 billion poorer.

There were still plenty of winners to emerge from the wreckage of 2018.

Lei Jun, the chairman of Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp., added $8.7 billion, with a July initial public offering catapulting him into the Top 100 of the Bloomberg index after he started the year outside the ranking. The IPO also turned three of his co-founders into billionaires.

Japans richest person, Tadashi Yanai, added $6.3 billion to his fortune as shares of Fast Retailing Co., the worlds largest apparel retailer, surged 30 percent. Indias Mukesh Ambani added $4 billion to his fortune and eclipsed Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.s Jack Ma as Asias richest person, thanks in part to the performance of Reliance Industries Ltd.

Among the winners, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index added new members in technology, consumer, biotech and pharmaceuticals.

At least six Asian billionaires died, leaving behind a total of $29 billion.
The Congress on Friday attacked the Narendra Modi government for not knowing how many farmers had committed suicide, or how many journalists had been attacked or killed since it came to power in 2014.

The responses by Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh and Information and Broadcasting minister Rajayavardhan Singh Rathore came in replies to parliamentary questions asked by Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi this week.

Now government says it has no data on journalists killed, earlier they said they had no data on farmer suicides. Looks like this government is not only dataless but is also clueless, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said in a tweet.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said in a tweet that it was pretty ironic that a government which has no trouble inventing data for the UPAs GDP numbers, says it has no data on farmer suicides or on attacks on journalists.

He was referring to the government last month lowering the countrys economic growth rate during the previous Congress-led UPA regime, shaving off over 1 percentage point from the only year when India posted double-digit GDP growth post liberalisation and from each of the three years with 9-plus per cent expansion.

Recalibrating data of past years using 2011-12 as the base year instead of 2004-05, the Central Statistics Office estimated that Indias GDP grew by 8.5 per cent in the financial year 2010-11 and not at 10.3 per cent as previously estimated. Similarly, 9.3 per cent growth rate each in 2005-06 and 2006-07 was lowered to 7.9 per cent and 8.1 per cent respectively, while 7.7 per cent rate was now estimated for 2007-08 instead of 9.8 per cent.

The move wwas vociferously opposed by the Congress which termed it malicious and fraudulent jugglery of GDP figures to hide the enormous body blow Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance minister Arun Jaitley had caused to Indias economy.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala had termed the release of the data, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year, a classic case where the operation is successful but the patient is dead. He had alleged the entire GDP back series data released by the Centre reflects the desperate attempt of a defeatist Modi government to undermine Indias growth story over the last 15 years.
The BJP seems united on the issue of Lord Ram but appears divided on his loyal aide Hanuman.

Less than a month after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath courted controversy over his remark allegedly claiming that Lord Hanuman was a Dalit, a BJP lawmaker and a minister queered the pitch; one suggesting that the lord was a Muslim, and the other claiming him to be an OBC, Jat.

While the BJP lawmakers Chaudhary Laxmi Narain, who is a minister too, and Bukkal Nawab, an MLC - were attributing caste and religion to Hanuman who is revered by Hindus as sankat mochak (remover of difficulties), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) jumped in claiming that Bukkal Nawabs description of Hanuman as Muslim in fact proved the Hindu past of Muslims.

Adityanath, who compared Lord Hanuman to a Dalit during a poll campaign in Rajasthan on November 27, had later said that he was misquoted. He had said he meant that Hanuman belonged to all including Dalits. However, his minister and his partys lawmaker both came with interesting reasons for their attribution; both inside and outside the assembly.

The Lord is named Hanuman and so many Muslims have similar rhyming names like Zeeshan, Furqan, Ehsaan, Bukkal Nawab said outside the UP assembly on Thursday. Nawab had quit the Samajwadi Party last year to join BJP.

Hindus dont have such names like Rehan, Furqan etc as Muslims do and hence I believe that with Muslim names rhyming like Hanuman are proof of Hanuman being a Muslim, Nawab said. The VHP however felt that Nawabs remark was an admission by Muslims of their Hindu past.

Its nice that Muslims are describing Hanuman as their own as this only goes on to prove their Hindu past and that they became Muslims under pressure, said VHPs Ayodhya-based spokesman Sharad Sharma.

Inside the upper house of the UP assembly, BJP minister Chaudhary Laxmi Narayan said I believe Lord Hanuman was a Jat because like the community he too has a tendency to intervene in others matters. So yes, he was a Jat,.

Asking BJP to come to a conclusion on Hanuman, Congress MLC Deepak Singh said, They should first decide which caste they feel Hanumanji belongs to. For us he is a lord after caste and religious considerations but BJP will be punished for committing such sin,.

The Samajwadi Partys Rajyapal Kashyap said the difference within the BJP came to fore over their different attributions on Hanuman.
Organisers of an event in which Hindi film actor Naseeruddin Shah was to deliver the keynote address cancelled it following protests by right-wing organisations on Friday afternoon.

The veteran actor is in the middle of a controversy for his remarks on mob violence. Shah expressed anxiety over lynching in a video interview with Karwan-e-Mohabbat India.

The interview was posted on YouTube on Monday. In the interview, the actor expressed concern over the well-being of his children, who he said have not been brought up as followers of any particular religion.

In Ajmer, Shah was invited to deliver the keynote address of the fifth edition of Ajmer Literature Festival at 2.30 pm. He arrived in Ajmer around 11.30 am and spent an hour at his alma mater, St. Anselms Senior Secondary School.

Before he arrived at the lit fest, some members of Hindu outfits stormed the venue, shouting slogans against the actor and blackening posters having his photo. They asked organisers not to let the actor come to the event.

We cancelled the session after the vandalism. We were concerned about our guests safety, said Somratan Arya, a member of the organising committee. The organisers did not lodge a complaint about the vandalism.

Earlier, after visiting the school, Shah defended his statement. He said he spoke as a worried Indian and had the right to express concern about the country he loves.

What I said earlier was as a worried Indian. I have said this earlier as well. What did I say this time that I am being called a traitor? It is very strange, the actor told reporters outside the school.
State government swung into action to allot a plush government bungalow in the state capital to former health minister Tej Pratap Yadav, rendered homeless after he filed a divorce petition against his wife and refused to stay at his mother Rabri Devis official residence.

The governments move to oblige elder son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad comes in wake of his telephonic request to chief minister Nitish Kumar, when his written request for the same to the departmental minister did not evoke response.

Following chief ministers intervention, the building construction department facilitated the allotment of 2-M Strand Road by transferring the sprawling bungalow from central pool to Assembly pool enabling the Speaker to do the needful even as his younger brother and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav remains embroiled in a legal battle to retain his house.

The mercurial leader attended the just concluded winter session of the state Assembly did not to put up at 10, Circular Road residence allotted to his mother and preferred to stay with his friends.

Before embarking on a trip to meet RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Tej Pratap, however, rang, Kumar to apprise him with his problem saying that he wanted to focus on his mission to defeat the BJP but was hamstrung by the absence of a place to live on his own.

It is learnt that he impressed on the CM that his younger brother also had a separate residence and he was also allotted a separate bungalow in the capacity of a minister during Grand Alliance government in which the RJD was a partner.

I have to focus on my fight. How will I win the fight if I have no place to live and work on my own, Tej Pratap had shared his angst with a news agency, adding 

I had written to the CM about a month back and also spoke to BCD minister Maheshwar Hazari, but I have got no response yet.

It is learnt that Tej Pratap, who has filed a divorce petition against his wife and refuses to buckle in to family pressure for a reconciliation, has set a pre-condition for his return only after three persons were eased out from the place. He has been spending time in Varanasi, Vrindawan and Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.

All this happened on Thursday, when Patna High Court heard Tejashwis plea and put the matter for further hearing on January 3. As the Leader of Opposition in state Assembly, Tejashwi has been allotted 1, Polo Road bungalow which is occupied by incumbent deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi.

Tejashwi has not vacated his residence since he had to step down as the deputy CM in July 2017 following the installation of NDA government in the state and has been fighting a legal battle, despite government order to vacate the premise.
Pakistan has turned down the demand from the Indian side for a land swap between the two countries to make Kartarpur a part of India.

Absolutely not, Pakistan foreign office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said in Islamabad on Thursday, responding to a media query if Pakistan would consider handing over the Kartarpur land to India in a swap deal.

Its a gesture for Sikh minority community made on their request to provide a visa-free corridor to facilitate visit to a religious shrine. The decision to open the Kartarpur corridor was taken at the state-to-state level and the Indian government was fully involved in it, he added.

The Punjab assembly on December 14 had unanimously passed a resolution, seeking an India-Pak land swap deal on Kartarpur, the final resting place of Guru Nanak located in Narowal district of Pakistan. The Capt Amarinder Singh government had decided to take up the proposal with the Union government, offering over 10,000 acres in the Dera Baba Nanak area in exchange for the land on which the historic gurdwara stands barely three kilometres from the India-Pakistan border.

Congress Rajya Sabha member Partap Singh Bajwa too had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September with a similar demand. Citing an example from 1962 when land was swapped with Pakistan in return for a piece of land at Hussainiwala where the cremation site of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru is located, Bajwa said it will also negate national security concerns that may arise from the corridor.
The negotiations between Bihar politician Ram Vilas Paswans party and the BJP, which started with a warning shot fired by Paswans son Chirag on Twitter, appear to have come to an early end this evening after a meeting anchored by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The pact is expected be made public only tomorrow but according to the broad contours of the formula that has been accepted by both sides, sources said, Paswans Lok Janshakti Party is open to contest five seats in Bihar and one in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh or or Jharkhand.

The BJP is reported to have agreed to throw in a seventh seat, a Rajya Sabha seat for the senior Paswan, who is Union minister for food distribution. Ram Vilas Paswan, 72, does not intend to contest next years general election and has been looking for a Rajya Sabha seat for himself. He is currently a nine-term Lok Sabha member.

Bihar sends 40 members to the Lok Sabha. In the 2014 elections, Paswans party had been allocated seven seats by the NDA; it won six of them and had started talks demanding that it shouldnt have to fight on fewer seats than last time.

Also Read | After flexing muscle, now the negotiations at Paswan meet with BJP

BJPs Amit Shah and the third partner in the NDA in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumars, have already agreed to split the Bihar seats in an equal number. The two parties were speculated to be looking at contesting 17 seats each, leaving six to be shared between Paswans party and Upendra Kushwaha of the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party who has since jumped over to the rival camp.

Chirag Paswan, 35, did not talk about the pact with the BJP after his meeting with Jaitley.

But Ram Vilas Paswans younger brother, Ramchandra Paswan, hinted they were on the right track. We are still with the BJP.... We shall announce a seat sharing formula with the BJP, he said.

But an arrangement that gives five seats in Bihar to ram Vilas Paswans LJP leaves 35 seats for the other two NDA partners, the BJP and Nitish Kumars Janata Dal (United). If the BJP and the JD (U) contest 17 seats each, it is not clear who would be fielded from the one extra seat that the BJP has ended up with.

Sources suggest that there was a possibility that this seat could go to Mukesh Sahni, a 38-year-old former bollywood set designer who launched an outfit of his own, Vikasheel Insaan Party, last month and intends to contest the election from Muzaffarpur seat, currently held by the BJP. Sahni - known as son of mallah (boatman) - comes from a backward community and could help neutralise some of the adverse impact of Upendra Kushwaha exiting the NDA within this community.
The Delhi high court today dismissed the plea of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, convicted to serve the rest of his life in jail for killing five people in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, seeking additional time to surrender.

The court had asked him to surrender by December 31 but he had on Thursday moved it seeking time till the end of January.

In his 15-point request filed before the court, Kumar mentioned how the high courts verdict finding him guilty had stunned him and he needed time to prepare for the jail sentence.

The Delhi high court had on December17 overturned Sajjan Kumars acquittal by a lower court and held him guilty of torching a family of five in west Delhis Raj Nagar during the riots in Delhi nearly 34 years ago. Spending some more time with his family  including his eight grandchildren  was Sajjan Kumars top reason to request the court to give him some grace period before he starts his jail term.

Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel had given the 73-year-old politician, who was considered a Congress strongman in the scores of villages on the outskirts of the national capital, time till December 31 to surrender.

Foremost among the reasons stated in his application seeking a delay in his surrender was the fact that he has eight grandchildren aged between 25 years and five years. The application also states that he has a big family, both from maternal and paternal side.

In the second reason listed in his application, Sajjan Kumar states that he is at present under shock and surprise in view of the order of acquittal having been set aside and conviction and goes on to say that the applicant believes he is innocent.

His third reason states that he needs time to settle his family affairs including affairs with regard to the properties. The application stated that he would not be in a position to settle them within the short span of time granted by the court.
After their two-hour talks with BJP chief Amit Shah, Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan and his son Chirag Paswan today met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who will oversee a formula for seat sharing in Bihar for next years Lok Sabha elections. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the BJPs other ally in the state, has also arrived in Delhi earlier this evening to meet Jaitley.

The Paswans, who head the Lok Janshakti Party, are attempting to ensure that they do not get a raw deal as the BJP and Nitish Kumars Janata Dal United split the Bihar seats in an equal number. This deal was expected to leave Ram Vilas Pasawns party with six seats.

Six is not enough, say the Paswans, who are the only smaller ally left in Bihar after Upendra Kushwaha of the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party walked out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in a huff earlier this month, also over seat sharing.

BJP sources told HT that the Paswans appear to be open to tweak their wish list. For now, it is being suggested to the LJP that it should settle for five seats in Bihar and pick a sixth seat outside the state.

Talks are on, we will disclose details at a later date, Chirag Paswan, 35, said after his meeting with Arun Jaitley in Parliament house today. Another LJP leader, Ramchandra Paswan, said, We are still with the BJP. We arent yet considering leaving the alliance. We shall announce a seat sharing formula with the BJP.

The LJP has started the negotiations, demanding seven seats in Bihar to contest as it had done in the 2014 elections, winning six and losing one by a very small margin. It would also like a Rajya Sabha seat for Ram Vilas Paswan, 72, who is a nine-term Lok Sabha member and the minister for food and public distribution in the Narendra Modi government, but wants to shift to the upper house for health reasons. The LJP is said to be ready to contest six Lok Sabha seats if Paswan senior is fielded for the Rajya Sabha.

Giving seven seats to the LJP will mean either the BJP or the JDU settling for one less, which neither party will be happy to do after Amit Shah announced last month that they would contest an equal number of seats, a number to be disclosed later. A single Rajya Sabha seat that the NDA can win in Assam also has many claimants from within the BJP.

The LJP leaders have said the BJP must finalise seat sharing in Bihar for the general elections by December 31. Chirag Paswan has reportedly written to Jaitley and agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh seeking clarification on demonetisation and farm distress, seen as muscle flexing ahead of the seat sharing negotiations.

He had also earlier this week warned the BJP that it must treat allies with respect pointing out that it has lost partners like the Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh and Upendra Kushwaha, who has since joined the rival camp in Bihar, the mahagathbandan or grand alliance made up of Lalu Yadavs Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress and Jiten Manjhis party.

The mahagathbandhan had included Nitish Kumar, who joined hands with arch rival Lau Yadav and the Congress to contest the 2015 assembly elections in Bihar after his exit from the NDA cost him dearly in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Nitish Kumar quit the mahagathbandhan last year and returned to the NDA fold.
A special CBI court in Mumbai on Friday said there is not enough proof to prove murder and has acquitted all 22 accused in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case.

A total of 22 people, mostly junior officers of the Gujarat and Rajasthan police, were on trial for killing Sheikh, a gangster with alleged terror links, in an alleged fake encounter in November 2005. His wife Kausar Bi was also killed that month and his aide Tulsiram Prajapati shot dead in another encounter by the Gujarat and Rajasthan police in December 2006.

Citing lack of adequate and cogent evidence against the accused, special CBI judge SJ Sharma said that the evidence tendered by the central agency was not sufficient to hold any of them guilty of any of the offences they were charged with.

The prosecution has failed to put forth any documentary and substantive evidence to suggest or establish the alleged conspiracy, he said, according to PTI news agency.

The prosecution examined 210 witnesses, of which 92 turned hostile. At this the court said, Government machinery and prosecution put in a lot of effort, 210 witnesses were brought but satisfactory evidence didnt come and witnesses turned hostile. No fault of prosecutor if witnesses dont speak, reported ANI.

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Sohrabuddin and Kausarbi , who had gone to Hyderabad to celebrate Eid, were picked up by a team of staff of Gujrat Anti Terrorist Squad and Special Task Force from Rajasthan on November 22, 2005 when they were returning on a private luxury bus.

The couple as well as Prajapati, who was also with them, were brought to Gujarats Valsad and then separated. While Prajapati was taken to Udaipur by Rajasthan police, Sohrabuddin and Kausarbi were taken to Ahmedabad by Gujarat police and kept at a farm house.

The agency said that on November 26, 2005, Sohrabuddin was taken to another farm house and killed there. His body was later dumped on a road and police later claimed that he was killed in an encounter at the spot. After about 3 days, Kausarbi too was killed and her body disposed of by burning it.

More than a year thereafter, on December 27, 2006, Prajapati was also shot dead by a joint team of Gujarat and Rajasthan police in an allegedly stage-managed encounter near the Gujarat-Rajasthan border.

The CBI, which took over the case in 2010, had filed a case against 38 people, including then Gujarat home minister (and now BJP president Amit Shah) and senior Gujarat and Rajasthan police officials. However, a special court in Mumbai, where the case was shifted from Gujarat following a Supreme Court order in 2013, had discharged 16 of them, including Amit Shah and senior police officers like Gujarat police chief PC Pande and anti-terror squad chief DG Vanzara.

The Bombay high court had later rejected the plea of Sheikhs brother Rubabuddin against the discharge of Vanzara and four other police officers.


A BJP MLA Thursday criticised former bureaucrats who have sought Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths resignation over the Bulandshahr mob violence, saying they were concerned only with the death there of two men and not of 21 cows.

MLA Sanjay Sharma, who represents Anupshahr assembly constituency in Bulandshahr, also said only the people have the power to remove a chief minister elected with huge mandate.

Over 80 former bureaucrats had written an open letter Wednesday alleging failure of the state and central governments in the handling of the December 3 mob violence in Bulandshahrs Siyana Tehsil after cow carcasses were found near a village.

They had accused Adityanath of bigotry and sought his resignation over the violence in which an on-duty police inspector, Subodh Kumar Singh, and a civilian, Sumit Kumar, were died after suffering bullet injuries. Now you all are worrying about the Bulandshahr incident. Your imaginative brains can see only the two deaths, that of Sumit and the duty-bound police inspector. You cannot see that 21 cows also died, MLA Sharma wrote in his open letter Thursday.

In a state where farmers are tolerating loss of their crops for the last two years for the sake of cows and thank the chief minister for stopping cow slaughter how would that Hindu then tolerate cow slaughter? Had there been no cow slaughter, such an incident would not have taken place. Hence, the action against those slaughtering cows is correct, he wrote.

His letter comes at a time when the police in Bulandshahr have arrested three men over the alleged cow slaughter that took place in Siyana on December 3. Police registered an FIR for cow slaughter on a complaint by local Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, who had accused seven people. During initial probe, police had arrested four people but later released them. Three men who were not named in the FIR were arrested Tuesday as the actual culprits in the case.

For mob violence, another FIR was registered on the same day naming 27 people and 50 to 60 unidentified people. So far, 19 people have been arrested in the mob violence case, even as Yogesh Raj of the Bajrang Dal, who is a key suspect in the violence, remained at large.

MLA Sharma said the former civil servants have accused the chief minister of bias against a particular community, when he himself allowed them permission to hold a huge three-day congregation. This happened in the same state where previous governments would not allow Ramleelas to be held in villages. Had there been a bias, why would the government allow the congregation? he wrote.

On wrong people getting arrested for cow slaughter and they all being from the same community, the MLA said it was the government which self-corrected itself at that point but unfortunately the others arrested later for the act also belong to the same community and your assertion of bias in that light reflects your mental weakness. On your demand for the chief ministers resignation in your letter, in which you have umpteen times referred to the Constitution, let me remind you that only the people, who have elected the chief minister with a huge mandate, can remove him and not some scurrilous people like you who challenge the constitutional system, Sharma wrote.

The lawmaker also the former bureacrats letter appeared politically motivated.
The Agra school girl was just 500 metres away from her house when she was intercepted and set afire by two motorcycle-borne men on Tuesday afternoon, according to police officers familiar with the case.

She used to go to her school, which was about 1.5km away from her house, on a bicycle.

According to her family and friends, she was a bright student who wanted to make it big in life.

Locals said two men wearing helmets poured some inflammable liquid on the girls head and set her afire using a lighter. The girl rolled on the ground to save herself but fell in a roadside ditch.

Mukesh Kumar, driver of a school bus (not from the girls school), who was returning after dropping children saw the flames and rushed to the girls rescue.

Finding the girl engulfed in flames, he took out the fire extinguisher from his bus but it did not work.

He returned for another extinguisher and succeeded in dousing the fire but by then she had sustained 70 per cent burns. Her bicycle and schoolbag were completely gutted.

Motorcycle walon ne mujhe jalaya hai, (I was burnt by motor-cycle-borne men) was all that the girl could tell the villagers who gathered at the spot.

The girls family rushed her to the emergency ward of SN Medical College and Hospital in Agra.

However, her condition continued to deteriorate after which the doctors referred her to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi.

A GOOD STUDENT

The victim girl was second among five siblings  three girls and two boys.

According to her family members, she was good at studies and had opted for mathematics as her subject. She was popular in her class and had many friends, they said.

Her father is a labourer in a factory in Agra and her mother is a housewife.

One of her friends said she wanted to achieve big in life. She was at ease with her friends and had a positive attitude towards life, she added.

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Stating that the convict was not capable of reformation and showed no remorse, the Bombay high court (HC) on Thursday upheld and confirmed the death sentence pronounced by a special womens court against Chandrabhan Sanap in 2015. Sanap was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of Esther Anuhya, a 23-year-old software engineer from Andhra Pradesh, in 2014.

Anuhya was murdered shortly after she arrived in Mumbai from Visakhapatnam on January 5, 2014. Sanap offered her a lift on his two-wheeler at Lokmanya Tilak railway Terminus (LTT) and then murdered her at Kanjurmarg and stole her luggage, including a laptop. The engineers burnt and decomposed body was found on January 17 at Bhandup. The Government Railway Police (GRP) came across CCTV footage in which she was seen with Sanap, who was 29 years old at the time. The Mumbai crime branch arrested him on March 3.

The HC was hearing a case filed by the state to confirm the death sentence. The hearing began on February 27, 2017, and all arguments were concluded on November 1. During the hearing, the bench of justices Ranjit More and Bharati Dangre allowed Sanap to prove if he was innocent. However, the judges dismissed the defences plea for leniency on the ground of Sanaps good conduct as an undertrial. They said Sanap was a menace to the society and that he showed no possibility of reformation.

According to the bench, the motivation of the perpetrator, vulnerability of the victim, enormity of the crime, the execution thereof were factors which normally weighed with the court in awarding the death sentence.

The bench also referred to the 2013 Law Commission report. The report emphasised on ascertaining whether the person was capable of reformation and rehabilitation and whether he would be a threat to society or whether not granting the death penalty would send a wrong message to society.

The bench said while the 2012 gang-rape in Delhi  where the victim was a paramedical student  brought in a criminal amendment to make rape laws stricter, incidents such as the Shakti Mills rape and countless other cases of sexual assault continued to take place across the nation. The increasing incidence (of crime against women) have led to the countrys entire womenfolk questioning their safety. They expect the legislature and the judiciary to restore their faith in the system, the bench said.

The bench considered aggravating circumstances, which included commission of crime of rape and murder by Sanap. Secondly, the murder was committed to satisfy his lust and in a barbaric manner with an attempt to destroy the evidence. The bench found the murder proved Sanaps total depravity and the absence of provocation to commit the crimes on a helpless woman who accompanied him so that he may drop her to her destination. The bench said the crime was so brutal that it shocked the conscience of the society and the judiciary.

The bench also referred to mitigating circumstances, which included Sanaps age at the time of the crime, his criminal antecedents and chances of him not indulging in such a crime again. Based on these circumstances the bench said, We have tried to see if there was any possibility of reformation. The accused is now 33 years old and at the time of the crime, he was 29. We have noticed that there is no remorse on his part.

We will appeal against the death sentence in the SC as there was a gross violation of section 273 of the Criminal Procedure Code, while recording Sanaps evidence. Rather than Sanap excusing himself from being physically present in court at the time of recording evidence, he was kept away at the behest of the sessions judge and was only brought to court when the examination started. Hence, the death sentence is not valid, said advocate Niteen Pradhan, who represented Sanap.

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Two meetings I had earlier this week were delayed because the persons I was supposed to see werent on their seats at the appointed time. Both had strong reputation for punctuality, so this seemed out of character.

But their absence was not a slur on their credentials, as I realised quickly. In both cases, they had been pulled into an urgent fire-drill exercise supervised by functionaries of the Mumbai Fire Brigade for their respective organisations.

My apologies, said one of the persons I was to meet. This drill was unscheduled, but after what happened this week, the management decided this was top priority.

Nothing in human nature transforms inaction into action swifter than fear. The fire in Andheris ESIC Kamgar Hospital, which has tragically claimed 10 lives already, had clearly jolted establishments into reassessing their own safety standards.

The drill wasnt spectacular, said the second person I met. It was basically about ensuring firefighting systems were in place and using common sense in a calamity. But I must admit the system we had wasnt foolproof, nor did we have knowledge to cope with such crisis.

This raises the question why such drills arent done regularly. Why cant organisations and establishments  commercial and residential  carry out such drill regularly? Why wait for a tragedy to happen?

There are two reasons for this. One, fire accidents are not as frequent as those we see on roads, so the danger is thought to be minimal. Two, we expect that necessary precautions against this have been ensured by authorities: municipal corporation, organisations, housing societies, et al.

Both assumptions lull us into complacency, but are flawed.

While fire accidents may be fewer compared to road accidents, they are almost always deadlier. 10 people have died in the Kamgar Hospital fire already. The toll could go up.

Not too long ago, 14 lives were lost in a couple of pubs in Kamala Mills. This is not a small toll. Add to this the suffering to property and business, and the loss is even more substantial.

But whats galling is how essential checks and balances against such eventualities are glossed over by authorities through corruption or use of influence by those in power. This belies the very trust on which the second assumption  that safety precautions have been adhered to  is made.

The Kamala Mills fire, as we now know, was a result of basic safety norms being flouted on the intervention of some people in the powers that be. In the case of the Kamgar Hospital, as is coming to light, it is because of apathy, and lack of necessary due diligence.

While two employees of a construction company that was engaged for repair work at the hospital were arrested for negligence and violating the Maharashtra Fire and Safety Act, this should not obscure how authorities have failed miserably in ensuring that basic minimum safety standards had been instituted/maintained.

For instance, a fire had broken out in the same hospital in March, but no follow-up action was taken. Worse, Kamgar had failed a fire safety audit as recently as 17 days ago, but nobody was roused into taking swift and strict action. What is most disturbing, however, as this newspaper reported on Wednesday, it is not just Kamgar Hospital that was at risk.

According to the Mumbai Fire Brigade which had inspected 92 hospitals nine, including five run by the municipal corporation, were all flouting fire safety norms. The five civic-run hospitals in question were Kasturba Hospital, TB Hospital in Sewri, Acworth Municipal Hospital for Leprosy in Wadala, ENT Hospital in Fort and Municipal Eye Hospital in Kamathipura.

As the newspaper reports, in 2011, 66 of 67 hospitals were made to comply with fire safety rules which they had either ignored or let lapse. This includes such elementary measures such as emergency exits, fire extinguishers, sprinkler, etc.

The crisis does not start and end with municipal hospitals, of course. If there was to be a hard audit of establishments  eateries, theatres, shops, malls, offices, commercial and residential buildings  allowed to function without adequate fire safety, a fair guess is it would run into thousands.

Thats a crisis of monumental scale. When will the authorities wake up?
Police on Friday arrested 126 people, busting a fake call centre in Noida, which was being used to dupe US citizens, officials said.

A raid was conducted at the call centre, located in sector 63, late on Thursday night on a tip-off that dubious operations were being carried out from there, Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Pal Sharma said.

Several telephone operators were questioned. On Friday, police announced the arrest of 126 people.

Workers at the fake call centre would call up US citizens and intimidate them saying there were problems with their social security number, a nine-digit identification number issued to US citizens, and demand money to fix it, Sharma said.

Over the past few months, about a dozen fake call centres have been busted in Noida and scores of people arrested for duping foreigners, including Americans and Canadians, officials said.
The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), in its pursuit of power, cannot understand the fact that the Ram temple is as much an issue of faith for the people, as it is for it. It may deliver electoral dividends once again but only after the construction of the temple actually begins. Then why does the party raise the temple pitch ahead every poll?

Indeed, many Indians  not Hindus alone  want the Ram temple in Ayodhya, but not at the cost of peace and precious lives. The common refrain is: Let there be a temple through consensus. Many of them are even open to the reconstruction of the mosque nearby.

Similarly, barring hardliners in the minority community, many are veering around to the view that the temple should be constructed in Ayodhya, but they demand a guarantee that no other mosque will be razed to the ground in future. How can the poor chant mantras on empty stomachs though they may temporarily get caught up in the temple frenzy  a reason why the emotive issue gradually lost its viability after the demolition of the disputed shrine.

Once again, the message sent by the five states that went to the polls in November-December is loud and clear. People voted for development and will vote for the temple but only after the construction of the temple begins. Even an ordinance on the temple on the eve of the elections is not going to convince them.

Distressed farmers, despite the conch shells blowing in Ayodhya in the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh, did not return the BJP governments in the three northern states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Telangana and Mizoram were geographically distant.

Although the BJP leaders have been denying that they raised the temple pitch or intensified the Hindutva campaign in the runup to the polls, certain events contradict that.

On October 6, the Election Commission announced the poll dates. In less than a fortnight, on October 18, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat demanded an ordinance by the Centre to build the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

At the Shiv Senas Dusshera rally in Mumbai on the same day, party president Uddhav Thackeray announced his Ayodhya visit on November 24 and 25. Fearing the Shiv Sena might hijack the temple issue, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad also announced a rally the next day.

The dates  November 24, 25 and 26  had no association with the almost century-old temple movement. The polling in Madhya Pradesh was scheduled on November 28.

In fact, the political narrative throughout October was nothing but the Ram temple and Hindutva with the BJPs star campaigner going to the extent of according a caste to Hanuman.

Again, the clashes in Bulandshahr on December 3 came four days before polling in Rajasthan on December 7. A large congregation of Muslims at the Tablighi Ijtema, coupled with the recovery of cow carcasses, could have ignited communal riots in west UP.

Perhaps politicians must understand the core value of this country which is spiritual in temper. The people have learnt to respect other religions, which explains the peaceful coexistence of different communities and castes in India, despite grave provocations.

The politics of polarisation will be passe sooner rather than later as the poor cant live on mantras alone.
Begusarai Police on Thursday filed a charge sheet against former Bihar social welfare minister Kumari Manju Verma and her husband Chandrasekhar Verma in an Arms Act case. The charge sheet was submitted before the court of additional chief judicial magistrate, Manjhaul.

Kumari Manju, a suspended JD (U) MLA, had surrendered before a Muzaffarpur court on November 20 last year.

Kumari Manju was charged under the Arms Act four months ago following recovery of illegal bore 50 ammunition from her residences in Patna and Begusarai during CBI raids conducted as part of Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual abuse case.

An arrest warrant was also issued against her, but she was not arrested despite the Supreme Courts lashing out at the Bihar government for failing to locate the former minister.

The former minister came under the radar of probe officials in July this year, soon after her husbands links emerged with Brajesh Thakur, the prime accused in the Muzaffarpur shelter home case. She had to resign as the minister from the Nitish Kumar Cabinet on August 8.

On October 25, the apex court asked the state government and the CBI to explain why there was a delay in tracing the whereabouts of Chandrasekhar. Later, he surrendered before the Manjhaul court on October 29.

Additional public prosecutor Shailendra Kumar said that the ACJM court will be take cognizance, following filing of the charge sheet and that the case would be referred for a trial in district and session court.

Kumari Manjus bail plea had been turned down by ACJM Prabhat Trivedi December 4. Last week, while appearing before the court, the MLA had alleged that she was being harassed on account of being a woman and belonging to the Kushwaha caste considered to be a weaker section of the society.

The district and session judge court of Begusarai, Diwan Abdul Aziz Khan, will hear her regular bail petition on December 22. The court has already sought a case diary from the investigating officer.
Several cases, related to sexual harassment and sexual exploitation of women, are coming to fore on a day-to-day basis in urban as well as rural girls. To provide a platform to such girls and women in rural areas, who otherwise do not have much access to social media, where they can raise voice against sexual harassments, a mobile app has been developed by a group of city-based activists.

CASE -1: A girl in her early 20s from Patna

I was 19-year-old and was waiting to get admission in Patna Womens college. My cousin, who was around 30 years, used to help me in my studies. One day, he came upstairs while my parents and other guests were sitting downstairs. He asked me to take out my books so that he could help me. I have always trusted him. But that day, when I was taking out books, he came from behind and held me tight and started harassing me. He pushed me on the bed and started undressing me. I somehow gathered courage and screamed. He threatened that if I said anything to anyone, I would have to face the consequences. My worst was not over. I tried to convince my parents that I did not want to take tuitions from him, but they accused me of having lost interest in studies. I was beaten by my mother, even though I was trying to give them hints that something terrible had happened with me for which my cousin was responsible. My health deteriorated, I lost peace of mind and was so disturbed that I could not attend college and had to waste one precious year of my academics.

CASE -2- Girl (15-20 years; Patna)

My sister is very shy and timid but very intelligent and beautiful. She was studying in a famous school in Patna. Suddenly, it became very apparent that my sister was refusing to go to school and had lost all interest in her studies. She used to sit silently in her room, often crying. We failed to understand that she was suffering from depression. My mother mistook it for a hormonal changes taking place in her body. One night, she was inconsolable. After much pursuance she relented. She said that a boy in our neighbourhood had been constantly stalking her, sending her nude pictures on WhatsApp and asking her for sex. Since she was not able to say anything, she went into depression.

These are just two of the numerous cases that are coming to fore on day-to-day basis about the harassment being suffered by urban as well as rural girls. To provide a platform to girls and women in rural areas, who otherwise do not have much access to social media, where they can raise voice against sexual harassments, a mobile app has been developed by a group of city-based activists.

Bandhan Tod 2.0 (Break your shackles) app is an upgrade of its earlier version, which only catered to cases of child marriage and domestic violence. The main, new additional feature of the app is Chuppi Tod, meant for airing grievances related to sexual harassment and stalking cases.

We have now completely revamped our old app, and especially after the #MeToo movement in the country, so many people opened up about their previous cases, on Twitter and Facebook. But, that is only a very select urban sample of the cases, such incidents are also happening in rural areas, said Prashanti Tiwari, an official of Gender Alliance, the NGO behind the app said.

And, this new app seeks to give girls and women in rural areas, a voice, a platform to vent their angst and frustration, when they feel helpless, she said.

The official explained that the app has been modified keeping in mind that not girls in rural areas are social media-savvy or use Twitter or Facebook. This gave birth to Chuppi Tod feature and like the old app for child marriage cases, a sexual harassment victim can raise an SOS through a button.

The app, now available in Hindi only, can be downloaded by any user of a smart phone, rural or urban, adding, smart phone penetration is there in rural areas too.

We will first vet the allegations, and then take actions accordingly, which could either be a legal intervention or counselling in person or connecting her with the National Women Commission, the official said.

The Gender Alliance official said, its team has already met with the Bihar police chief and he has encouraged its use to address such cases, adding seven cases have already been reported through Chuppi Tod before the formal launch of the app.

Bandhan Tod App

Bandhan Tod aap, launched in 2017, registered 47 cases of child marriage. One of the girls, Rinki Kumari, 13, who hails from Benipur block of Darbhanga, was getting married to a man, aged 22, in a neighbouring village.

On the day, her parents were supposed to meet the would-be spouse, she raised the SoS just a day before. She was extremely nervous and crying continuously. We informed the DSP and the Mukhiya. The marriage was stopped, said an official.

The girl was later felicitated by chief minister Nitish Kumar for bravely resisting the evil practice.

How does the app work: The application through an SoS feature will be able to immediately reach the women and girls in distress and needing help in cases of sexual assaults and sexual harassment and child marriage. Gender Alliance would be immediately notified with all the geo coordinates as to from where the message has been raised and will respond immediately on the number to provide help and support.

The Chuppi Tod feature (tab) has three components, a user can discuss an issue in a public forum; message privately after which a counsellor will call her back and offer guidance; or raise SOS, which then comes to base handler.

SOME FACTS

Bihar governments policy against child marriage launched on: October 2, 2017

Bihar has one of the highest incidences of under 18 marriages of young girls in the country: 40%. (Source: The National Family Health Survey 2015)

Out of 84,746 cases of Sexual assault in the country in 2016, only 324 were registered in Bihar with a rate of 0.6 as per National Crimes Record Bureau 2016.

Out of 324 cases in Bihar in 2016, only 124 were on Sexual Harassment, 7 against voyeurism and 4 against stalking. This implies that Bihar registered just 0.3% of cases against sexual assault in 2016.
With former NDA partner Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) eventually defecting to the rival camp, the Grand Alliance (GA) in Bihar is plagued with the problem of plenty.

The GA or Mahagathbandhan is a coalition of political parties in Bihar which was formed before the 2015 legislative assembly elections and comprised the Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress.

However, in the last two years, the alliance saw addition of several parties while the JD(U) parted ways to join the NDA. Today, the GA comprises six partiesthe Congress, RJD, Jitan Ram Majhis Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S), RLSP, CPI and CPM. Besides, it also has the implicit support of Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP), which takes the total to eight.

Each of these parties wishes to contest on more than one seat in 2019 parliamentary polls, with bigger allies RJD and Congress already staking claim to a larger share.

Given its surging strength, the grouping is set to face the tumultuous task of satisfying everyone with the proverbial respectable share.

Incarcerated RJD chief Lalu Prasad has already announced that his party would contest 25 out of the 40 seats in Bihar with others sharing the remaining 15. Given the present political scenario when Congress is bolstered by victory in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, it is unlikely that the t the grand old party would yield to the RJDs demand. It has already announced itself as the big brother in the alliance by virtue of its national party status as well as swelling popularity in the state.

In 2014, when the Congress had only four legislators, it had contested 12 parliamentary seats. Today, it has 27 MLAs and hence it is certain that it would like to have a bigger share of seats than the RJD.

Besides, the interests of other alliance partners, also cannot be undermined if the coalition wants to deprive Prime Minister Narendra Modi a second stint and snatch power from the NDA in the 2020 Bihar assembly polls.

Before switching to GA, RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha had been bargaining hard for three seats, but BJP and JD (U) were determined to give him only one seat. Having snubbed by the NDA at a crucial time, Kushwaha is certain to stick to his demand for three seats, namely Karakat, Ujiyarpur and Khagaria. The RJD would be unwilling to part with the Ujiyarpur seat as it wants to field Lalus close associate, Ashok Mehta, from there and this could emerge as a bone of contention between the two parties.

Similarly, HAM (S) would like to contest a minimum two seats, Gaya and Jehanabad, albeit there is a chance that it might stick to only Gaya against an assurance of getting more seats in the assembly polls.

The Left (CPI and CPM) is interested in contesting Begusarai and Ara. Former JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumars electoral debut is already certain from Begusarai on a CPI ticket.

RJD insiders said SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav recently spoke to Lalu Prasad, requesting him to leave Jhanjharpur seat for his partys Bihar unit president Devendra Yadav, who had represented the constituency in the 14th Lok Sabha.

Mayawati has evinced interest in fielding candidates from a couple of seats, including Gopalganj, which is reserved for Schedule Caste candidates.

The Congress has moved way ahead since 2014. The Congress wave is sweeping the country. We will certainly get a respectable number of seats to contest. I dont think there will be any issue in seat sharing, said senior Congress leader and Katihar MP Tariq Anwar.

State Congress president Madan Mohan Jha said there was a solution to every problem. We will amicably resolve all issues, including seat sharing, he said.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday, Congress Bihar in-charge Shaktisinh Gohil said parties under the GA grouping were united on ideological issues. There is no lust for seats among any one of us. I assure there will be no issue on seat sharing, he said.

Leader of opposition in Bihar assembly and RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav too reiterated similar opinion from the same platform. We are united in the interest of nation and Bihar, to protect constitution and save its institutions. We are united and shall remained united, he said.
Bigg Boss 7 contestant Armaan Kohli has been arrested by the police for illegal possession of liquor bottles. As many as 41 bottles of scotch whisky, most of them purchased abroad, were found at his residence in Juhu, Mumbai, according to a Times of India report.

One isnt allowed to keep more than 12 liquor bottles in their possession for longer than a month. Law also prohibits one of bringing more than one bottle of liquor at a time from overseas. Kohli was questioned at the Bandra excise station and the officials are trying to ascertain the cost of the entire stock that was found in his possession.

Kohli became famous on Bigg Boss for his quick temper and his relationship with actor Tanisha Mukerjee. He was also booked by the Mumbai police in June for assaulting his live-in partner Neeru Randhawa.According to police, he was accused by Neeru, a model, of beating her up after an argument broke out between the two.

The woman alleged they were discussing about money, when Kohli lost his temper and started hitting her. After a case was registered with the police, a team was formed to investigate into the matter and the womans statement was recorded.

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Actor Danish Zehen of Vikas Guptas show Ace of Space has died in a car accident; the actor was 21. He reportedly met with an accident on Vashi highway, Mumbai on Thursday morning. A picture presumed to be of the accident spot has also gone viral on the web.

Mourning his death, Vikas wrote on his Instagram account, Danish tu humesha Zehen main Rahega, how do I tell the other houseguests that you arent coming back. You are the coloured hair king of AceOfSpace #Coolestbadboi You looked like a baby as I saw you lying down, thinking you could wake up anytime. You have long gone but you shall remain always in my #Zehen Thankyou for teaching me this word ??.

According to a report in India Today, Danish was returning from a wedding in Kurla when he met with the accident. He was a wild card contestant on Vikass show, Ace of Space. Other contestants on the show, including Divya Agarwal and Varun Sood, have also posted their condolences on Vikas post.

He was also a lifestyle blogger with a large following on Instagram. His last video that shows him lip syncing to a song has gone viral. The instagram account is also flooded with many creative pictures hinting at his fascination for fitness, biking and photography.

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The Innocent Man

Director - Clay Tweel

Rating - 4/5

Ada, Oklahoma, is the sort of small town that has a church on every corner, a woman who lives there says in the first episode of Netflixs latest true crime series, The Innocent Man. It is also, as we will see a couple of minutes later, the sort of small town whose pastors preach the Gospel of Christ with a loaded gun on their person. Five in the clip, none in the chamber, says one of them, glowing with pride. Only God should have the power to take a life, he offers as an explanation; but in Ada, Oklahoma, some men have robbed God of this power.

Shows such as The Innocent Man, based on best-selling author John Grishams first (and only) non-fiction book, are a window into an America that we rarely see, an America that is rarely projected. It is fitting then, that this side of America - a rotten, crime-infested land of rampant corruption and backward beliefs - is brought to our attention by the same people that the country is trying to hide.

Watch the Innocent Man trailer here

Grisham came across this incredible story because of his association with the Innocence Project - a heroic group of lawyers whove made it their mission to exonerate wrongfully convicted prisoners. Grisham was presented the case of one Ron Williamson, a mentally ill man who in the mid-80s was arrested for and convicted of killing a young woman. Williamson was sentenced to death - he spent 11 years on death row - and came within five days of being executed on one occasion. He was released when new DNA evidence cleared his name, in an appeal effort lead by the Innocence Project. But more than a decade spent on death row, untreated for mental illnesses that were visibly taking over his body, had an irreparable effect on Williamson, who could not adjust to life as a free man.

John Grisham wrote the source material and is credited as a producer on Netflixs The Innocent Man.

It took Ron four years to drink himself to death, Grisham says plainly. In offering justice for the death of one person, the system took the life of another. If I were to write this story as a novel, says Grisham, also credited as one of the shows producers, no one would believe it.

But it gets stranger. A few years before the Ada police picked up Williamson, theyd arrested two young men for the rape and murder of another young woman. Both Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot are still in prison, serving life sentences on the basis of what they claim were false confessions, coerced out of them by law enforcement officers covering their own tracks.

The scene of the crime in Netflixs The Innocent Man.

What unfolds is a story that is all too familiar but just as difficult to believe as the several other times weve seen similar cases on screen, in The Thin Blue Line, the Paradise Lost trilogy, and more recently, in Netflixs own Making a Murderer. Its a story about greed and corruption, about systemic malpractice, but it is also a story about human perseverance, and decency.

As someone who has, like millions of others, lapped up every new true crime series that were given, The Innocent Man is in many ways a reminder of just how overwhelming certain injustices truly are. Its so heartbreaking that simply based on the broadest outlines of certain cases, an experienced viewer can accurately predict how the story will play out.

Tommy Ward rots in prison in The Innocent Man.

More often than not, it begins with a dead woman (its always a woman), a false confession - usually extracted from the most vulnerable they can prey upon - and ends in a wrongful conviction. What follows is an indictment of the American justice system - it is estimated that over 90,000 wrongfully convicted prisoners are incarcerated in its overpopulated (and privatised) prisons - and a story of the many lives that are affected by such deliberate wrongdoing. In what is perhaps the most tragic example of this cases fallout, the victims mother, now an ageing lady who needs a wheelchair to move around, recalls how her life disintegrated after her daughters death. I have been on antidepressants for 35 years, she says, plagued by the guilt of knowing that it was a belt that shed gifted her daughter that was used as the murder weapon.

The town of Ada in The Innocent Man isnt unlike Nithari in Noida.

Ada, Oklahoma is the sort of nondescript Bible Belt town that weve seen so often in shows like The Innocent Man - a town where class distinctions are a life sentence in themselves. All the power in Ada is concentrated among a few at the top of the ivory tower, while the poor are systematically ignored and oppressed. Their lives and their memories are being washed away by alcohol and drugs and violence. And the criminal justice system is taking care of whatevers left.

But stories such as this arent restricted to Ada or America; something similar happened in our own backyard. The recent documentary film, The Karma Killings, told a version of this story s- about the rich and the poor and the murder of innocent girls - that made headlines a few years ago, and through its own tale of class conflict and cruel injustice, suggested that perhaps Nithari in Uttar Pradesh and Ada, Oklahoma arent too different after all.

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The author tweets @RohanNaahar

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Thirteen miners died and 10 were injured after a methane gas fire erupted in a coal mine in the east of Czech Republic, a spokesman said on Friday.

The accident occurred at a depth of 880 metres (2,800 feet) at the CSM mine in the city of Karvina, about 300 kilometres (190 miles) east of Prague and close to the Polish border, on Thursday afternoon.

In total, we have 13 dead miners  12 Polish and one Czech, Ivo Celechovsky, spokesman for the OKD mining company, told AFP. Nada Chattova, a spokeswoman for the hospital in the nearby city of Ostrava, said two men had been treated at its burns centre, including one fighting for his life.

One was brought in by helicopter, he is still in a critical condition. The other one is in a stable condition and his life is not in danger, she told AFP. One miner with lighter injuries was taken to a hospital in Karvina and seven were treated on the spot, also with lighter injuries, Czech media said.

Authorities had reported five dead miners and eight missing on Thursday evening.

Thirteen miners have not made it to the surface. Its impossible for any of them to survive, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters after visiting the site on Friday. Im terribly sad, Morawiecki said, adding that Poland would take care of the bereaved families and of those who have survived.

He added that Poland had sent in a rescue team but the operation had stopped because of high temperatures in the mine and the danger of further explosions.

Polands President Andrzej Duda declared Sunday a day of national mourning.

Feel like crying

OKD spokesman Celechovsky said the fire was still burning and barriers were being put up to stop it from spreading, with work expected to continue at least until Sunday. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis called the blast a huge tragedy in a tweet, while President Milos Zeman said he was immensely saddened by the accident.

Bohuslav Machek, an inspector at the Czech Mining Authority, told AFP the cause of the fire was uncertain. There must have been some source, some spark, which ignited the methane, he said. There are more possibilities, but at this point, it is pure speculation, he added.

Celechovsky said on Thursday the dead Polish miners were from the Poland-based Alpex mining company.

Were one big family, its a terrible tragedy, a Czech miner told the local Polar TV. I was supposed to be there, I work with these teams every day. They sent me to work somewhere else today, said a Polish miner.

I feel like crying, he told Polar TV. OKD, which runs the mine, is controlled by the Czech state and expects to extract about five million tonnes of coal this year.

The accident is the most serious at a Czech mine since 1990 when 30 miners died after a methane explosion at another mine in Karvina.
US secretary of defense James Mattis, a towering American icon and unparalleled supporter of ties with India, resigned on Thursday, day after the Trump administration abruptly announced the withdrawal of American troops from Syria, and told the president in a resignation letter he deserved someone at the Pentagon whose views are better aligned with yours.

Mattis, like many other Trump aides and advisers, had opposed the pullout and tried one last time to persuade the president to reverse his decision at a meeting at the White House in the afternoon. But he failed, as the president was not only in no mood to relent but had dug in and was punching back even at close allies who were opposing him on the pullout.

Mattis has been the most enthusiastic and influential supporter of ties with India in the Trump administration, according to several Indian and US officials who spoke to Hindustan Times off the record over the past many months.

His departure is a loss, we lost a champion, said an Indian official.

This is through and through a Greek tragedy, wrote Ashley Tellis, an Asia expert with think tank Carnegie, in an email response to a request for comments. His departure is a big loss for the country: He was a towering center of sanity and the source of reassurance for Americas friends and allies.

With him goes the last great champion of strong US-India ties in this administration.

Mattis had emerged as the strongest supporter of relations with India, specially after he urged lawmakers at a congressional hearing to amend a US law to grant India a waiver from sanctions targeting buyers of significant volumes of Russian military hardware.

The lawmakers agreed and changed the law  Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, better known by acronyms CAATSA  but a decision is still awaited.

Not for Secretary Mattis though. It was settled issue for him. Well sort out all those issues here today, and in the days ahead, he told reporters during defense minister Nirmala Sitharamans visit recently and added, later, Well work everything out, trust me.

Later that day, Secretary Mattis hosted Minister Sitharaman at Smithsonians Freer Gallery of Asian Art for dinner that officials said was marked by personal touches from him that bore testimony to his belief in the relationship.

It was on Mattiss watch that the Pacific Command of the US military was rechristened Indo-Pacific Command in a nod to growing ties with India and an acknowledgement of the increasing significance of India on the world stage and in Americas world view, with China as a shared challenge.

Benjamin Schwartz, a former Pentagon official who dealt with ties with India, cautioned, however, against overestimating the impact of Mattiss exit on ties with India. Mattis was a strong backer for sure, but the geopolitics of Asia incline most US officials responsible for national security to see India as an important partner, he wrote in an email response.

Trump announced Mattis departure shortly after the defense secretarys failed pitch for pullout reversal in a tweet. General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years. He went on to describe some of the secretarys contributions and that he will leave i February. But he sought to portray his departure as retirement, when it was anything but. Mattis, a four-star Marine corps general retired long time ago.

This time, Mattis, 68, was resigning. The Pentagon set the record straight by releasing Mattiss resignation letter shortly. One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships, Mattis wrote.

Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position. Thats a resignation, and over differences.

The two men had differed on an entire range of issues, from banning transgender troops to Trumps Space Force to a French Bastille-Day style military parade. Earlier, when they were still on good terms, Mattis would simply slow-deal issues that he did not agree with. That was the time when the men met frequently, sometimes over dinner at the White House  over hamburgers and briefing books.

Mattis had then formed a group of senior Trump officials who were called the men in the room, who brought order and discipline to Trumps chaotic administration, with former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a long-time CEO of ExxonMobil, and John Kelly, another US military general who was secretary of homeland secretary. And then they began falling out of favor.

Tillerson was thrown out in March, while he was on an official visit to Africa, and Kelly was fired earlier this month as chief of staff. Many more went on their own or were forced out, in between, before and since  cabinet secretaries Tom Price and Scott Pruitt, ambassador to UN Nikki Haley, attorney general Jeff Sessions, National Security Adviser H R McMaster and interior secretary Ryan Zinke, And some, such as homeland security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, are said to be standing in the doorway, waiting to be tipped over.

Turnover in the Trump administration has been high, record breaking, in fact. Brookings, a leading US think tank, said in an October analysis, President Trump is breaking records.

Ten (or 83%) of the most senior-ranking White House advisers have departed, sparking a cascade of turnover in the junior ranks as well. At this stage of the presidency, two years down, President Ronald Reagan (1981 to 1989) had 59% turnover; George H W Bush (1989-1993) 17%; Bill Clinton (1993-2001) 58%; George W Bush (2001-2009) 17%; and Barack Obama (2009-2016) 41%, according to the study.
The Trump administration on Thursday ordered the withdrawal of 7,000 American troops from Afghanistan, the day after an abrupt announcement of a pullout of 2,000 troops from Syria, which, together with other factors, triggered the resignation of defence secretary James Mattis.

An estimated 7,000 American troops will still remain in Afghanistan after the withdrawal, but only under a cloud of uncertainty given the nature and timing of the decision, coming just hours after the resignation of the countrys top Pentagon official.

There have been no formal announcements, not even a Tweet from president, who announced both the Syria pullout and Mattiss departure in posts on the microblogging site over Wednesday and Thursday. But the decision appears to be in line with the presidents long-apparent distaste for these engagements. Afghanistan is now the longest American battle yet, lasting 17 years.

A spokesman for Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani said via social media, If they withdraw from Afghanistan it will not have a security impact because in the last 4 1/2 years the Afghans have been in full control.

But the backlash for President Trump at home was unsparing, just like the reaction to the Syria pullout, if not worse. Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Trump, wrote on Twitter, The conditions in Afghanistan  at the present moment  make American troop withdrawals a high risk strategy. If we continue on our present course we are setting in motion the loss of all our gains and paving the way toward a second 9/11.

Graham had called the Syrian pullout a disaster and a stain on the honor of the United States (for abandoning allies, as the US has done many times before).

Trump had pushed back then, and has not yet shown any inclination towards addressing Senator Grahams concerns, not publicly at least. The president had campaigned against these long wars and had vowed to end them on election. His reasoning, as he said in a Tweet on Syria pullout and which can shift, was the United States cannot be the policeman of the world and it should not be spending money and spilling American blood fighting wars for others.

An administration official said, according The Wall Street Journal which first reported the Afghanistan pullout decision, I think it shows how serious the president is about wanting to come out of conflicts. I think he wants to see viable options about how to bring conflicts to a close.
The governor of Indonesias Papua province has called for an end to a hunt for separatist rebels who killed at least 16 workers this month, saying villagers were being traumatized and should be allowed celebrate Christmas in peace.

The military rejected the plea to suspend the search in the remote, heavily forested province on the western half of New Guinea island, and said the governor could face prosecution if he came out in support of the rebels.

We ask President Jokowi to immediately withdraw troops, Papua Governor Lukas Enembe told reporters on Thursday, referring to President Joko Widodo by his nickname.

The presence of Indonesian military and National Police personnel in Nduga has traumatized the community ... resulting in them seeking refuge in the forest, Enembe said.

Members of the military wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) claimed responsibility for killing at least 16 people working on a bridge on a high-profile road project, and a soldier, in the Nduga area.

At least 300 villagers were reported last week to have fled into the forest to escape the military sweep.

Papua has been plagued by a separatist conflict since the former Dutch colony was incorporated into Indonesia after a widely criticized U.N.-backed referendum in 1969.

Enembe said the community should be allowed to celebrate Christmas in peace.

We pay our respects to the past and present victims, but this is enough. There must be no further civilian casualties, he said.

A spokesman for Widodo was not immediately able to comment on the matter, but the military rejected Enembes call.

Provincial military spokesman Muhammad Aidi said forces were searching for the remains of four of the victims of the attack on the bridge and they would not leave.

If the governor, Lukas Enembe, poses in support of the Free Papua Movement struggle and rejects the national strategic programme policy, he has violated state law and should be prosecuted, Aidi said.

Enembe did not say what action he thought should be taken against those responsible for the killings, but said in past attacks separatists had fled the area immediately.

The provincial parliament would look in to the incident with the National Human Rights Commission, he said.

The rebels have rejected a call to surrender and have demanded a referendum on the future of the area. [nL3N1YG2HT]

Widodo wants to develop impoverished Papua and tap its resources and has tried to ease tensions and address rights concerns while stepping up investment with projects like the Trans Papua highway.

The OPM has said it views the project workers as members of the military and casualties in their war against the government.

(Reporting by Bernadette Christina Munthe and Agustinus Beo Da Costa; Writing by Fergus Jensen; Editing by Robert Birsel)
British police investigating the murder of an Indian-origin woman in Birmingham over 22 years ago are hopeful of solving the case after finding some DNA clues.

Surinder Kaur Varyapraj was last seen outside her home on January 4, 1996, but the decomposed body of the 36-year-old mother of three was found in her bedroom only on March 5 that year. Detectives, who have not been able to match the DNA profile to anyone on their databases, want to trace a man who lived nearby and believe the answer lies within the community.

This was an horrific act and we are still doing all we can to deliver justice for the family of Surinder, Sab Johal, an investigator on the West Midlands Police Cold Case Review Team, told BBC this week.

Varyaprajs body was discovered after a shopkeeper reported concerns she had not been seen for several weeks. She had been strangled with some sort of ligature, detectives said. Neighbours told officers at the time that they heard loud banging noises before midnight on February 5, 1996, as well as a brief high-pitched scream.

Varyapraj was divorced and lived alone as her children, a boy aged 14 and two girls aged 15 and 12 at the time, lived with her ex-husband.

Since the DNA was uncovered recently, several people have been eliminated from the original inquiry, but detectives said they wanted to trace the man who lived near Varyapraj. Investigator Johal believes the man mentioned by witnesses drove a Jaguar XJS, with the partial registration plate of RAJ.

We think someone may know who he is or remember the car, he said.

He urged people who think they know who the man is to come forward, adding that identities could be protected, and also appealed for the man himself to get in touch.

If you are that person and you were not involved in the death of Surinder, you can come forward and be eliminated through DNA comparison, Johal said.
Its been known for some years now that the United States and China helped Pakistan build up its nuclear arsenal actively or by overlooking it to purchase Islamabads cooperation. But recently declassified official documents reaffirm it.

There are limits on our ability to aid Pakistan because of their nuclear programme, then US secretary of defence Harold Brown told Chinese vice-premier Deng Xiaoping at a meeting in Beijing in January 1980, as the two leaders discussed strategy on countering Soviet invasion of Afghanistan the previous year.

Although we still object to their doing so, we will now set that aside for the time being, to facilitate strengthening Pakistan against potential Soviet action, the US official said, according to the minutes of the meeting, contained in the US Foreign Relations 1977-1980 volume on Afghanistan, released this week.

Deng, who later went on to rise to the top of the Chinese government, and set the country on the path of economic prosperity that would turn it into the worlds second largest economy, had approved.

That is a very good approach, Deng had said. Pakistan has its own reasons for developing a nuclear programme. We ourselves oppose Pakistans effort on nuclear weapons because we believe it is meaningless to spend money on such a programme.

But Pakistan, he had added, understandingly, as its own arguments, i.e., India has exploded a nuclear device but the world has not seemed to complain about this.

Pakistan, whose nuclear scientists had been trained by the United States in the 1950s and 1970s, according to a New York Times report in 1998, had continued to work on its nuclear programme as the US had looked away in the 1980s  Islamabad had become by then a conduit for billions of dollars of weapons smuggled to Afghanistan fighters by the CIA.
A remote, off-grid crofters house in the Scottish Highlands has been named RIBA House of the Year 2018.

Lochside House , a humble, sustainable home embedded in a beautiful rugged landscape on the edge of a glassy lake, saw off stiff competition from six other shortlisted new-builds designed by architects around the UK.

It was announced as the winner during the final episode of Grand Designs: House of the Year on Wednesday night by presenter Kevin McCloud, who has been touring the country to explore the 20 houses longlisted by the Royal Institute of British Architects during a four-part Channel 4 series.

Designed by HaysomWardMiller Architects, Lochside House blends so seamlessly into its surroundings youd be hard pushed to find it with a map. Crafted from burnt Scottish larch cladding and drystone walls, from afar it looks like little more than a community of sheds that has somehow emerged from the ground

In fact, the house is formed of three finely-crafted buildings huddled together. The roofing echoes the mountains and the walls pick up the horizontal sediments of the rocks.

Owner Michelle, a ceramic artist, is inspired by nature and drawn to the freedom of empty, barren places.

The houses in the running for Riba House of the Year 2018 1 /20 The houses in the running for Riba House of the Year 2018 Red House by 31/44 Architects, London Rory Gardiner VEX by Chance de Silva, London Johan Dehlin Black Stone House by 6a architects, London Johan Dehlin Old Shed New House by Tonkin Liu, North Yorkshire Riba Coastal House by 6a architects, Devon Johan Dehlin Gin Distillery by Open Practice Architecture, London Leon Chew Duncan Cottage by James Grayley Architects, Bath David Grandorge Black House by AR Design Studio, Kent Martin Gardner The Old Court House by Harrison Brookes Architects, Worcestershire Rhys Brookes Dartmouth Park House by AY Architects, London Anthony Boulanger Fitzrovia House by Carmody Groarke, London Johan Dehlin Lochside House by HaysomWardMiller Architects, West Highlands Richard Fraser The Makers House by Liddicoat & Goldhill LLP, London Simon Watson for House & Garden Caroline Place by Amin Taha + Groupwork, London Tim Soars Shropshire Residence by Gregory Phillips Architects, Shropshire Mel Yates Outlands Close by SOUP Architects, Surrey Andy Matthews No.37 by FAMILY, Belfast Grainne Cumming Pheasants by Sarah Griffiths + Amin Taha, Henley on Thames Tim Soar Berkshire House by Gregory Phillips Architects, Berkshire Mel Yates Ousebourn Road by Miller Partnership Architects, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Jill Tate

I fell in love with the Scottish Highlands on a camping trip after university and dreamt one day of renovating or building a place to live and work, she said.

When I stumbled across the site in 2010 I knew immediately that Id found the perfect spot and the process since then has been incredibly exciting. I was so lucky to find an architect who shared my sense of the importance of the place and am delighted that the final result  my home  does justice to its magical setting.

Much more than sheds: the roofs of the house echo the surrounding mountains / Riba

Everything had to be designed to be small enough to fit on the back of a trailer and driven down the long, off-road track that leads to the site. Services were unable to reach it, so Lochside House is powered by the sun and water is pulled up through a borehole.

Inside, it is pared-back and beautiful, dominated by white oil timber and rough textured plaster. The delightfully modest rooms are entirely liveable and everything flows naturally. The changing height of the ceiling helps designate the different spaces and the view of the lake from the master bedroom is magical.

Inspired by nature: the owner is a ceramic artist who works from this studio (RIBA) / Riba

The RIBA judges loved the choice of materials and respectful integration of Lochside House into its wild setting. Ben Derbyshire, RIBA president, described it as truly breathtaking.

By containing its scale, sensitively positioning the crop of buildings on a promontory around established trees, and making use of local materials, HaysomWardMiller have created a home which perfectly responds to its exposed, unique location, he said.

Simply stylish: the interiors are simple and far from flashy, yet beautiful (RIBA) / Riba

With a highly sustainable, off-grid approach to energy and water, it leaves the surrounding environment as undisturbed as possible. Every detail has been fine-tuned to create an exceptional home and studio that meets the needs and wishes of its artist owner. Lochside House is the perfect addition to this dream landscape.

McCloud fully supported the judges decision. This building has been tailored to its site. Its been stitched and wovenseamed into the tapestry of this place and it is so much the better for it, he said. Its the kind of architecture that we can all easily love, the kind of architecture we can all easily learn from; and its a way of building that we, in Britain, are getting really very good at.

Finely tuned: every detail of Lochside House impressed the RIBA judges (RIBA) / Riba

THE RUNNERS-UP...

The shortlisted houses who just missed out on the top prize were:

Red House by 31/44 Architects, a "rebellious" end-of-terrace home in East Dulwich

Pheasants by Sarah Griffiths+ Amin Taha, a controversial glass and steel residence in Henley

Old Shed New House by Tonkin Liu, a farm shed turned contemporary home in New Yorkshire

Coastal House by 6a Architects, an elegantly modernised, 20th-century home in South Devon

VEX by Chance de Silva & Scanner, an experimental concrete house in Stoke Newington inspired by a 24-hour long piano piece

Lochside House by HaysomWardMiller Architects, an off-grid crofter's house in Scotland

The Makers House by Liddicoat & Goldhill, an exemplar of craftsmanship in Hackney
Now Open

21 December 2018

Today, Canopy by Hilton, Hilton's (NYSE: HLT) lifestyle brand, officially announces the opening of its bustling Midtown Atlanta location. The hotel is partially owned and operated by Concord Hospitality, developed by Greystar and Whitman Peterson and designed by R2L: Architects.

Canopy by Hilton Atlanta Midtown, which is the first lifestyle hotel of its kind in Georgia, will offer guests thoughtfully-curated local experiences from check-in to check-out. Guests can grab a complimentary Canopy Bike and explore the many nearby attractions, ranging from countless parks to the renowned Beltline, as well as take in all of the unique shopping, restaurants, museums and nightlife that the city has to offer. Known for being a cultural epicentre with a vibrant art, music and theatre scene, Midtown is a young, exciting area with plenty to do for all types of travelers.

Locally Inspired Design

Canopy by Hilton Atlanta Midtown is home to 176 "Just-Right" rooms, including four spacious suites. The interiors of the rooms are inspired by the thriving art community surrounding the hotel, with local textiles and artwork featured throughout. With the help of designers Krause Sawyer, as well as three local commissioned artists, the interior styling of the hotel mimics the vibrant community that awaits outside.

Eat, Drink, Smile

For breakfast, guests can start their day with an inclusive artisanal breakfast in the in-house restaurant Xhibit Studio Kitchen & Bar or opt for the "Break Fast" bag to be delivered to their room, ideal for travelers on the go. For guests dining in, Xhibit Studio Kitchen & Bar also offers authentic cuisine made from fresh local ingredients with menu highlights including traditional specialities such as Shrimp & Grits, Southern Buttermilk Pie and a selection of local cheese, beer and wines.

Superfood hummus, pretzels and Sweetwater 420 Cheese Dip and daily hotel offerings will be available during evening tastings.

Just-Right Meeting Space

For meetings and events, Atlanta is an ideal choice as it is the location of one of the world's most-traveled airports, Hartsfield Jackson, located just 14 miles away from Canopy by Hilton Atlanta Midtown. The hotel has three meeting rooms, offering intimate meetings capabilities as well as a unique outdoor venue for social events such as cocktail receptions. The hotel also has a state-of-the-art 24-hour fitness center.

At Canopy by Hilton, every guest will experience a uniquely curated, local stay. Canopy by Hilton Atlanta Midtown is located at 1414 West Peachtree Street NW.

As the place in the neighborhood to relax and recharge, Canopy guests check-in to an open, welcoming space at Canopy Central, where travelers unwind with nightly tastings of locally-sourced brews, wine and spirits. Post check-in, guests enjoy the efficient design of their "Just-Right Room," providing the highest level of comfort with a local touch. Thoughtful, surprising extras are in Canopy's DNA, including complimentary artisanal breakfast and Wi-Fi as well as a Welcome Gift - a little something from the neighborhood. Guests can also tap Canopy Enthusiasts - or local experts - for their local know-how such as recommendations on the best restaurants and excursions in the neighborhood available to explore on Canopy complimentary bikes.
Appointment

21 December 2018

Miku Zhang has been appointed Senior Sales Manager, Asia-Pacific for Four Seasons Resorts Lanai in Hawaii, encompassing both the 213-room AAA Five-Diamond Four Seasons Resort Lanai and Lanai at Koele, which will re-open in 2019.

In her new role representing Lanai, Miku will be responsible for total account management within the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, including Japan, Korea, China, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. She is based out of Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai, where she works in concert with both the Lanai sales team as well as the Four Seasons Worldwide Sales Offices to grow both leisure and group sales at the Resorts.

Miku joins the team of Four Seasons Resorts Lanai following her most recent role as Senior Sales Manager at Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake in China. As pre-opening team member at the Hotel, Miku's sales journey took her through multiple roles from Sales Coordinator to Delphi Systems Operator and Market Analyst. She continued to challenge herself in each of her roles and due to her strong sales skills and business acumen and accepted a Sales Manager role in 2015. As the Sales Manager in charge of the G20 delegation in 2016, Zhang did more than 30 site inspections for more than 18 countries and organisations. After an incredible effort during the G20 summit, she was awarded "Outstanding Individual for G20" by the local Chinese government and "2016 Manager of the Year in Asia Pacific" internally. She was promoted to Senior Sales Manager at Hangzhou in April 2018.
Press Release

20 December 2018

Best Western Hotels & Resorts announced another successful year in Asia as it introduced innovative new brands and award-winning hospitality to even more guests across the fast-growing region in 2018.

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Throughout the year, Best Western continued to expand its footprint in a series of key Asian markets. In Indonesia, the opening of Best Western Senayan Hotel in Jakarta and Best Western Kindai Hotel in Banjarmasin reflect the company's commitment to serving a wide variety of destinations, from key cities to emerging markets.

In Japan meanwhile, Best Western Plus Hotel Fino Chitose and Best Western Hotel Fino Tokyo Akihabara both opened this year, catering for the rising number of domestic and international travelers as the country prepares to host the 2020 Olympics.

Vietnam is another strategic target market for Best Western. In 2018, the company signed new agreements for Best Western Premier Cam Ranh Seahorse Beach Resort, Best Western Premier Quang Binh, Best Western Premier Sapphire Ha Long and Best Western Plus Ha Long Bay, all of which are scheduled to welcome guests from 2020 onwards. These spectacular hotels and resorts, featuring a combined total of over 2,200 rooms, will bring high quality international accommodation to a series of rapidly emerging destinations.

Best Western also continued to expand its portfolio in Thailand with this year's signings of Best Western Plus Speech Pattaya and The Title V Rawai Phuket, BW Premier Collection by Best Western, both of which are on track to open within two years. Finally in the Philippines, Best Western signed its first SureStay hotel, SureStay Plus by Best Western Regency Angeles City Clark, which is scheduled to open its doors in the second quarter of 2019.

As Best Western looks to the future in Asia, 2019 will bring the debut of Vib Sanampao in Bangkok, which will be Asia's first Vib hotel; the launch of SureStay Plus by Best Western Shin-Osaka, the first SureStay Hotel in Japan; the opening of Tawaravadee Resort, BW Signature Collection by Best Western, Asia's first BW Signature Collection hotel; and the launch of Best Western Plus Osaka Kitahama and Best Western Plus The Beachfront Resort, which will become the first Best Western Plus hotels in Osaka and Phuket respectively.

Best Western will also return to the popular Thai resort town of Pattaya in 2019 with the opening of Best Western Premier BayPhere Pattaya. This will be complemented by the highly-anticipated debut of BluPhere Pattaya, BW Premier Collection by Best Western in 2020.

The future of Best Western in Asia holds even more promise as the company continues to build its collection of industry-leading brands. In September the company introduced a pair of unique boutique brands, upscale Sadie HotelSM and upper-midscale Aiden HotelSM. Created as conversion brands, these two chic offerings enable developers to reposition existing properties and enhance the value of their assets.  The world's first Aiden Hotel opened last month in Seoul, South Korea, and Sadie Hotel is expected to arrive in Asia in the near future.

"2018 has been a hugely successful and rewarding year for Best Western in Asia," said Ron Pohl, Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for Best Western Hotels & Resorts. "As a company, we are currently undertaking the most exciting period of expansion in our rich 72-year history, following the launch of a series of ground-breaking brand concepts. These include Vib, our cutting-edge upper midscale concept, which will make its debut in Asia in January 2019, and our two newest brands, Sadie Hotel and Aiden Hotel."

Best Western continued to set the standard for international midscale accommodation in Asia in 2018, winning several prestigious industry awards. The company was named as Asia's "Best Mid-Range Hotel Brand" for an unprecedented twelfth consecutive year at the TTG Asia Travel Awards, and the "Best Midscale Hotel Chain" for the fourth year in a row at the Travel Weekly Asia Readers' Choice Awards.

"We will now bring our award-winning hospitality to even more guests across the region," commented Olivier Berrivin, Best Western Hotels & Resorts' Managing Director of International Operations - Asia. "With our expanded portfolio of industry-leading brands, Best Western is in a position to serve guests and developers in almost every sector of the market. In the coming months and years, we will launch outstanding new hotels and resorts in key strategic markets all across Asia, including Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines."

In total, Best Western now operates a portfolio of 56 hotels and resorts across Southeast Asia and Japan, offering more than 5,000 rooms. This region-wide inventory is set to more than double in the coming years, with over 6,800 comfortable and contemporary rooms set to open across Asia. In total, Best Western has 37 hotels in its Asian pipeline, covering seven of the company's 13 industry-leading brands.
Performance

21 December 2018

Region's occupancy falls, while room rates increase

Beijing room rates continue to drive overall performance growth

room rates continue to drive overall performance growth Seoul hotel demand helped by bounce back in international visitors

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Hotels in the Asia Pacific region reported mixed results across the three key performance metrics during November 2018, according to data from STR.

U.S. dollar constant currency, November 2018 vs. November 2017

Asia Pacific

Occupancy: -1.5% to 72.8%

Average daily rate (ADR): +1.5% to US$108.92

Revenue per available room (RevPAR): flat at US$79.32

Local currency, November 2018 vs. November 2017

Beijing

Occupancy: -1.7% to 77.5%

ADR: +3.9% to CNY626.51

RevPAR: +2.2% to CNY485.68

Despite a 0.7% decrease in demand (room nights sold) and an overall decline in occupancy, Beijing posted its highest absolute ADR for any November since 2011. STR analysts note that ADR has increased year over year in the market for 19 consecutive months. That has led to consistent growth in RevPAR, which was up 10.6% year to date through November.

Seoul, South Korea

Occupancy: +3.6% to 73.0%

ADR: -2.8% to KRW162,001.84

RevPAR: +0.7% to KRW118,270.42

November was Seoul's second-consecutive month of RevPAR growth after a 19-month stretch of declines that were due in part to geopolitical tension with China. Demand was up 11.6% for the month with a 34.6% rise in the Group segment and a 7.6% lift in Transient business. STR analysts attribute that growth to continued increases in international arrivals from key markets such as Japan, Taiwan and Mainland China. Overall, visitor arrivals to South Korea bounced back and increased 31.1% during the first 10 months of the year, according to the Korea Tourism Organization.
- 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."
Performance

21 December 2018

The U.S. hotel industry reported positive year-over-year results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 9-15 December 2018, according to data from STR.



In comparison with the week of 10-16 December 2017, the industry recorded the following:

Occupancy: +1.3% to 57.3%

Average daily rate (ADR): +3.2% to US$119.10

Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +4.6% to US$68.25

Among the Top 25 Markets, Washington, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia, reported the largest increases in occupancy (+14.7% to 69.1%) and RevPAR (+29.2% to US$106.13).

Seattle, Washington, posted the largest lift in ADR (+15.8% to US$149.09) and the second-highest rises in occupancy (+11.5% to 73.1%) and RevPAR (+29.1% to US$108.99).

San Francisco/San Mateo, California, registered the second-largest increase in ADR (+12.8% to US$210.39).

Overall, 17 of the Top 25 Markets reported growth in RevPAR for the week.

New Orleans, Louisiana, reported the steepest declines in each of the three key performance metrics: occupancy (-21.7% to 57.1%), ADR (-12.6% to US$123.76) and RevPAR (-31.6% to US$70.65).

Houston, Texas, experienced the second-largest decrease in occupancy (-14.7% to 59.6%), resulting in the second-largest drop in RevPAR (-19.2% to US$60.35).
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Among the many highly anticipated Air Jordans rumored to drop in 2019 is an all-new maize Air Jordan 5 inspired by the University of Michigan.

The Wolverines' Air Jordan 5 has not yet surfaced but we have a good idea of what to expect based on the color code and photoshop rendering shown in the IG post embedded below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BroXmyNl08b



It was previously reported that the Michigan 5s would sport a predominately navy upper accompanied by hits of maize throughout, but it now appears as though the colors will be swapped. We won't know for sure until official images are unveiled, but rumors suggest the iconic block "M" will be stamped on the bulky AJ5 tongue in place of the Jumpman logo.

Typically these types of Air Jordans are exclusive to student-athletes at Michigan, but Jordan Brand has recently shown a willingness to release some exclusives, such as the "Michigan" Air Jordan 12s that dropped earlier this year.

Check out another rendering of the 2019 Michigan Air Jordan 5 in the IG post embedded below.
2019 will mark the 30th anniversary of the iconic Air Jordan 4 silhouette which means Jordan Brand will be releasing a ton of classic and all-new colorways over the course of the next 12 months. This will reportedly include a new "Laser" Air Jordan 4.

New images of the "Laser" Air Jordan 4 surfaced today, showcasing a black, laser-etched leather upper accompanied by a hint of red on the tongue, white midsoles and a gum outsole.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrnYeADlHkb



Jordan Brand has released multiple "Laser" Air Jordan 4s over the years, including two different colorways that dropped in 2005 and one that dropped as part of the brand's 30th anniversary in 2015. According to sneaker source @Zsneakerheadz, the latest iteration is tentatively slated to drop on January 19th - roughly one month from now.

Take a look at more detailed images of the new Laser AJ4s in the IG post embedded below.
President Donald Trump's Twitter has always been unhinged, to say the least. From calling people in his administration incompetent to calling the mainstream media "Fake News," there is no end to what Trump will tweet on any given day. Today though, in anticipation of his Agricultural Improvement Act, the President shared an old video from the 2006 Emmy Awards, of him and Megan Mullally singing the theme song to Green Acres.

The tweet was interesting strategy, to say the least, considering the bill is being used to help farmers who have been hit negatively affected by Trump's trade war with China, according to Mashable.

In an interview with Politico today, Trump's former social media director Justin McConney spoke about the president's foray into the world of Twitter and what it was like when he learned how to tweet saying "was comparable to the moment in Jurassic Park when Dr. Grant realized that velociraptors could open doors ... I was like, 'Oh no.'" In the same interview, McConney suggested the President have more of a sense of humor instead of bashing other people all the time.

For reactions on Trump's post, check out these tweets below.
Over the weekend, Pete Davidson made a disturbing post on his Instagram which made fans believe the comedian might be thinking about committing suicide. Many of Davidson's friends rushed to his side to be with him in New York last Saturday, the same night he appeared on Saturday Night Live. One of those people was his ex-fiance Ariana Grande, who Pete reportedly did not want to talk to. Well, according to TMZ's latest interview with Dr. Drew, Davidson had the right idea.

"It's nice for Ariana Grande to express her love and support of him but she needs to stay away," Drew said. "This is a major loss, he needs to manage that loss and every time he comes in contact with her that clock resets."





As Dr. Drew mentions in the video, Davidson already suffers from mental health issues, and seeing Ariana Grande could make those issues even worse. He also described the hate Pete has been receiving as "evil" and that no one in his position should have go through that.

In a video from Tuesday, Machine Gun Kelly said it was a "weird time" for Davidson, so we hope he's feeling better and getting the support he needs.
French Montana and Kodak Black have been engulfed in a legal battle with a Moroccan producer named Yo Asel who claimed the two rappers stole the beat for their record, "Lockjaw." However, French Montana, Kodak Black and the other parties involved have reached a deal.

French Montana, Yo Asel, Kodak Black, DJ Khaled and all other parties involved in the "Lockjaw" lawsuit have come to an agreement to drop all claims and completely dismiss the case, according to court documents obtained by The Blast. Asel was initially seeking an injunction prohibiting French and the other parties from profiting off of the song in the future. Both sides of the lawsuit now have to pay their own legal fees.

In the lawsuit, Asel claimed that he sent a track to French titled, "Sleep85" in 2014 after reaching out to the rapper via email. He said that French heard the song and invited him to "send more." However, Asel claimed he was only made aware of the track "Lockjaw" with Kodak Black in 2016. He said when he heard it, he realized it included a modified version of one of the beats he sent.

Asel claimed that he tried to reach out to French Montana to confront the rapper about stealing the beat. However, he said French never hit him back. He also said that French Montana blocked him on social media. He proceeded to file a lawsuit against Kodak Black and French
The weeks leading up to 21 Savage's album release have been confusing. We were almost certain that the project would be appearing on December 7 but, as we all know now, it failed to be uploaded until today. I Am > I Was is officially out and early reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. Fans are happy that the Atlanta rapper has made such a triumphant return, clearly missing him during his absence. The opening song from 21's new project features J. Cole on "A Lot" as he continues his feature-spree, delivering another solid effort. Some were surprised to hear the rapper reference a few of the hottest topics in his verse, including Markelle Fultz' shooting stroke and Tekashi 6ix9ine's arrest.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BroxsBUHCVz



On the Philadelphia 76er, Cole raps, "I pray for Markelle 'cause they fucked up his shot/Just want you to know that you got it, my n***a." When he speaks on 6ix9ine, Cole is empathetic about the rainbow-haired Brooklyn rapper, pondering on what he must be thinking at this point. "Pray for Tekashi, they want him to rot/I picture him inside a cell on a cot/Flectin' on how he made it to the top/Wondering if it was worth it or not."

It's quite the way to start off the album, beginning things with a bang as features from Post Malone, Offset, Gunna, and Lil Baby come later in the tracklist. Check out the song below.
Chicago's young hustler Lil Durk took advantage of his situation and built his own empire. Durk created his own imprint OTF, and built a team of rappers that share a similar sound. That raw, close to the streets, head knocking music coming from OTF has hypnotized millions across the nation, and now, Durk has reunited the gang for another project.

Back in July, Lil Durk and the OTF squad dropped off Only The Family Involved Vol. 1. The follow-up effort just touched down. Only The Family Involved Vol. 2 brings back several familiar faces, including Lil Durk, King Von, Tee Grizzley, Sada Baby, OTF Ikey, Doodie Lo, and more. Over the span of 12 tracks, OTF delivers a combination of street anthems and club bangers. Stream Only The Family Involved Vol. 2 now on Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal.
The year is coming to an end and what a year it was for Swae Lee. The Rae Sremmurd affiliate released his debut project, scored top 10 hits on the Billboard charts, landed a $20 million Belaire deal, offered himself up to be the first black Spider-Man, and endless more events. As for 2019, the "Guatemala" rapper promises "the most stupid solo project ever."

Swae caught up with Billboard to round up the year and spill details on his plans for the future that sounds very promising since it's filled with "all bangers."

"Im thinking to drop it in late January or February. Im working with Mike WiLL Made-It, Metro Boomin, Super Mario and also couple of underground producers who arent mainstream yet but have that mainstream sound," he told the publication. "Like I got Chase The Money, Ronny J and DJ Sremm -- our Rae Sremmurd DJ -- on there too. But people know how Im coming with it, they see whats taking place! With this project, Im not playing. Im stepping on n---as' throats. Im gonna up the standards for these 2010-whatever artists. Im gonna push the music forward."

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqpxBEMFcRu



As for musical trends he wants to abolish in the new year, Swae calls out certain ad-libs.

"Everyone trying to do the same adlibs: Ooh yeah! A-yuh! Everyones doing it, and no one is switching it up! I gotta switch up my dances too because everyone is doing them I have a little one-two step that only I can do," he said.

Read the full interview here.
Each day, more and more information on Tekashi 6ix9ine and co.'s federal case emerges. 6ix9ine is currently locked up as well as six of his co-defendants. Today, New York officials identified an eight suspect indicted on charges related to the case.

Complex reports that an eighth suspect has been identified in Tekashi 6ix9ine's federal racketeering case. Aaron Young a.k.a. Bat was identified as the eighth suspect in the case. Young is accused of being involved in Nine Tr3y Gangsta Bloods' operation.

"The defendant, and others known and unknown, intentionally and knowingly did combine, conspire, confederate, and agree together and with each other to violate narcotics laws of the United States. It was part and an object of the conspiracy that [Young] ... would and did distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances." The indictment reads.

There hasn't been much information on why the indictment wasn't revealed publicly. It could be due to the fact that he was on the run until this week. Young was arrested in Scranton, NY on Wednesday on racketeering, weapons and drugs charges, WNEP reports. Young was taken to the U.S. Courthouse in Manhattan following his arrest for his arraignment.

Faheem "Crippy" Walter, Kifano "Shotti" Jordan, Jensel "Ish" Butler, Fuguan "FuBanga" Lovick, Jamel "Mel Murda" Jones, and Roland "Ro Murda" Martin are also 6ix9ine and Young's co-defendants in the case.
Young Thug made sure the justice system knows he is not happy after giving them the middle finger in an Instagram post on Wednesday. In the post, Thugger is seen close to the camera giving the camera the finger with what looks like a courtroom behind him. Thugger followed the post up with the caption "Prosperity give u friends. Adversity show who they really are."

https://www.instagram.com/p/Brlmnh_geAF



Thugger is currently in the midst of a legal battle over his drug possession arrest from September of 2017. The Atlanta rapper is trying to fight the case by accusing the cops of mistreatment during his arrest. In court document filed on December 17th, the artist alleges that the cops failed to read him his Miranda Rights. This would mean anything he said during the arrest would become invalid as evidence.

The rapper continues to say in the documents that the police had no reason to stop his car in the first place and that the arrest was "unlawful." If Young Thug were convicted on the drug possession charges, he could face up to three years in prison.

Regardless of whether he's guilty or innocent, it's clear he is not happy with the process.
Houston-based Cheniere Energy is seeking permission from federal regulators to begin testing on its second production unit at Corpus Christi LNG.

In a letter to FERC Secretary Kimberly Bose made public on Thursday, Cheniere requested permission to start testing Train unit 2 at its Port of Corpus Christi facility.

The tests are part a months-long process known as commissioning where liquefied natural gas plants are brought into service and production. Cheniere is asking FERC officials to give them approval before Dec. 31.

"Corpus Christi Train 2 is progressing on an accelerated schedule and we expect substantial completion in the second half of next year," a company spokesman told the Houston Chronicle.

Market Moves: Cheniere signs 20-year deal with Malaysia's Petronas

The request comes five weeks after Cheniere started production on Corpus Christi LNG's first production unit. The first shipment from the facility is traveling to Greece.

Earlier this week, Cheniere announced that the Houston-based company signed a 20-year supply deal with the LNG arm of Malaysia's state-owned oil and natural gas company Petronas. The deal is expected to support the construction of a sixth production unit of the the company's Sabine Pass LNG export terminal in Louisiana.

Cheniere's long-term goal is for its Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi plants to produce a combined 50 million metric tons of LNG per year, which is touted as enough energy to power 195 million U.S. homes for a single day.

East vs. West: Sempra Energy taking two-coast approach to LNG business
Kelly Rentzel found out she was bipolar as a senior in college at Rice University. Despite the diagnosis, which she learned of during a monthlong stay in a psychiatric ward, Rentzel graduated several months later on time, with honors and with a double major.

Fifteen years later, she interviewed for a job at Dallas-based Texas Capital Bank just months after surviving an unsuccessful suicide attempt in her bathtub. She got the job, became the banks first in-house lawyer and built the legal department from scratch.

To say Rentzel has overcome barriers in her life - and has landed on the other side stronger every time - is an understatement. Recently, shes overcome a different kind of barrier: talking about her condition publicly.

Now the general counsel of Texas Capital, Rentzel decided to go public about being bipolar shortly after receiving her big promotion to GC two years ago - a job that entails overseeing the legal issues that touch all of Texas Capitals operations, Houston included.

Though it was nerve-racking timing for Rentzel, going public has paid off for her and peers in the legal profession who have heard her speak around Texas and beyond state lines.

I knew when I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was 21 that one day I would talk about it, because it was such a lonely feeling to have bipolar disorder in this world, Rentzel said. There were so few people talking about it that I just thought it was an important challenge to take on.

The far-left drawer of Rentzels L-shaped desk in her Uptown Dallas office is a testament to the magnitude of her speeches. Inside, it is stuffed with handwritten letters from people who have attended her talks. Of course, she has an exponentially higher amount of emails.

Its been validating and heartwarming and human - thats how I would describe the response, she said.

Before her first speech in August 2017, Rentzel visited the campus at Rice to relive the experience of discovering she was bipolar. While walking around campus, she prayed to have the courage to speak from her heart about her brain.

When I said those words to myself I thought, That seems really Wizard of Oz-like,  Rentzel recalled. And when I thought about my story, I realized the whole story is Wizard of Oz-like. Theres the tornado, theres the ruby slippers, theres the yellow brick road, theres the monkey forest, theres the witchs castle, and theres the Emerald City at the end.

The Twister

Rentzel was just a normal college student in the fall of 1996. A senior, she was on track to graduate in the spring.

But like a gust of wind, all of the sudden my mind started going into this crazy, out-of-control brainstorm, Rentzel said. Everything seemed to be bathed into a celestial light. Everything seemed very connected.

She spent four days on what she assumed felt like a constant cocaine high and could not shut her mind off. She spent those nights unable to sleep either, instead mapping her life out while listening to the Beatles White Album.

If the White Album is involved, its a red flag, she said.

Suddenly, she was no longer able to read - a real-life nightmare for an English major.

She spent a month in a psychiatric ward, where it was suggested that I go to try to get some rest, Rentzel said.

It was there where Rentzel learned she was suffering a manic episode and was diagnosed with Bipolar I.

While there: The TV was actually sharing messages with me, talking to me, which I think you can probably get in cable plans today but was not available in 1996, she said wryly.

She eventually got out of her manic state and was ready to be released from the hospital on Halloween Day.

It made sense to me in retrospect that they would hold me an extra day, because you might not want to release somebody who has been hallucinating on Halloween. I was released on Nov. 1 and was left to survey the damage.

The Yellow Brick Road

Once she was released from the hospital and able to read again, Rentzel devoured every piece of literature she could about bipolar disorder. She learned two things: she would have bipolar disorder for the rest of her life, and she would probably be on medication for the rest of her life.

Rentzel also learned of the stigma associated with having a mood disorder.

Another delightful thing I learned upon descending from this tornado was there were going to be people who viewed me differently, merely because I had been transported to Oz against my will, Rentzel said.

Despite all this, she made the decision to press on with her life.

Rentzel returned to Rice for the spring semester, loaded up on classes and managed to graduate on time with honors and a double major.

She attended SMU Dedman School of Law on a full-ride scholarship. She graduated in 2002, and spent the first several years of her career in law firms before landing a job as a staff attorney for a federal judge in Dallas in 2006.

With the help of her ruby slippers  lithium medication  Rentzel continued down the Yellow Brick Road  remission  for 14 years as she built her career and lived a completely normal life, which included marrying her law school sweetheart in 2008.

It was much like what Glinda said: Never let those ruby slippers off your feet for a moment, or you will be at the mercy of the Wicked Witch of the West,  Rentzel said.

The Wicked Witch of the West

Everything changed in 2009, when Rentzel decided she wanted to try to have a child. But in order to conceive safely, she would have to get off her medication.

She gave birth to her daughter Catie in 2010. She went through her pregnancy incident-free but began to struggle several months after giving birth.

Because she was breastfeeding, she had to to stay off her medication even longer. Then more realities of being a new mom  like never sleeping  sunk in.

Rentzel began experiencing extreme anxiety, which turned into postpartum depression; and then, after that failed to resolve, a deep clinical depression a couple years later.

By this time she was divorced, and her judge had announced his retirement, which caused stress for Rentzel as she tried to navigate her next career move.

On the morning of June 5, 2012, with no notice, Rentzel didnt show up to work. Instead, Rentzel shut off her phone and left it in her car. In the bathroom of her condo, she attempted to take apart two razorblades and cut herself to death. When that was unsuccessful, she wrote a short suicide note the took one Trazodone capsule. Then she tossed back an entire 57-pill bottle of Ambien. She filled the bathtub with water and climbed in.

She tried to drown herself to no avail. She closed her eyes for her eternal slumber, thinking she would surely slip underwater. But she awoke eight hours later. The tub had completely drained.

The Emerald City

While hospitalized after her suicide attempt, Rentzels doctors determined she was resistant to medication. She turned to a last resort to cure her depression that ultimately became a life-saving miracle: electroconvulsive therapy.

Rentzel said the publics misconceptions about ECT breaks (her) heart. She explained that it is no different from common electric treatments on other parts of the body.

The body is electrical. Why do paddles work on your heart? I owe the fact that my daughter has a mother today at (8) years old to that treatment, she said.

I encourage people to take advantage of the miracle that is ECT. I dont know if theres a wizard, but there is a miracle in that treatment.

She received four rounds in midsummer in 2012. Amazingly, she navigated the second round of interviews at Texas Capital Bank two months later for a debut position as the banks first in-house lawyer. Rentzels first interview also came at a challenging time; it was in April 2012, a short two months before her depression took an almost-lethal turn. After the September interview, she got the job and started at Texas Capital that October.

Rentzel has been in remission ever since.

In March, after experiencing success at her first few speaking engagements, Rentzel launched a website called Bipolar Oz . The website tells her story and provides a safe space for other normal people with bipolar disorder to share their stories. She calls the effort the Bipolar Bio project.

For a longer version of this article, visit www.texaslawbook.net
Houston has a story to tell  one about diverse religions coexisting and thriving in one city.

Its a tale with countless narrators, multiple interpretations and a number of interesting details, a story Rev. Greg Han, director of interfaith relations at Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, hopes to spotlight.

Han hosts the new Interfaith Podcast Project, which launched on Monday. Each show features an in-depth conversation with a member of one of Houstons faith communities. Each series focuses on a particular topic.

I wanted to create something homegrown, Han said. Youre hearing from a person who could be your neighbor. This is someone you could actually meet. These are our people.

For the debut series, Han focused on religious holidays.

With Christmas quickly coming up, many Houstonians will head to church and buy gifts to celebrate, Han explained. Yet in a diverse city, there are a number of sacred days each year that he wanted to share.

Its a way of introduction to a religion by how it manifests in real day-to-day life, Han said.

Already on Soundcloud and the Interfaith website are podcasts about holidays in the Jewish, Sikh, Unitarian Universalist, Catholic, Bahai, Muslim, Zoroastrian and Hindu tradition. More are coming soon, and the podcast will be available on iTunes in the future.

For the Sikh episode, Han interviewed attorney Manpreet Kaur Singh, who has long sought to spread awareness and understanding of her faith tradition. Singh also serves on the board of the Sikh Coalition and has been active with Interfaiths outreach programs.

When Han approached Singh with the idea for a podcast, she was instantly interested.

I thought it sounded really great, she said. It permanently encapsulates information.

Singh discussed Vaisakhi, a holiday celebrated in April.

She also liked the quick, informal, conversational character of the show. Its short and sweet, she said. You cant get bored. You either take the bait and keep researching about Sikhism or you move on to the next one.

Singh was born and raised in Houston. Even as a member of the worlds fifth largest religion, she often felt like her holidays went unnoticed and her traditions were unknown.

Instead of preaching about her religion, Singh prefers people to ask her about it  and thats exactly what Han does.

He asks, and he wants to know, she said. He cares.

Thats why Han is an ideal host, Singh said.

She believes that hes meeting a need for more interfaith dialogue and helping build greater understanding about religion.

This provides a space for people who are interested in learning, she said. Now they have a place to go.

Han was considering the idea to produce a podcast for a couple of years.

The idea of creating online, remotely accessible material has been on my mind, he said. I still value face-to-face teaching, but its just harder to get people together. I needed to create an opportunity for people to access this information on their own time.

The resulting show, Han explained, is anything but an audio version of a comparative religions textbook.

Instead, he offers up 20 minutes of interesting stories, told by those who experience the traditions firsthand. The shows are personal and narrative, all featuring Houstonians.

And its mobile, Han said. It can be listened to anywhere, from a car to a classroom.

For each podcast, he includes a one-page study guide, complete with the vocabulary mentioned in the show and questions raised in the episode.

Han said that by hearing about different religions and their holy days, listeners gain insight into a number of topics, ranging from anthropology and sociology to literature and history.

We used holidays as a way to introduce religion so its tied to real life and not just a list of facts, he said. We want the material to be relevant.

For the next series of podcasts, Han will focus on rites of passage in religion  regarding birth, death, adolescence and marriage.

By interviewing a range of faith practitioners, Han said the possibilities for various takes on religion and traditions are endless.

Each podcast is with a specific person, so its illustrative, he said. Another family may do something differently because theyre from a different country or origin or a different religious branch. Im going to talk to people of all backgrounds.

In the end, he hopes to increase what he terms religious literacy  the ability to not only know the grammar and vocabulary of other faiths but also how to speak the language and understand the culture.

Religion is a topic were often taught not to talk about, he said. So we dont always know how to talk about it. And that means we make assumptions.

Han wants to spark conversations and help build bridges.

Id love to create opportunities to learn about religion  and to learn how to talk in ways that are constructive, he said. This podcast is a way to learn more about people here. These are real conversations, with real people in a very real city.

And he believes that Houston has potential to serve as a guiding light.

Houston is very unique, Han said. But more and more urban areas, diversity-wise, will look a lot like Houston in the future.

To tune in, visit imgh.org/podcast
Its easy to slip into the abyss of predictable red-and-green winter wonderland decor for a childrens holiday party.

Thats why Houston fashion designer Esther Freedman, owner of Cuteheads childrens wear, wanted to try something different. Something sophisticated and timeless, yet still fun for a girl.

Freedman started with the Joy dress ($62 at cuteheads.com), a green, buttery-soft velvet frock with ruffles on the shoulders. It has been a huge hit since she debuted the style for holiday 2017. Her mission? Create a fancy, not fussy dress that doesnt itch like many formal styles do. She wanted the dress to allow girls the freedom to move, twirl and even run.

I want girls to be themselves and feel comfortable in their clothing, Freedman said. A beautiful dress is more than a dress. It makes a girl feel special, confident and beautiful.

Last summer, the designer  who has two children, Naomi, 5, and Tova, 2  started an online series, Brave, Strong Girls, to highlight the beauty of girls of all abilities. Each girl has a special dress designed and named for her and a photo shoot to model it. The dresses are sold on her website, and all of the profits go to the charity of the mothers choice. Freedman recently featured 8-year-old Maya, a transgendered child who was born as Josh.

This project inspired Freedman to host a special holiday party for four girls from Hype Freedom School for Year of Joy, a project I started in 2016 to bring joy to girls from underserved communities.

With the dress selected, Freedman enlisted a team of creative friends to help plan the affair. Here are her tricks and tips that help to make a party a real treat. Go ahead a plan a party while the kids are off for the holidays.

Delegate to friends. Freedman turned to friend and event planner Julie Verville of Crowning Details to mastermind for the partys overall look. Ive learned from nine years of having my childrens line that you have to delegate. We all had a job to do, Freedman said.

Pick unexpected colors. Instead of using the traditional holiday red, Verville took cues from the rich green velvet of the Freemans dress and chose various shades of green, then added gold and pink as accent colors. The metallics added a holiday splash.

Dont forget the fun. Kids love balloons. Vervilles idea was to showcase balloons in a fun way, so why not add a balloon Christmas tree? Balloon artist Margaret Dodd of Festivities Tx did the job in record speed. She also created square balloons wrapped with metallic ribbons that resembled presents. (You can see Dodds work at her balloon pop-up wall at West Ave through the holidays.)

Baked goods had better be good. Every childrens party needs yummy treats. Baker Violet Luzuriaga of Violettes Delights played off the party colors and created pink and green cake pops with gold sticks and glittery gold, green and white chocolate covered Oreos. She also had cupcakes and personalized cookies with girls names.

Add a few extras. Instead of boring paper plates, try festive ones, like Crowning Details party plates available on Etsy.com. Also, Verville added an ombre tablecloth and metallic bar cart with a tiny Christmas tree to help complete the look.

Flowers. Blooms can make a childrens party feel more luxurious, Freedom said. She uses H-E-B Blooms. Yes, the grocery chain has florists on staff who can create custom floral arrangements.

Perfecting the photos. Photographer Layla Hillail of Le Zu Photophraphy, who shot the girls as she cradled her 2-month-old son, Saif, to her chest, said the best photos of childrens parties are the simple ones. Catch children laughing and playing. Too many parents stress out over the photos because they want the perfect photo, but life isnt perfect. You have to roll with it and let them be kids. Also, it is great to have a videographer to capture the memories. Freedman enlisted Nikki Tripp of Tripp Films.

Party favors. Everyone loves a goodie bags, so Freedman turned to Berings Hardware to create baskets full of fun holiday goodies, like Melissa & Doug crayons, stickers and coloring books; Great Pretenders unicorn scepters; Mud Pie crown headbands; iScream key chains; and Fancy Nancy books.

joy.sewing@chron.com
GALVESTON  Wading into the debate over a proposed coastal barrier to protect the Galveston-Houston area from major tropical storms, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush on Thursday urged federal officials to alter their proposed alignment to protect private property rights and to hold a longer public comment period before submitting their plan to Congress.

Bush used a news conference in this coastal city to outline six "guiding principles" that he hoped the Army Corps of Engineers would honor in developing a a 71-mile long system of levees and gates from High Island to San Luis Pass, including Galveston. The project, a previous version of which was dubbed the "Ike Dike," is expected to cost $23 million to $31 billion.

The Texas General Land Office that Bush heads is the non-federal sponsor of the coastal barrier study, a draft of which was made public in October and that is expected to be completed by 2021.

Although officials agree on the need to protect Texas' Gulf Coast, including Houston's petrochemical plants, from flooding triggered by a catastrophic storm, some residents of the Bolivar Peninsula have balked at a planned path that they say would require the taking of homes and not protect them from storm surge from Galveston Bay.

Bush asked that the Army Corps locate the levee system on or along the beach in a "sand dune-based system" that would integrate with the coastal environment and not affect private property along the main thoroughfares of Bolivar and Galveston island. He also wants the Army Corps to consider alternatives to a "ring levee" that would encircle the north side of Galveston island and bisect its East and West Ends, but which presents engineering and environmental challenges that could be prohibitive.

"We don't want personal property to be affected by the design or the plan that's currently under works," Bush said. "That's why we're asking the Bolivar levee piece to be more sand-focused that can leverage the beach in addition to the ecosystem restoration proposals that the Corps makes to renourish those beaches."

The Land Office has also requested that the Army Corps extend the current 75-day public comment period on the barrier proposal  which ends on Jan. 9  by 30 days, with a second round of public meetings and a second public comment period after the Corps has digested the feedback from the current one.

Bush says the Army Corps should publicize all of the public's feedback on the coastal barrier proposal. Currently, members of the public must file a formal open-records request to access comments.

"You all know better than anybody that (open records requests) take time and so there needs to be a better process by which the public can consume relevant stakeholders, neighbors, elected officials that are opining and participating in this process," Bush told reporters at the Galveston chamber of commerce.

Bush hopes the Land Office gets a response in the coming weeks.

A spokesman for the Corps' Galveston district said the agency is "aware of Commissioner Bush's requests for an extension of the public comment period, as well as other actions they would like to see addressed," and that the district is currently discussing ways to honor the requests.

The requested changes follow a turbulent month of public meetings on the project that began at the end of November in Port Lavaca and wrapped up earlier this week in Seabrook. Residents of Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula  who would be disproportionately affected by the coastal spine  were particularly animated in their disapproval of the project at the respective public meetings.

Bush said he wasn't surprised that the barrier island residents and property owners have reacted negatively to the coastal spine, but that he was surprised that the draft study indicated a preferred alignment for the levee along Texas State Highway 87 on Bolivar Peninsula and FM 3005 on Galveston  main roads that would inevitably force a significant number of buyouts.

"I understand the rationale to utilize existing right of ways and easements based upon the prior track record to eliminate the usage of eminent domain  which is a bad word that nobody wants to say," Bush said. "But having said that, (after) hearing from chambers (of commerce), hearing from constituents, the consensus has been pretty clear on this issue."

State and federal officials have stressed that eminent domain would only be enforced to build the barrier as a last resort.

Bush said environmental groups like Galveston Bay Foundation have been critical in pushing the state and federal government to consider the environmental impacts of placing the levee along the main roads, as well as how the sea gates planned for the mouth of the Houston Ship Channel would affect the salinity levels of Galveston Bay.

Scott Jones, the director of advocacy for the Galveston Bay Foundation, said he was "encouraged" to hear that Bush was pushing for a realignment of the coastal barrier and an additional public comment period.

"If we could build something that could provide the storm surge risk reduction but also not harm the environment, we'd be more open to that," Jones said. "We've been skeptical thinking that they could actually do it, all we've been asking for is transparency in this process."

The timeline of the coastal barrier project has also left many residents and property owners in the region wondering if they will ever see the benefits. The final coastal barrier study is expected to be completed in 2021, at which point it would be sent to Congress for authorization and appropriation. The most optimistic timelines predict the barrier will be completed by 2035.

Bush acknowledged these concerns, but pointed to Louisiana as an example of what can happen when political will combines with an existential threat to expedite a solution. Louisiana built a $15 billion levee system after Hurricane Katrina that took five years to build. Bush added that U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has been a leading proponent on the federal level of moving quickly to protect the Gulf Coast.

"A lot of elected officials think in two- and four-year increments and how it can benefit them," Bush said. "But this project is all about planting a seed to grow a tree that might create shade that none of us get a chance to enjoy. I try to focus on the here and the now."

Nick Powell covers Galveston County for the Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and send him tips at nick.powell@chron.com
WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday after clashing with President Donald Trump over the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan, saying in a parting letter that the president deserves someone atop the Pentagon "better aligned" with his views.

The retired Marine general's surprise resignation came a day after Trump shocked American allies and overruled his advisers, including Mattis, upon announcing a withdrawal from Syria. In the process, Trump declared victory over the Islamic State, even though the Pentagon and State Department for months have been saying the fight against the group in Syria isn't over.

Trump also ordered the Pentagon, against Mattis' recommendation, to come up with a plan to withdraw approximately half of the American troops deployed to Afghanistan, a move that military officials have warned could plunge the nation into chaos.

The discord, coupled with an array of other disagreements, caused Trump to lose a respected Cabinet official who won widespread praise at home and abroad but who experienced increasing differences with a commander in chief known for his skepticism of American allies and military operations overseas.

Long seen as a bulwark against Trump's isolationist impulses and more extreme proposals, Mattis served as a calm "reassurer-in-chief" as the president sent out startling and provocative tweets. His departure prompted a chorus of concern about the president's temperament and decision-making processes and injected new uncertainty into the administration's approach to global threats.

Mattis pointed to some of his differences with Trump in a parting letter he submitted to the White House on Thursday, which marked the first resignation of a Cabinet official in the Trump administration over a matter of principle that exploded into public view.

The retired general emphasized that the United States derives its strength from its relationships with allies and should treat them with respect. He said the country must also be "clear-eyed" about threats, including from groups such as the Islamic State.

"We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances," Mattis wrote. He did not offer any praise of Trump in the letter.

The defense secretary resigned during what one senior administration official described as a disagreement in the Oval Office on Thursday afternoon, in which Mattis sought to persuade the president to stand down on the Syria withdrawal but was rejected.

Trump was later given a copy of the resignation letter and noted to aides that it was not positive toward him. By then, the president had shocked the Pentagon by filming a video on the White House lawn in which he claimed the Islamic State had been defeated and said U.S. troops who had died in combat would be proud to see their fellow service members return home.

While the Syria announcement looked poised to score political points domestically, Mattis and other top advisers suspect that it will deliver a win to Russia, Iran and Syrian leader Bashar Assad, while risking a resurgence of the Islamic State.

Mattis also has argued against drawing down troops from Afghanistan, which Trump is leaning toward executing in the coming months, according to administration officials. Senior administration officials said late Thursday that Trump had ordered the military to come up with a plan to remove approximately 7,000 of the 14,000 U.S. troops deployed to the country, after a 17-year war, starting as early as January.

The Pentagon released the resignation letter moments after Trump announced on Twitter that Mattis would be leaving, saying the already retired Marine would "retire." Trump made no mention of his differences in opinion with Mattis.

"General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years," Trump wrote. "During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!"

During his nearly two years at the Pentagon, Mattis secured sizable increases in defense spending after years of budget caps and oversaw the development of a new strategy that began orienting the military toward competition with China and Russia and away from combating extremist insurgencies in the Middle East.

A staunch Russia hawk, Mattis bristled at the president's conciliatory gestures toward Russian President Vladimir Putin and comments that undermined NATO, according to people close to him. Russia and China "want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model," Mattis underscored in his resignation letter.

Moscow and Beijing are looking for "veto authority over other nations' economic, diplomatic and security decisions," he said, warning the president that the United States must "use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense."

Lawmakers, ambassadors and policymakers for two years have looked to Mattis as a source of stability in a chaotic administration. His sudden resignation on Thursday sent jitters through a Washington establishment already coping with a meltdown in the financial markets and a possible government shutdown.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she was "shaken" by the resignation and described it as "very serious for our country."

Republicans were also dismayed by the decision.

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said it was "a sad day for America because Secretary Mattis was giving advice the president needs to hear."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the United States must maintain its carefully built alliances and a clear understanding of its friends and foes, recognizing that nations such as Russia are among the latter.

"I was sorry to learn that Secretary Mattis, who shares those clear principles, will soon depart the administration," McConnell said in a statement. "But I am particularly distressed that he is resigning due to sharp differences with the president on these and other key aspects of America's global leadership."

Known as the "Warrior Monk" from his days in uniform, Mattis developed a reputation as a cerebral thinker in the Marine Corps who liked to deliberate, read and study all possibilities before making important decisions.

That style clashed with the most freewheeling presidential administration in the postwar era, most notably this week, when Trump decided to withdraw from Syria without first running an in-depth policy process that would consider the options and ramifications.

Mattis' frustrations grew with the arrival of national security adviser John Bolton, who curbed decision-making meetings and interagency policy discussions that the defense secretary valued, according to people familiar with the matter.

The final rupture between the defense secretary and the president came after weeks of tensions over Trump's broadsides against allies, his demands to withdraw from military entanglements in the Middle East and personnel decisions.

Mattis told one confidante last month that he wasn't going to leave because he had too many changes to make at the Defense Department, particularly on personnel.

But the defense secretary lost the most crucial battle on that front this month when the president disregarded his recommendation to make Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and instead chose Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.

The person close to Mattis said that choice was particularly offensive to the defense secretary.

"It's the one major selection the secretary of defense usually gets," the person said, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the defense secretary's private views. "And the president totally overruled him."

It wasn't the first time. The president announced the creation of a Space Force as a separate branch of the military, even though Mattis had opposed the idea. Trump forced his defense secretary to scramble after announcing by tweet a ban on transgender service members from serving in the military. Trump also foisted other initiatives on Mattis that the defense secretary didn't see as particularly important, from a deployment to the U.S. border with Mexico to a military parade that failed to materialize.

According to people in the White House, Trump didn't consider Mattis to be fully on board with some of his key initiatives. Mattis expressed skepticism over the prospects of nuclear disarmament negotiations with North Korea and bristled at the president's decision to suspend certain military exercises with South Korea as a goodwill gesture. Trump told advisers that he trusted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has led the North Korea negotiations, more than he trusted Mattis.

From the start, Trump and Mattis displayed starkly different attitudes toward long-standing American alliances. Trump threw Starburst candies on the table in front of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and berated British Prime Minister Theresa May; Mattis flew around the world thanking such allies for their contributions to American security.

Several possible replacements for Mattis this week decried the president's decision to pull out of Syria, and the Senate may prove hesitant to confirm a replacement who would execute such a withdrawal. Retired Army Gen. Jack Keane called the move a "strategic mistake" on Twitter. Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., signed a letter demanding that Trump reconsider, warning that the withdrawal bolsters Iran and Russia. Speculation began that Trump might reach outside the world of retired generals and politicians and seek someone from the defense industry.

With a career shaped by the wars following the 9/11 attacks, Mattis caught Trump's eye shortly after the presidential election in 2016. Revealing his choice for Pentagon chief, Trump hailed the retired general as "Mad Dog," a nickname Mattis earned - but detested - for his conduct in battle.

In the weeks leading up to Mattis' dismissal, Trump publicly called the defense secretary "sort of a Democrat" and began referring to him as "Moderate Dog."

Pentagon officials downplayed accounts of friction between Mattis and the White House as speculation grew that Mattis would join other national security leaders, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, Trump's former national security adviser, who left their posts abruptly amid reports of distance from the president. Fellow retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, is also leaving the administration, bringing an end to an era when Trump relied heavily on retired military brass.

In recent months, media accounts described the secretary quietly challenging or setting aside requests from the White House, even from the president himself, further fueling speculation about a possible departure.

The departure of Mattis is likely to be greeted with mixed feelings among some in uniform, many of whom revered him as a straight-talking commander with deep knowledge of military affairs. Still, service members are prohibited from speaking negatively of Trump or other senior leaders.

Retired Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent, Mattis' top enlisted Marine when the two were deployed in Iraq, said Thursday night that his phone has been "ringing off the hook" because service members and veterans wanted to talk about the departure.

"They were concerned that he was the right man for the right job, and now he's transitioning," Kent said. "They thought he was leading the department in the right direction. And it was combat-hardened warriors saying that, people who have witnessed him in combat."

- - -

The Washington Post's Dan Lamothe contributed to this report.

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Video: In a tweet Dec. 20, President Trump announced Defense Secretary Jim Mattis would step down in February. Mattis joined the administration early in Trump's presidency.(Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

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WASHINGTON  The Trump administration is withdrawing roughly 7,000 troops from Afghanistan in the coming months, two defense officials said Thursday, around half of what the U.S. military has there now.

Trump made the decision at the same time he decided he was pulling U.S. forces out of Syria, one official said. The move is likely one of the first steps to end the United States involvement in the 17-year-old war.
Houston ISD students were disciplined at significantly lower rates in 2017-18 compared to the prior year, though black and Hispanic students still were punished at disproportionately high rates compared to white peers, according to data published this week by the states largest district.

HISDs rate of in-school suspensions declined by 23 percent last year, while referrals to the districts alternative education programs fell by 21 percent and the out-of-school suspension rate dipped 1.8 percent. HISDs total discipline rate  22.3 actions per 100 students  ranks among the lowest in the Greater Houston area for medium and large school districts, according to state-published data.

Its certainly encouraging to see that, said Diana Tang, co-chair of the exclusionary discipline group for ONE Houston, a grassroots network that advocates for political and social change in educational settings. Theres still a lot of work to do to ensure that, even if suspensions arent happening, theres adequate support for students.

HISD officials have not publicly cited reasons for the decline, at least part of which likely is due to students missing 10 or more days of school after Hurricane Harvey. HISD did not make any district-level administrators available for an interview Thursday.

Disciplinary rates Houston ISD boasts one of the lower student discipline rates among the state's largest districts. Here are the number of disciplinary actions per 100 students for the Houston region's five largest districts: District | In-school suspensions | Out-of-school suspensions | Total disciplinary actions Aldine | 34.8 13.6 71.7 Cy-Fair | 28.7 11.4 41.4 Fort Bend | 7.5 5.3 15.2 Houston | 10.3 10.7 22 Katy | 6.5 1.9 10.3 Source: Houston Chronicle analysis of Texas Education Agency data See More Collapse

Despite the declines, the district continues to have one of the states largest racial and ethnic disparities in discipline. For example, the rate of out-of-school suspensions for black students  20.8 per 100 students  was nearly eight times higher than that for white students and nearly three times higher than Hispanic students last year.

School districts across the country have sought to reduce the use of suspensions, with some favoring so-called restorative justice methods that prioritize mending relations and educating students about harm done. In 2015-16, the most recent year with available data, suspensions of students declined about 4 percent from the previous year, according to the federal Civil Rights Data Collection agency.

Districts nationwide also have sought to tackle pervasive ethnic and racial disparities in discipline rates. Researchers generally have concluded disparities are caused by a combination of differences in behavior patterns, varying societal attributes among demographic groups and discriminatory application of discipline. However, researchers often disagree on how much each of those factors accounts for the gap.

The principal of HISDs Robinson Elementary School, Paige Fernandez-Hohos, said newly implemented restorative justice practices have brought her suspension totals down the past two years. Under that model, misbehaving students receive more creative disciplinary actions tailored toward mending relationships and educating about harm done, rather than being removed from class.

After averaging about 30 suspensions per year prior to implementing those practices, just one student at Robinson received a suspension in 2017-18, Fernandez-Hohos said.

A huge fallacy regarding the restorative discipline framework is that there are no consequences if there is no suspension, Fernandez-Hohos said. There are consequences designed to be more socially meaningful than getting a day off at home.

HISDs discipline rate ranks third lowest among the 14 Greater Houston school districts serving at least 25,000 students, according to separate data published by the Texas Education Agency. At the same time, several of the districts middle schools  Attucks, Cullen, High School Ahead Academy and Thomas  reported some of the states high rates of out-of-school suspensions.

The districts year-over-year reduction in disciplinary actions spread across all demographics: gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, special education status and English language learners. As a result, wide disparities in disciplinary rates remain in HISD. For every 100 students by each demographic, HISD issued the following number of disciplinary actions in 2017-18:

In-school suspensions: Black students, 14.9; Hispanic students, 9.4; white students, 2.7 Out-of-school suspensions: Black students, 20.8; Hispanic students, 7.3; white students, 2.7 Referrals to disciplinary alternative education: Black students, 1.2; Hispanic students, 0.6, white students, 0.2

HISDs student population last year was 62 percent Hispanic, 25 percent black and 8 percent white.

HISD officials also reported 132 in-school suspensions and 132 out-of-school suspensions for students in pre-kindergarten through second grade last year. HISD passed a policy in early 2016 barring students in those grades from being suspended unless required by law. The district reported 2,673 suspensions or expulsions among early-elementary students in 2014-15.

This is certainly a win for making schools a safer place for children, but we still have a long way to go, said Ruth Kravetz, a founder of Community Voices for Public Education, a grass-roots advocacy group whose members pushed for the policy change. I cant imagine any situation where a child should be suspended from school or expelled in pre-K through (second grade).

HISDs discipline patterns mostly mirror those in Fort Bend ISD, which resolved a six-year federal investigation into its practices in July. Fort Bend saw significant declines in suspensions over the past several years, though black students remained six times more likely to receive an out-of-school suspension and four times more likely to get in-school suspension compared to white students.

jacob.carpenter@chron.com

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Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday set a Jan. 29 special election to fill state Sen. Carol Alvarados seat in the Texas House, hours after she was sworn in to the upper chamber.

Alvarado, D-Houston, won a special election Dec. 11 to fill the Texas Senate seat vacated by U.S. Rep.-elect Sylvia Garcia, who was elected in November to replace U.S. Rep. Gene Green, D-Houston. Green, who first was elected to the House from the newly-created District 29 in 1992, announced he would not run for reelection last November.

Candidates have until 5 p.m. Jan. 3 to file for the election, while early voting starts Jan. 14.

The heavily Hispanic district covers part of the Heights, cutting southeast through downtown and South Houston to Beltway 8.

Even before Abbott set the date, multiple candidates had said they planned to run for the seat, and more are said to be considering whether to jump into the race.

Christina Morales, the president and CEO of Morales Funeral Home in Houstons East End, announced on Facebook earlier this month that she would seek the seat. Martha Fierro, a Republican who finished third in the race for Garcias Senate seat, announced on Twitter the next day that she intended to run for the seat.

Alvarado had held the seat since 2009, winning an open race after incumbent state Rep. Rick Noriega ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate.

The district voted 67 percent to 29 percent in favor of Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in 2016.

Melissa Noriega, Rick Noriegas wife, has said she is considering a run for the seat. She previously served on Houston City Council and held the District 145 seat in 2005 while her husband served in Afghanistan.

Abbott also set a special election Jan. 29 to replace state Rep. Joe Pickett, an El Paso Democrat, who is stepping down over health issues related to a cancer diagnosis.

jasper.scherer@chron.com

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The arrests of five bar employees for allegedly serving alcohol to 19-year-old Erick Hernandez before a deadly crash in South Houston are the first of a new statewide initiative, authorities said.

The five, who are all employees at Servi-Car el 3 on Houston Boulevard, are all accused of serving Hernandez at least a dozen alcoholic drinks over six hours Sunday night before police say he crashed head-on into an SUV, killing 23-year-old Taylor Phillips and injuring her 1-year-old child and 48-year-old mother.

In the case, Mildred Garcia, 21, Anna Evelyn Lule, 19, Joaquin Guadalupe Gonzalez, 19, and Jazely Marie Barrera, 21, were charged with misdemeanors associated with serving Hernandez. Gustavo Tejada-Garcia, 28, the manager of the bar, was charged with misdemeanor possession of an unauthorized beverage charge, namely tequila.

DA: 'This family should be celebrating the holiday, but is instead planning a funeral'

Now Playing: Erick Hernandez is accused of being drunk when he crashed head-on into an SUV driven by 23-year-old Taylor Phillips on Sunday night in the 1500 block of College Avenue near Hobby Airport. Phillips died on impact, prosecutors said in court. Video: Jay Jordan

Hernandez is facing up to 20 years in prison on a second-degree felony intoxication manslaughter charge in the crash.

The five employees were arrested days after the crash thanks, in part, to a new initiative by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, according to TABC Chief Law Enforcement Officer Victor Kuykendoll.

The initiative, called the Trace Protocol, started in December.

When local law enforcement believes alcohol may be a factor in a serious crash, officers can call upon a special task force comprised of TABC agents, Texas Department of Public Safetyofficers and members of the Texas Sheriff's Association.

"Prior to this protocol being put in place, it was up to the local TABC office or agent to work the case among their other duties," Kuykendoll said. "It might even take some time for the office to be notified. Like most criminal cases, it's important to gather evidence, such as video recordings, and interview witnesses within the first 48 hours."

Kuykendoll said previously, there was as little as a 10 percent success rate for authorities being able to track down the source of alcohol sales in crashes to determine if anything illegal occurred, such as over-serving bar patrons or serving to minors, both of which were in play in the Hernandez case, police said.

The Trace Protocol aims to bring that percentage up.

Each of the bar employees, as well as Hernandez, are freed on bond as their cases move through courts.

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
Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

A judge overseeing one of the lawsuits over the Proposition B pay parity charter amendment asked lawyers in the suit to remind their clients not to correspond with her directly after a Houston firefighter sent her a Facebook message earlier this month.

State District Judge Kristen Hawkins wrote in a memo that she received a Dec. 2 Facebook message in which the firefighter asked her to explain "the reasoning behind" her decision to grant a temporary restraining order that paused the city's implementation of Proposition B, a voter-approved amendment to the city's charter that grants firefighters pay parity to Houston's Police Department officers.
The photos poured in from the Chihuahuan Desert to the Gulf of Mexico and through all the canyons in between, snapshots of a nearly 2,000-mile border now at the center of a potential government shutdown Friday.

For the better part of the last month, the scenes along the U.S.-Mexico border playing on cable television have featured migrants fleeing tear gas or climbing fences as President Trump escalates his demands that Congress fund the wall. But late Thursday, Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-Texas, who fell short last month in his Senate bid against Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, sought to offer an alternative vision.

RELATED: GoFundMe page started to fund U.S.-Mexico border wall raises millions of dollars in days

"Where would they build the wall?" O'Rourke wrote on Twitter. "Whose home or ranch or farm are they going to take to build it? Which communities and habitats are they going to destroy?"

"Let the rest of the country see what's at stake," he said.

The dozens of photos that Twitter followers sent in response, featuring ankles dangling from cliffs in Big Bend National Park and kids wading in the Rio Grande, might as well have been a tourism ad for the border, leading some to pledge a visit or to "admit I had no idea how beautiful the border is." Some posted photos of the kayaking spot that "CHANGED MY LIFE!" or the spot where a grandfather once owned a ranch overlooking Mexico.

But while the photos are unlikely to sway congressional debate on the wall, they did illuminate some of the habitats most threatened by Trump's border wall, such as the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge and the National Butterfly Center in Texas. The Trump administration has been able to bypass dozens of environmental laws ranging from the Endangered Species Act to the Clean Air Act thanks to 1996 and 2005 legislation that gives precedence to border-security concerns. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court left in place a February ruling upholding the Trump administration's authority to waive the environmental rules, a major blow to groups seeking to save natural habitats along the border they fear will be destroyed by the president's wall.

O'Rourke's tweet, which drew close to 800 replies and more than 29,000 likes as of early Friday morning, gave voice to many of those who worry the ecotourism destinations will be irreparably harmed by the wall.

"I do not see where a wall would go without disrupting everything," wrote one woman, sharing video footage from a valley in Lajitas, Texas.

"Couldn't imagine an ugly cement barrier running through this beautiful stretch of Texas," wrote one person from Big Bend National Park.

"It will destroy the National Butterfly Center, which is home to endangered monarchs as well as to a whole ecosystem of wildlife," said the actress Katharine Towne.

Of all those locations, the National Butterfly Center is perhaps imperiled most immediately. Funding for 33 miles of fencing in the Rio Grande Valley, where the center is located, was already approved as part of the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill in March, and construction on parts of the barrier is expected to begin in February.

As the San Antonio Express-News reported earlier this month, the wall could be as tall as three stories high, consisting of 18-foot steel beams called bollards melded into a concrete base. It is expected to slash the 100-acre butterfly sanctuary by 70 percent, leaving most of the habitat on the Mexican side of the wall.

On ExpressNews.com: Responding to concerns that border wall will ruin National Butterfly Center in Texas, Trump administration promises to minimize environmental damage

Luciano Guerra, an employee at the butterfly center and a Trump voter, wrote in a guest column for The Washington Post this week that "we dread the destruction that will come when the bulldozers arrive. ... That loud, heavy machinery will cause irreparable damage to the habitat we've worked so hard to restore." He said he fears that if the wall goes up, his grandchildren's "only experience of the Rio Grande Valley's natural beauty will be through the photographs I take today."

Nearby, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tried to warn U.S. Customs and Border Protection about the environmental threats the border wall poses to animals and their habitats in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. But Interior Department officials edited the Service's letter to remove some of those concerns so that CBP apparently never saw them, as The Post's Dino Grandoni and Juliet Eilperin reported last week, citing documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

Biologists and wildlife managers for the Service said in a 2017 draft letter that the proposed 28-mile levee wall in Hidalgo County could leave animals trapped in the event of a wildfire or "catastrophic" flood, with the former being difficult to stop if a wall bisects the ecosystem. The levee wall would also have a 150-foot concrete enforcement area with bright floodlights, severely disrupting the habitats for nocturnal animals. Endangered species that live there, including the ocelot and jaguarundi cats, would be especially at risk, the scientists warned.

"The Lower Rio Grande Valley is a flood-prone area. The Service is concerned the levee wall in Hidalgo County could be subject to catastrophic natural flood events, leaving terrestrial wildlife trapped behind the levee wall to drown or starve," the Service wrote. "This project will likely cause widespread mortality for terrestrial organisms during catastrophic flood events."

On ExpressNews.com: National Butterfly Center starts GoFundMe to protect sanctuary from President Trump's border wall

But concerns about the trapped animals and wildfire hazards ultimately did not make it into the letter ultimately submitted to CBP, documents obtained by The Post showed.

For now the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refugee is safe; the omnibus spending bill in March included a provision specifically restricting the Trump administration from using the $1.7 billion for border security to go toward any wall construction there.

In October, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement saying that although the agency is waiving various environmental laws to build the bollard wall in Hidalgo County, "DHS remains committed to environmental stewardship" and protecting wildlife.

But whether Trump will ever have a chance to build his wall through other sensitive environments is unclear. The border wall is on shaky ground, with Democrats taking over the House next month. The GOP-controlled House passed a deal including $5.7 billion for the wall on Thursday, but the Senate looks unlikely to pass it Friday, potentially leading to a government shutdown.

On Tuesday, Trump appeared to suggest that those worried the wall will obstruct their views of nature should not be concerned. He said he'd build a wall that they could see through.

"The Democrats, are saying loud and clear that they do not want to build a Concrete Wall - but we are not building a Concrete Wall, we are building artistically designed steel slats, so that you can easily through it," he said, an apparent reference to the bollard wall.

"It will be beautiful," he added.
WASHINGTON - The border wall saga continues - likely into 2019 and beyond, key Texas lawmakers said Wednesday.

With no funding agreement in sight for President Donald Trumps promised border wall, congressional leaders moved Wednesday to put off until Feb. 8 a spending showdown that could partially shut down the federal government.

The effort to avert a potential closure came after the White House signaled it might back down from Trumps demand that Congress provide $5 billion, suggesting instead that there are other ways to get money for the border wall.

SUBSCRIBERS: Border wall will not hinder access to National Butterfly Center, agency says

A new funding bill by Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell came after several days of mixed messages from the White House about whether Trump would accept a short term deal to avoid a shutdown.

Even as White House aide Stephen Miller said that the president was absolutely willing to shut down the government over the wall, Trump floated a plan to have the military build it, an idea that has run into skepticism from Republicans and Democrats alike.

Texas Republican John Cornyn, ending his six-year-stint as GOP Majority Whip, said Trump is considering reprogramming past Defense Department appropriations, including money for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers construction projects.

Im sure the president has his lawyers looking at whether thats feasible, Cornyn said, and whether he could do that without Congress approval.

Cornyn blamed Democrats for the impasse, saying Trump faced incredible intransigence of incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

On Tuesday, Schumer rejected the GOPs latest offer of $1.6 billion border security spending, plus $1 billion in reallocated money for immigration enforcement other than a wall. Schumer called the additional pot of money a slush fund.

While expressing disappointment in the Democratic response, Cornyn voiced his own reservations about repurposing unspent defense dollars for a border wall.

Theres always competing demands for money and I would want to know where that money would be shifted from, Cornyn said Wednesday. If its shifted from some account that is a non-critical function, then I might be open to it. But if its taking money out of the pockets of our soldiers and sailors, airmen and marines, I would not.

We should have been taking a stand

For Trump, signing a temporary funding measure without additional money earmarked for a wall would still mark a major concession. It comes on top of the administrations announcement on Tuesday that it will relax some of the background check requirements for people sponsoring migrant children, a move that could speed up the release of thousands of children being held in government facilities like the controversial tent camp in Tornillo, Texas.

READ ALSO: Bracing for life on the south side of the wall

Immigrant advocates credited Trumps capitulation to the Democrats strengthened bargaining position in the wake of midterm elections that saw them gain 40 House seats, winning control of the chamber starting in January.

On this side of the midterms, Trump doesnt seem so strong, invincible and domineering, does he? said Frank Sharry, executive director of the advocacy group Americas Voice.

While Senate GOP leaders prepared a resolution extending current government funding until February 8, some House conservatives urged Republicans to dig in while they still command majorities in both chambers.

Let me get this straight, tweeted Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus. Our chances of getting the Wall will be better in February when Nancy Pelosi is Speaker than now when we have the majority? Give me a break.

Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows of North Carolina tweeted that the government funding extension will be a Christmas present for Democrats: Democrats will win, the wall will not be built, and Congress will once again have punted when we shouldve been taking a stand.

Facing a Friday night deadline to head off a holiday government shutdown, Senate Republican leaders said they had little choice, finding themselves unable to approve wall funding without Democratic votes.

I hope that this continuing resolution will provide us the time to work out our differences in a thoughtful manner and reach a bipartisan consensus on important national priorities, said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby of Alabama.

Pelosi and other Democrats also questioned whether there are enough Republican votes in the lame duck House to pass the $5 billion funding request for a wall, which Trump originally said would be paid for by Mexico. Among those who have opposed Trumps wall proposal is West Texas Republican Will Hurd, whose district covers one-third of the entire U.S.-Mexico border.

Congress has already passed most of the governments 2019 funding, but at least six agencies are operating under a stopgap funding law that expires at midnight Friday. Among them is the Homeland Security Department, which oversees border security and the wall.

The Senates original Homeland bill for 2019, approved on a bipartisan basis, includes $1.6 billion for border security, much of it for 65 miles of pedestrian fencing in the Rio Grande Valley.

The House is expected to take up the new funding extension on Thursday, possibly ending a standoff that has been building for months.

Either way the battle for Trumps wall is not over.

The fight over this will continue, Cornyn said, probably up to and including the 2020 election.
AUSTIN  There is no shortage of people willing to bash judges. Defendants, victims and attorneys aggrieved by a court ruling all have been known to take their shots.

But in a profession defined by decorum, it is rare for sitting jurists to snipe at each other - especially their closest colleagues.

Just south of Austin, the gloves recently came off. Hays County state district judges have been involved in an ongoing sham for many years at the expense of our taxpayers, wrote William Bill Henry, himself a Hays County district judge. The basic problem, Henry continued, is that his peers are lazy.

Judge (Gary) Steel had court 48 times in Hays County in 2017, Henry wrote, and 35 times in Hays County through the end of November of 2018. Judge Jack Robison, meanwhile, In 2017, working fulltime had 65 days of court in Hays County. Judge Boyer - R. Bruce Boyer, 22nd District judge - had 74 days in court in 2017.

By comparison, Henry said he had held court 220 days last year. This lack of work is a systematic, intentional harm to our taxpayers that has been going on for years, he wrote. State statistics show that, measured by cases that take at least a half-year to resolve, the Hays County district courts have become some of the states slowest.

Experts say its tricky to compare judges relative workloads. Yet Henrys broadside was only the latest expression of frustration at a local criminal justice mystery: Over the past three years, Hays Countys justice system has exploded, swelling well beyond even the communitys rapid population growth.

Between late 2016 and 2018, the county jail population doubled. Earlier this year, the census for the Hays County jail, with an effective capacity of about 300 beds, approached 650 inmates.

In response, Hays officials have been forced to sign contracts with eight other counties to house the tidal wave of inmates. Measured as a percentage of total inmates housed elsewhere, Hays now ranks among the states most overcrowded jails.

Related: Bexar County opens justice center as part of criminal justice reform effort

Taxpayers are paying the price. In the last year alone, the cost of the extra cells jumped 65 percent, from $2.6 million in 2017, to $4.3 million in 2018. At the jails busiest, Hays residents were shelling out $15,000 a day for the out-of-county jail beds. Transportation expenses and extra staffing added more.

While several of the overflow facilities are in neighboring counties, making transfers back and forth for court hearings relatively simple, others are more far-flung. McLennan County is a two-hour drive north. The Burnet County jail is an hour and half drive to the northwest. It takes three hours to make the trip northeast to Limestone Countys lock-up.

Were driving people around the entire state of Texas, said County Commissioner Lon Shell.

The logistics of juggling all the prisoners has spawned more serious problems. Henry said from his bench perch he has observed inmates languishing far from the San Marcos courthouse without legal representation.

Defense attorneys say they cant afford to make daylong trips to meet with single clients ahead of court dates, raising questions about the quality of Hays Countys justice. Its virtually impossible to load up the truck and drive to Waco and take a day to see one client, said Billy McNabb, a San Marcos criminal lawyer.

Its a nightmare. I dont think justice is getting served, not at all.

Crime rate drops as jail population soars

Henry confirmed his letter but declined to discuss its contents other than to say he was simply trying to improve the justice logjam by ensuring voters get their moneys worth from their elected judges.

Among his targets, only Steel responded to a request for comment. Unfortunately, the relationship between Judge Henry and the other Hays County District Judges has been strained for some time, he wrote in an email. I was unaware it has reached the level that the tone of his letter indicates. Steel said some of Henrys facts were incorrect and many others were simply conjecture, but didnt elaborate.

By Henrys accounting, his colleagues were taking advantage of an outdated system in which some Central Texas judges split their time hearing cases in several counties. Rather than apportion their workload by demand, they are always somewhere else when there is important work to be done, he wrote. Warrants do not get signed; emergency orders do not get considered simply because [they] are nowhere to be found.

Privately, some agree. Yet county officials say trying to pin the jails hyper-growing pains on a single factor isnt a satisfying explanation. Inefficiencies in the system seem to be part of the equation, Shell said. But the answer always seems to be, Thats just the system we have.

The reflexive explanation has been that the inmate boom mirrors the countys population surge. Hays County is one of the fastest growing counties in the country, and our caseloads have increased dramatically over the last several years, said District Attorney Wes Mau.

Related: Post-prison, women find a faith-based haven in San Antonio

While Sheriff Gary Cutler cautioned against mischaracterizing the newcomers  We dont want to say more bad people are moving in; good people are moving here  police say that a growing community at the least presents a spreading target for crime.

If you were to ask us 15 years ago to run a police report on a particular address, there would be nothing  just a field, said Kyle Police Chief Jeff Barnett. Now, theres a Walmart there and the number of calls would be astronomically high.

Yet underneath that obvious explanation, the picture of a criminal activity simply keeping pace with the county becomes fuzzier. Despite its growth, for example, Hays Countys crime rate has trended downward in recent years.

Cutler said his impression is that cells are filling with more repeat offenders and serious criminals. According to figures kept by the Texas Department of Public Safety, however, in 2017 the rate of more serious index crimes in Hays County dropped to its lowest point in three years.

And despite the flood of newcomers, Hays jail population until recently had remained relatively flat. As of late 2015, Hays on average needed to find only three dozen overflow beds for its inmates, according to a report commissioned to assess the need for a new jail.

Although the county is slated for unprecedented growth over the coming decades, this will not necessarily translate into a growth in the county jail population, the study concluded.

Instead, over the next three years the need to house inmates outside Hays County has at times soared nearly 10-fold. None of us know the answer to whats driving it, Cutler conceded.

There is no shortage of contributing theories and finger-pointing. Some attorneys say the district attorney has gummed up the courts by working fewer plea deals. For his part, Mau suggested new discovery rules and laboratory backlogs for forensic test results were dragging the Hays system.

The jail capacity study noted Hays officials ignored earlier recommendations to keep a lid on the number of inmates - a pretrial services program to identify defendants who could be released safety, for example, and issuing citations to lower-level offenders instead of arresting them. Although the county has since started a pretrial program, it has only a single employee and so has limited effect, Shell said.

Frustrated with so many unsatisfying explanations, six months ago Shell decided to start from the ground up. He hired an intern whose only job was to trace the path of every single inmate through the Hays County justice system, from arrest through departure. We have to know our jail population better to know what will work for us, he said.

The full analysis is pending, but Shell said hes picked up a few patterns. He suspects Hays County doesnt need to lock up so many minor offenders - drug users, in particular.

We have drug treatment rehab programs where inmates go out in the community to class and then return to jail to sleep, he said, leading him to conclude they might not need to be locked up. It makes you think about what that costs.

The sheriff is skeptical. If people are saying Hays County is housing a lot of little misdemeanors, thats not the case, Cutler said.

New judges will soon take the bench

Although Henrys letter accusing his colleagues of underperformance was sent to only a handful of people, it has since gained wider circulation, in part because of its unusual candor. Im not aware of ever having seen a letter like that before, acknowledged David Slayton, executive director of the Office of Court Administration, a state agency that supports Texas courts.

Slayton stressed measuring judicial performance is complicated. The agency doesnt evaluate individual judges, though it occasionally will calculate whether a county needs a new court based on the number and type of cases.

A recent analysis painted a mixed picture, showing Hays County needing more district judges - but also that the region that includes the shared district judges Henry slammed was slightly overstaffed, suggesting he could have a point about how they divided up their time.

Other stats confirm a system under stress. In recent years, more district court criminal cases have come into Hays County than its judges resolved. Since 2017, nearly 60 percent of criminal cases heard in district court have taken more than six months to adjudicate, 7th slowest among Texas large court systems.

In the meantime, inmates pay the price. Leo LaMountain, arrested in July 2017 on drug and fraud charges, said hes been moved 10 times to different jails since his arrest. What better way to stack the deck against a defendant than to ensure that he will not be able to consult with his/her attorney or prepare for trial prior to the scheduled trial date, he wrote.

Records show Jose Manuel Gonzales, arrested in September for probation revocation and being held in Waco without a lawyer, hand-wrote a letter requesting a court-appointed attorney nearly a month ago - Ive been homeless for the last four years. He was appointed one Wednesday, the same day he was sentenced to prison.

Some relief is on the horizon. Last year state lawmakers approved new county and district judge positions for Hays County to speed its dockets. Theyll take the bench soon.

In 2016, local voters also narrowly approved an expansion of the jail. When its complete, in 2020, the facility will have a capacity of 472 general population inmates, Cutler said.

Shell points out that, without getting to the bottom of the countys mystery of the rapidly multiplying inmates, that wont even cover the current population. The worse thing, he said, is you just build a new facility and fill it up the next day.
Republicans had to rely on smaller, rural counties to win the hotly contested U.S. Senate race in Texas, a far cry from past elections when such counties would have added to the margin of victory for the GOP but not been decisive, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis.

Republican Ted Cruz was able to win re-election thanks to his dominance in counties with a population under 23,000. He won these counties by a nearly 224,000 vote margin, whereas he won the election by more than 219,000 ballots.

These counties, like many other rural counties in the state, symbolize more than just the advantages that Republicans have had in Texas. The fact that it took these sparsely-populated areas for Cruz to defeat challenger Beto ORourke shows that Democrats have made serious inroads to winning statewide races.

Turnout in recent elections has shifted the states battleground to smaller counties, away from the suburbs of years past.

Even though these smaller counties have always gone to the GOP and have become redder over the years, Democrats think they can perform better in these new battlegrounds than they have before.

How Texas counties trended from 2012 to 2018 See whether Texas counties became more Democratic or Republican from the 2012 Senate race and the 2018 election. Click on a county to see election results. Source: Texas Secretary of State, U.S. Census Bureau | Created by Jordan Rubio

It all comes down to maximizing turnout in these counties, said Denise Mattox, president of the Waller County Democratic Club.

What we didnt do is turn out as many people who were inclined to vote Democratic as we could have, she said. If we had done that, we wouldve had a very good chance of winning (the Senate) race.

That might be the biggest lesson learned in 2018 about Texas politics.

The political direction of Texas will depend on voter turnout  specifically, which counties turn out.

Changing landscape

While the landscape of Texas as a whole remained conservative this year, or even became more conservative in more rural counties, its a worrying sign for Republicans that a larger percentage of the states population is living in more urban and suburban counties.

But state Republicans arent giving up the fight in any part of Texas.

In fact, the GOP is already starting on new voter registration drives and is identifying volunteers in areas they underperformed in order to get voters to the polls, said James Dickey, chairman of the Republican Party of Texas.

Both sides did a good job turning out their base in this election, Dickey said. We need to grow our base in suburban and urban areas.

Typically, Texas isnt a voting state. It has some of the lowest turnout rates in the country. For years, progressives have placed their hopes on higher turnout, and it seems the 2016 and 2018 elections have proved that theory correct.

In the states largest counties, vote totals went up and more of those votes went to Democrats than ever before.

Of the 10 counties that saw the biggest increase in votes, ORourke won eight.

These ten counties represented more than 58 percent of the states population and nearly 59 percent of the ballots cast in the 2018 election.

A driving reason for that was motivation from non-voting Democrats and enough new voters to encourage a blue wave, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston.

The 20 most populous counties all had an increased number of ballots cast from 2012, and each went more Democratic than they had previously.

Republicans have the strongest support in counties that are losing population. Most of the counties that saw decreases in the number of ballots cast became even more Republican. The same is true for Texas smaller counties.

Electorate growing

Of the counties with a population under 100,000, Cruz won nearly 92 percent of them and 85 percent trended more Republican.

Overall, the potential electorate in Texas is growing, with 73 percent of counties seeing an increase in voter registration compared to 2012. But only 36 percent of these counties with a higher number of voter registrations had an increased number of votes.

These past two cycles seem to be part of an inevitable trend in which urban Texas will outvote rural Texas in statewide races, Rottinghaus said  which would dampen the GOPs hope of maintaining electoral dominance in Texas.

If present politics continues, itll be difficult for Republicans to get enough of the urban vote and maintain conservative-leaning suburbs in their column, he said.

But the idea of a Democratic win in Texas is far from certain.

Youll see some shifting, Rottinghaus said. Republicans will get smart on how to connect to voters in places they havent succeeded.

jordan.rubio@chron.com

twitter.com/jordan_rubio
How many times do we have to go through this?

Thats what Kathy Tomasic wants to know. Painstakingly, she has planned her life  and that of her teenage son, who has a rare genetic disorder  around access to health care. She did so based on a specific set of assumptions about what kinds of insurance would be available to her family, under what conditions and for how many years.

But Friday, that careful planning was once again thrown into doubt  this time by a federal judges decision in Texas declaring the entire Affordable Care Act unconstitutional.

In public remarks, Republicans have tried to reassure the public by saying, Nothing changes tomorrow. This case may or may not make its way up to the Supreme Court, they note; the high court may or may not reverse the ruling; and Congress may or may not pass new legislation ultimately preserving the many popular provisions of Obamacare, which, by the way, turn out to be almost every major provision of Obamacare.

In other words: Dont worry! It could well be years before this latest threat to the law you depend on does damage! Coming from Republicans, this is truly a bizarre message.

For a decade, they decried the intolerable uncertainty that Obama-era policies created for businesses. How could entrepreneurs decide how much to invest, and where, and under what terms, they asked, if the rules of the road were in flux?

Yet Republicans relentless attempts to undermine the ACA  through repeal, arbitrary regulatory changes and delays, funding cuts, elimination of low-income subsidies, a never-ending parade of lawsuits  only escalate this anxiety-inducing uncertainty.

Not just for businesses, but for millions of American families, too.

I first spoke to Tomasic last year, when Congress was trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act legislatively. Like others among the 60 percent of Americans whose households include someone with a pre-existing condition, she found this prospect terrifying.

Her younger son, Alec, is something of a prodigy. At 15, he was accepted to the University of California at Berkeley, where hes now a junior studying physics. He hopes to enroll in a Ph.D. program when he graduates, likely focusing on fusion research.

But arranging these educational feats has been complicated. Alec has a disorder called mastocytosis, which periodically sends his body into shock and lands him in the hospital.

For years, Alecs older brother, Nelson, helped care for him. When Alec was accepted to Berkeley, though, his mother decided it was time to let Nelson live his own life. She quit her full-time job in San Diego and moved with Alec to Berkeley, which gave her a flexible, part-time position.

Depending on her hours, however, that position doesnt reliably come with benefits. She decided to make the career move anyway because she knew she could purchase subsidized Obamacare insurance, which next year will cost her about $400 per month.

When Congress tried to repeal Obamacare last year, she fretted. At 59, she says her own health is not pristine; shes not sure she could find a new job that offers insurance; and without coverage herself, what would happen to her sons if she falls ill or dies?

So when repeal failed, Tomasic breathed a huge sigh of relief. Then came this latest lawsuit from the attorneys general and governors of 20 red states.

Using a legal argument thats been deemed ridiculous by even conservative legal scholars, these states persuaded a Texas judge to strike down the individual mandate, and with it, the entire ACA  its protections for those with pre-existing conditions, its Medicaid expansion, its income-based subsidies, everything.

Given her age and health status, Tomasics ability to buy insurance on the individual market could disappear if the ruling stands. Shes not the only member of her household at risk of losing insurance either. Alec gets coverage through his fathers plan, which the ACA allows him to remain on until age 26; if the law goes away, that plan could boot him as early as age 19, depending on his school status.

Perhaps he could then enroll in a plan through school. But not all such plans cover the $2,000 shot he gets each month to stabilize his condition.

All this planning and scheming we have to do, its really appalling, Tomasic says. Especially in a country as rich as ours.

Her familys health and financial security was sewn together with a few fragile threads. Republicans threaten to unravel all of them.

crampell@washpost.com
America is often described as a constitutional democracy or constitutional republic. Thats not really true. The best you could say is that our system is constitutional-ish.

Consider the bizarre controversy over President Donald Trumps decision to pull out of Syria. As a matter of policy, I think its a terrible decision he will live to regret. Nearly every foreign policy expert feels the same way, including  if reports are true  military leadership and the presidents own National Security Council.

Outside of a few negligible but reliable boosters such as perennially dovish Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., everyone thinks this amounts to a reprieve for ISIS and a betrayal of the Kurds, whove done much of the heavy fighting for us. Of course, the Iranian mullahs, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Turkish president for life Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian butcher Bashar al-Assad are all gleeful.

But as unfathomable as the presidents policy decision may be, the constitutional context in which he made it is far weirder.

On both sides of the aisle, congressional leaders are denouncing the presidents decision, largely for the reasons stated above. But take a step back and consider the fact that all of these outraged senators and congressmen are furious about the president retreating from a war they did not authorize.

The Constitution is very clear: Congress  and only Congress  has the power to declare war. It hasnt formally declared war since World War II (1942, to be exact, when it declared war on German-allied Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania). Since then, it has sometimes used phrases like the authorization of military force, and other times presidents have acted unilaterally, invoking U.N. resolutions or really almost nothing at all. To the extent that Congress has complained, the outrage has usually been partisan. Congressional Democrats hate it when Republican presidents dont get their approval, and vice versa.

The so-called war on terror, well into its 18th year, is a sprawling enterprise around the globe (one I largely support as a matter of policy), tenuously justified by constitutionally flimsy pronouncements by Congress. The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists passed after 9/11 doesnt cover ISIS in Syria (or Africa, or the Philippines, or cyberspace).

The president basically has carte blanche to wage war  and retreat from it  without any real congressional sanction. President Barack Obama invaded Syria without congressional authorization. President Trump ramped up that war without congressional authorization. And now he wants to pull out without congressional authorization.

War is just the most grave and appalling example of bipartisan congressional cowardice. Congress gave the president almost unilateral authority over trade decades ago, even though the Commerce Clause gives Congress total authority over trade, both foreign and domestic. I understand why many support the presidents trade policies toward China, but why Congress yawned as the president invoked national security threats to wage trade wars with Canada or the EU is a different matter.

Again, this isnt about Trump. Congress has been surrendering vast swaths of its constitutional authority to the president, to the courts and to a permanent bureaucracy for a century. Indeed, critics of the Mueller probe have a point when they complain that the executive branch should not be conducting what is in effect an impeachment inquiry. Weve stumbled into this bizarre situation because Congress handed over much its oversight of the presidency to the Department of Justice and the FBI, which did not even exist until 1870 and 1908, respectively.

The Founders never imagined that Congress would just give away so much of its power. James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 48 that Congress would always be extending the sphere of its activity and drawing all power into its impetuous vortex.

While the problem has been worsening for generations, the era of cable television and social media has put the trend into overdrive. The legislative branch is often little more than a peanut gallery  a parliament of pundits, as Ive often called it  full of people who use their office as a way to get on TV or as a stepping stone to a presidential bid.

Schools often teach that we have three co-equal branches of government. But thats not what the Constitution established. Congress is the first and supreme branch of government, with the power to declare war, write laws, create all of the courts save the Supreme Court, and raise taxes.

We dont live in that Constitutional system. We live in a constitutional-ish one.

Contact Goldberg at goldbergcolumn@gmail.com or via Twitter @JonahNRO.
What do a speech pathologist, a freelance writer, a reporter and university students in Texas have in common with a weekly paper in Arkansas, a lawyer in Arizona, and a math teacher in Kansas? They have all had to choose between signing a loyalty oath to Israel and forgoing payment for their services from state agencies. And they have all fought back.

This month, two lawsuits have challenged the constitutionality of a Texas law that requires anyone doing business with a state entity  including cities, school districts and public universities  to affirm that they do not boycott Israel and will not boycott Israel during the term of the contract.

Rather than Texas fighting a losing battle in court, the Legislature should repeal the law in the upcoming session.

Too many Texans have already been subjected to this ill-considered mandate. Last year, this law prompted the city of Dickinson to require residents to pledge not to boycott Israel in order to receive aid in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. After public outcry, the city limited the requirement to businesses rather than individual homeowners.

Lawsuits have challenged similar contract requirements in Arizona, Kansas and Arkansas. Pledges not to boycott Israel are also required in state contracts in Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, and Ohio. Twenty-six states have some form of law on the books aiming to discourage people from engaging in boycotts for Palestinian rights. These laws are brazen violations of the right to free speech.

Why would a Texas school district or public radio station need contractors to sign an oath of loyalty to Israel? Why are so many lawmakers adopting obviously unconstitutional laws?

As the global movement for Palestinian rights has grown, so too have efforts to shut it down. In 2005, Palestinian civil society issued a global call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions to support the movement for Palestinian equality and freedom. They modeled it after a similar call from South Africans to challenge the apartheid regime there.

The reality on the ground  and since last summer, enshrined in Israels fundamental Basic Law  is that Palestinians have fewer rights than Jewish Israelis  whether they are citizens of Israel or live in Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem or besieged in the Gaza Strip.

For those in the international community moved by the overwhelming injustices that have dispossessed Palestinians of their land, livelihood and dignity over the span of seven decades, boycotts are a way to demand freedom and equality for Palestinians through everyday consumer and investment choices at a time when our own government facilitates the oppression of Palestinians and shields Israel from accountability.

Boycotts have long been employed to leverage collective economic pressure to achieve freedom and equality  and supporters of the status quo have long attempted to use the law to stop them.

In 1973, 17 business owners in Mississippi sued the NAACP and local activists over a boycott of white businesses that had been adopted as part of a local campaign for racial equality and integration. The case made its way to the Supreme Court, which held in 1982 that boycotts to bring about political, social and economic change are protected under the First Amendment.

Over three decades later, federal judges in Kansas and Arizona have ruled that the same principles that protected boycotts for racial equality during the civil rights movement also apply to boycotts for freedom and equality for Palestinians today. States cannot punish speech and assembly activities that make up political boycotts. They also cannot require residents to give up their constitutional right to boycott as a condition of employment, contracts, or other benefits.

My organization, Palestine Legal, has defended activists against a variety of tactics to silence speech critical of Israeli government policy, including lawsuits, defamation campaigns, and pressure on institutions to condemn and punish advocates for Palestinian rights  as was recently displayed in efforts to have Marc Lamont Hill fired from his position at Temple University for advocating for Palestinian equality.

Legislation has become a primary tactic to attack the movement. Since 2014, anti-Palestinian groups have lobbied state lawmakers to enact anti-boycott laws. Noah Pollak, director of the right-wing Emergency Committee for Israel, once boasted that while young activists were doing [their] campus antics, the grown-ups were in the state legislature passing laws that make [their] cause improbable.

In their haste to shield Israel from accountability, lawmakers have bargained away our constitutional rights and forgotten our history. Im confident that the courts will continue to stop them, but I also know that such victories cannot be sustained without our collective voices standing up for our right to advocate for human dignity for all  including Palestinians.

Khalili is a staff attorney with Palestine Legal.
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Montreal and New York, 21 December 2018  ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu was in Beijing earlier this week, where she provided remarks to a special closing ceremony for the ICAO Civil Aviation Authority Senior and Middle Managers Training Course conducted there.

Dr. Liu expressed ICAOs deep appreciation to the Government of China for its important funding contributions, under its South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund (SSCAF), which were instrumental to both the development and global delivery of this new course. She similarly praised the important contributions made by the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), and the China International Centre for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE).

Because of all of this valuable support, ICAO has been able to provide scholarships to over 500 senior and middle managers from civil aviation authorities in all seven ICAO Regions, and from over 80 Member States, Dr. Liu stressed.

The managers selected to participate in the course were chosen because ICAOs safety and security auditing and related analyses identified them as being critical to the strategic and day-to-day decision-making which together ensure effective ICAO compliance.

Dr. Liu emphasized that compliance training is especially important today because of the challenges now confronting global civil aviation in terms of sectoral growth, skilled personnel shortages, and the key role of ICAO-compliant air transport connectivity in helping States to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Providing this type of quality training, which has such clear tie-ins to many States ultimate realization of the Agenda 2030 SDGs, is directly in line with ICAOs No Country Left Behind Initiative and core commitments in support of our Member States, she added.

While in Beijing for the course closing ceremony, Dr. Liu also forged progress on a number of additional priorities for ICAO.

To help ensure additional future cooperation under Chinas SSCAF framework, she met with Mr. Zhou Liujun, Vice Chairman of CIDCA, and later conducted joint discussions with Mr. Wang Shengwen, Director General of Outward Investment and International Cooperation in Chinas Ministry of Commerce (MOC) and Mr. Zhang Yi, Deputy Director General of the CICETE.

The three major SSCAF stakeholders praised the dedication and professionalism which ICAO demonstrated in the successful launch and effective implementation of the new GAT training course.The three stakeholders further agreed to expedite the 2019 launch of USD $2 million ICAO-SSCAF Technical Cooperation projects in Africa and to consider providing the funding to extend the scope and scale of the Senior and Middle Managers Training Course.

Dr. Liu also held a series of meetings in Beijing focused on further partnerships and cooperation with the Administrator and Vice Administrators of Civil Aviation Administration of China, the President and CEO of the Capital Airport Holding Group, the President of the Civil Aviation University of China, and other senior officers from the Chinese Civil Aviation sector.

During her mission, the Secretary General was accompanied by the Director of her Office, Ms. Yan Jiarong; the Chief of ICAOs Global Aviation Training Office, Mr. Meshesha Belayneh; ICAOs Regional Director for Asia-Pacific, Mr. Arun Mishra; and the Head of ICAOs Strategic Planning, Coordination and Partnerships Office, Mr. Henry Gourdji.

Resources for Editors

About ICAO



A specialized agency of the United Nations, ICAO was created in 1944 to promote the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world. It sets standards and regulations necessary for aviation safety, security, efficiency, capacity and environmental protection, amongst many other priorities. The Organization serves as the forum for cooperation in all fields of civil aviation among its 192 Member States.



ICAO's Security and Facilitation Strategic Objective

ICAO's No Country Left Behind initiative

Contacts

Anthony Philbin

Chief, Communications

aphilbin@icao.int

+1 514-954-8220

+1 438-402-8886 (mobile)

Twitter: @ICAO



William Raillant-Clark

Communications Officer

wraillantclark@icao.int

+1 514-954-6705

+1 514-409-0705 (mobile)

Twitter: @wraillantclark

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/raillantclark/




Page Content



The second Model ICAO Forum took place from 12 to 14 December 2018 in Shenzhen, China, as a side event of the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) Global Summit. The event was aimed at raising awareness on issues pertaining to civil aviation inspiring the new generation of aviation professionals.

The Forum engaged 180 university students, coming from 27 universities in 28 different countries, and was organized in conjunction with the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics (CSAA) and the Shenzhen Municipal Peoples Government of Guangdong Province, with the support of Beihang University.

Participants worked together in teams to propose approaches to a specific aviation case study and presented the outcomes of their work to a panel of aviation experts. Four simultaneous workshops took place, with prizes awarded for the winning submissions. The four themes of the workshops were:

 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS): Aviation for Next Generation

 Dangerous Air Cargo

 The Socio-Economic Benefits of Air Transport

 Aviation Security: Strengthening Aviation Security Systems

The Secretary General of ICAO, Dr. Fang Liu, awarded the UAS team as winners of the event, in recognition of their outstanding solution to a case study involving a safety assessment for UAS operations.

The winning team was composed of the following participants:

 Beihang University: Raphael Perret; Yu Wang

 China University of Political Science and Law: Markus Aurelius Beckstrm Laurantzon

 Chongqing Jiaotong University: Siyao Xiao

 Civil Aviation Flight University of China: Fozhi Zheng

 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Asia: Sean Ng

 Northwestern Polytechnical University: Jiwen Xu; Yawen Cao

 Shenzhen MSU-BIT University: Enping Yang

 University Giustino Fortunato: Matteo Ponziani

 Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics: Yingxuan Wang
Why the battle to fix Europe's fisheries policy isn't over yet

by Fiona Harvey

December 19,2018 | Source: The Guardian

Overfishing in EU waters, and the wasteful practice of discarding edible fish at sea, should come to an end from next year, as reforms to the common fisheries policy (CFP) are implemented after seven years of wrangling.



But disputes among member states over rights to dwindling fish stocks mean that key aspects of the plans to improve management of European fisheries are floundering.



From January, the landing obligation should mean that all fish netted are brought to shore instead of thrown away if they exceed a vessels quota. By 2020, all stocks should be subject to quotas based on scientific judgments of the maximum sustainable yield, not annual horse-trading among politicians.



However, as fisheries ministers met in Brussels for quota negotiations on Wednesday, it was clear these long-promised reforms would not be implemented in the way campaigners had hoped. Also, there were signs that the UK would face more difficult negotiations after Brexit, as shared waters make up most of the productive seas fished by UK fleets.



The European commission is struggling to insist on the discard ban, against the wishes of some member states. A spokesman said: The commission has put forward concrete solutions to advance on sustainable fishing and to ease the implementation of the landing obligation, but we cannot do it without the support of the member states.

 2018 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies

Theme(s): Fisheries Development and Aquaculture.
Government of Canada helping fisheries and aquaculture businesses improve environmental sustainability and business results

Taking action to improve the environmental sustainability of British Columbia businesses while also helping to improve business results is critically important to future business competitiveness and to the quality of our natural environment. That is why the Government of Canada is making targeted investments in deploying clean technology solutions that will help fisheries related businesses become more clean, green and sustainable.



Today the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, announced approximately $1.1 million in funding from the Fisheries and Aquaculture Clean Technology Adoption Program to support and accelerate clean economic growth. Doug Routley, MLA for Nanaimo-North Cowichan and co-chair of BC's Wild Salmon Advisory Council, from the Province of British Columbia also announced a contribution of $183,448 in funding towards these projects.



The Fisheries and Aquaculture Clean Technology Adoption program is a $20 million instrument that provides funding to help businesses incorporate clean technologies into their day-to-day operations. It is intended to accelerate the use of more sustainable and efficient tools, practices and techniques.

 2018 CNW Group Ltd

Theme(s): Fisheries Development and Aquaculture.
Imperial Valley News Center

Vice President Pence Visiting the USO Warrior and Family Center

Bethesda, Maryland, Walter Reed Medical Center -Vice President Pence Visiting the USO Warrior and Family Center:

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you, Admiral. Thank you to - lets hear it for the USO. (Applause.) Its great to (inaudible). Thank you all for letting us join you this evening. Just a very, very special time of the year.

And I want to bring  I want to bring greetings tonight from another great champion of our armed forces and all the great families gathered here. And, as someone who also shares the profound gratitude that we feel for all that you and your families have done for this country, I want to bring greetings from the 45th President of the United States, President Donald Trump. Thank you all. (Applause.)

We just came out today to really say thank you. Thank you for your service. Thank you for all the sacrifices that your families have made. You all really are  youre from the rest of us, but you are the best of us. And the service that is represented here today, and the courage that so many of you have shown not only in uniform, but in the midst of recovery is just a great inspiration to us.

But we just wanted to come out and make sure you felt, in this special time of the year, the real gratitude not only of our family and the First Family, but really of the American people for all youve done for this country.

You know, people are going to gather around hearth and home in the days ahead, celebrating Christmas, presents under the tree, attending worship services all across this country, celebrating the gift of the manger. Well all be able to do that in freedom because of service like that represented here today.

Each one of you answered the call, in this all-volunteer military, to serve your country. And you paid a price of time, and many of you paid a price beyond that and faced physical challenges in your life as a result. But I want you to know that every American who will be celebrating that faith, that tradition, and celebrating that freedom will have you on their hearts. And were just one of those families that feels just that way.

So on behalf of our family, on behalf of the First Family, I want to say thank you to the great team here at the USO Operations Center. Thank you for the great work that you do for our soldiers and their families.

And on behalf of all of us, from our family to your family, merry Christmas. And thanks for having us here tonight.
Imperial Valley News Center

Woman Sentenced to Over Six Years in Prison for Role in $4.65 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Miami, Florida - A Miami, Florida-area woman was sentenced to 78 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release Monday for her role in a $4.65 million health care fraud scheme involving three home health agencies that purported to provide home health services to Medicare patients.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBIs Miami Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Shimon R. Richmond of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector Generals (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office made the announcement.

Margarita Palomino, 54, of Homestead, Florida, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez of the Southern District of Florida. Judge Martinez also ordered Palomino to pay $4,658,241.00 in restitution and to forfeit $186,650.50. Palomino pleaded guilty on Oct. 10, 2018 to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud.

Palomino worked at Sunshine Home Health Services Inc., Empire Home Health Agency Inc. and Mildred & Marce Home Health Care Services Inc., all in the Miami area. As part of her guilty plea, Palomino admitted that from approximately January 2010 through approximately January 2014, she accepted kickbacks in return for the referral of Medicare beneficiaries, many of whom did not need or qualify for home health services, to act as patients at the three agencies. Palominowho was a physician in Cuba but never licensed in the United Statesfurther admitted that she performed home health care nursing visits and prepared related medical records as if she were a licensed medical professional. She also admittedly changed claims coding to increase reimbursement by Medicare.

Palomino admitted that, as a result of false and fraudulent claims submitted as part of this conspiracy, Medicare made payments of at least $4.65 million.

Palomino was charged along with Norma Zayas, 29, of Miami, in an indictment returned on June 7, 2018. Zayas pleaded guilty and is currently awaiting sentencing.

The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case, which was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force under the supervision of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Florida. Trial Attorney Emily Gurskis of the Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Wright of the District of Massachusetts (previously a Fraud Section trial attorney) are prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. Since its inception in 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 14 strike forces operating in 23 districts, has charged nearly 4,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $14 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Imperial Valley News Center

Washington, D.C. Man Sentenced to Prison for Attack Outside D.C. Courthouse

Washington, DC - A Washington, D.C. man was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his April attack on a federal prosecutor outside the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division.

Maurice Hight, 28, who pleaded guilty on October 10 to one count of felony assault on a federal official, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman of the District of Columbia to serve 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. According to admissions made in connection with his plea agreement, on April 5, 2018, Maurice and his sister and co-defendant, Tiera Hight, 21, were in a courtroom in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia waiting for a verdict against their brother, who was being tried for murder. After the guilty verdict, Maurice and Tiera Hight exited the courthouse and waited outside. Several minutes later, the murder victims daughter exited the courthouse, escorted by a federal prosecutor. As they approached the street, Tiera Hight walked directly towards the pair and she and Maurice Hight began to circle them. Tiera Hight then began to spit on the murder victims daughter and physically attacked her. The federal prosecutor intervened, but Tiera Hight continued her attack. Maurice Hight then joined the fight, forcibly grabbing the federal prosecutor, pulling her down and punching her in the right side of the face with a closed fist. The federal prosecutor fell hard to the ground and sustained swelling and bruises to her face and arm. Two deputy U.S. Marshals in the area placed Maurice Hight under arrest, and Maurice Hight proceeded to spit in the face of one of the deputy U.S. Marshals.

The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the safety of our federal officials, said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. As this case demonstrates, we will not tolerate any violence against our federal prosecutors for doing their jobs in upholding the rule of law.

Tiera Hight is scheduled to be sentenced on February 19, 2019 before Judge Friedman.

The Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Unit for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia investigated this case. Trial Attorneys Jennifer A. Clarke and Lauren Bell of the Criminal Divisions Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case.
Imperial Valley News Center

Eight Pharmacy Owners and Marketers Charged in $9 Million Kickback Scheme

Dallas, Texas - Eight Dallas, Texas-area pharmacy owners and marketers were charged in an indictment unsealed today for their roles in a scheme involving approximately $92 million in compound drug claims to TRICARE and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), which were allegedly the product of over $9.1 million in illegal kickbacks.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Michael Mentavlos of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Southwest Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Steven Grell of the U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector Generals (DOL-OIG) Dallas Region and Special Agent in Charge CJ Porter of the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Services (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

Richard Hall, 48; Scott Schuster, 47; Dustin Rall, 43; George Lock Paret, 34; and Michael Ranelle, 49, all of Fort Worth, Texas; John Le, 43, of Dallas; Quintan Cockerell, 37, of Manhattan Beach, California; and Turner Luke Zeutzius, 36, of Horseshoe Bay, Texas, were each charged in an indictment filed Dec. 12 in the Northern District of Texas with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive kickbacks. Hall, Schuster, Rall, and Le were each additionally charged with four counts of paying kickbacks. Zeutzius was additionally charged with two counts of receiving kickbacks and Ranelle and Cockerell were each charged with one count of receiving kickbacks. Hall, Schuster, Rall, Le and Ranelle were arrested yesterday and had their initial court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma C. Ramirez in Dallas. Paret, Cockerell and Zeutzius self-surrendered this morning and will have their initial court appearances today at 2 p.m. CST before Judge Ramirez.

According to the indictment, from May 2014 to September 2016, Hall, Schuster, Rall, Paret, Le and their co-conspirators allegedly engaged in a scheme to pay kickbacks and bribes for the referral of TRICARE and DOL beneficiaries to obtain expensive compound drugs. Hall, Shuster and Rall were co-owners of Rxpress Pharmacy and Xpress Compounding, compound pharmacies located at 1000 W. Weatherford St. in Fort Worth.

As alleged in the indictment, Rxpress and Xpress were separate in name only; Rxpress Pharmacy and Xpress Compounding employed the same staff, operated out of the same building, and utilized a call center to direct prescriptions depending on whether the prescriptions were for private or federal insurance. The indictment alleges that both companies utilized the same marketers but paid them differently depending on whether they were receiving a commission on a federal or private prescription, in order to disguise the illegal kickback payments on federal prescriptions. Specifically, Hall, Schuster, Rall, Paret and Le allegedly devised a scheme to make kickback payments to marketers through Xpress Compounding for the referral of federal prescriptions. These marketers were allegedly set up as sham W-2 employees to appear as though they were bona fide employees of Xpress Compounding. At the same time, these marketers were paid as 1099 contractors by Rxpress Pharmacy, the indictment alleges.

The indictment alleges that as a result of the scheme, Zeutzius was paid approximately $4.4 million, Cockerell (through an unnamed person) was paid approximately $2.1 million, and Ranelle was paid approximately $2.6 million in illegal kickbacks, for a total of approximately $9.1 million in illegal kickbacks.

The charges in the indictment are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

DCIS, DOL-OIG, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the FBI and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant Chief Adrienne Frazior and Trial Attorney Brynn Schiess of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 14 strike forces operating in 23 districts, has charged nearly 4,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $14 billion.
Mexico Expects the Best Holiday Season in Ten Years

Mexico City - The hotel sector is expecting average occupancy of 70% during the Christmas vacation season, which would be the highest level in the past decade.

The forecast comes from the Mexican Association of Hotels and Motels (AMHM) whose president, Rafael Garcia, said that occupancy in the winter period last year was just 59%, with the September 2017 earthquakes and United States travel alerts both contributing to the low rate.

But this year is expected to be different.

Hotels in destinations such as Cancun, coastal Nayarit, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and Acapulco are predicting even higher occupancy rates - 85% and 90% in the holiday season, while for New Year's they expect to be full.





"Occupation will increase from December 20 when school holidays start and continue until January 6, but the best [period] is the end of the year when a 100% occupancy rate is expected at the beach. Already, there are very few spaces left," Garcia said.

Hotel occupancy in Mexico's three largest cities  Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey  over the same period is forecast to be slightly lower than the national average at 65 percent.

Santiago Mayoral, corporate finance vice-president at City Express Hotels, told El Financiero that fewer business trips are made during the winter break.

Although foreign visitor arrivals remain strong, 8 of every 10 visitors to Mexican destinations during the holidays will be domestic tourists, according to the AMHM.

A weak peso, currently hovering at around 20 to the US dollar, is a significant factor for many Mexicans in deciding to vacation at home rather than abroad.

However, for foreigners, the weak peso is an added incentive to travel to Mexico and a growing number of flights into and out of the country are also helping to boost international tourism.

Tourism Secretary Miguel Torruco said last week that more than 42 million foreign tourists are expected to have visited Mexico in 2018 by the end of the year, a figure that would represent 8% growth on 2017 numbers.

Beyond the hotel sector, booking websites, airlines and the timeshare industry are also expecting a strong winter holiday period.

Ana Acevedo, Latin America vice-president for development at timeshare company RCI, said that vacation clubs in Mexico are expecting 80% occupancy over the break.

"Timeshares generate higher occupancy of between 10% and 15% above traditional hotels," Acevedo said, explaining "the average stay is longer... timeshare owners stay on average seven nights."

Cancun, the Riviera Maya, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan account for the greatest number of vacation properties, but San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato and Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California are attracting a growing number of holiday house owners.

Booking website despegar.com and the low-cost airline Viva Aerobus both told El Financiero that they expected an upturn in business over the Christmas-New Year period.

The latter will open seven new seasonal routes including three that will connect Mexican cities to destinations in the United States.
Imperial Valley News Center

Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Plotting to Carry out Terrorist Attacks in New York City

New York City - Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, 20, of Missausagua, Canada, was sentenced to 40 years in prison, and a lifetime of supervised release, for plotting to carry out terrorist attacks in New York City during the summer of 2016 in support of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. El Bahnasawy pleaded guilty on Oct. 13, 2016, to a seven-count Superseding Information charging El Bahnasawy with terrorism offenses.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman for the Southern District of New York, Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. of the FBIs New York field office, Assistant Director in Charge Paul D. Delacourt of the FBIs Los Angeles field office, and Commissioner James P. ONeill of the NYPD made the announcement. The sentence was issued by U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman.

El Bahnasawy conspired with others to conduct terrorist attacks in New York City in support of ISIS, and came into this country to carry them out. Todays sentence reflects the severity of his conduct and holds him accountable for his terrorist activities, said Assistant Attorney General Demers. I want to commend the prosecutors, agents, and analysts who are responsible for this successful result. The National Security Division is committed to identifying and holding accountable those who seek to harm to our country and our citizens.

In the name of ISIS, Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy planned an elaborate attack to wreak havoc and destruction on New York City, said U.S. Attorney Berman. He planned to detonate bombs in Times Square and the New York City subway system, and to shoot civilians at concert venues. Demonstrating his commitment to carry out the attacks, El Bahnasawy pinpointed bomb locations on a map of the subway system, and acquired an array of bomb-making materials. El Bahnasawy aspired, in his words, to create the next 9/11. Thanks to our law enforcement partners in New York, nationally, and internationally, this potentially devastating plot was thwarted.

Using encrypted electronic messaging applications, El Bahnasawy, a 20-year-old Canadian citizen and resident, plotted with Talha Haroon, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen residing in Pakistan, and Russell Salic, a 38-year-old Philippines citizen and resident, to conduct bombings and shootings in heavily populated areas of New York City during the Islamic holy month of Ramadhan in 2016, all in the name of ISIS (the NYC Attacks). El Bahnasawy acquired bomb-making materials and helped secure a cabin within driving distance of New York City to use for building explosive devices and staging the NYC Attacks. Haroon allegedly made plans to travel from Pakistan to New York City to join El Bahnasawy in carrying out the attacks. And as El Bahnasawy and Haroon prepared to execute the NYC Attacks, Salic allegedly wired money from the Philippines to the United States to help fund the terrorist operation.

An undercover FBI agent (the UC) infiltrated the co-conspirators terrorist plot, posing as an ISIS supporter prepared to join in the attacks. The FBI arrested El Bahnasawy in May 2016 after he traveled from Canada to the New York City area in preparation for the attacks, and he has been in custody since that time. Haroon was arrested in Pakistan in September 2016, and Salic was arrested in the Philippines in April 2017, based on Complaints filed against them in Manhattan federal court, and they remain in foreign custody pending proceedings for their extradition to the United States.

The charges contained in the Complaints filed against Haroon and Salic are merely accusations, and Haroon and Salic are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Mr. Demers and Mr. Berman praised the outstanding efforts of the FBIs New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the NYPD, and the FBIs Los Angeles and Denver Field Offices. Mr. Demers and Mr. Berman also thanked the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the FBIs Cleveland Field Office, the FBIs Legal Attache Offices in Canada, Pakistan, and the Philippines, the New York State Police, the Department of Justices Office of International Affairs, and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Central District of California for their assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Negar Tekeei and George D. Turner of the Southern District of New York are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorneys Joshua Champagne and Larry Schneider of the National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section.
Man Convicted of Hate Crime in Attack Outside Cincinnati Restaurant

Cincinnati, Ohio - Izmir Koch, 33, of Huber Heights, Ohio, was convicted in U.S. District Court today for assaulting a man because he believed the man was Jewish in violation of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and of lying to the FBI about his role in the religiously motivated assault.

Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Herb Stapleton, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI Cincinnati Division, announced the verdict, which was reached today by U.S. District Judge Susan J. Dlott after a bench trial that occurred between Nov. 13 to 15.

According to court documents and testimony, the assault occurred on Feb. 4, 2017, outside a Cincinnati restaurant, when Koch yelled out asking if anyone outside the restaurant was Jewish. The victim responded that he was Jewish and Koch then ran to the victim and punched him in the head. When the victim fell to the ground, Koch and others continued hitting and kicking him, breaking a bone in his face and bruising his ribs. A half-dozen of Kochs friends joined in the assault. Before and during the assault, the defendant was heard shouting, I want to kill all of the Jews and I want to stab the Jews. The victim was not in fact Jewish.

After the incident occurred, Koch made a voluntary statement to the FBI, accompanied by his attorney. Koch falsely told the FBI he was not involved in the fight and he had not said anything disparaging about Jews.

All people should be able to live their lives freely and without fear of violence or aggressive acts of intimidation, said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband. The Department of Justice is committed to prosecuting anyone who harms someone because of their actual or perceived religion and lies to law enforcement to cover up the crime.

This is the first conviction under the federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act in the Southern District of Ohio, said U.S. Attorney Glassman. We will not permit hate-fueled violence to gain a toehold here. Nor will we countenance lying to FBI agents. Todays convictions reflect our resolve.

This case was investigated by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Gaffney and Trial Attorney Dana Mulhauser of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
Restaurant Owner Sentenced to Prison in Connection With Immigration-Related Forced Labor Scheme

Portland, Oregon - Paul Jumroon, also known as Veraphon Phatanakitjumroon, 55, formerly of Beaverton and Depoe Bay, Oregon, and a naturalized citizen originally from Thailand, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown to 37 months in prison with three years supervised release and was ordered to pay more than $131,000 in restitution to four victims and more than $120,000 to the IRS in taxes due.

The defendant previously pleaded guilty to forced labor, visa fraud conspiracy, and filing false tax returns. Tuesdays sentence was announced by Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams of the District of Oregon, Acting Special Agent in Charge Steve Palmer of the FBIs Portland Field Office, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy Burrus of IRS Criminal Investigations Seattle Field Office.

According to documents filed in court, between 2011 and 2014, defendants Paul Jumroon and Tanya Jumroon fraudulently obtained E-2 investor visas to bring Thai nationals into the United States to provide cheap labor at their restaurants in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and in Ridgefield, Washington. The defendants no longer own either restaurant. Paul Jumroon then lured four Thai chefs to the United States to work at the restaurants through the promise of a visa and false representations about their salaries and job responsibilities. Once the victims arrived, he confiscated their passports and documents and exploited and coerced their labor through debts, verbal abuse, and threats of financial and reputational harm, requiring them to work significant hours for minimal pay. Tanya Jumroon witnessed the mistreatment of the victims, and she benefited financially from their forced labor at the restaurants that she co-owned. Additionally, the defendants filed multiple false tax returns with the IRS by failing to report cash income earned from the restaurants between 2012 and 2015.

Paul Jumroons violation of the law by obtaining fraudulent visas and exploiting vulnerable individuals for his own personal profit is disgraceful, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband. The Department of Justice will continue to prosecute traffickers vigorously and secure justice for victims who have been mistreated and degraded by criminals.

Paul Jumroon has been brought to justice for preying on the hopes of vulnerable workers and using fear to compel work for little pay. He and his wife Tanya profited off of a degrading crime, said U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams. This case demonstrates our firm commitment to holding traffickers accountable and restoring the rights, freedom and dignity of victims.

Life in America is built on the promise of freedom and choice. When these victims came to this country seeking a better life, Paul Jumroon instead cooked up a scheme of false promises, forced labor and abuse, said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Steve Palmer. Todays sentence brings justice for them while also sending a strong message to those who think they can profit off others through coercion and intimidation.

Mr. and Mrs. Jumroon bullied and intimidated employees that trusted them in order to line their own pockets said Troy Burrus, IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge. The defendants thought they were above the law. They abused multiple victims and stole money from the American taxpayers. Todays sentence demonstrates the government's determination to hold them accountable for their actions.

Tanya Jumroon, also known as Thunyarax Phatanakit Jumroon, 59, of Beaverton, Oregon, will be sentenced tomorrow for conspiring with Paul Jumroon and others to commit visa fraud, for making and subscribing a false tax return, and benefitting financially from forced labor. Tanya Jumroon pleaded guilty to these charges in June 2018.

The District of Oregon is one of six districts designated through a competitive, nationwide selection process as a Phase II Anti-Trafficking Coordination Team (ACTeam), through the interagency ACTeam Initiative of the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Labor. ACTeams focus on developing high-impact human trafficking investigations and prosecutions involving forced labor, international sex trafficking and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion through interagency collaboration among federal prosecutors and federal investigative agencies.

This prosecution is the result of the joint investigation by the Oregon Foreign-Born Human Trafficking Taskforce, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation and Department of States Diplomatic Security Service, with assistance from the Department of Labors Wage and Hour Division and Portland Police Bureau. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hannah Horsley, Scott Bradford and Steven Mygrant of the District of Oregon, and Lindsey Roberson of the Civil Rights Divisions Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
Cannibal Corpse has released a statement after their guitarist Pat OBrien's dramatic arrest last week.

The musician, who has been a part of the death metal group since 1997, was arrested for assaulting a police officer while invading a neighbour's home before his own house caught fire, and ammunition inside exploded as firefighters battled the blaze.

Following the fire, fire marshals found an arsenal of guns, including 50 shotguns, 20 semiautomatic rifles, two Uzi-style firearms, 20 handguns and two flamethrowers, according to Loudwire. Authorities also discovered thousands of rounds as well as additional weapons. The guitarist was released on $50,000 bail.

Cannibal Corpse, who formed in New York and are now based in Florida, took to Facebook on Thursday to express support for their bandmate.

As a band and individuals, we all want nothing but the best for our brother and partner, Pat, they wrote.

While we can offer no further information about the incident, we wanted everyone to know that Pat is getting the help he needs and appreciates the love and support from Cannibal Corpse fans around the world."

Pat is currently with family and friends and looks forward to a healthy return at some point, the band continued in its statement.

For anyone wondering, all Cannibal Corpse touring will happen as planned and all shows will be played.

It is unclear who might replace OBrien during Cannibal Corpses upcoming scheduled concerts or when he might rejoin in the future.

The band have a string of dates scheduled in February and March, and are also scheduled to open all 16 dates on Slayers ongoing final tour, which kicks off on 2 May at Ak-Chin Amphitheatre in Phoenix, Arizona.
Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realised there had to be another way...

And so Festivus came to pass, an anti-commercial and secular alternative to Christmas invented by the irascible Frank Costanza (Jerry Stiller) in a season nine episode of NBCs all-conquering sitcom Seinfeld.

The Strike was first aired on 18 December 1997 and begins with George (Jason Alexander) receiving a greetings card from his father and having to explain its cryptic meaning to a delighted Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) at Monk's Diner.

Franks protest holiday  which has become a cult phenomenon with a life of its own outside the show  is held on 23 December every year, and replaces the traditional pine tree with an undecorated aluminium pole (I find tinsel distracting). Instead of turkey, meatloaf is served on a bed of lettuce.

Festivus rituals include the Airing of the Grievances, in which you scold everyone who has annoyed you in the past year, and the Feats of Strength, in which the children of the house wrestle the patriarch, a frequently traumatic experience.

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Stiller, a hugely underrated comic actor, is on rare form in The Strike and has rarely made better use of Franks hair-trigger temper: Stop crying and fight your father!

The episode was written by Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer and Dan OKeefe and based on a real Christmas parody event created by O'Keefes father Daniel, an author best known for Stolen Lightning: The Social Theory of Magic (1982).

The original Festivus was inaugurated in New Jersey in 1966, the date chosen to commemorate OKeefes first date with his future wife Deborah.

Festivus was celebrated much as it is presented in the show, although the OKeefes marked the day by nailing a bag containing a mantelpiece clock to a wall, rather than erecting an aluminium pole. Asked about this mysterious custom on CNN in 2013, Dan was at a loss to explain: I dont know why, I dont know what it means, he would never tell me. He would always say, Thats not for you to know.

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Today, Frank Costanzas Festivus for the rest of us is enjoyed by Seinfeld fans who exchange everything from scaffolding poles to embroidered yarmulkes, and air their grievances with gusto.

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Its even passed into common parlance in America, with news anchor Jake Tapper last year laying into Donald Trump for berating the Fourth Estate: Instead of focusing on his accomplishments and offering an optimistic, positive view of what hes doing for this country, it was an airing of grievances, it was Festivus, it was complaints about the media.

And if you enter Festivus into Google, well, youll see...
Increasing levels of chloroform in the atmosphere have been newly identified as a threat to the recovery of the ozone layer.

Scientists say a surge in emissions of this chemical from factories in China may set back the process for up to eight years.

The UN recently confirmed that three decades after a landmark global agreement to curb harmful pollutants, the ozone hole was closing up.

A ban on the production of CFCs  the main cause of the problem  under the Montreal Protocol was seen as a rare instance of true international collaboration.

Pressure had grown throughout the 1980s after researchers raised the alarm over the hole in the sunlight-shielding layer, amid concerns it would lead to increased rates of skin cancer.

However, the positive news has since been marred, as ozone scientists noticed irregularities that indicate while the layer is indeed recovering, it is not happening as fast as they had hoped.

In a new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, a team identified chloroform, used to manufacture refrigerants, as a major emerging concern.

Across a five-year period starting in 2010, the scientists used data from global monitoring stations to detect a massive increase in this substance, with the majority coming from East Asia.

Glacier collapse shows climate impact Show all 20 1 /20 Glacier collapse shows climate impact Glacier collapse shows climate impact An iceberg floats in a fjord near the town of Tasiilaq Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Meltwater pools on top of the Helheim glacier near Tasiilaq Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Safety officer Brian Rougeux works with student Febin Magar to assemble a radar dome while working in a science camp on the side of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Airplane Mechanic, David Fuller, left, works with a local worker to move a Nasa Gulfstream III during a pre-flight inspection before a flight to support the Oceans Melting Greenland research mission Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Meltwater pools on top of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Earth Science Flight Programs Director at Nasa, Eric Ianson, looks out at the Greenland ice sheet Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Glacial ice is seen from the window during the Nasa flight Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Oceanographer David Holland's science camp on the side of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact An iceberg floats in a fjord near the town of Tasiilaq Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact A large crevasse forms near the calving front of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Safety officer Brian Rougeux uses a drill to install antennas for scientific instruments that will be left on top of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Tabular icebergs float in the Sermilik Fjord after a large calving event at the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Radar Engineer, Ron Muellerschoen, monitors data collection inside a NASA Gulfstream III flying above Greenland to measure loss to the country's ice sheet Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact GPS tracking equipment is left on top of the Helheim glacier REUTERS Glacier collapse shows climate impact Sunshine lights up the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact A glacial terminus above the east coast of Greenland REUTERS Glacier collapse shows climate impact Student Febin Magar watches as leftover wood burns in a research camp Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Tabular icebergs float in the Sermilik Fjord after a large calving event Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Oceanographer David Holland repairs a broken GPS module at his research camp Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact An iceberg floats in a fjord near the town of Tasiilaq Reuters

Worldwide emissions in 2015 had shot up by a fifth compared to the previous decade, and the team found Chinese industrialised areas correlated well with the biggest hotspots.

We conclude that eastern China can explain almost all the global increase, said Dr Xuekun Fang, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientist who led the international team.

Chloroform is only the latest in a series of gases that have emerged as concerns following the CFC ban.

In 2017, UK researchers identified the industrial chemical dichloromethane as another threat, and earlier this year an international investigation revealed plastic foam manufacturers were still producing the banned CFC-11.

The Montreal Protocol does not cover a class of compounds known as very short-lived substances, which are known to damage ozone but were thought unlikely to have a lasting impact like CFCs.

But now that were at the stage where emissions of the more long-lived compounds are going down, the further recovery of the ozone layer can be slowed down by relatively small sources, such as very short-lived species  and there are a lot of them, said MIT researcher professor Ronald Prinn.

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With some industrial reports suggesting chloroform use in Chinese factories is on the rise, the scientists warned total ozone recovery could be pushed back by between four and eight years.

They also noted that an unfortunate coherence between the site of these emissions and frequent storms meant more of them were being pushed upwards into the stratosphere, where they can do the most damage.

The team recommended regulations on short-lived chemicals in order to ensure ozone recovery continues smoothly in the years to come.
Thames Water has been handed a 2 million fine after allowing raw sewage to flow into a river, wiping out a local fish population.

The pollution killed around 150 bullhead fish after flowing into a tributary of the River Thames for at least 24 hours.

Judge Peter Ross branded the incident a "reckless failure" of the company to take sufficient action to prevent a spill.

The court heard Thames Water had ignored more than 1,000 alarms at the west Oxfordshire pumping station where the incident took place.

According to the judge, a culture had been created where employees interpreted a problem with the pump system as a problem with the alarm system.

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"It's that failure to integrate the technological advances with human assessment, analysis and response which lies at the heart of the deficiencies that were created in this case, he said.

"In order to be operated effectively there had to be a proper integration of the technology and human resources, adequate training for the latter and a culture ensures that the exercise of judgment is still undertaken by human beings."

The utilities firm, which has a turnover of 2bn, admitted to breaching regulations with regards to the incident in which sewage had entered a stream near Milton-under-Wychwood in 2015.

In his defence of the company, Kerim Fuad QC said prior to the spill there had not been an incident at the Cotswolds site since 1993.

Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Show all 25 1 /25 Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Demonstrators block Westminster Bridge in central London to show anger at government inaction on climate and ecological issues AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges A pro environment protester is arrested by police on Lambeth bridge in London EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Organised by Extinction Rebellion, the protest is part of many taking place this weekend to bring attention to political inaction on issues of pollution and climate change Reuters Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Organised by Extinction Rebellion, the protest is part of many taking place this weekend to bring attention to political inaction on issues of pollution and climate change PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Demonstrators on Blackfriars Bridge PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Police with demonstrators on Blackfriars Bridge PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges A demonstrator is led away by police on Blackfriars Bridge PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Reuters Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Reuters Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Reuters Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Reuters

He also noted Thames Water operated more than 4,700 pumping stations across its range, but Judge Ross branded this detail irrelevant.

"Any loss of fish or damage to the environment short or long term is extremely regrettable but the cause of this unfortunate event in many respects remains unknown, said Mr Fuad.

Judge Ross said pollution risk must be managed at each site, regardless of how many there were.

Mr Fuad told Oxford Crown Court on Friday 40 million had been invested by Thames Water in improving waste water sites, and the company had demonstrated deep regret for the spill.

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He also compared the incident to previous convictions for Thames Water, including a record 20m fine imposed at Aylesbury Crown Court in 2017.

Hundreds of fish as well as birds and dragonflies were killed by that spill, in which sewage flowed into nature reserves, bringing with it nappies and other debris.

"Had lessons really been learned and implemented from the events in relation to the two previous convictions then this would not have happened, he said.

Responding to the ruling, Richard Aylard of Thames Water said: We take our role in protecting the environment extremely seriously and are really sorry for what happened here in 2015.

We have made a series of improvements since this regrettable incident, including bringing in more people, more maintenance, more training and better systems. In the three-and-a half-years since, we have not had a serious incident at any of our 4,700 pumping stations.

We would like to reassure our customers that we continue to innovate and drive further improved performance right across the business, to help us achieve our ambition of zero pollutions.



Additional reporting by PA.
When youre scheduled to be interviewed by one of most lauded fashion icons of the small screen, the sartorial stakes will be high.

Which might be why former first lady Michelle Obama wore a pair of glittery 2,935 thigh-high Balenciaga boots to discuss her new book, Becoming, with Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker on Wednesday.

The interview was the last date on the first leg of the author's 'Becoming: An Intimate Conversation with Michelle Obama' tour which sold out at arenas across the US.

For her appearance at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City, the 54-year-old teamed a bright yellow shirt dress with a pair of spring/summer 2019 boots from the French fashion houses read-to-wear collection.

Explaining her decision behind the boots, Obama told host Parker that following her role as first lady from 2009 to 2017 she is now free to do whatever.

There is no message, she added. The boots are telling you no message. They were just really cute. I was like, Those some nice boots!"

Hours later, the boots were trending on Twitter with social media users praising the former first lady on her choice of footwear.

One user wrote: Michelle Obama in thigh high sequinned Balenciaga boots is something I never knew I needed.

Omg, Michelle Obama in Balenciaga  those boots, wrote another.

During the event, Obama discussed the decisions behind her most memorable outfits during her time in the White House.

I did know that my clothes were making a statement, I knew that was the case, she told Parker.

So [longtime stylist Meredith Koop and I] decided why don't we use this platform to uplift some young new designers who normally wouldn't get this kind of attention, because you can change their lives, which is one of the reasons why we chose Jason Wu for my inaugural gown.

For the 2009 ball, Obama wore a custom silk chiffon gown designed by the Taiwanese-Canadian fashion designer.

Obama  who has become the first person of colour to top the UKs Christmas book chart with Becoming  also revealed Wu didnt expect to be asked to create her gown.

You can change their lives: He's young, his story was amazing, he didn't expect it, [and] he didn't feel entitled to it, she explained.

Because you learn there are people in this scene who feel entitled to these things because they've done it for a while. And I sensed that feeling of, like, Oh, you think this is just yours? There are a lot of people out here trying to make it; young people, women, Black folks, and immigrants.

She also opened up about why the personality of a designer mattered to her.

'I didn't want to wear the clothes of someone who didn't have a good spirit, and you could hear these things, you could hear how they treated my staff or how they treated their works, so everyone I wore as far as I knew had a good spirit as well,' she said.

(Getty Images (Getty Images)

During their conversation, Obama also took a thinly veiled jab at US President Donald Trump and his choice of White House staff.

Becoming sold 92,000 copies in the UK last week, unseating author David Walliams' The Ice Monster by more than 10,000 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan figures.
Facebook's secret plans to launch its own bitcoin-style cryptocurrency could soon be offered to users of the messaging app WhatsApp, reports suggest.

First reported by The Independent in May, Facebook began working on the cryptocurrency following one of the biggest management reshuffles in the company's history.

The social network is now planning to launch a so-called stablecoin  a cryptocurrency pegged to the US dollar to avoid price volatility  to WhatsApp users in India, according to Bloomberg.

Citing sources close to the matter, the media outlet claimed Facebook would focus on the remittance market in India, where more than 200 million people use WhatsApp, but is still "far from releasing" the coin.

David Marcus, who heads Facebook's exploratory blockchain group, has previously worked as the president of PayPal before subsequently serving as vice president of Facebook Messenger.

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

Mr Marcus gave few details about the project when he announced his appointment in a blog post, but did reveal he is reporting directly to Facebook's chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer.

A Facebook spokesperson told The Independent: "Like many other companies Facebook is exploring ways to leverage the power of blockchain technology. This new small team is exploring many different applications."

No further details were given about the project, despite several further requests for comment and clarification about what type of applications the team is working on.

A WhatsApp cryptocurrency may soon be introduced in India (AFP/Getty Images)

Cryptocurrency analysts say introducing a cryptocurrency to a platform with such a large user base  more than 1.5 billion people around the world  could result in the world's first truly mainstream cryptocurrency.

"Cryptocurrency is already recognised as a digital alternative used by millions for the safe and secure transfer of funds online, so enabling it to be used on platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp is the next logical step in its progression," said Alex El-Nemer, director of blockchain enterprise Nexus.

"This would provide users with the ability to purchase products, goods and services at the touch of the button, including making charitable donations and supporting good causes.

"Forward-thinking industries and organisations should acknowledge this as the beginning of a new era for alternate digital currencies, and plan ahead to integrate services for the inevitable mass adoption which will follow."
Even for a company as serially scandalous as Facebook, its been a bad week for the social network. Separate investigations revealed that Facebook gave more than 150 firms access to peoples private messages, while also making it impossible for users to avoid location-based ads.

After months of fallout from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, US prosecutors also finally got around to filing a lawsuit against Facebook for its data sharing practices.

Individually, none of these would likely be enough to bring Facebook down, but some experts believe that, collectively, this could signal the end for the internet behemoth.

David Carroll, an associate professor at Parsons School of Design in New York, said this week may finally have dealt Facebook its knockout blow.

As an outspoken critic of the way Facebook uses peoples data, Prof Carroll is currently suing Cambridge Analytica under the Data Protection Act following the UK firms role in mining data from 87 million Facebook users for the purpose of political profiling during the 2016 US presidential elections. But the latest revelations that other tech firms were given access to peoples private messages was beyond even what he thought Facebook was capable of.

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Even as someone who is deeply sceptical of Facebook, I was surprised by the latest revelations, he told The Independent. I didnt know it could be that bad in terms of scope and scale. But it all seems to fit with Zuckerbergs master plan for global domination.

The first lawsuit against Facebook regarding the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which affected more than 87 million users, comes courtesy of the attorney general of the District of Columbia. It is unlikely to be the last, given Facebook is also currently facing probes by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice  and thats just in the US.

A relatively insignificant fine of 500,000 that was handed to Facebook in the UK may be dwarfed following investigations by the Irish data protection regulator, which are being seen as the first serious test of Europes new General Data Protection Regulation.

But with more than 2 billion users worldwide and an annual revenue of more than $40 billion in 2017, it will take more than a fine to have any significant impact on Facebook. Prof Carroll has called for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other senior executives to be subpoenaed and thinks it might not be long before that becomes a reality.

How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Show all 9 1 /9 How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Lock your profile down If you havent done this already, do it now. In Settings, hit the Privacy tab. From here, you can control who gets to see your future posts and friends list. Choose from Public, Friends, Only Me and Custom in the dropdown menu. How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Limit old posts Annoyingly, changing this has no effect on whos able to see your past Facebook posts. Instead, on the Privacy page, you have to click on Limit Past Posts, then select Limit Old Posts and finally hit Confirm on the pop-up. How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Make yourself harder to find You can stop completely random people from adding you by selecting Friends of Friends from the dropdown menu in the Who can send you friend requests? section of the Privacy page. Its also worth limiting who can find your Facebook profile with your number and email address. At the bottom of the page is the option to prevent search engines outside of Facebook from linking to your profile. How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Control access to your Timeline You can limit who gets to post things on your Timeline and who gets to see posts on your Timeline too. In Settings, go to Timeline and Tagging and edit the sections you want to lock down. How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Block people When you block someone, they wont be able to see things you post on your Timeline, tag you, invite you to events or groups, start conversations with you or add you as a friend. To do it, go to Settings and Blocking. Annoyingly, you have to block people on Messenger separately. You can also add friends to your Restricted list here, which means theyll still be friends with you but will only be able to see your public posts and things you share on a mutual friend's Timeline. How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Review tags One of Facebooks handiest privacy features is the ability to review posts youre tagged in before they appear on your Timeline. Theyll still be visible on the News Feed while theyre fresh, but wont be tied to your profile forever. In Timeline and Tagging, enable Timeline review controls. How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Clean up your apps You can view a list of all of the apps youve connected to your Facebook account by going to Settings and Apps. The list might be longer than you expected it to be. Its worth tidying this up to ensure things you no longer use lose access to your personal information. If you dont want to log into websites and apps with your facebook account, scroll down and turn Platform off. How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Change your ad preferences You can view a list of everything Facebook thinks youre into and tinker with your ad preferences by going to Settings and Adverts. A lot more information is displayed on the desktop site than the app, so wed recommend doing this on a computer. How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Download your data Facebook lets you download all of the data it has on you, including the posts youve shared, your messages and photos, ads youve clicked on and even the IP addresses that are logged when you log in or out of the site. Its a hell of a lot of information, which you should download to ensure you never over-share on the social network again.

We need to get them under oath and ask them questions they cannot dodge. It will depend on the Mueller investigation. Its imaginable additional facts come to our knowledge to justify Zuckerbergs subpoena and we find out how much he knew and when. We need more to justify it but were not that far from getting there.

The various scandals have prompted several campaigns to boycott Facebook, most recently from a civil rights organisation in the US.

The #LogOut protest, which began on 18 December, is being led by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) after a report found a Russian influence campaign on the platform was working to suppress African-American voter turnout.

How much impact this, or the #DeleteFacebook campaign that began in March, will have on Facebook will depend on whether anti-Facebook sentiment is fuelled by the latest revelations.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared voluntarily before the Commerce and Judiciary Committees on Capitol Hill in Washington earlier this year (AP)

For Prof Carroll, the report about Facebook sharing peoples private messages with other companies was the straw that broke the camels back, which finally saw him delete his Facebook account. I finally lost my patience, he said.

But it is not so easy for some people to simply delete their accounts, particularly those in developing countries with limited internet access. Facebook has been targeting such areas in order to grow its user base through initiatives like Free Basics and Internet.org, which may offer some people their only way to communicate over the internet.

Zuckerberg angled it as a humanitarian effort to connect the world but critics said it was a barely disguised attempt at digital colonisation, locking people into Facebook and its various products.

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It should therefore not be up to users to effect change through a boycott of Facebook, Prof Carroll said.

Facebook has a monopoly over social relationships across their major platforms, which include Instagram and WhatsApp. For many people, particularly those in developing countries, Facebook and its various platforms is the internet, he said.

Its either up to Facebook employees or law makers to affect change. Employees could protest, weve already seen people leave, and that can hurt Facebook if their talent leaves. Employees are the morale backbone of the company and they hold the power, so if its not legal pressure then it will be them that takes Facebook down.
Sunwing Launches Weekly Quebec to Vallarta Flights

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The first-ever Sunwing flight from Quebec City to Puerto Vallarta departed from Quebec City Jean Lesage International Airport on December 17; marking the beginning of the tour operator's seasonal weekly flight service to Puerto Vallarta which will depart Mondays until April 15, 2019.

Sam Char, Executive Director for Sunwing Travel Group in Quebec, commented on the news, "We are pleased to introduce a convenient direct flight service connecting our Quebec City customers to new and exciting destinations. Puerto Vallarta is a consistently popular choice among our vacationers and we're sure our Quebec City travellers are eager to experience Pacific Mexico's warm and friendly culture, tropical climate, captivating views and golden-sand beaches."

Gaetan Gagne, President and CEO of Quebec City Jean Lesage International Airport also commented on the news, "We salute Sunwing's commitment to serve the people of the greater Quebec City area by adding a new destination to their roster from YQB. With the opening of the new terminal, we now have the ability to better service our ever-increasing number of passengers," he continued, "Puerto Vallarta is a popular destination for our passengers and we are happy about the launch of this route for the winter season."

Customers who travel to Puerto Vallarta with Sunwing can Vacation Better at an assortment of top-rated properties such as Hacienda Buenaventura Hotel and Mexican Charm, Velas Vallarta Suite Resort, Sunset Plaza Beach Resort and Spa, Sheraton Buganvilias, Buenaventura Grand Hotel and Great Moments, The Hacienda at Hilton Puerto Vallarta Resort, Casa Velas, Hotel Mousai while enjoying easy access to Puerto Vallarta's Historic Center and vast offering of activities to enjoy. Other properties in Puerto Vallarta can be found at sunwing.ca.

Puerto Vallarta is one of Canada's top destination. According to the Jalisco's Tourism Ministry, in 2017, 15.62% of Puerto Vallarta's international arrivals were Canadians, the second largest source of international visitors, following the United States.

Sunwing's new route is expected to increase arrivals from the country as Puerto Vallarta now has over 40 weekly frequencies connecting Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver by Air Canada, Transat Airlines and Westjet in addition to connecting flights by Aeromexico via Mexico City.

For more info, or to book on Sunwing, visit sunwing.ca or contact your travel agent.
One in five women in England whove been diagnosed with ovarian cancer are too ill to receive treatment for the condition, new research has shown.

Delayed diagnoses for ovarian cancer are very common due to failure to recognise symptoms, lack of GP knowledge on the subject and delays in acquiring the right diagnostic tests, charity Target Ovarian Cancer says.

They say this can result in many women only reaching hospital cancer specialists when their cancer is already too severe to be treated.

Patients who receive their ovarian cancer diagnosis at a later stage may be unable to endure the invasive surgery and chemotherapy required for treatment.

This can therefore lead to them having no choice over the treatment that they receive and being faced with the prospect of having to receive palliative or end-of-life care, the charity adds.

The statistics have been released as part of the Get Data Out project, in order to provide the public with more information regarding cancers that aren't as widespread as others.

Public Health England's National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS) provided the data for investigation and collaborated with Target Ovarian Cancer on the research.

Annwen Jones, chief executive of the Target Ovarian Cancer, emphasises the importance of ensuring that women who are suffering with ovarian cancer are diagnosed as early as possible.

"This is heartbreaking news for women and their families who have battled for a diagnosis and may have faced delays along the way," she says.

NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Show all 25 1 /25 NHS in Crisis march: in pictures NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Protesters call on the government to reverse cuts to the NHS. Rex NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Demonstrators dressed as an undertaker and carrying a fake coffin. Getty Images NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Demonstrators gather on Gover Street in central London ahead of a march towards Downing Street to protest against underfunding and privatisation of the NHS and demand an end to the winter crisis in the health service. Rex NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Health workers and NHS campaigners march through London to a rally outside Downing Street. Rex NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Thousands of protesters marched during the demonstration organised by 'The People's Assembly Against Austerity' campaign group that called for better funding for the National Health Service (NHS) to end the 'winter crisis' in the national health care system. EPA NHS in Crisis march: in pictures A Boris Johnson impersonator lies in a makeshift hospital bed next to an effigy of Theresa May during a People's Assembly demonstration against the Conservative government's health policy. Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures A demonstrator in a mobility scooter carries a placard. Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Demonstrators take part in a emergency NHS 'Fix It Now' protest demanding an end to the funding crisis in the Health Service. Rex NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Demonstrators take part in pro-NHS march and protest towards Downing Street in Central London. EPA NHS in Crisis march: in pictures A protestor carries a placard featuring Britain's Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt. AFP/Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures The demonstration is focused on the current crisis in the National Health Service. Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Demonstrators hold placards and set off flares . Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures A demonstrator carries a cardboard skeleton wearing an ambulance uniform . Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Demonstrators hold placards during a People's Assembly demonstration against the Conservative government's health policy Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures The Government will be urged to provide more beds, staff and funds to ease the problems facing the service. PA NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Protestors gather calling for an end to the "crisis" in the NHS. AFP/Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth M joins people taking part in the march. PA NHS in Crisis march: in pictures A placard reading 'Nurses with fight for the NHS'. AFP/Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Protestors carry placards and shout slogans. AFP/Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures People march through central London. PA NHS in Crisis march: in pictures People take part in a march in London in support of the National Health Service. PA NHS in Crisis march: in pictures People hold up a sign in support of the National Health Service to demand an end to the "crisis" in the NHS. PA NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Protestors carry placards featuring Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and Britain's Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt. AFP/Getty NHS in Crisis march: in pictures People take part in a march in London in support of the National Health Service. PA NHS in Crisis march: in pictures Demonstrators carry placards . Getty

"To finally meet a surgeon or consultant only to discover that it's too late for treatment is devastating, and a tragic and needless waste of a person's life.

"We must all redouble our efforts in this area. The government's long-term plan for the NHS must include plans to eliminate delays and improve early diagnosis in ovarian cancer."

Andy Nordin, consultant gynaecological oncologist at East Kent Gynaecological Centre and president of the British Gynaecological Cancer Society, explains that late diagnoses of ovarian cancer is a long-standing issue.

"We have been aware for over 20 years that survival from ovarian cancer in the UK is poor in comparison with many developed countries," he says.

"Too many women do not know they have ovarian cancer until they are admitted to hospital extremely unwell, and by this time many are not well enough to cope with our treatments.

"We must all work together to diagnose this disease earlier."

Emma Richman, a 47-year-old woman from Poole, Dorset, lost her 64-year-old mother Linda to ovarian cancer just six weeks after receiving her diagnosis.

"I remember vividly the hospital appointment where my mum Linda was diagnosed with ovarian cancer," she says.

"The consultant said that it wasn't good news, and that my mum had stage four ovarian cancer, incurable.

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"I was so upset. My mum was really brave and kept asking questions. I stayed positive around Mum but at night I cried, worrying if it was too late.

"Devastatingly Mum passed away six weeks after this appointment, with her family by her side. She had just celebrated her 64th birthday."

In October 2018, it was revealed that women in the UK with ovarian cancer are receiving their diagnoses at a far slower rate than those in other countries.

According to a study, 30 per cent of women with ovarian cancer were diagnosed within a month in the UK, in comparison to 43 per cent of women across the globe.

The figures came from the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition's Every Woman Study, the largest ever global review of the experiences of more than 1,500 women with ovarian cancer from 44 countries.
When the royal family visited Sandringham in December last year, as per their annual Christmas tradition, a throng of professional photographers was waiting for them, all vying to capture the most coveted shot of the day.

While there may have been stiff competition to reach the front of the crowds to catch a glimpse of the royals leaving St. Mary Magdalene Church, one woman managed to take a photo that was so unique it has earned her around 40,000 in the past year alone.

Taking the photo of the royal four has been "like a lottery win", Karen Anvil tells the BBC.

"The biggest change for me was that it was so nice to go shopping at Tesco and not be worried about whether I've got the cash in the bank," she says.

The 40-year-old from Watlington, Norfolk, was working two jobs at the time so that she could support her daughters nursing education.

Recommended Single mother takes an iconic photo of the royal family

She and her daughter, Rachel, had been particularly keen to see the Duchess of Sussex at Sandringham, whose engagement to the Duke of Sussex had only been announced a month prior.

"We really wanted to see Meghan, so we made a morning of it. It really is as simple as that!" Anvil told The Independent last year.

At 10.55am on Christmas Day, Anvil captured the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex walking alongside one another, smiling cheerfully at the crowds as they passed them by.

Her photo sparked such an incredible reaction on social media that many advised her to acquire an agent quickly.

Photographed by Karen Anvil (GoffPhotos)

Since last year, the iconic photo has been sold to at least 50 countries and featured in a variety of publications and on TV channels all around the world.

Anvil's photography prowess has rewarded her with a regular monthly income, which can range from 600 to 6,000.

It's also led to a variety of incredible experiences, including the opportunity to become BBC Radio 5 Live's unofficial wedding photographer at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's royal wedding in May 2018.

"The atmosphere here is absolutely amazing!" Anvil tweeted while in Windsor on the day of the nuptials.

Anvil had the chance to meet Prince Harry after appearing on an episode of BBC's The One Show, where she and a professional photographer competed to take the best photo of the Duke.

"I asked him if he had seen my Christmas photo and, after looking at my quizzically, he suddenly smiled and said: 'I hope you've been paid a lot of money for it,'" she tells the BBC.

Photo taken by Karen Anvil at royal wedding on 19 May 2018 (Karen Anvil)

Anvil will be embarking on a new career in radiology in February 2019, having taken a few months off work to decorate her house.

She explains to The Independent that she's wanted to venture into the field of radiology for years, but couldn't in the past "due to parental commitments" and not being "flexible enough for the role".

In May 2018, Anvil bequeathed all of the money that she's earned from last year's Christmas Day royal photo to her teenage daughter Rachel.

Karen with her daughter Rachel (Karen Anvil)

In January 2019 Rachel will begin a new job at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, with the hope of applying for the nursing programme at the hospital next year.

The pair recently celebrated Rachel's 18th birthday in Paris, the first time that either of them had ever been abroad.

They're both going to be returning to Sandringham on Christmas Day this year so that they can see the royal family once more.

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Rachel is in awe of everything that her mother has achieved over the past year, as she explains to the BBC.

"Mum knew this was a one-off and wanted to use every penny wisely," she says.

"Every penny the photo has made has gone on our family and our home. Even the guinea pigs. I'm so proud of her."
In 2017 Liam Fox famously claimed that concluding a trade deal with the European Union after Brexit would be the easiest in human history because wed start from a position of already being fully aligned on tariffs and regulation.

Such bullishness is notable by its absence now.

Indeed, one of the reasons Brexiteers are so alarmed by the Irish backstop provision of the withdrawal agreement is that even they doubt that there will be a free trade agreement between the UK and the EU in place by January 2021 when the transition is supposed to end.
Nissans former chairman Carlos Ghosn was re-arrested on Friday after Japanese prosecutors added a new allegation of breach of trust, dashing his hopes for posting bail quickly.

Mr Ghosn and another former Nissan executive, Greg Kelly, were arrested 19 November and charged with underreporting Mr Ghosns income by about 5 billion yen (35m) from 2011-2015. They face the prospect of further charges for underreporting Mr Ghosns income for other years by nearly 10 billion in total.

The breach of trust allegations were filed a day after a court rejected prosecutors request for a longer detention of both men. The new allegation only applies to Mr Ghosn, and Mr Kelly could still be bailed.

In a statement on Friday, prosecutors alleged that Mr Ghosn in 2008 transferred a private investment loss worth more than $16m (13m) to Nissan by manipulating an unspecified swap contract. Mr Ghosn also profited by having the company transfer a total of $14.7m to another company to benefit himself and that companys owner, who helped in the contract manipulation, prosecutors said.

Recommended Renault finds no evidence of wrongdoing in Carlos Ghosn probe

Shin Kukimoto, deputy chief prosecutor at the Tokyo District Prosecutors Office, refused to say if the two transactions were related or how Mr Ghosn illegally profited. He also declined to identify the collaborator or whether the transactions were made overseas.

Mr Ghosn and Mr Kelly are only charged with underreporting the former chairmans pay over five years, in violation of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. They have not been formally charged with an additional allegation of underreporting another $36m for 2016-2018, for which their first 10-day detention was to expire on Thursday.

Prosecutors have been criticised for separating the allegations as a tactic to detain Mr Ghosn and Mr Kelly longer. They say Mr Ghosn and Kelly are flight risks.

The maximum penalty for violating the financial act is up to 10 years in prison, a 10 million yen fine, or both. Breach of trust also carries a similar maximum penalty. The conviction rate in Japan is more than 99 per cent for any crime.

Mr Ghosn was sent by Renault in 1999 to turn around Nissan, then on the verge of bankruptcy, and he led its rise to become the worlds second-largest car manufacturer. The arrest has triggered international attention and the scandal has raised concerns over the financial health of the Japanese company and the future of its alliance with Renault.

Nissan has said its own investigation found serious misconduct including underreporting of Mr Ghosns income and misuse of company assets. His downfall is seen by some as a manoeuvre by others at Nissan to gain power in the alliance.

Mr Kellys wife, Donna, said in a video message carried by TV Asahi and other networks that her husband was wrongly accused as part of a power grab at Nissan. Greg and Mr Ghosn fully believe that they did not break the law, she said.

Nissan dismissed Mr Ghosn as chairman and Kelly as a representative director. It has also put off a decision on Mr Ghosns replacement.

AP
British car manufacturing collapsed by 19.6 per cent in November with 129,030 vehicles rolling off production lines, the industrys latest figures show.

Weaker demand in the UK and in key European and Asian export markets, exacerbated by the ongoing impact of new regulation were to blame for the sharp fall, the Society of Motor manufacturers and Traders said.

Exports suffered a particularly marked decline of 22.8 per cent while production for the home market was down 1.9 per cent.

Just over 105,000 cars were exported to global markets in November, still representing eight in every 10 cars leaving British factories.

The car industry accounts for 12.8 per cent of the UKs total export of goods and would be hit hard by a no-deal Brexit. The sector is already feeling the impact as consumers put off big purchases because of political and economic uncertainty while stricter regulations on diesel cars have prompted sales to plummet.

In the year to date, more than 1.4 million cars have been built in the UK, an 8.2 per cent decline from a year ago, with export volumes down by 75,085 and output for the domestic market down 54,143.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said, Its very concerning to see demand for UK built cars decline in November, with output seriously impacted by falling business and consumer confidence in the UK allied to weakening export markets.

With fewer than 100 days until the UK leaves the European Union, the automotive industry needs certainty and a no-deal Brexit must be ruled out.

Thousands of jobs in British car factories and supply chains depend on free and frictionless trade with the EU  if the country falls off a cliff-edge next March the consequences would be devastating.

The latest warning from the car industry comes after the UKs five leading business groups said firms were watching in horror as bickering politicians bring the country ever closer to no-deal Brexit.

Companies are holding back investments intended to create jobs or raise pay and productivity in favour of contingency planning, according to The British Chambers of Commerce, EEF, CBI, Federation of Small Businesses and the Institute of Directors.

They said this week that time had run out to mitigate the severe dislocation crashing out of the EU would bring.
Millions of British expats in Europe could be without healthcare in the event of a no deal Brexit, while EU nationals resident in the UK before 29 March will still be eligible for NHS treatment, the government has confirmed.

UK nationals have been warned they may face limitations to their access to healthcare services in Europe come 30 March in Department of Health and Social Care guidance.

It spells out for the first time the significant holes in preparations for assuring healthcare should Theresa May fail to win agreement over her Brexit deal with the EU.

While ministers say they still expect a deal, civil servants are now trying to negotiate reciprocal deals with individual EU states to guarantee the rights of citizens should the UK be relegated to third country status.

In a no deal scenario, UK nationals resident in the EU, EEA [European Economic Area] and Switzerland may experience limitations to their access to healthcare services, according to the EU Exit Operational Readiness Guidance.

The government is therefore seeking to protect current reciprocal healthcare rights through transitional bilateral agreements with other member states.

An influx of British citizens in the EU, particularly those with long-term health conditions, could heap even more pressure on an NHS stretched to breaking point, but the guidance says it is not possible to quantify how many might return because of this issue.

Theresa May pledged in September that EU citizens rights would be protected in the event of a no-deal Brexit, but she has since suggested they could be watered down.

However, there is no EU-wide reciprocal arrangement in place, though ministers have struck a bilateral agreement with Norway, which not in the EU but is part of the EEA.

The report was sent out to hospitals and other NHS bodies late on Friday with Labour accusing ministers of sneaking out deeply worrying news to avoid scrutiny.

It puts hospitals on notice that new EU arrivals will not automatically qualify for free NHS hospital treatment and staff will have to check visa eligibility in the same way as other visitors.

NHS trusts and foundation trusts should continue to maintain a strong focus on correctly charging those who should be charged directly for NHS care, the guidance adds.

It also warns all NHS bodies to review staff holidays and on-call arrangements around the 29 March to ensure there is enough capacity, though it isnt yet calling for action to cut activity or boost capacity.

 Theresa May confirms date for meaningful vote on Brexit deal for 2019

The guidance says hospitals and GP surgeries should direct staff to promote messages of continuity and reassurance to patients concerned about the health risks of a no deal.

In particular it says they should brief patients not stockpile medicines, after the government warned of six months of gridlock at Dover and major ports which account for 90 per cent of NHS drug imports.

Labours shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said ministers should come clean to patients about how much is being spent on no-deal planning.

This is money that is sorely needed on the NHS frontline this winter, he said.

While the NHS descends into winter crisis again, health ministers are demanding staff promote messages of reassurance to patients. If anyone should be promoting a message of reassurance it should be the secretary of state [Matt Hancock] and he could start by ruling out this irresponsible, chaotic no-deal Brexit.

Newspapers react to Theresa May pulling the vote on her Brexit deal Show all 11 1 /11 Newspapers react to Theresa May pulling the vote on her Brexit deal Newspapers react to Theresa May pulling the vote on her Brexit deal The Independent Newspapers react to Theresa May pulling the vote on her Brexit deal The Daily Mirror Newspapers react to Theresa May pulling the vote on her Brexit deal The Times Newspapers react to Theresa May pulling the vote on her Brexit deal The Daily Express Newspapers react to Theresa May pulling the vote on her Brexit deal The Financial Times Newspapers react to Theresa May pulling the vote on her Brexit deal The Daily Telegraph Newspapers react to Theresa May pulling the vote on her Brexit deal The i Newspapers react to Theresa May pulling the vote on her Brexit deal The Guardian Newspapers react to Theresa May pulling the vote on her Brexit deal The Scotsman Newspapers react to Theresa May pulling the vote on her Brexit deal The Daily Mail Newspapers react to Theresa May pulling the vote on her Brexit deal The Metro

More than a million people have backed The Independents Final Say campaign calling on Theresa May to guarantee the public a vote on whether to accept the terms of her deal or remain in the EU.

However the prime minister shelved a Parliamentary vote on her deal at the eleventh hour amidst fears that it would be sunk by her own partys Brexiteer faction.

After surviving a vote of no confidence in her leadership she is currently trying to win further concessions, though the EU has said it will not negotiate further.

Niall Dickson, chair of the Brexit Health Alliance, which encompasses NHS organisations, patient charities and the pharmaceutical industry, welcomed the clarity but said it leaves critical questions unanswered.

The decision to create a national Operational Response Centre shows that we are talking about a national emergency, Mr Dickson said.

We also need much more clarity about UK citizens access to healthcare in EU countries, and to what extent the EU will work with the UK on public health issues.
A massive ice-filled hole on the surface of Mars has been revealed in images beamed back from a spacecraft orbiting the red planet.

The Korolev crater measures 51 miles across and is located in the northern lowlands of Mars, just south of the pole.

At a depth of 1.2 miles, scientists think the chasm traps a layer of cold air that ensures its icy core remains in place all year round.

As air moves over the surface of the crater it sinks and creates a low temperature zone that preserves the ice by shielding it from the surrounding atmosphere.

The presence of liquid water on Mars has been the subject of much debate for years, and its discovery could hold the key to finding alien life there.

However, scientists have long known that much of the red planets polar regions are adorned with a layer of ice.

Scientists noted the Korolev site was a particularly well-preserved example of a frozen Martian crater.

It was named after the renowned engineer Sergei Korolev, known as the father of Soviet space technology, who worked on the Sputnik programme.

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

Images of the crater were sent back by the European Space Agencys (ESA) Mars Express mission, which was launched in 2003 and now sits in orbit around the planet.

The complete picture of the enormous crater was assembled using five different picture strips that were combined to make a single image.

Describing the resulting scene as a beautiful winter wonderland, the ESA said it was an excellent celebration of the spacecrafts 15-year anniversary in space.

The region around the planets northern polar cap, known as Olympia Undae, is a particular zone of interest for other missions, including ESAs ExoMars programme, which aims to establish if life ever existed on Mars.

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Due to land in 2021, the ExoMars rover will drill into the surface of the planet to search for evidence of ancient life-forms buried underneath.

In November after much discussion within the European-Russian project, the team settled on a landing site called Oxia Planum, which scientists suspect was the home to a large body of water billions of years ago.

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, which is currently in orbit around Mars having arrived there in April, has also sent back images of the Koralev crater.

One of the first pictures the craft sent back from its mission was a view from directly above the crater, providing a detailed view of its shape, structure and icy deposits.
London mayor Sadiq Khan has ordered a comprehensive overhaul of a controversial police database that has been accused of racial discrimination and stigmatising children.

Scotland Yards gangs matrix was set up after the 2011 London riots and holds the details of up to 4,000 individuals at any one time. Some are as young as 12.

The so-called gang nominal are subjected to coded levels of police activity, which can range from efforts to divert them away from criminality to surveillance, arrests and court orders.

Mr Khan published a review that found that three quarters of those on the matrix were under the age of 25, 80 per cent were black. Many had a zero-harm score  reflecting the lowest risk of committing violence.

The representation of young black men on the matrix is disproportionate to their likelihood of either causing or being a victim of gang violence and communities have deep reservations about how it operates, it warned. Further investigation is to be carried out to understand if this disproportionality is legitimate and to be transparent about this process.

The Mayors Office review recommended that a comprehensive overhaul of the matrix operating model both to restore trust and also to bring it into line with data protection legislation.

It criticised a lack of transparency by London's Metropolitan Police over how the system works, and suggested that inconsistency in the way it was used have led to serious breaches of data protection laws.

The Mayors Office told the force to implement nine recommendations to ensure the database is used lawfully and with no unjustifiable disproportionality, with stronger processes, oversight and transparency.

Recommendations included annual reviews of the subjects on the matrix, an appraisal of those with a zero harm score, removal of people not meeting strict criteria, data processing improvements and police engagement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

It ordered changes to take place by the end of 2019.

Armed moped gangs terrorise residents of Battersea

Scotland Yard has argued that the matrix helps combat violence and make London safer and said that the 7,000 people who appeared on the matrix in a five-year period, 96 per cent have been sanctioned for a criminal offence, including 79 per cent for violence, weapons or robbery.

The review recognised that a gangs matrix was a necessary law enforcement tool for reducing violent crime in London.

It said gangs were a driving force behind some of the most serious violence in London, amid rising stabbings and shooting nationwide.

Recommended Why the gangs matrix is a bad thing for everyone

The harm of gangs extends further, beyond serious street violence and encompassing other serious issues including violence against women and girls, acquisitive crime and drug supply, it added. Those preyed upon by gangs are amongst the most vulnerable children and young people in our city, often from deprived, crime-affected backgrounds and presenting multiple, complex needs such as mental illness.

Individuals spend an average of two years and four months on the matrix on average, but the review found it appears to have a positive impact on reducing levels of offending and victimisation.

Data on arrests and stop and search indicates that levels of police attention fall after people are removed from the matrix and legal advice said it can be used legally, the review said.

But it also found action must be taken to be fully compliant with the law, including an equalities impact assessment and changes to data handling.

The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Show all 21 1 /21 The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Oluwadamilolda Odeyingbo Oluwadamilolda Odeyingbo, 18, was killed in a fight in Chislehurst on 10 January 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Hasan Ozcan Hasan Ozcan, 19, was stabbed to death on the Gascoigne Estate in Barking on 3 February 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Sabri Chibani Sabri Chibani, 19, was stabbed fatally in the chest in Streatham on 11 February 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Promise Nkenda Lord Promise Nkenda, 17, was stabbed to death in Canning Town on 14 February 2018 Facebook The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Lewis Blackman Lewis Blackman, a 19-year-old rapper from Kentish Town, was stabbed to death in Kensington on 18 February 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Abdikarim Hassan Abdikarim Hassan, 17, was stabbed to death near his home in Camden's Peckwater estate on 20 March - less tahan two hours before another man was stabbed to death nearby Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Kelvin Odunuyi Kelvin Odunuyi, a 19-year-old rapper known as DipDat and Lampz, was shot dead in Wood Green on 8 March Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Lyndon Davis Lyndon Davis, 18, was chased down and stabbed to death in Chadwell Heath on 14 March Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Tanesha Melbourne-Blake Tanesha Melbourne, 17, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Tottenham on 2 April PA The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Amaan Shakoor Amaan Shakoor, 16, was shot dead in Walthamstow on 2 April Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Israel Ogunsola Israel Ogunsola, 18, was stabbed to death in Hackney on 4 April Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton, a 17-year-old rapper and aspiring architect, was shot dead in a Kennington Street on 5 May Handout The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Jordan Douherty Aspiring rapper Jordan Douherty died of his injuries outside a birthday party in Romford on 23 June Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Katrina Makunova Katrina Makunova, 17, was stabbed to death in Camberwell on 12 July 2018 Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Latwaan Griffiths 18-year-old Latwaan Griffiths was fatally stabbed on 25 July and died in hospital after being thrown off the back of a moped in Camberwell Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Guled Farah Guled Farah, 19, was shot in Walthamstow on 22 September Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Ethan Nedd-Bruce Ethan Nedd-Bruce, 18, died after he was shot outside a party at a flat in Greenwich, south-east London, on 22 October. He had also been stabbed, but the gunshot wound was the cause of death. Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Jay Hughes Jay Hughes, 15, died was fatally stabbed outside a chicken shop in Bellingham, south-east London, on 1 November Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Malcolm Mide-Madariola Malcolm Mide-Madariola, 17, was found suffering from a stab wound outside Clapham South Tube station on 2 November Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 John Ogunjobi John Ogunjobi, 16, died in front of his parents after he was stabbed in Greenleaf Close, Tulse Hill, on 5 November Metropolitan Police The teenagers murdered in London in 2018 Aron Warren Aron Warren, 18, was found stabbed in a flat block in Greenwich on 8 December and died at the scene Metropolitan Police

Mr Khan, said: The review has shown that the gangs matrix can be an effective enforcement tool and is helping to tackle violence on our streets. But to many Londoners, the way it is applied and enforced is a cause for concern and it needs to be comprehensively overhauled to ensure it is used lawfully and proportionately.

By implementing the reviews nine recommendations, the matrix can address the serious breaches of data protection laws and ensure only those at genuine risk of causing or being a victim of violence are included. Its important these recommendations are carried out quickly and transparently.

The mayors report is the latest blow to the controversial system, following breaches found by the Information Commissioners Office and allegations that it is both racially discriminatory and ineffective.

A recent report by rights group Amnesty UK found a chaotic and inconsistent approach to adding individuals to the matrix between different London boroughs, and said some officers were using social media activity and links to grime music as indicators of gang links.

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Its a conflation of elements of youth culture with violent offending and thats heavily racialised, Amnesty director Kate Allen told The Independent. Its difficult to know how people come off the matrix and whether that is effective policing or not.

Last month, the information commissioner found the matrix had breached data protection laws.

An investigation concluded that police were failing to distinguish between the approach to victims and perpetrators of gang-related crime, and sharing information with authorities including councils, schools and housing associations.

It said some London boroughs were using additional informal lists of people who had been removed from the matrix  despite having no intelligence they were gang members.

Elizabeth Denham, the information commissioner, said: Simply being on this database could lead to denial of services and other adverse consequences.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said the force has accepted the recommendations but does not believe the matrix directly discriminates against any community and that it reflects the disproportionality of violent offenders and victims.

A statement from the force added: We are committed to reducing the disproportionate number of young black men who are victims of gang crime. London and the UK as a whole has experienced an increase in serious violence this year and a significant proportion of this has been attributable to young men in gangs as both offenders and victims.

The Met needs to do everything it can to prevent violence using proportionate and lawful means, which includes safeguarding and protecting young people. The report clearly shows how the gangs matrix can help to reduce crime and violence within London and the Met is committed in continuing to use it.
City banker Zahid Naseem has been jailed for at least 19 years for murdering high-class escort Christina Abbotts with a ceramic pestle on her 29th birthday.

Naseem bludgeoned Ms Abbotts to death, striking her 13 times on the back of the head with the kitchen utensil in a killing fuelled by cocaine and champagne.

The 48-year-old told Lewes Crown Court during his trial he had been acting in self-defence, fearing she was trying to strangle him to death in a sex game gone wrong.

However, a jury rejected the financial consultants version of events, finding him guilty of murder on Thursday following four hours of deliberations.

Sentencing Naseem, Judge Christine Laing said Ms Abbotts had chosen a profession that would always have the potential to place her in dangerous situations.

She had chosen to earn her money in a business that is as old time and one that has always carried with it huge risks and dangers, as this case sadly demonstrates, she said.

The judge said Naseem had presented himself to his victim as a well-spoken, educated, professional man who was looking for a good time, but under the surface the truth was very different.

Your unsettled work situation was causing you considerable stress, she said. You seem to have become obsessed with escorts and you had a drugs and alcohol addiction that was becoming out of control.

Ms Abbotts, described in court as a socialite, kept her profession a secret from her family, telling them instead she worked in IT.

However, charging clients overnight rates starting from 1,000, she used the money to fund a party lifestyle in London, mixing with posh and wealthy friends, the court heard.

Naseem, who told jurors he had begun using alcohol, cocaine and sex workers after his marriage became stale, discovered Ms Abbotts profile on the website adultwork.com under the pseudonym Tilly Pexton.

He met her on the evening of 24 May this year in Crawley, West Sussex, where the pair were last seen in public on CCTV footage in an Asda supermarket buying Veuve-Clicquot champagne.

Naseem claimed he could not remember what had happened to Ms Abbotts in the flat (PA)

Concerned friends alerted authorities to a potential problem the following day, when Ms Abbotts failed to attend her own birthday party in South Kensington.

Police broke down the door of the Crawley flat she was house-sitting for a friend on the morning of 26 May to discover her body in the bedroom.

Naseem was found lying seemingly unconscious in the living room wearing only a dressing gown and surrounded by half-drunk glasses of alcohol and drug paraphernalia.

Paramedics were convinced the banker was play-acting, but he only became responsive after he had been taken to hospital, later telling police in interview he had no idea what had happened to Ms Abbotts.

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But, when he gave evidence in court, Naseem said he had struck Ms Abbotts, claiming he had acted in self-defence and admitting a red mist may have descended over him.

Prosecutor Christopher Tehrani dismissed his testimony, describing it as a pack of lies and telling the banker he had relentlessly bludgeoned his victim during a savage attack.

Mr Tehrani told the court Naseem, of Amersham, Buckinghamshire, had stayed in the flat for 12 hours after he had killed Ms Abbotts, drinking, taking drugs and sending explicit photographs to other escorts online.

He could not explain to jurors how the pestle  coupled with a mortar bowl later found in the flats kitchen by officers  came to be in the bedroom.

Christina Abbotts was beaten to death by Naseem in May this year (Sussex Police)

Following the verdict, the parents of Ms Abbotts had paid tribute to their loving, caring daughter, saying the picture painted of her during the trial did not fully reflect who she was as a person.

It has not been mentioned but we would like to clarify that Christina held many legitimate jobs in estate agency and events, they said in a statement on Thursday.

She is not here to defend herself in this case and the way she has been portrayed does not reflect and define our Christina.

What has been highlighted in this case does not change the fact that she was a loving, caring and loyal daughter, sister, niece and friend.

Additional reporting by agencies
Wildlife charities have called on Nicola Sturgeon to act to give beavers in Scotland legal protected status and prevent unregulated culling.

Organisations including the Scottish Wildlife Trust, the Scottish Beaver Trial, National Trust for Scotland and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland signed an open letter to the First Minister urging action.

Beavers were spotted in Tayside in 2006 due to unauthorised releases, four centuries after they were hunted to extinction across Scotland.

An official reintroduction programme has taken place in Argyll.

Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham told MSPs a year ago that legislative changes to ensure beavers are given European Protected Status would be laid at Holyrood in the first half of 2018.

Recommended Beavers returned to Forest of Dean after 400 years

The letter states: "The clock has run out on the statement, made by the Scottish Government on 20 December 2017, that legislation to make beavers a protected species in Scotland would be laid before Parliament in the first half of 2018.

"We are calling on the First Minister to renew her government's leadership and commit to bringing home a former resident.

It added: "Pioneering work including the Scottish Beaver Trial and the experience of reintroductions in more than 20 European countries shows beavers have the potential to bring enormous positive change.

"They breathe new life into our landscape by creating dynamic woodland and wetland habitats, and they help to control flooding by slowing down upland streams.

"It is now more than two years since the Scottish Government announced in November 2016 that it was minded to allow beavers to naturally recolonise Scotland."

British mammals fight for survival Show all 11 1 /11 British mammals fight for survival British mammals fight for survival The Mammal Societys assessment of Britains mammal populations is the first such review in over 20 years. The results reveal winners and losers, and highlight some of the key threats facing the countrys wildlife such as habitat loss, invasive species and the spread of diseases. British mammals fight for survival Hedgehogs Populations of the much-loved insectivore may have declined by as much as 73% Richard Bowler British mammals fight for survival Greater mouse-eared bats Only one of these flying mammals has been recorded in the whole country, in a railway tunnel in West Sussex Andrew Harrington British mammals fight for survival Rabbits Despite being a common sight across the countryside, rabbits have decreased in number by nearly 10% Danni Thompson British mammals fight for survival Black Rats Though not generally considered threatened animals, black rats number have collapsed in recent years due largely to pest control measures. However their far more common cousins, the brown rats, are thriving. Tim Melling British mammals fight for survival Red Squirrels Though it is difficult to measure changes in squirrel numbers, their range has shrunk considerably due largely to the spread of squirrel pox virus by invasive grey squirrel Alistair Marsh British mammals fight for survival Wildcats There has been a marked decline in wildcat populations, with only around 200 left in Scotland Rachel Profit British mammals fight for survival Badgers Due to legal protections badgers have recovered from past persecution and the density of their setts (holes) has increased by over 100% in recent decades Phil Mumby British mammals fight for survival Otters The banning of persistent organic pesticides has had a positive population effect on otters Allan Chard British mammals fight for survival Fallow Deer The 2018 review estimates a population size of fallow deer almost three times the size of that estimated in the 1995 review  a positive trend that is seen in other deer species. James Shooter British mammals fight for survival Eurasian Beavers These aquatic mammals were nearly extinct in Europe at the start of the 20th century, but their reintroduction to the UK have been largely successful Paul Scott

The letter points out without legal protection the animals can be culled without regulation.

Scottish Wildlife Trust Conservation Director Susan Davies said it is "hard to understand the reason for the delay"

She added: "Without protection beavers are subject to unregulated culling, which raises questions about their welfare and how they are being prevented from naturally spreading throughout Scotland."

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The return of beavers to Scotland's countryside demonstrates our commitment to protect and enhance biodiversity.

"We have now completed the technical assessments required and expect to bring forward European Protected Status legislation next year, along with a management system that protects agriculture and other land uses.

"It is important that we build support for beaver management measures among all stakeholders, especially where beavers are having a serious impact on some of our most productive farmland.

"We have made very good progress in this respect and hope to resolve some outstanding issues in the new year."

Press Association
A car driver in Germany's Recklinghausen raced into a group of people waiting at a bus stop, killing one person and injured several others, the authorities said Thursday.

Policemen and firefighters standing next to a damaged car at a bus stop in Recklinghausen,Germany, December 20, 2018. The driver of the car raced into a group of waiting people at a bus stop in Recklinghausen and injured several people.[Photo: IC]

According to a joint press release by the prosecutor of Bochum and the police headquarters Recklinghausen, a passenger car on Thursday afternoon drove into a group of people at a bus stop in Recklinghausen, in west Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia state, with unexplained cause.

The press release said six persons aged from 17 to 67 were injured, some of them in severe condition. A 88-year-old senior woman has died because of her serious injuries. The 32-year-old driver who is a local resident had been taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Currently the area is still closed. Why the man has strayed from the road is currently under investigation. Police were called in to provide forensics.

The authorities said currently, a suicide attempt can not be ruled out.
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Armed police must be stationed at all entrances to the Houses of Parliament, a coroner has said while warning that more people could be killed if security is not increased.

Mark Lucraft QC, the chief coroner of England and Wales, made a series of recommendations to police, security services, Transport for London and other authorities following inquests into the Westminster terror attack.

In my opinion, there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken, he wrote in a report.

I believe that the various addressees of this report have the power to take the action relevant to them.

Judge Lucraft previously found that PC Keith Palmer may have been saved if armed police were stationed at Carriage Gates, outside the Houses of Parliament.

The unarmed officer was stabbed to death by Isis supporter Khalid Masood after he fatally struck four victims on Westminster Bridge in March 2017.

Judge Lucraft said that although the attacker struck at one of the most vulnerable and public entrances to the parliamentary estate, armed police were elsewhere on mobile patrol.

He said the Metropolitan Police should station officers with guns at all open public entry points to the Palace of Westminster and ensure the instructions cannot be inadvertently changed.

Given the nature of terrorist threats to this country and its parliament, it is difficult to imagine circumstances in the near future when an open public entry point to the palace should not be protected by armed guards, the coroner said.

A US tourist took this photo just 45 minutes before the officer was stabbed to death (Facebook)

After the inquests heard of confusion among officers about how they receive their orders, Judge Lucraft called for changes to the way post instructions are conveyed, to ensure they are seen.

He said Scotland Yard must ensure officers working in Westminster are trained specifically for both lone wolf and multi-actor marauding terror attacks.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said security reviews were undertaken immediately after the atrocity and improvements have already been made at parliament, alongside other agencies.

She said the force could not disclose specific changes because it would undermine security but they have been shared with the chief coroner.

We have received the detailed report and will now consider his recommendations in full, a statement added.

A lawyer for PC Palmers widow and victim Kurt Cochrans wife said it was imperative measures are implemented to keep cities safe.

"We welcome all these recommendations, in particular in relation to the security arrangements at the Palace of Westminster, and feel it is imperative they are implemented as soon as possible, to keep our cities safe and those who work tirelessly to protect the public, added Patrick Maguire, of Slater and Gordon.

"It demonstrates that lessons have been learnt from this horrendous attack and it is hoped that by implementing these recommendations, further deaths will be avoided."

In pictures: Westminster attack Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: Westminster attack In pictures: Westminster attack An air ambulance lands after gunfire sounds were heard close to the Palace of Westminster in London PA wire In pictures: Westminster attack MPs wait until the situation is under control in Westminster. 'The alleged assailant was shot by armed police,' David Lidington, leader of the House of Commons, told the house. BBC News In pictures: Westminster attack Crowds gather in Westminster after shooting incident, which police are treating as terror attack BBC News In pictures: Westminster attack Police were also called to an incident on Westminster Bridge nearby AP In pictures: Westminster attack Early reports indicate the car, which mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge and mowed into around a dozen people, was the same vehicle which then rammed into the railings of the Palace of Westminster, just around the corner Reuters In pictures: Westminster attack Security sources described the suspected assailant as a middle-aged Asian man, who is understood to have left the car before attacking a police officer with a seven-to-eight inch knife PA wire In pictures: Westminster attack Police have asked people to avoid the immediate area to allow emergency services to deal with the ongoing incident AP In pictures: Westminster attack One woman has died and a number of others, including the police officer, have been hurt, according to a junior doctor at St Thomas' Hospital Reuters In pictures: Westminster attack At least three gun shots were heard by those inside Westminster, and proceedings in the House of Commons have been suspended AP

Other recommendations included automating Carriage Gates, appointing an external security reviewer for parliament, and new guidance for how unconscious people should be taken out of rivers and canals, after one of Masoods victims was found in the Thames.

The inquests heard that Masood was known to the security services for his links to extremists but was not being monitored because he was a closed subject of interest (SOI), and that no one had anticipated the attack.

Judge Lucraft called on MI5 to start recording the reasons why SOIs like Masood and the Manchester bomber Salman Abedi are closed, to build a better intelligence picture.

Recommended The five victims who died in the Westminster terror attack

It strikes me that closing a person as an SOI is a positive decision that further investigation is not justified or necessary, the report said.

It is not obvious to me that such decisions are so numerous that recording each one with a short rationale would be impracticable. Furthermore, I can see clear operational benefits to corporate memory in having such reasoning recorded which could assist in the fight against terrorist activity.

Judge Lucraft also called for Transport for London (TfL) to consider improving security on roads and bridges, where barriers have already been installed following the London Bridge attack.

He said the authority should consider raising parapets or adding railings after two of Masoods victims were sent over the side of Westminster Bridge.

Siwan Hayward, of TfL, said: We work closely with the police, counterterrorism security advisers, the mayors office, Home Office, wider government and others to help protect London from the threat of terrorism. We are carefully considering the coroners recommendations in his report and will respond in due course.

People look at floral tributes left for the victims of the Westminster terrorist attack (file photo) (Getty)

Families of the victims also raised concerns during the inquest that Masood was able to hire a car to use as a lethal weapon, while rental vehicles were also used in the London Bridge and Finsbury Park terror attacks.

Judge Lucraft recommended the Department for Transport and British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association look at introducing a code of practice on making checks before vehicles are rented.

Jill Greenfield, from Fieldfisher law firm, said the coroner's wide-reaching report was very welcome, specifically the instructions to the motor insurance industry to carry out more detailed checks before renting out particularly heavy vehicles.

She said: Given that we're working with victims of terrorist attack at Finsbury Park Mosque and Westminster Bridge where, on both occasion, vehicles were used as weapons to kill and seriously injure people, any additional security that can be introduced to prevent similar attacks in the future is extremely important.

Respondents have been given until 26 February to reply to the report with what action they are taking.
Justice Secretary David Gauke says he will be very surprised if Theresa May pursues a no-deal Brexit, arguing she lacks the support for such a dramatic step.

Mr Gauke stepped up his efforts to stop the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal, saying it would be very difficult for him to stay in the cabinet if that course is taken.

Significantly, he widened his criticism to argue Ms May would face too much opposition  although he did not say whether he meant in the cabinet, in parliament, or amongst the public.

I think it would be very difficult and I think, if it came down to the government saying consciously, well, well just have to do that, I dont think there would be a lot of support for it, Mr Gauke told the BBC.

I would be very surprised if the prime minister went down that route.

Underlining the deep divide in government, Mr Gaukes comments came as a Treasury minister issued a call to action to businesses to get ready for the risk of crashing out.

Mel Stride told firms to get a customs agent on board and to consider software they could use to make import and export declarations.

On Thursday, Mr Gauke tweeted a picture of himself holding a unicorn, in a clear statement about Brexiteer cabinet ministers he has accused of unicorn thinking in supporting no deal.

The justice secretary, who supports the prime ministers apparently doomed withdrawal agreement, urged MPs to accept greater responsibility by setting out other options if parliament throws out the agreement next month.

He and other pro-EU ministers have proposed indicative votes on alternatives including a softer, Norway-type Brexit and a Final Say referendum on whether to leave at all.

"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

Mr Gauke said: I think making a conscious decision to proceed with no deal would not be the responsible course of action and I think we would have to look at what other choices were available to us.

And he added: Although parliament clearly doesnt want no deal, its not clear that there is a majority for a specific course of action to stop no deal.

On Thursday, senior Tory and Labour MPs joined forces in an attempt to block no-deal Brexit  they started by tabling an amendment to the Finance Bill.

It would prevent the enforcement of any new taxes earmarked for no-deal preparations without the consent of the Commons  with other, similar ambushes to follow.

The move comes after Ms Mays decision to swing back towards a willingness to crash out of the EU, despite her own civil servants warning of food and medicine shortages and chaos at ports.

The cabinet agreed 4bn of extra government spending on preparations as the EU also ramped up its own measures, with less than 100 days until the UK is due to leave the bloc.

On Wednesday, the British Chambers of Commerce, the Confederation of British Industry, manufacturers organisation the EEF, the Federation of Small Businesses and the Institute of Directors issued a joint statement warning it was too late to avoid damage from no-deal Brexit.
Illinois' attorney general's office on Wednesday accused the Catholic Church of dramatically low-balling the scope of allegations of clergy sex abuse, saying her investigators found at least 500 additional accusations against priests and clergy - compared with the 185 cases the church has found credible.

Lisa Madigan's office acknowledged on Wednesday that a charge that has been found credible is not the same thing as a simple accusation. However, she alleged in a statement that a probe her office opened into the Church in August is finding Catholic leaders are failing to dig deep into the guilt of their clerics. The probe "has revealed that allegations frequently have not been adequately investigated by the dioceses or not investigated at all," the statement said.

Some state Catholic leaders, under siege during a year of global scandal over bishops' handling of abuse cases, pushed back. The crux of Ms Madigan's announcement was unfair and "false", said William Kunkel, counsel for the Chicago archdiocese.

"The idea that clergy sexual abuse of minors is more extensive than [we] reported is just false," he said. "We don't see lawyers, doctors, schools publishing lists like this," he said of allegations not found to be reasonably credible. "It's not fair to put out a list of people accused, any more than it would be fair to put out a list of accused reporters."

Ms Madigan's office is one of more than a dozen to open state investigations this year into Catholic handling of abuses cases. But Wednesday, some experts said, seemed to up the ante because it pushed on a controversial topic that has angered Catholics from left to right - whether the Church, under fire since the early 2000s, is really coming clean with its lists. Scandals at the top of the church in 2018 have resulted in a slew of dioceses and religious orders releasing their lists of credibly-accused priests.

The problem: There is no standard within the Catholic Church for what constitutes "credible" accusations, and many Catholics and members of the public are sceptical church leaders are coming forward to civil authorities and the public with everything they have.

Ms Madigan, said long-time survivor advocate Terry McKiernan, is trying to force the church to produce lists that are more transparent and meaningful. Even in recent weeks, Mr McKiernan said Wednesday, some lists around the country are being shown to not have included names they should have.

"There's a big debate about what 'credible' means, but these lists are clearly incomplete in a number of ways. Or at least there is lag before names are added," he said. "Let's face it, an allegation is an allegation, and very few are unsubstantiated if the diocese does the work to look into it."

Dioceses are dragging their feet on substantiating allegations "because they don't want to acknowledge the crisis they're in," Mr McKiernan said.

Ms Madigan's announcement comes as the Catholic Church is being forced in a way it never has to address the crisis, in particular the lack of accountability that exists for the bishops who manage the Catholic Church. The US bishops have an unprecedented retreat planned for the first week of January, and Pope Francis has convened a first-of-its-kind meeting in February. The primary issue, which has come to the fore in a year with one bishop after another losing his position, is how to bring more transparency and accountability to church leaders.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Vatican announced that a Los Angeles bishop was being removed after a review of a child sex abuse charge from the 1990s.

Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Show all 55 1 /55 Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis celebrates the Holy Mass at the Phoenix Park, in Dublin AP Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis arrives at Phoenix Park for a Papal Mass of the World Meeting of Families in Dublin EPA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures A vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies from the Bon Secours Mother and Baby home in Tuam. The vigil coincides with the Phoenix park mass which is taking place in Dublin held by Pope Francis. Excavations at the site in 2017 revealed underground structures which held babies bodies with ages ranging from 35 weeks to three years old with most of the dead buried in the 1950s when the facility was run by the Bon Secours Sisters, a Catholic religious order of nuns who received unmarried pregnant women to give birth Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures An aerial view of the crowd at Phoenix Park Getty Images Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Children queue for communion during Pope Francis' closing Mass PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures The Stand4Truth rally gathers outside a former Magdalene laundry in Dublin as part of the demonstrations against clerical sex abuse PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis leads the Holy Mass at Phoenix Park AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis arrives to celebrate the Holy Mass at the Phoenix Park AP Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures The names of the victims are read out as a vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies from the Bon Secours Mother and Baby home Getty Images Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis leads the Holy Mass at Phoenix Park AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures A member of the clergy carries a bowl of incense PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures AP Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures A vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies Getty Images Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Members of the public pray as they watch Pope Francis deliver a Papal Mass of the World Meeting of Families at Phoenix Park EPA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis attends the closing Mass at the World Meeting of Families at Phoenix Park in Dublin PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis passes by a banner of a protester as he leaves St Mary's Pro-Cathedral AP Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis speaks during his visit to the Capuchin Day Centre for Homeless in Dublin AP Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis waves to the waiting crowds on Christchurch PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis waves to the waiting crowds on College Green PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Members of the public wave at Pope Francis as he travels through the city Getty Images Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis laughs as he leaves St Mary's Pro Cathedral during his visit to Dublin Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Two boys wave flags after climbing a post as they wait for Pope Francis Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pairs of baby shoes are hung from black ribbons on Gardiner Street in Dublin in memory of the children who died at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co Galway PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Crowds on O'Connell Street PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures WMOF2018/Maxwell Photography/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis memorabilia on sale on O'Connell Street PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis arrives at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral during his visit to Ireland to attend the 2018 World Meeting of Families AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis waves to the waiting crowds on O'Connell Street PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis addresses the congragation at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Stephen O'Brien selling bottles of holy water from the St Mary's Pro Cathedral PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis prays inside St Mary's Pro Cathedral Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures A man waves a rainbow flag behind a model of a pope which stands in the window above a bar Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures People hold a banner against Pope Francis on the way to St Mary's Pro-Cathedral AP Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Nuns wait by the side of the road for Pope Francis Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures A model of a pope is placed in the window above a bar as crowds wait for Pope Francis to travel through the city Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Crowds on O'Connell Street, Dublin waiting to see Pope Francis as he travels in the Popemobile PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis waves to wellwishers as he arrives at Dublin Airport Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures His visit, the first by a Pope since John Paul II's in 1979 is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of Catholics to a series of events in Dublin and Knock PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis talks to journalists aboard a plane flying from Fiumicino aiport to Dublin AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures LGBT protestors from Dublin Pride and We Are Church with flags and umbrellas on Ha'Penny Bridge, Dublin to remember the victims of clerical sex abuse ahead of the start of the visit to Ireland by Pope Francis PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis disembarks from the aircraft as he arrives at Dublin Airport Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Woman wait for Pope Francis to drive past, in Dublin Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Taoiseach Leo Varadkar delivers a speech watched by Pope Francis in St. Patrick's Hall at Dublin Castle WMOF2018/Maxwell Photography/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Protesters hold banners during a demonstration against clerical sex abuse, in Dublin Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis plants a tree during a meeting with Irish President Michael D Higgins, at Aras an Uachtarain PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis walks with the President of Ireland Michael Higgins at Aras an Uachtarain WMOF2018/Maxwell Photography/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis, center, is flanked by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, right, as they arrive to meet authorities, in Dublin AP Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Protestors wearing baby shoes, to signify the children who died in mother and baby homes in Ireland, protest in Dublin ahead of the start of the visit to Ireland by Pope Franci PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis exchanges gifts with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Pope Francis speaks with President Michael D Higgins in his study during a visit to Aras an Uachtarain in Phoenix Park, Dublin PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Navy band march prior to the arrival of Pope Francis at the Presidential residence in Dublin AP Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures Eddie McGuinness from Dublin LGBTQ Pride carries a rainbow flag across Ha'Penny Bridge, Dublin ahead of the start of the visit to Ireland by Pope Francis PA Pope Francis visits Ireland  in pictures A message left by Pope Francis in the visitors book at Aras an Uachtarain in Phoenix Park PA

Since Ms Madigan's probe began in August, her spokesperson said, the six Illinois dioceses have had to add 45 new names to their various lists of credibly accused priests. This reflects a lack of candour, said the office's communications director, Maura Possley, and it is why Ms Madigan publicised the number of accusations.

Asked if it was fair to compare these two separate buckets of cases - the church's list of priests it deemed credibly accused and the AG's additional list of accused priests  Ms Possley said it was.

Ms Madigan "felt it was important for transparency purposes and for survivors to know she's taking this seriously," Ms Possley said. "She has said from the get-go, she thinks they have a moral obligation to provide a full and accurate accounting of child sexual abuse."

James Towey, president of Ave Maria University, said Ms Madigan's report - and those of other state attorneys general - should be clearer as to which allegations are old and which are new. That said, Mr Towey called Ms Madigan's preliminary report "further evidence that the scale of the scandal is scandalous. I think the number are shocking."

Cardinals, bishops and other top clergy say they want to make amends and help victims heal, but the church's glacial pace of revealing allegations runs counter to that stated goal, said Mr Towey, who was a lawyer and a Bush administration official before taking the helm at Ave Maria University, one of the nation's most prominent conservative Catholic colleges.

"It won't start until all the names are out there. The church has to clean up its act," Mr Towey said. "The fact is - this is a mess of the Church's creation and all of us, laity and ordained, have to come together and fix it."

The Washington Post
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has had surgery to remove two cancerous nodules from her left lung.

It is Justice Ginsburg's third bout with cancer since she joined the court in 1993.

The court said the 85-year-old, who broke three ribs in a fall last month, underwent a procedure known as a pulmonary lobectomy on Friday at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Ms Ginsburg is said to be "resting comfortably" according to a court spokeswoman.

Doctors found no evidence of disease elsewhere in the body and no additional treatment is currently planned.

The health of Ms Ginsburg - the oldest member of the Supreme Court's nine jurists - has become a source of anxiety for many in America. She is the senior liberal member of the court, which now has a 5-4 conservative majority.

President Donald Trump has appointed two conservative judges to the court since taking office. Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh earlier this year.

If Ms Ginsburg were unable to continue serving, Trump could replace her with a conservative, further shifting the court to the right.

A potentially dominant 6-3 conservative majority would have major consequences for issues including abortion, the death penalty, voting rights, gay rights and religious liberty.

The growths were found during tests Ms Ginsburg was given after the fall in a office early in November. She also broke two ribs in a fall in 2012.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. 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Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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Ms Ginsburg was treated in 1999 for colon cancer and again in 2009 for pancreatic cancer. She was also treated in hospital the same year over a bad reaction to medicine.

In 2014, doctors placed a stent in her right coronary artery to improve blood flow after she reported discomfort following routine exercise. She was released from a hospital the next day.

Ginsburg has never missed Supreme Court arguments in more than 25 years on the bench. The court is due to reconvene to hear arguments on 7 January.

Last week, Ms Ginsburg said during an interview with NPR's Nina Totenberg that her ribs were "almost repaired".

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During the interview, part of an event hosted by the Museum of the City of New York, Ms Ginsburg said that he returned to her physical trainer immediately after the fall, but they did legs only. She said she had recently returned to doing her "whole routine".

Appointed by President Bill Clinton, Ms Ginsburg rebuffed suggestions from some liberals that she should step down in the first two years of President Barack Obama's second term. Democrats controlled the Senate and would have been likely to confirm a liberal successor.

The justice already has hired clerks for the term that extends into 2020, indicating she has no plans to retire.
Donald Trump has defended construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border in a bizarre series of tweets in which he compared it to "the wheel" and boasted he understood technology "better than anyone".

"The Democrats are trying to belittle the concept of a Wall, calling it old fashioned," Mr Trump wrote. "The fact is there is nothing elses (sic) that will work, and that has been true for thousands of years. Its like the wheel, there is nothing better.

"I know tech better than anyone, & technology on a Border is only effective in conjunction with a Wall. Properly designed and built Walls work, and the Democrats are lying when they say they dont.

"In Israel the Wall is 99.9% successful. Will not be any different on our Southern Border! Hundreds of $Billions saved!"

Mr Trump's tirade came after House Republicans voted on Thursday evening to allocate more than 5bn towards his proposed border wall as part of a revised spending package to keep the government running over the festive season.

The Senate is being called back to session to consider the bill, but it is almost certain to fail after senators passed their own bipartisan package earlier in the week that kept border security spending at existing levels of $1.3bn.

"The Democrats, whose votes we need in the Senate, will probably vote against Border Security and the Wall even though they know it is DESPERATELY NEEDED," Mr Trump continued on Twitter.

"If the Dems vote no, there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time. People dont want Open Borders and Crime!"

The US president later said, "Shutdown today if Democrats do not vote for Border Security!," though any shutdown will come into effect on Saturday.

"Even President Ronald Reagan tried for 8 years to build a Border Wall, or Fence, and was unable to do so," Mr Trump added, without providing evidence.

In a presidential debate in 1980, Ronald Reagan in fact pushed back against the idea of a border structure.

Mr Trump's attempt to blame Democrats for the impending shutdown came just a week after the president said he would be "proud" to shut down the government, which Republicans now control, in the name of border security.

 Donald Trump tells Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer he would be 'proud' to shut down the government over Mexico border wall funding

"I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down," he said in a meeting with Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.

Mr Trump later implored Mitch McConnell, the senate majority leader, to use the so-called "nuclear option", in which senate rules would be changed so only a simple majority would be required to pass his preferred spending bill.

Currently it takes 60 senators to pass such a bill.

The White House said Mr Trump would not travel to Florida on Friday as planned for the Christmas holiday if the government was shutting down.

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

More than 800,000 federal workers will be facing a leave of absence or forced to work without pay if a resolution is not reached before funding expires at midnight tonight.

"The president's been clear from the beginning, he wants something that gives border security and he's not going to sign something that doesn't have that," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters.

At issue is funding for nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Interior, Agriculture, State and Justice, as well as national parks and forests.

Many agencies, including the Pentagon and the departments of Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services, are funded for the year and would continue to operate as usual.

Additional reporting by agencies

Correction: This article initially stated incorrectly a shutdown would begin Monday
President Donald Trump's surprise decision to withdraw forces from Syria presented a rare and unmistakable victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose relationship with the Trump administration has been anything but predictable.

With the departure of US troops, Moscow would become the undisputed international power broker in the war-torn country and win an opportunity to consolidate a countrywide victory for its ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The frenzied and disorganised nature of the US withdrawal announcement  in leaked remarks to the news media followed by a terse tweet and a slapdash soft-focus video shot on the White House lawn  also bolstered Mr Putin's efforts to undermine Washington's network of alliances.

In comments on Thursday, the Russian president hailed the US decision as "correct," agreeing with Mr Trump that the Islamic State had been largely defeated.

"On this, Donald is right. I agree with him," Mr Putin said on Thursday.

Mr Trump stunned US allies by ordering the withdrawal of US forces and contradicted US diplomats and military officers who as recently as last week said the United States would remain in Syria to finish off the Islamic State.

For Mr Putin, who himself has been dismayed by the Trump administration's frenetic application of sanctions against Moscow and one-off military strikes in Syria, the chaos of the president's governing style landed decisively in his favour.

"The Kremlin is of two minds when it comes to Trump: It hates the unpredictability and lack of coordination coming out of this White House but totally loves the chaos Trump is unleashing," said Andrew Weiss, a Russia scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "Anything that damages America's alliances and image of a steadfast, reliable partner is a net win for Moscow."

Mr Trump's broadsides against allies and lack of interest in building international consensus ahead of major policy changes have injected a level of doubt into the country's alliances that were largely unseen in the post-war era.

Many of the United States' most important allies, from Europe to Asia, were reassured by the presence of Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, who has publicly made strengthening American alliances a central platform of his tenure at the Pentagon.

But the sudden decision this week about a withdrawal from Syria left the Pentagon chief with little time or rationale to reassure allies. His announcement on Thursday that he would resign is likely to raise concerns about the Trump administration's commitment to allies' security and interests as the president seeks to find a replacement for Mr Mattis.

 Donald Trump's reaction as he sees Vladimir Putin at WW1 Remembrance service reveals a lot

In Germany, which is part of the US-led coalition, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Mr Trump's decision was a surprise.

"There is a risk that the consequences of this decision will harm the fight against IS and endanger the achievements that have been made," Mr Maas said in a statement, referring to Isis.

France said it would keep its contingent of about 1,000 troops in Syria for now because Isis had not been fully defeated, raising the prospect of further divisions in the US-organised alliance that is fighting the extremist group.

"Daesh had not been cleared off the map, nor, for that matter, have its roots been cleared. The last pockets of this terrorist organisation must be beaten in a definitive manner by military means," French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly tweeted, using an Arabic acronym for Isis.

Britain, the most active partner to the United States in the fight against Isis, did not break publicly with Washington, but its officials were blindsided by the announcement.

British Secretary of State for Defence Gavin Williamson contradicted Mr Trump's contention that the battle against Isis had been won, saying in a tweet on Thursday that "much hard work still lies ahead to ensure we win the war."

Mr Trump has defended the move, tapping into widespread public disenchantment with years of costly and protracted American military operations in the Middle East and South Asia that have not delivered victories, even though few dispute the success and progress of the campaign against isis.

"Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East, getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing?" Mr Trump tweeted on Thursday. "Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight."

Critics accused Mr Trump of ignoring the threat a reconstituted Isis poses to the United States and its allies in the event of a hasty and chaotic US withdrawal.

The cacophony among US allies, analysts said, is likely to please Mr Putin, who has long sought to chip away at Western unity. But in the short term, the Kremlin stands to gain the most on the ground in Syria, where Russia has long been seeking to consolidate gains for Mr Assad.

The confusion between the United States and its closest allies backs the message Mr Putin has been sending to Russia's partners in the Middle East: that Russia is an ally that can be trusted and one that will fight until the end.

Russia has stuck by Mr Assad despite mounting international pressure and multiple rounds of sanctions, seeing the Syrian government as a loyal client in the Middle East and preferring a strongman ally to a country in disarray.

Russia helped turn the tide in Syria's civil war after intervening in 2015 with airstrikes to back Mr Assad. It was the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union that Russia had engaged on a large scale in a war outside the former Soviet borders.

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

For Mr Putin, analysts say, the significance was manifold. Propping up Mr Assad was a message to the West that leaders cannot be deposed by outside force - an attempt Mr Putin is believed to fear the West is trying to orchestrate in Russia. The military campaign was also a way for Russia to re-establish influence in the Middle East, show off its reconstituted military might and help brand itself a resurgent great power.

"Russia has become the major power broker in the Middle East," said Angela Stent, a Russia expert at Georgetown University. "It's the only major power that talks to the Shia states, the Sunni states, Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Kurds. The only difference between now and the Soviet days is that Russia approaches issues non-ideologically."

The Russian military presence in Syria includes a naval base in Tartus and an air base in Hmeimim. Russia plans to forge ahead in talks with Turkey and Iran to find a political settlement for the conflict, a prospect Moscow sees as more likely and favourable now that the United States may be out of the picture.

Mr Putin on Thursday seemed to try to avoid taking too much of a victory lap, describing a US withdrawal as the "right" decision if it actually happens. Russia says the US deployment to Syria has always been illegal because it lacked a mandate from the Assad government or the United Nations.

The Russian president lauded Mr Trump for his analysis that Isis has been defeated, though analysts and US military commanders say the militant group remains a deadly force. Isis, Mr Putin said, had already been dealt "serious blows."

The disruption in the US alliance over the withdrawal decision touches on a long-term goal of Mr Putin's.

In a 2007 speech in Munich, Mr Putin famously decried a unipolar world led by the United States as unfair and called a geopolitical arena with one master pernicious for nations within its system.

Since then, the Russian leader has sought to re-establish Moscow as a global power and undermine faith in democratic ideals and alliances that have given Washington its military and economic might since the Cold War.

"One state and, of course, first and foremost the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way," Mr Putin said in 2007. "This is visible in the economic, political, cultural and educational policies it imposes on other nations."

The Washington Post
Politicians and national security experts have reacted with horror after James Mattis said he was quitting as US defence secretary in protest at Donald Trumps foreign policies.

The abrupt resignation came a day after Mr Trump announced he was pulling US troops out of Syria, and as the president reportedly weighs up a substantial withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan.

In his resignation letter on Thursday, Mr Mattis appeared to rebuke the presidents strained relations with traditional allies, and his diplomatic style that has been viewed as brash and insulting worldwide. The letter conspicuously omitted any praise of Mr Trump.

Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defence whose views are better aligned with yours ... I believe it is right for me to step down from my position, he said.

Mr Mattis resignation was met with disquiet by figures in both parties in Washington.

Marco Rubio, a Republican senator for Florida, wrote on Twitter that Mr Mattis resignation letter makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances and empower our adversaries.

Describing the situation as scary, Democratic senator Mark Warner said: Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration.

As weve seen with the presidents haphazard approach to Syria, our national defense is too important to be subjected to the presidents erratic whims.

 Donald Trump hints defence secretary Jim Mattis could resign: 'he's sort of a Democrat'

Rick Wilson, a Republican political consultant who served on George HW Bushs presidential campaign, said he was legitimately frightened for the country.

Donald Trump just lost the most significant, stabilizing, and competent member of his entire administration, he said.

Mr Mattis is said to have offered his resignation during a meeting on Thursday. The defence secretary is the latest high-profile exit from the Trump administration since the midterm elections last month, and reflects what has been seen as a cooling of relations between the two men in recent months.

His resignation was announced on Thursday evening by Mr Trump, who attempted to paint the move as a retirement.

General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years," he wrote on Twitter.

Barack Obamas former deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, said in the wake of the president's announcement: US alliances and some semblance of the international order can probably survive two more years of this but definitely not another 6.

A senior US national security official, who spoke to The Atlantic on condition of anonymity, said Mr Mattis was the "last brake" on a president "that makes major life-and-death decisions by whim without reading, deliberation, or any thought as to consequences and risks".

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

The saving grace is that this president has not been tested by a major national-security crisis. But it will come, and when it does, we are f*****.

Even senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, a Trump ally who rarely speaks out against the president, said he was distressed at Mr Mattis departure from government.

I believe its essential that the United States maintain and strengthen the post-World War II alliances that have been carefully built by leaders in both parties," Mr McConnell said in a statement.

"We must also maintain a clear-eyed understanding of our friends and foes, and recognize that nations like Russia are among the latter."

He continued: I am particularly distressed that he is resigning due to sharp differences with the president on these and other key aspects of Americas global leadership.
A senior justice department ethics official has concluded acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker should recuse himself from overseeing Robert Mueller's probe examining Donald Trump  but advisers recommended the opposite and he has no plans to step aside, people familiar with the matter said.

Earlier on Thursday, a different official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said ethics officials had advised Mr Whitaker need not step aside, only to retract that description of events hours later.

The advice to stay away from the Mueller probe underscores the high stakes and deep distrust  within Congress and in some corners of the justice department  surrounding Mr Whitaker's appointment as the nation's top law enforcement official until the Senate votes on the nomination of William Barr to take the job.

Mr Whitaker did not return messages seeking comment.

Late on Thursday, the justice department formally notified Congress of Mr Whitaker's decision not to recuse himself, writing in a letter that while an ethics official felt he should do so to avoid the appearance of a conflict, that official could not identify a precedent for such a recusal.

Senator Minority Leader Charles Schumer said in a statement Mr Whitaker's refusal to recuse "is an attack on the rule of law and the American justice system, but it is undoubtedly consistent with what President Trump wanted  an unethical yes-man who will do his bidding rather than do what's right".

Within days of the president's announcement in early November that he had put Mr Whitaker in the role on a temporary basis, Mr Whitaker tapped a veteran US attorney to become part of a four-person team of advisers on his new job, according to a senior justice department official.

Their guidance included the question of whether Mr Whitaker should recuse himself from Mr Mueller's investigation because of his past statements regarding that probe and because of his friendship with one of its witnesses, the official said.

Mr Whitaker never asked justice department ethics officials for a formal recommendation, nor did he receive one, this official said.

However, after Mr Whitaker met repeatedly with justice department ethics officials to discuss the facts and the issues under consideration, a senior ethics official told the group of advisers on Tuesday that it was a "close call" but Mr Whitaker should recuse himself to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, the official said. Mr Whitaker was not present at that meeting, they said.

Those four advisers, however, disagreed with the ethics determination and recommended to Mr Whitaker the next day not to recuse, saying there was no precedent for that, and doing so now could create a bad precedent for future attorneys general.

When Eric Holder became the attorney general in 2009, he decided to recuse himself from overseeing the investigation of former presidential candidate John Edwards to avoid the appearance of a conflict. Mr Holder's reasoning was he had been part of Barack Obama's vice-presidential search committee that considered Mr Edwards. In that case, Mr Holder did not consult justice department ethics officials before deciding to recuse.

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

The senior official who described the Whitaker discussions refused to identify the justice department employees involved. Representative Jerrold Nadler, incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement he was troubled by how the information was made public.

"It is simply unacceptable that we are learning about this guidance through leaks to the press instead of from the Acting Attorney General himself," Mr Nadler said.

Typically, ethics officials make recommendations that justice department employees are expected to follow, but the final decision on whether to recuse over an appearance of a conflict of interest was always Mr Whitaker's to make, according to past and current officials.

As the justice department's top official, Mr Whitaker had been nominally supervising Mr Mueller and was recently notified in advance of a key guilty plea in the case. So far, Mr Whitaker has not received any briefings on the Mueller investigation, but he may at some point, the senior justice department official said.

The back-and-forth inside the department points to the conflicting views and allegiances surrounding its leader during the Trump administration, at a time when the president has publicly attacked federal law enforcement.

Mr Whitaker's rejection of his department's ethics advice is likely to spur renewed criticism from Democrats, who have challenged the legality of Mr Trump's appointment of Mr Whitaker, a justice department staffer who had not been confirmed by the Senate. Mr Trump forced out former attorney general Jeff Sessions on 7 November.

Senator Mark Warner said in a statement that Mr Whitaker's disregarding the opinion of a senior ethics official was "deeply alarming" and "only reinforces the probability that his antagonism towards the Mueller probe was the sole reason for his selection as Acting Attorney General in the first place". Representative Adam Schiff said in a tweet that the justice department's ethics opinion should be shared with Congress, adding, "DOJ officials must avoid not only actual impropriety but the appearance of impropriety."

Before coming to the justice department to serve as Mr Sessions' chief of staff, Mr Whitaker was a TV legal commentator who wrote and spoke frequently about the Mueller probe  almost always in critical ways. He suggested, for example, on CNN that he could envision a scenario where Mr Sessions was replaced and his successor "just reduces [Mueller's] budget to so low that his investigation grinds to almost a halt".

The ethics controversy surrounding Mr Whitaker could also have consequences for his chosen successor, Mr Barr.

Now in private practice, Mr Barr has similarly made public comments that are sceptical of Mr Mueller, and this week, the Senate Judiciary Committee released a memo he sent to the justice department criticising the special counsel for a "fatally misconceived" legal theory of how Mr Trump may have obstructed justice.

 Fox News legal analyst says there is 'ample evidence' to indict Trump

The document, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, is sure to intensify the fight over Mr Barr's confirmation. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the Senate Judiciary Committee's top Democrat, said on Thursday the memo was "very troubling" and she would be asking questions about it. Democrats might try to force Mr Barr's recusal as a condition of confirming him, though Republicans will still control the Senate next year.

Two people familiar with the document said Mr Barr made the decision to submit it on his own  not at the direction of the justice department or the White House. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said on Thursday that the memo "had no impact on our investigation".

Mr Whitaker's comments were more prolific and blunter. He wrote in a piece for CNN that Mr Trump was "absolutely correct" to suggest Mr Mueller would be crossing a red line by examining the finances of Mr Trump and his family.

Speaking about the June 2016 encounter at Trump Tower  where Jared Kushner, Donald Trump Jr and others met with a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton  Mr Whitaker said: "To suggest that there's a conspiracy here, I mean, you would always take that meeting."

An audio recording has circulated online in which Mr Whitaker expresses doubt about any Russian interference in American politics.

"The left is trying to sow this theory that essentially Russians interfered with the US election. Which has been proven false. They did not have any impact in the election," he said.

Mr Sessions had been recused from Mr Mueller's probe, which has examined possible coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, as well as possible obstruction of justice by the president, because Mr Sessions was a part of the Trump campaign. That left Mr Rosenstein, who appointed Mr Mueller, in charge.

But when Mr Trump fired Mr Sessions, Mr Whitaker took command of the Russia investigation. He intimated to associates that he had no intention of recusing himself. Mr Sessions, after all, was fired in part because the president was frustrated he had stepped aside.

Democrats and others expressed alarm about Mr Whitaker's past views, fearful he might stifle Mr Mueller's work. The special counsel regulations call for Mr Whitaker, as acting attorney general, to be notified of significant events in the probe and give him the ability to veto any step he considered "so inappropriate or unwarranted under established departmental practices that it should not be pursued". If he does that, though, he would be required to notify Congress at the end of the case.

Last month, the special counsel's office notified Mr Whitaker in advance that former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen was going to plead guilty to lying to Congress about a possible Trump business project in Moscow.

Asked about his role in the Mueller probe at a news conference on Thursday, Mr Rosenstein said: "We've continued to manage the investigation as we have in the past, and it's being handled appropriately."

Some legal analysts had dismissed Mr Whitaker's public comments about the Mueller probe as essentially uninformed speculation that probably would not force him to step aside. Mr Whitaker did, though, have a relationship with Sam Clovis, a Trump campaign adviser who has testified before the grand jury in Mr Mueller's case.

In 2014, Mr Whitaker chaired the campaign for Mr Clovis when he ran as a Republican candidate for Iowa state treasurer. Mr Clovis told The Washington Post he still considered Mr Whitaker a friend.

The Washington Post
Mexico has agreed to take in migrants applying for asylum in the United States as their requests are processed by America's Department of Homeland Security.

Under the new system asylum seekers will be provided a notice to appear for US immigration proceedings as they await their determinations in Mexico, where the Central American country's foreign ministry will provide humanitarian visas and work authorisations, along with other protections.

US Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen called the move as a historic measure to bring the illegal immigration crisis under control.

She said: Aliens trying to game the system to get into our country illegally will no longer be able to disappear into the United States, where many skip their court dates. Instead, they will wait for an immigration court decision while they are in Mexico.

She added: Catch and release will be replaced with catch and return.

Recommended US will invest billions across Latin America to reduce emigration

If an applicants request is approved they will be granted entry to the US. If denied, migrants will then be deported to their home countries.

Announcing the new policy, Mexicos foreign ministry said it had decided to take the following actions to benefit migrants, in particular unaccompanied and accompanied minors, and to protect the rights of those who want to start an asylum process in the United States."

Spokesman Roberto Velasco told The New York Times that the move was a unilateral move by the United States that we have to respond to," rather than an agreement between the two countries.

He added that the rules would apply only to new asylum applicants and not those who had already entered the US.

The move was criticised by migrants groups.

Amnesty International's executive director Margaret Huang said: "This deal is a stark violation of international law, flies in the face of US laws passed by Congress, and is a callous response to the families and individuals running for their lives."

The announcement follows repeated demands from US president Donald Trump for the country to adopt a more hard-line approach towards undocumented immigration their northern border.

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The US leader has also continued to call for $5bn worth of government funding for a border wall, a key pledge during his presidential run when he claimed he would make Mexico pay for it.

Mr Trump now claims the country is paying indirectly for the wall thanks to a new trade agreement signed by Mexico, the US and Canada, though that does not appear to be a component of the deal.

The decision also arrived days after it was announced the US would invest billions into southern Mexico and countries throughout Central America, providing public and private funding as part of an effort to reduce emigration in the region.
Donald Trump is considering withdrawing significant troops from Afghanistan in the latest sign his patience is thinning both with America's longest war and overseas military interventions.

Shortly after two officials spoke about the drawn down, Defence Secretary James Mattis said he was quitting so that Trump could have a Pentagon chief more aligned with the president's views.

Mr Mattis has argued for maintaining a strong US military presence in Afghanistan to bolster diplomatic peace efforts. He also opposed the troop withdrawal from Syria that Mr Trump announced on Wednesday, a move that has bewildered allies and triggered harsh reaction from Republican allies in Congress.

The Pentagon declined to comment on Afghanistan.

Garrett Marquis, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said the White House would not comment on future strategic developments.

Recommended US withdrawal from Syria might be exactly what Isis is hoping for

The US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said thousands of the 14,000 troops could be sent home as a result of the deliberations, the disclosure of which could undermine peace efforts with the Taliban.

Trump privately has been complaining about US military involvement in Afghanistan, telling an ally as recently as Wednesday words to the effect of, What are we doing there. We've been there all these years.

The source, who asked to remain unidentified, said it appeared the president has lost all patience with the US presence in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear Show all 16 1 /16 Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2001 Afghans at the Killi Faizo refugee camp desperately reach for bags of rice being handed out to the thousands who escaped the bombardment in southern Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. (Chaman, Pakistan, December 4, 2001) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2002 Mahbooba stands against a bullet-ridden wall, waiting to be seen at a medical clinic. The seven-year-old girl suffers from leishmaniasis, a parasitical infection. (Kabul, March 1, 2002) All photos Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2003 A mother and her two children look out from their cave dwelling. Many families who, fleeing the Taliban, took refuge inside caves adjacent to Bamiyans destroyed ancient Buddha statues now have nowhere else to live. (Bamiyan, November 19, 2003) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2007 Students recite prayers in a makeshift outdoor classroom in the Wakhan Corridor, a mountainous region in northeastern Afghanistan that extends to China and separates Tajikistan from India and Pakistan. (Northeastern Afghanistan, September 2, 2007) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2007 Bodybuilders in the 55-60 kg category square off during a regional bodybuilding competition. Many Afghan men, like others around the world, feel that a macho image of physical strength is important. (Kabul, August 6, 2007) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2008 A woman in a white burqa enjoys an afternoon with her family feeding the white pigeons at the Blue Mosque. (Mazar-e-Sharif, March 8, 2008) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2009 Addicts inject heroin while trying to keep warm inside the abandoned Russian Cultural Center, which the capital citys addicts use as a common gathering point. Heroin is readily available, costing about one dollar a hit. (Kabul, February 9, 2009) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2009 An elderly man holds his granddaughter in their tent at a refugee camp after they were forced to flee their village, which US and NATO forces had bombed because, they claimed, it was a Taliban hideout. (Surobi, Nangarhar Province, February 7, 2009) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2009 Seven-year-old Attiullah, a patient at Mirwais Hospital, stands alongside an X ray showing the bullet that entered his back, nearly killing him. Attiullah was shot by US forces when he was caught in a crossfire as he was herding sheep. (Kandahar, October 13, 2009). Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2010 US Army Sargeant Jay Kenney (right), with Task Force Destiny, helps wounded Afghan National Army soldiers exit a Blackhawk helicopter after they have been rescued in an air mission. (Kandahar, December 12, 2010) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2010 An Afghan National Army battalion marches back to barracks at the Kabul Military Training Center. (Kabul, October 4, 2010) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Eid Muhammad, seventy, lives in a house with a view overlooking the hills of Kabul. He and millions of other Afghans occupy land and housing without possessing formal deeds to them. (Kabul, November 21, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Razima holds her two-year-old son, Malik, while waiting for medical attention at the Boost Hospital emergency room. (Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province, June 23, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Young women cheer as they attend a rally for the Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani. (Kabul, April 1, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2014 Burqa-clad women wait to vote after a polling station runs out of ballots. (Kabul, April 5, 2014) Paula Bronstein Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear 2015 Relatives, friends, and womens rights activists grieve at the home of Farkhunda Malikzada, who was killed by a mob in the center of Kabul. Farkhunda was violently beaten and set on fire after a local cleric accused her of burning a Quran. (Kabul, March 22, 2015) Paula Bronstein

More than 2,400 US forces have died in the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan, and Pentagon officials have repeatedly warned that a precipitous exit would allow militants to develop new plots on America like the September 11, 2001 attacks that plunged the United States into an era of open-ended warfare.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, often a vocal Trump ally, warned of possible danger to the United States if the drawdown goes through.

The conditions in Afghanistan - at the present moment - make American troop withdrawals a high risk strategy. If we continue on our present course we are setting in motion the loss of all our gains and paving the way toward a second 9/11, Mr Graham said in a statement.

Mr Trump approved an increase in US troops last year, but acknowledged that he did so reluctantly. Officials have told Reuters that Mr Trump has been keen to bring the Afghan conflict to a close.

The Taliban insurgency has strengthened its grip over the past three years, with the government in Kabul controlling just 56 percent of Afghanistan, down from 72 per cent in 2015, a US government report showed.

Late last month, at least 22 Afghan police were killed in a Taliban ambush in Afghanistan's western province of Farah, adding to the growing casualty toll on Afghan security forces.

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Earlier this week, US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives held talks in Abu Dhabi on a deal that would end the war. Officials from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also took part.

The Saudi ambassador to Washington, Khalid bin Salman, tweeted on Thursday that the discussions had been productive and would bring very positive results by the beginning of next year.

But a former senior State Department official familiar with the issue said that the Taliban representatives rejected a proposal by Mr Khalilzad for a ceasefire and demanded that the talks focus on a U.S. withdrawal. The news that a drawdown was under consideration could be intended as a gesture to the insurgents, the official said.

Reuters
James Mattis has quit as US defence secretary, saying that Donald Trump needs someone in the position with views better aligned with those of the president.

The abrupt resignation comes a day after Mr Trump announced that he was pulling US troops out of the conflict in Syria and as the president is reportedly weighing up a substantial withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan.

Mr Mattis is said to have offered his resignation during a meeting on Thursday. The defence secretary is the latest high-profile exit from the Trump administration since the midterm elections last month, and reflects what has been seen as a cooling of relations between the two men since Mr Trump took office.

Mr Trump tried to paint Mr Mattis leaving as a retirement in a tweeted announcement, but it is clear from Mr Mattis resignation letter that there were deep differences in opinion.

General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defence for the past two years, Mr Trump tweeted.

He continued: During Jims tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defence will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!

In his own letter announcing his retirement, Mr Mattis suggested that he and the president do not see eye-to-eye on foreign policy initiatives, and appeared to rebuke Mr Trumps diplomatic style that has been viewed as brash and insulting worldwide. Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defence whose views are better aligned with yours ... I believe it is right for me to step down from my position, he said.

Mr Mattis has reportedly disagreed with the presidents decision to move forward with the plan to withdraw troops from Syria, and had argued that the US counterterrorism mission in the country is not yet over. He had tried to tell Mr Trump that withdrawing the American presence from the country would only lead to more chaos in the Middle East.

The presidents national security teams job is to give him advice and its the presidents job to make a decision, said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

The decision to withdraw has been criticised for abandoning Americas Kurdish allies, who may face an assault from Turkey once the buffer of US troops is removed. In his resignation letter, Mr Mattis emphasised the importance of standing up for allies in an implicit criticism of the president.

One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships, Mr Mattis wrote. While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies.

As well as making clear the importance of Americas allies, Mr Mattis called for Mr Trump to be resolute and unambiguous with nations like China and Russia who want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model.

That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defence, Mr Mattis wrote.

The four-star Marine Corps general was once considered to have been one of the most trusted advisers to Mr Trump, who did not serve in the military and had no government experience prior to becoming president.

However, speculation that Mr Mattis might not last long in his post grew in October when Mr Trump said in a CBS interview that the general was sort of a Democrat and might be leaving. Opponents of Mr Mattis have seen him as an unwanted check on Mr Trump.

Just recently, Mr Trump appointed General Mark A Milley  the US Armys chief of staff  to replace General Joseph F Dunford Jr as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mr Mattis is said to have preferred Air Force chief of staff General David L Goldfein to take the role.

Mr Mattis departure was quickly lamented by both Republicans and Democrats in Congress. This is scary, Senate Intelligence Committee vice chairman Mark Warner  a Democrat from Virginia  said on Twitter. Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration.

Just read Gen Mattis resignation letter, tweeted Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio. It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed toward [sic] a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances & empower our adversaries.

Republican Lindsay Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who has opposed the withdrawal of troops in both Syria and Afghanistan said it was with great sadness that he learned of Mr Mattis resignation.

Democrat leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer said that the few symbols of strength and stability in the Trump administration are all leaving the White House and other departments.

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Last year, Republican Senator Bob Corker  a frequent Trump critic  said Mr Mattis, along with White House chief of staff John Kelly and then secretary of state Rex Tillerson, were helping separate our country from chaos. Mr Tillerson was fired early this year. Mr Kelly is to leave the White House in the coming days.

At the start of the Trump administration, the president had gushed about his respect for Mr Mattis, repeatedly calling him Mad Dog, despite Mattis own public insistence that the moniker was never his. Instead, his nickname for years was Chaos, which stood for Colonel Has An Outstanding Suggestion, and reflected Mr Mattis more cerebral nature.

They clashed on policy issues quickly however, with Mr Mattis saying torture does not work, despite Mr Trumps assertion during the 2016 presidential campaign that it did, and Mr Mattis also voiced staunch support for traditional US international alliances, including Nato, which the president has repeatedly criticised. That theme was continued in his resignation letter.

Mr Trumps White House has had the highest turnover of senior-level staff of the past five presidents, according to the Brookings Institution think tank.

Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report
President Donald Trump began Thursday under siege, listening to howls of indignation from conservatives over his border wall and thrusting the government towards a shutdown. He ended it by announcing the exit of the man US allies see as the last guardrail against the president's erratic behaviour: Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, whose resignation letter was a scathing rebuke of Mr Trump's world-view.

At perhaps the most fragile moment of his presidency - and vulnerable to convulsions on the political right  Mr Trump single-handedly propelled the US government into crisis and sent markets tumbling with his gambits this week to salvage signature campaign promises.

The president's decisions and conduct have led to a fracturing of Mr Trump's coalition. Hawks condemned his sudden decision to withdraw US troops from Syria. Conservatives called him a "gutless president" and questioned whether he would ever build a wall. Political friends began privately questioning whether Mr Trump needed to be reined in.

After campaigning on shrinking America's footprint in overseas wars, Mr Trump abruptly declared on Wednesday that he was withdrawing US troops from Syria, a move Mr Mattis and other advisers counselled against. And officials said on Thursday that Mr Trump is preparing to send thousands of troops home from Afghanistan as well.

The president also issued an ultimatum to Congress to fund construction of his promised US-Mexico border wall, a move poised to result in a government shutdown just before Christmas. Mr Trump and his aides had signalled tacit support for a short-term spending compromise that would avert the shutdown, but the president abruptly changed course after absorbing a deluge of criticism from some of his most high-profile loyalists.

Leon Panetta, who served as former defence secretary, CIA director and White House chief of staff for Democratic presidents, said, "We're in a constant state of chaos right now in this country." He added, "While it may satisfy [Trump's] need for attention, it's raising hell with the country."

Mr Panetta said the resignation of Mr Mattis is a singular moment and his letter, which underscores how Mr Mattis sees Mr Trump's approach as misguided, "puts the security of the nation right now at some degree of risk."

Mr Trump has been isolated in bunker mode in recent weeks as political and personal crises mount, according to interviews with 27 current and former White House officials, Republican lawmakers and outside advisers to the president, some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to offer candid assessments.

"There's going to be an intervention," one former senior administration official said speculatively. "Jim Mattis just sent a shot across the bow. He's the most credible member of the administration by five grades of magnitude. He's the steady, safe set of hands. And this letter is brutal. He quit because of the madness."

In his resignation letter, Mr Mattis wrote, "My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues . . . Because you have the right to a Secretary of Defence whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position."

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

Although Mr Trump's relationship with Mr Mattis has been rocky for months, the president spent the first part of Thursday focused on another fraying relationship: with his conservative base.

On Thursday, as criticism over his capitulation on the wall grew louder by the hour, Mr Trump complained to friends and aides that he felt politically shackled. He had no plan, but was spoiling for a fight. By midday, the president picked one.

"I've made my position very clear: Any measure that funds the government must include border security. Has to," Mr Trump said on Thursday. He added he had "no choice" but to act.

Mr Trump's advisers acknowledged the funding may not be secured in the end, but boasted that the spectacle would be remembered favourably by his base voters as proof of his mettle. A wall funding proposal was approved by the House late on Thursday, but faced uncertain prospects in the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, habitually careful in his approach to Mr Trump, avoided strong-arming the president in their recent exchanges, knowing that urging him to stand down on the wall funding likely would only embolden him, according to two people familiar with the discussions. At every turn, Mr McConnell confided to Mr Trump that congressional efforts this month - from the passage of the farm bill to bipartisan criminal-justice reform - were a string of victories for him, the people said.

Thanks to Mr McConnell's soothing, there was cautious optimism that the president would eventually sign a funding bill. "McConnell has a lot to do with it, of course. They talk a lot," Representative Harold Rogers, R-Ky, said. "It's smart to save the fight for another day."

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis, - busy this week bidding farewell to Congress after two decades in office - followed Mr McConnell's playbook, pointing out how Mr Trump would be able to battle for wall funding in the new year, a person close to him said.

Both Mr Ryan and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, told Mr Trump last week they could not pass a spending bill with $5 billion for wall construction, and Mr McConnell was told by the White House that Mr Trump would sign a short-term bill without it, according to two people familiar with the conversations.

But on Fox News Channel and across conservative media, there was a brewing rebellion. Prominent voices urged Mr Trump to hold firm on his wall money and warned caving would jeopardise his re-election.

Rush Limbaugh dismissed the compromise bill on his radio program as "Trump gets nothing and the Democrats get everything." Another firebrand, Ann Coulter, published a column titled, "Gutless President in Wall-less Country." Mr Trump even found resistance on the couch of his favourite show, Fox & Friends, where reliable Trump-boosting host Brian Kilmeade chided him on the air on Thursday.

The president was paying attention. He promptly unfollowed Ms Coulter on Twitter. And he pecked out a series of defensive tweets blaming congressional leaders for not funding the wall, while also staking a defensive posture. He suggested a massive wall may not be necessary in its entirety because the border already is "tight" thanks to the work of Border Patrol agents and troops.

"One of the things he's most vulnerable to is mockery and mockery by his own supporters," said Mark Krikorian, a leading anti-immigration activist.

 'They're all coming back and they're coming back now' Trump declares victory over Isis in Syria

Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus joined in the rebellion. During House votes on Wednesday evening, caucus chair Representative Mark Meadows, R-NC, and other members refused to budge and held court with reporters, railing against the Republican leadership and warning Mr Trump he was being led astray.

At a Thursday Oval Office meeting with Mr Ryan and Mr McCarthy, Mr Trump was calm and did not yell, but was resolute and "dug in on what he wants," said a Republican official briefed on the discussion.

Mr Trump spent six to seven minutes in the meeting with Mr Ryan and Mr McCarthy talking about "steel slats" and saying the term was preferable to calling the proposed construction a "wall," as the president has done for more than three years.

The administration drama comes at an especially perilous juncture for Mr Trump, following his thumping at the polls in November's midterm elections. Democrats are preparing to take control of the House in January and to use their subpoena power to investigate Mr Trump's finances and conduct in office, as well as alleged corruption in the administration.

Meanwhile, Republicans in their last gasp of unified government are divided. A band of hard-line conservative lawmakers voted against Mr Trump's prison reform legislation, which passed the House and Senate with bipartisan support and is expected to be signed by the president on Friday. And many foreign policy hawks, including Senator Lindsey Graham, R-SC, a Trump confidant, sharply criticised Mr Trump's decision on Wednesday to withdraw US troops from Syria.

Inside the Oval Office on Thursday, Mr Trump was in what one Republican close to the White House described as "a tailspin," acting "totally irrationally" and "flipping out" over criticisms in the media.

Even as aides argued to him that protesting over wall funding could deprive government workers pay-checks over Christmas, Mr Trump warned in private conversations with Republican lawmakers they all would get "crushed" if they did not get the wall built.

Mr Trump vented to his advisers that signing the short-term spending bill without wall money would make him look weak and make his base voters think he broke a campaign promise. He also complained he did not have sufficient bargaining leverage with Congress and blamed senior aides - including White House legislative affairs director Shahira Knight - for not presenting him with better options.

"He's legitimately saying, 'This is ridiculous. Why would I sign this?'" said American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp, whose wife, Mercedes Schlapp, is a senior White House staffer. "If you're the outsider, you don't want to go along with the same old stupid rules. When he does that, he doesn't look like an outsider."

Marc Short, Mr Trump's former White House legislative affairs director, said, "He feels he made a promise to voters that he would build the wall. There is a realisation that with Congress changing hands, that the challenge of getting funding for the wall only gets larger."

Mr Trump's pin-balling conduct - veering from a promise of a shutdown to moving towards a deal, and then changing his mind - has vexed members of his own party. Many Republican lawmakers said they sense Mr Trump is adjusting uneasily to the dynamics of soon-to-be divided government and lashing out to reclaim some of his dominance over the congressional agenda.

The defence secretary's resignation compounded the concern.

"Having Mattis there gave all of us a great deal more comfort than we have now," retiring Senator Jeff Flake, R-Ariz, said. "Chaos has kind of been the norm but it seems to have been heightened. Sometimes you think it's got to settle, and then another thing happens."

The Washington Post
Several hundred protesters demanded an end to the detention of Uighur Muslims during a demonstration outside Chinas Indonesian embassy.

Demonstrators dressed in white robes gathered in Jakarta on Friday, waving banners emblazoned with Muslims unite to free Uighurs, while chanting God is Great and Get out, communist.

Protest organiser Slamet Maarif told the crowd, which included members of the Islamic Defenders Front vigilante group, their Muslim brothers were suffering oppression, torture and cruelty by the Chinese communist government".

Mr Maarif, chairman of a conservative alliance that organised protests against Jakartas minority Christian and ethnic Chinese governor in 2016, called for Indonesia to expel the Chinese ambassador.

Save the Uighur community and give them freedom to worship as Muslims, he said.

We also call on the Indonesian government to provide real action to help Uighurs like what has been done with Rohingya and we call on Muslims around the world to provide assistance and support for Uighurs.

As many as one million ethnic Muslims in Chinas northwestern Xinjiang regions are thought to be detained in camps, described by the Chinese government as vocational skills education centres.

However, those released from the camps have reported detainees are subjected to political indoctrination and put under pressure to renounce their religion.

Reports surfaced this week that some in the camps are forced to work in factories, although Beijing insists those living there work voluntarily.

Indonesia's foreign minister Retno Marsudi on Monday summoned China's ambassador Xiao Qian to explain alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, relayed the concerns of various groups in Indonesia and stressed that freedom of religion is enshrined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, according to foreign ministry spokesman Aarmanatha Nasir.

Mr Xiao asserted China is committed to the protection of human rights and its willingness to provide information about the situation in Xinjiang, Mr Aarmanatha said.

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Despite those steps, the Indonesian government also says it has no right to interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries.

It is reluctant to publicly criticise Beijing, fearing it could jeopardize potential Chinese investment or invite retaliatory Chinese support for separatists in Papua, a predominantly Christian region where a pro-independence insurgency has simmered for more than half a century.

Additional reporting by AP
Since the body of missing British backpacker Grace Millane was found on 9 December, there has been an outpouring of grief in New Zealand.

Last week, thousands attended vigils in cities around the country. For those in rural areas, street corners were filled with flowers and hand-written cards.

But the sadness has soon given way to anger. As Graces body was flown back to the UK, marches for women affected by violence were held in both Auckland and Christchurch.

New Zealands equal employment opportunities commissioner, Dr Saunoamaalii Karanina Sumeo, says the 22-year-olds murder has sparked a national conversation about the countrys sobering statistics for male-on-female crime.

In New Zealand, weve just celebrated 125 years since women got the vote. We are marketed as a beautiful country. Not only beautiful physically, but also that we are friendly people and we are inclusive, says Dr Karanina Sumeo, speaking to The Independent.

So the death of a Grace is a shock to the image of New Zealand. And it has brought to the fore emotions of anger, shame, regret and determination in New Zealanders to do more to end violence against women. But this isnt a new problem.

New Zealand is largely seen as a safe, progressive and liberal country, a place where women were given the first vote in the world. There have been three female prime ministers and women lead half of public sector agencies.

But the country has some of the worst statistics for sexual violence and violence against women in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The latest figures show that family-related violence in New Zealand is the highest in the developed world, with one in three women facing violence from a partner.

There is one domestic violence call-out to police every five minutes, according to the latest police figures, published in May. But it is believed that only 20 per cent of victims of violence, and only 9 per cent of victims of sexual crime, are asking for help  so those figures are just the tip of the iceberg.

For a long time, violence against women here has been compartmentalised as an issue that is for women of colour and then, when it happens to a white woman, it is shocking Dr Saunoamaalii Karanina Sumeo

In the same week that Graces body was found, another woman lost her life 30 miles away in Flat Bush, a suburb in southeast Auckland. On 11 December, police arrived at her home after neighbours could hear a child screaming.

A five-year-old had witnessed the alleged murder of his 34-year-old mum, according to witnesses who comforted him at the scene. She was found unconscious with a number of serious wounds and died in nearby Middlemore Hospital from her injuries soon after.

A man was charged with murder and will appear in court in early 2019. The incident made just four headlines in the national media.

Dr Karanina Sumeo says the silence speaks volumes about the whitewashing approach whereby Maori and Pasifika women, those disproportionately represented in family violence statistics, just dont get the same attention.

However, it is unclear if the victim was Maori as no details have been released.

But an independent inquiry in 2014 found that family violence was most prevalent among Maori, despite the ethnic group only making up 15 per cent of the population. The Glenn Inquiry found that 50 per cent of those in womens refuge services around the country were Maori.

For a long time, violence against women here has been compartmentalised as an issue that is for women of colour and then, when it happens to a white woman, it is shocking because those stereotypes are shot out, says Dr Karanina Sumeo.

Tributes to Grace Millane are left at a roundabout in Titirangi in Auckland (Getty) (Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)

But that woman in Flat Bush, she is someones daughter, someones mum. Whatever her background is, she is loved.

Violence against women doesnt happen in a vacuum, warns Dr Karanina Sumeo. In New Zealand, theres an ingrained culture that promotes a toughness in men and the violent treatment of women often seems to follow.

But theres something we can do about it right now and it doesnt take much money, its about how we raise our boys in the home," she says. She adds that New Zealand society needs to make its boys more resilient, so they can learn to deal with rejection without getting angry.

Theres been a collective understanding that New Zealands problem with male-on-female crime  something usually found in the home  has now, with Ms Millanes murder, taken a visitor as a victim.

From Wickford, England, she went missing on 1 December, the day before her 22nd birthday. She had been in New Zealand since late November after arriving from Peru as part of a round-the-world trip.

Her body was found in a forested area in the western outskirts of Auckland a week later. A 26-year-old man was charged with her murder and is on remand, to appear in court in late January.

But its a horror tale that is not uncommon in New Zealand. In 2012, Czech hitchhiker Dagmar Pytlickova was raped and murdered. In 2008, Scottish woman Karen Aim was beaten to death. In 2005, German visitor Birgit Brauers body was dumped in a gully. In 1992, English tourist Margery Hopegood was stabbed to death in toilet block.

At a press conference, choked-up on emotion, the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said: So on behalf of New Zealand, I want to apologise to Graces family. Your daughter should have been safe here, and she wasnt, and Im sorry for that.

 New Zealand PM fights back tears as she issues apology to family of murdered Grace Millane

Ms Ardern is no stranger to the ingrained culture of violence against women in New Zealand. Her government recently announced a 30 per cent increase in spending to address family violence and will invest $76 million over four years for frontline social services.

MP Jan Logie has been newly appointed as the parliamentary under-secretary on domestic and sexual violence. But Ms Logie admits that attitudes cant be changed overnight.

This change can never be quick enough, especially for women and children who are stuck at the moment and not getting the help they need. Its changing a culture that is ingrained, around our social norms and our attitudes that enable people to hurt those they supposedly love, she tells The Independent.

One of my key goals is to reclaim the sense that this is a problem we can fix. But the flip-side is that if we dont fix this, we are going to continue to have these terrible rates of violence against women because these things dont fix themselves.
Thousands of pro-independence protesters angry about Spain's Cabinet holding a meeting in Catalonia blocked roads across the region on Friday and clashed with anti-riot police in its capital.

Grassroots separatist groups and unions called the protests to show their disgust at Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's decision to lead his weekly Cabinet meeting in Barcelona.

The Catalan regional government, formed by a coalition of pro-secession parties, is also supporting peaceful protests despite an agreement with central authorities to find a way out of the political crisis that has festered since Catalonia's failed secession attempt last year.

After their encounter on Thursday, the second since both took power earlier this year, Mr Sanchez and Catalan President Quim Torra issued a joint statement calling for dialogue to settle the conflict over the future of the northeastern region.

That outcome was beyond the low expectations that had been placed before the talks, when disagreement over their scope and format kept officials negotiating until the very last minute.

Recommended Catalans block major roads and train lines in independence protest

Mr Sanchez, who inherited the Catalan crisis when he toppled his conservative predecessor in June, made mending relations with the prosperous region one of his priorities.

But despite the progress, distrust prevailed. Security in the prosperous region, normally in the hands of the Catalan police, was reinforced with hundreds of anti-riot officers sent by Spain's national police forces for Friday's ministers' meeting.

"It is a provocation," said Oriol Benet, a 24-year-old pharmacist who joined others marching near the headquarters of the National Police in Barcelona.

Spanish television broadcast live Mr Sanchez's walk from his hotel to the 14th-century Gothic palace in downtown Barcelona. It was an attempt to display a sense of everydayness and normalcy but instead showed the prime minister walking through empty streets heavily guarded by police.

Metres away a crowd of mostly young protesters jeered "Go away! Go away!" Police charged to keep them at bay when they moved trash containers and tried to break the double security cordon shielding the meeting's venue. Larger clashes erupted around midday.

The regional Mossos d'Esquadra police force said one of four protesters arrested for public order offences carried material to manufacture Molotov cocktails.

Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Show all 14 1 /14 Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Reapers' War In 1640, amidst the Thirty Years War, Philip IV of Spain sent his Castilian soldiers into the Catalan region to defend the border with France. The soldiers were not on their best behaviour and drew the ire of the Catalan peasants and politicians alike, at a time when the region was already agitated by economic decline. On June 7, reapers arriving to Barcelona for seasonal harvest work were dismayed to find little of the sort and blamed the stationed soldiers. After a reaper was killed, the revolt began in full force with a fierce uprising known as Corpus de Sang (depicted here in a 1910 painting by Ermenegild Miralles) Ermenegild Miralles i Angles Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Reapers' War More Castilian forces arrived, strengthening the Catalan resolve and leading Pau Claris, President of the Generalitat (Catalonia's political assembly) to declare Catalonia an independent republic on January 17 1641. A week later the republic swore its allegiance to Louis XIII of France and the war came to a head at the Battle of Montjuic (depicted above by Pandolfo Reschi) where the Franco-Catalan forces were victorious. Following negotiations, Catalonia became an independent republic under the protection of France Pandolfo Reschi Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures War of the Spanish Succession As Charles II of Spain died in 1700 without an heir, a variety of nations and other powers across Europe had their own ideas of who ought to succeed him. Catalonia sided with the Austrians, English and the Dutch in endorsing Archduke Charles of Austria, a Habsburg. Unsuccessful in their aims, they were violently brought back under the Spanish crown by the victorious Phillip V. (Depicted above is the Battle of Almansa, a decisive battle in the War of the Spanish Succession) Ricardo Balaca Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Tragic Week The conflict of the Tragic Week of July 1909 resulted from Spanish Prime Minister Antonio Maura's desire for power gains in Morocco. He relied on, mostly poor, Catalonian conscripts for the cause, who questioned the motives of the conflict and doubted their chances of survival Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Tragic Week A general strike commenced on Monday 26 July. By midday the crowds had set fire to the San Jose Workers Foundation, the first of around 80, mostly religious, buildings that they would burn that week. Soldiers and police barricaded streets and fought openly with the strikers Alamy Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Tragic Week By the end of the week, the police and army had taken control. Over 1000 strikers were arrested and 5 leading figures executed. This caused disgust across Spain and wider Europe and the episode contributed to the downfall of Maura's government Getty Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures The Spanish Civil War In the Spanish Coup of July 1936, Republican forces opposed the Nationalist presence in Catalonia. The National Confederation of Labour (CNT), an anarchist organisation, began to take hold of power in Catalonia AFP/Getty Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures The Spanish Civil War As the CNT took control of the Generalitat, companies and organisations were ordered to collective control Getty Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures The Spanish Civil War Nationalist forces eventually regained control of the territory. Pictured are their tanks entering Barcelona in 1939 Getty Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures The Spanish Civil War Barcelona nationalists rejoice at the arrival of General Franco's forces. Catalonia, along with the rest of Spain, was to remain under dictatorship until 1975 Getty Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Independence Referendum 2017 In 2017 the Generalitat passed a motion that a referendum would be held on Catalan independence. The Constitutional Court of Spain ruled that the referendum was a breach of the Spanish constitution, therefore illegal Reuters Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Independence Referendum 2017 Catalan government buildings were raided in the lead up and polling stations were blockaded by police on the day but the vote went ahead illegally. Turnout was 43% and of those 92% voted for independence Reuters Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures Independence Referendum 2017 Catalan President Carles Puigdemont declared victory and is pictured here signing a declaration of independence on October 27. Warrants were issued for the arrest of Puigdemont and five other Catalan politicians and the Spanish government did not recognise the result and imposed direct rule over Catalonia, as opposed to its then status as an autonomous community of Spain Reuters Every time that Catalonia has revolted - in pictures 2018 A year on from the vote Spain has ended direct rule in the region and dropped the arrest warrants. But on the anniversary of the vote, more than 180,000 protesters took to the streets of Barcelona with the cry "1 October, no forgiving, no forgetting" AFP/Getty

In the northern province of Girona, a main highway was blocked with tires and barricades, and at least a dozen more roads saw disruptions according to the regional transit authorities.

Carrying a banner calling for the release of nine jailed Catalan politicians and activists who face a rebellion trial, Carme Almarza said she did not trust the politicians' agreement. "Not until I see the prisoners freed," the 52-year old social worker said.

"Any chance to talk is good," said Carlos Castilla, watching from a distance how protesters launched smoke bombs. "It is clear the status quo doesn't work, they agreed on that. I think the answer is more self-government and that Catalonia manages its own finances."

Mr Sanchez, who has been harshly criticised by the right-wing opposition for his meeting with Mr Torra, has presented the meeting in Barcelona as "a way of showing affection to Catalonia".

The cabinet is expected to rename the Barcelona airport in honour of Josep Tarradellas, who headed the Catalan government in exile during General Francisco Franco's dictatorship, and raise the country's monthly minimum wage from 736 to 900 euros (813).

Mr Sanchez, whose minority government controls only a quarter of the national parliament, hopes the plan's social spending will make it difficult for Catalan separatist parties to reject his 2019 budget in a vote scheduled for January.

Associated Press
A manhunt is under way in Vienna for an attacker who has shot one person dead and injured another.

Two people were found with gunshot wounds at around 1.30pm on Friday in the Lugeck area of the Austrian capital, police said in a statement.

The Vienna Rescue Service announced little more than 10 minutes after they had been called to the scene that one of the victims had died.

A manhunt is currently underway, a police spokesman added Further circumstances are not yet clear.

A police spokesman said the shooting appeared to be a targeted criminal act rather than part of a shooting spree, ruling out terrorism as a cause.

Officers have said the incident does not pose any immediate danger to the wider public.

The area where the shooting took place has been cordoned off as police helicopters hover overhead as part of the search.

The shooting is understood to have taken place in an alleyway that houses Figlmueller, a restaurant popular with tourists who flock to the city in the run-up to Christmas.

Harald Prochazka, the director of Figlmueller, told daily newspaper Oesterreich's online TV channel that three people involved in the shooting ate at the restaurant beforehand.

Everything was in order. They also left the restaurant calmly together, he said.

A witness who was interviewed on OE24 television, who called himself a Lithuanian journalist but didn't give his name, said he heard about 10 pistol shots and saw two people lying on the ground in a passage between two streets.

He said a third man was talking to one of those people in a Slavic language, but he couldn't say which one.

Additional reporting by agencies
In the aftermath of a surprise announcement to withdraw American troops from Syria this week, US president Donald Trump has faced criticism from allies at home and abroad for threatening to derail the fight against Isis.

But of far greater concern for the Syrian Kurds currently on the frontline of that battle is the threat of an attack by Turkey, the likelihood of which has now increased significantly.

There are serious risks from Turkey implementing its threats, said Mustafa Bali, a spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish-led group backed by the US and currently fighting against Isis.

There are fears among civilians of massacres and displacement. There are over three million people in this region, and they are at risk, he told The Independent.

The Kurdish and Arab militia has been a key US ally in the fight against Isis. For the past three years, Washington has backed the group with military aid, air strikes, and sent 2,000 troops to support them on the ground. Together they have captured nearly all of the territory once held by the extremist group.

Recommended US withdrawal from Syria might be exactly what Isis is hoping for

In the areas of northern and eastern Syria it now holds, the SDF has built the foundations of an autonomous administration that it hopes will outlast the countrys civil war.

But US support for the group has angered Turkey, a fellow Nato member, which sees the Kurdish fighters that make up the majority of the SDF as terrorists and a threat to its own stability. Turkeys president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly threatened to launch a cross-border incursion, along with allied Syrian rebel fighters, but the presence of US forces has prevented such a move.

The abrupt withdrawal of US troops, announced without the coordination with the SDF, may have changed that. One western diplomat told The Independent that prior to Mr Trumps announcement, they had expected Turkey to take action east of the Euphrates at some point, but carefully.

Now I think they will go in but bigger. I think they will want to go as soon as possible, before the regime and the YPG (Peoples Protection Units) make a deal, so they can grab as much land as possible, they said.

On Friday, Mr Erdogan reiterated his intention to take action in Syria, but appeared to delay the start of the operation at least until US forces have fully withdrawn. US officials have estimated that could take between 60 and 100 days.

We had decided last week to launch a military incursion into the east of the Euphrates River and shared that information with the public. Our phone call with President Trump, along with contacts between our diplomats and security officials and statements by the United States, have led us to wait a little longer, Mr Erdogan said.

There are fears among civilians of massacres and displacement. There are over three million people in this region, and they are at risk Mustafa Bali, spokesperson for Syrian Democratic Forces

Obviously, this is not an open-ended waiting period, he added. Over the next months, we will adopt an operational style geared towards eliminating PKK-PYD elements and Isis residues.

Responding to news that Kurdish fighters were digging trenches on the Syrian side of the border in anticipation of a Turkish attack, Turkeys defence minister Hulusi Akar said the fighters would be buried in their ditches when the time comes.

It would not be the first time Turkey has taken on Syrian Kurdish fighters. At the beginning of the year, Turkey forced the SDF out of the Afrin region, west of the Euphrates, installing its Syrian rebel allies and sending tens of thousands fleeing.

Turkish officials have said they aim to clear the entire Syria-Turkey border of fighters belonging to the YPG, who make up the bulk of the SDF. The group is linked to the outlawed PKK, a Kurdish militant group that has fought against the Turkish state for more than three decades.

Mr Trumps announcement on Wednesday sent diplomats, military and defence officials scrambling to explain the move. One serving member of the US-led anti-Isis coalition told The Independent they were caught off-guard by Mr Trumps tweet announcing the withdrawal.

Members of the SDF, who have worked closely with the US military over the past four years, were also taken aback.

I heard about it when it was released in the press. It was very shocking, said Mr Bali, the SDF spokesperson. It goes against the commitments of the US and the commitments of the international coalition.

Western fighters join Kurds in battle against Isis Show all 9 1 /9 Western fighters join Kurds in battle against Isis Western fighters join Kurds in battle against Isis Foreign Fighters A 67-year old foreign fighter from Canada, nick-named by Kurdish fighters as Hewal Zinar, poses for a photo on April 19, 2015 Uygar Onder Simsek / AFP Western fighters join Kurds in battle against Isis Foreign Fighters A 23-year old fighter and ex-US marine from the US, nick-named by Kurdish fighters as Hewal Agir, guards a look out point during clashes with Islamic State (IS) group fighters on April 17, 2015, in the outskirts of the north-western Syrian town of Tal Tamr AFP Western fighters join Kurds in battle against Isis Foreign Fighters A 26-year old from the US, nick-named by Kurdish fighters as Hewal Dilsad, shows a picture of his wife and son as he poses for a photo on April 14, 2015, in the outskirts of the north-western Syrian town of Tal Tamr Western fighters join Kurds in battle against Isis Foreign Fighters Ex-US marines aged 23 and 24 from the US, nick-named by Kurdish fighters as Hewal Agir (R) and Hewal Agit, guard a position during clashes with Islamic State (IS) group fighters on April 17, 2015, in the outskirts of the north-western Syrian town of Tal Tamr AFP Western fighters join Kurds in battle against Isis Foreign Fighters A group of international foreign fighters pose for a photo on April 16, 2015, in the outskirts of the north-western Syrian town of Tal Tamr AFP/ Getty Images Western fighters join Kurds in battle against Isis Foreign Fighters A foreign fighter poses for a photo with a machine gun on April 19, 2015, in the outskirts of Tal Tamr AFP Western fighters join Kurds in battle against Isis Foreign Fighters A 28-year old foreign fighter from the UK, nick-named by Kurdish fighters as Hewal Baran, poses for a photo on April 19, 2015, in the outskirts of the north-western Syrian town of Tal Tamr, north of Hasakeh AFP/ Getty Images Western fighters join Kurds in battle against Isis Foreign Fighters A 21-year old from the UK and 23 year-old from the US nick-named by Kurdish fighters as Hewal Sores (L) and Hewal Agir guard a post on April 19, 2015 AFP/ Getty Images Western fighters join Kurds in battle against Isis Foreign Fighters A 67-year old man from Canada and a 40-year old from the UK, nick-named by Kurdish fighters as Hewal Zinar (L) and Hewal Cudi train on April 19, 2015, in the outskirts of the Tal Tamr AFP

Before his shock announcement, Mr Trump had expressed a willingness to leave Syria, but had been convinced by defence officials that US presence was necessary to counter Iranian influence and finish off Isis.

Even so, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) met with the Syrian government for the first time this year as it began to consider a future without the US. Those talks fell apart, however, and the SDC received assurances from the US that they werent leaving any time soon. 

Sinam Mohamad, the US representative of the SDC, the civilian administrative body of the SDF, said the timing was extremely damaging.

During our meetings in Washington, we were told they would stay in Syria until Isis is finished, until there is stability in the area, until we have a political process, she told The Independent by phone from northern Syria, where she was on a visit.

We are asking why it should happen like this, so suddenly, at the same time Turkey threatens our people.

All people in northern Syria  the Arabs, the Kurds, the Syriac Christian people  they are worried Sinam Mohamad, US representative of Syrian Democratic Council

All people in northern Syria  the Arabs, the Kurds, the Syriac Christian people  they are worried, she added. They used to trust the US, but now they are very angry. They are asking me, because I am in Washington: What happened, what is going on there?

The move appeared come as a shock to many in Mr Trumps own administration. Just a day after it was announced, US defence secretary James Mattis resigned in opposition to the pull-out. In his resignation letter, he referenced his strong views on treating allies with respect, an apparent reference to the way in which Washingtons Kurdish allies were abandoned.

The withdrawal has also left Washingtons western allies in a quandary. Both the UK and France have forces in Syria alongside US troops. Their future there is now in question.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown who visited Kurdish-held Syria earlier this year, said he had tabled a motion calling on the foreign minister Jeremy Hunt to provide answers about Britains future role in Syria.

The US should be leaving Syria in a planned way, not one that creates a vacuum for Turkey and its Sunni extremist militias to fill, he told The Independent.

Leaving before security arrangements between Damascus and the SDF have been brokered constitutes a betrayal of our Kurdish allies, who have been essential in our fight against Islamic State. It means a longer war and more bloodshed.

Frances defence minister meanwhile called the pull-out an extremely grave decision.

We do not share the analyses that the territorial caliphate (of Isis) has been annihilated, Florence Parly said Friday on RTL radio. We think ... The job must be finished.

Later the same day, French president Emmanuel Macron received a delegation of Kurdish politics from the Syrian Democratic Council, who urged France to fill in the gap left by US support.

There is now speculation that the SDF may have to go and begin negotiations with the Syrian government again and give up the autonomy it has won over the past few years in order to stave off a Turkish attack.

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Meanwhile, the fight against the last remnants of Isis continues in a small pocket of territory on the eastern banks of the Euphrates in eastern Syria.

Isis has been putting up fierce resistance in its last redoubt  a string of villages in Deir ez-Zor near the town of Hajin. After three months of intense fighting, the SDF announced last week that it had taken most of the town. But the US withdrawal has drawn attention from that fight.

This attack, if Turkey implements it, can be considered a direct support to Isis, said Mr Bali. Because our forces here will have to stop their battles in Hajin to put their efforts into defending the northern borders of Syria.
My journey into Ladakh took two days on a decrepit green-and-chrome bus that honked and gasped its way over death-defying passes. I arrived in this land of scorched desert and brilliant-white monasteries  locked high in the Himalayas between Tibet, Pakistan and Kashmir  too knackered to know where I was.

That was more than two decades ago, in the days when the only travellers in Ladakh were backpackers. This time it was an hour-long hop from monsoon-soaked Delhi, flying over freshly minted peaks and glaciers before the clouds petered out and the mountains turned brown and dusty.

Everything about this far-north region of India is extreme. The heart-pounding altitude; the startlingly intense light; the worlds highest roads; the zeal for Tibetan-style Buddhism. And the fact that there is now a smattering of heritage hotels and ultra-luxury camps that can set you back a crazy 250 a night.

Is there a middle way between backpacker basic and bonkers? To find out, I forged a 12-day itinerary with travel company Exodus. I would glory in the cultural and scenic highlights, staying mostly at mid-range hotels and guesthouses. These, I was to find, are now largely the preserve of Ladakhs new tourists: Indians from all over the subcontinent.

From Ladakhs largest town, Leh, my erudite and fun-loving Ladakhi guide Norbu took me first up the wide Indus valley to Thikse Gompa. The multi-storey monastery stands commandingly on a crag like a smaller version of Lhasas Potala palace. From a rooftop fluttering with prayer flags, I gazed over the valley to swaying fields of barley irrigated from the milky-blue river.

A trickle of maroon-cloaked monks streamed out of the shrine room where they had been murmuring mantras before Buddha statues lit by flickering butter candles. From the roof, a pair of monks blew droning notes on giant brass horns, sending further incantations into the ether.

Next I stayed at Nimmu, an oasis village where life relies on diverting torrents fed by snow melt. Rivulets burbled through terraced plots, green as croquet lawns and stark against bare rock and scree all around. We weaved through apricot orchards; patches of grazing pasture for tethered zhos (the ubiquitous yak and cow cross-breeds); and barley fields lined with flaming yellow poplars. Norbu explained how an all-powerful charpun (water keeper) regulates the flow along an intricate web of channels and sluices, ensuring that every farmer gets a share.

Downstream from Leh, the muddy Zanskar river cascades into the crystalline Indus at the mouth of a ravine flanked by soaring cliffs. We snaked up a road blasted and tunnelled out of mineral-rich rock faces veined with green and mauve. At Chilling village, perched above some foaming rapids, we watched a metalsmith smelting these ores on a furnace blown by sheepskin bellows.

Ladakh is predominantly Buddhist (Martin Symington)

Next to the core of the trip, a three-day trek in the Sham valley starting at Likir, whose whitewash gompa spills down a mountainside like builders rubble. We wove a route on ancient yak trails made sacred by white stone stupas holding holy relics. We passed creaking prayer wheels; pebble walls carved with the Om mani padme hum mantra; and high passes adorned with wind horse prayer banners flapping invocations to Padmasambhava, the 8th-century guru who brought the middle way of the Buddha to Ladakh.

The scene changed at every turn. We climbed through otherworldly strata of plum and lilac-coloured rock folded together like cake mix, then plunged to a canyon pockmarked with bizarre natural sculptures that reminded me of Arizona. Norbu pointed out rocks patterned in minute organic detail: marine fossils at 4,000 metres, formed in the depths of the ocean and marking the scar of impact that formed the Himalayas.

Prayer flags flutter in the breeze (Martin Symington)

At one point I spied, high above, the tiny hermitage where monks meditate in isolation for up to three years. Amazingly, electricity lines have been strung on poplar pylons all the way up. Why, I wondered aloud? So the monks can become enlightened, laughed Norbu. Good one.

In Hemis Shukpachan we watched villagers winnowing barley on a courtyard of walls splashed with drying zho dung (useful winter fuel). Our homestay was a flat-roofed mud-brick house with carved doors and windows. Dolma, the smiling hostess, has a few basic rooms with shared bathrooms, in which she welcomes trekkers during the short summer season.

The Zanskar river brings life (Martin Symington)

We work like zhos for half the year and sleep like bears for the rest, said Dolma, doling out bowls of delicious dal and tsampa (roasted barley flour). I also seem to remember a teacup or two filled with chang  cloudy homebrewed beer which looked innocent enough but had the kick of an aggrieved yak.

The trek ended with a sumptuous Indian dinner on the Namra Hotel terrace at Timishgan. Sitting under a magnified half moon hung like a wedge of glowing melon, I decided that I had found a middle way  l think that Padmasambhava would approve.

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Travel essentials

Exodus offers both escorted and tailor-made trips to Ladakh. A 12-night bespoke itinerary including flights from the UK, accommodation, dinners, 4x4 car with driver and guide costs in the region of 1,900 per person based on two sharing.
According to an independent panel investigation, it is now perfectly reasonable - or actually tolerant and respectful - to incite hatred against women because of how they choose to dress. This is the message Muslim women have received from yesterdays decision to clear Boris Johnson of breaching the Conservative Partys Code of Conduct in a Telegraph article, where he compared those who wear the face veil to bank robbers and letter boxes.

Almost a year before Boris penned this piece, I received a Whatsapp message from a friend sharing a hand-delivered letter titled Kill scum Muslims that her sister had received, threatening acid attacks on anyone who wears the funny black masks around your square & Bradford & other places. Immediately after Boriss piece, there were reports of a directly-linked spike in verbal attacks against veil-wearing women across the UK. Its widely known that Muslim women bear the brunt of Islamophobic attacks. They may be in the minority, but those who wear the niqab are viciously targeted by the far right  Islamophobes of all descriptions, which very much includes politicians, just cant seem to look beyond a piece of cloth.

Muslim women have long witnessed their personal clothing choices being dragged into national discussions in a strange mix of racist and sexist commentary. The far right have always capitalised on and exploited Muslim women in a form of gendered Islamophobia, a strain of which depends on convincing them that their bodies belong not to themselves, but as objects for others to liberate. Whether this takes the historic form of public unveiling ceremonies in colonial era Algeria, EDL protests encouraging Muslim women to undress and revolt against Muslim men, or articles in mainstream newspapers calling the niqab oppressive, the message is clear.

The niqab debate isnt new, neither is the obsession with how women dress. But Id expect more self-reflection from a political establishment that spent an entire afternoon debating whether the leader of the opposition did indeed call the prime minister a stupid woman, while accepting that reducing swathes of Muslim women to inanimate objects like letterboxes is just good old fashioned free speech.

By ignoring the 100 niqab-wearing women who sent an open letter to chairman Brandon Lewis demanding the whip be withdrawn from Boris Johnson, the Conservative Party has once again failed Muslims who have time and again called for firm action and an inquiry into the Islamophobia propagated in what seems like the highest ranks of the party itself.

Questions are now being raised on the composition of the independent panel and whether a public request from the Muslim Council of Britain to include people who are aware of the seriousness of the issue and its effect on society was ignored. How many of the lawyers on the panel are cognisant of the challenges Muslim women face, particularly the ones who find themselves altering their lifestyles and routines to avoid attacks in the aftermath of so-called satirical comments?

There are those who will still argue that Muslim women who cover their faces are oppressed, but it is possible to have a nuanced discussion on the niqab by centring the experiences and voices of the women themselves. The research and writing by Dr Irene Zempi has been particularly instructive in understanding choice, agency and identity of women who wear the veil, a lesson that some politicians sorely need.

Some will say Boris was defending this minority of Muslim women by arguing against a ban, but this is a fundamental misunderstanding of advocacy on behalf of marginalised or oppressed communities. You dont help minorities by dehumanising their most visible targets of abuse. You dont help minorities by doing the work of Islamophobes, othering and describing them as criminals. You certainly dont help minorities by hoping that one day, theyll go - Boris final words on the matter.

After almost weekly Islamophobic incidents documented in the Conservative Party earlier this year plaguing its MPs, councillors, activists and supporters, it is now up to Theresa May to launch an inquiry into Islamophobia to show that it is not institutional or endemic within the government. Inaction has followed accusations of Islamophobia against Zac Goldsmith, Bob Blackman, Ben Bradley, Nadine Dorries and now Boris Johnson. If the Conservative Party is unable to even adopt a definition of Islamophobia introduced by the APPG on British Muslims, backed by over 75 academics and 750 Muslim organisations, then what trust remains?

Samayya Afzal is the community engagement manager for the Muslim Council
President Trumps decision to withdraw US troops from Syria is being denounced by an impressive range of critics claiming that it is a surrender to Turkey, Russia, Syria and Iran  as well as a betrayal of the Kurds and a victory for Isis.

The pullout may be one or all of these things, but above all it is a recognition of what is really happening on the ground in Syria and the Middle East in general.

This point has not come across clearly enough because of the undiluted loathing for Trump among most of the American and British media. They act as a conduit for the views of diverse figures who condemn the withdrawal and include members of the imperially-minded foreign policy establishment in Washington and terrified Kurds living in north-east Syria who fear ethnic cleansing by an invading Turkish army.

Opposition to Trumps decision was supercharged by the resignation of Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis which came after he failed to persuade the president to rescind his order. Mattis does not mention Syria or Afghanistan in his letter of resignation, but he makes clear his disagreement with the general direction of Trump's foreign policy in not confronting Russia and China and ignoring traditional allies and alliances.

The resignation of Mattis has elicited predictable lamentations from commentators who treat his departure as if it was the equivalent of the Kaiser getting rid of Bismarck. The over-used description of Mattis as "the last of the adults in the room" is once again trotted out, though few examples of his adult behaviour are given aside from his wish  along with other supposed "adults"  to stay in Syria until various unobtainable objectives were achieved: the extinction of Iranian influence; the displacement of Bashar al-Assad; and the categorical defeat of Isis (are they really likely to sign surrender terms?).

In other words, there was to be an open-ended US commitment with no attainable goals in an isolated and dangerous part of the world where it was already playing a losing game.

Recommended Trump orders full and immediate withdrawal of US troops from Syria

It is worth spelling out the state of play in Syria because this is being masked by anti-Trump rhetoric, recommending policies that may sound benign but are far detached from political reality. This reality may be very nasty: it is right to be appalled by the prospects for the Syrian Kurds who are terrified of a Turkish army that is already massing to the north of the Turkish-Syrian frontier.

There is a horrible inevitability about all this because neither Turkey nor Syria were ever going to allow a Kurdish mini-state to take permanent root in north-east Syria. It existed because of the Syrian civil war in which Assad withdrew his forces from the Kurdish-populated regions in 2012 in order to concentrate them in defence of strategically vital cities and roads. Isis attacked the Kurdish enclave in 2014 which led to a de facto alliance between the Kurds and the US air force whose devastating firepower enabled the Kurds to capture a great swathe of Isis-held territory east of the Euphrates.

Turkey was never going to accept this outcome. Erdogan denounced the Kurdish political and military forces controlling this corner of Syria as "terrorists" belonging to the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that has been fighting the Turkish state since 1984.

This is a good moment to make a point about this article: it is an explanation not a justification for the dreadful things that may soon happen. I have visited the Kurdish controlled part of Syria several times and felt that it was the only part of Syria where the uprising of 2011 had produced a society that was better than what had gone before, bearing in mind the constraints of fighting a war.

I met the men and women of the Peoples Protection Units (YPG and YPJ) who fought heroically against Isis, suffering thousands of dead and wounded. But I always had a doomed feeling when talking to them as I could not see how their statelet, which had been brought into existence by temporary circumstances, was going to last beyond the end of the Syrian civil war and the defeat of Isis. One day the Americans would have to choose between 2 million embattled Kurds in Syria and 80 million Turks in Turkey and it dd not take much political acumen to foresee what they would decide.

Turkey had escalated its pressure on the US to end its protection of the Kurds and this finally paid off. A telephone conversation with Erdogan a week ago reportedly convinced Trump that he had to get US soldiers and airpower out of Syria. Keep in mind that Trump needs  though he may not get as much as he wants  Turkey as an ally in the Middle East more than ever before. His bet on Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and Saudi Arabia as the leader of a pro-American and anti-Iranian Sunni coalition in the Middle has visibly and embarrassingly failed. The bizarre killing of Jamal Khashoggi by a Saudi team in Istanbul was only the latest in a series of Saudi pratfalls showing comical ineptitude as well as excessive and mindless violence.

Critics of Trump raise several other important questions in opposing his withdrawal decision: is he not letting Isis off the hook by prematurely announcing their defeat and thereby enabling them to make a comeback? There is something in this, but not a lot. The Islamic State, that once held territory stretching from the Tigris River in Iraq to Syrias Mediterranean coast, is no more and cannot be resurrected because the circumstances that led to its spectacular growth between 2013 and 2015 are no longer there.

Isis made too many enemies because of its indiscriminate violence when it was at the peak of its power. Trump is right to assume in a tweet that Russia, Iran, Syria & many otherswill have to fight ISIS and others, who they hate, without us. Isis may seek to take advantage of chaos in eastern Syria in the coming months, but there will be no power vacuum for them to exploit. The vacuum will be filled by Turkey or Syria or a combination of the two.

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A further criticism of the US withdrawal is that it unnecessarily hands a victory to Vladimir Putin and Assad. But here again, Trump's manoeuvre is more of a recognition of the fact that both men are already winners in the Syrian war.

Nor is it entirely clear that Russia and Iran will have greater influence in Syria and the region after the US withdrawal. True they have come out on the winning side, but as the Syrian state becomes more powerful it will have less need for foreign allies. The close cooperation between Russia and Turkey was glued together by US cooperation with the Kurds and once that ends, then Turkey may shift  though not all the way  back towards the US.

By denouncing Trumps decision to withdraw from Syria, his opponents are once again making the mistake of underestimating his instinctive political skills.
A man on currently on bail awaiting trial for a burglary charge has been arrested in relation to seven burglaries.

The Dublin man is in garda custody after the dramatic late night chase in the Crumlin area yesterday. A newborn baby was in the fleeing vehicle during the high-speed pursuit.

Detectives are investigating seven burglaries and robberies in the locality in recent weeks and have been actively searching for the man.

A number of shops were targeted while sources said an axe was used in several of the raids

The suspect is known to local gardai and is currently on bail in relation to a separate burglary offence.

Independent.ie has learned that the man was caught leaving a premises last night with two stolen hair-dryers when gardai attempted to stop him.

However, he fled from the scene with his new-born child and partner in the car, leading gardai on a high-speed chase.

Sources said the car drove on footpaths, the wrong way up busy roads and crashed into a number of cars during the chase.

He ran from the vehicle but was arrested after a brief foot chase in the Crumlin area and is being held under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

A garda spokesman said: As part of Operation Thor uniformed and detectives based at Crumlin Garda Station last night, Thursday December 20th 2018 arrested a male in his 40s in connection with up to seven (7) burglaries which were carried out in the Walkinstown and Greenhills area of Dublin over the last number of weeks. The man is currently detained at Crumlin Garda Station under the provisions of Section 4- Criminal Justice Act 1984 and is expected to appear before the Criminal Courts of Justice tomorrow morning, Saturday 22nd December 2018.
A hard Border now looks inevitable as soon as Britain moves to strike trade deals with countries outside the EU.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has admitted that once the UK government changes its customs rules and regulations, this island will "get into real difficulties".

The Irish Government continues to insist it has not carried out any planning for physical infrastructure at the Border.

But there are mounting fears that while some initial leeway may be offered in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the EU and World Trade Organisation would ultimately demand checks on animals and food moving between the North and the Republic.

Nobody in the Irish Government has been able to explain how checks could take place without a physical Border.

The European Commission has already clearly stated that in the event of a disorderly Brexit "every consignment of live animals and animal products coming from the UK would have to undergo checks in border inspection posts at the point of entry to the EU".

The rising prospect of a hard Border and checks on livestock moving between the Republic and the North would be a disaster for the country's beef sector, Joe Healy, president of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), has warned.

"If the UK crashes out next March, we are facing a far more serious situation and the potential wipe-out of beef production in this country," said Mr Healy. The Irish meat-processing sector employs more than 13,000 people.

The IFA is now putting pressure on the Taoiseach and Agriculture Minister Michael Creed to outline the programme of supports for Irish farmers in the event a 'no-deal' Brexit.
A hard border now looks inevitable as soon as Britain moves to strike trade deals with countries outside the EU.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has admitted once the UK government changes its customs rules and regulations, this island will "get into real difficulties".

The Irish Government continues to insist it has not carried out any planning for physical infrastructure at the Border.

But there are mounting fears that while some initial leeway may be offered in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the EU and World Trade Organisation would ultimately demand checks on animals and food moving between the North and the Republic.

Nobody in the Government has been able to explain how checks could take place without a physical border.

The European Commission has clearly stated that in the event of a disorderly Brexit "every consignment of live animals and animal products coming from the UK would have to undergo checks in border inspection posts at the point of entry to the EU".

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Ireland will be expected to protect the single market at what will be the only new EU land frontier after Brexit.

Ireland's contingency plans for a no-deal scenario restate the Government's commitment to maintain an open border - but give no detail on how this would be possible if the UK crashes out of the EU.

Expand Close Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Photo: Damien Eagers / Facebook

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Whatsapp Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Photo: Damien Eagers

Mr Varadkar said yesterday he was "nearly always loath" to take part in speculation about the Border because "a lot of it raises more questions than I can give answers to.

"In order to avoid a hard Border, you must have alignment on customs and regulations.

"So it's all very well for people to say nobody wants a hard Border.

"Nobody wants it in Dublin, nobody wants it in Belfast, nobody wants it in Brussels or London. But if you don't have alignment on customs and regulations, then you get into real difficulties," he said.

"If the UK crashed out of the European Union at the end of March they would still be aligned on customs and regulations. So the problem would only arise if they decided in some way to change their customs and regulations."

A key demand of Brexiteers in the EU parliament is that they have the freedom to diverge from EU rules in order to secure trade deals on their own terms with other countries.

Mr Varadkar said discussions had started with the EU on what might happen but a lot more would be needed.

"There is a real understanding across the EU that this isn't a typical border, that this is a border that goes through villages, goes through farms, goes through businesses and, of course, is a border that people fought and killed other people over as well," he said.

"And the fact that we had so many people from other European countries coming to Ireland, so many people who actually visited the Border, has really helped us in creating an understanding of how difficult this is for us."

No preparations for a physical infrastructure had been made. The focus had been on new facilities at Dublin Port, Dublin Airport and Rosslare.

Fianna Fail's Brexit spokesperson Lisa Chambers said she had been briefed that customs checks would be required but not necessarily at the Border for the EU.

"Extremely difficult political decisions will have to be taken," the Mayo TD said. "We'll get a little bit of latitude but there is only so long [the EU] will allow an open border."

She added: "The UK is saying it'll be up to the EU and Ireland to erect a border but that's not fair either. They will have obligations under WTO rules."
Glum: The Christmas tree may be up at Downing Street but theres precious little festive cheer for Prime Minister Theresa May. Photo: PA

Few, if anybody, anywhere, will admit to wanting a no-deal Brexit in which the UK just ends its 46-year EU membership with a shocking thud on March 29 next.

But almost nobody wanted to go to war back in 1914 either, but that is just what happened.

As things stand, if the UK cannot ratify the draft Withdrawal Agreement, a no-deal Brexit is what we will get.

Events this week nudged us all a little further on that path. Contingency plans published by the EU Commission on Wednesday offered little in softening the effects of a crash-out. Brussels still does not want to make a no-deal EU exit into an easy option.

Here is a flavour of the fallout from a no-deal Brexit.

1. JOBS: A hard crash-out Brexit would cost about 50,000 jobs in Ireland, the International Monetary Fund has predicted.

It would reduce Irish economic output by 4pc in under a decade. Moving from an EU border-free market to World Trade Organisation rules would make Irish agribusiness especially vulnerable.

The UK market would be open to products from places like South America where there are lower animal welfare, veterinary and other standards. The Taoiseach has twice in the last week insisted there would be no mini-Budget in 2019 but experts say State borrowing must increase to meet costs. Ireland may gain some jobs - but UK migrants may be chasing these and other work.

2. ENERGY: Householders and businesses face higher energy prices in the event of a hard Brexit. Ireland would effectively be cut-off from trading power with other EU member countries. Irish electricity is supplied from generators in the Republic and Northern Ireland, and high-voltage links with Scotland and Wales.

Ireland has no direct power links with the EU mainland. Most of Ireland's 5bn yearly coal and oil imports come via the UK. If there is no Brexit deal on energy, everything is likely to increase in price.

3. PORTS: Expect congestion at ports like Dublin and Rosslare. The Government plans to acquire more land to put some order on the inevitable queues.

But there would have to be plant and animal health checks on UK produce coming into Ireland as an EU country.

The problem may be even more acute at British ports, with special lanes already designated for queueing trucks in the hinterland of Dover.

Irish trade relies heavily on the so-called landbridge via Britain.

4. AIRPORTS: The Ireland-UK common travel area means travel between the two islands remains unchanged. But the EU Commission plans restrictions on UK airlines with implications for Irish travellers going via the UK. These can fly between UK and European cities.

But UK flight operators cannot fly on to other EU destinations, or take new passengers to a non-UK destination. Some UK airlines may seek ways around this. Companies with majority shareholdings in EU member states will fare better.

5. MEDICINE: UK health authorities have been stockpiling medicines for months. They import 370 million packs of medicine and blood products from EU countries every month.

A no-deal Brexit risks hefty tariffs under World Trade Organisation rules. Ireland gets much of its medicine supplies from, or via, the UK.

There is a risk that medicine could be dearer and/or harder to get. The Government insists the issue will be dealt with - but they have yet to say how.

6. THE BORDER: The EU Commission has notably avoided dealing with the Irish Border in no-deal Brexit contingencies published on Wednesday. Agriculture Minister Michael Creed believes that plant and animal health checks at Dublin and Rosslare will be enough to cover that issue.

But how other UK products would be dealt with going North via the Republic, or coming into the Republic via the North, has yet to be announced. There has long been an assumption that the EU would require border checks to protect its single market. That would be doubly tragic since the EU played a big role in making the Border invisible with the single market since 1992. One hopeful sign has been the EU's intention to continue peace funding for the North.

7. FISHERIES: A no-deal Brexit risks shutting out Irish fishermen from lucrative UK waters.

It is not widely appreciated in this country that one-third of all Ireland's fish in value terms are caught in UK waters.

That includes 60pc of mackerel and 40pc of prawns. Irish coastal communities would be devastated by the lack of some kind of workable arrangement on access to UK waters.

8. TRANSITION: The biggest overall loss would be the lack of any kind of transition period to allow Irish business, farmers and other affected sectors to gear themselves up for change. In the case of a Withdrawal Agreement, it was expected that nothing would happen after Brexit formally kicked in at 11pm on March 29 next. Changes would begin only in January 2021 - and many expected that grace period would be extended by another year.

A no-deal would send everything straight off a cliff, causing huge confusion and seriously damaging business people's and workers' morale and health.

9. COMMUNICATIONS: The EU is the long-time source for communications regulation across all EU member states.

After Brexit, information providers established in the UK and serving the EU cannot rely on UK regulations.

Equally, information providers serving the UK may face similar restrictions or regulation. There are implications for things like tariff regulation. The absence of some kind of arrangement risks major confusion.

10. PETS: The EU has a long-standing "pet passport scheme", with proof of identity and vaccination to avoid expensive and distressing quarantine periods. If there is a no-deal Brexit, this will almost certainly change. It's not entirely clear yet what the new regime may be.

This has implications for Irish pet owners who bring their animals into the UK jurisdiction and later want to travel similarly to mainland Europe. UK officials say they are seeking talks with the EU to get special listed status.

Ironically, this could cause the most immediately noticeable effects in middle England homes where voters were most enthusiastic about Brexit in 2016.
Theresa May is battling to maintain cabinet discipline as senior ministers set out rival plans for dealing with the rejection of her Brexit plan.

The British prime minister insisted she was focused on getting her deal through parliament, despite cabinet members Andrea Leadsom and Amber Rudd speculating about what might happen if MPs throw out the Withdrawal Agreement in January.

Commons Leader Ms Leadsom said a "managed no-deal" was a possibility, while Work and Pensions Secretary Ms Rudd acknowledged there was a "plausible argument" for a second referendum.

Mrs May said: "Cabinet ministers and I have all been very clear that we are working and focusing on working on ensuring that we can get the deal that we've agreed with the European Union agreed and through parliament in the meaningful vote."

Mrs May said yesterday the UK was still seeking "greater political and legal reassurances" from the EU over elements of her plan, particularly the backstop measures designed to prevent a hard border in Ireland, before it is put before MPs in January.

She added: "Everybody is very clear that not only what government policy is but what we are all individually and collectively focused on is working to ensure that that deal is able to be agreed by and go through a meaningful vote in the House of Commons."

Brexiteer Ms Leadsom suggested she had been looking at the option of a managed no-deal - with a minimalist agreement with the EU - as an alternative to Mrs May's proposed deal.

In signs of further division, Ms Leadsom said a second referendum would be "unacceptable" - just hours after Ms Rudd's comments.

Ms Rudd, a prominent Remain supporter, insisted she was not calling for a referendum but wanted MPs across the Commons to reach a consensus to prevent a no-deal Brexit. Her intervention was welcomed as a "massive moment" by campaigners calling for a 'People's Vote'.
Yew Grove real estate investment trust (Reit) has acquired three office properties in the IDA Business Park in Letterkenny, County Donegal for 16m.

The three buildings comprise of 90,548 sq. ft. of internal space completed to Grade A specification, having undergone a major refurbishment in 2017.

In addition, there are 688 car parking spaces on the 5.85 acre site.

The buildings have a net initial yield of 8.35pc, and are currently tenanted by Optum Operations under a 10 year lease, with nine years of certain term remaining.

The leases are guaranteed by Optum's parent, the United Health Group, one of the US's largest corporations by revenue.

Yew Grove, which in June became the first new share to trade on the Irish stock exchange since it became Euronext Dublin, has now deployed 76m since its IPO.

The company also said today that it has agreed a three year revolving loan facility with AIB.

The facility is for up to 19.9m, and is within the loan to value target of 25pc. It will be used to part finance the company's acquisition of properties, and to enhance investment returns, including dividends to shareholders.

Yew Grove now has available resources of 16m to acquire further properties in the near-term, and the group said the pipeline of potential acquisitions "remains significant".

Including the acquisition referred to above, the group now has annualised passing rent of 6.3m.

In September the company said its maiden dividend for 2018 was expected to be in a range of 1.0 - 2.0 cents per share range. However negotiations and due diligence on recently announced acquisitions have taken longer than anticipated, and because of this the dividend for the period from IPO to 31 December 2018 is now expected to be marginally below the lower end of the previously guided range.

The board said it is "confident" to reiterate dividend guidance of 7c per share for financial year 2019.

"In the short period since IPO, Yew Grove has successfully deployed the capital raised and has a strong pipeline of potential acquisitions of well tenanted, well covenanted and high yielding commercial real estate," Jonathan Laredo, Yew Grove CEO, said.

"The high quality rental income stream positions us to pay a maiden dividend for 2018 and retain guidance for a significant dividend increase in 2019."
Suckler cow numbers in older EU Member States are expected to fall to 10.4m head by 2030 a decline of 8pc or -900,000 heads fewer than in 2018, according to an outlook report by the European Commissionn .

Meanwhile, in newer EU Member States the herd is likely to rise by one third (+320 000 heads) to 1.2m heads, notably in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria.

Overall, the Commision says more than one third of the reduction expected for 2018-2030 in the EU-15 is likely to be replaced by expansion of the suckler cow herd in the EU-N13.

It says competition in economic and environmental terms with other agricultural activities such as dairy production is likely to reduce suckler cow herds further in certain intensive meat producing regions of the EU (such as the Netherlands).

In Ireland, the number of suckler farmers in the south and southeast has fallen by over 20pc since 2010, highlighting the scale of the exodus from beef. Nationally, 9,801 suckler farmers have exited the sector since 2010, a decline of almost 13pc.

Department of Agriculture data also shows that suckler cow numbers have fallen by 118,000 head in the five years from 2012 to 2017, with the bulk of the reduction concentrated in the south.

Meanwhile, the Commission also says that EU beef production is expected to return to a downward trend and gradually fall to 7.7million tonnes by 2030 (-500,000 t or -6pc compared to 2018).

It says the decline will be driven by developments in the domestic cow herd as previously described.

Other factors include low profitability in the beef sector and weaker export prospects, even though prices will start to recover slightly in the middle of the projection period.

The production drop will take place despite an expected increase in the average carcass weight and against a background of relatively stable feed prices.

Beef consumption in the EU is expected to resume a downward trend, gradually declining from 11 kg per capita in 2018 to 10.4 kg per capita in 2030.

Convergence within the EU will remain limited. Consumption is expected to decline in the EU-15 and flatten in the EU-N13, leaving a significant gap (11.9 kg per capita against 4.0 kg per capita respectively) by 2030.
The slow bicycle race that Brexit has turned into has revealed some interesting insights as to how our food supply system is operating.

The CSO produces some fascinating information that is readily available on its website.

Unfortunately, it's a difficult website to navigate and most of the information contained within goes by completely unnoticed.

However, this year, someone has got a new infographics programme and coupled with the interest in all things Brexit, the latest import/export figures released got plenty of attention.

Figures of fruit and vegetables imports reveal a country that is unable to feed itself. In this case, unfortunately, it's not Britain I'm talking about. It is Ireland, the food nation, that is depending on the boat to feed itself every day.

Imports of potatoes, onions, carrots, apples (not to mention bottled water) are at a level that should make everyone in our industry hang their head in shame.

The figures are so large that the CSO tried to put the figures on a 'per capita basis' to try to put some reality to the figures. So in 2017, we imported 7kg carrots, 10kg onions and 13kg of apples for every person in the country.

What the figures really equate to is 62,000t of apples, 72,000t potatoes, 47,000t onions, 33,000t carrots, 29,000t tomatoes, 23,000t cabbage and 15,000t lettuce imported in one year.

That is 210 articulated truck loads per week landing on our shores, or in other words a complete fill of the Irish Ferries boat Ulysses every week of produce we can very easily grow here. That's before we take into account other fruit and vegetable lines, flour, sugar, biscuits, breakfast cereals and sweets. Burgers and butter we are good at, but for everything else, it seems a quick phone call to the nearest neighbours is the best way to sort it out.

The concept of the EEC was established fundamentally to ensure food security for the citizens of a post war Europe. An essential pillar of that food security is the concept of the single market.

What this means is that there are no imports or exports between member states.

It is as easy to move a pallet of cabbage from the south of Spain as it is from the south shore in Rush.

Over time, the success of this concept has resulted in a very tight concentration of production into areas with competitive advantage over labour costs.

Production standards are EU wide, unfortunately, the oversight of labour laws are still more 'regional' based. So we have the perverse situation where some of the most arid areas of Europe, which just happen to be closest to a ready supply of available migrant labour, supply high-water demanding produce to some of the wettest parts of Europe. Labour forms a much higher proportion of production costs than water does.

So as we head for the Christmas break, we have time to reflect on how this system that we have allowed to develop is so suddenly being disrupted as our nearest traders are ruminating so publicly on their future.

We have allowed food production policy to be dictated by purely business interests, like they decide on toilet roll production policy. This can't go on.

What we have to do is take back control of food production. We are an island, and dependant on another island, which is also a net food importer, to supply us with food or act as a land bridge for food from the continent. Most of the basic foodstuffs we eat, we can grow here. Regardless of the articles you read on trendy items such as avocado, almonds and linseed, generally speaking, culturally we eat what we grow (or grew). Look at any trolley at the checkout counter and they are still full of the staples like potatoes, bread, meat, field vegetables, milk, cheese, etc.

Support has to be given to encourage production in deficit produce lines. The authorities know this and have never been found wanting in supporting food production. The missing link has been in controlling the sale of this produce.

Intermediaries, the people who go between the food producers and the supermarkets, have had a free reign for far too long. They are the key to solving the problem. Until this sector is brought into the fold, willingly or unwillingly to guarantee sale of native grown produce, no sane person is going to invest the huge sums of money required in starting a primary food production business.

That said, I believe that there has been no time in recent history like there is opportunity now to regain control of food production in this country.

Requirements to control emissions from agriculture, to control emissions from transport, for water use efficiency, the search for viable break crops, for food security, the mood of the buying public for local traceable food, all point towards a ramping up of native food production to meet the demands within this island.

Richard Hackett is an Agronomist based in North County Dublin and is a member of the ITCA and ACA
Farmers are very alarmed and concerned they continue to be left completely exposed to Brexit and there is absolutely nothing in the Government's Contingency Plan that would ally these fears according to the President of Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), Pat McCormack.

The Government and the EU, Mr McCormack said, have done absolutely nothing to protect the primary producer.

"We have been left hoping that the UK House of Commons will pass the deal to save us from the negative consequences and we are now down to days in terms of no deal crash out.

"The hard facts of the situation are that the primary producer in the agriculture sector is the most exposed individual to the implications of Brexit given that the processors will simply pass on the negatives," he said.

Mr McCormack said such a scenario is entirely unacceptable and added: "it is about time that policymakers woke up to the fact that certain sectors are extremely exposed and opening markets while welcome will not solve this massive problem facing us".

He said the Government's Contingency Plan makes absolutely no reference to what plans the Government or the EU has to counteract the imposition of tariffs or the potential losses that will occur from Brexit.

ICOS, the umbrella organisation for host of Irish dairy processors, recently highlighted that should the UK leave the EU single market and customs union without a trade deal in place, crippling WTO tariffs of up to 80pc could apply to agri-food products.

For example, 77,651t of Irish cheddar cheese was exported to the UK in 2016, (two-thirds of all the cheddar produced in Ireland). Tariffs under the EUs schedule are 1,671/t of cheddar (approximately 16c/L). If the UK were to adopt the EUs trade schedule following their exit (as they have indicated they will do), this would result in a tariff bill of approximately 150m a year on Irish cheddar.

ICOS said this would destroy the competitiveness of Irish products- especially given that the UKs intention to enter into free trade agreements with other agri-food exporting countries such as New Zealand and Australia.

ICOS also have said the creation of a new customs border between the EU and the UK will have major implications for agri-food importers and exporters.

It says a customs border and the associated administrative procedures would add a considerable amount of time to journeys between Ireland and UK.

"Within the agri-food sector, short journey times are critical for ensuring the quality of fresh and refrigerated products.

"Any delay would mean missed connections to further destinations, mandated rest times for drivers, and spoiled goods, which would prove to be massively disruptive and costly for agri-food businesses.

"While appearing short, estimates are that even a two-minute delay at the UK border in Dover, for example, would create a 27km long queue," it said.

ICOS has highlighted that further investment must be made in Irelands customs infrastructure and capacity to prepare for the UK leaving the EU, including the future recruitment and training of customs personnel.

"The physical infrastructure that would be needed to carry out customs checks needs to be built, and the technical capacity developed and fully functioning for when the UK leaves the EU.

"Technology-based solutions, such as number plate recognition, x-ray scanning to avoid physical checks and in particular electronic certificates (as agri-food certificate are currently still paper-based), must be adopted and utilised to enable the smooth flow of goods.

"Although not a solution on its own, this technology does have the potential to help overcome many customs barriers," it said.
University of Massachusetts football and head coach Walt Bell announced that Donte' Pimpleton has joined the program as running backs coach. Pimpleton arrives in Amherst after spending the past year leading the wide receivers at North Carolina Central, and reunites with Bell as the pair were together at Florida State during 2018.
The High Court has made freezing orders against a Dublin financial adviser and two of his companies over an alleged failure to return 159,000 advanced to him as an investment.

The orders were granted by Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds in favour of Jamie Murphy who claims the advisor used money advanced by Mr Murphy in 2017 for his own personal use.

Mr Murphy secured the orders against James Doherty, trading as Demvera Capital Partners, with a registered address at Serpentine Business Park, Serpentine Avenue, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.

The injunction was also granted against another related company, Demvera Trust Unlimited Company, with an address at Burnfoot Business Park, Main Street, Burnfoot, Co Donegal.

The orders prevent the defendants from reducing their assets, which includes sums held in two bank accounts in Co Dublin and Co Donegal, beneath a value of 159,000.

Mr Murphy, of St Anne's Park, Quinn Road, Shankill, Co Dublin, had claimed that despite hiring a private investigator, Mr Doherty cannot be located. All that is known is Mr Doherty is somewhere in the UK.

Mr Murphy said he advanced some 159,000 to Mr Doherty in 2017.

His counsel, Eugene Gleeson, said Mr Murphy was introduced to Mr Doherty, who represented himself as an accountant and a financial advisor.

The money, which came from a trust fund and personal savings, was to be invested in a firm which provides home care to those with disabilities.

However, the money was never invested with that company and his client had sought explanations from Mr Doherty.

When proper explanations were not forthcoming, Mr Murphy sought the return of the investment, his counsel said.

Despite giving various assurances, the money has never been returned by Mr Doherty.

Counsel said Mr Doherty had given excuses including his ill-health as a reason for not returning the monies.

Mr Murphy fears he may be the victim of a fraud and that he requires the freezing orders as the defendants may dissipate monies held in the bank accounts.

Ms Justice Reynolds was satisfied to grant the injunctions sought. The matter will return before the court in January.
One of the country's best- known builders during the building boom and bust, Gerry Gannon, has unveiled his most ambitious plans yet since returning to large-scale house building.

This follows Mr Gannon's Gerald Gannon Properties submitting documentation to An Bord Pleanala concerning more than 1,500 apartments at Clongriffin in Dublin 13.

In response to the record sums being paid for rent in the capital, two separate appeals board notices concerning the Gannon plan confirm the vast majority of the 1,537 apartments are to be for the rental market.

The details disclosed by An Bord Pleanala show that 1,324 units are for the 'build to rent' market and there are an additional 213 residential units.

The documentation is part of a pre-planning consultation by Mr Gannon with the appeals board and comes under the new regime of Government fast-track planning aimed at easing the housing crisis.

The new Strategic Housing Development Rules allow builders to bypass local authorities and have their applications adjudicated by An Bord Pleanala.

The planning documentation lodged by the building firm starts a nine-week long pre-planning consultation with An Bord Pleanala.

The consultation will involve Dublin City Council planners and at the end of the consultation, An Bord Pleanala will provide an 'opinion' on the development.

It is then open to Gannon Properties to take into account the views expressed by An Bord Pleanala before lodging an application direct to An Bord Pleanala in 2019 under the recently-introduced Government planning rules.

The new rules can save a year or more in the time required to have large-scale planning applications decided by local authorities.

The proposed 1,537 is far larger than any strategic application the appeals board is currently evaluating, where the largest plan totals 251 residential units for Grange, Co Cork. Even before serving notice of the large-scale apartment plans, Mr Gannon's firm has stepped up housing production in order to meet the soaring demand for homes in the capital.

The most-recently filed accounts for the company show that pre-tax profits increased by 41pc to 6.19m as revenues climbed to 34.8m in 2017. As a result of the legacy from the building bust, the company's accumulated losses stood at 115m last year, down from 121.3m a year earlier.

A note attached to the accounts states that the directors are confident that Nama will continue to provide financial support to the company for the foreseeable future and it will continue to work with Nama. The note states: "With this support, they are satisfied that the company can continue to manage its business and pay its liabilities as they fall due."
FOOD giant Greencore has offered to pay 1.95 per share in a 509m (563.2m) tender offer that will buy up to 37pc of the company back from shareholders.

The tender price is a 17.5pc premium to the 1.66 closing price of the shares on Wednesday. But it's also lower than the 2.02 at which they were changing hands on the last trading date before Greencore originally announced plans to sell its US arm and return the cash to shareholders via a special dividend.

The food group, whose chief executive is Patrick Coveney, is returning capital to shareholders following the sale of the US business to Hearthside for $1.07bn (933m) in October.

Greencore's original plan to use a special dividend to divide the cash amongst shareholders was criticised by many investors. Those who had stumped up cash to bankroll its purchase of US-based Peacock Foods in 2016 for $746m, would have wound up with a hefty tax bill to effectively get some of their own money back if a special dividend had proceeded.

Greencore's own biggest shareholder, Polaris Capital, had also opposed the special dividend, prompting the company to rethink the way in which it would split the spoils from the US divestment.

The company confirmed earlier this month that it would instead use the tender offer to return the capital.

However, Greencore added yesterday that if the full 509m is not returned via the tender offer, it will return the balance to shareholders after the completion of the offer, and probably via a special dividend.

Yesterday, Greencore released details of the tender offer, with shares in the group rising more than 7pc to 1.78 in early morning trading.

It said that the tender offer price is an 11.9pc premium to the volume-weighted average price per share over one month to December 19.

It confirmed that it will acquire a maximum of just over 261m shares, representing 37pc of the group's issued share capital.

The tender offer opened yesterday and runs to January 29. Cash will be paid to shareholders who participate in the offer, no later than February 7.

Completion of the tender offer will be conditional on shareholder approval at the group's Annual general meeting on January 29.

The sale of Greencore's US business left it focusing entirely on the UK and Ireland.

The group makes about 1.5 billion sandwiches and food-to-go items such as salads every year.

Greencore has contracts with a number of major supermarket chains such as Marks & Spencer, and with other customers in the UK. It imports about 20pc of the raw materials, including packaging, that it uses to make its products there.

Earlier this month, Greencore said it's ready to stockpile ingredients in the UK and change recipes if a hard Brexit hits supply lines.
Harland and Wolff is up for sale

ICONIC Northern Ireland manufacturer Harland and Wolff is up for sale as its Norwegian parent company, Fred Olsen, carries out a major restructuring.

The former shipbuilder behind the Titanic has diversified into renewable energy installations since the last ship sailed out of its famous yard in 2003.

The decline of shipbuilding has also been marked by a steady fall in employee numbers from as many as 30,000 in the early 1900s to around 100 today.

A sale would mark one of the biggest corporate transactions in Northern Ireland in recent years.

Harland and Wolff covers two sites on Queen's Island in east Belfast, including the Belfast Repair Dock where some ship repair work is still carried out. There is also the main building dock and manufacturing halls where the famous Samson and Goliath gantry cranes operate.

The building dock is the biggest in Europe and day-to-day running of the company is unaffected pending a potential sale.
The BBC is in talks with Irish and Dutch authorities to obtain licences allowing it to continue broadcasting across the EU in the event of a no-deal Brexit, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The UK licences that the taxpayer-funded BBC uses to beam hit shows into other EU countries will no longer be valid unless the UK leaves the bloc on March 29 with a withdrawal agreement in place.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May is struggling to get Parliament to support her deal with the EU that would prolong current broadcast licensing arrangements for two years while Britain negotiates a new relationship with its biggest trading partner. On Tuesday, Ms May's Cabinet agreed to step up preparations for a no-deal Brexit.

The BBC is yet to make a final decision on international broadcast licences, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the discussions are confidential.

International media companies which have regional hubs in Britain, such as Comcast's NBC Universal, have also applied for broadcast licences elsewhere in the EU to safeguard the transmission of their channels on the continent.

"The BBC has a big problem," said David Justin, president of One Six International, a media advisory firm based in Amsterdam. "If it's a hard Brexit, it would face a blackout in some countries."

A BBC spokesman said the organisation will keep the situation "under close review to ensure that we can continue to best serve our audiences".

The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland said it had a similar licensing regime to Ofcom in the UK and had "been engaging with a number of UK-based broadcasters who are exploring Ireland, and a number of other EU member states, as a potential licensing jurisdiction in which to base their EU broadcasting services." A representative of the Dutch media regulator had no immediate comment.

Bloomberg
Bank of Ireland customers have been experiencing delays with the processing of payments into their accounts.

In a statement to a number of customers on Twitter the bank said it was aware of delays with payments processing overnight.

They are now processing and will be posted to customer accounts very soon.

The bank has since said that all customers were paid before 8am this morning.

The delay comes just four days before Christmas on what will be one of the busiest weekends of the year for shopping.

It is not yet known how many customers have been affected.

Customers took to social media this morning to voice their concern over the delay in payments.

Bank of Ireland killing my Christmas vibes today being late  @bankofireland  Chantelle O'Neill (@ChantelleONeil) December 21, 2018

@talktoBOI I have seen another couple of similar tweets. I have not received payments this morning either that are regular Friday weekly payments and no sign of them. They are usually in after 12am. Payment system definitely not up to date this morning Bank of Ireland.   (@wakykaky) December 21, 2018

Independent.ie has contacted Bank of Ireland for comment.

More to follow
Insurance policyholders are set to escape having to meet the cost of claims from the collapse of Danish insurer Qudos.

This is because the insurance company has been declared bankrupt in a court in Denmark, meaning the bill for outstanding claims will have to be picked up by the Danish authorities.

There are more than 1,500 claims in the system.

A change in the law in Denmark last May could have meant the Danish scheme would not have been liable to meet Irish claims if Qudos was declared bankrupt after January 1.

Qudos was authorised and regulated in Denmark, but traded here under European Union freedom of services rules, selling through Wexford-based agent Patrona. It had 50,000 Irish customers.

Ireland's Insurance Compensation Fund, funded by a levy on premiums, would have been forced to pay the outstanding claims of the policyholders here if Qudos was declared bankrupt from the start of January.

The Irish fund is already being used to fund claims related to the multi-billion euro black hole in Quinn Insurance and claims related to Setanta Insurance.

The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority said in a statement: "The Danish insurance company Qudos Insurance A/S has been declared bankrupt. The Danish Guarantee Fund for non-life insurance undertakings will cover some claims incurred four weeks after the liquidator has notified the policyholders of the bankruptcy."

There are 1,544 open Irish claims relating to Qudos Insurance - 155 are household claims and 1,389 relate to motor insurance.

The cost of settling these claims is likely to run to tens of millions of euro.

The firm's 51,000 policyholders were provided with alternative cover by the Qudos agent, Patrona Underwriting.

Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael McGrath said it was now essential the claims are paid quickly, unlike the situation with Setanta.
ONE of the largest insurers in the State has been hit with a 3.5m fine by the Central Bank.

The sanction follows a massive accounting scandal that emerged in RSA Insurance Ireland five years ago.

Imposing the fines upon the insurer, the Central Bank said individuals within RSA Insurance Ireland had "deliberately manipulated claim reserve estimates, through the under-reserving of multiple large loss claims from 2009 until October 2013".

The Central Bank said RSA Insurance Ireland had failed to establish and maintain technical reserves in respect of all underwriting liabilities assumed by it.

The starkest example of the under-reserving practice uncovered was a personal injuries claim with a recommended claim reserve estimate of 4.75m. The amount actually recorded on the firm's claims database was 20,000.

It had failed to have proper accounting and internal control mechanisms in place.

The insurer admitted the breaches.

This was done by recording claim reserve estimates which were much lower than recommended by claims handlers. The insurer was also accused of delaying the recording of claim reserve estimates.

These failings led to an understatement of 78.2m in the firm's technical reserves in 2013.

Central Bank director of enforcement Seana Cunningham said policyholders are placed at risk when insurers fail to reserve properly.

In a statement, RSA said no policyholders were adversely affected when the issues were identified in 2013.

It said it took swift action to strengthen its controls following an internal investigation.

The Irish operation of London- listed RSA Insurance Group had to pump around 500m into the Irish operation between 2013 and 2015 due to the crisis.

The UK's Financial Reporting Council, which polices the corporate governance codes for listed companies, fined and imposed sanctions against the former chief financial officer and two actuaries of RSA Insurance Ireland Ltd.

Former RSA Insurance Ireland CEO Philip Smith is not an accountant or an auditor, and was not fined, neither was former claims director Peter Burke. He is also understood to have no membership of accounting or auditing bodies.

RSA settled a legal dispute with Mr Smith in 2016 where he was awarded 1.25m by the Employment Appeals Tribunal. It is not known whether or not he received the full 1.25m once the dismissal dispute was settled.
Gift vouchers will have to have a minimum expiry date of at least five years under proposed laws approved by the Cabinet.

However, the draft laws do not address the practice by some retailers of imposing fees on inactive or dormant vouchers.

The Government has promised legislation for years.

Draft laws approved by the Cabinet will ban any requirement for gift vouchers to be spent in a single transaction, according to Business Minister Heather Humphreys.

The cancellation of gift vouchers, or the imposition of charges, where the recipient's name is registered incorrectly, will also be outlawed if the legislation is passed. Policy adviser for the Consumers' Association Dermott Jewell said he was disappointed the legislation will not stop some retailers and gift card issuers imposing fees on inactive or dormant vouchers.

And the proposed changes will not deal with fees being imposed when lost or stolen vouchers are being replaced.

Mr Jewell said organisations like his have been calling for regulations to be imposed on the gift card and voucher sector for 20 years.

He called on retailers and firms that issue vouchers to voluntarily drop expiry fees as a goodwill gesture.

Ms Humphreys said the Government's legal advice is that the issue requires further examination before it can be addressed. But she hoped the Government will introduce an amendment on the fees issue.

There is no legal minimum expiry date on gift vouchers.

Three years ago the Government published a draft Consumer Rights Bill for public consultation which contained a number of provisions for the regulation of gift vouchers.
What a let-down: Taken Down failed to thrill during its six episodes

A YEAR makes for an awful lot of television. Some series and programmes stick in the memory, others blend into the general blur.

More still  the derivative crime thrillers, the flaccid, over-hyped prestige dramas, the mediocre comedies  are deservedly forgotten about almost as soon as theyve ended.

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One series that stood out in sharp relief was The Bodyguard, a gigantic hit. It wasnt necessarily the best drama of the year or even the best thing Jed Mercurio has written, and at times it went a bit bonkers. But it was enormously entertaining.

The most genuinely innovative was Killing Eve. Violent and suspenseful one moment, quirky and blackly funny the next, it revitalised the stale cat-and-mouse formula.

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The perennially underrated Hugh Grant was absolutely marvellous as disgraced, oddball politician Jeremy Thorpe in A Very British Scandal  although I wouldnt rate the series itself as highly as some British critics, who placed it top of their list.

Breakout performance of the year came from Florence Pugh as the heroine/pawn in the elegant and gripping The Little Drummer Girl, which didnt get the audience it deserved. This was John le Carre done properly.

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Not that he needs them anyway, but Benedict Cumberbatch won a host of new admirers for his tour de force performance as the heartbreakingly damaged Patrick Melrose, a stunningly great miniseries.

Personally, one of the things that pleased me most this year was seeing Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmiths wonderful anthology show Inside No. 9 finally attracting a decent-sized audience to go along with the rave reviews its received.

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A brilliant fourth series was capped by an audacious live Halloween special, which was so ingeniously made, many viewers were fooled into thinking the technical glitches were real rather than part of the spooky meta fun...

It was also immensely gratifying to see new Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker putting all the misogynistic naysayers and permanently infantilised fanboys in their place. A couple of weakly-written episodes let her down, but shes terrific.

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Its worth noting that all of the above, excepting Sky Atlantics Patrick Melrose, came from the BBC, which had (and is still having) a great year in drama.

Keeping up with the sheer amount of American series in 2018 was like trying to catch rain in a colander.

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My own personal favourites were Mr Mercedes (which I solemnly promise not to mention again until next years third season) and Better Call Saul, neither of which the awards-givers in the US have deemed worthy of much attention.

Another that can be filed in the Most Unforgivably Ignored TV Series folder is The Americans, which ended this year, without having made anything like the splash with viewers it should have. You could do worse this Christmas than treat yourself to the DVD box set.

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Thumbs-up, too, for Succession, Sharp Objects, The Deuce, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (mainly for the performance of Darren Criss) and The Haunting of Hill House, a properly creepy chiller that touched the emotions as often as the nerve-endings.

In what is definitely a first, not one but two fantastic comedies emerged from this little island in 2018. The loveable eejits of The Young Offenders charmed British viewers, as did Lisa McGees Derry Girls. Damningly, though, both were commissioned by British broadcasters: respectively, BBC3 and Channel 4.

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On the home front, meanwhile, Virgin Medias Blood was an impressive psychological thriller. RTEs much-anticipated Taken Down, however, was a damp squib. Hot-button topicality and some striking performances among the non-Irish cast members didnt compensate for shapeless plotting, slack pacing and poorly developed, wafer-thin characters. It suggests RTEs drama aspirations are going backwards, not forwards.
Lorna Bentley (50), of Lusk, Co Dublin, pictured leaving the Four Courts after she was awarded 80,000. Photo: Collins Courts

A woman scarred by her sunglasses when her car was hit from behind has been awarded more than 80,000 damages by the High Court.

Lorna Bentley's sunglasses were on top of her head at the time of the crash.

When the impact happened, the airbag deployed and the glasses fell on her face causing her to suffer extensive cuts to her face, particularly her left cheek.

Ms Bentley (50), a mother of two, from The Commons, Lusk, Co Dublin, sued the driver of the car which hit hers - Liam Nolan of Thorndale Lawn, Artane, Dublin.

The accident happened on June 2, 2016, on Drumcondra Road, Dublin, when she was stationary in a line of traffic.

Liability was not an issue in the case and Mr Justice Anthony Barr assessed damages at 80,550.

The judge said the main aspect of Ms Bentley's injuries concerned the scarring to her face, although she also suffered soft tissue injuries along with bruising.

Two years on, she continues to experience facial pain associated with the scarring and has continuing psychological difficulties.

A plastic surgeon thought it unlikely the scars would improve hugely with the passage of time, the judge said.

Ms Bentley told the court she was self-conscious of the scarring. It was particularly difficult as a divorced woman because she was now facing the prospect of returning to build a social life of her own.

The judge awarded her 30,000 for pain and suffering to date, 45,000 for future suffering and special damages of 5,550, totalling 80,550.

The court heard a higher offer of 93,000 to settle had been made before the case to Ms Bentley's side.

Her lawyer said this came at the 11th hour - although this was disputed by Mr Nolan.

A refusal to accept a tender offer has consequences for costs orders, which Mr Justice Barr will deal with in the new year.
Murderer: Molly Martens and her father Tom were sentenced to 20-25 years in jail after a jury unanimously convicted them of murder

A US court has dramatically ordered that Tom and Molly Martens be allowed to make oral submissions in their appeal against a conviction for the murder of Irish businessman Jason Corbett.

The Court of Appeals in North Carolina has taken the unusual step of ruling that oral arguments be allowed in the new year as part of the appeal by the retired FBI agent and his daughter against the conviction and 20-25 year prison sentences for the second degree murder of the Limerick-born father-of-two.

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A Davidson County Superior Court jury unanimously convicted the father and daughter of beating Mr Corbett (39) to death as he was asleep in the luxury home outside Winston Salem that he shared with Martens (34), his second wife, in August 2015.

The second-degree murder convictions were returned after a five-week trial in July-August 2017 that dominated Irish and US headlines.

Mr Corbett was beaten to death with a concrete brick and a paving bat.

Pathology evidence indicated that Mr Corbett was beaten even after he lay dead on the floor - and that the first blow was most likely struck while he was asleep in bed and helpless.

Both Mr Martens (68) and his daughter claim they acted in self-defence.

Mr Corbett was found at the scene with horrific head injuries and a pathologist was unable to determine the precise number of blows struck.

However, Mr Martens and Ms Martens were found by police to be totally uninjured at the scene. Neither had even a cut or a bruise.

The father and daughter lodged written submissions on why their appeal should be upheld last September.

Now, their legal teams will be allowed to directly address the three-judge panel on the appeal.

North Carolina prosecutors will, in turn, be allowed to make oral arguments against why the appeal should be dismissed.

In North Carolina, most appeal cases are dealt with by written submissions, though cases viewed as significant or complex are granted oral arguments.

The hearing will now be heard before Judge John Tyson, Judge Valerie Zachary and Judge Allegra Collins in late January.

The appeal panel will reserve their judgment with a ruling in the case not expected until April.
The National Museum of Ireland appears to have accepted it did not apply proper procedures when it suspended one of its assistant keepers over complaints about sexual harassment, it was claimed in the High Court.

Dr Andrew Halpin of Yellowmeadows Avenue, Clondalkin, Dublin, has brought proceedings against his employer, challenging the decision to suspend him as assistant keeper of Irish antiquities following media reports in February 2017 of alleged sexual harassment.

"The National Museum of Ireland seems to be tacitly saying it did not apply proper procedures," his counsel Frank Callanan said yesterday when counsel for the museum asked for another adjournment so that there could be correspondence between the parties.

Mr Callanan complained the museum had failed to deliver a replying affidavit as directed by the court last month.

Difficulties

Oisin Quinn SC, for the museum, said the position was more nuanced than that.

There were a number of difficulties including that certain employees no longer worked for the museum, the court was told.

Mr Quinn said there was also now an issue over whether the matter should be dealt with under the civil service code or under another policy of the museum.

His side wanted to deal with these matters through correspondence with Mr Halpin's solicitors and could do so over coming weeks, he said.

Mr Callanan said the fact remained his client was suffering enormous damage to his reputation in circumstances where the museum appeared to be saying now that proper procedures had not been applied.

Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds said that she would adjourn to the case until the new year.

However, Ms Justice Reynolds told Mr Quinn that Mr Callanan had made it clear they were not interested in further correspondence and wanted an affidavit from the museum replying to an earlier Halpin side affidavit.

That should be provided by January 15 and the case could come back to court the falling week.
A horse trader and serial sex offender has been jailed for a further year for the sexual assault of a young girl, whom he offered small amounts of money to keep their "secret".

John Phelan (54) was sentenced to nine years in prison last month for the rape of a girl who came to work with him because she dreamed of being a vet.

He also has a conviction for the sexual abuse of a third girl, dating back to 2008.

At Laois Circuit Court yesterday, Judge Keenan Johnson imposed a further 12-month sentence, consecutive to the current jail term.

Judge Johnson said Phelan's behaviour involved a gross breach of trust, and by offering the girl money to keep what happened a secret it was clear he was trying to manipulate her.

The woman has waived her right to anonymity so that her attacker can be named.

Phelan, of Kilbricken, Mountrath, Co Laois, was found guilty by a jury of two counts of sexually assaulting the then 11-year-old girl on dates in 1992 and 1993.

He was 28 years old at the time.

The court heard that Phelan had called to the girl's home and asked if she would help with some farm work.

He drove to the entrance of a field and as she went to climb over the gate he put his hands down her top and groped her breasts. He then offered her a pound, saying she was not to tell anyone.

On a second occasion, Phelan again fondled her and tried to force her to perform oral sex.

She resisted and refused to perform the act. The court heard the young girl then started to walk towards her home, which was miles away.

Phelan followed her and left her home. He offered her five pounds not to tell anyone.

The woman, who is now in her 30s, described herself as a survivor in her victim impact statement.

She said she was "confused and terrified" at the time, as the facts of life had not been explained, but she knew what happened was very strange.

She kept the abuse a secret for many years, but this had "tortured" her, and she had acted out as a teenager and had suffered with mental health problems.

Judge Johnson said the victim had been through a horrific experience, and he appreciated the stain the trial process had put on her.

When imposing sentence, Judge Johnson said the aggravating factors were the not-guilty plea, the abuse of trust and the impact the abuse had on the woman.

A mitigating factor was that Phelan now appeared to accept what he had done and regretted his actions.
Guilty: Brian Rattigan of Cooley Road, Drimnagh, Dublin, after he was found guilty of the murder of Declan Gavin on August 25, 2001. Photo: Collins Courts

Killer Brian Rattigan has told the mother of a man he stabbed to death 17 years ago: "I am very sorry for taking your son's life."

The gangland criminal's letter of apology for killing Declan Gavin was read out at his sentence hearing after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

"May Declan rest in peace and may God protect him," Rattigan said.

However, Mr Gavin's sister told the Central Criminal Court the timing of Rattigan's apology seemed "too convenient". In a victim impact statement, Tara Gavin said her world was "turned upside down" by her brother's death and after nearly 18 years the "loss and sadness doesn't disappear".

Her mother Pauline Gavin had not read Rattigan's apology and felt it came "too late", the court heard.

Mr Justice Michael White said he would impose sentence on January 24.

Rattigan, now 38, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Gavin (20), who he stabbed in the heart outside Abrakebabra at the Crumlin Shopping Centre on August 25, 2001.

Mr Gavin's killing sparked the infamous Crumlin-Drimnagh feud, which claimed 16 lives over the course of 10 years. Rattigan, of Cooley Road, Drimnagh, had previously gone on trial for murdering Mr Gavin and was convicted in 2009 but that was overturned on appeal.

His plea last October to the lesser charge was accepted by the State and Rattigan has remained in custody. Chief Supt Brian Sutton said Mr Gavin was out socialising at 3am when a Nissan Micra pulled up.

Witnesses heard shouting of "rat, where is he?" and a man wearing a balaclava - Rattigan - got out carrying a large knife and ran towards Mr Gavin, stabbing him in the hand and chest.

Mr Gavin retreated into Abrakebabra and collapsed, while Rattigan tried to follow him but the security man held the door shut.

Tara Gavin said after her brother died, the "happiness was taken from our home" and was replaced by "sudden sense of sadness".

"After so many years listening to 'I didn't kill Declan,' it seems the timing of this apology is a little too convenient," she said.

"We have waited nearly 18 years to hear what we knew 24 hours after Declan's death - that Brian Rattigan is responsible for the manslaughter of my brother."

Rattigan was in custody since 2003 and was serving a 17-year sentence for directing the supply of drugs from within prison, with a release date with remission in November 2019.

Brendan Grehan SC, defending, read out Rattigan's letter.

"Dear Mrs Gavin," it began. "I would like to apologise to you and your family for the events that led to the death of your son. I am very sorry for taking your son's life. I've regretted that night in silence ever since.

"I hope that after over 17 years it will be over and you will have closure. May Declan rest in peace and may God protect him."

Rattigan had taken part in Christmas pantomimes in Portlaoise prison including 'Cinderella' and 'The Wizard of Oz'. He regretted the stabbing which was "unplanned", had taken a lot of drink and cocaine on the night and was "out of it".

The court heard Rattigan had been in custody since February 15, 2003 and had served 22 years of combined sentences.

Mr Grehan said the court had discretion not to make the sentence consecutive.
A TEENAGER is to be charged today in relation to the murder of a former dissident Republican commander in Cork.

The 19-year-old, who was arrested in Cork early this morning, will appear before the Special Criminal Court in the Dublin Criminal Courts complex in connection with the execution-style killing of Aidan 'The Beast' O'Driscoll (37).

The dissident Republican commander died from shock and hemorrhage after he sustained four gunshot wounds in an execution-style attack weeks before Christmas in 2016.

Aidan 'The Beast' O'Driscoll (37) died after he was ambushed and shot on December 7 as he walked in Blackpool in Cork city.

Detectives fear it was a targeted attack by his old dissident Republican colleagues.

Despite his former dissident Republican associations, he earned his nickname 'The Beast' from his fearless exploits on the GAA pitch as a player.

A Cork coroner's inquest into Mr O'Driscoll's death was adjourned last year after Coroner Philip Comyn heard evidence of identification and cause of death.

The inquest was adjourned on the application of Gardai who are still investigating the murder.

A 40-strong team of detectives at Watercourse Road Garda Station have been investigating the killing which occurred on a busy Blackpool street.

Up to four vehicles were used in the getaway  two of which, a Nissan Almera and Vauxhall Astra van, were found burned out a couple of hours after the shooting on Redemption Road in the city and at Killeens.

However, a third vehicle, an Opel Astra, used by the killers to flee from Killeens, was only found shortly before Christmas in a remote ravine in Nadd.

A fourth vehicle was then used by the killers to flee from Nadd, possibly a Toyota Avensis.

Gardai also suspect a motorcyclist may have operated as a spotter for the gunmen waiting to ambush Mr ODriscoll.

Two weapons were also seized by detectives during a search of houses in Cork.

The weapons  a sawn-off shotgun and a US-made Colt semi-automatic pistol  were seized from a property on the Old Commons Road in Cork just hours after Mr ODriscoll was fatally shot.

Detectives are also considering whether Mr ODriscoll may have recognised one of his attackers seconds before he was shot.

He apparently realised he was about to be ambushed, turned and attempted to flee.

However, he was shot once in the back and fell to the pavement.

A gunman then walked up to him and shot him three more times.

Mr ODriscoll died just over an hour later as he was undergoing emergency surgery at Cork University Hospital (CUH).

Detectives renewed their appeal for information on the killing last year as they admitted people who were in the Blackpool area at the time have not yet come forward.

Supt Michael Comyns insisted Gardai are keeping a very open mind about the murder.

Mr ODriscoll was the victim of a punishment shooting in 2013 and was expelled from the dissident Republican group.

He had also apparently been warned about his recent activities which included associating with known Limerick criminals.

The former Delaneys GAA player also had numerous enemies within Munster-based drug gangs so detectives are not willing to rule out revenge as the motive for the killing.

It has been established that the getaway car used, a Nissan Almera registration number 01 TS 1312, was in the general Blackpool area for a number of hours prior to the murder.

We are also appealing for any taxi driver, driver or cyclists who have a Dashcam and were in the Blackpool area from 2pm onwards to contact Gardai.

A further appeal is being made for any witness who may have seen a white Vauxhall Astra van registration number 99 G 12357, a red Opel Astra car (reg no unknown) or a black Toyota Avensis (reg no unknown) on the day of the murder in the Blackpool area from 2pm to 5pm or in the Killeens area from 2pm to 6pm.

Special posters had been placed in Blackpool near the scene of the murder appealing for public information.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Anglesea Street Garda Station on (021) 4522000 or the Garda Confidential line (1800) 666111.
Olga Boylan, of Greencastle Avenue, Coolock, Dublin pictured leaving the Four Courts yesterday after a Circuit Civil Court action on behalf of her mum, Eileen Ormsby. Photo: Collins Courts

An 87-year-old woman, who fractured one of her vertebrae and broke her left wrist when she fell in a Dublin nursing home, has been awarded 40,000 damages in the Circuit Civil Court.

Barrister Grainne Larkin told the court that Eileen Ormsby, had fallen in a bathroom at Beechlawn Nursing Home, Northwood Park, Santry, but the incident had not been witnessed by anyone.

Ms Larkin, who appeared with Gillian Browne of Ferrys Solicitors for Ms Ormsby, said it was believed her fall had been caused by a wet floor but Ms Ormsby, who was of very advanced years, would be unable to assist a court with regard to details of the incident which had occurred in August last year.

Ms Ormsby, formerly of Buttercup Park, Darndale, Dublin 17, sued TLC Nursing Home Limited through her daughter Olga Boylan who had provided sworn evidence to the court for the purpose of her mothers claim.

Ms Larkin told Judge Siobhan Ni Chulachain that Ms Ormsby had suffered a fracture to her low back at the T12 area and broke her left wrist. Following the accident she had been taken to Beaumont Accident and Emergency Department and, following examination of her injuries, had been detained in the hospital for treatment over a period of five weeks.

Professor Samuel J. McConkey, in a medical report, stated that Ms Ormsbys injuries had caused significant and prolonged admission to hospital and hospital reports of her complaints were consistent with a fall as described.

He said the lady had suffered excessive pain, the treatment of which required the use of opiates. She had undergone a period of delirium and increased confusion for six weeks following the accident. For some time she had to wear a back brace.

Ms Larkin said TLC Nursing home had made a settlement offer of 40,000 to Ms Ormsby and she was recommending that the court accept the offer.

Judge Ni Chulachain, accepting that Ms Ormsby could have difficulty in establishing exactly what happened, approved the offer. She said Ms Ormsby had been unattended in the bathroom at the time. The judge felt her ability to give evidence of her loss and suffering could also create a difficulty for her.

Judge Ni Chulachain was told Ms Ormsbys condition had returned to base level following her hospital treatment. She continues to reside at the nursing home.
PEOPLE like Brexiteer Jacob Rees Mogg would do well to focus on Irish history, Tanaiste Simon Coveney has said.

The Foreign Affairs Minister has urged legislators in Westminster who are opposed to the backstop to educate themselves on the story of Northern Ireland.

While Mr Coveney is usually very reserved in his comments about UK politics, he told journalists at a pre-Christmas briefing that MPs need to remind themselves of the violence and tragedy and division linked to the challenges that we've had on the island of Ireland north and south and within Northern Ireland itself.

He said that is why the Irish and UK governments are trying to ensure we never go back.

Mr Rees Mogg, who has been an ardent critic of British Prime Minister Theresa May, has repeatedly insisted the backstop is not necessary.

He is among the MPs in Mrs Mays party who are committed to ensuring that the Withdrawal Agreement does not pass the House of Commons in the New Year.

Today he tweeted: No deal means no hard border so no need for the backstop.

Asked to response, Mr Coveney said: I'm not going to get into commenting on Jacob Rees Mogg or the comments that he makes, other than to say the Irish Government from the very outset saw the dangers and continues to see the dangers of the potential corrosive effect of border infrastructure between the two jurisdictions on this island, upsetting the normality that so many people have worked so hard to create over the last 20 years and before that.

Many people paid the ultimate price because of the absence of a successful peace process.

He went on to say: People like Jacob Rees Mogg in my view would do well to focus on Irish history.

The Tanaiste said Mrs May understands the sensitivities in Northern Ireland and to her credit has made a very strong defence of the need for an insurance mechanism and a fallback position which has become known as the backstop.

Asked by Independent.ie how Ireland plans to avoid a hard border in the event that the UK crashes out without a deal, Mr Coveney said nothing will happen in that area while the Withdrawal Agreement is on the table.

For us to be exploring or talking about other options that are not easily put together is not wise, he said.

The Tanaiste argued that the Irish government and EU cannot take sole responsibility for resolving the border question.

The UK has an obligations under the Good Friday Agreement. They are shared co-guarantors of that agreement. The British Prime Minister has said many times that physical border infrastructure should not and cannot re-emerge on the island of Ireland. Karen Bradley has said deal or no deal we have to ensure there is no border infrastructure on the island of Ireland, he said.

This is all happening because of a decision the United Kingdom has made that Ireland is trying to respond to in a reasonable and respectful way to protect our own interests.

 Primary responsibility here lies in London, not in Dublin in relation to contingency in the absence of being able to ratify a deal that the British government signed up. I think its important thats where the focus should remain.
GARDAI have sealed off a KBC Bank office block in Dublin after an incident of criminal damage overnight.

A fire broke out in the lobby of the building on the south side of the city late last night with a number of windows also smashed during the incident.

The fire was extinguished by Dublin Fire Brigade but the front entrance of the premises is still cordoned off.

Gardai in Pearse St are investigating an incident of Criminal damage at a premises on Sandwith St., Dublin 2 on the 20th of December 2018. The incident occurred at approximately 11.25pm, a garda spokeswoman said.

Dublin Fire Brigade also attended the scene and extinguished a fire in the lobby of the premises and windows were also damaged in the incident.

A technical examination of the scene is currently being carried out.

It is understood that staff are able to attend work as normal this morning.

Following the attack on the bank's Dublin headquarters overnight, KBC Ireland confirmed it is taking extra security measures to protect staff.

Our staffs safety is of the utmost importance to us. We have taken additional measures to ensure that our people feel safe in their work, a spokesman for the bank said.

More to follow
Irish patients may be suffering a shortage of some drugs as the UK builds up a stockpile ahead of its departure from the EU.

There are currently shortages of a local anaesthetic injection used by hospitals and dentists. Two brands of blood pressure tablets are also running low.

Darragh O'Loughlin, head of the Irish Pharmacy Union, said there was no evidence of a direct link between the UK stockpiling and shortages here but there are increasing anecdotal reports that it was having an effect.

He called on Health Minister Simon Harris to make contingency planning for the supply of medicines a top government priority amid rising fears of a no-deal Brexit.

More than 75 million prescriptions are made each year in Ireland and the impact of a no-deal Brexit "could be profound", said Mr O'Loughlin.

"Almost 70pc of medicines supplied in Ireland come to us from or through the UK. In addition, six out of 10 medicines in Irish pharmacies share packaging or leaflets with the UK market.

"The testing of medicines may also be severely impacted. Typically, every batch of medicine imported into the EU undergoes 'batch testing'.

"This involves confirming by laboratory analysis that it has the correct composition. Medicines from the UK which did not require batch testing in 2018 will require this process in 2019, risking delays in the delivery of medicines to wholesalers, to pharmacies and, ultimately, to patients.

"This would generate additional costs for suppliers, which would inevitably be passed on to patients and the State," added Mr O'Loughlin.

Stockpiling was "not a feasible solution to any medicines supply difficulties post-Brexit".

"Even if pharmacies and wholesalers had the physical storage space to do so, this would still only be a short-term measure. We need clear guidance and practical solutions to benefit patients.

"There is an urgent requirement for a transition period to be agreed with our EU partners so we can plan for any new testing or packaging requirements."

There were more than 15,000 medications authorised in the State: "Given the sheer scale of work that could be required to retain this supply of medicines, information about what contingencies are being put in place is long overdue and patients need to be reassured."
Hospitals should exercise "compassion and common sense" in how patients who are under financial pressure are pursued for the payment of fees and charges, Health Minister Simon Harris has insisted.

He was responding to revelations by the Irish Cancer Society that seriously ill patients are being hounded by debt collectors for outstanding in-patient charges of up to 800.

He said: "I know we have a caring and compassionate health service.

"Nobody wants to see people who are ill pursued in this manner. Hospitals have discretion and should use it.

"My understanding from the HSE is that is their expectation and they want to hear about any cases where it is not happening. Compassion and common sense should prevail."

CervicalCheck campaigner Vicky Phelan described the practice as "disgraceful" and said cancer patients should be given a medical card automatically which would free them from the unnecessary worry and burden of charges.

Public patients are liable for an 80-a-night in-patient charge which rises to a maxium of 800 in a year.

"When I was undergoing cancer treatment I did not get a medical card but my husband who was a mature student received one. The system is unfair," said Ms Phelan.

Chief executive of the Irish Cancer Society, Averil Power, said the letters are leading to distress and worry for patients as they undergo cancer treatment.

She called for an end to the use of debt collectors for cancer patients.

The society said patients are being sent letters threatening legal action and warning them their name will be published in 'Stubbs Gazette'.

James Treacy, managing director of the 'Gazette', said he objected to the use of his publication in this way and would be seeking the removal of any reference to it in any letter.

He said it is not applicable in these cases as inclusion in 'Stubbs Gazette' only follows a registered judgement.

Lea Hearst from Dublin, who was diagnosed with breast cancer, spoke of how she was extremely upset to get one of the debt collector's letters: "I'm really grateful the Irish Cancer Society is raising this issue. I was shocked when I started getting calls and letters on a regular basis from a debt collection agency. I found this extremely upsetting in the middle of fighting my cancer.

"I was very fearful about what it might mean for me if I didn't deal directly with debt collectors. To be charged for basic treatment was hard to take in the first place, but to have that charge sent to a debt collector added a great deal of stress to a very difficult situation," she said.

A spokeswoman for the HSE said patients who attend public hospitals are, depending on their eligibility, and subject to certain exemptions, liable to statutory charges.

"The HSE has a statutory obligation to charge and collect these charges and hospitals have the discretion to operate payment plans where appropriate," she said.

"If any patient has difficulty paying a hospital bill we would advise they contact their hospital directly.
Christmas cards that feature images of boozing give the wrong message that over-indulgence is acceptable, experts have warned.

A rosy-cheeked Santa enjoying some mulled wine during a break on his rounds can "influence views on drinking and reinforce this as a social norm", the 'British Medical Journal' (BMJ) reports.

The warning was issued by public health specialists in the UK - but was echoed by Prof Joe Barry of Trinity College in Dublin.

Prof Barry pointed out that the greeting cards featuring alcohol were not confined to the festive season.

The long-time campaigner for more curbs on alcohol said that the boozy images are increasingly featuring on birthday, exam and job success cards.

He asked: "Do alcohol companies pay for this? Norms are reinforced. This means that issues such as public drunkenness are more tolerated.

"It reinforces the perception of Ireland as a drinking country.

"It would be good to have other national symbols to lessen the exposure of our citizens to alcohol marketing, branding and product placement."

In the study published in the 'BMJ', Tracey Polak and Virginia Pearson of Devon County Council say the alcohol-based cards are not setting the right example.

Henry Cole is widely credited with creating the first Christmas card in the UK in 1843. It depicted a scene showing people drinking.

In 1980, an analysis of greeting cards revealed themes that suggested getting drunk is a natural and desirable part of celebrations - and that drunkenness is humorous, enjoyable, and harmless.

Illustrations and texts portray alcohol as enjoyable and fun, and can range from a glass of Champagne with the word "cheers" to those that are more excessive and encourage binge drinking, said the report authors.

Phrases such as "let's get wrecked", "all the gin" and "trollied" are printed across images of people clearly drunk, surrounded by empty bottles, drinking directly from a bottle, or in some cases unconscious.

But the idea that excess drinking as shown on many cards is normal, enjoyable and to be encouraged is at variance with public health messages, the authors added.

They point to people drinking at levels which increase their risk of health harms.

Alcohol consumption is the leading risk factor for ill-health, early death and disability in those aged 15 to 49.

As the card market adapts and produces new themes, the report authors say it is worth considering whether it influences societal views or whether societal views influence the card market.

They suspect the truth probably lies in the middle.

"As alcohol themes become more prevalent then a cultural norm develops where drinking in association with celebration becomes the expected."

And while manufacturers are unlikely to respond to public health lobbying to depict more responsible drinking, "they may change what they produce if consumers choose not to buy cards depicting irresponsible drinking".

Whether this leads to changes in alcohol consumption is another question, they concede.
Doctors are to be given advice from their regulatory body which removes any ethical conflict to their participation in abortion services.

The Medical Council will be writing to all doctors to reassure them they can deliver the service under the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 which was signed into law by President Michael D Higgins yesterday.

The Nursing and Midwifery Board, which regulates nurses, has also told the profession it is not a breach of their code to provide services under the new law.

The Minister for Health, Simon Harris, said he will sign a number of legal instruments today to enact the new law.

It paves the way for the introduction of wider abortion services from January 1.

Several hundred GPs are believed to have signed a contract to provide medical abortion but they still need clarification from the HSE about the maternity hospitals which will be participating and the extent of services they will provide.

The legislation will allow for unrestricted medical abortion up to twelve weeks.

Women whose unborn baby had been diagnosed with a fatal foetal abnormality will also be entitled to request an abortion.

The new law also allows for termination where there is a risk to life or of serious harm to the health of the expectant mother.

A helpline which will provide counselling and also directions to the nearest provider will be available to women from January 1.

The abortion procedure itself will be free of charge.

However, the woman undergoing the abortions will have to pay for any additional medication, including pain relief or antibiotics.

GPs are to be paid a fee of 450 for the service.
AN INVESTIGATION is underway into the circumstances in which some passengers were removed from a Dublin-bound flight at a London airport which included former Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Ireland South European Parliament candidate Kieran Hartley.

Two passengers were asked to step off the Airbus aircraft as it was preparing to push back from its gate at Heathrow Airport after a boarding issue emerged - with the Irish politicians and other passengers looking on in bemusement as the duo left the flight and departure was ultimately delayed for over four hours.

It is understood the issue focused on the fact the crew realised the flight manifest details for Aer Lingus Fight EI0177 did not correspond with some of the passengers on board.

Aer Lingus insisted there was no security problem involved.

"There was no security breach. There was a ticketing error," a spokesperson said.

The flight was due to depart London Heathrow at 7.45pm on Thursday night, arriving into Dublin Airport at 9pm.

The gate for the flight closed at 7.20pm.

Heathrow was described as being "absolutely mental" on Thursday night due to heavy Christmas passenger numbers and flight diversions from Gatwick which had been closed due to illegal drone overflights.

However, the Aer Lingus departure was delayed at Heathrow as the flight crew checked the apparent discrepancy in the manifest.

Two passengers were later identified and asked by personnel to get off the plane to clarify the issue.

One eye-witness, a passenger who asked not to be identified, said armed airport police boarded the flight to supervise the security and boarding checks by the flight crew.

"No-one knew what was going on. There was a lot of activity involving security personnel at the front of the plane and then we saw two people talking to the flight crew and the Heathrow police," he said.

Both passengers eventually agreed to get off the flight.

However, both were annoyed at being asked to leave the aircraft and apparently declined to identify the luggage they had brought on board the flight.

The departure was further delayed while a major check was conducted on board to match all baggage with the passengers remaining.

The plane later pushed back from its stand and was preparing for its take-off slot when another piece of unverified luggage was discovered and the plane had to return to a gate at Terminal 2.

Following further security checks, the plane as eventually cleared for take-off at to Dublin 11.30pm.

"We got into Dublin really late. It was manic in Heathrow because of all the passengers who had been diverted there from Gatwick due to the drone problem," he said.

"But I have to pay tribute to the Aer Lingus pilot and the flight crew because they were absolutely fantastic throughout."

"They did their best to keep everyone informed of what was happening and there was complimentary drinks offered to people while we waited to be eventually cleared for take-off."

UK airports do not comment on specific security issues.
Kai Corkum died following a road traffic collision in Newtownards, Co Down, on Thursday (PSNI/PA)

The small blue coffin of three-year-old boy Kai Corkum was carried from his funeral service to the sound of his favourite song Baby Shark in an emotional ceremony yesterday.

More than 100 mourners including Kai's parents Yasmine (26) and Michael (31), his grandparents and great-grandmother, filled the Newtownards funeral home in Co Down to mark the life of the youngster who died after being knocked down on the town's Movilla Road last Thursday.

Little Kai had been walking to the shop with his aunt Amanda Corkum (23) to get a lollipop when the collision occurred.

He was subsequently declared brain dead, and his family took the devastating decision to turn off his life-support on Friday.

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A 21-year-old man arrested at the scene on suspicion of dangerous driving was released on police bail pending further enquiries.

The funeral home that hosted Kai's service was the same one in which the funeral of his little sister Lily-mai was held two years ago, after the baby girl passed away aged just 19 weeks.

She had been born with a heart condition and contracted pneumonia, which led to her death.

Kai's small coffin, upon which a teddy of his favourite Paw Patrol character Chase was placed, was carried in to the song Jealous Of The Angels.

During the service one of Kai's aunts read out a poem on behalf of his brothers Mason (4) and Tyler (6).

The first lines read: "The special memories of you Kai will always bring a smile.

"If only we could have you back for just a little while."

Rev Sue Bell told mourners that there was terrible grief over the tragedy.

"Many of you, like the family and like myself, were here almost two years ago, January 2017, when we celebrated an equally short life of Lily-mai," she said.

"And now today we're here for Kai.

"This grief is raw and it's painful, but don't hide it, go with it. There is no right way to grieve."

Rev Bell said there could not be a "greater contrast" than the Christmas season and the loss of a young life.

"At this time of year we are preparing on one hand to celebrate Christmas, when Jesus was born as a baby, and on the other hand we are here at the funeral of a young, vibrant boy, Kai, who has suddenly and tragically been taken away from his family, his friends and his community," she said.

She added that, since the incident, compassion had been shown through the "continued love and support from Kai's family towards Yasmine and Michael, Tyler and Mason".

"The times I've had dealings with them have been times of immense crisis," she said.

"That family bond, that loving bond, is very, very strong."

The minister also paid tribute to the love and support the family had received from friends, the community and staff at Chuckles nursery, where Kai attended.

And she acknowledged the "sensitive care of paramedics, doctors and nurses, and people at the scene of accident who tried to help Kai".

"There has been so much outpouring of compassion, this tragic event has touched the lives of so many, both here in Newtownards and beyond," she continued.

"And the reason for this is not just that Kai was part of a family and a community, but it's also because of the person that he was."

Rev Bell said Kai had "made a real impression on people" despite his young age.

"Kai had an infectious smile, it was something that Yasmine and Michael kept saying over and over again, this huge smiley face that he had, the cheeky personality, amazing energy.

"He was apparently on the go all the time.

"Michael said when Kai got up the whole house got up.

"No one was actually going to stay in bed if Kai was on his feet.

"It seems to me that for Kai, if the day had begun, then life was for living and he was going to live it to the full.

"There was a world out there and he wanted to explore it. He was fearless.

"Kai loved to order his day doing the things that he loved to do.

"How many of us wish we could live just like that, ordering our day from the moment we get up?

"He had so much life, so much energy and potential, and life truly will not be the same without him."

Rev Bell said that Kai is now in Heaven.

She added: "Kai is now held in the loving presence of Jesus, and he will enjoy the benefits of the resurrection - eternal life, which has within it the same fullness of life and more that Kai possessed and demonstrated while he was here.

"Life will never be the same again, and nor should it.

"Kai lived life, he was part of a family, he should be remembered.

"But there will be hope of life, a different life, a restored life."

Little Kai's coffin, painted in his favourite colour, was carried out of the church by father Michael and uncle Darren Corkum to the sound of his favourite song.

The funeral procession made its way around a route in the town, with mourners taking turns to carry the coffin and members of the public lining the route in sympathy.

The little coffin was then placed in the back of the hearse, which contained floral wreathes spelling out the words 'Son' and 'Brother', before being taken to Ballywalter's Whitechurch Cemetery, where Kai was laid to rest beside his baby sister Lily-mai.
An Post has seen a massive surge in packages arriving at mail depots this year, as the popularity of online shopping continues to rise.

Deliveries faced a two-day delay earlier this week as a result of an unprecedented rise in parcel volumes.

According to An Post, Amazon deliveries alone were almost five times higher compared to what they're used to at Christmas.

"During the peak pre-Christmas season which starts in early November, An Post would normally receive four 40 foot trucks of parcels each night from Amazon," Anna McHugh, head of communications at An Post told Independent.ie.

"This year, we were receiving 22 forty foot trucks all packed with parcels every day  and that was just from Amazon - multiples of what we (or they) were forecasting."

Ms McHugh said they noticed a rise among Irish companies, particularly gifts from the fashion, toys and homewares sectors.

The company also noticed an increase in people signing up to their AddressPal system, which allows consumers to ship items from countries like the US that don't normally deliver to Irish shores.

"More than 200,000 Irish customers have registered for An Posts AddressPal service, and we've handled almost 1.5 million AddressPal items for our customers," she said.

As the cut off date for online shopping comes to an end this week, the remaining days will see a surge in last-minute Christmas cards being delivered before Christmas Day.

She ensured consumers that despite a two-day delay earlier this week, customers will still arrive their packages before Christmas.

"As a result of volumes we had delays of about two days on some deliveries earlier this month but thanks to an huge effort by all our staff, everything received into An Post on time, will be delivered before Christmas," Ms McHugh said.

"In recent days the volume of parcels has declined, in line with online shopping deadlines, and its all about Christmas Cards from now until Christmas Eve."

All post offices will be open all day tomorrow and until 1pm on Christmas Eve for last minute gifts, currency, and mail services.

The post offices will reopen on Thursday 28th December and postal deliveries will also resume on Friday 28th December.
President Michael D Higgins says a radical approach is required to solve Ireland's homelessness.

In an interview with broadcaster Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh - which will be aired on RTE Raidio na Gaeltachta on Saturday - President Higgins said those who are caught up in the crisis are to the forefront of his thoughts this Christmas.

It grieves me to think about those who are homeless, those on the streets. We cant continue to accept things as they are, I believe that we must do something radical," he said.

He also said he will be working through Christmas and is in the process of studying 16 pieces of legislation which are due to be signed by him before December 31. Some of these will be signed on Christmas Day.

President Higgins and his wife Sabina will be celebrating Christmas with all their family, with one of their sons returning from abroad. Mr Higgins said himself and Sabina will take some private time between December 28 and January 9, when he will be launching the Young Scientist of the Year in the RDS.

Reflecting on the last year, the President said that it was a very important year for womens rights, recalling that even as recently as 1974 when he married Sabina that the marriage ban was still in place.

The interview - which was conducted in the Aras - will feature in a special festive edition of 'Blathnaid Libh'.

There will be live music from Moya Brennan and Cormac de Barra, and Blathnaid will be joined in studio by different generations of some of the Irish-speaking families in Dublin.

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Martina Fitzgerald is to leave RTE, just weeks after it was revealed she would not be re-appointed to her role as political correspondent.

She worked for the public broadcaster for 18 years.

At the start of this month it was revealed that Paul Cunningham would take up the position of political correspondent and that Ms Fitzgerald would not be reappointed to the role.

Ms Fitzgerald has been the face of RTE's political coverage on the Six One News for the last five years.

She has spent recent weeks promoting her bestselling book Madam Politician, which charts the plight of women who ran for election in Ireland. She has also been an outspoken advocate for gender pay equality.

Under a deal agreed by RTE unions, correspondent positions are reviewed every five years.

Martina Fitzgerald said: After almost 18 years working with RTE News & Current Affairs today marks my departure for new professional adventures. I take great pride in my work reporting from Leinster House as RTEs Political Correspondent and especially covering the dramatic 2016 general election and subsequent prolonged government formation process as well as the historic referendums on Marriage Equality and the Eighth Amendment.

"I loved every minute reporting on political developments - and providing analysis and context - for RTEs audience. Thank you to my colleagues who helped me with all this work and to everyone for their loyalty and decency.

Jon Williams, Managing Director RTE News & Current Affairs said: During her time in RTE Martina has distinguished herself as a hardworking and dedicated journalist who has worked on many of RTEs flagship radio and television programmes such as Morning Ireland and Six One News. Martina reported extensively on a range of subjects in particular as Political Correspondent based in Leinster House.

"She has been an integral part of RTEs extensive and substantial coverage of general elections and referendums and other important and significant political events over the past five years. We wish Martina every success in her future endeavours.
"Oh hello, old lady!" The five-year-old waves cheerily as I arrive downstairs, primped and painted for my one and only Christmas night out. In that moment I know not so much that less is more, but that for 40 and beyond, less is most definitely required.

Rubbing off the top layer of warpaint from my face, I remark that I am actually Not That Old, being in fact the same age as the Very Young Looking lady on the telly, whom they are currently watching kicking her legs over her head on Strictly.

"Are you sure?" says First Child. "Her face is awful smooth to be like you."

And so it is, in this magical season, that it isn't the great Santa reveal that destroys the innocence of childhood, it's the explanation as to why almost every woman on telly over the age of 40 has facial fillers.

First Child wants to know what happened to "it's not how you look, it's what you do that matters". Second Child is researching the age at which she can legally obtain cosmetic surgery. Third Child is still cracking up over my old lady face.

This week, women in the media have been debating whether it should be illegal for their images to be enhanced to present a better reality on our screens and magazines - an act of puffery so commonplace that we neither contest nor believe it.

Of course, no one is really enraged. It's all just another way for celebrities to work their ticket.

I'm more fascinated with the physical modifications many women are undergoing, ones that give their whole lives the veneer of a computerised touch-up. Women who tell young girls to "believe they are good enough" while excising their lined foreheads because they are a mark of freakery, rather than a testament to a life lived.

Yes, witnessing the march of time across your face can be depressing if you're not able to be a grown-up about it; the doughty arguments around a woman's right (or otherwise) to "make the best of herself" are more so.

"You're a better dancer than her," says First Child, resurrecting the idea it's how you are seen by the people you love that really matters. How many of us have the courage to be happy with that?

The good grief guide

British rapper Professor Green is calling for a National Grief Awareness Day, where society can publicly honour the lives of loved ones.

Well, we have a National Squirrel Appreciation Day, so why not a day for publicly commemorating lost loved ones?

I'm guessing the professor isn't acqainted with the Irish wake, All Souls' Day, the Blessing of the Graves or the month's mind Mass. Religion doesn't have a monopoly on grief, but it does offer one thing a secular society with its "awareness days" lacks: a private framework through which you can openly grieve.

Whether you ultimately find solace in the idea of an afterlife is possibly less important than the acknowledgement the Church extends to the bereaved. The opportunity for mass catharsis via an awareness day won't make people's personal grief any more or less real.

Reasons to be cheerful

If you really crave a break from the busyness this Christmas, why not, like me, opt for an MRI of the brain?

A 20-minute hiatus in a whirring headlock gives you just about enough time to experience a quiet revelation about what's really important in life, and costs less than you'd spend panic-buying in Arnotts in the same period.

Isn't everything we do this Christmas - from writing cards to buying 1,001 presents to eating too much to moaning about family - really an immense privilege in this, the most wonderful time of the year?
The events which unfolded at the Family Court in Smithfield were bound to occur at some stage, given the dearth of security at the building.

Unlike the nearby Four Courts and Criminal Courts of Justice complexes, there is no airport-style security screening at Phoenix House.

Gardai are also thin on the ground in the building as they are in most civil courts around the country.

This has been an issue of concern for the Courts Service, members of the judiciary and lawyers for several years now.

Garda cutbacks during the recession meant while these concerns were heard and security was reviewed, boots were not actually put on the ground in any great number.

There have been previous disturbances in family and circuit civil courts, some of them quite serious.

In December 2015 a District Court judge was assaulted during a family law sitting.

According to the Bar of Ireland, barristers have also been assaulted.

A spokesman for the Courts Service confirmed senior members of the judiciary had expressed security concerns on a number of occasions.

The Courts Service requested that An Garda Siochana makes additional gardai available at family law courts.

But it was only very recently that a Garda presence was assigned to Phoenix House.

This was fortuitous as a garda overheard yesterday's disturbance and was able to call for back-up.

It was also fortuitous there were several gardai across the road at a sitting of the Children's Court.

Within minutes members of the Armed Support Unit were also on the scene and the matter was brought to a peaceful conclusion.

An urgent meeting took place yesterday evening between Brendan Ryan, the chief executive of the Courts Service, and senior gardai.

The incident at Phoenix House is yet another wake-up call.

Next time, the outcome may be a lot more serious.

Courts can be difficult enough places for litigants and those who work there without the added headache of security worries.

Having a garda present during or in the vicinity of proceedings may not fully eradicate disturbances, but it can serve as a significant deterrent or calming influence.

Other things can be done too to lessen the likelihood of disturbances.

This was seen in recent years when court officials began profiling upcoming repossession cases to assess where additional gardai should be drafted in.

The move followed a number of flashpoints where courts were effectively taken over by anti-authoritarian groups.

Incidents occurred at courthouses in Mayo, Wexford and Limerick.

In some instances county registrars had to flee from their bench or hearings had to be adjourned.
Child of our time, our times have robbed your cradle./Sleep in a world your final sleep has woken.

When the poet Eavan Boland saw a newspaper photograph of a fireman tenderly lifting a dead child from the debris of the Dublin bombings in 1974, she was inspired to put pen to paper to try to make sense of such a terrible tragedy.

'Child of our Time' was the result and with it Boland managed to write a poem that was a response to the sudden and senseless death of all children.

I thought of 'Child of our Time' when I read of Liam Marren's compassionate and powerful victim impact statement. Liam Marren's little boy, Cian, was just six years old when he was killed by a van that broke a red light at a pedestrian crossing. Cian did everything right. He pressed the button and waited for the green man until he crossed the road. James O'Brien, who was later jailed for four years, did everything wrong. He broke the lights and he killed the boy.

My heart goes out to everybody in this terrible story. To all of Cian's family and friends who have been left senselessly bereft and devastated, to James O'Brien who has a heavy, heavy burden to bear for the rest of his life and, most of all, to Cian whose life was cut short for no reason.

Yet, in spite of all this, Liam Marren and his family have managed to create a tiny glimmer of light out of this dark episode.

In his victim impact statement, Mr Marren told James O'Brien his family forgave him. He said that despite "the unbearable pain, hurt, suffering and anguish, and the life sentence of loss we are living, the one emotion we don't have is bitterness". Then he added: "We want James O'Brien to know that our son Cian forgives you."

Somehow, within all the pain that Liam Marren and his family have suffered, they have kept with them the purity of six-year-old Cian who knew no bitterness. Reading about such extraordinary kindness made me wonder, if the Marren family can do this, can all of us?

Can we salvage something out of the dark times by resolving to making the world that bit better?

Considering the kindness of the Marren family and considering we're the ones who are left behind and still alive, could we, as a gesture, take a deep breath and make sure we add to the sum of peace and joy in this difficult and hurt world?

If every single person who learns of a pointless death re-appreciates the preciousness of their own lives and becomes a better person as a result, then perhaps there could be some scintilla of hope beyond the heartbreak.

Children create the magic in this world. They bring with them life, fun, tenderness and a sense of hope for the future.

Could we choose to be the person who, along with the kids, adds to the magic this Christmas instead of to the misery?

There will be plenty of opportunities to take the high road or the mean and nasty road in the coming days. We can sail right into the forthcoming row with grim determination or we can, despite everything, spread a sense of goodwill and peace.

Now that we're at the weirdest time of the year; that crazy week where we are suddenly expected to have a great time with the very people we spend the rest of the year studiously avoiding, we can face this Christmas like a test on our kindness.

Because Eavan Boland's poem tells us that if we are to find some meaning from the senseless death of a child then we must find a new language; a new way of being. We must appreciate the life we have and the life these children don't have because, simply put, we owe it to them.

We can learn how to be better people; we can learn how to speak so others will hear us; how to act so we don't hurt other people. Boland speaks to the child in the poem and says: 'We who should have known how to instruct... must learn from you dead.'

In the face of needless and tragic death, the only thing we can do is to commit to being a better person. Otherwise what are we here for?
Diamonds, they say, are made under pressure until it is their time to shine. If there is any lustre attached to Brexit it is impossible to spot, even on the darkest day of the year. All hope seems to have been lost somewhere between Theresa May's red lines and the backstop.

From the outset, the danger lay in the UK sailing in one direction, the EU in another, and Ireland being left adrift. The situation was not of our making, but that will not prevent a hard Border unless May either gets her deal over the line - highly unlikely - or does a 180-degree about-turn on her refusal to hold a second referendum.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Foreign Minister Simon Coveney stood firm on the backstop. They felt the weight of history, with the Good Friday Agreement thrown into the mix, as if it could be bartered on the basis of a nod and wink. There must be space enough to contract or expand.

They say a skilful diplomat will think twice before saying nothing. All the hot air so far wasted on Brexit has merely added to the fog.

The British are not best pleased with the rigid position taken on the backstop.

We had little choice, and there is much truth in "he who walks in the middle will be hit by both sides". The human tendency to seek to displace responsibility for any mess, especially one's own, has asserted itself.

It may be the backstop was something May could never sell. But is that really the point? At least the EU and negotiators knew what they wanted.

With less than 100 days to go to a divorce, it is astounding that it is still impossible to say what precisely the British want. They do not appear to know themselves.

From our perspective, we know we stand to lose billions; and billions more in tariffs. We have a massive security challenge in policing the Border. It is facile and frankly unacceptable for the UK to merely insist it does not want one. A no-deal Brexit, which it is hurtling towards, renders one inevitable.

Tanaiste Simon Coveney admits the challenges are both "stark" and "sobering". The consequences for this country are indeed severe. But the outlook for the UK of a crash-out Brexit is also far from rosy.

At the same time, Tory ministers are deep in a war of words after Amber Rudd became the first UK cabinet member to float the idea of a second referendum.

Her intervention was welcomed as a "massive moment" by campaigners calling for a so-called People's Vote. Yet rather than examine their options, there is a clamour from Brexiteers to seize on the fallout for Ireland, to press our Government to be more "helpful".

One Tory MP, Henry Smith, has suggested: "Leo Varadkar has not been very helpful in the Brexit process."

This is not a hole we can dig the UK out of - the shovel is as yet in their own hands.
A rescue team is pictured at the CSM coal mine (AP)

The death toll in a methane explosion at a coal mine in the north-east of the Czech Republic has increased to 13.

OKD mining company spokesman Ivo Celechovsky said 12 of the dead were Polish nationals while one was Czech.

Another 10 miners were injured in the explosion on Thursday afternoon at the CSM mine near the town of Karvina. Previously, the death toll stood at five.

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Polish President Andrzej Duda declared Sunday a day of national mourning for the victims of the tragedy.

Flags in Poland will be lowered to half-mast on public buildings and large sporting and entertainment events will be cancelled.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis have offered their condolences to the families of the victims.

The two leaders visited the mine.

To our knowledge  there is a fire underground, very high temperature, very high risk of subsequent explosions, Mr Morawiecki said.

The Polish leader visited two injured miners at the University Hospital in the nearby city of Ostrava.

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One of them was in a critical condition with burns over 50% of his body, hospital spokeswoman Nada Chattova said.

Another miner was released after being treated in Karvina.

I wish to express words of deepest sympathy to all the close victims of the mining disaster in Karvina, Mr Morawiecki said.

This is a huge tragedy for all Poles and Czechs. On this difficult day, we strongly show our solidarity and sense of national community.

The explosion occurred about 2,600ft underground.

OKD executive director Boleslav Kowalczyk said rescue efforts are continuing despite a fire in the mine.
Three more suspects have been arrested over the killings of two Scandinavian tourists in Morocco's Atlas Mountains.

The development came as the Danish intelligence agency said the killings "may be related" to Islamic State (Isil).

The three new suspects were arrested in Marrakech as they tried to flee in a bus, according to national security spokesman Boubker Sabik.

He said authorities are investigating whether the three have terrorist affiliations, adding that no other suspects are being sought.

They were named as Rachid Afatti, Ouziad Younes and Ejjoud Abdessamad.

Another suspect was arrested on Tuesday, and a Moroccan prosecutor said he had affiliations to an extremist group, without naming it.

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The killings have shocked Morocco, a popular tourist destination where attacks on foreigners are extremely rare.

The women's bodies were found on Monday in the Atlas Mountains, an area prized by hikers.

The killings can be considered "politically motivated and thus an act of terror", Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said.

He said "there are still dark forces that want to fight our values" and "we must not give in".

Mr Loekke Rasmussen confirmed the victims' identities as Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, of Denmark, and Maren Ueland, from Norway.

"What should have been a holiday trip turned into a nightmare," he told reporters.

In neighbouring Norway, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said terrorism "is not the only lead that is being investigated in Morocco" but said the case still "emphasises the importance of combating violent extremism".

"We trust that Moroccan authorities are doing their utmost to arrest those responsible for the murders," she told a news conference.

In a statement, Denmark's domestic security agency said the preliminary investigations "indicate, according to Moroccan authorities, that the killings may be related to the terrorist organisation the Islamic State group".

The bodies were found in a remote mountainous region, 10km from the village of Imlil - often the starting point for treks to Mount Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak.

Moroccan media outlets reported that investigators have video surveillance footage showing three suspects putting up a tent near the victims' tent and leaving the area after the killings.

The website of state broadcaster 2M published photos that it said were of the three suspects taken on a bus.

The Norwegian victim's mother, Irene Ueland, told broadcaster NRK that her daughter had taken safety precautions before making the trip.

Authorities in Denmark and Norway on Wednesday warned their citizens against hiking without local guides in Morocco. Danish police officials said they have sent an officer to Morocco to assist in the investigation.

Morocco is generally considered safe for tourists but has battled with Islamic extremism for years, and more than a thousand Moroccans are believed to have joined Isil. An anti-terrorism rally is planned for Morocco's capital tomorrow. One of the women had been beheaded, a source said.

Mr Sabik said terrorism was suspected and that the three suspects on the run had been "identified and a search for them was under way by all the security services".

One of the three had "a court record linked to terrorist acts", he said, while the prosecutor general's office said the man in custody also belonged to an extremist group.

"Radical Islam is not ruled out, due to the profile of the suspect arrested and of the three men wanted," a source close to the investigation said.

Investigations are also continuing to authenticate a video shared on social media claiming to show the killing of one of the tourists, the prosecutor general said in a statement.
Australians around the world have been celebrating Gravy Day this Friday, commemorating singer Paul Kellys 1996 hit How To Make Gravy which has become a Christmas classic down under.

The song, which references December 21 in the second line, tells the story of a remorseful prisoner writing home before Christmas, imagining friends and family coming together from across the country without him.

Whos gonna make the gravy now? Kelly sings. I bet it wont taste the same.

Just add flour, salt, a little red wine. And dont forget a dollop of tomato sauce for sweetness and that extra tang.

Happy Gravy Day. Love, Team PK #makinggravy #gravyday  Ian Darling / Shark Island Productions Posted by Paul Kelly on Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Some people have criticised Kellys recipe over the years but the song remains loved by Australians as a classic of the genre.

Give my love to Angus and to Frank and Dolly, he sings in the chorus. Tell em all Im sorry I screwed up this time.

#GravyDay was trending on Twitter as Aussies shared jokes and memes.

Australians: were not all descendants of convicts you know



Also Australians: our most popular Christmas song is about a guy singing to his family from prison #gravyday #makinggravy  Rebecca Brewin (@BecBrewin) December 20, 2018

Kelly discussed the inspiration for the lyrics in footage from a recent performance shared on his Facebook page to mark the day.

Having been asked to contribute a song to a festive charity album, Kelly was struggling to get started as Christmas has been pretty much covered over the years, he said.

So he listened to a few of the classics to get him started and White Christmas, written by Irving Berlin, stood out.

The power of White Christmas was the fact that the person singing the song is not there at Christmas, but is wanting to be there.

Irving intensified the feeling of Christmas by writing about not being at Christmas.
A remarkable recording captures the moment a builder from Lincolnshire calmly claimed the 76 million EuroMillions jackpot.

Andrew Clark, 51, from Boston can be heard telling a call handler I think Ive won a few quid before being asked for his ticket number.

When the staff member on the other end of the line realises he is speaking to a multimillionaire, he says, laughing: OK, yeah  76 million.

Yeah, responds Mr Clark calmly, before saying: What it was, my niece kept saying about looking at my ticket because I only check them about every three months.

Last night I checked them, he laughs.

Wow, responds the call handler.

Speaking to the media after claiming his prize  the 12th biggest ever in the UK  Mr Clark said he was taking early retirement.

He said he stockpiled lottery tickets in the hope of a win like this, adding: It was something of a standing joke that I had all these tickets while there was a local prize outstanding so for weeks they were on at me to check.

The ticket was bought from Eastwood Road Post Office in Boston.

Self-employed Mr Clark revealed himself as the winner at a press conference in Grantham on Friday morning.

Referring to himself as the man who nearly lost 76 million, he said he realised he was the mystery winner after he finally gave in and began working his way through his stash of tickets one evening.

He and his partner, Trisha Fairhurst, 51, have already bought a new home and two cars but say the best thing about the win is how we can help all our family.

The grandfather-of-three said: It almost feels like some magical Christmas story, the man who nearly lost 76 million.

For all our family, Im very pleased that Trisha and Louise nagged me to check those tickets.

This Christmas is going to be a quiet affair but next year will be a different story.

Trisha and I have this vision of hiring a big lodge or hotel so that the whole family can get together and swap stories about how theyve spent their share over the past 12 months.

This win isnt just about Christmas magic, its about creating a lifetime of magical moments for all those around us.

Mr Clark and Ms Fairhurst, who have been together for four years, said they had already bought their Christmas presents and did not intend to upgrade this years festive plans.

But he admitted he had already increased the amount he had put in his granddaughters Christmas cards, leaving one six-year-old dancing for joy.

Normally I put 30 or 40 in a card for the grandkids on their birthdays and that, he said.

Because of the day, I put 200 in her card. She seemed more interested in that, dancing around waving it about. She loved it.

Ms Fairhurst said the press conference was taking place when they were supposed to be doing their Christmas food shopping.

Mr Clark said the winning ticket was in a wad of tickets stuffed behind the visor in his van.

He admitted this was not really safe, adding: Ive had them blow out of the window before but, luckily, this one didnt.

He said it was one hell of a moment when they realised they had the winning ticket. , adding: I was stunned, I couldnt believe it.

Mr Clark, who has known he was the jackpot winner for a week, said he has already bought one car  a Nissan Qashqai  for Ms Fairhurst and put a deposit down on a high-spec vehicle, an 80,000 Mercedes, which is due for delivery on Saturday.

He said the Nissan dealer even said to them: Are you those 76 million winners? But they decided to stay quiet.

Mr Clark said he has also put a deposit down on a new four-bed house.

We havent gone too extravagant, he said. Its a nice, bigger family home.

Mr Clark admitted it had a big garage so he can now indulge his love of cars and bikes, adding: If not, Ill build another one.

Mr Clark said he has already given up working for other people  including walking away from the extension for Ms Fairhursts niece.

The extension will get finished, It just wont be me, he said, adding: Id rather do that than go out in the cold.

He said he has never like working in the winter and is now looking forward to planning holidays to destinations like Mauritius, the Maldives and Hawaii.

Ms Fairhurst said she has no immediate plans to give up her job as a catering assistant at Boston Pilgrim Hospital.

She said the win will make a huge difference to her 14-year-old daughter who has special needs and will need help to live independently when she is older.

This will set her up for life, she said.

I can pay for private care for her and residential care when she gets a bit older.

Mr Clark has two sons in their 30s and three granddaughters, aged two, six and nine.

They will all be looked after  well looked after, he said.

Theyll not want for anything.

He said he will continue to play the lottery  and still plans to only check his tickets every three months.
Japan is considering pulling out of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), officials said yesterday, as Tokyo reportedly gears up to resume commercial whaling activity next year.

Such a move would spark international criticism against Japan over whale conservation and deepen the divide between anti- and pro-whaling countries.

"We are considering all options" including the possibility of withdrawal from the 89-member IWC, fisheries agency official Yuki Morita said. Another official at the foreign ministry confirmed "all options are on the table but nothing formal has been decided yet".

Both stressed Tokyo has not yet changed its whaling policy but Japan threatened to pull out of the IWC in September when the commission rejected its bid to return to commercial whaling. Citing unnamed government sources, local news agency Kyodo said a formal decision to withdraw from the IWC would come by the end of the year.

After a tense September vote in Brazil, the IWC rejected Japan's bid to return to commercial whaling, prompting vice-minister for fisheries Masaaki Taniai to say Tokyo would be "pressed to undertake a fundamental reassessment of its position as a member of the IWC".

Anti-whaling nations - led by Australia, the European Union and the United States - defeated Japan's 'Way Forward' proposal in a 41-to-27 vote. Following the ballot, Japan's IWC commissioner Joji Morishita said differences with anti-whaling nations were "very clear" and Japan would plan its "next steps".

The IWC was established in 1946 to conserve and manage the world's whale and cetacean population.
Thousands of pro-independence protesters angry about Spains cabinet holding a meeting in Catalonia have blocked roads across the region and clashed with anti-riot police in its capital.

At least 11 protesters were arrested and scores were injured during the clashes, the regional Mossos dEsquadra police said, by the time the meeting in Barcelona finished.

Spains centre-left government announced a series of gestures, including steps to reverse a sentence that led to the execution of a former Catalan president, and infrastructure works for the north-eastern region, along with the highest increase in the national minimum wage in four decades.

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But the most radical protesters seemed unimpressed, confronting police in anti-riot gear in the streets of Barcelona, angry at Prime Minister Pedro Sanchezs presence in the city.

The Catalan regional government, formed by a coalition of pro-secession parties, had called on people to protest peacefully despite an agreement with central authorities to find a way out of the political crisis that has festered since Catalonias failed secession attempt last year.

After their encounter on Thursday, the second since both took power earlier this year, Mr Sanchez and Catalan president Quim Torra issued a joint statement calling for dialogue to settle the conflict over the future of Catalonia.

That outcome was beyond the low expectations before the talks, when disagreement over their scope and format kept officials negotiating until the very last minute.

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Mr Sanchez, who inherited the Catalan crisis when he toppled his conservative predecessor in June, made mending relations with the prosperous region one of his priorities.

But his minority government  the Socialists only control a quarter of the parliaments lower house  faces fierce opposition from more conservative groups urging a stronger hand on Catalonia or early elections.

Despite Thursdays apparent progress, distrust prevailed on Friday.

Security in the prosperous north-eastern region, normally in the hands of the Catalan police, was reinforced with hundreds of anti-riot officers sent by Spains national police forces.

It is a provocation, said Oriol Benet, a 24-year-old pharmacist who joined others marching near the headquarters of the National Police in Barcelona.

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Spanish television broadcast Mr Sanchezs walk from his hotel to the location of the meeting down streets heavily guarded by police.

Metres away, a crowd of mostly young protesters jeered.

The Mossos police force said that 43 people, including 28 agents, were injured and that one of the 11 protesters arrested for public order offences carried inflammable material.

A TV journalist was also punched to the floor by some protesters, the Intereconomia channel showed in online video.

Retired salesman Romualdo Sedo, who displayed a yellow ribbon pin in support of nine jailed separatist politicians who are awaiting trial for their part in last years push for independence, said he wants things to be resolved in a peaceful way.

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I am not with those who cover their faces, the 67-year-old said, even if they are protesting the same thing I am.

Any chance to talk is good, said Carlos Castilla, watching from a distance as protesters launched smoke bombs.

It is clear the status quo doesnt work, they agreed on that. I think the answer is more self-government and that Catalonia manages its own finances.

Mr Sanchez had presented the meeting in Barcelona as a way of showing affection to Catalonia.

On Friday, his cabinet took the first step to nullify a court-martial that led to the execution in 1940 of Lluis Companys, the Catalan regional president arrested by the German Nazi secret police in France and handed over to the regime of dictator General Francisco Franco.

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The Socialist administration also proposed renaming Barcelona airport in honour of Josep Tarradellas, who headed the Catalan government in exile during the dictatorship.

The government also announced that the monthly minimum wage will be raised from 736 euros (663) to 900 euros (811) and civil servants salaries will increase 2.5% starting on January 1.

The 22% minimum wage hike is part of the Socialists deal to pass the countrys 2019 budget with the support of an anti-austerity party.
A rescue team is pictured at the CSM coal mime in Karvina, Czech Republic (Jaroslav Ozana/CTK via AP)

The death toll in a methane explosion at a coal mine in the north-east of the Czech Republic has increased to 13.

OKD mining company spokesman Ivo Celechovsky said 12 of the dead were Polish nationals while one was Czech.

Another 10 miners were injured in the explosion on Thursday afternoon at the CSM mine near the town of Karvina. Previously, the death toll stood at five.

Polish President Andrzej Duda declared Sunday a day of national mourning for the victims of the tragedy.

Flags in Poland will be lowered to half-mast on public buildings and large sporting and entertainment events will be cancelled.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis have offered their condolences to the families of the victims.

The two leaders visited the mine.

"To our knowledge ... there is a fire underground, very high temperature, very high risk of subsequent explosions," Mr Morawiecki said.

The Polish leader visited two injured miners at the University Hospital in the nearby city of Ostrava.

One of them was in a critical condition with burns over 50% of his body, hospital spokeswoman Nada Chattova said.

Another miner was released after being treated in Karvina.

"I wish to express words of deepest sympathy to all the close victims of the mining disaster in Karvina," Mr Morawiecki said.

"This is a huge tragedy for all Poles and Czechs. On this difficult day, we strongly show our solidarity and sense of national community."

The explosion occurred about 2,600ft underground.

OKD executive director Boleslav Kowalczyk said rescue efforts are continuing despite a fire in the mine.
US defence secretary Jim Mattis has resigned after clashing with President Donald Trump over the abrupt withdrawal of US troops from Syria and two years of deep disagreements over Americas role in the world.

Mr Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Mr Trumps administration, will leave by the end of February after two tumultuous years struggling to soften and moderate the presidents hardline and sometimes sharply changing policies.

He told Mr Trump in a letter that he was leaving because you have a right to have a secretary of defence whose views are better aligned with yours.

Mr Mattis went to the White House with his resignation letter in hand to meet with the president and spoke to Mr Trump for about 45 minutes, according to officials.

There was no confrontation between the two men, the official said, and there was no one issue which caused the resignation. However, the official said Syria had likely been the last straw for Mr Mattis.

His departure was immediately lamented by foreign policy hands and members of congress on both sides of the aisle, who viewed the retired Marine general as a sober voice of experience in the ear of a president who has never held political office or served in the military.

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Even Trump allies expressed fear over Mr Mattis decision to quit, believing him to be an important moderating force on the president.

Just read Gen. Mattis resignation letter, tweeted Florida senator Marco Rubio. It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed toward a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances & empower our adversaries.

Mr Mattis did not mention the dispute over Syria in his letter or proposed deep cuts to US forces in Afghanistan, another significant policy dispute.

He noted his core belief that American strength is inextricably linked with the nations alliances with other countries, a position seemingly at odds with the America First policy of the president.

Just read Gen. Mattis resignation letter. It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation,damage our alliances & empower our adversaries. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/ztc0Yihccn  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 20, 2018

The defence secretary also said China and Russia want to spread their authoritarian model and promote their interests at the expense of America and its allies. That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defence, he wrote.

The announcement came a day after Mr Trump surprised US allies and members of congress by announcing the withdrawal of all US troops from Syria, and as he continues to consider cutting in half the American deployment in Afghanistan by this summer.

The news coincided with domestic turmoil, Mr Trumps fight with US congress over a border wall and a looming partial government shutdown.

The US presidents decision to pull troops out of Syria has been sharply criticised for abandoning Americas Kurdish allies, who may well face a Turkish assault once US troops leave, and had been staunchly opposed by the Pentagon.

Mr Mattis, in his resignation letter, emphasised the importance of standing up for US allies  an implicit criticism of the presidents decision on this issue and others.

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The outgoing defence secretary wrote: While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies.

Last year, Republican senator Bob Corker  a frequent Trump critic  said Mr Mattis, along with White House chief of staff John Kelly and then-secretary of state Rex Tillerson, were helping separate our country from chaos.

Mr Tillerson was sacked early this year. Mr Kelly is to leave the White House in the coming days.

Mr Mattis departure has long been rumoured, but officials close to him have insisted that the retired Marine would hang on, determined to bring military calm and judgment to the administrations often chaotic national security decisions and to soften some of Mr Trumps sharper tones with allies.

Opponents of Mr Mattis, however, saw him as an unwanted check on Mr Trump.

The US president said a replacement would be chosen soon.
America's Kurdish allies yesterday accused Donald Trump of giving new life to Isil with his withdrawal of US forces from Syria.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) insisted the US president was wrong in saying that Isil had been defeated in Syria - and the pullout would allow them to regroup and launch fresh attacks.

They said the US withdrawal "will negatively affect the campaign against terrorism, and it will provide a chance for terrorism and its supporters in the political and military fields to recover again".

In the face of confusion and frustration from US allies, Mr Trump defended his decision on Twitter.

"Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East, getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing?" he wrote.

However, Mr Trump's series of tweets yesterday backing up his decision seemed to show a level of confusion about Isil's capabilities.

After declaring bluntly that the jihadists had been defeated on Wednesday, he wrote yesterday: "Isis hits us they are doomed."

He also predicted that other countries would be against his pullout decision.

He wrote: "Russia, Iran, Syria & many others are not happy about the US leaving, despite what the Fake News says, because now they will have to fight ISIS [Isil] and others, who they hate, without us."

However, Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, said he agreed with Mr Trump's claim that Isil had been defeated, and he added that the "illegitimate" US forces should leave Syria.

"In this, Donald is right, I agree with him," Mr Putin said. "As for US troops in Syria, I don't think they're needed, let's not forget that the presence of your troops there is illegitimate."

However, Britain and France, the US's main Western partners in the fight against Isil, both signalled disagreement with Mr Trump's assessment that it had been defeated.

"Much remains to be done and we must not lose sight of the threat they pose. Even without territory, Daesh [Isil]will remain a threat," the UK government said.

Britain has several dozen commandos operating in Syria. It is not clear if they will remain in the country.

"Islamic State has not been wiped from the map nor have its roots," said Florence Parly, France's defence minister. France said it planned to keep its roughly 1,000 troops deployed in northern Syria.

Heiko Maas, Germany's foreign minister, also said he was concerned by the US withdrawal, explaining: "There is a danger that the consequences of [Mr Trump's] decision could hurt the fight against Isil and endanger what has been achieved."

The most immediate concern for the SDF is that Turkey will take the US withdrawal as a green light to launch a major offensive against the Kurds in northern Syria, who it considers to be terrorists.

Hulusi Akar, the Turkish defence minister, said Kurdish fighters "will be buried in their ditches" when Turkish troops advance against them.

US officials have long feared that if the Kurds are attacked by Turkey in northern Syria they would abandon the fight against Isil in the east to protect their northern heartland.

The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the SDF's largest force, has already begun moving fighters.

One YPG fighter told 'The Daily Telegraph': "All Kurds expected this to happen at some point, but not like this, not in a tweet with no real explanation, just after Turkey threatens the Kurds with a massacre.

"The Kurds are getting the short end of the stick yet again, and this proves Kurds can't really trust Americans."

"The Kurds will be left alone to face Erdogan or allow Assad's regime backed by Iran and Russia to move into their territory," said Diliman Abdulkader, director of the Kurdish Project at the Endowment for Middle East Truth.

Appearing to take advantage of Mr Trump's announcement, Isil launched a major counterattack on the town of Hajin, which had been captured by the SDF last week.

US diplomats began evacuating Syria immediately after Mr Trump's announcement.

Israeli officials have warned the US withdrawal will allow Iran to entrench itself more deeply in Syria.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, avoided criticising Mr Trump but said Israel would "increase" its efforts against Iran in Syria.

Moshe Kahlon, Israel's finance minister, was more blunt. "The American decision is not good," he said. ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Disney has been accused of "colonialism and robbery" for trademarking the Swahili phrase 'hakuna matata' - made famous worldwide by the film 'The Lion King'.

More than 60,000 people have signed a petition demanding that the Hollywood giant drops commercial rights to the words.

Hakuna matata means "no worries" or "no problem" and was the title of a song, written by Elton John and Tim Rice, for the film. The song was nominated for an Oscar.

Disney's plans to release a remake of the film next year, featuring the voices of Beyonce and British star Chiwetel Ejiofor, has led to the protest campaign.

Shelton Mpala, a Zimbabwean activist who started the petition, said: "I liken this to colonialism and robbery, the appropriation of something you have no right over.

"Imagine, if we were to go that route, then we owe the British royalties for everyone who speaks English, or France for when we speak French. Disney can't be allowed to trademark something that it didn't invent."

The petition says: "Join us and say NO to DISNEY or any corporations or individuals looking to trademark languages, terms or phrases they didn't invent."

According to the US Patent and Trademark Office, Disney first applied to trademark the phrase in 1994, when 'The Lion King' came out, and was granted rights to it in 2003.

That trademark is still active and means Disney can sue other companies that use it on a T-shirt or other merchandise. It cannot sue people for using the phrase in speech.

Ngugi wa Thiong'o, a Kenyan professor at the University of California, called Disney's appropriation of the words "horrifying".

He said: "It would be like trademarking 'good morning' or 'it is raining cats and dogs' in the case of English. It's a common phrase. No company can own it."

Liz Lenjo, a Kenyan intellectual property lawyer, disagreed.

She said: "The use of 'hakuna matata' by Disney does not take away the value of the language. East Africans, or whoever speaks Swahili worldwide, are not restricted from using the phrase."

Disney had no immediate comment on the controversy yesterday. ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
A judge denied Harvey Weinstein's motion to dismiss criminal charges he sexually assaulted two women, rejecting the movie producer's argument the case was tainted by police and prosecution misconduct.

Supreme Court Justice James Burke announced his decision in a packed Manhattan courtroom. Benjamin Brafman, a lawyer for Mr Weinstein, told reporters he was disappointed in the decision but confident his client would prevail at trial.

In a written decision released after the hearing, Judge Burke said there was "no basis for the defendant's claim of prosecutorial or law enforcement misconduct in the proceedings".

The ruling came about two months after Mr Weinstein had a charge involving a third woman dismissed when prosecutors revealed a New York City detective had withheld information during the investigation, so they could not pursue the charge.

In his motion to dismiss the remaining counts, Mr Weinstein said the detective's withholding of information compromised the integrity of the entire grand jury process that led to the indictment.

The judge a problem with one charge did not "infect the integrity" of the other charges, which concern different women.

Mr Weinstein, who faces life in prison if convicted of the five charges against him, has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone following accusations by more than 70 women.
A shutdown happens when Congress or the president fail to fund the federal government (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Disputes over spending, immigration and healthcare have triggered shutdowns of the US federal government in recent years.

Now disagreements over President Donald Trumps long-promised border wall are threatening to trigger a partial shutdown.

Here is a look at recent government shutdowns:

Clinton and Gingrichs contract with America

November 14-19, 1995

Expand Close Bill Clinton vetoed a resolution to temporarily fund the government in 1995 (Neil Munns/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Bill Clinton vetoed a resolution to temporarily fund the government in 1995 (Neil Munns/PA)

Republicans wielding their Contract with America gained control of both the Senate and House for the first time since 1954 and Georgias Newt Gingrich was elected House speaker. Democratic president Bill Clinton, after the congressional midterm drubbing for his party, was dealing with the new world order.

Emboldened Republicans were intent on remaking Medicare, Medicaid, welfare and dozens of other programmes while also cutting taxes. Mr Clinton vetoed a resolution to temporarily fund the government because of the Medicare premium increases it contained.

After five days, a deal was reached to end the shutdown, but only for a few weeks so that negotiations could take place on the various spending bills funding the government for the remainder of the fiscal year. An estimated 800,000 workers went without pay, though they would get paid retrospectively, which is the historical practice.

Shutdown round two and plane snub

December 16, 1995-January 6, 1996

The Republican-led Congress and Mr Clinton were still at odds on six of that years spending bills when the short-term fix ending the first shutdown expired. An estimated 280,000 federal workers were furloughed. They eventually agreed to spending plans that enacted some of the cuts Republicans wanted, though less than they had originally sought.

Republicans took a political hit for the shutdown, which closed national parks and Smithsonian museums.

Undercutting the Republicans was Mr Gingrichs comment that the hard-line stance in negotiations was due in part to how Mr Clinton and aides treated him and Senate Republican leader Bob Dole on an Air Force One flight.

Mr Gingrich complained that Mr Clinton did not discuss the budget on the return trip from Israel, where they had attended the funeral of Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. Mr Gingrich also complained about having to exit through a back door on the plane.

Green Eggs And Ham

October 1-17, 2013

Republicans who controlled the House and several Republican senators targeted Democratic president Barack Obamas healthcare law. Democrats who held the majority in the Senate made clear the effort was futile.

The shutdown was sparked when House Republicans insisted that a temporary funding bill contain changes in the health law, the Affordable Care Act, and Mr Obama refused.

Senator Ted Cruz helped inspire the effort when he spoke on the Senate floor for 21 hours and 19 minutes in urging Congress to cut off money for Mr Obamas health care law. To fill some of the hours  and provide a bedtime story for his two young daughters  Mr Cruz read Dr Seusss book Green Eggs And Ham. But even some Republicans thought the effort was a mistake. Senator Richard Burr called it the dumbest idea Ive ever heard.

The shutdown sent approval of the Republicans plummeting in opinion polls. Senate leaders brokered an agreement after the House was unable to coalesce around a Republican-only approach.

Negotiating with Jell-O

January 20-22, 2018

Expand Close Chuck Schumer complained about Donald Trump agreeing to something in person then tweeting something different (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Chuck Schumer complained about Donald Trump agreeing to something in person then tweeting something different (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Weeks of haggling between the White House and congressional Democrats focused largely on immigration issues, with Democrats pushing for protections for Dreamers who came to the US as small children. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer repeatedly complained about Mr Trump agreeing to something face-to-face and then saying or tweeting something completely different. Mr Schumer said dealing with Mr Trump was like negotiating with Jell-O.

The shutdown lasted just short of three full days, starting on a Friday night and ending the following Monday when Democrats dropped their demands in exchange for a promise from Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell that he would address the immigration issue in the coming weeks. The deal was largely unpopular among Democratic voters, who blamed their representatives for caving in too easily.

One-man shutdown

February 9, 2018

Republican senator Rand Paul of Kentucky single-handedly triggered the shortest shutdown in history with a filibuster that forced the Senate to miss a midnight deadline to approve a spending deal that Mr Paul regarded as wasteful.

As a result, the government technically ran out of money at 12.01am that Friday. But Congress members worked through the night and approved the bill at roughly 5.30am the same day, allowing the government to function normally with no interruptions.
US Marines fire mortars from an undisclosed location in Syria (US Marine Corps photo by Cpl Gabino Perez via AP)

President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw American troops from Syria was made hastily, without consulting his national security team or allies, according to US and Turkish officials.

It also came over strong objections from virtually everyone involved in the fight against Islamic State, the officials added.

Mr Trump stunned his cabinet, politicians and much of the world with the move by rejecting the advice of his top aides and agreeing to a withdrawal in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week, two officials briefed on the matter said.

The December 14 call gives a view into a Trump decision with profound consequences, including the resignation of widely respected defence secretary Jim Mattis.

The White House rejected the description of the call from the officials but was not specific.

In no uncertain terms, reporting throughout this story is not true, National Security Council (NSC) spokesman Garrett Marquis said.

It is clear from the context that this false version of events is from sources who lack authority on the subject, possibly from unnamed sources in Turkey.

The State Department and Pentagon declined to comment on the account of the decision to withdraw the troops.

US troops first moved into Syria in 2015 to fight IS, a year after the Pentagon first launched a campaign of air strikes against the extremists in Iraq and Syria.

Local ground forces with close US support slowly pushed back IS in the years that followed, and by the beginning of 2018 the militants had lost more than 90% of the territory they once held.

Despite losing the physical caliphate, thousands of IS fighters remain in Iraq and Syria and the group continues to carry out insurgent attacks.

Local commanders warn the group could easily move back into territory it once held if American forces completely withdraw.

Expand Close US soldiers survey the area during a combined joint patrol in Manbij, Syria (US Army photo by Spc Zoe Garbarino via AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp US soldiers survey the area during a combined joint patrol in Manbij, Syria (US Army photo by Spc Zoe Garbarino via AP)

The December 14 call came a day after secretary of state Mike Pompeo and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu agreed to have the two presidents discuss Mr Erdogans threats to launch a military operation against US-backed Kurdish rebels in north-east Syria, where American forces are based. The NSC then set up the call.

Mr Pompeo, Mr Mattis and other members of the national security team prepared a list of talking points for Mr Trump to tell Mr Erdogan to back off, the officials said.

But the officials said Mr Trump, who had previously accepted such advice and convinced the Turkish leader not to attack the Kurds and put US troops at risk, ignored the script.

Instead, the president sided with Mr Erdogan.

The officials said the conversation set off a frantic, four-day scramble to convince the president either to reverse or delay the decision to give the military and Kurdish forces time to prepare for an orderly withdrawal.

Mr Trump, however, was unmoved, they said.

Expand Close A US soldier sits on an armoured vehicle on a road leading to the front line with Turkish-backed fighters, in Manbij, north Syria (Hussein Malla/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp A US soldier sits on an armoured vehicle on a road leading to the front line with Turkish-backed fighters, in Manbij, north Syria (Hussein Malla/AP)

The talking points were very firm, said one of the officials, explaining that Mr Trump was advised to clearly oppose a Turkish incursion into northern Syria and suggest the US and Turkey work together to address security concerns.

Everybody said push back and try to offer (Turkey) something thats a small win, possibly holding territory on the border, something like that.

Mr Erdogan, though, quickly put Mr Trump on the defensive, reminding him that he had repeatedly said the only reason for US troops to be in Syria was to defeat IS and that the group had been 99% defeated.

Why are you still there? the second official said Mr Erdogan asked Mr Trump, telling him that the Turks could deal with the remaining IS militants.

Expand Close American troops look out towards the border with Turkey from a small outpost near the town of Manbij, northern Syria (Susannah George/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp American troops look out towards the border with Turkey from a small outpost near the town of Manbij, northern Syria (Susannah George/AP)

With Mr Erdogan on the line, Mr Trump asked national security adviser John Bolton, who was listening in, why American troops remained in Syria if what the Turkish president was saying was true, according to the officials.

Mr Erdogans point, Mr Bolton was forced to admit, had been backed up by Mr Mattis, Mr Pompeo, US special envoy for Syria Jim Jeffrey and special envoy for the anti-IS coalition Brett McGurk, who have said that IS retains only 1% of its territory, the officials said.

Mr Bolton stressed, however, that the entire national security team agreed that victory over IS had to be enduring, which means more than taking away its territory.

Mr Trump was not dissuaded, according to the officials, who said the president quickly capitulated by pledging to withdraw, shocking both Mr Bolton and Mr Erdogan.
President Donald Trump is trying to pin blame on the Democrats over a government shutdown (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US President Donald Trump appears to be playing hardball in a stand-off with Democrats over his demand for billions of dollars for a border wall with Mexico.

The shutdown, scheduled for midnight in the US, would disrupt government operations and leave hundreds of thousands of federal workers given a leave of absence or forced to work without pay just days before Christmas.

Bottom line if theres a partial government shutdown: 800,000 federal workers wont get paychecks during this Christmas season. pic.twitter.com/fRALbEQy4q  Wolf Blitzer (@wolfblitzer) December 21, 2018

Mr Trump convened Republican senators for a lengthy meeting at the White House, but it produced no clear path towards passage of a government-funding bill containing billions for wall construction.

The Senate began a procedural vote on the legislation but was stuck in a long holding pattern waiting for the return of senators who had already left town.

This is our only chance that well ever have, in our opinion, because of the world and the way it breaks out, to get great border security, Mr Trump said at the White House.

Democrats will take control of the House in January, and they oppose major funding for wall construction.

Mr Trump tried to pin the blame on Democrats for the possible shutdown, even though just last week he said he would be proud to shut part of the government in a fight for the wall, which was a major promise of his presidential campaign.

Congress had been on track to fund the government but change direction when Mr Trump, after criticism from conservative supporters, declared he would not sign a bill without the wall billions.

His supporters on the right warned that his caving on repeated wall promises could hurt his 2020 re-election chances, and those of other Republicans as well.

Were totally prepared for a very long shutdown, Mr Trump said on Friday. Embracing his changed terminology, he claimed there is tremendous enthusiasm for border security  the barrier, wall or steel slats  its all the same.

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell returned to Capitol Hill saying lawmakers had a good conversation about the way forward. We are going to continue to be talking this afternoon.

Mr McConnell quickly set in motion a Senate procedural vote on a House Republican package that would give Trump 5.7 billion US dollars (4.51 billion) for the wall, but it was not expected to pass.

At least one Republican, retiring senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, was opposed, saying he would resist wall money without broader immigration reforms, leaving even the procedural vote in doubt.

Only a week ago, Mr Trump insisted during a televised meeting at the White House he would take ownership of a shutdown over his border wall. I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down, he asserted.

You own the shutdownyour own words, @realDonaldTrump. The Senate UNANIMOUSLY passed a bipartisan solution to avoid a shutdown. Then you threw another temper tantrum and convinced the House to ignore that compromise. #TrumpShutdown pic.twitter.com/h4R7Qk6E1i  Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) December 21, 2018

But with the hours dwindling before the midnight deadline, Mr Trump sought to reframe the debate and blame Democrats for the impasse that threatens hundreds of thousands of federal workers on the eve of the end-of-the-year holidays.

Senator Mitch McConnell should fight for the Wall and Border Security as hard as he fought for anything, he tweeted.

Later in the morning, not even waiting for a Senate vote, Mr Trump tweeted that the Democrats now own the shutdown!

The White House said Trump would not go to Florida on Friday as planned for the Christmas holiday if the government was shutting down.
Government funding for various US departments expires at midnight on Friday (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

The US House of Representatives has approved funding for President Donald Trumps border wall in legislation that pushes the government closer to a partial shutdown.

The package, which included Mr Trumps 5.7 billion-dollar request (4 billion) for a border wall with Mexico, is almost certain to be rejected by the Senate.

The White House said Mr Trump will not travel to Florida on Friday for the Christmas holiday if the US government is shutting down.

More than 800,000 federal workers will be facing a leave of absence or forced to work without pay if a resolution is not reached before funding expires at midnight on Friday.

The shutdown crisis could be one of the final acts of the House Republican majority before relinquishing control to Democrats in January.

Mr Trump had given mixed signals on how hard he would push for five billion dollars in border wall funds. But he dug in on Thursday, telling House Republican leaders he would not sign the Senate bill that did not have the money.

Conservatives want to keep fighting. They warn that caving on Mr Trumps repeated wall promises could hurt his 2020 re-election chances, and other Republicans as well.

The House voted 217-185, largely along party lines.

Now we find compromise, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said. We have time right now to get it done.

The government funding package, which includes nearly eight billion dollars (6.32 billion) in disaster aid for coastal hurricanes and California wildfires, now goes to the Senate, where its prospects are grim amid strong opposition from Democrats.

Sixty votes are needed to approve the bill there.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned senators they may need to return to Washington for a midday vote on Friday.

Many senators already left town for the Christmas holiday.

The Senate approved a bipartisan bill late on Wednesday to keep the government temporarily funded, with border security money at current levels, 1.3 billion dollars (1.03 billion), and no money for the wall.

The most likely possibility on Friday is that the Senate strips the border wall out of the bill but keeps the disaster funds and sends it back to the House.

House politicians said they were being told to stay in town for more possible votes.

Expand Close President Donald Trump had given mixed signals on how hard he would push for border wall funds ( Jacquelyn Martin/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp President Donald Trump had given mixed signals on how hard he would push for border wall funds ( Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

With the backing of Nancy Pelosi, who is poised to become House speaker on January 3, the Senate-passed bill likely has enough support for House approval with votes mostly from Democratic politicians, who are still the minority, and some Republicans.

Others were not so sure. I dont see how we avoid a shutdown, said retiring Representative Dennis Ross.

I looked him in the eyes today, and he was serious about not folding without a fightMark Meadows, chairman of the Freedom Caucus

Mark Meadows, the chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said he was not convinced after a White House meeting with Republican leaders that Mr Trump would sign the Senate bill.

I looked him in the eyes today, and he was serious about not folding without a fight, Mr Meadows said.

Mr Trumps sudden rejection of the Senate-approved legislation sent Republican leaders scrambling for options on Capitol Hill days before Christmas.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, exiting the hastily called meeting with Mr Trump at the White House, said, Were going to go back and work on adding border security to this, also keeping the government open, because we do want to see an agreement.

By afternoon, Mr Trump shifted his terminology, saying he was not necessarily demanding a border wall but steel slats  which is similar to the border security fencing already provided for in the bill.

We dont use the word wall necessarily, but it has to be something special to do the job, Mr Trump said at a farm bill signing at the White House.

Expand Close Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi after a revised spending bill was introduced in the House (J Scott Applewhite/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi after a revised spending bill was introduced in the House (J Scott Applewhite/AP)

The nuance could provide Mr Trump a way to try to proclaim victory. The bill would keep funding at current levels for border security, including pedestrian fencing and replacement fences, but not the wall.

Democratic leaders have made clear they will not budge on their opposition to the border wall that Mr Trump campaigned on saying Mexico would pay for it. Mexico has refused.

The Trump temper tantrum will shut down the government, but it will not get him his wall, said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Democrats favour border security, Mr Schumer said, but he denounced the wall as ineffective, unnecessary and exorbitantly expensive.
Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana has had a phenomenal 2018. He is one of the few actors in the industry who aligns his fortunes with great content rather than big banners. The actor has most recently starred in small budget flicks Andhadhun and Badhaai Ho and proved that the audience knows good cinema.

With Andhadhun, Ayushmann is now 10 films old in Bollywood and we decided to mark the occasion, with a little exclusive chat on how 2018 treated him, what worked, and what didnt.

Andhadhun and Badhaai Ho are case studies of Bollywood



He was pleasantly surprised when these smaller films matched up to the success of the typical masala film. Speaking about his recent success, Ayushmann says, "For me, the unique content really worked, the appreciation from the audience towards this kind of cinema really worked. It's a two-way thing, a give and take between content and the audience. The tonality of my films Andhadhun and Badhaai Ho were not typically commercial, but they matched the numbers of commercial masala blockbusters films, it's like a case study."

We definitely agree.

Work in movies which have no reference point at all and yet commercial

Instagram/Ayushmann



Ayushmann has a formula for making his films work and after featuring in a series of hit films, he swears by it. "It's a default setting for me to choose novel content. I am attracted to films with no reference point in cinema and yet are entertaining at the same time. It has to be the middle path getting both commercial and critical acclaim. It's intuition. I believe I am the audience and then if you look at it like that, it's easier to choose films."

Discard the trappings of stardom when choosing a film



As the year ends, Ayushmann reveals what 2018 taught him. "It is important to follow your gut, just don't go by a lot of opinions and remove the garb of a star when you're choosing a script. Be the audience."

Always keep your spirits high, no matter what

Instagram/Ayushmann

While his year was on an upswing professionally, personally, he was dealing with a mountain of things all by himself. Speaking about it, Ayushmann said, "Life is never perfect. When there was a professional high, I was supporting my wife in a battle with cancer. Its important to be stable and as rational as possible. The idea is to keep your spirits high even if you're dealing with the worst of circumstances.

Marital status doesn't make you desirable, your talent does



As we all know, Ayushmann Khuranna is married to his childhood sweetheart, Tahira Kashyap and the couple has two kids. And despite his family and marital status, Ayushmann is still loved and adored by his fans. There are some on Twitter who even want to date him or marry him. Speaking about being one of India's most desirable men, Ayushmann said, "You always get attracted to a guy or girl who have a great character. So, you being committed or married has nothing to do with people being attracted to you. I believe you get attracted to people who have great talent or character."

Be persistent, evolve everyday.

Instagram/Ayushmann



Ayushmann has had his share of difficulties in paving his way into the world of Bollywood. Being an outsider, Ayushmann started his journey with Roadies, followed by a stint in Radio and is now a full-fledged actor. And his advice for people who want to make a mark in this industry is to be persistent, evolve every day and surround yourself with people who are practical and not yes men. "Be with people who give you perspective and are real, he says.

If content is different in a big budget commercial masala film or even Netflix, I will definitely take it up.





Instagram/Ayushmann

Speaking about digital media, Ayushmann feels the platform is lenient with censorship so the content is edgier and more progressive compared to the silver screen.

Create your own Youtube channel or Instagram account and make your way!



Although he finds fiction boring, Ayushmann is open to hosting and anchoring shows on TV. Ayushmann feels it was difficult during his time to make a debut, but now one can just sit in isolation and make an account digital platform and get famous. "It 's a lot easier to have access, it was difficult earlier."



Well, we hope Ayushmann keeps surprising us with better projects and 2019 is even more fabulous for audiences seeking content-driven cinema.
The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Consumer Protection Bill which provides for recall of faulty products, allows buyers to seek compensation for defective items or deficiency in services and prescribes penalties for manufacturing or selling adulterated items. The penalty and jail term has been linked to impact of adulterated products on human health with a proposal for seven years to life imprisonment and at least Rs 10 lakh fine in case of death caused by any adulterated products.

BCCL/Representational Image

The proposed law, which is being overhauled after a gap of 32 years, has provisions for imposing fines on celebrities for endorsing false or misleading advertisements and penalties including jail term for manufacturers for committing the offence. The bill also provides for consumers to file complaints with the consumer commissions at the place of residence or work and not from where he purchased product or availed a service, which is the present norm.

BCCL/Representational Image

Seeking to empower consumers and protect them from getting shortchanged by manufacturers and marketing agencies, the bill, which awaits approval of Rajya Sabha to become a law, proposes setting up of a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) which will have the power to take suo motu cognisance of offence or malpractice and act on consumer complaints to act against the violators.

BCCL

It will also have the power to file "class action" complaints before the consumer disputes redressal commissions in case a large number of people are impacted.
Many of us who love travelling. With every passing generation, the goals are changing and millennial are no longer interested in spending their day at office and having a good nights sleep at home.

More and more people are giving the traditional life a miss to travel the world and see more places. Travel websites and portals are flourishing where youngsters really live with just a bag pack. However, ditching age old myths, a 68-year-old man from Germany decided to travel all around the globe!

While at first this might not sound very unusual. Even old people are gaining inspiration to fulfill their forgotten dreams. If a 102 year old Australian granny can set world record by doing skydiving then a 68 year old can definitely travel the world.

Photo: TATA CliQ

The unusual or probably the spectacular part about his journey is that he is doing all of this on foot! Northeast Today reports Kuno Jakob from Germany reached the northeastern state of Assam on Wednesday, that too on foot.

He is a farmer by profession and started this adventure around a year and a half ago. He travels with a two-wheeler luggage and speaking to Northeast Today he said that he had covered 14000 kms including 15 countries and 13 states in India.

Photo: sRide/Representative Image

Reportedly, the German has successfully reached Barpeta, the remote area of Assam. From here he plans to visit Myanmar through Guwahati along with seven sisters of the Northeast. Adding that the secret of his lifestyle is walking, Jakob wants to visit Indonesia, Australia, South America and North America.

More and more elderly people are coming forward to realise their dreams. For instance, Karthyayani Amma, a 96-year-old who became the oldest person in Kerala to appear for the Akshara Laksham (million letters) literacy exam to learn computer.
While Kashmir is reeling under sub-zero temperatures, warmth is being spread by donating the winter clothing to the needy and poor people. A group of city youth volunteering with Who is Hussain, a global organisation working in support of humanity, have set up Wall of Kindness behind a dilapidated multi-storied hotel, on the banks River Jhelum in the city centre Lal Chowk.

The Wall of Kindness was first started in Iran and spread across the country in no time. A charity and welfare work initiative, it is carried out by attaching cloth hangers outside public places, houses and community centres. These cloth hangers are filled with clothes and other useful things and are supposed to be donated to the needy and underprivileged.

Asghar Baba, Kashmir Chapter Head for Who is Hussain said the aim of holding such kind of humanitarian work in the valley is to create an awareness regarding donating useful things to the poor people.

They too are the part of the society and have a right to live with dignity. With this initiative we are trying our best to reach out to them, said Baba.

We have kept the clothes hanged on the wall. Those who need take it and those who have extra clothing come and hang there. People are turning up in a huge number everyday to donate the warm clothes, said Baba adding not only clothes, people have also started donating food items like milk, bread and dry fruits.

He said that their organisation is completely independent. We dont get funds from government or any organisation. We have around thirty volunteers who all arrange and contribute the money from their own pockets, Baba said.

46 year-old Showkat Hussain, a retired government employee, who had come to donate a bag of warm clothes from the city outskirts on the bike appreciated the organisers.

This is really a positive initiative. One can imagine that poor people will have not to beg door to door anymore. They can come here and take the clothing of their own choice. Such a charity work is the necessity of the hour, said Hussain.

Another donor Afzal Parray, a social activist by profession said, Kashmir has seen so much of distress and sufferings and if they are helping the people in such a way, it really deserves an appreciation. Even I suggest them to go to every nook and corner of the state with this initiative and show their presence

The organisation that started in back 2012 has its headquarters in London and is operating in more than 60 cities around the world. Currently, they are active in five cities in India. In 2015, the organisation started their work in Kashmir with the hashtag give, under which they provided ration and other basic necessities in packets to the destitute in the month of Ramadan.

Shezan Muntazir, a volunteer with the organisation said that its really good to see people are really appreciating this kind of charity work.

We never want the needy people to feel dejected. We always keep telling them not to hesitate in picking the clothing they love to wear and are comfortable in, said Muntazir.

As the people of the valley are known for their hospitality, I saw more donors than takers. People from different places of the city come with their bags full of warm clothing mostly in evening hours and hang them on the wall. Seeing such kind of response, we have now approached the University of Kashmir authorities to allot us a wall so that we can take this charity work there, he said.

"We are planning to carry this charity work in summers as well.

With the spark set by the Srinagar youth, the charity work has now been picked up by the people of various districts of the Kashmir. The Wall of Kindness has now reached to north Kashmirs Baramulla, Sopore and Handwara towns, South Kashmirs Pulwama town and central Kashmirs Budgam district.

While the Jammu region will also witness The Wall of Kindness in the coming days.

We are in touch with concerned officials and have requested them to allocate us a wall in the city centre. We will be coming up probably within a week, said Areez Bhat, a volunteer who will be taking care of the charity work in Jammu region.

The author is a Srinagar-based freelance contributor.
Back home in India, after his misadventure to Pakistan cost him six years of his life Hamid Ansari has one message to the youth - Don't fall in love over Facebook.

Ansari, a software engineer from Mumbai got into trouble after he illegally traveled to Pakistan to save his girlfriend, a girl whom he had met through Facebook, from a 'forced marriage'.

PTI

But things did not go according to plan. Ansari could not even meet his girlfriend after he illegally entered Pakistan. He was near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in 2012 for possessing a fake Pakistani ID card.

Ansari was awarded three-year imprisonment by a military court in December 2015 after being slapped with charges of espionage and involvement in anti-state activities on him

A day after he was able to reunite with his family in Mumbai, Ansari when asked about what advice will he give to people who fall in love over Facebook, said, "Don't take (that) risk. Don't fall in love. Don't fall in love by trusting (what is on) Facebook."

BCCL

"Never hide anything from your parents. Only your parents stand by your side in testing times. And never resort to any illegal means to go to any place,"Ansari said while speaking to PTI.

Ansari who reached India on Wednesday said the news of his release came as a bolt from the blue.

REUTERS

"At 6.30 am on Tuesday, the (jail) deputy superintendent came to me and said you have half an hour to be ready (for release). I was very excited and decided not to waste a single moment. I changed my clothes, put on my shoes and sat in the vehicle. The convoy was ready (for my journey)," he said.
We often relate to Elon Musk as a maverick, a genius, an entrepreneur with a rare visionary streak of big disruptive ideas that can impact mankind.

We also know him as someone who has a temper, who can make a fool of himself and doesn't tolerate fools very well. And now we get to see his humanitarian side.

Reuters

ALSO READ: Elon Musk Is Raising Rs 3,500 Crore To Launch 400 Satellites For Global Internet Connectivity

Through his charity, Elon Musk has reportedly donated $423,000 or Rs 3 crore to buy new laptops for school children in Flint, Michigan, USA.

Elon Musk made the donation through the Elon Musk Foundation, and the money will go towards purchasing of Chromebook laptops, according to reports.

Google Chromebook

ALSO READ: Elon Musk Smoking A Blunt Isn't A Big Deal But There Is A Bigger Issue At Stake Here

The Google Chromebooks will mostly be used by students of 6th and 7th standard in different schools in Flint. Unlike a regular laptop that runs on Microsoft Windows, a Chromebook runs on Chrome OS, and has been fairly popular as a laptop for educational purposes in the US.

Last year, Elon Musk had donated $488,000 towards installation of water filtration systems for 12 schools in Flint -- a city in America that's battling lead contamination in drinking water sources at an unprecedented level.
In a scary Orwellian move that should give all citizens pause, the Ministry of Home Affairs has granted sweeping powers to 10 central agencies to track, monitor and intercept data on every computer in the country.

For the first time ever the government has given the power to scan data on a computer -- and not just in transit between two computers -- to investigating agencies, according to reports.

The signed order issued yesterday, Dec 20, by the Ministry of Home Affairs authorizes India's 10 central agencies to intercept, monitor, and decrypt "any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer."

All the 10 agencies listed in the order are as follows: Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, CBI, National Investigation Agency, Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW), Directorate of Signal Intelligence (for service areas in Jammu and Kashmir, North-East and Assam only) and the Delhi Police Commissioner.

NDTV

According to an NDTV report, this new order requires any person in charge of the computer to fully cooperate and extend technical assistance to investigating agencies, if they come knocking on your door.

If the person in question doesn't cooperate, they can face seven years in jail and a monetary fine.

This move by the Home Ministry to grant such sweeping powers to investigating agencies -- to track, record and scan data on any computer -- can be misused, obviously. And it's drawing some criticism online.

Why is every Indian being treated like a criminal? This order by a govt wanting to snoop on every citizen is unconstitutional and in breach of the telephone tapping guidelines, the Privacy Judgement and the Aadhaar judgement. https://t.co/vJXs6aycP0  Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) December 21, 2018

Welcome to surveillance state .  #OROP #BanEvm  (@immune_soul) December 21, 2018

While there is no explicit mention of phones being tracked under this order, but if you start expanding the definition of a computer to a mobile phone, you can start to understand the sheer intrusive power of what this could mean in violation of an individual's right to privacy -- a fundamental right declared by Supreme Court of India last year.
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!
Qualcomm has struck another blow against Apple in their prolonged legal war.

The chipmaker has received a second injunction, this time in Germany, stopping it from selling iPhones that carry parts from Intel and another component supplier, Qorvo.

Images courtesy: Reuters

In a response to the judgement, Apple says it plans to appeal the ruling. Having expected this, the presiding judge told the court that the ruling would not go into immediate effect. Yet Apple, surprisingly attempting to step lightly, has said it won't sell the iPhone 7 or 8 and their variants in Germany during the appeals process. Qualcomm however insist the injunction will go into effect as soon as it posts the required bonds "within a few days".

Also Read: iPhones Can't Be Fooled By 3D-Printed Heads, But Apple Has Bigger Problems To Contend With

This injunction follows close on the heels of two previous attempts by the chip manufacturer to stop the sales of iPhones. The first was in the US, with the second being granted in China on December 10.

Qualcomm has been locked in a legal battle with Apple for over a year now, accusing the iPhone maker of patent infringement. The battle began when Apple refused to hand over royalty payments to Qualcomm, payments it insists are far too high and are exploitative of a monopoly. In return, Qualcomm has accused them of stealing chip secrets and giving them to Intel, in order to improve their chip performance for iPhones.

"Qualcomm's campaign is a desperate attempt to distract from the real issues between our companies,"Apple said in a statement this week. "Their tactics, in the courts and in their everyday business, are harming innovation and harming consumers. Qualcomm insists on charging exorbitant fees based on work they didn't do and they are being investigated by governments all around the world for their behavior. We are of course disappointed by this verdict and we plan to appeal."

Steven Rodgers meanwhile, Intel's general counsel, took to a blog to write, "Qualcomm's goal is not to vindicate its intellectual property rights, but rather to drive competition out of the market for premium modem chips, and to defend a business model that ultimately harms consumers."
Greta Thunberg is just 15 years old, but the Swedish student has been garnering international notoriety.

She's gone viral not just for her strong stance on climate change, but also her biting criticism of policymakers across the world dithering on the issue.

ALSO READ: 18 Images Of 2018 Show How Earth Is Inching Closer Towards Mass Extinction Due Climate Change!

"You are not mature enough to tell it like is," she said at a UN climate summit in Poland that ended Sunday. "Even that burden you leave to us children."

"Our biosphere is being sacrificed so rich people in countries like mine can live in luxury. It's the suffering of the many which pay for the luxuries of the few," she went on to add. "You say you love your children above all else, and yet you're stealing their future before their very eyes."

"You say you love your children above all else and yet, you're stealing their future in front of their very eyes."

15-year-old @GretaThunberg speaks at #COP24. pic.twitter.com/0Ex5dpNVUa  Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) December 16, 2018

"We have not come here to beg world leaders to care. You have ignored us in the past and you will ignore us again. We have come here to let you know that change is coming whether you like it or not."

Thunberg's powerful challenge has spread like wildfire on social media, and hopefully beyond as well. And to be sure, if she sounds frustrated, she is. Young though she is, she's been campaigning to fight climate change for a while now.

ALSO READ: Bill Gates Thinks We Aren't Doing Enough To Save Ourselves From Risks Of Climate Change & AI

She grabbed headlines earlier this for ditching school to go on strike for two weeks, just before Sweden's general elections.

Following the country's hottest summer ever, she sat in silent protest on the pavement outside the parliament building in Stockholm, with placards and leaflets that read, "I am doing this because you adults are shitting on my future."
Maria Moore (above, left) and Marvel Salvant (above, right) have been charged with the murder of popular San Francisco Bay Area chef Dominic Sarkar. Moore, who was having an affair with Sarkar, allegedly hired Salvant to kill Sarkar for his $800,000 life insurance policies, according to the Alameda County, Calif., District Attorneys office. (Fremont Police Department mugshots)
Pontiff Immadi Mahadevaswami and his accomplices Ambika, Madesha, and Doddayya have admitted to mixing insecticide into prasad before it was served to devotees, resulting in 15 deaths and 90 hospitalizations. (police photos)
Northern white frac sand, 30/50 mesh, API, EXW Wisconsin, $/short ton

Northern white frac sand, 40/70 mesh, API, EXW Wisconsin, $/short ton

Northern white frac sand, 100 mesh, API, EXW Wisconsin, $/short ton

These prices are being proposed in response to market demand for a greater range of mesh sizes for Fastmarkets IMs frac sand assessment.

Fastmarkets IM launched its first frac sand price in September 2018. This price, for Northern white frac sand, 20/40 mesh, API, EXW Wisconsin, $/short ton, was well received but feedback suggested that this grade only covered a small portion of the North American frac sand market.

By including a wider range of mesh size, Fastmarkets IM will be better placed to represent the whole of the market for Northern white frac sand.

The new prices will be assessed monthly on the third Thursday of each month.

The consultation period for these proposed launches will end on January 31, with changes taking place from February 1. Fastmarkets IM will, however, seek pricing inputs from the market for all three prices from Thursday January 17 in anticipation of providing the first price assessments for them on Thursday February 21. This assumes that there are no changes to the proposed prices or to the consultation period.

To provide feedback on these prices, or if you would like to provide price information by becoming a data submitter to these prices, please contact William Clarke by email at: pricing@fastmarkets.com . Please add the subject heading FAO: William Clarke, re: Northern white frac sand prices.

To see all Fastmarkets pricing methodology and specification documents go to https://www.metalbulletin.com/prices/pricing-methodology.html
Manufacturers and users of chemicals made from minerals and chemical mineral processing agents within the European Union, will from January 2020 have to check whether the chemicals they use contain nanoparticles. If they do, they will have to assess their safety and report the results to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).



This follows the release of a new EU regulation on nanoforms amending the EU chemical control system known as Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (Reach) which will apply to all current Reach-registered chemicals and any subject to new registration applications. The law has been passed after the EU concluded that nanoforms of chemicals could have different environmental health impacts than chemicals delivered in standard-sized particles.



The new regulations preamble said: "Manufacturers and importers should assess and where relevant, generate the necessary information and document in the chemical safety report that the risks, arising from the identified uses of the substance with nanoforms they manufacture or import, are adequately controlled."



An ECHA statement added: "The new requirements will enable both companies and authorities to systematically assess the hazardous properties of nanomaterials, how they are used safely, and what risks they may pose to our health and the environment. This information will help authorities in the EU to identify if further risk management measures are needed."



While basic minerals themselves, as they occur in nature, are not subject to Reach registration (although they may be covered by other Reach usage controls  for instance asbestos), those that have been chemically changed are, such as antioxidants, binders and chelating agents. For instance, clay mineral hectorite and related substances are subject to registrations on Reach, along with synthetic minerals.



Under the new regulation, manufacturers, producers and importers of these mineral-based substances will have to check whether they are supplying them in nanomaterial form  to be covered by the new rules  particles must be between 1 nm (nanometer) and 100 nm. Downstream users of mineral-based chemicals, or mineral processors using chemicals, may also have a role to play here, according to the regulations preamble, because a use of nanoforms may potentially change one nanoform into another form, or generate a new nanoform.



As a result: "Downstream users should provide this information up the supply chain to ensure that the use is adequately covered by the registration dossier of the manufacturer or importer, or alternatively cover the specific use in their own chemical safety report," the regulation said.



Information could include data such as nanoforms rate of dissolution in water as well as in relevant biological and environmental media. Moreover, unless human exposure is unlikely, tests for toxicity should assess the impact of inhaling nanoparticles, the regulation says.



This would require in workplaces that information on dustiness should be provided regarding any nanoforms under consideration. And for inhalation tests on short term repeated dose and sub-chronic toxicity of such nanoforms, testing should always include microscope examination of brain, lung tissues, and lung fluids, following Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) technical guidance.



As for testing for mutagenicity, because of concerns that some 'in vitro gene mutation studies in bacteria might not work, one or more other in vitro mutagenicity tests assessing mammal cells or other internationally recognized in vitro methods should be undertaken, the guidance said.



Detailed assessments will be needed to ensure compliance, with minimum characterization information required in submissions to the regulator: "Particle size, shape and surface properties of a nanoform may influence its toxicological or ecotoxicological profile, exposure as well as behavior in the environment," notes the law.



All different nanoforms covered by the registration must be considered by registering company when assessing their safety, with information on manufacture, use of and exposure to different nanoforms should be provided separately, added European Commission (EC) guidance within the regulation preamble.



That said, it adds that it should be possible to group nanoforms with similar characteristics in sets, to ease the administrative burden. These should be provided in ranges of values "that clearly define the boundaries of the set of similar nanoforms," says the regulation, which adds that when a mineral chemical supplier defines such groups, it should explain how any variation within these parameters will not affect a nanoforms hazard, exposure and risk assessment.



In any case, test conditions will have to be documented and justified scientifically, including the use of other evidence outside any direct testing to assess the safety of these mineral-based chemical nanoforms.



The law was approved as secondary legislation by the EC, without a formal vote by the European Parliament and EU Council of Ministers  although it has been discussed by specialist committees with national government representatives.



Given its implementation date, should the United Kingdom exit the EU as planned under the draft withdrawal deal due to be discussed by the House of Commons in early January, British compliance with this regulation would be subject to final EU-UK relations negotiations, which would be staged after March 29, 2019.



*See new regulation text

*See full guidance on mineral exemptions to Reach
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Beans Bounce Double Digits Barchart - 40 minutes ago Soybean futures were up double digits on Thursday as prices continued to recover from the sharp post Turkey Day and Month End selloff. Jan beans are now 45 cents weaker than the pre Thanksgiving high,... ZSF22 : 1244-2s (+1.30%) ZSPAUS.CM : 12.1110 (+1.35%) ZSH22 : 1250-0s (+1.21%) ZSX21 : 1234-0s (+1.79%) ZSPX21US.CM : 12.0970 (+1.34%)

Triple Digit Rally in Hogs Barchart - 40 minutes ago Lean hog futures added another triple digits to the bounce yesterday, closing as much as $1.87 higher in the front months on Thursday. USDAs National Average Afternoon Base hog price for Thursday was... HEZ21 : 74.400s (+1.05%) HEJ22 : 86.325s (+1.47%) KMZ21 : 87.000s (-1.02%)

Cotton Fades for Another Red Close Barchart - 40 minutes ago Cotton futures initially traded higher on Thursday, attempting to bounce back from 4 hard down days. By the close, front month futures were 19 to 49 points in the red. For the Dec contract that extends... CTZ21 : 108.90s (-0.45%) CTH22 : 103.70s (-0.47%) CTZ21 : 108.90s (-0.45%)

Chart of the Day: Is NVIDIA the Best NASDAQ 100 Stock? Barchart - 1 hour ago The Barchart Chart of the Day belongs to the semiconductor company Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA ). I found the stock by sorting the NASDAQ 100 Index stocks first by the highest Weighted Alpha, then by the highest... NVDA : 321.26 (+2.20%)

OPEC, allies stick to modest output boost despite omicron AP - 1 hour ago NEW YORK (AP)  OPEC and allied oil-producing countries decided Thursday to stick to their plans to boost oil production even as the cast a shadow of uncertainty over the global economic recovery from... $SPX : 4,577.10 (+1.42%) $DOWI : 34,639.79 (+1.82%) $IUXX : 15,990.76 (+0.71%)

China clears Boeing 737 Max to fly again AP - Thu Dec 2, 3:02PM CST BEIJING (AP)  Chinas aviation regulator cleared the Boeing 737 Max on Thursday to return to flying with technical upgrades more than two years after the plane was grounded worldwide following two... $SPX : 4,577.10 (+1.42%) $DOWI : 34,639.79 (+1.82%) $IUXX : 15,990.76 (+0.71%) BA : 202.38 (+7.54%)
The Non-bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority (NBFIRA) has lifted the temporary closure on Bona Life. Regina Sikalesele-Vaka, the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) told media that a lot of what has been troubling the company in 2018 has been resolved.We have gone through a year of turmoil and that has failed to stop us, said Sikalesele-Vaka, adding that the company has attended to the bulk of issues that lead to the company being dysfunctional.

Last July, the non-bank financial institutions regulator temporarily shutdown Bona Life due to shareholder fights. The development lead to Bona Life accounts being closed and banned from advertising and selling new insurance products to the public, threatening the life of the company.

With aspiration to become a leading financial institution, Bona Lifes misery started in October 2017 when Capital Management Botswana (CMB) and Botswana Public Officers Pension Fund (BPOPF) fought over shares. The two own 40 percent shares in Bona Life through an investment vehicle named Botswana Opportunity Partnership (BOP), this lead to a trail of developments such as relationship breakdown between CEO and CMB.

In addition, Bona Life board could not quorate following the dispute. The current status is that CMB has been expelled from BOP, resolving the ownership dispute and CMB will no longer be a shareholder in Bona Life after its liquidation. Meanwhile, Bona Life has embarked on a restructuring of its portifolio which is expected to be concluded by March and Sikalesele-Vaka remains optimistic and intends to list the company on the local bourse.Listing has always been a primary thing for us to achieve, said Sikalesele-Vaka.Bona Life is the first local citizen owned insurance company and according to Sikalesele-Vaka the company was this year facing a sophisticated coup attempt by CMB.
While digital technology is on the rise, we believe the industry is in need of change, said Ngan. Hong Kong welcomes a virtual insurer to design what online insurance can be  truly customer-centric, transparent and commission-free.

Our market research is telling us Hong Kong consumers would love to be able to sign up for health insurance and submit claims online, but the industry has not fully embraced digital technology to optimize the consumer experience, said Chan.

Pending approval from the Food and Health Bureau, health insurance products are expected to become available on Bowties digital distribution platform during the first half of 2019, when the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (VHIS) begins accepting customer applications.
Scotiabank has also entered into another agreement to acquire Banco Dominicano del Progreso. Both transactions are in line with the banks strategic decision to focus its Caribbean operations on core markets, a release said.

Grupo Rizek is a prominent diversified business group in the Dominican Republic with a long-standing, solid reputation in the agribusiness and financial services industries.

This transaction represents the Groups commitment to the countrys economic growth, confirms its confidence in the financial stability of the Dominican economy, and contributes to a dignified retirement for our customers, said Grupo Rizek representative Hector Jose Rizek Sued.

With its strong economic growth and population of over 10 million people, the Dominican Republic remains an important market for Scotiabank. This transaction is aligned to recent announcements regarding the Banks Caribbean operations, including our agreement to acquire Banco Dominicano del Progreso, commented Scotiabank group head of international banking and digital transformation Nacho Deschamps.

We are increasing focus on growing our banking business in the Dominican Republic, where we have the opportunity to achieve enhanced scale and offer the greatest value to customers, Deschamps added.
Burns & Wilcox Brokerage, the wholesale property and casualty brokerage arm, relocated to a larger office in downtown San Francisco, and completed a location expansion in Dallas. Both of these moves were driven by organic growth within the unit.

Alan Jay Kaufman, chairman, president and CEO of H.W. Kaufman Group, said the Groups strategic real estate investments afford us the ability to better serve our expanding client base and are a direct reflection of the increasing demand for Burns & Wilcoxs deep expertise in specialty insurance.

But the insurance giants property investments arent just about business growth; theyre also about cultural growth, collaboration, innovation and preparing Burns & Wilcox for the future.

We strongly believe people should work together and that they should collaborate, integrate and develop relationships in our office settings as opposed to working in isolated environments. Team effort and collaboration have proven through the centuries to be the best way to conduct business, and I think that aspect of business continues today, Kaufman told Insurance Business. In insurance organizations, underwriters, claims adjusters, people in the marketing department and the brokerage team all need to work together. Teamwork provides a much greater output and success story than when you have units working in siloes, and a great office setting enables that collaboration.

You can have all the technology and all the expertise, but at the end of the day, you have to have strong relationships. Those relationships are developed better on a local basis than a long-distance basis, and consequently, you have to have offices in key locations where lots of business can come into the company and where lots of people want to work.

The next important thing, according to Kaufman, is creating an office environment that people actually want to work in. Employees need to be comfortable, inspired, and even proud to call an office their own, he said. This is a challenge that all companies face - the need to constantly update company culture in order to attract and retain talent, but without losing any core values. That cultural shift needs to start with the corporate headquarters because that will set a precedent for the rest of the company. Kaufman said hes very proud of the culture, design and architecture the Group has incorporated at its Michigan headquarters, and theyve used the same designs for their global network of companies around the world.

A short time ago, we relocated one of our Burns & Wilcox offices from a suburban area in Salt Lake City into a very cool 1920s building in downtown Salt Lake City. Its a very attractive building, which was designed by a well-known architect from Detroit called Albert Kahn. Theres a big water tower on top of it, which weve now branded with Burns & Wilcox and its the hit of Salt Lake City, said Kaufman. This is an example of an investment we made into a unique space, as opposed to just a box space in a new building. If your space is cool and innovative, you will attract people who consider it a great place to spend their time every day. It pays off to have a great working environment.

The Kaufman Group wouldnt purchase a cool office building in a location that didnt have business potential. The chief exec explained that theyre always looking for locations where the economy is strong, and the business is growing.

We moved Burns & Wilcox Brokerage into a new office in downtown San Francisco because its a good market with a strong economy, he commented. Its a big area for technology, construction, healthcare, professional liability, cyber liability  all areas that were very strong in. We needed more space and weve improved our space in order to attract the right talent and to meet the current needs of technology in our office.

Certain parts of the country grow for different reasons. For example, our offices in California, San Francisco and Los Angeles are growing because of the natural catastrophes and the wildfires that have taken place. Many homeowners and business owners in wildfire-prone areas are finding it hard to get insurance coverage. Thats driving more business to us at Burns & Wilcox because were in the business of covering hard-to-place risks. Likewise, on the east coast, if there was another hurricane of consequence, that would likely propel our eastern offices to grow. Some of that growth you can anticipate and some of it is reactionary to the market.
Its also been a year of massive success for our magazine with record numbers of nominations for our hugely successful cover series that include the Hot 100, the Hall of Fame, Brokers On Carriers, Elite Women, Top Insurance Workplaces and many more.

So, in truth, weve already opened our present this year  and that gift has been the amazing support from all of you.

On behalf of all our hard-working journalists, events and sales teams, and indeed everyone associated with Insurance Business America and our parent company Key Media, may we take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas or a wonderful holiday no matter what your faith, and the happiest New Year.

Well be back with your daily updates beginning January 02, 2019. See you in the New Year!

The team at Insurance Business America
A federal judge is again ruling against Pennsylvania legislation that would take at least $200 million from a state-chartered medical malpractice insurer of last resort.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Conner said the state cant legislatively recapture the Pennsylvania Professional Liability Joint Underwriting Association to take its assets.

Conner blocked a previous attempt in May, ruling the association was a private entity and its surplus is private property that cant be taken without fair compensation. The association has never taken public money.

Lawmakers and Gov. Tom Wolf enacted a new law this summer, the third attempt to take the money in three years.

The judge temporarily blocked it in July and most recently declared the new law violated the U.S. Constitution and issued a permanent injunction.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation Excess Surplus Pennsylvania
As Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) management continue to grapple with efforts to bring the parastatal to profitability, employees from the companys Francistown plant currently under care and maintenance, remain a headache.

Though a hundred of the employees have been absorbed at the Maun and Lobatse plant, BMC is yet to find opportunities for 115 employees, whose future hangs in the balance following the restructuring. We have since decided to find more opportunities for these 115 that have remained, whether under BMC or somewhere else, said Brian Dioka, BMC spokesperson. However achieving zero job losses is unheard off and impossible, though we were not too eager to pull the trigger. He said management is sitting around the table with the shareholders to find solution for the employees by end of February 2019, as the company faces a cost exposure of eight million pula per annum from the idle 115 workers and care and maintenance cost.

Its a big relief on BMCs balance sheet, said Dioka highlighting that the meat company has been reeling on the red over the past years. He said the BMC management needs to be imaginative and is embarking on extreme cost cutting measures, as it also accommodates the increased wage bills for Lobatse and Maun following the absorption of the 100 employees from Francistown abattoir. Austerity measures implementation has seen BMC move away from feedlot business that was draining the parastatal 100 million pula per three- month circle. It is an opportunity for us to offset some operational cost, said Dioka, reiterating that the proposed restructuring is meant to find areas of improvement within the company.

We have to be a low-cost producer, asserted Dioka, adding that BMC can unlock more value once it seriously and deliberately reduces its cost. Dioka said BMC and the workers union were always in sync on the proposed restructuring, dismissing any loggerheads. It was never an issue; its just on the modality that we were discussing. Restructuring was an approved decision before we met the shareholder, said Dioka. Dioka said the management and stakeholders have agreed to keep eleven employees at the Francistown abattoir to ensure the assets are safely kept from being dilapidated by either natural or unnatural forces.

Meanwhile, government has already written off loans of 400 million plus for BMC, as part of efforts to improve the companys financial position and Dioka is optimistic the development will help the restructuring process.We are now in a better position to engage any partner. BMC is now in a desired business state. Without shareholder intervention, this restructuring could not have been possible, said Dioka. Apart from writing off loans, government also gave BMC 124 million for operations while 30 million pula was used mainly for the Francistown restructuring exercise.
A Manhattan federal judge blocked New York state from enforcing a recently enacted law that aimed to collect $600 million from drug manufacturers and distributors to defray the costs of combating the opioid addiction epidemic.

U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla ruled that while the concerns driving New Yorks decision to adopt the law were valid, the means by which the state would extract payments from the companies violated the U.S. Constitution.

The ruling came in a trio of lawsuits by drug wholesale distributor group Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA); the Association for Accessible Medicines, a generic drug manufacturers group; and Mallinckrodt Plc unit SpecGx.

Failla said the laws prohibition on companies passing on to consumers the costs of making the payments to the state of New York violated the Constitutions dormant Commerce Clause, which bars states from regulating interstate commerce.

She said the law improperly regulated the companies relationships with out-of-state consumers by barring drugmakers from passing on the costs to them and threatening significant penalties for doing so.

New York nowhere concedes that it will never charge the penalty for out-of-state sales, only that it has displayed no current intention to do so, Failla wrote.

Representatives for the groups behind the lawsuits welcomed the ruling. HDA in a statement called the surcharge the wrong way to address the opioid epidemic.

The New York State Department of Health said it was considering its options.

Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Opioid Stewardship Act into law in April.

Its passage marked a novel instance of a state seeking to tax opioid manufacturers and distributors to combat the drug epidemic. Other states have considered similar proposals.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioids were involved in over 49,000 overdose deaths nationwide in 2017.

The law created a fund to finance addiction treatment programs bankrolled entirely by manufacturers and distributors of prescription painkillers in New York.

The companies would collectively pay $100 million annually into the fund from 2019 to 2024. The exact amount a company owed would be based on its share of annual opioid sales.

The first payments were due on Jan. 1 and were calculated based on 2017 sales. Mallinckrodts SpecGX, a generic drugmaker, said in court papers it owed $1.2 million.

Drug distributor AmerisourceBergen Corp estimated in November it would owe $22 million for its share from 2017 through September 2018. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Peter Cooney)

Topics Legislation USA New York Manufacturing Drugs
In a December 20 consent order, 10 Lloyds of London underwriters have entered into an agreement to pay $5 million to the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) for underwriting fire arms liability insurance programs branded by the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Under the agreement, the underwriters agreed to pay the civil monetary penalty to DFS within ten days of executing the consent order.

Additionally, the underwriters agreed not to issue or deliver any insurance policies in New York State that provide liability coverage for bodily injury or property damage from use of a firearm. They also agreed not to enter into any agreement or program with the NRA to underwrite or participate in any affinity-type insurance program involving any line of insurance covering people or entities whose home state is New York. However, the consent order stated the NRA may purchase insurance from the underwriters for the sole purpose of obtaining insurance for the NRAs own corporate operations.

In the consent order, the underwriters agreed to cancel existing policies and fully refund the insurance premiums for specific coverages canceled under the NRA Programs.

Since October 2017, DFS has been conducting an investigation into the involvement of the Corporation of Lloyds, underwriters, Lockton and the NRA in the NRA Programs and other matters, including a review of thousands of pages of documents obtained from the Corporation of Lloyds, Underwriters, Lockton Affinity and the NRA, as well as other information obtained from relevant sources, according to the consent order.

Insurance Journal reported in May that Lloyds of London had directed its underwriters to terminate any insurance programs they had with the NRA and to not enter into any new ones.

The Lloyds Corporation has given very careful consideration as to whether syndicates at Lloyds should continue to insure programmes offered, marketed, endorsed or otherwise made available through the National Rifle Association of America, Lloyds said in a previous statement.

The New York investigation into NRAs insurance, in particular its Carry Guard personal liability insurance program for members, also previously resulted in fines for broker Lockton ($7 million) and insurer Chubb and its excess and surplus lines subsidiary, Illinois Union ($1.3 million), Insurance Journal previously reported. These two firms that administered and underwrote the Carry Guard program also signed agreements in which they acknowledged that the policies they offered violated state law and agreed to stop participating in membership programs with the NRA.

DFS declined to comment on the recent consent order with Lloyds. Lloyds did not respond to an emailed request for comment by press time.

Topics Excess Surplus Abuse Molestation New York Underwriting Lloyd's
Londons Gatwick Airport reopened on Friday after a saboteur wrought 36 hours of travel chaos for over a hundred thousand Christmas travelers by using drones to play cat-and-mouse with police snipers and the army.

After the biggest disruption at Gatwick, Britains second busiest airport, since a volcanic ash cloud in 2010, Gatwick said around 700 planes were due to take off on Friday, although there would still be delays and cancellations.

Britain deployed unidentified military technology to guard the airport against what Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said were thought to be several drones.

I think passengers are safe, Grayling said. This kind of incident is unprecedented anywhere in the world.

The motivation of the drone operator, or operators, was unclear. Police said there was nothing to suggest the crippling of one of Europes busiest airports was a terrorist attack.

Gatwicks drone nightmare is thought to be the most disruptive yet at a major airport and indicates a new vulnerability that will be scrutinized by security forces and airport operators across the world.

The army and police snipers were called in to hunt down the drones, thought to be industrial style craft, which flew near the airport every time it tried to reopen on Thursday.

Detector Gadgets

The perpetrator has not yet been detained, police said, and no group has claimed responsibility. British officials will meet on Friday to discuss the situation. The defense ministry refused to comment on what technology was deployed.

Flights were halted at 2103 GMT on Wednesday after two drones were spotted near the airfield. The disruption affected at least 120,000 people on Wednesday and Thursday, with thousands more to be disrupted on Friday.

After a boom in drone sales, unmanned aerial vehicles have become a growing menace at airports across the world.

In Britain, the number of near misses between private drones and aircraft more than tripled between 2015 and 2017, with 92 incidents recorded last year.

Flying drones within 1 km (0.6 mile) of a British airport boundary is punishable by five years in prison.

The drone sightings caused misery for tens of thousands of travelers who were stranded at Gatwick, many sleeping on the floor as they searched for alternative routes to holidays and Christmas family gatherings.

Theres no evidence that it is terror-related in the conventional sense, Grayling said. But its clearly a kind of disruptive activity that weve not seen before.

He said it was uncertain how many drones were involved but it appeared to be more than one, and said military technology could help develop systems for commercial use at airports.

The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) said it understood detection and tracking equipment had been installed around Gatwicks perimeter.

The expectation is that, if and when the drones reappear, they will be detected and the airport will close again, Brian Strutton, BALPA General Secretary, said.

BALPA remains extremely concerned at the risk of a drone collision. It is possible that the rogue drones may go undetected around the perimeter or could obstruct the flight paths outside the immediate detection zone.

Extraordinary Circumstance

It was not immediately clear what the financial impact would be on the main airlines operating from Gatwick including easyJet , British Airways and Norwegian.

We are making every effort to get people to their destination at this important time of the year, easyJet said.

We are working to get our operations at Gatwick back to normal, but with runway movements restricted to a limited number per hour, we expect some disruption to continue.

A Reuters witness at Gatwicks South Terminal said the airport was busy, with many people waiting with luggage and queues for service desks, but not unusually so for a day so close to Christmas.

Britains Civil Aviation Authority said it considered the event to be an extraordinary circumstance meaning airlines are not obliged to pay compensation to affected passengers.

Airlines will have to refund customers who no longer wish to travel however and try to reschedule flights to get passengers to their destinations.

Some, like Sarah Garghan-Watson, chose to stick it out at the airport overnight, having arrived at 8am on Thursday.

Its now 2 oclock in the morning at Gatwick, and its very bright and very noisy. Its now also very cold, she said in a video shown on Sky.

All I can see tonight is a sign that says no more sleeps until the beach. And here we are, sleeping, in the stairs at Gatwick, because theres no flights.

(Additional reporting by Alistair Smout and Kate Holton; writing by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Janet Lawrence)

Related:

Topics Tech Aviation London Uk
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says a portion of Michigans northern Lower Peninsula has been designated as a natural disaster area following a summer hailstorm that damaged crops.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the designation for Grand Traverse County.

With the designation, agricultural producers including farmers that had losses due to hail Aug. 1 may be eligible for USDA Farm Service Agency emergency loans. The loans can be used to meet various recovery needs, including the replacement of livestock or essential items such as equipment.

Producers in Antrim, Benzie, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee and Wexford counties also are eligible to apply for emergency loans. The deadline to apply for loans is Aug. 13 and the Farm Service Agency will review them. Additional information about the loans is posted online.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Agribusiness Michigan
California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones continues to push the fossil fuel divestment hot button right to the end of the year and his tenure as the states head insurance regulator.

Jones this week released the most recent data on oil, gas, coal and utility investments by insurers, adding the new fossil fuel disclosures to the Climate Risk Carbon Initiative database on the California Department of Insurances website.

The website is designed to provide transparency and insights into how much fossil fuel exposure each insurance company doing business in California faces, according to Jones.

The database reveals fossil fuel investments by insurer, including thermal coal, oil and gas, and utility investments, and includes three years of insurer fossil fuel investments from 2015 to 2017 searchable by insurer and year.

The database also includes individual insurer responses to Jones request that insurers divest from thermal coal because of the risk thermal coal faces of becoming a stranded asset.

Jones touted the success of the database and his myriad efforts to get insurers to address climate change in November when he announced an increase in the number of insurers that divested or are committing to divest from thermal coal investments following his efforts to address climate-related financial risk.

Climate change poses potential financial risks to insurers investments, particularly those investments in fossil fuels, as governments, businesses, consumers and markets transition away from fossil fuels in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change, Jones said in a statement this week. In 2016 I began requiring insurers to disclose their fossil fuel investments and I asked insurers to divest from thermal coal because of the risk thermal coal could become a stranded asset on the books of insurance companies as consumers, businesses, markets and governments transition away from thermal coal as a source of energy.

The database tracks fossil fuels investments based on: oil and gas companies that receive 50 percent or more of revenue from mining, refining and exploration of oil and gas, thermal coal companies that generation 30 percent or more of their revenue from the mining of coal, utility companies that generate 30 percent or more of their power from thermal coal, and utility companies that generate 50 percent or more of their power from oil, gas, and coal.

This Years 10 Most Read IJ Articles on Climate Change

Climate change was a popular topic again this year, not with just regulators but with Insurance Journal readers also.

The 10 most popular articles featuring the climate change subject includes stories on federal reports, wildfires, the economy, Exxon, as well as Flo, Jake, the Gecko and friends.

The winner for the climate change article on Insurance Journal with the most pageviews was titled Solutions to Wildfires in Time of Climate Change Are Costly, Unpopular.

The article, which appeared in November, notes that as climate change causes more frequent and shocking blazes, a straightforward solution is to stop building homes in places that are likely to burn  and make homes that already exist in those areas a whole lot tougher.

Climate Change Is Beginning to Shift Planets Seasons: Scientists. That was the headline on the next most popular Insurance Journal article focused on climate change. It notes that climate scientists have concluded that humans are pushing seasonal temperatures out of balance. It was not only a much-read piece, but it amassed an impressive 80 comments from readers.

The National Climate Assessment released the same month as the deadly fires in California warned that warming-charged extremes have already become more frequent, intense, widespread or of long duration, and that the last few years have smashed U.S. records for damaging weather. The article, Report by 13 U.S. Agencies Warns of Dire Economic Effects from Climate Change, was also wildly popular with Insurance Journal commenters.

A story titled Judge Rules Government, Not President, Can Be Sued Over Climate Change was the next most read. It reports on a U.S. district judges ruling that a group of young Americans suing the federal government over lack of action to fight climate change could proceed with their lawsuit, however U.S. President Donald Trump could not be named as a defendant.

Coverage of a report from the International Association of Insurance Supervisors and the Sustainable Insurance Forum, Report Outlines Climate Change Risks Faced by Insurance Sector, also attracted numerous eyeballs.

The rest of the top 10 are as follows (and thanks to Josh Carlson, vice president of technology for Insurance Journal owner Wells Media, for the metrics):

Cover Crops

A new study suggests winter crops may reduce snow reflectivity.

A study from the National Center for Atmospheric Research shows cover crops grown in fields during winter may be warming temperatures in northern U.S. and southern Canada.

The crops, a land management strategy used by farmers between growing seasons, create a darker surface than a snow-covered field, absorbing more heat from the Sun and producing a local warming effect, according to a synopsis of the report.

The report notes that cover crops have ecological benefits like reducing erosion and increasing soil productivity, but it appears they also have a downside.

Most people look at cover crops for the localized benefits, but the fact that they might increase winter temperature means they could contribute to regional climate change, stated Danica Lombardozzi, a plant ecologist at NCAR and lead author on the paper.

According to the report, vegetation protruding above the snow reduces the reflectivity of the surface. So instead of the bright snow reflecting solar heat back into space, the crop stems and leaves absorb the heat and warm the atmosphere around them.

The study suggests that tall, leafy cover crops can warm the surface in the growing region by up to 3 degrees C (5.5 degrees F).

The research also suggests that wintertime warming is particularly pronounced in regions where winter snowpack is variable, such as the American Midwest.

The Heartland Institute V. Climate Change

The Heartland Institute takes climate change to heart  if youre not familiar with them, its not how it sounds.

The group this week released an audit of federal government websites that reveals many of these sites are still pushing Obama-era climate-alarmist propaganda rather than presenting a sober look at current science.

The audit shows that nearly two years after President Donald Trump took office and 19 months after he withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, several government websites continue to implicitly or explicitly endorse that agreement.

Heartland Institute researchers performed an audit of government websites over the fall and found outdated science and climate propaganda on the websites of: NASA; NOAA; the Department of Energy; the Department of Agriculture; the Department of Defense; the National Institutes of Health; and the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

The Heartland Institute, a national nonprofit headquartered in Arlington Heights, Ill., with a stated mission to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems, says it plans to conduct audits of additional federal websites and issue a second report in 2019.

Apparently, hundreds of career bureaucrats missed the final results of the 2016 election: Hillary Clinton was not elected President of the United States, Tim Huelskamp, president and CEO of The Heartland Institute, said in a statement. Despite the clear direction from President Donald Trump, his appointees, legal and regulatory changes, and mounting scientific evidence, propaganda and climate alarmism proper to a Clinton administration are still being promulgated across dozens of taxpayer-funded web sites. This is a direct challenge to the proper authority invested in those elected by the American public and should be changed immediately.

Past columns:

Topics Carriers California USA Agribusiness Climate Change Energy Oil Gas
As they previously announced they would do, the U.S. Treasury and U.S. Trade Representative have officially signed an agreement with the United Kingdom to provide insurance regulatory continuity after the country exits the European Union.

The Trump Administration also issued a U.S. policy statement regarding implementation of the U.S.-UK covered agreement, which is similar to one the U.S. previously signed with the European Union in 2017.

The agreement, like the one with the EU, affirms the U.S. state-based system of insurance regulation and increases growth opportunities for U.S. insurers, according to the Trump Administration.

We look forward to working with the UK to continue to deepen our bilateral regulatory cooperation with a view to the promotion of financial stability, investor protection, and fair, orderly, and efficient markets post Brexit, said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin.

United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said the deal will allow U.S. insurers and reinsurers to maximize business opportunities and cut red tape for their cross-border operations.

While the U.S insurance community is split over the wisdom of U.S. covered agreements with foreign countries, with state regulators worrying they infringe on their authority, critics have been somewhat muted since this latest pact mirrors the U.K.- EU agreement that is already in place.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC ), which represents state insurance regulators and has been one of the strongest critics, said it did not object to this pact. As we have previously noted, the UK is an important market for the U.S. and is currently included in the existing U.S./EU covered agreement. Given these unique circumstances, despite our concerns with the covered agreement mechanism, we do not object to its use in this instance to replicate consistent treatment for the UK, the organization said.

Louisiana state Sen. Dan Morrish, president of the National Council of Insurance Legislators, which has also been critical in the past, echoed the comments by state regulators, saying that it is only fair that the U.K. is not penalized for leaving the European Union.

Another critic, the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC), used the signing to make a point. Ultimately, we think this was a missed opportunity for the U.S. to codify the administrations interpretation of what the text of the covered agreement means. After all, if the UK cant officially sign-off on our interpretation of the documents meaning, doesnt that call into question the agreements ability to solve the problems it purports to solve? said Jimi Grande, NAMIC senior vice president of government affairs.

Not all in the industry are wary of covered agreements. We applaud U.S. and U.K. negotiators for prioritizing the stability of the insurance marketplace ahead of next years Brexit, said Steve Simchak, vice president and chief international counsel for the American Insurance Association, which represents carriers. This agreement goes a long way toward limiting any disruption to the insurance marketplace. We appreciate the emphasis put on keeping it consistent with the existing Covered Agreement with the European Union and the engagement of state insurance commissioners during the negotiating process.

View text of the U.S.-UK Covered Agreement.

View text of the U.S. Policy Statement.

Topics Legislation USA Europe Uk Brexit
Authorities say 30 to 40 vehicles were involved in a string of wrecks in heavy fog along an about 2-mile stretch of Interstate 37 in rural South Texas.

Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Jason Reyes said no one was killed in the accidents Wednesday morning in Atascosa County near the community of Campbellton, about 50 miles south of San Antonio. He says two people were taken to hospitals with injuries that werent life-threatening.

Authorities first got a call about a crash at about 7:15 a.m. Reyes says, As our units were responding multiple calls came in regarding additional crashes.

Reyes says it wasnt one simultaneous crash but several, including one in which some vehicles caught fire.

A section of interstate was closed after the wrecks. Northbound lanes reopened by afternoon.

Topics Texas
One person has died and dozens of others were left homeless due to an apartment fire in West Virginia.

Wheeling Police Department spokesman Philip Stahl told news outlets the blaze was reported Tuesday afternoon at North Park Apartments. Stahl did not release the identity of the person who died. He said three people had to be rescued from windows, but no injuries were reported.

The Intelligencer reported flames burned a large hole in the side of the building, exposing several rooms to the elements.

Stahl said 22 apartments were damaged, but none of the 37 tenants are allowed to re-enter the building due to structural issues.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Virginia
An appeals court has upheld a libel ruling against a North Carolina newspaper that resulted in a $6 million award for a firearms expert whose work was questioned in articles.

The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that State Bureau of Investigation agent Beth Desmond showed sufficient evidence The News & Observer misrepresented expert quotations or used them out of context.

The court rejected arguments that evidence helpful to the newspaper was improperly excluded at trial and that the jury wasnt properly instructed.

Desmond argues she was defamed in 2010 articles criticizing and questioning her work in two murder cases.

Lawyer John Bussian said the newspaper will seek to have the libel verdict overturned by the state Supreme Court. He said the newspapers work is protected by the First Amendment.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics North Carolina
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - December 21, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) The Yield Growth Corp. (CSE:BOSS, C.BOSS) reports that its new subsidiary UJ Topicals Inc. has entered agreements with Nova Paths LLC to manufacture and distribute its THC and CBD infused line of topical products throughout the state of Oregon. Nova Paths is an Oregon Liquor Control Commission approved and licensed manufacturer and distributor of cannabis products in Oregon.

Yield Growth's wholly-owned subsidiary, UJ Topicals Inc., has granted to Nova Paths a non-exclusive license to its brand and proprietary product formulations for pain balm, analgesic pain gel, a pain patch, massage oil, capsules, and other products (the "UJ Topicals Line"). Nova Paths will manufacture CBD and THC infused versions of the products under Oregon law. UJ Topicals has also appointed Nova Paths as its exclusive distributor for the UJ Topicals Line in Oregon. Under the terms of the agreements, Nova Paths will retain a fee of 25% of the wholesale revenues from sales of UJ Topicals and pay the balance of wholesale revenue, less certain expenses, to UJ Topicals.

New Frontier Data projects $1.04 billion in Oregon's total cannabis sales in 2020 - $856 million recreational, $187 million medical. That will rank the state as the fifth largest US market behind California ($3.1 billion), Washington ($2.28 billion), Colorado ($1.83 billion) and Massachusetts ($1.05 billion).

"We are excited to bring our high-quality, Ayurveda-inspired products infused with THC and CBD to Oregon," said Penny Green, CEO of Yield Growth and UJ Topicals. "We will now look to finding licensing partners to launch our THC infused line of topicals in other legal states such as California and Washington."

UJ Topicals Inc. was recently incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Yield Growth. It has acquired rights from Yield Growth subsidiary, Urban Juve Provisions Inc., to infuse its catalogue of over 50 product formulas with CBD and THC and market the products through appropriate channels. UJ Topicals is developing several international topicals brands with the intent of launching them in jurisdictions where cannabis topicals are legal. The Yield Growth Corp. is building an international network for the legal manufacturing and sale of products containing hemp oil, CBD and THC.

Topicals are cannabis-infused products which are most popularly chosen for localized pain relief, muscle soreness, tension, and inflammation. Anecdotal evidence exists for an even wider spectrum of benefits, from psoriasis, dermatitis and itching, to headaches and cramping. Topicals are a fast growing industry within the cannabis sector. According to data from BDS Analytics, sales of topical cannabis products grew by 82% from 2016 to 2017 in Colorado, Washington, Oregon and California. Legal topicals sold in these states included CBD and THC infused creams, lotions, massage oils, lubricants, lip balm and patches, with infused balms and salves being the top selling items.

About Nova Paths LLC

Nova Paths is an OLCC licensed processor, manufacturer and distributor of cannabis products in Oregon, USA. Nova Paths has an established distribution network of over 400 stores in Oregon, with more stores joining every month. Nova Paths product lines include edibles, topicals, vape pens, capsules, and flower. The company manufactures in three models - house brands, licensed brands, and "Made in Nova" - a unique program that enables makers to develop and produce products inside Nova Paths, and thus dramatically reduce their time to market. Brands manufactured and/or distributed by Nova Paths include Top Hat (taffies and tarts), Pure Ratios, Majesty cosmetics, Dr. Terpene capsules and cartridges, Happy Daze capsules, Honu edibles, Pure Vape vape cartridges, Lissa's cookie dough, Allay topicals, Alto Essentials (single serving packets of olive oil, salt, and honey) and several others.

About The Yield Growth Corp.

The Yield Growth Corp. is a diverse team of business executives dedicated to rapid, sustainable financial growth for businesses with viable models for success. Its directors and officers have experience at multi-billion dollar international companies including M.A.C Cosmetics, Aritzia, Skechers, Pepsi and Coca-Cola.

Urban Juve Provisions Inc., which has a catalogue of more than 50 wellness formulas, is wholly owned by Yield Growth. Urban Juve organically synthesizes ancient knowledge and modern techniques to create exceptional beauty and wellness solutions. Ayurvedic knowledge delineates three general categories or skin types. Urban Juve has translated these as Vitalize, Balance and Align, each with its own dedicated range of skin and body care formulations. Urban Juve has registered with Health Canada 26 products containing cannabis sativa hemp oil. The company has also filed 11 provisional patent applications in the United States. Urban Juve's skin care products are sold in Canada, with distribution agreements signed for markets in the United States and Italy. Urban Juve has licensed its formulas to Yield Growth wholly owned subsidiary UJ Topicals Inc., which is launching its cannabis topicals line in Oregon, U.S.A.

For more information about Yield Growth, visit www.yieldgrowth.com or follow @yieldgrowth on Instagram. Visit www.urbanjuve.com and #findyourjuve across social platforms to learn, engage and shop.

Investor Relations Contacts:

Penny Green, Director, President & CEO

Kristina Pillon, Investor Relations

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 and UJ Topicals 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.

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TORONTO - December 21, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Patriot One Technologies Inc., (TSX.V: PAT) (OTCQB: PTOTF) (FRANKFURT: 0PL) ("Patriot One" or the "Company"), developer of the award-winning PATSCAN covert weapon detection system, is pleased to advise that Q4 2018 saw significant advancements in the PATSCAN CMR and VRS threat detection solutions development, including moving to rollouts of paid trials with its global security integrator/reseller network which represents a potential client-base of thousands of schools and universities, resorts, casinos, retail and government facilities.

"Two weeks ago, I was pleased to announce our first paid trial programs with several partners including Florida-based Smart CT Solutions, and the Government of Canada's Department of National Defence as part of the federal 'Build in Canada Innovation Program'," said Martin Cronin, CEO and President of Patriot One Technologies. "Today, I am excited to inform that we will now begin shipping PATSCAN products to several other global security integrators to support paid product trials in their respective markets."

Global Paid Trials Begin Q4, 2018:

At the request of our security integrators, the Company has embraced a "paid trial" model enabling Patriot One to scale efficiently and cost-effectively through its reseller network. This effort meets Phase 4 of its previously described Lab-to-Market strategy.

Paid trials aim to ultimately transition into commercial deployment, effectively launching product rollout. The Company will finalize policies, procedures, terms and PATSCAN installation training with its resellers in preparation for ongoing commercial activity in Q2, 2019.

No other company has ever mass-deployed these types of integrated threat detection technologies before. Therefore, advancement into full-scale mass production is, by necessity, constrained until completion and review of the technical trial results.

Three (3) Business Goals Achieved

revenues as planned commencing Q4 2018

successful deployments of PATSCAN products with key security system integrators and their clients during Q4 2018, and

advanced live tests and trials of PATSCAN solutions with a broad end-user base, targeting transition from paid trials to commercial deployments.

Related Quarterly Announcements

Additional Funding Closed: Mid-November brought the close of a $46M CAD bought deal from Canaccord Genuity and GMP. The proceeds will help drive evaluation and assembly of an extended PATSCAN product lineup of covert solutions.

EhEye Acquisition: Completed the strategic acquisition of EhEye, Inc. video analytics and object recognition technology. Re-branded as PATSCAN VRS, this innovative threat detection solution has begun paid trial deployment with Patriot One's reseller network.

University of North Dakota: As implementation of the University Of North Dakota's Centre of Excellence in Threat Detection accelerates forward, UND has invested USD$100,000 for trial deployment of PATSCAN systems in four separate facilities across campus.

Innovation Programs: Through Cisco Systems Innovation Program, Patriot One joined Cisco's sales team in presenting PATSCAN solutions to key clients. The Company launched PATSCAN showcases within Cisco's Toronto-based and IBM's Montreal-based Innovation Centre's.

Public Policy efforts: Ongoing representation in Washington DC to advise and inform key decision makers regarding product rollout. Met with members of Congress, the Department of Homeland Security, Secret Service and Pentagon officials. Company executives also met with the ACLU to discuss PATSCAN deployment in a civil liberties and privacy context.

Defence Contractor Partnership: Our partner, a major international defence contractor, is anticipating government approval in the coming weeks, at which time a detailed announcement will be made.

Media & Public Relations Coverage: Mainstream media includes ABC, CBS and NBC featured coverage of PATSCAN demonstrations at the Company's Las Vegas Development Centre. The Company further earned media coverage with key European and UK publications including INTERSEC-Journal of International Security, Defence Online, Defence Contracts Magazine and MOD Defence Contracts Bulletin.

We look forward to a great year ahead working to build safer communities and to deliver shareholder value. We thank our many partners and supporters for their continued confidence.

On Behalf of the Board,

"Martin Cronin"

Martin Cronin, President, CEO & Director

About Patriot One Technologies, Inc. (TSX.V:PAT) (OTCQX: PTOTF) (FRA: 0PL):

Patriot One has developed the PATSCAN next generation software and sensor solution for the covert detection of weapons threats. Designed as an innovative and effective platform to combat active shooter threats before they occur, the system features the award-winning PATSCAN CMR cognitive microwave radar system. Built for cost-effective deployment in weapon-restricted buildings and facilities, the Patriot One software solution and related hardware systems can be installed at key access points to covertly identify weapons and to alert security for the intervention of active threat events before they commence. Owner/operators of private and public facilities can now prominently post anti-weapons policies with compliance assured. The Company's motto Deter, Detect and Defend is based on the belief that widespread use of its technology will act as an effective deterrent, thereby diminishing the epidemic phenomena of active shooters across the globe. For more information, visit: www.patriot1tech.com. Patriot One Technologies are proud winners of the 2017 Anti-Terrorism / Force Protection category of the Security Industry Association's New Product Showcase at ISC West.

For further information, please contact:

Patriot One Inquiries

info@patriot1tech.com

www.patriot1tech.com

Investor Relations

John Martin

+1 (888) 728-1332

johnm@patriot1tech.com

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+1-613-806-7135

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December 21, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Natural oil and gas company strikes oil in Asia, and releases strong numbers for its 2018 Q3 financial and operating results.

Pan Orient Energy Corp. (POE:TSX.V), a Calgary-based natural oil and gas company, has reported recent progress for its developments in both Asia and Canada.

The company's projects are split into three separate countries: Thailand, Indonesia and Canada.

Asia Updates: Successful Well Appraisals and Future Drilling Plans

Pan Orient Energy owns 50% of its subsidiary Pan Orient Energy (Siam) Ltd., the operator with a 100%-working interest in oil-producing Concession L53/48 onshore Thailand.

In late October 2018, the company announced L53-DD1 well has "combined 26 meters of net oil pay within three separate sandstone reservoirs between a true vertical depth of 960 to 1,125 meters."

The company made it clear that the L53-DD1 discovery will not commence production until the completion of the L53-DD2 appraisal well due to limited well pad space.

The appraisal results: The L53-DD2 well was drilled to a measured depth of 1,903 meters (1,589 meters true vertical depth) with a subsurface target approximately 560 meters southwest of the L53-DD1 well. The targeted oil bearing sands came in approximately 26 meters higher at L53-DD2 (compared to the equivalent sands at L53-DD1).

On November 29, Pan Orient Energy announced that the L53-DD1 exploration well is on the 90-day production test. The company noted that it is producing steadily between 778 to 784 barrels per day of "23.6 degree API oil with a BS&W of 0.4% from the "DD sand" through 5.2 meters of perforations between the depths of 1157.2 - 1162.4 meters (1116.4 - 1121.3 meters true vertical depth)."

L53-DD1 has averaged 779 BOPD during the past five days of testing. The L53-DD2 well, on the other hand, commenced a 90-production test of the "EE sand" on November 26, 2018, the same day approval was received from the Thailand Department of Mineral Fuels.

As of December 3, management announced the L53-DD2 well is producing at a steady rate of 658 BPD during its testing.

For the duration of the testing, the company plans to test the EE sand at L53-DD2 (the deepest of four oil-bearing sands encountered in the well). Records show the EE sand "represents 3.9 meters (true vertical thickness) of the 32 meters of total interpreted net oil pay encountered in the well."

While EE sand testing will continue, management says the test results won't necessarily indicate long-term performance or ultimate recovery.

Furthermore, the company submitted a new L53DD production license that encompasses the discovery area.

In late January to early February 2019, Pan Orient Energy noted it will commence a two-appraisal well drilling program, which will include "one appraisal well drilled from the existing L53DD well pad (L53-DD3) and an appraisal well at L53-B (L53-B1)."

More exploration drilling is on the list for a new exploration well location "approximately 600 meters north of the DD well pad and at L53AC-E (located approximately 15 kilometers NW of the L53-D oil field)." Dependent on various approvals, drilling for said well is to commence in August 2019.

Mackie Research follows Pan Orient Energy. Analyst Bill Newman wrote on December 3, "This morning, Pan Orient (POE) announced that the L53-DD1 discovery well tested ~780 bbl/d (391 bbl/d net) of 23 API oil. POE also announced that production testing of the L53-DD2 follow up appraisal has just commenced. We are very encouraged with the initial test results, which we expect to generate significant cash flow to fully fund a development and exploration program in Thailand in 2019."

Pan Orient has other news in Asia.

In Indonesia, Pan Orient has 49% interest in the East Jabung production sharing contract onshore Indonesia (non-operated after farmout).

In November, the company announced that "the quarry permit that was required in order to commence construction of the Anggun-1X exploration well access road has been approved and road construction has commenced."

The operator now estimates the Anggun-1X exploration well will commence drilling sometime between March 15 and May 15, 2019.

Back to the Origin: Canada

Circling back to its origin in Canada, Pan Orient Energy owns 71.8% of its subsidiary Andora Energy Corporation.

Andora currently holds interests "ranging from 10% to 100% in 88 contiguous sections of heavy oil sands leases in the Sawn Lake Property, which lies within the central Alberta Peace River Oil Sands area."

Andora is also the operator of a demonstration project at Sawn Lake. From late 2014 to early 2016, the project produced bitumen from one steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) well pair.

Pan Orient President and CEO Jeff Chisholm stated, "With the recent oil discovery in Concession L53 onshore Thailand and the commencement of road construction for the Anggun-1X exploration well in Indonesia, it is shaping up to be a very exciting next seven to eight months."

Mackie rates Pan Orient a Buy. In his December 3 update, analyst Bill Newman wrote, "We maintain our BUY recommendation and CA$3.25 target price on the companys strong financial position, funded Thailand drilling program, and high-impact exploration potential in Indonesia."

Pan Orient shares are currently sitting at CA$1.34.

Disclosure:

1) Nikia Wade compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise reports as an independent contractor. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None.

2) The following companies mentioned in this article are sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Pan Orient Energy. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees.

3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

4) This article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.

5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article until three business days after the publication of the interview or article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own shares of Pan Orient Energy, a company mentioned in this article.

Disclosures from Mackie Research, Pan Orient Energy Corp., Update, December 3, 2018

RELEVANT DISCLOSURES APPLICABLE TO COMPANIES UNDER COVERAGE

Relevant disclosures required under Rule 3400 applicable to companies under coverage discussed in this research report are available on our web site at www.mackieresearch.com.

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As the first bankers in Europes biggest money laundering scandal get detained by police, the political demand is for a tough response targeting the perpetrators.

A total of 10 former employees of Danske Bank in Estonia were apprehended over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday. Estonian prosecutors suspect they deliberately helped criminals from the former Soviet Union launder money, for personal gain.

In Denmark, where Danske is the biggest bank, the government made clear its not in favour of clemency. Its very important to come down hard on this case, Danish business minister Rasmus Jarlov said. Its absolutely essential that we ensure that committing economic crimes comes at a cost.

Danske Banks dirty money saga offends ones sense of justice and peoples confidence in the financial industry, Mr Jarlov said.

The minister, who oversees bank legislation in Denmark, has already made clear he thinks theres evidence that illegal acts were committed in the Danske case.

There are few banks that appear to have been as central to the flows of suspicious funds from the former Soviet Union and into the west as Danske. Between 2007 and 2015, much of about $230bn that gushed through a tiny Estonian branch was probably suspicious in origin, Danskes management in Copenhagen admitted in September.

The bank is under criminal investigation by the US Justice Department and may face significant fines.

Its stock has plunged more than 40% this year as investors panic. Thats equivalent to over $15bn in lost market value.

Tax evaders and embezzlers from Georgia and Azerbaijan are among the criminals to have turned to Danske to handle their dirty money, according to evidence cited by Estonian prosecutors on Wednesday.

They say its highly likely there are more suspects related to the case than the 10 apprehended this week. Prosecutors also say they have other leads, as they stay in contact with authorities in the US and elsewhere.

Its paramount, as far as a sense of justice is concerned, that this case be investigated to the very end and that there are consequences, Mr Jarlov said. People who commit financial crimes have to be held accountable.

Bloomberg
A judge wants to hear from planners and the State before he decides whether an environmental campaigner can bring a High Court challenge to a refusal for the College Green Civic Plaza plan in Dublin.

Mr Justice David Barniville said he wants An Bord Pleanala, the State and Dublin City Council put on notice of John Conway's application for a judicial review of the board's October 17 last decision to refuse permission for the plan before he decides whether to grant him leave to bring proceedings.

The main reason for the refusal was the uncertainty of the city council's proposals for dealing with the banning of buses from College Green so that it can be turned into a pedestrian/cyclist/Luas-only area.

The board, to which the council's plan was referred for a ruling, said there was a failure to demonstrate the capacity of the Quays to take not just the re-routed buses, but the additional pedestrian traffic which would have to use the Quays.

The plan was contrary to proper planning and sustainable development, the board said.

Mr Conway, who is from Dundalk and part of the Louth Environmental Group, wants the board's decision quashed and remitted to it for reconsideration. The council is a notice party.

Mr Conway seeks the quashing order on the basis that there was a divergence of opinion in relation to traffic matters between the board inspector and another in-house inspector appointed by the board to assist in considering transportation/traffic issues.

He says this divergence of opinion "highlights the subjective nature" of the traffic assessment which was the main reason for refusal.

The refusal decision was unlawful because the traffic assessment failed to take account of significant changes proposed by the National Transport Authority (NTA) to the Dublin Bus network, known as "BusConnects", he says.

The board made an incorrect assumption, in making its decision, that the city council, or the board itself, exercised control over the routing of buses when this role was actually vested in the NTA, he says.

There was also a failure to take account of changing conditions on the ground including that since the opening of the cross-city Luas line there has been a 20% reduction in buses using College Green.

The NTA also plans to implement a morning rush hour ban on taxis going through College Green and to cut bus traffic by another 16%, he says.

Mr Conway's case is also on grounds of an alleged failure by the State to provide an effective remedy to challenge the refusal of the permission, in breach of Constitutional and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

He says the inability under law of the High Court to deal with this matter on its merits or its facts renders judicial review as "something less than an effective remedy", he says.

Mr Justice Barniville was asked by Mr Conway's counsel Paul O'Shea to grant leave to bring judicial review on a one-side only represented basis on Friday.

The judge said Mr Conway had not participated in any way in the planning process and this was therefore "an unusual application to say the least".

While there was a wide discretion for his court, which has been assigned specifically to deal with challenges to strategic infrastructural developments, he had a number of concerns including whether Mr Conway would satisfy "sufficient interest" criteria for bringing this case.

He therefore adjourned the matter to next month so that the board, the State and the council could be in court for the hearing of the application.
A rugby loving primary school teacher who jokingly tweeted "All I want for Christmas is Peter O'Mahony pyjamas" was treated to the very item by his pupils who plotted behind his back to get the signed gift.

Shane McCarthy, of Ovens National School in Co Cork, tweeted after the historic Ireland win against the All Blacks last month.

Tim Clifford, whose daughter Abby is in fifth class, spotted the tweet and the pair decided to try and track down the Ireland and Munster player.

Naturally, Peter O'Mahony pyjamas can't be bought in stores so Abby wrote a letter on behalf of her class to John O'Mahony, father of the rugby star.

Abby's letter to John O'Mahony. Photo: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision

Abby and Tim heard that John was President of Cork Con rugby club "so off they went up the road" and gave him the letter. Mr Clifford says the "gentleman" that is John O'Mahony sorted the rest.

A delighted Mr McCarthy said he received the "best Christmas gift ever" when the excited pupils handed over a pair of festive pyjamas signed by Peter O'Mahony this morning.

Shane said he knew something was afoot when the students started acting suspiciously.

"I was in here in the classroom and they were all having their buns when my colleague Bridget knocked on the door and asked me to cover her yard break.

Then I was out eating my lunch when Eoghan (the principal) said something was after happening in the classroom that I had to come down urgently. I rocked in and there was a lot of suspicious looking heads. It was very quiet.

"They brought me to the front of my room and there was a treasure chest on my desk. Abby came up and started explaining that they had got wind of my 'I want Peter O'Mahony pyjamas for Christmas' tweet and she told me there is no such thing as Peter O'Mahony pyjamas.

"But they got the next best thing which was a pair of signed pyjamas. Along with a photo frame with Peter O'Mahony wishing me a Happy Christmas."

Shane said the gesture by his students was "unbelievable."

"They are a cracking class. They are very good and very kind kids. My wife loves him (Peter) too so she will be after them!

This gesture is far better than anything I could ever have imagined. It is a complete shock. It makes the Christmas. It is the biggest surprise I ever got.

Principal of Ovens National School Eoghan Hyde said he was delighted that the presentation was made during Random Acts of Kindness week.

They have a school wellness programme which promotes positive mental health among students from eight to twelve years. Instead of homework this week they carried out acts of kindness.

A proud Abby Clifford said she didn't expect Peter O'Mahony to respond so quickly and that her fear was he would "forget it."

She admitted it was hard to keep the secret for a few days but she did confide in one friend. Abby added that she was overjoyed by the reaction of her teacher.

"Mr McCarthy started laughing and thanking me when he got the pyjamas. He is a good teacher."
The proportion of older students starting third-level courses has fallen instead of increasing in the past three years.

The statistic on college access for first-time mature students is contained in a Higher Education Authority (HEA) review on progress with targets to widen participation. It also shows only tiny increases in numbers of Travellers progressing to third level.

Despite above-target improvements in third-level participation by students with disabilities or from disadvantaged backgrounds, Higher Education Minister of State Mary Mitchell OConnor said meeting targets on mature students and Travellers remains a big challenge.

When a national plan on equity of access to higher education was published three years ago, 19% of new entrants at third level were first-time mature students, aged 23 or older the year they began college. But instead of moving towards the 2019 target of 24%, the proportion has fallen back to 16%.

The figures include those on part-time or other flexible course provision, but the worsening position is largely down to the situation on full-time programmes. The target three years ago was to increase mature students from 13% to 16% of all full-time students, but they now stand at just 9%.

The 2015 target on Traveller education was to more than double the numbers at third-level from 35 to 80 by 2019. But the HEA review shows the number has only risen to 41.

The report said that realising targets on Travellers and mature students, among other access categories, would be more difficult than in other areas. It said progress under some headings must be considered in the context of the significant impact of wider social, cultural, and economic factors on the third-level sector.

For example, the target for full-time mature students will be impacted by a full employment economy, it said.

The Irish Examiner this week reported statistically significant rises in employment rates among lower-educated people in the last four years, particularly for those educated only to the equivalent of Junior or Leaving Certificate levels.

The progress review said Traveller numbers at third level will be affected by numbers of Traveller students leaving school before the end of the second-level senior cycle, suggesting a need for earlier interventions than those within the control of the higher education sector.
Gardai have arrested a man in connection with a murder in Cork city two years ago.

A 19-year-old man is due to appear before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin this morning charged in connection with the murder of Aidan ODriscoll in Blackpool, Cork, on December 7, 2016.

He was arrested this morning in the Cork area. He is the third person arrested in connection with the case.

Aidan ODriscoll

A senior figure in the Real IRA, Mr ODriscoll, 37, who was also known as The Beast, was shot multiple times in the north side of the city.

He was transferred to Cork University Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Gardai have arrested a man in Co. Cork during a drugs seizure.

Officers searched a house in Barrymore Avenue, Cobh, Co. Cork, at around 6pm last night seized around 10,500 worth of cocaine.

A man in his 20s was arrested at the scene, detained at Cobh Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 and has since been released without charge.

A file will now be prepared for the DPP.
Large fishing boats are to be banned from trawling within six nautical miles of the Irish coast.

The measures are aimed at reducing the impact of trawling on the marine environment and to provide better economic opportunities for smaller vessels.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, decided yesterday the trawling ban will come into effect in 12 months' time.

It will affect around 160 trawlers among the country's near 1,990-registered fishing boats. The restrictions, coming into effect in January 2020, will apply to vessels over 18 metres.

The Irish Fish Producers Organisation chief executive, Francis O'Donnell, claimed the decision will be problematic for older 18m-plus vessels with smaller engine power.

The IFPO also warned that the restrictions presented a safety issue for some older trawlers:

We advised Minister Creed against this. It poses very serious safety risks for vessels on the west coast. Six miles from the baselines would mean a vessel from Killybegs would have to steam as far as Co Mayo to fish.

But an inshore fisherman's body said the decision which followed a period of public consultation since April last was a significant boost to smaller vessels.

Alex Crowley of the National Inshore Fishermans Association claimed intensive trawling near the coast was a major issue for the smaller boats.

"During bad weather, the smaller boats cant get out while the larger trawlers continue to operate near the coast. By the time they are finished trawling there is very little left for the smaller boats."

However, under a transition measure, over-18m vessels will continue to be permitted inside six nautical miles to trawl for sprat until 2022.

Meanwhile, Bord Iascaigh Mhara figures show the value of landings for the larger vessels (over 18m) from inside the six nautical-miles (nm) zone is about 5.5m.

Total landings within the 6nm-zone for vessels over 10 metres are 15,000 tonnes compared to 237,000 tonnes outside the zone. The value within the 6nm zone for vessels over 10m is 12m while the value outside is 229m.

More than 900 submissions were received during the consultation period. Minister Creed said there is a compelling case for excluding trawling by large vessels in coastal waters inside six nautical miles:

I am satisfied that there are sufficient fishing opportunities for these vessels outside of six nautical miles.

"These actions will provide wider ecosystem benefits, including for nursery areas and juvenile fish stocks."
A large Victorian-style mansion in south Dublin acquired for 4.35m three years ago is to be demolished to make way for an even larger luxury home, despite opposition from a community group and some local residents.

An Bord Pleanala has granted planning permission to Ian Curley, former chief executive of glass and metal company Ardagh, to demolish Sunnyside, a villa on Killineys Vico Road which he purchased in December 2015.

The businessman also secured approval for the house to be replaced with an even larger dwelling.

The planning authority rejected an appeal by Dalkey Community Council against the original decision of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to grant planning permission for the project which will involve the construction of a new three-storey, five-bedroom house extending to 582 sq m (over 6,200 sq ft).

Sunnyside, which is located on the seaward side of Vico Road, was previously owned by Robin Power, a well-known property developer, and later was the residence of the South African ambassador to Ireland.

The villa, built in the 1860s and extended in the 1990s, is located on one of the most sought-after addresses in the country, offering panoramic views of the coastline including Dalkey Island, Bray Head, and the Sugar Loaf.

At one stage after Mr Curley had bought the property, it was advertised for rent at 15,000 per month.

The local council said the proposed replacement dwelling would significantly improve living conditions for future residents in terms of both layout and energy performance and demolition of the existing building would not unduly impact on the Vico Road Architectural Conservation Area  the main concern of Dalkey Community Council which also claimed there was no justification for the demolition of Sunnyside.

Consultants acting for Mr Curley claimed the existing mansion had no architectural merit or quality as a residence while it retained little of its original fabric and character from the 1860s.

An inspector with An Bord Pleanala expressed satisfaction that Sunnyside, due to substantial modifications and lack of original fabric, would not constitute an existing, high-quality historic dwelling and the proposed development would provide an appropriate architectural design response which was described as exemplar.

Its low profile, green roofs, revised building line and better integration with the contours of the site is a far better solution than the existing bulky and somewhat incongruous rear three-storey extension, said the inspector.

While unashamedly modern, she said the design of the new building would complement rather than detract from the character of the area.

The plans were supported by journalist Robert Fisk and his wife, Nelofer, who own an adjoining property.
A Dublin man has been found guilty of murder for stabbing his love rival to death after he came home to find him sleeping with his partner.

Keith Connorton, 40, had denied murdering 32-year-old Graham McKeever at his home at Deerpark Avenue, Tallaght on February 18, 2017.

During the trial, the jury heard that Connorton was living with his long-term partner Claire McGrath at Deerpark Avenue but after an argument she invited Mr McKeever to spend the night with her.

When Connorton returned home at 4am, he found the two of them together and a fight broke out that resulted in Mr McKeever suffering four stab wounds including one that penetrated his heart and killed him.

The accused said he acted in self-defence after Mr McKeever punched him, breaking his eye socket, and then came at him with a knife.

After deliberating for about two hours and 51 minutes the jury of nine men and three women came back to court and asked if they could be allowed to return a majority verdict.

Justice Tony Hunt told them that a verdict could be returned if ten of them agreed. About ten minutes later they returned to reveal their verdict of guilty of murder by a ten to two majority.

Connorton will be sentenced to life imprisonment at a later sitting when his victim's family will have an opportunity to make a statement to the court about the impact his death has had on their lives.

Connorton showed little reaction following the verdict while members of Mr McKeever's family hugged and comforted one another.

Justice Hunt thanked the jury for their "commitment and attention" in what he said was a difficult matter.

He said it was made all the more tragic because nobody set out on that day with "anything like this in mind, but it happened." He said the difficulty of their task was etched on their faces before exempting them from jury service for 12 years and wishing them a happy Christmas.

Addressing Mr Connorton's legal team Justice Hunt commented: "Lumping all these cases into the one category is extremely unfair and unjust."

Claire McGrath

A 'bumpy' relationship

In his garda interviews, Keith Connorton said he met Claire McGrath at a Luas stop where she was crying after breaking up with her boyfriend. He consoled her and they struck up a bond that became a relationship.

He loved her "to bits", he said, and when she became pregnant they were determined to kick their addictions to heroin.

But their relationship was described as "bumpy". They frequently argued as Ms McGrath was often suspicious that Connorton was back using heroin.

She described herself as volatile and said their frequent arguments would end with Connorton leaving the apartment to allow her to calm down.

On the Tuesday, three days before Mr McKeever was stabbed, there was another argument and Connorton left.

Defence counsel Michael O'Higgins SC said this argument was different to previous ones because on this occasion Ms McGrath wanted to finish with Connorton to clear the way for Mr McKeever to spend the night with her.

She sent Mr McKeever a number of messages in those three days inviting him over and telling him she loved him and wanted his arms wrapped around her.

On that Friday afternoon or evening, Mr McKeever called and they had a few drinks and watched television.

They were in bed together when, at about 4am, Connorton returned. Giving her evidence Ms McGrath became upset as she revealed that the accused had a key to the patio door.

"I don't know why I thought he wouldn't come back. He always does," she said, adding: "It was just a bad lapse of judgment."

When she heard Connorton, she ran to the kitchen and told him to leave, that their relationship was finished.

In his statements to gardai, Connorton said he was "devastated" by this. He didn't think they had split up and told her the apartment was his, he paid the rent.

Then he realised there was someone in the bedroom.

He said: "That's when things started getting messy."

He hit her across the face and asked who was "in our bed, in my bed". She told him to get out.

"Then this big young fella comes out half-naked and clocks me," Connorton told gardai.

Over 40 injuries detected by Deputy State Pathologist

The accused told gardai that he thinks he "blacked out" and that Mr McKeever must have hit him a "load of times" as he had "lumps" all over him.

A doctor's report showed that he had suffered a fracture to the bone around his eye. The next thing he said he could remember was Ms McGrath screaming at Mr McKeever to "put down the knife".

Mr McKeever, he said, came at him but the accused got up and grabbed the knife by the blade, cutting his own hand.

The jury was shown a photograph of this deep gash. Despite the wound, he said he didn't feel the pain and managed to turn the knife around and stab Mr McKeever "a couple of times".

He got the knife off Mr McKeever and said he thinks he may have stabbed him again. Prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan SC described this account as a "pack of lies".

He pointed to the evidence of Deputy State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan who found four stab wounds to Mr McKeever's torso, one of which penetrated the heart and caused his death.

She found about 40 other injuries including ten to the arms, torso and legs that she said were consistent with being "swiped" by the tip of a pointed blade.

Further scrape injuries, she said, were consistent with a serrated blade. Gardai found a pointed and serrated knife at the scene, both of which had Connorton's blood on them but not the deceased's.

Ms McGrath gave different accounts of the fight. In her original statements to gardai she said Connorton picked up a knife when he realised there was someone else there, threatened to kill her and pushed her.

Mr McKeever, she said, came running into the room after she screamed in fear.

In her evidence to the jury, she said Connorton had a knife in his hand because he was cutting cannabis and she denied that he pushed or threatened her before Mr McKeever ran in and "charged into him like a bull" and "beat the crap out of him".

In her original statement, she said that a fight broke out and Connorton swiped with the knife several times and stabbed Mr McKeever in the chest.

In her direct evidence, she said he had "ample opportunity" to use the knife but held it down by his side while taking punches to the face. She said he then used the knife in a "defensive movement".

Ms McGrath agreed with Mr O'Higgins that her memory of the events was not reliable due to her drug use.

At the time she was using cannabis and taking prescribed Xanax and sleeping pills.

Connorton: All I want is a 'happy wee family'

Mr O'Higgins, in his closing speech, said she lied in her direct evidence and asked the jury to consider that if she could lie to them she could have lied to gardai in February 2017 when she said the accused retrieved a knife and threatened her when he realised there was another man in his bed.

He pointed out that she had said she hated the accused at the time and the messages she sent to Mr McKeever suggested that she was in love with him.

Prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan SC told the jury that they could rely on Ms McGrath's earlier accounts to gardai, which, he said, she agreed were largely true.

She only resiled from them, counsel said, when they were critical of the accused, a man who she is back in a relationship with and who she says she loves.

Justice Tony Hunt told the jury that there were three possible verdicts available to them: guilty, not guilty, or not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.

They could find him guilty of manslaughter if they found that he was acting in self-defence but used excessive force. Had he been acting in self-defence and used only reasonable force he told the jury to acquit.

If he was not acting in self-defence and intended to kill or cause serious injury when he inflicted the wounds then the appropriate verdict would be murder.

Ms McGrath and Connorton have made up since the events of February 2017 and are once again in a relationship, she said during the trial.

She visits him regularly in prison. During his interviews with gardai, Connorton said that all he wanted was a "happy wee family" with Ms McGrath and his son.

"Now that's all ruined," he added
A man facing a fine of up to 5,000 for taking 25 to give a lift to five people who mistakenly thought he was a taxi driver will have to wait for sentencing due to confusion over whether he has any previous convictions.

Mirza Baig, of 11 Ardfield Grove, Grange, Co Cork, took the money from the group during a Kinsale Rugby Sevens event. He faced a number of charges including two under a relatively little-known act covering public service vehicles and yesterday his solicitor, Plunkett Taaffe, said he had pleaded guilty to all matters that were before Bandon District Court.

Back in June, Det Garda Kevin Heffernan told Bandon District Court that on May 5 last he was on mobile patrol in Kinsale when, at 11.35pm, he spotted a Honda Civic, the rear of which appeared to be very low to the road. He stopped the vehicle and found three males seated in the back seat with a fourth male across them, none of whom was wearing a seatbelt. Mr Baig, who is originally from Pakistan, was driving and another person was in the front seat.

It transpired they did not know the driver, said Det Garda Heffernan. They thought the car was a taxi. They had paid him 25 to take them to Ballinhassig from Kinsale.

The garda said it was a distance of around 15km.

The court had heard that Mr Baig had told gardai on the night he was not a taxi driver, and that all five passengers were intoxicated.

However, yesterday, Judge James McNulty said there was a little bit of confusion over whether Mr Baig had any previous convictions. Mr Taaffe said he did not and Sgt Paul Kelly, prosecuting, said he understood Mr Baig had no previous convictions, but Judge McNulty said the Probation Service, alongside An Garda Siochana, has five previous road traffic convictions against a man with the same name and same address but with a different date of birth.

He asked that the prosecuting garda look into the matter and remanded Mr Baig on continuing bail to appear before the court again on January 17.

He is looking for leniency and the court would need to know he is being truthful, said Judge McNulty.

Mr Taaffe had earlier said his client had been prevailed upon when picking up the group in Kinsale but Judge McNulty said: I doubt he was prevailed upon. He could have said Im not a taxi.
A pensioner was stabbed four times in the thighs by a man demanding that he go to his local credit union and withdraw 7,500, it was alleged yesterday when the accused applied to be released on bail.

The 66-year-old injured party has been hospitalised for treatment for his stab injuries.

At Cork District Court yesterday, Detective Garda Brian Holland objected to bail being granted to Roy Miller, aged 32, of 3 Peacock Row, North Monastery Rd.

Garda Holland said Miller was charged on Wednesday, December 19, at Gurranabraher Garda Station. The 22-year-old made no reply to any of the charges after caution.

Frank Buttimer, solicitor, applied for bail on Millers behalf.

Det Garda Holland said the allegations were very serious in the case, namely that he allegedly carried out burglaries on December 17 and 18.

It was alleged that on December 17, he produced the leg of a chair and got the householder to hand over 260.

During this alleged incident, He threatened to burn down the house if he did not withdraw 7,500 from his credit union the following morning.

The accused returned to the house and gardai went there as a result of disturbance. They observed blood on the hall floor and one of the gardai observed the defendant holding a large knife in the kitchen.

The injured party came to the front door covered in blood after being stabbed four times  two times in each thigh, and a stab wound to his left arm which was a defensive wound.

The armed support unit came to the scene because this man had a large knife.

The injured party is still in Cork University Hospital receiving treatment. He is a vulnerable man. He is 66 years of age and he is afraid of Roy Miller. I feel if granted bail, he will return to the injured party and commit more serious offences.

Miller is charged with burglary of the house at Cathedral Rd, Gurranabraher, on December 17, and stealing 260, and producing an article to intimidate, namely the leg of a chair.

Miller is charged that the following day he carried out an assault causing harm to the householder, burglary, and production of a knife.

The defendant told his solicitor, Frank Buttimer, he would live at a house in Frankfield and stay away from the complainant if granted bail.

The accused was remanded in custody by Judge Olann Kelleher until today.
The Government's advisor on the roll-out of abortion services has said there are still serious issues around staffing and infrastructure.

President Michael D Higgins signed the bill legalising terminations into law yesterday and doctors have been issued with clinical guidelines.

Dr Peter Boylan has said there are still issues to be overcome but insists there will be a service in place by January 1.

Dr Boylan said: "There's a range of services that need to be implemented across the hospital system, there are serious issues with infrastructural deficits and with staffing issues and so on.

"There are also serious and genuine reservations by hospital-based consultants about their ability to provide the service, but there is a huge amount of work going on in the background to allay those concerns."

Meanwhile, the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) has said that it has completed its preparations for the introduction of the services.

It intends to begin providing abortion care at its clinics in Dublin city centre and Tallaght on Monday, January 7, 2019, as long as the key elements of HSE services are finalised.

Niall Behan, IFPA Chief Executive, said: Were ready and were dedicated to providing abortion care to women in Ireland for the first time.

"Were now at a place where we can provide safe and legal abortion care for women and girls in Ireland and this is truly momentous. Weve been working hard to ensure that we can deliver the best possible care.

They said it is down to the Department of Health and the HSE to ensure that women who seek abortion care have timely access and dont encounter any barriers.

IFPA Medical Director, Dr Caitriona Henchion, said: Our abortion care service can only begin as planned if the medication and pregnancy tests are supplied on time, and the protocols for rhesus testing and the provision of anti-D are finalised. Most important is the referral pathway.

Our clinics will be providing early medical abortions up to nine weeks gestation. Patients who have their first appointment with us and are between nine and 12 weeks pregnant will need to be referred for hospital care. We cannot arrange those first appointments until we are certain those referral pathways are in place.

The IFPA has been providing crisis pregnancy counselling and post-abortion care for many years and these services will continue.

Mr Behan said: Our free non-directive counselling service will be available for anyone who chooses to use it, at our ten counselling centres around the country. Our post-abortion care service will be available to our own patients and to women who have travelled for a termination.

We will also continue to give support and information to women and girls who will need to travel abroad for care because they fall outside the provisions of the legislation.
Revenue has issued a tax bill of 1.6b to a major pharmaceutical company.

The assessment is the second largest in Irish history after Apple was ordered to pay 13bn in 2016.

The tax bill served on Dublin-based pharma company Perrigo relates to Elan, a company that was bought by Perrigo five years ago.

Elan sold its interests in a multiple sclerosis drug in 2013 to a company called Biogen for an up-front payment of $3.25bn and a share of future royalties.

According to the Irish Times, the company said that taxes were paid on the profits from the transaction at the corporation tax rate of 12.5%.

However, Revenue argues that Elan was liable at the capital gains tax rate of 33%.

Perrigo has said it disagrees with Revenue and intends to contest the bill.
Two new scientific studies suggest that chemicals used to combat pests and diseases in offshore salmon farms may be having a harmful effect on shrimp, lobsters, and other crustaceans.

An environmental campaign group has warned that the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine could face compensation claims from fishermen in the future unless the use of these chemicals is banned.

Studies by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and an independent research institute in Norway are currently being examined by the Marine Institute, according to a department spokesperson.

The new research was brought to the attention of Minister Michael Creed by campaign group Galway Bay Against Salmon Cages in a letter sent last month.

The studies investigated the harmful effects of chemicals used in salmon farming on crustaceans and the wider marine environment. The chemicals are typically used to combat sea lice and amoebic gill disease.

The study by the International Research Institute of Stavanger suggests that the widespread use of hydrogen peroxide in salmon farms is more deadly to shrimp than previously thought.

Meanwhile, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency researchers discovered that the impact of two other chemicals used in fish farming, Emamectin Benzoate and Teflubenzuron, may extend beyond the immediate vicinity.

They say further studies are now required to understand the wider-scale cumulative impacts of the chemicals in light of their findings.

In his letter to Mr Creed, the chairman of Galway Bay Against Salmon Cages, Billy Smyth, said it has now been proven without doubt that pesticides and chemicals used in salmon farming are destroying shrimp and other crustacean stocks.

He warned: If you and this Government continue to grant new salmon farm licences and continue to support the existing ones, you may be leaving the [department] open to cases for compensation from inshore fishermen for loss of earnings in the sfuture.

Commenting on the matter, Mr Smyth said: I think its disgraceful that terrestrial farmers would never be allowed to use these toxic chemicals anywhere near a water body, yet salmon farmers can pour them straight into our bays  a number of which are [Special Areas of Conservation].

A spokesperson for the department confirmed that the correspondence had been received by Mr Creed.

The department is aware of the reports in question and has referred them to the Marine Institute for observations, it said.
The State has finally been cleared to increase to 30m its investment in the stalled Cork event centre project.

And any cost over-runs from now on in relation to the 74m venue will have to be borne by developers BAM and their partners Live Nation within the existing funding arrangements, Tanaiste Simon Coveney warned last night.

He made his comments as he confirmed to the Irish Examiner that long-awaited legal advice from the attorney general in relation to a request made earlier this year for an additional 10m on top of the 20m sanctioned in December 2014 to help deliver the 6,000-capacity venue can be accommodated without the original tender being at risk of a possible legal challenge.

We now have legal confirmation of this 30m, Mr Coveney said.

Thats the limit and it has been the understanding since last January that it is on this basis that things move ahead.

The developer cant come back looking for more money. It is up to the developer now to manage the costs.

The funding uncertainty was one of the main obstacles facing the project which has become mired in controversy since the sod turning in February 2016.

But a planning decision is still awaited.

With the city council poised to contribute several million to supporting infrastructure for the site, and certainty over the state funding, it is hoped that BAM will now move quickly to respond to an extensive request for further information issued by city planners on foot of a planning application in August for an enlarged venue.

The tender for the initial 20m in state aid was awarded on December 23, 2014, to BAM, for its South Main St site, following a competitive tender process against OCallaghan Properties, and their Albert Quay site.

The sod was turned on the project by former taoiseach Enda Kenny in February 2016. But construction has yet to start.

In a bid to make the venue commercially viable, a complete redesign was ordered, costs spiralled to close to 74m, a request was made for extra state funding, and a new planning application was lodged in August.

Several target dates have been missed over the years, with critics claiming the public have lost all faith in the process.

But Mr Coveney said the Government has now found a way to facilitate the extra funding, and he said he expects the developers to respond.

I see no reason why this shouldnt move ahead now, pending confirmation of planning. Cork has been waiting a long time for this. It will transform Cork, he said.

Planners have asked BAM to address their concerns about several fundamental design elements in relation to the enlarged venue, including the bulk and scale of the building, the extent of dead frontage and the glass-fronted area facing onto South Main St.

Since losing the tender for the event centre, OCallaghan Properties has built Corks largest office block on the Albert Quay site, with the first tenants due to move in early in the new year.
The Tanaiste Simon Coveney is reassuring patients there will be no issues with their medication in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

The Irish Pharmacy Union has warned people to keep at least one month's supply of prescribed drugs next March in case the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal.

Work is ongoing to make sure Irish patients have access to vital medicines if there is no deal on Brexit, with the HSE and drugs manufacturers discussing ways to guarantee supplies after the March 29 deadline.

Up to 70% of medicines here come through the UK, and the Tanaiste has said efforts are continuing to guarantee the supply of medicines.

Mr Coveney said: "I'm very confident that the supply of medicines won't be significantly interrupted. There has been a huge amount of work taking place, lead by the HSE.

"The key challenge here is around authorisations and regulations in the UK, because a lot of the drugs that come into Ireland in recent years would have come through the UK, where they would have been authorised by EU bodies, the European Medicines Agency, for example.

"I'm confident that even in a no-deal Brexit the supply of medicines will continue and we already have stock management of medicines in Ireland which means that we have between eight and 12 weeks of medicines in stock in Ireland, which, of course, is a buffer should it be needed as well."
A health economist has warned that the HSE has very little wriggle room in its budget for next year and if additional money is required services might have to be cut.

Dr Brian Turner of University College Cork told RTEs Morning Ireland that while the 200 extra beds planned for 2012 will help the overstretched service, they will be only a drop in the ocean.
A woman accused of threatening to kill her mother and a social worker broke down in tears at Cork District Court yesterday as she was refused bail.

Gardai expressed grave concerns about her future actions if released on bail.

Judge Olann Kelleher remanded Nicole Sweeney, aged 28, of Laurel Cottage, Ballinlough Rd, in custody until today at Cork District Court.

Detective Garda Liam Lynch said it is alleged that she threatened to kill or seriously injure a social worker and her mother.

Five of the threats were made over the phone to the social worker and one was made to her in person at a hospital.

It is also alleged she threatened to burn down her mothers house at Blackwater Grove and it is alleged this threat was made over the phone.

There are statements made by both injured parties. The social worker is in fear for her safety and in fear for the safety of her family. Because of Ms Sweeneys unstable state of mind, she is capable of carrying out the threats.

Her mother is genuinely fearful that her daughter would burn out the place where she resides if given bail.

She is addicted to prescription medication and if given bail it is strongly believed she would commit further serious offences, said Det Garda Lynch.

When talking to gardai, it is alleged Ms Sweeney said in respect of the threats to the social worker: I will finish her next time. And wont be making any threats. I will just do it.

Eddie Burke, solicitor, said: She had no intention of carrying out such threats.

He said Ms Sweeney was keen to take up an appointment at Arbour House today in order to deal with her issue with prescription medication.

Mr Burke said to the young woman, who was upset in the witness box at Cork District Court yesterday afternoon: The guards are afraid that if given bail you will do something to your mother or the social worker.

Judge Kelleher asked: Are you denying you made threats.

Ms Sweeney said: I didnt make them threats. I wont do nothing. I dont go out to Togher (her parents home). I stays at home all day. And Im not going to talk to the social worker anymore. I dont want to be blamed for nothing.

Sergeant Gearoid Davis said: The state have grave concerns if you were granted bail you would do something.
The disputes and delays that have dogged the development of a new National Maternity Hospital (NMH) appear at an end after the health minister cleared the way for the process to proceed.

In approving the contract for the first phase development  a pharmacy and carpark  at the St Vincents University Hospital campus in Dublin, Simon Harris said he was fully confident the new hospital will be free from the religious influence [of the Sisters of Charity], whose potential involvement had been the subject of heated public debate, including protest marches.

Mr Harris said the overall legal framework governing the development will, unequivocally, copper-fasten the principle that patient care in the new hospital will be delivered without religious, ethnic or other distinction, and that any relevant medical procedure, which is in accordance with the laws of the land, will be carried out at the new hospital.

Dr Peter Boylan, one of the most vocal critics of potential religious involvement in the new hospital, issued a statement saying: I welcome the confirmation that there will be no possibility of religious ethos influencing clinical care.

I also welcome confirmation that the governance arrangements have been revised to ensure full clinical and operational independence.

Dr Boylan, an obstetrician/gynaecologist and former Master of the NMH, said: The minister is to be commended for his patience and tenacity in getting to this point, he said.

Dr Boylan was recently appointed to assist the HSE as it prepares to introduce an abortion service from January 1. The legislation allowing the service to commence was signed into law yesterday by President Michael D Higgins.

Mr Harris said the agreement in principle of St Vincents Healthcare Group to (SVHG) provide the State with a 99-year lease of the land upon which the new maternity hospital will be built will allow the State to retain ownership of the new facility, to be operated by the National Maternity Hospital DAC (Designated Activity Company).

He said a suite of legal documents has been prepared to give effect to this agreement and will be finalised in the New Year, in conjunction with both the NMH and St Vincents Healthcare Group.

He said the documents will protect the States significant financial investment in the new hospital  300m, up from 150m when it was first announced in 2013  and further confirm that the NMH will retain its clinical and operational independence.

The minister said SVHG had confirmed the process by which the Sisters of Charity will transfer their shareholding and withdraw from the group.

And he welcomed the fact that the agreement includes provision for a Public Interest representative on the Board of the new NMH DAC  which had been a recent sticking point.

Responding to the news that the project is proceeding in light of concerns that new EU building rules would force its redesign if first phase funding was not released before the end of the year, the National Maternity Hospital said in a statement it was delighted that construction will begin in 2019.

This state-of-the-art hospital will ensure that healthcare for future generations of Irish women and infants is of the highest international standard, the statement said.
Michelle Darmody, founder of Our Table, meets the people in direct provision at Christmas

For most people Christmas is about spending time with family, enjoying being at home, sharing gifts, and cooking together. For the more than 4,000 people living in direct provision, who have had to leave their homes, Christmas is very different. There are many sad and complicated situations that lead to people seeking shelter in Ireland.

In a more perfect world, we could all thrive in the place where we were born but throughout history there have been many people who have had to pack what they could and leave the place they call home. Under the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, drawn up after the Second World War, people are entitled to protection. Asylum is a term for the type of protection people are due, a refuge from the horrors and persecution that the world can unleash.

In Ireland our way of housing people, while their application for asylum is being processed, is to place them in direct provision centres.

Life in direct provision can be difficult at any time of year but for many, Christmas is particularly hard. There are the obvious things: Not being able to cook and share a meal with your children, not being able to get gifts for those you love. But there is the added pain of missing home.

Mabel Chah has been resident in Sligo for five years, two of which she spent in direct provision. She is a vibrant and energetic young woman, having organised and hosted many events supporting communities in Sligo, including Global Kitchen in the Model Arts Centre.

The goal of Global Kitchen, which is volunteer run, is ultimately to provide employment for people when they leave direct provision. We are hoping this can become a social enterprise which would pay people to stay in Sligo, she says. Its a town she loves. Chah is involved in the local choir and has built strong ties in the area.

When chatting to Mabel the thought of Christmas in Ireland, without her family, brings her down. She

Chah says being in Ireland, without her family, was particularly hard the first year. She had no loved ones near and was in such unfamiliar surroundings, even the Irish Christmas dinner was unknown to her. There was not a soul out on the streets. Not a single door was open, it was freezing I had to cover my nose to breathe easy.

She is still shaken by how quiet Christmas Day is in Ireland. Back in Cameroon, when the situation was not as bad as now, Christmas Day is the day every home opens its doors and lays out a variety of meals at the table and all your friends and neighbours can walk in, serve themselves, eat and chat, then move off to the next home. Children go around from home to home entertaining for treats and tips. The beaches are packed in the afternoon and every community organises balls or dances later in different halls for different age groups.

This year Chah is organising a number of events to help recreate that sense of community and connection. After that first Christmas Day, everything went back to normal, and I realised I was not the only one who was alone on that day and no one should spend this day on their own if they can choose. I got into activities to create a community around me and since then I have not had to spend Christmas alone in a small bed peering out a window at nothing.

On December 15, Chah brought together a large number of people for a celebration dinner, with Syrian musicians Akidwa, which is Swahili for sisterhood. There was a talk aimed at migrant women living in Ireland; local poet Ann Onnamus did a reading and DJ Magictunez, from Cameroon, played tunes. Chah says, the Sligo Gospel Choir sang and dinner was served and then we partied, partied, partied.

On Christmas Day itself she will have dinner with the Cameroonian community in Sligo, with members both in and out of direct provision. They will host a dinner at a community centre so that no one will have to spend the day alone.

Mabel Chah, Sligo Global Kitchen, at the Christmas flavours from El Salvador event at The Model, Sligo. Picture: James Connolly

Ellie Kisyombe has been in Ireland for nine years and has spent those being moved between seven different direct provision centres. Ellie also finds Christmas especially lonely and the memories of home surface.

She recounts travelling to mums village to visit my Gogo or Anganga (grandparents) as they waited anxiously for us to arrive with gifts. We were welcomed with traditional dances and home-brewed drinks, Mowa wa Masese for the adults and Thobwa for the children. Those are the days I wish I could return back too. Now I can only live with those memories and there are times I still get lost in them. At Christmas it gets more lonely.

Ellies parents and grandparents are no longer alive and she is making a new life for herself in Ireland

but like anyone she misses home, particularly at Christmas.

Ellie and I worked together setting up Our Table, a non-profit food enterprise. The aim of Our Table is to shine a light on the terrible eating conditions in direct provision as well as creating a social network, a space to cook and enjoy food together. It facilitates change through conversations over food.

Food unites us all; even if we do not speak the same language we can communicate through food. When the right to cook is taken away from you, as it is in direct provision, it can have huge implications on health and wellbeing. It becomes difficult to pass on skills and knowledge to a new generation and families feel that great loss. Our Table hosts events where the food is prepared by people from a variety of countries who come together to share recipes and meals together.

Malawian Ellie Kisyombe is the founder of the Our Table initiative, which saw asylum seekers cooking and sharing food with the general public. Picture: Eddie OHare

Ellie now runs Our Table and the long-term plan is to create a kitchen that will become a training space where food from various communities is celebrated and enjoyed and to use this as a template for further projects.

The group is organising a Christmas party for children who are based in direct provision centres around Dublin. This will be the third party and each year it gets busier and Santa gets more inundated by excited children.

Lucky Kambula runs MASI, the Movement of Asylum Seekers Ireland. He is a trusted figure who explains that Christmas is particularity difficult for families who have children in the centres. Every parent wants what is best for their children and these are not the best places to wake up on Christmas morning. Events like those run by Mabel and Ellie help people enjoy the day a little more.

Together as a country we should work towards creating a more compassionate welcome for people who become displaced from their homes. Differences can sometimes cloud the greater similarities that we all share. When people from different countries come to our shores asking for help sometimes these similarities are completely forgotten, and with that so too are compassion and empathy. Christmas is a time for kindness, a time for inclusion, and for remembering those who are far from home.
Despite expectations that the bubble would burst, gins are more popular than ever, with new ones popping up across the country. Why is the classic G&T so rejuvenated? asks Leslie Williams.

Its impossible to keep up. Gin (and especially gin and tonic) is the most on-trend drink in the country and it has been for the last three years.

I predicted that we had hit peak gin a year ago, but they keep on coming and the good news is the category continues to surprise.

At the Whiskey Live event in Dublin Castle recently there were almost as many people asking about gin as whiskey.

David Havelin, who recently launched the excellent Chinnery Gin, told me that at the event, Everyone was asking why I created it and why should they be interested in a new gin. Its good that we have to demonstrate we went the extra mile and didnt just order a bunch of botanicals from a catalogue and send the recipe to a random distillery and draft in a branding agency.

Its true, Chinnery uses Chinese Osmanthus flowers and Oolong tea to invoke the Chinoiserie style of the painter George Chinnery who gave his name to the gin. Such creativity is great to see and it is also good to see that Irelands gin drinkers are willing to go a little further than the usual Hendricks and cucumber.

Pat McGrath

Take the Ross Hotel in Killarney as another good example. In 2015 operations manager Pat McGrath and general manager Ciara Tracey were discussing a new bar area to add a bit of glamour to the five-star hotel and perhaps add a bit of differentiation to the other five-star hotels in Killarney.

Initially we were just planning a private function room but we wanted a focus and I thought why not a gin bar? We opened in November 2015 with 19 gins and now have over 70, and we are not done yet, says McGrath.

The Pink Lounge also has a choice of around 20 tonics and 36 garnishes from blackberries to jalapeno, pineapple to thyme. Best of all you can choose your glass  balloon goblets are there, of course, along with a selection of highball glasses and crystal cut tumblers (my preference).

Patrick McGrath, The Ross Hotel, Killarney, creates his special christmas gin and tonic.

The Pink Lounge is, as you might expect, a glorious study in pink but this is no frivolous fluffy bar, there is serious creativity on its cocktail menu with every Irish classic gin in stock (Gunpowder, Blackwater No 5, Berthas Revenge), but also world classics such as Plymouth and Tanqueray Rangpur; modern classics such as Sipsmith, Bruichladdichs The Botanist, Aviation from Portland, Oregon, and, of course, Monkey 47 from the Black Forest in Germany which has 47 botanicals.

Dingle Gin was one of the first gins we sourced and I love its herbaceous style and the fact that it uses local rowanberries, bog myrtle, hawthorn  it tastes of the Kerry landscape. We were also one of the first in the country to serve Gunpowder Gin  I got hold of (founder) Pat Rigneys mobile number and begged and cajoled him to send me some of his very first batch.

The success of the Pink Lounge and in particular the success of the new wave of Irish gins set McGrath thinking about taking it to the next level.

On a wet winter Tuesday, five of us piled into a car and made our way to Listoke Distillery and Gin School just outside Drogheda. We learned all we could about the process and set to making our own using their micro-stills. We created four recipes that day  a spicy one packed with ginger; a fun bubblegum one with mint, orange, and vanilla; a Christmas one with lots of anise and mint; and finally a floral style with grapefruit, basil, and rose petal.

We hurried home with our samples and messed around with mixers, garnishes, and glass shapes until we were happy and then tested our creations with 25 members of staff. The floral gin (44% ABV) was a clear winner with 20 out of 25 votes and Ross Gin was born.

McGrath is rightly cagey about the exact recipe but he will admit to jasmine, rose, and honeysuckle with some basil, grapefruit, spice, and heft added in the form of grains of paradise, coriander, and cassia bark with the lynchpin of Juniper.

We went with a light floral gin with a touch of sweetness, but most of all elegance  just like our clients! quips McGrath.

In keeping with the floral theme Ross Gin is usually paired with Schweppes 1783 Elderflower Tonic although some customers sometimes stick with their favourite Poachers or Fever Tree.

Other popular gin cocktails at the Pink Lounge include the Tom Collins and the Ross 75 (adapted from the classic French 75) which is 50ml Gin, 20ml St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, 35ml lemon juice, shaken and topped with Champagne and a twist of grapefruit.

Another popular (and suitably pink) cocktail is McGraths own creation which won him a silver medal in the 2014 National Cocktail competition  Away with the Fairies Bombay Sapphire, Chambourd Raspberry Liqueur, St Germain, and fresh lime.

And what of the future? McGrath believes new gins will keep on coming for a while yet but the quality will always rise to the top.

Gin will always have a core place in the bar but McGrath predicts rum might be next: Rum will touch off the diversity of flavours just as gin does. Irish whiskey will continue to grow, he believes, but this will also create space for other brown drinks.

www.theross.ie

Oisin Davis

Mention creative cocktails to anyone in the drinks trade in Ireland and one name that usually comes up is Oisin Davis.

I had to call Davis to get his views on the gin boom (his words).

When the gin boom was first getting noticed in 2016 I was at a drinks symposium and I hate to admit it, but I and everyone else on the panel declared that it would implode by end of year. We were all completely wrong  gin fever has strengthened and boomed even more since then.

Davis is helping to keep it all afloat with his Poachers range of Irish tonics which come in three varieties: Poachers Classic which is sharp and fresh, with a good kick of quinine and some thyme to accentuate the spices. Next is Poachers Citrus Tonic which won two stars at the Great Taste Awards (no other tonic came close), and Poachers Wild Tonic with wild elderflower sourced from Brooklodge Hotel in Wicklow, which works well with fruity or floral gins or ones with a lemon touch. Poachers also have plans to launch a ginger beer.

Davis came to peoples notice when he was the barman in the Sugar Club in Dublin and writing in the Irish Times Ticket magazine about food and cocktails.

Oisin Davis, Great Irish Beverages, makes his own concoction.

When I first met him, he was using techniques based on those developed by Frran Adria in his legendary Molecular Gastronomy restaurant El Bulli.

These days Davis runs drinks festivals through his company Great Irish Beverages such as the Irish Cocktail Month which ran in bars all over Ireland.

The Grand Hotel in Fermoy won best cocktail during the festival, with a complicated gin cocktail (of course) made using Blackwater No 5 Gin, honey bitters (with Fermoy honey), lemon, lime, tonic, egg white, and Calendula flowers.

So why are we obsessed with gin?

Its simple, says Davis, Gin and tonic is a perfectly, balanced drink  it does so much for your taste buds, it is just so harmonious.

It is both bitter and sweet and then add in the supplemental flavours from the spices, the flowers, and other botanicals which all combine to create a rich riot of flavour in the mouth. Physiologically it is also the perfect drink, the effervescence allows all the flavour notes to mix and give that crucial (often overlooked) bonus of mouthfeel  the oily spirit and the fizz mixed with the bitter and the sweet and driven by the fizz.

So will it continue? Yes, says Davis. Even the smallest bar has a list of gins and tonics to choose from and at our Irish Gin and Tonic Festival every October, the Irish gins always outsell the imported.

Tourists seek out Irish gins and they should be supported, especially those that have created proper quality juice in beautiful bottles like Chinnery, Ornabrak, and Gunpowder.
Kelly O'Brien meets some of the ex-pats people returning home to Ireland.

Move gave me greater sense of being Irish

Studying at the University of Limerick, and living at home in Shannon, Co Clare, Daragh McCoy was looking forward to life after graduation as a full-time teacher.

However, Daragh found himself thrown into a saturated job market. There were too many teachers, and not enough posts for them all.

He took his skills in engineering and technical graphics and secured employment in the industrial sector, making airplane parts.

One year later, Daragh ran into a former classmate who had emigrated immediately after graduation and was now successfully teaching abroad: He explained how easy it was to secure employment in the education sector in London and that they were practically crying out for teachers in every subject.

Daragh McCoy with his parernts Mary and Rick and dogs Rico and Santan at home in Shannon, Co Clare. Picture: Eamon Ward

While he liked the industrial work he had been doing, Daragh said he was not happy or fulfilled while doing it: This was not the area I wanted to work in long term... I wasnt particularly happy in the fact that I wasnt teaching for the year. So I decided to move to the UK to gain some invaluable teaching experience to then eventually move home with. This, I felt, could potentially set me apart from other candidates when applying for jobs here in the future.

Daraghs friend from university put him in touch with an agency he had used to secure employment: It kind of steamrolled on from there. I sought advice from family and friends and decided it would be a wasted opportunity not to move abroad for some time. The pros definitely outweighed the cons in the end.

His family were all for it, despite some initial reservations: My brothers were both home birds and had never really strayed too far from home so I think my parents were a little apprehensive but very supportive in the end. At the time, a lot of my friends had also just graduated from college in various different fields and a lot of them were moving off to different parts of the world too. Some heading to Canada, the US, and the UAE. It was the perfect time to leave really, said Daragh.

But it was definitely a tough decision considering I didnt even move out of home during my four years in UL. I was far too used to home comforts but very excited about the opportunity that lay ahead and finding my own two feet away from home. In the end, in terms of career progression, I knew it was the right move and I just had to do it.

Through his friends agency, Daragh secured employment at a school in south-west London. He bought a flight, packed his bags, and made the move: Initially I left on a very wet Monday evening and did not have a place to live on the other side. I had a hotel booked and viewings for a few potential houses the following day. I was lucky in the fact that the first place I viewed was within my budget, a great house, and near to where I would be working. Luckily the room was currently vacant and I was able to move in that day. Off to a smooth start as far as I was concerned. There were no issues with visas due to the lovely EU but that could soon be a different story in todays climate.

Overall, Daragh was abroad for more than two years but recently moved back home  largely because he didnt want to accidentally fall into a permanent move abroad: Initially the plan was to stay for two full school years. As it happened a colleague fell pregnant and my head of department asked me to stay on until she returned to work, to limit the disruption to our exam year student. I obliged and extended my stay by another four months.

I was asked to stay on and decided against it. I had gotten to the point where it was either move home and hope that my experience would help in gaining employment or settle down for the long haul in London. I could so easily have done so and I think that was nearly what pushed me over the edge and home in the end. I had built up a great bank of friends and housemates and also, having a cousin nearby, I had family too. But in the end, I had always planned to move home. I feel that living abroad gave me a greater sense of what it is to be Irish, and in the long run, I would want any future children I may have to grow up with that same feeling here at home.

While Daragh said moving abroad was the best thing he could have done at the time to further his career, he admits being away from friends and family was tough, especially initially: It was great to have my own classes with full-time hours. I was doing what I set out to do when I originally started in UL and I was loving it. But not having family and friends around to rely on is tough. It generally comes down to organise Skype calls, that can sometimes fall through, just to feel like youre still in the loop.

But as the saying goes, find a job you love and youll never work a day in your life. So although I had some challenging days, and some challenging students, it was brilliant overall. Also, finding my own two feet away from home was great  that bit of independence that you dont get from relying too much on family and friends.

Daragh moved back home a number of months ago, and was rewarded  he managed to nab a teaching post here: In the end, it did exactly what I needed it to. I have secured full-time employment here at home in the education sector and that is definitely due to the experience I gained while working in London, he said.

Im very happy. I took a leap of faith, twice, and both times it has worked out.

Im a home bird. Christmas was horrible in the heat without everyone

At the start of last year, Kilkenny woman Sarah Culleton started thinking about making a drastic change  upping sticks and moving to Australia.

Initially it was because I wanted a change, the sun, an opportunity for adventure, and to meet new people from all over the world before I settled down for good, she said.

I decided I was going one day and there was no stopping me.

Sarah recruited a friend to go with her  Mairead, from West Cork, whom she had met in college  and the two made plans to fly over to Maireads sister in Melbourne who agreed to take the two girls in until they could get on their feet.

Kilkenny native Sarah Culleton, with Australian cattle dog Jake.

My Mam initially tried to talk me out of it. Being the eldest child I guess it was a scary thought for her letting me go so far away. My Grandad gave out to me too  Why would you want to go over there? Leaving a perfectly good job  but they came around when they realised I was going no matter what, says Sarah.

The girls began their travels with a holiday around Thailand and then landed in Melbourne. From there, Sarah travelled to a town called Jerilderie where she began a five-month stint of rural work.

It was the craziest experience Ive ever had  the country Aussies are something else. It was mainly a good experience. I worked in a bar, dosed cattle, dipped, sheered, and drenched sheep, picked canola  rapeseed  and harvested onions.

Sarah decided then that she wanted to move on to Sydney. She attended a music festival and happened to bump into old friends while there. One of them was moving out of her accommodation, so Sarah simply moved into her old room without having to look for accommodation at all. She also managed to find a job without any problems, and spent the next five months living and working in Sydney as a dental nurse.

Despite the distinct lack of hassle, however, Sarah began to miss the land of Saints and Scholars: Im a home bird so missing friends and family was the hardest thing. Christmas was horrible in the heat without everyone. I returned home for a visit earlier this year but then I got comfy and stayed!

Now, Sarah is looking towards further education: I plan to go back to college to study midwifery and thats why Ive stayed home - to apply. If I dont get it then Ill go back to Australia come September for another year.

If I do get it, Ill study here and then Ill go back to Australia for a year after I finish my studies because there are great opportunities for midwives over there.

I was afraid there was nothing at home for me

A desire to travel and a longing for freedom were the two main reasons Limerick woman Cathy Guerin packed her bags and went to live on the other side of the world.

Having grown up in Limerick, Cathy attended primary school, secondary school, and university all not very far from her family home.

Cathy Guerin: Five years abroad.

Approaching her final year in the University of Limerick, she saw friends moving to Australia and New Zealand and revelling in better weather, enjoying an improved quality of life, and securing good jobs.

She knew she wanted to do the same: My first step was to find someone that would travel with me. At the time lots of people around me in college were talking about moving to Australia but nobody seemed to be actually committing. So I got in contact with an ex-boyfriend who was living in New Zealand and from there the planning started.

I worked as a waitress all through college so I was very confident that I would get a job easily. Getting a job pertaining to my degree was not an intention of mine at the time. Travelling and shaking off the stress of college was my main goal.

Her family were very supportive of the move: They knew that the job prospects were not there for me. They were excited and living vicariously through me, I think.

In addition, Cathy reassured them she would be gone for less than a year. As it turned out, it would be almost five years before Cathys eventual move home  the Limerick woman ended up reuniting with her aforementioned ex-boyfriend while in New Zealand. The two are now engaged and have recently returned home together to settle down.

While it has been undoubtedly a happy ending for Cathy, she said the initial move over was quite hard: The most difficult aspect of living abroad, especially somewhere as far away as New Zealand, is that you miss your family a lot. Going home [to visit] really isnt an option because it is too expensive. You also cannot expect your parents and family to travel such a long distance to see you.

Family is definitely what I missed the most but Irish sausages and black pudding would be a close second! Homesickness aside, Cathy soon realised life in New Zealand was everything people said it was  and more: I got a job pretty much straight away and was earning a good wage. Luckily it is easy enough to get a work visa for New Zealand if you are Irish. The first visa I mean. After a year then you have to be sponsored by a company who will vouch for you. This process was quite stressful actually.

But the best thing about living abroad in New Zealand really is the quality of life. People over there are so laid-back and a lot less negative than people in Ireland, in my opinion. They really know how to live life to the fullest. At home in Ireland, I felt that there was always a cloud of negativity with people. The weather, of course, was also a massive plus. The hot summers and cold snowy winters were wonderful.

While abroad, Cathy said she learned a lot about being positive and really living your life to the max. She also learned how to be independent and trust her own instincts: I honestly think that every single person should live abroad for at least a year.

A lot of the reason why I didnt come home sooner was because I believed there was nothing at home for me. Hearing from friends that returned home before us from New Zealand say that they were loving it really encouraged me to make the move.
Another week and more secrets tumble out from behind the walls of the Celtic Tigers finest. On Monday it was reported that owners of an apartment complex in Dublin have been told they must fork out 3m to rectify fire safety defects.

There are 119 apartments in the St Jamess Wood complex in Dublin 8. They will have to pay around 26,000 each to have the matter addressed.

There is also the possibility of the complex being evacuated if the fire authority deems there is a danger to human life. This is the latest in a long line of apartment complexes and housing schemes in which fire safety defects have been discovered years after construction.

St Jamess Wood was built in 2000  earlier than any of the other buildings where this issue has come to light. It was built by Cosgrave, a company of long standing with a good reputation heretofore. The company has declined to comment on the St James Wood issue.

For the last five years, this newspaper has been highlighting the problem about fire safety defects. This latest case throws up a few issues that require further exploration.

The defects came to light in a number of reports, the first of which was commissioned in 2013. Yet the fire authority  Dublin Fire Brigade  was not informed about the discovery.

When fire safety defects are discovered, nobody is obliged to inform the fire authority. The consultant who makes the discovery is not obliged to do so. He or she owes primary allegiance to the client. If, for instance, a consultant was to inform the fire authority directly, complications could arise in the discharge of any fee for the consultancy work.

Notwithstanding that, the consultant who discovered the fire safety defects in Longboat Quay in 2014  first reported on in this newspaper  considered the situation so serious that he did inform Dublin Fire Brigade. (In that case, the client was Nama, so receipt of a fee would not have been in doubt).

As such, there is quite obviously a conflict-of-interest for any fire consultant in this regard. At what point should a consultant be obliged to inform a fire authority that a potential danger exists in a building?

Neither is there any obligation on the owner or management company of a building discovered to be a fire trap to inform the fire authority.

The other issue that arises is the remote prospect of legal remedy. In most of the cases that have come to light, the developer who built the offending building is corporately dead. The prospect of a legal remedy in these instances is one that would likely involve long years, deep pockets and a lot of luck.

For instance, the owners of 800 units in Dublins South Beacon Quarter, a high-profile case that came to light in 2017, were told they would need around 750,000 to fund legal action. The bill for remedial work on the fire safety defects in their complex is 10m. They have been told the prospect of legal remedy would be particularly remote as the development company which built the complex in 2005 no longer exists.

In Jamess Wood, the developer is still in existence should a legal case be pursued. Other obstacles abound, however. There is a statute of limitations of six years on any action in relation to property contracts.

This is a highly contentious issue that was ruled on most recently in the Supreme Court in November 2017. The court ruled that the clock begins ticking on the six years once any damage is manifest. The ruling at the time interpreted manifest to mean the date on which damage is capable of being discovered and proved by a plaintiff.

Take the Jamess Wood case. The complex was built in 2000. Defects were discovered over a period of time from 2013. If the complex was not built according to design  and that would have to be proven which it has not been yet  when did the damage become manifest?

Was it when the building was signed off as compliant?

Or when the first home was purchased? Or was it when the fire safety defects were first discovered? If any court were to determine that the building was defective, when were the defects capable of being discovered?

This legal minefield was touched on by construction lawyer, Deirdre Ni Fhloinn, in the Oireachtas Housing Committee report, Safe As Houses.

An action may also be statute-barred before an owner has had the opportunity to identify and investigate a defect in their home, she told the committee.

The Law Reform Commission recommended a change in law to deal with this in a 2011 report in order that time for bringing proceedings would start once the owner knew or ought to have known of the defect, but this has not been implemented.

The Safe As Houses report was published just over a year ago. There has been no attempt to address this problem in the interim.

Neither has there been any effort to address the financial consequences for those who discover their homes may not be properly protected in the event of fire.

A redress scheme was recommended in the report. There is a compelling case for such a fund on the basis that building was not regulated in any meaningful way during the years of illusory boom.

The Beacon South Quarter group has initiated a campaign for a redress scheme and it will be interesting to see if their efforts gain traction.

However, so far this whole issue of fire safety defects has been regarded in official circles as one in which it is most expedient to just keep heads buried in the sand, hope the stricken homeowners will just go away, and pray that no tragedy occurs.
China has called the US arrogant and selfish after it charged two Chinese citizens with stealing trade secrets and other sensitive information from American government agencies and corporations.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying accused the US of undermining other countries' development in order to defend its own hegemony.
Food Harnessing Myanmars Natural Tea Treasure

Sandra Min and Nyantha Maw Lin, the couple behind Khaya teas, at their office in Yangon on December 11, 2018. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  In southern Shan State, 1,800 meters above sea level, a farmer plucks leaves from mature, woody tea bushes. The leaves have not felt the spray of a chemical fertilizer nor pesticide since they sprouted. Theyre collected in woven baskets on the backs of farmers who receive a fair price. Theyre going to Yangon.

Sitting in a brand new office in a not-yet-finished building in Yangons exclusive Golden Valley neighborhood feels like a world away from the Shan hills. But here, Sandra Min and her husband, Nyantha Maw Lin, sit with bags and jars of tea  both dried for drinking and pickled for eating  recounting the story of how it all got here, how they got here, how they left their jobs as a senior executive of a financial company and a political and public policy consultant and found themselves on cold, rural Shan hillsides drinking tea with farmers.

Sandra, a self-professed non-coffee drinker, always had an affinity for tea.

Everywhere I go I try to find the finest teas, she said. Myanmar already has a tea-drinking and tea-eating culture, so its not rocket science.

During the time he worked with an agriculture-based social enterprise, Nyantha spent countless hours traveling on motorbikes through rural areas to connect with farmers, traders and distributors on marketing strategies and financial services.

But its much more than a love of tea that brought them around to creating Khaya, a premium quality, natural brand of drinking tea and the pickled version, laphet. They recognized that the underdeveloped agriculture industry was one of Myanmars few untapped treasures, decades behind other Southeast Asian nations. Nyantha and Sandra decided to combine their skills and know-how and create Khaya.

Before a product gets to the market in Myanmar it changes hand more times than it should. There are a lot of inefficiencies, a lot of missed opportunities, said Nyantha.

When we looked at the agricultural space here in Myanmar, we saw that its got massive potential. Youve got the climate for it. Youve got the variety across the country, whether its altitudinal difference or topographical difference, that really allows for a lot of diversity. But it hasnt had the decades of investment go into its upkeep and its development.

After quitting their high-powered jobs, their tea-drinking research trips took them all across the country. They wanted to raise Myanmars tea industry to the standard it deserves to be at, to unlock its true potential. They looked at where they could add value to the product and connect farmers to a market that is prepared to pay above average prices for a healthier, higher quality of tea. They want to send Myanmar tea beyond the borders, and with pride.

If we compare Myanmar tea [production] with Sri Lanka or China, we dont get the same kind of yield. We need to plant new bushes, use better growing techniques, give [assistance] to the farmers, invest in the processing facilities and get the right certifications. Only then can we look at the export market and put Myanmar on the map, said Sandra.

Now they work closely with farmers in Pindaya, Shan State, and other parts of the country and guide them in their farming practices. They pay them enough so they dont need to take shortcuts or use chemical fertilizers and can take more time to produce the tea. They build trust with farmers and traders and connect them to stronger markets.

We found tea in Pindaya in particular to be among the highest quality of tea, not just in Myanmar but just as competitive to teas anywhere else in the world, said Nyantha.

Khayas range of teas was launched earlier this year and consists of four different drinking options and three pickled tea varieties that are naturally produced with no chemicals whatsoever. The high altitude of the Shan hills lends itself to fresher air and purer water as well as a certain type of surrounding vegetation, all of which create an overall better quality of tea.

Khayas oolong variety is roasted alongside leaves from the sticky rice plant that give it a distinctive sticky rice aroma. The black breakfast tea, which is fully oxidized, is the stronger, highly caffeinated version served with milk and sugar or condensed milk at teashops around the country. The red tea is the full-leaf version of the black tea; it has a similarly sweet aroma and is a full-bodied tea. This is well paired with honey and goes down well with a drop of milk and sugar. The green tea is the variety found in China and Japan and is not oxidized; its simply plucked, withered, steamed and roasted. It has a lighter flavor and is a good option to pair with laphet salad.

As for pickled tea for eating, Khaya produces jars of classic, hot-and-sour and cashew-infused laphet. Perhaps the most exciting of their products is the recently launched lapenade, a tapenade made with laphet that might go well as a spread on bread or as a salad topping.

Through Khaya, Sandra and Nyantha plan to introduce their Myanmar tea to the international market as soon as possible. But considering the time it takes for the newly planted tea bushes to yield the right quality of tea leaf, it looks like full export operations wont be ready for another three years. Looking towards 2019, they will focus on building production volume, ideally reaching one ton of Khaya tea per day. They are currently suppliers to a number of high-end restaurants in Yangon including Rangoon Tea House, and individual orders can be made through their website. They hope to soon have Khaya on supermarket shelves as well.
Asia Sacred and Political: World's Largest Religious Festival to Kick Off in India

Devotees attend the second "Shahi Snan" (grand bath) on the banks of the Godavari river at the Kumbh Mela or Pitcher Festival in Nashik, India on September 13, 2015. / Reuters

NEW DELHISpirituality, politics and tourism: welcome to the Kumbh Mela, the worlds largest gathering of humanity, that begins next month in India.

During the Kumbh Mela, to be held in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, millions of pilgrims including naked, ash-smeared ascetics, will bathe at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and a mythical third river, the Saraswati.

Devout Hindus believe that bathing in the waters of the Ganges absolves people of sins and bathing at the time of the Kumbh brings salvation from the cycle of life and death.

The government says about 100 million to 150 million people, including one million foreign tourists, are expected to attend over the eight-week festival period beginning on Jan. 15, and the scale of the efforts to feed and house the pilgrims is immense.

Organizers are erecting temporary bridges, 600 mass kitchens, more than 100,000 portable toilets, and vast tents, each sleeping thousands of pilgrims at a time, in a pop-up city on the banks of the two rivers.

And yet, based on tradition, there shouldnt be quite such a giant event next yearwhich is where politics and tourism promotion comes in.

The Kumbh Mela is traditionally held every three years in one of four cities along Indias sacred rivers, with one of the largest of those in Prayagraj. The next Kumbh Mela, meaning festival of the pot, was due to be held in the city in 2025.

But with a general election due by May in which the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faces a tough contest, the northern state of Uttar Pradesh has transformed a smaller Ardh, or half Kumbh Mela, into a full version of the festival.

The BJP controls both the federal and the Uttar Pradesh governments.

And this half Kumbh may by some measures end up being one of the biggest Kumbhs yet because of the states massive promotional efforts, especially as Prayagrajwhich until recently was known as Allahabadis seen as the holiest of the four sites.

Besides the upcoming election, the promotion coincides with an international charm offensive to improve the image of Uttar Pradesh, Indias most populous state of more than 220 million people with a reputation for poverty and violence.

But the states chief minister Yogi Adityanath, a Hindu monk who is close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has an eye for publicity, has also been driving support for any event that celebrates the dominance of Hindu culture in India, and marginalizes the nations Muslim minority.

Place of sacrifice

It was Adityanath who in October renamed Allahabad, a city of six million where there are nearly 800,000 Muslims, as Prayagraj, from its ancient name of Prayag meaning place of sacrifice in Sanskrit.

Allahabad is a Muslim name given to the city by a Mughal emperor in 1575.

It is part of a Hindu nationalist agenda and is very worrying to us, said Zafaryab Jilani, a senior member of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, that liaises with the government on Muslim affairs.

There is no justification for changing these names.

Neither side is expecting tensions to lead to violence during the festival, although a stampede at the last Kumbh Mela held in Allahabad in 2013, as it was then known, killed 42.

Muslims have always respected the Kumbh. We will not challenge it in public, Jilani said.

Officials do not expect clashes either, but have boosted the number of police on duty compared with previous events.

People who are not involved will not come, said a state official involved in the preparations. This is not a problem for us.

But he added: To ensure security and safety, there will be five times the number of police officers compared to the previous Kumbh.

Officials say the festival wont be a half event by any means.

This is the way we are taking it forward. There is nothing which is half, said Awanish Kumar Awasthi, a senior official in charge of tourism in the Uttar Pradesh government.

The state government has promoted the Kumbh Mela at several tourism expositions in Europe, and has invited representatives of every country in the world to attend. Last Saturday, foreign diplomats visited Prayagraj to witness the set-up.

The festival has its roots in a Hindu tradition that says the god Vishnu wrested a golden pot containing the nectar of immortality from demons. In a 12-day fight for possession, four drops fell to earth, in the cities of Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik, who share the Kumbhs as a result.
Burma Army Chief Says Hell Ask Security Ministers to Be More Open With Media

Senior Army officers announce a halt to operations by five of the militarys command headquarters after meeting with Press Council members in Naypyidaw on Friday. / Myanmar Pressphoto Agency / Facebook

YANGONMyanmar military commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing promised the Myanmar Press Council at a meeting in Naypyidaw on Friday that he would encourage all 14 state and regional security and border affairs ministers to answer journalists questions if they have relevant information.

Press Council member U Myint Kyaw, who attended Fridays meeting with the senior general, confirmed his vow to The Irrawaddy. Speaking by phone, U Myint Kyaw said Press Council representatives urged the Army chief and other senior military officers to provide greater access to information and to provide security guards to ensure journalists safety in conflict zones. He said they also urged the officers not to immediately launch court cases against journalists, but rather to lodge complaints with the Press Councilas required by the Media Lawif the Army felt that news coverage of military-related issues was incorrect.

U Myint Kyaw said, Although Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing did not mention a specific timeframe in regards to the spokespersons for the border affairs ministers, he said he will encourage them immediately.

Based on the Army chiefs responses, U Myint Kyaw explained that sometimes information linked to armed conflicts is available, but border affairs ministers refrain from revealing it to journalists as they are concerned about misunderstandings appearing in press reports, adding that their main concern is with not providing information that exceeds the scope of their authority. U Myint Kyaw called to mind the Army chiefs stated view that media news coverage should prioritize accuracy over speed. However, the military chief, rather than discussing the establishment of proper communication channels between media and senior military officers, prefers to continue holding dialogues with the Press Council. Another will be held in Yangon next month.

The Press Council has regular engagements with the military, but there is no proper channel between media organizations and the Army, said U Myint Kyaw.

Press Council member Daw Thu Zar said she discussed whether Military Intelligence officials conducted surveillance of reporters at protest events and human rights rallies in urban areas, saying reporters felt unsafe. The commander-in-chief simply answered that officials carry out such activities as they are assigned to do, and claimed they would not harm reporters.

Another Press Council member, Tha Lwun Zaung Htet, handed a letter to the Army chief demanding the unconditional release of Reuters journalists Ko Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who were imprisoned for seven years on a widely condemned conviction of violating national security laws. In a related case, Police Captain Moe Yan Naing was jailed for one year as a hostile witness after telling the court the reporters had been set up. Daw Thu Zar said the Army chief listened patiently to the Press Council members complaints before simply answering that intervening in the judicial system could be regarded as contempt of court.

Right after the meeting, the military announced that in order to accelerate its peace dialogues with non-signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, including the Laiza, Kachin State-based Arakan Army (AA), the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), it would halt operations at five of its commands, excepting northern Rakhine. Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun was quoted by local media as saying that operations would continue in northern Rakhine State, as the Arakan Rohingya Salivation Army was still active in the area. He was quoted as saying that peace talks will continue with the AA despite a series of clashes between it and the Tatmadaw in recent months.

The meeting was the first between the newly elected Press Council, now in its second term, and Army chief Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing.
News Civil Servant Investigated for Criticism of Govt Training

A government civil service training in Zee Pin Gyi near Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay Region. / Soe Thuya Zaws Facebook

YANGONA senior public health officer from Mandalay Region is being investigated by a top-level team for criticizing a government civil servant training on social media.

An official statement issued on Wednesday from the chair of the investigation team said the case has been opened on Dr. Soe Thuya Zaw, head of Mandalay Regions Mogok Townships public health department (dental), who attended a compulsory mid-level training session from Oct. 9 to Dec. 1, 2017. The statement said the investigation was opened for three reasonsfor his criticism of the rules and regulations that trainees need to follow, for pointing out the faults of lecturers and claiming the training is a waste of government budget.

In October and November this year, the dentist U Soe Thuya Zaw shared a series of posts on his Facebook page about his experiences while attending public service training at the Central Institute of the Civil Service in a town called Zee Pin Gyi near Pyin Oo Lwin in Mandalay Region. The Zee Pin Gyi civil service training was once known as an education for civil servants in the military mindset and basic military training.

The training targets civil servants from the level of junior clerk up to deputy director general and is offered as regular training, special refresher training, mid-level training and senior-level training. There are also mandatory training programs for cadres of civil servants newly entering the civil service or being promoted.

According to U Soe Thuya Zaw, the training included courses on financial management within government departments, political science, economics, English and information technology.

One of his posts said that during a class, the lecturer criticized the National League for Democracy (NLD) governments efforts in the peace process and said that the NLD isnt willing to achieve long-lasting peace. Later, the lecturer was slammed by classmates of the dentist who asked counter questions. They said most people know that first priority of State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyis government is the peace process and it has been since they took office in 2016.

One of his posts said that while teaching the political science course, the lecturer also told the trainees not to marry or buy anything from non-Buddhist people and particularly referred to Muslim people, saying that they pose a risk to Myanmars monogamous Buddhists.

U Soe Thuya Zaw criticized the lecturers comments, saying that the topic is too sensitive and not suitable for discussion in the trainings as more than 600 trainees from different backgrounds and religions attended the courses.

He commented that the training topics pose a risk of brainwashing civil servants who will be the people implementing government policies in the future.

His latest status about the training pointed out that it is a waste of government budget and questioned whether it really is advantageous to each civil servant and whether it is worth taking up so much of their time.

The Irrawaddy contacted the chair of the investigation team but she refused to answer questions, saying that the case is currently under investigation and they will announce the results officially later.

The chair said U Soe Thuya Zaw now has a limited amount of time to send a letter or voice a complaint using evidence to show he is not guilty.

The investigation team includes the head of Mandalays public health department, the directors of the public health departments of Naypyitaw and Mogok.

A statement issued on Thursday by the Students Union of the University of Dental Medicine, Mandalay said the union condemns the investigation and allegations which totally go against the civil servants by-laws and freedom of speech. A previous version of this article mentioned that the student union demanded that U Soe Thuya Zaw not pressure the investigation team when in fact their demand was for the investigation team not to pressure U Soe Thuya Zaw.

In a press conference on Friday, government spokesperson U Zaw Htay said, The action needs to follow civil servant act and rules and regulations.

U Zaw Htay said that whether action will be taken on the case will be decided by the ministry of health and if there are complaints or incorrect decisions made by the investigation team, U Soe Thuya Zaw can send an official complaint letter to the Presidents Office.
News Govt Announces Transfer of Military-Controlled Dept to Civilian Ministry

The General Administration Department logo.

YANGON  The military-controlled General Administration Department (GAD) will soon be transferred to the Ministry of the Office of the Union Government, Presidents Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay said Friday.

The plan was announced at a press conference in Naypyitaw. The GAD is currently a branch of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is one of three ministries under the control of the countrys powerful military.

The GAD has long been central to the functioning of government administration across the country, as its officials oversee local governance in both rural and urban areas and deal with peoples day-to-day needs, from registering births and deaths to mediating disputes.

Some lawmakers have complained that its centralized control of government bureaucracy has been one of the main obstacles to reform.

U Zaw Htay said the move would implement the pledges President U Win Myint made in April to reform the government from the bottom up and to prepare the country for a federal system by reducing central control and adopting the suggestions of Myanmars states and regions.

The Ministry of the Office of the Union Government is one of the new ministries created by the current administration. In November a retired colonel and former pilot for the Burma Air Force, U Min Thu, was appointed its new minister.

U Zaw Htay said U Min Thu was appointed knowing that the GAD would soon be put under his supervision.
News Military Reps Urge Parliament to Counteract Foreign 'Interference' Over Rakhine Crisis

Military representatives at the Lower House of the Union Parliament in Naypyitaw in 2018. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYITAW  The militarys representatives in Myanmars Union Parliament have urged the national legislature to respond to what they described as misinformation and propaganda about Myanmar over the Rakhine crisis.

During discussion of a report by the Lower Houses International Relations Committee on Thursday, the representatives said the legislature should not remain silent but respond in a timely fashion to the actions of foreign parliaments targeting Myanmar.

Parliaments International Relations Committee should keep an eye on those issues, and raise objections and make counter-statements as necessary, Lieutenant Colonel Zaw Tun Oo said.

On Dec. 13 the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly adopted a resolution that called the Myanmar militarys actions against the countrys Rohingya a genocide and accused it of committing crimes against humanity.

If such actions by other countries have an impact on Myanmar, the International Relations Committee should report them to Parliament, assess the repercussions and offer recommendations, said Lt. Col. Zaw Tun Oo.

Colonel Kyaw Soe Lwin, another military representative, accused some major powers of interfering in Myanmars internal affairs while Myanmar remained independent and neutral.

Whenever there is interference, [the committee] should assess it in real time and report its findings to Parliament, he said.

The report says Myanmars relations with Western countries including the U.S. and EU members and majority-Muslim states have cooled because of the violence in Rakhine State. It says those countries are putting pressures on Myanmar and attempting to impose sanctions.

I think the suggestion of the military representatives is constructive. It would be better if we understand the issues facing our country well and respond strategically, said committee member Daw Pyone Cathy Naing.

Other lawmakers also supported the militarys suggestion.

The military has no direct communication with the international community. Only the government and Parliament have direct communication with foreign diplomats. But the military can also do what it can through its military attaches, political analyst U Maung Maung Soe told The Irrawaddy.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
News Tatmadaw Announces Four-Month Ceasefire in North, Northeast

Military personnel march at the Myanmar Armed Forces Day parade in Naypyitaw in March 2018. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

The Myanmar Military (or Tatmadaw) on Friday declared a unilateral four-month ceasefire effective in active conflict areas in north and northeast Myanmar. The first truce ever initiated by the military, the unprecedented move has been hailed as a constructive gesture.

The Tatmadaw will cease all military operations in each command from Dec. 21 to April 30 in order to allow negotiations with each ethnic armed group in the region, according to the statement issued by the Office of the Commander-in-Chief on Friday. The order covers the Northern Command in Kachin State; the Northeastern, Eastern and Central Eastern commands, and the Triangle Command in Shan State.

The military stated that during the unilateral ceasefire period, the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) would engage in peace negotiations with the ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) in their respective areas. Ceasefire-related issues will be on the agenda. If necessary, the negotiations will be led by the Tatmadaws negotiation team led by Lieutenant-General Yar Pyae.

This move comes after three members of the Northern Alliance pledged to lay down their arms and seek political resolutions to conflicts at a Dec. 12 meeting with members of the governments Peace Commission in Chinas Yunan province.

China has been brokering peace talks in the northern and northeast regions of the country, and the government conducted informal peace talks over the past five months with the Myanmar National Truth and Justice Party/Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNTJP/MNDAA), the Palaung State Liberation Front/Taang National Liberation Army (PSLF/TNLA) and the United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA).

U Min Zaw Oo, the Director of the Myanmar Institute for Peace Studies, said the Tatmadaws announcement is a constructive gesture and a key step to reaching ceasefires with the northern groups. Most importantly, it opens up a path to resuming political negotiations.

He told The Irrawaddy on Friday the Tatmadaw seemed to have been preparing for this announcement for at least five months, having noticeably reduced military engagements in the northern region.

The NRPC issued a statement welcoming the militarys move and pledging to work to bring all remaining eight EAOs that have not yet signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement to enter peace negotiations.

Observers viewed the move as a positive step for peace, saying the Tatmadaw had never before announce this kind of unilateral ceasefire, even under the previous government.

The Tatmadaw also backed down from its insistence on upholding its six-point policy, saying that all EAOs need to comply with four of them: to respect the agreements, not to exploit the peace agreements, not to burden local residents and to abide by the existing laws.

Meanwhile, the Tatmadaw said its Negotiation Team will continue talks with the 10 signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement and if necessary the team will hold talks with groups individually.

However, the Tatmadaws truce announcement does not cover Rakhine State in western Myanmar, where it has been engaged in weeks-long clashes with the Arakan Army. Because of the fighting between the Tatmadaw and AA troops, hundreds of local residents have been forced to take shelter in nearby towns such as Ponnakyun.

The fighting in Rakhine State may continue, said U Min Zaw Oo, because the Tatmadaw doesnt recognize the AAs claims of authority in the area.
News UWSA to Allow Lahu, Kachin Churches to Reopen

UWSA fighters take part in a ceremony marking International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Shan State in June 2017. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

The United Wa State Army (UWSA) will allow churches to reopen in the areas under its control in northern Shan State after ordering them shut for several months.

Nyi Rang, a spokesperson for the UWSA based in Lashio, northern Shan State, told The Irrawaddy that the central Wa authorities had made the decision to let the churches reopen.

They will let Lahu and Kachin churches reopen. The decision was made at [Wa leaders] recent meeting, said Nyi Rang.

The UWSA shut down over 100 churches run by Lahu and Kachin Christians in August and September. Nyi Rang said his group had completed its investigations into those churches and was now ready to allow them to reopen.

Lahu Baptist Convention (LBC) Secretary-General Reverend Lazarus said his group would go back to the Wa region again if the UWSA allowed it to.

If they [the UWSA] allow us to go back there, we are ready to go. We do very simple work; we will teach our religion and reopen our schools, Rev. Lazarus said.

He said that all churches remain closed, and no one from the LBC was currently able to stay in Wa region, as the UWSA had detained its members and expelled them from the area.

Bishop Philip Zahawng, a Catholic leader based in Lashio who used to work in the Wa region, told the BBCs Burmese version last night that his group would ask the UWSA what regulations it intended to impose on its work in the region.

We will go back to work there if they allow us to go. But, we would ask them whether they have proper laws for persons who work for religion in their region. They could shut down our churches once again if we do not ask about their law, Philip Za Haung said.

No one yet knows what restrictions the UWSA has in mind for the reopened churches. The UWSA issued a statement on Dec. 9, but it was in Chinese only, according to Nyi Rang, who declined to let The Irrawaddy see it.

In early September the UWSA detained a total of about 200 Christian religious leaders from the LBC and Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) and shuttered more than 100 churches.

Nyi Rang told the media in September that the Lahu and Kachin Christian leaders had to be detained because extremists among them were putting the unity of the ethnic Wa people at risk by recruiting members not just from their own ethnic groups but from the Wa as well.

The UWSA want ethnic Wa to function as religious leaders in the future, according to a statement it issued in August. The statement has caused concern among the Lahu and Kachin about the fate of their own Christian communities.
World Canadian Detained in China Questioned Daily, No Lawyer AccessSources

A police officer gestures at the photographer as security staff stand guard outside the Canadian embassy in Beijing, China on December 20, 2018. / REUTERS

BEIJINGA former Canadian diplomat detained in China is being denied legal representation and is not allowed to turn the lights off at night, people familiar with the situation said, offering new details on the highly charged and closely watched case.

China last week detained two CanadiansMichael Kovrig, a former diplomat and an adviser with the International Crisis Group (ICG), and businessman Michael Spavorafter Canadian police arrested Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, on Dec 1.

Canada arrested Meng at the request of the United States, which is engaged in a trade war with China. Meng faces extradition to the United States to face fraud charges which carry a maximum sentence of 30 years jail for each charge.

China has given only vague details of why they have detained the two Canadians, saying they are suspected of engaging in activities that endangered Chinas security, and has not drawn a direct link to Mengs arrest.

Canada has said the detentions are unacceptable and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said China should free the men. ICG President Robert Malley also called for Kovrigs release on Saturday.

The sources familiar with Kovrigs case said the Canadian was taken away around 10 p.m. local time on Monday last week while on the street in Beijing.

China formally notified the Canadian government of Kovrigs detention two days later, at 4 p.m. on Wednesday last week. Canada only gained consular access to him at a police station on Friday last week, when he was visited for half an hour by the Canadian ambassador and two other Canadian diplomats, the sources said.

He is not allowed to apply for bail and not allowed to see a lawyer, said one source, adding Kovrig is questioned every morning, afternoon and evening, not allowed to turn the lights off at night, and is being held at an undisclosed location.

He is also only allowed one consular visit a month and is not allowed to see family or loved ones.

He is physically alright but tired and stressed, but physically he does not appear mistreated, the source said.

Two other people familiar with the case corroborated the details.

A third person said Kovrig was being confined to a single room, but despite the stress remains lucid.

The comments were made in recent days. All the sources requested anonymity citing the sensitivity of the situation.

Chinas Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It has said that the lawful rights of both men were being fully protected.

Chinas Ministry of State Security, which is leading the investigation into Kovrig, has no publicly available contact details.

Our previous comments on this case stand, said Adam Austen, a spokesman for Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland.

The Canadian government has said several times it saw no explicit link between the arrest of Meng, the daughter of Huaweis founder, and the detentions of Kovrig and Spavor.

But Beijing-based Western diplomats and former Canadian diplomats have said they believed the detentions were a tit-for-tat reprisal by China.

A Canadian court last week granted Meng bail.

If a Canadian judge rules the case against Meng is strong enough, Canadas justice minister must next decide whether to extradite her to the United States. If so, Meng would face US charges of conspiracy to defraud multiple financial institutions.

China on Thursday said a third, female Canadian is undergoing administrative punishment for working illegally, after Canadas government confirmed the detention.
Commentary A Letter from Mandalay

A misty Mandalay morning as seen from Mandalay Hill. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

As we read news of Mandalays ambition to become a smart city with the former royal city in the midst of a high-tech makeover and recently rewarded for its efforts, being named among the top five urban areas in Southeast Asia making progress toward smart-city status. But it still has a long way to go.

To keep our beloved royal city alive, I would prefer to see Mandalayits charm, rich heritage, historic buildings, palace and templespreserved as a cultural city, as well as a preservation of its unique pace of lifenot too fast and not too slow. The question now is can we save Mandalay?

The countrys last royal capital, at more than 160 years old, is rapidly changing and facing a growing Chinese influence with businesses and unchecked migration flowing in through our northern border.

With Chinese influence growing day by day, perhaps it is time for Mandalays chief minister and officials to work hard on preserving the real essence of Mandalay before it is too late.

It is no longer news that Mandalay is becoming a Chinese city. Mandalay life has been obviously impacted by a rapid pace of growth of Chinese businesses, and the ensuing Chinese temples, architecture and restaurants are nestling up to Chinese-financed shopping centers.

There is concern among Mandalay residents about the citys old heritage and charm being wiped out by greed and ugly modern buildings which have mushroomed over the decades without strict monitoring by officials.

Meanwhile, the Chinese celebrate lavish weddings and parties in expensive hotels and continue to buy up expensive land in prime areas in downtown Mandalay. In fact, the streets outside the old palace are now prime business zones. I see many local Mandalay citizens sit in teashops puffing cheroots, chewing beetle nut and sipping tea: they are slow, while newcomers to Mandalay are moving fast.

Mandalay was founded in 1858 by King Mindon, a devout Buddhist who organized the Fifth Great Buddhist Synod in what was then a relatively new city. Even today, the city remains known as the countrys center of culture and Buddhist learning, and its place in history as the countrys last royal capital makes it a primary symbol of Myanmar sovereignty and identity.

King Mindon is remembered not only as a great king but also as a reformer who envisioned a modernizing country catching up with the rest of the changing world in the 19th century and he tolerated other faiths including Christianity and Islam. But his kingdom was too weak to defend itself against the British colonialists.

When he built the city, some 13 kilometers away from the Irrawaddy River, the lower part of the country was already under the British. The king was concerned about invasion and the range of hostile cannon fire from British ships on the river when he moved the city from Amarapura.

Mindon died in 1878 and was succeeded by his son Thibaw, the last monarch. The British overthrew Thibaw in the Third Anglo-Myanmar War in 1885, and the king and queen were sent to India where he died in exile.

Walking into the palace today, those interested in learning about the history can see some information boards, but they are not enough to grasp the attention of young people who are visiting only to take selfies and have a laugh. The military still occupies much of the land inside the palace walls. The palace belongs to the public and people of Myanmar.

But where is the history? There are many stories recounting how the British took over the palace. They turned it into a headquarters for their occupying forces and demolished buildings. Then lootings began. It signaled the loss of independence and sovereignty of the kingdom. The history that follows has been distorted under the proceeding generals. Our young generations, as well as visitors, deserve to learn the history of these places in Mandalay.

The beautiful moat surrounding the palace walls was rebuilt under the previous regime. It had been destroyed during World War II when occupied by the Japanese and allied forces pounded the city, flattening the palace and destroying several other historic buildings. In the 1990s, as part of their campaign to beautify the country, the notorious generals ordered prisoners to rebuild the moat in an effort to attract tourists. Today, Mandalay will need a stronger effort to rebuild these monuments to remind the people and new generations, as well as to attract tourists and tell the history of the royal cityit is important.

Mandalay is also home to some historical masterpieces of architecture built as monasteries. While in town, visitors should go to the magnificent Shwe Kyaung, Shwe Inn Pin, Kin Wun Mingyi and Yaw Min Gyi monasteries. Both Kin Wun Mingyi and Yaw Min Gyi were royal officials of their time who built magnificent monasteries which today stand wearily waiting to be renovated. One will see fine wood carvings at Shwe Kyaung Monastery which failed to achieve UNESCOs World Heritage listing when its application was submitted in 1996. Restoration work at the monastery is still underway amid widely shared rumors of the siphoning of restoration funds. Kuthodaw Pagoda, where you can find whats known as the worlds largest book, is worth a visit too, but apart from Shwe Kyaung Monastery, visitors will find very little information on display at any of these locations.

I am told that some teak monasteries and buildings are preserved by respected local abbots. They have saved money and received local donations for the preservation of the finely carved wooden doors, windows and buildings which were built in the 19th century. A shared fear among monks and residents is that if these buildings are handed over to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture their maintenance will be compromised.

One also wonders at the potential of renovating Gaw Wein Jetty where the countrys last king and queen departed by steamer ship to India, and of providing information of the historical events to students and tourists. A ship, statues and a display of information recounting the whole episode would be educational and attract visitors.

If you are in Amarapura we will see the stunning U Bein Bridge and Mahagandayon Monastery where young monks can be seen walking under the beautiful old trees to receive alms. This old tradition of offering alms to monks is well preserved and quietly observed. It is a peaceful atmosphere, but the question is, how long will it last?

In September, Myanmar and China agreed to establish the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) and the estimated 1,700-kilometer-long corridor will connect Kunming, the capital of Chinas Yunnan Province, to Myanmars major economic checkpointsfirst to Mandalay, and then south-east to Yangon and west to the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ). China is a key supportive neighbor in backing up Myanmar when it faces Western criticism over conflict in northern Rakhine State. There has been criticism that the Myanmar government is increasingly becoming pro-Chinajust like the previous regimebut there are those who defend the government, asking Do they have a choice? The west is pushing Myanmar into Chinas orbit.

In any case, the 15-point MoU signed between Myanmar and China stipulates that the two governments agree to collaborate on many sectors including basic infrastructure, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, transport, finance, human resource development, telecommunications, research and technology. I still havent found any think tank group in Mandalay researching or studying Chinas Belt and Road Initiative.

As night falls and we are watching the sunset by the Irrawaddy River, we dive into discussions with Mandalay friends and one suggests that instead of fearing China, Myanmar must take advantage of its unique geopolitical position to forge stronger economic ties. But how do we strike a balance? Another retorted, questioning what sort of power, capacity, vision and imagination do we have? These debates are endless.

Amid rumors that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Myanmar in the near future, residents in Mandalay go about their daily lives. A handful of intellectuals and writers, however, whisper to me that they worry about Chinas growing clout in the north and the danger of Myanmar again being a pawn between bullying superpowers. We now see the rise of China and how its economic power has a huge impact on the border regions and is coming deeper inside Myanmar. Mandalay is on its list. We are falling into Chinas hands, one member of a prominent intellectual family in Mandalay told me.

Our ancestors saw their king and queen taken away, foreign troops fighting over the royal city out of strategic and geopolitical interest and then the destruction of Mandalay. Who knows if in 50 to 100 years the countrys map may ultimately change? Saving Mandalay is not going to be easy.

Aung Zaw is the founding editor-in-chief of The Irrawaddy.
Friday, December 21st, 2018 (12:01 am) - Score 1,561

UK ISP Baltic Broadband and the not-for-profit Liverpool Internet Exchange (IX Liverpool) have today jointly announced that their 10Gbps business focused fibre optic network in Liverpool (Merseyside) has been expanded to include the Everton and Vauxhall areas.

Prior to this announcement the collaboration had already brought 10Gbps internet connections to entire areas of Liverpool (e.g. the Baltic Triangle, The Fabric District and the Lime Street/Renshaw street area), which they claim is helping to transform entire communities. Now its gone even further to include Everton and Vauxhall.

This latest expansion begins from the new Ten Streets project along the Dock Road (where the regeneration has already started with the Titanic Hotel, Recording Studios, various music venues a makerspace) to the far east side of Everton Valley and also includes Commercial Road, Blackstock St & the Pumpfields area.

The Project Jennifer development on Great Homer Street / Scotland Road, located 1.5 miles North of Liverpool city centre, has also been covered. As a result local businesses can now access ultrafast speeds from just 50 +vat per month, although this reflects their fixed wireless solution and the comparable fibre prices start from 240 +vat (symmetrical speeds from 150Mbps upwards).

Matt Wilson, Director of Baltic Broadband and IX Liverpool, said: Were proud to deliver yet another 10Gbps into an area of Liverpool that has previously been denied from such essential digital connectivity. No longer will our local community be denied the tools they need to sell our skills, trade and compete with others around the globe, Baltic Broadband and IX Liverpool are liberating business after business, street by street, lifting them up and away from the tired old and failed communications infrastructure that has suffered from decades of underinvestment in this region. Also, as part of this project, the partnership has delivered free high speed internet connectivity to not for profit organisations in the area that include a school, a church and a Youth Club in Everton and in the near future we would like to begin rolling out free Wi-Fi on the streets of Everton & Vauxhall, adding real value to these communities to build on for the future.

Joe Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool, said: As we work with partners to regenerate the city it is vital that the correct infrastructure is in place. This investment will make the area more attractive to businesses and is to be very much welcomed.

Baltic Broadband is also currently in the process of expanding coverage around The Wirral and surrounding areas, which is forecast for completion in January 2019. Plans are now underway for enabling other areas outside of the City including Sefton, Bootle and South Liverpool.

The network has a target of delivering 100Gbps of business broadband connectivity within the region before 2020 and by that time they also hope to have covered 100% of the Liverpool City Region.
December 20, 2018



POCATELLO - The Kasiska Division of Health Sciences at Idaho State University is excited to announce a new Ph.D. program offered through the newly established College of Rehabilitation and Communication Sciences.

The Rehabilitation and Communication Sciences Ph.D. program has been in the works for quite some time, and now has the stamp of approval from the Idaho State Board of Education and the Northwest Regional Board of Accreditation. College leaders now plan to begin marketing the program to potential students.

The new interprofessional research doctoral degree is expected to address the shortage of research doctoral faculty in the fields of audiology, occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech language pathology, not only throughout Idaho but the rest of the United States as well. By adding this program to the offerings at ISU, it will create a career path for post-secondary educators, researchers and administrators in the rehabilitation and communication sciences fields.

Students of ISU and beyond will benefit from this program for two reasons:

First, increasing the number of faculty in these fields will enhance and ensure the education for current and future students.

Secondly, rehabilitation and communication sciences students at ISU will have the opportunity to continue on to a Ph.D. specific to their area of interest.

The program directors see this program and its students benefiting undergraduate through graduate students, faculty and clients in a number of ways. An increase in research projects is expected, presenting an option for students at all levels to take part in mentored research opportunities. Additionally, a requirement of the program is that students submit for grant funding, so that should increase the grant-seeking from faculty, along with the Ph.D. students assisting with teaching. The supported teaching should also provide additional one on one instructional opportunities for students at ISU in the degree programs.

The application deadline for the program is Feb. 15 with an expected start date for the Ph.D. program in fall 2019, and the program directors say they already have about 25 people interested.

Most people who have shown interest are from Idaho or surrounding regions, said Gabriel Bargen, associate professor and co-director for the new program. The Ph.D. program has both full- and part-time options in Meridian and Pocatello, which will be taught face-to-face for now.

Eventually, there will be more online offerings, since academic institutions usually receive students from within 200 miles of the university.

This will be a very exciting opportunity for elevating students of all academic levels, Bargen said.

The curriculum used for this program was modeled after some of the top institutes in the country, such as the Yale Consortium. This program is within a fairly unique niche, only three or four Ph.D. programs are similar. Audiology and speech language pathology are part of the top-10 most needed jobs in the United States currently, and the need for these professionals is only increasing. In Idaho, physical as well as occupational therapist jobs are expected to grow by over 25 percent by 2026, according to the Idaho Department of Labor.

When we produce graduates, it is likely that some of them will want to stay within the region addressing our regional shortage, said Daniel Hudock, program co-director and associate professor.

He said ISU faculty searches within these four fields typically result in a very small number of qualified applicants, from four to eight. This is in comparison to liberal arts disciplines, such as philosophy and history, which may attract over a 100 qualified applicants.

Though the cohorts are small, with expectations of four to eight students per cohort, we have the potential of very positive impact nationally and internationally, especially through the part-time online offering, Hudock said.

This program will be individualized to fit students needs and professional goals. Preference will be given to applicants with graduate degrees in related disciplines, but strong undergraduate applicants with degrees in psychology, linguistics or other similar interests will be considered. The final requirements for the Ph.D. program are underway at ISU, and the official application portal will open soon.

For more information on the new Ph.D., contact Hudock, at 208-282-4403 or hudock@isu.edu; Bargen, at 208-373-1722 or barggabr@isu.edu; or Kathleen Kangas, dean for the College of Rehabilitation and Communication Sciences, at 208-282-3992 or kangkath@isu.edu.
Australia has expressed "serious concern" about what it calls "a global campaign of cyber-enabled commercial intellectual property theft by a group known as APT10, acting on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security".

A statement, issued jointly by Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, said: "The sustained cyber intrusions by APT10 were significant and focused on large scale managed service providers (MSPs)  specialist companies that manage IT services and infrastructure for many medium to large businesses and organisations, both in Australia and globally".

While it was not mentioned specifically, the statement appeared to be referring to allegations made overnight by the US Department of Justice, which said two Chinese men had been charged with numerous hacks dating back to 2006.

Payne and Dutton said: "When it is in our interests to do so, Australia publicly attributes cyber incidents, especially those with the potential to undermine global economic growth, national security and international stability.

"Australia calls on all countries  including China  to uphold commitments to refrain from cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, trade secrets and confidential business information with the intent of obtaining a competitive advantage. These commitments were agreed by G20 Leaders in 2015. Australia and China reaffirmed them bilaterally in 2017."

New Zealand also joined the chorus of condemnation of China, with the Government Communications Security Bureau claiming it had established links between the Chinese Ministry of State Security and "a global campaign of cyber-enabled commercial intellectual property theft".

This long-running campaign targeted the intellectual property and commercial data of a number of global managed service providers, some operating in New Zealand, GSCB director-general Andrew Hampton said.

This activity is counter to the commitment all APEC economies, including China, made in November 2016. APEC economies agreed they should not conduct or support ICT-enabled theft of intellectual property or other confidential business information, for commercial advantage."

The UK and Canada issued similar statements. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "This campaign is one of the most significant and widespread cyber intrusions against the UK and allies uncovered to date, targeting trade secrets and economies around the world.

"These activities must stop. They go against the commitments made to the UK in 2015, and, as part of the G20, not to conduct or support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property or trade secrets.

"Our message to governments prepared to enable these activities is clear: together with our allies, we will expose your actions and take other necessary steps to ensure the rule of law is upheld."

Canada's Communications Security Establishment said in a statement: "Today, many of Canadas allies and partners have made statements concerning the compromise of several managed service providers. CSE also assesses that it is almost certain that actors likely associated with the Peoples Republic of China Ministry of State Security are responsible for the compromise of several MSPs, beginning as early as 2016."

The Australian Cyber Security Centre has issued advice to MSPs on its website, as to how they can lower the risk to which they are exposed.
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A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
Former Faculty Member Establishes Faculty Scholar Program

Dec. 20, 2018

Mona Gardner

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.  After nearly two decades of dedicated work at Illinois Wesleyan University, former faculty member and administrator Mona Gardner will continue to support her colleagues by establishing the Gardner Faculty Scholars program to aid IWU professors during sabbatical work.

The most outstanding sabbatical proposals from one tenured and one pre-tenured faculty member will be selected each academic year by the Faculty Development Committee. Recipients will receive an award certificate and $3,000 to be used as a stipend or to defray costs of supplies, research, travel and data collection.

Graduates often report that their interaction with Illinois Wesleyan faculty changed their lives in ways that are measurable even decades later, Gardner said. Those life-changing experiences are possible, however, only if faculty members remain fully engaged in their own research and creative activity, are committed to nurturing undergraduate students, and are, in turn, truly valued and supported by the institution.

Establishing the Gardner Faculty Scholars program is just one of the many initiatives Gardner has led at IWU. As an administrator, she served as the first May Term Director, the first Director of the Mellon Center for Faculty and Curriculum Development and the first Associate Dean of the Faculty. As part of her teaching career, Gardner was also Chair of the Business Administration Department and was the 1993 recipient of the Universitys DuPont Award for Teaching, now known as the Kemp Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence. She retired from the University in 2007.

During my years at IWU, I was privileged to work among a remarkable group of teacher/scholars who represent the best in the profession, Gardner said. I thank them for showing, by their daily example, that a liberal arts education is one of Americas greatest gifts to the world. The Gardner Faculty Scholars program is a small way of emphasizing to current and future colleagues how central they are to continuing the rich academic tradition of Illinois Wesleyan University.

Gardners Scholarship will not only highlight the importance of faculty work, but will also improve the quality of instruction for students.

Professor Gardners gift incentivizes her former and future colleagues to engage deeply in the scholarly and creative work that sustains cutting-edge classroom learning, undergraduate research experiences, and connections to next steps in the workforce or graduate study for our students, said IWU Provost and Dean of Faculty Mark Brodl. Our faculty greatly appreciate her generous recognition of their efforts, as evidenced by the sustained applause from the faculty upon the announcement of her gift at a recent faculty meeting.

Gardner Faculty Scholars will be announced by the President at the first faculty meeting of the spring semester with a press release to accompany the announcement of the awards.

I had many faculty remark on how important Professor Gardner was to them as an inspirational and supportive colleague, Brodl said. That inspiration and support will now continue for many more Illinois Wesleyan colleagues well into the future.

By Rachel McCarthy 21
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Corvus Gold Inc. (Corvus or the Company) - (TSX: KOR, OTCQX: CORVF) announces it has completed a CAD $2,080,000 private placement (the Private Placement). Pursuant to the Private Placement, the Company issued 800,000 common shares at a price of CAD $2.60 to AngloGold Ashanti (USA) Exploration Inc. No warrants were issued. Proceeds of the financing is expected to fund an expanded exploration program at both the Mother Lode and North Bullfrog projects.

Jeff Pontius, President and CEO of Corvus, said, We are pleased to have AngloGold continue with their investment in Corvus Gold. This additional funding will allow Corvus to expand its ongoing Mother Lode exploration as well as conduct a resource expansion program on the North Bullfrog project. AngloGold has been a long-term consistent supporter of Corvus Gold and a valuable strategic partner as we continue to expand the greater Bullfrog District. Given the Preliminary Economic Assessment results announced last month and our ongoing resource expansion drill results, Corvus Gold is excited about the potential of this large and re-emerging Nevada gold District. Our planned work in 2019 will focus on resource expansion and new discovery drilling to continue to add value for our shareholders as we unlock the District-wide gold system.

The common shares issued in the Private Placement are subject to a minimum 6-month hold period unless otherwise registered under applicable securities laws. The Toronto Stock Exchange has granted conditional approval to the issuance of the Corvus common shares under the Private Placement.

The foregoing securities have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the foregoing securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About the North Bullfrog & Mother Lode Projects, Nevada

Corvus controls 100% of its North Bullfrog Project, which covers approximately 86.6 km2 in southern Nevada. The property package is made up of a number of private mineral leases of patented federal mining claims and 1,057 federal unpatented mining claims. The project has excellent infrastructure, being adjacent to a major highway and power corridor as well as a large water right. The Company also controls 445 federal unpatented mining claims on the Mother Lode project which totals approximately 36.5 km2 which it owns 100%. The total Corvus Gold 100% land ownership now covers over 123.1 km2, hosting two major new Nevada gold discoveries.

The combined Mother Lode and North Bullfrog Projects contains a Measured Mineral Resource for the mill of 9.3 Mt at an average grade of 1.59 g/t gold, containing 475 k ounces of gold and Indicated Mineral Resources for the mill of 18.2 Mt at an average grade of 1.68 g/t gold containing 988 k ounces of gold and an Inferred Mineral Resource for the mill of 2.3 Mt at an average grade of 1.61 g/t gold containing 118 k ounces of gold. In addition, the project contains a Measured Mineral Resource for oxide, run of mine, heap leach of 34.6 Mt at an average grade of 0.27 g/t gold containing 305 k ounces of gold and an Indicated Mineral Resource for, oxide, run of mine, heap leach of 149.4 Mt at an average grade of 0.24 g/t gold containing 1,150 k ounces of gold and an Inferred, oxide, run of mine, heap leach Mineral Resource of 78.7 Mt at an average grade of 0.26 g/t gold containing 549 k ounces of gold.

Qualified Person and Quality Control/Quality Assurance

Jeffrey A. Pontius (CPG 11044), a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101, has supervised the preparation of the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release and has reviewed and approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Pontius is not independent of Corvus, as he is the CEO & President and holds common shares and incentive stock options.

Carl E. Brechtel, (Nevada PE 008744 and Registered Member 353000 of SME), a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101, has coordinated execution of the work outlined in this news release and has also reviewed and approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Brechtel is not independent of Corvus, as he is the COO and holds common shares and incentive stock options.

The work program at Mother Lode was designed and supervised by Mark Reischman, Corvus Golds Nevada Exploration Manager, who is responsible for all aspects of the work, including the quality control/quality assurance program. On-site personnel at the project log and track all samples prior to sealing and shipping. Quality control is monitored by the insertion of blind certified standard reference materials and blanks into each sample shipment. All mineral resource sample shipments are sealed and shipped to American Assay Laboratories (AAL) in Reno, Nevada, for preparation and assaying. AAL is independent of the Company. AALs quality system complies with the requirements for the International Standards ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 17025:1999. Analytical accuracy and precision are monitored by the analysis of reagent blanks, reference material and replicate samples. Finally, representative blind duplicate samples are forwarded to AAL and an ISO compliant third-party laboratory for additional quality control. Mr. Pontius, a qualified person, has verified the data underlying the information disclosed herein, including sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information by reviewing the reports of AAL, methodologies, results and all procedures undertaken for quality assurance and quality control in a manner consistent with industry practice, and all matters were consistent and accurate according to his professional judgement. There were no limitations on the verification process.

Mr. Scott E. Wilson, CPG (10965), Registered Member of SME (4025107) and President of Resource Development Associates Inc., is an independent consulting geologist specializing in Mineral Reserve and Resource calculation reporting, mining project analysis and due diligence evaluations. He is acting as the Qualified Person, as defined in NI 43-101, and is the primary author of the Technical Report for the Mineral Resource estimate and has reviewed and approved the Mineral Resource estimate and the Preliminary Economic Assessment summarized in this news release. Mr. Wilson has over 29 years of experience in surface mining, resource estimation and strategic mine planning. Mr. Wilson is independent of the Company under NI 43-101.

Mr. Wilson, a qualified person, has verified the data underlying the information disclosed herein, including sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information by reviewing the reports of AAL, methodologies, results and all procedures undertaken for quality assurance and quality control in a manner consistent with industry practice, and all matters were consistent and accurate according to his professional judgement. There were no limitations on the verification process.

Metallurgical testing on North Bullfrog and Mother Lode samples has been performed by McClelland Analytical Services Laboratories Inc. of Sparks Nevada (McClelland), McClelland is an ISO 17025 accredited facility that supplies quantitative chemical analysis in support of metallurgical, exploration and environmental testing using classic methods and modern analytical instrumentation. McClelland has met the requirements of the IAS Accreditations Criteria for Testing Laboratories (AC89), has demonstrated compliance with ANS/ISO/IEC Standard 17025:2005, General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, and has been accredited, since November 12, 2012. Hazen Research Inc. (Hazen), an independent laboratory, has performed flotation, AAO testing and cyanide leach testing on samples of sulphide mineralization from the YellowJacket zone and Swale area of Sierra Blanca, and roasting tests on Mother Lode flotation concentrate. Hazen holds analytical certificates from state regulatory agencies and the US Environmental Protection Agency (the EPA). Hazen participates in performance evaluation studies to demonstrate competence and maintains a large stock of standard reference materials from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Canadian Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology (CANMET), the EPA and other sources. Hazens QA program has been developed for conformance to the applicable requirements and standards referenced in 10 CFR 830.120 subpart A quality assurance requirements, January 1, 2002. Pressure oxidation test work on Mother Lode concentrate samples was performed by Resource Development Inc. of Wheatridge, CO.

For additional information, refer to the technical report entitled Technical Report and Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Integrated Mother Lode and North Bullfrog Projects, Bullfrog Mining District, Nye County, Nevada effective September 18, 2018 and dated November 1, 2018, amended on November 8, 2018.

On behalf of

Corvus Gold Inc.

(signed) Jeffrey A. Pontius

Jeffrey A. Pontius,

President & Chief Executive Officer

Contact Information: Ryan Ko Investor Relations Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: 1-844-638-3246 (toll free) or (604) 638-3246

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitation, statements regarding the potential use of proceeds from the offering, the advancement and development of our Mother Lode project and the expansion of our 2018 drill program; the full funding of the 2018 drill program as a result of the financing; updates on the development progress at the Mother Lode project; the potential for new deposits and expected increases in a systems potential; anticipated content, commencement and cost of exploration programs, anticipated exploration program results, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, variations in the market price of any mineral products the Company may produce or plan to produce, the Company's inability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities, the Company's inability to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2017 filed with certain securities commissions in Canada and the Companys most recent filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). All of the Companys Canadian public disclosure filings in Canada may be accessed via www.sedar.com and filings with the SEC may be accessed via www.sec.gov and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Companys mineral properties.
TORONTO, Dec. 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unigold Inc. (Unigold or the Company) (TSX-V:UGD) is pleased to announce the completion of a surface test pit program at its 100% owned Neita Concession in the Dominican Republic.

The Company has completed thirty one (31) test pits evaluating the oxide resource potential at the Candelones Main and Candelones Connector deposits. Eleven (11) pits were designed to twin historical drill holes. The remaining twenty pits were located to evaluate the potential to increase the currently defined extent of the oxide mineralization (Ref. Figure 1.0).

A total of 892 chip-channel samples were collected from the test pits. Analytical results are anticipated early in Q1, 2019. The samples will be assayed for gold using standard fire assay methods.

Approximately 25% of the samples will also be assayed for gold using agitated cyanide leach analyses. Direct comparison of the cyanide leach analyses to the initial fire assay results will provide a preliminary indication as to the amenability of the oxide mineralization to direct cyanidation and allow follow up composite samples to be prepared for further, more advanced, metallurgical test work in Q1- 2019 if warranted.

Joseph Del Campo, Interim President and CEO of Unigold commented, We are very pleased to resume active exploration at our Neita Concession. The oxide test pit program is a logical first step as we believe it will quantify the potential to increase both the grade and extent of the oxide resource. Our original plan was to complete 10-12 verification test pits, with the objective of quantifying any potential grade bias resulting from poor core recovery, prior to year end. A second test pit program, to probe the limits of the oxide resource, was planned for early 2019. The excavator progressed much faster than anticipated and as a result, we were able to complete both programs prior to year end. We expect analytical results early in Q1, 2019 which will provide us an opportunity to include additional exploration of the oxide resource areas in our 2019 Exploration Budget if warranted.

Figure 1.0  Test Pit Locations - Candelones Main and Connector Deposits

The current mineral resource estimates for the Candelones Project are summarized in Table 1.0.

Table 1.0  Summary of Mineral Resource Estimates  Candelones Project

Date Classification Source Mineralization Deposit Tonnes Au Au ozs Cu Cu lbs Strip Type (x 1,000) (g/t) (x 1,000) (%) (x 1,000) Ratio 2013-11-12 INFERRED Open Pit OXIDE Main 2,448 0.92 72 1.3 (1,3,4,5) Connector 1,108 1.12 40 1.3 Extension - 0.00 - 0.0 Subtotal 3,556 0.98 112 1.3 INFERRED Open Pit SULPHIDE Main 5,003 1.16 186 1.3 Connector 980 1.08 34 1.3 Extension 24,223 1.59 1,241 7.6 Subtotal 30,206 1.50 1,461 6.4 INFERRED Underground SULPHIDE Main 704 2.21 50 0.0 Connector 50 2.49 4 0.0 Extension 4,977 2.42 387 0.0 Subtotal 5,731 2.39 441 0.0 INFERRED TOTAL 39,493 1.59 2,014 NA 2/24/2015

(2,3,4,6) INFERRED Underground Sulphide Extension 5,274 5.27 894 0.35 41,175 NA

(1) - Mineral resources were estimated by Mr. W. Lewis, P.Geo. and Mr. A. San Martin, MAusIMM(CP) of Micon International Ltd. (Micon), a Toronto based consulting company, independent of Unigold. Both Mr. Lewis and Mr. San Martin meet the requirements of a qualified person as established by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (May 2014) (the CIM Standards). The 2014 estimate is based on a long term gold price of US$ 1,500 per ounce and economic cut-off grades 0.32 g/t Au (OXIDE), 0.56 g/t (SULPHIDE) and 1.25 g/t (UNDERGROUND SULPHIDE). Open pit resources are reported within an optimized pit shell; underground resources are reported beneath the defined optimized pit shell. Reference UGD PR# 2013-22.

(2) - Mineral resources were estimated by Mr. W. Lewis, P.Geo. and Mr. A. San Martin, MAusIMM(CP) of Micon International Ltd. (Micon), a Toronto based consulting company, independent of Unigold. Both Mr. Lewis and Mr. San Martin meet the requirements of a qualified person as established by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (May 2014) (the CIM Standards). The 2014 estimate is based on a long term gold price of US$ 1,200 per ounce, a long term copper price of US$ 3.00 per pound and an economic cut-off grade of 3.50 g/t Au and assumed exploitation of the Candelones Extension deposit by means of underground mining. Reference UGD PR# 2015-02.

(3) - The mineral resource estimates are classified as INFERRED. CIM Standards define a Mineral Resource as " a concentration of material in or on the Earth's crust in such form and quantity and of such grade or quality that it has reasonable prospects for economic extraction." The CIM Standards further define an INFERRED Mineral Resource as "that part of a Mineral Resource for which quantity and grade or quality can be estimated on the basis of geological evidence and limited sampling and reasonable assumed but not verified, geological and grade continuity." The CIM Standards state: "Due to the uncertainity that may be attached to Inferred Mineral Resources, it cannot be assumed that all or part of an Inferred Mineral Resource will be upgraded to an Indicated or Measured Mineral Resource as a result of continued exploration."

(4) - Micon has not identified any legal, political, environmental or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the mineral resource presented.

(5) - The procedures, methodology and key assumptions supporting this mineral resource estimate are included in the Technical Report titled: "NI-43-101 Technical Report Mineral Resource Estimate for the Candelones Project, Neita Concession, Dominican Republic" with an Effective Date of November 4, 2013. The Technical Rport is available on SEDAR as well as the Company's website.

(6) - The procedures, methodology and key assumptions supporting this mineral resource estimate are included in the Technical Report titled: "NI-43-101 Technical Report Mineral Resource Estimate for the Candelones Extension Deposit, Candelones Project, Neita Concession, Dominican Republic" with an Effective Date of February 24, 2015. The Technical Rport is available on SEDAR as well as the Company's website.

Test Pit Program Description

Test pits were completed by a CAT 320D Excavator with a 1.5 metre wide rock bucket and a maximum digging depth of 5.5 metres.

Pit dimensions ranged from 1.5 to 1.8 metres wide by 3.0 to 4.5 metres in length. Pits were excavated to a target depth of 5.0 metres or to the top of bedrock. 20 pits reached the 5.0 metre target depth. All but one pit exceeded 3.0 metres in depth. All the pits were free digging. No explosives were used.

Eleven pits were located twinning existing drill holes. Twenty pits were step out pits, designed to probe the lateral continuity of the oxide mineralization.

In each pit excavated, all four pit walls were continuously channel sampled on 1.0 metre intervals from surface to the pit floor. Each channel sample was established in the approximate center of each pit face. The channel was precut using a portable diamond saw where necessary. In many instances, the pit wall was comprised entirely of soft sediment. In this instance, the diamond saw was not used and the sample was collected using the pick of a geology hammer. Where there was sufficient rock content (>60%), two parallel cuts, 10-15 cm apart and 2.5 to 3.0 cms deep, were established in the center of each pit face. The material between the cuts was then collected using either a geology hammer or a hammer and chisel. Prior to collection of each sample, a clean tarp was placed at the bottom of each channel. The material for each 1.0 metre sample interval was collected on the tarp and transferred to a five gallon bucket which was sealed with a lid and lifted out of the pit to surface for processing.

Each bucket was passed through a  inch riffle splitter. The undersize fraction (-  inch) was collected in stainless steel bins. The oversize fraction (+  inch) was hand sorted equally into the two sample splits. Every effort was made to ensure that the oversize fraction was separated into both splits equally. At times, this required larger pieces of rock to be broken by hammer during the sample splitting process.

One sample split was identified as the PRIMARY sample. The split was tagged, bagged and submitted for analyses. The PRIMARY samples will be assayed for gold using standard fire assay and agitated cyanide leach analyses.

The reject sample split was then passed through the riffle splitter a second time. The undersize (-  inch) and oversize (+  inch) fractions were tagged and bagged separately and submitted to fire assay analyses only to determine if gold is preferentially favours either size fraction or if the gold is equally distributed over both size fractions.

QA/QC

Certified standards and blanks were randomly inserted into the sample stream and constitute approximately 10% of the sample stream. Samples are shipped to a sample preparation facility in the Dominican Republic operated by Bureau Veritas. Assaying is performed at Bureau Veritas Commodities Canada Ltd.s laboratories in Vancouver and Richmond, B.C., Canada. All samples are analyzed for gold using a 50 gram lead collection fire assay fusion with an atomic adsorption finish. Select samples will be assayed for gold using a 30 gram agitated cyanide leach analyses with an atomic adsorption finish.

Wes Hanson P.Geo., Chief Operating Officer and Technical Director of Unigold, who is a qualified person under the definitions established by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the contents of this press release.

About Unigold Inc.  Discovering Gold in the Caribbean

Unigold is a Canadian based mineral exploration company traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol UGD, focused primarily on exploring and developing its gold assets in the Dominican Republic.

For further information please visit www.unigoldinc.com or contact:

Mr. Joseph Del Campo,

Interim President & CEO

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

416.866.8157

Forward-looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this document, including statements regarding events and financial trends that may affect our future operating results, financial position and cash flows, may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are based on our assumptions and estimates and are subject to risk and uncertainties. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words like strategy, expects, plans, believes, will, estimates, intends, projects, goals, targets, and other words of similar meaning. You can also identify them by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. We wish to caution you that such statements contained are just predictions or opinions and that actual events or results may differ materially. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are made as of the date hereof and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Where applicable, we claim the protection of the safe harbour for forward-looking statements provided by the (United States) Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

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.
Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2018) - Manganese X Energy Corp. (TSXV: MN) (FSE: 9SC2) (TRADEGATE: 9SC2) (OTC Pink: SNCGF )(the "Company") is pleased to announce that 2018 was again a year of significant growth for the Company with advancements at its Battery Hill manganese property; the acquisition of its Peter Lake copper-nickel-cobalt property; as well as strategic corporate financing and the purchase of 15% in Mountain Springs Oil and Gas Limited (MSOG) with the opportunity of obtaining an additional 10% of MSOG upon Board approval.

The Company anticipates potential cash flow during 2019 from dividends generated by its interest in MSOG, which would enable Manganese X the opportunity through the anticipated MSOG dividends to finance the Peter Lake property during 2019 and beyond. In addition, this cash flow will also allow Manganese X the ability to further advance the Battery Hill project, while advancing its strategy of supplying value added manganese materials to the fast-growing North American lithium ion battery market for electric vehicles (EV) and other alternative energy markets.

Manganese X has recently been informed by MSOG that an additional oil and gas acquisition is being pursued and is in near completion. MSOG also reported that negotiations with Schlumberger are advanced and at the legal stage. Once completed, this deal would implement their innovative Schlumberger Heal System to potentially expand production and revenues from existing production wells.

Martin Kepman, CEO of Manganese X states, "Due to the volatile fluctuations of the world oil and gas commodity markets and prices, it has taken MSOG longer than anticipated to complete its first acquisition. It is our hope that the oil and gas property acquisition will be completed in early 2019."

Commodity price update: Manganese has increased 16.7% during the year and has performed very well among the minor metals sector.

Highlights of 2018 Activities

Completed two non-brokered private placement financings for combined gross proceeds of $992,750 at 15 and 20 cents per share.

Negotiated and closed the purchase of 15% in MSOG for the sum of $750,000. An additional 10% of MSOG can be acquired for $500,000 with Board approval. A contract is anticipated with Schlumberger Ltd., an oil and gas services company, to utilize its newly developed Heal System technology that has been shown to significantly increase oil and gas yields.

Acquired a 100% interest in the flagship Battery Hill manganese property located in the top-tier global mining jurisdiction of New Brunswick. The property includes the historical Moody Hill, Sharp Farm, Iron Ore Hill and Maple Hill manganese-iron zones and is subject to a 3% Gross Metal Royalty on production.

Current focus at Battery Hill is on the metallurgical aspects and recovery processes that would result in a high purity product. Detailed mineralogical and preliminary metallurgical leach extraction testwork, spread over two research establishments, proved to be extremely positive. A research project is ongoing in conjunction with the National Research Council of Canada titled "The potential of ore upgrading and purification techniques to produce battery-grade material (high purity: 99.999 per cent)". The aim of this project is to determine to what extent, ore from the Battery Hill project, could be upgraded and to explore the potential to generate a high-purity manganese product suitable for the battery industry.

Signed a property option agreement to earn a 100% interest in the Peter Lake copper-nickel-cobalt property located in the Sainte-Anne du Lac area of Quebec. Previous grab sampling returned values ranging from 0.4 to 22.8% copper, 0.14 to 0.73% nickel and 0.05 to 0.266% cobalt. The mineralization has been traced intermittently on surface for more than 2 kilometers. The property is virtually unexplored, with only 2 shallow diamond drill holes being completed in 2002. Manganese X has completed a multi-faceted exploration program which will lead to a significant drilling program during 2019.

Manganese X Energy 2019 Strategies and Goals

The Company's strategy is to leverage the potential cash flow from dividends generated by its interest in MSOG's oil and gas production wells, to advance the Battery Hill manganese and Peter Lake copper-nickel-cobalt projects, as well as other advanced opportunities identified. Some specific goals for 2019 are listed below:

Increase ownership in MSOG and thus potential future cash flow dividends by purchasing an additional 10% interest upon MSOG completing its current acquisitions and with Manganese X Board approval

Continue to pursue the development of its Battery Hill manganese property and to develop an innovative, cost effective process to produce high purity manganese materials to the fast-growing North American lithium ion battery market

Advance and prioritize exploration targets at Peter Lake in preparation for a significant diamond drilling program to evaluate this highly prospective and virtually unexplored project

Pursue potential negotiations with a multi-national Company to explore future development and sales of our value-added manganese materials to the North American markets

Continue with OTC application in preparation to become eligible for the depository and book-entry services of The Depository Trust Company (DTC).

About Manganese X Energy

Manganese X Energy's mission is to acquire and advance high potential manganese prospects located in North America with the intent of supplying value added materials to the lithium ion battery and other alternative energy industries as well as the steel industry. In addition our company is striving to achieve new methodologies emanating from environmentally friendly green/zero emissions, while processing manganese at a lower competitive cost.

For more information, visit the website at www.manganesexenergycorp.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Martin Kepman

CEO and Director

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

1-514-802-1814

Cautionary Note Regarding 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 contains "forward-looking information" including statements with respect to the future exploration performance of the Company. This forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements of the Company, expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, as well as others, are disclosed within the Company's filing on SEDAR, which investors are encouraged to review prior to any transaction involving the securities of the Company. Forward-looking information contained herein is provided as of the date of this news release and the Company disclaims any obligation, other than as required by law, to update any forward-looking information for any reason. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate and the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking information.
TORONTO, Dec. 21, 2018 /CNW/ - Central Timmins Exploration Corp. ("CTEC" or the "Corporation") (TSXV: CTEC) is pleased to announce that it closed a non-brokered flow-through private placement (the "Financing") today. CTEC issued 5,000,000 "flow-through" common shares (the "FT Shares") under the Financing at an issue price of $0.20 per FT Share, for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,000,000.

The Financing was structured as a charity donation arrangement pursuant to which Goldcorp Inc. ("Goldcorp") acquired 5,000,000 common shares of CTEC as a back-end purchaser, representing approximately 9.74% of the issued and outstanding common shares of CTEC ("Common Shares").

Pursuant to an investor rights agreement entered into between CTEC and Goldcorp (the "Investor Rights Agreement") concurrently with the Financing, Goldcorp has been granted the right (but not the obligation) to participate in future financing transactions of CTEC in order to maintain its pro-rata equity ownership percentage interest in CTEC at up to 9.9% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares. Goldcorp has also been provided certain other rights, including but not limited to the right to request that a technical committee be formed by CTEC, that will remain in place as long as Goldcorp maintains its equity ownership percentage interest in CTEC at greater than 5.0% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares.

Proceeds from the Financing will be used by CTEC to incur eligible Canadian exploration expenditures to expand the 2019 exploration program on its Timmins area properties (the "Timmins Project"). CTEC will renounce the qualifying expenditures to subscribers of the FT Shares for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018. Each FT Share qualifies as a "flow-through" share for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada).

In connection with the Financing, CTEC may pay certain finder's fees in accordance with the rules and policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"). All FT Shares issued under the Financing will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the date hereof, which expires on April 22, 2019 The Financing remains subject to final approval from the Exchange.

Additionally, CTEC and Goldcorp have entered into a definitive agreement (the "Definitive Agreement") outlining the sale of certain non-core CTEC mineral claims (the "Claims") to Goldcorp for proceeds of $258,624. The Claims include nine patented claims in Deloro Township, Timmins, Ontario with a total area of approximately 327 acres.

Charles Gryba, President, CEO and Director of CTEC stated "This is a significant milestone for CTEC as this financing and the sale of nine previously explored claims provides us with capital to expand our Phase I grass roots exploration program of the main Timmins Project. CTEC has identified approximately 20 exploration targets outside of the historical mine areas held mainly by Goldcorp, McEwen Mining Inc. and Tahoe Resources Inc. The Goldcorp investment also provides us with access to the expertise of Goldcorp, a global leader in the mining industry and one of the largest holders of historical exploration data in the Timmins Camp. We welcome Goldcorp as a shareholder and look forward to building this relationship to successfully explore the properties comprising the Timmins Project."

The securities offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to United States persons absent of registration, or the availability of any applicable exemption from the registration requirement, of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This release shall not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Central Timmins Exploration Corp.

CTEC is an early-stage Canadian-based junior exploration company with property exclusively in the Porcupine Mining District in the northeastern region of Ontario. CTEC's assets are prospective for gold as well as a suite of base metals. See CTEC's website at www.centraltimmins.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws that is intended to be covered by the safe harbours created by those laws. "Forward-looking information" includes statements that use forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "potential" or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology and includes statements relating to, among other things, the use of proceeds from the Financing, the tax treatment of the FT Shares, the benefits to CTEC under the Investor Rights Agreement, and future plans in respect of the Timmins Project.

Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made. Furthermore, such forward-looking information involves a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements of the Corporation to be materially different from any future plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. See "Risk Factors" in the Corporation's final prospectus dated October 4, 2018 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for a discussion of these risks.

CTEC cautions that there can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Except as required by law, CTEC does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking information contained in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR DISSEMINATION DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES./
On December 21, 2018, the First Assize Court of Appeals in Rome will decide whether to reopen investigations into Operation Condors crimes. Victims relatives and human rights activists are hopeful the tribunal will agree to consider recently come to light documents and witnesses. The reopening of proceedings can potentially overturn several acquittals dictated at first instance.

The Italian trial is just the most recent attempt to investigate the transnational atrocities  known as Operation Condor  perpetrated in South America during state-sponsored violence in the 1970s. In the 1980s, as South American military regimes slowly transitioned back to democracy, lawsuits were filed before the courts. Forty years later, extraordinarily, this unparalleled and multi-country process of justice continues to unfold.

Courtroom in Rome ( Lilia DI MONTE)

Operation condor



Between the 1950s and 1980s, South Americas authoritarian regimes systematically repressed all forms of opposition, both peaceful and armed. Thousands became victims of illegal detentions, extrajudicial executions, murders, disappearances, torture, and sexual violence. Even babies born to women held in clandestine detention were illegally given to families loyal to the dictatorships.

Beyond repression inside each country, South Americas criminal states also created Operation Condor, in order to coordinate repression at a regional level and set up a borderless area of terror and impunity between at least 1975 and 1981 (see map below). Operation Condor was the codename given to the transnational coordination that Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay established in 1975. Brazil joined later in 1976, while Peru and Ecuador did so in 1978.

Implantation of Operation Condor in Latin America from 1975 to 1981

Operation Condor spared no one. Refugees and asylum seekers were especially targeted, while children  illegally detained with their parents  had their biological identity stolen and replaced by that of adoptive families. Whilst there is no agreed upon number, a database accounting for the crimes of the coordinated regional repression has  so far  confirmed a minimum of 420 victims, encompassing eleven nationalities. The vast majority were Uruguayans (223 cases, 53%), followed by Argentines (75, 17%) and Chileans (62, 15%).

The use of a state-centric approach, which focuses on human rights violations committed inside state borders, has characterised transitional justice scholarship and practice. Such dominant lens has marginalised the analysis of human rights violations that do not squarely fit within national boundaries.

How to respond to terror that knows no borders? What options do victims, relatives, and human rights activists have in their quest for justice?

Trials for Operation Condor crimes provide valuable insights for accountability for extraterritorial human rights violations. The probing of Operation Condors transnational crimes encompasses a complex web of countries and actors. Since the late 1970s, at least 25 criminal investigations have unfolded in the domestic courts of seven countries, namely Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Italy, and the United States. The main catalyst behind this extraordinary process were survivors, their relatives, and supporters within human rights groups and civil society that never gave up on the search for justice.

Justice beyond borders

Categorising Operation Condor investigations by status, format, and country helps better understand this multifaceted justice process. Regarding judicial status, the majority of proceedings (15 out of 25) have been completed, with a first instance verdict at least having been dictated. One was shelved after the death of the only defendant in the case, while nine are still at the pre-trial phase. The sentences so far handed down in these 15 investigations found 71 defendants responsible for Operation Condor atrocities committed against 201 victims.

In terms of format, investigations fall into two main types. Most proceedings (22) probe specific episodes of crimes, whether delimited by the political affiliation of victims, the place of detention, or because of the emblematic nature of the wrongdoing. Examples include trials in Uruguay looking into the persecution unleashed against members of political groups in exile in Argentina, such as the Party for the Victory of the People (PVP) and the Unifying Action Groups (GAU). Another example is the landmark prosecution in Chile in the mid-1990s against the Head of the Chilean secret police and his Deputy for the September 1976 assassination in Washington DC of exiled Chilean diplomat Orlando Letelier and his colleague at the Institute for Policy Studies, Ronni Moffitt. Only in three cases have public prosecutors and judges probed the overall modus operandi of the transnational terror network. The foremost illustration here is the Argentine Operation Condor trial that, by scrutinising the cases of 107 emblematic victims of different nationalities, investigated the inner workings of the entire transnational terror network.

Defendants in condor trial in buenos aires ( H.I.J.O.S. CAPITAL)

When looking at countries, Uruguay has the highest number of investigations (12). This can be partially explained by the fact that the majority of Condors victims were Uruguayans, but also because investigations there largely framed cases on an individual level. This is unlike in Argentina, where the mega-trials (mega causas, investigating large numbers of victims) have been the main format to organise investigations into past human rights violations. The five Argentine prosecutions, in fact, encompass much larger groups of Operation Condor victims, ranging from 40 to over 300 in each case. Furthermore, four investigations took place in Chile, and one each in Brazil, Italy, Paraguay, and the USA.

Assessment

This astonishing justice process, whose origins date back to the brave testimonies of Uruguayan survivors to Amnesty International in 1976 and 1977, persists today. Indeed, the most recent verdict was handed down in Chile just three months ago, on September 21, 2018.

These proceedings significantly scrutinised transnational crimes, but also broadly contributed to the fight against impunity in South America and beyond. On the one hand, lawsuits alleging Operation Condor crimes played a strategic role in reopening the possibilities for obtaining truth and justice in South America. On the other, the innovative combination of different forms of jurisdiction employed to capture transnational atrocities offers important policy-relevant lessons for todays cross-border human rights violations.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, impunity dominated across South America. In this context, investigations into Operation Condor crucially challenged the status quo.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, impunity dominated across South America. In this context, investigations into Operation Condor crucially challenged the status quo. In Chile, victims and relatives had filed over 200 lawsuits against Pinochet for dictatorship-era crimes since 1998. For long, however, the General successfully avoided any charges. In December 2004, Judge Juan Guzman finally indicted Pinochet for the first time for Operation Condor atrocities. In Argentina, in a case investigating the murder of exiled Chilean General Carlos Prats and his wife in Buenos Aires in 1974, the Supreme Court recognised for the first time in 2004 that crimes against humanity could not be subject to statutory limitations, thereby reopening the door to trials for all dictatorship-era crimes. In Uruguay, the strategic litigation of Operation Condor atrocities successfully undermined a twenty-year strong amnesty law. Human rights lawyers claimed crimes committed outside Uruguayan territory fell outside the scope of the amnesty. The judiciary eventually accepted this innovative argument. In 2009, thus, the first verdict for past human rights violations was finally dictated in Uruguay, in the case of 28 PVP members murdered in Buenos Aires in 1976. As these examples show, Operation Condor proceedings effectively broke the logic of impunity and amnesty in this region, owing to transnational atrocities alleged. The crimes transnational nature directly questioned the validity of state-centric policies of amnesties and impunity. Since then, hundreds more state agents have been prosecuted for human rights violations in Argentina and Chile.

Last but not least, the probing of transnational atrocities can provide relevant lessons for accountability for contemporary extraterritorial human rights violations, such as human trafficking. The Operation Condor trials show how there is no need to resort to extraordinary forms of justice. Rather, existing mechanisms and tools can suffice in providing policy solutions to pressing problems. Indeed, domestic courts by creatively drawing upon different forms of jurisdiction  territoriality, nationality of victims, and/or universality  successfully redressed Operation Condors cross-border atrocities. This is an avenue worth considering in resolving present-day cases of transnational crimes.
Iraqi authorities said they uncovered a new mass grave containing the remains of dozens of people in an area of northern Kirkuk province once held by the Islamic State group.

Security forces have discovered dozens of mass graves since they drove out IS in 2017 after three years of occupation of swathes of northern and western Iraq.

The United Nations said in November that more than 200 mass graves containing up to 12,000 victims had been found in Iraq that could hold vital evidence of war crimes by the jihadists.

The latest macabre discovery was made on Thursday in the Hawija district of Kirkuk province, Adel Ismail, a lieutenant-colonel in the Iraqi federal police force, told AFP.

He said the grave contained the remains of innocent Iraqi civilians who were abducted and then killed by the jihadists.

It was found in what appears to be a deep well in the Al-Abbassi area of Hawija.

This is a mass grave used by Daesh, said Wani Firas, a resident of the area, using an Arabic-language acronym for IS.

They used to come here, execute and throw (the victims) inside, and we used to watch and observe from nearby, he said.

The United Nations in Iraq (UNAMI) and its human rights office said last month they had documented a total of 202 mass graves in parts of western and northern Iraq held by IS between 2014 and 2017.

Of them, just 28 had been excavated and 1,258 bodies exhumed by Iraqi authorities, the report said.

Even more sites could be uncovered in the months to come, it warned, urging Iraqi authorities to properly preserve and excavate them to provide closure for victims families

IS, which proclaimed a caliphate over swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014, has now lost almost all the land it once controlled.

The jihadists have been held responsible for multiple atrocities during their reign of terror, including mass executions and decapitations.
Its a miracle that we are holding this conference today, given all the obstacles we have encountered during our mission! exclaimed Sihem Bensedrine, President of the Truth and Dignity Commission (IVD), at the opening of the Commissions international closing conference in Tunis on December 14 and 15. The conference called The IVD at the end of its mandate: a debate on the results shared conclusions and a set of recommendations from the Commissions final report with an audience composed of Tunisian civil society, international NGOs monitoring the transitional justice process, United Nations agencies and the authorities.

Neither the head of government, the countrys president, the parliamentary speaker nor even their representatives were present at this major event in the transitional justice process.

Neither the head of government, the countrys president, the parliamentary speaker nor even their representatives were present at this major event in the transitional justice process. It marks the end of four and a half years of IVD work investigating and documenting human rights violations, economic and financial crimes in Tunisia from independence to the end of 2013. Many conference participants saw the absence of the three presidents, as they are called, as worrying. This evident hostility illustrates the lack of support for the Commissions final report on the part of the authorities, particularly the government, which is nevertheless mandated by law to translate it into measures and action plans within one year of the Commissions work ending on December 31, 2018.

The four arms of repression

The first day focused on analyzing the machine of repression under Presidents Bourguiba (1957-1987) and Ben Ali (1987-2011). Those who have ruled Tunisia in the past have not always been true to it, Bensedrine told the conference. They have grabbed the power and resources of the country while forcibly silencing all dissenting voices, whether they were Marxists, communists, trade unionists, nationalists or Islamists.

In the Commissions view, Tunisias despotic system was based on a close link between human rights violations and financial corruption. It was a four-pronged machine, consisting of police repression, an all-powerful ruling party, the media as an instrument of propaganda and official lies, and spying.

It was a four-pronged machine, consisting of police repression, an all-powerful ruling party, the media as an instrument of propaganda and official lies, and spying.

Whilst the Interior the Ministry had 45,000 civil servants, it had more than 120,000 informants, said the Commission president. The whole of society had to be kept under control. Its spies  who rivalled the official intelligence services in speed and efficiency  were everywhere, in the media, administrations, universities and local committees. And they were even more active during election campaigns.

The Commission uncovered surprising facts about the notorious Allo Taxi company, which it says was mainly intended not for ordering a taxi but to gather information. This was with the blessing of President Ben Ali, according to archives and official documents found by our teams, said Oula Ben Nejma, chair of the Commissions investigations committee.

Nepotism and fraud

The Commission has also shed light on the mechanisms, legal and institutional loopholes that allowed nepotism, greed and various fraudulent practices. Mechanisms for embezzling State funds and resources included confiscating peoples property supposedly in the public interest and giving it to relatives of the regime, re-categorizing protected archaeological land such as in Carthage as residential lots sold at high prices (the beneficiaries being Ben Alis in-laws), and granting bank loans to the presidents inner circle to set up fictitious projects.

 IVD Media Center

We have discovered that specific laws were adopted to make possible illegal transactions benefitting the clan of the former president [Ben Ali], said Khaled Krichi, chairman of the arbitration and conciliation committee. Did you know about the parallel central bank? asked Sihem Bensedrine. It was called El Kherba and was located in Bab Jazira, Tunis. This bank was supplied by Tunisian, Algerian and Libyan smugglers. They bought foreign currency on the black market in China and Turkey and crossed into Tunisia, coming particularly from Turkey.

We have discovered that specific laws were adopted to make possible illegal transactions benefitting the clan of the former president Ben Ali.

Bensedrine also spoke about the case of the Banque franco-tunisienne (BFT), which is currently before the courts. It is classic case of collusion between political power and the business community, also in terms of breach of trust, abuse of influence and abuse of position, she said. This case, which is toxic to our finances, could bring Tunisia to its knees. Nationalized in 1989, the bank became a branch of the Tunisian Society of Banks (STB) before being transformed into a private account for Ben Alis relatives. Loans of 700,000 dinars (270,000 Euros) were granted without any guarantees and without any opposition from the banking oversight authorities, the Finance Ministry, successive governors of the Central Bank or any government ministers. In its fall, the BFT is also bringing down the STB and other state banks, according to the Commissions analysis. Because of the misdeeds of our white-collar workers, we are not far from the Greek scenario, Sihem Bensedrine told the conference.

Systematic marginalization of regions

Injustice, marginalization and bad governance spread to the regions. 220 cases were presented to the IVD denouncing systematic discrimination of all kinds suffered by communities, towns and villages as reprisal for opposition to the government.

For example in Sawaf, in the Zaghouan region (50 km from Tunis), a factory that supported the village was closed following a protest against the former president. It was then converted into a prison.

For example in Sawaf, in the Zaghouan region (50 km from Tunis), a factory that supported the village was closed following a protest against the former president. It was then converted into a prison. And former fellaghas, the guerilla fighters against French colonization, were moved in the late 1950s from their villages around Tataouine, in the south of the country, to Cite Ennasr, near Sidi Bouzid, in central Tunisia. Bourguiba feared these intrepid former freedom fighters so much that he put them on lands that they could neither sell nor rent. The survivors and their descendants still live in abject poverty.

Hellish administrative controls

But the repression mainly targeted individuals through acts of torture and sexual violence. 25% of the 57,000 files retained by the IVD concern women. The victims attended nearly 50,000 private hearings, sometimes lasting several days.

It emerged from these private hearings that 15,000 victims were subjected to a daily hell of administrative controls. Sometimes forced to report to their local police station every two hours, some have spent a quarter of their lives going back and forth between their homes and police posts. Six suicides have been recorded because of administrative controls that enslaved and destroyed people and their entire families, because they deprived former political prisoners of work and the means to support their families. Police officers would say to the victims bring your pretty wife back with you, or your daughter must have grown up now, show her to us when you come back, Oula Ben Nejma told the conference.

One man who was raped in his childhood because of his fathers political opinions said the State ran his life and his torture.

Ibtihel Abdellatif, chair of the womens committee, outlined the pattern of these violations, particularly those targeting women, children and couples, 43 of whom were forced into divorce. Their homes and bedrooms were bugged. Young women were stigmatized by their families and communities after hours of interrogation and sexual violence at police stations. Children were abducted from their homes or schools and sometimes raped to put pressure on their parents who opposed the regime. Minors were thrown into adult prisons.

The Truth Commission cited appalling figures on this. It gathered 198 cases of raped children under 16, of whom 17% girls and 83% boys.

One man who was raped in his childhood because of his fathers political opinions said the State ran his life and his torture, Ibtihel Abdellatif recounted with emotion in her voice.
Update: The Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations Special Victims Unit is continuing its investigation into the juvenile sex trafficking case, where Elbert Riascos and Jovan Martin were arrested in December 2018.

Yesterday, 36-year-old Kentrail Foster of New Orleans was arrested in connection to the sex trafficking case. Foster was booked into the Orleans Justice Center for Trafficking of a Child for Sexual Purposes and Carnal Knowledge of a Juvenile.

The investigation remains on-going.

______________________________

Original Story:

Authorities have arrested two suspects for the sexual trafficking of a juvenile, according to Louisiana State Police.

The Human Trafficking Hotline received a tip that a 16-year-old was being held against her will, repeatedly raped, drugged, and beaten. Following an investigation, detectives were able to identify Elbert Riascos, 26, and Jovan Martin, 24, both of New Orleans, as the suspects. The young woman was rescued by law enforcement officials on December 15, 2018. Both suspects were arrested and booked into the Orleans Justice Center.

Besides the trafficking, Riascos was also booked on first-degree rape, felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile, false imprisonment, cruelty to a juvenile, production, and possession of child pornography, distribution of cocaine, and resisting arrest. Martin was also charged with resisting arrest.

Both suspects are currently on probation for previous criminal convictions.

The case remains active and on-going. Additional arrests and charges may be forthcoming.
DOYLESTOWN >> This month is all about dogs in Bucks County Treasurer Kris Ballerinis office. Starting December 1, dog owners can purchase their 2022 license from the County Treasurers Office. State law requires that all dogs three months and older be licensed by January 1 of each year. An annual dog license is $8.50, or $6.50 if the animal is...
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call(WASHINGTON) -- In the waning days of their congressional careers, two lawmakers are waging a war to solidify their legacies, and a bill to protect Native American women from violence has become the unlikely battlefield.



Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., who lost her Senate re-election bid, and retiring House Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., are on opposite sides of Heitkamps bill to strengthen coordination between federal, local and tribal law enforcement authorities in order to better address the dramatic rates of murdered and missing Native American women nationwide.



The bill, Savannas Act, would be a legacy-defining accomplishment for Heitkamp, who shepherded through several major bills protecting indigenous people. The retiring Goodlatte, however, has taken several big votes against strengthening tribal protections.



And while his office has responded to Heitkamps language with a counteroffer, her team is accusing him of simply trying to run out the clock, because if he is able to block the House from voting before the end of the year, the process has to start all over again next congressional session -- when both Heitkamp and Goodlatte will be gone.



Savanna's Act, which unanimously passed the Senate on Dec. 6, is named for Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a member of the Spirit Lake tribe, who was abducted and killed in 2017 in Fargo, North Dakota. In her farewell address to her colleagues, Heitkamp noted the bill as one of the highlights of her congressional career.



"Were on our way to passing Savannas Act, which is going to recognize for the first time the challenge and the tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women," she said.



According to a 2016 report from the Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice, more than one in five American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime, and in some parts of the country native women face murder rates more than 10 times the national average. The report also noted that the vast majority of Native victims experience violence at the hands of a non-native perpetrator.



Savannas Act would require that law enforcement agencies at all levels of government get training in recording the tribal affiliation of victims and conduct outreach to tribes to help them better understand their options in documenting people who have gone missing. It would also require new guidelines on improving law enforcement response rates to cases of missing and murdered indigenous people.



Before the bill hit the House, it was on a smooth, bipartisan path. That consensus was evident last week when the Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing, during which Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., decried the lack of coordination between tribes and law enforcement, which leads to an inaccurate picture of crime affecting Native communities.



Understanding the scope of the problem is just the first step, Barrasso said.



But when the bill made it to the House, Goodlatte, in his capacity on the Judiciary Committee, raised concerns that some language in the bill might put some state and local law enforcement at a disadvantage when applying for DOJ grants, according to a House aide.



Then, things slid to a halt, which led to Heitkamp calling out Goodlatte on Twitter.



Goodlatte ultimately sent over the changes he wanted to see to Heitkamps office last night -- two weeks after the bill passed the Senate and almost one week after Heitkamp tweeted at Goodlatte.



According to a document reviewed by ABC News, Goodlattes edits are extensive, striking entire provisions throughout the bills fourteen pages. He wants to remove stipulations that the attorney general "shall give affirmative preference" to applicants for two existing DOJ grant programs from law enforcement agencies that have implemented the guidelines -- the part he feared might discriminate against certain agencies. The Heitkamp aide said that language was a suggestion and was non-binding.



But in a separate edit that Heitkamp hadnt been expecting, Goodlatte also struck provisions to keep law enforcement agencies accountable for implementing the bills new requirements, including requiring the attorney general to keep a public list of law enforcement agencies that have not yet implemented the guidelines.



While Goodlatte hasnt been particularly outspoken on Native issues throughout his career, this isnt the first time he has objected to protections specifically for that minority. During an appropriations debate in 2016, he objected to an agreement forged by House and Senate committees that would have set aside some money collected for a Native crime victims fund to be directly allocated among tribes, rather than through state agencies. Goodlatte objected to this set-aside, saying it was an example of "legislating through an appropriations bill."



In 2012, Goodlatte was one of 17 Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee who voted for a version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization that lacked protections for Native American women, which had passed as part of the Senates version. Those safeguards would have allowed tribes to prosecute domestic violence committed by non-Native perpetrators on tribal lands.



Congress held another vote on VAWA the following year, this time including the expanded legal protections for tribal women. Goodlatte voted against that version.



Spokespeople for Goodlatte, House Speaker Paul Ryan and the Department of Justice did not respond to requests for on-the-record comment.



Given the fact that Savanna's Act passed unanimously in the Senate, Heitkamp's aide argues it would face a similar lack of opposition in the House. But if Goodlatte succeeds in blocking this bill's progress until the end of the month, which is the conclusion of the current congressional session, the process would have to start all over again, beginning back in the Senate.



But some of Heitkamps Senate co-sponsors have already vowed to honor her legacy  and that of the bills namesake  and get the bill passed next year, even if it means starting from scratch. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told ABC News that she has committed to Heitkamp to get Savannas Act passed "aggressively and early."



"Were going to be working it, were going to be working it early and were going to make the difference," Murkowski said.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Thursday, December 20, 2018 at 5:17PM

A much-loved Netflix romantic comedy just got its green light for the sequel to come out. Lana Condor, who plays the movies protagonist Lara Jean Covey, made the announcement saying To All The Boys Ive Loved Before will be getting a second movie. Its originally based from Jenny Hans trilogy of young adult novels. The first film, which came out in August, follows Lara as she discovers her secret love letters to five of her childhood crushes were sent out to the boys in question. Noah Centineo, who plays Laras love interest Peter Kavinsky, will be returning. Theres no specific date yet for the film but what we do know now is that Sofia Alvarez will be returning to write the screenplay for the follow-up movie.
MEDFORD, Ore. -- The Medford School District is clarifying the radon test results it released Wednesday.

Some of those results were alarmingly-high and caused some concern and confusion.

The EPA-recommended amount of radon is 4.0 pCi/L (picocuries per liter.) Some of the results showed levels reaching 20.0.

Ron Havnier, Facilities Services Manager for the district, said the high numbers represent what are called 'spiked' radon tests.

They are a part of a list of requirements schools must do when they test for radon.

The Oregon Health Authority requires schools to submit samples to a testing lab that are known as blanks, duplicates, or spiked with radon. They suggest schools be transparent with the lab results, including publishing the results of blanks, dupes, and spikes. They also recommend the school districts clarify those results when they are published.

"We put this quality control procedures into the testing program to basically give us red flags so that when we see something that's off we can investigate and dig into it and make sure our testing procedures are good and when we need to re-test we will," Havnier said.

He said those spiked tests never actually make it in a classroom or even on a school campus.

However, the data from it comes back on the report looking like any other classroom.

The district says this is where the confusion comes from because they did not specify those high numbers are spiked tests.

The district has updated its results from the past three years on its website. The spiked tests are now highlighted and there is also an explanation as to what they mean.

Havnier said most of the results from the district are well below the recommended 4.0 level. However, there were some results near a 6 at Griffin Creek Elementary.

He said work has already been done there to figure out how to lower those numbers.

"We've gone through all the HVAC systems and made sure they're working properly, and we've increased the amount of run time so instead of shutting it off all night, right now we're running it longer to see what that effect is," Havnier said.

He also explained that these testings can take a long time to get done. The district has gotten 11 of its schools tested since it became a requirement in 2016.

"We can only test during closed conditions, it has to be Winter, the HVAC system needs to be operating, when we do Winter conditions basically October through March or April, that's what they'd like to see because that's when people tend to close their doors," Havnier said.

He said there's also only two testing labs in the country, which can slow things down. On top of that, schools will need to start mitigating if the results are coming back too high.

"We will look at how it's infiltrating into the buildings it could be a slab penetration, it could be a pipe chase, could be leaky windows or a wall so we'll investigate the space and see if there's any routes that it may be coming into that room that we can seal off," Havnier said.

The district still has 8 more schools to test. It will spread them out over the next two years. The deadline for all schools to be tested is Jan. 1, 2021.
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- At a time when the Bay Area is blanketed in Christmas lights, Wednesday night's sky stole the show.

Bryan Louie told ABC7 News, "It was brighter than a normal cloud, especially at this time of night."

A mysterious light was spotted in the sky after 5:30 p.m., a time when most are making their way home from work.

"It looked kind of like a key almost," Louie went on to describe.

Dathao Becker was visiting the Bay Area from San Diego. She told ABC7 News, "I just thought it was a kind of weird formation."

"I thought somebody was trying to spell something out in the sky, but I couldn't read what it was," Aparna Sarma told ABC7 News. "So, I just moved on with the rest of my night."

However, the mystery light lingered on the minds of others.

Sky7 was flying above San Francisco when it captured this bright light.

Palo Alto resident, Ransom Soderberg told ABC7 News, "I saw a moving cloud, then it formed into a question mark. I don't know, maybe it's a sign."

A sign from where? Or rather, from whom?

"I'm definitely a big believer in UFO phenomenon," Elizabeth Matuzak said. "I definitely think it's a UFO."

While we're working to learn exactly what was visiting, or shall we say, visual, ABC7 can rule a few things out: A rocket launch planned at Vandenberg Air Force Base near Santa Barbara was scrubbed and did not happen. Also, a planned Space X launch didn't take off either.

According to the Lick Observatory-- a bright meteor was visible in the skies over the Bay Area shortly after sunset this evening, leaving a bright trail that was visible for many minutes in the western sky.

KABC, our sister station in Southern California, reports the director of the Griffith Observatory, Dr. Edwin Krupp, confirmed the light was a bolide meteor that entered the Earth's atmosphere. Krupp said the meteor can likely fit in your hand but what people saw was the compressed air around it.
By JULIET LINDERMAN , Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Trump administration is setting out to do what this year's farm bill didn't: tighten work requirements for millions of Americans who receive federal food assistance.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday proposed a rule that would restrict the ability of states to exempt work-eligible adults from having to obtain steady employment to receive food stamps.

The move comes the same day that President Donald Trump signed an $867 billion farm bill that reauthorized agriculture and conservation programs while leaving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which serves roughly 40 million Americans, virtually untouched.

Passage of the farm bill followed months of tense negotiations over House efforts to significantly tighten work requirements and the Senate's refusal to accept the provisions.

Currently, able-bodied adults ages 18-49 without children are required to work 20 hours a week to maintain their SNAP benefits. The House bill would have raised the age of recipients subject to work requirements from 49 to 59 and required parents with children older than 6 to work or participate in job training. The House measure also sought to limit circumstances under which families that qualify for other poverty programs can automatically be eligible for SNAP.

None of those measures made it into the final farm bill despite Trump's endorsement. Now the administration is using regulatory rulemaking to try to scale back the SNAP program.

Work-eligible able-bodied adults without dependents, known as ABAWDs, can currently receive only three months of SNAP benefits in a three-year period if they don't meet the 20-hour work requirement. But states with an unemployment rate of 10 percent or higher or a demonstrable lack of sufficient jobs can waive those limitations.

States are also allowed to grant benefit extensions for 15 percent of their work-eligible adult population without a waiver. If a state doesn't use its 15 percent, it can bank the exemptions to distribute later, creating what Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue referred to as a "stockpile."

The USDA's proposed rule would strip states' ability to issue waivers unless a city or county has an unemployment rate of 7 percent or higher. The waivers would be good for one year and would require the governor to support the request. States would no longer be able to bank their 15 percent exemptions. The new rule also would forbid states from granting waivers for geographic areas larger than a specific jurisdiction.

Perdue said the proposed rule is a tradeoff for Trump's support of the farm bill, which Trump signed Thursday.

"I have directed Secretary Perdue to use his authority to close work requirement loopholes in the food stamp program," Trump said at the signing ceremony. "That was a difficult thing to get done, but the farmers wanted it done, we all wanted it done, and in the end, it's going to make a lot of people happy."

Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday slammed the Trump administration's efforts to restrict SNAP.

"Why at Christmas would you take food out of the mouths of American people?" she said.

The USDA in February solicited public comment on ways to reform SNAP, and Perdue has repeatedly voiced support for scaling back the program.

The Trump administration's effort, while celebrated by some conservatives, has been met with criticism from advocates who say tightening restrictions will result in more vulnerable Americans, including children, going hungry.

A Brookings Institution study published this summer said more stringent work requirements are likely to hurt those who are already part of the workforce but whose employment is sporadic.

House Agriculture Chairman Michael Conaway, R-Texas, was the primary champion for tighter SNAP work requirements in the House farm bill and remained committed to the provision throughout negotiations.

Conaway praised the rule Thursday for "creating a roadmap for states to more effectively engage ABAWDs in this booming economy."

Conaway in September blasted the Senate for refusing to adopt work requirements and suggested that Perdue doesn't have the authority to make broad changes to the SNAP program.

"The Senate seems to have abandoned the idea that it is Congress' responsibility to fix the waiver issue and that somehow Secretary Perdue could wave a magic wand and fix that. It's not his responsibility; he does not have the authority," Conaway said in an interview with Pro Farmer, a trade publication.

On Thursday, Conaway spokeswoman Rachel Millard said the congressman was referring to Perdue's authority to change laws, which he does not have, not the secretary's ability to pursue regulatory action. She said Conaway continues to support Perdue's efforts to limit SNAP.

The top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, who along with its Republican chairman, Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas, crafted the bipartisan Senate bill without any changes to SNAP, blasted the Trump administration for its attempt to restrict the program.

"This regulation blatantly ignores the bipartisan farm bill that the president is signing today and disregards over 20 years of history giving states flexibility to request waivers based on local job conditions," Stabenow said. "I expect the rule will face significant opposition and legal challenges."
By TERRY TANG , Associated Press

An online fundraiser started by an Air Force veteran to pay for construction of President Donald Trump's U.S.-Mexico border wall was up to millions of dollars Thursday, bringing further attention to an issue that could lead to a government shutdown.

Brian Kolfage launched the GoFundMe page Sunday, and it has since generated more than $6 million in donations. The site states a fundraising goal of $1 billion.

In a statement posted on the crowdsourcing page, Kolfage says the wall could be built if everyone who voted for Trump pledged $80 each.

"As a veteran who has given so much, three limbs, I feel deeply invested to this nation to ensure future generations have everything we have today," Kolfage wrote.

A triple amputee injured in the Iraq War in 2004, Kolfage said he has contacted the Trump administration about where to send the money once the fundraiser ends.

Trump announced Thursday he would not sign a bill to keep funding the government because it fails to provide billions for his border wall. It was his second reversal in a matter of days after conservative allies and pundits accused him of backing down on a central campaign promise. His decision has thrown Congress into disarray and risks a federal shutdown this weekend.

Kolfage, who is listed on GoFundMe as being based in Miramar, Florida, said in an email that he was not immediately available to comment.

The reception toward Kolfage's fundraising is far from the reaction when Arizona lawmakers similarly tried to raise money for border fencing several years ago.

Legislators approved a bill in 2011 to establish a website to raise $50 million for border fencing. The effort, however, flopped, bringing in around $265,000.

Kolfage's page inspired at least one opposing fundraising page. A GoFundMe fundraiser was created Wednesday to raise money for "ladders to get over Trump's wall." The site posted a goal of $100 million and garnered more than $20,000 in donations as of Thursday afternoon. All the money will go toward a nonprofit that provides education and legal services to refugees and immigrant families.
Friday, December 21, 2018 at 8:55AM

While 2018 felt like a rather turbulent year, to say the least, Google wants to soften the blow a bit or focus on the other big news of the year by gamifying its top search results of the year. Game of the Year 2018 will test your knowledge of the top search trends of 2018 in a click-to-choose format. Its also a good source of random trivialike who appeared in search results more: Justin Trudeau or Justin Bieber?you might want to use as you attend more parties during the holidays.
AZALEA, Ore.  A dog and truck belonging to a missing man has been found in Douglas County.

Terry Lee Dodds, 79, left his home on Alazlea Glen Road in Glendale on Dec. 8, at about 8 p.m. Douglas County Sheriff's Office deputies believed he was traveling with his dog and could be headed to California.

On Thursday, Dec. 20, deputies were told Dodds dog had been found by loggers. The loggers took the dog to Dodds residence, unaware he had been reported missing.

Dodds family relayed the information to authorities. Search deputies and volunteers were sent to the area where the dog had been found and a short time later Dodds truck was found in an area near Wildcat Road off of Eakin Road.

Deputies say it appears the truck slid off the road and into a ditch. Dodds was not in or around the vehicle and crews are searching the area for him.
SALEM, Ore.  A Salem couple was arrested after deputies said they found 35 cats that had been kept in a U-Haul for three days without food or water.

The cats were kept inside laundry baskets which were zip tied together. Deputies said three cats died while they were inside the U-Haul.

Richard Kleimeier, 52, a city of Salem employee, and his wife Jenny Kleimeier, 46, a state of Oregon employee, were charged with three counts each of animal neglect 1 and 32 counts each of animal neglect 2.

The cats were discovered Thursday afternoon by the Marion County Sheriffs Office. The agency had been contacted by the Salem Police Department to investigate a possible case of animal abuse. When deputies arrived at the residence in the 4800 block of Carolina Avenue NE, they said they found the cats inside the U-Haul with no food or water.

The Kleimeiers were released from Marion County Jail and ordered to appear in court Jan. 18 at 9:30 a.m. in the Circuit Court Annex on Aumsville Highway.

The cats were surrendered to the Willamette Humane Society for treatment of various health issues believed to be related to their neglect.
EUGENE, Ore. -- The generation that grew up before marijuana culture began are now reaching for the drug as they get older, a new study shows.

The study was published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence and says between 2015 and 2016, about 9 percent of adults between the ages of 50 and 64 used marijuana in the previous year.

Thats up from 7 percent reported in 2013.

KEZI 9 News spoke with Michael Benson, who works next to a medical marijuana shop in Springfield. Benson said the number of older people going in there has been shocking.

Its a lot older crowd than I expected, Benson said.

Benson said he believes older people are using marijuana to ease aches and pains and said he uses it for a similar reason.

I think it can be a big help for anxiety, Benson said. Thats why I use it. I used to take anxiety pills, and I found this worked better for me.

Elena Gonzalez, an employee at Southern Oregon Alternative Medicine, said she believes the attitude around marijuana is changing.

If you look at it more as a medication, which is what these older people are doing now, they see it in a different light, which is something that were working really hard to do her in Oregon is to take the stigma away from cannabis, Gonzalez said.
EUGENE, Ore. -- The December holiday season is headed our way, and Oregonians can expect cloudy skies, rain and heavy holiday traffic.

Across the U.S., a record-breaking 112.5 million Americans will travel during the holiday season, a 4.4 percent increase over last year, according to AAA predictions.

Fast Forecast: Saturday : Partly sunny. Rain late. Snow above 3,500. Highs near 40 degrees.

: Partly sunny. Rain late. Snow above 3,500. Highs near 40 degrees. Sunday : Rain. Snow above 4,500. Highs near 50 degrees.

: Rain. Snow above 4,500. Highs near 50 degrees. Christmas Eve : Rain. Snow above 4,500. Highs in the low 50s.

: Rain. Snow above 4,500. Highs in the low 50s. Christmas : Mostly cloudy. Highs near 50 degrees.

: Mostly cloudy. Highs near 50 degrees. Wednesday : PM Rain. Snow above 2,500. Highs in the low 50s.

: PM Rain. Snow above 2,500. Highs in the low 50s. Thursday : Iso. Showers. Snow above 2,500. Highs near 50 degrees.

: Iso. Showers. Snow above 2,500. Highs near 50 degrees. Friday: Mostly cloudy. Highs near 50 degrees.

Thats more than one-third of all Americans, and its the highest number since AAA has been tracking holiday travel, CNN reported.

For those who are driving -- more than 102 million people -- travel times could be longer than usual, with up to four hours extra drive-time in cities like New York, Washington, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Seattle and Chicago.

Drivers should carry an emergency roadside kit with a phone and car charger, a first-aid kit, blankets, drinking water and snacks, a flashlight and extra batteries, a toolkit, warning flares, an ice scraper, jumper cables and a shovel.

Nearly 46 million will be flying over an 18-day holiday period, a 5.2 percent increase from the year before, according to Airlines for America.

Some tips for fliers: Check your flight status, load up on apps and pack snacks, prepare your kids, call TSA if you have a disability, get to the airport early and stay calm.

CNN contributed to this story.
ALBERT LEA, Minn.  A man arrested after a cross-border high speed chase is sentenced in southern Minnesota.

Michael Anthony Livingston, 31 of Albert Lea, pleaded guilty in Freeborn County District Court to fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and domestic assault. He was arrested on May 22 after a 120 mile per hour pursuit that stretched from southern Freeborn County into east-central Winnebago County.

Law enforcement tried to pull Livingston over after a report of domestic assault but he sped away and eventually crashed into a field.

Livingston was sentenced Friday to three years of probation.

He also pleaded guilty to eluding in Winnebago County but his sentencing there is still pending.
CHARLES CITY, Iowa  After another death at a Floyd County intersection, the family of deceased motorcycle rider are filing a wrongful death claim against the State of Iowa.

T.J. Houdek was killed when his motorcycle was hit by a semi on July 17, 2016 at the intersection of Highway 218/18 and Quarry Road, south of Floyd. Troy Reams of Greene was killed at that same intersection on Wednesday morning after he crashed into a semi.

Thomas and Diane Houdek, the parents of T.J., announced in May they were taking legal action against the state for failing to do anything to make the intersection safer. Their attorney, David Skilton, tells KIMT that case was brought to the State Tort Claim Board and was rejected.

That led to the filing of a wrongful death lawsuit in Floyd County District Court on Thursday. No one needs to face a tragedy over this trap and everyone needs to be warned about this dangerous intersection, state Thomas and Diane Houdek.

The lawsuit claims the State of Iowa and the Iowa Department of Transportation failed to design an intersection that was safe, failed to warn the public about the dangers, and failed to take reasonable precautions and safety measures.

In announcing their lawsuit, the Houdeks call for the speed limit in the area to be reduced to 45 miles per hour and the painting of solid lines on the highway to prevent any lane changes at the intersection.
MASON CITY, Iowa - It's winter in North Iowa, and residents at Four Oaks in Mason City are receiving blankets to keep them warm.

The Mason City Loyal Order of the Moose Lodge donated the extra the layer of warmth to all 52 residents that are part of the youth behavioral center.

Program Director Kaci Vandeventer notes why the blankets were needed this year.

"we've received donation blankets from people, like quilts and things like that. Our quilt supply is getting pretty low to give to the kids when they come. We like to give them a quilt and have the staff sign it for discharge."

In addition, Vandeventer appreciates the Lodge for reaching out to help, and hopes that Four Oaks can form partnerships with other local organizations.

"We'd love to create partnerships throughout North Iowa with whoever we can. It would be wonderful to create a partnership with them."
ADEL, Iowa (AP)  A man charged with murder and other crimes in the starvation death of his 16-year-old adopted daughter has reached a plea deal with Iowa prosecutors.

Dallas County District Court records say a plea hearing is scheduled Friday afternoon for 43-year-old Marc Ray. He and his wife, 40-year-old Misty Bousman-Ray, already have pleaded not guilty in the May 2017 death of Sabrina Ray in their Perry home. Authorities say the girl weighed just 56 pounds when she died.

The records don't outline what his plea deal includes. The records don't show that Misty Bousman-Ray has reached any deal. Her trial is still scheduled to start Feb. 4 in Sioux City. The trial was moved to Woodbury County because of pretrial publicity in Dallas County.
MASON CITY, Iowa- A federal ban on a weapon accessory is moving forward this week meaning the owners of bump stocks are going to have to turn them in to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.



Bump stocks gained attention after one was used in the 2017 mass shooting at a Las Vegas music festival that killed 58 people and injured more than 800 others.



The accessory allows semi-automatic weapons to function like a fully automatic by using the recoil of the rifle to help pull the trigger quickly with little effort.



According to the proposed ban, bump stocks would reclassify the guns as fully automatic weapons which is illegal to own in Iowa.

Hart Brothers in Mason City has already removed bump stocks from their shelves, but says most people probably wont be turning the accessory over the ATF.



This is a crazy decision, said Kemlin Hart, owner of Hart Brothers Weaponry. If I were to say, hey you have got that $100, $200, $300 thing, you cant have that anymore, theres no way to track it. People dont want to give them up. Why would they. Its like writing a blank check and saying yeah take my stuff. It makes no sense.



It isnt illegal to own a fully automatic weapon in Minnesota, but the state does put a restriction on the type of weapon that can be owned and who can own them.
KIMT News 3 - It's a bill that everyone needs to know about. The First Step Act was passed by the U.S. Senate earlier this week with sweeping bipartisan support, 87 to 12. The bill would reform parts of the criminal justice system. It would ease federal sentencing restrictions when it comes to non-violent offenders, give judges more discretion when sentencing drug offenders, it would boost prisoner rehabilitation efforts and would reduce life sentences for some drug offenders with three convictions to 25 years. While it is gaining widespread support from politicians we're finding out not everyone is in favor.



Unfortunately none of us know who is going to reoffend, says Cerro Gordo County Sheriff Kevin Pals.



Sheriff Pals points out federal criminals who may be released early under the First Step Act would be coming back to communities in north Iowa and southern Minnesota. While he hopes they will be rehabilitated and won't reoffend, there is no guarantee. The bill also refers to drug crimes as being non-violent but Pals has an issue with that.



A lot of people's opinions on drugs now are that they are not violent crimes. Unfortunately, how many lives has that drug user or drug dealer influenced in other people's families?



The sheriff also says many violent crimes are committed while people are under the influence of drugs and says we need to do a better job of getting people help.



We need to work together, law enforcement, judicial system, social services, medical; we need to work together to help these people because there are a lot of people falling through the cracks and nobody has the right answer. If we did we wouldn't have this problem in America, says Pals.

The First Step Act would expand job training and programs in an effort to reduce repeat offenses. The bill now goes to the House for consideration and once it is approved it will go to President Trump's desk to be signed into law.
ST. PAUL, Minn.  The Minnesota Department of Public Safety is identifying the trooper assaulted Thursday east of Blue Earth.

Trooper Doug Rauenhorst was released from United Hospital in Blue Earth Friday morning. He has been a Minnesota state trooper for 22 years.

Two men from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Anthony Hector Enriquez, 28, and Montrell Antonio Smith, 29, were arrested in Albert Lea and booked into the Faribault County Jail for felony assault and possession of a controlled substance. It is expected they will be arraigned on Monday.

The Minnesota State Patrol, the Freeborn and Faribault County sheriffs offices, and the Albert Lea Police Department are assisting the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension with the investigation.

Previous story below

ALBERT LEA, Minn. (AP)  Authorities say a Minnesota State Patrol trooper was injured after he was assaulted during a traffic stop in southern Minnesota.

The patrol says the trooper pulled over a vehicle Thursday afternoon on Interstate 90 in Blue Earth County. Occupants of the vehicle beat up the trooper and fled the scene.

Montrell Smith and Anthony Enriquez were arrested, according to authorities, and are being held in the Faribault County Jail.

Smith and Enriquez are each facing charges of two counts of felony assault/bodily harm and possession of a controlled substance (marijuana).

After a brief pursuit was called off, the vehicle was found abandoned in Albert Lea and two suspects were arrested at a bar. The suspects have not yet been identified.

Albert Lea Public Safety Director J.D. Carlson says the suspects were seen throwing several bricks of marijuana out of their vehicle on the interstate.

The trooper was conscious and stable when he was taken to United Hospital in Blue Earth. He has not been identified.
ROCHESTER, Minn.  A woman who shot out a fast food drive-thru window pleaded guilty Thursday.

Bailey Danielle Zywicki, 21 of Rochester, was charged after law enforcement said a domestic dispute on October 16 ended with Zywicki shooting the drive-thru window at the Wendys on Highway 63 South with a BB gun.

She entered a guilty plea to 4th degree damage to property and was sentenced to one year of supervised probation and must pay a $300 fine or do 30 hours of community work service.

Police say when Zywicki was arrested, she said she was just having a bad day.
ROCHESTER, Minn.- The Olmsted-Rochester Law Enforcement K-9 Foundation has donated $7,000 to the Rochester Police Department allowing them to purchase a new K-9.



Their newest pup doesnt have a confirmed name yet but the 9-month-old soon to be officer is starting to work on things like prey drive, walking into dark rooms, and on slick floors, all to get him ready for school.



The K-9 Unit was approved for 8 canines, so this last dog is filling the rest of the pack.



And while they may look like your furry friend who is snuggled up on your couch, they work hard. Officer Wade Blazejak is the RPD K-9 Unit Training Coordinator and he tells KIMT these dogs are crucial to the department. "We do have a decent workload with the dogs theres usually not a shift that goes by where I don't use my dog in some capacity. In 2017 I deployed my dog 155 times."



The Olmsted-Rochester Law Enforcement K-9 Foundation works to raise money for the K-9 Unit. They use the donated funds to help new K-9 officers with purchases like kennels and dental needs for the dogs.



Right now, theyre selling 2019 calendars to raise more money for the department. If youre interested in learning more about the foundation, click here.
ALBERT LEA, Minn. - A Minnesota Trooper is recovering after two men assaulted him while he was doing a routine traffic stop in Interstate-90 east of Blue Earth.

The vehicle fled the scene triggering a pursuit that was called off a short time later. According to the Albert Lea Police Department Facebook page, multiple bundles of marijuana were located throughout the pursuit route. The car was abandoned in Albert Lea before the suspects were found at Sportsman's Tavern just before 3 p.m.

Montrell Smith and Anthony Enriquez were arrested, according to authorities.

An employee at the tavern tells KIMT the two suspects entered the business through a rear door. That door is never used, so their entrance immediately prompted suspicion. The men had left their vehicle nearby, and it wasn't long before authorities entered the tavern and made the arrests.

Police says the two people arrested will likely be transferred to Faribault County.

Mary Wendelboe is an employee at Sportsman's Tavern who saw the whole scene happen and says she has never seen anything like this before.

"I've never seen that many cops around here all at once cause there was a lot of them," Wendelboe said.

Kent Spellman is a regular at the tavern and says this is new for Albert Lea.

"When I'm here, I'm here," Spellman said. "This is a great place. Nice people. No robberies."

But it is a reminder to always stay vigilant.

"A place can be really safe and it can be secure and nothing can happen for a long time and then somebody will come and try to rob you or break into your place," Spellman said. "Always be vigilant."

This is an ongoing investigation. As more details come in, we will bring you updates on-air and online.

Photos courtesy of Robert Hoffman.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - After the Surgeon General's Office calls vaping and e-cigarettes an epidemic, local authorities are saying it's an issue in Rochester.

This comes after police made an arrest when a man was found with 400 grams of marijuana, 56 individualized packaged items of butane hash oil and 69 THC Kingpen vape cartridges.

Vaping involves inhaling vapors from an electronic cigarette that can contain nicotine or marijuana. One challenge for both law enforcement and parents is to identify what substance is in it.

Holly Hanson, of Rochester, has a son in middle school.

"It's more enticing for them to start using because of the flavors and the smells and it doesn't look like cigarettes," Hanson said. "I did ask my son if kids at his school were doing it and he said he didn't know, but I'm sure they probably are."

Rochester School Resource Officer Daniel Stensgard knows they are.

"It's concerning because they're bringing it on to school property," Stensgard said. "A lot of it is nicotine, I mean there's kids that are vaping nicotine but there are also kids who are vaping THC oil."

He said telling the difference isn't easy.

"It's difficult to determine just by looking at it or smelling it if it is marijuana oil or THC," Stensgard said.

That's because like nicotine, it comes in different flavors that can mask the smell. It's something that can be a worry to parents who say they wouldn't even be able to tell what a vaping device is.

"That's very concerning," Hanson said, "especially if it doesn't smell because that's usually the give away is the smell of the marijuana. So if they're putting it in those pens and it's marijuana and you don't know it, it could lead to a lot of bigger issues."

That includes issues with the law, or even health.

"If you're taking a hit of THC oil, you might be taking way more than you're used to or way more than you think you're taking so it can cause bad reactions," Stensgard said.

Stensgard also said having a vape device that contains THC oil could lead to felony drug charges.

Parents are being urged to educate themselves on the issue, and talk with their kids.

Rochester Public Schools plans to host a community forum on Jan. 15, with vaping being one of the topics that will be discussed.
The Herald reports:



The Government is potentially spending up to $53 million a year on its flagship fees-free policy for students who have either withdrawn from or failed tertiary courses. 

Answers to written parliamentary questions reveal that there were 2619 students through to September who had enrolled in a fees-free course and later withdrew  though these students may have enrolled in other courses.

With an average of about $7000 spent on each student under fees-free, National MP Simeon Brown said that would amount to about $18m that the Government paid to tertiary providers for students that had later withdrawn.

National MP Nikki Kaye then asked about the students who failed courses paid for by the Crown.

What are the people of New Zealand paying for? How many students have failed and effectively had their fees paid for by the Crown?

Commission chief executive Tim Fowler said the average fail-rate was about 12 per cent  or about 5000 of the 41,700 students in fees-free tertiary education.

That would cost about $35m, assuming $7000 per student.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Low 32F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Low 32F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
The Wichita Police Department Thursday night says it's arrested three men in connection with a string of armed robberies over the weekend at Wichita convenience stores The robberies all happened within an hour Saturday evening.

The three men, 32-year-old Jermaine Baker, 25-year-old Shaquille Harris and 27-year-old Brelen Vonfange each face aggravated robbery charges.

The first robbery happened about 7:45 p.m. Saturday at the Kwik Shop at 710 W. 29th Street South. Upon arrival, an employee at the store told officers an unknown suspect entered the store, pointed a handgun at her and demanded money. The suspect took the money and fled on foot, police say.

The second robbery happened about 8:15 p.m. at a Kwik Shop at 3939 S. Hydraulic. When officers arrived, two employees reported an unknown suspect entered the store, pointed a handgun at them and demanded money. That suspect also took the money and fled on foot police say.

The third robbery happened about 8:25 p.m. at a Kwik Shop at 3601 E. 47th Street South.

The fourth robbery happened about :835 p.m.at the QuikTrip at 2821 E. 31st Street South. Similar to prior cases, an employee told police an unknown suspect pointed a handgun at him and demanded money. That suspect also took the money and fled on foot.

"Through the investigation, Baker, Harris and Vonfange were identified as being involved in the four robberies," police say. "The investigations are ongoing and will be presented to the United States Attorney's Office," the WPD says.
Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here.
This time we want to talk about terrorism and insecurity in Nigeria. We tried to figure out the reasons and effects of such an unsafe situation.

Photo: riafan.ru

Source: UGC

The problem of terrorism in Nigeria

Terrorism can have many forms, it can be religious, economic or even cultural. Unfortunately, all the types of terrorism can be seen in Nigeria. Terrorist organizations and some radical criminals create a very unsafe situation.

There are examples of militancy and vandalism in the Niger Delta area as the manifestation of political and economic terrorism.

Terrorism in the northern part of Nigeria is even more violent. There are fiery terrorists, these terrorists in Nigeria claim to be a religious organizations, but it is obvious that they also pursue goals of economic and political terrorism.

Photo: cbsnews.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Terrorism in Nigeria: Top 5 effects of terrorism on daily life

The major causes of terrorism in Nigeria

Experts highlighted some causes of this terrible problem:

Endemic poverty

Poor educational system

Intolerance

Corrupt security system

Poor educational system and poverty are the twin causes. Still, there are regions with very poor living conditions. The youths often become economic terrorists, when they see how some politicians create wealth. In other cases, religion and poverty can be used as a tool to radicalize the youths in the interests of some politicians or criminals. Leaders of terrorist organizations can easily lure uneducated young people into illegal crime army.

Effect of terrorism in Nigeria

As a result of terrorist acts, we have a number of problems that prevent the development of the regions suffering because of attacks. Terrorists in Nigeria create more unsafe places, that make the living environment very adverse. The threat of terrorist acts affects the development of industry, business and agriculture.

Photo: africanliberty.org

Source: UGC

Such high level of terrorist threat harms the development of tourism and reduces the rates of foreign investments. As a result, this situation adversely affects the economy of the country. But even more terrible effect of terrorism is a threat to people's lives. Many civilians suffer from terrorist attacks, we can see killings, kidnapping, and thefts of property. See also: Insurgency in Nigeria effect on the economy

Terrorism and insecurity in Nigeria

In the 21st century, we see the activity of Islamist Jihadists in Nigeria, there are terrifying terrorist organizations, and they are still active in northeast Nigeria.

Photo: warsonline.info

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: The most peaceful state in Nigeria

Most attacks were committed in crowded pleases, and even educational institutions such as schools and universities. Political events, religious holidays and any large public gatherings still can be quite dangerous.

Some recent attacks:

18 November 2018 - attack on a military base in Metele;

31 October 2018 - Nigerian terrorists conducted a raid on Dalori IDP camp, eight people were killed, and several women kidnapped from the camp;

Photo: independent.co.uk

Source: UGC

1 March 2018 - well-organized attack on a military base in Rann, Borno State. As a result, nine Nigerian soldiers and 3 UN consultants were killed and several people injured;

16 February 2018 - attack of bombers in Konduga, Borno State, this terrorism act in Nigeria caused the death of nineteen civilians.

Terrorists use armed assaults, explosive devices, kidnapping, assassinations, bombings. This creates serious insecurity situation in the country. We see the efforts of governments to reduce the terrorist threat, and we hope that the situation will be changed in the nearest time.

READ ALSO: What are the major causes of terrorism in Nigeria?

Source: Legit
- ACPN presidential candidate, Obiageli Ezekwesili, has said that she would reduce unemployment among youth if she is elected president in 2019

- NBS on Wednesday, December 19, said that the unemployment rate had risen from 18.8per cent in the third quarter of 2017 to 23.1 per cent

- The former minister of education promised that no fewer than 80 million Nigerians would be lifted out of poverty by her administration

The presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Obiageli Ezekwesili, said that she would drastically reduce unemployment in the country if she emerges president.

Legit.ng reports that Ezekwesile gave the assurance in statement, on Thursday, December 20, issued by her Hope19 campaign organisation in Lagos.

The statement reveals that her assurance was in reaction to the data released by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Wednesday, December 19, that the unemployment rate had risen from 18.8per cent in the third quarter of 2017 to 23.1 per cent to the corresponding period in 2018.

READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda

The ACPN presidential candidate promised that no fewer than 80 million Nigerians would be lifted out of poverty by her administration.

She said that her administration would implement productivity and competitiveness initiatives to create new opportunities and jobs in some key sectors.

She listed the sectors as agriculture, fisheries, livestock, and agribusiness which according to her, more than one-third of Nigerias active labour population is found.

There will be jobs from light manufacturing industries, construction, housing and public works, renewable solutions, services including trade, telecoms and technology, domestic tourism, and creative industries.

These industries not only hold the key to putting more Nigerians to work, but provides a much-needed boost to the nations productivity.

Promoting and supporting these industries will occur through a mix of sound policies on trade, tax, infrastructure, skills, training, and research and development, Ezekwesili added.

She also said priority would be placed on building a rapidly expanding economy, which would be powered by the private sector based on an economic structural change agenda.

A majority of those operating in the economy are in the informal, low productivity sectors, while previous governments have focused largely on the formal sector in their poverty reduction and ease of doing business agenda.

The informal sector, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is over 60 per cent of the Nigerian economy ($240bn).

Unable to tackle the factors which lead to informality, such as low level of education, previous governments have chosen either to ignore the problem or militate against it.

The informal sector also suffers low productivity due to high business costs which outstrip earnings.

These barriers on them mean that those that work the hardest in our economies fail to earn a decent living.

Investments in the formal sector over the last couple of years, while significant, have not yielded the kind of growth rates achieved by the informal sector.

This sector grew at an annual average rate of about 8.5 per cent between 2015 and 2017, in comparison with the formal economy which grew by 0.8 per cent in 2017.

However, increased informality, if unchecked, could lead to higher rates of poverty and inequality.

We will move to embed the productivity and competitiveness agenda within initiatives that give incentive for the nations informal businesses and workers to, on their own, enter the regulator inequality.

This enables adequate access to government support, accounting, tax reform necessitated by a larger number of registered workers, and the capitalisation of investments in domestic industries.

In order to revitalise key aspects of the economy and implement dramatic reform, the government will pay significant attention to the informal sector, as the principal creator of employment and as a catalyst for growth and development, She said.

According to Ezekwesili, Nigerias growth and productivity can only happen when the people have lots of jobs and when they earn incomes that pull them out of poverty.

The former vice president of the World Bank said, Right now, people simply do not have jobs. Under the present government, according to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) over 20 million Nigerians are unemployed.

Again, think about that for a second. Those are not just numbers  they are humans; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight million humans. They have families. They have people who depend on them.

We all know someone who has lost a job in this economy. You may even be one of them. We all have families and friends who call us on the phone, pleading for any change we could spare at all to help them survive one more day.

READ ALSO: 9 vital key points Buhari made at commissioning of new Abuja airport terminal

How long can we continue like this? The right candidate is Ezekwesili.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that Oby Ezekwesili, the presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), warned that there may be danger in the country if security personnel are used to compromise the 2019 general elections.

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Ezekwesili and her 2019 ambitions - on Legit TV

Source: Legit
- Governor Atiku Bagudu has said that Nigeria will soon take over the world in rice production

- The governor said the President Buhari-led administration has shown unprecedented commitments to agriculture development in Nigeria

- According to Bagudu, N174 billion has been disbursed as credit to small holder farmers under the anchors borrowers programme

The Kebbi state governor, Atiku Bagudu, has said Nigeria is on the path of taking on the world in terms of rice production.

The governor said this on Wednesday, December 19, at a Gala night organised by beneficiaries of the governments Anchor Borrowers Programme held at the State House Conference Center, Abuja.

Bagudu who is the vice chairman of the national food security council, noted that President Muhammadu Buhari has shown unprecedented commitments to agriculture development in Nigeria.

Speaking to journalists outside the banquet hall, Bagudu said N174 billion has been disbursed as credit to small holder farmers under the anchors borrowers programme. He said this has provided more food, and therefore ensuring Nigeria's food security.

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Governor Bagudu also said the fact that millers have easy access to rice paddies is indicative of a level of self sufficiency.

About maize farmers he said: "The maize farmers say this year they are expecting an output of about twenty million tons up from about twelve million tons and even the prices we are seeing which are thirty percent lower than they were at this time last year indicates sufficiency."

"The fertilizer producers confirm that they are capable of meeting Nigeria's needs and the President indeed confirmed he has banned the importation of fertilizers."

READ ALSO: Reps ask IGP Idris to arrest Obono-Obla over alleged fake WAEC result

The gala night was graced by Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) and Fertilizers Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN).

The associations donated N1.77 billion to fund the re-election bid of President Buhari in next year's presidential election.

The president of RIFAN, Aminu Goronyo, said with a membership of about 12.2 million and with each member donating N100 to the campaign, they were able to raise the N1.2 billion.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the federal government had approved N60 billion in support of its rice subsidy programme aimed at bringing down the price of the commodity across the country.

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The minister of agriculture and rural development, Audu Ogbeh, made the announcement while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of a meeting of the National Food Security Council.

The meeting was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday, November 16.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better.

Nigeria Latest News: Father Mbaka On Buhari, Atiku In Nigeria Election 2019 | Legit T

Source: Legit.ng
- Members of the public have been warned to stop spreading misinformation concerning the death of Alex Badeh

- There have been so many theories on the circumstances surrounding the death of the former Chief of Defence Staff

- The Air Force also denied that adequate security was not provided for the deceased Air Chief Marshal

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has warned members of the public to deviate from spreading misinformation concerning the death of former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Alex Badeh.

The NAF specifically denied insinuations that adequate security was not provided for the deceased Air Chief Marshal.

A statement by the NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, sent to Legit.ng on Thursday, December 20 noted, with dismay, some erroneous reports and comments in the media regarding the unfortunate incident that led to the death of former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, on 18 December 2018.

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Air Commodore Daramola said: Some of these reports erroneously state that the driver of the late former CDS, who was also shot during the incident, is dead. Other reports allege that adequate security was not provided for the deceased Air Chief Marshal.

The NAF wishes to state categorically that nothing could be further from the truth. Firstly, all are please requested to note that the driver is alive and recuperating extremely well at one of our NAF Hospitals.

Secondly, Air Chief Marshal Badeh has always been provided with the full compliment of personal staff and security personnel commensurate with his status as a former Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), CDS and a 4-star general in the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

As mentioned by the CAS, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, on 19 December 2018, the NAF is working closely with other relevant security agencies to determine the circumstances surrounding the death of the former CDS with a view to ensuring that the perpetrators of the heinous act are brought to justice.

Substantial progress has already been made in the ongoing investigation and details would be communicated at the appropriate time.

While appreciating Nigerians for their show of support since the incident, the NAF warned that spreading of misinformation about the incident should stop forthwith, stressing that it could have adverse effects on the conduct of ongoing operations.

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Meanwhile, Senate president, Bukola Saraki, expressed shock over the murder of Badeh, saying that the country had suffered another great loss with the passing of the military officer.

Saraki said: Nigeria has suffered another great loss with the passing of former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh. My heartfelt prayers go to his family and our Armed Forces at this tragic time. May the Almighty grant him eternal rest. Amin.

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Nigerian Air Force vows to apprehend Badeh's killers | Legit TV

Source: Legit
- A suspected Boko Haram leader, who allegedly masterminded Kuje and Nyanya bombings of 2015, has been arrested in Lagos

- The suspect, simply identified as Umar, was arrested on Thursday, December 20, by the inspector general of police intelligence team

- A source claims Umar was the grand commander of the jailbreak of the prison in Niger state in early 2018

As the menace of insurgency continues to be one of the major concerns of Nigerians, government and security agencies, the inspector general of police intelligence team has arrested a suspected Boko Haram leader simply identified as Umar in Lagos.

Punch reports that Umar, who was arrested on Thursday, December 20, is the most deadly and most wanted Boko Haram leader in Abuja, and the mastermind of the Kuje and Nyanya Abuja bombings of 2015.

Legit.ng gathers that the suspect was also said to have been the grand commander of the jailbreak of the prison in Niger state in early 2018.

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A member of the team, who made the disclosure, said: Umar is the most deadly and most wanted Boko Haram leader in Abuja, and the mastermind of the Kuje and Nyanya Abuja bombings of 2015, gang leader of Galadimawa Roundabout attack in which seven police officers were killed; Lugbe police officers killer; Gwagwalada area police killings, all in Abuja; overall commander of Edo and Ondo states multiple bank robberies, several killings in the Okene area of Kogi.

Umar was arrested in Lagos by the inspector general of police intelligence team. Photo credit: Vanguard

Source: Depositphotos

He was the grand commander of the jailbreak of the prison in Niger State early this year, during which he lost one of his eyes, while over 100 prisoners escaped.

The most wanted suspect was arrested by a special IRT team in Lagos today (Thursday) after he escaped with bullet wounds from Abuja three weeks ago when the IRT team arrested four of his gang members and recovered four AK-47 rifles and hundreds of ammunition. Today is one of the happiest moments of my life."

The arrest was confirmed by the Nigeria Police Force public relations officer, Jimoh Moshood. He said: I am aware of some arrests made by the team. He is in police custody.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Nigerian Army intercepted two suspected Boko Haram bombers attempting to infiltrate military location in Borno.

According to the army, the incident happened around 9.30pm on Wednesday, December 19, at Mushimari settlement in Konduga local government area of Borno state.

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One of the suspected terrorists who wore an explosive vest was immobilised by the Nigerian Army.

The statement by the army read: At about 9.30 p.m today 19 December 2018, one suspected female suicide bomber and her accomplice were intercepted at Mushimari settlement in Konduga L.G.A of Borno State while attempting to infiltrate the 222 Batallion Defensive Location."

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better

Nigerian Air Force Operations Against Boko Haram | Legit TV

Source: Legit
The Presidential candidate of the leading opposition party; the PDP, on December 20, met with members of the Civil Society. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Mr Peter Obi, who were accompanied by prominent members of the society like the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, the Senate President who also doubles as the campaign DG, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Senator Dino Melaye, various members of the civil society like Alhaji Buba Galadima and Nollywood actor, Bob Manuel Udokwu.

This meeting is considered important as many members of the Civil Society feel they have become targets of the Buhari administration, including Amnesty International. In the meeting, the members of the Civil Society who spoke reaffirmed the normative role of the Civil Society as the third sector of the society.

Alhaji Buba Galadima, a former supporter of President Muhamadu Buhari notably apologized for supporting the presidential candidacy of President Buhari stating this is not the Buhari that we know.

Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki in his speech did not leave any stone unturned as he lampooned the 2019 budget presentation by President Buhari, asserting that this budget does not have a plan for anybody", following series of accusations that the Buhari-led FG had claimed that uncompleted projects were completed in the budget.

On the very controversial electoral act, the Senate President stated that INEC told us they have enough time to implement the electoral amendment bill, the President does not have an excuse.

Mr. Bob Manuel Udokwu spoke about the numerous investments of the PDP regime in Nollywood. He stated clearly PDP and Jonathan was the first government that ever invested in the creative industry. At some point, Nollywood was the second largest employer of labor, now Nollywood is moribund.

This is ripe as a recent interview on CNN with Miss Genevieve Nnaji, revealed that she self-financed her Netflix-acquired movie; Lionheart, unlike other climes where the government provides cheap loan facilities to their creative industry. Mr. Bob Manuel went on to state reasons why Nigerians must support the PDP back to power because the PDP means it when it states that it is all about jobs, jobs and jobs.

Mr Peter Obi, who was described by Senator Dino Melaye, as the man who turns orators to stammerers, spoke succinctly about all that was and is wrong with Nigeria. Mr Obi castigated the lackluster approach of the Buhari-led FG on infrastructure, They tell you that they have been borrowing for Capital Projects, which capital project is more important than Lagos Ibadan expressway? How much have they released for that?.

On the claims by the FG that there is no money in Nigeria for infrastructure, Mr. Obi affirmed, People keep asking - Peter, where will you find the money for these projects you're talking about?" I always respond that I have governed a state successfully. And we found the money. Mr. Obi said a lot about how the bank of industry which is supposed to fund the whole industrialization, has been reduced to a micro-credit bank.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar came in the venue to a lot of cheers, accompanied by the PDP Party Chairman. He talked rather emotionally about working with the civil society to guarantee dividends of democracy.

In his words, Democracy will not survive without Civil Society organizations. This comes at a time when there are allegations that the Amnesty International is allegedly being threatened for releasing death toll numbers from herdsmen attacks. Alhaji Atiku stated that it was the PDP that brought democracy to Nigeria and not APC, and that The dignity of Nigeria starts at home, not abroad, when we dignify Nigerians at home, we will be dignified abroad. This comes at a time when Nigerians all over the world are being discriminated upon because of the color of their passports.

The aspirant went on to discuss how it was important that a synergy between the Civil Society and political parties should be established. The session ended with fulfillment, as groups and individuals shook hands, took pictures and endorsed the Atiku/Obi candidacy.

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Source: Legit
- The House of Representatives call on the Nigeria police and DSS to fish out the killers of former chief of defence staff (CDS), retired Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh

- A lawmaker, Abdulrahman Abubakar, notes that late Badeh was an exceptional officer, who was killed by gunmen on December 18, in his car while returning from his farm along Abuja-Keffi road

- Abubakar says that Badehs death is a great loss to his constituency, Adamawa state and Nigeria at large

A member of the House of Representatives, Chika Adamu, has alleged that the killing of former chief of defence staff (CDS) retired Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh must have been planned.

Adamu, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Niger state, made the allegation on Thursday, December 20, during plenary where the House condemned the killing of Badeh, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The lawmaker also expressed fears over the rate of killing in the country. How could a general move alone with his driver and third party? he asked.

READ ALSO: Atiku tackles Buhari over rowdy session at NASS during budget presentation

In his contribution, another legislator, Toby Okechukwu, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) representing Enugu state, blamed security agencies for the recent killings in the country.

Following deliberations, the House of Representatives called on the Nigeria police and the Department of Sate Services (DSS) to fish out the killers of Alex Badeh.

The lawmakers, who condemned the act, also charged the inspector general of police, Ibrahim Idris, and the director general of DSS, Yusuf Bichi, to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The resolution was sequel to a motion by Abdulrahman Abubakar at a plenary presided over by speaker, Yakubu Dogara, in Abuja.

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Moving the motion Abubakar, who represents Mubi north/ Mubi south and Maiha federal constituency, noted that late Badeh was an exceptional officer, who was killed by gunmen on December 18, in his car while returning from his farm along Abuja-Keffi road.

Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, the exception officer who flew two former U.S. Presidents, received recognition from Koffi Anan. He was the only four-star General Adamawa state ever produced.

His driver sustained serious injuries from gunshot and is receiving medical treatment, while his Farm Manager, Engineer Joe, was taken away by the perpetrators of the act.

According to him, Badeh was born on January 10, 1957, in Vimtim, Mubi local government area of Adamawa state in northeast Nigeria, into the family of peasant farmers.

He attended Vimtim Primary School, and went on to obtain his school certificate from Villanova Secondary School in 1976,

He was admitted into the Nigeria Defence Academy as member of the 21th Regular Course on January 3, 1977, and was commissioned pilot officer on July 3, 1979.

Badeh was the 15th CDS of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, he said.

Abubakar said Badehs death was a great loss to his constituency, Adamawa state and Nigeria at large.

Meanwhile, the House had adjourned plenary till January 16, 2019. The motion for the adjournment was moved when the house reverted back to plenary presided over by the deputy speaker, Yusuf Lasun.

In a related report, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has warned members of the public to deviate from spreading misinformation concerning the death of former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Alex Badeh.

The NAF specifically denied insinuations that adequate security was not provided for the deceased Air Chief Marshal.

NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Daramola, also faulted many theories on the circumstances surrounding the death of the former chief of defence staff.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service!

Nigerian Air Force vows to apprehend Badeh's killers | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
- The executive secretary of Fertilizer Producers Association of Nigeria, Ahmed Rabiu Kwa, said Nigeria will soon start exporting fertilisers to neigbbouring countries

- Rabiu Kwa added that his association, in partnership with the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative, has created between 250-300 jobs between 2017 and 2018

The executive secretary, Fertilizer Producers Association of Nigeria (FESPAN), Ahmed Rabiu Kwa, has disclosed that Nigeria will begin export of NPK fertilizer very soon.

The FESPAN secretary announced this while speaking at a one-day productivity improvement training for 80 registered distributors, Daily Trust reports.

He said the aim of the training is basically to build the capacity of registered distributors on financial literacy and proper record keeping.

READ ALSO: Police arrest suspected Boko Haram leader in Lagos (photo)

Rabiu Kwa said that the association in collaboration with the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) has created between 250-300 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The federal government has banned the importation of NPK into the country and this is a plus to domestic blending plants, and Urea now available to all blending plants in the country.

Nigeria now only imports about 30% of raw materials to blend NPK and very spoon, the country will be exporting NPK to neighbouring countries, he said.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that FESPAN donated N570million for the re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The president of FESPAN, Thomas Etuh, announced this on Wednesday, December 19, during a Gala night organised by the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

At the event attended by President Muhammadu Buhari and a national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, among others, Etuh said the money was contributions for the re-election of President Buhari.

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Laolu Akande Speaks on How Presidency is Tackling Economy | Legit TV

Source: Legit
- Osas Ikponwonsa, the chief medical director of Calvary Estate Hospital, has warned that untreated case of yellow fever can result to complication

- According to the health expert, it can become more serious, causing heart, liver and kidney problems along with bleeding

- The physician said the symptoms include fever, headache, muscle ache, particularly in the back and knees

Osas Ikponwonsa, the chief medical director of Calvary Estate Hospital in Benin, says yellow fever infection can lead to other complications if not treated.

Ikponwonsa said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Friday, December 21, in Benin.

Yellow fever is a viral infection spread by a particular specie of mosquito; Aedes aegypti. The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary specie responsible for transmitting viruses such as Zika, dengue and chikungunya among people.

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Legit.ng gathers that Ikponwonsa said yellow fever is caused by a flavi virus, which is spread by mosquitoes in Africa and South America, particularly in areas with dense forests or jungles.

The medical doctor said: Yellow fever can become serious, resulting in high fever, jaundice, and other concerns.

Yellow fever can become more serious, causing heart, liver and kidney problems along with bleeding (hemorrhaging).

Up to 50 % of people with the more-severe form of yellow fever die of the disease."

The physician said the symptoms include fever, headache, muscle ache, particularly in the back and knees.

Others are sensitivity to light, nausea, vomiting or both, loss of appetite, dizziness, red eyes, face or tongue. He said yellow fever is caused by a virus that is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Ikponwonsa said these mosquitoes thrive in and near human habitations where they breed in even the cleanest water.

He, therefore, warned people against unhealthy living, using things without washing and also to watch out for the symptoms.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the 2018 world malaria report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) had revealed that not less than 25% cases of malaria were recorded in Nigeria alone in 2017.

The report also added that 15 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and India bore 80% of the global malaria burden.

Apart from Nigeria, which took the first seat in the list with 25%, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique came second and third respectively with 11 % and 5%, while India and Uganda had 4% each.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better

My prison experience  James Brown (They didnt caught me) | Legit TV

Source: Legit
- The National Association of Nigerian Students has told the federal lawmakers to apologise for booing President Buhari

- The public relations officer of the students' body, Azeez Adeyemi, said the behaviour exhibited by the lawmakers is damaging the country's reputation

- NANS also said that with their action, the lawmakers have not sowed good legacy and mentorship for young generation

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on members of the National Assembly to apologise to Nigerians for their unruly behaviour during President Muhammadu Buharis 2019 budget presentation.

The public relations officer of NANS, Azeez Adeyemi, made the call on Friday, December 21, in Abeokuta, NAN reports.

Legit.ng gathers that Adeyemi condemned the lawmakers behaviour, saying that it had further tarnished the external image of the country.

He urged the lawmakers to always promote the integrity of the country, while according due respect to its leaders.

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He stressed that the legislators should jettison personal and political interests while treating matters of national interest.

He said: Nigerian students believe that members of the National Assembly should be role models to Nigerian youths and students by displaying worthy and enviable character.

It is important to place respect for the honour and integrity of our dear country above any personal or political interests.

We, hereby, call on the leadership of the National Assembly to, as a matter of necessity, apologise to the entire people of Nigeria over the members unruly conduct during the presidents budget presentation."

The NANS spokesperson, nonetheless, urged the National Assembly members to scrutinise the 2019 appropriation bill before its passage so as to ensure the outcome was in the best interest of all Nigerians.

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Legit.ng earlier reported that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers at the House of Representatives had given the reason behind their booing of the president when he was presenting the 2019 budget proposal on Wednesday, December 19, in Abuja.

Report claimed that upon entering the National Assembly for the budget presentation at 12pm on Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari became the subject of booing by the aggrieved opposition lawmakers.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better.

Nigeria News 2018: Nigerians Blow Hot as President Buhari Signs 2018 Budget in June | Legit TV

Source: Legit
- The minister of state for agriculture, Heineken Lokpobiri, lamented the abuse of ECOWAS protocol in Benin Republic to bring foreign rice to Nigeria

- Lokpobiri said Thailand rice products are being re-bagged in Benin Republic and smuggled to Nigeria

- The minister, however, said President Buhari had invited the president of Benin Republic to engage him to see how to work together and curb this issue of smuggling

The minister of state for agriculture and rural development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has decried the abuse of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocol, which allows neighbouring states to bring in rice into Nigeria.

Lokpobiri said this while receiving the new country manager of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Ndine Gbossa, in Abuja, on Thursday, December 20, The Punch reports.

According to a statement signed by George Oji, the special adviser (media) to the minister of state, Lokpobiri said: The challenge we have with our neighbours is that because of the extant ECOWAS protocol, people will dump their rice products in the region and re-bag them and bring them into Nigeria. The reason is that under the ECOWAS protocol, any goods produced within the sub-region can have free access to any market within the region.

READ ALSO: Police arrest suspected Boko Haram leader in Lagos (photo)

Based on that, those from Thailand would go to Benin Republic with their parboiled rice and then re-bag them as though they were produced in Benin Republic and then smuggled them into Nigeria thereby denying the people of Benin the opportunity to grow rice and then benefit from the Nigerian market. Because of that, we have engaged the government of Benin Republic, up to the presidential level.

He added: The president had to invite the president of Benin Republic to engage him because we are neighbours; lets see how we can work together and curb this issue of smuggling.

Meanwhile, the minister of state noted that Nigeria used to spend $5 million on the importation of rice every day, but that through new policy programmes by his ministry and the intervention of partners like IFAD, the figure has drastically reduced.

The IFAD representatives in her remarks disclosed that the Executive Board of the fund recently approved additional financing for Nigeria in the Value Chain Development programme to the value of $89 million, which brought the total investment in this programme to $228 million, for supporting rice and cassava production. This, she stated was in addition to another $60 million for supporting the Niger Delta Youth known as the Alive for Niger Delta fund.

She stated that Nigeria remains a very important partner of IFAD and has also attracted the highest investment in Africa, noting that, Altogether, we have investment in Nigeria that is worth half a billion dollars. Nigeria is one of the biggest investment countries for IFAD, so it is a very important country.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that President Muhammadu Buhari campaign was to receive the sum of N1.77 billion from the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) and Fertilisers Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN).

The associations announced the donations on Wednesday night, December 19, during a gala night organised by beneficiaries of the governments anchor borrowers programme at the old banquet hall of the presidential villa, Abuja.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: We have updated to serve you better!

CEO's Interview: Meet Nigerian Woman Who Quit Banking for Farming | Legit TV

Source: Legit
- Buhari/Osinbajo Dynamic Support Group has been applauded by the president for making sacrifices to stabilise the nations socio-political environment

- Buhari said that the show of support by the group was not only a morale booster

- The president gave the commendation when he received the leadership of the group led by its National Coordinator, Usman Ibrahim

President Muhammadu Buhari has commended the Muhammadu Buhari/Osinbajo Dynamic Support Group for making sacrifices to stabilise the nations socio-political environment for the general good of the society.

The president gave the commendation when he received the leadership of the group led by its National Coordinator, Usman Ibrahim, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Friday, December 21.

READ ALSO: EFCC intercepts $2.8m at Enugu airport

Buhari observed that the show of support by the group was not only a morale booster but a clear demonstration that his administration was on the right course in the task of salvaging the country for sustainable growth and development.

Im honestly impressed and grateful to this group of more than 2.5 million Nigerians that have dedicated themselves for so long to serve this country under the auspice of this organization, the MBO Dynamic Support Group.

Im very impressed with the composition and your presentation today.

I think I have lost enough words to express my sincere appreciation to you for the sacrifices you have been making in what you believe that would be stabilising Nigeria. I thank you very much.

Earlier in his remarks, the coordinator of the Group, Ibrahim, said the group which was established in 2014, was a category `A affiliated group with the APC.

He announced that the group developed a strategy in 2014 code named Operation Win 40 which was tested during 2015 general elections.

He said the `Operation Win 40 had now been modified into 7-level administrative structure, targeting 2.7million votes for Buhari in the 2019 presidential election.

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Usman, therefore, asked for the integration of the group into the campaign structure of the president to enable members of the group make more positive impacts.

He also appreciated an Anambra based vehicle manufacturing company for donating two vehicles to the group with a promise to provide one vehicle to each state of the federation.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that a socio-political group, the Change Advocates of Nigeria, accused the CPSO of Aso Rock, Abdkareem Dauda of being responsible for the change of commissioners of police in Bayelsa state in order to remove President Muhammadu Buhari from power.

Legit.ng gathered that the group in a press statement signed by its president, James Osahon and Secretary Mamman Yakubu, in Yenagoa opined that Dauda had close ties with Governor Dickson of Bayelsa state.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service! 2019 Presidency:

Nigerians reveal why they prefer Atiku to President Buhari - on Legit TV:

Source: Legit
Laois people have a special reason to tune into RTE's Late Late Show tonight.

A brave Laois woman who suffers from a rare and painful skin condition Epidermolysis Bollosa (EB), will be on the couch with Irish Hollywood actor Colin Farrell, to chat to Ryan Tubridy.

Emma Fogarty from Abbeyleix is the ambassador for the Debra Ireland charity. The pair have become friends through Colin's work for Debra Ireland, which supports sufferers of EB and their families.

Emma bravely inspires hope in young sufferers and raising awareness of the skin condition, despite coping with continuous pain. People with EB have skin as fragile as a butterfly's wings, meaning it blisters at the slightest touch.

Emma revealed her good news about the Late Late Show on her facebook page.

Other guests include Morning Ireland presenter Bryan Dobson, who will look back at some of the images which best represent the stand-out news stories of 2018.

Ryan Tubridy will be getting some last minute Christmas tips from some of Irelands food and drink experts. Currabinny's James Kavanagh and William Murray will be sharing recipes for dishes to serve alongside your turkey; they will have a master brewer from the Artisan Brew Academy in Dublin to explain how to brew your own beer, and Christmas ham is front and centre as Ryan chats with pig farmer Ivan Belton and butcher Clive Clarke.

In 2016, Derek OConnor lost his wife Maeve to bowel cancer, leaving him and their three children to navigate the world without her. Derek joins Ryan to chat about grief and dealing with the death of his wife in the run up to Christmas.

The Late Late Show also features Brendan Grace for a look back at his career to date as he nears fifty years in showbiz, and therell be music from the Palestrina Choir, and John Gibbons featuring Nina Nesbitt.

The Late Late Show is on RTE One this Friday, December 21 at 9.35pm
A Kildare senator has called on Kildare households to make the most of the Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme, which provides grants to make homes more energy efficient.

Fine Gael Senator Anthony Lawlor has said that the Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme approved 844,434 in free energy efficiency upgrades for 163 Kildare homes this year. That is approximately 5,000 per household.

Since 2015, 1160 homeowners in Kildare have been approved for 3.7 million in funding.

The Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme aims to improve the energy efficiency and warmth of homes owned by people on low incomes. It is operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

I would like to encourage everyone who meets the criteria to apply for these grants. It is completely free and it is just a matter of applying and the SEAI look after the process from there. There is no initial outlay or final bill to worry about. Its an excellent opportunity and all the relevant info can be found on the SEAI website or by ringing lo-call 1800 250 204, Senator Lawlor said.

The Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme provides funding for attic insulation, draught-proofing, lagging jackets, low-energy light bulbs, cavity wall insulation, energy advice, external or internal wall insulation, central heating and replacement windows. Heating upgrades may also be covered in certain cases, for example if you have no existing central heating system in your home.

To qualify you must own your home and be living in it. Your home must have been built and occupied before 2006. You must be getting one of the following payments, fuel allowance, working family payment, jobseekers allowance for over 6 months and have a child aged under 7 years, domiciliary care allowance , one parent family payment and carer's allowance living with the person you care for.

If you are in private rented accommodation and are at risk of energy poverty, your landlord may be able to get a grant under the separate Better Energy Homes Scheme.

Senator Lawlor said; the Better Energy Warmer Home scheme is a fantastic policy measure. Energy poverty is a real issue for lower income families in Kildare and this is a targeted response by the government. Insulated and energy efficient homes protect the health and incomes of families while increasing the value of their homes. It really is a win-win and I am proud to advocate for its uptake and support the scheme.

A warm and insulated home is a recipe for happiness and I encourage everyone that is eligible to apply. I hope the homeowners and carers that have benefited from the scheme since 2015 are happy this Christmas in warmer homes for them and their children.
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ASHES that hadnt cooled down adequately were placed on the forehead of the boy who received a 5,000 pay-out, the Limerick Leader has learned.

The case has been the talk of the country since it appeared on the Limerick Leader. The incident involving the now 13-year-old boy occurred on February 10, 2016.

Ashes were applied to the childs forehead. It left an unsightly mark on his forehead, said the solicitor.

The insurance industry has been roundly criticised with one group saying it illustrates how farcically surreal our personal injuries regime has become.

The Leader has now learned of more details that were not revealed in Kilmallock Court. An insurance industry source said the assumption is that the childs forehead was merely stained, but he was burnt. Children in the County Limerick school were brought to early morning Mass on Ash Wednesday.

Whatever process they go through to create the ashes for Ash Wednesday they hadnt cooled down adequately. The child was burnt. There was quite a substantial burn mark on his forehead.

It is not permanent but it would have caused quite a degree of distress. It is was an unfortunate accident. The ashes hadnt cooled sufficiently - the child reacted and called out in pain. The child was entitled to compensation, said the source.

The mark has now faded to such an extent that the judge in court last month said it is obviously gone.

Ive my glasses on and I cant see anything, said the judge.

It is understood that the school was sued initially by the boys father but it was ultimately the parishs insurance company that paid out.

The insurance industry source said that groups are looking for examples from a media point of view to support their central message, which is that costs of awards in Ireland are too high.

They are absolutely right to bring to public attention the fact that settlements in this country are way, way, way too high because this has a hugely detrimental impact on their competitiveness.

They really do need to be getting out there and getting that particular point across but it is unfortunate, in this case, that the example they have chosen is a bad one. The child was actually injured, said the source.

Insurers were also hammered for being too quick to write cheques and not fighting cases.

We would always attempt to try and - particularly when there is a minor involved  go for a settlement as quickly as possible. The costs associated and trauma associated with going through full court proceedings are to be avoided. It has been said that insurers tend to rush to a settlement, but we dont.

We appreciate that if an injured party is entitled to compensation then they need compensation. We will only go to court where it is absolutely necessary but the cost of court is very, very high. In this case it wasnt necessary, he did receive an injury. It wasnt a payment made just because we are quick to write cheques, said the source. They are in full agreement that insurance payments in personal injury cases are too high.

It is a huge issue for anybody in business or at a personal level as well because the cost of settlements are way, way too high. As a consequence, it is affecting the competitiveness of businesses, said the source.

The judge in the Ash Wednesday case was also rounded on with one group saying, In any other common law jurisdiction in the world, a judge would have thrown out such a frivolous, vexatious claim without hesitation.

However, the source said: In the case of a settlement with a minor, any settlement that is made  a judge has to ratify that.
CONCERNS have been expressed about the funding model for two of Limericks flagship festivals.

Briefing members of the Metropolitan District on Monday, Sheila Deegan, arts and culture officer with Limerick City and County Council said the cost of this years St Patricks Festival was 284,808 while the cost of Riverfest totalled 174,615.

She said around 160,000 people attended both events and that it is planned to increase the budget by 5% in 2019.

The figures drew a mixed reaction from members with some saying they fully endorsed the proposed increase in the budget while others asked whether money should be spent on other events which take place at other times of the year.

Cllr Seighin OCeallaigh said he was unhappy that members of the Metropolitan District were being asked to stump up 30,000 in discretionary GMA funding for the two festivals.

Mayor of Limerick, Cllr James Collins called for greater detail to be provided to councillors as to how the money is being spent.

In particular, he noted the cost of the Creative Programme for the St Patricks Festival was 94,205 and that no other details had been provided.

Cllr Joe Leddin expressed concern that too much money is being spent by the local authority and he asked if sponsorship and commercial partners had been sought.

Cllr Michael Sheehan said he is not happy that local companies and traders cannot afford the cost of pitches at Arthurs Quay Park during Riverfest.

He said the cheapest pitch in 2018 was 738 compared to 200, pre-2016. The most expensive pitch, he said, is 3,800.

People are spending their hard-earned cash and the money is going all over Ireland, he said.

In response, Ms Deegan said that more than 30,000 in revenue is generated from traders and that this is put towards the budget for Riverfest.
A GROUP of nine people from the Redemptorists Church braved the elements and took to the streets for a sleep-out in aid of the churchs hamper appeal.

The sleep-out took place last Friday, December 14 at the corner of OConnell Street and Thomas Street.

Fr Michael Kelleher was one of the nine people who faced the bad weather overnight.

It went very well, but it was very damp. It was warmer than last year but far wetter. Water ran clean through the tent, said Fr Kelleher.

For us to do it for one night was enough. I couldnt begin to imagine what it is like to do it every night. It was very hard to sleep. There is no sense of security, he added.

Peter Casey, David Dempsey and Shane Dowling of Limericks victorious All Ireland senior hurling team were there to launch the sleep-out. The Redemptorists hamper appeal, the brainchild of Fr Seamus Enright, has a simple aim, to put food on every table at Christmas.

I would not in a million years want to be on the streets, said Fr Kelleher.

To sleep out in the streets during winter in Ireland, dear God in heaven, I would never want to have to face that, he said.

I was taken aback, there was a kindness to people. There was no hostility and no nastiness from anyone we met on the streets, he added.
Who are Clohessy Minihane Solicitors?

Clohessy Minihane Solicitors are a Limerick firm of solicitors founded in 2014 by its two current partners Cathal Minihane and Hugh Clohessy.

Both partners hail from Limerick city; Cathal from Caherdavin and Hugh from Castletroy.

Since founding the firm we have been joined by Des Clohessy, legal executive and Jackie McCarthy and Margaret OBrien, solicitors.

Where are Clohessy Minihane Solicitors based?

We have recently moved offices to 5 Shannon Street, Limerick. We moved to a city centre location because we believe that it will provide us with greater profile.

It is also a larger office space which will allow us room to grow over the coming years.

Indeed, at present we are looking for a commercial property solicitor and a trainee solicitor to join our team.

What do we do?

We provide legal advice, legal services and legal representation to individuals and businesses in Limerick city and the Mid-West region generally.

Cathal and Des specialise in personal injury cases* and Hugh, Jackie and Margaret specialise in property transactions, commercial law and company law.

Any other recent developments?

In addition to moving office we recently launched a dedicated Personal Injury website for prospective clients www.solicitorslimerick.ie*

On the website, prospective clients can obtain information, access videos, view Frequently Asked Questions and submit an online query.

What makes Clohessy Minihane Solicitors different?

We are different in that we avoid legal jargon and speak with our clients in plain English.

Limerick people are known for their dry wit and no nonsense approach.

As such we believe that our clients much prefer our direct, plain speaking manner.

Hugh is married to a Brazilian woman and speaks Portuguese, he also speaks with our Brazilian clients in plain Portuguese.

How can you contact us?

Telephone: 061-461000

Email: reception@cmlegal.ie

website: www.cmlegal.ie or www.solicitorslimerick.ie

*In contentious business, a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement.
A PROTEST has taken place outside the Limerick branch of KBC Bank over the controversial Roscommon repossessions case.

Led by Sinn Fein, it came after a security team hired by KBC allegedly aggressive evicted David McGann as well as his siblings Anthony and Geraldine at Stokestown, Roscommon.

Subsequently, a gang of around 20 people arrived at the repossessed property early on Sunday morning and assaulted the security team. Three were hospitalised, while their dog was put down.

Deputy Maurice Quinlivan said the tactics employed by the bank in enforcing the repossession were unacceptable and intolerable and represent a worrying trend towards evictions by banks and funds.

I was shocked at the video footage from Roscommon showing the aggression and violence perpetrated in enforcing an eviction order. KBC Bank is responsible for this eviction and must be held to account. Sinn Fein have written to the Oireachtas Finance Committee calling for KBC and their agents involved in this eviction to appear before the Committee, he said.

There isnt a week that goes by without someone calling into our constituency clinic in Limerick to tell us that their bank has threatened them with eviction, Mr Quinlivan added.

KBC has been contacted for comment.
Once you reach a very advanced age, you reach a sort of "aging plateau," according to some experts in aging. You get so old that your aging slows down. This idea is reasonably widely held, or at least taken seriously. But a new study suggests it could be result of a statistical error.

Here's how the theory of the aging plateau works: You continue to spend more years on Earth, but your body stops getting meaningfully older, or at least the rate at which it gets older slows down. Researchers call this effect "late-life mortality deceleration" or "LLMD."

Scientists began to wonder whether an aging plateau exists after studying the odds of dying during each specific year of life. When people reach the age of 90, it seems they're much more likely to die that year than they were at 75. But the odds of a person dying the year they turn 105, assuming they reach 105, aren't too much higher than they were when they turned 90. The very-very old and the very-very-very old are all more likely to die soon, but it's not clear whether the very-very-very old are much more at risk than the merely very-very old.

At least, that's what scientists thought. [8 Tips for Healthy Aging]

Now, a new paper published yesterday (Dec. 20) in the journal PLOS Biology suggests that this whole notion of an aging plateau is wrong  and instead, it's the result of a repeated statistical error. Researcher Saul Justin Newman found that a series of mistakes in the way aging data is collected and interpreted could explain most, if not all, of the evidence for an aging plateau in humans.

Newman told Live Science that most researchers who study aging accept the plateau as a given, even though there isn't a single agreed-upon biological explanation for why it might happen.

The problem, his paper argues, is that the evidence for the plateau is based on the assumption that ages are reported correctly to the databases researchers use. But some of those ages are probably entered incorrectly, Newman asserts. Seventy-five-year-olds could accidentally turn up in the database as 85-year-olds, and 98-year-olds could turn up as 84-year-olds.

But there are a lot more 75-year-olds who could get accidentally marked as older than there 98-year-olds who might get accidentally marked as younger. That means that the average senior has a better chance of being recorded as having died at an older age than they really were, rather than younger than they really were.

Newman found that just a handful of mis-recorded ages of death in a database could wildly skew the results, accounting for a large proportion of the error.

In a separate paper also published yesterday in the journal PLOS Biology, Newman challenged the findings of a specific paper published in June in the journal Science. That paper looked at a database of the lifespans of Italians and seemed to find evidence for a mortality plateau. Newman showed that an error rate of 1 in 500 seriously misreported ages could explain the results that study found.

Kenneth Wachter, a demographer at the University of California, Berkeley, and one of the authors of that paper, responded in a third paper, also published yesterday in the journal PLOS Biology.

"Newman offers a hypothetical scenario and shows that a certain stylized form of age misreporting can generate the appearance of a plateau," he wrote, pointing out that Newman didn't actually find any direct evidence for those errors in the data set.

For Newman's assumptions about reporting errors in that case to be correct, he pointed out, nearly every 110-year-old in the study would have to in fact be a 100-year-old with a misrecorded age. [Health Stats: The Best and Worst States]

"Such calculations tell us that [Newman's papers] imply wildly implausibly high rates of misreporting at extreme ages," he wrote.

There's just no evidence that this sort of error is actually present in the Italian data set, he added.

So what does this mean for the rest of us?

"This study [Newman's] reveals that human lifespan has upper limits," Newman said, adding, "Aging does not 'stop' in old age. Your biological machinery will get relentlessly worse from puberty until death."

The reality, according to Sara Hagg, an expert in molecular epidemiology focused on aging at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, is that aging is just not well-understood at a biological level. That makes claims of an ""aging plateau" difficult to account for, but also difficult to entirely dismiss, she said.

"When we look at trajectories using the epigenetic clock, which is a biological age measurement [based on chemical analysis] ... we actually see a deceleration effect in the oldest old," she told Live Science.

In other words, very old peoples' bodies exhibit some evidence of slower aging. But researchers don't attribute this to a plateau effect, she said, because it's possible that people who live to be that old are just slower agers.

"Today it is impossible to say what is the truth, although most data and results currently support technical artifacts [statistical issues] as explanations for the aging plateau, she said.

Originally published on Live Science.
A sprawling pre-Incan stone structure in western Bolivia was once so impressive that its magnificence was described as "inconceivable" by Spanish conquistadors in 1549. Since then, centuries of looting reduced the formerly breathtaking building to scattered ruins, but scientists recently restored the enormous structure to its former splendor  as a 3D model.

Known as Pumapunku ("gateway of the puma" or "gateway of the jaguar" in the local indigenous language), the building was part of the ancient city of Tiwanaku, a bustling metropolis of the Andes from A.D. 500 to A.D. 1000.

Researchers dug deep into historical records on Pumapunku that scholars had consolidated over 150 years, virtually reconstructing what they could from notes, descriptions, images and clues left behind in the tumbled stones and foundation slabs at the site. Eventually, a complete Pumapunku appeared for the first time in centuries  first as a digital model, then 3D-printed at 4 percent scale, Alexei Vranich, an archaeologist with the University of California, Los Angeles, reported in a new study. [The 25 Most Mysterious Archaeological Finds on Earth]

By 3D printing scale models of the building parts, Vranich and his colleagues could explore how structures may have fit together through trial and error. This process is much more difficult to do with virtual models  which are less intuitive to manipulate and interpret  and is impossible to accomplish with the ruins' massive rocks, according to the study.

Vranich's results not only presented a near-complete Pumapunku, they also delivered "a solid piece of evidence" negating persistent rumors that the site was built by visiting extraterrestrials  so-called believers claimed that its architecture was unlike any other known structures on Earth, so it must have been engineered by alien architects, Vranich explained.

However, when the model of one building was assembled, its form was "immediately recognizable" as a design found in buildings at two nearby sites, Vranich wrote in the study.

This is the likely location of the Pumapunku gateways. (Image credit: Alexei Vranich)

In its heyday, Pumapunku was a sizable complex of plazas and ramps adjoining a massive, T-shaped platform, and it featured gateways and windows carved from single blocks of stone, according to Vranich.

But over hundreds of years, the complex was plundered over and over again. Reconstruction efforts in 2006, though well-intended, only made things worse. The project's archaeologists were under intense political pressure to finish quickly, and the results didn't conform to the archaeological record, sowing even more confusion about what Pumapunku used to look like, Vranich reported.

"There isn't a single stone in place," Vranich told Live Science in an email. "All the blocks have been moved, or were never placed in their intended place. Several have been lost, and others have been heavily damaged." And since the complex's design was thought to be unique, there were no other examples to inform their reconstruction, Vranich explained.

For the new study, the team pored over measurements and references from historical records "in different languages and varying degrees of legibility," translating the results into a virtual modeling program that focused on the geometry of the fragments.

"This needed to be millimeter accuracy," Vranich said in the email.

From that, they printed out 150 pieces, separated them into architectural sections and then organized them according to size, shape and thickness, noting if they were ornamented or if they had grooves to hold metal clamps.

A 3D-printed model shows the perpendicular connection between the miniature gateway and "Model Stone 1." (Image credit: Alexei Vranich)

The pieces were then assembled on a large slab representing Pumapunku's central platform, measuring  at 4 percent scale  10 inches wide by 59 inches long (30 centimeters by 155 cm). The scientists assembled the buildings like they would a puzzle, and the tactile nature of the printed pieces helped them to intuitively discover how they fit together, according to the study.

"Occasionally, a new fit would be found and added in a cumulative to the virtual model on the computer," Vranich said. Adjustments to that model are still underway, as new blocks are measured at the site in Bolivia, and the information is uploaded online.

Printing 3D models of a site is a far less expensive undertaking than bankrolling new excavations; the total cost of the 3D-printed model of Pumapunku was only about $1,200, Vranich reported. Creating digital models and archiving them online also makes the site accessible to researchers in other parts of the world, he added.

And for investigating large complexes like this one, miniature models offer a unique opportunity to experiment with how the different structural pieces might be assembled, which would otherwise be impossible to explore. This offers "fresh and often unexpected insights" into the elaborate constructions produced by civilizations from the distant past, Vranich wrote in the study.

The findings were published online Dec. 13 in the open-access journal Heritage Science.

Originally published on Live Science.
WASHINGTON - Paul Ryan ended his congressional career in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress, beneath a stained-glass vaulted ceiling whose grandiosity emphasized the smallness of the ceremony below.

It was small in a good way, as in intimate and humble. The retiring House speaker made his goodbye speech Wednesday to fewer than 200 family members, congressional staff and public officials - "all my friends and colleagues," he said.

And it was small in a less good way, as a reminder of Ryan's vanishing power over the past two years. Once hailed as the intellectual leader of his party and the fiscal savior of a debt-ridden United States, he became speaker in 2015 only to see his party and country fall into the hands of President Donald Trump, as the debt swelled and Democrats seized the House in the midterm elections.

Ryan is hardly the first politician whose grand ideas were snuffed out by reality. But few have been so synonymous with their intellectual reputation - with so little left over once that reputation ran dry.

His farewell speech was a thematic and tonal potpourri. Parts of it resembled a State of the Union address in defense of his speakership. "I'm darn proud," the 48-year-old Wisconsinite said after rattling off a list of legislative accomplishments during his brief speakership, chief among them a $1.9 trillion tax cut.

In other places, it sounded more like a college commencement speech, as Ryan laid out a daunting future that will be his audience's responsibility, more than his own.

"If we do these three things - make progress on poverty, fix our immigration system, confront this debt crisis - we can make this another great century for our country," he said. "I acknowledge these challenges are ones we haven't made much progress on in recent years."

This was not a Paul Ryan speech anyone would have predicted at the beginning of the decade, when he rose to national fame as the"ideas man" of the Republican Party.

His legend then was of an earnest Midwestern intellectual who disdained the trappings of politics - the boy genius who first won office in his 20s and had spent the time since studying the country's economic health. By the 2010s, he had convinced the core of his party that the United States would imminently collapse under the weight of its own debt unless it made radical cuts to taxes and social welfare systems.

It's hard to remember now, through the fog of a Trump administration that dreams of military parades and a 1,000-mile border wall, but the specter of Ryan's fiscal apocalypse was so vivid that conservatives greeted his addition to the 2012 presidential ticket as if Mitt Romney had chosen the messiah as his running mate.

"In this generation, a defining responsibility of government is to steer our nation clear of a debt crisis while there is still time," Ryan said in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention that summer. And the immense crowd that stood and screamed and cheered him on could have swallowed his farewell gathering at the Library of Congress many times over.

Romney lost that election, of course. But Ryan's prestige kept rising until he became House speaker in 2015 - he was practically begged to take the job - and "started an effort to carve the Republican Party in his own image," as The Washington Post wrote. What was needed, he said in a speech at the time, was a Republican president. And then he got one in Trump a year later.

But now, after two years of Republican-dominated government left the debt swollen near levels not seen since 1950, Ryan finds himself in the awkward position of talking around a still-impending apocalypse.

"I acknowledge plainly that my ambitions for entitlement reform have outpaced the political reality," Ryan said in the Great Hall on Tuesday, the back of his teleprompter screen reflecting details from the ceiling mural - winged angelic figures and the names of Aristotle and Dante.

"We all know what needs to be done," Ryan continued, as young staffers in the middle rows watched, expressionless. He sounded vaguely confident that someone would come along to do them, since he was quitting before his 50th birthday.

Ryan's sanguinity in the face of retirement had thrown a few people - especially those most invested in the unrealized ideas he'd spent his career espousing.

"I don't want to be an empty nester, only being a weekend dad," Ryan told the conservative Weekly Standard's Stephen F. Hayes after making the announcement this spring. "But the other big reason I felt comfortable retiring is we got a lot done that I came to do."

"Your argument was that this was a crisis, it's an urgent crisis," Hayes reminded him.

"I know," said Ryan.

"Is it still a crisis?" Hayes asked a minute later.

"Oh, absolutely," said Ryan.

But the apparent debt crisis did not much intrude on Ryan's goodbye celebrations. It was barely mentioned in a triumphant six-part retrospective his House office released on YouTube this week - "the story of Paul Ryan and his relentless drive to pass the first tax reform law in a generation."

Narrated by Ryan's brother and some of his closest allies, the videos chronicled his career, from his early days "deep in the wilderness" until his crowning achievement, last year's tax cut bill.

Excised from this epic were all his talk about debt burdens and runaway spending and the existential future of the country.

But how much, really, can one ideas man be expected to do? Ryan had some ideas. He had talked about them until he became one of the most powerful people in U.S. politics. Then he retired and went back to Wisconsin.

"Good ideas, they just take time," Ryan said toward the end of his speech, as if his bid to avert fiscal calamity were a loaf of bread he had left in the oven.

When he was finished, the audience stood and applauded for as long as it took Ryan to shake a few hands and disappear through a side door. Then they collected their coats and cleared the Great Hall almost immediately, as if leaving a staff meeting.

"That was amazing. Great guy. We're really going to miss him," a man in a suit told another as he passed beneath two sculptured cherubs on his way to the door.

"Yep, yep," said the other man. There was really nothing to add.
You might be feeling exhausted once you look back and realize all the things that took place in San Antonio this year.

2018, the year of San Antonio's Tricentennial celebration, was filled with the usual lavish events with the little extra sparkle, as well as the rare and remarkable gatherings that brought thousands of visitors to the city.
It was a partnership forged by necessity: Ann Coulter, the far-right commentator and provocateur, and Donald Trump, the reality-show star and Democrat-turned-Republican icon.

And for a while, it seemed like it was working. Trump touted Coulter's books and support on Twitter. Coulter returned the favor: calling Trump an "emperor god," and titling a recent book, "In Trump We Trust."

They have a common goal: to build the wall on the southern border with Mexico that Trump made a central promise of his presidential campaign.

But Coulter has been one of the many voices from the far-right who has made it clear that their support is contingent on Trump being able to carry out his campaign pledge. It is unclear where she stands on Trump's campaign vows to have Mexico pay for the wall.

This week, Trump unfollowed Coulter on Twitter, according to an automated Twitter account that tracks changes to the Twitter accounts of the Trump family.

The small slight was a sign of the tension that swelled this week between the president and his far-right supporters after the White House signaled that Trump would back away from his vow to shut down the government if funding was not secured for the border wall.

Coulter, along with other allies in the hyper-partisan world of conservative media, led the charge, unleashing a full attack: on Twitter, in her writing, and on a podcast.

"Gutless President in Wall-Less Country," her column, which ran on Breitbart, was titled.

"This utterly unlikely and, at least for president, in many ways, a not particularly attractive presidential candidate beat the most qualified woman ever to run for the office, basically on one promise: the promise to build a wall and never backing down on that," she said on the Daily Caller's podcast.

She said that Trump's White House risked becoming a "joke presidency that scammed the American people," if he wasn't able to get the wall built, and said she wouldn't vote for him in 2020 if he didn't.

"Why would you?" she said. "To make sure Ivanka and Jared can make money? That seems to be the main point of the presidency at this point."

On Twitter, she tweeted a barrage of criticism about Trump.

A master troll, she even retweeted an interview from the 1990s in which she spoke glowingly about the importance of the Constitution's impeachment clause.

Trump changed tack on Thursday after pressure from his base, saying that he wouldn't sign a budget deal that would avert a government shutdown without money for the wall. And Coulter had a retort.

"BREAKING: Doctors announce world's first successful spine transplant," she wrote.

Later, she tweeted, "Maybe if we left Jared's friend, Saudi prince MSB, alone with Trump we'd get a wall!"

Coulter was referring to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, often referred to as MBS, who has been accused of ordering the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Coulter's anger over the lack of a border wall has been building throughout Trump's presidency. In September 2017, she went on another Twitter tear, issuing satirical insults directed at the president and again raising questions about impeachment.

She had drawn her line in the sand previously. In "In Trump We Trust," she wrote that there was nothing Trump could do "that won't be forgiven," except one thing: "change his immigration policies."

She told The Washington Post via email that Trump's Twitter snub was a minor slight.

"I don't think the important thing is his quitting as a follower, it's his quitting as a leader," she wrote.
WASHINGTON - Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., said Thursday he would introduce legislation next year calling for greater oversight of the U.S. transplant network, contending 10,000 people die annually in a system that is allowed to hide its flaws from the public and Congress.

His announcement followed stories in The Washington Post Thursday that said the transplant industry could more than double the number of organs available for transplant each year if it expanded efforts to collect and use organs from older and nontraditional donors, such as people with hepatitis C.

The Post's analysis cited transplant surgeons who reject such "marginal" organs in the hope of obtaining better ones; a network of nonprofits that sometimes does a poor job of recovering organs; government disincentives to expanding the system and patients who sometimes turn down less-than-perfect organs.

A yield of perhaps 75,000 kidneys, livers, lungs, hearts and other organs each year is possible, according to a Post analysis of death records - more than double the number transplanted in 2017. That would go a long way toward wiping out the U.S. waiting list for organs, which contains nearly 115,000 people. Last year, 31,608 organs from deceased donors were transplanted, but 33 people die each day waiting for one.

On Thursday, a coalition of groups that have studied the transplant system released its own analysis of data from 2012 to 2014. It said the system could collect 28,000 additional organs each year if reforms were undertaken, an effort they said would save taxpayers $13 billion a year. The coalition includes a New York-based activist group, Organize, that has been critical of organ procurement organizations, or OPOs, and the way the system works.

Earlier this year, Young asked the federal government and United Network for Organ Sharing - an umbrella nonprofit that oversees the system - for information on the 58 nonprofits, known as "organ procurement organizations," but was rebuffed. As a nonprofit, UNOS is not required to share certain information with Congress or the public, and medical privacy laws shield some material as well.

On Thursday, Young wrote in a news release those rules must change.

"After more than 30 years of our nation's organ donation system operating in darkness, it's time to get a look behind the curtain," he said.

UNOS's chief executive officer, Brian Shepard, responded that "organ donation and transplant is one of the most transparent fields of medicine anywhere. Hospital and OPO performance is regularly measured and publicly reported. Transplant and donation data is available for researchers and the media.

"We look forward to evaluating Senator Young's proposal," he added. "We would support bringing more visibility to those available public data. We would oppose any effort that threatens the privacy of individual donors or transplant patients."

The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations did not return requests for comment.

Young's bill would require that federal regulators determine annually whether an OPO has performed well enough to have its federal contract recertified, as they do for nursing homes. Currently, OPOs come up for recertification every four years.

The bill also would require Congress receive all UNOS surveys, audits, investigations and corrective action plans for OPOs. The bill would allow UNOS to redact information to protect patient confidentiality and comply with federal privacy laws. The Government Accountability Office also would investigate OPO finances.

Any change will come too late for Carl Harper, a retired uranium plant supervisor from Paducah, Kentucky, who died in May at 64. Harper, a recovered alcoholic, had been waiting for three years for a new liver.

"In the real world, any business being subpar for so long wouldn't be allowed," said Harper's son, Steven. "I wish there was a high standard they would be held against. With this monopoly situation they have, there is no accountability."
QASR AL-YAHUD, West Bank - This dusty bank of the Jordan River has long been a place of new beginnings. In the Old Testament, it is written that Joshua crossed over here, leading his band of weary Israelites into the promised land. Later, in the Gospels, John is said to have used the same waters to baptize Jesus.

Now, this lush oasis is to have its own rebirth as Israel, with the help of international agencies, works to clear the remnants of war from the western flank of this historic river.

For nearly 50 years, this swath of land in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, approximately 250 acres, has been uninhabitable. Declared a closed military zone by the Israeli army, it is scattered with an estimated 5,000 antitank and anti-personnel mines, as well as complicated booby traps once aimed at preventing hostile infiltrations from neighboring Jordan.

Monasteries and lands belonging to eight different Christian denominations - including some buildings that are centuries old - stand abandoned after their monks and priests fled fierce fighting and insurgencies that followed the 1967 Israeli-Arab war.

The bullet-marked walls of crumbling churches, a few personal and religious artifacts and barren courtyards are the only testaments to what was once a spiritual life.

When Pope John Paul II held a private worship at the site in 2000 - flying in by helicopter - pressure mounted for Israel to reopen the area. Seven years ago, a narrow path was forged through the minefield providing access to Christian pilgrims.

Now, more than 6,000 thousand people a year visit Qasr al-Yahud, which is managed by Israel Nature and Parks Authority and called Al-Maghtas in Arabic. Many who come undergo their own baptism and spiritual renewal, even as barbed wire and warning signs remind them of the dangers.

"This is a place of historical and religious significance," Col. Udi Tzur, regional commander for the Israeli military, said this week. "And now we have a chance to reopen it all so that Israelis and tourists from around the world will be able to visit."

Tzur said operational challenges, security concerns and the high cost of cleaning munitions from the area had prevented Israel from undertaking this project until earlier this year. It also required agreement from the churches, as well as notifying the Palestinian Authority and Jordanians, whose own baptism site, Bethany Beyond the Jordan, is visible on the Eastern bank of the river.

Mediation among the parties was undertaken by the Halo Trust, an independent, international demining nonprofit, that began clearing mines from other sites in the West Bank in 2014.

"We are a neutral organization whose aim is to clear land mines, we realized if we wanted to clear the baptism site then we needed everyone's approval no matter the political situation," said Ronen Shimoni, Halo's program manager on the West Bank.

"We went to the churches, the army and the government of Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordanians to build trust. It took some time, but eventually everyone came on board," he said. "They all understood the need to clear this site of mines."

Father Gabre, a representative of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, stood at the entrance of what was once an impressive two-story monastery with upstairs dormitories, a kitchen and large, airy chapel. Images of Jesus and a large cross still hang in the sanctuary, but half the outer walls are blown away and bullet holes mar the rest.

"We will try to renew the land and get the place back to what it once was," he said. "This is a holy place that is important for Christians, so we will ask the people of Ethiopia for help."

So far, roughly 1,000 mines or leftover munitions have been removed in and around premises belonging to the Ethiopian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox and Catholic churches. Work still needs to be carried out on the lands of the Syrian, Coptic, Russian, Romanian and Armenian denominations.

It's painstaking work, said Ze'ev Rozen, one of the project's field supervisors. Each day he is among those who don heavy protective suits as the soil is carefully swept with metal detectors and sifted in search of discarded ordnance.

"We found a mine at the entrance to the Ethiopian church, and it was booby trapped with string," said Rozen, a former colonel in the army's combat engineering division. "We had to check every room inside the church to make sure there were no more traps. We found every type of mortar inside here that you could imagine."

Marcel Aviv, head of Israel National Mine Action Authority, which is under the authority of the Defense Ministry, manages the project from Israel's side. He said that although some of the mine placements appear on old military maps, the desert-like terrain, inclement weather and the shifting plates of the Syria-African rift have meant much of the ordnance has moved over the years or sunk deeper into the ground.

"It is very dangerous, something could explode here at any time," he said.

The area will remain a closed military zone until it has been completely cleared, which will likely be at the end of 2019, Aviv said.

"Once it is, then we will give the land back to the churches, and they will decide what to do with it," he said.

Wadie Abunasser, an adviser to Catholic Church leaders, said the plan is also to eventually restore the Latin Church's property in Qasr al-Yahud but said there had been talk among all leaders of turning the area into something unique.

"There are all different scenarios, but one of the ideas is for it to become a place of peace, a place where we can unite the religious sites on both sides of the Jordan River regardless of the border in between," he said.

Down by the river's edge, where travelers immerse themselves in the holy water, a group from South Africa listens to their leader talk about the site's significance as a place of new beginnings.

"This is certainly one of the highlights of our tour," said Pastor Elaine Beneke, who runs the Johannesburg-based Karelaine Tours, with her husband, also a pastor.

"Every time we bring a group here, we look at the old monasteries and see the progress they have made in clearing it up. It's such good news that it will now all be revived," she said.
London's Gatwick airport was forced to halt all flights again following another report of drone sighting, which came just as the hub was trying to get operations back to normal after a more than 24-hour suspension that disrupted travel for more than 120,000 people.

Gatwick has received an unconfirmed report of another drone sighting so has taken the pre-cautionary step to suspend the runway again, a spokeswoman for Gatwick said by phone. The airport doesn't know who spotted the object seen at 5:10 p.m. local time Friday, and aircraft due to land haven't yet been diverted to other airports, she said.

When Gatwick restarted earlier in the day, it offered no guarantees that the mystery devices were gone, though a variety of steps were taken to make the airport safe.

Sussex police, who have been dealing with the incident along with specialists from Britain's armed forces, had said that during the initial occurrences, almost 50 drone sightings were reported at the airport between 9:07 p.m. Wednesday and 4:25 p.m. on Thursday, though some may have been duplicates. A statement on the force's website said that "as yet, the drone has not been identified."

The British Airline Pilots' Association said it's "extremely concerned" at the continuing risk of a drone collision and that craft could go unseen around Gatwick's perimeter or obstruct flight paths outside the detection zone.

The airport is Britain's second busiest and the biggest hub for EasyJetc, as well as being a focus for long-haul leisure flights a British Airways. It also counts Virgin Atlantic Airways, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Thomas Cook and TUI as major operators. Ryanair Holdings, which has a limited presence at Gatwick, switched Friday flights to its main Stansted base.

The hub has only one runway, which is already the world's busiest, offering little scope to cram in more flights even if the drones stay away.

U.K. authorities portrayed the intrusion as deliberate, with Gatwick Chief Executive Officer Stewart Wingate saying it had been "highly targeted" and designed to deliver maximum disruption in the days before Christmas. Police said the actions were clearly intentional, though most likely not terror related.

The pair of drones got the better of a multi-fronted operation for the best part of two days. A daylight search backed by helicopters failed to locate the devices or their operator, prompting the Ministry of Defence to send in army personnel equipped with specialist gear as night fell Thursday.

In a bid to ease the backlog of flights, the Department for Transport temporarily lifted a ban on night operations at other U.K. airports.

Unmanned aerial vehicles and laser pointers are becoming an increasing threat for aircraft, prompting regulators to come up with new rules against operating the devices near airfields.

Dubai International Airport shut down temporarily in 2016 after suspected drone activity, while airspace around Wellington, New Zealand, was closed for 30 minutes this year when a craft was spotted flying close to the runway. And Grupo Aeromexico SAB last week said was investigating whether a drone collided with a Boeing Co. 737 aircraft as the plane approached Tijuana, Mexico. The jet sustained damage to its nose but landed safely.

While governments bar drones from paths reserved for airliners, with Britain outlawing flights above 400 feet or within 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) of an airport boundary, the millions of small consumer devices that have been purchased around the world can't be tracked on radar.

That makes it difficult to enforce the rules. In addition, many users don't know the restrictions, or don't follow them, despite the threat of a five-year jail term for perpetrators in the U.K.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling told the BBC on Friday that a variety of anti-drone protection technologies have been deployed at Gatwick, while adding that authorities still have no idea who was behind the raids.

"We've had to assemble a variety of different measures around that airport to make sure it's safe," he said. "This is an unprecedented event. There's not been anything like this anywhere in the world."

- - -

Bloombergs Christopher Jasper, Rita Devlin Marier, Alex Morales, Justin Bachman and Kitty Donaldson contributed.
Washington

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis abruptly said he was resigning Thursday after two years of disagreements with President Donald Trump over America's role in the world  the announcement coming one day after Trump overruled his advice against pulling troops out of Syria and pressed forward on discussions to withdraw forces from Afghanistan.

Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Trump's administration, will leave by the end of February after two tumultuous years struggling to soften and moderate the president's hardline and sometimes sharply changing policies. He told Trump in a letter that he was leaving because "you have a right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours."

Trump said in a tweet that Mattis was retiring, but that's not what Mattis said.

His departure was immediately lamented by foreign policy hands and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who viewed the retired Marine general as a sober voice of experience in the ear of a president who had never held political office or served in the military. Even Trump allies expressed fear over Mattis' decision to quit, believing him to be an important moderating force on the president.

"Just read Gen. Mattis resignation letter," tweeted Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. "It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed toward a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances & empower our adversaries."

The announcement came a day after Trump surprised U.S. allies and members of Congress by announcing the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Syria, and as he continues to consider shrinking the American deployment in Afghanistan. It coincided with domestic turmoil as well, Trump's fight with Congress over a border wall and a looming partial government shutdown.

Trump's decision to pull troops out of Syria has been sharply criticized for abandoning America's Kurdish allies, who may well face a Turkish assault once U.S. troops leave, and had been staunchly opposed by the Pentagon.

Mattis, in his resignation letter, emphasized the importance of standing up for U.S. allies  an implicit criticism of the president's decision on this issue and others.

"While the U.S. remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies," Mattis wrote.
President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to come up with a plan to withdraw nearly half of the more than 14,000 troops deployed to Afghanistan, U.S. officials said Thursday, a move that many of Trump's senior advisers and military officials have warned will plunge the country further into chaos.

The order comes on the heels of Trump's announcement that he will be withdrawing all 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria, a surprise decision that the president made against the counsel of his top advisers and without warning any of the allies who have fought alongside American forces in the battle there against the Islamic State.

The Afghanistan directive also comes as the United States attempts to negotiate a peace deal with the Taliban, potentially undercutting leverage that American diplomats have. It marks a significant departure from Trump's August 2017 decision to slightly increase the number of U.S. troops there and keep them in place with conditions on the ground dictating withdrawal.

Trump's moves on Syria and Afghanistan prompted the resignation Thursday of Trump's Pentagon chief, Jim Mattis, who said in a letter to the president that Trump had the right to find a defense secretary whose views were better aligned with his. Mattis, a retired four-star Marine general who was among the first combat leaders in Afghanistan, opposes a hasty withdrawal from both countries.

The issue came up at a White House meeting of Cabinet-level officials this week, according to one adviser to the president, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. The president pressed White House national security adviser John Bolton to make the moves, and Bolton is resisting, the adviser added.

Outgoing White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, a retired Marine general, also has opposed Trump's impulses on both countries but no longer has any lasting power with the president.

A senior administration official, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that other U.S. officials are still trying to change Trump's mind, and it is unlikely a decision on it will be announced Friday.

The news, first reported Thursday by the Wall Street Journal, is certain to worry senior officials in Afghanistan, who already are battling deteriorating security in the country despite the existing U.S. military presence there. And it will be greeted wearily by many senior U.S. military officers, who have launched more airstrikes in Afghanistan this year than in any in the history of the 17-year-old war, the longest in American history.

The top U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan, Col. David Butler, said he did not have comment right now. Defense officials in the United States either did not respond to the reports, or said they had no information.

A cut to about 7,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan would likely mean the United States abandons much of its mission advising Afghan forces, with emphasis remaining on counterterrorism operations and securing a few military installations, such as Bagram Airfield.

Senior U.S. military officials have repeatedly warned that leaving Afghanistan could have dangerous consequences in the United States.

Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Dec. 6 that in his judgment, withdrawing would "give terrorist groups the space within which to plan and conduct operations against the American people, our homeland and our allies."

Mattis, speaking in August, said that the U.S. military remains in Afghanistan to ensure American security at home.

"That involves the Afghan people being in control of their own future," Mattis said. "This is why we talked about an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned reconciliation process. We believe that the best way to get there is to ensure the Taliban recognizes they can't win on the battlefield; they must negotiate."

Army Gen. Austin "Scott" Miller took over as the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan in September, and has mainly remained quiet in the media while assessing conditions on the ground. He survived an attack in Kandahar province in October that killed two senior Afghan officials and wounded an American senior officer, Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Smiley.

Miller, speaking with NBC News after the attack, said that he assesses that neither the U.S.-led coalition backing the Afghan government nor the Taliban can presently win the war through military force. He also said that he does not feel pressure from Washington to show results.

"I naturally feel compelled to try to set the conditions for a political settlement," Miller said in the interview. "So pressure from that standpoint, yes. I don't want everyone to think this is forever."

Speaking in his confirmation testimony in June, Miller told senators his initial belief was that the United States had the correct number of troops in Afghanistan.

He said the continued mission there was crucial to protecting U.S. security, a lesson he learned in his counterterrorism work of over a decade and a half.

"I've learned these groups thrive in ungoverned spaces," Miller said. "And I've also learned when we maintain pressure on them abroad, they struggle to organize and build the means to attack us. Our core goal in Afghanistan is to ensure terrorists can never again use the country as a safe haven to threaten the United States or other members of the international community."
Photo: Pixabay

The South Okanagan will be full of holiday cheer this weekend, with plenty of festive events to check out to ring in the week of Christmas.

At McLaren Arena on Saturday, lace up for the annual Skate with Santa event, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. There will be ice games, Stick N' Puck, and of course, the big man himself.

This is a fun event that kicks off our Holiday Public Skating schedule which features a variety of skating options from Dec. 23  Jan. 5, said recreation business supervisor, Kelsey Johnson. Its always great seeing families come out to enjoy one of our many facilities that we have in Penticton. Regular rink fees still apply.

If you're in the mood for music, check out the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra's "Yuletide Tales" show. Canadian baritone Garry Gable will sing and narrate "A Childs Christmas in Wales" and "The Grinch" with the Okanagan Symphony Youth Chorus. The music gets started at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Cleland Theatre in Penticton, and tickets can be purchased here.

Meet Santa in person at Cherry Lane Mall until he leaves for the North Pole Sunday. He will be taking photos and listening to Christmas wishes from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Santa will also be at the Cannery for pictures between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday  the magic of Christmas allows him to be two places at once. Pictures are by donation, with proceeds going to the South Okanagan Children's Charity.

And if you're disappointed over the lack of snow, no worries  there's an indoor winter wonderland coming to the Oliver Arena. On Saturday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., enjoy the decorations and free skate rentals, and be sure to dress as your favourite character from a holiday movie to fit the theme. Admission is by donations, and kids under 12 are asked to bring their own helmet if possible as supplies are limited.
President Donald Trump pledged in his campaign that he would not be predictable. He's more than lived up to that promise this week, and along the way, he has made a hash out of the way business is being done in Washington.

Three times this week, Trump abruptly and unexpectedly changed course, lending credence to perceptions of a presidency in chaos. The biggest bombshell came Thursday afternoon, when Trump announced that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis would leave the administration at the end of February, and Mattis's resignation letter explicitly stated that he and the president were not in alignment on major policy issues or on America's role in the world.

The Mattis news rattled nerves in Washington and no doubt in capitals around the world. It came at the end of another roller coaster day in the history of a presidency that has had many of them. The day began with Trump, for the second time in a week, reversing course on funding for a border wall. He demanded that Congress include funds for the wall, just as a compromise bill without the money he wants was making its way through Congress in an effort to avert a government shutdown this weekend.

Trump's allies were already reeling from the announcement via tweet on Wednesday that he was ordering the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. On this announcement, there was no warning to U.S. allies or to members of Congress, including many in his party who opposed the move - no warning even to some in his administration.

Trump is, by his own words, a dealmaker without peer, but his volatility overwhelms his reliability. He demonstrated anew this week that he can change his mind at any moment. Those around him are left to adapt, to pick up the pieces, to explain as best they can - including those whose advice he has spurned or whose words have been shredded by his actions. In this case, it appeared to have cost him the services of his defense secretary.

Give the president some credit. His goals remain fixed. He wants a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, or at least he wants the issue of demanding one to use against Democrats, who oppose the wall.

He wants the most robust military in the world, but he doesn't seem to want to use it. He has been consistent in questioning the commitment of U.S. forces in trouble spots such as Syria and Afghanistan. On national security policy, he remains a rhetorically muscular noninterventionist. With the announcement on Syria, the focus quickly shifted to the question of whether he would order a rapid drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

However consistent he has been in enunciating goals, though, he has not shown much mastery of navigating the legislative process or of developing support from allies for his foreign policy objectives. He leads by impulse, by upending the status quo, leaving friends and adversaries to scramble.

This is not an entirely unsuccessful approach. His trade policies, for example, have roiled relationships, but he has gotten the attention of China, whose policies have been criticized by past presidents and leaders in other nations for years. For that, other nations are no doubt grateful, even if no one is certain how the ongoing dispute will be resolved or when. On Thursday, he signed a new farm bill, and he will soon be able to sign a criminal justice reform bill that was approved with overwhelming, bipartisan support.

But the turmoil that goes along with those successes has badly strained the system, and these past few days have highlighted that reality once again. The path he has followed in pursuit of $5 billion in funding for a border wall in the latest spending bill is emblematic of his unorthodox - some would call it destructive - governing style.

He staged an Oval Office argument with House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. He was told he didn't have the votes for the $5 billion he wanted. He said he would take a shutdown rather than a walk back.

Alarmed Republican allies in Congress, who wanted no part of a shutdown if possible, began pressing for a way out, and earlier in the week, it appeared they had gotten the attention of the White House when the announcement came that it would look for other ways to fund the wall. Meanwhile, the president continued the fiction that taxpayers would not be paying for the wall. Not even the fuzziest of math could make that explanation credible.

Trump's retreat early in the week was enough to get Congress to move toward an agreement on a short-term bill to keep the government open until after the new year, without the $5 billion Trump was demanding.

Few Republican members of Congress wanted to make this fight at this moment, against united Democratic opposition. But the storyline of the funding fight included the claim that Trump had once again caved on a central promise of his candidacy, that he had blustered and then backed down.

On Thursday morning, the dam broke at the White House, and congressional leaders were put in a near-impossible position to find a solution. Congress has until Friday night to find a new way to avoid a government shutdown. The president said he would shoulder the blame if the shutdown occurs. What lawmakers would probably appreciate more than that is for the president to become part of the solution, rather than adding to the problems they already have.

The president's explanation for the decision to withdraw troops from Syria went through a series of rewritings. Trump's initial tweet stated that the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, had been defeated in Syria and that that was why the troops could come home. "We have won against ISIS," he said in a White House video. "We've beaten them, and we've beaten them badly. We've taken back the land, and now it's time for our troops to come back home."

In doing so, he ignored statements over months from others in his administration that offered contrary analysis and commitments. While the Islamic State has suffered significant losses of territory in Syria, other administration officials say, it has not been defeated. Beyond that, administration officials had vowed to keep U.S. forces there as long as necessary, to counter Iranian influence and activity.

By Thursday, Trump had moved to a different explanation, one that no doubt comes closer to his true feelings. He asked, "Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East. . . Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight."

He said - despite contrary evidence - that Russia, Iran and Syria were unhappy because they now would have to fight the Islamic State alone, which only a day earlier he had claimed had been defeated. Then, in one more burst, he added, "I am building by far the most powerful military in the world. ISIS hits us they are doomed!"

Mattis made clear in his resignation letter that he and the president do not see eye to eye on rising threats from Russia and China or on the importance of maintaining "the solidarity of our alliances." His departure will leave a sizable void in the administration's national security apparatus and, more significantly, point to the potential for more chaos in the months ahead.
President Donald Trump's surprise decision to withdraw forces from Syria presented a rare and unmistakable victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose relationship with the Trump administration has been anything but predictable.

With the departure of U.S. troops, Moscow would become the undisputed international power broker in the war-torn country and win an opportunity to consolidate a countrywide victory for its ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The frenzied and disorganized nature of the U.S. withdrawal announcement - in leaked remarks to the news media followed by a terse tweet and a slapdash soft-focus video shot on the White House lawn - also bolstered Putin's efforts to undermine Washington's network of alliances.

In comments Thursday, the Russian president hailed the U.S. decision as "correct," agreeing with Trump that the Islamic State had been largely defeated.

"On this, Donald is right. I agree with him," Putin said Thursday.

Trump stunned U.S. allies by ordering the withdrawal of U.S. forces and contradicted U.S. diplomats and military officers who as recently as last week said the United States would remain in Syria to finish off the Islamic State.

For Putin, who himself has been dismayed by the Trump administration's frenetic application of sanctions against Moscow and one-off military strikes in Syria, the chaos of the president's governing style landed decisively in his favor.

"The Kremlin is of two minds when it comes to Trump: It hates the unpredictability and lack of coordination coming out of this White House but totally loves the chaos Trump is unleashing," said Andrew Weiss, a Russia scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "Anything that damages America's alliances and image of a steadfast, reliable partner is a net win for Moscow."

Trump's broadsides against allies and lack of interest in building international consensus ahead of major policy changes have injected a level of doubt into the country's alliances that were largely unseen in the postwar era.

Many of the United States' most important allies, from Europe to Asia, were reassured by the presence of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who has publicly made strengthening American alliances a central platform of his tenure at the Pentagon.

But the sudden decision this week about a withdrawal from Syria left the Pentagon chief with little time or rationale to reassure allies. His announcement Thursday that he would resign is likely to raise concerns about the Trump administration's commitment to allies' security and interests as the president seeks to find a replacement for Mattis.

In Germany, which is part of the U.S.-led coalition, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Trump's decision was a surprise.

"There is a risk that the consequences of this decision will harm the fight against IS and endanger the achievements that have been made," Maas said in a statement, referring to the Islamic State.

France said it would keep its contingent of about 1,000 troops in Syria for now because the Islamic State had not been fully defeated, raising the prospect of further divisions in the U.S.-organized alliance that is fighting the extremist group.

"Daesh had not been cleared off the map, nor, for that matter, have its roots been cleared. The last pockets of this terrorist organization must be beaten in a definitive manner by military means," French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly tweeted, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State.

Britain, the most active partner to the United States in the fight against the Islamic State, did not break publicly with Washington, but its officials were blindsided by the announcement.

British Secretary of State for Defense Gavin Williamson contradicted Trump's contention that the battle against the Islamic State had been won, saying in a tweet on Thursday that "much hard work still lies ahead to ensure we win the war."

Trump has defended the move, tapping into widespread public disenchantment with years of costly and protracted American military operations in the Middle East and South Asia that have not delivered victories, even though few dispute the success and progress of the campaign against the Islamic State.

"Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East, getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing?" Trump tweeted Thursday. "Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight."

Critics accused Trump of ignoring the threat a reconstituted Islamic State poses to the United States and its allies in the event of a hasty and chaotic U.S. withdrawal.

The cacophony among U.S. allies, analysts said, is likely to please Putin, who has long sought to chip away at Western unity. But in the short term, the Kremlin stands to gain the most on the ground in Syria, where Russia has long been seeking to consolidate gains for Assad.

The confusion between the United States and its closest allies backs the message that Putin has been sending to Russia's partners in the Middle East: that Russia is an ally that can be trusted and one that will fight until the end.

Russia has stuck by Assad despite mounting international pressure and multiple rounds of sanctions, seeing the Syrian government as a loyal client in the Middle East and preferring a strongman ally to a country in disarray.

Russia helped turn the tide in Syria's civil war after intervening in 2015 with airstrikes to back Assad. It was the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union that Russia had engaged on a large scale in a war outside the former Soviet borders.

For Putin, analysts say, the significance was manifold. Propping up Assad was a message to the West that leaders cannot be deposed by outside force - an attempt that Putin is believed to fear the West is trying to orchestrate in Russia. The military campaign was also a way for Russia to reestablish influence in the Middle East, show off its reconstituted military might and help brand itself a resurgent great power.

"Russia has become the major power broker in the Middle East," said Angela Stent, a Russia expert at Georgetown University. "It's the only major power that talks to the Shia states, the Sunni states, Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Kurds. The only difference between now and the Soviet days is that Russia approaches issues non-ideologically."

The Russian military presence in Syria includes a naval base in Tartus and an air base in Hmeimim. Russia plans to forge ahead in talks with Turkey and Iran to find a political settlement for the conflict, a prospect Moscow sees as more likely and favorable now that the United States may be out of the picture.

Putin on Thursday seemed to try to avoid taking too much of a victory lap, describing a U.S. withdrawal as the "right" decision if it actually happens. Russia says the U.S. deployment to Syria has always been illegal because it lacked a mandate from the Assad government or the United Nations.

The Russian president lauded Trump for his analysis that the Islamic State has been defeated, though analysts and U.S. military commanders say the militant group remains a deadly force. ISIS, Putin said, had already been dealt "serious blows."

The disruption in the U.S. alliance over the withdrawal decision touches on a long-term goal of Putin's.

In a 2007 speech in Munich, Putin famously decried a unipolar world led by the United States as unfair and called a geopolitical arena with one master pernicious for nations within its system.

Since then, the Russian leader has sought to reestablish Moscow as a global power and undermine faith in democratic ideals and alliances that have given Washington its military and economic might since the Cold War.

"One state and, of course, first and foremost the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way," Putin said in 2007. "This is visible in the economic, political, cultural and educational policies it imposes on other nations."
Washington

The Pentagon is developing plans to withdraw up to half of the 14,000 American troops serving in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said Thursday, marking a sharp change in the Trump administration's policy aimed at forcing the Taliban to the peace table after more than 17 years of war.

One official said the troops could be out by summer, but no final decision has been made.

President Donald Trump has long pushed to pull troops out of Afghanistan, considering the war a lost cause. But earlier this year, he was persuaded by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and others military leaders to keep troops on the ground to pressure the Taliban and battle a stubborn Islamic State insurgency. Officials said the latest White House push for withdrawal was another key factor in Mattis' decision to resign Thursday.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

U.S. troops stormed into Afghanistan in November 2001 in an invasion triggered by the Sept. 11 attacks.

Since then, America has lost more than 2,400 soldiers and spent more than $900 billion in its longest war. Three U.S. presidents have pledged to bring peace to Afghanistan, either by adding or withdrawing troops, by engaging the Taliban or shunning them, and by struggling to combat widespread corruption in the government.

The U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission in 2014, but American and allied troops remain, conducting strikes on the Islamic State group and the Taliban and working to train and build the Afghan military.

Taliban insurgents, however, control nearly half of Afghanistan and are more powerful than at any time since a 2001 U.S.-led invasion. They carry out near-daily attacks, mainly targeting security forces and government officials.

In recent months, however, there has been a renewed effort to make progress on peace talks with the Taliban. Officials now worry that any move to withdraw U.S. troops this year could dampen those prospects and simply encourage the Taliban to wait it out until they can take advantage of the gaps when the forces leave.

Trump defends plan to pull out of Syria

President Donald Trump on Thursday defended his plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria against mounting criticism from Republicans and Democrats and concerns from his military and diplomatic advisers who were caught off guard by his abrupt announcement a day earlier.

"Getting out of Syria was no surprise," Trump wrote in one of a series of Twitter posts Thursday morning.

He presented a string of justifications for his decision, including supportive quotes from a few who applauded his agenda.

The president also pushed back against reports  which he derided as "Fake News"  that the U.S. military exit from Syria would advance Russian and Iranian foreign policy objectives.
A contractor for a company that worked with the District of Columbia Department of Human Resources was indicted Friday after allegedly bribing a former District official, prosecutors said.

John Woods, 56, of Sterling, Virginia, worked for a firm that had agreements with the D.C. Department of Human Resources to provide organizational skills training and human resources consulting to other D.C. agencies, the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said a statement.
WASHINGTON - District of Columbia police officials are investigating whether an officer reprimanded for his role in the 2016 pursuit and fatal shooting of an unarmed motorcyclist acted inappropriately during a recent arrest, a department spokesman said.

Officer Jordan Palmer has been placed on desk duty to avoid contact with the public as the department investigates whether he engaged in "improper conduct," according to police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. He said the inquiry involves the Dec. 5 arrest of a Hyattsville, Maryland, man charged with possession of an open container of alcohol and resisting arrest.

Two law enforcement officials familiar with the probe said Palmer used profanity and pulled out his police baton, prompting another officer to intervene. Investigators are trying to determine if Palmer threatened the man with the baton, the officials said.

During the encounter, the officers and the man were involved in a physical altercation and the man suffered a broken bone after being tackled to the ground, the two officials said. Palmer did not use the baton during the arrest, the officials said.

Sternbeck said the investigation is focused on Palmer's actions outside of any physical contact with the arrested man and is not related to the man's injuries. Sternbeck also confirmed Palmer was the only officer under investigation related to the arrest.

According to a police report, at around 2:14 a.m. on Dec. 5, Palmer and another officer responded to the 1900 block of Second Street NW where they attempted to stop a man for possession of an open container of alcohol. During the arrest, according to the report, the 25-year-old man became "combative."

The man who was arrested could not be reached for comment.

Reached by telephone, Palmer, 32, who has been with the force for about five years, declined to comment on the incident and referred calls to D.C. police.

Union officials declined to comment on the investigation.

In 2016, Palmer was suspended for 20 days for administration infractions related to the pursuit of motorcyclist Terrence Sterling.

In the early morning of Sept. 11, 2016, Palmer was driving a police cruiser with his partner Brian Trainer in the passenger's seat when they spotted Sterling, who was speeding and running red lights.

Palmer took off after the motorcyclist, ignoring orders not to chase, and engaged in an unauthorized pursuit, police later said. Palmer eventually pulled the cruiser into an intersection ahead of Sterling.

Trainer was getting out of the vehicle as Sterling began to move toward the car, according to testimony offered during a police administrative hearing about the incident. Trainer opened fire as the motorcycle hit the car door, killing Sterling. The officer later told officials he feared for his safety and the safety of his partner.

An internal investigation determined the shooting was unjustified and Trainer was eventually terminated from the department. Prosecutors declined to file charges against the officers. Sterling's family filed a lawsuit and settled for $3.5 million.

- - -

The Washington Post's Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.
Photo: Colin Dacre

Oliver RCMP have arrested a man accused of assaulting two women at knifepoint early Wednesday morning.

On Dec. 19 at 5:42 a.m., police received a call from a woman who said she and another woman had just been kicked and threatened with a knife to their throats by a man.

She told officers she had fled the residence, located north of town on Highway 97, and that the man was still inside with the weapon.

Officers from Oliver and one from Osoyoos went to the residence and saw the man pacing back and forth inside with the knife. Police Dog Services was called to the scene to assist.

As police were setting up a containment at the scene, the man decided to surrender and was taken into custody peacefully.

His name is Edward Dean Snaith, and he has now been charged with two counts of assault with a weapon, two counts of uttering threats to cause bodily harm or death, failure to comply with a condition of undertaking by possessing a weapon and failure to comply with a condition of undertaking by consuming alcohol.

Snaith has been remanded in custody with a next court appearance date of Jan. 2, 2019.
The Hart ISD School Board of Trustees approved the District Innovation Plan already approved by the Texas Education Agency. The plan is posted to the school website at hartisd.net.

The basis of the plan came about when a House bill was passed during the 2015 84th session of the Texas legislature. This bill, in part, amended Chapter 12 of the Texas Education Code (TEC). Districts are eligible for designation if certain performance requirements are met and the district follows certain procedures for adoption as outlined in statute. The designation provides the district will be exempt from certain sections of the TEC that inhibit the goals of the district as outlined in the locally adopted Innovation Plan.

The Hart ISD plan deals with length of school day, teacher probationary contracts, teacher contract days, inter-district transfers and first day of instruction. The plan can be in place for five years.

In other topics, Scott Clevenger was again approved to represent Hart on the Castro County Appraisal Board; his current term will expire this year. The resignation of board member Steven Reyna was approved.

Two Hart Elementary students who have moved to Plainview but will continue to attend school in Hart had their transfers approved. Their mother is a Hart ISD teacher.

Cox presented a power point discussion of the school's standing after the first semester regarding the state mandated tests. He said that the elementary is looking positive and that the junior high and high school assessment isn't as strong.

The Board went into executive session to discuss personnel. The contract for Superintendent David Cox was on the agenda for discussion and/or action. After the almost 1.5-hour session returned to open session, it was announced that the contract will be discussed at a special meeting on Jan. 10. The next regular meeting is Jan. 14.

At the beginning of the meeting, Rosanna Carrasco, mother of three students, spoke to the board in open forum about the behavior of some school cafeteria employees, as well as food servings. She said she goes to breakfast with her pre-K student and is concerned that the already-prepared food is all microwaved.

All students at Hart ISD eat breakfast and lunch at no cost. The guidelines for the food are set by the United States Department of Agriculture.

President Erasmo Mata was absent; Mary Ann Carrasco, vice-president, presided. Other members present were Yolanda Rodriguez, Angelica Ramirez, Martha Gonzales and Marsela Marin.
The arrests of five bar employees for allegedly serving alcohol to 19-year-old Erick Hernandez before a deadly crash in South Houston are the first of a new statewide initiative, authorities said.

The five, who are all employees at Servi-Car el 3 on Houston Boulevard, are all accused of serving Hernandez at least a dozen alcoholic drinks over six hours Sunday night before police say he crashed head-on into an SUV, killing 23-year-old Taylor Phillips and injuring her 1-year-old child and 48-year-old mother.

In the case, Mildred Garcia, 21, Anna Evelyn Lule, 19, Joaquin Guadalupe Gonzalez, 19, and Jazely Marie Barrera, 21, were charged with misdemeanors associated with serving Hernandez. Gustavo Tejada-Garcia, 28, the manager of the bar, was charged with misdemeanor possession of an unauthorized beverage charge, namely tequila.

DA: 'This family should be celebrating the holiday, but is instead planning a funeral'

Hernandez is facing up to 20 years in prison on a second-degree felony intoxication manslaughter charge in the crash.

The five employees were arrested days after the crash thanks, in part, to a new initiative by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, according to TABC Chief Law Enforcement Officer Victor Kuykendoll.

The initiative, called the Trace Protocol, started in December.

When local law enforcement believes alcohol may be a factor in a serious crash, officers can call upon a special task force comprised of TABC agents, Texas Department of Public Safetyofficers and members of the Texas Sheriff's Association.

"Prior to this protocol being put in place, it was up to the local TABC office or agent to work the case among their other duties," Kuykendoll said. "It might even take some time for the office to be notified. Like most criminal cases, it's important to gather evidence, such as video recordings, and interview witnesses within the first 48 hours."

Kuykendoll said previously, there was as little as a 10 percent success rate for authorities being able to track down the source of alcohol sales in crashes to determine if anything illegal occurred, such as over-serving bar patrons or serving to minors, both of which were in play in the Hernandez case, police said.

The Trace Protocol aims to bring that percentage up.

Each of the bar employees, as well as Hernandez, are freed on bond as their cases move through courts.

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
Photo: US Customs & Border Protection

An Air Force veteran who started a fundraising page to help pay for construction of President Donald Trump's U.S.-Mexico border wall has brought in millions of dollars.

Brian Kolfage launched the GoFundMe page this week, and it had generated $6 million in donations as of early Thursday afternoon. It says it has a fundraising goal of $1 billion.

In a statement posted on the crowdsourcing page, Kolfage says the wall could be built if everyone who voted for Trump pledged $80 each.

Kolfage says he has contacted the Trump administration about where to send the money.

A triple amputee injured in the Iraq War in 2004, Kolfage went on to serve at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.

Kolfage did not immediately return a voice message and email seeking comment.
Photo: RCMP

RCMP say five people were injured after a series of hit-and-runs in Langley and Abbotsford Wednesday night.

None of the injuries is considered life-threatening, and the RCMP say many of those who were taken to hospital for treatment have been released.

A dog was killed in one of the Langley incidents.

A 24-year-old man from Abbotsford has been arrested by police, who allege he was in breach of a recognizance over a condition that he was not to be in a vehicle without the registered owner.

The first incident was reported just after 8 p.m. involving a small pickup that police say was stolen in Abbotsford.

They say it was found on fire about 2 1/2 hours later on Highway 1.

Shortly after, police say a car was stolen and the suspect was arrested in that vehicle.

The RCMP is asking for anyone with dashboard cameras to review their footage to see if they may have recorded the pickup.
Granards memory man has to be Jimmy Donoghue. He has been embedded in the community there for many years now and here he recalls 100 years of history around the town and indeed throughout the entire north Longford region.

Last year St Marys Church in Granard celebrated its 150th anniversary - it was an historic occasion - and Jimmy was part of a team that launched a commemorative book - A Living Legacy which is still on sale locally.

Looking back now with both fond and sad memories, Jimmy Donoghue recalls how Fr Peter OFarrell became bishop of Granard; the first convent in Ireland was in nearby Clonbroney and the famous blind harpist Turlough O'Carolan was a regular visitor to the town while staying in Castle Nugent House.

It was there he wrote his many famous tunes and Jimmy remembers a story about how when OCarolan was heading for Mass in Granard one Sunday morning in Granardkille he met a Ms Featherston who asked him would he quit his way and come with her to St Patricks Church.

He said that if he did, she would be the object of his devotion, laughs Jimmy, before pointing to the fact that the musician went on anyway to Granardkille and while there said the mass was his notion but she was his devotion!

He wrote a famous piece after that called O'Carolan's Devotion.

Meanwhile, the first ever Fleadh Cheoil was held in Granard and went on to become famously known as the Harp Festival.

It brought the top musicians of the day to the area - nowadays you would have Bono and the likes here - thats how big it was, recalls Jimmy.

It brought music and culture to north Longford and beyond.

Its difficult to speak about Granards history without referring to its somewhat turbulent political past.

The Battle of Granard was planned in 1798; when General Humbert left Co Mayo he and his men were on their way to Granard they ended up getting defeated in Ballinamuck and never made it to Granard as a result of that.

The Battle of Granard did, however take place on September 5, 1798 and Jimmy recalls that it was a very bloody battle.

They were slaughtered; in fact they rounded everyone up and ran cattle across them the next morning, he adds, before pointing out that two Dennistons from Granard were involved in the battle, but fortunately for them they escaped.

In fact Denniston Park is named after them.

The 1900s became very historic across north Longford and the town and its people faced the wrath of the 1916 Rising, War of Independence and the subsequent Civil War.

The North Longford Flying Column was established and according to Jimmy, Granard was the backbone of that.

He recalls too the great Battle of Clonfin in 1921.

Meanwhile war mode really began in north Longford on November 1, 1920 when Kelleher was shot dead in the Greville Arms Hotel in Granard.

That started the whole thing, says Jimmy.

Kelleher was the District Inspector and originally from Macroom in Co Cork; nobody really knows who ordered the shooting but apparently they drew lots the far side of the road to determine who would do it.

The War of Independence was a guerrilla war fought from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army and the British security forces in Ireland.

It was an escalation of the Irish revolutionary period into warfare.

In April 1916, Irish republicans launched the Easter Rising against British rule and proclaimed an Irish Republic, and although it was crushed after a week of fighting, the rising and the British response led to greater popular support for Irish independence.

Meanwhile, in the December 1918 election, the republican party Sinn Fein won a landslide victory in Ireland.

On 21 January 1919 they formed a breakaway government (Dail Eireann) and declared independence from Britain.

Later that day, two members of the police force, the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), were shot dead in the Soloheadbeg ambush in Co Tipperary by IRA members acting on their own initiative.

For much of 1919, IRA activity involved capturing weapons and freeing republican prisoners. In September, the British government outlawed the Dail and Sinn Fein and the conflict intensified.

The IRA began ambushing RIC and British Army patrols, attacking their barracks and forcing isolated barracks to be abandoned.

The British government bolstered the RIC with recruits from Britain - the Black and Tans and Auxiliaries - who became notorious for ill-discipline and reprisal attacks on civilians.

The conflict as a result is often referred to as the 'Black and Tan War' or simply the 'Tan War'.

Collins too was travelling to and from Granard around that time, adds Jimmy.

He was arriving by train at Ballywillan Station and being driven back to Granard by Larry Kiernan, says Jimmy.

Collins was brought to Granard initially by a first cousin of Kitty Kiernans Paul Cusack and he worked in the GPO in London with Collins and the famous Sam Maguire.

I remember Sean McKeon saying that the instructions leaving Dublin Castle for the Black and Tans was to make Longford a living hell.

Aside from the fact that the north Longford town was a hive of political activity at the time, Kelleher was after being shot and the English were very unhappy about that. There were also other incidents at the time.

A Constable Cooney was shot in Ballinalee around the same time; in fact he was shot outside a priests house in Clonbroney, Jimmy recalls before pointing to the fact that 11 lorries of Black and Tans arrived in Granard and they burned the town in November 1920.

There was a fella in the town called Mickey Degan and he was in the British Army and had a British uniform; when the Tans put Donoghues bar on fire he put on his uniform got water from Water Lane and everytime the Tans lit Donoghues bar at the top of the town, he put the fire out!

Eventually, the Tans said, the devil was in it and they left Donoghues building alone and didnt burn it.

There was a Fr Hugh Lynch here at the time; he was a Republican but the Tans called him a Fenian Bastard and fired a shot through the Parochial House.

The bullet is still in the Parochial House to this day.

Thereafter the Civil War left its imprint.

It waged between two opposing groups, Irish republicans and Irish nationalists, over the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The forces of the Provisional Government supported the Treaty, while the Republican opposition saw it as a betrayal of the Irish Republic which had been proclaimed during the Easter Rising.

Many of those who fought on both sides in the conflict had been members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the War of Independence.

People wouldnt accept The Treaty and civil war broke out - that was brother against brother, says Jimmy.

I do think though that Collins did his best; it took a long time for people to heal.

People didnt talk about what happened for a long time afterwards too.

In fact some people are still bitter to this day over the Civil War.

Also there was shame particularly after World War 1 and World War 11 because it was very much looked down upon for an Irish person to have been involved with the British Army.

Jimmy remembers too Thomas Ashe speaking in Granard.

He was only a young fella of about eight or nine; but the Granard man recalls how Ashe went on then to Ballinalee and spoke there but was subsequently arrested after making the speech and died on hunger strike later that year.

The 1960s and 70s were much more positive years in Granard and truth be told, the area thrived.

The Granada was built and the showband starts were packing the venue at the weekends. Young people were coming from all over the country to dance to the tunes of Larry Cunningham, Brendan OReilly and Big Tom & The Mainliners, to mention but a few!

The Granada started in Granard in the 1950s and my first job in Granard was assistant secretary to Tommy Quinn who was secretary of the Show.

I always felt that the new Granard started then.

There was a show office down in Smiths front shed - the Smiths were big into barrel making at the time.

Cannon OKane objected to the Granada being built; Tommy Kiernan and Tommy Quinn built that; Tommy Kiernan also brought the mart to Granard - another great idea.

The Sisters of Mercy, meanwhile, brought education and health to the fore in the north Longford town when they arrived in 1881

Their influence was hugely positive in the town - they established both the national school and then Cnoc Mhuire, smiles Jimmy.

Of course the workhouse was there before that; the famous poet Pauric Colum was born in the workhouse in Longford town and indeed his father was the master of the workhouse.
Transport Minister Shane Ross new driving laws have been branded absolutely ludicrous and in danger of single handedly destroying rural Ireland for good,

The scathing criticism was directed at the Dublin South TD under new proposals which could see drivers speeding at between 20km/h and 30km/h over the limit facing fines of up to 200 and seven penalty points on their licences.

Fine Gael Cllr Gerald Farrell took aim at Mr Ross tough new measures at last weeks meeting of Longford County Council, insisting he could not support the proposals that are set to come before Cabinet over the coming days.

Shane Ross plans are absolutely ludicrous, he said.

We all know the Gardai have a job to do, but what this is doing is its targeting ordinary, decent motorists.

In a lengthy and hard hitting outburst during which the Lanesboro publican termed the new measures as mad and crazy, Cllr Farrell said he believed the Transport Minister had overstepped the mark.

The message needs to be sent to Shane Ross that he needs to cop himself on because he is single handedly destroying rural Ireland, he said.

The Fine Gael government, if they support something like this, I wont be supporting it. People are being terrorised.

He received support in making those remarks from Fianna Fails Martin Mulleady.

The Drumlish based councillor said the initiatives put forward by Mr Ross were akin to shooting fish in a barrel as he warned of how the measures would likely impact on motorist numbers going forward.

We are being dictated to. This talk of someone getting three to five points for being five to ten km/hr over the limit and an 80 to 150 fine, sure you are going to have more people off the road than on it, he stormed.

He needs to be stopped before he has the whole lot up in a heap.

In response to suggestions from the floor that Mr Ross should consider his position, Fine Gael Cllr Paraic Brady agreed.

The sooner he is taken out of that job, the better it will be for rural Ireland, he said.

Read Also: Council to tackle speeding around Longford town with 'elf on the shelf' method
Local News, Crime, Business & Finance, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 21 2018

Despite Knowing What the Tax Law Required, Sprint Decided Not to Comply.

New York, NY - December 21, 2018 - Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood and Acting Tax Commissioner Nonie Manion today announced a record-breaking $330 million settlement of a False Claims Act lawsuit filed by the Attorney General against Sprint, the cell phone carrier, and some of its subsidiaries. The lawsuit  People v. Sprint Communications, Inc. et al., Index No. 103917/2011 (New York County Supreme Court)  alleged that for nearly a decade Sprint knowingly failed to collect and remit more than $100 million in state and local sales taxes owed on its flat-rate wireless calling plans sold to New Yorkers. The $330 million recovery is not only the largest-ever recovery by the New York Attorney General resulting from an action filed under the New York False Claims Act, but it is the largest-ever recovery by a single state in an action brought under a state false claims act.

Sprint knew exactly how New York sales tax law applied to its plans  yet for years the company flagrantly broke the law, cheating the state and its localities out of tax dollars that should have been invested in our communities, said Attorney General Underwood. Now, Sprint will pay the price with this record-setting settlement. This should serve as a clear reminder that the New York False Claims Act protects New Yorkers from companies that attempt to flout their obligations under New York tax law.

The $330 million settlement announced today resolves this tax enforcement action under the New York False Claims Act brought by the Attorney General. At least twenty-nine states, the District of Columbia, and the federal government have passed False Claims Acts, laws which allow whistleblowers and the government to recover treble damages from companies or individuals that defraud the government. However, only the New York False Claims Act broadly covers all types of tax fraud.

Sprints decision not to comply with New York sales tax law for nearly a decade harmed not just the State of New York, but also every county, city, town, village, and school district in New York that imposes a sales tax. Indeed, for many counties, sales tax revenue is the largest portion of county revenue. A substantial portion of todays $330 million settlement has already been distributed to the localities who were directly harmed by Sprints conduct.

By blatantly understating the amount of sales tax owed to the tune of $100 million, Sprint violated the trust of its customers and deprived communities across New York State of revenue needed for vital services, said Acting Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Nonie Manion. We applaud the whistleblower who brought this injustice to light, and our colleagues at the Attorney Generals Office who worked closely with us on the investigation that led to this record-setting settlement of $330 million.

The investigation leading to this settlement began with a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the New York False Claims Act. The Attorney General appreciates the whistleblowers provision of information and assistance in this investigation. The whistleblower will receive $62.7 million, as the New York False Claims Act entitles whistleblowers who report fraud against the government to a specific share of the recovery.

After the whistleblower filed its lawsuit in March 2011, the Attorney Generals office, working closely with the New York State Department of Taxation & Finance, conducted an extensive investigation into Sprints conduct and in April 2012 filed a civil enforcement action against Sprint and certain of its subsidiaries. Since then, the New York Supreme Court, the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division, First Department, and the New York Court of Appeals have all issued opinions rejecting Sprints attempts to dismiss this lawsuit.

Since August 2002, the tax provision at issue in this lawsuit, New York Tax Law  1105(b)(2), has imposed a sales tax on all wireless voice services that are sold for a fixed periodic charge, without differentiating between intrastate or interstate and international voice calls. The New York Court of Appeals has explicitly held that this provision is unambiguous.

Sprint and its subsidiaries sold wireless calling plans to New York customers. Some of those wireless calling plans permitted a customer to use up to a specified number of minutes of voice-only calling for a flat-rate monthly charge (for example, 500 minutes of calling for $50), and those plans did not distinguish between intrastate and interstate calls.

The Attorney Generals investigation found that in early 2002, Sprint and the other major cell phone carriers lobbied the Tax Department in connection with the enactment of Tax Law  1105(b)(2), which ultimately took effect in August 2002. The Attorney Generals investigation found that Sprints Regional Director for State and Local Government Affairs played a lead role in those lobbying efforts on the industrys behalf. The Attorney Generals investigation also found that as part of those lobbying efforts, in spring 2002 that same in-house Sprint lobbyist agreed in writing that the soon-to-be-enacted Tax Law  1105(b)(2) would maintain existing sales tax revenue payments for bucket plans (i.e., wireless calling plans which provided a fixed amount of voice calls for a fixed price) by imposing sales tax on those plans without regard to whether the calls were interstate or intrastate. That is exactly what Tax Law  1105(b)(2) unambiguously did.

In addition, the Tax Department issued a guidance in 2002 that correctly explained the newly enacted Tax Law  1105(b)(2) and provided the following example: Example #1: Mr. Smith buys a cellular calling plan from a home service provider which includes up to 2,500 minutes of use for a flat-rate charge of $49.95 per month. The contract provides that additional charges will apply for calling minutes that exceed the minutes allowed under the plan. In November 2002, Mr. Smith does not exceed the calling minutes allowed under the plan, and is charged $49.95 for the month. Such charge is subject to sales tax under section 1105(b)(2) of the Tax Law, regardless of whether the calls made under the plan were intrastate, interstate, or international calls.

The Attorney Generals investigation found that Sprints in-house tax lawyers knew of the lobbying efforts by Sprints in-house and external lobbyists regarding Tax Law  1105(b)(2), that they reviewed both the unambiguous language of Tax Law  1105(b)(2) and the clear Tax Department guidance in 2002, and that they were aware that the entire portion of a flat-rate charge attributable to wireless voice calls is subject to sales tax under Tax Law  1105(b)(2), regardless of whether the wireless calls made under the plan were intrastate, interstate, or international calls.

However, even though Sprints in-house tax lawyers and lobbyists knew what Tax Law  1105(b)(2) required, the Attorney Generals investigation found that in 2005, Sprint decided to violate New York law by failing to collect and remit state and local sales tax on the portion of a flat-rate charge for a wireless calling plan that Sprint arbitrarily deemed to be for interstate calls. Sprint continued to violate the law even after the Attorney Generals investigation began and even after the Attorney General filed this lawsuit. It was not until May 2014 that Sprint finally agreed to comply with the law.

Attorney General Underwood expresses her deep gratitude to the auditors, attorneys, and other staff at the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance for their critical contributions to this case.

The Attorney Generals lawsuit was led by Senior Counsel Bryan Kessler, with the assistance of Assistant Attorney General David Farber and Legal Support Analysts Justin Meshulam and Bianca LaVeglia, together with the other attorneys and staff of the Taxpayer Protection Bureau. The Taxpayer Protection Bureau is led by Bureau Chief Thomas Teige Carroll and Deputy Bureau Chief Scott Spiegelman, and it is part of the Division of Economic Justice, which is led by Executive Deputy Attorney General Manisha M. Sheth.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is preparing to reopen its embassy in Damascus, a first for a Gulf country. The Emirati embassy in the Syrian capital is being renovated. It could reopen by next March, a well informed source in Arab diplomatic circles told L'Orient-Le Jour (OLJ).

In 2012, the embassy was attacked before being closed by the UAE, which accused the Syrian regime of being behind the attack. But for the past month, several media outlets close to the Syrian regime have announced negotiations between Damascus and Abu Dhabi regarding the reopening. Alexander Efimov, the former head of the Russian diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi and the new Russian ambassador to Syria, recently appointed by President Vladimir Putin, confirmed the news this week in an interview with the Russian site RTonline.

According to the anonymous diplomatic source: "The Russians have asked the Arab countries, as well as France, to make a gesture towards the Syrian regime. In return, those who do will be able to play a role in the political processes resulting from the numerous summits and meetings about Syria, such as Astana, Sochi, Ankara and Geneva."

The source also said that being able to participate in Syrias reconstruction after more than seven years of war is another strong incentive. The military conflict appears to be over, giving way to an economic and diplomatic battle that will be more difficult for the Syrian regime and its Russian and Iranian allies to win. They will probably need support from European and Arab states to pay for the reconstruction. The French may have an interest, then, in restoring diplomatic relations with Syria to enable French companies to be involved. "France said it cannot make such a comeback before the Arabs. That's why it asked the Emiratis to pave the way, the source said.





Mamlouk in KSA and Egypt

The UAEs change of policy became evident when Anwar Gargash, the Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said in the press that it was a mistake to drive Syria out of the Arab League. "It meant we had no political power, no open channel. We could not present an Arab vision of how the Syrian issue should be resolved, he told the Emirati newspaper The National in June.

Several communication channels have since been opened between Syria and some Arab countries. "Ali Mamlouk, head of the Syrian National Security, and one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's most trusted men, visited Egypt and Saudi Arabia four months ago, the anonymous source revealed to OLJ.

According to the website Arabi 21, linked to Qatar and critical of the UAE, Ali Mamlouk also met Mohammad al-Shamsi, chief of the Emirati Intelligence. "At this meeting, both sides discussed ways to restore diplomatic relations," the site says, quoting anonymous sources.

In this context, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited Damascus last week. It was the first visit of an Arab head of state since the start of the war. The trip seems to be part of the diplomatic rapprochement between Damascus and some Arab governments. The Sudanese leader reportedly delivered a message on behalf of the Emirati and Saudi leaders to Bashar al-Assad, according to the diplomatic source. During the meeting, the Syrian president, an ally of Iran, stressed that his country intends to maintain its "Arab identity" despite tensions caused by the Syrian conflict with some countries like Saudi Arabia. Syria was suspended from the Arab League in November 2011, a few months after the start of the uprising. With the exception of Oman, the Gulf monarchies all closed their diplomatic missions in Damascus.

Recent developments show that the Gulf countries are in fact trying to get closer to the Syrian regime. Last month, President Assad told a Kuwaiti newspaper that Syria had reached "major agreements" with Arab states after years of hostility. "An Emirati emissary should officially be sent to Damascus soon, OLJs anonymous diplomatic source added.





Why now ?

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain and Kuwait also believe that boycotting the Syrian regime has been counterproductive and that it is now necessary to engage with Syria to counterbalance the growing power of Iran and Turkey. the Arab role in the search for a political solution has been severely limited by Syrias ousting from the Arab League. As a result, Iran, Turkey and other countries, such as Russia, were able to play an increasingly important role in Syria.

"The UAE believes that the Syrian crisis is first and foremost an Arab crisis, an Arab problem and an Arab disaster. It is not a Russian, Iranian or American issue. We never see Arabs in all these meetings that are held with Turkish, Iranian, Russian or other participants. The UAE wants to let Arabs be part of the Syrian crisis outcome. The UAE will start and other countries will follow, an anonymous diplomat based in Lebanon told OLJ.

With the launch of a constitutional and reconstruction process in Syria, the Emiratis believe that their presence in Syria will be more effective in influencing what happens next, including the political process, which is why they decided to make this move now. This rapprochement aims first to contain the Iranian influence, a mindset similar to that of Washington.

"We agree that the Syrian crisis must be resolved in a political way: there will be a new constitution and then elections. Who will vote? Shouldnt people go back to vote? The UAE will, therefore, want to get involved in rebuilding Syria so that the millions of displaced Syrians can return home. It is also the role of the Arabs to help the Syrian people, the diplomat said. "It is no longer acceptable to keep Arabs out of solving problems that concern them.





(This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour on the 21rst of December 2018)


Photo: The Canadian Press

UPDATE: 3 p.m.

Premier John Horgan says he's disappointed in the outcome of B.C.'s referendum on electoral reform, but respects the people's decision.

"People took part in the largest public engagement in B.C.'s history," he said Thursday afternoon.

"British Columbians have now spoken and chosen to stick with the current voting system. This referendum was held because we believe that this decision needed to be up to people, not politicians. While many people, myself included, are disappointed in the outcome, we respect people's decision."

BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson said: Today we saw the power of democracy as millions of British Columbians sent a clear message to the NDP and Greens that their self-serving referendum was not going to be tolerated.

This was a flawed process from the beginning as the NDP stacked the deck to satisfy the Green Party and remain in power. This was never been about improving our democracy, it was always about power and control."

Green Leader Andrew Weaver said representative democracy is one of six core principles of the party.

The B.C. Greens remain committed to the principle of representative democracy. As part of this file we have already banned big money and reformed the lobbying industry. We will continue to champion policies that will strengthen B.Cs democracy and make it more responsive to and representative of the people of B.C.

UPDATE: 2:50 p.m.

Voters in British Columbia have rejected a proposal to switch to a system of proportional representation to elect members of the legislature.

It's the third time the idea of using proportional representation has failed in a referendum.

The current first-past-the-post system received 61.3 per cent of the votes cast, while proportional representation got 38.7 per cent.

About 1.4 million voters cast ballots by the Dec. 7 deadline for the referendum, which represents a turnout of 42.6 per cent of eligible voters.

In 2005, about 57 per cent of ballots were cast in favour of proportional representation, which did not meet the threshold of 60 per cent to make it binding on the government.

Four years later, 61 per cent voted in favour of first past the post.

The latest referendum is binding and the winner was declared by a simple majority of votes cast.

ORIGINAL: 2:40 p.m.

Voters in British Columbia have rejected a proposal to switch to a system of proportional representation.

It's the third time the idea of using proportional representation has failed in a referendum.

More to come
Cambridge police are asking for the publics help identifying a suspect who reportedly threw another man to the ground outside a McDonalds Wednesday.

A video posted to the departments Twitter page shows a man pulling the alleged victim out of the restaurant by his shoulders and throwing him to the ground outside.

Can you help us ID the male with the black sweatshirt in this video? Cambridge police tweeted. We are looking to speak to him following an incident in which a victim was grabbed by his shoulders, pulled & reportedly thrown to the pavement outside a Fresh Pond McDonald's yesterday around 4p.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Cambridge police at 617-349-3300, or submit an anonymous tip at cambridgepolice.org/tips.
A former Boston police officer was sentenced on Thursday to three months in prison for illegally purchasing two Glock firearms for acquaintances, guns which the officer claimed would be for official police use, authorities said.

Adarbaad Karani, 38, of West Roxbury, was sentenced in federal court in Boston to the three months in prison as well as one year of probation, according to a statement from the office of U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling.

In September, a jury convicted Karani of two counts of making a false statement during the purchase of firearms and two counts of making a false statement in a record.

On two different occasions in November 2014 and September 2015, Karani acted as the straw purchaser of a Glock model 27, .40-caliber pistol and a Glock model 30S, .45-caliber pistol, the U.S. Attorneys office said.

Karani purchased the guns, which cannot legally be acquired by civilians in Massachusetts, for two acquaintances, the U.S. Attorneys office said. Karani used his police identification and falsely certified that the firearms were for his official police use.

One of the two firearms was subsequently stolen from the acquaintance Karani purchased the gun for, the statement said.

That stolen gun was recovered by law enforcement during the arrest of Desmond Crawford, an alleged member of the Columbia Point Dawgs, a Boston street gang, the attorneys office said.

Straw purchases interfere with firearm regulation and recordkeeping, and federal law prohibits making false statements to a firearms dealer in connection with the sale of a firearm, according to Lellings office.
Authorities are investigating an early-morning shooting that claimed the life of a man in Roxbury.

The Boston Police Department said officers responded to a report of a person shot in the area of 198 Blue Hill Ave. in Roxbury around 12:35 a.m. Friday.

Upon arrival, authorities found a man suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital where he later died.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Boston Police Homicide Detectives at 617-343-4470.

Community members wishing to assist the investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 800-494-TIPS or by texting the word TIP to CRIME (27463).
The Boston Celtics will be without Al Horford on Friday when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks, the team announced on Thursday.

Horford joins Aron Baynes -- who broke his hand in Wednesdays game vs. the Phoenix Suns -- on Bostons list of injured players. Marcus Morris is also questionable with knee soreness. Morris missed Wednesdays game, although he didnt think his injury was particularly concerning.

I was kind of hurrying it last year, Morris said prior to Wednesdays game. I love playing, and they were trying to give me time to sit out. I think I learned my lesson. Just be smart about it. Were planning on taking this thing a long way.

The Celtics' injury announcement did not include Guerschon Yabusele, who suffered a painful sprained ankle on December 8. Adding Yabusele would give the Celtics a small amount of flexibility at center, joining Daniel Theis and Robert Williams at the five.

The Celtics have utilized both Baynes and Horford against Giannis Antetokounmpo in the past, since both are fairly mobile and strong enough to battle Antetokounmpos drives. Semi Ojeleye (who is also quite strong) has gamely defended Antetokounmpo at times. The Celtics might call Ojeleyes number for extended periods on Friday.
As the weather turns colder, it's only fitting that Eric Bennett's latest children's book about a penguin has hit the bookshelves.

The Northampton author just published the third book in the Noodles' & Albie series, "Noodles' & Albie's Mermaid Parade," which follows Noodles, the penguin, and his pal Albie, a fish, as they hitch along with some friends to see Coney Island's famous Mermaid Parade and aquatic costume contest. The book follows 2014's "Noodles & Albie" and 2016's Noodles' & Albie's Birthday Surprise, which won a Mom's Choice Gold for Picture Books award.

This time around, Bennett is working with a new illustrator, Paige Monte of Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. As it turns out, Monte is the daughter of an old neighborhood friend of Bennett's, as well as the granddaughter of his mother's best friend. It was through these connection that Bennett got to see her portfolio online.

"Paige is great. At the time she was working on an animation project about a mermaid. I thought right away that she'd fit right in, and was so happy when she agreed to come on board," Bennet said. We actually never met or spoke in person, but went back and forth emailing story boards and bouncing ideas off each other."

The pair finally did meet when they did a reading at Monte's old elementary school in Dobbs Ferry, New York.

Bennett is from Queens and has memories of going to Coney Island on a camp field trip and falling in love with the penguins.

"I moved to Brooklyn in 1986, and Coney was just an F train ride away. The annual Mermaid Parade in June was one of my favorite fun events to go to in the '80s and '90s and I even volunteered a couple of times to help out," he said "I didn't march in it as I loved to watch and take pictures, but my kids did - with me - in 2007 and 2008 before we moved to the Valley."

Bennett said he tries to write his books with a series of adventures and tries to give the kids a fun ride along the way.

"They are more like story or picture books that I grew up with," he said. "I think being an indie writer makes me want to make the books more. I'm always way over the industry standard unwritten 1,000-word max for a kids' picture book rule, but the word is that kids, parents and reviewers love the rolicking narrative and subtle plot twists of my Noodles & Albie stories."

Bennett will be doing a reading and signing at The Roost on 1 Market St. at 11 a.m. during Northampton's First Night celebrations.
While its banked medical marijuana dispensaries for years, Century Bank will not offer services to recreational businesses unless federal regulations change, CEO Barry Sloane told the Business Journal on Thursday.

After medical marijuana was legalized in Massachusetts in 2012, Medford-based Century was the only bank in the Bay State known to do business with dispensaries. Other banks stayed away from the sector, scared off by marijuanas illegal status federally. Century offers checking services to dispensaries for $5,000 a month. It does not lend money to the businesses.

This year, with the opening of the states first recreational dispensaries, two other Massachusetts financial institutions, GFA Federal Credit Union and BayCoast Bank, announced they would take on marijuana businesses as customers. Both institutions declared their willingness to handle money from recreational and medical pot shops.

Until now, Century had been tight-lipped about whether it would consider taking on recreational marijuana businesses in addition to its medical-marijuana customers. But in a rare interview related to the banks cannabis business, Sloane said the bank is sticking with just medical marijuana, at least for now.

We only bank medicinal marijuana, and we will continue in that policy until and unless the federal law changes, he said.

The reason Century is comfortable dealing with medical marijuana businesses, according to Sloane, is due to the so-called Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment. That legislation, first passed in 2014, bars the U.S. Department of Justice from using taxpayer dollars to prevent states from implementing medical marijuana laws.

It does not, however, address recreational marijuana. The regulations would need to change, Sloane said, before Century would change its stance.

Other bankers have interpreted federal law differently  or at least, they believe the law is unclear enough at this point that it's worth staying out of the marijuana industry altogether. In January, the Trump administration rescinded an Obama-era order that many viewed as giving banks leeway to do business with marijuana dispensaries.

While Century may be unwilling to take on the risks of banking an industry open to federal seizure, banks that are open to recreational dispensaries have said that supporting a community need is worth the inherent risk.

Tina Sbrega, CEO of GFA, said that the bank is in the business of analyzing risk, and that proper employee training and strict reporting adherence would be the way the bank would support a federally illegal industry.

It had been unclear if Century might venture into the adult use side of the marijuana market, given that at least one of its medical marijuana clients, New England Treatment Access, had started selling recreational cannabis.

Century is significantly larger than GFA and BayCoast. With nearly $5 billion in assets, it's one of the largest banks headquartered in Massachusetts. GFA and BayCoast have $505 million and $1.6 billion in assets, respectively.

Kevin Fisher, a founder of NETA, told the Business Journal that the Northampton dispensary still uses Century for its medical marijuana business, but had established a banking relationship with an as-yet undisclosed financial institution for its recreational business. Fisher said NETA had signed a nondisclosure agreement with the institution for its recreational side of the business.

Beyond BayCoast and GFA, there may be more financial institutions that are banking adult-use cannabis. Salems Alternative Therapies Group confirmed that it has a bank for its new recreational marijuana business, though it declined to specify which financial institution.

More banks are needed, given that BayCoast has said it will only bank recreational clients that have a medical business. Additionally, GFA faces tight restrictions on which customers it can serve, given that it falls under government regulations that put geographic limits on its field of membership.

The states Cannabis Control Commission Chairman Steven Hoffman has said it remains an area of focus.

My hope and expectation is once the first two banks have ventured into this you will see others following, but until this industry is fully banked, its an issue and one I am concerned about and working on, he said in an interview.
By Matt Murphy

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, DEC. 20, 2018.....With the clock ticking on the end of the two-year session, House and Senate leaders finalized a deal Thursday to tax and regulate short-term housing rentals through websites like Airbnb, reviving a bill that passed in July but was imperiled by concerns raised by Gov. Charlie Baker.

The new version still would apply the 5.7 percent hotel and motel room tax to units rented on a short-term basis. Legislative leaders, however, agreed to a change proposed by Baker that would exempt homeowners who rent out their units for 14 or fewer days a year from having to collect the tax.

The House and Senate also agreed to postpone an extra Boston Convention and Exhibition Center financing fee on short-term units rented in Boston, Cambridge, Worcester, Springfield, West Springfield and Chicopee for about 10 years, or until the bonds on the BCEC are paid.

"We're excited that we were able to accomplish this before the end of the year because there were a lot of twists and turns throughout the process, but we got it done," said Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, the co-chair of the Committee on Financial Services.

The House and Senate reached a compromise in the final days of formal sessions in July to tax and regulate short-term rentals, but Baker sent the bill back with amendments, proposing, among other things, to exempt homeowners who rent out their units for fewer than 15 days a year.

The governor also wanted to limit the amount of information that will be made available through a proposed public registry of short-term rental housing units.

"The administration remains hopeful that the Legislature will reach an agreement to better level the playing field against short term rental operators using their properties as de facto hotels and will carefully review any final legislation that reaches the governor's desk," Baker spokesman Brendan Moss said in a statement.

Michlewitz, who negotiated the short-term rental bill for the House, was on hand during an informal session Thursday when the House formally rejected the amendment offered by Gov. Baker and adopted Michlewitz's further amendment. The Senate also accepted the amendment.

The North End Democrat said the governor's office was "involved in all the conversations and all the negotiations," and described the final amendment as one that both Baker and Senate leaders had signed off on.

Sen. Michael Rodrigues, the Senate co-chair of Financial Services, said the new version of the bill is the product of "good work and cooperation between the House, the Senate and the governor's office."

When the governor signs it, Ill be very happy. The Senate has been on record wanting to do this for a number of years, Rodrigues said.

The bill reached Baker's desk Thursday night, giving the governor 10 days to review the final redraft and decide whether to sign this new version. The new legislative session begins on Jan. 2, and Baker gets sworn in for his second term on Jan. 3.

Airbnb urged Baker on Thursday to veto the new compromise legislation and allow the next Legislature to debate the issues at stake all over again.

"This bill raises serious concerns for the thousands of Bay Staters who share their home to make a little extra income. In addition to undermining the Governor's effort to shield hosts' personal information, the bill would impose significant burdens on individual hosts, many of whom rent their homes for just a few weeks a year," company spokeswoman Liz DeBold said.

Taxes under the new version of the bill would take effect on all units rented for after July 1, 2019. Cities and towns would also have the authority to level additional local taxes.

While the House and Senate agreed to Baker's exemption for casual renters, the new version of the bill stipulates that if a property owner exceeds the 14-day limit they must remit taxes for all of those days, not just day 15 and beyond.

"The House, Senate and governor's office all believe that's going to be a small amount of hosts at the end of the day, but it is also some people who may not want to do this on a regular basis. It will help ease the burden for them," Michlewitz said.

Baker's office estimates the exemption will impact one-sixth of operators, and reduce tax revenues by 1 percent, or $300,000. Legislators had previously estimated that the bill would generate $25 million in state taxes and another $25 million in local taxes.

Rep. Sarah Peake, a Provincetown Democrat and member of House leadership, was optimistic about the new bills chances Thursday afternoon.

"I'm thrilled that it's done and hopeful the Senate will accept the amendment and we can get it across the goal line," Peake said.

Michlewitz said the goal would also be to get the short-term rental registry up and running by the end of September. The compromise addressed Baker's concerns over privacy by stipulating that the addresses used to register units with the state would be published with the street name, but not a street number.

While this could make it difficult to discern which neighborhood a specific unit on a longer street is located in, Michlewitz said cities and towns would still be allowed to require full street addresses for local directories.

"I think Boston will end up doing that," Michlewitz said.

Cities and towns also would still be able to add additional taxes on second-units operated by a single owner, with a portion of the revenue generated to be earmarked for affordable housing in that municipality.

"Those second units was one of the big concerns in some of the major urban areas, Boston included, where they would end up taking up the housing stock," Michlewitz said.

As for the BCEC fee, the original bill from July proposed to apply the same 2.75 percent paid by hotel and motel guests in the seven impacted communities to short-term rentals. Baker, however, worried that the proposal to split the new proceeds between the state's general fund and the host community would be a violation of the terms of borrowing for the convention center.

The new bill calls for the 2.75 percent tax on short-term rentals to kick in after the bonds are paid, when all proceeds from the tax on hotels and motels would also start to flow, under law, into the state's general fund.

[Katie Lannan contributed reporting.]
Massachusetts received a $20,000 federal grant to train law enforcement to identify and stop drug-impaired driving.

The ability to stop people from driving under the influence of drugs is expected to become a major issue as people are able to buy marijuana legally under Massachusetts state law. The first marijuana stores are just starting to open, but there is not yet any kind of standard test to identify drugged drivers, the way there is with alcohol.

The grant was awarded by the Governors Highway Safety Association with funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Massachusetts will use the money to implement a training program managed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police called Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement training. The course will teach police officers how to identify, test and arrest drivers who are affected by alcohol and drugs, including opioids and marijuana.

GHSA Executive Director Jonathan Adkins said in a statement, Drugged driving is a growing concern on our roads, and increased training for police officers who are able to detect and evaluate this behavior is very valuable.

Grants also went to Delaware, Guam, Kentucky, Oklahoma and West Virginia.
Photo: Kelowna RCMP Police found drugs, cash and and gang apparel at a Kelowna home Wednesday.

A member of the Independent Soldiers gang was arrested in Kelowna Wednesday, after police raided a home on the 500 block of Valley Road.

Police executed a search warrant at the home and uncovered what they called a conduit of drugs being trafficked throughout the Okanagan Valley and directly to some of Kelownas most vulnerable persons associated to a support shelter in Kelowna.

The search turned up what police believe is fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, shatter, oxycontin, methamphetamine, over 1,000 various pills, along with a Taser, cash, several stolen credit cards, passports and other drug paraphernalia.

A 32-year-old member of the Independent Soldiers and a 44-year-old man were arrested and may face drug and weapons charges.

The result of this investigation and drugs seized by the Kelowna Drug Unit, will have a direct impact on the drug supply to not only the vulnerable persons and others in Downtown Kelowna, but also throughout the Okanagan Valley, said Cpl. Jeff Carroll.

Police have not said how the drugs were connected to a Kelowna shelter.
SPRINGFIELD  The Springfield Police Department has multiple records demanded by the family of a Vermont woman who died days after her arrest here, The Republican has learned through a public records request.

Madelyn Ellen Linsenmeirs death received national and international attention after her family published an obituary that described her struggle with opioid addiction and offered a poignant portrait of her life.

Last month Linsenmeirs mother and sister sued the city, saying they had been denied access to records related to her time in police custody. The lawsuit states Linsenmeir in the days before her arrest had complained to relatives about being in pain but seemed reluctant to get help for fear of being arrested.

The 30-year-old was arrested by Springfield police on a warrant on the afternoon of Sept. 29. She was transferred the next morning to the county jail, a police document indicates. According to the lawsuit, she was rushed from the jail to a Springfield hospital on Oct. 4. She died three days later, the lawsuit states.

Linsenmeir called her mother shortly after her arrest, probably from the booking room at the police station, the lawsuit states. During the call Linsenmeir told her mother she was not receiving medical attention, while a police officer refused to provide medical attention and even made a sarcastic comment to Linsenmeirs mother when she expressed concern.

Information provided to The Republican by the city in response to a public records request show that, as of Nov. 2, Sgt. Albert P. Witkowski had compiled documents demanded in the lawsuit and provided them to Police Commissioner John Barbieri. The documents include Linsenmeirs arrest report and related paperwork, as well as multiple videos from the booking room. Many of the videos do not have audio, and there is no audio recording of Linsenmeirs phone call, Witkowski wrote.

City Clerk Anthony Wilson denied The Republicans request for copies of audio or visual recordings involving Linsenmeir, saying releasing them would jeopardize security at the police station. The newspaper plans to appeal.

The lawsuit was filed Nov. 26 in Hampden Superior Court on behalf of Linsenmeirs mother and sister by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Massachusetts, Prisoners' Legal Service of Massachusetts and Luke Ryan, a Northampton attorney.

Online court information indicates the city has not yet responded to the lawsuit, and no hearing dates have been set.
BELCHERTOWN -- Selectmen on Monday were split on a proposal announced this month by Superintendent Karol Coffin to build a replacement for Jabish Brook Middle School.

The school at 62 North Washington St., which today houses grades seven and eight, was built in 1962.

Two selectmen said a new facility is needed, while Selectman George "Archie" Archible was skeptical, saying he was "shocked" by the idea. The fourth selectman attending, Ed Boscher said: "It's not one person's decision."

"When I read the superintendent of schools wants to build a new school, it floored me. Enrollment is down," Archible said at Monday's meeting.

State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education data shows middle school enrollment has been stable since 2014. This year the school has 398 students, and it had 397 in 2014.

In the Belchertown school district as a whole, enrollment is down 4 percent over the same period, from 2,416 in 2014 to 2,323 today.

"Something has to be done," Selectman Brenda Aldrich said. "We are replacing stuff all the time at that school. ... Jabish no longer really is feasible. ... They have to do something."

Coffin plans to meet with Belchertown Town Administrator Gary Brougham to discuss the idea, and said she will make a presentation to the board in the new year.

The school district is expected to ask selectmen to support a letter of interest that would be sent to the Massachusetts School Building Authority by March. That would begin the process of the town applying for state funding to pay some of the construction costs.

Brougham told the board that when Jabish Brook was built 56 years ago, as a junior and senior high school, it cost $1 million. He said the town's population growth required a new high school that was built in the 1990s at a cost of $32 million.
Hampden Superior Court Assistant Clerk Magistrate Daphne Moore will soon find herself on the wrong side of a courtroom, following her arrest Friday on charges of money laundering, narcotics conspiracy and lying to federal authorities.

Moore, 55, is accused of assisting with the operations of a drug and gun ring allegedly run by her 28-year-old daughter Nia Moore-Bush, who was indicted in January on allegations of working with her husband to run firearms, heroin and cocaine between Western Massachusetts and Vermont.

The charges against Moore were unsealed Friday in a superseding indictment that expanded the case to eight co-defendants.

"Six of the defendants are alleged to have engaged in money laundering offenses, two of the defendants allegedly conspired to engage in the unlicensed dealing of firearms, and a Hampden County Superior Court employee is alleged to have made false statements to federal agents in connection with the investigation," The Office of U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said in a statement.

Moore is expected to be arraigned today in U.S. District Court in Worcester. Both Judge Mark Mastroianni and Magistrate Judge Katherine Robertson recused themselves from the case after Moore was indicted.

The Massachusetts Trial Court did not immediately return a request for information on Moore's current duty status. Moore's defense attorney was not available for comment.

Moore worked as an assistant clerk magistrate in Hampden County, clerking for judges in the Superior Court. She served on a committee that produced a new strategic plan for the Massachusetts Trial Court in 2013.

She earned $109,449 last year, according to state payroll records.

The investigation into Moore-Bush and her husband, 35-year-old Dinelson Dinzey, began when a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives informant told ATF agent Anthony Dipaolo that Bush-Moore was marketing "dirty guns" for sale, Dipaolo said at a January hearing.

The inquiry soon expanded into an investigation of an alleged narcotics operation that was shipping heroin and cocaine up I-91 from Springfield to Vermont. At the time, Dinzey and Moore-Bush lived with her mother at 120 Hadley St. in Springfield, even as Moore continued to work on the third floor of the Hampden trial court.

Multiple conversations between Moore-Bush, Dinzey and their co-defendants from Barre, Vermont were captured on wiretaps, according to federal authorities.

Barre residents Jamieson Gallas, 37, Tracy Parsons, 46 and Amanda Atkins, 25, are all charged in the superseding indictment.

At a January detention hearing, DiPaolo said that one phone call centered on Gallas ingesting 10 bags of drugs after being pulled over by police.

"What did he do, swallow all the f---ing crack? He's gonna die," Moore-Bush said on the recorded call.

Moore-Bush also allegedly threatened to kill a woman who was in the car at the time to pressure her into withholding information from the police.

While the original indictment only included drug charges, the new superseding indictment includes charges against Moore-Bush and Dinzey of illegal firearms dealing and money laundering.

Thomas O'Connor, Moore-Bush's attorney, declined to comment for this story.

Springfield residents Oscar Rosario, 33, and Luis Niko Santos, 24, were also added to the indictment unsealed on Friday.

While Moore was not initially implicated following her daughter's arrest in January, federal authorities now allege that she actively helped Moore-Bush launder drug and gun money, and then lied about those transactions to investigators.

Moore allegedly operated a TD Bank account that stored money from her daughter's drug sales. Between January and September of 2017, co-defendants Gallas, Parsons and Amanda Atkins allegedly deposited thousands of dollars of cash into Moore's account as she held It in trust for her daughter.

Moore and her daughter also allegedly used ATM transactions to withdraw $9,500 from the account between November 2017 and January 2018, while knowing that the money stemmed from narcotics sales, according to the indictment.

And when questioned by ATF and Internal Revenue Service agents, Moore allegedly lied. She is now facing a federal charge of false statements.

"Moore allegedly falsely stated that she did not know where Moore-Bush conducted her banking when, in fact, she knew that Moore-Bush used accounts held in Moore's name in trust for Moore-Bush," Lelling's office said in statement. "She also falsely stated that she did not know that individuals from Vermont had been at her house and the whereabouts of a black Audi when, in fact, Moore had met and interacted with individuals from Vermont at her home and knew that Moore-Bush had sold the black Audi."
CHICOPEE - One of the men banging on the door of a Chicopee apartment late Monday night was angry. The other had a hammer.

After forcing their way inside, the men walked into the victim's bedroom, smashed his television and then struck him on the head with the hammer as he ran out the back door, according to an arrest report.

The victim's mother witnessed the attack and described the assailants to police, the report said. "The one (dressed) in cammo told me I needed to teach my son some respect. The one in plaid was chasing my son around the apartment with a hammer," she said.

The suspects -- Andrew Newell, 23, and Christian Barbosa, 26, both of Chicopee -- were arrested several hours later and charged with home invasion, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon and vandalizing property.

They denied the charges Tuesday in Chicopee District Court, and were ordered held without bail for a dangerousness hearing Dec. 24.

The pair were arrested after a neighbor saw them leaving the apartment and wrote down the license plate of their pickup. The vehicle was traced to an Anthony Street address where police found the suspects. The victim's mother later identified both men, the report said.

In an interview with police, Newell said he became enraged after learning the 21-year-old victim had been disrespecting Newell's girlfriend. The realization "enraged him to the point of black out," according to the report.

"He went to the victim's house but doesn't remember much because he was blacked out from anger. He puts himself at the house and chasing (the victim) with Christian but denied having a hammer in his hand," the report said.

Barbosa agreed to speak to police, but denied any role in the assault, the report said.
SPRINGFIELD - The 552,830 people that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said are experiencing homelessness is "just the tip of the iceberg," said Kelly Turley, associate director for the Boston-based Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless.

"The numbers don't begin to reflect the reality," Turley said.

Every January, HUD does a point-in-time housing count to assess the homeless population across the country. But, Turley said, "the definition is pretty narrow."

The counts are based on people staying in sheltered locations -- emergency shelters or transitional housing programs -- or in unsheltered locations such as on the street, in abandoned buildings or in other places not suitable for human habitation, according to the report.

Turley said the number is based on who counters actually see, not the people hidden from view or those sleeping on friends' or relatives' couches on the night of the count.

And the report was missing data from San Francisco, Portland, Oregon, and California's Orange County.

In Massachusetts, 20,068 people were reported homeless -- a 14.2 percent hike from 2017. That's the largest increase in the country, according to the report, but much of the increase can be attributed to the high number of people displaced by disasters seeking refuge in Massachusetts.

Still, Turley believes Massachusetts' numbers are low, particularly when it comes to counting those 18 to 24 who are hard to count because they don't want to be found. She said the number is larger than the 465 reported for that age group. With more funding to target homeless youth, she expects a better count in January.

"We shouldn't make policy based on these numbers," Turley said.

She said Massachusetts is ranked the sixth least affordable state. "It's pretty discouraging," she said.

David Christopolis, of the Hilltown CDC, which has operated a homelessness program in Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties for the last six years, agrees policy should not be based on the data from the HUD report, but he said it is.

Issues surrounding homelessness are vast and complicated, he said.

"I think it's an economic problem," Christopolis said. "The symptoms are social and medical, but I do think it's economic. Housing is expensive."

"(Policymakers) can't figure out how to address it," he said. "There's not enough housing appropriate for people's level of income. I don't know how you can solve that problem."

Data in a study by the National Low Income Housing Coalition show income needs in relationship to housing. In the Springfield area, for example, a person earning the $11 state minimum wage would be able to afford a studio apartment at $572 a month, but fair market rates put that studio at $739 a month.

According to the report, a worker would have to earn $14.21 an hour to afford that apartment, or just under $30,000 a year.

"It's not the matter of people working any harder," Turley said. Housing subsidies are crucial "to bridge that gap," she said, yet are hard to obtain.

She said gentrification is making the housing crisis worse.

Christopolis cited cities such as Pittsfield that saw the loss of employers such as General Electric, leaving people without good-paying jobs. He said the community is looking at tourism, but the service industry doesn't pay those kinds of wages.

"We don't really we seem to have the political will to address it (homelessness) economically. We nibble around the edges," Christopolis said.

He sees homelessness as "a spiritual crisis."

"It's hard to believe we wouldn't make it a first priority," he said. Christopolis thinks that more could be done to prevent homelessness.

Following the release of the HUD report this week, the Coalition for Homeless Individuals is asking the Baker administration to set aside $55 million in the next state budget for organizations that support the homeless, according to the State House News Service.

The coalition, made up of 40 organizations around the state, said in its letter to the governor that the budget be fully funded at $48.18 million to preserve existing contracts. But because of an increase in demand for services, the coalition said the line item really ought to be funded at $55 million, according to the news service.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is donating $100,000 to Girls Inc. of Worcester, a charity which provides mentorship, after-school programs and STEM education with the goal of empowering and supporting Central Massachusetts girls.

The donation is part of Kraft's "challenge grant" program and will be used to fund a digital learning specialist in the nonprofit's new technology center, which is expected to open next fall, Worcester Magazine reported.

In an interview, Girls Inc. of Worcester CEO Victoria Waterman said she learned of the donation after receiving a call on her cell phone from an unknown number.

"Something made me pick it up," Waterman said. "The person said 'Hello, it this Victoria Waterman?' I was thinking it was a telemarketer."

Instead, it was Kraft. The Patriots owner made small talk with Waterman before telling her that he was interested in donating $100,000 to her organization.

According to Waterman, Kraft said he was invested in the nonprofits mission and had a personal connection to Girls Inc. Kraft's late wife, Myra Kraft, was a Worcester native, and her mother at one point served on the board of the organization, Waterman said.

"He said I think it's important to support the most marginalized and vulnerable populations, and I like that you support low income girls of color," Waterman said.

The donation will match any gift of over $100 to the organization, Waterman said. The matching program will run through the spring or until the $100,000 goal is met. Waterman is hoping that Girls Inc can get off to a strong start in the holiday season.

"We're taking advantage of the time of the holidays now, trying to appeal to people through that," Waterman said.
On Dec. 21, 1968, a Saturn V rocket carrying the Apollo 8 spacecraft blasted off from launch complex 39A at Cape Kennedy, Florida, for NASA's first lunar mission.

Astronauts Frank Borman, James A. Lovell Jr., and William A. Anders took part in successful seven-day trip, which include 10 orbits of the moon and paved the way for the first lunar landing seven months later by Apollo 11.

The Apollo 8 mission occurred during a turbulent time: The wake of two political assassinations, race riots and the divisive Vietnam War.

In the midst of this, the trio achieved a series of amazing scientific firsts: They were became the first humans to travel beyond low Earth orbit; view the Earth as a whole planet; orbit the moon; look upon the far side of the moon with their own eyes; witness an earthrise; and return safely home.

The astronauts made a Christmas Eve television broadcast where they read from the Book of Genesis during their ninth orbit of the moon.

At the time, it was the most watched TV program ever with a quarter of the people alive at the watching -- either live or delayed -- the Dec. 24 broadcast.

Upon their return, Borman, Lovell and Anders were name TIME magazine's "Men of the Year" for 1968.

President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded the Distinguished Service Medal of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to the three astronauts at a White House ceremony on Jan. 9, 1969.

Borman and Anders never returned to space, while Lovell commanded the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission in 1970.

The Apollo 8 command module is now displayed at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.
Massachusetts congressional lawmakers condemned President Donald Trump this week for threatening to shut down the federal government unless the U.S. House and Senate pass a stopgap spending bill that includes more than $5 billion for his proposed border wall.

The Democrats, who have vocally criticized the presidents call to build a wall along the United States' southern border with Mexico, questioned the need for such a structure and its effectiveness in securing the country.

They further chastised Trump for pledging to not sign any bill without border wall funding just days after he signaled that hed sign another spending measure.

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, slammed the proposed border wall as a medieval solution to a 21st Century problem, adding that the only reason House lawmakers were still debating spending legislation late Thursday was because Donald Trump has made a mess of things.

It is surreal that we are here today: Days before the end of a Congress, hours before a quarter of the federal government runs out of money -- scrambling to keep the lights on at the brink of the third Republican government shutdown this year, he said in a speech from the House floor. Because were not dealing with divided government, Republicans today control not only this chamber, but also the Senate and the White House. They have been fighting amongst themselves for weeks over whether and how to keep the United States government open for business -- it would be comical if it wasnt so serious.

McGovern argued that the latest House proposal including $5.7 billion in border wall funding, which passed on a 217 to 185 vote, is not a solution, it is a political temper tantrum all to please one man" -- and not the majority of Americans.

He added that while House lawmakers were prepared to act Thursday on the Senates bipartisan-passed continuing resolution to fund the government through early February, that changed after the presidents latest outburst.

This will not become law what were doing right now. This is a waste of time. ... Its dead on arrival at the Senate. The clock is ticking, lets get to work on a clean bill that can make it to the president, this isnt that, he said. This is just offensive.

U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Melrose, joined McGovern in condemning House Republicans for offering a spending bill with border wall funding in an effort to appease the president.

The GOP controls all levers of government and it is their responsibility to prevent a Trump shutdown. Just now, House Democrats gave them the opportunity to vote with us and none did. This is our most basic responsibility. Do your job, she tweeted Thursday.

The #GOP controls all levers of government, and it is their responsibility to prevent a #TrumpShutdown. Just now, the @HouseDemocrats gave them the opportunity to vote with us and none did. This is our most basic responsibility. #DoYourJob  Katherine Clark (@RepKClark) December 20, 2018

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, called the debate around the spending bill completely unnecessary."

Men and women of good will ought to be able to sort the differences here and move on, he said in a Friday interview, adding that the president did say that Mexico was going to pay for that wall.

Neal noted that about 50 lawmakers had already left Capitol Hill by Friday afternoon, including many retiring and outgoing members who no longer have offices.

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, contended that Trump is the only person who will be responsible if the government shuts down.

He cast the situation as The Trump Who Stole Christmas.

Congressman Joe Kennedy III, D-Newton, meanwhile, argued that the House could have joined the Senate in passing a spending bill with a veto proof majority to keep the government open.

Which means Paul Ryan is choosing to end his career in a government shutdown to satisfy President Trump, he tweeted.

Senate passed CR without a single objection. House could likely pass it with a veto proof majority to keep the government open. Which means Paul Ryan is choosing to end his career in a government shutdown to satisfy President Trump.  Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) December 20, 2018

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Salem, meanwhile, offered that he couldnt think of a more appropriate way to end a Republican-led Congress than with a Republican-led shutdown.

I can't think of a more appropriate way to end a Republican-led Congress than with a Republican-led shutdown.  Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) December 20, 2018

The White House announced Friday that Trump would meet with Senate Republicans "to discuss the funding bill and the importance of border security.

Trump, who told House and Senate Democratic leaders last week that he would be proud" to shut down the government over border security, tweeted ahead of the morning sit down that Democrats now own the shutdown.

The Democrats now own the shutdown!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 21, 2018

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that senators should support the House-passed version of the spending measure as they have a constitutional duty to protect the people of this country.

We hope that theyll step up and fulfill it today, she said, according to the Associated Press. Lets be really clear, what is on the line here is something that theyve all supported in the past and frankly, theyve all supported in the last week. They talk about wanting border security -- thats exactly wha this bill does.
The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a legal petition by President Donald Trumps administration to enforce a policy prohibiting people who cross the Mexican border without authorization from seeking asylum.

The Associated Press reports that the Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling blocking the policy by a five to four vote, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor in the majority. Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh dissented.

The Court did not issue any written opinions explaining the vote, the Associated Press reported.

The Trump administration issued an order on Nov. 9 denying asylum to any immigrant who entered the U.S. at a non-official point of entry.

But U.S. District Court Judge Jon Tigar of the Northern District of California blocked the policy, saying that U.S. law allows any immigrant to request asylum, regardless of legal status.

Any alien who is physically present in the United States or who arrives in the United States (whether or not at a designated port of arrival and including an alien who is brought to the United States after having been interdicted in international or United States waters), irrespective of such aliens status, may apply for asylum, U.S. asylum law reads.

Asylum seekers must demonstrate that they face persecution in their homeland for asylum to be granted, according to the law.

Earlier this month, a U.S. Appeals Court panel upheld Tigars ruling, the Washington Post reported.
After more than a decade representing northeast and central Massachusetts in Washington, D.C., U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas will leave Capitol Hill when the new Congress convenes in January.

The Lowell Democrat, who was sent to Washington after winning the 2007 special election to replace U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan, said while her decision to step away from federal politics has been bittersweet," she felt it was time to pass on the baton to a new generation of lawmakers.

While I have no regrets about my decision not to run again, I also have found it to be bittersweet," she said in an interview. It brings back lots of memories of the times weve been through.

Tsongas added that as she prepares to leave Capitol Hill, shes been reminded of "the extraordinary opportunities any member of Congress has to make a difference in the lives of their constituents and the communities they represent.

The 72-year-old congresswoman said although its been an honor to be in Washington on behalf of Massachusetts' 3rd Congressional District, she decided to not seek re-election in 2018 due to an accumulation of all the things she was unable to do when it came to her personal life.

Tsongas said she further felt it was time for new blood to make its way into" Congress.

Ive been proud to be a part of the public life of our country and our communities, but nevertheless, (I) saw a need for new blood, as well. It really was an accumulation of those things," she said, noting that her decision to leave Congress was not tied to the current, polarized state of Washington politics.

During her tenure in Congress, Tsongas used her position as a member of the House Armed Services Committee to shine a light on sexual assault in the military  offering multiple bills to address and prevent assaults and to provide quicker, more effective support to victims. She also gained attention for leading the push for modernized, gender-specific body armor.

Reflecting on those accomplishments, Tsongas said shes happy to have a lot to show for her work to promote womens status in the military.

The congresswoman further pointed to her work to connect with constituents through local events, offering that such encounters guided her service and offered real-life insights into how residents were impacted by things like the 2008 economic recession and the Affordable Care Act.

Beyond her legislative accomplishments, Tsongas  who became the first woman in 25 years to represent Massachusetts on Capitol Hill  said shes proud to see the number of women who have since run for and been elected to federal office in the state, including her successor, U.S. Rep.-elect Lori Trahan.

Come January, we will be swearing in four women in the Massachusetts delegation: Well have a United States senator and three women in Congress," she said. Im proud in whatever way Ive been able to help that take place.

Tsongas said shes still mulling over a number of options for her long-term future, but intends to spend the weeks and months after her departure with family and friends.

She added she hopes the new Congress has more success in strengthening the Affordable Care Act  especially when it comes to protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions  and addressing gun safety in a meaningful way.

Tsongas said shed like to see lawmakers come together on bipartisan immigration reform and ensuring that all Americans benefit from the economy.

The Lowell Democrat followed her late husband, Paul Tsongas  a U.S. senator from Massachusetts  into politics. She represented the states 5th Congressional District until it was reshaped in 2012 to become the 3rd Congressional District.

She announced in August 2017 that she would not seek re-election in the 2018 midterm contest, news that surprised some Massachusetts congressional lawmakers and set off a scramble among Democrats looking to take over the seat.

Trahan beat out a crowded field of Democratic hopefuls in the primary race. She then defeated Republican Rick Green and independent candidate Michael Mullen in November to win Tsongas' U.S. House seat, which spans parts of Essex, Middlesex and Worcester counties.
Photo: The Canadian Press Graphic shows high profile staff changes in the Trump administration; 5c x 7 inches; 245.5 mm x 177 mm;

WASHINGTON - Defence Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday after clashing with President Donald Trump over the abrupt withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria and after two years of deep disagreements over America's role in the world.

Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Trump's administration, will leave by the end of February after two tumultuous years struggling to soften and moderate the president's hardline and sometimes sharply changing policies. He told Trump in a letter that he was leaving because "you have a right to have a Secretary of Defence whose views are better aligned with yours."

Mattis went to the White House with his resignation letter in hand to meet with the president and spoke to Trump for about 45 minutes, according to a senior U.S. official familiar with the incident but speaking on conditions of anonymity to discuss a private meeting.

There was no confrontation between the two men, the official said, and there was no one issue that caused the resignation. However, the official said, Syria likely was the last straw for Mattis.

His departure was immediately lamented by foreign policy hands and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who viewed the retired Marine general as a sober voice of experience in the ear of a president who had never held political office or served in the military. Even Trump allies expressed fear over Mattis' decision to quit, believing him to be an important moderating force on the president.

"Just read Gen. Mattis resignation letter," tweeted Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. "It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed toward a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances & empower our adversaries."

Mattis did not mention the dispute over Syria in his letter or proposed deep cuts to U.S. forces in Afghanistan, another significant policy dispute. He noted his "core belief" that American strength is "inextricably linked" with the nation's alliances with other countries, a position seemingly at odds with the "America First" policy of the president.

The defence secretary also said China and Russia want to spread their "authoritarian model" and promote their interests at the expense of America and its allies. "That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defence," he wrote.

The announcement came a day after Trump surprised U.S. allies and members of Congress by announcing the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Syria, and as he continues to consider cutting in half the American deployment in Afghanistan by this summer. The news coincided with domestic turmoil as well, Trump's fight with Congress over a border wall and a looming partial government shutdown.

Trump's decision to pull troops out of Syria has been sharply criticized for abandoning America's Kurdish allies, who may well face a Turkish assault once U.S. troops leave, and had been staunchly opposed by the Pentagon.

Mattis, in his resignation letter, emphasized the importance of standing up for U.S. allies  an implicit criticism of the president's decision on this issue and others.

"While the U.S. remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies," Mattis wrote.

Last year, Republican Sen. Bob Corker  a frequent Trump critic  said Mattis, along with White House chief of staff John Kelly and then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, were helping "separate our country from chaos."

Tillerson was fired early this year. Kelly is to leave the White House in the coming days.

"This is scary," reacted Senate Intelligence committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., on Twitter. "Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration."

"Jim Mattis did a superb job as Secretary of Defence. But he cannot be expected to stand behind a President who disrespects our allies and ingratiates himself to our adversaries," said William Cohen, who served as defence secretary under Bill Clinton and knows Mattis well.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has joined a nine-state lawsuit challenging a Trump administration plan to conduct seismic testing in preparation for oil and gas exploration in federal waters off the Eastern Seaboard.

"Approving these blasting tests paves the way for the Trump administration to open up the Atlantic coast to drilling and poses a severe threat to our coastal communities, our fishing industry, and the health of the ocean," said Healey, who announced the effort at Boston's New England Aquarium.

Attorneys general in nine states moved Thursday to join the lawsuit, filed last week by environmental groups in U.S. District Court in South Carolina. Maryland is leading the effort, and Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Virginia are the other states that have signed on.

The lawsuit names Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and the National Marine Fisheries Service, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The fisheries service this month authorized the "incidental take" of marine life, including fish and mammals, when the acoustic surveys are conducted to determine oil and gas potential in the federal lease areas. However, any actual seismic testing would need a separate permit from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

The Trump administration proposes to open the Atlantic, Pacific, and Alaskan coasts to exploration and drilling. Two leases areas are proposed off the coast of New England, starting in 2021 and 2023.

The BOEM, relying upon statistical models, said in 2016 that 4.59 billion barrels of oil -- and 11.76 trillion cubic feet of gas -- could be present in the North Atlantic Region. However, only a portion of that could be "economically recoverable."

When the BOEM visited Boston in February to host a public information session, environmentalists held a rally outside the event.

"People come to Massachusetts to eat fish in our restaurants, and to stay in our hotels," said Senate Majority Leader Bruce Tarr, who vowed a bipartisan fight on the state level to protect ocean resources.

Healey in March said drilling and exploration "threatens Massachusetts' $7.3 billion fishing industry, the 90,000 jobs that it supports and the state's 1,500 miles of coastline that is marked by destination beaches."
Julia Enright has been indicted for murder in connection with the death of Brandon Chicklis, whose body was found dumped in New Hampshire earlier this year.

A Worcester County grand jury handed up the indictment against 21-year-old Enright, of Ashburnham, on Friday, according to the office of Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early. The indictment moves her case to Worcester Superior Court.

Enright was arraigned on a murder charge earlier this year. She has been held without bail since July.

Family members reported that Chicklis, 20, was missing after leaving his Westminster home on June 23 to visit family in New Hampshire. He never arrived there.

Chicklis' body was found on the side of Route 119 in Rindge, New Hampshire.

Investigators searched Enrights residence at 171 Packard Hill Road in Ashburnham prior to her arrest and found evidence relating to Chicklis death, including his blood in a treehouse.

Enright is slated to be arraigned in Worcester Superior Court on Jan. 3.
A man who allegedly took an LSD-type drug with his friend, Johannes Songdahl III, before traveling west on the Massachusetts Turnpike and driving off after Songdahl apparently leaped from the car, faced a judge on Friday.

Authorities discovered 22-year-old Songdahls body on the westbound side of the Pike near Exit 10 in Auburn around 10 p.m. on Aug. 29. The Norwell man had been struck by several vehicles and was deceased.

A statement of facts filed last month by Massachusetts State Police investigators assigned to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Earlys Office indicates that authorities believe Songdahl jumped from a SUV that was driven by Samuel J. Lenihan, 23, of Holyoke.

Lenihan was arraigned in Worcester District Court on Friday for a charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in personal injury or death. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf and he was released on personal recognizance, with orders to not drive and remain drug and alcohol-free.

The arraignment lasted fewer than five minutes and no facts of the case were discussed. The case may be transferred to courts in Holyoke.

Trooper Scott Driscoll wrote in his statement of facts that Lenihan said he and Songdahl took some type of hallucinogen called orange sunshine on Aug. 29 while at a friends home in Wareham.

Then, the two traveled west on the Pike in a SUV.

The SUV was traveling on the Pike at about 80 miles per hour, a witness told State Police investigators, according to court documents.

The witness reports that she observed a male subject squeeze through the rear window of the SUV, look at the adjacent travel lane, and then jump through the air out of the vehicle, court documents read. The witness further reports that she attempted to keep up with the SUV in order to obtain a license plate number however the SUV fled west on the highway at a high rate of speed and began to weave in and out of traffic after the male subject exited the vehicle.

Songdahl was struck by multiple vehicles, according to authorities and court documents. The office of the Medical Examiner identified Songdahl through fingerprint technology.

After identifying Songdahl, troopers went to Norwell on Aug. 30 and spoke to Songdahls parents. The troopers later learned Songdahl told his parents on Aug. 28 that he planned on traveling to Holyoke with Lenihan, court documents read.

Troopers spoke with Lenihan on Aug. 30 at the State Police Detective Unit - Hampden County Office in Springfield. He gave inconsistent accounts of what transpired the night Songdahl died.

Samuel Lenihan failed to immediately stop at the scene and identify himself, as well as make known his license, home address and vehicle registration information, when this accident occurred, court documents read.

Lenihan is scheduled to return to court on Feb. 28.
Neptune Rum was only launched in 2017, yet it already boasts over 40 prestigious global awards. How did the brand do it? We find out.

I actually, physically, dreamt Neptune Rum, which is the most bizarre experiences Ive ever had. I was walking down a beach in Florida after a hurricane, with large waves crashing and dark clouds. Then a beam of sunlight broke through the clouds and hit something shiny. I picked it up, and it was bottle of Neptune. I then immediately woke up.

The name of Richard Davies rum brand, Neptune, came to him in a dream. The former hot air balloon pilot, bartender and restaurateur had been struggling to find the right name and angle for his new rum. It seemed too good be true, however. Rum has such an obvious association with sailors (not just pirates, people). Neptune is the Roman god of the ocean. Neptunes trident is on the flag of Barbados. Davies wasnt optimistic. Surely somebody had already trademarked it?

He was pleasantly surprised when he uncovered, after much Googling and research that began post-dream at 3am, that this was not the case. There were bars. There were cocktails. But there was no Neptune Rum brand. Davies was confident he had stumbled upon something. He consulted with James Molloy, now Neptunes commercial operations director, who agreed. The two trademarked the name at the end of 2016 and launched Neptune in the UK market in 2017. The Neptune brand was born.

Its now just over a year later, and Neptune Rum will end 2018 as the worlds most awarded rum of the calendar year. As you can imagine, that also came as a surprise for Davies. Here at MoM Towers, were a sucker for any kind of great booze, so we just had to find out more. We headed off to the appropriately-named modern seafood-focused restaurant and bar Neptune (its no relation to the rum), to discuss the brand with Davies and Molloy. And try a tipple of the good stuff, of course. It would have been rude not to

Richard Davies and James Molloy, holding their rum like proud fathers

Why rum?

When Davies initially explored developing a new drinks brand, it probably wont surprise you to learn that gin was his first focus. However, he moved away from that idea after talking to industry people.

I thought, actually, no. Gin is there, and its done its thing. What is coming next? he said. Shifting his focus, Davies became aware of more and more people ordering rum at bars, and of the lack of diversity and quantity in rum brands.

This appeared to Davies to be a gap in the market. The gin revolution helped pave the way for premium spirits, but the public is realising there are alternatives out there, he explained. After various trips to the Caribbean, visiting as many distilleries as he could, Davies returned to the UK with a new appreciation for the romantic side of rum and its ridiculously rich history, as well as its huge cocktail potential.

The sheer number of awards Neptune it has received in such a short space of time would suggest it was a smart move. The brand was named Britains Best Rum Brand at the 6th Golden Barrel Awards, as well as Barbados Rum of the Year at the New York International Spirits Competition 2018, and the Berlin International Spirits Competition.

Its also received gold medals at the New York International Spirits Competition, the San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge and The China Wine & Spirits Awards in 2018. Thats just a few examples. Neptune Rum has picked up more than 40 prestigious accolades and awards already. Which is, to use a technical term we say all the time in the industry, bloody loads.

The incredible Foursquare Distillery in Barbados

How is Neptune Rum made?

It almost sounds like creating award-winning rum is easy. Alas, this is not this case. Neptune is a blended rum, an area fairly new for the pair. The blend is totally unique to me, and it probably took 12 months to get right, Davies reckoned. He needed a distillery to produce liquid for the blend on a large scale. So, he and Molloy set off to the oldest distillery in Barbados, and one of the worlds most thrilling rum producers, Foursquare Distillery.

Neptune had a desire to associate itself with Foursquare not just because the distillery makes awesome rum (it was named Rum Producer of the Year at the prestigious International Spirits Challenge 2017), but because Davies wanted to work with a team he felt were at the forefront of the revolution with regards to be totally honest and transparent.

The duo secured an audience with the well-respected, outspoken rum aficionado and fourth generation rum master at Foursquare Distillery, Richard Seale. Molloy described it as being akin to being in the headmasters office. However, according to Davies, Seale was blown away by my blend, while Molloy noted that Seales comment that Neptune had made a bloody good rum out of my rum. Seale agreed to work with them, with current production now standing at about 2,500 bottles every three months.

The finished product (and the Neptune Rum youll find on this very site) is a single-island blend of both pot- and column-distilled Bajan rums distilled for eight, five and three years. Its made from pure sugar cane molasses and distilled at Foursquare. We have the best of all worlds. Weve been able to take these amazing rums and produce something that he doesnt produce, Davies explained.

Neptune Rum ageing in ex-bourbon barrels

Neptune isnt just distilled in Barbados. It is also matured there in ex-bourbon barrels. This is the most important of the process, according to Davies, because of the effect of tropical maturation. Which is to say that spirits demonstrate more impact from contact with oak in hotter climates compared to colder ones. In turn, rum matured in hotter climates can take on the style and quality of much older liquid. Neptune is aged in Foursquares outdoor maturation huts in average 27C temperatures. Thats tropical ageing, all right.

Neptunes final production stage involves a specific cold-filtration process and the addition of soft spring water to dilute the rum from 68% ABV cask strength to its 40% bottling strength. It is bottled in England, without any additional colouring or sugar. Davies was keen to emphasise that he wanted Neptune to be really honest and very transparent as a brand. A lot of producers in the rum industry are a little cloak-and-dagger, which is thankfully coming to an end, he added.

They key to success isnt just to source great rum and make an amazing blend out of it. One of Neptunes strengths as a brand is savvy marketing. Ensuring transparency in its production process, an increasingly important trend that modem consumers respond to, in an example of this. As is the brands desire to become more ethical, with plans to go plastic-free by next year and found its own charity.

Neptune Rum made its name at rum shows and festivals

Theres also the bottle itself. Tall and sleek, the Neptune bottle holds its own on a crowded back bar. The label embraces Roman sea god mythology and imagery, and specialist aged paper stock captures the feel of a treasure map washed up on the shore after a storm. Theres a lot going for it, so theres no surprise Neptune stirs up so much excitement at rum shows and festivals.

Of course, Neptunes biggest asset ultimately its taste. But what does it actually taste like? Heres are our classic notes to help you get an idea.

Tasting note for Neptune Rum:

Nose: Maple syrup, fresh apricot and vanilla are followed by prickles of spicy pepper and nutmeg. Warm bourbon oak and sherried peels develop.

Palate: A viscous and refined palate is filled with ripe peaches, as well as touches of shredded coconut and green banana. More vanilla is present underneath with a faint hint of returning peppercorn and toasted white fruit.

Finish: Medium-length and sweet, with caramelised banana and brown sugar.

Overall: Mature, full-bodied and smooth, this is an exceptionally impressive rum for its age. It strikes you as a very mixable spirit, too.

Recommended Neptune Rum serves

One of the things that attracted Davies to create rum was its versatility. Rum should be drunk any way you want it, as far as Im concerned, he said, and the great thing about a rum like Neptune is how much it shines in a variety cocktails. Give it a go neat or on the rocks, or try mixing it up, from the simple Rum and Cola, to the more complex Espresso Martini. Weve done the decent thing and included four recipes for you to enjoy at home!

Neptune Rum and Cola

Neptune Rum and Cola: You can never go wrong with a classic Rum and Coke. It tastes great and its super easy to make. Add 50ml of Neptune Rum to a highball glass filled with ice. Then top with cola; Fever-Tree Madagascan Cola really highlights the vanilla flavours. Then garnish with fresh lime slices.

The Neptune Rum and Tonic (R&T)

The Neptune Rum and Tonic (R&T): Swap out gin for rum to revamp your go-to tipple. All you need to do is add 50ml Neptune Rum to a highball glass filled with ice and top with tonic water (the brand recommends Fever-Tree Premium Tonic Water) and a dash of orange bitters. Garnish with an orange twist and youve got yourself a simple, rum-tastic treat.

The Neptune Old Fashioned

The Neptune Old Fashioned: The quintessential whisky cocktail is rum-ified to great effect here. To make, add 60ml of Neptune Rum and 0.5ml of sugar syrup to a tumbler, then top with 2 dashes of Angostura Orange Bitters and 1 dash of Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters. Stir it all together, add ice and garnish with an orange twist.

The Neptune Espresso Martini

The Neptune Espresso Martini: It might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but I can assure you from experience that Neptune Rum makes a killer Espresso Martini. To create, put 30ml of Neptune Rum, 20ml of St. George Nola Coffee Liqueur, 10ml of Gonzalez Byass Nectar Pedro Ximenez and lastly 25ml of fresh espresso into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds before straining into chilled Martini glasses (20 minutes in the freezer should do it), and dust with nutmeg.
Photo: The Canadian Press Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein with FBI Director Christopher Wray, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. The Justice Department is charging two Chinese citizens with carrying out an extensive hacking campaign to steal data from U.S. companies. An indictment was unsealed Thursday against Zhu Hua and Zhang Shillong. Court papers filed in Manhattan federal court allege the hackers were able to breach the computers of more than 45 entities in 12 states.

U.S. officials on Thursday said two alleged Chinese hackers carried out an extensive campaign on behalf of Beijing's main intelligence agency to steal trade secrets and other information from government agencies and "a who's who" of major corporations in the United States and nearly a dozen other nations.

The indictment is the latest in a series of Justice Department criminal cases targeting Chinese cyberespionage and coincided with an announcement by Britain blaming China's Ministry of State Security for trade-secret pilfering affecting Western nations.

The alleged hackers, one of whom is nicknamed "Godkiller," are accused of breaching computer networks beginning as early as 2006 in a range of industries, including aviation and space, finance, biotechnology oil and gas, satellites and pharmaceuticals. Prosecutors say they also obtained the names, Social Security numbers and other personal information of more than 100,000 Navy personnel.

In a new twist reflecting corporate computing's evolution, the hackers often infiltrated cloud computing companies and other major technology providers to indirectly reach clients' valuable documents.

Prosecutors said the alleged hackers stole "hundreds of gigabytes" of data, breaching computers of more than 45 entities in 12 states including NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and Goddard Space Center. The hackers, identified as members of the group APT10, or "Stone Panda," are not in custody. Prosecutors said their names are Zhu Hua and Zhang Shillong.

U.S. law enforcement officials say the case is part of a trend of state-sponsored hackers breaking into American networks and stealing trade secrets and other confidential information. More than 90 per cent of Justice Department economic espionage cases over the past seven years involve China, said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and more than two-thirds of trade secrets cases are connected to the country.

"China's state-sponsored actors are the most active perpetrators of economic espionage," FBI Director Chris Wray said in announcing the case. "While we welcome fair competition, we cannot and will not tolerate illegal hacking, stealing or cheating."

"China's goal, simply put, is to replace the U.S. as the world's leading superpower, and they're using illegal methods to get there," Wray said. While none of the "victim companies" was named, Wray called them a "who's who of the global economy."

China on Friday said the U.S. was "fabricating facts out of thin air." A statement from Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying described the "unwarranted accusations" as a serious violation of the basic norms of international relations that was harmful to China-U.S. co-operation.

Hua accused the U.S. of hypocrisy. "It has long been an open secret that the relevant authorities of the U.S. conduct large-scale cybertheft and listen in on foreign governments, enterprises and individuals," she said.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen released a joint statement accusing China of reneging on a 2015 commitment not to seek competitive advantage through theft of trade secrets, intellectual property and confidential business information.

U.S. officials testified before Congress last week that Beijing's continued hacking has made a mockery of that 2015 commitment by President Xi Jinping following a first-of-its-kind indictment that accused Chinese hackers of stealing corporate data from brand-name U.S. companies.

"We want China to cease illegal cyber activities and honour its commitment to the international community, but the evidence suggests that China may not intend to live up to its promises," Rosenstein said.

Rob Silvers, a former Obama administration cybersecurity official, said cases like this create an important deterrent but should be supplemented by sanctions and other steps.

"It's necessary to do this kind of thing, but it's not nearly enough," he said. "I don't think Rod Rosenstein would tell you that it's game, set, match."

After a 2014 indictment against five alleged Chinese hackers, and a subsequent agreement with the U.S., Beijing at least temporarily reduced its hacking activity, Silvers said.

This case shows that "China has taken the gloves off again," he said.

Adam Segal, a cybersecurity expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, agreed that Beijing is unlikely to be swayed by sanctions alone.

The indictment filed in federal court in Manhattan describes how in recent years, as government agencies and corporations have shifted data to cloud computing providers and services including email and collaboration tools to tech service providers, the Stone Panda hackers followed, typically stealing the log-in credentials of system administrators in order to reach coveted proprietary data of clients.

Wray likened it to "breaking into and getting the keys from the maintenance department."

Britain's Foreign Office accused the Chinese elite hackers of conducting a "widespread and significant" campaign of cyberespionage against the United Kingdom and its allies and "almost certainly continues to target a range of global companies, seeking to gain access to commercial secrets."

Targeted nations named in the U.S. indictment include Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.

In recent months, the Justice Department has filed separate cases against several Chinese intelligence officials and hackers. A case filed in October marked the first time that a Chinese Ministry of State Security officer was extradited to the United States to stand trial.
An Alberta judge says three people involved in a bizarre kidnapping engaged in pseudo medical science while discussing the state of the world before they succumbed to a rare, shared but brief psychotic disorder.

Provincial court Judge Jacqueline Schaffter said the trio didn't intend to harm a neighbouring family they kidnapped last year. They just wanted to save them from the end of the world.

"It will always remain difficult for us to fully understand," Schaffter told a Leduc courtroom Thursday.

"The accused all believed on the day in question that Armageddon had arrived."

The judge agreed with a joint recommendation from lawyers and handed the offenders a one-year conditional sentence to serve in the community, with two years of probation.

As part of the sentence, the offenders are to refrain from muscle testing, also known as applied kinesiology, as well as hypnosis, bodywork therapy and other practices that involve altered levels of consciousness.

They are also to receive treatment and counselling.

The two women and one man, who cannot be identified under a publication ban, earlier pleaded guilty to unlawful confinement.

One of the women, the only one dressed at the time of the kidnapping, also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving. Her teenage daughters were also arrested but not charged.

Court heard the group, who are Jehovah's Witnesses, had gathered at a home near Leduc on Nov. 2, 2017. The mother, who was then 35, had taken her daughters there to visit her 27-year-old nephew and his 30-year-old wife.

Strange things then happened over the next few days.

The group didn't leave the house and barely ate any food as they participated in muscle testing, an alternative medical technique used to find problems in the body.

Some heard noises. Some hid from demons.

And when it was Nov. 6, they day they thought was Armageddon, they rushed off to find safety and save their neighbours.

Four people in the group were naked and didn't have time to put clothes on, said Crown prosecutor Katrina Stewart Lund.

They were also in such a rush that they drove their BMW SUV through a garage door and through a gate at the neighbour's home.

They then forced the neighbours  a man, his adult daughter and her six-week-old son  out of their house. The woman and her baby were put in the back seat of the SUV and the man was put in the trunk.

He was ordered to chant "Jehovah" ten times and the group also chanted "Jehovah" as the vehicle sped down roads and through a red light on the way to nearby Nisku, Stewart Lund said.

The man in the trunk was able to jump out when the vehicle slowed, because the trunk's latch hadn't shut properly. His daughter opened a door and also got out with her child.

A passing truck stopped to help the family and they climbed inside. But the SUV then rammed the truck from behind. The woman and her baby were thrown into the truck's dash. The SUV then went into a ditch.

The woman feared her baby was paralyzed by the impact, Stewart Lund said, but luckily no one was injured.

When RCMP arrived, the group continued chanting and refused to get out of the vehicle. They clung to each other and the SUV.

One of the teens believed the police were monsters who wanted to kill them.

Officers reported that the group displayed extreme strength. Two were pepper sprayed but seemed unaffected. The three adults were also shocked with Tasers several times. One slid under the SUV and had to be dragged out with a strap.

Court heard the behaviour was out of character for the accused, who have no criminal records.

Three independent psychological assessments also agreed with the shared psychotic disorder finding. The judge said the disorder is characterized by an onset of sudden psychotic symptoms that last only a short period of time.

Stewart Lund said the experts determined the disorder in the three offenders has been resolved or is in remission.
3D Cell Culture Market  Overview

The Global 3D Cell Culture Market Is Expected To Grow At A CAGR Of 25.50% During The Forecast Period 20182023. 3D Cell culture is a technique in which biological cells are permitted to grow or interact with their surroundings in all three dimensions. Besides, the ability of 3D cell culture to provide more physiologically relevant information and more accurate data in vivo tests has led 3D cell culture systems to become acceptable in comparison to 2D Cell culture.

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Many factors drive the market of 3D cell culture across the world such as an advanced technique in organ and tissue regeneration, provide drug toxicology screening and many more. The global 3D cell culture market has been identified as one of the fastest growing industries, owing to the varying applications of 3D cell culture in biotech and pharmaceutical industry and rising prevalence of cancer worldwide, rising approval from government bodies, and growing awareness Increasing incidence of cancer and rising demand for organs transplantation due to increasing prevalence of organ failures has majorly influenced the growth of the market.

3D Cell Culture Market  Key Players:

The key players in the global 3D cell culture market include Becton-Dickinson and Company (USA), Charles River Laboratories Inc (USA), Corning Incorporated (USA), The Electrospinning Company (UK), InSphero, AG (Switzerland), Kuraray Co Ltd (Japan), Lonza (Switzerland), Lena Biosciences Inc. (USA), Merck KGaA (Germany), Tecan Trading AG (Switzerland), ReproCELL Europe Ltd (UK), and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (USA).

Latest Industry News:

ALPCO, a leading producer of research and clinical immunoassays, has announced its partnership with InSphero, AG. This partnership aims to provide customers with a complete solution to assess beta-cell function in islet micro tissue culture models. 24 JUL 2018

Collaborating with the University of Strathclyde, Biotechnology giant AMSBIO has set up a new joint venture company called ScreenIn3D, exploiting the latest advances in microfluidics and 3D cell culture, to develop a novel microfluidic screening platform. 6 JUL 2018.

Segmentation Analysis:

The global 3D cell culture market has been segmented into the application, end user, product, technique, and lastly region. Based on application, this market has been segmented into cancer research, drug discovery, regenerative medicine, stem cell research, tissue screening & engineering, and others. Drug discovery is the process that helps the researchers to discover new candidate medications. Regenerative medicine is defined as a branch of translational research in molecular biology and tissue engineering. It deals with the process to replace, engineer or regenerate human cells, tissues or organs in order to restore or establish normal function. The process of borrowing cells from developed organs of the body and used for repairing unhealthy organs is called stem cell research. The purpose of tissue engineering is to assemble the functional constructs that heel, maintain and restore the damaged tissues or whole organs.

On the basis of end users, the global 3D cell culture market has been segmented into contract research organizations, pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, research & academic laboratories and others. Contract research organizations provide support to the biotechnology, medical device, and pharmaceutical industries in the form of research services outsourced on a contract basis.

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Based on products, the market has been segmented into consumables and instruments. Consumables include products like vials, cotton buds, cleaning materials, plastic funnels, etc. Instruments include devices that are used for surgeries and activities like removing the tumor. On the basis of technology, the market has been segmented into scaffolds based 3D cell culture and scaffold-free 3D cell culture. To develop the field of tissue engineering in order to regenerate damaged tissues, the cells from the body are combined with highly porous scaffold biomaterials that act as templates for tissue regeneration and guides the growth of new tissue. A technique based on scaffold biomaterials is called scaffolds based on 3D cell culture. Scaffold-free methods include the use of hanging drop plates, low adhesion plates, magnetic 3D bioprinting, magnetic levitation, micropatterned surfaces, and rotating bioreactors.

3D Cell Culture Market  Regional Overview

The regional segmentation of the global 3D cell culture market covers The Americas (North America & South America), Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa (MEA). With many key players based in the United States of America (USA) and due to the availability of advanced technology, North America is a bigger market than South America. In the USA, maximum organ transplant surgeries have taken place since 2016. In Europe, due to reasons same as North America, being more advanced technologically, Western Europe is a bigger market than Eastern Europe.

In the Asia Pacific region, some countries like Japan and Singapore are technologically advanced. And in countries like India and China, the technological advancement is taking place at a slow but steady pace. This is primarily due to less expenditure (compared to governments in Western countries) from governments on medical healthcare. Other countries of Asia Pacific that are strong markets for 3D cell culture include Australia and South Korea, followed by rest of Asia Pacific countries. In the MEA countries, the market is small due to lack of technological advancement, less priority from the government to healthcare and lawless environment due to events like Arab Spring. Some countries in this region do have a decent amount of technological advancement and doctors with modern education because of which, they can be suitable markets for 3D cell culture. Such countries are Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates (UAE), followed by rest of MEA region.

Major TOC of 3D Cell Culture Market Research Report  Forecast to 2023:

1 Report Prologue

2 Market Introduction

3 Research Methodology

4 Market Dynamics

5 Market Factor Analysis

6 Global 3D Cell Culture Market, By Technique

7 Global 3D Cell Culture Market, By Product

TOC CONTINUED

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Key players have adopted product development as their key strategy to cater to the changing needs of the industry. Major players that operate in this market include Abbott Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson, MicroPort Scientific Corporation, Boston Scientific Corporation, St. Jude Medical, Inc., Medtronic plc, Biotronik SE & Co. KG, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Siemens AG, and AtriCure Inc.

Catheter ablation would propel the market growth with a very high rate, as these devices are used for the treatment of atrial fibrillation when medications are not effective. Catheter ablation procedure is very low risk and minimally-invasive in nature than other surgery (such as MAZE surgery).

According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, Atrial Fibrillation Market by Device Type, By Geography  Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2014  2022 is poised to reach $8,319 million by 2022, registering a CAGR of 13.0% from 2016 to 2022. Non-surgical devices segment dominated the overall market in 2015. North America was the leading geographic segment in global atrial fibrillation devices market in 2015, and is expected to maintain its leading position throughout forecast period.

Rise in prevalence rate of atrial fibrillation in geriatric population, technological advancements in devices, improvement of healthcare infrastructure in developing countries, development of minimally invasive procedures, and increase in patient awareness propel the market growth. However, dearth of skilled professionals and unfavorable preference to pharmaceutical drugs hamper the growth of the market.

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Catheter ablation is the highest revenue contributor and is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 13.8% in the analysis period. This growth is owing to the technological advancements such as cryoFORM, which offers increased flexibility that allows easy manipulation and treatment during surgical process. In addition, increase in preference of catheter ablation for cardiac arrhythmia treatment over other devices as this is the safer and minimally invasive surgical procedures used for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.

Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region with a CAGR of 14.7% during the forecast period. Japanaccounted for the highest share of the total Asia-Pacific market in 2015; while China is poised to grow at highest CAGR during the analysis period (20162022). This growth in this region is attributed to the rise in the prevalence of cardiac arrhythmia in developing countries (such as India and China) owing to the large geriatric population.

Key findings of the Atrial Fibrillation Market

North America dominated the market of atrial fibrillation and is expected to maintain its lead throughout the forecast period, with a CAGR of 12.1%

By country, U.S. generates the highest revenue in 2015

Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing market and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 14.7%

Japan accounted for more than one-third share of the Asia-Pacific atrial fibrillation devices market in 2015

The non-surgical equipment segment dominated in 2015, occupying largest revenue share and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 12.5%

Catheter ablation (sub segment for surgical equipment) accounted for largest market share in 2015 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 13.8%

Cryoablation, a sub type of catheter ablation, is projecting the highest CAGR of 14.6% during the study period

North America accounted for the major share in the global atrial fibrillation devices market in 2015, and is expected to maintain its leading position throughout forecast period. This is attributable to the increase in prevalence of atrial fibrillation in geriatric population and high adoption of advanced technologies for the treatment of AF.

Key players have adopted product development as their key strategy to cater to the changing needs of the industry. Major players that operate in this market include Abbott Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson, MicroPort Scientific Corporation, Boston Scientific Corporation, St. Jude Medical, Inc., Medtronic plc, Biotronik SE & Co. KG, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Siemens AG, and AtriCure Inc.

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We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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Government initiatives in multiple countries in the form of healthcare programs aimed at providing vision benefits to Medicare beneficiaries further accelerates the growth of the global cataract surgery device market. Expanding insurance coverage for cataract surgery and other eye disorders has increased patient accessibility and increased demand for cataract surgery devices.

Substantial investment by medical devices manufactures ON R&D has resulted in the advancement of medical devices and sophisticated medical, surgical techniques such as laser technology and advanced technology lens which is expected to impact the market growth positively.

Expanding the scope of medical service offerings is expected to drive new revenue opportunities for the global cataract surgery device market. The rise in a number of FDA approvals for innovative therapies and devices for cataract surgery is also expected to create a supportive platform for the growth of the market over the forecast period.

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Industry Updates

In October 2018, Carl Zeiss Meditec, a multinational Meditech company and manufacturer of tools and devices for eye examinations, announced the acquisition of IanTech , a cataract surgery device maker for an undisclosed amount.

In December 2018, Ocular Therapeutix, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative therapies and eye diseases, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved its new eye device, Dextenza. The FDA approval comes after two rejections and this time has been approved almost a month ahead of the expected decision date.

Regional Analysis for Global Cataract Surgery Device Market

Geographically, the global cataract surgery device market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.

North America accounts for the largest share of 46% of the global market. Presence of a high number of visually impaired population, increased access to healthcare, high expenditure on healthcare services drive the market in North America. Also, the region tends to swiftly adopt new advanced technologies which further boosts the growth of the cataract surgery devices market in North America.

Europe is the second largest market and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% over the forecast period.

Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market for cataract surgery devices while Latin America and the Middle East & Africa markets are expected to exhibit limited growth over the forecast period.

Segments for Global Cataract Surgery Device Market

The global cataract surgery device market has been segmented on the basis of type and end user.

On the basis of type, the global cataract surgery device market has been segmented into intraocular lens (IOL), phacoemulsification equipment, ophthalmic viscoelastic device (OVD), and femtosecond laser equipment.

On the basis of end user, the global cataract surgery device market has been segmented into ophthalmology centers, hospitals, clinics, and others.

Key Players for Global Cataract Surgery Device Market

M&A activities in the global cataract surgery device market have remained steady and strong interest has been noticed on the part of financial sponsors due to positive long-term demand which has spurred the growth of the global cataract surgery device market. Allergan, Inc. (U.S.), Opcon Corporation (Japan), Alcon, Inc. ( U.S), Essilor International S.A. (France), Bausch & Lomb, Inc. (U.S.), Carl Zeiss Meditech AG (Germany), STAAR Surgical Company (U.S.), Abbott Laboratories (U.S.), and NIDEK Co., Ltd. (Japan) are the eminent players in the global cataract surgery device market.

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Some Brief Table of Contents of Report

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 Restrains

4.3 Opportunities

4.4 Challenges

4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators

4.6 Technology Trends & Assessment

Chapter 5. Market Factor Analysis

5.1 Porters Five Forces Analysis

5.1.1 Bargaining Power Of Suppliers

TOC Continued

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Children torn from their parents, refugees turned away, tear gas fired on asylum-seekers, and a president who says he's making good on promises to protect the nation's borders. In a breathless 2018, they were just a handful of headlines on immigration, one of the year's most dominant issues.

Combined with a relentless stream of administrative memos and changes in regulation and enforcement, it represented a government bombardment on virtually every type of immigration  a bold follow-up to the opening salvo of President Donald Trump's first year in office.

For those who champion Trump and believe that cracking down on immigration translates to better lives for Americans, it has been a year of fulfilment of campaign promises. For those who've watched in horror, it harkened back to other points in the country's history, when fear of new arrivals led the U.S. to refuse entry to various groups and when open discrimination of certain ethnicities prevailed.

"This is our generation's sort of existential moment," said Frank Sharry, head of pro-immigration group America's Voice. "Are we going to continue to be a nation that practices 'e pluribus unum' and welcomes people from around the world to make this country better? Or are we going to shut the door?"

Throughout 2018, the answer has largely been the latter.

Even as roundups and deportations persist in targeting those who enter the U.S. illegally, the Trump administration has pushed beyond that to redefine what legal immigration looks like, too. It has slowed down or altogether halted many seeking to come to the country for a job offer or through their relationship to a citizen, and narrowed the chances of finding a home here as a refugee or asylum seeker. Jarring visuals of children in detention centres and other enforcement actions have dissuaded some from seeking to come here at all.

"There has been this constant chip, chip, chipping away at the legal immigration system using every tool of the executive branch," said Doug Rand, who worked in the Obama administration before helping found Boundless Immigration, which helps people navigate the immigration system.

The year neared its close with the administration saying those seeking asylum would be forced to wait in Mexico, a major shift that immediately spurred questions of legality from opponents. Meantime, the possibility of a government shutdown loomed as Trump and Democrats once again butted heads over funding to build a wall along the border with Mexico.

Even without it, though, the policies he's pursued have effectively put up a virtual wall.

"That is far more effective than a border wall ever would be," said Sarah Pierce, a policy analyst with the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.

Even top-tier computer programmers, architects, engineers and other professionals with job offers in the U.S. saw their applications for H1-B visas under much more scrutiny; a means of expediting processing of those visas was ended under Trump, and bids for work authorization have been met by what employers and immigration attorneys say seem like endless requests for evidence to prove seemingly straightforward facts.

Still, the odds of those professionals eventually gaining clearance to enter the U.S. are better than for many others.

Trump's so-called "travel ban," the first iteration of which was unveiled in the president's first week in office, was upheld in June by the U.S. Supreme Court, stopping most visas for residents of mostly Muslim Libya, Iran, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, as well as North Korea and Venezuela. Though the policy allows for waivers, initial data showed few such applications were actually approved, effectively shutting the door to most from those nations.

Even as wars, persecution and famine have continued around the world, the U.S. capped refugee admissions at 45,000 for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the lowest ceiling since the State Department began tracking the figure in 1980. Far fewer were actually admitted in that time frame: about 21,000 refugees. The number is likely to fall further, with the cap for the current fiscal year set at 30,000.

Meantime, tens of thousands fleeing violence in Central America sought asylum in the U.S. this year. The Trump administration responded bynarrowingwho is eligible, declaring that neither those escaping gang violence or domestic abuse nor those who cross the border illegally qualify. Both changes have been blocked by federal courts.

Some seeking refuge in the U.S. are stuck in untenable positions.

At every turn, there were policy changes. One proposed rule would restrict visas or legal permanent residence for those receiving certain government benefits for low-income people, such as food stamps. Hundreds of immigrant enlistees in the Army were discharged or had their contracts cancelled, though some were later reinstated. Even some U.S. citizens were targeted by a "denaturalization task force" looking for naturalized Americans with past infractions.

More than any other shifts in policy, the Trump administration's move to separate apprehended migrant children from their parents shook people around the world. Though Trump eventually ended widespread use of the practice, the scars remain for those affected.

Polling finds a big majority of Americans still view the country's openness to immigrants as essential to the nation's identity. But the profound shift in government policies on the subject threatens that idea of the U.S. as a welcoming land of opportunity for all.
A number of factors such as rising prevalence of eye diseases, growing awareness, huge research funding in ophthalmology, unmet medical needs, rising competition among market players, improving regulatory framework, aging population, and increasing government assistance, are a few factors propelling the growth of the global ophthalmic drugs market.

Ophthalmic diseases are potential threats to the status of sight of the population. Various retinal diseases such as Wet AMD, Diabetic Macular Edema (DME), diabetic retinopathy, Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO), and Myopic Choroidal Neovascularization (mCNV) are growing at an alarming rate worldwide.

It is noted that the rising prevalence of eye diseases is the key factor driving the ophthalmic drugs market. According to the 2017 statistics suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO), around 253 million people are living with vision impairment, out of which 36 million are blind and nearly 217 million have moderate to severe vision impairment. It is also reported that the chronic eye disease is the main cause of vision loss, globally. Globally, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness, according to the World Health Organization, and blindness due to glaucoma is six to eight times more common in African Americans than Caucasians.

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Various other factors such as growing awareness of eye diseases, huge research funding in ophthalmology, unmet medical needs, rising competition among market players, improving regulatory framework, aging population, and increasing government assistance are continuously contributing to the growth of the global ophthalmic drugs market.

Despite these drivers, there are some issues associated with the ophthalmic drugs market. The high cost associated with a diagnosis of eye diseases, side effects of available treatment options, lack of healthcare insurance, and poor healthcare system in low and middle-income countries may hamper the growth of the market to an extent.

It is estimated that the ophthalmic drugs market is expected to grow at a CAGR 6.0% during the forecast period of 20172023.

Segmentation

The global ophthalmic drugs market is segmented on the basis of indication, drug class, type of dosage, product, and distribution channel.

On the basis of indication, the market is classified as glaucoma, retinal disorders, inflammation/infection, dry eye, allergies, uveitis, and others.

On the basis of drug class, the market is classified as antiallergy, anti-VEGF agents, anti-inflammatory, antiglaucoma, and others. The anti-inflammatory segment is further segmented into nonsteroidal drugs and steroidal drugs.

On the basis of type of dosage, the market is classified as eye drops, eye solutions, ointments, capsules and tablets, and gels.

On the basis of the product, the market is classified as prescription drugs and OTC drugs.

On the basis of the distribution channel, the market is classified as hospital pharmacies, online pharmacies, drug stores, and others.

Regional Analysis

The Americas dominates the ophthalmic drugs market owing to the presence of patient population, rising prevalence of eye diseases, well-developed technology, high healthcare expenditure, and the presence of the leading players. According to the glaucoma research foundation, in the United States, more than 120,000 are blind because of glaucoma. This accounts for 9 to 12% of all cases of blindness. It is also reported that over 3 million Americans have glaucoma, but only a few of them know they have it. It is also reported that glaucoma accounts for more than 10 million visits to physicians each year. In November 2017, Bausch & Lomb, a U.S.-based company, received the FDA approval for Vyzulta (latanoprostene bunod ophthalmic solution). The drug is designed for the reduction of intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension. In December 2017, Rhopressa (netarsudil ophthalmic solution) by Aerie Pharmaceuticals has also received FDA approval for the treatment of glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

Europe holds the second position in the ophthalmic drugs market. It is expected that the government support towards research and development expenditure, increasing competition among marketers, and amendments in reimbursement policies in healthcare are likely to drive the European market.

Asia Pacific is the fastest growing ophthalmic drugs market owing to a huge patient pool, increasing demand, and development of the healthcare technology.

The Middle East and Africa hold the lowest share of the global ophthalmic drugs market due to low development, lack of technical knowledge, and poor medical facilities.

Key Players

Some of the key players in the global ophthalmic drugs market are Actavis Generics, Allergan Plc, Bausch & Lomb Inc., Genentech, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Pfizer Inc., Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Shire Plc, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc., and others.

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Detailed Table of Contents:

1 Report Prologue

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

3 Research Methodology

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Primary Research

3.3 Secondary Research

3.4 Market Size Estimation

4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.2 Restraints

4.3 Opportunities

4.4 Challenges

4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators

4.6 Technology Trends & Assessment

Continued

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Medical Tourism Market  Scenario

Medical tourism market is gaining precedence as it can provide an inexpensive treatment opportunity in contrast to that available in the developed countries. A few countries, across the globe, are now offering world-class treatments at a cost-effective price. Getting thrust from it, the global medical tourism market is expected to burgeon with an impressive CAGR of 21.4% during the forecast period (2017-2023), reveals Market Research Future (MRFR). The report also includes other drivers such as affordable treatment options, quality service, and minimal waiting periods and a detailed segmental analysis for a predictive understanding of the medical tourism market in the coming years. Furthermore, the rise of the middle class with a substantial amount of disposable income is impacting the market prospect.

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However, communication is a barrier that, at times, can defer the profits. In addition, travel expenses can impact the decision to travel abroad for treatment which can bring down the medical tourism market growth significantly.

Regional Analysis:

Geographic analysis of the medical tourism market includes regions namely the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), and Rest-of-the-World (RoW).

The APAC market is currently holding he premier spot. The region has several emerging economies in a cluster form who are offering treatment at a much-reduced cost. At present, almost 43.7% of the entire market is under its dominion. Emerging economies have revamped their medical infrastructure and improved their technological facilities to ensure patient influx. South Korea is one such instance which has made a name for itself as a cosmetic procedure destination. It is also expecting growth by 22% during the forecast period. Among the nations here, Thailand and India are showing huge market prospect and are expected to contribute more during the same period. The Indian government is taking initiatives to launch medical visas to facilitate easy interaction.

Europe is also doing well with Eastern Europe providing significant business opportunity and treatment facilities to people from the western part. Turkey, Poland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Hungary, and Romania are now much-preferred destinations for patients from all across Europe.

In Latin America, Costa Rica is proving its mettle by providing the best dental care facilities. The regional market is thriving with the arrival of patients from North America. Furthermore, the region has an excellent rehabilitation program which is assisting the regional market in earning more from the citizens of North America.

Competitive Insights:

The competitive medical tourism market is getting all the thrust from merger, acquisition, new concept launch, collaboration, and other methods. These strategies, implemented by companies, are definite signs of market expansion.

Malaysias IHH Healthcare is planning now to contest for controlling the interest of Fortis Healthcare which would boost the market portfolio of both the organizations.

In 2018, Malaysias Khazanah Nasional Bhd bought the Prince Court Medical Centre from Petroleum Nasional Bhd, and IHH Healthcare is expected to be roped in for further assistance. The agreement is expected to boost the medical tourism sector of Malaysia.

Key players in the medical tourism market include Bumrungrad International Hospital (Thailand), CHRISTUS MUGUERZA (Mexico), Samitivej PCL (Thailand), Schon-Kliniken (Germany), Gleneagles Global Hospitals Group (India), Prince Court Medical Centre (Malaysia), Anadolu Medical Center (Turkey), Shouldice Hospital (Canada), Bangkok Hospital (Thailand), Fortis Healthcare (India), Clemenceau Medical Center (Lebanon), Asklepios Kliniken Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH (Germany), and others.

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Segmentation:

The global medical tourism market can be segmented by treatment type which includes sub-segments such as Orthopedic/Spine Treatments, Oncology/Cancer Treatments, Cosmetic Treatments, Cardiovascular/Cardiology Treatments, Dentistry Treatments, Neurology/Neurosurgery Treatment, and Fertility/IVF Treatments. Cosmetic treatments are currently dominating the medical tourism market by with the maximum market share. Face rejuvenation and breast reconstruction treatments are quite popular and are fetching in substantial revenue to help the market grow.

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Surgical equipments are used for both minor and major surgical procedures in hospitals and surgical centers and have a wide range of application in neurosurgery, ophthalmic surgery, wound closure, urology, cardiovascular surgeries, orthopedic surgery, and others. Electrosurgical devices, surgical sutures and staples, handheld instruments, electrosurgical generators, and monitoring devices are the various equipment that are used in surgeries.

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The Global Surgical Equipment Market is driven by the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, skin diseases, increasing number of surgeries in ambulatory surgical centers and hospitals, and rising geriatric population. Additionally, the growth of the medical device market, increasing number of surgical centers, and government initiatives have a synergistic effect on the market. However, the growth of the market is restrained by various factors such as high cost of surgical devices and strict regulatory policies for various regulatory authorities.

The Global Surgical Equipment Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.2% during the forecast period.

Segmentation

The Global Surgical Equipment Market is divided into product type, application, and end-user.

On the basis of product type, the market is segmented into surgical sutures and staplers, handheld instruments, electrosurgical devices, electrosurgical generators, monitoring devices, and others. Surgical sutures and staplers are further segmented into absorbable and non-absorbable sutures. Handheld instruments are sub-segmented into forceps, sutures, visual scope, and others. Electrosurgical devices are further categorized into electrosurgical instruments such as HET bipolar system, electrosurgical pencils, smoke evacuation system, electrosurgical generators, and others.

On the basis of application, the market is segmented into neurosurgery, wound closure, urology, cardiovascular surgeries, orthopedic surgery, and others.

On the basis of end-user, the market is segmented into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and others.

Regional Analysis

Americas holds the largest share of the surgical equipment market. The growth of the medical device sector, increasing emphasis on quality care, and the availability of technologically-advanced surgical devices are the major drivers for the growth of the market. North America holds the largest share, with the U.S. being the largest contributor to the growth of the market. In the U.S., the presence of key players in the medical device industry and extensive use of surgical devices drive the market. South America also exhibits tremendous growth opportunities with an increase in the demand for surgical devices. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reported that nearly 11 million and 10 million invasive and therapeutic surgeries were carried out in ambulatory and inpatient settings, respectively, in the U.S. in 2014.

Europe, Germany, the U.K., and France are the major contributors to the growth of the market. The increasing number of market players manufacturing surgical equipment, growing government support, and increase in outpatient surgeries drive the market in the European nations. Additionally, increasing healthcare spending by European nations such as the U.K. and Germany also contributes to the growth of the market.

The Asia Pacific, surgical equipment market, is driven by the huge demand for surgical devices and instruments, increasing awareness about quality care in hospitals and surgical centers, and the ever-increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases. India and Australia exhibit the fastest growth in the market owing to the availability of qualified and skilled medical professionals and growing healthcare expenditure.

In the Middle East and Africa, the market growth is attributed to the increasing availability of specialty care services in countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Africa exhibits a steady growth with the demand for primary care services in the region.

Key Players

Some of the key players in this market are Smith & Nephew (UK), B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany), Ethicon US, LLC. (US), Erbe Elektromedizin GmbH (Germany), COVIDIEN (US), CONMED Corporation (US), MEDICON (US), Integra LifeSciences Corporation (US), Synergetics USA, Inc. (US), Stryker Corporation (US), KARL STORZ & Co. (US), and KLS Martin (Germany).

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Detailed Table of Contents:

1 Report Prologue

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

3 Research Methodology

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Primary Research

3.3 Secondary Research

3.4 Market Size Estimation

4 Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.2 Restraints

4.3 Opportunities

4.4 Challenges

4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators

4.6 Technology Trends & Assessment

Continued

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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
by Tanya Gazdik , December 20, 2018

Consumer trust in autonomous vehicles appears to be stalling, along with trust in U.S. auto manufacturers' ability to bring these technologies to market.

Deloittes 2019 Global Automotive Consumer Study, which surveyed over 25,000 consumers across 20 countries, found that consumers appetite for self-driving vehicles is lagging behind the industrys pace of investment in advanced vehicle technology.

A full report of the findings will be released in early January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Several automakers have announced plans for the show, including Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, which is collaborating with Disney for an in-car project.

This is the 2019 iteration of the study, but the responses were collected in September and October of 2018. Similarly, the 2018 iteration of the study reflected responses collected in late 2017. The overall goal of the study is to answer important questions that can help companies prioritize and better position their business strategies and investments.

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A majority of U.S. consumers (56%) indicate they want significant oversight from the government for autonomous vehicles. Furthermore, the number of respondents who trust traditional automakers to bring AV technology to market continues to fall, slipping from 47% in 2018 to 39% in 2019.

Last year, more consumers were warming up to the concept of self-driving vehicles and their safety, but that has flattened out in the latest survey, says Craig Giffi, U.S. leader for automotive and industrial products, Deloitte.

The number of respondents in the U.S. who did not believe AVs will be safe decreased significantly from 2017 (74%) to (2018) (47%). But from 2018 to 2019, that percentage actually increased slightly, from 47% to 50%, showing a plateau.

The percentage of people viewing autonomous vehicles as safe has stalled in virtually every market Deloitte studied, Giffi tells Marketing Daily. Public perception is likely being shaped by the widespread awareness of accidents involving AVs, with nearly two-thirds of consumers in South Korea, the United States, India, and China agreeing that media reports of accidents involving AVs have made them more cautious of the technology.

While manufacturers are quickly moving to deliver advanced vehicle connectivity, consumers may not be ready to pay for those features, Giffi says.

In Germany, 43% of consumers said they would not pay any more for a connected vehicle, he says. A similar story plays out in the United States, where one-third of consumers would not pay more, and another 42% would only pay up to $500 more.

The study also looked at the use of ride services like Uber and Lyft. Only 12% of U.S. consumers use ride-hailing at least once a week, while the percentage of those who use it occasionally reached 46%. This is compared to 23% who used it at least once a week in 2017 and 22% who used it occasionally.

When it comes to even non-autonomous, but connected, vehicles, privacy continued to be an issue. Roughly two-thirds (63%) of U.S. consumers are concerned about biometric data being captured and shared with external parties.
by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, December 20, 2018

Before news about Cambridge Analytica became one of Facebook's biggest headaches, the company was dealing with an entirely different privacy controversy -- its own use of photos to create a database matching people's names with their faces.

In 2015, Illinois residents alleged in a class-action complaint that Facebook's faceprint database violated a state law regulating the collection and use of biometric data. That 10-year-old law -- one of the strongest privacy laws in the country -- requires companies to obtain written releases from people before collecting face geometry and other biometric data.

The battle centers on Facebook's photo-tagging function, which recognizes users' faces and suggests their names when they appear in photos uploaded by their friends. To accomplish this, the social networking service draws on its vast trove of users' photos.

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A trial judge ruled earlier this year that the Illinois residents can proceed with their lawsuit. Facebook is currently appealing that decision to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, where the company argues that the consumers shouldn't be able to move forward because they weren't injured by the alleged practices.

Facebook has drawn support from other groups, including Silicon Valley's Internet Association, which warned that a ruling against Facebook could discourage companies from developing new technologies -- including ones that allow people to unlock smartphones without a password, or assist with medical research.

But this week, a host of privacy advocates and civil liberties groups urged the 9th Circuit to side with the Illinois residents who are suing.

Without reasonable limits, biometric technologies enable corporations and law enforcement to pervasively track peoples movements and activities in public and private spaces, and risk exposing people to forms of identity theft that are particularly hard to remedy, the ACLU, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Center for Democracy & Technology and others write in a friend-of-the-court brief.

The organizations note host of different types of organizations -- retailers, churches, schools and banks -- have started using facial recognition technology and other types of biometric technology in the 10 years since Illinois lawmakers passed the landmark Biometric Information Privacy Act.

They argue that the Illinois law is the only protection against pervasive invasions of privacy through surreptitious surveillance technologies, and that people must be able to enforce that law through lawsuits.

Without the legal protections afforded by BIPA, people cannot control the dissemination of their biometric information and cannot know if information collected for one purpose is sold, traded, or used for another, the organizations write. As biometric technologies become increasingly prevalent in everyday life, the modest safeguards contemplated by the Illinois legislature more than a decade ago are even more essential to protect personal privacy.
by George Simpson , Featured Contributor, December 20, 2018

To add to the holiday merriment, it was reported that Facebook allowed Microsofts Bing search engine to see the names of virtually all Facebook users friends without consent, gave Netflix and Spotify the ability to read Facebook users private messages, and that Apple devices had access to the contact numbers and calendar entries of Facebook users who had changed their account settings to disable all sharing.

It gets worse, but that should be sufficient to make the point that Facebook has been screwing its users from the very start.

After all, Facebook is not the product. You are: you and your data. Thats how it makes its money, using the data you think you voluntarily gave up -- and now, it appears, the data you thought you were NEVER giving up -- to attract advertisers and partners that received access to your allegedly private information.

Similarly, between Chrome and Android, Google knows EVERYTHING you do online and on your phone, including the sites you visit that you would not want your parents or significant other or employers to know you visit. I'm not talking just about porn. If you search for information on, say, alcoholism, gender identity, chlamydia or building a bomb, Google sees it, records it and uses it to sell ads.

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Some are shrugging off all these privacy betrayals as just life on the internet, and that you should know by now all this happens.

But thats the easy way out. Just ignore it. Chances are it will never come back to bite you, right? With the Idiot in the White House, we have bigger things to worry about.

Those who spin the yarns about how your data could one day be used to round you up and incarcerate (or kill) everyone else like you, are the exaggerated fears of those who read too much George Orwell, right?

Not really. It has happened before -- and, given the current thinking, attitude, temperaments and actions of those we have elected to run our governments at every level -- nothing is beyond this reality. Think back to the Patriot Act, which gave the feds unprecedented permission to spy on you without your knowledge. That is exactly what Facebook and Google are doing, only on a vastly larger scale.

Think those police procedurals on TV where get me the video from that surveillance camera leads to an arrest or a shootout are the stuff of fiction? Not really. Are you pretty happy that your face is the only ticket you will need to get on a plane within a year or two?

Now take everything that Facebook, Google, Amazon, etc., your bank, your doctor and your government know about you -- and put it the hands of a hacker. How ya feelin now?

Data about you never disappears. It just gets added to. In the old days, we used to worry about PII and how to assure users that it was being protected. Now data it so personal that you no longer have any secrets that are not known by somebody else somewhere.

With the internet, we have made a deal with the devil -- and one day he will come to collect.
In a strange turn of events, business professionals are coming to Facebooks defense in response to an attack by Mat Baxter, global CEO of IPG Mediabrands Initiative.

Earlier in the week, Baxter told his LinkedIn followers -- and the brands he represents -- to ditch the embattled social giant.

Its about time we take a collective stand against the egregious behavior of Facebook, he wrote in a post. I will be advising clients to stay off the platform entirely  hopefully, when they feel the pain of lost advertising dollars things might just change.

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Baxters harsh words came in response to the latest bombshell report in The New York Times, which found that Facebook had shared far more data with business partners than users were aware, including their personal messages.

Yet, rather than back up Baxter, many within his LinkenIn network are siding with Facebook.

I disagree [Facebook] did anything wrong, wrote Michael Shareef, digital strategist, Australian ad agency YomConnect. As a consumer, if I use a feature that requires data to be accessed, then I opt into that feature I expect my data to be accessed!

Shareef was referring to the fact that Facebook users had to opt-in before having their data shared with the tech titans business partners.

Martyn Shaw, a Singapore-based marketing manager, said he didnt disagree with Baxters critique of Facebook, but suggested it would not be in his clients best interest to abandon Facebook.

At the end of the day, its not your money to hold back, regardless of feelings toward the company, said Shaw. Youre in charge of allocating it to go wherever it will generate the best returns for each clients objectives.

Warren Billington, CEO at document data firm Sypht disagreed with Shaw. Clients best interest? he asked. And what about clients protecting their most important asset  their end customers?

Emily Leiding Weight, a product marketer, Microsoft, suggested that too much has been made of Facebooks data-sharing practices. As a consumer, I am wanting this service and offering to forgo the privacy of my boring mundane messages for the added convenience of the connected features.

Some LinkenIn users who dont work in marketing accused Baxter of hypocrisy and misplaced outrage.

In all honesty, you represent drug companies, Kevin Bell, a senior loan manager and team leader, Bank of England Mortgage, blasted Baxter via LinkedIn. Very hypocritical, especially given your clients, the big ones, helped start this opiod epidemic.

The online scuffle comes at a time when Facebook is earning few friends, as the company lurches from one controversy to the next.

For example, recent reports in The New York Times and BuzzFeed revealed that Sheryl Sandberg was not as removed from Facebooks interest in billionaire financier George Soros as was previously understood.

Just this week, the NAACP called for a boycott of Facebook amid revelations that it failed to stop the spread of political misinformation among the African-American community, leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

Also this week, a host of privacy advocates and civil liberties groups re hashed a class-action complaint against Facebook involving its collection and use of biometric data.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, December 21, 2018

The Department of Justice signaled this week that it plans to ask a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that President Trump violates the First Amendment by retaliating against critics in the media.

The lawsuit -- brought by writers organization PEN America in October -- alleges that Trump targeted Amazon, CNN, NBC and individual journalists due to their critical coverage of him. The organization asked a federal judge to issue a declaratory judgment that Trump acted unconstitutionally, and an injunction prohibiting the federal government from retaliating against media organizations and journalists for their criticism of the White House.

In a letter filed Thursday with U.S. District Court Judge Lorna Schofield in New York, the DOJ says it plans to seek dismissal of the lawsuit for several reasons, including that PEN America's complaint doesn't spell out how its members have been injured by Trump's alleged actions.

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On Friday, Schofield said she won't consider the DOJ's arguments until next year, and scheduled a conference for February 12. She also said PEN America could amend its complaint by January 18, and that if the DOJ still plans to seek dismissal, it should spell out its position in a new letter by January 29.

But the letter filed Thursday offers a preview of the arguments the DOJ is likely to make next year. In that letter, the administration argues that PEN America failed to identify any information or ideas withheld from it or its members.

The government added that -- according to PEN America's complaint -- journalists have continued to report on the administration. Therefore, the DOJ contends, Pen America's members haven't been adversely affected by defendants actions.

PEN America's alleged in its initial complaint that Trump improperly threatened regulatory action in an attempt to retaliate against critics and influence news reporting. Defendants use of the power and machinery of government to punish his media critics creates an atmosphere in which journalists must work under the threat of government retaliation, the lawsuit alleged.

The complaint alleged that Trump repeatedly called for action to punish the online retailer Amazon because Jeff Bezos, its chief shareholder and CEO, owns the Washington Post, whose accurate coverage of his Administration the President finds objectionable.

Earlier this year, Trump directed the Postal Service to review shipping rates charged to Amazon and other companies. In October, the Postal Service proposed a 12% rate increase for the shipping service used by Amazon and others.

PEN America also noted that Trump threatened NBC last year, following a news report about statements Trump made regarding nuclear weapons. With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country! he tweeted.

NBC affiliates hold broadcast licenses subject to Federal Communications Commission regulation. Revocation of a federal license is a death sentence for a broadcast station, PEN America said in its complaint.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, December 21, 2018

Home furnishings and kitchenware retailer Williams-Sonoma has sued Amazon over allegations that it wrongly holds itself out as an authorized retailer of Williams-Sonoma products.

In a complaint filed this week in the Northern District of California, Williams-Sonoma alleges that Amazon created an unauthorized store on its site, and uses misleading search ads and email promotions -- to wrongly suggest it's an authorized Williams-Sonoma retailer.

People who have purchased a product are usually allowed to re-sell it on Amazon (or other platforms). But Williams-Sonoma -- which sells merchandise under its name as well as Pottery Barn, West Elm and other brands -- alleges that Amazon misleads customers into believing that there's an official relationship between Amazon and Williams-Sonoma.

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Williams-Sonoma says this confusion harms it in several ways, including that some of the products offered on Amazon can be more expensive than those available from Williams-Sonoma.

The complaint sets out a host of trademark infringement allegations, including that Amazon displays the name Williams-Sonoma in a misleading way. The company says that Amazon's pages for purported Williams-Sonoma products includes a hyperlink that takes customers to a landing page with the phrase Shop Williams-Sonoma at the top. That design and phrase indicates the Amazon shop is connected to Williams-Sonoma, the company alleges.

Williams-Sonoma alleges that Amazon's search ads and email promotions confuse consumers. One Google search for the phrase williams sonoma returned with a headline that included the phrases Williams & Sonoma at Amazon and Amazon Official Site, according to the complaint.

That ad is misleading to ordinary consumers who are likely to believe that they were purchasing goods from an 'official' online retail source, the complaint says.

Williams-Sonoma also alleges that its president, Janet Hayes, received an email from Amazon last month that advertised Williams-Sonoma Peppermint Bark to her -- at a higher price than Williams-Sonoma sets. The email offered a one-pound tin for $47.35, when the store sells the same product online for just $28.95, according to the complaint.

Williams-Sonoma alleges separately that Amazon's private label, Rivet, sells knockoffs of the furniture Williams-Sonoma sells under the West Elm brand.

Amazons Rivet brand markets and sells an assortment of products which are strikingly similar to West Elms, the lawsuit alleges.

Amazon declined to comment on the lawsuit.
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Lice are easy to confuse with dandruff, which is a very common problem. While lice are a temporary infestation, dandruff is a chronic skin condition. Every year , 6 to 12 million people in the United States get head lice. Most are children ages 3 to 12 years old. Both lice and dandruff are usually treatable at home. Distinguishing one from the other can help a person choose the right treatment.

Lice vs. dandruff Share on Pinterest Dandruff flakes from the scalp, but nits stick to the hair. Dandruff, also known as seborrheic dermatitis, is a skin condition that causes the top layer of skin to shed too quickly. This shedding produces a dry, flaky, itchy scalp. People with dandruff may also notice flakes of skin on their clothes. Yeast causes some types of dandruff that tend to be particularly itchy. Lice are parasites that live on the scalp and eat human blood. Lice can cause intense itching. Head lice do not spread diseases, but they are highly contagious. Close contact with the head or hair of a person with lice  such as from sharing hairbrushes or giving hugs  can spread the infestation. Young children often hug or touch each other, and so head lice are more common in kids than adults and families with kids. Some important differences between lice and dandruff include: Location : Lice lay eggs called nits while dandruff causes flaky skin. The two look similar, but close inspection reveals key differences. Nits stick to the hair while dandruff flakes, easily falling off of hair. While dandruff is visible on the scalp, lice lay eggs on hair, not the scalp.

: Lice lay eggs called nits while dandruff causes flaky skin. The two look similar, but close inspection reveals key differences. Nits stick to the hair while dandruff flakes, easily falling off of hair. While dandruff is visible on the scalp, lice lay eggs on hair, not the scalp. Contagion : Dandruff is not contagious, but lice spread easily from person to person. If a classmate, friend, or family member has recently had lice, lice could be the reason why a person develops an itchy scalp.

: Dandruff is not contagious, but lice spread easily from person to person. If a classmate, friend, or family member has recently had lice, lice could be the reason why a person develops an itchy scalp. Itching : Dandruff and lice both itch. Dandruff tends to itch more when the scalp is dry. People with lice may feel a crawling sensation on their scalp.

: Dandruff and lice both itch. Dandruff tends to itch more when the scalp is dry. People with lice may feel a crawling sensation on their scalp. Lymph nodes : Lice can cause bacterial infections , especially when a person scratches their scalp too hard and causes bleeding. Some people with lice notice that the lymph nodes on their neck or behind their ears feel swollen

: , especially when a person scratches their scalp too hard and causes bleeding. Some people with lice notice that the lymph nodes on their neck or behind their ears feel swollen Color: Lice are tiny, and people may need a magnifying glass to see them. If a person notices bugs or black or brown spots on the scalp or in the hair, this usually means they have lice, not dandruff.

Symptoms of dandruff Some people with dandruff develop seborrheic dermatitis on other areas of their body. When this happens, a person might notice flaking or scaly skin on the face, chest, neck, or ears. These areas may be dry, red, and painful or itchy. Most people, however, experience a mild form of dandruff only on the scalp. Symptoms of dandruff include: flaky skin that is either very oily or very dry

white or yellowish flakes on clothes

an itchy scalp

red patches on the scalp

symptoms that worsen in the winter or dry weather Some people with dandruff notice temporary hair loss, but hair loss is more typical of other conditions.

Symptoms of lice Lice are much more common among children and people in close contact with children, such as teachers, parents, daycare workers, and babysitters. Signs and symptoms of lice include: intense itching on the scalp

constantly scratching the head

red or bloody spots on the scalp from scratching

swollen lymph nodes

teardrop-shaped lice eggs on the hair

tiny black spots on the scalp or in the hair

Treatment Share on Pinterest A person should wash clothes and bed sheets at 130F or hotter if they used them 2 days prior to lice treatment. A range of insecticidal shampoos can kill lice, sometimes with just one treatment. It is also vital to comb nits out of the hair. People should follow the procedure on the shampoo packaging. Over-the-counter (OTC) lice remedies work well, but some lice are resistant to these medicines. So if the first treatment does not work, a person may want to see a doctor for an alternative prescription remedy. Lice remedies are available at pharmacies and online. Head lice cannot live for long without a host. Washing items that make it easy for lice to hop back onto a person can reduce the spread of these bugs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend: Washing clothing, bed sheets, and other items in water of 130F or hotter.

Soaking brushes and combs in 130F water for at least 510 minutes.

Vacuuming all carpets and rugs in the home.

Avoiding using insecticidal sprays or other poisons. Dandruff often responds well to OTC anti-dandruff shampoos. People can purchase these shampoos in drugstores or online. The American Academy of Dermatology recommend shampooing with an anti-dandruff shampoo twice a week unless a person is African-American. African-Americans tend to have drier hair and scalps, so they may be better off shampooing with anti-dandruff shampoo only once per week. People with light-colored hair should avoid shampoos with coal tar since this can change hair color. Some people find that their dandruff does not get better with an anti-dandruff shampoo. If symptoms do not improve, the flakes may be due to a yeast infection on the scalp, an autoimmune condition, eczema, or a severe case of dandruff. A dermatologist can help someone identify the underlying cause, as well as any triggers. Some people may need prescription anti-dandruff shampoos.

Prevention Dandruff is common and difficult to prevent. Regularly washing the hair reduces dandruff in some people, but lack of hygiene does not cause dandruff. People with dandruff can try to identify triggers, such as cold or dry air. People with particularly dry scalps sometimes get relief from sleeping with a humidifier. To prevent lice, avoid close contact with people at high risk of lice, especially very young children. Avoid sharing combs, brushes, pillows, and other items where lice may hide. If a person in the family has lice, treat them and other family members for lice.
Photo: The Canadian Press The British Columbia Legislature is reflected in the waters of Victoria harbour in the early morning in Victoria.

Staff and contractors in Victoria have been crunching the numbers on climate change costs for the coastal city and it's not looking good, the mayor says.

Lisa Helps says based on a report commissioned by the regional government in 2015, storm surges combined with a one-metre rise in sea level  which is projected by the year 2100  could result in business disruption losses of $415,557 per day.

Victoria was one of the first municipalities in British Columbia to pen a letter to oil and gas companies last year asking them to chip in to cover growing bills in proportion to their emissions.

It is joining local governments around the world in seeking some relief.

"We're actively working through our climate leadership plan to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, but in the interim there are real costs to taxpayers," Helps said in an interview.

"It's pretty fair to say 'You caused this, you need to help us mitigate the cost,' even as we all  energy companies and cities  work toward a renewable energy future."

West Coast Environmental Law, which has driven the campaign in B.C., says 16 local councils have voted to write letters to fossil fuel companies. The most recent was West Vancouver, which voted last week.

"It's been increasing in momentum," said Andrew Gage, the organization's staff lawyer.

It's not about handing the entire bill to fossil fuel producers, but seeking a reasonable contribution relative to a company's pollution, he said.

"No one is saying the individual consumer bears no responsibility, it's a question of what the relative responsibility is," he said.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers declined comment, saying that since the letters are sent directly to companies, it considers the issue "company specific." Shell and Exxon Mobil, two of the largest oil companies in the world, did not respond to requests for comment.

The campaign has largely flown under the radar until recently when the resort town of Whistler in B.C. drew the ire of Alberta for sending one of the letters to Calgary-based oilsands giant Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.

Last weekend, Alberta's economic development and trade minister, Deron Bilous, took a dig at Whistler Mayor Jack Crompton while speaking at a pro-oil rally in Grand Prairie.

"The people of Whistler need to tell the truth: that they are using Alberta gas for their cars, for their petrochemical products, and they're using our oil and it's time to smarten up," he told the rally.

Crompton apologized in a Facebook video last week.

Governments in other parts of the world are trying different tactics.

Several cities in the United States, including New York and San Francisco, have tried unsuccessfully to sue major oil companies over climate change.
Crohns disease is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation, primarily in the digestive tract. While there is no cure for Crohns, some types of chemotherapy could reduce the symptoms and cause the disease to go into remission. Share on Pinterest Amornrat Phuchom/Getty Images Doctors typically only recommend chemotherapy for Crohns disease in very specific circumstances, including when other standard treatment methods fail. There are also some safety factors to consider. It is also worth noting that only some chemotherapy drugs might work. In this article, we will look at how well chemotherapy for Crohns disease works, available types, and whether there are any side effects.

Can chemotherapy help treat Crohns disease? There is currently no cure for Crohns disease. For this reason, treatment focuses on reducing symptoms so that the person can go about their daily life. It is possible for the disease to go into remission, which is a period when the disease causes few to no symptoms. Medical treatment aims to achieve this remission and, with the help of other medicines and lifestyle changes, keep the disease in remission for as long as possible. Crohns disease is a category of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and most people with Crohns disease respond well to traditional IBD therapy methods. These include corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, and 5-aminosalicylic acid drugs. A doctor may also choose to prescribe specific medications for individual symptoms, such as an antidiarrheal drug if the person is experiencing diarrhea. However, in some cases, Crohns disease does not respond well to drugs, and symptoms may continue or get worse. When this occurs, a doctor may prescribe certain chemotherapy drugs to help treat it.

Is chemotherapy for Crohns safe? In many cases, taking chemotherapy and biologic drugs help put troublesome symptoms of Crohns disease into remission. This is important, as these symptoms can disrupt and interfere with a persons daily life. It is also important to note that ongoing inflammation in the intestines can lead to separate problems over time. Keep in mind, however, that many chemotherapy drugs do carry risks. For instance, many drugs work against the immune system. While this may help reduce Crohns symptoms, it might also increase the risk of other issues, such as infections taking hold in the body. Anyone undergoing chemotherapy for Crohns disease will want to work closely with their doctor and monitor any new symptoms and adjust treatment as necessary. If a person does not respond well to one medication, they may need to switch to a different drug.

Types of chemotherapy for Crohns There is a range of chemotherapy drug that doctors can recommend for people with Crohns disease. Each may have a varying degree of success in different people, and there are risks and side effects associated with each. Infliximab Infliximab (Remicade) is a type of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-blocker. TNF is a specific protein that helps regulate the immune cells. Part of its job includes creating inflammation. In a disease such as Crohns, where such inflammation may run wild, doctors may recommend TNF blockers to help suppress inflammation. Doctors may administer infliximab through an injection or intravenous line, and the treatment is typically ongoing. This means that the person has to visit their doctor or healthcare provider repeatedly to continue treatment. Common side effects include a headache and nausea, as well as other immune system side effects, such as unexplained rashes. Some people may have an allergic reaction to the drug. It is essential to report any symptoms to a doctor for evaluation. The doctor may want to change the dosage or have the person stop taking the drug altogether. Methotrexate Doctors usually prescribe methotrexate (Otrexup) to treat cancer. However, it also has the potential to treat immune disorders, such as IBD and rheumatoid arthritis, albeit in a much lower dosage. They will typically only prescribe methotrexate when other treatment options fail, as it has some strong effects in the body. The drug lowers cell production to reduce the activity of the condition. A side effect of this is that the bone marrow may not make as many red blood cells. People taking methotrexate may require regular checkups, including blood tests, to check for other complications. Other common side effects include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and mouth ulcers. Methotrexate also blocks folate intake in the body, so is important that people take folate or folic acid supplements. Adalimumab Adalimumab (Humira) is another TNF-blocker that may be helpful in treating Crohns disease. It is available as an injection. Adalimumab works by binding to the TNF-alpha cells, preventing them from causing inflammation. Adalimumab may reduce the bodys ability to fight off infections. So, people taking the drug may be at increased risk of developing severe or even life-threatening infections. Mercaptopurine Mercaptopurine (6-MP), marketed under the name Purinethol, is a chemotherapy drug that may help some people with Crohns disease. Doctors may recommend the medication when symptoms are in remission to help maintain that remission for as long as possible. 6-MP may also cause side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, hair loss, or an unexplained rash. Other more severe side effects are possible, however, and anyone taking the drug should report all side effects to their doctor. Cyclophosphamide Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) is another chemotherapy drug that may also be helpful in Crohns disease. As a recent study in the journal Inflammatory Intestinal Diseases notes, cyclophosphamide pulse therapy (CPT) may help put Crohns symptoms into remission when other methods fail. Side effects of CPT vary from person to person. The most common side effects are fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. Some people may also experience mild infections or sleep disturbances.

The link between Crohns and cancer As one study in the journal Annals of Gastroenterology notes, those with IBD who undergo chemotherapy are not at a higher risk for cancer. However, the condition itself may cause a slightly increased risk of certain cancers. The authors say that people with Crohns disease have an increased risk of small bowel adenocarcinoma. However, other drugs that doctors recommend for IBD, such thiopurines, can also raise a persons risk of cancer. According to a study in World Journal of Gastrointestinal Pharmacology and Therapeutics , people who use thiopurines are four to five times more likely to develop lymphoma. The use of chemotherapy medications does not seem to increase the overall cancer risk in people with IBD.
Having a pill stuck in the throat can be irritating or even dangerous, but it is important to stay calm and find a solution. The following is what to do when a pill becomes stuck in the throat. The United States National Safety Council notes that 5,051 people died from choking in 2015. For this reason, it is vital that a person knows how to stop or prevent choking. It is also worth pointing out that food is more likely to cause death from choking than pills. When a person is choking on a pill, it is usually possible to resolve the problem quickly and simply. There are also a few methods that can help reduce the chances of it happening at all. Share on Pinterest delihayat/Getty Images

When alone If a person is alone and choking on a pill, they should first dial 911. Then they should try to perform the Heimlich maneuver on themselves. To do this: Make a fist with one hand and place it on the stomach just above the belly button, grabbing the wrist with the opposite hand. Find something sturdy to bend over, such as a table, counter edge, or chair. Using the sturdy object for more force, push the fist in and up in a quick motion to force the object out of the throat. The Heimlich maneuver is a simple and effective way to remove a blockage in the throat. A 2017 study notes that giving the Heimlich maneuver to oneself is just as effective as having someone else do it.

If a person cannot breathe, cough, or cry out If a person is near someone who is still conscious but cannot breathe, there are a couple of things that person can try. The Heimlich maneuver Performing the Heimlich maneuver, or abdominal thrusts, on another person may help dislodge a stuck pill. Follow these steps: The first person should stand behind the choking person, wrap their arms around the choking persons waist, and lean them forward slightly. The helper should then should make a fist with one hand and place it just above the choking persons belly button, using their other hand to hold onto their first hand by the wrist. They should then quickly squeeze their hands in and upward slightly into the persons abdomen. Repeat this action up to five times or until the pill comes out of the choking persons mouth. Back blows People can also try using a combination of back blows and abdominal thrusts to try to dislodge a pill in someone else by doing the following: Stand directly behind the person, placing one arm across their chest. Lean them forward slightly at the waist. Take the heel of the opposite hand and give the person five sturdy hits on their back between the shoulder blades. Place one fist into the abdomen just above the belly button. Grab that wrist with the opposite hand. Quickly squeeze your hands in and up five times. Repeat these two processes until the person spits up the pill or shows other signs of breathing, such as coughing or gasping.

If a person is unconscious If the person is unconscious, call emergency medical services. It is important not to put a finger into the persons throat. If the object blocking their throat is visible and easy to remove, it may help to sweep the object from their airways gently. However, putting a finger in the persons throat may only lodge the pill deeper and make the situation more dangerous. Lay them on their back and perform chest compressions, regularly checking to see whether the object has come loose.

If a person is coughing If the person is coughing, crying, or showing other signs of breathing, there is not a complete blockage of the airways. Encourage the person to continue coughing, as this is the bodys natural way of dislodging obstructions in the throat. A person can help with some back blows if they need it. If the person can breathe but the pill is still in their throat, have them drink a few gulps of water or try to eat a small piece of food to dislodge the pill. Do not leave a pill to dissolve in the throat.

Prevention There are several preventive steps to keep a pill from getting stuck in the throat. These include: Hydration A simple prevention tip may be to drink a small amount of water before taking the pill. Keeping the throat moist will make it much less likely that the pill will catch on the throat while a person is swallowing. Some pills may seem drier than others, and some people simply seem to have issues with pills getting stuck in their throat. In these cases, it may help to drink water before taking the pill, swallow the pill with a big gulp of water, and continue drinking water after swallowing the pill. Relaxation Sometimes, the muscles in the throat may be too tight when taking the pill. It may help to relax the throat muscles by tilting the head forward while swallowing. It may also help to give the pill as little resistance to gravity as possible. This may mean sitting up or standing when taking it, as lying down may make it harder to swallow. Take the pill with something else If a person can take the pill with food, a few smooth foods may make it easier to swallow. Foods to try include: mashed potatoes

applesauce

yogurt

smoothies Chewing up a bite of food thoroughly and then adding the pill to the mouth before swallowing the entire mouthful may also help. Emptying or crushing the pill Talk to a doctor or pharmacist about the possibility of powdering the pill. Some pills may work just as well if the person grinds them into a powder or empties the capsule. Then the person can simply mix the powder with a liquid or smooth food to take it. This may not be suitable for every pill, however, and the effects of the drug may change depending on how the person takes it. Always talk to a doctor or pharmacist before doing this.

Why do pills get stuck? Lack of moisture is a common cause of a pill getting stuck in the throat. This may be especially true for pills that a person must take first thing in the morning. Some pill coatings or capsules may also be more likely to become stuck. Some people may find it harder than others to swallow pills. This includes small children and people with a sensitive gag reflex. Older people may also have trouble swallowing pills, especially larger ones. People with disorders that affect the throat, such as difficulty swallowing or painful swallowing, may also be more likely to have trouble swallowing pills.
Paronychia is a skin infection that develops around the nail. It occurs when bacteria or fungi get under the skin. Paronychia can result from biting or chewing the nails, but it is more common when working conditions require the hands to be frequently wet or exposed to chemicals. Most cases of paronychia are not serious, and there are several effective treatments. This article will discuss the causes and treatments of the infection.

What is paronychia? Share on Pinterest Paronychia is an infection that can occur around the nail. Paronychia is an infection of the skin around the nail of at least one finger or toe. It typically develops around the edges of the nail at the bottom or sides. This skin infection causes inflammation, swelling, and discomfort around the nail. Abscesses containing pus can also form. There are two types of paronychia: Acute paronychia . This develops over hours or days. The infection does not usually spread deep into the finger, and treatment can reduce symptoms relatively quickly.

. This develops over hours or days. The infection does not usually spread deep into the finger, and treatment can reduce symptoms relatively quickly. Chronic paronychia. This occurs when symptoms last for at least 6 weeks. It develops more slowly and can become more serious. Chronic paronychia often affects several digits at once. Paronychia can occur at any age and is easily treatable. In rare cases, the infection can spread to the rest of the finger or toe. If this happens, a person should see their doctor.

Symptoms Some symptoms of paronychia resemble those of different skin infections. Other symptoms directly affect the nail itself. Paronychia symptoms include: swelling, tenderness, and redness around the nail

puss-filled abscesses

hardening of the nail

deformation or damage to the nail

the nail separating from the nailbed

Causes Share on Pinterest Biting the nails or the skin around the nails can cause infection.

Image credit: Chris Craig, 2007. The infection occurs when the skin around the nail becomes damaged, allowing germs to enter. Bacteria or fungi can cause paronychia, and common culprits are Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria. Common causes of skin damage around the nail include: biting or chewing the nails

clipping the nails too short

manicures

excessive exposure of the hands to moisture, including frequently sucking the finger

ingrown nails

Treatment Treatments for paronychia will vary, depending on the severity and whether it is chronic or acute. A person with mild, acute paronychia can try soaking the affected finger or toe in warm water three to four times a day. If symptoms do not improve, seek further treatment. When a bacterial infection causes acute paronychia, a doctor may recommend an antibiotic, such as dicloxacillin or clindamycin. When a fungal infection causes chronic paronychia, a doctor will prescribe antifungal medication. These medications are topical and typically include clotrimazole or ketoconazole. Chronic paronychia may require weeks or months of treatment. It is important to keep the hands dry and clean throughout. If a persons job requires their hands to be wet or exposed to germs, they may need to take time off. A doctor may also need to drain any pus from surrounding abscesses. To do this, they will provide a local anesthetic, then open the nail fold enough to insert gauze, which will help drain the pus.

When to see a doctor People can treat paronychia at home if symptoms are mild and the infection has not spread beyond the fingernail. However, if symptoms do not improve after a few days or the infection has spread further than the nail, it is important to see a doctor. If the symptoms are severe, contact a doctor immediately.

Preventing nail infections Share on Pinterest Regularly moisturizing the hands, especially after washing, can help prevent nail infections. People can reduce their risk of developing nail infections by using the following methods: moisturizing after washing the hands

avoiding biting or chewing the nails

taking care when cutting the nails

keeping the hands and nails clean

avoiding submerging the hands in water for long periods

avoiding contact with irritants

keeping the nails short

Risk factors Some people have a higher risk of paronychia, such as: women

people with diabetes

people whose hands are frequently wet, including cleaners

people with other skin conditions, such as dermatitis

people with weakened immune systems

Diagnosis In most cases, a doctor can easily diagnose paronychia with a physical examination. They will also consider a persons medical history and look for risk factors, such as diabetes. In some cases, a doctor may require a sample of any pus that is present. They can send this to a laboratory for analysis to check whether bacteria or fungi are causing the infection.
2018 has been an interesting year in terms of a lot of things and the list of the 'most Googled' celebrities is also quite interesting.

Here are the top 7 most-searched celebrities in India:

1. Priya Prakash Varrier- She was called the 'national crush' after her wink made her viral. Men across the country fell in love with this pretty woman's beauty and she became an overnight social media celebrity.

2. Nick Jonas- The guy who stole our 'desi' girl has made it to this list after he married Priyanka Chopra. A lot of people wanted to know more about Nick because curiosity got the best of them and they wanted to literally everything about him. From him net worth, his family and other details.

3. Sapna Chaudhary- The ex ' Bigg Boss' contestant has been on the search charts because clearly this country can't get enough of her. The Haryana beauty is a huge media star and has the nation dancing to the tunes of her performances.

4. Anand Ahuja- Indians couldn't stop reading about this Delhi-based business man after he tied the knot with actress Sonam Kapoor. Interestingly, for a very long time, Anand was winning against his lady love in terms of search results.

5. Meghan Markle- The American beauty already had millions of fans across the globe courtesy her outing in 'Suits' but when she became royalty after marrying Prince Harry, Indians couldn't stop themselves from reading more about this lovely woman.

6. Anup Jalota- This year's 'Bigg Boss' has bhajan king Anup Jalota and his rumoured girl friend Jasleen Matharu, who created quite a stir with their pairing. People suddenly wanted to know more about him, including his past relationships and his previous marriage as well.

7. Priyanka Chopra- Our ' desi' girl needs no reason to be on top of a search result but here she was, yet again, ruling hearts and ruling Google because her glittering wedding took the entire world by storm.
While some parts of the country are grappling with extreme cold conditions, there's kindness being distributed in Kashmir in the most endearing way possible! A group of 30 people including activists and some students are running an organisation by the name 'Who is Husain' and they are steadfastly multiplying an initiative of distributing warm clothes in severely cold stricken regions. The movement started in Iran and went up to Turkey and China and is operating in about 57 countries around the world.

 Twitter

The initiative is also active in about 5 cities in India, Kashmir being the first city to have experienced a different kind of warmth from the city folks. The idea is to give away winter clothes to the needy but the best part here is that the effort is being executed in a very benevolent way. A wall along the Jhelum has been turned into the 'wall of kindness', where people can hang the warm clothes they don't need and anyone in need can pick up the clothes from the wall. We were awe-struck by such an attempt and we wish more initiatives like these see the light of day. The wall has an array of jerseys, sweaters, kaftans and shawls and with the temperature dropping to about minus 3.8 in the valley, there are many in need of these clothes.

My wife told me about the wall. She picked up woollens on Tuesday. I have also zeroed in on a white jacket and this should be enough to brave the chill, Muhammad Sideeq, a labourer told a popular publication.

 Indiatimes

Many have come forward from within the city to donate bags of clothes, and hang them on the wall for the others to find their way into some much needed warmth. A 46 YO man, Showkat Hussain, a government employee, had come on a bike from the outskirts of the city to especially donate a bag of warm clothes.

This is really a positive initiative. One can imagine that poor people will have not to beg door to door anymore. They can come here and take the clothing of their own choice. Such a charity work is the necessity of the hour," Hussain told a popular publication.

 Indiatimes

The organisation 'Who is Hussain' started way back in 2012 in London has been putting in a lot of effort for the needy all around the world. They started working in the valley in 2015 under the hashtag 'give', wherein they were distributing ration and basic necessities to the needy in the month of Ramadan. They hope to continue work in the summer months as well and start aid in the Jammu region too, by creating another 'wall of kindness' there.

 Twitter

We're really in need of such messiahs all over the world and we hope this initiative is carried forth in most cities of India, where work for the ones in dire straits and the destitute is carried out in abundance and much needed endearment.
Photo: The Canadian Press Boats are battered by waves at the end of the White Rock Pier that was severely damaged during Thursday's storm.

UPDATE: 11:40 a.m.

A fatality in Thursday's windstorm on Vancouver Island happened when a tree fell on a tent the woman was sheltering in.

The woman was in the tent with four other people, police say. Two men were also injured.

The tragedy happened in a wooded area near Duncan, CTV News reports.

ORIGINAL: 6:20 a.m.

One person is dead, trees toppled, power lines downed, flights delayed and ferries were cancelled as a storm system brought strong winds to B.C.'s coast and snow and rain to other parts of the province Thursday.

The death happened on Vancouver Island, where the BC Coroner's Service confirmed only that it was investigating a death in Duncan, related to a fallen tree, CTV News reports.

A person who was stranded on the White Rock pier needed to be rescued by helicopter after part of the structure collapsed in strong winds.

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria says on Twitter a helicopter crew successfully hoisted the person to safety.

Parts of southern British Columbia were hit by a powerful wind storm that left thousands of BC Hydro customers without power on Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Sunshine Coast.

BC Hydro said about 330,000 customers didn't have electricity on Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and on the Sunshine Coast late Thursday afternoon.

Uprooted trees, snapped power lines and debris forced the closure of several streets and highways along the southern coast.

Environment Canada issued a wind warning for the area saying a powerful low pressure system was sweeping into the B.C. coast, bringing winds in the range of 70 to 90 km/h with gusts up to 100 km/h.

The winds also prompted cancellations or delays at BC Ferries for sailings between Nanaimo and Horseshoe Bay, Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, Tsawwassen to Duke Point and Tsawwassen to the Southern Gulf Islands.

The BC Coroners Service said a person was killed by a falling tree in Duncan on Vancouver Island, although it is unclear if the tree fell because of the strong winds.

Rainfall warnings were posted for Howe Sound, the Fraser Valley and Fraser Canyon, with Environment Canada saying 50 millimetres could drench those regions by Friday.

Snowfall or winter storm warnings were also up for mountain passes in the Interior with Environment Canada advising of rapidly accumulating snow on sections of a number of highways including the Sea-to-Sky, Coquihalla, Highway 3 and Highway 1 between Eagle Pass and Rogers Pass.

 with files from CTV Vancouver Island
We have not seen much of a direct impact [from Section 232 on the UAE] But there is an indirect impact  the global steel market and market sentiment has been affected by the trade war, which has impacted prices. Scrap prices have fallen, so consequently billet has fallen and finished product prices are now also falling, Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi, chief executive officer at Emirates Steel said during the executive panel.In Turkey - the largest scrap importing country - Fastmarkets daily index for United States-origin HMS 1&2 (80:20) was $359.99 per tonne cfr on average over the second half of 2018 up to December 20, decreasing by 8.65% against the average index during the first six months of the year due to the weakening of the global steel market of steel products.Meanwhile, the daily index for billet exports from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)  the largest global supplier of billet  was $420 per tonne fob Black Sea on average in the second half of 2018 up to December 20, falling by 18.29% compared to the January-June average index. The price dropped on increased competition in the global market, when Turkey began exporting billet.The price in the UAE has gone up this year, but then decreased in the second half of the year, Al Remeithi added.Fastmarkets average weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in the UAE was at 2,210 dirhams ($601.60) per tonne ex-works in 2018 up to December 20, which was a 15.74% increase from the average assessment a year before.Meanwhile, in the second half of 2018, the domestic rebar market assessment in the UAE declined by 11.86% to 2,065 dirhams per tonne ex-works, compared with the first half of 2018.We have had an indirect impact from countries who used to export to the US. In addition to China, Turkey has become a potential exporter to the region due to its geographical location and the currency depreciation [in Turkey], Rayed Abdullah Al-Ajaji, chairman of the Saudi National Committee for the Steel Industry, said.In 2018, the US imported 1.04 million tonnes of steel from Turkey, according to US Department of Commerce data - including licensing data for November and December. That was a 47% decrease from 2017, when the US imported 1.98 million tonnes from Turkey.Meanwhile, Turkey continues to ship only small tonnages of steel products to Saudi Arabia, the Turkish Steel Exporters Assn reported.Turkey used to supply large tonnages of rebar and billet to Saudi Arabia in the early 2000s. Yet once the construction boom had calmed down and Saudi Arabia increased its own steel output, imports from Turkey almost faded out entirely.In 2017, finished steel product consumption in Saudi Arabia was at 11.83 million tonnes, while the UAE consumed 7.93 million tonnes, the World Steel Association said.The largest steel consumer in the Middle East is Iran, who used 19.96 million tonnes of finished steel products last year.Iran was not directly affected by Section 232, but certainly suffered as a result of the economic sanctions imposed against it by the US in early August
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Terens Quick met yesterday with Peter Katsambanis, Australian MP and Chairman of the Board of the World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Association (WHIA).

The Deputy Minister briefed Mr Katsambanis on Greek foreign policy issues, including developments regarding the Prespa Agreement. Also discussed was the legislative framework for the Word Council of Hellenes Abroad (SAE) that will be soon put to public consultation and will then be brought before Parliament.

On the issue of the Greek Diasporas right to vote, Mr Katsambanis expressed his satisfaction on the update provided to the WHIA Board by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior, Kostas Poulakis, as the competent committee will complete its legislative proposal within the first month of 2019.

Finally, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs informed the President of WHIA that a plan is being drafted for the establishment of an association similar to WHIA to bring together elected officials of Greek Diaspora serving in local government around the world. This initiative will enjoy the support of the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad, the General Director of which, Michalis Kokkinos, was present at the meeting; a similar proposal does exist today, but it is limited to Europe.
"I would also like to thank warmly the Israeli Prime Minister for his hospitality and the opportunity we had today to visit the city of Beersheba. As the Israeli Prime Minister explained to us, it is a city with an important history. Indeed, its history goes back to World War I and to a battle which took place here.

Yet, I was impressed because I saw a city which despite its location in the middle of the desert, has developed in recent years into a centre for knowledge, education, new technologies and particularly into a centre for technology and cyber security. That is, a centre in the Israeli government's attempt to broaden the concept of security and include it in the debate about the future.

Because nowadays, the threats we face are different from the old ones we knew. I was impressed as much by the level of technology, as by the depth of the research being carried out here. This has been an important opportunity for us, I believe, to derive rich experience about what direction we should give to our own intelligence services, but also to our national defence in the face of threats, which I repeat, in certain cases at least, do not come in the same conventional form.

I would therefore like to begin my speech by saying that the mere fact that we meet for the fifth time on a tripartite level signals that we have established an institution based on substantive partnership of a strategic nature, I would say. Many wonder, therefore, what the purpose of this partnership is. The answer is clear: The purpose of this partnership is to consolidate our territory as a region of peace, prosperity, cooperation and co-development, and to confront challenges, dangers, and threats jointly. The goal is not to turn against third countries, but instead to reaffirm and proclaim our wish to transform this conflict-riven and long-suffering region of the Eastern Mediterranean into a region of cooperation and co-development.

To that effect, we emphasized, once again, dialogue on regional questions. Yet we also foregrounded and took the necessary steps towards concrete partnerships in the fields of energy, research, and innovation which, I repeat, constitute the future, in cyber-security and digital policy, but also in agricultural cooperation.

Starting from the field of energy, for some time now, we have been discussing a project which, I am convinced, will breathe into the region a new stability. I am referring to the pipeline transporting natural gas, the EastMed. The EastMed is not merely an energy project. It is a project of particular geopolitical value and importance.

Our goal is to ensure the flow or the transport of energy resources from the South East Mediterranean to Europe. And to that effect, our objective is, within this partnership, to also include other countries in the future. And other countries of the region with energy resources. We do not want to exclude anyone. That said, we declare our determination to move on to a partnership which - I repeat - has as much economic and commercial value as geopolitical value. Because those among us who will work together to build this energy route, will also be paving the way for stability and peace in our region.

Our friend Benjamin said that our next meeting will take place in Knossos, near Knossos, in Crete. Knossos, for those who do not know it, is a very important city of the ancient Minoan civilization. It is an important cultural landmark and heritage, a foundational moment for the world as it were, because it is in our Mediterranean region that civilization was born and thrived, before it spread to other parts of the world.

It will indeed be very interesting to meet in Crete, next time, in the beginning of 2019, not only because Nikos and Benjamin will get a chance to visit Knossos, but in order to designate this island, which lies in the heart of the Mediterranean, as an island of cooperation and co-development, since the EastMed pipeline will be traversing it on its route from the South East Mediterranean to Europe. I want to underscore that this pipeline will become a bridge for our region. We want energy to become a bridge between peoples rather than an object of conflict.

Of course, since we were here at Beersheba, we could only talk about technology and innovation. We have, therefore, signed a memorandum of cooperation on innovation, research and transfer of know-how from Israel. Israel has succeeded in becoming a pioneer in these fields and we, of course, wish - and I want to thank personally Prime Minister Netanyahu for giving us this opportunity - this know-how to be disseminated to both Greece and Cyprus.

We also had extensive discussions during which we agreed to intensify the cooperation of our countries in digital policy in order to fortify our arsenal against cyber threats. With regard to communications and information technology, we have agreed to set up a steering committee, with the participation of competent ministers, to address the common challenges.

And I must not forget to mention Thessaloniki, since our previous meeting in Greece took place there. For Thessaloniki is a city whose past was characterised by a harmonious commingling between our peoples since a large part of its population was of Jewish origin. And from what I am told, the Israeli Minister of Communication also comes from Thessaloniki. The history of this city is linked to a significant degree with the fate of its Jewish community, and it is the European city with the largest number, in proportion to its population, of victims of the Second World War. We want, therefore, to strengthen this great heritage of ours that binds us by investing in the future. We want to build a bridge between the past and the future. That is why we intend, with the help of Israel, to set up a technological park of innovation in Thessaloniki, which will open up new opportunities for synergies between Israeli startups and Greek startups, as well as, of course, with companies located in the other Balkan countries, because our own vision is for Thessaloniki to become the economic, technological and commercial capital of the Balkans.

We also signed an agreement with Israel on the exploration and exploitation of space for peaceful purposes, which, of course, presents strategic prospects for cooperation.

And I would like to end my speech by also mentioning the other crucial questions of geopolitical and geostrategic importance regarding developments in our region, which were discussed at length, both yesterday evening at the dinner that the Israeli Prime Minister gave us and today. We talked about developments in Syria. I do not hide the fact that we are concerned by developments in Syria, which are related to both the recent US decision and the future role of third countries in the region, like Turkey and Iran. We have agreed to strengthen our cooperation in the field of security and exchange of intelligence information, not only regarding these developments but also in general.

The Israeli Prime Minister informed us of the tunnels found in northern Israel. And, of course, in this context, we have unequivocally condemned every form of terrorism, underlined the need for international cooperation to combat it, and welcomed the convening, in Athens, on 29 November 2018, of a tripartite group whose aim is to study means to prevent the funding of terrorism.

As far as the Middle East issue is concerned, for my part, I reiterated Greeces commitment to the achievement of a viable two-state solution, as did President Anastasiades a little earlier. The achievement, therefore, of a viable two-state solution that will guarantee peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians. And of course, I have stressed Greece's support for the resumption of a peace process, as soon as possible, on the basis of substantive negotiations.

We also talked about the Cyprus problem. For the need of a fair and lasting solution in the interests of the Cypriot people as a whole, which for us entails, of course, the elimination of guarantees and the withdrawal of occupation troops from Cyprus. I underlined the need to respect International Law in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean, which, of course, also means respect for Cyprus's right to exercise its sovereign rights within its Exclusive Economic Zone.

We also discussed the promotion of the EU-Israel partnership and its important prospects, naturally on the basis of international law. In general terms, therefore, I would like to draw the conclusion that we are building steadily a relationship of meaningful cooperation, based on mutual understanding and which, I repeat, is premised on our common purpose. Our partnership is not an alliance against third parties, just three countries joined together in order to reaffirm their desire for peace, cooperation, prosperity, and co-development in our region. This, evidently, manifests itself through concrete steps, steps which will bring about the development of trade, joint cultural initiatives, the strengthening of the research and innovation sectors, as well as the strengthening of cooperation in the energy sector which is of great strategic importance.

With these thoughts, I would like to thank Benjamin Netanyahu for his hospitality. I would also like to say to my dear friend President Nikos Anastasiades that it is not so positive to be a prime minister and to have responsibility for another ministerial portfolio at the same time. Do not think that this is a situation that makes us feel particularly comfortable. For my part, at least, I do not feel this way. I imagine that Benjamin is also doing it for reasons of necessity. On the other hand, one cannot deny its strange peculiarity because when we sat all three around the table, we were simultaneously two Prime Ministers, one President and three Ministers, even though we were only three individuals.

With these thoughts, I want to thank you warmly, and announce that our next meeting will be in Crete, in February 2019. Possibly also in the presence of an American official, since the USA show particular interest in our regional cooperation and especially in our energy cooperation. This means that we are proceeding with steady steps and succeeding slowly but surely in our goal to create positive news and a positive precedent for the benefit of our peoples, for the benefit of our countries, and - I would add - for the benefit of the peoples of the wider region. Since stability, security and peace are for the benefit of all peoples.

Thank you very much."
Photo: Contributed

Norwegian police said Friday that a video which allegedly shows the slaying of a Scandinavian university student in a remote part of Morocco's Atlas Mountains is likely authentic.

Norway's National Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS) has been investigating the footage circulating on social media.

"There is no concrete evidence indicating the video is not real," it said.

Four men have been detained in Morocco in the slayings of two female tourists from Denmark and Norway who were hiking in the Atlas Mountains. Authorities in Morocco consider the killings a terrorist act. The women's bodies were discovered Monday with stab wounds in their necks.

Commenting on another video in which the four suspects appear to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State group, the NCIS said that "neither Norway nor Denmark was mentioned in the video, nor was there anything specific about what action they should perform."

The victims have been identified as 24-year-old Louisa Vesterager Jespersen of Denmark and 28-year-old Maren Ueland of Norway. They lived in southern Norway, where they attended university.

Moroccan authorities said a plane carrying their caskets took off Friday from Casablanca for Denmark.

Norway's news agency NTB said Ueland's autopsy would be performed in Norway.

The NCIS said it was trying to map the women's activities before their departure for the village of Imlil, a frequent starting point for treks to Mount Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak. The women were found 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) from the village.

Morocco is generally considered safe for tourists but it has been routing out Islamic extremists for years.
Photo: Contributed

It's time to talk turkey.

Interior Health is sharing a few tips to make sure the Christmas turkey is done to perfection this holiday season.

Tip 1: Store and thaw turkey safely

There are two ways to safely thaw a frozen turkey in its wrapper. These include:

In a clean sink full of cold water, changing water every 30 minutes (minimum 1/2 hour per pound).

If the turkey cannot be completely covered by the water, rotate the bird every 30 minutes.

On a tray on the lowest shelf in your refrigerator (five hours per pound). Make sure your turkey is on a tray big enough to catch any thawing liquid.

Do not thaw turkey at room temperature because it allows harmful bacteria to grow.

Do not try to thaw a turkey in the microwave. The outside temperature will be raised but the internal core could still be frozen.

Fresh and thawed turkeys should be refrigerated for no longer than three days before cooking.

Tip 2: Clean carefully

When preparing any holiday treats or meals, be sure to wash your hands, utensils, and work surfaces before prep work begins.

Once your prep work is done, clean surfaces with hot soapy water, rinse, and then sanitize. Sanitizing can be done with a diluted bleach solution (two tablespoons of bleach per gallon of water / 18ml per 4.5L of water) that is left to sit for two minutes.

Tip 3: Avoid cross contamination

Store raw meat away from food that is ready-to-eat, including fruit and vegetables. Turkeys should be wrapped well and stored on a large tray on the lowest shelf of your fridge, or in a meat keeper, to keep juices from contaminating other food.

Ensure only clean utensils and cutting boards are used when preparing food. Use a separate cutting board and utensils to prepare raw meat.

Wash hands frequently in warm soapy water, especially after handling raw meat.

Tip 4: Cook well

For turkey, set the oven no lower than 350F (177C) and cook for approximately 20 minutes per pound.

While 20 minutes per pound is a good guide, there are a number of factors that will determine actual cooking time needed. It is always best to use a meat thermometer to measure the turkeys internal temperature to ensure its safe to eat.

All parts of the turkey, including stuffing, should be at least 165F (74C) when removed from the oven. Health Canada recommends an internal temperature of 180F (82C) at the thickest part of the meat as additional assurance. Check the temperature in several places to be sure.

Cooked food should be kept hot at 140F (60C) while waiting to be served.

Tip 5: Refrigerate

Chill food immediately after returning from the store and soon after finishing a meal. Perishable food should be placed in the refrigerator within two hours of being removed from the oven.

Health Canada recommends refrigerating leftovers for no more than two to three days. Put leftovers in the freezer to keep them longer.


Photo: Colin Dacre

A man with what his lawyer describes as an "unenviable criminal record will be released from jail today after being sentenced to time already served for the theft of a truck in Oliver.

Michael Werner, 33, was sentenced to 191 days after pleading guilty to one count of theft of a motor vehicle and three counts of possession of stolen property.

Crown prosecutor Ann Lerchs told court a truck was stolen March 15 from an under-construction home on Fairview Road in Oliver.

Police and a large contingent of the East Indian community flooded the area in search of the yellow flat-bed, which was found in an orchard off Road 5.

A witness told police he saw the truck parked at a home off Road 3, where two men were unloading several items from the vehicle.

Police visited the residence and arrested the homeowner and Werner, finding three backpacks containing stolen electronics.

Werner was originally also charged with break-and-enter and weapons charges, but those were dropped in the plea deal, with Lerchs admitting they were not viable anyways.

Defence lawyer Michael Patterson said his client is the victim of intergenerational impacts of the residential school system.

Werners mother attended residential school and as a result, he ended up in the foster care system where he was sexually abused.

Hes been in and out of prison for most of his life and was just released from a six-year federal sentence for the robbery of a Victoria jewelry store in 2012.

His record is an unenviable record that shows a long period of unbroken contact with police and the criminal justice system, Patterson said.

Werner told court he has a job lined up in the Lower Mainland as a landscaper for once he is released.

Sorry about this misunderstanding of what happened and everything is over with I have a job lined up to get my life back together and get things together slowly, Werner said. I expect to try to not do any crime, just do some counselling and move on.

The judge accepted the joint-submission. Werner had been in custody since his arrest on March 15 and will be released later today on 12 months of basic probation.
UBLY  The Ubly Knights of Columbus Council is funding the Dynamic Catholic's Christmas book giveaway program.

This inspirational book, written by best-selling Author Matthew Kelly, will be given out to all adults at the Christmas masses for Good Shepherd Parish.
Unless you live under a rock, you've probably seen a billboard or heard dozens of ads for Shen Yun Performing Arts.

But what is it? The answer is a little complicated.

Shen Yun bills itself as "the world's premier classical Chinese dance and music company." They have performances in 93 cities around the country, from Billings, Mont., to Little Rock, Ark., to Stamford, and Hartford Conn.

The dress code suggests you might want to wear a tuxedo or evening gown since you're "in for a special treat." If you buy a ticket to a show (which run from $80 to $165 in Stamford), you can expect two hours of traditional Chinese dance accompanied by a live orchestra.

The show comes to Stamford December 25-27 and to Hartford February 8-9, 2020.

In Connecticut, the show got mixed reviews on TripAdvisor when it came to the Palace Theater in Waterbury in 2017.

One reviewer described the show as: "Beautiful elegance, precise & synchronized dancing that flows like the ocean waves. Artists were skillful in perfect combination of acrobatic skills, ballet & Chinese Opera. Behind every dance unfolds a perfect story of the Chinese dynasties it's history and culture. The choreography and costumes were vibrant, colorful and balanced perfectly with each scene."

While someone else said: "The show was sooo low energy that we couldn't wait to leave. We were hoping that as the "talent show" was progressing on, that it would get better, but it didn't. The acts with the women in it, were terrible and painful to watch. I'd never see another Chinese show ever again. Not worth the 60 miles drive, nor the 130.00 a ticket."

But if you're to believe Shen Yun's own advertisements, you'll get so much more. The hyperbolic 2018 ad promises the performance will "move you to tears" and change how you see the world.

The former minister of culture of the Czech Republic is quoted in the advertisement calling it "truly a touch of heaven."

But (surprise, surprise), the ads may be overselling it a bit.

Some people who go to the show complain they didn't know what they were in for. Because nowhere in the effusive advertisements is it mentioned that Shen Yun has a political bent. Shen Yun translates to "divine rhythm," and according to the show's website, the artists who put on Shen Yun practice Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, a belief system that encompasses meditation, tai chi-type exercises, and "strict morality" (smoking, alcohol, and extramarital or same-sex sexual relations go against the teachings).

A 2017 Guardian article by Nicholas Hune-Brown describes one part of the show:

The curtain rose on a group of young students sitting in peace, meditating and reading oversized yellow Falun Gong books. The dancers performed elaborately pantomimed good deeds  helping an old woman with a cane, chasing down a woman who had dropped her purse. But when one unveiled a Falun Gong banner, suddenly a trio of men wearing black tunics emblazoned with a red hammer-and-sickle entered. The communist thugs began beating people up, clubbing and kicking innocent Falun Gong followers.

Scenes like that didn't sit well with all viewers.

The Fresno Bee's arts writer Donald Munro saw Shen Yun in 2016, and called the show "a beautiful and odd production that veers wildly between two extremes: delicate artistic excellence on one hand and a brusque, heavy-handed effort to inculcate political and spiritual viewpoints on the other."

Many people posting reviews on Yelp weren't as eloquent.

"Be warned: Religious sermon!" reads a Yelp review from someone who saw the show in Fresno. "I WALKED OUT as soon as anti-evolution statements were made on the screen. False advertising!"

"I rate this a Zero star. This show is purely CULT PROPAGANDA. Do not waste your money and time for this," said Ron F. from Pittsburg, Calif.

The Chinese government is not a fan either. The practice of Falun Gong is forbidden in China and its members are routinely persecuted. In condemning the "so-called 'Shen Yun'" performance, the embassy's website calls Falun Gong a "...cult that seriously harms the society and violates human rights, and is a cancer in the body of the modern and civilized society."

The Guardian reports "there's no evidence of the kind of coercive control that the label suggests." Besides, it's not like the Chinese government has a stellar human rights record. According to Shen Yun's website, many of the dance company's members were persecuted and tortured for practicing Falun Gong in China.

Falun Gong started as a form of exercise in 1992. Followers would gather in public spaces to do qigong, which combines slow movements and meditation. Falun Gong combined those physical practices with spirituality and Taoist moral principles. In the late 90s, as Falun Gong gained steam and millions of followers, the Chinese Communist Party may have felt threatened by its size and popularity, so it cracked down. Thousands of practitioners were imprisoned or in some cases tortured. The founder, Li Hongzhi, now lives in New York.

Multiple attempts to speak with a Shen Yun spokesperson, by phone and by email, for this story were unsuccessful.

For many disgruntled Shen Yun attendees, it's not necessarily that the show itself is bad  though to be fair, some complain it is. Most of the negative reviews were people upset they were blindsided by the political content.

According to Shen Yun's website, it's an "experience like no other." And on that note, it appears pretty much everyone agrees.

Read Alix Martichoux's latest storie.
Members of Congress called on President Donald Trump Thursday to reverse a decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria -- a move they say would be a gift to the Islamic State, Russia, Iran and the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The bipartisan group of House and Senate members, including some of Trump's most loyal backers, also charged that the withdrawal would amount to a "betrayal" of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who have driven ISIS from most of eastern Syria.

However, Trump appeared to be resolute in following through on his stunning announcement Wednesday that ISIS has been defeated and the estimated 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria are coming home.

In a series of statements via Twitter on Thursday, Trump said, "After historic victories against ISIS, it's time to bring our great young people home!"

On some points, the president's statements appeared to be contradictory. He said that ISIS had been defeated but the fight against the remnants of ISIS in Syria would now be left to Russia and Iran.

"Time for others to finally fight" against ISIS, Trump said. "Iran, Syria & many others are not happy about the U.S. leaving, despite what the Fake News says, because now they will have to fight ISIS and others, who they hate, without us."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., pointed out the contradictions in a joint news conference with Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Robert Menendez, D-N.J., during which they said they would offer a Senate resolution calling for Trump to reverse his withdrawal order.

Similar action was underway in the House, where House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called Trump's decision "dangerous."

Graham said Trump's order "literally came out of left field. None of us believes that ISIS has been defeated. The war has not yet been won."

Reed, the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee and a former Army Ranger, said, "Simply because the president says that ISIS is defeated is not reality."

Reed cited recent testimony before the committee by Marine Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, who has been nominated to become the next commander of U.S. Central Command. In a hearing, McKenzie said ISIS would make a comeback if the U.S. relieved the pressure.

And "the president just relieved the pressure," Reed said.

Menendez, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said, "Christmas came early to Russia" in Trump's withdrawal decision. "Only in the president's parallel alternate universe is ISIS defeated."

Separately, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, an Iraq war veteran, said in a statement that the U.S. mission in Syria is "to defeat ISIS, and that is yet to be accomplished."

As Congress debated the withdrawal, the apparent first signs on the ground of the U.S. leaving Syria began to emerge Thursday with reports from the region that U.S. troops were pulling back from isolated observation posts in northeastern Syria and re-supply trucks were turning around to head back into Iraq.

The reports could not be independently confirmed, but Reuters, citing an unidentified U.S. official, reported Thursday that the small State Department contingent in Syria had been told to leave within 24 hours.

Turkey's state Anadolu news agency and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group also reported protests against the withdrawal at several small U.S. bases in eastern Syria. Anadolu also reported that the U.S. withdrawal could take place within 60-100 days.

The observation posts were set up earlier this month by order of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to provide Turkey with early warning of regional threats, but they also served to protect the SDF from Turkish attack.

There was no immediate response to the reports from the Pentagon, which has referred questions on the withdrawal to the White House, only to have the White House refer questions back to the Pentagon.

NATO ally Turkey responded to Trump's withdrawal announcement by renewing pledges Thursday to attack the U.S.-backed SDF, which has been successful in driving ISIS from most of eastern Syria, once U.S. troops were out of the way.

Turkey has charged that the YPG (People's Protection Units), the main fighting force within the SDF, is allied with the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party), a group that has been labeled a terrorist organization by Turkey and the U.S. Mattis has denied the connection.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Thursday that the Turkish military is preparing "intensely for a counter-terrorism military operation" against the YPG in the flashpoint section of northeastern Syria, Manbij and in areas east of the Euphrates River.

"Whatever they dig, be it trenches or tunnels, when the time comes, they will be buried in the trenches that they dug. There should be no doubt regarding this," Akar said, according to Anadolu and the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet.

Despite Trump's announcement, France, which has about 1,000 troops in Syria partnering with U.S. service members in supporting the SDF, said its forces will remain.

"For now, of course we remain in Syria," France's European Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau said on CNews television, adding that "the fight against terrorism is not over."

Israel appeared to have been blindsided by Trump's withdrawal announcement. To Israel's advantage, U.S. troops currently maintain a small outpost at Al Tanf in Syria near the Jordanian border that serves to disrupt the flow of arms to Iran's Revolutionary Guards in Syria and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militias.

Al Tanf also serves as a buffer against Hezbollah and Syrian regime encroachments to the south. In a sign of the unease in Israel, the Jerusalem Post ran an opinion piece under the headline "How Russia Defeated America In Syria."

In televised remarks Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "We will continue to act very aggressively against Iran's efforts to entrench in Syria," a reference to periodic Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah.

"We do not intend to reduce our efforts," Netanyahu said. "We will intensify them, and I know that we do so with the full support and backing of the United States."

For now, the surprise announcement by Trump and the relative silence from the White House and the Pentagon on how the withdrawal would be implemented have left several open questions:

Will U.S. airstrikes continue in support of the SDF and to protect SDF fighters from Russia, Iran, Syria and Turkey?

Will U.S. artillery units in Iraq continue cross-border fire in support of the SDF as they have for the past several months?

Will the State Department continue with the long-range plan to help rebuild in areas taken from ISIS by the SDF at heavy cost, such as Raqqa, the former capital of the "caliphate"?

What will happen to the estimated 3,000 ISIS prisoners now held by the SDF?

And lastly, what will be the status going forward of Mattis, who has consistently backed Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve and U.S. Central Command in maintaining that the U.S. mission in Syria is far from over.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday, seemingly in protest of President Donald Trump's orders to withdraw from Syria and an "America First" policy that appears to discount the value of allies and local partnered forces fighting alongside U.S. troops.

"Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis said in his letter of resignation released by the Defense Department.

Trump made a pre-emptive announcement via Twitter late Thursday that Mattis was retiring and would officially step down from the post in February.

The announcement followed on the president's surprise move Wednesday to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, a move widely seen as a rejection of Mattis' commitment to stand by partnered forces in Syria until a lasting defeat is dealt to the Islamic State.

By late afternoon Thursday, Mattis had yet to issue the official withdrawal order to the troops. Bipartisan members of the House and Senate were rallying support for resolutions urging Trump to reverse his decision.

In his Tweet, Trump said, "General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years.

During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment."

In his resignation letter, Mattis stressed his commitment to alliances and pledges made to partnered forces, suggesting the basis for his dispute with Trump over the Syrian withdrawal.

Read Mattis' resignation letter

"One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships," Mattis said.

In the announcement, Trump made little reference to Mattis' lengthy list of contributions to the nation's defense, first as a career Marine and four-star general and then his two-year tenure as defense secretary, a period during which he revised the National Defense Strategy and strived to improve the readiness and lethality of the services.

Instead, Trump praised Mattis for backing him up in the effort to get NATO allies to spend more on defense.

"General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations," Trump said. "A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!"

In his letter, Mattis said he agreed with Trump that the U.S. military "should not be the policeman of the world," but added that alliances and partnered local forces were the key to U.S. successes in the field following the 9/11 terror attacks.

"The Defeat-ISIS coalition of 74 nations [in Syria and Iraq] is further proof," he said.

During his term, Mattis was viewed by allies as a military professional with a lifetime commitment to the nation's defense who served as a moderating influence on a sometimes impulsive president.

His influence appeared to have waned in recent months, with Trump openly discussing that Mattis might be leaving and suggesting that the secretary might secretly be a Democrat. Mattis responded that he has never been registered with a political party.

In recent weeks, Mattis was said to have favored Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein to succeed Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford as Joint Chiefs chairman, but Trump instead chose Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.

Mattis also was said to have harbored doubts about Trump's order to send more than 5,000 active-duty troops to the southern border of the U.S. to help stop the so-called "caravans" of political asylum seekers.

The breakup between the two contrasted with Trump's ebullience two years ago in announcing that Mattis would be his choice for defense secretary. Trump affectionately called him "Mad Dog," a nickname Mattis never held in the Marine Corps and apparently detests.

In his letter, Mattis said he holds beliefs that cannot be compromised. "My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign influences and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion on these issues," he wrote. "We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances."

Mattis went to the White House on Thursday to find out if those beliefs aligned with Trump's, according to U.S. officials who spoke on grounds of anonymity. He then returned to the Pentagon to pen his letter of resignation.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
Retired Army Maj. Gen. James Grazioplene will remain in jail until he goes to trial for allegedly raping and committing incest with his daughter, a Prince William County, Virginia, Circuit Court judge ruled Thursday.

Grazioplene, who lives in Gainesville, Virginia, appeared in court Thursday morning on a bond motion to set bail, which the judge denied, said Christina Shaw, deputy Prince William County Circuit Court clerk.

"His bail was denied," she told Military.com. "That won't change."

Grazioplene, who retired from the Army in 2005, was arrested Dec. 7 and has remained in jail since. A Virginia grand jury indicted him on three counts of rape and three counts of incest allegedly involving his daughter between Aug. 1, 1987, and May 31, 1988, according to the Dec. 3 indictment documents.

Grazioplene is scheduled to appear in court again Dec. 21 to set a trial date, Shaw said.

The indictments against Grazioplene do not name his daughter, but a Dec. 16 Washington Post story reported that Jennifer M. Elmore, 47, said in an interview that she first reported to the Army in 2015 that her father, Grazioplene, had sexually abused her when she was a child.

Military.com reached out to Grazioplene's lawyers, Thomas Pavlinic and John Irving, for comment on the case did not receive a reply by press time.

In 2017, the Army charged Grazioplene with violating Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice with six specifications of rape of a minor on multiple occasions between 1983 and 1989, according to The Washington Post.

The Army dismissed the case in March, however, after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces ruled that there should be a five-year statute of limitations on rape charges.

Army officials told Military.com that the service would not comment on the pending civilian legal case.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@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.
The Pentagon's latest proposal on how best to organize the Trump administration's Space Force would put the newest military branch under the Department of the Air Force, according to a new report.

Draft legislation on the Space Force calls for an undersecretary of the Air Force for the Space Force, as well as a Space Force chief of staff, according to the proposal first reported by Defense News.

"There is established a United States Space Force as an armed force within the Department of the Air Force," states the legislation language reportedly seen by the newspaper.

The proposal will move forward alongside the fiscal 2020 budget request, a Defense Department official familiar with the document confirmed to Military.com. However, the source said the proposal is still being deliberated.

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The Air Force referred questions on the subject to the DoD. A Secretary of Defense office spokesman said that defense leadership is still working on the recommendation.

"While we establish this new combatant command, we continue to develop a legislative proposal to meet President Trump's vision for a Space Force as a sixth U.S. military service," said Pentagon spokesman Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Andrews, echoing Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan this week.

On Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence announced that President Donald Trump had signed a memorandum creating a new unified, combatant command: U.S. Space Command.

Pence said the command, which will be the fourth functional combatant command and 11th combatant command overall, is the stepping stone to creating a U.S. Space Force.

"Space command and [its] combatant commander are responsible for the planning and execution of global space operations, activities and missions," Andrews said Thursday.

"The Space Force will direct how the Department of Defense organizes, trains, equips and provides space capabilities to operational commanders."

Should the new language make it up to top brass before heading to Congress, the move gives the Air Force -- the branch that considers itself the leader of the space mission -- an advantage in overseeing operations on a broader scale, much like the proposed Space Corps.

Before Trump announced intentions to build a Space Force, there were months of deliberations between the Air Force and lawmakers on whether the service should stand up a "Space Corps" in hopes of taking adversarial threats in space more seriously.

While lawmakers ultimately removed language from the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act that would have required an overhaul of the Air Force's mission in favor of a Space Corps, they still mandated a study of the idea and backed changes to management of the space cadre.

Whether the potential legislation would appease Trump is unknown. The president has spoken often about Space Force as its own military branch in line with the rest of the services.

"We are going to have the Air Force, and we are going to have the Space Force -- separate but equal," he said during a rally last summer.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Minnesota manufacturing giant 3M argues that it should be dismissed from lawsuits brought by Kent County residents whose drinking water has been contaminated with PFAS chemicals dumped into the groundwater by Wolverine World Wide.

Judge George J. Quist heard arguments Friday, Dec. 21, from attorneys representing 3M, Wolverine and the 450 local residents represented by the Varnum law firm alleging their health and property values have been harmed by the contamination.

Quist did not issue a decision after the two-hour Kent County Circuit Court hearing as to whether 3M can exit the case, although attorneys say all parties are continuing case scheduling under the assumption 3M will remain involved.

In June, Quist ruled that Wolverine could drag 3M into the case.

Michael Scodro, a former Illinois solicitor general now representing 3M, argued the company, which invented PFAS chemistry, only manufactured and sold Scotchgard, and it bears no responsibility for the method in which Wolverine disposed of it.

There is no relationship  contractual, commercial or otherwise  between 3M and the plaintiffs in this case, Scodro said. That is the lodestar inquiry and it simply cannot be satisfied on this complaint.

The complex litigation around PFAS contamination in Kent County has pitted Wolverine against not only residents suing over property and potential health impacts but also its former chemical supplier, 3M, which Wolverine just sued in federal court and says must help pay for extending Plainfield water mains to polluted neighborhoods.

On Friday, the dynamic resulted in opposing parties essentially arguing for the same outcome: Keep 3M on the hook as a liable party for the local contamination.

According to case filings, Wolverine was once a major 3M customer which bought more than half the Scotchgard sold to tanneries around the world starting in 1958, the year Wolverine debuted the Scotchgard-treated Hush Puppies shoe line.

In the 1960s and 70s, Wolverine dumped the PFAS-laden waste from its former Rockford tannery into unlined landfills and gravel pits around the Rockford and Belmont area. The chemicals were only discovered in the groundwater in April 2017.

Wolverine claims 3M hid internal knowledge about the health risks associated with PFAS exposure. Wolverine claims it didnt know its waste contained PFAS. But it says 3M knew what Scotchgard waste contained when it did its own dumping around the St. Paul suburbs  contamination that resulted in a $850 million settlement with the state of Minnesota.

Pointing at 3M attorneys, James Moskal of Warner Norcross & Judd argued that Wolverine did exactly what they did. But they knew it was bad, allegedly. We had no idea. Thats why theres nuisance liability."

Later, Varnum attorney Aaron Phelps argued theres no such thing as blanket liability for product manufacturers and substantial information from the Minnesota state case establishes that 3M hid evidence about PFAS from the public and the government.

After the hearing, Phelps said 3M is trying to re-write facts and re-argue things already decided by Judge Quist in order to lay groundwork for an appeal.

Scodro declined to comment after the hearing. Wolverine attorneys referred questions to the public relations firm, Lambert & Co.

Prior to the 3M arguments, Wolverine attorneys argued several motions to dismiss counts like battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress from among the raft of approximately 220 individual cases that Varnum has filed to date.

Quist said hed rule on those later this month.

The Varnum cases are well into the discovery phase and depositions of many key players in the Wolverine contamination have been taken this year. The cases havent been delayed by procedural hurdles as class action cases filed against Wolverine and 3M have.

The two sides are in a dispute over disclosure of communications between Varnum attorneys and members of a Rockford citizens group which originally exposed Wolverines PFAS contamination by alerting the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to the use of PFAS-laden Scotchgard and its disposal on House Street.

Wolverine also wants to see Varnum communications with journalists, arguing that the company is using the media to spread misinformation to drive up anxiety regarding PFAS in the community, said Warner Norcross & Judd attorney Janet Ramsey.

Varnum is also disputing Wolverines attempts to shield communications between Wolverine attorneys and GZA, Wolverines environmental consulting firm.

Sandy Wynn-Stelt, who lives across from Wolverines House Street dump, sat at the hearing among other Belmont residents involved in the case who have highly contaminated wells.

I just want some relief for myself and my neighbors, she said. How are we going to be made whole and who is going to be responsible for fixing this?
Healthy Michigan has gotten a federal waiver to continue through 2023, Gov. Rick Snyders office announced today.

The waiver includes approval of the states new work requirements for Healthy Michigan enrollees.

The Medicaid expansion program provides health care for about 670,000 Michigan residents age 18 to 64. The existing federal waiver was set to expire at the end of this year. The newly approved waiver will continue the program for another five years, from Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2023.

Michigan seeks federal waiver for Medicaid work requirements

The Trump administration opened the door for waivers allowing states to require Medicaid recipients to work to continue receiving the benefit. Michigan lawmakers this year passed a law requiring exactly that.

With the waiver, able-bodied Healthy Michigan Medicaid recipients will have to work at least an average of 20 hours per week, or 80 hours per month, starting in 2020. The legislation does provide exceptions for people including pregnant mothers, people with disabilities, caretakers of disabled dependents, caretakers of children under age 6 and individuals who have a medical condition that results in a work limitation.

The Healthy Michigan Plan launched April 1, 2014, to extend health care benefits to eligible residents up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. A second waiver with a focus on encouraging beneficiaries to adopt healthy behaviors was approved by the federal government in 2015.
Testing at the massive former Buick City factory site shows PFAS moving through the storm sewer system into the Flint River.

Now consultants and experts are trying to solve the mystery of its origination on the 400-acre property - and how to stem the flow.

There really isnt a discernible pattern, said Grant Trigger, cleanup manager for RACER Trust.

Testing for a range of per- and poly-fluorinated compounds started in 2018 on the former General Motors Corp. manufacturing and assembly site in northeast Flint. RACER Trust manages the property after GM gave it up, along with dozens of other sites in the US, during its bankruptcy. RACER is charged with cleaning up contamination and selling it for redevelopment.

Potential sales have been put on hold as RACER continues to define the scope of the PFAS contamination and form a plan for cleanup. So far, a number of businesses already built on portions of the site, including Lear Corp.

The latest test results received this week show that PFOS - one type of the chemical linked to cancer, endocrine and kidney issues, along with reproductive and development problems - is entering the Flint River from two sewer outflows.

One outflow showed PFOS at 50 parts per trillion (ppt), while the second reached 120-ppt. The state of Michigan requires cleanup of surface water at 12-ppt.

Earlier tests indicated PFOS in multiple groundwater locations:

The old GM wastewater treatment plant on Stewart Avenue, at 4,800 ppt.

The former pickling and enameling site just south of Leith Street, at 4,600 ppt.

A former assembly/paint area near Hamilton with 4,800 ppt.

The building 44 paint shop on Hamilton, north of the new Lear facility: 15,000 ppt.

None of the PFAS from Buick City is making its way into the municipal water system, Trigger said. The water intake is north of these outflows.

While state testing showed PFAS in the river at the time the city switched to the Flint River for its municipal water supply and initiated the lead-poisoning scandal, it came from north of the city and not from the Buick City region, officials said.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is investigating PFAS at other Flint-area sites, including Gilkey Creek and the former GM Coldwater Road facility, which RACER also is managing. Officials said they dont expect the Gilkey Creek contamination is connected to Buick City.

Trigger said the DEQ, Genesee County Health Department and city officials have been informed of the new PFAS findings.

Dean Scott, DEQs director of communications, confirmed the state agency had been updated with the results. Scott said the DEQ will continue to work with RACER to define the extent of PFAS contamination. This includes more onsite and offsite testing of the storm sewer systems and groundwater, according to Scott.

The cleanup and redevelopment of the RACER Buick City site is the ultimate goal, Scott said in a statement. This includes eliminating the discharge of PFAS into the Flint River at levels that exceed Michigan Water Quality Standards and ensuring that human health is protected both on and off the RACER site.

The additional testing will be done in January, as consultants attempt to piece together any type of pattern to the PFAS movement.

Weve asked a lead consultant to break it down into smaller pieces, Trigger said of the 1.5 mile property, and do a more detailed review of each piece.

RACER officials and their consultants will meet with the DEQ in January to map out next steps, he added.

The Environmental Protection Agency also has been monitoring clean up activity on the site since 2000.

PFAS is really a major challenge in many ways, Trigger said. We know that people are very concerned about it  but the ability of the scientific community to evaluate it and figure out what to do hasnt caught up to it.

Thats true even as the state of Michigan closes out a year marked by aggressive searches for PFAS - notably PFOS and PFOA, another widespread compound - in water supplies, wastewater plants, surface water, school water supplies, wells and fish. The city of Parchments water system was shut down after high results were found, and filters have been distributed in multiple communities dealing with PFAS plumes, including Grayling, Oscoda and northern Kent County.

However, the scope of the contamination in Michigan remains unknown. An MLive investigation showed that 17 communities are dealing with high levels of PFAS moving from dozens of active businesses through wastewater plants into surface water. And active contamination sites are now being tested for PFAS, with results still coming in. One recent example is the former Michner Plating in Jackson.

The Buick City property was used for automotive production dating back to the late 1800s, then it became a Buick Motor Company factory in 1903. General Motors Corp. operated factories there for decades until it ceased all operations there in 2010.

RACER held a pair of public meetings in November to discuss earlier PFAS findings. Trigger said the community conversations will continue. RACER recently launched a website dedicated to tracking the PFAS efforts on the property.
LANSING, MI  The Senate on Thursday unveiled a plan to get more money into environmental cleanups and roads through a tax shift that undoes what would otherwise be a funding increase for schools.

The state is expected to get $203 million in new tax revenue from a newly-authorized collection of online sales and use taxes.

Of that, $20 million is constitutionally dedicated to revenue sharing and $141 million is constitutionally dedicated to the School Aid Fund. The legislature isnt touching the revenue sharing dollars. The required $141 million will go into the School Aid Fund -- as is constitutionally required -- but the legislature will take an equivalent amount out of the fund through a back door.

Theyre doing that through House Bill 4991, which will back down the income tax dedication to the School Aid Fund. It passed 26-12 on Thursday.

The School Aid Fund is held harmless, meaning schools wont get the money they would have been in line for from the increased online sales tax collection but wont lose money, either. They will stay at their current funding level.

The money that would otherwise have gone to schools is being spent in two ways: $69 million will go toward the Renew Michigan Fund for toxic site cleanups (this essentially replaces Gov. Rick Snyders tipping fee idea) and $114 million will go toward roads.

The net impact is neutral to schools, said Amber McCann, spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, R-Grand Haven.

But education groups immediately raised concerns about the plan.

There are a lot of bad ideas generated during any lame duck session, but paying for road repairs out of money intended for our classrooms may be one of the worst Ive heard, said Tri-County Alliance for Public Education Vice-President and Superintendent of Woodhaven-Brownstown Schools Mark Greathead.

The bill is the policy companion to an upcoming supplemental appropriation, in which the legislature is expected to send excess revenue toward a number of priorities. The actual language of that supplemental has not yet been introduced, and its not clear how big the supplemental will be.
A judge ruled on Thursday, Dec. 20 that a 17-year-old girl accused of fatally stabbing a classmate at Warren Fitzgerald High School has been found competent to stand trial.

Tanya Lewis, 17, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder, and is next due in court for a Feb. 15, 2019 hearing to determine if the case goes to trial. The Associated Press reports that Lewis underwent a competency exam to see if she was capable of understanding the murder charge and assisting her lawyer.

The teen is accused of stabbing fellow classmate 16-year-old Danyna Gibson in a classroom at the high school in the Detroit area back on Sept. 12 of this year.

Investigators have said that both were honor roll students and had been friends prior to the attack. Lewis is alleged to have, without warning, approached Gibson and stabbed her twice in the chest in front of about 20 students and a teacher.

It was reported in a previous court hearing that Gibson tried to run, but that Lewis stabbed the 16-year-old in the back and then delivered a hammer-fist punch stab to the victims back as she lay on the floor.

Witnesses at the scene said Lewis was screaming Im going to kill her, and that she was smiling and laughing as she chased Gibson.

This was over something as simple as the victim being friends with a boy, and were not talking about relationships or anything like it, Macomb County Prosecutor Eric B. Smith said of the case back in September.

This is the kind of high school stuff that every one of us has been through ... and the fact that it ended up this way is astounding to me ... You know, our victim wasnt hanging out in the streets ... She was a great kid doing everything you want from your daughter.
ANN ARBOR, MI -- Young, vulnerable and living apart from her family for the first time in Omaha, Nebraska, 16-year-old Maureen OBoyle began having sex with her violin teacher. She thought she might be in love.

Now 56, OBoyle didnt allow the inappropriate relationship with a married man 10 years her senior to halt her dream of becoming a professional violinist  she is one today -- but acknowledged in a recent interview with MLive.com that the experience has colored her relationships with men ever since.

That music teacher, whom she first began taking lessons from at the behest of her father in 1977, was University of Michigan violin professor Stephen Shipps, OBoyle said in a statement she provided to the UM Title IX office.

Shipps, whose career led him to Ann Arbor in 1989, where hes worked ever since, went on a paid leave earlier this month, according to UM spokeswoman Kim Broekhuizen.

Days later, the universitys student-run Michigan Daily published an article, outlining several allegations of misconduct against Shipps made by students he taught in the 1970s and 1980s in Nebraska and later, in North Carolina. Most of the women asked to remain anonymous, but OBoyle went on the record with the Daily, MLive and other media.

OBoyle said the day after the Michigan Daily story was published, she was contacted by the UM Title IX office, which investigates allegations of sexual misconduct on campus.

According to OBoyle, the university requested a written account of her affair with Shipps, which she said occurred between 1978 and 1979.

The university, in accordance with it policy, will not confirm nor deny whether an investigation is underway, Broekhuizen said.

Shipps, in a Dec. 12 email to students, announced he was placed on paid leave and plans to retire in May, the Michigan Daily reports.

MLive requested comment from Ann Arbor-based David Nacht, whom the Michigan Daily identifies as Shipps attorney, and is awaiting a response.

OBoyle said she provided this statement the university:

At 15, OBoyles lifes passion was violin. She was good, practiced diligently and took private lessons.

OBoyle remembered settling on Shipps, who was then concertmaster at the Omaha Symphony, after leaving her prior violin teacher, a strict man who only seemed happy when the lesson left OBoyle in tears.

I liked him as a teacher, OBoyle said of Shipps. And my dad just thought he was terrific.

OBoyles father, who has since died, drove his daughter nearly 60 miles from their home in Lincoln, Nebraska, to Omaha for lessons with Shipps in his basement that was completely isolated from the rest of the house, OBoyle wrote in her account for UM.

The following year, after receiving a music scholarship to the University of Nebraska-Omaha, OBoyle left high school early and moved out of her family home, she said

Her plan was to attend classes, take lessons from Shipps and earn money playing in the Omaha Symphony Orchestra, but those plans fell apart when OBoyle lost her scholarship due to scheduling conflicts.

I was not a very functional person, OBoyle said. And he was sort of the only person there, and I had a crush on him.

Cash-strapped and no longer able to afford private lessons, OBoyle said Shipps offered up a deal: If OBoyle occasionally babysat his infant daughter, hed offer lessons free of charge.

Shipps invited her and other members of the orchestra over for a small party in Shipps basement one night in 1978.

I was the first to arrive at Steves house that night, and as the others arrived Steve poured me a strong screwdriver, OBoyle said in her written account of their first sexual experience. Id never had one before, or any significant amount of alcohol.

OBoyle recalled smoking marijuana, drinking more alcohol and feeling completely wasted as the party guests gradually left, until it was just OBoyle and Shipps.

Steve had sex with me on that couch, where I always unpacked my violin for a lesson, OBoyle wrote. So, thats how I lost my virginity . I do vaguely remember that moment, though not much else after the first couple of drinks that night.

 I remember knowing what was happening, seeing and feeling my body from afar, with the feeling that my life was already horribly off course and there was now no repairing it.

After that, OBoyle said she visited the Shipps' home regularly to babysit, take lessons or have sex.

I didnt know if he was going to give me a violin lesson"or initiate sex, OBoyle told MLive. It was just sort of a disaster  I felt terrible about the whole thing. He was married at the time.

In Michigan, the age of consent is 18 if the adult is a person in a position of authority, such as a teacher or police officer. The age of consent in Nebraska, at the time, was 16.

To compound her problems, OBoyle said she later dated another man from the orchestra. But when she decided to break it off, he wouldnt take no for an answer.

OBoyle said on a few occasions when she wouldnt allow him into her room, her bandmate pushed in the window air conditioner and entered.

On one of those occasions, she was raped, she said.

But because Id been involved with him before, and because  as sick and stupid as it sounds now  I was afraid Steve would find out that Id been with someone else, I never reported it.

You slept with him consensually a month ago, so get out of here, you slut, OBoyle said she imagined police telling her had she tried.

In 1979, OBoyle, depressed after being raped, in a rut musically and interested in attending another school, returned home to Lincoln. According to the Michigan Daily, Shipps then accepted a job at the North Carolina School of Arts in 1980, where he taught until accepting a position at UM.

Nearly 40 years later, OBoyle, a violin instructor at the University of Tulsa and the mother of two adult sons, has a more critical perception of her relationship with Shipps as a teen.

I want to prevent this man from continuing to have contact with young women, she said. To imagine doing something like that to a student really shaped my teaching philosophy 

Its really, really important to me that  the student have a good relationship with the teacher, and by good relationship I dont mean having sex on the couch.

While OBoyle said, ideally, shed like to put the entire experience behind her, shes willing to support the younger women impacted by Shipps, because I can and its hard, she said.

While OBoyle hopes Shipp never teaches again, she concedes he was a very good teacher.

Just like Harvey Weinstein  sorry, but he made some great movies -- what can you say? Steve was a great violin teacher, OBoyle said. But it needs to be out there, because Im nothing special.

This happens a lot. Not just in music.
BARAGA COUNTY, MI - The FBI is assisting tribal police in a death investigation on an Indian reservation in the Upper Peninsula after a womans frozen body was reportedly found outside a home.

Lisa Kinnunen, 48, died Saturday. According to WLUC, her body was found outside her boyfriends home on the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Reservation.

No cause of death has been released. Its unclear how Kinnunen came to be outside the home. Another media outlet has reported that Kinnunen and others were inside the home the previous day, and she was found outside by others the next morning.

Michigan State Police at the Calumet post assisted in the investigation. The FBI has said tribal police are the lead investigators in whats being described as an unwitnessed death, according to the news station.

A short obituary for Kinnunen says a memorial service will be held in the spring.
Dr. Eden Wells was hired to a new, protected state government job that will pay her $179,000 annually just weeks after a civil service official pledged to do what we can on our end to find a new position for her.

Documents obtained by MLive-The Flint Journal through the Freedom of Information Act show Wells, the states chief medical executive, also forwarded information about her current appointment, which expires at the end of the year, to others at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services -- officials who proceeded to create a new advisory physician position and hired her for it.

Wells was the only candidate to apply for the advisory physician position, which was posted internally for less than one week in November, but DHHS officials have denied she was given preferential treatment or that the job was created for her.

A DHHS spokeswoman said in an email to The Journal that the department was interested to see whether Dr. Wells might be eligible for the position and collected information about her job as chief medical executive to compare it to the new advisory physician position to see if the salaries of an advising physician were comparable to Dr. Wells salary.

Im not aware of anyone encouraging Dr. Wells to apply, spokeswoman Angela Minicuci said in an email to The Journal. She may have been aware of the position being created to avoid duplication of the CME (chief medical executive) duties.

Records obtained by The Journal through FOIA show Wells forwarded her current job description to Karen MacMaster, a top official at DHHS, in a Sept. 24 email, about six weeks before she was hired to the new position, which provides union and civil service job protections she has not had as an at-will state employee and member of Gov. Rick Snyders cabinet.

Emails and other documents show the Dec. 2 creation of the advisory physician position came after DHHS and the Michigan Civil Service Commission made its creation an urgent priority.

Cheryl Rockefeller, one of the DHHS employees involved in the job creation process, wrote in a Nov. 1 email that McMaster, acting senior deputy director of the Population Health Administration at DHHS, would like to get this requisition posted next Monday morning, November 5, which means I need to get the approvals pushed through this week, which doesnt leave a lot of time.

Another DHHS employee involved in the process of creating the position responded in an email that same day that she could not post the position that quickly but would get it posted as quickly as I possibly can.

A day earlier in an email to others at DHHS, MacMaster called the job posting an urgent request.

The push to create the new job occurred just weeks before Genesee District Judge William Crawford bound Wells over to stand trial on charges of involuntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice and lying to a peace officer. The charges are related to Wells' response to outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease in Genesee County during the Flint water crisis.

Wells has denied any criminal wrongdoing, and like her boss -- DHHS Director Nick Lyon -- has been left on the job by Snyder as each has fought through lengthy preliminary examinations.

The Journal reported earlier this month that Wells used Lyon, who has also been bound over on Flint water criminal charges including involuntary manslaughter, as her first reference in obtaining the new job.

On the day The Journal report was published, MacMaster wrote an email to Michael Derose, a civil service official involved in creating Wells' new position, asking, It is not illegal to hire someone bound over for trial is it?

I realize the position was filled prior to that (bindover) decision but want to assure I did not do anything the jeopardizes the administration.

Derose responded Dec. 11, No, Im not aware if any laws it would violate. If an employee is convicted, we would take action accordingly. To my knowledge, this appointment does not violate any laws, civil service rules or regulations, etc.

In a Sept. 20 email to MacMaster, Derose said he would do what we can on our end to get her into whatever position is most appropriate organizationally.

Minicuci has said that DHHS determined there was a need for an advisory physician to the Population Health Administration, as we have with other administrations within the department.

In her new job, Wells will advise DHHS on public health issues such as HIV, Hepatitis C, and environmental health, the spokeswoman has said.

No appearance dates for Wells have been set in Genesee Circuit Court since her preliminary examination ended with Crawford concluding there was probable cause the crimes she is accused of occurred and probable cause to believe she committed them.

Attorneys for Wells have said they intend to ask Judge Joseph Farah to quash, or overrule, the bindover in order to stop a jury trial.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Federal agents raided a Grand Rapids technology organization and removed boxes from the Leonard Street NW building Friday, Dec. 21.

A federal search warrant was executed by police with Homeland Security Investigations at The National Science Institute, formerly known as The Geek Group, at Leonard Street NW and Widdicomb Avenue. Internal Revenue Service agents also were at the scene.

Agents were at the building from about 10 a.m to 3 p.m.

They referred questions to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Grand Rapids, although authorities there were working to learn more about the search warrant.

The non-profit organization, on its Facebook page, says it "seeks to provide opportunity for all people through programs designed to foster lifelong education, vocational access, and creativity in technology.

A representative from Warner Norcross & Judd, a well-known Grand Rapids law firm, greeted media after the agents left the scene and said the company had no comment.

The National Science Institutes Facebook page contained a message Friday afternoon, saying it would be closed the remainder of the day.
HUDSONVILLE, MI With new neighborhoods being built or planned in its school communities, the Hudsonville School District is preparing for more growth in student enrollment.

The district of now nearly 7,000 students plans to begin a conversation with its families in January about which construction options theyd support in a school improvement bond to accommodate future growth.

The nice thing about our growth is that it has been very consistent, steady growth that has allowed us plan, said new Superintendent Douglas VanderJagt.

We have been grown roughly 125 kids a year for the last eight years. Our biggest challenge is on the north end of the district, where our buildings are getting pretty full.

For example, there are approximately 1,900 students on the high school campus  between the freshman and 10-12 buildings.

The district has eight elementary schools and Alward, Bauer and Georgetown Township schools are the ones on the north end filling up, along with Baldwin Middle School. Baldwin, one of two district middle schools, is approaching 1,000 students.

To provide some context, K-12 school enrollment declined 11 percent statewide between the 2007-08 and 2017-18 school years.

Most Michigan school districts arent growing -- the result of a declining birth rate, growth of charter schools and increasing popularity of Schools of Choice, which allows students to enroll in a school outside their home district.

But since fall 2007, Hudsonvilles enrollment is up about 23 percent. Thats when the district had 5,420 students, according to state data.

The city, Georgetown and Jamestown townships have been hot zip codes, given their proximity to Grand Rapids  15 to 20 minutes. Buyers also benefit from lower taxes and typically can get a bigger bang for their buck in the area.

And with a reputation for high student achievement, many families consider Hudsonville schools a destination district.

VanderJagt met in October with the township leaders and city planning & zoning director about what development is on the horizon. He said they have a good relationship and have regular conversations about growth.

Jamestown Township Supervisor Ken Bergwerff said township board has been very intentional about steady and controlled growth. He said the board approved 204 housing units this year, including single family homes, condos, and apartments, down from 245 in 2018.

Jamestown is a very attractive place people to want to come and part of the reason for that is Hudsonville School District, he said. It is a very high-quality school district with a great reputation and not just for the academics.

Jamestown is one of the 10 fastest growing communities in the state, according to the most recent Census data and Ottawa County continues to be among the fastest growing counties.

Doing nothing is not an option. We have to do something, said VanderJagt, about the need to plan for future growth at least 12 to 16 years out.

"The growth is not just facilities, brick and mortar, but its support systems - counseling, administrative, additional transportation, more food service, and secretarial support - it is all of the levels.''

VanderJagt said growing is not cheap because there are so many layers.

In Michigan, student population means more per-pupil funding but VanderJagt said current state aid is inadequate as studies have shown.

He said the $7,871 per-student the district receives is well below the $9,590 the Finance Research Collaborative found to be the base cost of educating students in Michigan.

In a letter to parents participating in upcoming focus groups, he wrote Our district spans over 80 square miles and with new home construction occurring throughout the district, growth is projected to continue.

Builder Bob Deppe is developing a 59-unit subdivision just across from the high school.

The 40 to 50 parents in the focus groups will explore current building capacities, future expansion, and ideas to help our students as the districts grows.

We want to maintain our small feel for a large district as we slowly we expand district, VanderJagt said. I cant tell you how awesome it is to live in a community thats so supportive of the schools, but we need their help on how to move forward.

The district is looking at a handful of options for a bond potentially in November 2019 or later including:

Connect the two buildings on the high school campus to include additional classroom and other space.

Add on to Freshman campus or add on to the main high school campus

Build a new, second high school

Build a new elementary school

Building a new fifth and sixth-grade intermediate school

"They all have pluses and minuses that we have to discuss with our community,'' VanderJagt said.

For example, he said if you add a building, you have to re-district and some people dont like redistricting.

VanderJagt said they would not need to ask voters to increase the tax rate because the projects would be phased in over time the proposal would result in a continuation of the districts current debt millage rate.

In 2011, to accommodate growth, the community passed an $82 million bond that included funding for the Freshman Campus, building South Elementary and the Early Childhood Center. A 2015 bond renovated and remodeled several schools to help support growth.

In addition to multiple focus group discussions, the district will be surveying residents about their thoughts about addressing future growth.

Vanderjagt said there are still areas in the northwest and southern portions of the district that are ripe for development.

Academically, the district has a 94.5 percent graduation rate. The average SAT score is 1,075.

Seventy-five percent of its students were proficient in English Language Arts at the end of third grade. In 2019-20, the state will hold back third-graders who are not proficient. The average score for all grades on the 2018 state standardized test, the M-STEP, in reading test was 72 percent and 63 percent for math.
UPDATE: A man was struck and killed on U.S. 131, police say.

ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI  Sheriffs deputies have shut down U.S. 131 while investigating an incident on the expressway.

Police are searching a wide area after what police called a suspected accident.

Police are on the scene and expected to provide an update shortly, Undersheriff Mike Larsen said.

Northbound traffic is being routed onto the Wayland exit, police said. The highway is expected to be closed for about two hours, Michigan Department of Transportation said.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  A 15-year-old C.A. Frost Environmental Science Academy student was arrested for allegedly making a false threat of terrorism to the school Wednesday, Dec. 19, according Grand Rapids Police Sgt. Cathy Williams.

Williams said the case was forwarded to the Kent County Prosecutors Office Thursday, Dec. 20, to decide whether to file formal charges against the student in the Grand Rapids School District.

She said around 4:30ish Wednesday police were called to the academys middle and high school building, located at 1417 Covell Ave. NW, regarding a social media threat to shoot students.

Through police department resources, Williams said they were able to quickly track down the student who posted the message and speak with him and his mother Wednesday evening.

This is not a joke, she said, not revealing the specific message. We take these threats very seriously.

She said the threat message was not a public post but privately shared by the teen with a few people but it was later shared, re-posted, and screen shots made. She said concerned students alerted the district.

Everything you put online with an electronic device is public and permanent, Williams said.

She said as a precautionary measure and to reassure parents the school was safe the department did have officers present at the school Thursday.

C.A. Frost principals Brad Lundvick and Karla Finn co-authored a letter Thursday to parents updating them on the threat situation.

School Safety is and always will be a top priority. Please use this as an opportunity to remind your student that if they have any information regarding weapons or acts of violence at school to contact an adult immediately for assistance, according to the letter.

Also, discuss with your child the importance of telling an adult right away if ever they feel threatened at school or in the community.
HOLLAND, MI -- A West Michigan manufacturer specializing in basement wall repair products is a top donor of nationwide crowdfunding efforts to build the Trump Wall.

The $12,000 donation from Holland-based Fortress Stabilization Systems is the second-highest donation as of early Friday afternoon, Dec. 21. The highest is a $50,000 anonymous donation.

The companys owner, Ed Wheatley, said he made the donation to support President Donald Trumps efforts to keep the country safe.

"I believe in having a safe country, Wheatley said. I have grandchildren that Im worried about, and I think its important to keep the country safe. We need to know who is coming in.

Wheatley added that its important the wall have a figurative door so that people can immigrate legally and orderly -- the way all other immigrants came to America," he said, citing Ellis Island.

More than $12 million has been raised since the GoFundMe campaign began Sunday, Dec. 16. The campaign to secure funding for President Donald Trumps proposed border wall has a $1 billion goal and promises a refund if efforts fall short of that.

Wheatleys company at 184 W. 64th St. has been in business for 20 years manufacturing carbon fiber systems to reinforce damaged home foundations.

Sometime last year the company adopted a tagline of Make your wall great again as a wink to the presidents own campaign slogan. Wheatley said his sales teams slogan-embroidered red hats are a big hit at trade shows.

With a manufacturing force of 10 employees and a focus on repairs and not construction, Wheatley said he doesnt expect any work contracts on the proposed wall in return for his support.

We dont do anything to that scale, and in no way could we even handle 100 yards of that wall, he laughed.

Wheatley called on other businesses to join the crowdfunding effort, as Trumps current $5 billion request in federal funding for the border wall remains up in the air.

The way I look at it, I think it would be really nice if other businesses picked up what were doing, because I think Congress isnt doing anything, he said. I dont see Congress getting this funded.

So far, the feedback to the donation has been largely positive. Its something Wheatley worried about before he pushed donate.

Honestly, I was a little nervous what reaction Id get, because its such a polarizing thing, he said. Im actually amazed at the reactions we've been getting. It kind of blew up a bit.

The companys review listing on Google has fluctuated up and down since the donation. Its mostly the work of people who have never heard of his products before, Wheatley said.

Its like were either getting five stars or one star, he said. I want to be reviewed for the products we produce, not for some political donation.
JACKSON, MI  Some men at the Cooper Street Correctional Facility in Jackson wont eat anything from the kitchen after seeing mice roaming freely in food areas, family members told MLive.

The rodents are now in the kitchen crawling on all the food which theyve had to constantly throw out, said Sue Moreno, who has a son incarcerated at the facility. (Morenos son) looks like hes wasting away now because all hell eat is noodles and snacks from the commissary. He wont eat anything from the kitchen anymore.

Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Chris Gautz said two dead mice were found in the kitchen recently, prompting the prison to investigate and call in an exterminator. The exterminator and prison officials didnt find any significant infestations, he said, but took measures to prevent rodents from finding their way into the prison.

The Cooper Street Correctional Faculty, 3100 Cooper St., is a low-level minimum-security prison that also serves as a release facility for prisoners about to be paroled, discharged or transferred to community center placement.

Moreno said she doesnt feel the prison is adequately addressing the problem. She declined to name her son, fearing reprisal.

Debra Dunlap, whose husband Phillip Dunlap is incarcerated in the facility, also expressed frustration.

This is unacceptable, she said. I talk to him typically three to four times a day, and he has been telling me this has been going on for weeks, and theyre not doing anything about it.

However, Gautz noted in the last several weeks there has not been a noticeable change in the number of prisoners checking in for meals, adding that sometimes prisoners like to embellish events or even fake an incident he said.

In the past weve had prisoners bring things inside the from the yard, like dead bugs, and put it in their food to complain and get angry, Gautz said. Were checking to make sure thats not the case here as well.
VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI  A federal judge ordered Linda Stermer, convicted of felony murder in the killing of her husband, Todd Stermer, to be retried within 120 days or be unconditionally released.

U.S. District Judge Arthur Tarnow in Detroit issued the ruling Thursday, Dec. 20.

The couple, married 14 years, were both home at the time of the Jan. 7, 2007, fire at their rural home in Van Buren Countys Lawrence Township. He died of severe burns but also suffered blunt-force trauma when his wife struck him with a vehicle after he got out.

The prosecution said she intentionally ran him over with a vehicle but the defense contended she accidentally struck him while trying to drive to a neighbors house for help.

Charges were filed over two years after the death.

Linda Stermer, 54, was convicted of felony murder  with arson the underlying offense in the killing  and sentenced to life in prison without parole. A state appellate panel upheld her conviction but Tarnow said both the prosecution and defense attorney failed to provide Stermer a fair trial.

The prosecutor committed misconduct in his closing argument by commenting on the credibility of witnesses, repeatedly labeling (Linda Stermer) who did not testify, a liar, and misrepresenting facts of the case, Tarnow wrote.

Trial counsels failure to object to the misconduct was constitutionally ineffective as was counsels failure to consult a fire investigation expert. To the extent that the state court denied these claims on the merits, the state courts determination to the contrary was an unreasonable application of clearly established Supreme Court precedent.

Todd Stermer was on the first floor of the home when the fire broke out. His wife was in the basement laundry room. Prosecutors contended his wife set the fire and ran him over after he escaped.

She was not hurt.

The prosecution showed evidence that Linda Stermer was having an affair and said she would rather kill her husband rather divorce him. She also bought gasoline that day, court records said.

The defense noted that two homes  in Portage and Three Rivers - previously owned by Todd Stermer were destroyed by suspected arson fires.

The defense said her husband either accidentally or intentionally set the fire then she accidentally drove into him while trying to get help. The victims clothes tested positive for gasoline but his wifes clothing did not. A prosecution expert said Todd Stermer was at the center of the intentionally set fire.

The federal judge criticized the trial judge, prosecutor and defense attorney for failing to provide Linda Stermer a fair trial.

Unfortunately, this tripartite failure is too often overlooked by the appellate courts at the expense of the liberty, and dignity, of individual defendants, Tarnow wrote.

He said Stermer could be released on bond.
BAY CITY, MI  A Bangor Township man is going to be spending decades in prison for sexually assaulting a minor over a two-year span.

Bay County Circuit Judge Harry P. Gill on Thursday, Dec. 20, sentenced Chad M. Young, 33, to three terms of 225 months  or 18.75 years  to 45 years in prison. Two of the terms are concurrent, while the third is consecutive to the first two.

The judge also ordered Young be on lifetime electronic tethering once hes eventually released from prison.

Young in September pleaded no contest to three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

In exchange, the prosecution dismissed a count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim younger than 13, which comes with a mandatory minimum 25-year prison sentence, and charges of child-sexually abusive activity, possessing child-sexually abusive material, and accosting a child for immoral purposes.

By pleading no contest, Young did not verbally admit to having committed his crimes. Gill had to rely on police reports to enter convictions on the record.

Court files state the misconduct occurred at Youngs home in the 3300 block of Cramer Road from January 2015 through December 2017. Most of the charges state the acts occurred when the female victim was 14 years old.
BUENA VISTA TWP, MI  A Buena Vista Township trustee is charged with marijuana possession in connection with an incident that occurred before the substance was legalized in Michigan.

Vannessa Curry was arraigned Nov. 30 on the misdemeanor charge in Saginaw County District Court.

The incident occurred during a traffic stop in Bridgeport Township on Sheridan and Curtis roads on Feb. 2. A co-defendant was charged with a driving offense.

County prosecutors are not sure how they will be handling Currys case, or several others involving marijuana possession charges before the current recreational marijuana law passed.

Michigan voters legalized marijuana on Nov. 6 and it became legal on Dec. 6 for adults 21 and over to possess and use, and to grow at home.

Saginaw County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Mark Gaertner expects to have a process in place by the beginning of the new year.

We are still in the process of sorting this all out, he said. We have a lot of cases we have to go through. Just true simple possession of marijuana, we have to choose whether we will treat these as people who possessed it after the law was passed.

Curry, who was elected in 2016, declined to comment.

Buena Vista Township Supervisor Christina Dillard said there was no comment from the board.

We are going to be fair about it, Gaertner said. The voters spoke.
BRIDGEPORT TWP, MI  Police in Bridgeport Township put a dog down after it attacked its owner early Friday morning.

The incident occurred about 12:40 a.m. Friday, Dec. 21, in the 2800 block of Nebraska.

A woman called 911 to report that her dog had attacked her, according to Bridgeport Township Police Department Chief Dave Duffett. Police did not say what kind of dog was involved.

Animal Control could not respond to the call, Duffett said.

Bridgeport police officers put the dog down, Duffett said.

The woman suffered numerous injuries and was transported to the hospital. Her condition is not known.
SAGINAW, MI  A 23-year-old man will spend more than 30 years in prison for killing another man over a dice game.

Alvin E. Stephenson III received 30 to 50 years in prison for a count of second-degree murder and a two-year mandatory sentence for felony firearms which will be served consecutive to the murder charge, according to Saginaw County Circuit Court.

Stephenson was sentenced on Thursday, Dec. 20.

According to police and prosecutors, Stephenson killed 43-year-old Shermein D. Mr. 100 Cooper on Dec. 5, 2017, inside a home in the 2400 block of Collingwood Avenue.

A witness testified during Stephensons preliminary examination that Stephenson and Cooper were shooting dice at the witnesses home and Cooper was winning to the tune of $1,000.

Eventually, Cooper asked Stephenson if he was done playing and Cooper then walked into a dining room. A minute or so later, Stephenson followed Cooper into the other room, the witness said.

A moment later, the witness heard a loud bang from that room, he said. He ran into the dining room and saw Cooper against a wall, sliding to the floor. His pockets were inside-out and he was bleeding heavily, he said.

Stephenson "was looking crazy, trying to tell me it was a mistake," the witness testified.

Stephenson ran outside, then briefly returned to retrieve a gun and then run away, the witness said. The witness told other guests to call police, then ran as well, he testified.

Police arrested Stephenson a few days later and charged him with open murder on Dec. 8, 2017.

Stephenson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and the firearm offense on Sept. 25, according to court records.

At the time of the killing, Stephenson was on parole for second-degree home invasion, according to Michigan Department of Corrections records. That offense occurred in November 2012 and Stephenson was released from prison in September 2016.
A weather condition called a Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW for rest of article) is forecast to occur in the next week. When an SSW occurs, it often influences the Polar Vortex immediately after, and can move the Polar Vortex off the North Pole.

The stratosphere is the layer of the atmosphere just above our main weather atmosphere, the troposphere. Heres a look at the atmosphere divided into layers.

The atmosphere is divided into five different layers.

A Sudden Stratospheric Warming is when the stratosphere warms significantly in just a few days. Dr. Judah Cohen from Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER), says the stratosphere above the North Pole is forecast to warm around 140 degrees in the next few days. Yes you read that correctly - a 140 degree warm-up.

The stratosphere has a circulation generally centered over the North Pole, known as the Polar Vortex. There is also a Polar Vortex in the troposphere, and it usually sits under the stratospheric Polar Vortex. Think of this vortex like the swirly that develops when you drain the bathtub.

Researcher Cohen and others have found that around the time of a SSW event the Polar Vortex is moved off the North Pole, which is called a Polar Vortex displacement. The Polar Vortex may stay in one piece, or split up into two or three pieces.

Animation shows the forecast of temperatures in the stratosphere. The dark red developing in the Sudden Stratospheric Warming.

Just above is the forecast showing the SSW between December 24 and December 28. You can envision how warm air developing over the North Pole would force a cold pocket of air off the polar region and to lower latitudes, like southeastern Canada and the eastern U.S.

But dont get too worried or excited about crazy winter weather just yet. Cohen says there is usually a sequence of events during a SSW, with the U.S. not getting into cold air until a few weeks after the SSW. Cohen says during the week after the stratosphere warms, cold air shifts off the North Pole and usually moves toward Asia. At that time, Cohen says the eastern U.S. can get really warm by winter standards. Finally another week later the cold air often sloshes back over the North Pole and moves south into the eastern U.S.

So if we get a cold outbreak in Michigan and the eastern U.S. due to this SSW, it probably wont happen until mid-January. Typically we see the cold air move south into the eastern U.S. and then becomes stationary for several weeks to a month.

Cohen says the coming SSW will be, close to the strongest Sudden Stratospheric Warming ever observed. He also wants us to know there is a lot of variability in the outcomes from Sudden Stratospheric Warmings. Cohen says its not a 100 percent chance the eastern U.S. will turn colder because of the SSW.

One interesting situation that leads to the cold air dislodging south is a reverse in the wind direction aloft. Normally the winds around the polar region blow from west to east. This can keep the extreme cold locked up over the North Pole. During a SSW event, the wind switches and blows from east to west. The reversal of wind allows the cold air to dislodge from the polar region.

A good example is the winter of 2012-13. A SSW occurred in mid-January and then bitter cold invaded the eastern U.S. February into March. The SSW brought cold in and ended a long string of months of much warmer than normal weather in 2012.

This is a long range forecast giving us a general idea of when cold air could hit Michigan. But I want you to know- right now there are no signs of significantly colder than average weather through the first few days of January.

So if you are hearing about an attack of the Polar Vortex, dont get too worried yet. Lets just keep an eye on the situation as we get into the first week of January. At that time we should be able to see if bitter cold is coming. It might just be a January 15 to March 1 winter here in Michigan, and thats just about what weve had for a lot of years.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 20)  Two Filipino pageant experts spoke up on issues arising after the win of Catriona Gray, Miss Universe 2018.

Norman Tinio told CNN Philippines' On the Record Thursday he had a gut feeling "something big might follow" after it was revealed that businesswoman Richelle Singson-Michael was one of the judges to this year's competition.

Singson-Michael is the daughter of former Ilocos Sur Governor Chavit Singson, the former governor financed the Miss Universe pageant when it was held in Manila in 2016.

"When the daughter, Richelle, was announced as one of the judges for the finals, I already had a gut feel then that there was something big. Something big might follow because why is she one of the judges? So there must be something big that would follow soon, but I couldn't tell when," he said.

Gerry Diaz, another pageant expert, said the government did not pay anything for the pageant to be held here in 2016, adding that Singson was the one who sponsored it.

"With the success of Miss Universe in Manila... I was not surprised when rumors cropped up that either the Miss Universe pageant will be held here in the Philippines or now with the talks that the Miss Universe franchise might be awarded to him," Diaz said.

Reports on Wednesday quoted the former governor saying that the pageant would he held in South Korea next year, fueling talks that he would be more involved in Miss Universe or that the Miss Universe Philippines title would not be under the Binibining Pilipinas umbrella.

Tinio, who said he grew up watching Binibining Pilipinas pageants, said he was sad about the possibility, adding, "Miss Universe Philippines is the lead title of Binibining Pilipinas, and to see Binibining Pilipinas without Miss Universe Philippines title is like losing a very integral part of that pageant in terms of prestige."

Tinio added it's also hurtful to hear people say that Catriona Gray's win could have been influenced by external forces.

"What bothers me rin (too), with what happened yesterday is that, yeah, it's not the official homecoming of Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, but when she was flown in using the private jet of the governor, I just don't like the rumors that came up afterwards. So people keep on saying na (that)... Something must have been done somewhere to facilitate the victory... I don't like that her victory is tainted by such talks because Catriona won fair and square in the eyes of the seven female judges," he said.

Dizon said both Singson-Michael and Filipino designer based in the United States, Monique Lhuillier, are "known for their integrity."

"I don't think they will taint their reputation," he added.

Dizon, however, said he wishes luck to whoever gets to have the franchise of Miss Universe Philippines.

Tinio meanwhile said, "If ever there will be takeover of the Miss Universe franchise, I sincerely hope and pray that the new Queens to follow in the years to come will be taken care of just as well as how Binibining Pilipinas has protected the ladies."

Both experts also touched on the issue of Lu Sierra and Carson Kressley, co-hosts of the pageant, seeming to be dismissive of Gray.

"They were both in denial that Catriona was unbeatable. They have their own favorites, definitely, but they just couldn't - because they want their bets to be selected - they just couldn't because Catriona was being hyped already, that if they said something, she's going to be hyped even more," Tinio said.

Watch the full episode here:
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India's Adani Enterprises on Friday urged the government of Australia's Queensland state to approve a management plan that would allow construction to start at its controversial Carmichael coal mine.

Adani, which has shrunk its initial plans for the thermal coal mine to around a quarter of its original size, said last month that it would fund the mine and rail project itself after failing to secure other finance.

Adani Mining Chief Executive Officer Lucas Dow called on the Queensland government to provide certainty as to the process and timing for getting the outstanding management plans finalised so construction of the mine could get underway, he said in a statement.

"We have worked tirelessly over the last 18 months to accommodate the State Governments requirements and feedback within the pending management plans only to be told at the eleventh hour that (it) is not ready to endorse these plans," Dow said.

Adani and Queensland Minister for Environment Leeanne Enoch met to discuss the project on Friday, Enoch said in a separate statement after the meeting.

Adani shrank the Carmichael plans early last year to make it more affordable after banks backed away from funding new coal mines under pressure from investors worried about climate change.

It now plans to start by producing around 10 million tonnes a year, eventually ramping up to 27.5 million tonnes for the first stage of the project. Originally Adani planned to produce as much as 40 million tonnes a year.

The Queensland government's "position has always been clear that the project needs to stack up environmentally," Enoch said. "Environmental approvals are necessary for all major projects."

The mine has come under heated opposition from environmental groups since it was mooted eight years ago. Its development would open up infrastructure to the basin that could be used by other miners such as iron ore billionaire Gina Rinehart for export.

The state's Department for Environment and Science, which is regulating the project, said that two more approvals were required, one around a management plan for the endangered black-throated finch, and another to identify the source aquifer of ground water in the area.

"There is no statutory time frame for (the department) to assess and approve either plan," it said.
BHEL | Company reported loss at Rs 893.1 crore in Q1FY21 against loss Rs 218.9 crore, revenue fell to Rs 1,990.9 crore versus Rs 4,532.5 crore YoY. (Image: Reuters)

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The government is making efforts to manufacture lithium-ion batteries in India in the next one year, and talks are on between state-run BHEL and a US firm to form a joint venture in this regard, Union Minister Anant Geete said on Friday.

"Right now we are importing 100 percent lithium-ion batteries, but efforts are on towards manufacturing them in India within the next one year," Geete said, adding that talks are on between BHEL and an American firm to form a joint venture for domestic manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries.

BHEL comes under the administrative control of ministries of heavy industries.

The minister also unveiled electric auto, 'KYTO', manufactured by ETO Motors in joint venture with Hong Kong-based Kyto Green Technologies.

Grayson Richards, managing director of Kyto Green Technologies, said the company plans to invest USD 10 million in India over the next two years and will make the country a hub for exporting to other nations.

Lithium-ion batteries, a key component used in electric vehicles, are mostly imported from China at present.
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Arvind Lifestyle Brands, the apparel business of Arvind, is aiming to touch a revenue of Rs 7,500 crore by 2022 from Rs 4,800 crore currently, said J Suresh, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Arvind Lifestyle Brands.

In a chat with Moneycontrol, Suresh said that the focus over the next five years will be on driving the profitability and return on the capital employed.

The textile company, Arvind, demerged its brand apparel business Arvind Fashions (AFL), and its engineering business, Anveshan Heavy Engineering (AHEL) on November 29.

Arvind Lifestyle Brands will be listed as Arvind Fashions after the demerger. According to Suresh, the listing may happen by end of January or in the first week of February.

An IIM Bangalore alumnus, Suresh said e-commerce is a good opportunity for the company. Currently, online business constitutes 13 percent of its sales.

With brands like Flying Machine under its portfolio, the company believes it has a strong position in the denim space and claims to be the number one player when it comes to denim jeans.

Arvind's branded apparels business comprises licensed international brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, and US Polo Association.

After the demerger, the textile business, which includes denim, fabric, and garments and advances material business will continue under Arvind, the brand the retail segment will be shifted to Arvind Fashions.

Arvind, which was incorporated as Arvind Mills, the textile manufacturing company by Kasturbhai Lalbhai, has its foothold in fashion retail, real estate, engineering, environment solutions, advance materials, and the telecom industry.

Post demerger, Arvind Fashions will handle the brand and retail segment, and account for domestic brands like US Polo Association, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Arrow, Flying Machine, Gap, Sephora, and other iconic brands.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: What has been the key performance driver for the branded apparel segment which is now a part of Arvind Fashions?

A: When we built the portfolio we saw that India was beginning to move away from formal dressing to more casual dressing, that is where we built our strength. The entire portfolio if you take whether its US Polo, Flying Machine which we relaunched.

Flying Machine of today is quite different from the Flying Machine of olden days. Brand had come to more or less zero sales level. We relaunched it and pulled it out and today we are at number two, only Levis is ahead of us in the denim space.

We have also bought in some newer brands like GAP, Aeropostale, Ed Hardy, everything is in the casual space. That move really paid off. Thats the big difference with us vis-a-vis some of our peers.

That is the reason we have been able to deliver a 20 percent growth rate in the last 5-6 years. In the last 4-5 years, we have been delivering close to 20 percent that is by far the fastest growth rate for us. So we have built the portfolio ahead of the market trend. Now we have a strong position in denim space where we are very clearly number one in the premium side of our business.

Q: How did you fare during the festive season and approximately how much revenue did you garner during that quarter?

A: Diwali was pretty good. Dussehra and Diwali were very good. After Diwali there was a period of lull. Now in December, it has again picked up. We do not give revenue figures specifically for the festive season but what we are talking about is that one indicator of the good festive season is the sales growth. Compared to the last two festivals this has been higher.

Q: How does Arvind Fashions intend to tackle risks associated with steep discounting offered by e-commerce market players? Is it a threat to the company's offline business?

A: E-commerce is a good opportunity and not a threat. While buying, a customer does not think I am an online or offline consumer. Consumers are buying seamlessly. We need to be present in all segments.

We need to see how markets will evolve. If going ahead e-commerce becomes 80 percent, we should be prepared for that. The way we are looking at it is a very unified experience both online and offline.

Q: What is the break up in terms of sales from online and offline?

A: We are around 13 percent online and 87 percent offline.

Q: What is the store count across all brands? How many more are likely to be added?

A: We open about 150-200 every year. We are seeing some changes online coming up. So we need to we need to make a little bit of careful judgment how many stores we should open, as online also takes away certain sales. Going forward, we would be largely in Tier III and largely franchise route. We are pretty much filled up in Tier I and Tier II.

Q: What are the capex plans?

A: We spend nearly Rs 150 crore in a year.

Q: Most of the capex would be funded internally considering the fact that branded apparel business is a strong cash flow generator?

A: The reason we have done the demerger now is only because we are becoming self-sufficient. So, we dont have to depend on cash flow from Arvind Ltd. FY20 onwards we will fund pretty much all the requirements.

Q: In how many channels do you operate?

A: We operate in four channels. One is our own stores, 1400 stores across all brands put together. We are present in close to 200 towns. We have covered around 110 towns in Tier I and Tier II, and in Tier III there are 320 towns, of which we are present in 70 towns. So there is a way to go there and that will be our focus.

Q: You spoke about exclusive outlets? What would be count be in multi-brand outlets and large format?

A: Large format we have around 1500 counters across--Central, Lifestyle, and Shoppers.

Q: In terms of geography, what is the break-up?

A: We are equally distributed. North is our main market. 40 percent of our sales come from North, 10 percent comes out of East, 25 percent comes each from West and South.

Q: What is the trade channel mix of 87 percent what would be across brands across MBOs (multi-brand outlets), EBOs (exclusive brand outlets), large format stores?

A: 35 percent is our own stores, 25 percent is department stores and 20 is multi brands and the rest is others.

Q: How much revenue are you targeting over the next five years?

A: What we are targeting is Rs 7,500 crore by 2022. More important is in this phase of expansion we had actually done well in terms of topline growth. Our focus will be more on driving the profitability and return on the capital employed.

The primary focus was to build the portfolio and scale up in the last five years. Next five years will be how do I use this scale which we have built up to improve profitability and return on capital employed.

Q: Are you on profitable track in terms of all brands?

A: In terms of financials we are in good shape. We have hospitality. On the verge of break even. This year all will be positive.

In terms of a percent we are 60 percent of mens wear, 15 percent kids wear, 10 percent innerwear,12 percent in women wear and beauty contributes 6 percent.

Q: What is the budget for marketing and advertisement?

A: We have upped our marketing spend this year. Earlier we used to spend 4 percent, this year we are 5.50 percent of sales.
GSK Pharma | Company reported lower profit at Rs 76.5 crore in Q2FY21 compared to Rs 502.7 crore, revenue fell to Rs 879 crore from Rs 882 crore YoY.

The merger of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Pfizer consumer businesses, may not set the floor on fire, as major brands sold by the two listed entities in India will not come under the proposed joint venture (JV).

GSK and Pfizer on December 19 announced the merger of their consumer healthcare businesses, with combined sales of $12 billion, by creating a JV with GSK owning 68 percent and Pfizer 32 percent.

At least three popular brands of Pfizer in India, Corex, Gelusil, Becosules will be not be marketed under that JV.

These three key brands constitute about one-fifth of Pfizer's sales in India, and the company that had sales of around Rs 2,000 crore in India in FY18, is looking to divest these brands. The company generates much of its revenues from pneumococcal vaccine Prevnar13.

Hair removal cream Anne French and pain medication Anacin of Pfizer will be part of the JV said Pfizer in a statement to stock exchanges.

As far as GSK is concerned, it had already agreed to sell its consumer health business to HUL in a Rs 31,700 crore all-stock deal.

The terms of the deal include the distribution of GSKs over-the-counter (OTC) and oral care brands such as Crocin, Eno and Sensodyne.

The combined sales of these products is estimated to be around Rs 1,000 crore.

Nothing is expected to change as a result of the merger between the consumer healthcare arms of GSK and Pfizer at least in India. However

Pfizer will get a boost from GSKs experience of building brands. GSK OTC products have strong brand loyalty among customers.

GSK under its CEO Emma Walmsley is focusing on innovation. The company in December bought Tesaro, a cancer-focused company based in the US for approximately $5.1 billion. The Tesaro buyout gives GSK its FDA-approved ovarian cancer drug Zejula (or niraparib).

To improve profitability in India, GSK initiated portfolio rationalisation, price hikes and an expanding vaccines business.
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Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance, a wholly owned subsidiary of Japans Sompo Holdings, has raised its ownership to 34.6 percent from 28.4 percent in Universal Sompo General Insurance. The company announced that with this transaction, they have become the largest shareholder in the general insurer.

"Sompo Holdings entered the Indian market via an investment in USGI in 2007, and seeing further growth possibilities, adopted a policy of further expanding business with retail business set as the priority field," said the company in a statement.

The Insurance Act (Amendment) Act 2015 had allowed foreign partners in insurance companies to hold upto 49 percent stake. Sompo Holdings said that because of relaxation of regulations on foreign investment in Indian insurance companies in March 2015, they considered increasing its ownership in the insurer.

Recently, Sompo Japan Nipponkoa acquired 6.2 percent of the shares held by Karnataka Bank, thereby raising its ownership. Among other shareholders, Allahabad Bank holds 28.52 percent stake and Indian Overseas Bank holds 18.06 percent stake while Karnataka Bank holds 6 percent (post share transfer). Further, Dabur Investment Corporation (Partnership Firm) holds 12.81 percent stake.

The company said that because of continual economic growth, the Indian property and casualty insurance market has been expanding about 17 percent on average annually since 2007 and will reach about 2 trillion Yen.

As part of Sompo's direct commitment to Universal Sompo, it has also appointed an executive officer to the position of Deputy CEO of the insurer.

"Sompo Holdings remains committed to its India business and also proposes to add further value to USGI by providing digital as well as commercial business underwriting know-how and leveraging Sompo Internationals expertise such as crop insurance," said the firm in a statement.
Conventional car buyers may soon have to pay as much as Rs 12,000 extra on purchase of their new vehicle as the government is gearing up to nudge people towards purchase of electric vehicles.

Buyers of petrol and diesel based two/three/four wheelers and commercial vehicles will be levied with extra surcharge of Rs 500 to Rs 25,000 in the first year going up to Rs 4,500 to Rs 90,000 in the fourth year.

According to a report by Times of India, the corpus will be maintained by Department of Heavy Industries and will be used to incentivise electric car and battery manufacturers. While the government expects to mop up close to Rs 7,500 crore in the first year, it expects to reach Rs 43,000 crore in three-four years.

In a meeting held among secretaries of various ministries, a consensus was developed that incentives are to be given to vehicle buyers rather than manufacturers. It was also decided that state-public transport authorities will be given incentive on per kilometer basis.

Also read: PM Modi asks officials to focus on cheaper batteries to promote electric mobility in India

The amount of incentive will gradually decrease from Rs 50,000 in the first year to Rs 15,000 by the fourth year of the policy.

Sources told the daily that this incentive will be coupled with various other incentives including lower custom duty, lower GST on raw material, battery pack and exemption from road tax and registration fees.

National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog devised this new plan after PMO raised question on the framework of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid and) Electric vehicles (FAME) scheme. It said that the government must try to bring down the cost of battery rather than incentivising the car manufacturing.

A part of the surcharge is also planned to be used to encourage domestic battery production. An incentive of Rs 6,000 per kilowatt hour (KwH) will be offered, sources told the paper.

The report said the government could also encourage local manufacturing of parts of electric vehicles.

The localisation mandate could increase from 40 percent to 60 percent by 2022, an official told the paper.
Bankruptcy

Richa Roy and Zubin Mehta

On the second anniversary of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Code) many of its achievements deserve celebration including fostering credit discipline and improving upon a culture of impunity.

And yet, there has been a gamut of reactionary amendments to the Code, the intent and timing of several of which raise questions. The most significant of these was the introduction of the ineligibility criteria test through Section 29A. The ostensible objective was to preclude unscrupulous, back-door promoters from regaining access to their companies.

There was no such restriction in the Code as originally drafted. Was this oversight? Among the central lacunae in Indian bankruptcy frameworks prior to the Code were non-existent penalties or deterrence for promoters and management of insolvent companies.

There are sick companies, but hardly any sick promoters has been a constant refrain since the Omkar Goswami Report and the 1993 Union Budget. The Bankruptcy Law Reform Committee (BLRC) in 2014 which provided the intellectual nucleus for the Code (as well as its first draft) was alive to this issue. It noted that promoters remaining in control of a company even after default was a crucial reason why the debt-equity contract was broken.

The Code therefore required that immediately upon default, the control of the company would be seized from the promoter and passed to a regulated insolvency professional, reporting to a Committee of Creditors (CoC). This would prevent asset stripping and siphoning-off before and after default.

The BLRC specifically stated that the control of the company is not a divine right of promoters. And yet, there was no restriction on a promoter making a bid to regain control in the original Code.

This was because, the Code envisaged an earned right for promoters - promoters could earn back their companies as part of a fairly run resolution process, where all potential resolution applicants have access to information about the company, promoters are obliged to cooperate to share information and the CoC would have final approval. It was recognised that not all defaults involve malfeasance, not all promoters are fraudulent and honest debtors deserved second chances.

29A marks a shift from that principle and in imposing a premature and near-blanket disbarment snatches away the commercial discretion of the CoC in selecting a resolution offer. It creates a presumption that if the CoC acting in good faith elects a proposal from the promoter, then such election will be inherently wrong. It therefore elides the crucial distinction between misconduct by a promoter and genuine business failure.

It is crucial to prevent phoenixing or strategic bankruptcies i.e. promoters triggering bankruptcy in order to rebid for their company at deeply discounted values and to write down its debt. However, the original draft of the Code has safeguards in this regard  including stripping away control from the promoter at the instance of default itself; power to the resolution professional and CoC to review potentially fraudulent transactions from the past few years which could impose penalties on the promoters and management - these are significant costs and deterrents.

There is value in the proposition of permitting promoters to be eligible bidders for their company: Firstly, participation by erstwhile promoters or management can facilitate true price discovery without the CoC being obliged to elect promoter proposals. Secondly, where there is no evidence of malfeasance there is a genuine possibility that the promoters can partner with strategic/financial investors to proffer an efficient resolution proposal which represents genuine value for the company, creditors and its stakeholders.

Thirdly, 29A does not guarantee that persons barred by the ineligibility criteria cannot make back door entry through circuitous structures; there should be a clean hands approach which is transparent and helps CoC make a decision rather than a second guess on the antecedents of the applicant.

Unfortunately, despite the existence of 29A, there are several instances of promoters seeking control of their companies, which is leading to escalating legal costs as well as prevailing uncertainty. In some instances, CoCs have rejected offers, forcing companies into liquidation (where no such bar applies and therefore promoters may make a bid).

This is particularly prevalent in asset-centric businesses such as real estate where the going-concern value of the business is dispensable and is a particularly egregious example of phoenixing, that 29A has not prevented, but in fact perpetuated. There is also nothing in 29A to preclude warehousing and resale by financial entities.

29As ineligibility criteria casts a wide net and applies to persons who have no bearing on the functioning of the corporate debtor. The ineligibility parameters apply not only to the primary applicant but also to their associate and group companies who may have different operating models, businesses, and separate control patterns governing them. But more curious is the amendment to the Code to exempt entities such as venture capital investors, from being exempted from the ineligibility criteria test.

This exclusion was intended to apply to financial investors bidding for assets as part of a consortium, However, in cases albeit limited where companies are controlled by venture capital investors, and in some instances being in active management of a company, in effect promoters, it would imply that if such a company is run aground because of mismanagement, a venture capital investor would not be disbarred under 29A.

While other jurisdictions do not have promoter-led businesses, they have had to deal with the issue of recalcitrant management in insolvency proceedings. Research indicates that any bankruptcy regime should encourage the behavioural incentives that require that all responsible parties incur some costs for the firms poor performance including negative consequences for the managers (and in Indias case, promoters).

However, when the personal costs are too high they discourage public bankruptcy filings in favour of private negotiations as well as distortions in behaviour  as seen with 29A. Such distortions are costly and could defeat the intent of the amendment. So far 29A has yielded multiple such costs and limited benefits and therefore halted much of the promise of the Code.

In a short span of time, these amendments to the Code including 29A tend to gallivant away from the underlying principle settled under the BLRC report and the original Code  such changes are neither reflective of necessity nor based on any empirical evidence. Their rationale and impact is therefore unclear.

Roy headed the corporate insolvency drafting team for the IBC 2016 and Mehta, a partner with Veritas Legal. Views are personal.
The year 2018 saw a wide variety of insurance plans as well as innovative services being launched in the Indian market. These not just included policies with lifelong coverage but also insurance records on blockchain. Moneycontrol gives you a lowdown on the top five innovations in the insurance market:

Title insurance

After the RERA Act was passed, there was a need to have an insurance product to cover titles of properties being sold. HDFC ERGO General Insurance was the first insurer to bring out this cover. While the uptake of the cover is low, the regulator may soon begin to crackdown on developers not taking the cover.

This specialty insurance product provides indemnity to property developers and the subsequent owners of the property against losses and risks related to defects in property title arising out of third party challenges not discovered prior to the commencement date of the policy due to the title of property belonging to someone other than the insured.

Insurance records on blockchain

Insurers have decided to have a blockchain system in place that will enable another insurance company to access these records with prior permission of the individual.

About 15 life insurance companies, including ICICI Prudential Life, HDFC Life and SBI Life Insurance, have partnered with IBM and blockchain solutions provider Cateina Technologies to come together as a consortium to share data with respect to medical records. Once they get a go ahead from the regulator, implementation will begin on a wider scale.

IoT-based accident cover for school children

Travelling on bumping roads in school buses can be a risky affair for students as well a source of worry for parents.

In July 2018, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance launched an insurance for children during their travel hours in a pre-registered bus by school. By using Internet-of-Things (IoT), it tracks the bus as well as the child providing real-time location through GPS and beacons inserted in the students identity cards. This policy provides cover against accidental OPD and accidental hospitalisation of the child.

Insurance on personal assistant devices

Indian houses had started to personal assistant devices like Amazon Echo and Google Homes. Taking advantage of this new technology, several insurance companies started to offer services on these devices. Aviva Life Insurance was the first life insurer to make its debut on Alexa (Amazons cloud based voice service Alexa).

Among general insurers, Bajaj Allianz Generals chatbot BOING made its debut on Amazons Alexa. The company was the first in the Indian insurance industry to use Alexa. Later in April 2018, HDFC ERGO General Insurance announced the launch of its artificial intelligence-enabled chatbot DIA on Alexa. The aim was to offer a 24/7 customer assistance with instant solutions to customer queries.

Bag insurance

You buy an expensive bag for a few thousand rupees and somebody steals it. But who would have thought that you get insurance for this too. Digital-only insurance platform Toffee Insurance has partnered with outdoor products company Wildcraft to offer bag insurance in India. This backpack insurance will be available with the purchase of any Wildcraft bag worth Rs 1,299 or more. The price of the insurance product is in-built into the bag's final price. Any theft-related claims are payable.

Going forward, the company is also looking to cover damages to the high-end bags based on the data collected.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari

India endeavours to take the Rs 11,000 crore methanol economy to about Rs 2 lakh crore in five years in a bid to promote cleaner fuel and cut down on the huge crude oil import bills, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Friday.

The transport minister, who inaugurated electric vehicle expo here, cautioned the manufacturers not to compromise on quality by importing substandard parts from China.

"India is now electricity surplus and there is also abundance of coal and solar power. Government's thrust is to promote import substitute, cost effective and pollution free transport that includes electric mobility.

"It is our endeavour to take Rs 11,000 crore methanol economy to Rs 1.5-2 lakh crore economy in five years," Gadkari said in his inaugural address.

He said methanol was priced at Rs 12 a litre in Israel, Rs 16 a litre in China and Rs 22 a litre in India and was much cheaper than petrol and diesel.

The minister said the electric mobility space has seen many changes in the last one year with e-rickshaws reaching every nook and corner of the country besides the advent of electric auto-rickshaws and bikes.

"A huge amount of foreign exchange goes out of the country due to crude oil imports. We need to check it...," the minister said adding that the government entity WAPCOS has inked a pact with Austria's Doppelmayr Group in the area of ropeways to provide mobility in hilly terrains besides tough areas.

Cautioning against use of substandard parts in e-rickshaws and e-carts, Gadkari said the idea behind relaxation in norms was to benefit the poor and check the inhuman practice of hand-held rickshaws, and not profiteering.

"Pay attention to quality and standard. Do not compromise on quality with cheap imports of parts from China, else the government will take hard steps," he warned the industry.

A joint venture was also announced between Keto Motors and Kyto Green Technologies with unveiling of electric auto 'KYTO'.

Goenka Electric's CEO Zafar Iqbal said his company planned to spend USD 5 million in India in two years time and will manufacture 20,000 units of high-speed electric auto 'Super King'.

MD of Saarthi brand of e-rickshaw Ashwani Sehgal said his company planned to manufacture 1,000 units of electric auto launched during the expo. The company launched electric auto 'Shavak'.

Altius Technologies said it plans to expand its operations.

The government is taking steps for implementing methanol economy in India and has constituted five task forces including one on its production from high ash coal. "Niti Aayog has set up an apex committee and five task forces under it for carrying out R&D activities and developing road map for implementing methanol economy in India," the government said Thursday.
A private security guard stands in front of the main gate of Sterlite Industries Ltd's copper plant in Tuticorin

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In a setback to Sterlite, the Madras High Court on December 21 ordered status quo as existed before the National Green Tribunal set aside a Tamil Nadu government order for closure of the company's copper plant in Tuticorin.

Justices K K Sasindhran and P D Audikesavalu of the Madurai Bench also restrained the Vedanta group from taking any steps to reopen the unit.

Hearing a petition against reopening of the Sterlite unit following the December 15 NGT order, the court directed that status quo will continue till January 21 and ordered the state government to inform by then whether it intended to file an appeal against the tribunal verdict.

The bench issued notice to the state chief secretary and the Chief Executive Officer of Sterlite to file their counter.

The state government had, on May 28, ordered the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to seal and "permanently" close the mining group's copper plant following violent protests by locals over pollution concerns.

On an appeal by the Sterlite, the NGT had quashed the order, holding that that it was "non-sustainable" and "unjustified".

A bench headed by NGT chairperson A K Goel had asked the TNPCB to pass a fresh order of renewal of consent and authorisation to handle hazardous substances, subject to appropriate conditions for protection of environment in accordance with law within three weeks from December 15.

Reacting to the development, the state government had on the same day said it would file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the tribunal order.

Sterlite had on December 20 said it had sought permission from the TNPCB for reopening the plant.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Fathima of Tuticorin opposing re-opening of the copper smelter plant.

The petitioner alleged that the NGT order was available on the Internet even before the tribunal pronounced its verdict and accused the Vedanta group of being behind it.

Hence, the NGT order should be set aside and permission should not be granted to reopen the factory, she contended.

The state government had ordered closure of the unit following violent protests by locals, leading to the death of 13 people in police firing on May 22-23 in Tuticorin.

The locals had been agitating against the Sterlite unit alleging that it was causing pollution.

After the NGT order too, several outfits with the backing of the Left parties and local religious bodies have been agitating against the Sterlite unit, prompting the police to tighten security to it and also at important places in the southern district.

The green panel in its order has said Sterlite should spend within three years Rs 100 crore on welfare of inhabitants of the area as offered by it during the hearing.

The bench had also suggested that the company take steps for safeguarding environment, like creating a dedicated website where the stakeholders can lodge their environment related grievances.

Addressing media in Chennai Thursday, Sterlite Chief Executive Officer P Ramnath had said after getting the TNPCB permission, it would take about two months for making the plant operational.

"We have already approached the TNPCB. As per the NGT order, they (TNPCB) have been given three weeks to renew the consent. We have also made our request to the TNPCB," he said.
Replacing fossil fuel vehicles can save Rs 14,000 crore: Anant Geete DNA India

Union Minister Anant Geete said on December 21 the Department of Heavy Industries has proposed slashing of customs duty on parts of electric vehicles (EVs) to the finance ministry, which has to take a call on it. "We have requested (reduction of import tariff) to the finance ministry.

The finance ministry has to decide on it," Geete said at the launch of e-rickshaw, e-scooter and e-cycle manufactured by Nibe Motors here.

The e-scooter and e-cycle made by the Nashik-based start-up Nibe Motors have been certified by the Automotive Research Association of India, which comes under the administrative control of the Union heavy industries ministry.

Senior officials in the heavy industries ministry earlier said it has proposed reducing customs duty on EV parts, which are currently not exempt from import tariff to the Department of Revenue.

To boost production of EVs in the country, the ministry has also suggested defining semi-knocked-down and completely-knocked-down kits used for assembling such vehicles for streamlining of customs duty.
John Legere, T-Mobile | AT&T alum and chief of US division of T-Mobile, a wireless network operator, Legere has secured 10th spot on the list of the best CEOs in the US compiled by companies-rating platform Comparably. He took office in September 2012. (Image: Reuters)

Marc Benioff, Salesforce | Billionaire CEO and philanthropist Benioff takes the 9th spot on the list, heading the San Francisco-headquartered cloud-based software company Salesforce since March 1999. (Image: Reuters)

Alex Shootman, Workfront | An author and an avid cycler, Shootman secured the 8th spot on the list. In 2016, he took control of Workfront, a software development company based in Utah, US. (Image: LinkedIn)

Bert Bean, Insight Global | Starting from the very bottom, Bean climbed up the corporate ladder over 13 years and became CEO of Insight Global, a staffing and services company in January 2018. He is the 7th best CEO in the US. (Image: Twitter)

Jeff Bezos, Amazon | The richest man in the world needs little introduction. On 6th place is the CEO of the biggest retailer of the US, Jeff Bezos. He founded Amazon in 1994, invested funds taken from his parents and made it the biggest company in the world in two decades. (Image: Reuters)

Brian Halligan, HubSpot | The 5th best CEO in the US is the head of a marketing and sales services company, HubSpot. Also an author, Halligan has headed the company since June 2006. (Image: HubSpot)

Brad Smith, Intuit | Smith is the 4th best CEO in the US. However, earlier in 2018, he announced he would be stepping down from the post of CEO of Intuit after 11 years at the helm of the software development company, He has named Sasan Goodarzi his successor. (Image: Twitter)

Sundar Pichai, Google | Even though 2018 has been a tough year for Google, the Indian origin CEO managed to break into the top 3 of this list. Pichai has been the head of the tech giant since 2016, and is the third best CEO in the US in 2018. (Image: Reuters)

Craig Menear, The Home Depot | Known as the Darling of Wall Street due to Home Depots records at the stock markets, Menear is the second-best CEO in the US. He has been at the helm of the home improvement supplies company since 1997. (Image: The Home Depot)
Carlos Ghosn

Prosecutors re-arrested former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn over fresh allegations on Friday, apparently dashing his hopes of early release in the latest twist to a rollercoaster saga.

The case of the once-revered 64-year-old tycoon has gripped Japan since he was arrested completely out of the blue as he stepped off his private jet at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on November 19.

And in another unexpected development, Ghosn was arrested Friday on suspicion of transferring losses from personal financial investments to Nissan, causing damage to the company's assets, according to a statement from prosecutors.

He has already been formally charged with under-reporting his income by tens of millions of dollars over several years and faces a second batch of allegations that this continued for three further years.

However, the auto baron had his hopes raised of being freed on bail after a court rejected a bid by prosecutors to extend his detention over the second set of allegations.

But this fresh arrest gives prosecutors 48 hours to question him on the new matter -- possibly extended beyond that.

Since his stunning arrest last month, the once jet-setting executive has languished in a tiny cell in a detention centre in northern Tokyo, where he has complained about the cold and the rice-based menu.

His lengthy detention -- in Japan, suspects can be "re-arrested" several times over different allegations -- has sparked criticism, especially from abroad.

Ghosn has an unusually high profile for a foreign executive in Japan and was credited with turning around the struggling car giant Nissan and forging a three-way alliance with French manufacturer Renault and fellow Japanese firm Mitsubishi Motors.

He was seen as the glue holding together the fractious alliance and his arrest has exposed major rifts between Nissan -- which makes the most money -- and Renault, the dominant shareholder.

According to local media, Ghosn has admitted signing documents to defer part of his salary until after retirement but said this amount did not need to be declared as it had not yet been definitively fixed.

The suspicion is that he sought to defer part of his pay to avoid criticism from staff and shareholders that his salary was too generous.

Both Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors promptly sacked Ghosn as chairman following his arrest, on the basis of a months-long internal Nissan investigation.

Renault has been much more cautious, keeping him on as chairman and CEO and appointing Thierry Bollore as interim boss.

In addition to charges against Ghosn and Kelly, prosecutors have also indicted Nissan, as the company submitted the official documents that allegedly under-reported his income.

On Thursday, the company pointedly declined to comment, saying it was "exclusively between the court and the prosecutors".

It said the decision to fire Ghosn was "based on the substantial and convincing evidence" from an internal investigation.

"Both Ghosn and Kelly have violated their director duty of care," the firm added in a statement.

Nissan has also accused its former boss of other financial impropriety, including using Nissan funds to purchase luxury homes around the world.

One of these -- a luxurious, 800-square-metre (8,600-square-foot) spread with ocean views over Rio de Janeiro's famous Copacabana Beach -- has become the subject of a legal battle.

Last week, Ghosn family members entered the flat, removed "personal effects" and opened the safes, according to Nissan.

This followed a court order giving Ghosn's representatives access despite objections from the Japanese firm.
Controversial events such as PNB scam, Urjit Patels resignation as well as IL&FS liquidity issue were some of the events that shook the markets in 2018. Equity benchmarks have had a tough year, rising in single digits so far against 29-30 percent gains posted in 2017. In the broader markets, the correction has been far steeper. Here is a list of five events that shook D-Street. Image: Reuters

PNB Scam | In February, the Street was hit by the news of a big scam surrounding Punjab National Bank amounting to more than USD 2 billion. The scam was said to be carried out at the banks Brady House branch in Mumbai. The branch issued letters of undertaking (LoUs) to help companies owned by Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi get forex credit from Indian banks abroad.

RBI Governor's resignation | Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel in a surprise announcement on December 10 said he has resigned from immediate effect on account of personal reasons. The resignation came in the wake of a bitter battle between the government and the central bank over issues such as liquidity management, the RBI's restrictions on NPA-laden banks and the usage of its reserves. Image: Reuters

IL&FS issue | 2018 saw a huge liquidity scare surrounding Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS). The lender piled up huge amount of debt as well as defaults on its short-term commercial papers (CPs). This rocked debt market and had a resultant impact on equity market as well due to fear of liquidity crisis in the NBFC sector.

US-North Korea war/peace | This year saw a possibility of war between US and North Korea at its peak, spooking markets around the world. Hostile statements were exchanged between Washington and Pyongang amid continued military exercises by South Korea and US. However, things took a positive turn in June when Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un decided to hold a summit. Image: Reuters
With the latest findings from TransUnion CIBIL Industry Insights Report (TransUnion), it seems Indian consumers have become aggressive with the use of credit cards in routine life. The consumers have developed an appetite for shopping, booking for holidays and borrowing by swiping a credit card. This is because TransUnion report indicate that credit card usage has hit an all-time high.

As per TransUnion third quarter 2018 report, Indians have 3.69 crore credit card accounts, outstanding balance of Rs 84,400 crore and the average balance per credit card holder was Rs 46,000. Those totals represent increases of 31.7 percent, 35.8 percent and 8.1 percent respectively, over third quarter 2017 figures.

Yogendra Singh, Vice President of Research and Consulting for TransUnion CIBIL said, The Millennial (those who are born between 1980 and 1994) and Generation X (those who are born between 1965 and 1979) consumers are driving much of this growth and comprise well over half of all accounts and balances.

Its not just the number of credit cards that have gone up. The report adds that delinquencies  or the number of credit card holders carrying forward a balance have also gone up. Delinquencies have risen in this period (this is defined as amounts that are due for 90 or more days). It is 1.78 percent for the third quarter, up 28 basis points against third quarter of 2017.

Singh said, From a consumer perspective, its immensely important that borrowers understand the importance of continuing to make on-time payments. This is especially important for younger consumers, who are generally less experienced in managing debt and are still building their credit habits.

Its important to understand using credit cards are most expensive forms of credit. Aman Kapoor chief engagement officer at Credit Sudhaar explained, Generally the card outstanding gets charged about 3% per month which turns out to be 36% on an annualised basis. However, the effective interest that customer will pay is far higher and can go as high as 50% depending upon the repayment pattern.

Despite their numerous benefits with rising usage, its important to know credit cards can even pose significant risks for those lacking financial disciple. If used carelessly, they can wreck your financial health for a long time and reduce your eligibility for any type of loans. Lets look at major risks of using credit card and how you can avoid it.

Using credit card can be risky instrument for those who cannot refrain themselves from splurging money. The easy availability of credit along with exciting reward points, cashback offers and discounts often entices you to prepone expenditures and buy products which you can do without. This may lead you to spend more than what you can repay.

How to avoid it? Sahil Arora, Head of Payment Products at Paisabazaar.com said, The best to way to avoid overspending is to keep track of unbilled balances on your credit card and spend only that can be repaid by the bill due date.

Generally the credit card holders are unable to restrict the usage of cards and this leads to a large amount reflecting as due on the monthly statements. This leads to revolving the credit and making partial payments by credit card holder. Kapoor explained, So, if one was to calculate an outstanding amount of Rs 50,000 on credit card it will take almost 9 years to get repaid if the card holder was paying only minimum amount due every month.

How to avoid it? Not revolving the credit will be the key to effective management of the credit cards.

Credit card transactions are considered as equivalent of taking loans. Hence, credit bureaus include credit card bill defaults in the credit report and reduce credit score accordingly.

How to avoid it? Arora suggested, Those having a tendency to forget their bill due dates can set standing instructions in their bank account to enable automatic bill payment.

This ratio denotes the proportion of your total available credit limit availed by the cardholder. Credit bureaus consider credit utilisation ratio of over 40% as a sign of credit hungriness and it impacts your overall credit score. For instance, if you have a credit limit of Rs 1 lakh on your credit card you shouldnt ideally exceed Rs 40,000 frequently on credit expenses.

How to avoid it? Abhishek Agarwal, CEO and Co-Founder of CreditVidya said, Those who exceed 40% of their credit limit frequently should request their card issuers to increase their credit limit based on eligibility. This will increase your total credit limit and hence, reduce credit utilisation ratio.

Credit cards charge 36-50 percent p.a. (varies from type of card and bank) on the unpaid credit bill amount. Failure to repay the minimum amount due, which is usually 5 percent of the bill amount, will attract an additional late payment fee of Rs 1,000 (varies from bank to bank). Remember that once a cardholder fails to repay the entire bill amount, all fresh transactions thereon will attract finance charges till the unpaid balance is paid off.

How to avoid it? Dont overspend its as simple as that.

Often, banks are offering free credit cards targeting to the millennials who are entering the workforce or switching jobs in early age. Also, there are co-branded cards being promoted targeting generation X consumers. To get additional benefits this consumers end up with multiple credit cards and not using them.

Also, lot of times this free credit cards are chargeable from second year or have conditions to use card for minimum Rs 50,000 annual expenses (varies from type of card and banks). If minimum expense criteria of bank is met they will waive off annual credit card charges. So, generally you overspend using all this cards to get waive off from this credit card charges and avail additional benefits offered.

How to avoid it: Gaurav Gupta is the Founder and CEO of Myloancare.in suggested, If you dont need multiple credit cards then you should return back the cards to respective bank and get it cancelled. If you leave a card just lying with you then chances are banks will levy annual charges on the card despite not using it.
Divya Baweja

The tax year is nearing its end and one has a lot on the plate to address in terms of planning to optimise tax liability. It is an opportune time to start collating the tax proofs and, if required, to make certain tax saving investments.



Change in tax slab: This year tax slabs did not change vis-a-vis last year; the lowest tax rate continued at 5 percent and the maximum was retained at 30 percent. However, Secondary and Higher Education Cess of 3 percent was replaced with a 4 percent 'Health and Education Cess', with the objective to address the education and health needs of poor and rural families. As a result, the maximum marginal rate of tax for the tax year 2018-19 increased to 35.88 percent versus 35.535 percent in the preceding tax year.

This year tax slabs did not change vis-a-vis last year; the lowest tax rate continued at 5 percent and the maximum was retained at 30 percent. However, Secondary and Higher Education Cess of 3 percent was replaced with a 4 percent 'Health and Education Cess', with the objective to address the education and health needs of poor and rural families. As a result, the maximum marginal rate of tax for the tax year 2018-19 increased to 35.88 percent versus 35.535 percent in the preceding tax year.

Re-introduced the standard deduction: This year the government reintroduced the standard deduction of Rs 40,000 which was abolished in the Finance Act 2005, for the salaried income group. It is applied as a deduction from gross salary to calculate income under the head salary. Standard deduction has replaced two tax-exempt allowances, i.e., transport allowance of Rs 1,600 per month and medical reimbursement of Rs 15,000 per annum, which were available to employees in the previous fiscal year. For employees who were earlier availing the benefit of transport allowance and medical reimbursement, the net reduction in taxable salary post introduction of standard deduction is of Rs 15,800.

This year the government reintroduced the standard deduction of Rs 40,000 which was abolished in the Finance Act 2005, for the salaried income group. It is applied as a deduction from gross salary to calculate income under the head salary. Standard deduction has replaced two tax-exempt allowances, i.e., transport allowance of Rs 1,600 per month and medical reimbursement of Rs 15,000 per annum, which were available to employees in the previous fiscal year. For employees who were earlier availing the benefit of transport allowance and medical reimbursement, the net reduction in taxable salary post introduction of standard deduction is of Rs 15,800.

Changes in NPS: The National Pension Scheme (NPS) has gained much focus from the government over the past few years due to efforts to make it favorable for investors. This year the government extended the benefit of tax-free withdrawal up to 40 percent of the total amount payable on the closure of the account or on opting out of the scheme to all subscribers.

The National Pension Scheme (NPS) has gained much focus from the government over the past few years due to efforts to make it favorable for investors. This year the government extended the benefit of tax-free withdrawal up to 40 percent of the total amount payable on the closure of the account or on opting out of the scheme to all subscribers.

Tax on LTCG: Another important change this year has been bringing long-term capital gains in excess of Rs 1 lakh, arising from the transfer of equity shares, equity-oriented mutual funds and unit of business trust where securities transaction tax has been paid, under the tax net. Unlike long-term capital gains arising on other assets, no benefit of indexation will be available against such gain. Individuals having capital gains income should pay their tax liability in time, through advance tax mechanism, to avoid interest pay-outs on account of delay in deposit of tax.





Tax benefit for senior citizens: Additionally, substantial changes have a bearing on the senior citizen population, with the government offering quite a few sops to them. This year senior citizens have some changes to keep track of which can help in bringing down their taxable income. They can avail a higher deduction of Rs 50,000 in respect of interest income earned by them from deposits held in banks, post offices, and co-operative banks. At the same time, threshold limit for deduction of tax at source on interest income for senior citizens has been raised from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000, to take care of their cash flows.



While doing financial planning, it is imperative to keep in mind the key changes which were introduced in this years Union Budget Investors also need to bear in mind that the deduction from long-term capital gains available under Section 54EC of the Income Tax Act, 1961, has undergone a change this year. The deduction was available in case of transfer of any long-term capital asset till last year. Effective this year, deduction under this section is restricted to transfer of land and building only. It is important to note that exemption under this section is available for investment in bonds issued by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) or Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC) or any bond as notified by the central government, issued on or after 1 April 2018, and redeemable after five years.

Senior citizens can also avail a higher deduction of up to Rs 50,000 for payment of health insurance premiums. Till last year, the deduction was restricted to Rs 30,000. With medical facilities in India becoming expensive, the increased deduction will motivate senior citizens to take higher insurance cover, which can help meet their expenses in times of need.

In addition to above, the limit of deduction with respect to expenditure incurred on medical treatment of specified diseases (e.g. malignant cancers, chronic renal failure, haematological disorders, etc.) in case of senior citizens, has been increased to Rs 1 lakh. Deduction available until last year was Rs 60,000 in case of senior citizens and Rs 80,000 in case of very senior citizens.

The above changes have an important bearing on the taxable income of individuals. Hence, due attention needs to be given to them before making any investments. Judicious utilisation of tax saving avenues provided under the statute is the best way to increase post-tax income.
Here are the stocks that are in news today:

Bosch will suspend manufacturing operations at the companys Bidadi plant in Karnataka on December 28 and 29, 2018.

Bajaj Electricals: ICRA has reiterated A1+ rating to the companys commercial paper worth Rs 500 crore.

Bharti Airtel has formed 'special committee of directors to evaluate fund-raising options.

Bharti Airtel has approved the sale of up to 59 crore shares of Bharti Infratel to Nettle Infra

HCL Technologies and Cloudify to bring 5G network slicing to telecoms providers

Borosil Glass Works board approved through resolution passed by circulation a proposal for winding up of its Dubai based wholly owned subsidiary i.e. Borosil Afrasia FZE

Indiabulls Real Estate entered into definitive transaction document(s) with The Blackstone Group L.P to divest up to 50% stake in two office assets in Gurugram at an aggregate enterprise value of approximately Rs 464 crore

JSW Steel to infuse Rs 63.5 crore in Vardhaman Industries

Indian Hume Pipe received Letter of Acceptance for the work of Rs 502.89 crore from Andhra Pradesh Drinking Water Supply Corporation (APDWSC)

PFC Board approved to purchase Government of India's entire shareholding in REC

Infibeam and IBM India collaborates to Develop, Implement and Promote Blockchain applications to Clients in India on LinuxOne

Prakash Constrowell: T G Krishnan, Managing Director, has tendered his resignation from the directorship of the company

Gujarat Raffia appoints Ramaakant Pandey as chief financial officer of the company

Vijaya Bank: United Forum of Bank Unions to go on all Indian bank strike on December 26 against Govt decision of merger

Axis Bank: V. Srinivasan, Deputy Managing Director of the bank has retired from the services of the bank

Elecon Engineering approved raising upto Rs 150 crore via NCDs

Coal India approved payment of interim dividend for the financial year 2018-19 at Rs 7.25 per share

Sharon Bio-Medicine: NCLAT dismissed petition filed by the erstwhile promoters

Infosys appointed Nilanjan Roy as CFO with effect from March 1, 2019.

Bulk Deals

BEML: Alphagrep Securities traded 6.95 lakh shares at Rs 901.72-902.2 apiece

CARE RATINGS:

Pabrai investment fund sold four lakh shares at Rs 985.75.

Reliance communications: skyveil Trade solutions traded 1.86 crore shares at Rs 14.39-14.40 apiece.

(For more bulk deals, click here)

Analyst or Board Meet/Briefings

Biocon: Representatives of the company met Stewart Investors on December 20, 2018.

Eicher Motors: The company will be meeting Steinberg Asset Management on December 21, 2018.

Mahindra Finance: The company has a one-on-one meeting with Manulife Asset Management on December 21, 2018.

Symphony: ENAM Asset Management will have a meeting with the company on December 24, 2018.

New India Assurance: Investec Capital Services held a meeting with the company on December 20, 2018
Niti Aayog

International Energy Agency will next year conduct an in-depth review of the countrys energy sector and assisting it in the exercise will be Niti Aayog, according to a power ministry official. Officials from the global body are expected in the country from January 14 to 21 and interact with the ministry, government departments, regulators, various think-tanks and all other institutional stakeholders for their study.

Around 10 to 12 IEA representatives will be in India next month. Niti Aayog officials will assist them in providing data, study papers and various documents and facilitate their interactions, the official said.

The officials from the Paris-based global agency will look at demand and supply scenario of all fuel sources India relies on. This includes crude, gas, coal, solar, wind, hydro and biogas. IEA is known for its high-quality data gathering and interpretation and demand-supply projections.

The officials will look at the entire energy sector scenario of the country. Its an important exercise for a country of 130 crore that relies mostly on imports for most of its energy needs. The IEA will finally give its recommendations based on the conclusions it makes about the countrys energy map, he said.

Besides IEA, Niti Aayog also has tie-ups with Institute of Energy Economics, Japan and US Energy Information Administration. The government think-tank has been in the process of developing an energy data management system by learning from bodies like the IEA.

Indias energy map is a highly skewed one where the country relies over 80 percent on imports to meet its crude needs. The countrys crude oil import bill in 2017-18 was $88 billion, almost 30 percent of the countrys overall imports in the year.

The country has large deposits of coal but it is of low-quality and as the international consensus turns against fossil fuels, the government has had to look at shoring up its renewables-based power capacity. Even there, the country reversed a two-year trend of falling coal imports and got in 213 million tonne of the fuel from abroad in 2017-18.

Most of the countrys power plants are currently operating at 60 percent of their capacity even as there is a question mark on the sustainability of the extremely low tariffs for solar that developers have quoted in the state governments tenders.

In a tender opened in July by the central public sector undertaking Solar Corporation of India, Acme Solar offered to supply solar power at a tariff of Rs. 2.44 per unit. This is an all-time low for solar power in India.
The country's foreign exchange reserves declined by $613.9 million to $393.12 billion in the week to December 14, on account of a fall in foreign currency assets, according to the RBI data.

In the previous week, the reserves had increased by $16.6 million to $393.734 billion.

In the reporting week, foreign currency assets, a major component of the overall reserves, dropped by $631.6 million to $367.865 billion.

Expressed in US dollars, foreign currency assets include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US currencies such as the euro, pound and yen held in the reserves.

The reserves had touched a record high of $426.028 billion in the week to April 13, 2018. Since then, the forex kitty has been on a slide and is now down by over $31 billion.

Gold reserves rose by $37.2 million to $21.187 billion in the reporting week, the data showed.

The special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) dipped by $7 million to $1.45 billion.

The country's reserve position with the IMF also decline by $12.5 million to $2.617 billion, the apex bank said.
The opposition Congress and the NCP on Thursday termed as a "cruel joke" the Maharashtra government's announcement of Rs 200 per quintal ex-gratia to onion growers and called for increasing the assistance.

The Congress has asked the BJP-led government to raise the ex-gratia by Rs 10 per kg, while the NCP said it be increased to Rs 5 per kg.

"The government has short-changed farmers by announcing Rs 200 ex-gratia per quintal. (Falling prices of) onions have already brought tears in the eyes of farmers.

"Instead of wiping those, the government has played a cruel joke on them. The government should immediately declare ex-gratia of Rs 10 per kg," Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil of the Congress said on Twitter.

Hitting out at the Fadnavis government, Opposition Leader in the Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde of the NCP said farmers had originally demanded ex-gratia of Rs 500 per quintal.

"So, instead of the ex-gratia of Rs 2 per kg, the government should increase it to Rs 5 per kg and transfer the amount within a month on the accounts of farmers," Munde added.

He warned his party would stage protests in case the government did not given any relief to onion growers within a week.

The Maharashtra government Thursday announced Rs 150 crore as relief to onion farmers.

The decision by the state Cabinet came amid reports about farmers selling freshly harvested onions at as low as Rs 1.50 a kg in Maharashtra, the top producer of the bulb in the country.

The financial relief consists of an ex-gratia payment at the rate of Rs 200 per quintal (with an upper limit of 200 quintal per onion farmer) for the kitchen staple sold between November 1 and December 15, 2018.
BJP national president Amit Shah

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, BJP president Amit Shah and Hindu saints discussed ways to go ahead with the construction of a temple at the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya, religious leaders who participated in the meeting said.

Bhagwat and saints present at the two-day Hindu Acharya Sabha meeting at Rajkot, which is 210 km from Ahmedabad, explicitly expressed the view that construction of the temple should start before May 2019, when the term of the Narendra Modi government ends, they said.

In the meeting, Shah gave the assurance that the temple will be built in Ayodhya, the Hindu leaders said.

"The issue was discussed in detail. One way is the legal route... Political leaders are doing their bit. Saints said they want to push for construction of Ram temple as early as possible," Acharya Satgiri Maharaj, who took part in the meeting which concluded on December 21, said.

"I hope they will do something in two-three months," said Satgiri Maharaj, who hails from Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

The Supreme Court is likely to hear the Babri Masjid- Ram Janmabhoomi title dispute in January.

When asked if the BJP was given an ultimatum to start the construction of the temple before the 2019 polls, Satgiri replied in the negative.

"Mohanji has expressed his desire that construction of the Ram temple should start before 2019 polls, but no ultimatum was given," Satgiri said.

Another saint said Shah shared details of the legal case during the meeting and spoke about the Supreme Court's possibility of taking up the matter in January.

"Shah assured us that the temple will be built at the same spot (in Ayodhya which is under dispute)," the saint said.

A third saint called for patience, saying, "They (RSS and BJP) will do whatever is required (for the construction of the temple)."

RSS spokesperson Vijay Thakar said social, political and educational issues concerning Hindu society are discussed at the Hindu Acharya Sabha, which is held every two years.

Apart from Bhagwat and Shah, senior BJP leaders Ram Madhav and Subramanian Swamy participated in Hindu Sabha.

Swamy said arguments were in favour of Hindus getting the land for Ram temple, but now the question was when will the Supreme Court hear the case.

"(Former prime minister) Narasimha Rao had said 'if it was proved that there was a temple at the same place we will give the land to Hindus'; the Archaeological Survey of India has proved it.

"The Supreme Court has also ruled that the masijd is not an essential part for 'namaz' (prayer) which can be performed anywhere. All things and arguments are in our favour," Swamy told reporters.

"Now we just have to see when the hearing takes place and when the judgement comes," he said.

The meet, attended by around 100 participants, was held at Arsh Vidya Mandir in Rajkot.

Hindutva organisations, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, have in the past few months intensified their demand for early construction of the temple, with many of them, including Bhagwat, pitching for a law to enable it.

Though the BJP shares the sentiments expressed by these outfits, the party, which heads a coalition government at the Centre, has so far not come out in open support of a law to pave the way for temple construction.

There is a view within the saffron party that paving the way for the temple's construction will boost its prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
A farmer works in a paddy field on the outskirt of Agartala, India, March 7, 2017. REUTERS/Jayanta Dey - RC124552B9F0

Raghuram Rajan, a former governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has written to the Election Commission of India urging them to ban promoting farm loan waivers as part of election manifestos. This communication comes on the eve of Indias next general elections in 2019.

Rajan is among 13 independent economists of international repute who have come out with an economic strategy for India. This includes Gita Gopinath, chief economist at the IMF.

First, a caveat is required here. The amount involved in farm loan waivers isnt very large. They pale into insignificance when compared with non-performing assets notched up by errant (and unlucky) businessmen. In the current year, farm loan waivers are likely to account for barely half a percent of the cumulative state gross domestic product (GSDP) of the states concerned. It is not just the money, but the consequences that are unleashed on account of loan waivers that should concern economy planners.

In 2016, even before the NPA scourge was public knowledge, RBI data revealed that medium and large industrial firms accounted for over 55 percent of stressed assets faced by banks. This sector accounted for just 10 percent of Indias workforce. The farm sector, on the other hand, accounted for almost 50 percent of the workforce, and 17 percent of its FDP. Yet it accounted for just 7.9 percent of NPAs.

To be fair, the Modi government began on an excellent note, refusing to entertain any request for farm loan waivers. Then came along the state elections of Uttar Pradesh. All principles were thrown to the wind, or so it would appear. Loan waivers were announced. Then all hell broke loose.

State after state began clamouring for loan waivers. Delhi., Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and even Maharashtra were witness to ugly scenes of state and farmers pitched on opposite sides. The farmers had genuine reasons for demanding relief. They had suffered drought in many parts of India (in Maharashtra it was primarily because water was diverted to the powerful water guzzling sugarcane and cotton lobbies). Farmer leaders demanded loan waivers

That was a stupid mistake. They should have asked for a fixed dole for farmers instead. Farmers should have been exhorted to ensure that loans were repaid. After all, farmer distress was quite evident. A Nabard and IndiaRatings surveys confirmed the poor earnings of farmers. But loan waivers are surely not the best solution.

Even way back in 2012-13 (when the previous government was in power) the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had come down heavily on farm loans. Even then it was clear that loan waivers eventually teach the honest to become dishonest.

They represent bad economics, bad banking and promote the wrong type of social values. This is because farmers are, conventionally, among the most honest of borrowers. They consider it their moral obligation to redeem the loans taken by their forefathers as well. Suddenly, when a leader tells these people not to pay off loans, it teaches them the wrong values.

What is worse is that, once a farmer does not pay back his loan, the banks begin to shun him (who eventually bears the cost  bank or government -- is immaterial, because either way, it is the small base of taxpayers who bear the burden. Farming is exempt from income tax). When the banks become reluctant to lend to the farmer, he has no option but to go to the moneylender. Farm loan waivers invariably make the moneylender stronger.

In fact, the moneylender is quite strong even today. As a JM Financial report quoting NSSO findings shows, almost 44 percent of farm loans comes from informal, non-banking sources. Around 25 percent comes from cooperative and society banks. The rest comes from commercial and other institutional agencies. Loan waivers will make the role of moneylenders even stronger.

It is worth remembering that the moneylender does not just lend money. He even acts as a farming communitys financial advisor. He arranges for the produce of small farmers to be sold (often at prices that are terribly low, because the moneylender is linked to the middleman as well). He acts as a community elder advising on marriages, births and the manner in which disputes can be settled. The government should have brought the moneylender into organised banking, as economists like Ajit Ranade have often pointed out. But successive government policies have tried to run him down. In spite of that he remains a potent force. And the loan waiver will make him even more relevant.

Eventually, the farmer who sought out loan waivers, will end up paying more for his loans, till financial discipline is finally kicked into place once again.

Unless the election commission intervenes, the die is cast. Both the Congress and the BJP have begun offering loan waivers as election sops. Other parties have followed suit. Thus in addition to the economic downturn that is expected, you can be sure that the farmer will find the going even more difficult, and the banks pushed deeper into the red.

These are bad times for bankers and farmers alike thanks to the short sighted vision of politicians and farm leaders.

The author is Consulting Editor, Moneycontrol.
Newly appointed Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath was former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's driver | The news is fake! Kamal Nath had shared the image from his official Twitter handle on the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi. The photo went viral, but Twitterati chose to give the picture their own caption! (Image: Twitter/ @indiantweeter)

FIFA President Gianni Infantino gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi a jersey which read 'Modi 420' | The picture was obviously photoshopped! The original jersey read 'Modi G20'. (Image: @Trichysakht)

No, that is not former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh touching Sonia Gandhi's feet | The original image, by GettyImages, had mentioned that it was a Congress worker touching the feet of the then-Congress president. The original picture was taken in November 2011 and has been recirculated since in social media with many false narratives. And no, this is not Navjot Singh Sidhu either. (Image: Facebook/ @    )

Saudi Arabia or Kumbh Mela? | This image of tents pitched in Mina Valley of Saudi Arabia was circulated on social media as Uttar Pradesh government's preparation for Kumbh Mela. Well, guess what? It's still Saudi Arabia. (Image: Twitter/ @IshwarKhodani)

Heart-wrenching, isn't it? While the Rs 2,989-crore Statue of Unity stands tall, street urchins struggle to make ends meet. Sorry to kill the emotion, but the picture is fake! The picture of the street kids, originally a Reuters image, was superimposed on an image of the Statue of Unity. (Image: Twitter/ @iambeingkunal)

Don't have Paracetamol tablets, it contains the 'Machupo' virus! | Relax, it's a hoax. The Machupo virus, which spreads through direct contact with infected rodents, is only known to be found in South America; no cases have been reported in India so far. (Representative Image)

RSS ideologue Satyanarayan Sharma represented the British during Bhagat Singh's trial and pleaded for his death penalty | Several posts claiming this have been shared across Facebook and Twitter. However, such claims don't hold any water, or at least that's what the historians suggest. (Image: Facebook/ @AndhBhaktLogic)

Ram Mandir vs Babri Masjid voting is doing the rounds on social media these days | To worsen the woes, and polarise the sensitive and communal issue, the message says the Supreme Court has left the decision to the citizens. "But till now there are more votes for Babri Masjid. So kindly all Hindus vote for Rammandir to be built in Ayodhya". The news is fake! Don't fall into the trap! (Image: Social Media Hoax Slayer)

Jawaharlal Nehru has yet again beaten all political leaders as far as fake news is concerned, even posthumously. One such claim is that Nehru once said he was "Muslim by culture and Hindu by accident". Another fake news that went viral was Nehru sending the location of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose to English Prime Minister Clement Attlee in 1945. All claims are false.
Panchali Bhattacharjee, Sarkar's wife, is a retired state government employee has Rs 20,140 cash in hand. (Photo: Reuters)

Describing the government's order authorising 10 Central agencies to intercept "any information" on computers as "unconstitutional" and a "brazen attack" on right to privacy, the CPI(M) on December 21 demanded that it be cancelled.

In a statement, the party's Politburo said that it was contrary to Supreme Court judgements.

"This is a brazen attack on the fundamental right to privacy given to every citizen by our Constitution. This order goes against the spirit of Supreme Court judgements on telephone tapping guidelines, the right to privacy judgement and the Aadhaar judgement," the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said.

"The track record of this government in harassing and persecuting citizens who do not share the RSS/BJP viewpoint is there for everyone to see. Individuals have been picked up for social media posts which are seen as being inimical to their image," it added.

The order authorises 10 Central agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau, the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor and decrypt "any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer".

According to the order, the subscriber or service provider or any person in charge of the computer resource will be bound to extend all facilities and technical assistance to the agencies. Failing to do so will invite seven-year imprisonment and fine.
Beijing on December 21 accused Washington of "fabricating facts" after the US Justice Department indicted two Chinese hackers tied to Asian nation's security services who allegedly targeted companies and agencies in a dozen countries.

We urge the US to "stop smearing the Chinese side on cyber security issues," China's foreign ministry said in statement, adding that it had lodged an official protest.

China said the US should drop the prosecution "to avoid serious damage to the relations between the two countries".

Beijing accused Washington of "blame-shifting" and of carrying out hacking attacks against other countries.

"It has long been an open secret for the relevant departments of the United States to conduct large-scale and organised network theft and monitoring and monitoring activities against foreign governments, enterprises and individuals," said the statement, attributed to foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

In charging the two alleged Chinese hackers, the Justice Department said the group they work for targeted firms which help other companies manage their information technology systems potentially giving attackers an entry into the computer networks of dozens of companies.

Western governments, including US allies Britain and Australia, have accused Beijing of cyber-attacks.

China described those claims as "purely made out of thin air", warning other countries to "stop deliberate defamation of China, so as not to damage... bilateral relations".
A high-octane assembly poll, a thrilling government formation exercise filled with nail biting twists and turns, and never-ending coalition worries encapsulated 2018 in Karnataka, which also experienced a tragic touch of devastating floods.

The year that began with a campaign blitz for the May 12 assembly polls ended on a sad note with two tragedies striking in the form of a bus mishap killing 30 people and the death of 15 innocent believers after eating insecticide-laced prasad.

Karnataka saw attempts at coming together of "like- minded secular parties" against the BJP-led NDA ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year, with top opposition leaders attending the swearing-in ceremony of the new Congress-JDS coalition chief minister H D Kumaraswamy.

After the elections threw up a hung assembly, the Congress and JDS stitched together a post-poll alliance to clinch power, days after the BJP, which emerged as the single largest party, failed to muster the numbers.

Alleged attempts by the BJP to poach the ruling coalition MLAs to destabilise the government and return to power added drama to the state political scene.

The Karnataka government's efforts for a separate state flag and religious minority tag for the dominant Lingayat community got mired in controversies.

The year ended on a sad note as it saw the passing away of of Union Minister Ananth Kumar, veteran Congress leader C K Jaffer Sharief and matinee idol-turned-politician M H Ambareesh, all within the span of a few days in November.

Karnataka's water wars with neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Goa continued in 2018 over Cauvery and Mahadayi disputes respectively, with the southern neighbour again dragging it to court over the proposed reservoir at Mekedatu across the Cauvery.

The controversy over celebrating Tipu Jayanti marking the birth anniversary of the controversial 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan, raging on for the last three years, captured national attention this year, too.

The year also saw the Special Investigation Team of Bengaluru police arrest some right wing activists for the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead right outside her Bengaluru residence in September last year.

In the middle of the year, the state saw protests in parts of north, with demand for creating a separate state over alleged discrimination by successive governments, including the current dispensation, in budget allocation, developmental work and representation in the cabinet.

To smooth ruffled feathers, the Kumaraswamy government decided to shift some government offices to the northern region.

For the Bengaluru-headquartered Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the year was a mixed bag.

The space agency that performed seven successful launches this year, faced a setback, as it lost contact with its communication satellite with military applications- GSAT- 6A- two days after the launch on March 29.

Weeks after this, in a move that raised eyebrows, ISRO rescheduled the launch of its another communication satellite GSAT-11 and recalled it from from Kourou, French Guiana, citing the need for additional tests. The satellite was subsequently launched on December 5.

With new chairman K Sivan at its helm, the space agency also carried out a major technology demonstration in July, the first in a series of tests to qualify a Crew Escape System, which is a critical technology relevant for human spaceflight in an emergency.

Karnataka saw political turmoil after voters gave a fractured verdict in the assembly polls, with BJP winning 104 seats, while contesting separately the Congress and JD(S) won 78 and 37 MLAs in the 224-member house. The assembly also has a nominated member.

State BJP president B S Yeddyurappa was sworn in as the chief minister by Governor Vajubhai Vala, an old BJP hand from Gujarat, but resigned without taking the floor test in the face of imminent defeat.

With the Congress pledging support to a government headed by the JDS to keep the "communal BJP" out of power, Kumaraswamy became the chief minister and proved his majority in the assembly.

In a major step to address agrarian distress, the Kumaraswamy government announced a Rs 45,000 crore farm loan waiver.

However, the opposition expressed doubts about its implementation, citing lack of clarity on how the government would go about it. The coalition also managed to win most of the subsequent bypolls.

However, factional feud within the Congress party raised questions about the longevity of the government.

Reflecting strains in the JDS-Congress coalition, Kumaraswamy once said he was not happy being in the top post, and was swallowing his pain like 'Vishakantha' (Lord Shiva), who drank poison.

He also called himself the "child of circumstances", remarks that gave ammunition to the opposition, which said it showed he was wilting under pressure of coalition politics.

The year witnessed devastating floods in Kodagu hill region and parts of coastal Karnataka, one of the worst in recent times, when neighbouring Kerala also reeled under nature's fury.

In Kodagu, about 20 people died and thousands were displaced, as landslides destroyed houses and rampaging waters wrecked standing crops in vast swathes in the countryside.

Tragedy struck on November 24 when 30 passengers of a private bus were killed after the speeding vehicle plunged into a canal in Mandya district. In another dire incident, 15 people died and over 100 others are still in hospitals after they ingested prasad served at the Kichchugutti Maramma temple in Sulivadi village of Chamarajanagar district on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border.

Police have arrested a local seer, who allegedly nurtured a grude after being sidelined in the management of the temple, and three of his accomplices for allegedly plotting to kill devotees by mixing insecticides with the prasad that was served on December 14.
giriraj-singh

Union Minister Giriraj Singh on December 20 accused the Congress of burying Mahatma Gandhis policies despite using his name for political gains.

"Mahatma Gandhi not only boycotted Manchesters clothes but he also provided khadi as a medium of earning source for women and independence struggle," said the Union Minister of state for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

"But after Independence struggle, Gandhiji was used by political leaders, particularly the Congress, to take political benefit. It buried Gandhijis policies," Singh alleged while addressing a gathering on the inaugural day of 'Rashtriya Khadi and Saras Mahastov' at the Morahbadi ground here.

Singh said that Gandhijis policies were to provide jobs in every household through Khadi. He alleged that after the Congress came to power khadi slowly was considered as 'netajis dukan' (political leaders attire).

However, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, he appealed to the people that khadi is not just a clothing but also a 'vichar' (ideology), Singh said, adding that if you purchase clothes made of Khadi it will light a lamp of the house as the money goes to a poor family.

With the prime ministers appeal, khadi sale has increased three-fold from the 2014/15 sale of Rs 811 crore, Singh said, adding students and office-goers are wearing khadi jackets with pride.

Modi also gave Khadi jackets to the world leaders at the BRICS summit, hinting that khadi was the medium of independence and also the medium for income.

Singh referred to a village in his Nawada constituency, where he has taken up a village under the 'Adarsh gram' yojana where solar power is being used for khadi wheel and women are getting jobs there.

"Gai aur mai (cow and mother) together will shape the village economy in the coming days ... cow urine and dung are being used as fertilizer ...," Singh said.
Myth: Houseflies or mosquito bites transmit COVID-19 Fact: To date, there is no evidence or information to suggest that the COVID-19 virus transmitted through houseflies or mosquito bites. The virus that cause COVID-19 spreads primarily through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks. You can also become infected by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth before washing your hands. To protect yourself, keep at least 1-metre distance from others and disinfect frequently-touched surfaces. Clean your hands thoroughly and often and avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose. (Image: Reuters)

The Congress walked out of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on December 21, alleging that the state government had imposed an "emergency" in BRD Medical College to hide actual figures of encephalitis deaths in Gorakhpur from the media.

The matter was raised during the Question Hour by Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Ajay Kumar Lallu. He sought to know the number of deaths due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

Responding to him, Health Minister Siddharth Nath Singh claimed that compared to previous years, encephalitis cases and deaths have come down due to the government's sustained efforts.

"Due to training and awareness, the encephalitis cases and deaths have come down. In the budget, for the first time Rs 20 crore was earmarked for the awareness drive and people from all walks (of life) were associated with the campaign due to which we got success in containing the disease," he said.

Lallu, however, claimed that in Gorakhpur alone scores of people had died due to encephalitis.

"Emergency has been imposed on the media in the BRD college, where no regular bulletins are issued about the cases and deaths", he said.

Refuting the allegations, Singh clarified that "media could not differentiate between child deaths in PICU (Pediatric ICU) and MICU (Medical ICU) due to which confusion prevailed at times".

There is no emergency imposed on anyone, he said.

"It's the Congress party which believes in imposing emergency. Bulletins and information are given whenever sought, but entry of media is disallowed in PICU and MICU," he added.

Dissatisfied with the reply, the CLP leader termed the government as "non-serious" and accused it of hiding the real encephalitis data.

He then led the walkout of his party members.
Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, exchange greetings before a meeting in New Delhi. (PTI)

In yet another step towards improving ties, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on December 21 held extensive talks under a newly established framework to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two nations.

The Chinese Foreign Minister arrived here early December 21 on a four-day visit primarily to attend the first meeting of the new mechanism which was agreed to in the informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Wuhan in April.

In his written message, Modi expressed happiness over talks between the two sides under the 'High Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges, which was pushed by him during the Wuhan summit.

He also hoped that the new mechanism will help in further deepening cultural exchanges and engagement between people of the two countries.

"Age old links have been reinforced with increased contacts & exchanges between our peoples in contemporary times," Modi said.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the new mechanism is aimed at building synergies in people-to-people ties.

In a tweet, he said the two sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation in tourism, art, films, media, culture, yoga, sports, academic and youth exchanges.

After the over two-month face-off between their militaries at the Doklam tri-junction last year, the two countries have been initiating series of measures to reset ties.

Last month, Modi and Xi had met on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Argentina during which they concurred that there had been a "perceptible improvement" in bilateral ties after their Wuhan summit and both sides are optimistic that 2019 would be an even better year for India-China relations.

They also discussed joint efforts to further enhance mutual trust and friendship between the two neighbours.

Earlier this month, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale held talks here with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou and reviewed the progress made in the bilateral ties since the Wuhan summit.

In their informal summit in the Chinese city of Wuhan in April, Modi and Xi decided to issue "strategic guidance" to their militaries to strengthen communications so that they can build trust and understanding.

The informal summit had taken place seven months after the Doklam standoff.

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.
Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 21 arrived in Gujarat to attend the annual conference of Directors General and Inspectors General of Police. Modi arrived at the Vadodara airport in the morning, where he was received by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, a state government release said.

From the airport, Modi left for the Statue of Unity near Kevadiya in Narmada district to attend the annual conference of DGPs and IGPs. The venue for the meet is a 'tent-city' set up near the 182-metre tall statue dedicated to country's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

The three-day event began on December 20 in the presence of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

Before heading for the conference, Modi visited the Statue of Unity, the world's tallest statue, which he had unveiled on October 31.

Modi also paid floral tributes to Sardar Patel.

The PM tweeted that the discussions at the DGPs/IGPs conference would strengthen the country's "security apparatus".

"Reached Kevadia in Gujarat for the Conference of DGPs/IGPs. Looking forward to fruitful deliberations that will strengthen our security apparatus," he said in the tweet.

"Paid tributes to the great Sardar Patel at the 'Statue of Unity.' As India's Home Minister, his contribution towards building the framework of our security systems is immense," the PM added.

In another tweet, Modi urged the countrymen to visit the world's tallest statue.

"I would specially urge you all to visit Kevadia and see the 'Statue of Unity'. Some friends told me that the Statue can also be seen during Delhi-Mumbai flights. So, next time you are flying that route do try to spot the Statue," Modi said in another tweet.

On Saturday, Modi is scheduled to address the BJP women's wing workers on the last day of a national convention of the party's Mahila Morcha at Trimandir, a temple complex near Adalaj village in Gandhinagar.
Representative Image

The US has told all its regional partners, including Pakistan, that state support for terrorist proxies will not be tolerated, the Pentagon has said, expressing concern over the free movement of some militant groups in Pakistan that are presenting security challenges for Afghanistan.

The Pentagon, in its semi-annual Afghan report to the US Congress that covers the period of June to November 2018, said on December 20 that Taliban and the Haqqani Network retain freedom of movement in Pakistan.

The Pentagon's remarks came amidst reports that President Donald Trump is planning to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan.

In the report, the Pentagon said that Afghanistan faces a continuing threat from an externally supported insurgency and the highest regional concentration of terrorist groups in the world.

"In this reporting period, the US continued to call on regional partners to reinforce our messages that state support for terrorist proxies will not be tolerated, that cross-border cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan is essential, and that the Taliban cannot achieve its objectives through continued military conflict," the Pentagon said.

"Although Pakistani military operations have disrupted some militant sanctuaries, certain groups such as the Taliban and the Haqqani Network retain freedom of movement in Pakistan. The United States continues to convey to all levels of Pakistani leadership the importance of taking action against all terrorist and militant groups," it said.

According to the report, the Haqqani network continues to be an integral part of the Taliban's effort to pressure the Afghan government in Kabul and eastern Afghanistan.

Sirajuddin Haqqani's role as a Taliban deputy probably increased Haqqani influence within the Taliban leadership, and resulted in an increase in Haqqani influence to areas outside its normal operating areas of Paktika, Paktiya, and Khost provinces in eastern Afghanistan, it said.

The Afghanistan-Pakistan border region remains a sanctuary for various groups, including the Taliban, al-Qaeda core (AQ), al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), the Haqqani Network (HQN), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), ISIS-K, East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).

Terrorist sanctuaries on both sides of the border present security challenges for Afghanistan and Pakistan and pose a threat to regional security and stability, the report said.

The South Asia Strategy, which was announced by Trump in August 2017, has focused on pressuring Pakistan to limit support and safe-haven for proxy terrorist and militant groups and to play a constructive role in facilitating Afghan reconciliation, the Pentagon said.

"Regional efforts in the South Asia Strategy aim to expand burden sharing, neutralize potential spoilers to US and coalition efforts, limit threats to the United States and our allies and partners, and develop and support a durable political settlement in Afghanistan," the Pentagon said.

The South Asia strategy prioritises regional engagement to limit hedging against the Afghan government and create an international consensus for peace.

The Pentagon said the existence of more than 20 terrorist or insurgent groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan requires an Afghan-supported US platform in the region to monitor, contain, and respond to these threats.
Eight years after breaking ties with Hero Motocorp, Japanese giant Honda has beaten its erstwhile partner in each of the business segments. The Indian company though continues to grapple with intense competition from other players.

Data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers of the last eight years show Honda has expanded market share in the motorcycle and scooter segments in the domestic market as well increased exports growth.

During these eight years, sales for two-wheeler market leader Hero Motocorp declined in all the segments on lackluster demand for some products and delay in new product launches.

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) has doubled its share in the domestic two-wheeler space to nearly 28 percent this year (October end) from 13.3 percent in 2010 when the companies split. Share of the Munjal family-promoted Hero Motocorp has eroded to 36 percent this year from 44 percent at the time of the split, as per the SIAM numbers.

Last year, Honda dislodged Hero in 15 states including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu and two union territories to emerge as the market leader in those markets. A large chunk of buyers from these states favoured gearless scooters over motorcycles for their ease of riding.

Hero did hold on the agrarian belt in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan. These states are the largest buyers of budget bikes like Splendor and Dawn, both being the backbone of Heros volumes. Since April this year, Pune-headquartered Bajaj Auto started a price war in the Splendor segment by dropping rates by Rs 2,000 on its cheapest bike CT100.

The maker of Indias largest selling two-wheeler brand Activa Honda increased its share in the scooter space to nearly 57 percent from nearly 44 percent through an unchallenged streak.

Despite multiple launches backed by a retail reach twice that compared to Honda, Hero has not been able to capitalise on robust demand for scooters. Heros share in the scooter segment stood at 10.6 percent this year down from nearly 16 percent at the time of the split.

Though Honda faced its toughest challenge in the motorcycle segment where it pushed a number of models fruitlessly to gain entry into the segment the company did manage to gain market share. Hondas share in the motorcycle segment was 15 percent in 2018 from 7.5 percent in 2010.

Heros share in the motorcycle segment came under a strain at 50.4 percent in 2018 down from 54 percent in 2010. Hero has struggled to make any headway in the premium (150cc+) and commuter (125cc) segments.

In exports too, Hero has struggled. Hero is over-dependent on the domestic market which accounts of 97.5 percent of its total production (exports at 2.4 percent). This share was largely the same eight years ago. But, for Honda exports accounted for 6.3 percent of total production this year from 5.7 percent eight years ago.

Hero, however, continues to invest in new capacities in India and overseas as well as investments in new technology.

Speaking to analysts, Niranjan Gupta, Chief Financial Officer, Hero Motocorp said, We still see demand growing at 8 to 10 percent, because the macro fundamentals of the Indian economy in general and two-wheelers in the auto sector in particular, still remain intact. One could talk about the MSP increase, more income with the farmers, underlying growth of Indian economy at 7 percent plus, consumer credit, financing opportunity, under penetrations. All those are macro stories and they all remain intact despite whatever the short-term headwinds could be. So, in a nutshell, we still have confidence in the demand growth, and therefore, the capacity expansion will continue, so we are not going to push back any of the capex."

The two companies agreed to part ways in December 2010 bringing curtains to an extremely fruitful alliance that lasted 26 years under the joint venture company Hero Honda which gave birth to Indias most well-known best seller Splendor.
Facebook is developing a cryptocurrency that will allow users to transfer money on its messaging service WhatsApp, according to a Bloomberg report citing sources.

The company will first focus on the remittances market in India, where it has over 200 million users, sources told the news agency.

The company is working on a stablecoin to curb volatility, and is working on a plan for custody assets that will protect the value of the digital currency, the report added.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the news.

A Facebook spokesperson told Bloomberg that a small team in the company is evaluating ways to utilise blockchain technology, but did not elaborate.

"Like many other companies, Facebook is exploring ways to leverage the power of blockchain technology," a Facebook spokesperson told the news agency.

Facebook has about 40 people in its blockchain team according to employee titles viewed on LinkedIn, the news agency said.

Stablecoins are less volatile than other cryptocurrencies and are backed by assets, such as the US Dollar. They have become increasingly popular over the next year.

The project will not be WhatsApps first test of the digital payments system in India. WhatsApp has been testing the Unified Payments Interface since February 2018.

WhatsApp has sought approval from the Reserve Bank of India to expand its payment service to all users.
Businesses, policy makers, venture capitalists, scientists and entrepreneurs came together last week for the India-UK FutureTech Festival.

Announced by Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Theresa May in April 2018, the festival is a major initiative under the India-UK Technology Partnership, which seeks to pair businesses, universities and others from different regions in the UK with states in India.

In this context, Amo Kalar, Deputy Trade and Investment Commissioner, British High Commission spoke about the common interest areas, potential investment opportunities and the way forward for both countries in the field of technology.

Edited Excerpts:

Q: What is the nature of India and UK's partnership on technology?

A: Put simply  it is collaborative and dynamic. We began with a healthy existing collaboration where 31 percent of Indian investments in the UK are in tech, creating 33,000 out of 110,000 jobs.

Indian FDI into the UK increased by over 300 percent recently, and I suspect a healthy chunk of that in tech. The UK exported 344 million pounds of digital services to India in 2016. UK and India have been top five investors in each others economies since 2010.

As we exit the European Union, the UKs Industrial strategy-driven tech and innovation offer to the Indian governments interest in technological solutions that support Indias (socio) economic growth. The UK  with a

tech sector thats growing three times faster than any other  is the best partner to respond.

A. The UK-India Technology Partnership is ground-breaking, ambitious work. It covers a broad spread of deep tech areas- ranging from future mobility/electric vehicles to digital manufacturing, Modicare AI and fintech.

There are however, a couple of additional policy-relevant elements; linking the increasing devolution of research and innovation into the UK regions, with Indias march towards competitive federalism. The bilateral cluster partnerships respond to that.

Initially, the UK will invest 1 million pounds to pilot elements of the Partnership, supported by potentially up to a further 13 million pounds by 2022. We are putting our money where our mouth is.

We, in turn, can learn from India on global digital transformation for business. We cannot debate electric and connected vehicles without considering the impact on non-skilled jobs. Nor can we discuss the future of cybersecurity.

A: As I said earlier, the bilateral relationship is built on a strong existing collaboration which can only grow in the future. India matters. It is set to be the fastest growing G20 economy this year and the third largest economy in the world in purchasing power parity terms.

The relationship is not transactional, it is built on deep cooperation across trade, investment, the living bridge, research and the UK and India as a force for good. The UK  despite what you may hear  issues one in five visit visas globally to Indians.

Of course we need to continue co-producing technologies of the future, tackling tricky issues around the future of tech. But we start from an unshakeable foundation.

Q: The UK has been a large part of the revenue of the Indian IT industry a very long time. Are you engaging with Nasscom or other government or industry bodies on the issues the industry faces, including visas?

A: Nasscom is one of our closest partners, and a global leader in representing the views of a strong IT industry. Indeed they tell me that 20 percent of the Indian ITs tech sector global revenues come from the UK, vs 60 percent from the US.

We need to turn up the dial. During PM Modis visit to the UK, NASSCOM and Tech UK launched the India-UK Tech CEO Alliance in the presence of both PMs. This developed stronger links, networks and joint platforms, and helped enhance the skills of the technology workforce in both countries.

I have just witnessed the latest Alliance meeting, and I can assure you that driven by two world- leading Chairs in Julian David and Debjani Ghosh, the agenda is moving rapidly. From digital skills to the jobs of the future, from STEM to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Maths).

A: With Indias healthcare market estimated to grow to $280 billion by 2020 and the governments recent commitment to developing 100 smart cities across the country, the demand for innovative healthcare solutions has never been higher.

Our new partnership with the Indian government in this area is called the Healthcare AI Catalyst.

The programme will bring out some of the leading UK health AI companies to India to install their solutions in government hospitals and Primary Health Centres, and demonstrate the potential of high-end AI to transform screening, diagnosis and early treatment.

Our first companies will be starting work in early 2019, but we hope this is a bigger partnership that will bring a continual flow of UK companies to India over the next few years to support the Indian governments healthcare

reforms.

There are also plans to develop up to 5,000 diagnostic centres in India using NHS expertise, equipment and suppliers. Eleven new medicities are already being developed in India, with related hospitals, nursing, and medical colleges, and research and innovation centers.

The medicities programme is run by the Indo UK Institute of Health (IUIH) in partnership with leading UK hospitals, the first of which is Kings College Hospital.
The Bharatiya Janata Paty (BJP) will converge in Odisha in February to decide upon its strategy, particularly for the tribal population, ahead of the general elections in 2019, Hindustan Times has reported.

According to the report, around 5,000 elected representatives will be a part of the conclave, which will address the BJP's loss in the recent assembly elections, especially in tribal-dominated areas in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

The saffron party won only three of 29 seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) in Chhattisgarh while losing half the ST seats in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. BJP's performance, according to the report, was worse than the party's show in the previous two assembly elections.

Stating that tribal votes are important for BJP in states such as Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Jharkhand, a senior party leader told the newspaper that "there has been a dip in the vote share in Chhattisgarh", which the party will need to correct before the general elections next year.

"The Congress came up with an attractive manifesto, including the promise to waive off farm loans; but on the ground, poor implementation of the Centres policy for giving land rights to forest dwellers, ensuring minimum support price for forest produce are not being implemented; these had an impact," another leader told the newspaper.

"Also, there were job expectations for the educated youth, which remained unmet," the leader added, highlighting that the BJP had failed to give enough representation to the tribal population.

A third leader told the newspaper that the party needs to develop a state-specific strategy relating to the tribal population, and give more representation to tribal leaders.

"Central policies have a limited impact on the lives of tribes. For instance, in Tripura, which was a Left bastion in the Northeast, BJP won the election and bagged as many as 9 of 19 tribal seats, tribespeople have found representation in the government," the leader said, adding that in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh "lack of representation in critical positions had become a sore point".

According to Sanjay Kumar of the Centre for Studies of Developing Societies (CSDS), the BJP could not build on the momentum that it created in 2014 due to "the general disenchantment that groups such as the youth and the farmers are showing towards the party that had made tall promises but has not been able to deliver much".

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has also been a crucial factor for the BJP in cultivating the SC/ST voter base. An RSS functionary told the newspaper that it had pointed out that there were very few ST leaders holding top positions within the party hierarchy.

"In some villages in Chhattisgarh, steps taken to weed out left-wing extremism was based only on police action. Villagers became collateral damage and the government erred by not having a political solution to the problem," the functionary told the newspaper.

The BJP had won 27 of the 41 tribal reserved seats it contested in 2014.
Build your skillset: Change is the only constant and with the evolving times an updated skillset would be a handy addition to your resume. Show potential employers what youve learned that can be an asset to their business in the post-coronavirus world. (Image Source: Reuters)

In an order that has come under fire from Opposition parties, the Centre on December 20 issued an order that allows 10 central agencies to decrypt, monitor and intercept "any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer".

These 10 agencies include the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), National Investigation Agency (NIA), Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW), Directorate of Signal Intelligence (for service areas of Jammu & Kashmir, Northeast and Assam only) and Commissioner of Police, Delhi.

The order, which was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, would allow these 10 agencies to peek into any computer.

The Centre has vested these powers in the agencies under Section 69 of the Information and Technology Act, 2000, and Rule 4 of the Information Technology Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules, 2009.

According to the order, the subscriber or service provider or any person in charge of the computer resource will be bound to extend all facilities and technical assistance to the agencies. Failing to do so will invite seven-year imprisonment and fine.

According to a report in NDTV, before the order, only data which was in motion could be intercepted. "But now data revived, stored and generated can also be intercepted as powers of seizure have been given," a senior bureaucrat told the channel.

The officer added that while the IB had no seizure powers earlier, the notification has changed that.



 ,  !

Modi Govt mocks & flouts Fundamental Right to Privacy with brazen impunity! Having lost elections,now Modi Govt wants to scan/snoop YOUR computers? Big Brother Syndrome is truly embedded in NDAs DNA!   =    ! pic.twitter.com/qCe1IocgY8  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 21, 2018

The government has come under attack from Opposition parties after the order, with Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala calling it an attack on privacy. "Big Brother Syndrome is truly embedded in NDA's DNA," Surjewala tweeted.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury called the order "unconstitutional" and "in breach of telephone tapping guidelines, the Privacy Judgment and the Aadhaar Judgement."

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel also tweeted, calling the order a "direct assault on civil liberties and personal freedom of citizens."



The Government order giving a blanket approval to electronic surveillance is a direct assault on civil liberties & personal freedom of citizens  Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) December 21, 2018

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen Party (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi targeted the Narendra Modi government in his tweet. "Who knew that this is what they meant when they said ghar ghar Modi," Owaisi tweeted. "George Orwells Big Brother is here & welcome to 1984," he added in his tweet.
Pakistan is building Chinese military jets, weaponry and other hardware as part of a secret plan which for the first time has "explicitly" tied China's trillion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to its military ambitions, according to a media report.

The New York Times report titled "China's 'Belt and Road' Plan in Pakistan Takes a Military Turn" said that under the programme that had China insisted was peaceful, Pakistan is cooperating on distinctly defence-related projects, including a secret plan to build new fighter jets.

"In Pakistan, China has found an amenable ally with much to recommend it: shared borders and a long history of cooperation; a hedge in South Asia against India; a large market for arms sales and trade with potential for growth; a wealth of natural resources," report said.

"Now, China is also finding a better showcase for its security and surveillance technology in a place once defined by its close military relationship with the United States, the lengthy report said.

It said that just weeks after President Donald Trump announced suspension of billions of dollars of security aid to Islamabad, the Pakistani Air Force and Chinese officials were putting the final touches on a secret proposal to expand Pakistan's building of Chinese military jets, weaponry and other hardware.

The confidential plan, reviewed by The New York Times, would also deepen the cooperation between China and Pakistan in space, a frontier the Pentagon recently said Beijing was trying to militarise after decades of playing catch-up.

All those military projects were designated as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, a USD 1 trillion chain of infrastructure development programs stretching across some 70 countries, built and financed by Beijing, the NYT report said.

It added that while Chinese officials have repeatedly said the BRI is purely an economic project with peaceful intent, with its plan for Pakistan, China is for the first time explicitly tying a Belt and Road proposal to its military ambitions  and confirming the concerns of a host of nations who suspect the infrastructure initiative is really about helping China project armed might.

The report said that as China's strategically located and nuclear-armed neighbour, Pakistan has been the leading example of how the Chinese projects are being used to give Beijing favour and leverage among its clients.

Since the beginning of the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, Pakistan has been the program's flagship site, with some USD 62 billion in projects planned in the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. In the process, China has lent more and more money to Pakistan at a time of economic desperation there, binding the two countries ever closer, it said.

It added that even before the revelation of the new Chinese-Pakistani military cooperation, some of China's biggest projects in Pakistan had clear strategic implications.

It cited the example of the Chinese-built seaport and special economic zone in the Pakistani town of Gwadar, which is rooted in trade, giving China a quicker route to get goods to the Arabian Sea.

But it also gives Beijing a strategic card to play against India and the United States if tensions worsen to the point of naval blockades as the two powers increasingly confront each other at sea," it said.

Further, the report said that a less scrutinised component of the BRI is the central role Pakistan plays in China's Beidou satellite navigation system, in which Pakistan is the only other country that has been granted access to the system's military service, allowing more precise guidance for missiles, ships and aircraft.

The cooperation is meant to be a blueprint for Beidou's expansion to other Belt and Road nations, however, ostensibly ending its clients' reliance on the American military-run GPS network that Chinese officials fear is monitored and manipulated by the United States, the report said.

The report quoted Priscilla Moriuchi, the director of strategic threat development at Recorded Future, a cyberthreat intelligence monitoring company based in Massachusetts, as saying that the focus of the BRI is on roads and bridges and ports, because those are the concrete construction projects that people can easily see.

"But it's the technologies of the future and technologies of future security systems that could be the biggest security threat in the Belt and Road project, Moriuchi said.

It said that in recent years, Chinese state-owned companies have built or begun constructing seaports at strategic spots around the Indian Ocean, including places in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Malaysia.

Chinese officials insisted that the ports would not be militarized. But analysts began wondering whether China's endgame was to muscle its way onto coastal territories that could become prime military assets  much as it did when it started militarising contested islands in the South China Sea.

"If there was concern within Pakistan about the hidden costs of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, also known as CPEC, there was growing suspicion abroad about a hidden military aspect, as well," the report said.
In April, three separate statements released by the White House on the demise of former First Lady Barbara Bush had April 17, 2017, as the date, instead of April 17, 2018. (Image: Reuters)

Till the first fortnight of April, attempts by Washington to establish a line with Pyongyang was under the wraps. However, on April 17, when a reporter asked Trump if he had spoken directly to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, he replied Yes. When the question was repeated later, he gave a vague reply. (Image: Pixabay)

On April 21, Trump tweeted, James Comey illegally leaked classified documents to the press in order to generate a Special Council? Therefore, the Special Council was established based on an illegal act? He might have meant Special Counsel, but well never know. (Image: Reuters)

In May, US First Lady Melania Trump was away from public eye for almost three weeks. Speculation and conspiracy theories were afloat, but Trump put a rest to all of this when he tweeted that she was back and doing well. Great to have our incredible First Lady back home in the White House. Melanie is feeling and doing really well. Were not sure what Melania thought of it. (Image: Reuters)

On September 25, Trump delivered a speech at the United Nations  yes, the one where world leaders laughed at (and not with) him. It was filled with gaffes, and this one we thought stood out: ...tolerance for human struggling and human smuggling and trafficking is not humane Smuggling is a struggle, ask Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo. (Image: Reuters)

On September 27, at a press conference, Trump said, From what I hear, if you look at Mr Pillsbury, the leading authority on China ... he was saying that China has total respect for Donald Trump and for Donald Trump's very, very large brain. He said, Donald Trump, they don't know what to do Lets add that to his too big hands! (Image: Reuters)

The Trump White House celebrated Diwali six days after it was celebrated across the world. But that was not the only mistake; he lit the diya (lamp) with a candle and in his tweet forgot to mention that Hindus celebrate the festival. He tweeted: Today, we gathered for Diwali, a holiday observed by Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains throughout the United States and around the world. (Image: Reuters)

On December 4, while at the Buenos Aires G20 Summit, Trump was supposed to stay on stage after shaking hands with Argentine President Mauricio Macri. Instead, Trump walked out of the stage and when an aide went to call him back, a mic recorded Trump saying get me out of here. (Image: Reuters)

On December 7 in a tweet, Trump said: Arizona, together with our Military and Border Patrol, is bracing for a massive surge at a NON-WALLED area. WE WILL NOT LET THEM THROUGH. Big danger. Nancy and Chuck must approve Boarder Security and the Wall! Broader borderdoes it really matter! (Image: Reuters)
The logo of Hyundai Motor Co. is seen on a wheel of a car at a Hyundai dealership in Seoul January 22, 2015. South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co on Thursday reported a fourth straight quarterly profit decline, pulled down by a plunge in the Russian rouble and increased buying incentives in the United States. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji (SOUTH KOREA - Tags: TRANSPORT BUSINESS LOGO) - RTR4MEH9

Hyundai Motor Co plans to start producing electric vehicles (EVs) in Indonesia as part of an around $880 million auto investment in the country, the deputy minister for industry said.

Hyundai's move to set up its first car factory in Southeast Asia fits into the South Korean carmaker's strategy of cutting its reliance on China, where competition is intense and its sales have suffered from diplomatic tensions between Seoul and Beijing.

Hyundai Motor, which together with affiliate Kia Motors is the world's No.5 automaker, plans to build a factory in Indonesia with a capacity of about 250,000 units, including for electric cars, Indonesian deputy minister for industry Harjanto told Reuters.

Indonesia has ample reserves of nickel laterite ore, a vital ingredient for the lithium-ion batteries used to power EVs.

The minister noted the plan was to export 53 percent of the cars manufactured in the proposed Hyundai plant, mostly to Southeast Asia and Australia, while the remaining 47 percent would be for the domestic market.

Hyundai said in a statement on Friday that it was "considering various ways to expand" in new markets including Southeast Asia. It added however that nothing had been decided regarding new production facilities in the region.

TAKE ON JAPANESE RIVALS

Hyundai briefed South Korean union officials earlier this year about a plan to build a factory in Indonesia, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday. One of the challenges it identified was building sales networks, the sources said.

Hyundai-Kia's think tank vice president Lee Bo-sung said on Thursday the ASEAN market was difficult to "penetrate" as it was dominated by Japanese rivals such as Toyota and Honda.

In Indonesia, Hyundai sold only 1,372 vehicles during the January to October period, compared with Toyota's 463,565 vehicles, according to data from market researcher LMC Automotive.

Hyundai does not have a car factory in Southeast Asia, although it has some assembly operations in Vietnam.

Last month, Hyundai announced a $250 million investment in Singaporean ride-hailing firm Grab and a plan to offer EVs to Grab drivers in Southeast Asia.
Prime Minister and Vice-President of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan,Saudi Arabia Minister of State Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf, attend the investment conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - RC1E93D2C9B0

The United Arab Emirates plans to deposit $3 billion in Pakistan's central bank "in the next few days", the UAE state news agency WAM reported on December 21, while a Pakistani official said Islamabad also hopes it will allow deferred payments for oil supplies.

Pakistan is battling to bring under control a gaping current account deficit that's wobbled its economy and lowered growth.

Islamabad is engaged in bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but has also sought financial help from allies China and Saudi Arabia.

The UAE deposit is aimed at supporting Pakistan's monetary policy, WAM said, citing the state-run Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.

Hours after the WAM announcement, Pakistani Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told Reuters that Islamabad was "also hoping to get deferment for oil payments" from UAE.

Chaudhry declined to disclose the sum of assistance sought through deferred payments, but said this was part of the discussions that led to the UAE announcing it would deposit $3 billion with Pakistan's central bank.

The minister added that UAE planned to make investments in Pakistan, including a refinery and desalination plants.

In October, Saudi Arabia said it would loan Pakistan $6 billion, including a $3 billion deposit for its foreign currency reserves and another $3 billion in deferred oil payments.

China, Pakistan's staunchest ally and financial benefactor, has also pledged to help but has not announced the size of any assistance package.
Saudi Arabia on December 20 said it was creating government bodies to boost oversight of its intelligence operations, in the wake of international outrage over critic Jamal Khashoggi's murder.

The kingdom has said Khashoggi was killed inside its Istanbul consulate on October 2 in a "rogue operation" led by the then deputy intelligence chief Ahmad al-Assiri and royal court advisor Saud al-Qahtani, both of whom have been sacked.

King Salman subsequently ordered a restructuring of the main intelligence agency under the supervision of his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has faced global criticism over the journalist's murder even though the government denies he was involved.

A committee headed by the prince has approved the creation of three departments to ensure intelligence operations are in line with the national security policy, international human rights law and "approved procedures", the official Saudi Press Agency said on December 20.

The statement made no mention of Khashoggi.

The intense global backlash over his killing has tarnished the prince's international reputation and left the oil-rich kingdom diplomatically weakened, analysts say.

It has also cast a fresh spotlight on the Saudi-led conflict in Yemen, which is gripped by what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The US Senate voted last week to end American military support for Riyadh's military campaign in Yemen, and separately held Prince Mohammed responsible for Khashoggi's killing.

Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia slammed the Senate resolutions as "blatant interference", warning that the move could have repercussions on its strategic ties with Washington.
SoftBank

SoftBank Group Corp is nearing a deal to invest $1.5 billion in Grab, three times a previously expected $500 million, as Southeast Asia's biggest ride-hailing firm looks to expand, a person with knowledge of the matter said.

Six-year old Grab has so far raised over $6.5 billion, led by SoftBank, Chinese ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing and Toyota Motor Corp. After a fund raising in August, Grab was valued at around $11 billion.

SoftBank first bought a stake worth $250 million in Grab in 2014 just as Grab began competing with Uber Technologies in Southeast Asia.

Its latest funding in the ride-hailing firm will be made from its Vision Fund, which after raising more than $93 billion last year is the world's largest private-equity fund.

SoftBank is expected to finalise its investment in Grab this month and an announcement is likely next month, said the source, declining to be identified as the information is not public.

Grab declined to comment, while a SoftBank spokesman did not have an immediate comment.

Reuters reported in October that SoftBank was closing in on a deal to invest about $500 million in Grab, underscoring the tech investment giant's confidence in the ride-hailing firm's expansion after it acquired Uber's Southeast Asian business this year.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who addressed the gathering by video message because of the pandemic, warned that "the only way to totally eliminate nuclear risk is to totally eliminate nuclear weapons".

UN chief Antonio Guterres has welcomed the resolution of the political crisis in Sri Lanka and called on all the political actors to resolve all outstanding differences in the interest of people of the country. He welcomed the resolution of the political crisis in the island nation through peaceful and constitutional means.

"The Secretary-General welcomes the resolution of the political crisis in Sri Lanka through peaceful, constitutional means, and applauds the resilience of the country's democratic institutions," Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters at his press briefing here on December 20.

He said the Secretary-General calls on all political actors to seize the opportunity of the appointment of the new cabinet to resolve outstanding political differences in the same spirit of respect for democracy and in the interest of the people of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on December 20 named a 30-member Cabinet while rejecting some of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's nominees and retained control over the security forces and police.

The new Cabinet was appointed after an unexpected delay of three days since Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Prime Minister on December 16 following weeks of political crisis that led to government dysfunction.

Sirisena rejected Wickremesinghe's nominees for Cabinet positions from those who had defected from his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP).

At least three senior SLFP leaders had defected to Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) during the political crisis. On October 26, Sirisena sacked prime minister Wickremesinghe and installed Rajapaksa in his place, triggering an unprecedented constitutional crisis. Sirisena also dissolved the 225-member Parliament and called for a snap election on January 5. He publicly vowed not to reinstate Wickremesinghe.

However, Wickremesinghe was re-appointed as prime minister by Sirisena following a Supreme Court order, ending the 51-day political standoff in the country.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo voiced hope Thursday that a second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un can be scheduled for early 2019.

"We are hopeful that in the new year, President Trump and Chairman Kim will get together not too long after the first of the year and make even further progress on taking this (nuclear) threat to the United States away from us," Pompeo said in an interview with KNSS Radio in his home state of Kansas.

Pompeo, who has traveled four times this year to North Korea in search of a breakthrough, said the situation had "undoubtedly" improved since 2017's high tensions that led to fears of war.

"No more missiles being tested, no more nuclear testing. We're in a better place today," he said.

Trump met Kim in June in Singapore in the first-ever summit between leaders of the two countries that never officially ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

Trump has frequently cited North Korea as a success story as he seeks an accord in which Pyongyang would give up its nuclear weapons.

Pompeo's optimism comes despite an apparent standstill in negotiations to prepare for the summit, with a senior North Korean official abruptly cancelling a meeting with the secretary of state scheduled last month in New York.

North Korea has also condemned the US decision to slap sanctions on senior aides to Kim over human rights concerns, although Pyongyang was careful to blame the State Department and voice faith in Trump.

Critics say that North Korea has made no concrete commitments and is unlikely to surrender its nuclear weapons program, which the Kim dynasty has built for decades even as the country starved.
Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn was re-arrested on Friday on fresh charges, Japanese media reported. It came a day after courts surprised observers by paving the way for his release on bail.

Friday's arrest came on a new charge of aggravated breach of trust, media reports said.

According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, prosecutors now accuse Ghosn of shifting a private investment loss of over $16 million onto Nissan in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

This latest move means he will remain in prison so prosecutors can question him further.

Ghosn has spent the last month in prison, accused of misusing funds and hiding $80 million of income, the BBC reported.

On Thursday, a court rejected a request to extend his detention, which meant he could apply to be released on bail.

Ghosn has not yet responded to the latest allegation but he has consistently denied all prior accusations made against him, the BBC report added.

He was first arrested in Tokyo in November as allegations of financial misconduct surfaced.

If found guilty of those charges he could face up to 10 years in prison as well as a fine of up to $6.2 million, according to Japanese regulators.

Ghosn's detention has put into doubt the future of the Alliance -- a global car manufacturing group that includes Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi.

While, Nissan and Mitsubishi both sacked Ghosn as chairman after his arrest, Renault has held off, choosing instead to appoint a temporary deputy chief executive to take over the running of the firm.

The auto tycoon's hero status was so big that his life was serialised in one of Japan's famous cartoon comic books.

The Brazilian-born of Lebanese descent and a French citizen is known as Le Cost Killer, a comment on the deep cuts he made to revive Renault.

He was once tipped as a potential president of Lebanon, a move he eventually dismissed because he already had "too many jobs".

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
When it comes to bank-related problems, there are no class barrierseach one of us is equally at risk and at the mercy of abysmal grievance redress system. Consider the stories of these two harried bank customers that Moneylife Foundation has been trying to help.

Prakash Awadhesh Mishra (Mishraji to us), from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, works as a watchman in Mumbai. Like many people from that impoverished state, he is up-to-date on current affairs, works very hardoften doing 18-hour shiftsto earn and save every penny for his family and their future.

What he does not have is a proper roof over his head in Mumbai and, consequently, an address proof. So, opening a bank account is a huge challenge and a privilege, despite all the lip-service to financial inclusion paid by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

He told us how he managed to open an account at Union Bank of India (UBI) only through a recurring deposit which, apparently, did not need strict address proof. Over time, he persuaded the Bank to convert his savings into a fixed deposit (which has a princely sum of Rs2 lakh) and a savings account with Rs16,000. He told us how he managed to open an account at Union Bank of India (UBI) only through a recurring deposit which, apparently, did not need strict address proof. Over time, he persuaded the Bank to convert his savings into a fixed deposit (which has a princely sum of Rs2 lakh) and a savings account with Rs16,000.

So, when he changed jobs and moved from Bandra to Shivaji Park, he didn't dare close his account; but he remained confident that his money was safe in a nationalised bank, until he wanted to withdraw it. Now, look at what happens to people like Mishraji, dealing with incompetent private agencies, sub-contracted to issue key identity documents.

Like most migrants, Mishraji has a PAN (permanent account number) card, because it is the easiest identity to obtain. It was, however, issued with a wrong date of birth (1966). He had retained it, because he had no idea how important it is to get it rectified.

He also obtained an Aadhaar which the government promised was the magic number to open all doors. His Aadhaar also has another wrong date of birth (1 October 1960). He is proud to have an original birth certificate and documents from his village school (rare for people like him) which list his birth year as 1962.

Such mistakes are the norm. Mishraji didnt realise the imperative need to get them rectified. In his case, every day spent on getting an identity and then rectifying it involves a loss of income.

Earlier this week, Mishraji went back to Azamgarh after five long years in Mumbai. Since he has no home, withdrawing his savings from the bank was kept till the end. A couple of days before he left, he went to the bank to withdraw his savings, only to be told that his account is dormant.

For most educated people, getting it activated is a simple matter of submitting KYC documents afresh; but thanks to inefficient government agencies and wrong IDs, Mishraji faced a nightmare. Unlike millions of others in his situation, he got in touch with Moneylife Foundation. We are lucky to have a very committed former central banker volunteering his time to guide people.

The RBI circular on dormant accounts requires banks to seek KYC documents, to reactivate the account. Typical of RBI, this prescriptive fatwa does not take into account people like Mishraji, who dont have proper documents even while opening the account and end up with no access to their own money. The system has no room for empathy, or alternative verification. So, he was rudely turned away and even calls from a retired CGM (chief general manager) from RBIs consumer services department was not good enough to vouch for his identity. He, eventually, went back to Azamgarh without a chunk of his savings.

Remember, Mishraji is an unusually smart and well-read person. What happens to millions of migrants who are less literate and more helpless? Wouldn't the system simply gobble up their savings? The massive pool of over Rs19,500 crore in unclaimed deposits transferred to RBI until June 2018 is testimony to this.

Now let us look at another story.

Dr Ajay Sood is a California-based non-resident Indian (NRI) with a non-resident ordinary (NRO) account at Bank of Indias (BOI) Chandigarh branch. The money in the account is his mothers lifetime savings to be used for her welfare. On 20 July 2018, Dr Sood found that the account was almost emptied out, with two huge debitsof Rs98 lakh and Rs35 lakh, respectivelyusing cheques from his NRO account.

Not only had he not withdrawn the money, but he had in his possession the original chequebooks with the exact same cheque numbers on which the money was purportedly withdrawn.

After speaking to the Bank and filing a first information report (FIR), he learnt that his mobile number with the Bank had been changed and a false Aadhaar card submitted with his photograph but wrong information about his fathers name. Dr Sood did not even have an Aadhaar-linked account.

Dr Sood is an innocent victim of a fraud that occurred at BOI. But BOI simply would not respond to him. He connected with Moneylife Foundation on 5th September, following which we helped take up the matter with the RBI. This, finally, led to a communication from BOI asking for the original cheques and informing him that the matter of payment of the unauthorised withdrawal of Rs1.33 crore was under process and will take some time. You are requested to kindly bear with us for some more time. On 19th December, Indian Express reported that the Chandigarh police had arrested two people in connection with the fraud. But that is cold comfort for Dr Sood, since his money has still not been returned.

What if the account were still in his mothers name and this was her only source of income? Why should the victim of a bank fraud, that calls into question the banks weak security system and verification practices, punish an innocent customer?

UPDATE: After the story was published, Dr Sood, came to know credit of his principal amount in his account.

If RBIs rules limit customer liability for digital fraud and mandate that victims should have their money credited back within 10 days, why is there no time-bound redress system for other innocent victims of bank frauds? Rules for digital transactions have shifted the onus of proving customer negligence in case of banking system frauds and third-party breaches to the bank. It is common sense that the same should apply to physical fraud, especially since a large bank ought to have a comprehensive insurance cover for such eventualities.

Since Dr Sood is able to produce cheques with the same numbers that were used to withdraw massive sums of money, the finger points to internal collusion and, yet, he is subject to mental agony and his money has not been returned for over four months.

Where is the accountability of bankers, who dare to ignore a customer who had a hefty Rs1.33 crore deposited with it for safe custody? Why does he need an NGO (non-government organisation) or former RBI officials to intervene to get the courtesy of a formal communication? And what about compensation and interest?

One of prime minister (PM) Narendra Modis first big actions was a financial inclusion drive to give all Indians access to formal credit through a bank account. Like several of PMs big ideas, this one, too, had revived a failed effort of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government, but came with better branding (the Pradhan Mantri JandhanYojanaor Jandhan for short), plenty of hype and subterfuge in terms of genuine new accounts opened.

Jandhan was further hyped-up as JAM (Jandhan-Aadhaar-Mobile) during demonetisation (after 8 November 2016) by making Aadhaar and linking of mobiles to bank accounts mandatory (until it was halted after a long-delayed Supreme Court judgement in 2018), not-so-savvy or literate bank depositors became easy prey to digital fraud.

RBI watched and did nothing. Oh wait! Its deputy governor SS Mundra made a speech and published a draft regulation on limiting customer liability. The rules were, finally, notified after an online campaign and tweet-morcha in July 2017. An enabling provision was only the first step. Earlier this month, RBI has promised a separate ombudsman for digital transactions whose rules will be notified in January 2019. This is after complaints of digital fraud have risen to as much as 28% of all complaints, as in June 2018.

Given the pathetic performance of the existing banking ombudsmen, who are openly biased towards banks, this does not hold out much hope for victims who see their hard-earned savings vanish.

Instead of putting in place a robust grievance redress mechanism that works in a time-bound manner and a fair payment of interest, compensation and damages, the government is actually toying with the idea of a digital security cess , to create infrastructure for digital security, on top of making it increasingly mandatory to use digital transactions. Is it any wonder then that there is a massive consumer pushback and people are using more cash than ever before?

For too many people, the lesson from demonetisation is that cash in hand, even when it doesnt earn interest, is more secure than money in the bank. According to World Banks Global Findex Database, 2017, at a whopping 48%, India tops the world in terms of bank users with inactive bank accounts.

While the government has an aggressively different spin on it, the cases that we encounter everyday at Moneylife Foundation show that there is a good reason for this state of affairs. Until RBI is made more transparent and more accountable to people and Parliament about its performance as a banking regulator and supervisor, victims of banking fraud will remain at the mercy of such a callous systemwhether they are well-off or poor.
One of the points noted by the Serious Frauds Investigation Office (SFIO) report on IL&FS (Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services) is the ever-greening of loans by its subsidiary IL&FS Financial Services Ltd (IFIN). But these are clearly not any old loans. Why would these companies come to IFIN for money? Clearly, because they were not getting bank credit anymore. And why would a cash-strapped IFIN lend to these select companies knowing fully well that they were in financial trouble and running out of funding options?

It is now clear that IL&FS has been in deep financial trouble for three years covered it up through short term borrowing and by hood-winking credit rating agencies. The obvious answer would be that these companies were very important for the group to maintain its contacts and connections.

Let us look at the list of such borrowers, listed by the interim report from the SFIO, under the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA). The report says, "...borrowers of IFIN, other than the group companies, were extended additional credit facility by the company so that they could service their outstanding, interest and principal repayment obligations and avoid defaulting and classifying the account as non-performing assets (NPA)."

During FY2015-16 to FY2017-18, IFIN provided loans worth Rs3,838.70 crore for ever greening.

Bankers tell us that most companies that got the benefit of this ever greening were either buddies of founder and former chairman Ravi Parthasarathy or politically connected people in states where IL&FS had large projects. One beneficiary company, SKIL was long headed by a close friend and neighbour of Ravi Parthasarathy. Ind Barath, to which the SFIO report draws specific attention also has promoters with reportedly close links to a Congress leader. Same is the case with promoters of Gayatri group.

Kohinoor Housing Development Pvt Ltd from the Kohinoor also received Rs120 crore as loan for two years (see the table above). This group is associated with Maharashtra's former chief minister Manohar Joshi. His son Umnesh and daughter-in-law Madhavi are the directors of Kohinoor Housing Development. The group had also acquired Kohinoor Mills, strategically located in front of the Shiv Sena headquarters at Dadar in Mumbai, with Raj Thackarey, founder of the MNS (Maharashtra Navanirman Sena) and nephew of Shiv Sena Founder Balasaheb Thackarey. Raj Thackarey later sold his stake to IL&FS and the project continues to languish and incomplete even today.

Earlier in 2005, IL&FS through its subsidiary Consolidated Toll Network India (CTNL) had acted as syndication agency for Rs421 crore deal with Kohinoor group. That time CTNL had tied up with Mr Joshis Kohinoor group and Raj Thackerays Matoshree Realtors. Incidentally, during that period, Umnesh and Raj Thackeray emerged as winner in the auction for the NTCs Kohinoor Mill land at Dadar, says a report from Times of India

According to a report from the Mint , ILFS India Realty Fund II, with a corpus of $895 million, was raised in 2007 and has invested in 28 portfolio companies including Kohinoor CTNL Infrastructure Company Ltd and GK Industrial Park Pvt Ltd.

During both FY2015-16 and FY2016-17, IFIN gave a loan of Rs271.60 each year to Earth Environment Management Services Pvt Ltd, a unit of A2Z group. During the same period, Abhitech Developers Pvt Ltd from the Shishir Bajaj group also received Rs225 crore each year from IFIN as loan.

Earth Environment Management Services, registered in Delhi was incorporated on 30 June 2104 and has Alok Kumar Gupta, Dalip Sharma, Manoj Tiwari, and Ajay Kumar Bajaj as directors. As per information from zaubacorp.com , the company has given 28/142, Ground Floor, West Patel Nagar New Delhi Central Delhi DL 110008 as its registered address. The same address is shared by four other companies, Topcon Sokkia India Pvt Ltd, Avanirit Corporate Solutions Pvt Ltd, Digismart Education Services Pvt Ltd, and A2Z Green Waste Management Ltd, the record from the website shows.

SFIO says, "The ever greening of the loans resulted in inflated profits, suppressed provisioning and non-disclosure of possible NPAs in the books of IFIN. To this extent, the financial statements were misstated to show window dressed view or rosy picture of the financial statements. Further investigation into disbursal of these loans is underway."

Not only ever greening, the investigation by SFIO revealed write offs in past debt and supply of fresh loans to many companies. "There are instances where an account was written off in the books of IFIN as bad debt and fresh loans were advanced to the company or group despite the fact that the company had written off previous debts of the same borrower entity."

"This is observed in the case of credit facilities extended to Shiva group of companies. It is observed that Shiva group had been a defaulter in its loan commitments from 2011 itself. In November 2017, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also made an observation for making of provisioning for said bad loans. In spite of such history of the borrower, IFIN extended another loan facility of Rs175 crore to Shiva Shelters & Construction Pvt Ltd and disbursed an amount of Rs50 crore in February 2018," the SFIO report says.

Coming back to the SFIO report, during its investigation, the agency found continuous fund raising by IFIN from the market, including debentures worth Rs3,900 crore and commercial papers worth Rs2,730 crore. In addition, IFIN also took bank loan of Rs8,500 crore and raised inter-corporate deposits of Rs980 crore. Overall, SFIO says, IFIN had sourced 75% of its funds from the public or banks.

Read: How IL&FS and its key subsidiaries financially crushed step down units ) "Investigation revealed that IFIN had advanced Rs1,630.05 crore to ITNL violating the prudential norms (credit concentration) for exposure to group companies framed by the RBI. In order to bypass these norms, the loans ultimately advanced to ITNL were layered through eight group companies of IL&FS," SFIO says. (

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Assembly elections are scheduled in eight states next year. Considering the competitive populism policy followed across some states, more and more states may now decide to go for a farm debt waiver scheme. However, research shows that loan waiver never become a solution to farmer distress, says a report.

In the research report, State Bank of India (SBI), says, "... benefits of loan waiver do not reach to the targeted person due to various reasons like lack of formal credit, and identification of beneficiaries. Past experience suggests that States like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana who have in the recent past announced their own farm loan or debt waiver schemes are not successful in implementing it properly."

Instead of loan waiver, there is a need to align non-performing asset (NPA) classification norm for agri cash credit loan exactly at par with other segments, SBI says, "If we align the NPA classification norms for kisan credit card (KCC) and crop loans at par with other segments, we would be thus able to save the aforesaid amount from being classified as NPAs. It would not only help the farmers but would also help the banks in saving capital on account of provisions made towards these otherwise avoidable NPAs."

As per the latest data from Reserve Bank of India (RBI) the agriculture NPA was Rs60,200 crore as at March 2017. Applying a threshold figure, NPAs on the industry level due to KCC and crop loan would be around Rs27,700 crore for March 2017. "If we assume that the March 2017 figure of Rs60,200 crore would have moved up to Rs80,000 crore as per trends, the NPA ratio of KCC and crop loan would be Rs36,800 crore."

"It would be in the benefit of the bankers as well as the farmers, if the farmer is given renewal or enhancement based on deposit of applicable interest to the bank and the submission of periodic stock statements, which may be linked to the yearly crop cycles, especially when the bank is satisfied with the farmer in terms of his/her land holding or paying capacity," SBI says.

As per the existing norms of asset classification for agriculture advances, in case of an agriculture cash credit account a farmer has to repay the entire outstanding (principal along with interest) to seek fresh loans from the banks unlike other segments of cash credit business where if the borrower has cleared interest payments, he/she would be eligible for enhancement/ renewal.

This makes the farmers woes aggravated. Say for a loan of Rs1 lakh, unless the farmer repays the bank this amount along with the applicable interest, he/she would not be able to either roll-over or become eligible for fresh loan or enhancement.

"For a marginal farmer, it becomes difficult to lock his entire crop sales proceeds with the bank (till the loan is processed) to become eligible for fresh loan. It may also be noted that a typical cash credit account for any business apart from agriculture, requires only the interest to be serviced and the periodic submission of stock statements to remain as a performing cash credit account," the report from SBI says.

The income from the agriculture depends upon the harvest of the crop. The marginal and small farmers do not have any other source of income other than the produce, which is sold in the market to pay for their loan dues and to meet their subsistence expenses.

Talking about loan waiver, SBI says, the eight states, who are likely to go for it have only two options to fund the scheme, borrow from the market or reduce capital expenditure. "We believe, given the lack of limited fiscal space available to states in terms of market borrowings as per the 14th Finance Commission recommendations, states have to cut back significantly on capital expenditure, even after incrementally borrowing from the market. Our estimate shows that states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka will have to cumulatively cut Rs78,453 crore in capital expenditures, if incremental revenue measures are not announced," the report says.

The problem, according to SBI is that since such cut in capital expenditure cannot happen in a single year, it will be spread over a period of time and hence settlement will also be delayed. It says, "This will only imply stuttering of credit flow as the relevant account will not be eligible for new loans. This will also imply farmers accessing informal sector for loans and hence higher indebtedness and may be another round of loan waivers."
A majority of investors, who would like to research companies before investing their hard earned money struggle to find credible information on government websites, since it is not published in an easily accessible and searchable format.

This is where services offered by watchoutinvestors.com come handy.

Watchoutinvestors.com is a database on the regulatory actions taken by a slew of regulatory agencies against companies and market intermediaries, and corporate decisions to change their name or objects. It was started with the sole objective of benefitting investors by making information about regulatory action available in the public domain.

It was set up in 2003 with support from the Investor Education and Protection Fund and over the next 15 years has grown into a giant resource, comprising data of 4.08 lakh entities, including 2.43 lakh corporate entities and 1.64 lakh unique individuals. It is today a must-use tool for serious researchers and investors in the capital market; as also for regulatory agencies who are often clueless about actions by other regulators, or the previous names and avatars in which companies existed under the head name changes'.

Watchoutinvestors.com covers 35 regulators, ministries and government authorities, including Association of Mutual Funds of India (AMFI), Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) among others.

The portal also tracks actions like arbitration award, easy exit scheme (MCA), official liquidators, and consent orders (SEBI).

Watchoutinvestors.com provides search facility for identifying action against persons or entities. Subscriber can view charges or actions against any entity based on regulator, charge or action. The portal also allows to create personal watch out list for the subscriber.

This unique services that helps investors to keep track on defaults, non-compliance, regulatory action, and legal actions against corporates.

This website and its service can be used by individual investors to get information about entities or persons before making any new investment, or to review existing portfolio or while dealing with them in any manner. Corporates and market participants can also use watchoutinvestors.com for due diligence.

Delhi-based Prime Investors Association & League, a not-for-profit organisation runs watchoutinvestors.com, which is updated on a daily basis.

Watchoutinvestors.com, is the worlds only national web-based registry covering entities including companies, intermediaries and individuals who, have been indicted for an economic default, have been non-compliant of laws and guidelines and are no longer in the specified activity.

"This information which was disorganised, difficult-to-use and was spread across a large number of sources like websites, databases, publications, notifications and orders of the government and of other organisations, agencies, courts of law, tribunals and commissions, has now been aggregated, indexed, standardised, reformatted and re-presented on our website in a form and manner that can be accessed in a user friendly manner," watchoutinvestors.com, says.

There are 3.87 lakh companies and individuals listed as non-compliant under the MCA. This includes, 1.30 lakh corporate entities and 2.57 lakh individuals, who have defaulted in compliance, reveals data compiled by watchoutinvestors.com.

The website has also listed 4.61 lakh persons disqualified from directorships by MCA as also the associated companies (for non-compliance of the Section 164 (2) (a) of The Companies Act). This includes 3.10 lakh company directors and 1.50 directors of associated companies disqualified by the MCA.

It has a list of 4,899 members of parliament (MPs) from Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, members of state legislative assemblies and members of state legislative councils under the politically exposed persons.

Between 2003 to 2012, watchoutinvestors.com was supported by investor education fund of the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA). After 2012, it is co-sponsored by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and BSE.

Watchoutinvestors.com offers its services on an annual subscription basis. Its annual plan ranges from Rs75,000 to Rs1.45 lakh. This, excludes search facility based on permanent account number (PAN), director identity number (DIN) or company identity number (CIN), for which it charges Rs30,000 extra.

It is a pity that this service was started by the Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF) administered by the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA). Unfortunately, IEPF stopped supporting watchoutInvestors.com, forcing the service to charge a fee from users. But considering the value in the service it offers, the subscription charges are reasonable, especially for those who take an effort to study before investing their hard-earned money.
On what was expected to be another disappointing day for the ASX, the index has instead made impressive gains in the opening hour of trade. Leading the charge is Resolute Mining Limited [ASX:RSG], up seven cents, or 5.94%, to $1.16 per share. The move comes on the back of a strengthening gold price as US markets begin to falter.

Forward gold prices looking strong

With gold spot price shooting up 1.5% to US$1,262.16 per ounce overnight, Aussie gold miners are some of the best performing companies on the ASX this morning.

Along with a strong gold price, Resolute announced this morning it has forward sold an additional 30,000 ounces of gold at an average price of $1,783 per ounce. with scheduled monthly deliveries of 5,000 ounces between July 2019 and December 2019.

According to Bloomberg, investors have been boosting holdings in bullion-backed exchange-traded funds as of late, as spot prices continue to rise.

Australias Top 10 Mining Stocks. Download your free report now.

In an announce released this morning RSG stated the additional forwards sale is part of the companys Australian dollar hedging, which intends to protect projected returns from the Ravenswood Gold Mine in Queensland during the staged development phase of the Ravenswood Expansion Project.

This development phase is set to see the Ravenwood project back to large scale operations, delivering a 14-year mine life.

Managing Director and CEO, Mr John Welborn, said in todays announcement he was pleased to continue RSGs success in maximising gold sales revenue through responsible hedging strategies.

We continue to actively manage our gold sales and undertake hedging to take advantage of gold price volatility, maximise revenues, and protect the Companys balance sheet. A small increase in our Australian dollar hedging position at levels significantly above our budgeted gold price will further protect the Companys revenue and cash flow generation in 2019.

Resolute Minings share price to continue to strengthen

RSG, among other Aussie gold producers, have seen strong interest in their forward gold sales program. Todays announcement sees Resolutes forward sales increase from 55,000 ounces to 85,000 ounces sold at an average price of US$1,250.

St Barbara Limited [ASX:SBM] has shared similar success, last week announcing it has entered into an additional 50,000 ounces of forward gold contracts at a price of US$1,300 per ounce, close to Goldman Sachs forecasted spot price.

Saracen Mineral Holdings Limited [ASX:SAR] have made a strong start to their FY2019 exploration campaign. In a recent announcement the company outlined a strategy to increase production to 400,000 ounces per annum, committing $60 million to further exploration of FY2019.

With 2019 only weeks away, Australias gold producers could be set for a bumper year. As the yield curve of US bonds flattens, potentially signalling a downturn in the economy, investors will be looking for safer investment options as markets begin to look increasingly volatile.

Regards,

Ryan Clarkson-Ledward,

For Money Morning

PS: If youre unsure about which mining stocks are for you, check out this FREE report: 10 ASX resource stocks you should be watching. Download now.
December 21, 2018 Fallout Of Trump's Syria Withdrawal - Why Erdogan Does Not Want To Invade President Trump's strategic decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria creates some significant fallout. The U.S. and international borg is enraged that Trump ends an occupation that is illegal under international as well as U.S. domestic law. "That's un-American!" Defense Secretary James "Mad Dog" Mattis resigned from his position effective February 28. He disagreed with the president's decision. It was the second time in five years that an elected commander in chief had a serious conflict with Mattis' hawkishness. President Obama fired him as Central Command chief for urging a more aggressive Iran policy. Mattis is also extremely hawkish towards Russia and China. President Trump campaigned on lessening U.S. involvement in wars abroad. He wants to get reelected. He does not need a Secretary of Defense that involves him in more wars that have little to none defined purpose. Mattis is an ingrained imperialist. He always asked for more money for the military and for more meddling abroad. One of Mattis' little notice acts as Defense Secretary was a unannounced change in the mission of the Pentagon: For at least two decades, the Department of Defense has explicitly defined its mission on its website as providing "the military forces needed to deter war and to protect the security of our country." But earlier this year, it quietly changed that statement, perhaps suggesting a more ominous approach to national security.

...

The Pentagon's official website now defines its mission this way: "The mission of the Department of Defense is to provide a lethal Joint Force to defend the security of our country and sustain American influence abroad." The Pentagon no longer "deters war" but provides "lethal force" to "sustain American influence abroad." There was no public nor congressional debate about the change. I doubt that President Trump agreed to it. Trump will now try to recruit a defense secretary that is more aligned with his own position. The White House also announced that 7,000 of the 14,000 soldier the U.S. has in Afghanistan will withdraw over the next few months. The war in Afghanistan is lost with the Taliban ruling over more than half of the country and the U.S. supported government forces losing more personal than they can recruit. It was Mattis who had urged Trump to increase the troop numbers in Afghanistan from 10,000 to 14,000 at the beginning of his term. There are also 8,000 NATO and allied troops in Afghanistan which will likely see a proportional withdrawal. The Associated Press has a new tic toc of Trump's decision to withdraw from Syria: Trump stunned his Cabinet, lawmakers and much of the world with the move by rejecting the advice of his top aides and agreeing to a withdrawal in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week, two officials briefed on the matter said.

...

The talking points were very firm, said one of the officials, explaining that Trump was advised to clearly oppose a Turkish incursion into northern Syria and suggest the U.S. and Turkey work together to address security concerns. Everybody said push back and try to offer (Turkey) something thats a small win, possibly holding territory on the border, something like that. Erdogan, though, quickly put Trump on the defensive, reminding him that he had repeatedly said the only reason for U.S. troops to be in Syria was to defeat the Islamic State and that the group had been 99 percent defeated. Why are you still there? the second official said Erdogan asked Trump, telling him that the Turks could deal with the remaining IS militants.

...

Erdogans point, Bolton was forced to admit, had been backed up by Mattis, Pompeo, U.S. special envoy for Syria Jim Jeffrey and special envoy for the anti-ISIS coalition Brett McGurk, who have said that IS retains only 1 percent of its territory, the officials said.

...

Bolton stressed, however, that the entire national security team agreed that victory over IS had to be enduring, which means more than taking away its territory. Trump was not dissuaded, according to the officials, who said the president quickly capitulated by pledging to withdraw, shocking both Bolton and Erdogan. Trump did not "capitulate". He always wanted to pull the U.S. troops out of Syria. He said so many times. When he was finally given a chance to do so, he grabbed the opportunity. Erdogan though, was not ready for that: Caught off guard, Erdogan cautioned Trump against a hasty withdrawal, according to one official. While Turkey has made incursions into Syria in the past, it does not have the necessary forces mobilized on the border to move in and hold the large swaths of northeastern Syria where U.S. troops are positioned, the official said. The call ended with Trump repeating to Erdogan that the U.S. would pull out, but offering no specifics on how it would be done, the officials said.

bigger Erdogan had planned to only occupy a 10 miles deep strip along the Syrian-Turkish border. Some 15,000 Turkish controlled 'Syrian rebels' stand ready for that. He would need some 50-100,000 troops to occupy all of east Syria northward of the Euphrates. It would be a hostile occupation among well armed Kurds who would oppose it and an Arab population that is not exactly friendly towards a neo-Ottoman Turkey. Erdogan knows this well. Today he announced to delay the planned invasion: We had decided last week to launch a military incursion... east of the Euphrates river, he said in a speech in Istanbul. Our phone call with President Trump, along with contacts between our diplomats and security officials and statements by the United States, have led us to wait a little longer. We have postponed our military operation against the east of the Euphrates river until we see on the ground the result of Americas decision to withdraw from Syria. The Turkish president said, however, that this was not an open-ended waiting period. Any larger occupation of northeast Syria would create a serious mess for Turkey. Its army can do it, but it would cost a lot of casualties and financial resources. Turkey will hold local government election in March and Erdogan does not want any negative headlines. He will invade, but only if Syria and Russia fail to get the Kurds under control. Unfortunately the leaders of the anarcho-marxist PKK/YPK in Syria have still not learned their lesson. They make the same demands to Damascus that were already rejected when similar demands were made for Afrin canton before Turkey invaded and destroyed it. agitpapa @agitpapa 11:14 utc - 21 Dec 2018 YPG delegation was flown in to Mezzeh yday. Negos were inconclusive because they just repeated their usual line of "SAA protects the border, we control the rest." No army allows someone else allied with an enemy to control its rear and its supply lines. + + The YPG leadership is still stuck in its pro-Western rut. It needs to be purged before any deal can be made with Damascus. Their present track will just lead to another Afrin, then another, then another. Thousands of brave YPG/YPJ fighters will have died for nothing. Elijah J. Magnier @ejmalrai - 16:31 utc - 21 Dec 2018 #Breakingnews: Private sources : President Bashar al Assad has rejected the Kurdish proposal while Turkey is gathering forces (Euphrates Shield et al) to attack the Kurdish controlled area north of #Syria. #Russia seems holding back president Erdogan for a while. A lot of pressure It is not (only) Russia that is holding Erdogan back. As seen above he has serious concerns about such an operation. Moreover, he does not have enough troops yet and the U.S. troops have not yet changed their pattern. As of today they still patrolled on the Turkish border and yesterday new U.S. war material was still coming in from Iraq. Erdogan does not dare to attack U.S. troops. He will most likely want to avoid any additional military involvement in Syria. If Damascus and Moscow can get the PKK under control, Ankara will be satisfied. Besides the presence of 4,000 to 5,000 U.S. troops and contractors in northeast Syria there also a contingent of 1,100 French troops and an unknown number of British forces. France for now says it wants to stay to finish the fight against the Islamic State enclave along the Euphrates. But France does not have the capability to sustain those forces without U.S. support. Syria and Russia could ask Macron to put them under their command to finish the fight against ISIS, but it is doubtful that President Macron would agree to that. It is more likely that he will agree to a handover of their position to Russian, Syrian or even Iraqi or Iranian forces. Those forces can then finish the fight. Posted by b on December 21, 2018 at 18:09 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
Clinton Wilkins of the Clinton Wilkins Mortgage Team with CENTUM Home Lenders Ltd. won the Award for Mortgage Broker of the Year (Fewer Than 25 Employees) for his 230 transactions in 2017 that totaled $50 million. The Halifax-based Wilkins says that since winning and advertising the award, business has surged.

Since the win, Ive had the best year ever in the 12 years Ive been in the industry, said Wilkins. This year, Im up 80% over last year and I attribute that to the momentum that Ive had and winning a CMA is justification for what Im doing in the industry. Winning a CMA has 100% helped me increase business, especially as broker of the year. It really speaks to the good things going on in Halifax and its put me on the map on a national level.

Upon winning the award, the Wilkins Team immediately put out a press release and emailed clients to break the good news.

It essentially communicated to our customers and business partners that were the biggest game in town, said Wilkins. Being able to win the Broker of the Year Award goes to show that sometimes these small players, these underdogs, really have some heavy hitters on their rosters. At CENTUM, the leadership that Chris Turcotte has brought to the organization has helped us get to the next level and its incredible to be recognized by the CMAs for it.

Another one of the big winners at the 2018 Canadian Mortgage Awards is Andy Anastasiou of SGE Financial Inc., who won the Award for Commercial Mortgage Broker of the Year. Anastasiou credits the award with bringing his firm more visibility from outside the commercial space.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 21)  A viral video circulating online showing alleged bullying in the Ateneo de Manila University prompted the Department of Education (DepEd) to remind schools about enforcing anti-bullying policies.

"The Department also encourages learners who experience or witness bullying, abuse, or retaliation to speak up and report verified incidents to their peers, parents, teachers, and the appropriate authorities for proper intervention," DepEd said in a statement Friday.

DepEd cited Department Order No. 40 which institutionalized zero tolerance for violence against children and established the CPC in all public and private schools.

It added information relating to the identity and personal circumstances of the bullies, the victims, or the witnesses shall be treated with utmost confidentiality by the Child Protection Committee (CP)C and the school personnel.

The department also took note of the Implementing Rules and regulations of Republic Act 10627, or the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, which requires schools to submit copies of these policies to the district offices.

Should schools fail to do so, private schools may face penalties under the law.

The viral clip in question showed a student allegedly from the Ateneo High School being asked to choose between kissing the shoes of his schoolmate or getting beaten up. When the student refused to comply, the other student then proceeded to kick and beat him up.

Malacanang called on school officials to probe the incident.

"I was bothered by what I saw. I think they should investigate first why there was such a one-sided fight," Presidential Spokesperson Sal Panelo said in a briefing Friday afternoon.

Lawmakers react

Senator Sonny Angara, in a tweet, reminded schools to enforce the Anti-Bullying Law in light of the video.

"Kids and parents have a right to demand that schools provide a safe and nurturing learning environment," he said.

He added that under the Family Code, schools are legally responsible for kids under their custody.

Meanwhile, Senator Bam Aquino said government must also look into possible incidences of bullying in work spaces.

"Maliban dito, kailangan ding tingnan ang nangyayaring bullying pati sa mga opisina kung saan ang madalas mabiktima ay ang mga kapos at ang mga mahihirap nating kababayan," the senator said in a statement.

Senator Nancy Binay, however, lamented that the video continues to circulate with netizens shaming the bully.

"We must condemn all forms of bullying. But what's bothersome, though, is the vicious cycle of bullying. Bullying does not end by bullying the bully. It only worsens the culture of hate," she said. "Let's strive to heal even the tormentors, and work for a bully-free society."

Makati Representative Monsour Del Rosario, one of the pioneers of Philippine taekwondo, meanwhile encouraged parents to be more proactive in disciplining their children.

"Let's all raise our children to be better," Del Rosario said in a statement.

Fanning the flames?

Speaking to CNN Philippines Friday, psychiatrist Gerardo Los Banos noted one possible harm the viral video can make is that it can induce more violence-perhaps in other aspects.

"I think my major concern is not so much the privacy as the fact that it can fan the flames of even more violence-- emotional and otherwise. So instead na ma-prevent (of being prevented), they can actually escalate into some other form," Los Banos told CNN Philippines News Night.

He added that from a spectators' point-of-view, one must first address why the bullying took place.

"Maybe it should be seen within context. When I say this, it should be like, look at the bully and then the bullied. I think the concern is why the bullying happened. Usually gustong gumanti nga, diba? (they want to seek revenge, right?) We want to punish the bully but then we have to understand why the bullying happened. A lot of times, there will be issues that need to be addressed," the doctor said.

"You cannot stop the bully just by preventing him from doing it because it can actually happen again-- even later in life."

Los Banos also encouraged an investigation on the sensitive case.

"There are laws (on anti-bullying). But we need to investigate first before doing anything. They might even bring additional problems to the matter," he added.

The Ateneo Junior High School on Thursday said the management is already "dealing with the matter" seriously and is already conducting an investigation.
The stricter B-20 regulations implemented at the beginning of 2018 introduced much tightened mortgage qualification rules nationwide, among others  but observers warned that the greater effects of this new regime are looming just beyond the horizon.

Royal LePage and PricewaterhouseCoopers offered similar projections: the B-20 stress tests will continue to have a chilling effect on housing markets in 2019.

The days of everyone being able to have a white picket fence and a detached house of their own are rapidly receding, Vancouver Real Estate Board president Don McClintock told the Financial Post.
An Arizona man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for his lead role in a distressed mortgages short-sale scheme that caused losses to banks, according to the US Attorneys Office for the District of Arizona.

David Dziedzic was also ordered by US District Judge David Campbell to pay $107,280 in restitution for the actual loss caused when 40 banks paid out on the false liens and a money judgment of $142,000 over time, in order to disgorge additional profits. He must also give up his real estate license.

The sentence follows Dziedzics guilty plea to one count of communication of unregistered securities and a separate count involving the failure to notify the Treasury Department of his collection of more than $10,000 in cash from a real estate customer.
Shareholders sued the bank for securities fraud in 2016, claiming that Wells Fargos executives had artificially inflated the banks stock price by bragging about its talent for cross-selling, SFGate reported. However, the banks aggressive focus on cross-selling led to unreasonable sales quotas that pushed salespeople to open accounts without customers knowledge or consent.

In a statement on the settlement, Wells Fargo said it was pleased the case was resolved but did not admit wrongdoing.

The company has denied the claims and allegations in the action and entered into the settlement t avoid the cost and disruption of further litigation, Wells Fargo said in the statement.

This is the second major class-action settlement in the wake of the fake-accounts debacle, SFGate reported. In May, a judge approved a $142 million for Wells Fargo customers who paid improper fees.
A new year is on the horizon, and with it will come new challenges.

There are three main trends oil and gas companies should be on the lookout for in 2019, according to the energy law firm Baker Botts.

These trends could not only expose companies to litigation and the resulting financial exposure, but could put corporate assets at risk, said Jason Newman, partner with the company.

Allocation disputes

That is especially true of oil and gas allocation disputes, and the unprecedented growth of shale plays has made dividing up those royalties more complex than ever, Newman said.

"It used to be that if you didn't pay royalties properly, you could face damages, but the lease would not be terminated," he said in a phone interview from his Houston office. "Leases today make not paying royalties properly a cause for termination. That's changed. Operators could budget for minimizing the risk of royalty disputes, but this puts their assets at risk."

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Newman attributed the complexity of dividing up royalties to technological advances. Operators are drilling horizontal wells with longer laterals across multiple leased tracts or multiple pooled units, he said. Those long laterals bring up questions about how the wells should be permitted, whether the underlying leases allow "allocation" wells and how royalties should be calculated across the various leases when production is aggregated at surface processing and storage facilities. The leases that operators are using to drill wells, especially in the Permian Basin, don't express how production should be allocated, he said.

In addition, he said the Permian Basin has been producing oil and gas for almost a century, and royalty interests in the region are highly fractionated.

"The problem of allocating royalties from horizontal wells is a legal issue without clear answers from the courts. That puts operators in a tough spot," said Newman, noting that the courts have not kept up with technological advances.

"The theory a lot of plaintiffs are using (in shale plays) is that if the oil and gas company can't tell with certainty where the oil and gas comes into the wellbore, maybe it's not a question of 'You didn't pay me enough, someone else got too much.' This is not reallocating the pieces within the pie; this is trying to make the pie bigger."

Decisions are often made "on 50 years of jurisprudence based on vertical wells. Technology has changed so rapidly the courts can't keep up," he said.

Regulators are trying to help address the issue, he said, noting the Railroad Commission now issues permits for wells with production sharing agreements if 65 percent of acreage owners agree on a royalty formula.

The commission will also issue permits for true allocation wells, in which less than 65 percent of owners agree to a royalty formula. "That's the riskiest approach," Newman said.

Savvy operators are being proactive by updating leases and looking at how production will be allocated beforehand, he said.

Hydraulic fracturing evolution

Technological advances in hydraulic fracturing could also expose producers to civil litigation, Newman said.

Operators today are designing higher-pressure completions using more proppants, but this modern technology also raises the potential for frac hits where a new well interferes with a nearby well or historical vertical wells. This also raises the potential for large claims for lost production, equipment damage and environmental contamination.

OIL REPORT: Delaware Energy Services targets New Mexico for water services

The issue is particularly acute in the Permian Basin, where operators have inventories of thousands of drilling locations in areas where historic wells already exist, he said. These older wells, drilled as far back as the 1940s, don't have the mechanical integrity to withstand a frac hit as do newer wells, Newman said.

"Frac hits do end up in court," said Newman. "They're tough cases."

The cases may not give rise to the standard of trespassing but could meet the standard for a negligence claim.

Courts are struggling to answer questions, such as what is the state-of-the-art standard of care in avoiding frac hits and legal issues involving predecessor interests, contractual indemnities and regulations on plugging wells.

"Technology is evolving so rapidly you can't find an expert engineer to discuss the specifics," Newman said. "It's an issue of trying to talk in reasonable terms about what's happening underground."

Price volatility

Unlike royalty allocations and frac hits, which have been impacted by technology, price volatility has been with the industry since the first barrels of oil were produced, said Newman.

Price volatility has surged significantly in recent months. After reaching a four-year high in October, prices have plunged 40 percent to levels seen in the price collapse of 2015-2016. Newman said 2019 could be a test for producers who boasted of breakeven price ranges between $30 and $40 a barrel in the shale plays.

"In the latest downturn, a lot of companies have advanced technology where they can drill either longer laterals or, in the Permian Basin, tap multiple reserves from a single well. I think for the same capital, drilling companies can end up with a well producing more. (But) those wells are based on a price range," he said.

If prices fall further or remain low, he predicted a chilling of activity or a spike in bankruptcies, which could lead to insolvency disputes, joint venture disputes or borrower-lender liability claims.

As an attorney focused on energy issues, Newman said he finds the issues very interesting. He also draws from personal experience. He said his family is from West Texas and "my personal family has gotten royalty checks for 2 cents, with a 35 cent postage stamp."

Pondering the three trends to watch for, he said it will be interesting to see where courts will go on the issues.

"The trial courts have a tough job. They don't have a lot of appellate findings to go by," he said.

He said that rulings won't be "the sky is falling but could be a disincentive to development."

Mella McEwen is the Oil Editor and covers the latest business and energy news. You can read more from her here. |mmcewen@mrt.com|
NEW YORK  In May 2005, Pedro Flores, a young drug dealer from Chicago, had just arrived in the Mexican mountains for his first official meeting with his boss in the cocaine trade, Joaquin Guzman Loera, the Mexican crime lord known as El Chapo.

Flores had been unnerved during his trip when the small plane he was on landed at a sharply inclined makeshift airstrip. He became terrified when a group of gunmen picked him up and drove him past a chilling sight: a naked man chained to a tree.

Yet despite the harrowing journey, Flores and Guzman soon reached an agreement: They would cut out their middleman and work directly with one another.

Appearing this week as a witness for the government at Guzmans trial, Flores spoke at length about that deal, telling jurors that for the next three years, he sold nearly 40 tons of the kingpins product in the United States, remitting to his boss in Mexico a staggering $800 million in cash.

But as with so much else in the cartel world, what started with success ended in disaster. In 2008, exhausted by a life of crime and fearing for his safety, Flores began to spy on Guzman and his partners, secretly recording them for U.S. officials.

Betrayal has been a central theme at the trial, which is in its second month in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn. But even though several of Guzmans former allies have testified against him and exposed the inner workings of his business, Flores not only spoke about the drug lords various crimes, but also offered proof of them in two recorded phone calls.

Those calls  captured on a Radio Shack recorder that Flores purchased  were played for jurors Wednesday. In them, Guzman can be heard negotiating the sale of $1 million worth of Mexican heroin. He also instructs Flores to give the money to a courier in Chicago.

For more than a month, the testimony at the trial has largely concerned the logistical complexities of moving drugs from Colombia to Mexico and then across the U.S. border. But in two days as a witness, Flores has shifted the trial to U.S. soil, describing drug deals in a Dennys parking lot in Illinois and distribution routes in Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky.

He has talked about spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a trip for 60 people to a prize fight in Las Vegas and smuggling cocaine to Chicago in a truck filled with sheep.

He has also testified about his own criminal history, which started during his childhood in Chicagos Little Village, a mostly Hispanic neighborhood. At 7, he recalled, he and his twin brother, Margarito, acted as English to Spanish translators for their father during drug deals, and were also tasked with loading and unloading carloads of cocaine.

By age 20, the brothers were among the citys biggest wholesale drug dealers  a position, Flores said, that attracted the attention of one of Guzmans representatives in the Sinaloa drug cartel. With its network of rail yards, airports, waterways and interstates, Chicago has long been a focal point of the cartels operations. It is centrally located or, as Flores put it Tuesday, halfway to everywhere.

The man from Sinaloa, Lupe Ledesma, hired the brothers as his distributors and by the early 2000s, Flores said, they had already moved up to 20 tons of the cartels product through several U.S. cities. When the federal officials indicted the twins in 2004 on drug trafficking charges in Wisconsin, they fled together as fugitives to Mexico.

There, Flores told the jurors, they continued selling drugs and were ultimately spotted by someone else: Ismael Zambada Garcia, Guzmans partner. Summoning the brothers to a meeting, Zambada praised them for the profits they were earning. He wished they could earn more, Flores added, quoting him as saying: Imagine if you guys were triplets.

Shortly after that encounter, Flores said, he met Guzman in his mountaintop hide-out. While the men eventually worked well together, there was at first a cultural divide. Flores recalled how he showed up for the meeting wearing jean shorts and a T-shirt. The kingpin disapproved, telling him, With all that money, you couldnt afford the rest of the pants?

The next three years went by in a flurry of drug deals and profits. Flores and his brother expanded to Detroit, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. They set up warehouses in cities across the country  always, he explained, in the best neighborhoods where the police werent likely to look.

But in 2008 everything changed, he said. First, Guzman went to war with one of his former partners, Arturo Beltran Leyva, and the cartel chieftains demanded the brothers loyalty. Then, Flores wife got pregnant and he began to think about their future  or lack of one, he said.

Within a few months, he had his lawyer reach out to U.S. law enforcement officers who met with him in a hotel in Monterrey, Mexico. He went to Radio Shack, bought the small recorder and started to document his conversations with several cartel figures.

He needed a way out, he said, and the U.S. officials provided it.

I couldnt promise my family a tomorrow, he explained.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times
Communities, like Midland, hoping to avoid sending tens of millions of dollars to Austin in school finance payments are getting a dose of reality.

Even as state officials talked about reforming the school finance system that requires property-rich districts such as Midland to send money to be redistributed to property-poor districts, the reality is that the best the governors office will be able to do is slow the increase of payments.

In practical terms, the Midland community will still be have to pay. Since 2013-14, Midland ISD has sent $178.449 million in recapture to Austin. The district projects a payment of $62.845 million this year alone. And in 2019-20 and 2020-21, the district is showing soft estimates of payments around $90.7 million and $114.5 million, respectively.

If all those numbers hold true, that would be $446 million in eight years.

Recapture payments are preventing the district from doing the things we need to do, Midland ISD Superintendent Orlando Riddick told the Reporter-Telegram Thursday after a meeting regarding school finance.

In town for a discussion about school finance and possible reforms Thursday was John Colyandro, senior advisor and director of policy for Gov. Greg Abbott.

Colyandro provided school finance 101 for those in attendance at the Center for Energy and Economic Diversification. He said the Robin Hood system of school finance brought in $30 million in recapture payments in 1994. A decade later, that total exceeded $1 billion. This year, the amount provided by property-rich schools, such as Midland ISD, is expected to be about $2 billion. If there are no changes to the current school finance system, Colyandro said recapture payments will exceed $5 billion by 2023.

Another couple hundred ISDs will be going into recapture in the next five years, he said. We are on the cusp of being able to do nothing because the financial impact is so great.

During his presentation, Colyandro made a pitch for property tax caps, which he said can be part of a solution to the recapture issue. He said property tax rates need to be compressed and replaced with other current revenue streams. He said a school finance commission has identified 40 to 45 options for revenue.

Recapture was one of five problems addressed during Colyandros presentation -- Comprehensive School Finance & Property Tax Reform. The other problems were the outdated school finance formula, the focus on attendance rather than student outcomes, reliance on property tax growth and the declining state share toward funding education.

He also addressed four goals.

The first was improving student outcomes. Less than 50 percent of public school students are reading at or above grade level by third grade, and graduates are not meeting college-, career-, or military-readiness standards, he said.

Colyandro said there are 88,000 Texas third-graders who failed the basic assessment for math and reading. He also reported that in 2017, of non-economically disadvantaged students, only 31 percent reached the necessary basic score that would indicate college-readiness.

The three solutions he offered were:

--put the best teachers in the earlier grades and on the toughest campuses and pay them more;

--reward districts that achieve targeted student outcomes; and

--increase state resources for early childhood education.

The second goal is to make the finance formula more efficient and equitable.

The two problems Colyandro identified were that the index is outdated and does not reflect student-need and that the current compensatory education weight does not accurately represent student poverty.

The solutions he identified were to utilize a spectrum-based approach to efficiently and equitably address student-need with more resources and to give administrators spending flexibility to focus resources as they deem necessary to meet outcome goals.

The third goal was to ease reliance on property tax. The problems are

--The school finance system relies too heavily on local property taxes and promotes declining state share.

--Fixed maintenance and operations rates ensure property tax bills always increase as property values increase.

A document provided by the governors office, states the average Texas home sold for $182,451 in 2006. By 2017, he cost of the average home increased to $274,073  50 percent higher. It also states that the average taxable value of the single-family home has increased 192 percent in the last 20 years, while the median household income has increased 60 percent.

Colyandro said the solutions are to cap annual property tax revenue increases to promote housing affordability and compress district M&O tax rates as property values rise and fund the difference through new state revenues.

The last goal is to reduce Robin Hood recapture payments. He said the problem is that recapture growth will continue to skyrocket as property values rise. Under the governors plan, recapture growth will slow to $3 billion annually by 2023 instead of the expected $5 billion.

Midland ISD Recapture payments

2013-14: $14.957 million

2014-15: $32.077 million

2015-16: $47.513 million

2016-17: $45.817 million

2017-18: $38.085 million

2018-19 (projection): $62.845 million

The amounts for 2019-20 and 2020-21 could be $90.7 million and $114.5 million respectively. MISD officials called those soft estimates.
The Dakota Winters

By Tom Barbash

Ecco. 336 pp. $26.99

---

Imagine sailing to Bermuda with John Lennon. It's easy if you try! Now imagine Lennon has steered your ship safely through a horrific storm, lashing himself to the captain's chair and singing "the foulest, filthiest, manliest sea shanty" through the night.

In Tom Barbash's "The Dakota Winters," you can practically hear Lennon's signature cackle, feel the tickle of his ponytailed hair, smell the salt air. Narrator Anton Winter, whose family lives in Manhattan's Dakota building - the same place John Lennon, Yoko Ono and their young son Sean live - has had years of sailing lessons, but while he's busy puking his guts out, his musician neighbor navigates like he's born to the mast.

This retelling of this episode is so vivid you may wonder if Barbash had real-life access to the pivotal moment in the former Beatle's biography. In 1980, after the experience in the storm, Lennon said he felt "reborn" and went on to write a few of his most famous songs: "Watching the Wheels," "Beautiful Boy," "I'm Losing You."

Most of Barbash's new novel is a less wild ride. This is a closely observed portrait of late-20th-century New York life. We slip back into a world where post-Chappaquiddick Ted Kennedy tries and fails to make a presidential bid and freewheeling nightlife has not yet been ravaged by the specter of AIDS. Meanwhile Anton's father, Buddy Winter, makes his own bid, an attempt to return to network-television stardom after an on-camera meltdown. We know that Buddy must be a seriously broken man when he enlists 23-year-old Anton, fresh from a Peace Corps stint in Gabon, as his executive producer.

Like most 20-somethings, Anton isn't sure he wants to be his father's right-hand man. Anton wants adventures like the sailing trip; he takes a dishwashing job at a swanky restaurant to help pay the family's mounting bills, but he's naturally more interested in the after-hours action at the city's clubs than in food service. He does, however, agree to work on a new CBS show called "Friday Night With Buddy Winter" after Buddy's agent cajoles him: "They want you in on this. They like you. They like the two of you together."

But it's just after Thanksgiving 1980. Even if Buddy's new show takes off, even if Anton pursues the career of his dreams - while a newly elected President Reagan changes the national tune - we all know what's going to happen at the Dakota. Even though Anton doesn't discuss it until the book's end (a wise choice), John Lennon's murder hangs over all of the action. We all know what happened on the night of Dec. 8, 1980, when a man who had become synonymous with a different way of thinking, a different kind of progress, was lost.

As Anton relates what happened to his family afterward - which is all so much less dramatic and lovelier than you might hope - we remember that the aftermath of a great upheaval will always seem less important than the event itself, even if there's a lot to learn from the quieter times. Back in sunny Bermuda, safe from the storm, John Lennon plays on the beach with little Sean. It's in those moments, Anton realizes, the love between fathers and sons comes to life.

---

Patrick is the editor, most recently, of "The Books That Changed My Life: Reflections by 100 Authors, Actors, Musicians and Other Remarkable People."
Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now

By Alan Rusbridger

Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 440 pp. $30

---

Alan Rusbridger ends his somber, in many ways alarming memoir with an odd admission, considering that he has already asked his readers to make their way through more than 300 pages. "This is a story half told," he confesses. "There is no ending, happy or otherwise." He seems to be saying we are in the midst of huge, unpredictable, revolutionary change: We know where we've been, we don't know where we're heading.

Looking back, after more than 40 years in journalism, 20 of them as editor in chief of the Guardian, Rusbridger has settled on a few conclusions designed to leave you decidedly uneasy:

-- Newspapers have begun "to die in front of our eyes";

-- The "centuries old craft of journalism" has withered and is being "lost";

-- The concept of truth has become difficult, if not impossible, to define;

-- Democracy has lost its bearings and without "reliable news" faces a fight for survival;

-- And, finally, the internet and its "untaxed, rootless" global family of Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon (whose founder, Jeffrey P. Bezos, owns The Washington Post) and Twitter, what many call GAFAT, have triggered a technological upheaval that rivals "the invention of movable type in the fifteenth century" - "liberating, energizing and transformative" on the one hand, but also "poisonous and dangerous" on the other, capable of being turned into "toxic demagoguery." He implies that President Trump is a prime example of such demagoguery, but doesn't quite say so.

This has all happened in the past 20 years, the new explosion of information replacing not only the old journalism but also, Rusbridger writes, "the most basic concepts of authority and power"- in a way, democracy itself. How has this happened? Never before, Rusbridger explains, has there been a technology that allowed "the instant dissemination of lies in such infinite volumes." Reporters have simply been overwhelmed; they can't keep up with the lies, and the demagogues, whoever they were, have won the day.

When Rusbridger, considered by many to be the most consequential British newspaper editor of his time, chooses to share this gloomy prognosis, it seems to me it's our collective responsibility to seriously ponder his story and his conclusions.

His story, eloquently told, started in 1976, when, fresh from university studies, he joined the staff of the Cambridge Evening News, a local paper that then sold nearly 50,000 copies a day and today sells fewer than 15,000 a week. Advertising used to subsidize reporting. No longer. Now Google and Facebook absorb more than 60 percent of the advertising dollar, and newspapers suffer, often unable to find alternative sources of income.

But in 1979, when Rusbridger stepped up to the Guardian, which he describes as a "comparatively small British newspaper ... a minnow," newspapering was still a profitable business. The Guardian was liberal and respected, and Rusbridger was smart, ambitious and daring, quickly ascending to his editor in chief responsibilities in 1995. Under his leadership, the Guardian's reputation soared, as it began to register one substantial scoop after another.

Emphasizing investigative reporting, Rusbridger went where other British publications feared to tread. With apparent delight, he tells how his reporters brought down the rising career of Jonathan Aitken, a Conservative lawmaker who might have been prime minister had it not been for his illegal shenanigans with Saudi princes. The Guardian also toppled cabinet ministers, enjoying not only the headlines but also its rising profits. A story with global impact was reporter Nick Davies' patient investigation of Rupert Murdoch's tabloid News of the World. What he learned, and what the Guardian published, was that News of the World was engaged in police bribery and phone hacking; it even hacked into the phone of a murdered English teenager, Milly Dowler. The Guardian's exclusive, which made headlines all over the world, led to a parliamentary investigation and, soon thereafter, the closing of the tabloid and the reorganization of the Murdoch news empire.

But for American readers, no story stimulated as much interest, confusion and pain as the Edward Snowden scandal, published in 2013. Snowden, at age 29 a contractor at the National Security Agency, so hermetically sealed that it was jokingly referred to as No Such Agency, decided to steal tens of millions of top-secret NSA files and flee to Hong Kong. Rusbridger, with a dash of pride, writes, "Such a leak had never happened before." Obviously believing the Guardian to be a good candidate for publicizing his illegal haul, Snowden established contact with a reporter for the newspaper and through him got to Rusbridger himself. He also contacted a reporter affiliated with The Washington Post. Soon the papers had possession of the scoop of the year: proof that the U.S. government operated a program of widespread global surveillance that also captured massive amounts of private data from Americans.

It was a story without precedent - big, embarrassing, Pulitzer Prize-winning. The two newspapers shared the Pulitzer for public service in 2014 for their reporting on the subject. Rusbridger became a global journalistic icon, and the Guardian made lots and lots of money, until it stopped making lots of money in 2015. Ads migrated from its pages to Google and Facebook, along with the profits that once enabled adventurous, groundbreaking reporting, leaving the Guardian, and all of journalism, struggling to survive in the powerful undercurrent of a technological revolution without rules or end.

Rusbridger closes his jarring commentary by wondering whether Trump, with his "prolific lies, and his bullying menace," might be awakening the public to the obvious need for a new and vibrant press. Sadly, the evidence runs the other way. More Americans today think the press is "fake" and "dishonest" than ever before, with more than 35 percent believing it is, in fact, the "enemy of the people."

---

Kalb, senior adviser to the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, is the author of "Enemy of the People: Trump's War on the Press, the New McCarthyism and the Threat to American Democracy."
The Future of Capitalism: Facing the New Anxieties

By Paul Collier

Harper. 248 pp. $29.99

---

What with Trump and Brexit and the turn toward authoritarianism in Brazil and Eastern Europe, there has recently been a lot of book-length handwringing about the future of democratic capitalism.

Robert Kuttner asks, "Can Democracy Survive Global Capitalism?" Steven Brill sees America in a political and economic "Tailspin." Anand Giridharadas describes a society in which the "Winners Take All." William Galston worries about "Anti-Pluralism"; Barry Eichengreen frets over "The Populist Temptation." Alan Greenspan and Adrian Wooldridge celebrate the history of "Capitalism in America" but fear that our tolerance has worn thin for the creative destruction that made it all possible. In "The Myth of Capitalism," Jonathan Tepper and Denise Hearn document the decline of competition. This year, I even made my own modest contribution to the genre.

Now comes Paul Collier, a professor at Oxford University, who makes an engaging and well-reasoned argument that deep economic rifts in Britain and the United States are "tearing apart the fabric of our societies."

"Anxiety, anger and despair have shredded people's political allegiances, their trust in government, even their trust in each other," Collier writes in "The Future of Capitalism." With its ruthless focus on profits and its increasingly unequal distribution of income and opportunity, he argues, Anglo-American capitalism has forfeited much of its economic, political and moral legitimacy.

Collier puts much of the blame on ideologues of the left, with their excessive faith in government, and those of the right, with their excessive faith in unregulated markets. His pitch is for a return to the kind of pragmatic, centrist communitarianism that characterized the years immediately after World War II, when the focus was on shared prosperity and reciprocal obligations that enhanced trust and cooperation.

An economist by training, Collier is best known for his work on why some African countries are poor. He served as a top researcher at the World Bank and is a knight of the British realm.

His latest book, however, is as much about ethics and moral norms as it is economics.

Collier laments the transformation of what was once an "ethical state" into a "paternalistic state" that has eroded our sense of shared identity and personal responsibility, and shifted the obligation for creating a just society from individual citizens to the government.

In a similar vein, he laments the demise of the "ethical firm," following the embrace of misguided notions such as that greed is good or that the only purpose of business is to maximize profits and share prices.

"Has any worker for any company," he asks, "ever got up in the morning, thinking 'today I'm going to maximize shareholder value'?" Collier contrasts the high levels of trust and shared purpose in Japanese firms with the cynicism of workers in American ones - a cynicism reinforced by outlandish compensation lavished on executives to assure that their only loyalty is to shareholders.

Collier also laments the erosion of the "ethical family," in which parents stay married and involved with their children, and everyone takes some responsibility for aging parents or for siblings, nieces and nephews who are in trouble. The seductive lure of individual fulfillment, he argues, has played out with disastrous results in rural areas and old industrial cities like Sheffield, England, where he grew up, and where the decline of its once-thriving steel industry left his family and friends with hard lives, unsatisfying jobs and lousy prospects. Echoing the work of Charles Murray, Isabel Sawhill and Robert Putnam, Collier sees the deterioration of the family as a key link in a vicious cycle that has resulted in a large and dangerous gap in wealth and economic dynamism between supercities like New York and London and everywhere else.

"The Future of Capitalism" has the discursive charm of a lecture delivered by a well-read and slightly acerbic Oxford don. An American reader might find it a bit academic at times, or Anglo-centric. And readers everywhere will be rightfully skeptical of his proposal to make corporate directors legally liable when they ignore the public interest in their private-sector decision-making.

Much better is his idea to raise taxes on those who benefit undeservedly from modern capitalism. That includes the owners of land whose value rises for reasons that have nothing to do with them, and high-income workers in those thriving metropolitan areas who capture a disproportionate share of the benefits of agglomeration - having lots of smart people and growing companies clustering in the same area. He'd also impose a tax on every financial transaction to capture the excessive profits earned by an oversize financial sector that misallocates scarce capital and talent. All that extra revenue he would recycle to the Youngstowns and Sheffields of the world, not for higher welfare payments but to jump-start the creation of new industrial clusters that could create fulfilling jobs for those being left behind.

There is nothing socialist about Collier's critique or his prescriptions - like Adam Smith, the oft-misunderstood father of modern economics, he's about restoring a moral sensibility to a market system that is falling short of its potential. "What has happened recently is not intrinsic to capitalism," Collier concludes. "It is a damaging malfunction that must be put right."
Should it be a crime to call public officials corrupt?

Yes, according to the police in Exeter, New Hampshire. Earlier this year, they arrested a man for writing a comment on a news website accusing Police Chief William Shupe of covering for a corrupt officer.

Robert Frese was accused of violating New Hampshires criminal defamation law, which makes it a misdemeanor to intentionally and falsely disparage another person. New Hampshires law  and others like it in 24 other states around the country  literally make it a crime to say mean things about people.

These laws have no place in modern American democracy. Thats why we filed a lawsuit Tuesday in New Hampshire federal court arguing that criminal defamation laws violate the First Amendment.

Frese was arrested after he posted comments to a Seacoast Online article about a retiring police officer. Frese had a number of issues with the officer and accused him of misconduct. He also wrote that Chief Shupe covered up for this dirty cop. A few weeks later, the Exeter police filed a criminal complaint against Frese. The complaint said that Frese purposely communicated on a public website, in writing, information which he knows to be false and knows will tend to expose another person to public contempt, by posting that Chief Shupe covered up for a dirty cop. The police ultimately dropped the charges  after the ACLU of New Hampshire spoke out against Freses prosecution.

Theres a long history of law enforcement officials using defamation laws to silence their critics. Under English common law, the crime of seditious libel prohibited criticism of the government because it could lead to insurrection. And in the Sedition Act of 1798, Congress criminalized false statements criticizing the federal government.

But, as the Supreme Court recognized in a landmark 1964 decision, New York Times Company v. Sullivan, the First Amendment was meant to repudiate the whole notion of seditious libel. In that case, an Alabama police commissioner sued The New York Times for defamation after it published an advertisement describing police department actions against civil rights protesters.

In its decision upholding the newspapers First Amendment rights, the Supreme Court recognized the profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open, and that it may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials.

Of course, freedom of speech does not give anyone the absolute right to spread malicious lies about their fellow citizens. Thats why our laws allow people who have been slandered to file civil lawsuits for money damages.

Time has shown that civil lawsuits are fully capable of addressing the harms caused by defamation, which is why criminal defamation prosecutions became increasingly rare over the course of the 20th century. But in states that still have criminal defamation laws on the books, public officials still use them to prosecute their critics.

For example: The editor and publisher of a small newspaper in Kansas were convicted of criminal defamation after the paper published an article suggesting that the mayor lived in another county and was therefore ineligible for public office. A Massachusetts woman was convicted of criminal defamation in New Hampshire after she claimed that a coffee shops employees spit in police officers coffee. And a Kansas man was charged with criminal defamation after he posted a yard sign criticizing his local governments inaction on a water drainage problem; the lawsuit was dropped after the ACLU got involved.

Its important to note that a disproportionate number of criminal defamation convictions have involved politicians and law enforcement officials. This is no coincidence. Whenever people in power are given a tool to punish critics, you can bet theyll be sorely tempted to use it. As a result, criminal defamation laws are often used to punish political speech lying at the heart of the First Amendment, just like the old seditious libel laws.

The Exeter Police Departments criminal complaint against Frese is a textbook example of the use and abuse of criminal defamation laws. Someone who has had a history of trouble with the police went to the internet to air his grievances, and the police department itself decided to prosecute him

This is absurd, and its a telling reminder of what happens when law enforcement is given the power to crack down on expression. Its time we toss criminal defamation laws into the dustbin of history, where they belong.

Brian Hauss is a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Unions Speech, Privacy and Technology Project.
California State Capitol Building View Photos

Sacramento, CA  With California emerging as a potentially important player in the 2020 presidential contest and last months resignation of the states Democratic Party chair marred in scandal, the political maneuvering has begun.

As earlier reported here, the former party leader Eric Bauman stepped down after facing public accusations of sexual misconduct, which put the party in turmoil. On Thursday, liberal Bay Area progressive activist, Kimberly Ellis tossed her hat once again into the ring. She narrowly lost capturing that top post last year to Bauman. In a statement, Ellis shares that the party needs a leader to heal and unify state Democrats. She says shes ready to welcome presidential candidates to the heavily Democratic state and set the vision for what the party can achieve.

The current interim chair is Alexandra Gallardo-Rooker who has already declared that she will not run for the position. Although Ellis is the first to enter the race, more challengers are expected to jump onboard. A replacement is expected to be selected at a May state party convention in San Francisco.
Mother Lodes new Senator for District 8, Andreas Borgeas View Photos

Sonora, CA  The Mother Lodes new Senator for District 8, Andreas Borgeas, visited Sonora this afternoon to speak with local residents.

He visited the Tuolumne County Chamber of Commerce office to speak with business and community leaders. He also stopped by Clarke Broadcasting to record an upcoming Mother Lode Views radio show.

Asked about what issues hell be focusing on in the upcoming session, he stated, Not surprisingly there is always going to be water and fire management related issues. There needs to be a balance between maintaining a strong environmental interest, but also looking at the human elements. So, if there are opportunities to thin responsible and to make certain that we take the advice of the folks who are in the fire protection services. As I mentioned earlier, also focusing on enhancing healthcare, improving education and public safety.

Borgeas, a Republican, took the oath of office earlier this month. He defeated Democratic challenger Paulina Miranda in the general election. He replaces the termed out Tom Berryhill. Most recently he was a supervisor for Fresno County.
(Bloomberg) -- Defense Secretary Jim Mattis announced his resignation on Thursday, citing differences over policy with Donald Trump, a day after the president abruptly called for the withdrawal of American forces from Syria.

Mattis informed the president of his decision in a meeting earlier in the afternoon in which the two discussed policy differences that have included the presidents decision to pull out of Syria, said a White House official. Mattiss departure didnt cause the president to rethink his decision on Syria, the official added.

[Click here to read a letter from Secretary Mattis]

In a two-page letter to the president, Mattis laid out his convictions on the value of U.S. leadership in strategic alliances, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the 74-nation coalition to defeat Islamic State. His letter also suggested differences with Trump over the presidents handling of strategic challenges posed by Russia and China.

Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position, Mattis said in the letter to Trump released by the Pentagon.

Moments earlier, Trump announced the news on Twitter, saying that Mattis would be the latest senior official to leave his Cabinet and that the former Marine general would be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February. Trump said he would name a new Pentagon chief shortly.

The move drew an unusually sharp rebuke from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who rarely criticizes the president in public. McConnell urged the president to replace Mattis with someone who shares the view that its essential to maintain post-World War II alliances and has a clear-eyed understanding of friends and foes, identifying Russia as an antagonist.

I was sorry to learn that Secretary Mattis, who shares those clear principles, will soon depart the administration, McConnell said in a statement. But I am particularly distressed that he is resigning due to sharp differences with the president on these and other key aspects of Americas global leadership.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio said in a tweet Mattiss resignation letter makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances & empower our adversaries.

This is scary, Senator Mark Warner, the top-ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said in a tweet posted shortly after the announcement. Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said she was shaken by his resignation.

Mattis departs at a fraught moment in American foreign policy as the administration grapples with North Korean nuclear talks, Russian aggression in Ukraine and growing influence in Syria, rising tensions with Iran and an ongoing trade war with China.

Mattis was one of Trumps first cabinet picks after the 2016 election. He was long seen as a force for stability in foreign policy in an administration that has had to manage crises from North Korea to Syria under a president who prides himself on his unpredictability.

He will be the last to depart among a trio of generals shaped by combat experience in Iraq that Trump had placed in key national security posts. H.R. McMaster was appointed national security adviser one month into the Trump administration then ousted in April of this year. John Kelly was Homeland Security Secretary and then White House chief of staff, a job he will leave in early January.

Trumps hope is to name a replacement for Mattis by the end of the year, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Thursday.

Mattis met with staff at the Pentagon on Thursday following his meeting with the president to tell them he was stepping down, a defense official familiar with the events said. The staff were shocked, the official said, and Deputy Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan was apparently caught off guard -- he had already left the building and had to be called back, another official said.

After Trump said hed nominate Mattis for the top Pentagon job, the late Senator John McCain hailed him as one of the finest military officers of his generation and an extraordinary leader who inspires a rare and special admiration of his troops. Short and wiry with a brush-cut haircut, Mattis was known as the Warrior Monk and sometimes as Mad Dog, a nickname he disliked as much as Trump loved invoking it.

At the Pentagon, he followed a succession of defense chiefs -- Ash Carter, Chuck Hagel and Leon Panetta -- who each lasted about two years in office.

Defense Spending Surge

Beyond his reputation as a voice for stability in military and foreign policy, Mattis may be best-remembered for overseeing a surge in defense spending. The fiscal year 2019 military budget of more than $715 billion bore his imprint and was seen as fulfillment of a key campaign pledge by Trump, ramping up spending for weapons systems including Lockheed Martin Corp.s F-35 jet and new aircraft carriers built by Huntington Ingalls Inc.

Mattis found himself on the defensive after excerpts from author Bob Woodwards book Fear, published in early September, painted the publicly taciturn Pentagon secretary as critical in private of the commander-in-chief.

According to Woodward, Mattis pushed back early in 2018 when Trump questioned the massive U.S. military presence on the Korean peninsula, asking why the U.S. was spending so much.

World War III

Were doing this in order to prevent World War III, Mattis said, according to the book. He went on to tell associates that the president had the understanding of a fifth or sixth-grader, according to Woodward. It also quoted the secretary as saying that defense chiefs dont always get to choose the president they work for.

Mattis was one of the first top administration officials to deny the books claims.

But Trumps most direct public criticism of Mattis followed the books revelations.

Mattis was a defense secretary of few words in public. Asked in a May 2017 interview on CBS News about what keeps him up at night, Mattis responded Nothing. I keep other people awake.

Even before he took charge of the Pentagon, Mattis and Trump were in sync in their views on Iran. Mattis called the Iran nuclear deal reached under President Barack Obama an arms control agreement that fell short and labeled the regime in Tehran the single most enduring threat to stability and peace in the Middle East.

Mattis wasnt always in lockstep with Trump. Like other foreign policy officials in the Trump administration, he spoke out against Russias meddling in the 2016 campaign and its actions in Syria and Ukraine. The National Defense Strategy published during Mattiss tenure sought to focus U.S. strategy toward great power relations with Russia and China, putting less emphasis on the fight against terrorism that came to dominate U.S. thinking after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Trump credited the blunt-talking Mattis with getting him to rethink his campaign pledge to revive waterboarding, an interrogation tactic used against suspected terrorists that Obama had banned. He said, Ive always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and Ill do better, the president-elect recounted to the New York Times.

Mattis retired from the military in 2013 after a 41-year career in the Marines that took him from rifleman to head of U.S. Central Command.

A native of Pullman, Washington, Mattis had more than 30 years experience in the Middle East, where he first deployed in 1979 as an infantry company commander. Later he led the NATOs transformation office and rewrote -- along with Army General David Petraeus -- the militarys counterinsurgency field manual. He was one of few military officers who identified U.S. economic debt as a national security issue.

(Updates with McConnell comment in sixth and seventh paragraphs.)

--With assistance from Justin Sink.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tony Capaccio in Washington at acapaccio@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Bill Faries at wfaries@bloomberg.net, Mike Dorning, Joshua Gallu

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
Three convenience store groups are challenging the city of San Antonios new law that bans retailers from selling tobacco products to young adults.

The groups  who say most of their members are of Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian descent  allege in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday that banning the sale of tobacco products to young adults 18 to 20 years old discriminates against retailers.

San Antonio is the first major Texas city to pass a Tobacco 21 law. It took effect Oct. 1.

The groups say their members and other small retailers are being singled out because they are the only ones subject to punishment even though the so-called Tobacco 21 law that City Council passed in January was purportedly enacted to protect the health of young adults.

RELATED: On Oct. 1, San Antonio becomes the first Texas city to raise tobacco buying age

Stores that violate the law can face fines of up to $500, while young adults caught purchasing, using or possessing tobacco face no penalties or enforcement measures.

Without any enforcement provision for the (purchase, use and possession) of tobacco products by persons aged 18 to 20, (the law) is clearly biased against one class for the benefit of another, the lawsuit states.

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

The suit was filed by the Association of Convenience Store Retailers Inc., South Texas Merchants Association Cooperative Inc. and Texas Food and Fuel Association Inc.

After preliminary review of the complaint, we stand behind our ordinance and will prepare to defend it in Federal Court, City Attorney Andy Segovia said in an emailed statement.

Clinton Glenny II, a San Antonio attorney representing the three groups, didnt respond to a request for comment.

Check ExpressNews.com for updates.

Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD
Guadalupe County has extended its get-paid-to-hunt-feral-hogs program for at least 10 more months.

The County Commissioner Court voted unanimously Tuesday to extend its hog bounty, which pays $5 per tail, through Sept. 30, 2019.

"I think there's widespread support throughout the county," commissioner Greg Seidenberger said during the meeting. "Some people will say 'well it's only $5 a tail,' but other people say, 'yeah, but if I shoot a few pigs, I can pay for my shells.' I think we're going to see...increased participation."

The county initiated the program in the middle of July in the hopes of eliminating 2,000 hogs, which are notorious for wreaking havoc and contaminating waters across Texas. Hogs are more traditionally hunted in the fall and winter months, but the bounty still netted 300 tails by its pre-set August end-date.

RELATED: Video: Texas man finds dozens of rattlesnakes under building on ranch

With funds still remaining, the county extended the initiative through the end of 2018, and then through September 2019 or until money runs out. The project was funded by a grant from the Texas A&M Agrilife Service for feral hog control, which funded multiple other hog management activities as well.

"It seems like (the program has) been beneficial," County Judge Kyle Kutscher said at the meeting Tuesday. "There's going to be peaks and lulls, but the funds were minimal in the county budget (and) for an important use, and that's what they were intended for, so it makes sense to continue."

To qualify for the bounty, hogs must be killed in Guadalupe County and their tails must be submitted to County officials. Hogs can not be intentionally bred for the program.

Click through the slideshow for further guidelines.

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 San Antonio man sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl multiple times before impregnating her, according to San Antonio police.

Albert Sanchez, 32, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of continuous sexual abuse of a child.

The child reported Sanchez on Nov. 11, after her mother confronted her, according to Sanchez's arrest affidavit.

"The victim's mother was concerned that the victim may have been impregnated by (Sanchez)," detectives wrote in the affidavit.

TEEN RIOT: Houston police reportedly barred from riot at psychiatric hospital

The girl told investigators that Sanchez is the uncle of a neighborhood friend and lives in the area, according to the affidavit.

Sanchez introduced himself to the girl before the school year started, she told investigators. He asked the girl if she had a boyfriend before asking her to smoke marijuana with him in his room, police said.

The girl agreed, according to the affidavit. After they smoked, Sanchez sexually assaulted her the first time. He told her not to tell anyone what happened, the affidavit says.

The sexual assaults continued until October, according to the affidavit. The girl told investigators she continued seeing him because she was fearful of him.

"The victim stated (Sanchez) kept constant communication with her nearly every day," detectives wrote in the affidavit. "(Sanchez's) close proximity to the victim caused her to see him almost every day."

Sanchez remained in Bexar County Jail Friday. His bail was set at $75,000.

Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | fsabawi@mysa.com|@FaresInSA
Five employees at a South Houston bar have been charged with serving alcohol to an underage patron who authorities said then drove the wrong way and crashed into an SUV, killing a 23-year-old mother and injuring her child and mother.

The five, employees at Servi-Car el 3 on Houston Boulevard, are all accused of serving 19-year-old Erick Hernandez at least a dozen alcoholic drinks over six hours Sunday night.

On Sunday night, based on seized surveillance video, a visibly intoxicated Hernandez left the bar at 10:49 p.m., according to the Harris County district attorneys office. At 10:51 p.m., authorities said his pickup swerved across three lanes of College Avenue and crashed into a car driven by Taylor Phillips who died at the scene.

This family should be celebrating the holiday, but is instead planning a funeral, said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg in a statement. This tragedy should never have happened.

EXCLUSIVE AT HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: An in-depth look at Houston's dangerous roads and drunk drivers.

In the case, Mildred Garcia, 21, Anna Evelyn Lule, 19, Jaquin Guadalupe Gonzalez, 19, and Jazely Marie Barrera, 21, are charged with misdemeanors associated with serving Hernandez. Gustavo Tejada-Garcia, 28, the manager of the bar, is charged with misdemeanor possession of an unauthorized beverage charge, namely tequila.

Hernandez is accused of being drunk when he crashed head-on into an SUV driven by near Hobby Airport. Phillips died on impact, prosecutors said in court. Her 1-year-old son and 48-year-old mother were injured in the crash.

Prosecutors with the Harris County District Attorneys office said none of the bar employees who served Hernandez ever asked for his ID.

Hernandez was charged with second-degree felony intoxication manslaughter in Phillips death. He was released on a $30,000 bond Tuesday night, court records show.

On Wednesday, a judge ordered that Hernandez cannot drive as a condition of his bond while the charge is pending. He was also issued a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew and will be required to wear an alcohol-detecting ankle monitor.

Hernandez, as well as his attorney, David Garza, declined to comment.

Based on video, Hernandez had spent six hours drinking inside the Frontera Events Venue in the 1000 block of Houston Boulevard, ultimately downing a dozen alcoholic beverages  including at least three tequila shots, according to Sean Teare, chief of the Vehicular Crimes Division at the Harris County District Attorneys Office.

Servi-Car el 3 is a part of Frontera Events Venue, authorities said.

Hernandez was drinking with another person inside the bar, Teare said.

This is a 19-year-old kid at a bar, Teare told reporters Wednesday morning. The bar is like any other bar. They had live music. They were dancing. They were there for six hours, and they never stopped drinking during the six hours.

Surveillance video indicates that Sunday not was not the first time Hernandez had been in the bar, Teare said.

He eventually left the bar that night and hopped in his Ford F-150. Less than a minute later, Phillips was dead.

Firefighters had to free Hernandez from his truck after the crash, Teare said in court.

Hernandez was given a test to determine his blood-alcohol concentration and Teare expects it to be pretty high based on the amount of drinks surveillance video shows him drinking before the crash.

As for the bar, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is investigating the circumstances leading up to the crash.

If convicted, Hernandez is facing up to 20 years in prison.

The Houston metro area is the deadliest in the nation for fatal crashes related to alcohol and drugs, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of federal data.

The dubious distinction has drawn the attention of prosecutors. Ogg, since taking office in 2017, has worked with the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission on education campaigns aimed at establishments that sell or serve alcohol, and focused on prosecutions of people who sell alcohol to minors who later are suspected of causing deadly crashes.

Charges have followed some of the regions most high-profile fatalities involving alcohol and underage drivers. In April, Clear Lake bartender Amy Allen, 40, was charged with two counts of selling liquor to a minor, both misdemeanors, following a Feb. 28 crash.

Gumaro Munoz Campos, 29, was charged Aug, 6 with a liquor violation following a horrific crash in Atascocita that killed Salma Gomez and Chloe Robison, both 16. Campos, via his lawyer, denied in court selling Jaggar Clayton Smith, 17, the liquor purchased prior to the July 25 wreck that split Smiths car in two when he slammed into a tree in the median of Timber Forest Drive.

Still, courts and prosecutors have been mixed on imposing penalties. Allen received deferred adjudication in September, meaning she will spend no time behind bars and the charges could disappear if she avoids other crimes. The bar owner's son, Devin Jackson, 24, and another man, John C. Medina, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of furnishing alcohol to a minor and both also received deferred adjudication.

Dug Begley contributed to this report

jay.jordan@chron.com

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 21)  President Rodrigo Duterte said he backs the Senate's abolition of the Road Board, which he called a "milking cow" of corrupt government officials, contradicting House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya who earlier claimed that the chief executive does not want the agency managing the road user's tax dismantled.

"I agree with the others and the senators that it is time to abolish it and return that function to the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways)," Duterte said Friday during the change of command ceremony of the Philippine Air Force. "I hate to say it, but please, if it's good for the people, if it's good for the trust deposited on the people for government employees, then we'll just go ahead and abolish it."

Duterte added that he has been wary of the Road Board since his assumption in office.

Andaya had claimed that Duterte told him and Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in September that he wants to keep the Road Board, contrary to the assertions of Palace officials and close allies of the President.

In a Malacanang press briefing on Friday, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Duterte has not changed his mind on plans to get rid of the Road Board.

"These were the exact words he said: 'From day one I'm against it kasi ginagawa lang gatasan ng mga corrupt na politicians (because corrupt politicians are just milking it),'" Panelo said.

He added Andaya may have misunderstood the President or was not listening attentively.

Senator Koko Pimentel, the president of Duterte's party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan, also said Duterte told him of his desire to abolish the Road Board during the birthday party of Senator Manny Pacquiao in General Santos City last December 17.

"This incident should be clearly indicative of President Duterte's desire to abolish the Road Board," Pimentel said.

Executive to stand by Senate

Both the Senate and the House passed a bill abolishing the Road Board when Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez was House Speaker. However, three months after Arroyo assumed leadership, the lower chamber rescinded House Bill No. 7436's approval on third reading, leaving the measure in limbo.

Andaya said Congress could not transmit an enrolled copy of the bill because it could not have Arroyo's signature, but Malacanang said this is only "ministerial."

Panelo earlier said Malacanang already has a copy of the bill from the Senate, but he later clarified only the upper chamber's resolution has reached the President's office.

Panelo, who also serves as Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, admits there may be a court battle if the Senate pushes through with transmitting the bill even without Arroyo's signature.

"There may be a legal question on whether or not that, from the point of view of the law, it is indeed an enrolled bill ready for signing," Panelo said.

If push comes to shove, Duterte said the executive would stand by the Senate, even if it ends up in a constitutional crisis.

"If it comes to a constiutional controversy, the executive department will side with the Philippine Senate in its interprertation of the law that the process was completed and it's been sent to the Senate for apperoval and, on time, it was signed," he said.

The Palace said Senate President Tito Sotto is correct in saying that the House can no longer rescind the measure since it was already passed and adopted by the Senate in toto, skipping the part of the process wherein a bicameral committee irons out differences.

Asked if the President would sign the bill expected to be sent by Sotto, Panelo said, "most likely, he will."

"If the President really wants to end this, he will sign it and then they (lawmakers) will go to the court," he added.

The Road Board, tasked to manage the road users' tax or the motor vehicle user's charge (MVUC) for repairs and maintenance of roads, had been repeatedly slammed by the Commission on Audit over billions of pesos worth of unimplemented and unobligated projects, and millions of pesos of excessive costs and overpayment.

Under the proposed measure, the Road Board would be abolished and the MVUC would be placed into four trust funds - 40 percent in the Special National Road Support Fund and 40 percent in the Special Local Road Support Fund, both of which would be managed by the DPWH, 10 percent in the Special Pollution Control Fund managed by the DOTr, and 10 percent in the Special Pollution Control Fund under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Andaya said this does not abolish the Road Board, but only creates "Road Board Kings" who would have "dictatorial powers" over the MVUC collections.

CNN Philippines' Ina Andolong contributed to this report.
Federal officials are investigating an immigrant smuggling case in San Antonio in which a woman and her children were held captive at an East Side home by men allegedly associated with the now-splintered Zetas cartel.

The woman and her two children were rescued following a standoff on Tuesday at the home in the 700 block of South New Braunfels. After monitoring the home much of the day, the San Antonio Police Department dispatched a SWAT team and arrested three men, whom federal authorities charged Wednesday with immigrant harboring charges.

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Despite the claims of ties to the Zetas, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday that "federal officials are not confirming that it's connected to any criminal group."

A federal court-filed affidavit said the SAPD Special Victims Unit was notified after the woman's ex-husband reported the crime.

Officials said the man told them the woman and children were deported earlier in December after a first attempt to enter the country.

The man said that after being deported, his ex-wife was told by Zeta gang members they could get her and her children back into the United States for $12,000. The woman and children were smuggled and held in stash houses until the money was paid by her ex-husband on Dec. 14.

According to the affidavit, the victims were then brought to San Antonio and held captive. The man told police the Zetas demanded an additional $12,000 for their release.

With the information and cell phone numbers provided by the man, police tracked down the home where the mother and children were held.

A pickup left the home Tuesday with the two children and mother, along with two suspects, the affidavit said. Police followed the truck, rescued the victims and arrested the two men, identified as Jose Luciano Rocha Ortiz and Juventino Hernandez Cruz.

RELATED: Four in custody after 12-hour surveillance, standoff

Rocha and Hernandez admitted to being Mexican citizens in the country illegally, and that they were ordered by an Eddie to hold the victim and her children captive until fees were completely paid. Rocha told investigators that "Eddie" is with the Zetas.

The affidavit said police served a search warrant at the home, and found another man, Fermin Cordero-Chavez and another migrant.

Cordero-Chavez told authorities he was sent to San Antonio from Nuevo Laredo to operate the stash house. He said he was gong to be paid $700 a week to do so and admitted participating in preventing the victims from leaving the home.

The three suspects appeared in federal court late Wednesday, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Bemporad ordered them detained for hearings in the next two weeks. However, since they are suspected of having no legal status, they are likely to waive bail hearings and remain in jail.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

According to court records, the mother may be a witness in the case and would remain in the country with her children until a trial is held.

Guillermo Contreras covers federal court and immigration news in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | gcontreras@express-news.net | Twitter: @gmaninfedland
Throughout 2018, several tragic crimes in San Antonio left residents grieving for their loved ones.

Some people had their lives cut short in domestic disputes that ended in a murder-suicide, like two former Harlandale High School students.
The family of Janice Dotson-Stephens, the mentally ill 61-year-old woman who died in the Bexar County Jail five months after being arrested for a misdemeanor crime, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Bexar County, Bexar County Pre-trial Services and University Health System, their lawyer said.

"The question is, 'What did you do to treat her?" said Les Sachanowicz, the attorney representing the family. "Did you give her the standard of health care that the community would have?"

Dotson-Stephens died while in custody for a Class B misdemeanor charge on Dec. 14, almost five moths after her arrest. The medical examiner's office said she died of natural causes.

"We're convinced that their mom was ignored to death, and what I mean by that is there is a culture of deliberate indifference for her and other inmates in the pre-trial system and at the Bexar County Jail," Sachanowicz said.

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Brigette Lott, Dotson-Stephens daughter, said her mother suffered from a severe mood disorder and possible schizophrenia, and that she had a long history of mental illness. Usually, she said, her mother was taken to a mental health institution after an arrest, but in this case she was not.

"It was absolutely normal that my mom would just leave and we might not hear from her for a long time," she said. "That was normal for us. We were under the assumption that it was a regular cycle. She'll get in trouble, then she'll get better, then we'll start the cycle all over again.

"Nobody has lived through this like we have," she said.

Dotson-Stephens' bond was set at $300 after she waived her right to a bond hearing. Jail officials tried to meet with her about a personal recognizance bond on four separate occasions, but she refused each time, according to jail records obtained by mySA.com. She also refused to be considered for a court appointed attorney on nine occasions.

RELATED: Human remains found in Atascosa being investigated as homicide

A judge eventually issued her an attorney and ordered a psychiatric evaluation, which was completed by University Health System officials on Oct. 2. The results of the evaluation are unclear.

"She can't waive those things when she's not competent," he said. "She had episodes at the state hospital. She was mentally ill. There are instances where a person gets stuck in the system and people just check the box. They don't look at them as human beings."

To read more about Janice Dotson-Stephens' history of mental health issues, what her family had to say and Bexar County's explanation of what happened in this case, go to our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

Caleb Downs covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com |

cdowns@mysa.com | @calebjdowns
The turmoil in the Harlandale Independent School District is coming to a head.

The highly political activities of this school districts dysfunctional school board have been the focus of public debate for a long time. It is only in the last academic school year that they have captured state attention.

The findings in a leaked copy of a Texas Education Agency report on an investigation launched in August 2017 into the district operations do not bode well for the future of this board or its administration.

TEA investigators found that a systemic breakdown of the HISD Board of Trustees ability to govern and manage HISD prevents the Board from carrying out the powers and duties as provided by Texas Education Code.

That systemic breakdown includes the boards failure to oversee and monitor district finances; directing district employees to perform tasks that personally benefit them; intimidating current and former staff; and violating the Texas Open Meeting Act by conducting board business via group texts.

The report recommends TEA install a conservator to oversee the districts operations and appoint mangers to replace the existing elected board.

We realize this is a drastic step and not a recommendation that is frequently made. But if these findings are true, we endorse it. We urge the state education agency to move on this as quickly as possible, especially if, as the report suggests, a criminal investigation might be warranted.

Ironically, state protocol allows the dysfunctional board cited in such an investigative report to drag its feet and delay the inevitable for weeks. The scathing report sent to the district late last month has yet to be publicly released, and it probably wont be for a few more weeks.

The school board has the right to request a review of the finding, file a rebuttal to the allegation and withhold the report from the public until the review is completed.

That rebuttal is scheduled to be filed Friday, giving the district a few weeks into the new year before it has to make the report public.

Regrettably, the districts operations dont grind to a halt during all this back-and-forth. Fortunately, the winter break is coming up, which means district activity will at least slow for a couple of weeks.

It is never good news for public education when the state has to step in to run a school district. It usually only comes when there is substantial probable cause and occurs only under the most severe of circumstances.

In the past couple of years, three Bexar County school districts have warranted intervention from TEA. Two of them, Edgewood and Southside ISDs, had their elected board removed. At South San, a conservator was appointed, but the district was allowed to keep its board. That conservator was removed earlier this year.

TEA must act in the best interest of the schoolchildren in Harlandale as it moves forward. The district needs an appointed board that makes education a priority and comes with no personal agendas.

The criminal improprieties alleged in the report also merit close scrutiny by the staff of the incoming district attorney, Joe Gonzales.

It has been a long time since a state grand jury has paid any attention to the questionable activities in some of our school districts. If Harlandales problems slip into that territory, that should end.
Katherine Power and her husband, Justin Coit, know a thing or two about style, taste, and design. She's the founder of Clique Media, which encompasses design brands like Who What Wear, My Domaine, Byrdie, and more. He's a photographer who has shot gorgeous homes and celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence and Cindy Crawford.

So it was no surprise that when they decided to redesign their 1928 Spanish Colonial home in the posh but cozy community of Little Holmby in Los Angeles, the results would make Architectural Digest.

What is a surprise is that now that the redesign is done and dusted, they're opting to sell it. It's now on the market for $8 million.

"She's a very creative professional," says listing agent Alexandria Brunkhorst, referring to Power. "While it was an extremely difficult decision to leave, she loves real estate, and she's eager to move on to her next project."

Great room realtor.com

Renovated Spanish Colonial in Little Holmby realtor.com

The couple purchased the four-bedroom, 4.5-bath home in 2015 for $4,225,000, and began their remodel with the help of designer Jake Arnold of 4C Design Group. Coit told Architectural Digest: "Our overall goal was to take this home from the typical L.A.-Spanish feel to something along the lines of a sophisticated home in Montecito."

Totally remodeled backyard realtor.com

Unlike most remodeling projects, this one began outsidethe home's backyard is no longer dominated by a large pool.

Once the pool's size and depth was reduced and the yard was reimagined, there was more room for stately and picturesque olive trees, an outdoor dining area, a high-end barbecue, two lounge areas, a lawn, and a fire pit.

Outdoor dining area realtor.com

The front exterior has been refreshed, but care was taken to retain its charm. The fountain, the gravel courtyard, and the prominent vertical windows upstairs that line the wall of a sun-filled office have all the charm of the original home.

Inside the 4,085-square-foot home, they replaced the terra-cotta tile flooring so typical of this home style with wide-plank French oak. They kept the arched doorways and white plaster walls, but freshened them up, and added in dark, paned windows and French doors to let in more light.

Living room realtor.com

The home's open kitchen has been updated and expanded, with modern finishes and appliances as well as open shelving.

Kitchen realtor.com

The bathrooms were also updated, in particular the master bath, which now has a graceful soaking tub and modern fixtures. The entire master suite has been freshenedit features his-and-hers closets and a private balcony, as well as views of Century City and the greenery of the lush neighborhood.

Master bedroom realtor.com

Master bath realtor.com

"There are so many things I love about this home, but one of my favorite aspects is its site," says Brunkhorst. "It sits on a slightly elevated lot in the sweetest family neighborhooda private enclave, close to Wilshire, Sunset, Beverly Hills, and the Valley, yet completely privatealmost like a small East Coast village."

In fact, potential buyers of the property have felt so comfortable here that they frequently ask whether the two cats lounging about come with the home. "The cats are definitely an exclusion," says Brunkhorst. "Almost everything else is negotiable."

The cat does not come with the house. realtor.com

The post Media Mavens Put Architectural Digest-Approved Spanish Colonial on Market appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
The Kgalema Motlanthe Commissions heavily criticised report has exposed that President Emmerson Mnangagwa indeed deployed the soldiers who killed unarmed civilians in the streets of Harare on 1 August 2018.

Mnangagwa who had initially lied that he didnt know who deployed the military, read the report to the nation. However political commentators have taken a swipe on Mnangagwa saying he should have apologised after the exposure.

Prominent political scientist Doctor Pedzisai Ruhanya believes the country resembles a cursed nation in having leaders who are big headed and believe apologising is stooping low. Neither Mnangagwa as President of Zimbabwe and Commander in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Oppah Muchunguri as the Minister of Defence, nor Valerio Sibanda as the Commander of the Defence Forces issued an apology against the murdered after the Motlante verdict.

Another renowned political commentator Alex Magaisa shares the same sentiments, tweets;

You set up a commission to investigate violence. The commission categorically says the soldiers you command and deployed shot and killed civilians and injured 35. But not a single word of apology or acknowledgement to the victims, survivors, and relatives.

Zimbabwe has a history of human rights abuses at the hands of the state, some of them have been swept under the carpet, with Commissions whose findings and recommendations have never been taken up, acknowledged, or even been followed by an apology.

On such is the Chihambakwe Commission set up to look into the Gukurahundi massacres, its findings were never made public and instead of making an apology former President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe could only describe the murders as a moment of madness.

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ZANU PF Secretary for Youth Lewis Matutu has warned MDC President Nelson Chamisa that he risks having a premature end to his political career. Matutu was speaking after Chamisa on Thursday raised his clarion call that the situation in Zimbabwe will get dire if Mnangagwa does not agree to a dialogue.

Nelson Chamisa should be reasonable and realistic to avoid a premature end to his political career. Matutu said. Zimbabwe needs peace and unity for economic development that we desperately need as a nation, respect for the Zimbabwean constitution is critical.

Presenting various foodstuffs to the elderly in Harares Highfields suburb Chamisa said ZANU PF does not know how this must operate in this country hence the problems bedevilling the country.

I told Mnangagwa and his team that the situation is now unbearable, come, lets us have a dialogue to move this nation forward and resolve these problems, but they are refusing. Thats why life is so difficult because they dont know how these things operate, he said.

Social media users accused Matutu of seeking relevance through his statements which come after the Youth League was accused of being incompetent and corrupt by two senior ZANU PF officials.

Our Youth League as it is now is incompetent and totally corrupt. It wouldnt be surprising if those middle-agers sold their souls to opposition as claimed. Did they campaign for His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa? We all know they are team Torai Mari United. Gokwe Nembudziya member of parliament Mayor Justice Wadyajena said on Wednesday.

Former Deputy minister of finance Terrence Mukupe also chipped in, I agree with Hon Mayor hundred percent. We have leadership in the Youth league who are out of touch with the grassroots and led by politics of the stomach. Zero vibrancy and ideas. I cant wait for elections to get rid of the co-opted lot who think they have arrived.

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Business leaders have called on government to float the exchange rate or at least adjust it to improve efficiency.

Captains of industry have called upon the government to adjust the exchange rate between the US dollar and bond note to reflect the prevailing market conditions.

Mr Sifelani Jabangwe of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries said the current 1:1 rate is not only causing price distortions and rent seeking opportunities but is severely hurting exporters who are not getting fair value for the retained forex proceeds especially in the mining sector.

Business and industry has resorted to base their pricing models using the parallel market exchange rate to preserve value.

Mr Mike Kamungeremu of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce pleaded with government to relax the exchange rate to ensure business continuity.

The parallel market forex exchange rate has held its forte and has been stable for some time at the current rate.

With the status quo, industry anticipates the exchange rate issue would be dealt with in the upcoming monetary policy in the first quarter of next year as the budget failed to address it.

 ZBC

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We normally restrict our comments on individual CalPERS board members to the uphill efforts of the ones who are trying to move the institution forward. However, at the discussion of the private equity new business model earlier this week, as one prominent stakeholder put it, There were lots of bad moments that you can write about.

Well wait until the new year to discuss the many misrepresentations made by John Cole, the CalPERS staffer who made the private equity presentation. Even if he fully understood how fast and loose he was playing with the truth, he made himself and CalPERS look like marks.

Nevertheless, Bill Slaton deserves special attention. He is a self-appointed enforcer on behalf of staff, regularly shutting down the sort of give and take you see at better-functioning boards, such as CalSTRS. He is also an aggressive and ignorant defender of private equity. If you want a personification of Dunning Kruger effect at CalPERS, you need look no further.

Aside from his significant role in upholding bad norms, Slaton is worthy of attention because his term as gubernatorial appointee is up in January, yet perversely, Slaton wont leave the board until Gavin Newsom installs a replacement.1 There have been cases where appointees have hung around for years before a successor was named. However, Slaton has been dividing his time between residences in Sacramento and East Cameron, Montana, and has said he plans to retire to Montana. Hes also had his house in Sacramento on the market, although he pulled the listing last month, presumably not to have it look stale when the selling season starts next year. Slaton cannot serve on the board unless he is a resident of California; CalPERS would not even allow Jeff Baker to run for the board in the 2016 election because was living in Las Vegas even though he would have moved back to California had he won. So if Slaton were to relocate officially to Montana, he would have to quit the board.

Recall that Slaton led the shameful attack on former board member JJ Jelincic for false accusations of leaks out of closed session. Jelincic maintains that the few infractions that were alleged were cases where the information was already public, such as in court filings or previously presented in the press.

But even more important was the outrageous manner in which Slaton went after Jelnicic. From law professor and white collar criminologist Bill Blacks reaction to Slatons attack, in CalPERS Seeks to Destroy Its Most Effective Director. I have taken only snippets of Blacks critique. The key part is that Black, who is a former general counsel of a major financial institution, stressed that Slaton was violating his fiduciary duty in his campaign against Jelincic (emphasis original):

we have Slaton attacking Jelincic in a manner one virtually never witnesses in a boardroom. What we do not know is what confidential information Jelincic supposedly disregarded. Jelincics reputation is for pushing boards to act aggressively to fulfill their fiduciary duties, so it is bizarre for Slaton to be seeking to muzzle Jelincics efforts to improve the boards performance of its fiduciary duties on the grounds that (in some unstated fashion) doing so will improve the boards fiduciary performance. Slaton had zero excuse for not providing Jelincic with the specific charges so that he could respond and refute any pretext for the board holding a trial. Slatons attack on Jelincic was planned, not impromptu. It was a serious charge that Slaton knew could do grave damage to Jelincic and CalPERS reputations. [Board President] Feckners revelation also means that Feckner and [General Counsel] Jacobs have zero excuse for not insisting that Slaton provide Jelincic and them with the specific charges before Slaton made the facially slanderous charges at the board meeting that I quoted. It is a breach of their and Slatons fiduciary duties to CalPERS to knowingly allow one board member to accuse another board member of committing a crime under California law without having vetted the claim to demonstrate that it was well-founded.

Not only is Slaton reckless and working against CalPERS best interest, his performance at Mondays Investment Committee meeting again shows him to be a self-important, bullying ignoramus.

Well skip over the painful-to-watch section where Slaton goes on about how CalPES would have an advantage with family owned businesses. First, Slaton seems unaware of the fact that even smallish private concerns are very heavily solicited by private equity firms. The ones that specialize in family businesses are willing to spend years if thats what it takes to win their trust. The ginormous funds that CalPERS plans to launch would be seen as suspect.

But this extract below is classic Slaton. Earlier, board member Margaret Brown had gotten annoyed with CalPERS staffer John Cole trying to pass off the howler that the advisory boards to the two entities that CalPERS was forming would act as checks on abuses during their budgeting process (CalPERS plans to pay an annual fee based on an expense forecast rather than a management fee). Her remarks at 3:44:10 of the video clip further down:

Senior Portfolio Manager, Global Equities John Cole: We will have provisions to deal with anything that would require a waiver or an adjustment for unforeseen circumstances. By the way, the role of the Advisory Board in this respect is to look at the competitive environment and the budget thats being proposed and make a judgment as to whether it is reasonable. Board Member Margaret Brown: Except that its an advisory board. So in my opinion, its a joke. Because they actually have no authority. All theyre doing is advising. And so thats how this works. So if they actually have control its one thing. But theyre just giving their advice. Not consent. And thats, thats a big difference.

As we put it earlier, What about advisory dont you understand? So the fund managers have to have tea and cookies chats with their advisory boards as a cost of doing business. Staff has been dishonest with the board about these advisory boards, as the snippet above indicates. With current private equity funds, the limited partner advisory committees actually do have authority over some matters, but it takes a majority or supermajority vote. The general partners choose which limited partners are on the advisory committee, and they take great care to make sure that they have a comfortable majority that will always back them.

The advisory boards for these new funds are indeed a joke. They are advisory boards to the new entities, not to CalPERS, so despite all the hand-waving, they will not be advising on behalf of CalPERS. Moreover, their informal incentives will also be to get along with members of the private equity community.

But what do we hear from Slaton? Have a look at this video, starting at 3:52:46:

Board Member Bill Slaton: Just about three things that I want to address, one Ms. Brown made an editorial comment regarding advisory boards, I disagree with that editorial comment. I think hopefully were gonna have advisory boards that are impeccable, have impeccable reputations, long experience in this industry, and hopefully are focused on essentially giving back to California. And if we, if the right people are in that advisory board, their reputations are gonna be on the line in terms of making sure this is successful. So their advice and counsel to the people who are running this operation hopefully, and I trust and expect it will be valuable. And therefore listened to.

Did Slaton fall off a turnip truck? He certainly sounds like he believes this blather.

Prominent CEOs who are on advisory boards to private equity firms are perfectly content to take a big check for showing up once a year and give literally five minutes of input on the state of the world.2 They know this is for show. And if they really are Somebody Important, the last thing they want to do is get their hands dirty on what everyone save the clueless (or complicit) CalPERS staff and board knows is a ceremonial gig.

But just for fun, lets tease this out. Where are these impeccable people with lots of private equity experience who want to give it on the cheap to CalPERS supposed to be found? To be credible to the sorts of professionals that CalPERS hopes to attract to this fund, theyd have to be heavyweights. And they are presumably Californians. Many if not most Silicon Valley types, both the money men and the entrepreneurs, are libertarians and dont like government, to the degree that they dont even give much to politics. And no one would mistake the $340 billion CalPERS for a charity. A lot of top private equity guys like the business and stay in the business into their 70s. And rich guys who want to do something they regard as socially-minded generally think the way to do that is set up a foundation to remake a corner of the world along their pet lines. In other words, even if these roles werent toothless, there isnt much reason to think that someone with relevant expertise would be interested.

But the best, meaning the worst, comes last.

Earlier in the meeting, both State Controller Betty Yee and Margaret Brown were very concerned about this revelation:

Remember that now departed Chief Investment Officer spoke incessantly about the necessity of private equity as the supposed only investment strategy that could exceed CalPERS return target. To the extent that Eliopoulos gave a rationale for this unorthodox, untested scheme, it was that CalPERS needed it to invest at scale. Thus the claim was that CalPERS needed this whizbang new approach to put enough money to work and achieve this premium return level.

So its not hard to understand that the two numbers people on the board (Brown has managed bond financings and construction budgets) were thrown for a loop that staff said these long-hold investments will have lower returns. Whats the point then? For Marcie Frost to become popular in Silicon Valley by squandering CalPERS money there? And even more upsetting is that the board is being told this fundamentally important fact a full 18 months into the project.

How did Slaton try to rationalize this fatal flaw? Have a look at 3:57:18. Remember that Horizon is the core economy vehicle:

Slaton: One last comment Id like you to comment on, this issue of long return particularly on Horizon. Yes, particularly a long hold should get a better return but if it comes with dividends, then that changes the formula that youre looking at.

Slaton has just revealed himself as being so unqualified as to be a hazard to CalPERS. While he does concede that the longer holding period requires a higher return to compensate for the risks. But he then goes on to say that dividends will be in addition to the reported returns, as if the staff confession regarding lower returns did not include dividends.

Anyone who buys stocks knows or ought to know that equity index and mutual fund returns include dividends.2 And as a CalPERS board member, he ought to know that that is also true of private equity returns, and that private equity companies can and do pay dividends. One widely publicized type is the leveraged dividend recapitalization. Slatons remark should disqualify him from being allowed in a room where investment decisions are made.

So we hope readers will help make this happen. Please write or e-mail incoming Governor Gavin Newsom early next year and tell him that CalPERS desperately needs a board member with some knowledge of finance and investments to fill the seat now occupied by Slaton. I am told that Newsom is already getting warnings from well-placed people that he cant afford to leave CalPERS on auto-pilot, since the odds are high that it will blow up on his watch. So anything you can do to push Newsom to improve the caliber of this board would be very much appreciated.

____

1 Slaton cannot be reappointed. He is in the seat for a local government elected official. Slaton is retiring from his elected position on the Sacramento Municipal Utility District board at the end of the year.

2 This is not hyperbole. At one biggish firm, the advisory board met once a year, for breakfast. The now ex-partner said when the members were asked to opine, they spoke for three to four minutes. They got $100,000 each for this service. The role of these board members is to legitimate the fund, not to consult to it. Since the price is so high for image-boosting, the charge for expecting someone at this level to do bona fide work, even if the partners of the two vehicles actually wanted this sort of thing, would be nosebleed level.
Yves here. The Politico European newsletter today confirms that drones are a flight safety risk that hasnt been addressed in any systematic way:

UNLEASH THE EAGLES THIS CHRISTMAS: Here is some transport policy news that everyone traveling around Europe over the holiday should care about. Drone disruption is an increasing problem, and brought Londons Gatwick airport to a standstill this week. The Dutch police found one way to take these menaces out of the sky  take a look at this police video of an eagle wiping out a drone. Unfortunately, the Dutch ultimately decided against the bird-of-prey approach, deciding the raptors were a bit expensive and (perhaps unsurprisingly) did not do exactly what they were told. Its definitely time to reconsider, however. One Australian drone operator notes that he needs to take evasive action about 40 percent of the time because of eagles. The birds work.

By Bill Black, the author of The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One, an associate professor of economics and law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and co-founder of Bank Whistleblowers United. Jointly published with New Economic Perspectives

In 1983, Federal Home Loan Bank Board Chairman Richard (Dick) Pratt published his Agenda for Reform about how to deal with the savings and loan debacle. He had just made that debacle inevitable by deregulating and desupervising the industry. In his Agenda, he called for some protective steps (none of which he took or even proposed as rules), but overwhelmingly called for more deregulation and desupervision while promising that the raging fraud epidemic he had super-charged could not occur.

Pratt put three quotations on the front and back covers of his Agenda. Two of the passages admitted his knowledge that deregulating and desupervising the industry at a time when it was endemically insolvent could greatly increase losses. Both of those quotations went on to explain Pratts real concern about those increased losses to the public  they might discredit deregulation. The greatly increased losses to the public did not horrify him. The fact that that deregulation would trigger those losses did not horrify him. The thing that horrified him was that the public might realize that deregulation and desupervision caused widespread fraud and losses and this could lead the public to block, or even roll back, dangerous deregulation and desupervision.

Pratts real concern for the vulnerability of laissez faire policies if the public learned that they were harmful, combined with his real unconcern for the damages he knew they could produce outraged me. I saw how crippling laissez faire ideology was not simply to sound public policy, but also to its adherents morality.

Yesterday, I read a WSJ article on drones that demonstrated both points in a setting anyone can understand without knowledge of economics. The title is Possible Drone Collision Renews Focus on Safety Systems. A passenger jetliner suffered damage that a drone strike  or a bird strike  might have caused. No one was injured. The damage to the jetliner was material but did not produce any known flight risk. Tests are being done that may be able to determine the cause of the damage to the aircraft. Whether or not a drone strike caused the damage is not the issue I am discussing. I write to discuss the industry reaction to the possible strike.

Drone use is expanding rapidly. There is virtually no effective regulation of drone usage.

The article reported:

If the culprit was a drone, it would mark the first documented collision in North America between an unmanned aircraft and a large passenger jet. A military helicopter and regional turboprop previously have been involved in drone-related accidents in the region, and there have been dozens of close calls. There also are a number of unverified reports of collisions between drones and small planes in other countries, according to air-safety experts. The FAA receives more than 1,000 reports annually of drone sightings close to aircraft. An agency-sponsored study last year concluded that, under worst-case scenarios, collisions between airliners and drones weighing between 4 pounds and 8 pounds could result in significant damage to manned aircraft.

The obvious point is that the status quo is insane. We have no effective protection against something that can cause mass deaths even when used accidentally, and ISIS has shown that minimal tech is required to weaponize drones. Planes are most vulnerable to fatal damage at low altitudes and lower speeds when landing or taking off, which is the most common altitude for drone operation.

Worse, there is no imminent fix scheduled for adoption and no adequate sense of urgency to devise and implement a fix against accidental and deliberate drone collisions. (Drones can also collide accidentally or deliberately with vehicles, structures, and pedestrians.)

More work needs to be done before there is an industry consensus, and the Federal Aviation Administration is years from finalizing regulations spelling out performance requirements.

The only question is when our luck will run out and drones will cause mass deaths. So what do private sector manufacturers fear?

But already, there is widespread industry agreement that a fatal airliner-drone collision could instantly set back the fast-growing industryand likely prompt knee-jerk reactions from regulators and lawmakers. Thats always been the big fear, according to Kenji Sugahara, a consultant and drone pilot. If something like that happens, its a disaster for all of us.

Note that the disaster of killing several hundred people is not the drone industrys big fear. In the phrase disaster for all of us, the word us refers to the industry and drone users  not the hundreds of dead people and their thousands of loved ones. The industrys big fear is that the mass deaths would discredit laissez faire ideologies and policies. The public would demand to know why the industry and anti-regulators stood by for over a decade while thousands of near misses occurred and never developed a sense of urgency to prevent the inevitable tragedy. The disaster the industry fears is that the public will demand action  and Congress will respond with safety legislation. The disaster is lost profits, not lost lives or lost loved ones.

Note that the industry derides any urgent action by Congress or regulators to prevent future mass deaths as knee-jerk. The article does not condemn and directs no derisory rhetoric about the drone industrys successful campaign to prevent the effective regulatory action that could prevent or reduce the otherwise inevitable fatal drone strikes. Industrys opposition to safety regulation is knee-jerk. They increasingly oppose safety and environmental regulation even when it would help the industry.

Laissez faire ideology produces lethal policies and ethics.
Nature has manufactured the perfect machines. Only the fastest, toughest, and most cunning creatures have endured. We examine how animals have evolved and how we can benefit from their evolution.

Sundays from 8:30pm AEDT.
Holiday greetings to all our servicemen and women.

Dear friends, this year, I had the privilege of meeting many of you again, including recently in Norway.

You came from all over Europe and across the Atlantic to exercise together, in NATOs biggest exercise since the Cold War.

Which you completed successfully.

Every day, you serve under the same NATO flag in Afghanistan.

In Iraq.

In Kosovo.

Your visible presence on the ground, in the air and at sea, from the Baltic Region to the Mediterranean, shows that NATO is ready to defend all Allies, against any threat, at any time.

Next year, NATO will turn 70, and we are in good shape.

Your professionalism, commitment and spirit of solidarity make our Alliance strong.

Together, we will continue to adapt to this unpredictable world,

to preserve peace, and keep our citizens safe.

As we have done for the past seven decades.

So thank you for all the great work you do, wherever you are.

And thanks to your families and loved ones who continue to provide invaluable support, in times of challenge and celebration.

I wish you a happy and peaceful New Year!
(Natural News) A series of proposals that would further limit access to firearms and ammunition in the state of California is eerily similar to the gun control measures that were implemented in the failed socialist state of Venezuela, where reports indicate that dissidents are now being crushed by the increasingly tyrannical and brutal socialist government.

Following the passage and enactment of both Proposition 63 and Senate Bill 1235 in the Golden State, the California Department of Justice released the first of apparently many regulatory proposals that will make it increasingly more difficult for Californians to exercise their Second Amendment rights.

Set to take effect on July 1, 2019, the first proposal will require everyone who purchases ammunition in California to first undergo a mandatory background check. The subsequent proposals will address various other regulatory definitions to require a lot more hoop-jumping in order for everyday California citizens to purchase guns and ammo.

Oppressed Venezuelans only WISH they had a Second Amendment

To some, these proposals might appear to simply be reasonable gun control measures aimed at making it more difficult for criminals to obtains weapons of mass murder. But in reality, theyre incremental steps designed to eventually remove guns entirely.

Back in 2012, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez passed similar measures that, just one year later under the so-called Control of Arms, Munitions and Disarmament Law, led to the systematic elimination of all gun ownership rights throughout the country.

Fast-forward another five years and look where Venezuela is at today.

Guns would have served as a vital pillar to remaining a free people, or at least able to put up a fight, says Javier Vanegas, a 28-year-old English teacher who told Fox News that the initial laws in Venezuela, just like these new proposals in California, were described as efforts to reduce crime and protect people. But in reality, they turned out to be something entirely different.

The government security forces, at the beginning of this debacle, knew they had no real opposition to their force, Vanegas is quoted as saying. Once things were this bad, it was a clear declaration of war against an unarmed population.

Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, has issued similar warnings about so-called reasonable gun control laws. Except, in Americas case, he contends, its about stoking civil war.

The real goal, it turns out, is to initiate a bloody civil war as a reaction to the gun grab, setting the stage for Democrats demands to occupy America with United Nations troops and overthrow Trump by military force, Adams writes.

For more news about guns and gun control, be sure to check out Guns.news and GunControl.Fetch.news.

Let your voice be heard in support of gun rights for Californians!

Attorneys from both the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the California Rifle & Pistol Association (CRPA) are reportedly reviewing these proposals, and they plan to provide more information to their members and supporters in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, gun freedom advocates are encouraging the public to submit comments, both oral and written, in opposition to changes.

According to DOJs (Department of Justice) posted notice, there will be two public hearings allowing both oral and written comments which will be held at the following dates, times and locations, reports Guns In The News.

Those dates, times, and locations are as follows:

January 29, 2019, 10:00 AM  12:00 PM

Ronald Reagan State Building

300 S. Spring Street

Los Angeles, CA 90013

January 31, 2019, 1:00 PM  3:00 PM

Resources Building Auditorium

1416 9th Street

Sacramento, CA 95814

In addition to these public hearings, members are also encouraged to send written comments no later than 5:00 PM on January 31, 2019, to the following address:

Jessie Romine

Bureau of Firearms

Division of Law Enforcement

Department of Justice

P.O. Box 160487

Sacramento, CA 95816-0487

Phone: (916) 227-4217

Email: [email protected]

Sources for this article include:

GunsInTheNews.com

DailyWire.com

Guns.news
(Natural News) Earlier this month the Democrat-aligned establishment media went bonkers over the death of a seven-year-old migrant girl from Guatemala who, we were told, perished while in the custody of U.S. border personnel. If only they were as concerned about American citizens.

The initial reports on the death of little Jakelin Caal were damning enough and, as usual, especially critical of POTUS Donald Trump, though theres no doubt he was as moved and saddened by her passing as any other decent human being.

As NewsTarget reported:

The narrative was the same as its always been since the president took office and began enforcing all immigration laws: This was a cruel act by a cruel agency working on behalf of a cruel president.

Come to find out within a few days after the initial reports, U.S. Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection agents did all they could to save the little girl, who presented to them in a large group of illegal immigrants at a very remote region of New Mexico, a new smuggling route that has authorities baffled as to why it has been chosen.

In fact, U.S. border authorities were so responsive to Jakelin that her own father  the person who is ultimately responsible for her death from exposure to the elements since he was the one who decided to bring her the thousands of miles to the U.S. border  openly stated they were not to blame.

https://twitter.com/amber_athey/status/1073736514742427648

As noted by Conservative Tribune, Guatemalan Consul Tekandi Paniagua relayed to the U.S. Border Patrol the account of the girls father, Nery Gilberto Caal, who said American officials did everything they possibly could to help his daughter. He also praised first responders  EMS in particular  for working hard to save his daughter, Jakelin Caal Maquin. A statement from his lawyers to the media noted that Nery Caal was grateful for the many first responders that tried to save young Jakelins life in New Mexico and Texas.

Still, the establishment media continued to lay the blame at the feet of POTUS Trump because virtue-signaling to supporters is much easier (and more profitable) than actually digging for the truth and reporting it without bias.

Americas fault?

#NeverTrump columnist Jennifer Rubin, a token conservative writer at the Washington Post, actually blamed Jakelins death on Americans. Its a cruel irony that Trump has portrayed refugees as a threat to Americans. In fact, the reverse is true, she wrote, as reported by Breitbart News.

Say what?

Under the headline, Horrifying indifference to childrens lives, Rubins subhead further declared, The Trump administration is certainly responsible for death of a child in its custody.

Except that isnt true in the context she is claiming, as the little girls own father has stated. In her piece, Rubin never even addressed the fact that, as a sovereign country, the United States has a right to protect and defend its own borders. (Related: California cops increasingly frustrated with state sanctuary law as illegals embark on deadly crime sprees.)

And lets be clear: Jakelins death was indeed tragic  and senseless. But these same Left-wing media types who anguish over her have no such similar compassion for American citizens killed or injured by those in our country illegally.

For his part, the president has remarked that more than 63,000 Americans have been killed by illegal aliens since the 9/11 attacks, a figure that the same Left-wing media have ripped apart as a lie (without offering countermanding evidence).

Whatever the figure is, the fact remains that these injuries and deaths, in most cases, are 100 percent preventable (a wall would be a great start, as the Israelis know).

The Democrats are using this [death] cynically as a cudgel against the very idea of immigration enforcement. It is shameless. It is really shameless, Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration Studies, told Breitbart.

Because thats what the party of open borders does.

Read more about the invasion of America by illegal aliens at InvasionUSA.news.

Sources include:

NewsTarget.com

WesternJournal.com

Breitbart.com
(Natural News) A Japanese study evaluated the effect of active and passive participation in music therapy on the frontal lobe of the brain. In addition to demonstrating the relaxing effect of calm music, it determined that active music therapy appeared to trigger activity in the brain more often than merely listening to the music.

Tokai University provided support for this study, the findings of which came out in the scientific journal J-Stage.

Twenty-two participants underwent exposure to calm music or exciting music. Furthermore, each individual either passively listened to the music, or actively participated in the song through clapping along with its rhythm.

Researchers scanned the frontal lobe of the brains of the participants using topographic near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). They measured the levels of certain chemical compounds that are associated with brain activity.

Listening to calm music led to considerable drops in oxygen-hemoglobin concentration in many channels of the brain. Soft music also caused the alpha-amylase, cortisol, and immunoglobulin A levels of participants to go down.

Active participants who clapped their hands according to the rhythm of the music showed much higher levels of oxygen-hemoglobin in their brain channels. This became particularly clear after comparing their results with those from passive subjects who merely listened to the song.

Soft music appears to decrease stress and improves relaxation. Meanwhile, active participation in a song results in greater brain activity.

The researchers concluded that active music therapy could be a potential means of improving a participants s capacities, mental state, and ability to cooperate with other people.

Check out more mind-blowing articles about the human brain at Brain.news.

Journal reference:

Ikeuchi M, Mori S, Jono H, Kutsuzawa T. RESEARCH ON THE FRONTAL LOBE ACTIVATION EFFECT OF MUSIC THERAPY ?EFFECT OF LISTENING MUSIC ON FRONTAL LOBE ACTIVATION BY USING NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY?. Japanese Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2018;15(2):91101. DOI: 10.1625/jcam.15.91
(Natural News) An American inventor has built what he calls a ribbon gun in his garage with materials that are probably fairly close to a box of scraps. Now the U.S. Army itself is investigating his weapon for potential adoption and use, an article in The Gazette reported.

At first glance, the new weapon looks like a blocky plastic toy for children. But many people said the same thing of the M-16 when it first came out in 1963.

The ribbon gun can unleash even more firepower than the Vietnam War era assault rifle. That is because it can fire off four bullets at the same time, whereas the M-16 can only fire one bullet at a time. It also promises to exceed the high rate of fire of the automatic versions of the older gun.

Colorado Springs native Martin Grier designed and built it with nothing more than natural ingenuity and easily-acquired machine tools. If all goes well, American military arsenals may one day roll out mass-produced copies of this gun. (Related: NJ State Police to launch Nazi-style door-to-door gun magazine confiscation campaign at gunpoint, of course NJ declares WAR on its own residents.)

This ribbon gun can fire all four barrels together

The ribbon gun is a four-barreled affair. Each barrel measures six millimeters in diameter. They are cut side by side within a single block of steel, which technically makes them bores.

Ammunition comes in blocks of four rounds each. Instead of a mechanical firing mechanism, the weapon uses electromagnetic actuators. This highly-efficient system allows it to fire as many as 250 rounds per second.

The best part of the ribbon gun is what Grier described as a power shot. In this mode of fire, the weapon fires four rounds at the same time. The bullets travel at speeds that exceed 2,500 miles per hour, which is more than three times the speed of sound.

He has already secured patents for the various technologies he built into his gun. He even started a company named FD Munitions to hawk his wares to the U.S. Army.

A multibore firearm, with several bores within a single barrel, could potentially exhibit many of the advantages of a multibarrel design, while reducing the size, weight and complexity disadvantages, Grier said regarding the ribbon gun.

The (four simultaneous) shots that may change the world of firearms

The genesis of this American-designed weapon started in the 1990s. Grier and his kids had just finished a days worth of shooting when he realized that their .22 caliber rifle hadnt changed much from the muskets of George Washingtons army.

All guns use mechanical firing mechanisms that can jam or break down at the worst possible time. They also fire one bullet at a time.

Grier decided to break that mold. He started with the ammo. Normally, a shell casing holds one bullet, but one of his ammunition blocks holds four. Each round is precisely aligned with the matching bore.

Next is the firing mechanism. The trigger of the gun is an electronic switch that activates the electromagnetic actuator behind the ammo block. Every round has its own actuator, so they can be fired one at a time or all together for the power shot.

Finally, he used computer-guided electricity to cut bores into the steel with incredible precision. The first unit he built with these new techniques weighed slightly less than the M-16.

Grief is currently working on a prototype ribbon gun that will be thoroughly tested by the U.S. Army. If successful, this garage-built gun could possibly become the weapon of choice of Americas war-fighters.

Want to arm yourself with the latest news on guns and ammo? Check out Guns.news.

Sources include

Gazette.com

DigitalTrends.com
A structural model of the compact metal-bound form of the lanmodulin protein, which is 100-million times better at binding to lanthanides--the rare-earth metals used in smartphones and other technologies--than to other metals like calcium.

A newly discovered protein could help detect, target, and collect from the environment the rare-earth metals used in smartphones. Two new studies by researchers at Penn State describe the protein, which is 100 million times better at binding to lanthanides--the rare-earth metals used in smartphones and other technologies--than to other metals like calcium. The first study, which appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, describes the protein, and the second paper, which appears online in the journal Biochemistry, describes its unique structure, which likely plays a role in its remarkable selectivity for lanthanides.

"Recently, there has been a lot of interest in increasing accessibility of rare-earth elements like lanthanides, which are used in the screens and electronics of smartphones, batteries of hybrid cars, lasers, and other technologies," said Joseph Cotruvo Jr., assistant professor and Louis Martarano Career Development Professor of Chemistry at Penn State and an author of both studies. "Because the physical properties of rare-earth elements are so similar, it can be difficult to target and collect one in particular. Understanding how this protein binds lanthanides with such incredibly high selectivity could reveal ways to detect and target these important metals."

The research team discovered the protein, which they named lanmodulin, within the bacterium Methylobacterium extorquens, which grows on plant leaves and in soil and plays an important role in how carbon moves through the environment. The bacteria require lanthanides for the proper function of some of their enzymes, including one that helps the bacteria to process carbon, which is required for its growth.

"These bacteria need lanthanides and other metals like calcium to grow," said Cotruvo. "They need a way to obtain each metal from the environment and make sure that each goes to the right place within the cell. It appears that these bacteria have developed a unique way to target lanthanides in the environment, where they are much less abundant than other metals like calcium."

The protein's unique structure, which Cotruvo determined in collaboration with the lab of Scott Showalter, associate professor of chemistry at Penn State, may explain why it is 100 million times better at binding lanthanides over calcium. In the absence of metal, Cotruvo explained, the protein is mostly unstructured, but when metal is present, it changes conformation into a compact, well-defined structure.

The new compact form contains four structures called "EF hands." Human cells contain many proteins with EF hands, which are involved in using calcium for functions like neurons firing and muscles contracting. These proteins also bind lanthanides, though lanthanides are not physiologically relevant in humans and the proteins are only 10 or 100 times more likely to bind lanthanides than they are to bind calcium. The compact structure of the lanmodulin protein also contains an amino acid called proline in a unique position in each of the EF hands, which may contribute to the protein's lanthanide selectivity.

"The mechanism of lanmodulin's selectivity for lanthanides is not yet clear, but we think it comes down to the structural change that occurs in the presence of metals," said Cotruvo. "This structural change is important for the protein's function; for example, some protein-protein interactions might happen only when the protein is in its compact form. A very small amount of lanthanides is required to induce the conformational change, but it would take much more calcium, more than the bacteria may have, to actually induce the change. This would help to ensure selectivity for lanthanides inside cells."

Understanding how the protein is so selective may provide insights for the collection of lanthanides for industrial purposes, including extraction from mining waste streams.

"Processing these streams to separate out the rare-earth elements from other metals in an economical way is challenging," said Cotruvo, "both because of the low abundance of the rare earths and their insolubility, requiring large amounts of acid to keep them in solution. Lowering the pH typically lowers affinity toward metals, but we think this protein starts off with such high affinity that it might help overcome these challenges. We are currently investigating this possibility."

In addition to exploring the protein's mechanism of selectivity and the function of the uniquely located amino acids, the research team is also exploring the protein's affinity for other metals, because lanthanides are often found in the presence of other metals, including iron, manganese, and aluminum, that occur in greater abundances.

"We are also very interested in the biological function of the protein," said Cotruvo. "But ultimately we hope that understanding the protein will lead to more environmentally friendly ways to acquire rare-earth metals from the environment."
Business metropolis Shenzhen is known as the Silicon Valley of China. There, Covestro supports founders in choosing the right materials for their product developments.

The vast Chinese start-up ecosystem is a new field of engagement for the materials manufacturer Covestro. For this reason, the company, together with the market research consultants of KAIROS Future, facilitated a new, comprehensive study of the broad landscape that has developed over recent years.

Nurtured through government policies and investments and triggered through entrepreneurial success stories like Alibaba and Tencent, a new ideal of becoming entrepreneurs has emerged among young Chinese. In 2017, over 100 Chinese start-ups were listed in stock markets around the world, and more than 270 companies were in the list of Chinese unicorns, meaning companies younger than ten years and valued with around one billion Euro or more. With venture capital assets of around 650 billion Euro, China is now second only to the US when it comes to global venture capital. Covestro wants to take part in this development and looks into ways to cooperate, invest, teach and learn from the start-up environment in China.

Lead innovation times for products and new business models shorten rapidly. So we need to source additional ideas outside of our own innovation processes to leverage speed, new technologies and new concepts. Tapping into the highly dynamic start-up environment in China is promising, says Hermann Bach, Head of Innovation Management and Commercial Services at Covestro. Thus, we already offer materials and solutions for growing Chinese start-ups with innovative product ideas and become an integral part of the ecosystem.

The company is already a supplier for different start-ups of consumer industries to improve their products and material choice within the first mile of their development. For that reason, Covestro is present in accelerators or incubating spaces in innovation hubs like Shenzhen. In Chinas Silicon Valley it meets and approaches entrepreneurs to offer help, advice and sharing of know-how on materials and solutions that help them to bring their products to market readiness.

Covestro fosters its start-up engagement globally by partnering with the US-based founders platform Plug & Play on digital and new material solutions. In Germany, the company actively supports the development of sustainable chemistry start-ups together with the Federal Association of German Start-ups.

A short version of the joint study is available for download and can be found under the link "News Website" on the right side.
A Mountain View man was arrested Thursday in connection to a child pornography investigation that involved more than 300 images and videos of young children being victimized by adults, according to police.

Marco Cordoba Alfaro, 31, was taken into custody Thursday morning at his place of work in San Jose, police said. A search of his home recovered additional child porn images.

The investigation was launched in August after Mountain View cybercrime detectives received a tip from the National Center for Exploited and Missing Children regarding multiple suspected child pornography images that had been shared on a Tumblr page, police said. The social media site allows users to share photos, videos and other content to a persons page or blog.

Further investigation uncovered a related Dropbox account that contained more than 300 additional videos of children, some as young as 6 months old, being sexually victimized by adults, police said. Detectives connected the account to Alfaro.

The San Jose Police Department and the Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office assisted in the investigation and arrest, police said.

Alfaro was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography.

"This case is heartbreaking. Its unconscionable that any child anywhere is victimized, and we will do all we can to ensure that justice is served," Lt. Mike Canfield said in a statement.
San Francisco's Presidio Trust is reminding residents that the Presidio will remain open this weekend, despite the looming possibility of a partial government shutdown Friday night.

The Presidio is federal land, but the Presidio Trust, which manages 80 percent of the land, doesn't rely on federal funds in the same way as most agencies.

That means the popular recreation area can stay open for what's expected to be a busy holiday weekend.

National Park Service employees, who manage 300 acres of coastline in the area, will still be furloughed if lawmakers don't reach a deal by 9 p.m. Pacific time.

Trust employees are prepared to step in where needed, according to a news release from the trust.

Lawmakers in Washington D.C. will likely be working all day to negotiate over the funding bill. President Trump has said he won't sign a bill that doesn't include funds for a border wall, something many lawmakers oppose.
Seven people in the Chicago area were arrested Tuesday for allegedly bilking Internet users of at least $2 million in online scams over the past two years.

Their arrests took place two weeks after each was charged with conspiracy to commit a wire fraud scheme, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum 20 years in prison.

The seven in the Chicago area were: Daniel Samuel Eta, 35, of Skokie; Babatunde Ladehinde Labiyi, 20, of Chicago; Barnabas Oghenerukevwe Edjieh, 29, of Chicago; Sultan Omogbadebo Anifowoshe, 26, of Chicago; Babatunde Ibraheem Akarigidi, 39, of Chicago; Miracle Ayokunle Okunola, 21, of Chicago; Olurotimi Akitunde Idowu, 55, of Chicago. Another person was arrested in Texas, and the ninth was arrested in Nigeria.

For two years, their victims became an unwitting money mule for the defendants, according to an FBI affidavit. The defendants slowly built a connection with the victims, posing as their romantic partner or boss before requesting deposits into bank accounts they opened under fake passports. Some platforms used to seek out these victims include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Match.com.

The defendants often tried to emotionally manipulate their victims, including by targeting a woman who admitted she was recently widowed and felt lonely, according to the affidavit. One victim believed he or she was dating a woman with cancer named Claire Anderson and sent her funds to travel to Nigeria for family reasons.

In a yet another romance scam, a fake Instagram account under the alias Sarah Allison told a victim she needed financial help to acquire a $2.5 million inheritance. From November 2017 to this October, the victim sent a total $38,100 to accounts under the names Chattman Ronald Stewart and Beckham Dave Smith.

There was also an alleged mystery shopper scam that entailed hiring victims to cash in United States Postal Service money orders or United States Mail checks and then send the funds to a third party using their personal bank account, the affidavit said. Victims were told they would receive commissions for doing so  but the money orders and checks were fake, resulting in the victim or the victims bank absorbing the loss.

Among other deceits, defendants carried out employment fraud schemes as well, the affidavit said. The work-from-home scam involved telling the victim to deposit funds to a bank account as part of the fake companys business dealings.

Once the group got the money, they funneled the proceeds into their personal bank accounts or overseas, often Nigeria, the affidavit said. At least three times, the money was used to pay for vehicles on behalf of a Nigerian car company owned by one of the defendants.

The defendants cover was blown following an federal sting known as Operation Gold Phish, which included a search of the phones and other devices used to advance these scams, the FBI said. Investigators found evidence such as emails of the mystery shopper letters as well as mailing lists of their victims.

The FBI interviewed at least 18 victims and verified their financial losses, according to the affidavit. One such victim appeared to have caught on to the trick and, in a profanity-laden note, hinted that the scammer would soon get his comeuppance.

I would like to tell you that you (screwed) the wrong person, the victim messaged one of the defendants last September.
Note: Funeral services for Officer Conrad Gary can be watched live above beginning around 9 a.m.

Family, friends, and dignitaries gathered to say an emotional goodbye Friday to a Chicago police officer who was fatally struck by a train this week.

Officer Conrad Gary was honored at a service Friday at the St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel, with his fellow officers, his family, and elected officials like Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner in attendance.

We all hope and pray that the hole can be filled with the loving memories of your time with Conrad, Governor Rauner said in his eulogy. We in Illinois can never fill that hole, but what we can all do is remember Conrads life and his service to the people of Chicago and the people of the state of Illinois. Conrad is a true American patriot, a true American hero.

Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson remembers Officer Conrad Gary at the fallen officer's funeral.

At the funeral service, mourners gathered to pay respects to a man who was described as a selfless hero who was quick to offer aid to others in times of crisis.

Who among us, at this moment of anguish, can help but be inspired by a man who lived his life in service to others and high ideals? Mayor Emanuel said. For generations to come, the name Conrad Gary will be synonymous with heroism in the city of Chicago.

Gary was with his partner Officer Eduardo Marmolejo on Monday night as the duo responded to a call of shots fired near the Metra tracks at East 103rd Street in the citys Rosemoor neighborhood. The officers were on the tracks when they were struck by a passing passenger train, and both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks at the funeral of Officer Conrad Gary.

He leaves behind a wife and an infant daughter.

A GoFundMe page to help his family has raised nearly $57,000 since it was started on Tuesday.

Gov. Bruce Rauner delivers remarks at the funeral of fallen Chicago Officer Conrad Gary.

Officer Marmolejo will be honored with a wake service on Friday, and his funeral will be held on Saturday morning.
What to Know A security guard at the Airbnb where Stefaniak had been staying, Bismark Espinosa Martinez, has been arrested in connection with the case.

Family members of a Miami woman whose body was found when she didnt return from a vacation in Costa Rica now say they believe more people were involved in her death.

On a Facebook page that was created during the search for 36-year-old Carla Stefaniak, who had failed to return from a trip for her birthday, family members say sources close to the investigation have told them forensic results have investigators believing more people were involved.

In fact, the doubt extends to that there may be up 3 or 4 possible people involved, the family wrote in a message Thursday night. We have been saying this since day 1. This was organized by more than one person as soon as Carla booked the place.

A security guard at the Airbnb where Stefaniak had been staying, Bismark Espinosa Martinez, has been arrested in connection with the case.

Sister station Telemundo 51 reached out to officials in Costa Rica, who said information on the case is "confidential."

Stefaniak was traveling with her sister-in-law when she was last heard from by her family on Nov. 27; she was scheduled to fly home the next day. While her sister-in-law flew home early, Stefaniak stayed but told friends it was pretty sketchy at the resort.

A partially buried body was found in the woods near that resort close to a week later, which was identified by Stefaniaks father. An autopsy revealed that Stefaniak suffered a blunt force wound to the head and cuts on the neck and arms.

Family members brought Stefaniaks ashes back to Tampa, where she lived after moving to America in 2000 from her native Venezuela for 12 years before moving to South Florida.
What to Know US border authorities handled 67 percent more claims for asylum as of Sept. 2018 than they did in the previous year.

Judges granted asylum in 21 percent of their cases in the 2018 fiscal year.

On Wednesday, a federal judge struck down Trump asylum rules for domestic and gang violence victims.

Undocumented immigrants seeking asylum in the United States will be told to wait in Mexico while their claims are processed, according to a new U.S. policy to which Mexico has agreed.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen explained the new process in remarks to Congress Thursday, saying undocumented immigrants without the proper documentation will have to await approval to come into the U.S. until they are granted asylum by a U.S. judge.

"They will not be able to disappear into the U.S.," Nielsen said of those asking the U.S. for protection due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a social group.

"They will have to wait for approval to come into the United States. If they are granted asylum by a U.S. judge, they will be welcomed into America. If they are not, they will be removed to their home countries."

Nielsen said that Mexican officials have agreed to this policy change and the decision was a historic one for the country, which has traditionally refused to accept the return of any migrants who aren't Mexican.

Mexico's Foreign Relations Department said Thursday the move is a temporary, humanitarian measure. The country will offer visas for those seeking asylum in the U.S. to stay on Mexican soil and apply for work and other government protections.

Under current policy, people eligible for asylum may be permitted to remain in the U.S. and file for asylum within one year of their arrival.

Last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said the agency has experienced a 121 percent increase in the number of asylum seekers at ports of entry across the U.S.

Almost 93,000 claims were processed by the CBP in the fiscal year 2018, a spokesperson told NBC 7 San Diego.

Applicants currently may be released into the U.S., often with ankle monitors, while their cases wind through an overwhelmed system of immigration courts.

Jackie Wasiluk with CBP Public Affairs said the port of entry facilities were not designed to hold hundreds of people at a time while they seek asylum. She added that the agency is also charged with monitoring trade and travel and keeping illicit goods and drugs from crossing into the U.S.

Judges granted asylum in 21 percent of their cases in the 2018 fiscal year, according to the Associated Press.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A woman is dead after flames ripped through an apartment in the city of Groton Wednesday night.

Firefighters responded to the Branford Manor complex on Branford Avenue around 9 p.m. and found heavy fire coming from an apartment.

The woman who died is a resident of the building. She was the only one inside the apartment, officials said. She was found in a second-story bedroom.

Groton Police are not yet identifying the victim, who Police Chief Michael Spellman said was severely burned. They are waiting on dental records for definitive identification.

Her ex-boyfriend, Kenny Torres, told NBC Connecticut that he dated the victim for about six years. She had two children, one with him.

The victims older daughter called Torres Wednesday night asking him for help, according to Torres.

He said when he arrived, his ex was throwing glass and threw a Christmas tree outside. He got the two girls to safety but when he turned around the apartment was on fire.

Torres said he and neighbors tried to help her but the doors were locked and the flames were too intense.

So intense that City of Groton Fire Chief Robert Tompkins said firefighters could not immediately get upstairs to look for her.

There appears to be no foul play involved in this case, according to Spellman, who got the information for the Chief Medical Examiners Office.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal is looking into a cause and origin, Spellman said.

Per protocol, police notified the Department of Children and Families of the incident, he added.

Michael Purdick, a resident of the building, said Wednesday night that he was one of the people trying to save the woman.

The flames shot out. The smoke was barreling off the ground. I got about three feet into the house, crawling on my hands and knees, trying to get her, Purdick said. Were screaming for her and shes not answering us back. I couldnt go any further. I had to turn around and come back out.

Next-door neighbor Kevin Stamps said he also stepped in.

We (were) trying to get the door open. Banging on the door, trying to break the locks. Finally we break the locks, the flames came out, Stamps said.

When he rushed his family out of his home Wednesday night, Stamps was separated from his six-month-old puppy who ran in a different direction. Thursday they were reunited.

Im happy to have him, Stamps said. This is all I was worried about last night.

Four units were evacuated, including Stamps and Patience Clarkes. She borders the victim on the other side.

Its horrible to lose your mother at Christmas time. The older ones old enough to know everything going on. Shes going to need a lot of support, Clarke said.

She got the call about the fire from another neighbor, and called their development it a close-knit community. Clarke said the victim and her children would play with her son.

She loved her kids. She was very inclusive, Clarke said.

She lost everything in the fire, including her Christmas presents.

All of our clothes. (My son) just went to school in the same clothes he was wearing yesterday, according to Clarke.

Clarke and other neighbors said the property management company is looking to relocate them into new apartments in the next day or so, ahead of the Christmas holiday.

Its a lot more than I thought a building owner would do. Theyre looking for other apartments. Theyre trying to get some by tomorrow. Theyre trying to get Christmas presents together. Theyre asking for sizes for clothes, Clarke said.

The City of Groton Police Department, through the City of Groton Police Union, along with other city agencies are fundraising for the victims family. Those interested in contributing can contact Rev. Coleman of St. John's Christian Church at 860-449-0331.
The official portrait of outgoing Gov. Dannel Malloy that will be displayed at the Museum of Connecticut History was unveiled at a ceremony Thursday.

The tradition to commission a portrait of each outgoing governor in Connecticut dates back to the early 1800s. The collection of portraits is on display at the museums Memorial Hall inside the State Library and Supreme Court building in Hartford. Admission is free and the museum is open six days a week.

With just weeks left in office, Gov. Dannel Malloy is talking about what his legacy may be.

Malloys portrait was painted by East Lyme artist Chris Zhang and depicts Malloy standing in front of a window inside the Governors Residence on Prospect Street in Hartford. In the painting, the governor wears a green bracelet on his wrists that represents the 26 students, teachers and administrators killed at the mass shooting at Sandy Hook in 2012. He is surrounded by other items that represent important aspects of both his personal and public life.

Zhang is an award-winning artist that works as a painter and teaches art in East Lyme. His art has been featured in exhibits around the world.
A prayer and healing service was held Thursday evening at the Hartford church, attended by the West Hartford family that lost their daughter in a domestic stabbing attack.

West Hartford Police have charged the girls 12-year-old brother as a juvenile with murder with special circumstances and first-degree assault. The mother remains hospitalized after also being stabbed Monday afternoon at the family home on Stoner Drive.

Its always tough to walk these kinds of experiences, Fr. Thomas Gallagher from St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church told NBC Connecticut before the service.

His community is looking for light in a time of darkness.

"Sometimes lights just a flicker and sometimes its strong but being together I think the solidarity of the community is an important piece," Gallagher said.

Gallagher said he has known the Curtin-Murphy family since he arrived at the church in 2008. He tells NBC Connecticut the siblings were twins and they were baptized at the church in 2006.

"Everybody is suffering," Gallagher said. "Everyone feels not only that familys pain, but it is part of our parish family and the pain and struggle thats there with confusion."

In addition to bouquets of flowers, there are now white ribbons on wooden sticks at the entrance to the familys neighborhood and in front of homes. Community members can pick up ribbons at the Stop & Shop on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford.

"We are all a community," floral manager Jennifer Bugai said. "Were a neighborhood, I grew up in town and we wanted to show our support."

Gallagher shared one of his final memories of the sister.

"Just a wonderful young lady, very kind, hospitable in our recent advent wreath making she was greeting people at the door and welcoming them as they came to make their advent wreaths," he said.

The medical examiner has ruled the girls death a homicide caused by stab wounds to the neck and torso.
Audrey Geisel, the widow of children's author Dr. Seuss and longtime overseer of his literary estate, has died.

Random House Children's Books announced that Geisel died Wednesday at age 97, "peacefully" at her home in La Jolla, California.

Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Geisel, died in 1991 and two years later Audrey Geisel founded Dr. Seuss Enterprises. Numerous publishing projects followed, along with the Broadway show "Seussical." She also served as executive producer for some film adaptations of his work, most recently "The Grinch," which came out last month.

Geisel donated millions to UC San Diego along with more than 12,000 items of her late husband's work, including original drawings and sketches.

The university dedicated the Geisel Library in 1995 to honor the couple after a $20 million gift from them. There is a cafe named in honor of Mrs. Geisel inside the library.

Geisel also dedicated her time and donated funds to support local charities and organizations, like the La Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe Theatre and the San Diego Zoological Society.

She was a Chicago native whose parents broke up when she was little and who as an adult would be in the middle of two broken marriages. She and Theodor Geisel, who was 17 years older, were both married to others when they began an affair in the 1960s. Theodor Geisel's first wife, Helen, killed herself and Audrey Geisel sent away the two daughters she had with her first husband after she and the author married in 1968.

"They wouldn't have been happy with Ted, and Ted wouldn't have been happy with them. He's the man who said of children, 'You have 'em and I'll entertain 'em,"' she told The New York Times in 2000.

"Ted's a hard man to break down, but this is who he was. He lived his whole life without children and he was very happy without children. I've never been very maternal. There were too many other things I wanted to do. My life with him was what I wanted my life to be."
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is stepping down from his post after clashing with the president over a troop drawdown in Syria and Trump's go-it-alone stance in world affairs -- news that prompted a range of reactions from lawmakers.

Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Trump's administration, will leave by the end of February after two tumultuous years struggling to soften and moderate the president's hardline and sometimes abruptly changing policies.

In his resignation letter, the retired Marine general alluded to disagreements with Trump as the reason for his departure.

Among prominent Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was sorry to learn of Mattis' departure and urged the president to "select a leader who shares Secretary Mattis' understanding" of vital American foreign policy principles.

McConnell also said he was distressed and expressed concern that without Mattis' leadership, the country's carefully cultivated alliances around the world will not sustain.

"I believe its essential that the United States maintain and strengthen the post-World War II alliances that have been carefully built by leaders in both parties," McConnell's statement said. "We must also maintain a clear-eyed understanding of our friends and foes, and recognize that nations like Russia are among the latter.

"So I was sorry to learn that Secretary Mattis, who shares those clear principles, will soon depart the administration," McConnell continued. "But I am particularly distressed that he is resigning due to sharp differences with the president on these and other key aspects of Americas global leadership.

"It is regrettable that the president must now choose a new Secretary of Defense. But I urge him to select a leader who shares Secretary Mattiss understanding of these vital principles and his total commitment to Americas servicemembers."

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tweeted that Mattis "has been in the fight against radical Islam for decades and provided sound and ethical military advice to President Trump."

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted, "Just read Gen. Mattis resignation letter. It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed toward a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances & empower our adversaries."

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said of Mattis in a statement: "With our countrys defense in his hands, we have become a safer America at home, and a more commanding force abroad. His patriotism and grit are matched only by his humility and graciousness."

"Defense Secretary Mattis has served our country with honor and distinction for many years," tweeted Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. "His departure is a real loss for our nation, our troops, and this Administration."

Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California said she was "shaken" by the news.

"This is very serious for our country," Pelosi said.

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut referred to the resignation as a "national security crisis."

"A Secretary of Defense quitting over a public disagreement with a President whose foreign policy he believes has gone off the rails is a national security crisis," he tweeted. "No way around it."
An oil painting that was stolen from Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe during World War II was recovered by federal agents in the D.C. area, the News4 I-Team has learned.

At least two people traveled to the Washington, D.C. area to attempt to sell the painting last year, court filings reviewed by the I-Team show. The duo was scheduled to attend an auction in November 2017, but the plan was scuttled after a fine art researcher learned the painting was stolen and notified the FBI, according to the head of the auctions firm.

The painting, "Secret Departure of Ivan the Terrible Before the Oprichina" by Mikhail N. Panin, was produced in 1911 and was the among the first works of art displayed in the collection of the Ekaterinoslav City Art Museum when it opened in 1914.

The painting "disappeared during the occupation of the city during the Second World War," according to court filings. The museum was in a region of central Ukraine occupied by the Nazis between August 1941 and October 1943.

Court filings from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia said the painting is believed to have been held and displayed for decades in a Ridgefield, Connecticut home after World War II.

The court filings said a Swiss citizen who emigrated to the United States in 1946 sold the home in 1962 and left the painting behind. The home was sold again in 1987, and the painting was left behind during that home sale as well, the court records said.

The U.S. Attorney has formally asked a federal judge to allow the forfeiture of the picture to the U.S. government. Federal agents have already obtained records from the Embassy of Ukraine in D.C. to prove the authenticity of the painting.

"The recovery of this art looted during World War II reflects the commitment of this office to pursue justice for victims of crime here and abroad," U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu said in a statement to News4. "The looting of cultural heritage during World War II was tragic, and we are happy to be able to assist in the efforts to return such items to their rightful owners."

In their filings with the court, the U.S. Attorney said the painting was scheduled to be auctioned on Nov. 18, 2017, and was published in an auction house catalogue. The filings also said at least two people hired a company to transport the 7.5- by 8.5-foot painting to the D.C.-area for the attempted sale.

Elizabeth Wainstein, owner of The Potomack Company auction house in Alexandria, told News4 that a fine arts researcher investigated the origins of the painting and found an article indicating it was once housed in a museum in the Ukraine. That article, however, indicated it had been "destroyed" during World War II, she said.

"That was definitely a red flag," Wainstein told News4.

She said the auction house reached out to the Dnepropetrovsk Art Museum, which responded with an urgent request to stop the sale.

The museum's statement read: "Attention! Painting 'Ivan the Terrible' was in the collection of the Dnepropetrovsk Art Museum until 1941 and was stolen during the Second World War. The museum documentation confirms this fact. Please stop selling this painting at auction!!! According the international rules of restitution of stolen works of art, the picture should return to Ukraine," according to court filings.

A 2016 report by the News4 I-Team found the FBI has recovered at least 2,650 missing pieces of art and historical artifacts since 2004. The agency has an Art Crime Team, a specialized unit of agents formed and trained to track art thefts.

The FBI and the Ukraine Embassy in the United States did not immediately return requests for comment.

Its not the first time Potomack Company has played a role in the recovery of stolen art. In 2012, Pierre-Auguste Renoir's painting "Paysage Bords de Seine" was set to be auctioned there, when a Washington Post reporter discovered it had been stolen from the Baltimore Museum of Art in 1951.
After more than 31 years of being considered a murderer in the eyes of the law, a Dallas man is breathing easier now that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has declared him actually innocent.

Steven Chaney, 62, was convicted of the 1987 murders of a Dallas couple, largely on the basis of bite mark evidence that was later found unreliable.

Youre classified and housed with people that actually do those things, Chaney said of his time in prison.

He was released three years ago pending the final ruling that came Wednesday.

Theres been a lot of stress and anxiety in terms of just waiting for the finality to come, Chaney said. And in a sense, my life has been in suspension and held in suspension as weve waited for the decision to come. So this brings closure to that, and allows us to move forward.

On the front porch of his East Dallas home Thursday, with his wife and son, Chaney reflected on the ordeal.

Lenora Chaney married the man she knew before, after he went to prison.

Because I was in love with him and I knew he was innocent. I knew for a fact he was innocent, Lenora Chaney said.

His son Lonnie was just 11 years old when his father went to prison. Lonnie said he tried to tell people that his father was innocent, but they did not believe him.

What they believed in was the enforcement of the law. And if the law had him marked as a murderer and he wasnt coming out, then dad gum it, thats what he was. And I dealt with it, said Lonnie Chaney.

The family could receive more than $2 million from the State of Texas as compensation for 31 years of wrongful conviction but Lenora Chaney said it does not equal all those years of freedom.

Its not the same, she said.

Assistant Dallas County District Attorney Cynthia Garza worked to prove Chaney innocent. She is Chief of the Conviction Integrity Unit.

Its a joyful time for Mr. Chaney and also for the criminal justice system, to right the wrongs of the past, she said. We interviewed witnesses. We went through thousands of pages of investigative notes. We put a lot of effort into this.

The exoneration leaves a real killer unpunished.

When theres been an exoneration and theres a case that can be prosecuted, we will work to try to get that done. And in this case, thats pretty much all I can tell you, Garza said.

After what he and his family have been through, Chaney has advice for jurors in the future.

Insist upon proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Dont ask for it. Insist upon it. And refuse to convict without it, he said.

Since his release Chaney has returned to the iron work he did before prison with the same company that employed him before.

It may be several months before state compensation is paid.
Dallas Police have arrested a man after two people were found dead inside a home in the 2600 block of Belknap Avenue.

55-year-old Patrick Douglas Johnson was arrested at 4:50 p.m. on Friday, Decemeber 21, for a double murder that took place on Thursday.

Johnson was transported to Dallas Police Headquarters where he declined to give a statement to homicide detectives.

He has been taken to the Dallas County jail where he has been charged with capital murder.

BACKGROUND |

Officers were dispatched to a welfare check call at 11:39 a.m. Thursday, December 20, on the 2600 block of Belknap Avenue. When they arrived, they met with a witness, after which they made entry into the residence.

Once inside, officers found two deceased individuals, one black male and one black female, due to homicidal violence.

If anyone has any information regarding this incident, they are asked to contact Detective Frank Serra with Dallas Police Department Homicide at 214-671-4320.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company has finally released its new specialty beer created to help raise money for a Northern California community destroyed by the state's deadliest wildfire last month.

Around 1,400 breweries across the country will host a "Resilience Night" Thursday and raise a glass of California-based Sierra Nevada Brewing Company's new specialty IPA called Resilience Butte County Proud. Sierra Nevada is based in Butte County, where the devastating wildfire led to the deaths of 86 people.

The wildfire started Nov. 8, forcing thousands to flee and leaving several people unaccounted for.

"Every dollar spent on Resilience will benefit those impacted by the Camp Fire," Sierra Nevada said in a statement. The company said it expect to raise at least $10 million in sales for the victims.

More than 60 breweries and bars across the Bay Area will be participating. Check the map below to find a location near you.

Sierra Nevada shared the recipe for the citrus-flavored beer so that breweries could make it locally.

"When (Sierra Nevada) made the call out to breweries around the country to come forward to help out the situation, we saw an overwhelming response," said Lawrence brewer Geoff Deman told the Associated Press.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[NATL-BAY]PHOTOS: Wildfire Ravages Butte County, Leaving Dozens Dead
The California Supreme Court has refused to review the case of a San Bernardino County man convicted of being hired to stage a robbery and kill another man's 17-year-old wife in a La Mirada park -- a crime that went unsolved for nearly two decades.

Leon Andrew Martinez of Yucaipa was convicted in 2015 of first-degree murder for the July 23, 1992, killing of Victoria Ghonim, who was shot while sitting in a car with her husband, Morrad Ghonim, and their infant son, in La Mirada Creek Park.

Jurors found true the special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and murder for financial gain, which could have resulted in a potential life prison term without the possibility of parole. But Martinez struck a deal with prosecutors for the 28-year-to-life sentence in exchange for his testimony against the victim's husband, who was convicted by a separate jury in November 2016 of first-degree murder and the same special circumstance allegations.

Morrad Ghonim was sentenced in December 2016 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The killing had gone unsolved until 2009, when DNA linked Martinez to the crime. He was arrested in October 2010.

Ghonim was charged, arrested and extradited from Antigua about a month after Martinez's conviction.

At a hearing in which Ghonim was ordered to stand trial, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Howard Cooper testified that Ghonim told him that he was with his wife and infant son at the La Mirada park, standing near a foot bridge, when they heard catcalls coming from a group of people standing nearby.

Ghonim told the investigator that his wife began shouting back at the group, then the family hustled back to their car, where his wife continued to shout at the group, Cooper said. Ghonim said that as he was about to turn on the vehicle's engine, he heard gunshots, and he quickly started the car and sped away, realizing then that his wife had been shot.

The sheriff's sergeant testified that Ghonim said he sped away to try to find a hospital, and that he was soon pulled over by a California Highway Patrol officer for running a red light.

Martinez gave various accounts to police and in court as to what Ghonim paid him, at one point saying Ghonim offered him $10,000 and actually paid $5,000.

In other testimony, Martinez said he was paid only $500. The lower number was supported by testimony from Ghonim's second wife and the mother of five of his children.

Martinez's conviction was affirmed in a Sept. 19 ruling by a three-justice panel from California's 2nd District Court of Appeal.

The California Supreme Court refused July 11 to review the case against Ghonim, whose conviction was upheld in a March 26 appellate court ruling.
This story has been updated.

As a parent, having your name on your child's birth certificate is very important. Without it, you can't enroll your child in school or make medical decisions on their behalf.

But Chrissy LaBrecque, a North Park resident, said she is being denied that right, even though she's the biological mother of her infant son.

NBC 7 Investigates found out about her situation because Chrissy works at NBC 7 in San Diego.

Her baby, named Camden, was born through in-vitro fertilization, a difficult and expensive process.

LaBrecques longtime partner, Andrea Roehl, carried and delivered him.

Wauconda Police

The best thing about being a mom is just seeing the baby grow, LaBrecque said.

LaBrecque loves her new role as Camden's mom but she said the state of California will not accept her as his parent.

WESH

Camden was born at the Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center. When Chrissy and Andrea filled out Camden's birth certificate at Kaiser, the couple said there was no place on the certificate where they could both be listed as his parent.

We just thought she's the mother and I'm the mother. It should be fine, Roehl said.

As the woman who carried and delivered Camden, Andrea Roehl was the only parent listed on the birth certificate.

A Supreme Court ruling last year allows same-sex couples to both be listed as parents, but only if they are married.

LaBrecque and Roehl are not.

We chose not to be married first and spend our money towards making a baby, Roehl said.

The couple would find out that was a big problem. Since LaBrecque isnt listed on Camden's birth certificate, she cannot collect Paid Family Leave or money that all new working parents are entitled to in California.

I finally got somebody on the phone and they said well we need a birth certificate. You know your name has to be on it in order to get paid from the state, LaBrecque said.

The couple went back to Kaiser, for help but they said hospital staff told them there was nothing they could do because the paperwork had already been sent to the state Department of Public Health, which certifies birth certificates.

A spokesperson for Kaiser Permanente would not agree to an on-camera interview, nor would they answer specific questions from NBC 7.

Jennifer Dailard, a spokesperson for Kaiser Permanente, sent NBC 7 this statement, "At Kaiser Permanente, the safety and care of our patients is paramount at all times. While we cannot comment on a specific case due to privacy laws, regarding matters related to the completion of birth certificates for individuals who are not married or in a legally registered domestic partnership, we must follow the law and specific direction of the courts in all instances."

NBC 7 Investigates found the staff at Kaiser were following the law, but its those laws that some feel are the problem.

There is one area of law that has not evolved as quickly as the others and that's with respect to unmarried unregistered same-gender couples, said Leigh Kretzschmar, a Family Law attorney.

Kretzschmar said that policy isn't fair because unmarried, heterosexual parents can establish paternity by simply signing whats called a Declaration of Paternity. That can be done in the hospital after the child is born or soon thereafter. But unmarried, same-sex couples don't have that option.

Same gender couples are forced to go get a court order. They're forced to go through an expensive process, Kretzschmar said. It can easily be a $3,000 to $5,000 extra step that they have to undergo whereas opposite gender couples don't have to do that.

WESH

Another option is that LaBrecque could "adopt' her own biological child, which also takes times and costs money.

I would have to adopt my own biological son, LaBrecque said. I mean it sounds absolutely insane.

LaBrecque and Roehl believe it's discrimination and they want same-sex parents, transgender parents, and their children to be treated equally.

I mean this is California in 2018 almost 2019, LaBrecque said. There should be some sort of paperwork that matches up to what heterosexual couples are signing in the hospital, the declaration of paternity that they get to sign. It is a huge emotional burden on both Andrea and me.

A recently passed state law, AB-2684, will fix this problem for unmarried gay and lesbian couples. The law allows couples to be listed on their childs birth certificate, without going to court.

That law will take effect in 2020.

But, thats not going to help couples like LaBrecque and Roehl. LaBrecque said she and her partner will most likely have to receive a court order from a judge, in order to be listed on Camdens birth certificate as his parent.

UPDATE: A previous version of this story had said AB-2684 hadnt been voted on when in fact it was approved in September 2018.
A partial federal shutdown took hold early Saturday after Democrats refused to meet President Donald Trump's demands for $5 billion to start erecting his cherished Mexican border wall, a chaotic postscript for Republicans in the waning days of their two-year reign controlling government.

Vice President Mike Pence, Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner and White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney left the Capitol late Friday after hours of bargaining with congressional leaders produced no apparent compromise. "We don't have a deal. We're still talking," Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., told reporters.

Late Friday, Mulvaney sent agency heads a memorandum telling them to "execute plans for an orderly shutdown." He wrote that administration officials were "hopeful that this lapse in appropriations will be of short duration"  an expectation that was widely shared.

With negotiations expected to continue, the House and Senate both scheduled rare Saturday sessions. House members were told they'd get 24 hours' notice before a vote.

The gridlock blocks money for nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Interior, Agriculture, State and Justice.

The lack of funds will disrupt many government operations and the routines of 800,000 federal employees. Roughly 420,000 workers were deemed essential and will work unpaid just days before Christmas, while 380,000 will be furloughed, meaning they'll stay home without pay.

Those being furloughed include nearly everyone at NASA and 52,000 workers at the Internal Revenue Service. About 8 in 10 employees of the National Park Service will stay home and many parks were expected to close.

The Senate passed legislation ensuring workers will receive back pay, which the House seemed sure to approve.

Some agencies, including the Pentagon and the departments of Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services, were already funded for the year in agreements reached earlier, and they will operate as usual.

The U.S. Postal Service, busy delivering packages for the holiday season, will not be affected because it's an independent agency. Social Security checks will still be mailed, troops will remain on duty and food inspections will continue.

Also still functioning will be the FBI, the Border Patrol and the Coast Guard. Transportation Security Administration officers will continue to staff airport checkpoints and air traffic controllers will also remain at work.

Trump has openly savored a shutdown over the wall for months, saying last week he'd be "proud" to have one and saying Friday he was "totally prepared for a very long" closure. While many of Congress' most conservative Republicans were welcoming such a confrontation, most GOP lawmakers have wanted to avoid one, since polling shows the public broadly opposes the wall and a shutdown over it.

Initial Republican reaction to the shutdown was muted. Among the few GOP lawmakers who issued statements as it began were Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who expressed disappointment at the lack of a deal, and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. "This is a complete failure of negotiations and a success for no one," Alexander said.

"Instead of honoring his responsibility to the American people, President Trump threw a temper tantrum and convinced House Republicans to push our nation into a destructive Trump Shutdown in the middle of the holiday season," said a joint statement by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Despite saying last week he'd not blame Democrats for the closure, Trump and his GOP allies spent the last two days blaming Democrats anyway. Trump said now was the time for Congress to provide taxpayers' money for the wall, even though he's said repeatedly that Mexico will pay for it  something that country has repeatedly rebuffed.

"This is our only chance that we'll ever have, in our opinion, because of the world and the way it breaks out, to get great border security," Trump said Friday. Democrats will take control of the House January 3, and they oppose major funding for wall construction.

Looking for a way to claim victory, Trump said he would accept money for a "Steel Slat Barrier" with spikes on the top, which he said would be just as effective as a "wall" and "at the same time beautiful."

Trump called GOP senators to the White House Friday morning, but Republicans said afterward that the session did not produce a strategy.

Early this week, the Senate approved a bipartisan deal keeping government open into February and providing $1.3 billion for border security projects but not the wall. In a GOP victory Thursday, the House rebelled and approved a package temporarily financing the government but also providing $5.7 billion for the border wall.

Friday afternoon, a Senate procedural vote showed that Republicans lacked the 60 votes they'd need to force that measure through their chamber. That jump-started negotiations between Congress and the White House.

Republicans conceded that one of their biggest hurdles was Trump's legendary unpredictability and proclivity for abruptly changing his mind.

"The biggest problem is, we just don't know what the president will sign," said Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.

The White House said Trump did not go to Florida on Friday as planned for the Christmas holiday.
Here are the top 6 things you need to know for Friday, December 21st.

Weather wise, expect cool, cloudy and windy conditions. Wind gusts could reach up to 30 miles per hour. Highs will reach the mid-70s.

No. 1  Bad Weather Causing Flight Delays Across The Country

Thursdays strong line of storms grounded several flights across South Florida. Travelers are advised to contact their airlines prior to heading to the airport to check the status of their flights.

No. 2  Government Shutdown Deadline Looms

In just a few hours, the federal government may run out of money and shut down. The Senate will vote today on a new spending bill that includes $5 billion which will fund the Presidents border wall.

No. 3  Last Minute Holiday Shopping

If you waited until the last minute to get your holiday shopping done, there are many retailers offering extended hours and even deals and discounts. Retailers like Kohls are keeping their doors open from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve. They are also offering free in-store pick-up when you shop online. Be sure to visit your favorite retailer or mall's website for details on special holiday hours.

No. 4  Man Hospitalized After Car Crashes Into Canal

A 65-year-old man is in critical condition after his car went off the road and into a canal in Fort Lauderdale. Officials are still investigating what caused the man to lose control while exiting from I-95.

No. 5  Funeral Services For Police Officer To Be Held Today

A final farewell for Officer Jermain Brown will be held this morning. Brown died after his ATV crashed into a tree in Southwest Miami-Dade.

No. 6  Human Remains Identified As Victim Who Disappeared in 2010

Police have confirmed that human remains found last week are of Lynda Meier, who vanished in 2010. Her murder is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
A Sunrise man is facing a federal charge of mailing a threatening communication to the home of the family of David Hogg, a Parkland shooting survivor and one of the most visible activists in the March for Our Lives movement.

Warren Stanley Bond, 78, is accused of mailing a letter to Rebecca Boldrick, Hoggs mother, at their Parkland home in June.

Last month, Bond agreed to a Risk Protection Order stemming from the same incident. The order, also known as a red flag law, allows law enforcement officers or family members to petition the courts to temporarily remove guns from a person who is a threat to themselves or others. The law was one of several gun-control legislations passed in the aftermath of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The petition for the RPO states that on June 25, Boldrick and her husband called the Broward Sheriffs Office to report getting a threatening letter in the mail. According to the report, it was a white, self-adhesive envelope addressed to Boldrick. There was no return address on it. Inside the envelope, Boldrick discovered a white letter-size sheet of paper with ten words typed in large black font. The warning read, "Keep F------ with the NRA and you will be DOA."

Since the Valentine's Day massacre, David Hogg, along with several other Parkland survivors, have made countless media appearances, grilled lawmakers about gun reform during town halls, and sparked massive walkouts and peaceful protests at schools across the country. Their efforts have drawn international attention. In November, they were awarded the International Children's Peace Prize for their youth-led organization March for Our Lives.

According to the RPO petition, a BSO detective and a Postal Inspector focused their investigation on Bond, and when questioned, Bond admitted he sent the letter. The report says he told the investigators, "Yep! That is exactly what I told her, and you know what, I believe it today."

The RPO petition noted that Bond had a concealed weapons permit in Florida and owned a firearm. He reportedly told investigators he had been a member of the NRA but recently cancelled his membership.

Bond was arrested Thursday and appeared in federal court. He has no prior history of arrests. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

He is scheduled to appear in court again Friday and has told the federal court he plans to hire an attorney.

Boldrick told NBC 6 shes "relieved he was caught. There should be consequences when you threaten to kill someone," Boldrick said in a text message.

The Hoggs' home was also the target of a "swatting" prank in June, when someone called 911 falsely claiming to be heavly armed in order to get police to respond to the home.
Mexico's willingness to accept U.S. asylum seekers while their applications are processed appears to be yet another sign of the blooming honeymoon between leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and President Donald Trump, though it is also causing concern among officials in Mexican border cities already struggling to deal with thousands of Central American migrants.

Mexico could have simply refused, as it historically has, to accept the return of non-Mexicans. But this week's announcement of $10.6 billion in U.S. development aid and the personal relationship between the two presidents appeared to smooth the path. It is the same relationship that helped resolve stalled negotiations on Mexico's free trade agreement with the United States and Canada.

"Right now it's a honeymoon, in part because even though one is on the left and the other is more to the right, they have things in common  protectionism, the anti-establishment thing, each one's nationalism," said Jose Antonio Crespo, a political analyst at Mexico's Center for Economic Research and Training.

Crespo noted Trump was getting along better with Lopez Obrador than with his conservative predecessor, Enrique Pena Nieto. "Up to now it's been a honeymoon, who knows how long it will last."

Mexico, meanwhile, is struggling to say how it will house and protect what could become tens of thousands of Central American migrants who might wind up in its cities along the border with the United States. It is clearly not ready to shelter so many.

Tonatituh Guillen, the head Mexico's immigration agency, said, "In the short term, the National Immigration Institute does not have the organizational capacity to operate this kind of program ... the current legislation also doesn't help us."

Mexico is already hosting thousands of Central Americans who arrived as part of a migrant caravan in November. Those migrants were dismayed by Thursday's announcement.

"This is bad, because every country has its sovereignty, it doesn't have to depend on another country," said Luis Miguel Conde, a Guatemalan who travelled to Tijuana with his wife and two children to request asylum in the U.S. "When you apply for asylum in Mexico, they don't send you to Guatemala to wait. You wait for your application within the country's territory."

Tijuana is currently the most popular crossing point for asylum seekers waiting to submit claims in the United States, but the border city is already weary of housing over 7,000 migrants who arrived in the caravan in November.

The city's police staged a raid before dawn Thursday to clear dozens of migrants who had resisted moving to a shelter farther from the border and camped out on a downtown street a few blocks from the border. Riot police loaded about 120 people onto buses to take them to the Barretal shelter, located about 14 miles (22 kilometers) from the San Ysidro border crossing. Officers arrested two dozen who refused to relocate.

"We did have to detain 24 people who refused to leave the street, and we found some who were doing illegal drugs," Police Chief Marco Sotomayor said.

Cesar Palencia, director of migrant affairs for the city government, reacted with surprise to Thursday's announcement by the federal government on housing asylum seekers.

"How would it be done? For how long? How many people? We don't know what the strategy or the plan is, nor have any studies been done," Palencia told The Associated Press. "We respect the federal government's decision, but we would ask that it be accompanied by personnel, funding and a strategy."

The assistant legal counsel for Mexico's foreign relations department, Alejandro Celorio, said that there will not be any detention centers for migrants. "They will not be detained," he said.

But Celorio did not say whether shelters, like the former Barretal concert venue in Tijuana, would be built, expanded or made more permanent  and whose money would be used to pay for such shelters.

The only strategy Mexico's federal government has launched so far is a TV and radio "campaign against xenophobia" announced Thursday to combat suspicion and dislike of migrants.

"Migrants are not a threat, this is not an invasion," said Alexandra Haas, the head of Mexico's anti-discrimination agency.

The most outraged reaction came from U.S. immigration activists, but reaction on the Mexican side was muted, in part because Lopez Obrador's administration was apparently successful in depicting the decision as a humanitarian measure to protect migrants.

"There is a segment of Mexicans who are better off and don't feel threatened by migrants who can say this is good, we have to be humanitarian, show solidarity," said Crespo, the analyst. "But for those (Mexicans) who are looking for a job, they perhaps won't like this."

All in all, it will be hard for opponents to accuse a die-hard nationalist like Lopez Obrador of being too pro-American.

"Who can stand up in congress and say: 'You're selling the country out,'" said Federico Estevez, a political science professor at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico. "He (Lopez Obrador) may absorb a cost, but it's relatively small price to get your neck out of the noose on the immigration issue."

"I don't think you can find on the Mexican side much of a coherent stance against these concessions," Estevez added. "I don't think you have a very strong constituency on this side" in favor of the Central American migrants.
President Donald Trump's band of "my generals" is disbanding.

A political novice, Trump took office nearly two years ago gushing about the retired military leaders who had agreed to serve in his administration: retired four-star Marine Corps Gen. Jim Mattis as defense secretary, and John Kelly, another retired four-star Marine general, heading the Department of Homeland Security.

In the White House, Trump installed retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as national security adviser.

"I see my generals, generals who are going to keep us so safe," Trump said hours after he'd been sworn into office in January 2017. "They're going to have a lot of problems, the other side."

He went on to describe the generals as "central casting. If I'm doing a movie, I pick you, Gen. Mattis, who's doing really well."

Here's a look at Trump's generals:

MICHAEL FLYNN

Flynn was first among the generals to leave the administration.

National Security Adviser Michael Flynn resigned late Monday night. This morning, the White House is scrambling to replace him permanently.

Just weeks into his new job, he was fired by Trump for lying to Vice President Mike Pence about conversations with Russian government officials.

Flynn has been cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between members of Trump's presidential campaign, on which Flynn served, and Russia.

Flynn pleaded guilty to the federal crime of lying to the FBI and had been scheduled to be sentenced this week. Prosecutors even cited his extensive cooperation in recommending that he receive between zero and six months in prison as punishment. But the presiding judge abruptly postponed Tuesday's sentencing after telling the court he was disgusted by Flynn's crime of lying to the FBI and raised the unexpected prospect of sending the retired Army lieutenant general to prison after all.

A federal judge delayed the sentencing of President Donald Trumps former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who has admitted to lying to the FBI, on Tuesday after chiding Flynn for the seriousness of the crime.

JOHN KELLY

As homeland security secretary, Kelly's efforts to combat illegal crossings at the Mexico border eventually caught the eye of Trump, who had campaigned on keeping people from entering the U.S. illegally. Trump often praised Kelly during public appearances and ultimately looked Kelly's way after tiring of Reince Priebus as chief of staff.

Retired Gen. John Kelly now in charge at the White House as chief of staff. "He will do spectacular job I have no doubt," President Donald Trump said. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders added Monday that, "General Kelly has full authority to operate within the White House and all staff will report to him."

But things between Trump and Kelly quickly soured, with reports of Trump bristling at the orderly processes the general imposed on the freewheeling president and White House operations at large.

Not politically savvy, Kelly didn't help himself, either. He publicly questioned Trump's understanding of immigration, clashed with a Democratic congresswoman and mishandled the case of a White House official whose ex-wives accused him of domestic violence during their marriages, among other missteps.

Speculation abounded that Kelly would be fired or resign. Over the summer, Kelly told senior aides he had agreed to Trump's request to stick around through 2020. But Trump announced this month that Kelly, in fact, would leave at the end of December.

President Donald Trump told reporters Saturday that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly will be leaving at the end of the year.

JIM MATTIS

As the administration began, Trump openly gushed about his respect for Mattis, repeatedly calling him "Mad Dog," even though Mattis dislikes the nickname.

But the two quickly clashed on major policy decisions. Mattis disagreed with Trump's assertion during the campaign that torture worked, and the secretary voiced support for NATO and similar alliances that Trump repeatedly criticized.

The two also were initially divided on the future of the Afghanistan war, with Trump complaining about its cost and arguing for withdrawal. Mattis and others ultimately persuaded Trump to pour additional resources and troops into the conflict to press toward a resolution.

Further, Trump chafed at the Pentagon's slow response to his order to ban transgender people from military service, an effort now stalled by multiple legal challenges.

It is with great sadness that I was informed of the resignation of General Mattis.



He is one of the great military leaders in American history.



He should be proud of the service he has rendered to President @realDonaldTrump and our nation.  Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 20, 2018

More recently, Trump disregarded Mattis' choice of Gen. David Goldfein, the Air Force chief, to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The current chairman, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, is set to retire in October. Trump instead tapped Gen. Mark Milley, the chief of the Army.

Mattis has deliberately kept a low public profile, striving not to make headlines that would incur Trump's ire. But he told Trump in a letter Thursday that he was leaving because "you have a right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours."

Trump tweeted that Mattis is retiring at the end of February "with distinction."

H.R. McMASTER

McMaster succeeded Flynn as national security adviser in February 2017.

President Donald Trump announces Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as his pick for national security adviser at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Feb. 20, 2017.

Trump announced the pick from a sofa in the ornate living room of his Palm Beach, Florida, estate, praising the then-active-duty Army lieutenant general as a man of "tremendous talent and tremendous experience." McMaster had commanded troops in both U.S. wars in Iraq and was a prominent military strategist.

But he failed to develop a personal rapport with Trump, who was said to be bored by McMaster's long-winded briefing style.

McMaster's influence in high-level decision-making began to wane after Trump increasingly began to rely on advice from Kelly and Mattis, who had pushed for McMaster's ouster. His fate appeared sealed after Trump dumped his first secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, a McMaster ally, in March.

Soon after, Trump announced he was replacing McMaster with John Bolton, a former U.N. ambassador and Fox News commentator.

The White House said McMaster's exit had been under discussion for some time and said no single incident was to blame, but the public friction between Trump and McMaster had been growing.

President Donald Trumps national security adviser H.R. McMaster will resign and be replaced by John Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Trump made the staffing announcement in a tweet on March 22.

One instance involved a telephone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. McMaster had briefed Trump before the call and his team had drafted instructions telling Trump not to congratulate Putin on his recent re-election victory.

Trump congratulated Putin anyway.
President Donald Trump's demand for border wall funds hurled the federal government closer to a shutdown as House Republicans approved a package Thursday with his $5.7 billion request that is almost certain to be rejected by the Senate.

The White House said Trump will not travel to Florida on Friday for the Christmas holiday if the government is shutting down. More than 800,000 federal workers will be facing furloughs or forced to work without pay if a resolution is not reached before funding expires at midnight Friday.

The shutdown crisis could be one of the final acts of the House GOP majority before relinquishing control to Democrats in January. Congress had been on track to fund the government but lurched Thursday when Trump, after a rare lashing from conservative supporters, declared he would not sign a bill without the funding. Conservatives want to keep fighting. They warn that "caving" on Trump's repeated wall promises could hurt his 2020 re-election chances, and other Republicans' as well.

The House voted largely along party lines, 217-185, after GOP leaders framed the vote as a slap-back to Nancy Pelosi, who is poised to become House speaker on Jan. 3 and who had warned Trump in a televised Oval Office meeting last week that he wouldn't have the votes for the wall.

"Now we find compromise," House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said. "We have time right now to get it done."

The government funding package, which includes nearly $8 billion in disaster aid for coastal hurricanes and California wildfires, now goes to the Senate, where its prospects are grim amid strong opposition from Democrats. Sixty votes are needed to approve the bill there.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., warned senators they may need to return to Washington for a noontime vote Friday.

Many senators already left town for the holidays. The Senate approved a bipartisan bill late Wednesday to keep the government temporarily funded, with border security money at current levels, $1.3 billion, and no money for the wall. The House had been expected to vote on it Thursday.

The most likely possibility Friday is that the Senate strips the border wall out of the bill but keeps the disaster funds and sends it back to the House. House lawmakers said they were being told to stay in town for more possible votes.

With Pelosi's backing, the Senate-passed bill likely has enough support for House approval with votes mostly from Democratic lawmakers, who are still the minority, and some Republicans.

Others were not so sure. "I don't see how we avoid a shutdown," said retiring Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla.

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said he was not convinced after a White House meeting with GOP leaders that Trump would sign the Senate bill.

"I looked him in the eyes today, and he was serious about not folding without a fight," Meadows said.

Trump's sudden rejection of the Senate-approved legislation, after days of mixed messages, sent Republican leaders scrambling for options on Capitol Hill days before Christmas.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, exiting the hastily called meeting with Trump at the White House, said, "We're going to go back and work on adding border security to this, also keeping the government open, because we do want to see an agreement."

By afternoon, Trump shifted his terminology, saying he's not necessarily demanding a border wall but "steel slats"  which is similar to the border security fencing already provided for in the bill.

"We don't use the word 'wall' necessarily, but it has to be something special to do the job," Trump said at a farm bill signing at the White House. The nuance could provide Trump a way to try to proclaim victory. The bill would keep funding at current levels for border security, including pedestrian fencing and replacement fences, but not the wall. It requires previously used designs.

Democratic leaders have made clear they will not budge on their opposition to the border wall that Trump campaigned on saying Mexico would pay for it. Mexico has refused

"The Trump temper tantrum will shut down the government, but it will not get him his wall," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Democrats favor border security, Schumer said, but he denounced the wall as "ineffective, unnecessary and exorbitantly expensive."

McConnell met with Ryan after the House leaders returned from the meeting with Trump.

Ryan and McCarthy had endured complaints during a private morning meeting earlier Thursday from rank-and-file Republicans in the Capitol that they were closing out their majority without a fight on a major issue.

Trump interrupted the basement session with a phone call to Ryan, and then the president lashed out at Republican leaders on Twitter.

Ryan had promised a "big fight" after November's midterm elections, but as Republicans lost House control, negotiations over the year-end spending bill have largely been between Trump and Democrats.

"I was promised the Wall and Border Security by leadership," Trump tweeted. "Would be done by end of year (NOW). It didn't happen! We foolishly fight for Border Security for other countries - but not for our beloved U.S.A. Not good!"

Trump has bounced back and forth with mixed messages. Just last week he said he would be "proud" to shut down the government over the wall. Earlier this week he appeared to shelve shutdown threats, with the White House saying he was open to reviewing whatever bill Congress could send him.

Before turning on fellow Republicans, Trump had been directing his ire at Democrats, tweeting that they were "putting politics over country."

"Republicans are in a state of disarray," said Pelosi. "Wall funding is a nonstarter."

At issue in the current fight is money for nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Interior, Agriculture, State and Justice, as well as national parks and forests.

Many agencies, including the Pentagon and the departments of Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services, are covered for the year and would continue to operate as usual if funding lapses. The U.S. Postal Service, busy delivering packages for the holiday season, would not be affected by any government shutdown because it's an independent agency.

Associated Press writers Alan Fram and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.
What to Know A New York woman was astonished to learn thieves tried to or did withdraw money from her TD Bank account at five different banks in 4 days

Clarkstown police say they believe her identity was sold to organization or some sort of ring, who takes her information and makes fake IDs

TD Bank says it investigates fraud complaints and works with law enforcement in such cases

When her her bank card was denied at a supermarket in Pearl River, New York, Robin Hurtado learned that she was the victim of bank fraud, with the nightmare having started at a nearby TD Bank in Nanuet.

"Some person walked into this TD Bank presenting a fake drivers license with a fake drivers license number on it, with their picture and information," said Hurtado. "They also had my social security number and was able to get my account number and take my money."

"The bank could have simply checked the drivers license numbers," said Hurtado. 'They would have seen that it was not a match right there. They didnt bother to check that."

The thief got away with $2,500 from Hurtados checking account and $4,500 from her savings.

But it didnt just happen once. Hurtado says in a four-day period, different suspects either succeeded or attempted to withdraw her money from five different TD Banks -- two in Rockland County, one in Bergen County, New Jersey, and two in New York City.

It happened even after enhanced security measures were put in place.

"They set up layers of security after the initial theft, which was a fraud alert," Hurtado said. "We shut down all our old accounts and set up new ones. We put in an extra password and made sure they asked for two forms of ID."

Four days later, a thief walked into a TD bank in Midtown, Manhattan, and withdrew $700 from Hurtados account.

"They still didnt protect me. They let someone walk in and take more money from me," she said.

The crime spree continued with an attempt later that day at a TD Bank in the West Village. That one was thwarted when an alert teller, who realized the ID was phony, called police.

They charged a 43-year-old woman with an Arizona address with identity theft.

Clarkstown police released photos to the I-Team of the Nanuet suspect, saying she is not the same person who was arrested in the West Village.

"We believe whats happening is that your identity is being put out thereits being sold to an organization or some sort of ring. Theyre then taking your information and making false identification and going into banks."

TD Bank declined to release any surveillance video to the I-Team and said it cant comment on specific cases. In a statement, a company spokesman added: "TD Bank investigates fraud complaints and works with law enforcement in such cases to determine the facts and take appropriate action. TD Bank utilizes industry best practices in an effort to safeguard customer accounts."

TD Bank did reimburse Hurtado but she says thats not enough, and has changed banks. She also wants to warn others to check their bank activity daily, especially this time of the year.

"I would never have known if I hadnt bought those groceries," she said. "My entire accounts could have been wiped out in a matter of days."

Hurtado said, "I feel very violated that somebody came into my community where I work, where I live. That somebody walked into these locations and impersonated me and stole my money."

The suspect in the West Village attempt is due back in court in January. NYPD Detectives and Clarkstown detectives say their investigations are ongoing.
Police in Colorado said Friday that a woman missing since Thanksgiving Day was likely killed at her home, and they have arrested her fiance and charged him with murder.

Woodland Park police Chief Miles de Young would not say whether Berreth's body had been found or what led to the charges of murder and solicitation to commit murder against Patrick Frazee, allegedly the last person to see 29-year-old Kelsey Berreth. He was arrested at his home and cattle ranch in the central Colorado community of Florissant on Friday morning, Teller County sheriff's Cmdr. Greg Couch said.

"As you can tell from the arrest, sadly, we do not believe that Kelsey is still alive," De Young said.

Authorities also won't say who else might be arrested, or give more details on the solicitation to murder charge, or how they believe Berreth was killed.

Frazee appeared by teleconference at a Teller County District Court hearing Friday. He's being held without bond with his next court appearance scheduled for Dec. 31.

Berreth was last seen in a grocery store near her home in Woodland Park, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from Florissant. Both towns are high country alpine communities near Pikes Peak and west of Colorado Springs.

Surveillance video showed her entering the store on Thanksgiving Day with what appears to be the couple's 1-year-old daughter in a baby carrier. Frazee had told police that the couple met sometime that afternoon so he could pick up the child. They did not live together, and the girl was staying with her father.

Friday's arrest came after police urged Frazee to speak directly with investigators and after a search of his high country ranch property as well as Berreth's own townhome in Woodland Park. Officials declined to say what they found.

Miles De Young, police chief of Woodland Park, said Frazee had communicated with police through his attorney but hadn't spoken with them directly.

Police said the only signs of Berreth were some text messages from her cellphone. Location data later suggested that by Nov. 25 the phone was in Idaho, 800 miles (1,290 kilometers) from Berreth's home.

Public records show that property associated with Frazee's name in Florissant covers 35 acres.

Frazee's attorney, Jeremy Loew, has said his client was cooperating with the investigation.

Loew previously said his client provided police with DNA samples and access to his cellphone. Frazee told police that Berreth last texted him on Nov. 25, the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Berreth's employer, Doss Aviation, received a text message from her cellphone that day saying she planned to take the following week off.

A police investigation was opened Dec. 2 after Berreth's mother asked for a welfare check. Police said they found both of Berreth's cars outside her home.

Police also said Doss Aviation had accounted for all their planes and there was no reason to believe she used someone else's plane for a flight.

Public records show that property associated with Frazee's name in Florissant covers 35 acres (14 hectares).

Berreth and Frazee did not live together, according to relatives, and Berreth's daughter has been living Frazee.

According to property records, Berreth purchased her single-family home in Woodland Park in May.
An ongoing battle between Chester County residents and the energy companies responsible for the controversial Mariner East pipelines culminated Wednesday in a criminal investigation.

The Chester County District Attorneys Office announced that it will examine both past and future construction of the three pipelines that, collectively, span three states, including several local counties.

Potential charges could include causing or risking a catastrophe, criminal mischief, environmental crimes and corrupt organizations, according to Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan.

"We are putting these companies on notice," he said.

In the last two years, we have seen these pipelines rip through the heart of Chester County ... We have seen sinkholes created by the pipeline drilling, contaminated well water and some subtle, and not-so-subtle, bullying of Chester County citizens by big corporate interests.

The investigation involves Sunoco Pipeline's Mariner East projects stretching across the region, including near heavily populated areas, railroad tracks and schools.

The Mariner East 1, 2 and 2X pipelines were created to funnel natural gas from western Pennsylvania to the Marcus Hook refinery in Delaware County. From there, the gas would be transported to Ohio and West Virginia.

Natural gas liquid includes propane, ethane, butane and natural gasoline that can be used for heating, cooking and filling up motor vehicle gas tanks.

Part of the problem in Chester County, Hogan said, is that much of the area is built on limestone, which is easily disturbed. Residents in East Whiteland Township have reported sinkholes in their backyards and a Beaver County home was destroyed when a portion of pipeline burst this fall, according to the district attorney's office.

"They can't cut corners," Hogan said of the energy partners. "They cannot make a mistake here."

Construction of the multi-billion dollar pipelines has been fraught from the beginning. Since their inception, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has issued more than 80 violation notices to Sunoco and collected more than $13 million in penalties, according to Gov. Tom Wolf's office. This included enforcing a one-month shutdown and setting guidelines to alert nearby public and private water suppliers prior to pipeline construction.

Despite these efforts, accidents continued to happen.

Last year, a leak in Delaware County caused thousands of gallons of drilling mud to flow into Chester Creek in Middletown Township, Pennsylvania.

The mud, which consisted of potable water and non-toxic bentonite clay, entered a tributary of the creek near the pipeline.

Later, a judge granted an injunction to halt construction in West Goshen Township after officials accused Sunoco Pipeline LP of violating a settlement agreement. A spokesperson for West Goshen claimed Sunoco started construction to install and operate the pipeline near Greenhill and Boot roads without notifying local officials.

The parent company, Energy Transfer LP of Dallas, Texas, said it was "surprised" to learn of the investigation and "vehemently" denied any wrongdoing in an emailed statement.

"We are confident that we have not acted to violate any criminal laws in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and we are committed to aggressively defending ourselves against these baseless allegations," the statement said.

Meanwhile, Wolf said he welcomed the opportunity to speak with any "partners who want to constructively talk about improving state oversight."

"The commonwealth is living up to our promise to hold this project accountable to the strong protections in the permits and our abilities under existing law," a spokesman for Wolf said in a statement.

But Hogan bristled at the notion that the Wolf administration has been monitoring the pipelines.

"I'd like to see the governor step up, step in and actually do something," Hogan snapped.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will step down at the end of February, according to a resignation letter he hand-delivered to President Donald Trump Thursday, a day after Trump overruled his advice against pulling troops out of Syria.

Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Trump's administration, will leave by the end of February after two tumultuous years struggling to soften and moderate the president's hardline and sometimes sharply changing policies.

In the letter, Mattis wrote of differences with the president on maintaining alliances, advancing an international order and using American power for a common defense. China and Russia want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model at the expense of the United States and its allies, he wrote.

"We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances," Mattis wrote.

Trump has the right to a secretary of defense whose views are better aligned with his on "these and other subjects," he wrote.

His departure was immediately lamented by foreign policy hands and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who viewed the retired Marine general as a sober voice of experience in the ear of a president who had never held political office or served in the military. Even Trump allies expressed fear over Mattis' decision to quit, believing him to be an important moderating force on the president.

"Just read Gen. Mattis resignation letter," Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted. "It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed toward a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances & empower our adversaries."

Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California said that she was "shaken" by the news.

"I am shaken by the news because of the patriot that General Mattis is," she said. "I think that everybody in the country should read his letter of resignation. Its a letter of great patriotism, great respect for the president but also a statement of his values."

The president tweeted in announcing Mattis' departure, which he characterized as a retirement, that a new defense secretary "will be named shortly."

"During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment," he wrote. "General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations."

Trump said Wednesday that the United States had beaten ISIS in Syria, but experts and former officials disagreed. They warned that Trump's surprise decision to withdraw troops from Syria would be seen as a victory for Russia and Iran and a betrayal of Kurdish and Arab forces fighting a seven-year war against the Damascus regime.

Mattis met with the president Thursday afternoon to tell him he would be resigning and deliver the letter, a Defense Department spokesman said. A senior White House official told NBC News Mattis and the president had differences of opinion over some issues over the last few months but did not know whether Syria had specifically come up.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said earlier Thursday that Mattis had told him that this was not the time to leave Syria, and that "a replay of Iraq was very likely." Graham, who called the decision to remove troops from Syria an Obama-like mistake, had urged Trump to follow military advice in the fight against ISIS.

Of Mattis, he tweeted Thursday, "He has been in the fight against radical Islam for decades and provided sound and military ethical advice to President Trump."

Mattis and Trump had clashed over a number of international decisions. He defended the Iran nuclear deal just as Trump pulled out of it and was at odds with the presidents opposition to U.S. military exercises with South Korea in a concession to North Koreas Kim Jong Un.

Mattis, 68, is a Marine Corps general who retired in 2013 after serving as the head of the U.S. Central Command.

He has a reputation as a battle-hardened, tough-talking Marine who was entrusted with some of the most challenging commands in the U.S. military.

Mattis was only the second retired general to serve as defense secretary, the first being George C. Marshall in 1950-51 during the Korean War. Marshall was a much different figure, having previously served as U.S. secretary of state and playing a key role in creating closer ties with Western Europe after World War II.

Although his record in combat and his credentials as a senior commander are widely admired, Mattis had little experience in the diplomatic aspects of the job of secretary of defense upon taking the position.

Born in Pullman, Washington, Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969, later earning a history degree from Central Washington University. He was commissioned as an officer in 1972. As a lieutenant colonel, Mattis led an assault battalion into Kuwait during the first U.S. war with Iraq in 1991.

As head of the Central Command from 2010 until his retirement in 2013, he was in charge of both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.
China called the U.S. arrogant and selfish on Friday after two Chinese citizens were charged with stealing trade secrets and other sensitive information from American government agencies and corporations.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying accused the U.S. of undermining other countries' development in order to defend its own hegemony.

"The U.S. is a world superpower, and it's quite arrogant and selfish," she said during a regular press briefing.

Alluding to other accusations the U.S. has made against China, she said: "They believe that a lie repeated a thousand times will become the truth, but I want to tell them that a lie is still a lie even after it has been repeated ten thousand times."

Hua, in a written statement issued earlier Friday, said the U.S. was "fabricating facts."

The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday announced the indictment of Chinese nationals Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong for allegedly carrying out an extensive cyberespionage campaign on behalf of Beijing's main intelligence agency.

Besides the alleged U.S. infiltration, Zhu and Hua are also accused of breaching computers linked to companies in at least 11 other countries, including Japan, the United Kingdom and India.

Among the cyberespionage maneuvers detailed in the indictment is the alleged use of a phishing technique which sent emails that appeared to be coming from legitimate email addresses but were in fact from members of "Advanced Persistent Threat 10," the China-based hacking group to which Zhu and Zhang purportedly belong.

The indictment says the pair worked for the Huaying Haitai Science and Technology Development Company in the northeastern port city of Tianjin and acted in association with the city's Chinese Ministry of State Security bureau.

A public company registry states that Huaying Haitai's work involved the development of computer software, consulting and business related to a variety of technical equipment.

Zhu and Zhang's current whereabouts are unclear. China does not have an extradition treaty with the U.S.

"There is some cooperation under the framework of Interpol, but if the Chinese government doesn't agree with the U.S. charges, there is no way to extradite the accused," said Li Fangping, a Beijing-based criminal lawyer.

Li added that if Zhu and Zhang travel to other countries that have signed treaties with the U.S., they could be detained and later extradited, as was the case with Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou's arrest in Canada.

James Gong, a cybersecurity senior associate at the Herbert Smith Freehills law firm in Beijing, said the announcement of the charges has already had an impact.

"The allegation itself will give rise to some suspicion, at least, among the international public, that these hacking activities are actually supported by the Chinese state," he said.

Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo and Eric Tucker contributed to this story.
Military sources tell NBC 7 troop deployments in rotation from Camp Pendleton and Twentynine Palms to the Middle East under CENTCOM in support of the fight against ISIS should not be impacted by President Trumps declaration that ISIS has been defeated in Syria.

Where they will be assigned in the region is up to CENTCOM commanders. There is no word from the U.S. military on if there will be a decrease in the number of troops at this time.

On Wednesday a source with the U.S. military told NBC News that President Donald Trumps announcement the U.S. troops would be leaving Syria was a surprise.

U.S. Marines have been in Syria supporting the fight against ISIS under CENTCOM during multiple deployments to the Middle East since the Obama Administration.

NBC 7 recently reported on their involvement in Operation Inherent Resolve in Syria as part of the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force, Crisis Response conducting a live-fire demonstration in eastern Syria in early October 2018.

Weeks later according to the Defense Department three Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment attached to the SPMATF-CC Central Command received Purple Hearts for wounds sustained while deployed to Syria.

Despite President Trumps declaration Wednesday that ISIS has been defeated in Syria statements from CENTCOM and Ambassador James Jeffrey, Special Representative for Syrian Engagement this month suggest otherwise.

Only days ago on Dec. 15, CENTCOM stated, ISIS continues to use protected structures to launch attacks against our Coalition partners with complete disregard for the infrastructure and innocent human lives.

Stating ISIS is violating the laws of armed conflict and misuse protected structures like hospitals and religious sites, which causes the facility to lose its protected status.

Coalition Forces and partners continue to make offensive gains against ISIS, according to the release.

Making gains are the words CENTCOM used to describe of the status of Operation Roundup, which began in May 2018 to enable the enduring defeat of ISIS in Syria.

Earlier this month Jeffrey told reporters the U.S. is well on its way to reaching the goal of U.S. involvement is the enduring defeat of ISIS with but, The problem is ISIS will come back if the underlying conditions are receptive to that kind of ideological movement.

Which is what the U.S. military saw happen in Iraq when American troops pulled out of that country under the Obama Administration.
The mayor of an Alaskan town and her elderly mother were killed after they were struck by a tour bus near the National Mall in downtown D.C. Wednesday night, police say.

The crash happened just before 10 p.m. near the National Archives building at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The Eyre bus was making a left turn onto Pennsylvania Avenue when it struck Monica Adams Carlson and her mother, 85-year-old Cora Louise Adams, as they were in the crosswalk, the Metropolitan Police Department said.

Both women were taken to the hospital, where they died of their injuries.

The pair were in D.C. to see the holiday decorations and loved visiting Washington, Carlson's brother-in-law, Steve Hites, told News4.

"Both of them were avid lovers of Washington, D.C. The nations capital was a placed they loved to visit," Hites said.

Carlson, 61, was the mayor of Skagway, Alaska, a town about 100 miles north of Juneau with a population of about 1,100 people. Carlson was a write-in candidate who was elected to a 2-year term in 2017, according to the town's radio station KHNS-FM.

"She leaves some very large shoes to fill in a very small town where we all watch after each other very closely," Hites said.

Carlson's mother was a resident of the lakeside town of Elbe in Washington state.

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Video from Wednesday's scene showed a tour bus parked on the street near a large area that was taped off by police.

Several police cruisers had their lights on and officers could be seen stepping inside the bus.

No further information about the crash has been released.

Eyre Bus, Tour & Travel, the company that operates the tour bus, released a statement expressing their sympathy to the family.

"We are cooperating fully with authorities in the investigation of this incident. Eyre places the safe transportation of our customers as well as those we share the road with as our number one priority." the statement went on to say.

It's not clear whether the traffic lights were red or green at the time. Police are reviewing traffic camera video to see if Carlson and Adams had the green light when they crossed.

"We do know they were in the crosswalk based on the information that we have, but that's the other information that we're verifying is what the signal timing was for both the vehicle and the pedestrians that were involved in this crash," Assistant Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said.

The driver of the bus was cooperating with the investigation.

Blaine Mero, office administrator for the Skagway Chamber of Commerce, says locals are in shock and grief over the news.

Police say the crash was very similar to an incident that claimed the lives of two woman on Feb. 14, 2007. The woman were hit and killed by a Metrobus in the same intersection. Metro settled a lawsuit with one of the victim's husbands for more than $2 million. DDOT added a left-turn lane and left-turn arrow to the intersection following the crash.

WRC-TV

The Associated Press contributed to this report
Relatives of a 36-year-old Florida woman slain in Costa Rica are suing Airbnb and the resort where she was vacationing when she died.

Carla Stefaniak's family filed the lawsuit Thursday in Hillsborough County, Florida. The Tampa Bay Times reports the lawsuit says the Villa le Mas resort and Airbnb failed to conduct a background check on a Nicaraguan security guard who was in Costa Rica illegally.

Authorities in the Central American country say the guard, Bismark Espinoza Martinez, killed Stefaniak on Nov. 28 after she returned alone to the apartment she rented through Airbnb in the San Jose neighborhood of San Antonio de Escazu.

Airbnb has removed Villa le Mas from its rental properties website. Villa Le Mas' attorney has said the resort's owners are cooperating with investigators.

The lawsuit says both companies also failed to alert customers to U.S. State Department warnings about violent crime in Costa Rica.

Stefaniak was traveling with her sister-in-law when she was last heard from by her family on Nov. 27; she was scheduled to fly home the next day. While her sister-in-law flew home early, Stefaniak stayed but told friends it was pretty sketchy at the resort.

A partially buried body was found in the woods near that resort close to a week later, which was identified by Stefaniaks father. An autopsy revealed that Stefaniak suffered a blunt force wound to the head and cuts on the neck and arms.
A serial killer who may have committed at least 90 murders across the country sketched a drawing of a young woman he says he killed in Prince George's County, Maryland, almost 50 years ago.

Last month, Prince George's County police announced they had linked 78-year-old Samuel Little to a 1972 cold case in the county.

Police have not been able to identify the 19-year-old victim, but this week, Little sketched a drawing of the young woman. Investigators are hoping the sketch will help them finally identify her.

Little and the woman are believed to have met at a Greyhound bus station on New York Avenue in Washington, D.C., in May or June 1972. Over a three-day period, Little and the woman had interactions and at one point, left the station in Little's car, Little told authorities. They drove on what investigators believe was the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, left the parkway in the area of Beltsville, Maryland, and had sex, Little told authorities.

He then strangled the victim, he said.

During a press conference last month, Detective Bernie Nelson said Little killed women "for sexual gratification."

"I can truly say that Samuel Little is a true monster," Nelson said. "He's every woman's ultimate nightmare."

The woman's remains were found in December of that year by a hunter who was walking through a wooded area. A medical examiner concluded that the remains had been there for about six months.

Little was in the D.C. area at the time of the killing and was arrested on a handgun charge in May 1972 at the same bus station where he said he met the victim.

She may have been from the Massachusetts area and had recently gotten divorced, Little told investigators. Her height was between 5'2" and 5'6". She was Caucasian and may have had a child.

Little, also known as Samuel McDowell, is serving three life sentences for strangling three women in the Los Angeles area from 1987 to 1989. Last week, he pleaded guilty to the murder of a Texas woman in 1994.

According to the Wise County Sheriff's Office in Decatur, Texas, Little also gave investigators details on a "multitude" of murders he says he committed from 1970 to 2005 in Texas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois, Ohio, California, Indiana, Arizona, New Mexico and South Carolina.

As Little conveyed information about homicides to Texas Rangers who interviewed him, they would contact local law enforcement agencies in those areas.

If Little is found guilty of the murders he's provided information about, he "will be confirmed as one of, if not the most, prolific serial killers in U.S. history," according to a statement from Ector County District Attorney Bobby Bland.

However, Little will not be charged in Prince George's County due to his existing sentence of three life terms in California, said Major Brian Reilly.

Little told investigators that the Prince George's County victim was his only victim in the Washington, D.C., area.

Anyone with information that could help investigators is asked to call police at 301-772-4925. If you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-8477.
This is especially a problem for low-wage jobs and the people who need them. In an upcoming study, David Phillips, and Associate Research Professor at the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities at the University of Notre Dame. Phillips revealed in the Harvard Business Review that he sent 226 resumes from fictional people to low-wage jobs in the Washington, D.C. area. Applicants livings in distant neighborhoods received positive responses from the jobs less frequently than those living near the job sites.
A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that University of Mary Washington administrators could have done more to protect students from online harassment and threats.

The ruling from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals came in a lawsuit filed by members of a student feminist group who alleged that the university failed to protect them from harassing posts on a now-defunct messaging app.

A federal court judge dismissed the lawsuit in 2017, finding that the complaint did not sufficiently allege the school's deliberate indifference to sexual harassment.

But a three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit disagreed and reinstated some of the suit's claims. The court found that although the school was not entirely unresponsive to the sexual harassment complaints, it did not engage in efforts that were "reasonably calculated" to end the harassment.

"The University faces serious difficulties in its effort to convince us that the Complaint does not sufficiently allege deliberate indifference," Judge Robert King wrote in the 2-1 ruling.

Problems began after the university's student Senate voted to authorize male-only fraternities at the school. During a campus meeting, members of Feminists United questioned the wisdom of having such fraternities at the school.

After the meeting, students debated the vote on the social media app Yik Yak. Members of Feminists United were criticized in offensive terms. Other harassment of the feminists followed, including cyberstalking and threats of sexual assault, they said.

Posts included, Can we euthanize whoever caused this (expletive), Gonna tie these feminists to the radiator and (description of violent sexual act), and I (expletive) hate feminists.

It was really unfortunate to really see that this university that Id come to call home now suddenly turned against me in such a vile and horrible way, said former Feminists United President Paige McKinsey, who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after college.

The feminists alleged that university officials did not do enough to try to identify the students responsible or to stop the harassment.

University officials argued that disabling access to a social media app raised free speech concerns.

The 4th Circuit, however, said the university could have done more.

"On the allegations of the Complaint, we are satisfied that the plaintiffs sufficiently alleged that UMW exhibited deliberate indifference to known instances of sexual harassment," the court wrote.

Theyve ruled on the side of common sense and justice and students rights and safety, McKinsey said.

You cant make these cyberassaults and cyberharassment and get away with it because its anonymous, former student Kelli Musick said.

It was a very troubling decision for free speech, said Samantha Harris of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

She doesnt see the Yik Yak posts as threats.

Just saying, like, Im so angry I could kill someone, is not necessarily a threat, she said.

Debra Katz, a lawyer for the students who sued, said the ruling could have broad ramifications for colleges and universities around the country.

"It's going to force universities to come up with policies and practices to confront this kind of behavior," Katz said.

"Universities will understand that if they don't responsibly deal with the way harassment takes place today  which is through cyberspace  they are going to find themselves in court."

In a dissenting opinion, Judge G. Steven Agee said it remains unclear who the harassers were or whether they were even students at the university. He said he agreed with the lower court judge who dismissed all the lawsuit's claims.

In a statement, the university said it plans to thoroughly review the majority and dissenting opinions before determining how to proceed.

"The University remains committed to the safety and well-being of its students," the statement said.

The appeals court sent the case back to the lower court.
A Virginia man has pleaded guilty to illegally selling and transporting items made from endangered species and other wildlife, such as crocodiles, sea turtles and sawfish.

Sixty-year-old Keith Foster, the owner of The Outpost antique and exotic merchandise store in Middleburg, pleaded guilty Wednesday to violating the Lacey Act. As part of his plea, Foster forfeited $275,000 and over 175 items made from wildlife.

Court documents state Foster imported more than 100 undeclared wildlife items, including some protected by the Endangered Species Act and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species last year. Prosecutors say Foster told a customer about some of his schemes, but the customer was actually a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent.

Foster faces a maximum of five years in prison at sentencing in March.
What to Know A Long Island family is desperately trying to get the body of their husband and father back from the Chinese government

Lt. Col. Norman Easy, a National Guard veteran, died on the plane to Shanghai while on a business trip as a health care executive

China won't return his body unless the family signs a waiver; Easy's family says "something is off"

Just days before Christmas, a Long Island family is desperately trying to get the body of their veteran husband and father back home from China after he mysteriously died on a flight there from New York.

On Friday, Dec. 7, retired Lt. Col. Norman Easy, a health care executive, boarded a China Eastern Airlines flight at JFK Airport and headed to Shanghai for a business trip. He travels frequently, according to his family, but wife Nixtia panicked when the father of four didn't let her know he'd landed in China.

"He always communicates with us, and I didn't hear nothing from him," said Nixtia.

When he didn't show up for a meeting on Monday, his company dispatched a team to find him.

"One of the police officers who happened to be at the airport when he died [also] happened to be at the police station when the team got there," his son Marcus told News 4 New York.

What the officer told the team was devastating.

"He said that someone matching my dad's description passed away on the plane," Marcus said. "They weren't allowed to verify that it was him but they're 100 percent sure it was him."

Since then, the Easy family say they've been getting the runaround from the Chinese government. They can't find out how he died, and they can't get his body.

"Just a good man who's done so much for his family -- not just for his family, but for the country and gave up almost 30 years of his life," said daughter Caitlin. "I just feel like the treament he's been receiving is so heartbreaking."

Family members said they were told on Wednesday that Easy's wife had to sign a waiver saying she doesn't object to anything in the police report -- a report she said she hasn't even seen -- before China will return his body.

"The fact that they're not willing to give us his body or death certificate or even the police report until we sign this waiver is just ridiculous," said Caitlin.

Easy's birthday is Christmas Eve. The family can't start to grieve until they have his body home, but they were determined to find out.

"Something is off. We don't know what it is," said Marcus. "We gotta figure it out and get him home."
A wrongful death lawsuit filed this year by the parents of U.S. college student Otto Warmbier against North Korea is now seeking more than $1 billion from the government the Warmbiers say tortured and killed their son.

Fred and Cindy Warmbier, of suburban Cincinnati, sued in April in federal court in Washington. North Korean authorities arrested their son in January 2016 for stealing a propaganda poster. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The 22-year-old died in 2017, days after he was repatriated to the U.S. with severe brain damage.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports a motion filed in October in the lawsuit seeks $1.05 billion in punitive damages and about $46 million for the family's suffering.

North Korea has repeatedly denied the accusations that it tortured Warmbier.
The Taliban welcomed news of the U.S. plan to withdraw half its troops in Afghanistan by the summer, as Afghan generals warned it would be a blow to the morale of the country's beleaguered security forces who come under daily attacks from the insurgent fighters.

The announcement seems certain to complicate efforts to reach a peace deal, mostly because it gives the Taliban leverage by allowing them to hold off until a total U.S. withdrawal, or step up their demands over a weakened Afghan government.

"I believe the Taliban will see this as a reason to stall, and therefore it disincentivizes the Taliban to actually talk to the Afghan government, which it has refused to do," said Bill Roggio, an Afghanistan analyst with the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Afghanistan's security forces rely heavily on U.S. airpower against both Taliban and an upstart Islamic State affiliate, and Afghan military officials note the announcement by the Trump administration comes as the country's security is at its worst since 2014, when more than 100,000 NATO troops pulled out of the country and handed off security to Afghans. The U.S. and NATO retreated into a training and advising role.

"A complete withdrawal of U.S. forces would very likely cause the Taliban to make gains in key areas throughout Afghanistan," Roggio said. "This likely would cause the general collapse of the (Afghan National Security and Defense Force) as a cohesive fighting force and lead to the return of the warlords."

President Donald Trump considers the war in Afghanistan a lost cause and has long pushed to pull the troops out. His decision was made public a mere few hours after he abruptly announced the U.S. was withdrawing troops from Syria.

Trump's state of mind is sure to have given a sense of urgency to U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who has been working to reach a negotiated end to America's longest war and has been pushing for a deal by April.

In an interview with Afghanistan's TOLO TV on Thursday  hours before the withdrawal plans were announced  he noted Trump had campaigned for president on a promise to end the Afghan war, which has already cost Americans nearly $1 trillion. More than 2,400 American soldiers have also died in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.

"There was little doubt that Ambassador Khalilzad was always working with limited time and a zeal of desperation to achieve something before the president pulled the plug," said Daniel Markey, senior research professor at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.

A Taliban official told The Associated Press the announcement was a positive step. Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press, the official said Taliban officials think the promised departure could help the peace process because it could "lead to trust building that the U.S. wants a political solution."

But there was no sign the Taliban were ready to move on the two major sticking points: Direct talks with the Afghan government and a cease fire while the two sides negotiate Khalilzad's so-called "roadmap for the future of Afghanistan."

Peace talks aside, the announced withdrawal has Afghan generals and analysts worried about the ability of the beleaguered Afghan National Afghan Security Force to stave off a Taliban insurgency unfettered by U.S. troops and their pounding air power.

The Taliban are already stronger today than they have been since their ouster in 2001, controlling or holding sway over nearly half the country.

Several high ranking Afghan military officials, who spoke on condition they not be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the morale of Afghanistan's undertrained and poorly equipped security forces was already at a dangerously low ebb. The troops routinely complain about reinforcements that arrive too late, equipment that fails and even running out of food.

The officials called America's withdrawal a defeat, comparing it to the U.S. evacuation from Vietnam and Russia's 1989 forced withdrawal from Afghanistan that capped a failed 10-year campaign.

U.S. troops invaded Afghanistan in November 2001 in response to the Sept. 11 attacks. Their ouster of the Taliban returned to power former warlords, whose bitter infighting and runaway corruption had resulted in vast tracts of the capital Kabul being destroyed and given rise to the Taliban, who used a strict and harsh interpretation of Islam to restore calm to the country.

Ordinary Afghans have mixed feelings about the presence of U.S. and NATO troops. Many fear their departure believing it will strengthen the Taliban, yet criticize their presence for doing little to improve security, which has deteriorated. Afghans complain bitterly about their deeply corrupt government and see the U.S.  which largely bankrolls the government  as responsible.

Neighbor Pakistan, who has been harshly criticized by Trump for not doing enough to bring the Taliban to the table, had warned that a sudden departure of U.S. troops would result in chaos in Afghanistan and destabilize the region.

"The last thing it (Pakistan) wants is a radical Islamist state on its Western border, even if that eliminates or reduces Indian influence in Afghanistan," said Shuja Nawaz, author and fellow at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center.

Associated Press writer Amir Shah in Kabul, Afghanistan contributed to this report.
An investigation in two New England states has led to the arrest of two individuals and the discovery of 16 stolen firearms, including several semi-automatic rifles and a large amount of ammunition from a home in Pepperell, Massachusetts.

Wayne Shay, 36, of Nashua, New Hampshire, and Sheri Napier, 36, of Dracut, Massachusetts, were taken into custody Thursday, according to the Middlesex District Attorney's office.

Authorities said Massachusetts State Police began searching for Shay and Napier Thursday morning in connection with the recent theft of firearms in Nashua, New Hampshire.

When a Nissan Altima used by the suspects was eventually located outside of a Dracut home, a trooper set up surveillance. Authorities said a short time later, other troopers responded and both suspects were taken into custody without incident.

The district attorney said a subsequent investigation by police in Nashua led authorities to a home in Pepperell where 16 stolen firearms, 17 high-capacity magazines, a 100-round drum magazine, and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition were recovered.

Shay and Napier are being held by Massachusetts State Police pending their arraignment in Ayer District Court as fugitives from justice on the New Hampshire warrants. Additional charges are expected out of Massachusetts.

It's unclear if either Shay or Napier have attorneys.
Prosecutors say they will try a former Vermont state senator for the third time on a charge of sexual assault.

Mynbc5.com reports the Vermont Supreme Court overturned Norm McAllister's sexual assault conviction in November.

The court ruled that a trial court admitted inadmissible evidence, and a trial judge was in error when instructing the jury to disregard unstricken testimony.

Prosecutors say McAllister set up his tenant to have sex with one of his acquaintances instead of paying her electric bill.

McAllister has maintained his innocence, and his attorney says he will ask the court to dismiss the charge.

McAllister, a Republican, represented Franklin County in the state Senate when he was arrested in 2015.

He lost his re-election bid in the August 2016 primary.
What to Know When National Grid locked out workers in June, work on gas lines slowed to a snails pace.

National Grids labor dispute has created chaos for builders, struggling to complete projects without gas line connections.

If we get a good fire here, you could lose the block, Boston Fire Marshal Jack Dempsey said.

Things kind of stopped, developer Jason Kahan said as he walked through his East Boston condominium building. Its all but done. Brand new flooring, appliances and countertops. But its missing one crucial piece: heat.

When the gas stopped, the bank stopped financing. The sub-contractor stopped getting paid. And people stopped showing up to the job, he said.

National Grids intense labor dispute, along with Massachusetts' ban on non-emergency work, has created chaos for builders, struggling to complete projects without gas line connections.

And their solution is making first responders very nervous.

Kahan said that tenants could have moved into the 19-unit complex in August, but the local natural gas crisis has prevented him from hooking up to the gas line, leaving his multi-million dollar project in the cold, and in jeopardy of becoming a total loss.

All the plaster in the building would crack, Kahan said. All the plumbing thats been installed, including plumbing and sprinkler would freeze. And wed just have kind of a major catastrophe.

The only thing between him and that catastrophe?

A diesel heater, generating just enough heat to keep his building from falling to ruin.

But not enough heat to get the sprinkler system and fire alarm running, both of which are required by state law.

The fact that you cant turn the life safety system on, its a huge deal, Kahan said. Its going to get bad quickly.

Its a huge deal for Kahan, because should a fire be sparked, he would have a total loss on his hands. Plus, the units cant be sold until heat is hooked up

Kahan is just one of the hundreds of developers who are caught in the crossfire of an ongoing crisis within the local natural gas industry.

When National Grid locked out workers in June, work on gas lines slowed to a snails pace. Coupled with the states ban on all but emergency work following the Merrimack Valley explosions and a high-pressure scare in Woburn, it has been impossible for developers to get new gas line connections to their projects.

While the state lifted the ban on Wednesday, the labor dispute is still ongoing and developers are left to wonder if there will be any workers to connect gas lines. Not to mention the backlog of projects needing hook-ups, which one expert says could take up to two years to finish.

People are desperate, Kahan said.

Contractors arent the only ones holding their breath.

Wed certainly be concerned with an explosion, Boston Fire Marshal Jack Dempsey said.

He said Boston Fire is on high alert, after the natural gas crisis forced them to allow homeowners and developers to temporarily install propane tanks to keep their properties warm. Its one of their only options for heat while they wait for the lockout to end.

I dont think its something that we really want, but I think its necessary at this point, Dempsey said. We want to make sure they get the buildings done properly and theres money involved. A lot of money.

Allowing propane tanks is an unprecedented move for Boston Fire. They didnt issue a single permit last year. But in the last six weeks, theyve already approved just over 40.

Most of these tanks are going to densely populated neighborhoods, where the risk of a fire spreading is already considerable. Add in the chance of a propane-fueled explosion, and the citys fire marshal says a disaster could strike hard.

If we get a good fire here, you could lose the block, he said.

The Propane Gas Association of New England says that propane is incredibly safe and is often used in emergency scenarios as a reliable source of fuel.

According to a four-year study by the National Fire Prevention Association, propane was responsible for nearly as many fires13,340on average per year during that time as natural gas13,730.

And although not distinguished in the data, some of those fires were likely were caused by propane tanks in barbeques.

As for casualties, propane fires were found to be more deadly, resulting in 47 deaths, versus 35 for natural gas, and 349 injuries versus 254.

It goes back to the chemistry of gases, Boston Assistant Fire Marshal Dennis Keeley said. Natural gas is only 50 percent the weight of air, so when it comes out of your stove- whoosh. It goes right up like a helium balloon.

But propane is heavier than air, causing it to linger and form pools near the ground. That creates an issue when it lingers long enough to find an ignition source, which are often found in basements.

Where are our furnaces, Keeley said. Where are hot water heaters? Where are our automobiles? Everything is down low.

On top of that, Bostons first responders are concerned about all the extra manpower and overwhelming evacuations it would take to respond to a leakor worse yet, a fire.

Were draining assets from other parts of the city to deal with this, Keeley said. Id prefer that they werent here.

And although Jason Kahan wishes there was an alternative, he is planning on installing a propane tank at his East Boston condo project. He says that he is willing to take the risk of propane in order to get his sprinkler system up and running, but thinks there should be better options for the hundreds of developers waiting out in the cold.

There should be some kind of means for the life safety while everythings getting figured out, he said.

In the meantime, developers are counting on these propane tanks to protect their property. But the permits are temporary. Theyre only for six months, and mandate that tanks must be above-ground outside. Large properties are required to have 24/7 security.

And since no one knows how long the lockout will last, the permits may have to be renewed.
The mens and womens shoe seller will join a growing list of online retailers on a short stretch of Armitage, which is surrounded by multimillion-dollar homes in the Lincoln Park community area. The shop is between two other companies that started with online sales before branching out into physical stores: Bonobos and Outdoor Voices, which opened its store Friday.
A portion of the Maine Turnpike was shut down Friday morning after a tractor trailer slammed into a state police cruiser, injuring the trooper inside.

Police said Trooper John Davis was sitting in his cruiser in the breakdown lane on the Maine Turnpike in New Gloucester, near the Auburn line, at the time of the accident. He was investigating two cars that had slid off the highway and the cruiser's emergency lights were on at the time.

The cruiser was struck from behind by the tractor trailer around 5 a.m.

Davis, a 17-year veteran of the Maine State Police, was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston for treatment of multiple injuries, none of them life threatening.

The tractor trailer driver, 28-year-old Aminder Munday of Westland, Michigan, was cited by state police for imprudent speed and a log book violation. The truck, owned by Northstar Carriers of Canton, Michigan, was loaded with food headed for the Walmart distribution center in Lewiston.

The Maine Turnpike's northbound lanes were closed from Gray to Auburn for four hours as state police investigated the crash.
Downpours from New York City are heading toward New England and are expected to slam the region with strong gusts, the chance of localized flooding and thunder in some areas.

The showers began south on Friday morning, hitting the Cape and Islands first before the rain takes over the rest of the region. Rain will become increasingly steady as the day continues, with winds really ramping up around lunchtime. Central New Hampshire should take extra caution since the rain will initially mix with recent cold air to make for a few icy roads.

The heaviest downpours will arrive Friday evening, threatening to bring the chance of localized urban street flooding, river flooding and increasing the possibility of hydroplaning.

Rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning will increase Friday evening, potentially knocking out power to some areas. The Cape and islands could see gusts of over 50 mph. Fridays showers are expected to deliver about 2 inches of rain around Boston.

Hour-by-Hour Timing and Impacts of Friday's Damaging Storm

Despite the downpours, temperatures will be mild with highs reaching into the 60s for most. Most spots will have 50-degree weather during the evening.

If the rains got you down, dont fret! Leftovers of the rain are expected to continue through Saturday lunchtime, then clear for a better end to the weekend.

[NATL] Extreme Weather Photos: Record Heat Threatens Europe

Snow showers are possible Monday morning, really the closest thing we have to a white Christmas for this year.
The bathrooms at an elementary school in Epping, New Hampshire, have a state representative upset.

Rep. Sean Morrison (R-Epping) says that an image on restroom doors is confusing and leaves parents out of an important conversation.

At Epping Elementary School, the bathroom sign shows three figures: a man, a woman and a combination of both.

Morrison posted a picture of the sign on his Facebook page, writing that parents should have been notified before the gender-neutral bathroom sign went up.

"Simply, so that we could have the conversation with our 5, 6, 7, 8-year-olds," he said.

Morrison said that it's a "ridiculous notion" for some people to accuse him of being transphobic.

Some residents wish that parents had been informed somehow. Others don't take any issue with the sign.

"I don't have a problem with the sign, and my kids don't have a problem with the sign," said Nicole Kukesh.

Kukesh commented on the Facebook post, calling it irresponsible.

"I fully trust our teachers and administrators to do the right things for our kids," she said. "I just felt like I had to say something for the school."

Morrison said his concern isn't the sign, but the lack of notice that would have allowed parents to parent how they wanted.

"The idea of sexuality being introduced to grammar school children, my main point is that we as parents want to be informed of that, and we want the opportunity to have those conversations with our children," Morrison said.

The representative said that the bathroom sign will be taken down, and that he has a meeting scheduled with the school superintendent.
A suspected porch pirate, accused of using his 11-year-old to help him steal packages from porches in Burlington, Vermont, appeared in court Thursday morning  prepared to admit to his alleged crimes.

Im going to enter guilty today, 33-year-old Jackie Walters told Judge Martin Maley. I was all on camera.

Walters was caught on homeowners surveillance cameras, according to police, stealing holiday deliveries from porches in Burlington.

And worse: investigators said Walters brought his 11-year-old along, handing those stolen packages to the child to hold for him.

Detectives said Walters would ride a bike with a tow-behind wagon to haul away boxes.

According to court paperwork, the stolen merchandise included a kombucha brewing kit and an Amazon Echo.

Despite the suspects apparent willingness to admit to the thefts, Judge Martin Maley wasnt ready to accept the rare guilty plea at arraignmentto charges of petit larceny and contributing to the delinquency of a child.

The prosecutor told Maley she still needs more info from an alleged victim, so the judge said the case should take more time.

Judge Maley ended up entering a not guilty plea on behalf of Walters to the five charges the alleged porch pirate is facing.

No comment, thank you, Walters said after the court hearing.

Initially, Walters wanted to represent himself in the court proceedings, but Maley encouraged him to secure a defense attorney for future hearings.

In court paperwork, police said Walters told them he turned to theft more than a year ago, after losing his job, and that he now has an an addiction to stealing.

The alleged use of a child as an unwitting accomplice is what has the Burlington Police Department most upset, said Deputy Chief Jon Murad.

The case has been referred to [the Vermont Department for Children and Families], and Im hopeful that they will approach it with the same sensibility I have, which is one of great concern for a juvenile whos been exposed to things no child should be exposed to, Murad told necn & NBC 10 Boston.

Murad noted that some of the most concerning aspects of the allegations against Walters involve claims he brought the child out after midnight, and during cold weather.

Matthew Gilbert, who lives in the area of the alleged package thefts, said he, too, was discouraged to hear about the case through news reports.

Christmas is one of the worst times to hear about it, Gilbert said. Its supposed to be the year of givingnot takingif you catch my meaning.

Jackie Walters is scheduled to be back in court next in mid-January.
Thousands of colleges across the country are welcoming both new and returning students back to campus for the fall semester. To coincide with the beginning of another school year, Stacker compiled a list of the best colleges in America using Niches 2021 rankings.
Chocolate indulgence made in the heart of Newbury  JOHN HERRING went along to meet Ben Marshall who specialises in luxury, handmade chocolates under the name of Cocoa Bens and his creations are proving to be very popular

WHAT started out as a hobby has become a full-time passion for 28-year-old Ben Marshall, who dreams of one day opening his own shop in Newbury.

Using all his own recipes, it takes him around three hours to make and pack a batch of 200 truffles in his town centre apartment.

Ben says his signature treat is Champagne and Cointreau, but his offerings of salted caramel, raspberry and Madagascan dark are also rather special.

I want to get people to know me for certain flavours and then trust me, when I make something else, he said.

The chocolatiers passion for chocolate-making became his new life goal after visiting a cocoa plantation in Granada.

I started doing it as a hobby  because obviously we all love a bit of chocolate. I wanted to do something more creative Im very passionate about doing what I love and making that your work. I went to Caribbean and that sold it for me. I want to end up doing it full time and make a regular income from it.

Ben is trained in physiotherapy and currently works as a disability analyst, but chocolate has definitely become his new passion:  I would like a shop one day. Next year the aim is to enter some awards.

And although his creativity is growing with each batch, Ben says that the ethics of his mouth-watering creations are also becoming ingrained.

Its all fresh. I want as little colouring or additives I can possibly get  thats why I changed to Casa Luker [a Colombian cocoa supplier]. I want to support the actual producers of the cocoa, not the cheapest I can find, and that means they are paid a fair price. I also want to get more into the vegan side.

Ben, whose parents Julie and Keith own the Dew Pond restaurant in Burghclere, grew up locally and trained at the UK Chocolate Academy Centre in Banbury.

His delicious chocolates can be found online at www.cocoabens.co.uk, or are available to buy in the Dew Pond and independent coffee shop Harrisons Coffee in Northbrook Street.

I wanted to do something I love. The first goal was to try it as a hobby, and now the shop and full-time is next.

This article first appeared in the winter edition of Out&About magazine

More foodie delights
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 21)  The President on Friday called for the resignation of the entire board of directors of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) and appointed a new head of the agency.

"I am not comfortable with all the people in that agency because historically it has been plagued with corruption. So I have asked them to tender their resignation as a matter of courtesy," Duterte said in a speech at the retirement ceremony for Air Force Chief Lieutenant General Galileo Kintanar.

The President then announced he was appointing Kintanar as the new head of the PCA. The agency, which is under the Department of Agriculture, is in charge of developing the nation's coconut industry.

"I do not know General Kintanar but I choose him to be the chairman of that board," the President said, adding that he trusted that Kintanar would not be corrupt.

"I was looking for a candidate who should be chairman who is someone na talagang maasahan ko na walang mawala maski piso (someone I can rely on so that not a single peso of the agency would be lost), and I have observed him. We are casual lang," Duterte explained.

The President said the move was in preparation for the passage of a bill disbursing the long withheld coconut levy fund. The fund was taken from a tax imposed on coconut farmers by former President Ferdinand Marcos for the development of the coconut industry but was allegedly used by his cronies for their own businesses.

READ: Bicam approves Coconut Levy Trust Fund bill

"So when the time comes and I can get the mechanism on how the money will be distributed to the beneficiaries and I look for someone na ang pera ng Pilipino ay di mawawala, it shall be the retired Gen. Kintanar," Duterte said.

Lieutenant General Rozzano Briguez will replace Kintanar as Air Force chief.
What is Ginkgo Biloba?

Ginkgo biloba is a tree that is native to China and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine and cuisine for centuries. Extracts of Ginkgo biloba are often sold as food supplements with potential medicinal uses ranging from treating high blood pressure to altitude sickness.

The efficacy of Ginkgo extracts for the treatment of such conditions is not proven, although many people report beneficial effects. As Gingko Biloba is thought to be involved in blood flow regulation (being an antioxidant and having anti-inflammatory properties), many have speculated that it may be beneficial in dementia.

Heike Brauer | Shutterstock

What have studies shown?

Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb761) has been widely used to treat cognitive decline across Europe since 2000 as an alternative medicine, and used in some small scale clinical trials.

According to one recent systematic review, high dosages of EGb (240 mg/day) taken for at least 5 or 6 months may have beneficial effects on dementia sufferers compared to those taking 200 mg/day or less. Compared to placebo controls, those taking 240 mg/day of EGb761 had a slightly better recovery in terms of activities of daily living and overall cognitive performance.

Other studies have shown no overall beneficial effect of EGb on the treatment or prevention of Alzheimers disease. For example, the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) study found no significant beneficial effects of Gingko in reducing dementia or enhancing cognitive performance. This study included over 3000 participants; the largest of its kind. Furthermore, there were no differences between sex, ethnicity or baseline cognitive scores.

Can EGb761 prevent or treat Alzheimers disease?

Extensive analyses of the multiple studies performed to analyze the efficacy of EGb761 in the treatment of dementia have shown mixed results. Some show that high dosages may have moderately beneficial effects in slowing down cognitive decline, whereas others have shown no difference between those taking Gingko and those taking placebos.

In common with most alternative medicines, the majority of large-scale studies do not seem to show any significant effects of such medicines on the positive treatment of health conditions. When considering alternative medicines such as Gingko Biloba, patients and caregivers should not forgo conventional medicines and therapies in favor of alternative medicines whose efficacy is not proven.

However, a majority of herbal medicines do not cause any significant harm or side-effects, and may be used in conjunction with conventional medicines, providing the physician does not outline any specific harmful interactions e.g. warfarin and EGb761.

Summary

EGb761 may potentially have moderately beneficial effects in preventing or slowing down cognitive decline in Alzheimers disease. However, a majority of studies have not proved that it has significant positive effects in the treatment and prevention of dementia or cognitive decline, despite its wide usage. Using EGb761 in combination with conventional medicines may be beneficial, but relying on herbal medicines such as EGb761 alone is not recommended.

Further Reading
U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor has a history of siding with Republicans on ideologically motivated lawsuits. His ruling last week, in which he sided with the GOP on a challenge to the Affordable Care Act, was not a one-off.

In fact, critics say, his history is ultimately why that case was before him in the first place.

By all accounts, OConnors ruling is sweeping. It says the entire health care law became invalid when Congress zeroed out, in 2017, the tax penalty for Americans who dont have health insurance  a penalty that had been tied to whats known as the laws individual mandate that nearly everyone have insurance.

I think he went too far in rejecting the entire law, said Josh Blackman, a conservative legal scholar and professor at the South Texas College of Law in Houston. I think he could have stopped short and simply severed the Obamacare mandate.

While OConnors decision may seem a bit extreme to some legal scholars, it wasnt surprising.

Justin Nelson, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said if you know anything about OConnors past rulings, this was predictable.

In case after case, Nelson said, what he has shown is that he has tended to side with the Republican attorneys general who are bringing ideological suits.

Nelson recently ran an unsuccessful campaign to oust Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who led this multistate legal challenge to the health care law. Nelson said Paxton and the other Republican attorneys general have filed lawsuits in the U.S District Court for the Northern District of Texas because they know theres a good chance theyll get OConnor as the judge.

Judge OConnor has been the go-to judge for Ken Paxton and Republican attorneys general who want to file ideological suits in any court across the country, Nelson said. Reed OConnor is their best shot to get a ruling that they like.

OConnor, who did not respond to NPRs requests for comment, was a Republican staffer on Capitol Hill before he was nominated to the federal bench by George W. Bush in 2007. So far, he has had to weigh in on at least a couple of contentious issues.

For example, OConnor is known for striking down an Obama-era rule that protected transgender students. In that case he also sided with Paxton, who filed that legal challenge.

Theyve done this over and over again on the hope that Judge OConnor would rule on behalf of an ideological agenda, Nelson said. And I dont think that is proper. I dont think that is right.

Paxton has filed lawsuits in other courts, too. He filed challenges to Obama-era immigration laws in a court in South Texas, which also has a reliably conservative judge on the bench.

Blackman said criticism of this practice is overblown.

All lawyers generally file the case where it leads to the best chance of success, Blackman said. And to the extent that [theres a] criticism  thats criticism of the attorney general and not of the judge. The judge doesnt control which cases come to him.

Furthermore, because OConnor is getting a lot of ideological lawsuits brought to him, its making his voting record more controversial, Blackman added.

I think by virtue of the attorney generals form selection, he said, Judge OConnors had a greater share than average of hot-button issues.

However, Blackman said, he is concerned that criticisms of controversial opinions are increasingly shifting toward the judges who issue the opinions  instead of toward the decisions themselves.

President Trump does this all the time, Blackman said. Politicians do it all time. And usually this happens to Supreme Court justices, but here it is being done to a district court judge in Fort Worth  who, 99 percent of his docket no one will even know about.

No matter how controversial OConnors ruling on the health care law, Blackman said, the decision over the Affordable Care Act will now pass to another judge, as the case moves on to a higher court.

This story is part of a partnership that includes KUT, NPR and Kaiser Health News.
A team of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers led by Professor Stephen Boppart has successfully visualized the tumor microenvironment of human breast tissue shortly after it was surgically removed from a patient in the operating room. The researchers achieved this using a new portable optical imaging system developed in Boppart's lab.

This work, which was reported in a paper published online December 19 in Science Advances, marks a major step toward providing cancer researchers with a new tool for tracking tumor progression and physicians new technology for tissue pathology and diagnostics.

Typically, the process for diagnosing cancer takes several days. A surgeon first removes a tissue sample that is then processed with chemical dyes; later, the sample is sent to a pathologist for examination and subsequent diagnosis.

"We believe that capturing the dynamic cellular and molecular features in freshly removed or biopsied tissue specimens contains valuable diagnostic and prognostic information that is currently lost when specimens are placed in a fixative and essentially killed quickly in order to preserve structure," said Boppart, who is also a faculty member at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at Illinois and a professor of electrical & computer engineering (ECE) and the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. "Our imaging platform and methodology allow us to extract this new information in real-time, at the point-of-procedure."

Boppart's portable optical imaging system uses precise light pulses to simultaneously image tissue in four modalities, enabling his team to study concurrent processes within cells and tissue that make up the tumor microenvironment. For example, collagen fibers appear in green; elastin fibers and flavin adenine dinucleotide-containing cell cytoplasm appear in yellow; cell membranes, lipid boundaries, and extracellular vesicles (EVs) appear in magenta; and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide in the cells and lipids appears in cyan.

The team demonstrated the viability of their imaging system in the operating room at Carle Foundation Hospital during breast cancer surgeries. Within 30 minutes of the diseased tissue being extracted, the researchers were able to identify specific tissue features, including molecular signatures associated with metabolic activity inside individual cells that make up the tumor microenivronment.

The researchers were also interested in measuring tumor-related extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are known to promote the spread of cancer.

"EVs do play an essential role in cancer progression," said ECE graduate student Yi "Edwin" Sun, the lead author of the research paper. "Quantifying EV densities may be developed as a potential biomarker for future cancer diagnoses."

As part of their studies, they also collected and imaged healthy breast tissue that surgeons had removed from cancer-free patients during breast reduction procedures.

In a comparison of the two types of tissue, they found a clear difference in EV density between the cancerous and healthy tissue. For example, the cancerous tissue exhibited increased EV densities and had shorter tumor-to-margin distance.

"What we observed about the extracellular vesicles is significant but it could only be accurately determined with our new system," said Sun, noting how other portable optical imaging systems deployed in the operating room all alter the tissue samples either with fluorescent dyes or toxic ultraviolet light. "Our imaging technique works well with current cancer treatment routines and is free of any form of perturbation."

According to Boppart, the team's future plans include using the imaging system on tissue specimens obtained from needle-biopsy procedures that are routinely performed in outpatient settings. They will also continue using the system on samples from the operating room.

The imaging system is described in the paper, "Intraoperative visualization of the tumor microenvironment and quantification of extracellular vesicles by label-free non-linear imaging," which was published online December 19, 2018.

In addition to Sun and Boppart, other members of the research team include Bioengineering graduate students Sixian You and Joanne Li; Beckman researchers Haohua Tu, Eric Chaney, Marina Marjanovic, and Jianfeng Wang; Beckman staff Ronit Barkalifa and Darold Spillman; and Carle physicians Anna Higham, Natasha Luckey, Kimberly Cradock, and Z. George Liu.

Many dedicated research and support staff contributed to this research, in addition to those listed as authors on the paper, said Boppart. "Research like this is only possible because of the strong collaborative ties at the Beckman Institute, Carle, and across the Illinois campus."
Researchers from Queen's University Belfast, in collaboration with the University of Bristol, are leading a cutting-edge project, named the "MONARCH" study, that could benefit eye disease patients whilst saving both time and money within the NHS.

The MONARCH study aims to investigate if patients with an eye condition called wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) could test their vision at home, rather than attend a hospital appointment.

The most serious type of AMD, known as wet AMD, develops when abnormal blood vessels form underneath the macula stops functioning as well as it used to. AMD patients experience blurred distorted vision, difficulty seeing in dim lighting and problems reading.

Current treatment for wet AMD is a series of monthly injections which reduce the growth of new vessels which limit vision loss. Following treatment, patients attend regular hospital check-ups where clinical staff monitor the macula by taking photographs and doing vision tests, checking whether any follow-up treatment is needed.

Most patients will not require follow-up treatment, but about 30% do. Hospital check-up appointments are important for preventing further loss of vision. However, these check-up appointments put a huge strain on already-stretched resources, and limit the capacity for seeing new patients who, if not seen urgently, are at high risk of losing their vision.

Dr Ruth Hogg, from the Centre of Public Health at Queen's University Belfast and Co-Chief Investigator of the MONARCH study explains: "Injections for AMD have been very successful, with about half of patients retaining vision sufficiently good for driving. However, the burden on the NHS and patients has been considerable due to the need for frequent injections and intensive monitoring throughout the follow-up period. In Belfast, evening and weekend clinics have been added, yet it's still not enough.

"We urgently need to rethink how services are offered as the current setup isn't sustainable. AMD is a huge burden to the NHS through time spent by clinical staff monitoring patients of whom the majority do not require treatment."

The study aims to find out whether monitoring vision by patients themselves at home could potentially alleviate some of the burden of AMD on the NHS, as well as be more convenient for patients, without compromising their safety or wellbeing. If home eye tests can detect when treatment is needed, it would mean that patients might only need to attend hospital appointments to have treatment.

Patients participating in the study will be provided with three different eye tests for them to do at home, comprising a paper-based booklet of reading tests and two tests ("apps") that run on an iPodtouch. Patients will be asked to do all three tests weekly at home. The results of the tests are sent automatically via the internet to the Study Management Centre in Bristol.

Professor Reeves, from the Bristol Medical School and Co-Chief Investigator of the MONARCH study says: "We are excited to be collecting data from the apps automatically, via the internet. These kinds of methods, with data flowing directly from the data source to the study database, should increase both the accuracy of the data and the efficiency of their capture."

Throughout the study participants will attend their normal hospital check-up appointments and the results of the tests done at these appointments will be compared with the results from the home eye tests.

Patricia Strong, an AMD patient added: "Since completing a course of treatment for wet AMD, I've had regular appointments to check my vision and get photographs taken and I've occasionally needed further injections. I spend quite a lot of time getting to the hospital and the cost of transport does add up so being able to check for myself at home would make a real difference for me, saving time and money."

The study aims to recruit 400 participants from five different hospitals around the UK, including Belfast. Patients will be provided with equipment and support to do the three home eye tests weekly over a period of one to two years. It is hoped that the data gathered will lead to a shift in services provided to AMD patients, so that only those who require treatment will be required to attend hospital appointments.

Source: http://www.qub.ac.uk/News/Allnews/QueensdevelopneweyeteststhatcouldhelppatientsandreduceburdenonNHS.html
How do airborne particles, so-called aerosols, affect the formation and life cycle of clouds and precipitation? In order to come one step closer to solving this question, atmospheric scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) and the Leipzig Institute for Meteorology (LIM) at Leipzig University will observe the atmosphere at one of the cleanest places in the world for at least a year. For the DACAPO-PESO project, they transported two containers with extensive measurement technology from Leipzig to Punta Arenas on the Strait of Magellan in southern Chile. There, the two institutes cooperate with the Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics at Magellan University (UMAG), which, in addition to providing the infrastructure for the Leipzig instruments, also contributes its own measurements to the project. The choice fell on Punta Arenas because the city is located on a comparable geographical latitude as Germany and will thus enable comparisons between the northern and southern hemispheres. The measurement campaign is part of the International Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP), which aims to improve weather and climate forecasts for the polar regions through intensive measurements.

"The experiment will allow us to explain more precisely the observed regional differences in the efficiency of ice formation in clouds and to describe the role of aerosols in more detail," says Dr. Patric Seifert, scientist at TROPOS and initiator of DACAPO-PESO. "The synergies of the versatile remote sensing instruments and the development of new evaluation algorithms based on them will provide more precise insights into the clouds. One objective will be, to clarify whether the ice crystals in the virtually aerosol-free atmosphere of Punta Arenas grow more frequently through riming in liquid water layers than through aggregation as compared to the northern hemisphere," explains Junior Prof. Heike Kalesse from Leipzig University.

The measuring station in Punta Arenas was set up in November and December 2018 by three scientists from TROPOS and UMAG. Patric Seifert returned to Leipzig shortly before Christmas and is satisfied with the progress made so far: "All instruments are working reliably and the first interesting observations have already been made. Pure liquid water clouds were observed at temperatures of around -20C, which is extremely rare during comparable measurements in Germany. This could be an indication for few ice germs in the southern hemisphere."

The formation of clouds and precipitation essentially depends on three parameters: Humidity, temperature, as well as the availability and type of aerosol particles that serve as nuclei for cloud drops and ice crystals. Even though it is widely accepted that water vapour and temperature dominate cloud processes, scientists still debate about the actual influence of aerosol particles on the weather. It is known that every cloud droplet and every ice crystal that forms at temperatures higher than -40C requires the availability of a drop or ice nuclei.

In Germany and other regions in the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere, most precipitation (in the free troposphere) occurs between two and twelve kilometres above the ground. These air layers are characterised by aerosol particles from man-made air pollution, desert dust and forest fires. In the mid-latitudes of the southern hemisphere, these particles are largely absent because there are more oceans and much less industry, deserts and forests. If the amount of aerosol particles available in the atmosphere changes, the amount of cloud droplets and ice crystals formed also changes. It can thus be explained that liquid water clouds over regions of Europe or Southeast Asia that are heavily contaminated with aerosols consist of considerably more droplets. In contrast, liquid water clouds in less polluted regions such as over the oceans or polar regions consist of fewer and often larger droplets.

A similar influence of aerosol particles on the formation of ice crystals has already been observed by TROPOS scientists in clouds above Leipzig: Clouds formed under the influence of Sahara dust form ice more frequently and at higher temperatures than clouds formed in clean air. The life cycle of a cloud thus takes a different course because the formation of the tiny ice crystals and cloud droplets are the beginning of numerous processes that accompany the development of the cloud and ultimately lead to the formation of precipitation.

The knowledge about the connections between aerosol particles and clouds comes mainly from measurements in the more polluted northern hemisphere. However, relatively little is known in detail about how these processes take place under the much cleaner conditions of the southern hemisphere. Therefore, the idea for the field experiment DACAPO-PESO (Dynamics, Aerosol, Cloud and Precipitation Observations in the Pristine Environment of the Southern Ocean) was born at TROPOS, which should provide a reference data set in the Southern midlatitudes. In order to be able to compare the situation in the northern hemisphere with that in the southern hemisphere, the choice was therefore made for a location that lies approximately at the same latitude as Germany and therefore has similar temperature and climate conditions. With the exception of South America, the southern hemisphere is covered by oceans in these latitudes and long-term measurements at sea are not practicable to this extent. Therefore, the choice fell on Chile, where the researchers from Leipzig (52N) found a cooperation partner with Magellan University in Punta Arenas (53S).

South America is currently in the focus of international atmospheric research: Almost 3000 km to the north, a large-scale measurement campaign by various universities and institutions from the USA is currently undergoing in Argentina and southern Brazil: RELAMPAGO-CATI investigates the formation of thunderstorms to improve the prediction of hail and tornadoes.

In recent years, the available techniques for the continuous observation of aerosols and clouds have progressed extremely. Lidar and radar equipment such as the Leipzig Aerosol and Cloud Remote Observations System (LACROS) can be used to record the structure of cloud and aerosol layers as well as precipitation from the ground with high resolutions in the range of seconds and meters. In the DACAPO-PESO measurement campaign, a total of three lidar systems are used to record aerosol properties. In addition, three differently configured Doppler radar systems observe the structure of clouds and precipitation. The radars and a so-called Doppler lidar also provide information on the vertical movement of the air, which is so important for cloud formation. These vertical movements lead to cooling. This increases the relative humidity in the air and cloud formation can occur. Rain sensors record the size and type of precipitation arriving on the ground, a microwave radiometer determines the amount of water vapour and liquid water present in the atmosphere, and radiation measuring instruments document the influence of aerosols and clouds on the energy arriving on the Earth's surface. Most of the instruments are part of the LACROS station of the TROPOS, which is during DACAPO-PESO extended by a new Doppler radar of LIM and a lidar of the UMAG.

All measurements together provide a detailed picture of the weather in the clean atmosphere over Punta Arenas. The long time series of measurements of at least one year will provide a comprehensive data set. This will serve the scientists as a reference for the comparison with the weather conditions in the highly aerosol-burden temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere. The evaluation is partly carried out within the framework of the European infrastructure projects ACTRIS, Cloudnet and EARLINET as well as in cooperation with the Consortium of the Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP), the Priority Programme SPP2115 "PROM" of the German Research Foundation (DFG) and a project of the European Social Fund (ESF) led by LIM.

Since TROPOS was founded in the 1990s, researchers at the institute have been working on the question of how aerosols and clouds interact. They discovered, for example, that ice forms in clouds in the northern hemisphere at much higher temperatures than in clouds in the southern hemisphere. This was the result of lidar-assisted investigations at TROPOS, UMAG in Chile, Stellenbosch University in South Africa and during transatlantic cross-sections of the research vessel Polarstern, which were already collected in 2008-2010. In Central Europe, around 70 percent of clouds already form ice at temperatures around -18 degrees Celsius. In southern Chile and South Africa, on the other hand, only 20 and 35 percent respectively form ice at the same temperature. The reason for such a contrast is most probably the larger number and greater diversity of aerosol particles floating in the air in the northern hemisphere.

The two project coordinators Seifert and Kalesse are confident that DACAPO-PESO will significantly increase the level of knowledge on the interaction between aerosols, clouds, and precipitation, especially due to the good personnel support. Thanks to approved projects of the DFG, the ESF and own funds of TROPOS and UMAG, the DACAPO-PESO team already comprises 4 experienced researchers and 4 PhD students. The data set will provide an unprecedented wealth of information on aerosols and clouds in the mid-latitudes of South America.
Biologists studying Parkinson's disease have long hoped to solve the mystery of the telltale "clumps." Scientists want to know how clumps of misfolded proteins damage brain cells and contribute to the disease.

Corinne Lasmezas, PhD, and her Scripps Research colleagues have now cracked the case of p-syn*, a protein clump that is particularly toxic to the cells. Their recent study in the journal Neurobiology of Disease shows that p-syn* causes damage by recruiting certain enzymes and an accomplice to damage cells. The accomplice is a protein called tau.

"We really felt like detectives in this study," says Lasmezas, a professor on the Florida campus of Scripps Research. "We hope that this research into the root cause of Parkinson's will bring us closer to finding a disease-modifying treatment."

Parkinson's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's. The disease strikes when the brain starts losing the cells that produce dopamine, a critical neurotransmitter.

Parkinson's can have many causes, from genetics to environmental factors, but a protein called -synuclein (-syn in short) is found to turn bad and form clumps in every case. The Lasmezas lab has discovered that a particular type of -syn clumps, or "aggregates," that they called p-syn*, starts to show up around cellular structures called mitochondria. This is a big problem for cells, which need mitochondria to produce their energy.

"We can see the mitochondria break into fragments in these cells," says Lasmezas. "We wanted to understand the mechanism behind this."

The investigation relied on a combination of cultured neurons and a mouse model of Parkinson's, as well as analysis of donated brain tissues from deceased Parkinson's disease patients.

The new research shows that p-syn* hurts mitochondria by starting a cascade of events. First, p-syn* activates a pathway in cells called the MAPK pathway. Enzymes of the MAPK pathway then modify the protein tau. This was a fascinating finding, since tau has long puzzled neuroscientists. Tau is known to form tangles inside neurons in the brains of Parkinson's disease patients. But scientists did not know how they got there or what they were doing.

Lasmezas and her team found that enzymes of the MAPK pathway modify tau through a process called phosphorylation. This version of tau then clumps together with p-syn* on the mitochondrial membrane. The two protein aggregates grow bigger and bigger, destroying the mitochondria in the process.

At last, the researchers knew what p-syn* was doing and how it hurt cells. "We've shown how p-syn* works as the main trigger in mitotoxicity," says Lasmezas.

Study first author Diego Grassi, PhD, a research associate at Scripps Research at the time of the study, stresses the importance of discovering tau's role in destroying mitochondria. Scientists know tau is involved in Alzheimer's disease, so this study suggests a mechanism behind how Alzheimer's and Parkinson's overlap at the molecular level. The presence of -syn and tau aggregates is also a telltale sign of other forms of dementia, and now scientists know how this might occur.

"This is also important for its possible implications in other neurodegenerative disorders," says Grassi.

Lasmezas and Grassi say the next step in this research is to study how to stop p-syn*, with the ultimate goal of treating Parkinson's disease.

"I know we are doing something that could make a meaningful difference in the quality of life of people affected by this condition," says Grassi. "I can hardly imagine a place better than Scripps Research to perform this kind of translational activity."
An interdisciplinary team of three Virginia Tech faculty members affiliated with the Macromolecules Innovation Institute has created a drug delivery system that could radically expand cancer treatment options.

The conventional cancer treatment method of injecting nanoparticle drugs into the bloodstream results in low efficacy. Due to the complexities of the human body, very few of those nanoparticles actually reach the cancer site, and once there, there's limited delivery across the cancer tissue.

The new system created at Virginia Tech is known as Nanoscale Bacteria-Enabled Autonomous Drug Delivery System (NanoBEADS). Researchers have developed a process to chemically attach nanoparticles of anti-cancer drugs onto attenuated bacteria cells, which they have shown to be more effective than the passive delivery of injections at reaching cancer sites.

NanoBEADS has produced results in both in vitro (in tumor spheroids) and in vivo (in living mice) models showing up to 100-fold improvements in the distribution and retention of nanoparticles in cancerous tissues.

This is a product of the five-year National Science Foundation CAREER Award of Bahareh Behkam, associate professor of mechanical engineering. Collaborators on this interdisciplinary team are Rick Davis, professor of chemical engineering, and Coy Allen, assistant professor of biomedical sciences and pathobiology in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.

"You can make the most amazing drugs, but if you cannot deliver it where it needs to go, it cannot be very effective," Behkam said. "By improving the delivery, you can enhance efficacy."

This work, which combines expertise in mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, and veterinary medicine, was recently detailed in

Using salmonella for good

Humans have noticed, even as far back as Ancient Egypt, that cancer went into remission if the patient also contracted an infection like salmonella. Neither are ideal, but humans can treat salmonella infections more effectively than cancer.

In modern times, Allen said the idea of treating cancer with infections traces back to the late 1800s and has evolved into immunotherapy, in which doctors try to activate the immune system to attack cancerous cells.

Of course, salmonella is harmful to humans, but a weakened version could in theory provide the benefits of immunotherapy without the harmful effects of salmonella infection. The concept is similar to humans receiving a weakened flu virus in a vaccine to build immunity.

Over six years ago, Behkam came up with the idea of augmenting bacterial immunotherapy to also attack cancer with conventional anti-cancer drugs. The problem was the passive delivery of anti-cancer drugs doesn't work very well.

Given her background in bio-hybrid microrobotics, she wanted to use salmonella bacteria as autonomous vehicles to transport the medicine, in nanoparticle form, directly to the cancer site.

The work began with Behkam's first doctoral student, Mahama Aziz Traore, constructing the first generation of NanoBEADS by assembling tens of polystyrene nanoparticles onto E. coli bacteria. After thoroughly studying the dynamics and control aspects of the NanoBEADS systems for a few years, Behkam brought Davis into the project because he had experience creating polymer nanoparticles for drug delivery.

"She mentioned this radically different approach for delivering drugs and nanoparticles," Davis said. "I walked away from the conversation thinking, 'Man, if this thing could work, it would be fantastic.'"

Behkam chose this particular bacterial strain, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium VNP20009, because it has been thoroughly studied and successfully tested in a phase one clinical trial.

"Its (salmonella's) job as a pathogen is to penetrate through the tissue," Behkam said. "What we thought is if bacteria are so good at moving through the tissue, how about coupling nanomedicine with the bacterium to carry that medicine much farther than it'd passively diffuse on its own?"

Trial and error

Although Behkam had a vision for the new drug delivery system, it took several years for it to become reality.

"The process of creating nanoparticles and then attaching them to bacteria in a robust and repeatable manner was challenging, but add on top of that ensuring the bacteria stay alive, discovering the mechanism of bacteria transport in cancerous tissue, and devising ways to quantitatively describe the effectiveness of NanoBEADS, and this was a difficult project," Davis said.

SeungBeum Suh, Behkam's former Ph.D. student, and Amy Jo, Davis' former Ph.D. student, worked together on attaching nanoparticles while keeping the bacteria alive. It wasn't until their fourth attempt that they started finding success.

"We collaborated to make these particles, and we attached them to the bacteria," Behkam said. "Then the question was what is the mechanism of their translocation in the tumor? How far do they go into the tumor? How do we present a quantitative measure of their performance?"

Behkam along with Suh and current doctoral student Ying Zhan tested their nanoparticle-attached salmonella in lab-grown tumors. They found up to 80-fold improvements in nanoparticle penetration and distribution using the NanoBEADS platform, compared to passively diffusing nanoparticles.

Furthermore, Suh and Behkam found out that NanoBEADS largely penetrate the tumor by translocating through the space in between cancer cells.

Behkam wanted to strengthen the NanoBEADS results past the in vitro stage. With a top-flight veterinary school down the road, she enlisted Allen, her fellow MII faculty member, to test the NanoBEADS system in vivo. Tests in breast cancer tumors in mice produced results showing significant improvements compared to passive delivery.

The tests showed that there was about 1,000 times more salmonella cells in the tumor compared to the liver and 10,000 times more than the spleen.

"Most notably, the salmonella itself helped keep the particles in the tumor up to 100-fold better, which would suggest it would be an effective delivery vehicle," Allen said.

The next step in the research is to load cancer therapeutics into the NanoBEADS system to test the potential enhancement in efficacy.

From bench to kennel to bedside

The collaboration highlights the diversity of interdisciplinary research possible through MII and Virginia Tech.

"The synergistic integration of diverse expertise has been essential to the high-impact discoveries that resulted from this work," Behkam said.

With the addition of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Allen said Virginia Tech has the possibility to test scientific research "from bench to kennel to bedside."

"The project could not move forward without each of the three parts," Allen said. "The study would not have gotten into such a high impact journal without having the chemistry, the background of the pathogen, the idea, and having the physiological and clinical relevance of testing it in an actual tumor in an actual animal model."

Davis said all drug delivery mechanisms have to go through animal trials, so having an "absolutely fantastic" college of veterinary medicine on campus took the research to a higher level.

"One thing that attracted me to this project was the ability to work with people like Bahareh and Coy who work with cells and animal studies to really translate the work," Davis said. "It's hard to find that combination of people in a lot of schools."

Source: https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2018/12/mii-nanobeads-bacteria-based-drug-delivery-system-outperforms-conventional-methods.html
CareDx, Inc., a leading molecular diagnostics company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of clinically differentiated, high-value diagnostic solutions for transplant patients, today announces the publication of data demonstrating the clinical utility of measuring AlloSure in repeat kidney transplant recipients in the American Journal of Transplantation.

AlloSure is the first donor-derived cell-free DNA test to assess allograft health and is broadly available to transplant patients. Previous publications demonstrating the clinical value of AlloSure were based on first-time or single kidney transplant recipients (SKTR); the current study is the first study to include repeat kidney transplant recipients (RKTR).

A significant percentage of patients require repeat kidney transplants and are at a higher risk for rejection. There is an unmet need for a non-invasive diagnostic test to help clinicians closely monitor and optimize care for these patients. We are glad to see AlloSure demonstrate significant clinical utility in this population. Roslyn Mannon, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham

Key highlights from the study:

In patients without evidence of rejection, the median readouts of AlloSure were significantly lower than threshold levels for rejection in both SKTR and RKTR

In patients with active rejection, AlloSure levels were similarly elevated in SKTR and RKTR patients alike
A new report, authored in part by researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, provides guidance on how to implement universal suicide risk screening of youth in medical settings. The report describes a way for hospitals to address the rising suicide rate in a way that is flexible and mindful of limited resources.

In 2016 alone, more than 6,000 youth in the United States under the age of 25 died by suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Studies have found that a majority of youth who died by suicide visited a health care provider or medical setting in the month prior to killing themselves. The interactions of these youth with the health care system make medical settings an ideal place for positioning suicide intervention efforts.

"Suicide is a major public health concern and early detection is a critical prevention strategy," said NIMH Director Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D. "Part of NIMH's suicide prevention research portfolio focuses primarily on testing and implementing effective strategies for identifying individuals at risk of suicide. Results from these research efforts are poised to make a real difference and help save lives."

In 2007, The Joint Commission (TJC) released a National Patient Safety Goal requiring that all behavioral health patients who present to psychiatric and general hospitals be screened for suicide risk. However, upon examining their data, they discovered that over a quarter of hospital suicides occur on non-behavioral health units, and at-risk patients were passing through emergency departments, inpatient medical units, and outpatient clinics undetected. This realization led TJC, in 2016, to recommend that all patients presenting to medical settings be screened for suicide risk.

While good practice, universal screening can present a strain on the resources of hospitals and other health care facilities. The report, published in Psychosomatics, presents a new 3-tiered clinical pathway system as a flexible and resource-conscious way to implement universal suicide risk screening within pediatric health care settings. The system was created by an international subcommittee of the Pathways in Clinical Care workgroup from within the Physically Ill Child committee of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

The clinical pathway model consists of three main components, the first of which is an initial screen of all youth using the NIMH IRP-created Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) tool. The ASQ is the first screening tool developed specifically to detect suicide risk in pediatric medical patients, is available in 14 languages, and takes about 20 seconds to administer. The second tier of screening is the most critical step and calls for a brief suicide safety assessment (BSSA), which takes about 10-15 minutes to administer. This measure is used to classify a person's risk of suicide (low risk, high risk, or imminent risk) based on survey responses and clinical judgment, guiding the clinician's decision for next steps. The third tier of screening, if deemed necessary during the BSSA, involves a full comprehensive safety evaluation by a licensed mental health provider. The goal of this assessment is to address safety issues and establish an intervention plan.

Decisions about patient care are made at each of the three assessment stages and are dependent on clinical insight in combination with responses to the surveys.

"Clinicians from across North America came together to address this youth crisis in a feasible, consistent and flexible way that can be adapted to each system where suicidal youth present," said Maryland Pao, M.D., clinical director of the NIMH Intramural Research Program and an author on the paper.

The clinical pathway model presented in this report is accompanied by a variety of resources to help health care settings implement the outlined model (e.g. the ASQ Toolkit). It is hoped that the clinical pathways model described in this report can be used in health care settings to implement universal screening for youth in an effective manner--a manner that will help identify youth at risk for suicide and save lives.

According to Lisa Horowitz, Ph.D., M.P.H., a clinical scientist in the NIMH Intramural Research Program and an author on the paper, "these pathways make it possible for health care systems to implement suicide risk screening for all patients, in a practical way. This is how researchers and clinicians can partner together to heed the call to action to lower the suicide rate and save young lives."
Last year two critically ill heart patients were facing an uncertain future, but this Christmas Scotlands first revolutionary Heart in a Box transplantees are looking forward with hope.

Credit: TransMedics, Inc.

Roger Marr and Julie-Ann Morris were the first people in Scotland to have a heart transplant using the Organ Care System (OCS) earlier this year.

The new technology is the worlds first portable system, which keeps human organs warm and functioning outside of the body.

The OCS extends the amount of time a donated organ can remain outside the body in a condition suitable for transplantation, while giving surgeons the opportunity to assess an organs function.

It contains technologies which simulate the conditions of the human body and allows organs to function as they normally do.

Golden Jubilee transplant surgeon Phil Curry said:

It is a fantastic achievement to have completed two heart transplants this year using the Organ Care System  for the first time in Scotland - with good results for the patients involved. Roger and Julie-Ann are both young and were critically ill, but they are now making good progress and I have little doubt that using the OCS helped keep the donors hearts in premium condition before transplantation. The OCS means that organs can be retrieved from farther away and that we can therefore consider organs which may have been previously rejected. Using new technologies that can benefit patients and improve outcomes for them is a major part of what we do and how we work at the Golden Jubilee Foundation, to lead on quality, research and innovation.

Credit: TransMedics, Inc.

PATIENT STORIES

ROGER MARR

Roger, 46, from Prestonpans in East Lothian, an assistant rail construction manager, first went to his GP back in November 2017 where it was first thought he had Australian flu  a severe strain of the virus known as H3N2.

It was soon discovered he actually had a viral infection, which eventually caused severe heart failure.

He was admitted to the Golden Jubilee National Hospital the same month where he was told he was seriously ill and needed a heart transplant to survive.

On top of that, while he was in hospital awaiting his transplant, his wife Caroline discovered she was seven weeks pregnant with baby son Rocco, who was born in June.

Roger said: It was a bit of a shock. It was weird when I was shown my own heart to show me how damaged it was, it looked terrible.

They werent talking about transplant to begin with, but I was deteriorating and thats when Phil Curry landed at my bedside and told me he thought he could do the transplant.

I owe so much to the donor, their family and transplant team at the Jubilee, I cannot put into words my gratitude or how I feel. They saved my life and gave me a life with my newborn son, who is now running me ragged.

Roger added: Im feeling really good now. Im in the gym, training for 25 minutes without stopping, doing 12 miles, squats with 70-80kg weights, I feel absolutely brilliant.

The cardio rehab in Edinburgh cant believe my progress and say Im six to eight weeks more advanced than other patients, so I dont know if that has anything to do with the Heart in a Box.

JULIE-ANN MORRIS

Julie-Ann Morris, 41, from Glasgow, was lucky enough to receive her heart transplant through OCS four days after being put on the transplant list, just weeks after Roger.

Julie-Ann was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy when she was in her teens and had two separate defibrillators implanted in her heart in 2006 and 2012.

Julie-Ann, who is a senior insurance underwriter, had lived with her heart problems for most of her life and had even accepted she would probably die young because of it, like other family members before her had.

She gradually started becoming more seriously ill during last year and in December, following a series of tests, Golden Jubilee surgeons came to the conclusion that a heart transplant was the only hope for Julie-Ann.

I always just lived with cardiomyopathy, as I was physically restricted I sometimes felt I was just existing rather than living. I have had many affected relatives who have died of sudden cardiac death, so I never really feared death, I just accepted I was likely to die young.

When they said I could get a transplant, it wasnt scary, it was quite exciting. I didnt have long to live when I was admitted and I then knew I was never going to get out of hospital again unless I had a transplant, so you just go for it when its offered.

I think I have always made the most of what I could do rather than dwell on what was physically outwith my reach. This has helped me with my recovery too.

Its a slow recovery following the surgery but you see small improvements every week that just make me so excited for the future.

Now I have a chance to have more of a life than I ever had. Before I was physically unable to walk even short distances, but now I can look forward to a future where I want to climb a Munro.

Julie-Ann added: Its funny getting used to my new heart. It feels like it is racing sometimes, but its just a normal heartbeat for anyone else.

People have commented on how brave and inspiring Ive been during this time, but that makes me feel embarrassed, the real brave people were my generous donor and their family.

The real inspirations are the doctors, surgeons and all supporting staff that care for the patients with compassion and respect at the time they are most vulnerable. For me life really is beginning at 40.
Scientists from Russia and China discovered a host of new and unexpected nanoparticles and found a way to control their composition and properties the findings that break fresh ground in the use of nanoparticles. The results of their study were published in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics journal.

Micro objects, such as nanoparticles, can differ a lot from macro objects (crystals, glasses) in terms of chemical composition and properties. The two pillars that the nanotechnology rests upon are the wide diversity of properties that nanoparticles of the same material (for example, silicon oxide) but of varying sizes, and the ability to control its properties. However, both experimental and theoretical research into the structure and composition of nanoparticles encounters major difficulties.

Using the USPEX evolutionary algorithm developed by Artem R. Oganov, professor at Skoltech and MIPT, scientists from China and Russia studied a wide range of nanoparticle compositions and in particular examined two classes of nanoparticles essential for catalysis: iron-oxygen and cerium-oxygen. They discovered that the so-called "magic nanoparticles" that display enhanced stability can have unexpected chemical compositions, for example, Fe6O4, Fe2O6, Fe4O14, Ce5O6, and Ce3O12. Oxygen-rich nanoparticles, such as Fe4O14, stable at normal conditions, may explain carcinogenicity of oxide nanoparticles. Scientists have quantitatively explored how the compositions vary by changing the temperature or partial pressure of oxygen.

"Stable nanoclusters can possess strange and unexpected chemical compositions (for example, Si4O18 or Ce3O12) at normal conditions, while for crystals this is usually found at extreme conditions, such as high pressures", - says Xiaohu Yu, the first author of this work, Associate Professor of Shaanxi University of Technology and former member of the Oganov lab in MIPT.

"The fact that nanoparticles have virtually the same ridges, islands of stability and seas of instability as atomic nuclei came as a surprise in this study. The atomic nucleus and the nanoparticle alike can be described as a cluster of two types of particles, for example, iron and oxygen in our case, or protons and neutrons in the case of atomic nuclei. If you draw a map and plot the numbers of each kind of atoms in the cluster along its axes, you will see that the majority of stable clusters form narrow ridges of stability. You will also discover islands of stability that are quite curious from the chemical point of view. It is quite conceivable that stable nanoparticles serve as elementary building blocks in crystal growth ? the topic I've been thrilled about since my school years. As for the islands of stability, the great contributors to their study were our renowned academicians Flerov and Oganesyan that I dreamt of working with when I was a kid," said Oganov.
Scientists working within the Human Brain Project have for the first time uncovered a direct relation between brain cell size and IQ level. As they describe in the journal eLife, larger neurons in the so-called temporal lobe of the brain that generate electrical signals with higher speed are related to faster processing rates and intelligence level as assessed in standard IQ testing.

Credit: H. Mansvelder/HBP

Our brain works through the activity of its almost 100 billion neurons that each collect, process and pass on information in the form of electrical signals. But so far, not much had been known about how the differences in the properties of these cells from person to person matter for human cognitive abilities like intelligence.

Some evidence had suggested that the size of so-called dendrites, the long branched out protrusions through which each neuron receives signals from thousands of other cells, might play a role: Especially in brain areas that integrate different types of information, such as the frontal and temporal lobes, brain cells have bigger dendrites. In these brain areas the cortex, where most of the neurons are, is also thicker in people with higher IQ. Theoretical studies additionally predicted that larger dendrites may help cells to initiate electrical signals faster.

But because of the very difficult access to human living neurons it was an open question until now whether any of these cellular properties could be proven to actually relate to human intelligence.

A collaboration of basic neuroscientists at the Free University Amsterdam with neurosurgeons and clinical psychologists at Amsterdam University Medical Center now made it possible to find out whether smarter brains are indeed better equipped with faster and bigger cells. The study is the first to take the single cell perspective and link cellular properties to human intelligence, explains senior author Prof. Huib Mansvelder, an expert for cellular neuroscience who is working within the Human Brain Project.

The Dutch team studied 46 people who needed surgery for brain tumors or epilepsy. Each patient took an IQ test before the operation, as part of a presurgery assessment. To access the diseased part deep in the brain, surgeons commonly have to remove small undamaged samples of temporal lobe. These samples still contained living cells that the scientists studied. Both the size and dendritic complexity of the cells, as well as their electrical signals  so-called action potentials  were measured in the lab and compared with the IQ scores.

Summary of the approach: The scientist were able to collect an information-rich multidimensional data set from human subjects including single cell physiology, neuronal morphology, MRI and IQ test scores. The area of the brain highlighted in blue indicates the location of cortical thickness measurements, The black square indicates the typical origin of resected cortical tissue. Credit: H. Mansvelder/HBP

They found that cells from people with higher IQ have longer, more complex dendrites and faster action potentials especially during increased activity. With computational modeling, they could also show that neurons with larger dendrites and faster action potentials can process more information coming in and can pass more detailed information on to other neurons.

Traditionally, research on human intelligence focuses on three main strategies: brain imaging studies of brain structure and function, genetic studies to find genes associated with intelligence, and behavioral psychology. Huib Mansvelder

Behavioral psychological studies have shown that higher IQ scores are associated with faster reaction times of subjects. The new findings provide a cellular explanation for this association and links findings from the separate approaches, explaining how identified genes for intelligence can lead to increased cortical thickness, larger neurons as well as faster reaction times in people with higher IQ.

Thereby, the study connects levels of organization in the human brain from function of cells to circuits to behavior. That is one of the major goals for us working together with all these partners from other disciplines of neuroscience in the Human Brain Project, to link the different levels of knowledge about the brain, the scientist says. Follow-up studies are already planned. As the IQ number is the summarized result of a wide range of tests, we now have the opportunity to dig into the data and have a closer look at which skills in particular are correlated the most to these cell features.

Faster action potentials and bigger dendrites to receive and process more synaptic information may seem like a small difference between neurons. However, since our brain consists of close to 100 billion neurons, this effect rapidly multiplies to a large effect on the computational potential of the brain as a whole: Its a small step at the level of a single neuron, a giant leap for the computational power of the brain, says Mansvelder.
"Due to the calendar, we have two very strong-selling days to end the year  Saturdays, which are always the strongest-selling days of the week, on Dec. 29, combined with Monday, New Year's Eve, [which] is always among the top-selling days of the year," Jominy stated in an email. "As we head into the period, it is important to note that incentives are still likely to be down overall for the industry versus last year. However, excellent deals can still be found on specific models."
The Rancics first listed the Victorian-style mansion in February for $6.8 million. They bought it in 2013 for $2.125 million and then gutted the mansion down to the studs. The project was another renovation for Bill Rancic, who long has specialized in buying residential properties, upgrading and selling them.
Shuma-Gorath or Gargantos? One of these Marvel monsters is headed to the MCU in Doctor Strange 2

Classic Doctor Strange villain Shuma-Gorath may be heading to the big-screen in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness - or at least a villain like him
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They are two of the biggest players in a chili-fired challenge playing out in homes and restaurants across America. Ladies and gentlemen, meet our contenders:

In one corner, a dapper, classically labeled slim glass bottle filled with tangy McIlhenny Co.'s Tabasco Pepper Sauce. In the other, a brawny plastic bottle sporting several languages, a strutting rooster and Huy Fong Foods Inc.'s Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce.

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In the vast world of chili-pepper-pungent condiments, these two very different characters demand attention. Sure, there are dozens (hundreds?) of such sauces out there, from vinegar-dominant ones such as Tabasco (Frank's Red Hot fans, we hear you) as well as more than a dozen sriracha-style sauces judging by the bottles of the stuff honoring tigers, dragonflies and more on Amazon.com.

But if you're going to hold a smackdown, you go with the guys making the most noise, and judging by the condiment selections at restaurants, Huy Fong's pulpy sriracha, at 32 years old, is an up-and-comer in a world long dominated by McIlhenny's 144-year-old Tabasco sauce.

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"Tabasco sets the gold standard as the king of Louisiana/Cajun-style hot sauces. If Tabasco is the Coca-Cola of hot sauces, sriracha might be the Red Bull," says Packaged Facts' David Sprinkle.

Tabasco sells about $100 million at retail annually, and somewhat more than that through restaurants and food service, emailed Sprinkle, publisher of the Rockville, Md., consumer market researcher. Huy Fong's sriracha sales are less clear, but it does not have the "high-volume chain restaurant penetration." Still, Huy Fong's cranks out some 20 million bottles a year, according to news reports.

Sriracha's hip cred has been fueled by high-profile chefs who use it and mainstream eateries setting it out on tables.

"Credit America's increasingly foodie bent, which includes relish of global hot and spicy flavors," says Sprinkle. "The foodie sensibility  adventurous, multicultural, urban and egalitarian  has displaced 'gourmet' in defining the kinds of eating experiences that the trendiest food consumers most want."

But how do these two work in the kitchen? Does the vinegary tang and chili burn of Tabasco play well with the same foods as the ketchup-thick, sweet and garlicky sriracha?

The garlic, with its own tongue-tingling effects, in sriracha, is at least as important as the chilies, suggests Sprinkle, giving sriracha a more rounded flavor that has a broad appeal.

"All these help sriracha serve as almost as a sauce or dressing, rather than a single-note condiment, perfect for those who want to add instant kick and flair to quickly prepared foods."

Here's what our tasters found when we compared the two. The winner? You decide.

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Tabasco

What's in a name:

Variety of Capsicum frutescens. A state in Mexico across the Gulf of Mexico from Louisiana where such peppers grow.

Made:

In the USA (Avery Island, La.)

Label lore:

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"So much more than hot."

Ingredients:

Distilled vinegar, red pepper, salt

Cost:

$2.09 per ounce

Firepower:

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Uses Tabasco peppers

The tasting

On its own:

Clean, bright and tart with pleasing vinegar bite, although some found that acidic punch too much when tasted straight.

On rice:

"Fruity, lively." "Overwhelmed the rice." "A few drops perks up plain rice." "So vinegary hot."

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On chicken:

"Cuts through the fat, nice contrast." "Masks chicken taste too much." "Nice with richness of chicken."

With tomato juice:

"Nice foil to sweet juice." "Yummy." "Move over, the other sauce may be the new mixer in town."

Also try with:

Gazpacho, guacamole, fries, onion rings, fried fish, shrimp, sausages, gumbo.

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Huy Fong's sriracha

What's in a name:

A Thai beach/seaport named Si Racha where a similar sauce is served with seafood. Made: In the USA (Rosemead, Calif.)

Label lore:

"Natural color"

Ingredients:

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Chili, sugar, salt, garlic, distilled vinegar, potassium sorbate, sodium bisulfite as preservatives, and xanthan gum.

Cost:

39 cents per ounce

Firepower:

Uses red jalapeno peppers

The tasting

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On its own:

Pastelike sauce, with an off-the-vine red pepper scent and fruity, garlicky, chili pepper taste with a trace of sweetness. Moderate heat that lingers.

On rice:

"Rounds out the rice; rice tames the heat." "Just right amount of heat." "Too sweet with rice."

On chicken:

"Chicken tames the heat." "Plain chicken doesn't hold up; garlic rubbed or strong seasonings would complement." "Great bright flavor." "Good for those who like spicy barbecue sauce."

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With tomato juice:

"Adds a subtle sweetness to the already semi-sweet juice." "Complements the juice's acidity." "Better for those who want heat but no change in sweetness."

Also try with:

Crab cakes, black bean soup, fried fish sticks, salty Asian dishes, pho and dishes with citrus notes such as kumquat, tangerine or lemon grass.

jhevrdejs@tribune.com
The story travels to Puerto Rico, as Tishs mother tracks down the fleeing accuser of her son. But most of Beale Street stays within a dreamy, violent, cruel, beautiful vision of 1970s New York. Baldwins descriptions in the novel include passages such as this one, narrated by Tish, describing a moment in her loving home with a Ray Charles song on the record player. I listened to the music and the sounds from the streets and Daddys hand rested lightly on my hair. And everything seemed connected  the street sounds, and Rays voice and his piano and my Daddys hand and sisters silhouette and the sound and the light coming from the kitchen.
New Delhi :

Benchmark indices witnessed a sharp selloff in afternoon trade Friday as heavyweights in realty, banking, IT and auto sectors bled as investors began booking profits in bluechip stocks. Negative global cues amid fears of a potential US government shutdown and rising tension between the US and China, too, weighed on investor sentiment in Mumbai. After plummeting over 400 points, the 30-share Sensex was trading 372.44 points, or 1.02 per cent, lower at 36,059.23 at 1100 hrs. The index had finished 52.66 points, or 0.14 per cent, lower at 36,431.67 Thursday.

The NSE Nifty, too, was trading 120.25 points, or 1.10 per cent, lower at 10,831.45. Top losers include Maruti, Infosys, Asian Paints, ICICI Bank, Wipro, Bajaj Auto, Reliance Industries, HDFC and TCS, cracking up to 3 per cent. While the gainers include Tata Motors, Tata Steel, SBI and NTPC, rising up to 2 per cent.

Domestic and other Asian stocks followed Wall Street that fell sharply after US President Donald Trumps demand for border wall funds pushed the federal government closer to a shutdown.

Also Read | Prices of petrol, diesel marginally slashed on Friday, check December 21 rates in your city here

The White House said Trump will not travel to Florida Friday for the Christmas holiday if the government is shutting down. More than 8,00,000 federal workers will be facing furloughs or forced to work without pay if a resolution is not reached before funding expires at midnight Friday.

Meanwhile, China accused the US of fabricating facts after the US Justice Department indicted two hackers tied to Chinese security services who allegedly targeted companies and agencies in a dozen countries, adding fuel to the rift between the two countries, experts said.

The rupee, meanwhile, weakened against the US dollar, and was trading at 69.89 a dollar. Brent crude, the international benchmark, was trading 0.66 per cent higher at USD 54.71 per barrel.

On a net basis, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 386.44 crore Thursday, and domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers to the tune of Rs 87.96 crore, provisional data available with BSE showed.

Also Read | Rupee slips 37 paise to 70.07 against US dollar in early trade

Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kongs Hang Seng was down 0.14 per cent, Japans Nikkei fell 1.46 per cent and Shanghai Composite Index edged lower by 1.16 per cent. On Wall Street, the US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 464.06 points, or 1.99 per cent, lower at 22,859.60 Thursday.

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New Delhi:

The Union Public Service Commission released the results of the Civil Services (Mains) exams on Thursday night on the official website-www.upsc.gov.in. As many as 1,994 candidates qualified for the next level. These candidates qualified will appear for personality test that will be conducted in February at the office of UPSC at Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi-110069, for selection to the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service and other Central Services (Group A and Group B). The Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2018 was held by the Union Public Service Commission from September 28 to October 7, 2018. The marks sheets of candidates who have not qualified will be put on the Commissions Website within 15 days from the date of publication of the final result (after conducting Personality Test) and will remain available on the Website for a period of 30 days.-according to the official website.

How to check Civil Service Mains result 2018:

Visit www.upsc.gov.in On the homepage, click on the link that says download Civil Service Main examination result. In the new window, click on the result. A PDF file with roll numbers and names of the candidates will appear on the screen. Check the result and download for future reference.

Direct Link: https://www.upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/WR_CSM18_Eng.pdf

Personality Test:

The personality test of the selected candidates is likely to start from February 4, 2019. The admit cards will be downloaded from the official website from January 8, 2019. Location: Office of UPSC at Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi-110069.

Read More | CBSE CTET 2018: Answer keys to release soon, details inside

This year, the UPSC for the first time allowed candidates to withdraw their names from civil services examination. While taking the decision, the commission said only half of the over 10 lakh aspirants who apply for the exam actually appear in the test. The arrangement will be implemented beginning with Engineering Services Examination, 2019, it said.

"The commission has to book venues, print papers, hire invigilators and ship the documents for all the 10 lakh applicants - which turns out to be a 50% waste of energy and resources," Union Public Service Commission chairman Arvind Saxena had said on the occasion of the 92nd foundation day celebrations. The UPSC conducts the civil services examination annually in three stages -- preliminary, main and interview -- to select officers for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others.

Also Read | CBSE 10th, 12th Board Exam 2019 Date Sheet: Exams to begin in Feb

According to Saxena, the commission is looking for genuine and serious candidates so that it could give them better facilities and make the system more efficient. A start is being made with the Engineering Services Examination, 2019 and more examinations will be brought under this arrangement, the statement issued by the Personnel Ministry said.
New Delhi:

Actress Jacqueline Fernandez appeals to people to help rebuild Kerala and in order to get the state back post the floods. Jacqueline will travel to flood-affected areas in Kerala to volunteer to build homes with NGO Habitat for Humanity India. Jacqueline Fernandez has been an active voice when it comes to social issues. The actress who has advocated many causes like marine conservation and animal welfare is currently striving to rebuild Kerala after the unfortunate floods hit the state.

The actor will be visiting the areas such as Thuruth and Naduvannur. During her visit, Jacqueline plans to interact with the affected families.

The Habitat for Humanity India, an NGO, plans to build or repair 6,000 homes of those affected by the deluge in Kerala. Under this campaign, Jacqueline Fernandez had visited the flood-affected areas in Kerala. Earlier, in the first phase of the relief work, Jacqueline appealed to her fans and her industry colleagues to provide first Responders Kit, a humanitarian aid kit and bottled drinking water to 93,889 families.

Also read | 'Zero' review: Along with Shah Rukh Khan, the logic gets dwarfed

Meanwhile, she is involved in helping the relief work team mobilize funds of over Rs 50 lakh by encouraging individual donors. From her end, she is trying to be completely involved in the entire process.

After celebrities like Shraddha Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Arjoon Kapoor now Hrithik Roshan has also extended his support and join Jaqueline for the Rebuild Kerala Campaign. Hrithik has been saddened by the calamity happened and that's how he came forward and join Jaqueline's initiative.

Through the initiative, Jacqueline has already collected funds to rebuild Kerela and now the second edition is in process .

Jacqueline Fernandez also represented the voice of animal welfare at the UN on the world animal day as she took 8 million petition signatures voicing her opinion against animal testing. Recently, the actress also addressed the One Young World Event in Hague as she expressed her thoughts about sexual harassment.

Apart from Animal welfare, Jacqueline Fernandez also supports Marine Conservation and has been actively contributing to creating awareness amongst the masses using social media platforms. Also read | Hrithik Roshan supports Jacqueline Fernandez for the Rebuild Kerala Campaign Meanwhile, Jacqueline Fernandez fans are falling over the lady with every passing day and they have gone to the next level to showcase their love for her. More graffiti arts are making Bandra walls their homes, where the gorgeous beauty of B-Town resides.

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New Delhi :

The Delhi High court on Friday rejected Sajjan Kumar's plea seeking more time to surrender after he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. Following his conviction in the case, the High Court had ordered him to surrender by December 31. On Thursday, Sajjan Kumar had moved an application before the Delhi High Court and sought a months time to surrender, saying that he has eight grandchildren and needs time to settle personal matters. However, a bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel said it saw no grounds to grant him the relief and dismissed the plea.

On December 17, the same bench had found the 73-year-old former Congress leader guilty of killing five Sikhs in Delhi a day after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984. The 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.

Also Read | Rahul Gandhi says he supports punishment to those involved in 1984 anti-Sikh riots

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 said while reading out the judgment.

Besides Sajjan Kumar, Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and former Congress councilor Balwan Khokhar have been sentenced to life imprisonment, while Kishan Khokkar and former legislator Mahender Yadav have been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

In October this year, the Delhi High Court had reserved its order on the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plea challenging Sajjan Kumars acquittal by the trial court. The trial court had acquitted Kumar but awarded life sentence to former Congress councilor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal.

Also Read | Carnage of unbelievable proportion: Delhi High Court's observation on 1984 anti-Sikh riots

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.

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New Delhi:

Amid speculations of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan joining the Congress-RJD-led grand alliance in Bihar, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), in a bid to calm down its ally, on Friday offered five Lok Sabha seats to the LJP in Bihar and one in Uttar Pradesh, said sources.

The development came a day after Paswan and his son Chirag Paswan held talks with BJP national president Amit Shah in New Delhi to discuss the NDAs seat-sharing arrangement in Bihar. On Wednesday, the LJP, the key constituent of the ruling NDA, pressed for finalisation of the seat-sharing arrangement by December 31. There were reports that Paswan's party had been upset over no headway on the seat-sharing pact despite several rounds of meeting with the BJP.

Read | Upendra Kushwaha joins RJD-led grand alliance in Bihar, Ahmed Patel expresses happiness

Being irked over the delay in the seat-sharing process, Chirag Paswan, also warned of "consequences" if "seat-sharing decisions are not settled in time". Taking a dig at the ruling BJP, junior Paswan reminded that allies like Upendra Kushwaha and Telugu Desam Party (TDP)'s N Chandrababu Naidu are no longer parts of the NDA and so it should "address concerns of the remaining parties in a timely and proper fashion".

Post that, speculations had been rife that the LJP is likely to join the "mahagatbandhan" (grand alliance) in Bihar, stepping into the shoes of the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha. Kushwaha on December 10, broke his ties with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and joined the Congress-RJD-led grand alliance in Bihar.

Read | Bihar court grants bail to Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha in Model Code of Conduct case

Pulling out his support from the BJP-led led alliance, Kushwaha had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of reducing the cabinet to a "rubber stamp". Kushwaha also warned smaller NDA allies to quit the BJP-led alliance, otherwise, they will face the same arrogance as he and his party did.

Earlier, the BJP declared that the Nitish Kumar-led JD-U, another part of the NDA, would contest in 50 per cent of the seats in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

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New Delhi:

The Delhi High Court on Friday ordered the immediate release of former youth Congress leader Sushil Sharma, the convict in the 1995 tandoor murder case. The High Court asked the city government why Sharma, serving life term in the 1995 murder case of his wife Naina Sahni, has not been released after having undergone 29 years of incarceration.

Terming the issue as "serious", the court issued a notice to the Delhi government and sought its stand on Sharma's habeas corpus plea seeking release from custody in the case on the grounds that he has been jailed for 29 years, including the period of remission, and his continued incarceration was illegal.

A bench of justices Siddharth Mridul and Sangita Dhingra Sehgal asked the Secretary, Home Department and Secretary of Law and Justice department to be present before it on the next date of hearing, December 18, with the original records of Sharma's application to the Sentence Review Board (SRB) for premature release and the reasons for rejecting it.

The bench said that "life and liberty of any individual is of paramount consideration" and asked the Delhi government how someone can be kept in custody "indefinitely". Sharma, in prison since 1995, has contended that he has already undergone the maximum prescribed sentence as mandated under the SRB guidelines.

According to his plea, the guidelines on premature release state that life convicts sentenced for a single offence are to be released after completion of 20 years of incarceration and those who had committed heinous crimes are to be granted the relief after 25 years.

The petition, filed through advocate Amit Sahni, has said even though Sharma's case falls in the first category, he has also undergone 29 years of incarceration, with remission, and 23 years and six months, without remission.

Now 56, Sharma had shot dead his wife in 1995 objecting to her alleged relationship with a male friend. He had then chopped her body into pieces and attempted to burn it in a restaurant oven. Known as the tandoor murder case, it is one of the landmark cases in India in which DNA evidence and a second autopsy were used to establish the guilt of the accused.

In his plea, Sharma has contended that his conduct in prison and while out on parole has been "exemplary" and he has never misused his liberty. Apart from that, he has also argued that even the Supreme Court, while commuting his death sentence to life imprisonment, had held that he was not a confirmed criminal and there was no evidence to indicate that he was likely to revert to such crimes in future.

Another ground on which he has sought release from custody is that both his parents are over 80 years old and suffering from various ailments and there is no one to look after them.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Alka Lamba said the party has asked for her resignation and she was ready to resign, news agency ANI quoted her as saying. The move came hours after the Delhi Assembly reportedly passed a resolution demanding the withdrawal of the Bharat Ratna award given to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, accusing him of justifying the killing of innocent Sikhs in the 1984 riots. The 1984 anti-Sikh riots refer to the violence against Sikhs following the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi in October 1984.

"The Party has asked for my resignation. I'm ready to resign but Rajiv Gandhi has sacrificed a lot for the country and I didnt support the proposal in Assembly of taking back his Bharat Ratna. I've been asked to resign because I stood against the decision of the party," Lamba said.

AAP MLA Alka Lamba:Party has asked for my resignation.I'm ready to resign but Rajiv Gandhi has sacrificed a lot for country&I didnt support the proposal in Assembly of taking back his Bharat Ratna. I've been asked to resign because I stood against the decision of the party pic.twitter.com/aYNf9DvLfV  ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2018

"Delhi Assembly passes a resolution demanding Bharat Ratna be taken back from late Rajiv Gandhi," the news agency PTI reported.

Clarifying her stand on the issue, Lamba took to Twitter, saying: Today, Delhi assembly passed a resolution demanding the withdrawal of the Bharat Ratna award given to late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. I was asked to support the resolution in my speech which I didnt accept. I walked out of the assembly. Now, I will accept whatever action will be taken against me.

The party, however, is yet to make any official statement on the entire controversy.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Somnath Bharti defends its move, saying that the lines on Rajiv Gandhi was not part of the original resolution which was distributed to its MLAs and he himself later proposed the amendment and passed on to Jarnail Singh.

Taking to Twitter, Bharti wrote, "In connection with a dispute about a line on Sri Rajiv Gandhi in the resolution passed in assembly today, I confirm that the line was not part of original resolution distributed to MLAs n it was me who suggested the line as an amendment n passed on to Sri Jarnail Singh Ji ".

In connection with a dispute about a line on Sri Rajiv Gandhi in the resolution passed in assembly today, I confirm that the line was not part of original resolution distributed to MLAs n it was me who suggested the line as an amendment n passed on to Sri Jarnail Singh Ji...1/2  Adv. Somnath Bharti (@attorneybharti) December 21, 2018

"Jarnail ji didn't propose that amendment n never put that 4 vote.Amendments r always put to vote separately n unless passed,that can't form part of passed resolution.1st I talked of this in my speech n then suggested this amendment n party had no opportunity to see same," he added.

"I further clarify that amendment I proposed was not put to vote as an amendment n hence there is no question of passing the same. Hope this answers the dispute conclusively," Bharti clarified in a series of tweets.

Dubbing the AAP as the "B Team" of the BJP, the Congress's Delhi unit said it was showing its "true colours". Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken asserted that Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed his life for the country, in reply to ruling party's attacks on the former prime minister in the House, and a resolution that demanded taking back the country's highest civilian award bestowed on him.

"Sh. Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed his life for the country. True colours of AAP have come out in the open! I have always believed that AAP is the B team of BJP! AAP fielded candidates in Goa, Punjab, MP, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh just to cut the votes of Congress and help the BJP (sic)," Maken said in reply to a tweet.

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New Delhi:

Amid talks of an alliance between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress, the Delhi Assembly on Friday passed a resolution demanding the withdrawal of the Bharat Ratna award given to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, accusing him of justifying the killing of innocent Sikhs in the 1984 riots. The 1984 anti-Sikh riots refer to the violence against Sikhs following the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi in October 1984.

"Delhi Assembly passes a resolution demanding Bharat Ratna be taken back from late Rajiv Gandhi," the news agency PTI reported. The resolution moved by AAP MLA Jarnail Singh was passed by a voice vote in the House.

Meanwhile, clarifying its stand on the newly-passed resolution, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said the lines about late Rajiv Gandhi were not part of the original resolution that was placed before the house and one of the MLAs in his handwriting later proposed an addition/amendment to the same. In his tweet, Bharadwaj also added that amendments cannot be passed in this manner.

Lines about Late Rajiv Gandhi were not part of resolution placed before house and distributed to the members.

One MLA in his handwriting proposed an addition/amendment about Late Rajiv Gandhi.

Amendments cannot be passed in this manner.  Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) December 21, 2018

Here is the resolution where Rajiv Gandhi's name was later included in hand-writing:





Read | Arun Jaitley slams Congress for choosing Kamal Nath as MP CM, says Sikhs consider him 'culpable' in 1984 riots

The development came days after Congress leader Sajjan Kunar was convicted in connection to the decade-old violence against the Sikh Community. Since then several AAP MLAs were equivocal in slamming the Congress for not taking action against their leaders who were allegedly involved in the riots. This all-out attack by the Arvind Kejriwal-led party seems to be detrimental for a possible alliance between the rival parties ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections due by May.

On November 19, AAP leader and lawyer HS Phoolka along with BJP secretary released the video of the speech delivered by Rajiv Gandhi on Indira Gandhis birth anniversary at Boat Club. In an apparent reference to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots the former prime minister said that "when a big tree falls, the earth shakes".

Addressing a press conference Phoolka said, "A prime minister who justifies the killing of innocent citizens, definitely does not deserve Bharat Ratna. We, therefore, call upon the government to withdraw the Bharat Ratna conferred upon Rajiv Gandhi".

Read | 1984 anti-Sikh riots case: Sajjan Kumar's plea seeking more time to surrender rejected

"A Prime Minister who takes three years even to count the dead bodies of innocent citizens killed in open broad daylight in the capital, a Prime Minister whose party was responsible for a massacre, cannot be a Bharat Ratna. We demand Rajiv Gandhis Bharat Ratnas be taken back," the AAP leader added.

The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, or what the Sikh community calls genocide, erupted in India with thousands of Sikhs being killed following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi's mother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31.

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New Delhi :

The Delhi High Court on Friday ordered the publisher of Congress-linked National Herald newspaper to vacate its office in the national capital within two weeks. The High Court dismissed the petition filed by the Associated Journals Limited (AJL), challenging the eviction order by the government. On October 30, the land and development authority had canceled the 56-year-old lease and ordered to vacate the building, Herald House. In its order, the central government had alleged violation of lease conditions by the by Associated Journals Limited, the owner of the National Herald newspaper.

High Court justice Sunil Gaur has said that the AJL will have to vacate the Herald House located in Delhi's ITO within two weeks after which proceedings under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971 would be initiated. Opposing the plea, the Centre said that no press has been functioning in the premises for at least past 10 years and it was being used only for commercial purposes in violation of the lease deed.

The publisher had said the government kept silent till April 2018 when it again sent a notice for inspection and in which it had said that it was coming to check breaches mentioned in notice of October 10, 2016.



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New Delhi :

If you have any personal data stored in your personal desktop or laptop, it's better you get rid of that now because the Narendra Modi government has granted sweeping powers to 10 central agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt information stored in any computer. According to a new home ministry order signed by Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, 10 central agencies have been granted with powers of "interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer".

The Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, CBI, National Investigation Agency, Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW), Directorate of Signal Intelligence (in Jammu and Kashmir, North-East and Assam only) and the Delhi Police Commissioner are the agencies allowed by the home ministry to snoop any computer.

Also Read | 'Stalker Sarkar': Opposition slams Modi government for snooping diktat

The home ministry order said that the above agencies were powered to obtain any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource under the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Criticising the move to authorise central agencies to intercept, monitor, decrypt information on all computers, the Opposition Congress said that after the recent defeat in Assembly elections, the Narendra Modi government was desperate for the information and thus turned into "stalker government" Also Read: Snooping Row: Centre clarifies on order allowing 10 agencies to intercept, decrypt any computer

"From Modi Sarkar (government) to Stalker Sarkar, clearly the string of losses has left the BJP government desperate for information," the Congress party wrote on its official Twitter account.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala also lashed out at the Modi government for "flouting" the "Right to Privacy". He said that it spying on people was a tendency of the Modi government.

Also Read | Our phones are being tapped by Modi govt, says Ghulam Nabi Azad

"Modi Govt mocks & flouts Fundamental Right to Privacy with brazen impunity! Having lost elections,now Modi Govt wants to scan/snoop YOUR computers? Big Brother Syndrome is truly embedded in NDAs DNA!" Surjewala tweeted.

aaaa aaa,aaaaa aa aaa!



Modi Govt mocks & flouts Fundamental Right to Privacy with brazen impunity!



Having lost elections,now Modi Govt wants to scan/snoop YOUR computers?



Big Brother Syndrome is truly embedded in NDAs DNA!



aaaa aa aaaaaa=aaaa aaaaa aa aaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaa! pic.twitter.com/qCe1IocgY8

 Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 21, 2018

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday clarified that no new powers have been conferred to any of the security or law enforcement to intercept, monitor and decrypt information stored in any computer, adding that each case of interception, monitoring, decryption is to be approved by the Union home secretary.

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Tang has been hoping for more information since the evening of Sept. 3, 2017, when she waited up all night for her 20-year-old son, Jeremy, only to finally answer a call from his phone and instead hear a police officers voice, telling her Jeremy had been fatally shot. She was told it might take time for evidence to be processed. But now she is angered by both the delay and the knowledge that her situation is not atypical. At the hearing, Tang and other family members described how the beginning stages of grief have been stained by seeing a loved one reduced to a number that becomes a cold case.
New Delhi:

Suspended Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Raj Ballabh Yadav, who on December 15, was convicted in 2016 Nawada minor rape case, has been sentenced to life imprisonment and slapped with a fine of Rs 50,000, according to reports. Besides Yadav, five others were convicted on Wednesday by a Patna court in the case pertaining to the rape and confinement of a minor girl at the legislator's residence in Bihar's Nawada. Yadav was suspended from the RJD, immediately after the incident of the minor rape in his Biharsharif residence came to light on February 6, 2016.

"2016 Nawada minor rape case: Convicted Bihar RJD leader Raj Ballabh Yadav sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 50,000," the news agency ANI reported.

2016 Nawada minor rape case: Convicted Bihar RJD leader Raj Ballabh Yadav sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 50,000.  ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2018

Read | 1984 anti-Sikh riots case: Sajjan Kumar's plea seeking more time to surrender rejected

The court of special judge-(MP's/MLA's cases)-cum-Additional District and Sessions Judge Parshuram Yadav on December 15 pronounced the judgment against Yadav, adding that the quantum of punishment will be announced on December 21. After absconding for around one month, Yadav had in March 2016 surrendered before a chief magistrate's court in Nalanda and was sent to jail.

Raj Ballabh was held under Section 376 of the India Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act-2012. The other accused, which includes three women, were found guilty of "supplying girls to the MLA as well as luring the victim and keeping her in confinement overnight".

Though Yadav was granted bail by the Patna High Court on September 30, the Supreme Court subsequently cancelled the bail and ordered him to surrender in the Bihar lower court.

Read | 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots: Delhi High Court upholds conviction of 80 people, awards 5-year jail term

Several leaders from the ruling BJP and the JD-U have lauded and welcomed the court's decision to convict the RJD leader in the 2016 Nawada minor rape case.

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New Delhi:

Barely hours after a resolution demanding the withdrawal of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's Bharat Ratna raked up a political storm across India, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Somnath Bharti defended its move, saying that the lines on Rajiv Gandhi was not part of the original resolution which was distributed to its MLAs and he himself later proposed the amendment and passed on to party MLA Jarnail Singh.

Taking to Twitter, Bharti wrote, "In connection with a dispute about a line on Sri Rajiv Gandhi in the resolution passed in assembly today, I confirm that the line was not part of original resolution distributed to MLAs n it was me who suggested the line as an amendment n passed on to Sri Jarnail Singh Ji ".

"Jarnail ji did not propose that amendment and never put that for the vote. Amendments are always put to vote separately and unless passed that can not be a part of the passed resolution. First I talked about this in my speech and then suggested this amendment and party had no opportunity to see the same," he added.

"I further clarify that amendment I proposed was not put to vote as an amendment n hence there is no question of passing the same. Hope this answers the dispute conclusively," Bharti clarified in a series of tweets.

I further clarify that amendment I proposed was not put to vote as an amendment n hence there is no question of passing the same. Hope this answers the dispute conclusively.  Adv. Somnath Bharti (@attorneybharti) December 21, 2018

Read | Delhi Assembly passes resolution demanding to take back Rajiv Gandhis Bharat Ratna, AAP takes a U-turn

The AAP legislators have been accusing former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi of justifying the killing of innocent Sikhs in the 1984 riots. The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, or what the Sikh community calls genocide, erupted in India with thousands of Sikhs being killed following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi's mother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31.

On November 19, AAP leader and lawyer HS Phoolka along with BJP secretary released the video of the speech delivered by Rajiv Gandhi on Indira Gandhis birth anniversary at Boat Club. In an apparent reference to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots the former prime minister said that "when a big tree falls, the earth shakes".

Addressing a press conference Phoolka said, "A prime minister who justifies the killing of innocent citizens, definitely does not deserve Bharat Ratna. We, therefore, call upon the government to withdraw the Bharat Ratna conferred upon Rajiv Gandhi".

The 1984 anti-Sikh riots case has been hogging the limelight in the media ever since Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in early December has been convicted in connection with the decade-old violence against Sikhs. Several AAP MLAs were equivocal in slamming the Congress for not taking action against their leaders who were allegedly involved in the riots.

Read | BJP offers 5 Lok Sabha seats to Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP in Bihar, 1 in UP: Sources

Union Home Minister Arun Jaitley also took a swipe at the Congress for choosing Kamal Nath for the post of Madhya Pradesh chief minister, alleging that Sikhs consider Nath "culpable" in the 1984 violence against the community.

In an apparent reference to Nath, Jaitley said it is an irony that the verdict against Sajjan Kumar has come on a day when a Congress chief minister, who is held culpable by the Sikh community, is taking an oath. Congress leader Sajjan Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots on December 17, the same day when Kamal Nath took oath as the new chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.

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New Delhi:

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday clarified that no new powers have been conferred to any of the security or law enforcement to intercept, monitor and decrypt information stored in any computer, adding that each case of interception, monitoring, decryption is to be approved by the Union home secretary.

Earlier there were reports that the Narendra Modi government has granted sweeping powers to 10 central agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt information stored in any computer. According to a new home ministry order signed by Home

The MHA said: Rule 4 of IT (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Info) Rules'09 provides that the authority may authorise a government agency to intercept, monitor or decrypt information generated, transmitted or stored in any computer for purpose specified in the Act.

Also Read | Stalker Sarkar: Opposition slams Modi government for snooping diktat

The Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, CBI, National Investigation Agency, Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW), Directorate of Signal Intelligence (in Jammu and Kashmir, North-East and Assam only) and the Delhi Police Commissioner are the agencies allowed by the home ministry to snoop any computer.

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said this has been done in the national security interest. It has been done under the law made by the Manmohan Singh government in 2009. Each case of interception and the decision is to be approved Union home secretary.

Speaking in Rajya Sabha earlier, Union Finance Arun Jaitley said the same order of authorisation was repeated that was existing since 2009. You (Congress) are making a mountain where a molehill does not exist.

The home ministry order said that the above agencies were powered to obtain any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource under the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Criticising the move to authorise central agencies to intercept, monitor, decrypt information on all computers, the Opposition Congress said after the recent defeat in Assembly elections, the Narendra Modi government was desperate for the information and thus turned into "stalker government"

Also Read |Modi government authorises 10 central agencies to snoop on any computer

"From Modi Sarkar (government) to Stalker Sarkar, clearly the string of losses has left the BJP government desperate for information," the Congress party wrote on its official Twitter account.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala lashed out at the government for "flouting" the "Right to Privacy". He said spying on people was a tendency of the Modi government.

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New Delhi:

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday slammed the Congress for allegedly running an "ill-informed" campaign against the government on intercepting computer data, saying there is "no general snooping order" and the power to intercept in the interest of national security and public order already exists in law. The controversial order issued by Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday, authorises 10 central agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate, to intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer under existing provisions of the IT Act 2000.

The opposition parties led by the Congress slammed the order as unconstitutional, undemocratic and an assault on fundamental rights and an attempt by the BJP government to convert India into a "surveillance state" by resorting to "snooping", inviting a sharp response from the ruling party.

The Congress Speaks Without Thinking https://t.co/hpXvEuOZ4T  Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) December 21, 2018

Congress president Rahul Gandhi described Prime Minister Narendra Modi an insecure dictator. Converting India into a police state isnt going to solve your problems, Modi Ji. Its only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians, what an insecure dictator you really are, Gandhi tweeted.

Converting India into a police state isnt going to solve your problems, Modi Ji.



Its only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians, what an insecure dictator you really are. https://t.co/KJhvQqwIV7  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 21, 2018

In a blog titled 'The Congress Speaks Without Thinking', Jaitley said: "Since morning an ill-informed campaign that government has allowed snooping on computers and is violating the Right of Privacy has been carried out. The Congress Party has got into the habit of speaking out first and understanding the issue only subsequently."

Also Read | Snooping Row: Congress president Rahul Gandhi terms PM Modi an 'insecure dictator'

The Congress talks first and thinks later, he said and emphasised that there is "no general snooping order".

Jaitley said the IT Act has been in existence for almost two decades. Section 69 of the IT Act authorises a Central or a State Government in the interest of sovereignty, integrity and defence of India, security of State etc. (The Article 19(2) Conditions as mentioned in the Constitution) to direct a notified agency to intercept or monitor or decrypt an information stored in a computer resource.

This provision is similar to the power contained in the Telegraph Act in relation to telephones. The UPA Government had laid down a detailed procedure for this in the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules, 2009. Rule 4 authorises the competent authority to name the agencies which can undertake this exercise, he added.

Also Read | 'There were only 2 insecure dictators, guess who?': Amit Shah asks Rahul Gandhi

Jaitley further said: In fact, during UPA-II in a detailed debate in Parliament relating to a corporate lobbyist, the then Home Minister Shri P. Chidambaram strongly defended this power of interception being given to taxation authorities.

On Friday, Chidambaram criticised the government's move to authorise 10 Central agencies to intercept "any information" on "any computer" and said an "Orwellian state is round the corner".

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New Delhi:

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Friday hit back at Congress president Rahul Gandhi for describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi an insecure dictator. There were only 2 insecure dictators in the history of India. One imposed emergency and the other wanted unrestricted access to read letters of common citizens. Guess who were they @RahulGandhi ?

There were only 2 insecure dictators in the history of India.



One imposed emergency and the other wanted unrestricted access to read letters of common citizens.



Guess who were they @RahulGandhi ?  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 21, 2018

Gandhis comment came amid the row over the government's move to authorise 10 central agencies to intercept information on computers.

The controversial order issued by Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday, authorises 10 central agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate, to intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer under existing provisions of the IT Act 2000.

Taking to Twitter, the Congress president said: Converting India into a police state isnt going to solve your problems, Modi Ji. Its only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians, what an insecure dictator you really are, Gandhi tweeted.

Converting India into a police state isnt going to solve your problems, Modi Ji.



Its only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians, what an insecure dictator you really are. https://t.co/KJhvQqwIV7  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 21, 2018

Also Read | Snooping Row: Congress president Rahul Gandhi terms PM Modi an 'insecure dictator'

Lashing out at the Congress counterpart, Shah said: Yet again Rahul does fear-mongering and plays politics with national security. UPA put no barriers on unlawful surveillance. When Modi govt puts safeguards for citizens, Rahul cries conspiracy.

Yet again Rahul does fear-mongering and plays politics with national security.



UPA put no barriers on unlawful surveillance. When Modi govt puts safeguards for citizens, Rahul cries conspiracy.



aaa aaaa aaaaa aaa aa aaa aa, aaaa aa aa aaaaa aaaa aaa aa! https://t.co/ulzGke4zIy  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 21, 2018

Defending the move, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday asserted that the decision was taken in the interest of national security, with adequate safeguards in place.

Rejecting charges levelled by the opposition, IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also said that the Congress, which had imposed "emergency, and censorship", should not talk about threat to democracy.

"As far as the opposition is concerned, particularly the Congress party, which imposed emergency, censorship, arrested leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and eminent editors like Kuldip Nayar, superseded judges...better not talk about democracy...," he said.

Also Read | Modi government authorises 10 central agencies to snoop on any computer

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) clarified that no new powers have been conferred to any of the security or law enforcement to intercept, monitor and decrypt information stored in any computer, adding that each case of interception, monitoring, decryption is to be approved by the Union home secretary.

The MHA said: Rule 4 of IT (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Info) Rules'09 provides that the authority may authorise a government agency to intercept, monitor or decrypt information generated, transmitted or stored in any computer for purpose specified in the Act.

The latest move is also being seen as means to curb misuse of social media, ahead of general election in 2019.

A source said told news agency PTI that if there were enough reasons to believe that such platforms were being misused, compromising national security, then the agencies can take action against errant intermediaries. In the past, there have been instances of rumour-mongering on social media platforms that have triggered mob-lynching incidents in different part of the country. In addition, digital platforms are also being used by terrorist organisations for recruitment purposes.

At present, Section 69 of the IT Act provides for interception, monitoring or decryption of any information generated, transmitted, stored in any computer resource in the interest of national security, and public order.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

Amid the row over the government's move to authorise 10 central agencies to intercept information on computers, Congress president Rahul Gandhi described Prime Minister Narendra Modi an insecure dictator. Converting India into a police state isnt going to solve your problems, Modi Ji. Its only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians, what an insecure dictator you really are, Gandhi tweeted.

Converting India into a police state isnt going to solve your problems, Modi Ji.



Its only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians, what an insecure dictator you really are. https://t.co/KJhvQqwIV7  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 21, 2018

The controversial order issued by Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday, authorises 10 central agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate, to intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer under existing provisions of the IT Act 2000.

Hitting Gandhi back, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah tweeted: There were only 2 insecure dictators in the history of India. One imposed emergency and the other wanted unrestricted access to read letters of common citizens. Guess who were they @RahulGandhi ?

There were only 2 insecure dictators in the history of India.



One imposed emergency and the other wanted unrestricted access to read letters of common citizens.



Guess who were they @RahulGandhi ?  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 21, 2018

Read Also | Modi government authorises 10 central agencies to snoop on any computer

Lashing out at the Congress counterpart, Shah added: Yet again Rahul does fear-mongering and plays politics with national security. UPA put no barriers on unlawful surveillance. When Modi govt puts safeguards for citizens, Rahul cries conspiracy.

Defending the move, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday asserted that the decision was taken in the interest of national security, with adequate safeguards in place.

Rejecting charges levelled by the opposition, IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also said that the Congress, which had imposed "emergency, and censorship", should not talk about threat to democracy.

"As far as the opposition is concerned, particularly the Congress party, which imposed emergency, censorship, arrested leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and eminent editors like Kuldip Nayar, superseded judges...better not talk about democracy...," he said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) clarified that no new powers have been conferred to any of the security or law enforcement to intercept, monitor and decrypt information stored in any computer, adding that each case of interception, monitoring, decryption is to be approved by the Union home secretary.

Read Also | Snooping Row: Centre clarifies on order allowing 10 agencies to intercept, decrypt any computer

The MHA said: Rule 4 of IT (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Info) Rules'09 provides that the authority may authorise a government agency to intercept, monitor or decrypt information generated, transmitted or stored in any computer for purpose specified in the Act.

The latest move is also being seen as means to curb misuse of social media, ahead of general election in 2019.

A source said told news agency PTI that if there were enough reasons to believe that such platforms were being misused, compromising national security, then the agencies can take action against errant intermediaries. In the past, there have been instances of rumour-mongering on social media platforms that have triggered mob-lynching incidents in different part of the country. In addition, digital platforms are also being used by terrorist organisations for recruitment purposes.

At present, Section 69 of the IT Act provides for interception, monitoring or decryption of any information generated, transmitted, stored in any computer resource in the interest of national security, and public order.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi :

A Mumbai court on Friday will pronounce its judgment in the politically sensitive Sohrabuddin Shaikh-Tulsiram Prajapati alleged fake encounter case, 13 years after the incidents took place. The encounter of the Sohrabuddin Shaikh, an alleged gangster, and his aide Tulsiram Prajapati had attracted much attention as BJP president Amit Shah, who was the who was the Home Minister in Gujarat at the time of the incidents, was one of the accused in the case. Shah, however, was discharged in 2014, months after the Narendra Modi-led government came in power at Centre. Apart from Shah, the then Rajasthan home minister Gulabchand Kataria, former Gujarat police chief PC Pande and former senior Gujarat police officer D G Vanzara and 12 others were also discharged by the court for lack of evidence.

Sohrabuddin Sheikh was killed in 2005 in an encounter in Gujarat when Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the state. Gujarat police claimed that he was associated with terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba and planning to assassinate Modi.

Also Read | Sohrabuddin Case: CBI will oppose PIL over Amit Shah's acquittal

According to the CBI, Sohrabuddin was arrested by Gujarat police from a bus when he was on his way to Sangli in Maharashtra along with his wife Kausar Bi and aide Tulsiram Prajapati. Three days later, the CBI said, he was killed in an alleged fake encounter at the outskirts of Ahmedabad. His wife Kausar Bi was taken to Banaskantha district where she was killed after being raped and her body was disposed of.

A year later, Tulsiram Prajapati was also killed by Gujarat and Rajasthan police near Gujarat border on December 26, 2006, the CBI said. The police had claimed that Prajapati was trying to escape the police custody when he was being taken to Gujarat from Rajasthan after a court hearing.

In 2010, the CBI had taken over the case which was being probed by the Gujarat CID. In 2013, the Supreme Court had shifted the trial to Mumbai from Gujarat on CBIs request to ensure free and fair trial. As many as 92 of the total 210 witnesses examined by the prosecution turned hostile. However, two prosecution witnesses on Wednesday filed a plea of re-examination in the court, even as the trial drew to as close.

Also Read | Judge Loya case: Timeline and all about the judicial proceedings

One of the witnesses, Azam Khan, alleged that he and his wife were threatened to depose as told by accused Abdul Rehman, a former police inspector who had allegedly fired on Shaikh. Another witness, a petrol pump owner, claimed that his statement recorded before the magistrate was not furnished before the court. Their pleas will also be decided today.

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New Delhi :

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mumbai acquitted all the all 22 accused in the alleged fake encounter killings of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, his wife Kausar Bi and aide Tulsiram Prajapati for lack of evidence. Pronouncing the final verdict in the case, the CBI court said that all the witnesses and proofs were not satisfactory to prove conspiracy and the circumstantial evidence were not substantial. While reading out the judgment, special CBI judge said, "Government machinery and prosecution put in a lot of effort, 210 witnesses were brought but satisfactory evidence didn't come and witnesses turned hostile. No fault of the prosecutor if witnesses don't speak."

Sohrabuddin Sheikh was killed in 2005 in an encounter in Gujarat when Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the state. Gujarat police claimed that he was associated with terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba and planning to assassinate Modi. According to the CBI, Sohrabuddin was arrested by Gujarat police from a bus when he was on his way to Sangli in Maharashtra along with his wife Kausar Bi and aide Tulsiram Prajapati.

Also Read | Sohrabuddin Case: CBI will oppose PIL over Amit Shah's acquittal

Three days later, the CBI said, he was killed in an alleged fake encounter at the outskirts of Ahmedabad. His wife Kausar Bi was taken to Banaskantha district where she was killed after being raped and her body was disposed of.

A year later, on December 26, 2006, Tulsiram Prajapati was also killed by Gujarat and Rajasthan police near Gujarat border, the CBI said. The police had claimed that Prajapati was trying to escape the police custody when he was being taken to Gujarat from Rajasthan after a court hearing.

The encounter of the Sohrabuddin Shaikh, an alleged gangster, and his aide Tulsiram Prajapati had attracted much attention as BJP president Amit Shah, who was the who was the Home Minister in Gujarat at the time of the incidents, was one of the accused in the case. Shah, however, was discharged in 2014, months after the Narendra Modi-led government came in power at Centre.

Also Read | Judge Loya case: Timeline and all about the judicial proceedings



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New Delhi :

The Opposition parties led by the Congress on Friday slammed the Narendra Modi government for authorising investigative agencies to snoop on any computer, terming the move undemocratic and an ultimate assault on fundamental rights. The Union Home Ministry on Thursday authorised 10 central agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt any information stored in any computer device. According to the order signed by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, 10 investigative agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, CBI, NIA, RAW and the Delhi Police Commissioner, will be allowed to obtain any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource under the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Criticising the move, the Congress party said, "From Modi Sarkar to stalker sarkar, clearly the string of losses has left the BJP government desperate for information." Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma described the move ultimate assault on the Right to Privacy.

Also Read | Stalker Sarkar: Opposition slams Modi government for snooping diktat

"It is the ultimate assault on fundamental rights and the right to privacy. It is also in direct conflict with the Supreme Court judgment that right to privacy is a fundamental right," the Congress leader told reporters in Delhi.

Several other Opposition parties, including the CPI(M), the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, and the Trinamool Congress, said that they will collectively oppose the Narendra Modi governments diktat issued on Thursday.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to Twitter to condemn the central governments order. "I have come to know that Union Home Ministry has issued an order yesterday authorising 10 Central Agencies to carry out interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource. Isnt this dangerous? she said.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that the order to snoop on every citizen was in breach of the telephone tapping guidelines. This order by a govt wanting to snoop on every citizen is unconstitutional and in breach of the telephone tapping guidelines, the Privacy Judgement and the Aadhaar judgment. Why is every Indian being treated like a criminal? Yechuri asked.

Also Read | Our phones are being tapped by Modi govt, says Ghulam Nabi Azad

According to the government diktat, the subscriber or service provider or any person in charge of the computer resource will be bound to extend all facilities and technical assistance to the agencies. Failing to do so will invite seven-year imprisonment and fine.

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New Delhi:

Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland case, who had been sent to judicial custody till December 28 by a Delhi Court on Wednesday, moved a Delhi court on Friday seeking to be lodged in a separate cell in Tihar Jail. The application, filed through advocate Aljo K Joseph and Vishnu Shankar, sought a direction to the "Superintendent of Tihar Jail to allocate a separate cell to accused Christian James Michel". Michel was arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and extradited to India on December 4. He was then sent to CBI custody for 15 days.

He was produced in the court on December 5, which allowed his five-day custodial interrogation by the CBI which was later extended by five more days. Michel is among the three alleged middlemen being probed in the case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The others are Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa. Both the agencies notified an Interpol red corner notice (RCN) against him after the court issued a non-bailable warrant against him.

Read More | AgustaWestland middleman Christian Michel sent to judicial custody till December 28

The CBI opposed the bail application, saying Michel might flee as he had already tried to escape from Dubai just before his extradition. The probe agency said that Michel was an influential person having links with people from the ministry and other bureaucrats and politicians, many of who are its witnesses in the case.

"We brought him with so much difficulty. Some new facts have emerged and we need to have follow-ups on those. He has not been a cooperative witness. A lot more to be unearthed of our own. He has no roots in India here. He has property etc but he may sell them and go away," the probe agency said.

Also Read | Congress rattled after Christian Michels extradition, sent team to save him: BJP

The court had earlier extended by four days the CBI custody of Michel on the ground that he needed to be confronted with various documents in the case. The CBI had said that he was required to be taken to the premises of Pawan Hans India Ltd in Mumbai to verify his version of his alleged attempted negotiations to buy back WG-30 helicopters, to identify the shipper and to confront the officials of Pawan Hans India.

(With PTI inputs)

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I was not out to anyone at that time, Barker continued from the stage. While my brothers brought their spouses into our family fold, my love was not there. While my brothers wrestled with splitting holiday time between in-laws and parents, I wrestled with the sadness of splitting away from my partner every holiday. The decades passed and every year I would return home from out of state to celebrate Christmas with my folks. Alone.
New Delhi:

The West Bengal government Friday moved the Calcutta High Court challenging a single bench order that allowed BJP's 'Rath Yatra' programme in the state. It has appealed before a division bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice Debasish Kargupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar, the state government expressed urgency and sought an immediate hearing. Congress leader and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi will join the argument on behalf of DGP and ADG Law and Order in the case. The court granted leave to the state government to move the appeal and asked it to serve copies of its appeal to the respondent, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), following which the hearing would commence. A single bench presided by Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty on Thursday had allowed the BJP's 'Rath Yatra' programme, setting aside the denial of permission for the yatra by a panel of three senior most officers of the state government.

Appearing for the state government, Advocate General Kishore Dutta had Wednesday submitted an intelligence report in a sealed cover and said the issues stated in the BJP's brochure publicising the "rath yatra" were communally sensitive in nature. In the defence, BJP counsel SK Kapoor cited Mahatma Gandhi's Dandi March during the British rule to make a case for the yatra.

Read More | BJP gets High Court nod to carry out 'rath yatras' in West Bengal

"In the worst days of the British period, Mahatma Gandhi held the Dandi march. But now the West Bengal government says it won't allow a political procession," Kapoor argued. He further added that the West Bengal government was denying a political party from organising procession  a right guaranteed by the Constitution of the country.

On December 6, a single-judge bench of the High Court has refused set aside the state government order to allow the BJP to carry out the procession. However, the saffron party then moved the division bench, which asked the West Bengal chief secretary, the home secretary, and the state police chief to take a decision after meeting BJP representatives.

After the discussions, the state government again denied the permission, a move that irked the BJP chief Amit Shah, who openly challenged that "nobody can stop rath yatras in the state". He said that the permission was not granted because CM Banerjee was "terrified" that the BJP would expand its base in the state.

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Moscow:

Three astronauts landed back on Earth on Thursday after a troubled stint on the ISS marred by an air leak and the failure of a rocket set to bring new crew members. A Soyuz spacecraft ferrying Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency, NASA's Serena Aunon-Chancellor and Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos from the International Space Station landed safely in Kazakhstan, Russia's space agency said. "There's been a landing... The crew of the manned Soyuz MS-09 has returned safely to Earth after 197 days," Roscosmos said on Twitter. The spacecraft landed slightly ahead of schedule at 0802 Moscow time (0502 GMT), Roscosmos said on its website. "The crew feels well after returning to Earth," the space agency said.

Live footage on the websites of NASA and Roscosmos did not show the landing of the astronauts' capsule due to thick fog in the Kazakh steppe. NASA said that all the search and recovery helicopters had arrived at the scene and were preparing to extract the crewmembers. When the astronauts blasted off in June, they were one of the least experienced crews ever to join the International Space Station -- only Gerst had been on a space mission before, in 2014.

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The first significant incident came in August when astronauts detected an air leak in their Soyuz spacecraft, which was docked to the orbiting space laboratory. They sealed the small hole successfully but Russia launched an investigation and its space chief Dmitry Rogozin suggested it could have been deliberate sabotage carried out in space.

Rogozin said that investigators ruled out the possibility the default was introduced during the spacecraft's manufacture. Prokopyev and fellow Russian Oleg Kononenko last week carried out a gruelling space walk lasting almost eight hours to locate the hole from the outside and record and bag evidence. The hole was in a section of the astronauts' spacecraft that was to fall away and burn up in the atmosphere as they landed, hence the need to carry out the probe in space.

During the spacewalk, Kononenko said there was some kind of black and yellow "furry" deposit that looked like a "spider" around the hole, but no conclusion has been made public. The crewmembers were bringing back the evidence to Earth.

Their landing back on Earth was originally planned for December 13 but the schedule was put back after the October failure of a Soyuz rocket carrying the next crew -- the first such aborted launch in the post-Soviet era. Russia's Aleksey Ovchinin and US astronaut Nick Hague took off for the ISS on October 11 but their Soyuz rocket failed minutes after blast-off, forcing them to eject and make a harrowing emergency landing.

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At the time Gerst wrote on Twitter that the astronauts' survival showed "what an amazing vehicle" the Soyuz rocket is. "Spaceflight is hard. And we must keep trying for the benefit of humankind," he wrote.

The first successful launch of astronauts since the October accident took place on December 3, carrying Kononenko, Anne McClain of NASA and David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency.

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Kabul:

US President Donald Trump has decided to pull about 7,000 troops from Afghanistan, a US official said Friday, but the Afghan presidency brushed off concerns the drawdown would affect security. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the US official told AFP that "roughly half" of the 14,000 US forces in Afghanistan would leave "within the next several months." The move stunned and dismayed diplomats and officials in Kabul who are intensifying a push to end the 17-year conflict with the Taliban, which already controls vast amounts of territory and is causing "unsustainable" Afghan troop casualties.

"If you're the Taliban, Christmas has come early," a senior foreign official in the Afghan capital told AFP on the condition of anonymity. "Would you be thinking of a ceasefire if your main opponent has just withdrawn half their troops?"

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid would not comment about the troop withdrawal when contacted by AFP. But a senior Taliban commander welcomed the decision.

"Frankly speaking we weren't expecting that immediate US response," the official told AFP from an unknown location in northwest Pakistan. "We are more than happy, they realised the truth. We are expecting more good news." It is not clear if US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad or the Afghan government had been warned of Trump's plans in advance.

Read | Donald Trump announces United States defeated Islamic State group in Syria

A spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Haroon Chakhansuri, downplayed the news, saying: It "will not have a security impact because in the last four and half years the Afghans have been in full control."

But Afghans across the country expressed fears that a US troop withdrawal could derail peace efforts, return the Taliban to power, and dissolve the country into civil war. "We are terrified that history will be repeated," Fazli Ahmad, a car washer in the southern city of Kandahar, told AFP.

Shaima Dabeer, a 50-year-old housewife in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, said she feared for the future of her children. "Afghanistan will go back to the Taliban era," she told AFP.

Trump's decision apparently came Tuesday as Khalilzad met with the Taliban in Abu Dhabi, part of efforts to bring the militants to the negotiating table with Kabul.

They discussed issues ranging from the group's longstanding demand for a pullout of foreign troops, the release of prisoners and a ceasefire, Khalilzad told Afghan media in Kabul on Thursday.

A NATO spokesman would not comment on Trump's decision, referring reporters to US authorities, but stressed the alliance's continued commitment to its support mission in Afghanistan.

Read | Russia still using social media to roil US politics: Senate intelligence committee

Tuesday was also the day Trump told the Pentagon he wanted to pull all US forces out of Syria. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday, saying his views were no longer reconcilable with Trump's.

Critics suggest the president's twin foreign policy decisions on Syria and Afghanistan could unspool a series of cascading and unpredictable events across the Middle East and in Afghanistan.

"If we continue on our present course we are setting in motion the loss of all our gains and paving the way toward a second 9/11," warned US Senator Lindsey Graham via Twitter.

Afghan forces have been taking what experts describe as "unsustainable" casualties since NATO pulled its combat forces from the country in 2014.

Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, nominated to lead the US military's Central Command, warned this month that unless recruiting and training improve, local forces will not overcome the casualty rate.

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Ghani said last month nearly 30,000 Afghan security forces had been killed since the start of 2015, a figure higher than anything previously acknowledged.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4 broadcast Friday but recorded before news of the troop withdrawal was leaked, Ghani mentioned a "sacrifice" of more than 45,000 local forces in the past four years. It was unclear whether that figure referred to deaths or also included injuries.

The US troops in Afghanistan work either with the NATO mission to support Afghan forces or in separate counter-terrorism operations.

The Taliban was toppled from power by a US-led invasion in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks masterminded by Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who had been harboured by Afghanistan.

The war is now America's longest, with more than 2,200 US military personnel killed since the start of 2001, including 13 this year.

Mattis and other top military advisors last year persuaded Trump to commit thousands of more troops as part of a strategy that included more airstrikes targeting the Taliban and its relatively small but potent rival, the Islamic State group. Trump at the time said his instinct was to leave Afghanistan.

Read | US stops new China tariffs for 90 days, but there's a 25% catch

Khalilzad, who has met with Taliban representatives several times in recent months, has expressed hopes for a peace deal before the Afghan presidential elections scheduled for April.

Foreign observers and officials said Trump's move had handed the Taliban a major propaganda and tactical victory.

"It's gotten the troop withdrawals it's always wanted without even having to make any concessions," Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center told AFP.

"Now it has a tremendous battlefield advantage, which gives it the opportunity to scale up its fight in a huge way."

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Washington:

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned on Thursday, a day after President Donald Trump shocked the US establishment by pulling out of Syria. In a letter to Trump, Mattis suggested his worldview, which favors traditional alliances and standing up to "malign actors," stands at odds with the president's. "Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis wrote. Moments before the Pentagon released Mattis's letter, Trump tweeted that his defense secretary would be retiring "with distinction, at the end of February."

"During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment," Trump said. "General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!"

General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years. During Jims tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

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Read Jim Mattiss Letter to Trump: Full Text

Dear Mr. President:

I have been privileged to serve as our countrys 26th Secretary of Defense which has allowed me to serve alongside our men and women of the Department in defense of our citizens and our ideals.

I am proud of the progress that has been made over the past two years on some of the key goals articulated in our National Defense Strategy: putting the Department on a more sound budgetary footing, improving readiness and lethality in our forces, and reforming the Departments business practices for greater performance. Our troops continue to provide the capabilities needed to prevail in conflict and sustain strong U.S. global influence.

One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies. Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world. Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defense, including providing effective leadership to our alliances. NATOs 29 democracies demonstrated that strength in their commitment to fighting alongside us following the 9-11 attack on America. The Defeat-ISIS coalition of 74 nations is further proof.

Similarly, I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours. It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model  gaining veto authority over other nations economic, diplomatic, and security decisions  to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbors, America and our allies. That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense.

My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues. We must do everything possible to advance an order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.

Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position. The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Departments interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February. Further, that a full transition to a new Secretary of Defense occurs well in advance of the transition of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September in order to ensure stability within the Department.

I pledge my full effort to a smooth transition that ensures the needs and interests of the 2.15 million Service Members and 732,079 DoD civilians receive undistracted attention of the Department at all times so that they can fulfill their critical, round-the-clock mission to protect the American people.

I very much appreciate this opportunity to serve the nation and our men and women in uniform.

Jim N Mattis

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Mattis's departure is not a total surprise for Washington observers. Time and again, especially of late, Trump has followed his gut and ignored Mattis's advice. Trump's decision to pull the 2,000 or so US troops out of Syria was a stunning rebuke to Mattis, who had warned that an early withdrawal from Syria would be a "strategic blunder."

The men have previously clashed on numerous other issues -- including the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump pulled out of in May while Mattis defended parts of it. The Pentagon chief was also against the creation of a separate new branch of the US military called Space Force, but Trump ordered it anyway.

Meanwhile, the biggest deployment Mattis has ordered so far was one to the US border with Mexico, a mission that only has loose military utility and one that critics have assailed as a political stunt.

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The way that she will smile and walk but also the way in which generosity will spontaneously and almost naturally spring in her heart, Cupich said. For they will be a reminder that he lives on in her, but also as people of faith that he lives on as he stands before the Lord today, the risen Lord who gives him life, and that same Lord welcomes him into a day in which the sun will never set.
George Soross name is synonymous with a slew of adjectives: billionaire, investor, philanthropist and activist. (For many right-wing conspiracy theorists, that laundry list also includes political puppetmaster.) On Wednesday, however, Soros gained one more descriptor: The Financial Timess 2018 Person of the Year.

Soross philanthropy has spanned the globe, beginning with scholarships for black South Africans suffering under apartheid in 1979 and later expanding to the United States, Africa, Asia and Latin America, focusing on promoting accountable and transparent democracy. The famed investor, whose net worth is pegged at $8.3 billion, has continued in his efforts for decades -- despite an ever-growing chorus of naysayers and anti-semitic conspiracy theories.

Im blamed for everything, including being the Antichrist, Soros told The Financial Times. I wish I didnt have so many enemies, but I take it as an indication that I must be doing something right.

On the heels of his Person of the Year accolade, here are 10 key facts about Soros.

1. As a teenager in the mid-1940s, Soros survived the Nazi occupation of Hungary.

More than 500,000 Hungarian Jews were killed during the 1944-1945 occupation, but Soros and his family survived by securing false identity papers, and helped others conceal their identities as well.

2. He worked part-time as a railway porter and a nightclub waiter to fund his studies.

Soros left Budapest in 1947 to attend the London School of Economics, but he had to pick up part-time jobs to pay for tuition. While studying at the university, Soros connected with the teachings of philosopher Karl Popper, author of Open Society and Its Enemies.

3. Soros launched his own hedge fund in the early 1970s.

Called Soros Fund Management (later the Quantum Fund), it was the precursor to his fortune and reportedly boasted average annual returns of more than 30 percent per year -- not to mention two occasions where it reported gains over 100 percent.

4. He created the Central European University in Budapest.

Soros founded the university in 1991, aiming to encourage critical thinking after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In December 2018, however, the institution was reportedly forced out of the country by the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

5. Karl Poppers teachings inspired Soross foundation.

Popper believed that societies can only be successful when they prioritize democratic governance, respect for individual rights and freedom of expression, and in 1993, Soros named his foundation -- and outlined its mission -- with those ideals in mind.

6. He once earned $1 billion in a single day.

Soros bet $10 billion against the British pound in September 1992, which earned him $1 billion in profits within 24 hours -- and almost $2 billion total. The move earned him the nickname the man who broke the Bank of England.

7. Hes vilified as a sort of bogeyman by conspiracy theorists and President Trump alike.

Many conspiracy theorists and white nationalists perceive Soros as a master manipulator of global politics, and President Trump himself has alluded to similar ideas, even refusing to rule out that Soros funded the migrant caravan in Mexico. (There is no evidence to support this.)

8. Before the 2016 presidential election, Soros bet that Donald Trumps victory would negatively affect the markets.

Soros was one of Hillary Clintons most prominent campaign donors, and he made an incorrect prediction that the stock market would drop if Trump won the election.

9. Hes given away more than $32 billion to fund the Open Society Foundations global initiatives.

Since 1984, Soros has directed that his foundation support people and organizations around the world fighting for accountable government, equality, freedom of speech and more. In 2017, Soros donated $18 billion of his personal fortune to fund his foundations future projects.

10. In October 2018, a pipe bomb was delivered to Soross New York home.

A number of prominent Democrats -- including former Secretary of Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and more -- received similar pipe bombs over the span of a few days. No one was hurt, and the device found at Soross residence was proactively detonated by bomb squad technicians.

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The adults in the room are gone. Thursday, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis quit because he could no longer abide President Donald Trump's ally-bashing isolationism. With his departure, it's clear that the only way to stay in the West Wing is to be a Trumpian toady, blindly repeating the president's lies and uncritically enabling his worst impulses. (The jobs of Stephen Miller, Kellyanne Conway, Sarah Sanders and Trump's family members are safe).

Those people have virtually no knowledge of the rest of the world. Trump has surrounded himself with sycophants while systematically purging experts like Mattis who tried to serve the country. During the presidential campaign, Trump was asked who his main foreign policy advisers were. His answer then is our reality now: "I'm speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I've said a lot of things."

Trump is advising Trump.

We are entering a new and dangerous stage of Trump's presidency. It will be defined by a reckless man who will happily burn down the international order or launch missiles to distract the country as he tries to save his own skin. History will likely judge the first two years of the Trump era as the comparatively normal and stable period.

Unfortunately, it's a perfect storm. Trump is already the most incurious and poorly informed president in modern history. But now he faces few constraints from advisers who understand the risks of rule-by-tweet. Trump is more likely to lash out than before, too. He surely understands that the legal cases closing in on him pose an existential threat not just to his presidency but to his post-presidency freedom, too. He also understands - or will soon realize - that his domestic agenda will be dead on arrival in the Democratic-controlled House come January.

The next two years are certain to prove frustrating. And for a man obsessed with branding, "Donald the Lame Duck" isn't a moniker that he will accept quietly. He will want to create news that buries his bad news. Given his domestic constraints, however, foreign policy will be the logical recourse.

Under past administrations, there have been worries of a "wag the dog" scenario, in which a president mired in scandal launches a foreign war to divert attention. But that setup doesn't necessarily fit Trump's worldview. The foreign policy of his first two years featured a blend of isolationism (withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement and the Iran nuclear deal) and meaningless but ostentatious displays of American firepower (bombing one runway in Syria). It is, therefore, less likely that he will send hundreds of thousands of troops to start a war, and more likely that he will bring troops home from places where they are essential for international and national security.

So how would Trump manufacture a crisis? Claiming some alleged offense by a friendly nation, he could make good on his long-standing threat to withdraw from NATO, thereby removing the linchpin of postwar international security. In pursuit of good press on North Korea, he could draw down or remove troops from the South, leaving our allies in the region exposed to the whims of a totalitarian madman for whom Trump has professed "love." Or he could completely abandon Afghanistan, creating a security vacuum that threatens a repeat of the pre-9/11 period.

Such moves would embolden foreign autocrats to take more risks. As they see Trump stuck in scandal and America's role waning in the world, they will test the limits of American power, inviting a greater risk of disaster. Putin's recent capture of Ukrainian sailors may have been testing the waters. The Baltic states are right to be worried.

At the same time, Trump could consider launching limited military campaigns that mirror the limited missile strike on Syria in the spring of 2017. Airstrikes on Venezuela? Sure, it sounds crazy, but the advisers who stopped him from intervening there previously are largely gone from the White House. Bombing Iran? If a "Fox & Friends" anchor says the mullahs are making Trump look weak, does anyone believe that he wouldn't be tempted?

And, unfortunately, any new American adventures abroad are far more likely to be done without the support of American allies. Our foreign friends have spent the last two years trying to figure out when they're being bullied and when they're being abandoned. Now, with the president of the United States more likely to see "steel slats" in a prison cell than stretching across America's southern border, our allies are starting to calculate that the best approach might just be to hold on, weather two crazy years (or less) and wait for a new president.

As Americans, we don't have that luxury. This is the moment we've feared. If Trump believes that he has to decide between protecting himself and protecting the international order that guarantees peace and security, we all know what his "very good brain" will choose.
Two SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches will use the same set of first stage booster cores. SpaceXs Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the Arabsat-6A spacecraft in March.

The NASA Space Environment Testbed payload will launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy no earlier than April as part of the U.S. Air Forces Space Test Program 2 mission.

Rapid Reusability Will Be Shown for 90+% of the Rocket

SpaceX will try to how the Falcon Heavy reusing three first stages. I have seen it by I think they could try to reuse the faring as well.

I think the rough costs of components are

$30 million for each of the three first stage boosters.

$7.5 million for the second stage

$6 million for the faring. This is the nose cone cover of the payload.

Reusing three engines and a faring would be $96 million out of $103.5 million.

These are Block 5 first stage boosters. Those are being shown on a Falcon 9 to be reusable for at least four launches and SpaceX has designed them for ten reuses.

The three first stage boosters would be $12 million for the ten reuse assumption. $30 million each and then $10 million for ten recoveries and repairs.

The $7.5 million second stage is thrown away. The faring is waterproof and can be reused. The reuse of a recovered faring has not been demonstrated. I assume $1 million costs for reusing farings. A ten reuse Falcon Heavy would be $20.5 million.

The Falcon Heavy has more fuel and can get satellites to far more orbits than the Falcon 9. The Falcon Heavy can reach tough orbits. The satellites will not need to use up a lot of fuel to reposition.

If SpaceX Pulls This Off

If SpaceX pulls this is off in 2019 and then is able to consistently reuse first stages for ten times each then they will have about a fifteen to twenty-year lead on competitors like Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance.
People wonder if SpaceX will have its first manned mission on Mars within ten years. I think this is skipping over the critical point when Elon Musks Mars Plans will become inevitable.

Elon Musk will not change his mind about his Mars plans. I think the expensive plans become inevitable when SpaceX has reached financial escape velocity. If Elon Musk and SpaceX are certain to be funded then the Mars plans become inevitable.

If the US government and NASA decided to provide funding of $200 billion at $10 billion per year for twenty, then the Mars Plans would become fairly secure. However, government funding plans can change. Mars funding would be more secure if the money was within the control of Elon Musk.

If SpaceX is making $50 billion per year revenue and making $10 billion in profits, then Elon Musk would be able to self-fund the technological development of new rockets and the Mars missions. The Starlink satellites will give the revenue that Elon Musk will be able to control to fund all of the Mars missions.

Currently, SpaceX is making about $2.5 billion per year in revenue. SpaceX will have over 60% of the commercial launch market. SpaceX will get more profitable crewed launches and military, but SpaceX will not be able to generate the money for the Mars plans from launches alone.

SpaceX is raising $507 million to fund initial deployment of the Starlink Satellites. The first 800 could be deployed with about forty Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches. 800 Starlink satellites would be enough for an initial system.

There are still many huge technical challenges to get the Starlink Satellites to work. In June, Elon Musk fired or forced out at least seven managers in Starlink development in order to speed up development and testing of satellites that could provide broadband around the world. One manager wanted three more iterations of test satellites. Elon thinks Starlink can work by mid-2019 with cheaper and simpler satellites.

The use of free-space laser links between satellites is relatively unknown technology. The European Space Agency demonstrated that it was possible, but SpaceX will need to track more targets simultaneously and achieve higher data rates.

Their use of phased array wireless links to steer narrow beams to and from the satellites will be pushing the limits of what has been done.

The entire satellite network will have to be replaced every five years.

Going through another iteration or two of satellites that show the free-space laser problems and phase array wireless links will work as planned will give investors confidence.

I think the prototypes prove the open technological questions are answered will be working by the of 2019. There will be over 200 production satellites by the end of 2021.

The Starlink communication satellites will take up many orbital locations. This is a first mover advantage.

Another first mover advantage is that any satellite company behind Elon Musk will not only have to catch up technologically and will have trouble fundraising. Elon can fundraise without established low earth orbit competitors. Starlink at 200 satellites would show that any latecomers would have to outcompete SpaceX.

By the end of 2022, Elon and SpaceX will have proved that the technology will work and then more fundraising will be easy to finish Starlink.

Relatively Near Term Starlink Revenue Potential

I have calculated that the SpaceX plans for the Starlink communication satellites will have the markets for $50 billion per year in revenue.

New York and Chicago have paid $100 million per year to put a premium microwave data connection between the two cities. This shaves 5% of the latency time from pricing updates and order placement. This has a lot of value when big stocks have rapid price movements.

There would be 190 combinations of pairs of the top 20 financial cities. There are 435 combinations of pairs of the top 30 financial cities. If the top $100 million per year was paid by the top 20 cities, then this would be $19 billion per year. If the premium internet pairing for the connections to 21 to 30 was worth $10 million per year then this would be another $2.45 billion per year. Even with a half-price discount, the total would still be $10 billion per year.

The SpaceX Starlinks could save 30-50% of the latency time. This is because the speed of light is almost twice as fast in space as it is in a glass fiber. The value for the Starlink financial latency reduction should be even higher. Let us say it is double the New York to Chicago price. This means the premium pairing of cities is worth over $40 billion per year.

SpaceX Starlink network will make money by helping improve the entire global internet. They will be able to provide a high bandwidth alternative to fiber. 90 percent of all internet traffic travels over wireline fiber, even if it ultimately goes on a wireless device. It has been estimated that deploying 5G wireless speeds 10 to 100 times faster than 4G will cost $130 to $150 billion in fiber optic cabling alone over the next 5 to 7 years.

Starlink Will Be Showing it Will Clearly Work Before it is Activated as a Service

I believe the key question is determining When does the Starlink Satellite network become financially inevitable.

The potential revenue and the market for the Starlink satellites are not understood by most people.

I believe the point where the Starlink satellite network reaches financial inevitability is at a far earlier point than the full deployment of even the first full phase with 4425 satellites.
Jack Saleeby, who plays the role of the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz at the Shubert Theatre from Dec. 27-30, is excited for the Shubert shows. He traces that feeling to a show his parents attended before he was born.

My parents, for their fifth anniversary ... went and saw the premier of Into the Woods at the Shubert Theatre, said Saleeby. And so for their anniversary, my father bought the soundtrack and a watercolor storybook version of the entire musical. ... Growing up, I loved reading that book and listening to that soundtrack. That show is still my favorite show of all time.

So its very exciting for me to think that my passion and introduction to musical theater began with that show.

Saleeby talked about the role via phone during a stop in Ft. Myers, Florida, recently. The young actor was born in Stratford, grew up in Southbury, attended Waterbury Arts Magnet School, then Hofstra University on Long Island.

Saleebys been in the show since September 2017 as an understudy to the Scarecrow and Tin Man, and this fall, when the tour was extended, he took on his current role.

As for production values, theres a five-piece band backing the familiar tunes and there are some special effects.

You are going to see as much stage magic as we can bring to you. There is fire, the flying monkeys fly, the witches fly, Glinda comes in on a bubble, Saleeby said. One of my favorite sequences is the tornado, and I wont give too much away but what I will say is there is a tornado on stage and you will see Dorothy in the house, stuck in the tornado on the way to Oz.

Also starring in a cast of two dozen will be Kalie Kaimann as Dorothy, Nick Gurinsky as the Tin Man and Nicholas J. Pearson as the Cowardly Lion, along with Emily Perzan as the Wicked Witch of the West.

Similar to the production from the same company that played Hartfords Bushnell in April and New Londons Garde Arts Center in May, this touring show is based closely on the 1939 film.

The role is a nice break for Saleeby, just two years out of college.

More Information Shubert Theatre, 247 College St., New Haven. Dec. 27-29, 7:30 p.m., Dec. 28-29, 2 p.m., Dec. 30, 1 and 6:30 p.m. $39-$96. 203-562-5666. shubert.com See More Collapse

I would say that I have had such an incredible time telling an iconic story with a lovely group of other artists, Saleeby said. Gurinsky, Pearson, Kaimann and he have such a blast on stage together.

That collaboration reminds Saleeby of his first acting job, doing childrens theater at the University of New Haven with a troupe of other actors.

And so to be able do that on such a grand scale now for audiences of 4,000-plus across the United States ... its been just so incredible to combine this passion of theater with my hunger for travel.

After touring a year without being in the front row for the final bows on-stage, Saleeby is enjoying the audience reaction to the show now that he is.

Every single night when we bow, theres just roaring applause and cheers. And that is so fulfilling ... because I really feel like the audience comes on the journey with us, Saleeby said.

As for his take on the iconic role, Saleeby said, I try my best to pay homage to Ray Bolgers performance in the classic movie. At the same time, our choreographer Amy McCleary and our director Dean Sobon really took my own comedic timing as well as some of my strengths as a dancer and really inputted that into the scene work and choreography of the show.

Another reason Saleeby is upbeat about New Haven? When he was young, his father, Roger, would take him and his brother on Saturday mornings to skate at the rink that looks like a whale (Ingalls) and then to Modern Pizza afterward. I eventually traded in my skates for jazz shoes, he laughs.
As the new year approaches, vinophiles look forward to choosing special wines for our holiday celebrations. This is also a good time to look back on the year just passed, not only to remember great bottles enjoyed but to take note of events that might affect the taste of wine in the year to come. Here are a couple of stories from 2018 that I did not cover in this column but that will probably reverberate in 2019 and beyond.

The Court of Master Sommeliers lost some of its luster with a major cheating scandal. Over the past decade, the court enjoyed a wave of celebrity, typified by the movie "Somm" and its sequels (the third installment was released this autumn). The movies lionized the court's rigorous certification program and the three tests - theory, service and tasting - candidates must pass to earn the coveted red lapel pin of a master sommelier. The court came to symbolize the rising professionalism of the sommelier trade at a time when America's restaurants were experiencing a renaissance and diners were becoming increasingly savvy about their vino.

In October, a few weeks after heralding its largest-ever class of new master sommeliers, the court announced that an exam proctor had revealed information on some of the wines in the tasting exam to an unknown number of the candidates. The court's board decided to strip all 24 of its new masters of their titles; the offending proctor was excommunicated from altogether. Six of the defrocked somms passed the tasting test again in December and had their titles restored. The court said its drastic response to the cheating was necessary to preserve the integrity of the certification process, but we may never learn how many of the candidates who took the test in September were privy to the leaked information about the wines in the blind tasting.

Ultimately, the sommelier scandal won't directly affect our restaurant dining experiences. But it could tarnish the luster of the master sommelier title, with the professional and financial benefits it conveys. Younger somms could be less inclined to pursue the title, or the profession itself. And that would be unfortunate.

Another controversy that stirred the lees of wine lovers this year brought attention to arcane labeling laws and the difficulty of knowing sometimes exactly where the wine in your bottle comes from. The story features Joe Wagner, the California vintner who created the wildly successful Meiomi label of pinot noir and chardonnay, then sold it in 2015 to Constellation Brands for $315 million. The deal shocked the wine world, especially since Wagner was just selling a brand, without vineyards or a winery.

Skip ahead to September, when Oregon vintners and state officials claimed that Wagner, through his current company, Copper Cane Wines and Provisions, was putting deceptive labels on two brands of his wine, called Elouan and Willametter Journal. The wines were made with Oregon grapes that were trucked to Wagner's facility in California's Napa Valley. Federal law requires that such wines be labeled simply "Oregon," without use of more specific and prestigious American Viticultural Areas such as Willamette Valley.

Wagner's critics claimed he was pulling an end run around the regulations with the name Willametter Journal (an exclusive label for Total Wine & More stores) and its obvious reference to the Willamette Valley. They also objected to references to the Willamette, Rogue and Umpqua valleys on labels and marketing materials for Wagner's Elouan pinot noir. Wagner dismissed the complaints as sour grapes over the market success of his brands.

In November, the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau sided with Oregon and revoked its prior approval for Wagner's labels, ruling he could no longer refer to Oregon appellation names on his 2018 Oregon wines.

The brouhaha didn't have the sensationalism or national cultural ramifications of the rose scandal, in which French authorities last spring cited unscrupulous merchants for passing off cheap Spanish rose as the real deal from France. But it illustrates why we consumers should know the rules so we can be confident we are getting what we think we are paying for.

As the controversy raged, Wagner rejected $4 million worth of grapes he had contracted from vineyards in Oregon's Rogue Valley, claiming the fruit was tainted by smoke from the region's wildfires over the summer. While his critics were quick to link the rejection to the labeling controversy, Wagner's concern over smoke taint is shared by many growers in California, the Pacific Northwest and even Australia as wildfires become more prevalent.

And that leads to another story we will no doubt hear more about in 2019 and for years to come: the effects of climate change on wine, in the vineyard and the bottle. Stay tuned.

- - - McIntyre blogs at dmwineline.com.
Cases of vaccine-preventable diseases have been rare in recent years in Illinois, with just four reported in 2013. Since then, the annual number has fluctuated between 18 and 33, with nine reported so far this year, the state Department of Health reported. Most were whooping cough, but recent cases of mumps and chickenpox also have been reported. No deaths were reported, and local health departments work with schools to identify cases and try to prevent them from spreading by encouraging vaccinations and disinfecting classrooms.
ALBANY  New York is calling on the nation's top environmental agency not to let General Electric off the hook for harmful pollutants that remain in the Hudson River following a six-year cleanup.

On Thursday afternoon, Gov. Andrew Cuomo released a study by the state Department of Environmental Conservation showing GE's $1.7 billion cleanup of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, it dumped in the upper Hudson River is incomplete, with levels in fish still above the acceptable risk range set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. PCBs are suspected of causing cancer and other health problems.

The federal agency has been considering whether to issue a certificate of completion to GE for its work at the Superfund site, prompting outrage among environmentalists and communities along the river.

"The health of the Hudson River estuary and the vitality of the communities along its banks are at stake and the EPA must not let GE off the hook for a job that is not done," Cuomo said. "The latest sampling data confirms the overwhelming body of evidence that PCB levels remain unacceptably high in both the riverbed and in fish. If the EPA issues the certificate of completion for this cleanup, New York will take any action necessary to hold them accountable and demand they fulfill their obligation to restore our treasured river."

State environmental officials are calling on the EPA to direct GE to collect additional data to determine if another round of sediment remediation is needed. The federal agency must compel GE to pay for a full investigation of the lower Hudson, they said, where PCB concentrations in fish have not recovered. If GE refuses, the agency should fund the work itself.

The state launched a sampling effort in summer 2017 to assess the contamination left behind after years of dredging, which was required by EPA in order to meet the goals of a 2002 Record of Decision. The last study included both surface sediment and fish samples. The state also submitted comments rejecting a five-year review by the EPA that concluded dredging had sufficiently remediated the river to a level that would be protective of public health and the environment.

"A remedy that fails to meet its goals is not protective," said Basil Seggos, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation. "EPA has a legal and moral obligation to complete the work they started and direct GE to meet the cleanup goals set when the dredging remedy was selected."

Mark Behan, a spokesman for General Electric, said Thursday that DEC's own findings show that dredging along the 40-mile stretch from Fort Edward to Troy has been successful.

Almost all of the sediment samples taken by DEC came back with levels below EPA-set criteria for the project, he said. Levels in the water have dropped at "every single monitoring station" along the upper Hudson by as much as 78 percent, he said.

"Dredging is very clearly working," he said. "That's demonstrated conclusively by the data, and it's achieving the goals that both EPA and New York sought and predicted."

New York disagrees. DEC sampling of nearly 1,700 locations confirmed that elevated levels of PCBs remain in the surface sediment of the river. In many areas, it said, concentrations exceed the 1 part per million cleanup level typically used by the department for sediment cleanup projects.

Overall, the average sediment PCB concentration varied significantly between different reaches of river, it said, indicating there are still certain areas in the upper Hudson where contaminated sediments remain.

Department staff also collected nearly 230 fish samples and evaluated fish data generated by the EPA and GE during and after the dredging project, finding that PCB concentrations in fish are not recovering at the rate anticipated by EPA. The average fish concentrations in the upper Hudson in the two years after dredging are essentially the same as concentrations before the start of the cleanup, DEC said.

The concentrations documented in the ongoing fish sampling after dredging, 1.2 parts per million, is three times higher than the targeted concentration EPA anticipated reaching five years after dredging, or in 2020.

In addition, DEC found that fish PCB concentrations in the lower Hudson have not recovered as a result of remedial work in the upper Hudson. PCB concentration in the estuary, particularly south of the city of Albany, have remained nearly constant for the last several years and show no rate of improvement, DEC said.

New York is calling on the EPA to direct GE to collect additional data to determine where and how much further sediment cleanup is needed. It's also calling for GE to fund a full investigation of the lower Hudson.

EPA officials said Thursday they're grateful for New York's input, and look forward to reviewing its report.

"We will consider their input and conclusions as we move forward with our upcoming decisions on the Certification of the Completion of the Remedial Action, and separately, the Five-Year Review."

The agency said it expects to finalize those decisions in early 2019.
The board set this policy in order to ensure residents are not disrupted by high-intensity, brightly colored or flashing lights reflecting into their units, the statement read. We understand that many residents enjoy displaying lights into their balconies, especially during the holiday season, and this rule allows them to do so while also ensuring the comfort of all residents.
HARTFORD  The Sentencing Commission Wednesday voted to once again get behind any bill that would restore voting rights to parolees, who are still serving their sentences.

The commission also backed the measure last year  but it never came up for a vote in either the House or Senate.

Outgoing Department of Corrections Commissioner Scott Semple, who is also a Sentencing Commission member, said allowing parolees to vote is an important step in their return to a normal and productive life.

The bill didnt receive much attention last year in the midst of the budget crisis that dominated most of the session, but it was a priority for the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus.

A deal was brokered to let them debate the bill for a limit period of time in the House last year, but it never got called for vote.

Currently, someone on probation can have their voting rights restored, but someone on parole cannot. The bill would have given the estimated 4,600 individuals on parole the right to vote.

Proponents of passing legislation point out that Connecticut is the last state on the east coast to pass legislation restoring voting rights for this population. Seventeen states have passed similar legislation to restore voting rights for parolees.

While the Sentencing Commission voted to once again get behind the parolee voting rights bill, it backed off its earlier plan to push for a bill to study whether all people incarcerated should be allowed to vote.

The commissions vice chairman, John Santa, said the decision to back off the recommendation came after receiving a letter, and having subsequent discussions with Secretary of the State Denise Merrill.

Merrills letter, Santa said, expressed concern that the Sentencing Commission might be overstepping its reach on the issue  and that it is the Secretary of the States office that should be dictating most policy on voting rights.

Perhaps it is time for us to step aside, at least on this one part of the issue, Santa said, though he added that Merrill made it clear she welcomed the commissions input on voting matters.

Although he went along with his fellow Sentencing Commission members, former New Haven state Rep. William Dyson said he felt it was an important part of the commissions role to advocate for issues it believes in  including voting rights.

We need to be a part of whatever takes place, Dyson said, adding the notion of voter suppression hasnt escaped any of us.

In other action taken by the Sentencing Commission in its last meeting before the General Assembly convenes the 2019 session, the commission said it would once again be recommend a bill to reduce misdemeanor sentences from 365 days to 364 days in an effort to stem deportations.

That one day would give federal immigration judges more discretion in deportation hearings.

The one-day reduction in sentencing, recommended by the Sentencing Commission last year, made it through the legislatures Judiciary Committee, but didnt make it through the full General Assembly.

Hopefully we have a good chance to get it through this year, said Alex Tsarkov, executive director of the Sentencing Commission.

At a public hearing held earlier this month, the Sentencing Commission was urged by advocates to once again support the bill.

Advocates told the commission that shaving one day off the misdemeanor sentences would lower the chance that immigrants convicted of lower level crimes, such as passing a bad check or minor larceny charges, would face interaction with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents.Thats because a one-year misdemeanor sentence in Connecticut is classified by federal authorities as an aggravated felony and can mean deportation.

Samantha Smith, a law student intern at the Yale Law School, told the commission that several other states have recognized the law is unjust and have adopted the 364-day rule. She cited California, Nevada, Washington and Oregon as states that have made the change.

The Sentencing Commission also, as it did last year, said it would ask the legislature to draw up legislation to move Connecticut from a conviction-based sex offender registry to a risk-based registry.

Connecticut is one of the few states that does not currently allow an individual an opportunity to be removed from its sex offender registry. The commission is proposing having all sex offenders register, but the length of time on the registry would be reduced based on whether they meet certain requirements.
ANSONIA  Work to transform the former Farrel corporate headquarters downtown into a new police headquarters has begun.

Thats according to Economic Development Director Sheila OMalley, who said thousands of ceiling tiles have been removed from two of the buildings three floors, by Frank Pepe Construction.

Police Chief Kevin Hale said the tiles needed to be removed in order to allow engineers and architects to expose and assess the electrical and wiring. An environmental study revealed the tiles did not contain any asbestos or hazardous materials.

Hale said tile removal was a first step toward major renovation of the former Farrel administrative offices at 65 Main St. into a new headquarters for police.

It is exciting; preliminary work is getting done, Hale said.

The renovation project is slated to go out to bid in early 2019. Hale, as well as OMalley, anticipates police may be able to move in in late spring or early summer.

OMalley said the city is having smaller jobs, such as the tile removal, done prior to going out to bid for a general contractor, to help the city cut costs. The city Department of Public Works is doing some prep work to help out, she said.

I've been wanting a new home for the police since I served on the police commission, said Mayor David Cassetti. They need it and they certainly deserve it. In addition, the boost to businesses and the added security presence will be a very positive outcome for our downtown.

The city acquired the 85,000-square-foot property earlier this year through eminent domain, after a sale agreement could not be reached with Shaw Growth Ventures of Greenwich and New York. The city since deposited $1.85 million, which represents the average of two appraisals, with Superior Court in Milford.

The purchase and renovation of the building will be covered by a 40-year, $12 million loan the city received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Ansonia Police Departments current headquarters are cramped inside the 122-year-old former Larkin School on Elm Street, where there is very little parking and even less space to store evidence and detain prisoners.

The plan is to use 28,000 square feet of the top floor of the new building for the police department. There also is talk of establishing a regional police, fire and emergency dispatch and training center on the second floor. But that is something for the future, and if it happened it would require an agreement by all the Valley towns, according to city officials.

As far as what may happen to the existing police station building, OMalley said that remains to be seen.

We are looking at highest and best uses for that building, OMalley said. The issue for the city and its residents is how do we save money and decrease the burden on the taxpayers. That remains to be seen. We could save money by having other city offices relocate there and we could make money if we were to sell the property.

jean.sos@snet.net
The retreat, which could include some 300 bishops from around the country, comes at a time when more than a dozen state attorneys general have initiated investigations of sexual abuse by clergy since the Pennsylvania report. It also precedes a February summit in Rome that will bring key bishops together to address the sex abuse scandal.
Mackenzie Blackwood will make his first career start in goal when Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier, Kyle Palmieri and the New Jersey Devils visit the Columbus Blue Jackets at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Join NJ.com's live chat in the comment section, and follow along with live updates in the box above.

Here is everything you need to know about the home game:

What: New Jersey Devils (11-14-7) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (18-12-3)

When: 7 p.m. EST, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018

Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio

TV: MSG+

Live stream: MSG Go

Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook.
JERSEY CITY  When the lawsuit aimed at stopping Jersey Citys new business tax dropped last week, the name of one of the 14 plaintiffs raised some eyebrows.

The Exchange Place Alliance  a partially tax-funded business district created by the City Council in 2016  joined with Mack-Cali and others in suing the city, the state of New Jersey, the council and two city officials over the tax, saying it violates the state constitution.

Yes, a council-created entity is now suing the council in Hudson County Superior Court.

The timing was also surprising. The lawsuit was filed on Dec. 11, eight days before the Alliances $4.9 million annual budget was scheduled for council approval.

Councilman James Solomon, who represents the Exchange Place area, said he thinks the Alliance made the wrong choice joining the suit against the tax, which will go into effect on Jan. 1. Solomon voted in favor of the tax last month.

You try to work collaboratively to make the city a better place and suing the city on the most important thing it does, which is educate its kids, you're sort of sending a message saying that collaborative message isn't there, Solomon said.

The councilman wanted to be named to the Alliance board earlier this year but was rebuffed by Mayor Steve Fulop, who appointed Councilwoman-at-large Joyce Watterman instead.

Elizabeth Cain, executive director of the Alliance, did not return a request seeking comment on Solomons remarks. Cain confirmed that the Alliance board voted in favor of joining the lawsuit. Everyone on the board voted yes except Watterman, who abstained, according to Cain. The board is chaired by Mike DeMarco, who is also CEO of Mack-Cali.

Watterman supports the payroll tax. Asked to explain why she abstained from voting for the Exchange Place Alliance to join Mack-Calis lawsuit against the tax, as opposed to voting no, Watterman said, They can't count my vote that's all. I don't want them to count it ... I dont want them to count my vote at all because I'm not in agreement at all.

No Alliance dollars were spent on the lawsuit, Cain said.

There dont appear to be any hard feelings between the administration and the Alliance as a result of the lawsuit (Cain and Fulop are close). City spokeswoman Ashley Manz said, While we dont agree with the lawsuit, it doesnt change the fact we are happy that SID is working to add more resources to the area and we have no regrets in creating an SID there.

The Alliances decision to sue the council did not hurt its budget for this year, which must be approved by the council. The council voted 7-1 at its Wednesday meeting to OK the SIDs $4.9 million budget, which includes $3 million in taxes on businesses in the district. Councilman Rich Boggiano voted no, telling The Jersey Journal the Alliances role in the nine-month controversy over the Katyn statue shows the SID is not operating to the benefit of taxpayers.

The council also gave final approval to a legal settlement that ends Jersey Citys 2014 lawsuit against the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Four years ago, the city claimed the bi-state agency owed over $400 million in back taxes on its city properties. The settlement gives the city $4.9 million in back taxes and $1.2 million annually moving forward. Councilman James Solomon said its hard to know whether that was all the city could win, adding that its hardly a sum the city should brag about.

You either overestimated at the beginning or youre getting too little now," he said.

Part of the settlement will bring an additional $17.8 million to the city, which will sell a piece of its property to the Port Authority.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
A publicly-praised police officer had his drunken driving case thrown out after a judge and prosecutor agreed he slammed into a pole in October because he was tired, not intoxicated.

Omar Akel, a Long Branch K-9 officer, smashed into the utility pole on Oct. 13 at about 5 a.m. after crossing the center line while heading northbound on Branchport Avenue, according to a crash report of the incident. He was off duty.

When a fellow officer arrived, he said he, could detect the odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from (Akels) breath and took the three-year cop back to police headquarters due to conditions in the area -- an uneven sidewalk, poor lighting and traffic  and because a supervisor was not present on scene.

A half-hour later, Akel failed a field sobriety test at the police station, a police report said. The 26-year-old Long Branch resident was arrested and charged with DWI and reckless driving.

Akel was given a breathalyzer test just before 7 a.m., almost two hours after the crash. He blew half the legal limit, which is .08.

That .04 reading would be a key number in the dismissal of the DWI offense in Tinton Falls Municipal Court, where the case was transferred.

Officer Omar Akel of the Long Branch Police Department. (Long Branch police)

At a hearing on Nov. 20, municipal Prosecutor Sean Kean told a judge that the state would not be able to prove its case based on the breathalyzer reading, according to an audio recording of the proceeding.

The maximum event here, Kean explained, is the gentleman drove carelessly. And he had worked a long shift, and he did consume some alcohol, but he was tired and theres certainly no reckless, no DWI.

And based on the gentlemans history and his service, he continued, theres no recommended loss of license.

Municipal Judge Susan Clark agreed: Sounds like were getting the right result.

I can understand, sir, based upon the situation -- being tired, smell of alcohol also contributed to the officers belief, Clark said. The good news is that youre OK, that you were not driving under the influence.

Akel pleaded guilty to careless driving. He was given the minimum penalties: a $156 fine and court costs.

According to a 2005 directive from then New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey to prosecutors, no plea agreements whatsoever will be allowed in drunken driving or certain drug offenses.

A blood-alcohol test, the directive states, should be given within a reasonable time after the arrest in order to obtain an accurate reading.

Robert Ramsey, a Hamilton attorney and author of a text book on New Jerseys DWI laws, said a reasonable amount of time can be up to four hours.

But prosecutors can pursue an extrapolation, which can pinpoint a drivers BAC level at the time he or she was operating a motor vehicle.

The state uses it all the time, Ramsey said. It should not have been a problem.

Ramsey said prosecutors can also seek a conviction for DWI based on field testing, admissions made by the driver, observations from the arresting officer, among other aspects of the investigation.

After publication, Kean, the municipal prosecutor who is also a state assemblyman, called NJ Advance Media and said, I treated this defendant just like I would treat any other defendant.

He disputed that the DWI charge was dismissed with a plea deal, though court records signed by the judge indicate it was.

Kean also said that the officer who issued the summons told him he would not be able to testify that Akel was under the influence based on observation.

Somebody hit a dumpster

A woman who called 911 to report the crash said it sounded like somebody hit a dumpster outside her window.

It woke me up out of my sleep, she said, in the 911 call obtained by NJ Advance Media through a records request.

No one was injured in the crash.

Akel told police he drank four beers at Johnny Mac House of Spirits on Main Street in Asbury Park from 11:45 p.m. to 1:50 a.m., according to a police report. He said there was approximately 45 to 60 minutes between each drink.

Long Branch police Cpl. Stanley Eskridge wrote in a report that Akel performed the walk-and-turn test well and also passed the eye-track test. But during the stand-on-one-leg test, Akel did not point his foot straight and miscounted six times, the sergeant reported. Akel was also seen swaying and had bloodshot eyes, a separate report said.

The case has to be tried, Ramsey, the attorney, said. The public confidence is shattered when you have a police officer involved and the BAC (test) is delayed. The optics are bad.

According to Ramsey, a persons body typically burns off alcohol at .015 per hour.

NJ Advance Media filed an Open Public Records Act request two days after the crash. City officials denied the request, citing an active investigation, but eventually provided the records two months later.

Following the crash, Akel was placed on administrative assignment," Long Branch Police Chief Jason Roebuck said. He was taken off administrative assignment once the charges were dismissed.

Roebuck declined to comment on the case.

In June, Akel was commended by the Long Branch Police Department for arresting a wanted burglar after his K-9 tracked the suspects scent. Akel, who joined the department in 2015, was also credited in February 2016 for saving the life of a 9-month-old girl who was choking at her Lippincott Avenue home.

A call to Akels attorney, Kevin Moriarty, was not returned.

This is not the first time a Long Branch officer was busted for drunken driving. Former Officer Jake Pascucci was sentenced in June to 364 days in county jail for killing a woman who was crossing the street while he was intoxicated behind the wheel in October 2017.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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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.

The states leading civil rights and faith leaders will hold a unique series of town hall-style forums across New Jersey to capture the stories of people who say they were unfairly subjected to police use of force as the first step in demanding action from the Murphy administration.

The planned events, to be organized by the New Jersey conference of the NAACP and a coalition of faith and civic leaders, come in direct response to NJ Advance Medias 16-month investigation, The Force Report, which revealed widespread racial disparities in police use of force.

While many in minority communities in the state have long complained about bias in use of force, the data provides the first-ever hard evidence.

Once these meetings are completed, we will deliver a strong message and plan to the Attorney General and Administration on our expectations moving forward, said Gregg Zeff, the legal redress chair for the New Jersey NAACP. "We should not have to police the police but we must be diligent in protecting our freedoms. We the people need to be the process that brings about a safer and better New Jersey.

Among the findings, the data showed black people were three times more likely to face some type of force by police from 2012 through 2016, the most recent year available. Even when accounting for the fact that black people were arrested at a higher rate than white people, they were still 38 percent more likely to face some type of force.

Of particular concern were black children, who faced a disproportionate amount of force. Of the more than 4,600 uses of force against people under 18, slightly more than half were black, according to the data. But they account for only 14.5 percent of the states child population.

To date, Gov. Phil Murphy and Attorney General Gurbir Grewal have remained silent on the racial findings, even as communities across the state are mobilizing and demanding action.

At a town meeting in Highland Park on Tuesday, Mayor Gayle Brill-Mittler conceded that the local police department had a racial profiling problem after several residents said the data from The Force Report laid bare the bias they said has been prevalent in the community for years.

A black person in Highland Park was 11 times more likely to be a subject of police force than a white person during the five-year period, according to the data.

Even if there are nine (uses of force) and the number of African-American subjects is very high, there is a problem, said Brill-Mittler, who added that she thought the department had made improvements over the past few years.

Farther north, In Maplewood and South Orange, two community forums are planned for January. In both towns, black people were far more likely to be the subject of police use of force, and racial tensions have been bubbling publicly for several years.

We are going to correct this," Maplewood Mayor Victor Deluca said in response to The Force Report data. "The adjustments will include training, more discussions. We want to make sure that nobody in Maplewood or passing through Maplewood has the kind of experiences (NJ Advance Media) described in (its) report.

State Sen. Declan OScanlan, R-Monmouth, urged police not to dismiss the findings.

The swift dismissal of this data, as some (police) chiefs have done, is exactly the wrong way to react, OScanlon said. We have to admit that there are still, unfortunately, some racists out there. ... Its reasonable to be concerned that there are some red flags regarding the outliers here.

Assemblyman Jamel Holley, D-Union, said bias in police force has always been a topic of discussion, but the new data made it much harder to ignore.

Its always been a backroom discussion but now theres data to back it up, said Holley. Folks are now understanding what we live. And when youre black and you live this, the data is not a surprise.

In Washington, D.C., U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez cited statistics on race from The Force Report on Tuesday while speaking on the floor of the Senate in support of the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform bill that passed overwhelmingly Wednesday. The House passed the bill Thursday, sending it to President Donald Trump.

I do not highlight these statistics to denigrate our police force, Menendez, a Democrat, said. I highlight these statistics because they reveal a larger need for greater front-end criminal justice, sentencing, and policing reforms that ultimately serve our shared goal of building safe and thriving communities.

Read more from The Force Report:

We are continuing to make this dataset better. The numbers in this story were last updated Jan. 8, 2019. See the changes weve made here.

Disha Raychaudhuri may be reached at draychaudhuri@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Disha_RC.

Stephen Stirling may be reached at sstirling@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SStirling.
Authorities are continuing Friday to search for the wreckage of a plane that went down with two people on board off the coast of Florida Thursday morning.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a Piper PA-46 crashed in the water near Ponte Vedra Beach, about 18 miles south of Jacksonville, shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday. It had taken off in Orlando with a route planned to New Jersey. The identity of those in the plane have not been released.

The plane was bound for Princeton and had reached more than 22,000 feet before rapidly descending, according to Flightaware.com. The plane is registered in Texas, according to aviation records.

The search for survivors continued through Thursday night by the U.S. Coast Guards Cutter Ridley crew.

Early Friday morning, the Coast Guard said the Air Station Savannah MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew was conducting a search at first light for the aircraft. The Cutter Ridley crew remained at the scene as well.

#Update @USCG Air Station Savannah MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew is conducting a first light search for the downed aircraft off the coast of #Jacksonville, Florida. The #USCG Cutter Ridley crew searched through the night and remain on scene. pic.twitter.com/zv6QhmYqnK  USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) December 21, 2018

The FAA will investigate the crash, and the National Transportation Safety Board will be tasked with determining its cause.

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A 36-year-old woman was killed late Wednesday night after a driver crossed into her lane and hit her head-on in Absecon, officials said.

The driver Suzana Kocick, 36, of Galloway, was pronounced dead at the scene on Pitney Road, just around the corner from the Absecon Public School District, the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office said in a release.

Kocick was driving north when she was hit at 11:38 p.m. a 24-year-old woman from Pleasantville, who was driving south and then crossed over into Kocicks lane, prosecutors said.

The other driver was taken to the hospital, but officials did not release her condition or the extent of her injuries Thursday night.

This crash was still under investigation Thursday and anyone with information was asked to call the Absecon Police Department at 609-641-0667 or the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office at 609-909-7692.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Kill in this case is a central figure, though, even if he didnt do the striking, Zinger said during closing arguments. He threatened Mr. Reed. He knew about the beating. He was outside the door, as Mr. Reed testified, while Breska was beating him. And he also came in and played good cop and pulled Breska off him.
By Zakiya Smith Ellis

Even before Thomas Edison perfected the lightbulb at his Menlo Park laboratory, New Jersey was known as a State of Innovation.

From the birth of American manufacturing at the base of Patersons Great Falls, to the creation of the transistor at Bell Labs, to todays life-saving pharmaceutical and biomedical research centers, New Jersey has long lived on the leading edge of science and technology.

As Gov. Phil Murphy says, New Jersey was Silicon Valley before there was a Silicon Valley. And, hes right. Yet, over the past decade, we lost much of this momentum. Now were working hard at getting it back, and were seeing real results.

In October, Murphy laid out an economic agenda to reclaim New Jerseys dominance in the global innovation economy, featuring higher education as a prominent component. New Jerseys colleges and universities will be at the center of our resurgence in both the supply of the talent pipeline and in partnerships on research and development.

Today, Princeton University and Google announced a new collaboration that will result in the creation of an Artificial Intelligence Lab right in the heart of our state. New Jersey is open for business and ready for exciting ventures that will build our future. https://www.princeton.edu/news/2018/12/18/google-open-artificial-intelligence-lab-princeton-and-collaborate-university Posted by Governor Phil Murphy on Tuesday, December 18, 2018

It is that kind of thinking that results in Princeton University and Google recently announcing a new collaboration that will result in the creation of an Artificial Intelligence Lab right in the heart of our state.

At the nexus of these two marquee names is a promise: building an economy centered on innovation and strength, and that seeks to lift up and provide meaningful careers for its residents. This collaboration will bring with it extensive research into the myriad possibilities of what artificial intelligence offers across a wide spectrum of computing and industrial concerns. It also will highlight one of the nations leading higher education systems, and attract more innovators to call New Jersey home.

Colleges and universities across New Jersey are working collaboratively with business and industry in a variety of different fields.

On one end, we are working with community colleges across the state to create affordable pathways for students to get high-quality degrees, fueling the talent pipeline for future employers. In another venue, Princeton has partnered with several market-leading companies to solve problems in the sciences.

It now has an agreement with Microsoft to collaborate on problems in microbiology and computational modeling. The Princeton Catalysis initiative, a leading incubator to accelerate collaboration on chemical research, is part of a 10-year, $6 million commitment from Celgene and other industry leaders.

These kinds of collaborations and innovations highlight the great advantages our colleges and universities can provide to business and industry within the state. With smart policy and a modernized regulatory system, we can grow even more of them.

This is the thinking behind The Hub, a public-private research partnership between Rutgers University, RWJBarnabas and other health care and life-sciences leaders, the City of New Brunswick, and contributions from Princeton University and others to create incubator and research space for next-generation companies and academic research facilities. Projects like The Hub can support a live-work-play environment with proximity to existing corporate, medical, and academic research activity as well as take full advantage of New Brunswicks central location -- which is why its called The Hub City in the first place.

The governor has also proposed the creation of the New Jersey Innovation Evergreen Fund (NJIEF), which would partner with venture capital firms to invest $500 million over five years into New Jersey-based startups. This bold tool would support diverse founders and spinoffs from New Jerseys institution of higher education. It would also require New Jersey corporations to provide mentorship and other supports for funded startups, ensuring that New Jersey builds the institutional ecosystem needed to foster innovation.

This is also why the governor just signed into law his STEM loan forgiveness proposal. Students who graduate from college in New Jersey with competitive skills should be encouraged to stay here and work for companies offering competitive benefits, including student loan redemption. This program will help New Jersey retain and attract the next generation of innovators.

All of this movement is geared to sending a clear message that not only is New Jersey open for business, its ready for the exciting ventures that will build our future. And, it sends a strong message to any business considering making a move to, or planting their startups roots in, New Jersey that they wont be going it alone. They will be met with a strong pipeline of talent, a supportive environment for partnerships, and a thriving higher education sector.

Partnerships like the ones brokered by Princeton and Google, growth of projects like the Hub, and supportive statewide policies are all part of a broader picture to leave New Jersey better than we find it today. We cannot wait to see the future that springs from these new collaborations.

The future is bright for New Jerseys innovation economy, and this is only the beginning.

Zakiya Smith Ellis is New Jersey state secretary of Higher Education.

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Can Americans still have a sensible and friendly political discussion across the partisan divide? The answer is yes, and we intend to prove it. Julie Roginsky, a Democrat, and Mike DuHaime, a Republican, are consultants who have worked on opposite teams for their entire careers yet have remained friends throughout. Here, they discuss the weeks events, with prompts from Tom Moran, editorial page editor of The Star-Ledger.

Q. Gov. Phil Murphys chief of staff, Pete Cammarano, testified last week that he didnt tell the governor about Katie Brennans rape charge against Al Alavarez because two attorneys advised him that confidentiality rules barred him from doing so. Does that make any sense to you? How is it possible the rules allow Cammarano to know, but not the governor?

Roginsky: I honestly don't know the rules and so can't comment on that. It's fairly obvious that Pete Cammarano, Matt Platkin, the chief counsel, and others who were aware of Katie Brennan's allegations went to great lengths to keep this from the governor, presumably to protect him. To me, the larger question is why the people who were aware not doing more to address this issue. The best way to protect the governor would have been to address this immediately, so that the governor would not have to be dealing with this scandal now.

DuHaime: If those really are the rules, someone should change them. I am pretty sure the rules are not designed to keep the governor in the dark on important information regarding his own staff. Also, the notion that this allegation could not be shared because he was a state employee is preposterous. The allegation came about before he was a state employee, and it seems many senior staffers knew it. More importantly, Julie's right. One thing is clear. Little to nothing was done to address Katie's allegation, yet to this day, no one is being held responsible for this information being withheld from the governor.

Q. During the hearing, a Twitter flap erupted when Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi said that Alvarez was college roommates with Brendan Gill, a senior advisor to Murphy. The implication, to me at least, was that Gill might be behind the decision to hire Alvarez and to protect him. It turns out, as Schepisi conceded, that Gill and Alvarez are friends, but were not roommates. Any significance to that?

Roginsky: This was a bizarre one, full of unforced errors on the parts of both Schepisi and Gill. If she wanted to imply that he was the person protecting Al Alvarez, she should have just said so and not thrown out a theory that was not buttressed by fact.

Certainly, there is better evidence of their close relationship than whether they were college roommates, so there was no reason to invent that. On the other hand, he overreacted and made this into a much larger issue than it was by going on a Twitter rant about how he was not Al Alvarez's college roommate. The rest of us, I can say with confidence, don't really care who someone's college roommate was two decades ago.

DuHaime: I was amused that the governor's office acted like this was a big deal. Total overreaction. No one cares if Gill and Alvarez were roommates, or if Schepisi made a mistake about it. They do care that the governor and his senior staff didn't act on serious allegations. Schepisi wasn't ignoring allegations of serious sexual assault, but the governor's office seems to have been. The Gill/Schepisi flap matters not at all.

Q. Murphy said this week that he may propose a tax increase for the rich. Senate President Steve Sweeney said he wont consider it unless the governor agrees to deep spending cuts first. Do we have the makings of a grand bargain?

Roginsky: Hope springs eternal.

DuHaime: Republicans running next year should send the governor a thank you letter. Republicans win in New Jersey when Democrats over-reach and raise taxes again on one of the most overtaxed state in America.

Q. The U.S. Senate approved a crime bill that would reduce prison terms for non-violent offenders and devote more effort to rehabilitation in prisons. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker was among the initial sponsors and has said from the start this type of reform was a key goal for him, and a rare chance for bipartisan agreement. This seems like a big win for him as he prepares to decide whether to run for president. Your take?

Roginsky: It's a huge win for Booker and for the millions of Americans who will benefit. But the important thing to note here is that Senator Booker has been leading on this issue long before he began exploring a presidential bid. This was literally among the first initiatives he decided to undertake when he got to the senate in 2013, long before Donald Trump came along and back when it was a lonely endeavor.

DuHaime: This type of criminal just reform has been criticized from the left and the right. New Jersey passed similar bipartisan reform under Gov. Chris Christie, and crime is down, and so is prison population. It works.

Q. A district judge in Texas struck down the Affordable Care Act, a decision that President Trump called a great victory. But looking purely at the politics, is this a gift to the Democrats, who scored big points in the mid-terms elections by defending Obamacare?

Roginsky: Politically, this was a gift to Democrats. In the most recent midterms, Obamacare was the substantive issue on which candidates ran and it has become so popular that Trump even tweeted about protecting it. If it is overturned on his watch, Republicans will continue to pay the price at the polls. And, to be clear, the district court judge only ruled this way because of changes the Republican Congress made to Obamacare that, in his view, rendered it unconstitutional.

DuHaime: This is an issue that was bad for Republicans. Conservatives are mad the Republicans didn't repeal Obamacare with full control of the House, Senate and Presidency. And now Democrats will start railing on Republicans again about taking away coverage for pre-existing conditions. The reality is that this has now been the law for eight years, and if you haven't had a personally bad experience with insurance, you are okay with the status quo. The same fear of change that fueled opposition to Obamacare in 2010 is, oddly, fueling the desire to keep it now.

Q. We learned Thursday that President Trumps choice as the next attorney general, William Barr, wrote a 19-page memo to the Justice Department in June criticizing Robert Muellers investigation, especially its probe into possible obstruction of justice over the firing of FBI Director James Comey. If Barr is confirmed, should he recuse himself from supervising Mueller? Should senators make that a condition of his approval?

Roginsky: If he is confirmed, Barr should absolutely recuse himself from an investigation he obviously considers to be partially illegitimate. More importantly, I have to wonder whether criticizing Mueller is a prerequisite for getting the nomination to be attorney general.

DuHaime: I disagree. Barr should not recuse himself. I don't think being critical of any employee bars a boss from overseeing said employee. And I will say this, if a second straight Attorney General recuses himself from this investigation, we will see a twitter explosion from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue perhaps like none we have seen before.

Roginsky: Ill take a Twitter explosion if it means ensuring that Mueller is able to conduct his probe without political interference. This has been quite the week for crazy Twitter explosions both in Washington and in New Jersey, apparently.

Jersey political insiders: On the left, Julie Roginsky, a career Democratic strategist and TV commentator; on the right, Michael DuHaime, a Republican strategist and public affairs executive.

More Julie & Mike:
Christmas has come early for the ersatz Czar of modern day Russia, Vladimir Putin. In a move widely reviled by Democrats, Republicans and members of his own administration, President Trump had decided to pull our troops out of Syria. Trump says ISIS is defeated and it's quittin' time. The move to withdraw our troops is a huge boon to Russia and Iran who will now enjoy an unprecedented level of influence in the region. The United States, once looked at as a paragon of global leadership, has ceded our influence in the Middle East to a two-bit dictator and a nation who refers to us as "The Great Satan.' I don't think this is going to end well.

This move fits in nicely with what I call the Trump Doctrine. The Trump doctrine doesn't merely govern how the president approaches foreign policy, but how he approaches his whole life. The doctrine boils down to this:

-When something becomes difficult, declare victory and walk away

It's a simple philosophy and one well suited for someone who fails so often and so spectacularly. Casinos going bankrupt? Declare victory and walk away. Mail order steaks not selling like you hoped? Declare victory and walk away. Lose the popular vote? Declare victory and walk away. Meet a Slovenian model and your current wife isn't into it? Declare victory and walk away. There is no failure so great that Donald Trump can't convince himself it's a win.

ISIS is not defeated, Iran now has greater influence over the region and Russia is pleased as punch that we've decided to take our ball and go home.
Police are seeking the gunman who killed a 23-year-old Paterson man and wounded another man Wednesday night.

Lexander Torres, 23, was pronounced dead at the scene after police found him on a sidewalk in the area of 16th Avenue and East 18th Street around 7:15 p.m., according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Troy Oswald.

A 24-year-old Paterson man was found shot nearby and taken to St. Josephs University Medical Center in Paterson. He was later released, authorities said.

Anyone with information about the shootings is asked to call the prosecutors office at 1-877-370-7276 or Paterson police at 973-321-1120.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
An attorney representing Katie Brennan said Friday that testimony this week from Gov. Phil Murphys aides about why the man Brennan accused of rape stayed in a senior state job for months raised more questions than it provided answers."

The comments from lawyer Kathryn Katy McClure come three days after one former and two current top officials in Murphys administration appeared before a special legislative committee investigating how Albert J. Alvarez was hired and kept his job even as Brennan alerted Murphys team multiple times about her allegations.

The officials testified that Alvarez, who has denied the accusations, was twice told to leave state government this year after they found out.

But Alvarez was never fired and he didnt resign as chief of staff of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority until October, when the Wall Street Journal contacted him about Brennan, who is also a state official.

Murphys chief of staff, Pete Cammarano, revealed Tuesday he personally told Alvarez to leave in March  much earlier than was originally disclosed.

Another official, former schools authority CEO Charlie McKenna, said Murphys chief counsel, Matt Platkin, instructed him to give Alvarez the same message in June. Still, Alvarez remained.

Cammarano testified he and Murphys top aides were acting on the advice of the governors lawyers and were instructed not to tell the governor about the situation because of a state confidentiality policy.

Murphy has insisted he didnt learn about Brennans allegations until Alvarez stepped down in October.

McClure said Friday she didnt previously know about Cammaranos meeting in March.

They believed her but disregarded her welfare in favor of protecting his ability to quietly leave and protecting the governor from a situation that could get embarrassing or get ugly," Brennans attorney said.

How can any victim feel comfortable coming forward? McClure asked.

She also said the states position on confidentiality cannot be reconciled.

It was disturbing to learn that they would fall back on confidentiality as reason not to tell the governor or answer her questions but would breach confidentiality when it came to her complaint," McClure said.

Confidentiality does not apply when it means you could tip off Albert Alvarez that another employee has made a claim so he would quietly step away," the attorney added. "And she is left unadvised.

State Equal Employment Opportunity regulations say all discrimination complaints must be kept confidential to the extent practical and appropriate under the circumstances. But the rules also say it may be deemed necessary to discuss such complaints with those who have a legitimate need to know about the matter.

Christopher Porrino, an attorney for Murphys office, declined to comment Friday.

Murphy said Wednesday he has no reason to believe that folks operated in any other way but out of respect for their obligations  both ethically, legally  to confidentiality.

In addition to going public with her story, Brennan has alerted the state she may sue for discrimination related to how the state Attorney Generals Office cleared the Hudson County prosecutor of wrongdoing in the matter. The prosecutors office decided not to charge Alvarez last year.

Brennan accused Alvarez of raping her after a Murphy campaign event last April when she was a Murphy supporter and he was a campaign official.

Alvarez later worked on Murphys transition and then was hired in January for the schools authority job. Brennan is now chief of staff of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Authority.

After they first learned in December that he was accused of rape, Murphy officials said Alvarez passed a background check. Three months later, after Brennan relayed her allegations a second time, Alvarez was told to leave.

Then, in June, Brennan personally emailed Murphy and his wife in June, asking them to discus a sensitive matter, without disclosing what the matter was.

The governor said he passed the email along to staffers, which he said is common.

Shortly after Brennan sent her email, Murphy campaign attorney Jonathan Berkon contacted her and told her Alvarez would leave the administration. Not long after that, Alvarez was told a second time to leave.

But McClure said Friday that Brennan wanted to tell the governor  she was not seeking confidentiality.

She is contacted by Mr. Berkon, and when she asked Why is he leaving, she was told it was an HR matter and she was not entitled to know," McClure said.

I would hope out of the Legislature committee hearings we see proposed changes to policy and legislation with regard to how these claims are investigated and how confidentiality is used or abused," the attorney added.

Cammarano said Tuesday that Alvarezs continued employment is something I look back on and try to figure out, Why did that happen? And I dont have an answer to it.

The committees co-chair, state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, declined to comment on McClures remarks Friday.

We have not completed Pete Cammaranos testimony, Weinberg said. So Im not prepared to comment on that until the committee has completed (hearing his testimony).

The next hearing is Jan. 8.

Murphy has stressed his office is also investigating how his team responded to Brennans accusations and will look to change state policy regarding how sexual-assault allegations are handled.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01.

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WASHINGTON  With a pen and his signature, President Donald Trump gave U.S. Sen. Cory Booker his top legislative priority, signing the first step toward overhauling Americas criminal justice system.

The First Step Act was pushed over the finish line by Trump, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, a bevy of liberal and conservative interest groups and a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers, some of whom watched the president sign the bill.

It brings much needed hope to many families during the holiday season, said Trump, a Republican.

Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, was not at the White House, as senators worked to avoid a threatened partial government shutdown at midnight.

Our countrys criminal justice system is broken and has been for decadestargeting the most vulnerable, disproportionately harming low income communities and communities of color, failing to make us safer and wasting taxpayer dollars," Booker said in a statement.

This law is a step in the right direction in a mile long journey to fix our broken criminal justice system, he said.

While Americas major political parties are often divided, criminal justice united them, offering alternatives to incarceration in the federal prison system for many nonviolent offenders and new paths for those imprisoned for nonviolent crimes to get out of jail early.

We were their lobbyists, Kushner, a Livingston native, said at the ceremony, according to White House pool reports

Originally conceived as a way to help federal prisoners rejoin society, the bill was expanded in the Senate to also address sentencing issues, where nonviolent drug offenders were filling prisons.

Offering job training and drug treatment to inmates would allow them to find jobs when they leave prison, reducing the chances that they would go back to criminality and instead enabling them to pump money from their salaries into the communities they live in and help companies find motivated workers in an era of low unemployment.

Under the new law, federal judges could hand out lighter sentences to those convicted of nonviolent drug crimes, a third offense no longer would be a guaranteed ticket to life imprisonment, and most juveniles would no longer face solitary confinement.

Another provision would allow federal prisoners convicted of crack cocaine offenses before the 2010 law that imposed similar penalties for both powder cocaine and crack cocaine use to petition for lighter sentences. Booker said that section alone would affect as many as 3,000 people, 90 percent of them black.

Our criminal justice system has been a major barrier to opportunity for millions of Americans the past several decades, said Mark Holden, senior vice president and general counsel for Koch Industries. "The reason that people with different political and philosophical beliefs all agree on the need to reform our criminal justice system because we all believe in fundamental liberty, justice, and fairness. And we all have a stake in public safety and fiscal responsibility. "

Booker, a potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, had made overhauling the criminal justice system his signature issue since winning election to the Senate in 2013.

He worked with a bipartisan group of senators and had the support of President Barack Obama, a fellow Democrat. In November 2015, Obama traveled to Newark, where Booker formerly served as mayor, to talk about efforts to help former inmates get education, training and jobs.

That was after a bipartisan group of senators including Booker, Grassley, Lee and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois crafted criminal justice legislation, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., refused to bring it up for a vote.

Then-Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, took a similar tack in New Jersey, signing legislation requiring that some nonviolent offenders undergo drug treatment rather than being sentenced to prison. He expanded a system of drug courts to handle those cases instead of sending those arrested through the criminal court system.

Christie had met with Kushner, a prime mover behind the law, at the White House to discuss criminal justice.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
Manny Machado plans to keep the Yankees and his other two suitors waiting at least until January.

After having a free agent tour this week with three meetings in three cities over four days, the superstar third baseman/shortstop alerted the Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox that his decision will come after the new year, Jon Heyman of FanCred reported in a tweet Friday.

This development isnt a big surprise even though there was some recent speculation that Machado would request best offers and made a decision on his future by Christmas.

Machado, 26, is expected to wind up choosing between the Yankees  his favorite club as a youth  and the Phillies, a big-market club with a small payroll that is looking to make a big splash this winter.

The Yankees made their pitch to Machado on Wednesday during a 90-minute meeting at Yankee Stadium, then team execs dined with the four-time All-Star and his wife that night in Manhattan.

The following day, Machado had a meeting with the Phillies the lasted more than four hours. He was in Chicago on Monday to talk with the White Sox, who are long shots because theyre rebuilding.

Its believed Machado is seeking a contract worth at least $300 million for 10 years.

The Yankees have an immediate need for Machado at shortstop due to Didi Gregorius being unavailable for the first few months of 2019 as he completes his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Long-term, its believed the Yankees want Machado to be their regular third baseman because hes elite there  hes won two Gold Gloves playing the hot corner  and the club is very concerned about Miguel Andujar, who struggled defensively last season while putting up tremendous offensive numbers as a rookie.

Machado hit .297 last season with 37 homers and 107 RBI playing 162 games for the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers. For his career, hes a .282 hitter with 175 homers in seven seasons with the Orioles (2012-18) and Dodgers (2018).

Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Releasing tax returns is a time-honored requirement for candidates for public office. Especially in the world of Trump, releasing tax returns allows the public to take its measure of whether candidates have disqualifying conflicts of interest, said former federal prosecutor and mayoral candidate Lori Lightfoot, who has released four years of full tax returns. Its unacceptable for someone who wants to be mayor of the third-largest city in the country to resist transparency, including resisting releasing tax returns, especially given our history of elected officials enriching themselves at the expense of the public.
Louisianas delegation divided 4-2 when the U.S. House of Representatives gave final legislative approval Thursday (Dec. 20) to the First Steps criminal justice overhaul. The bill cleared the House 358-36, two days after the Senate approved it 87-12, and sent it to President Donald Trump for his expected signature.

Voting for the bill were Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson; Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans; Mike Johnson, R-Benton; and Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge. Voting no were Clay Higgins, R-Port Barre; and Ralph Abraham, R-Alto. Heres what three of them said:

More from Richmond:

As a result of the First Step Act, judges will be able to give fairer sentences to defendants, defendants wont be charged for multiple crimes for a single incident, pregnant prisoners will not be shackled, $75 million will go toward reentry programs for the recently released, the reduced 18:1 sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine will be made retroactive and 4,000 prisoners will be released early. In addition, the prison reform provisions of the First Step Act will apply retroactively to all prisoners sentenced after 1987 as a I requested when the House Judiciary Committee reviewed the legislation.

So what is the problem? The problem is that every dollar we spend toward mass incarceration leaves our communities less safe and the First Step Act does not address mass incarceration. The First Step Act also does not address police accountability, private prisons, life without parole for juveniles, black families that were broken by the War on Drugs, among others issues. ...

"Below are some of the issues the First Step Act does not address that the CBC would like to see included in comprehensive criminal justice reform legislation.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

"The bill does not address the strained relationship between police and the communities they serve.

Higgins said the bill lacks sufficient accountability. "There must be more thorough measures in place that ensure released felons are held accountable if they continue to commit criminal acts or endanger public safety. Further, restricting sentencing guidelines for repeat offender[s], heavy drug dealers as well as violent gun crimes is a bad idea.

Senate overwhelmingly passes criminal justice overhaul

. . . . . . .

Drew Broach covers Jefferson Parish politics and education, plus other odds and ends, for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Email: dbroach@nola.com. Facebook: Drew Broach TP. Twitter: drewbroach1. Google+: Drew Broach.
Qualcomm's patent war against Apple has escalated this December following bans in China and now Germany on the sale of iPhones. Intel has now accused Qualcomm of "stifling competition" in a scathing Intel Newsroom article that alleges Qualcomm's actions will only serve to "reduce innovation and increase prices."

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

Earlier this month, Qualcomm successfully won in their attempts to have some models of iPhones banned in China and is continuing efforts to include more models in that ban and to have the iPhone ban solidified in the eyes of all of China's courts. The processor company has also been seeking bans in the US, which so far have been unsuccessful, and Germany, where a partial ban has finally been placed. Apple's partner Intel, which makes modems for iPhones, denounced Qualcomm's patent litigation in a Newsroom article entitled "Another Attempt to Stifle Competition." Intel VP Steven Rodgers in his article says

Qualcomms goal is not to vindicate its intellectual property rights, but rather to drive competition out of the market for premium modem chips, and to defend a business model that ultimately harms consumers. As weve noted before, in the last several years, Qualcomm has been fined nearly a billion dollars in China, $850 million in Korea, $1.2 billion by the European Commission and $773 million in Taiwan (later reduced in a settlement) for anti-competitive practices.

While Intel is correct about Qualcomm having been fined several times, it is also true that Intel is no stranger to anti-competitive practices, most infamously in the mid 2000s when Intel bribed several OEMs such as HP and Dell to not use AMD products. Nonetheless, Intel and Apple could have a point if Qualcomm's lawsuits kill the iPhone and prevent people from buying them if they want one. Last year, the FTC charged Qualcomm with monopolizing modems just as Apple and Intel have claimed.
The board voted to make the referrals after accepting a motion by incumbent 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinns team to withdraw its objection to DePaul University student David Krupas nominating petitions, clearing the way for the challenger to be on the ballot in House Speaker Michael Madigans home ward. The board also voted to refer the matter to the Cook County states attorney and United States attorneys office, spokesman Jim Allen said.
Managing Editor

Having lived and worked in Indy on and off since 1977, and currently living in Carmel, I've seen the city change a great deal. I love covering the arts in all its forms, and the places where the arts and broader cultural issues intersect.


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TEHRAN  President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fired Irans foreign minister on Monday, a move that caught many here by surprise and appeared to reflect a strengthening of the presidents power.

Mr. Ahmadinejad said in a presidential order that he had dismissed the minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, a career diplomat who for many years has been Irans face to the West. Mr. Mottaki was on an official visit to Senegal and did not immediately react to the news, which appeared to catch even the state-run Iranian news media by surprise.

The firing seemed to represent a victory for Mr. Ahmadinejad, who has been embroiled in a power struggle with a faction of moderate politicians centered in the Parliament and headed by the speaker, Ali Larijani. Political insiders said that after the 2005 election, Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, forced the newly elected Mr. Ahmadinejad to accept Mr. Mottaki as foreign minister, even though Mr. Mottaki had backed Mr. Larijanis presidential campaign. They said Mr. Khamenei had until now blocked the presidents efforts to replace him.

Lawmakers loyal to Mr. Ahmadinejad had recently been threatening to seek Mr. Mottakis dismissal if the United Nations approved more sanctions over Irans nuclear program. But the foreign minister was never involved in the nuclear negotiations, a factor that led some analysts to dismiss the nuclear issue as a pretext for pushing him out.
Two drones that went floating over a runway at Gatwick Airport outside London this week caused chaos, disrupting hundreds of flights there, and stranding tens of thousands of passengers at Englands second-largest airport and elsewhere at the peak of the holiday season.

The drone disruption raises a host of questions, but for travelers in the United States, perhaps the most pressing is this: Could it happen here?

Heres what we know.

What exactly happened at Gatwick?

Airport staff members first spotted the drones flying over a perimeter fence and into the runway area around 9 p.m. on Wednesday. Officials shut the runway, and then reopened it around 3 a.m. Thursday before closing it again about 45 minutes later when there was another sighting. Yet another drone was spotted late Thursday morning, and people kept spotting drones into Thursday night.

Officials called the move a deliberate act, but the police said there were no indications to suggest this is terror related.
TOKYO  Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan Motor chairman, was arrested again by the Japanese authorities on Friday, this time on suspicion that he shifted more than $16 million in personal losses incurred a decade ago to the automaker.

The rearrest of Mr. Ghosn dealt a setback to his hopes for getting released from the Tokyo jail where he has been held for more than a month on different charges. It also adds to the legal problems of an executive who once oversaw a sprawling automotive global empire that sold more than 10 million cars last year.

The authorities rearrested Mr. Ghosn on suspicion of breach of trust related to a financial investment that tumbled in value during the 2008 global financial crisis, according to the Japanese public broadcaster NHK. The authorities said he had transferred the investment, a derivative contract, to Nissan from his personal asset management company.

If he were charged and found guilty of the new accusations, Mr. Ghosn could face up to 10 years in prison. His lawyer in Japan could not be immediately reached for comment.
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WASHINGTON  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has quietly folded its Climate and Health Program into a branch that studies asthma and expunged the word climate from the name of the newly consolidated office, the agency confirmed on Thursday.

An agency spokeswoman, Kathryn Harben, said in a statement that the move was part of a broader reorganization within the agencys environmental health division that pared eight programs down to four.

The climate and health office is the agencys only program meant to help state and local governments prepare for the health consequences of fiercer storms, longer droughts and other extreme weather events. It was also an important contributor to the National Climate Assessment, a landmark government report that detailed new health hazards related rising greenhouse gas emissions.

The former head of the unit, George E. Luber, has been reassigned to the agencys waterborne diseases unit. He also was the subject of a dismissal notice until this week, but the notice was retracted after lawyers for a nonprofit watchdog group said they were considering filing a federal whistle-blower complaint. Asked about the retraction notice, which was seen by The New York Times, the agency declined to comment.
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Mayor Bill de Blasio is certainly not the only elected official who has been critical of efforts to legalize recreational marijuana, only to slowly change his position over time.

But Mr. de Blasio said that his gradual shift  memorialized on Thursday at a news conference where he announced his support for legalization, with some caveats  did not come simply because other states had done so, or because of the revenue it could bring.

The mayor said that his familys experiences with addiction, including growing up with a father who was addicted to alcohol and cigarettes, compelled him to make sure that New York City took enough precautions before embracing legalization.

You cant take addiction lightly when youve seen it, Mr. de Blasio said in Washington Heights.

The mayors father, Warren Wilhelm, lost his leg during battle in World War II. After Mr. Wilhelm was investigated for being a Communist sympathizer, his health deteriorated over the years while using alcohol.
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When four people sued President Trump and the Trump Organization, accusing them of using the Trump name to entice vulnerable investors to enter sham business schemes, the plaintiffs took the highly unusual step of asking a judge for permission to proceed under pseudonyms.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs, who are listed in the lawsuit with names like Jane Doe and Richard Roe, said in court papers that their clients feared retaliation if their names became public. The lawyers cited Mr. Trumps history of wielding his wealth, stature and Twitter account to attack people whom he perceives to be his enemies, including people who sue him.

On Thursday, the judge, Lorna G. Schofield of Federal District Court in Manhattan, agreed with them, ruling that the plaintiffs could keep their names concealed for now, as their lawsuit moved forward.

The manner in which the president has used his position and platform to affect the course of pending court cases, Judge Schofield said, is really without precedent.
She proofread all the articles, she had questions sometimes, sometimes helpful suggestions and had suggestions for article topics, Nailen said. She knew what she wanted done and made sure it got done that way  but was never overbearing about it. She was easy to get along with, but she ran things.
Shan Goshorn, an acclaimed Cherokee multimedia artist who incorporated political activism into her work, died on Dec. 1 in Tulsa, Okla. She was 61.

Her sister Donna Beck said the cause was a rare form of cancer.

Ms. Goshorn ranged across various media in her work, including paint, glass, metal and fiber as well as hand-tinted photography.

I consider myself an artist who chooses the medium that best expresses a statement, usually one that addresses human rights issues, especially those that affect native people, she wrote on her website.

Ms. Goshorn was most known for her imaginative basket-weaving. She often integrated photographs into her basketry, in some instances obtained by crowd-sourcing: Native Americans around the country would contribute images.
Are you optimistic or pessimistic about Americas future? Im optimistic. I say that because there have been many moments in our history when old ideas and old arrangements stopped working and people chopped them up. Those transition moments were bumpy, and it was easy to lose hope, but then people figured it out. Never underestimate the power of human ingenuity.

The same process is happening today. Americans have lost faith in the big institutions of society. Many fly off to extremes, to the Donald Trump right or the Bernie Sanders left. Most of the rest of us feel adrift, gloomy and politically homeless.

But people figure it out. New ideas emerge. Old ideas are put together in new ways. Today, I offer you just one example  the Niskanen Center, which has become one of the most creative think tanks in America today.

The Niskanen Center began operations in 2015 , started by a group of libertarians who broke off from the Cato Institute. Over the next few years many of the leaders of Niskanen began to lose faith in the libertarian ideology. The founder, Jerry Taylor, wrote a brilliant essay in October explaining the process.
After winning a $50,000 raise and becoming the highest-paid state legislators in the country, lawmakers in New York, one might think, would turn their focus to the peoples work.

Instead, the Assembly speaker, Carl Heastie, whined this week that the pay increase didnt keep up with the increase in the cost of living since the Legislatures last raise 20 years ago.

I thought the sitting city comptroller would at least know how to calculate the rate of inflation, Mr. Heastie huffed on Twitter, trolling New York Citys comptroller, Scott Stringer, a member of the special committee that determined the raise and, to address ethical concerns, limited stipends and outside income. In a testy back and forth with Mr. Stringer, Mr. Heastie also said the committee had overreached by daring to include those reforms along with the raise.

Rather than complaining about ethics reforms, Mr. Heastie would serve New Yorkers better if he put aside such pettiness and showed that the Assembly will be serious about enacting measures that can transform Albany from a punch line into a model of good government.
Even some of Mr. Trumps most ardent supporters were alarmed. It is a major blunder, a Republican senator, Marco Rubio of Florida, wrote on Twitter. If it isnt reversed it will haunt this administration & America for years to come.

Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, who generally supports Mr. Trump, said he and others in the national security establishment were blindsided by the announcement. He called for congressional hearings on the decision.

This isnt the first time the president and his administration have sent mixed messages. During the 2016 campaign, Mr. Trump promised to withdraw troops from Syria and has been looking for a way do it ever since. In April, he gave the Pentagon more time to complete the mission, which since the Obama era has been strictly focused on finishing off the Islamic State. Then Mr. Bolton arrived on the job and declared that were not going to leave as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders, and that includes Iranian proxies and militias.

As late as Monday, James Jeffrey, the State Departments Syria envoy, told the Atlantic Council that the United States would stay in Syria until ISIS was defeated, Iranian influence was curbed and there was a political solution to the Syrian civil war.

But on Wednesday, Mr. Trump undercut his advisers, and American interests, by reversing course and declaring in a tweet, We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.

There was no attempt to use the leverage of an American withdrawal to achieve any specific political or military goal.

Mr. Trumps assertion that the Islamic State is defeated is absurd. We have won against ISIS, he boasted in a video. The ability of the terrorists to strike has been significantly degraded and much of the territory they claimed for their so-called caliphate has been liberated. But the group still retains a pocket of land on the Syria-Iraq border and has roughly 20,000 to 30,000 fighters, according to military researchers. As Mr. Jeffrey said Monday, The job is not yet done.
Further, the fact that the bill is being supported by Trump  a man who fetishizes law and order and openly encourages police violence  changes the politics of criminal justice going forward. In 2016, the sentencing reforms in the First Step Act were seen as moderate, Chettiar told me. Now they are part of a bill with Trumps conservative imprimatur. That means that progressives and reform-minded moderates are going to need to bring forward much bolder proposals, she said.

This moment, where conservatives are actually competing with liberals to find ways to free at least some prisoners, is the culmination of a transformation on the right thats gathered speed over the last decade. Charles Colson had prepared the ground with Christian conservatives, mobilizing evangelicals on behalf of prisoners. That work then intersected with the Tea Partys hostility to big government, a story David Dagan and Steven Teles tell in their book Prison Break: Why Conservatives Turned Against Mass Incarceration.

But it is also a product of something more personal and less ideological. One way to turn a right-leaning person into a prison reformer is to expose him or her to the realities of the system. Im not quite cynical enough to believe that Trump wants to ease federal prison conditions because he and his children might be indicted  I assume he agreed to get behind the First Step Act because he was desperate for a win. But many of the people whove tried to move the Republican Party toward criminal justice reform have seen prison, or at least criminal prosecution, firsthand.

The most notable example is Kushner, whose father  at the time a prominent Democratic donor  spent 14 months in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign donations.

Then theres Colson, former special counsel to Richard Nixon, who founded Prison Fellowship, his Christian nonprofit, after serving seven months for obstruction of justice in connection with the Watergate scandal.
But what hit me hardest about the show that beat out Follies and Grease for a best musical Tony Award were those melodies. Uplifting, many with a Latin inflection, they weaponized joy and sounded as much like soul and mambo as show tunes, and were at least as good as the songs from Godspell and Pippin that were contemporizing Broadway theater around that time.

I bought the album and sheet music with the sexy cartoon graphic, and played the songs over and over. At a time when so much music could be so harsh, there was a humane harmony to that score, suggesting, like in Hair, a diverse but melded community of searchers that appealed to an isolated kid in white-bread suburbia. I sang the songs in the shower and while I walked to school, worried about bullies and gym class. As a lonely college transfer student in 1980, I bonded with a fellow student who sang from Two Gentleman with me: You cant love another without loving yourself, wed belt. He later became a psychoanalyst.

A few years after that, MacDermot had another show up at the Public Theater, where Hair had premiered decades before. The Human Comedy, an adaptation by William Dumaresq of the bittersweet William Saroyan novella about a California family during World War II, brought me to tears. It wasnt from sadness, although it was a sad tale about the nicest people. It was rapture, really. Somehow those surging melodies conjured the lives and souls of a more innocent America  with children waving to hobos on passing trains and telegraph poles rising into the horizon, full of messages from places afar, many of them devastating ones from the War Department.

Beautiful music is in the air, a gospel chorus sang with dark hope. I hear it to this day.

That show went on to Broadway. It was well reviewed, but didnt last long. A revival more recently didnt take off, either. Two Gentleman of Verona, revived in Central Park in 2005, didnt catch on, even with its gorgeously diverse cast. And there were many other forgotten shows with penetrating music that MacDermot wrote, along with soundtracks, albums and a lilting lullaby, Cover Up My Head, sung by the McGarrigle Sisters, soulful Canadians like him. Its another of his songs that cracks open my heart. It also makes me feel, I dare say, grateful to be alive, although it would be safe to add that you would be grateful not to hear me singing it.

Words, it is said, make you think, but music makes you feel, and because MacDermot always makes me feel so much, Im a hopeless and sentimental admirer. But then, when prolific artists are so talented but not so well-known, our devotion to them is even stronger, isnt it? The author Nick Hornby once put obsessing over music this way: And mostly all I have to say about these songs is that I love them, and want to sing along to them, and force other people to listen to them, and get cross when these other people dont like them as much as I do.
The general stood out to me when he ordered Marines to make a ramshackle wooden operations center look better than Yosemites visitor center, as one Marine put it. He wanted visiting Iraqi delegations to feel more at ease despite the hard talk that took place in the center on the eve of the biggest battle of the Iraq war.

After Mr. Trump nominated him, Congress had to give Mr. Mattis a special waiver to lead the Pentagon because he was so recently retired. Legitimate concerns were raised about civilian-military relations. Would a four-decade military man known for his war-fighting acumen be an appropriate fit as a civilian official in charge of a $700 billion military budget and millions of service members? That question now appears more settled than not. Mr. Mattis has been a steadying force on the presidents ever-changing team, reportedly working behind the scenes to restrain his bellicose boss and, more publicly, to sustain Americas global alliances.

The great risk today, almost two years after the Senate voted 99 to 1 to confirm Mr. Mattis, is that an overtly political person will take his place. The likelihood of a new Pentagon chief who prioritizes loyalty to a president over loyalty to the ideals and values of the country could signal a renewed willingness to blur lines in the moral conduct of American foreign policy.

Politicians of all stripes should recall that it was President Ronald Reagan, the most iconic of modern Republican leaders, who urged Senate ratification of the United Nations anti-torture treaty. In a letter to senators urging ratification of the Convention Against Torture in 1988, Reagan wrote that torture was an abhorrent practice unfortunately still prevalent in the world today.

When Mr. Mattis decamps from Washington in February, the United States risks a return to the dark side of its conduct after Sept. 11. Only the United States can really hold itself to account in how it engages with the rest of the world. And many other governments, good and bad, will continue to see the bar for conduct either being raised or lowered depending on Americas lead. The Saudis are arguably the most relevant example in this regard right now, given the recent murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
WASHINGTON  The Trump administration has ordered the military to start withdrawing roughly 7,000 troops from Afghanistan in the coming months, two defense officials said Thursday, an abrupt shift in the 17-year-old war there and a decision that stunned Afghan officials, who said they had not been briefed on the plans.

President Trump made the decision to pull the troops  about half the number the United States has in Afghanistan now  at the same time he decided to pull American forces out of Syria, one official said.

The announcement came hours after Jim Mattis, the secretary of defense, said that he would resign from his position at the end of February after disagreeing with the president over his approach to policy in the Middle East.

The whirlwind of troop withdrawals and the resignation of Mr. Mattis leave a murky picture for what is next in the United States longest war, and they come as Afghanistan has been troubled by spasms of violence afflicting the capital, Kabul, and other important areas. The United States has also been conducting talks with representatives of the Taliban, in what officials have described as discussions that could lead to formal talks to end the conflict.
WASHINGTON  Hawkish Republican lawmakers, still reeling from President Trumps decision on Wednesday to yank American forces from Syria, found fresh cause for alarm on Thursday, after Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned in protest and reports circulated that the president was preparing to pull thousands of troops out of Afghanistan.

Coming on the same day that Mr. Trump balked at an agreement to avert an imminent government shutdown, the rapid-fire developments prompted rare warnings from within Mr. Trumps own party that his foreign policy could be leading toward dangerous instability on the global stage.

In perhaps the most surprising response, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the usually circumspect majority leader, issued a cutting and lengthy statement, saying: Its essential that the United States maintain and strengthen the post-World War II alliances that have been carefully built by leaders in both parties. We must also maintain a cleareyed understanding of our friends and foes, and recognize that nations like Russia are among the latter.

He continued: So I was sorry to learn that Secretary Mattis, who shares those clear principles, will soon depart the administration. But I am particularly distressed that he is resigning due to sharp differences with the president on these and other key aspects of Americas global leadership.
The Times reported that the secret project used deceptive social media practices in the Alabama Senate election a year ago to boost Mr. Jones and damage his Republican opponent, Roy S. Moore. The effort included the creation of a Facebook page designed to look like the work of conservative Alabamians, as well as what an internal report called a false-flag operation to make it appear as if an army of Russian accounts were following Mr. Moore on Twitter.

There is no evidence that Mr. Jones, his campaign or Democratic Party officials encouraged or even knew about the small-scale effort.

Mr. Moore, a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and a conservative Christian, said the meddling was a sign of moral decline. The immorality of our society has seeped into our political system to corrupt our election process, threaten democracy and destroy our country, he said. Only an appeal to God and our Constitution can preserve our republic.

A social media expert involved in the project, Jonathon Morgan, said in a statement that it was designed to better understand and report on the tactics and effects of social media disinformation, not to influence the election. But the internal report portrayed it differently  as an aggressive effort to divide conservatives, suppress Republican turnout and drive Democrats to the polls.

The effort, financed by Reid Hoffman, the billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn, is unlikely to have had a significant effect on the outcome, given its modest budget. It cost $100,000, out of $51 million spent on the entire race, including the primaries.
He felt the Becks contributed a lot to medicine and to the city of Chicago with their hospital (that they founded) on the North Side, Brian Blair said. They were cutting edge and did a lot of things, and the underlying anti-Semitism in the country probably kept them from being exalted more and I think he felt that the world should know how good these guys were. I think that was one of the main motivations (for writing the book).
WASHINGTON  A federal appeals court temporarily halted on Thursday a lawsuit that accuses President Trump of illegally benefiting from his familys business, an interim victory for the Justice Department in its effort to block more than three dozen subpoenas for documents from the Trump Organization, the presidents trust and other entities.

A lower court judge had allowed the lawsuit, brought by the District of Columbia and the state of Maryland, to proceed to the evidence-gathering stage. Attorneys general for the two local jurisdictions have alleged that Mr. Trump has violated the Constitutions anticorruption clauses by accepting payments, or emoluments, from foreign, federal and state officials who patronized the Trump International Hotel, located just blocks from the White House.

They say the presidents hotel siphons off business from hotels and convention centers that generate revenue for their governments. In a series of rulings, the federal judge overseeing the case, Peter J. Messitte of the United States District Court in Greenbelt, Md., has ruled against the president.

This month, the Justice Department asked the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to intervene, arguing that Judge Messitte had wrongly treated the case, which could have substantial constitutional implications, like a run-of-the-mill commercial dispute.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is leaving the Pentagon. Mr. Trump tweeted that Mr. Mattis would be retiring in February. Shortly after, the Defense Department released a letter from Mr. Mattis to the president saying, Because you have the right to have a secretary of defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.
The move was seen by immigration advocates as a hard-line deterrent that would force many of the migrants, even those fleeing violence and persecution, to return home. It could also give the United States a rationale to close ports of entry, the advocates said.

I am surprised the new Mexican government would agree to carry Trumps water on this, given his harsh rhetoric toward Mexicans, said Kevin Appleby, the policy director of the Center for Migration Studies. The administration will use this agreement moving forward to put up a virtual wall against asylum seekers. In some ways, Mexico will be paying for a wall.

The new policy will most likely alleviate pressure on American border agents who for months have argued that they are overwhelmed by the record number of migrant families seeking asylum. United States Customs and Border Protection houses the families temporarily, usually for several days, while they are processed.

Concerns about the agencys handling of children peaked this month, when a 7-year-old girl died in Border Patrol custody. The Trump administration did not take responsibility for the death, though days afterward, Kevin K. McAleenan, the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, told Congress, Our Border Patrol stations and ports of entry were built to handle mostly male, single adults in custody, not families or children.

A senior Department of Homeland Security official said that Thursdays announcement surprised many people in the agencys leadership, as well as the rank-and-file employees who would be charged with carrying out the policy.

Many logistical concerns had yet to be addressed, the official said, and it was still unclear whether anyone might be exempt  such as children traveling alone.

Critics of the policy predicted that it would soon be challenged in court, on the grounds that it might violate Congresss intention to allow asylum seekers into the United States. Additionally, the critics noted, the United States should adhere to international conventions that prohibit governments from returning refugees to places where they face a threat to their life or freedom.
WASHINGTON  After weeks of discussions about his future, Zachary D. Fuentes, the 36-year-old deputy White House chief of staff, had a plan.

Mr. Fuentes told colleagues that after his mentor, John F. Kelly, left his job as chief of staff at the end of the year, he would hide out at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, adjacent to the White House, for six months, remaining on the payroll in a nebulous role. Then, in July, when he had completed 15 years of service in the Coast Guard, Mr. Fuentes  an active-duty officer  would take advantage of an early retirement program.

The program, referred to as temporary early retirement authority, had lapsed for Coast Guard officials at the end of the 2018 fiscal year, and, according to people briefed on the discussions, Department of Homeland Security officials began pressing Congress in November to reinstate it. Administration officials said they had been told that Mr. Fuentes discussed the program with officials at the Department of Homeland Security, and after reporters raised questions with lawmakers of both parties, a provision to reinstate it was abruptly pulled from a House bill on Wednesday.

The White House declined to answer questions about whether Mr. Fuentes had pressed to have the program restarted, saying only that he planned to remain on for a time as a senior adviser to aid in the transition to a new chief of staff. But in interviews, nearly a dozen White House and administration aides, none of whom would speak on the record, raised concerns about how they believed Mr. Fuentes planned to use government resources in the coming months.
A former aide to the Senate Intelligence Committee was sentenced on Thursday to two months in prison for lying to federal law enforcement agents about unauthorized contact he had with an unidentified reporter during a federal leak investigation.

The former aide, James A. Wolfe, 58, pleaded guilty in October to one count of making a false statement to the F.B.I. during an interview last December, when he denied that he had been in contact with reporters whose work was the focus of the leak probe.

His prison sentence will be followed by four months of supervised release, during which he must complete 20 hours of community service per month, said Bill Miller, a spokesman for the United States Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia.

The judge, Ketanji Brown Jackson of United States District Court, also ordered him to pay a $7,500 fine, according to the spokesman. The government agreed to dismiss two additional charges of making false statements as part of the plea deal to which Mr. Wolfe agreed in October.
President Trumps decision to withdraw roughly 7,000 troops from Afghanistan, along with the resignation of his defense secretary, Jim Mattis, stirred fears in the Asia-Pacific region on Friday that the United States was abandoning its leadership of decades-old alliances crucial to stability and peace since World War II.

The surprise announcements came after President Trump said he was pulling American forces out of Syria, a decision that prompted Mr. Mattis to resign with a statement about the need to treat allies with respect and also being clear eyed about potential enemies.

In Afghanistan, Mr. Mattis was seen as the reliable conduit to the American government, and someone who provided balance to the whims of an often unpredictable president.

But the developments drew particular alarm in Australia, a close American ally whose soldiers have died in American-led wars in Vietnam, Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Some analysts played down the threat as a bluff, or a cry for attention, saying that if the Islamic State prisoners were freed they could sooner be expected to turn on the Kurds than thank them.

But a report by the Syrian Observatory on Human Rights said the Syrian Democratic Forces leadership was discussing the prisoners release because many of their home countries had refused to take them back. The Observatory, a London-based group with a network of citizen monitors throughout Syria whose work is widely considered credible, said the militia was also concerned that it would need all of its fighters to defend against a possible Turkish military invasion.

That invasion became more likely with Mr. Trumps announcement, which was seen as giving Turkey a green light to carry it out. The American withdrawal helps Turkey in two ways: it abandons the Kurds, whom Turkey sees as a threat, and removes American troops from northeastern Syria, which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he will invade to attack Kurdish positions there.

An invasion, however, would not be free of risk.

The problem for them is that if they do go in, there is always the possibility that they run into a protracted guerrilla struggle, said Steven A. Cook, a Middle East expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.



The greater likelihood, analysts said, was that the Kurds seek an agreement with Syrias president, Mr. Assad, that grants them limited autonomy in eastern Syria in exchange for their loyalty. Such an agreement would put Turkey into greater conflict with both Mr. Assad and the Russians.

Key Findings From the Baghuz Airstrike Investigation Card 1 of 5 Uncovering the truth. Over several months, The New York Times pieced together the details of a 2019 airstrike in Baghuz, Syria, one of the largest civilian casualty incidents of the war against the Islamic State. Here are the key findings from the investigation: The U.S. military carried out the attack. Task Force 9, the secretive special operations unit in charge of ground operations in Syria, called in the attack. The strike began when an F-15E attack jet hit Baghuz with a 500-pound bomb. Five minutes later, the F-15E dropped two 2,000-pound bombs. The death toll was downplayed. The U.S. Central Command recently acknowledged that 80 people, including civilians, were killed in the airstrike. Though the death toll was almost immediately apparent to military officials, regulations for investigating the potential crime were not followed. Reports were delayed, sanitized and classified. The Defense Departments independent inspector general began an inquiry, but the report containing its findings was stalled and stripped of any mention of the strike. American-led coalition forces bulldozed the blast site. Civilian observers who came to the area of the strike the next day described finding piles of dead women and children. In the days following the bombing, coalition forces overran the site, which was quickly bulldozed.









To Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, Mr. Trumps decision came as a deep embarrassment heading into an election year in which his national-security credentials, closeness with Mr. Trump and obsessive focus on stopping Iranian expansion were central to his argument for another term. Mr. Netanyahu said he learned of the withdrawal decision in talks with Mr. Trump on Monday.

This caught the Israeli government by surprise, said Ofer Zalzberg, an Israeli analyst at International Crisis Group. I dont know whether indeed Trump called Netanyahu two days ago or not, but thats a very short time between two close allies. Thats barely a heads-up.
President Trumps decision this week to withdraw all American troops from Syria within 30 days risks leaving United States allies in the long-running war weakened while strengthening rivals backed by Iran and Russia.

American troops entered Syria in 2015 as part of a coalition fighting the Islamic State, which had seized large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq. In the three years since, the extremist groups self-declared caliphate has crumbled. But the continuing lack of stability in both Syria and Iraq could provide fertile ground for the jihadists to retrench.

The American pullout could also weaken the countrys influence over any negotiations on a settlement to end the conflict.

The leverage that might have been there for the United States in Syria is no longer there because now everyone knows that the United States will leave Syria unconditionally, said Joost Hiltermann, the Middle East director of the International Crisis Group, a conflict and foreign policy research organization.
If youre looking for me this month, chances are Im parked under a cable-knit blanket happily consuming holiday movies at the same rate as gingerbread cookies and spiked punch from Trader Joes.

I relish eye-rolling my way through saccharine plotlines that so often hinge on women who dont even know what theyre missing: that is, a man (whos also often, gasp, a prince).

Even beyond Lifetime and Hallmark, the good Christmas movies  Im looking at you, Love Actually  are often just as bad at representing self-reliant female characters with some semblance of agency. And in times like these, when pop culture and #MeToo are inextricable, holiday fare is also not free of scrutiny. (Baby, Its Cold Outside was yanked from some radio stations this year for lyrics that to some sound like a prelude to date rape, my colleague recently wrote.)

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So I dared myself to find quality holiday movies that focus on fully realized women who serve a purpose beyond looking for love or being humble wives to eccentric husbands. Here are four. (Warning: spoilers ahead!)
The cavalier expansively offers his hand in a descending arc through the air. As the ballerina places her hand in his, she steps onto point and extends one leg behind her.

Welcome to ballet. This grandiloquent action, an archetypal example of ballet classicism, is a crucial transaction within supported adagio, that singularly momentous idiom: With the mans assistance, a female dancer blooms all the more fully.

What does it say to us? Logically, viewers should attend above all to that joining of hands. Heres a formal ritual of courtship, in which the woman accepts the man, at least provisionally, as a suitor. Far more powerful, though, is how, now on point, she becomes a multidimensional work of ideal geometry, sculpturally firm and theatrically radiant. No longer entirely human, shes now also  in line, shape and projection  transcendent.

Such images abound in the work of the Franco-Russian choreographer Marius Petipa (1818-1910): You can see them in the dances he made for Don Quixote, La Bayadere, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and Raymonda. They confront us with a problematic but beautiful central issue of ballet: its highly ambiguous sexism.
Once we put boots on the ground, the default option is to keep them there. If the fight is going badly, we need them to avert defeat. If the fight is going well, we need them to keep the enemy down. If theres a stalemate, we need them to preserve it. If the fight ends in victory ... well, we dont have a contingency for that, because no one imagines it happening.
Rather than being more than a century old, the clocks were approximately five years old, and they were manufactured in Beijing by a company that sells virtually identical clocks as modern reproductions for about $20,000 a piece, the buyers lawyer, Ted Poretz, wrote in the lawsuit filed in federal court.

The complicated case highlights the difficulty of adjudicating what is real and what is fake in this market for such elaborate  and ostensibly centuries-old  timepieces.

In the court papers and an interview, Mr. Poretz said he had been able to identify the maker of the clocks as Li Qiusheng, the owner of the Tianjin Edwin Clock Company in Tianjin, a port city southeast of Beijing. He said the clocks appear to have been brought to market in the United States by Mr. Lis son, Edwin, a California dealer who sells clocks under the name EM Time Company.

Li Qiusheng, reached by telephone, disputed the suggestion that he produced fakes. He said the clocks were genuine, dating to the 1920s, though he acknowledged that old clocks often need repairs that require using modern parts.

When the clock doesnt work, you need to replace the components, he said. If a wheel gear is broken, for example, you need to replace it with a new one.

A lawyer for his son, Edwin, Steve Sherman, noted that neither Li had been named by the buyer as a defendant in the suit. He said the son had no financial interest in the clocks and had only acted as an intermediary for his father. He was basically acting as an interpreter, Mr. Sherman said.
The paintings telegraph literal and figurative loss. In one, a soldier rests a gun on the sill of a broken window that overlooks a street gutted by explosions. Mothers Lament captures six different video frames and features a woman in a double-layered veil and abaya, her face tight with anguish. In Fallen men snap pictures of the bloodied corpse of Mutassim el-Qaddafi, the son of the former Libyan strongman. The painting draws its images from 20 video stills stitched together from Mr. Foleys raw video footage. Other paintings, of sky or desert, function as pauses between conflict photography.

Bradley is not just giving us the most disturbing images  thats certainly there  but also paying attention to what is the banality of war, its everydayness, little moments where you are just looking up, at a beautiful arrangement of light, Dr. Mirzoeff said.

Since his graduate art student days at Yale, Mr. McCallum has spotlighted themes of justice and accountability in his work, including a stint as artist in residence for the New York Civil Liberties Union. His projects comprise collective portraits of women who lost children to gun violence, homeless teenagers and defendants in war-crimes trials at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Mr. McCallum received a $10,000 grant from the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation with an agreement to return some profits. The family established the foundation in 2014 to provide hostage advocacy services, education and journalist safety guides. During Mr. Foleys captivity, his family said it experienced frustrating and fruitless attempts to work with the Obama administration and were instrumental in that administration establishing a new hostage recovery protocol involving families whose relatives were kidnapped abroad.

As the president of the Foley foundation, Mrs. Foley is practiced in being a public figure. Strangers send paintings and drawings of her son to the familys New Hampshire home. The Foleys participated in Brian Oakess 2016 documentary, Jim: The James Foley Story. Sting wrote and recorded a song about Mr. Foley that was nominated for a 2017 Academy Award. Reporters phone the Foleys for reaction after a journalist is killed, most recently after the October murder of the Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey. Earlier this year, when Mrs. Foley learned that a feature film was being made about a mothers efforts to free her kidnapped son, a reporter in the Middle East, she asked whether it might harm conflict journalists.
The Park Avenue Armorys Wade Thompson Drill Hall floor restoration project has received an infusion from New York City.

The Manhattan Borough President, the New York City Council and the citys Cultural Affairs department announced Friday that they are providing nearly $2 million in funding for the historic building, in a joint effort to help restore its 138-year-old floors.

The combined city capital funding of $1.925 million  $1 million from Mayor Bill de Blasios office, $875,000 from the City Council and $50,000 from the Manhattan Borough Presidents Office  will go toward the Armorys $4 million floor project, which began last August. It is part of the buildings ongoing $215 million-revitalization effort and aims to replace the current floorboards, of Georgia yellow pine, with wood from various historic buildings around the country, including the Domino Sugar Factory.

Completed in 1881, the Armorys cavernous 55,000-square-foot drill hall has hosted immersive performances and installations from artists of all disciplines. The Armory also offers arts education programming to students from underserved New York City public schools  which the renovation could help to continue.
None of that quite came close, though, to the spell cast by the pianist Conor Hanick in a complete account of John Cages Sonatas and Interludes at The Ex, probably the best instrumental concert I have seen all year by virtue of its rethinking of the basics of what a recital might be. Performing with his back to an audience seated in an arc around him, Mr. Hanicks playing was breathtaking, at once penetrating and mystifying. But it benefited immeasurably from imaginative lighting in this black-box theater from Christopher Gilmore  a spotlight down on the open piano here; torchlight slowly roaming there; and, as the last, tender sonata drifted away, darkness, lit only by the score on an iPad, until it, too, turned to black. DAVID ALLEN

The annoying scaffolding that proliferates around New York can sometimes seem permanently affixed to buildings in perpetual repair. But outside a drawing studio on Broome Street on the Lower East Side, it provided a makeshift refuge on a rainy Friday for the intrepid performers and music lovers who gathered at noon for Characters of the Dance, one of the programs for this years citywide Make Music Winter, an annual solstice event. (The program was supposed to have taken place down the block in Sara Delano Roosevelt Park.)

The star (and host) was the flutist Andrew Bolotowsky, who wore a Santa Claus hat and had the physique to match, complete with beard and chortling manner. He began by leading the 20 or so people who showed up in a singalong of holiday favorites, everything from Jingle Bell Rock to Lo, how a rose eer blooming. Then three dancers, dressed in colorful costumes and 18th-century-ish powdered wigs, performed a montage of early ballet steps as Mr. Bolotowsky played Jean-Fery Rebels Les Caracteres de la Danse (1715). The dancers had about a seven-square-foot patch of protected sidewalk on which to execute their bouncing steps and turns. To end the program, before everybody melts from the rain, he said, Mr. Bolotowsky performed some lively Couperin, and kept right on playing even as a garbage truck bellowed nearby. ANTHONY TOMMASINI
In the early hours of Friday morning, Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton, released One Last Time (44 Remix), a gospel reworking of a song from the hit musical. Halfway through, Barack Obama  the 44 in question  appears, to deliver part of George Washingtons farewell address over some gentle guitar and piano.

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Though, in reviewing the incidents of my administration, I am unconscious of intentional error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I may have committed many errors, he starts, lines that are likely to appeal to both Obamas fans and his detractors.
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep  and lets us get paid to watch comedy. If youre interested in hearing from The Times regularly about great TV, sign up for our Watching newsletter and get recommendations straight to your inbox.

Perhaps a Feral Child

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has become the second four-star general this month to quit the Trump administration. With his unexpected decision on Thursday to step down in protest of the presidents policies, Mattis added to the turmoil in Washington, where the government may be headed toward a shutdown and the White House chief of staff, the retired Marine general John F. Kelly, is about to leave.

Stephen Colbert, referring to Mattis by his nickname, suggested that he wouldnt normally be upset to see him go, but that these are strange times.
A new adaptation of the William Makepeace Thackeray novel Vanity Fair is on Amazon Prime. And a cast of big names is assembled in Life Itself.

Whats Streaming

VANITY FAIR on Amazon Prime. Olivia Cooke stars in this new British adaptation of William Makepeace Thackerays 1848 satire of British society. Cooke plays the outgoing antihero Becky Sharp, a social climber, with Claudia Jessie as Beckys more reserved best friend, Amelia Sedley. Michael Palin plays a version of Thackeray, who narrates the series. Cookes performance is proudly contemporary, which brings an unexpected energy to this period piece. The way it was written by a lot of men is that women were very passive and apologetic, and tried to make themselves as small as possible, Cooke told the British newspaper The Independent earlier this year. And I just dont think thats true for every woman that lived in these times.



MARVELS RUNAWAYS on Hulu. Shortly after this Marvel adaptation by the writers and producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (both of The O.C. and Gossip Girl) debuted last year, the two sat down for an interview with The Times to discuss the series. I think weve all woken up to the idea that just because there are people in our lives who are figures of authority, it doesnt mean theyre definitely there to protect us, Schwartz said. That idea figures heavily into this series, in which a group of super-teenagers unite to save the world from their supervillain parents. Season 2 debuts Friday.
BEST CHARACTERS OUT OF THEIR DEPTH: What better definition of George Pelecanoss great guys, so human and so doomed? In THE MAN WHO CAME UPTOWN (Mulholland/Little, Brown, $27), Michael Hudson emerges from prison a bona fide bibliophile, thanks to the librarian who turned him away from crime and onto books. But this cant last when bad friends realize they need a good guy to drive a getaway car.

BEST NATURE STUDY, RED IN TOOTH & CLAW: Delia Owens speaks softly in WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING (Putnam, $26), a tenderly told first novel that begins in 1969, when two boys on bikes come upon a body half submerged in a swamp. The rest of the story reveals how the corpse got there and why we might wish it had never been found.

MOST COLORFUL CHARACTER NAMES:James Lee Burke is rightly admired for his lush Louisiana bayou crimescapes. But ROBICHEAUX (Simon & Schuster, $27.99) reminds us of his talent for naming locals like Baby Cakes Babineau and Pookie the Possum Domingue, along with a contract killer called Chester Wimple. (Sometimes people call me Smiley.)

LOUDEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Half the members of the Los Angeles Police Departments bomb squad are blown to smithereens in Thomas Perrys THE BOMB MAKER (Mysterious Press, $26). Bombs were acts of murder, Perry allows, but they were also jokes on you, riddles the bomber hoped were too tough for you.

WEEPIEST WEEPER: Wounded World War I veterans and grieving widows make up much of the shrunken population of the town of Wolfpit, encountered by Inspector Ian Rutledge in THE GATEKEEPER (Morrow, $26.99). Charles Todds hero, himself a victim of shell shock, is one of the moodiest detectives in the genre.

COOLEST DEBUT: By their taste in music shall ye know them. Joe King Oliver, a New York private eye who makes his debut in Walter Mosleys new crime novel, DOWN THE RIVER UNTO THE SEA (Mulholland/Little, Brown, $27), went into prison with a love of classic jazz masters like Fats Waller. He emerged with a taste for the tormented sounds of Thelonious Monk.

MOST SIMPATICO DETECTIVE: Donna Leons Venetian policeman, Commissario Guido Brunetti, bares his bleeding heart in THE TEMPTATION OF FORGIVENESS (Atlantic Monthly, $26) when he aids a woman whose 15-year-old son is taking drugs. He advises her to cook dinner for her children, to show them youre all right and life is normal.
Edwards proposes culture labs, spaces where creativity is encouraged, supported by a group and guided by mentors. Science should become more open-ended and personally expressive, and its explorations exhibited to the public, whose feedback could help guide development and evolution. Edwardss own such space is the Artscience: Culture Lab and Cafe in Cambridge, where people can interact with and consume works-in-progress of his own and his students and collaborators. His work with inhalable technology led Edwards to invent aerated flavors, able to enhance ones experience of drink or food, and then to create a mechanism that renders these invisible vapors into clouds of smoke, presumably increasing ones delight in the cocktails on offer at the labs bar.

As Edwards looks for solutions in clouds, Adamson would have us look to the ground. Literally. At one point, he offers a riveting tour of a Manhattan street corner starting with asphalt (hot poured and rolled) and the manhole covers (round because a square or rectangular cover turned at the wrong angle would drop right into the hole) and on up to building awnings (formed of sheet metal using giant rolling and crimping machines still fed by hand at an old factory in Brooklyn). Adamson, a scholar at the Yale Center for British Art, wants us to appreciate how the material world  all that implacable, inert stuff we are surrounded by  carries memories and an opportunity for empathy.

The word smart, applied to phones and cars, implies that objects that dont interact with us are dumb  both mute and unintelligent. But Adamson finds a banality in the hyper-flexibility of smart objects. He tells of one night when his niece slept over at his house and set out a little photo of her dog, Pepper. Why, he asks, when your phone has dozens of such pictures? The point of the phone, she says, isnt to be a picture of Pepper, while the point of the picture of Pepper is to be a picture of Pepper. Physical objects possess richly specific, intrinsic characters, and can be repositories of meaning in ways that a powerful portal to the entire world cannot manage.

Adamson is not so much anti-digital as he is pro-thing  to the point of being materially agnostic. He would like us to be curious and nonjudgmental about all physical objects. Adamson ties himself in knots trying to advocate for the fewer, better things of his own title, because better things are often handcrafted, expensive and, therefore, elitist. (William Morris and others have also wrestled with crafts failure  after industrialization  to be democratic.) Yet as Adamson allows that beauty is culturally relative, it follows that better and luxury are likewise shifting targets. As someone once told me, luxury is what one doesnt have enough of. In fact, Adamson talks of his grandfather growing up on a farm during the Depression without luxuries  having to make do, he says, with hand-split rail fences and homemade ice cream. My very idea of luxury! Creating value around  and a higher price tag on  labor-intensive handcrafted goods creates jobs in the developing world, and helps keep age-old traditions, cultures and communities relevant. Its processes are also usually more ecological than its industrial or technological counterparts. (Plus, the stuff is really beautiful if you ask me.)

The real test of an objects worth lies not in its efficiency, novelty or even beauty, Adamson says, but in whether it gives us a sense of our shared humanity. Edwardss latest innovation allows us to digitally transmit aromas through a small device that plugs into our phone. Thus far, our phones have engaged only our senses of sight and sound, leaving our olfactory organs untapped. Edwardss hope is to offer the scientifically proven metabolic and calming health benefits of scent to us, on demand, even as we sit stressed out at work. Maybe one day, if widely adopted, this technology might, after the inevitable scented spam and fart pranks dissipate, revolutionize global food and medicine delivery systems. In the meantime, as Adamson might suggest, we should step outside and smell the roses.
Sischys philosophical and sociological bent is evident in her long 1989 New Yorker essay about the photographers Minor White and Robert Mapplethorpe. She pegs White, the earlier photographer, as a closeted gay man who resorted to abstraction as a way of passing. She treats him with sympathy, acknowledging that he came to prominence in America in the puritanical 1940s and 50s, that he wasnt bohemian or rich or worldly. She also points out that his closeted abstractions were the photographs he exhibited, while in his private collection he kept male nudes and portraits of same-sex lovers. In contrast, Mapplethorpe, who emerged in the anything-goes 1970s, explored his various identities as a woman, as a gangster, as a devilish imp, as a toughie, as nothing special.

Of course, Mapplethorpe became infamous for his sadomasochistic pictures, but his photographs of male lovers, black and white, nude or dressed, are what hes remembered for. Theyre elegant, shocking, beautiful. Whereas some reactionaries (even gay ones) argue that art or fiction or dance or films by gays were superior when they were indirect, ashamed, coded, Mapplethorpe revealed how rich and original explicitness could be. Sischy was open about her own lesbianism (I remember she once invited me to her country house, which she called Petticoat Junction, but I wasnt free that weekend, alas). She writes very amusingly about the one time she had to buy a skirt for a job; when she left that position she ceremonially drowned it in the Hudson River.

Sischy was inclined toward oddballs, or took an oddball approach to familiar subjects. As Laurie Anderson puts it in her introduction: She had a great interest and compassion for people in trouble and she knew how to put that into words, such as when she wrote about the English historian who tracked down the photographer Bob Richardson  one of the missing-in-action drug casualties  to an SRO hotel in California. Or for a Jeff Koons piece, she followed the trail of Koonss missing wife, Cicciolina, to South America, where she was doing her porn shows. As an editor, she could spend days working with a writer until the piece was striking and targeted. I hold sacred what goes on between a writer and an editor during the process of creating a work, she wrote, and I will never spill what happens in that room of our own.
(CNN)  A 10-year-old girl has died from complications that arose after undergoing female genital mutilation in Sierra Leone, authorities said.

Marie Kamara, a primary school student in Matetie village, died during an initiation into a secret women's society that involves the practice of female genital mutilation, also known as FGM, police said.

One of the initiators, Ya Naro Kargbo, has been arrested and is helping with the investigation, said Sgt. Abdulrahman Sankoh, the regional media officer. Kargbo is in custody and could not be reached for comment.

Police said they are searching for other initiators and the girl's mother.

Seven other children who survived initiation were handed over to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children's Affairs, police said.

Sankoh said parents bring their children to undergo the procedure.

In Sierra Leone, 90% of women ages 15 to 49 have undergone female genital mutilation, according to UNICEF.

Female genital mutilation involves the altering or removing of the female genitals, such as the clitoris or labia. The procedure can cause severe bleeding and health issues including infections and infertility, as well as complications in childbirth.

The practice is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women but remains widespread in Sierra Leone.

A brutal practice, inflicted on thousands of girls and women every year

Sierra Leone's first lady, Fatima Bio, recently launched the campaign "Hands Off Our Girls," focusing on early marriage and rape. Activists want it to include a ban on female genital mutilation practices in the country.

"FGM is killing our women and girls. We need to get enough publicity on this incident to draw the attention of government," says Rugiatu Turay, founder of Amazonian Initiative Movement, a grassroots organization working to end female genital mutilation in Sierra Leone.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Female genital mutilation blamed for death of 10-year-old girl in Sierra Leone."
He made clear that on basic principles of foreign policy, Trump did not agree. It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model  gaining veto authority over other nations' economic, diplomatic, and security decisions  to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbors, America and our allies. That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense.
I am a killing machine but a happy one  I get all my resentments out in my books, Louise Penny told The Times earlier this year. Her latest novel, Kingdom of the Blind, once again stars Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec, Canadas provincial police force. Gamache lives in the postcard-pretty outpost of Three Pines, which  Penny has always made clear  is based on the village in Canadas Eastern Townships where she lives.

A guide to the Eastern Townships includes a map highlighting real-life locations in Pennys novels, so people can visit the bookshop from How the Light Gets In or the boulangerie in The Cruelest Month. And they can find places that inspired Penny, too, like the house that unnerves Gamache in Dead Cold: Buildings, he told himself, were just everyday materials. Theres nothing special about this place. But still the house seemed to moan and shiver.

Penny fans, of course, arent the only ones who like to visit places featured in their favorite novels.

The town of New Bern, N.C., recently drew up a walking tour for visitors who wanted to visit sites  parks, movie theaters, cemeteries  featured in Nicholas Sparkss novels. And so many people came to Louisianas New Iberia Parish looking for places from James Lee Burkes Dave Robicheaux books that the parish created a guide to the detectives favorite real-life haunts, like the Bon Creole lunch counter, Victors Cafeteria, even the local streets. I drove down East Main under the arched live oaks that spanned the street, toward the Shadows, a red brick and white-columned antebellum home built in 1831 on Bayou Teche, Robicheaux says in Cadillac Jukebox. There are also dozens of maps for novels set in Salem, Mass., including the 2006 cult favorite The Lace Reader, by Brunonia Barry.
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Isabel Wilkersons award-winning The Warmth of Other Suns (2010) told the epic story of the Great Migration, the decades in the 20th century during which millions of African-Americans relocated from the rural South to the North, Midwest and West.

On this weeks podcast, Wilkerson discusses her review-essay about Michelle Obamas best-selling memoir, Becoming. Obamas familys history is linked to the Great Migration. Wilkerson talks about how one of the former first ladys grandfathers moved from South Carolina to Chicago, not straight north to the Washington or New York areas, which most people from that region of the South did.

In some ways, that reflects to me a kind of breaking from the tradition or being more independent, striking out in a way thats different from everyone else, Wilkerson says. Id like to believe that that adds an element of independence and adventurousness to that side of her family.
Required for a Danish citizenship: a handshake.

Starting next month, new Danish citizens must shake hands at their naturalization ceremony, under a new law aimed at Muslim immigrants.

Some religious Muslims refuse to touch members of the opposite sex outside their immediate families. Critics have derided the law as awkward, purely symbolic and irrelevant to an applicants qualifications.

But some politicians defended the new rule, saying it indicates a foreigners willingness to assimilate. If one cant do something that simple and straightforward, theres no reason to become a Danish citizen, said one lawmaker.

Why it matters: This is the latest in a series of anti-immigrant measures in Denmark. The government recently announced plans to isolate certain migrants it wants to deport on a small, out-of-the-way island, and this summer, the Parliament prohibited the wearing of face veils in public.
Big, but bad for society?

Take health care in the United States as an example. The consolidation of that industry continued this year, as mergers in one segment prompted other mergers among suppliers and buyers. Large pharmaceutical companies continued to hoover up biotech firms, topped by Takedas $59 billion acquisition of Shire. And they continued to rationalize their portfolios: GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer announced that they plan to merge their consumer-health divisions in a joint venture, less than a year after Glaxo consolidated a similar business it had earlier acquired from Novartis, also by way of a joint venture. Horizontal mergers, where businesses consolidate in the same industry, among hospitals were approved this year, such as that between Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Lahey Health in Massachusetts.

There have also been groundbreaking vertical mergers, where companies operating at different points along the value chain join forces. A tie-up of CVS and Aetna, worth $69 billion, and one between Cigna and Express Scripts, worth $52 billion, were approved, though the former is held up in court again. These combinations were motivated in part by the threat of entry by big technology firms. Indeed, early in the year, Amazon launched a partnership with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase aimed at disrupting the industry, and it continued to invest in health care initiatives.

As a result, the work of health care companies in the United States is being reshuffled and remixed, but the results are as yet uncertain. We dont know if Amazon will indeed disrupt the industry, or if the likes of CVS-Aetna can revamp it from within. Even though judges have waved through big mergers, the real jury  that is, patients and consumers  is still out.

The impact of big mergers in other fields is just as complicated. A judge waved through the $85 billion AT&T-Time Warner vertical merger (though this case too is in appeal), and Disney and Fox completed their $71 billion horizontal merger this year. Netflix, Amazon and Apple, the new media companies, didnt make major deals, but continued to amass content arsenals. We dont know yet whether these moves will bring us better entertainment and news. And, while the growth of these companies again offers them power and profit, that is not without management challenges and perhaps brings new societal costs.

Facebook stands out as the first big technology firm facing serious backlash for its impact on society, after a year of criticism over its handling of private data, its distribution of misinformation and hateful content, and its alleged suppression of political views. Google also began to face criticism over its market power; it was fined $5 billion by the European Union over antitrust issues relating to its Android operating system. To be sure, both of these businesses profited handsomely from their huge scale, but there appear to be costs to this bigness after all  some of which ultimately hurt the businesses themselves.
HARLAN, Ky.  Gov. Matt Bevin skillfully worked the room at the old courthouse building here in Harlan, one more town-hall meeting in the long campaign toward next years election. He deplored the parlous state of a half-mile stretch of U.S. 421 and said $802,000 would be spent to rebuild it. He commiserated with the man who wanted to know how he should deal with the bears tearing through his trash bins, now that its forbidden to shoot them.

The line that got the governor a standing ovation, however, was about Medicaid. More precisely, about his plan  so far frustrated by the courts  to require thousands of able-bodied Medicaid recipients between 19 and 64 to work, get training or perform community service for 20 hours a week to keep their health insurance.

Yeahs rippled across the room as the governor extolled the value and dignity of work, which propelled him from a hardscrabble youth in rural New Hampshire to the governors mansion in Frankfort. People tell me its too much to ask, he noted, incredulously, about his plan to demand that people on Medicaid get a job. Baloney.

And the line from Ronald Reagan got chuckles all around: The worst thing you can hear, the governor told Harlans gathered residents, is Im from the government and Im here to help.
Every December, the holiday classics return to television, mainstay tales like Frosty the Snowman and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. And dont forget those commercials where someone wakes up to a luxury car in the driveway on Christmas morning.

Except those ads arent just Yuletide fantasies.

Yes, there are people who give a car worth $60,000, $80,000 or more to someone special during the holidays, even rushing into a dealership on Christmas Eve. So many people give costly cars as presents that gift sales can make up 10 percent or more of December sales for luxury auto dealers, brand representatives and dealers say.

Also, yes: Those gigantic car bows are real, and theyre a crucial factor in making the sale.

Gift cars are about 15 percent of our December business, Chris Brunner, general manager of Park Place Lexus in Plano, Tex., said in mid-December. We have seven cars sitting on our lot right now waiting to be delivered on the 24th.

December is rarely the biggest month for overall United States auto sales, but it has been the best sales month for Mercedes, Lexus, BMW and Lincoln for three years running, and one of the best for Cadillac and Jaguar, according to CarSalesBase.com. December sales of those six luxury marques made up as much as 14 percent of each brands annual sales.
Whenever President Trump is in a tight spot, things get tricky for Fox News.

The cable networks most popular hosts have largely supported Mr. Trump and his agenda. The networks highest-rated host, Sean Hannity, took the stage with him at a rally in Missouri last month. Mr. Trump even hired the former Fox News co-president, Bill Shine, as the head of his communications team, and he has made no secret of the fact that he likes to start the day with the show Fox & Friends.

On Thursday night and Friday morning, they faced the challenge of filling airtime with talk about the president just as he found himself in the middle of a crisis. And while the nighttime commentators tiptoed around a president in trouble, the morning host Brian Kilmeade was bluntly critical. In not toeing the White House line, he was following the lead of the firebrand writer Ann Coulter and the radio host Rush Limbaugh.

The conservative media stars had a lot to work with. On Thursday Jim Mattis, the defense secretary, resigned in protest over the presidents decision to pull American forces out of Syria  a move followed by news of a troop drawdown in Afghanistan.

The governmental drama also included Mr. Trumps blowing up a deal that would have allowed the government to avoid a shutdown over his demand of $5 billion for a border wall.
He, Luba and their son, Simon, then 6, were part of the great wave of Jewish families who left the Soviet Union after emigration rules were relaxed in the 1970s. When they moved to Chicago, they continued speaking Russian at home, so Ms. Morales is fluent in the language as well as in the food.

Now the whole family, as well as a new generation of grandchildren (who were waiting impatiently for the chocolate kolbasa , a fudgy confection that looks like salami, to be served) lives in the Portland area.

But in some ways, the Frumkins remain Russian, and New Years Eve remains the biggest holiday of the year: Christmas, the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving rolled into one.

The reasons for this go back to the years after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, when the vast properties of the Russian Orthodox Church were nationalized, religious instruction was outlawed and believing in miracles was officially forbidden.

About a decade later, the Soviet regime banned the celebration of Christmas. (Dec. 25 was made a national day of industrialization, to be observed by going to work.) New Years Eve was declared an official holiday, celebrated at midnight with approved concerts and fireworks. Gradually, Christmas traditions like trees, presents and sweets crept into the New Years celebration, including a nonreligious Santa figure called Grandfather Frost who hands out gifts with the help of his granddaughter, the Snow Maiden.

The modern celebration is a family dinner that lasts well into the morning of Jan. 1, accompanied by a multihour televised gala featuring Russian pop stars, glitter, fireworks and an address to the nation from President Vladimir Putin.

On New Years Eve, the zakuski course may not end until midnight, when hot dishes are finally served: luxuries like braised short ribs, Georgian chicken tabaka (pan-roasted with lots of garlic and pressed flat, like chicken under a brick), mushrooms and potatoes cooked in lush smetana, the Russian creme fraiche.
Such as, for example, that the current pace of fashion and the pressure to get New Stuff Out Now mean that there are fewer safety checks and less time to consider the potential ramifications of choices around the world.

Also the truth that design has always borrowed the symbols of other cultures and taken them out of context, considering them largely as decoration as opposed to a representation of a narrative  though when they do get into a narrative, it is one the brand itself is creating, as opposed to the story already told. That one, of course, actually belongs to another group, racial or religious, and is already resonant with meaning.

While designers liked to play with cliches in the past, cultural stereotypes are caricatures, said Serge Carreira, a lecturer on fashion and luxury at the Sciences Po institute in Paris. They may be considered, nowadays, as marks of disdain. For decades, brands and designer messages were isolated and never challenged.

Yet such borrowing often happens with a kind of blithe thoughtlessness, a creative entitlement. If it feeds the imagination, thats all the justification the designer needs! You hear it again and again: They didnt mean anything bad by it. Thats probably true. It also doesnt obviate the pain the products cause, or the problem.

As Burak Cakmak, the dean of the School of Fashion at Parsons School of Design, said, While more and more companies are repositioning themselves as a value-driven business, most are not looking deep enough to understand historical and cultural contexts of their design and marketing choices to assess what might be offensive, inappropriate or simply without permission.

Maybe 2019 is the year everyone finally figures out that retroactive head hanging is not enough anymore. That, as Mr. Carreira said, The challenge is not only to promote a diversity of faces, but to implement a post-colonial and non-Westernized culture view in the industry. That proactive change is what is needed  a preventive checkup, if you will, as opposed to a Band-Aid after the fact. Though exactly what that would look like is unclear.
Yet health literacy can be particularly crucial for seniors. Theyre usually coping with more complicated medical problems, including multiple chronic diseases, an array of drugs, a host of specialists. They have more instructions to decipher, more tests to schedule, more decisions to ponder.

Low health literacy makes those tasks more difficult, with troubling results. Studies indicate that people with low literacy have poorer health at higher cost. Theyre less likely to take advantage of preventive tests and immunizations, and more apt to be hospitalized.

It may not help much that future cohorts of older adults will be better educated. The demands of interacting with the health care system are increasing, Dr. Wolff said. Ask any adult child of a parent whos been hospitalized. The system has gotten increasingly complex.

That doesnt mean patients deserve all the blame for misunderstandings and snafus. Rima Rudd, a longtime health literacy researcher at Harvard University, has persistently criticized the communications skills of health institutions and professionals.

We give people findings and tell them about risk and expect people to make decisions based on those concepts, but we dont explain them very well, she said. Are our forms readable? Are the directions after surgery written coherently? If its written in jargon, with confusing words and numbers, you wont get the gist of it and you wont get important information.

A few years ago, Steven Rosen, 64, had spent more than two months at a Chicago hospital after several surgeries. Then a social worker came into his room and told his wife Dorothy, You have to move him tomorrow to an L.T.A.C.

I dont know what youre talking about, Ms. Rosen recalled saying. Whats an L.T.A.C.?

Question: Was she demonstrating inadequate health literacy, or should the social worker have clarified that L.T.A.C.s  long-term acute care hospitals  provide more care than nursing homes for very ill patients?
What we do know is that the huge masses of black holes (anywhere from tens to millions of times the mass of our sun) bend space-time in extreme ways, which is why illustrations often make them look like deep cosmic funnels. If you get close enough to one, you will certainly experience its powerful gravitational force, which is why astronomers see stars orbiting the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. But the gravitational tug is just like that of any other object  dependent on mass, and distance  and its not special just because its caused by a black hole. If I could magically replace our sun with a black hole that had exactly the same mass as our sun, our Earth would keep orbiting exactly where it is now, and similarly, those stars at the center of our galaxy will spend their entire lifetimes happily orbiting, with no danger of getting sucked in. In that sense, black holes are more like sinkholes than vacuums: One sinkhole in Florida isnt going to destroy the whole Earth, but best not to get too close.
ALBANY  The New York State Capitol looks like the setting of an old-time horror movie, with blood red turrets, an ink-black roof and enough stone for an emperors tomb. Vampires would feel at home here, it seems, as do ghosts, who are sighted wandering its polished corridors.

But the building actually teems with life: The granite-and-marble masterpiece was declared complete in 1899 by then-Gov. Theodore Roosevelt, one in a long line of oversize personalities  and egos  to occupy that post. That includes the Capitols current commandant: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat who was elected to a third term last month and whose office sits on the second floor, not far from a portrait of his father, Mario M. Cuomo, who also served as governor.

Being the bureau chief in Albany  long considered one of the nations most dysfunctional state capitals, and thus one of The Timess best beats  sometimes seems more like being a police reporter: In my five years here, there have been multiple convictions of senior state officials on federal corruption charges, including two of Mr. Cuomos top aides and the leaders of the State Senate and the State Assembly. (Consider that for a second: the leaders of both houses of the New York Legislature were convicted  twice, after their first convictions were thrown out  on charges of abusing the public trust.) There have also been more sordid scandals: lawmakers censured for sexual harassment and groping staff members, for a sham marriage, for trying to bilk the government out of hurricane relief funds. You could set a true-life crime show here, but producers would call it too far-fetched.

Any script about Albany, of course, would have Mr. Cuomo at its heart. A famous micromanager with a taste for political combat, Mr. Cuomo is an oversize presence in the capital, and seems to be here for the long haul. He won a third term decisively in November, and has sworn again and again that hes not running for president. (Notwithstanding recent reports of him talking to Iowa Democrats.)
What new things did you learn this year  in or out of school? How has this knowledge affected your life?

In What We Learned in 2018, The New York Times compiled the years most unforgettable events and findings in science, medicine and health. Included in the list are: gene editing has its dangers, natural wonders sometimes hide in plain sight, plants arent just sitting there, how genetic genealogy can help solve crime, killer whales are in danger and plastics may not be the future.

For instance, The Times learned that plants can be more complicated than they appear:

One team of scientists visualized the threat communication systems within plants that help them fight back when under attack. Others presented the tantalizing suggestion of plant consciousness using anesthetic gas. And in rain forests, some plants fruits seem to send careful messages to specific animals, in order to spread their seeds.

And we learned about the genetic legacy of our early human relatives:

Tens of thousands of years ago, humans interbred with Neanderthals, and anyone of Eurasian ancestry now carries some Neanderthal genes. That interbreeding exposed young Homo sapiens to new viruses related to influenza, herpes and H.I.V., but also may have given humans immunities to these diseases that persist to this day.

We also learned about the ethical perils of a new crime-fighting tool:

Authorities in California announced in April that they had made an arrest in the decades-old Golden State Killer case. Suddenly it became difficult to keep up with all the cold cases being cracked by uploading crime scene DNA evidence to GEDmatch, a genealogy website. The two unlikely genetic entrepreneurs who created the site have become heroes to some, but their unconventional privacy policy is raising concerns. Even if a person has never taken a DNA test, his or her DNA could now be identified on GEDmatch through cousins DNA.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

 What is something new you learned this year  in or out of school? How did you learn it? Was a teacher or an adult involved? Or did you discover it yourself? How has this knowledge affected your life? How might it be useful to you in the future?

 Which of the scientific developments in the article do you think were the most interesting? Which do you think were most important and why? Are there any other scientific events or findings that you have read or heard about this year that you think should be added to this list?

 What did you learn from The New York Times in 2018? Tell us the most interesting things you discovered from our journalism this year. (This compilation of the most-read Times articles might help you).
The following reports compile all significant security incidents confirmed by New York Times reporters throughout Afghanistan. It is necessarily incomplete as many local officials refuse to confirm casualty information. The toll here does not generally include claims of insurgents killed by the government, because of the difficulty of verifying such claims. Similarly, the reports do not include attacks on the government claimed by the Taliban. Both sides routinely inflate casualties of their opponents.

Afghan casualties finally dropped this week, with 45 security force deaths and 38 civilians killed, by rockets, airstrikes and an I.E.D. The reduced casualty rate reflected the normal reduction in the wars tempo during the winter months, although that reduction had been much delayed. Once again, the preponderance of Taliban attacks was in the west and north of the country, typically with insurgents overrunning small outposts. Meanwhile, the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has been quiet for some time now.

[Read the Afghan War Casualty Report from previous weeks.]

Dec. 20 Herat Province: four civilians killed

A mortar went off in Chesht District, killing four civilians and wounding three others.

Dec. 20 Faryab Province: eight security forces killed
Soon after that meeting, a friend in Sana offered a different theory: Arhab was not uniformly loyal to the Houthis. They couldnt be sure what people there would say, and perhaps assumed that if I actually made it to northern Yemen, they could simply redirect me to a story in more reliably pro-Houthi area. My editors in New York and I began trying and mostly failing to talk by phone and come up with a new reporting plan. We didnt have much time. My money, my visas and my access to the North would last about a week. After two days, I had made no progress, and I decided to make one last attempt to sway the Houthis on letting me go to Arhab.

[Get a weekly roundup of Times coverage of war delivered to your inbox. Sign up here.]

I went to visit the representative at the ministry, a mostly empty building with broken windows and holes in exterior walls from constant fighting. I asked what he thought about me asking researchers at a local human rights organization to call some of their contacts in Arhab. It was a way of cracking the door open without challenging the Houthis. An hour and half later, my translator and I were in an office across the city at the organizations headquarters, a modest building with a chicken coop and a faint stink out front. We told them about the sudden reluctance in Arhab. They barely acknowledged the problem. They were eager to help. That evening, I had only just arrived at my hotel when a phone I assumed didnt work rang in my room. It was one of the researchers. He was actually in the lobby  he had followed me back. He had already spoken to two people in Arhab who wanted to cooperate. Before we finished talking, a fixer called to say that the ministry already knew. It had heard that the researchers were in touch with people in Arhab and that the people in Arhab were willing to talk, and now the Houthis promised not to get in my way. The ministry would call ahead to the checkpoints and try to ensure my safe passage.

When I got to Arhab the next day, I was led into a classroom. So many people filed in to share their stories that someone closed the door to keep people out. The room started to grow dark, because outside, people blocked from entering were beginning to press against the windows.

Jeffrey E. Stern is an investigative journalist and author of two books, The Last Thousand and The 15:17 to Paris.
The enthusiasm for revising the legal status of pot around the country has for the most part obscured any debate about consequences to public health. That pot is regarded as relatively harmless is troubling, because much of what we know about it is based on studies conducted nearly 50 years ago at a time when what was consumed was much less potent than it is now.

Within the academic community, Jonathan P. Caulkins, a professor of public policy at Carnegie Mellon, has been a leading voice warning of marijuanas attendant dangers. As he has put it, beyond the fact that pot use has been correlated with a wide variety of negative outcomes in terms of physical and mental health, the real issue is that more than half of marijuana is consumed by people who are high more than half of all their waking hours. Pot shouldnt be dismissed simply because it wont kill you.

Mr. Caulkinss research also shows us who is likely to bear these health burdens to a disproportionate degree  and it is not snowboarders in Vail. Looking at a decades worth of federal surveys on drug use, he and a partner determined that Americans with a household income of less than $20,000 accounted for close to 30 percent of all marijuana use, even though they make up less than 20 percent of the population.

One fantasy that advocates of legalization have is that changes in the law will energize a redistribution of wealth, not only because tax revenue from pot sales can be funneled to various worthy causes but also because the poor will reap new entrepreneurial opportunities  in every neighborhood a Stringer Bell.

Mr. de Blasio has made a big point of saying that a legalized pot industry should not be overly corporate, and that retailers in parts of the city that have been so adversely affected by punishing drug laws get licenses and the chance to make money. But this is the same mayor, who during five years of presiding over the city, has been wholly unable to stop the onslaught of chain stores in New York, wholly unable to preserve the fortunes of a longstanding local merchant class.

I asked Mark Kleiman, of the Marron Institute at New York University and one of the most sought-after experts on drug policy in the country, what the future looked like. He foresaw a world in which pot, legal in ever more states and eventually at the national level, will get cheaper and cheaper. The expected tax windfalls would become less likely, unless pot is taxed at the level of potency rather than sale price. The trend toward vaping means there will be greater demand for oil, and if you can melt everything down for oil, pot will be less expensive to produce, because at that point you can grow it like corn.

You can produce all the intoxicant used in a year on 40,000 acres, Mr. Kleiman said. Thats 20 family farms in Iowa. Eventually a joint could cost a nickel; Nabisco will take over edibles. You will have pot grown in Iowa, processed by Cargill and sold by Amazon, Mr. Kleiman said. No one will make money except Jeff Bezos, who always makes money.
You may not have known, but in a few days you were going to have to pay an extra $2.50 or $2.75 every time you hopped in a taxi or an Uber in Manhattan south of 96th Street.

The extra charge was going to take effect Jan. 1, and it may still come at some point, but on Thursday, a judge put it on hold.

The Timess Winnie Hu explains:

The surcharge is $2.75 for Ubers and Lyfts; $2.50 for yellow taxis; and 75 cents for car pool services like Via and UberPool. It was imposed by the state to raise money, mainly to fix the ailing subways.

Hit the brakes: A coalition of taxi drivers and owners filed suit to overturn the surcharge, saying that yellow cabs should be exempted. They say the congestion this congestion pricing surcharge is addressing is not their fault since their numbers are capped (at 13,587 cabs).

In a last-minute reprieve, a state-court judge temporarily blocked the new surcharge and ordered a hearing for Jan. 3.
In 1988 he was offered the job of turning around an Indiana electrical utility, PSI Energy, which was teetering on the verge of bankruptcy after environmentalists forced it to halt the construction of a nuclear plant, resulting in a $2.7 billion write-off. Rather than dismiss the environmentalists, Mr. Rogers met with them to find a way to get the company on firmer ground. In 1994, PSI merged with Cincinnati Gas & Electric, creating the Cinergy Corporation, with Mr. Rogers as chairman and chief executive.

Throughout the 1990s, as concerns about climate change entered the public debate, Mr. Rogers began meeting with climate experts. In 2001, he shocked a room of fellow energy executives when he declared that the industry should work to pass a federal carbon cap, a law that would strictly limit the amount of carbon dioxide produced in the United States and impose enormous costs on any company that releases more carbon than its assigned limit.

They were stunned, Ralph Cavanagh, an energy program director at the Natural Resources Defense Council who was present at the meeting, said in a 2008 New York Times Magazine piece about Mr. Rogers titled A Green Coal Baron? That was the first time I had heard a major energy executive say anything like this. But because he was chairman of their energy committee, he wasnt just a flaky maverick.

After the merger with Cinergy, Mr. Rogers became Duke Energys chief executive. He astonished the companys board of directors about a year later by presenting a plan to decarbonize Duke by 2050, effectively revamping the utility so that it would emit very little carbon dioxide.

Duke Energy has slowly been retiring its coal-fired generating plants, largely with natural gas facilities. In 2005, 58 percent of the companys energy generation came from coal. By 2017, that figure had fallen to 33 percent.

After retiring from Duke Energy in 2013, Mr. Rogers devoted much of his attention to how rural people in low-income nations could gain access to clean, sustainable energy. In 2015 he published Lighting the World, a book that explored this topic, advocating for sustainable energy development for parts of the world that remain without electricity.

Mr. Rogerss first marriage ended in divorce. In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son, Benjamin; two daughters, Christine Morgan and Kara Black; a brother, Michael; two sisters, Cheri Unger and Candace Fox; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
A day after a federal judge denounced the former Trump adviser Michael Flynn, at a sentencing hearing, for lying to F.B.I. agents, the judge had a similar message on Wednesday for former Attorney General Jeff Sessions: Follow the law. It was one of two court decisions this week making clear that the Trump administration was overstepping its powers to restrict the granting of asylum.

While still in office, Mr. Sessions decided in June to bar immigrants from seeking asylum based on their fears of domestic violence and gangs, basically putting them on a fast track for deportation back to the dangers they had fled. Mr. Sessions had said that the mere fact that a country may have problems effectively policing certain crimes shouldnt be grounds for asylum.

In his ruling on Wednesday, the judge, Emmet Sullivan of the Federal District Court in Washington, all but accused Mr. Sessions of taking the law into his own hands . By creating a system that categorically denied these claims, the judge wrote, the attorney general has failed to stay within the bounds of his statutory authority.

Federal law grants newly arrived migrants what is known as a credible-fear screening  an interview with an officer who determines whether the migrant has a credible fear of persecution in his or her native country. That is typically not a high bar to meet, and once a migrant clears it, he or she may remain in the United States as the asylum process continues.
Recently, an extremely suspicious fire broke out at a government depot in Kinshasa and destroyed election materials and, reportedly, around 8,000 electronic voting machines. I fear this fire might be used as a pretext for delaying the elections.

Violence continues  and is worsening  across Congo because impunity for those in power has led to the destruction of the rule of law. Congo is extremely rich in cobalt, which is essential to the production of highly valued lithium batteries. Cobalt is often mined by young Congolese working in unsafe locations and generally shipped to Asia, where it is used for the production of high-tech products. President Kabilas family is deeply involved in this pillaging of Congo based on the most extreme exploitation of Congolese labor.

Congo remains one of the worlds poorest countries: the infant mortality rate in my country is among the worst in the world  almost every tenth child born in the country dies before she is five. Indicators of health, nutrition, and education are equally grim.

My country has already paid an immense human cost since war began in 1996 with over 4 million people displaced within the country and around 6 million dead. Hundreds of thousands of women have suffered almost unimaginable sexual violence. The perpetrators have often been powerful local leaders and their henchmen, whose positions make them immune from prosecution.

I fear that we are slowly sliding back into the horror of the late 1990s, with increased militia activity and abuses including sexual violence. Though the war officially ended in 2001, it has never ceased in eastern Congo, where I live and work. Today I see more and more militia groups engaging in increasingly brutal activities in eastern Congo and elsewhere. I am seeing an increasing number of rapes of girls and women in villages in my region.

The conflict has contributed to a growing incidence of cholera, which is easily preventable when health services are functional and unhampered by the current crisis. Millions of Congolese are displaced, with little hope. Mr. Kabilas government has not only ignored these crises but has also too often aided the perpetrators. His government does not bring stability; it foments instability.

For two decades, I have been working as a doctor with a dedicated team of colleagues to heal victims of this ceaseless violence in my country. I realized years ago that these problems could not be solved in the operating room, but that we had to combat the root causes of these atrocities. The way forward is for the Congolese people to freely elect their leaders at every level, from the local mayor to the president. But Mr. Kabila intends the opposite result.
To the Editor:

Re Mattis Resigns After Trumps Syria Pullout (front page, Dec. 21):

If there is any silver lining to the dark cloud of Jim Mattiss resignation as defense secretary, it is perhaps that now, finally, my fellow Republicans will wake up.

For different, but equally compelling reasons, three true military heroes, Gens. H.R. McMaster, John Kelly and Jim Mattis  men of unmatched courage and patriotism who served in Donald Trumps administration and have a firsthand understanding of who the commander in chief is, what his capabilities are and where he wants to take our country  have all decided that Mr. Trump is not worthy of their continued service.

That should worry every American. One wonders and shudders to think about what else has to happen for Republicans to realize that for the good of the country, we have to rally around someone else in 2020.

Mark Weinberg

Summit, N.J.

The writer served as special assistant to the president and assistant press secretary under President Ronald Reagan.
No matter what Trump is revealed to have done, it will be virtually impossible for him to be impeached and convicted, since that would require the agreement of a significant number of Republicans in the Senate, and they won't see it in their interests to remove him from office. Their own fortunes are too deeply enmeshed with his, and their constituents wouldn't stand for it. No matter how bad it gets, from where they stand, Trump being removed would be even worse. So Trump will stay in office, we'll have two more years of scandal and increasingly erratic behavior, and in 2020 we'll have another close election as Republican voters once again rally around their candidate, no matter how awful he might have proved himself to be.
This is the latest installment in my occasional series of conversations about Christianity. Previously, Ive spoken with the Rev. Timothy Keller, Jimmy Carter and Cardinal Joseph Tobin. Heres my interview of William Lane Craig, professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and Houston Baptist University.

Kristof: Merry Christmas, Dr. Craig! I must confess that for all my admiration for Jesus, Im skeptical about some of the narrative weve inherited. Are you actually confident that Jesus was born to a virgin?

Craig: Merry Christmas to you, too, Nick! Im reasonably confident. When I was a non-Christian, I used to struggle with this, too. But then it occurred to me that for a God who could create the entire universe, making a woman pregnant wasnt that big a dea l! Given the existence of a Creator and Designer of the universe (for which we have good evidence), an occasional miracle is childs play. Historically speaking, the story of Jesus virginal conception is independently attested by Matthew and Luke and is utterly unlike anything in pagan mythology or Judaism. So whats the problem?

Image William Lane Craig Credit... Cameron Bertuzzi of Capturing Christianity

Why cant we accept that Jesus was an extraordinary moral teacher, without buying into miracles?

You can, but you do so at the expense of going against the evidence. That Jesus carried out a ministry of miracle-working and exorcisms is so widely attested in every stratum of the sources that the consensus among historical Jesus scholars is that Jesus was, indeed, a faith-healer and exorcist. That doesnt prove these events were genuine miracles, but it does show that Jesus thought of himself as more than a mere moral teacher.
Answering these questions may be easy legally, but theyre more difficult morally. After all, none of us born here did anything to deserve our citizenship. On what moral grounds can we deny others rights, privileges and opportunities that we did not earn ourselves?

Jose Antonio Vargass powerful book Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen wrestles with the moral, emotional and psychological dimensions of Americas perennial question: Who deserves citizenship? With remarkable sensitivity to the extraordinarily wide range of people whose lives are affected by our nations immigration policies, he writes from the perspective of someone who was brought to this country illegally at the age of 12 to live with his grandparents, leaving his mother in the Philippines. Ever since his grandfather confessed to him, at age 16, that you are not supposed to be here, he has battled deep feelings of unworthiness and has striven to earn the right to belong. Yet no matter how much he achieved or contributed  indeed, even after winning a Pulitzer Prize for journalism  he still had the nagging feeling that he didnt deserve to be here. Only after being arrested near the border and held in a cell with a group of terrified undocumented boys who had been separated from their families did he have an awakening: It was suddenly obvious to him that the boys huddled near him deserved safety, security and a place they could call home  a place where they could not only survive but also thrive. If they deserved such a thing, he did too. Home is not something I should have to earn, he wrote. Its something we all have a right to.

Many people will sympathize with Mr. Vargass story but recoil at his bold conclusion, as it seems to imply support for open borders  a position that no Republican or Democratic member of Congress supports or even takes seriously. This reaction seems misplaced. The deeper question raised isnt whether our borders should be open or closed (generally a false dichotomy) but rather how we ought to manage immigration in a manner that honors the dignity, humanity and legitimate interests of all concerned.

Reaching for a radically more humane immigration system is not pie-in-the-sky, utopian dreaming. But it does require a certain measure of humility on the part of those of us who have benefited from birthright citizenship. Rather than viewing immigrants as seeking something that we, Americans, have a moral right to withhold from them, we ought to begin by acknowledging that none of us who were born here did anything to deserve our citizenship, and yet all of us  no matter where we were born  deserve compassion and basic human rights.

Its tempting to imagine that our position as gatekeepers is morally sound  since were frequently reminded that all nations have a right to defend their borders  but our relationship to those who are fleeing poverty and violence is morally complex. Not only does birthright citizenship bestow upon us a privileged status that we havent earned; our nations unparalleled wealth and power, as well as our actual borders, lack a sturdy moral foundation. But for slavery, genocide and colonization, we would not be the wealthiest, most powerful nation in the world  in fact, our nation would not even exist. This is not hyperbole; its history. Theres good reason some Mexicans say: We didnt cross the border. The border crossed us. That is, in fact, what happened.
To avoid this outcome, the United States must keep the Turks out by addressing their concern about a Kurdistan Workers Party-affiliated military entity on their border, while guaranteeing Kurdish safety. The only way this can be achieved is by handing control of the area to a third party with the capacity to deliver security to both Turks and Kurds. At this stage, there is just one candidate for this role: the Assad regime.

A decision to do this would no doubt be vexed. Turkish objections, owing to President Recip Tayyip Erdogans deep animosity toward President Bashar al-Assad of Syria and his mistrust in the United States, would be just one set of obstacles. Kurdish insistence on autonomy would be yet another.

Still, this appears to be the only real possibility for stability. But for it to happen, the United States must do three things:

First, persuade the Kurds to get rid of non-Syrian operatives, while shrinking their military capacity, and accept that they are not going to get the same deal that their Iraqi cousins have won from Baghdad. The imminence of an American withdrawal, combined with Mr. Erdogans suggestions that he could soon invade the Kurdish regions of Syria, will probably convince the Kurds that they have little choice. But the Syrian regime could provide meaningful incentives, such as integrating the Kurdish forces into Damascus chain of command and allowing a Kurdish political party to participate in Syrian elections and applying the existing law on decentralization to the Kurdish zone.

Second, convince the Turks that after broken promises and miscommunication with Washington, the United States can still persuade the Kurds to take steps to assuage Turkeys concerns about armed Kurds on its border with Syria. Despite their easy victory over Kurds in the battle of Afrin in March, the Turks are justifiably concerned about the casualties they would take in an effort to control a much bigger area. This fear should be used to encourage Turkish restraint.

Then, either directly or through the United Nations, the United States will have to talk to the Assad regime on the premise that a restoration of Syrian state authority in northeast Syria, including the re-entry of Syrian government forces, is required to stabilize that part of the country over the long term. To this end, the United States will have to deal with the Russians as well, so there is a coordinated approach to both the Turks and the Syrian regime. There are quite a few moving parts to this plan, and all the players will need to be on the same page.

This would require deft diplomacy. Unfortunately, at the moment the United States appears incapable of that. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo seems more focused on bluster, and the administrations special representative for Syria engagement appears to have little clue regarding White House policy. But if the administration fails to step up, it will have left the Syrian people far worse off than they already are.

Steven Simon, a visiting professor of history at Amherst, served on the National Security Council in the Clinton and Obama administrations and at the State Department.
The relevant statute, Section 1512(c) of the federal criminal code, applies, as Mr. Barr says, to cases of evidence impairment, but it also applies to anyone who otherwise obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so  provided that they act corruptly. If destroying evidence to protect oneself from an investigation is obstruction, then so is pressuring a subordinate to ignore such evidence or drop the investigation altogether.

Mr. Barr argues that President Trump cannot be criminally liable under Section 1512(c)(2) because statutes that do not expressly apply to the President must be construed as not applying to the President if such application would involve a possible conflict with the Presidents constitutional prerogatives. If Mr. Barr were right about this, then the president would be shielded from a host of uncontroversial laws, including the federal bribery statute, which does not mention the president but would seem to prevent him from selling a cabinet post to the highest bidder.

Mr. Barr also says that the obstruction statutes do not apply to facially lawful acts by the president such as the firing of an F.B.I. director, because presidents are constitutionally authorized to fire their subordinates. But the obstruction statutes do apply to actions that would be facially lawful under other circumstances. For example, there is no law against tearing up pieces of paper; there is a law against tearing up documents so that they cannot be subpoenaed by federal prosecutors. Firing the F.B.I. director is not a crime; firing the F.B.I. director in order to block an investigation into the presidents own actions very well might be.

Finally, Mr. Barr says that the presidents motive in removing James Comey as F.B.I. director could not have been corrupt unless the President and his campaign were actually guilty of illegal collusion. Nonsense. Obstruction is a crime in itself, and for an obvious reason. If a criminal suspect successfully obstructs an investigation, the underlying crime is never discovered.

Twenty years ago, a bipartisan group of four former attorneys general warned that attacks on the independent counsel Kenneth Starrs investigation of President Bill Clinton by high government officials and attorneys representing their particular interests appeared to have the improper purpose of influencing and impeding an ongoing criminal investigation. Mr. Starr  who was effectively prevented from defending himself because of confidentiality considerations  should be allowed to continue his work, the former attorneys general said, without harassment by government officials and members of the bar. Wise words, which apply to the current special counsel as much as they did to Mr. Starr. And Mr. Barr would do well to remember that he wrote those words himself.
Fifty years ago, the mightiest rocket ever built rolled out to its launch pad at Cape Kennedy. On the 21st of December, 1968, three men climbed on board for the first voyage to the moon. Before Apollo 8, no human had ever left Earth orbit. Frank Borman, James Lovell Jr. and William Anders became the first men to see the whole Earth from space. They send back grainy footage of Earth to televisions back home. This transmission is coming to you approximately halfway between the moon and the Earth. In the first broadcast, the Earth was a ghostly sphere, devoid of detail. But in their second transmission, a recognizable Earth wreathed in clouds drifted in and out of view. Their mission was to fly a figure 8 pattern out to the moon, orbit it 10 times and return safely home. But safety and success were not certain. Russian tortoises had survived a flight around the moon and back only three months before, and cosmonauts were rumored to be next. The astronauts worked hard and slept little. And on Christmas Eve, they arrived at the moon. They had only 10 orbits, about 20 hours, to photograph the moon and scout future landing sites. For its first three orbits, the spacecraft was flying backward with its windows angled down toward the surface. On the fourth orbit, Borman rolled the capsule to face forward, just as Earth was rising over the horizon. Anders: Oh my God! Look at that picture over there! Theres the Earth coming up. Wow, is that pretty! Borman: Hey, dont take that, its not scheduled. [chuckles] Anders snapped the first image of Earth taken by humans at the moon. But it was black and white. Anders: You got a color film, Jim? Hand me a roll of color, quick ... Lovell: Oh man, thats great! Where is it? Anders: Quick! Earthrise. Seen for the first time by human eyes. Earthrise wasnt the first image of Earth from the moon. NASAs Lunar Orbiter I turned to watch the Earth set in 1966. A year later, Lunar Orbiter IV caught the double crescent of the moon and the distant Earth. Of all these images, Earthrise is by far the most famous. It took a human behind the camera for humanity to see our world again and know it for the first time. Other Earthrises would follow, as men returned to orbit and walk on the moon. Lovell: The vast loneliness up here of the moon is awe inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth. The Earth from here is a grand oasis in the big vastness of space. A few hours after Earthrise, the Apollo 8 crew ended a Christmas Eve broadcast by reading from Genesis. Borman: ... And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas; and God saw that it was good. And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth. The Apollo 8 astronauts didnt yet know that their greatest legacy would be a photograph. The round Earth and its thin film of life, suspended in the blackness of space. Like them, we have seen Spaceship Earth. And 50 years later we are still learning to fly and preserve it.
Each December, surrounded by wonderlands of white paper snowflakes, bright red winterberries, and forests of green conifers reclaiming their ancestral territory from inside the nations living rooms and hotel lobbies, children and adults delight to see the true harbinger of the holidays: aluminum metalized polyethylene terephthalate.

Aluminum metalized polyethylene terephthalate settles over store windows like dazzling frost. It flashes like hot, molten gold across the nail plates of young women. It sparkles like pure precision-cut starlight on an ornament of a North American brown bear driving a car towing a camper van. Indeed, in Clement Clarke Moores seminal Christmas Eve poem, the eyes of Saint Nicholas himself are said to twinkle like aluminum metalized polyethylene terephthalate (Im paraphrasing). In homes and malls and schools and synagogues and banks and hospitals and fire stations and hardware stores and breweries and car dealerships, and every kind of office  and outside those places, too  it shines. It glitters. It is glitter.

What is glitter? The simplest answer is one that will leave you slightly unsatisfied, but at least with your confidence in comprehending basic physical properties intact. Glitter is made from glitter. Big glitter begets smaller glitter; smaller glitter gets everywhere, all glitter is impossible to remove ; now never ask this question again.

Ah, but if you, like an impertinent child seeking a logistical timetable of Santa Claus nocturnal intercontinental journey, demand a more detailed definition  a word of warning: The path to enlightenment is littered with trade secrets, vapors, aluminum ingots, C.I.A. levels of obfuscation, the invisible regions of the visible spectrum, a unit of measurement expressed as  10-6 m  and also New Jersey.
Fruitcake is a polarizing concept, a triggering word. People love it or hate it and like to debate whether its cake at all. In some ways, my fathers character resembled a fruitcake: whimsy and a little nuttiness mixed with a sweet foundation. When we were children and went to the local shopping mall, he liked to spritz on womens perfume  all of them.

This was before mens cologne counters were common. Once they were, he would transform himself into pansexual bouquet of exotic fragrances. On our drives home, my mother would say, You stink! What did you put on this time?

While working as a meat cutter in grocery stores, he was called Crazy Charlie by his co-workers and was known for workplace pranks, like pretending to lock someone in the walk-in meat freezer. But he also gave out instructions to customers who didnt know how to roast lamb or make stuffing. When he came home from late shifts, he left candy bars under our pillow, thinking we might wake up wanting a snack.

My father believed everyone was always hungry and needed to eat even if they werent. When we visited him in the hospital during a three-month stay  he was battling a vicious infection after heart surgery  he would ask if we had eaten and never fail to remind us the cafeteria would be closing soon.

At least get a cup of coffee, hed say. Dont worry about me.

A fruitcake, in his mind, was a perfect Christmas gift. The culinary jumble of jeweled fruits suggested an extravagance that belied its practicality: Fruitcake can fill your belly and has a long shelf life. In 2017, a fruitcake thought to have been brought on Robert Scotts Antarctica expedition more than 100 years ago was discovered to be in excellent condition.

On the day before my flight, the fruitcake still had not arrived. When my father called to wish me a safe trip, he said, Did you receive it?
SEATTLE  Olivia Zimmermann started her holiday shopping early this year, buying a Bluetooth speaker from Best Buy for her sister. It was supposed to arrive by Dec. 10, two weeks before Christmas.

The speaker never showed up  and the post office said it had delivered the package to a different town. Best Buy apologized and offered to reship it. But Ms. Zimmermann, who works in marketing in Chicago, was over it.

I just want a refund, she told the retailer, and then added: At this point, I have already ordered from Amazon because I know for a fact it will be here when they say it will.

Amazon is far and away the leader in e-commerce, outpacing competitors like Walmart, Target and eBay. But its dominance is never more pronounced than in the nail-biter last-minute sprint before Christmas.
She told police that she got into a car with Mr. Liu after the dinner, and he began to touch her without her consent. She asked to be taken back to her apartment, where he forced himself upon her, despite her pleas, she told police.

But Ms. Brisbois, in an email, said the woman was being flirtatious in the car and agreed to the contact with Mr. Liu. Ms. Brisbois said that the woman invited Mr. Liu into her apartment building and that what happened in the room was entirely consensual.

The woman was an active and willing participant and at no time did she indicate in any way that she did not consent, Ms. Brisbois said. The following day, the woman sent text messages to friends saying that Mr. Liu had raped her.

Police were called to the apartment by a friend and fellow student, according to the county attorneys office.

Ms. Brisbois said she spoke with the woman after Mr. Lius release, at the womans request. Over several phone calls and texts, the woman made repeated demands for money, and threatened to make her allegations public and to sue Richard if her demands were not met, Ms. Brisbois said.

Mr. Florin, the womans lawyer, said that a lawyer for Mr. Liu initiated contact with the woman about a settlement. Mr. Florin added that many of Ms. Brisbois descriptions of events are directly contradicted by eyewitness testimony.

The Minneapolis Police Departments sex crimes unit conducted a thorough investigation into the case, the county attorneys office said, followed by a meticulous review by four sexual assault prosecutors, a group of three men and one woman. They determined that there were profound evidentiary problems which would have made it highly unlikely that any criminal charge could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Each week, technology reporters and columnists from The New York Times review the weeks news, offering analysis and maybe a joke or two about the most important developments in the tech industry. Want this newsletter in your inbox? Sign up here.

Wise readers! Im Raymond Zhong, a Times reporter in China  where, I contend, something is unfolding right now that carries higher stakes than any other tech story on the planet.

I know, Im biased. But hear me out.

China detained another Canadian citizen this week, the third to have been snatched up in the country this month. Beijing denies it, but most people in China see the detentions as retaliation for Canadas arrest of Meng Wanzhou, a top executive at the Chinese tech giant Huawei. The United States has accused Ms. Meng of fraud, and is seeking her extradition. She remains in Canada under round-the-clock surveillance.

In other words, the United States and Chinas contest for technological supremacy has now left four lives hanging in the balance  hostages to something much larger than themselves.
If you heard a thud just now, it was the charter school movement hitting a new bottom. The inspiration for charter schools in the mid-1990s was the ability of community-based schools to offer kids a unique experience outside the confines of traditional public schools  outside of state and local mandates, of curriculum demands and yes, of teacher union pressures and adult-driven schedules. Charter schools could offer more intense instruction time, such as at Southland College Prep in Matteson, where the school day is 8 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. Guess what the outcomes are? A near-perfect college enrollment rate for graduating seniors.
To Joy Buolamwini, Timnit Gebru and Anima Anandkumar, for calling out A.I. bias.

Artificial intelligence will be one of the most important areas of computer science in the coming years. Its also one of the least diverse. Just 12 percent of A.I. researchers are women, and the number of black and Latino executives in the field is vanishingly small. Three leading A.I. researchers are trying to change that.

Ms. Buolamwini, a researcher at the M.I.T. Media Lab, is the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, an organization trying to fight what it calls the coded gaze of biased algorithms. This year, she and Ms. Gebru  a Google researcher and co-founder of a group called Black in A.I.  released a study that showed that three leading facial recognition algorithms were substantially worse at classifying darker faces than lighter faces, and worse at classifying womens faces than mens faces. The study set off alarm bells at leading tech companies, and was widely cited as evidence of the need for more diversity in the field.

Separately, Ms. Anandkumar, Nvidias director of machine learning research and a professor at Caltech, saw that the name of the A.I. fields marquee annual event  the Neural Information Processing Systems conference, or NIPS  had been used as fodder for sexist jokes. So she started a #ProtestNIPS campaign to change the name, and drew up a petition that gathered more than 2,000 signatures. Eventually, the conferences board relented, and the event is now abbreviated as NeurIPS. It was a small gesture of inclusion that could go a long way toward making women feel more welcome in the field for years to come.

To Promise, Uptrust and Clear My Record, for helping solve our prison problem.

Ending mass incarceration has long been seen as a political challenge. But these three companies are trying to show that technology can help.

Promise is an app built to keep people out of jail. Aimed at pretrial defendants who cannot afford to post cash bail, it creates customized care plans for each user, sends them reminders of court dates and other critical appointments and allows courts to monitor their progress. The company, which participated in the YCombinator start-up program, recently raised $3 million from investors including Jay-Zs Roc Nation fund and First Round Capital.

Another start-up, Uptrust, offers a similar text message-based system that sends personalized appointment reminders to low-income clients, and can connect them to services that make getting to court easier, such as rides or child care. The service is already up and running in a handful of states, including Baltimore County, Md., and Palm Beach County, Fla.

Code for America, a nonprofit organization modeled after Teach for America, built Clear My Record, a tool that helps people with old criminal convictions get them reduced or expunged, which makes it easier for them to find housing and get jobs. This year, the team formed a partnership with George Gascon, the San Francisco district attorney, to work on a new program that automates the process of expunging marijuana-related convictions under the states legalization laws. The group aims to remove 250,000 convictions by the end of 2019.
We escaped to Margaritaville and made way for Glenda Jackson, got mad as hell all over again and learned to love a Malfoy. The year in theater had many riches and no shortage of surprise. Now that our chief critics have weighed in, its time for other New York Times writers and editors who spend lots of time in the dark to illuminate the moments that brought us joy and laughter, shock and awe. And the beat.

Grand entrance (1)

Any star gets entrance applause these days. Entrance yowls of terror? Thats trickier. But when the titular two-ton ape of King Kong  a marvel of puppetry, animatronics and some not exactly subtle sound, projection and lighting  blasted onto the Broadway stage, looking like he meant to eat the front mezzanine, it was a first impression for the ages. ALEXIS SOLOSKI

Grand entrance (2)

Rarely has a strut so completely embodied a character as Taylor Loudermans in Mean Girls. Playing queen bee Regina George, Ms. Louderman swings her hips with bold confidence and aligns each foot exactly ahead of the other, as if she were walking on a tightrope. Its like watching the second coming of Ann-Margret, and its exhilarating. ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

Grand entrance (3)

An Oklahoma! with same-sex lovers might seem to have gimmick written all over it. But in Bill Rauchs transformative and important production at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, any such worries melted away the instant that Curly (Tatiana Wechsler) made her exuberant entrance, as much fun to root for in romance as Ado Andy (Jonathan Luke Stevens) would turn out to be. LAURA COLLINS-HUGHES
Good morning.

(Heres the sign-up, if you dont already get California Today by email.)

This week, I talked with Scott Wiener, a state senator from San Francisco, about his second attempt at getting a sweeping, divisive housing bill through the Legislature.

But thats not the only bill hes resurrecting. For the third year in a row, Mr. Wiener is trying to put off closing time with legislation that would let cities decide whether to allow bars, clubs and restaurants to keep selling alcohol until 4 a.m.

Were at a disadvantage here, he told me, adding that visitors from other states are shocked when, at 1:30, the bartender announces last call.

Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown disagreed.

While businesses and cities have supported the move, since it could boost revenue, Mr. Brown sided with law enforcement officials who were concerned about drunken driving and other problems.
The nativity scene at Fellowship Congregational Church in Tulsa, Okla., looks a little different this year: There is a chain-link fence surrounding Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.

The display has been up since the beginning of December, but it drew news coverage this week after the church changed the message on its marquee to read, The holy family was a migrant family, and posted photos of the nativity on Facebook.

The scene is both an acknowledgment that the Christmas story is a migration story, and also a response to the Trump administrations efforts to discourage people from seeking refuge in the United States, the Rev. Chris Moore, the churchs lead pastor, said in an interview on Thursday.

Various religious texts, including the Gospel of St. Matthew, describe how the holy family sought asylum in Egypt after Jesus was born.
[The Wall and the Shutdown, Explained.]

As a veteran who has given so much, 3 limbs, I feel deeply invested to this nation to ensure future generations have everything we have today, Mr. Kolfage, 37, wrote in the fund-raiser description. Too many Americans have been murdered by illegal aliens and too many illegals are taking advantage of the United States taxpayers with no means of ever contributing to our society.

Mr. Kolfage, a Purple Heart recipient who lives in Miramar Beach, Fla., wrote on the GoFundMe page that he began the drive out of frustration that Mr. Trumps signature campaign promise remained unfulfilled. Its time we uphold our laws, and get this wall BUILT!, he wrote. Its up to Americans to help out and pitch in to get this project rolling.

In a phone interview, Mr. Kolfage said the public outpouring of donations only underscored the exasperation felt by those who supported the wall project. Americans are frustrated with the way things are going and politicians holding us all hostage, he said.

The campaign went viral as Mr. Trump appeared to back down from his threat to shut down the government unless Congress allocated $5 billion for the wall, a capitulation that outraged his most ardent supporters and right-wing media pundits alike. The president later said on Twitter that Mexico would indirectly pay for the wall through a new North American free trade deal. But on Thursday, Mr. Trump told House Republican leaders he would not sign a stopgap spending bill to avert a shutdown if it did not include border-wall funding. The House on Thursday evening passed stopgap spending legislation with an additional $5.7 billion for wall construction, but it is expected to fail in the Senate, where Democratic votes are needed to top the 60-vote threshold.

[Read: A Possible Government Shutdown? Heres Where Things Stand.]

Like Mr. Trump, Mr. Kolfage has focused his wrath on congressional Democrats, whom he blames for refusing to fund the project. Theyd rather see President Trump fail, than see America succeed, he wrote on the fund-raiser page.
Its just days before Christmas, but Washington is far from putting a bow on things and retreating until the new year. This poorly timed political upheaval can seem too daunting to track  especially if youre traveling. So here are the basics, with links to our detailed coverage.

And for a nightly rundown of the days top stories, subscribe to our Evening Briefing.

A shutdown begins

The federal government partly shut down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday after funding expired. The House and Senate adjourned for the evening Friday, ending any hopes of a last-minute compromise. Both chambers are expected to reconvene on Saturday at noon.

Stay up-to-date with our live coverage.

Funding was set to run out for several federal agencies, including the Agriculture, Commerce and Homeland Security Departments. Heres what to expect from a government shutdown.

At the heart of the battle is the wall at the border with Mexico that President Trump promised during the campaign. Nearly two years into his presidency, the wall has not come to fruition. But his supporters still want it, making the issue a potential risk to his re-election.
Michigans Republican-dominated Legislature opened its lame-duck session last month amid claims that it was ready to take actions similar to what its counterparts in Wisconsin and North Carolina had done: Cripple Democratic opponents who had won crucial state posts and limit voters who had pushed policy changes.

The lawmakers adjourned on Friday, but they left their rivals less hobbled than many had expected.

By the end of a session marked by frequent protests, state lawmakers had passed bills that restricted the rule-making authority of the incoming Democratic administration led by Gretchen Whitmer, the governor-elect, and that prevented the disclosure of dark money donors who bankroll thinly veiled political campaigns by nonprofit advocacy groups.

On Thursday, they enacted two bills aimed at bolstering the Legislatures authority  one that made it more difficult for voters to pass laws or constitutional amendments through ballot initiatives, and another that gave lawmakers the automatic right to intervene in any suit challenging a law or legislative action.

The latter move appeared aimed at reining in the power of Ms. Whitmer and the newly elected attorney general, Dana Nessel, also a Democrat, to manage state legal affairs without interference.
WASHINGTON  Standing in the way of a resolution to the government shutdown is a wall. A still mostly hypothetical wall along large sections of the southern border intended to keep immigrants from entering the United States illegally. A wall that President Trump promised his supporters he would deliver once he was in the Oval Office. A wall that if not built, some conservatives say, could cost Mr. Trump his presidency.

It is a big wall. Heres what you need to know about it.

Building a wall along the southern border was one of Mr. Trumps most repeated campaign promises.

As he described it during the campaign, the wall would not be one continuous barrier along the entire stretch of more than 1,900 miles of land between the United States and Mexico, but rather sections of a wall. Natural barriers and Border Patrol people stationed in certain parts of the Southwest would provide security in between.

And building the wall would be easy. Im a builder, Mr. Trump said. The construction would not be as complicated as building a 95-story high-rise. And I would have Mexico pay for it, he said. Believe me.

The estimated cost of the wall would be $4 billion to $8 billion. It would be 35 feet to 45 feet high, with a big, fat beautiful door right in the middle, he said, which would be for people to enter the country legally.
The facts

False.

Ronald Reagan made no attempts to build a border wall, according to biographers of the 40th president and journalists who covered the Reagan administration.

During a 1980 Republican primary debate, Reagan discussed illegal immigration and the United States relationship with Mexico.

Rather than making them, or talking about putting up a fence, he said, why dont we work out some recognition of our mutual problems and make it possible for them to come here legally, with a work permit, and then while they are working and earning here, they pay taxes here.

Bob Spitz, the author of Reagan: An American Journey, said he was unaware of any other examples of Reagan discussing a border wall during his presidency. Mr. Spitz also pointed to the former presidents farewell address, in which he envisioned the United States as a shining city upon a hill and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here.
Hours away from a partial government shutdown, heres where things stand  and how we got here.

What has happened?

Lets recap.

On Wednesday night, after a contentious day of negotiating and a round of cheerful Christmas carols from a group of Senate Democrats, the Senate passed a stopgap spending bill that would fund the remaining parts of the government through Feb. 8.

While the bill would keep the government fully functioning, it does not include money for President Trumps beloved wall on the southern border. Lawmakers and aides went home optimistic that Thursday morning, the House would pass that bill and send it to the presidents desk.

Regretfully for those with holiday plans, that is not what happened.

There were hours of headlines about an apparent presidential retreat on building a wall and angst from hard-line Republicans over their last opportunity to secure funding before a Democratic majority. Then the president informed House Republicans on Thursday that he would refuse to sign the Senate measure.
In Syria, the U.S.-led coalition has pummeled Islamic State into apparent submission, but the terror group and its ideology havent been stamped out. Syria remains in the grips of civil war and has become a handy romper room for Russia and Iran. American ground troops act as a stabilizing force, symbols of U.S. resolve and partners to Syrian Kurd militias, who have done much of the fighting against Islamic State. A U.S. departure leaves the Kurds vulnerable to attack by arch-enemy Turkey. If Islamic State mounts a comeback, or if Iran and Russia assert unchecked power and influence in the region, America becomes less secure.
In the months before the election, the militarys Cyber Command began a campaign to deter the Russians behind the 2016 influence campaign. They sent messages to Russian operatives saying they had been identified and warned them to cease their efforts.

Cyber Command, the National Security Agency and the F.B.I. also tried to identify fake accounts and Russia-backed trolls who were spreading Moscows propaganda, passing that information along to technology companies so the accounts could be removed.

The New York Times first reported those Cyber Command operations in October. This month, The Daily Beast published an interview with Yevgeny Zubarev, the director of Russias Federal News Agency, in which he said he had been targeted by Cyber Command. The United States Cyber Command writes to me to say that what I am doing is wrong, that their job is to fight trolls, Mr. Zubarev told The Daily Beast

The results of those efforts, and much broader public understanding of Russian techniques, helped contribute to a less-effective campaign, according to Defense Department and other American officials.

Government officials said they had hoped American resilience and resistance to the Russian techniques might be growing. A pair of reports commissioned by the Senate Intelligence Committee and released this week provided new information about how Russians sought to inflame American opinion and exacerbate existing divisions in the country.

One report released Monday outlined how the Russian campaign aimed to drive down African-American participation in the 2016 election.

Participation in the midterms was up with both parties, and it was not clear if the Russians tried to drive down participation with particular groups of people or if they abandoned that effort during this vote.
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court refused on Friday to allow the Trump administration to immediately enforce its new policy of denying asylum to migrants who illegally cross the Mexican border.

The Supreme Courts two-sentence order revealed a new dynamic at the court, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. joining the four-member liberal wing in refusing to immediately reinstate the administrations asylum policy.

The chief justice, appointed to the court by President George W. Bush in 2005, is now plainly at the courts ideological center, a spot that had long belonged to Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who retired in July and was replaced in October by Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh.

The courts ruling thwarted, at least for now, President Trumps proclamation last month that only migrants who arrived in the United States legally or applied at a port of entry would be eligible for asylum. And it is likely to only heighten tensions between Chief Justice Roberts and Mr. Trump, for whom limiting immigration is a central concern and who has been quick to criticize judges who rule against his immigration programs.
I see my generals  those generals are going to keep us so safe. These are central casting  if Im doing a movie, I pick you, general. President Trump likes to talk about Americas generals. Remember the old days of General MacArthur and General Patton and these great generals. Although, hes been less kind to modern-day generals. I know more about ISIS than the generals do, believe me. And I can just see the great  as an example  Gen. George Patton spinning in his grave. General MacArthur is spinning in his grave. But since his election, Trump has put four of them in senior positions, the most of any modern-day president. They say hes the closest thing to Gen. George Patton that we have, and its about time. Its about time. Now, theres none left. So, what happened? First to go was Michael Flynn, a retired Army general. He was an early and vocal supporter of Trump. He will lead from the front, not from behind. That loyalty paid off. But soon, it came out that Flynn misled White House officials about his contact with Russias ambassador. He was forced to resign. Next to go was an active-duty Army general, H.R. McMaster, who replaced Flynn. McMaster pushed for a bigger U.S. military commitment in Afghanistan and Syria. He was also a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin. We might show him the beaches of Normandy, where lingering craters and bullet holes demonstrate the Wests will to sacrifice. Trump, on the other hand, had opposing views on all of the above, and the two never developed a personal chemistry. John Kelly, one of the two former Marine Corps generals, was the next to go. He was briefly Homeland Security secretary, then Trump made him chief of staff. He will do a spectacular job, I have no doubt. And Kelly was given credit for bringing discipline to the West Wing. But Trump grew wary of Kellys strict management style  As questions persist over Kellys defense of Porter  and of Kellys part in several controversies. For his part, Kelly was reported to frequently call the president an idiot. Although, hes denied this. Now, James Mattis is the last general to leave the cabinet. Early on, he seemed to elicit the most enthusiasm for Trump. General Mad Dog Mattis. Mattis has generally kept a low profile, but in recent months his relationship with Trump is said to have soured. They butted heads on a range of issues: NATO policy, North Korea and finally, withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria. In his resignation letter, the retired Marine general cited a difference of views with Trump. With Mattis gone, the White House will be without one of the few officials viewed as able to keep an unpredictable president in check.
What I want is real money for the wall, said Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, a founder of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, who declined to say how much funding he would consider sufficient, but said $1.6 billion was not enough.

In a meeting in his office just off the Senate floor, Mr. Schumer flatly told Mr. Pence, Mr. Mulvaney and Mr. Kushner, who had requested to meet with him, that any measure that included money for the wall could not pass the Senate, and urged them to consider agreeing to one that omitted it but included funding for other forms of border security, according to a spokesman.

Complicating the chances of such a deal was the presidents own refusal to detail his bottom line in negotiations. During a meeting with Republican senators on Friday morning, Mr. Trump would not provide specifics about what kind of plan he could support, including how much money he would accept for fortifying the border, despite their repeated efforts to ascertain his conditions for a deal, according to a Senate official briefed on the session who insisted on anonymity to describe it. The president talked at length about the wall and repeatedly pressed the senators about eliminating the filibuster so they could fund it with 51 votes.

Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the chambers No. 2 Republican, appeared practically giddy at the prospect that Mr. Trumps aides were engaging in serious talks with lawmakers, saying, The fact that thats happening represents real progress, and adding that he was so happy about it.

Without a strategy for averting a shutdown, Mr. Trump spent the day maneuvering to ensure that Democrats would shoulder the blame, notwithstanding his public courting of the dysfunctional denouement.

He began the day warning on Twitter that a partial government shutdown will last for a very long time.
CAPE TOWN  A musician from South Africa had a tumor in his brain, so doctors opened a hole in his skull to remove it. But they had a crucial request: He must play his acoustic guitar during the surgery.

The musician, Musa Manzini, a jazz bassist, was awake when the doctors performed the surgery last week, and video footage from the local media site News24 shows him strumming an acoustic guitar slowly as they operated.

The technique, known as awake craniotomy, allows doctors to operate on delicate areas of the brain  like the right frontal lobe, the site of Mr. Manzinis tumor  without causing damage. Presumably, had he hit a wrong note, it would have been an immediate signal for the surgeons to probe elsewhere.

It can be very difficult to tell the difference between the tumor and normal brain tissue, said Dr. Basil Enicker, a specialist neurosurgeon who led the operation at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, in the coastal city of Durban. Once youre near a critical area, you can pick it up early, because he will tell you.
JOHANNESBURG  A South African anti-corruption agency has called for a police investigation into the killings of three political figures who had accused their rivals of corruptly diverting money intended for the renovation of a community hall.

The public protectors office said in a report released Thursday that the police should investigate the root causes and motivations behind the gangland-style killings of the politicians from the governing African National Congress, who had denounced the project as a vehicle to funnel money to local officials and business allies.

The public protector also called for an investigation into leaders of the rural town of Umzimkhulu who were involved in the project, which contractors have failed to complete despite spending millions of dollars.

The town improperly awarded the contract to renovate the hall, even failing to obtain the proper permits to work on a heritage building, according to the public protector, the government agency responsible for investigating official misconduct and corruption.
KHARTOUM, Sudan  Sudanese police fired tear gas on Friday at demonstrators in two cities who are angry over rising prices and a nationwide cash shortage, among other issues.

The protests, which began after noon prayers in Omdurman and Atbara, were smaller than those on Thursday, when at least eight people were killed as thousands took to the streets, some calling for the overthrow of Sudans longtime president, Omar al-Bashir.

At least one protester was killed Friday in the northern city of Atbara, the security chief there said.

A government spokesman blamed infiltrators for derailing peaceful demonstrations and turning them into subversive activity.
MEXICO CITY  In barely three weeks in office, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico has been on a relentless gallop to upset the status quo.

He has championed a new law to cut the highest government salaries and raise the lowest ones, and proposed the expansion of social programs benefiting the poor and marginalized, whom he has declared to be his primary concern.

He has aggressively moved forward on a plan to cancel construction of an expensive, partially completed airport.

And in a move replete with symbolism, on the day of his inauguration, he turned the official presidential residence into a cultural center and opened it to the public  producing images of ordinary people, once sealed off from the site by a fierce perimeter of security, freely wandering its grounds in amazement and joy.
KABUL, Afghanistan  Last year, when President Trump announced a new strategy 16 years into the Afghan war, many in Afghanistan saw it as a much-needed refocusing of the American commitment.

Conditions on the ground  not arbitrary timetables  will guide our strategy from now on, Mr. Trump said at the time. Americas enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out.

In the year since then, as the architects of that strategy have exited the administration one by one, many in Afghanistan came to believe that Mr. Trump  who never met with his former top commander in the country  had never really been persuaded, and that his impatience with the war was winning out.

On Friday, that suspicion seemed to be confirmed, as Afghan officials and Western diplomats woke to the unexpected news that Mr. Trump had ordered half of the 14,000 American troops in Afghanistan home, even as the war continues to rage and the Taliban threaten much of the country.
[Updated January 28, 2019]

Even the most dedicated news junkies can find it difficult to keep up on the war in Afghanistan, now in its 18th year.

This guide is for those who could use a refresher on the conflict, in which more than 2,400 Americans have died. At least 62,000 Afghan soldiers and police officers have been killed since the war began, in 2001, and more than 24,000 civilians have died in the past decade.

Now, after nine years of intermittent peace efforts, American and Taliban officials have agreed in principle to the framework of a deal that could lead to a full pullout of American troops in return for a series of concessions from the Taliban, the chief United States negotiator said on Monday.

Why is the United States military still there?

President George W. Bush launched the first missiles in October 2001, about a month after the Sept. 11 attacks. The goals were to destroy Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that protected it, and to ensure the country wouldnt be a safe haven for terrorists.
Even most of the impacted employees and pensioners seemed to be in agreement that the payout formula in these particular systems was unsustainable. Not to get too far into the weeds, but for decades the annual compounded percentage increases in the retirement systems in question were based in part on the investment returns of the pension funds, so that, paradoxically, good years in the market had even more long-term crippling effects than bad years because everyones baseline payments soared.
WASHINGTON  President Trump has enacted a law that requires the State Department to punish Chinese officials who bar American officials, journalists and other citizens from going freely to Tibetan areas in Chinas far west.

By some measures, those areas, though sparsely populated, make up one-quarter of Chinas territory, and they have been the site of protests and riots against Chinese rule for decades. Because of the delicate political situation, the Tibetan plateau has long been under careful watch by central and local security officials.

Chinese security agencies often make it difficult for foreigners to travel in most of the areas, and those restrictions have gotten tougher since widespread protests took place in 2012.

The government and the ruling Communist Party ban foreign diplomats and journalists from going to central Tibet, called the Tibet Autonomous Region, without getting official permission and going on carefully organized propaganda tours. It has been eight years since The New York Times was allowed to go on one of those trips, which are run by the Foreign Ministry.
DUBLIN  The Irish government has published a sobering contingency plan in case of a no-deal exit by Britain from the European Union, a move that officials say would hurt Ireland more than any other country in the bloc.

The document, published in Dublin on Wednesday, concludes that the Republic of Ireland would have to focus on crisis management in the event of an abrupt divorce by Britain, which would potentially involve severe macroeconomic, trade and sectoral impacts. Though it has deep economic ties to Britain, Ireland will remain in the European Union.

The plan identifies at least 45 pieces of legislation that would have to be passed by the Irish Parliament to maintain the countrys close relationship to Britain in areas such as security, health, education, border cooperation, tourism and trade. All other parliamentary business may have to be set aside in January to pass these laws, officials said, if London and Brussels cannot agree by then on an orderly Brexit plan.

[What is Brexit? A simple guide to why it matters and what happens next.]

Irish imports and exports depend heavily on trucks crossing by ferry to and from the Island of Great Britain, which acts as Irelands land bridge to the rest of the European Union. If, after decades of being in a common market, Britain and the rest of the bloc erect customs and regulatory controls between them, Ireland could suffer severe disruption to supply chains, including vital sources of food and medicine.
I am not of the idea that he is being blackmailed, said Nina L. Khrushcheva, a professor of international affairs at the New School in New York, currently in Moscow. Undermining NATO and undermining Europe is something that Putin would like to do, but Trump is doing it for different reasons.

Still, even if convinced that Mr. Trump is not being blackmailed, analysts are still puzzled over why his actions so closely coincided with Russias foreign policy goals.

Once again we see a president who appears to be acting impulsively and erratically  except when it comes to Russia, said Leslie Vinjamuri, professor of international relations at SOAS University of London. Here, Trump has been eerily consistent in his willingness to adopt policies that enable Russias strategy while undermining ours.

Nevertheless, not everything is flowing in Moscows favor.

Trumps announcement that they are leaving Syria is a gift, of course, said Valery D. Solovei, a political-science professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. The Kremlin may use its success in Syria to forge on into Libya for similar reasons, he said.

Afghanistan was more complicated, however.

On the one hand, the Russians are gleeful about the American withdrawal; there is this We told you so feeling, he said, referring to the Soviet Unions disastrous invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. But the Kremlin has always feared that destabilization in Afghanistan could increase the flow of drugs and extremists to Russia.

In Syria, the American presence had proved to be a convenient excuse for Mr. Putin about why the Russian intervention was not bringing the conflict to as rapid a close as he had promised. In addition, fighting the remnants of the Islamic State will now become Russias problem, with any upsurge in violence likely to undermine the Kremlin position that Syria is stable enough for a postwar political process and reconstruction funds.

On the sanctions front, although the United States lifted penalties on Rusal, that came at the cost of diminishing Mr. Deripaskas role with the company. And Mr. Deripaska himself remains under sanctions for his business practices.
BRUSSELS  Americas allies in Europe and Asia thought they had learned to digest and compensate for the instinctive unpredictability of President Trump. But the bitter resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the abrupt announcement of plans to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan are being viewed as watershed moments for Washingtons relations with the world.

Many countries were already trying to recalibrate their relations with Mr. Trump, who views traditional allies as competitors. From South Korea to Japan, France to Germany and other countries in the NATO alliance, senior officials have been talking aloud about how to do more on their own and ways to be less reliant on a Washington focused on America First.

But they also had faith in Mr. Mattis, who presented himself as a man of continuity and of traditional alliances, and who worked to strengthen them considerably regardless of the views held in the White House. He was also regarded by traditional allies as their most sympathetic and effective conduit to Mr. Trump, and as the adult of last resort able to restrain, balance or ignore the whims of an unpredictable president.

This is a morning of alarm in Europe, Carl Bildt, a former prime minister of Sweden, said on Twitter on Friday. He added that Mr. Mattis was seen as the last strong bond across the Atlantic in the Trump Administration, since all the others are fragile at best or broken at worst.
Turkey has postponed a military offensive in northeastern Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, citing conversations with President Trump and other American officials, but he added that it would eventually follow through on plans for an assault on Kurdish and Islamic State forces there.

Turkish officials said publicly last week that the country was a few days away from beginning an invasion of Syria to attack the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, the United States closest ally in the complex and devastating Syrian civil war.

That raised the prospect of an accidental clash between American forces working with the Kurdish-led group and Turkey, a fellow NATO member. But this week, Mr. Trump ordered the withdrawal of United States forces in Syria.

That delighted Turkey and the primary supporters of the Syrian government  Russia and Iran  while enraging Kurds and many American officials who saw it as abandoning a vulnerable ally. Israeli officials also said Friday that they felt abandoned by the decision, which they said strengthens Irans hold on Syria and creates a strategic threat to Israel.
Amy Moy, a professor at New England College of Optometry, and her husband, Erick Moy, a research scientist, live in Winchester, Mass., with their 4-year-old daughter, Evie, who has Down syndrome. When she was born, she had three holes in her heart and was so tired that she struggled to eat.

Early on when we found out, we thought about her health first, but then we worried, how will she be taken care of financially? Mr. Moy said. That caused us to have a lot of fear. The first thing was just understanding how the system works.

Jaella Laplante worked as the director of a day program for adults with special needs, so when her daughter Declynn, now 3, was born with Prader-Willi syndrome, she knew to apply immediately to programs that offered early intervention.

Years later, she met other parents of children with the condition who had been paying out of pocket for years before they realized they could have had the state cover some of those bills. Costs for services that can help these children run into the six figures annually. Ms. Laplante said getting benefits early had helped keep her costs low.

Government benefits cover basic costs, but more affluent parents often want to supplement their childs care. This can be tricky.

Parents need to buy life insurance early on to provide for children over their life expectancy. But any money given to a child with special needs could be taken by the government to cover its costs.

One way around this is to set up a special needs trust, which keeps the funds out of the governments reach.
1 of 11

Two reports commissioned by the Senate Intelligence Committee and published this week revealed the extent of Russias efforts to influence the U.S. presidential election of 2016.

One of the reports said the Russian campaign made an extraordinary effort to target which ethnic group?
It was October, 1986. I was 33 and had just moved to Akron, Ohio from Fort Worth for a new job, a new start, a new life. I'd left behind many fond memories, well-loved friends and Steve, a man I loved and had hoped to marry. We'd been together for 2 1/2 years but he hadn't seemed ready to make a commitment, so I took a job in Akron, moved into a nice little apartment not far from work, and started to settle in.
While the new omicron variant could slow its rebound, business travel is expected to eventually return. While some local companies are eager to get back to their globe-trotting ways, others have realized they dont need to be on the go as much as they used to be.
A winery in Spains Galicia region recently unveiled a revolutionary wine-flavored water that allows consumers to enjoy the taste of red or white wine without worrying about getting drunk or putting on weight.

Called Vida Gallaecia, the enriched water is the result of a two-year collaboration between the Bodega Liquido Gallaecia winery and scientists at the State Agency of the Higher Council of Scientific Research (CSIC). It allegedly tastes like wine, but contains no alcohol and very few calories, making suitable for consumption anytime, anywhere. Although the secret formula behind the ingenious beverage is a well-guarded secret, its creators have revealed that it involves the use of flavanols from grapes and residues from the wine making process.

Photo: Didgeman/Pixabay

The water is enriched with flavanols from grapes and residues from Godello wine making, since there are numerous studies that associate the intake of flavonols with health benefits. For example, they have positive effects for diabetes, they are antioxidants, cardioprotective or antibacterial, Carmen Martinez, a doctor in Biology and researcher at the Biological Mission of Salcedo, told The Voice of Galicia.

Vida Gallaecia is enriched with wine flavors made from two varieties of grapes  Mencia for red wine, and Godello for white wine  and contains no chemical solvents. The water base comes from Galician springs and the wine from the soil of the Valdeorras region. Asked if the enriched water really tastes like wine, one of the co-founders of Bodega Liquido Gallaecia said:

Yes, its like drinking a wine but ingesting something totally healthy and alcohol-free, since in the end the base is water.

Photo: Bodega Liquido Gallaecia/Facebook

Although Vida Gallaecia was only revealed recently and is not yet commercially available, Bodega Liquido Gallaecia has been busy promoting it to potential partners. They plan on launching the two varieties of the wine-flavored water in Spain soon, but their most promising market is Japan, where demand for this kind of products is really high. Lets not forget that this is the same country where completely clear, alcohol-free beer is hugely popular.

The Spanish winery has already been approached by an airline interested in distributing its enriched water on flights, and it is in contact with agents in the United States and Mexico. Those who have tried Vida Gallaecia apparently appreciate the new and exquisite sensations on the palate.

Spain has been at the forefront of innovation in the wine industry. In 2016, Spanish startup Gik unveiled the worlds first blue wine, and last year, other wineries followed suit, offering wines in all kinds of different colors.
Robert L. Dilenschneider

As we move into the holiday season, here are some facts about Christmases past:

--The largest relic of the Holy Crib, an ornate trough, can be found in a Papal Basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore, in Rome.

--Legend has it that St. Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop in what is now Turkey, dropped a bag of gold down a poor man's chimney for his daughter's dowry, an act of generosity that centuries later would inspire the tradition of Christmas gift-giving. In Medieval times, pudding was prepared with 13 ingredients for Christ and the 12 Apostles.

--The idea of hanging stockings began in the Netherlands in the Middle Ages when shoes filled with food were left for St. Nicholas donkeys. (Reindeer replaced the donkeys in Clement Clarke Moores A Visit from St. Nicholas.)

--George Frederick Handel said he saw visions of angels as he wrote the Alleluia Chorus for The Messiah in 1741.

--The first Christmas tree in England was decorated at the Queen's Lodge in Windsor in 1800.

--J.C. Horsley made the first commercial Christmas card in 1843 in London.

--Until 1872 While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night was the only carol officially sanctioned by the Church of England.

--On Christmas Eve in 1880, Englands Bishop of Truro introduced a new kind of service, The Nine Lessons with Carols, that interspersed Biblical texts with hymns to tell the Christmas story.

--The plot of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol had its origins in a story from his earlier work, The Pickwick Papers, in which goblins kidnap a gravedigger and convince him to enjoy Christmas.

--During World War I, engraved postcards that depicted mistletoe were sent as messages of peace.

--At the Oscars in 1942, Irving Berlin opened the envelope to find that his own White Christmas had won the Best Song award.

--The amount of wrapping used for Christmas each year could circle the equator dozens of times.

All the best for a great Holiday Season, a Merry Christmas and a 2019 that is all you want it to be.

***

Robert L. Dilenschneider is founder and chairman of The Dilenschneider Group, a global public relations and communications consulting firm headquartered in New York City. The former CEO of Hill and Knowlton, Inc., he is also author of more than a dozen books, including the best-selling Power and Influence.


Joe Lieberman

ZTE Corp, the Chinese telecom that President Trump in April sanctioned for selling American technology to Iran and North Korea, has hired his law firm Kasowitz Benson Torres, for legal matters.

Former Connecticut Senator and Democratic VP nominee Joe Lieberman heads KBT's team. He's senior counsel there.

Lieberman, who is working with his former Senate chief of staff Clarine Nardi Riddle, is putting together an assessment of concerns that Members of Congress, Executive Branch and US businesses "may have about any national security vulnerabilities and risks that ZTE products may pose in the US," according to KBT's federal filing.

Following completion of the assessment, Lieberman's team will submit a report to ZTE about existing concerns and "appropriate measures that may be taken to resolve/or ameliorate them."

Though KTE will not be lobbying for ZTE, it registered the work with the government "in the interest of transparency and caution because we will be talking with Members and other covered officials as part of the assessment."

Trump reconsidered the sanctions in May "as a personal favor to Chinese president Xi Jinping," according to Bloomberg.

In July, the Commerce Dept. lifted its sanctions after ZTE paid a $1.4B penalty.
Independent Offaly TD Carol Nolan has welcomed the decision by senior personnel at KBC Bank to meet with her along with fellow Independent TDs Michael Collins and Mattie McGrath.

Deputy Nolan was speaking after the Oireachtas members engaged in a peaceful occupation of the banks premises on Lower Baggot Street in Dublin yesterday in order to demand a change in how the bank resolves cases involving mortgage distress:

A meeting has been agreed for January 9 at 2pm in Dublin. At that meeting Michael,Mattie and myself will be demanding that the bank immediately review the protocols it has in place with respect to debt resolution processes. We want to make it absolutely clear that we fully accept the legitimate right of the bank to recoup losses that it has incurred in terms of mortgage distress. What we are saying however is that this right must be proportionate and it must be fair."

Deputy Nolan said that it must not be implemented in such a way that it is then used to walk all over people that are making sincere and hard won attempts to engage constructively with their debt repayment obligations.

"The vast majority of the people we are dealing with want to repay their debts," she commented. "They are deeply responsible people who do not have an everything for nothing approach and who profoundly resent being characterised in that light. Where people are making sincere attempts, a reciprocal attitude needs to be adopted with respect to the banks."

The Offaly TD said they should avoid this 'endless and stressful merry-go-round' that people experience when they are asked to constantly provide the same or similar documentation and who cannot speak to a dedicated person who is actually looking after their case.

"People feel like they are being worn down by the tactics of some of the banks and that has to stop. There has to be respect. That is what we are saying. We received similar commitments in March but nothing materialised despite our good faith acceptance that something positive would emerge. In this coming year we will not be allowing the bank to get away that kind of approach, concluded Deputy Nolan
A comprehensive traffic management plan, including making High Street a one way street, will be in place from January 2 in Tullamore as works begins on the Tullamore Public Realm Enhancement Works.

The project includes improvement works to High St, Bridge St, Columcille St, Millennium Square and OConnor Square. The works to High Street and Bridge Street will involve the undergrounding of the existing overhead wires together with the removal of existing poles. The existing street lighting will be replaced with new feature light poles. The existing footpath will be replaced and widened at particular locations. Road reconstruction and surfacing will also be undertaken on a phased basis.

To facilitate the works on High Street and Bridge Street it will be necessary to restrict traffic to a One-Way Outbound traffic management system on these streets.

Traffic will be prohibited from travelling inbound from Cormac Street & OMoore Street and traffic will be redirected towards the town center via alternative detour routes. It will not be possible to facilitate on-street carparking, while the one-way system is in operation.

Once the works progress past the Tara Street entrance, two-way traffic will be facilitated between OMoore Street and Tara Street only to allow local traffic access to the Bridge Centre car park.

Works are to commence on High Street, from the junction with OMoore St, from Wednesday 2. The one-way system will be in operation from this date and will remain in place up to the end of June 2019.

Offaly County Council says that during the above works, there will be some disruption as the work in the footpath moves past doorways/entrances, but it will endeavor to keep this disruption to a minimum.
At the Monthly County Council meeting on Monday last, the three Offaly County Council nominated Pride of Place Community Groups gathered to be presented with Certificates of Recognition and Appreciation by Offaly County Council.

The three nominees to the 2018 IPB Pride of Place competition were:

Clonbullogue Development Association represented the Edenderry Municipal District area in the Population: 300-1,000 category, Acquired Brain Injury Ireland Mountbolus represented the Tullamore Municipal District area in the Community Wellbeing Initiative category, Moneygall Development Association represented the Birr Municipal District area in the Community Tourism Initiative category.

IPB Pride of Place is an annual competition organised by Co-operation Ireland and sponsored by IPB Insurance. It promotes and celebrates the best in community development and recognises the selfless efforts of people in making their local neighbourhoods better places to live, work and socialise.

Dermot Egan from Offaly County Council's Community & Culture Section read a citation for each nominee and then called the groups forward for the presentation by the first citizen of Offaly County Council, Cllr Danny Owens. As part of the address some background information on the groups was read out.

Cathaoirleach Danny Owens presenting the certificate to members of the Clonbullogue Development Association. Also in the picture are Cllrs Noel Bourke and John Foley with Martin Daly Community & Culture Section and Dermot Egan, Community & Culture Section.

Clonbullogue Development Association was nominated from the Edenderry Municipal District area. CDA was formed in 1972 and over the years has worked with the community, the Local Authority, Offaly Local Development Company, the employment services, and the Primary School.

Built around a triangular green, this small community has much to be proud of, not least the successes in the National Tidy Towns Competition which has brought numerous awards most notable being Tidy Village including best village award on two occasions, population, category and over thirty County awards. Clonbullogue Development Association engages in all areas of development and community activity ranging from the preschool to the active retired and everything in between.

Acquired Brain Injury Ireland (ABII) Mountbolus was nominated from the Tullamore Municipal District area and acquitted themselves with some distinction on judging day. ABII is Irelands leading provider of community rehabilitation for those of working age (18-65 years) living with and recovering from an acquired brain injury from causes including stroke, road collisions, falls and assaults.

A brain injury can affect a persons ability to manage their own life and ABII deliver services in communities across Ireland to support and empower people to rebuild their lives. Regionally, Acquired Brain Injury Ireland are piloting a number of paediatric support services in the midlands. It is a national not-for-profit organisation which also campaigns, educates and advocates for the rights and needs of this hidden group in society. At any one time, they deliver dedicated individual neuro-rehabilitation to an estimated 1,100 people nationally and 162 regionally through residential, community and day services.

Cathaoirleach Danny Owens presenting the certificate to members of Moneygall Development Association. Also in the picture are Cllrs Peter Ormond, John Clendennen and John Carroll, with Martin Daly Community & Culture Section, Dermot Egan, Community & Culture Section and Frank Heslin, Director of Services, Offaly County Council.

Representing the Birr Municipal District under the Community Tourism Category was Moneygall Development Association. MDA is a voluntary community organisation that was established in 2011 following the visit of President Obama. The primary focus of the association is to improve community living through the enhancement of local facilities and the encouragement of Community participation.

Moneygall Development Association comprises local residents, public representative, business representatives and clergy, They all have an interest in developing a strong vibrant village in Moneygall which offers a pleasant and attractive place to live, work which is a destination for tourists, both local and overseas.
Police said they pulled Givens and two other men from the vehicle and found a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol not far from the crash. A witness in the car told police that he saw Givens reach into his jacket and throw an object out of the car near where the gun was found, prosecutors said.
"The biggest thing I focused on is going back to the 2000s. There is a $49.5 million (capital development) grant that the state promised that hasn't come yet, the lawmaker said. "We are trying to work on that with the next state capital bill in Springfield, which would contain a lot of projects and hopefully funding for it. We are trying to slide it through the process.
1984 anti-Sikh riots: SC to consider according urgent hearing to Sajjan Kumar's bail plea

Justice Muralidhar, the judge who sentenced Sajjan Kumar to life in Sikh riots case

1984 anti-Sikh riots case: Delhi HC dismisses Sajjan Kumar's plea seeking more time to surrender

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

New Delhi, Dec 21: Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar's plea which sought more time to surrender in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

In his 15-point request filed before the court, Kumar mentioned how the high court's verdict finding him guilty had stunned him and he needed time to prepare for the jail sentence.

Sajjan Kumar, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment in anti-Sikh riots case, had moved an application before Delhi High Court seeking 30 days time to surrender.

IPS officer who probed Sohrabuddin Sheik encounter case suspended

The Delhi High Court had on December 17 convicted Kumar and sentenced to imprisonment for "remainder of his natural life" in another 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, saying the riots were a "crime against humanity" perpetrated by those who enjoyed "political patronage" and aided by an "indifferent" law enforcement agency.

A bench of Justice S. Muralidhar and Justice Vinod Goel overturned a trial court judgement that had acquitted the Congress leader. The court had ordered the former Congress leader to surrender by December 31.
AgustaWestland: After saying witness may have died, ED cites a little birdie to say he is alive

AgustaWestland: Michel disguised kickbacks as consultancy fees

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Dec 21: The Central Bureau of Investigation which questioned alleged AgustaWestland middleman, James Christian Michel has said that his claims of payments are false.

The payment claims were nothing but a cover up for kickbacks and commissions paid to accomplices, the CBI further said. In its remand application last week, the CBI said that the alleged recipients who were questioned and denied receiving any money from Michel.

The submission comes in the wake of Michel claiming that he had paid 6.2 million Euros to 18 companies and individuals in India and abroad for consultancy and other services.

Two weeks and James Michel hasn't sung as yet: Game still on says CBI

For the CBI, he has been a hard nut to crack. He has not been cooperative and very often misguided the agency. The other issue faced by the CBI is that Michel has not given any information on the abbreviations that have been used by him. During the course of the probe several notes had been examined in which abbreviations such as FAM, POL, CAF and CM were used.

While FAM refers to family, the CBI feels that CAF stands for Chief of Air Force. It may be recalled that the CBI had accused former IAF chief, S P Tyagi of receiving kickbacks in the deal.

On the money that Michel claimed to have paid, the CBI questioned two of the recipients of the consultancy charges. Both claimed before the CBI that the claims were false. The CBI told the court that the kickbacks were paid in the guise of consultancy charges. When asked about it, Michel, misled the investigators, the CBI also contended.

To make its point, the CBI also said that Michel had made over 300 trips to India between 1996 and 2013. However after one of the co-accused, Guiseppe Orsi in Italy on February 12 2013, Michel did not make one trip after that.

In AgustaWestland case, a 12 million Euro payout to Italian political party under scanner

The CBI said that since his role in deal became public, he left India and never returned. The CBI asked, why was Michel running, if he was really a clean man.

The defence however argued that Michel had fully cooperated and supplied all documents. The defence also said that the CBI was carrying out the proceedings against Michel with the same facts and accusations that the Italian court had seen before acquitting him.

The CBI however countered this argument and said that Michekl had not joined the investigation or faced trial in Italy. The judgment that he is speaking about is related to some other persons, the CBI also argued.

AgustaWestland: Why did UPA go to Italy, when it could have shopped in Hyderabad

The CBI also said that the accused had links in the ministries, with people in politics, the bureaucracy.

The CBI also said Michel was negotiating on behalf of Augusta Westland, and during such negotiations got crucial confidential information about the progress of procurement process of VVIP helicopters from "IAF and MoD (Ministry of Defence)" through his sources. It was stated that he passed these information to other middlemen and senior management of Augusta Westland.

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Story first published: Friday, December 21, 2018, 10:32 [IST]
Rout for Alka Lamba, but she has some serious advise for the Congress

Alka Lamba asked to quit AAP in row over Rajiv Gandhi resolution

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Dec 21: AAP MLA Alka Lamba said Friday night she will tender her resignation as "demanded" by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejrwal over she not supporting a resolution in the assembly on revoking late PM Rajiv Gandhi's Bharat Ratna.

The Delhi Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in which it was demanded that the Bharat Ratna awarded to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi be withdrawn, but the AAP swiftly distanced itself from the reference to the Congress leader.

The matter became a major crisis with AAP MLA Alka Lamba alleging she was "put under pressure" to support the resolution, which she resisted and boycotted.

Delhi Assembly demands Rajiv Gandhi's Bharat Ratna be withdrawn

Lamba said she was ready to face "any consequences" and claimed she spoke to AAP supremo and CM Kejriwal who, she said, asked her to resign as MLA.

"I am ready to do so", she said.

The Chandni Chowk MLA said she was not happy with the demand to take back Bharat Ratna from Gandhi and staged a walkout in protest. Interestingly, the AAP later distanced itself from the resolution.

"After I staged a walkout, I got a message from the chief minister to tender my resignation," she told PTI. When asked whether she will quit, Lamba added, "I have won on a party ticket. I will tender my resignation as demanded by the party," the former Youth Congress leader said.

In a tweet, she said, "I was asked to support the resolution demanding taking back the Bharat Ratna awarded to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Since I didn't agree to this, I staged a walk out. I am ready to accept whatever punishment given to me."

PTI
Bhaiyaji Joshi meets Shah to discuss not only preparations for 2019 polls but Ram Temple too

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Dec 21: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Suresh (Bhaiya ji) Joshi has met with senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader to discuss many issues not only in the wake of BJP's drubbing in five states but also preparations for the Lok Sabha elections. Besides these two issues, there is a coordination committee meeting scheduled in the second week of January 2019 in Delhi so that also needed to be discussed.

Sources said that the preparation for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections is the prime agenda not only for the BJP but also for the RSS in view of the opposition political parties ganging up against the BJP and with directly attacking the RSS.

RLSP, HAM and LJD likely to get 8 seats in Bihar for 2019 Lok Sabha elections

Sources said that Bhaiya ji Joshi has first met with Bharatiya Janata Party organising secretary Ram Lal along with party's joint general secretaries V Satish and Saudan Singh to discuss issues related with party's defeat in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. The issue will be discussed in detail in the coordination committee meeting.

After meeting with these leaders of the BJP, the RSS general secretary met with BJP national president Amit Shah and discussed many more issues concerning not only with the BJP but also the RSS in detail. Preparations for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections is one of the most important agenda for the BJP and the RSS at the moment and that was discussed by these two leaders.

Sources said that both these leaders also tried to understand that what went wrong in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan where the party got drubbing at the hands of the Congress. Both the RSS and BJP leaders have also discussed that how the issue of Ram temple could be taken forward. The RSS and the BJP leaders are finding it difficult to face people on the issue.

With ties under strain, LJP wants Jaitley to list demonetisation benefits

Besides these issues, the issue of Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj was also discussed. Kumbh is not only being organised in a big way which is not only religiously very important but will have its political impact as well.

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Story first published: Friday, December 21, 2018, 9:51 [IST]
Winter Session 2021: BJP issues whip for its Rajya Sabha MPs to be present in House on day 1

Be present in Lok Sabha, RS says BJP in 3 line whip to its MPs

BJPs yatras on hold for now as Calcutta HC will review order

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Kolkata, Dec 21: The BJP will have to put its Yatra programmes on hold for now. A Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court has said that it would review the order of the single judge, who had permitted the BJP to undertake the yatras in West Bengal.

The matter came up for hearing before a larger bench headed by Chief Justice Kargupta today, and the case was sent back to the single-judge bench with instructions that it consider 36 intelligence inputs provided by the state administration before taking a decision on the BJP's "rath yatra" in West Bengal.

The earlier order of the single judge stands quashed.

Following the order of the single judge, the West Bengal government had approached the Calcutta High Court. It had challenged the order of the single judge which permitted the BJP to hold Rath Yatra rallies across the state as part of its 2019 Lok Sabha campaign.

The State Advocate General Kishore Dutta moved a petition opposing the single bench order before a division bench of the chief justice on Friday morning. The state government has roped in senior counsel and veteran Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi to plead the case on behalf of the West Bengal Police.

The single judge had said that any threat to public order must be real and not imaginary or likely possibility. "Without providing for reasonable restrictions, the authorities have passed an order for total exclusion," the judge had also said.
BJP wants and TMC does not want save democracy yatra for 2019 Lok Sabha polls

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Dec 21: The court battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the West Bengal government is not going to stop at just Calcutta High Court but it may reach to the Supreme Court of India on the issue of 'save democracy' yatra by the BJP in the state. But the real issue is different.

On the face of it, the West Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee is not allowing the BJP to take out its yatra sighting the reason that it may lead to communal tension and clashes in the areas where the BJP has planned rallies. The state government has approached the Calcutta HC Chief Justice's division bench challenging the HC's single bench order permitting Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 'save democracy' Rath-Yatra in West Bengal.

Calcutta HC to hear West Bengal Govt's plea against BJP's 'rath yatra'

The Trinamool Congress government told the high court on December 19 that permission was denied due to intelligence reports expressing fears of a breach of communal harmony. Advocate General Kishore Dutta submitted a sealed report and said the stated issues in the BJP's brochure publicising the yatra were communally sensitive in nature.

But the real issue is that Lok Sabha elections are around the corner and the Trinamool Congress is well aware that issues raised by the BJP are bringing it more and more support base to the party which was reflected in the recent elections. So it does not want to lose out more to the BJP in the state.

The Calcutta High Court allowed the BJP to proceed with its Rath Yatra in West Bengal which is perceived as a major setback to the Mamata Banerjee government. The court allowed the BJP to hold three yatras and directed that the administration should ensure that there is no breach of law and order.

Calcutta High Court gives green signal to BJP's 'rath yatra' in West Bengal

Actually, the BJP is gradually gaining ground and the Trinamool Congress is well aware of it. Allowing such yatra will further consolidate Hindu vote bank in favour of the BJP. The Trinamool Congress is trying to scuttle the move of the BJP just by not allowing that to happen. West Bengal is one such state where the focus of the BJP is more than any other states. Actually, the appeasement policies of the TMC have annoyed the majority Hindu community in the state and is working for the BJP.

This 'save democracy' Rath-Yatra by the BJP will definitely help the BJP just before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. If the Rath Yatra in West Bengal smoothly goes on Prime Minister Narendra Modi too is likely to address some rallies in the state even before the Lok Sabha elections are declared in the state.

BJP hails HC order allowing its 'Rath Yatra'

The BJP has set a target to win 22 Lok Sabha seats in the state which at the moment has just two seats in the state. BJP in-charge of West Bengal Kailash Vijayvargiya has been working from the past six months on this 'save democracy' Rath-Yatra by the BJP in West Bengal. The BJP will keep going aggressive in West Bengal whether rally is allowed in the state or not. Activists from the party clashed with the police in Howrah, South Dinajpur and Hooghly districts after it was denied permission for a protest meeting.

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Story first published: Friday, December 21, 2018, 12:35 [IST]
Who was MP Abani Roy? The senior RSP leader who passed away at 84

Calcutta HC to hear West Bengal Govt's plea against BJP's 'rath yatra'

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Kolkata, Dec 21: Calcutta High Court's Chief Justice bench agreed to hear the state government's petition challenging single bench order which allowed BJP's yatra in West Bengal. The hearing to begin at 11 am.

Calcutta High Court on Thursday gave permission for the three yatras of BJP in West Bengal and directed that the administration should ensure that there is no breach of law and order.

Bhaiyaji Joshi meets Shah to discuss not only preparations for 2019 polls but Ram Temple too

According to reports, while ruling the court directed that authorities in the respective districts will have to be informed 24 hours in advance about the yatra. It directed the administration to ensure law and order during the yatra events.

BJP president Amit Shah was scheduled to flag off three chariots from different parts of the state. The chariots were meant to travel across the state's 42 parliamentary constituencies over the next one-and-a-half months before concluding in Kolkata, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was likely to address a rally. The 'Rath Yatra' was scheduled to start from Cooch Behar district on December 7, but was stalled, following which the BJP had moved the high court.
(CNN)  Three suspects have been arrested and officials said a terrorist motive is being investigated after two Scandinavian tourists were found murdered and beheaded in the mountains of Morocco.

The bodies of two women -- Danish Louisa Jespersen, 24, and Norwegian Maren Ueland, 28 -- were discovered in the High Atlas mountain range on Monday.

Both had been spotted with three men in their hotel in Marrakesh before heading to the Atlas mountains to hike. They were found in Imlil, an unguarded and remote area on the mountain range.

A video purporting to show the murder, which has been uploaded to social media, is being analyzed by the Danish Security and Intelligence Service, the agency confirmed to CNN. They have not verified the video's authenticity.

"Much indicates that the killing can be politically motivated and thus a terrorist act," Danish Prime Minister Lars Lkke Rasmussen said in a statement. "It fills me with anger and disgust, and I take the sharpest distance from these barbaric and bestial actions."

The three alleged perpetrators were taken into custody on Thursday morning in Marrakesh. The men are shepherds and are aged between 25 and 33, according to Moroccan state broadcaster 2M, and one is believed to have links to an extremist group.

The Moroccan Press Agency previously reported that the pair had been killed with a "melee weapon."

A first suspect was arrested on Tuesday, the Central Bureau for Judicial Investigation confirmed. "An investigation into the possibility of a motive of terrorism in the crime is also underway," the bureau said in a statement.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Arrests made after tourists murdered in Morocco."
"We don't expect to receive (a grant) this year. If the state continues to fund the program we may get closer to the top in future years, Tyler said. "The state is encouraging every district to apply so legislators see the real need for the relief to taxpayers.
Death of cows more worrisome than human lives lost for this BJP MLA

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Dec 21: For some the death of cows in Bulandshahr which led to mob violence is more worrisome than deaths of two people. BJP MLA Anupshahr assembly constituency in Bulandshahr, Sanjay Sharma, said officials were concerned only with the death there of two men and not of "21 cows".

"Now you all are worrying about the Bulandshahr incident. Your imaginative brains can see only the two deaths, that of Sumit and the duty-bound police inspector. You cannot see that 21 cows also died," MLA Sharma wrote in his open letter Thursday.

3 arrested for Bulandshahr cow slaughter that led to UP cop's killing

He criticised former bureaucrats who have sought Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's resignation over the Bulandshahr mob violence.

Over 80 former bureaucrats had written an open letter Wednesday alleging failure of the state and central governments in the handling of the December 3 mob violence in Bulandshahr's Siyana Tehsil after cow carcasses were found near a village, reported PTI.

They had accused Adityanath of bigotry and sought his resignation over the violence in which an on-duty police inspector, Subodh Kumar Singh, and a civilian, Sumit Kumar, were died after suffering bullet injuries.

'Bulandshahr violence, a deliberate attempt to display majoritarian muscle'

His letter comes at a time when the police in Bulandshahr have arrested three men over the alleged cow slaughter that took place in Siyana on December 3. Police registered an FIR for cow slaughter on a complaint by local Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, who had accused seven people. During initial probe, police had arrested four people but later released them. Three men who were not named in the FIR were arrested Tuesday as "the actual culprits" in the case.

For mob violence, another FIR was registered on the same day naming 27 people and 50 to 60 unidentified people. So far, 19 people have been arrested in the mob violence case, even as Yogesh Raj of the Bajrang Dal, who is a key suspect in the violence, remained at large.

MLA Sharma said the former civil servants have accused the chief minister of bias against a particular community, when he himself allowed them permission to hold a huge three-day congregation. "This happened in the same state where previous governments would not allow Ramleelas to be held in villages. Had there been a bias, why would the government allow the congregation?" he wrote.

On wrong people getting arrested for cow slaughter and they all being from the same community, the MLA said it was the government which "self-corrected" itself at that point but "unfortunately the others arrested later for the act also belong to the same community and your assertion of bias in that light reflects your mental weakness." "On your demand for the chief minister's resignation in your letter, in which you have umpteen times referred to the Constitution, let me remind you that only the people, who have elected the chief minister with a huge mandate, can remove him and not some scurrilous people like you who challenge the constitutional system," Sharma wrote.

The lawmaker also the former bureaucrats' letter appeared "politically motivated".

OneIndia News with PTI inputs

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Story first published: Friday, December 21, 2018, 11:42 [IST]
Dilli Gupshup: Sambit Patra and Ravi Shankar Prasad best star campaigner for Congress

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Dec 21: The Congress is happy with its star campaigner as Sambit Patra and Ravi Shankar Prasad with pun intended, they are also happy about blogs being written about the Congress chief but they are serious about taking action against corrupts in Chhattisgarh. Social media team of the BJP is fighting an almost lost battle with the Congress as the social media team leader does not have a vision and competence to counter rivals. This is what the BJP leaders feels about him. Read some interesting stories...

Sambit Patra and Ravi Shankar Prasad best star campaigner for Congress

The Congress has won elections in all the three states in the Hindi belt. But when performance of party leaders during the elections campaign was being assessed, one of the Congress leader quipped that performance of the Congress' star campaigner - Sambit Patra and Ravi Shankar Prasad - was the best among all. The Congress leader's reaction was very spontaneous. The party performed so well the way way they spoke and campaigned. The party was of the view that they must continue with this performance till Lok Sabha elections and if so happens no one can stop the Congress winning the general elections.

A senior minister in the Modi government makes a hero out of Pappu!

The first thing that the Congress war room people first do in the morning to check out for the blog of one of the top ministers in the BJP government at the Centre. The media war room has found that the minister's focus is mostly on Congress president Rahul Gandhi. His phrases and terminology against Rahul Gandhi is benefiting him like anything. The blog of the senior minister has played a major role in making Rahul Gandhi a hero out of Pappu and cultivated his image as a sensible man among people. He is not only started getting sympathy but people found them much better than many BJP leaders. So the Congress is happy if the blog minister continues with his misadventure till he retires. Senior BJP leader L K Advani too stopped writing blogs when he was sidelined.

BJP ministers likely to go to jail with Congress at the helm

With the Congress government in Chhattisgarh, it is certain that some of the ministers in the Raman Singh government will go to jail. Not only the ministers but son of former chief minister of Chhattisgarh Abhishek Singh is also under the scanner of the Congress government in the state as maximum complain is against him only. This is not being said by any Congressman but by a BJP MP from the state who is of the full praise of Bhupesh Baghel. The BJP minister heaped praise for Baghel by saying that he is a man of guts and single handedly defeated the BJP in the state.

BJP's social media team running for cover on Congress' onslaught

It was social media that had played a very important role in bringing the BJP to power at the Centre but now the same BJP is lagging far behind the Congress in terms of attack, counter attack and narrative building. The Congress tweets, reaction and many other things are managed so skillfully that they have dwarfed the BJP social media team. People in the BJP say that social media chief is busy in TV debate than rebutting the Congress or oppositions' narrative against the BJP government and its leadership. People tried to tell the leadership that someone else should be given this responsibility but leadership has too much faith in him. So lets all pray, this is what BJP workers say.

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Story first published: Friday, December 21, 2018, 20:03 [IST]
Farooq Sahab suggested me to speak with Pakistan but I will speak to the youth: Amit Shah in Srinagar

If normalcy to be brought in Kashmir, Article 370 has to be reinstated: Farooq Abdullah

Farooq says Rahul no longer a 'Pappu', also hails Kartarpur corridor opening

India

pti-PTI

Kolkata, Dec 21: National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Friday said Congress president Rahul Gandhi is no longer a "Pappu" after proving his mettle as a leader by winning elections in the three Hindi heartland states.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister also hailed the opening of the Kartarpur corridor as a "step in the right direction".

He, however, said Pakistan needs to give up terrorism to build relations with India. "Rahul Gandhi is no longer a Pappu. He has proved his mettle by wining three states," Abdullah said during an interactive session at a chamber of commerce here. Gandhi has often been mocked by the BJP and his opposition as "Pappu", a colloquial sneer.

Will bring autonomy resolution within one month of being elected: Farooq Abdullah

Stating that it was necessary to project young leaders in India to ensure the nation's progress, the National Conference leader said Rahul Gandhi should be given more time. Later, he met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and described her as his "sister".

Abdullah expressed hope that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo will do her bit to save the country, which was currently heading towards a "wrong direction". The National Conference leader also took on the NDA government at the Centre, alleging institutions like the RBI are being polluted under the present regime.

He alleged that efforts are being made to divide the country on religious lines. "It is wrong the way they are trying to divide the nation on the basis of religion. The way there has been interference in Muslim religion and its practices is unfortunate," he said.

While speaking on the issue of unrest in Kashmir, Abdullah said the Army and the CRPF are not the solution to the problem of the Valley.

Until and unless cross-border terrorism from Pakistan stops there can never be any progress in bilateral relations. The only way the relationship can be built if Pakistan stop terrorism, he said. India and Pakistan relations have to be solved to solve problems in Afghanistan, Abdullah said.

"Just because Pakistan don't stop cross border terrorism, Muslims in India are getting affected. The tragedy of terrorism is every Muslim is suspected to be a terrorists. All Muslims are not terrorists, Indian Muslims don't support Pakistanis," he said.

The National Conference leader appreciated opening of the Kartarpur corridor. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan last month laid the foundation stone for a corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur - the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev - to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district to facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims Abdullah also questioned the need for the BJP's proposed Rath Yatra in West Bengal and wondered whether the party wants to project itself as a saviour of the Hindus.

Abdullah also criticised the Centre's decision to allow 10 agencies to intercept "any information" on computers and said the move would be detrimental to the country's interests.

"Whatever is happening in the country is very wrong. The central government's move (of authorising 10 central agencies to snoop on any computer) is also very wrong.

"The country is heading towards a wrong direction. That is the reason I have come to meet my sister (Mamata Banerjee). I hope she can create a force that will save the country from what it is currently going through," he told reporters.

PTI
In todays world of cyber terror, why the snoop order on computers is the need of the hour

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Dec 21: The order of the Ministry for Home Affairs authorising 10 agencies to monitor, intercept and decrypt data from any computer in the country has created a furore.

The 10 agencies mentioned in the order are the Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency, Cabinet Secretariat (RAW), Directorate of Signal Intelligence (For service areas of Jammu and Kashmir, North-East and Assam only) and Commissioner of Police, Delhi.

Cyber crime becoming industry, may occur 'very often': Rajnath Singh

The home ministry has authorised the agencies to intercept information under 69 (1) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 which says the central government can direct any agency after it is satisfied that it is necessary or expedient to do so in the "interest of the sovereignty or integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognisable offence relating to above or for investigation of any offence".

OneIndia spoke with several officials including those from the Intelligence Bureau to find out more about this new power. It is for the first time that the powers of scanning data at rest have been given to the agencies. Earlier it was only the data in motion which could be intercepted, an officer with the IB said.

As a result of this order the agencies mentioned in the Home Ministry order can scan data revived, stored and generated. Further the powers of seizure too have been given. Prior to this order the Intelligence Bureau did not have the powers of seizure. However with this order, the IB is well within its right to carry out a seizure.

This has been a long standing demand from the agencies. Most of the crimes be it economic, terror etc are committed on the cyber space these days. Hence it becomes all the more important to have such an order in place, the officer said.

Take for example, chat groups on the social media, which propagate about groups such as the Islamic State. The agencies from across the country have written to social media providers and the requests have been pending for several years and in some case over 10. There was no legal backing under which the data on the social media could be sought. This was a major hinderance and in several case especially those relating to terrorism, the probes had come to a standstill.

Government to set up apex Cyber Crime Coordination Centre

While under the Telegraph Act there were provisions for the agencies to tap the phones, there no such thing under the Information Technology Act. An IB officer however explained that there are safeguards in this as well. Before we can tap into the data, there will be two levels of checks, the officer said.

Just as in the case of phone tapping, the officials would have to seek permission from the Union Home Secretary. This would then be reviewed by the Cabinet Secretary. Any such order would be passed only if there is a justifiable explanation and provided that it comes under the ambit of national security.

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Story first published: Friday, December 21, 2018, 14:03 [IST]
Three more Rafale jets to land in India from France in non-stop flight

Indian Air Force should stay out of Rafale debate: Chidambaram

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Dec 21: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has said that the Indian Air Force should not get involved in debate over Rafale fighter jet deal over which the grand old party has been trying to corner the BJP-led Centre.

Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Wednesday called Rafale a game changer and cautioned against politicisation of defence purchases. He welcomed the Supreme Court judgement on Rafale in which the top court 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

Rafale is game changer, SC delivered fine judgment: Air Chief

"We are not questioning the Air Force Chief, we are humbly requesting the Army and Air Force to stay out of this debate as no one is doubting the capability of the aircraft, questions are being raised on the deal," ANI quoted Chidambaram as saying.

The opposition parties are, however, determined to corner the goverment over the Rafale deal and the issue has been disrupting the Parliament proceeding.

The Congress has alleged irregularities in the deal for 36 aircraft and claimed that the Narendra Modi government is buying them at a price much higher than the one that was being negotiated by the previous government.

Winter Session: Rafale likely to dominate proceedings, opposition in no mood to relent

Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa in October had said that Dassault Aviation had chosen Reliance Defence as its offset partner, and that the government and the Indian Air Force had no role to play in the choice.

The Congress had alleged that the government had put pressure on Dassault Aviation to select Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence Ltd (RDL) as its offset partner. The government, RDL and Dassault Aviation rejected the charges.

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Story first published: Friday, December 21, 2018, 11:59 [IST]
Attack on CRPF jawans in Jammu and Kashmir: One martyred, four injured in terror attack

IPS officer who probed Sohrabuddin Sheik encounter case suspended

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Dec 21: An IPS officer who was the first investigator in the high profile Sohrabuddin, Tulsiram Prajapati encounter case has been suspended by the Ministry for Home Affairs.

Rajnish Rai, a 1992 batch IPS officer of the Gujarat cadre was serving on central deputation heading the Counter Insurgency and Anti-Terrorism (CIAT) School of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh.

He had sought voluntary retirement in August and had also written to the MHA that he may be considered deemed to have resigned from service. The plea was however rejected.

Sohrabuddin encounter: Was too scared to name cops, politicians, re-examine me says witness

He had stopped attending office after applying for VRS. The MHA went ahead with the suspension on the ground of his absence from the place of posting.

The MHA in its order said that disciplinary proceedings is contemplated against Mr Rai in connection with his unauthorised handing over the charge of the IG and Principal, CIAT School, CRPF, Chittoor and abdication of office on 30.11.2018. He will not leave Chittoor without the permission of the DG CRPF till the time he is under suspension, the order further stated.

Rai however protested the order and wrote, " the order of suspension by MHA, GOI is absolutely illegal and unconstitutional as I have retired from services as of operations of law and rules after office hours on 30.11.2018.

In 2007, as the DIG in the CID (Crime) in Gujarat, Rai had arrested three IPS officers, D G Vanzara, Rajkumar Pandian and Dinesh M N in connection with the encounter case. The case was subsequently handed over to the CBI on the directions of the Supreme Court.

The trial was also shifted from Gujarat to Maharashtra. The Special CBI court will deliver its verdict in the encounter case today.

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Story first published: Friday, December 21, 2018, 6:52 [IST]
Issue of Enemy property to be racked up with govt planning to acquire Jinnah House

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Dec 21: The Indian government is planning to acquire Jinnah House in Mumbai and ready to take this battle up any extent. But this has once against started the debate about Enemy Property in India. The battle for Jinnah House was fought by Deena Wadia - the daughter of founder of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Deena Wadia fought a long battle but she died in November 2017 in UK. Meanwhile, the Modi government has made some amendment in 49-year old Enemy Property Act. After the amendment in this bill, people who had left the country to settle down in Pakistan and China, their successors will not have any claim over these properties.

Jinnah house: Property dispute between India and Pakistan

The government started exercise of selling these enemy properties in the beginning of this year. The government has the target of getting Rs 1 lakh crore by selling these enemy properties. The central government has asked the office of the main custodian to provide the list of all such properties by June-July. Union home ministry has instructed the custodian to take control and management of these enemy properties.

A provision was made in the Enemy Property Act that during the partition if anyone has either migrated to Pakistan or China, such people will not have any claim or argument over the property of their ancestors. People had left India to settle down in Pakistan after Partition. The government has also seized properties of such people after 1962 war with China and 1965 war with Pakistan. These properties have been called as enemy property.

Pak has no claim over Jinnah House: MEA

These properties included land, houses, agriculture farms, share, bank balance and provident fund besides many other kinds of movable and immovable property. At present, the responsibility of these properties is with Custodian of Enemy Property for India. The government of India has taken this decision as people have left for Pakistan and China and their properties cannot be protected.

As much enemy property was in India that much enemy property was in Pakistan and looking at the dispute over these properties, a pact was signed in 1965 at Tashkent that status quo will be maintained after properties are identified. But Pakistan government did not follow the Tashkent Pact and sold the enemy properties belonging to Indians around 47 years ago in 1971 while enemy properties are still with Custodian of Enemy Property in India. So the issue will be racked up again.

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Story first published: Friday, December 21, 2018, 20:24 [IST]
BSF lodges protest with Pakistan over IB violation by drones in Jammu

Mumbai 26/11 attacks were bad, but the lack of will to hit Pakistan hurt the nation

Pakistan showing little sincerity in bringing perpetrators of 26/11 Mumbai attacks to justice: India

Drone from Pak side of border fired at by BSF

J&K: Two Army officers martyred as Pakistan violates ceasefire in Kupwara

India

pti-PTI

Srinagar, Dec 21: Two Army officers were killed as Pakistani troops violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Friday.

There was an unprovoked ceasefire violation by the Pakistani troops in the Keran sector at 11.55 AM.

One Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) was killed in the firing while another succumbed to injuries later at a medical facility, an Army official said.

"Two army officers were earlier injured in sniper fire from the Pakistan side in Jumgund area of the LoC,'' the official said.

Pak trying to revive terrorism in Punjab, fuelling unrest in Kashmir: Rajnath

"The injured officers were immediately shifted to a hospital where a JCO, Subedar Gamar Thapa, later succumbed to his injuries,'' he said.

"Another injured officer was shifted to Army's base hospital in Srinagar for specialised treatment," he added.

The Army responded to the ceasefire violation by the Pakistani troops effectively, he assured.

The latest incident of ceasefire violation took place a day after Lt General Ranbir Singh, the Northern Army Commander, advised troops deployed on forwards positions on the Line of Control to ensure the safety of people living along the border during ceasefire violation by Pakistan and also effectively prevent infiltration by terrorists.

Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand said in winter capital Jammu that Lt General Ranbir Singh was accompanied by White Knights Corps Commander, Lt General Paramjit Singh.

"They visited forward posts of Poonch and Akhnoor sectors to review the operational preparedness and the prevailing security situation,'' he said.

The Pakistan Army has been violating ceasefire by targeting military and civilian facilities.

Pakistan troops have violated ceasefire on the LoC and the International Border in J&K, 1,432 times in 2018 - the highest in the last eight years, sources said.
Jinnah House on Malabar Hill

The Jinnah House on Malabar Hill in Mumbai was designed by architect Claude Batley in European style and Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah lived there in the late 1930s. The sprawling palatial structure spread across 2.5 acre at Malabar Hill in South Mumbai was built by Mohammed Ali Jinnah in 1936 at a cost of Rs 2 lakh.

Pakistan has been demanding that the property be handed over to it for housing its Mumbai consulate. (Visual posted by Raj Anand Sharma on FB)

View of Jinnah House

India strongly rejected Pakistan's claim of ownership of the Jinnah House in Mumbai and said the property belongs to it. "Pakistan has no locus standi as far as this property is concerned. It is a government of India's property and we are in the process of renovating it," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. PTI photo

Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri

It may be recalled that Former foreign minister of Pakistan Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri had visited to Jinnah House in Mumbai in 2015. He had said he would continue to push for opening a Pakistani Consulate in Jinnah House. "When I was the External Affairs Minister (2002-07), I worked towards starting a Pakistani Consulate at Jinnah House. I will continue to make efforts in realising this goal." He also favoured reopening of the Indian Consulate in the port city of Karachi in Pakistan. PTI photo

BJP MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha

After two years, BJP MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha demanded that Jinnah House, the residence of Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah in south Mumbai, be demolished and a cultural centre be built in its place. Speaking in the Legislative Assembly on the budgetary demands of the Public Works Department (PWD), the MLA said, "The Jinnah residence in south Mumbai was the place from where the conspiracy of partition was hatched." According to the legislator, after the passage of the Enemy Property Act, Jinnah's heirs cannot stake claim to the Jinnah house.
Rains lash several parts of T'gana, IMD issues red alert to 14 districts; Schools, colleges to remain closed

KCR to reach out Mamata, Patnaik, exploring possibilities of 'Federal Front'

India

oi-Deepika S

Hyderabad, Dec 21: Having returned to power in Telangana with a thumping majority, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is all set to embark on his next plan a 'federal front', lining up meetings with Odisha and West Bengal counterparts and also the chiefs of the BSP and the SP next week.

KCR's tour will begin with a visit to the famous Sharada Peetham in Andhra Pradesh's Vizag, where the Telangana CM will also meet Swami Swarupanandendra.

The next stop will be Odisha's capital Bhubaneswar, where a meeting has been fixed with Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik. The Raos will stay the night at the official home of the chief minister. Following a meeting with his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee, he will offer prayers at Kalighat temple. He will reach Delhi in the night.

During his visit to Delhi from December 25, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief would meet BSP supremo Mayawati and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.

Interestingly, Both SP and BSP has reportedly finalized the seat-pact in Uttar Pradesh and kept Congress away from the 'Coalition'.

KCR will also call on a courtesy call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will discuss some state-related issues.

The move is seen as part of Rao's renewed efforts to reach out to regional parties to float a consortium of regional outfits, sans the Congress and the BJP.

The TRS has swept back to power in the state, winning 88 seats in the December 7 Assembly elections.

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Story first published: Friday, December 21, 2018, 23:37 [IST]
Brouillette was allegedly driving through the parking lot when he cut off another driver. The other driver followed Brouillettes car and stopped near where he parked.
Mumbai 26/11 attacks were bad, but the lack of will to hit Pakistan hurt the nation

Pak has no claim over Jinnah House: MEA

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Dec 21: India has strongly rejected Pakistan's claim of ownership of the Jinnah House in Mumbai and said the property belongs to it.

"Pakistan has no locus standi as far as this property is concerned. It is a government of India's property and we are in the process of renovating it," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

The Jinnah House on Malabar Hill in Mumbai was designed by architect Claude Batley in European style and Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah lived there in the late 1930s.

What is the controversy surrounding Jinnah House?

Pakistan has been demanding that the property be handed over to it for housing its Mumbai consulate.

Kumar said the government is considering putting the Jinnah House into use on the lines of the Hyderabad House here. The government uses the Hyderabad House for holding meetings and hosting banquets for foreign dignitaries.

The MEA spokesperson's comments came on a day Pakistan asserted that the Jinnah House belonged to it and any attempt by India to take the building under its control will not be accepted.

"We have a claim over it (Jinnah House) and we do not accept that anyone tries to take custody of it. They (Indians) have already accepted that it belongs to Pakistan. We have record of it. They (Indians) have accepted that it belong to Pakistan," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said in Islamabad.

Pakistan's claim over the property came days after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, in a letter to Mumbai city BJP legislator Mangal Prabhat Lodha, said the government was in the process of renovating the Jinnah House.

"No doubt Bose was killed to make Nehru, Jinnah, Abdullah heads of states"

Jinnah's daughter Dina Wadia had in August 2007 approached the Bombay High Court claiming that being the sole legal heir of Jinnah, she should get the possession of the house. After her death, her son and Wadia Group chairman Nusli Neville Wadia is carrying on the litigation.

Asked about the court case initiated by Dina Wadia, Kumar said, "It has nothing to do with who is contesting. This property belongs to government of India," adding the nationality of the petitioner is not in question.

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Story first published: Friday, December 21, 2018, 6:15 [IST]
India looking at visit to UAE by PM Modi in January

PM Modi discusses security, policing issues with DGPs, IGs

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Dec 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held discussions with top police officers on security and policing issues during the annual DGP and IGP conference at Krvadiya in Gujarat.

"Through the day, in the tent city at Kevadiya, there were presentations and discussions on various subjects relating to security. Over meals, the prime minister is holding discussions with select groups of officers, on specific security and policing issues," a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said.

The discussions would continue Saturday. At the conference, Modi will also release a commemorative stamp on National Police Memorial and launch the portal of the Cyber Coordination Centre.

Pak trying to revive terrorism in Punjab, fuelling unrest in Kashmir: Rajnath

He will later present President's Police Medals for distinguished service to IB officers and address the gathering, the statement said. Modi arrived at the Vadodara airport in the morning, where he was received by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel.

Before heading for the conference, the prime minister visited the Statue of Unity, the world's tallest statue, which he had unveiled on October 31. The three-day event began on Thursday in the presence of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

PTI
India looking at visit to UAE by PM Modi in January

PM Modi to address annual conference of DGPs, IGPs in Gujarat

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Kewadia, Dec 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspected " Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat" parade at Statue of Unity in Kewadia on Friday. Home Minister Rajnath Singh and MoS Home Hansraj Ahir were also present.

Later, PM Narendra Modi is on a two-day visit to Gujarat to take part in an annual conference of state police chiefs and to address BJP women's wing workers. The all-India conference of Directors General/Inspectors General of Police is scheduled to be held near the Statue of Unity located in Narmada district from December 20.

PM Modi now implementing 'Grand Stupid Thought' of Congress: Rahul on GST

The venue for the conference is a Tent city set up nearer to the Statue of Unity. This police conference is an annual event in which top police officers from all over the country share and discuss security related issues. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had inaugurated the conference yesterday.

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Story first published: Friday, December 21, 2018, 10:55 [IST]
PIL in SC challenges Centre's ordinances on powers to extend tenure of Directors of CBI, ED

Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter: All including 21 cops acquitted for want of evidence

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Mumbai, Dec 21: The Special CBI court has acquitted all 22 accused in the Soharbuddin Sheikh encounter case. The court observed that the order of acquittal was for want of evidence.

The court held that the allegation that Tulsiram Prajapati was murdered through a conspiracy is not true.

The court also observed that all the witnesses and proofs are not satisfactory to prove conspiracy and murder.

Further, it said that the circumstantial evidence is not substantial.

The government machinery and prosecution put in a lot of effort and 210 witnesses were brought, but satisfactory evidence didn't come and witnesses turned hostile. It is not the fault of prosecutor if witnesses don't speak, the court also said.

Of the accused, 21 are junior-level police officials from Gujarat and Rajasthan. The other was the owner of a farmhouse in Gujarat where Shaikh and Kausar Bi were illegally detained before they were allegedly killed.

The court earlier discharged, for want of evidence, 16 of the 38 people charge-sheeted by the CBI.

These included then Minister of State for Home in Gujarat Amit Shah, the then Rajasthan home minister Gulabchand Kataria, former Gujarat police chief PC Pande and former senior Gujarat police officer DG Vanzara.

The CBI contended in court that the entire trial had been hampered by hostile witnesses. The agency also said that it had taken over the probe in 2010 from the Gujarat CID and most of the evidence that was placed on record was a result of the probe conducted by the CBI.

Deposition of witnesses took place after 12 years, many of the witnesses stated that they could not remember the details and our star witnesses turned hostile. Thus, the entire chain of evidence has gone wrong and as a result, we could not bring direct evidence, the CBI also submitted.

The CBI charge sheet said that BJP president Amit Shah and then home minister of Rajasthan, Gulab Chand Kataria were part of a nexus of politicians and criminals. There were 38 accused in all, but 16 including Shah were discharged in the case.

The judge would also take a call on the applications filed by two witnesses, who had sought re-examination.
Snowfall in hills, rainfall in northwest and central India likely from Nov 30: IMD

weather for Dec 22: Heavy rains over South TN, Cold wave continue to grip Delhi

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Dec 21: Here is the weather for Bengaluru, Delhi, Kerala and Chennai on December 22.

New Delhi

Currently, a cold spell is active over North-West India and the adjoining geography, an India Met Department (IMD) update said on Thursday, with no movement of western disturbance forecast for the next 4-5 days.

In the plains of the country, winds will become very light and would change into easterly/south-easterly light winds. Thus, minimum temperatures will rise gradually across Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan, bringing in respite from the cold wave conditions that are likely to abate soon.

Talking about pollution, the Air Quality over Delhi-NCR has deteriorated once again. The levels will maintain in 'very poor' zone with increased intensity.

Chennai

Meanwhile, in the South, a sea-based circulation (trough of low) approaching the peninsular India (initially the Tamil Nadu coast) may trigger rainfall of varying intensity from Saturday to Monday.

In wake of these systems, rainfall is likely to begin in parts of Tamil Nadu coast anytime today. South coastal stations like Tiruchirappalli, Tuticorin and Pamban may receive moderate with isolated heavy rainfall during the next 24 hours. Cities like Chennai, Puducherry, Cuddalore and Kanyakumari are likely to receive rains, although the rain intensity will remain light.

Gradually, the interior parts of Tamil Nadu will be observing light rains as well. This rainfall activity is expected to continue for the next 48 hours.

The next few days will bring along a rise in the minimum temperatures. However, a drop in day temperatures is expected. Moderate gusty winds are expected along the coastal areas.

Bengaluru, Kerala

Apart from this, Few parts of South Andhra Pradesh, South Karnataka and Kerala will also see light rains during next 24 hours. Whereas, Telangana and North Karnataka will remain dry with rise in temperatures.
Rahul Gandhi's old tweet goes viral: 'Mark my words, govt will take back anti-farm laws'

As Mamata Banerjee takes swipe at Rahul Gandhi, Cong says such posturing for personal ambition will help BJP

What an insecure dictator you are: Rahul fires fresh salvo at Modi on surveillance order

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Dec 21: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched a fresh attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the recent notification by the Ministry of Home Affairs authorising 10 central agencies to intercept "any information" on computers.

"Converting India into a police state isn't going to solve your problems, Modi Ji. It's only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians, what an insecure dictator you really are," Gandhi wrote on Twitter.

Converting India into a police state isnt going to solve your problems, Modi Ji.



Its only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians, what an insecure dictator you really are. https://t.co/KJhvQqwIV7  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 21, 2018

A political row erupted over the Ministry of Home Affairs' latest notification with opposition parties terming the order as unconstitutional, undemocratic and an assault on fundamental rights.

The order from the Home Ministry authorises 10 Central agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor, and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer.

MHA authorizes 10 central agencies to snoop on computers

According to the notification, the subscriber or service provider or any person in charge of the computer resource will be bound to extend all facilities and technical assistance to the agencies and failing to do will invite seven-year imprisonment and fine.

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Story first published: Friday, December 21, 2018, 18:12 [IST]
Why India should be wary of Pakistan brokering peace talks on Afghanistan with the US

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Dec 21: A recent report by a think tank pointed out that the ISI continues to remain resistant to destroy terror groups. One of the main points of contention is that with Pakistan trying to broker peace between the Taliban and the United States, the ISI may ensure that Kashmir gets bloodier.

India has been watching closely Pakistan's efforts to broker a political truce in the war-torn Afghanistan. India has in fact conveyed to the United States its concerns about the role Pakistan is playing in this process.

The developments come in the wake of a shift in India's Afghanistan policy, from a no engagement with militants to some form of engagement. On Tuesday, the two day talks between US special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, and a Taliban delegation ended in Abu Dhabi. The meeting was also attended by officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

What the ISI is doing in Punjab is carbon copy Kashmir: Is SJF the new Hurriyat?

Following the meeting, Khalilzad flew directly from the UAE to Pakistan to brief the army chief, General Qamar Bajwa. Following this he flew to Kabul, where he briefed President Ashraf Ghani.

India however feels that Pakistan's attempt to shape the peace talks is to its advantage. It is also a bid to position itself better in Afghanistan and also counter India's presence in the country, top officials from New Delhi told OneIndia.

Think Tank Global Security Review in its most recent paper says that the ISI supports and aids terror including the Haqqani Network and Afghan Taliban. Regional expert Alexandra Gilliard said that the Pakistan government helped the US create a dialogue with the Taliban and took all credit, after all, the Afghan Taliban is homegrown.

Further it was also pointed out that Pakistan considers India as its partitioned enemy and it is very much active in Kashmir. Gilliard explained that in Afghanistan the primary goal of Pakistan is to prevent India from gaining ground. As the Taliban eyes for more control, the ISI has provided it with military aid to ensure that Afghanistan remains unstable.

Indian officials say that its primary concern about Pakistan brokering the peace talks would ensure that the Taliban gains more control in Afghanistan. If this were to happen then the Pakistan gains a natural ally in Afghanistan.

Pakistan feels that India has used its improved relationship with the United States to increase its presence in Afghanistan. Pakistan would do anything to end this and hence has been going out of its way to ensure that the peace talks succeed.

Imran Khan our best bet to resolve Kashmir issue: Former RAW chief, Dulat

Indian officials say that it is not the end of the road. The US does recognise India as a strategic player in Afghanistan. Moreover the US would not withdraw from Afghanistan anytime soon as it would not want to leave in a hurry and let terrorists take control of the country.

India, on the other hand, has also been working closely with Russia on the issue. Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy Zamir Kabulov on Thursday held talks with Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and other officials of the External Affairs Ministry on ways to bring peace and stability in war-ravaged Afghanistan.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said both sides reiterated their support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned inclusive peace and reconciliation process.

In the meetings, the Russian side briefed on their efforts to support Afghan peace process through Moscow format of talks. Kumar said it was agreed to maintain regular bilateral consultations and coordination including in the context of international fora with the shared objective to promote peace, security, stability, unity and prosperity in Afghanistan. "It was agreed to hold the next round of consultations in Moscow in 2019," he said.

Kabulov held delegation-level talks with Joint Secretary (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran division) Deepak Mittal. He later met Gokhale. India has been actively involved in reconstruction activities in Afghanistan.

Last month, India attended in a "non-official" capacity a conference under Moscow format of talks which was hosted by Russia and participated by the Taliban as well as representatives from several countries including Pakistan, China and Iran.

Jehadi attack in Pakistan, a wake up call for China

India made it clear that its participation was in sync with its Afghan policy and asserted that attending the meeting was not talking to the Taliban at all.

New Delhi's consistent policy has been that the peace talks should be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, and Afghan-controlled and with participation of the government of Afghanistan.

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Story first published: Friday, December 21, 2018, 8:48 [IST]
Mysterious light appears on California sky, leaves many puzzled; What is it?

International

oi-Vikas SV

California, Dec 21: A ring with a tail shaped mysterious light that appeared over Sacramento and the Bay Area in California has left many puzzled. The mysterious light was spotted in the sky after 5:30 p.m local time on Wednesday.

This has left many Northern Californians guessing what the mysterious object might have been. The streak was primarily seen over Northern California but people also saw it as far away as Nevada and Oregon, said reports. Just a few weeks ago, a bright blue light was observed over Texas, and similarly left many puzzled.

The strange light left locals puzzled, as many took to Twitter to share pictures and videos.

Two US aircraft pilots spot shining UFO in Arizona sky within minutes

The American Meteor Society posted on Twitter on Thursday morning that it received more than 120 reports and studied 45 photos about the bright light that was seen from three states.

While observatories are saying it was a meteor trail backlit by the sun just after sunset, the UFO phenomenon ethusiasts are excited.

"I'm definitely a big believer in UFO phenomenon," Elizabeth Matuzak said, as per a Abc7news report. "I definitely think it's a UFO."

Earlier this year, two pilots flying two different planes reportedly spotted a mysterious object flying high above Arizona in the afternoon of February 24, the USA's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. t was the pilot of a Phoenix Air flight who initially reported about the sighting. He asked the control whether anything passed his plane to which the former responded 'no'. The air traffic control than asked the pilot of an American Airlines flight which was flying next to the first plane to confirm if he spotted anything flying over him.

The incident happened amid a series of encounters that pilots operating military aircraft reportedly had with what is commonly described as the unidentified flying object of UFO.

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Story first published: Friday, December 21, 2018, 12:51 [IST]
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

"The Secretary-General welcomes the resolution of the political crisis in Sri Lanka through peaceful, constitutional means, and applauds the resilience of the country's democratic institutions," Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters at his press briefing here on Thursday.

He said the Secretary-General calls on all political actors to seize the opportunity of the appointment of the new cabinet to resolve outstanding political differences in the same spirit of respect for democracy and in the interest of the people of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena Thursday named a 30-member Cabinet while rejecting some of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's nominees and retained control over the security forces and police. The new Cabinet was appointed after an unexpected delay of three days since Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Prime Minister on December 16 following weeks of political crisis that led to government dysfunction.

Sirisena ignores Wickremesinghe's nominees for Cabinet posts

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe

Sirisena rejected Wickremesinghe's nominees for Cabinet positions from those who had defected from his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). At least three senior SLFP leaders had defected to Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) during the political crisis.

Sri Lanka reinstates ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe

Sri Lanka plunged ito a political turmoil after Sirisena sacked prime minister Wickremesinghe and installed Rajapaksa in his place

On October 26, Sirisena sacked prime minister Wickremesinghe and installed Rajapaksa in his place, triggering an unprecedented constitutional crisis. Sirisena also dissolved the 225-member Parliament and called for a snap election on January 5. He publicly vowed not to reinstate Wickremesinghe. However, Wickremesinghe was re-appointed as prime minister by Sirisena following a Supreme Court order, ending the 51-day political standoff in the country.

OneIndia News with PTI inputs
What we know about first case of Omicron reported in the US

US to withdraw half of its troops from Afghanistan

International

oi-Vikas SV

Washington, Dec 21: The Trump administration is planning to reduce the number of U.S. troops. This comes a day after Trump announced cut down of troops from Syria. Currently, the United States has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan.

"That decision has been made. There will be a significant withdrawal," the official told AFP on Thursday on condition of anonymity.

News about the Afghanistan plan comes a day after Trump ordered the "full" and "rapid" withdrawal of US troops from Syria, declaring the US has defeated ISIS in Syria, reported CNN.

United States is considering a total withdrawal of its forces from Syria

Currently, the United States has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan working either with a NATO mission to support Afghan forces or in separate counter-terrorism operations. Trump made his decision Tuesday, the same time he told the Pentagon he wanted to pull all US forces out of Syria. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis quit earlier Thursday, saying his views were no longer reconcilable with Trump's.

Trump has long been critical of the US presence in Afghanistan, which began after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The president's twin foreign policy decisions on Syria and Afghanistan are nothing less than epic, and could begin to unspool a series of cascading and unpredictable events across the Middle East and in Afghanistan. Mattis and other top military advisors last year persuaded Trump to commit thousands of new troops to Afghanistan, where the Taliban were slaughtering local forces in the thousands and making major gains.

Syria: Trump is not withdrawing troops but surrendering to a lot of players, says security expert

Trump at the time said his instinct was to get out of Afghanistan. The Wall Street Journal reported that more than 7,000 troops would be returning from Afghanistan. The pull out comes as the US pushes for a peace deal with the Taliban.

OneIndia News with PTI/AFP inputs

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Story first published: Friday, December 21, 2018, 9:24 [IST]
I'm wondering what difference it makes if some board members like to begin the meeting with an opening prayer if they choose? If others wish to not participate, I'm sure they are not being forced to. But they should give them the same respect they would expect if the table was turned. Same for other faiths and customs. We are not forced to wear a sari if we choose not to but we respect and accept others who wish to.
Dems tax and spend approach: Citizens of Illinois need to brace themselves and maybe bend over and kiss everything goodbye because weve got a new sheriff in Kane County who needs 24 new squad cars and hes is going to change everything around so he has to hire a whole bunch of police officers and hes going to change the jail which will mean a huge increase in taxes. Then we have a new governor, Pritzker, who says we may increase the gas tax from 20 to 30 cents per gallon. And they want to start some kind of new thing for capital programs. Its just typical. You talk about the Republicans, but the Democrats are just tax and spend, tax and spend. Its no wonder why theres an exodus from Illinois.
The editor then of the neighborhood columnists would sometimes hold meetings with those publicity chairmen, so they could understood how they might further the success of an event through our columns. Another important direction to us columnists was that we had the opportunity to detail those successes, whether it be a fundraising event, a student's achievement or even some local historical notes.
This is our way of giving back to a group of men and women who give so much day in and day out, said OBrien, who co-owns Reillys Daughter with his father, Boz. All first responders, they run in while others run outThis is just our way of saying thank you for their service.
I agree with Sebeks view that the township wants to force BYS out of its building. I find it sad that in doing so, an agency that has helped thousands of children for more than half a century may also be driven out of existence.
IP Camera Market 2024 Key Information by Top Key Avigilon, Axis Communications, Toshiba, Bosch Security Systems, Dahua Technology, Samsung, Sony, GeoVision, Hikvision, Honeywell, Schneider Electric

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The newly released research at Market Study Report titled 2018-2024 Global IP Camera Market Report provides data, information, brief analysis, company profiles, statistics for past years and forecasts for next few years.Notable IP Camera market players comprise Apexis, Arecont Vision, Avigilon, Axis Communications, Belkin, Bosch Security Systems, Dahua Technology, D-Link, GeoVision, Hikvision, Honeywell, Juanvision, March Networks, Mobotix, NetGear, Panasonic, Pelco by Schneider Electric, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, Tyco International, VideoIQ, Vivotek. WanscamRequest a sample of this premium Research Report at:The IP Camera Market report 2017-2024 provides a comprehensive landscape of the industry, accurate market estimates and forecast split by Product, By Connection, By Application and regions. All quantitative information is covered on a regional as well as country basis. The report provides valuable strategic insights on the IP Camera, analyzing in detail industry impact forces including growth drivers, pitfalls and regulation evolution. The report also includes a detailed outlook on the IP Camera segment competitive environment, diving in to the industry position of each major company along with the strategic landscape.The global IP camera market is marked by trends such as need for high resolution, government investments to improve security infrastructure, reduction in total cost of ownership, and rise in demand from non-security applications such as smart home devices. The growing demand for these systems in non-security applications such as integration with access control systems in smart home automation, e-Point of Sale (POS) terminals, Automatic Number-Plate Recognition (ANPR) are poised to offer additional opportunities for the network camera market. Moreover, other factors such as improved sensor availability, new video analytics capabilities, wider adoption of thermal imaging, mobile access, intelligent building control, 360-degree vision and de-warping are contributing immensely towards penetration of the network camera market.China IP camera market is expected to witness sharp growth due to the presence of a large number of market players offering low cost solutions in the region. Favorable government initiatives on city surveillance, smart city development and penetration of IoT devices are also expected to fuel the demand. Features such as remote monitoring, live video feed on the mobile, single Power over Ethernet (PoE) connectivity, HD resolution and mobile access are driving demand for such solutions in residential applications. Ease of access, remote operation, scalability and flexibility to add more components are some of the key benefits of IP cameras solutions. 4K video surveillance, HD and megapixel cameras are gaining increased penetration across industry verticals.The IP camera market has been segmented by product into Fixed, PTZ and Infrared systems. Compact design, electronic PTZ functions, built in IR sensors, and environmentally resistant structures are trends driving adoption of IP cameras over their analog counterparts. Deployment of a particular type of camera system depends upon the application need, lens type, lighting, cabling systems, power requirements and required resolution.Request a discount on standard prices of this premium report at:Technological proliferation, ubiquity of internet connectivity and the demand for remote monitoring are expected to drive IP camera market growth over the forecast period. Advancement in technology such as 4K resolution, edge-based video analytics and penetration of H.265 high-efficiency video encoding is also poised to stimulate demand. The growing number of players in the network camera market and availability of low-cost manufacturing has been fueling the growth across the globe. Global terrorist attacks in recent years have highlighted the need for governments to pay more attention to public security. In addition, the dropping IP camera market price trend, has helped shorten the gap with analog systems.Outer scope of this report In a recent turn of events, Bosch, a world-leading electronics and engineering company, has made an attempt to advance the usually lengthy camera installation process. Its latest product Flexidome Starlight 8000i Camera installs 55 percent to 60 percent quicker than a traditional camera and requires only one person to commission. Considering the huge number of camera installations performed every day globally, this innovation would definitely uplift the business sphere. In this backdrop, it is judicious to mention that the rapid transition in various avenues of camera technology would add considerable momentum to IP camera market growth rate over the coming years.The competitive spectrum of the global IP camera market is characterized by technological advancements, product innovations, and market expansion through collaborations among global contenders. The expanding Indian economy is a lucrative market for various players  say for instance, Xiaomi has recently introduced the Mi Home Security Camera 360, to uphold its market presence in the region. Previously, D-Link, a Wi-Fi routers & networking products behemoth, had also introduced its DCS-P6000LH Mini HD camera in the Indian market.Table of Content:Chapter 1. Methodology and ScopeChapter 2. Executive SummaryChapter 3. IP Camera Industry InsightsChapter 4. IP Camera Market, By Product (Revenue, Shipment)Chapter 5. IP Camera Market, By Connection (Revenue)Chapter 6. IP Camera Market, By Application (Revenue, Shipment)Chapter 7. IP Camera Market, By RegionChapter 8. Company ProfilesMore Details on this Report At:Related Report:Global Video Management Software (VMS) Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025This report studies the global Video Management Software (VMS) market, analyzes and researches the Video Management Software (VMS) development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, like Genetec, Qognify, Verint, Axis, Aimetis, OnSSI, Video Insight, AxxonSoft, Tyco Security.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.comWeb site:Blog:
Smart Speaker Market Analysis Focusing on Top Key Players Alibaba, Altec Lansing, Amazon, Inc, Apple, Inc, Baidu, Fabriq, Google, Inc, Harman International, Invoxia, Lenovo, LG Electronics

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Market Study Report adds 2018-2024 Global Smart Speaker market report that offers an exhaustive coverage of the industry with brief analysis, data charts, figures, statistics that help take business decisions, company profiles and more.The Smart Speaker Market report 2018-2024 provides a comprehensive landscape of the industry, accurate market estimates and forecast split By Solution, By Application, and regions. All quantitative information is covered on a regional as well as country basis. The report provides valuable strategic insights on the Smart Speaker, analyzing in detail industry impact forces including growth drivers, pitfalls and regulation evolution. The report also includes a detailed outlook on the Smart Speaker segment competitive environment, diving in to the industry position of each major company along with the strategic landscape.Request a sample of this premium report at:Smart Speaker Market is set to exceed USD 30 billion by 2024; according to a new research report.Notable Smart Speaker market players comprise Alibaba, Altec Lansing, Amazon, Inc, Apple, Inc, Baidu, Fabriq, Google, Inc, Harman International, Invoxia, Lenovo, LG Electronics, Libratone, Mobvoi, Mojo, Onkyo, Pioneer, SK Telecom, Sonos, Sony, Ultimate Ears, Xiaomi.The Siri-enabled smart speaker market is anticipated to grow rapidly due to the large popularity of Apple devices among the consumers. Superior sound quality as compared to the other speakers is adding to the increased shipments of these devices. Furthermore, the compatibility of these devices with the iOS is expected to propel the industry growth due to the large-scale adoption of iOS-enabled smartphones.The Asia Pacific smart speaker market is expected to gain momentum over the forecast time span owing to the increasing penetration of IoT and connected technology. The region has witnessed an upsurge in the wireless infrastructure developments. By the end of 2016, there were 2.7 billion unique mobile subscribers in the region, accounting for more than half of mobile subscribers, particularly in India and China. With the penetration of 5G networks in the region, the penetration of intelligent devices is expected to increase, thus propelling the smart speaker market growth.The smart speaker market in commercial applications will grow rapidly due to the increasing adoption of these devices in businesses. These devices enable conference calls, allow the performance of hands-free tasks while receiving the industry information, and generate ambient sounds. These devices will also find applications in the healthcare sector by integrating them with the building management systems and gathering patient information.Request a discount on standard prices of this premium report at:Smart Speaker Market is set to exceed USD 30 billion by 2024 owing to the several benefits of these devices such as the ability to communicate with other devices and keeping users connected to the internet. For instance, these devices can perform a range of tasks such as giving information, sharing audio files, and provide on-command to other connected devices. The increasing penetration of IoT technology and the adoption of connected devices will boost the smart speaker market growth in the next six years. The increasing popularity of connected devices to perform domestic tasks, such as controlling lights and security doors, through single devices is fueling the industry demand. The integration of these devices with connected households will propel the industry growth.Increasing security threats related to these devices are expected to threaten the smart speaker market growth as these devices are equipped with intelligent virtual assistants, who listen to the users when activated using certain commands. These continuously-activated devices listen to the personal and confidential data of the users. Several security threats and incidents have occurred that have encouraged the players to improve the security of these systems.Table of Content:Chapter 1. Methodology and ScopeChapter 2. Executive SummaryChapter 3. Smart Speaker Industry InsightsChapter 4. Smart Speaker Market, By IVA (Revenue, Shipments)Chapter 5. Smart Speaker Market, By Application (Revenue, Shipments)Chapter 6. Smart Speaker Market, By Region (Revenue, Shipments)Chapter 7 Company ProfilesMore Details on this Report At:Related Reports: -United States Smart Speaker Market Report 2018United States Smart Speaker market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Smart Speaker sales volume, price, revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players including Apple (U.S.), Google (U.S.), Bose Corporation (U.S.), Harman (U.S.), LG Electronics (South Korea), Altec Lansing (U.S.)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:
Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) System Market Forecast to 2024 | Key Companies are Camtek, CyberOptics, Koh Young Technology, Inc., Mycronic, Nordson Corporation, OMRON Group, Orbotech, VITRONIC Machine Vision

Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) System Market

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The U.S. Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) System Market is witnessing high penetration of several PCB and consumer electronics manufacturers. The increasing concerns for developing high quality and safe electronic components further add to the usage of the inspection machines. The demand is attributed to features of advanced systems such as three-dimensional images, quick fault detection, and analysis of the PCB production lines. Moreover, the growing demand for technically-advanced products in the U.S. due to the presence of awareness among the population accounts for the (AOI) automated optical inspection system market growth.Get Sample Copy of This Report @The rising government concerns and regulations to ensure the quality of electronic components and systems create several Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) System Market growth opportunities. Safe and secure electronic assemblies require high-quality and miniature printed circuit boards that are developed by inspection capabilities. The increasing number of problems, such as device break-ups and slow speed, due to faulty PCB units creates the need for their inspection and testing.3D automated AOI systems market will grow at CAGR of around 14% attributed to the benefits such as improved image dimensions and inline detection capabilities. The implementation of these systems offers improved PCB quality over the 2D systems during the manufacturing process. It supports the inspection of miniaturized and complex components, which are deployed in the consumer electronics products.These systems offer the early detection of PCB defects in the assembly process that further assures the production quality. Several inspection functions combined in a single machine reduces the companys manufacturing costs and eliminates human intervention. For instance, Mirtec offers its 3D AOI its MV9 Series with five cameras in the 2D/3D options. Inline systems are gaining popularity in the AOI market due to the benefits, such as high flexibility, to detect PCBs during the entire production process and faster detection as compared to the offline systems.Make an Inquiry for purchasing this Report @Company profiled in this report based on Business overview, Financial data, Product landscape, Strategic outlook & SWOT analysis:1. AOI SYSTEMS LIMITED2. ASYS Group3. Camtek4. Chroma ATE Inc.5. CyberOptics6. Daiichi Jitsugyo Co Ltd7. EBSO, Inc.8. Habrotek9. GOEPEL electronic10. Koh Young Technology, Inc.11. Machine Vision Products, Inc.12. Manncorp13. Marantz Electronics Ltd / Mek Americas LLC / Mek Europe BV14. MIRTEC Corp15. Mycronic16. Nordson Corporation17. OM AUTOELECTRO PRIVATE LIMITED18. OMRON Group19. Orbotech20. Pillarhouse USA21. Saki America, Inc.22. Test Research, Inc. (TRI)23. Viscom AG24. VITRONIC Machine VisionReflow soldering valued at nearly USD 110 million in 2017 in the automated optical inspection (AOI) system market is witnessing high demand from the SMT manufacturers, which is attributed to the detection of pre-reflow and post-reflow techniques. This includes the inspection of solder paste and joints in the PCBs and ensures fault detection at every stage. The systems ensure appropriate assembly of SMT with the help of AOI-based reflow soldering. Automotive components require miniaturized and high-quality PCBs with defect-free assemblies. As a result, the reflow soldering applications deploy these systems at pre-reflow and post-reflow stages to ensure high security of the PCB production lines thereby driving AOI system market.Browse Report Summary:The key players operating in the Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) System Market include Cyberoptics Corporation, Nordson Corporation, Kurtz Ersa, AOI Systems, Orbotech Manncorp, Mirtec, Koh Young Technology, Viscom AG, ASC International, Machine Vision Products, Inc., MEK Marantz Electronics Ltd., Saki Corporation, Chroma Ate, Inc., and Omron Corporation. The companies are developing technically-advanced 3D inspection systems that are deployed majorly in the aerospace, automotive, and electronics manufacturing applications. The major players are also developing their dealer and distribution in countries including South Korea and China, which have a high demand for these products. Industry players focus on providing legally compliant machines that support the efficient inspection of components to be used in highly accurate vehicle and aircraft applications.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:
Global Gaming Controllers Market Insights, Industry Player (Logitech, SONY, Microsoft, Razer), Key County Analysis (North America, United States, Europe, China, Japan, India), Segmentation, Analysis and Forecast till 2018-2025

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This research report titled Global Gaming Controllers Market Insights, Forecast to 2025 has been added to the wide online database managed by Market Research Hub (MRH). The study discusses the prime market growth factors along with future projections expected to impact the Gaming Controllers Market during the period between 2018 and 2025. The concerned sector is analyzed based on different market factors including drivers, restraints and opportunities in order to enlighten the readers about the actual scenario prevailing in the Gaming Controllers Market.Get Sample Copy of This Report @The Gaming Controllers market was valued at Million US$ in 2018 and is projected to reach Million US$ by 2025, at a CAGR of during the forecast period. In this study, 2018 has been considered as the base year and 2019 to 2025 as the forecast period to estimate the market size for Gaming Controllers.This report presents the worldwide Gaming Controllers market size (value, production and consumption), splits the breakdown (data status 2014-2019 and forecast to 2025), by manufacturers, region, type and application.This study also analyzes the market status, market share, growth rate, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.The following manufacturers are covered in this report:LogitechSONYMicrosoftRazerMad CatzThrustmasterSaitek RumbleKinoboSabrentSamsungGaming Controllers Breakdown Data by TypeWired Gaming ControllersWireless Gaming ControllersGaming Controllers Breakdown Data by ApplicationPCSmartphoneSmart TVOtherGaming Controllers Production by RegionUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanSouth KoreaOther RegionsGaming Controllers Consumption by RegionNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaMalaysiaPhilippinesThailandVietnamEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalyRussiaRest of EuropeCentral & South AmericaBrazilRest of South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaGCC CountriesTurkeyEgyptSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaBROWSE Full Report NOW @Table of Contents1 Study Coverage1.1 Gaming Controllers Product1.2 Key Market Segments in This Study1.3 Key Manufacturers Covered1.4 Market by Type1.4.1 Global Gaming Controllers Market Size Growth Rate by Type1.4.2 Wired Gaming Controllers1.4.3 Wireless Gaming Controllers1.5 Market by Application1.5.1 Global Gaming Controllers Market Size Growth Rate by Application1.5.2 PC1.5.3 Smartphone1.5.4 Smart TV1.5.5 Other1.6 Study Objectives1.7 Years Considered2 Executive Summary2.1 Global Gaming Controllers Market Size2.1.1 Global Gaming Controllers Revenue 2014-20252.1.2 Global Gaming Controllers Production 2014-20252.2 Gaming Controllers Growth Rate (CAGR) 2019-20252.3 Analysis of Competitive Landscape2.3.1 Manufacturers Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI)2.3.2 Key Gaming Controllers Manufacturers2.3.2.1 Gaming Controllers Manufacturing Base Distribution, Headquarters2.3.2.2 Manufacturers Gaming Controllers Product Offered2.3.2.3 Date of Manufacturers Enter into Gaming Controllers Market2.4 Key Trends for Gaming Controllers Markets & Products3 Market Size by Manufacturers3.1 Gaming Controllers Production by Manufacturers3.1.1 Gaming Controllers Production by Manufacturers3.1.2 Gaming Controllers Production Market Share by Manufacturers3.2 Gaming Controllers Revenue by Manufacturers3.2.1 Gaming Controllers Revenue by Manufacturers (2014-2019)3.2.2 Gaming Controllers Revenue Share by Manufacturers (2014-2019)3.3 Gaming Controllers Price by Manufacturers3.4 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion PlansMore Information@@@About Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports of different sector like semiconductors market research and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of industry reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email: press@marketresearchhub.com
Cha-ching. Illinois lawmakers are talking about a substantial gasoline tax. After all, we haven't had an increase in years. We might not have had one on gasoline but on about everything else. We are among the most heavily taxed states in the nation. Like so many other revenues earmarked for specifics, it will end up somewhere else. Remember the lottery? Governments at all levels have no grasp of money management or wise spending and make no effort to even try. But they have no qualms about asking for more.
Pelvis Fixation System Market Growth Trends, Key Players, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts to 2026

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The study of the "Pelvis Fixation System Market - Global Industry Trend Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 - 2026" provides the market size information and market trends along with the factors and parameters impacting it in both short and long term.The objectives of this study are as follows: To define, describe, and forecast the " Pelvis Fixation System" market by type, application, component, delivery model, end user, and region To provide detailed information regarding major factors influencing market growth (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and industry-specific challenges) To analyze micromarkets with respect to individual growth trends, prospects, and contributions to the overall market To analyze opportunities in the market for stakeholders and provide details of the competitive landscape for market leaders To forecast the market size of market segments with respect to the four key regions: North America, Europe, Asia, and the Rest of the World (RoW) To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their product portfolios, market positions, and core competenciesGet Sample Copy Of This Report @Injuries to the pelvic region, which requires a pelvis fixation, are usually observed in multiple trauma patients. The significant threat from pelvic ring injuries is primarily related to blood loss which leads to hemorrhage, and hemorrhage is one of the leading causes of death. The blood loss is severe in case of bone fractures and arterial bleeding and as a general rule, patient with unstable pelvic joint needs to be prepared preferably within 6 hrs of injury. Pelvis fracture has the highest significance of all skeletal injuries due to the unstable mortality rate range from 7.8% to 22.4% and open injuries considerably increase the probability of a fatal outcome. Pelvis fixation systems are provided to support the target area, and allow it to heal in a prescribed duration. External pelvis fixation system is provided in addition to other fixation standards. Benefit of external pelvis fixation system is that it is minimally invasive and can be applied rapidly. In general, pelvic ring instabilities are of three major types: anterior instability, posterior instability and antero-posterior instability. On the basis of the target area, pelvis fixation systems are designed respectively in order to support the need. Pelvis fixation systems are one unit consisting different components such as pins, clamps and connecting bar in significant value.Pelvis Fixation System Market: Market DynamicsGlobal pelvis fixation systems market is largely driven by the prevalence of hip and pelvic fractures and rising geriatric & adult population. In accordance with the researchers following these observation, the rate of pelvic fractures in cases of polytrauma ranges from 23% to 51%. In addition, the adoption rate of pelvis fixation systems to support the pelvic fracture is also vividly observed. There is a rundown of causes due to which chronic hip pain can occur; hip fractures are most commonly observed in elderly patients with osteoporosis. Osteoarthritis, according to center of disease control (CDC) affects 22 Mn people every year, which not always but leads pelvic fractures due to age, trauma and other factors. In 2015, trauma cases reported the highest number of deaths from age 1 to 46 years. Healthcare and lost productivity reported to be around $671 Bn that year being the highest out of major diseases observed. Associated injuries with pelvic fractures are supporting reasons for developing new technologies in forming pelvis fixation systems, injuries ranging from soft tissue injuries which vary from superficial abrasions and laceration, to closed internal injuries. Axial and appendicular injuries are frequently associated with pelvic ring fractures. Urgency of the product is highly observed due to all the facts surrounding the trauma and orthopedic pelvic cases. Pelvis fixation system is a basic device to monitor the changes and provide a support to the affected pelvic area. Pelvis fixation systems of different modalities are present to run the procedure with availability of both internal and external fixation gives it a better chance than other alternatives.Request For TOC @Pelvis Fixation System market: SegmentationBy Product Type: Internal fixation system External fixation system Tubular CircularBy End Users: Hospitals Clinics OthersGeographically, the global pelvis fixation system market is segmented into six key regions viz. North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific (exc. China), China and the Middle East & Africa. North America will continue to grow over the forecast period. Asia Pacific is expected to be attractive in terms of investment provided to the research wing in developing markets. Population density is expected to escalate in the Asia pacific (exc. China) region allowing more market opportunity for pelvis fixation system to establish and produce goods within the region. Europe is expected to grow at a higher rate due to rise in population, changing lifestyle and rise in awareness among consumers and suppliers. Economic growth is supporting the health care infrastructure in developing countries allowing more number of players to contribute with ease and efficiencySome of the players identified in the global pelvis fixation system market are DePuy Synthes, Stryker, Orthofix, Treu Instrumente, Zimmer Biomet, Alboland, Excel Medical, Excel Medical, SEGUFIX, TST R. Medical Devices, SOFEMED International and Mikai etc. among others. Companies are building special pelvis fixation systems to offer systems to meet department needs. Each product in their line is built to improve long term medical efficiency and compatibility with different requirements. Market of the pelvis fixation system is centralized and revolves around the incidence of pelvic fixation cases observed globally which incidentally is a moving point for smaller markets to grow at a faster rate. The compatibility of systems towards the patients provided by the manufacturers is the sole reason to drive the market of the pelvis fixation systems.The report covers exhaustive analysis on: Pelvis Fixation System Market Segments Pelvis Fixation System Market Dynamics Pelvis Fixation System Historical Market Size Pelvis Fixation System Market Size & Forecast Pelvis Fixation System Market Current Trends/Issues/Challenges Pelvis Fixation System Competition & Companies involved Pelvis Fixation System Market Drivers and RestraintsMRR.BIZ has been compiled in-depth market research data in the report after exhaustive primary and secondary research. Our team of able, experienced in-house analysts has collated the information through personal interviews and study of industry databases, journals, and reputable paid sources.The report provides the following information: Tailwinds and headwinds molding the markets trajectory Market segments based on products, technology, and applications Prospects of each segment Overall current and possible future size of the market Growth pace of the market Competitive landscape and key players strategiesThe main aim of the report is to: Enable key stakeholders in the market bet right on it Understand the opportunities and pitfalls awaiting them Assess the overall growth scope in the near term Strategize effectively with respect to production and distributionMRR.BIZ is a leading provider of strategic market research. Our vast repository consists research reports, data books, company profiles, and regional market data sheets. We regularly update the data and analysis of a wide-ranging products and services around the world. As readers, you will have access to the latest information on almost 300 industries and their sub-segments. Both large Fortune 500 companies and SMEs have found those useful. This is because we customize our offerings keeping in mind the specific requirements of our clients.Pre Book Report @About UsMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Contact UsMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Artificial Insemination Market Key Insights By Top Vendors Labotect GmbH, Hamilton Throne Ltd., Nikon Instruments Inc., Biogenics Inc. etc. and Forecast To 2023

Artificial Insemination Market

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Artificial Insemination is a treatment for infertility. It is a medical process involving introduction of semen into the female reproductive tract. Global Market of Artificial Insemination is expected to reach USD 1.95 billion in 2023 from USD 1.35 billion in 2016 with a CAGR of approximately 10.9% during the forecast period 2017-2023.Innovation is the organic strategy to gain the market. Many companies are operating in the market; however, the major companies dominated the major share in the market due to well-developed brand identity. Now-a-days, there is a significant increase in the number of the company offering artificial Insemination. Thus, companies are adopting the new strategies to minimize the competition and increase the market. Some major companies are focusing on development of new and advanced products to gain the market share. Whereas, some are having used the technique of acquisition and collaboration to gain the market.Get Sample Report @Artificial Insemination Market - Competitive AnalysisInnovation is the organic strategy to gain the market. Many companies are operating in the market; however, the major companies dominated the major share in the market due to well-developed brand identity. Now-a-days, there is a significant increase in the number of the company offering artificial Insemination. Thus, companies are adopting the new strategies to minimize the competition and increase the market. Some major companies are focusing on development of new and advanced products to gain the market share. Whereas, some are having used the technique of acquisition and collaboration to gain the market.Key Players:Labotect GmbH (Germany), Hamilton Throne Ltd. (U.S.), Microtech IVF S.R.O. (Czech Republic), Rinovum Women's Health LLC (US), Zander scientific Inc. (U.S.), INVO Bioscience (U.S.), Nikon Instruments Inc. (U.S.), MedGyn products Inc. (U.S.),Conceivex Inc. (US), Biogenics Inc. (U.S.), LifeGlobal Group LLC (U.S.), TenderNeeds Fertility (US) and Surelife Pte Ltd. (Singapore).Latest Industry Updates:Being a competitive market, several different manufacturers are focusing on the product launch, and acquisition for the market development. Some of the latest development in the market are-Labotect GmbH is a major player in artificial insemination market. The company develops products for use in assisted reproduction, medical science laboratories and medical surgery. Incubation technique is one of the key areas of the company helping it to maintain competitive advantage. Its products include embryo transfer catheters and puncture needle are the products for artificial insemination.Hamilton Throne Ltd. Is a leading provider for computer aided sperm analysis and advanced laser system IVOS, CEROS, human motility II are sperm analysis products In September 2016, the company acquired Embryotech Laboratories, a company providing testing assays and quality control ServicesArtificial Insemination Market - SegmentationGlobal artificial insemination market has been segmented on the basis of type of procedure which includes intracervical insemination, intrauterine insemination, intratubal insemination and other procedures. End users are hospitals, clinics, fertility centers and others.Artificial Insemination Market - Regional AnalysisDepending on geographic region, artificial insemination market is segmented into four key regions: Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East and Africa. North America is the largest market. The cost of artificial insemination in America in between USD 300 to USD 500 per attempt. According to American Society of Reproductive Health, the typical success rate is 10 to 20 percent. Continuous increasing in number of fertility clinics in the U.S and Canada, increase in drug addiction and smoking among women, unprotected sexual intercourse and rising trend of planned pregnancy favor the growth of this market in America. The European market is also growing continuously.Browse Complete 80 Pages Premium Research Report Enabled with Tables and Figures @Deterioration of reproductive health among women, increased age of women at the time of pregnancy, rising income of families and demand of technological advancement in artificial insemination drive this market in Europe. Asia-Pacific market is expected to show fastest growth in the Artificial insemination market during the forecasted period. Rise in number of miscarriages, lack of awareness about reproductive health, increase in psychological and physical stress favor the growth of this market in Asia-Pacific. Government of India has number of programs for women in rural areas. In India, Janani Suraksha Yogana under National Health Mission was a great success initiating women to carry out institution delivery which provided cash assistance to pregnant women after delivery. Middle East and Africa show steady growth in this market.Major Table of ContentChapter 1. Report PrologueChapter 2. Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope of the Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 LimitationsChapter 3. Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size EstimationChapter 4. Market DynamicsContinued.To Know More Enquire @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune  411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: salesteam@marketresearchfuture.com
Needles Market Business Revenue 2018-2026 Growth By Leading Players: Becton, Dickinson and Company, Medtronic plc, Hamilton Company, Stryker Corporation, Terumo Corporation, B. Braun Melsungen AG,.

Needles Market

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The needles market is expected to witness significant growth, owing to high prevalence of chronic diseases and high unmet need for palliative care, unmet surgical needs, and increasing vaccination drives. Companies are focusing on product diversification based on the needs of the patients and healthcare providers thereby, fuelling growth of the needles market.Increasing demand for palliative care and unmet surgical needs are major factors expected to aid in growth of the market.For instance, according to World Health Organization (WHO), 2017, around 40 million people are in need of palliative care worldwide, 78% of these live in low- and middle-income countries. Patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases (38.5%), cancer (34%), chronic respiratory diseases (10.3%), AIDS (5.7%) and diabetes (4.6%), kidney failure, and chronic liver diseases require palliative care. Major factor driving growth of the needles market is increasing demand for vaccines, globally to prevent various diseases such as measles, rubella and hepatitis B.Download PDF Brochure@Major factor driving growth of the needles market is increasing demand for vaccines, globally to prevent various diseases such as measles, rubella and hepatitis B. According to World Health Organization (WHO) 2018, globally around 86% of infants are vaccinated against 26 diseases, however, 19.5 million children unvaccinated leading to death of 2-3 million children each year.Human papilloma virus causes cervical cancer and around 280,000 women died from cervical cancer in 2015 globally, which led to introduction of vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, in turn positively affecting needles market. Introduction of stringent guidelines for safe injection practices is expected to aid in growth of the needles market.For instance, WHO issued safe injection practices and guidelines in 2010, for its member country. Also, Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology in the U.S. issued updated guidelines in 2016 to prevent spread of infectious disease through unsafe injection practices.Key players are focusing on introducing new and innovative products to fulfill the needs of various end users. For instance Becton, Dickinson and Company introduced the BD Ultra-Fine micro pen needle in 2017, for use with different pen injection devices. People with diabetes are less likely to accidentally inject their insulin dose into a muscle with this product, and it provides one of shortest length pen needle, therefore, patients experience minimum pain. In 2016, Nipro Medical Corporation launched safetouch safety needle, which is known to protect the patients from needle stick injuries.Some of the key players operating in the global needles market are Becton, Dickinson and Company, Medtronic plc, Hamilton Company, Stryker Corporation, Terumo Corporation, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Boston Scientific Corporation, Nipro Medical Corporation, Novo Nordisk A/s, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Smiths Medical.Request For Customization@Detailed Segmentation: Global Needles Market, By Needles Type: Conventional Needles, Safety Needles,. Global Needles Market, By Delivery Site: Intradermal, Subcutaneous, Intravenous, Intramuscular, Intraperitoneal, Global Needles Market, By Application: Pen Needles in Diabetes, Blood Collection Needles, Surgical Suture Needles, Ophthalmic Procedure Needles, Dentistry Needles, Insufflation Needles, Other Applications, Global Needles Market, By Material: Stainless Steel Needles, Plastic Needles, Glass Needles, PEEK(Polyether Ether Ketone) Needles, Global Needles Market, By End User: Hospitals, Clinics, Diagnostic Centers, Research Institutions, Home based care, Others,.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.1001 4th Ave,, #3200, Seattle, WA 98154
Latest Report On ERP System Market Opportunities Forecast To 2025| Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, CA Technologies, Imperva, Delphix, Blue Talon, Hush Hush, Orbium Software

ERP System Market

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Global ERP System Market, this extensive report briefs about the major challenges, regions that contribute maximum towards the market and present size of the regional markets along with the predicted size by the end of the estimated tenure. Additionally, this report also has the SWOT analysis that determines the external segments that impact the overall market.ERP System market size to maintain the average annual growth rate of +3% from 26413 million $ in 2014 to 28839 million $ in 2017.Ask For Sample Copy of this report:Enterprise resource planning is the incorporated administration of center business forms, frequently continuously and interceded by programming and innovation.Top Key Vendors: Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, CA Technologies, Imperva, Delphix, Blue Talon, Hush Hush, Orbium Software, Solix Technologies, Inc, Red Gate Software Ltd, Innovative Routines International (IRI), Inc, Informatica, SNP, MentisThis 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 ERP System Market In addition to this, it emphases on global competition among the various industries to achieve the desired outcomes. The market is served as a backbone for the enlargement of the enterprises.Early buyers will receive up to 40% Discount on this report:As the global ERP System Market is segmented based on various parameters, an in-depth classification of the market is also mentioned; elements impacting the markets growth are studied in detail to understand the report precisely. Moreover this, profiles of some of the leading players operating in the global market are included in the report.Market segment by Type, the product can be split intoCloud BasedOn-PremisesMarket segment by Application, split intoManufacturing & ServicesBFSIHealth CareRetailGovernment UtilitiesAerospace & DefenseOthersIn the end, the report includes global ERP System Market new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, investment return analysis, and development analysis. 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.Table of Content:Global ERP System Market Report 2018Chapter 1 -Industry Overview of ERP System MarketChapter 2-Manufacturing Cost Structure MarketChapter 3-Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants MarketChapter 4-Global ERP System Overall Market OverviewChapter 5 -ERP System Regional Market AnalysisChapter 6-Major Manufacturers Analysis of ERP SystemChapter 7-Development Trend of Analysis of ERP System MarketChapter 8 -ERP System Marketing Type AnalysisChapter 9-Conclusion of the Global Market Professional Survey Report 2018Chapter 10- AppendixEnquiry before buying@:About 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.Jones John(Sales Manager)+91-9764607607sales@qyreports.com
Middle East Veterinary Vaccines Market will soar below average to reach US$ 422.9 million value by 2026

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Animal breeding remains to be one of the most fundamental agricultural activity facilitating the growth of food & beverage industry in the Middle East. Milk and meat are some of the common raw materials derived from animal husbandry activities carried out in the MEA region. Future Market Insights recently published its research report on the veterinary vaccines market in the Middle East, which stated that  rising demand for food security in the Middle East, collaborative manufacturing measures witnessed among foodmakers and suppliers, and the absence of appropriate health tracking facilities for animals are factoring the growth in demand for veterinary vaccines.To know key findings Request Sample Report @:Future Market Insights projects that the MEA veterinary vaccines market, which is presently valued at US$ 267.3 million, will soar below average to reach US$ 422.9 million value by 2026-end and register a moderate CAGR of 4.7%. The report estimates that lack of resources for collection of samples, questionable potency of vaccines, and absence of harmonised vaccination procedures are limiting the supply and production of veterinary vaccines in the MEA region. Furthermore, ineffectiveness of veterinary vaccines in curing virulent animal diseases indicates shortcomings on epidemiological knowledge faced by MEAs virology research institutes.Highest Veterinary Vaccine Sales recorded in JordanA regional analysis of the veterinary vaccines market in the Middle East identified Jordan as the most lucrative country for sales of veterinary serums. By the end of 2026, Jordans veterinary vaccine market is expected to dominate the MEA region by reaching value of US$ 88 million. The demand for veterinary vaccines will be equally higher in Turkey, while Sudan will witness moderate growth in terms of revenues. Meanwhile, countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt will witness revenue growth at more than 4% CAGR throughout the forecast period.Request for Report customization @:Based in Jordan, JOVAC is being recognised as one of the leading manufacturers of veterinary vaccines in the Middle East. The veterinary vaccines market in MEA region is also witnessing fervent involvement of European companies such as Bioveta, Inc., Merial, Bayer Healthcare AG, and Ceva. Other key players in the MEA veterinary vaccines market include, Intervac Pvt. Ltd., Zoetis, Elanco, and Merck & Co, Inc.Surging Demand for Food & Mouth Disease VaccinationPrevalence of oral and digestion-related disorders among animals is shaping up the growth in demand for veterinary vaccines across the Middle East. More than 25% of veterinary vaccines revenues amassed from the MEA region during the projection period will be accounted by food and mouth diseases. New Castle disease has also been observed as prominent indicator for administering veterinary vaccines in this region. Moreover, outbreak of Avian influenza in the MEA region is anticipated to attribute more than US$ 80 million revenues by 2026-end.Get access to full summary @:In the report, titled Veterinary Vaccines Market: Middle East Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2016-2026, the demand for attenuated live vaccines is predicted to remain high throughout the forecast period. Inactivated vaccines will also gain traction, while revenues garnered from sales of recombinant vaccines, DNA vaccines and toxoid vaccines will grow at a sluggish CAGR. Almost three-fourth of gross revenues amassed from sales of veterinary vaccines in the Middle East will continue to be used for treatment of livestock animals. And, these vaccines are likely to enter the market through veterinary clinics and private veterinary pharmacies. Distribution of veterinary vaccines in the Middle East will also be carried out by hospitals, revenues from which are estimated to surpass US$ 100 million by the end of 2026.About UsFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.Contact UsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb:
Pharmacogenomics Market Experts Analysis to 2023 | Assurex Health Inc., Future Science Group, Pathway Genomics, Myriad Genetics Inc., GeneDx., etc

Pharmacogenomics Market

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The Global Pharmacogenomics Market is presumed to register 5.8% CAGR during the forecast period (2017-2023) owing to the rising prevalence of several infectious and non-infectious diseases, asserts Market Research Future (MRFR). Pharmacogenomics refers to the study of inherited variations in the human genes that affect an individuals reaction to a specific drug. Various genetic tests are performed in pharmacogenomics to determine targeted drug therapies and treatment procedures to be adopted in order to reduce side effects and improve the results.Drivers and Constraints Impacting the MarketWith the growing prevalence of various infectious and non-infectious diseases, growing demand for personalized drugs, increasing usage in drug discovery process, and increasing awareness about the benefits of pharmacogenomics are stimulating the market during the assessment period. Pharmacogenomics offers effective treatment therapeutics which is both reliable and safe. Thus, increasing awareness about its benefits is anticipated to augment the market growth in the coming years. Also, innovation and rapid advancements of new healthcare technologies such as High Throughput Screening (HTS), next-generation sequencing, and Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) are further influencing the market growth.On the flip side, lack of consistency in pharmacogenomics and lack of awareness are some of the key factors considered to impede the market growth in the coming years.Get PDF Sample Copy of Report @Latest Industry UpdatesOctober 31, 2018: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recently announced that they have approved the marketing of 23andMes reports on pharmacogenetics. The genetic-testing company claims are designed to assess whether the genetics will affect an individuals ability to metabolize certain drugs which include antidepressants.Nov 2017: Myriad Genetics, Inc., announced positive results from a double-blind, multi-center, randomized controlled trial assessing the impact of the GeneSight Psychotropic test (GeneSight) on psychiatric treatment response in 1,200 patients with major depressive disorder. GeneSight is one of the leading pharmacogenomics test to help guide medication selection for mental health disorders.Global Pharmacogenomics Market - Competitive AnalysisPharmacogenomics in recent years has used a new generation of technology approaches that has led to a revolution in the understanding of disease susceptibility and pathophysiology, providing enormous potential for novel therapeutic strategies.However, with companies aiming to capture a considerable share of the market segment as early as possible, they are competing and experimenting with various advantage points. The best long-term growth opportunities for this sector can be captured by ensuring ongoing process improvements and financial flexibility to invest in the best strategies.The noteworthy players operating the global market are Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Israel), Assurex Health Inc. (U.S.), Future Science Group (U.S.), Pathway Genomics (U.S.), Myriad Genetics Inc. (U.S.), GeneDx. (U.S.), GeneTech (U.S.), 23andMe Inc. (U.S.), and others.Global Pharmacogenomics Market: Segmental AnalysisThe global pharmacogenomics market has been segmented on the basis of application, technology, end-user, and region.By mode of technology, the global pharmacogenomics market has been segmented into sequencing, microarray, polymerase chain reaction, and others. Among these, the sequencing segment has been sub-segmented into pyrosequencing, Sanger sequencing, next-generation sequencing, and others.By mode of application, the global pharmacogenomics market has been segmented into cardiology, oncology, neurological disorders, and others. Among these, the oncology segment has been sub-segmented into lung cancer, breast cancer, and others.By mode of end-users, the global pharmacogenomics market has been segmented into research organizations, hospitals, academic institute, and others.Regional Analysis of Pharmacogenomics MarketGeographically, the pharmacogenomics market span across regions namely, Europe, America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa.The American region is considered to dominate the global pharmacogenomics market and is estimated to maintain its dominance during the assessment period. The growth is attributed to the presence of developed countries such as Canada and the U.S. along with a well-developed healthcare sector. Also, growing number of patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases have stimulated the growth of the market in this region.The European region is considered to be the second largest market owing to the availability of funds for research and development activities. Moreover, the presence of huge patient population is influencing the market positively. With the presence of developed countries such as France and Germany, the market is likely to flourish during the review period.Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region owing to the continuously developing economies such as China and India and presence of huge patient population. Meanwhile, the Middle East and Africa hold the least share owing to the presence of poor economy, strict government policies, and low per capita healthcare expenditure in this region.Get Attractive Discount on Report @Some Brief Table of ContentChapter 1. Report PrologueChapter 2. Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope Of The Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 LimitationsChapter 3. Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size EstimationChapter 4. Market Dynamics4.1 DriversContinued...Get Complete Access of 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
Israel Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband Market Growth, Analysis, Challenges and Industry Key Players  Bezeq; Bezeq International; Pelephone | 2018-2023

Israel Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband Industry 2018-2023

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WiseGuyReports.com Israel - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses report has been added to its Research Database.Scope of the Report:Mobile broadband penetration reaches a milestone in Israel. Israels mobile broadband penetration recently reached a milestone when it crossed over the 100% mark for population penetration. This reflects the highly competitive mobile sector which exists in Israel; with several operators all competing for customers who enjoy cheap 3G mobile services. While 4G coverage in Israel is significant, the adoption of such services remains low and this has been partly attributed to the prohibitive cost of services and devices.The operators are feeling the impact of the high level of competition, particularly in the mobile sector. Mobile ARPUs have declined for all the major operators and in 2018 the competitive environment increased even further with the launch of a sixth mobile operator, 018 Xfone.Israel has a very high household internet penetration rate, almost all of which are broadband connections. There are various competing broadband platforms  the DSL and fibre network of fixed-line incumbent Bezeq, the HFC network of HOT and the fibre network from Partner. Bezeq and HOT are both subject to broadband universal service obligations which has resulted in fixed broadband being available to 99% of all households.Request a Sample Report @Interest in the high-tech sector is still a key growth area for Israel with the US and China, in particular, setting up and investing in various research labs and solutions. Recently Israel turned its attention towards the opportunities presented by the growing cyber-security sector.Key developments:In 2018 Israel gained a new mobile operator with 018 Xfone launching 4G mobile services under the We4G brand.There are concerns being raised that telecoms infrastructure investment is falling behind in Israel.In 2018 Bezeq was directed by the Ministry of Communications to begin offering wholesale telephony services.The regulator recently approved a network sharing and hosting deal between Cellcom and Electra (which acquired Golan Telecom).Companies mentioned in this report include:Bezeq, Bezeq International, Pelephone, HOT Telecom, HOT Mobile, Cellcom, 013 NetVision, Partner (Formerly Orange), 012 Smile, Xfone, Golan Telecom (Electra Communications), Israel Broadband Company (IBC); Remi Levy, Mobile 019.For Detailed Reading Please visit @Major Key Points in Table of Content:1. Executive summary2. Key statistics3. Country overview4. Telecommunications market4.1 Overview4.2 Market analysis4.3 Key recent developments5. Regulatory environment5.1 Historic overview5.2 Regulatory authority5.3 Privatisation of Bezeq6. Fixed network operators6.1 Introduction6.2 Bezeq6.3 HOT Telecom7. Telecommunications infrastructure7.1 National telecom network7.2 International infrastructure7.3 Smart infrastructureContinuous...Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)
Slip Disc Market Structure by Eminent Players - Captiva Spine, DePuy Synthes Companies, GlaxoSmithKline plc, Globus Medical, etc

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Global Slip Disc Market - HighlightsThe global market for slip disc is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 5.4% during the forecast period 2017-2023. This is due to growing cases of spinal injuries. The market is forecasted to demonstrate a steady growth by 2023, surpassing its previous growth records in terms of value with a constant CAGR during the anticipated period (2017  2023).A herniated disc is a condition that occurs when a soft cushion of tissue between the bones in spine pushes out and is painful when it presses on nerves. Patients with slipped disc have permanent and often devastating neurologic deficits and disability. Growing prevalence of obese population is one of the major factors driving the growth of the global slip disc market. As per National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), nearly 66% of the population with spinal cord injuries are overweight or obese. Obesity signifies a growing public health challenge, with an estimated prevalence of 34.9% of U.S. adults, or 78.6 million people.Slip Disc Market  Segments:Global Slip Disc market has been segmented on the basis of type which comprises of thoracic herniated discs, lumbar herniated disc, and cervical herniated discs.Request Sample copy atOn the basis of diagnosis, it is segmented into physical examination, nerve conduction test, and imaging tests.On the basis of treatment, this market is segmented into medications, therapy, and surgery.Regional analysis of Slip Disc Market:Considering the global scenario of the market, the Americas hold the largest share in the global slip disc market. In the American market North America is one of the leading markets which is expected to reach 4,542.8 million in 2023. Some other factors such as increasing cases of spinal injuries plays an important role in market growth. Latin America market is also growing significantly, lumbar herniated disc market is expected to hold the largest market share in this market.Due Increasing funding for research and new product development, European region is also expected to grow significantly during the forecast period. Europe is the second largest market and holding around 31.0% market share in global slip disc market. Availability of advanced diagnostic and treatment facilities, skilled medical professionals, high healthcare expenditure and adoption of new therapies are driving the growth for this market.The prevalence of slip disc in Asia Pacific region is key factor for the market growth. Rising awareness about the slip disc and related cure is playing important role in the growth of the market. Growing number of patients suffering from back pain either severe or mild is leading the market growth. China is holding the largest share in this market. Asia Pacific slip disc market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.0% during the forecast period of 2017-2023.Middle East & Africa is expected to have the least growth in this market due to some major factors such as lack of awareness about the slip disc, limited access and availability of diagnostic and treatment facilities, low income etc. Middle East holds 70.9% market share in the Middle East & Africa slip disc market.Slip Disc Market  Top Players:Captiva Spine, Inc. (US), DePuy Synthes Companies (US), GlaxoSmithKline plc (UK), Globus Medical, Inc. (US), NuVasive, Inc. (US), Pfizer Inc. (US), and TEVA Pharmaceutical LTD (Israel), etc.Browse Complete 108 Pages Premium Research Report Enabled with Respective Tables and Figures atAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune  411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Connected Healthcare (CH) Industry Prominent Players - Allscripts, Athenahealth, Boston Scientific Corporation, Cerner, Koninklijke Philips N.V., GE healthcare, Qualcomm, etc

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Global Connected Healthcare Market  OverviewGlobally, healthcare expenses are on the rise and the major reason for this is the challenges involved in efficient healthcare delivery. The global market for connected healthcare is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 30.2% during the forecast period 2016-2022.In hospitals & clinics, there is a large vacancy rate for specialists and physicians and is a lack of sufficient beds. The critical care waiting times are also on the rise and these prevalent chronic conditions require long hospitalization times. Furthermore, the industrys economics have long been driven by paying for care delivered; ignoring the most important part of the care process and it is the outcome.Several transformations have attempted to change the present circumstances which must address the needs of all the major forces in the healthcare ecosystem which include the payers, providers and the patients.Request Sample copy atThe healthcare providers face cost pressures because of the increasing burden on the healthcare delivery system. Payers target reducing hospitalization time and controlling hospital visits and admissions to ensure lower insurance pay outs. Patients want quicker outcomes and choice in the healthcare ecosystem.Connected health is a new model for healthcare delivery which provides healthcare services remotely. These healthcare solutions consolidate information from many different spheres of a persons world to give a complete picture of their health that includes biological, genetic, medical, lifestyle and sentiment/mood data.These solutions put the patient at the center of the healthcare system gathering, linking and interpreting information from many different sources to enable informed, patient-centered care decisions.Regional Analysis of Global Connected Healthcare Market:Globally North America is the largest market for Connected Healthcare. The North American market for Connected Healthcare is expected to reach at USD 37.38 billion by the end of the forecasted period.Browse Complete 152 Pages Premium Research Report Enabled with 100+ Respective Tables and Figures atEurope is the second-largest market for Connected Healthcare which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 30.48%. Asia pacific region is expected to be fastest growing region in Connected Healthcare market.Connected Healthcare Market - Segments:Global Connected Healthcare market has been segmented on the basis of type which comprises of M-health devices, M-health services and E-prescription. On the basis of application; market is segmented into Monitoring Applications, Diagnosis & Treatment, Education and Awareness, Healthcare Management, Wellness & Prevention and others.Vital Players:AllscriptsAthenahealthBoston Scientific CorporationCernerAgamatrixAirstrip TechnologyAliveCorAnd more.Major TOC of Connected Healthcare Market Research Report- Global Forecast to 2022:1 Report Prologue2 Introduction3 Research Methodology4 Market Dynamics5 Market Factor Analysis6 Connected Healthcare Market, By Types7 Connected Healthcare Market, By Applications8 Connected Healthcare Market, By Regions9 Competitive Landscape10 Company ProfileCheck Discount atAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune  411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Under state law, he must serve 85 percent of the 60-year term and register as a sexual offender for the rest of his life, the release said. Jackson is eligible for day-for-day credit on the 3-year sentence and received credit for the 45 days served in the Kane County jail.
Automotive Active Grille Shutter (AGS) Market to reach US$ 1078.7 million in 2023

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Stratview Research has published a new research report on Automotive Active Grille Shutter (AGS) Market. This extensive 210-page report by Stratview Research analyses the growth of Automotive Active Grille Shutter (AGS) Market over the trend period of 2012 to 2017 and forecast period of 2018 to 2023 under the following segments - By Vehicle Type (Passenger Car, Light Commercial Vehicle, Medium- & Heavy-Duty Commercial Vehicle) By Shutter Vanes Type (Horizontal Vanes, Vertical Vanes) By Shutter Type (Visible AGS, Non-Visible AGS) By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Rest of the World)Go through the detailed scope:OrGet a free sample of the report:Advancement in aerodynamic technologies in automotive industryActive grille shutter is an advanced mechatronic component, which performs a key function of selectively allowing or restricting airflow with an automatic opening and closing of shutters based on real-time needs. This results in reducing aerodynamic drag to an extent and improving the fuel economy of the vehicle, thereby leading to reduced CO2 emissions. The automotive industry is very keen on adopting technologies, which lead to an improvement in fuel economy and a reduction in harmful emissions.The automotive active grille shutter market is likely to grow at an impressive double-digit rate over the next five years to reach US$ 1078.7 million in 2023. The auto industry has efficaciously been ushering in a new era of aerodynamic vehicles with a meticulous investment into advanced components that can address the changing business requirements in the most effective manner. All the major automakers have vigorously been incorporating active components in their most-renowned vehicle models with the purpose to improve the overall fuel efficiency of vehicles in order to address stringent government regulations, such as CAFE Standards and EU Commission on Carbon Emissions Reduction Targets.Active grille shutter is a key component of active aerodynamic family and has been catching the automakers attention by offering a vast list of advantages. On an average, AGS offers signification weight reduction up to 20% and improvement in aerodynamic performance up to 30% as compared to non-AGS vehicle. Today, AGS has successfully found its presence in both premium vehicle models as well as mass-produced vehicle models of almost all major automakers including Ford, GM, Toyota, BMW, Lincoln, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, and Rolls Royce.Incessant increase in its penetration in the automotive industry is the biggest factor driving the market for AGSThe biggest factor driving the market for AGS is an incessant increase in its penetration in the automotive industry year on year as all the major automakers are incorporating this technology in their major vehicle models. One side, major automakers are working closely with the AGS suppliers in order to make their vehicle more fuel efficient, whereas another side, AGS suppliers are working hard to quickly meet automakers rising demand for a well-engineered, high-quality AGS system that helps to address fuel economy standards.AGS has a disruptive journey so far in the automotive industry and has evolved a lot with changing market needs and designs. However, to maintain the growth momentum, AGS must to adapt itself as per the new business environments including a greater incorporation of ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems) electronics, such as auto-braking and auto cruise control; the development of new diesel and electric engines; and introduction of more stringent regulations regarding pedestrian protection and carbon emission reductions. Development of innovative AGS solutions is an indispensable focus area of the AGS suppliers based on the requirements of auto OEMs. The market for AGS is marked by major global automotive tier players including Rochling Automotive, Magna International Inc., and Valeo SA. Also, it is expected that the excellent growth of active grill shutters may entice other players to enter the market to tap the growth potential.Passenger car is expected to remain the growth engineThe global automotive active grille shutter market is segmented based on the vehicle type as Passenger Car, LCV (Light Commercial Vehicle) and M&HCV (Medium- and Heavy-Duty Commercial Vehicle). A passenger car is expected to remain the growth engine of the global automotive active grille shutter market during the forecast period of 2018 to 2023. Increasing production of passenger cars coupled with increasing penetration of AGS in passenger car models is likely to elevate the demand for AGS in the passenger car segment.Horizontal vane-based active grille shutter is expected to remain most dominant typeBased on the shutter vanes type, the automotive active grille shutter market is segmented as Horizontal Vanes and Vertical Vanes. Horizontal vane-based active grille shutter is expected to remain most dominant type in the global automotive active grille shutter market during the forecast period. Both horizontal, as well as vertical vane segments, are likely to witness healthy growth rates over the next five years.Asia-Pacific is likely to depict the highest growthBased on the regions, Europe is expected to remain the largest automotive active grille shutter market during the forecast period. Stricter emission norms of European Commission have led to a faster adoption of active grille shutter into European vehicles. Ford Focus & Fusion, BMW 5 Series & 7 Series, Renault Twingo & Talisman, Citroen C4 Picasso, and Audi Q7 are some key European models that have active grille shutters. Asia-Pacific is likely to depict the highest growth during the forecast period with China being the key source of growth.Key PlayersThe supply chain of this market comprises raw material suppliers, actuator suppliers, automotive active grille shutter manufacturers, automotive OEMs, and dealers, and end-users. the key raw material suppliers for automotive active grille shutter are Lanxess AG, Celanese Corporation, and BASF SE, whereas some of the major active grille shutter actuator suppliers are Hella KGaA Hueck & Co., Sonceboz SA, Johnson Electric, and Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG.The key automotive active grille shutter manufacturers are Rochling Automotive, Magna International Inc., Valeo SA, SRG Global, HBPO, and Shape Corporation. The development of integrated active grille shutters and forming strategic alliances with the automakers are the key strategies adopted by the major players to gain a competitive edge in the market.Why Stratview ResearchOur report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights on the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report: Automotive Active Grille Shutter (AGS) Market overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis Growth drivers and constraints, Porters five forces analysis, SWOT analysis Market trend (2012  2017) and forecast analysis (2018-2023) of each segment. Competitors market share, product portfolio and new launches. Growth opportunities in each segment. Emerging trends which will decide the future course of development. Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players Key success factors.Click Here for Other Reports from Stratview Research in the Automotive Industry:About Stratview ResearchStratview Research is a trusted brand globally, providing high quality research and strategic insights that help companies worldwide in effective decision making.400 Renaissance Center, Suite 2600, Detroit, Michigan, MI 48243 United States of America
Composite Simulation Software Market Worth US$ 76.8 million in 2023

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Stratview Research announces the launch of a new research report on Composite Simulation Software Market. This extensive report from Stratview Research, studies the Composite Simulation Software Market over the trend period of 2012 to 2017 and forecast period of 2018 to 2023. The report provides detailed insights on the market dynamics to enable informed business decision making and growth strategy formulation based on the opportunities present in the market.Click here to read the detailed description:This Composite Simulation Software Market analysis has been segmented in Three ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. by End-Use Industry Type (Aerospace & Defense, Transportation, Wind Energy, Building & Construction, Marine and Others)  Aerospace and defense industry is expected to remain the largest market by Software Type (Computer-Aided Design, Computer-Aided Engineering, and Computer-Aided Manufacturing)  CAD is the most used simulation software and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)  North America is expected to remain the largest marketGo through the detailed TOC:OrGet a free sample:The Simulation Software Market in the Composites Industry: HighlightsThe next five years for the composite simulation software market are going to be vigorous with attractive growth opportunities in the entire ecosystem of the market. The global composite simulation software market is projected to grow at an impressive rate over the next five years to reach an estimated value of US$ 76.8 million in 2023. Increasing penetration of composites in various end-use industries including aerospace & defense and automotive, higher demand for automation and faster production processes, and increasing demand for simulation software from design to production are some of the major growth drivers of the market.Composite Simulation Software Market ForecastThe composites industry currently accounts for a minuscule share of the total simulation software market, but is likely to be one of the fastest-growing applications in the foreseen future. All the major players are keenly showing an interest to participate in the market to capture a larger pie of the market in the foreseen future.Composite materials are far more complex and variable than metals due to the presence of many raw materials, intermediates, and manufacturing processes. It is not easy to produce a final part by developing a right combination of different materials and processes for the first time. Also, there is a big push on the manufacturing side to streamline automation and produce high-quality composite parts faster. Machine throughput is extremely critical to maintain the growth momentum of composites in mass volume industries like transportation. Simulation software helps composite stakeholders in the designing, development, and production of composite parts more efficiently. It stimulates digitally and minimizes the risk of the expensive proposition of producing physical parts. Over the past few years, theres been a big push to add or expand composite-focused simulation tools to existing software suites.Aerospace and defense industry is expected to remain the largest market for simulation software in the composites industry. Composites are gaining ground on the major next-generation aircraft, such as B787, A350XWB, and A220. All the major aerospace and defense OEMs are searching out the possibility of using composites in most of the structural applications of their upcoming aircraft. This is driving the demand for efficient simulation software to minimize the risk of expensive product development.Transportation is expected to experience the highest growth in simulation software demand for composites over the next five years. Increasing use of composites in the structural applications of electric vehicles and premium vehicles are driving the demand for simulation software. All the major simulation software providers for the composites industry are heavily targeting the transportation industry to tap the growing market potential.Composite Simulation Software Market by ApplicationThere are broadly three types of simulation software used in the composites industry: Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer Aided Engineering (CAE), and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM). CAD is the most used simulation software in the global composites industry and is expected to remain largest during the forecast period as well.North America is expected to remain the largest market for composite simulation software over the next five years. The region is the worlds capital in terms of aerospace composites manufacturing with the presence of several aerospace OEMs and tier players. However, Asia-Pacific is likely to experience the highest growth in the demand for composite simulation software because of high growth of composites and a gradual shift of composites manufacturing from North America and Europe to the Asia-Pacific region.The supply chain of this market comprises software developers, designers, part molders, distributors, OEMs, and end users. The global composite simulation software market is highly consolidated with about a dozen players populated worldwide. The key players are Siemens AG, Autodesk Inc, Dassault Systemes, and Altair Engineering. New product development and execution of merger & acquisitions are the key strategies adopted by the major players to gain a competitive edge in the market.Report FeaturesThis report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights into the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report: Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porters five forces analysis, SWOT analysis Market trend and forecast analysis Market segment trend and forecast Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc. Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities Emerging trends Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players Key success factorsClick Here for Other Reports from Stratview Research in the Chemicals & Materials Industry:Stratview Research is a global market intelligence firm offering a wide range of services including syndicated market reports, consulting, sourcing intelligence, and customer research.We have a strong experienced team of industry veterans and research analysts with a perfect blend of wisdom, knowledge and attitude. We have been serving multiple clients across a wide array of industries.400 Renaissance Center,Suite 2600,Detroit, Michigan, MI 48243United States of America
Dinner RTE Foods Market 2018 Global Analysis By Key Players  Nestle, Unilever, Kraft Heinz, McCain Foods Limited, General Mills, Sigma Alimentos

Dinner RTE Foods Market

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WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On  Dinner RTE Foods Market 2018 Global Analysis By Key Players  Nestle, Unilever, Kraft Heinz, McCain Foods Limited, General Mills, Sigma Alimentos.Description:-This report studies the Dinner RTE Foods market, RTE Foods refers to Ready-to-eat Foods.Ready to eat meal products are often referred to as convenience food, for the convenience they provide to the hectic life of people. They are readymade food or almost readymade food that just requires boiling. Depending on the process of production and packaging, they are segmented into canned food, frozen food and chilled food. And because the major drivers of the market arent specific to any region but are globally influencing the market, hence ready to eat meal products market is fast growing uphill and has become the largest market in food industry globally.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Dinner RTE Foods 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.Get a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comIn this study, the market for Dinner RTE Foods consumption divided into five geographic regions: In North America, total Dinner RTE Foods accounted for 38.60 %. In the Europe, total Dinner RTE Foods accounted for 29.92 %. The market in Asia-Pacific Dinner RTE Foods accounted for 21.13 %, in South America 5.66 % and in Middle East and Africa 4.69 %. Among all regions, North America is estimated to represent the highest revenue share. The Asia-Pacific market is likely to contribute a high revenue share to the global Dinner RTE Foods products market.On the basis of product type, the Frozen Dinner RTE Foods segment is projected to account for the largest revenue share during the forecast period; this segment was estimated to account for 64.43% revenue share in 2017.The worldwide market for Dinner RTE Foods is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly 5.9% over the next five years, will reach 127100 million US$ in 2023, from 90100 million US$ in 2017, according to a new GIR (Global Info Research) study.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversNestleUnileverKraft HeinzMcCain Foods LimitedGeneral MillsSigma AlimentosGreencore GroupCampbell SoupConAgraThe Schwan FoodTyson FoodsPinnacle Foods, Inc.Smithfield FoodsHormel FoodsJBSNomad FoodsFleury Michon2 Sisters Food GroupITCMarket 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 etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversFrozen Dinner RTE FoodsChilled Dinner RTE FoodsCanned Dinner RTE FoodsMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoHypermarket/SupermarketIndependent RetailersConvenience StoresOthersThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Dinner RTE Foods market.Chapter 1, to describe Dinner RTE Foods Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Dinner RTE Foods, with sales, revenue, and price of Dinner RTE Foods, 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 Dinner RTE Foods, for each region, from 2013 to 2018;ContinuedEnquiry About Report @Table Of Contents  Major Key Points1 Market Overview1.1 Dinner RTE Foods Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Frozen Dinner RTE Foods1.2.2 Chilled Dinner RTE Foods1.2.3 Canned Dinner RTE Foods1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Hypermarket/Supermarket1.3.2 Independent Retailers1.3.3 Convenience Stores1.3.4 Others1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 United States Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Nestle2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Dinner RTE Foods Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Product A2.1.2.2 Product B2.1.3 Nestle Dinner RTE Foods Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 Unilever2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Dinner RTE Foods Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Product A2.2.2.2 Product B2.2.3 Unilever Dinner RTE Foods Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 Kraft Heinz2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 Dinner RTE Foods Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Product A2.3.2.2 Product B2.3.3 Kraft Heinz Dinner RTE Foods Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4 McCain Foods Limited2.4.1 Business Overview2.4.2 Dinner RTE Foods Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Product A2.4.2.2 Product B2.4.3 McCain Foods Limited Dinner RTE Foods Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5 General Mills2.5.1 Business Overview2.5.2 Dinner RTE Foods Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Product A2.5.2.2 Product B2.5.3 General Mills Dinner RTE Foods Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.6 Sigma Alimentos2.6.1 Business Overview2.6.2 Dinner RTE Foods Type and Applications2.6.2.1 Product A2.6.2.2 Product B2.6.3 Sigma Alimentos Dinner RTE Foods Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.7 Greencore Group2.7.1 Business Overview2.7.2 Dinner RTE Foods Type and Applications2.7.2.1 Product A2.7.2.2 Product B2.7.3 Greencore Group Dinner RTE Foods Sales, Price, 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.
Network Roll-out Services Market 2018  Current Trends, Opportunities & Challenges by 2026

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"The Latest Research Report Network Roll-out Services Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2018 - 2026 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Network roll-out services offer a total suite of services that address Mobile Broadband, Packet Transport, Transmission, IP, Fiber, and Multi-Vendor Networks for administrators and other industry clients. Network roll-out services are preferred by telcos, as they provide low cost of total ownership, quality results, and faster time to launch their products/services in the market.Major factors fueling the network roll-out services market include rise in demand for faster and reliable communication networks, increase in adoption of optical communication, and reduction in capital investment. The global telecommunications market is undergoing continuous transformation owing to the ongoing innovations and developments taking place consistently and at a rapid pace. Network roll-out services witnessed significant demand due to various factors such as long distance signal transmission, transmission security, low attenuation, high bandwidth, smaller diameter, and lightweight structure. The application of network roll-out services has led to reduced expenses of panels, bays, cabling, labor installation, inconvenience of increased floor space, and congested cable racks. A key driver of the market is that the service provides excellent operations, administration, maintenance, and provisioning capabilities. Developments in network roll-out technologies have contributed to the ongoing deployment of high volume data transmission and also facilitated the technology to offer multiple benefits for ongoing network Capital Expense (CAPEX) reduction and sustained Operational Expense (OPEX) savings. The market provides opportunities to large telecom enterprises in order to provide efficient networking solutions.Get Sample Copy of this report @The network roll-out services market can be segmented based on service type, network type, and transmission type. Based on service type, the network roll-out services market can be classified into active services and passive services. Based on network type, the market can be segregated into wired and wireless network. In terms of transmission type, the network roll-out services market can be categorized into GSM, CDMA, microwave transmission, optical transmission, WiMAX, and Broadband Networks. Based on region, the global network roll-out services market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America.North America is expected to be a major market for network roll-out services, followed by the Europe. Early adoption of 5G and the availability of supporting infrastructure in developed regions are anticipated to be major factors driving the network roll-out services market in North America and Europe. Expansion of the market in Asia Pacific is expected to be driven by countries including China, India, and Japan, which have witnessed a major adoption of such services in the last few years and are becoming a hub of medium as well as small vendors in the region. The Middle East & Africa and South America regions are expected to show a steady growth in the years to come. Country-wise network roll-out service has high penetration rates in Spain and South Korea, followed by Germany, Mexico, Argentina, the U.S., France, Brazil, Romania, and Colombia.Currently, the market witnesses the presence of a few well-established players who account for a major share, by introducing new competitive solutions and services in the market. The companies are strengthening their position through mergers & acquisitions and continuously investing in research and development (R&D) activities in order to come up with solutions to cater to the customers changing requirements. Furthermore, the vendors are planning to invest in artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and advanced machine learning with a target to provide cost competitive and technologically advanced solutions in the market.Key players operating in the global network roll-out services market include Alcatel-Lucent S.A.., Genband Inc., Ericsson, Interop Technologies., Huawei Device Co., Ltd, Nokia Networks, Vodafone group plc., SAP AG, GTL Limited, Infosys Limited, TATA Communications, Wipro Limited, and Tata Consultancy Services Limited.Request For TOC Report @MRR.BIZ has been compiled in-depth market research data in the report after exhaustive primary and secondary research. Our team of able, experienced in-house analysts has collated the information through personal interviews and study of industry databases, journals, and reputable paid sources.The report provides the following information:Tailwinds and headwinds molding the markets trajectoryMarket segments based on products, technology, and applicationsProspects of each segmentOverall current and possible future size of the marketGrowth pace of the marketCompetitive landscape and key players strategiesThe main aim of the report is to:Enable key stakeholders in the market bet right on itUnderstand the opportunities and pitfalls awaiting themAssess the overall growth scope in the near termStrategize effectively with respect to production and distributionMRR.BIZ is a leading provider of strategic market research. Our vast repository consists research reports, data books, company profiles, and regional market data sheets. We regularly update the data and analysis of a wide-ranging products and services around the world. As readers, you will have access to the latest information on almost 300 industries and their sub-segments. Both large Fortune 500 companies and SMEs have found those useful. This is because we customize our offerings keeping in mind the specific requirements of our clients.Request To PRE BOOK This Premium Report From Here @About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Printing Machines Market to Reflect Steady Growth Rate by 2026

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Future Market Insights exclusive study on the global printing machines market delivers a forecast on how the demand for printing machines will shape up in the years to come. According to the research study, the global market for printing machines will be worth over US$ 25 Bn by the end of the forecast period, 2017-2026. During this period, the market is poised to expand at a moderate CAGR of 4.1% as a range of factors are likely to restrain the production and sales of printing machines.Request more information of Report with table of contents and Figures @One of the key restraints for the global printing machines market is the stringent environmental laws. Manufacturers of printing machines are compelled to modify their production techniques and create machines that can optimize the use of printing inks. Since these inks contain VOCs, strict environmental laws are curbing the commercialization of machines that arent able to optimize the use of printing inks. In addition, the report also projects that increasing penetration of electronic devices will lower the need for printing, and ultimately limit the demand for printing machines in the near future. Printed hoardings on streets will be replaced by digital signage, and consumers will gradually shift to print-free media. Leading manufacturers of printing machines, which are the key stakeholders in the global printing machines market, will face the brunt of the changing dynamics as such. The study reveals that companies namely, Agfa-Gevaert Group, Oce Imagistics, Inc., Bobst Group SA, Fujifilm Holdings Corporation, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company, Koenig & Bauer AG, Komori Corporation, Apex Machine Company Inc., and Cerutti Group will remain active in the expansion of the global printing machines market through 2026.High Demand for Offset Lithography Printing MachinesA majority of key players in the global printing machines market are focusing on increasing the production of offset lithography printers. Competitive advantage of offset lithography when compared to digital printing techniques and flexography will continue to drive the demand for such machines. By the end of 2026, over US$ 12.7 Bn worth of offset lithography printing machines are expected to be sold across the globe. Digital printing machines, on the other hand, will register a CAGR of 5.4%, reflecting fastest sales during the forecast period.APEJ and North America  Leading Markets for Printing MachinesRegional analysis and forecast, developed in the study, projects that the printing machines market in North America and Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region will register impressive growth. By 2017-end, the printing machines markets in these regions are expected to be worth over US$ 4 Bn individually. North America is anticipated to record higher sales of printing machines due to booming packaging businesses in the US and Canada, while the APEJ printing machines market will be characterized by mass-scale production of printing machines at affordable costs.Request to Report Methodology @Global Printing Machines Market: Additional Forecast HighlightsThe report has further revealed that:By 2017, paper and paperboard will be the leading type of substrate used in printing machines. Revenues procured from sales of paper and paperboard substrates for printing machines is estimated to net over US$ 8 Bn in global revenues by the end of 2017.Packaging is expected to be the leading end-use industry for printing machines, accounting for nearly half of the global market value by 2017 and beyond.Throughout the forecast period, printing machines will be predominantly used in packaging and labelling applications.Ask a question to Analyst @ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Coating Resins Market Global Leaders Share and Size Analysis | rkema SA (France), DowDuPont (US), BASF SE (Germany), Allnex Group (Germany), Wacker Chemie AG (Germany), Royal DSM NV (Netherlands), Aekyung Chemical Co. Ltd

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Global Coating Resins Market: Information by Type (Acrylic, Alkyd, Epoxy, Polyurethane, Vinyl), Technology (Water-Borne, Solvent-Borne, Powder, UV-Cured), Application (Industrial, Automotive, Architectural, Packaging, Electronics), RegionForecast till 2023Market Overview:Coating resins provide specific protective attributes including resistance to alkali, corrosion, fire, and chemicals. In addition, coating resins exhibit fast drying, high gloss, color retention, good adhesion, stain resistance, and pigment dispersion properties when used in architectural applications. The increasing demand for coating resins in the building and construction industry is expected to drive market growth during the forecast period. Furthermore, the rising use of powder and water-based coating resins in the automotive industry is projected to further drive market growth in the coming years.Competitive Analysis:Some of the prominent players in the global coating resins market are Arkema SA (France), DowDuPont (US), BASF SE (Germany), Allnex Group (Germany), Wacker Chemie AG (Germany), Royal DSM NV (Netherlands), Aekyung Chemical Co. Ltd (South Korea), DIC Corporation (Japan), Tosoh Corporation (Japan), WAestlake Chemical Corporation (US), Nippon Shokubai Co. Ltd (Japan), Neville Chemical Company (US), and Ferro Coating Resins (South Africa)Receive a Exclusive Sample Report @Market Segmentation:The global coating resins market has been segregated on the basis of type, technology, application, and region.By type, the global coating resins market has been segmented into acrylic, alkyd, epoxy, polyurethane, vinyl, and others. The acrylic segment is projected to account for the largest share of the market during the forecast period due to the excellent surface protection, dirt resistance, gloss retention, resistance to chemicals, water and stains, and drying characteristics of acrylic coating resins. These resins are used in primers, stains, sealers, and topcoats. The increasing demand for acrylic resins in various industries is likely to drive market growth during the forecast period.On the basis of technology, the global coating resins market has been segregated into water-borne, solvent-borne, powder, UV-cured, and others. The water-borne and powder coating technologies have been gaining significance in recent years due to the increasing demand for low volatile organic compound (VOC) content coatings. The powder coating segment is expected to dominate the market during the review period owing to the high transfer efficiency, good exterior durability, and largely recoverable overspray of these coatings. Also, it is cost-effective and easy to use with minimal VOC content. The increasing use of powder coatings in industrial and automotive applications is projected to favor market growth during the review period.Based on application, the global coating resins market has been divided into industrial, automotive, architectural, packaging, electronics, and others. The architectural segment accounted for the majority share of the global coating resins market in 2017. This can be attributed to the robust growth of the building and construction industry where coating resins are used for roofs, walls, and decks.Access Report @Regional Analysis:Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa are the five key regions studied for the global coating resins market. In 2017, Asia-Pacific dominated the global coating resins market owing to increasing product demand in the automotive and building and construction industries. Moreover, rapid industrialization coupled with the growing use of coating resins in industrial coatings is further driving the growth of the regional market.The other significant markets for coating resins are North America and Europe. Increasing demand for the product in industrial and automotive applications is expected to favor the growth of these regional markets.Intended Audience:Coating resins manufacturersTraders and distributors of coating resinsResearch and development institutesPotential investorsRaw material suppliersNationalized laboratoriesTABLE OF CONTENTS1 Executive Summary2 Scope Of The Report2.1 Market DefinitionA2.2 Scope Of The Study2.3 List Of Assumptions2.4 Market Structure3 Market Research Methodology3.1 Research Process3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size Estimation3.5 Forecast Model4 Market Factor AnalysisAt 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.Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Global In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Market Research and Forecast, 2018-2023

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Increasing Trends of Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) will fuel the growth of in-vitro fertilization market in the forecast period.According to the OMR analysis, the in-vitro fertilization market is expected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period (2018-2023). The global in-vitro fertilization market has witnessed a significant growth due to the rise in ART. The in-vitro fertilization market is segmented on the basis of procedure and end-user. The report provides detailed and insightful chapters on market overview, key findings, strategic recommendations, market estimations, market determinants, key company analysis, patent analysis, market insights, company profiling, market segmentation, geographical analysis and analyst insights.A full report of in-vitro fertilization market is available at:The global in-vitro fertilization market will show significant rising due to increasing trends of ART across the globe with Europe being the most dominant region followed by North America. The factors that support the in-vitro fertilization in these regions includes increasing infertility due to the external factors relating to ill-health, increasing consumption of junk food, lack of physical inactivity and the ever-increasing mental stress on the body. Apart from the genetic mutation taking place within the body due to the changing lifestyle and improper nourishment that negatively affects the reproductive cells, there have been hormonal imbalances within the body. There have been various procedures followed by ART such as surrogacy, fertility medication and in-vitro fertilization which has capabilities to treat infertility. The IVF can be done by two fertilization methods that are intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and insemination. The IVF doesnt come as a cheap alternative for the citizens in the emerging economies and this medication procedure is mostly out of reach for the common man. This makes the treatment quite niche for all the emerging countries as well as the developed and matured markets for IVF. These markets have the same restraining factor of lack of cost efficiency and hence would restrict the market to grow exponentially.The global in-vitro fertilization market is segmented on the basis of geography into North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Rest of the World. Europe contributes to the largest share in the in-vitro fertilization market, owing to the increasing trend in ART. North America has a dominant market share trailing the European market. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market in the in-vitro fertilization market over the forecast period. This is due to the changing lifestyle and ever-increasing pollution coupled with the globalization of junk food consumed.The report covers:Comprehensive research methodology of global in-vitro fertilization marketThis report also includes detailed and extensive market overview with key analyst insights.Exhaustive analysis of macro and micro factors influencing the market guided by key recommendations.Analysis of regional regulations and other government policies impacting the global in-vitro fertilization marketInsights about market determinants which are stimulating the global in-vitro fertilization marketDetailed and extensive market segments with regional distribution of forecasted revenues.Extensive profiles and recent developments of market players.For related reports please visit:For more updates follow LinkedIn:About Orion Market ResearchOrion Market Research (OMR) a research company known for its crisp and concise reports. The company is equipped with an experienced team and young brigade of analysts. The company aims to provide business insights for decision making to the global clients and offers quality syndicated research reports, customized research reports, Company profiling, consulting and other research-based services. OMR provide global and regional market reports of various domains such as healthcare, energy, IT, chemicals, and automobiles. OMR provide a 360-degree view of the market with parametric analysis, key market insights, key findings, statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, extensive segmentation, key trends, strategic recommendations and detailed company profiles.Contact usOrion Market Research Pvt Ltd116, Shagun Arcade, Vijay Nagar SquareIndore  India- 452010Email: info@omrglobal.comIndia: +91-780-304-0404, +91-917-982-8694Global: +1-646-755-7667
E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market-Industry Size, Analysis, Trend, Outlook, Growth Factors, Key Opportunities, Segmentation, New Technology and Forecast till 2023

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Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market 2018 Industry Research Report provides important statistics, analytical and comparative data to give a complete understanding of the market Size, Share, Growth, Rising Trends, Sales Revenue, Sales Volume, Price, Cost Structure and Cost Margin analysis.Industry SegmentsThe market has been segmented on the basis of product type and region. By product type the types are disposable e-cigarette, rechargeable e-cigarette, ego and tanks, personal vaporizers and mods and others. On the basis of region the market includes regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Others.Disposable e-cigarettes have accounted for the largest market size by product type in 2015 accounting for nearly 30% of the market size closely followed by rechargeable e-cigarette. Personal vaporizers will grow at a CAGR over 23.5% through the forecast period.E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market  OverviewE cigarettes & vaporizers have emerged as a popular alternatives to traditional consumption methods for tobacco and other substances consumption. Market Research Future, a firm which specializes in market reports related to Food, Beverages & Nutrition sector among others, recently published a report on this market. The global E-cigarettes & vaporizer market is expected to grow at a CAGR rate of over 25.0% over the period of 2016 to 2021.E cigarettes have been growing in popularity and demand in recent times due to extensive word of mouth popularity and promotion through popular culture. Increase in number of cancer cases due to cigarette consumption has prompted migration of demand to this sector. Rise in number of individuals wanting to quit smoking has also considerably increased the demand for this industry.Get Sample Copy of this Report here -Global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market: Key Players:-Altria Group, INC, Ballantyne Brands, LLC, British American Tobacco Plc (Bat), CB Distributors, Bull Smoke, INC, Cigavette, Clearette Electronic Cigarette Co, Cloudcig, Gamucci Electronic Cigarettes, Electronic Cigarettes International Group, Fontem Ventures, Fin Branding Group LLC and others.Regional Analysis:-Currently, North America is the largest consumer of E-Cigarettes & Vaporizer in the world market. It is closely followed by Europe. Although, China began as the first market for E-Cigarettes & Vaporizer, the U.S. and developed markets from Europe became the prime consumers of E-Cigarettes & Vaporizer, due to which these two regions collectively account for over 80% of the world market. APAC will be growing at the fastest CAGR, accounting for more than 20% of the global e-cigarette market value by 2021. Significant revenue flow will be observed from China and India over the forecast period.Market Research Analysis:The global E-Cigarette & Vaporizer market is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period, due to the growth in the end-use industry. The demand is augmented essentially due to the rapid growth in residential construction in region of Asia-pacific. The market has been segmented on the basis of application into residential and non-residential. Residential construction is expected to lead the market with largest market size followed by non-residential segment, which includes commercial spaces, manufacturing industry and public utility spaces. However factors such as sustainability issues in construction industry is expected to hamper the market growth during the forecast period.The reports also covers brief analysis of Geographical Region includes:AmericasNorth America (US, Canada)Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Rest of LATAM)EuropeWestern Europe (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, U.K, Rest of Western Europe)Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)Asia  PacificAsia (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Rest of Asia)Pacific Countries (Australia, New Zealand)Middle East & AfricaMiddle East (Saudi, Qatar, UAE)Rest of Middle East (Africa, South Africa, Rest of Africa)Full report on E-Cigarette & Vaporizer Market report spread across 125 pages, profiling 15 companies and supported with tables and figures available @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.Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@Market research future.com
What are the profits of corporate training?

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The motivation behind corporate training is to furnish the representatives with the important aptitudes which would enable them to accomplish business objectives and destinations. Organizations progress in the direction of setting up the representatives for administration the board, individuals the executives and other administration strategies.These are proficient courses which give an edge to your profession. The Corporate Training Courses enable you to support your specialized information. To expansion to that, they enable you to learn new work approaches and creative methodologies.There are different advantages of corporate training:1. Solidarity:The greatest advantage of corporate training is the solidarity it gets at work places. The training essentially causes representatives to make progress together paying little respect to the foundations of these identities.2. Clients:Each business significantly depends on their clients and customers. There would be no advancement without them and it's fundamental for each business to deal with their clients or customers in the most ideal way. Corporate training help grows best client benefit rehearses.3. Dated Practices:Corporate training can have representatives prepared in explicit obligations dependent on the idea of their work. The areas of the activity continue changing and it's basic for workers to be in the know regarding the most recent patterns in their field of ability to keep them focused.4. Pioneers:Corporate training programs help support pioneers from inside the accomplishment of your association. Numerous associations, be that as it may, attempt to contract pioneers from outside the association to enable the organization to develop spending additional assets.5. Strategies and methods:Corporate training sessions will always remind the workers about the strategies and methods. They additionally continually repeat on how the undertakings ought to be performed. Clinging to the arrangements is imperative particularly for the managerial piece of the association.To Know More Information-HTS is one of the Global Certified Center in Delhi, India for Computer and Software CoursesN-18, Kalkaji, New Delhi - 110019
Li-ion Portable Battery Market  Overview On Future Threats 2025 | BAK Battery Co. Ltd., BYD Company Ltd., LG Chem Ltd.,Panasonic Corp

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Global Li-Ion Portable Battery Market: OverviewCurrently, the global market for Li-Ion portable batteries is in its nascent stage; however, it is poised to undergo a phase of positive growth over the next few years.The technological advancements of LI-Ion batteries and the increasing investments to augment the research activities for the development of highly efficient Li-Ion portable batteries are expected to boost this market substantially in the near future.Request Sample Copy of the Report @This comprehensive research report on the global market for supercritical boilers offers a thorough evaluation of this market, emphasizing specifically on its historical and current performance. The growth potential of this market has also been examined at length in this research study to determine its future status.Global Li-Ion Portable Battery Market: Key TrendsWith the growing demand for electric vehicles, the market for Li-Ion portable batteries is witnessing a significant rise across the world. The augmenting usage of Li-Ion batteries smart devices and several other types of non-durable consumer devices are likely to act as a catalyst to this market in the coming years. The stringent government policies regarding the consumption of fuels is also projected to aid this market over the next few years.Global Li-Ion Portable Battery Market: Market PotentialThe global Li-Ion portable batteries market is gaining significantly from the rising awareness among consumers regarding the advantages these batteries can offer to environment against the regular batteries, as they do not emit carbon. Apart from this, the augmented usage of Li-Ion batteries in various consumer devices and the advent of electric and hybrid vehicles are also projected to boost this market substantially in the years to come.Overall, the future of the worldwide market for Li-Ion portable batteries looks bright. However, the high costs of these batteries may create hindrances for this market over the forthcoming years.Request TOC of the Report @Global Li-Ion Portable Battery Market: Regional OutlookThe global market for Li-Ion portable batteries reports its presence across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific (APAC), and the Rest of the World (RoW). Asia Pacific have surfaced as the key contributors to this market, thanks to the rising awareness among consumers regarding the benefits of these batteries on environment.With the high investment on research and development and the advent of China as the leading domestic market for electric vehicles, Asias Pacific is anticipated to acquire the topmost position in the global market over the forthcoming years. Among other regional markets, North America is likely to report a significant rise in the near future, thanks to the increasing investments in research and development activities.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Global Li-Ion Portable Battery Market: Competitive AnalysisThe global Li-Ion portable battery market is fragmented and competitive in nature with a large pool of players. BAK Battery Co. Ltd., BYD Company Ltd., LG Chem Ltd.,Panasonic Corp., GS Yuasa Corp., Johnson Controls Inc., Toshiba Corp., and A123 Systems LLC. are some of the leading players in this market.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
I understand that jumping from $25,000 to $51,000 is a significant increase, board member Phil Costello said at a meeting Dec. 3, but I think this is the type of innovation that we as a district need to take to reach out to the community, make sure were a part of the community. I think its a good investment even if I cant see tangible results right here today.
Extremity Reconstruction Market - Scope & Overview to 2025 | Stryker Corporation, Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc

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Global Extremity Reconstruction Market: SnapshotExtremity reconstruction implies the restoration of limbs and limb functions to patients who have suffered the removal of limbs due to trauma or medical removal after cancer or other issues. This also includes limb removal after vascular diseases, metabolic diseases, infections, or rheumatoid arthritis. Lower extremity reconstruction involves three key segments based on the location of the wound, into knees, feet, and the tibia bone. Extremity reconstruction can allow for a high level of restoration of mobility and lifestyle to patients. Owing to the increasing counts of patients suffering from cancers, chronic diseases, and accident related injuries that result in the removal of extremities, it is becoming increasingly important for developments in this field to take up greater investments from the healthcare industry.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Plastic surgeons can also make use of flaps or skin grafts to hide the wounds on extremities, giving patients a significantly faster recovery rate into daily life and a normal lifestyle. Nearly all types of extremity reconstruction surgeries will require the use of general anesthesia. Additional care is also needed from the patients side post-surgery. For example, they are expected to follow s stricter diet for the speedy recovery of limbs. Smokers are especially encouraged to quit in order to prevent deterioration of wound and to normalize the overall healing rate.Global Extremity Reconstruction Market : SnapshotThe global market for extremity reconstruction is expected to witness a high level of growth in the next few years. The rising number of cases of abnormalities and injuries in the lower and upper extremity of the human body is one of the vital factors estimated to encourage the growth of the global market in the coming years. In addition, several advancements in the healthcare infrastructure are anticipated to accelerate the development of the market in the near future. The implant devices for different parts of the human body comprises the extremity reconstruction market in the coming years.A tremendous rise in the geriatric population and the rising incidences of obesity and diabetes are some of the major factors that are estimated to fuel the development of the global extremity reconstruction market in the near future. Moreover, the increasing cases of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid are likely to accelerate the growth of the market in the coming years. The rising awareness regarding the benefits of small joint reconstruction implants among patients is predicted to encourage the growth of the global extremity reconstruction market in the next few years.Request TOC of the Report @Technological advancements and the availability of required infrastructure are projected to augment extremity reconstruction market in North America market in the next few years. The leading players operating in the extremity reconstruction market across the globe are emphasizing on introducing innovative implants in order to attract a large number of consumers and attain a leading position in the market. Additionally, the rising level of competition is predicted to expand the product portfolio and benefit the patients in the coming years.Global Extremity Reconstruction Market: OverviewThe increasing incidence of injuries, abnormalities, and congenital defects in the upper or lower extremity of human body has fuelled the demand for reconstructive surgical procedures. Implant devices for the shoulder, wrist, ankle joints, digits, elbow, and foot are part of the extremity reconstruction market.The primary driver of the global extremity reconstruction market is the large pool of geriatric population. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, with a rise in the geriatric population in the U.S., by the year 2040, the number of patients affected by arthritis is expected to increase to 78 million. Since aged people are more prone to injuries, growth in geriatric population is expected to fuel the demand for reconstructive surgical procedures.Global Extremity Reconstruction Market: Key TrendsThe rising incidence of joint disorders such as rheumatoid and osteoarthritis arthritis, coupled with the globally increasing incidence of diabetes and obesity, and rising geriatric population are driving the global extremity reconstruction market. Moreover, growing awareness among patients about the advantages of small joint reconstruction implants and enhanced technology such as development of reverse shoulder implants, stem less shoulder implants, and ankle reconstruction implants, which aid in recovering ankle mobility are projected to boost the market. The zest to get back to the active lifestyle, post-injury or trauma will supplement the demand for extremity reconstruction surgeries.On the downside, complications associated with extremity reconstruction surgeries and unfavorable reimbursement scenario will pose as threat to the global extremity reconstruction market.Global Extremity Reconstruction Market: Market PotentialThe global market for extremity reconstruction surgeries is evolving at fast pace. 3D implants are fast gaining traction among arthritis patients. It helps in better motion, it is less painful, and results in quick recovery. Various market giants have largely invested in this technology, to hold their position over the forecast period.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @In February 2016, Zimmer Biomet received the US FDA approval for its 3D printed ankle fusion system. Similarly, in 2015 Stryker added 3D printed patellas and tibial baseplates to their Triathlon Tritanium Cone Augments and Triathlon Tritanium Knee System, which are used in knee surgeries. The company also has plans to build 3D manufacturing facility with investment of around US$ 400 mn.Recently, a shoulder hemiarthroplasty or a shoulder replacement surgery was successfully carried out in Gandhi Hospital. This is a first-of-its-kind surgery performed by the doctors of the state-run hospital. Shoulder arthroplasty is a fast evolving field of orthopedics concentrated on treating specific, painful ailments of the gleno humeral articulation.Global Extremity Reconstruction Market: Regional OutlookThe region to hold a leading share of the market is North America, and is expected to grow at a strong rate during the forecast period. Increased awareness regarding the benefits of extremity reconstruction devices, rise in occurrence of joint disorders, coupled with escalating geriatric population, encouraging reimbursement rates, presence of innovative technologies, and quest for better quality of life are the factors fuelling the demand for reconstruction procedures in this region.During the forecast period, Asia Pacific is forecast to emerge as a lucrative market for extremity reconstruction. The rate of growth can be attributed to increase in acceptance of advanced technologies, presence of ample growth opportunities for the treatment of small joint disorders, and rise in awareness about the advantages of extremity reconstruction surgeries.Global Extremity Reconstruction Market: Competitive AnalysisSome of the leading players operating in the global extremity reconstruction market are Arthrex, Inc., DePuy Synthes, Integra Lifesciences Holdings Corporation, Acumed, Inc., CONMED Corporation, Stryker Corporation, Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc., Wright Medical Group N.V., Smith & Nephew plc, and Skeletal Dynamics LLC.The key market participants are bringing out innovative implants, which are wear and corrosion resistant to gain a stronghold in the market. Established players to boost clinical outcomes are making improvements in reconstruction procedures.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends. Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Cancer Gene Therapy Market - Overview On Ongoing Trends 2025 | Aduro Biotech, OncoGeneX

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Global Cancer Gene Therapy Market: SnapshotGene therapy is a massive and swiftly expanding field that could hold promising cures and treatments for several diseases and genetic problems. One of the more innovative segments in gene therapy falls under cancer treatment. It is one of the widely researched aspects of gene therapy, and thanks to increasing interest and investments from both government and private organizations, is showing a swift rate of development towards actually becoming a feasible and strong treatment alternative for cancer. These treatment options could be used to save a large number of lives of patients who are suffering from cancer, a disease that is causing one of the leading causes of deaths.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Of the several types of gene therapy approaches, the more promising ones include gene transfer, oncolytic virotherapy, and immunotherapy. The latest versions of vaccines being developed for cancer using gene therapy, are also expected to show an optimistic rate of development. These vaccines could potentially be used against malignant melanoma, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, and lung cancer, to name a few. Gene therapy involves modifying the genetic information in materials in order to effectively devise a cure.Global Cancer Gene Therapy Market: OverviewCancer results from the multiple mutations in a single cell that makes it to proliferate out of control. Cancer cells invade new cellular territories, have a high metabolic rate, and an altered shape. The various methods to treat cancers are surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. When the aforementioned therapies fail to achieve desired results, gene therapy is leveraged. Gene therapy involves the insertion of a functional gene, also known as therapeutic DNA, into the cells of a cancer patient to rectify the metabolism, to change or repair an acquired genetic abnormality, and to provide a new function to a cell. The two main types of gene therapy are germinal and somatic.Global Cancer Gene Therapy Market: Key TrendsMajorly promoting the global cancer gene therapy market is the swift pace of technological breakthroughs and the growing popularity of emerging genomic technologies like next-generation sequencing and high-density DNA microarrays. Additionally, the government support for these technologies is also slated to stoke growth in the near future. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for example, supports screening programs for breast cancer control and cervical and colorectal cancers among low-income group women sans health insurance in the U.S.Request TOC of the Report @Besides, the rising occurrence of cancer worldwide is will substantially drive up demand for gene therapy in the years ahead. According to WHO, cases of cancer will likely touch US$15 million mark by the end of the decade.Global Cancer Gene Therapy Market: Market PotentialAt present, most of the cancer gene therapy products are in being tested. The market is predicted to grow once the trials bear results. An US pharmaceutical company named Kite Pharma, for example, recently revealed the results from the initial six months of the trial of a new gene therapy treatment called CAR-T cell therapy. It helped up patients own immune cells and has eliminated the disease from one third of terminal patients. Around 36 per cent of the 101 patients on the trial were still in complete remission at six months, and eight in 10 saw their cancer reduced by at least half during the study.Groundbreaking therapies such as this is slated to revolutionize the global cancer gene therapy market.At present, adenoviral vector is a popular oncology application because of its effective nuclear mechanism and low pathogenicity. Adenoviral vectors are leveraged in gene replacement approaches, suicide gene, gene-based immunotherapy, and syndicate gene with chemotherapy. Retroviral vector-mediated gene transfer also plays a key role in the gene therapy industry for it brings about the crucial benefit of changing the single stranded RNA genome into a double stranded DNA molecule, which eventually integrates into the target cell genome.Global Cancer Gene Therapy Market: Regional OutlookNorth America and Europe are key regions in the global cancer gene therapy market on account of a massive elderly population and significant technological progress in the region. In the years ahead, however, the market is Asia Pacific is forecasted to surge on account of supportive government initiatives, improving economy, bettering healthcare infrastructure, and growing thrust on research and development.Global Cancer Gene Therapy Market: Competitive AnalysisSome of the prominent players in the global cancer gene therapy market are Altor Bioscience Corporation, SiBiono., Shanghai Sunway Biotech company Limited, BioCancell, GlobeImmune, Inc.,Aduro Biotech, OncoGeneX, New Link Genetics., ZioPharm Oncology, and GENELUX. At present the market is led by small pioneering biotech firms who may eventually collaborate with prominent players for clinical development or commercialization of products.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends. Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Automotive Air Vent Assembly Market Market Participants Preh GmbH, Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp., Mergon International, MAHLE GmbH, Cascade Engineering, Inc.

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Automotive Air Vent Assembly Market: IntroductionAn Automotive air vent assembly is a part of an automotive HVAC system. It opens up in the interior cabin of a vehicle through which cool air is passed. Its simple in construction, made from light weight plastic materials and has provisions to control the flow of air through flaps. The early concept of the placement of automotive air vent assembly within the cabin of a vehicle used to be primarily at the centre of the dashboard. However, radical changes in the automotive HVAC units coupled with increasing demand from end users for comfort, has made it possible to install an automotive air vent assembly in multiple locations. The manufacturers of automotive air vent assemblies design their product in such a way that it does not deform or warp under both hot air and cold air for a prolonged period of time.Automotive Air Vent Assembly Market DynamicsThe automotive industry is one of the most dynamic industrial verticals in the manufacturing sector. The influence of the automotive industry is such that it has led to the growth of a separate industry known as auto ancillary and components industry. The automotive air vent assembly is a product that falls under the auto ancillary industry and its performance directly depends on the performance of the overall automotive industry. In the present scenario, it can be said that almost all vehicles are equipped with HVAC units. The penetration of HVAC units is so high that even commercial vehicles and earth movers are being fitted with HVAC units as a factory fitment. This is due to the efforts of OEMs to gain a larger market shares in their respective segment by making their products more attractive to customers. All of these factors will lead to healthy growth of the automotive air vent assembly market in future. High end cars are being fitted with automotive air vent assemblies with an inbuilt display unit that shows temperature and other climate data in real time. Technological developments in this niche are expected to enhance the growth of the automotive air vent assembly market. Moreover, significant growth is further expected in the market due to the increase in focus on increasing occupants comfort without compromising the performance of the HVAC units. Lower maintenance cost of the automotive air vent assembly would supplement the anticipated growth of the market in the upcoming years. Dual air zone and multi air zone are the latest innovations in the automotive HVAC technology. These innovations are being adopted by a majority of manufacturers in order to pull in more customers. Downsizing HVAC units in a vehicle is another area where considerable amount of R&D is being done to reduce the weight of the unit without compromising performance by incorporating lighter materials and high performance air vent assemblies.Request Sample Report @Automotive Air Vent Assembly Market: SegmentationThe Automotive Air Vent Assembly Market is segmented on the basis of product type, vehicle type, area of application and distribution channel.By product type, the Automotive Air Vent Assembly market can be segmented into:Horizontal FlapsSpiral FlapsOthersBy area of application, the market can be segmented as:Dashboard UnitLegroom UnitRoof Mount UnitOthersBy vehicle type, the market can be segmented as:Passenger carsLight Commercial VehiclesHeavy Commercial VehiclesBy distribution channel, the market can be segmented into:Original Equipment ManufacturersAftermarketAutomotive Air Vent Assembly Market: Regional OutlookIncreasing automobile production as well as the fact that vehicles are being sold at cheaper prices are some of the primary reasons responsible for the growth of the automotive industry in China and other Asia Pacific economies, thereby aiding the growth of the market. The entry of many new players in Eastern Europe and Latin America will establish strong grounds for investments in the automotive air vent assembly market in the said regions. Middle East & Africa market is also expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period with main focus on the aftermarket segment. High demand for next generation vehicles, such as long range electric vehicles in Europe, is also expected to gain foothold in the market share in the upcoming years.Automotive Air Vent Assembly Market: Market ParticipantsSome of the major players identified across the value chain of the Global Automotive Air Vent Assembly market are:Preh GmbHNingbo Joyson Electronic Corp.Mergon InternationalMAHLE GmbHCascade Engineering, Inc.fischer automotive systems GmbH & Co. KGNifco Inc.Neaton Auto Products Manufacturing, Inc.Cascade EngineeringDenso CorporationRequest to View TOC @ABOUT US:Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.Future Market InsightsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb:
PD-L1 Biomarker Testing Market has been classified on the basis of product type, application, end user and geography.

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Immunotherapy is one of the most exciting field in the area of cancer research. Immunotherapy has the power to manage immune system, recognize the cancer cell and fight against it. Our immune system has T- cell that fight against diseases, infections including cancer. The cancer cell represents the protein known as PD-L1 protein. The PD-L1 protein binds to the receptor on the T cell. The PD-L1 protein, that is expressed on the cancer cell inactivate the T cell from attacking the cancer cell. The companies are involved in the research and development in the cancer research by inactivating the protein on the cancer cell e.g. the antibody drug candidate blocks the PD-L1 protein on the cancer cell, so that it does not bind to the PD-1 receptor on the T cell. The PD-L1 protein is the important target and mostly studied in cancer research. Governments in developed countries such as the U.S. raise funds for cancer research to aid in the diagnosis and treatment. Clinical trials are also funded by governments to support companies in developing effective therapy for cancer diagnosis and treatment. The companies are advancing research in the field of immunotherapy and is targeting PD-L1/PD-1 pathway to address different immune pathway for cancer research.The pharmaceutical companies are focusing on development of different receptor ligand interaction for chronic diseases such as cancer, in order to make sure that next-generation drugs be more efficacious. In April 2016, the U.S. Government allocated US$ 5.2 Bn for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a Federal Government agency, for cancer research and training. The budget increased by 5.3% as compared to the previous year. NCI conducts clinical trials on cancer patients who require repetitive diagnosis to check the prognosis of cancer. The monoclonal antibodies, that blocks the interaction between checkpoint molecules PD-1 on T cells and PD-L1 on cancer cells are into pipeline, clinical trials are on the way ,if approved will act as a driving factor for revenue generation. Research funding from governments and improving reimbursement scenario for cancer therapy would aid the growth of global PD-L1 biomarker testing market.Request Sample Report @PD-L1 Biomarker Testing Market: Drivers and RestrainsMajor growth drivers in this segment are rise in prevalence of cancer, constantly growing list of cancer biomarkers, increasing discretionary funding for cancer research, increased medicare coverage for cancer diagnosis and treatment, research in the field of cancer immunotherapy, insurance coverage and reimbursement issues and others are some of the factors boosting the PD-L1 biomarker testing market, drug candidates have been designated as orphan drug to gain accelerated approval and it also allows the company to benefit from a seven year marketing exclusivity, if approved for the particular indication. The FDA undertakes accelerated approval process to bring these therapies to the market faster and make them available for patients in need. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) statistics, the global biomarkers market for companion diagnostics is was valued at US$ 5.2 Bn in 2012 and is expected to rake US$ 8.4 Bn by 2016 Also, strict regulations, need huge investment of time and money, invest in expensive clinical utility studies, and there is no guarantee that the product will get coverage, and others are some of the factors restraining the market growthPD-L1 Biomarker Testing Market: SegmentationThe global PD-L1 Biomarker Testing market has been classified on the basis of product type, application, end user and geography.Based on Assay Type, the global PD-L1 biomarker testing market is divided into following:PD-L1 IHC 22C3 AssayPD-L1 IHC 28-8 AssayPD-L1 (SP142) AssayPD-L1 (SP263) AssayBased on the disease indication, the global PD-L1 biomarker testing market is divided into following:Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction (GEJ) AdenocarcinomaBladder CancerOthersBased on the End User, the global PD-L1 Biomarker Testing market is divided into following:Hospital Associated LabsIndependent Diagnostic LaboratoriesBiotechnology and Pharmaceutical CompanyCancer Research InstitutesOthersPD-L1 Biomarker Testing Market: OverviewThe PD-L1 Biomarker Testing market is segment based on assay type, disease indication, end-user and geography. Based on the product type, PD-L1 biomarker testing market is segmented on the basis of PD-L1 IHC 22C3 Assay, PD-L1 IHC 28-8 Assay, PD-L1 (SP142) Assay, PD-L1 (SP263) Assay and others. Maximizing market penetration on install base, strategic partnerships to enhance consumer base are some of the factors expected to drive the growth of the market. Based on the disease indication segment, the PD-L1 Biomarker Testing market is sub-segmented on the basis of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Gastric or Gastroesophageal Junction (GEJ) Adenocarcinoma, Bladder Cancer and others. On the basis on end user, the PD-L1 Biomarker Testing market is segmented on the basis of hospital associated laboratory, independent diagnostic laboratories, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, cancer research institutes and othersPD-L1 Biomarker Testing Market: Regional OverviewRegion wise, the global PD-L1 Biomarker Testing market is classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America is estimated to account for major share due to increased awareness and technological advancements in the U.S., demand for new and advanced diagnostic equipments, Kits and others, government initiatives and funding for production of cost-effective monoclonal antibodies in the U.S. Europe is expected to account for second largest market share due to easy approval procedure for diagnostic tests, Significant increase in cancer diagnosis rates in primary care settings in U.K. Germany, France and other European countries. Significant economic development has led to an increase in healthcare availability in Asia Pacific region providing an opportunity for companies to penetrate Asia Pacific regions. Rising investment in cancer research by government is driving market growth, rise in cancer awareness are some if the factors driving growth in Asia Pacific regionRequest to View TOC @PD-L1 Biomarker Testing Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in global PD-L1 Biomarker Testing market are Agilent Technologies, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, AstraZeneca, Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. Genentech Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck & Co., Inc., Pfizer Inc. and othersFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. 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Global Espresso Coffee Market 2018 presents a comprehensive overview, market shares, and growth opportunities by product type, application

Espresso Coffee

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Short Description about Espresso Coffee Market Report:Luigi Lavazza S.p.A., Tchibo and Segafredo Zanetti (Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group) are the top three Revenue share spots in the Espresso Coffee market in 2016. Luigi Lavazza S.p.A. dominated with 15.69% revenue share, followed by Tchibo with 10.77% revenue share and Segafredo Zanetti (Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group) with 9.86% revenue share.Get Sample PDF and TOC of the Report@Leaders of The Industry: - Luigi Lavazza S.p.A., Tchibo, Segafredo Zanetti (Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group), Bristot (Procaffe S.p.A), illy, Co.ind s.c., Peets, and so on.On the basis of region, espresso coffee is more popular in Europe than America, particularly in Italy. West Europe is the largest market segment of Espresso Coffee, with a consumption market share nearly 69.23% in 2016, followed by East Europe with a consumption market share nearly 8.65% in 2016.This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares, and growth opportunities of Espresso Coffee market by product type, application, key manufacturers and key regions.To calculate the market size, RRI Information considers value and volume generated from the sales of the following segments:Segmentation by product type:Online SalesOfline SalesSegmentation by application:Home & OfficeCoffee ShopOtherThis report also splits the market by region:AmericasUnited StatesCanadaMexicoBrazilAPACChinaJapanKoreaSoutheast AsiaIndiaAustraliaEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalyRussiaSpainMiddle East & AfricaEgyptSouth AfricaIsraelTurkeyGCC CountriesGrab Guaranteed Discount:Research objectives To study and analyze the global Espresso Coffee consumption (value & volume) by key regions/countries, product type and application, history data from 2013 to 2017, and forecast to 2023. To understand the structure of Espresso Coffee market by identifying its various subsegments. Focuses on the key global Espresso Coffee manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years. To analyze the Espresso Coffee 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 consumption of Espresso Coffee 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.We Also Can Offer Customized Report To Fulfill Special Requirements Of Our Clients.Purchase this Premium Report (Flat 20% off Apply Coupon Code DISC20):-About Us:Research Reports Inc. is one of the leading destinations for market research reports across all industries, companies, and technologies. Our repository features an exhaustive list of market research reports from thousands of publishers worldwideWith our expertise and research offerings, we ensure we deliver on all your requirements, whether youre looking for industry analysis or market trends or anything else, first time and every time!Email us sales@researchreportsinc.comCall: US / Canada Toll Free: +18554192424, UK : +4403308087757
CRAFT BEER MARKET 2018-2025 | EXPLORATION ON PROMINENT PLAYERS - THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY, SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO, THE GAMBRINUS COMPANY, NEW BELGIUM BREWING COMPANY, ETC.

CRAFT BEER MARKET

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According to a new market report published by BlueWeave Consulting, the Global Craft Beer Market was valued at US$ 105.78 Bn in 2017 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 22.75% from 2018 to 2025, reaching US$ 469.15 Bn by the end of the forecast period. According to the report, North America was the largest contributor in terms of revenue to the craft beer market in 2017.Request for Sample of this Report@Rise in the number of microbreweries across the globe is driving the global craft beer marketCraft beers, loaded with flavours and minerals, are also rich in healthy anti-inflammatory polyphenols. Low ABV content of the beverage further balances these flavours and minerals, reducing the risk for diabetes, cancer, heart disease and effects of aging. Shifting consumers preferences towards healthy lifestyle is reducing excessive consumption of alcohol. Recent self-grooming trend has influenced younger population to adopt healthier beverages with low alcohol content like craft beer, backed by the influence of digital media.Craft Beers are produced in small breweries, using traditional methods and ingredients, inspired by local taste, texture, and flavours. Moreover, it is produced in small quantity. Hence, growth of Microbreweries and brew pubs, across the globe, will positively drive the demand for craft beers, brewed by small, independent and traditional brewers. Increasing government support in countries, like Australia, Belgium, Germany, United States, China, Mexico, United Kingdom, etc., is supporting the production of craft beers, via start-up breweries, that contribute to economic development and creation of job in these countries.Scope of the ReportThe global Craft Beer market is segmented on the basis of product type, and distribution channel. On the basis of product type, the market is segmented into Lager, Ale, Stout & Porter and Others. Lager Craft Beer was the largest segment in the global craft beer market in 2017 and is estimated to witness the highest growth during 2018-2025. On the distribution channel basis, the market is segmented into On-trade and Off-trade Channel. On-trade Channel accounted for the largest segment in the global craft beer market in 2017.On the basis of region, the market is segmented into five parts namely North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle-East, Africa and Latin America. North America was the largest region in the global craft beer market in 2017 with a market share of 36.26% and it is estimated to grow over a CAGR of 21.5% during 2018-2025.Competitive DynamicsCompanies, such as D.G. Yuengling and Son, Gambrinus Company, Heineken N.V, Boston Beer Company, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., and Belgium Brewing Company are the key players in manufacturing craft beer. In terms of product offerings, Boston Beer Company and D.G. Yuengling and Son are the major players in the market, providing various tastes and flavours of craft beer.Market SegmentationBy ProductBy Distribution ChannelBy ApplicationGeographic Segments:North AmericaEuropeAsia Pacific (APAC)LATAMMEABrowse full Research Report@Contact Us:info@blueweaveconsulting.comPhone Number: 18666586826About BlueWeave Consulting & Research Pvt Ltd. (BWC)BlueWeave Consulting provides a full scope of business intelligence solution for solving your toughest challenges. BWC is an emerging global expert & pioneer in the market research and provision of exclusive market INTEL. We optimize your decision making by equipping your industry with an accurate & better market research according to your industry demands through our professionally designed qualitative & quantitative research methods. Our trendy & efficient sample collection methods, integrated data solutions as well as methodologies certainly make us a better partner that you can rely on. With collective experience in the varied fields of retail, market research and reporting, we provide the business insight and business practices that would give the required impetus for your companys growth.GD-69, Sector G, East Kolkata Twp,
Credit Insurance Market to 2023: Cost Analysis, Price, Gross Margin and Top Manufactures- Euler Hermes, Atradius, Zurich, Credendo Group, QBE Insurance, Cesce, Coface, etc

Credit Insurance Market

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Credit Insurance Market report uncovers accurate information about the long run prospects of this market and reveals the complete study of the industry sectors, business development, and current market. The foremost objective of this report is to send its readers with a real intelligence on the Credit Insurance market, to support them collect and organize possible strategies.The Players mentioned in Credit Insurance Market report:Euler Hermes, Atradius, Zurich, Credendo Group, QBE Insurance, Cesce, Coface.Download Sample of Credit Insurance Market report @Credit Insurance Market provide a valuable source of guidance and direction to companies, executive officials, and potential investors interested in this market. The study focuses on significant factors relevant to industry participants such as manufacturing technology, latest advancements, product description, sources of raw material, and profound business strategies.Global Credit Insurance Market: Application Segment Analysis: Domestic Trade, Export Trade.Global Credit Insurance Market: Regional Segment Analysis: USA, Europe, Japan, China, India, South East Asia.Get discount on Purchase report atTable of Content:Chapter 1 About the Credit Insurance IndustryChapter 2 World Market Competition LandscapeChapter 3 World Credit Insurance Market shareChapter 4 Supply Chain AnalysisChapter 5 Company Profiles5.1 Euler Hermes5.1.1 Company Details (Foundation Year, Employee Strength and etc)5.1.2 Product Information (Picture, Specifications and Applications)5.1.3 Revenue (M USD), Price and Operating Profits5.2 Atradius5.2.1 Company Details (Foundation Year, Employee Strength and etc)5.2.2 Product Information (Picture, Specifications and Applications)5.2.3 Revenue (M USD), Price and Operating Profits5.3 Zurich5.3.1 Company Details (Foundation Year, Employee Strength and etc)5.3.2 Product Information (Picture, Specifications and Applications)5.3.3 Revenue (M USD), Price and Operating ProfitsChapter 6 Globalisation & TradeApart from the mentioned information, growth rate of Credit Insurance Market is also explained. Additionally, type wise and application wise consumption tables and figures are also given.Know more about report:About UsReportsWeb is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers.The market research industry has changed in last decade. As corporate focus has shifted to niche markets and emerging countries, a number of publishers have stepped in to fulfil these information needs. We have experienced and trained staff that helps you navigate different options and lets you choose best research solution at most effective cost.Contact UsPhone : +1-646-491-9876E-Mail : sales@reportsweb.com
2018 Power Management ICs (PMIC) Market | Statistical Analysis, Size, Share, and Forecast to 2025 By Top Key Companies: Texas Instruments Inc., ON Semiconductor Corp, Analog Devices, Fairchild Semiconductor Corp.

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The Power Management ICs (PMIC) Market Report provides an analysis of the past 5 years and a future forecast till the year 2025. It also studies the future market trends in the global market. It studies the market by the various parameters such as sales, volumes, and the revenues. It also gives us an insight in the Power Management ICs (PMIC) industry and is also making strategic decisions. It is prepared with a view to understand the current market trends, opportunities and global analysis in the market.This report presents the worldwide Power Management ICsPMIC) market size (value, production and consumption), splits the breakdown (data status 2013-2018 and forecast to 2025), by manufacturers, region, type and application.Request for Sample PDF Of This Report @This study also analyzes the market status, market share, growth rate, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.Top Key Players Covered in this market Report: Texas Instruments Inc. ON Semiconductor Corp Analog Devices Fairchild Semiconductor Corp. Dialog Semiconductor PLC and More..Key Questions Answered in this Report: What will be the market size in 2025? What will be the growth rate in 2025? Which key factors driving In the market? Who are the key market players? Which strategies are used by top players in the market? What are the key market trends? Which trends and challenges will influence the Market growth?Power Management ICsPMIC) Breakdown Data by Type Voltage regulators Motor control ICs Integrated ASSP Power Management ICs Battery Management ICs OthersPower Management ICsPMIC) Breakdown Data by Application Automotive Consumer Electronics Industrial Telecom & Networking OthersGet Discount On This Report @Reasons for Buying this Report This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth It provides a Five-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segmentsTable of Content:1 Study Coverage1.1 Power Management ICsPMIC) Product1.2 Key Market Segments in This Study1.3 Key Manufacturers Covered1.4 Market by Type2 Executive Summary2.1 Global Power Management ICsPMIC) Market Size2.1.1 Global Power Management ICsPMIC) Revenue 2013-20252.1.2 Global Power Management ICsPMIC) Production 2013-20252.2 Power Management ICsPMIC) Growth Rate (CAGR) 2018-20252.3 Analysis of Competitive Landscape2.3.1 Manufacturers Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI)2.3.2 Key Power Management ICsPMIC) Manufacturers2.3.2.1 Power Management ICsPMIC) Manufacturing Base Distribution, Headquarters2.3.2.2 Manufacturers Power Management ICsPMIC) Product Offered2.3.2.3 Date of Manufacturers Enter into Power Management ICsPMIC) Market2.4 Key Trends for Power Management ICsPMIC) Markets & Products3 Market Size by Manufacturers3.1 Power Management ICsPMIC) Production by Manufacturers3.1.1 Power Management ICsPMIC) Production by Manufacturers3.1.2 Power Management ICsPMIC) Production Market Share by Manufacturers3.2 Power Management ICsPMIC) Revenue by Manufacturers3.2.1 Power Management ICsPMIC) Revenue by Manufacturers (2013-2018)3.2.2 Power Management ICsPMIC) Revenue Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)3.3 Power Management ICsPMIC) Price by Manufacturers3.4 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion PlansTOC Continued!Tables and Figures: Figure Power Management ICsPMIC) Product Picture Table Power Management ICsPMIC) Key Market Segments in This Study Table Key Manufacturers Power Management ICsPMIC) Covered in This Study Table Global Power Management ICsPMIC) Market Size Growth Rate by Type 2018-2025 (K Units) & (Million US$) Figure Global Power Management ICsPMIC) Production Market Share 2013-2025 Figure Voltage regulators Product Picture and MoreBrowse Full Report @In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Power Management ICs (PMIC):History Year: 2013 - 2017Base Year: 2017Estimated Year: 2018Forecast Year: 2018 - 2025Market Research Methodology:This report includes the estimation of market size for value (million USD) and volume (K Units). Both top-down and bottom-up approaches have been used to estimate and validate the market size of Power Management ICs (PMIC) market, to estimate the size of various other dependent submarkets in the overall market. Key players in the market have been identified through secondary research, and their market shares have been determined through primary and secondary research. All percentage shares, splits, and breakdowns have been determined using secondary sources and verified primary sources.About Us: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, TorontoContact Us:Email- info@supplydemandmarketresearch.comGlobal- 919607371825
Flip Chip Technology Market 2018-2025 Advance Technology, Latest Innovation, Leading Players: Intel Corp, Samsung Electronics, Texas Instruments, Global Foundries U.S, Stats Chippac Ltd

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This report presents the worldwide Flip Chip Technology market size (value, production and consumption), splits the breakdown (data status 2013-2018 and forecast to 2025), by manufacturers, region, type and application.The Flip Chip Technology Market Report provides an analysis of the past 5 years and a future forecast till the year 2025. It also studies the future market trends in the global market. It studies the market by the various parameters such as sales, volumes, and the revenues. It also gives us an insight in the Flip Chip Technology industry and is also making strategic decisions. It is prepared with a view to understand the current market trends, opportunities and global analysis in the market.Request for Sample PDF Of This Report @This study also analyzes the market status, market share, growth rate, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.Top Key Players Covered in this market Report: Intel Corp Samsung Electronics Texas Instruments Global Foundries U.S Stats Chippac Ltd and More..Key Questions Answered in this Report: What will be the market size in 2025? What will be the growth rate in 2025? Which key factors driving In the market? Who are the key market players? Which strategies are used by top players in the market? What are the key market trends? Which trends and challenges will influence the Market growth?Flip Chip Technology Breakdown Data by Type Memory High Brightness, Light-Emitting Diode (LED) RF, Power and Analog ICs Imaging 2D Logic SocFlip Chip Technology Breakdown Data by Application Medical Devices Industrial Applications Automotive GPUs and Chipsets Smart Technologies Robotics Electronic DevicesGet Discount On This Report @Reasons for Buying this Report This report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth It provides a Five-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segmentsTable of Content:1 Study Coverage1.1 Flip Chip Technology Product1.2 Key Market Segments in This Study1.3 Key Manufacturers Covered1.4 Market by Type1.4.1 Global Flip Chip Technology Market Size Growth Rate by Type1.4.2 Memory1.4.3 High Brightness, Light-Emitting Diode (LED)1.4.4 RF, Power and Analog ICs1.4.5 Imaging1.4.6 2D Logic Soc1.5 Market by Application2 Executive Summary2.1 Global Flip Chip Technology Market Size2.1.1 Global Flip Chip Technology Revenue 2013-20252.1.2 Global Flip Chip Technology Production 2013-20252.2 Flip Chip Technology Growth Rate (CAGR) 2018-20252.3 Analysis of Competitive Landscape2.3.1 Manufacturers Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI)2.3.2 Key Flip Chip Technology Manufacturers2.3.2.1 Flip Chip Technology Manufacturing Base Distribution, Headquarters2.3.2.2 Manufacturers Flip Chip Technology Product Offered2.3.2.3 Date of Manufacturers Enter into Flip Chip Technology Market2.4 Key Trends for Flip Chip Technology Markets & Products3 Market Size by Manufacturers3.1 Flip Chip Technology Production by Manufacturers3.1.1 Flip Chip Technology Production by Manufacturers3.1.2 Flip Chip Technology Production Market Share by Manufacturers3.2 Flip Chip Technology Revenue by Manufacturers3.2.1 Flip Chip Technology Revenue by Manufacturers (2013-2018)3.2.2 Flip Chip Technology Revenue Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)3.3 Flip Chip Technology Price by Manufacturers3.4 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion PlansTOC Continued!Tables and Figures: Figure Flip Chip Technology Product Picture Table Flip Chip Technology Key Market Segments in This Study Table Key Manufacturers Flip Chip Technology Covered in This Study Table Global Flip Chip Technology Market Size Growth Rate by Type 2018-2025 (K Units) & (Million US$) Figure Global Flip Chip Technology Production Market Share 2013-2025 Figure Memory Product Picture Table Major Manufacturers of Memory and MoreBrowse Full Report @In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Flip Chip Technology:History Year: 2013 - 2017Base Year: 2017Estimated Year: 2018Forecast Year: 2018 - 2025Market Research Methodology:This report includes the estimation of market size for value (million USD) and volume (K Units). Both top-down and bottom-up approaches have been used to estimate and validate the market size of Flip Chip Technology market, to estimate the size of various other dependent submarkets in the overall market. Key players in the market have been identified through secondary research, and their market shares have been determined through primary and secondary research. All percentage shares, splits, and breakdowns have been determined using secondary sources and verified primary sources.About Us: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, TorontoContact Us:Email- info@supplydemandmarketresearch.comGlobal- 919607371825
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Todays world, rapidly changing because of big data, is encapsulated in trillions of tiny magnetic objects  magnetic bits  each of which stores one bit of data in magnetic disk drives. A group of scientists from the Max Planck Institutes in Halle and Dresden have discovered a new kind of magnetic nano-object in a novel material that could serve as a magnetic bit with cloaking properties to make a magnetic disk drive with no moving parts  a Racetrack Memory  a reality in the near future.---Most digital data is stored in the cloud as magnetic bits within massive numbers of magnetic disk drives. Over the past several decades these magnetic bits have shrunk by many orders of magnitude, reaching limits where the boundaries of these magnetic regions can have special properties. In some special materials these boundaries - magnetic domain walls  can be described as being topological. What this means is that these walls can be thought of as having a special magical cloak  what is referred to by scientists as topological protection. An important consequence is that such magnetic walls are more stable to perturbations than similar magnetic bits without topological protection that are formed in conventional magnetic materials. Thus, these topological magnetic objects could be especially useful for storing 1s and 0s, the basic elements of digital data.One such object is a magnetic skyrmion which is a tiny magnetic region, perhaps tens to hundreds of atoms wide, separated from a surrounding magnetic region by a chiral domain wall. Until recently only one type of skyrmion has been found in which it is surrounded by a chiral domain wall that takes the same form in all directions. But there have been predictions of several other types of skyrmions that were not yet observed. Now in a paper published in Nature*, scientists from Prof. Stuart Parkins NISE department at the Max Planck Institute for Microstructure Physics in Halle, Germany, have found a second class of skyrmions, what are called anti-skyrmions, in materials synthesized in Prof. Claudia Felsers Solid State Chemistry Department at the Max Planck Institute for CPFS, Dresden, Germany. The scientists from Halle and Dresden have found these tiny magnetic objects in a special class of versatile magnetic compounds called Heusler compounds that Claudia Felser and her colleagues have explored extensively over the past 20 years. Of these Heusler compounds, a tiny subset have just the right crystal symmetry to allow for the possibility of forming anti-skyrmions but not skyrmions. Using a highly sensitive transmission electron microscope at the Max Planck Institute for Microstructure Physics, Halle, that was specially modified to allow for the detection of tiny magnetic moments, anti-skyrmions were created and detected over a wide range of temperatures and magnetic fields. Most importantly, anti-skyrmions, both in ordered arrays and as isolated objects, could be seen even at room temperature and in zero magnetic fields.The special cloaking properties of skyrmions makes them of great interest for a radically new form of solid-state memory  the Racetrack Memory - that was proposed by Stuart Parkin a decade ago. In Racetrack Memory digital data is encoded within magnetic domain walls that are packed closely within nanoscopic magnetic wires. One of the unique features of Racetrack Memory, which is distinct from all other memories, is that the walls are moved around the nanowires themselves using recent discoveries in spin-orbitronics. Very short pulses of current move all the domain walls backwards and forwards along the nano-wires. The walls  the magnetic bits  can be read and written by devices incorporated directly into the nanowires themselves, thereby eliminating any mechanical parts. Topologically protected magnetic walls are very promising for Racetrack Memory.Thus, anti-skyrmions could be coming to Racetrack Memory soon! Going even beyond anti-skyrmions the next goal is the realization of a third class of skyrmions - antiferromagnetic skyrmions  which are tiny magnetic objects that actually have no net magnetic moment. They are magnetically almost invisible but have unique properties that make them of great interest.Weitere Informationen:Quelle: idw
Bettis said she and union members followed the Geneva strike and near strikes in East Aurora and the Schaumburg-Palatine area closely. The Elgin union backed their counterparts in Geneva, who walked out for a week and ultimately settled for a deal in which the traditional pay structure would stay in place for two years and the new setup implemented for the following three years.
The Washington County animal shelter is not often the first line of defense against suicide. But over the span of three months, shelter staff intervened with seven people who planned to kill themselves.

Most people who are considering suicide will say yes if asked if they plan to commit suicide. The problem is to know when to ask the question.

An unusual collaboration between the Washington County public health department and the medical examiners office has figured out a simple way to do that. It appears to be paying off.

Kimberly Repp, an epidemiologist, has earned national praise for a form she developed that death investigators fill out when they determine the cause of a suspicious death. The information provides more recent data about suicides in Washington County than state or federal reporting systems. The database is then used to identify trends that can strengthen Washington Countys suicide prevention services.

For instance, several death investigators in one month wrote that the subject gave up a pet to the shelter before dying.

Repp took that information to the animal shelter staff, volunteers and veterinarians, who agreed to be trained in identifying people who might want to hurt themselves and how to intervene.

Her model takes about two minutes to collect the data, and officials say it is saving lives.

A SEARCH FOR BETTER DATA

Five years ago, Repp was tasked with the annual statewide survey of health needs by each county.

Through that process, Washington County residents said again and again that suicide was one of their biggest concerns.

So Repp started to look at what she could glean from the state and national data to help suicide prevention efforts in the area. She was stymied.

Oregon is a founding member of the Violent Death Reporting System, a national effort to provide states with information about violent deaths -- which include suicides -- to help craft health policy and guide law enforcement. But by the time a local public health worker could access that information, its about 3 to 4 years old.

Vital statistics in death certificates only told Repp who is most likely to commit suicide, not why.

Plus, Washington County is not well-represented by state data, because its demographics tend to be superlative. The county has the most diverse population by race and ethnicity, the highest birth rate and the lowest death rate.

Repp needed better data -- a surprise in a state with among the highest suicide rates in the country.

A federal report released this summer said that, on average, two people a day die by suicide in Oregon. The rate increased by 17.8 people per 100,000 over the year before.

That puts Oregon with the 16th-highest suicide rate in the country, but the trend is national. All but one state had an increase in suicide deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Oregon Health Authority has prioritized suicide prevention, especially among children and young adults.

Public health officials agree that suicide is largely preventable. But Repp wanted to figure out how.

AN UNUSUAL PARTNERSHIP

The answer sat across the hall.

Charles Lovato has been a medicolegal death investigator for 32 years. He joined Washington Countys medical examiners office seven years ago.

His job, along with a team of death investigators, is to show up to the scene of any violent or suspicious death and figure out the likely cause of death.

To do so, he examines the body and on-scene evidence, interviews witnesses and tracks down friends and family. He then writes up a report with a narrative of what he thinks happened and submits that to the medical examiner.

Much of that information is scraped into the state and federal databases and then aggregated.

But Lovatos work often extends beyond what shows up in the report. His job has traditionally been to evaluate all the information he collects in a binary way -- is it relevant to the cause of death or not? If not, then it usually doesnt end up in any of the resulting data sets.

Repp wanted to know what wasnt in there, so she approached the death investigation team and asked a question few people do -- could she tag along to some crime scenes?

Lovato was surprised that all that information that never makes it into reports could be useful beyond watercooler talk in the office. He knew that much of what he reports is used in state and national trend lines, but he had never worked with public health officials before and didnt know what could make his data better.

Repp ended up at about 200 crime scenes to observe the process.

She worked with the death investigators for about 16 months to come up with the form. It collects much of the information death investigators already asked about, but makes sure those answers are logged systematically.

The state medical examiner signed off on the whole project.

Now, the county has four years of data on whether someone who died of suicide was the perpetrator or victim of domestic violence in the last 30 days before death or was abused as a child; whether that person experienced a crisis of mental, physical, financial or family health in the last two weeks; whether they struggled with legal, school or job problem at the time.

The right bottom corner of the form allows death investigators to write notes or observations that arent noted by the series of yes-or-no questions. Thats where the animal shelter trend appeared.

Repp also found that 25 percent of people who killed themselves had an eviction two weeks before their death. So she worked with the Washington County Sheriffs Office to add the number of a suicide hotline to the eviction paperwork the county is legally required to deliver. In addition, a mental health worker now comes along to serve the paperwork.

The change took one meeting.

These interventions dont cost a lot of money, and they work, Repp said. We just had the right data to give them.

Kimberly Repp, an epidemiologist with Washington County, created a way to track real-time data about suicide and has found it useful to prevent suicides.

SUCCESSES SHOWN SO FAR

Repps work has garnered national attention. In October, she won a prestigious award from the National Association of Medical Examiners.

Between the time she walked off the plane and got back to her Aloha office, she had 200 requests from states -- North Dakota and Utah -- or counties -- King in Washington and Humboldt in California -- interested in starting their own databases.

But Repp cautions that the form can only be useful if the local medical examiners office is committed, because that team is the one that must collect the data.

Its kind of a pressure release for us, investigator Lovato said. Were always trying to look for things that you feel like youre doing that feels a little more community oriented.

The Multnomah County medical examiners office does not use the form, and Oregons state medical examiner said through a spokeswoman that she thinks Repps plan is great but will leave the decision up to each county whether it wants to incorporate the form into its work.

For those that do, Repp is willing to send a copy of Washington Countys form and database for a local jurisdiction to adapt. Many places have added opioid-related deaths to the data collection because many of the risk factors are the same.

Once its utilized, changes also require buy-in. She has reached out to low-budget motel staff in Washington County to ask if they would participate in suicide prevention training, because the data show people often check in to kill themselves there.

Repp said even front desk employees could help prevent a suicide if they will take the time.

It doesnt require some big production, Repp said. You just have to have the courage to ask the question.

Because the data is local and real-time, it has also been embraced by Washington Countys suicide prevention council and other groups that can tailor their efforts to the needs of the local population. Many parts of Oregon will see that older white men are a prime demographic, which is true of Washington County as well, but the growing Latino population means that suicide prevention efforts must be culturally specific and in Spanish.

It works because its local, Repp said. And, because its relatively easy once the right people know who to ask. I ask people all the time. They probably think Im a weirdo. Which I am.

If you are interested in learning how to help prevent suicides, you can learn more about how to get trained at Washington Countys website.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, Lines for Life is a nonprofit devoted to suicide prevention throughout the Pacific Northwest. It operates a suicide prevention line that is answered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It can be reached at 800-273-8255 or by texting 273TALK to 839863.

There is also other help available:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

Multnomah County: 503-988-4888 or 1-800-716-9769

Clackamas County: 503-655-8585

Washington County: 503-291-9111

Southwest Washington: 1-800-626-8137 or 866-835-2755
Two government employees were arrested after Marion County police say they found 35 cats imprisoned in laundry baskets in a van.

The Marion County Sheriffs Office were asked Thursday to investigate Salem city employee Richard Kleimeier, 52, and Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services employee Jenny Kleimeier, 46, by the Salem Police Department.

The sheriffs office says that the Kleimeiers kept 35 cats without food or water, and have charged them with three counts of first-degree animal neglect and 32 counts of second-degree animal neglect.

Sheriffs deputies found a U-Haul van parked at the 4800 block of Carolina Avenue NE in Salem. Inside, there were laundry baskets zip-tied together so that they formed cages to keep 35 cats sealed in the baskets. Police say the cats were neglected and that three died during the three days the cats were imprisoned.

The rest of the cats were taken to the Willamette Humane Society.

A sheriffs office spokesman declined to say why the cats were being held.

The Kleimeiers were arrested and booked into Marion County Jail and later bailed out.

Their next court appearance is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Jan. 18 at the Circuit Court Annex located on Aumsville Highway.
The residents of Peacock Lane would like you to know that they dont have to do this.

Thats the first question, said Belinda Nissen, who moved to Peacock Lane in 1989. And no, you dont have to, but you wouldnt live here if you didnt want to.

Shes talking, of course, about the spectacle of Christmas lights that draws thousands of visitors every December to the Lanes four residential blocks in Southeast Portland, between Stark and Belmont streets.

Theres no covenant, theres no you have to,  said Dara Bush, a four-year resident of Peacock Lane. The first day after we moved in, people with the Lane came up to us with wine and said, Youre going to put lights on, arent you?' So theres a lot of social pressure but nothing in any rules that says you have to.

Peacock Lane has been billed as Portlands Christmas Street as long as anyone on the Lane can remember. Several residents gave conflicting information on when the tradition began. Some say it dates back to the Lanes development in the mid-1920s; others say it took off in the 1940s.

In September 1939, The Oregonian wrote about a street dance on Peacock Lane where Christmas tree lights were displayed to add color to the festivities. The first reference to a colorful Christmas display on Peacock Lane was in the Dec. 23, 1949 edition of the newspaper.

Almost all of the 35 homes on the lane are decorated and lights have been strung across the street, the news blurb reads.

The following year, a letter to the editor gave a bit more background, placing the start in 1948.

Peacock Lane is one of Portlands many neighborly cooperative streets of home owners that take pride in entering into the Holiday spirit, wrote Harold Sappenfield with the Peacock Lane Boosters Committee in 1950. The mass exterior lighting idea took hold two years ago and this years decoration is bigger and better.

Today, the tradition is well ingrained. Home buyers are often gifted decorations from the previous owners.

John LaVeille inherited an eight-foot-tall wooden Grinch when he purchased his house in 1992. According to Oregonian archives, the Grinch was built in 1985. This Grinch is white, as depicted in the Dr. Seuss book, not green as depicted in the cartoons and movies.

He wears a large red bow around his neck to disguise a place where vandals knocked his head off one year.

LaVeille knew about the Christmas lights when he bought his house, but he didnt realize how big of a production it would be.

I would say if the lights stopped tomorrow, I probably wouldnt protest too loudly, LaVeille said.

For 26 years hes put up with it now.

You tolerate it, he said, then smiled. Thats why Im the Grinch.

But he does like the camaraderie of the street. Neighbors host an annual progressive dinner, with a different course at each house. They have ice cream socials in the summer.

We look out for each other, he said. This street has a pretty good sense of neighborhood, even if it does have a traffic problem in the winter.

The neighborhood Christmas lights come on at 6 p.m. Dec. 15  and no sooner.

If you put them on early, theres some shaming going on, if you will, Bush said. People start coming through and want to see the lights and were not really ready.

On Dec. 1, the residents of Peacock Lane worked together on their communal decorations. They brought out wooden candy canes and attached them to the street poles. They hauled out the no parking signs. Every year, they get permission from the city to affix red screens to the street lights, dimming the road temporarily so the lights on the houses stand out. A team of neighbors brought out the hot cocoa booth and prepared it for another years use.

We have to work together to make it happen, said Shayna Liberman, who moved to the Lane in 2016. Theres permits, and lane closures and decorations go up and theres a lot of behind the scenes logistics that has to happen to make this work. So that means we all know each other, and you dont get that as much anymore. Its sort of like living in a village.

Liberman is Jewish, and her house is decorated with blue and white Hanukah lights and a 12-foot-tall inflatable teddy bear holding a dreidel.

Its a little bit of a pain, theres a few weeks a year where its a little difficult to get home, but the rest of year its the quietest, most beautiful, sweetest street, she said. Its a couple of weeks of it and the upshot is you get to be part of all this.

Nissen, one of if not the longest tenured resident of Peacock Lane, said she loves the closeness of the neighborhood. Shes got a list on her fridge with the names, phone numbers and emails of everyone within four blocks.

When you move here, you become part of this community that in most neighborhoods just doesnt exist, she said. Thats valuable. I think its valuable. I think if more neighborhoods could be like this, wed have less problems.

Peacock Lane was developed in 1924 by Mr. R.F. Wassell, who designed the houses in an English Tudor or cottage style. The steep roofs lined with Christmas lights give the street a storybook feel. Last year, neighbors successfully petitioned to put the Lane on the National Register of Historic Places, hoping to preserve its unique charm.

Were well-aware that this isnt the biggest show around, its not the fanciest, said Barbara Bushell, whos celebrating her ninth Christmas on Peacock Lane. Its just the most fun.

The lights of Peacock Lane will continue to be lit nightly from 6-11 p.m. through Dec. 31.

-- Samantha Swindler

@editorswindler / 503-294-4031

sswindler@oregonian.com
Their romance spanned two countries and nearly 10,000 miles, dreams of life together nurtured with nine years of telephone calls, emails and the rare visit when he saved enough to travel from Portland to be with her in Africa.

Finally, after filling out reams of paperwork and providing proof of financial support to U.S. governmental agencies, she was allowed to come to Portland this past summer.

Married on Sept. 8, they made up for lost time. They lived in his Northeast Portland apartment and figured out the best school for her 11-year-old son to attend. She went to community college to learn English and hoped to one day be a nurse. He worked two jobs to support them and talked about getting into the welding trade.

He died of a heart attack days after Thanksgiving.

He was 44.

They were husband and wife for all of 78 days.

What determines the quality of a relationship?

The length of time together?

The intensity of that time, no matter how brief?

He was gone so suddenly, said his widow, Annabelle Aseka. No time to say goodbye.

To cope, she prays and draws on the support of her in-laws. In quiet moments, when shes alone, she thinks of John Aseka and what he wanted for her, taking comfort in what she feels in her heart.

I loved him, she said. Such a short time. Happy time.

***

You need a road map to understand how this all connects.

It began in 1982 in Africa with another couple and another love story.

Kevin Thelin of Portland had joined the Peace Corps and was sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He spent nearly eight years there and fell in love with Francisca, a single mother raising three children. They married and together had two more children. They returned to Portland, bringing the younger children with them.

But John Aseka, Francisca Thelins eldest child, was too old. He couldnt get approval to stay in the United States, she said, so he lived with relatives, finishing high school in Africa.

Finally in 2009, John, then in his 30s, received approval from U.S. officials to come to Portland.

He had to leave behind a woman hed fallen in love with.

Once in Portland, John earned his U.S. citizenship and kept in contact with Njiba Anne Tshibola, known as Annabelle. He worked as a security guard and at a packing company and began the long process to get the visas needed to allow Annabelle, then 29, and her son, Goodwin, to move to Portland.

Annabelle arrived with her son in August. She married John the next month.

The night my husband died he said he was tired, she said. He woke up in the middle of the night. He told me he was fine, and I should go back to sleep. He began sweating and made noises. Then he was quiet.

Annabelle called her sister-in-law, a nurse in Portland, who came to the apartment. After checking on John, the nurse called for an ambulance to take John to the hospital, where he later died from what was determined to be a heart attack. After a church service and burial, friends began showing up at the Thelin home.

Prayers and songs, said Francisca Thelin. In the Congo, people turn to each other in time of grief. This was our therapy. Day after day we had hundreds of people in our home. They made us dance and smile. They were the voice of God. They were angels.

She has already experienced much loss during her life.

I am the oldest of 12 children, Francisca said. I lost seven of my siblings in the Congo because of war and natural causes.

She said she thinks about her son daily.

Every moment I feel he is around me, she said. That makes me feel good.

Francisca was a rock for her new daughter-in-law, Annabelle said. She gives us great love, the younger woman said.

Annabelle plans to remain in Portland and will be working with immigration authorities to make sure her husbands death wont change her status. Her in-laws plan to have her live with them.

Francisca said her daughter-in-laws mother passed away when Annabelle was young.

She has no memory of her, Francisca said. John was everything to her. The person that brought her to a new country and a new life is gone. I cannot take away her pain, but I will be her mother. My son loved her so much. Now we will show her that love.

Christmas in the Congo is celebrated differently than it is in the United States.

There are no gifts, Francisca said. Our gift is time together. Next week, we will go to church, come home and eat and share the stories of family and love.

--Tom Hallman Jr.

thallman@oregonian.com

@thallmanjr
A jury this week awarded $540,000 to a woman who slipped and herniated a disk on a wet floor at the Biscuits Cafe breakfast and lunch spot in West Linn.

Jennifer Cooper was 38 when she, her husband and their teenage son went to the restaurant to celebrate the first paycheck her son had earned in July 2014, said Jason Kafoury, whose firm represented Cooper during an eight-day trial in Multnomah County Circuit Court. Cooper was headed toward the restrooms after their meal when she slipped on the wet linoleum.

Cooper faulted the restaurant for failing to put up a wet floor sign and for mopping up before it had closed for the day.

Attorneys for the franchisor and the franchisee -- Biscuits Cafe Franchising and Biscuits WL -- contended in court papers leading up to trial that Cooper wouldnt be able to prove that she wasnt at fault for failing to notice the wet floor. They also argued that she doesnt continue to suffer the debilitating injuries that she claims have forced her to cut back her work hours from full time.

The jury saw through it all, said Greg Kafoury, another of Coopers attorneys. He said Cooper turned down a $25,000 offer to settle the case before the trial.

Jurors found Cooper had suffered $600,000 in damages for economic losses and pain and suffering. Cooper was 10 percent responsible while the restaurant was 90 percent responsible, jurors said. That means she will receive $540,000 of the $600,000 verdict.

The restaurant is liable for the verdict, but an insurance company for Biscuits Cafe Franchising will pay, according to Coopers lawyers. The trial was held in Multnomah County because the company does business there. The company lists 13 Portland-area restaurants on its website.

Jason Kafoury said Cooper underwent neck surgery that didnt stop her problems, including nonstop spasms in her neck and limited range of motion that mean she can no longer drive because she cant turn her head much to see. Cooper takes two buses and the MAX train from her home in Oregon City to her job in Gresham as a U.S. Bank analyst, and on bad days that trip can take two or three hours, he said.

-- Aimee Green

agreen@oregonian.com

o_aimee

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He knows if youve been bad or good.

A police dog nabbed suspects in three separate incidents during a recent shift, delivering some wanted gifts to his colleagues in the Washington County Sheriffs Office.

Embracing the holiday spirit, K-9 Stark hit the streets Thursday night and Friday morning clad in a red and white Santa Claus outfit.

He wore it all night long, said his partner Cpl. Micah Akin. He loves Christmas.

The costumed crusader  a half German Shepherd, half Belgian Malinois mix  kicked off the trio of busts by sniffing out a domestic violence suspect hiding under a pile of clothes in the bedroom of a home in the 16000 block of Southwest Hillary Place in Aloha, the sheriffs office said.

Authorities booked a shirtless Michael Johnson, 39, on a host of charges, including robbery, strangulation and domestic assault.

Michael Johnson (left), Trevor Bates and Briawnna Raby.

A few hours later, the four-legged crimefighter was on the hunt for a man accused of smashing out a car window near Southwest Hall Boulevard and Hemlock Street in Metzger, according to authorities.

Around midnight he located Trevor Bates, 25, cowering inside a different car, said Deputy Jeff Talbot. Bates was jailed on counts of criminal mischief, felon in possession of a firearm and other suspected charges.

K-9 Stark finished a long night by tracking down a woman who bolted on foot from the 4200 block of Southwest Kennedy Street in Beaverton during a welfare check around 1:45 a.m., the sheriffs office said.

The woman, 22-year-old Briawnna Raby of Portland, had an outstanding warrant and was also booked in the Washington County Jail, authorities said.

The three captures bring K-9 Starks career busts to 186, an office record, Talbot said.

His sartorial flare is also one for the books. In the past, the 7-year-old pooch has donned Halloween costumes, sported ugly holiday sweaters and carried bouquets of red roses on Valentines Day while on the beat.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632
UPDATE 6:50 P.M.: This story has been updated to reflect the second lawsuit filed on Friday.

Two families filed separate wrongful death lawsuits against the state of Oregon this week, faulting it for releasing a man with severe mental illness from the Oregon State Hospital despite warnings from a psychologist that he still posed a grave danger.

Within a month, newly freed patient Anthony Montwheeler stabbed to death his ex-wife, Annita Harmon, at an eastern Oregon gas station and then intentionally drove his pickup head-on into the SUV of a stranger, David Bates, and killed him, the lawsuits and prosecutors say.

Harmon, a 40-year-old western Idaho resident who had divorced Montwheeler 1  years earlier, died Jan. 9, 2017. Her family filed a $3.75 million suit Friday.

Bates, 38, a father of five who lived in Vale, died later that same day. His widow, Jessica Bates, filed a $400,000 lawsuit Wednesday over the fatal crash. Jessica Bates was seriously injured in the collision.

Authorities say 51-year-old Montwheeler fled Ontario police with his Harmons dead body in the passenger seat.

Both lawsuits accuse the states Psychiatric Security Review Board and the Oregon State Hospital of negligence for allegedly disregarding many warning signs.

Montwheelers disturbing past goes back more than 20 years and includes a history of hearing and seeing demons that ordered him to harm others and an armed standoff with police in which he threatened to flush his child down the toilet, according to the Harmon lawsuit.

In 1997, he was determined to be guilty except for insanity for the kidnapping of his first wife and son. Instead of going to prison, he was ordered to be under the jurisdiction of the Psychiatric Security Review Board for 70 years and was confined to the state-run psychiatric hospital.

According to the lawsuits, the board in December 2016 ordered Montwheeler freed from the Oregon State Hospital -- after Montwheeler convinced members that hed been faking insanity in order to avoid prison.

Psychiatrist Mukesh Mittal supported the theory that Montwheeler wasnt mentally ill, stating that Montwheeler hadnt been taking his medications for the previous year and wasnt showing signs of bipolar disorder, the suit says. Mittal concluded that a patient who hadnt taken his medications for that length of time and wasnt exhibiting symptoms doesnt have that disease, the Bates lawsuit says.

But the Psychiatric Security Review Board had conflicting evidence before it: Brian Hartman, a psychologist who had seen Montwheeler for the previous two years, warned the board that Montwheeler was still dangerous, the Bates lawsuit states. Hartman said that if in the community without supervision, (Montwheelers) risk of violence would be high and Montwheeler would most likely target an intimate partner or other family members, according to the Bates lawsuit.

Those concerns were echoed by the boards acting chairwoman, Kate Lieber, who told Montwheeler at the hearing that my hope is you will do the right thing. Im sincerely worried that you wont, according to the Bates lawsuit.

Three weeks after Montwheeler walked free, Harmon and David Bates were dead.

The Harmon lawsuit lists the Psychiatric Security Review Board and Oregon State Hospital as defendants. In addition to those agencies, the Bates lawsuit lists the Oregon Health Authority and Mittal, the state-employed psychiatrist, as defendants.

Rebeka Gipson-King, a spokeswoman for the state hospital, and Alison Bort, executive director of the Psychiatric Security Review Board, both declined comment about the lawsuits.

Federal and state patient privacy rules apply to the Oregon State Hospital and do not allow us to discuss individual patient care, Gipson-King wrote in an email.

Montwheelers case was the subject of a March 2017 investigation by the Malheur Enterprise that raised troubling questions about the states ability to assess criminally insane defendants and protect the greater public from them. The Oregonian/OregonLive published the investigatory piece in cooperation with the Vale newspaper.

After the deaths of Harmon and David Bates, Montwheeler was charged with two counts of aggravated murder for their deaths. But the criminal court proceedings in Malheur County Circuit Court have been at a standstill after the state hospital determined Montwheelers mental illness was too severe for him to be tried for the crimes, according to his defense attorney.

On Thursday, prosecutors said in a memo to the court that the state hospital has determined Montwheeler is now mentally fit to be prosecuted and that the criminal justice system should move forward with a trial.

The Harmon familys lawsuit was filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court -- where the Psychiatric Security Review Board is based -- by Portland attorney David Paul. The Bates familys lawsuit was filed in Malheur County Circuit Court -- in the county in which Harmon and David Bates died -- by Bruce Skaug, an attorney in Nampa, Idaho.

-- Aimee Green

agreen@oregonian.com

o_aimee

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A man is suing Phil Geffner, co-owner of Escape from New York Pizza on Northwest 23rd Avenue, for $250,000, saying the businessman put him in a chokehold and repeatedly slapped him at a Portland Starbucks.

Steven Sample, who worked as a handyman fixing up Geffners rental properties, said Geffner lost his temper when he met with him about a $1,500 unpaid bill during a meeting over coffee on Dec. 11.

Mr. Geffner exploded into a fit of rage and assaulted and beat Mr. Sample senseless, says Samples lawsuit, filed Thursday in Multnomah County Circuit Court. ... Mr. Geffner whispered in Mr. Samples ear that he could snap his neck.

Geffner told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he did put his arm around Samples neck to get his attention but didnt squeeze. He said Sample was asking for money for work he didnt do.

I didnt hurt him, Geffner said. I just bear hugged him. I said, What the (expletive) is the matter with you?

Geffners pizza joint is acclaimed for its tasty, no-nonsense pies. Its also billed as the first restaurant in Portland to offer pizza-by-the-slice. Geffner co-founded the restaurant in 1983.

Geffner, a former New Yorker, said hes never been arrested or in trouble with the law. Oregon criminal records show hes conviction-free.

After the Dec. 11 confrontation, Sample filed a police report. Sgt. Chris Burley said the case is still under investigation and has been forwarded to the Multnomah County District Attorneys Office for review.

That will likely include a viewing of the Starbucks videotape, which Samples attorney, Michael Fuller, said Starbucks has yet to release. Starbucks needs a subpoena to release the video, and thats why his client filed suit so quickly, Fuller said.

Geffner, 63, said the video will exonerate him. He also pointed to a witness, Dana Hoskinson who oversees repairs at his rental properties and was at the meeting at the Starbucks at Northwest 23rd and Overton Street. Hoskinson told The Oregonian/OregonLive that Geffner didnt slap Sample and didnt hurt him.

Sample, 63, said the video will bolster his case.

Sample said he spent three hours on Tuesday and Wednesday standing across the street from Escape from New York Pizza, holding a handwritten board accusing Geffner of a list of alleged wrongs, including assault, demeaning words" and false business promises.

I went through such an emotional humiliation and degradation in that meeting, Sample said. I wanted people to know who the real Mr. Geffner was.

Geffner said he and his employees saw Sample outside the restaurant, and customers asked about the man with the sign. It could be funny, except its not, Geffner said. People who come in, they know me. They know Im not like that.

Sample said Geffner was agitated at the Starbucks because Sample had just told him about water intrusion and the potential for mold problems at four of Geffners rental properties. Sample said he told Geffner that he was going to notify the tenants if Geffner didnt pay his bill.

The bill included time for hours Sample had worked, plus about $700 or $800 as a penalty because Geffners manager canceled a scheduled work project with less than 72 hours notice, Sample said.

The first thing he did when he got around the table is slap me in the right ear with his right hand, Sample said. It stung and burned for about five minutes.

Geffner caused a scene at the Starbucks, Sample said. When he had me in a chokehold, he ... said I could snap your neck if I wanted to.' I looked at him and said, Are you serious? Are you really doing this?' And he let go. Everybody in Starbucks is looking.

In addition to seeking $250,000, Samples lawsuit reserves the right to sue for an additional $2.25 million in punitive damages.

Read the lawsuit here.

-- Aimee Green

503-294-5119

agreen@oregonian.com

o_aimee

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By Dr. Samuel Metz

Who could have anticipated it? A judge found the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. This transformed Congress from a White Knight rescuing our health care system to a horde of barbarians plundering Oregonians of what little health care they still enjoy.

State Rep. Mitch Greenlick, House Health Care Committee chair, anticipated this a year ago. He recruited a dozen members from industry, advocacy groups and physician organizations (plus a few critics like me) to the Universal Access to Health Care work group. We were charged with a seemingly impossible mission: recommend policies producing better access to care for more people at a lower cost and insulating Oregon from impulsive federal interventions.

We failed. Instead, our report presented sobering facts that deserve attention.

Sobering fact No. 1: Oregons inefficient health care system cannot be more efficient. Providing universal care requires massive disruption of a frustratingly complex industry never designed to provide universal care. Its easy to provide better care to more people (spend more money) or cut costs (provide fewer benefits to fewer people). Achieving both is impossible without significant disruption of Oregons health care industry.

Sobering fact No. 2: Not only is White House policy an ongoing threat, federal laws prevent Oregon from protecting ourselves from these threats. Federal laws pre-empt state regulation of 90 percent of Oregons health care spending. Great ideas in Oregon await new federal legislation removing these impediments.

Sobering fact No. 3: Oregons health care industry hemorrhages money from administrative inefficiency. Each year, 20 percent of Oregonians change or lose their insurance policy. Each policy change alters benefits, costs, drugs and providers. Thats expensive.

Additionally, every billable encounter requires administrative oversight to determine that we were insured, our condition covered, and our provider within network. Thats expensive, too.

Although Oregon is no less efficient than any another state, our entire country is dramatically less efficient than other first world nations. Our report noted, Based on 72 indicators in five domains, the performance of the U.S. health care system ranked last overall. The U.S. spends more money for poorer outcomes than other high-income countries. Notably, we are the only high income nation without universal care.

With these unhappy discoveries, what can our report teach Oregon?

First, Oregon needs a universal care plan. We noted that universal care plans do not increase total health care spending and have the potential to reduce per capita expenditures. Congress inability to create a national health care plan should not deter Oregon from creating its own.

Second, Oregon must end our dysfunctional marriage between employer and health care. We noted, in other countries with universal coverage, health coverage and employment are separate; employers do not provide or choose insurance plans, level and type of benefit coverage, or out-of-pocket costs.

Third, Oregons Congressional delegation should promote national legislation allowing a truly efficient state-wide healthcare plan. Three Oregon Representatives already endorse HR 6097, the State-Based Universal Health Care Act of 2018. Such legislation is an essential first step in liberating us from Washington.

Our group failed to achieve consensus on any policy because no policy avoided significant disruption and unintended consequences to the existing system.

Nonetheless, we offer encouragement. If Oregonians accept the pain of transforming our largest industry and replace our individual interests with state-wide interests, we can provide better care to more people for less money. Our report starts the process.

Samuel Metz, MD, is a Portland anesthesiologist. He represented Oregon Physicians for a National Health Program on the Universal Access to Health Care Work Group. The opinions expressed here are his own and do not necessarily represent those of the Work Group or its individual members.
I have been greatly saddened to learn this week of the death of 7-year-old Guatemalan Jakelin Caal Maquin, who with her father was fleeing horrible conditions in Central America to try to gain asylum in the United States. Then I learned that she died approximately two blocks from my house in El Paso, Texas, at Providence Childrens Hospital after being in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

Once again, as I write this, tears run down my face about our governments horrible treatment of Central American refugees and especially the children.

I write to thank the great people of the state of Oregon for sharing Sen. Jeff Merkley with us in Texas, where he just visited the prison camp in Tornillo, Texas, maintaining his diligent attempts at oversight of the treatment of Central American child refugees. Our Texas senators dont seem to care, while Sen. Merkley has maintained a spotlight on this issue, at the same time demonstrating a strong moral compass on other issues. Health care comes to mind as a write this, but he has been diligent in protecting the interests of all Americans on several fronts while serving beautiful Oregon, where I once lived for a year.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

-- Maria Hernandez, El Paso, Texas
Gov. Kate Brown is keeping her war chest full going into 2019, when she and fellow Democrats in the Legislature plan to push an ambitious agenda centered on raising billions of dollars in taxes.

By the time Brown claimed victory on Nov. 6, she and her Republican opponent Rep. Knute Buehler had poured more than $37 million into the race, roughly double the previous record.

Yet Brown still managed to raise more than she spent, and her political action committees are flush with roughly $700,000 in cash, according to her campaign strategist, Kevin Looper. The governor isnt eligible to seek re-election in 2022.

What that money represents is potential, Looper said in an interview earlier this week. And the ability for the governor to make decisions about what it might take to accomplish her priorities.

Through a spokeswoman, Brown declined an interview request to discuss her plans for the money and directed inquiries to her campaign. Its mostly been dismantled at this point.

For example, Browns campaign spokesman Christian Gaston now works for the governors office on getting those tax increases passed in 2019. But Looper is still involved, albeit in a role he described as an outside observer to the activities in Salem and someone who will, when called upon, advise the governor.

The governor also still has a campaign staffer fundraising for her inauguration, which Looper said he expects will cost less than $100,000.

An invitation sent to potential campaign donors suggests Brown could use two events  a Jan. 11 VIP sponsor luncheon and a Jan. 18 inauguration gala  to raise far more than the inauguration will cost. A platinum circle sponsorship costs $50,000 and, as the governors campaign reminded invitees, Kate Brown Committee can accept unlimited contributions, and can take corporate contributions.

Brown has said she will make campaign finance reform a priority in 2019, and shes asking lawmakers to send a measure to voters that would amend Oregons Constitution to allow campaign contribution limits.

Oregonians who want to track the governors fundraising and political spending will have trouble getting an accurate picture, since Brown has chosen to wait the maximum amount of time allowed  30 days  to report contributions and expenditures. For example, on Thursday afternoon state records showed she still had roughly $820,000 as of Nov. 19.

Ironically, the delayed disclosure of political spending is a practice Brown has pledged to end. In her policy agenda released weeks after the election, Browns staff wrote that one of her primary goals is to pass legislation to allow Oregonians to follow the money in real time for both candidates and ballot measures.

Browns administration noted that technology allows reporting of campaign transactions almost immediately, which is especially important leading up to an election.

Another question heading into 2019 is whether the governor will fundraise or continue accepting unsolicited contributions during the legislative session. In 2018, her gubernatorial opponent suggested that Brown put her fundraising on hold during the legislative session, something Buehler was required to do under a House rule. The governor faces no such restrictions and Brown declined to stop fundraising.

Looper said one way Brown could use her campaign cash is to communicate directly with voters and enlist their help pushing lawmakers to pass her agenda.

The governor feels that the conversation around her priorities to fix the education system, address the housing crisis (and) try to find solutions for the climate change challenge might actually require more than just a conversation with legislators to accomplish, Looper said. Having dry powder going into political fights certainly seems like a responsible place to be.

Although Buehler will soon be out of elected office, there are also questions about his next move. In an interview Thursday, Buehler said hes still figuring that out but plans to make an announcement in the next couple of weeks.

Just because the result of the race was not what I hoped does not mean Im going to go quietly into the night, Buehler said. Citing the safety of foster children and mediocre condition of Oregons public schools, Buehler said his campaign brought attention to issues that we felt had been ignored for too long.

He has roughly $58,000 left in his political action committee according to state records, after returning contributions from some of his smaller individual donors this fall and paying campaign bills as recently as early December. However, Buehler said, the political infrastructure built by his campaign, such as its digital platform, is also valuable.

I dont plan to be directly involved in the legislative session, but I will be commenting about some of these big issues that we focused on during the campaign, Buehler said. I feel strongly that there needs to be a credible voice on the center right in Oregon to provide that perspective.

 Hillary Borrud

hborrud@oregonian.com

503-294-4034

@hborrud

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U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar's legislation renaming the Beaverton post office after the late Col. Alfred "Al" Asch, a World War II veteran and native son of Beaverton, has become law.

The legislation, authored by Moolenaar, passed the House of Representatives in September and Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters led the effort to pass it in the Senate. The bill was signed into law by President Donald Trump on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day -- Dec. 7.

Colonel Alfred "Al" Asch, who was born and raised on a farm in Beaverton, flew many successful combat missions during World War II and was awarded 13 medals including the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Purple Heart. He died on Dec. 8, 2013, at the age of 93.

"Asch was an American hero and it has been wonderful to lead this special effort honoring him as a proud son of Beaverton," Moolenaar said. "He bravely flew missions during World War II, helped develop post-war civilian flight practices, and never forgot where he was from, funding a scholarship at Central Michigan University for Gladwin County residents. I am grateful to Stabenow and Peters for their support of this legislation honoring Asch."

Both senators also issued statements about Asch.

"We are so grateful for Asch, who helped defend our country during World War II and then continued to serve for many years in our military," Stabenow said. "I was glad to partner with Peters and Moolenaar to pass this bill that honors Asch for his service."

"Throughout his distinguished military career, Asch displayed time and again the courage and conviction that was forged in Beaverton," Peters said. "Designating Beaverton's USPS Facility as the Colonel Alfred Asch Post Office is a fitting tribute to his years of exemplary service, and I am pleased to see this legislation move forward."
The Midland County Youth Action Council through the Midland Area Community Foundation has awarded a $9,000 grant to expand Midland Young Life's program for middle school students, WyldLife.

Midland Young Life said this grant supports a concerted effort to impact the lives and future paths of Midland at-risk middle school students by providing more relationship building activities for leaders and students and offering additional leadership training opportunities. Funding will also be used to provide camp scholarships for low income students who might not otherwise be able to attend.
Four Saginaw Valley State University students have been selected for a fellowship that will provide them with opportunities to apply their liberal arts education in a professional setting.

SVSU annually selects several students in the College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences for the Botz Liberal Arts Fellowship, which provides support for the participants to gain a challenging internship in a business setting.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Mitchell Kukulka.

Wednesday, Dec. 19

9:41 p.m. -- A deputy visited a Sanford residence to serve a civil paper and discovered the defendant, a 37-year-old woman, had an arrest warrant. She was arrested and transported to Midland County Jail without incident.

8:24 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Jerome township highway location for a report of a dead deer in the lane of travel. The deputy located the deer, which had already been moved out of the lane by another motorist.

6:04 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Warren Township residence after a call from a 31-year-old woman who said her 11-year-old son got into an altercation with another 11-year-old student. The woman wanted the deputy to speak with the mother of the other student about bullying and good behavior. The deputy spoke with the other student's mother, 32, and both parents have agreed to go to the principal's office the next day to talk the incident out.

2:59 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Larkin Township residence to speak with a 63-year-old man who claimed to be the victim of an online scam. The victim said he investigated why his credit score had been dropping and found that an unknown suspect opened bank accounts and credit cards under his name in another state, buying $19,000 worth of merchandise over the course of a year. The victim has frozen his accounts and is working with the involved bank to investigate the activity. There are no suspects at this time.

2:44 p.m. -- A 33-year-old woman called 911 after a 59-year-old man and 53-year-old woman dropped off her child's father, a 32-year-old man. The woman who called was concerned about the 59-year-old and 53-year-old being on her property due to the 59-year-old being a registered sex offender. The deputy contacted all parties involved and instructed the man and woman to drop off the father away from the residence and not to go on the property.

2:33 p.m. -- A passerby said they saw a bunch of mail scattered along the side of the road and in a ditch near East Wackerly Road in Lincoln Township. The mail, that could be identified, was returned to its rightful owner. It appeared that the suspect(s) had gone through the mail looking for money in Christmas cards.

3:47 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Edenville Township neighborhood in reference to the sound of an unknown alarm. The deputy found a discarded smoke detector outside an abandoned residence. It appeared that the cold weather caused it to malfunction.

Tuesday, Dec. 18

9:32 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to the area of East Freeland Road and South Meridian Road for a report of a single-vehicle crash. The vehicle sustained minor damages, and no UD-10 was filed.

9:29 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Homer Township residence regarding a verbal argument between a 14-year-old boy and his 49-year-old father. The boy had been arguing with his father after getting in trouble for not listening, and had dialed 911 as a threat to his father. The call was initiated accidentally. The was no assault, and the deputy counseled the family on better ways to handle the situation.

7:44 p.m. -- On a routine patrol in Jerome Township, a deputy came across an unoccupied vehicle on the side of the road. The deputy learned that the driver possibly ran out of gas and was walking to get fuel. The deputy found the 27-year-old driver at a nearby gas station and provided him with a ride back to his car.

5:23 p.m. -- A deputy was dispatched to a Warren Township business for a report of a shoplifter. The deputy made contact with the 34-year-old who made the call, who said a 14-year-old boy stole merchandise and had unwrapped it in the restroom. The deputy contacted the suspect, who is from Big Rapids, who said he would pay for the merchandise he stole. The employee said the business would not press charges as long as the item was paid for. The payment was made and no charges are being requested.

3:35 p.m. -- Deputies were dispatched to a Warren Township location in reference to a vehicle that callers referred to as "driving all over the road." The deputy made contact with the driver, a 40-year-old woman form Beaverton, and determined the woman was having a diabetic episode. Local EMS and fire teams treated the woman at the scene. Due to her condition, the driver was given a ride back to her place of residence. Her car was towed per her request.
To the editor:

Happy New Year from the Grinches in our state Legislature, which by the way was endorsed and signed by their faithful Grinch leader, Rick Snyder. The cowardly, sneaky and egotistical Republicans tricked the citizens into thinking they might be coming around and realize that the minimum wage is antiquated.

Before Novembers elections they spoke of raising the minimum wage to $12 by 2020. But wait, no, they pulled the wool over our eyes and took it back. The Republicans want to protect their dark money donors from business groups that helped pay their way into Lansing since the business groups didnt like it to reach $12 by 2020. So the lame duck Republican Legislature wants to do as much damage as it can before the New Year.

They passed the bill that wont allow the minimum wage to reach $12.05 until 2030  11 years from now, pitifully extending the raise by eight years. With todays minimum wage, part-time jobs with no benefits, some people have to work three jobs to keep off public assistance. Maybe it's time to pay the Republicans that thought this was good for their constituents minimum wage, as well and take their benefits away.

Eleven years from now  what will the cost of living be by then?

They also made it more difficult for citizens of Michigan to organize ballot initiatives. They continue to put up obstacles making it harder and burdensome for many citizens to vote (the democratic process for all citizens). Other bills they are passing at the last minute are meant to hurt the working class. Its the rich watching out for the rich.

Like Donald Trump, Rick Snyder and his band of lemming-like henchmen want to set democracy back decades.

ROGER SZESZULSKI

Midland
In an extraordinary rebuke to President Trump, Secretary of Defense James Mad Dog Mattis quit in a letter stating that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships, and because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position. The letter is nothing more than a full rebuke of Trumpism, and the fact that a man who has been reported to never quit anything in his life quit working for Trump should scare us all.

But this is where it gets complicated. Mattis breaking point wasnt bombing a school bus in Yemen or wasting millions by sending troops down to the border in a transparent, racist political stunt, but by decreasing our footprint in Syria. That said, its not as simple as a general getting mad he cannot continue to fight forever wars, as the Associated Press reported:

President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw American troops from Syria was made hastily, without consulting his national security team or allies, and over strong objections from virtually everyone involved in the fight against the Islamic State, according to U.S. and Turkish officials.

Trump stunned his Cabinet, lawmakers and much of the world with the move by rejecting the advice of his top aides and agreeing to a withdrawal in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week, two officials briefed on the matter said.



With Erdogan on the line, Trump asked national security adviser John Bolton, who was listening in, why American troops remained in Syria if what the Turkish president was saying was true, according to the officials. Erdogans point, Bolton was forced to admit, had been backed up by Mattis, Pompeo, U.S. special envoy for Syria Jim Jeffrey and special envoy for the anti-ISIS coalition Brett McGurk, who have said that IS retains only 1 percent of its territory, the officials said.

In principle, Trump has a point. What are we doing in Syria? Whats our endgame there? Theres a lot of genuine questions to be asked about this war, but there is absolutely no way Trump that thinks about the nuance of the situation, and he simply wants to be able to tell people that he defeated ISIS. In practice, this looks to be disastrous. As the old saying goes, jumping out a window and walking out the front door are both ways to leave a building, and if we are to withdraw from Syria, it must be done deliberately out the front door, not out the window with Trumpian compulsiveness.

The best answer to what are we doing in Syria? is supporting our Kurdish allies. They have been some of Americas best allies for decades, and yet we treat them like crap, and this hasty withdrawal is effectively signing their death warrant. Per The Washington Post:

In the Syrian town of Kobane, where the United States alliance with Syrias Kurds began in 2014, thousands of Kurds marched in anger and dismay toward a U.S. military base, many clutching photographs of their children killed fighting the Islamic State alongside U.S. forces. They urged Trump to reverse his decision.

She died beside Americans, and now that you are leaving, I will also die, shouted a mother holding up the photograph of her dead daughter, who had served in a womens unit of the main Kurdish militia, according to witnesses.

Now, Russia is the elephant in the room, as their only Middle East base is stationed in Syria, and its an unimpeachable fact that Vladimir Putin is elated about this decision. Trump is trying to spin this as something Putin doesnt want, but thats simply an outright lie, and one cannot help but wonder if Trumps endless business ventures in Moscow have to do with this move. Trump has supported Putins foreign policy before and hes doing it again. That said, its not so simple as to say Trump is doing this because Putin. The man is desperate to be loved and ending foreign entanglements has become popular in the wake of our disaster in Iraq becoming obvious to everyone with a semi-functioning brain (a Gallup poll from 2017 shows support for Syrian airstrikes lower than any other war we have waged since 1983).

Syria is perhaps the most complicated place in the world. Its run by a genocidal regime that is financially supported by Iran and is effectively being lent Russias air force, who are all battling a vast collection of tribal leaders. The Kurds have taken the lead in fighting back against this coalition, but they are also facing danger from Turkey, who regards the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as a terrorist organization. There is no right answer in Syria, but we can be certain that abandoning our allies at the drop of the hat and with no plan to ensure their safety will have disastrous consequences.

If you are a local militia fighting against a murderous regime, why would you work with the United States? We havent won a war since World War II, and Trump has proven that we are one election away from abandoning all of our commitments. As Mattis said, our allies are a source of strength, and an abrupt move like this is certain to reduce our strength on that front. Given the events of the last two years, youd be a fool to trust your life to this government. That will have far-reaching consequences and will likely continue our forever wars where we will be forced to go it alone far more often now.

Speaking of forever wars, the longest in American history also looks to be drawing down. I have been waiting over half of my 32 year life to end the war in Afghanistan, and I am deeply conflicted about Trumps decision to call 7,000 troops home from a war that James Mattis said I dont know how long its going to take in reference to handing control of the country back to the Afghans after 17 years of endless war. On the one hand, bringing American troops home from a war where no one can fully articulate the mission is an unimpeachably good thing, on the other hand, the window/front door analogy applies here too.

One thing is for certain, we have failed in Afghanistan, Iraq and all other arenas considered to be a part of the War on Terror.

In just one week last month, the Taliban killed 200 Afghan soldiers and police; the Taliban is now openly active in 70 percent of Afghanistan, far more than when the majority of American and NATO combat troops left in 2014 https://t.co/9NpyAIS8fApic.twitter.com/WUvgqmeLat  CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) September 12, 2018

This is where I become less sympathetic to James Mattis. His position on Syria is fully understandable. Comparatively speaking, we have a small footprint there, some of our most staunch allies rely on our support, and abandoning them at the drop of the heat is sure to lead to their deaths and destroy any credibility America has left when it comes to serving allies' interests. With Afghanistan, we are simply muddling along with 14,000 Americans in harms way. For what? Literally no one can articulate the mission there anymore.

These kinds of forever wars are typically features of decision-making by generals like Mattis, not bugs, as United States Army Veteran Joe Quinn wrote in the New York Times:

In Afghanistan, after an Afghan police officer demanded money from me at gunpoint to get through a checkpoint, I learned of the Kabul government's widespread corruption. I learned that spending $68 billion on Afghan forces doesn't buy the essential ingredients of a fighting force: loyalty, courage and integrity. I learned that most generals would always ask for more money, more troops, more time  and more war. It's like asking Tom Brady what he wants to do on Sunday.

I learned that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. For the past 17 years in Afghanistan, we've tried everything: a light footprint, a big footprint, conventional war, counterinsurgency, counter-corruption, surges, drawdowns.

State Department figures on terror attacks suggest not only that the War on Terror hasn't worked but that it may have exacerbated terror attacks.



Note the sharp rise in terror attacks shortly after the invasion of Iraq: pic.twitter.com/oB2fx2wX1K  Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) September 11, 2018

Ending forever wars is an unimpeachably good thing, but simply saying were leaving with no other plan can easily make things worse. A competent, peace-driven president ordering this drawdown would be ideal, and its not inconceivable that this Trump withdrawal could make things infinitely worse than they are now. Mattis resignation letter clearly highlighted that his departure is due to an accumulation of disagreements, but that the drawdown in Syria served as his breaking point proves Joe Quinns editorial rightgenerals like Mattis are one of the main reasons we find ourselves in the current mess. That Donald Trump can see how disastrous our forever wars in Afghanistan and Syria are isnt an indictment of our idiot president, but of the abject failure of the War on Terror.

Jacob Weindling is a staff writer for Paste politics. Follow him on Twitter at @Jakeweindling.
So what's going right for Apple in India lately? Nothing. Apple has yet to open a single flagship store in India while China's Xiaomi has dozens with a goal of a 100 in the near future. Apple's sales are around 1% with a revolving door with Indian management and are basically in a major rut in that country as their competition continues to marginalize them. Though the tide of change could be coming as the Indian government is sending out a positive message today about meeting with Apple in Davos early in the new year.

Today in New Delhi, the Press Trust of India (PTI - the largest news agency in India) is reporting that in an interview with Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu it was revealed that he'll be meeting with Apple's top leadership in Davos in January to discuss their plan about setting up manufacturing facilities in India.

Minister Prabhu further noted in the interview that "We are still talking to Apple. Negotiations are ongoing. If they agree, we will like them to set up offices in India as well.

Of Course Apple and India have been doing nothing but negotiate over the years and have made it public that they refuse to provide Apple with any special treatment.

In July Samsung unveiled what it called the world's biggest mobile phone manufacturing plant in India. Prime minister of India Shri Narendra Modi presided over the inauguration of the factory in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

Obviously Samsung and others are hungrier to establish a firm footing in India, while Apple's plans remain in limbo.

Will Apple's talks in Davos be any different from those in the past? The Indian Minister commented that "When their offer came two-three years back and today, the situation has changed for them as well as for us. So, it is a good time to meet and discuss and finalize."

With the global economy in question for 2019 and Apple losing ground in China, perhaps it's time for a deal to be struck.

Clearly India is feeling the economic crunch as we're witnessing their attitude towards Apple taking on a completely different tone than in the past. The Minister further added that the tax and other concessions demanded by Apple could be negotiated. It's a good time for Apple to come to India; we will be very happy to receive them."

Apple asked India for duty exemption on manufacturing and repair units, components, capital equipment and consumables for smartphone manufacturing and service/repair for a period of 15 years and more.

What they'll end up with will likely be a compromise, especially if Apple wants to be able to get into the Indian market and finally put into place a game plan on the ground that they haven't been able to do successfully to date relying on local Indian distributors.

While Apple is no doubt a premium smartphone company, it was surprisingly revealed in September, contrary to common belief, that Apple is doing fairly well in the mid-tier price category for smartphones. Apple was actually tied with Oppo in the $400-600 price category beating out Xiaomi, OnePlus, Huawei and Samsung.

Though times are changing quickly with Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Huawei and others reinventing the mid market with not only price drops but with added features consumers want in a mid-tier phone that were only once available in the premium tier.

Take a look at the Pocophone that features a large display that's close to bezeless, larger batteries and an excellent camera for $300. If Xiaomi brings that to the U.S. it could interest more than just Android fans.

Whether Apple will rethink their mid-tier strategy to compete in that segment of the market is unknown at this time. Though history says it's not on Apple's radar. No company can be all-things to all people.

In the end will Apple and the Indian government finally get down to business and get the deal done or will both sides remain stuck on this never-ending merry-go-round ride that's embarrassing to both parties?
1859-69  Suez Canal built, but it and other infrastructure projects nearly bankrupt Egypt and lead to gradual British takeover.

1882  British troops defeat Egyptian army at the Battle of Tell el-Kebir and take control of country.

1914  Egypt formally becomes a British protectorate.

1922  Fuad I becomes King and Egypt gains independence, although British influence remains significant until mid-1950s.

1928  Muslim Brotherhood founded by Hassan al-Banna, who is killed in 1949.

1948  Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Syria attack the new state of Israel. Egyptian armys poor performance increases unpopularity of King Farouk.

1949  Committee of the Free Officers Movement formed to overthrow corrupt monarchy.

1952 July  Coup by the Free Officers Movement. Farouk abdicates in favour of his infant son Ahmed Fuad II.

1953 June  Coup leader Muhammad Najib becomes president as Egypt is declared a republic.

1954  Fellow coup leader Gamal Abdel Nasser becomes prime minister and, in 1956, president, ruling unchallenged until his death in 1970.

1954  Evacuation Treaty signed. British forces, who began a gradual withdrawal under 1936 treaty finally leave Egypt.

1955  Prime Minister Nasser reorients Egypt away from West towards neutrality, buys arms from Communist Czechoslovakia to re-equip army after Western powers refuse to do so on terms acceptable to Egypt.

1956 July  Having just assumed the Egyptian presidency, PNasser nationalises the Suez Canal to fund the Aswan High Dam, after Britain and US withdraw financing.

1956 October-November  Invasion of Egypt by Britain, France, and Israel over nationalization of Suez Canal fails through US opposition, greatly enhancing President Nassers standing at home and abroad.

1958  President Nasser steps up campaign to promote pan-Arab unity, most visible signs of which were brief United Arab Republic unitary state including Syria (1958-61). He also supports friendly elements in Lebanese and North Yemen conflicts, but to little avail.

1961-1966  President Nasser adopts socialist policies, including nationalisation of industry and an ambitious welfare program, combined with repression of Muslim Brotherhood and leftist opponents, in an unsuccessful attempt to boost the economy and the popularity of his government.

1967 May  Egypt expels UN buffer forces from Sinai and closes the Straits of Tiran to Israeli ships, then sign defence pact with Jordan. Israel interprets this as preparation for war.

1967 June  Israeli pre-emptive attack (Six-Day War) defeats Egypt, Jordan and Syria, leaving it in control of Sinai up to the Suez Canal and Egyptian-occupied Gaza (along with the Golan Heights, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem). Emergency Law largely suspends civil rights. Remains in force with brief break in early 1980s until 2012.

1970 September  Nasser dies, having never recovered his leading role among Arab states after the 1967 defeat, and is succeeded by Vice-President Anwar al-Sadat.

1971  The Aswan High Dam is completed, with Soviet funding, and has a huge impact on irrigation, agriculture and industry in Egypt.

1972  President Sadat expels Soviet advisers and reorients Egypt towards the West, while launching an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to open the economy to market forces and foreign investment.

1973 October  Egypt and Syria go to war with Israel to reclaim land lost in 1967. Egypt begins negotiations for the return of Sinai after the war.

1975 June  The Suez Canal is re-opened for first time since 1967 war.

1977 January  Bread riots in major cities against end to subsidies on basic foodstuffs under agreement with World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

1977 October  President Sadat visits Israel, beginning process that leads to 1979 peace treaty, return of occupied Sinai Peninsula, and Egypts suspension from Arab League until 1989. Egypt becomes major beneficiary of US financial aid.

1981 October  President Sadat assassinated by Islamist extremists month after clampdown on private press and opposition groups in wake of anti-government riots. Succeeded by Vice-President Hosni Mubarak.

1981  President Mubarak reimposes State of Emergency, restricting political activity, freedom of expression and assembly.

1991  Egypt joins allied coalition to expel Iraqi troops from Kuwait, and benefited from major multilateral loans and debt relief in return, allowing government to launch another attempt at liberalising economy.

2011 February  President Mubarak steps down and hands power to the army council. Goes on trial in August, charged with ordering the killing of demonstrators.

2012 June  Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi narrowly wins presidential election.

2012 December  Islamist-dominated constituent assembly approves draft constitution that boosts the role of Islam and restricts freedom of speech and assembly. Public approve it in a referendum, prompting extensive protest by secular opposition leaders, Christians and womens groups.

2013 January  More than 50 people are killed during days of violent street protests. Army chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi warns that political strife is pushing the state to the brink of collapse.

2013 June  President Morsi appoints Islamist allies as regional leaders in 13 of Egypts 27 governorships, including member of a former Islamist armed group linked to a massacre of tourists in Luxor in 1997. Protests force Luxor governor out.

2013 July  Army overthrows President Morsi amid mass demonstrations calling on him to quit.

2013 August  Hundreds killed as security forces storm pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo. Some 40 Coptic churches are destroyed in wave of attacks.

2013 December  Government declares Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group after a bomb blast in Mansoura kills 12.

2014 January  New constitution bans parties based on religion.

2014 May  Former army chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi wins presidential election.
Founded in 1870 in downtown Buffalo, Canisius College is one of twenty-eight Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States. According to the college website:

What began in a single building in downtown Buffalo now consists of 37 buildings located on 72 acres in a residential neighborhood in North-Central Buffalo. We are a masters-level, comprehensive university offering undergraduate, graduate and professional programs that are distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration and experiential learning opportunities that transform the mind and spirit. Canisius promotes the Jesuit principles of excellence, service and leadership through a broad range of learning experiences and a distinct core curriculum that is grounded in the liberal arts.

Back in 1870, Buffalo had a sizable German immigrant community, and few German-speaking priests. So Bishop John Timon, C.M., asked the German Jesuits to send personnel for a new college in the city.

So why did they name the college Canisius?

Well, St. Peter Canisius (1521-1597) is probably the most significant figure in the history of the Jesuit order in Germany. (He was actually Dutch.) After St. Boniface, the eight-century monk who brought Christianity to the German people, Canisius is called the Second Apostle of Germany. The reason is that he did so much to preserve and strengthen Catholic life in the wake of the Reformation. Ordained in 1546, he was one of the earliest members of the Jesuits, and he taught at their first college in Messina before being assigned to Germany, where he spent most of his life. He was beatified in 1864 by Pope Blessed Pius IX, and in 1925 Pius XI canonized him.

For his work as a theologian and catechist, he was named a Doctor of the Church (one of only 33 in the entire history of the Church). In Germany, he worked as a preacher, a diplomat between warring factions, creator of a German catechism, and a pioneer of what would become the Catholic press. These were the years when the printed word was really taking off for the first time. This was the original social media, and Canisius used it to the fullest. Canisius is the perfect example of the Jesuit seeking to meet people where theyre at, and accompany them on their journey.

So, really, its no surprise that a group of nineteenth century German Jesuits starting a new college in Western New York should name it for one of their greatest patron saints.

(*The drawing of St. Peter Canisius is by Pat McNamara.)
Once the gigantic spruce from State College stood proud at Rockefeller Center, adorned with lights and ornaments. People from across the globe took their photos with it, or admired it as they skated along the ice rink it adorned.

But times change, and so do trees. Now, the 2017 Rockefeller Christmas tree is no longer a plant, but a table.

Jason Perrin had a custom-made table crafted from a cutting of the tree, reported Centre Daily Times. Perrin owned the original Norway Spruce and employed Windy Hill Furniture with the task of making a memento of what remained of the tree. They settled on a coffee table.

It just seemed like it would be a good keepsake from the event, Perrin told the Centre Daily Times. You can see a photo of the table and read more about its journey from plant to furniture in the article from the Centre Daily Times below.

The tree had grown up in Perrins yard in State College and was 75 feet tall when it was chosen to be the centerpiece of the Rockefeller Center Christmas decorations. It was 50 feet in diameter and weighed between 12 tons and 13 tons.

Sisters Becky Blair, of Bellefonte, left, and Rose Fredericks, of New Jersey, take a photo after the 2017 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was cut down. It was donated by Jason Perrin in State College.HAR

During its time at Rockefeller Center is was decorated with more than 50,000 LED lights and topped with a massive star made up of 25,000 Swarovski crystals.

The majority of the trees remains went to Habitat for Humanity, where it was used to help build a home for someone in need.
SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea will not give up its nuclear arms unless the U.S. nuclear threat to Korea is eliminated, North Korean state media said Thursday.

The statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency was a particularly stark indication that the two countries are still far apart on what "denuclearization" means on the Korean Peninsula.

In a historic summit in June, President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to work toward "complete denuclearization" on the peninsula but offered no detailed agreements on how that would be achieved.

Since then, Trump has claimed progress in negotiations with North Korea. But talks appear to have stalled as Pyongyang has demanded the removal of international sanctions as a precondition for denuclearization.

The North Korean statement said "the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" includes elimination of not only the North's nuclear arms but also "the United States' nuclear weapons and other invading forces in South Korea."

"If we lay down our nuclear weapons first, that is not denuclearization, but putting ourselves in a defenseless state," the commentary continued. "This will apparently shatter the balance of strategy of nuclear forces, as well as bring about a nuclear war."

A number of analysts warned after the Trump-Kim summit that North Korea had little intention of giving up its weapons without substantial U.S. concessions in return.

"The statement shows that North Korea is not necessarily on the same terms as the U.S. on the idea of denuclearization. Pyongyang has constantly taken issue with the U.S.'s 'nuclear umbrella' over South Korea," said Woo Jung-yeop, a researcher at South Korea's Sejong Institute.

The United States withdrew its tactical nuclear weapons from South Korea in 1991 but continues to operate nuclear-armed bombers and submarines that can reach the Korean Peninsula from elsewhere, constituting a "nuclear umbrella."

Woo said the provocative statement on state media can be seen as a typical brinkmanship tactic from Pyongyang as it seeks to raise the stakes ahead of a potential second summit between Trump and Kim.

After a July visit by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, North Korean media abruptly slammed what it called the United States' "gangster-like" demands.

Trump has said he plans to hold the second summit in January or February, though he tweeted last week that he is "in no hurry" as the talks are going "just fine."

However, Pyongyang still has not responded to Washington's call to resume working-level talks after abruptly canceling a planned meeting between Pompeo and his North Korean counterpart last month.

The commentary on state media came as Stephen Biegun, Washington's top envoy to North Korea, is on a four-day visit to South Korea to coordinate policies with Seoul.

Biegun said Wednesday that the United States plans to review travel restrictions that block aid shipments to North Korea, possibly a friendly gesture to resolve the stalled talks.

The latest salvo from North Korea also puts South Korea in an awkward position. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been pushing hard to keep the momentum in talks going and has repeatedly said Pyongyang is committed to denuclearization.

(c) 2018, The Washington Post. Written by Min Joo Kim.
DARBY, Pa. (AP)  Police have charged an 18-year-old with murder in connection to the fatal beating of a retired postal worker in Pennsylvania.

The Delaware County District Attorneys office announced Tramaine Warfields arrest Thursday, saying he is also facing charges of robbery and related offenses.

Police have charged an 18-year-old with murder in connection to the fatal beating of a retired postal worker in Pennsylvania.

Darby Borough Police say they found 57-year-old Brad Hayes with severe injuries in the backseat of his car in October 2017. Hayes was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police say surveillance video captured a man beating Hayes outside of his car and then putting him in the backseat.

Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun Copeland says the teen acknowledged his role in the beating and told police he did not intend to kill the man.

Police say DNA evidence identified Warfield, CBS Philly reported.
A scared, lonely teen mom who left Dauphin County via a Harrisburg courtroom 23 years ago has been granted the rare opportunity to come back now, as a sadder-but-wiser 43-year-old who has said she is ready to make the most of a second chance at life.

Tina Brosius got that chance Thursday via commutation of a life prison sentence imposed in 1995, following her conviction for the abandonment death of a newborn daughter in Lower Paxton Townships Brightbill Park the year before.

The news simultaneously triggered a rush of painful memories, conflicting reactions and, in some corners, rejoicing, over the latest twist in a sad case that has lodged for 24 years in the collective conscience of the greater Harrisburg community for a laundry list of reasons.

Brosius, an inmate at the state prison for women in Muncy, had not spoken to her commutation attorney Stephen Grose as of Thursday afternoon. But Grose, in a telephone interview with PennLive, said he knew precisely what her mindset would be.

Shes floating right now, he said.

And her familys joy came through loud and clear in a Facebook post by Kerri Brosius, one of Tinas two daughters and another resolute advocate for this day, so much so that she has been postponing her wedding for the hoped-for release of her mother.

She wrote:

OMGGGGGGG MY MOMMY IS FINALLY COMING HOMEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! I am in shock and crying and screaming and freaking out!!!!! I am literally the happiest person in the world right now!!!!!!!!

Other advocates were just as happy, including columnist Nancy Eshelman, who had made Brosiuss case a regular topic of her work for the The Patriot-News and PennLive.

So relieved, so happy. Its been a long road, Eshelman told us by email Thursday evening.

"A lot of people put a lot of time into seeing Tina set free, but nobody worked harder than she did. Shes been a model inmate, a leader and educated herself in the years since 1994.

Im thrilled for Tina, her daughters, her parents and everyone who worked toward this day. This is the best possible Christmas gift.

FILE: The family of Tina Brosius, daughter Kerri, mother Lorraine and father Ernest react to the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons recommending commuting her life sentence with a unanimous vote 5-0 in the Pa. Supreme Court chambers at the State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Sept. 15, 2017.

The crime.

Brosius was put away for a death that shocked the conscience of the midstate and laid bare a family fractured by the issue of teen pregnancy.

According to her defense attorney, Elizabeth Stone, Brosius went to the park on May 7, 1994 in a panic because she feared her parents would evict her from their house if she had a third child.

Ernest and Lorraine Brosius had earlier testified that they had threatened to kick Tina out when she had her first child at age 15, and told her she would have to leave when she had another baby 15 months later.

I knew if I got pregnant again Id be out on the streets with my two babies, Tina Brosius testified in her own defense. I didnt want that. I was trying my hardest to keep them fed, to keep them clothed well. I didnt want anything to happen to them.

Brosius delivered her third daughter in a portable toilet, leaving her to die. Brosius, as part of her defense, stated that she thought the baby was stillborn, asserting that she hadnt felt it move during the pregnancy and that it didnt make a sound when it dropped into the toilets catch basin.

Why didnt you take the baby out of the toilet? Stone asked her.

Because I was scared, Brosius answered.

The drowned baby was discovered the next day.

Prosecutor Ed Marsico, now a Dauphin County judge, told jurors he believed Brosius made a conscious decision to deliver the child in hiding and to leave it behind.

She knew she was in labor, and she knew what she was doing, Marsico said, according to reports at the time. Tina Brosius had a problem and that was her third pregnancy. She had to make that baby disappear.

Jurors took about three hours to convict her of first-degree murder, a crime that in Pennsylvania carries an automatic term of life in prison without parole.

That was 1995.

In the 23 years since, Brosius has attacked prison life, her supporters say, with a passion, taking multiple courses, developing an expertise in upholstering furniture, and generally serving as a positive role model to others who have followed her to SCI Muncy.

She has long since owned her mistake, telling Eshelman in a 2008 interview: I made a mistake. And I own up to my mistake. Its something I live with every day, but I cant turn back the hands of time.

She has also reconciled with her parents  who stepped up to raise Tinas children  and grown into a caring, committed relationship with her daughters.

The familys closure of ranks behind Tina was probably a big reason that she became one of the few lifers to win the unanimous recommendation for commutation from the five-member state Board of Pardons last year.

It also helped that the Dauphin County district attorney at the time, John Cherry, testified on her behalf.

At last years public hearing on commutation, Cherry, a Dauphin County judge now, laid out how negotiations over a plea to third-degree murder  which carried a maximum term of 20 to 40 years  collapsed when he and Stone were unable to agree to a specific recommendation for sentence.

Cherry said he simply wanted the court to be able to make that call.

But at this point, Cherry said last year, Brosius has served well beyond what she would have served under an open plea, adding that he saw no useful purpose in her continued incarceration.

Wolf signed the commutation order Thursday.

It was one of two issued by the governor. Wolf also commuted the life sentence of Raymond Jordan, 58, for a 1985 stabbing homicide in Philadelphia. The Brosius and Jordan cases are the third and fourth commutations granted by Wolf in his first term as governor.

Wolfs press office did not respond Thursday evening to a request for the governors thoughts on these cases.

The road forward

There is no release date set for Brosius at the moment. A state Corrections Department spokeswoman said Thursday that may depend on bed-space availability at one of the community corrections centers - essentially halfway houses where a commuted prisoner must go for at least one year.

But Grose, Brosius attorney, said a Harrisburg-area employer that prides itself on giving ex-cons a chance has stepped up with an offer of employment for Brosius, and her familys church - Calvary United Methodist in Lower Paxton  is working on helping her get a reliable used car.

The biggest question, of course, may be will the 43-year-old Brosius be comfortable resuming life on the outside in a community where the memory of her past crime is still palpable?

It was an issue Pardons Board members took up with her directly during their private interview with Brosius last year, Grose noted. She said that, buoyed by the forgiveness of her family, and a support network of friends and church members, she felt ready for whatever comes.

In addition, Grose said, a psychiatric evaluation supported her release.

Its not going to be easy by any means, the attorney said Thursday evening. But shes got the right attitude, and shes got a lot of help.

Grose, who took on Brosiuss clemency application on a pro bono basis, said Brosiuss case should give everyone a chance to reflect on the need - at least in some cases - to allow the chance for redemption.

Twenty-four years ago, I was not in her corner. I thought she got what she deserved," Grose noted. But she got more than she deserved. ... If we could all just sit back a little bit, instead of just throwing out judgment right away, I think that would be good for everybody.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Eddington said at the time that he hoped the convulsion of violence was a short-lived increase in what has been a downward trend in criminal activity over the past decade on Howard Street. He said last month that the violence decreased after one of the men police believe was involved in the AK-47 shooting was himself shot and killed in October.
A multiple-vehicle crash is slowing traffic on Interstate 81 in Cumberland County.

The crash happened in the northbound lanes in Silver Spring Township just south of Exit 59 (PA 581 EAST/TO US 11 - CAMP HILL), according to 511PA.com.

There is a lane restriction as a result of the crash.
*This post has been updated to include some reaction.

Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo announced on Friday that the investigation into sexual misconduct claims against former state Rep. Nick Miccarelli is over at the victims request.

No charges will be filed.

In a statement, Chardo said the complainant, who was a Harrisburg political consultant who declines to be publicly identified, requested his office to close the investigation without charges into the claims she and state Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Luzerne County, made against the former Delaware County Republican lawmaker.

District Attorney Fran Chardo noted that both the woman and Miccarelli cooperated in the investigation.

The complainant has moved on with her life and does not want to see Miccarelli again in any context. At her request, we have closed this investigation and determined that its continuation is not in the public interest. The case took a long time to investigate because of a large volume of digital evidence, some of which was not originally accessible, Chardo said in his statement.

He declined to elaborate saying he was letting the statement stand on its own.

The consultant further explained her decision in a statement released by her attorneys.

This period has been painful and difficult for me both personally and professionally, and the prospect of a long and drawn out criminal proceeding promises even more trauma for me in the future. I simply must move on, she stated.

MIccarelli, through his spokesman Frank Keel, reacted to the DAs announcement in a short statement.

Nick has maintained his innocence from the outset of this media-fueled ordeal. Because he is innocent, he always knew todays positive outcome would come to pass. The legal process matters, as this case amply proves. There should be no tolerance for false accusations, which are calculated to destroy the lives of public or private figures, Keel said.

One of the attorneys for the consultant, Terry Mutcher, reacted to that statement, saying, In no way shape or form did the victim in this case recant her statement or the allegations."

The DAs offices investigation focused on the consultants claims against Miccarelli because the statute of limitations had run out on the domestic violence allegations Toohil had raised against Miccarelli, said one of the womens attorneys, Terry Mutchler, in an earlier interview.

The district attorneys office launched its investigation in March into the sexual and domestic violence allegations against Miccarelli by the consultant and Toohil after a House Republican investigation found their claims to be credible.

From the beginning, Miccarelli has proclaimed his innocence and denied any wrongdoing, even after agreeing to terms that resulted in a protection from abuse order obtained by Toohil. Miccarelli said that March day the PFA was issued that he felt vindicated by the courts acceptance of his admission of no wrongdoing and being permitted to return to the Capitol to perform his legislative duties.

"Im looking forward again to going back to the Capitol. I cant say its been an enjoyable process but I look forward to vindicating myself one day at a time, he said after the PFA hearing.

Reacting to that comment, Toohils attorney Jarrett Ferrentino, said: Representative Miccarelli agreed to a protection from abuse order today after being accused of very, very serious abuse allegations. I dont know on what planet that would seem to be vindication.

Miccarelli ended his legislative career on Nov. 30, deciding not to seek re-election to a sixth term of office. In a statement, he said he felt that was in the best interests of me and my family to move on to the next chapter in our lives.

Toohil and the consultant had dated Miccarelli at different times over the past six years, according to the complaint they filed with the House of Representatives. In it, the women claimed Miccarellis alleged abusive behavior included threatening Toohil with a gun and sexually assaulting the consultant. They said they delayed coming forward with their claims out of fear of putting their lives or careers at risk.

Along with those accusations of violations of the House GOP policies on general and sexual harassment policies, a supplemental complaint filed with the House accused Miccarelli of violating the caucus' retaliation policy by disseminating or attempting to disseminate on at least three occasions intimate photos of the political consultant that she shared with him during the consensual part of their relationship.

The House Republican leaders called on Miccarelli to resign even before a report on their internal investigation into the initial complaint was issued. They later stripped him of his committee assignments and Capitol security privileges as well as moved his seat on the House floor farther away from where Toohil sat.

Miccarelli accepted those sanctions but remained in office until the completion of his term, which allowed him to receive taxpayer-funded lifetime health benefits for his 10 years of legislative service.

The consultant further said in her statement she takes some consolation in knowing the House found her and Toohils allegations to be credible and that Miccarelli is now out of office and public life. She addied, "But it is disheartening to see that inaction by the House allows him to collect his state pension and lifetime healthcare benefits courtesy of Pennsylvania taxpayers, including me.
One would think the two senators who championed legalizing medical marijuana in Pennsylvania would be on the same page in their reaction to Gov. Tom Wolfs desire to consider ending the prohibition on recreational marijuana.

But they are not.

Sen. Mike Folmer, R-Lebanon County, is not a fan of the idea right now, saying he fears it will distract from the states nascent medical marijuana program. Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery County, meanwhile, plans to introduce legislation in January that would legalize it for adult recreational use.

Legislative reaction to hearing the recently re-elected governor shift gears from his pre-election view of the issue that he wasnt ready to sign or promote it to now is the time to have a conversation about it signaled how controversial this would be.

Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre County, called Wolfs interest in looking into legalizing marijuana as reckless and irresponsible. A spokesman for House Republicans said legalizing a Schedule 1 drug is not appropriate. Attempts to get reaction on Thursday from Democratic leaders in both chambers was unsuccessful.

Support for the proposal is not expected to fall along party lines. Rep. Barry Jozwiak, R-Berks County, last year offered legislation to reduce the penalties for marijuana possession in response to a prosecutors concern about how minor drug cases were consuming too much of officers' and the courts time. While he wasnt supportive of full legalization, the argument he raised could jar some of his colleagues into thinking legalization is the way to go.

State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has been calling for it since March 2017. Polls have backed him up. And Wolfs incoming lieutenant governor John Fetterman is also a proponent. And if thats not enough, the tax revenue it is expected to generate adds to the lure.

DePasquale in July estimated legalizing and taxing marijuana would generate $581 million a year for the state. But House Republican Steve Miskin said, Is the drive to spend more tax dollars really a proper justification to legalize a drug?

Folmers concerns take a different bent.

Theres several unanswered questions that I have about it, Folmer said. We dont know enough about it. What I want is for Pennsylvania to be a leader in research because well start understanding this plant better.

Folmer said a greater understanding of cannabis he believes could help bring down the cost of health care and get sick people back into the workforce sooner. He fears legalizing it for recreational use could shift focus away from that research that makes Pennsylvanias medical cannabis law unique and could increase broader knowledge about the plant.

Im not opposed to cannabis. It has been for way too long misunderstood, he said. We need to focus on medicinal right now.

Leach, however, said if done right, medical and recreational marijuana programs could be more symbiotic than conflicting. In fact, he said it could improve the research because of the availability of different strains of marijuana that would be available.

He dismisses Folmers concern about it being a distraction to marijuana research, saying researchers wont be studying how much fun people can have under its influence but rather what it can do for cancer, diabetes and pain.

Leach said that having the governor now willing to look at ending the prohibition on recreational marijuana removes a major impediment that existed before to the prospects of it happening here actually gives it momentum.

Added to that is the anticipated addition of New York and New Jersey soon joining the 10 other states and the District of Columbia that legalized it, which is why Wolf said on Thursday the time is right for Pennsylvania to give it a look.

If these neighboring states legalize it, Leach said it could lead to people who want it for medicinal reasons to drive across the border to other states to obtain it rather than jumping through the hoops that Pennsylvanias medical marijuana protocol requires.

Then theres the money aspect that DePasquale raised. Leach said similar concerns about losing tax revenue to other states is what drove the desire to open up casinos in Pennsylvania.

While I would like to think were going to pass it because its the right thing to do and its a noble cause and things like that, I understand money plays a big part in it, Leach said. New York and New Jersey definitely put the ball in our court so I think this is a propitious time for the governor to say what he said.

But Corman sees little good to come from recreational marijuana legalization.

He called it a mind-altering narcotic which will harm our youth, as it is a depressant and a gateway drug to other illegal substances. He went on in a statement to say it has the makings of a catastrophe when you add that to a lack of credible research on the societal costs and opposition from prosecutors, the medical community and law enforcement.

It sounds like a lot of what he said is from watching Reefer Madness too many times, Leach said.

He said if Corman met with people who are well-versed on the issue, he might think differently.

Not all law enforcement, judges and doctors are against it. Police officers have told him that they would prefer it be legalized so they can focus their efforts on serious crimes. As for marijuana being a gateway drug, Leach argues there is no scholarship to back that up.

Whats more, he maintains there are positive societal impacts that have occurred in states where it is legal  drunk driving is down, domestic violence reduced and young people entering in the criminal justice system declined.

Im hoping that he and other people who have doubts  its fine to have doubts and fine to have questions  but I hope they have an open mind, Leach said. Lets think about this.
State regulators need to provide better oversight of Pennsylvanias nursing homes, two state lawmakers say.

Last month, PennLive published a special report examining the quality of nursing homes. PennLive found that a number of homes formerly owned by the Golden Living chain continue to be plagued by issues relating to quality of care. Advocates for seniors also said the state Department of Health needs to be taking tougher action against substandard homes. (Read the full special report: Still Failing The Frail.)

State Rep. Greg Rothman, a Cumberland County Republican, said PennLives report underscored issues at nursing homes that need attention.

We should expect the highest quality of care for the elderly, who are some of our most vulnerable citizens, and this report reveals that the state Health Department has failed our families and requires oversight reform to put service back at the center of the nursing home industry in Pennsylvania, Rothman said in a statement.

State Sen. Art Haywood, a Philadelphia Democrat, plans to speak to the state Department of Health to ask questions about its oversight of nursing homes. He said he was disturbed by the findings of PennLives investigation.

The care of nursing homes is important issue for me, Haywood said, adding, Its a statement about who we are as a culture and as a nation.

Last February, Haywood held a hearing in his district to address concerns about nursing homes. Residents at the hearing complained about insufficient staffing at nursing homes and what they viewed as the health departments lack of stiff penalties to fix problems. Residents also said they didnt view the department as responsive to complaints about conditions.

After the hearing, Haywood said he had a productive talk about nursing home oversight with Dr. Rachel Levine, the states health secretary. The senator said he was encouraged by the departments pledges to make improvements. But he said its clear work remains to be done.

Being committed to making improvements and getting it done is obviously not the same thing, Haywood said.

This requires increased diligence by the department so we can get it right, he added.

Haywood said he may look to hold another hearing on nursing homes in the future.

Last month, state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said he would be conducting another audit examining the health departments oversight of nursing homes. He conducted a similar audit two years ago.

In the wake of PennLives investigation, U.S. Sens. Bob Casey Jr. and Pat Toomey said they would be asking questions of state and federal officials regarding the oversight of nursing homes.

The health department has said it is committed to ensuring the safety of the 90,000 people who reside in Pennsylvanias nursing homes.

The department is in the process of revising its regulations regarding nursing homes and has said it plans to update the states minimum staffing requirements. The department is in the final stages of developing a draft of its regulations, April Hutcheson, a department spokeswoman, said earlier this month.

PennLive examined homes that had previously been run by the Golden Living chain and found many are still racking up citations from state regulators. In 2015, the state Attorney Generals office sued the company for chronic understaffing and failing to provide basic care. Golden Living later sold its licenses to its 36 homes in Pennsylvania to other companies.

The PennLive investigation found some homes have as many state citations now as they did under Golden Livings management, according to PennLives analysis of state records. Some homes have even more citations, PennLive found.

Advocates for seniors say the health department needs to impose stiffer penalties on homes that offer substandard care. The new operators of Golden Livings homes largely eluded punishment from the health department, PennLive found. Of the 102 inspections that led to citations for those homes in 2017, the state only issued penalties in response to 10.
Nearly two decades after Pennsylvania state regulators let him off the hook, a former pediatrician admitted in court Thursday that he sexually assaulted 31 children, most of them patients.

Dr. Johnnie Barto of Johnstown pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two family members and admitted to sexually assaulting more than two dozen patients.

The abuse spanned decades and typically involved girls and boys between ages 8 and 12, prosecutors said. One of the victims was 2 weeks old. Barto molested children in the exam room at Laurel Pediatric Associates in Cambria County and at local hospitals, according to the Pennsylvania attorney general's office.

Johnstown pediatrician Dr. Johnnie " Jack" Barto pleades guilty to some child sexual abuse charge and no contest to others durng a hearing with Cambria Court judge Patrick Kiniry. Thursday, December 20, 2018.AP

Barto, 71, was arrested in January and charged with groping a 12-year-old girl during an office visit several weeks earlier. Suspecting she might not be alone, the attorney generals office put out a call for other accusers to come forward  and they did, by the dozen, with claims going back to the late 1980s.

"They came to their pediatrician seeking care. Instead they were victimized by a serial sexual abuser hiding in a doctor's coat," Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a videotaped statement released after Barto's plea.

Barto, whose medical license was suspended, remains behind bars pending his sentencing on multiple counts of aggravated indecent assault, child endangerment and other offenses.

"What happened today was good for everybody, because without a public acknowledgement of wrongdoing, there would be no healing," said Barto's lawyer, David Weaver. "This way the healing could begin for his family, his victims and for himself."

The Pennsylvania Board of Medicine had a chance to stop Barto nearly two decades ago, when he faced administrative charges that he sexually assaulted 4-year-old Lee Ann Berkebile and another young patient during office visits. But state regulators threw out the case and allowed him to keep practicing medicine, and Barto went on to molest more than a dozen more young patients, according to prosecutors.

Berkebile, who is now 29, said Thursday she's gratified that Barto will be held accountable.

"After 20-some years, I'm just glad it's finally over, and he can't do it again. He's a real sicko," she told The Associated Press. "He just makes me really disgusted."

The AP does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, as Berkebile has done.
The idea of legalizing marijuana may have significant opposition in the General Assembly, but polls show the public supports the idea.

Earlier this week, Gov. Tom Wolf said its time for Pennsylvania to take a closer look at legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes, especially as other states have done so. Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman came out strongly against it and its unlikely to gain traction in the Republican-controlled Legislature. Even the two state lawmakers who championed medical marijuana are split on the idea.

But polls show a remarkable growth in public support for pot in recent years.

A Franklin & Marshall College poll in September 2017 showed 59 percent of those surveyed support allowing marijuana for recreational use. It represents quite a shift from a May 2006 poll, when only 22 percent supported the idea, said G. Terry Madonna, a political analyst and pollster at Franklin & Marshall.

Muhlenberg College polls have shown consistent growth in support for recreational marijuana. Last March, Muhlenbergs annual poll on public health issues found 49 percent of those surveyed support recreational marijuana and 30 percent oppose it (the remainder have no opinion or are unsure).

By comparison, a 2013 Muhlenberg poll found 33 percent supported legalizing pot for recreational use, while 40 percent opposed it.

Theres been a pretty solid move in the direction of support, said Chris Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion.

Nationwide, two in three Americans support legalizing marijuana, according to an October 2018 Gallup poll. Its the height of public support for pot since Gallup began polling on the issue nearly 50 years ago.
In all of his 30 years of farming, Rick Mains has never seen a harvest season as bad as the one that just wrapped up.

For starters, mother nature didnt cooperate. The growing season was one of the wettest on record. Well into December, Mains still had crops out on the fields - as well as water.

Theres water running in the field where Ive only seen once in lifetime, said Mains, a soybean grower in Newville, two weeks ago.

To make matters worse, Mains had to contend with an unexpected and major economic curveball.

Like soybean farmers all across the country, he witnessed the decimation of the $14-billion soybean market after China, the countrys biggest soybean buyer, shut out the U.S. market with retaliatory tariffs.

It was just one of many fallouts from the tariffs that President Trump this year imposed on imported steel and aluminum. The tariffs sparked a trade war with the biggest U.S. trade partners - Canada, the European Union and China - all of which retaliated with tariffs of billions of dollars worth of exported goods and agricultural commodities, including on soybeans.

For many Pennsylvania farmers, the trifecta of low commodity prices, retaliatory trade tariffs and poor weather conditions dealt a heavy blow.

What Trump is doing may help in the long term, Mains said. But right now it hit at a time when economically its hurting everybody - beef, poultry, crops are taking hit. Its the worst time to have tariffs.

Trump vows that his trade policies are key to fostering economic prosperity and protecting American trade. But while beneficial to some sectors of the economy, those policies have inflicted substantial damage across the Pennsylvania economic landscape.

Across the manufacturing sector, scores of companies are scrambling to offset rising production costs. Some are reconsidering supply chains and even company direction.

I think if agriculture had been in a little better position when this started, we wouldnt be hurting so much, said Rick Ebert, the president of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. The trade wars have had a huge impact on us.

Ebert is concerned that tariffs will price U.S. farm products out of competitive markets, as more of them turn to other international suppliers.

As Ebert notes, Pennsylvania agriculture was already struggling with a dairy industry in distress, a symptom of oversupply as much as consumer taste.

The Trump administration trade war further exacerbated the situation for farmers.

Immediately after the retaliatory tariffs went into effect, farmers saw the price of the soybean bushel plummet. For small farmers, that meant tens of thousands of dollars in losses - exponentially more for larger farm operations.

Immediately it dropped about $2.50 a bushel, said Mains. Half of the value per bushel has been restored since then.

It came back about a dollar a bushel, he said. Whether is stays there....something new tonight could change it.

Unlike the bulk of midwestern soybean farmers, whose crop is largely purchased by China, the Pennsylvania soybean crop mostly stays within state borders, providing most of the feed for large poultry operations.

Price is the main concern.

Its affecting the price, Ebert said. If someone has 10,000 bushels, you are looking at a pretty chunk of money as to what they were getting then and what they are getting now.

Certain agricultural sectors across the state - the niche markets and agri-tourism (think corn maze and pumpkins) - are weathering fine, Ebert said. But not so much other sectors.

He is hopeful that farm subsidies and the new NAFTA will have positive impacts on the state of agriculture in Pennsylvania.

According to a report by Lancaster Farming, approximately 1,300 Pennsylvania farmers have received $2.4 million in federal subsidies aimed at compensating for revenue lost in the administrations trade wars.

All told, approximately $1.78 billion have been disbursed to farmers by the U.S. Department of Agriculture since September.

The $867-billion 2019 farm bill, which Congress approved last week, is expected to provide a safety net to some agricultural sectors. The bill allocates billions of dollars in subsidies to American farmers.

Farmers are frustrated all around, said Ebert, a dairy and crop farmer from Westmoreland County. Between prices and the weather challenges...I think a lot of them understand that the president is trying to right some of the wrongs in trade agreements especially with China. They understand things need to change....its just coming at a bad time.

Mains said he prefers to limit his intake of news.

Anytime there is news like that it could be a swing one way or another and you really have no control of it, he said. Theres no use in getting upset.

At the end of the day, Mains, who grows 400 acres of soybeans, 450 acres of corn and 100 steer, wants fair trade and to be able to sell his crops.

He nets about 50 bushels an acre.

It affects my pocketbook a lot, he said. The more acres of beans a guy is growing when prices dropped, they lose more.

He prefers to remain optimistic: My dad always told me, People are going to eat ...so there should always be a future in farming, Mains said.

The fact is all factors out of our control now. We can plant seeds, kill the weeds but if the good Lord dont bring sun and rain at the right time, its out of your hands. It is what it is.
Tina Brosius, who made a series of catastrophic decisions at age 18 that irrevocably changed her life and ended another in 1994, is getting the second chance that she has long sought.

Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday approved a commutation of Brosiuss life sentence for causing the death of her infant daughter, making her eligible for parole within the next several weeks.

Wolfs action followed a required unanimous recommendation from the state Board of Pardons last September, and becomes the latest turn in a story that has lingered in South Central Pennsylvanias communal memory bank for more than a generation.

Brosius, now 43, was convicted of first-degree murder in 1995 for allowing her newborn baby to drown in a portable toilet in Lower Paxton Townships Brightbill Park on May 7, 1994.

That was accompanied by a mandatory sentence of life in prison, a punishment supporters have long argued was not fair, especially when compared to similar cases in which mothers who killed their children receive far lighter sentences.

At trial, her attorney had argued that Brosius, who had an IQ of 80 and was considered borderline mentally disabled, was scared and panicked. At age 18, she already had two children.

With Thursdays actions, Brosius will be released from prison to a Community Corrections Center, where by law she must first go for a year.

After that, she would remain on parole for the remainder of her life.
Twelve doctors who have long staffed the UPMC Pinnacle-owned Tristan Radiology Specialists will become employees of Penn State Health beginning Jan. 1.

Although UPMC Pinnacle owns the buildings and equipment at the Tristan locations, the doctors have been independent and were never direct employees of UPMC Pinnacle.

Now, they will form the core of a new Penn State Health radiology team, providing services at various locations across Dauphin, Cumberland and Lancaster counties.

Their billing staff of ten will join them as employees of Penn State Health, which is the parent of Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, according to Dr. Mark R. Labuski, the president of Tristan.

Radiologists use imaging processes such as X-ray, MRI, and CT to diagnose illness and injury.

The four former Tristan locations will remain open. As of Jan. 1, they will be staffed by doctors who are part of Quantum Imaging and Therapeutic Associates, according to UPMC Pinnacle spokeswoman Kelly McCall.

Labuski said in a news release, We look forward to gaining the advantages of being part of a health system that is anchored by a university-based teaching and research hospital, while retaining the ability to provide the patient-focused services we are known for. We believe joining Penn State Health will only enhance our ability to remain at the forefront of diagnostic medicine in this region of Pennsylvania.

Tristan was founded in 1974. In 2011, PinnacleHealth System bought the four Tristan imaging locations, with most staffers becoming PinnacleHealth employees. The doctors, however, remained independent in the arrangement PinnacleHealth called a strategic partnership.

In an interview Friday, Labuski said much has changed since the Tristan doctors partnered with Pinnacle in 2011.

Tremendous consolidation involving health systems and health systems owning or closely aligning with all manner of smaller medical providers has greatly reduced opportunities for smaller independent practices such as Tristan, Labuski explained.

We have virtually been hemmed in by the consolidation of health care, he said.

As a result, the Tristan doctors earlier in 2018 had decided to disband as of the end of the year. At first, the doctors expected to find new work individually, with some embarking on national searches.

Over time, some had discussions with Penn State Health, and as they talked about it with the others, they collectively decided to join Penn State Health.

Labuski said the Tristan doctors have long had a strong focus on being highly responsive to patients and referring doctors by way of things such as providing fast results, and Penn State Health is open to that approach.

We are thrilled that the imaging experts previously part of Tristan decided to pair their stellar reputation in the community we serve with Penn State Healths commitment to ensuring those in our region have access to specialized care and treatment options as close to home as possible, Dr. Bill Bird, a senior vice president for Penn State Health Medical Group, said in the news release.

Labuski said the locations where each of the Tristan doctors will work is still unknown. But he expects at least one will be present at each Penn State Health radiology location.

Some will also work at at the new Penn State Health Medical Group  Lime Spring Outpatient Center on Noll Drive in Lancaster, according to the news release.
A Lebanon County man, who was fatally shot by a state police trooper Tuesday, was coming at the trooper with a knife at the time of shooting, according to police.

Police also noted that the trooper slipped and fell to his back just before firing his weapon.

About 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Mitchell J. Hammer, 27, of Annville was being pursued by a trooper along a creek in a wooded area, and, when the trooper rounded a bend, Hammer came toward him with a knife, police said in a Friday news release.

Police said Hammer was equipped with an 8-inch knife, and the trooper made attempts to gain cover, but he slipped, falling on his back, at which time he fired his department issued handgun.

Hammer was shot, and later died from his injuries.

On Monday, it was reported that Hammer was involved in an assault in a home on Jonestown Road in East Hanover Township, where police said he became angry with a woman and chased her with a knife.

According to police, the woman hid in the bathroom, but Hammer was pounding on the door with the knife still in his hand. Hammer eventually used the knife to punch a hole through the door, and the woman was cut on her right hand in the process, police said.

On Tuesday, troopers attempted to serve an arrest warrant related to the assault at Hammers place of employment, Boots and Hanks Truck Parts on Coon Creek Road, and Hammer fled, leading to the subsequent pursuit and shooting, according to police.

After Hammer was shot, troopers carried him through the woods to a state police helicopter, which flew him to Hershey Medical Center, where he died from his injuries, police said.

No troopers were injured in the incident, and the trooper who shot Hammer is on paid administrative leave until the Lebanon County District Attorney clears the shooting, Tpr. David Beohm said during a Tuesday evening press conference.
"When clients see the high schools come in and donate money, it helps them feel part of the community, and lets them know that people care about them," she said. "For some of our clients, this will be the only Christmas celebration they'll have."
Vonie Long is heading into the holiday season with optimism.

Long, president of one of the United Steelworkers locals in Pennsylvania, is upbeat that his employer, ArcelorMittal, is handing out substantial profit shares.

With orders for steel on the increase and the morale among his union brothers and sisters on the uptick, Long cant help but be positive about the immediate economic forecast.

Im happy, said Long, president of the Chester County-based 1165 Local of the United Steelworkers, North Americas largest industrial union.

Still, he cant shake a growing sense of uncertainty.

At the heart of that unease are the aftershocks of the economic and trade policies of the Trump administration - specifically tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, which the president abruptly rolled out earlier this year. Trumps tariffs have had no impact on the volume of imported steel, but they have raised the prices on steel across the board - both imported and U.S.-made.

Its a very odd time. We believe weve benefited, said Long, whose Coatesville-based shop is one of the only steel mills in the country that produces the military grade alloy used in armor for combat vehicles, warships and submarines. But Im not sure other co-workers in other facilities have benefitted. These are very odd times. Some of us have benefited. For some of us its impacted negatively.

Longs assessment underlies the current mood across the Pennsylvania manufacturing sector. President Trumps economic and trade policies have been beneficial for some companies but detrimental for others, especially for those that rely on overseas supply chains.

It has been very mixed in Pennsylvania, said Jim Craft, professor of business and a steel industry expert at the University of Pittsburgh. If I were the CEO of US Steel, I would give it an A-plus. If I were GM or a construction firm, I would give it a D-minus or an F because of the impact it will have on prices. Its a very mixed situation. Its not small gradations. You have winners and losers.

President Trumps economic and trade policies have been beneficial for some companies but detrimental for others, especially for those that rely on overseas supply chains. (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)AFP/Getty Images

The tariffs on imported steel and aluminum - at a rate of 25 and 10 percent respectively - have resulted in substantial increased profits and sales for the steel industry at rates not seen in eight or nine years, Craft said. Some steel manufacturers are talking about growing the number of plants; and negotiations with unions have led to attractive labor contracts.

Weve seen sizable profit sharing in the last couple of quarters where in recent years we didn't receive any profit sharing, Long said.

Many manufacturers have applauded the tariffs - even if theyve experienced negative repercussions.

Its been a great year for us, said Jackie Kulback, CFO of Gautier Specialty Metals, a rolling and plate mill in Johnstown and a leading producer of hot roller carbon and alloy flats.

The tariffs presented challenges, but we feel like we are working through them. The hope is that there is some relief from tariffs where its appropriate and I stress where its appropriate.

Those challenges underscore complex national and global economic factors - but for certain, they hit close to home.

Pennsylvanias industrial and manufacturing sectors have already had to adjust to the withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and NAFTA. The seemingly aggressive trade policies have further complicated matters. Some manufacturers are being forced to reconsider suppliers; others are facing rising costs or a requisite change of direction.

Thats really the disruption. Redirecting resources from development to developing a new product, said Bob Fields, COO of HiberSense, a Pittsburgh-based start-up and HVAC manufacturer. Thats time, resources, delay and scaling..that was definitely a negative impact but we have to work through it.

In the wake of the tariffs roll-out, Fields has had to shift the focus from growing HiberSense to protecting it.

The company, Fields explained, relies largely on proprietary components to manufacture its residential climate control solution product, but it imports a specific thermostat component from China. The tariffs have had a definite impact on the cost of those components.

As a start up we should be focusing only on sales not on new product development.......that stunts your growth. Not adding is worse than scaling back when you are beginning, Fields said.

Across the state, local media outlets this year reported on a common theme - that of manufacturers reeling from the fallout of the tariffs.

"We are paying tariffs on some imported steel, but at the same time, domestic steel prices have increased 50 percent in recent months because of tariffs," Richard Wright, a spokesman for JLG Industries told the Herald-Mail in July. The company, which has several operations in Franklin County, manufactures so-called access equipment such as industrial lifts.

The company did not return calls for comment from PennLive.

"The increase in steel price has a significant impact on our product cost, makes us less competitive selling U.S. manufactured products globally and puts U.S. jobs at risk," Wright told the Herald-Mail.

For scores of companies across Pennsylvania, the retaliatory tariffs from the European Union, Canada and China have increased the cost of doing business. Many have had to reconsider supply chains for metals only available overseas. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)Getty Images

Indeed, across the Pennsylvania economic landscape, one consensus emerges: Uncertainty.

We can definitely feel the impact but the impact of uncertainty is almost more than impact of any one thing, said Meg Christenson, a spokeswoman for Volvo Construction Equipment, a Shippensburg firm that makes pavers, compactors and other heavy construction equipment.

Not knowing what can happen next that can be challenging.

For scores of companies across Pennsylvania, the retaliatory tariffs from the European Union, Canada and China have increased the cost of doing business (along with tough decisions about passing it on to the consumer).

Among them is Bethlehem-based Apollo Metals, a metal coating company that provides and prepares metal used in auto brakes, sporting ammunition and decorative products. The company imports many of its metals from its Europe-based parent company, Tata Steel.

Henrik Adam, chief commercial officer of Tata Steel, said that some of the products that the company exports to Apollo - such as its extra wide strip, its battery quality hot rolled material and certain packaging steels - cannot be made by U.S. steel companies. That applies, he said, to the vast majority of the products that Tata Steel Europe exports to the U.S.

We are disappointed the U.S. has not permanently exempted the European Union from the measures on steel imports and introduced announced tariffs, Adam said in an email to PennLive.

In the long-range forecast, Harley-Davidson could incur as much as $100 million in added costs as a result of the EU tariffs.(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)Getty Images

Some companies wasted no time in redrawing plans for the future and perhaps none as stunning as Harley-Davidson.

In the wake of the tariffs, the motorcycle manufacturer announced it would shift some production overseas to avoid EU retaliatory tariffs. The move is certain to impact the companys plant in York County, which is reported to produce 40 percent of the large motorcycles that are impacted by the EU tariffs.

Harley-Davidson declined to comment for this story. Trump, who famously posed with a pair of large Harley motorcycles at the White House lawn, has publicly chastised the company for planning to relocate some of its production overseas.

In its long-range forecast, Harley-Davidson reportedly expects to incur between an estimated $90 million to $100 million in annual impact as a result of the EU tariffs.

Dozens of manufacturers have applied for exemptions from the tariffs. The majority argue that they can procure specialty parts and metals from overseas suppliers. The tariffs inflict an added financial burden on these manufacturers.

Among them is Pennsylvania Extruded Tube Company, a Clarks Summit-based shop that produces welded and seamless steel pipe and tubes. The company works with 40 different grades and sizes of steel; it buys all of its raw material from Sweden, home of its corporate headquarters.

The tariffs have been an issue for us, said Ruth Monahan, president of Pennsylvania Extruded.

Monahan has reached out to her congressional delegates, including Sen. Pat Toomey, who has appealed to Trump for exemptions to the tariffs for dozens of Pennsylvania companies as well as expedition of the exemption process.

Toomey, a Republican and ardent free trader, argues that scores of Pennsylvania companies are being negatively impacted by the tariffs. The majority are still waiting for a decision on their requests from the Department of Commerce.

Listed among the companies singled out by Toomey is NLMK Pennsylvania, a Mercer County-based plant that produces flat rolled steel. Toomey points out that the company has spent over $700,000 a day on the tariffs.

Toomey has been critical of the slow-paced review process and is pushing a GOP-led proposed legislation that would bar the president from using national security concerns to invoke tariffs without congressional approval.

Clearly, there is a need to reform the current petition process, Toomey said.

Monahan said she continues to use any resource to get resolution on the exemptions.

I dont know that they have anything to do with it....but I cant buy materials here locally, she said.

The concerns are near-identical among companies that depend on imported aluminum.

Brewers, and keg and can manufacturers, for instance, are contending with rising production costs from the tariffs. Aluminum is the main raw material used to make beer brewing vats, kegs and cans.

The tariffs on aluminium is probably having the most direct immediate impact on us, said Trevor Prichett, the CEO of Yards Brewing Co. in Philadelphia. Although Im shaky on where it is all going to land because the markets are affected when you have tariffs looming.

Pritchett recently opened a new space in the city, and expanded the bottled beer operation to include canned beer. Canning could eventually make up about 10 percent of Yards production.

Although most of his cans are made in North America - from imported aluminum - Pritchett assures the increases in cost have not been too dramatic for him. He said he cant say the same for others in his business. He too contends with uncertainty.

Pritchett said the tariffs hurt everyone in the industry one way or another.

Im not so concerned with the day-to-day, he said. Im concerned with how it plays out in the long term. I dont have clear clarity into where we are going to land.

Broadly speaking, the tariffs will benefit companies that manufacture at the primary metals level. The quandary for Pennsylvania is that these days thats a short list of companies.

For the vast majority of manufacturers, economic vitality will depend on adaptability.

Companies better able to adapt may be relatively better off than the competition but as far as the overall health of folks who fabricate with metal, they are generally going to be worse off, said Tom Jackson, a principal economist with IHS Markit.

The Pennsylvania economy overall is doing relatively well, he said. Hiring, for instance, has picked up in recent months, monthly surveys show.

The problem circles back to uncertainty, Jackson notes.

How long is this going to last? he said. How long are the tariffs going to be in place? If we knew the tariffs were going to be in place 10 years, yeah you could see a big investment in iron steel plants but just that uncertainty about what is going to be the case in six months to a year...these companies make their investment plans on a long-term horizon. It is hard to change what you are doing based on uncertain policies right now.

Assessing the impact of macro policies on Pennsylvania cannot be done in isolation, said Jackson, who specializes in analyzing the states economy. For instance, a number of deregulatory measures and corporate tax cuts have been beneficial for businesses and have been a boost to growth but the tariffs have offset some of the effect.

Across the country, growth and employment have outperformed forecasts, but events like re-opening the NAFTA pact pose risks. The new agreement features relatively minor changes, but the entire deal needs to be ratified by the incoming Congress; failure to do so opens the possibility of a complete pullout from the deal.

Under the worst case scenarios, Jackson said, companies that are denied exemptions from the tariffs could continue to see rising costs and be forced to curtail activity or shut down.

The issue will come down to the number of alternatives at a companys disposal - in terms of readily shifting supply chains. Most companies can pivot quite readily - as long as they know that factors such as tariffs are going to be in place in the long term.

I do believe that in the short run a lot of companies cant get around these tariffs, Jackson said. They dont have any other suppliers for their specific need in any reasonable time frame.

Christenson said she is taking a wait-and-see attitude at Volvo Construction Equipment; the 900-employee firm requires a lot of steel parts.

"We're monitoring very closely the impact on the cost of the commodities we use to build our products, which are going to make them more expensive to produce, and to purchase," she said.

Indeed, many Pennsylvania manufacturers view the tariffs on Canada as the sticking point in how Trumps economic policies.

Canada is Pennsylvanias largest trade partner; the state exports more to Canada than any other destination.

Canada has historically been our biggest trading partner, said Kulback, of Gautier Specialty Metals. A lot of goods and services go across the border between Canada and the U.S. The real issue, lets face it, is China.

David N. Taylor, President & CEO of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association, is an ardent defender of the Trump tariffs - but as they apply to China, which has glutted the U.S. market with cheap, subsidized steel.

The sanctions, he said, should have never applied to Canada.

What Im hearing from my people is that they are facing real disruption in their supply chain because they are so integrated with Canadian production, Taylor said.

He said he had hoped the president would have excluded Canada and Mexico from the tariffs.

Im really alarmed and disappointed that didnt happen, Taylor said. What we should be doing is drawing close with our allies and helping to build consensus to confront predatory Chinese practices. I regret very much that the Trump administration has not taken that approach and instead is trying to duke it out with everyone else.

It should be noted that the intended target of the tariffs are the raw metal products - not finished goods. Taylor argues that a South Korean company that manufactures a product using subsidized Chinese steel has a cost advantage over a U.S. company facing tariffs on imported raw materials.

Craft, the steel expert at the University of Pittsburgh, gives the trade policies an overall failing grade in Pennsylvania.

In general, they have had a negative impact on the economy, he said. The cost of steel has gone up and thats going to impact us in terms of higher costs of consumer goods. Cars will go up. Washing machines. What we are seeing now are marginal benefits to some but major costs to the U.S.

For Vonie Long, the benefits are tempered by the uncertain economic picture and the disparate impact across the steel sector.

He said a substantial number of the members voted for Trump with the hope that he would revive the steel industry. Long said he now thinks some of his union brothers and sisters are being negatively impacted by the presidents policies.

Im still really uncertain, he said. I dont really trust him and I dont like a lot of his policies. I dont believe a blanket tariff was the way to tackle it. I think he could have been more aggressive on the cheating.

Kameen Thompson, union president at the Coatesville sister plant in Conshohocken, bemoans the bittersweet economic landscape: His members also received generous profit sharing, and orders are on the uptick.

But he bears in mind the fact that in just the last few months, the Conshohocken plant - which is a finishing plant - has reduced its workforce from 290 employees to 80. The plant has ramped down some operations, necessitating layoffs.

Thompson, president of USW Local 9462, said Trump waited too long to roll out his campaign promise to protect the U.S. steel industry.

If the tariffs had been put in place a year ahead, we probably would had that operation running, said Thompson, referencing some of the shuttered operations. At that time it was too late. It would have saved jobs.

The plant never reacquired the customers it had to let go during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, when demand for military grade products were in high demand. Those customers widely turned to cheaper sources of imported steel.

They went to other businesses and they never came back once the military stopped ordering, Thompson said. Of course we want to protect our country..our troops, but at the same time, we lost customers that would have kept us afloat during the slow times.

Thompson said barring catastrophic military conflicts, he will probably never see the numbers out of his plant seen during the last few conflicts.

For now, numbers are good, and he, like Long and the other union members are pleased with their contract and bonuses.

The steel steel industry is up now but that can change at any point, Thompson said.
By Greg Vitali

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has been severely underfunded for years. This has compromised the Departments ability to protect public health and the environment. Governor Wolfs proposed budget should restore needed resources.

The DEP has suffered almost a 30 percent reduction in staff since 2002, losing over 900 positions.

This has compromised its ability to reduce air and water pollution, regulate oil and gas development, combat climate change, plug abandoned oil and gas wells and protect the Chesapeake Bay.

Currently the Wolf administration is preparing its fiscal year 2019/2020 Commonwealth budget proposal, which it will present to the Pennsylvania General Assembly in early February. This proposal should fully fund environmental protection.

Air quality

The DEP doesnt have sufficient personnel to monitor air quality. A 2018 EPA audit determined the DEPs Air Quality Monitoring Division was severely understaffed. This understaffing has increased the risk of harmful pollutant discharge. Fewer companies are now being monitored and the air monitoring data is being viewed less frequently. This adversely affects the health of us all.

Oil and gas program

The DEP Oil and Gas program has lost 36 positions  down to 190  since 2016.

This program has the responsibility to review drilling permit applications, respond to complaints, inspect well sites, prevent pollution and develop policy guidelines and regulations. We are not doing any of these things well, a program official confided in me. We are failing in our mission.

Methane regulations

As the Wolf administration has acknowledged, reducing fugitive methane emissions from natural gas operations is an essential step needed to combat climate change. Three years ago, the administration announced its intent to develop regulations for the thousands of existing sources of methane leakage. To date these regulations have not been completed. The delay, according to one DEP insider, is insufficient staffing  only one person has been assigned to this project.

Abandoned wells

A DEP official estimates there are over 200,000 unplugged orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania. These wells create a risk of explosion from gas leaks which could cause death and property damage. The wells also leak brine and oil into streams and groundwater. It costs about $35,000 to plug a well. At current funding levels it will take about 17,500 years to plug all of them.

Stream protection

By its own estimates, the DEPs Bureau of Clean Water needs to restore 63 positions to implement its clean water objectives. The Bureau does not have enough biologists to monitor the waters of the commonwealth or take action to protect precious high quality streams in a timely manner. This lack of staffing has increased the risk of improper pollutant discharges into Pennsylvania waterways.

Chesapeake Bay

In July, The Chesapeake Bay Foundation released a report concluding that Pennsylvanias poor progress in reducing pollution runoff from its 33,600 farms in the Bay watershed threatens local rivers and streams as well as the recovery of downstream waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The DEP has conceded it does not have the staff and resources necessary to carry out its Chesapeake Bay Restoration Strategy.

The DEP is in a deplorable condition. Governor Wolf should not propose a budget which merely maintains or only slightly increases DEP funding. Rather, he should propose a budget which seriously attempts to address this problem.

State Rep. Greg Vitali, a Democrat, represents the 166th House District, which includes parts of Delaware and Montgomery counties. He writes from Harrisburg.
Area holiday open houses on tap for this weekend

A number of area holiday open houses will take place this weekend in the region, providing holiday cheer and family friendly festivities.
Blumberg, among others, has pointed out the school provides affordable preschool and day care to a portion of community not necessarily served by other programs in the community. She said the community would have an opportunity to raise issues during public meetings as part of the citys plan review process. A community meeting is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. Jan. 8 at the Highland Park Police Department, 1677 Old Deerfield Road.
The 2022 dates will mark Foo Fighters most extensive North American run since the February release of their latest  and 10th  album, Medicine at Midnight. Cheeky as ever, the rockers are noting how this is their 27th anniversary...
When it comes to ordering bike parts online, Chain Reaction Cycles is one of the big boys that a lot of riders default to. As reported by Bicycle Retailer earlier today, CRC announced on their homepage that they won't be selling Shimano into the US and Canada.''Unfortunately from January 1, we will no longer be able to sell Shimano into your country. We're working with Shimano to be able to sell to you again in the future,'' was the message on their website.CRC hasn't replied to my questions yet, but Shimano's Joe Lawwill had this to say: ''We will not comment on specifics but with consistently changing market dynamics we have to adapt our strategies to protect Shimanos brand position in the bicycle market.'' We'll update this story when CRC chimes in.
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Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii called literal BS on Donald Trump for leading the government to a potential shutdown because right-wing media personalities told him to.

In an interview with MSNBCs Chris Hayes on Thursday, the outspoken Trump critic said the president will have to own it if the federal government doesnt stay open. Any claim that its the fault of Democrats is bulls**t, she said.

Hirono said after both parties reached an agreement to keep the government open on Wednesday, Trump did a complete 180 because of some right-wing loud people yelling at him on Fox News.

Any effort on his part to blame the Democrats will be such bulls*** that, as I said before, I would hardly be able to stand it, Hirono told the MSNBC host.

Video:

.@maziehirono says there is no way Trump will be able to pin a potential government shutdown on the Democrats. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/5Ax85cG9EY  PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) December 21, 2018

Sen. Hirono said:

The Senate did the responsible thing last night by keeping government running, passing this bill by a voice vote. And only to have President Trump get all worked up because hes got some right-wing loud people yelling at him on Fox News and suddenly he says, Well, I dont think Im going to sign it. So it is very true that he will bring on the shutdown and he has to take responsibility for it. Any effort on his part to blame the Democrats will be such bulls*** that, as I said before, I would hardly be able to stand it.

Fox News is running the government now

Without no adult supervision left in the White House, especially after Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis announced his resignation, the administration appears to be in the complete control of right-wing lunatics on Fox News and other right-wing outlets.

As MSNBCs Chris Matthews said on Thursday, right-wing extremists like Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter are calling the shots on the government shutdown. Without them issuing marching orders on Thursday, the U.S. government likely wouldnt be on the brink of another shutdown.

Ultimately, these crazy voices are no longer just spewing nonsense on right-wing media outlets; theyre running the government.

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By Mark Hosenball and Ginger Gibson

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  A U.S. congressional panel will send a transcript of its interview with Roger Stone, a close political ally of President Donald Trump, to prosecutors investigating possible coordination between Trumps 2016 election campaign and Russia, a committee source said on Thursday.

Democrats who take control of the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee next month have signaled they plan to send Special Counsel Robert Mueller the transcripts of testimony given under oath by some of Trumps closest associates so they can be reviewed for evidence and possible falsehoods.

During the 2016 campaign, longtime Republican political operative Stone posted messages on Twitter implying that he had inside knowledge of data in the possession of hackers and WikiLeaks that would embarrass the Democrats. Stone denies having such inside or advance information.

Stones lawyer Grant Smith said on Thursday that he sent a letter to the committees outgoing Republican chairman requesting that the full transcript of the private Sept. 26, 2017 interview be publicly released.

A spokesman for Muellers office declined to comment.

The committee source said that, despite antagonisms between the outgoing Republican majority and the incoming Democratic majority, the vote to provide Mueller with the transcript was not contentious.

Some House Republicans have been Trumps fiercest defenders and critics of investigations the president has repeatedly called a political witch hunt, denying collusion with Moscow. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russia ran an operation to undermine Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and the American electoral process.

Russia denies election meddling. Mueller has secured guilty pleas from several former Trump aides including his former campaign chairman and national security adviser, and has indicted several Russia nationals and entities.

Stone has said he may well face charges, but denies any wrongdoing.

His lawyer Smith said in his letter on Thursday that Stone never had advance knowledge of the source or content of any releases by WikiLeaks or other organizations.

Private messages between WikiLeaks and Stone seen by Reuters indicate that while Stone did contact the website before the election, WikiLeaks criticized Stone for making false claims of association which it said were being used by the Democrats to undermine the impact of our publications.

In the months preceding the vote, WikiLeaks released emails hacked from computers used by Clintons senior campaign adviser John Podesta and the Democratic National Committee.

Muellers team has interviewed several of Stones friends and associates. Stone has declined requests from the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence Committees to provide documents and to be interviewed.

(Reporting by Mark Hosenball and Ginger Gibson; editing by Grant McCool)
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Rachel Maddow keyed in on how Donald Trump appears to be letting Russian president Vladimir Putin run U.S. foreign policy.

A day after the president announced a sudden withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Syria, the White House said it would be pulling 7,000 troops from Afghanistan.

As the MSNBC host pointed out, that decision came hours after Putin commented on how the U.S. has maintained a presence in Afghanistan.

Video:

Maddow points out the strange timing of Trumps decision to pull half of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. #ctl #p2 #maddow pic.twitter.com/n7nZLbhmXF  PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) December 21, 2018

Maddow said:

As soon as [Putin] was asked about that decision by President Trump to pull U.S. troops out of Syria, the way he responded was by praising that decision but then immediately pivoting. He said well, basically, we think it is good news. Were happy that hes pulling out of Syria. Well believe it when we see it, though. The United States has been in Afghanistan for 17 years, and they always say theyre withdrawing there. That was his pivot today. Within hours, The Wall Street Journal was first to report that President Trump has also ordered about half the U.S. troops in Afghanistan, about 7,000 troops, home right now. Within weeks. Another sudden announcement today on top of the sudden announcement yesterday about the unilateral and complete withdraw from Syria.

Trump is letting Putin call the shots

On Wednesday, Trump made a sudden and thoughtless decision via Twitter to pull troops from Syria. It was a move that likely had U.S. adversaries, including Russia and Iran, popping the champaign.

On Thursday, hours after Putin mused about how the U.S. continues to remain in Afghanistan even after promising to leave, Trump announced half of the American troops would be leaving the region.

Its becoming clear that the best way to predict U.S. policy is to just listen to what Vladimir Putin is saying.

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By Timothy Gardner

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  Attorneys general from nine U.S. states sued the Trump administration on Thursday to stop future seismic tests for oil and gas deposits off the East Coast, joining a lawsuit from environmentalists concerned the tests harm whales and dolphins.

Seismic testing uses air gun blasts to map out what resources lie beneath the ocean. Conservationists say the testing, a precursor to oil drilling, can disorient marine animals that rely on fine-tuned hearing to navigate and find food. The tests lead to beachings of an endangered species, the North Atlantic right whale, they say.

New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood said the tests would harm marine species, jeopardize coastal ecosystems and pose a critical threat to the natural resources, jobs and lives of New Yorkers. The Trump administration has repeatedly put special interests before our environment and our communities, Underwood said in a statement.

The lawsuit, which names Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and the National Marine Fisheries Service as defendants, says the prospect of seeing marine mammals is an important draw for tourists to the states and helps coastal economies.

The Department of Commerce declined to comment.

Last month the fisheries office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, part of the Commerce Department, issued permits to WesternGeco LLC, a subsidiary of Schlumberger Ltd, and CGG to harass, but not kill, marine mammals with air gun blasts in a region of the Atlantic from Delaware to Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Jennie Lyons, a spokeswoman at the fisheries office declined to comment on the lawsuit but said the department only authorized harassment, not outight killing, of the marine animals in issuing the permits. A marine biologist at the office told reporters last month that no seismic tests have been known to cause whale beachings.

The permits, part of President Donald Trumps energy dominance agenda to boost oil output for U.S. consumption and for exports, also went to ION GeoVentures, Spectrum Geo Inc and TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company.

The companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The other attorneys general are from Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia. They joined a suit by conservationists filed earlier this month by groups including the Coastal Conservation League, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Oceana.

(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi tore into the president on Thursday as the federal government continues to creep closer to a shutdown.

In a press conference, Schumer and Pelosi said Donald Trump can throw as many temper tantrums as he wants but its not going to get him his border wall and it will only hurt innocent people.

The Trump temper tantrum will shut down the government, but it will not get him his wall, Schumer said in a fiery set of remarks alongside Pelosi.

Video:

Chuck Schumer isnt playing games with Trumps push to shut down the government over a border wall. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/oKyYud2Afg  PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) December 21, 2018

Schumer said:

Leader Pelosi, Leader McConnell, and myself have done everything we can to avoid a shutdown but President Trump wants one. Hes asked for one 25 times and he said in front of us hed be proud to shut down the government. It is nothing to be proud of. The bottom line is simple, the Trump temper tantrum will shut down the government, but it will not get him his wall. The bill thats on the floor of the House, everyone knows will not pass the Senate. Speaker Ryan, Leader McCarthy have cynically put it on the floor of the House, knowing it cant pass the Senate. Everyone knows it cant the pass the Senate. Its a cynical attempt  a cynical attempt  to just hurt innocent people and do just what President Trump wants, even though they probably know it is bad for the country.

Donald Trump is singlehandedly going to shut down the government

This is not a scenario in which Donald Trump can frame a potential government shutdown as the fault of Democrats. He has completely boxed himself in.

Not only has Trump repeatedly said he would be proud to shut down the government over his wasteful border wall, but members of both parties have already agreed on a bipartisan plan without wall funding that would keep the government open. The Senate approved the legislation on Wednesday night, but the president rejected it.

In other words, Donald Trump is going to single-handedly shut down the government because he cant put aside his childish wall fantasy for the good of the country.

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By Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  The Trump administration said on Thursday it aims to tighten food stamp restrictions for some able-bodied Americans through a proposed rule change it says would save billions of dollars, after efforts to do so through Congress failed.

The proposal drew criticism from Democratic lawmakers who argue food stamps provide a crucial safety net to the poor. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, provides free food to some 40 million Americans, or about 12 percent of the total U.S. population.

President Donald Trumps administration has argued that many Americans now using the program do not need it given the strong economy and low unemployment, and should be removed as a way to save taxpayers as much as $15 billion.

But a Trump-backed effort to pass new restrictions through the Farm Bill was blocked by Congress, following a months-long, bitter and partisan debate. The final Farm Bill, minus the food stamp cuts, is expected to be signed into law by Trump as early as Thursday.

Under the current SNAP program, qualifying able-bodied adults without dependants (ABAWDs) can only get food stamps for three months over three years, a rule called the time limit that is intended to encourage people to find work. But states can circumvent the time limit and extend the benefits for ABAWDs by using waivers if they see fit.

The USDA said the department was planning to end statewide waivers unless a state qualifies for extended unemployment benefits due to bad economic conditions, and would limit waivers in larger geographic areas deemed to have sufficient available jobs. Currently, 29 states administer partial waivers while seven states offer statewide waivers.

In a briefing late on Wednesday, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said 75 percent of the 3.8 million able-bodied individuals receiving food stamps were not working in 2016, the latest year for which the USDA has the data.

This is unacceptable to most Americans and belies common sense, particularly when employment opportunities are plentiful as they currently are, he said. The nations economy is booming and unemployment is at (its) lowest  since 1969.

The USDA also said it was strengthening criteria for approval of waivers, for example, by limiting their duration to ensure they do not outlast poor economic conditions.

The U.S. economy grew at a 3.5 percent annualized rate in the third quarter, and is on track to hit Trumps 3 percent target this year. The U.S. unemployment rate was unchanged at near a 49-year low of 3.7 percent.

James Weill, president of nonprofit advocacy group Food Research and Action Center, said the waivers used by states were crucial to protecting food assistance for people who are seeking but unable to find sufficient hours of work.

The Trump administration now proposes to politicize the process at the state level, reduce the ability of states to follow Congress intent, and arbitrarily narrow states ability to waive the time limit in areas with insufficient jobs, he said in a statement.

Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan also criticized the proposal: Congress writes laws and the administration is required to write rules based on the law, not the other way around.  Administrative changes should not be driven by ideology, she said in a statement.

(This story has been refiled to remove typographical error in first word in paragraph 1)

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; editing by Richard Valdmanis, Diane Craft and Jonathan Oatis)
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The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) will deliver an assessment on election security to the White House on Friday, with two big questions surrounding it.

One is obvious: what does the DNI assessment say about foreign interference in the November 6 midterm elections?

The other question is less obvious but equally important: If foreign interference occurred, what will be done about it?

If intelligence agencies found that foreign interference took place in the midterms, it will pose a dilemma for Trump and it also will test him. What will his response be? Who will be allowed to see the report? What will he do to get more people and agencies involved in responding to the reports findings?

Trump of course has been heavily criticized for letting foreign countries interfere in U.S. elections and doing very little to prevent it or respond to it. He is widely seen as allowing our adversaries to meddle in elections, and refusing to fight against it or impose any penalties.

One of the presidents critics is Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who said on Wednesday:

I dont think theres any doubt that Russias influence efforts are ongoing. They view it as part of their broader strategy, its a key part of their tactics they use around the world.

Ill wait for the DNI to issue their report on the findings, but I think youll find that they were less successful but nonetheless active.

The office of the DNI has confirmed that the intelligence community will submit its assessment on election interference to the White House on Friday, but they did not say whether the report will be made public.

If the report is critical of the government and of the Trump administration efforts to fight foreign interference, will Trump bury the report? Will he ignore its findings?

Most Washington observers believe that intelligence officials will conclude that there has been substantial foreign meddling.

Defense Secretary James Mattis, who is on his way out due to disputes with the president on policy, said earlier this month that he believes Russia had interfered in the midterm elections. And in his position, he may have seen classified information proving this. Earlier in the year he said he would deploy military forces to protect election systems, which is something Trump never approved.

Its possible that a difference of opinion with President Trump about what to do in response to foreign election interference led Mattis to lose his job as Defense Secretary.

And shortly before November 6, federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against a Russian national, Maria Butina. She was charged with operating an influence campaign against U.S. elections, including the 2018 midterms.

Several members of Congress said this week that they believe that Russia did interfere in the midterms, but not to the extent that it interfered in the 2016 election.

Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2016, said:

Lets see what they report happened, lets see how resilient we were and then well decide what next steps are.

Kaine pointed out that Congress appropriated $380 million for election security this year, but that money came too late for many states to use it before the midterms to secure their elections.

Congress also failed to pass any election security legislation which required federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security to take the lead on securing state election systems.

Most Democrats and a few Republicans have been very critical of Trumps efforts, saying he hasnt done anything to fight Russian election interference. So the spotlight will be on him to see how he responds to the new DNI assessment.

After the DNI report is sent to the White House, acting Attorney General Michael Whitaker and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen will have 45 days to write their own reports determining the extent of the interference.

The Treasury Department may submit a final report to Congress, but is not required to do so.

Democrats have not said what actions they would take if Russia is found to have meddled in the 2018 midterms.

Sen. Gary Peters, (D-Mich.), the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said that while a response to be made if interference took place, Congress also should pass a bill to help state officials keep their voting systems secure.

It depends on what comes out on the report, but I think that theres no question that Russians have been actively involved in attempts to influence elections, Peters said. We need to continue to be vigilant and safeguard the state apparatus for elections, as well as some of the information campaigns that Russians are engaged in.
We are not going to be able to mend all of the fissures of our school system in one fell swoop, Lubelfeld said when he presented his recommendation to the school board. However, we are proposing an approach that will bring a world-class learning environment to our middle schools and better prepare all of our students for success in high school, college, career and life.
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A new poll says that the majority of American voters believe that President Donald Trump has tried to obstruct special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

It also shows that most Americans believe that Russian government intelligent agents engaged in a lengthy and widespread attack on American democracy as they attempted to help Donald Trump and other Republicans win election in 2016.

The new AP/NORC poll published Friday morning inicates that 58 percent of Americans say that Trump has engaged in numerous efforts to obstruct the Mueller probe. Just 40 percent of poll respondents said they dont think that Trump has tried to interfere in the work of the special counsel.

Of those Americans who were asked questions, 51 percent also said that Congress should take steps to remove Trump from office if he is found to have obstructed the investigation.

This means that the majority of Americans would be in favor of Trump impeachment if more facts come out showing that Trump committed the crime of obstructing justice. The poll results indicate that this would be true even if it is found that the president did not personally have contacts with Russian operatives or government officials.

This new poll is very timely given the large amount of activity that has been generated by the special counsels investigation this month.

Much controversy and negative publicity for the president was created by former White House national security adviser Mike Flynns sentencing over his false statements to prosecutors.

In addition, former Trump attorney and fixer Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison on a number of charges, including campaign finance violations he said he committed at Trumps direction.

While those charges did not deal with Russia directly, 62 percent of poll respondents said they are concerned about the possibility that Trump or others involved with his campaign had inappropriate contacts with the Russian government during the 2016 presidential campaign. Another 72 percent say they think Trump himself has done something either illegal or unethical.

Despite over 30 indictments, and guilty pleas by all of his top advisers,Trump has repeatedly attacked Mullers investigation as a witch hunt and a hoax.

And even after Trumps numerous attacks, the majority of Americans still view Mueller favorably. In this most recent poll 57 percent said they are extremely, very or moderately confident that the probe is fair and impartial.

Those numbers align with a recent Hill.TV/HarrisX poll that found 58 percent of those surveyed thought that Muellers investigation was unbiased.

The Hill.TV/HarrisX poll also found that most Americans approve of Mueller broadening the scope of his probe to include other criminal activities that are not directly connected to the investigation into Russian election interference.

These polls spell bad news for Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Nearly two-thirds of Americans support what Bob Mueller is doing, and they want him to continue his work and uncover the evidence that exists to prove not only Russian election interference but also other crimes committed by Donald Trump and his associates.
By Gina Cherelus

(Reuters)  North Carolinas National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit against a voter identification law enacted a day earlier by the states lame-duck Republican-dominated legislature.

The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in North Carolina under the Voting Rights Act and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, which govern the conditions under which people are defined as citizens and allowed to vote, according to the civil rights organization.

This is a brazen effort by a lame-duck, usurper legislature to once again legislate voter suppression, Irv Joyner, Legal Redress Chair of the NC NAACP, said in a statement.

This law is designed to suppress the votes of people of color. The federal courts have seen through this legislatures attempts to do this before and we are confident that they will see through this current attempt, as well.

The NAACP was part of a group that in 2016 successfully challenged North Carolinas prior attempt to require a photo ID to be able to vote.

Republican lawmakers in several states have passed a series of last-minute laws following Democratic wins in Novembers elections, including in North Carolina. Democrats have castigated the efforts as power grabs, while Republicans have said they are simply doing their jobs.

North Carolinas Democratic Governor Roy Cooper vetoed the Republican-authored bill on Dec. 14 on grounds it would suppress minority votes while supposedly addressing a problem  in-person voting fraud  that did not exist.

In overriding Coopers veto on Wednesday, Republican state lawmakers defended the law as a common-sense measure to make elections secure.

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice also filed a lawsuit in state court immediately after the regulation became law on Wednesday.

Any legislative scheme that requires voters to present ID when voting must have fail-safe measures to ensure that not one single eligible voter is disenfranchised, Allison Riggs, senior voting rights attorney for the coalition, said in a statement.

This legislation does not do that.

The states NAACP is seeking that the court declare that the requirement violates federal law and keep it from taking effect.

(Reporting by Gina Cherelus in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
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President Donald Trump has taken the nation to unprecedented levels of chaos, yet he still appears supremely confident.

But there is something new for him to worry about, in addition to Democrats taking over control of the House of Representatives in January: He is losing the support of Republicans in the U.S. Senate.

In fact it appears that with each passing day, as he takes more reckless steps that endanger the country, more and more Republicans are turning against him, according to Axios.

GOP lawmakers this week have been openly expressing their concerns about Trumps sudden, unilateral decision to pull troops from Syria. One very outspoken critic of this move was Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina who has been one of Trumps strongest supporters in the Senate. Many other senators were shocked when  on top of the Syria decision  Trump apparently asked his highly-regard Defense Secretary, James Mattis, to resign due to policy differences.

If he is losing the support of Republicans in the Senate that could eventually be a huge problem for the president.

Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky criticized Trump for the Mattis departure, which he called regrettable. McConnell also said he was distressed about Mattis departure:

It is regrettable that the president must now choose a new Secretary of Defense. But I urge him to select a leader who shares Secretary Mattiss  principles.

And he was joined by other GOP senators who also were strongly critical of the presidents moves. Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska said after the Mattis announcement: This is a sad day for America.

And Bloomberg columnist Eli Lake wrote:

Donald Trump may not know it yet, but his presidency is collapsing. As long as [Mattis] served the president, reluctant Republicans could point to the Pentagon and say: If Mattis supports Trump, then so do I. They can no longer do that.

Trump has been able to do whatever he wanted to do over the past two years as he has had compliant Republican majorities in Congress.

But when he has to work with a Democratic majority in the House everything will be different.

One former Trump aide said:

Once Republican lawmakers start rebuking the president publicly like this over policy, it makes it easier for them to say: Its not just Mueller or ethics, there are other concerns. Then its a slippery slope.

There are reports coming out of the White House that insiders there are assuming that Trump will be impeached by the Democratic House some time next year. If an impeachment trial goes to the Senate, Trump would need at least 34 Republicans to save him from conviction, which requires 67 votes.

But according to Axios co-founders Mike Allen and Jim VandeHe, support from GOP senators may be wavering.

We talked all day yesterday with Republican officials, operatives and advisers who are truly scared for America, they wrote.

At this critical point in our nations history, Donald Trump has put not just our nation at risk. He has also put his presidency at risk. And as we move into a new year, losing the support of Republicans in the U.S. Senate may be the biggest problem he has.
On December 20, a journalist with Japans Kyodo News (Kyodo Tsushinsha) agency, Hirofumi Sugizaki, asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during his end of the year press conference in Moscow about the return of Japanese territories seized by the Soviet Union after Japans defeat in World War II.

In the first part of his two-part question Sugizaki referred to the meeting between Putin and Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Singapore in mid-November.

After the meeting in Singapore, where you and Mr. Abe agreed to expedite the negotiations based on the Soviet-Japanese Declaration of 1956, our society is worried only about how many of the islands we will be getting. Zero, two, four  we do not know, Sugizaki said. (Under Article 9 of the 1956 Treaty, the U.S.S.R. agreed to hand over to Japan the Habomai and the Shikotan Islands.)

Sugizaki said Japan entirely depends on the U.S. for defense, and asked Putin if the issue of the potential placement of new U.S. military bases on the islands (if Moscow hands them over to Japan) can be solved bilaterally between Russia and Japan, or if Putin will need to talk directly with Washington.

Putin ignored the first part of the question regarding the return of the islands to Japan, instead focusing entirely on the U.S. military presence in Japans Okinawa prefecture.

... We know the largest American base has existed on Okinawa for a long time, for a decade now, Putin said.  [T]he Governor of Okinawa is against some decisions related to the strengthening of the base and its expansion. He's against it, but he can't do anything about it. And the people who live there are against it. You do not need to go far, all polls show that people go out in the streets demanding the withdrawal of this base.

Putin added: Now, about Japan's ability to participate in these decisions. For us, this is an incomprehensible, closed part. We do not understand the level of Japan's sovereignty in making such decisions. You know better than all [your] other colleagues, I am also aware that the Governor of Okinawa is against some decisions related to the strengthening of the base and its expansion. He's against it, but he can't do anything about it. And the people who live there are against it.

Putins description of the issues involving the U.S. military bases in Japans Okinawa Prefecture is true.

The Okinawa Question project at George Washington University has taken a comprehensive look at the U.S. military presence on the island. According to the GWU database, Okinawa hosts 32 U.S. military facilities  the highest concentration of the American military bases in Japan.

A majority of the population of Okinawa opposes the U.S. military bases. For example, a September poll by three major Japanese news organizations found that 63% of respondents in Okinawa oppose the Japanese government policy on the island, which includes construction of a new U.S. Marines base. Only 14 percent supported the policy in the poll taken before the 2018 local election.

The issue has played a key role in local politics for years  so much so that the fight against the islands American bases was central in the election platform of Okinawas current governor, Danny Tamaki, as well as that of his predecessor.

The Okinawa Prefectural Government database cites a number of problems connected to the U.S. bases, including noise and environmental pollution, economic losses and occasional incidents of crime.
(Editor's note: In defending the Jehovah's Witnesses, Ekaterina Shulman passed along a notion that is a popular misconception of members' medical treatment. The quote is accurate, but following correspondence from two readers, we have added additional context that clarifies medical treatment of members of the Christian denomination).

During a meeting with the Council on Civil Society Development and Human Rights on December 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin was asked about the situation facing Jehovahs Witnesses in Russia, who have been designated as an extremist group in Russia since April 2017.

Ekaterina Shulman, a political scholar and a council member said, "There is a list of organizations, for which there is information that they are involved in terrorism and extremism. There are 489 of them, and 404 out of these are Jehovah's Witnesses."

"Here I will take a sinister pause," Shulman said, then continued, "There could be an abundance of claims against Jehovah's Witnesses -- they don't allow blood transfusion, don't send children to hospitals, but they definitely are not calling for violence or committing it."

(On the question of seeking medical care for children, the denomination's website states, "Yes, Jehovah's Witnesses accept medical treatment. ..and a vast majority...do not conflict with Bible principles).

Putins answer appeared to indicate that he had no previous knowledge of the issue, but he called the inclusion of Jehovahs Witnesses in "extremist" list as complete nonsense, and suggested that it must be dealt with carefully.

The minutes of the December 11 meeting were only published on the Kremlins website on December 17. The next day, Russian Presidential Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also commented on the matter.

"Here we need to analyze each particular case," TASS cited Peskov as saying.

"It is impossible here to solve this problem conceptually because there are various pros and cons, but an additional study on this issue will be carried out at least, said Peskov.

According to the TASS article, Putin told members of the conference that he did not know why Jehovahs Witnesses were being persecuted in his country.

Putin's claim of having no previous knowledge about the issue is false.

During her summit with Putin in Sochi in May 2017 -- less than a month after the ban of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, standing next to the Russian President, that she asked Putin to "apply his influence" to ensure that Russia restores the rights of Jehovah's Witnesses.

On multiple occasions the U.S. Department of State as well as many international rights organizations condemned the ban and demanded that Russia stopped the persecution against the group.

At least on one other occasion in the past, the Russian President publicly condemned a "foreign religious group," a reference that many in Russia regarded as Jehovah's Witnesses. Putin's comments demonstrated detailed knowledge of the accusations against the group.

The comment came on July 20, 2017 during Putin's press conference in Moscow, when American Journalist Jill Dougherty asked him in Russian, "I have noticed that lately a lot of attention in Russia is given to religion and to moral values. I would like to know, why is it so important for you? And why it is so important for you to criticize Western values?"

Although, Dougherty did not mention the Jehovah's Witnesses in her question, and Vladimir Putin answered without naming the group he was describing, the captions of the videos posted on YouTube read: "Putin about the ban of the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses."

Here is what Putin had to say in the video above: "It is not important to me to criticize Western values, what's important to me is to defend our population from some quasi-values, that are very difficult to perceive for our citizens. The question is that we need to shield ourselves from the quite aggressive behavior of some social groups, which to my opinion not only live as they like, but aggressively impose their viewpoint on other people in foreign countries."

In light of these facts, Putin's claim of ignorance about what is happening to Jehovahs Witnesses is disingenuous.

In July of 2016 Putin signed legislation that heavily restricted missionary and religious activities within Russia. Groups that fell afoul of the law were mostly Russian Protestants, including Jehovahs Witnesses.

In April 2017, the Russian Supreme Court, in agreement with a request from Russias Justice Ministry, officially included the Jehovahs Witnesses in the list of extremist organizations. This designation equates the religious group with organizations such as Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, and led to the seizure of the churchs assets in Russia, as well as several criminal cases against church leaders. The churchs literature, including its translation of the Bible, is considered extremist material by Putins government. In July 2017, the Russian Supreme Court rejected an appeal aimed at lifting the ban.

While the church was officially labeled an extremist group only in April of 2017, the church has faced persecution from local and regional Russian courts as far back as 2007, when a deputy general prosecutor wrote a letter addressed to other prosecutors, telling them that the Jehovahs Witnesses constituted a public threat.

In 2014, the European Court of Human Rights informed the Russian government of a number of complaints it had received on behalf of Russian Jehovahs Witnesses.

The 2017 ban on the group also provoked criticism from the U.S. and United Nations. In April 2017, the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights put out a statement by three UN experts condemning efforts to enforce the anti-extremism legislation against the Jehovahs Witnesses. The first arrest under the anti-extremism law was of a Danish citizen who was leading a bible study in the central Russian city of Oryol, in May 2017.

Twice, the U.S. has listed Russia as a Country of Particular Concern regarding religious freedom in its annual report on religious freedom around the globe  in 2017 and 2018.

Putin served as the elected president of the Russian Federation from May 2000 to May 2008, which includes the time of the deputy prosecutors letter to colleagues calling the religious group a public threat.

From May 2008 to May 2012, Putin served as prime minister of Russia, while Dmitry Medvedev was president. By May 2012, Putin was again the elected president, serving uninterrupted until the present. It was during that time, that he signed legislation against missionary work, that the Russian Supreme Court labeled the Jehovahs Witnesses extremist and also when European human right court, the UN and the U.S. all acted in one form or another criticizing Russias policies toward and persecution of the Jehovahs Witnesses. And yet despite all this, it was just this month that Putin called the inclusion of the group in the extremist list a complete nonsense.
Mary Katherine, who also goes by MK, covers health care for The Post and Courier. She is also pursuing a master's degree in data science. She grew up in upstate New York and enjoys playing cards, kayaking and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
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The trip starts in Memphis at Sun Records with the music of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis, then heads to Texas where Buddy Holly performed, and then to Kentucky where the Everly Brothers originated. Along the way the Neverly Brothers will perform songs such as Johnny Be Goode, made famous by Chuck Berry.
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.
The Post and Courier provides a forum for our readers to share their opinions, and to hold up a mirror to our community. Publication does not imply endorsement by the newspaper; the editorial staff attempts to select a representative sample of letters because we believe its important to let our readers see the range of opinions their neighbors submit for publication.
U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-Rock Hill, on the phone in his office on Capitol Hill. Norman is one of several House Republicans threatening to shutdown the government if Congress does not pass funding for President Donald Trump's proposed southern border wall. File/Jamie Lovegrove/Staff
Political Reporter

Caitlin Byrd is a political reporter at The Post and Courier and author of the Palmetto Politics newsletter. Before moving to Charleston in 2016, her byline appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times. To date, Byrd has won 17 awards for her work.
The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts will now prepare a ballot containing the finalists names and mail them to all Lake County circuit judges. Each circuit judge will cast a secret ballot, and after the votes are tabulated in Springfield, Ukena will be notified of the results, officials said.
LIMERICK  If anyone knows how to get into the holiday spirit, its kids.

That was clear Friday as students at St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish School in Limerick performed their annual Christmas concert for parents. Students sang a variety of Christmas favorites, old and new, as they jingled bells and danced along. In addition, students dressed as Mary, Joseph and the angels as they celebrated the story of the Nativity.

Students also performed a Nativity pageant on Thursday evening, retelling the story of the birth of Jesus.
They hold a pantry day every two weeks, every other Tuesday, and with the new building they think they will be able to do it weekly. Right now they have a covered entrance so if it is raining people can stay dry while loading their food and the new pantry will also have a covered entrance to keep the drive up dry at 9th Street and Lewis Avenue.
Earlier this week, Gustavo Garcia, an illegal immigrant with a criminal record, celebrated his release from prison by going on a shooting spree. He killed two people and injured six others before dying as the result of crash at the end of a harrowing car chase in a stolen vehicle.

Garcia had been deported twice  first in 2004 and then 2014. Before his second deportation, he had spent 27 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the country. Previously, he had been convicted of armed robbery.

Last week, he was arrested after a caller reported that he was behaving erratically. He tested positive for a controlled substance and spent 10 hours in custody. Then, he was released because the offense only carried a misdemeanor charge.

While Garcia was in jail, ICE officials learned of his arrest and issued an immigration hold. Absent Californias sanctuary state law, federal authorities would have been notified of Garcias release and been present to pick up him.

Unfortunately, California is now a sanctuary state. This means that local law enforcement agencies are prohibited from honoring ICEs detainer requests unless the agency obtains an arrest warrant signed by a federal judge, and, indeed, from communicating with ICE in cases like these. As Mike Boudreaux, the sheriff of Tulare County where Garcia briefly was held, explained:

Before SB 54 [the sanctuary city law], Gustavo Garcia would have been turned over to ICE officials. Thats how weve always done it, day in and day out. After SB 54, we no longer have the power to do that.

Thus, Garcia was free to indulge in his murderous rampage. It consisted of:

The drive-by shooting of a farm worker in an orchard,

robbing a gas station where he fired shots at the ceiling,

shooting a woman in a parked car near a Motel 6,

firing a volley of bullets into another gas station,

killing a man standing outside yet another gas station,

firing shots while on his ex-girlfriends property (with her kids present),

shooting at a police patrol car,

stealing a vehicle at gunpoint,

smashing into several cars while driving at 100 mph to escape the police.

Four people were hospitalized as a result of the car chase. One was injured critically. (If only Garcia had spent more time in evidence-based rehabilitation programs during his time in prison).

Garcias murder victims would be alive today if California had not enacted its sanctuary state law. Indeed, just seven months ago, Sheriff Boudreaux warned the local board of supervisors about the risk to public safety posed by sanctuary legislation.

Maybe now, his warning will be taken seriously. But were talking about California, so its unlikely to be taken seriously enough.
Patrick Poole at PJ Media reports: Beheading of Female Scandinavian Hikers in Morocco Now Investigated as Terrorism.

A horrific video apparently showing the killing of one of two female Scandinavian hikers murdered in Morocco this week, recorded by one of the killers, depicts another killer stating the murders are revenge for the killing of his brothers of the Islamic State in Syria. One of the men now in custody was known to be connected to ISIS, the prosecutor generals office said yesterday.

This looks like another case of naive Westerners underestimating Third World hazards. But these murders werent random.

The bodies of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, from Denmark and Maren Ueland, 28, from Norway were discovered at their camp site on Monday near Imlal, a small village on a hiking route to Mount Toubkal  the highest peak in North Africa. The women, who were studying outdoor life, culture, and eco-philosophy at the University of South-Eastern Norway, were on a month-long trip through North Africa.

Apparently nearby campers saw the murderers leaving the area hastily in the middle of the night and filmed them. That led to several arrests. These tools, including meat knives, were confiscated when the men were arrested:

The Islamic terrorists made a video as they beheaded one of the young women and proudly posted it on social media.

There are indications that the men may have stalked the pair. The purported mobile video of the beheading of one of the hikers appeared on social media yesterday. Some media reports are claiming that Danish intelligence has already authenticated the beheading video. The video (which I have seen, but will not link to) shows one of the women in a t-shirt and underwear inside of the tent having her head cut off with a knife.

A police spokesman says terrorism is suspected. No kidding, Sherlock:

One of the men shouts: This is for Syria, here are the heads of your Gods, and This is in revenge for our brothers in Hajin. Hajin is one of the few remaining areas of Syria with an active ISIS presence, currently being targeted by coalition forces.

***

It has been reported that approximately 1700 Moroccans traveled to Syria to join ISIS, and there have been recent arrests of Islamic State cells, including the arrest of a six-member cell in Beni-Mellal earlier this month.

I dont have an opinion on whether President Trumps intended withdrawal of troops from Syria is a good idea. Some years ago, I called for withdrawal from Afghanistan on the ground that the Afghans are hopeless, and will be for the foreseeable future. Still, anywhere in the world, killing terrorists and terrorist supporters is a worthwhile objective.
The events of the last 72 hours may be bringing the Trump Doctrine into sharper focus. Is there a Trump Doctrine? Trump would say it means America First, but his moves to withdraw American forces out of Syria and, it was reported late Thursday night, perhaps a large drawdown of American forces in Afghanistan, suggest he really means it.

Everyone is in an uproar about Trumps decisions, and perhaps they are right. ISIS may well reconstitute itself; the Taliban may take over Afghanistan again, and make it into a haven for terrorist plots against America and our allies. As I was trying to suggest in my post about this question yesterday, those on the left and right who cheer a shrinking American military footprint around the world give up their right to complain when the world becomes a more chaotic and violent place.

But I wonder if Trumps supposed lizard brain isnt on to something about the politics of the matter. The conventional wisdom is that Trump won the key midwestern states in 2016 because of white working class anxieties over immigration and job loss (or just racism if youre a leftist), but there is some evidence that Trumps stands on ending Americas military commitments overseas may have played a significant role in his victory in the upper midwest.

Douglas Kriner, a political scientist at Boston University, and Francis Shen, a professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, posted a paper on the Social Science Research Network last year with the provocative title, Battlefield Casualties and Ballot Box Defeat: Did the Bush-Obama Wars Cost Clinton the White House? Heres the abstract, with the most relevant parts highlighted:
Ammo Grrrll remembers THE PLAYHOUSE. She writes:

Sometime in 1924, my maternal grandfather came home from a neighbors farm hauling what he called a chicken coop for my three little chicks. When his three small daughters, who were 3, 4, and 6 came running outside, they found a beautiful little white playhouse, about 5 or 6 feet square, sturdily built from wood with a steeped shingled roof and latching front door. (Even full-grown, I could still stand up in it at its highest point, although thats really not saying much. Plus, I am jumping ahead in the story.)

My mother was the 3-year-old and she remembered that exciting day for all of her life. We were told a more detailed version of that story as a bedtime story for years. The little girls could not sleep that night and begged to sleep in the playhouse. Naturally, that lasted about 15 minutes until they heard a Hoot Owl and got scared and came back inside. But the playhouse remained their one toy  apart from a few dolls, a red wagon and a toy telephone  they had for their entire childhoods. And the Depression hadnt even hit yet. People just didnt have all the STUFF we have now. (Go to your kitchen. Look around. Ill bet you a free lunch if you come to Arizona that you have enough dishes, stemware, utensils and cookware to outfit another one or two homes. Am I wrong? And thats just one room. Okay, now come back and finish the column.)

Children in Mamas day were kind of miniature adults. Even the smallest kids had farm chores  feeding the chickens, slopping the hogs. Mama said that what they mostly did in the playhouse was clean it. An uncle who was a prosperous carpenter in town gave them a doll buggy for someones birthday. Mother would dress up the baby pigs in doll clothes and take them for rides in the buggy. She tried it with cats and chickens as well, but it didnt work out.

They were little girls, in training to be housewives and mothers. So they played with dollies, served endless tea, and took the few little furniture items out of the house and scrubbed the floor and put everything back. She said that they could send away for tiny samples of dry goods like baking powder, flour, and coffee, kind of a primitive version of Amazon. Sadly, there was no Internet to check to see that their package was 9 stops away like now. They would trudge down the long driveway to the mailbox day after day to check and finally a little tin of tea or a miniature sack of flour would arrive!

My grandparents lost the farm, moved into one small town in South Dakota, got another farm when the economy improved, and, after Grandpa got Parkinsons, sold the farm and moved into a small town in Minnesota. The playhouse came with them in Grandmas back yard. By this time, of course, Mother and her next-older sister had married and produced six kids between them. The oldest sister, mildly handicapped from a difficult forceps delivery, never married. She doted on us nieces and nephews. We loved her dearly.

Visiting Grandma and playing with the cousins was a treat about three times a year. Well into my early teens, the playhouse was a source of fun. We played House, of course, as smaller girls, but also Alamo, Emergency Room, School, Miss Kittys Saloon (complete with choreographed fistfights) and Pirate Ship. It was best to play outside where Grandma couldnt see that I was wearing slacks and not sitting quietly in a dress embroidering dishtowels or pillowcases.

Is there any family untouched by tragedy? Our oldest cousin drowned in a terrible accident between his sophomore and junior year of college. The rest of us grew up and married and most had children of our own. Grandma moved into a nursing home and the playhouse went to my parents home for my young son and my brothers kids to play in, the third generation of children to enjoy it.

Our son loved the playhouse. By this time the playhouse had been re-roofed and a few rotting boards replaced, but it had now been around for over half a century, in pretty brutal weather. It was now outfitted with relatively expensive toys, wall-to-wall carpeting, and more boyish toys like blocks, trucks, LEGO, and guns. Girls had dominated previous generations, but boys were not going to be entertained with dolls and dishes, no matter how fluid anyone imagines genders to be. They arent. Take away little boys guns and they will use a carrot or a banana as a gun. Or, God forbid, chew their Pop Tart or bologna into the shape of a gun.

The grandkids grew up, as grandkids will, and one granddaughter had kids. The FOURTH generation in the playhouse. But my parents were now in their 90s and moved into Assisted Living. The family home was eventually sold to a divorced lady with three little girls, like everything had come full circle. We were very happy about that and cleaned up and painted the playhouse for them. We bequeathed them a variety of Fisher Price and PlaySkool toys and fancy child-size furniture that went with the playhouse.

Alas, when I visited my parents in Assisted Living just a few months later, I made the mistake of driving by my childhood home. The new family had already got rid of the playhouse! It was like a punch in the gut. I did not tell my mother, but a neighbor did. Mother was sad but resigned. No member of our extended family had had room or use for it. At the time, only two grandkids out of five had children. One already had a modern plastic playhouse for her kids. We lived in Arizona where getting it here on spec for a future grandchild would have cost a small fortune. We have rocks and cactus for a yard. You dont tell a toddler to go play in the cactus. Plus, the HOA busybodies would have had a conniption fit even if it had been painted one of the 8 approved colors. There comes a time in most families when there is nobody appropriate to pass a beloved heirloom on to.

It seemed to me it was kind of a metaphor for many things  the relentless march of time, the difference in expectations of a simple Depression-era child and a modern kid. Nothing lasts forever. Not even a sturdy playhouse built with love and good lumber in 1924. But, on a positive note, it was great fun while it lasted. I couldnt calculate the thousands of hours that little children had enjoyed it. And it had a helluva run, just shy of 90 years. Not bad for any piece of real estate before it becomes a teardown.

Today is the closest to Christmas that a once-a-week columnist can come. So I want to wish everybody a Very Merry Christmas. Next Friday will preview the impending release of the SECOND VOLUME of Ammo Grrrll columns called, Ammo Grrrll Aims True. Its pretty darn funny. I hope to be caught up with all four years of columns by the 5th anniversary in March.
President Trump says hell quickly withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria. As I understand it, we have about 2,000 of them there. Most are in the north helping the Kurds root out the remnants of ISIS.

I think Trumps decision is badly misguided. I agree with Sen. Marco Rubio. He worries that the U.S. withdrawal will turn Syria over to Russia and Iran, and might lead to another conflict between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah. It will also lend strength to the argument by Russia and China that the U.S. is an unreliable ally.

I also agree with Sen. Ben Sasse who stated:

Eight days ago the Administration called a hypothetical pullout reckless. Today, were leaving. The Presidents generals have no idea where this weak decision came from: They believe the high-fiving winners today are Iran, ISIS, and Hezbollah. The losers are Israel, humanitarian victims, and U.S. intelligence gathering. A lot of American allies will be slaughtered if this retreat is implemented.

To this list of winners, Sasse should have added Turkey and, as noted, Russia.

Trumps rationale for the pullout is that the only reason to be in Syria was to defeat ISIS. With ISIS defeated, it makes sense to pull out.

But even if countering ISIS were the only good reason for our presence, Trumps pullout would still an error. Yes, ISIS has been defeated for now. However, as many of 15,000 remain in the area, according to some experts. Without our presence, its likely that ISIS will reorganize and again become a serious threat.

This, of course, is basically what happened when President Obama pulled U.S. forces out of Iraq. Al Qaeda in Iraq had been defeated. However, many of its fighters reorganized themselves as ISIS and achieved success that al Qaeda in Iraq had only dreamed of.

Sen. Sasse is a never-Trumper and Sen. Rubio has had his disagreements with the president. However, Trumps decision also runs contrary to the advice of Secretary of State Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Mattis, and National Security Adviser Bolton.

For a particularly powerful critique of Trumps decision, I join Scott in recommending Gen. Jack Keanes analysis.

UPDATE: Defense Secretary Mattis, who strongly opposes the pullout in Syria, is stepping down. He will serve through February of next year, giving Trump time to find and replacement and, hopefully, see him confirmed.

Mattis cited his differences with Trump on U.S. foreign/military/national security policy. He highlighted differences over relations with U.S. allies and being resolute and unambiguous in countering China and Russia.

While top-notch people like Mattis and Jeff Sessions leave the administration, hacks like Alex Acosta and Rod Rosenstein remain in place
Yesterday DHS Secretary Nielsen announced an administrative reform of the enraging asylum scam that is aided and abetted by the Democrats (video below). RCP has posted video along with the transcript of an excerpt of her announcement in testimony to Congress yesterday. Aliens trying to game the system to get into our country illegally will no longer be able to disappear into the United States, where many skip their court dates, she said. Instead, they will wait for an immigration court decision while they are in Mexico.

The New York Times covers this story U.S. Will Send Migrants Back to Mexico as They Wait on Asylum Claims. I have embedded the Times video below. The Times story quotes from a pointed statement by Secretary Nielsen: Catch and release will be replaced with catch and return. Heads explode all over the world.

Secretary Nielsen cited a provision of section 235 of the Immigration and Nationality Act as authority for this reform. The DHS press release gives some some useful background. I cannot follow the path to this reform in that tangled provision. I can only say let it be and please, dont tell Judge Sullivan.

To be continued, Im sure.
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EMMEN, SWITZERLAND / ACCESSWIRE / December 21, 2018 / ALSO Holding AG (SIX: ALSN):ALSO Holding AG submits, together with the majority shareholder of the Polish company ABC Data S.A., a tender offer for ABC Data S.A. Following the completion of the offer and the approval of the regulatory authorities, ALSO Holding AG will take over the entire business operations of ABC Data S.A.ABC Data S.A. operates in six Eastern European countries and generated sales ofPLN 4 635 million (EUR 1 080 million) in 2017. ALSO Holding AG is strengthening its market position in Eastern Europe.That will enable the company to develop the solution and service business in line with its strategy.ALSO Holding AG, one of the leading providers of ICT distribution, solutions and services in Europe, has signed an agreement with MCI Euroventures, the majority shareholder of the Polish company ABC Data S.A., to make a joint tender offer for all publicly held shares of ABC Data S.A., listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.The objective of the tender offer is to acquire 100% of ABC Data's shares, 60.7% of which are already indirectly held by MCI Euroventures. Subject to the completion of the offer and the approval of the regulatory authorities, ALSO Holding AG will take over and continue the entire business operations of ABC Data S.A. The tender offer is subject to the approval of the regulatory authorities.The takeover of the business operations of ABC Data S.A. and the closing of ranks with the existing business in Poland will create the leader of IT equipment and consumer electronics distribution in the Polish market. In addition, the ALSO Group strengthens its existing business in Lithuania and will be present in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary. With the existing activities of ABC Data S.A. in the area of integrated IT solutions ALSO Holding AG aims to expand its highermargin solutions business. With the ABC Data platform, the company will also be able to offer its customers consumption-based IT-as-a-service via the cloud through the ALSO Cloud Marketplace (ACMP).Gustavo Moller-Hergt, CEO of ALSO Holding AG, commented: "Part of ALSO's strategy is to strengthen its market position in markets where it does not have a dominant position. In addition, we have a clear intention to further develop the traditional transactional business, to increase the sales share of the Solutions business and to enable the highly attractive consumptional business with the ALSO Cloud Marketplace. The acquisition of ABC Data S.A. meets our strategical criteria. We will become the number one in Poland and a leading market player in five other Eastern European countries. The transaction is an important milestone in the implementation of our growth plans".Direct link to the media release: https://www.also.com/goto/20181221en/ Contacts:For investors and financial media:Alexandre Muller & Thomas Balmer, Dynamics Group+41 43 2683232investor-relations@ also.com For other media:Manuela Rost-Hein, Ketchum Pleon GmbH+49 211 9541 2160ALSO Holding AG ( ALSN.SW) (Emmen/Switzerland) brings providers and buyers of the ICT industry together. The company offers services at all levels of the ICT value chain from a single source. In the European B2B marketplace, ALSO bundles logistics services, financial services, supply services, solution services, digital services, and IT services together into individual service packages. ALSO's portfolio contains more than 250 000 articles from some 525 vendors. The Group has 4058 employees throughout Europe. In fiscal year 2017 (closing on December 31), the company generated net sales of 8.9 billion euros. The majority shareholder of ALSO Holding AG is the Droege Group, Dusseldorf, Germany. Further information is available at http://www.also.com Droege GroupDroege Group (founded in 1988) is an independent advisory and investment company under full family ownership. The company acts as a specialist for tailor-made transformation programs aiming to enhance corporate value. Droege Group combines its corporate family-run structure and capital strength into a family-equity business model. The group carries out direct investments with its own equity in corporate spin-offs and medium-sized companies in "special situations". With the guiding principle "execution - following the rules of art", the group is a pioneer in execution-oriented corporate development. Droege Group follows a focused investment strategy based on current megatrends (knowledge, connectivity, prevention, demography, specialization, future work, shopping 4.0). Enthusiasm for quality, innovation and speed determines the company's actions. In recent years Droege Group has successfully positioned itself in domestic and international markets and operates in 30 countries. More information: https://www.droege-group.com DisclaimerThis press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current assumptions and forecasts of the ALSO management. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the forward-looking statements made here and the actual development, in particular the results, financial situation, and performance of our Group. The Group accepts no responsibility for updating these forward-looking statements or adapting them to future events or developments.SOURCE: ALSO Holding AG
Anti-Fog Lights

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The growing automotive industry has led to higher adoption of equipment such as anti-fog lights in the market. Anti-fog lights help drivers to navigate safely and avoid head-on collision during foggy weather. In the automotive industry, anti-fog lights are generally placed in front of a vehicle below the head lamps. Sometimes anti-fog lights are placed both at the front and rear of vehicles. Anti-fog lights are crucial for vehicles operating in hilly and mountainous areas for safe driving. Lights emanating from anti-fog lamps must be compatible with lights produced by the vehicles head lamp, so that the driver can view the road through the car windshield without any strain to the eyes.Xenon, halogen and LED (Light Emitting Diode) are the different types of materials used in manufacturing of anti-fog lights. Traditionally, Halogen is the most preferable material used for manufacturing of ant-fog lights. But, recently, LED technology is being used in developing anti-fog lights owing to its advantages such as it consumes less amount of battery and has longer lifespan.Global Anti-Fog Lights Market: Market DynamicsDrivers:Increasing accidents due to foggy weather is one of the major factor that drives the growth of the anti-fog lights market. Moreover, the global vehicle safety organization IRF (International Road Federation) insists that automotive bodies should mandatorily install front and rear fog lights in all vehicles, which is also expected to give traction to the growth of the anti-fog lights market in the near future. Furthermore, increasing installation of anti-fog lights in electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles will also drive the growth of the anti-fog lights market. Besides, rise in air pollution across the world is resulting in increase in smog, which will further increase the demand for anti-fog lights and drive the growth of the anti-fog lights market over the forecast period.Request For Report Sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-6492 Restraints:In few countries, weather condition does not require the use of fog lights as well as there are no regulations for installation of anti-fog lights in the vehicles. This is expected to be a major factor to hamper the growth of the anti-fog lights market over the forecast period.Global Anti-Fog Lights Market: SegmentationThe global anti-fog lights market can be segmented on the basis of sales type, material used and vehicle type.By Sales Type, the global anti-fog lights market can be segmented into:OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers)AftermarketBy Material, the global anti-fog light market can be segmented into:XenonHalogenLED (Light Emitting Diode)By Vehicle Type, the global anti-fog lights market can be segmented into:Passenger CarsCommercial VehiclesLCV (Light Commercial Vehicle)HCV (Heavy Commercial Vehicle)Global Anti-Fog Lights Market: Regional OutlookAsia Pacific is expected to be closely followed by North America throughout the forecast period. Both of these markets are expected to witness massive growth in the anti-fog lights market due to the estimated growth in the automotive sector in emerging economics, such as the U.S., China and India. Western Europe is estimated to grow at a substantial CAGR during the forecast period owing to high demand for anti-fog lights in the growing automotive sector in the region. Germany is expected to be the leading automotive and automobile market in Western Europe. Latin America, in particular, is projected to support the growth of the anti-fog lights market due to increasing usage of anti-fog lights in passenger cars and commercial vehicles in the region. Japan and the Middle East and Africa are expected to support the growth of anti-fog lights market over the forecast period owing to increasing hybrid and electric cars manufacturers in this regions.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-6492 Global Anti-Fog Lights Market: Key ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants identified across the value chain of the global anti-fog lights market include:OSRAM GmbHHolophaneGE LightingKoninklijke Philips N.V.Magneti MarelliHELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA
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Items in confectionery market consists of candies, chocolates, toffees, lollies, bakery items;basically food items that are rich in sugar and sweet content. Mostly confectionery market items consists of food products like butter, cocoa, honey, milk, flour, fruits, honey, nuts, sugar syrup and more. They are consumed globally, mostly by all regions and countries and are expected to grow in developing countries. Confectionery market is growing in mostly all the South East Asian countries and saw a tremendous growth in the last couple of years.ASEAN Confectionery Market Segmentation The confectionery market is segmented into three segments  Chocolates, Sugar confectionery and Gum. Chocolates constitutes the significant part of confectionery market. Cocoa and sugar are the raw materials for chocolate and latex is the raw material used for gum.Worlds largest cocoa processor Barry Callebauts production has also moved to Asia pacific and Latin America because of its low production costs and great future opportunities.Its factories are in Malaysia and Thailand. Nestle has acquired a majority stake in Chinese confectioner Hsu Fu Chi.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-as-420 Europe constitutes the biggest share of confectionery market, followed by Asia Pacific confectionery market. ASEAN region has become an attractive place to do business. Some big MNCs have shifted their base(plants) for the production of chocolate to Indonesia to improve efficiency and reduce costs in supply. Indonesia has the most consumption of confectionery items as compared to other South East Asian countries. Flavors GmbH (WILD), another company is opening its branch center in Singapore to serve the hub for the ASEAN region. Main markets in South East Asian countries include Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia for confectionery market.ASEAN Confectionery Market Dynamics Rising disposable income, higher population, high GDP growth and consumer spending are the major key drivers of ASEAN confectionery market. The biggest constraint to ASEAN confectionery market could be rise in raw material cost and uncertain consumer behaviour. Also health issues, increasing government regulations, could also be the biggest challenge for confectionery market. Chocolate segment expected to grow the most under ASEAN confectionery market. On special occasions and celebrations, sale of confectionery items increase because people gift each other and its consumption and demand increase. Vietnam is gradually cutting down the import tax imposed on products of ASEAN, countries in accordance with the ASEAN Free Trade Area, AFTA, regulations. As a result, the Vietnamese confectionery market is vibrant compared to other nations.ASEAN Confectionery Market Distribution Channel Mostly confectionery items are sold in retail stores, hypermarkets, supermarkets and convenience stores. Multinational flavor companies and smaller local manufacturers are active in South EastAsia confectionery market. The latter offers good distribution expertise and local connections. Innovation by producers playing a great role in experimenting with flavors, taste, size which is driving a growth of this market. Enterprises operating under Vietnamese confectionery market use modern technology of foreign countries such as Germany, Italy, Japan and Austria to make their products, and apply non-chemical preservation techniquesBuy this Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/420 ASEAN Confectionery Market Key Players Key players in this confectionery market are Ferraro, Hersheys,Lindt, Wrigleys, Perfetti Van Melle and ChupaChupa. Product innovation and consistent in quality are the reasons for their success. Dunkin Donuts has signed a franchisee agreement to develop a brand in Vietnam with Vietnam Food and Beverage Co. domestic confectionery companies have simultaneously launched many new products in confectionery market. Pioneers of the campaign included famous companies such as Kinh Do, Bibica, Kotobuki, and smaller producers like Nguyen Tran and ThanhPhat, etc. ierce competition was found between Malaysian Khongguan biscuits and Vietnamese products
I want to be very clear with you right this second, Mundelein High School will not tolerate hate speech, Kroll said during the 10-minute assembly. We are a community and if were going to be a community that means we have to care about each and every one of us in this building.
Global Automated Microplate Handling Systems market has witnessed growth due to expanding demand for high-throughput screening. There is a consistent rise in in-vitro diagnostic procedures and researches related to next-generation sequencing.

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A Microplate is a flat plate that has many wells on it. These wells serve as small test tubes in clinical and analytical diagnostic testing laboratories. Automated microplate handling systems are used to handle these mircoplates during any medical diagnostic or analytical procedure. Automated microplate handling systems are extensively used in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay procedures also known as ELISA. Manual microplate handling systems are more prone to human-induced errors and are labor intensive. These handling systems are used in high-throughput protocols in which the microtiter plates are designed to move around a work cell, place or remove them from microplate nests and microplate stacks of other devices like, incubators, microplate readers and liquid handlers. Automated microplate handling systems work seamlessly with different molecular devices for higher throughput and improved process flow. These systems allow analysts to speed up and control range of processes. These are also tremendously used in cellular analysis, next generation sequencing, serial dilution, PCR set-up, plate labeling, toxicology etc.Automated Microplate Handling Systems Market: Drivers and Restraints-Consistent rise in need for high and ultra-high throughput screening is one of the major factors driving the automated microplate handling systems market during the forecast period. Growing researches for next generation sequencing, increase in procedures like polymerase chain reaction and cellular analysis, is also expected to boost the market growth for automated microplate handling systems. Automated systems reduce errors and reduce time-to-market for drugs, which might also drive the market growth for automated microplate handling systems during the forecast period. However, less availability and popularity of these automated microplate handling systems might hinder the market. Preferring manual labor over automation could also affect the automated microplate handling systems market over the forecast period.Request Sample Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-8101 Automated Microplate Handling Systems Market: SegmentationOn the basis of Well Size, Automated Microplate Handling Systems Market can be segmented as:45 wells96 wells384 wells1,536 wellsOthersOn the basis of Use Type, Automated Microplate Handling Systems Market can be segmented as:PipettingCentrifugationLiquid dispensingPre-TransfusionOthersOn the basis of Application Type, Automated Microplate Handling Systems Market can be segmented as:Polymerase Chain ReactionNext-Generation SequencingIn-Vitro DiagnosticsCellular AnalysisOthersOn the basis of end users, Automated Microplate Handling Systems Market can be segmented as:HospitalsResearch InstitutesDiagnostic CentersOthersOn the basis of geography, Automated Microplate Handling Systems Market can be segmented as:North- AmericaEastern EuropeWestern EuropeAsia-Pacific excluding China & JapanChinaJapanMiddle East and AfricaLatin AmericaAutomated Microplate Handling Systems Market: OverviewGlobal Automated Microplate Handling Systems market has witnessed growth due to expanding demand for high-throughput screening. There is a consistent rise in in-vitro diagnostic procedures and researches related to next-generation sequencing. Requirement of automated microplate handling systems for processing of next-generation sequencing sample like for normalization of the DNA , library construction and indexing, PCR, PCR preparation and magnetic bead cleanup, is expected to contribute to a high revenue share for the automated microplate handling systems market. Increase in prevalence of infectious and chronic diseases is also boosting a high demand for Automated Microplate Handling Systems. Increase in geriatric population and technological advancements for ultra-high throughput screening could expand the market during the forecast period.Automated Microplate Handling Systems Market: Region-wise OutlookGeography wise, Automated Microplate Handling Systems market is divided into eight regions viz. North-America, Asia- Pacific excluding China & Japan, China, Japan, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Middle-East & Africa. North Americas Automated Microplate Handling Systems market is expanding because of high investments by the government for developing technologically advanced diagnostic and research technologies and it is expected to remain dominant over the period of forecast due easy availability and high rate of adoption for these novel technologies. North Americas Automated Microplate Handling Systems market is also expected to grow the fastest due to high prevalence of chronic and infectious diseases requiring advanced diagnosis. Asia-Pacific Automated Microplate Handling Systems market is anticipated to grow at a decent rate due to growing awareness on Automated Microplate Handling Systems, its advantages over manual handling and expanding biotechnology industry in the region.Request to View TOC @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-8101 Automated Microplate Handling Systems Market: Key Market ParticipantsSome of the market participants in the Global Automated Microplate Handling Systems market identified across the value chain include:Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc, Hudson Robotics, Avantor, Inc., Agilent Technologies, Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., BioTek Instruments, Inc., Danaher, PerkinElmer Inc., Corning Incorporated, Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd. And Lonza.
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Immense comfort offered by the automotive automatic transmission systems along with their provision of convenience to individuals new to driving vehicles has created a surge in their demand in the automotive industry. With expansion of the overall automotive sector, in tandem with discretionary income of people around the world, demand for vehicles equipped with automatic transmission will witness a tremendous rise in the near future. This XploreMR report discusses key prospects for growth of global automotive automatic transmission market during the forecast period, 2017-2026, offering pragmatic insights to lead market players towards devising & implementing informed strategies.ScopeThe scope of the report is to analyze the global automotive automatic transmission market for the period 2017-2026 and give readers an accurate, unbiased analysis. Automotive automatic transmission manufacturers, suppliers, and stakeholders in the overall automotive market can benefit from the insights offered in this report. The comprehensive analysis offered in the report can also be of interest to leading automotive journals and trade magazines.Get Sample Copy of this report @ https://www.xploremr.com/connectus/sample/1193 SummaryThe report begins with a concise summary of the global automotive automatic transmission market. This executive summary sets the tone for the rest of the report, giving users the scope of the report. The executive summary includes important facts and statistics on the global automotive automatic transmission market.OverviewThe next section is an overview of the global automotive automatic transmission market. This includes the introduction to the market and a standard definition of the product  automotive automatic transmission. In this section, year-over-year growth and market value is offered to readers. Year-over-year growth gives readers a broader picture on growth patterns during the forecast period.The next section of the report offers a thorough description of the latest macroeconomic factors that have a bearing on the global automotive automatic transmission market. Considering the interconnectedness of the automotive automatic transmission market to global automotive market and, in general, the global economy, readers will get valuable insights on how international developments impact this market.Report Overview @ https://www.xploremr.com/report/1193/automotive-automatic-transmission-market In a bid to keep readers up-to-date on the latest developments in the global automotive automatic transmission market, the report offers readers a roundup of the latest trends impacting the market. As the automotive sector is ever-evolving, staying abreast with latest trends and developments is paramount to formulating key business strategies. Information on supply chain, cost structure, pricing analysis, raw material sourcing, and list of distributors are offered to readers in this section.Considering the broad scope of global automotive automatic transmission market, the report includes a segment-wise analysis and forecast. The global automotive automatic transmission market is segmented into vehicle type, and region. Through this section, the report offers an in-depth country-wise forecast on every parameter associated with automotive automatic transmission.The concluding section of the report profiles companies operating in the global automotive automatic transmission market. Companies of all sizes, including market leaders, established players, and market entrants are profiled in this section. The competitive intelligence offers information on company overview and other important parameters, such as product offerings and key financials.Research MethodologyXploreMR is committed to offer unbiased and independent market research solutions to its clients. Each market report of XploreMR is compiled after months of exhaustive research. We bank on a mix of tried-and-tested and innovative research methodologies to offer the most comprehensive and accurate information. Our main sources of research include,Primary researchSecondary researchTrade researchFocused interviewsSocial media analysisBuy Now Full Report @ https://www.xploremr.com/cart/reports/buynow/1193
Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the "Automotive Black boxes Market to receive overwhelming hike in Revenues by 2018 - 2028" report to their offering

Automotive Black boxes Market

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Automotive Black boxes a.k.a Event Data Recorder (EDR) are an essential tool for investigating the driver movements in case of collision/ accident. These smart units usually record the driver actions 5-10 seconds before the airbags are triggered. Black boxes in vehicles are normally out of sight as they are installed either beneath the seat or on the dashboard. These devices record not only events and movements of the driver but also the speed, braking, turning and whether the seat belt is put on or not plus the other driving parameters. The automotive black boxes are triggered by the sensors upon sudden braking or left/right turns made by the driver while driving.The automotive black boxes are essential tools used by the police and insurance companies to investigate accidents. This helps the investigating authorities to know the exact cause of the accident and the conclusion if the driver needs to be incriminated for the same. The black boxes are useful in case the driver is not in fault. They ensure faster insurance claims thus benefitting the car owners. There are two types of black boxes in the market. One is the standard version that is normally installed on dashboard or beneath the driver seat and the other one is known as video data event recorder which is usually installed on the wind shield. This type of black box records the actions of the driver in real time along with the other parameters plus GPS location and the direction in which the vehicle was moving.Request For Report Sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-6440 Automotive Black boxes Market: DynamicsAutomotive Black boxes mostly preferred by the fleet owners such as cab companies, ambulances, logistic trucks, commute buses and trains. The concept of black box in automobiles has been introduced because of rise in number of land accidents as compared to the ones in air. This has been a driving factor for the automotive black boxes market. In addition to this, the black boxes are being suggested by the insurance companies to support the claims. Plus, the stringent government regulations in may developed countries have made it compulsory for the manufacturers to install a black box in the automobiles they manufacture. This has certainly been a driver for the automotive black boxes market.The new trend seen in the automotive black boxes market is installing both the type of EDRs i.e. the standard version as well as the video mount EDR. This is so as to accumulate accurate data from the black boxes in case of accidents and claims. Although they are important tool for acquiring the vehicles data, they have been interrupting the privacies of drivers and the end users are not happy with this. Therefore, this can be recorded as the only hindrance for the automotive black boxes market although it doesnt assert much impact.Automotive Black boxes Market: SegmentationOn the basis of installation, the Global Automotive Black boxes Market can be segmented into: Under-the-seat Black Boxes Dashboard Black Boxes Windshield Mounted Black BoxesOn the basis of type, the Global Automotive Black boxes Market can be segmented into: Event Data Recorder Video Event Data Recorder (Dash Cam)On the basis of End Users, the Global Automotive Black boxes Market can be segmented into: Fleet Owners Commute Buses Logistic Trucks TrainsAutomotive Black boxes Market: Regional OutlookMost of the Automotive Black boxes market is majorly concentrated in the developed regions like Europe, U.S, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Although with more number of land accidents witnessed every year, the market is slow paced in the developing countries like China, ASEAN and Latin America. India and parts of MEA are anticipated to be slow adopters of the Automotive Black boxes market. This is due to lack of awareness and the privacy concerns of the users in these regions.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-6440 Automotive Black boxes Market: Key PlayersExamples of some of the market participants identified across the value chain of the Automotive Black boxes Market are: Car Black Box [x]cube LABS. Auto BlackBox Pty Ltd BlackVue EGENs Inc. Bosch Automotive Service Solutions Inc.
PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-21 09:23:31

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Research Report Insights42 joseph street,Portcarling P0B 1J0,Muskoka, Ontario, CanadaT: +1-631-721-4201Email: sales@researchreportinsights.comWeb Site: http://www.researchreportinsights.comPhone - (+91) 7875758555+1-631-721-4201Ethan Taylor+44-631-787-4201

Today the market for any given product is governed by the awareness among the consumers. An average buyer concentrates on the personal priorities and needs, apart from the overall notoriety of the product. These factors often administer the commodities of personal hygiene like diapers to a great extent. The modern day parents analyse the products for the infants more soberly than ever before. The material, costing, comfortable level are significant factor for making a diaper brand popular. Thus research and development are imminent part of baby diapers manufacturing. Also, the market for baby diapers is rising at an enormous pace, following rise in global demand.Report For Sample with Table of Contents@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/sample/110114564/Baby-Diapers-Market In recent years, the demand for baby diapers has grown fixedly in various nations of East Africa.The report provides a thorough acument into the key market dynamics, emerging trends, recent design innovations, and competitive landscape. The study offers a detailed statistical analysis related to the market share and size of segments and analyzes the key factors configuring the competitive acts. Recent attempts by governments of various countries and private players in East Africa are highlighted and their impact on the costing strategies of vendors are evaluated.East Africa Baby Diapers Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe East Africa baby diapers market is principally driven by a continuous slump in the toddler mortality rate in developing nations, an upswing in urban population with significant expendable incomes, and increasing awareness related to the hygiene of infants. Coupled with this, in-depth and persistent efforts made by several governmental and non-governmental organizations to create awareness among rural population have led to an increasing use of baby diapers to promote the healthy growth of infants.Increasing shift toward the use of eco-friendly and viable materials in manufacturing baby diapers has resulted in various product innovations. The onset of ultra-soft and hypoallergenic diapers made without the use of any supplements is expected to shoot the market over the forecast period. However, the growing run of parents embracing longer in-between changing times of diapers has resulted in skin rashes and bugs among babies. Various study reiterating the role of disposable diapers in causing testicular cancer among males are likely to hinder the growth of the market to an extent.Request For Report Discount@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/discount/110114564/Baby-Diapers-Market East Africa Baby Diapers Market: Provincial VisionThe major countries considered in the research report are Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. Kenya becomes top lucarative market for baby diapers in East Africa. The dramatic demand for baby diapers in Kenya is driven by the significant rise in birth rate included a substantial decline in the infant mortality rate as compared to other developing nations of East Africa. After Kenya,Tanzania is the second largest revenue contributing country in the East Africa diapers market. Other Countries Involved are Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.East Africa Baby Diapers Market: Companies InvolvedLeading players are also establishing feasible products made with biodegradable materials to entice parents who are vigilant of the environmental brunt of adapting diapers. Major manufacturers are making product modernization and operating boosting their distribution channels to centralize their presence across major countries. Key players accomplishing in this market include Johnson and Johnson, INDEVCO Group Procter and Gamble, Unicharm Corporation, SCA Hygiene Products GmbH, Mega Soft (Fujian) Hygiene Products Co. Ltd., and Interconsumer Products Ltd.This report gives you approach to definitive data such as: Market growth drivers, Factors hindering market growth, Current market trends and Market extensions for the coming decade.Key highlights of this reportOverview of key market forces propelling and forbiddingmarket growthUp-to-date analysis of market trends and technological advancementsPin-point analysis of market competition dynamics to offer you a competitive edgeAn analysis of strategies of major competitorsAn array of graphics and SWOT analysis of major industry segmentsDetailed analyses of industry trendsA well-defined technological growth map with an impact-analysisOffers a clear understanding of the competitive landscape and key product segments.Report Analysis@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/rd/110114564/East-Africa-Baby-Diapers-Market
Persistence Market Research announced the addition of the Bismuth Market Revenue to Rise Substantially Owing to Increasing End-use Adoption" report to their offering.

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PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-21 11:36:28

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Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Team Lead800-961-0353

Global demand for bismuth is expected to grow at a Y-o-Y growth rate of 4.9% by 2016 end. China is a major consumer, producer, and exporter of bismuth and is anticipated to maintain its dominance in the global market in the near future. The country is estimated to account for 27.0% share of overall bismuth sales by the end of 2016. The increasing use of bismuth oxide in growing manufacturing industries is anticipated to drive consumption in the region. The rapid growth of the automobile end-use industry is expected to drive further market growth.Request For Report Sample@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/4398 Increasing environmental regulations regarding lead usage in various end-use industries would drive demand for bismuth and bismuth derived compounds. Stringent regulations and initiatives by leading manufacturers in end-use industries to phase out lead production is expected to spur bismuth market growth. Major paints & coatings manufacturers such as BASF SE and PPG Inc. are actively offering bismuth-based products replacing their lead based portfolio, in order to provide environmentally-friendly product offerings.The bismuth market in APAC is anticipated to witness higher growth rates due to increasing manufacturing activities in China and India. Demand in Europe is also anticipated to be above average due to stringent lead restricting directives in the region, while demand in North America, Latin America, and MEA is expected to be moderate. Declining lead production due to regulations and declining consumption of lead-acid batteries is anticipated to be a major restricting factor for the global market. The increasing use of bismuth alternatives in pharmaceuticals and alloys is also a major obstacle to market growth.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC)@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/4398 Hunan Jinwang Bismuth Industry Co. Ltd., Hunan Bismuth Co. Ltd., and Nui Phao Mining Company Limited are some of the top producers of bismuth, with a cumulative annual production capacity of 11,000 metric tons.
PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-21 09:32:26

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Research Report Insights42 joseph street,Portcarling P0B 1J0,Muskoka, Ontario, CanadaT: +1-631-721-4201Email: sales@researchreportinsights.comWeb Site: http://www.researchreportinsights.comPhone - (+91) 7875758555Ethan Taylor+44-631-787-4201

Global bottled water market was valued at $198.4 million in 2017, and is expected to reach $307300 Million by 2024, expanding at a CAGR of 6.4% during the forecast period 2024 End. Bottled water is packaged drinking water that is purified and free from contamination. It is available in plastic and glass water bottles, and is the most convenient way for the body to fulfill its hydration needs being easily available in nearby retail stores and supermarkets. The market driven by the rise in healthcare awareness about waterborne diseases such as malaria, typhoid, diarrhea, food poisoning, and others. Moreover, bottled water is more portable and convenient to use as it is handy, thus supporting the market growth. In addition, tap water is available at a lower cost, which also poses a restrain to market growth.Report For Sample with Table of Contents@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/sample/110114577/Bottled-Water-Market Bringing about extensive innovations in bottled water manufacturing processes, and striving towards increasing awareness among masses regarding benefits of using recycled bottles are prime strategies implemented by businesses working in the global bottled water market. Many companies are developing advanced and cost-effective techniques of producing water bottles, so that they can efficiently function while causing least harm to the environment. Such businesses are also receiving tremendous support from most governments all over the globe. Mountain Valley Spring Company LLC, GroupeDanone, PepsiCo Inc, Icelandic Water Holdings, The Coca Cola Company, Nestle Waters, Unicer - Bebidas SA, Grupo Vichy Catalan, Suntori Beverage & Food Ltd, and CG Roxane, LLC, are key players operating in the global bottled water market.The continued increase in per capita consumption indicates that consumers see bottled water as a healthy alternative to other packaged beverages. Consistent with this view, sales revenues for the U.S. bottled water market in 2017 were nearly $16000 Million in wholesale dollars, a 7.4% increase over the previous year.Nearly all of the bottled water sold in the U.S. is sourced domestically. In fact, imported bottled water accounts for only 1% of the U.S. market. The vast majority of bottled water companies in the U.S. are small, community-based companies using local water sources and distributing their products within an average radius of 300 miles from their bottling facilities.Request For Report Discount@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/discount/110114577/Bottled-Water-Market Segment Review:The global bottled water market is segmented based on type and geography. Based on type, it is classified into still water, carbonated water, flavored water, and functional water. In 2017, the still water segment held the largest market share, accounting for three-fifths of the total market share and is expected to maintain this trend during the forecast period. In terms of geographical analysis, in 2017, Asia-Pacific dominated the market, occupying 35.6% share, followed by Europe with 27.1%. Geographically, the market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.The mounting concern of large carbon footprint of the manufacturing processes as flagged by environmentalists is another critical factor likely to negatively impact the market to an extent. Stricter imposing of unfavorable regulations is a key factor likely to hamper its production in some states. Nevertheless, the introduction of products that have a variety of health benefits and innovative flavors are key trends impacting the growth of the U.S. market. The growing popularity of mineral laced water and low-calorie flavored drink bodes well for the market.Report Analysis@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/rd/110114577/Bottled-Water-Market
Persistence Market Research announced the addition of the Bromine Market Growth to Surge Owing to Increasing Adoption by End-use Applications" report to their offering.

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PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-21 11:20:42

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Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Team Lead800-961-0353

Global demand for bromine market will reach 483 kilo metric tons (KMT) in 2016, up from 470 KMT in 2015. Demand will be impeded by growing regulation and legislation, especially in the European Union (EU), where the use of certain brominated flame retardants is banned or restricted.Flame retardants will continue to remain the largest application segment, accounting for 203 KMT volume in 2016, a y-o-y increase of 2.8% over 2015. Use of bromine in oil and gas drilling will continue its upward momentum in 2016, growing at 4.3% in terms of volume  the fastest among all the application segments.Request For Report Sample@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/4274 The chemicals industry will remain the largest consumer of bromine, accounting for 292 KMT volume in 2016, representing market value worth 1,284 Mn. Use of bromine in the oil and gas sector will also continue to witness steady growth, as clear brine fluids gain traction for drilling purposes. Demand will be offset by sluggish adoption in the electronics industry, as use of brominated flame retardants continues to face stricter regulations. Demand for bromine from electronics sector will witness a growth rate of 2.1% in 2016 over 2015.Asia Pacific will remain the largest market for bromine, representing annual revenues worth US$ 1,087 Mn in 2016, up from 895 Mn in 2015. This is primarily due to expansion of end-use industries such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and electronic in APAC. Latin America will continue to offer growth opportunities to manufacturers, with global demand witnessing a 2.0% volume growth in 2016 over 2015. Demand will face constraints in the mature markets of North America and Western Europe in 2016 as well.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC)@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/bromine-market/toc Israel Chemicals Limited, Chemtura Corporation, Albemarle Corporation, Gulf Resources Inc., Tosoh Corporation, Tetra Technologies Inc., Tata Chemicals Limited and Hindustan Salts Limited are the key players in the market. Top players are continuously focusing on expanding their product offerings, especially in flame retardants segments. Collaborations and joint ventures are key business strategies to develop green brominated flame retardants.
PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-21 22:07:13

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 21, 2018 / CSE: CMC: Cielo Waste Solutions Corp. ("Cielo" or the "Company") announces the closing of $270,000 in the second tranche ("Second Tranche") of the previously announced non-brokered private placement ("Offering") of up to 15,384,615 ("Units") at $0.13 per Unit, by the issuance of 2,076,923 Units. A total of $1,144,406 in gross proceeds has been raised in the initial two tranches by the issuance of 8,803,123 Units.Each Unit is comprised of one Common Share and one warrant ("Warrant"), with each Warrant having an exercise price of $0.20 and an expiration date of the earlier of 36 months from the date of issuance of the Units and the date that is 30 days from the date that Cielo provides notice ("Notice") to the warrant holder that the expiration date of the Warrants has been accelerated. The Notice may only be delivered to the Warrant Holders after Cielo's listed common shares trade at $0.40, or higher, for 20 consecutive days, any time after 4 months and a day from the date of issuance of the Units. Any Warrants that have not been exercised on or before the expiry of the 30-day period will automatically expire.Although the Offering is non-brokered, the Company may, as determined in its sole discretion, pay reasonable customary brokers' and/or finders' fees ("Fees"), as applicable, in connection with the completion of the Offering. There were no fees paid with respect to the closing of the Second Tranche.The net proceeds of the Offering will be used to acquire equipment and pay service costs to advance the commissioning of Cielo's first commercial waste to renewable diesel fuel refinery in Aldersyde, Alberta ("Aldersyde Refinery"), as well as for working capital.Don Allan, President and CEO of Cielo, stated, "We are glad to have raised close to $1.2mm this week of the $2mm Offering, as it will allow us to continue to work through the holiday season to accelerate the completion of the commissioning of our Aldersyde Refinery. We wish one and all a safe and happy holiday season and prosperous New Year." Join Cielo shareholders on 8020 Connect: http://bit.ly/Cielogroup For more information please contact:Cielo Waste Solutions Corp.Don AllanPresident & CEO(403) 348-2972 Ext. 101donallan@ cielows.com Michael Yeung, CFAVP, Business Development & Capital Markets(403) 348-2972 Ext. 103michaelyeung@ cielows.com About Cielo Waste Solutions Corp.Cielo Waste Solutions Corp. is a publicly traded company with its shares listed to trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") under the symbol "CMC". Cielo holds the exclusive license for the global rights to a transformational, patent-pending, technology engineered to convert garbage-derived feedstocks to high grade renewable diesel, at a significantly lower cost than biofuel companies. With landfills being one of the world's leading contributors to Green House Gas emissions and being projected to double in size over the next 7 years, Cielo can potentially resolve this crisis, on a cost-effective basis, by converting multiple different garbage-derived feedstocks, including sorted municipal solid waste (garbage), wood and agriculture waste, tires, blue-box waste, all plastics and virtually any other cellulous waste product into high grade renewable diesel.Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking StatementsThis news release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "achieve", "could", "believe", "plan", "intend", "objective", "continuous", "ongoing", "estimate", "outlook", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should" or similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes.Forward looking statements are subject to both known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements, including but not limited to: the use of proceeds of the offering, receipt of all necessary approvals of the offering, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; negotiation uncertainties and other risks of its industry. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended.Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, some of which are described herein. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Company's actual performance and results to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required by law, neither the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise such statements to reflect new information, subsequent or otherwise.The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release.SOURCE: Cielo Waste Solutions Corp.
PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-21 09:38:30

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Contact Us:Research Report Insights (RRI)42 Joseph StreetPort carling P0B 1J0Muskoka, Ontario1Phone - +1-631-721-4201Website: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/Email: sales@researchreportinsights.com6317214201+1631721420

Natural language processing (NLP) is a major element of artificial intelligence (AI) for advanced communicating with intelligent systems with the help of natural language. It aids computers in responding and reading by mimicking the human capability to recognise the day-to-day language that they adopt to communicate. Today, without natural language processing, AI can only answer simple questions and understand the meaning of language, but will not able to recognise the significance of words in framework. Natural language processing applications permits users to connect with a computer in their own words.DriversWith increasing usage of internet, computers, smart phones and many other personal devices, the requirement for machine and human level communication has increased. Everybody from enterprise to individual users nowadays need machines that can respond to their questions, support them in their daily basis operations and also make their life organized and easier. This demand has given rise to increased demand for natural language processing technology which is now being quickly commercialized. Natural language processing technology is the most adoptable technology for cognitive systems due to its easy and advanced language conversation process and which boosts the growth of Cognitive Systems Spending. Increasing technology advancement in cognitive systems will help to track both external and internal threats. Complex data hacking due to internal users mistakably revealing the corporate systems data to threats are increasing the importance of Cognitive systems. These abilities will open a new world of insights and data analytics for companies and assist them to report cyber security and security issues threats. Cognitive security tools with such advanced capabilities will help organizations address cyber security threats and compliance issues. The tools offered by cognitive systems will help security teams to make more informed decisions, quickly seal security breaches at all levels and thus in turn increase the demand of overall Cognitive Systems Spending.Request For Report Sample: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/upsample/120124609/Cognitive-Systems-Market TrendsAn emerging Trend which is boosting cognitive systems spending growth is the rising demand for predictive analytics. Cognitive system integration permits communicative relocation of real-time data between machineries and networks. The growing need to strategically monitor information and analyse will eventually influence the overall cognitive systems spending that is projected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period. Moreover, large businesses have recognized that they can use big data to deliver better services, optimize costs, and boost revenues. Therefore, large industries have benefited from advances in big data techniques via examination of customer buying behaviour and buying patterns. On the basis of data points, predictive modelling techniques are customized to a group or an individual customer. This can leads to improving the overall efficacy of the production while reducing costs and efficient and accurate solutions. Hence, the increasing demand of predictive analytics in North America is fuelling the growth of overall Cognitive Systems Spending.Natural Language Processing Technology Analysis, by product typeNatural language processing technology segment is expected to be valued at US$ 13003.8 Mn by 2026 and is projected to register a CAGR of 16.6% over the forecast period. Natural language processing technology segment will only grow as the exponential increase in information ads to the continued pressure to improve knowledge worker performance and decision making. Knowledge workers are facing an ever-increasing amount of information to deal with.Natural Language Processing Technology Analysis, by deploymentNatural language processing technology segment to account for the significant market share of 60.6% in the North America market by 2026 end. Natural language processing technology segment is the most adoptable technology for cognitive systems due to its easy and advanced language conversation process which will thereby boost the growth of cognitive systems spending.Request Report For Toc: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/TOC/120124609/Cognitive-Systems-Market Natural Language Processing Technology Analysis, by applicationIn terms of value, natural language processing technology segment is anticipated to register a CAGR of 16.6% over the forecast period. Natural language processing technology segment finds its end-users in healthcare, education, manufacturing, and banking. Approximately 60% of cognitive systems with natural language processing technology are used by large and medium manufacturing industries, banking sector and others.Natural Language Processing Technology Analysis, by RegionOn the basis of region, North America region is projected to remain dominant throughout the forecast period. Natural language processing technology segment is estimated to account for the significant market share of 64.8% in the North America market by 2016 end. The presence of several natural language processing technology service provider companies in North America is expected to play an important role in revenue growth of the natural language processing technology segment in the North America market. Natural language processing technology segment is expected to witness robust growth in Western Europe and APEJ market driven by increasing cloud based solution demand in the region, as natural language processing technology is highly used by end-user such as healthcare, education, manufacturing, and banking in these regions.Key Players:Microsoft Corporation, IBM Corporation, Google Inc., Symantec Corporation, Palantir Technologies, Inc., Recommind, Inc.and OpenText Corporation etc.Report Analysis: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/upcomming/120124609/Cognitive-Systems-Market
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The condom industry in China is expected to witness significant growth owing to the rising average income of consumers and the demand for a better quality of life. China is a huge market for international condom manufacturers and brand enterprises. In addition, emphasis on public education about the use of condoms in preventing HIV and other known sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is an imperative part of government supported efforts to stop AIDS in China.The countrys plan to control, treat, and prevent HIV/AIDS for the period 2011 to 2015 estimates that approximate 90% of the key population is at higher risk, and 85% of urban residents aged between 15 to 60, and 80% of rural residents of the same group should be made aware about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV by 2015.View Full Report @ https://www.xploremr.com/report/1911/china-condom-market In order to implement this plan, the government has planned on providing condoms or condom vending machines in 90% of hotels and other unspecified public areas by 2015. Endorsement by popular celebrities about prevention of AIDS by using condoms is another effective method to educate the masses about safe sex.Moreover, female condoms are used as a contraceptive and as a preventive measure against sexually transmitted diseases. According to the Centre for Young Womens Health (CYWH) which is a partnership between the Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine and the Division of Gynaecology at Boston Childrens Hospital, the accuracy of a female condom is almost 95% if used properly. These products are also effective in preventing Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). Their effectiveness as contraception and as a barrier for the entry of STI causing pathogens, coupled with female and active responsibility linked with female condoms for preventing pregnancy are some of the factors encouraging women to use female condoms.Download Sample Report @ https://www.xploremr.com/connectus/sample/1911 Further, a Chinese company Dahua Medical Apparatus Companyproducing female condoms has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Population Fund for global distribution as another effective and safe form of contraception. Female condoms in China are on the governments purchase list and they are usually distributed by local family planning groups. Although market for female condoms is on the lower side, the demand is rising at a steady pace. Consumer preference for female condoms has shown a positive impact on the condoms market in China.In addition, strengthening economic conditions in China has led to an increase in the average income of consumers and that in turn has resulted in aspiration for a better quality of lifestyle among the residents of China. This factor has in turn fuelled the demand for condoms among the Chinese population, and the demand is only expected to go up in terms of quality and quantity. Therefore, China is considerable an attractive market for brand enterprises and international condom manufacturers.Polyurethane, polyisoprene, lamb skin and pu leather are some of the materials that are majorly used to manufacture condoms. PU leather accounted for the lowest market share among the material types of condoms accounting for less than 5% of the total condom market in China. Condoms are very sensitive to high temperature and can melt if exposed to direct sunlight or a direct heat source and they should not be carried around in a wallet which is placed next to the body. They should be stored at a room temperature, usually between 55 degrees and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.The key players operating in the China condom market are, Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc England, U.K.), Ansell Ltd (Richmond, Australia), Karex Industries Sdn. Bhd (Johor, Malaysia), The Female Health Company Ltd. (Illinois, The U.S.), Church & Dwight Co. Inc. (Erwing, The U.S.), HLL Life Care Ltd. (Thiruvananthapuram, India.), Thai Nippon rubber Industru Co. Ltd (Sathon, Bangkok), Fuji Latex Co. Ltd (Tokyo, Japan), Geaphic Armor LLC (Florida, U.S.) and Sagami Rubber Industries. (Atsugi, Japan) among others.The Asia Pacific and Latin America sugar confectionery market can be segmented as follows;-China Condom Market, by MaterialLatexPolyurethanePolyisoprenePU LeatherLamb IntestineOthersChina Condom Market, by End UseMale CondomsFemale CondomsBuy Full Report @ https://www.xploremr.com/cart/reports/buynow/1911
Gary Swick, president of the Friends of the Fox River, will present the annual State of the Fox River at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 13, at Schweitzer Environmental Center in the Schweitzer Woods Forest Preserve, 16N690 Sleepy Hollow Road, West Dundee. It will focus on what has been happening in the watershed during the past year.
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Drying or dehydration is a process through which moisture or water content is removed from the food. Removing of water content from food makes them lighter and smaller. It helps in preservation of food for longer period of time. Dehydrated food do not require any refrigeration while preserving at home or at the time of consumption. Moreover, dehydrated food is ideal for preserving seasonal fruits and vegetables. Dehydrated food offer high nutritional value, easy storage properties and availability at low price, which is driving the demand of dehydrate food across the globe.Dehydrated food market can be segmented on the basis of technology which includes spray dried, freeze dried, vacuum dried, sun dried, hot air dried and others. Traditionally among all these segments sun dried process of dehydration was the major segment in terms of usage by food manufacturers followed by hot air dried process. However due to the introduction of new technology spray dried is expected to account for largest share in terms of market revenue contribution, followed by freeze dried during the forecast period. Vacuum dried segment is expected to show a consistent growth as compared to others. Limited usage in food products is expected to be the restraining factor for the growth of vacuum dried technology in dehydrated food market in the near future.Furthermore, dehydrated food market can also be segmented on the basis of types. This includes dehydrated dairy products, dehydrated fruits, dehydrated meat products, dehydrated vegetables and others. Among all these segment meat products is expected to account for largest market share followed by dairy products. Increasing demand for enhanced year around availability of processed and canned meat products among the manufacturers is expected to support the demand of dehydrated meat products in the near future. Moreover the dehydrated fruits and dehydrated vegetables segments respectively are expected show a favorable growth during the forecast period. This is attributed to rising demand of seasonal fruits and vegetables.Request for Report Sample : https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/5933 Dehydrated food market can also be segmented on the basis of region. Globally, North America is expected to account for the major market share. In North American region the U.S is expected to be the major contributor in terms of revenue followed by Canada. Increased consumption of meat products in North America is expected to support the demand of dehydrated food products across the region. Europe is also expected to be one of the prominent contributor in dehydrated food products market in terms of revenue followed by Asia Pacific. Among all the countries in the European region United Kingdom is expected to contribute the highest during the forecast period. Moreover in terms of production of dehydrated food China is expected to be one of the prominent producer of dehydrated food products. In addition, China is one of the largest meat products producer along with prime producer of various seasonal fruits and vegetables. This is expected to contribute towards significant growth in the country.Rising demand of food products with longer shelf life coupled with the increasing demand of seasonal products across the year is supporting the growth of dehydrated food market during the forecast period. Moreover, increasing demand of food manufacturers for preserving food product for longer period so that they could use it as an ingredient in their final product is also fuelling the demand of dehydrated food market during the forecast period.Some of the international players operating in dehydrated food market are General Mills Inc., Ting Hsin International Group, Unilever China Ltd, Ajinomoto Co. Inc., House Foods Corp, Nissin Food Holdings Co. Ltd. and Kraft Foods Inc, among others.Request for Report TOC : https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/5933
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Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) equipment market refers to the tools and equipments used to detect, dispose and provide protection during explosive disposal operations. The global Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) equipment market has been segmented by equipment type, application and geography. On the basis of equipment type the market has been segmented into portable X-ray systems, projected water disruptors, bomb containment chamber, EOD suits and blankets, EOD robots, explosive detectors and search mirrors among others. The EOD market on the basis of application has been categorized into defense and law enforcement. North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America are the various regions covered within the scope of research. Furthermore, a cross sectional analysis has been provided for each of the reports covered within the scope of research.Factors such as police forces modernization programs and defense modernization programs are also expected to drive the demand for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) equipment. Various defense agencies across the globe are striving to equip their forces with modern equipment in order to counter terrorist intrusions. For example, large numbers of military organizations and law enforcement organizations have adopted military EOD robots. These robots can be programmed according to a given situation and can also be repurposed in a short time. Moreover, recent surge in number of terrorist attacks have also boosted the demand for EOD in recent years. The rise of various terrorist outfits such as ISIS and Boko Haram are constantly conducting coordinated country-wide attacks against the governments across the globe.Request For Report Sample with Table of Contents@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/sample/110114589/Explosive-Ordnance-Disposal-Equipment-Market These organizations are targeting malls, schools and embassies among others. As a result of these factors, defense organizations are increasingly adopting EOD equipment to counter the terrorist attacks. Furthermore, the joint efforts taken by various countries such as the U.S., Russia and France among others to curb terrorism have further resulted in an increased demand for EOD equipments. These factors in combination are expected to propel the demand for EOD equipment throughout the forecast period.However, defense budget cut by governments of various countries is restraining the demand for EOD equipment globally. For example, there has been a 31% defense budget cut in the U.S. military spending from 2010 to 2016Significant opportunities exist for the EOD equipment market as a result of continuous research and development initiatives undertaken by various manufacturers. Research and development is directed toward improving existing features as well as developing new advanced features. For example, in January 2014, DetectaChem launched a handheld explsoive detector called the SEEKERe. The SEEKERe has been designed and developed in accordance to the specifications requested by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).Request For Report Discount@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/discount/110114589/Explosive-Ordnance-Disposal-Equipment-Market The company profiles of the major players in the global Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Equipment market across five major geographic regions namely North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa and Latin America has been extensively covered under the purview of the study. Moreover, the business strategies being adopted by the major players in the market have also been included in the report. The market attractive analysis has also been provided in the report for providing a detailed insight into the global EOD equipment market.The market dynamics, which includes the market drivers, restraints and opportunities, has also been included under the scope of the report. Market dynamics help to understand the current trends in the global market by providing insights of the distinctive factors that influence the growth of the specific market. Thus, this report provides an inclusive study of the global Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Equipment market and also provides forecast of the market for the period from 2015-2023Some of the major players operating in EOD market are: iRobot Corporation, Safariland, LLC, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Scanna Msc Ltd., NABCO, Inc., United Shield International Ltd, Reamda Ltd., API Technologies Corp., Du Pont (E.I.) De Nemours and Cobham plc among others.Report Analysis@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/rd/110114589/Explosive-Ordnance-Disposal-Equipment-Market
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Flame resistant and retardant fabric seek extensive adoption across a wide range of industries including oil & gas, transport, automobile, and paint. Growing demand for protective clothing among industrial workers along with mandatory norms imposed by the governments regarding use of flame resistant and retardant clothing have been influencing expansion of the market. Utilization of flame resistant and retardant fabrics in home furnishings and public events, as a precautious measure, has also underpinned their demand.Detailed Assessment on Flame Resistant and Retardant Fabric MarketMarket Research has recently published a new report on the global flame resistant and retardant fabric market, which offers accurate forecasts on the market for the period between 2017 and 2026. This report is a definite source of information that imparts intelligence on recent market dynamics, industry trends, potential markets, technology developments & advancements, and product innovation coupled with extensive regional market coverage.Get Sample Copy of this report @ https://www.xploremr.com/connectus/sample/1039 A comprehensive data analysis on the global flame resistant and retardant fabric market is delivered in the report, in order to help the clients in gaining a competitive edge and attracting potential customers. The report further aid in better understanding of the industry structure, and offers evaluations on the competition intensity attractiveness. Business strategists can leverage the intelligence offered in the report regarding latest opportunities and trends impacting the market expansion to make fact-based decisions for their businesses.Flame Resistant and Retardant Fabric Market: Taxonomy and Segmentation AnalysisThis report also offers a scrutinized study on the global market for flame resistant and retardant fabric in terms of a segmentation analysis. The market has been divided into 5 key segments, namely, by weight, thickness type, end-user, application type, and region. These segments have been analyzed in detail, engulfing market forecasts and estimates at a country and regional level.Report Overview @ https://www.xploremr.com/report/1039/flame-resistant-and-retardant-fabric-market The segmentation analysis offered can be useful for the report readers in understanding probable opportunities and potential markets for the target product - flame resistant and retardant fabric. A taxonomy table incorporated in the report illustrates all the market segments in a systematic manner as depicted below.Flame Resistant and Retardant Fabric Market: Competitive Landscape AssessmentIn its concluding chapter, the report quantifies revenues share of prominent companies in the global flame resistant and retardant fabric market, and offers an in-depth overview of the markets competitive scenario. A detailed description has been delivered on all the market players profiled in the report, which includes intelligence in terms of their company overview, key financials, product overview, past as well as latest developments.A SWOT analysis has been offered on each market player incorporated in the report, along with information on their new product developments, and market expansion strategies such as collaborations and partnerships. The scope of the report is offer its readers with authentic information and insights on the global flame resistant and retardant fabric market, to enable them in making better future decisions for growth of the businesses.Buy Now Full Report @ https://www.xploremr.com/cart/reports/buynow/1039
On The Go Packaging Market

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Contact UsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/Manager9898989898

Convenience features such as portability, re-usability, and easy handling drives the product packaging trends in industries including food and beverage, healthcare and personal hygiene, pharmaceuticals, and other consumer goods. Swift changes in consumer lifestyles, and busy daily routines have resulted in an increase in demand for on the go packaging solution. The food and beverage industry have gained a lot of advantage with the growing application of on the go packaging. Owing to consumers preference for easy and quick consumption of food while they are on the move, the packaging industry is focusing on the go packaging solution to meet the augmented demand for packaged and processed foods. The global on the go packaging market is expected to have a steady growth over the forecast period attributed to the increasing demand for easy usage and consumption of products.On the Go Packaging Market: Market DynamicsIncreasing consumer preferences for processed foods is the prime factor driving the global on the go packaging market. Growing affinity of the consumers for portability, easy usage, re-usability, and re-closable characteristics is expected to boost the global on the go packaging market. Besides, food and beverage industry, pharmaceutical industry also contributes to the growing demand for on the go packaging market. Medicines such as tablets, syrups, and ointments require re-closable facility which is thereby expected to drive the on the go packaging market. Other industries that contribute to the increasing demand for global on the go packaging market are health care and hygiene products and other consumer goods.Request to Sample of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2092 The growing trend of retail packaging industry is considered to be a major factor significantly contributing to the escalating demand for global on the packaging market. On the go packaging helps in easy display and easy identifying of retail ready product packs without having to spend much on display costs.However, on the go packaging market growth is hindered by few restraints. The most crucial being the contamination of the product especially the processed foods. On the go packaging facilitates easy usage of processed packaged foods which in turn might have high possibilities of getting contaminated.On the Go Packaging Market: Regional OutlookOn the go packaging has a regional coverage including North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). APEJ accounts for the rapidly growing market for on the go packaging solution owing to increasing consumption of ready to eat foods, rising disposable income and growing population.On the Go Packaging Market: Market PlayersFew players in the global on the go packaging market include Berry Plastics, Bemis, Coveris, Amcor, Oracle Packaging, Tetra Pak, Bericap Holding GmBH, Graham Packaging Company, Sigma Plastics Group and others.The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies. Report Highlights : Detailed overview of parent market,Changing market dynamics in the industry,In-depth market segmentation,Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value,Recent industry trends and developments,Competitive landscape,Strategies of key players and products offered,Potential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growth,A neutral perspective on market performance,Must-have information for market players to sustain and enhance their market footprint.Buy this report now @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/2092
Persistence Market Research announced the addition of the Increasing Consumer Awareness to Fuel Adoption of Automotive Composites Market" report to their offering.

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PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-21 11:36:21

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An up to date business intelligence report compiled at Persistence Market Research (PMR) notifies that the shares in the global automotive composites market are moderately consolidated among a handful of players who have the technological expertise to cater to diverse demands. In the automotive industry, the current trend is to develop vehicles that are fuel efficient, and a number of players are transforming their business to meet these changing requirements. For instance, Toray Industries has inaugurated a new production facility in Japan that is expected to starting churning out electrode sheets for nearly 100,000 fuel cell vehicles each year from 2018 onwards. Torays new carbon fiber composite is expected to be stronger and lighter with complex shapes.Toho Tenax is another reputed name in the global automotive composites market, providing customized products from lightweight electric hybrids to high-performance racing cars. Some of the popular products from the company are Tenax Filament Yarn, Tenax ThermoPlastics, Tenax Short Fibers, Tenax Dry Reinforcements, Tenax Part via Preform, and Tenax Prepreg. Solvay S.A. is another key holding a strong position in the global automotive composites market, offering its DForm component technology that serves the high and medium volume automobile market, providing high deposition rates and ease of processing with its continuous fiber advanced molding system.Request For Report Sample@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/4368 Global Automotive Composites Market to Attain Valuation of US$7,019.7 million by 2022As per the projections of the PMR report, the demand in the global automotive composites market will swell at an impressive CAGR of 8.9% over the course of the forecast period of 2017 to 2022. In terms of revenue, the scopes in this market are estimated to be worth US$7,019.7 by the end of 2022, considerably more than the markets evaluated worth of US$4,589.7 million in 2017. The analysts of the report have identified SGL Group from Germany, Mitsubishi Chemical Company from Japan, and Owens Corning and Plasan Carbon Composites from the U.S. as some of the other companies currently ahead of the curve in the global automotive composites market.Based on composite materials, the PMR report segments the market for automotive composites into polymer matrix, ceramic matrix, and metal matrix. On the basis of manufacturing process, the market has been bifurcated into injection and continuous process, compression process, and manual process. The market has also been categorized on the basis of composite components, into engine and drivetrain components, exterior, and interior. Geographically, Asia Pacific has been picked out as the region with maximum opportunities. By the end of 2022, this region is anticipated to provide for more than half of the total demand in the global automotive composites market.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC)@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/4368 Government Regulations to Reduce Carbon Emission Driving DemandA number of factors have been detected that are expected to drive the automotive composites market in the near future, such as growing demand for lightweight passenger vehicles that offer higher fuel efficiency and government regulations to adopt ways to reduce carbon emission from vehicles. In addition to that, the automotive industry is currently flourishing in the region of Asia Pacific, finding strong demand the emerging economies of China and India. These two countries are vastly populated and increased per capita vehicle ownership is expected to reflect positively on this market. On the other hand, high cost of raw materials is the most prominent restraint over the prosperity of the automotive composites market. The technology needs to be harnessed further for it to be more affordable for larger masses across the world.
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As an individual, one likes to be unique. This quest for individuality and personalization extends to many aspects of life. Whether its customized gifts or customized clothing, consumes today are looking for ways to express themselves. Quite unsurprisingly, this increasing focus on personalization has also influenced the personal vehicle segment. Many consumers are experimenting with their car interiors to enhance comfort and improve the available features. They want their cars to stand out in a crowd in order to reflect their personal style. Car accessories, both interior and exterior, not only spruces up the car but also enhances passengers safety and comfort level, making driving a pleasurable experience.Interior car accessories are add-ons that enhance the interior aesthetics of the vehicle and give an overall entertaining and comfortable riding experience. A mind boggling range of interior car accessories like covers, electronic accessories, knobs, consoles & organizers, car cushions & pillows, fragrance, communication, car mats, central locking system, dash kits, and sunshades are available in the market for serving different purposes.Key Drivers for Phenomenal GrowthThe global interior car accessories market is expected to register a volume CAGR of 3.9% over the eight-year period 20162024 based on various factors. As new vehicle buyers accessorize their vehicles, the car accessories market is gaining robust and sustained growth. An increasing demand for fast moving car accessories, growing consumer inclination towards an entertaining driving experience, and rising vehicle customization among a young population are some of the other factors expected to drive growth of the global interior car accessories market.The growth of the global market for interior car accessories is heavily dependent on the growth of the global automotive industry. Moreover, a growing automotive aftermarket e-retailing in developed markets is also expected to drive growth of the interior car accessories market over the forecast period.Hampering the GrowthThe global market for interior car accessories is facing several challenges due to availability of counterfeit and inferior quality electronic accessories, which are mostly imported from Asian continents to other regions and cost competitiveness due to huge market fragmentation.Report For Sample with Table of Contents@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/sample/110114665/Interior-Car-Accessories-market Robust Demand for Accessories and CoversCategorization of the global interior car accessories market is done by product type, vehicle type, and distribution channel. By product type, the electronic accessories and covers segment is anticipated to maintain a dominant share of the global interior car accessories market over the forecast period. By vehicle type, the passenger cars segment is expected to dominate the global interior car accessories market in terms of value over the forecast period. By distribution channel, the aftermarket segment is expected to dominate the global interior car accessories market in terms of value over the forecast period.Asia Pacific Most Lucrative Market for Interior Car AccessoriesThe global interior car accessories market has been segmented into five key regions namely North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Demand for electronic accessories is expected to be the highest in Asia-Pacific region over the forecast period, followed by Middle East & Africa and Latin America.Request For Report Discount@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/discount/110114665/Interior-Car-Accessories-market Trailblazers in the MarketThe leading players in the market of global interior car accessories are Pep Boys, Pioneer Corporation, Garmin Ltd., OReilly Auto Parts, U.S. Auto Parts Network Inc., Pecca Group Berhad, CAR MATE MFG, CO., LTD., Covercraft Industries, LLC, Classic Soft Trim, Lloyd Mats, H.I. Motors, Star Automotive Accessories, and Momo Srl.Report Analysis@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/rd/110114665/Interior-Car-Accessories-market
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Lingerie market has occupied a significant position in the apparel industry in recent years as it not only serves its functional benefits but also is considered as an basic necessity to every woman. The the global lingerie market has been bifurcated on the basis of product types into bras, knickers and panties, lounge wear, shape wear and others which includes baby doll, corsets, chemises and chemisoles among others. Bra as an essential necessity and also a fashion accessory to every women and it has captured the largest market share in 2015. Knickers and panties also occupied a significant position in the same year, thus contributing significantly to the overall market size of the lingerie industry.The market is further segmented on the basis of distribution channel into online stores and storefront. Online stores captured the largest market in 2015 due to high penetration of internet services and rapid advancements in the field of technology, thus creating a strong platform for the manufacturers of lingerie Further, the e-commerce giants are engaged in strong promotional activities due to which they provide with continuous discount options and various other offers which attract both consumers and manufacturers to avail this platform.Females in the developing countries are experiencing latest trends towards carrying themselves in public. They are changing their outlook towards accepting innerwear as a casual affair and take time to choose and make a purchase. The outerwear of women has undergone a dramatic change and due to this women prefer selecting inner wear, especially bras that can match with their attire. They try to purchase lingerie depending on the occasion or event, such as there are special sport wear bras for gymnasium purpose. It can be demonstrated from the product differentiation brought by the lingerie manufacturers over online and retail stores. Thus this is a key factor complementing the growth of the global lingerie market.Request For Report Sample with Table of Contents@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/sample/110114599/Lingerie-Market Lingerie has witnessed a rapid acceptance in the fashion industry. Women from all backgrounds want to try out the latest trends in the inner wear segment. Most of the large brands have exclusive stores in shopping malls or independent stores. In developing countries like India and China, brands like Jockey try to reach out to customers through small roadside innerwear shops. Additionally, lingerie is available at stores as well as online. Brands like Victoria Secret have country specific websites for easier transactions and shipment.However, the lingerie wear maintains high cost for advertisement and other marketing promotions. This is due to the cost of celebrities or models that are hired for being featured in the photo shoots. Moreover, the destination or location cost of the photo shoot depends and therefore larger brands do not compromise in keeping high cost for their lingerie wear. Therefore, this factor is majorly hindering the growth of the market and the impact of the same is likely to reduce by the end of the forecast period.Moreover, the global lingerie market is experiencing moderate growth in the apparel segment as nowadays individuals are more inclined towards branded items, most of which are usually priced on the higher end. People from all backgrounds and income group want to avail a comfortable and lasting inner wear that can be fashionable as well as skin-friendly. There are many local brands or companies that manufacture cheap quality products to cater to the wide population in the under developed or developing countries. Mergers and acquisitions are a strategic way of entering the market and understanding the current needs and preferences of the population. Through this, the large companies will benefit in capturing the market and at the same time, will enable the small companies to fight for a better position in the market..Request For Report Discount@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/discount/110114599/Lingerie-Market Moreover, in this report the study provides different countries included in different regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. North America includes U.S. and Rest of North America. Europe includes U.K., Germany, France, Russia, Italy and Rest of Europe. Asia Pacific includes countries such as India, China, Japan and Rest of Asia Pacific. In addition, Middle East and Africa includes country such as UAE, South Africa and Rest of Middle East and Africa. Latin America comprise of countries such as Brazil and Rest of Latin AmericaAsia Pacific is anticipated to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period. Transition in the lifestyle of the consumers which is backed by rapid urbanization and increasing purchasing power is a major factor behind the high growth of this market in Asia Pacific. Further, consumer exposure to the same by way of advertisements through televisions, and print media among others is another key factor responsible for the growth of the Lingerie Market in this region.Some of the major key players operating in the global contact lens market are, Jockey International Inc. (Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S), Hanes (North Carolina U.S.), Groupe Chantelle (Cachan, France), LVMH (Boise U.S), L Brands Inc. (Columbus, Ohio), MAS Holdings Limited (Colombo, Srilanka), Ann Summers (London, U.K.), Marks and Spencer (London U.K), PVH Corporation (New York, U.S) among others.Report Analysis@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/rd/110114599/Lingerie-Market The report analyzes the factors that are driving and restraining the growth of the lingerie market. This report will help manufacturers, distributors and suppliers to understand the present and future trends in this market and formulate strategies accordingly.
Research Report Insights

PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-21 16:29:33

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Military personal protective equipment has become a crucial and standard element of soldier equipment. One of the major factor driving the market is the increasing role of ground troops in different parts of the world such as Iraq, Afghanistan and India among others. The demand for military personal protective equipment is anticipated to be driven by modernization initiatives undertaken by several large defense spenders globally and various internal security threats, such as organized crime and terrorism among others.One of the major factor driving the market is the increasing role of ground troops in different parts of the world such as Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq among others. As of 2014, there were 8 active military conflicts and 10 official wars known by the United States. In addition, there were also other violent clashes relating 64 countries and 576 separatist and militias groups. In 2016, in wars between Syria and Iraq, Afghanistan, South Sudan, the Lake Chad basin and Yemen helps the military personal protective equipment market to grow at a high CAGR which in turn is expected to boost the market.Request For Report Sample with Table of Contents@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/sample/110114595/Military-Personal-Protective-Equipment-Market Body armor (IBA), improved outer tactical vest (IOTV), advanced combat helmet (ACH), pelvic protection systems (PPS), life safety jacket, military combat eye protection (MCEP) and others sectors are the various product types of the military personal protective equipment market. Among various product types of the military personal protective equipment market body armor (BA) is the held the major market share in 2015 and expected to be the same during the forecast period of 2016  2024.The military personal protective equipment market has been segmented on the basis of application into army, air force, navy and others. Among various application of the military personal protective equipment market army held major market share in 2015 followed by navy and is expected to be remain the same during the forecast period of 2016  2024. Several countries are focusing on manufacturing better military personal protective equipment such as lightweight under suits, ballistic inserts, combat helmets and advanced night vision equipment that provide the benefits of enhanced protection and comfort to ground, navy and air forces. In 2015, the market is expected to be dominated by North America followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. In addition, Asia Pacific occupies more than 20% of the global market share, is driven by developing economies such as India, South Korea, Japan and China among others which are performing soldier modernization programs.Request For Report Discount@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/discount/110114595/Military-Personal-Protective-Equipment-Market By geography, the military personal protective equipment market is classified into five regions namely North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America. In 2015, North America holds the largest market share in the military personal protective equipment followed by Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa. However, in 2024 Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the largest market for military personal protective equipment market followed by North America. China held the largest share for the military personal protective equipment market in Asia Pacific in 2015. It is also expected to experience healthy growth in the coming years. Growing research and development activities started by different research organizations acts as a driving factor of the market. In addition, growing concerns over the safety and protection of the forces is expected to propel the growth of the market.Key players profiled in this report include 3M Ceradyne (United States), ArmorWorks (United States), Eagle Industries Unlimited Inc (United States), BAE Systems (United Kingdom), DSM Dyneema (United States),Armorsource (United States), Du Pont (United States), Honeywell Advanced Fibres and Composites (United States), Revision Military Inc. (United States) and GentexCorporatio Corporation (United States) among others.Report Analysis@ https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/rd/110114595/Military-Personal-Protective-Equipment-Market
PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-21 17:02:01

Moodys Analytics Wins at Insurance Asset Management Awards

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Moodys Analytics, a global provider of financial intelligence, has won Best Solvency II Tech Solution at the 2018 Insurance Asset Management Awards. This is the second straight year we have won this award and follows our repeat win for Solvency II Product of the Year at the Risk.net Markets Technology Awards.

We earned these awards on the strength of our comprehensive Solvency II solution, which helps insurers meet the calculation, data, and reporting requirements of Solvency II. By offering standard-formula and internal-model approaches, the solution automates previously manual calculation and reporting processes.

From Solvency II to IFRS 9 and IFRS 17, Moodys Analytics is helping insurance firms address their evolving compliance requirements. We recently announced that Belfius, a major bank insurer in Belgium, is using the Moodys Analytics RiskIntegrity IFRS 17 solution to meet that new standard, which takes effect in 2022.

Were delighted to be recognized again in the Insurance Asset Management Awards, said Colin Holmes, Managing Director of Insurance Solutions at Moodys Analytics. This demonstrates our commitment to helping the insurance industry tackle critical business challenges, such as Solvency II. As insurers focus shifts to the IFRS 17 standard, we are focusing our award-winning expertise on helping them meet this new challenge.

Click here to learn more about Moodys Analytics Insurance solutions.

About Moodys Analytics

Moodys Analytics provides financial intelligence and analytical tools to help business leaders make better, faster decisions. Our deep risk expertise, expansive information resources, and innovative application of technology help our clients confidently navigate an evolving marketplace. We are known for our industry-leading and award-winning solutions, made up of research, data, software, and professional services, assembled to deliver a seamless customer experience. We create confidence in thousands of organizations worldwide, with our commitment to excellence, open mindset approach, and focus on meeting customer needs. For more information about Moodys Analytics, visit www.moodysanalytics.com.

Moody's Analytics is a subsidiary of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO). Moodys Corporation reported revenue of $4.2 billion in 2017, employs approximately 12,600 people worldwide and maintains a presence in 42 countries.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181221005
PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-21 12:04:35

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Protein hydrolysate ingredients are the group of peptides derived from proteins. Protein hydrolysate are rich in protein content and are absorbed more quickly in comparison to other proteins. The different type of protein hydrolysate ingredients include milk protein hydrolysate and meat protein hydrolysate. These protein hydrolysate ingredients have relatively low antigenic properties. Protein hydrolysates ingredients enhance the digestibility and reduces the protein allergy especially in infants.There are various form of protein hydrolysate ingredients available in the market. Protein Hydrolysate ingredients market can be segmented on the basis of ingredients, application and region. Based on ingredient type, the segmentation includes milk protein hydrolysate and meat protein hydrolysate. Milk protein hydrolysates are type of peptides derived from milk proteins. There are two main sources of milk protein hydrolysates that includes whey protein hydrolysates and casein hydrolysates. The protein hydrolysates ingredients most commonly used in nutritional products are casein, whey protein and soy protein. These ingredients are the type of peptides that possess high nutritional properties and are comparatively absorbed quickly than other types of protein or amino acids. In Protein hydrolysates market, milk hydrolysate is anticipated to exhibit robust growth in the next four to five years. This is due to the comparatively less preference of consumers for meat hydrolysates ingredients.A sample of this report is available upon request @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/6191 On the basis of application protein hydrolysate ingredient market is segmented into infant formula, clinical nutrition and sport and slimming food. Among all the segments infant formula is the fastest growing segment, which is anticipated to witness double digit growth over the forecasted period, followed by the sport nutrition and clinical nutrition. The protein hydrolysates market is studied across various regions that includes North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan and Middle East and Africa.Protein hydrolysate Ingredients Market demand is anticipated to increase globally owing to the increasing number of health conscious consumers. Protein hydrolysate ingredients market is expected to exhibit strong growth in North America due to the increasing number of high affluent class people coupled with rising awareness of consumers regarding the health .In North America, U.S. is the most dominating market, followed by other European countries. There is increasing demand of Protein Hydrolysate Ingredients Market in U.S. due the increasing disposable income of consumers and also rising number of health conscious consumers. Furthermore, Europe is expected to exhibit consistent growth due to increasing production of milk in the European regions. However, Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market in the forthcoming years due the increasing investment of companies to launch new ingredients especially in infant formula segment. This trend is especially witnessed in China due to the increasing consumer interest in specialist nutrition. Protein hydrolysate ingredients market is growing drastically in China due to the increasing upper middle class population that supports the growth of protein hydrolysate ingredient rich products, which are higher in price.Protein hydrolysate ingredients market is witnessing healthy growth. This is due the increasing demand for protein hydrolysate ingredients by consumers owing to the health benefits coupled with nutritional benefits associated with it across developed regions. However, various factors that restrict the growth of protein hydrolysate ingredients market include less awareness among consumers regarding the health benefits associated with the consumption of protein hydrolysate ingredients in emerging economies.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/6191 Major Players that operate in protein hydrolysate ingredients market include Abbott Laboratories, Danone S.A., Davisco Foods International, Inc. Arla Foods Ingredients Group P/S, Kerry Group plc, Carbery Group.
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.

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Raw milk vending machine consists of an automatic dispenser which dispenses raw milk to a container/bottle after successful payment from the end-user. Some vending machines also provide container/bottle with the milk. Raw milk vending machine dispenses milk collected from cows, buffaloes, goats and sheep.The report provides both revenue and volume for each sub-geographic region. In terms of geographical regions, the report segments the Europe raw milk vending machine market into EU7, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Rest of Europe. EU7 is further segmented into the U.K., Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, while CIS is divided into Russia and Rest of CIS. Majority of Western European countries follow strict regulations regarding the consumption and sale of raw milk whereas Eastern European countries primarily do not comply with any regulation. Considering this variation in regulations across countries, the report also includes analysis of regulatory environment in the Europe market.View Full Report @ https://www.xploremr.com/report/1920/europe-raw-milk-vending-machine-market The raw milk is directly sold to customers at farm in countries such as France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Ireland and the U.K. Many dairy farmers produce traditional cheese, buttermilk, yogurt and chocolate from raw milk in their farms. The major countries that have adopted raw milk vending machine include Italy, France, Romania, Germany, the U.K., Slovakia, Slovenia and Czech Republic. The key reason for adoption of raw milk vending machine was due to the revisions in regulations of respective countries regarding raw milk sale.Furthermore, majority of end-users in these countries prefer drinking raw milk and consuming raw milk related products due to their nutritional benefits. Spain, Poland and Norway restrict the sale of raw milk due to reported cases of food poisoning. During the coming years, in order to help small farmers, these countries are anticipated to ease the regulations pertaining to the sale of raw milk through vending machines.Furthermore, the report analyzes the factors that drive and restrain the growth of the raw milk vending machine market for each sub-region. The report also discusses the prevailing market trends, prospective growth opportunities, and major strategies increasing the popularity of raw milk vending machines. Also provided is the market share analysis and competitive strategies adopted by key players in the Europe raw milk vending machine market. Furthermore, the report also provide market share analysis of key players for each sub-geographic region.Major business strategies adopted by key players, their market positioning, and product offerings have also been identified in the research report. The prominent manufacturers who offer raw milk vending machine in Europe include DF Italia S.R.L., Brunimat GmbH, Letina Inox D.O.O., Milk Automation S.R.O. and Risto Gbr.Download Sample Report @ https://www.xploremr.com/connectus/sample/1920 The raw milk vending machine market is segmented as below:Raw Milk Vending Machine MarketBy GeographyEU7 (The UK, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands)CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States)Rest of EuropeBuy Full Report @ https://www.xploremr.com/cart/reports/buynow/1920
PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-21 09:36:33

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Global Security-as-a-Service (SaaS) market revenues totalled US$ 3.3 billion in 2016, and are anticipated to grow at a staggering CAGR of 17.1% through 2026. Key factors propelling the adoption of SaaS services include proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing. The key end use sectors for SaaS include telecom and IT, BFSI, and healthcare remain the largest end-users of SaaS, with telecom and IT particularly witnessing robust adoption. By 2026, the revenue share of telecom & IT is expected to reach 30%, whereas BFSI sector will account for 20.3% of total revenues.Concerns about potential security threats to confidential and important information is influencing telecom & IT companies to invest in SaaS. Consequently, providing end-to-end security solutions remains a lucrative mode of operation of SaaS companies. Prominent SaaS companies, including Intel Security, Cisco Systems, Inc., and Oracle Corporation are focusing on offering customised solutions to their clients. While IT & telecom will continue to remain the most lucrative end-user, gains will be steady in the healthcare and BFSI sector.Request For Report Sample: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/upsample/120124598/Security-as-a-Service-Market Global SaaS market revenues remain equally concentrated between large players and local vendors. It is projected that by 2026, large companies and multinational corporations will account for over 50% share, with the rest remaining fragmented among small and medium enterprises.A key trend in the global SaaS market is that service providers are focusing on becoming integrators of holistic solution providers rather than just offering one particular type of service.Reluctance to adopt cloud based solutions is steadily waning, and as more companies come on board, the SaaS market is anticipated to gain further traction.It is projected that the SaaS delivery market will grow at a higher rate as compared to traditional software. File sharing continues to be the leading end-use for SaaS globally, with virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) being the otherleading segment.For global players, growth of the security services of IoT and cost advantages remain key opportunities to leverage during the forecast period.Request Report For Toc: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/TOC/120124598/Security-as-a-Service-Market Although the outlook on SaaS remains positive, longstanding challenges, such as difficulty in storing unstructured data and risk of organized attacks remain key challenges. Further, easy accessibility to data makes confidential information vulnerable to cyber-attack and hacks.Some of the leading market players profiled in this report include Intel Security, Oracle Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc., Gemalto NV, Qualys Inc., Alert Logic Inc., Trend Micro Inc., Proofpoint Inc., Zscaler, Inc., and Okta, Inc.North America and Western Europe remain the two largest markets for SaaS, with the former accounting for over 35% revenue share of the market in 2016. The North America SaaS market was valued at US$ 1.04 billion in 2015, and is anticipated to grow at a staggering 20% CAGR through 2026. Western Europe, the second largest market globally, will also be the fastest growing market after North America.It is worthwhile to mention that SaaS market in North America will be completely dominated by the U.S., with Canada accounting for only 22% share of the market. This is expected to further decline to nearly 19% by the end of the forecast period.Report Analysis: https://www.researchreportinsights.com/report/upcomming/120124598/Security-as-a-Service-Market
Naval Artillery System

PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-21 13:20:36

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The naval artillery system market is undergoing radical changes with recent developments in technologies. As adopting a naval artillery system leads to strengthening the operational capacities of defense systems of a country, the naval artillery system market is likely grow at a rapid pace. With a mounting number of nations investing in upgrading the naval defense system, naval artillery system sales are expected to surge in the upcoming years. Leading stakeholders in the naval artillery system market are developing highly advanced features of naval artillery systems to boost the profitable growth in the market. Naval artillery system developers are focusing on enhancing salient features of naval artillery systems such as weapon system compatibility, precision, effectiveness against mobile objects, and weather compatibility, to attain higher sales in the coming future.Leading stakeholders in the naval artillery system market are introducing advanced features of naval artillery systems depending on the requirements for short, medium, or long range of naval artillery systems. Additionally, the compliance with time and cost requirements remain another prime concern for manufacturers and distributors in the naval artillery system market. Offering advanced features, such as precision in navigation without GPS, increasing the rate of fire, and mitigating crew fatigue, is becoming a popular trend in the naval artillery system market. As accuracy, precision, stability, and efficiency remain the most important factors affecting the fire power of naval artillery systems, these factors are likely to remain instrumental in redefining the growth prospects of the naval artillery system market in the upcoming years.Request For Report Sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-6494 Naval Artillery System Market: IntroductionThe naval artillery system is an advanced weaponry system which are specially used by the naval ships to support the land force with back up fire power or fire from long range. The naval warship are using this kind of defense system so that they prepared for any war like situation. This type of defense system are the most destructive and are gaining popularity in all the defense sectors of prominent nations in the global market. The digitalization has brought profound changes in the well settled areas of weapons technology and the naval artillery is no exception. In current scenario with the digital technology penetrating into navigation system in self-propelled artillery and guides rounds from naval artilleries the market for the naval artillery system is expected to gain noteworthy prominence. The naval artillery system is a weaponry system planned and installed to provide sustainable and high volume fire in support of amphibious actions and the joint land battle. Naval Artillery System is fully integrated defense system that has a guns system which are installed on the warship and can fire many round per minute and the accuracy for hitting the target is exceptional as most the them uses GPS co-ordinates. The most important driver for the naval artillery system is the potential backup with a limited ammunition load, operational reliability and relatively lower combat stability.Naval Artillery System Market Dynamics:The growth of the naval artillery system depends on the nation economy and the amount of investment a country is doing for upgrading their naval defense system in the global market. Some of the prominent driving factors for the growth of global naval artillery system are sustained effect on target areas and ships, less time of reaction and least possible time of handling and engagement of coastal targets against clutter background and in a heavy jamming environment. These promising factors make the naval artillery system very attractive among the end users in the global market. Additionally, the growing spending and investment of several countries on their naval defense is estimated to propel the demand of the naval artillery systems over the forecast period.Naval artillery system market has a lot of potential in the research, innovation and development and it is coming with new ideas to elevate itself in the near future. Some of the prominent countries in the global market, are focused to develop advanced naval artillery system which can directly target the destruction areas. The naval artillery system market has been emerging from a lot of time and has become the necessity in the naval defense sector and for the protection against international terrorism activities. The demand to increase the national naval armory with more advanced weapons and ammunitions by the government authorities has made the naval artillery system market in great demand and this market will grow even more rapidly in the future. The market for the naval artillery system will remain healthier in coming period as this component has been gaining popularity in all the developing economies.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-6494 Naval Artillery System Market segmentation:By Product type, the Naval Artillery System market can be segmented into:Naval ArtilleryCoastal ArtillerySubmarine ArtilleryBy Range, the Naval Artillery System market can be segmented into:Short RangeMedium RangeLong Range
PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-21 11:19:16

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Starch derivatives, also known as modified starch, are prepared by enzymatically, physically or chemically treating native starch to alter its properties. Starch derivatives are used in a number of industries for various functions. They are used as thickeners and stabilizers in the food and beverage industry, as a tablet binder in the pharmaceutical industry, as an emulsifier in cosmetics, and fiber additive in the animal feed. Some of the other functions of starch derivatives are flocculation, adhesiveness, film-forming, pH stability improvement, and shear stability, acid stability, and process tolerance enhancement.It is possible to modify starches to increase their stability against excessive heat, cooling, acid, time, shear or freezing; to change their texture; and to increase or decrease their viscosity, depending on the application. The different stakeholders in the industry are product manufacturers, raw material suppliers, and processors.Based on type, the market is classified into various segments such as Maltodextrin, Cyclodextrin, Glucose Syrup, Hydrolysates, and Modified Starch. Among these, glucose syrup holds a major market share, whereas Maltodextrin has the highest demand in the market. Glucose syrup finds its applications in various industries such as paper, feeds, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.Glucose syrup is often employed as a flavor enhancer, texture agent, volume-adding agent, and inhibitor of sugar from crystallizing in drinks. On the basis of application, the starch derivatives market is classified as Food & Beverages, Feed, Paper, Cosmetics, Pharmaceuticals, Bio-Ethanol, and other industrial applications. Among these, starch derivatives find their key application in food and beverages.Increasing demand for convenience food and beverages in developing countries, rise in population, and increasing per-capita income are some of the key factors propelling the growth of starch derivatives market. Companies are investing large amounts of their capital on research and development. These developments are bettering the prospects of starch derivative products in the global market. In addition, starch plays an important role in the bio-fuel, glue production, textile weaving and finishing, and the fermentation industries. However, implementation of bio-fuel policies and increasing raw material prices are some of the factors hindering the growth of the starch derivatives market.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/4093 Asia Pacific is the leading starch derivatives market and is likely to achieve the highest growth rate in the near future. This is due to the emerging economies of the two most populated countries in the world, namely, China and India. The starch derivatives market in North America and Europe is saturated. The demand for starch derivatives is increasing in Brazil and Argentina as these two countries have the fastest growth rate in the world.Key players operating in the starch derivatives market include AGRANA Investment Corp., Archer Daniels Midland Company, Cargill Incorporated, and AVEBE.Other prominent vendors present in the starch derivatives market are Tate & Lyle, RAQUETTE, Emsland-Starke Gmbh, Ingredion Incorporated, Grain Processing Corporation, BENEO, INGREDION INCORPORATED, LASENOR EMUL, S.L., Lipoid GmbH, Stern-Wywiol Gruppe GmbH & Co. KG, and Penford Corporation.Request For Report Sample @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/4093
Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the "Targeting Pods Market Market Projected to Garner Significant Revenues by 2018 - 2028 -end" report to their offering

Targeting Pods Market

PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-21 07:35:09

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The systems majorly targeting pods which were the sign of luxury once have become basic equipment for air forces serving countries with deep pockets. Targeting pods helps to detect, identify, laser-designate, and automatically track small tactical targets at long distance or range along with providing superior air-to-air and air-to-ground capability. Furthermore, the targeting pods also helps in supporting the use of GPS and laser-guided weapons against moving targets and have been able to use across multinational and typhoon aircrafts. The targeting pods displays an infrared image of the target to aircrew as it contains a high-resolution forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor with a wide search capability field.The Governments across the globe are investing and upgrading their capabilities through placing contracts, enabling to respond to need of the war fighters such as reliability rates and snipers availability. Additionally, ongoing investments in new capabilities such as short-wave infrared to improve targeting capability in low and haze light, and two-color LST which supports tracking of combat lasers and eye-safe will uplift the market growth over the next decade. Moreover, the development of a two-way data-link configuration is estimated to double the targeting pods capability for providing surveillance, intelligence, and reconnaissance (ISR) solution to end users. Targeting pods features such as highly accurate Geo-location Coordinates provision, laser pointing capability, laser spot tracker, and target designator have attributed towards the significant sales over the last few years.Request For Report Sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-6489 Targeting Pods Market: Dynamics:Targeting pods market is estimated to gain traction due to driving factors such as high-resolution, mission history recording, advanced image processing, and high density capabilities. Furthermore, high reliability, superior range performance & maintainability, and growing investments in air force sector are other driving factors which are estimated to drive the global targeting pods market over the forecast period. Moreover, safe & easier training, navigation capability at night, multi target tracking, and accurate stabilization are the factors which may propel the growth of global targeting pods market over the forecast period. Increasing spending for upgrading existing aircrafts and fighter planes, and procurement programs for precision ground attacking aircrafts will further enhance the growth of global targeting pods market during the forecast period.However, few issues related to production of the filmstrips consistently on the screen is estimated to hamper the growth of global targeting pods market during the forecast period.Targeting Pods Market: Segmentation:Global targeting pods market can be segmented into product type, type of fit, and application.On the basis of product type, global targeting pods market is segmented into:Laser Spot TrackerFLIR & Laser DesignatorOn the basis of type of fit, global targeting pods market is segmented into:Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)Upgradation/AftermarketOn the basis of application, global targeting pods market is segmented into:HelicoptersCombat AircraftsUnmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)Targeting Pods Market: Region-wise Outlook:Europe is estimated to account for the dominating share in the global targeting pods market owing to increased spending on advanced technologies and upgradation programs for targeting pods aircrafts. Furthermore, North America is estimated to be one of the target region for the targeting pods due to strong investments for air force, ongoing mergers and acquisitions in the region. For instance, recently Lockheed Martin was selected by U.S. Air Force to sustain and upgrade over 680 Snipers with Advanced targeting pods on Typhoon aircraft as well as on multinational B-1, B-52, A-10, F-16, F-15, among others. Asia Pacific is forecasted to register substantial growth during the forecast period owing to growing awareness towards more advanced products during the war and strong demand for targeting pods import from Western Countries. Middle East & Africa and Latin America are estimated to register relatively steady growth during the forecast period.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC): https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-6489 Targeting Pods Market: Key Market Participants:Some of the key market participants in the Global Targeting Pods Market are:Lockheed Martin CorporationRaytheon CompanyULISThales GroupASELSAN A.?.Northrop Grumman Corporation
The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) on Thursday withdrew State Insurance Producer (SIP), a new insurance distribution channel it newly evolved.

The commission announced the withdrawal in a circular signed for the commissioner for insurance (CFI), Mohammed Kari, by the director, policy and regulation, Agboola Pius.

The circular entitled, Withdrawal Circular on SIP operational guidelines, with reference number, NAICOM/DPR/CIR/20/2018 December 20, was sent to all insurance institutions.

The circular reads: Pursuant to the powers conferred by the enabling laws, the Commission hereby withdraws and cancels the Circular dated November 19, with reference number NAICOM/DPR/CIR/17 /2018 and titled Operational Guidelines on State Insurance Producer.

NAICOM stated that the withdrawal and cancellation takes immediate effect.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that SIP is a fresh alternative channel for insurance distribution newly developed by the commission and was to become effective on January 1, 2019.

NAN earlier reported the commissioner for insurance, Mr Kari, as saying that the SIP business model would develop the insurance industry.

According to him, the model was to bring about 200 to 300 per cent insurance penetration in two years and increase the revenue base of state governments and insurance profits if implemented.

Highlighting more on the benefits accruable from the SIP initiative, Mr Kari maintained that it would help to meet the governments expectations with regards to Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

He said this was especially in the area of job creation, poverty prevention and confidence in the face of risks.

NAN further reports that, however, the Nigeria Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB), on December 12, challenged NAICOMs SIP.

According to the NCRIB, SIP is a threat to brokers business because brokers derive 70 per cent of their businesses from government, an aspect that SIP intended to serve.

(NAN)
Crucial indicators of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Friday dipped by 0.10 per cent following losses by some blue chips.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the All-Share Index declined by 29.26 points or 0.10 per cent to close at 30,773.64 against 30,802.90 on Thursday.

In the same vein, the market capitalisation which opened at N11.251 trillion shed N11 billion or 0.10 per cent to close at N11.240 trillion.

Analysts attributed the development to profit taking in preparation for Yuletide celebrations by some investors.

They noted that the market would continue to experience mixed performance until the forth coming general elections.

Seplat recorded the highest loss to lead the laggards chart, dropping by N8.50 to close at N584.50 per share.

Dangote Cement trailed with a loss of N3 to close at N187, while Guaranty Trust Bank dipped 90k to close at N33.80 per share.

Access Bank depreciated by 35k to close at N7.05, while FCMB Group shed 8k to close at N1.65 per share.

On the other hand, Mobil Oil led the gainers table, gaining N16.80 to close at N184.80 per share.

Nestle followed with a gain of N10 to close at N1,470.10, while Total appreciated by N8 to close at N200 per share.

Okomu Oil garnered N3.20 to close at N76.20, while Forte Oil increased by N2.50 to close at N28.45 per share.

Guaranty Trust Bank was the most active stock during the day, trading 39.76 million shares worth N1.01 billion.

Zenith Bank followed with an account of 24.94 million shares valued at N570.23 million, while FBN Holdings sold 17.34 million shares worth N134.55 million.

Transacorp exchanged 16.69 million shares valued at N20.50 million, while Access Bank sold 15.35 million shares worth N107.82 million.

In all, the volume of shares traded declined by 64.55 per cent as investors bought and sold 193.54 million shares valued at N3.67 billion in 2,922 deals.

This was against the 545.99 million shares worth N4.08 billion exchanged in 3,224 deals on Thursday.

(NAN)
Ibrahim Thiaw, the special adviser to the Secretary-General for the Sahel, says stability and development in Africas Sahel region are important not only for Africans, but also for Europe and beyond.

Mr Thiaw told the UN Security Council that efforts to address the multiple challenges facing the region should be driven by local, regional and national leadership with the support of international partners as required.

The Sahel is one of the least developed regions in the world, facing simultaneous challenges of extreme poverty, the dire effects of climate change, frequent food crises, rapid population growth, fragile governance, and terrorist-linked security threats, he said.

According to him, an upsurge in criminal activities and cross-border organised crime, preying on the most vulnerable across the vast, mainly desert region, which stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, is only adding to the challenges.

The profits generated from human, drug, and arms trafficking can only make a precarious situation even less tenable.

A portion of the criminal or illegal proceeds is instead used to feed extremism and exacerbate instability, he added.

Mr Thiaw reviewed the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel which was approved by the Security Council in 2013 and was a part of a preventive and integrated approach to strengthening governance, security and development in the region.

In 2018, the strategy was given fresh impetus by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, through the adoption of the Sahel Support Plan, he said, stressing the importance of an approach that looks beyond the security aspect to ensure stability of the region.

Economies need to be transformed, peoples lives have to be improved, and the regions youth have to be given hope.

At the same time, public perception of the Sahel needs to be changed and the many potential assets the region offers highlighted, he said.

Mr Thiaw said the Sahel was ideally placed to boost its economy through renewable energy such as solar or wind, adding that reaching key targets would require good governance and the mobilisation of resources across the region.

He noted that for these reasons, a new mechanism within the Sustainable Development Goals Trust Fund has been established to make UN interventions for the region more effective.

Such a flexible and transparent mechanism will make it possible to respond more quickly and better to the needs, often unpredictable in the long term, that arise in the Sahel, he said.

(NAN)
Democratic Republic of Congos election board has postponed a long-anticipated presidential vote scheduled for Sunday by one week until Dec. 30 after a fire destroyed voting materials.

Already delayed repeatedly since 2016, the poll is meant to choose a successor to President Joseph Kabila, stepping down after 18 years in what would be Congos first democratic transition.

Following a meeting with candidates in the capital, the electoral commission (CENI) said it was unable to provide sufficient ballot papers for Kinshasa after a warehouse blaze last week destroyed much of the capitals election material.

We cannot organise general elections without the province of Kinshasa, and without the Kinois voters  who represent 10 percent of the electoral body, CENI president Corneille Nangaa told newsmen.

The presidential, legislative and provincial ballots will take place on Dec. 30 2018.

The decision may further stir the volatile and violent nation of 80 million people after several government crackdowns on opposition rallies in the run-up to the vote.

After the announcement, a crowd outside CENI headquarters started shouting in protest. Police pushed them back.

Security forces have killed dozens of people in the past two years demonstrating against Kabilas refusal to step down when his mandate officially expired in December 2016.

Hundreds of university students took to the streets in Kinshasa on Thursday, protesting any delay to the vote.

Many Congolese hope the election can help draw a line under decades of conflict and economic stagnation.

Millions died in two wars around the turn of the century and dozens of militia remain active near the eastern borders, where they fight over ethnic rivalries and natural resources.

Earlier on Thursday, opposition candidate Martin Fayulu, one of the frontrunners, told Reuters it would be unacceptable for the election to be pushed back.

The CENI president said there will be an election, rain or shine, on the 23rd of December, Fayulu said. We cannot accept a change of Mr. Nangaas position today.

Explaining the CENIs decision, Nangaa said five million additional ballot papers had been ordered from the provider in South Korea to replace those destroyed in Kinshasa, but only one million had arrived so far.

The last of the ballot papers are scheduled to arrive on Saturday night.

The postponement caps a chaotic week, which saw more than 100 people killed in fights between ethnic groups in northwestern Congo and clashes between police and opposition supporters in Kinshasa.

Those protests erupted after Kinshasas governor ordered a halt to campaigning over security fears.

International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Fatou Bensouda warned in a statement on Thursday that her office would not hesitate to take action if large-scale crimes were committed around the elections.

Campaigning had been due to end at midnight on Friday in what has boiled down to a race between Kabilas preferred successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, and two main challengers, Fayulu and Felix Tshisekedi.

Shadary has a big advantage due to sizeable campaign funds and ruling party control of many media outlets.

However, a rare national opinion poll in October had Tshisekedi leading the race with 36 percent, well ahead of Shadarys 16 percent. Fayulu had eight per cent. (Reuters/NAN)
The abrupt resignation of U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis sparked concern among Asia-Pacific allies who credit the retired general with building trust and tempering isolationist impulses, regional officials and analysts said on Friday.

The region includes strong U.S. allies Japan, South Korea and Australia .

It hosts some of the worlds most volatile flashpoints, with high tension on the Korean peninsula and Chinas militarisation of the South China Sea causing friction.

Mattis, who embraced Americas traditional alliances, said he was quitting after falling out with President Donald Trump over foreign policy.

The policy include a surprise decision this week to pull troops from Syria and start planning a drawdown in Afghanistan.

He has generally been referred to as one of the adults in the Trump administration, Australian government Sen. Jim Molan told The Australian newspaper.

He said his departure was concerning because it introduced another extreme variable into U.S. decision making.

Mattis has been a vocal critic of Chinas increasing presence in the South China Sea but he worked to ensure tensions did not boil over.

Hes been the point of continuity and the gatekeeper in the administration that theyve relied on most to temper the instincts of Trump, which are much more, I think, isolationist and clearly highly skeptical  about alliance commitments, said foreign policy and security analyst Euan Graham.

Graham is also the Executive Director of La Trobe Asia at Australias La Trobe University.

Mattis departure also robs Australia, without a U.S. Ambassador since 2016, of a key ally in the Trump administration.

Australia has always had the ear of Mattis, a U.S.-based diplomatic source told Reuters.

Australia has had roughly 800 troops in the Middle East since 2014, mostly based in Iraq, as part of coalition efforts to combat the Islamic State group.

About 300 troops are based in Afghanistan, where they have had a presence since not long after the war began 17 years ago.

Trump announced on Wednesday that U.S. troops in Syria would be withdrawn, a decision that upended U.S. policy in the region.

A U.S. official said on Thursday Trump was planning to withdraw at least 5,000 of the 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Mattis had advocated for a strong U.S. military presence to bolster diplomatic peace efforts there.

Adam Mount, Defense Analyst at the Federation of American Scientists, said Mattis was a steady hand on North Korea and was instrumental in preventing a war.

Mattis was bailing water out of an alliance being buffeted by an erratic president, an advancing North Korea, and an increasingly assertive China, Mount said.

His work kept the alliance afloat but major questions will have to be resolved to keep it strong, he said.

(Reuters/NAN)
Christmas distribution is a social services program, but many of our congregants help make it happen, she said. I want to thank them for their time and their effort and, you know what, for giving our clients their respect and dignity.
The actions of Nigerias Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has culminated in a Katsina State High Court terminating the corruption trial of three former officials of the Katsina State government.

The three former officials  Nasiru Ingawa (former special adviser on Sure-P to former Governor Ibrahim Shema), Abdulazeez Shinkafi (former director of finance and account at the Katsina State Sure-P department) and Bello Bindawa (former chief store officer in the Katsina State civil service) were prosecuted for allegedly mismanaging N5.7 billion Sure-P funds.

SURE-P, acronym for Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, was established in January 2012 by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan to reinvest savings from fuel subsidy removal on critical infrastructure projects and social safety net programmes with direct impact on ordinary Nigerians. Billions of naira were given to state governments for the purpose.

The officials, who were directly in charge of spending the money sent to Katsina, were investigated and charged by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which accused them of fraud, and of contravening sections 12,19 and 26 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act 2000.

But on November 27, Justice Maikaita Bako of the Katsina State High Court terminated the case and discharged the accused persons due to poor prosecution of the case by the Katsina State Government to which Mr. Malami curiously handed over the matter for prosecution.

THE CASE AND THE TWISTS

In October 2017, the ICPC, on behalf of the federal government, filed a 17-count charge bordering on fraudulent mismanagement of Katsina State SURE-P fund against Messrs Ingawa, Shinkafi and Bindawa and arraigned them before Katsina State High Court 3.

However, on October 25, 2017, the Katsina State Attorney General, Ahmed El-Marzuqat, notified the court that the state government was taking over the prosecution of the accused persons from the ICPC.

Mr. El-Marzugat further informed the court that Mr. Malami had already given his office a fiat to take over the prosecution of the case.

The federal attorney-general apparently did not inform the ICPC before shoving the anti-graft agency aside and handing over prosecution of the case to the Katsina government, which has a political interest in the matter.

At the October 25, 2017 hearing, ICPCs prosecuting lawyer, Nosa Omohigbo, resisted the attempt by the Katsina State government to take over the case.

ICPC Head Office

He told the court that the ICPC had already concluded investigation and that the Commission had established prima facie cases against the accused and that handing it over to Katsina would jeopardise prosecution and negatively affect the fight against corruption.

The ICPC lawyer said the commission had enough evidence from its investigations to establish culpability of the accused person.

Mr Omohigbo further said it was improper for the Katsina State government that has political interest in the matter to seek fiats to try the accused persons, who he described as politically exposed persons who jumped ship from their previous political party, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

MR MALAMIS FIAT

In taking over the case, the Katsina State government relied on a generic authorisation granted it by Mr. Malami to assume prosecutorial powers over federal offences commited within its jurisdiction.

The authorisation is dated July 7, 2017, but some critics believed the document was backdated to create the impression that it had no relationship with the corruption case involving Mr. Ingawa and his co-accused which began in October that year.

The justice minister said in the letter to the Katsina State Attorney-General that he was granting the fiat in exercise of the powers conferred on him by Section 174 (1) of the Constitution (as amended).

Section 174 of the Nigerian Constitution empowers the Attorney-General of the Federation to: (a) institute and undertake criminal proceedings against any person before any court of law in Nigeria, other than a court-martial, in respect of any offence created by or under any Act of the National Assembly; (b) take over and continue any such criminal proceedings that may have been instituted by any other authority or person; and (c) discontinue at any stage before judgement is delivered any such criminal proceedings instituted or undertaken by him or any other authority or person.

Authorisation under section 174 of the constitution of Fed Rep of Nigeria 1999

The section also provides that The powers conferred upon the Attorney-General of the Federation under subsection (1) of this section may be exercised by him in person or through officers of his department and that In exercising his powers under this section, the Attorney-General of the Federation shall have regard to the public interest, the interest of justice and the need to prevent abuse of legal process.

Lagos-based lawyer, Jiti Ogunye, believes the handing over of a case commenced by the ICPC to the Katsina government is an abuse of prosecutorial powers.

Authorisation under section 174 of the constitution of Fed Rep of Nigeria 1999

The ICPC ought not to be robbed of its prosecutorial powers before the court, Mr. Ogunye said. The ICPC is an agency of the federal government established by law and charged with the powers to investigate and prosecute cases. It is more familiar with the evidences to be tendered before the court.

So I find it abnormal that the case was handed over to the Katsina government which had no commitment to successfully prosecute the case right from the beginning.

A FIAT AND THE RESULTANT POWERPLAY

Based on the fiat obtained from Attorney General Malami, the Katsina State government launched an elaborate scheme to terminate the case and free the accused persons who had earlier defected from the PDP to the APC.

The state government adopted two tactics to frustrate the case  poor prosecution through repeated requests for adjournments and the desperate search for another fiat to terminate the case.

Initially, the matter dragged on in court for almost a year over the disagreement between the ICPC and Katsina government on who between them should prosecute.

But when the matter was heard on October 23, the states Solicitor-General, Abdulsalam Sabiu, told the court that the office of the Attorney General had directed the release of necessary legal documents from the office of the ICPC to the Katsina State government. He said the ICPC complied with the directive and released all the documents to the office of the AGF on October 18.

Mr Sabiu added, however, that at the point of releasing the documents to the state government, Mr Malami travelled out of Nigeria on official assignment. Based on this development, the Solicitor-General asked for adjournment.

Justice Bako then adjourned the case to November 27 for continuation of trial. But when the case resumed on that day, a counsel to the state government, Aminu Ibrahim, told the court the state government could not continue with the case because it had still not obtained the case file. He, therefore, appealed for an indefinite adjournment.

Responding, the judge, apparently frustrated by the seemingly unending adjournments repeatedly sought by the state government (prosecution), simply delivered a short ruling terminating the case and discharging the accused persons.

Reporters in court during the hearing said Katsina officials beamed with smiles and nodded in satisfaction as Justice Bako delivered her ruling, suggesting that was the kind of outcome they desired. One reporter said he overheard the accused persons thanking the prosecution for the good job they did in freeing them.

Katsina State High Court,

Meanwhile, the Katsina Attorney-General had also pursued a second option to terminate the case.

In an August 28, 2018 letter to Mr Malami, Mr El-Marzuq requested a fiat to discontinue criminal proceedings against the accused persons and turn them to state witnesses in respect of charge No. FHC/KT/26C/2017 FRN Vs Ibrahim Shema. Mr Shema is a former governor of Katsina, and the state government, as part of its political battle with the politician, has instigated several cases against him. Mr Ingama and his colleagues are now to be deployed as prosecution witnesses against Mr Shema.

Former governor of the state, Ibrahim Shema [Photo: pulse.ng]

Mr El-Marzuq had to request permission to discontinue the ICPC case against Mr Ingawa and his colleagues because the initial fiat that empowered him to take over prosecution of the case also forbade him from discontinuing it without express approval from the Attorney-General of the Federation.

But despite knowing that Katsina was plotting to discontinue the matter or provoke the judge to strike it out, Mr. Malami failed to act to halt the slide. He failed to respond to the August 28 letter written to him by the state government despite being reminded through another letter dated October 30.

Justice Bako struck out the case on November 27 for want of diligent prosecution. Two days later, November 29, Mr Malami wrote the Katsina attorney-general saying the ICPC should be allowed to continue the prosecution of the case. But that was after the damage had been done  the case had been terminated and the accused persons freed. Yet Mr. Malami claimed his role in the matter was misrepresented.

Olubusola Olawale, an aide to former Governor Shema, described the federal attorney generals belated letter as an afterthought, a cover-up to create a false impression that he was not part of the judicial charade shamelessly executed by the Katsina State government.

Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State

Mr. Ogunye, the Lagos lawyer, summed up what played out in Katsina as a deliberate mismanagement of the case to ensure it fails. He advised the ICPC to appeal Justice Bakos ruling and push for a restart of the case at the high court.

The spokesperson of the ICPC, Rasheedat Okoduwa, did not answer or return calls over two days when our reporter sought to enquire from her if the anti-graft agency would push to refile the case.
The Zamfara State police command has confirmed the killing of five persons in Gidan Halilu village in Birnin-Magaji Local Government Area of the state.

The police spokesperson, Muhammad Shehu, made the confirmation in a statement issued in Gusau, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

We wish to confirm that on December 19, a group of armed bandits attacked some villagers of Gidan Halilu Village in Billashe district of Birnin Magaji Local Government Area in their farms.

On receiving the report, the command mobilised teams of Police Mobile Force, Counter Terrorism Unit and conventional personnel headed by the Area commander, Kaura Namoda Police Area Command, to the affected community.

The police teams have been mobilised to the affected village to repel the attack, restore normalcy and arrest the perpetrators, he said, in the NAN report.

According to Mr Shehu, the area has been subjected to extensive bush combing with a view to preventing further attacks.

The police spokesperson said that fear reduction and confidence building patrols, as well as stop and search exercise, were ongoing in the area.

Mr Shehu, who said normalcy had been restored in the area, appealed to residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious movement to the nearest police station for prompt action, the report highlighted.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that suspected armed bandits on Wednesday stormed three communities in Birnin Magaji Local Government Area of the state, killing many residents. Some of those killed were working on their farms when they were attacked.

Sources said the armed bandits came heavily armed and opened fire on the farmers who were harvesting sweet potatoes at Garin Haladu community.

A resident told PREMIUM TIMES that, the armed bandits came around 1 oclock noon and opened fire on some youth harvesting sweet potatoes at Garin Haladu community and killed ten people.

He added that they came back in the evening and ransacked some villages around.

The source said in Wednesdays attack, 12 people were killed at Garin Haladu community. At Nasarawa Godal community, four persons were killed, while at Garin Kaka community, nine people were killed, he said. The three communities are in the same local government.

Many youth from Nasarawa Godal community ran to Garin Haladu to help the neighbouring community fight the attackers. Among them, four persons were killed by the armed bandits and their corpses were discovered today (Thursday), the source said.

The source, who asked not to be named for security reasons, named those killed from Nasarawa Godal community as Kurma Garba, Sunusi Mairoba, Ibrahim Yahuza and Haruna Dangodal.

Those four have been buried.

Many were injured and are receiving medical treatment at Nasarawa Godal hospital, he said.

Some, whose situations worsened, were referred to Kaura Namoda hospital in the state.

The affected local government, Birnin Magaji, is the hometown of Nigerias defence minister, Mansur Dan Ali.
A Chief Magistrates Court in Kano on Friday remanded Deji Adeyanju in prison until February 2019, after taking his plea and concluding that it lacked jurisdiction to hear murder charges against the political activist.

The police arrested Mr Adeyanju on December 13, accusing him of being complicit in a murder case from the 2000s.

But PREMIUM TIMES confirmed, after a review of the case, that Mr Adeyanju was discharged and acquitted by the Kano State High Court following a lengthy trial that lasted between 2005 and 2009.

The police in Abuja held Mr Adeyanju in detention without charges for five days before moving him to Kano earlier this week.

The police in Kano arraigned Mr Adeyanju before Hassan Fagge on December 19, but ordered his remand and scheduled today for bail hearing.

But when the court opened at about 9:42 a.m. Friday, Mr Fagge said he had determined that he lacked the power to hear the homicide charges brought against Mr Adeyanju by the police, but said the political activist should be remanded in prison until February 6 when a higher court could be available to hear the matter.

Mr Adeyanju was subsequently moved to Kano Central Prison, his lawyer, Yusuf Suleiman, told PREMIUM TIMES Friday afternoon, condemning the move as a desperate move by the Nigerian government to suppress a major critic a few weeks to the election.

This is clearly an attempt to keep him unlawfully in detention, Mr Suleiman said, adding that the matter was concluded nearly 10 years ago and should not have been picked up again by the police, much less taken back to court.

Mr Suleiman said the police in Kano are playing politics with Mr Adeyanjus fundamental rights in a gruesome assault on the Nigerian Constitution.

After detaining him in Abuja for several days without arraignment, in violation of the Constitution that gives a maximum 48 years for such detention, they now charged him for attempted murder which the magistrate said he has no power to hear, Mr Suleiman said.

Now a lower court is hearing a matter that the Kano State High Court had decided long ago, he added.

The lawyer said efforts would be made to free Mr Adeyanju from custody before the February 6 adjourned date, including approaching a high court to immediately review the case.

Already, some of Mr Adeyanjus friends have filed a separate suit for his fundamental rights enforcement before a federal court in Abuja.

Adebayo Raphael, one of the leading campaigners for Mr Adeyanjus release, said in a message to PREMIUM TIMES shortly after 12:00 p.m. Friday that the FCT High Court in Jabi had ordered Mr Adeyanjus immediate release from police custody. Details of judgement in the fundamental rights proceeding are still being reviewed.
The federal government has reacted to Senate President Bukola Sarakis description of the 2019 budget as hopeless, saying the executive will not exchange words with the legislature.

This position was stated by Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, while speaking with State House correspondents Friday afternoon.

He also said the executive has fulfilled its responsibility by submitting the budget.

Mr Mohammed was reacting to a comment by Mr Saraki who recently described the budget proposal as hopeless.

Yesterday (Wednesday), we all heard the 2019 budget. That is a budget that has no hope for anybody because if you look at the statistics and the figures theres poverty, if you look at the figures based on revenues that are coming in, there is nothing left. So wheres the future?

There must be an alternative and that is what we hope that by this evening speaking to our candidate and vice presidential candidate, not based on sentiments. We are not voting on sentiments, we are voting on what is the need for you. How is your life going to be better? Which party offers you a better future because we see you as those who are patriotic and committed. Its not about what youll get today. Its about the great country a lot of you expect to see, Vanguard quoted Mr Saraki as saying.

The newspaper said Mr Saraki made the comment in his capacity as the director of Atiku Abubakar campaign organisation.

Mr Saraki recently defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress to the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party. His bid to clinch the partys presidential ticket was unsuccessful.

Nigerias Information minister, Lai Mohammed.

In his Friday reaction, Mr Mohammed the budget was presented given some circumstances.

It is not the practice of the executive to be exchanging words with the legislative arm of government, they are independent, we are independent, he said. To the best of our knowledge, we presented a budget given the circumstances of our resources this year, we feel that is the best we can. It is left for the National Assembly to consider it, Mr Mohammed added.

The minister said the Buhari government has met all promises and obligations to Nigerians.

I wish everybody Merry Christmas and as a government, we are happy that we have been able to meet all our promises, all our obligations to Nigerians, he said. And as the year rolls out, we are more determined to even to deliver more to Nigerians.
Anti-graft officials in Enugu on Friday announced the arrest of two suspected money launderers who were trying to convey a huge amount of cash through the international airport there.

The suspects were arrested with $2.8 million (over N1 billion at N360 a dollar) at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, EFCC spokesperson Tony Orilade said in a statement.

Ighoh Augustine and Ezekwe Emmanuel, said to be working for Bankers Warehouse, were arrested as they were about boarding an Arik Air flight to Lagos, and their apprehension came following a tipoff, EFCC said.

The suspects confessed that they have been in the business of conveying cash for some notable banks for over six years and were in the process of doing same for a Union Bank branch at New Market, Onitsha, Anambra State, when they were caught, EFCC said.

Messrs Augustine and Emmanuel allegedly disclosed that todays operation was the fourth this year, and are cooperating with anti-graft detectives, the EFCC said.

The development comes barely a month after EFCC disclosed a Lebanon was arrested with N940 million at the international airport in Abuja.
Two months after the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) suspended its four-day strike, the union says it will embark on a day of national protest.

The NLC has been at loggerheads with the federal government over a new minimum wage. The NLC and other labour unions demand that the national minimum wage be increased to N30,000 from the current N18,000.

President Muhammadu Buhari has however refused to commit to the new proposal. Instead, the president said during his budget presentation speech on Wednesday that he would set up a technical committee to review the N30,000 proposed by a tripartite committee earlier set up by the federal government. State governments have also said they would not be able to pay the N30,000 minimum wage.

The NLC, however, says it would not partake in any further negotiation of the N30,000 and that all the president needs to do is send a bill to parliament for N30,000 minimum wage. The labour congress, a registered coalition of many workers unions, said its one-day protest, against the presidents action, is scheduled to take place on January 8, 2019.

The NLC president, Ayuba Wabba, disclosed this in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES Friday night.

Mr Wabba said the resolution was reached at a meeting of the National Executive Council of the NLC on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to Mr Wabba, the protest is to express anger and total dissatisfaction over the delay by the federal government in transmitting, enacting and implementing the new national minimum wage of N30,000.

The NEC-in-Session approved that the protests should hold in all state capitals and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja on January 8, 2019. The NEC mandates all industrial unions and state councils to fully mobilise workers and coordinate with other labour unions for this mother-of-all protest, he said.

Mr Wabba said the union strongly condemned the continued delay by the federal government to transmit a bill of the new national minimum wage to the National Assembly for enactment into law.

The NLC also criticised the actions of the Ogun State Government.

The NEC particularly took strong exceptions to the unrelenting attitude of the Ogun State Government to frustrate efforts to peacefully reinstate the NLC Chairman in Ogun State, Comrade Akeem Ambali who was sacked from the employment of the Ogun State government in the middle of a 2016 strike action to protest injustice against Ogun State workers, he said.

He said the Ogun State Government is owing workers who have retired since 2012.

Ogun statement has not paid Ogun State workers who have retired their gratuity since 2012. Even those paid before then were severely shortchanged as the Ogun State government used an unknown and illegal instrument, the so-called Basic Rent and Transport (BRT), to calculate gratuity due to workers

Mr Wabba also alleged that the Ogun State Government is the highest debtor on Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

He said the state government has not remitted the Contributory Pension Scheme for an accumulated and contiguous period of one hundred and six (106) months.

The Ogun State Government has refused to release 7 months check off dues from workers to trade unions in the state. This is despite an agreement the State Government signed with workers to use 50% of the Paris Club Refund to offset debts owed Ogun State workers, he said.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how the information minister, Lai Mohammed, said he is confident that labour unions will not embark on strike over the minimum wage.

Mr Mohammed said the government and labour are determined to ensure that a common ground is arrived at during deliberations.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has sworn in Rose Orianran-Anthony as its new secretary.

The swearing in ceremony took place at the headquarters of the commission in Abuja on Friday.

Ms Orianran-Anthony, who has served in the commission for 28 years, was appointed on December 6 for a four year term.

She is from Edo State, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Education) degree In Language Arts from the Ahmadu Bello University and a Masters degree in Public Communications and Public Relations from the University of Westminster, London.

The chairman of the commission, Mahmood Yakubu , while speaking at the ceremony, congratulated the new secretary and urged her to discharged her duties professionally for the interest of the nation.

Noting that she is the head of the commissions secretariat, he said she is responsible for its administration, proper keeping of its records and proceeding and subject to the approval of the commission, she is responsible for the direction and control of all other employees.

He also said the commission had confidence in her ability to bring her experience to bear in discharging her duties.

The chairman said ahead of the general election, the commission would pay close attention to the conduct of its officials  from the headquarters, to the state and local government, including ad-hoc staff, as they must all remain neutral in discharging their duties.

Appreciating the commission for her appointment, Ms Orianran-Anthony said she viewed her appointment as a privilege and a call to duty coming at this critical period when the commission is deep in preparation for the 2019 general election.

Newly INEC sworn secretary, Rose Orianran-Anthony. INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu presenting letter of appointment to the new secretary, Rose Orianran-Anthony. A group photo of the new secretary, INEC Chariman, staff and well wishers.

She therefore assured that she and her colleagues will work with renewed zeal to enhance all aspects of service and processes for the commission.

I am eternally grateful to God Almighty to be chosen among qualified colleagues. I want to put on record my sincere appreciation to the commission, she said.
Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has expressed disappointment over President Muhammadu Buharis inability to take a bold step in restructuring Nigeria.

Speaking at the public presentation of a book We Are All Biafrans, he said Nigeria cannot move forward until its citizens go back to the faulty structure that we are currently.

To achieve this, he charged President Buhari to rise up to the occasion, expressing disappointment at his current disposition.

Again, I want to call for leadership responsibility from the president of Nigeria. Hes got to use the power, influence and authority of that office to mobilise our country to do the restructuring, he said. I regret to say that I feel disappointed that the president didnt rise to the occasion. Its a tragedy for our country and also a major tragedy for his own leadership.

Mr Dickson said the good structure Nigeria started on was altered when the military took over power in 1966.

He asked Nigerian leaders to dialogue to resolve any issue at stake while urging for efforts towards national interest.

What did our founding fathers do that we are failing to do. They sat down, dialogued, disagreed, sometimes walking out of conferences, all those are political tools, he said. We shouldnt be afraid of disagreeing. In fact, we need more disagreement. But the important thing is whether we agree or disagree should be in national interest.

He lauded the author, Chido Onoumah, for his initiative while registering his conception of being Biafran.

Why is this guy saying that we are all Biafrans? I want to make it clear from the beginning that we are all Biafrans in so far as we are concerned about issues of inequity and injustice, he said.

Here, the concept of Biafra is used as a constant reminder of the challenges and contradictions of our nation. Then, it is right to say we are all Biafrans because we are all concerned about those contradictions and challenges.

But I disagree with the concept of Biafra connoting a particular geographical location that wants to be separate with the rest of Nigeria. I dont agree with that Biafra, he added.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Heineken Lokpobiri, has blamed rice smuggling in Nigeria on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocol on free trade.

He said the nations fight against the smuggling of foreign rice into the country is being hampered by Nigerias neighbours, particularly Benin Republic who he said take advantage of the free trade to frustrate governments efforts at tackling the menace.

A PREMIUM TIMES investigation in June exposed how, in the South-western borders of Nigeria with Benin Republic, smuggling of Thai and Vietnamese rice is flourishing.

The report revealed that while rice smuggling activities are petering out in the popular Seme border with a few cars and a cluster of shops still dedicated to it, the new smuggling hub is Owode-Apa, west of Badagry.

Weeks later, the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh said the federal government would shut down the land border between Nigeria and a neigbouring country to avoid smuggling of foreign rice into the country.

Mr Ogbeh who did not mention the particular country and border, said shutting the borders had become necessary to encourage local production and sustain the economy of the country. That threat was later abandoned.

According to a statement by his special adviser on media, George Oji, Mr Lokpobiri made the latest statement on Thursday when he received the new country representative of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to Nigeria in Abuja.

He explained that Benin Republic allows countries like Taiwan to dump foreign parboiled rice in their country and then re-bag such products and smuggle them into Nigeria, taking advantage of the ECOWAS protocol, which allows access to free trade within the sub region.

He said this also denies Benin citizens the opportunity to grow rice and benefit from the Nigerian market.

We have engaged the government of Benin Republic, up to the presidential level. The (Nigerian) president had to invite the president of Benin Republic to engage him because we are neighbours; lets see how we can work together and curb this issue of smuggling, he said.

He commended IFAD for supporting the nations agricultural value chain development programme with the sum $500 million.

The minister assured Ms Gbossa that the federal governments partnership with IFAD is taken seriously because the fund has played critical role in making Nigeria the highest producer of rice and cassava in Africa.

Today, Nigeria is rated as the highest producer of rice and cassava in Africa, courtesy of IFAD intervention and the Anchor Borrowers Programme and Nigerians answering the clarion call of this administration to go back to the farms to produce what we eat and eat what we produce.

Mr Lokpobiri further disclosed that before now, Nigeria spends up to $5 million for the importation of rice every day, but through new policy programmes by the ministry and the intervention of partners like IFAD, the figure has drastically reduced.

In her remarks, Ms Gbasso disclosed that the Executive Board of IFAD recently approved additional financing for Nigeria in the Value Chain Development programme to the value of $89 million, which brought the total investment to $228 million, for supporting rice and cassava production.

This, she said was in addition to another $60 million for supporting the Niger Delta Youth known as the Alive for Niger Delta fund.

Altogether, we have investment in Nigeria that is worth half a billion dollars. Nigeria is one of the biggest investment countries for IFAD, so it is a very important country, she said.

Ms Gbasso said IFAD has set aside another $100 million for investment in Nigeria for 2019 but is applying caution to know the outcome of the coming election before putting pen on paper for the fund.
The acting chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Abubakar, has disclosed the completion of arrangements for the creation of a Visa Fraud Unit at the Lagos office of the Commission.

Mr Abubakar made this disclosure at the ICPC headquarters recently while making remarks during the 2018 Send-Off ceremony in honour of retirees of the Commission.

He said the unit would be set up in collaboration with the British High Commission and would specifically tackle the visa scam cases being perpetrated by some unscrupulous Nigerians.

It said the ICPC had successfully prosecuted numerous of such offenders.

The official also spoke about ICPCS activities in the year 2018 and listed some of its achievements.

These include: the discovery of unremitted funds into the Treasury Single Account (TSA) by some government agencies; many convictions; system study of some MDAs; unveiling of report on Corruption Risk Assessment on e-government platforms by the President; reduction in visa scam (among others).

Earlier, the head of administration, Bala Mohammed, welcomed members of staff, family of the retirees and all guests to the occasion.

The retirees, who were honoured with plaques and other gift items, speaking through their representative, Gad Nathaniel Bako, a retired commissioner and former head of administration thanked the commission.

The occasion also had in attendance, the Director, Public Enlightenment and Spokesperson of the Commission, R. A. Okoduwa, and all heads of departments/units or their representatives.
Barely two months to the 2019 general elections in Nigeria, the International Press Centre (IPC) concluded a two-day workshop for 40 journalists from media organisations in the South-west on Friday.

The training was tagged: Best Practices and Professional Reporting of the Electoral Process.

The workshop held in collaboration with the project of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) at Ideal Nest Hotel, Osogbo, Osun State.

Beneficiaries of the workshop include journalists with PREMIUM TIMES and other media outfits.

The facilitators were: Taiwo Obe; founder of Journalism Clinic; Muyiwa Popoola; a professor of journalism at Ajayi Crowther University and David Ajikobi; Head of AfricanCheck in Nigeria. They took the journalists on ethics, fact-checking and digital media.

In his welcome address, the IPC chairman, Lanre Arogundade, said over 200 applications were received and of these, only 40 were selected to take part.

This event is organised to critically examine the interconnections between the public, the media and elections towards developing an agenda that seeks to strengthen the role of the media in facilitating a credible electoral process.

The aim of the meeting also is to bring to the front burner, the prerequisites to hone the skills of journalists in the professional and ethical reportage of democratic processes and elections as well as commit to professional, conflict sensitive, citizen-focused, gender-focused and digital reporting of the 2019 elections, he said.

He said the training will help participants to understand and imbibe the principles of fairness, diversity and objectivity in reporting the electoral process.

Mr Popoola, while training reporters on how to be conflict sensitive in election reporting, encouraged them to do research and figure out shadow parties in political conflict and trace the link of any report before publishing to avoid reports that may lead to violence if not properly managed.

Also, Mr Ajikobi took the participants on the necessary tools needed for fact-checking politicians before, during and after the electioneering process.

Meanwhile, Mr Obe taught the participants on how to enhance professional reporting of the electoral process using multimedia and digital approaches.

Participants expressed their satisfaction after the training.

Bukola Agbakaizu of Ogun State Television said: The workshop is an impactful one and has opened my eyes to best practices of political reportage. I also learned how to he conflict sensitive.

Sekinah Lawal, chairperson, Women Journalists, Lagos chapter, applauded the trainers.

The training is educative and enlightening and I feel that all Nigerian Journalists should be exposed to this. We hope that we have a better political environment so that Journalists will fully discharge their duties.

Also, Ebunoluwa Olafusi of The Cable said: the training was exciting and facilitators exceeded my expectations.

The general election is scheduled to hold in February.
The Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Nasarawa State Council, has sanctioned three of its members for violating its order to boycott the state government activities.

The Chairman of the chapel, Suleiman Abubakar, announced the suspension while addressing journalists after a meeting of the chapel on Friday in Lafia, the state capital.

According to him, Umar Mohammed of the Punch newspaper, Linus Oota of the Sun and Igbawase Ukumba of ThisDay are suspended from the union for three months.

Mr Abubakar said the three journalists covered the inauguration of the state commissioners on Thursday by Governor Umaru Al-Makura.

He noted that the chapel had directed its members to boycott activities of the government and those of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

The chairman said the chapel gave the boycott directive following expiration of a 24-hour ultimatum it gave the government over assault on two journalists by NSCDC.

He said the chapel gave the government 24 hours to sack Abdullahi Oseze, the Director-General of the state Pension Bureau Office, and two others for their alleged roles in the journalists attack.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the journalists were brutalised on December 14 by personnel of the NSCDC attached to the office for attempting to snap names of de-listed pensioners.

The assaulted journalists are Rabiu Omaku of the Universal Reporters Online and Gambo Ahmed of the Peoples Daily newspaper.

Commenting ThisDay and Punch correspondents admitted violating the order, but said they were carrying out their duties as instructed by their offices.

(NAN)
After defending the prolonged detention of former National Security adviser, Sambo Dasuki, Nigerias Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, on Thursday backtracked, distancing himself from the action.

Mr Malami denied defending the decision of the Muhammadu Buharis administration to continue detaining the former NSA despite court rulings ordering his release.

Mr Malami spoke during the hearing of a case brought against him by a lawyer, JohnMary Jideobi at the Abuja Division of the federal high court.

In an affidavit deposed by a staff of the justice ministry, Ballah Ali, on behalf of the AGF in response to Mr Jideobis suit, Mr Malami claimed he had never defended the failure of government to comply with court orders for the release of Mr Dasuki

The defendant did not at any time defend the alleged refusal of the federal government to obey six different court orders directing it to release Colonel Sambo Dasuki, he said.

The defendant did not at any time render any legal advice to the president or federal government or any of its agencies in contravention of the 1999 constitution (as amended) or any other law in force, the AGF said in his response to the suit.

The lawyer had asked the court to declare Mr Malamis support of the former NSAs detention as an outright violation of his office as a Minister of Justice and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

The applicant asked the court to order the sack of Mr Malami as minister of justice and have him barred from further practising the legal profession, through the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee.

Citing a publication of an interview conducted with the Voice of America and published by PREMIUM TIMES on July 19, Mr Jideobi said the submissions of Mr Malami regarding Mr Dasukis detention as exposed in the said interview amounted to an embarrassment of his office as justice minister and a violation of constitutional provisions.

According to the AGF, while speaking in the July 19 interview, Mr Dasukis right to freedom cannot be compared to the rights of many Nigerians, who suffered from the effects of fraudulent activities allegedly perpetrated through Mr Dasukis office as NSA.

So you have to look at it from this perspective. If the issue about an individual coincides with that which affects the people of a nation and you are now saying the government did not obey a court order that infringes on a single persons rights. Remember we are talking about a person who was instrumental to the deaths of over one hundred thousand people. Are you saying that the rights of one person is more important than that of 100,000 who lost their lives?

Obeying the court is not the issue per say. Are we going to take the issue of an individual more important than that of the people? The governments main responsibility is for and about the people. The essence of governance is to better the lives of its people. So you have to weigh it based on that; the rights of an individual or the rights of the people, Mr Malami said in response to questions seeking his view about Mr Malamis continued detention.

But in his latest reaction to Mr Jideobis suit, Mr Malami persisted in his defence of Mr Dasukis detention.

The AGF cited a Supreme Court decision in March which exonerated the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from culpability in Mr Dasukis detention, describing the courts decision as proof that Mr Dasukis detention is not against an order of court.

Contrary to the dispositions of the plaintiff, the bails earlier granted to Colonel Sambo Dasuki was complied with. On March 2, 2018 the Supreme Court while delivering judgement in a suit brought against it by Dasuki held that the bail granted him in respect of the criminal matter brought against him have been obeyed, haven been implemented by the controller of prisons in December, 29 2015.

Colonel Sambo Dasuki admitted that he was been detained by the SSS. The defendant did not arrest Colonel Sambo Dasuki.

The defendant has not misconducted himself in his official capacity as AGF and in his capacity as Senior Advocate to warrant a report being made against him to the LPPC, the AGF said.

Mr Malami, then asked the court to strike out the application.

The case was adjourned to January 16.
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has disagreed with the recent statement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the strike by university lecturers could jeopardise the 2019 elections.

The union said it found the statement highly unfortunate and unbecoming of the national electoral umpire and notes that such unguarded statement has a tendency to erode the confidence of Nigerians in the 2019 elections and is a threat to democracy in itself.

We hereby demand that such unguarded and unbecoming statement is retracted in the interest of our democracy, he said.

The spokesperson of SSANU, Abdussobur Salaam, disclosed this in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES Friday morning.

On Thursday, the chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, Festus Okoye, had said the lingering strike by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will have serious impact on preparations for the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

According to Mr Okoye, it is next to impossible for the members of the National Youth Service Corp to provide all the ad-hoc staff needs and requirements of the commission.

Mr Okoye said over 70 per cent requirement in some states of the federation were usually students of federal tertiary institutions.

The university teachers have been on strike since November 4.

The teachers are protesting poor funding of universities and the failure of the government to implement an agreement it signed in 2009 with ASUU to improve facilities and enhance staff welfare at the institutions.

But Mr Salaam in the statement said the union was worried by the statement of INEC using the 2019 elections as a bait.

He said while SSANU as a stakeholder in the university system is interested in the speedy resolution of the impasse between the Federal Government and ASUU, the ongoing national strike by ASUU has nothing to do with the 2019 elections.

Mr Salaam said it is true that many lecturers are picked by INEC as adhoc staff, but said they are not picked on the altar of ASUU and participation as adhoc staff of INEC should never been seen as a union activity.

To thus tie the conduct and success of the 2019 elections to the ASUU strike is indeed unfortunate and smacks of mischief on the part of INEC, he said.

He said participation in national elections by citizens should not be seen from the prism of unionism but as a national duty and responsibility.

We however note that given the antecedents of the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmud Yakubu, such pro- ASUU advocacy may not be totally unexpected, he said, noting that Mr Yakubu once chaired the National Committee on NEEDS Assessment of Nigerian Universities.

He alleged that the INEC chairman, Mr Yakubu, advocated the dismissal of many non teaching staff in the university system.

The INEC chairman had chosen to advocate the position of his union, using his vantage position as INEC Chairman to blackmail government and threaten the 2019 elections. We however find this statement as union advocacy taken too far because of the danger such statement portends for our democracy, SSANU said.

While we call on the federal government Government to speedily resolve the issues in contention with ASUU, we take exception to any statement or action aimed at threatening the democratic process, using the ongoing industrial action as a bait,  he concluded.
Sequel to the rowdy session of the joint session of the Nigerian Senate and the House of Representatives during the presentation of the 2019 budget by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has accused the lawmakers of political imbecility.

MURICs view was contained in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES Friday.

According to Ishaq Akintola, a professor, the director and founder of the human rights organization who signed the press release, the attitude of the lawmakers was infantile, pedestrian and ludicrous.

Our lawmakers manifested articulated immaturity and exhibited pronounced desertification of parliamentary decorum. They desecrated the hallowed chamber. It was such a shame of a National Assembly (NASS). They descended to the lowest abyss of disgraceful conduct. It is now very clear that the 8th NASS is suffering from acute poverty of patriotism, a yawning lacunae for dignity and an irredeemable deficiency in righteousness.

To boo and jeer during the presentation of an annual budget shows that our legislators are not interested in how Nigeria makes progress. This was an occasion when lawmakers are expected to show seriousness as the fate of the nation and its people for the next year was being reeled out. In saner climes, the elected representatives of the people manifest concern as the budget of their country is read. They eschew politicking and listen with rapt attention. But not Nigerian lawmakers of the 8th NASS. These are the same lawmakers who delayed 2018 budget for seven months and refused to have anything to do with it until they had sliced off the juicest portions unto themselves.

Members of the House of Reps

MURIC is not depriving the lawmakers of their right to disagree with the executive. But no lawmaker worth the salt anywhere in the world will carry political disagreement to issues pertaining to the welfare of the citizens. The budget of a country reflects the fate of the people and their welfare at least for that year and sometimes impacts on their future. For choosing to make caricatures of themselves on that august occasion, our lawmakers have proved that they are not worth the trust reposed in them.

MURIC is not tongue-lashing the lawmakers for booing. We are chastising them for booing without knowing when to stop. Donald Trump was booed during the State of the Union address on 17th January, 2018 but it was done in a very civilized manner. Democrats who booed him kept quiet after a while and listened attentively because they knew it was about America, not about Trump. They booed Trump for being inhuman by trying to halt chain immigration of poor people from the Third World. That was issue-based.

Our own lawmakers booed the president non-stop to the extent that Speaker Dogara who was expected to dive the closing remarks could not do so. They booed without borders. They threw caution to the winds.They booed President Buhari for identifying with the poor masses of Nigeria, for refusing to steal and for exposing their voracious gluttony. It is laughable, detestable, repulsive and condescending, It is, indeed, a tale of two cities.

Lawmaking is a leadership position but our lawmakers failed to display the necessary qualities of leadership. They disappointed Nigerians. All those who partook in the booing and jeering need to be taken back to school where they will learn the art of discipline and the qualities of leadership. They are square pegs in a round hole. It is such a shame that our lawmakers decided to vent their spleen in such a disgraceful manner on their president simply because the man refused to join in the rapacious avarice to loot the nation dry. They failed to realize that the line of demarcation between lawmaking and law-breaking is very thin and fragile and they crossed that line in their exhibition of legislative rascality.

Whereas Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, The leader of the people is their servant, our lawmakers see themselves differently. They are feudal lords. They belong to the capitalist and bourgeois political class to whom the peoples welfare means very little. They lack a civilized political culture and their political ideology springs from a bolekaja mentality where bitterness, acrimony, derision and violence take the driving seat. This much was displayed by them during the presentation of 2019 budget.

Prof Is-haq Akintola, MURIC director

MURIC salutes President Muhammadu Buhari for remaining calm and composed throughout the day. Mr. President stood ramrod as they booed and jeered. His comportment unsettled his adversaries. He made the nation proud by refusing to loose his temper. But the icing on the cake was his fatherly admonition to the rascally lawmakers as he scolded them, Let us conduct ourselves properly. The world is watching us. We are supposed to be above this. That was Mr. Integrity incarnate speaking, the pride of our great nation.

President Muhammadu Buhari presents 2019 budget to the National Assembly (Photo Credit: @brytedude on Twitter)

Those golden words will remain on the marble as long as Nigeria continues to exist. They are monumental, philosophical and didactic. Generations to come will read them and they will ponder, What a great leader that was. But what will they think about the rowdy lawmakers? Verily, verily, we say unto the 8th NASS, you were a huge disappointment!

The fault goes to the electorate anyway. Nigerians are adept at electing incompetent politicians. Our level of enlightenment is near zero. But the worst problem we have is our pathological docility. Venezuela parliamentarians learnt to comport themselves the hard way. They were proving too difficult for the president. The citizens invaded parliament and threw them out. Nigerians leave everything in the hands of God whereas the Quran says, God will not change the condition of a people until they decide to change it themselves (Glorious Quran 13:11).

As a parting shot, we remind those hostile lawmakers that their disgraceful conduct on that day has added luster to Buharis glamour. He is already a hero of our nation but they made him a greater hero. Whether he clinches a second term or not, Nigerians, nay, the world at large, have written his name in letters of gold.
President Muhammadu Buhari has declared support for the Imo All Progressives Congress (APC), governorship candidate, Hope Uzodinma.

The APC, National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole made this known at a rally to flag-off Uzodimmas campaign in Owerri on Friday.

The state governor, Rochas Okorocha, who is also a member of the APC boycotted the rally.

Mr Okorocha has been having a running battle with Mr Oshiomhole over the refusal of the party to recognize the governors son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, as its governorship candidate in the state.

The party also dissolved the state working committee loyal to the governor.

Mr Nwosu has since defected to another the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) where he hopes to actualize his ambition.

The governor however remains the senatorial candidate of the APC for Imo West Senatorial District.

At the rally, Mr Oshiomhole urged Imo people to disregard people from unknown parties, who were juxtaposing Mr Buharis picture with theirs, saying Mr Uzodinma was the only candidate endorsed by Buhari.

Those who are putting Buhari with their faces because they are unknown are fake. Buhari has APC as his party.

Buhari has adopted Uzodinma as his governorship candidate.

We brought you a message of hope not a message of lamentation and family business.

We have come to deliver the message of hope that although things have gone wrong in the recent past, we have come to say how we will return the governance of the state to the people.

The government that is coming will bring development for every son and daughter of Imo. Today is not a concert but a day to pass the message of hope.

You have a reason for demanding change, he said.

Mr Oshiomhole assured civil servants in the state that they would not be neglected in Mr Uzodinmas government.

He noted that civil servants in the state were being treated with levity in spite of their relevance to the development of the state.

He added that other people including traditional rulers and pensioners would be given their right of place and treated with dignity.

You want a governorship candidate whose purpose is to bring development to all Imo people including civil servants who no longer know what a pay day is like.

I want to assure workers that have been lamenting and families whose breadwinners cannot fend for them that the days are over.

Never again will your governor look at you and say your salary depends on when you work not when it is due.

You will now have a person that will lead by example and do not be deceived. Anybody who believes in APC must support Uzodinma.

Pensioners too will smile. Traditional rulers will have dominion over their areas without intimidation.

We will make sure the bailout money is returned.

The days are gone when a governor will look at the people and say there is money for other things but not for paying salaries.

In Uzodinmas government, appointments will be based on merit and not family connection. We will not domesticate happiness in the hands of a few people because all Imo people will be happy, he said.

The national chairman stressed that roads and other contracts will not be awarded to in-laws but to genuine men and women of Imo State.

Democracy is about the people and as such we will run an inclusive government, the government of the people, by the people and for the people.

Never again shall we govern on the basis of family connection. Knowing somebody or not, or marrying from a family or not will no longer matter. Your money will be used to develop Imo, Mr Oshiomhole said.

He said Nigeria needed to produce leaders that would be accepted by the people.

He expressed disappointment over the state governments refusal to release the stadium booked for the rally.

According to him, it is absurd for a governor who is in the same party with the governorship candidate to deny access to the stadium.

He stressed that it was worrisome that a place built with tax payers money was put under lock and key.

If out of the peoples innocence they elected a man that denied them use of a place that belongs to them, it can only translate to electoral victory.

While promising that the party would be in the state for another rally, Oshiomhole urged the people to come out en mass to vote for Messrs Buhari and Uzodinma in the 2019 general elections.

(NAN)
The popular Banex Plaza located in Wuse 2, Abuja, was on Friday sealed off on the alleged order of a magistrate court.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) had gone to court asking for the vacation of the premises by Banex Plaza tenants.

Chibuike Nzedinma, Chairman, Banex Plaza Wuse 2 Tenants Association, told said the closure was uncalled for.

Mr Nzedinma said the board failed to officially notify them about the said court order.

Some weeks back, the AEPB told us that they were going to use the plaza as a mobile court.

But we could not see any mobile court on the said date, I personally went round to check but could not see, surprisingly, today (Friday) they sealed off some of our shops, he said.

The chairman, who sued for calm, said they would seek redress in court for such an order to be vacated.

Also, Nkoli Unachukwu, a tenant, said such closure was detrimental to economic development of the country.

Mrs Unachukwu said they had lost millions of Naira due to the closure.

She called on the federal government to intervene to prevent shut down of business in the plaza.

AEPB had allegedly demanded to use the premises for mobile court.

(NAN)
A Coalition of Youth Organisations in Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State says Atiku Abubakars claim of being an indigene of the area is false.

Mr Atiku, the 2019 Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), during the North West rally in Sokoto on December 3, said his background was from Wurno local government area of the state.

Wurno is the home town of the first Sultan of Sokoto, Late Muhammadu Bello, the son of Shehu Usman Dan Fodio.

Reacting to the claim on Friday in Sokoto, the group in a statement jointly signed by Murtala Wurno and Kabiru Wurno Chairmen of Garlic Farmers Association and Rice Farmers Association of the council respectively, said Mr Atiku had nothing to do with the area.

They said the claim was intended for cheap political popularity.

The PDP presidential candidates claim of being an indigene of Wurno local government is just for his political gain in order to get the votes of the people of Sokoto state.

We, the coalition of youth organisations in Wurno have dissociated our area from this claim.

We urge Atiku to concentrate on his Agenda for Nigeria and stop making spurious claims.

Wurno local government is a famous town blessed with people of good reputation and scholars who always succeeded in preaching the best for humanity.

(NAN)
The United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday revealed that six out of 10 women between ages 15 and 49 in Oyo State are victims of genital mutilation.

A UNICEF representative, Olasunbo Odebode, made this disclosure in Ibadan, the state capital, during a public declaration of female genital mutilation (FGM) abandonment by 21 communities in Oyo West Local Government Area of the state.

Ms Odebode, who is a Child Protection Specialist, said that mutilation prevalence rate for women between 15 and 49 years in the state is 55.5 per cent, which is the fifth highest in Nigeria.

She said the affected females live with the negative consequences of the practice, which undermines their physical, emotional and socio-economic well-being.

She described FGM as a harmful traditional practice, a gross violation of the fundamental human rights of women, which seriously compromised their health and psychological well-being.

Ms Odebode said, FGM is not only harmful but also against nature as it destroys the wholesome and beautiful way women and girls are naturally created.

It poses increased risk of infection or prolonged labour, bleeding, still-birth and maternal death during childbirth as well as leaves lasting physical, emotional scars and an irreparable damage.

She said FGM was a social norm and that people practice it because they believe that others in their community do it.

She urged stakeholders to collaborate in the campaign to end its menace in their respective communities.

The state director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dolapo Dosunmu, said the agency had carried out series of programmes to sensitise the public on the effects of female genital mutilation.

Mrs Dosunmu commended the traditional and community leaders in the area for dropping the age-long practice.

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola, in his remarks promised to support UNICEF and NOA efforts in eliminating the practice in the state.

The monarch, who was represented by Yusuf Akinade, the Basorun of Oyo Kingdom, charged community heads to sensitise people in their domain on the negative effects of the practice.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has set up a caretaker committee to replace the dissolved state executives of Ogun State.

This was made known by the publicity secretary of the party, Lanre Issa-Onilu, in a message on the partys press corp WatsApp platform.

The members of this committee are: Yemi Sanusi, chairman; Ayobami Olubori, secretary, and Tunde Oladunjoye, publicity secretary.

Aside naming the members of the committee, the statement did not give further information.

This is a follow up to the dissolution of Imo and Ogun State executives and the setting up of a similar committee for Imo.

The party leadership had dissolved the executives in both states because it said it cannot trust them to work in favour of the party ahead of the 2019 election.

The governors of both states are currently in conflict with the national body over contested outcomes of their governorship primaries.

Both Governor Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) and Rochas Okorocha (Imo), after the primaries publicly declared their grievances over their inability to prop up their respective candidates for the governorship seats.

They also indicated their decision to support their candidates (and work against the APC in their states) in the new parties they defected to. The duo have however remained in the party promising to support President Muhammadu Buharis reelection bid.

The dissolved Ogun State chapter has since dismissed its dissolution by the National Working Committee (NWC) of party.
What youve seen here is none of us want to tax medical marijuana users, but we dont want to forego the opportunity to tax recreational marijuana in the event it becomes legal, Abu-Taleb said. We all know we have just elected a governor who ran on a platform to legalize marijuana. Its just a matter of time. We dont want to be in a position where were not protecting our rights to tax recreational marijuana in the event we dont have an ordinance on our books.
I understand [the proposal] is an answer to this, but Im not quite sure Im ready to commit to saying its the only answer, Iseli said. Id like to leave the door open to adjust as we go forward. I think you should be focused on how we finance it, but I think there might be some things that come to light that adjust [the plan]. Im willing to make it the default, but not close the door because Im so concerned about the affordability in doing it.
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.




Moran, calling himself 100 percent behind body cameras, said he did his own research on the cameras and determined that other vendors offer the same, or even more, features than the Axon devices do. He added that the City Council was not given a look at the Cook County States Attorneys contract with Axon or a report from the Elgin Police Department related to its body camera pilot program funded in part with a grant from the U. S. Department of Justice. This report, Moran indicated, should have provided documentation according to the citys policy on competitive and sole-source bidding.
"We place trust in aircraft with high reliability, operational versatility and fuel efficiency which is why we selected the A220 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines," said Ladislaus Matindi, CEO of Air Tanzania. "We are excited to offer our passengers enhanced comfort and more flight options while promoting development and growth in the markets we serve."

The United Republic of Tanzania, represented by the Tanzanian Government Flight Agency (TGFA) signed an agreement for two Pratt & Whitney GTF-powered Airbus A220 aircraft and one Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150-powered Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft in December 2016. The airline will be utilizing the aircraft for domestic and international operations, expanding their routes and growing beyond Africa.

"While Air Tanzania is well known to the Pratt & Whitney family, having previously operated Pratt & Whitney-powered Q300 and Q400 aircraft, we are embarking on a new journey together as they take delivery of their first GTF-powered A220 aircraft," said Rick Deurloo, senior vice president of sales, marketing and customer support at Pratt & Whitney. "The impact this airline will make on the region with the operation of these two aircraft is truly notable. The GTF engines offer proven economic and environmental benefits with the ability to fly farther with less fuel, making Air Tanzania's decision to expand their route network a viable solution. We look forward to growing this relationship together." The A220, exclusively powered by the GTF engine, offers double-digit improvement in operating costs compared to current generation aircraft. It's 20% more fuel efficient and provides a 75% reduction in noise footprint and NOx emissions 50% below the ICAO CAEP 6 regulation.

About Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft and helicopter engines, and auxiliary power units. United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. To learn more about UTC, visit its website at www.utc.com, or follow the company on Twitter: @UTC. To learn more about the GTF engine, visit www.pwgtf.com. To receive press releases and other news directly, please sign up here.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business opportunities. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in levels of demand in the aerospace industry, in levels of air travel, and in the number of aircraft to be built; challenges in the design, development, production support, performance and realization of the anticipated benefits of advanced technologies; as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in United Technologies Corp.'s Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Pratt & Whitney

+1 (860) 565-9600

[email protected]

SOURCE Pratt & Whitney

Related Links

http://www.pratt-whitney.com


PERTH, Australia, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Alloy Steel International, Inc. (OTC: AYSI) advises that its 2018 Annual Financial Statements are now available on www.otcmarkets.com website by searching for AYSI then choosing "Filings and Disclosure".

About Alloy Steel

Alloy Steel manufactures and distributes Arcoplate, a technically superior and market leading 'alloy overlay' wear plate, servicing the global market place from its modern manufacturing facilities in Perth, Australia. Arcoplate is used throughout the mining and materials processing industries, from opportunistic one-off specialty applications in small companies to large relationship based repeat business applications with leading international companies.

Arcoplate provides users with superior wear protection due to its premium alloy mix, its high ratio of carbide rich alloy and its unique manner of manufacture. The product's technical superiority combined with its unbeatable 'whole-of-life' cost has resulted in Arcoplate's wide acceptance in the mining and mineral processing industries to reduce wear in a host of fixed plant and mobile equipment applications.

In mining and materials processing industries, where premature equipment wear is the primary cause of downtime, to undertake repairs or refurbishment, Arcoplate can provide users with significant profit improvement. Arcoplate can substantially lower equipment downtime, resulting in higher production, whilst also lowering the overall cost of wear protection.

Furthermore, in applications where material 'hang-up' or 'carry-back' are also a significant cause of lost production, such as sticky materials that do not discharge freely from truck trays, buckets and chutes, Arcoplate's unique characteristic of polishing to a very low friction factor has the potential to virtually eliminate these problems, whilst simultaneously providing enhanced equipment wear life.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Thushara Sam Dahanayake

Company Secretary

+61-8-9248 3188

SOURCE Alloy Steel International, Inc.

Related Links

http://alloysteel.net


ST. LOUIS, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) today announced the appointment of Matthew Snyder to Senior Vice President, Internal Audit, Compliance and Risk Management, as well as an enhanced organizational structure. These changes align with the Company's focus on compliance and strategic objectives to further its growth and international presence.

Mr. Snyder has more than 23 years of experience with increasing levels of leadership within organizations, most recently as partner of KPMG. His business and technology background combined with audit, risk management and compliance experience will be an asset to Centene as the company continues to evolve in a complex industry. Mr. Snyder received a Bachelor's Degree in International Business Administration from Alma College and a Master's of Business Administration from Wayne State University in Michigan. He is also certified as a Project Management Professional and Information Systems Auditor, as well as certified in Risk and Information Systems Control. Mr. Snyder will report to Michael F. Neidorff, Chairman and CEO for Centene.

"At Centene, ensuring a culture founded on ethics and compliance is a top priority," said Mr. Neidorff. "Matt's healthcare industry experience focused on global risk dynamics, operational excellence and leading practices will continue to enhance Centene's internal audit, compliance and risk functions as the company continues to grow."

Several other organizational enhancements are underway:

Effective January 1, 2019 , Christopher Bowers , Executive Vice President, Markets, will continue to lead health plan market operations. Mr. Bowers will report to Mr. Neidorff.

, , Executive Vice President, Markets, will continue to lead health plan market operations. Mr. Bowers will report to Mr. Neidorff. Also effective January 1, 2019 , Brent Layton , Executive Vice President & Chief Development Officer, who leads domestic and international business development, will also lead international operations and will continue to report to Mr. Neidorff. The company will be undertaking a search for a senior executive who will be responsible for assisting in the development of the growing international business. This new position will report to Mr. Layton.

, , Executive Vice President & Chief Development Officer, who leads domestic and international business development, will also lead international operations and will continue to report to Mr. Neidorff. The company will be undertaking a search for a senior executive who will be responsible for assisting in the development of the growing international business. This new position will report to Mr. Layton. Cynthia Brinkley , who will retire February 15, 2019 , will focus her efforts on an internal initiative, Centene Forward, which launched earlier this year, aiming to standardize administrative processes and create areas of excellence and innovation to ensure the company remains agile as it continues to grow.

, who will retire , will focus her efforts on an internal initiative, Centene Forward, which launched earlier this year, aiming to standardize administrative processes and create areas of excellence and innovation to ensure the company remains agile as it continues to grow. After Ms. Brinkley's retirement, Centene Forward will be co-led by Shannon Bagley , Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Mark Brooks , Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, and Jeffrey Schwaneke , Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer. This combination will ensure continued balance between financial oversight and achieving systems, organizational and developmental optimization.

About Centene Corporation

Centene Corporation, a Fortune 100 company, is a diversified, multi-national healthcare enterprise that provides a portfolio of services to government sponsored and commercial healthcare programs, focusing on under-insured and uninsured individuals. Many receive benefits provided under Medicaid, including the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), as well as Aged, Blind or Disabled (ABD), Foster Care and Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS), in addition to other state-sponsored programs, Medicare (including the Medicare prescription drug benefit commonly known as "Part D"), dual eligible programs and programs with the U.S. Department of Defense. Centene also provides healthcare services to groups and individuals delivered through commercial health plans. Centene operates local health plans and offers a range of health insurance solutions. It also contracts with other healthcare and commercial organizations to provide specialty services including behavioral health management, care management software, correctional healthcare services, dental benefits management, commercial programs, home-based primary care services, life and health management, vision benefits management, pharmacy benefits management, specialty pharmacy and telehealth services.

Centene uses its investor relations website to publish important information about the Company, including information that may be deemed material to investors. Financial and other information about Centene is routinely posted and is accessible on Centene's investor relations website, http://www.centene.com/investors.

Forward-Looking Statements

The company and its representatives may from time to time make written and oral forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (PSLRA) of 1995, including statements in this and other press releases, in presentations, filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), reports to stockholders and in meetings with investors and analysts. In particular, the information provided in this press release may contain certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of Centene and certain plans and objectives of Centene with respect thereto, including but not limited to the expected benefits of the acquisition of Health Net, Inc. (Health Net) (Health Net Acquisition) and the acquisition of New York State Catholic Health Plan, Inc., d/b/a Fidelis Care New York (Fidelis Care) (Fidelis Care Acquisition). These forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate only to historical or current facts. Without limiting the foregoing, forward-looking statements often use words such as "believe", "anticipate", "plan", "expect", "estimate", "intend", "seek", "target", "goal", "may", "will", "would", "could", "should", "can", "continue" and other similar words and expressions (and the negative thereof). We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe-harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in PSLRA. A number of factors, variables or events could cause actual plans and results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, Centene's ability to accurately predict and effectively manage health benefits and other operating expenses and reserves; competition; membership and revenue declines or unexpected trends; changes in healthcare practices, new technologies and advances in medicine; increased healthcare costs; changes in economic, political or market conditions; changes in federal or state laws or regulations, including changes with respect to income tax reform or government healthcare programs as well as changes with respect to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act and any regulations enacted thereunder that may result from changing political conditions or judicial actions, including the ultimate outcome of the District Court decision in "Texas v. United States of America" regarding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on Friday, December 14, 2018; rate cuts or other payment reductions or delays by governmental payors and other risks and uncertainties affecting Centene's government businesses; Centene's ability to adequately price products on federally facilitated and state-based Health Insurance Marketplaces; tax matters; disasters or major epidemics; the outcome of legal and regulatory proceedings; changes in expected contract start dates; provider, state, federal and other contract changes and timing of regulatory approval of contracts; the expiration, suspension or termination of Centene's contracts with federal or state governments (including but not limited to Medicaid, Medicare, TRICARE or other customers); the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of pending or future litigation or government investigations; challenges to Centene's contract awards; cyber-attacks or other privacy or data security incidents; the possibility that the expected synergies and value creation from acquired businesses, including, without limitation, the Health Net Acquisition and the Fidelis Care Acquisition, will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected time period; the exertion of management's time and Centene's resources, and other expenses incurred and business changes required in connection with complying with the undertakings in connection with any regulatory, governmental or third party consents or approvals for the Health Net Acquisition or the Fidelis Care Acquisition; disruption caused by significant completed and pending acquisitions, including the Health Net Acquisition and the Fidelis Care Acquisition, making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; the risk that unexpected costs will be incurred in connection with the completion and/or integration of acquisition transactions, including among others, the Health Net Acquisition and the Fidelis Care Acquisition; changes in expected closing dates, estimated purchase price and accretion for acquisitions; the risk that acquired businesses, including Health Net and Fidelis Care, will not be integrated successfully; the risk that, following the Fidelis Care Acquisition, Centene may not be able to effectively manage its expanded operations; restrictions and limitations in connection with Centene's indebtedness; Centene's ability to achieve improvement in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Star ratings and maintain or achieve improvement in other quality scores in each case that can impact revenue and future growth; availability of debt and equity financing, on terms that are favorable to Centene; inflation; foreign currency fluctuations; the stock split and the required stockholders approval to increase Centene's authorized common stock; and risks and uncertainties discussed in the reports that Centene has filed with the SEC. These forward-looking statements reflect Centene's current views with respect to future events and are based on numerous assumptions and assessments made by Centene in light of its experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, business strategies, operating environments, future developments and other factors it believes appropriate. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are subject to change because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. The factors described in the context of such forward-looking statements in this press release could cause Centene's plans with respect to the Health Net Acquisition, the Fidelis Care Acquisition, actual results, performance or achievements, industry results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although it is currently believed that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, no assurance can be given that such expectations will prove to have been correct and persons reading this press release are therefore cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements which speak only as of the date of this press release. Centene does not assume any obligation to update the information contained in this press release (whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise), except as required by applicable law. This list of important factors is not intended to be exhaustive. We discuss certain of these matters more fully, as well as certain other risk factors that may affect Centene's business operations, financial condition and results of operations, in Centene's filings with the SEC, including the annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K.

SOURCE Centene Corporation

Related Links

http://www.centene.com


LOS ANGELES, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- At the request of the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. District Court Judge Andre Birotte Jr. dismissed with prejudice late yesterday all charges against Eric Pulier. Mr. Pulier is the founder of Santa Monica-based ServiceMesh, Inc. The United States Attorney's Office filed a motion to dismiss the indictment with prejudice "in the interests of justice."

"Eric has maintained his innocence from the start," said Mark Holscher, a partner at Kirkland & Ellis who represents Mr. Pulier. "We are pleased that the government, after an exhaustive investigation, has dropped its case. As the government wrote in its motion to dismiss the indictment with prejudice, this decision is truly 'in the interests of justice.' Our client appreciates the Office's decision and looks forward to continuing his important work as an accomplished inventor and philanthropist."

A Harvard University graduate, Mr. Pulier has founded several companies, including Digital Evolution, US Interactive, Akana and ServiceMesh. Mr. Pulier sits on the boards of the XPRIZE Foundation and a nonprofit summer camp for chronically ill children called Painted Turtle. He is currently working on a non-profit venture that would provide a micro-finance platform for developing nations.

Mr. Pulier was represented by Mark Holscher and Jeff Sinek of Kirkland & Ellis, and Nathan J. Hochman of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.

SOURCE Sitrick And Company
BOSTON, Dec. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Entrada Therapeutics, a biotechnology company dedicated to transforming the treatment of devastating diseases through the intracellular delivery of biologics, today announced it has raised $59 million in a Series A financing. The financing was co-led by 5AM Ventures and MPM Capital, along with Roche Venture Fund, MRL Ventures Fund (MRLV) and Agent Capital.

"With this financing, Entrada is well-positioned to advance multiple programs through the application of our proprietary intracellular biologics platform," said Dipal Doshi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Entrada Therapeutics. "Entrada has an opportunity to create the next generation of therapeutics for previously undruggable intracellular targets. Leveraging the exciting science from the lab of our Co-Founder, Dehua Pei, at The Ohio State University, we look forward to building a world-class team that will translate this platform into meaningful therapies."

Entrada was funded and incubated within 5AM's 4:59 Initiative via a seed investment by 5AM Ventures, Roche Venture Fund and MRLV. Entrada's proprietary intracellular biologics platform has the demonstrated ability to deliver a variety of modalities into the cytosol of the cell, allowing for the development of programs across several intracellular target classes. Entrada's delivery vehicles boast improved bioavailability, biodistribution, metabolic stability and enhanced efficiency compared to previous gold standards. The Company is applying its platform to the delivery of intracellular enzyme replacement therapies, protein-protein interaction inhibitors and nucleic acids.

The first application of Entrada's platform is focused on treating a rare and fatal mitochondrial disease with no approved treatments that is caused by mutations in a gene that codes for an intracellular enzyme. The Series A financing will allow Entrada to advance its lead program into human clinical trials. Additionally, the Company plans on broadening its rare, monogenic disease pipeline by identifying and progressing additional intracellular enzyme replacement therapies.

"Patients with severe, debilitating diseases still suffer without suitable treatment options," said Kush Parmar, M.D., Ph.D., Managing Partner at 5AM Ventures. "Entrada has an executive team that is capable of tackling the challenges posed by the delivery of biologics into the cell. Entrada is focused on leveraging a highly validated biological mechanism to fundamentally change the standard of care for several of these diseases via multiple intracellular targets."

"Entrada's unique vision to transform the treatment paradigm of certain diseases via intracellular biologics delivery could result in innovative treatments for thousands of patients," said Todd Foley, Managing Director at MPM Capital. "While there has been extensive development of biologics that address extracellular targets, there is a significant opportunity for novel biologics that address intracellular targets. Entrada's strategy and technology address this profound unmet need."

Executive Team and Board of Directors

Executive Team

Dipal Doshi is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Entrada Therapeutics. Mr. Doshi has over 20 years of pharmaceutical experience, most recently serving as the Chief Business Officer for Amicus Therapeutics. Mr. Doshi led Amicus' business and corporate development, global strategy, new product planning and commercial planning functions. Prior to Amicus, Mr. Doshi worked for Auven Therapeutics, Catalent Pharma Solutions, Merrill Lynch and Eli Lilly. Mr. Doshi received a B.A. from Rutgers University and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Natarajan Sethuraman, Ph.D., is the Chief Scientific Officer of Entrada Therapeutics. Prior to this role, Dr. Sethuraman was Executive Director and the GlycoFi Site Head at Merck, where he was responsible for the development of GlycoFi's glycoengineered platform for differentiated biologics. Dr. Sethuraman holds a B.S. from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and a Ph.D. in Entomology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute.

Board of Directors

In addition to Mr. Doshi, Dr. Parmar and Mr. Foley, the Entrada Board of Directors also includes:

Anja Harmeier , Ph.D., Investment Director, Roche Venture Fund

, Ph.D., Investment Director, Roche Venture Fund Christine Brennan , Ph.D., Partner, MRLV

, Ph.D., Partner, MRLV Lou Tartaglia , Ph.D., Venture Partner, 5AM Ventures. Dr. Tartaglia also served as Entrada's Chief Executive Officer during the formation of the Company.

, Ph.D., Venture Partner, Ventures. Dr. Tartaglia also served as Entrada's Chief Executive Officer during the formation of the Company. Dehua Pei, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor and Jason Ruth , Senior Associate, 5AM Ventures will serve as Board Observers.

About Entrada Therapeutics

Entrada Therapeutics' mission is to treat devastating diseases through the intracellular delivery of biologics. Entrada's technology enables the efficient intracellular delivery of proteins, peptides and nucleic acids, thus allowing for the development of programs across several intracellular target classes. The Company's novel approach addresses current challenges associated with both large and small molecule therapeutics and represents a fundamental advancement in the delivery of molecules into the cytosol. For more information, please visit www.entradatx.com.

Company Contact:

Cecilia Sun

Entrada Therapeutics

[email protected]

Media Contact:

Maggie Beller

Russo Partners, LLC

(646) 942-5631

[email protected]

SOURCE Entrada Therapeutics

Related Links

http://www.entradatx.com


According to board members, the board is expected to hire one of the two firms after the interviews, which are expected to be conducted in open session, and meet again Jan. 14 to finalize the scope of the search, how much it will cost, when it will be completed and what the board is looking for in a superintendent.
AMSTERDAM, December 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

German, Belgium and Czech police acquire Dutch Zepcam camera system

More and more police forces in the EU are getting equipped with bodycams. Recently the State Police of Niedersachsen in Germany, the Police of Mechelen in Belgium and the Police in the Czech Republic have signed contracts for the supply of bodycams by Dutch company Zepcam.

Body worn video (BWV) and body-worn camera's (BWC) improve the safety of law enforcement officers, increase transparency and supply video-evidence for criminal investigation purposes.

Surveys in the US, where bodycams are used for years now, show that they de-escalate aggression or have a civilizing effect on police-citizen encounters, thus reducing complaints.

Also police forces want to use bodycams as a countermeasure against the public shooting more and more videos of incidents on their smartphones. Unlike public videos, footage captured by law enforcement can be admissible in court.

Zepcam already supplies bodycams to police forces in 15 countries like Switzerland, Germany, Hong Kong and The Netherlands. The Dutch company is the leading supplier in Europe, with clients in over 40 countries. It both manufactures and supplies the camera systems and the IT structure which automatically stores and processes the captured footages.

The State Police of German State Niedersachsen has ordered 500 bodycams in a 4 year contract. Zepcam has won this tender because its cameras and software platform made the best match with requirements of field users and the central IT department.

The region of Mechelen is the first police zone in Belgium to deploy bodycams on a large scale. Zepcam was selected after a test period with 7 different bodycam suppliers.

The Czech Police in the Central Bohemian Region, purchased Zepcam bodycams for law enforcement purposes. Also the company will assist the police force to expand and integrate the new video management software in the management software that is used in over 80 locations in the Czech Republic.

Zepcam has seen an enormous increase in the use of bodycams by law enforcement in the past five years. According to the company the cameras help reduce aggression and allow for better transparency. For instance because situations tend to de-escalate when people know they are recorded.

www.zepcam.com

SOURCE Zepcam
PEORIA, Ill., Dec. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- OSF HealthCare, the University of Illinois System, Illinois Central College, and the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council are joining forces to develop a Peoria Innovation Hub. Having already identified space in the Thomas Building at 201 SW Adams Street that was recently vacated by Illinois Central College, the hub will be dedicated to finding solutions to improve the wellness of underserved populations, and advance systems related to food, farming, and transportation  specifically autonomous mobility.

The Peoria Innovation Hub will be part of the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN), a statewide initiative led by the U of I System to foster the breakthrough research discovery and entrepreneurship that drives progress, job creation and economic growth. Other hubs are being developed across the state, including research centers that have already been announced in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, Springfield, and DeKalb. Those centers will focus on discovery in critical and growing fields such as data science, cybersecurity, therapeutic drugs, food and water resources, and environmental change.

The cornerstone of the network is the Discovery Partners Institute (DPI), a world-class research and education center that will bring hundreds of top researchers and thousands of students to Chicago to work with industry and government to tackle real-world challenges. Earlier this year, OSF HealthCare became the first corporate partner in DPI with the creation of the OSF Innovation Lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). DPI classes are already working with OSF's Complex Solutions Innovation team to address key questions around serving the poor, rural, and elderly patient populations in Illinois.

Working collaboratively, a comprehensive proposal and application has been prepared to secure funding from the $500 million capital appropriation that the Illinois General Assembly approved last spring to develop DPI and the statewide innovation network. The Peoria Innovation Hub will essentially reimagine the city's opportunities for entrepreneurs, students, innovators, creators, and residents. The hub will encompass nearly 53,000 square feet and function as a springboard for new companies and a place where members of the community can collaborate with innovators and bring creative solutions to challenges facing health care, manufacturing, and agriculture. If successful, these funds will be used to acquire and redevelop the Thomas Building.

Located within Peoria's federally designated Opportunity Zone, the Peoria Innovation Hub will offer tax benefits allowing potential business startups to leverage incentives to attract early stage and venture capital.

"OSF HealthCare recognizes the importance of innovation in improving the health of the communities we serve. It is our hope that working with the Discovery Partners Institute and the Illinois Innovation Network will only help improve the health of and health care options for all Illinoisans," said OSF HealthCare CEO Robert Sehring.

"In today's world, innovation is the key to progress, prosperity and an even better tomorrow," said Tim Killeen, president of the U of I System. "The Illinois Innovation Network reflects our commitment to bring the world's very best minds together and put them to work for people here in Peoria, across our state and beyond."

"Peoria provides a unique opportunity to combine academic and community resources to spur economic development," said Sara Rusch, regional dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria. "All three universities in the University of Illinois System are engaged in Peoria  UIC through the College of Medicine, Urbana-Champaign through the College of Engineering's work with Jump, and the University of Illinois at Springfield with its master's and degree completion programs. In addition, we have important assets in Illinois Central College and Bradley University. Leveraging these resources with those of our health care systems, manufacturing sectors and other components of our economy provides Peoria with wonderful opportunities. The IIN will help unite these resources behind discreet projects."

"As the workforce innovation partner, ICC would engage in agricultural research with area farmers and students in addition to integrating workforce development programs in manufacturing and health care. Our efforts will leverage these advances by aligning these innovations with workforce credentials providing family sustaining opportunities to our community," said ICC President Dr. Sheila Quirk-Bailey.

"Innovation has always been the cornerstone of our region  in agriculture, manufacturing, and now health care," said Christopher Setti, CEO of the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council. "Innovation is also our future. The hub will be a great part of that future. It would inspire entrepreneurs with problems to solve, equip them with the tools they need to solve them, and support them in turning solutions into businesses."

"OSF HealthCare is committed to doing its part to help design a better future," said Michelle Conger, chief strategy officer for OSF HealthCare. "Core to our mission, we understand the value of fresh perspectives and seek to work with innovators outside our walls to maximize solutions that bring value to our patients and communities."

Co-working is expected to be a central feature of the proposed hub, in order to maximize productive collaboration across all disciplines within the building. Some elements being considered include:

Makerspace with machinery: Facilities for manufacturing prototypes with equipment such as lathes, drill presses and laser cutters, plus equipment for 3D printing and modeling for artistic- and fashion-related disciplines.

Facilities for manufacturing prototypes with equipment such as lathes, drill presses and laser cutters, plus equipment for 3D printing and modeling for artistic- and fashion-related disciplines. Digital makerspace: Virtual reality software and simulation devices that would build on the advances within OSF HealthCare and the city's simulation, gaming and virtual reality innovation groups.

Virtual reality software and simulation devices that would build on the advances within OSF HealthCare and the city's simulation, gaming and virtual reality innovation groups. Computing infrastructure: Cloud computing, server architecture, and data integration would allow for creation of advanced applications to fuel creative pathways including artificial intelligence (AI) to expand information management and analytics.

Cloud computing, server architecture, and data integration would allow for creation of advanced applications to fuel creative pathways including artificial intelligence (AI) to expand information management and analytics. The University of Illinois EnterpriseWorks Satellite Location: Science and technology entrepreneurs would have space with a virtual classroom to connect with the U of I System's three universities and regional satellite campuses.

Science and technology entrepreneurs would have space with a virtual classroom to connect with the U of I System's three universities and regional satellite campuses. A rooftop greenhouse to experiment with urban farming and hydroponic techniques. A commercial kitchen for piloting a food pharmacy and restaurant concept testing, along with new and different food preparation methods. Classrooms for conventional courses for new entrepreneurs and students from higher education partners and the community.

to experiment with urban farming and hydroponic techniques. A commercial kitchen for piloting a food pharmacy and restaurant concept testing, along with new and different food preparation methods. Classrooms for conventional courses for new entrepreneurs and students from higher education partners and the community. Office space and conference rooms for entrepreneurs, startups, and satellite offices for larger corporations that want to access resources of the DPI and IIN.

"It is essential that plans for economic growth include opportunities to strengthen vulnerable communities that have been divested in. The Peoria Innovation Hub will help diverse entrepreneurs improve health care delivery and reduce food insecurity in underserved neighborhoods," said State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria.

"A Peoria Innovation Hub of the Illinois Innovation Network will have enormous economic potential for the Peoria region. It's fulfilling to see this mission  with its own facility in Peoria  come closer to reality after so much hard work. It is exciting to know our innovators and entrepreneurs could have access to some of the greatest minds in our country," said State Sen. Chuck Weaver, R-Peoria. "OSF, as one of our region's fundamental economic drivers, deserves high praise for stepping up to champion this initiative."

"Peoria has a long history of groundbreaking research and development. The Innovation Hub will build on our regional strengths of health care, manufacturing, and agriculture in order to deliver new jobs and startup companies that will strengthen the Illinois economy," added State Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria.

If the necessary funding is approved, the Peoria Innovation Hub could be physically set up and open by mid-to-late-2020.

OSF HealthCare, headquartered in Peoria, is owned and operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, and consists of more than 21,000 employees in 116 locations, including 13 hospitals throughout Illinois and Michigan. Its physician network employs more than 1,000 primary care, specialist physicians and advanced practice providers. More at www.osfhealthcare.org.

OSF Innovation, launched in 2016, is the overall umbrella initiative for the planning, structure, goals, and services OSF HealthCare uses to innovate for the improvement and transformation of health care.

The University of Illinois System is a world leader in research and discovery, and the largest educational institution in the state with nearly 86,000 students, about 25,000 faculty and staff, and universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield. The U of I System awards more than 22,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees annually. More at https://www.uillinois.edu/

Illinois Central College is dedicated to changing lives and is a community college leader in transfer success and workforce development with campuses in East Peoria, Peoria, and Pekin. The College serves over 19,000 credit and non-credit students annually, offering 160 programs of study and awarding more than 1,800 degrees and certificates annually. For more information on ICC's high-quality, affordable programs, visit icc.edu.

The Greater Peoria Economic Development Council serves Logan, Mason, Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties, a federally designated five-county Economic Development District. In collaboration with our local economic and workforce development partners, we drive economic growth in Greater Peoria through targeted business and talent development and attraction.

Contact: Shelli Dankoff  Media Relations Program Manager, OSF HealthCare (309) 655-3897



Ben Taylor  University of Illinois System  Office (217) 244-5045 | Cell (217) 714-3555



SOURCE OSF HealthCare

Related Links

http://www.osfhealthcare.org


BROOMFIELD, Colo., Dec, 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- New research from Regenexx, which provides advanced interventional orthobiologics, shows greater potential for treating osteoarthritis of the knee with cell-based therapies. The study, published on December 13, 2018, in the Journal of Translational Medicine, was a randomized controlled trial of patients' own bone marrow concentrate (BMC) and platelet-rich plasma products versus an exercise therapy regimen for patients with moderate knee osteoarthritis, with clinical outcomes documented over a two-year period.

The study included 48 patients, with 22 in the control group (exercise) and 26 receiving the treatment of bone marrow concentrate (which contains mesenchymal stem cells, platelets, and other cells with healing and regeneration potential) and platelet-rich plasma. All patients in the control group crossed over to the BMC treatment group at three months.

Patients who received the BMC treatment improved significantly in activity levels and stability at three months over those who followed the exercise therapy program. Over the two-year period, after receiving the BMC treatment, significant reduction in pain and increased functionality were maintained.

"To the best of our knowledge, this is the first randomized controlled trial comparing patients' own bone marrow concentrate and therapeutic exercise for knee osteoarthritis," said Christopher Centeno, M.D., lead researcher on the study. "While exercise therapy alleviated osteoarthritis symptoms and improved function, the specific BMC protocol, while warranting further investigation, had a greater positive impact on the patients."

Osteoarthritis, one of the most common causes of chronic joint pain, affects more than 50 million adults in the United States. Annual costs due to medical expenses and lost wages exceed $100 billion. Current treatments include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are not curative and are associated with side effects; corticosteroid injections, which demonstrate only modest clinical benefits; aquatic therapies, which provide short-term benefits; and physical therapy.

While exercise or physical therapy has been shown to improve function and reduce pain, this study showed cell-based therapy to be more effective.

To review the full study and outcomes in the Journal of Translational Medicine, click here.

About Regenexx

Regenexx provides advanced interventional orthobiologics (non-surgical stem cell and blood platelet treatments) for common joint injuries and degenerative joint conditions, such as osteoarthritis and avascular necrosis. These stem cell procedures utilize a patient's own stem cells or blood platelets to help heal damaged tissues, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, spinal disc, or bone. The company also provides programs for self-funded employers, enabling them to offer their employees an additional choice in care for orthopedic issues. For more information, visit www.regenexx.com or www.regenexxcorporate.com.

SOURCE Regenexx

Related Links

http://www.regenexxcorporate.com


WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- This morning, National Association of Realtors President Elect Vince Malta testified before the House Financial Services Committee during its hearing, "A Legislative Proposal to Provide for a Sustainable Housing Finance System: The Bipartisan Financing Reform Act of 2018." Malta, a third-generation Realtor and the CEO and broker of Malta & Co., Inc. in San Francisco, CA, commended the Committee for its work toward comprehensive reform of the nation's housing finance system while outlining NAR's priorities for a legislative restructuring of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

In his testimony, Malta outlined NAR's sentiments on the three main components of Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling's bill, the Bipartisan Financing Reform Act of 2018.

"NAR believes the discussion draft contains many provisions that should serve as the backbone for comprehensive housing finance reform. These components include an explicit government guarantee, regulatory flexibility and strong and reasonable regulatory authority," said Malta, who has over 43 years of experience in the real estate industry. "However, as the discussion draft evolves, the proposal can be improved to further ensure a reliable and affordable source of mortgage capital is readily available for responsible creditworthy Americans in all types of markets.

"Above all else, NAR firmly believes that comprehensive housing finance reform must be done in a bipartisan manner."

Along with Malta, representatives from the National Association of Home Builders, Mortgage Bankers Association, and the National Association of Federal Credit Unions were invited to participate in the Financial Service Committee hearing.

"The National Association of Realtors commends Chairman Hensarling for his hard work in the effort to reform America's housing finance system," said NAR Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Shannon McGahn. "Specifically, we strongly support this proposal's language to provide an explicit government guarantee for mortgage-backed securities, which will provide countercyclical protections and pricing benefits to American consumers. Most importantly, any such reforms must provide liquidity and promote stability in the national housing market, particularly during times of economic distress."

Despite structural and fundamental improvements to the housing industry since the financial crisis, NAR has argued that the current conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac needs to be reexamined. Realtors also have held that policymakers must address the mounting challenges facing the secondary mortgage market, which could have a severe impact on taxpayers and on Americans' ability to access affordable mortgage credit.

In order to minimize the effects of these threats, NAR has been urging Congress to enact comprehensive housing finance reform legislation, which will be the focus of NAR's Policy Forum on February 7, 2019, in Washington D.C. Industry experts, academics, and policymakers will all speak at the event as NAR continues to lead discussions on opportunities facing the housing finance system and offer sensible reforms for the future.

"While the housing market has generally improved since the financial crisis, there remains a need for policymakers to address challenges that may arise in another economic downturn," Malta said today. "NAR urges lawmakers to pass comprehensive housing finance reform. Thoughtful reform of the secondary mortgage market will not only safeguard the interests of taxpayers, but also ensure for a deep and affordable mortgage market for all creditworthy Americans," Malta concluded.

The National Association of Realtors is America's largest trade association, representing 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

SOURCE National Association of Realtors

Related Links

http://www.realtor.org


LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Following is a statement from Steven Saxton, founder and CEO of Green Gorilla, a leading manufacturer and brand of cannabidiol (CBD) products, regarding the signing of the Farm Bill into law:

"The signing of the Farm Bill into law represents an enormous step forward for the hemp industry. The 2018 Farm Bill will allow hemp cultivation broadly and puts no restrictions on the sale, transport or possession of hemp-derived products so long as those items are produced and marketed in a manner consistent with the law.

Steven Saxton, Founder and CEO, Green Gorilla

"As such, the legalization of hemp-derived CBD will not only make it easier for consumers to purchase CBD products, but also enable the scientific community to further research CBD and provide consumers with more information on its benefits and use.

"The immediate impact of the Farm Bill will likely be greater confidence among large retailers to carry CBD products. We are anticipating our distribution channels will see significant growth during the coming months leading to exponentially higher sales the first half of 2019. The signing of the bill is also expected to result in a greater influx of capital, with investors becoming more comfortable aligning themselves with the industry.

"We are hoping to finally see proper regulation of the industry which will establish better standards and practices. Right now, it is like the Wild West; CBD companies are putting out products with incorrect and misleading information on their labels and consumers don't know which brands to trust. The Journal of the American Medical Association conducted a study that found approximately 70 percent of CBD products had different levels of CBD than what appeared on the label.

"Green Gorilla has always been committed to providing consumers the highest quality products possible. While the industry currently has no standards to follow, we have led the way to set the bar ourselves and establish standards we believe far exceed others in the industry. From the high quality of our ingredients and our Good Manufacturing Practices to our USDA Organic certification, third-party lab testing and the transparency with which we label our products, we have always strived to meet the highest of standards and deliver the best hemp-derived CBD products possible. Given the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, Green Gorilla is well-positioned to be the hemp CBD global industry leader."

Green Gorilla is an international brand in the hemp and cannabis industries and a leading manufacturer of hemp cannabidiol (CBD) organic supplements, topical, pet and horse care products. The company markets its supplements and topical products under the brand Hemp & Olive and its organic biodynamic agricultural products for the cannabis industry under the Master Grower brand. Green Gorilla was established in 2013 by founder Steven Saxton. Green Gorilla products are sold at 1,000+ retailers in the U.S. and online. More information is available at ILoveGreenGorilla.com, Twitter: @GreenGorillaInc, Instagram: @GreenGorilla, Facebook: /ILoveGreenGorilla, GreenGorilla.com.br (Brazil), GreenGorilla.ca (Canada) and Mastergrower.pro. Third-party lab tests of Green Gorilla CBD products are available at ILoveGreenGorilla.com/science. The company headquarters are in Los Angeles, California.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Readers are cautioned that all forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, any assumption could be inaccurate and therefore, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements included in this press release will prove to be accurate. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included herein, the inclusion should not be regarded as a representation by the Company or any other person that the objectives and plans of the Company will be achieved.

Contact: Steve Honig, The Honig Company, 818-986-4300 / [email protected]

SOURCE Green Gorilla, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.ilovegreengorilla.com


Xie Yonglin, co-CEO of Ping An Group and chairman of Ping An Bank; Ericson Chan, CEO of Ping An Technology; Wang Endong, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chief scientist of Inspur Group; Dr. Harry Shen, Microsoft's global executive vice president for the Department of Artificial Intelligence and Research, Foreign member of National Academy of Engineering, Foreign member of Royal Academy of Engineering; Ricky Ou, chief product officer of Ping An Technology and general manager of Ping An Cloud; William Fang, CTO and chief architect of Ping An Technology; Sam Hunt, general manager of GitHub Asia-Pacific attended the conference and delivered keynote speeches. Platforms and enterprises including Ping An Cloud, Inspur, Cisco, Nvidia co-sponsored the conference.

At the conference, Ping An announced a technology research and development partnership with Inspur Group to create Fuxi Lab, which will provide a leading technology driving force for customer services based on the convergence of computing and scenarios, enabling financial, healthcare, smart city and other ecosystems. In addition, Ping An Technology announced that it will cooperate with Ping An Property Insurance to jointly launch Ping An cloud insurance services in the field of cloud security, which will establish a closed-loop service system integrating "Security on Cloud + Insurance Guaranteed ".

In his address to the conference, Ericson Chan said: "Ping An employs AI, big data, blockchain and other technologies to enable five ecosystems of Ping An, and inject new patterns and service experience into traditional services. The cloud platform has served more than 500 million Internet users. With 30 years of innovative practice, Ping An, standing at a new historical crossroad, can quickly change the engine and paint a better, more vivid Ping An with technology."

Ricky Ou said in his speech that Ping An Cloud has carried the cloud-oriented development of the Group over the past five years, helped the Group complete the transition toward an omnichannel business model, and provided customers with end-to-end full-stack services. William Fang, addressing the pain point of users, put forward the innovative solutions that Ping An Cloud can offer. He said that the IoT service platform will expand cloud services to the device side, starting from the interconnection of all things, drive data intelligence and connect data silos, which can effectively enable smart city, internet of vehicles, smart healthcare, and other ecosystems.

Addressing the cooperation between Ping An and Inspur, Li Jin, vice president of Inspur Group, said that Fuxi Lab will build the world's strongest AI financial cloud host based on the technological and scenario advantages of both sides, and utilize innovative technologies to create a greener and friendlier Ping An cloud ecosystem.

The conference set up "6 + 1" theme forums, covering cloud computing, financial technology, artificial intelligence, cloud ecology, smart healthcare, smart data and other scenario areas. There are more than 60 speeches and more than 80 smart product exhibitions and interactions including Ping An  smart insight platform, eye blinking and face scanning payment, OCT smart eye screening system, hand gesture recognition, nebula board, Ping An Urban-tech AR House bazaar, attracting more than 3,000 visitors.

"Cloud Infinity", the theme of this year's SMART Tech Conference, reflects Ping An's outlook for cloud computing. Cloud as a highly flexible container has carried 80% of Ping An's internal systems. Ping An Cloud has covered five ecosystems including finance, healthcare, automobile, real estate and smart city, and served more than 500 million Internet users. In the future, Ping An will continue to develop innovative technologies including smart cognition, AI, blockchain and cloud computing, under the guidance of deepening the "financial + ecological" development model, employ the technology engine to enable Ping An's five ecosystems, actively develop innovative service models to create value for more users. The SMART Tech Conference will continue to serve as a broader external platform for Ping An's innovations.

About Ping An Technology

Ping An Technology, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ping An Group, is committed to using AI, intelligent cognition, cloud computing, blockchain and other cutting-edge technologies to create a new cloud-based life for people. As a subsidiary, Ping An Technology is the high-tech core and tech business incubator among Ping An Group, and be responsible for the development and operation of the critical platforms and services for Ping An Group. As an independent entity, with smart technology as a means and smart manufacturing as a blueprint, Ping An technology focuses on the finance, healthcare and smart city areas, applies the technological capabilities certified by international authoritative certifications to actual business scenarios, creates a closed-loop ecosystem, and actively practices the corporate philosophy of changing life with technology.

More than 10,000 IT professionals and management experts form a high-level R&D force to provide expert-level technical support for the stable and reliable operation of the platform. The established cloud ecosystem has already carried over 500 million Internet users, and expanded to overseas markets including the United States, Singapore and Hong Kong.

About Ping An SMART Tech Conference

Ping An SMART Tech Conference, organized by Ping An Technology in cooperation with other partners, is Ping An's first conference platform dedicated to technology sharing. Held once a year, it aims to share and discuss the application achievements and development trends of AI, big data, cloud computing, blockchain and other technologies in order to promote industrial upgrading and technological progress.

The second Ping An SMART Tech Conference, with the theme of "Cloud Infinity", will demonstrate the latest practices and prospects of Ping An and its partners in the fields of finance, healthcare, smart city and other areas, and jointly paint a technology-driven ecological blueprint.

SOURCE Ping An Technology
DUBLIN, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- United Neuroscience (UNS), a clinical-stage biotech company pioneering a new class of medicine to treat and prevent brain disorders, today announced the appointment of Peter Powchik, M.D., to the newly created position of Executive Vice President of Research & Development effective Jan. 1, 2019.

Dr. Powchik, a highly accomplished scientist, physician and drug development executive with decades of biotech and Pharma experience, including almost 12 years at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., will report to UNS's Chief Executive Officer, Mei Mei Hu. He will be responsible for the leadership and expansion of UNS's global development operations as the company advances multiple vaccine programs into clinical studies and then registration. In addition, Dr. Powchik will serve as an advisor to other United Biomedical Inc. (UBI) companies.

"Peter brings to UNS proven experience in building teams and guiding exciting products through the clinical and regulatory process," said Hu. "He will help us on many levels throughout our company and within our sister companies that are under the UBI umbrella. For UNS, our focus is on advancing our Alzheimer's and Parkinson's programs through the clinic while completing IND-enabling research for other pipeline projects. Peter is well positioned to drive forward our programs."

Dr. Powchik added, "The opportunity to transform how we treat and prevent diseases by developing new vaccines that leverage a proven technology platform is what attracted me to UNS. Today we have the most advanced Alzheimer's vaccine in clinical development worldwide. Top-line results from the Phase 2a study of UB-311 are expected soon. Beyond this, we see opportunities with our diverse pipeline of vaccine candidates to make a difference in the lives of Parkinson's patients and those suffering from migraine and other debilitating conditions."

Most recently, Dr. Powchik was working as a development consultant to biopharmaceutical companies. Before this, he was the Senior Vice President of Clinical Development at Regeneron, where he built an international clinical drug development organization and oversaw the company's first five drug approvals, including KEVZARRA, DUPIXENT, PRALUENT, EYLEA and ARCALYST. Earlier in his career, Dr. Powchik was Chief Medical Officer of Chugai Pharma USA and held senior development positions with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., Sepracor Inc. and Pfizer Inc. Also, Dr. Powchik was a faculty member at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He earned his M.D. degree from the New York University School of Medicine and a B.A. in chemistry, with honors, from SUNY College at Purchase.

Dr. Ajay Verma, Chief Medical Officer of United Neuroscience during the last years, has transitioned to serve as a senior advisor of the company. "Ajay is a brilliant neurologist who has devoted his career to the advancement of neurotherapeutics and neurodiagnostics, and we are greatly appreciative of his tremendous contributions to UNS that have delivered great value," Hu continued. "We look forward to his continued contributions as a trusted advisor."

The move allows Dr. Verma to stay connected with the progress of UNS. "I've enjoyed being CMO at UNS and am excited about transitioning to a different role advising the Board of Directors," said Verma.

About United Neuroscience

United Neuroscience (UNS) is a clinical-stage biotech company dedicated to the development of best-in-class immunotherapeutics for the brain. A global company headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, with operations in Taiwan and the United States, UNS was founded to address the social and economic burden of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases and seeks to rapidly advance candidates into and through clinical trials with the goal of delivering breakthrough treatments to patients. For more information please visit www.unitedneuroscience.com.

Follow UNS on Twitter at https://twitter.com/UNSTechBio and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/unitedneuroscience.

Media Contacts:

David Schull or Brittanie Dougherty

Russo Partners, LLC

(212) 845-4271

(646) 942-5634

[email protected]

[email protected]

SOURCE United Neuroscience

Related Links

http://www.unitedneuroscience.com


HOUSTON, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- One hundred Houston children in need, some of whom have always shared a bed or have or slept without one since Hurricane Harvey, now have clean, new beds of their own, thanks to Ashley HomeStore and the Houston Rockets.

For the second consecutive year, Houston's Toyota Center was transformed into a holiday showplace where 100 beds with pillows, Houston Rockets blankets and teddy bears were carefully displayed for children to enjoy. After diving into their beds for the first time, the children were greeted by Houston Rockets players and Santa.

"That's two hundred children with clean, fresh beds to call their own," says Gary Seals CEO of Hill Country Holdings, licensee of 35 Ashley HomeStore locations in Texas, Seattle, Oregon and Idaho. "Every child deserves to enjoy the gift of sleep."

Each of the deserving children, ages 3-16, was selected for a new bed based on applications submitted to Ashley HomeStore's Hope to Dream program. Nominations were made by school social workers, case managers, clergy and charitable organizations.

Stories of hardships include a family still displaced from Hurricane Harvey, one who lost their belongings in a fire, a young widowed mother saving to purchase a new bed for her six-year-old son and a grandmother who is adopting her five grandchildren ranging from 3  12 years of age.

"Yes, these are stories of hardship but they are also stories of determination," adds Seals. "We want to be that community partner that gives them a helping hand."



Since 2010, Ashley HomeStore's Hope to Dream initiative has given more than 80,000 children the gift of sleep. To nominate a child for a new Home to Dream mattress set, go to www.ashleyfurniturehomestore.com/hopetodream .

About Hill Country Holdings

Hill Country Holdings, one of the largest independent owners of Ashley HomeStores, operates 35 stores throughout Texas, Seattle, Oregon, and Idaho. Ashley HomeStore locations in Texas can be found in Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and the Rio Grande Valley. Seattle area locations include Silverdale, Burlington, Tukwila, Tacoma, Olympia, and Richland. Oregon HomeStores are located in Portland.

SOURCE Ashley HomeStore

Related Links

http://www.ashleyfurniturehomestore.com


HOLLYWOOD, Calif. and HONG KONG, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CJ 4DPLEX (www.cj4dx.com), the world's leading cinema technology company, announced today that 20th Century Fox's new futuristic action film, "Alita: Battle Angel," is coming to theaters in ScreenX on February 14, 2019.

"Alita: Battle Angel" will be the third movie from 20th Century Fox to be converted into ScreenX. The collaboration follows the recent global success of "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Kingsman: The Golden Circle."

ScreenX is the world's first multi-projection theatre technology that allows a 270-degree panoramic movie watching experience. ScreenX allows the audience to go beyond the frame of the traditional movie screen, utilizing a proprietary system to expand the center screen image to the side walls, surrounding audiences with imagery and providing a sense of being inside the movie.

"'Alita: Battle Angel' is an epic action/adventure from visionary filmmakers James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez that takes glorious visual effects to a new level and pushes the envelope of ScreenX's full potential," said JongRyul Kim, CEO of CJ 4DPLEX. "We are thrilled to partner with 20th Century Fox to bring this breathtaking heroine's journey to audiences in our newest cinematic experience."

Andrew Cripps, President of International Theatrical Distribution, 20th Century Fox, added, "We're excited to be partnering again with CJ 4DPLEX on the release of 'Alita: Battle Angel'. Filmmakers James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez both have a long reputation of pushing the envelope of cinematic storytelling, creating immersive worlds with groundbreaking visuals that leave audiences in awe. This is the perfect film to experience the full immersion of ScreenX technology."

ScreenX has quickly enhanced its international reach, successfully screening Hollywood blockbusters and local feature films alike, including a record of eight Hollywood blockbusters released in ScreenX this year. In the past 12 months alone, ScreenX has seen a surge in the number of ScreenX installed auditoriums, which have grown to 191, a more than 30% increase year-over-year and will nearly double its footprint with the recently announced expansion plan with the Cineworld Group to open 100 locations across the U.S. and Europe.

About Alita: Battle Angel

From visionary filmmakers James Cameron (AVATAR) and Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY), comes ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, an epic adventure of hope and empowerment. When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate through the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers to help trigger her memories. When the deadly and corrupt forces of Iron City come after Alita, she discovers a clue to her past  she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, family, and the world she's grown to love.

About CJ 4DPLEX

CJ 4DPLEX is a leading, next-generation cinema technology company, headquartered in Seoul with international offices in Los Angeles and Beijing. The company has created immersive film technologies for theaters worldwide that include '4DX', 'ScreenX' and '4DX with ScreenX' for consumers to experience films in ways that were never before possible.

4DX provides moviegoers with an immersive, multi-sensory experience, allowing the audience to connect with movies through motion, vibration, water, wind, snow, lightning, scents, and other special effects that enhance the visuals on-screen. Each 4DX auditorium incorporates motion-based seating synchronized with more than 20 different effects and optimized by a team of skilled editors, maximizing the feeling of immersion within the movie, beyond the limits of audio and video. More than 570 Hollywood and local titles have been screened in 4DX. To date, more than 70,000 4DX seats operate in 600 auditoriums, spanning 61 countries.

ScreenX is the world's first multi-projection theater technology used within a theatre setting, marking it as the most visually immersive theater experience of CJ 4DPLEX. ScreenX allows moviegoers to go beyond the frame of the movie screen by utilizing a proprietary system that expands images of feature films and pre-show advertising to the left and right walls of the theatre, creating an immersive, panoramic, 270-degree viewing experience. To date, ScreenX has been installed in 191 screens around the world, including 86 screens in South Korea; 63 screens in China; 11 in the United States; 8 in England; 4 in Turkey; 4 in Japan; 3 in Switzerland; 2 in France; 2 in Vietnam and 1 in Canada, Spain, Hungary, UAE, Kuwait, Thailand, Indonesia, and Israel.

Media Contact:

Ryan Smith

310.854.8164

[email protected]

SOURCE CJ 4DPLEX

Related Links

http://www.cj4dx.com


"Andersen has been an industry leader for 115 years because of our 'All Together' commitment to delighting our customers at every touchpoint and being a special place to work," said Andersen Corporation Chairman and CEO Jay Lund. "Profit sharing is one way we recognize the talented and passionate employees who contribute to our vision that everyone benefits from their association with Andersen."

Andersen's tradition of profit sharing dates back to 1914. The current program rewards each eligible employee equally, with the payout amount based on the company's earnings.

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 and employs more than 8,000 people with manufacturing sites in North America and Europe. 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.

SOURCE Andersen Corporation

Related Links

https://www.andersenwindows.com


There was sufficient evidence for the jury to find that campaign checks in April 2014, alleged in count 4, and in October 2014, alleged in count 5, were payments in exchange for official acts and were a quid pro quo for maintaining and increasing tows, according to the response.
President Donald McConville praised the continued drive and motivation of his team after the previous quarter's honor said, "This award speaks to the pride that has been established as we raise the bar even higher. We plan to continue this trend of achieving exceptional results on behalf of the client."

With a customer acquisition strategy that places a premium on the value of direct, face-to-face interaction in building lasting relationships, Ardensway, Inc. assists clients in achieving their business goals. With a track record of proven results following these methods, the company serves Fortune 500 companies in a variety of industries.

Like Ardensway, Inc. on Facebook and follow them on Instagram.

About Ardensway, Inc.

Headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Ardensway, Inc. is a privately owned marketing and sales company that represents well-known brands in multiple industries, building personal relationships that solidify business partnerships. For more information, call 952-446-7906.

Contact: Donald McConville

952-446-7906

SOURCE Ardensway, Inc.

Related Links

https://ardensway.com


CARNEGIE, Pa., Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- While The Salvation Army will complete its Christmas distributions of new toys and food baskets for families in need this weekend, the decline in donations this holiday season will have a serious effect on their ability to keep up with needs in 2019.

"The funds collected in red kettles during the holiday season provide for programs and services until summertime," said Major Raphael Jackson, Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army for Western Pennsylvania. "It's been a really tough year all the way around. We've been faced with fewer retail stores to host kettle stands; a decline in volunteers to help man the kettles; and fewer and fewer people are carrying cash when they shop. All these things together have caused a serious decline in our donations this year."



Kettle donations stay in the community where they are given, as every service center has its own individual budget goal to raise the money needed to fund their specific community programs. These include basic needs such as food, clothing, emergency housing, and utility assistance.

Across Western Pennsylvania, The Salvation Army has 36 Worship and Service Centers, 4 Service Centers and 108 Service Units, each with its fundraising goal to support the community it serves. To date $1.5 million has been raised towards a divisional goal of $2.5 million. In Allegheny County, $387,614 has been raised towards a goal of $647,500.

In some locations such as Sharon, Punxsutawney, McKeesport and Greenville, donations are down more than 60%. Across multiple locations in Allegheny County, donations are behind 40% in total; while Westmoreland County is doing a bit better with donations down just 25% compared to last year.

"We are appealing to the community right now for their support," said Major Jackson. "If you see our kettles out while you're shopping this weekend, please consider sharing a few dollars for those in need. And if you don't see a kettle, consider going online to make a donation to our online red kettle at https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/GIVEWPA.

Celebrating over 150 years of global service as both a church and a social service organization, The Salvation Army began in London, England in 1865. Today, it provides critical services in 129 countries worldwide. The 28-county Western Pennsylvania Division serves thousands of needy families through a wide variety of support services. To learn more about The Salvation Army in Western Pennsylvania, log on to www.wpa.salvationarmy.org. The Salvation Army  doing the most good for the most people in the most need.

SOURCE The Salvation Army Western PA Division

Related Links

http://www.salvationarmy-wpa.org


BOSTON, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascend Wellness has entered a long term lease agreement with Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. (IIP) to operate a cultivation site in Barry, Illinois. The 75,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility will become one of only sixteen cultivators in operation in the state.

The deal, along with the definitive agreement to purchase HCI Alternatives, will create Ascend Illinois  a vertically integrated cannabis company. The business is projected to create new jobs and increase supply in the state, where medicinal use of cannabis was first legalized in 2013, and made available to patients in 2015.

"The passing of the opioid bill will lead to significant growth in the Illinois market next year," said Founder of Ascend Wellness, Abner Kurtin. "Ascend is excited to bring a wide variety of branded product to enhance the experience of the Illinois consumer."

Also based in Illinois, HCI Alternatives focuses on providing exceptional customer service at its two retail facilities in Springfield and Collinsville, as well as hosting cannabis educational resources online. HCI's current customer base captures about 10% of the total market share in the state.

"We are gratified to be part of Ascend Illinois," says Chris Stone, HCI's CEO. "Illinois, like the rest of the country, has been plagued by the opioid epidemic, to which cannabis provides a safer and non-addictive alternative to pain management."

For more information about Ascend, visit AscendWellness.com .

About Ascend Wellness

Ascend Wellness is a vertically integrated cannabis company operating in Massachusetts, Illinois, and Michigan. Ascend is redefining the cannabis retail experience, offering a customer-centric environment and a curated selection of products with effect-based categorization.

Media Contact

Rosie Mattio

917-583-6349

[email protected]

SOURCE Ascend Wellness

Related Links

http://www.ascendwellness.com


FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Bad Habits Tattoos in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is now a full-service tattoo studio thanks to their new addition of the Astanza Duality laser. The leading tattoo studio added laser tattoo removal to their list of services to better serve their clients' skin alteration requests. While the majority of their clients come in to get new artwork, a large handful expressed interest in removing their old, unwanted tattoos.

"Most inked individuals with multiple tattoos have at least one piece of art they've come to regret, wish had turned out differently or wish they could change," said Lisandra Chaviano, owner. "With laser tattoo removal, our talented tattoo artists can lighten a tattoo and incorporate brighter colors, design aspects, size specifications, and other details into a cover-up that aren't feasible on a dark, heavily pigmented tattoo. At Bad Habits Tattoos, we strive to give each customer a tattoo and experience they'll love forever, and the Duality is helping us achieve that and much more."

Bad Habits Tattoos has invested in the Astanza Duality laser, a Q-switched Nd:YAG system that uses high power energy and ultra-quick pulse durations to shatter ink particles trapped in the skin's dermis. The Duality's versatile 1064 nm and 532 nm wavelengths target a wide variety of ink colors, including two of the most popular tattoo colors, black and red. Both of these wavelengths are safe to use on all skin types and penetrate deep into the skin to eliminate more ink with each treatment session.

"The team at Bad Habits Tattoos is comprised of some of Florida's most skilled artists," said Bryce Fisher, Astanza Sales Representative. "Their investment in the Duality coupled with their drive for great results undoubtedly makes them the best tattoo and removal provider in the greater Fort Lauderdale area."

Bad Habits Tattoos is currently offering 15% all laser tattoo removal treatments and packages now through December 31, 2018.

About Bad Habits Tattoos

Bad Habits Tattoos is a full-service tattoo studio in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They specialize in various tattooing styles including realism, Japanese, colorwork, portrait, geometric, watercolor, Polynesian, cover-up, and more. They also specialize in advanced laser tattoo removal and offer complete tattoo removal, selective tattoo removal, and fading for cover-up tattoos.

The laser technicians at Bad Habits Tattoos have received expert hands-on and didactic training from New Look Laser College, the world's leading laser tattoo removal training program, and are certified laser specialists and laser safety officers. For more information or to schedule a free consultation, call (954) 280-8626 or visit https://www.badhabitstattoos.com/ . Bad Habits Tattoos is located at 4342 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308.

About Astanza Laser

Astanza is the leader in lasers for tattoo removal, hair removal, and additional aesthetic procedures. In addition to developing cutting-edge medical laser devices such as the Duality, Trinity, and ReSmooth systems, Astanza offers its customers a complete range of training, marketing, and business consulting services specific to achieving success in this growing field.

Astanza Laser is headquartered in Dallas, TX with customers throughout North America and Europe. For product, investor, or press information, call (800) 364-9010, or visit http://www.astanzalaser.com/ .

SOURCE Astanza Laser

Related Links

http://www.AstanzaLaser.com


MONCTON, New Brunswick, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BMG Consulting Inc., an outsourced direct marketing and sales company headquartered in New Brunswick, Canada, recently announced that its efforts during the third quarter have earned it the prestigious Campaign Cup trophy.

Awarded on the basis of sales metrics as well as overall quality of sales performance, the award has now been presented to BMG Consulting Inc. for several quarters dating back to 2017. Led by President Alex Bayat, the company once again outperformed all eligible offices across the country participating in the same campaign.

Bayat praised his team's efforts in bringing the Cup back to the office for consecutive quarters. "I'm proud of this honor because it's a true reflection of our across-the-board commitment to achieving results on behalf of the client," he said. "We look forward to keeping the Campaign Cup in our office for many quarters to come."

BMG Consulting Inc. favors a personalized approach for fulfilling bottom-line priorities that rely on forging solid relationships. The company creates lucrative and effective business solutions via a synergy between identifying outsourcing needs and providing the determination and drive that delivers results.

With nimble resources and a diversity of experience, BMG Consulting provides personalized support that complements core business in a variety of industries. The company also is active in philanthropic causes in the community, such as Operation Smile.

About BMG Consulting Inc.

A leading sales and marketing firm based in New Brunswick, Canada, BMG Consulting Inc. plays a strategic role in helping companies grow by providing qualified professionals to represent them to their customer base. Developing leadership from within while achieving outstanding results for the client and giving back to the community are core to the firm's success. For more information, contact BMG Consulting Inc. at 506-830-9102 or www.bmgconsultinginc.ca.

Contact: Alex Bayat

506-830-9102

SOURCE BMG Consulting Inc.

Related Links

http://bmgconsultinginc.ca


SEATTLE, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] and Lagos-based Green Africa Airways today announced a commitment for up to 100 737 MAX 8 aircraft, evenly split into 50 firm aircraft and 50 options, as the airline gears up to begin commercial operations. The total deal carries a list-price of $11.7 billion, the largest aircraft agreement from Africa, and will be reflected on Boeing's Orders and Deliveries website once finalized.

"Today is a historic day for the Nigerian and African aviation industry," said Babawande Afolabi, Founder & CEO, Green Africa Airways. "This landmark deal takes us much closer to our long-held dream of building a world-class airline that will unlock a new realm of positive possibilities for millions of customers. Broadly speaking, this deal is a bold symbol of the dynamism, resilience and soaring entrepreneurial drive of the next generation of Nigerians and Africans."

Green Africa Airways, a value airline based in Lagos, Nigeria aims to offer safe, quality and affordable air travel and be a significant contributor to the economic development of Nigeria and the African continent. The new airline has received its Air Transport License from the Nigerian government and is anchored by a group of senior industry leaders led by Tom Horton, former Chairman and CEO of American Airlines, William Shaw, Founder and former CEO of VivaColombia and Virasb Vahidi, former CCO of American Airlines.

"Nigeria is uniquely positioned to be the home of the next major value airline. The strategic partnership with Boeing positions Green Africa Airways to expand and improve air travel for customers in Nigeria, and further strengthens the relationship between the United States, Nigeria and Africa," Vahidi said.

The airline initially plans to develop the Nigerian market and then build a strong Pan African network. According to Boeing's 20-year Commercial Market Outlook, airlines in Africa will require 1,190 new airplanes as the continent boosts both intra-continental and intercontinental connectivity over the next couple of decades.

"The growth potential for air travel across Nigeria and Africa is extraordinary with the airplane fleet expected to more than double over the next 20 years. We are delighted that Green Africa Airways has selected the 737 MAX to serve this expanding market," said Ihssane Mounir, Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales & Marketing, The Boeing Company. "We look forward to Green Africa Airways building their fleet with the MAX and taking advantage of the jet's efficiency and dependability to open new options across Nigeria and the African continent. Boeing will be a trusted partner to Green Africa Airways as the MAX is introduced into their operations and through their long-term success."

The 737 MAX is the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing history, accumulating more than 4,800 orders from over 100 customers worldwide. The airplane's superior performance is enabled by the latest technology in the single-aisle market, including advanced CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Advanced Technology winglets, and other airframe enhancements.

Contact:

Saffana Michael

Boeing Communications

[email protected]

Mobile: +97150 4590651

SOURCE Boeing

Related Links

http://www.boeing.com


HELSINKI, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The softwood sawmilling sector in Eastern Canada will play an increasingly important role as a key supplier to the growing US lumber market in the future, according to a new study. The increasing lumber consumption in the US will also likely result in increased investments in production capacity in the US, changes in Canadian lumber trade flows, a rise in overseas supply, and upward pressure on sawlog prices.

Consumption of softwood lumber in the US is forecasted to increase over the next decade and reach an all-time high by 2030. Canada is poised to continue being a dominant supplier of softwood lumber to the US, but there will be changes in log availability. The timber harvests on public lands in British Columbia are set to decline over the next decade and uncertainty surrounds log availability in the eastern provinces.

The recently released multi-client study "Future Suppliers of Softwood Lumber to the US Market  Supply and Demand Outlook 2017-2030"provides detailed regional profiles of Canada's future sawlog availability, forecasted sawlog prices, the outlook and competitiveness of Canada's lumber industry, and likely regional Canadian lumber supply for the US market. The two major lumber-producing regions of Canada, the Western region (British Columbia and Alberta), and the Eastern provinces (Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes), each face complex factors that will further decrease the Annual Allowable Cuts (AAC). However, despite declining AAC's, there is still the possibility that softwood roundwood production will increase in the future in Eastern Canada as current harvest levels are far below sustainable levels.

The more than decade-long infestation of the Mountain Pine Beetle in Interior British Columbia is coming to an end. Harvest levels are predicted to fall over the 2016-2030 forecast period, though log supply for the local sawmills could be modestly augmented by slightly increasing harvests in Coastal BC and a likely reduction in log exports to the Pacific Rim.

Another of the study's conclusion is that lumber exports from Eastern Canada to the US are likely to increase substantially between 2017 and 2030. The in-depth analysis showed some interesting results in terms of Canada's role as a future lumber supplier to the US. This was particularly true in the study's high demand scenario.

The main contents of the comprehensive 218-page study include:

Demand forecasts of softwood lumber in the US from 2017 to 2030.

Projected domestic and international suppliers that will meet US softwood lumber demand during the forecast period.

Supply Curve Analysis with alternative scenarios of lumber supply and demand.

Conclusions and Sensitivities.

The new multi-client study "Future Suppliers of Softwood Lumber to the US Market  Supply and Demand Outlook 2017-2030" is published by ForestEdge LLC and Wood Resources International LLC. For more information about the study or to inquire about the purchasing of the 218-page report, please contact either Robert Hagler ([email protected]) or Hakan Ekstrom ([email protected]).

More information about the study, including the table of contents, and subscription costs can be found at our website. Click here!

CONTACT:

Wood Resources International LLC

Hakan Ekstrom

[email protected]

www.woodprices.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/wood-resources-international-llc/r/canada-will-continue-to-be-a-major-supplier-of-lumber-to-the-us---with-the-exports-from-the-eastern-,c2705732

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/1902/2705732/967233.pdf Canada will continue to be a major supplier of softwood lumber to the US in the next decade

SOURCE Wood Resources International LLC
SEATTLE, Dec. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hours after the signing of the U.S. Farm Bill by President Trump on Thursday, Prohibition Brands, the global leader of marijuana joints, cigars and cigarettes, will post a fiery YouTube "Declaration of War" against Big Tobacco.

"With the U.S. Farm Bill now the law, we will now enter the cigarette market and attempt to put Big Tobacco out of business," said Prohibition Brands CEO Brian Laoruangroch.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tobacco smoking kills more than six million people worldwide annually. It is the leading cause of preventable death in the world. To date, there are no deaths that have been scientifically linked to marijuana use.

"We have been preparing the last six years for the passage of the Farm Bill and we continued the development of Marijuanettes, our flagship product. As a former tobacco smoker myself, I knew the need to create a tobacco-alternative cigarette. With the Farm Bill, we officially launch 'Marijuanettes'  our THC  and tobacco-free cigarettes."

The U.S. Farm Bill legalizes cannabis with THC below 0.3 percent. Before the Farm Bill, all cannabis, regardless of THC content, was categorized as a Schedule 1 drug, in the same class as heroin and cocaine.

Laoruangroch predicts that the new Farm Bill, and specifically his Marijuanettes, could help in decreasing tens of millions of world deaths from tobacco-smoking by as much as half in less than a decade, simply by smokers switching from tobacco to cannabis.

In the Dec. 20 4:20 p.m. PST scheduled release of the YouTube video under the title "High Noon," Laoruangroch dresses as a spoof "Marlboro Man" and challenges major tobacco companies to a "duel to the death."

"Anywhere cigarettes are sold, we will sell Marijuanettes. We will lead the charge to put the final nail in their coffin. Smoking is not the problem, tobacco is the problem. Today, we begin a new era where smoking cigarettes and tobacco are no longer synonymous. Marijuanettes are the future."

Prohibition Brands is America's most successful and oldest cannabis joint manufacturer. They have spent years perfecting all aspects of cannabis cigarettes from curing, blending, roasting, toasting, aging, cannabinoid infusing, designing, packaging, manufacturing and distributing.

CEO Brian Laoruangroch has spent the last eight years traveling the world collecting proprietary marijuana genetics that allow them to create cannabis cigarettes that can be sold nationwide today and are compliant with the U.S. Farm Bill. Those travels are documented in the company's self-published show "Weed around the World." Laoruangroch made headlines in 2013 when he announced he would establish the "Marlboro of Weed."

As of Dec. 20 at 4:20 p.m. PST, Marijuanettes will be readily available for sale online at www.MarijuanettesCBD.com or through the company's distribution partners.

For media relations, contact [email protected].

Related Links

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/index.htm

SOURCE Prohibition Brands

Related Links

http://www.MarijuanettesCBD.com


STOCKHOLM, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Cevian Capital Partners Limited and Cevian Capital II Co-Investment Fund L.P. today announce a holding in Nordea Bank Abp corresponding to c. 2.3%[1] of the total number of shares and votes. Cevian Capital expects to join Nordea Bank Abp's nomination board.

Christer Gardell of Cevian Capital AB comments:

"Cevian has been following Nordea for several years, including meeting its management a number of times. Cevian sees significant value potential in Nordea. We will work with Nordea's owners, board of directors and management to realize this value potential without unnecessary time delay. We particularly look forward to working with Nordea's lead shareholder Sampo. Cevian has high regards for Sampo's core team Bjorn Wahlroos, Kari Stadigh and Torbjorn Magnusson."

[1] Refers to 91,961,979 shares.

Contact:

Hallvarsson & Halvarsson

Johan Ramsten

+46 70 971 12 85

[email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/cevian-capital/r/cevian-capital-announces-a-c--2-3--ownership-in-nordea-bank-abp,c2705616

The following files are available for download:

SOURCE CEVIAN CAPITAL
The holding of 2018 China's Strategy in Business Competition Forum coincided with the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up. In addition to experts from the consulting industry, the forum brought together representatives from a number of representative business and academic circles. The chairmen of enterprises such as Firmus, Bosideng and Bestore participated in the forum and made wonderful sharing.

Kmind, a Chinese strategy consulting enterprise, has done a lot of work in cultivating enterprise competitiveness. Its efforts were widely recognized by all walks of life at the forum. The representative of the organizer Haisong Huang said, at present, Chinese enterprises urgently need a set of "Chinese strategies" that are more suitable for the current business competition environment and are with more Chinese characteristics to enhance their competitiveness. In this respect, Kmind Consulting has made a lot of contributions to the development and improvement of strategy theory system of local Chinese enterprises with its focus on solving enterprise competition challenges, with its practical achievements of creating nine leading enterprises within three years and its vision to build 100 classical cases that can promote China's business civilization progress in 10 years, and also with its creative new competitive strategies. It is an excellent diagnostician and designer serving enterprises.

Moreover, Kmind's exclusive competitive strategy system, which is a breakthrough for the field of management theory in China, has also attracted the attention of mainstream business schools. At the round-table forum of "2018 Chinese Strategies for Business Competition", the integration of industries, universities and research institutions, and the dialectical relationship between the consulting industry and the rise of a great power were also refreshing. Founded more than three years ago, Kmind Consulting has quietly established itself as a benchmark image in China's consulting industry, especially in the field of strategy consulting.

Creating nine leading enterprises within three years, Kmind has become a benchmark for China's consulting industry

For all enterprises, they are facing the same problem - how to survive and develop well. From the perspective of enterprises themselves, they must first face the challenges of change in development mode, optimization of economic structure and transformation of growth momentum. Meanwhile, the upgrade of consumption structure and the adjustment of demand structure put forward higher requirements for the quality of enterprise products. The market environment has also changed dramatically, and the surging tide of globalization has led to broader and deeper competition among enterprises.

Against this background, homogeneous competition and price wars keep coming and going, and constantly compress the living space of enterprises. The increase of sales volume not bringing about profit increases and profits being as thin as paper have become the reality that enterprises have to face. How to win over competitors and win the choice of customers have become the biggest puzzle for entrepreneurs.

As a practical representative in cultivating enterprise competitiveness, Kmind Consulting integrates western management theory and Chinese traditional culture, creates a competitive strategy system to help enterprises build sustainable competitiveness, and takes the lead in finding the Chinese answer to the enterprise competitiveness problem. At the forum, Kmind released its practical results of creating nine leading enterprises within three years. The growth secrets of the nine leading enterprises (Firmus, Bosideng,Yadea Group Holdings, Indel B, Hunan Kouweiwang Group, Ajisen Ramen, Focus Media, Bestore, and Zhuyeqing Tea) were uncovered as the forum went on.

During the forum, Kmind Consulting's president Lianzheng Xu and CEO Rongjun Yao went up on the stage and talked about the ways to enhance business competitiveness and the new thoughts about the integration of industries, universities and research institutions. Youbin Leng, the chairman of Firmus, gave a keynote speech titled Competition Breakthrough of National Brands, telling the formulation process of Firmus' competitive strategy - "more suitable for Chinese baby's constitution", and sharing his business insights and practical experience; Dekang Gao, the board chairman and president of Bosideng Group, described the story behind the return of an expert of down jackets to the mainstream with his keynote speech Value Returning of National Enterprises and got the audience deeply impressed; the chairman of Bestore Hongchun Yang delivered a keynote speech titled The Strategic Journey of Chinese Snacks, showing the helplessness of the enterprise when it was in face of the price war and the experience of breaking through with the help of competitive strategy.

Promote the integration of industries, universities and research institutions, competitive strategy teaching and research workshop officially launched

The remarkable achievements of creating nine leading enterprises in three years not only caused shock in the industry, but also attracted the attention of China Management Case-sharing Center, a first-class case center with domestic authority and the largest case database available.

Professor Jingqin Su, a member of the National MBA Education Supervisory Committee and the director of China Management Case-sharing Center, believes that the important value of Kmind's competitive strategy should not be understood only from the maturity of theory and the results of helping a certain or some enterprises to develop, and it should be noted that this strategy provides solutions to the practical problems in China: the first one is that the present overcapacity and constant price wars among enterprises result in waste of resources and prevent Chinese brands from moving upmarket, and it's a common expectation of the government and enterprises to stop price wars; the second one is, in business schools that are meant to be important training bases for high-quality management personnel, there is disconnection between theory and practice. At present, most of the management theories come from the west. Although the independent research and development of management theories suitable for Chinese situations has been put on the agenda, more breakthroughs are still needed.

Based on that and with the support from the National MBA Education Supervisory Committee, China Management Case-sharing Center, together with experts and professors from many famous universities, Kmind Consulting and the enterprises it provides services for, established the competitive strategy teaching and research workshop, and declared its launch at the forum. The director of the National MBA Education Supervisory Committee Ping Wang delivered a speech and said, the establishment of competitive strategy teaching and research workshop is an important exploration of mutual promotion between Chinese MBA education and local Chinese enterprises, hoping that it can give full play to the linkage advantages of industries, universities and research institutions, and contribute to the sustainable and high-quality development of Chinese enterprises.

The competitive strategy teaching and research workshop brings together experts and professors from 12 nationally renowned universities, such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, Dalian University of Technology, Shanghai Jiaotong University and so on, Kmind Consulting's three strategy consulting experts, chairman Weishan Xie, president Lianzheng Xu and CEO Rongjun Yao. They will be jointly responsible for guiding the strategy formulation and development direction of the workshop. In the future, the workshop will focus on exploring the summary and dissemination of the best practical cases of Chinese business enterprises, and aspire to become one of the important sources of Chinese management theory.

In addition, at the round-table forum, together with other distinguished guests, such as professor Xiaobo Wu from Zhejiang University, also a specially-appointed professor of Changjiang Scholars Program of the Ministry of Education, professor Zhiying Liu from University of Science and Technology of China, also a director of Case Center, the chairman of CredEx Fintech Xia Tang and the CEO of Kmind Consulting Rongjun Yao, Professor Jingqin Su expressed their opinions on the current business competition environment and discussed the new thoughts about promoting the integration of industries, universities and research institutions by combining the pain points and difficulties in their own current case teaching or their business practical experience.

Promote economic transformation and upgrading of China, Kmind's "Chinese strategies" become a way to win business wars

Chairman Weishan Xie delivered a speech titled Chinese Strategies for Chinese Enterprises at the forum. He said, looking back on the economic rise and leading history of the United States, Japan and Germany, we could find that the rise of great powers was accompanied by the revolution of management theories and the assistance of consulting industry.

For example, the rise of consulting firms such as McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company, Boston Consulting Group were all influenced by the management revolution of Taylor and Drucker in the 1930s. The management thoughts of Taylor and Drucker became the strongest foundation for America's continued economic leadership in the world. In the 1950s, the spread of refined management theory of Toyota Motor led to Japan's rapid economic rise and its global leading advantages in automobile and digital fields. Germany's Mercedes-Benz, Bosch and Siemens also benefited from the improvement of management theories. In 1972, Germany's systematic quality assurance system was put forward, which had a huge impact on German manufacturing after being spread by Roland Berger and other consulting companies.

In the new economic era, competition is becoming deeper, broader and more intense than ever before. Because the original advanced management theories and modes have been basically applied globally. At the enterprise level, the market environment has changed from shortage to surplus, and the battlefield of competition has shifted from workshops to channels and then to customers, presenting a white-hot state of competition. These changes have directly resulted in the failure of traditional management theories which aimed at improving operational efficiency, and the inability of many of the world's top consulting companies.

How to achieve a breakthrough? How to win a competition? Both the times and the enterprises are urgently calling for the emergence of new management theories. In terms of enhancing the competitiveness of enterprises, Kmind Consulting actively explored and innovated at the theoretical, practical and academic levels to help enterprises cope with competition dynamically and act as an "accompany runner" of enterprises. Since its establishment three years ago, Kmind Consulting has helped more than ten enterprises, including nine leading enterprises, achieve growth. However, in Xie's view, this speed is far from enough compared with the huge base of Chinese enterprises. And this also leads Kmind Consulting to cooperate with China Management Case-sharing Center to launch the competitive strategy teaching and research workshop to promote the integration of industries, universities and research institutions.

Looking ahead, Xie is ambitious: "With the original intention of solving enterprise competition problem and promoting China's economic take-off, Kmind Consulting has developed its competitive strategy system to help enterprises to build sustainable competitiveness. We hope we can build 100 classical cases in 10 years so as to set an example for Chinese consulting industry to promote China's economic transformation and upgrading. We hope we can train 1,000 competitive strategy experts and build 100 classical cases worth 100 billion yuan in 10 years. "

Xie predicts that, with the diligence of Chinese people, the huge domestic demand in the Chinese market and the unique advantages of Chinese civilization, China will usher in a brand era in which all enterprises will worth 100 billion yuan. For future, Chinese enterprises should have confidence, so should the Chinese consulting industry.

SOURCE Kmind Consulting
I dont think theres any dispute shes suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Durkin said. Elhassanis condition has worsened while in jail, and Durkin said he worried she would deteriorate to the point that she would not be able to be competent enough to defend herself at trial.
"Our roster of world-class speakers, combined with our global presence and growing prestige as premier aggregator of original thought leadership content, creates a unique value proposition for our community of senior technology executives," says Hunter Muller, Founder, President and CEO of HMG Strategy, a recognized leader in executive thought leadership, independent research and executive career acceleration. " We attract top executives and respected leaders from the world's pre-eminent organizations, providing opportunities for acquiring knowledge, peer-to-peer networking, personal growth and career ascent that are simply unmatched by our competitors ."

This year's schedule included 30-plus summits in major technology markets, including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Boston, Menlo Park, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, San Diego, Charlotte, Detroit, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Greenwich, St. Louis, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Toronto, and London. Next year's schedule will include live events in those cities, plus an expanded schedule of webinars and exclusive in-person meetings for select groups of senior executive leaders.

Additionally, 2018 marked the release of Hunter Muller's fifth business book, The CEO of Technology: Lead, Reimagine, and Reinvent to Drive Growth and Create Value in Unprecedented Times, published by Wiley, the world's leading publisher of business, science and technology books. Muller is currently writing his sixth book, "Future State 2025: An Executive Leadership Manifesto on Technologies and Companies Reshaping the Enterprise Through Continuous Innovation and Relentless Self-Disruption, which will be published by Wiley in 2019.

HMG Strategy's success is centered upon its Six Pillars of Trust:

HMG Strategy's distinctive Thought Leadership Research Agenda and Digital Research Platform provide tech executives with unparalleled peer-to-peer insights.

provide tech executives with unparalleled peer-to-peer insights. HMG Strategy's unique Media Model , providing 1 million weekly impressions, delivers fresh perspectives on the top business, leadership and customer trends.

, providing 1 million weekly impressions, delivers fresh perspectives on the top business, leadership and customer trends. Research Advisory Services Embrace the 'No Analyst' Model , delivering peer-driven, forward-looking insights to Fortune 2000 tech executives.

, delivering peer-driven, forward-looking insights to Fortune 2000 tech executives. Executive Leadership Summit Series which provides unparalleled networking between top-tier technology executives and search executives.

which provides unparalleled networking between top-tier technology executives and search executives. Delivering a Career Accelerator that inspires technology executives to lead, recruit and retain top tech talent while powering their career trajectories.

that inspires technology executives to lead, recruit and retain top tech talent while powering their career trajectories. HMG Next Ventures Partners side-by-side with leading venture capitalists, connecting members of the HMG community with leading enterprise startups.

"Our commitment to creating fresh, original and timely content on a continual basis offers unique advantages in a highly volatile and rapidly shifting economy," Muller says. "Our deep research capabilities translate into meaningful value for our core audience of technology executives, business partners, venture capitalists and search executives."

Key highlights of 2018 at a glance include:

HMG Strategy's Executive Leadership Summits generated record attendance and record revenues in 2018. Individual attendance and revenue records were set at the Summit of America in New York , the Global Innovation Summit in Menlo Park , the Atlanta CIO Executive Leadership Summit, the Southern California CIO Executive Leadership Summit in Huntington Beach , the London CIO Executive Leadership Summit, and the Philadelphia CIO Executive Leadership Summit.

, the Global Innovation Summit in , the Atlanta CIO Executive Leadership Summit, the Southern California CIO Executive Leadership Summit in , the London CIO Executive Leadership Summit, and the Philadelphia CIO Executive Leadership Summit. Membership for the CIO and CISO Executive Leadership Alliance (CELA) more than doubled in 2018. New brands now participating in HMG Strategy's distinctive peer-to-peer advisory service now include Bloomin' Brands, Deloitte, Equinix, Hargreaves Lansdown, IBM, Juul Labs , MACOM, Micron Technology, Novant Health, and Perrigo.

, MACOM, Micron Technology, Novant Health, and Perrigo. Revenue generated through HMG Strategy's award-winning Digital Platform, including co-branded white papers, webinars, blog posts, case studies and other content, more than doubled in 2018. New sponsors that contributed to this growth include Darktrace, HCL Technologies, Magenic, Onapsis, SAP, SecurityScorecard, and Windsor Group.

"Our 2018 summit theme  'Lead, Reimagine, Reinvent  Building a Customer-Centric Organization in Highly Disruptive Times' dovetails nicely with our 2019 summit theme  'Future State 2025  Driving the Digital Roadmap to a Customer-Centric Enterprise', says Muller. "Forward-thinking technology executives must be focused on working closely with the CEO and the Board of Directors to envision and execute on developing the future state for the business in order to deliver on customer and shareholder expectations."

"The scale and scope of our research offerings have increased dramatically and substantially," Muller says. "The range and value of opportunities we create for our audience is breathtaking. We are genuinely grateful and deeply proud of our achievements in 2018, and we look forward to even great success in 2019."



About HMG Strategy

HMG Strategy is the world's largest independent and most trusted provider of executive networking events and thought leadership to support the 360-degree needs of technology leaders. Our regional CIO and CISO Executive Leadership Series, newsletters, authored books, and digital Resource Center deliver proprietary research on leadership, innovation, transformation, and career ascent.

The HMG Strategy global network consists of over 300,000 senior IT executives, industry experts and world-class thought leaders.

To learn more about the 6 Pillars of Trust to HMG Strategy's unique business model, click here.

SOURCE HMG Strategy

Related Links

http://www.hmgstrategy.com


MCLEAN, Va., Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In the December 2018 Commercial Truck Guidelines Industry Update, analysts from J.D. Power Valuation Services reported that the volume of trucks sold at auction returned to a more typical level in November with pricing less stable, however, the retail market continues to see mild depreciation.

"Despite the somewhat lower pricing in November, depreciation in 2018 has been nonexistent," said Chris Visser, Commercial Truck Senior Analyst at J.D. Power Valuation Services. "As we move into the winter months, there will be fewer auctions on the calendar, making market judgments less clear. We expect a typical slowdown in auction volume and mildly lower pricing in the first quarter of 2019."

Major findings in the free monthly report note:

Auction volume back up to a typical level

Pricing less stable

Retail channel seeing mild depreciation

Volume was lower than previous months

Medium duty conditions similar to last month

Most segments recover from a weak September

Download the free December 2018 Commercial Truck Guidelines Industry Update.

J.D. Power Valuation Services (formerly NADA Used Car Guide) is a leading provider of vehicle valuation products and services to businesses. The team collects and analyzes more than 1 million automotive and truck wholesale and retail transactions per month, and delivers a range of guidebooks, auction data, analysis and data solutions.

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. These capabilities enable J.D. Power to help its clients drive customer satisfaction, growth and profitability. Established in 1968, J.D. Power is headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., and has offices serving North/South America, Asia Pacific and Europe. J.D. Power is a portfolio company of XIO Group, a global alternative investments and private equity firm headquartered in London, and is led by its four founders: Athene Li, Joseph Pacini, Murphy Qiao and Carsten Geyer.

Media Relations Contacts

Geno Effler; Costa Mesa, Calif.; 714-621-6224; [email protected]

About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

SOURCE J.D. Power

Related Links

http://www.jdpower.com


Last week Jumana Saleheen, Chief Economist at CRU, visited the CRU offices in Beijing and Shanghai. The conversations she had and the observations she made gave her an insight into how the trade war is affecting China. Her sense is that the trade war is hurting prospects in China both through weakening export prospects but also by weighing on domestic confidence. China will do all it can to ensure stable economic growth in 2019 through policy stimulus; but fine-tuning policy to deliver stability is not easy and, as such, we expect activity in 2019 to be bumpy with economic growth of around 6%. Prospects for metals markets will depend on the type and mix of policy stimulus that is chosen.

Trade war  a worry for the many not the few

Everyone Jumana spoke to, regardless of age or profession, was worried about the trade war. They felt it was undoubtedly negative for China. There was a huge sense of relief that China and the US had agreed to a truce for the next 90 days. But the consensus view was that the trade war would continue, not just for the next few months but for coming years. Its path will be uncertain, dependent on a variety of factors and it will be dynamic.

The pessimist's view is that there will be little chance of a US-China deal during the designated 90-day window. That is because while China can certainly import more  cars or soybeans  from the US, the challenge will be gaining agreement on trade practices and the speed with which China will open up its market to foreign companies. These latter issues are difficult to agree at the best of times given differences in culture and expectations between countries, but are even more difficult under President Trump, and the absence of China allies in the US government at present. The US seem determined to ensure that China shows a clear intent regarding these issues, and that it do so quickly and by front loading it's offering to the US.

The 90-day agreement is no game changer

Our base case view is that tariffs will stay at or around current levels. In the strongman era Trump is seen to be marginally ahead, mainly because he is supported by the cyclical strength of the US economy. China was in that position in 2017 when its economy was relatively healthy, and it was able to push forward on its other objectives of a better environment, and financial market regulation to improve financial stability. Of course, the balance of power could shift again if the US economy took a turn for the worse. But we see that as a risk to our central view.

Read the full story: https://www.crugroup.com/knowledge-and-insights/insights/2018/insight-from-china-the-trade-war-and-beyond/

Read more about CRU: http://bit.ly/About_CRU

About CRU

CRU offers unrivalled business intelligence on the global metals, mining and fertilizer industries through market analysis, price assessments, consultancy and events.

Since our foundation by Robert Perlman in 1969, we have consistently invested in primary research and robust methodologies, and developed expert teams in key locations worldwide, including in hard-to-reach markets such as China.

CRU employs over 260 experts and has more than 10 offices around the world, in Europe, the Americas, China, Asia and Australia  our office in Beijing opened in 2004.

When facing critical business decisions, you can rely on our first-hand knowledge to give you a complete view of a commodity market. And you can engage with our experts directly, for the full picture and a personalised response.

CRU  big enough to deliver a high-quality service, small enough to care about all of our customers.

SOURCE CRU
BOSTON, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- At Special Meetings of Shareholders held on December 20, 2018, shareholders of each Acquired Fund listed below approved the merger of the Acquired Fund into its corresponding Acquiring Fund.

Acquired Fund (Trading Symbol) Acquiring Fund (Trading Symbol) Eaton Vance New Jersey Municipal Bond Fund (EMJ) Eaton Vance Municipal Bond Fund (EIM) Eaton Vance Ohio Municipal Bond Fund (EIO) Eaton Vance Pennsylvania Municipal Bond Fund (EIP) Eaton Vance Massachusetts Municipal Income Trust (MMV) Eaton Vance Municipal Income Trust (EVN) Eaton Vance Ohio Municipal Income Trust (EVO) Eaton Vance Pennsylvania Municipal Income Trust (EVP)

Each approved merger listed above is currently expected to be completed as of the close of business of the New York Stock Exchange on or about January 18, 2019, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Each Acquired Fund shareholder will be issued common shares of the associated Acquiring Fund at an exchange ratio based on the Funds' respective net asset values per share. Each merger is a separate and distinct transaction.

The Special Meeting of Shareholders of Eaton Vance Municipal Bond Fund II (EIV) relating to its proposed merger into Eaton Vance Municipal Bond Fund (EIM) was adjourned to January 24, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time at Two International Place, Boston, Massachusetts.

Each Fund is a closed-end management investment company sponsored and managed by Eaton Vance Management. Each Fund trades on the NYSE American with the exception of Eaton Vance Municipal Income Trust, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange.

Eaton Vance Management is a subsidiary of Eaton Vance Corp. (NYSE: EV). Eaton Vance is a leading global asset manager whose history dates to 1924. With offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, Eaton Vance and its affiliates managed $439.3 billion in assets as of October 31, 2018, offering individuals and institutions a broad array of investment strategies and wealth management solutions. For more information about Eaton Vance, visit eatonvance.com.

Additional Information about the Funds and the Mergers

This press release is for informational purposes only and is not intended to, and does not, constitute an offer to purchase or sell shares of the Funds.

Fund shares are subject to investment risk, including possible loss of principal invested. No Fund is a complete investment program and you may lose money investing in a Fund. An investment in a Fund may not be appropriate for all investors. Additional information about the Funds, including performance and portfolio characteristic information, is available at www.eatonvance.com .

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined by the United States securities laws. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond a Fund's control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Eaton Vance Management

Related Links

http://www.eatonvance.com


BOSTON, Dec. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Zero Motorcycles have exhibited at the past two IDTechEx events, and typically showcase their sporty S and off-road DS models, as well as their impressive 45kW electric motors (designed from scratch in California and produced at a factory in China). This year, at the IDTechEx Show! in Santa Clara, California, things were markedly different. Zero staged two more light electric vehicles: a three-wheeled electric Vanderhall, and a four-wheeled electric go-kart, both using its powertrain. While these are still niche categories (in fact, the gasoline version of the Vanderhall has only been available to buy for the past couple of years), it is a statement from the company that it does not want to be thought of as purely a motorcycle brand. As found in the IDTechEx Research report Electric Two-wheelers 2019  2029, it reflects a stagnating motorcycle industry, which has been unable to attract a new younger audience for the past decade.

Source: IDTechEx

The gasoline version of the Vanderhall "Venice," the cheapest model, is on sale for just under $30,000 -- cheaper than a Harley Davidson touring bike. The electric version would be slightly more expensive, but much cheaper to run.

Energica, an electric superbike maker based in Italy, echoed Zero Motorcycles' troubles during its conference presentation, showing motorcycle sales data that has flatlined since the economic crisis (see below). Part of issue is down to safety conscious millennials: 5.4 percent of Baby Boomers owned a motorcycle versus 1.6 percent of Millennials, according to presented data. Another issue is the perceived image: "In the U.S. motorcycles are not a mode of transportation -- they are above all a personal expression," said Mr Stefano Benatti, CEO. The result: it is harder for electric two-wheelers to break from the image of 'a dowdy commuter vehicle for environmental fanatics' which auto startups like Tesla have done so well. However, while the western motorcycle industry as a whole is stagnant, electric motorcycle sales are growing: they are not necessarily viewed as 'dowdy' once ridden. Increasing sales further will require fresh strategies like tapping into markets in Asia, or supplying quality powertrains for other light electric vehicles.

A cautionary tale in the industry has been the story of Alta Motors: an electric motocross bike start-up once based in California. Alta's strategy was also to look beyond the premium motorcycle segment -- it intended to produce low-power e-scooters in high volume, tapping into markets in Asia (India for example sells roughly 20 million motorcycles per year, most < 200cc). However, before things could really take off the company ran out of cash, and production ceased in October 2018. Zero's strategy is more cautious: trying to open up new markets by becoming a powertrain supplier, without making something new, may be a winning strategy.

Learn more in the IDTechEx report Electric Two-Wheelers 2019  2029. Based on a global assessment IDTechEx Research has developed forecasts by category and region for 2019 - 2029.

The key takeaways / benefits of the research in this report are:

Analysis of where e-bikes, e-scooters and e-motorcycles will be dominant and why, including historical data.

Current year market size and forecasts up to 2029 by power class / speed: e-bikes <1kW and < 25kmph, e-scooters < 4kW and > 25kmph, e-motorcycles > 4kW.

Current year market size and forecasts up to 2029 by region, including India , Indonesia , Vietnam , Taiwan , Thailand , China , U.S. and Europe .

, , , , , , U.S. and . Comparison of different electric two-wheeler models - technologies, costs, players and government support.

Market share of leading e-motorcycle manufacturers and comprehensive list and specification of current models.

Report from visit to Zero Motorcycles manufacturing facility in California , and company profiles based on IDTechEx interviews.

For more information contact [email protected] or see www.IDTechEx.com/evtwowheel.

Media Contact:

Charlotte Martin

Marketing & Research Co-ordinator

[email protected]

+44(0)1223 812300

Related Images

the-electric-vanderhall-at-the.jpg

The electric Vanderhall at the IDTechEx Show! in Santa Clara

Source: IDTechEx

a-go-kart-with-zero-motorcycles.jpg

A go-kart with Zero Motorcycles' powertrain

Source: IDTechEx

Related Links

Further IDTechEx Research

Electric Vehicles: Everything is Changing USA 2018

SOURCE IDTechEx

Related Links

https://www.idtechex.com


FRANKLIN, Tenn., Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Franklin Synergy Bank today opened the doors of its newest branch in Franklin, Tennessee, located at 5040 Carothers Parkway - Suite 109 in the Carothers Crossing development. Franklin Synergy is continuing to expand the bank's Middle Tennessee footprint to meet the needs of growing communities.

"Franklin Synergy Bank's expansion in Franklin is an investment in our community," commented Richard Herrington, Franklin Synergy Bank Chairman and CEO. "While it adds to our convenient locations for our local clients, it also enhances our position as a key player in the development of the communities we serve."

To mark the occasion, Franklin Synergy invites the public to attend the Grand Opening celebration Friday, February 8, 2019, from 8:30  10:30 a.m. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be conducted by Williamson Inc. and attendees will be encouraged to tour the new facility and meet the Carothers banking team.

The newly constructed 3,600-square-foot branch offers the conveniences of drive-through banking, ATM services, and a spacious parking lot. Operating hours are 8:30 a.m.  5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

About Franklin Synergy Bank

Franklin Financial Network, Inc. is a financial holding company headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee. The Company's wholly owned bank subsidiary, Franklin Synergy Bank, a Tennessee-chartered commercial bank founded in November 2007 and a member of the Federal Reserve System, provides a full range of banking and related financial services with a focus on service to small businesses, corporate entities, local governments and individuals. With consolidated total assets of $4.17 billion at September 30, 2018, the Bank currently operates through 15 branches and one loan production office in the growing Williamson, Rutherford and Davidson Counties, all within the Nashville metropolitan statistical area. Additional information about the Company, which is included in the NYSE Financial-100 Index, the FTSE Russell 2000 Index and the S&P SmallCap 600 Index, is available at www.FranklinSynergyBank.com.

Contact:

Meagan Pratt

(615) 236-8335

[email protected]

SOURCE Franklin Financial Network, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.FranklinSynergyBank.com


CHICAGO, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Combined Insurance, a leading provider of individual supplemental accident, disability, health, and life insurance products, and a Chubb company, continued to honor their founder, W. Clement Stone's, philanthropic legacy and engaged in charitable endeavors year-round. The company gave back to more than 15 organizations through donations, employee-led volunteerism and corporate sponsorships.

"Giving back to the diverse communities in which we live and work is a strong part of our company culture and common purpose here at Combined Insurance," said Melanie Lundberg, Assistant Vice President of Talent Management and Corporate Communications at Combined Insurance. "We take pride in helping others in need and making the world a better placea vision and philosophy created 100 years ago that we are still living into today."

Combined Insurance founder and noted philanthropist, W. Clement Stone, donated more than $275 million to civic groups, mental health, and other charitable organizations during his lifetimein efforts to "make the world a better place." This year, the company supported organizations doing just that, such as: American Cancer Society, JDRF, Heartland Alliance, OneSight, USO of Illinois and Luke's Wings.

Every year, the sales teams earn the privilege of donating on behalf of their region to a military-related charitable organization, based on achieving established sales targets. From this charitable campaign, entitled Operation Veteran GiveBack, $50,000 was divided and donated to two military/veteran charitiesLuke's Wings and Heartland Alliance's Support Services for Veteran Families Program. As the nation's Number One Military Friendly Employer for 2019 and number one Military Spouse Friendly Employer for 2019[1], the company demonstrated its continued commitment to supporting U.S. veterans and military servicemen and women.

Another military/veteran-focused charity that the company has committed to in 2018 is the USO of Illinois through the following:

In May, approximately 15 employees served 451 meals to service members and their families at the USO Great Lakes Naval Base in Great Lakes, Ill.

During the holidays, employees put together 100 care packages to send to deployed service members.

Additionally, Combined Insurance has given back in 2018 to a variety of organizations, such as:

Granting the gift of sight by partnering with OneSight to help thousands of children and individuals who lack access to vision care.

Fundraising and sponsoring over $13,000 to benefit the American Cancer Society and their mission to free the world from cancer.

to benefit the American Cancer Society and their mission to free the world from cancer. Giving back to Latino-focused charitable organizations and communities, including Casa Central, a Hispanic-serving social service agency in Chicagoland and Mujeres Latinas en Accion.

With $100, a positive spirit and a vision to make the world a better place, W. Clement Stone developed and grew the company into what it is todaystill headquartered in Chicago with sales agents and managers throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

About Combined Insurance

Combined Insurance Company of America (Chicago, Ill.) is a leading provider of individual supplemental accident & health, disability, and life insurance products and a Chubb company. With a tradition of nearly 100 years of success, Combined Insurance is committed to making the world of supplemental insurance easy to understand. The company has an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau and is one of Ward's Top 50 Performing Life-Health Insurance Companies. Combined Insurance is ranked the number one Military Friendly Employer in the over $1B revenue category for 2019 by VIQTORY. This is the company's eighth consecutive year on the top 10 list and fifth consecutive year in the top 5Combined Insurance was previously named the number one Military Friendly Employer in the nation for 2015 and 2016. For more information, please visit combinedinsurance.com.

About Chubb

Chubb is the world's largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London and other locations, and employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: chubb.com.

[1] As named by VIQTORY, publisher of G.I. Jobs Magazine.

SOURCE Combined Insurance

Related Links

http://www.combinedinsurance.com


DUBLIN, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global Automotive Infotainment OS Market 2018-2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

One trend in the market is rising developments from niche players.

The automotive infotainment OS market is highly concentrated with top 3 players contributing more than 85% share in the market. However, other players also are continuously developing new solutions to make infotainment more secure and convenient for the user. For instance, in 2018, Green Hills Software collaborated with Paragon Software Partner to integrate Paragon File System Link with Green Hills INTEGRITY real-time operating system (RTOS).

According to the report, one driver in the market is automotive infotainment OS acts as a differentiator and medium to reduce the cost of additional features.

The automotive infotainment system market is witnessing high competition among the automotive manufacturers owing to the need for differentiation, which has risen due to the highly competitive automotive market. As a result, these manufacturers are actively invoked in the development of the infotainment system.

Further, the report states that one challenge in the market is development of scalable digital cockpit platform may impact revenue of the automotive IS vendors.

The Tier-1 vendors have started focusing on increasing the penetration of digital cockpit by integrating infotainment system, instrument cluster, and vehicle displays. The development of the platform that supports these integrations is crucial in order to proceed with this integrated development.

Key Players

Alphabet

BlackBerry

Green Hills Software

Microsoft

The Linux Foundation

Wind River Systems

Topics Covered

PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT

PART 03: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

PART 04: MARKET LANDSCAPE

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Market segmentation analysis

PART 05: MARKET SIZING

Market definition

Market sizing 2017

Market size and forecast 2017-2022

PART 06: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

PART 07: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY PRODUCT

Segmentation by product

Comparison by product

QNX - Market size and forecast 2017-2022

Microsoft Windows Embedded - Market size and forecast 2017-2022

Linux - Market size and forecast 2017-2022

Others - Market size and forecast 2017-2022

Market opportunity by product

PART 08: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE



PART 09: REGIONAL LANDSCAPE

Geographical segmentation

Regional comparison

EMEA - Market size and forecast 2017-2022

Americas - Market size and forecast 2017-2022

APAC - Market size and forecast 2017-2022

Market opportunity

PART 10: DECISION FRAMEWORK



PART 11: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

Market drivers

Market challenges

PART 12: MARKET TRENDS



PART 13: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Overview

Landscape disruption

PART 14: VENDOR ANALYSIS

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

Alphabet

BlackBerry

Green Hills Software

Microsoft

The Linux Foundation

Wind River Systems

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/hzk2n5/global_automotive?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


TSX: GPR

NYSE American: GPL

VANCOUVER, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - GREAT PANTHER SILVER LIMITED (TSX: GPR; NYSE American: GPL) ("Great Panther"; the "Company") is pleased to announce key developments in respect of the friendly acquisition of Beadell Resources Limited ("Beadell") (the "Acquisition"), including details of the special meeting of shareholders (the "Special Meeting"), the anticipated timing of next steps towards closing (the "Closing"), and other important information regarding the Acquisition.

Great Panther has set the Special Meeting of Great Panther shareholders to take place on February 11, 2019, with a January 2, 2019 date of record. The filing and mailing of the management information circular ("Information Circular") for Great Panther's shareholders will take place in early January. Additional information regarding the Special Meeting of Great Panther's shareholders will be contained in the Information Circular and will be available on the Company's website at www.greatpanther.com, on its SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, and on its EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov.

As announced by Beadell on December 21, 2018, the Supreme Court of Western Australia has made orders approving the dispatch of the scheme booklet (the "Scheme Booklet") and the convening of a meeting of Beadell shareholders in relation to the Acquisition, and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission has registered Beadell's Scheme Booklet. Beadell's shareholder meeting date has been set for February 12, 2019 (in Perth).

Subject to the satisfaction of various conditions, including the requisite approvals of Great Panther's and Beadell's shareholders at their respective meetings, the Closing is expected to be completed shortly thereafter.

The Acquisition of Beadell will create a new emerging and growth-oriented precious metals producer focused on the Americas, and result in the following benefits for Great Panther shareholders:

Creation of new emerging intermediate precious metals producer focused on the Americas

Extensive reserve & resource base

Strong balance sheet to support complementary assets

Diversified portfolio

Robust growth portfolio

Attractive re-rating potential

ABOUT GREAT PANTHER

Great Panther Silver Limited is a primary silver mining and exploration company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange trading under the symbol GPR, and on the NYSE American under the symbol GPL. Great Panther's current activities are focused on the mining of precious metals from its two wholly-owned operating mines in Mexico: the Guanajuato Mine Complex and the Topia Mine. The Company is also advancing towards a decision to restart the Coricancha Mine in Peru with the initiation of a Bulk Sample Program following the completion of a positive Preliminary Economic Assessment in May 2018. In addition, the Company has signed an agreement to acquire all of the issued ordinary shares of gold producer Beadell Resources Limited.

James Bannantine

President & CEO

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

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 Canadian securities laws (together, "forward-looking statements"). Such forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the timing and completion of the Acquisition, and the benefits of the Acquisition to shareholders of Great Panther.

These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements to be materially different. Assumptions upon which forward looking statements relating to the Acquisition have been made include that Beadell and Great Panther will be able to satisfy the conditions of Closing, that due diligence investigations of each party will not identify any materially adverse facts or circumstances, that the required approvals will be obtained from the shareholders of Beadell and Great Panther, and that all required third party, regulatory and government approvals will be obtained. Such factors include, among others, risks and uncertainties relating to potential political and social risks involving Beadell and Great Panther's operations in a foreign jurisdiction, the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, fluctuations in metal prices, fluctuations in currency exchange rates, physical risks inherent in mining operations, operating or technical difficulties in mineral exploration, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in respect of Great Panther, in its annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2017 and material change reports filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators available at www.sedar.com and reports on Form 40-F and Form 6-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov.

There is no assurance that such forward looking statements will prove accurate; results may vary materially from such forward-looking statements; and there is no assurance that the Company will be able to identify and acquire additional projects or that any projects acquired will be successfully developed. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. The Company has no intention to update forward looking statements except as required by law.

SOURCE Great Panther Silver Limited

Related Links

http://www.greatpanther.com


This new route is operated by Hainan Airlines, one of the largest carriers in China. The 12-hour non-stop flight will make traveling between Chongqing and Paris much easier, saving both time and money for Chinese passengers wanting to experience Paris' famed romance. This route is the second direct international flight from Chongqing to Europe by Hainan Airlines, their first being to Rome, Italy.

There are now six direct flights between Chongqing and European destinations, and you can now fly directly to Chongqing, China, from London, Rome, Helsinki, Paris, Moscow and Irkutsk, making traveling between Europe and Chongqing much easier and more efficient.

100 International Air Routes by 2020

According to the Chongqing Municipal Transportation Bureau, Jiangbei International Airport has already opened routes from Chongqing to Seattle, and Boston via Shanghai earlier in this month. In addition, we are likely to see two non-stop flights and four connecting flights soon from Chongqing to North America, forming a network of 2-4 routes, with up to 18 flights weekly, connecting Chongqing to both the east and west coasts of North America.

Additionally, Chongqing has added more flights to Southeast Asia and other surrounding destinations closer to China. By the end of 2018, the total number of international routes from Chongqing will exceed 80 and should reach more than 100 by 2020, creating a comprehensive network of flights reaching destinations in Europe, the United States and Australia.

By 2020, it is estimated that Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport will handle upwards of 50 million passengers a year, with 5 million traveling internationally, while cargo volume will increase to about 1 million tons. The airport is set to become one of the largest transportation hubs for passengers as well as cargo in China.

Win a Free Trip to Chongqing

For this occasion, the Chongqing International Media Center (www.iChongqing.info) is hosting a lucky draw, offering a free trip to Chongqing that includes a round-trip ticket provided by Hainan Airlines, three nights of free hotel and visits to six of Chongqing's most famous and spectacular attractions. To enter the lucky draw, please follow iChongqing's twitter account @iChongqing_CIMC and retweet this message: https://bit.ly/2S40zsA. You can also read more about the campaign at iChongqing: https://bit.ly/2Br394H.

SOURCE iChongqing
They have come to see the potential and they will be acting in the future in ways meant to benefit the area, Kemp said. There will be serious discussions about how to implement changes, and we want to be ready to participate.
(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/801644/Chirality.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/801646/Nanomaterials.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/801648/Organic_Molecules.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/801650/e_Band_Structure.jpg )

December 2018 issue of MANA eBulletin

https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/ebulletin/

Feature

Careers paths at MANA: Focus on chirality

Jan Labuta

Independent Scientist, MANA

https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/ebulletin/feature.html

"My career as a research scientist in Japan started in November 2008 when I joined the Supramolecules Group at MANA for a two JSPS postdoctoral fellowship," says Labuta. "I was really impressed and inspired by the highly focused and passionate approach to research at MANA. I learnt a lot and was able to contribute to the research activities of the group. It was a very fruitful two years for me and the experience led me to pursue a long term career at MANA. I highly recommend this career path to other young researchers overseas."

More

https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/ebulletin/feature.html

Caption: Visualization of in vivo chirality mapping of chiral analyte using porphyrintype molecule as a detector agent.

Research Highlights

Ionic devices learn how to make decisions

https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol44.html

Decision-making processes require examining complex data to adapt to dynamic changes in the environment and make decisions about the most appropriate behavior. Emulating these processes with computers requires enormous resources, so new avenues need to be explored.

Now, Takashi Tsuchiya and colleagues from the National Institute for Materials Science in Tsukuba, Japan, writing in Science Advances propose to use ionic devices to perform decision-making operations. They apply their devices to solve dynamic multiarmed bandit problems, mathematical problems in which a fixed set of resources has to be allocated between alternative choices to maximize the gain, with the properties of each choice only partially known at the beginning. The scenario investigated by the authors is that of a user of busy communication channels who needs to select a channel to transmit information with maximum efficiency.

More

https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol44.html

Concept illustration of making decisions with nanomaterials.

Reference

Takashi Tsuchiya, Tohru Tsuruoka, Song-Ju Kim, Kazuya Terabe and Masakazu Aono, Ionic decision-maker created as novel, solid-state devices. Science Advances, 4, eaau2057 (2018).

Artificial intelligence learns to predict light-activated molecules

https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol45.html

Artificial intelligence can be used to design new molecules; it is becoming a popular tool because of its potential for discovering molecules in unexplored chemical spaces, its ability to screen a huge number of potential molecules in a short amount of time and its tendency to find unconventional ways of solving problems. However, whether such molecules can be actually synthesized and whether they display the desired functionalities in the real world is an open question.

Masato Sumita, Koji Tsuda and colleagues at different institutions in Japan report in ACS Central Science a proof-of-concept study in which they use a platform based on artificial intelligence to discover light-activated organic molecules (which are relevant in green chemistry and molecular sensing) that can be synthesized and that have specific functional properties. The platform combines a molecule generator powered by artificial intelligence and a calculator based on density functional theory that performs quantum chemical calculations. The generator suggests molecules with different structures, the calculator predicts their properties.

More

https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol45.html

Concept of platform based on artificial intelligence to discover photo-functional organic molecules.

Reference

Masato Sumita, Xiufeng Yang, Shinsuke Ishihara, Ryo Tamura, Koji Tsuda, Hunting for Organic Molecules with Artificial Intelligence: Molecules Optimized for Desired Excitation Energies. ACS Cent. Sci. 2018, 4, 11261133.

New material that is both a thermoelectric and a superconductor identified by high-throughput materials discovery

https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol46.html

Data-driven materials science aims at mining information contained in databases collecting the properties of existing materials to identify entirely new compounds with desired properties. This approach is proving successful, but its application is not straightforward for certain classes of materials, such as thermoelectrics - materials that convert temperature differences into electricity and thus hold promise for energy applications - or superconductors, which can transport currents without dissipation and could be used for power transmission.

Ryo Matsumoto from the Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics in Tsukuba, Japan, and colleagues used a specific criterion to identify candidate thermoelectric and superconducting materials with high-throughput calculations. Specifically, they looked for materials that in the electronic band structure have bands that are flat near the Fermi level, which separates the occupied and unoccupied electronic states. Indeed, flat bands near the Fermi level are predicted to enhance the thermoelectric properties of materials, and if the flat band crosses the fermi level a superconducting state is realized.

More

https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol46.html

Electronic band structure of materials studied.

Reference

Ryo Matsumoto, Zhufeng Hou, Hiroshi Hara, Shintaro Adachi, Hiroyuki Takeya, Tetsuo Irifune, Kiyoyuki Terakura and Yoshihiko Takano, Two pressure-induced superconducting transitions in SnBi2Se4 explored by data-driven materials search: new approach to developing novel functional materials including thermoelectric and superconducting materials. Appl. Phys. Express 11, 093101 (2018)

Further information

The International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics

1-1 Namiki Tsukuba-shi Ibaraki, 305-0044 JAPAN

Tel: 029-860-4710

Email: [email protected]

http://www.nims.go.jp/mana/

SOURCE The International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Navy veteran Jamie Fox recently issued an urgent plea for signees to a new petition she created to force the VA to initiate and complete a formal investigation based on a series of events that took place at Fox's home in 2018. Within the petition itself, Fox details a compelling and continuing story that has its origins in whistle-blowing events from 2008.

Follow me on Twitter @VAGaslight and help VA Whistleblowers

Jamie Fox is a social worker at the San Francisco VA Medical Center who, since October of 2018, claims she was recently visited and harassed by federal agents. Fox has been a vocal whistleblower in the past and asserts that this visit was part of an ongoing campaign to frighten both she and her husband into silence. During the most recent events at Fox's home, she was involuntarily committed to a psych ward for a short time, although subsequently released. Fox is currently on involuntary leave from work and is under investigation.

Fox stated that two men and a woman visited her home on October 24 of 2018. According to her, the woman and one of the men claimed to be with the FBI while the other man (who provided ID) claimed to be a VA Criminal Investigator. The group alleged they were responding to a series of Tweets and online memes created by Fox herself as a part of her ongoing whistleblower efforts. After an escalation in the conversation, which resulted in an argument, Fox suffered a panic attack and was involuntarily hospitalized a few hours later. Fox suffers from PTSD.

The original whistle-blowing incident from 2008 occurred when Fox testified on behalf of a co-worker at the VA whom Fox claimed was the victim of sexual orientation harassment. As events unfolded, Fox discovered that a series of private files belonging to the VA about her were easily accessible. This in turn led Fox to a discovery about the unsecured status of part of the VA computer system itself: the Veterans Benefit Management System (VBMS). A subsequent report by the VA Office of Inspector General verified Fox's claims regarding the oversite in file security.

According to Fox's current complaint, the VA refused to do any further investigations into her claims of retaliation and instead began investigating her in a retaliatory manner. Fox states she has been unfairly placed on involuntary leave from her job at the VA, pending an investigation, and is not allowed back on the premises of her former job without permission.

Jamie Fox continues to assert that she is the victim of ongoing retaliation related to her original whistleblowing efforts in 2008.

Contact:

Jamie Fox

[email protected]

831-224-3787

SOURCE Jamie Fox
NEW YORK and BALTIMORE, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- LS Power, a U.S. power and energy infrastructure owner, today announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Enerwise Global Technologies, Inc. (trade name "CPower") for a private fund it manages. CPower is a leader in Demand Response and Distributed Energy Resources in North America and will now operate as a stand-alone entity under the LS Power umbrella of companies.

This acquisition underscores LS Power's ongoing focus on deploying its considerable power industry expertise in critical and growing sectors of the market.

CPower is a demand-side energy management company that helps organizations save on energy costs, earn revenue through energy curtailment, increase grid reliability and achieve sustainability goals. As a result of this transaction, CPower is positioned to more quickly advance its growth strategies while maintaining its industry leadership position and best-in-class customer service, furthering its customers' ability to monetize new energy technologies across all power markets.

John Horton, President and CEO of CPower, welcomed the transaction close, noting, "We are pleased with the favorable response received from our employees, customers and partners. As we move forward with greater resources and support from our relationship with LS Power, we look forward to driving growth through our continued focus on building solution-oriented technologies while providing an unrivaled customer experience."

About LS Power:

Founded in 1990, LS Power is an employee-owned, independent power company with offices in New York, New Jersey, Missouri, California and Texas. LS Power is a developer, owner, operator and investor in power generation and electric transmission infrastructure throughout the United States. Since inception, LS Power has developed, constructed, managed or acquired more than 41,000 MW of competitive power generation and 560 miles of transmission infrastructure, for which it has raised over $40 billion in debt and equity financing. For more information, please visit www.LSPower.com

About CPower:

Founded in 2014, CPower is a leading demand-side energy management solutions provider that helps commercial, industrial and government organizations in the U.S. energy markets save on energy costs, earn revenue through energy curtailment, enhance their sustainability efforts, and contribute to a balanced, reliable grid. CPower create customized energy strategies designed to help customers achieve success through demand response and demand management programs including automated curtailment, storage, and energy efficiency monetization. For more information, please visit www.CPowerEnergyManagement.com

SOURCE CPower Energy Management
The clinical study is targeting approximately 1,400 patients suffering an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who have been successfully resuscitated, and will compare 24 hours of xenon gas treatment, in combination with targeted temperature management (TTM), with the current standard of care, which is TTM alone. The study is expected to include about 70 study centers across the U.S. and Europe, and will look for an improvement in functional outcomes and reduced mortality rates. The companies expect an interim analysis of the study to occur in the fourth quarter of 2019 and for the study to complete in 2020.

PCAS is a range of complications, principally to the brain and the heart which follow the sudden loss of blood flow (ischemia) after a cardiac arrest and the subsequent reflow of blood (reperfusion) following successful resuscitation. There is no approved pharmacotherapy for neuroprotection for PCAS. There are approximately 140,000 potential cardiac arrest patients in the U.S. and 145,000 in Europe each year who may be eligible for xenon gas treatment, if approved.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a Special Protocol Assessment[1] for the trial and the drug has been granted its Fast Track designation[2]. The companies expect the regulatory submission to be a drug and delivery device combination.

Matt Napoletano, COO of NPXe, commented, "Our goal is to have approximately 70 sites eligible to enroll patients in the XePOHCAS trial in North America and Europe. Many sites have demonstrated substantial interest in participating in the trial due to the unmet medical need."

"The enrollment of the first patient in this study is an important step in addressing this critical unmet medical need," said Steven Romano, M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Mallinckrodt. "If the Phase 3 trial is successful, we believe xenon gas for inhalation, if approved, has the potential to change treatment paradigms, adding a therapeutic option in a population of resuscitated cardiac arrest patients."

Learn more about the U.S. trial on clinicaltrials.gov here.

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 596/2014.

About Xenon Gas for Inhalation in Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome (PCAS)

Xenon is a noble gas that has been used as an inhaled therapy in several studies to date. In PCAS, more N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR, a calcium channel found in neurons) are overactivated, causing extreme ion imbalances, neuronal damage and cell death. Studies have shown that xenon may help to inhibit the NMDAR through a unique inhibition at the glycine-binding site and can help moderate the flow of damaging ions through the calcium channel. By mitigating neuronal damage and cell death, xenon may be able to improve functional outcomes and reduce mortality rates in survivors. The FDA has not yet established the safety and effectiveness of xenon gas for inhalation for PCAS.

About NPXe Limited

NPXe Limited is developing xenon gas for inhalation for the treatment of Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome. The Company has a Special Protocol Agreement with the FDA and A Scientific Working Party Agreement with the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Both the FDA and EMA have granted the sought PCAS indication with Orphan Drug status. Orphan status prolongs the period of market exclusivity post approval. The FDA has also granted the drug Fast Track designation. Mallinckrodt has licensed the rights to market xenon gas for inhalation in North America, Australia and Japan upon approval in each country. The rights to market xenon gas for inhalation in the EU, United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland and Iceland are licensed to a third party.

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.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS RELATED TO FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release includes forward-looking statements concerning xenon gas for inhalation including expectations with regard to clinical trials, future regulatory actions and potential impact on patients. The statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: satisfaction of regulatory and other requirements; actions of regulatory bodies and other governmental authorities; changes in laws and regulations; issues with product quality, manufacturing or supply, or patient safety issues; future commercialization efforts; and other risks identified and described in more detail in the "Risk Factors" section of Mallinckrodt's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC, all of which are available on its website. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date hereof and Mallinckrodt does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

CONTACTS

NPXe Limited

NPXe: Consilium (NPXe PR adviser): Carol Burns Chris Gardner, Matthew Neal, Communications Director Lindsey Neville [email protected] [email protected] +1-716-332-7200 Ext. 155 +44 (0)20 3709 5700

Mallinckrodt

Media Investor Relations Rhonda Sciarra Daniel Speciale, CPA Senior Communications Manager Investor Relations and Strategy Officer 908-238-6765 314-654-3638 [email protected] [email protected]

Meredith Fischer Chief Public Affairs Officer 314-654-3318 [email protected]

Mallinckrodt, the "M" brandmark and the Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals logo are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company. Other brands are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company or their respective owners.

 2018 Document #US-1800377

[1] The Special Protocol Assessment allows for an interim analysis at 50% of trial completion of the primary endpoint follow up, and if the primary and secondary endpoints are positive at that review the trial would be halted for success. If the primary or secondary endpoints are futile at that point, the trial will be stopped for futility

[2] The Fast Track designation is provided to drug candidates that "treat a serious condition and fill an unmet medical need." The key benefits to recipients of a Fast Track designation include more frequent contact with the FDA on the development program and the option of Rolling Review, which allows a company to submit completed sections of the New Drug Application (NDA) for individual review by the Agency. This compares with the normal process where the entire NDA must be completed before submission. The frequency of communication under the Rolling Review better assures that questions and issues are resolved quickly, potentially leading to earlier drug approval and patient access.

SOURCE Mallinckrodt plc

Related Links

http://www.mallinckrodt.com


HOUSTON, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE: MDR) announced today that the Company's 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders will be held on Thursday, May 2, 2019, in London, England. Additional information regarding the Company's 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, including the record date, will be disclosed in the Company's Proxy Statement which the Company plans to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission in March 2019.

About McDermott

McDermott is a premier, fully integrated provider of technology, engineering and construction solutions to the energy industry. For more than a century, customers have trusted McDermott to design and build end-to-end infrastructure and technology solutions to transport and transform oil and gas into the products the world needs today. Our proprietary technologies, integrated expertise and comprehensive solutions deliver certainty, innovation and added value to energy projects around the world. Customers rely on McDermott to deliver certainty to the most complex projects, from concept to commissioning. It is called the "One McDermott Way." Operating in over 54 countries, McDermott's locally focused and globally-integrated resources include approximately 40,000 employees, a diversified fleet of specialty marine construction vessels and fabrication facilities around the world. As used in this press release, McDermott includes McDermott International, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. To learn more, visit www.mcdermott.com.

Contacts:

Investor Relations



Scott Lamb

Vice President, Investor Relations

+1 832 513 1068

[email protected]

Global Media Relations



Gentry Brann

Global Vice President, Communications

+1 281 870 5269

[email protected]

SOURCE McDermott International, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.mcdermott.com


VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Dec. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mykell L. Messman is recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Lifetime Member in the field of Law in recognition of her role as an Attorney at Messman Law PLC.

Well versed in all facets of law enforcement, Messman Law PLC has dedicated its practice to providing their clients with quality legal counsel in the areas of criminal law, DUI/DWI, family law, child custody & visitation rights, litigation and appeals, business & commercial law, and more.

With nearly a decade's worth of experience in the field of Law, Mykell L. Messman has established herself as a trusted name in the legal profession. Throughout her eminent career, Attorney Messman has attained extensive experience in the areas of trial preparation and litigation, criminal defense, and family law. In her current capacity, Attorney Messman is licensed to practice in all Virginia state courts, the Eastern District of Virginia and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.



While pursuing her educational endeavors, Attorney Messman attended Regent University School of Law where she earned her Juris Doctor degree in 2009. In her previous years, Attorney Messman attended Purchase College, State University of New York where she attained her Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science and graduated Cum Laude in 2006. She also attended Dutchess Community College where she obtained her Associates of Arts degree in Humanities in 2004.



To further enhance her professional development, Attorney Messman is an esteemed member of several prominent organizations including being an avid member of the local military community where she serves as the Family Readiness Group President for the Army Norfolk Recruiting Command. Additionally, Attorney Messman is a distinguished fellow of the Virginia State Bar, Norfolk Bar Association, Portsmouth Bar Association, Criminal Justice Act Panel (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia), Indigent Criminal Defense, James Kent Inn of Court, and Virginia Women Attorneys Association where she has served as treasurer.



In recognition of her professional accolades, Attorney Messman participated in a Regent's Trial Competition while in school in which she was awarded the Individual Award for Best Cross Examination.



For more information, please visit http://www.messmanlaw.com/

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Clif Gaus, chief executive of the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOS), released the following statement in reaction to today's final "Pathways to Success" rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) which makes numerous significant changes to the Medicare Shared Savings Program.

"We appreciate CMS' effort in the final rule to provide greater stability to the Medicare Shared Savings Program with five-year agreement periods and more flexibility through waivers for telehealth and skilled nursing facility stays. We look forward to working with CMS to ensure that the Medicare Shared Savings Program, which has a track record of saving taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars while demonstrably improving care for patients, continues to attract new participants and reap savings."

"We are very pleased CMS returned shared savings rates for many ACOs back to the historic precedent of 50 percent for some and 40 percent for others, increased the proposed one-sided risk term for certain low-revenues ACOs to three years, and made steps forward in needed risk adjustment policies."

"We will continue to advocate on certain provisions that CMS opted not to change in the final rule, such as the retention of a two-year period in the no-risk model for many ACOs and the distinction between high and low revenue ACOs. These polices may present challenges to providers who want to participate in this important, yet voluntary, Medicare program. NAACOS believes there needs to be movement toward greater risk, and that movement requires an appropriate and reasonable glide path to encourage participation and success."

Size of shared-savings rates

"We strongly support CMS's decision not to reduce shared savings rates to as low as 25 percent. CMS' final rule sets the savings rates at either 40 or 50 percent, and we look forward to working with CMS to monitor any impact that this decreased rate may have for new ACOs wanting to join the program."

A survey of NAACOS members after the proposed rule was released found reduced shared-savings rates for no- and low-risk ACOs was the most troubling aspect of CMS's proposed changes. According to a 2016 NAACOS survey, ACOs invested an average of $1.6 million into operational costs.

Length of shared savings-only models

"We are pleased that CMS modified its proposed policy to only allow two years in a one-sided model to allow three years for certain low-revenue ACOs. We remain concerned, however, that CMS retained the two-year limit for other ACOs. Becoming a well-functioning ACO takes time and requires building of IT infrastructure, hiring care coordinators, changing the culture of providers, among other tasks."

Under CMS's proposed rule, many ACOs would have just a single year of performance data available to them before evaluating the required move to risk in their third year of the program.

High-low distinction

"Although we are pleased that CMS finalized a new, limited exception to its high-low policy, we remain concerned that the high-low revenue ACO distinction could deter providers who want to embark on the path of value-based care and could unintentionally harm physician-led ACOs. We urged CMS in the rulemaking process to provide an equal playing field for all ACOs and will continue to advocate for changes to this policy."

A NAACOS analysis of how ACOs would be classified under CMS's proposed definitions found almost 20 percent of physician-led ACOs would be considered high revenue ACOs. Furthermore, federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics would also have a fair proportion of high revenue ACOs.

Risk adjustment

"We are pleased CMS recognizes for the first time the need for modifications on risk adjustment. It is good that in the final rule there will be no downward adjustment but wish the cap of 3 percent would have increased to 5 percent in 5 years, as we proposed."

2017 NEXT GENERATION ACO RESULTS

Medicare's most advanced ACOs  those in the Next Generation (Next Gen) Model  generated $337 million in gross savings including discounts to Medicare last year, according to 2017 performance data made public today from CMS. After accounting for shared savings paid to ACOs for holding down costs and hitting quality targets as well as shared losses paid back to the government, the Next Generation program netted at least $165 million to Medicare last year alone. Last year, 44 Next Gen ACOs participated in the program, serving 1.2 million Medicare patients.

"These results are another important data point proving the ACO model is hitting its goals of improving the quality of care and lowering health costs," Gaus said. "The Next Generation Model comprises some of the most advanced ACOs in the country, leveraging sophisticated care coordination techniques and cutting-edge technology."

NAACOS also urges the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to move forward with developing and releasing more details on an advanced ACO model that will replace the Next Gen Model and build on its success. The Next Gen program is slated to run through 2020, and CMS has promised to release the next iteration of that program before then. NAACOS urges the agency to solicit stakeholder feedback as part of its process to develop and finalize key program elements.

Eighteen Next Gen ACOs saved Medicare $63 million in 2016, the first year of the program, after accounting for incentive payments earned for hitting spending and quality targets, according to an independent evaluation of results released in August by CMMI.

"If Shared Savings ACOs are the farm system for more advanced models like the Next Gen Model, CMS should seek out ways to encourage ACO growth," Gaus said. "CMS should continue to evaluate this recent data, which show ACOs save money and improve quality."

ACOs are a market-based solution to help lower the cost of health care spending, where groups of doctors, hospitals and other providers agree to care for a set of patients. ACOs are incentivized to lower costs by spending less than pre-determined targets and hitting quality measures, earning the right to share generated savings. Next Gen ACOs can earn a higher rate of savings  up to 100 percent generated for Medicare  compared to ACOs in the MSSP. But they also are subject to higher losses should they not meet spending targets. Next Gen ACOs are provided more waivers and flexibility, such as for use of telehealth and skilled nursing facility stays without a hospital discharge first, than those in the MSSP.

The Medicare ACO program, including the Next Gen Model and the MSSP, is the largest value-based payment model in the country and an essential tool in moving the health system toward better value.

About NAACOS. The National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) is the largest association of Medicare ACOs, representing more than 5 million beneficiary lives through 330 MSSP, Next Generation and Commercial ACOs. NAACOS is an ACO member-led and member-owned nonprofit organization that works on behalf of ACOs across the nation to improve the quality of care, population health and outcomes, and health care cost efficiency.

SOURCE National Association of ACOs

Related Links

https://www.naacos.com


DES MOINES, Iowa, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- This holiday season, the National Pork Board is ready to spread cheer by bringing Latinos across the country together to do what they love most  savoring the flavor of family traditions. It's much more than "lechon;" it's a taste of home.

A National Pork Board study revealed that 62 percent of Hispanics prefer foods that remind them of their family's traditions. For many U.S. Hispanics, pork is the essential protein for any holiday gathering.

"Pork continues to be a Hispanic staple and a must-have for some of our favorite traditional holiday dishes," said Jose de Jesus, director of multicultural marketing at the National Pork Board. "In fact, our recent study indicates that 65 percent of Hispanics have consumed fresh pork at home in the last two weeks. Additionally, Nielsen data shows that Latinos spend 7 percent more on fresh pork than the average household in the U.S."

Knowing that the majority (66 percent) agree, "Food is a way to show others I care about them," for many Hispanics, pork is more than a staple; it's a symbol of love.

To add flavor to the traditions Latinos hold most dear this holiday season, the National Pork Board recommends these traditional pork dishes:

Pork Pozole a la Poblana - This traditional Mexican stew is perfect to keep you warm, and a must for a New Year's Eve celebration.

This traditional Mexican stew is perfect to keep you warm, and a must for a New Year's Eve celebration. Roasted Pork Loin with Mojo Criollo and Mashed Yucca - This Latin-inspired dish is perfect for hosting a small holiday dinner where flavor becomes the number one guest.

This Latin-inspired dish is perfect for hosting a small holiday dinner where flavor becomes the number one guest. Whole Hog Roast in La Caja China - There is nothing like roasting a pig in La Caja China. This Caribbean favorite, perfect for outdoor gatherings, is a true family feast and a crowd-pleaser.

For more pork dishes visit PorkEsSabor.com and follow along on social media at @PorkEsSabor on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram . Join the conversation using #PorkEsSabor.

About National Pork Board

The National Pork Board has responsibility for Checkoff-funded research, promotion and consumer information projects, and for communicating with pork producers as well as the public. Through a legislative national Pork Checkoff, pork producers invest $0.40 for each $100 value of hogs sold. Importers of pork products contribute a similar amount, based on a formula. The Pork Checkoff funds national and state programs in advertising, consumer information, retail and food service marketing, export market promotion, production improvement, technology, swine health, pork safety and environmental management. For more information, visit Pork.org .

PorkEsSabor.com is a Spanish resource of pork information and inspiration, including easy-to-make and delicious recipes, nutritional content of pork, choice cuts, health and safety information and cooking tips.

SOURCE National Pork Board
OSLO, Norway, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Notice is hereby served that an extraordinary general meeting of MPC Container Ships ASA (the "Company") will be held on 17 January 2019 at 14:00 hours CET at the Company's offices at Dronning Mauds gate 3, N-0250 Oslo, Norway.

Shareholders may cast votes in advance for the general meeting. Registration deadline for advance votes is 16 January 2019 at 12:00 CET. Advance votes may be executed electronically, through the below link or via VPS Investor Services. Shareholders who have chosen to receive electronic communication from the Company may only cast advance votes via VPS Investor Services.

Link for advance voting:

https://investor.vps.no/gm/logOn.htm?token=343115405d8532eec624c9671ae4b23d410e4cb6&validTo=1550322000000&oppdragsId=20181218VPJEAIU0

Shareholders who will attend the general meeting are requested to notify the Company of this by sending the attendance form enclosed in the general meeting notice to DNB Bank ASA, Registrars' Department, P.O. Box 1600 Sentrum, N-0021 Oslo, Norway, or by e-mail to [email protected] no later than 10 January 2019 at 12:00 CET. Pursuant to  8 of the articles of association, shareholders who have not notified the Company of their attendance within this deadline may be refused access to the general meeting.

Shareholders may appoint a proxy to attend and vote on their behalf. In this case a written and dated proxy must be provided. The proxy form enclosed in the general meeting notice may be used in this regard. The proxy form must be received by the Company no later than 10 January 2019 at 12:00 CET.

Please note that proxies without voting instructions may trigger disclosure requirements under Norwegian law. Under the Norwegian Securities Trading Act section 4-2 third paragraph the possession of a proxy without voting instructions is considered equal to ownership of shares or rights to shares. This means that a proxy is required to disclose the proxies if the number of shares to which they relate (together with any shares or rights to shares held by the proxy) reaches or exceeds the disclosure thresholds under the Norwegian Securities Trading Act section 4-2 second paragraph.

If the shares are held through a nominee, cf. the Norwegian Public Limited Liability Companies Act Section 4-10, and the beneficial owner wishes to attend the general meeting, whether in person or by proxy, the beneficial owner must transfer the shares to a VPS account in the name of the beneficial owner prior to the date of the general meeting.

About MPC Container Ships ASA:

MPC Container Ships ASA (ticker code "MPCC") was formed in April 2017. Its main activity is to own and operate a portfolio of container ships with a focus on the feeder segment between 1,000 and 3,000 TEU. The Company is registered and has its business office in Oslo, Norway. For more information, please see our webpage: www.mpc-container.com

Further information and contact:

[email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/mpc-container-ships-asa/r/notice-of-extraordinary-general-meeting,c2705072

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Public/17513/2705072/88d9cd0d41d01f48.pdf 181221 MPCC - Notice to EGM 17 01 19

SOURCE MPC Container Ships ASA

Related Links

http://www.mpc-container.com


MIAMI, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- One Park Financial, a leader in helping small and medium-sized business owners access working capital, is proud to announce that it has again been named as one of the "Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America" in Entrepreneur magazine's Entrepreneur360 List, a premier study delivering the most comprehensive analysis of private companies in America.

As noted in the study by Entrepreneur, One Park Financial is recognized as a well-rounded company that has mastered a balance of impact, innovation, growth leadership and value. This is the second year in a row that One Park Financial has been included in the Entrepreneur360 List.

"One Park Financial's mission is to deliver tangible value to our customers, and be a real partner in their success," said John Lie-Nielsen, CEO. "Our customers are smart, savvy businesspeople, so we have to stay well ahead of the curve and be exceptional in everything we do to keep up with them!"

"We know that sustainable success naturally follows when you set your standards high, treat people right, and offer the services that the marketplace needs," added John Lie-Nielsen. "And we're very pleased that Entrepreneur magazine has confirmed the value of our approach to business."

Inclusion in the Entrepreneur360 list was based on the results from a comprehensive study of independently owned companies, using a proprietary algorithm and other advanced analytics. The algorithm was built on a balanced scorecard designed to measure five metrics reflecting major pillars of entrepreneurshipinnovation, growth, leadership, impact and business valuation.

"Our annual evaluation of vetted data offers a 360-degree analysis of top privately-held companies across a multitude of industries," said Jason Feifer, editor in chief of Entrepreneur Magazine. "They are deemed successful not only by revenue numbers, but by how well-rounded they are. The companies that make the list have pushed boundaries with their innovative ideas, fostered strong company cultures, impacted their communities for the better, and increased their brand awareness."

One Park Financial fuses the best in financial technology and human expertise to help business owners find flexible funding sources willing to work with smaller businesses who often struggle to meet the demands associated with obtaining working capital. Simply put, we level the playing field when it comes to business funding.

To learn more, please visit https://www.oneparkfinancial.com.

Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12746116

Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE www.oneparkfinancial.com

Related Links

https://www.oneparkfinancial.com


If this is a big, knock-down, dragged-out, RFRA-esque discussion, it is not going to help anyone, said House Speaker Brian Bosma, using an acronym for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was signed into law by Vice President Mike Pence when he was Indiana governor. We need to do it in such a way that's not a net negative and brings undue attention to our state.
"It's been an impactful five years of Project Blue Elf, and we felt it was time to realign our holiday efforts with the bank's commitment to financial education," said BBVA Compass Foundation President Reymundo Ocanas. "These families have been working hard to improve their financial knowledge and take advantage of opportunities. The holidays are the perfect time for us to highlight their accomplishments and reward their hard work and dedication."

For the project's 2018 campaign, the bank piloted a new program hinged on community holiday parties co-hosted by nonprofit organizations participating in BBVA Compass' Center for Financial Education Community Workshops Pilot Program, featuring snacks, sweets, and a cookie decorating station for the children. After a brief greeting from local bank leadership, a selected family was gifted a much-needed big-ticket gift ranging from a washer and dryer set to children's bedroom furniture. BBVA Compass rounded out each gift with an additional $500 gift card for the family.

No one left the event empty handed, though. Community partners received a total of $30,000 in donations to honor their efforts to deliver financial capabilities and help create opportunities for their clients. In addition, each guest received a gift bag containing holiday treats such as chocolate and caramel corn, cookies, a tin of hot chocolate and other holiday items.

"This year's Project Blue Elf events were a completely different experience for our volunteers," said Ocanas. "The toy giveaways from past years were always fun, but this year's events were so meaningful and impactful. They really were an unforgettable opportunity for all of us."

Project Blue Elf events hosted more than 350 families across the bank's footprint, in Birmingham, Ala.; Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth and McAllen, Texas; Jacksonville, Fla., Denver, Colo.; Phoenix, Ariz.; and Stockton, Calif.

To learn more about BBVA Compass, visit: www.bbvacompass.com

For more news visit: www.bbva.com and newsroom.bbvacompass.com

About BBVA Group

BBVA (NYSE: BBVA) is a customer-centric global financial services group founded in 1857. The Group has a strong leadership position in the Spanish market, is the largest financial institution in Mexico, it has leading franchises in South America and the Sunbelt Region of the United States; and it is also the leading shareholder in Garanti, Turkey's biggest bank for market capitalization. Its diversified business is focused on high-growth markets and it relies on technology as a key sustainable competitive advantage. Corporate responsibility is at the core of its business model. BBVA fosters financial education and inclusion, and supports scientific research and culture. It operates with the highest integrity, a long-term vision and applies the best practices. More information about BBVA Group can be found at bbva.com.

About BBVA Compass

BBVA Compass is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that operates 645 branches, including 332 in Texas, 89 in Alabama, 63 in Arizona, 61 in California, 45 in Florida, 37 in Colorado and 18 in New Mexico. BBVA Compass ranks among the top 25 largest U.S. commercial banks based on deposit market share and ranks among the largest banks in Alabama (2nd), Texas (4th) and Arizona (6th). BBVA Compass has been recognized as one of the leading small business lenders by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and ranked 6th nationally in the total number of SBA loans originated in fiscal year 2017. Additional information about BBVA Compass can be found under the Investor Relations tab at bbvacompass.com. For more BBVA Compass news, follow @BBVACompassNews on Twitter, visit newsroom.bbvacompass.com, or visit bbva.com.

SOURCE BBVA Compass

Related Links

https://www.bbvacompass.com


LONDON and DUBAI, UAE, December 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

CQS is pleased to announce Xavier Rolet, previously CEO of the London Stock Exchange, will join as Chief Executive Officer. Sir Michael Hintze, CQS' founder, will continue as CQS' Senior Investment Officer and will become Group Executive Chairman. Mr Rolet will begin as CEO on January 14, 2019.



(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/801233/CQS_Logo.jpg )



As CEO, Mr Rolet will lead the Firm's next stage of growth, enabling Sir Michael to focus on investment management as SIO. Mr Rolet's appointment will harness his management experience and leadership skills with Sir Michael's investment acumen. Their complementary skillsets will enable CQS to more effectively meet client needs and grow.

Sir Michael Hintze, Founder and Senior Investment Officer, commented:

"I am excited that Xavier is joining us and very pleased that we have been able to attract a CEO of such calibre who will help establish CQS for the long-term. He has the experience and has demonstrated he knows how to build financial services businesses. As CEO he will be responsible for managing and growing our firm. As Executive Chairman, I will continue to help shape CQS' vision and direction. This will allow me to dedicate my time to investment management, leading our investment teams and client engagement. I have a passion for markets. I enjoy problem solving and puzzles, and markets are one big puzzle.

It is imperative that we meet client needs, perform, build business resilience and provide opportunities for our people. Over the last several years we have invested in our investment management capabilities, strengthening our hedge fund, bespoke alpha and long only offerings. We have been institutionalising our business and we have professionalised by putting in place appropriate governance and hiring additional talent. Importantly, Xavier and I have known one each other for 35 years, having worked together early in our careers in finance. There is mutual trust and respect. Xavier is a man of great integrity and one of the best CEOs I know. He is the ideal candidate."

Xavier Rolet, CQS' Chief Executive Officer, commented:

"CQS has a strong platform from which to grow. It has a great brand, investment management platform and talented people. I am very much looking forward to working with our teams to grow the Firm in a rapidly changing environment for investment management. I have known Michael for a long time and admire his intellectual curiosity and power, his passion for investment, and above all his integrity.

I am looking forward to working with him and CQS's world-class Board, senior leadership and staff to further develop the business."

Xavier's appointment as Chief Executive Officer of CQS is subject to the relevant regulatory approvals.

Notes to Editors:

CQS is a credit-focused multi-strategy asset manager founded by Sir Michael Hintze in 1999. As at 1 December 2018, CQS had funds under manager of USD18.1bn. The Firm's deep experience allows it to offer solutions for investors across a range of return objectives and risk appetites. CQS is an active asset manager with expertise across corporate capital structures including corporate credit, structured credit, asset backed securities, convertibles, loans and equities. It is committed to delivering performance and high levels of service to our investors.

CQS has offices in London, New York, Hong Kong and Sydney. Our investors include pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, funds of funds, endowments and foundations, and private banks.

Sir Michael Hintze GCSG AM

Prior to establishing CQS in 1999, Sir Michael held a number of senior roles at CSFB and Goldman Sachs. He began his career in finance in 1982 with Salomon Brothers, New York, after working as an Electrical Design Engineer in Australia, where he had also served as a Captain in the Australian army.

Michael is a fluent Russian speaker. He holds a BSc in Physics and Pure Mathematics and a BEng in Electrical Engineering both from the University of Sydney. He also holds an MSc in Acoustics from the University of New South Wales, an MBA from Harvard Business School and received a DBA (honoris) from the University of New South Wales.

Xavier R Rolet KBE

Xavier was Chief Executive Office of the London Stock Exchange from May 2009 until November 2017, having been appointed to the Company's Board in March 2009. He was Chief Executive Officer of Lehman Brothers in France from July 2007 to 7 January 2009. He became a member of Lehman Brothers' European Operating Committee in 2003, having joined the firm in February 2000 in New York as co-head of Global Equity Trading. Xavier started his career on the International Arbitrage desk at Goldman Sachs & Co. in New York in January 1984. In 1990, he moved to London as co-head of European Equity Sales and Trading. He joined Credit Suisse First Boston in 1994 as global head of European Equities before moving to Dresdner Kleinwort Benson as global head of Risk and Trading, and deputy head of Global Equities in 1997.

After graduating from the KEDGE Business School with an MSc in management science and finance in 1981, Xavier served as a second lieutenant and instructor at the French Air Force Academy, earned an MBA from Columbia Business School in 1984 and a post-graduate degree from Paris-based IHEDN (Institute of Advanced Studies in National Defence) in 2008.

Board of Directors CQS Management Limited:

Sir Michael Peat is Chairman of the Board. He and Sir Michael Hintze are Executive Directors. The Board's Non-Executive Directors are The Lord Myners, Catherine Cripps, Richard Hayden, General The Lord Richards, Alexander Downer, James Shinn and Adrian Collins.

www.cqs.com

Source: CQS as at 1 December 2018.

SOURCE CQS
NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Through its partnership with Capsule8 and Trail of Bits, the Summercon Foundation is now accepting proposals for the Summercon Fellowship, a pair of research grants to give independent security researchers the opportunity to work on projects outside of a corporate or academic environment. Recipients of grants will be awarded $10,000 towards hacking research and invited to present their findings at the 2019 edition of Summercon on June 14-15 in Brooklyn, NY. The Summercon Speaker Selection Committee, assisted by two evaluators each from Capsule8 and Trail of Bits, will choose the recipients of the grants through a refereed process. At least 50% of the grants have been reserved for marginalized, female-identifying, transgender, and non-binary candidates.

Grant applications for the Summercon Fellowship may be submitted to https://summercon19grants.hotcrp.com.

"We are excited beyond belief about our partnerships with Trail of Bits and Capsule8," said Mark Trumpbour, Executive Director of Summercon. "They recognize the value of independent inquiry to the entire infosec ecosystem, and their long-term commitment to the Summercon Fellowship will make a tangible difference in advancing the frontiers of security research."

The Summercon Foundation research grants were the idea of Chris Valasek, Chairman Emeritus of Summercon. "I thought about how much latitude I was given by a grant from the DARPA Cyber Fast Track program, and how impactful that work ultimately was to the community as a whole. I had a strong desire to give back to the hacking community, and these grants felt right." Mr. Valasek's work in automotive security research has been widely publicized, culminating in the recall of 1.4 million Fiat Chrysler vehicles due to the presence of a vulnerability in the UConnect infotainment system he identified with research partner Charlie Miller.

This year's grant recipients will be announced by early February 2019.

About Summercon

The Summercon Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to advancing hacking research through direct discourse between leaders in the infosec world. Summercon is America's longest running hacker conference, with a technical focus on offense as a way of bolstering defense. It set a precedent for other conferences such as H.O.P.E. and DEF CON, but where these events have become less intimate, Summercon maintains a focus on direct personal interaction between its attendees.

About Capsule8

Founded in fall 2016 and headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, Capsule8 is developing the industry's first and only real-time, zero-day attack detection platform purpose-built for modern production environments. Founded by experienced hackers and seasoned security entrepreneurs, and funded by Bessemer Venture Partners and ClearSky, Capsule8 is making it possible for Linux-powered enterprises to modernize without compromise. Learn more at www.Capsule8.com.

About Trail of Bits

Trail of Bits is a New York-based security research and engineering services firm that helps secure some of the world's most targeted organizations and products. Founded in 2012 by three expert hackers, the company combines high-end security research with a real-world attacker mentality to reduce risk and fortify code. For clientele, ranging from Facebook to DARPA, Trail of Bits offers high-assurance custom software development, low-level software security assessments, and applied software security research. Learn more at https://www.trailofbits.com/

https://summercon19grants.hotcrp.com/

The Summercon Fellowship provides monetary support and mentorship for great security research ideas. Funding for this program has been donated by Trail of Bits and Capsule8.

Awarded fellows will receive:

$10,000 grant to fund a six-month security research project

grant to fund a six-month security research project Dedicated research mentoring from a security engineer at Trail of Bits or Capsule8

An invitation to present findings at Summercon (presenting is a condition of the grant)

The Fellowship seeks to bolster inclusion in the security industry. 50% of the program spots are reserved for marginalized, people of color, female-identifying, transgender, and non-binary candidates. Applicants of all genders, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, ages, and abilities are encouraged to apply.

SOURCE Trail of Bits; The Summercon Foundation Inc.

Related Links

https://www.trailofbits.com


CALGARY, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Tervita Corporation ("Tervita", the "Company") (TSX: TEV) announced today it has amended and extended its senior secured revolving credit facility with a syndicate of banks led by TD Securities and CIBC. Among other changes, the amendment:

Extends the term of the credit facility by one and a half years to June 2021 , with an option to extend (subject to customary conditions);





, with an option to extend (subject to customary conditions); Increases the maximum principal amount available by $75 million to $275 million ;





to ; Expands the lending syndicate from four to seven banks; and





Provides for improved pricing to Tervita.

"We are pleased with the enhanced financial flexibility and the cost savings that the amendment provides Tervita as we continue to pursue our strategic objectives," said Rob Dawson, Chief Financial Officer of Tervita Corporation. "We believe these positive changes to our credit facility demonstrate the confidence our lending group has in the Company, our strategy and the ability of our business model to generate stable, resilient cash flow."

The credit facility remains fully undrawn and continues to support approximately $86 million of issued and outstanding letters of credit. The newly added capacity on the credit facility enhances Tervita's already strong liquidity position.

About Tervita

Tervita has close to 40 years of operational experience in Canada as a leading environmental solutions provider. Our integrated earth, water, waste and resource solutions deliver safe and efficient results through all phases of a project by minimizing impact, maximizing returns. Our dedicated employees are trusted sustainability partners to oil and gas, construction, mining, government and communities. Safety is our highest priority: it influences our actions and shapes our culture. For more information visit Tervita.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain statements that may be "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are often, but not always, identified using words or phrases such as "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "estimated", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or stating that certain actions, events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "might", "could" or "should" occur or be achieved or other similar terminology. In particular, but without limiting the foregoing, this news release contains forward-looking statements or information pertaining to the financial flexibility and cost savings provided by the amended credit facility and our ability to successfully realize our strategy and to generate stable, resilient cash flow. By their nature, forward-looking statements and information involve known and unknown opportunities, costs, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results; to differ materially from those anticipated. Risks and uncertainties that may affect actual results include, without limitation, our ability to realize our strategy and to generate stable, resilient cash flow, potential decreases in exploration, drilling and production activity levels in the markets where we offer our services, customers may decide to no longer outsource their waste management and other environmental service activities, risks related to non-compliance with environmental laws or delays resulting from such non-compliance, legislative and regulatory initiatives that impact our business, competition, fluctuations in commodity prices and exchange rates and volatility in global financial conditions. With respect to the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release, Tervita has made assumptions regarding, among other things: our ability to realize our strategy and to generate stable, resilient cash flow, our ability to comply with covenants and/or repayment obligations under our debt arrangements, the stability of the industries in which we operate, the creditworthiness of our customers, commodity prices, no material changes in the legislative and operating framework our business, our ability to access capital, our ability to successfully market our business in the areas in which we operate, conditions of the oil and gas industry in our current and proposed market, general economic, business and market conditions, our future debt levels and the impact of increasing competition. Although Tervita believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements and information are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements and information are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of Tervita's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, Tervita undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

The forward-looking statements and information included in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Tervita cautions that the foregoing list of assumptions, risks and uncertainties is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof, and Tervita does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, change in management's estimates or opinions, future circumstances or events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities law.

SOURCE Tervita Corporation

Related Links

http://www.tervita.com/


PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The India Fund, Inc. (NYSE: IFN) (the "Fund"), a closed-end fund, today announced that it will pay on January 10, 2019, a distribution of US$1.70288 per share to all shareholders of record as of December 31, 2018 (ex-dividend date December 28, 2018).

Under U.S. tax rules applicable to the Fund, the amount and character of distributable income for each fiscal year can be finally determined only as of the end of the Fund's fiscal year. However, under Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") and related Rules, the Fund may be required to indicate to shareholders the source of certain distributions to shareholders.

The following table sets forth the estimated amounts of the sources of the distribution for purposes of Section 19 of the 1940 Act and the Rules adopted thereunder. The table has been computed based on generally accepted accounting principles. The table includes estimated amounts and percentages for the distributions to be paid on January 10, 2019 as well as the estimated cumulative distributions declared fiscal year to date (01/01/2018 - 11/30/2018), from the following sources: net investment income; net realized short-term capital gains; net realized long-term capital gains; and return of capital. The estimated composition of the distributions may vary from quarter to quarter because the estimated composition may be impacted by future income, expenses and realized gains and losses on securities and currencies.



Estimated

Amounts of

Special

Distribution

per share ($) Estimated

Amounts of

Special

Distribution per

share (%) Estimated

Amounts of Fiscal

Year to Date

Cumulative

Distributions per

share ($) Estimated

Amounts of Fiscal

Year to Date

Cumulative

Distributions per

share (%) Net Investment

Income - - $0.18012 4% Net Realized Short-

Term Capital Gains* - - - - Net Realized Long-

Term Capital Gains $1.70288 100% $4.32276 96% Return of Capital - - - - Total (per common

share) $1.70288 100% $4.50288 100%

*includes currency gains

Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of the Fund's current distributions or from the terms of the Distribution Policy.

The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The final determination of the source of all distributions in 2018 will be made after year-end. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of the fiscal year and may be subject to change based on tax regulations. The Fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes.

The following table provides the Fund's total return performance based on net asset value (NAV) over various time periods compared to the Fund's annualized and cumulative distribution rates.

Average Annual Total Return on NAV for the 5 Year Period Ending 11/30/20181 12.44% Current Fiscal Period's Annualized Distribution Rate on NAV2 11.09% Fiscal Year to Date (01/01/2018 to 11/30/2018) Cumulative Total Return on NAV1 -3.33% Cumulative Distribution Rate on NAV2 8.37%

1 Return data is net of all fund expenses and fees and assumes the reinvestment of all distributions reinvested at prices obtained under the Fund's dividend reinvestment plan.

2 Based on the Fund's NAV as of November 30, 2018.

While NAV performance may be indicative of the Fund's investment performance, it does not measure the value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund. The value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund is determined by the Fund's market price, which is based on the supply and demand for the Fund's shares in the open market.

Pursuant to an exemptive order granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2010, the Fund may distribute any long-term capital gains more frequently than the limits provided in Section 19(b) under the 1940 Act and Rule 19b-1 thereunder. Therefore, distributions paid by the Fund during the year may include net income, short-term capital gains, long-term capital gains and/or a return of capital. Net income dividends and short-term capital gain dividends, while generally taxable at ordinary income rates, may be eligible, to the extent of qualified dividend income earned by the Fund, to be taxed at a lower rate not to exceed the maximum rate applicable to your long-term capital gains. Distributions made in any calendar year in excess of investment company taxable income and net capital gain are treated as taxable ordinary dividends to the extent of undistributed earnings and profits, and then as a return of capital that reduces the adjusted basis in the shares held. To the extent return of capital distributions exceed the adjusted basis in the shares held, capital gain is recognized with a holding period based on the period the shares have been held at the date such amount is received. Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the terms of the distribution policy. The final determination of the source of all distributions will be made after year-end. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the fiscal year and may be subject to change based on tax regulations. The Fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report distributions for federal income tax purposes.

The payment of distributions in accordance with the Distribution Policy may result in a decrease in the Fund's net assets. A decrease in the Fund's net assets may cause an increase in the Fund's annual operating expense ratio and a decrease in the Fund's market price per share to the extent the market price correlates closely to the Fund's net asset value per share. The Distribution Policy may also negatively affect the Fund's investment activities to the extent that the Fund is required to hold larger cash positions than it typically would hold or to the extent that the Fund must liquidate securities that it would not have sold, for the purpose of paying the distribution. The Fund's Board of Directors has the right to amend, suspend or terminate the Distribution Policy at any time. The amendment, suspension or termination of the Distribution Policy may affect the Fund's market price per share. Investors should consult their tax advisor regarding federal, state and local tax considerations that may be applicable in their particular circumstances.

Circular 230 disclosure : To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the U.S. Treasury, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.

Aberdeen Standard Investments is a brand of the investment businesses of Aberdeen Asset Management and Standard Life Investments. In the United States, Aberdeen Standard Investments is the marketing name for the following affiliated, registered investment advisers: Aberdeen Standard Investments ETFs Advisors LLC, Aberdeen Asset Management Inc., Aberdeen Asset Managers Ltd., Aberdeen Standard Investments Australia Ltd., Aberdeen Standard Investments (Asia) Ltd., Aberdeen Asset Capital Management, LLC, Standard Life Investments (Corporate Funds) Ltd., and Standard Life Investments (USA) Ltd.

Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. The Fund's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the net asset value (NAV) of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

If you wish to receive this information electronically, please contact [email protected]

aberdeenifn.com

SOURCE The India Fund, Inc.
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank raised more than $400,000 to help feed people in need at its 16th annual Season for Sharing Luncheon on December 13, 2018. The event, which celebrated Food Bank's 45 years of service to the community, was held at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel. The Food Bank honored donors, individuals and other organizations that have made major contributions to the fight against hunger in Los Angeles County.

Leslie Lopez, meteorologist for ABC7 Eyewitness News, emceed the event and tweeted afterward saying, "It was a privilege emceeing again this year at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank's Season of Sharing Luncheon. I should have brought a box of tissues - hunger in our community is heart-wrenching."

President and CEO of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Michael Flood, commented, "We truly appreciate all of the sponsors of the luncheon. The Food Bank has fed people for 45 years because of the tremendous, generous support of individuals, corporations and foundations who share our vision that no one goes hungry in Los Angeles County."

Ralphs / Food 4 Less was the presenting sponsor of this year's Season for Sharing Luncheon. Jon Votava, director of corporate affairs for Ralphs and Vanessa E. Rosales, director of corporate affairs and government relations for Food 4 Less welcomed guests and recognized the Food Bank's tireless fight against food insecurity in Los Angeles.

Starbucks was awarded the Fighting Hunger, Giving Hope award; Friends In Deed, one of the Food Bank's agency partners, was given the Community Partner Award; Elena Guzman, who recently retired as a Director at the Catholic Charities Catholic Charities San Juan Diego Center in El Monte, received the Tony Collier Award; and Board Member Richard Fung was presented with the Dennis Winston Memorial Leadership Award.

For a more in-depth recap, please visit www.lafoodbank.org/season-for-sharing.

This year, Season for Sharing was sponsored by Platinum Donors Ralphs / Food 4 Less (lead sponsor) and Delta Air Lines. Legacy Donors were Borstein Enterprises, Disney and FedEx. Angel Donors were Bank of America, Enterprise Holdings and Yukevich Cavanaugh. Community Donors were Don Lee Farms; Ernst & Young; Lappen Family Foundation; Loeb & Loeb; Susan Leonard; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP; and SullivanCurtisMonroe. Friendship Donors were Continental Development Corp, Joe Davis and Etonien, Los Angeles Federal Credit Union, Regional Investment and Management, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Nick & Nancy Saggese and Stout Risius Ross. Patron Donors were Dean Hallett and Stone Tapert.

About the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank

The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has worked to fight hunger in Los Angeles County since 1973 and has distributed the equivalent of more than 1 billion meals across our community. The Food Bank provides food to more than 300,000 clients on a monthly basis and distributed 70 million pounds of food in 2017 to children, seniors, working families, veterans and other neighbors in need. To support the vision that no one goes hungry in Los Angeles County, nutritious food is distributed through a network of more than 650 partner agencies, directly to children through our Children's Backpack and Summer Lunch programs, to approximately 27,000 seniors each month through our Senior Nutrition program and to working families and college students through our Mobile Food Pantry. The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is a 4-star rated charity by Charity Navigator. For more information, visit lafoodbank.org.

For more information about this Press Release, contact:

Los Angeles Regional Food Bank

David May

323 234 3030 ext. 134

[email protected]

SOURCE Los Angeles Regional Food Bank

Related Links

http://www.lafoodbank.org


SHIBUYA-KU, Japan, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Japanese luxury watch marketplace Timepeaks has raised funds from multiple individual investors and opened a branch to expand Thai users in Bangkok, Thailand.



Timepeaks has raised funds from two individual investors: Toru Shimada, Executive Vice President & COO, USEN-NEXT HOLDINGS Co., Ltd and Yuichiro Kitagawa, President, KG PLANNING OFFICE Co., Ltd.



They admired the feature that everyone can trade with confidence by checking all the luxury timepieces provided by Timepeaks watch experts by hand, and expected growth of business.



"We plan to invest in overseas marketing with the aim of raising the presence of overseas," says Hitoshi Kyou, Leatherball, Inc. founder. Leatherball, Inc. has run Timepeaks since 2012.

"Especially Shimada's personal connections and knowledge, who has been executive officer at big companies like Rakuten and USEN, will greatly contribute to the growth of future services. In addition, Kitagawa's excellent organization management capability is very important for Timepeaks to have a presence in the world in the future, and this time he also became a director. Also, it is a great privilege to introduce Theerachai Assavapisitkul, who is an acquaintance of two people and who is an owner of multiple pawnbrokers in Bangkok, Thailand. He is a very trustworthy person, and Timepeaks is extremely happy to be able to open the Thai branch this time in order to expand the service in Thailand, which is the most accessible."



About Theerachai Assavapisitkul:

He is the owner and CEO of "Pawnshop of Thailand" in Bangkok, Thailand and he runs multiple stores. He also owns "Bangkok FarmVille Co., Ltd" in Bangkok and he has been successful in various businesses.



About Timepeaks:

Timepeaks is an international luxury watch marketplace, launched in 2012 by Leatherball, Inc. Timepeaks is currently operated in 16 languages. Leatherball, Inc. was founded in 2005 by Hitoshi Kyou in Japan.

https://timepeaks.com



Photos:

https://www.prlog.org/12745799



Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE Leatherball, Inc.
PARIS, December 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

As every year, CIOReview has published the list of top 10 companies that are at the forefront of providing Project Management solutions and impacting the marketplace. Triskell Software has been selected to be on this list for the second time.

A distinguished selection panel comprising of CEOs, CIOs, VCs, industry analysts, and CIOReview's editorial board has selected a list of Project Management solutions to help CTOs, CIOs, and CEOs find the right providers. The CIO Review profile highlighted Triskell's flexibility and responsiveness approach to provide a clear picture of an organization and its resources.

Triskell's product and resource management tools support all the ways organizations manage their strategic planning and execution. "One of the major challenges in the project portfolio management for businesses is to possess the capability of combining all technologies into a single platform," observes Angel Garcia, CEO of Triskell Software. Besides benefiting the customers with Agile Scrum, Agile Lean, as well as Safe Agile and waterfall management, the Triskell PPM solution helps clients in faster delivery of products and projects and become more flexible in order to be adaptable to the users.

Successful in developing an array of products, the company is enjoying a 40 percent revenue growth and a wide customer attention across countries. "Triskell will also be launching newer versions of its Kanban Board software in early 2019 besides expanding its footprints in the US," concludes Garcia.

About CIOReview

CIOReview offers a ground-breaking platform allowing decision-makers to share their insights, which in turn provides both budding and established entrepreneurs with analyses of information technology trends and a better understanding of the environment. To select recipients of this award a prominent panel of CEOs, CIOs, VCs, and analysts along with CIOReview's editorial board have determined that Triskell was deserving.

About Triskell Software

Triskell is a true Enterprise solution focused on Strategy Execution Management with advanced Project Portfolio Management features, helping to fill the gap between planning and proper execution. Triskell allows companies to plan, prioritize, manage and monitor their organization's initiatives. It includes tools for demand management, capacity management, project portfolio management, application portfolio management, resource management, financial management, waterfall and agile project management, and IT service portfolio management.

www.triskellsoftware.com

SOURCE Triskell Software
CHICAGO, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The UNCLE BEN'S Brand is teaming up with local retailers across the country to donate more than $24,000 to schools as part of its annual BEN'S BEGINNERS program. As part of the program, retailers select local schools to receive a donation to encourage healthy eating in their communities.

Donations from Albertsons, Hannaford, Raleys and Stater Brothers will contribute to cafeteria upgrades and overall improvements at the following schools:

Brooksfield School in McLean, Virginia

Dr. Lewis S. Libby Elementary School in Milford, Maine

Eagle Heights Elementary School in Clinton, Iowa

John Wetten Elementary School in Gladstone, Oregon

Madison Elementary School in Riverside, California

Maple Elementary School in Fullerton, California

Ridley Middle School in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania

in Rita Cannan Elementary School in Reno, Nevada

"This year, we saw more retailer participation in the BEN'S BEGINNERS program than ever before, making it possible for us to nearly double our 2017 donation," said Ashley Findlay, senior brand manager, UNCLE BEN'S. "We're grateful for retailer partners that share our dedication to promoting healthier eating at schools and in communities across the country."

Principal Tricia Clark of Dr. Lewis S. Libby School in Milford, Maine, spoke of her school's donation. "Schools play an integral role in shaping children's eating habits and we are so grateful that this donation will allow us to foster a culture of health for our students. We're excited to purchase new cafeteria tables with support from this UNCLE BEN'S program."

Some of the benefits that kids who cook experience include eating more nutritious foods, performing better in school and making long-lasting memories. Throughout its seven years, the BEN'S BEGINNERS program has motivated thousands of families to cook together and has donated more than $1,000,000 to families and schools across the country. For information on UNCLE BEN'S and BEN'S BEGINNERS, family-friendly recipe ideas and cooking tips, visit https://beginners.unclebens.com/.

About the UNCLE BEN'S Brand

The UNCLE BEN'S Brand, the number one rice brand in the world, is proud to offer a wide range of rice dishes with flavors and textures that will help bring more to your meals, both for savory main courses and convenient side dishes. The UNCLE BEN'S Brand offers a wide variety of white, whole grain brown, and flavored rice in cook times ranging from 90 seconds to 30 minutes, as well as rice for food service operations such as restaurants, schools and hospitals. The first mass-produced parboiled rice, UNCLE BEN'S Brand products can be found around the world. The UNCLE BEN'S Brand products are manufactured by Mars Food, part of Mars, Incorporated. For more information, visit https://beginners.unclebens.com/.

About Mars Food

Mars Food is a fast-growing dinnertime food business, making tastier, healthier, easier meals that bring the world to the dinner table. Headquartered in London, Mars Food's portfolio of leading brands includes: UNCLE BEN'S, DOLMIO, SEEDS OF CHANGE, MASTERFOODS, MIRACOLI, TASTY BITE, SUZI WAN, EBLY, ROYCO, KAN TONG, ABU SIOUF, RARIS, and PAMESELLO. Our purpose  Better Food Today. A Better World Tomorrow.  drives our business to be a leader in health & wellbeing and sustainability. Mars Food is a segment of Mars, Incorporated.

SOURCE UNCLE BENS Brand
WGU's programs, which have been accredited by NCATE since 2006, are now accredited by CAEP through 2025. The university maintains regional accreditation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).

"Western Governors University meets high standards so that their students receive an education that prepares them to succeed in a diverse range of classrooms after they graduate," said CAEP President Dr. Christopher A. Koch. "Seeking CAEP Accreditation is a significant commitment on the part of an educator preparation provider."

"The news that Western Governors University is now CAEP accredited brings additional validation to an already high performing option for Indiana residents as they select a teacher preparation program. The work to prepare our future teachers is critical for our schools to succeed with our students in state and global initiatives. Knowing too that we experience shortages in math and science teachers, WGU Indiana is a welcome partner for our schools in preparing highly qualified STEM educators for our classrooms. I'm pleased to be able to support WGU Indiana and congratulate Western Governors University on this recognition," said Indiana Association of School Principals Executive Director Todd Bess. In a recent survey of Indiana school superintendents, 91 percent indicated a teacher shortage in their districts.

Established in 2003 with the support of the U.S. Department of Education, WGU's Teachers College prepares teachers for licensure in all 50 states. WGU Indiana's Teachers College has graduated 1,234 students to date.

WGU is a leader in STEM education and a top producer of math and science teachers throughout the nation. The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) ranked WGU's secondary math education program in the nation's top one percent. WGU's Teachers College initial licensure programs are nationally recognized by TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages), NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics), ACEI (American Association of Childhood Education International), NSTA (National Science Teachers Association), and NCTE (National Council for Teachers of English).

About WGU Indiana



WGU Indiana offers more than 60 undergraduate and graduate online degree programs in business, education, information technology and healthcare, including nursing. The nonprofit university's competency-based model allows students to accelerate through coursework.

According to a 2017 Harris Poll, 96 percent of WGU graduates are employed, 89 percent of them in their degree field. According to a 2017 Gallup study, WGU graduates are more likely than graduates from other U.S. universities to have the jobs they want, to feel that WGU was the perfect school for them, and to feel that their education was worth the cost.

WGU Indiana has helped more than 7,151 Hoosiers achieve their dream of completing a college degree. Another 5,598 students are currently enrolled. For information about WGU Indiana's degrees and scholarships, visit wgu.edu/online-degree-programs.

About CAEP

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (www.CAEPnet.org) advances excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning. CAEP was created by the consolidation of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC). Accreditation is a nongovernmental activity based on peer review that serves the dual functions of assuring quality and promoting improvement. It is a unified accreditation system intent on raising the performance of all institutions focused on educator preparation. Currently, more than 800 educator preparation providers participate in the CAEP Accreditation system, including many previously accredited through former standards.

Contact for media inquiries:

Lisa Abbott

317-525-4924

[email protected]

SOURCE WGU Indiana

Related Links

https://www.wgu.edu


I am proposing the creation of a cannabis regulatory agency in order to protect the interests of Hoosiers. We recently legalized the use of CBD oil and industrial hemp, but the state has no structure in place to make sure that these products are properly regulated for consumers, Tallian said in a statement. A Cannabis Compliance Commission would help provide for a stable and safe cannabis industry in the state. When Indiana legalizes medical or recreational marijuana, the structure will be in place.
WARRINGTON, Pa. and TAIPEI, Taiwan, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Windtree Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB: WINT), a biotechnology company focused on developing aerosolized KL4 surfactant therapies for respiratory diseases, and CVie Investments Limited (CVie), together with its wholly-owned subsidiary, CVie Therapeutics Limited, a privately-held company focused on developing drugs to treat cardiovascular diseases, today announced the closing of a definitive agreement for the merger of a Windtree Therapeutics subsidiary and CVie in an all-stock transaction. The combined company, which will retain the name Windtree Therapeutics, will be a fully-integrated and diversified acute care company with four mid-to-late clinical stage product assets and multiple preclinical assets and programs. Led by Windtree management, the merged company will continue to be headquartered in Warrington, PA with pre-clinical operations in Taipei, Taiwan and Milan, Italy.

Simultaneous with the closing of the merger, Windtree completed a $39.0 million private placement transaction of common stock shares at an offering price of $3.3132. Net proceeds, after deducting the estimated offering and merger related expenses, is expected to be approximately $36.0 million.

"This CVie merger is highly complementary and successfully meets our goal to create a company with multiple high-quality product assets focused on significant unmet medical needs in important acute cardiovascular and acute respiratory markets," commented Craig Fraser, President and Chief Executive Officer of Windtree. "We enter 2019 with a broad clinical and preclinical pipeline that creates numerous value generating opportunities to the benefit of patients and shareholders alike. This transaction and the investment it has attracted places the company on a significantly improved trajectory. We look forward to keeping our investors updated on our execution and progress."

"The merger allows CVie to leverage Windtree's experienced management team, significant drug and business development capabilities and as a U.S. publicly-traded company, access to a broader range of investors," commented James Huang, a former Director of CVie and Managing Partner, KPCB China and newly appointed Chairman for Windtree's board of directors. "These attributes are essential to the next stage of development of our novel cardiovascular programs including Istaroxime, which just successfully completed phase 2b for acute heart failure, and Rostafuroxin for genetically related hypertension. Furthermore, as a potentially transformative therapy for acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, AEROSURF is a highly attractive program with significant potential. We believe this merger creates a new and exciting global biopharmaceutical company."



Clinical Stage Product Pipeline of Combined Company:

Istaroxime: Istaroxime is a first-in-class luso-inotropic agent under development for the treatment of acute decompensated heart failure. Istaroxime is a potent positive inotropic agent that increases myocardial contractility through inhibition of Na + /K + -ATPase. In addition, it facilitates myocardial relaxation through activation of the SERCA2a calcium pump on the sarcoplasmic reticulum and reduction in cytoplasmic calcium. Based on its mechanism of action, preclinical studies and clinical findings to date, Istaroxime has the potential to deliver the desired clinical effects in decompensated heart failure without the deleterious effects of conventional inotropes, i.e., increased heart rate, increased oxygen consumption, increased risk of arrhythmia and hypotension. Istaroxime recently completed a successful phase 2b clinical trial and top line results demonstrated a statistically significant (p<0.05) improvement in the primary endpoint of left ventricle function assessed by echocardiography, by both doses of Istaroxime. Windtree will provide a more detailed data presentation during its January 3, 2019 investor conference call.

Istaroxime is a first-in-class luso-inotropic agent under development for the treatment of acute decompensated heart failure. Istaroxime is a potent positive inotropic agent that increases myocardial contractility through inhibition of Na /K -ATPase. In addition, it facilitates myocardial relaxation through activation of the SERCA2a calcium pump on the sarcoplasmic reticulum and reduction in cytoplasmic calcium. Based on its mechanism of action, preclinical studies and clinical findings to date, Istaroxime has the potential to deliver the desired clinical effects in decompensated heart failure without the deleterious effects of conventional inotropes, i.e., increased heart rate, increased oxygen consumption, increased risk of arrhythmia and hypotension. Istaroxime recently completed a successful phase clinical trial and top line results demonstrated a statistically significant (p<0.05) improvement in the primary endpoint of left ventricle function assessed by echocardiography, by both doses of Istaroxime. Windtree will provide a more detailed data presentation during its investor conference call. AEROSURF: AEROSURF is a combination drug/device product that combines Windtree's proprietary KL4 surfactant and innovative aerosolization technologies being developed to potentially reduce or eliminate the need for endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation in the treatment of premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Windtree recently reported positive results from phase 2 trials suggesting reduced rates of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in AEROSURF treated neonates and plans to initiate a clinical study in 2019 with its recently validated phase 3 / commercial platform aerosol delivery system (ADS) as a bridging study transition to phase 3.

AEROSURF is a combination drug/device product that combines Windtree's proprietary KL4 surfactant and innovative aerosolization technologies being developed to potentially reduce or eliminate the need for endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation in the treatment of premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Windtree recently reported positive results from phase 2 trials suggesting reduced rates of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in AEROSURF treated neonates and plans to initiate a clinical study in 2019 with its recently validated phase 3 / commercial platform aerosol delivery system (ADS) as a bridging study transition to phase 3. Rostafuroxin: Rostafuroxin is a novel, phase 2 precision medicine targeting hypertensive patients with certain genetic profiles focused on the large and important resistant hypertension market. Rostafuroxin recently completed a second phase 2b clinical trial and Windtree plans to review clinical progress to date, additional required ongoing development work and the licensing strategy, during its January 3, 2019 investor conference call.

Rostafuroxin is a novel, phase 2 precision medicine targeting hypertensive patients with certain genetic profiles focused on the large and important resistant hypertension market. Rostafuroxin recently completed a second phase clinical trial and Windtree plans to review clinical progress to date, additional required ongoing development work and the licensing strategy, during its investor conference call. Lucinactant LS: Lucinactant LS is a lyophilized, KL4 surfactant that is a new, improved formulation of Windtree's previously FDA-approved product. Lucinactant LS offers a synthetic formulation with no warming requirement in contrast to current animal derived surfactant products and greater stability and lower viscosity than the previous liquid KL4 formulation. The initial focus will be the RDS population that require invasive administration (and therefore are not candidates for AEROSURF treatment).

Preclinical Product Pipeline

In addition to its clinical stage product candidates, the combined company will pursue the advancement of other preclinical product assets and programs:

SERCA2a activators with pure stimulatory activity, devoid of any Na + /K + ATPase inhibitory activity.

with pure stimulatory activity, devoid of any Na /K ATPase inhibitory activity. Oral, dual-mechanism Na/K channel and SERCA2a drug candidate that would serve as a follow-on or complementary, chronic heart failure drug to acute i.v. Istaroxime.

drug candidate that would serve as a follow-on or complementary, chronic heart failure drug to acute i.v. Istaroxime. Eleison ILC research collaboration studying Windtree's ADS delivery of liposomal cisplatin (with or without KL4 surfactant) building upon Eleison's phase 2 clinical work in metastatic osteosarcoma with a future focus in non-small cell lung cancer.

studying Windtree's ADS delivery of liposomal cisplatin (with or without KL4 surfactant) building upon Eleison's phase 2 clinical work in metastatic osteosarcoma with a future focus in non-small cell lung cancer. KL4 platform research continuing research in preventing acute lung injury due to radiation and viral infections as well as advancing drug delivery pre-clinical studies.

About the Merger

In connection with the Merger, Windtree and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Windtree (Merger Sub), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (Merger Agreement) with CVie, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, pursuant to which Merger Sub merged with and into CVie, with CVie surviving as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Windtree. Windtree issued shares of its common stock to CVie's former shareholders, at an exchange ratio of .3512 share of Windtree's common stock, in exchange for each share of CVie outstanding prior to the Merger resulting in the issuance of 16,265,060 shares of common stock. Windtree plans to operate CVie and CVie Therapeutics Limited, a Taiwan corporation organized under the laws of the Republic of China, as a business division focused on early development of drug product candidates in cardiovascular diseases.

Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated acted as exclusive financial advisor to Windtree in this transaction.

On December 20, 2018, Windtree declared a dividend to the holders of record of Windtree's common stock on that date, as well as to holders of certain warrants to purchase common stock, of Series H AEROSURF Warrants, which will be exercisable without any exercise price for .5731 additional shares of Windtree common stock for each share of common stock outstanding on the record date (the AEROSURF Warrants). The AEROSURF Warrants will be automatically exercised upon Windtree's public announcement of the first dosing of the first human subject enrolled in the Company's Phase 3 clinical trial for AEROSURF.

In connection with the Merger, Lee's Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited (Lee's), which owned 49.58% of the outstanding shares of CVie prior to the Merger, agreed to indemnify the Windtree shareholders of record on December 20, 2018 (the Indemnitees) for losses resulting from any material inaccuracy in any representation or warranty made by CVie in the Merger Agreement and placed in escrow 984,000 shares of the Merger consideration issued to Lee's affiliate in the Merger for one year. A portion of the escrowed shares will be transferred to the Indemnitees, as the sole and exclusive remedy for a successful indemnity claim.

About the Private Placement

Effective December 21, 2018, Windtree conducted a securities offering and entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the SPA) and Registration Rights Agreement (Registration Rights Agreement) with select institutional investors (Investors), pursuant to which Windtree issued an aggregate of 11,785,540 shares of its common stock at a price per share of $3.3132, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $39.0 million (approximately $36 million net of expenses) (the Financing). In addition, Lee's (through LPH II, an affiliate) and Battelle Memorial Institute converted $6.0 million and $1.0 million, respectively, of existing debt obligations in the Financing on the same terms as the Investors. For each share of common stock issued, Windtree issued (i) an 18-month Series F Warrant to purchase 0.17 share of common stock with an exercise price of $3.68 per share and (ii) a five-year Series G Warrants to purchase 0.33 share of common stock, at an exercise price of $4.05 per share. Both existing and new investors participated in this financing.

The Company conducted the Financing pursuant to Regulation S, Rule 506(b) of Regulation D and Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

The securities issued in connection with the Merger and the Financing have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. The former CVie shareholders have entered into Lock-up Agreements for a one-year period.



Notice to Reader

Readers are referred to, and encouraged to read in its entirety, Windtree's Form 8-K which is expected to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or before December 21, 2018, and which includes discussions about the Merger and Private Placement.

Conference Call and Webcast Details

The Company will host a conference call and webcast (including a slide presentation) on Thursday, January 3, 2019 at 8:00 am EST to review and discuss the merger, financing and plans for 2019.

The live webcast, including a slide presentation, can be accessed at http://windtreetx.investorroom.com/events . To participate in the live call and take part in the question and answer session, dial (844) 802-2436 (domestic) or (412) 317-5129 (international).

A replay of the conference call will be accessible one hour after completion through December 28, 2018 by dialing (877) 344-7529 (domestic) or (412) 317-0088 (international) and referencing conference number 10127199. An archive of the webcast will be available on the Company's website at http://windtreetx.investorroom.com/events.

About Windtree Therapeutics

Windtree Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel surfactant therapies for respiratory diseases and other potential applications. Windtree's proprietary technology platform includes a synthetic, peptide-containing surfactant (KL4 surfactant) that is structurally similar to endogenous pulmonary surfactant and novel drug-delivery technologies being developed to enable noninvasive administration of aerosolized KL4 surfactant. Windtree is focused initially on improving the management of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature infants and believes that its proprietary technology may make it possible, over time, to develop a pipeline of KL4 surfactant product candidates to address a variety of respiratory diseases for which there are few or no approved therapies.

For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.windtreetx.com.

About CVie Therapeutics

CVie is a Taiwan-based company founded in 2013 by Lee's Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited and renowned venture capitals from the US and Taiwan. It is a stand-alone drug development company specialized in cardiovascular diseases. CVie currently owns two phase IIb assets that target cardiovascular diseases with significant unmet medical need. Rostafuroxin is a novel precision medicine targeting hypertensive patients with certain genetic profiles with better efficacy and safety than conventional therapies. Istaroxime is a first-in-class luso-inotropic medicine for the treatment of acute heart failure and will have fewer adverse effects than conventional inotropes, namely, increased heart rate, arrhythmia, increased oxygen consumption, hypotension.



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. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. Examples of such risks and uncertainties include those risks related to the post-merger integration of CVie, including with respect to having two international locations, Windtree's product development programs, which are expected to involve time-consuming and expensive clinical trials that may be subject to potentially significant delays or regulatory holds, or fail; risks related to the development of aerosol delivery systems (ADS) and related components; risks related to the manufacture by contract manufacturers or suppliers of drug products, drug substances, ADS and other materials on a timely basis and in sufficient amounts; risks relating to rigorous regulatory requirements, including those of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other regulatory authorities that may require significant additional activities, or may not accept or may withhold or delay consideration of applications, or may not approve or may limit approval of Windtree's products; and other risks and uncertainties described in Windtree's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including the most recent reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, and any amendments thereto.

SOURCE Windtree Therapeutics, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.discoverylabs.com


Mumbai, Dec 21 : Actor Mohit Malik is shooting for some intense sequences where he will be heading for a divorce. He says that personally, he dreads it and wishes it never happens to anyone.

In real life, he has been married for eight years, but his character Sikandar in "Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala" is getting ready for a divorce.

"I am trying to understand what a man goes through during divorce while preparing for my scenes. More than the couple, it is difficult for the kids and the family as the mind wants one thing but soul wants something else," Mohit said in a statement.

"For the children, parents are their heroes and suddenly seeing their separation leaves them confused. I think it is very important to give them maximum love and attention at that point of time and explain the situation to them. I dread it and I personally wish this never happens to anyone," he added.
Beirut, Dec 21 : Hezbollah's Deputy Leader Sheikh Naim Qassem has said resistance is the only way to confront Israel's aggression and violations in the region.

"When the resistance and its people and its will are present, Israel cannot achieve its goals in the region and it cannot exist among us in the future," he was quoted as saying by the National News Agency.

Qassem's remarks on Thursday came during the yearly memorial of the late Hezbollah militant Samir Kuntar, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said it is the resistance's right, and the right of the Palestinians to build their strength and use all the methods and means to confront Israel.

"You are not the ones who determine the quality and quantity of weapons that we use. The resistance will use all the means to win the battle, and to confront Israel and all its supporters," he said while sending a message to the international community.

Qassem said that Israel violates Lebanon's sovereignty without any reaction from the UN Security Council.

"Israel violated Lebanon's sovereignty over 150 times last month," he said. "Where are the Security Council and the international community when Lebanon's sovereignty is violated?" he asked.

Qassem's remarks also came a day following Israel's campaign at the UN Security Council against Hezbollah.

Israel called Wednesday on the council to act against Hezbollah after the discovery of four tunnels allegedly dug by the militant group into northern Israel.
Washington, Dec 21 : The Donald Trump-led US administration is considering a substantial reduction of US troops in Afghanistan, the media reported.

Officials said that US troop reduction in Afghanistan could begin in next several weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

Trump said last year that a rapid exit of the US troops from Afghanistan "unacceptable," and sent more than 3,000 US troops to Afghanistan, Xinhua reported.

Currently, there are more than 14,000 US soldiers deployed in Afghanistan.

The death toll of US service members has surpassed 2,400 since the US invaded Afghanistan in 2001.

The drawdown, if confirmed, would follow Trump's decision to completely pull all US forces out of Syria.

The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it has started returning US troops home from Syria after claiming a victory in the fight against the Islamic State.
Tokyo, Dec 21 : Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn was re-arrested on Friday on fresh charges, Japanese media reported. It came a day after courts surprised observers by paving the way for his release on bail.

Friday's arrest came on a new charge of aggravated breach of trust, media reports said.

According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, prosecutors now accuse Ghosn of shifting a private investment loss of over $16 million onto Nissan in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

This latest move means he will remain in prison so prosecutors can question him further.

Ghosn has spent the last month in prison, accused of misusing funds and hiding $80 million of income, the BBC reported.

On Thursday, a court rejected a request to extend his detention, which meant he could apply to be released on bail.

Ghosn has not yet responded to the latest allegation but he has consistently denied all prior accusations made against him, the BBC report added.

He was first arrested in Tokyo in November as allegations of financial misconduct surfaced.

If found guilty of those charges he could face up to 10 years in prison as well as a fine of up to $6.2 million, according to Japanese regulators.

Ghosn's detention has put into doubt the future of the Alliance -- a global car manufacturing group that includes Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi.

While, Nissan and Mitsubishi both sacked Ghosn as chairman after his arrest, Renault has held off, choosing instead to appoint a temporary deputy chief executive to take over the running of the firm.

The auto tycoon's hero status was so big that his life was serialised in one of Japan's famous cartoon comic books.

The Brazilian-born of Lebanese descent and a French citizen is known as Le Cost Killer, a comment on the deep cuts he made to revive Renault.

He was once tipped as a potential president of Lebanon, a move he eventually dismissed because he already had "too many jobs".
Washington, Dec 21 : The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved its first work program under its new four-year investment cycle, benefiting 25 countries with funding of $157.8 million.

The approval was granted in the 55th GEF Council meeting that concluded here on Thursday following the approval of its investment cycle, known as GEF-7, and a series of decisions that will firm up its implementation policies and procedures.

The work program, made up of 18 different projects benefiting 25 countries around the world, will require $157.8 million, and is expected to attract an indicative $819.7 million in financing from other sources.

Closing the meeting, GEF CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii said much progress has been made and "now GEF-7 can start".

The three-day council meeting, the first to be held since governments endorsed the new GEF-7 strategy and the accompanying $4.1 billion replenishment of its trust fund, approved various measures to further improve the GEF's efficiency, accountability and transparency.

This includes new policy procedures to speed up the preparation, endorsement, implementation, and closure of projects, and, among other things, new policies to improve access to information, and an updated policy on environmental and social safeguards throughout the GEF project and programme cycle.

Following the special session on gender at Civil Society (CSO) Forum 2018, the council decided that plastics management to avoid pollution would be the topic for the CSO consultation at the 56th GEF Council meeting in June 2019.

The first work program in GEF-7 for Least Developed Countries Fund, consisting of six projects and requesting a total of $45.85 million, was also approved.

The projects that got approval include the long-term conservation and management of critical and threatened sites and species along the globally important East Asia-Australasian Flyway, by establishing a robust, resilient, and well-managed network of protected wetlands for endangered migratory waterbirds in China.

An allocation of $128 million for the Small Grants Programme is to provide grants to civil society and community-based organisations tackling global environmental issues in 107 countries.
San Francisco, Dec 21 : Apple has elevated John Giannandrea to the company's executive team as Senior Vice President of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy.

Giannandrea, who joined Apple from Google in April, oversees the strategy for AI and ML across products and services, as well as the development of Core ML and Siri technologies.

His team's focus on advancing and tightly integrating machine learning into Apple products is delivering more personal, intelligent and natural interactions for customers while protecting user privacy, the Cupertino-based giant said in a statement late on Thursday.

"John hit the ground running at Apple and we are thrilled to have him as part of our executive team," said Apple CEO Tim Cook.

"Machine learning and AI are important to Apple's future as they are fundamentally changing the way people interact with technology, and already helping our customers live better lives," Cook added.

Giannandrea's team is also working to enhance the developer experience with tools, including Core ML and Create ML, making it easier to integrate machine learning into apps.

Giannandrea joined Google in 2010 after the company acquired his start-up Metaweb Technologies.

He later worked as Google's Head of Search and Artificial Intelligence and took the role of Senior Vice President of Engineering at Google from Amit Singhal in early 2016.

According to reports, Apple needs strong talent to improve its AI and ML efforts which lag behind its competitors like Amazon and Google.

The company has invested heavily in Siri and HomeKit to compete with Google Home and Alexa-based smart home systems.
New Delhi, Dec 21 : The Delhi High Court on Friday rejected a plea seeking more time to surrender by former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who was given life imprisonment in an anti-Sikh riot case earlier this week.

Sajjan Kumar had sought more time to surrender so he could settle some family matters, as the court ordered him behind bars for the rest of his remaining life.

A Division Bench of Justices S. Muralidhar and Vinod Goel asked him to surrender by December 31.

Claiming his innocence, Sajjan Kumar had requested the court to grant him 30 more days so that he could settle certain property matter and meet his close relatives.

In his plea, the 73-year-old said that he has a big family that includes besides his wife, three children and eight grandchildren.

The Delhi High Court on Monday convicted Kumar in an anti-Sikh riot case of 1984 and sentenced him to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life. The court asked him to surrender till December 31.

Sajjan Kumar said he was shocked and surprised by the judgement as trial court had acquitted him in the case.

He told the High Court that he would appeal in the Supreme Court challenging its order and therefore he needed time to engage senior lawyers.

He also told the court that most senior counsels were on holiday as the apex court was closed due to winter vacation.

He informed the court that he was out on bail in the 1984 cases and never flouted any bail conditions or hampered investigation and has cooperated with the probe agencies.

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 in the wake of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.
New Delhi, Dec 21 : Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Friday termed the BJP government's eight tax rates under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime "stupid idea" saying "filing GST returns has been a nightmare".

"The stupid idea was the BJP's idea of having eight rates when GST was first implemented in July 2017," the former Finance Minister tweeted.

"If the GST Council will discuss tomorrow 'Ease of filing returns', is that an admission that filing returns has not been easy in the last 18 months?

"The truth is filing GST returns has been a nightmare," Chidambaram said.

"When the Congress President (Rahul Gandhi) said -- as I have said -- GST should be a single rate, it means that the standard rate of GST should be a single rate. That's absolutely correct.

"As (former Chief Economic Adviser) Arvind Subramanian's RNR (Revenue Neutral Rate) report pointed out, when there is a standard rate there will also be a standard-minus rate and a standard-plus rate. That's elementary, not stupid," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said at an event in Mumbai on Tuesday that the government was aiming to bring 99 per cent of items below the 18 per cent GST slab.
Canberra, Dec 21 : The Australian government has urged Japan to reconsider its plan to resume whaling for commercial purposes.

Reports emerged on Thursday that Japan was preparing to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) so as to restart whaling, Xinhua news agency reported.

Addressing the reports, Australian Environment Minister Melissa Price said while the government would "strongly prefer" that Japan remains a party to the IWC, the decision was "a matter for Japan".

"Australia remains committed to the IWC and acknowledges its crucial role as the pre-eminent international body responsible for the conservation of whales and the management of whaling," Price said.

"We will continue to work through the Commission to conserve whales, and remain opposed to all forms of commercial and so-called 'scientific' whaling."

The IWC in September denied Japan's request to resume commercial whaling.

Japan has continued to carry out whaling for research purposes but has argued that global populations have recovered to the point where the ban on commercial whaling should be lifted.
Shaver preached his first Christmas Eve sermon in 1960. He was 24, fresh off an honorable stint in the military and a forgettable stint in college. The highlight of his collegiate years in downstate Richmond was his first calling by God, because before that, he had aimlessly wandered through classes, wondering if he should pursue law, dentistry or journalism.
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 21 : Kerala's Director General of Police Jacob Thomas, who was suspended for criticising the Pinarayi Vijayan government in the wake of cyclone Ockhi disaster, was asked to continue in suspension for another six months, in a fresh order issued here on Friday His one year long suspension ended on Thursday, following which Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's government extended it by another six months.

The day Vijayan took office in May 2016, Thomas was appointed State Vigilance chief.

In 2017, he was asked to go on leave and then he was dumped to head a state run management institute.

Later Thomas was suspended from service in December 2017 for violation of All India Service Rules after it surfaced that he spoke about the breakdown of law and order situation in the state and the manner in which cyclone Ockhi was handled by the Vijayan government.

The Vijayan government also took him to task for authoring a book without prior permission.

In November, the state government also ordered a vigilance probe into the purchases made by the Ports Department, when Thomas was its director during the Oommen Chandy regime.
New Delhi : The surge of national pride at the recent completion of "deterrent patrol" by the Indian Navy's first home-built, nuclear-propelled, ballistic-missile-armed submarine (termed SSBN), INS Arihant, is fully justified.

Just five other countries have the capability of building a nuclear submarine, arming it with nuclear-tipped missiles and deploying it operationally.

By way of comparison, Chi'a's first SSBN, the Type 092 Xia, became operational in 1983, but faced endless problems, including technical unreliability and radiation leaks from its nuclear reactor. The Xia never went on a patrol and a sister submarine reportedly sank after a mishap.

As a nation committed to "no first use" (NFU), it is of critical importance that there should never be a doubt about the credibility of India's nuclear deterrent. It is the iron-clad guarantee of a swift, devastating response that will deter our adversaries from contemplating a first-strike.

However, since nothing stays hidden from the prying eyes of satellites and other technical devices, the two land-based legs of the nuclear triad -- missiles and fighter-bomber aircraft -- remain exposed to pre-emptive enemy attack. The best way to invest the nuclear deterrent with invulnerability is to send it underwater, on a SSBN. Once the sub dives, it becomes invisible and can remain on patrol for months, with its ballistic missiles ready for launch on command.

India's achievement and claims vis-A -vis INS Arihant will be subjected to the closest scrutiny by intelligence experts and security analysts worldwide. INS Arihant's first patrol, apart from demonstrating that the submarine is fully operational, is also proof of:

Crew proficiency in operating its nuclear-reactor and other complex systems.

Establishment of standard operating and safety procedures.

The functionality of the navy's underwater communication system which can deliver encrypted messages containing targeting information and launch commands over thousands of miles.

While full political mileage must be drawn from this significant technological accomplishment, there is need to avoid hyperbolic statements that may erode the credibility of the nuclear deterrent.

It is, therefore, necessary to understand that the third leg of the triad is currently a "work in progress" and will remain so for some time. There are three main reasons for this.

Firstly, the role of an SSBN is to pose a nuclear threat to adversary targets that are either population centres or military nodes. It does this by positioning itself in a safe patrol area that is remote from shipping traffic, but within missile range of its likely targets.

While most potential targets in Pakistan and China are between 1,600 and 4,000 km from the Bay of Bengal, the K-15 missile, reportedly carried by INS Arihant, has a range of less than 1,000 km. Therefore, to target cities and nuclear forces deep inside China or Pakistan, from a "safe haven", an Indian SSBN will need to be armed with missiles of at least 3,000-5,000 km range -- no doubt under development.

Secondly, as a measure of prudence, India's (and perhaps Pakistan's) policy has, so far, kept nuclear warheads separate from delivery vehicles, in a "de-mated" state. The final assembly is undertaken by scientists of the Departments of Defence Research (DRDO) and Atomic Energy (DAE) and the completed weapon handed over to the military just prior to launch.

However, INS Arihant and her sisters will carry their missiles in sealed containers, with pre-mated warheads. Scientists having been eliminated from the chain, custody and control of weapons will now devolve on the submarine's captain. No doubt a "fail-safe" electronic permissive action links (PAL) must be in place, to prevent accidental launch and ensure instant compliance with an authorised launch command.

However, electronic measures are not good enough and the induction of the SSBN calls for structural changes in India's higher defence organisation. A major lacuna here is the missing military element in the Nuclear Command Authority headed by the Prime Minister. This lacuna is best rectified by the early creation of a Chief of Defence Staff.

Lastly, acquisition of nuclear submarines being an expensive proposition, some discussion on this topic is germane. If a range of new, long-range missiles is under development, their weight and dimensions will call for a larger hull and a considerably more powerful reactor for propulsion -- in other words, a new SSBN design.

Intense and continuous use of a submarine's nuclear-reactor calls for re-fuelling with fresh uranium every few years. Refueling entails cutting open the sub and virtually re-building it. India would, therefore, require an inventory of at least 3-4 SSBNs, to maintain one on deterrent patrol off each seaboard.

Protection of India's SSBN force calls for another type of vessel, the "nuclear attack submarine" (SSN) that is also used for anti-shipping and land-attack roles.

Thus, in a 50-year perspective, India will be looking at a nuclear submarine force of 8-12 SSBNs and SSNs. In this ambitious and pioneering endeavour, INS Arihant would have a critical role to play, possibly as a trial-and- technology-demonstrator platform.

Apart from its strategic significance, INS Arihant is a live example of how Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" vision could have been actualised. The Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) programme, under which it was built, mobilised a large number of major and minor private-sector companies (including MSMEs), which contributed to the programme by mastering esoteric technologies, to design and fabricate systems for this vessel. The ATV project has created a gene-pool which will contribute ever-increasing indigenous content to the programme in years ahead.

The prime lesson that has emerged from the successful ATV programme is related to project management. Funded by the DRDO, the ATV programme was headed, manned and managed exclusively by naval personnel, which included nuclear engineers, ship designers, submarine operators and logisticians. Retaining a sharp focus on the end product, this team overcame many hurdles and impediments to deliver INS Arihant.

The story of other defence projects, like the Kaveri turbo-jet engine, the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, the Arjun battle tank and the Trishul surface-to-air missile could have been very different had the Ministry of Defence ensured intimate user involvement and enlisted help of the armed forces for adroit and time-bound project management.

(Admiral Arun Prakash is a former chief of the Indian Navy and Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. The article is in special arrangement with South Asia Monitor)
New York, Dec 21 : Wrestling star and actor John Cena treated 21 children to a private screening of his new film "Bumblebee".

The WWE superstar along with the Make-A-Wish foundation rented out a private theatre for 21 kids to see "Bumblebee" here on Thursday, reports tmz.com.

The Empire State Building was lit in "Bumblebee" yellow colour, along with the blue Make-A-Wish star in the building tower, to celebrate the commitment to brightening lives of children.

Each child got bags, snacks and drinks and some time to hang out with the action hero.

Later on, Cena took some of the children to the Empire State Building where they posed for some photographs.

Cena has granted over 500 wishes to the Make-A-Wish Foundation -- making him the individual who has granted the most wishes. Cena and Hailee Steinfeld were joined by over 20 Make-A-Wish families in New York for this special celebration.

A Paramount Pictures movie, "Bumblebee" will be exclusively distributed in India by Viacom18 Motion Pictures. It will release on January 4 next year.
New Delhi, Dec 21 : The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Friday after vociferous protests by the opposition over various issues, including the Rafale deal, bonded labourers rescued in Karnataka, Delhi sealing and Cauvery water dispute. The House will now meet on December 27, after Christmas.

As soon as the House met at noon after the first adjournment, official papers were laid on the table. The Zero Hour began.

Immediately, the Congress, AIADMK and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members trooped near the Speaker's podium and started sloganeering.

The Congress demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the 36 ready-to-fly Rafale fighter jets deal, while the AIADMK members demand that the proposal to construct a dam across the Cauvery river at Mekadatu must be withdrawn. The TDP raised several issues related to their demand for special status for Andhra Pradesh.

Amid the din, Bharatiya Janata Party's Prahlad Joshi raised the issue of labourers, who were rescued by the police in the Hassan district in Karnataka and demanded that a team of National Commission for SC/ST, Women and Human Rights should visit the spot and submit a detailed report.

The police in Savankamahalli village rescued 52 labourers, including Dalit bonded ones, who were enslaved and whipped. Reports said "kept in a small shed, these bonded labourers, including women and children, had lived for months and years in depraved conditions. There was no freedom, no wages and had to work for 17-hour a day. It was only after one of them managed to escape that the others were rescued".

"This horrifying incident has happened in the area from where the Karnataka Chief Minister (H.D. Kumaraswamy) hails. Karnataka government has not taken any proper action till now," Joshi said.

Trinamool Congess' Dinesh Trivedi also raked up the issue of the impact of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation on the MSME sector while Revolutionary Socialist Party's N.K. Premchandran raised the issue of Union Home Ministry's order that has allowed 10 central probe agencies to intercept and monitor information stored on any computer device.

Siromani Akali Dal's Prem Singh Chandu Majra demanded the government should initiate a process so that the British government should apologise for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

As the ruckus continued, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House for the day.

Before the adjournment, she took consent of the House to resume the proceedings on December 27 after Christmas vacation.

The House also witnessed an earlier adjournment when it met for the day during Question Hour session as the AIADMK, the TDP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members trooped near the Speaker's podium and started sloganeering in support of their various demands.

The AAP members led by Bhagwant Maan then demanded end of sealing in Delhi.

During the pandemonium Arakkonam MP G.Hari of the AIADMK tore some papers and through them towards the reporter's table.

Amid the din, the Speaker adjourned the House till noon.
Chennai, Dec 21 : The year 2018 could be termed as one of several new beginnings for the Indian space agency: the political sanction for a manned Gaganyaan mission, operationlisation of the heaviest rocket, steps to licence out lithium ion battery technology, introduction of new technologies in rockets and satellites and the decision to go ahead with the Indian Data Relay Satellite System (IDRSS), among others.

As the year ended, the IAF got its own eye in the sky to exponentially enhance its capabilities.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also carried out a sort of `Swachh Bharat' mission - clearing the backlog of satellite launches.

"The year involved hectic activities with several rocket and satellite launch missions. We completed the NAVIC satellite constellation (a regional satellite navigation system similar to GPS) and launched communication satellites like GSAT 29, GSAT 11, GSAT 6A and GSAT 7A. Further, our heaviest rocket, GSLV Mk III, became operational," ISRO Chairman K. Sivan told IANS.

Interestingly Sivan is one of the new beginnings for ISRO as he assumed office in 2018.

"The major boost was the Gaganyaan announcement by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It was a major target announcement. Necessary infrastructure is being augmented," Sivan said.

"During 2018, almost all the technological issues relating to Chandrayaan-2 were sorted out. All the scientific instruments are ready," S. Somanath, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) told IANS.

"With the challenge of realising a human space mission in 2022 an energised ISRO is working hard towards various goals for realising the mission and others," Somanath added.

One of the critical projects was the IDRSS.

"There will be two IDRSS satellites of which one is targeted to be flown next year," Sivan said.

The IDRSS satellites will be placed in geostationary orbit, enabling satellite to satellite communication and reducing the dependence on the ground stations. This communication is crucial for a manned space mission as there cannot be a risk of being without a connection and data relay.

The year 2018 also saw sanctions for infrastructure augmentation -- connected and non-connected with the proposed manned mission.

"Approval for a fully electric-propelled satellite has been obtained. Similarly, sanction for additional satellites for the NAVIC system has been obtained. The next version of the reusable launch vehicle has also been sanctioned and augmentation of various infrastructural facilities are happening," Somanath said.

He said approvals for 30 more Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLVs) have also been obtained to be flown over the years.

Over 100 industries have shown interest in ISRO's lithium ion cell technology and 14 companies had been shortlisted. "ISRO has transferred the technology to BHEL for production of space-grade lithium ion batteries for its needs during the year," Somanath added.

The year also saw ISRO crossing the milestone of lifting and putting into orbit over 250 foreign satellites bringing the total to 269 foreign satellites.

"There is increased demand for satellites from strategic sectors. About six/seven satellites are planned to be built," a senior official told IANS, preferring anonymity.

The GSAT-7 and GSAT-7A are the two dedicated military communication satellites while all other earth observation and communication satellites launched earlier were of dual use -- civilian and defence.

Looking forward into 2019, ISRO will also be busy with the Rs 800 crore Chandrayaan-2, India's second moon mission slated in January; flying its new Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) rocket.

Somanath said ISRO's new rocket to launch small satellites is being built and will be flown next year. It will be 37-metres tall and weigh 120 tonne. The rocket will be able to to carry satellites weighing 500-700 kg.

Somanath said in 2019, about eight PSLV, two GSLV Mk II and two GSLV Mk III, two SSLV and one test GSLV Mk III for Gaganyaan project will be flown.

"A total of over 32 missions -- satellites and rockets -- have been planned for 2019," Sivan said.

The one jarring note in ISRO's success symphony in 2018 was the loss of the GSAT-6A satellite couple of days after it was launched in March. The satellite stopped communicating with the ground stations owing to the failure of its power systems.

The GSAT-6A was supposed to compliment GSAT-6 launched in 2015, to help provide technologies for point-to-point communication.

Highlights of 2018:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces manned mission in 2022

Space crew escape module tested as part of manned space mission

Tested technologies for manned space mission

India's heaviest communication satellite, GSAT-11, orbited after being recalled from Kourou spaceport for checks

Increasing production of solid fuel boosters for rockets

Operationalised of heaviest rocket, GSLV Mk III

Decision to licence out lithium ion battery technology

Launched 100th satellite

Kerala sanctions Rs 50 lakh compensation to former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan for his sufferings and ignominy after his wrongful arrest in the ISRO spy case.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)
Washington/Kabul, Dec 21 : The Donald Trump administration has ordered the American military to start withdrawing roughly 7,000 troops from Afghanistan, US officials said, a move that Kabul claimed would not impact the security of the war-torn country.

President Trump made the decision to recall the troops -- out of 14,000 the US has in Afghanistan now -- at the same time he decided to pull American forces out of Syria, the New York Times on Thursday quoting a defence official.

Another official said that the withdrawal of the troops could take months. The order marked a significant departure from Trump's August 2017 decision to slightly increase the number of US troops in Afghanistan and keep them in place with conditions on the ground dictating withdrawal, reports say.

"If the few thousand foreign troops that are mostly engaged in advice, train and assist missions, leave (Afghanistan), it will not affect our security, because in the past four and half years our security has been completely in the hands of Afghans," the Afghan Presidential Palace said in a statement cited by Efe news.

The Afghanistan directive also came as the US was attempting to negotiate a peace deal with the Taliban to end the 17-year-old war.

According to the Times, the abrupt troop withdrawal decision stunned Afghan officials, who said they had not been briefed on the plans.

The President's orders on Syria and Afghanistan led to the resignation on Thursday of his Pentagon chief James Mattis, who disagreed with him on a hasty withdrawal from both countries.

Trump's decision was also met with opposition by some of his senior Cabinet officials, including outgoing White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and White House National Security Adviser John Bolton.

The Times said that the troop withdrawals and the resignation of Mattis leaves a murky picture for what is next in the US' longest war and they come as Afghanistan continues to witness spasms of violence in its capital Kabul and other important areas.

The US has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, most of which are present as part of a larger NATO-led mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces. Any withdrawal would be complicated by the fact that the US is part of NATO's Resolute Support mission.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted that any withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan would be a "high risk strategy" which could reverse US progress in the region and pave the way towards a "second 9/11".

Trump had repeatedly before his election campaign in 2016, publicly advocated leaving Afghanistan -- where US forces have been since 2001.

However, in 2017 he indicated he would keep boots on the ground in the country indefinitely to prevent the country's collapse amid a Taliban resurgence.

American-led combat operations against the group officially ended in 2014, but in the years since the group's power and reach has soared.

In September 2017, Trump announced the US would send 3,000 extra troops to the country amid a shift of strategy.
Noida, Dec 21 : In a bid to place art and aesthetics as inseparable to life, painted and crafted artworks of student-artists aged 9-12, came out of the classroom to adorn the galleries of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) here.

"Amidst The Stars", a two-day group exhibition where 53 young students of Noida's Shiv Nadar School took part, opened at the KNMA here on Thursday evening.

The walls of KNMA, one of the biggest patrons of art in India, stood full of colourful canvases. They spoke of stories that were once in children's minds but found a creative form through media like paint, wood, wool, clay and tissue.

But the works are not all. They were accompanied by brief notes from the student-artists themselves that give insight into their association with arts.

"When I work with clay I feel like an architect"; "I really enjoyed changing a clay ball into an animal"; "I like art because we get to think new things"; are all examples of children's testimonies to their innovative works.

Breaking the notion of arts being just a co-curricular activity, the exhibition not just fosters a sense of creativity essential to life, but allows young students to foray into arts with some seriousness as they are encouraged to open their works to an outsider's scrutiny.

Maulika Gupta, a Class 5 student at the school, proudly exhibited her painting that drew inspiration from "solar activities" and the universe among the "huge mighty stars".

"(Through art) we can express ourselves and go for our imagination. While doing this painting, I imagined the colours and darkness of the solar activities," Gupta told IANS, adding that it is her dream to become an artist.

Selected from a pool of over 500 submissions, the exhibited works were subjected to a set of selection criteria: "A clear central idea, certain technical things like positioning, neatness but most importantly meaningfulness", the School's arts coordinator Manjima Chatterjee told IANS.

Another student-artist, Vriddhi, showcased a resplendent piece which even enters the world of the abstract.

"I took one-two hours to make it, and used a sponge to create the sky with light purple and blue acrylic colours and then mixed them," she explained, amid the presence of many parents in the expo.

How important is it for parents for their child to take to arts?

"It will be with him for life, as a way to express himself and as an emotional anchor. It is extremely important to be able to draw, sing and dance, and not just copy what they are given. Art liberates and becomes your best friend," a visiting parent said.

"The idea is that the child does not get led by their own creativity alone; the prime objective is to unleash that creative potential but allow a disciplined study of art. Art is about life, and life has to be lived in its totality," the School's principal Shashi Banerjee told IANS.

While the artworks were certainly spaces of rumination for children, such opportunities also pose a question: Are the sheltered spaces as schools are known to be, changing?
Lucknow, Dec 21 : Six-year-old Priyansh, who was abducted on Thursday on his way home from school along with his elder sibling, was found dead in Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh inside the kidnapper's den on Friday, police said.

Divyansh, 8, was recovered in an injured state and admitted to the trauma centre at the King Georges Medical University (KGMU) here.

The kidnappers had sought a ransom of Rs 50 lakh for their release from the businessman father.

The police secured the older boy after a gun battle with the kidnappers in Karaudiya locality. Priyansh was found dead in the room the kidnappers had locked the brothers in.

Four criminals were arrested, one of them sustained gun shot injuries.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the injured and traumatised child and announced a Rs five lakh compensation for the family of deceased Priyansh.

Directives have also been issued to provide Rs 2 lakh to the family for Divyansh's treatment, an official told IANS.

Taking a grim view of the involvement of a domestic help in this incident, directions have also been issued to the Director General of Police (DGP) to conduct a domestic servants verification drive across the state.
New Delhi, Dec 21 : In a setback to the Congress, the Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed a plea of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) challenging the Centre's October 30 direction asking the National Herald newspaper's publisher to vacate the Herald House within two weeks.

Justice Sunil Gaur had reserved his order on November 22.

The Urban Development Ministry had said the AJL's 56-year-old on Herald House had ended and asked it to vacate the premises by November 15.

The publisher had approached the High Court on November 12 challenging the Ministry's October 30 order.

The AJL told the court that it has been publishing the newspaper for decades. There was a temporary suspension due to financial trouble, but the newspaper and its digital media operations have now fully resumed.

The publication of the weekly "National Herald on Sunday" was resumed on September 24, 2017 and it is published from the Herald House. On October 14, the AJL also resumed its weekly Hindi newspaper.

The government reportedly inspected the premises a few months ago and found that the area allotted to AJL was not being used for the publication of the newspaper for the past 10 years, the court was told.
Tokyo, Dec 21 : Nissan Motor Co.'s former Chairman Carlos Ghosn was re-arrested on Friday on fresh charges that he shifted personal losses onto the company, dashing hopes he could be released on bail.

According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, prosecutors now suspect that in October 2008, in the midst of the global financial crisis, Ghosn temporarily forced Nissan to take over a personal derivative contract that was sitting on $16.6 million in losses at the time.

The latest move means he will remain in prison so prosecutors can question him further.

A towering figure in the auto industry, Ghosn has not yet responded to the latest allegation -- but he has consistently denied all earlier accusations made against him.

Ghosn spent the last month in prison, accused of misusing funds and hiding $80 million of income, according to the BBC. His detention rocked the global car industry and put strains on the alliance he presided over between Nissan and Renault.

On Thursday, a court rejected a request to extend his detention, signalling that he could apply to be released on bail.

But, by citing the new charges, prosecutors gained the right to hold Ghosn without bail for two days. They can then apply to the Tokyo District Court to extend that detention period by 10 days. That period can be extended once for a total of 20 days, according to Efe news.

Ghosn was indicted on December 10 on charges of underreporting his income on Nissan's financial statement over a five-year period ending in March 2015. At the same time, prosecutors cited new suspicions that he underreported his compensation for the three years ending in March 2018, using that as a basis to extend his detention without bail.

On Thursday, prosecutors suffered a rare loss after a judge rejected their request to hold Ghosn for 10 more days without the possibility of bail on the basis of those additional suspicions.

Ghosn's lawyer, Motonari Otsuru, filed a petition for bail after prosecutors lost the detention hearing, according to a person familiar with Ghosn's legal defence. The new suspicions came shortly before the scheduled bail hearing on Friday.

The new charges did not involve Greg Kelly, a longtime aide to Ghosn who was charged with helping underreport the auto tycoon's income.

Kelly's Japanese lawyer said that he filed an application for his client's release on bail.
Kabul, Dec 21 : Four militants, including Taliban commander Mullah Qadir, were killed in a clash in Afghanistan's Parwan province on Friday, the police said.

The incident took place in Qadir Khil village of Jabal Seraj district early morning, provincial police chief Mohammad Mahfoz Walizada told Xinhua news agency. Qadir was the chief of the military commission of the Taliban in the province.

The clash erupted after Qadir forcibly took a car from a person and was driving to an unknown location, when a rival Taliban commander intercepted the car and opened fire killing the four militants, including Mullah Qadir on the spot and injuring another.

Walizada said that Qadir's elimination can prove a major blow to the armed group.
Bhubaneswar, Dec 21 : Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik has blamed the Odisha government for the delay in setting up an AYUSH hospital in Balasore district.

Replying to a letter of Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Naik said the state government is yet to submit the physical and financial progress of previously approved 50-bedded integrated AYUSH hospitals at Dhenkanal and Berhampur.

The non-submission of the progress report has led to the delay in the process of setting up the Balasore hospital.

The Minister said that the state government has submitted a proposal for setting up of a 50-bedded integrated AYUSH hospital in Balasore through the state annual action plan under the National AYUSH Mission (NAM) during 2018-19.

"However, the state government has not submitted the physical and financial progress of the earlier approved 50-bedded integrated AYUSH Hospitals," said Naik in a letter, which was released to the media on Friday.

AYUSH is the acronym for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.

The Ministry of AYUSH had sanctioned Rs 5 crore during 2016-17 and Rs 3 crore during 2017-18 for setting up of two units of 50-bedded integrated AYUSH hospitals at Dhenkanal and Berhampur, respectively.

"Therefore, Mission Directorate of National Ayush Mission has suggested that the state government has to utilise the previous sanctioned amount and submit the progress report to the Ministry of AYUSH," said the Minister.

He said the state government may project the proposal for setting up of up to 50-bedded integrated AYUSH hospital at Balasore through state annual action plan as per NAM guidelines.
Islamabad, Dec 21 : Pakistan has rejected India's request to swap Kartarpur with another piece of land in order to make it a part of India.

"There is absolutely no question of any land swap," said Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal here on Thursday, on being asked whether his country would consider handing over the Kartarpur land to India in a swap deal.

Pakistan opened the Kartarpur border in November to facilitate visa free pilgrimage by Indian Sikhs to Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in Narowal district, where Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18 years of his life.

"The Kartarpur Corridor was a gesture for the Sikh minority community made on their request to provide a visa free corridor, facilitating their visit of a shrine of importance to them."

"The decision to open the Kartarpur Corridor was taken at the state-to-state level and the Indian government was fully involved in it," Faisal added.

The Indian Punjab Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution on December 14, seeking a land swap deal between the two neighbours on Kartarpur.
Kolkata, Dec 21 : The BJP's plans to take out Rath yatra rallies christened 'Save democracy rallies' in West Bengal again hit a roadblock, with a Calcutta High Court division bench on Friday quashing the order of a single bench that gave the conditional go-ahead to the programme.

The division bench comprising Chief Justice Debasish Kargupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar sent the case back to the single bench with a directive that the latter consider the intelligence inputs provided by the state agencies.

The Mamata Banerjee government had moved an appeal at the division bench against Thursday's single bench order and sought urgent hearing.

While setting aside the single bench's order, the division bench directed it to study afresh the 36 intelligence inputs from 31 police stations and five police commissionerates submitted by the state government before it.

The ruling came after state advocate general Kishore Dutta argued that the single bench had not considered the intelligence inputs and returned to the government without opening the sealed cover in which the inputs were given.

Dutta said the intelligence inputs had apprehended communal disturbances if the BJP's proposed programme was given the green light.

In an interesting development, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi pleaded as a counsel of the Director General of Police and the additional director general (law and order) and argued that the rally and the reception part of the programme would lead to huge traffic bottlenecks, inconveniencing commuters.

Sanghvi said with the BJP submitting that 1,500 people would take part in each of the three Rath Yatra rallies in the state, there would be a kilometre long bus convoy in each case, jeopardising vehicular movement. He said the police have no objection to the holding of meetings, and pointed out that nearly 2,100 such political meetings called by the saffron outfit in the last two years have got the nod in the state.

The police's objection was about the rally and reception part of the programme that could cause traffic chaos, he argued.

On Thursday, acting on a petition filed by the BJP against the government refusing permission for the rallies, the bench of Justice Tapobrata Chakraborty had given conditional permission to the programme, saying the organisers will be liable for any untoward incident or damage to public property.

The state government had last week rejected BJP's plea to hold the 'Rath Yatra', arguing there was "grave apprehension of major breach of peace and communal violence during and in the aftermath" of the programme.

The BJP had moved a single bench of the Calcutta High Court on December 17 after the Bengal government's decision and proposed December 22, 24 and 26 as fresh dates for the three Rath Yatra rallies.

The BJP was originally scheduled to hold three Rath Yatra rallies from north Bengal's Cooch Behar, South 24 Parganas district's Gangasagar and Birbhum district's temple town of Tarapith, flagged off by party president Amit Shah on December 7, 9 and 14 respectively. These rallies were meant to touch all 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state before converging at Kolkata in January.

Welcoming the order, the ruling Trinamool Congress said the BJP's plans to create unrest in the state would not succeed.

"We have full faith in the judiciary. The Rath Yatra is turning out to be the JP's bidai yatra (farewell rally). They don't have people with them. They want to foment trouble. Their eyes are on the chair, and not on the people. But they will not succeed," said Trinamool secretry general and state education and parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee.

BJP state vice president Jay Prakash Majumdar said his party would decide whether to approach the single bench of the High Court or move the Supreme Court.

"This government's constant objective is to not allow the opposition parties to hold their programmes. They are denying all democratic rights to the opposition," he said.
Washington, Dec 21 : The US has told Islamabad and other regional partners that state support for terrorist proxies will not be tolerated, expressing concern over the freedom of movement of militant groups like the Taliban and the Haqqani network in Pakistan that pose security threats to Afghanistan, according to a Department of Defence report.

The semi-annual "Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan" report, which covered events from June 1 to November 30, 2018, came on Thursday amid reports that the US government was planning to withdraw about half of its 14,000 troops from the war-torn South Asian country.

"In this reporting period, the US continued to call on regional partners to reinforce our messages that state support for terrorist proxies will not be tolerated, that cross-border cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan is essential, and that the Taliban cannot achieve its objectives through continued military conflict," according to the Pentagon.

Washington again conveyed to all levels of Pakistani leadership the importance of taking action against all terrorist and militant groups.

"Although Pakistani military operations have disrupted some militant sanctuaries, certain groups -- such as the Taliban and the Haqqani Network -- retain freedom of movement in Pakistan," the Pentagon said.

According to the report, Afghanistan faced a "continuing threat from an externally supported insurgency and the highest regional concentration of terrorist groups in the world."

It said that the Haqqani network continued to be an integral part of the Taliban's effort to pressure the Afghan government in Kabul and eastern Afghanistan.

The US Defence Department said that the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region remained a sanctuary for various groups, including the Taliban, Al-Qaeda core (AQ), Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), the Haqqani network (HQN), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and ISIS-K, among others.

It also said that the Taliban's momentum in Afghanistan had been slowed and the country was increasingly ready for a political settlement of the conflict.

The report, among many reasons, cited "increased military pressure on the Taliban" and "international calls for peace" that appeared to have driven the insurgent group to negotiations.

US authorities held preliminary talks with Taliban representatives in the United Arab Emirates earlier this week in an attempt to end the 17-year-old Afghan conflict.

The report, however, acknowledged that "an array of challenges" like Afghan political stability, security force capacity and regional spoilers, remained.

The Pentagon urged for increased cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan, saying it was critical to maintain pressure on terror groups and for meeting the enduring security requirements on both sides of the shared border.

US President Donald Trump had announced his country's South Asia Strategy in August 2017. The primary goal of the strategy is a durable and inclusive political settlement of the war in Afghanistan.
New Delhi, Dec 21 : The CPI-M on Friday said the Centres order authorising central agencies to intercept and monitor any information stored in any computer is against the Supreme Court guidelines and demanded it be immediately rescinded.

"This is a brazen attack on the fundamental right to privacy given to every citizen by our Constitution. This order goes against the spirit of Supreme Court judgments on telephone tapping guidelines, the right to privacy judgment and the Aadhaar judgment," the CPI-M said.

The Union Home Ministry on Thursday issued an order authorising 10 central agencies to "intercept, monitor and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer".

"The track record of this government in harassing and persecuting citizens who do not share the RSS/BJP viewpoint is there for everyone to see. Individuals have been picked up for social media posts which are seen as being inimical to their image," the Left wing party added.
Kothamangalam (Kerala) : Kothamangalam (Kerala) Dec 21 (IANS) As tension prevailed, the stand-off between the warring Orthodox and Jacobite factions over control of the Kothamangalam Mar Thoma Cheriya Palli Church, entered its second day.

The police forcefully on Friday took into custody Orthodox priest Father Thomas Paul Ramban, who armed with a High Court order, waited outside the church since Thursday to gain entry into the church.

The Ramban told the media that the police, while taking him into custody, informed him that the Ernakulam district collector has issued the order for his arrest.

"Today when I said I want to relieve myself, I was taken to the toilet by the police and when I came out, the police said that they are taking me into custody as my health is poor. I have made my stand clear that unless I see the arrest order, I will not cooperate with the doctors. I have with me the orders from the court that has allowed me to pray at the church," said the Ramban from a hospital near here.

Yesterday, when the Ramban reached the church he was prevented by hundreds of Jacobite parishioners from entering the Kothamangalam Church and the police had to arrest about two dozen Jacobite parishioners, including women to cool down tempers.

But the priest was adamant and refused to leave without praying at the church. He remained in his vehicle, parked outside the church.

The row over the particular church has been going on for many years.

Reacting to a statement made by the supreme head of the Jacobite Church, Catholicos Baselios Thomas, the supreme head of the Orthodox Church Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II ruled out talks to end the stalemate.

"This case has been going on for 45 years and now we have got the verdict in our favour. The Kerala government should ensure that the rule of the land be enforced, but today they are standing with the violators of the law of the land," said the head of the Orthodox Church.

The Syrian Orthodox Church has two factions -- the Orthodox, which form the majority and has its headquarters in Kottayam, and the Jacobites, who consider the Patriarch of Antioch, based in Beirut, as their supreme leader.

During a brief period, between 1958 and 1970, following a Supreme Court ruling, both factions had remained under one roof with Kottayam being their headquarters.

However, since 1970 they have been at war over the church's control.

Trouble has been simmering since 2017, when after decades of trial the apex court in its final verdict said there are no grounds for Jacobites to claim any of the churches of the Orthodox section.
Jodhpur, Dec 21 : The Rajasthan High Court on Friday suspended the sentence of yet another convict in the Asaram sexual exploitation case, Sharat Chandra, who along with Sanchita Gupta alias Shilpi, had been sentenced to 20-year imprisonment.

Chandra will, however, have to mark his presence in the court once a year till the hearing on his appeal against the sentence is completed.

The High Court had suspended the sentence of another convict, Shilpi, on September 29.

"Chandra will be out of jail soon. But he will have to attend the court once a year until the hearing on his appeal against the sentence is completed", said his counsel Nishant Bora.

A trial court had sentenced disgraced godman Asaram to life imprisonment on March 25 this year for sexual exploitation of a minor girl in his Chhindwara-based 'gurukul'. Two of his aides, Shilpi and Sharat, had been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.

The three had moved the High Court challenging their respective sentences. The two co-accused have got their sentences suspended while Asaram's application is pending before the court.

Two other aides of Asaram and co-accused in the case, Shiva and Prakash, had been acquitted by the trial court.
Patna, Dec 21 : It is time for renaissance for the country's Muslim community to develop itself and the nation, said Lt Gen (retd) Zameer Uddin Shah, who was also Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim Unuversity, on Wednesday at a discussion on empowering young Muslims.

He said modern secular school education for the community is a must for its development.

"I have been repeatedly requesting all to join us for the renaissance in the Muslim community," said Shah in his key note address at a day-long workshop on 'Strategies and Approaches for Empowering Young Muslims -- Building Resilience, strengthening nation' in Patna.

He said children belonging to the community must be given best school education and for this the community should build schools with modern outlook with Islamic ethos on the lines of Christian missionaries-run institutions.

"We have set up a modern school in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh. It is named Sir Syed National School. AMU students have donated Rs 51 lakh to build this school," he said. "We hope to set up another similar school in Saharanpr".

He said he was surprised when 40 Muslim families in Uttar Pradesh came forward to offer 2 acre each for setting up such schools in the state. "Government funds and other forms of assistance may come, but Muslims have to set up world-class schools for children. Other communities have done so," he said.

Shah said the condition of the Muslim community today is similar to what it was in 1857. "The community is marginalised, impoverished, victimised and at the bottom of development indicators," he said. "But fault for this pathetic situation of the community lies with us. We have neglected the importance of education, particularly modern education."

Others prominent people who addressed the workshop included Venkatesh Srinivasan of UNFP, Sadur Rahman of UNICEF, Amir Subhani, principal secretary Minority Welfare, Bihar, and Dr A.S. Nakdar, founder of American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin.
Shimla, Dec 21 : Scientists of the Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry in Himachal Pradesh have developed an apple cider vinegar technology that will soon find its way to the market, the university said on Friday.

A company has signed an agreement with the university for the transfer of technology.

With this technology, the production of apple cider vinegar can be taken as an alternative approach for complete utilisation of culled apples and improving the livelihood of the farming community in the state, the university said.

Rakesh Sharma, V.K. Joshi and Anju Dhiman, all scientists with the Department of Food Science and Technology, have developed the technology under a Department of Science and Technology (DST)-sponsored project.

Hilly Foods, a company based at Jubbal in Shimla district, has signed the agreement and paid Rs 40,000 as technology fee to the university.

Under this agreement, the company will use the university's technology to manufacture and sell the cider vinegar. The company will also acknowledge the university technology on its product label.

Unlike the traditional methods, which are slow and result in poor quality vinegar, the scientists undertook research for around five years and solved the issues by optimising various factors involved in the production of vinegar as well as base wine.

After research work, a modified process was developed to produce quality vinegar in comparatively lesser time.

Vice Chancellor H.C. Sharma said: "We have been successfully pushing our technology to enable farmers and agri-entrepreneurs to benefit from the quality research and technology developed by the university."

"The technology will be a boon for the apple industry in Himachal Pradesh, as a large quantity of culled apples (low-grade size and deformed apples) goes waste each year mainly due to the lack of appropriate processing technology in the production area."

Vinegars are traditional condiments, which are used as a flavouring agent and food preservatives throughout the world. Among various types of non-synthetic or brewed vinegars, cider vinegar is prepared from apple juice or concentrate by fermentation and is used extensively in several countries.

The demand for apple cider vinegar has increased manifold in the past few years due to its medicinal properties and its role in curing various ailments like arthritis, asthma, coughs, high blood sugar and high cholesterol, the university said in a statement.
Ranchi, Dec 21 : Eight people were convicted and awarded life imprisonment on Friday for lynching two Muslim cattle traders in Jharkhand's Latehar district.

Additional District Judge (ADJ) Rishikesh Kumar awarded life term to all the accused. Each of them was also slapped with a fine of Rs 25,000.

In March 2016, Imtiyaz Khan and Mazrum Ansari were beaten up and then hanged from a tree by a mob of so-called cow vigilantes in Khaprelwar village of Latehar district.

Family members of both the victims are not satisfied with the quantum of sentence. "We seek death penalty for the killers and compensation for the family members to eke out a living," said Sayra Bibi wife of Imtiyaz.

Earlier this year, six people were convicted by a Ramgarh court for lynching a Muslim on the charge of cow smuggling.
Hyderabad, Dec 21 : President of India Ram Nath Kovind on Friday arrived here on a four-day southern sojourn.

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and other top officials received Kovind at the Air Force Station, Hakimpet.

Telangana's Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, Legislative Council Chairman Swami Goud, former Assembly Speaker Madhusudhana Chary, Chief Secretary S.K. Joshi, Director General of Police Mahender Reddy and top defence and police officials were among those who welcomed Kovind.

The President later reached Rashtrapati Nilayam in Secunderabad, where he will stay till December 24.

He will visit Karimnagar on Saturday inaugurate the Centre of Excellence for Sickle Cell Anaemia, Thalassemia and other genetic blood disorders at Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences.

The President will host a reception for senior dignitaries of the state, ministers, officials, leading citizens and academics at Rashtrapati Nilayam on Sunday.

He will return to New Delhi on Monday.

Authorities have made elaborate arrangements for the President's stay, with the sprawling Rashtrapati Nilayam being spruced up.

This is the second southern sojourn of Kovind after he assumed the highest office. Last year too, he had spent four days at Rashtrapati Nilayam.

Kovind's predecessors used to have their southern sojourn for 10 to 15 days.
Panaji, Dec 21 : The initial motive of the 30-year-old Tamilian, who was arrested on Thursday for allegedly raping a British national near South Goa's Palolem beach village, was to rob her, Inspector General of Police Jaspal Singh said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters at the police headquarters, Singh said that the accused Ramachandran, a resident of Thanjavur, was previously arrested in connection with a theft at another beach village in North Goa earlier in December, but had escaped from the police custody.

"Primarily the motive was robbery. She was subsequently sexually assaulted also. All her belongings except the cash have been recovered, but now since he's in our custody. We will try to recover the cash also," Singh said.

A 42-year-old British tourist, a regular visitor to Goa, was raped and then robbed, as she was returning to her guest house from a railway station at 4.30 a.m.

Singh said that the accused was identified and arrested after he was seen on CCTV stalking the victim.

"He has also been involved in other theft cases at the Morjim village in North Goa," Singh further said.
Mumbai, Dec 21 : Twelve years after the sensational killing of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his associate Tulsiram Prajapati and rape-cum-murder of Kausar Bi, a Special CBI Court here on Friday acquitted all 22 accused in the politically sensitive case, saying "witnesses and proofs provided were not satisfactory".

"Witnesses and proofs the prosecution put forward were not satisfactory to suggest or establish the alleged conspiracy and murder in the 2005 encounter killing," said Special CBI Judge S.J. Sharma, who also observed that "the documentary and circumstantial evidence was not substantial".

The Special Judge also expressed regrets over the court's inability to convict anyone in the case.

"I feel extremely sorry for the Sohrabuddin Shaikh's family and Tulsiram Prajapati, especially his mother Narmadabai. The evidence before me could not establish the roles of any accused persons and no material evidence to prove any of the charges against the accused," said Special Judge Sharma.

The much-awaited verdict, running into more than 500 pages in the case, came more than 12 years after the alleged 'fake encounters' of Sohrabuddin and his associate Prajapati, besides the rape-and-murder of Sohrabuddin's wife, Kausar Bi.

"The CBI prosecution tried its best to prove the case. Unfortunately even after three chargesheets, the evidences were not substantial enough to prove the allegations beyond doubt. Despite three investigations, the evidence is lacking," the Special Judge noted.

The 22 accused, including 21 lower police personnel, comprising 14 of Gujarat, six of Rajasthan, and one of Andhra Pradesh, have been absolved of all grave charges such as murder, conspiracy, and destruction of evidence.

They are: M.L. Parmar, Raman Patel, Balkrishna Choubey, Narayansing Dhabi, Jethusingh Solanki, Naresh Chauhan, Vinod Limbachiya, Ajay Kumar Parmar, Kanjibhai Kutchi, Shantaram Sharma, Ashish Pandya, Kiran Singh Chauhan, Karan Singh Sishodia, Vijaykumar Rathod (All Gujarat Police).

Shyam Singh Charan, Abdul Rehman, Narayan Singh Chauhan, Yudhveer Singh Chauhan, Kartar Singh Jat, Himanshu Singh Rajawat, (all Rajasthan Police), and Ghattamaneni Shriniwas Rao, Andhra Pradesh police.

The final acquitted (22nd) is Rajendra Kumar Jirawala, owner of the farmhouse outside Ahmedabad, where Kausar Bi was held captive for four days before she was eliminated.

According to the prosecution, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had gunned down Sohrabuddin on November 26, 2005, in an alleged staged killing.

Prajapati was also killed in a similar fashion on December 28, 2006, while Kausar Bi, who had witnessed the abduction of her husband (Sohrabuddin) was later raped and murdered.

The Special Judge debunked the story of Prajapati's abduction, saying in its third chargesheet, the CBI claimed he was the third person travelling with Sohrabuddin and Kausar Bi on the Hyderabad-Sangli bus.

"However, the material evidences and witnesses establish he was not on the bus and was arrested from Bhilwara (Rajasthan) on Nov. 26, 2005," Special Judge Sharma said.

These killings had kicked off a major political controversy in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Gujarat, with allegations of the purported involvement of several top political bigwigs, IPS officers and other officials.

The prosecution contended that Sohrabuddin had connections with the Lashkar-e-Taiba and other terror groups and was conspiring to assassinate "an important political leader" presumably the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the present Prime Minister.

A total of 37 accused were named in the case of whom 16 -- mostly politicians and IPS officers -- were subsequently discharged by the Special CBI Court in Mumbai and another by the Bombay High Court.

Among those discharged initially (2014) were BJP President Amit Shah, who was the Gujarat Home Minister at the time, the then Rajasthan Home Minister G.C. Kataria, high-profile ATS chief and DIG D.G. Vanzara, Superintendents of Police M.N. Dinesh and R.K. Pandian, among others.

Interestingly, after appeals from various quarters, the politically-sensitive trial was shifted from Gujarat to Mumbai by the Supreme Court in September 2012.

When the Special CBI Court recorded the statements of the remaining 22 accused during the trial, all claimed their "innocence" and said they were nabbed owing to rivalry among the Gujarat top police brass and related factors stemming from the then political situation prevalent in that state.

Of the 210 witnesses examined during the trial, 92 turned hostile, seriously undermining the CBI case, prompting the CBI counsel B.P. Raju to admit to 'lacunae' in the probe as the Sohrabuddin encounter took place in 2005, Prajapati in 2006, but CBI came into the picture only in 2010.
Bhubaneswar, Dec 21 : The Odisha cabinet on Friday approved the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme amounting to over Rs 10,000 crore for farmers.

The scheme will provide financial, livelihood, cultivation support along with insurances to the farmers.

"To further accelerate agricultural prosperity and to reduce poverty, the state cabinet has approved the historic KALIA scheme, amounting to over Rs 10,000 crore," said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Under KALIA, the amount will be spent over a period of three years till 2020-21. All the small and marginal farmers of the state (over 30 lakh) will be covered under this scheme.

An amount of Rs 10,000 per family at the rate of Rs 5,000 each for kharif and rabi seasons will be provided financial assistance for taking up cultivation. Farmers will have complete independence to take up interventions as per their needs, said the Chief Minister.

He said this will cover 92% of the cultivators of the state.

This assistance is for five crop seasons spanning three years from 2018-19 to 2021-22.

Patnaik said it will greatly benefit sharecroppers/actual cultivators most of whom own very small land.

As many as 10 lakh landless households will also be supported with a unit cost of Rs 12,500 to take up activities like small goat rearing, fishery kits, mushroom cultivation and beekeeping.

This apart, annual financial assistance of Rs 10,000 per household will be provided to take care of sustenance of those farmers who may not be able to take up cultivation or avail livelihood options due to old-age, disability, disease or other reasons.

Deserving families will be identified and selected by Gram Panchayats, said the Chief Minister.

"About 10 lakh households will be covered over two years under this scheme at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore," he added.

Patnaik said that life insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh and additional personal accident cover of Rs 2 lakh will be provided to both cultivators and landless agricultural labourers covering about 57 lakh households.

He also said that crop loans up to Rs 50,000 will henceforth be interest-free.
Mumbai, Dec 21 : The fourth season of Vodafone Premier Badminton League (PBL), beginning here on Saturday, promises to be a notch higher than the previous editions with the addition of Pune 7 Aces, making it a 9-team affair.

The upcoming edition will feature an impressive total of 90 players from 17 nations, that includes eight Olympic medallists and 8 players ranked in the top 10 vying for the top honours and the PBL trophy.

The 23-day extravaganza, which is organised by Sportzlive under the aegis of the Badminton Association of India will be held across five venues, with Ahmedabad and Pune hosting matches for the first time.

Speaking on the eve of the fourth season's opener, BAI President Himanta Biswa Sarma said: "PBL has gotten bigger with every season and the growth in the fan following of the sport serves as a testament to it.

"With the objective to unearth and cultivate more talent, PBL has been really clinical in providing a platform to the youngsters and preparing them for the journey ahead. The league provides a unique opportunity, with some of the biggest names sharing the court with the youngsters, which in turn provides them with a steady learning curve," he added.

Speaking on playing for the debut franchise Pune 7 Aces this season, 2018 World Champion Carolina Marin said: "I love coming to India and playing PBL. Two years of playing for Hyderabad has been very special and am looking forward to my journey with the Pune 7 Aces. As for the match against (P.V.) Sindhu, both of us will want to win our tie. My job is to play to the best of my ability and I will certainly give her no room."

The 2016 Olympic champion had helped Hyderabad win the title last year and will have no qualms in competing against it this time.

And Sindhu will want to square off with Marin to renew the battle as the Indian would be keen to continue her sublime form after her recent title-winning performance in the World Tour Finals. The Hyderabad Hunters will certainly look up to Sindhu, who is on her homecoming advent, to help them defend their title in the new season. And a matchup between her and Marin will be the right fodder for the appetite of fans of both the players.

"Playing for my home team is special. We are the defending champions and I realize my responsibility to carry forward the winning habit," said Sindhu.

The responsibility of Saina Nehwal will be even more as she will be leading a team comprising of promising youngsters from the North Eastern Warriors.

"This PBL, I am playing for a new team and looking forward to it. It's a great opportunity for me to not only get associated with the Warriors but also connect with the fans from the North East. Also, this will be the first tournament after my marriage, hence it is special," said the 2012 Olympic bronze medal winner.

The League will also have a strong Chinese flavour as three players from China along with a host of Indian juniors will be playing in the PBL for the first time.

The 23-day-long league will see nine teams -- Delhi Dashers, Ahmedabad Smash Masters, Awadhe Warriors, Bengaluru Raptors, Mumbai Rockets, Hyderabad Hunters, Chennai Smashes, North Eastern Warriors and Pune 7 Aces -- slugging it out for a prize purse of Rs 6 crore in five cities with the inaugural rounds being held in Mumbai, followed by Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and the semis and finals in Bengaluru.
Jaipur, Dec 21 : Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah on Friday gave the Ajmer Literature Festival a miss due to strong protests by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and other right wing associations for his controversial statements.

In a TV interview, Shah had said that he fears for his children in this country. He has reportedly said, "In some areas killing of a cow receives more importance than lynching of a police officer..."

Meanwhile, the Bollywood actor told the media that he loves the country he resides in. "What mistake did I make by expressing my thoughts," he asked.

Police officials in Ajmer confirmed that right wing demonstrators did protest against Shah. However, no FIR has been lodged.
Hyderabad, Dec 21 : The Hyderabad High Court on Friday asked the Telangana government to file a counter affidavit to a petition filed by popular Telugu actor Prabhas, challenging the seizure of his guest house by the revenue authorities in Hyderabad.

Officials on Monday had seized the guest house of the 'Baahubali' actor and other private properties located at Rayadurgam on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

The revenue officials cited a recent order by the Supreme Court declaring the entire parcel of 84 acres of land as government property.

Prabhas, whose full name is Uppalapati Venkata Satyanarayana Prabhas Raju, filed a petition challenging the action by the revenue authorities without serving him a notice. He said he purchased the land in 2005 and paid the fee for its regularisation.

The High Court, which heard the petition on Friday, ordered that the status quo be maintained at the site till further orders. It asked the state government to file a counter affidavit by December 24 and adjourned the hearing to December 31.

The government's counsel informed the court that no demolition was was carried out at the seized property.
New Delhi, Dec 21 : An Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator on Friday demanded that the "Bharat Ratna" conferred on the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi be taken back as he had allegedly justified the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The demand came in the Delhi Assembly as an amendment proposed to a resolution moved by Tilak Nagar MLA Jarnail Singh.

"The House urges the Centre to take back India's highest civilian award 'Bharat Ratna' from late former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for justifying the 1984 anti-Sikh riots," Singh added after reading out the resolution passed by the House.

Since the resolution had already already been passed by the Assembly, the amendment proposed by Singh could not be passed, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj told IANS.

The House also resolved that special fast-track courts be set up for quick and time-bound trials in all pending 1984 riots cases, as "34 long and painful years" have already passed, during which many victims have died and the remaining witnesses are in advanced stages of their lives.

The resolution, passed after a discussion, directed the Delhi government "to strongly convey in writing to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that justice continues to elude the families and near-dear ones of the victims of the worst genocide in the history of the national capital".

Further, the House also directed the Delhi government to ask the MHA to take all necessary steps to include crimes against humanity and genocide in India's domestic criminal laws, as recommended by the Delhi High Court in its recent verdict sentencing Sajjan Kumar and other convicts to life imprisonment.

"Unfortunately, the justice delivery system has failed the 1984 riots victims so far," Singh read from the resolution.

"This House resolves to call this worst riot clearly and unambiguously a genocide.

"Any further delay will only erode the credibility of investigating agencies and the justice delivery mechanism in the eyes of the common man," he said.

Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain also said that the 1984 was an organised crime and "was done by the people from the political parties on the orders of their leaders".

He also said that if the punishment had been given to the culprits of 1984 in time, other such similar riots would not have happened.
Bengaluru, Dec 21 : Reiterating the Congress demand, senior party leader P Chidambaram on Friday said the next Parliament would constitute a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to inquire into the controversial Rafale deal the NDA government had signed with the French aerospace major Dassault Aviation in 2016.

"If the present Parliament does not constitute a JPC, the next Parliament will constitute it to probe the Rafale deal," said former Union Finance Minister at the party's state unit office here.

Observing that the main opposition party was not satisfied with the answers of the government on the deal, Chidambaram said Rafale would be an important issue in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, as it was live in the recent assembly elections in Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

"A defence deal worth Rs 60,000 crore that will leave the country with only 36 fighters as against 126 aircraft contracted for under the UPA government cannot go unchallenged or unexamined," asserted Chidambaram.

Accusing the NDA government of misleading even the Supreme Court, the former minister said the party was asking the people to support its demand for a JPC probe into the deal.

"The apex court rested its judgement on the basis that it did not have the jurisdiction to go into various aspects of a defence procurement after accepting the governmentaAs claim and declining to examine their correctness. In the process, the top court committed a grave error by observing that the Comptroller and Audit General of India (CAG) had examined the deal when it did not," he said.

Chidambaram's demand for JPC comes soon after party president Rahul Gandhi and its senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge made the same demand in the current winter session of Parliament in New Delhi since December 11.

The Supreme Court on December 14 dismissed four petitions seeking a probe into the purchase of 36 Rafale fighters in a fly-away condition from Dassault, saying it could "not scrutinise each aspect of the acquisition".

The Congress leader also questioned the government's intent to scrap the earlier negotiations for the fighter held by the previous UPA government to enter into a new agreement with Dassault.

The multi-million dollar deal the UPA government did not finalise had envisaged the city-based Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) manufacturing 108 of the 126 Rafale aircraft under licensed production, with 18 delivered in a fly-away condition to the Indian Air Force (IAF) by Dassault by 2022.

Scrapping the previous deal at the price negotiations stage, the BJP-led government signed another deal in 2015 with the French government to buy 36 Rafale fighters in flying condition for an estimated $54 billion.

"Though 95 per cent of the discussions concluded after Dassault Chief Executive Eric Trappier visited HAL in Bengaluru in 2012, the NDA government had scrapped them (discussions) in April 2015 and entered into a new agreement for buying only 36 Rafale jets," recalled Chidambaram.

The Congress leader also recalled then Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar saying on April 8, 2015 that the Rafale deal was not on the agenda during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Paris for discussion with then French President Francois Hollande.

"On April 10, 2015 the NDA government entered into a new agreement to buy 36 Rafale aircraft instead of 126 by cancelling the earlier agreement. Why? The Prime Minister and the Union Finance Minister (Arun Jaitley) are hiding the fact," added Chidambaram.
China's first original ballet production, Red Detachment of Women, is one of Li Chengxiang's choreographic works. It has become a classic in the National Ballet of China's repertoire, with the new generation of ballet dancers performing the piece every year. [Photo by Shi Ren/for China Daily]

China's dance scene mourns performing arts pioneer, Li Chengxiang, who passed away last week.

Tributes have been pouring in for Li Chengxiang, a renowned Chinese dancer-choreographer, who died at the age of 87 on Dec 14 after a long illness.

According to the National Ballet of China, which was headed by Li from 1984 to 1994, he was diagnosed with cancer in 2002, but his health condition worsened over the past two years.

On Dec 17, Chinese ballet dancers, former colleagues and friends of Li gathered at the National Ballet of China in Beijing to mourn his passing.

Ballet in China has a nearly 60-year history. Li was among the first group of Chinese ballet dancers who received training from Russian experts in the 1950s. In 1957, Li became the assistant teacher of the Beijing Dance School when Russian dancer and choreographer Pyotr Gusev was the school's artistic director.

With the founding of the National Ballet of China in 1959, Li played in the first three classic ballet productions adapted by the troupe: Swan Lake, Le Corsaire (The Pirate) and Giselle.

Of all his choreographic works, the best known is Red Detachment of Women, China's first original ballet production, which premiered in the capital in 1964 and in which, Li played the ruthless landlord Nan Batian. It is perhaps best known in the West as the ballet performed for former US president Richard Nixon during his visit to China in 1972.
Kolkata, Dec 21 : Former Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President Farooq Abdullah on Friday said Army is not the solution to end the India-Pakistan dispute over Kashmir and urged the Centre to first resolve country's internal problems through discussions.

He also said Pakistan should put an end to terrorism first to build a foundation for developing the relationship between the two neighbours.

Terming the current situation in the country as "volatile and dangerous", he claimed BJP's attempts to create hatred among people in the name of religion are further complicating the matters between Hindus and Muslims.

"This government has taken a stand to run J&K with the Army, but Army is not the solution to our problem. Showering bullets will not be able to bring back peace in the Valley. It will further distance the youth of Kashmir from the nation," said Abdullah responding to a question during a chat session titled 'My Life and My Times' at the Bharat Chamber of Commerce here.

Abdullah was asked whether he thought the dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir would get resolved.

"Our own home is on fire. We must figure out how to settle our own home. The hatred they (BJP) are creating in the name of religion, is making things more complex between Hindus and Muslims. The Muslims today do not feel that they belong to this country. We first need to find the way to solve the internal problems within the nation through dialogues," he said.

"If India can manage to solve the internal problems, Pakistan would not be able to cause any harm," he added.

The National Conference leader also said neither Pakistan nor India would be able to take away any territory from each other's possession.

"Pakistan should end terrorism... no matter how many economic corridors we build between the two nations, it would not develop the relationship unless there is an end to terrorism," he said.

Abdullah hoped that a new regime at the Centre might be able to find some solution to the Indo-Pak dispute in Kashmir as the dynamics between the two nations and their allies have changed.

"Kashmir issue is not confined to just between India and Pakistan. Earlier America was extremely pro-Pakistan. That has changed. The only country that is backing Pakistan is China. They are doing so for their own interest," he said.

"I think they (Pakistan) are also tired. Their great helpers, the Americans, have walked out. So they have also realised that things are not the same. It is a question of a new government. Whichever government comes to power, I am sure there would be progress in this regard," Abdullah said.
Kolkata, Dec 21 : Criticising Centre's decision to allow 10 intelligence and investigating agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt any information on computers, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Friday said the party may move court against the MHA order.

Terming the BJP-led Central government as a government of "snooping and surveillance", the senior Congress leader claimed the order to be a direct interference into people's privacy.

"We have now a privacy judgement. Can you give the power to 10 agencies to simply snoop on you? As it is, there are several illegal technological methods to snoop on people, now such things are being given a legal power. We can say that we are going to study it. We will oppose it and, if necessary, we will go to court," Singhvi told reporters here.

"We have said that this government is a government of snooping, surveillance and undercover activities. This government does wrong things secretly in the dark of nights. This move by the government symbolises that," he said.

When asked whether his move to represent the West Bengal government in the Calcutta High Court in the case of BJP's Rath Yatra can be seen as a conflict of interest for his party that is fighting against the state's ruling Trinamool Congress, Singhvi said, "Not at the least. Those who think opposing a Rath yatra with highly provocative, inflammatory overtones is a disservice to the Congress are doing a disservice to the Congress themselves."

Singhvi's decision to represent the state government in the division bench of the High Court, which saw the previous court order allowing the BJP's rally crushed, led to protest demonstration by a section of Congress workers outside the court.
Chennai, Dec 21 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K.Palaniswami on Friday condoled the death of S. Jayachandran, popularly known as the 'five rupees doctor'.

In a tweet Modi said: "Chennai-based Dr S Jayachandran is a hero. His was a life purely for the betterment of others."

The poor man's doctor, 71-year-old Jayachandran died on Wednesday. He had charged his patients Rs 2 since 1971 and later revised it to Rs 5 in 1998 as his consultation fee.

Palaniswami said Jayachandran wanted to be a doctor from his childhood to serve the poor.

For over 40 years Jayachandran gave good treatment to the poor patients, Palaniswami said.
New Delhi, Dec 21 : Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Friday held a meeting of Rules Committee and discussed ways to put a break on MPs trooping near Speaker's podium and holding placards in the House.

During the discussion suggestions such as automatic suspension of a member if s/he enters the well and punishment for those who hold placards came prominently, but teh lack of unanimity ensured nothing was finalised.

Sources present in the meeting said a draft report to change the rule 374A would be presented to the committee after a broad discussion with political parties and would be submitted to the Committee chaired by Speaker Mahajan.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, also a member of the committee, didn't turn up for the meeting, but protested the move.

In a letter to the Speaker, he urged that any such move should be left on the next Lok Sabha.

The idea was opposed by the BJP's Nishikant Dubey and BJD's Bhartruhari Mahtab citing the present state of affairs in the Lower House.

According to sources, Dubey said it was the right time to change the rules before the next general election while Mahtab said due to pandemonium in the House, he could not raise many important matters of public importance.

TMC's Sudip Bandopadhyay, too, did not attend the meeting but informed the Speaker that his party supported any move on the issue, saying the TMC members never enter the well.

Some of the members also suggested to form a law on the lines of Chhattisgarh Assembly where there is a provision of automatic suspension if one enters the well to protest.

Upset with the continuous uproar in the Lok Sabha and behaviour of some of the members during proceedings, Mahajan on Thursday met the floor leaders of various parties and expressed her anguish.

As her attempts to break the logjam between the government and the opposition on different issues including Rafale went in vain, she convened the meeting of the Rules Committee.

The Speaker has taken serious exception to the display of placards by members in the House.

The Congress has been protesting in the Lok Sabha demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the 36 ready-to-fly Rafale fighter jet deal with France while accusing the government of lying before the Supreme Court on the matter.

The AIADMK members have been protesting against construction of a dam across the Cauvery river at Mekadatu, while the TDP has been raising several issues related to their demand for special status to Andhra Pradesh.

During their protests, the members held placards and tried to cover the Speaker's or other members' face to find a place in the camera frame as they spoke.
New Delhi, Dec 21 : The proverbial "wisdom of the crowd" is not all that reliable when it comes to Indian public, going by an online survey which revealed a wide gap between what people thought to be true and what actually was.

According to the MORI Perils of Perception Survey 2018, done by Ipsos India, an independent market research company, Indians stood at 12th rank in the "misperception index", behind several countries like, Italy, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Chile and Argentina, among others.

The countries which performed poorer than India were Thailand, Mexico, Turkey, Malaysia, and Brazil, which were ranked first in five, in that order.

Among the questions which revealed the wide chasm between what people perceived and what was real, was the number of Muslims in the country. Participants, who were asked this, guessed the number of Muslims in the country to be at 32 per cent of the total population, whereas the actual number was 14 per cent, the company said in a press release.

Their guess was even poorer when it came to number of immigrants in the country, which they estimated to be 24 per cent on average, while in reality immigrants constitute less than one per cent of the total population.

When the participants were asked about the size of Indian economy out of 200 countries, the people underestimated even that, putting it at 50th position, while in reality India is the seventh-largest economy of the world.

Most interesting was Indians' guess at how many times their compatriots engaged in sex in previous four weeks. Guessing liberally, they estimated women to be doing it 27 times and men to be at it 32 times. But the number stood much lower at three, for both the sexes.

The survey was conducted during September 28-October 16 this year in 37 countries online.

The people surveyed for the study in India were not nationally representative and referred by the surveyors as "Upper Deck Consumer Citizens".
Mumbai, Dec 21 : Budget carrier AirAsia India on Friday said it will commence flight operations to Mumbai from January 2019.

"We are pleased to make the much-awaited announcement of adding Mumbai to our network," said Sunil Bhaskaran, MD and CEO, AirAsia India.

"This is a great way to end 2018, and in line with our ultimate vision is to focus on revolutionising air travel in the markets that we operate in. We're also happy to welcome our 20th Airbus A320 aircraft to our fleet."
New Delhi, Dec 21 : Green corridors connecting cities by compressed natural gas (CNG)-fuelled buses would soon be set up in the country, in line with India's commitment to reduce pollution levels made at the Paris climate talks COP-21, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Friday.

Launching various digital customer initiatives of state-run Indraprastha Gas Ltd (IGL) here, Pradhan said that by February next year, CNG buses using type-IV cylinders will be plying separate services from Delhi to the cities of Agra, Chandigarh, Haridwar and Jaipur.

The Minister also said the waiting time for piped natural gas (PNG) connections for households has come down "drastically to an average of just one week, and people of NCR (National Capital Region) can now enjoy the clean, convenient and affordable fuel."

Pradhan launched IGL's CNG Queue Management System (QMS) which, through the "Oorja" mobile app, would provide information on the average waiting time at CNG stations.

He also launched the Social Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology platform that will address customer queries, complaints, service requests and grievances on various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

On the occasion, IGL also marked the crossing of one million domestic PNG customers in its areas of operation - Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and Rewari.
Brussels, Dec 22 : The European Council on Friday extended the European Union's Operation Sophia migrant search and rescue mission until March 31 next year, the EU's top decision-making body said in a statement.

Italy earlier in December vowed that the EUs Sophia anti-trafficking mission would end when its current mandate expired at the end of the year if there was no change to the rules of the mission -- which currently lands all rescued migrants in Italian ports.

Currently commanded by Italian Rear Admiral Enrico Credentino, Sophia's core mandate is to help the EU smash migrant smuggling networks. It also trains the Libyan Coastguard and Navy and helps enforce a UN arms embargo.

Sophia also conducts surveillance activities and gathers information on illegal trafficking of oil exports from turmoil-hit Libya, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.

Headquartered in Rome, the mission was launched on June 22, 2015.
National dwelling prices will have declined by five percent by the end of the year, CoreLogic have estimated in their 2019 market outlook.

They still say national dwelling values will be 22 percent higher relative to this time five years ago.

Through to the end of November, Sydney was the hardest hit, with dwelling values dropping 8.1 percent, while Hobart performed the best, seeing a 9.3 percent rise.

CoreLogic's head of research Tim Lawless said there is likely to be only three capital cities bringing down the national dwelling total.

In all likelihood, five of Australias capital cities will finish the year with a positive annual movement in dwelling values, highlighting that weaker conditions in Sydney and Melbourne, and to a lesser extent, Perth, are the main drag on the national index," Lawless said.

"To assess the housing market trends over the coming year, its important to reflect on the factors that have driven the market performance more recently and how they are likely to change over the coming twelve months.

He suggests the lack of credit availability is a key factor in the current housing market downturn, and expects lenders to remain conservative in 2019.

"With the final report from the Royal Commission due in early 2019, we expect lenders will remain conservative in their approach," Lawless advised.

"This implies that high quality borrowers will be in the drivers seat (i.e those with large deposits, low debt relative to their income and a strong serviceability position).

"Borrowers with less than a 20% deposit and those with debt levels that exceed six times their income will find it harder to obtain finance and will likely face a premium on their mortgage rates.
ASIC has commenced civil penalty proceedings in the Federal Court against Port Phillip Publishing Pty Ltd (PPP), an online financial publisher and Australian financial services licence (AFSL) holder, and its director and CEO, Kris Sayce.

The proceeding concerns an article promoting an investment strategy which, according to PPP, consumers could adopt to piggyback, or mimic the performance of, the Australian Governments Future Fund.

The 2017 article which said that the investment strategy would generate monthly income of $540 to $6,667 was not written by Sayce, but Matthew Hibbard.

Sayce promotes himself as "never one to pull punches, especially when it comes to Australias hapless bureaucracy and special interest groups."

Once dubbed the Jeremy Clarkson of Australian finance, Sayce began as a London finance broker specialising in small-cap stock analysis on Londons Alternative Investment Market  which covered everything from Kazakhstani gold miners to toy train companies.

Sayce is a fully accredited advisor in shares, options, warrants and foreign-exchange investments, who spent several years at a leading Australian wealth-management company before he began working at Port Phillip Publishing, where he is the publisher and CEO of the Albert Park-based company.

The article, which included client testimonials purportedly supporting the strategy, was targeted at retirees.

It was published on two of PPPs websites and emailed to some 120,000 subscribers. It's open rate has not been revealed.

Readers were able to access the promoted investment strategy by purchasing a detailed guide from PPP for $49.

The document entitled Your Quick Start Guide to Piggybacking the Future Fund was sent to 833 of PPPs subscribers during the relevant period between September 2017 and January 2018.

ASIC alleges that the article and the guide were misleading and deceptive because consumers could not mimic the performance of the Future Fund by adopting the promoted investment strategy.

ASIC allege PPP did not disclose that the touted returns could only be achieved by investing approximately $154,286 and $1.9 million.

ASIC allege the article did not represent the opinions of Matthew Hibbard, the PPP retirement investment expert.

"Instead, it was substantially copied by one of PPPs copywriters from an article published by an American related entity of PPP in the United States entitled, Americans Now Legally Piggybacking Canadian Social Security ... And Collecting Extra Monthly Checks from $400 to $4,700.

ASIC further allege Hibbard had not conducted, as outlined, "research in the order of 900 hours in relation to the investment strategy; and had not connected with over 5,400 people who had generated income by adopting the investment strategy."

ASIC also allege that the three testimonials contained in the article were false.

The testimonials were advised as "folks like":

77 year-old M H a retired farmer living in South Australia, he stumbled across this weird - but lucrative - income strategy a few years back. Since then hes open to monthly income amounts like $575 and $1,362...

Retiree Leon M switched on this secret strategy inside his self-managed super fund...and now collects a monthly income stream of around $540...

Or Jolly, who  on average  collects $6,667 each month using this loophole.

ASIC alleges that PPP and Sayce breached various consumer protection provisions of the ASIC Act and Corporations Act, that PPP breached its AFSL obligations, and that Sayce breached his duties as a director of PPP.

In addition to declarations and financial penalties, ASIC seeks corrective advertising orders, injunctions and disqualification orders against the Frankston South-based Sayce.

The first hearing of the matter is listed for 22 February 2019.

It is regulatory guide 234 Advertising Financial Products and Services (including credit): Good Practice Guidance (RG234) that provides guidance to help promoters comply with their legal obligations not to make false or misleading statements or engage in misleading and deceptive conduct, ASIC advised.

Port Phillip Publishing claims with its 20 subscription services and five free daily emails that its readers get a "comprehensive insight into the ideas that the mainstream media frequently neglects  or is too lazy to research."

PPP's most recent addition to the stable was Harry Dent Daily, which offers the thoughts of the controversial doomsday property analyst.

Port Phillip Publishing was established in 2005 as the Australian outpost of US publisher, Agora Inc, which was founded by best-selling author and entrepreneur Bill Bonner.

Many of its subscription newsletters are paid:

 Australian Small Cap Investigator  A$99 annually

 Secret Crypto Network  A$99 annually

 Exponential Stock Investor  A$99 annually

 Phillip J Anderson Cycles, Trends and Forecasts  A$99 annually

 The Gowdie Letter  A$99 annually

 Global Investor  A$99 annually

 Harry Dent Boom & Bust letter  A$99 annually

 Wealth Eruption  A$99 annually

 Money Morning Trader  A$49 monthly

 Crisis & Opportunity  A$149 annually

 Gowdie Family Wealth  A$449 annually

 Revolutionary Tech Investor  A$1,499 annually

 Quant Trader  A$3,499 annually

 Gold & Commodities Stock Trader  A$2,499 annually

 Microcap Trader  A$4,999 annually

 Crash Market Investor  A$2,999 annually

 Crypto Tech Investor  A$2,499 annually

 Extreme Crypto Trader  A$2,999 annually

 Billion Dollar Breakout Trader  A$2,999 annually

 Microcap Global Trader  A$2,999 annually

 Phil Andersons Time Trader  A$2,999 annually

 Options Trader  A$3,499 annually
A new term has become popular recently among Chinese netizens: "Naked marriage". It's not what it sounds like  but the term does have a special meaning: Getting married without a house, car, diamond ring or a proper wedding ceremony.

Taking a picture and getting a marriage certificate is all that is involved.

Among these "naked" aspects, having no house is the most important, because it usually stands as a symbolic guarantee.

A popular Chinese TV drama, "Dwelling Narrowness," strikes a chord with China's so-called "house slaves," especially those born after 1980, whose youthful ambitions are cut short by soaring real estate prices and an inability to afford a mortgage.

While a naked marriage might be today's answer to the rising costs of living in China's bigger cities, some also say it is wrong to base a marriage on material goods in the first place. One Internet survey showed 43 percent of respondents would prefer a naked marriage, and 47 percent say they don't.

However, when the result is classified by sex, it reveals a more interesting pattern: 80 percent of men would accept that arrangement, while 70 percent of women would not.

CGTN's special series Chinese Terminology, which was launched on November 26, marks the 40-year anniversary of the country's reform and opening up program. The episodes, hosted by CGTN anchors Jeff Moody and Jonathan Betz, are being aired every day at 20:15, 12:00 and 16:00 BJT.
The former Lower North Shore McGrath franchisee Dean Mackie seems set to open a Di Jones office next year.

Mackie has been recruited by Di Jones chief executive Rob Ward.

Now with a network of five offices, Ward has long signalled plans to expand the group to 10 offices by 2021.

The Mackie-led franchise lost its McGrath operations last Friday when McGrath Estate Agents provided the stockmarket with an update regarding the April 2019 renewal of its Sydney Lower North Shore franchise office arrangement.

McGrath announced it had withdrawn its offer to extend the franchise agreement beyond April.

Mackie, who had headed the LNS operation since 2005, was in the news mid year when a Kirribilli waterfront property attracted a premium price.

A one-bedroom apartment on the market for the first time in more than 50 years sold for $125,000 above reserve at $1,875,000.

The 65-square-metre apartment sold to the final bidder to jump in, Dean Mackie, who bought the home shortly after inspecting it for the first time.

Mackie addressed the 2009 AREC when he present the winning strategies he had implemented in growing his property management business from zero to 1000 properties in two years.

The McGrath franchise decision puts the future of one of the McGrath group's top performers, Michael Coombs in play with whispers that he's heading to LJ Hooker Avnu.

McGrath is currently considering the "optimum" structure for the continuation of the McGrath presence in the key markets of Mosman, Neutral Bay, Chatswood and Northbridge.

Their decision was couched as providing the opportunity of strengthening the profitability for the publicly listed estate agency.

We have a clear plan to rejuvenate our presence in the region," McGrath chief, Geoff Lucas said. The shareholders were told by Lucas the LNS profitability had "fallen below expectations in recent years.

There has been no formal announcement by the Di Jones group which has been dealing with the loss of its own top seller in the eastern suburbs, Jane Schumann this week to Raine & Horne Double Bay.

Mackie will step into an agency where its longtime Woollahra village-style origins had a women's influence.

Newspaper reports in the late 1990s suggested Di Jones was the doyenne of the female brigade in Sydney, at a time when ABS figures showed the percentage of female sales staff in real estate sat at around 40 per cent, way down on the US industry where eight in 10 are women.

The Di Jones office, with its French country style, avoided the hard edges often found in rival estate agencies.

She had her female staff dress to create an air of sober authority.

"I don't think the sexy look works very well," Jones explained.

"Everyone in our office dresses very business-like. I normally wear a suit because I think you need to look business-like to be taken seriously.

"I wouldn't like to think the girls in my office used their sexuality to sell a property but I'm sure some women do. But no, that's not our image at all."

Its website traffic indicated almost twice as many women as men visiting with almost 80,000 total visits per month.

The office has since been incorporated into the upper North Shore business of the former LJ Hooker Wahroonga agent Rob Ward in 2016.

Ward had founded LJ Hooker Wahroonga in 2003.

The landmark Woollahra office relocated from Queen Street this week to shop top premises on Paddington's Five Ways, with administrative staff now relocated to Wahroonga.

It now sits amid its team on the North Shore, the Northern Suburbs and in the NSW Southern Highlands, along with the lower North Shore seemingly from early next year.
The majority of population growth over the next fifty (50) years will occur in urban areas. Cities must invest in infrastructure and digital services to address this growth in a sustainable way.

The City of San Antonios Department of Human Services (DHS) announced the general availability of their new, Emergency Utility Bill Assistance online application just in time for the winter holidays. The DHS solution aligns with San Antonios Smart City Initiative - to have San Antonio be connected, inclusive, and resilient.

The online application simplifies the original paper process by eliminating the need to print pages, photocopy supporting documentation (photo ID, proof of income, CPS Energy or SAWS bill) and even eliminates the need for most residents to visit a service center to obtain the assistance. Instead, residents can now complete the application online and upload the required documents using their smartphone or tablets built-in camera.

Kinetech, a Platform Mendix partner, led the Department of Human Services through the paper to digital transformation using agile development, the Mendix (low code development) platform, and the Kinetech Digital Execution Strategy (KDES). With this proven approach and industry best-practices, DHS was able to significantly improve the applicant / processing procedure by bringing an intuitive, robust, and user-friendly digital solution to the citizens of San Antonio.

DHS administers nearly $3 Million in credits including $2.4 Million dollars in CPS Energy bill assistance annually and $400,000 in San Antonio Water Systems (SAWS) credits. The DHS staff work closely with CPS Energy and SAWS to apply the assistance credits to the bills of eligible residents in need.

By applying the KDES, and leveraging Kinetech's agile services, DHS unlocked the potential within their organization to provide better service to their constituents by leveraging cloud-native technology. "Kinetech modified the application based on the user experience, [using agile development] and came back with modifications within 30 minutes..., that's lightning fast" according to Richard Keith, Assistant Director - DHS, City of San Antonio.

We have found that most of our clients today have a smartphone, even if they dont have a computer, according to Department of Human Services Director Melody Woosley. We wanted to make it easy for residents to use that phone to apply for the assistance they need. The application is device agnostic and does not require the user to download an app from an app store, removing further friction from the process.

The emergency utility assistance program helps the citys most vulnerable residentsthose living within 125% of the federal poverty levelto ease the burden of utility bills during times of need and help avoid power and water service shut-offs whenever possible. For a family of four (4), total household income must be less than $31,375 to be eligible. Though the average income of applicants is closer to $14,000. The program sees the highest demand during the scorching Texas summer and colder winter months, processing over 10,000 applications annually that impact nearly 50,000 residents.

With a paper-process it is physically impossible for our staff to provide real-time updates to our clients. Incomplete applications are further delayed by snail-mail requests for additional information; a big problem for a household hoping to prevent their utilities from being cut-off confirmed Woosley. In addition, the cost and inconvenience of having to photocopy supporting documentation to submit with their application is something we worked to eliminate with this new digital solution.

Indeed, applicants can now access the application on any internet enabled smartphone or tablet with a built-in camera, take pictures of their supporting documents, and submit electronically through the digital solution.

Additional benefits of the application include a self-service portal where applicants can check the status of their application, view the average processing time for the past thirty (30) days, and receive automated notifications each time the status of their application changes. The digital solution is anticipated to cut the processing time nearly in half (from 45 minutes to 25 minutes) for the Client Service Specialists administering the program.

Virtually every industry is being impacted by technology and local government is no different, said Michael Guido, CEO of Kinetech. The majority of population growth over the next fifty (50) years will occur in urban areas. Cities must invest in infrastructure and digital services to address this growth in a sustainable way. Municipal leaders looking to leverage this blueprint may contact Kinetech or learn more https://www.kinetechcloud.com/govtech
I feel a sense of accomplishment knowing Ive made a difference. Theres nothing that makes pet owners happier than sharing the joy of Christmas with their closest friends and confidants  their pets, Kim Jukes said.

For Kim Jukes, nothing is more fulfilling than helping dogs and their owners. It was her spirited rescue dog, appropriately named Joy, who inspired Kim to enroll in Animal Behavior Colleges (ABC) dog trainer program and make a difference in the lives of canines. After hearing about a program in her Waco, Texas, community that provides meals for seniors and their pets, Kim decided to do something special to help. This past October, she contacted Meals on Wheels Waco to share her idea.

Like most people, seniors love their pets and consider them family, said Kim who graduated in July 2018 and is a certified Animal Behavior College Dog Trainer (ABCDT). Even though the Meals on Wheels program provide meals for seniors and their pets many cant afford to buy treats or replace their pets leashes or toys. Its for this reason I decided to do something special for their pets for Christmas.

Kim created Meals on Wheels Waco for Pets. The purpose of the project, which is sponsored by Kims business, People and Pups, LLC, is to provide Meals on Wheels Waco program participants with goodie bags full of treats, toys, leashes, collars, litter pans, bones, blankets, and more, for their cats or dogs for Christmas. Her goal was to collect items and assemble goodie bags so they could be distributed with Meals on Wheels deliveries in December. With only weeks to design and distribute flyers, place donation baskets throughout the city, contact local businesses and retailers for donations and organize volunteers to stuff bags, Kim dedicated all of her free time (she also holds a full-time job in addition to her dog training business) to ensure she met the deadline.

It was stressful, but worth it, she said excitedly. In addition to private donations, we received items from Charlee Bear [Dog Treats], and Bare Arms Brewery donated spent grains to make dog cookies. We had donations that filled two pickup trucks and an entire room in my house. Twenty-one people volunteered to sign Christmas cards, fill bags and attach bows. The outpouring of support was amazing!

The project received enough donations to fill 233 goodie bags, 138 for dogs and 95 for cats, as well as extra items of canned pet food and 70 pounds of dry food, which Kim donated to Meals on Wheels Waco to assist in its monthly pet food deliveries. Pleased with the projects success, Kim has decided to make this an annual Christmas event.

I feel a sense of accomplishment knowing Ive made a difference. Theres nothing that makes pet owners happier than sharing the joy of Christmas with their closest friends and confidants  their pets, she said.

For Kimberly Bandusky, ABCDT and ABC Mentor Trainer, volunteering to help dogs find forever homes is a lifetime commitment. Since graduating from ABC in 2008, the Burbank, Illinois, native has volunteered thousands of hours training dogs. In addition to working for an advertising company in Chicago, she volunteers and serves on the Advisory Board of NAWS Humane Society located in Mokena, Illinois.

Ive never stopped volunteering because giving back means a lot to me, Kimberly said. Im a huge animal advocate and believe theres no such thing as a bad dog. I love being a dog trainer; its my passion and one of the many reasons I became a Mentor [Trainer] [is] to inspire, encourage and help future ABC dog trainers.

Earlier this year, Kimberlys volunteer efforts were rewarded when she placed first in the Blue Buffalo Give Back Program (helping shelter pets, together) for the second quarter and was also named one of the top five trainer volunteers for the third quarter. The Give Back Program requires certified professional dog trainer participants to donate training and other volunteer hours at local shelters or rescue organizations that are 501(c)(3)eligible. Participants are hand-selected by the company and must upload their volunteer hours to Blue Buffalos online system. At the end of each quarter the winner with the most volunteer hours is announced and receives $2,500 in pet food for their shelter, as well as dog treats and an assortment of Blue Buffalo gifts.

I was thrilled to find out I won, Kim said. This is an incredible opportunity to help shelter pets, make new clients, and improve your communityone well behaved dog at a time.

Since ABCs inception in 1998, the college has graduated and certified more than 15,325 students in its online dog trainer program. The course teaches positive-reinforcement training techniques and covers a range of relevant topics, including learning theories, basic dog obedience cues, effective problem-solving, business building and pet first aid and CPR. Students acquire invaluable knowledge and skills that equip them to start a dog training business, work for an established company, or pursue other professional canine-related careers.

ABC also offers certification in pet grooming, cat training and in veterinary assisting. Specialized certificates of completion in seven short-term programs are also available on subjects, including doggie daycare, pet fostering, pet nutrition, and training shelter dogs.

For more information, call 800-795-3294 or visit ABCs website at http://www.AnimalBehaviorCollege.com.

About Animal Behavior College

Now celebrating its 20th Anniversary, Animal Behavior College is a vocational school that trains professional dog trainers, cat trainers, veterinary assistants and pet groomers nationwide and in the 10 provinces of Canada. ABC has graduated more than 27,000 students from its four core programs combined. Students obtain practical hands-on experience applying what they learn by working side-by-side with a member of ABC's expert mentors group. These professional mentors include thousands of professional dog trainers, veterinary hospitals and clinics and grooming salons from all across the U.S. and Canada who are dedicated to helping students succeed in the pet services industry.
Bobbie Hurley-Guinn announced as Arpco Valves new Chief Executive Officer Ms. Hurley-Guinn commented, Only 6% of CEO positions in this industry are held by women. It is just very humbling to think that I am part of that 6%."

Arpco Valves & Controls, LLC is pleased to announce Roberta (Bobbie) Hurley-Guinn will be serving as the Companys new Chief Executive Officer effective immediately.

Ms. Hurley-Guinn co-founded Arpco Valves & Controls, LLC, in 2010 with Gary Turner, co-owner and President. Ms. Hurley-Guinn most recently served as the Companys Vice President. During her tenure with Arpco, she was responsible for establishing procedures and protocol for the Company, managing the Company marketing and advertising, and creating and managing the Company Safety Program. Most recently, she has trained other leaders within the company and created a company culture based in positivity, stability, and vision. She has been instrumental in formulating and implementing the goals and vision necessary for a fast growing company.

Prior to co-founding Arpco, Ms. Hurley-Guinn gained her experience through a variety of sales and administrative positions. Her strategic methodologies have always served to create efficiencies and improve methodologies to advance operational and financial conditions.

Ms. Hurley-Guinn is a graduate of the Entrepreneur Bootcamp for Veterans-Families at Syracuse University, is actively involved in the community, and serves on the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Ms. Hurley-Guinn commented, Only 6% of CEO positions in this industry are held by women. It is just very humbling to think that I am part of that 6%."

We are very pleased to announce that Bobbie will serve as the CEO of Arpco Valves. She has a proven track record of success and we are confident her strategy and leadership will drive Arpcos future success.

Additional Promotion

Arpco also announced Gary Turner will begin serving as Chief Revenue Officer and Chairman of the Board of Advisors effective immediately. With over 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, Mr. Turner brings unmatched knowledge and experience to the position.

Mr. Turner is a graduate of Texas A & M University and serves as a Director for the API Fishing Tournament, which gives scholarships to high school seniors in need.

About Arpco Valves & Controls, LLC

Arpco Valves & Controls, LLC corporate headquarters is located in Kilgore, Texas, and operates a field office in Midland, Texas. Arpco is a leader in providing Emergency Shut Down Systems to the gas and oil industry and operates primarily in the Servicing Oil and Gas Wells industry within the Oil and Gas Extraction sector. The Company provides pressure monitoring instrumentation, valve packages for well testing, as well as certified service technicians in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Ohio, West Virginia, Mississippi and Pennsylvania. Arpcos mission is to protect our customers, communities and environment by providing high quality Emergency Shut Down Systems for oil and gas wells.

Contact

Myranda Renfrow, Administrative Assistant

myranda(at)arpcovalves.com

903-834-7007

Corporate Office

120 Marvin A Smith Road

Kilgore, Texas 75662

Phone (903) 834-7007

Website: ArpcoValves.com

Facebook: @ArpcoValves

LinkedIn: @ArpcoValves
Ashley Hall Director of Innovation Ed Dougherty and faculty member Beth McCarty in the School's new Collab Lab. Photo provided by Ashley Hall. We are using technology and innovative teaching practices in new ways to deepen students learning and enable the confident, independent thinking for which Ashley Hall students are known. -- Ashley Hall Director of Innovation Edward Dougherty

Ashley Hall, the only independent girls school in South Carolina, has achieved the global distinction of being selected as one of only 50 schools in the world to participate in the Google for Education initiative Project Culture Shift to design a culture of innovation for the future. Led by Ashley Halls new Director of Innovation Edward Dougherty, Ashley Hall students and teachers will collaborate with partners around the globe to imagine and design curricula and learning environments to foster innovation in the future.

As the school prepares for its 110-year anniversary in April 2019, the Project Culture Shift builds on Ashley Halls reputation of preparing girls to lead in a highly connected global society. Ashley Hall will become part of a global learning network, connecting with other schools around the world to identify and recommend ideas and processes to promote a culture of innovation in the classroom. It is one of only two independent girls schools named to the list.

The Google Initiative shows how our students inquisitive, complex thinking will drive innovation. At a time when womens voices have never been more important, this program amplifies their reach, both here in Charleston and on the global stage, said Ashley Hall Head of School Jill Muti.

Project Culture Shift reinforces Ashley Halls bold commitment to interdisciplinary, experiential learning at each stage in a girls development. The Schools dedication to humanities and the arts  which include classical languages and music that are being cut back at other institutions  together with robust STEAM programs, prepares students for success in a fast-changing world.

The Google Initiative is part of the Schools ongoing investment in innovation, led by Dougherty, a former Technology Integration Specialist for the Charleston County School District. With extensive experience in technology-enabled tools and innovative learning strategies, he will accelerate the Schools emphasis on the critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills that have enduring value in the workplace and society.

Ashley Hall students are acquiring the skills and strategies theyll need over the next 40 years, not just the next four years after graduation. We are using technology and innovative teaching practices in new ways to deepen students learning and enable the confident, independent thinking for which Ashley Hall students are known, he said.

About Ashley Hall

Ashley Hall, a premier independent school in the Southeast for girls, is dedicated to deep learning, healthy development, high achievement, and community impact. With its foundation in classical educationenriched by inquiry-based, experiential learningAshley Hall provides a unique environment in which girls become self-reliant, independent thinkers at each stage of their development. Founded nearly 110 years ago as a groundbreaking college preparatory school for women, Ashley Hall is at the forefront of girls education and leadership, with local and global expansion, proven curriculum, and meaningful community connections. Against the backdrop of womens growing voices, Ashley Hall today is demonstrating that its enduring brand of girls education is more relevant than ever. http://www.ashleyhall.org
At Beaird Harris we always put our clients best interest ahead of our own; its the essence of being a fiduciary.

Beaird Harris Wealth Management, a Dallas-based, independent, fee-only wealth management firm, celebrates 22 years in business and surpasses $1 billion in assets under management (AUM). The firm has achieved this milestone by relying on an evidence-based investment strategy, our proprietary Beaird Harris WealthGuideTM financial planning process, and a firm-wide commitment to exceed client expectations.

We are very excited to have reached this milestone, said Pat Beaird, Managing Shareholder of Beaird Harris Wealth Management. Its a true testament to our commitment to serving clients with the highest level of integrity and in a fiduciary capacity. The majority of our growth comes from referrals of existing clients and its our goal to provide a world-class client experience. To our clients, we say thank you for entrusting us with the management of your financial resources. Its an incredible honor and an awesome responsibility that we take very seriously.

Beaird Harris has a unique approach; one that stands out from the crowd by virtue of client relationships, personalized strategies, and an investment philosophy grounded in academic research and empirical data. Everyone at Beaird Harris is committed to helping clients maximize their assets, reduce financial stress, realize their personal and financial goals, and, most importantly, live meaningful lives.

At Beaird Harris we always put our clients best interest ahead of our own; its the essence of being a fiduciary. Its also the core principle that our wealth management firm was built on and continues to guide our mission, values and culture, said Steve Lugar, Managing Director of Beaird Harris Wealth Management.

Beaird Harris serves more than 575 clients including individuals, families, retirement plans, and foundations, and manages over a billion dollars of client assets. Beaird Harris clients have an average investment portfolio of approximately $1,750,000, with clients ranging from $500,000 to $25,000,000+.

With a look to the future, Beaird Harris is more excited than ever, having recently positioned the firm for future growth by expanding its client service, financial planning and senior advisor teams, and by making significant investments in technology to enhance the client experience. To learn more about Beaird Harris, visit http://www.bh-co.com.

About Beaird Harris

Beaird Harris is a Certified Public Accounting and fee-only Wealth Management Firm dedicated to helping financially established individuals, families, businesses and healthcare professionals navigate complex tax regulations and develop comprehensive wealth management solutions. Beaird Harris offers tax, accounting, business consulting, investment management, financial planning, family office and retirement plan services.

Beaird Harris & Co., P.C. and Beaird Harris Wealth Management, Inc. are affiliates who operate in a collaborative team environment under the enterprise name of Beaird Harris. We believe that clients are best served when all facets of finance and taxes are viewed holistically. While clients are not required to use both firms, many value the simplicity of working with a single enterprise to integrate tax and wealth management for a fully coordinated solution.

Beaird Harris & Co., P.C. is a Certified Public Accounting Firm.

Beaird Harris Wealth Management, Inc. is a Registered Investment Advisor with the SEC.

Important Disclosures
CanAm Enterprises Id like to extend my sincere congratulations to the PIDC on its 60th anniversary, marking a period of tremendous success. Coming from Philadelphia, I am very grateful to PIDC and its efforts over the past 60 years - Tom Rosenfeld, CanAms President and CEO.

CanAm Enterprises (CanAm) was thrilled to attend the invitation-only celebration of the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporations (PIDC) 60th anniversary as the City of Philadelphias economic development arm. CanAm would like to take this opportunity to congratulate PIDC for its 60 years of service to Philadelphians and Philadelphia businesses. CanAm has had the privilege of partnering with PIDC for more than 15 years. Id like to extend my sincere congratulations to the PIDC on its 60th anniversary, marking a period of tremendous success. Coming from Philadelphia, I am very grateful to PIDC and its efforts over the past 60 years  they have done so much for this city that I love. It was an honor to be there with everyone at PIDC to celebrate this milestone, said Tom Rosenfeld, CanAms President and CEO, who attended the event.

Six decades ago, as Philadelphia was at an economic crossroads, PIDC was modeled as a new form of partnership  a public-private economic development model  one which proved to be essential to Philadelphias future development. In the true spirit of hard-working Philadelphians, PIDC brought together the pioneers of government, industry and small business, City Hall, and the Chamber of Commerce to establish a foundation of a corporation which became an essential part of Philadelphias economic growth.

Over the subsequent years, PIDC continued to play an important role in transforming Philadelphia. In 1995, the citys economy had to face another challenging change as the last aircraft carrier  the John F. Kennedy  left the docks at the U.S. naval base that was preparing for closure. To counter the significant job loss for Philadelphians, PIDC proposed an ambitious master plan to redevelop the 1000-acre naval base into a modern urban business campus while maintaining the history and legacy of the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

In addition, PIDC partnered with CanAm Enterprises in 2001 to establish the PIDC Regional Center so that EB-5 immigrant investment could be a source of low-cost capital to qualifying commercial, retail, industrial or non-profit firms that create significant job growth in the City of Philadelphia. In fact, the 60th anniversary of PIDC also marks 15 years of the very successful CanAm-PIDC partnership, which has raised $679 million in EB-5 capital from more than 1,300 foreign investors to fund 30 projects in Philadelphia. As a Philadelphia native, I am exceptionally proud of our partnership with the PIDC, weve created one of the most successful regional centers in the United States and brought over 17,000 jobs to Philadelphia, Mr. Rosenfeld added.

As of 2018, more than 17,000 jobs have been created in the Philadelphia region as a result of the EB-5 investment, a substantial number of have been in the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Among the other EB-5 investments made through the CanAm-PIDC regional center are a new technology payment system for Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, the renovation of Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, the expansion of the helicopter manufacturer, Agusta Aerospace Corporation, the construction of a Marriott Courtyard hotel in the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and the expansion of the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

About PIDC Regional Center

The PIDC Regional Center is a partnership that was established in 2001 between PIDC and CanAm Enterprises to sponsor investment opportunities in qualifying projects that meet the requirements of the U.S. Immigration Investor Program (EB-5 Program).

Overseen by the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), the EB-5 Program provides foreign nationals the opportunity to become conditional residents for two years upon making an investment of $500,000 in a designated targeted employment area in a new commercial enterprise. Each unit of investment must create at least ten new direct or indirect jobs for U.S. workers. Once the job creation requirement is met, the conditions are removed, and investors may obtain permanent residency in the United States.

About CanAm Enterprises

With three decades of experience promoting immigration-linked investments in the United States and Canada, CanAm Enterprises has a long and established track record. Based on a reputation of credibility and trust, CanAm Enterprises has financed 55 project loans and raised more than $2.7 billion in EB-5 investments. CanAm Enterprises exclusively operates several USCIS-designated regional centers that are located in the city of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the county of Los Angeles, the metropolitan region of New York, Hawaii, Florida, and Texas. For more information, please visit http://www.canamenterprises.com
Its very exciting for me to see the magazine finally go to print. I personally selected each story featured in this special edition and look forward to taking readers on a journey and sharing the empowering message that is at the heart of Robert Irvine Magazine: Nothing is impossible.

Celebrity chef and fitness personality Robert Irvine and American Media, LLC (AM), a leading publisher of celebrity and health and fitness brands, today unveiled the first-ever special edition print issue of Robert Irvine Magazine, available on newsstands on December 21. The 100-page special edition builds on the success of Irvines digital lifestyle magazine which debuted in May of 2016 and features all-new material in addition to some of Irvines favorite stories. The first-ever issue of Robert Irvine Magazine includes celebrity interviews, recipes, fitness tips, inspirational stories, family advice, and more.

Robert Irvine Magazine has been a special, personal way for me to connect with my fans and share my best lifestyle advice for the last two and a half years, Robert said. Its very exciting for me to see the magazine finally go to print. I personally selected each story featured in this special edition and look forward to taking readers on a journey and sharing the empowering message that is at the heart of Robert Irvine Magazine: Nothing is impossible.

The magazine is a partnership between Irvine and AM which will oversee advertising, marketing services and national distribution for the magazine. In the debut issue, readers will find in-depth interviews with the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gary Sinise, Roberts favorite healthy recipes, workouts and fitness tips, and inspiring stories about military veterans and their families.

Robert lives and breathes a purpose-driven, healthy, and engaged lifestyle and has been committed to helping others live fuller and happier lives through his numerous TV projects and his incredible commitment to U.S. servicemen and women, said AM Executive Vice President and Group Publisher Chris Scardino. We couldnt be more excited to partner with Robert to bring his passion and commitment to life with Robert Irvine Magazine and help him continue to have an extraordinary impact through a new and engaging platform.

The keepsake print edition is an ideal stocking stuffer for fans or collectors and will be available at major retailers and national newsstands on December 21st. Robert Irvine Magazine will continue with digital issues in January 2019.

Robert also recently announced the launch of his fourth book, "Family Table By Robert Irvine," a collection of 72 family-style recipes and insights about how to create strong family bonds in the kitchen and at the table. "Family Table By Robert Irvine" is available for presale now at familytablebook.com and will be released in January.

For more information about Robert Irvine Magazine, visit http://www.chefirvine.com/magazine.

About Robert Irvine

With more than 25 years in the culinary profession, Chef Robert Irvine has cooked his way through Europe, the Far East, the Caribbean and the Americas, in hotels and on the high seas. As the host of one of the Food Networks highest rated shows, Restaurant: Impossible, Irvine saves struggling restaurants across America by assessing and overhauling the restaurants weakest spots. Irvine was previously the host of Food Networks Dinner: Impossible and Worst Cooks in America, has authored two cookbooks, "Mission: Cook!" and "Impossible to Easy," and one healthy living book, "Fit Fuel: A Chefs Guide to Eating Well and Living Your Best Life." Irvine is currently on tour with his new, interactive live show Robert Irvine Live, and appears regularly as an expert guest on national morning and daytime talk shows. In 2015, Irvine launched Robert Irvine Foods, a company that features a nutritionally improved line of food products without compromising great taste. Irvine recently established the eponymously named non-profit organization, The Robert Irvine Foundation, in an effort to support military personnel and their families. For more information on Chef Robert Irvine, visit http://www.ChefIrvine.com.

About American Media, LLC.

American Media, LLC (AM) owns and operates the leading print and digital celebrity and active lifestyle media brands in the United States. AM's titles include Us Weekly, Star, OK!, In Touch, Life & Style, Closer, Mens Journal, Muscle & Fitness, Mr. Olympia Contest, National Enquirer and other celebrity and teen titles. AM also manages eleven different digital sites including Usmagazine.com, OKmagazine.com, RadarOnline.com, Intouchweekly.com, Lifeandstylemag.com, Closerweekly.com, MensJournal.com, MuscleandFitness.com and other digital and social properties. AM's magazines have a combined total circulation of 5.7+ million and reach approximately 53 million men and women each month. AM's digital properties reach approximately 65 million unique visitors monthly.
A sweet embrace at Noahs Animal House. Thanks to bipartisan passage of the PAWS Act by Congress, more domestic violence shelters will allow survivors of abuse to heal with the love and support of their beloved pets, said Nina Leigh Krueger, President of Purina.

A group of nonprofit and for-profit organizations lauded the passage of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the Farm Bill) after advocating for legislation to better protect domestic violence survivors by establishing the critical importance of protecting their pets, too. With the inclusion of key elements of the Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act (H.R. 909, S.322) in the Farm Bill, Congress took an essential step in removing a roadblock to the safety of these survivors with pets.

Thanks to bipartisan passage of the PAWS Act by Congress, more domestic violence shelters will allow survivors of abuse to heal with the love and support of their beloved pets, said Nina Leigh Krueger, President of Purina. This is an important milestone in the coalitions collective efforts to create safer communities for pets and pet owners, and Purina will remain steadfast in our commitment to keeping pets and people together, particularly during times of crisis.

This provision of the Farm Bill establishes grants for domestic violence shelters to carry out programs to provide emergency and transitional shelter and housing assistance or short-term shelter and housing assistance for domestic violence victims with pets, service animals, emotional support animals, or horses. Grants awarded may also be used for programs that provide support services designed to enable someone fleeing domestic violence to locate and secure safe housing with their pet, safe accommodations for their pet, or related services such as transportation and other assistance.

The PAWS Act Coalition would like to thank the original co-sponsors of the Pet and Women Safety Act for their leadership and commitment to its passage, especially the lead sponsors Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA-5), Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) and Senator Dean Heller (R-NV). The Coalition is also particularly grateful for Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) for spearheading the effort to pass the bill by including its language in the Farm Bill.

No one should have to make the choice between finding safety and staying in a violent situation to protect their pet, said Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA-5). This law empowers survivors with the resources to leave a dangerous situation while being able to continue to care for their pet. Im grateful for the partnerships weve formed between organizations working to end both domestic violence and animal abuse. Together, we will help save lives.

The PAWS Act Coalition looks forward to working with federal agencies to support implementation of this new law and to helping raise awareness of this important legislation among the domestic violence shelter and pet care communities, said Steven Feldman, Executive Director of the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI). Our work is far from over, but this victory is the momentum needed towards real, life-saving change for domestic violence survivors and the pets that bring them so much joy and comfort.

Organizations in the PAWS Act coalition include:



Purina (Nestle Purina PetCare)

Bayer Corporation

Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI)

Noahs Animal House

Pet Partners

Urban Resource Institute

Two of these organizations, Noahs Animal House and Urban Resource Institute are just a couple of the only 3% of domestic violence shelters across the country who are working to keep both pets and their owners away from the dangers of domestic abuse. Together these two incredible organizations have saved more than 1,500 pets from abusive conditions, so that no domestic violence survivor is forced to choose between staying in an abusive relationship and leaving their pet with their abuser.

Did you know?



Up to 65% of domestic violence victims remain in abusive situations out of fear for their pets safety.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 4,774,000 women in the United States experience physical violence by an intimate partner every year.

The majority of domestic violence situations include pets in the household, and 85% of women residing in domestic violence shelters reported a pet was harmed by their abuser.

A growing body of science has demonstrated a link between domestic violence and animal cruelty. An outlet of emotional support for victims, the family pet often becomes a target for physical abuse.

As weve seen throughout the past five years of running URIs PALS (People and Animals Living Safely) Program, abusers often threaten to harm or inflict violence on a pet in order to control their victims, said Nathaniel Fields, President and CEO of URI. Not only do pet-friendly domestic violence shelters provide a critical avenue for escape, but they also channel the healing power of the human-pet bond during times of crisis and transition. The passage of the Farm Bill is an exciting milestone in this coalitions work to ensure that all individuals facing abuse and their beloved pets can live the safest, fullest lives possible.

Since 2007, Noahs Animal House has cared for over 1,400 pets of domestic violence victims from 21 states across the U.S, in addition to our home state of Nevada. Women drove thousands of miles from Florida, Oklahoma, Maine, Texas and others, driving past other womens shelters in every state for one reason only - their pet had to be included in their escape plan stated Staci Columbo Alonso, founder of Noahs Animal House. With the passing of the PAWS Act, more local womens shelters can become pet friendly.

Survivors of domestic violence should not have to choose between their safety and a loved one, said Lauren Dorsch, Deputy Director, Communications, Bayer Animal Health, and this legislation is an important move toward supporting shelters in their efforts to provide a safe place for survivors to heal without saying goodbye to their pets.

In support of the PAWS Act Coalition, Pet Partners grassroots advocates made their voices heard during every step of the legislative process  recruiting key co-sponsors in the Senate, supporting passage of the Senate Farm Bill, targeting members of the Conference Committee, and building support in communities across the country. Thanks to their efforts, many thousands of constituent messages, tweets, and phone calls to Congress were made emphasizing the importance of these provisions. Pet Partners is grateful for their actions that will help pets and people remain together in traumatic situations  when they need each other most, said Annie Peters, CEO of Pet Partners.

###

About Purina

Nestle Purina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. A premiere global manufacturer of pet products, Nestle Purina PetCare is part of Swiss-based Nestle S.A., a global leader in nutrition, health and wellness.

About Bayer Animal Health

Science For a Better Life: the Bayer business unit Animal Health is a global leader in animal health, supporting the health of animals, as well as the farmers, veterinarians and pet owners that care for them through its offering of innovative therapies and solutions. Responsible relationships between humans, companion animals, as well as farm animals mean taking care of their health and well-being. Bayer has secured a leadership position in researching and developing products for animal health and pest control since 1919, and is constantly developing new, better products and improved forms of administration for the benefit of the animals in our lives.

About Pet Partners

Pet Partners, formerly known as the Delta Society, is the national leader in demonstrating and promoting the health and wellness benefits of animal-assisted therapy, activities, and education. Since the organizations inception in 1977, the science proving these benefits has become indisputable. With more than 13,000 registered teams making more than 3 million visits annually, Pet Partners serves as the nations largest and most prestigious nonprofit registering handlers of multiple species as volunteer teams. Pet Partners teams visit with patients in recovery, people with intellectual disabilities, seniors living with Alzheimers, students, veterans with PTSD, and those approaching end of life, improving human health and wellbeing through the human-animal bond. With the recent release of its Standards of Practice for Animal-Assisted Interventions and international expansion, Pet Partners is globally recognized as the industry gold standard. For more information on Pet Partners, visit http://www.petpartners.org.

About the Urban Resource Institute

Urban Resource Institute (URI) is a leading non-profit organization that provides comprehensive, holistic, and supportive social services that aid and empower New Yorkers in times of crisis. URIs programs provide care for survivors of domestic violence, individuals with developmental disabilities, homeless families, and other at-risk populations, allowing them to live in safety and recover from trauma in both residential and non-residential settings. With deep community relationships and a flexible, innovative approach to program development and service delivery, URI is uniquely equipped to provide solutions to the challenges affecting New York Citys most vulnerable populations. URI merged with the Center Against Domestic Violence in 2018, the first licensed provider of domestic violence shelter in New York. With nearly 80 years of combined experience, the organization is the largest provider of domestic violence residential services in the country, with the ability to shelter over 1,000 individuals, including survivors and their families, on any given day. For more information, please visit http://www.urinyc.org.

About Noahs Animal House

Noahs Animal House was the first stand-alone full service pet boarding facility in the country built on the grounds of and in partnership with The Shade Tree Shelter in 2007 to provide safety, shelter and support for the pets of the clients of the shelter. A second location serving up to 36 animals in Reno, Nevada opened February 2018 in partnership with the Domestic Violence Resource Center. In a national survey, 71 percent of women seeking safety in a domestic violence shelter reported pet abuse in their home and more than 25 percent delayed leaving because they did not have an escape plan that could include their pets. To learn more about Noahs Animal House, visit http://www.noahsanimalhouse.org.

About HABRI

HABRI is a not-for-profit organization that maintains the worlds largest online library of human-animal bond research and information; funds innovative research projects to scientifically document the health benefits of companion animals; and informs the public about human-animal bond research and the beneficial role of companion animals in society. For more information, please visit http://www.habri.org.
Old Charlie, The Fire Horse: a fun, historical story for primary school kids. Old Charlie, The Fire Horse is the creation of published author D. L. Yamada, a retired elementary art history teacher, a grandmother, and second-generation Chinese American born and raised in Southern California.

Yamada shares, Leaving his home in China, Chi Wei, is pursuing a dream of a better life in Gum San, the Gold Mountain, or California. After working many long hours doing laundry for the townspeople, he has finally saved enough money to purchase a horse to help him with his business. He soon discovers that Old Charlie has a mind of his own and seemingly does not want to be a retired fire horse. Old Charlie stubbornly and defiantly continues to escape to the local firehouse at every opportunity to ring the fire bell. Poor, frustrated Chi Wei is at wits end, thinking maybe it is best to return Old Charlie to the fire brigade.

Find out what Chi Wei decides to do and discover how an old, proud horse like Old Charlie brings opportunity, adventure, and friendship to his new owner.

Old Charlie, the Fire Horse is based on the antics of a legendary fire horse that actually lived and served the local fire brigade in the Gold Country in the 1860s. This story gives young minds a glimpse into what America looked like during the Gold Rush days in California.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, D. L. Yamadas new book is a richly imagined tale that introduces an interesting old world in a vivid new light.

Old Charlies fun and educational story sheds this light on the lives of Chinese travelers who left China to start anew in America, ultimately becoming a significant part of the New Worlds historical and cultural landscape.

View a synopsis of Old Charlie, The Fire Horse on YouTube.

Consumers can purchaseOld Charlie, The Fire Horse at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Old Charlie, The Fire Horse, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.


The World Bank on Thursday projected China's economy to grow 6.5 percent in 2018, adding that the country's economy "continues to perform well."



"Consumption will remain the main driver of growth, while higher investor uncertainty and slower credit growth are expected to weigh on investment," said John Litwack, World Bank Lead Economist for China.

He noted a deceleration in global demand growth and higher U.S. import tariffs would negatively affect net exports. Authorities have the policy space necessary to support the economy in the current environment of high uncertainty.

The China Economic Update, the World Bank's regular assessment of China's economy, notes that the current account recorded a small deficit in the first three quarters of 2018, primarily driven by stronger imports.

In response to slowing growth and a challenging external environment, the government introduced tax incentives for households and firms, additional support for small businesses, and higher local government capital spending.

To stimulate the economy, China has room to shift government spending toward health, education, and social protection.

"Such measures would create jobs, deliver higher-quality public services, and provide better support to vulnerable families. In the short term, these measures would encourage households to save less and spend more. In the long run, they would boost worker productivity and China's growth potential and help the country achieve a more equal society," said Elitza Mileva, World Bank Senior Economist and main author of the Update.
Since 1966, Filmmaker Michael Blackwood has been a chronicler of American and International Art as well as Architecture, Music, Film, Dance and the Arts as a whole. Having produced over 150 films, Michael Blackwood Productions archive features over 1000+ influential participants and interviewees from David Rockefeller and Donald Trump to Zaha Hadid and Francis Bacon. Often times, Blackwood captured now world-famous figures early or at pivot points in their careers.

Early in 2018, the production company embarked on a multi-year project to remaster Blackwoods complete works dating back to 1966. Supervised by the filmmaker and his small team, the original film elements, negatives, and sound protection masters are being used to create a digital 2k remaster. The greater goal of the remastering is the preserve the archives as a historical document, educational tool and a source of creative inspiration for young artists, performers and architects.

Highlights from Michael Blackwoods long career include:

Francis Bacon and the Brutality of Fact, rare footage of the famous Francis Bacon Interview with David Sylvester. Filmed in his London Studio in 1985, the two discussed Bacons controversial subjects and surprising style.

An extended 2004 Zaha Hadid Interview, A Day With Zaha Hadid, features Hadid discussing her work while taking the camera through the retrospective exhibition Zaha Hadid has Arrived at Viennas MAK.

In the 1988 Frank Gehry Documentary, Frank Gehry: The Formative Years, the architect himself surveys his career beginnings when he experimented with his own house in Santa Monica onward to the larger recognition he found doing complex institutions and large-scale collaborative urban projects.

In the two part Thelonious Monk Documentary, Monk and Monk In Europe, Blackwood and his brother Christian Blackwood had the opportunity to spend time with Thelonious Monk and his musicians, following him in New York, Atlanta then onward to Europe.

Find more information at: http://www.michaelblackwoodproductions.com

Contact Michael Blackwood Productions at: info@michaelblackwoodproductions.com
Since the inception of the Bluebee Pals Project in 2015, Bluebee Pals have become an effective assistive technology tool for therapists and educators in obtaining language and educational goals with children with autism, Jiencke said

Meet the Bluebee Pals: Soft, fuzzy and huggable, these stuffed tech animals are helping Fayetteville-Manlius elementary students with autism engage and focus while in the classroom.

Through an existing partnership with researchers from Boston Childrens Hospital, the Fayetteville-Manlius School District was asked to collaborate on a study to determine if students diagnosed with autism are more focused and attentive following directions from an adult or a Bluebee Pal.

In June 2018, the district received a donation of 10 Bluebee Pals from Laura Jiencke, CEO and founder of Kayle Concepts, through the companys Bluebee Pals Project, a nonprofit organization that donates the cuddly characters to be used as an assistive technology tool to enhance speech therapy and special education instruction.

The 13-inch tall stuffed animals equipped with state-of-the-art technology connect with apps through smart phones, tablets, laptops or any Bluetooth-enabled device. Their mouths and heads move while they read stories and sing songs, engaging young students and assisting teachers with instruction.

Who doesnt love a stuffed animal that is soft and cuddly? said Lisa Miori-Dinneen, F-Ms assistant superintendent for special services. I think its innovative to pair it with technology to engage and motivate childrens learning while providing comfort at the same time.

The districts speech and special education teachers in each of the districts three elementary schools are informally using the Bluebees. So far, the Bluebees have proven to be a motivating tool, Mrs. Lisa Miori-Dinneen said.

Children with autism typically lack eye contact and engagement, but videos of the F-M students using the Bluebees show them intently watching the Bluebees mouths move, holding them closely to their ears to listen to them talk and following the directives the Bluebees give, such as touching a specific image on an iPad screen.

Its definitely novel and a nice enhancement to engage kids in instructional activities, Mrs. Miori-Dinneen said.

Recently at Mott Road Elementary School, speech-language pathologist Jacqueline Cullen used an iPad microphone app and a Bluebee to relay a set of directions to a student. The student watched and listened to the Bluebee, then immediately followed the directions to stand up and clap three times. The Bluebee also read an e-book displayed on the iPad and asked the students questions about the pictures on the screen.

Since the inception of the Bluebee Pals Project in 2015, Bluebee Pals have become an effective assistive technology tool for therapists and educators in obtaining language and educational goals with children with autism, Jiencke said. We are thrilled the Fayetteville-Manlius School District has utilized Bluebee Pals in its classrooms and the positive impact they provide as a creative learning tool in achieving communication and educational objectives.

The Bluebees project is in addition to two other research projects the district is participating in with Dr. Howard Shane, a Harvard Medical School associate professor and director of the Center of Communication Enhancement at Bostons Childrens Hospital.

Visual Immersion System (VIS) is a communication method that uses visual supportssuch as videos, pictures, and iPadsto enhance and expand the language and communication skills of students diagnosed with autism. Just in Time (JIT) instruction focuses on the effects of language and behavior of children with autism when directives are delivered through wearable technology, such as an Apple watch.

F-M is the first and only school district that Dr. Shane and his colleagues have worked with.

In October, F-M special education staff presented with Dr. Shane at the Central New York Speech Language and Hearing Association conference on the use of VIS and JIT in a public school setting. In November, they presented at the American Speech Language and Hearing Association national conference.

Author Nancy Cole

Fayetteville Manlius School District Newsletter Fall 2018
Philip R. Sellinger, co-managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurigs New Jersey office and former co-chair of the firms Global Litigation Practice, presented the American Jewish Committee (AJC) New Jersey National Judge Learned Hand Award to Alan R. Hammer of Brach Eichler LLC Dec. 10 at the Hilton in Short Hills, New Jersey.

The National Judge Learned Hand Award honors leaders in the legal profession who demonstrate their commitment to democratic values and the rights of individuals. Greenberg Traurig has supported the AJC New Jersey for several years. Notably, Sellinger, who served as a 2018 Learned Hand Award Dinner co-chair, received the Judge Learned Hand Award in 2011 and Robert H. Bernstein, a Labor & Employment shareholder received the award in 2017.

A former Assistant U.S. Attorney and New Jersey federal clerk, Sellinger has more than 30 years of trial experience and has led litigation teams in a wide variety of class actions and other complex cases in state and federal trial courts and appellate courts, including the New Jersey Supreme Court, around the country. He has served as Chair of the Lawyers Advisory Committee to the New Jersey federal judiciary and as a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court Civil Practice Rules Committee. He served as the founding chair of the New Jersey State Bar Associations Class Action Committee. He has represented the American Corporate Counsel Association and the New Jersey Corporate Counsel Association in litigation challenging the right of in-house counsel to appear in court. He has appeared as amicus counsel in the Supreme Court of the United States on behalf of 29 top-ranking former senior U.S. military officers and civilian Department of Defense officials.

Sellinger sits, or has sat, on the boards of several organizations including the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the Atlantic Legal Foundation, NJ LEEP (Law and Education Empowerment Project), and the foundation for the New Jersey Network (NJN). He has received the Arts Horizon Celeste Holm Humanitarian Award, and the Distinguished Legal Services Award from The Corporate Times. He has also been recognized as a leading lawyer by Chambers and Partners USA, Legal 500 United States, Best Lawyers, and Super Lawyers.

About Greenberg Traurig  New Jersey: Greenberg Traurigs New Jersey office has grown to more than 70 attorneys since its founding in 2002. The offices experienced litigators provide advice and representation in virtually every area of litigation, including class actions, complex commercial and construction cases and white collar criminal defense. The corporate and financial services attorneys, whose clients include numerous major commercial banks and finance companies in the New York/New Jersey area, handle a wide variety of matters, including sophisticated loan transactions and workouts, mergers and acquisitions, and business reorganizations and restructurings. Greenberg Traurigs New Jersey office also has a robust IP and patent prosecution practice. Other areas of practice include labor and employment, real estate, immigration, franchise law, tax, trusts and estates, and energy and infrastructure.

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.
Growth Health

Growth Health lowers its RCM fees to 5% as it disrupts specialty-specific medical billing & collection services, with the adoption of automation and business intelligence.

Growth Health Inc., An industry specific Healthcare Management and Services company, announced today that it will be offering its full suite revenue cycle management services at a flat rate of 5% to all its customers.

Growth Health is a privately held company based in New York, NY., that serves medical practices and Hospitals with specialty-specific offerings: Billing Solutions for revenue cycle management (RCM), Financial Services, Marketing, Franchise Planning, Power Buying (GPO), Inventory Management, Practice Management and Information Technologies.

This offering was made possible by Growth Healths proprietary algorithm that analyses many revenue performance indicators, ranging from coding, eligibility verification and insurance reimbursement rates to collecting patients responsibility and aging recovery.

The implementation of cutting-edge technology is no stranger to Growth Healths approach; One of the reasons theyve averaged a 20% increase in revenue for their clients, is the use of business intelligence (BI) and machine learning. Allowing real time data to influence decision making, contracts value and growth opportunities.

Growth healths public offering (IPO) scheduled early 2020 is a clear indication of the companys aggressive approach in providing value to its customers and becoming the market leader of provider led healthcare organizations.

Upon speaking to its cofounders, that path is clear, due to the ever changing healthcare landscape, their Adapt or Die mentality might be the saving grace for providers in a private equity dominant market. Thus keeping doctors in the driver seat and providing patients with the quality care they deserve.

About Growth Health

As the National leader in the business of medicine. Growth Health offers solutions ranging from Practice Assessment to a Full suite of Management Services, Creating momentous revenue growth without the hardships of scaling.

Despite popular belief, Private equity is not the only path to accelerated Growth. Growth Healths team of highly qualified executives help practices and hospitals nationwide achieve the same goals while retaining equity in their business.

For more information, contact:

Public Relations

888-441-4769 x520

info(at)growthhealth.com

Growthhealth.com
Gulf Breeze Recovery In a press release, Bondi alleges that CVS and Walgreens continued to fill suspicious orders of opioids and dispensed unreasonable quantities of opioids from their pharmacies.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has filed an amendment to include the nations two largest pharmacy chains, CVS and Walgreens, in a complaint addressing the role of major pharmaceutical distributers and manufacturers in the opioid crisis.

The original complaint, filed May 15, 2018, in state court, named as defendants five opioid manufacturers: Purdue, Endo, Janssen, Cephalon, and Allergan, and four opioid distributors: AmerisourceBergen, McKesson, Cardinal, and Mallinckrodt. In addition to the two new pharmacy chains, the November amendment also adds pharmaceutical company Insys Therapeutics.

In a press release, Bondi alleges that CVS and Walgreens continued to fill suspicious orders of opioids and dispensed unreasonable quantities of opioids from their pharmacies.

The complaint itself does not mince words on the dangers of opioids, stating that they are dangerous and highly addictive narcotics. It also states that the defendants launched a campaign of misleading advertising to inflate the market for these drugs, peddling them as safe and appropriate for use to treat a range of chronic conditions, and severely downplaying how addictive and dangerous they are.

According to the complaint, in addition to putting public health at risk to profit from the dangerous opioids in their original formulation, the defendants also capitalized on the problem they created  the widespread diversion and misuse of opioids  by creating and marketing formulations purported to deter abuse and diversion. Defendants also knew that these formulations did nothing to reduce the likelihood that a patient taking a pill orally for medical use would become addicted.

This lawsuit is one of many attempting to address some of the systemic causes of opiate addiction. But with overdose deaths climbing over 70,000 in 2017, the massive scope of the opioid crisis does not appear to be shrinking. What tightening regulations mean for people abusing prescription opiates is that, as prescriptions become less accessible, they often turn to stronger, unregulated street drugs. This means that the overdose deaths may continue to rise.

November 16 AG Press Release

At Gulf Breeze Recovery, we realize that, while litigation leading to increased regulation is a good start, simply limiting a persons access to prescription narcotic medication is not a sufficient means to treat addiction as a whole. That is why we offer a groundbreaking treatment program that focuses on the root cause of addiction, rather than on any specific drug. If you or someone you love is struggling with prescription narcotics, there is hope.

About Gulf Breeze Recovery: Gulf Breeze Recovery is changing the future of addiction treatment with the THRIVE program focused on overcoming chronic relapse. Gulf Breeze Recoverys THRIVE program is designed for those who are looking for a drug and alcohol treatment program to produce a different and positive result. This non-12 step program allows you to drive beyond your addictions and promotes a new outlook on life. For more information about our program or to speak with an Addictions expert, please call 855-973-3551 or Contact us.
The Wandering Wondering Little Angel: a beautiful childrens tale about wisdom and ambition. The Wandering Wondering Little Angel is the creation of published author Joann Milligan, a passionate childrens writer and devoted mother of two sons.

Milligan writes, The wandering little angel have wondered if he could fly high as he wished and as fast as he could with his little wings.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Joann Milligans new book is a moving tale that addresses the questions of every curious and gifted boy and girlhow far can one go, and how soon can they go?

With relevant scenarios, simple prose, and cute illustrations, Milligan demonstrates through the little angels story how to take care of the talents that God has given them so that they grow in wisdom and strength.

View a synopsis of The Wandering Wondering Little Angel on YouTube.

Consumers can purchaseThe Wandering Wondering Little Angel at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about The Wandering Wondering Little Angel, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.


Joel T. Heinen, a published author, a professor of environmental studies at Florida International University, Miami; a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal; a Fulbright senior scholar in Kyrgyzstan; and a member of several national and international organizations related to conservation, has completed his new book Say What? Irreverent Essays of a Bemused Atheist: a potent opus that delves into the logic of religion.

Author Heinen subtly addresses the idea of overzealousness to a conviction that clouds the judgment and character of a person: Religion is a funny thing. Most people believe in one or another and assert that theirs is true. Many religious people also assert that every other religion believed in by anyone else ranges from completely false to highly suspect. There are religions that believe in many gods, others that believe in one god, and there are even religions that preach no gods. There are also sects within religions that disavow other sects within the same religion. There are religions that are extinct and new religions formed all the time. The reformation of older religions is also ongoing.

"What all religions seem to have in common are

(1) supernatural beliefs that others dont believe and,

(2) absolutely no real demonstrable evidence that can be repeated and shown to others in support of any of their supernatural beliefs.

"If you think about it, religion truly is a funny thing in every sense of that word. Many people define their religion to be the all-encompassing paradigm of their existence that causes them to do completely virtuous, altruistic things. Yet religion also causes others, who are equally or even more pious, to commit mass murder. And both have been true for many religions throughout history. This volume takes a broad and satirical look at religions writ large, mainly to question. Its aimed largely at atheists and those on the fence, but theists may be encouraged to read it too and question for themselves. How did you acquire religion? Why? What do you believe? Why? Why not believe other equally implausible things that others do believe? This volume is just a lighthearted attempt to ask. C'est tout.

Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, Joel T. Heinens scholarly masterpiece provides a nonbelievers unadulterated feedback and sentiments on religion that truly speaks to every readers mind.

Readers who wish to experience this open-minded work can purchase Say What? Irreverent Essays of a Bemused Atheist at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional New York based full-service publishing house that handles all of the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not bogged down with complicated business issues like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes and the like. Its roster of authors can leave behind these tedious, complex and time-consuming issues, and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
John K. Antony, an ordained Catholic priest in Arkansas after completing both a Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in theology at Mount St. Marys, Emmitsburg, Maryland, has completed his new book Oh, Lord, Have Mercy: a potent account that explains the teachings of the pope pertaining to the Christian faith and spirituality for laypeople.

Author Antony writes with conviction and an aim to illuminate readers with Gods good news of love and mercy: Every leader stamps the organization he or she leads with his or her own unique personality. It matters little if that organization is a global superpower or a girls softball team. When the organization in question is the two-thousand-year-old Catholic Church, the leaders personality not only reaches every corner of earth but also touches the edges of eternity. If we want to pluck the chords that produce the melody of the popes personality, we must learn what tugs at Pope Franciss heartstrings.

Pope Francis has welcomed the world into his heart by composing four major documents over the course of his five-year pontificate. In each one, he reveals another layer of his papal personality. In the first one, Lumen fidei (The Light of Faith), the pope shares how faith illuminates the Christians path not only with Christs light but also with his love and mercy. In the second, Evangelii gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), he insists that without joy a Christian cannot effectively share the good news of Christ. You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. The third document, Laudato si (Praised Be to You), depicts the pontiff as a fearless and forthright defender of Gods creation. Finally, in the fourth document, Amoris laetitia (The Joy of Love), the pope offers a recipe for how Christian family life can be a haven of joy and grace even in the face of difficulties like divorce.

Oh, Lord, Have Mercy provides a fresh approach to attune American Catholics ears to hear the melody of the popes heart. Organized by chapters according to the popes four documents, these homilies will help anyone appreciate the papal personality that is shaping and stamping itself upon the worlds largest Christian Church.

Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, John K. Antonys in-depth masterpiece purports as a defining tool that instills life lessons that inspire a faithful countenance to believers of the Catholic faith.

Readers who wish to experience this work can purchase Oh, Lord, Have Mercy at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional New York based full-service publishing house that handles all of the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not bogged down with complicated business issues like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes and the like. Its roster of authors can leave behind these tedious, complex and time-consuming issues, and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
Locating a property over 35,000 Square feet in Doral is difficult in todays environment.

Miami, Florida - December, 2018  Luciano H. Rappa, real estate broker of Kaizen Realty Partners closed a $4.23 million sale of a combination office -warehouse building on December 13, 2018 to an Investment Company, based in Miami, FL.

The property located at 2400 NW 95th Street, Doral, FL is a two-story building with office of 8,000 SF and a total of 38,721 square feet. The warehouse component is 30,000 SF. The property was purchased for investment and in one of the hottest real estate markets in the United States for the buyer.

Luciano Rappa said, Locating a property over 35,000 Square feet in Doral is difficult in todays environment. For over a decade, Luciano has established a strong professional relationship with his client. Through their initial meeting and Lucianos continuous commitment to follow up over the years, his client relation abilities allowed him to ultimately present his client with a below market value opportunity.

You can make money when you buy right, and this commercial space will allow my client to generate a healthy return. Making it a smart real estate investment says Luciano Rappa. The property is currently being repositioned and being marketed for lease.

Kaizen Realty Partners is a real estate system of accomplished professionals building relationships with clients while providing real estate services with the Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement in Quality of Service, Leadership, Technological Advances, Company Culture, and Efficient Results. The Kaizen Philosophy was adopted to maximize value to clients. We strive to provide our customers with progressive and innovative ways to enhance their real estate options while contributing to the value of the community around us. For more information visit http://www.KaizenRE.com or call 305-500-5554.
Seventeen Chinese companies made it to the top 100 list in the cybersecurity field, the Paper citing a report by research platform Shanghai Institute of Cyberspace Security Industry said Wednesday.



Among them, Huawei landed at eighth place, and others including Sangfor Technologies, Venustech, Westone Information Industry Inc and Nsfocus were ranked on the list.

Still, the US dominates the cybersecurity field in the world, with seven out of the top 10 companies in the sector from the country. While Microsoft took the top spot, the three non-US cybersecurity companies in the top 10 are Deloitte from the UK, China's Huawei and Israel-based Check Point.

According to China Daily's earlier report, Huawei will spend $2 billion in the next five years on cybersecurity by recruiting more people and upgrading laboratories, as the company seeks to ease concerns about its telecom gear.

The study titled 2018 Global Cybersecurity Companies Competitiveness Report studied 500 firms from 31 countries and regions.

And it also pointed out the industry's trends, such as multinational tech giants fully entering the cybersecurity area; big consultancy firms making inroads into the market; traditional industrial enterprises actively embracing cybersecurity technologies; and artificial intelligence providing consistent motivation for the industry's development.
Los Cucos Mexican Restaurant Partners with Houston Fire Department for Operation Stocking Stuffer Toy Drive The Cabrera Family and Los Cucos have been incredible supporters of the HFDs Operation Stocking Stuffer Toy Drive for many years. He also added, The event would simply not be what it is without their involvement.

Los Cucos Mexican Restaurant donates meals and catering services to the annual Operation Stocking Stuffer Toy Drive put on by the Houston Fire Department (HFD). Their hope is to give back to this large-scale community effort, and to spread joy to those who volunteer to help so many needy Houston families during the holiday season.

The Houston Fire Departments annual Operation Stocking Stuffer Toy Drive collects toy donations from major sponsors each year. Financial sponsors include First Community Credit Union, Shell, Hess and more, while PODS donates the containers to store the thousands of donated toys. Operation Stocking Stuffer is also sponsored by local media groups, including KRBE, KPRC, and KSBJ. Their many sponsors make it possible for them to give back to struggling members of the Houston community in a big way. This year, the Houston Fire Department is providing toys for over 2,000 families. This massive event is only possible due to their numerous sponsors and the over 200 volunteers who give their time to help organize and hand out donations.

Owners of Los CucosSergio Cabrera and Sergio Cabrera Jr.are passionate about giving back to the Houston community, and have been food sponsors of Operation Stocking Stuffer since 2013. Each year, they provide a fajita buffet for the over 200 volunteers and firefighters who help make the toy drive a possibility. But Los Cucos doesnt just provide fresh, mouth-watering fajitas. They also send their experienced catering staff to help pass out food.

About Los Cucos involvement in the toy drive, Houston Fire Departments Communications Supervisor, Paul Box, said The Cabrera Family and Los Cucos have been incredible supporters of the HFDs Operation Stocking Stuffer Toy Drive for many years. He also added, The event would simply not be what it is without their involvement. Los Cucos looks forward to furthering their philanthropic involvement with the Houston Fire Department for years to come. To learn more about Operation Stocking Stuffer, visit http://www.houstontx.gov/fire/toydrive/.

Operation Stocking Stuffer isnt the only holiday toy drive Los Cucos is participating in this year. With locations in Utah, Texas and Nevada, they are able to outreach into many local communities throughout the southwest. Just recently Los Cucos Las Vegas collaborated with Las Vegas Fire and Rescue to donate toys to Toys for Tots. To learn more about Los Cucos and their extensive community involvement, visit loscucos.com.

About Los Cucos

The history of Los Cucos Mexican Cafe is an inspiring story of perseverance and success. It's a story of two brothers, Sergio and Manuel Cabrera who came to Houston, Texas, looking for the "American Dream." Their dream became true through lots of hard work, dedication, and determination. By setting goals for success and providing the best quality in food and the best possible service to each and every customer since 1991, they have succeeded in turning their dreams into reality. This is the beginning of a business that has consistently grown stronger and continues to grow and thrive today. They currently have over 20 locations throughout the southwest United States, and plan to open more in the future. Learn more by visiting loscucos.com.

About The Houston Fire Department (HFD)

The Houston Fire Department was established in 1838 with one station, Protection Company No. 1. It grew to a volunteer fire department status with three stations by 1859. After having provided volunteer firefighting services for 57 years, the City of Houston Fire Department began paying its firefighters in 1895. HFD is the third largest fire department in the United States and is responsible for preserving life and property to a population of more than 2 million in an area totaling 654 square miles. To learn more visit houstontx.gov/fire/about.
Magicland Dental Opens Second Location in Rialto, CA "Excellent oral healthcare is a lifelong journey, and were glad to put emphasis on the care and education of children to help build good oral healthcare habits to last through adulthood," says Dr. Payam Sohrab, CEO

Magicland, the place where kids love to smile, is a pedodontic paradise. The wildly successful flagship location in Torrance, CA puts children at ease with interactive games and videos, and a thoughtful and gentle approach to oral healthcare education and maintenance. The newest Rialto location will feature 11 treatment chairs and will open in the second week of January 2019.

The new Magicland office at 1205 West Renaissance Parkway, #240, in Rialto will offer a full range of pedodontic and orthodontic services, led by an experienced and passionate team of dental professionals. The spacious new office will feature state-of-the-art equipment specific to childrens dental needs, and a fun and engaging lobby meant to make children feel comfortable and at home. Patients will enjoy specials like Free Fluoride Fridays and Free screenings for braces.

Were so excited to see Magicland Dental growing and expanding, especially in the childrens space, said Dr. Payam Sohrab, CEO of West Coast Dental. Excellent oral healthcare is a lifelong journey, and were glad to put emphasis on the care and education of children to help build good oral healthcare habits to last through adulthood. We believe this starts with top-notch dentistry and were looking forward to providing just that to the community of Rialto.

If youre in the dental field or are looking to join a leading organization in the dental space, Magicland Dental is hiring Dental Assistants, Treatment Coordinators, and Receptionists. To apply, email recruiting(at)westcoastdental(dot)com or call Nathalie Hernandez at 310-409-4276.

To visit either Magicland Dental office, including the newest office in Rialto, CA, please visit http://www.magiclanddental-rialto.com.

About West Coast Dental

Privately held for over 25 years, West Coast Dental Services has continued to serve Southern California with the finest dental and orthodontic care in the state. Started by a group of dedicated dental professionals who saw the need for quality, multi-specialty dental care, West Coast Dental now has 36 state-of-the-art dental care practices across the state of California. West Coast Dental Services delivers the highest standard of care using the latest technologies with a team of talented general dentists and specialists.

For more information, visit http://www.westcoastdental.com
Translating Love is about learning how to see and understand the love of God in our lives so that we can, in turn, translate that love and share it with others. And in the process help them be able to understand and share that love with others as well.

What if love meant that freedom was found in service, purpose was found in pain, strength was found in suffering, and life was found in deathit would change! In the latter blurb provided by Mike about his debut book, he perfectly sums up his journey of realizing truths and gaining a deeper understanding of Gods love. In Translating Love, Mike accounts an honest telling of his awakening about faith and love.

A Pastor and a Missionary, Mike shares life-giving insights on an eye-opening experience from believing he had everything figured out to realizing theres more to learn about the ironies in life. Based on the numerous conversations he had with Hal Calisch, Mike recounts the journey, the revelations he encountered as he was discovering the truth behind how to translate love in various forms and ways.

The purpose of this book is to encourage those who have ever felt like they have been beaten down by the world, by ministry, or by others, shared Mike. He continued, This book is for people who may have at one time felt they knew their purpose and mission, and yet the realities of troubles in this world, the culture of comparison, and the spiritual attacks of the devil may have caused them to question whether they truly heard the will of God.

Tackling the topic of having a Great Awakening is not new for Mike. At an early age, he was forged with a strong determination and will from fighting for his own life. He endured the challenges of a skull fracture, blindness, brain cancer, and spinal meningitis, and survived them all. This was when he realized his life is on borrowed time and is to be dedicated in service to Christ through being a pastor. He and his wife Seira, and five children, moved to Japan in 2008 with a vision of intimately introducing Christ to the people of Japan.

In December 2014, he and the community of Liberty Church Kyoto started a fundraising campaign to reach the people of Japan through building a first-century-style church in the city of Kyoto. Their mission was to provide an opportunity for the Japanese to know Jesus Christ and, in a way, transform lives.

Translating Love was written by Mike to share all he had learned. Despite thinking he had life figured out, he realizedand acknowledgedhis perspective was actually off. The crux of this awakening is Hal whom he met in Bible study. As one conversation over coffee turned into another, Mike relays how Hal recognized some aspects of his life that were hindering him from moving deeper into his relationship with God.

Beyond the book, Mike and Hal are working together to launch the disciple-making ministry called Translating Love. Mike and his family are now back in the US driving the initiative of gathering disciples from various platformsfrom personal relationships to social media communitiesfor a wider reach.

Translating Love by Mike Wogsland is to be published on March 12, 2019, from Elm Hill, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. The book will be available in eBook, paperback and hardbound versions.

Book Details: These are the additional details that should be included at the end of the news release.


NOVAtime is grateful to be able to give back to an organization that gives so much to communities worldwide. We are honored by the recognition.

NOVAtime Technology, Inc. (http://www.novatime.com), a leading Workforce Management / Time and Attendance solutions provider, has been presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from Tzu Chi Foundation for NOVAtimes ongoing support and contributions to the organizations humanitarian efforts.

Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation is an international humanitarian organization whose mission is to relieve the suffering of those in need, and create a better world for all. To support these efforts, NOVAtime volunteers at Tzu Chi Foundation events such as medical outreaches and food pantries. During these events, NOVAtime employees and their families assist doctors and other medical professionals in providing free medical, dental, and vision care to those in need, and distribute food.

Recently, NOVAtime was humbled to be able to donate to Tzu Chi Foundations efforts regarding the Northern California Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive fire in Californias history. The fire burned for 17 days, destroying more than 153,000 acres of homes and communities. The foundations relief teams distributed thousands of blankets and 900 cash cards, totaling over $500,000. Many volunteers contributed their time during the Thanksgiving holiday.

NOVAtime is grateful to be able to give back to an organization that gives so much to communities worldwide, says Frank Su, founder of NOVAtime. We are honored by the recognition.

With this award, NOVAtime continues its tradition of giving back. In December 2016, NOVAtime received the Spirit of Giving award from the County of Los Angeles, the State of California Treasurer, and the Tzu Chi Foundation. NOVAtime also donated to Ascension Parish Schools, a client that was affected by the 2016 Louisiana floods. Additionally, NOVAtime has supported victims of Hurricane Harvey in Houston and Rockport, and volunteered their time to earthquake victims in Chiautla de Tapia, Mexico.

About NOVAtime

NOVAtime is headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, California and, with over 20,000 customers, has become the leader in integrating Workforce Management solutions with Human Resource and Payroll systems. Known for its scalable and leading-edge software and hardware technology, NOVAtime has been selected as the preferred Workforce Management / Time and Attendance solution provider by many of the best-managed companies in the world.

NOVAtime is an Ascentis Company: https://www.ascentis.com/ascentis-acquires-novatime/

About Ascentis

Ascentis helps organizations improve their human resources and payroll functions by offering an all-in-one Human Capital Management solutions suite, supported with a first-of-its-kind client-centric service model. Recruiting, HRIS, Benefits Administration, Performance and Learning Management, Payroll and Workforce Management modules work independently or together to meet the needs of each client, wherever they are in the HCM journey. Ascentis enables companies to maximize management of their best assettheir people!
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Salerno Capital Partners announces their managing partner and local philanthropist Scott Callahan has made a $25,000 donation to Childrens Home Society of Florida to support the continued life-changing efforts of Evans Community Partnership School. Evans Community Partnership School is a long-term partnership among Childrens Home Society of Florida, Orange Blossom Family Health, Orange County Public Schools and the University of Central Florida. Through this proven model, the Orlando high school unites the most important influences in a child's life - school, family and community - to create a comprehensive support system focused on student achievement and well-being.

One of the things that drives me from a philanthropic standpoint is the idea of investing in something that helps create opportunity for someone, so the innovative nature of the Evans Community Partnership School speaks to me in many ways, said Callahan. The school helps families and students meet most of their basic needs so students can focus on their education. For example, the HUB, as the center of the Community Partnership School is known, gives students access to meals and snacks, among many other programs. It also makes mental health counselors available to students, along with a health and dental clinic located on campus, which is also available to the community at large. The educational opportunities available to families and the wide variety of programs the HUB offers rounds out the type of support that Evans Community Partnership School provides. And the foundation of this program is the long-term commitment of each of the 4 partners that are funding this program.

In 2012, Evans High School became Floridas first Community Partnership School, focusing on long-term support of the Pine Hills students and their families. The school tackles all areas that can inhibit a childs future success including comprehension skills, hunger and health, and other obstacles in their personal lives. Additionally, family and community members have access to adult programs at the school. Since its inception, Evans has seen its students graduation rates and average SAT scores rise tremendously, and those graduates attending college has risen significantly as well. Moreover, the influence of the Community Partnership School has extended to the surrounding community, as callouts to law enforcement within the 1-miles radius surrounding the school have declined significantly, saving taxpayers more than $40,000 in associated costs.

Callahan sits on the cabinet of the Evans Community Partnership School in Pine Hills and serves as president over the Callahan Family Foundation in Winter Park, Fl.

About Childrens Home Society

On the front lines since 1902, Childrens Home Society of Florida is the oldest and largest statewide organization devoted to helping children and families. Childrens Home Society of Florida serves more than 50,000 children and family members throughout the state each year. More: http://www.chsfl.org.

About Evans Community Partnership School

Evans Community Partnership School, part of Evans High School, focuses on meeting immediate and long-term needs and goals of Evans High School students, their families and the Pine Hills community. Led by a partnership among Childrens Home Society of Florida, Orange Blossom Family Health, Orange County Public Schools and the University of Central Florida, Evans Community Partnership School integrates health and wellness programs, positive social activities, and leadership opportunities into the education and lives of students and families, empowering them to pursue success.

About Salerno Capital Partners

Salerno Capital Partners, founded in 2016, is an opportunistic investment firm based out of Winter Park, FL. Led by managing partner and former lawyer W. Scott Callahan, the firm brings more than 30 years of investment experience to the table, and their expertise and services lie in commercial real estate financing, management, and valuation.
The 2019 March for Life Chicago will draw large crowds (currently estimated to be 6,000 +) of pro-life advocates from across Illinois and the Midwest to celebrate the uniqueness of each human life at conception, as reaffirmed by science. On Sunday, January 13, 2019, people from all walks of life will come together on Chicagos Federal Plaza to proclaim the sanctity of human life and call for an end to abortion as they march through the Loop beginning at 2 p.m. (Central).

Archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, and the Chicago Bears co-owner Pat McCaskey are among the featured speakers who will proclaim that science is on the side of life. They will be joined by Jeanne Mancini, National March for Life President, Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, President of the Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod, and Ryan Bomberger, Founder of the Radiance Foundation, each of whom will speak to the message that humans are unique from conception forward, emphasizing that medical technology continues to reaffirm that fact.

Bomberger, an adopted child of rape, believes that every life has a distinct purpose. His personal experiences make him a perfect messenger for this years March For Life Chicago theme, Unique From Day One, explained March for Life Chicago Board of Directors President Dawn Fitzpatrick. This peaceful march through the streets of Chicago is a reminder that people of Illinois and throughout the Midwest desire to proclaim the synchronicity of science and faith when it comes to the uniqueness of each life.

Elaborating on the theme, Unique From Day One, Fitzpatrick continued, Being pro-life is not in opposition to science. Its quite the opposite in fact. Medical and technological advancements continue to reaffirm the science behind the pro-life cause  that life begins at fertilization, or day one, when egg meets sperm and a new, unique, human embryo is created.

WHAT: March for Life Chicago 2019, Unique From Day One

WHEN: Sunday, January 13, 2019, from 2 to 4 p.m. (Central)

WHO: Thousands of individuals and groups from Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, and Missouri

WHERE: Federal Plaza, 50 W Adams, Chicago - MAP: http://goo.gl/maps/Zu1lI

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: MarchForLifeChicago.org

2019 SPEAKERS:



Kevin Grillot, Vice President of the March for Life Chicago

Right Reverend Paul, Bishop of Chicago and the Midwest, Orthodox Church in America

Pat McCaskey, Chicago Bears co-owner

Aid for Women Client

Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop, Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago

Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, President, Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

Jeanne Mancini, President, March for Life (national)

Ryan Bomberger, Founder, Radiance Foundation

weDignify College Student Leader

Attorney Rita Gitchell, former President of the National Lawyers Association and Thomas More Society Special Counsel, explains how science proves that embryonic humans are unique individuals, each deserving full protection of the law. Today there are observable scientific facts known about differences in the behavior and composition of individual cells in human embryos prior to the 8-cell stage of development and prior to implantation in the womb. As human beings, human embryos are protected under the 13th Amendment. These human embryos are human lives at an identifiable stage of human development with full potential until death  not potential life, as some have erroneously reported.

Gitchell adds, Its easy to get caught in the uproar of noisy political issues with each side screaming about their rights. These little ones have no voice. It is up to us to speak on their behalf, to ensure that they are protected under the law. Gitchell serves as a consultant to the March for Life Chicago.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS:



Aid for Women

Archdiocese of Chicago

Couples for Christ Foundation for Family and Life

Lake County Right to Life

Orthodox Christians for Life

Pro-Life Action League

Relevant Radio

Southside Pregnancy Center

weDignify

The Womens Center of Greater Chicagoland

Spirit Juice

Catholic Conference of Illinois

Diocese of Gary

Illinois Right to Life

Students for Life of America

Thomas More Society

Queen of All Saints Basilica

Mission Pre-Born

St. Lambert, Skokie

Pro Life Champions

About the March for Life Chicago

The March for Life Chicago is an annual public event composed of people from diverse ethnic, social, and religious backgrounds dedicated to defending and protecting all human life. The event marks with deep sadness the great tragedy of the legalization of abortion in the United States along with the devastating social, moral, and legal consequences that have followed. Marching together in hope, the March for Life Chicago calls upon government, religious, civic, and community leaders to renew every effort to build a nation that affirms the authentic dignity of women, the gift of children, and a culture dedicated to protecting life at every stage of development. Learn more at: MarchForLifeChicago.org.
Petes international experience, government-relations skills, engineering management training and pilots first-hand experience makes him a great addition to our team. - Laurie Strom, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of SAE ITC.

SAE Industry Technologies Consortium (ITC) announces the hiring of Peter Doty as its new Senior Business Development Manager

Were excited to have Pete join the SAE ITC team, said Laurie Strom, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of SAE ITC. He brings a wealth of experience leading complex efforts in the U.S. military, State Department, and interagency that we hope to leverage to expand and improve the value SAE ITC brings to our members. Petes international experience, government-relations skills, engineering management training and pilots first-hand experience makes him a great addition to our team.

Doty will be based in the Washington DC metropolitan area and his duties will include developing, maintaining, and expanding key relationships with organizations involved in many different sectors of industry, including Aerospace, Automotive, Ground Vehicle, Naval, Space, and others as applicable. On the Aerospace side, he is particularly excited to be supporting ARINC Industry Activities program in its outreach to new members and sponsors. On the automotive side, he is excited to provide a DC connection for the Defense Automotive Technologies Consortia (DATC). He is also looking forward to supporting both commercial industry and military in exploring optimized approaches for management of dual use standard parts.

Prior to joining SAE ITC, Doty was a colonel in the U.S. Air Force officer with a career spanning over 26 years. His most recent position was as the Deputy Director of the interagency Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell leading overseas recovery of hostages for the U.S. government. Doty held command and leadership positions in operations and staff assignments in special operations, personnel recovery, and international security policy. A former military fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Doty also was the Director of the Office of International Security Operations, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, U.S. State Department. He is a rated command pilot having flown both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

Doty has a Masters in Systems Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, a Masters in Engineering Management from West Coast University, and a Bachelors in Aeronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy.


ProctorU and the Society of Augmented Engineers and Scientists (SAES) announced today their partnership to deliver a revolutionary new human augmentation certification program. SAES was established in 2016 as a network of specialized professionals who use engineering and scientific techniques to augment human performance and experience. It is the first society of its kind with a mission to protect the public, the profession, and its professionals by assuring a stringent standard of competency with ongoing training and certification.

We feel that this new certification program doesnt just lend credibility in the field but it helps to define the science and ultimately makes everyone in the field better, said society co-founder Dr. Richard T. Stone.

Society membership is highly selective as potential new members will be rigorously vetted based on their education, work experience and ability to pass the Core Certification examination, according to Stone. The certification curriculum and exam will be offered online with proctoring provided by ProctorU. Because SAES is international in scope, it was critical that candidates could efficiently access the program regardless of geography.

The SAES Core Certification exemplifies the reason ProctorU is in business. Theyre expanding access to knowledge and ensuring the integrity of their credential with a global audience, said ProctorU CEO Scott McFarland. Were excited to be a partner in what this society is doing for their industry.

Co-founders Tom Schnieders and Stone wanted to make sure their certification program was a proven way to measure competency. They vetted their curriculum with a group of renowned professionals, ran a pilot program to ensure the validity of their exam, and sought out an online proctoring partner that would protect the integrity of their credential.

What really drove us to ProctorU is their ability to safeguard our intellectual property, said Schnieders. Their entire team has helped us realize our dream for what this certification can become.

After two years in development, SAES officially opened registration and launched the Core Certification this month. As a testament to the societys need and importance, over 4,500 scientists and engineers in the field have already expressed interest.

About ProctorU

ProctorU provides a full suite of online proctoring and identity management solutions for education, professional development and certification organizations. With patented, 24/7 on-demand live proctoring and a fully-automated platform, both backed by artificial intelligence, ProctorU offers a powerful, convenient and cost-effective alternative to traditional test centers. ProctorU increases access to online learning while ensuring exam integrity and accountability for any test-taker with internet access using only a computer and a webcam.

About the Society of Augmented Engineers and Scientists

The mission of SAES is to provide certification related to the application of both engineering and science in the domains of physiological science and engineering, cognitive science and engineering, biomechanical engineering, and biomedical engineering as it relates to augmenting human performance and human capability. SAES will protect the public, the profession, and its professionals by assuring a rigorous standard of competency with ongoing training and certification.

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A snow gun blasts man-made snow at Bromley Mountain earlier this season. Bromley has invested nearly $2 million in snowmaking improvements over the past five years. (Courtesy Bromley Mountain) While we all love when Mother Nature delivers, investments in snowmaking continue to help provide insurance against poor weather, said John Bleh, communications supervisor at Sugarbush.

Turning the corner into the holiday week, Vermont ski areas arent allowing Fridays weather to dampen their Christmas spirits.

We saw this storm coming, and we were ready for it, said Jamie Storrs, director of communications for Mount Snow Resort. The bounce-back from this weather event is going to be very fast, thanks to our snowmaking capabilities.

Vermont ski areas have invested more than $65 million in snowmaking upgrades over the past five years, taking what was already the industry standard for man-made snow to unprecedented heights of efficiency and capability.

Our snowmakers are able to fire up their systems at the drop of a hat, said Michael Chait, Public Relations Director at Smugglers Notch. Smugglers teams are closely monitoring temperatures and will cover the trails in a fresh blanket of white just as soon as temps allow us to do so.

The forecast calls for the mercury to drop well below freezing by Saturday evening, at which time snow guns will roar back to life all over the state. Snow showers are expected overnight Saturday and into Sunday, followed by more snowfall on Christmas Eve.

Storrs said the mountain operations team at Mount Snow just completed the longest sustained snowmaking period in the resorts 64-year history, blowing snow for a whopping 218 consecutive hours from Dec. 4-13. Part of that production was a sort of preemptive strike against a weather event such as Fridays.

We had good temperatures, so we decided to keep loading up, Storrs said. We stockpiled snow in whales (huge piles) all over the mountain, so once this weather lets up well push those out over the trails and then blow more snow on top of them.

Recent advancements in snowmaking technology have revolutionized the speed with which a ski area can resurface its terrain. Killington Resort  which put a significant portion of its recent $25 million capital improvement project toward snowmaking upgrades  can literally create a man-made blizzard.

Under ideal conditions, Killingtons snowmaking system delivers 10 million gallons of water per day to more than 250 snow guns, covering 60 acres with 12 inches of fresh snow every 24 hours, said Courtney DiFiore, communications manager at Killington.

Vermont ski areas commitment to providing the best possible conditions is evident in their widespread upgrades in recent seasons. Five years ago, Okemo Mountain Resort launched a multi-million-dollar snowmaking improvement plan called Operation Snowburst  which included pump and pipeline upgrades as well as the addition of more than 100 new, energy-efficient tower guns to bring its arsenal to 1,300 snow guns mountain-wide.

Okemo is a skiers best bet when weather conditions are favorable and an even better bet when weather challenges occur, said Bonnie MacPherson, director of public relations. Okemos increased water-pumping capacity - 7,000 to 9,000 gallons of water per minute under optimal snowmaking conditions - allows Okemo to recover quickly when Mother Nature gets temperamental.

Sugarbush Resort and Stowe Mountain Resort have spent nearly $15 million between them in snowmaking improvements in the last five years.

While we all love when Mother Nature delivers, investments in snowmaking continue to help provide insurance against poor weather, said John Bleh, communications supervisor at Sugarbush.

Middlebury Snow Bowl, Magic Mountain and Suicide Six Ski Area invested a combined $1.5 million in snowmaking upgrades heading into this season. Suicide Sixs improvements include state-of-the-art technology that reads and reacts to what Mother Nature is doing.

For the first time, snow production on The Face, the mountains signature trail, and the ski and snowboard learning center, will be fully automated, said Tim Reiter, general manager at Suicide Six. The snow guns replaced by the new technology have been reallocated to other areas of the mountain to phase out aged snow guns and ultimately create higher quality snow and shorter production times.

Record early-season snowfall and sustained, optimal temperatures for snowmaking have helped set Vermont ski areas up to more easily overcome challenges such as Fridays. Following a number of historic early openings, skiers and snowboarders have enjoyed amounts of open terrain and depth of snowpack never before seen in the Green Mountains recorded history.

Weve had perfect snowmaking weather at night with temps in the single digits and then prime ski weather during the day, said JJ Toland, director of communications at Jay Peak Resort. Those temps have allowed us to put snow in the bank.

Its been this sort of perfect storm, and its setting us up to have a historic holiday season.

For the latest conditions at Vermont ski areas, visit https://skivermont.com/conditions.


Video package of The Greatest Showman Holiday Concert is available for download at https://youtu.be/wQpfVoYlgvA.

Musicians On Call (MOC), a nonprofit that brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities, welcomed The Greatest Showmans Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Keala Settle and Greg Wells to healthcare facilities in New York and Los Angeles to perform for patients as part of the organizations The Greatest Showman Holiday Concert. Settle, who played The Bearded Lady Lettie Lutz in the film, performed her show-stopping rendition of the Oscar-nominated song This Is Me for patients at UCLA Mattel Childrens Hospital in L.A.

Pasek and Paul, the award-winning and 2019 Grammy-nominated songwriters who wrote the entire soundtrack for the film, performed The Greatest Show, A Million Dreams, Never Enough, and This is Me for patients at Childrens Hospital at Montefiore. In Nashville, patients at Monroe Carell Jr. Childrens Hospital visited the Seacrest Studios for live performances of songs from MOCs Volunteer Musicians.

The Greatest Showman was such a huge movie and its songs of hope and perseverance resonate so deeply with fans of all ages, but especially children. The purpose of Musicians On Call is to bring joy through music to patients in healthcare facilities, and this holiday season we wanted to share this films incredible music with children at hospitals across the country through our The Greatest Showman Holiday Concerts, said Musicians On Call President Pete Griffin. We are profoundly grateful to Keala, Benj, Justin and our volunteers for joining us in L.A., New York and Nashville. By sharing their talents they have given these children an unforgettable gift during a difficult season in their lives.

Pasek and Paul performed for children in the lobby at Childrens Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx, playing a selection of songs from the film joined by Natalie Weiss and Tim Basom. Through Musicians On Calls Virtual Program, the performance was also broadcast through hospitals closed circuit television to patients at Boston Childrens Hospital, Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, Childrens Health Dallas and Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. After the program, Pasek and Paul met with patients who joined the concert and took photos and offered autographed posters and The Greatest Showman: Reimagined CDs to families.

Musicians On Call is an incredible organization bringing the joy and universality of music to people in need, Pasek and Paul said. It's a gift to be here to play our songs and share that experience with people, knowing that it's touching lives and bringing joy and good cheer this holiday season."

At UCLA Mattel Childrens Hospital in L.A., Settle wowed the patients and staff in the hospitals Playroom Rotunda with her hit song, This is Me, from the film accompanied by Greg Wells, multiple Grammy-nominated record producer, songwriter, musician, and mixer, who produced and mixed the soundtrack. Musicians On Calls Volunteer Musicians Meredith Baker, Katie Hargrove and Ben Bostick joined Settle to perform songs from the soundtrack, including The Other Side, Never Enough and From Now On. Following the performance, Settle went room to room to visit with patients who couldnt leave their beds for the concert.

Performing for the kids, volunteers, doctors and nurses is an experience I wish everyone could go through. You hear about the difference music makes, but if youre not there in the moment, you dont know what impact it makes. Not only you making an impact on the kids but the kids making an impact on you. I got more walking away today than they got from me, said Settle. The healing power of music, speaking from experience, is unbelievable. Its the only language that everyone understands. I had the opportunity to sit at the bedside of a couple people and sing to them, and sing with them, and I wish I could do that for everybody.

Patients at Monroe Carell Jr. Childrens Hospital in Nashville visited the facilitys Seacrest Studios to hear MOC Volunteer Musicians Brandon Ray, April Kry, Fiona Culley and Josh Wilcutts perform selections from the soundtrack and play The Greatest Showman trivia games.

Musicians On Call also invited recipients of its Music Pharmacy to listen to the soundtrack. The Music Pharmacy program provides hospitals across the country with access to digital streaming music through tablets equipped with specialized Musicians On Call Pandora mixtapes designed to promote positivity and healing for the hospital environment.

Musicians On Call believes that all patients, families and caregivers should have access to and benefit from the healing power of live music. Through MOCs Bedside Performance Program, Volunteer Guides and Volunteer Musicians go room to room to play for patients at their bedsides. These one-on-one interactions between musician and patient have a powerful effect of restoring normalcy, sharing joy and even bringing medical benefits. Since 1999, Musicians On Call has delivered the healing power of music to more than 700,000 individuals nationwide.

For more information on Musicians On Call, visit http://www.musiciansoncall.org.
China's leading position in cutting-edge technology, like autonomous driving and 5G communications, will help groom the next generation of researchers, according to veteran industry experts at a major semiconductor company.

A vast market size, wide application scenarios and sufficient talent supply have put China in the driver's seat in steering some of the world's best technologies from internet of things applications to autonomous driving, said Baoxing Chen, an ADI fellow at United States multinational semiconductor-maker Analog Devices Inc.

"For instance, China accounts for roughly 50 percent of the global electric vehicle market. If it has the biggest market volume, it is bound to propel the development of most cutting-edge technology," said Zhao Tianting, automation and energy group technical director at ADI China.

Founded in 1965, ADI's products convert, condition and process real-world phenomena such as temperature, pressure, sound and light into electronic signals that are being accessed by a wide array of devices, from mobile phones to medical equipment.

China is the firm's third-largest and fastest-growing market. ADI's China operation made up around 16 percent of the company's $6.2 billion revenue in the 2018 fiscal year, with its fastest growth coming from industrial automation, driverless cars, 5G communications and the medical sector.

The firm is backing up its optimism in China with investment in local talents, from setting up joint labs, to financial and technological sponsorships.

"ADI China has co-developed integrated circuits courses and established joint labs with 15 key Chinese universities. We have started to see a narrowing gap between China and the US, in terms of talent supply in the chip sector, as a lot of them are trained at the world's most reputed schools and have great international exposure," Zhao said.

Dedication to research is bearing fruit. ADI China had two dissertation papers selected for the prestigious industry forum International Solid-State Circuits Conference 2019a rarity for a China-based business entity. A third dissertation, co-authored with Fudan University, is also included.

Hong Zhiliang, a professor at State Key Lab of Application-Specific Integrated Circuits and Systems at Fudan University, stressed the importance of fundamental research in China's IC sector, saying he is hopeful for the future.

China's National Integrated Circuit Industry Development Guideline, a policy framework issued in 2014, aims to help the local IC industry achieve a combined annual growth rate of over 20 percent through to 2020.

While the country may be playing catchup in the broad category of semiconductors, it is strategically placing its money on new areas, like 5G wireless and artificial intelligence-focused chips, where it might become a leading provider of technology, according to global technology site TechCrunch.

"Here in China, we work with the top local customers. We need to invest heavily in capital and time to delve into certain areas, learn from each other and make substantial improvements," Zhao said.




The Reserves Network, a leading staffing provider of office, industrial, professional and technical talent, is pleased to announce the launch of their redesigned website at http://www.TRNstaffing.com.

Features of the new, mobile-responsive website include:



Enhanced content highlighted by a blog catalog of 150+ articles for job seekers and employers.

Testimonials from customers, employees on assignment and internal staff.

Job boards, featuring the latest job opportunities from TRNs 40+ office locations, as well as internal careers.

A TRN Timeline showcasing key events from the companys 35-year history.

Access to the companys video library collection, which includes the popular How Its Made Product Life Cycle series.

This new site is all about improving our viewership experience by accurately portraying our culture, structure and capabilities as a company with a sleek new design, says TRN CEO Neil Stallard. Almost all of our advertising and social media outlets drive traffic directly to our website, so its important for us to make sure we are staying current and progressive with the maintenance of our online home.

This is the companys sixth website redesign since launching its original site in 1998. Annually, the website averages over 250,000 visitors seeking information about employment opportunities and the services The Reserves Network provides to support workforce needs.

The website was designed in partnership with Haley Marketing Group, a Buffalo, NY-based marketing firm, which is the largest in the world dedicated to servicing the staffing and recruiting industry.

About The Reserves Network

Founded in 1984, The Reserves Network is a leading staffing provider of office, industrial, professional and technical talent to middle market customers. The company places nearly 20,000 employees at its more than 40 operating locations in the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast, and works with customers nationwide. This includes temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire placements in a wide variety of professional fields and trades. Headquartered in Fairview Park, Ohio, the family and veteran-owned company has received multiple honors for outstanding sales growth, management excellence and customer service.
In 2018, TouchSuite saw exponential growth, developed strategic partnerships, and implemented disruptive technology. With the recent strategic investment in Grubbrr, TouchSuite is confident of sustaining and actually accelerating its multi-year organic growth rate.

TouchSuite was recently recognized as one of the Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America by Entrepreneur magazines Entrepreneur360 List, a premier study delivering the most comprehensive analysis of private companies in America. Based on this study forged by Entrepreneur, TouchSuite was recognized as a well-rounded company that has mastered a balance of impact, innovation, growth leadership and value. TouchSuite placed in the top 20 nationally among all entrepreneur companies in America and third in the state of Florida.

In 2018, TouchSuite saw exponential growth, developed strategic partnerships, and implemented disruptive technology. With the recent strategic investment in Grubbrr, TouchSuite is confident of sustaining and accelerating its multi-year organic growth rate. As the company expands, TouchSuite will continue to foster an innovative mindset and strive for excellence. We are thrilled to have ranked on Entrepreneur 360, making this list is a reflection of our impact in the payments industry. Said Sam Zietz, Chief Executive Officer for TouchSuite.

Our annual evaluation of vetted data offers a 360-degree analysis of top privately-held companies across a multitude of industries, explains Jason Feifer, editor in chief of Entrepreneur Magazine. They are deemed successful not only by revenue numbers, but by how well-rounded they are. The companies that make the list have pushed boundaries with their innovative ideas, fostered strong company cultures, impacted their communities for the better, and increased their brand awareness.

TouchSuite is one of the countrys leading financial technology companies. Continuously evolving to meet the demand of cutting-edge technology solutions in the payments space, pushed TouchSuite to the top of the list, landing them in the number one spot among payment processing companies. TouchSuites purpose is to empower entrepreneurs; they accomplish this through innovative, scalable and affordable solutions. The companys award-winning, patented, point-of-sale systems are fully integrated with payment processing services. Through the growth achieved in 2018, these payment services support an exponential number of verticals outside the traditional restaurant and retail industries that most payment processors service. TouchSuites tools and services eliminate all the friction commonly encountered by business partners and merchants, allowing the company to seamlessly process billions of dollars every year.

Honorees were identified based on the results from a comprehensive study of independently- owned companies, using a proprietary algorithm and other advanced analytics. The algorithm was built on a balanced scorecard designed to measure five metrics reflecting major pillars of entrepreneurshipinnovation, growth, leadership, impact and business valuation.

To learn more about TouchSuite visit http://www.touchsuite.com

For additional details on the E360 List and the companies recognized, visit: entrepreneur.com/360

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ABOUT TOUCHSUITE

Headquartered in Boca Raton Florida, TouchSuite is a leading financial technology company that delivers business solutions for small to mid-sized companies across different industries. Offerings include point-of-sale systems, payment processing services, SEO solutions, working capital and marketing services. TouchSuite positions itself as the entrepreneurs partner, delivering solutions that help business owners thrive within the community.

ABOUT ENTREPRENEUR MEDIA INC.

For 41 years, Entrepreneur Media Inc. has been serving the entrepreneurial community by providing comprehensive coverage of business and personal success through original content and events. Entrepreneur magazine, Entrepreneur.com, GreenEntrepreneur.com and publishing imprint Entrepreneur Press provide solutions, information, inspiration and education read by millions of entrepreneurs and small business owners worldwide.
There are 1.7 million Muslims flocking into Holy City of Mecca in Saudi Arabia every year to attend the pilgrimage, often called the Hajj / Haji. The Hajj is a one-time obligation for Muslims who have sufficient financial and physical ability. What significance does the Hajj partake?

Among the top countries that visit Mecca for Hajj purpose are: Indonesia, Russia, India, Cuba, Fiji, the United States, Nigeria, Malaysia. Most of them visit during the last month of Muslim Lunar Year. Pilgrims are wearing white plain garments, which differ between men and women. Women wear plain white dresses with head scarves, often called Hijab. And men wear unstitched seamless clothing around their body. These humble uniforms symbolise that everyone is in the same level, regardless of wealth or status.

Pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islamic practice. The other pillars are namely: profession of faith, five daily prayers, charity and Ramadan fast.

Quoting the Quran, Proclaim to men the pilgrimage: they will come to thee on foot and on every lean camel, coming from every remote path.

During the pilgrimage, Muslim people track back events from prophets, mainly Ibrahim and Ismail.

The pilgrimage starts from circling the Holy Kaaba. The black, cube-shaped house of God is located at the center of Mecca which is the direction of the daily prayers for exactly seven times. In the process, people often kiss, approach or touch the Kaaba for the sign of their devoted faith and respect.

The Kaaba signifies the story of Ibrahim, whom God commanded to sacrifice his then only son, Ismail. The black stone where Ibrahim sat when God called him to sacrifice Ismail is believed to be located inside Kaaba.

Afterwards, Pilgrims proceed to walk 100 meters from Kaaba, to hills called Safa and Marwah. In the Quran, those two hills were where Hajar (Egyptian slave girl, wife of Ibrahim) looking for water and cried for Gods help when Ibrahim left Hajar and her new-born son in the desert, as per Gods instruction. Afterwards, God rewarded Hajar with a well, which is currently known as Zamzam Well. This well's water is usually drunk and taken home by the pilgrims for blessings.

On the next day, Pilgrims continue their journey to the plains of Arafat, where the pilgrims set up tents, spend time with one another and perform prayers. Then, the journey proceeds to Mount of Mercy, an open plain near Mecca where Muhammad gave his farewell sermon. In this open plain, it is believed that the spirit of God comes closer to Earth. In various personal experience, this communion with God is felt by the Pilgrims.

Moving on to a tent city called Mina, which is about 5 kilometres away from Mecca. In this city, Ibrahims faith was challenged and tempted by Satan to disobey Gods order to sacrifice Ismail. However, Ibrahim still held on to his faith and still attempted to sacrifice Ismail, who was also willing to be sacrificed. To commemorate this event, Pilgrims throw small stones at a stone pillar in Mina.

In the Quran, as Ibrahim attempted to sacrifice Ismail, God intervened and asked Ibrahim to sacrifice a ram instead. Muslims all over the world celebrate this in the festival called Eid al-Adha.

During the next few days, Pilgrims repeat the throwing stone ritual in Mina (at least six more times) and go around Kaaba for at least one more time. Then, they transition slowly into their everyday clothes to indicate their transition back to worldly life.

According to the Muslims' faith, these processes can absolve them from sins if God accept their pilgrimage.

This article is brought to you by:

Imaduddin Indrissobir

CEO of Royal Indonesia Travel Corporation

http://www.royalindonesia.id
Knowing that Wayne Homes and its employees are responsible for these children and their parents having a great Christmas, well, there is no better feeling in the world!

Wayne Homes, an Ohio-based custom home builder that specializes in on-your-lot custom homes, has donated over $14,000 on behalf of their home office employees through the companys Share-A-Christmas program this year.

Each year, Wayne Homes employees hold fundraisers at the home office to raise money for the Share-A-Christmas fund. Each department worked together to raffle off prizes, sell baked goods, host office lunches, initiate penny wars, and hold several other fundraisers to collect money.

This year, Wayne Homes adopted 25 children through the Doylestown, Ohio Share-A-Christmas program and was able to spend $250 on Christmas presents for each child.

Having moved to Doylestown a little over a year ago, I love this community and knowing that I work for a company where all the employees join in on raising money to buy Christmas gifts for the Doylestown children every year is such an amazing feeling, Sherry Schaadt, executive assistant, said. Knowing that Wayne Homes and its employees are responsible for these children and their parents having a great Christmas, well, there is no better feeling in the world!

The remaining amount was donated to several Akron area charities, including the Ronald McDonald House, Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, Haven of Rest, Stark County Humane Society, Open M, and the Akron Rotary Camp.

The Share-A-Christmas program is one of the many community involvement programs Wayne Homes carries out every year. Through the programs, Wayne Homes hopes to make a meaningful difference to those less fortunate during the holiday season.

Since the program began in 2009, Wayne Homes employees have raised and donated more than $87,000 to charities through the Share-A-Christmas program.

Share-A-Christmas was a huge success again this year and we were able to fulfill the Christmas wishes for 25 children in a local community, Stephanie Yates, head of the companys steering committee, said. Knowing that my co-workers and the company I work for were able to make this happen warms my heart. Also, being able to participate in the purchasing of the gifts if the icing on the cake. I can only imagine how those children and parents will feel on Christmas morning.

For more information about Wayne Homes community involvement programs, Ask Julie by live chat. To find out more about becoming part of the Wayne Homes team, see current job opportunities.

About Wayne Homes

Wayne Homes is a custom home builder in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, and West Virginia (see all Model Home Centers). We offer nearly 50 customizable floor plans and a team dedicated to providing the best experience in the home building industry. For more information, Ask Julie by live chat or call us at (866) 253-6807.
CBD-infused ZuRI-Freeze products relieve aches and pains from workouts, stress and daily life. ZuRI-Freeze is only a portion of ZuRI, A CBD Supply Co.s extensive line of CBD wellness products. Scott Raybuck, President and CEO of ZuRI, is excited by what the legislation will mean, We are passionate about providing the highest quality ingredients in our products and offering our customers a wide assortment of CBD delivery selections to best suit them with their particular ailment."

President Trump signed the 2018 US Farm Bill into law today legalizing hemp, including hemp-derived products such as CBD, and making it a lawful agricultural commodity. The new law allows for hemps extensive commercial uses, including health and wellness products, textiles and industrial manufacturing. In response, Cleveland-based manufacturer of CBD wellness products, ZuRI, A CBD Supply Co., is proactively increasing production across its extensive product portfolio of over 70 CBD wellness products.

Scott Raybuck, President and CEO of ZuRI, is excited by what the legislation will mean, We are passionate about providing the highest quality ingredients in our products and offering our customers a wide assortment of CBD delivery selections to best suit them with their particular ailment. The passage of this bill now allows for these customers to have legal access to these highly beneficial products.

According to Hoban Law Group, the countrys leading cannabis business law firm, other significant clarifications the bill imparts are:



Hemp is expressly excluded from treatment as Marijuana under the federal Controlled Sub-Stances Act (CSA)

Hemp is defined more expansively to include reference to cannabinoids, derivatives and extracts

The 2014 version of the Farm Bill is to be repealed after allowing for this transitional period

The firm also expects there to be a cascade effect at the state level to amend laws as consistent with the Farm Bill. The hope is also that the FDA will allow for hemp-derived cannabinoids as permissible ingredients.

CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of over 125 compounds produced by the cannabis plant. CBD derived from hemp contains none, if only trace amounts, of the psychoactive chemical THC, associated with the high produced by marijuana. Health experts around the world have found evidence that hemp-derived CBD can provide relief from a multitude of conditions, from anxiety to chronic pain and inflammation, as well as depression and sleeplessness in both humans and animals.

The aforementioned proven health benefits and ZuRI, A CBD Supply Co.s extensive product portfolio have led to significant growth within the ZuRI ingestible, topical and pet lines of products. Specifically, consumers are experiencing the benefits of CBD by utilizing ZuRIs high-quality wellness drops and tinctures while enjoying topical relief with a proprietary formula, which makes up the best-selling ZuRI Freeze. Pet owners seeking relief for their pets can utilize the ZuRI Pet wellness drops or daily chews.

All of these elements combine to lead industry experts to predict the CBD industry will grow to over $20 billion in the next four years from its current expected annual sales of $800 million in 2018. Veteran players in the market, like ZuRI, A CBD Supply Co., now with an added level of comfort and security in the products they are offering, are gearing up for what they expect will be a windfall in sales over the next few years. As a result, expect to see many race to innovate the industry with the latest CBD-infused product lines, including skin care and food and beverage.

About ZuRI, A CBD Supply Co.: ZuRI, A CBD Supply Co. is focused on manufacturing and marketing a wide range of CBD products with a focus on quality ingredients that enhance the user experience. Products are manufactured in a cleanroom environment equipped with 6 HEPA filters and UV sterilization lights. ZuRI, A CBD Supply Co. offers one of the largest CBD product portfolios in the CBD market with over 70 items currently and many new products in various stages of research and development. The entire ZuRI product offering is 100% THC Free as verified by independent third-party testing. Please visit http://www.zuricbd.com for more information.
Here we round up new and forthcoming childrens titles, including stories about a porcupine who craves affection, the hands of our loved ones, a besotted robot, and an influential librarian.

Week of December 24, 2018

I Need a Hug by Aaron Blabey. Scholastic Press, $14.99; ISBN 978-1-338-29710-2. In this picture book rendered in his signature cartoon style, Blabey (Thelma the Unicorn) introduces a porcupine with an intimidating set of fanlike quills.

Loving Hands by Tony Johnston, illus. by Amy June Bates. Candlewick, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-7636-7993-4. The title of this picture book sets up the literary conceit: hands signify the years and love that pass between a childs birth and a parents old agehands that play pat-a-cake and bake bread, hands that wash away painful stumbles and hold tight during scary moments, hands that know when to let go.

Robot in Love by T.L. McBeth. Holt/Godwin, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-250-18593-8. In this picture book, a besotted robot courts a figure within a department store display.

Week of December 31, 2018

Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre by Anika Aldamuy Denise, illus. by Paola Escobar. HarperCollins, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-274868-3. Readers may know Pura Belpre as the name of an award given to books about the Latin-American cultural experience. But who was Belpre herself? This picture book biography tells her story.

Someday We Will Fly by Rachel DeWoskin. Viking, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-670-01496-5. With pathos and a fine eye for historical detail, DeWoskin (Blind) relates the story of Shanghais Jewish refugees during WWII, when Shanghai was under Japanese occupation.

A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks by Alice Faye Duncan, illus. by Xia Gordon. Sterling, $16.95; ISBN 978-1-4549-3088-4. In this free verse picture book biography, Duncan (Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop) celebrates the life of Gwendolyn Brooks, an African-American poet whose gifts emerged while she was very young.

The Greatest Treasure Hunt in History: The Story of the Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel. Scholastic Focus, $18.99; ISBN 978-1-338-25119-7. This middle grade nonfiction book follows the story of the men who rescued precious cultural artifacts from the Nazis.

No One Here Is Lonely by Sarah Everett. Knopf, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-553-53868-7. Everett (Everyone Weve Been) makes the improbable seem plausible in this YA novel, which is part unrequited love story, part cautionary tale about grief turning to obsession and fantasy.

A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea (Young Readers Edition): One Teen Refugees Incredible Story of Love, Loss, and Survival by Melissa Fleming. Flatiron, $16.99; ISBN 978-1-250-31142-9. This poignant tale gives immediacy to the plight of Syrian refugees.

10 Little Chicks by Taylor Garland. Little, Brown, $7.99; ISBN 978-0-316-45209-0. A popular nursery rhyme is reimagined with an Easter theme in this board book.

The Similars by Rebecca Hanover. Sourcebooks Fire, $17.99; ISBN 978-1-4926-6510-6. Television writer Hanover authors a fast-paced thriller about identity and love in this YA novel about high school clones.

The Whispers by Greg Howard. Putnam, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-525-51749-8. Eleven-year-old Riley resorts to extreme measures to find his mother after she disappears, believing he is suspect number one in a case that hasnt moved forward in months, the details of which he cant fully recall.

The Unteachables by Gordon Korman. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $16.99; ISBN 978-0-06-256388-0. Mr. Kermit was once among the best teachers at Greenwich Middle School, but a cheating scandal 25 years ago dampened his passion for the job, and now he is biding time until his early retirement.

Chicken Talk by Patricia MacLachlan, illus. by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. HarperCollins/Tegen, $17.99; ISBN 978-0-06-239864-2. MacLachlan (My Fathers Words) offers droll dialogue, a bucolic setting, and a spirited defense of animals as distinct beings with unacknowledged powers of observation.

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $18.99; ISBN 978-0-06-282411-0. In Philippes debut, 16-year-old black French-Canadian Norris Kaplan must navigate life and love in Austin, Tex., after he and his mother move there for her new teaching job.

For more childrens and YA titles on sale throughout the month of December, check out PWs full On-Sale Calendar.
Since the election of Donald Trump as president, many things have changedincluding the way PWs annual Person of the Year is chosen. Instead of selecting one person, as we have typically done, this year we are honoring the publishers of the bestselling Trump-related books. We took this approach to reflect the importance of the role that the Trump administration played in spurring the publicationand salesof dozens and dozens of books. This decision also highlights the important role books play in furthering the debate about our current political climate. With so many Trump books flooding the market, we selected the publishers of the five top-selling titles as of mid-November.

Steve Rubin, president and publisher, Henry Holt

The first Trump book to make a splash in 2018 also created the biggest controversy. Henry Holt released Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff on January 5, four days earlier than was planned. Holts original rollout was undermined by fast-moving events that began January 3 with the publication of highlights from the embargoed book by the Guardian.

The Guardians move prompted New York magazine, which had first serial rights, to post its excerpts, which included detailed accounts of infighting and general dysfunction at the White House and led to widespread news coverage of the bookand increased attacks on the book, author, and Steve Bannon by Trump. In addition to blasting Wolffs credibility, the president directed his lawyer to send a cease-and-desist letter to Holt threatening a libel and defamation lawsuit if it went ahead with the release of the book. The letter led to even more news coverage and brought a firm response from Holt, which issued the following statement: Henry Holt confirms that we received a cease-and-desist letter from an attorney for President Trump. We see Fire and Fury as an extraordinary contribution to our national discourse, and are proceeding with the publication of the book.

Holts Steven Rubin says that the company wasnt surprised by Trumps reaction and in some ways expected it. I always said, If we are lucky, Trump will tweet about this,  Rubin notes. He did considerably better: he threatened to sue us for libel, among other ludicrous accusations. (Trump never followed through with any legal action.)

Rubin published Wolffs biography of Rupert Murdoch in 2008 when he was at Doubleday and says, I not only hugely admire Wolff as a fearless reporter and stylish, beguiling writer but I like him because he is an irresistibly engaging person, on and off the page. When he moved to Holt, Rubin and John Sterling signed Wolff for another book, but at dinner one night, Wolff proposed what became Fire and Fury.

Once Michael outlined what he wanted to do, it was a no-brainer, Rubin says. I knew we had to publish this book, so we did a two-book deal.

Although Rubin had no qualms about publishing Fire and Fury, he made sure that Holt covered all of its legal bases. In addition to what he calls a crack legal team, he also cites the work of Sterling, whom Rubin described as a tough editor with a proven track record with journalists. And Rubin says that Wolff is a writer who understands what is necessary in sourcing. He believed that the result would be a game-changing book.

Noting that Wolff was the first person to pull together all the pieces of the dysfunction taking place in the Trump administration, Rubin cites Fire and Furys first-mover status as being key to the books tremendous success (2.8 million books sold across all formats). Ultimately, Fire and Fury lit the way, he says. It is the first book to show in no uncertain terms that we were entering the twilight zone.

Though sales of Fire and Fury peaked early in the year, Rubin believes there is still life left in the book. A trade paperback edition will be published in January, and HBO may release a film based on Fire and Fury later in 2019. As far as I can see, as long as he is in residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., there is boundless interest in the unpredictable machinations of Trump, Rubin says. Fire and Fury became a piece of history and should have a long and happy life on the backlist.

Jonathan Karp, president and publisher, Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing

Jonathan Karp is quick to deflect any personal credit for the success of Bob Woodwards Fear: Trump in the White House. Taking credit for the success of Bob Woodward is like taking credit for the weather, Karp says, noting that Woodward has been an S&S author for 44 years. Karp also points to S&S editorial director Alice Mayhew as an integral part of Woodwards publishing success. But, he insists, the two people most responsible for Fear are Bob Woodward and President Trump. We didnt publish Fear any differently than the last three Bob Woodward books, which were just as revelatory and well reported as this one. What was different this time was the country itselfthe desire among readers for insight into Trump and, for some, evidence to be used against Trump. Fear delivered powerfully on both counts.

Fear also delivered rapid sales. In fact, Fear had the largest first week of sales of any book in S&S history, selling a total of more than 1.1 million copies across all formats. The book also drew the ire of Trump: This book is nothing more than fabricated stories, many by former disgruntled employees, told to make the president look bad, said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

S&S released the book on September 11, and Karp says he recognized the significance of choosing that date. He adds, As Bob Woodward memorably said in interviews, People better wake up to whats happening.  Karp explains that all of Woodwards books feature national security as a major topic, and Fear is no exception. The book, he says, illustrates the ways in which the Trump administrations actions are putting our nation at risk.

Karp notes that beyond Fear, which is nearing sales of two million copies, S&S published a number of books this year that look at various aspects of the Trump presidency. Two months prior to the publication of Fear, it published The Monarchy of Fear: A Philosopher Looks at Our Political Crisis by University of Chicago professor Martha Nussbaum, which explores the underlying forces that have made the Trump presidency possible. Other bestselling Trump-related books from S&S include Everything Trump Touches Dies by Republican political consultant Rick Wilson and Its Even Worse Than You Think, David Cay Johnstons examination of Trumps regulatory policies. And on the day of the midterm elections, S&S published Stephen Colberts illustrated protest book, Whose Boat Is This Boat, followed by Proof of Collusion by professor Seth Abramson, both of which hit bestseller lists.

Karp doesnt disagree that Trump was a big factor in book sales this year. When I was a newspaper reporter, I was taught that three incidents is a trend, and Ive just named five Trump-related bestsellers published in 2018, he says.

Bob Miller, president, Amy Einhorn, publisher, Flatiron Books

As soon as Trump fired James Comey as director of the FBI in May 2017, there was little doubt that a book was in Comeys future. Flatirons Bob Miller says he and Amy Einhorn had that same feeling after meeting Comey.

As soon as we met Comey, we knew we wanted to publish his book, Miller says. He was surprisingly funny, but more than that, we were so impressed by his storytelling ability. If he could write the way he talkedand it turned out he couldwe knew we would have an amazing book on our hands.

In acquiring the book, Flatironwhich, like Fire and Fury publisher Holt, is owned by Macmillanalso bought rights in Germany and the U.K., so that our sister companies in those countries could publish with us, Miller says. This helped us control the content and the media when it came time to publish, which is so important for a book of this nature.

Flatiron released Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership April 17, and it became an immediate hit, selling about 600,000 copies across all formats in its first week. Miller says part of the appeal of Higher Loyalty is that Comey did not write it in response to specific policies but rather intended it to address the nations institutional values that are in danger of being eroded by the Trump administrations disregard for them.

Miller says he and Einhorn knew that, because Comey was using his career to illustrate various types of leadership, Higher Loyalty would be relevant regardless of what happened in the news cyclealthough he concedes that the early sales of the book benefitted from a bit of a perfect storm, noting, As the Mueller investigation continued, Trumps obsession with Comey grew, and he couldnt stop tweeting about Comey.

Despite Trumps attacks, Comey, with the exception of a few strategically brilliant tweets, stayed quiet, Miller says. He would only break his silence with the publication of his book, and by that time, everyone wanted to hear what he had to say.

Miller believes readers will want to hear what Comey has to say for some time: There will be interest in Trump as long as he is in office, and for a long time after that, because he is putting democracy itself to the greatest test in its history. We think that A Higher Loyalty will be read as an important historical document for years to come, and that it will have a long life in the academic market, as well. The book has now sold about one million copies total in print, e-book, and audio.

Eric Nelson, v-p, editorial director, Broadside Books

Though all three of this years top-selling Trump books were critical of the president, Trump has a loyal base who supported books that defended him and cast doubt on his attackers. The leading title in this group, with total sales in all formats of about 400,000 copies, is The Russia Hoax: The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump by Gregg Jarrett, a long-time Fox News anchor who is now a Fox legal analyst. Broadsides Eric Nelson says the genesis of The Russia Hoax was a lunch he had with Jarrett in fall 2017 to talk about potential books. Jarrett had never written a book, but, according to Nelson, as the Mueller investigation rolled on, the topic had gotten under his skin in a way nothing had before.

Once the deal was done, Nelson says it took about five to six months to get books on the shelves. He adds that it wasnt written in response to any other books; it was a methodical sorting of known facts and legal arguments. Jarretts goal was not to bring new facts to light but to provide a framework readers could use to understand everything that happens with the Justice Department going forward, Nelson says.

Aware of the volatile political climate, Nelson had the manuscript reviewed by lawyers and political obsessives, and also by anti-Trump partisans, to make sure we knew what outside scrutiny would look like when it came, he says. We were worried all along that the book might get overtaken by other books that were salacious, careless, and conspiracy minded.

Published on July 24, The Russia Hoax was the top title in the country the week of its release, selling more than 72,000 print copies, according to NPD BookScan. The book got a big assist from Trump, who, on August 1, tweeted, Congratulations to @GreggJarrett on The TREMENDOUS success of his just out book, The Russia Hoax.

Nelson also believes Jarrett hit a nerve with readers: As Gregg says, Hillary Clinton broke the law but not the rules. Trump broke the rules but not the law. And we see which one Washington takes more seriously.

Like the publishers of books critical of Trump, Nelson thinks The Russia Hoax will continue to sell well. Every day, I think Trump has run out ways to be interesting, but hes a bull who now owns his own china shopevery day he breaks a new unwritten rule, he adds. We probably have six more years of Trump controlling the national conversation, and the bestseller list.

Broadside, a HarperCollins imprint, will publish the paperback edition of The Russia Hoax, with updates, in spring. And Nelson says there could be more to come: Well eventually have to publish a new book on Mueller if we really want to keep giving readers what they want.

Rolf Zettersten, president and publisher, Center Street

An imprint of the Hachette Book Group, Center Street has a long history of publishing conservative voicesamong them John Ashcroft, Jim DeMint, Bill Frist, Mike Huckabee, and Rand Pauland signed Jeanine Pirros new book in October 2017. Rolf Zettersten says he was excited to work with the Fox News personality because of her reputation as a conservative voice who pulls no punches. Moreover, he notes, he thought that with her background as a lawyer and the fact that she was the former district attorney for Westchester County, N.Y., she would bring a unique perspective to what was going on in Washington following the election of Trump. That view was confirmed when Center Street editorial director Kate Hartson met with Pirro as part of the acquisition process and was impressed with her communication style and substance.

Liars, Leakers, and Liberals: The Case Against the Anti-Trump Conspiracy was released July 17 and has, to date, sold 350,000 copies across all formats. Zettersten attributes Liars popularity in part to the fresh insights Pirro brought to the work, and to her willingness to express opinions that are critical of liberals and weak-kneed conservatives. For example, he says, Pirro was one of the first and most consistent voices who called for the resignation of the attorney general. She also, he argues, revealed new information about the liberal campaign to undermine Trumps presidency, as well as resistance from those who want to maintain the status quo in Washington.

Another point in Pirros favor was her ties to Trump, his family, and some of his aides. For the book, she interviewed members of the Trump family and White House officials, including counsel to the president Kellyanne Conway and chief of staff John F. Kelly.

And Zettersten says he was sure Pirros fans would appreciate her take on events: Pirro has a vast audience who look to her to provide the facts. Just because a topic has been covered by mainstream media, that doesnt mean that it has been covered accurately.

Notables of the Year

In addition to naming six publishers of Trump books as our Persons of the Year, PW selected five other industry members who had notable achievements in 2018.

Moira Donegan

Glory Edim

David Moberg

Madeline McIntosh

Randall White
Shortly after the New York Times and the New Yorker jointly reported on the sexual abuse allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, a crowdsourced Google spreadsheet called Shitty Media Men began to circulate, particularly among women, in New York City media and publishing circles. The document collected allegations and rumors of sexual abuse and harassment against men in those industries, sparking investigations, backlash, and soul-searching, and is widely considered a prime mover in bringing the #MeToo movement to the publishing industry.

In the aftermath of the release of Shitty Media Men came the dismissals or resignations, due to sexual harassment allegations, of a number of editors whose names appeared on it, including Paris Review editor Lorin Stein and Atlantic editor Leon Wieseltier. Several other prominent men named on the list resigned this year for different reasons, and whether they did so as a result of Shitty Media Men remains the subject of speculation. What is no longer a speculation is the name of the lists creator: Moira Donegan.

Donegan, a former editor at the New Republic and a columnist for the U.S. edition of the Guardian since May, inked a book deal in October for an as-yet-untitled primer on dealing with sexual harassment with Scribner, whose v-p and executive editor, Kathy Belden, bought North American rights from Monika Woods at Curtis Brown. (Moira has helped us recognize and confront ongoing issues relating to sexual harassment within our industry and beyond, Belden says.) That same month, author Stephen Elliott, the founder and former editor-in-chief of online literary magazine the Rumpus, filed a lawsuit in the Eastern District of New York seeking $1.5 million in damages from Donegan and Jane Does (130) for libel and emotional distress. (Donegan is represented by Roberta Kaplan, who won the landmark 2013 case United States v. Windsor, in which the Supreme Court struck down the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and required the recognition of same-sex marriages.)

Shortly thereafter, Graywolf Press, which published a collection of Elliotts essays in 2017, made its opinion on his lawsuit clear via its Twitter account. Graywolf strives to publish literature that reflects empathy, understanding, and generosity of spirit, the press said in the statement. The lawsuit brought by Stephen Elliott is not consistent with those values, and in the strongest possible way we express concern for those who may be harmed if it goes forward.

Over the past year, Donegans imprint on the publishing industryin which women make up approximately 80% of the workforce and men hold a disproportionate number of positions of powercannot be overstated. Since the circulation of the list, a number of women came forward with allegations against figures previously considered untouchable, perhaps the most prominent of whom was author Sherman Alexie, who declined the Carnegie Medal in nonfiction for his memoir, You Dont Have to Say You Love Me, earlier this year. The list also sparked a conversation in literary circles and on social media that only continues more passionately as the #MeToo movement gains momentum. It has turned a light onto the darker spaces in the book business, as Donegan well knows.

The #MeToo movement is part of a long history of womens determination and resolve in bringing our experiences of sexual violence to light, Donegan says. Im grateful that the book Im writing gives me the opportunity to explore the moral and political legacy of those efforts, and to look forward at ways to build a more just, more equitable future.

Return to the main feature.
Stuart McAlpine is a fourth-generation farmer in Australias hot, dry Wheatbelt. An early adopter of alternative farming methods and natural networker, he is working to see resident population numbers in his region flourish along with the soils.

Like 90 percent of Australian farmers, Stuart McAlpine uses no-till methods, but twelve years ago he felt there was still a long way to go. Farmers here have come under a lot of pressure on what was already a very arid continent, McAlpine explains.

We have had to maximize returns per hectare to stay profitable. That led to expansion and specialization, and away from diversity. But diversity is important to maintain an ecosystem, so that kind of farming has come at the cost of natural capital.

He decided to switch his farm in the Wheatbelt of South West Australia from monocrop grain farming to more regenerative agriculture. Regenerative methods put the health of the ecosystem first. By focusing on soil biology, farmers reduce their dependence on artificial inputs, rebuild carbon in the soil, and encourage biodiversity.

Regenerative farms are shining this year despite the drought - Stuart McAlpine Twitter Linkedin Mail

Drought-proofing farms

Next to no-till farming, ways to achieve these outcomes include reforestation, composting, and replacing monocultures with crop sequencing. Above all, McAlpine says, our challenge is to try and assist nature to regenerate our soils and let her get on with the job.

McAlpine now grows canola and lupin next to wheat in order to reduce pathogens and replenish the soil naturally. He also keeps around 500 head of cattle and a herd of up to 1,000 sheep, using regenerative ranching methods such as cell grazing and sowing pastures with multiple grass species.

These methods are not a quick fix: it can take years for soil to recuperate to the productivity levels achieved using high-input farming. Nevertheless, McAlpine is wholly committed to them. Our regenerative farms are far more resilient and able to cope with the climate changes we are getting. The ones that have been going for a while are shining this year, despite the extreme drought.

Stuart McAlpine (with spade) during a soil health workshop at his farm in 2018



He runs various workshops and networking opportunities through organizations like Liebe Group to encourage other farmers to adopt these methods and stay the course. A lot of people walk away from regenerative farming because of lack of support or lack of patience. They dont get to experience the long-term benefits.

A business model for hope and wellbeing

Commonland, a company that works with local people to restore fragile landscapes worldwide, started a project in South West Australia in 2015 and Stuart soon heard about it. The approach really resonated with me, he says. Especially their focus of hope and increased wellbeing. It was nice to have it framed in a business model. He is now a Non-executive Director of Wide Open Agriculture, a listed company which practices regenerative farming based on Commonlands concepts.

One of Commonlands pillars is bringing people back to depopulated areas, something McAlpine had already started working on nearly ten years ago. Currently at 7.1 residents per square kilometer, population density in South Western Australia has never been high, but McAlpine was disheartened to see local schools closing for lack of pupils in 2010.

Weve managed to increase the local population by 15 percent - Stuart McAlpine Twitter Linkedin Mail

Bringing back the people

Bigger farms mean diminishing populations, McAlpine explains. I reckon the population has been halving here every ten years. I saw that no one was addressing the problem. We would have to think outside the box to rebuild social wellbeing with things like social gatherings and sporting events. So we started working with some great local businesses to find solutions.

The local governments Regional Repopulation Plan is based on McAlpines ideas. It aims to attract people, including migrants, to the area to meet labor shortages in agriculture and other sectors by offering English language instruction, integration support and housing assistance. Weve managed to increase the population by 15 percent. And school numbers have doubled in the nearby town of Dalwallinu.

Ecosystems big and small

McAlpine is now working on enabling quorum sensing on his land, a method that advocates high levels of microbial biodiversity in the soil. Some bacteria need to reach a certain density to work best. They can then build symbiotic systems with other microbes that maximize the health of the soil. Its a complex system, says McAlpine. But we can measure the changes in ecosystem function compared to the current approach.

Sound radical? McAlpine is not phased. Ive been working on change for years. Its a bit like climbing a mountain: its bloody hard work, but once you get to the top, itll be pretty easy walking down the other side.

Photo at top: NACC
The lawyer for hit-and-run driver Rouxle Le Roux says people who signed the petition against her client didnt know the facts.

Le Roux, 19, has become a nationally reviled figure since she was sentenced 11 months' home detention after hitting and killing 15-year-old cyclist Nathan Kraatskow.

Belinda Sellars, lawyer for Le Roux, told RadioLIVE on Wednesday that many New Zealanders do not understand the full circumstances of the conviction.

We all make mistakes and she will live with that for the rest of her life.

Kraatskow was hit as he was riding his bike through an Albany intersection in May. Le Roux, a learner driver, had consumed wine and cannabis earlier that day and failed to stop.

Kraatskow died at the scene.

Insensitive posts on her Instagram surfaced after the sentencing and a petition asking the Crown to appeal her sentence reached 140,000 signatures.

On Thursday, Crown Law said the sentence was "appropriate" and there is no basis for an appeal, sparking further outrage among those who want to see Le Roux face a harsher sentence.
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Dai Wei, founder of Ofo, one of the country's largest bike-sharing companies, has been issued with consumption restrictions by a court in Beijing.



The company has been under the spotlight having been shown to be experiencing economic difficulties.

Thousands of people this week met at Ofo's headquarters in Beijing, demanding to have their deposits returned.

As of Thursday, more than 10 million people have applied to get their deposits back on the of Ofo app.

According to one of the ruling files publicized by the Haidian People's Court in Beijing, Dai Wei has been prohibited from any high-end consumptions and non-necessities of life and work, because he and his company failed to pay debts to a logistic company in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

The items include first-class seats on a range of modes of transport, luxury hotels, real estate, renting high-end office buildings, and seats on bullet trains.




Gerry Brownlee says 'spying' is the wrong term to describe what a private investigation firm did to Christchurch quake claimants.

Southern Response, set up by the Government after AMI collapsed under the weight of claims following the 2011 quakes, hired firm Thompson & Clark to infiltrate meetings of claimants considering legal action against the agency.

The release of the State Services Commissioner's report on the agency's use of Thompson & Clark saw chairman Ross Butler resign, and a complaint has been laid with police regarding potentially unlawful recordings of the meetings.

Mr Brownlee, who was Earthquake Recovery Minister at the time and had responsibility for Southern Response, told RadioLIVE on Friday the report was written "with the wisdom of hindsight" and Southern Response has done "a pretty good job".

"I certainly knew there were death threats, very serious death threats against staff, and there was also you know, some serious other threats about what would happen to their property, et cetera," he told hosts Mike Puru and Carly Flynn.

"Then there was regular and... very serious abusive situations that arose. I certainly knew that they were going to have a look at the security of those staff.

"Now, exactly what the details of that were, I wasn't aware of that. But I do think the term 'spying' is probably the wrong one because of the atmosphere that was there, the situation that the Southern Response board, and indeed their chief executive, faced as employers, and I think care of duty for staff."

He said it would be disappointing if the law had been broken, but it was a "highly charged environment", and defended the performance of the outgoing chairman.

"I have huge disappointments for the chairman, who was a very fine chairman and changed his whole life, his business involvement et cetera to take the job in.

"Remember that AMI failed - the New Zealand-based insurance company, it failed. It couldn't meet its obligations. All of the claimants would have been well and truly out of pocket had the Government not stepped in to set up Southern Response as a run-out insurer. It cost the taxpayer about $1 billion. I think they've done a pretty good job."

Current Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration Megan Woods said she was disappointed in Southern Response's past actions.

"Covertly attending private claimant meetings and recording closed door conversations without anyone's knowledge are not appropriate ways for Government entities to manage their reputations.

"These actions were wrong, plain and simple. They are unacceptable to me and unacceptable to this Government."

An interim chairman will be appointed in the coming days.



Newshub.
There have been twice as many cases of antibiotic resistant superbugs detected in New Zealand this year than in 2017, a prominent microbiologist says.

Last year there were 34; with the addition of this week's cases at Middlemore Hospital there have now been 70 in 2018, Siouxsie Wiles told RadioLIVE on Friday.

"This is an organism we don't see here very often, but numbers have been rising... There have been cases overseas where there have been no antibiotics and the patient died - that's what we're trying to avoid here."

Bacteria have been getting increasingly resistant to medicine in recent years, thanks to evolution and aided by our widespread use of antibiotics.

It works like this: when an antibiotic fails to wipe out a colony of bacteria, it's because the survivors have mutated in a way that protects them. The survivors pass on the mutation, so the new colony they form will be stronger than the last against that particular antibiotic. They can also pass on their mutant genes to other bacteria, spreading the resistance.

Some bacteria are now at the point where no traditional antibiotics work - these are the kind found in two patients who were recently at Middlemore.

"In this particular case we've got what we call the 'last resort' antibiotics, which are not very nice antibiotics at all," said Dr Wiles.

"But there are strains of these bacteria overseas that are also resistant to those."

The jump in detections here could be because they are growing in numbers, or that more screening is being done.

"It could be both," said Dr Wiles, noting that some of us could be carrying the bugs without any ill-effects - for now.

"People can carry them in their guts with no effect, but if it gets into the bloodstream of someone who's very ill, it can be very, very dangerous because there are very few antibiotics left to treat this bacteria.

"And so when people go into hospital and more people are being screened to see if they are carrying this bacteria, obviously if it transmits between patients, there's much more chance it could cause somebody serious harm."

Earlier this year Dr Wiles told Newshub a decade ago there were only about six cases of antibiotic-resistant superbugs a year in New Zealand. Luckily, so far none of the cases here have proven fatal.

It can take years to get new treatments out of the lab and into pharmacies, but Dr Wiles says there's a simple way to lessen the risk in the meantime.

"Being really careful about washing hands after being to the toilet, washing hands before doing anything - hand hygiene is the best defence against these organisms, because we don't have any vaccines against them."



Newshub.
Red Arrow Studios International has optioned the rights to Joanne Lipmans bestselling book Thats What She Said: What Men Need to Know (and Women Need to Tell Them) about Working Together to develop into a fictionalised series.





The book from the veteran journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of USA Today (pictured) tackles the issues facing workplaces across the globe, providing a roadmap for navigating the world in the post-#MeToo era. It combines anecdotes from Lipmans own rise to the top of a male-dominated industry with data and research to offer real-world solutions for combating unconscious bias, sexual harassment, bropropriation, mansplaining, the gender wage gap, and other systemic problems people confront daily in professional environments. The book has a narrative through-line which will be fictionalised into a series-length drama.The TV adaption is a co-production between Anonymous Content, Charlie Lyons and Red Arrow Studios International. It will be executive produced by Paul Green and Paula Munoz Vega for Anonymous Content alongside Charlie Lyons, and Carlo Dusi and Bo Stehmeier for Red Arrow Studios International. The producers are currently in discussions with writers to sign on to develop the project further.Joannes work is timely and insightful, offering a nuanced exploration of gender politics in the workplace and how we can collectively progress in the wake of #MeToo, said Carlo Dusi, EVP commercial strategy, scripted, Red Arrow Studios International. Were excited to be working with Charlie and Anonymous Content to develop what promises to be a smart and engaging piece of television.Charlie Lyons added:  Joanne is a dazzling storyteller with the worldview and wisdom to tackle this provocative project. Im honoured to work with her, Anonymous and Red Arrow on this exciting television event.
As the year winds down to an end so, too, does the centennial for the end of World War I. Before we delve into the specifics of the brutal Christmas battles of the war, I thought it would be a good idea to recap some of the World War I-themed posts that appeared at RealClearHistory over the course of the year.

- 10 Countries That Played a Lesser Role in World War I

- 10 World War I Battles That Killed Christianity

- Dervish State? Whats That?

- 10 Craziest Dogfights of World War I

- 10 Things You Didnt Know About World War I

- 10 Key October World War I Events

- November 11: A Tale of Two Armistices

In addition to those pieces, World War I makes an appearance in the 10 Most Important Russo-Turkish Battles and the 10 Battles That Shaped Ottoman History. World War I was, if youll recall, an empire killer as much as anything.

I hope you enjoyed reading the articles as much as I enjoyed writing them and, more importantly, that you learned along with me. Most of all, I hope you were able to keep one simple fact in the back of your mind while reading about the history of World War I: Wars are horrific and I still dont understand why they are glorified in the mainstream press and Hollywood. Here are 10 facts about the Christmas Battles of World War I:

10. The combatants. The combatants were the empires of Germany and Russia, and they clashed in what is now Latvia after the Germans seized the territory in an earlier 1916 offensive. The Russian leadership felt that a winter campaign in the Baltics would rouse wounded spirits among both the troops and the general public.

9. The battles didnt actually take place on Christmas Day. They actually occurred in early January. However, under the old czarist Julian calendar, the battles occurred over the Christmas season, from Dec. 23-29. The Germans were caught by surprise because even though it was January in the West, it was Christmas season in Russia and the Germans believed the Russians would be celebrating their Christmas rather launching a major counter-offensive.

8. Casualties were high. The Latvian brigades in the Russian army suffered the worst fate. In total, the Russian empire counted about 23,000 casualties. The casualty number for the Germans is unknown. The Christmas battles were bloody as well as demoralizing.

7. The Siberians refused to fight. In a sign of things to come, the Siberian reinforcements refused to fight and the Latvian shock troops, which had seized a number of German fortifications after a costly, brutal offensive, were left to die in the German counter-assault. The Siberians did not want to die for Latvia, and they did not appreciate being forced to fight during Christmas. The Russian Revolution of 1917 occurred less than one year after the Siberians deserted their comrades from Latvia.

6. Temperatures were cold. The Russians waited for the bogs to freeze over before they attacked the German fortifications, so that their artillery could safely cross the swamps. So the blood of the combatants was mixed with ice and snow and steel and hatred and -30F temperatures. Finally, a -34F day literally froze fighting in place, and the two sides ceased fighting.

5. Latvian success was rewarded with incompetence. Against all odds, the Latvians broke the German lines, and they broke them good. Unfortunately, the Russian leadership did not anticipate the Latvians breaking German lines and there were no reinforcements on hand to shore up the positions of the victorious Latvian units. The Russian generals believed they were sending the Latvian squads to their deaths and had no B Plan for the initial assault.

4. Latvian sacrifices were eventually vindicated. The Latvian Rifle Brigades of World War I are widely venerated in an independent republic that survived the German-Russian fighting of World War I, the vicious Nazi-Soviet fighting of World War II, and the oppressive socialist apparatus from Moscow during the Cold War. Throughout the hard times of the Latvian people, the betrayed Rifle Brigades were remembered.

3. The Siberians were eventually slaughtered. The Siberians who refused to fight were not necessarily betraying their Latvian brothers-in-imperium. They knew they were cannon fodder. And, indeed, when the Siberians finally went to reinforce the Russian gains made, they were greeted with a massive German counter-offensive. The Siberians (and others) were left for dead. They received no food, no weapons, and no good tidings of comfort and joy.

2. Imperial citizens? The Russian Empire was immense, and the Christmas battles highlight just how cosmopolitan and diverse St. Petersburgs imperial domain really was. Latvians fought side-by-side with Siberians, Russians, Poles, and Cossacks against the German military. How did imperial Russia unite all of these peoples into one coherent nation? The short answer is that it didnt, but the longer answer is one worth pondering over the winter break.

1. The Russians lost the battles, and the war. In January (of both calendars) the Germans mounted a huge offensive that eradicated the gains made by the Russian Empire during the Christmas Battles. The Latvians in military and civilian circles felt so betrayed by their imperial overlords that when the Bolsheviks made their power grab, the Latvians were among their staunchest supporters. The Latvians were, of course, betrayed by the Bolsheviks and the Soviet Union, too, but the oppressed had their Riflemen to console their downtrodden spirits.

Have a good Christmas, and Ill see you next year!
As officials in North Carolina investigate possible voter fraud in last months election, 33 people have already been convicted of the crime in Texas this year, more than the states combined total for the previous five years.

Eight others accused of voter fraud in the state are awaiting resolution of their cases, which typically involve violations by small-time vote harvesters paid to collect absentee ballots.

The violations were generally in local, nonpartisan elections  such as those for school boards, and primaries of both parties  and are not tied to the well-funded, high-profile Texas race in which Sen. Ted Cruz defeated Democratic rising star Rep. Beto O'Rourke in November.

Checking a voter's ID in Austin. AP Photo/Eric Gay, File

And an ex-state lawmaker says Texass increase reflects not so much a rise in voter fraud as a more vigorous public effort to crack down on it.

I took it on when I was elected county attorney in Bee County in 1988, said former state Rep. Jose Aliseda, who is now district attorney in a three-county area in South Texas. Even back then, he said, voter fraud had already been part of the political landscape there for a long time. 

History shows that voter fraud has been part of elections in Texas for decades. And money, intimidation, skulduggery and misrepresentation have plagued elections in virtually every state.

In recent years Democrats and major media outlets have dismissed claims of significant voter fraud, including those by President Trump. But the disputed midterm outcome last month in North Carolinas 9th Congressional District  centering on allegedly illegal ballot harvesting for the Republican candidate and apparent winner  has put the issue at center stage of American politics.

Also stoking debate is a law passed by California in 2016 that made ballot harvesting legal. Republicans believe it helped Democrats flip House seats in their traditional stronghold of Orange County during this years midterms.

Republican-dominated Texas, home to one of the most significant stolen elections in American history  Democrat Lyndon B. Johnsons 1948 race for the Senate  may be ground zero for the issue because it has, perhaps more than any other state, worked to combat it.

LBJ, a newly minted Senator after his fraudulent 1948 election.

The increase in convictions stems in part from legislation that took effect Dec. 1, 2017, with an enhanced definition of voter fraud and slightly increased penalties from misdemeanor to felony in certain cases, including offenses involving a voter aged 65 or older.

The attorney generals office, which declined to comment for this article, has also invested more money in policing fraud, both for staff and administrative costs.

The basic element in most of the cases is the mail-in, or absentee, ballot. A voter who is either 65 or older, infirm, or otherwise unable to get to the polls on voting day can elect to vote by mail. Texas law allows for someone to assist such voters within limits. Close relatives can assist, and non-relatives must comply with rules on signing, handling, and mailing in the ballot.

Illegal vote harvesters often get to know the elderly and the sick in a community  people most likely to vote by mail. Under the guise of assistance, they advise on whom to vote for or take the ballot and cast the vote themselves.

In some cases, they intercept mail-in ballots, vote in accordance with whoevers paying them, forging voters signatures. In other cases, they request, intercept, fill-in, and return absentee ballots in the names of unwitting voters.

The harvesters, who can work for a slate of candidates, are often called canvassers on campaign finance reports, where expenditures are noted. Other times the acronym GOTV is listed under purpose of payment, for get out the vote. Sometimes labor is the term used. The region-specific name for harvesters in Texas is "politiqueras."

The operatives can earn as much as $5,000 in an election season, mostly in hotly contested local races and primaries. And they can become the building blocks of local political organizations.

The practice has its roots in Latin America, said K.B. Forbes, a political consultant and Hispanic activist who has served as an elections observer in Sonora, Mexico. In the Latin culture, they have colonias, which is little colony, literally, he said. In these, they sometimes have the equivalent of a precinct boss, and thats how people move up. The [politiqueras] deliver the vote and when the candidate moves in, the theory is that they get a good post inside the government.

Many prefer to mail it in. That's where the trouble begins.

Voter fraud cases originate with referred complaints from local elections officials, citizens and law enforcement, and investigators examine skewed results in particular. For example, a good indication a candidate has been cheated by absentee-ballot fraud is when he or she wins by a 70-30 percent margin at the polls and loses by the same margin on mail-in ballots.

While Texas has led the nation in voter fraud convictions since at least the mid-2000s, various factors have diminished the crackdowns impact. These include weak penalties, a time-consuming investigative process and protests of cheating or voter suppression from the communities in which the fraud has been perpetrated.

In October, a little over three weeks before the general election, the state attorney generals office announced the arrest of four people on voter fraud charges in Tarrant County. As usual, none were candidates for office or party leaders  the prosecutions almost never move up what many presume to be the chain of command.

Instead those arrested were small-time vote harvesters, or agents paid by candidates to secure mail-in ballots cast in their name. Most of those convicted avoid jail.

Of the 33 convictions this year, 30 have resulted in the convict going into a prosecution-diversion program, avoiding incarceration and, upon completion, usually having their record removed from public databases. Those agreements are struck between the state and the accused, often because of murky facts or poor witnesses. Many of the defendants have no criminal record to base a stiffer sentence on.

President Trump, prominent critic of vote integrity, at an October rally in Houston for Sen. Ted Cruz.

Jonathan White, who leads the AG offices prosecutions of voter fraud cases, testified to the state House Standing Committee on Elections in 2017 that heavier penalties would definitely help us as a deterrent.

These are folks that, if they know that there's a good chance of them getting caught and they know that there's a stiff penalty at the end, I don't think they're going to do what they're doing,  White, who declined an interview request, told the committee.

Buck Wood, a veteran election law attorney and former director of the Elections Division of the Texas Office of the Secretary of State, said the state Attorney Generals office has given its investigators and prosecutors the authority to crack down on voter fraud but not the tools to do it effectively. Mostly, its just for show, said Wood, who has defended individuals accused of voter fraud. The fact that its still being done, commonly, shows that they have not dissuaded anyone from this practice. These people generally dont expect to even get prosecuted.

Vote harvesters are agents of elected officials they will likely never meet. Leticia Sanchez, a 57-year-old Fort Worth woman, allegedly distributed payments from a local Democratic Party operative to three other individuals, who took mail-in ballots from a number of voters, forged their signatures, and cast votes for several candidates in the name of those voters. The alleged offenses happened during the 2016 Democratic primary. The judge in the case last week issued a gag order prohibiting attorneys on both sides from talking to the public.

The Fort Worth case stems from a spreadsheet of suspects from both political parties provided to the AGs office by Aaron Harris, a local conservative provocateur who conducted his own probe of elections in Tarrant County. The list included former Democratic state Rep. Domingo Garcia of Dallas, a handful of politicians in Fort Worth, several state political operatives and the law firm Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, one of the nation's largest government debt collectors.

Just one of those apprehended appeared on the list. All have denied any connection to vote malfeasance. Harris did not return a request for comment.

Anyone can write names down on a piece of paper and say they are suspects, said Craig Murphy, a Republican political consultant who was among the names on the spreadsheet investigators received. Im outraged that anyone would put my name on some kind of list like that. 

A big voter fraud case reaching major players would be significant, said Jason Snead, senior policy analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation.

These are almost always small-scale people getting arrested and convicted, said Snead, who is constructing a database of voter fraud convictions in the U.S. The campaigns often pay a fee for this service and, in many cases, dont even know that fraud is being committed in their name. And if they do, they can easily deny it. So what you get are vote harvesters and small sentences.
Joseph Kabila took over as president of the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2001, after his fathers assassination. By law, Kabilas tenure should have ended two years ago, yet he has continued to delay the constitutionally mandated election for a successor. The long-awaited election was finally set to take place on Dec. 23. But Kabila is attempting to tighten his grasp on power, and he has secured another delay, pushing the election to Dec. 30.

Kabila has made it clear that he has no intention of quietly giving up control even once he is out of office. He is doing everything possible to determine the outcome of the election in favor of his hand-picked candidate, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary.

Earlier this week, Kabila associates banned all political activity in the DRCs largest city just as opposition candidate Martin Fayulu was about to hold a rally. Last week, peaceful demonstrations in support of opposition candidates were met with brutal police force resulting in deaths , injuries, and unwarranted arrests. In January, Kabila ordered that the internet, social media, and e-mail all be blocked ahead of protests calling for his resignation. Over the past two years, Kabila has otherwise limited access to the media and sought to neutralize any potential opponents.

The heavy price the Congolese people pay

Violence and repression are hardly new tactics for President Kabila. His track record of atrocities is long and particularly gruesome. His rampant corruption, liberal use of violence, severe disregard for the people of his country, and suppression of democratic rights in the DRC feed the instability that has led to the deaths of millions of people during his nearly 20 years of control.

Last year, authorities used live shots and tear gas to break up protests in the DRC that resulted from stalling talks on the transfer of power. In March of 2017, the bodies of two humanitarian aid workers were discovered, and UN representatives have uncovered more than 80 mass graves containing thousands of deceased. Further, the BBC reported that conflict forced 1.7 million people to flee their homes in the DRC in 2017 alone, making the country one of the worlds most heavily affected by conflict displacement.

As someone who has observed the political crisis in the DRC for several years, it has been especially heartening to see recent reports and videos showing tens of thousands of enthusiastic supporters voicing their calls for a change in leadership in the run-up to this months election.

However, the governments violence against its citizens this past week is a disturbing indication that the elections -- if they are permitted to occur -- will not be open, free, and transparent.

The United States and other freedom-loving countries have an indispensable role in promoting democracy around the world. U.S. presidents from both sides of the aisle have long understood the vital part that America plays in exporting democracy. Former President George W. Bush in his 2006 State of the Union address said [o]ur nation is committed to a historic, long-term goal: We seek the end of tyranny in our world. And during a visit to Africa, former President Barack Obama declared that Africa does not need strongmen, it needs strong institutions.

In addition, there are geopolitical implications to the ongoing upheaval in the region. China has been accumulating a vast share of the countrys cobalt for its own use -- rumored estimates report that the nation is on track to control 60 percent of the nations supply. This stockpile stands to threaten U.S. national security and is a further reason to ensure that this vital election moves forward unimpeded.

Unfortunately, in the weeks leading up to the election, the international community has erred by asking opposition candidates to avoid violence. That mandate must be placed on the Kabila regime that is perpetrating the violence. In fact, the people being attacked are almost exclusively peaceful demonstrators acting out in support of anti-Kabila candidates.

The United States, members of the Southern African Development Community, and the European Union are all on record calling for Kabila to step down, hold a fair election, and allow for a peaceful transition of power. Now, democratic nations in the region and around the world must redouble their efforts to ensure that the long-overdue presidential election is held in a free and fair way. If, as we fear, the final election results lack credibility, the international response must be swift and forceful, creating space for the Congolese people to peacefully protest and ultimately to secure democratic change.

The Democratic Republic of Congo must transition the presidency in peace and harmony and must do it now. U.S. officials can and should play a part in ensuring that process reaches a successful conclusion. They must immediately denounce the election delay.

Craig Stevens, is a former senior official within the George W. Bush Administration. These views expressed are his own, however, Mr. Stevens is a registered agent through his employer DCI Group AZ, L.L.C. for Akin Gump Straus Hauer and Feld LLP on behalf of Mr. Martin Fayulu and Mr. Moise Katumbi; additional information is on file with the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. For more information on the election you can follow @DRCElectionInfo on Twitter.
When, where, under whose authority and under what circumstances is it politically sanitary to allow ordinary citizens to vote directly on massively impactful policies? While many Brexit-brooding Brits today could use a definitive answer to this question, the truth is, nobody really knows. This is a debate that has been ongoing for roughly 2,500 years, from the ancient Greek ecclesia to republican Rome to the rise of modern representative democracies on both sides of the Atlantic, many of which now find themselves in intense political turmoil. For all the academic literature on the topic, there is no equation to find the "right" balance of direct versus representative democracy, only a checkered list of historical and contemporary examples that can be either romanticized or vilified depending on the agenda and personality of the day.

The referendum is perhaps the most potent manifestation of this debate. Is the referendum "a device of dictators and demagogues," as postwar British Prime Minister Clement Attlee warned, or is it the purest expression of popular will in an age when global trade, demographic stress and technological change have collectively conspired to crater the public's trust in elected institutions? Referendum champions will often point to Switzerland, whose 8.4 million citizens has been frequently called upon in recent years to vote on everything from capping executive salaries to banning the dehorning of livestock, to argue that direct democracy with healthy turnouts is not only a feasible, but also a responsible path to ensuring that the people's voice is heard.

But the world is not Switzerland. Referendum critics will just as easily point to a long line of power-hungry heavyweights from Italy's Benito Mussolini to Germany's Adolf Hitler to Romania's Nicolae Ceausescu to Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan to demonstrate how referendums can serve as convenient political tools for illiberal leaders to consolidate their authority and smother democracy in the act.

The Bargaining Power of the Referendum

Not every referendum has to be wrapped in a sinister context, either. The number of referendums in Europe has swollen from the 1990s to today, as post-Cold War independence and integration efforts have inevitably come to clash with Euroskeptic-fueled populism demanding a resurrection of sovereign rights. Several establishment elites under fire have turned to the referendum as a way to cut short acrimonious debates and shore up credibility, only to see their plans spectacularly backfire. Former British Prime Minister David Cameron's call for a popular vote in 2016 was designed to put the Brexit debate to bed, not shake the European continent to its core. Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi lost his job when a 2016 referendum on constitutional reform morphed into a referendum on his leadership. Besieged French President Emmanuel Macron has plenty of reason to fear the wrath of the referendum from these examples, but he will not be able to ignore calls by yellow vest protesters for a "Citizens' Initiative Referendum" that would allow voters to approve government policies, a la the referendum-embracing Swiss model.

A number of European states have also seen the utility of referendums as a bargaining tactic when trying to balance sovereign interests with the more grandiose and politically indigestible features of European integration. When Danish voters in 1992 first rejected the Maastricht Treaty, which created the European Union, the Danish government used a second referendum to win exceptions on the monetary union, defense policy, and justice and home affairs. Taking their cue from the Danes, Austria, Finland and Sweden used referendums on joining the European Union to negotiate opt-outs (Sweden rejected euro adoption, while Finland and Austria secured more autonomy in running their foreign policy). Ireland also learned the value of voter rejection when it used a second referendum to extract concessions from the European Union on military neutrality (in the case of the Nice Treaty) and on taxation, neutrality, abortion and workers' rights (in the case of the Lisbon Treaty). And when the European Constitution was up for debate in 2005, a rash of referendums was held  or, in several cases, simply threatened  to secure concessions, like gaining higher vote shares in the European Council of Ministers.

The United Kingdom's shambolic path to exiting the European Union may lead many to assume that Brexit will be the cautionary tale of the century to other European states weighing the cost of divorce by a majority, and arguably ill-informed, vote. But the trend of referendums used as potent bargaining tools in Europe is far from over. In fact, the European Union may have inadvertently given this tactic more potency. A recent ruling by the European Court of Justice on how to legally interpret the politically loaded, 262-word Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty concluded that the United Kingdom has the right to withdraw from the process that allows a member state to exit the union. In other words, governments that vote to leave the European Union are legally entitled to flip right back around and say "never mind" or "we'll get back to you when we have a better plan" so long as they employ a democratic process  that is, a parliamentary vote, election or another referendum  to justify the reversal. That gives food for thought to Euroskeptic parties that are all too eager to tell voters that the bureaucrats in Brussels are holding them back but are legitimately fearful of absorbing the economic and political costs of overseeing a messy divorce. If EU withdrawals can more easily be threatened via referendums now that they come with an "abort" button, Euroskeptic leaders along with mainstream elites under fire from populist critics could employ the referendum to bargain for better terms with the Continent.

Referendum Fever Takes Hold in Mexico

Meanwhile, in the Western Hemisphere, Mexico's new president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, is making a masterful demonstration of how to rapidly legitimize populist credentials through the power of the referendum. The man better known as AMLO is a populist icon: He rode to his inauguration in an ordinary white Jetta with supporters on bicycles weaving through a chaotic motorcade to shake his hand. He peppered his exhaustingly long yet impassioned inauguration speech with egalitarian imagery, like selling off the presidential jet and eschewing the presidential mansion as his residence, turning it into a public museum instead.

Referendums are to AMLO what Twitter is to U.S. President Donald Trump  a straight shot to the disgruntled masses who would rather fall under the spell of an ideological agenda than fret over a mess of inconvenient details. Before he was even officially inaugurated as president, AMLO slapped together a haphazard referendum to halt a corruption-ridden airport project. It didn't matter that only around 1 percent of registered voters participated in a vote plagued by multiple claims of irregularities. AMLO was more intent on demonstrating that he is a man of his word, with a plan to set more referendums in motion.

Among the first items on AMLO's lengthy and detailed to-do list is a plan to change the Mexican Constitution to make it easier to hold referendums in the first place. The constitution currently bars plebiscites on matters of public finance, armed forces and elections. AMLO's referendum agenda intends to give the public a say on a much wider range of topics, like reversing energy reform in the name of making Mexico more self-sufficient, giving local populations a direct say in investment projects affecting their communities, increasing social spending, giving real teeth to anti-corruption measures and creating a national guard to police the country's grotesquely violent drug war. And AMLO wants these reforms to stick, with a specific goal to have national referendums become legally binding for Mexico's powerful state legislatures. When Mexico's Supreme Court tried to shoot down an AMLO measure to cap public wages (including a 40 percent pay cut for himself) as part of his austerity drive, his political allies quickly fought back with a proposal to subject federal judges to a direct popular vote and with a not-so-subtle threat to hang federal judges on corruption charges. As AMLO put it, this is not "just another political circus." He is plowing ahead with an aggressive agenda to purge Mexico of the rot created by a "neoliberal economic" agenda and bring forth what he has dubbed the Fourth Political Transformation of Mexico. AMLO is answering a legitimate popular cry to overhaul a corrupt system, but no amount of political wizardry can reconcile big policy ambitions with a severe austerity drive, especially as his moves are bound to depress energy revenues and scare off foreign investment.

Battling the 'Tyranny of the Majority'

It is precisely this kind of rhetoric and behavior that America's Founding Fathers sought to expunge from their democratic laboratory. They studied the direct democracy of ancient Greece in contrast to the republican form of government that arose in Rome. The Greek model represented what John Adams called the "tyranny of the majority"  a turbulent political model that had proven, in James Madison's view, to be "as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths." The Founding Fathers modeled their democratic enterprise instead on the concept of a more lasting republic  one in which the mercurial whims of the masses would be cooled by wiser and even-tempered aristocrats. Educated, propertied white men would be elected to institutions in a system of checks and balances designed, as Madison articulated, "to counteract ambition."

As a result, national referendums are deliberately not part of the U.S. political tradition; presidents are selected through an Electoral College rather than a majority take-all vote; power is distributed between the federal government and states; and no branch of the federal government can overwhelm the other without breaking the system. The blueprint of the republic has since evolved to allow for the direct election of senators and to expand universal suffrage, though many will still take issue with the lack of direct democratic channels to elect the chief executive or to hold national plebiscites.

For better or for worse, the United States is by design insulated from the growing referendum risk afflicting other parts of the world. But it is by no means immune to the structural forces gripping parts of the globe, as slow wage growth, rising inequality, soaring debt levels, aging populations, growing trade pressures, rapid technological change, creeping xenophobia and political complacency are altogether stressing many governments' social contracts with their citizens. In this climate, big political personalities will offer big promises of big change to come. But with those promises will also come big letdowns, creating a volatile cycle of discontent that will test the very foundation of even the most expertly engineered republic.

Reprinted with permission from Stratfor.
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Smartphone brand Oppo has opened a research center in Hyderabad in India  its first first research center outside of China.

Oppo said it would invest 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion) in 2019 on 5G, artificial intelligence, new materials and photography technologies.

It's Oppo's fourth research center globally, following Shenzhen, Chengdu and Dongguan.

The Hyderabad center, currently with 50 people, will have about 500 people within three to five years.

Since debuting in the overseas markets in 2009, Oppo now sells in 30 countries and regions including India, one of its largest foreign markets.

Chinese brands including Oppo, Huawei, Xiaomi and Vivo are "slowly but surely increasing their market share," to challenge Samsung and Apple, said researcher Newzoo.

In Shanghai, Oppo has released New Year editions of its best-selling models, the R17 and R17 Pro, with enhanced camera features for night shooting and a special operating system. The models feature triple cameras, in-display fingerprint scanning and fast-charging technology.




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The Ministry of Transport on Friday urged China's bike-sharing company ofo to refund users' deposits quickly.



Wu Chungeng, the ministry spokesperson, said ofo should introduce more channels and reduce expenses to expedite the online refund process to protect the legitimate rights and interests of its users.

The ministry also said it would follow the update of the process with other related departments.

Wu added that bike-sharing is a new mode of transportation integrating the mobile Internet with bike-renting in recent years, and the ministry fully supports its operation in a proper way. It provides a new choice for daily commuters and plays an active role in promoting green commuting in a city.

Under cash flow pressure, struggle to pay back

Days ago, hundreds of people lined up at the ofo's headquarters in Beijing, asking for a refund of their deposit immediately. Up to now, at least 11 million users are applying refund online, but they have to wait as the company faces debt pressure.

Calculating by its 99-yuan deposit, which is the lowest (another one is 199-yuan), the yellow-bike company have to pay back a whopping amount of 1.1 billion yuan.

ofo CEO Dai Wei on Wednesday said in a letter to its employees that the company is under huge pressure on cash flow, but it will try hard to be responsible to its users and never give up.

On December 4, Dai Wei was issued a consumption restriction by a court in Beijing, meaning that he is prohibited from any unnecessary consumption of life and work.
BMS allies with breakaway faction of Congress-affiliated INTUC.

This marks a new chapter in India's trade union movement, reports Somesh Jha.

IMAGE: A Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh rally. Photograph: Kind courtesy bms.org.in

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and a breakaway faction of the Congress-affiliated Indian National Trade Union Congress are joining hands to form a 'non-political' front to press for a common set of demands to the government.

This marks a new chapter in the trade union movement in India after all 11 central trade unions came together on a platform in 2009 to formulate a common set of demands.

The front, known as the Confederation of Central Trade Unions (CONCENT), has one more union, the National Front of Indian Trade Unions (NFITU), and an expelled leader from the Trade Unions Co-Ordination Centre (TUCC).

The NFITU says it is not affiliated to any political party.

"Trade unions affiliated to political parties are serving their masters and they are not doing justice to workers who have become secondary to them. They are cheating and abusing workers and farmers for political gains," said BMS General Secretary Virjesh Upadhyay.

The core thrust of CONCENT will be to keep it a non-political instrument and allow 'like-minded' regional, state and sectoral organisations to give solutions on issues related to workers, said Dipak Jaiswal, national president, NFITU, and convener, CONCENT.

The front will operate from the BMS office in New Delhi and will be headed by BMS National President C K Saji Narayanan.

The front will hold its convention of workers on December 31 to adopt its charter of demands, which will be submitted to a group of ministers led by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Almost all 11 central trade unions have political affiliation.

For instance, the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) is the labour arm of the Communist Party of India. The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) is the labour arm of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). A few such as the Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) and the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) do not have any political backing.

Cracks in the trade union movement were visible soon after the National Democratic Alliance government assumed power in May 2014.

The BMS broke ranks with all other unions in August 2015, when it decided not to participate in a one-day nationwide strike of workers in September 2015, following assurances from the government that it would meet its demands.

The NFITU decided to stay away from the strike. Further, the BMS and NFITU didn't support other trade unions in a similar nationwide strike in September 2016.

Relations soured further and all other trade unions stopped inviting the BMS to their conventions, meetings and conferences, leading to a communication breakdown.

Before the September 2016 strike, a group of ministers led by Jaitley invited only the BMS for discussion.

"The Union government is trying to create a division among workers by using the BMS. S P Tiwari, who we had expelled from the TUCC in 2015, is part of this new group known as CONCENT. The government wants to disrupt the two-day nationwide strike called by the 10 unions in January," TUCC Secretary G Devarajan said.

K K Tiwari, who belongs to the rebel faction of the INTUC, is a part of CONCENT.

The government had last year barred the INTUC from attending all consultation meetings after three leaders within the organisation claimed to be leading the union. The matter is pending in the Delhi high court.

"All labour issues should be above politics. Any move from the government which is positive and forthcoming should be looked from the workers' point of view. If the government is doing good things, we will openly support it. The government has become favourable to workers' demands," BMS chief C K Saji Narayanan said.

In a statement, CITU said the BMS 'deserted and got isolated' from the joint trade union movement after the NDA government came to power in 2014.

'It (the BMS) had no problem in joining the joint trade union movement and participating in struggles on common demands as long as the Congress-led UPA government was in power. But its discomfiture started when the BJP-led government came to power in 2014,' CITU said.
The HR challenge seems to be one of the most important issues that RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das will have to tackle, reports Anup Roy.

IMAGE: Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das at his first news conference after his appointment in Mumbai, December 12, 2018. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

Junior and mid-level officials of the Reserve Bank of India are upset with a new circular that reduces their eligibility for the next promotion.

And their agitation may not be out of place when one looks at the shrinking scope for promotions at the top itself.

The human resource challenge seems to be one of the most important issues that newly appointed RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das will have to tackle, apart from bigger ones such as reserves transfer to the government and maintaining the autonomy of the RBI.

The central bank's HR department stirred up a hornets' nest when it issued a circular stating that the bottom 25 per cent in the grade B to C and D to E won't get a promotion, a ceiling raised from the bottom 10 per cent earlier.

It came as a shocker to people who are due for promotion, and they went on a strike. Since it was not a union-sponsored agitation, it was easily doused, at least for now.

The demand of the protesting staff for a meeting with the new governor to present their case was not entertained, and a senior RBI officer attended to their concerns.

The RBI has a gradation system of A to F, where A is for assistant manager and F is for chief general manager. B is manager, C is for assistant general manager, D is deputy general manager, and E is general manager.

Promotion from the grade A to B is merit based, while that from the grade B to C has been automatic so far.

Again, the grade C to D is a tough one, with examinations and interviews involved. Promotion from the grade D to E was automatic for the top 90 per cent so far.

The latest circular, therefore, affects all the present managers and deputy general managers directly. But other ranks are also equally upset with the circular.

According to the central bank's annual report, the RBI's total staff strength was 14,785 as on December 31, 2017. Sources say the ratio of clerical staff to officers would be roughly 2:1.

Among officers, there are two types of cadres -- specialised and non-specialised. It has been a long-standing grudge of the specialised cadres that most of the policy decisions are highly loaded in favour of non-specialised cadres, which include the HR department.

Officers from non-specialised cadres, however, maintain that non-specialised staff form the critical mass and that's why policies could be a bit favourable for them.

A very big issue facing the RBI is that the career aspirations of a rapidly rising young workforce are not being met adequately.

This is because recruitments were done in batches for particular departments in the past. For example, in the early 1980s, a whole batch could have been recruited for a particular department, without spacing out the retirement ages.

This meant that the whole department would be blocked for the next 30 years. Many people here would retire only in 2019 to 2021. Therefore, promotion opportunities for the others are tight anyway.

"Lateral entries, no matter how small, are squeezing that opportunity even further. On top of that, if you have such filters, people who have waited for seven years to get promotion are suddenly seeing they could be excluded. It is a shock to them," said an officer.

Lateral entry itself is a touchy issue in the central bank, but in many ways there are no other options.

For example, in departments like banking supervision, the central bank is trying to hire many specialised people with certain skills. These skill sets have been missing at the bank despite the best training.

Then governors Dr Raghuram Rajan and Dr Urjit Patel moved to address this serious lack of skills by lateral hiring.

The RBI staff acknowledge that shortcoming, but also say the younger workforce is more savvy, comes up the ranks through rigorous tests and assessments, and, therefore, should be given a chance too to become specialists. But promotion avenues are getting narrower.

"If a section of the management, who is powerful but temporary, also recruits laterally, the institution suffers in the long run. For a lateral recruit, the RBI is just a feather in the cap. They leave with all their learnings at their posts," said another officer.

"But for career aspirants at the RBI, who want to retire from the RBI, that position is all they have. The upward mobility of these set of officers is getting disturbed," the officer added.

As far as the latest circular is concerned, these officers find is unacceptable.

"When an institution takes a policy, it is usually prospective, not retrospective. Now, if the person who has waited for seven years for the next level is given this new logic, he would feel utterly frustrated," an officer said, adding the staff expects Governor Das to roll back the new rules initiated during Dr Patel's tenure.

Besides, a smaller percentile for promotion will mean that employees could be more susceptible to the biases of the bosses, said one of the officers.

However, according to a senior officer, it is necessary that absolutely the best of the best get promoted if the central bank has to remain at the top of regulation.

"This is a knowledge-based organisation. If you want to be one up on the entity, you are supervising and regulating, you need to be completely clued on to it in terms of knowledge," said the officer.

"The organisation is moving towards a highly knowledge-leveraged, knowledge-based work ethos. Otherwise, you cannot be a central bank like one in the advanced economies," he said, adding the central bank invests heavily on training and in getting the right people.

Still there could be skill gaps in spaces such as data science, data analysis, high-end software, and in countering cybercrime.

"That is where the lateral requirement comes. Lateral is only where there is a skill deficit in the organisation, and it is just a fraction of the staff strength," said the person requesting anonymity.

The real challenge for all employees, though, is the pension-related issue. Even as the RBI is ready to give better pension from its own kitty, the government doesn't agree.

As a result, the retired employees get much lesser pension compared to other central government employees.

However, the government is expected to come up with its recommendation by the end of this month.

The RBI's next salary revision also fell due in 2017, which should get resolved soon.
When did Urjit Patel really resign?

When did Shaktikanta Das get the mandate to take over as RBI governor?

Nivedita Mookerji digs deep.

IMAGES: Shaktikanta Das, the new RBI governor, left, and Dr Urjit R Patel, who resigned with 'immediate effect' as RBI governor on December 11, 2018. Photographs: Reuters

Did Urjit R Patel resign as Reserve Bank governor for personal reasons as he stated in his parting letter?

Did Dr Patel meet Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi in the midst of a stormy relationship between the government and the RBI sometime in November?

Did he offer to resign during that meeting with the PM but was persuaded to keep things on hold?

Did Dr Patel keep the PM informed that he was going to step down as governor once the state elections were over or was it a sudden resignation?

If it was a sudden resignation, what was the latest trigger?

When did the government -- or rather the PM -- decide on former bureaucrat Shaktikanta Das as the one to replace Dr Patel at Mint Road?

And when did Das get to know that he would join the list of finance ministry bureaucrats being appointed as RBI governor?

These are some of the questions around the RBI-government tussle and the subsequent leadership change with no clear answers yet.

But like any other defining event, this one too has made each one of us a bit of a detective trying to find answers to some tricky questions and piece together a story that could be different from what we have perceived so far.

You could call it a fly on the wall account, gathered from people who might have been in the know.

The first question first. Did Dr Patel really quit for personal reasons?

Yes, of course, what could be more personal than feeling cornered in a tussle with the government, when all communication channels have broken down.

He went out in protest, and that was personal to him.

Then comes the question on Dr Patel's meeting with the PM. Did he or did he not?

The initial rush of response from the government was a denial, though off the record. Soon after, there was a caveat.

There was no recorded meeting between the PM and Dr Patel in November. There was silence on whether a confidential and 'unrecorded' meeting took place between DR Patel and the PM, prompting everyone to guess what the answer was.

So yes there was a meeting, but there was no truce. And no resignation letter followed, till much later on December 11.

There has been much speculation on whether Dr Patel offered to resign during his meeting with the PM but was told to hold on till the state elections were over, but nobody with any credibility has backed this theory.

As analysed well by many writers post his resignation, Dr Patel was, after all, his own man contrary to earlier assumptions of him being a yes man.

It's unlikely that he would have settled for a date of resignation as per the convenience of the government. Those who know Dr Patel believe the 24th RBI governor chose his exit date himself.

If that was the case, it's hard to imagine why Dr Patel would keep the PM informed that he was going to step down as governor on a certain date, irrespective of state elections.

What came across as a sudden resignation was perhaps planned for some time but delivered only when he thought the time was right. So it might be futile to look for a fresh trigger.

The reasons for his resignation have been building up and he sent out the missive when the world least expected it. Just a day ahead of the assembly election results and days before a crucial RBI board of directors meeting.

That takes us to the next question: When did the government or rather the PM decide on Das as the one to replace Dr Patel?

Soon after the resignation Monday evening, the PM called a meeting of top bureaucrats and key ministers. The search committee was there to prepare a list, all in a jiffy.

But the consensus candidate was found with no debate or difficulty.

Das, the man who had overseen demonetisation without a fuss, was chosen in record time in that meeting itself.

While everyone kept guessing about an interim candidate, Das was named the 25th governor exactly 24 hours after Dr Patel's exit.

As a former bureaucrat rightly pointed out, nothing is cast in stone when asked about the procedure of selection of an RBI governor.

There's a lot of flexibility in how the shortlist is made and the final selection is done -- that has been the case earlier too though no appointment had been made with this haste.

Finally, when did Das get the call that he was getting the RBI top job?

Monday night, soon after the high level meeting called by the PM, it seems. He got a day to pack his bags for Mumbai.

On Tuesday, it was over to paper work -- Das resigning as member, Finance Commission, and then the announcement that the 25th governor had been appointed.
The auto major is eyeing 20 per cent of the compact SUV market with the petrol and diesel variants of the XUV300, reports Shally Seth Mohile.

Mahindra and Mahindra is looking to corner 15-20 per cent market share in the competitive compact SUV segment with its about-to-be-launched offering -- the XUV300.

It will also launch an electric version of the model in 2020.

Based on the Ssangyong Tivoli platform, the sub-four metre, five-seater model will compete with Ford Ecosport, Suzuki Vitara Brezza and Renault Duster and go on sale in the first half of February.

"The XUV500 is a very successful model. The Cheetah-inspired model is really liked by consumers. Therefore, we thought it makes sense to take the heritage of the model forward. Though the platform is coming from Ssangyong, the design is unique in every sense," said Pawan Goenka, managing director, M&M.

With the exception of South Korea and China, where Ssangyong has a strong presence, M&M can sell the model in all other markets.

Mahindra will be offering the XUV300 in petrol and diesel variants. This could include the 1.5-litre diesel engine and a newly developed 1.2-litre G80 turbocharged petrol engine.

As of now, Mahindra will not offer an automatic version.

For a segment that is showing signs of sales cooling off and saturation, M&M's entry could be delayed, said analysts.

"It's not going to be easy, considering that the segment has established models like the Brezza," said Puneet Gupta, associate director, IHS Markit.

A volume of 7,000 to 8,000 units a month will be tough, he said. A lot, he added, will depend on the pricing.

Also, once Mahindra dealers start retailing the Ecosport as part of the deal between the two firms, there will be potential cannibalisation, Gupta said.

But Mahindra is confident.

"Depending on the value proposition and the price as well as the brand's positioning, there is still space for another model in the compact SUV segment," said Veejay Nakra, chief of sales and marketing at the automotive division of M&M.

Mahindra has learnt this lesson the hard way. In the absence of a contemporary designed model that can pose a challenge to rivals, Mahindra lost market share in the utility vehicle segment -- first to Renault and Ford and then to Maruti Suzuki.

Launched in 2016, the Suzuki Vitara Brezza had turned out to be a runaway success.

Photographs and video: Kind courtesy Mahindra & Mahindra
The acid test for a GI product, therefore, is whether the consumers perceive it to originate from a certain geography and attribute the qualities, characteristics or reputation to that region.

Latha Nair, partner at K&S Partners, examines what constitutes a GI tag and what the gaps in the Indian GI law are.

Recent conversations around geographical indication have involved cases such as a GI tag on Alphonso mangoes from Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, the Coffee Board applying for GI to protect Araku coffee, and the tussle between Odisha and West Bengal over the rosogolla. Read on to find out all about it.

What exactly are geographical indications? Who can apply for a GI mark/status?

Geographical indications (GIs) are a form of intellectual property rights (IPRs).

While other forms of IPRs are private in nature, GI rights are community rights.

A GI indicates a product to originate from a geographical region or a territory or locality therein where the quality, characteristics or reputation of such a product can be essentially attributable to its geographical origin.

In India, any association of persons or producers or a body established under any law can apply for a GI tag if such an applicant represents the interests of producers of the goods concerned.

What are the steps involved in a product getting a GI mark?

Ideally, some important pre- and post-registration steps must be followed by all applicants.

In the pre-registration stage, the applicant must get all the producers together, reach a consensus on the specification and area of production, put together an inspection system and establish mechanisms for financing protection, marketing and enforcement of the GI.

After completing these steps, apply for registration.

Once registered, enforce the rights through market inspections, addressing fakes, taking offenders to task and publicising the product as well as the enforcement efforts.

A successful GI is one that is enforced and marketed well. Registration is just one small step in protecting a GI tag.

When were the laws governing GI mark last amended or modified?

Prior to 2003, while unregistered GIs could be enforced through passing-off actions in India, GIs could be registered as certification marks.

The current GI statute, Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act, 1999, was notified in 2003.

There has been no amendment to the same. Over 300 GIs are registered under this Act.

Can recipes be given GIs? Do GI laws in India for recipes work the way Traditional Specialty Guaranteed (TSG) mark work in Europe?

Any product can be given a GI tag if it meets the parameters, namely quality, characteristic and reputation that are essentially attributable to its geographical origin.

While GIs are rooted in geography, recipes indicate steps in preparing a foodstuff and can be executed anywhere irrespective of geography.

Mere recipes for dishes must be distinguished from foodstuffs that are rooted in geography and are GIs.

For instance, while vada pav or sandesh are dishes made from recipes, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is a foodstuff that is a GI.

The acid test for a GI product, therefore, is whether the consumers perceive it to originate from a certain geography and attribute the qualities, characteristics or reputation to that region.

The European regulations on TSG are for traditional recipes based on quality and consistency.

These are distinguished from GIs which are origin-based. On the other hand, India has protected many traditional recipes (eg, rosogolla) as GIs.

Is there any role of GI in the fashion industry, if at all?

India is a country that has a versatile textile craft industry.

The fashion industry can play a significant role in promoting GIs by creatively employing multitudes of origin-based textile crafts in their work.

However, without any quality control measures under the present statute, there is a high potential for misuse of these names in the fashion industry.

What are the gaps in Indias GI laws?

GIs, if well-protected, can be the powerhouse for rural development.

The current statute on GIs lack provisions on quality control, which is the touchstone of any GI protection.

Lack of quality control and enforcement would steadily undermine the trust and credibility of consumers on GI-branded products.

The success of a couple of famous Indian GIs is attributable to the proactive and sustained enforcement strategy and quality control.

Any policy on GI law must equally favour the consumer and producer. Unless the producer maintains the quality and consistency of the product by following and enforcing manufacturing regulations, the consumer will not be able to trust a GI tag.

The producer body must address fakes in the market regularly and publicise such enforcement to enhance consumer credibility.

It must also have a mechanism to fund all such enforcement.

Currently, many GI registrations are mere paper tigers with no funds or infrastructure to address fakes.

Establishing quality control mechanisms and funding should not be an after-thought, but an essential pre-registration step.

The recent reports on Kalamkari fakes, made with chemical dyes, and Kota Doria, woven with synthetic yarn, are stark reminders beckoning sturdy quality control provisions.

A separate law to protect traditional recipes could prevent rosogolla-like wars.

In this context, it is a good idea for India to emulate the European model.

Photograph: PTI Photo
'China's vulnerability on the global stage has given an opening to India to push for its own interests,' notes Harsh V Pant.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

From Doklam to Wuhan, Sino-Indian relations have taken a great leap in the last year. And it seems more surprises are in the offing.

As the trade war between the US and China escalates, Beijing is reaching out to India in a major way by underscoring the need for the two nations to step up cooperation to fight trade protectionism in the wake of the unilateral approach being adopted by the US on trade-related disputes.

According to the spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in India: 'As the two largest developing countries and major emerging markets, China and India are both in the vital stage of deepening reform and developing economy, and both need stable external environment.'

Using comments by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi to safeguard the multilateral trading system and free trade at the World Economic Forum in Davos, it is now being suggested that China and India share common interests in defending the multilateral trading system and free trade and therefore, it is imperative that the two nations work together.

Even as China seems to be panicking, the Donald J Trump administration seems to be in no mood to take the pressure off China.

After imposing tariffs on nearly $200 billion of Chinese imports, President Trump has repeated his threat to slap tariffs on an additional $267 billion of Chinese imports if Beijing pursues a tit-for-tat strategy.

Washington doesn't view China as ready as of yet to reach a deal on trade. 'China wants to make a deal, and I say they're not ready yet,' Mr Trump said.

Trump's latest comments make it clear that Washington is ready to escalate the trade conflict by imposing tariffs on more than $500 billion worth of Chinese goods -- nearly the total amount of US imports from China last year.

At a time when protectionist tendencies in the West are growing by the day, the need for India and China to work together in global governance has been repeatedly highlighted by China in recent months.

At the Wuhan summit, the Chinese president argued: 'As the two largest developing countries and emerging-market economies with a population level of more than one billion, China and India are the backbone of the world's multi-polarisation and economic globalisation.'

Xi underscored the importance of building an open and pluralist global economic order in which all countries can freely participate to pursue their development, while also contributing to the elimination of poverty and inequality in all regions of the world.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi and China's Supreme Leader Xi Jinping at their meeting in Qingdao, China, June 9, 2018. Photograph: Press Information Bureau

The idea that India and China share convergent interests on the global stage and so need to work together is not new.

Throughout the early 1990s, it was this idea on which the broader Sino-Indian partnership was predicated upon.

In fact, the Russia-India-China trilateral arrangement and the BRICS platform evolved out of this synergy.

India and China spoke in one voice against Western interventionist policies in the 1990s and stood up against the West in global trade and climate change negotiations.

It is recently that this engagement has been weakening partly because Beijing seemed keener on reaching bilateral understanding with major Western powers without taking New Delhi into account.

If today China is once again talking about working together with India on global economic issues, there seems to be a realisation in Beijing that Western opinion is turning against it rather rapidly.

China would need partners which can help it alleviate some of these challenges. Its traditional partner of choice, Russia, won't be of much help as it not only is not fully integrated into the global economic order, but has also burned its bridges with the West.

India, meanwhile, remains an emerging economic power both with the heft and credibility to shape the global economic architecture in partnership with the West.

And New Delhi has shown an ability to maintain good relations with major powers, as was exemplified by the Indian decision to go ahead with the signing of the S-400 deal with Russia despite threats of American sanctions.

Key bilateral differences continue to plague the Sino-Indian relationship.

Structural factors that have determined the trajectory of this relationship for the past two decades continue to be influential and are not going to disappear overnight.

What is equally clear is that the top leadership in both countries is cognisant of the challenges that bedevil their relationship and would like to stabilise their relations.

After standing up to the Chinese border adventurism on Doklam last year and by taking a principled but consistent position on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, India made it clear to China that it will not succumb to brute Chinese power.

India's stature is growing in Chinese eyes. At a time when China is getting isolated in the West and is facing pushback on its flagship Belt and Road Initiative across the world, engagement with India is a key priority for most nations.

This is certainly a moment for New Delhi to tap into and use this opportunity to its fullest.

China's vulnerability on the global stage has given an opening to India to push for its own interests.

China will have to demonstrate its good faith by undertaking a real change in its policies vis-a-vis India before it can expect New Delhi to help it in overcoming its global isolation.

India should respond to Chinese overtures only if China is able to demonstrate a real intent of moving forward on issues that continue to bedevil the bilateral relationship.

Otherwise, the recent Sino-Indian bonhomie would have little meaning beyond generating some headlines.

Harsh V Pant is professor of international relations, department of defence studies, King's College London.
Billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala explains why he thinks Modi should be at the helm of India.

Syed Firdaus Ashraf listens in.

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, the Big Bull of the Indian stock market, has put his weight behind Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi and wants him to occupy the PM's office once again in 2019.

"When you have a young society, you have the highest growth rate. America grew the most during the baby boomer period. It was a favourable period for America. And now, we have the same favourable period till 2050. Therefore, I feel it is very important that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gets re-elected in 2019," Jhunjhunwala told a gathering at the Indian Merchant Chambers in Mumbai on Wednesday, December 19.

Amid cheers and applause, Jhunjhunwala said, "Modiji and our late prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri are the only two PMs who have seen poverty. Modiji knows what it means for a woman to cook on a chullah and how it affects her lungs and eyes."

Without naming the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Jhunjhunwala said, "And today, see the same woman cooks food on LPG. So I don't think our country is not progressing. Yes, you can say it is not progressing as it should be, but it is progressing."

PMUY, one of the Modi government's most ambitious projects, promises gas connections to 50 million homes across the country by 2019.

The scheme provides financial support of Rs 1,600 for each LPG connection to Below the Poverty Line households, interest free loans to buy a stove and refill.

The administrative cost of Rs 1,600 per connection -- which includes a cylinder, pressure regulator, booklet, safety hose, etc -- is borne by the government.

When asked about growing inequality in India society, the billionaire said, "Today my servant Ramu has a mobile phone through which he speaks daily to his wife. 10 years ago, he could not do that. 25 years ago there was no electricity in many households, but today there is."

"There were no toilets in many houses too, but today there are. No democratic society can survive if the poor does not flourish. We spend around Rs 2 lakh crore a year on social programmes."

"If between 1950 and 1960 we grew by 2%, between 1960 and 1970 we grew by 3% and between 1970 and 1980 we grew by 4%. What does this show? We are growing, but we can do much better,: Jhunjhunwala said.

"In 1967 we had to beg for wheat from America. Now we have plenty of food grain, vegetables and fruits in the country. So we are progressing."

Commenting on his own success, Jhunjhunwala said, "I started in the stock market with Rs 5,000 when I was 24 years old. I would never have made money if India as a country had not grown. My prosperity was not possible without India's prosperity."

Asked what worries him most about India, he said without missing a beat, "I see no dents in the India story. I don't think anything can dent the India story."

"The only thing that worries me is Pakistan's nuclear bomb. It is a failed State with nuclear weapons."

"The India story is based on skills. Societies grow because they consist of people with skills. We are a democratic country. Why does Africa does not grow? Because it has military rule with crony capitalism. We have a functioning democracy."
The China Family Planning Association will work with the country's health authorities to provide both moral support and financial aid for parents who have lost their only child or whose only child is severely disabled.

In a national council held on Thursday, the association - a nonprofit organization that advocates family planning policies and reproductive health - said it has invested 10.7 million yuan ($1.6 million) to launch programs in 82 cities across the country that provide psychological relief and insurance services to families in such circumstances.

"Eighteen areas, including the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Sichuan, Yunnan and Hunan provinces, have implemented hospitalization insurance that covers more than 400,000 families who lost their only child," Yao Ying, deputy head of the association said at the gathering.

In August, the association released a notice requiring its regional bodies to offer insurance to cover fees for the hospital stays of parents older than 49 whose only child had died. It's an attempt to ease the financial strain arising from the fact that childless parents are often left with nobody to help when they're hospitalized.

Yao added that the association is pushing for insurance plans with wider coverage for hospital stays and accidents to weave a stronger safety net for vulnerable families.

Tang Guangyi, deputy director of the family association in Chongqing, suggested also adding critical illness insurance to the medical package for parents whose only child had died.

"It is reported that some childless parents in Chongqing fell into poverty after they were diagnosed with severe illnesses," Tang said. "Such real-life cases show the need to cushion hefty medical expenses when these families are hit with serious diseases."

The association will also partner with the National Health Commission to establish an online database that aggregates information on all families whose child has died or was disabled.

The number of families who lost their only child had grown to more than 1 million by the end of 2014, and it was estimated that it would reach 6 million by 2035, Wang Guangzhou, a researcher on population and labor economy at Chinese Academy Social Sciences, said in an interview in 2014.

"The association should take advantage of its large number of members to shoulder the responsibility of providing comprehensive support for all families who lost their only child," said Lu Jiehua, professor of sociology at Peking University.
Opposition parties on Friday launched a scathing attack against the government for its move to authorise 10 Central agencies to intercept any information on computers, describing it as unconstitutional and an assault on fundamental rights and demanded its immediate withdrawal.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi claimed that this is what the government meant when they said 'ghar ghar Modi'.

The Opposition also raised the issue in both houses of Parliament and created uproar that led to adjournment in the Upper House.

Defending the order, the government said the authorisation was given under 2009 rules and that the opposition was playing with the national security by making a mountain where even a molehill doesn't exist.

On its part, the Bharatiya Janata Party said it is legal with adequate safeguards and dubbed the opposition's criticism as a text book case of speaking without any homework.

The Union home ministry late on Thursday evening issued an order enabling Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency, Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW), Directorate of Signal Intelligence (For service areas of Jammu & Kashmir, North-East and Assam only) and Commissioner of Police, Delhi to intercept information stored on any computer device.

The Congress along with the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and National Conference said they will collectively oppose the order.

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the move, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi saying converting India into a police state won't solve his problems but only proves he is an insecure dictator.

Converting India into a police state is not going to solve your problems, Modi Ji. It's only going to prove to over 1 billion Indians, what an insecure dictator you really are, Gandhi said on Twitter.

From Modi Sarkar to stalker sarkar, clearly the string of losses has left the BJP government desperate for information, the official Twitter handle of the Congress said.

Congress leader Jaiveer Shergill accused the government of data snooping, stealing and scaring Indians and demanded its immediate withdrawal that gave unbriddled powers to the government.

Modi has used a simple Government Order to permit our national agencies to snoop on our communications. Who knew that this is what they meant when they said ghar ghar Modi'. George Orwell's Big Brother is here & welcome to 1984, Owaisi tweeted.

Big Brother is a fictional character and symbol in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Blanket surveillance is bad in law, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said on Twitter and demanded that the notification be withdrawn immediately.

The Centre, however, said the rules for intercepting and monitoring computer data were framed in 2009 when Congress-led United Progressive Alliance was in power and its new order only notified the designated authority.

Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Anand Sharma, flanked by leaders of other opposition parties, said, "It is the ultimate assault on fundamental rights and the right to privacy. It is also in direct conflict with the Supreme Court judgement that right to privacy is a fundamental right. The government has done it by strength we collectively oppose it."

"If anybody is going to monitor the computer, including your computer, that is the Orwellian state. George Orwell is around the corner. It is condemnable," added his colleague P Chidambaram.

"Whenever the BJP feels it is going out of power, it talks about the nation being in danger. The country is not in danger...it is because of the BJP that the nation is in danger. If they go, the danger will come to an end...," Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said.

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal also tweeted his opposition to the MHA order and said India has come under undeclared emergency.

TMC member Sukhendu Sekhar Roy labelled the move draconian and accused the government of tapping the phones of all opposition leaders.

"Now, they have legalised interception of phone calls and computers. This is a draconian move of the government," he said.

Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav also termed the order unconstitutional and said the present government should refrain from making such moves with just a few months left for the general elections.

CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury voiced his opposition on Twitter.

Why is every Indian being treated like a criminal? This order by a govt wanting to snoop on every citizen is unconstitutional and in breach of the telephone tapping guidelines, the Privacy Judgement and the Aadhaar judgement (sic), he said.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah hoped the Supreme Court will take a long hard look at the legality of the Centre's order which allows government agencies to intercept any information contained in any computer system.

RJD's Manoj Jha said it was a cause of concern for not just parliamentarians, but for every Indian.

"We are perpetually living in a Orwellian state," he said.
All 22 accused in the alleged fake encounter killings of gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi and his aide Tulsi Prajapati were acquitted on Friday by a special Central Bureau of Investigation court because of insufficient evidence, even as it expressed sorrow over the loss of three lives.

Special CBI Judge S J Sharma said in his ruling that the court feels sorry for the families of Shaikh and Prajapati as three lives were lost, but the system demands that the court go solely by evidence. "....I am helpless, the judge said.

The court noted that the prosecution could not have done much to salvage its case as key witnesses turned hostile.

"There is no substantial evidence on record. The evidence submitted does not conclusively show that these 22 accused were the authors of this crime," it said.

All the accused, who were mostly police officials from Gujarat and Rajasthan, were out on bail during the year-long trial.

The 13-year-old case saw several twists and turns, including 92 prosecution witnesses turning hostile.

At one point, Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah was also arrested briefly in 2010 in the case before being discharged in December 2014.

The court's verdict drew mixed responses in the court room.

While the accused, all of whom were present in court, broke into tears of joy, congratulated and hugged each other, Shaikh's brother Rubabuddin looked visibly upset.

Sharma said the prosecution failed to establish a cogent case to suggest there was a conspiracy to kill the three people, or the accused had any role in it.

He said while there was no denying that Shaikh and others were killed, going by the evidence on record, the court could not conclude that the present accused persons could be questioned, or, held accountable for those deaths.

The three victims, who were returning to Sangli in Maharashtra from Hyderabad in a bus, were taken into custody by a police team on November 22-23, 2005 night.

The couple were taken in one vehicle and Prajapati in another.

The CBI, the prosecuting agency, said Shaikh was killed on November 26, 2005, allegedly by a joint team comprising Gujarat and Rajasthan police, and Kausar Bi three days later.

Prajapati, who was lodged in an Udaipur central jail, was killed in an encounter on the Gujarat-Rajasthan border on December 27, 2006.

Of the 22 accused, 21 are junior police officers from Gujarat and Rajasthan, who the CBI said were part of the teams that abducted the three and later killed them in staged encounters.

The remaining accused was owner of the farm house in Gujarat where Shaikh and Kausar Bi were illegally detained before being killed.

"The prosecution has failed to put forth any documentary or substantive evidence to suggest or establish the conspiracy theory against the 22 accused. It has failed to establish all charges levelled against them. Hence all accused stand acquitted," the judge said.

The court cannot rely solely on circumstantial and hearsay evidence, he said.

Police said Sohrabuddin was linked to terror groups like Lashkar-e-Tayiba and allegedly conspired to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then Gujarat chief minister.

Despite sincere efforts made by the prosecution, a cogent case could not be established since CBI lacked documentary evidence and reliable witnesses, Sharma said.

"Two main prosecution witnesses turned hostile. What could the prosecution have done? It couldn't have forced them not to turn hostile," he said.

The court was apparently referring to police drivers Nathuba Jadeja and Gurudayal Singh, eye-witnesses to the killings, as per CBI, who did not support the prosecution case in the witness box.

"Therefore, when this court ultimately went through all the evidence and testimonies on record, it concluded that no case of conspiracy could be established. Also, no link between these 22 persons and the three deaths could be established," Sharma said.

The court said there was nothing to show if service weapons of any of the accused policemen were used in the killings.

The CBI had charged 38 persons, including Amit Shah, who was then Gujarat home minister, Gulabchand Kataria, the then Rajasthan home minister, and senior IPS officers like D G Vanzara and P C Pande.

The prosecution had examined 210 witnesses, of which 92 turned hostile.

Shah was arrested in the case in July 2010, but released on bail by Gujarat High Court in October 2010. He was discharged by CBI court in December 2014.

Sixteen people, including Shah, Kataria, Vanzara and Pande, were earlier discharged by the CBI court due to lack of evidence.

The case evoked controversy when judge B H Loya, who was presiding over the CBI court, died three years ago after a heart attack. His family made unsubstantiated allegations that the judge was offered a huge bribe to rule in favour of the prime accused.

The case was initially probed by Gujarat CID before CBI took over in 2010. The SC in 2013 directed the trial be shifted to Mumbai from Gujarat on CBI's request to ensure a fair trial.

CBI had claimed Vanzara summoned Gujarat IPS Ashish Pandya while the latter was on leave, to be part of Prajapati's alleged encounter.

"CBI failed to produce any substantial evidence, phone records to prove Vanzara called Pandya for this specific purpose. There is nothing to conclude Vanzara had any knowledge of the alleged conspiracy," the court said.

Rubabuddin said he was disappointed with the verdict and would appeal in the SC.

The court on Friday also dismissed applications by two prosecution witnesses seeking re-examination.

Meanwhile, the CBI said it is yet to receive copy of the order in a cautious response to queries related to its future course of action.

A CBI spokesperson also remained economical in using words and refused to commit to the usual response of the CBI that it would study the order before deciding on filing of appeal in the matter.

He said his statement is limited to the sentence, the CBI is yet to receive the order.

Timeline in Sohrabuddin Shaikh case Following is the timeline in the alleged fake encounter case of gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi and associate Tulsi Prajapati, in which all the 22 accused, including 21 policemen, were acquitted by a special CBI court Friday.



-- November 22, 2005: Sohrabuddin, Kausar Bi and Prajapati are intercepted by a police team in a bus while returning to Sangli from Hyderabad and are taken into custody. Shaikh and his wife taken in one vehicle, Prajapati in another.



-- November 22 to 25, 2005: Shaikh and Kausar Bi kept in a farm house near Ahmedabad. Prajapati sent to Udaipur where he is lodged in a prison to face trial. -- November 26, 2005: Shaikh killed in an alleged fake encounter, allegedly by a joint team comprising Gujarat and Rajasthan police. -- November 29, 2005: Kausar Bi also allegedly killed by police, her body burnt and disposed of. -- December 27, 2006: Prajapati taken from the Udaipur central prison by a team comprising Rajasthan and Gujarat police and allegedly killed in an encounter near Sarhad Chapri on Gujarat-Rajasthan border.



-- 2005-2006: Shaikh's family approaches Supreme Court for investigation into his encounter and also seeks to know the whereabouts of Kausar Bi. SC directs Gujarat state CID to conduct a probe in the case.



-- April 30, 2007: Gujarat government files a report before the Supreme Court stating Kausar Bi is dead and her body burnt and disposed of. -- January 2010: Supreme Court hands over the probe to CBI. -- July 23, 2010: CBI files chargesheet against 38 persons including the then Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah, the then Rajasthan Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria and senior IPS officials. -- July 25, 2010: CBI arrests Amit Shah in the case. -- September 27, 2012: Supreme Court transfers trial in the case from Gujarat to Mumbai as sought by the CBI to ensure a fair trial.



-- December 30, 2014: A special CBI court in Mumbai discharges Amit Shah. Fifteen other accused including Kataria and senior IPS officials also discharged subsequently. -- November 2015: Shaikh's brother Rubabuddin approaches the Bombay High Court to challenge Amit Shah's discharge. However, the same month, he tells the HC that he does not wish to

pursue the case and withdraws his petition. -- October 2017: Special CBI court in Mumbai frames charges against 22 accused. -- November 2017: Special CBI Judge S J Sharma commences trial in the case. Prosecution examines 210 witnesses, of which 92 turn hostile. -- September 2018: Bombay HC upholds discharge granted to senior police officers D G Vanzara, Rajkumar Pandian, NK Amin, Vipul Aggarwal, Dinesh MN and Dalpat Singh Rathod. -- December 5, 2018: Court closes the case completion of final arguments by prosecution and defence lawyers.



-- December 21, 2018: Court acquits all 22 accused in the case after observing that proseuction failed to establish charges against them.

All 22 accused in the alleged fake encounter killings of gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi and his aide Tulsi Prajapati were acquitted on Friday by a special Central Bureau of Investigation court because of insufficient evidence, even as it expressed sorrow over the loss of three lives. Special CBI Judge S J Sharma said in his ruling that the court feels sorry for the families of Shaikh and Prajapati as three lives were lost, but the system demands that the court go solely by evidence. "....I am helpless, the judge said. The court noted that the prosecution could not have done much to salvage its case as key witnesses turned hostile. "There is no substantial evidence on record. The evidence submitted does not conclusively show that these 22 accused were the authors of this crime," it said. All the accused, who were mostly police officials from Gujarat and Rajasthan, were out on bail during the year-long trial. The 13-year-old case saw several twists and turns, including 92 prosecution witnesses turning hostile. At one point, Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah was also arrested briefly in 2010 in the case before being discharged in December 2014. The court's verdict drew mixed responses in the court room. While the accused, all of whom were present in court, broke into tears of joy, congratulated and hugged each other, Shaikh's brother Rubabuddin looked visibly upset. Sharma said the prosecution failed to establish a cogent case to suggest there was a conspiracy to kill the three people, or the accused had any role in it. He said while there was no denying that Shaikh and others were killed, going by the evidence on record, the court could not conclude that the present accused persons could be questioned, or, held accountable for those deaths. The three victims, who were returning to Sangli in Maharashtra from Hyderabad in a bus, were taken into custody by a police team on November 22-23, 2005 night. The couple were taken in one vehicle and Prajapati in another. The CBI, the prosecuting agency, said Shaikh was killed on November 26, 2005, allegedly by a joint team comprising Gujarat and Rajasthan police, and Kausar Bi three days later. Prajapati, who was lodged in an Udaipur central jail, was killed in an encounter on the Gujarat-Rajasthan border on December 27, 2006. Of the 22 accused, 21 are junior police officers from Gujarat and Rajasthan, who the CBI said were part of the teams that abducted the three and later killed them in staged encounters. The remaining accused was owner of the farm house in Gujarat where Shaikh and Kausar Bi were illegally detained before being killed. "The prosecution has failed to put forth any documentary or substantive evidence to suggest or establish the conspiracy theory against the 22 accused. It has failed to establish all charges levelled against them. Hence all accused stand acquitted," the judge said. The court cannot rely solely on circumstantial and hearsay evidence, he said. Police said Sohrabuddin was linked to terror groups like Lashkar-e-Tayiba and allegedly conspired to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then Gujarat chief minister. Despite sincere efforts made by the prosecution, a cogent case could not be established since CBI lacked documentary evidence and reliable witnesses, Sharma said. "Two main prosecution witnesses turned hostile. What could the prosecution have done? It couldn't have forced them not to turn hostile," he said. The court was apparently referring to police drivers Nathuba Jadeja and Gurudayal Singh, eye-witnesses to the killings, as per CBI, who did not support the prosecution case in the witness box. "Therefore, when this court ultimately went through all the evidence and testimonies on record, it concluded that no case of conspiracy could be established. Also, no link between these 22 persons and the three deaths could be established," Sharma said. The court said there was nothing to show if service weapons of any of the accused policemen were used in the killings. The CBI had charged 38 persons, including Amit Shah, who was then Gujarat home minister, Gulabchand Kataria, the then Rajasthan home minister, and senior IPS officers like D G Vanzara and P C Pande. The prosecution had examined 210 witnesses, of which 92 turned hostile. Shah was arrested in the case in July 2010, but released on bail by Gujarat High Court in October 2010. He was discharged by CBI court in December 2014. Sixteen people, including Shah, Kataria, Vanzara and Pande, were earlier discharged by the CBI court due to lack of evidence. The case evoked controversy when judge B H Loya, who was presiding over the CBI court, died three years ago after a heart attack. His family made unsubstantiated allegations that the judge was offered a huge bribe to rule in favour of the prime accused. The case was initially probed by Gujarat CID before CBI took over in 2010. The SC in 2013 directed the trial be shifted to Mumbai from Gujarat on CBI's request to ensure a fair trial. CBI had claimed Vanzara summoned Gujarat IPS Ashish Pandya while the latter was on leave, to be part of Prajapati's alleged encounter. "CBI failed to produce any substantial evidence, phone records to prove Vanzara called Pandya for this specific purpose. There is nothing to conclude Vanzara had any knowledge of the alleged conspiracy," the court said. Rubabuddin said he was disappointed with the verdict and would appeal in the SC. The court on Friday also dismissed applications by two prosecution witnesses seeking re-examination. Meanwhile, the CBI said it is yet to receive copy of the order in a cautious response to queries related to its future course of action. A CBI spokesperson also remained economical in using words and refused to commit to the usual response of the CBI that it would study the order before deciding on filing of appeal in the matter. He said his statement is limited to the sentence, the CBI is yet to receive the order.
Ten central agencies have been authorised by the Centre to intercept information from any computer, a move that set off a political storm Friday with the opposition accusing the government of trying to create a surveillance state.

But the Centre said the rules for intercepting and monitoring computer data were framed in 2009 when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance was in power and its new order only notified the designated authority which can carry out such action.

The opposition parties led by the Congress slammed the order as unconstitutional, undemocratic and an assault on fundamental rights and an attempt by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government to convert India into a surveillance state by resorting to snooping, inviting a sharp response from the ruling party.

In a strong defence of the government order, the BJP said it is legal with adequate safeguards and in the interest of national security, dubbing the opposition's criticism as a text book case of speaking without any homework.

The Centre also rejected the opposition's charge of snooping.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that converting India into police state won't solve his problems and it only showed he is an 'insecure dictator'.

The order that authorised 10 central intelligence, security and tax agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt all the data contained in any computer system was issued Thursday night by the 'cyber and information security' division of the Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) under the authority of Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba.

As a controversy erupted, the MHA issued a statement, saying the order was issued to prevent any unauthorised use of these powers.

The new order does not confer any new powers to any security or law enforcement agency, the statement said, adding each case of computer interception, monitoring and decryption is to be approved by the competent authority, which is the Union home secretary.

The 10 agencies notified under the new order are the Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (for Income Tax Department), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, Directorate of Signal Intelligence (in service areas of J-K, North East and Assam) and Delhi Police commissioner.

The issue of notification also rocked the Rajya Sabha where Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged that undeclared Emergency has taken final shape and all federal agencies have been let loose.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the authorisation was given under 2009 rules and dismissed opposition's charge of snooping.

Jaitley said the Opposition was playing with national security and making a mountain where even a molehill doesn't exist.

Congress leader Anand Sharma said the issue is serious as it is related to fundamental rights and India will become a police state with such sweeping powers to agencies to intercept information.

Responding to the charge, Jaitley said it would have been better if the Opposition had obtained all information before raising this issue.

He told the House that the rules under which agencies will be authorised to intercept information were framed in 2009 when the Congress-led UPA was in power.

"So what you are doing Mr Anand Sharma is making a mountain where even a molehill does not exist, he said.

However, Azad retorted that there is no mention of national security in the order.

"The BJP seems to think it has ownership rights over national security and it means nothing to us," he said taking a swipe at the government."

To this, Jaitley said, "These are elementary things. It is an authorisation order. The provisions of national security are written in Article 69.... You are playing with the security of the country. That is what you have done just now".

Since the Act has been in place these orders of authorisation are repeated from time to time, he said, adding that they can be used for interception in cases related to national security, disruption of public order, etc.

Outside Parliament, Communist Party of India-Marxist chief Sitaram Yehcury said the order was unconstitutional.

The BJP government is converting India into a surveillance state through the order, Anand Sharma said with other opposition leaders by his side.

"It is the ultimate assault on fundamental rights and the right to privacy. It is also in direct conflict with the Supreme Court judgement that right to privacy is a fundamental right. The government has done it by strength we collectively oppose it," Sharma told reporters.

The opposition parties, including the CPI-M, the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Trinamool Congress, said they will collectively oppose the order.

The BJP government, the opposition leaders said, was converting the country into a surveillance state.

From Modi Sarkar to stalker sarkar, clearly the string of losses has left the BJP government desperate for information, the Congress said on its official Twitter handle.

According to the order, the 10 central probe and snoop agencies are now empowered under the Information Technology (IT) Act for computer interception and analysis.

The agencies, according to the order, have been authorised for the purpose of interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource under the said Act (section 69 of the IT Act, 2000).

In the statement, the Home ministry said adequate safeguards are provided in the IT Act, 2000 and similar provisions and procedures already exist in the Telegraph Act along with identical safeguards.

The present notification is analogous to the authorisation issued under the Telegraph Act. The entire process is also subject to a robust review mechanism as in case of Telegraph Act.

Every individual case will continue to require prior approval of Home ministry or state government. MHA has not delegated its powers to any law enforcement or security agency, it said.

The ministry used Rule 4 of the IT (Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules 2009 to elaborate its point.

It provides that the competent authority may authorise an agency of the Government to intercept, monitor or decrypt information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource for the purpose specified in sub-section (1) of Section 69 of the Act, the ministry said.

Therefore, it said, the latest order has been issued in accordance with rules framed in year 2009 and in vogue since then and no new powers have been conferred to any of the security or law enforcement agencies.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the order is legal and the comments by opposition leaders amounted to playing with national security.

Prasad said the IT Act, which has provisions for such an interception, was brought by the Congress-led UPA dispensation, and the latest order has only made it more accountable by naming designated agencies which can carry out such an interception.

"The UPA had enacted the law. We have made it accountable," he said.

Responding to privacy concerns, he told reporters that the government will protect privacy but there can be no compromise with national security.

The ministry statement also said the new notification had three benefits.

It is aimed at among other things ensuring that any interception, monitoring or decryption of any information through any computer resource is done in accordance with due process of law.
Jim Mattis in his resignation letter to the US president wrote that he deserved a defence secretary whose views were better aligned with his on these and other subjects.

IMAGE: United States Defence Secretary Jim Mattis will be retirning with distinction in February. Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters

United States Defence Secretary Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, in February, Donald Trump has said, a day after he ordered American troops to rapidly withdraw from war-torn Syria in an abrupt decision criticised by many as premature.

In his resignation letter sent, Mattis told Trump it was the right time for him to step down because the US president deserved a defence secretary whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects.

The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Departments interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February, he said.

The 68-year-old Pentagon chief did not mention if he was resigning specifically over the troop withdrawal decision, which has surprised US allies and several lawmakers.

Analysts say the withdrawal of troops will please US enemies by clearing the way for Syrias Bashar al-Assad regime, Russia and Iran. Mattis had warned that removing ground forces from the Middle Eastern country would be a strategic blunder.

After Mattis sent his resignation, Trump announced he will be retiring in February.

General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my administration as secretary of defense for the past two years, the president said.

During Jims tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting..., he said on Twitter.

Mattis has been a great advocate of India-US defence relationship.

Earlier this month, he had hosted Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the Pentagon for talks on India-US Defence relationship. The US-India relationship is a natural partnership between the worlds oldest and the worlds largest democracy, Mattis had said then.

Mattis and Trump reportedly have had differences on several foreign policy matters, including Syria and Afghanistan. Reports say the president is considering a drawdown of US troops from the 17-year-long conflict in Afghanistan.

Mattis is the latest in long-list of senior Trump administration officials to leave or be removed. In March, Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a Twitter announcement.

On Thursday, however, Trump praised Mattis for his service and for being a great help to him in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations.

He said a new secretary of defence will be named shortly.

A day before, Trump had claimed that the US has defeated the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria. The White House afterwards insisted that the main objective of American forces in the war-torn country was to destroy the IS and not to resolve the countrys civil war.

But analysts and US lawmakers were far from convinced about the hasty decision, which was also a reversal of the stated US policy. It has attracted criticism from leaders of Trumps own Republican party, who have argued that the decision would endanger American national security in the long run.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio said the full and rapid withdrawal of US troops from Syria is a grave error with broader implications beyond just the fight against the IS group.

Currently, there are about 2,000 US forces in Syria.

Also, Mattis said in his resignation letter that he believes the US must be resolute in its approach to countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with Americas.

My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues, he stressed.

We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances, he added.

Defending his decision on Thursday to withdraw US troops from Syria, Trump tweeted that the US does not want to be the policeman of the Middle East. In his resignation letter, Mattis said, Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world.

Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defence, including providing effective leadership to our alliances.
The Macao Special Administrative Region will fully participate in the nation's new round of reform and opening-up, and leverage the city's unique advantages to meet the country's needs, Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai-on said on Thursday.

Chui made the pledge in an address at a ceremony in Macao celebrating the city's 19th anniversary of returning to the motherland.

Chui said the SAR will unleash its institutional advantage provided by the "one country, two systems" principle, strength in tourism and ties with Portuguese-speaking countries to bolster its comprehensive participation in the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Chui added that his administration will promote mutual communication with authorities from the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong SAR to promote Greater Bay Area development.

He said a Bay Area-related working committee has been set up for detailed project allocations.

Chui also said the MSAR government will unite all social forces to develop the city into a world center for tourism and leisure and an economic and trade cooperation platform for China and Portuguese-speaking countries. It also will further strive to promote economic diversification.

In the past 19 years, Macao has made significant achievements in fields such as economy and education, officials said.

Macao's GDP has risen more than eightfold since it returned to the motherland on December 20, 1999. It jumped from about $6.1 billion in 1999 to $50.36 billion in 2017, according to Trading Economics research.

Since 2007, 15-year free compulsory education has been provided, including kindergarten, primary and secondary education.

Lin Guangzhi, director of the Institute for Social and Cultural Research at the Macau University of Science and Technology, said Macao's prosperity in the past 19 years was a result of the correct and accurate implementation of "one country, two systems".

Lin said Macao has made the most of the principle to develop its gaming industry, while engaging in regional cooperation with neighboring cities to seek diversified economic growth.

"Macao's success comes from both the support of the central government and the joint efforts from all walks of life in the SAR," Lin said.

Andy Wu Keng-kuong, president of the Travel Industry Council of Macau, envisioned a boom in Macao's tourism industry thanks to the Bay Area plan that is expected to come out early next year and the opening of several cross-border infrastructures.

Mainland travelers have been a major support for Macao's tourism industry. Wu said he hopes the recently opened Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will attract more international visitors and help the city become an international hub for tourism and leisure.
WINSTED  Winchester Public Schools Superintendent Melony Brady-Shanley is asking for help for a local family.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Shanley wrote, I'm hopeful that we can pull together as a community in a very quick way. We had a family that had a house fire last night in Winsted. They lost most of their clothing and the little girl lost her Christmas presents. Today (Friday), we are going to do a collection of toys, clothing, and monetary donations until 3:45 p.m. at the Batcheller School. If you are able to assist, it would be greatly appreciated. The little girl is 7 years old, wears size 7/8 in clothes and size 13 in shoes. Women's size 8 pants and medium shirts and men's size large are also needed. Any toys for a little girl would be much appreciated. Thank you very much for your generosity during this most meaningful time of the year.

Trash, tree pickups announced

TORRINGTON  There will be no curbside collection of garbage and recyclables on Christmas Day, Tuesday, Dec. 25.

There will be a one-day delay for pickup of all municipal solid waste and recyclables collection for the remainder of the week following Christmas Day. Fridays regularly scheduled collection will be on Saturday.

Christmas tree pick up for Torrington residents will begin Monday, Jan. 7, and end Friday, Jan. 11. Christmas trees will be picked up with separate trucks on the same day as trash. Trees should not be placed curbside until their collection day to prevent plows from covering them with ice and snow. Trees must have all tree stands, ornaments, lights and tree bags removed.

For condominium residents, trees will be picked up anytime during the week of Jan. 7 starting at 6 a.m.

Hospital to hold Stop the Bleed course

TORRINGTON  Charlotte Hungerford Hospital will present a Free Stop The Bleed training course, to educate and equip healthcare providers and members of the public on how to help reduce the loss of life due to traumatic bleeding. The help given by an immediate responder can often make the difference between life and death, even before professional rescuers arrive.

The course will be held twice: Jan. 15, 4:30-6 p.m. and 6:30-8 p.m. in the conference hall at the Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, memorial building, 540 Litchfield Street, Torrington.

Specially trained local first responders and hospital personnel will be on hand to train participants

to recognize and respond to life-threatening bleeding and take the appropriate measures to control it through the immediate application of pressure, dressings, and tourniquets.

The Stop the Bleed Course was developed by the American College of Surgeons to teach the lay public the fundamentals of how to recognize and intervene upon severe bleeding. The sessions are part of a national campaign meant to cultivate grassroots efforts that encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives. For more information visit www.bleedingcontrol.org

Admission is free and refreshments will be served.

Registration is required. Visit www.charlottehungerford.org - click on Stop the Bleed in the Current News & Events section for registration link OR call the CHH event line at 860-496-6479

Volunteers needed at Operation Overflow

TORRINGTON  Operation Overflow needs volunteers willing to sleep overnight from 8:45 p.m. to 6 a.m. so that no one has to sleep outside in the winter. The program is underway seven nights a week. Women are especially needed.

Partnering with other organizations, three local churches rotate participation on a monthly basis. Volunteers do not need to belong to the churches to participate. In addition, monetary donations for cots, bedding, coffee, snacks, socks, underwear and toiletries are welcome.

Anyone who wishes to volunteer are invited to attend a brief orientation before participating. There are no special duties other than to be present overnight to help the evening run smoothly.

Orientation sessions will be held at noon on Jan. 5 and at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 7. More information is available on the Operation Overflow Facebook page. Contact Conrad Sieniewicz at Trinity Episcopal for more info or send email to conradsank@gmail.com.

Quit smoking in 2019

TORRINGTON  Charlotte Hungerford Hospital (CHH) is holding its Freedom From Smoking cessation program in Torrington as part of their ongoing efforts to help smokers kick the habit and live smoke free.

The free program features discussion and skill sessions led by a trained, certified American Lung Association facilitator who understands the motivations and rationalizations of smoking, and uses a positive behavior change approach that teaches people how to become permanent non-smokers. Participants attend eight interactive classes with Quit Day midway through the session.

The program will be offered in Torrington on Wednesdays, 4-5:30 p.m. in the Lab Conference Room on the second floor of CHH, 540 Litchfield Street, Torrington, from Jan. 2 to Feb. 20.

As a special incentive, the $75 program fee will be waived for all participants. Call 860-496-6538 to register or receive more information. Space is limited.

According to the American Cancer Society, tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the US, yet millions of Americans still smoke. For more information about smoking and its dangers, visit the American Cancer Society website at www.cancer.org.

Library to host New Year, New Career

WINSTED  Jeff Crothers, a licensed profesional counselor, will give a New Year, New Career workshop at Beardsley Library, 40 Munro Place, Winsted, Jan. 10, 6-8 p.m.

Crothers has worked in the career development and counseling field for over thirty years helping students and adults develop and implement career and personal choices. He has taught courses and workshops at Northwestern Connecticut Community College for 27 years on topics including career decision making, wellness enhancement and stress management, job search techniques and college success. He has worked with the Connecticut Department of Labor and other agencies providing Myers-Briggs Type Indicator trainings.

Ease your way into a new and more rewarding career through the use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, an effective test used for personal and career planning. Jeff Crothers, a licensed professional counselor who has over 35 years of counseling experience at the college level, will help you: Identify your strengths and personal style as they relate to career and lifestyle choices; understand your preferred leadership style; learn how best to work with others as a team utilizing your natural gifts.

For more information, contact Karin Taylor at 860-379-6043 or email director@beardsleylibrary.org.
Girl Scouts of Connecticut has announced that they will be the recipient of planned gifts as a result of the $1.2 million Movement-wide planned giving challenge initiative by Dianne Belk and Lawrence Calder, according to a release. Both the national headquarters of Girl Scouts of the USA and 101 other Girl Scout councils across the country are the beneficiaries of planned gifts, calculated at more than $30 million, thanks to the planned giving challenge.

The Dianne Belk and Lawrence Calder Girl Scout Movement-wide Planned Giving Challenge inspired Girl Scouts of Connecticut to maximize the impact of this generous gift, according to the release. Throughout 2018, Girl Scouts of Connecticut met the challenge by securing new planned gifts and educating its board and volunteers about planned giving. In total, Girl Scouts of Connecticut saw its planned gifts double from generous donors. Each of the 102 councils that met the challenge will receive a $10,000 planned gift from Dianne Belk and Lawrence Calder and an additional $4,000 gift from Erik and Eva Andersen.

A Girl Scout alum who earned the organizations highest award  the Girl Scout Gold Award  as a girl member, Dianne Belk is the founding chair of the Juliette Gordon Low Society, which celebrates those who have made a planned gift to Girl Scouts. As a volunteer, Dianne Belk has led the Juliette Gordon Low Societys growth from 348 members in 2011 to almost 4,000 members in 2018. A planned gift is made through a donors will or estate plan. Donors who make a new planned gift commitment are welcomed by Girl Scouts to the Juliette Gordon Low Society at pinning ceremonies all over the United States and abroad. Over 600 new planned giving donors were pinned due to the challenge issued by Dianne Belk and Lawrence Calder.

As a farm girl from very limited means and with even fewer options, Girl Scouts was my ticket to exploring the worlds opportunities, said Belk. I owe so much of my success to 12 years in Girl Scouts and the impact that it had on my goals, values, and character. I am so grateful. Thats why my husband and I have decided to commit our resources to helping knock down barriers that young women face in achieving equality. There is no organization in the world that is better at preparing young women to become our leaders of tomorrow than Girl Scouts. We are so proud to partner with them.

Through the Juliette Gordon Low Society, anyone can ensure Girl Scouts will have the tools to make the world a better place for generations to come. All gifts support every girl in every zip code having access to crucial, life-changing, girl-led programming that will launch her into a lifetime of leadership.

Legacy giving is critical to the long-standing sustainability of our Mission, said Mary Barneby, CEO Girl Scouts of Connecticut. Thanks to the generosity of Dianne Belk and Lawrence Calder, Girl Scouts of the USA and Girl Scouts of Connecticut can plan to provide premier programming to girls in every zip code across the state for another 100 plus years to come.

To learn more about Girl Scouts of Connecticut and how to give, visit gsofct.org.

Library to host improv comedy workshop

KENT  The staff of community television CTV-192 will visit the Kent Memorial Library to help guestslearn about community television with an Improv Comedy Workshop. Improvisational comedy is a fun and often hilarious group activity where - much like community access - no experience is necessary.

The program will be held Saturday, Jan. 12, 2-3:30 p.m. in the Reading Room.

The CTV192 team will guide participants through five improv exercises, beginning very simply and increasing in challenge. CTV-192 has been providing custom and advanced free training classes in video production for over 20 years. Programs on music, art, politics, news, weather and more can all be found on your local channel and are being produced by members of the local community. Call to find out more! Our next class begins in February: 203 304 4050.

Space is limited and registration is required. Sign up at the front desk or visit the Librarys online calendar. This event is free and open to anyone over the age of 15. Teens age 15-17 must be accompanied by an adult.

For more detailed information, call CTV-192 at 203-304-4050. Charter Communications Spectrum CTV-192 can be seen in the following Western Connecticut towns: Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Kent, Monroe, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Roxbury, Sherman, Southbury, Trumbull, Washington, and Woodbury. They also stream the channel Live at www.goctv192.com.

Visit kentmemoriallibrary.org for more information.

Gunn library announces January movie matinees

Gunn Memorial Library in Washington announces its January Monday Movie Matinees, free of charge, held on Mondays at 1 p.m.

Jan. 7: Lizzie: The Legend of Lizzie Borden. Academy Award (R) nominee Chloe Sevigny stars as Lizzie Borden, the notorious woman at the heart of one of the most enduring mysteries in American history. After a lifetime of loneliness, Lizzie finds a kindred spirit in housemaid Bridget Sullivan (Kristen Stewart) and their secret intimacy sparks an unthinkable act. Director Craig William Macneill explores the days leading up to the savage crimes in a dark tale of repression, exploitation and thwarted dreams. R.

Jan. 14: A Simple Favor. A stylish post-modern film noir directed by Paul Feig, centers around Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), a mommy blogger who seeks to uncover the truth behind her best friend Emily's (Blake Lively) sudden disappearance from their small town. Stephanie is joined by Emily's husband Sean (Henry Golding) in this thriller filled with twists and betrayals, secrets and revelations, love and loyalty, murder and revenge. R.

Jan. 21: The library is closed in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

Jan. 28: Old Man & The Gun. Based on the true story of Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford), from his audacious escape from San Quentin at the age of 70 to an unprecedented string of heists that confounded authorities and enchanted the public. Wrapped up in the pursuit are detective John Hunt (Casey Affleck), who becomes captivated with Forrest's commitment to his craft, and a woman (Sissy Spacek), who loves him in spite of his chosen profession. PG13.

Free and open to the public. Registration is requested; visit www.gunnlibrary.org The Gunn Memorial Library is located at 5 Wykeham Road at Route 47 on the Green, in Washington
WINSTED  The American Mural Project (AMP) recently completed a school-wide mural-making project at the Rotella Interdistrict Magnet School in Waterbury. AMP teaching artists led more than 600 students in the creation of a large-scale art project honoring family and community members whom the students admire for their work.

In May, AMP piloted collaborative programs at Rotella, where 180 students learned about AMP founder and artistic director, Ellen Griesedieck, and her idea for the American Mural Project, as well as the process of creating portraits of American workers. Second-graders created their own big idea, and fourth-graders composed Blues songs related to subjects in the mural and their own lives. Both grades created self-portraits.

AMP programs focus on using the students experience with art to help them recognize and represent the work going on in their community, and for them to value the work that enables a community to thrive, said Michelle Begley, programs director at AMP. The AMP programs go further by emphasizing the significance of their own work as students within their community.

In early November, over the course of five days, more than 600 students in pre-K through grade 5 worked on a whole-school mural portraying a town with buildings and people doing jobs, as well as expressive self-portraits depicting the students favorite jobs. The multimedia project utilized pencil, crayon, marker, paint, and collage materials, and produced a five-panel mural depicting a firefighter, doctor, teacher, construction worker, and mail carrier, as well as the students self-portraits. Led by AMP teaching artist, Kathy Reddy, the project was funded by a grant from the Connecticut Community Foundation and will culminate with a trip to visit AMP in 2019 for the students to see the mural installation process.

The magic of this project was pairing younger artists with students from upper grades, commented Reddy. I was inspired by their enthusiasm and ability to work together to create an amazing final project. The success of this program lies in the childrens connection and understanding of the American Mural Project itself: the beauty of people working together to create a community where all careers are valued.

Renovations on the first of two mill buildings on AMPs property on Whiting Street in Winsted are nearly finished and will be followed by the lengthy process of assembling and installing the nearly five-story, three-dimensional mural. The new facility is targeted to open to the public late next year. AMPs mill buildings will house the mural and an adjacent visitors center, which will become a destination for school and teacher programs, after-school programming, summer enrichment activities, experiential projects for visitors, an apprentice-style internship program, and lectures and workshops, as well as the onsite portion of AMPs curriculum.

Launched in 2002 by artist Ellen Griesedieck, the American Mural Project (AMP) is creating the largest indoor collaborative artwork in the worlda mural 120 feet long, 48 feet high, and up to ten feet deep. The mural is a tribute to American workers and highlights what has defined the country over the last century. It seeks to inspire, to educate, to invite collaboration, and to reveal to people of all ages the many contributions they can make to American culture. Nothing like it exists in the world.

More than 15,000 children and adults have helped create pieces of the mural, which will be housed in two former mill buildings on Whiting Street in Winsted. Scope Construction began renovations on the mural building in March 2017 and will finish in late 2018. The lengthy process of assembling and installing the mural will follow, with the public opening projected for 2019.

Support for the American Mural Project has been provided by the Newmans Own Foundation, Institute of International Education/Ford Foundation, the Maximillian E. and Marion O. Hoffman Foundation, Arconic (formerly Alcoa), Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation, Northwest Community Bank, the Aetna Foundation, Stanley Black & Decker, the Draper Fund, the Diebold Foundation, and the Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut Office of the Arts, which also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, among others.
A teacher who has inspired children to stay in school in an impoverished remote mountain village in China has made the shortlist for the Global Teacher Prize, awarded by London's Varkey Foundation.

Yu Shuming, an all subjects teacher at Baihuzhuang Primary School in Xingtai county, is the only Chinese teacher who has made it down to the shortlist of 50 candidates for the award, now in its fifth year, that recognizes one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession.

Those 50 will be further whittled down to 10 finalists, with the winner announced at an awards ceremony in Dubai in March.

Yu has been a teacher for 26 years and lives in an area prone to flash floods and mudslides, where many children drop out of school due to poverty and the harsh environment.

He uses school discussions to inspire his students to pursue independent and cooperative learning, adding his own methods of teaching literacy, and has been known to use his own wages to encourage children to stay in school, as well as helping raise more than 1.2 million yuan ($174,000) from other parts of the country.

Yu said seeing the children of low-income families going to school, learning to read and write, taking exams and then heading away from poverty to the big cities were his biggest rewards, and called on local government and the education authorities to do more work in rural areas.

"I hope to win this award because it will help me to change the education situation in China's rural areas," he said.

Yu's teaching has made a big difference to his students. In 2005, all 32 students in the senior high school entrance examination succeed in winning places. Many have been admitted to key graduate or national universities and nearly 30 students who had previously dropped out returned to school.

If he won the award's $1 million prize, Yu said he would use it for classroom reform and innovation, to buy teaching equipment, and to aid the construction of local mountain roads so that people can access services and education.

Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation and the Global Teacher Prize, said, "Congratulations to Yu for reaching the final 50. I hope his story inspires those looking to enter the teaching profession and highlights the incredible work teachers do all over the world every day."
A few days ago in Brussels, the EU countries and the European Parliament agreed on a strong reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from new cars by 2030. Between 2021 and 2030, the amount released is to be reduced by 37.5 percent. The fact that the car industry and also the German government preferred more lax rules shows that these targets will actually be demanded by carmakers.

Either the engines become smaller on average with probably less power, or improved technologies reduce pollutant emissions. Both shouldn't suit every car fan. In one case the coveted engine power is missing, in the other the price is likely to go up. Both should in any case make cars from the electromobility sector more competitive.

Further impetus for e-mobility also comes from improved and, above all, more batteries. A metal sought by battery manufacturers according to today's battery technology is cobalt. Due to the high price substitutions are sought. Nevertheless, the demand and thus the price of cobalt should remain high in the near future. Companies with promising cobalt projects - especially outside the problematic Congo - such as First Cobalt, are therefore also likely to remain sought after.

First Cobalt - https://www.commodity-tv.net/c/search_adv/?v=298726 - owns the Iron Creek primary cobalt property in Idaho. There are also 50 mines in Canadian Cobalt Camp and the only cobalt refinery in North America with battery quality. First Cobalt has set itself the goal of creating a North American cobalt supply chain for the American market.

Copper and silver also receive positive demand impulses from electromobility. The impact this will have on prices will become apparent in the coming years. However, it does not seem absurd for investors willing to take risks to position themselves in these commodities now. One company that has found copper and silver in its projects in addition to gold is Panoro Minerals.

The projects of Panoro Minerals - https://www.commodity-tv.net/c/search_adv/?v=298798 - are located in Peru. These are two projects at an early stage and two projects at an advanced stage. The four projects are all located in the south of Peru, a strategically important area where a lot of investment is being made.

Current corporate information and news releases from Minerals (https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/companies/panoro-minerals-ltd.html) and First Cobalt (https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/companies/first-cobalt-corp.html).

In accordance with 34 WpHG, I would like to point out that partners, authors and employees can hold shares in the companies mentioned in each case and therefore there is a possible conflict of interest. Only the English version of these messages applies.



Disclaimer: The information provided does not constitute any form of recommendation or advice. We expressly point out the risks involved in securities trading. No liability can be assumed for damages resulting from the use of this blog. I would like to point out that shares and in particular warrant investments are generally associated with risk. The total loss of the invested capital cannot be excluded. All information and sources are carefully researched. However, no guarantee is given for the correctness of all contents. I expressly reserve the right to make a mistake, in particular with regard to figures and exchange rates, despite the utmost care. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable but does not claim to be accurate or complete. Due to court rulings the contents of linked external sites are also to answer for (so among other things district court Hamburg, in the judgement of 12.05.1998 - 312 O 85/98), as long as no explicit dissociation from these takes place. Despite careful control of the contents, I do not assume any liability for the contents of linked external sites. The respective operators are solely responsible for their content. The disclaimer of Swiss Resource Capital AG also applies: www.resource-capital.ch/en/disclaimer.html
Residents of Galapagos Islands protest outside the court where the crew of a Chinese-flagged ship confiscated by the Ecuadorean Navy, carrying some 300 tons of fish, including several endangered species, attends a hearing, Aug. 25, 2017.

Chinese fishermen are damaging the livelihoods of South Americans through large-scale illegal fishing.

The fishermen have been visible in the Pacific Ocean for several years, and theres nothing illegal about their fishing in international waters.

But according to Evan Ellis, an American expert on such matters, many of the fishermen have now begun entering several South American nations Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), and that is illegal.

An EEZ extends 200 nautical miles from the shore under rules set down by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Countries have the rights over the resources within their EEZs.

The close-in Chinese fishing has an impact on local fishermen who traditionally have relied on these waters for their livelihoods and cant compete with Chinese trawlers and the big ships capable of refrigerating their catch.

The most numerous incursions by Chinese fishermen appear to target Argentina and Peru, although Chinese fishing boats have also been seen near Chile and Uruguay.

Much of what Evan Ellis has had to say about the most recent incursions and possible countermeasures and solutions to address them was first published the website Newsmax on Dec. 13.

Given the high demand for fish from a growing Chinese middle class, Chinas distant-water fishing fleet has grown to the point where it reaches many locations around the world.

Much of the Chinese demand is for high-value fish and exotic species such as the now endangered tatoaba fish.

Shrimp and squid and a small species of porpoise which is mostly found near Mexico are also prized.

The tatoaba fish is much valued in Asia for the alleged medicinal properties of its bladder, according to Cliff White, writing for the Seafood Source website.

Totoaba bladders can sell for $1,400 and even as high as $4,000 in China, White reports. Other sources cite even higher prices.

Also endangered is the vaquita porpoise, a species of porpoise that is now estimated to number fewer than 100 because of illegal fishing.

The magazine Dialogo quoted Juan Carlos Sueiro, Perus director of the international organization OCEANA, as saying that Chinese illegal fishing has had its greatest impact on giant squid, cod, tuna, sharks, and totoaba.

Dialogo is a digital military magazine published by the U.S. Southern Command, which is part of the U.S. Department of Defense.

Peru has a capable navy, which can block some EEZ violations.

But Chinese fishing companies have bought into the Peruvian fishing fleet, which gives those companies rights to fish in Perus national waters.

Meanwhile, the Chinese fishing group Dalian Huafeng has expanded its presence in those waters through the purchase of Arbumasa, a Spanish fishing company which operates there.

Argentina and Ecuador push back

Several Latin American countries have used their navies and coast guards to push back against Chinese incursions but not enough to deter many of the Chinese fishermen for long.

In March 2016, an Argentine Coast Guard ship intercepted a Chinese vessel operating illegally in the waters of Argentinas EEZ.

According to Evan Ellis, who is a research professor at the U.S. Army War College, Chinese vessels had routinely violated the zone, as they had in numerous other countries in the region.

But in this case, the Argentine Coast Guard ship fired a warning shot to halt the Chinese ships escape to international waters.

When the ship, the Lu Yan Yuan Yu, responded by trying to ram the Argentine vessel, the Coast Guard ship responded, inadvertently capsizing the Chinese vessel.

The Chinese crew escaped by swimming out to other Chinese vessels.

Argentine Navy submarines were then assigned to chase down illegal fishing vessels off southern Argentina, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

In August, 2016, Ecuador jailed 20 Chinese fishermen for up to four years for illegally fishing in the Galapagos Islands marine reserve, where they were caught with some 6,600 sharks.

The bigger picture

It has been evident for the past several years that Chinas distant-water fishing has added to stress on the worlds fish stocks.

China accounts for some 35 percent of global demand, according to some estimates.

Its fishing vessels operate not only to feed Chinas appetite for fish but also for profit on a wider scale.

According to Ellis, the Chinese deepwater fleet has become a key vendor of fish sold to Europe and other parts of the world.

The Chinese fishing fleet has grown to an estimated 3,400 vessels, roughly 17 times larger than the United States fishing fleet.

Until recently, Chinas fishing fleet expansion has been supported by government subsidies for fuel and vessel building.

But the Chinese government is well aware of protests from Africa, Latin America, and elsewhere against the damage that Chinese fishing boats have done to foreign fisheries and fishermen.

Toward the end of last year, the government stopped calling for an expansion of the Chinese distant-water fishing fleet.

Chinas Ministry of Agriculture released a five-year plan that restricts the total number of offshore fishing vessels to under 3,000 in 2021.

Worth watching in the future are Chinese provinces and fishing companies that would still like to expand their fishing catch rather than curb it.

Possible solutions

According to Evan Ellis, the first steps for the region to respond to the challenge of the Chinese deepwater fishing fleet include:

 Greater public awareness of and documentation of the problem;

 Greater dissemination of data on the threat by the coast guards and and navies of the region; and

 Greater attention to the problem by the regions media.

Ellis says that governments in the region should also raise the issue in a more serious fashion with their Chinese counterparts through multilateral dialogues.

Governments could pursue this though institutions such as the Organization of American States (OAS), and during bilateral dialogues.

Ellis acknowledges that the needs of each of each Latin American nation are different.

But he argues that all of those affected by Chinese fishing could benefit from acquiring more extended-range patrol boats supplemented by maritime patrol aircraft and long-endurance drones.

In his view, the United States would have a potential role to play, both in helping its Latin American partners to obtain those capabilities and by sharing its intelligence with them when appropriate.

Responding to the challenge may also require judicial reform to ensure the prompt and effective prosecution of violators, Ellis says.

In the meantime, the Peruvian government has made public satellite surveillance data on 1,300 commercial fishing vessels plying Perus waters.

The country aims to use the platform called Global Fishing Watch (GFW) as a tool to fight illegal fishing and overfishing.

This is the beginning of a global-scale revolution in the transparency of industrial fisheries, said Juan Mayorga, a researcher at the sustainable fisheries group.

Users of the GFW can detect if a boat is fishing during the closed season or if it sails into a protected area, said Mayorga.

An example of how the GFW can help combat illegal fishing in Peru occurred in September this year when authorities intercepted a Chinese vessel near the northern port city of Chimbote for not having a permit to operate in Peruvian waters.

Inside the vessel, they found 19 tons of Humboldt squid that had probably been illegally extracted inside Perus EEZ.

GFW also enables the monitoring of fishing fleets during the night. Squid fishing is done only at night when vessels shine bright lights to attract squid.

Sueiro of OCEANA said that illegal fishing costs Peru about $360 million a year.

An investigation by the nongovernment organization Oceana Peru revealed that between January 2015, and September 2016, at least a dozen Chinese vessels had entered Perus EEZ without Peruvian authorization and had possibly engaged in illegal fishing.

Dan Southerland is RFA's founding executive editor.
Prime Minister Hun Sen delivers an address during an opening ceremony for the Khmer New Year at the Angkor complex in Siem Reap province, April 13, 2018.

Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen alleged Friday that the main opposition party he had banned last year is spreading fake news, while it emerged that his government has exerted heavy-handed control of a purportedly independent outlet.

Cambodia is facing the serious problem of fake news that has polluted the social environment, he said in a statement delivered at the Club of Cambodian Journalists annual meeting.

The fake news was provoked by the opposition politicians and opportunists, with the goal of toppling the legitimate government through colored revolutions, with the intent to drag the country into war with the support of foreign entities, he said, repeating a familiar theme.

He also praised media outlets that wrote positive articles about his government.

I strongly praise reporters and news organizations that clearly explained the truth, proving false the fake news against the government, so that domestic and international audiences understand. These articles prevent attempts to topple the government, he wrote.

Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for 33 years, launched a crackdown on independent media, NGOs and independent critics ahead of national elections in July of this year.

With the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party outlawed, his Cambodian Peoples Party swept every parliamentary seat. RFA closed its nearly 20-year old bureau in the Cambodian capital in September 2017 and several key newspapers closed shop or were sold to government-friendly businessmen..

Hun Sens remarks came a day after a leaked audio recording of him went public and revealed that the prime minister has considerable influence over ostensibly private media organizations.

In the recording, Hun Sen is trying to resolve an internal conflict at CNC TV in which he wanted to remove from office Ouk Bora, general director of the news outlet.

The staff dont like you! You cant even control the administrative work! Dont be stubborn, Hun Sen said to Ouk Bora in the recording, asking him to resign.

The recording continued with the prime minister saying, I must pay attention. It is relevant to the governments work. I watch CNC TV and my wife and I support all the staff!

Some of the CNC TV staff members receive money from me during special events, Hun Sen said.

He added that even though Ouk Bora is the nephew of Deputy Prime Minister Mem Sam An, he would still like to see him removed from office.

You say you are [her] nephew, well Im not even afraid of the queen and the kings father! Hun Sen said.

He then threatened the owner of the station, mobile phone tycoon Kith Meng.

If Meng doesnt fire you, he will become my enemy. What will happen to his business? Hun Sen said.

Right now he has my support, but he cant choose you over me! he said.

RFAs Khmer Service was unable to reach Ouk Bora for comment on Friday. Kith Meng refused to comment when contacted.

Analyst Kim Sok said the recording shows that Hun Sen acts as if he is above the law.

It seems Hun Sen is the father of the court, he said.

Director Nop Vy of the Cambodian Center for Independent Media said that government retaliation against critics is not a good option and would not cause a reduction in fake news, adding that the government should allow a free press to prevent fake news.

Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Cambodia 132nd out of 180 countries in its 2017 World Press Freedom Index, and warned that the Southeast Asian nation is liable to fall in the 2018 index.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Authorities in the southwestern Chinese region of Guangxi have charged a former student leader in the 1989 pro-democracy movement with subversion, RFA has learned.



Zhou Yongjun was initially detained last August in Guangxi's Dongxing city, near the border with Vietnam.



He has now been formally indicted for "incitement to subvert state power," and his case has been sent to state prosecutors in Fangchenggang city.



Zhou is scheduled to meet with a lawyer on . Hunan-based rights lawyer Xie Yang told RFA he would be willing to represent him if instructed by Zhou's family.



"I myself have been arrested for incitement to subvert state power, and I would be very happy to help them, if that is a possibility," Xie said.



Tan Yongpei, a former rights attorney stripped of his license by the local justice bureau for taking on too many "sensitive" human rights cases, said the "subversion" charge is a catch-all crime.



"It's a catch-all crime that can be used to fit anything," Tan said, adding that Zhou has served a number of prison sentences ever since his initial involvement with the pro-democracy movement on Tiananmen Square.



"He only just got out [from the last one] in 2015, and five years have to elapse for him not to be considered a re-offender," Tan said. "He could get five years on this charge, but he could also get 10."



Zhou was a prominent figure on Tiananmen Square in 1989, and was photographed by international media kneeling on the steps of the Great Hall of the People in a plea for Chinas communist leaders to heed student calls for political reforms.



He was arrested and jailed for two years in the subsequent crackdown on student protesters in , losing his university place and his Beijing "hukou," or residence permit.



Zhou fled to Hong Kong and then traveled to the United States in 1993, living in New York City and Los Angeles.



He was detained again in 2009 for using a false passport to visit his ageing relatives after the Chinese consulate refused to renew his passport and imprisoned on a fraud charge. His lawyers said Zhou was tortured in detention and denied family visits.



Zhou had also tried to visit China once before in but was arrested in Shenzhen and spent more than two years in a labor camp.



Reported by Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Wong Lok-to for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong have ordered a prominent dissident couple to leave the regional capital Guangzhou, amid an ever-widening "stability maintenance" operation, they told RFA.



Rights lawyer Huang Simin and her husband, the dissident writer Li Xuewen, were ordered by state security police in Foshan, a suburb of Guangzhou, to leave the city immediately and return to their home province of Hubei in central China, their friends said, posting photos of train tickets bought for them by police.



In a brief exchange on , Huang declined to comment, however.



"It's not a good time for me to give interviews, because I have my license review coming up, and it's quite a crucial time," she said, referring to an annual review of her lawyer's business license that can be withheld from any lawyer who criticizes the ruling Chinese Communist Party.



"I haven't been going head-to-head with [the authorities] over this for that reason," she said.



Last year, Li was among dozens of activists detained or otherwise sanctioned for taking part in seashore memorials to mark the death of

political prisoner and Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo from late-stage liver cancer in .



Calls to the Huangzhizhen police station in Foshan rang unanswered during office hours on .



Fellow rights activist Huang Yongxiang said the authorities had also intimidated the couple's landlord, forcing them to terminate the rental agreement on their Guangzhou apartment.



"They took the landlord down to the police station for questioning, and they are constantly harassing them, which terrified the landlord, who had no choice but to terminate the lease," Huang Yongxiang said.



"I have no idea whether the Guangzhou police department was acting on orders from higher up, but they suddenly used very forceful tactics to for [Huang and Li] to leave Guangdong," he said. "We don't yet know the reason for that."



Meanwhile, Guangdong-based commentator Jia Pin said he had been subjected to a raid by police on , then forced to leave the province on .



"They just came and forced my door open, just like that," Jia said. "Seven or eight of them came in and pinned me to the ground, then they took me down to the police station."



"They kept on asking me whether I had posted anything to Twitter lately about government policies or leaders," he said. "They told me I wasn't welcome in Guangdong, although they didn't say I could never come back."



"They told me that I would be a stability maintenance target for as long as I was in Guangdong," Jia said. "They told me I am persona non grata in Guangdong, and they would escort me out of the province for sure, if ever I went back there."



Repeated calls to the the Guangdong provincial police department rang unanswered during office hours on .



Reported by Wong Lok-to for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Gao Feng for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.


Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi (C), Karen National Union (KNU) Chairman General Saw Mutu Say Poe (L) and military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (R) commemorate the third anniversary of the signing of Myanmar's Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in Naypyidaw, October 15, 2018.

The Myanmar military on Friday declared a unilateral four-month cease-fire in Kachin and Shan states, the northern and eastern regions of the country that have been under military conflict for much of the countrys 70 years of independence from Britain.

The move is the first truce ever initiated by the powerful military, known as the Tatmadaw, and is aimed at breathing life into a shaky peace process by enticing separatist ethnic armies to join talks with the central government, a key policy goal of national leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Tatmadaw will cease all military operations in each command from Dec. 21 to April 30, in order to allow negotiations with ethnic armed groups, according to the statement issued by the Office of the Commander-in-Chief on Friday, after military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing met the Myanmar Press Council.

The order covers conflict zones in Kachin and Shan states, where decades of conflict have displaced tens of thousands of residents.

But it excludes the western state of Rakhine, where an army crackdown in 2017 forced more than 725,000 persecuted Rohingya Muslims into Bangladesh and where the military has been engaged in fighting the Rakhine Buddhist Arakan Army (AA).

During the unilateral cease-fire period, the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) will hold peace negotiations with the ethnic armies in their respective areas, with cease-fire-related issues on the agenda.

I see the militarys move as a generous approach to peace, Intunkha Naw San, a lower house member of the national parliament for Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state, told RFAs Myanmar Service. It is very good.

As local people in conflict areas have been suffering for a long time, they will welcome the militarys statement, said Khun Maung Thaung, a lawmaker who represents Shan state's Pinlaung constituency and chair's the lower house's Ethnic Affairs and Internal Peace Implementation Committee. We hope the peace process will get smoother than before because of the government armys attitude in this statement.

Cautious welcome in north

The truce received a cautious welcome from the ethnic armed groups, many of which have long called for the military to take such a step and resisted the armys demands that they lay down their weapons first.

Most groups in southern Shan state are NCA groups, said Khun Myint Tun, chairman of the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), referring to the 10 ethnic rebel organizations, including the PNLO, that have signed the government's nationwide cease-fire accord of October 2015.

Now, military released a ceasefire statement for the north and we welcome it, he said.

Several other ethnic armed groups have held out from signing the NCA, while some have expressed interest in talks.

We welcome the militarys statement as a good step, but we see it is still difficult to have peace. It means the military will halt fighting in some places, but will keep fighting in the other places, said Ta Phone Kyaw, general secretary of the Taaung National Liberation Army (TNLA), one of the ethnic armed groups that has been fighting the government military in Shan state and has not signed the NCA.

We still have a lot to discuss. The statement also said the military will talk with ethnic armed groups, and we want to talk with it as soon as possible, he added.

We now know the government armys attitude, and we welcome it. It is a very good step for the peace process, said Hkalam Sam Sun, general secretary of the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC). The organization has helped civilians displaced by fighting between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Myanmar forces since hostilities resumed in June 2011 following the breakdown of a 17-year bilateral peace accord.

If government troops are truly withdrawn instead of just releasing a statement, we will see a brighter way to peace, he added, noting that the Kachins want to discuss the return to their villages of internally displaced persons scattered across the region be recent rounds of fighting.

Rakhines excluded and wary

Ethnic Rakhine leaders, whose armed group remains outside the peace process and was excluded from Fridays declared cease-fire, remain wary about the armys intentions, suggesting the Tatmadaw was making a tactical move while it faced international criticism for the Rohingya crisis and fights on numerous fronts.

It is hard to say the military is stepping back, said Tun Zaw, general secretary of the Arakan National Council (ANC).

When we have international pressure and more fighting not only in the north, but also in the west, it might be difficult for the government army to conduct military operations on all fronts, he told RFA.

It is as if the military is trying to reduce the fighting fronts during this period, Tun Zaw said.

Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay noted that the AA is now fighting the national army, and that the Rakhine situation is very complicated, and we all have to be very careful.

Rakhine ethnics also should think about it. They said they want equality and self-determination. If so, they have to move forward by way of the NCA, he said, referring to the peace process.

The cease-fire was announced on the same day that European Union said it will slap asset freezes and travel bans on seven more army and border police officials "for serious human rights violations committed against the Rohingya population, ethnic minority villagers, or civilians."

The latest move brings to 14 the total number of people in Myanmar under EU sanctions for abuses stemming from the violent crackdown in August 2017 on Rohingya Muslims by security forces.

A previous crackdown in northern Rakhine in October 2016 forced out more than 90,000 Rohingya.

An extensive report issued in September by United Nations investigators detailed violence by Myanmar security forces and called for the prosecution of top military commanders on genocide charges at the International Criminal Court or by another criminal tribunal.

Reported by Win Ko Ko Latt, Wai Mar Tun, and Kyaw Thu for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Paul Eckert.
In a move pushing for greater U.S. access to Tibet, now largely closed by China to American diplomats and journalists, President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed into law a bill denying visas to Chinese officials responsible for blocking entry to the Beijing-ruled Himalayan region.



The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018 will require the U.S. Secretary of State, within 90 days of the bills becoming law, to identify Chinese officials responsible for excluding U.S. citizens, including Americans of Tibetan ethnic origin, from Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), and then ban them from entering the United States.



The law also requires the State Department to provide to the Congress each year a list of U.S. citizens blocked from entry to Tibet.



The bill had passed in September in the U.S. House of Representatives, and then went to the Senate for approval, where it passed on Dec. 11.



The legislation is based on the diplomatic principle of reciprocity, in which countries should provide equal rights to one anothers citizens, the Washington D.C.-based International Campaign for Tibetwhich had lobbied strongly for the billsaid in a Dec. 11 statement welcoming its passage in the Senate.



In a statement on Thursday, Lobsang Sangaypresident of the India-based exile Central Tibetan Administrationwelcomed the bills passage and signing into law, saying it sends the right message of hope and justice to Tibetans in Tibet.



The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Law will not only make the perpetrators of human rights violations accountable but also bolster institutional and diplomatic engagement on Tibet, Sangay said.



On behalf of six million Tibetans I extend profound appreciation to the President for signing the bill into law, he said.



A shared goal



Speaking on background, a State Department spokesperson said the department shares Congresss goal of seeing Americans be able to access Tibetan regions.



The United States seeks reciprocity from China regarding the open access that China and many other countries enjoy in the United States.



Meanwhile, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Thursday slammed Trumps signing of the bill into law, saying the new law sends seriously wrong signals of support to what she called forces working to separate Tibet from Chinese rule.



If the United States implements this law, it will cause serious harm to China-U.S. relations and to the cooperation in important areas between the two countries, she said.



A formerly independent nation, Tibet was taken over and incorporated into China by force nearly 70 years ago, following which Tibets spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and thousands of his followers fled into exile in India.



Chinese authorities now maintain a tight grip on the region, restricting Tibetans political activities and peaceful expression of ethnic and religious identities, and subjecting Tibetans to persecution, torture, imprisonment, and extrajudicial killings.

Reported by RFA's Tibetan Service.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will clear Syria both of a U.S.-backed Kurdish militia and Islamic State (IS) militants after the U.S. decision to pull troops out.

"In the following months we will see an operational style aimed at removing YPG [Kurdish People's Protection Units] and Daesh [IS] elements on the ground in Syria," Erdogan said in Istanbul on December 21.

On December 12, Erdogan announced that Turkey will launch a new military offensive against Kurdish militants east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria.

Meanwhile, Syrian Kurdish forces involved in the battle against IS remnants said they could withdraw from the front lines and redeploy to the Turkish border if the region they control is attacked by Turkey.

Ilham Ahmad, a leader of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the political wing of the Kurdish-led forces, warned that a Turkish attack could bring the battle against IS in Syria to a halt.

The SDF, an alliance of Kurdish, Arab, and Assyrian/Syriac militias, is militarily led by the YPG, which Turkey regards as a terrorist group. U.S. support for the YPG has strained ties between the two NATO allies.

The Kurds are seen as the big losers of U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of Syria, a move that leaves Kurds who helped rout IS from most of Syria vulnerable to attack from Turkey.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and dpa
BRUSSELS -- The European Union has formally extended economic sanctions against Russia, first imposed more than four years ago for Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula.

The European Council said on December 21 that the measures would remain in place for another six months, until July 2019.

The council, which is the grouping of the governments of 28 EU member countries, said it had adopted its decision unanimously.

EU leaders had agreed on the extension last week to do so, and also considered imposing more sanctions over Russia's seizure of Ukrainian ships off Crimea, but in the end, opted not to.

The measures target Russia's banking, energy, and defense sectors.

Earlier this week, EU diplomats agreed to impose asset freezes and visa bans on five Russians whom the EU believe are responsible for the March poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England. The five are believed to be Russian military intelligence agents.
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is resigning, saying his views were not fully "aligned" with President Donald Trump and citing policies toward Russia and China as among the differences.

The December 20 announcement of Mattis' departure came one day after Trump announced that he was withdrawing U.S. forces from Syria, a decision that came over the objections of Mattis and other senior advisers.

In a letter released shortly after Trump announced on Twitter that Mattis was leaving in February 2019, the Pentagon chief made clear his disagreements with Trump.

"We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity, and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances," Mattis wrote.

U.S. lawmakers, both Democratic and Republican, immediately expressed alarm over the departure of Mattis, who is seen by many as a steadying hand in the administration.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told reporters the resignation was an indication of "chaos" in the U.S. administration, while Nancy Pelosi, soon to be the House speaker, said she was "shaken" by Mattis' resignation letter.

"You have great leaders who have left this administration in dismay," she said at an impromptu press briefing. "Others have left in disgrace."

Democrat Mark Warner, the Senate Intelligence Committee vice chairman, wrote on Twitter that "this is scary" and that "Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration."

The top Republican in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, said it was "regrettable" that Mattis was leaving the administration, and rebuked Trump.

He added that the United States must "maintain a clear-eyed understanding of our friends and foes, and recognize that nations like Russia are among the latter."

Republican Senator Marco Rubio wrote on Twitter: "Just read Gen. Mattis resignation letter. It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed toward a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances & empower our adversaries."

In his letter, Mattis did not mention his disagreement over Trump's Syria decision, nor proposed deep cuts to U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

'Difference Of Opinions'

Trump surprised many advisers, as well as allies, with his announcement on December 19 that he was ordering the withdrawal of approximately 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria. Those troops have been working closely with Kurdish forces, helping to root out Islamic State (IS) militants.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, criticized the withdrawal decision, and said Mattis had told him that when the U.S. forces leave "it's going to be open season on every Kurd who's supported us."

Mattis' departure is the latest in a flurry of announced exits from the U.S. administration as Trump nears the halfway point in his four-year term.

It comes a day after Trump surprised and angered many U.S. military leaders, lawmakers, and international allies by announcing he was withdrawing "all" U.S. troops from Syria, where they are assisting a Syrian Arab and Kurdish alliance fighting against IS militants and other forces.

News agencies are reporting that Mattis and other national-security aides opposed the decision, saying it handed Russia, Iran, and Turkey a victory. Reuters quoted an unnamed senior White House official as saying that Mattis resigned during a meeting with Trump after the two had a difference of opinions "on some issues."

Reports also surfaced late on December 20 that Trump was planning to withdraw a "significant" number of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

Split With Trump

The 68-year-old Mattis, a Marine Corps general, was one of the most respected members of the Trump administration and had won praise from both Democrats and Republicans. Some, however, have criticized Mattis for not standing up to Trump for policies that many in Congress have opposed.

In his resignation letter, Mattis said, "I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours.

"It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model gaining veto authority over other nations' economic, diplomatic, and security decisions to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbors, America, and our allies."

Mattis added that his views of "treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues."

"Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis said.

Minutes earlier, Trump wrote on Twitter that "General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years."

"During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting...equipment."

"General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!" Trump added.

Latest Departure

Trump has often been criticized by Democrats and even many Republicans for policies that they assert are too soft on Russia and too antagonistic toward traditional allies, such as fellow NATO members.

Asked for a reaction to Mattis' departure, NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu told RFE/RL, "Secretary Mattis has made a key contribution to keeping NATO strong and ready to deal with the significant security challenges we face, while ensuring a fairer share of the burden across our alliance."

Lungescu added that NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg "will continue to work closely with Secretary Mattis until the end of his term, as he expects to work closely with his successor."

"We are grateful for the iron-clad commitment of the United States to NATO. US leadership keeps our transatlantic alliance strong."

Trump announced on December 8 that John Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, would be leaving his post as White House chief of staff by the end of the year.

Trump and Kelly had been rumored to be at odds over many issues, with some U.S. media reporting the two are no longer speaking to each other.

Among other recent departures, Jeff Sessions, Trump's attorney general, was forced out of his position on November 7, while U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said on October 9 that she would step down at the end of the year.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was fired on March 13 after disagreements with the president. Trump later tweeted that Tillerson was "dumb as a rock" and "lazy as hell" after Tillerson said Trump was "pretty undisciplined," and did not read.
A Russian court has issued an arrest warrant for Bill Browder, the latest effort in a long-running campaign by Moscow to prosecute the British-American financier.

The December 21 order by the Tver district court came a month after Russian authorities announced that Browder was being charged in absentia with forming a "transnational criminal group." Officials also alleged he was involved in the death of whistle-blower Sergei Magnitsky in a Moscow jail nearly a decade ago.

Despite the warrant and the new charges, it was unlikely Browder will be prosecuted in Russia. Browder spends most of his time in Britain, and has repeatedly fought efforts by Russia to use Interpol cooperation agreements to arrest him.

Browder's Russian lawyer, Aleksandr Antipov, said Browder had not been informed about either the new charge against him or the hearing.

Russian authorities have said they were investigating Browder for possible involvement in what they called "the fatal poisoning with a chemical" of Magnitsky and three other people, something Browder dismissed as baseless and "Kafkaesque."

The accusations are the latest chapter in the ongoing battle between the Kremlin and Browder, a U.S.-born Briton who was once the biggest foreign portfolio investor in Russia but fell afoul of the government and is now an outspoken foe of President Vladimir Putin.

Browder employed Magnitsky, who was arrested in 2008 after exposing a scheme in which mid-ranking Interior Ministry, tax service, and other officials were allegedly behind a $230 million tax fraud.

Magnitsky was later imprisoned, accused of helping to commit the fraud himself. He died in a Moscow jail in 2009 after what some of his supporters have said was treatment that amounted to torture.

Russian authorities, who admitted that the tax fraud took place, tried and convicted Magnitsky posthumously, and also alleged that it was Browder himself who perpetrated the fraud.

A Moscow court sentenced Browder in absentia to nine years in prison in December 2017 after convicting him of large-scale tax evasion.

Since Magnitsky's death, Browder has campaigned for laws in countries worldwide that are designed to punish those responsible for human rights abuses -- including the 2012 U.S. Magnitsky Act, which has infuriated the Kremlin.

With reporting by Interfax and TASS
Newly released archive files in Latvia show that a former prime minister and the current Supreme Court chief justice are among those who collaborated with the Soviet KGB during the Cold War.

Experts say the files, released on December 21 by the Latvian National Archives, show the depth and breadth of the KGB's efforts to infiltrate and recruit influential figures in the Baltic state. https://kgb.arhivi.lv/

"Only the court can conduct a full investigation and find out whether the individual was indeed a KGB collaborator," National Archives director Mara Sprudza said in a statement.

"The documents are being published in their original order, but readers should beware that most of them are in handwritten Cyrillic," she said.

The KGB enlisted nearly 24,000 Latvians as collaborators and agents between 1953 and 1992.

After independence, Latvia managed to save its KGB archive from being destroyed, unlike other ex-Soviet republics.

Ilmars Poikans, a member of the scientific commission overseeing the files, said they included information gathered by KGB agents and criminal investigations involving the KGB.

"There are also cases fabricated against Soviet-era dissidents and pro-democracy activists," he told AFP.

Among those people who files were located in the archives were Ivars Godmanis, who twice served as Latvia's prime minister. Others include current Supreme Court chief justice Ivars Bickovics and Roman Catholic Cardinal Julijans Vaivods, who died in 1991.

The National Archives are planning the next release of digital files in January.

Based on reporting by AFP
Romanian prosecutors have indicted former President Ion Iliescu for crimes against humanity for his role in the bloody aftermath of the December 1989 revolt that toppled dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's regime.

Iliescu's indictment, the latest step in a long-running investigation, was revealed 29 years to the day since the uprising, which had begun in the western city of Timisoara, reached Bucharest.

Iliescu, now 88, had been a senior figure in Ceausescu's government before falling out with the dictator. He went on to lead a provisional government -- the National Salvation Front -- which took control of the country after Ceausescu fled Bucharest on December 22.

Iliescu served three terms as president of post-Communist Romania.

Four other individuals, including former deputy prime minister Gelu Voican Voiculescu, were also indicted on December 21.

"Iliescu and Voiculescu directly spread misinformation through televised appearances and press releases, contributing to the institution of a generalized psychosis," the indictment said.

Their actions and statements intentionally increased the risk of "instances of friendly fire, chaotic shooting, and contradictory military orders," prosecutors said, adding that 862 people were killed after Ceausescu's flight.

The men's actions also helped lead to "the conviction and execution of the Ceausescus after a mockery of a trial," prosecutors alleged.

Voiculescu on December 21 denied any wrongdoing.

Iliescu, in a rare public comment on the issue in April, had said: "I can hold my head high in the face of the judgement of history."

With reporting by g4media.ro and digi24hd.ro
Russia's media regulator, Roskomnadzor, says it has started checking the legality of the BBC World News channel's Russian operations and its websites, following a statement by British media watchdog Ofcom that Russia's RT television channel had violated impartiality rules.

Roskomnadzor said on December 21 that the goal of the verification is to establish whether the content of the BBC operation is consistent with Russian laws.

The statement comes a day after Ofcom said it was considering sanctioning Russia's state-financed RT, saying it had broken impartiality rules in seven programs earlier this year, including coverage of the poisoning in Britain of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

Britain blames the Russian government for the poisoning of the Skripals in the city of Salisbury in March.

Russia has repeatedly denied that its agents were behind the poisoning and accused British intelligence agencies of staging the incident to stoke what they called "Russophobia."

The Skripals survived the poisoning, in which a Soviet-made military nerve agent known as Novichok was used.

Two other British citizens were exposed to the same nerve agent in June, apparently by accident; one of them, Dawn Sturgess, died.

Ofcom since 2012 has repeatedly found RT to have breached its rules on impartiality and of broadcasting "materially misleading" content.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on December 21 that Roskomnadzor's move was in response to Ofcom's announced checks of RT operations.

"Many have questions for the BBC regarding its biased coverage of some events, as they are covered not like a media outlet should do but in a preprogrammed and biased way," Peskov said.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova hailed Roskomnadzor's move, writing on Facebook that "it is high time to do that."

"...the British government's blatant interference in the activities of Russian medias outlets (constant propaganda against the RT channel, attempts to defame our reporters and so on) leave us no choice but to give a tit-for-tat response," Zakharova wrote.

The BBC said on December 21 that it worked in full compliance with Russia's laws and regulations to deliver independent news.

"As everywhere else in the world, the BBC works in Russia in full compliance with the country's laws and regulations to deliver independent news and information to its audiences," said a BBC spokesperson.

With reporting by Reuters and TASS
Yaroslav Lobanov, a Russian activist in the Urals city of Kurgan, has been sentenced to 10 days in jail for publicly burning a copy of the Russian Constitution.

Local human rights activist Aleksei Pryanishnikov said on December 21 that the Kurgan City Court found Lobanov guilty of repeated violations of public gathering regulations.

On December 12, Lobanov burned a copy of the Russian Constitution in front of the offices of the Federal Security Service (FSB) in Kurgan.

Lobanov told RFE/RL at the time that, by burning the constitution in public, he wanted "to challenge the fear that is spread by the FSB across Russia" and dedicated his protest to a group of activists arrested earlier this year on extremism charges.

Lobanov was detained for taking part in several unsanctioned public antigovernment protests in recent months.

With reporting by Mediazona
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A 34-year-old pipe cutter in the Russian city of Pervouralsk was mocked for her looks after entering a local pageant. With help of her supporters, she had the last laugh.
ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- A Kazakh court has sentenced three men to lengthy prison terms in a case that prosecutors said was linked to a political movement founded by a fugitive tycoon.

The court in Almaty on December 21 found Kenzhebek Abishev, Oralbek Omirov, and Almat Zhumaghulov guilty of disseminating terrorism. Zhumaghulov was also found guilty of inciting ethnic hatred.

Prosecutors alleged that the three, who were arrested in November 2017, planned a holy war by spreading the ideas of the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan, an organization that has been branded a terrorist group by Kazakh authorities and banned in March.

All three defendants pleaded not guilty when the trial started on October 1, calling the case against them politically motivated.

In late November, Zhumaghulov and Omirov slashed their forearms during their trial in protest.

The Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan was founded by Mukhtar Ablyazov, an outspoken critic of President Nursultan Nazarbaev and his government.

Kazakh rights groups have said the three men should be considered political prisoners.

Ablyazov was the head of a bank known as BTA. He is wanted in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine on suspicion of embezzling some $5 billion.

He has denied all the charges.

Several politicians and activists have fled Kazakhstan in recent years, fearing for their safety or anticipating politically motivated prosecution.
A significant reduction in the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan won't impact upon the security of the war-torn country, a spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani has said.

It was the first official Afghan reaction to reports in the U.S. media that President Donald Trump is considering a "significant" withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, with some quoting unnamed officials as saying the decision had already been made.

"If they withdraw from Afghanistan it will not have a security impact because in the last 4 1/2 years the Afghans have been in full control," Ghani's spokesman, Haroon Chakhansuri, said via social media.

The Wall Street Journal quoted an unnamed senior U.S. official on December 20 as saying that Trump "wants to see viable options about how to bring conflicts to a close."



The AFP news agency quoted a U.S. official as saying the decision had already been made for a "significant" U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.



"That decision has been made. There will be a significant withdrawal," AFP quoted the official as saying.

CNN also reported that Trump had already ordered the military to make plans for a withdrawal of perhaps half of the current 14,000-strong force.

NATO has so far declined to comment on the reports, saying only that was aware of the reports.



In response to an RFE/RL question, NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said, "The Afghan Army and police have been fully in charge of the security of Afghanistan for over four years. They are a brave, committed, and increasingly capable force, who have ensured the security of the parliamentary elections earlier this year.

INFOGRAPHIC: Which Countries Have Troops In Afghanistan?





"Earlier this month, NATO foreign ministers expressed steadfast commitment to ensuring long-term security and stability in Afghanistan," Lungescu said.



"Our engagement is important to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for international terrorists who could threaten us at home."

However, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius, whose NATO-member country is a contributor to Resolute Support, voiced skepticism that even a partial U.S. withdrawal could be supplanted by the remaining members.



"Frankly, I do not believe that we can split forces and rely that something can be done in the absence of an important player. It's difficult really to say," Linkevicius told RFE/RL.



The Western-backed government in Kabul has been struggling to counter attacks from the Taliban and other militant groups since the withdrawal of most NATO combat troops in 2014.



U.S. officials have been attempting to push the Taliban to the negotiating table with the government in Kabul. Many Taliban leaders insist that U.S. forces depart before substantial peace talks can take place.



The reports came a day after Trump surprised and angered many U.S. lawmakers, administration officials, and international allies by saying he was pulling "all" U.S. troops out of Syria, where they are leading a multinational coalition backing local forces in the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants.



It also came shortly before Trump announced that his defense secretary, Jim Mattis, would be leaving his post at the end of February.

U.S. media are reporting that Mattis opposed Trump's move to withdraw from Syria. In his resignation letter, Mattis said his views were not fully "aligned" with those of the president.

A U.S.-led coalition has been in Afghanistan since 2001, when it drove the Taliban from power after Al-Qaeda militants -- whose leaders were being sheltered in Afghanistan -- carried out the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.



However, the Western-backed government in Kabul has struggled to counter attacks from the Taliban and other militant groups since the withdrawal of most NATO combat troops in 2014.



U.S. officials have been attempting to push the Taliban to the negotiating table with the government in Kabul. Many Taliban leaders insist that U.S. forces depart before substantial peace talks can take place.

'Huge Mistake'

Mohammad Taqi, a Florida-based political analyst, told RFE/RLs Radio Mashaal that a rapid U.S. withdrawal would be "a huge mistake."



"If we look at it in context of talks with the Taliban, then it seems [the] Taliban have already strengthened their position," he said. "Now the reports of [a U.S. withdrawal] show a weakening stance by the U.S., which could subsequently undermine [the] Afghan governments position."

On December 20, Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special peace envoy for Afghanistan, questioned the Taliban's determination to end the 17-year war after the group's representatives refused to meet with an Afghan government-backed negotiating team.



Khalilzad said that, while he was certain the Afghan government wanted to end the conflict, it was unclear whether the Taliban were "genuinely seeking peace."



Khalilzad's remarks came following his latest face-to-face meeting earlier this week with the Taliban, which was held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and was also attended by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.



The U.A.E. hailed the talks as "positive for all parties concerned," while the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Khalid bin Salman, claimed the meetings will produce "very positive results by the beginning of next year."

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters
U.S. authorities have moved to claim a 107-year-old painting of Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible that was stolen from an Ukrainian art museum during World War II and discovered in a home in the U.S. state of Connecticut.

Prosecutors from the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, D.C., said that until 1941 the painting by Mikhail Panin, called Secret Departure Of Ivan The Terrible Before The Oprichnina, was part of the permanent collection of an art museum in the Ukrainian city now known as Dnipro.

In a December 21 statement, authorities said the painting, along with 63 other exhibits, disappeared from the museum when it was occupied by Nazi forces during World War II.

The painting was inherited by an American couple in 1962 when they bought a home in Ridgefield, Connecticut, from a man, officials said, who had emigrated to the United States from Switzerland in 1946. The couple discovered documentation that identified the man as having served in the Swiss Army during the war.

Neither the couple nor the man were identified in the forfeiture complaint filed in D.C. federal court.

U.S. prosecutors said that in 1986 the man from Switzerland died and the Connecticut home was sold the following year. The new buyer of the home, also unidentified, then put the Panin painting up for auction in 2017.

But when the painting was advertised in an auction house catalog, the Ukrainian art museum -- now known as the Dnipropetrovsk State Art Museum -- noticed, and demanded its return. The auction house was also not unidentified.

"Attention! Painting 'Ivan the Terrible' was in the collection of the [Dnipropetrovsk] Art Museum until 1941 and was stolen during the Second World War. The museum documentation confirms this fact. Please stop selling this painting at auction!!! According the international rules of restitution of stolen works of art, the picture should return to Ukraine," a museum employee wrote to the auction house in a November 17, 2017, e-mail cited by prosecutors.

The FBI then seized the painting.

The people who sought to sell the painting at auction have given up rights to it, and U.S. authorities said they will return it to the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington if no other claims are filed.

Secret Departure Of Ivan The Terrible Before The Oprichnina depicts a 16th-century scene showing the Russian tsar commonly known as Ivan the Terrible and his loyal adherents leaving the Kremlin gates.

The Ukrainian Embassy did not immediately answer a phone call seeking comment.
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan aim to launch a program dubbed Silk Visa, which will allow foreigners with visas issued by either of the two countries to travel in both Central Asian republics, an Uzbek official says.

Acting First Deputy Chairman of the Uzbek State Committee for Tourism, Ulugbek Qosimhojaev, told reporters in Tashkent on December 20 that the goal of the program is to boost tourism in the region.

Qosimhojaev also said that two other Central Asian nations, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, had expressed interest in joining the program in future.

Kazakhstan said earlier that it was working to attract Azerbaijan and Turkey to join the Silk Visa program, which is intended to ultimately function along the same lines as the Schengen visa system in Europe.

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are the region's leading economies.

Based on reporting Kazinform and gazeta.uz
Veteran Russian human rights defender Lev Ponomaryov has been released from jail after serving a 16-day sentence in a case that caused an outcry among fellow activists and international rights groups.

Officials at a Moscow detention center said Ponomaryov, who was jailed by a court that ruled he had organized an unauthorized protest via the Internet, was freed on the morning of December 21.

Investigators said Ponomaryov used his Facebook account to organize an October 28 demonstration in support of New Greatness and Network, two youth activist groups that Russian authorities accuse of extremism.

Supporters and Kremlin critics had voiced concern that the 77-year-old head of the Moscow-based organization For Human Rights was jailed for a Facebook post, and had called for his release.

Amnesty International said the sentence reflected "contempt for human rights," and Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Dunja Mijatovic said that his jailing was unjustified.

Ponomaryov had earlier been fined for holding a single-person protest against the arrest of a youth activist.

In its December 5 ruling, a Moscow district court said that Ponomaryov was guilty of repeat violations of regulations governing public gatherings and sentenced him to 25 days in jail.

Two days later, an appeals court shortened the sentence to 16 days.

For Human Rights denounced his arrest and sentencing as "absolutely illegal" and suggested that the authorities jailed him in order to thwart plans for a new opposition rally in mid-December.

Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights head Mikhail Fedotov and Russian Ombudswoman Tatyana Moskalkova have also criticized the sentence, saying it was too harsh for an elderly man.

With reporting by TASS and Interfax
U.S. President Donald Trumps reported plans to withdraw around 7,000 troops from Afghanistan, roughly half the remaining U.S. military presence there, has prompted much discussion about the impact the drawdown could have on the country.

Analysts interviewed by RFE/RL warn that a partial withdrawal would further degrade security, jeopardize possible peace talks with the Taliban aimed at ending its 17-year insurgency, and strain Washingtons relationship with the Western-backed government in Kabul.

'Exacerbate The Conflict'

The already worsening security situation in Afghanistan is likely to be exacerbated by a U.S. troop reduction, according to analysts.

A recent U.S. military report said Taliban control over Afghanistan has increased in recent months, and the government currently controls or influences only 55.5 percent of the country's districts -- the lowest level recorded since it began tracking the data in 2015.

"The Taliban has steadily captured territory in recent years and it's reasonable to expect that trend to continue," says Graeme Smith, an Afghanistan analyst and a consultant for the International Crisis Group, although he adds that in practical terms the withdrawal "may not make a significant difference on the battlefield," and Washington could replace departed troops with security contractors.

The United States would still have 7,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of a NATO-led mission and a separate U.S. counterterrorism mission, if the withdrawal order reported by various U.S. media outlets, citing officials, is carried out. The Pentagon also has 25,239 private security contractors deployed in Afghanistan.

INFOGRAPHIC: Which Countries Have Troops In Afghanistan?

Haroun Mir, an Kabul-based political analyst, says the vacuum left by withdrawing some U.S. forces could have wider security ramifications.

"A U.S. military drawdown without a well thought out strategy behind it and without concerted efforts with internal and regional stakeholders could further exacerbate the conflict in the country and intensify competition among regional stakeholders," Mir says, referring to countries that have been accused of providing support to the Taliban, including Pakistan, Iran, and Russia.

'Breathtakingly Bad' For Peace Talks

Trump's decision could scuttle U.S. efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict, analysts warn.

U.S. special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has met Taliban representatives during at least three separate rounds of direct talks in recent months as part of the effort to encourage negotiations between the Taliban and Kabul. The latest talks in the United Arab Emirates from December 17-19 were seen as the most significant yet.

"This makes no strategical sense, as it weakens the U.S.'s own position and that of its local ally, the Afghan government, in the midst of attempts to get a peace process going," says Thomas Ruttig, co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, an independent think tank in Kabul.

Michael Kugelman, South Asia associate at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, says the timing of Trump's troop-withdrawal decision "is breathtakingly bad."

"Announcing a move like this now could squander the best chance to date to launch a peace process to end a war that has raged for far too long," says Kugelman, adding that Washington would lose a major bargaining chip in talks.

An Afghan official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told RFE/RL that Trump's reported decision suggests "some serious progress with talks" in the U.A.E, without elaborating.

Some analysts say the U.S. troop withdrawal could also have a silver lining and could send a useful message to all sides.

"This signals to the Taliban that the U.S. is serious about negotiating an exit," says Smith, adding that it would erode the militants skepticism that Washington is open to withdrawing from Afghanistan. "This will also force the Afghan government to think about peace as a short-term prospect instead of something that could be delayed for years."

'Kabul Was Blindsided'

Trump's reported decision apparently surprised Afghan officials, even though the U.S. president had previously voiced opposition to the U.S. war effort there. The Kabul government was not briefed on the plans.

"The sudden decision has come as a shock," an Afghan official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, told RFE/RL.

Afghan officials put up a brave face, with an adviser to President Ashraf Ghani writing on Twitter that the U.S. decision "will not affect our security."

"It's becoming clear that Kabul was blindsided," says Smith. "Diplomacy gets harder when the White House fails to coordinate with other branches of government and close U.S. allies."

"Considering the decision as a serious U.S. endgame step, political elites in Kabul will probably aim to close ranks and raise questions about the timing and commitments made to maintain stability," says Omar Samad, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Atlantic Council and former Afghan diplomat.
Former mayor of Solidaridad moved from Chetumal prison

Playa del Carmen, Q.R.  The former mayor of Playa del Carmen, Mauricio Gongora Escalante, was moved from a Chetumal prison to a Playa del Carmen jail Wednesday night where he will continue with his legal processes.

The Secretary General of City Council, Walter Puc Novelo, says that Gongora Escalante will not receive any special treatment, adding that the prisons are already overcrowded and special spaces are not available anyway.

Mauricio Gongora will not receive special attention in a place that has an over-quota of 120 inmates, he said.

On Wednesday, the former PRI candidate for governor of Quintana Roo, Mauricio Gongora Escalante, entered the Playa del Carmen jail. He was moved under heavy guard where he will continue with the legal charges against him including accusations of embezzlement and irregular performance of the public function while in office.

In a press conference, Puc Novelo said that the former mayor of Solidaridad is in the area reserved for people who face the same legal situation.

Mauricio Gongora Escalante was arrested at the beginning of 2018 in the State of Mexico, alleged responsible for irregular performance of the public function in the amount of 594 million peso and two charges for embezzlement, one for 5 million peso and the other for 155 million peso.
 Flash









Enthusiastic Chinese tourists embraced their best year in 2018!







China climbed over 10 spots to rank 71st in the latest Henley Passport Index, which ranks passports based on the number of countries their holders can travel to visa-free.





According to the index, China's ranking this year is the highest since 2008, when the Olympic Games were held in the Chinese capital Beijing. Its lowest ranking in the last 10 years was in 2015, when China ranked 94th.





Chinese travelers can now explore 74 countries without a visa, according to the index.





This year, six additional countries, namely Belarus, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Myanmar, issued visa waivers to Chinese tourists.









What's in store for Chinese travelers?





1. United Arab Emirates





The UAE began offering visa-free access to Chinese tourists in January.





For most people, the UAE means just one place  Dubai, which transformed from a fishing village to a world-class city with iconic skyscrapers, a palm-shaped island and of course, glamorous nightlife.





However, there's more than just super-tall buildings and year-round sunshine. The country is comprised of seven emirates, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ajman, and welcomes millions of tourists from around the world every year to explore the rich and diverse experiences that the Arabian gem could offer.





Oil-rich Abu Dhabi, also the capital of the UAE, is just an hour's drive south of Dubai, positioned as a hub for culture, sport and leisure. North of Dubai is Sharjah, which offers fine art and a taste of heritage, while tiny Ajman and Umm AI Quwain provide a glimpse of life in the pre-oil days. For the best swimming and diving experiences, just cross the Hajar Mountains to Fujairah for a dip in the clear water of the Gulf of Oman.





The UAE was one of the top 20 most popular travel destinations for Chinese travelers in 2017, along with Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Russia, according to the China Tourism Academy.





Top sights like Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building; Burj Al Arab, the world's first 7-star hotel; Jumeirah Beach and the largest indoor theme park on the planet, IMG Worlds of Adventure, beckon visitors.





Tips:





Kissing is a no-no: Avoid smooching in public as this may attract unwanted attention.





Public holidays: Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of phases of the moon and government offices and some private companies close for the holidays.





2. Belarus





Chinese tourists are allowed to stay in Belarus for 30 days since their visa-free policy was introduced on August 10. But, Minsk, the country's capital and largest city, is where travelers must land and take off in order to take advantage of the favorable policy.





Summer and fall are the best seasons to embrace the beauty of this Eastern European country. The capital has a seething nightlife, excellent museums and an impressive ensemble of Stalin-era architecture. It has also gradually become a hub for global summits and sporting events.





The cosmopolitan border town of Brest looks far more to the neighboring EU than it does to Minsk. The city's main sight is the Brest Fortress, a vast and moving WWII memorial. Museums and a few attractive churches are also worth visiting.





Tips:





Accommodations: In 2017, Minsk was rated the cheapest destination in Europe; accommodations are really inexpensive.





3. Albania





Chinese tourists enjoyed visa-free access to Albania during the peak tourism season, which fell between April 1 and October 31.





Neighboring Greece, Albania has long been an enigma in Mediterranean Europe. Its stunning mountain scenery, crumbling castles, boisterous capital and dreamy beaches continue to enchant visitors.





Top attractions like Ksamil, a little sea village just an hour from Greece, offer you turquoise water, fresh seafood and hospitality beyond compare. Gjirokastra's eerie hilltop castle, which once served as a prison, is one of the biggest in the Balkans.





Tips:





WiFi is scarce: Internet is very hard to find in Albania. Hotels do not offer it freely and a lot of the time you'll go days without it.





Weather alert: From December to February severe weather may cause flooding, particularly in northern Albania.





Another country on the Balkan Peninsula, Bosnia and Herzegovina, has offered visa-free access to Chinese tourists since May 29, 2018, while Myanmar has provided visa on arrival since October, Qatar and China started mutual visa exemptions starting from December 21.





What do figures say?





By far, 74 countries have opened their door to Chinese tourists, including 12 with mutual visa exemption agreements like Mauritius, Serbia and Barbados.





Figures from the China Tourism Academy show that over 120 million Chinese people have passports and the number is expected to double by 2020.





In 2017, Chinese travelers took 130 million trips abroad, spending more than 11 billion U.S. dollars, and helping China remain the world's leading outbound tourism country.




 Flash





Chinese and Thai companies signed three documents on Monday at northern Thailand's Chiang Saen port in a bid to develop boat trip service along the Lancang-Mekong River.





China's Yunnan Provincial Tourism Investment Co., LTD and Thailand's New Chiang Saen Group Co., LTD are the main signers of these cooperative documents, which cover marketing a current boat service on Mekong river that take tourists to see the scenery of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar in a single day trip.





They will also launch a boat service from Chiang Saen port in northern Thailand to Jinghong in China's Yunan Province and also to Luang Prabang of Laos and Kengtung of Myanmar.





"We are trying to connect tourist services and attractions along the Lancang-Mekong River," Xu Lianbiao, vice general manager of Yunnan Provincial Tourism Investment, said. We are also developing a wild elephant center in northern Lao province of Xayaburi and also developing ecological tourism there, he added.





Thailand put forward a vision called "five Chiang cities, four countries," which seeks close tourism cooperation and tourism facilitation between Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Jinghong (Chiang Rung in Thai language), Kengtung (Chiang Tung) and Luang Prabang (Chiang Thong), Xu noted their company's goal to boost tourism cooperation is in line with the vision of the five Chiang.









"The joint patrol of China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand make it safe to sail on the Mekong River, making it possible for tourism routes linking these Chiang cities to grow," he mentioned.





Chiang Saen's old port is to be developed into a mega-tourism port, Mayor of Wiang Chiang Saen subdistrict municipality Chayagrit Nissaisook said.





The mayor said the Tourism Authority of Thailand had made a master plan to develop the port to the scale of an international airport, with duty free shops and restaurants to welcome tourists, especially Chinese tourists.





"The investment will be at a minimum of 39 million baht ($1.19 million) to firstly realize the plan that we may be able to attract more than 100 million baht ($3.06 million)," he added.





Yunnan Provincial Tourism Investment launched their boat service in Chiang Saen Port in October this year, tourists can now take a boat from here to see Myanmar and Laos along the river and also to do some shopping on Don Sao Island of Laos, a separate duty free zone.




Dave Eggers speaks to charity founder Deborah Bullivant and hears about childrens experiences at Grimm and Co.

THE AMERICAN author who inspired a fantastical Rotherham charity has called it the gold standard in a worldwide network of writing centres.

San Francisco-based Dave Eggers won several awards for his 2000 memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.

In 2009, he wrote the screenplay for childrens favourite Where the Wild Things are.

And last year his 2013 novel The Circle became a Hollywood hit starring Emma Watson and Tom Hanks.

The novelist, journalist and human rights campaigner also founded 826 Valencia  the pirate-themed writing centre which inspired Grimm and Co.

Based on Doncaster Gate in the town centre, Grimm aims to improve childrens literacy through creative writing workshops.

The centre is also an apothecary to magical creatures, selling slimy substances disguised as soaps.

Dave took a train from London, where he was speaking at a literary conference, to drop in on Rotherhams strangest shop.

And he branded the building his favourite in a global network of similar shops.

Dave said: Were now an alliance of around 50 writing centres worldwide and none of them are more committed or more beautiful than this one.

Ever since I saw a photograph of Grimm and Co shared through our network, its been an obsession for me.

While I was in London I just had to take an extra day to see this place  it has completely exceeded all of my expectations.

He added: Theyve committed so fully to their theme and made it so incredibly beautiful.

The attention to detail is amazing  I love all the old wood and brass. I think it would take a few days to really take it all in.

It really is the gold standard for what a young peoples writing centre should look like.

After a whistle-stop tour of the spectacular store, Dave heard two boys talk about their experiences in Grimm workshops.

He said: It sounds like its been an absolutely transformative place for the young people who have come here.

Can you imagine being nine and having this place around the corner? Its like having Disneyworld in your town.

Kids living in Rotherham are very, very lucky to have such a special place here.

I shouldnt play favourites, but I think this is my favourite of all the writing centres I have seen.

Grimm founder Deborah Bullivant, charity staff and volunteers showed Dave and other special guests around the centre.

Rotherham bard Ray Hearne and League of Gentlemen writer Jeremy Dyson  both patrons of the charity  also attended the transatlantic visit.

Deborah said: Dave is an amazing author and writer. Hes also the inspiration for the way Grimm and Co is.\!q Im ecstatic to have him here.

I was looking for a model for Grimm and I saw a TED Talk about Dave and 826 Valencia.

And its not that weve been badgering him to come  he called us asking if he could pop in while he was in the UK.

For celebrated writers like him and Jeremy Dyson to be in the same room, talking about how they support Grimm, is very exciting.

Deborah hopes to work with Dave on exchange trips for Rotherham children to his San Francisco base.

Deborah said: Im so proud of our children and the people behind Grimm. Theyre so talented and they work so hard as well.

In the last two years weve worked with over 6,000 children.

We work with schools right across Yorkshire and were seeing daily the impact it has on young people.

She added: Its fantastic to have Daves recognition of the quality of what weve achieved here in Rotherham.

I hope were on his radar now and that he takes away a feel for what we have done, having talked to the children and their parents.

I hope that stays in his heart and he carries it with him.

For more information  as well as wacky Christmas gift ideas  visit www.grimmandco.co.uk.
Kieron Young was given a six-year jail sentence at Sheffield Crown Court

A MAN who suffered abuse as a teenager at the hands of paedophile Kieron Young paid tribute to his family and the police for helping him secure a conviction.

The 22-year-old, who was abused when he was 13, said he had tried to put his abuse to the back of his mind until he read about Youngs previous conviction in the Rotherham Advertiser last November.

I had put everything to the back of my mind as far as possible to try to get back to normal, he said.

Then I read about it in the Advertiser and brought it all back.

It was the first time my girlfriend had seen me cry.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, contacted the police after reading the Advertisers report.

Following a further police investigation, Young admitted the abuse and he was given a further six-year jail sentence at Sheffield Crown Court on Monday (17).

However, Young will not spend any longer in prison, because the jail sentence will run alongside his current 13-year term.

His victim, who was in court with his mum, dad and brother-in-law on Monday, said: It would have been nice if he could have had a longer sentence.

The judge has done the best he can.

Its brought me a bit of closure, hopefully.

The victim said it had been tough to sit next to his parents and listen to details of the abuse he suffered.

I felt embarassed hearing what he did to me, he said.

I wanted to see him get justice.

When I was 13, I didnt tell my mum and dad.

The man said suffering abuse at the hands of Young had given him trust issues at school.

It took me three years after leaving school to trust my mum and dad, he said.

I couldnt even trust myself.

The man praised the work of South Yorkshire Police and the Independent Sexual Violence Advocacy (ISVA) which provides counselling to victims of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

If it wasnt for the CSE team at South Yorkshire Police, I dont think I would have got through it, he said.

They have given me the best support possible and referred me to a counsellor.

She came to my house to talk through stuff with me.

Shes the best support Ive ever had.

The man said his family had fully supported him over recent months.

My family have been brilliant with everything thats happened  they have supported me 100 per cent, he said.

I know theres been a lot of slating of South Yorkshire Police but this has changed my perception of them.

The man said when he was abused it had taken him three or four years to put it to the back of his mind  and the court case had brought it all back again.

I will be able to get my life back on track  last time I had no support, but this time I have, he said.
Paul Walker was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday

A SECURITY worker who stole more than 22,000 while collecting money from payphones has avoided jail  because a judge heard he was honest and hard-working.

Paul Walker (48), of Regent Street, Rotherham, raided BT payphones 55 times while working for security firm G4S, which was contracted to empty their cashboxes.

Walker stole from cashboxes on an almost weekly basis between December 2016, and December 2017  stealing up to 722 at a time.

He admitted theft and was sentenced to 12 months in jail suspended for two years at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday.

Judge Michael Slater said he had been persuaded to suspend the sentence after reading a letter from Walkers ex-wife which described him as honest and hard-working.

Walker stole a total of 22,424 and BT had to spend 8,250 dispatching operators to investigate the thefts and 190 on materials.

Prosecutor Mr Neil Coxon said: There had been suspicions leading up to the time of the commission of the first offence that there were irregularities in the north-eastern area.

That had drawn the attention of the BT office and the matter was kept under investigation.

Over the course of the year, it transpired, one operative was making more calls than usual to report problems with cashboxes he was emptying.

A covert camera was fitted to one of the boxes this defendant was scheduled to visit and captured what he was doing

He was brought in by his employer to account for the discrepancies.

Walker, who has no previous convictions, initially denied any wrongdoing but admitted stealing from cashboxes once he had been played the covert footage.

Clearly this will have an impact  albeit this is a multi-million pound company  but this is not an insignificant amount of money, said Mr Coxon.

Ms Rebecca Tanner, mitigating, said Walker had worked for G4S for little more than minimum wage for almost a decade and there had been no evidence of extravagant spending.

After losing his job, he split from his wife and lost his home but had some agency work due to start in January, said Ms Tanner

Theres genuine remorse on his behalf and he knows he brought this matter upon himself, she added.

Judge Slater said Walker had cared for his wife for seven years while she was hospitalised but he had an alcohol problem which became worse when his wife left hospital.

He ordered Walker to complete a six-month alcohol treatment requirement and 20 days of rehabilitation.
IDI launches Rock enRoll Campaign to spur Israeli diamond sales The Israel Diamond Institute (IDI) launched a campaign on 1st December that offers discounts of up to $200 to buyers of Israeli diamonds from qualified sellers. Titled Rock enRoll, the campaign is intended to boost the already robust Israeli...

Macaus Gem and Diamond Summit scheduled for December 10 The International Gemstone and Diamond Trade Summit scheduled for December 10 in Macau is the first industry-wide global gemstone and diamond conference jointly organised by the Shanghai Diamond Exchange (SDE) and the Macau China Diamond and...

Nornickel and Russian Platinum kick off joint operations in Norilsk Nornickel announced on Thursday that the Groups entities have signed a number of service contracts with Chernogorskaya Mining Company, part of the Russian Platinum Group, to provide Chernogorskaya with power, transportation and logistics services. The...

Angola: SODIAMs 4th rough diamond tender rakes in $19,5m Angola's National Diamond Trading Company, SODIAM says its fourth rough diamond tender held in Luanda last month raked in $19,5 million. The 1,012.90 carats sold were special diamond productions from Catoca and Lulo mines.
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China Thursday expressed firm opposition to the United States on its signing into law of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018, saying it is a gross interference in China's domestic affairs and sent a seriously wrong message to "Tibetan independence" forces.

The U.S. act has seriously violated the basic norms of international relations and is gravely harmful to communication and cooperation between China and the United States, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

Stressing that Tibet affairs are purely China's domestic affairs and allow no interference from other countries, Hua said Tibet and Tibetan areas in the other four regions are open to people from around the world.

Since 2015, visitors to Tibet and these regions from the United States alone totalled nearly 40,000, she said.

Meanwhile, taking into consideration of Tibet's special geographic and climatic conditions, the Chinese government has taken certain administrative measures in accordance with laws and regulations for foreigners to enter Tibet, which are totally necessary and justified, she said.

"The act's accusations against China disregard the facts and are full of prejudice, and completely unacceptable by the Chinese side," said Hua.

She warned that if the U.S. side take actions according to the act, it will definitely cause serious damage to bilateral relations and bilateral exchange and cooperation in key fields, and China will take strong measures to resolutely safeguard its own interests.

"China's door to the outside world will open wider and wider, so is Tibet. China welcomes more foreigners to visit, travel and do business in China's Tibetan areas," Hua said.

However, these people must act in line with China's laws and regulations, and fulfill necessary procedures, added the spokesperson.

China urges the United States to fully recognize the high sensitivity of the Tibet issue, stop using the Tibet issue to interfere in China's domestic affairs, and not to implement the act, otherwise, the U.S. side will take full responsibilities for the consequences, Hua said.
Sandeep Saxena today held divisional level review meeting with the Deputy Commissioners

Spokesman News Service: Chandigarh, December 21: Deputy Election Commissioner of India Mr. Sandeep Saxena today held divisional level review meeting with the Deputy Commissioners of the state in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, here. In this meeting, video conferencing was arranged with Electoral Registration Officers (ERO) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AERO) in the presence of Deputy Chief Election Commissioner of India Mr. Alok Shukla and Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab Dr. S. Karuna Raju.

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Mr. Saxena categorically said that no person above the age of 18 years, is deprived of enrolling in the voters list. He said that in many places it was noticed that names from the electoral rolls were incorrectly deleted. "Special attention should be paid towards two entries of voters who have permanently changed their addresses, he said adding that In case of death, it should be ensured that name of the respective voter would be deleted from the electoral roll.

Mr. Saxena said that due to the similarity of the majority names in the state, problem erupts in the process of correcting voter lists. Therefore, the photographs in voter lists should be used to help. He specifically said that the pictures must be clean and the double entries should be deleted by all means. He asked the Deputy Commissioners to go to any village and meet the booth level officers and booth level agents of political parties to guage the group-level situation, which would be helpful to assess the position of all the districts.

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Deputy Election Commissioner asked that in many places the votes of one family members are on two or more different polling booths, which needs to be rationalized. On this occasion, Deputy Election Commissioner Mr. Alok Shukla apprised the Deputy Commissioner about the technical information for corrections of the voter lists. During this review meeting, the Deputy Commissioners were asked to report the problems of their district and asked about the work executive. Expressing satisfaction over theie performance, suggestions were also given to the deputy commissioners.
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Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe met with Deputy Defense Minister of the Russian Federation and Chief of Main Directorate for Political-Military Affairs of the Russian Armed Forces Andrey Kartapolov in Beijing Thursday.

Wei spoke highly of recent exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries.

"China is willing to work jointly with Russia, taking the opportunity of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries next year to resolutely implement the consensus reached by the two heads of states and promote the two sides' military cooperation to continuously score new achievements," Wei said.

Kartapolov said Russia would strengthen cooperation with China in the military and other fields, and keep pushing the relationship between the two countries and their militaries to a new level.
Earlier this year, the United Nations announced some much-needed, positive news about the environment: The ozone layer, which shields the Earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation, and which was severely depleted by decades of human-derived, ozone-destroying chemicals, is on the road to recovery.

The dramatic turnaround is a direct result of regulations set by the 1987 Montreal Protocol, a global treaty under which nearly every country in the world, including the United States, successfully acted to ban the production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the main agents of ozone depletion. As a result of this sustained international effort, the United Nations projects that the ozone layer is likely to completely heal by around the middle of the century.

But a new MIT study, published in Nature Geoscience, identifies another threat to the ozone layer's recovery: chloroform -- a colorless, sweet-smelling compound that is primarily used in the manufacturing of products such as Teflon and various refrigerants. The researchers found that between 2010 and 2015, emissions and concentrations of chloroform in the global atmosphere have increased significantly.

They were able to trace the source of these emissions to East Asia, where it appears that production of products from chloroform is on the rise. If chloroform emissions continue to increase, the researchers predict that the recovery of the ozone layer could be delayed by four to eight years.

"[Ozone recovery] is not as fast as people were hoping, and we show that chloroform is going to slow it down further," says co-author Ronald Prinn, the TEPCO Professor of Atmospheric Science at MIT. "We're getting these little side stories now that say, just a minute, species are rising that shouldn't be rising. And certainly a conclusion here is that this needs to be looked at."

Xuekun Fang, a senior postdoc in Prinn's group, is the lead author of the paper, which includes researchers from South Korea, Japan, England, Australia, and California.

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Short stay, big rise

Chloroform is among a class of compounds called "very short-lived substances" (VSLS), for their relatively brief stay in the atmosphere (about five months for chloroform). If the chemical were to linger, it would be more likely to get lofted into the stratosphere, where it would, like CFCs, decompose into ozone-destroying chlorine. But because it is generally assumed that chloroform and other VSLSs are unlikely to do any real damage to ozone, the Montreal Protocol does not stipulate regulating the compounds.

"But now that we're at the stage where emissions of the more long-lived compounds are going down, the further recovery of the ozone layer can be slowed down by relatively small sources, such as very short-lived species -- and there are a lot of them," Prinn says.

Prinn, Fang, and their colleagues monitor such compounds, along with other trace gases, with the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE) -- a network of coastal and mountain stations around the world that has been continuously measuring the composition of the global atmosphere since 1978.

There are 13 active stations scattered around the world, including in California, Europe, Asia, and Australia. At each station, air inlets atop typically 30-foot-tall towers pull in air about 20 times per day, and researchers use automated instruments to analyze the atmospheric concentrations of more than 50 greenhouse and ozone-depleting gases. With stations around the world monitoring gases at such a high frequency, AGAGE provides a highly accurate way to identify which emissions might be rising and where these emissions may originate.

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When Fang began looking through AGAGE data, he noticed an increasing trend in the concentrations of chloroform around the world between 2010 and 2015. He also observed about three times the amount of atmospheric chloroform in the Northern Hemisphere compared to the Southern Hemisphere, suggesting that the source of these emissions stemmed somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere.

Using an atmospheric model, Fang's collaborators on the paper estimated that between 2000 and 2010, global chloroform emissions remained at about 270 kilotons per year. However, this number began climbing after 2010, reaching a high of 324 kilotons per year in 2015. Fang observed that most stations in the AGAGE network did not measure substantial increases in the magnitude of spikes in chloroform, indicating negligible emission rises in their respective regions, including Europe, Australia, and the western United States. However, two stations in East Asia -- one in Hateruma, Japan, and the other in Gosan, South Korea -- showed dramatic increases in the frequency and magnitude of spikes in the ozone-depleting gas.

The rise in global chloroform emissions seemed, then, to come from East Asia. To investigate further, the team used two different three-dimensional atmospheric models that simulate the movement of gases and chemicals, given global circulation patterns. Each model can essentially trace the origins of a certain parcel of air. Fang and his colleagues fed AGAGE data from 2010 to 2015 into the two models and found that they both agreed on chloroform's source: East Asia.

"We conclude that eastern China can explain almost all the global increase," Fang says. "We also found that the major chloroform production factories and industrialized areas in China are spatially correlated with the emissions hotspots. And some industrial reports show that chloroform use has increased, though we are not fully clear about the relationship between chloroform production and use, and the increase in chloroform emissions."

"An unfortunate coherence"

Last year, researchers from the United Kingdom reported on the potential threat to the ozone layer from another very short-lived substance, dichloromethane, which, like chloroform, is used as a feedstock to produce other industrial chemicals. Those researchers estimated how both ozone and chlorine levels in the stratosphere would change with increasing levels of dichloromethane in the atmosphere.

Fang and his colleagues used similar methods to gauge the effect of increasing chloroform levels on ozone recovery. They found that if concentrations remained steady at 2015 levels, the increase observed from 2010 to 2015 would delay ozone recovery by about five months. If, however, concentrations were to continue climbing as they have through 2050, this would set a complete healing of the ozone layer back by four to eight years.

The fact that the rise in chloroform stems from East Asia adds further urgency to the situation. This region is especially susceptible to monsoons, typhoons, and other extreme storms that could give chloroform and other short-lived species a boost into the stratosphere, where they would eventually decompose into the chlorine that eats away at ozone.

"There's an unfortunate coherence between where chloroform is being emitted and where there are frequent storms that puncture the top of the troposphere and go into the stratosphere," Prinn says. "So, a bigger fraction of what's released in East Asia gets into the stratosphere than in other parts of the world."

Fang and Prinn say that the study is a "heads-up" to scientists and regulators that the journey toward repairing the ozone layer is not yet over.

"Our paper found that chloroform in the atmosphere is increasing, and we identified the regions of this emission increase and the potential impacts on future ozone recovery," Fang says. "So future regulations may need to be made for these short-lived species."

"Now is the time to do it, when it's sort of the beginning of this trend," Prinn adds. "Otherwise, you will get more and more of these factories built, which is what happened with CFCs, where more and more end uses were found beyond refrigerants. For chloroform, people will surely find additional uses for it."
Feynman diagrams are a powerful tool in condensed matter physics. By turning highly complex equations into sets of simple diagrams, the method has established itself as one of the sharpest tools in a theoretical physicist's toolbox. Giacomo Bighin, a postdoc in the group of Mikhail Lemeshko at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), has now extended the Feynman diagram technique: originally devised for subatomic particles, the simplest objects imaginable, the technique can now work with molecules, far more complex objects. The research, which was published in the journal Physical Review Letters, is expected to drastically simplify the description of molecular rotations in solvents. This brings scientists one step closer to their long-term goal of understanding chemical reactions in solvents at the microscopic level and, potentially, controlling them.

Sometimes when you're stuck on a problem, the solution could be closer than you think, for instance in a different area of the research field you are working in. But thinking across disciplines is difficult and requires a good mix of expertise and an environment that fosters such interdisciplinary collaborations. Giacomo Bighin found such an environment at IST Austria when he, a condensed matter physicist, joined the group of Mikhail Lemeshko, a molecular physicist. The result is a new method for molecular physics, one that can greatly facilitate the description of rotating molecules in solvents and paves the way for eventually controlling their reactions.

"Molecules always rotate, and how they interact with one another depends on their relative orientation. That is, if they hit another molecule with one end, it has a different effect than if they hit it with the other end," explains Mikhail Lemeshko. The orientation of molecules and hence chemical reactions have already been controlled in experiments on molecular gases, but it is quite challenging to do the same in solvents. This is a long-term goal that Mikhail Lemeshko and his group are working towards, one step at a time. The step they have just taken is about being better able to describe the rotation of a molecule in a solvent -- a prerequisite for eventually controlling reactions in this environment.

Transferring the method, however, was not easy. "Feynman diagrams work for point-like particles such electrons. Point-like means that they are not affected by rotations: if you rotate an electron, it looks exactly the same as before. Molecules, on the other hand, are more complex and can rotate and change their orientation in space" explains Giacomo Bighin. In order to transfer the method from electrons to molecules, he had to develop a new formalism. Previously, it was not known if it would even work for molecules, and adapting the method took Bighin more than a year. Now the formalism is ready to use in chemical problems.

"We expect that people from a more molecular background will see that it is now possible to study molecules in this way. The technique delivers extremely precise results in condensed matter physics, and it has the potential to achieve the same accuracy in molecular simulations," Lemeshko adds.
While examining a skull from an ancient burial ground in a pre-Columbian village in Panama, Nicole Smith-Guzman, bioarchaeologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), was surprised to discover an example of surfers' ear: a small, bony bump in the ear canal common among surfers, kayakers and free divers in cold climates. After inspecting more skulls, she concluded that a select group of male divers -- perhaps looking for pearls and oyster shells coveted for jewelry making, may have lived along Panama's Pacific coast long ago.

"Bone is a dynamic tissue that responds to external stimuli, so changes in bone structure provide great clues about where and how a person lived and died," Smith-Guzman said. "When I looked at an additional 125 skulls from nine burial sites across Panama, I found seven cases of surfers' ear in males and one in a female skull, all from sites near the Gulf of Panama."

No one really understands exactly how the bony growths, technically called exostoses, form. But the skin is thin in the ear canal and the accepted theory is that cold water or cold temperatures caused by wind and water make the bone react by growing extra layers, similar to the way bone spurs form on the feet and in other places where there is constant irritation or stress. Almost half of the members of a swimming club in England had surfer's ear according to a report cited in the study.

Unlike most tropical countries where seawater is warm, water temperature in the Gulf of Panama plummets between January and April when strong trade winds from the north force warm surface water out into the Pacific and colder, deep water rises to the surface to replace it. This deep, nutrient-rich water feeds tiny sea organisms, which in turn are eaten by fish and whales. The Gulf becomes an extraordinarily productive fishing ground supporting a thriving fishing industry and attracting dolphins, sharks and other top-of-the-food-chain animals.

Years ago, when co-author Richard Cooke, zooarchaeologist at STRI, unearthed a male skeleton with surfer's ear in Sitio Sierra, near Aguadulce in Panama, he was a STRI post-doctoral student with only rudimentary knowledge of physical anthropology. But he collected all of the human remains he found, enabling Nicole-Smith Guzman to reexamine them 43 years later.

Cooke spent much of his career studying ancient fishing practices. He found that Panama's pre-Columbian peoples fished from boats all along both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Panama. If fishing alone put people at higher risk for surfer's ear, then more cases of the bony growth would be present at all of the sites, but all of the examples came from areas near the Gulf.

"We think it more likely that diving in the cold waters of the Gulf caused these cases of surfer's ear," Smith-Guzman said. "Silvery mother-of-pearl ornaments, and orange and purple ones from two large 'thorny' oysters in the Spondylus genus were common in burials and comprised an important trade item in the region. Some of these shells wash up on beaches, but by the time Vasco Nunez de Balboa and other Spanish explorers arrived, their chronicles tell us that expert divers were trained from childhood to dive down to four fathoms to retrieve pearl oysters of desirable large size."

The Spanish encouraged this industry and for many years, Panama was known for its pirates and pearls, including La Peregrina, the largest pearl known at the time it was found.

The team also ruled out fungal or bacterial ear infections common in the tropics that sometimes cause bone deformations: most of the skulls affected were from males, and infections should occur in both male and females at about the same rate. From the evidence they have so far, it looks like mostly males were involved in whatever activity caused surfer's ear in Panama. In another study, archaeologists in the Canary Islands found roughly equal numbers of cases of surfer's ear in ancient male and female skulls, suggesting that aquatic activities there were not restricted to one gender.

"I spoke to one ear, nose and throat specialist in Panama and she has never seen a case of surfer's ear here, but we want to do a follow-up study in which we look at skulls from a much wider area and also do a survey of doctors in Panama to find out if surfers or divers ever show up with surfer's ear these days," Smith-Guzman said.

Surfer's ear is an intriguing subject that archaeologists, anthropologists and medical doctors have explored for more than a century. Although the exact causes of this phenomenon is still debated, these bony growths offer important clues into the cultural activities, gendered division of labor and environmental conditions in the past.
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Turkey will continue to stand by Iran despite the "unjust" sanctions that the U.S. imposed on the country, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.





Erdogan made the remarks at a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani in the capital Ankara.





"Turkey does not support the U.S. sanctions which put regional stability and security into danger," Erdogan said.





He vowed that Turkey and Iran will join their efforts to end clashes and ensure regional security.





According to Erdogan, the two countries aimed to increase bilateral trade volume of 30 billion U.S. dollars from the current 11 billion dollars.





Rouhani said that Tehran will work with Ankara on protecting Syria's territorial integrity.





Iran, Turkey and Russia will continue with the Astana talks on Syria's future, he said, adding that the next summit will be held in Russia.





Erdogan and Rouhani chaired the 5th Meeting of the Turkey-Iran High Level Cooperation Council in Ankara on Thursday.
The Oakland Housing Authority said Friday it would comply with a judges order to allow a college student back into her apartment after she was kicked out two weeks ago, her attorneys said.

An Alameda County Superior Court judge on Thursday ordered Oakland public housing officials to immediately allow a tenant back into her apartment. As of late Thursday, Eboni Route had remained locked out of the West Oakland unit. It was her 15th day homeless after an improper eviction, according to her lawyers.

On Friday, Route was allowed to get her possessions, and the Housing Authority said it would pay for a hotel room for her.

Route was $125 behind on rent when the Oakland Housing Authority impounded her two dogs, placed her possessions into locked storage and changed her apartment door locks, said one of her pro-bono attorneys, Emma Dinkelspiel of Bay Area Legal Aid. Route had live in the one-bedroom apartment in Campbell Village for five years.

The items that Route, a 24-year-old student at Merritt College, had been unable to access include her homework and a textbook on administrative justice that she needed to return to her school. She was also unable to receive medical equipment that had been shipped to her apartment for knee surgery recovery.

For the past two weeks, while she was taking final exams, Route has been sleeping in a car that belongs to her mother, who is also homeless.

On Thursday, hoping to get the court order enforced, Route and her attorneys said they went to the Alameda County Sheriffs Office, whose deputies directed them to the Oakland Police Department. Oakland police officers told them to speak with the Oakland Housing Authority Police Department, which directed them to the property management company that oversees Campbell Village. Finally, a company representative said Route would not be let back in, Dinkelspiel said.

The judge specifically said to let me and my stuff back in to my house, Route said Thursday outside her still-locked apartment.

Inside, crews have been painting walls and doing flooring work. Route said she was told the unit is slated for a new tenant.

Late Thursday, Dinkelspiel said, a representative for the Oakland Housing Authority offered to pay for Routes hotel room for a night because her apartment was uninhabitable due to the ongoing work.

The agency is still trying to evict Route, Dinkelspiel said.

Greer McVay, spokeswoman for the housing authority, said she couldnt comment on an individual residents case and directed questions to the property management company, called John Stewart.

A John Stewart representative who answered the phone Thursday said no one could comment because of an office Christmas party. A lawyer who has represented the company during the court proceedings could not be reached.

The lawyer, Mercedes Gavin, said in court that she would seek an appeal and that Route should not expect to be let back in her apartment, according to Dinkelspiel.

Routes lawyers said she should not have been kicked out in the first place. A clerical error at the courthouse allowed an initial eviction order to be processed, but a judge reversed it Nov. 21, Dinkelspiel said.

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Despite the reversal, on Dec. 5, after visiting her mother, Route returned home to find her locks had been changed.

My key didnt work, she said. A neighbor said they came to take my dogs.

She hasnt been able to retrieve the dogs without a home, she said.

Dinkelspiel said they would next ask a judge to compel the Oakland Housing Authority to let Route back in her apartment and to find the agency in contempt.

Its not the first time in recent weeks that the housing authority has been accused of mistreating residents.

A lawsuit in September said a city law that targeted loitering on public housing property was being used as a pretense to break up family gatherings and police the movement of mostly young black men. In October, the City Council voted to repeal the ordinance, which had been on the books since 1983.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@

sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
A state lawmaker who helped Pacific Gas and Electric Co. secure key legislative aid this year has called for a management shakeup in light of state regulators claims that the utility falsified gas pipeline safety records.

State Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, said Thursday that the recent findings of the California Public Utilities Commission showed that the utility and its parent company, PG&E Corp., need systematic change, including on its board of directors and in the executive suite.

In an interview, Dodd declined to say whether he is calling for the departure of CEO Geisha Williams, who joined the company in 2007 and was promoted to her current role last year.

But he did question whether it is appropriate for PG&E directors who were in place at the time of the deadly 2010 San Bruno pipeline blast to remain. Half of the boards current dozen members were on the board eight years ago.

The status quo has to change, and a message has to be sent, Dodd said. The #MeToo movement is changing the culture in politics and business, and I think if this is what it takes to change the culture in our utilities, its gotta be done.

Dodds comments are the latest sign of trouble in the Capitol for the embattled utility, which has faced skepticism from lawmakers after two years of devastating wildfires.

It is also a significant step for Dodd, who proved to be a helping hand to PG&E in the past legislative session. He wrote a successful bill that lets the utility pass some wildfire-related costs along to customers.

PG&E spokeswoman Lynsey Paulo said the company understands the serious concerns raised by Dodd and the utilities commission and acknowledges that while we have made progress, we have more work to do.

We have implemented a number of corrective actions at the operational level to address these matters, Paulo said. The companys board of directors and senior management team have been actively exploring additional changes so that PG&Es culture and practices more fully reinforce our commitment to safety, integrity and discipline. We are committed to taking the actions necessary to do the work safely and re-earn the trust of our customers.

Paulo said she could not comment further about the changes PG&E leaders are exploring.

Dodd said his sharply critical comments Thursday came after he learned about a gas-safety case the utilities commission has opened against PG&E.

The commission said last Friday that a staff investigation found that, from 2012 to 2017, PG&E repeatedly falsified data about how fast it responded to requests to locate and mark its underground gas pipelines.

Dodd said he spoke this week to commission President Michael Picker, and is confident regulators will soon issue recommendations they feel would be appropriate regarding the structure of PG&E. The agency is already investigating the utilitys safety culture after the San Bruno blast, and has signaled support to expand that probe to include wildfires.

After the commission announced the pipeline records case, PG&E admitted it did not live up to its commitment to accurate and thorough reporting and record-keeping.

Over the weekend, the utility disclosed it had made several corrective actions, including some leaders no longer being with the company. But PG&E has not said which leaders left, when or whether their departures were voluntary.

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They gotta clean house, Im sorry, Dodd said in a meeting with the Chronicle editorial board Monday after learning of the case. Even in government, as inefficient and unresponsive as government can be from time to time, I cant believe something wouldnt be done in a case where theyre falsifying records on something thats so important to consumer safety.

Dodds sharp critique of PG&E was praised by state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, a longtime critic of the utility in the Legislature.

Im happy and pleased that theres a growing realization of the problems inherent in the current management, leadership and structure of PG&E, Hill said. There should be a shareholder revolt that forces a change in leadership on the board, and membership, and the leadership at the top of PG&E.

Hill, whose district includes San Bruno, said Williams should absolutely not remain in her role.

But despite the clear signals from Dodd and Hill, lawmakers have little ability to force PG&E into making any changes.

We have been looking to see what authority we have legislatively, and at this point, it isnt much, Hill said.

J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris
Gucci and Louis Vuitton apparel. Veuve Clicquot Champagne. Dozens of smartphones and hundreds of other pricey pickings.

Law enforcement officers at San Francisco police headquarters on Thursday displayed the high-end loot while announcing the takedown of a major criminal enterprise that for months ripped off downtown businesses and sold the merchandise around the country.

The sweeping bust, dubbed Operation Wrecking Ball, was a multiagency effort coordinated by the San Francisco Police Department, Sheriffs Office, district attorneys office, California Highway Patrol, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and UCSF police.

We will never eliminate all property crime, but we know that by going after these organized groups we can have an impact, not only on the quality of life in our community but in crime in general, District Attorney George Gascon said.

The eight-month investigation yielded 40 fugitive suspects, 12 of whom were arrested when police recently served search warrants in San Francisco and Daly City, authorities said.

Police recovered $300,000 in boosted loot. But officials estimate the crime ring is responsible for nearly $750,000 in thefts.

The operation involved thieves looting downtown San Francisco retail businesses, homes and vehicles, officials said. Stolen goods would then be brought to places like UN Plaza on Market Street, where the items would change hands to others who sold them around the region, state and country.

Operation Wrecking Ball led investigators to places as far away as Houston, Seattle and Los Angeles, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said.

Big and small businesses are hit hard financially by these thefts, which often endanger employees and discourage law-abiding customers, he said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Rather than going after individuals one at a time, the Police Department and the district attorneys Crime Strategies Unit conducted undercover surveillance operations and used video evidence to build more consequential cases against the suspects.

These people are ambush-style stealing from retail partners in the Bay Area and in downtown San Francisco, and then theyre fencing them all over the United States, said Frank Carrubba, head of the Crime Strategies Unit. What theyre doing is working very concerted to transport these products. These arent unsophisticated people.

Gov. Jerry Brown and the CHP allocated resources to the task force, which helped intercept some of the stolen goods as they were transported in vehicles out of San Francisco.

The law enforcement operation was reminiscent of the rainbow crew busts of 2016, when more than a dozen suspects were arrested and charged with takeover-style thefts at high-end retail stores in and around San Franciscos Union Square.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
A San Francisco police officer charged this week with robbing a bank is also facing criminal charges of elder abuse in San Mateo County, where prosecutors said he systematically stole more than $13,000 over a three-month period from a 76-year-old man with dementia.

Rain Daugherty was charged in July with theft from an elder adult, a felony, and four misdemeanor counts of possessing illegal drugs that police said they found in his home in Burlingame. He pleaded not guilty in August and was freed on $100,000 bail.

On Wednesday, federal prosecutors in San Francisco charged Daugherty with bank robbery, saying he had been identified by surveillance video as the man who entered an East West Bank branch on San Franciscos Irving Street on Nov. 29, demanded cash from a teller and fled with $9,050. He was arrested Tuesday and jailed pending a detention hearing Friday.

Daugherty, 44, was also one of the officers whose racist, sexist and homophobic text messages to one another were revealed in 2015. Then-Police Chief Greg Suhr sought to fire Daugherty and eight other officers, but the disciplinary proceedings were put on hold until state courts rejected a claim by a group of officers, led by Daugherty, that the department had missed a legal deadline for taking action. Disciplinary proceedings against the officers have resumed.

In the meantime, Daugherty was on paid leave until July 24, when the Police Department suspended him without pay after the San Mateo County charges were filed.

The bank-robbery charge is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. The elder-abuse charge carries a potential four-year sentence, and San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said Thursday he would seek a prison term plus compensation to the victim.

Police officers, like prosecutors, like anybody who holds the public trust, are held to a higher standard, Wagstaffe said. When somebody breaches this, its more egregious.

Daughertys lawyer could not be reached for comment.

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.

Wagstaffe said the 76-year-old man in the elder-abuse case had been cared for by a neighbor until the neighbor became disabled last year and introduced the man to Daugherty, the neighbors friend from high school. From September to December 2017, Wagstaffe said, Daugherty took the man to grocery stores and doctor appointments and on other errands, for a small fee, until one of the mans friends noticed some large withdrawals from the victims bank account.

Police found that the 76-year-old had stopped using his ATM card before meeting Daugherty, but during the three months that Daugherty cared for the man, $24,000 was withdrawn from the account, Wagstaffe said. He said officers traced at least 30 separate withdrawals, totaling $13,095, to Daugherty. Officers also found text messages on Daughertys cell phone showing he knew the man was suffering from dementia, Wagstaffe said.

He said police obtained a search warrant for Daughertys home last December and found cocaine and three other drugs that are illegal to possess without a prescription: oxycodone; lorazepam, which is marketed as Ativan; and diazepam, or Valium.

Wagstaffe said prosecutors held off on filing the charges until a neuropsychologist examined the 76-year-old man and concluded that he would not have been capable of knowingly consenting to the financial transactions.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
The end of the year can feel like youre sliding down a greased chute. From Thanksgiving onward, faster and faster you go with no chance of stopping.

In this season of enforced cheer, we can still find moments of peace in which we remember the ones weve lost, and the ones we hold tightly still. The rituals we adopt and adapt over time become our anchors amid the whirlwind.

After I wrote about feeling wistful that my twin sons might soon stop believing in Santa Claus, people told me that the concept may live on yet  and could take the form of being a secret Santa for a child in need or baking treats to share with neighbors, or a teenage son who still plays along, never too grown up to open his stocking on Christmas morning.

For this week and next, Ive asked Bay Area authors to share the celebrations that define them.

As a child, Larry Rosen, who grew up in a secular Jewish family, had a fake Christmas tree and joined his Catholic neighbors for dinner on Dec. 25. Though they sometimes made the trek to Long Island for the major Jewish holidays of Passover and Rosh Hashanah, they didnt dine on Hanukkah fare at their own home.

But now, his favorite custom is one he couldnt have seen coming if hed had a hundred crystal balls.

My not-Jewish wife, who grew up in the shadow of a 12-foot Christmas tree, is a genius at making traditional Jewish food, said Rosen, a San Francisco writer and host of the podcast (Is it) Good for the Jews?

His wife is self-taught, putting her own twist onto the classics, such as latkes made from potato and sweet potato. Hanukkah means mountains of latkes, pans of kugel and even matzo ball soup, because why not? Safeway drags out the matzo display for every single Jewish holiday, why cant we? And then, sure, a 12-foot Christmas tree; because what is interfaith life  or, more accurately, interculture life  about if not a little give and take?

Likewise, Laurie Ann Doyles holiday traditions reflect her family: Her roots are Irish and Protestant; her husband is Jewish, their adopted son Mexican American.

For Hanukkah, we bring out my husbands grandmothers beautiful nickel-plated menorah with the Torah depicted at its center and spin the dreidel his mother sent years ago, said Doyle, Berkeley author of the short-story collection World Gone Missing.

Christmas Eve finds them at their favorite Chinese restaurant  a Jewish tradition because other types of restaurants usually werent open  which is always filled to overflowing. There weve met Jews from Iran and South Africa, as well as many self-described Jewboos, or Jewish Buddhists, including a Zen priest, she said.

Christmas morning, she makes a cinnamon coffee cake with her mothers recipe. But the days big meal is tamales  a traditional Mexican Christmas dish  served steaming hot and accompanied by cilantro rice, black and pinto beans, and spicy hot sauce.

For us, the holidays are about celebrating our diverse backgrounds, Doyle said. Given the current political climate, we believe this is more important than ever.

Some traditions may date to your childhood, and others to when you make a family of your own. Every year, Elizabeth Stark, her wife and their children go to Sebastopol, where her father-in-law lives, to visit a Christmas tree farm.

We always go late, in mid-December, after Grandpa returns from Mexico, and we are hunting for magic amid the scraps of what remains after others have dragged their choice trees away, said Stark, host of the Story Makers podcast, and co-founder of Sonoma County Writers Camp. The kids drag a red- or green-handled saw between the rows. Between last years stumps and next years offerings, red ribbons flag the available trees. Some are too short, some too tall, some wildly uneven, too sparse or too full. Finally, the kids begin to saw, lying on the ground to get to the base of the tree, Grandpa directing, she said.

These ordinary rituals and their accumulation over years still astonishes me. Eleven years ago, we seemed to be inventing our family from scratch. Both of us pregnant, a secular Jew and a lapsed Catholic, our marriage not yet a legal option, giving birth four months apart to San Francisco twins. Now, in the shack of a shop, while they wrap our tree in something that resembles a hairnet, Nana buys the kids hot chocolate. Then, tree strapped to the top of our car, we drive home, shedding needles along the road.

Vanessa Hua is a Bay Area author. Her columns appear Fridays in Datebook. Email: datebook@sfchronicle.com
Bulent Kilic / AFP / Getty Images 2017

Its certainly possible to make a case against U.S. involvement in Syrias catastrophic civil war, which has never been authorized by Congress. The trouble is that President Trump didnt bother.

Presented in a single tweet containing 16 words and zero facts, the commander in chiefs withdrawal announcement ambushed allies, aid groups and even some of his own advisers. Probably not coincidentally, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resignation became official the next day. Trumps rationale for the reversal, that We have defeated ISIS in Syria, contradicted every reliable account and his own subsequent claim that a U.S. exit would force Russia, Iran, Syria & many others ... to fight ISIS.
Mayor London Breed can hardly be blamed for wanting her brothers release from prison, notwithstanding the gravity of a 2000 armed robbery that resulted in a womans death. Breed wants him to have a second chance at freedom, and she is determined to help him find housing and a job and otherwise succeed on the outside.

This is what family members do for one another.

Where Breed crossed the line was invoking her position as mayor of San Francisco in appealing to Gov. Jerry Brown to commute the sentence of her brother, Napoleon Brown, who has served less than half of the 42 years he received for his conviction of involuntary manslaughter and armed robbery.

Breeds letter to the governor appealing for her brothers early release featured Mayor London Breed in block letters at the top, and referenced her position in the text. She also has acknowledged that she spoke to the governor about whom to contact about the commutation.

Its fair to assume that few Californians with a sibling in prison do not have a chance to give the governor a personal heads-up before applying for leniency.

The other issue of concern that has come to the fore is Breeds role as an alibi witness. She has testified that she saw her brother asleep on her grandmothers couch in the Western Addition about midnight on June 18, 2000. The robbery at the Johnny Rockets restaurant in the Marina occurred sometime between midnight and 12:40 a.m., according to various accounts.

While Breeds story sounds suspicious, it is not implausible. The time frames are not precise, and it is at least conceivable that the brother could have woken up and reached the Marina before 12:40. That part of the story is likely to remain inconclusive  though questions about whether she gave false testimony may well haunt Breed in future political campaigns.

The bottom line is that the governor should assess the clemency request with the same standards he has applied to others that have reached his desk. The fact that Napoleon Brown has a sister in one of the states higher-profile offices should neither advantage nor disadvantage his application.

By that standard, Napoleon Brown has cause for hope.

When it comes to clemency, Jerry Brown has been the most forgiving California governor in modern times. He has issued more than 1,100 pardons on a wide variety of crimes, from drug dealing to driving while intoxicated to forgery. By comparison, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger handed out 15 pardons. Democrat Gray Davis provided none.

To be sure, Napoleon Browns offense was horrific. Authorities said he pushed 25-year-old Lenties White out of the getaway car on the Golden Gate Bridge, where she was struck and killed by an oncoming vehicle.

But Brown has been willing to commute sentences in other difficult cases, including recent commutations for 20 killers serving life in prison. Consideration could include an inmates demonstration of rehabilitation and contrition, behavior in prison and evidence that the sentence was unjust or excessive in the context of current law.

Napoleon Brown deserves the fair hearing the governor has given to other inmates.

But to be clear: Having a sibling as mayor of San Francisco is not an extenuating circumstance.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
Guillermo Arias / AFP / Getty Images

Many of us know the world of Jakelin Caal Maquin, the 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who died in Border Control custody. We are adoptive parents whose children were born in hamlets and villages like Jakelins, in Alta Verapaz. We have family members who are Qeqchi, Kiche, Kaqchikel, Ixil, Mam, Tzutujil, Chuj and Garifuna  native peoples of Guatemala. They struggle in ways hard for us to witness, much less understand: the daily walks to the public pila for clean drinking water, the scarcity of protein, the homes that get washed away during rainy season, the inability to attend school because of the need to work, the lack of jobs beyond subsistence farming, the absence of any viable and lasting opportunity.

We see it when we visit: the relentless, crushing, inescapable poverty that defines the lives of marginalized, indigenous Guatemalans. We hear it from our families, who tell us their only chance for a safer, healthier future is to leave the country they love.
With President Trump threatening to shut down part of the government, the holidays might not be the same in the Bay Area this year, especially for people planning a visit to Muir Woods or counting on a federal loan  or worse, those with a federal job.

More than 800,000 employees nationwide will be furloughed or forced to work without pay if no budget deal is reached by 9 p.m. PST Friday, as nine federal agencies stand to lose operational funding. Public services that the government deems nonessential, from national park visitor centers to passport application offices to the processing of home and business loans, would cease.

Federal agencies that already have their budgets approved  about three-quarters of the government, including the Defense Department  would continue to operate. So would essential services provided by agencies that will otherwise go dark: For example, airport security workers and Border Patrol agents would stay on the job.

The prospect of a partial government shutdown loomed Thursday as Trump said he would veto a stopgap measure to keep federal offices open if it didnt include money for his proposed border wall. It would be the third partial closure during Trumps presidency.

The primary agencies at risk of losing funding are the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Interior, State, Transportation, Treasury and Housing and Urban Development.

Perhaps the most visceral impact of a shutdown in the Bay Area would be at federally run parks, with parking lots, restrooms and information centers being locked up across the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Muir Woods and Point Reyes National Seashore.

Roads, trails and wilderness areas would generally remain accessible, according to the governments contingency plan. But many rangers and maintenance workers would not be on the job to help visitors or provide upkeep.

Local park administrators declined to discuss exactly what would be off-limits during a shutdown. But when funding lapsed for three days in January, officials closed parking lots at Muir Beach and along Ocean Beach, while the parking lot and main entrance at Muir Woods were roped off entirely. Alcatraz Island remained open.

The Presidio of San Francisco, which is jointly operated by the National Park Service and the independent Presidio Trust, would not see much effect from a closure. Employees of the trust, a federal agency that operates without taxpayer funding, intend to pick up the slack.

Parks that charge admission, such as Yosemite National Park, waived fees during the January shutdown as entrance stations were closed while the gates stayed open.

Theresa Pierno, president of the National Parks Conservation Association, said that while keeping several parks open might seem to benefit the public, many suffered from overflowing trash cans and trespassing on sensitive landscapes during the January shutdown. In Yellowstone National Park, a snowmobiler trampled the area around Old Faithful geyser.

It appears the Trump administration again intends to leave some parks partially open and without adequate staff, putting our nations most treasured places and millions of visitors in harms way, Pierno said.

A lapse in funding for the State Department, which includes the San Francisco Passport Agency, could be problematic for those traveling abroad. The department plans to continue processing passports and visas, but a shortage of employees could create a backlog, possibly affecting those who need their documents quickly.

Furloughs at the Small Business Administration, meanwhile, could slow the approval of commercial loans and loan guarantees across California, and a lack of workers at the Federal Housing Administration could delay approval of home mortgage applications.

At the Agriculture Department, a break in funding could curtail inspections of food-processing plants. During a 16-day shutdown in 2013, dozens of safety evaluations were delayed.

State and local farm centers that provide information and assistance to growers could also be shut down at a time when questions abound about new tariffs and a farm bill that Trump signed Thursday.

At the Justice Department, local law enforcement training could stop and payments to crime victims would be temporarily halted.

About 400,000 federal government employees nationwide would be furloughed without pay in a shutdown, according to documents circulated in Congress. About 420,000 would be forced to work with no pay.

Federal workers were reimbursed for missed wages after past shutdowns, though that was not always the case for government contractors.

Federal law enforcement personnel would continue to work, and firefighters would remain on the job.

Most federal benefits, including Social Security, Medicare and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, would continue during a partial closure. Postal services and federal courts would not be affected.

Congress would also continue to be funded and lawmakers would be paid.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander
San Francisco just got another darkly theatrical tiki bar: Zombie Village, the latest from the group that owns Bourbon & Branch, Local Edition, Rickhouse and others.

The Future Bars group quietly opened its tiki noir lounge last week, though general manager (and Chronicle Bar Star) Daniel Parks says theyre still putting finishing touches on the decor, and they have not yet rolled out the full cocktail menu. We have 16 cocktails right now, but thats just a small preview, says Parks. The full list, when it debuts, will have close to 50 cocktails. (Thats a lot, though still about 30 fewer than at Smugglers Cove.)

Anyone who has visited the space at 441 Jones St., where Future Bars had operated Tradition since 2012, will find Zombie Village at once familiar and unfamiliar. The bones of Tradition have remained  a bar at the center of the room with seating on four sides, and a wall lined with semi-private booth seating. But the room has been dressed elaborately, with help from designer Ivan Mora. We really just gave it a tiki face lift, Parks says. Think thatch roofs, totem pillars and  as at San Franciscos other tiki noir entry, Last Rites  a whole lot of skulls.

The inspiration behind Zombie Village is a bygone Oakland restaurant of the same name, which operated close to O.G. tiki bar Trader Vics from the 1940s through the 1960s. Skipper Kent, who owned the original Zombie Village, is an unsung Bay Area and tiki hero, Parks says. We wanted to resurrect his bar which had this captivating, mysterious vibe. We really liked the name, the aesthetic, maintaining that classic, midcentury tiki approach.

Rum, naturally, forms the base for most of the current menus drinks, some of which interpret classic tiki items like the mai tai and the zombie. But mezcal and pisco also make several appearances, in drinks like the Desert Oasis ($13), with mezcal, Mexican rum, lemon, prickly pear syrup, aloe and chipotle; or the Tabu ($12), with chamomile-infused pisco, banana-infused vermouth and vanilla Angostura bitters.

The success of Pagan Idol, Future Bars first tiki bar, encouraged the group to open a second. The hottest trend in the bar world right now, theres no question, is tiki, co-founder Brian Sheehy said during an interview in September. Tiki is a destination  the decor, the showmanship, the drama. Its not just about having a great cocktail. Its a transportive experience.

For now, Zombie Village is open six days a week, with some closures over the holidays. Regular hours, and the full menu, are expected to begin on January 8.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob

Zombie Village, 441 Jones St., S.F. 415-474-2284 Current hours 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Mon-Fri; from 6 p.m. Sat. Closed Sundays, Christmas Day and New Years Day.
It was a fairy tale come true when 850 nearest and dearest to Gordon Getty turned out at the glamorous Getty manse along the citys famed Gold Coast to herald the family patriachs 85th birthday.

Hosted by his wife, Ann Getty, the epic soiree on Dec. 16 also celebrated the shared Dec. 20 natal day of their granddaughter, Ivy Getty, now 24. Numerous Getty clan members flew in from around the globe to honor the beloved composer-philanthropist. But the third-most popular party guest was Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Sans her now-famous red Max Mara coat and shades, the soon-to-be speaker of the House was mobbed like a rock star as guests clamored for selfies with this skilled #BossMom of the U.S. Congress.

The decor theme, exquisitely expressed by designer Stanlee Gatti, featured an homage to classic fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen throughout the Gettys gorgeous salons. And mostly patient neighbors keenly observed as Gatti built a tented, street-side pavilion (framed by a castle cutout) that housed pillars of white roses, hand-cut ice bars and a 20-foot-tall Snow Queen by award-winning ice sculptor Kevin Roscoe. But heat was supplied, atop a faux frozen lake, by the South American collective of musicians and dancers of Pena Pachamama  all the way from North Beach.

Catherine Bigelow / Special to The Chronicle

Ann has impeccable taste and always chooses wonderfully creative themes for Gordons birthday parties, Gatti said. And its always fun to see the Getty clan come together. They are a true cast of characters who love each other dearly.

Inside the Getty residence, other expressed Andersen tales included The Little Mermaid in the marble atrium. In addition, the indoor pool was transformed into a sleek Mylar-covered Ugly Duckling lounge; the Sister Parish-designed Blue Library was a Thumbelina wonderland of desserts; and the music room, which was transformed into The Princess and the Pea, starred a delectable dinner buffet by Getty chef Lori Podroza.

Catherine Bigelow / Special to The Chronicle

December birthday dwellers can often feel shortchanged by Christmas revels. But thats not the case for Getty and his granddaughter.

I love having my birthday near Christmas  it makes this time of year even more exciting, said Ivy Getty, dazzling in an Alexander McQueen ensemble paired with YSL rhinestone boots. In many ways I feel similar to my grandfather, so its double the excitement to celebrate together.

At 9 p.m., revelers gathered in the dining room to sing Gettys praises as the composer prepared to slice into an Andersen-theme Flour & Bloom cake, topped by The Little Match Girl  a fondant reference to a Getty-composed cantata.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Catherine Bigelow / Special to The Chronicle

Just the day before, Getty held an orchestral reading of his new opera, Goodbye, Mr. Chips. But even amid his peripatetic performance schedule that this past year included numerous global opera appearances, Getty was keenly aware of the passage of time.

My God, Getty exclaimed. By the time one reaches 85 or even 83, you do begin noticing that youre not a teenager anymore.

Catherine Bigelow is The San Francisco Chronicles society correspondent. Email: missbigelow@sfgate.com Instagram: @missbigelow
The flight deal gurus at Thrifty Traveler have teamed up with SFGate to provide a weekly roundup of the best domestic and international flight deals from the San Francisco Bay Area.

This week our deals include flights from Bay Area airports to Costa Rica, Orlando, Raleigh, Cabo, and Phoenix. All fares listed are round trip. We will only suggest highly restricted "Basic Economy" fares for flights of less than two hours.

(This is our weekly feature called Friday Fare Deals. If you are a Bay Area bargain hunter, be sure to tune in each Friday morning or sign up for our free bi-weekly email alerts. )

ORLANDO: Alaska Airlines is slashing prices on their nonstop transcontinental routes this week! Take advantage of this crazy cheap flight deal to Orlando, Florida. Flights from San Francisco to Orlando typically cost closer to $350. We found flights for sub-$200 available this January through March. Alaska Airlines fares include advance seat assignment and a free carry-on.

$196 - San Francisco (SFO) to Orlando (MCO) - Alaska Airlines

RALEIGH: Another one of Alaska Airlines nonstop transcontinental routes is on sale for under $200. Get to North Carolinas capital city for cheap with wide open availability from January through next November. This flight normally costs around $350, so dont pass this deal up! Alaska fares include advance seat assignment and a free carry-on.

$196 - San Francisco (SFO) to Raleigh (RDU) - Alaska Airlines

PHOENIX: American Airlines has discounted fares to Phoenix just in time for winter. Head south with this sub-$100 fare out of Oakland. Flights from Oakland to Phoenix are usually $180 - $220, but from January through April, you can get to Phoenix and back nonstop for just $84. This American Airlines fare is basic economy, which includes a free carry-on bag but does not include advance seat assignment. Carry on to save.

$84 - Oakland (OAK) to Phoenix (PHX) - American Airlines

Eric Mischke / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm

Check out Thrifty Traveler Premium for daily international flight deal notifications.

COSTA RICA: Never been to Costa Rica? Heres your chance to get there for cheap. American and Delta have been fighting for the cheapest fares to Costa Rica this week. You can fly to San Jose, Costa Rica for just $331 January through March with just one stop each way. Delta has fares to San Jose through May for $334. Both American and Delta fares are basic economy, which include a free carry-on but not advance seat assignment. Upgrade to economy on either carrier for just $50 extra and get advance seat assignment ($381 total). Flights to Costa Rica from San Francisco typically cost around $470 - $530, so take advantage of this deal ASAP.

$331 - San Francisco (SFO) to San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO) - American Airlines (upgrade at checkout to economy for $50 to get advance seat assignment)

CABO: Looking for a nonstop flight to a tropical winter getaway? Alaska Airlines has its nonstop flights from San Jose to Cabo, Mexico at a crazy low price right now. Nonstop flights to Cabo from the Bay Area are typically over $400, but this January through March prices are almost half the usual price. Alaska Airlines fares include advance seat assignment and a free carry-on. This is the perfect winter or Spring Break vacation with a flight deal that wont break the bank.

$269 - San Jose (SJC) to Cabo, Mexico (SJD) - Alaska Airlines *NONSTOP*

Alaska Airlines

To celebrate of National Ugly Holiday Sweater Day, Alaska Airlines guests who wear their festive holiday sweaters to the airport on Friday, December 21 can board their flight early with elite level priority flyers. December 21 is also expected to be the busiest travel day of the holiday season. The one-day promotion will be celebrated by flyers and employees alike across Alaska's 116-city network and includes all Alaska and Horizon Air flights. Holiday-themed boarding music and free holiday movies will play to help get guests into the holiday spirit when flying "the merrier carrier" this month.



All flights are best found via the Google Flights links listed here. New to Google Flights? Check out Thrifty Travelers guide. All fares are round-trip and valid at the time of posting, but as always, are subject to change.

Read all recent TravelSkills posts here

Get twice-per-week updates from TravelSkills via email! Sign up here

Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis.
SANTA ANA  A California business executive has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison for helping smuggle rifle parts and other military equipment to rebels in his native Syria.

Prosecutors said Rasheed Al Jijakli was sentenced Thursday to 46 months in federal prison after a judge said he delivered instruments of death to Syria.
Unless you live under a rock, you've probably seen a billboard or heard dozens of ads for Shen Yun Performing Arts.

In the Bay Area, people are so used to seeing the ads on TV and on the sides of buses come December, people even joke winter should be renamed "Shen Yun season." Since I started writing this article about two minutes ago, I've already seen a Shen Yun spot run on KTVU.

But what is it? The answer is a little complicated.

Shen Yun bills itself as "the world's premier classical Chinese dance and music company." They have performances in 93 cities around the country, from Billings, Mont., to Little Rock, Ark., to three Bay Area locations. The dress code suggests you might want to wear a tuxedo or evening gown since you're "in for a special treat." If you buy a ticket to a show (which run from $80 to $400 in San Francisco), you can expect two hours of traditional Chinese dance accompanied by a live orchestra.

And if you're to believe Shen Yun's own advertisements, you'll get so much more. The hyperbolic 2020 tour ad promises the performance is "so inspiring it changes your life."

The former minister of culture of the Czech Republic is quoted in one advertisement calling it "truly a touch of heaven."

But (surprise, surprise), the ads may be overselling it a bit.

ALSO: The most San Francisco ways to celebrate the holidays

Some people who go to the show complain they didn't know what they were in for. Because nowhere in the effusive advertisements is it mentioned that Shen Yun has a political bent. Shen Yun translates to "divine rhythm," and according to the show's website, the artists who put on Shen Yun practice Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, a belief system that encompasses meditation, tai chi-type exercises, and "strict morality" (smoking, alcohol, and extramarital or same-sex sexual relations go against the teachings).

A 2017 Guardian article by Nicholas Hune-Brown describes one part of the show:

The curtain rose on a group of young students sitting in peace, meditating and reading oversized yellow Falun Gong books. The dancers performed elaborately pantomimed good deeds  helping an old woman with a cane, chasing down a woman who had dropped her purse. But when one unveiled a Falun Gong banner, suddenly a trio of men wearing black tunics emblazoned with a red hammer-and-sickle entered. The communist thugs began beating people up, clubbing and kicking innocent Falun Gong followers.

Scenes like that didn't sit well with all viewers.

The Fresno Bee's arts writer Donald Munro saw Shen Yun in 2016, and called the show "a beautiful and odd production that veers wildly between two extremes: delicate artistic excellence on one hand and a brusque, heavy-handed effort to inculcate political and spiritual viewpoints on the other."

Many people posting reviews on Yelp weren't as eloquent.

"Be warned: Religious sermon!" reads a Yelp review from someone who saw the show in Fresno. "I WALKED OUT as soon as anti-evolution statements were made on the screen. False advertising!"

"I rate this a Zero star. This show is purely CULT PROPAGANDA. Do not waste your money and time for this," said Ron F. from Pittsburg, Calif.

The Chinese government is not a fan either. The practice of Falun Gong is forbidden in China and its members are routinely persecuted. In condemning the "so-called 'Shen Yun'" performance, the embassy's website calls Falun Gong a "...cult that seriously harms the society and violates human rights, and is a cancer in the body of the modern and civilized society."

The Guardian reports "there's no evidence of the kind of coercive control that the label suggests." Besides, it's not like the Chinese government has a stellar human rights record. According to Shen Yun's website, many of the dance company's members were persecuted and tortured for practicing Falun Gong in China.

Falun Gong started as a form of exercise in 1992. Followers would gather in public spaces to do qigong, which combines slow movements and meditation. Falun Gong combined those physical practices with spirituality and Taoist moral principles. In the late 90s, as Falun Gong gained steam and millions of followers, the Chinese Communist Party may have felt threatened by its size and popularity, so it cracked down. Thousands of practitioners were imprisoned or in some cases tortured. The founder, Li Hongzhi, now lives in New York.

Multiple attempts to speak with a Shen Yun spokesperson, by phone and by email, for this story were unsuccessful.

For many disgruntled Shen Yun attendees, it's not necessarily that the show itself is bad  though to be fair, some complain it is. Most of the negative reviews were people upset they were blindsided by the political content.

According to Shen Yun's website, it's an "experience like no other." And on that note, it appears pretty much everyone agrees.

Read Alix Martichoux's latest stories and send her news tips at amartichoux@sfchronicle.com.
Electric drills buzz, and the aroma of freshly released sawdust wafts through the air. Thad Vogler is sitting at a table near the entrance of Obispo, his rum bar that finally opens this weekend, three years after he purchased its $250,000 liquor license and five years after he first signed the lease.

Theres no way this cant be anticlimactic, says Vogler.

That was months ago. While Obispo became San Franciscos longest delayed cocktail bar, it also became the citys most hotly anticipated. For more than a year, drinks writers around the country have been writing about Obispo as if its opening were imminent, praising its novel approach to spirits selections and rum cocktails before Vogler, who also owns the bars Trou Normand and Bar Agricole, ever served a single drink.

No pressure.

The greatest pressure Vogler faces, though, is from himself. If weve been waiting for Obispo for five years, Vogler, 49, has been waiting for it his entire career. This bar is the bar he wanted to open all along. Austere, unadorned and with a very sparsely stocked backbar, Obispo feels spartan compared with Bar Agricoles award-winning industrial design or Trou Normands elegant white marble. It is his most personal bar, the establishment that gets closest to articulating his philosophy about spirits and bars and drinking  a philosophy sometimes referred to as regionalism, expressed at length in his 2017 book By the Smoke and the Smell.

His philosophy: We should be drinking and championing spirits that taste like the places that they come from, that are made honestly  not jacked up with additives like caramel, for example  and that resist homogeneity. Vogler puts it another way: Making drinks should be like making salads. Hes believed this for a long time, but has grown increasingly vocal over the years, and sees both Trou Normand and Bar Agricole as only partial executions of it.

But with Obispo, Vogler feels like he might actually get it right. By serving only a small selection of spirits, all of which carry his rigorous stamp of approval. By offering affordable mixed drinks, some under $10. By partnering with the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) and the Calle 24 Community Council, organizations that represent populations with roots in rum-producing cultures. By serving those cultures foods  jerk chicken ($18), oxtail curry ($15), macaroni salad ($7). By featuring, instead of human-size ferns or exploding volcanoes, the stark folk-art paintings of Bill Traylor, an Alabama artist born into slavery, reproduced with help from MoAD.

In other words, Obispo asks patrons to engage in the history of rum  a history marked by colonialism, slavery and poverty.

That said, Vogler also just wants to make a good drink. One of our main goals is to bring back the mojito, he says cheerfully. In the interest of historical verisimilitude, though, his mojito harks to a 1934 recipe from the Havana bar El Floridita, with bitters, lightly stirred (not muddled) mint and a small amount of raw (not refined) sugar ($9). Vogler is also serving Floriditas more obscure variations: Mojito Criollo No. 2 (with gin instead of rum; $11) and Mojito Criollo No. 3 (with brandy; $12).

Cocktails may draw the Mission District masses to Obispo, but those interested in sipping rum neat will be rewarded. The real jewel here is that tight, concise liquor selection. Vogler hopes youll swoon over Neisson and La Favorites delicate, vibrant renditions of rhum agricole  rum distilled from fresh cane sugar, rather than a sugar byproduct like molasses  from the French island of Martinique. So much does he love rhum agricole, which tastes like a living plant, that he named his first bar after it.

Vogler wishes he could serve the light, dry rums of Cuba here, but they still arent legal to import. (Obispo is the name of a street in Havana where Vogler once lived.) As an approximation, Vogler will carry Cuban-style rum from the Guyana producer El Dorado.

He wants to open your mind to the earthy, wild Jamaican rums from Hampden Estate and Worthy Park. These Jamaican spirits may be distilled from molasses (not a living plant), but they compensate with ample funk from their indigenous, open-vat fermentations. During those fermentations, Vogler says the smell at the Hampden Estate distillery is mephitic and unbearable. He likens the experience to entering the bathroom after someone and just being like, What? How?

This is intended as a compliment.

Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

All this makes Obispo the adversary of pretty much every other rum bar in the Bay Area, which are generally the sort to feature thatch-roof huts and leviathan totems. When Vogler first conceived of Obispo, he wasnt imagining his rum bar as an anti-tiki statement. And then 400 tiki bars opened in the last three years, he says, with only slight hyperbole.

Now it becomes sort of an opposition, he says. Thats fine by him. Ive come to kind of hate tiki.

Part of Voglers beef with tiki is the same beef he has with just about every other bar, most of which are serving, in his words, factory-made garbage. Vogler finds this reliance on industrial spirits especially hard to comprehend at places here that pride themselves on farm-fresh produce and terroir-driven wine lists. Youre taking the trouble of going to the farmers market, but then behind the bar youre stocking McDonalds.

But tiki bars commit a secondary offense on top of that, in Voglers view  and it has to do with history. He hates how apocryphal tiki is, an irresponsible amalgamation of various island cultures with little regard for historical truth. Tiki is just this weird white middle-aged fantasy, Vogler says.

Meanwhile, he believes that fantasy isnt nearly as compelling as the actual, true story of rum. Rum is analog to the most brutal and fascinating chapter of human history in this part of the world, from New Orleans to Argentina, says Vogler. Rum is diasporic, he believes, born from the collision of colonizing forces with enslaved populations and the native plant materials that surround them  sugarcane.

He knows that for a white man to open a bar centered around a diasporic spirit on 24th Street, in the heart of the fast-changing Mission, may attract some criticism. Thats part of why Calle 24 and MoAD are partners in the bar and will receive some of the proceeds. Its also why the Obispo menu will be in Spanish, and all of the staff will speak Spanish, and prices will be affordable  to help make Obispo feel welcoming to its neighbors. But Vogler admits he is still grappling with the larger question.

All Ive hoped for is to engage in selling booze the way people sell wine, he says. Vogler admires the way the wine world has established parameters to ask the right questions: Who made this? How was it made? Does it have a sense of place?

Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

As Vogler speaks, a persistent drip can be heard from a supply closet. The drills continue to buzz in the background. Now, five years after the Obispo journey began, Vogler can see the finish line at last. As much as he comes across as a man galvanized by conviction, he also seems tired. Who wouldnt be, after waiting this long for a contractor to finish building your bar? Hes tired of all his travel, which is constant, as anyone whos read By the Smoke and the Smell knows well; he insists on visiting the producers whose spirits he stocks. Vogler has crammed in three more trips to faraway rum distilleries this fall, before he and his wife are expecting their first baby in January. These days, he hardly drinks.

Obispo is one bar. Another regionalist bar he helped create, Camino, just closed. Did Vogler think that his ideas  regionalism, terroir-driven spirits, drinks-as-salads  would have caught on with more Bay Area bars by now? He sighs. I thought it would.

Hes not particularly hopeful. There is an inexorable end to a certain type of spirit production, Vogler says. The dominance of larger liquor conglomerates in rum-producing countries  many of them impoverished countries  means that the small-scale, idiosyncratic rums that form the foundation of Obispo may not be around forever.

Are these questions too big for one little bar in the Mission? Maybe. I cannot pretend to have the answer, Vogler says, but the conversation is very interesting.

In the meantime, as of this Friday, he will be happy to make you a mojito.

Esther Mobley is The Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley Instagram: @esthermob

Obispo, 3270 24th St., S.F. Open daily 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Closed Dec. 23 to 26.
WASHINGTON  Last year, during one particularly frenetic stretch in Donald Trumps presidency, a top Republican senator said there were three men guarding the country from chaos: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, White House chief of staff John Kelly and then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Within weeks, not one will be left in the administration.

Mattis will be the last to go, and his abrupt resignation Thursday marks the end of the contain and control phase of Trumps administration  one where generals, business leaders and establishment Republicans struggled to guide the president and curb his most disruptive impulses. They were branded in Washington as the troika of sanity, the axis of adults and the committee to save America.

But as Trump careens toward his third year in office, their efforts are in tatters and most are out of a job.

The early consequences of the new era were already apparent at years end, with a government shutdown looming and a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria over Mattis objections. A similar pull-back in Afghanistan appeared to be in the works. The financial markets, spooked by uncertainty from a nearly yearlong trade war, have been volatile.

We are headed toward a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances & empower our adversaries, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted after Mattis resignation.

The shrinking circle around Trump is now increasingly dominated by a small cadre of longtime loyalists and family members, ex-Fox News talent and former GOP lawmakers who were backbenchers on Capitol Hill before being elevated by the president. Attracting top flight talent will only get more difficult as more investigations envelop the White House once Democrats take over the House in January.

To some of Trumps most ardent supporters, the exodus leaves the president with a team that is more in line with his hardline campaign promises. They viewed some of his early advisers as obstacles to enacting the unabashed nationalist agenda they believe Trump had been elected to implement.

Mattis said in his resignation letter that Trump deserved a Pentagon chief whose views are better aligned with yours. It was not readily apparent who that might be, as Trumps decision in Syria drew widespread bipartisan condemnation.

Mattis was one of three generals who filled the top ranks of Trumps staff, along with Kelly and H.R. McMaster, who spent a year as national security adviser.

Trumps split with Mattis followed a pattern of public breakdowns with advisers who served as guardrails in the administration.

Trump initially hailed Tillerson, the ExxonMobil chief executive, as out of central casting when he was tapped as secretary of state, before being unceremoniously discarded by the president earlier this year. Earlier this month, Tillerson described Trump as pretty undisciplined, doesnt like to read, doesnt read briefing reports, doesnt like to get into the details of a lot of things, but rather just kind of says, This is what I believe.

Julie Pace and Zeke Miller are Associated Press writers.
WASHINGTON  A federal appeals court has agreed to take up a case accusing Donald Trump of profiting from the presidency in violation of the U.S. Constitution, giving the presidents legal team an interim victory in the case.

The order issued by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., on Thursday hits the pause button on the ongoing federal court case in Maryland before deadlines to respond to evidence requests seeking tax returns, receipts and other records from 13 Trump businesses and other entities.

It came just three days after Justice Department lawyers filed papers criticizing U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte and arguing that that the intrusive discovery that already has begun would distract the president from the performance of his constitutional duties and could cause separation of powers concerns.

The lawsuit brought by the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia alleges that because Trump has not divested himself of his business holdings, foreign and domestic government spending at Trumps Washington hotel amounts to gifts to the president in violation of the Constitutions emoluments clause.

Oral arguments before the appeals court are scheduled for March, delaying what had been a brisk discovery schedule set in the district court by several months. The order also notes that lawyers should be prepared to also address substantive issues such as whether the plaintiffs in the case can even sue and, if victorious, compel the president to stop violating the Constitution.

Justice Department spokeswoman Kelly Laco said the DOJ is pleased by the order.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine issued a joint statement calling the decision merely a procedural one and not a ruling on the merits of our historic lawsuit against President Trump.

We firmly believe that the federal district court got it right when it allowed us to move forward with this action and discovery. We look forward to defending our position before the court and continuing our efforts to stop President Trump from violating the Constitution by using his office for profit, they said.

Justice lawyers have argued that the emoluments clause in the Constitution does not include payments for hotel stays. Two other lawsuits accusing the president of violating the clause are being heard in other federal courts. Neither has reached the discovery stage.

Tami Abdollah is an Associated Press writer.
WASHINGTON  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, whose experience and stability were widely seen as a balance to an unpredictable president, resigned Thursday in protest of President Trumps decision to withdraw 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria.

Trump announced Mattis resignation in two tweets Thursday evening, and said the retired four-star Marine general turned Pentagon chief will leave at the end of February.

Officials said Mattis went to the White House on Thursday afternoon in a last attempt to persuade Trump to keep U.S. troops in Syria, where they have been fighting the Islamic State. He was rebuffed, and told the president he was resigning as a result.

Hours later, the Pentagon released Mattis resignation letter, in which he implicitly criticized his commander in chief. Mattis said in the letter that he believes that the president deserves a defense secretary who is more in tune with his worldview.

His departure leaves the Trump administration without one of the few officials viewed as standing between a mercurial president and global tumult. The president said he would name Mattis replacement shortly.

Mattis had told close friends that he would continue in the job despite his deteriorating relationship with Trump, because he viewed his commitment to protecting the Defense Department and its 1.3 million active-duty service members as paramount.

This is scary, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a tweet. He called Mattis an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on Twitter that Mattis resignation letter makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances & empower our adversaries.

As defense secretary, Mattis oversaw the worlds most powerful military, supervising active-duty troops deployed in the U.S. and worldwide, including in war zones in Afghanistan, Iraq and on the Saudi border with Yemen.

Helene Cooper is a New York Times writer.
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court on Friday refused to revive a Trump administration initiative barring migrants who enter the country illegally from seeking asylum.

The court was closely divided, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the four-member liberal wing in turning down the administrations request for a stay of an order from a San Francisco trial judge blocking the program.

The courts brief order gave no reasons for its action. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh said they would have granted the stay.

In a proclamation issued on Nov. 9, President Trump barred migrants from applying for asylum unless they made the request at a legal checkpoint. Only those applying at a port of entry would be eligible, Trump said, invoking what he said were his national security powers to protect the nations borders.

Lower courts blocked the initiative, ruling that a federal law plainly allowed asylum applications from people who had entered the country unlawfully.

Any alien who is physically present in the United States or who arrives in the United States, the relevant federal statute says, may apply for asylum  whether or not at a designated port of arrival.

U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco issued a temporary restraining order blocking the initiative nationwide.

Whatever the scope of the presidents authority, Tigar wrote, he may not rewrite the immigration laws to impose a condition that Congress has expressly forbidden.

Trump attacked Tigar, calling him an Obama judge. Roberts took issue with the characterization, saying federal judges apply the law without regard to the policies of the presidents who appointed them.

A divided three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to stay Tigars order. The majority opinion was written by Judge Jay Bybee, who was appointed by President George W. Bush.

We are acutely aware of the crisis in the enforcement of our immigration laws, Bybee wrote. The burden of dealing with these issues has fallen disproportionately on the courts of our circuit. And as much as we might be tempted to revise the law as we think wise, revision of the laws is left with the branch that enacted the laws in the first place  Congress.

The Trump administration then urged the Supreme Court to issue a stay of Tigars ruling, saying the president was authorized to address border security by imposing the new policy.

But the American Civil Liberties Union, representing groups challenging the policy, said only Congress could alter the law.

Adam Liptak is a New York Times writer.
WASHINGTON  Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker chose not to recuse himself from the Russia investigation even though a top Justice Department ethics official advised him to step aside out of an abundance of caution, a senior official said.

Whitakers past criticism of the Russia investigation has raised questions about whether he can oversee it fairly. The ethics official said this week that a recusal was a close call but suggested that Whitaker remove himself, even though he was not required to do so.

Whitaker decided not to take the advice.

Members of Congress have expressed concerns about Whitakers past criticism of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation. The probe is looking at Russian interference in the 2016 election and ties to President Trumps campaign. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had overseen the investigation until last month, when Trump ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had recused himself from the probe, and appointed Whitaker. The senior official said Rosenstein continues to have day-to-day oversight of the probe.

The questions about Whitakers decision not to recuse himself will add to the controversies surrounding his appointment. Beyond the criticism about his comments on the Russia probe, Whitaker also has faced scrutiny for his involvement with a company that was accused of misleading consumers and is under investigation by the FBI and over questions about whether he violated federal law because a campaign committee set up for his failed 2014 U.S. Senate bid accepted $8,800 in donations this year.

He will almost certainly face questions from Congress if he is called to testify before a permanent attorney general is confirmed. Trump named William Barr  who was attorney general under President George H.W. Bush  to serve as the next attorney general, though Barr will have to be confirmed by the Senate.

While working as a legal commentator for CNN, Whitaker once opined about a scenario in which Trump could fire Sessions and then appoint an acting attorney general who could stifle the funding of Muellers probe. His other past public statements have included an op-ed in which he said Mueller would be straying outside his mandate if he investigated Trumps family finances. In a talk radio interview, Whitaker maintained there was no evidence of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign during the 2016 election.

Since taking office, Whitaker has not been briefed on specific developments of the special counsels investigation, and Rosenstein will continue to maintain day-to-day oversight for the foreseeable future, the official said.

Michael Balsamo is an Associated Press writer.
BEIRUT  A senior Kurdish politician Friday called on France to play a larger role in Syria following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, warning that Kurdish fighters may have to withdraw from the front lines in the fight against the Islamic State.

Ilham Ahmed also suggested that the main Kurdish militia may no longer be able to hold the hundreds of Islamic State militants detained in its prisons in northeastern Syria in the case of a Turkish attack, noting they might head to Turkey or farther abroad from there.

The group known as the Syrian Democratic Forces is known to hold hundreds of militants from various nationalities, including Europeans, in detention centers across areas under their control in northern Syria, and their families have been rounded up in camps run by the group. The Kurds have not decided how to handle them, since their home countries dont want them back and also dont recognize Kurdish-run courts.

We fear things will get out control and we would no longer be able to contain them (Islamic State militants) in the area, and this would open the door to their renewed spread and movement toward the Turkish border and from there to the rest of the world, Ahmed said. She was in Paris as part of a delegation attending talks on the planned U.S. military withdrawal from Syria and Turkeys warnings that it may launch a military operation against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria.

The delegation met with French President Emanuel Macrons representative to Syria, Francois Senemand.

In France, an official at Elysee Palace said that during the meeting with the Syrian visitors, Macrons aides provided a message of solidarity and support and explained exchanges that France was having with the U.S. to continue the fight against Daesh. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for not being authorized to speak publicly, used an Arabic acronym to refer to Islamic State.

Ahmed said France as a NATO member has a moral obligation to prevent Turkey from attacking Kurds.

Her comments reflected the desperation and turmoil within the Kurdish forces following President Trumps surprise announcement that he would withdraw the 2,000 troops in Syria. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly warned of launching a new offensive against the Kurds, threatening that an assault could begin at any moment.

Turkey views the Peoples Protection Units, the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces, as a terrorist group and an extension of the insurgency within its borders.

Bassem Mroue is an Associated Press writer.
The American Canyon Police Department has identified Adam Douglas Branks, 29, of Maryland as an alleged domestic violence suspect who was arrested after a police pursuit on state Highway 37 Wednesday.



American Canyon police responded around 2:30 p.m. to a report of a domestic violence incident happening inside a Chrysler PT Cruiser. Police spotted the vehicle driving south on state Highway 29 in Napa County and tried to pull the car over.



The driver accelerated and drove onto westbound state Highway 37 through Vallejo where the California Highway Patrol joined the pursuit. A front tire of the PT Cruiser was damaged, and the vehicle slowed down enough for a female to escape the car between Mare Island and Sears Point, police said.



The driver, identified as Branks, struck the female with the PT Cruiser causing moderate injuries, and also crashed into a CHP patrol car, police said. An American Canyon police officer then disabled the PT Cruiser with his patrol car and Branks ran north into the marsh water between Highway 37 and Skaggs Island, police said.



American Canyon police, the CHP, the Napa County and Sonoma County sheriff's offices and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife surrounded the area. Branks claimed he had a weapon and demanded the officers shoot him during an hours-long standoff, police said.



An American Canyon Police Department hostage negotiator convinced Branks to surrender, and he was removed from the water via a CHP helicopter basket.



Branks was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence, failure to yield, kidnapping, attempted murder and for a state parole hold, police said.



Napa County Superior Court records show Branks is a Fredrick, Maryland resident who was convicted in Napa County for first-degree burglary in 2013 and sentenced to four years in state prison in 2014.





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WATSONVILLE (BCN)



A Watsonville cannabis product manufacturer has been ordered to pay over $50,000 in fines to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health after one of its workers was badly burned in a June explosion.



An employee of Santa Cruz-based Future2 Labs Health Services Inc. was working inside a portable storage container to extract oil from cannabis leaves using propane when the gas ignited and exploded on June 19, according to Cal/OSHA. The facility was located at 18 Hangar Way.



The employer had not tested the atmosphere inside the 128-square-foot storage container to ensure there were no flammable gasses or vapors, according to Cal/OSHA, resulting in the worker being hospitalized for several days.



Cal/OSHA cited the company for 10 penalties, including a lack of adequate training, failing to protect its workers by establishing an emergency action plan and a hazard communication program.



The company also did not report the accident to Cal/OSHA, according to the agency. Future2 Labs could not be reached for comment.





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The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office is warning residents to avoid food events, such as "bottomless mimosa" expositions, that may be a scam.



The office's consumer protection division said it has received complaints of "phantom events" that charged between $10 to $105 but never took place.



This included crab feeds, sushi buffets and "All You Can Eat Pupusas" in San Jose, Sacramento, San Francisco and Los Angeles, in addition to other states.



A bottomless brunch believed to be a scam was advertised in a local newspaper, according to prosecutors, offering "juicy prime rib, steamed crab... decadent cakes... and bottomless champagne!"



The District Attorney's office is advising residents to check the credibility of websites, reach out to event venues or contact their bank if they believe they have been targeted by a scam.



Residents can also file a consumer complaint with the District Attorney's office at (408) 792-2880 or contact police.





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OAKLAND (BCN)



An ex-convict and self-described anarchist was convicted of second-degree murder today for fatally shooting another man in a dispute over a van in Oakland in 2016.



Jurors deliberated for two days before announcing their verdict late today against 41-year-old Patrick Dempsey. The jury found Dempsey shot 27-year-old Spencer Reboredo in the 900 block of 35th Street, near a Chevron gas station, at about 4:15 a.m. on July 14, 2016.



Alameda County prosecutor Butch Ford told jurors in his closing argument on Tuesday that witness statements and physical evidence prove that Dempsey shot Reboredo because Reboredo had borrowed his van and refused to return it.



Ford said Dempsey and Reboredo knew each other because they both lived at a warehouse in Oakland which hosted dance parties to raise money and there was illegal activity such as methamphetamine drug dealing.



But defense attorney Megan Burns said Dempsey "lacked a motive" to kill Reboredo because it was "laughable" to think that someone would be murdered over Dempsey's beat-up 1998 Nissan Quest van.



Ford said people in Oakland have been killed for less than that, noting that an Oakland police homicide investigator testified at Dempsey's trial that many homicides are committed over seemingly trivial matters such as a perceived lack of respect.



Burns said she thinks a Union City man who had harmed Reboredo several months before the shooting was the man who actually killed Reboredo because he thought Reboredo had "snitched" on him.



But Ford said an informant who told authorities that the Union City man was the killer changed her story and the information she provided can't be corroborated.



Dempsey's girlfriend Sabrina Cross testified during the trial that Dempsey couldn't have carried out the fatal shooting because he was with her at the time.



But Ford alleged that Cross's alibi for Dempsey is unreliable because her statements to investigators and in court about being with Dempsey at the time of the crime haven't been consistent.



Dempsey, who showed little emotion when the jury's verdict was announced, faces a term of 40 years to life in state prison when he's sentenced by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Thomas Rogers on Feb. 7.



Dempsey has three prior felony convictions for vehicle theft, driving under the influence of alcohol and petty theft with priors.





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A suspended San Francisco police officer accused of bank robbery is due in federal court this morning for a hearing on whether he should be granted bail while awaiting trial.



Rain Daugherty, 44, of San Francisco, has been in custody since his arrest on Tuesday on a federal criminal charge of robbing a Sunset District bank of $9,050 on Nov. 29.



Daugherty is also one of nine officers facing police department administrative charges of sending racist text messages. He has also been accused of elder abuse and drug possession in an unrelated criminal case in San Mateo County Superior Court.



San Mateo County District Attorney Steven Wagstaffe said that in the Peninsula case, Daugherty is accused of stealing $13,095 from a 76-year-old man with Alzheimer's disease between Sept. 1 and Dec. 1, 2017.



A search of Daugherty's residence on Dec. 1 found small amounts of cocaine and three other drugs, Wagstaffe said.



Daugherty was charged on July 24 with one felony count of elder abuse and four misdemeanor counts of drug possession.







A new judge will be assigned to preside over the trial next year for Ghost Ship master tenant Derick Almena and creative director Max Harris on 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter for the fire at the warehouse two years ago, Almena's lawyer said.



Veteran defense attorney Tony Serra, who represents Almena, said he and other defense lawyers are "favorably disposed" toward Alameda County Superior Court Judge Trina Thompson because she worked in the county Public Defender's Office and as a private defense lawyer before she became a judge in 2002.



Serra said Thompson is a contrast to most judges, who he said are former prosecutors, because of her background in representing criminal defendants.



Serra said Judge James Cramer, the court's calendar judge who oversees cases, told the attorneys in the case about the switch in judges during a conference call on Tuesday.



Serra said Cramer will formally assign the case to Thompson at a brief hearing on Jan. 2.







The Fair Political Practices Commission has called for the state attorney general's office and Bay Area district attorneys to investigate and possibly prosecute BART for violating state laws to support its bond measure in 2016.



The commission met Thursday morning in Sacramento, where by a 4-0 vote it approved a $7,500 fine for BART after it found the transit agency used public funds for political purposes in the campaign for Measure RR, a $3.5 billion bond measure that ultimately passed in November 2016.



BART had used YouTube videos, social media posts and text messages to promote Measure RR, which needed voter approval to fund repairs and improvements to the train system.



According to the FPPC, the political actions caused BART to qualify as an independent expenditure committee, but the agency failed to timely file independent expenditure reports or campaign statements and failed to include a proper disclosure statement in its electronic media advertisements.







Police have announced that an eight-month investigation into the large-scale theft and resale of retail items in San Francisco resulted in the arrests of 12 people earlier this month.



On Dec. 5, officers served search warrants at seven locations in San Francisco and one in Daly City, identifying stolen property worth $750,000, including $16,000 in cash and 46 cellphones.



Although police made a dozen arrests, 28 suspects connected to the theft ring remain outstanding, police said.



According to police Chief William Scott, the search warrants were served at homes, a storage facility and a business.



"There's really not one way these items are stored and sold and the message that we want to send here is that it doesn't matter where you try to hide, we're going to do our due diligence and get to the bottom of it," he said.







San Francisco Mayor London Breed has announced she's come up with a detailed proposal for the $181 million available from a recently announced windfall of excess property tax revenue.



According to Breed's proposal, the money would fund programs for homelessness, affordable housing, behavioral health and street cleaning.



"The voters have been very clear that this is their top priority," she said.



Breed's legislation, which is co-sponsored by Supervisor Malia Cohen, would direct $90.5 million toward affordable housing programs with the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development, with $42 million of that going toward building more affordable housing.



Another $90.5 million would fund homelessness, behavioral health and street cleaning programs over a four-year period.







An ex-convict and self-described anarchist has been convicted of second-degree murder for fatally shooting another man in a dispute over a van in Oakland in 2016.



Jurors deliberated for two days before announcing their verdict late Thursday against 41-year-old Patrick Dempsey. The jury found Dempsey shot 27-year-old Spencer Reboredo in the 900 block of 35th Street, near a Chevron gas station, at about 4:15 a.m. on July 14, 2016.



Alameda County prosecutor Butch Ford told jurors in his closing argument on Tuesday that witness statements and physical evidence prove that Dempsey shot Reboredo because Reboredo had borrowed his van and refused to return it.



Ford said Dempsey and Reboredo knew each other because they both lived at a warehouse in Oakland which hosted dance parties to raise money and there was illegal activity such as methamphetamine drug dealing.







The Metropolitan Transportation Commission has awarded $10.6 million to the Transportation Authority of Marin for work on the northern segment of the North-South Greenway Project bicycle and pedestrian pathway.



The first phase of the northern segment work will cross Corte Madera Creek next to U.S. Highway 101. The second phase will extend the path along Old Redwood Highway in Larkspur.



The $10.6 million is from Regional Measure 2, which was approved by voters in 2004. The measure increased tolls on state bridges by $1 to finance transportation projects. A total of $19 million will go toward the Greenway project.



A bike and pedestrian bridge over Sir Francis Drake Boulevard that is part of the North-South Greenway Project opened in 2016. The Cal Park Tunnel, also part of the Greenway project, was financed with $25 million in Regional Measure 2 toll dollars and opened in 2010.



The North-South Greenway project connects communities along the Highway 101 corridor.







A Watsonville cannabis product manufacturer has been ordered to pay over $50,000 in fines to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health after one of its workers was badly burned in a June explosion.



An employee of Santa Cruz-based Future2 Labs Health Services Inc. was working inside a portable storage container to extract oil from cannabis leaves using propane when the gas ignited and exploded on June 19, according to Cal/OSHA.



The employer had not tested the atmosphere inside the 128-square-foot storage container to ensure there were no flammable gasses or vapors, according to Cal/OSHA, resulting in the worker being hospitalized for several days.



Cal/OSHA cited the company for 10 penalties, including a lack of adequate training, failing to protect its workers by establishing an emergency action plan and a hazard communication program.



The company also did not report the accident to Cal/OSHA, according to the agency. Future2 Labs could not be reached for comment.







A Fairfield babysitter was found guilty on Wednesday of felony child abuse for throwing a 5-month-old boy in her care and fracturing his skull, according to the Solano County District Attorney's Office.



Chloe Alexandra James, 28, was babysitting the infant on June 13, 2016, when she threw the boy onto a couch.



The baby bounced off the couch and hit his head on a brick fireplace adjacent to the couch, suffering three skull fractures. He had extensive surgery but has since healed from his injuries, prosecutors said.



A jury found James guilty of child abuse and personally inflicting great bodily injury to a child under five years old. She was taken into custody after the verdict.



James has a prior conviction for residential burglary, and she is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 7 in Solano County Superior Court. She faces a sentence up to 18 years in prison.







Light showers are expected this morning in the North Bay, with a small chance of showers in San Francisco and points south and east, according to the National Weather Service.



The rain should dry up during the day, but clouds will remain, with temperatures in the 50s. Light southwest winds will become northwest winds this afternoon.



Tonight will be partly cloudy with lows in the 40s, and the clouds will stick around Saturday, according to the NWS forecast.





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FREMONT (BCN)



A Sunnyvale woman and a Citrus Heights man have been charged in a murder-for-hire scheme which allegedly involved fatally shooting a man at his Fremont home in order to collect $800,000 in life insurance benefits, Alameda County prosecutors said today.



Maria Moore, 50, and Marvel Salvant, 46, were scheduled to be arraigned in Alameda County Superior Court in Dublin this afternoon for the shooting death of 56-year-old executive chef Dominic Sarkar while he was sleeping in his bed at the home he shared with a family in the 43000 block of Charleston Way on Oct. 8.



Moore, who told police she had an occasional sexual relationship with Sarkar, and Salvant are both charged with murder and the special circumstances of lying in wait and murder for financial gain, which means they could face the death penalty.



Salvant, who has two prior felony convictions, is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.



Fremont police Detective Brent Butcher wrote in a probable cause statement that officers who responded to the shooting found Sarkar shot multiple times in his bed but his room wasn't ransacked and no one else at the home was injured.



An extensive investigation by Fremont police established that Salvant fatally shot Sarkar and Moore had hired him to kill Sarkar to collect $800,000 in life insurance benefits, Butcher wrote.



Butcher wrote that video surveillance from the area showed a Subaru Outback circling Sarkar's residence before the murder and then parking two blocks from the house.



Eventually a man on a bicycle was seen riding a bicycle to the home, then returning back to the Subaru, according to Butcher.



Moore went to the Fremont Police Department on Oct. 9, the day after the shooting, and told investigators about her occasional sexual relationship with Sarkar and said she had visited him several hours before he was killed, Butcher wrote.



Moore admitted to being the beneficiary to Sarkar's life insurance policies but denied that she had given money to anyone recently, Butcher wrote.



The police investigation revealed that on Sept. 19, Moore wired $500 to Salvant through Western Union and investigators found cellphone records linking the two together through calls and texts, according to Butcher.



Cellphone records indicate that Salvant was in the area of Sarkar's home before, during and immediately after the murder, Butcher wrote.



Investigators conducted surveillance on Moore and Salvant and on Nov. 17, Salvant allegedly told someone that he would be coming into a large amount of money soon, Butcher wrote.



The probable cause statement says Salvant told that person, "I'm an evil person ... I committed a cardinal sin ... I already did it. So, ain't no turning back from here."



Butcher wrote that in a clandestine meeting in Redwood City on Nov. 15 that was observed and filmed by Fremont investigators, Salvant asked about getting his share of the insurance benefits and expressed frustration when he learned that he would not be paid before Thanksgiving.



Moore submitted forms on Nov. 22 asking to be paid the life insurance benefits but no benefits have been paid, according to Butcher.



Salvant and Moore were both arrested on Tuesday, Salvant in Folsom and Moore in Redwood City, according to police. The Alameda County District Attorney's Office filed charges against them on Wednesday.



Prosecutors say Salvant was convicted of possession of cocaine for sale in Monterey County in 1992 and possession of a controlled substance of sale in federal court in Tennessee in 1995.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



San Francisco Mayor London Breed today announced she's come up with a detailed proposal for the $181 million available from a recently announced windfall of excess property tax revenue.



According to Breed's proposal, the money would fund programs for homelessness, affordable housing, behavioral health and street cleaning.



"Opportunities like this are rare, which is why it is so important that we make responsible investments that will make an immediate impact in helping our homeless population into shelters, creating new affordable housing for our low-income residents, and keeping our streets clean," Breed said in a statement.



"The voters have been very clear that this is their top priority," she said. "The majority of the total windfall money is already being distributed to important programs like transportation and schools. I think we should take advantage of this chance to address the housing and homelessness crisis we see everyday."



Breed's legislation, which is co-sponsored by Supervisor Malia Cohen, would direct $90.5 million toward affordable housing programs with the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development, with $42 million of that going toward building more affordable housing.



Another $90.5 million would fund homelessness, behavioral health and street cleaning programs over a four-year period.



The Office of the Controller announced the $415 million tax windfall last month, generated from San Francisco's property tax roll, which is the total assessed value of all real property and personal property owned in the city. The tax roll grew by 22 percent over the past two years to $260 billion from $212 billion, resulting in the windfall.



According to Breed's office, the remaining $235 million will go toward the San Francisco Municipal Transportation agency, the San Francisco Unified School District, the San Francisco Public Library, street and tree maintenance, as well as programs for families and children.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



Police today announced that an eight-month investigation into the large-scale theft and resale of retail items in San Francisco resulted in the arrest of 12 people earlier this month.



On Dec. 5, officers served search warrants at seven locations in San Francisco and one in Daly City, identifying stolen property worth $750,000, including $16,000 in cash and 46 cellphones.



Although police made a dozen arrests, 28 suspects connected to the theft ring remain outstanding, police said.



"The reality is that the majority of our property crimes are being committed by a small number of people who are doing this for profit," District Attorney George Gascon said. "These are people who are actually making a great deal of money doing this.



"It's not all one group, it's a series of groups coming together in a very organized fashion. You have the people who are doing the theft, people who are fencing the property then you have the people who are buying the fenced property," Gascon said.



According to police Chief William Scott, the search warrants were served at homes, a storage facility and a business.



"There's really not one way these items are stored and sold and the message that we want to send here is that it doesn't matter where you try to hide, we're going to do our due diligence and get to the bottom of it," he said.



Karin Flood, executive director with the Union Square Business Improvement District said, "This is absolutely affecting our business downtown. Some of our larger department stores have stuff stolen three times a day. It's happening everyday, during the day, it's also happening at night where our windows are getting broken into."



Flood said the Union Square area has about 350 surveillance cameras, which helps law enforcement identify retail thieves.



According to Assistant District Attorney Frank Carrubba, the criminals often commit ambush style robberies, taking large quantities of items from retail stores. The stolen items often end up being sold on online marketplaces like eBay or at swap meets.



"This is not a small group of very unsophisticated people just sitting at Seventh and Market; that's just the very beginning. What we're looking at is what's at the very end. The source's supply is what we're focused on," Carrubba said. "So we want to cut if off and eliminate it and that's the purpose behind this entire operation."



The investigation, called "Operation Wrecking Ball" was conducted through a partnership with San Francisco police, the Sheriff's Department, the California Highway Patrol and the District Attorney's Office.



Police did not release the names of the 12 people arrested.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



San Francisco's Presidio Trust is reminding residents that the Presidio will remain open this weekend, despite the looming possibility of a partial government shutdown tonight.



The Presidio is federal land, but the Presidio Trust, which manages 80 percent of the land, doesn't rely on federal funds in the same way as most agencies.



That means the popular recreation area can stay open for what's expected to be a busy holiday weekend.



National Park Service employees, who manage 300 acres of coastline in the area, will still be furloughed if lawmakers don't reach a deal by 9 p.m. Pacific time.



Trust employees are prepared to step in where needed, according to a news release from the trust.



Lawmakers in Washington D.C. will likely be working all day today to negotiate over the funding bill. President Trump has said he won't sign a bill that doesn't include funds for a border wall, something many lawmakers oppose.





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The defense lawyer for a transient charged with murder for the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Nia Wilson at the MacArthur BART station in July told a judge today that she thinks her client is mentally incompetent to stand trial.



Defense attorney Christina Moore said she doesn't think John Lee Cowell, 28, is mentally able to assist her in preparing for a potential trial for him on murder and attempted murder charges for the stabbing death of Wilson and the stabbing of Letifah Wilson, her 26-year-old sister, at the MacArthur station at 9:36 p.m. on July 22.



Family members and friends of Nia Wilson who packed the courtroom for Cowell's brief hearing audibly groaned when Moore said she believes he's incompetent and five deputies who guarded the courtroom told them to be quiet.



Alameda County Superior Court Judge James Cramer put the matter over until Dec. 27 so he can review a brief by Assistant District Attorney L.D. Louis, who specializes in mental health cases, about the legal standards that must be met before a defendant is declared mentally incompetent to stand trial.



Cramer said that at the hearing next week he will decide whether Cowell is mentally incompetent to stand trial and whether to suspend the criminal proceedings against him.







A Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District Board of Directors committee today discussed a proposed five-year toll increase plan on the span effective July 1, 2019.



The board's Finance and Auditing Committee approved sending the proposed toll hike plan to the full Board of Directors for discussion at a meeting at 10 a.m. Friday at the Toll Plaza, district spokeswoman Priya Clemens said this morning.



The plan includes public outreach and public hearings in Sonoma and Marin counties and in San Francisco in January and February. The full board would then consider adopting the toll hike in March.



District staff have created five toll options for consideration, any of which can be altered or eliminated by the Board of Directors. The current bridge toll for FasTrak users with a two-axle vehicle is $7.



The proposed FasTrak toll hikes would range from 25 to 35 cents a year for two-axle vehicles and 20 to 35 cents a year for Pay As You Go and invoice toll hikes for two-axle vehicles between July 2019 and July 2023. The toll hikes would raise between $75 million and $100 million over five years.







A Sunnyvale woman and a Citrus Heights man have been charged in a murder-for-hire scheme which allegedly involved fatally shooting a man at his Fremont home in order to collect $800,000 in life insurance benefits, Alameda County prosecutors said today.



Maria Moore, 50, and Marvel Salvant, 46, were scheduled to be arraigned in Alameda County Superior Court in Dublin this afternoon for the shooting death of 56-year-old executive chef Dominic Sarkar while he was sleeping in his bed at the home he shared with a family in the 43000 block of Charleston Way on Oct. 8.



Moore, who told police she had an occasional sexual relationship with Sarkar, and Salvant are both charged with murder and the special circumstances of lying in wait and murder for financial gain, which means they could face the death penalty.



Salvant, who has two prior felony convictions, is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.



Fremont police Detective Brent Butcher wrote in a probable cause statement that officers who responded to the shooting found Sarkar shot multiple times in his bed but his room wasn't ransacked and no one else at the home was injured.







A Sonoma County Superior Court jury will decide the fate of a Santa Rosa man charged with second-degree murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated after his Dodge Ram truck collided head-on with a Toyota Corolla, killing a Sonoma State University student last year.



In his statement to the jury Wednesday, Deputy District Attorney Andrew Lukas said Logologoa Taumaloto Tevaseu, 36, should be found guilty of second-degree murder with implied malice and a conscious disregard of human life because he knew the dangers of driving while impaired from his previous DUI crash in October 2011.



Lukas said Tevaseu's blood-alcohol level was approximately 0.22 percent at the time of the collision on Lakeville Highway on Nov. 5, 2017. The complaint, however, only alleges he drove with an alcohol level of 0.15 percent or more, about twice the threshold of intoxication.



Tevaseu refused to take a chemical test at the site of the collision that killed Sonoma State business studies student Paulette Geronimo Quiba, 21, of Oakley, and injured five other people.







An alleged intruder shot to death by a homeowner in Concord on Tuesday night has been identified by the Contra Costa County coroner's office as 34-year-old Bay Point resident Daniel Gonzalez.



The shooting was reported by the homeowner at 9:20 p.m. at a home in the 4600 block of Phoenix Street.



Officers arrived and found a man, later identified as Gonzalez, suffering from a gunshot wound in the backyard of the home. He was pronounced dead there, Concord police said.



The homeowner told police he woke up to the sound of someone ringing his doorbell, then moments later someone began kicking the rear door and broke a window to try to get into the home.



He said he shot Gonzalez because he feared for his life. The homeowner was growing marijuana at his home and distributing it, and police believe he was targeted because of his marijuana dealings.







A man killed in a double shooting in Richmond on Tuesday night has been identified by the Contra Costa County coroner's office as 45-year-old Richmond resident Edgar Chayjocol.



Officers responded at 10:52 p.m. to a ShotSpotter gunshot detection system activation in the 2500 block of Andrade Avenue, and while en route a witness called police to report the shooting, police Lt. Matt Stonebraker said.



Officers arrived and found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. One, Chayjocol, died at the scene while the other was taken to a hospital and was in critical condition as of Wednesday, according to Stonebraker.







A man was fatally stabbed in Oakland's Uptown district on Wednesday night, police said today.



Officers responded to the 2100 block of San Pablo Avenue, near the Greyhound bus station, at about 8:55 p.m. Wednesday after they received a report of a stabbing and found a man who was suffering from multiple stab wounds, according to police.



The victim, an Oakland resident, was transported to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead, police said.



Investigating officers then arrested a man who doesn't live in Oakland in connection with the fatal stabbing, according to police.



Police aren't yet releasing the victim's name because his next of kin haven't yet been notified of the death and they also aren't releasing the suspect's name at this time.







The Fair Political Practices Commission today called for the state attorney general's office and Bay Area district attorneys to investigate and possibly prosecute BART for violating state laws to support its bond measure in 2016.



The commission this morning at its meeting in Sacramento approved by a 4-0 vote a $7,500 fine for BART after it found the transit agency used public funds for political purposes in the campaign for Measure RR, a $3.5 billion bond measure that ultimately passed in November 2016.



As part of the vote, the commission approved sending letters to the attorney general and district attorneys with jurisdiction over BART to investigate and prosecute the case and any others like it, since the commission only has jurisdiction of issues concerning the state Political Reform Act.



BART had used YouTube videos, social media posts and text messages to promote Measure RR, which needed voter approval to fund repairs and improvements to the train system.



According to the FPPC, the political actions caused BART to qualify as an independent expenditure committee, but the agency failed to timely file independent expenditure reports or campaign statements and failed to include a proper disclosure statement in its electronic media advertisements.







Santa Clara County officials are hosting a candlelight vigil this evening in response to federal immigration policies that may deport Vietnam War refugees in the United States.



A 2008 Repatriation Agreement protects Vietnamese immigrants who arrived to the U.S. before July 12, 1995 from being deported, but President Donald Trump's administration intends to renegotiate the memorandum of understanding, the news outlet The Atlantic reported last week.



The news conference and vigil in Santa Clara County, which has a large population of Vietnamese people, will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the county government center at 70 W. Hedding St. in San Jose.



Representatives from local immigration nonprofits and legal offices will be present at the gathering, hosted by Supervisor Dave Cortese and Vietnamese community members impacted by the potential deportations.







San Pablo City Councilwoman Cecilia Valdez has submitted her resignation two years before the end of her term, city officials said Wednesday.



Valdez, who was first elected to the City Council in 2008 and has twice served as mayor during her tenure, submitted her resignation in a letter to the City Clerk and notified Mayor Rich Kinney and the rest of the Council on Tuesday.



In the letter, Valdez wrote that she decided to resign "after careful consideration and personal reflection," but did not specify a particular reason for the resignation.



The City Council will officially acknowledge Valdez's resignation and determine how to fill her vacancy at a special meeting expected to be scheduled later this week.



Valdez's four-year term will end in November 2020, according to the city.







A Hayward High School teacher and his students today will be finishing a mural at the school in support of immigration freedom in North America.



According to Andrew Kong Knight, an art instructor at the high school and an East Bay artist when he isn't teaching, he and his students will be finishing the mural today.



The mural features 13 monarch butterflies on wooden panels that are intended to stand for immigration freedom at the United States' borders with Canada and Mexico.



According to Knight, the butterflies will be permanently placed on a 50-foot sound wall at the intersection of West Tennyson Road and Patrick Avenue in south Hayward later this month.





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A crash in Napa sheared a power pole tonight, closing streets and knocking out power for thousands of residents and businesses in the area, utility officials said.



A driver crashed into a pole in the area of Silverado Trail and Sousa Lane at about 9:30 p.m., PG&E spokesman J.D. Guidi said.



The pole was knocked over held up by the power lines, Guidi said. Power was knocked out for 2,445 PG&E customers.



PG&E crews are in the area making repairs, Guidi said, but he did not have an estimate when the repairs would be complete.



Napa police advised residents via Twitter just after 10 p.m. to avoid the area of Silverado Trail between Saratoga Avenue and Fairview Drive. Police said Sousa Lane was also closed between Soscol Avenue and Silverado Trail.



Streets are expected to remain closed in the area until 5 or 8 a.m., police said.



Police did not immediately return requests for more information about the crash.





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Reddit, the self-described "front page of the Internet," is known to be many things: a place for people to interact with each other anonymously, a platform offering a community for eccentrics, and home to the world's largest Secret Santa exchange.

And in 2019, it saw a major growth: Reddit's engagement shot up 22 percent over last year.

RELATED: Weezer, Pee-wee Herman, eBay CEO: Here's who's gifting for Reddit's Secret Santa in 2018

In the social network's year-end wrap-up, it recounted some of its most popular comments, posts and subreddits (sort of like message boards around a given topic). They are just as quirky as any Redditor would hope.

Its most upvoted post of the year, in the r/videos subreddit, came from the user u/patientbearr. It was a YouTube video with 313k upvotes, originally created by Deadspin, splicing together the dozens of news anchors working for Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned TV news stations reading the same script about one-sided journalism. It was accompanied by the title, "This is what happens when one company owns dozens of local news stations."

Second was a short clip of a (literally) tiny good deed. The video, posted in the popular r/aww subreddit by u/FootLoosePickleJuice, shows a person holding up a bottlecap full of water up to an overheated frog "for a cold drink." It was 110 degrees on the heat index, as the post reads, and the frog was so hot, it opted to jump into the bottlecap instead. It was also the second-most viewed video on Reddit this year.

Another post landing in the top five came from the r/mildlyamusing subreddit; it depicted the curious decor inside a Mexican restaurant that used to be a Chinese restaurant.

RELATED: After 'Avengers: Infinity War,' what in the hell happens now?

The other two that rounded out the top five were a bit of a surprise, as they came from a new subreddit, r/ThanosDidNothingWrong. The subreddit, playing on the new "Avengers" film "Infinity War," jokingly makes the case that film villain Thanos, played by Josh Brolin, was justified in his plan to wipe out half the population of the world with the snap of his finger.

The subreddit kept in theme with the movie, and got Brolin to appear in a video (Reddit's most-viewed video of the year, at that) to commence what Redditors called "The Snappening."

"Here we go Reddit users," Brolin said before snapping.

The following morning, subreddit moderators banned half of all r/ThanosDidNothingWrong subscribers to keep "the balance." One user, u/Doorman3000, posted a thread calling for those who were still unbanned to upvote the post. It garnered 277k votes.

See all of Reddit's year-end findings here.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.


ISLAMABAD  The Taliban welcomed news of the U.S. plan to withdraw half its troops in Afghanistan by the summer, as Afghan generals warned Friday it would be a blow to the morale of the countrys beleaguered security forces, who come under daily attacks from the insurgent fighters.

The announcement seems certain to complicate efforts to reach a peace deal, mostly because it gives the Taliban leverage by allowing them to hold off until a total U.S. withdrawal, or step up their demands over a weakened Afghan government.

I believe the Taliban will see this as a reason to stall, and therefore it disincentives the Taliban to actually talk to the Afghan government, which it has refused to do, said Bill Roggio, an Afghanistan analyst with the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Afghanistans security forces rely heavily on U.S. air power against both Taliban and an upstart Islamic State affiliate, and Afghan military officials note the announcement by the Trump administration comes as the countrys security is at its worst since 2014, when more than 100,000 NATO troops pulled out of the country and handed off security to Afghans. The U.S. and NATO retreated into a training and advising role.

A complete withdrawal of U.S. forces would very likely cause the Taliban to make gains in key areas throughout Afghanistan, Roggio said. This likely would cause the general collapse of the (Afghan National Security and Defense Force) as a cohesive fighting force and lead to the return of the warlords.

A Taliban official said the announcement was a positive step. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said Taliban officials think the promised departure could help the peace process because it could lead to trust building that the U.S. wants a political solution.

The Taliban are already stronger today than they have been since their ouster in 2001, controlling or holding sway over nearly half the country.

Kathy Gannon is an Associated Press writer.
SEOUL  North Korea said Thursday it will never unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons unless the United States first removes what Pyongyang called a nuclear threat. The surprisingly blunt statement jars with Seouls rosier presentation of the North Korean position and could rattle the fragile trilateral diplomacy to defuse a nuclear crisis that last year had many fearing war.

The latest from North Korea comes as the U.S. and North Korea struggle over the sequencing of the denuclearization that Washington wants and the removal of international sanctions desired by Pyongyang. The statement by the Norths official Korean Central News Agency also raises credibility problems for the liberal South Korean government, which has continuously claimed that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is genuinely interested in negotiating away his nuclear weapons.
BEIRUT  The United States main ally in Syria on Thursday categorically rejected President Trumps claim that Islamic State militants have been defeated, but Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Trumps decision to withdraw forces from Syria, saying he agreed a U.S. military presence is no longer needed.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said in a strongly worded statement laced with bitterness that a premature U.S. pullout before Islamic State is defeated would have dangerous repercussions including a resurgence of the extremist group and a destabilizing effect on the entire region.

The war against terrorism has not ended and (the Islamic State group) has not been defeated, the statement said, adding that the fight against Islamic State was at a decisive stage that requires even more support from the U.S.-led coalition.

Trumps decision to withdraw troops from Syria has rattled Washingtons Kurdish allies, who are its most reliable partner in the country and among the most effective ground forces battling Islamic State. With U.S. air support, the Kurds drove the militants from much of northern and eastern Syria in a costly four-year campaign.

The announcement of a pullout is widely seen as an abandonment of a loyal ally.

The decision to pull out under these circumstances will lead to a state of instability and create a political and military void in the region and leave its people between the claws of enemy forces, the SDF statement said.

Kurdish officials and commanders met into the night, discussing their responses to the decision, local residents said Thursday. A war monitor said among the options seriously discussed was releasing thousands of Islamic State militants and their families from various nationalities who are being detained in SDF-run prisons and camps.

Arin Sheikhmos, a Kurdish journalist and commentator, said, We have every right to be afraid.

If the Americans pull out and leave us to the Turks or the (Syrian) regime, our destiny will be like the Kurds of Iraqi Kurdistan in 1991  million of refugees, there will be massacres. Neither the regime, not Iran nor Turkey, will accept our presence here, he said.

The U.S. announcement came at a particularly tense moment in northern Syria. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly threatened to launch a new offensive against the Kurds but in recent days had stepped up the rhetoric, threatening an assault could begin at any moment.

Turkey views the Peoples Protection Units, the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces, as a terrorist group and an extension of the insurgency within its borders. U.S. support for the group has strained ties between the two NATO allies.

In northeastern Syria, Kurdish fighters have been digging trenches and defensive tunnels, preparing for the threatened offensive. Turkish tanks and armored vehicles are deployed on the border, with thousands of allied Arab Syrian fighters mobilized to join in the attack.

The threat from Turkey could drive the Kurds into the arms of Syrian President Bashar Assad and, by extension, Iran and Russia.

Zeina Karam and Sarah El Deeb are Associated Press writers.
Page Content

The problem of death by overwork is so prevalent the Japanese have created a word for it: karoshi. This year Japan passed the "Work Style Reform Law" to address some of these issues. Several provisions take effect April 2019.

Currently, Japanese law permits employers to enter into special agreements with employees that require employees to work an unlimited number of overtime hours. The law, however, generally will limit overtime work to 45 hours per month with a maximum of 360 hours in a year. During busy periods, the overtime limit will be relaxed, allowing for up to 100 hours of overtime not to exceed a maximum of 720 hours in a year. In addition, employees may not work, on average, more than 80 hours of overtime per month. This figure will be averaged over a period of two, three, four, five and six consecutive months.

These overtime provisions will go into effect in April 2019 for large employers and April 2020 for small and mid-sized employers. Violation of these provisions will subject employers to financial penalties.

Highly skilled professional workers, however, are exempt from the protection of these overtime provisions. Under the law, highly skilled professional workers must: work a job requiring specialized skills and earn an annual salary of 10.75 million yen or more (roughly $95,000). Labor reform supporters have sharply criticized this exemption as a license to continue the practice of overwork. Meanwhile, supporters of the law have characterized the exemption as a nod to the working style of professionals where hours and results do not necessarily correlate. Future administrative guidelines will provide employers insight as to what jobs fall into the exemption. The exemption will take effect in April 2019.

In addition, the law will require employers to treat regular and fixed-term employees equally. Although further administrative guidelines will be issued regarding this provision, employers should:

Prepare to provide increased compensation and benefits for fixed-term and other nonregular employees.



Begin reviewing the compensation differences between their regular and fixed-term employees to identify any disparities.



Enforcement of this provision will likely involve disclosure requirements for employers. This provision will take effect in April 2020 for large employers and April 2021 for small and mid-sized employers.

The law also contains provisions mandating the use of paid time off. Japanese labor culture has long led to a chronic and voluntary underusage of paid time off by employees. The law addresses this issue by requiring that employees entitled to 10 days of annual paid leave or more use at least five of those days each year.

The use of a work-interval system is also encouraged under the law. The law notes that employers should make efforts to ensure that there is a minimum interval between the end of a day's working hours and the beginning of the next day's working hours. This provision will take effect in April 2019.

Erika C. Collins is an attorney with Proskauer Rose LLP in New York City. Daniel Ornstein is an attorney with Proskauer Rose LLP in London. Tony S. Martinez is a law clerk in Newark, N.J.  2018 Proskauer Rose LLP. All rights reserved. Reposted with permission of Lexology.




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In general, it is recommended for employers to offer vaccinations to employees on a volunary basis; however, employers in most states may be able to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations as long as the employer complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. See our Express Requests called Mandating COVID-19 Vaccine

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Employers are permitted to ask employees if they have been vaccinated against COVID-19; however, caution should be taken to avoid soliciting information related to an employee's medical condition. A simple yes or no response from employees should be sufficient and employers should instruct employees not to provide additional information about the reason they may not have received the vaccine. See our Answers to the Most Common Coronavirus Questions

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While employers may be able to make vaccinations a condition of employment absent medical and religious accommodations, some employees may have general objections to receiving a COVID-19 vaccination and employers need to decide how they will proceed in these circumstances. Terminating employees might not be the desired approach, but allowing for a leave of absence, transfer to another position, telework or other modifications might be acceptable solutions. See our article, What Employers Can Do If Workers Refuse a COVID-19 Vaccination

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Yes, employers are responsible for recording work-related cases of COVID-19 illness on their Form 300 logs if the following requirements are met: (1) the case is a confirmed case of COVID-19; (2) the case is work-related (as defined by 29 CFR 1904.5); and (3) the case involves one or more relevant recording criteria (set forth in 29 CFR 1904.7) (e.g., medical treatment, days away from work). Employers must follow the requirements in 29 CFR 1904 when reporting COVID-19 fatalities and hospitalizations to OSHA. See our Express Requests called OSHA Guidance for COVID-19 Reporting

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- City officials issued a travel advisory Thursday afternoon ahead of expected Friday downpours.

The city Emergency Management Department said in a media release that New Yorkers should prepare for slippery road conditions, and should exercise caution when driving, walking or biking.

"We are expecting heavy rainfall that may cause widespread flooding on Friday, and we advise you to exercise caution and allow for extra travel time, Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Esposito said in a statement.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flood watch for the area ahead of the storm. A flood watch means the heavy rains could result in flooding for urban, low lying, and poor drainage areas.

Between two and three inches of rain is expected across the city with higher amounts in certain areas, according to NWS.

A high of 55 degrees is expected Friday morning with wind gusts as high as 37 mph, according to NWS.

Rain is expected to start as early as the Thursday evening commute.

A powerful storm will impact the area tonight through Friday, according to the National Weather Service New York. Heavy rain, strong gusty winds and coastal flooding is expected.

The storm is expected to intensify overnight and into the Friday morning and evening rush hours, according to AccuWeather.com
Shira Stoll, a Multimedia Specialist for the Advance/SILive.com, is the filmmaker behind the Where Life Leads You documentary and the Staten Island Holocaust Survivor series.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Six-year-old Dave Pfeifer was living in a safe house in Budapest in 1944.

Despite the protective statuses of these houses, under the Swiss, Swedish and International Red Cross, they were frequently raided by the Arrow Cross Party, the Hungarian right-wing fascist organization that controlled the Hungarian government. Dave vividly remembers these Arrow Cross Party raids.

Every night, they were taking one family out, he said. They took them to the Danube [River] and they shot them.

Throughout 1944 and 1945, the Arrow Cross shot and killed as many as 20,000 Jews, from the Budapest Ghetto, along the Danube, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

One day, all of the Jews in the safe house were rounded up to be taken to the Budapest Ghetto. The Arrow Cross soldiers were collecting valuables and shot those who did not give them up.

Suddenly, one of the soldiers said, The boy has a gun!

He was looking at Dave.

This [Arrow Cross soldier] stuck a rifle in my mouth that was still warm, he said. And they open up my coat and luckily, they found a little Sefer Torah (small Torah book), and they walked away.

Seventy-four years later, Dave still has nightmares about this moment. Although in his dreams, instead of walking away, the soldier shoots.

Even today, I taste the gun powder in my mouth, he recalled.

I first met Dave on a cold day in February 2018, when I interviewed him at his home in Willowbrook. He was reluctant to speak at first, and did not give many details. Throughout the interview, I constantly circled back to the time in Budapest. I wasnt sure if he didnt remember or if he didnt want to speak of the painful memories.

He never told me the rifle story.

As I was editing his video story, I called him to clarify a few dates and names. Our phone conversation, in which originally I just wanted to know his birthday and the names of his brothers, turned into a powerful anecdote, which still haunts him to this day.

I asked if I could come to interview him again, to record the rifle story. He agreed, but there was one problem: He was already in West Palm Beach for the winter.

Luckily, I happened to already have a trip planned to West Palm Beach to visit my family, and we did the interview this past Sunday.

In Daves home on Staten Island, he has a wall dedicated to photos of his 19 grandchildren, with all of their images prominently in view. While he lost his parents and his oldest brother during the Holocaust, he is proud of the new life he built, with his wife Helene, his four sons and all of his grandchildren.

When I think of them, I think that the Nazis couldnt kill us," he stated. "Theres a new generation.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Rev. Thomas Kreiser, who briefly served on Staten Island, is accused of groping a girl at a Roman Catholic elementary school in Westchester County, according to information provided by a district attorney and the Archdiocese of New York.

Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino announced that Father Kreiser, 53, of Riverdale in the Bronx, was arraigned Tuesday on a charge of felony sexual abuse in the alleged incident.

Father Kreiser has a prior conviction for gambling, according to Catholic New York.

Father Kreiser was a parochial vicar for just under a year in 2010-2011 at St. Anns R.C. Church, Dongan Hills, according to Joseph Zwilling, director of communications for the Archdiocese of New York.

The Rev. Joy Mampilly, pastor of St. Anns, referred the Advance to Zwilling for comment.

The Archdiocese removed Father Kreiser from St. Josephs parish in Bronxville where the incident allegedly occurred, the district attorneys statement said.

The charge in Westchester alleges that Father Kreiser touched a fully clothed 10-year-old girl on an intimate part of her body while in a St. Josephs parish school building on Sept. 20. The incident occurred during a school day, according to the district attorneys statement.

At the time of the alleged abuse, Father Kreiser was assigned to St. Josephs Parish, which has a church and elementary school, and he was visiting the school as part of his duties, according to the district attorneys statement.

As is our practice and our promise, the Archdiocese of New York first reported the allegation from the parents concerning Father Thomas Kreiser to the Westchester District Attorneys office in September when it came to our attention, said a statement from the Archdiocese of New York.

Both the archdiocese and the Parish of Saint Joseph, where Father Kreiser was assigned at the time, have been fully cooperating with the DA, and will continue to do so. While we will wait for the justice system to complete its work, due to the serious nature of the allegation, Father Kreiser has not been permitted to exercise his priestly ministry or present himself as a priest since the allegation arose.

Father Kreiser surrendered to Bronxville Police on Tuesday afternoon and was arraigned in Bronxville Village Court. Bail was set at $10,000 cash/$20,000 bond. He is due back in court Jan. 16, according to the district attorneys statement.

The investigation was conducted by the Bronxville Police Department and the Westchester District Attorneys Office, the district attorneys statement said.

In August 2011, Catholic New York provided the following account of Father Kresiers gambling conviction:

"Father Kreiser, who had formerly served as pastor of St. Gregory Barbarigo in Garnerville, pleaded guilty in June to stealing $25,000 from the parish to support a gambling addiction and personal expenses. He was sentenced July 25 to five years probation.

"Father Kreiser, 46, has repaid the money to St. Gregory Barbarigo, where he was pastor from 2008 to 2010. He had pleaded guilty to fourth-degree grand larceny.

"During the sentencing by Judge Charles Apotheker of Rockland County Supreme Court, Father Kreiser said, I just want to express my remorse for what Ive done. To the people of St. Gregory, I apologize for violating their faith in me.

Father Kreisers appointment to St. Josephs was announced in July in Catholic New York, which listed the following previous assignments:

Sacred Heart R.C. Church in Monroe, 2017;

St. Patricks R.C. Church, Yorktown Heights, 2011 to 2017;

St. Gregory Barbarigo, Garnerville, 2008-2010;

Immaculate Heart of Mary R.C. Church, Scarsdale, 2004 to 2008;

St. Columbas R.C. Church, Hopewell Junction, 2001-2004;

Sacred Heart R.C. Church, Monroe, 1994-1998.

The official listing makes no mention of Father Kreisers time at St. Anns. He was ordained in 1994 and did graduate studies at the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm, Rome, from 1998 to 2001.

People who have experienced abuse by a priest or deacon are urged by the archdiocese to call the district attorney as well as Sister Eileen Clifford, the victims assistance coordinator for the archdiocese, at 646-794-2949.
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In terms of losses, there have been worse years. But for sheer breadth of poor performers, 2018 is shaping up to be a woeful year for investors - the worst ever by at least one measure.

Out of eight major asset classes tracked by Bloomberg, just two are on track to deliver positive total returns this year. Treasury bills top the list, which tells its own story, while emerging-market stocks fare worst.

The FAANG group of tech giants were among the key drivers of the bull run in US equities. They also led the charge on the way down.

"In 2018, the era of excess returns in bonds and equities ended," Bank of America Merrill Lynch strategists led by Michael Hartnett wrote in a recent note. "The Wall Street news was bullish, but the price action was bearish."

Trade tensions between the US and China, the ongoing uncertainty over Brexit, Italy's budget stand-off and an inverting yield curve as the Federal Reserve hiked rates all dampened sentiment. A fall in the once-mighty tech giants in the US and China helped fuel wider stock losses, commodities slumped with oil, emerging markets struggled against a stronger dollar, and even the cryptocurrency bubble burst.
For all its simple appeal, it is a belief system that celebrates materialism and all things plastic  it instils a transactional view of morality. Something more substantial is clearly required. But what? Loading The evolutionary biologist and atheist Richard Dawkins actually argues for the teaching of religion in schools, for the same reasons children are taught history and politics. He believes by learning about the origins of myths and the histories of various religious institutions children will better understand the modern world. They also learn critical thinking: all religions are different and they cant all be right, so maybe none are right. Dawkins logic only gets you so far. According to his logic the Santa Claus myth should be blown up just like all other religious fantasies. But then what?

It still does not help instil a moral framework for living, or answer a childs questions about the origins of existence and the meaning of life. Loading In a religious family, these questions are typically answered in a religious context. In a non-religious family like mine, these questions are not being answered. But there is a still a void that needs to be filled. Writing up a wish list of toys from Santa Claus on condition you keep your bedroom tidy is not a strong framework for a thoughtful and well lived life. I was baptised Catholic and attended church every Sunday for the first 20 or more years of my life. All those years on my knees praying to an imaginary friend up in the sky. Was that such a bad thing? I was reflecting on my life in a systematic way. What I was doing right and wrong, who had I helped and who had I hurt and how could I live my life better. It is completely appropriate that religious education is not forced on children in public schools. But more effort should go into considering what replaces religious instruction in the home and community.

I am deeply heartened that my daughter has joined a group of volunteers at her school who help recently arrived refugees. There is also a kids' environment group that works on cutting down disposable waste and the environmental footprint of the school. The children also learn mindfulness through silent colouring, meditating and listening to peaceful music. I suspect I am not alone in all this. The 2016 census had more responses for no religion than any actual religion  the first time that this has happened. The people declaring no religion has almost doubled over the past decade. And is significantly higher in younger people. Letters en route to the North Pole. Credit:Joe Castro For my part, I am going to have more structured conversations with my children about philosophy and the difference between right and wrong. Philosophy can be a vital part of a life well lived, even for children. Indeed, it allows us to ask the question of what a well-lived life even is. Socrates told us the unexamined life is not worth living. His axiom is as true today as it was in 399 BC. I am also resolved to use childrens books more as a vehicle for ethical teaching. Good childrens stories are full of ethical dilemmas and moral lessons for children to learn, from the simple to the profound. The legendary Dr Seuss tackled problems of racism, environmentalism, the arms race, fascism and even the nature of knowledge.
Looking back at 2018 I find, thankfully, that I dont have to complain too much about the state of dance in the ACT. In 2018, in addition to work from a variety of local companies and project-based groups, dance audiences in Canberra were treated to visits from the Australian Ballet, the Australian Ballet School, Australian Dance Theatre, Bangarra Dance Theatre, The Farm and Sydney Dance Company. Most performances were in traditional venues, but one or two were site-specific and, in addition, the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery of Australia offered their venues for dance performances. Beyond performance, it was exceptional news that Rafael Bonachela, artistic director of Sydney Dance Company, had agreed to become a patron of QL2 Dance, Canberras youth organisation. Things are looking up perhaps?

I have arranged my top five events chronologically according to the month in which they were performed.

RED. Liz Lea Productions

Liz Lea in RED. Credit:Lorna Sim Photography

In March Liz Lea presented RED, a work that won her a Canberra Critics Circle Award later in the year. It was a powerful, courageous, autobiographical work that touched on Leas struggle throughout her career with endometriosis. But beyond that it was distinguished by outstanding choreography from four creators, all of whom highlighted Leas particular strengths as a dancer. There was also stunning lighting by Karen Norris, a range of film clips that added context throughout and strong dramaturgy by Brian Lucas, which gave coherence and clarity to the overall concept. It was a highly theatrical show, which also presented a very human, very moving message.
In the days before he jetted out of Sydney bound for Mexico, Karl Stefanovic, a name I have been writing about for well over a decade, agreed to a coffee date, our first in a very, very long time.

"Jasmine just doesn't get it, like she says 'I'm not Brad Pitt," he had once told me about his then new girlfriend's reaction to the media scrutiny her new boyfriend was attracting.

Neither of them were prepared for the months that were to follow.
Sometimes good comes from bad. It is certainly bad that a state actor is stealing commercial secrets on a vast scale, and that Australian businesses have fallen victim.

Using the internet to access a competitors commercial secrets is not espionage; its theft. And by stealing a commercial advantage, a competitor is also stealing Australian profits and jobs.

China stands accused of state-sponsored hacking to steal intellectual property and gain economic advantage. Credit:BeeBright

But some good has come from it. Within hours of governments around the world attributing a hacking campaign to Chinas APT10, the Australian Cyber Security Centre has spoken to hundreds of Australian businesses and chief information security officers.

Many contacted us voluntarily, eager to discuss how they can shore up their cyber defences. There have been thousands of hits on our website, cyber.gov.au.
It was the mobile gaming app that saw millions of crazed devotees around the world rushing to street corners, landmarks and obscure locations.

Now, a free phone app similiar to Pokemon GO will be developed to take tourists and residents alike to different places around Melbourne and lead them on a historical tour.

The 64 Ways of Being app is being developed for Melbourne.

The state government is contributing $950,000 towards the development of the 64 Ways of Being app, set to be launched in 2020.

Similar to Pokemon GO, users of the app will see an augmented version of the reality around them. So when users look at their phones, they might see an existing Melbourne landmark light up, or a character appear explaining what they are looking at.
"For the hundredth time, I have told you, I dont want this," she said. That rejection sparked a horrific ordeal that lasted three days, where Elena was raped, tortured, kidnapped, bound and driven interstate. She has lived with the trauma since - trauma compounded by a seven-year legal battle that has forced Elena to repeatedly relive the unspeakable nightmare. "Its like a scab that you keep scratching," she says. "Its [picked at] over and over. It doesnt heal." The nightmare begins

Elenas rebuff that day angered Wheeldon so much that he slapped her across the face and pulled down her jeans. She fought against him as he tied her to a bed and raped her. When he finished, he apologised and asked whether she would call the police. Still terrified, she told him she forgave him and asked him to turn himself in - something she trusted he would do. It took Elena seven years for her rapist to be convicted. Credit:Justin McManus When she woke the next morning she called her counsellor and a friend, who told her to report it.

It was a Sunday and Elena was preparing to go to church when Wheeldon returned. He followed her to the bedroom and pushed her onto the bed. He tied her up again, tortured her with needles and sexually assaulted her. He threatened her family and said: "Wheres your God now, where are your friends?" He then shoved Elena into the boot of her car and started driving. On numerous occasions, he stopped the old Hyundai and moved her to the front seat and forced her to perform sexual acts then put her back in the boot. Paralysed with fear, she pleaded to be released but this just angered Wheeldon. "You can scream as much as you like, no ones going to hear you," court documents reveal him saying.

He stopped at a caravan park in Alexandra where he hired a cabin. He covered her mouth with duct tape and her head with a pillowcase, bound her hands and ankles and took a video of her. The next day he drove across the border to New South Wales and stopped in Young, about 150 kilometres from Canberra. He rented a room at a hotel and continued to rape her. He then locked her in a cupboard, turned up the TV volume and drove away. In desperation she eventually pushed her way out and found a hotel receptionist. Her horrific ordeal was finally over.

At 5.40pm, about 200 kilometres away, Wheeldon crashed her car. He was taken to hospital where naked photographs of Elena were found on his phone. Police arrested him. Fight for justice Elenas life became robotic. "Just breathe, you make do with what you do," she says. "Survival instincts kick in, you get up, you do, you take the kids to school, just survival.

"Its exhausting, so exhausting. I dont know how people do it." Because the offences took place in Victoria and NSW, Elena was forced to endure gruelling court cases on both sides of the border, doubling her anguish. Elena believed her case was pretty black and white. The hotel receptionist was a witness and an examination in hospital supported her account. But when the trial began in Sydney in July 2013, Wheeldon pleaded not guilty, claiming it was all consensual.

Elena dreaded preparing her statement for the two-week trial in which she said she had to listen to his "fictitious and evil lies". The jury convicted him of three counts of rape, two of indecent assault, and one count of kidnapping. On October 14, 2013, he was sentenced to 11 years jail with a non-parole period of seven years. Never far from her mind Even though Wheeldon was behind bars, he was never far from Elenas mind: when she made her bed, when his mail arrived in her letterbox.

"My kids dont remember what I was like before this," she said in court. "My kids have lost the mum I used to be." On April 13, 2016 - three years after the trial - Wheeldon was finally extradited to Victoria where he faced four charges of rape, one of false imprisonment and one of intentionally causing injury and theft. He again pleaded not guilty and on February 12 this year, the case was listed for trial in Victoria. But on the second day he changed his mind and pleaded guilty. "You know how they say as the victim you get raped twice, once in the incident and then in the court," she says. "Ive gone through NSW, Ive gone through the whole cross questioning.

The County Court of Victoria. Credit:Vince Caligiuri "Then you have to wait for Victoria, start all the same verses again. Ive probably gone through it six times maybe." In an emotional impact statement read in court in April, she described ongoing physical ailments, claustrophobia, PTSD, nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety and depression. In August, seven years after her life was violently turned upside down, Wheeldon was sentenced for the rapes and assaults in Victoria. The overall sentence - dating back to 2012 - would be 20 years, with a non-parole period of 14 years.

Elena believes Wheeldon used the court system to continue to abuse her. "Hes used the [legal system] to show who is in control. Going in and out, pleading guilty, not guilty - Look, Im in control of you. Hes still showing that." Wheeldon went back to court to try to reduce his sentence. Seven years seems 'tremendously low' On December 5, Elena sits in the Supreme Court of Victoria for what she hopes is the last time. She arrived on her pastors motorbike, wearing a grey suit and white shirt with pearls sewn into the collar.

Fidgeting, checking her phone, cracking a joke - shes glad Wheeldons not there. He is appealing to reduce his sentence on the grounds his personality disorder wasn't taken into consideration and the way the sentence was calculated. Wheeldon's barrister, Aaron Shwartz, says the seven-year wait for his sentencing has taken a toll on his client. "Your client for a long time worked to go to trial, which delayed things," Court of Appeal President Chris Maxwell said. Elena wipes her eyes with a tissue when Mr Maxwell mentions the 42-year-old acted "strategically, purposefully" in his "horrific" offending.

"To have to serve a minimum of only seven years in Victoria, could be seen as extraordinarily low," Mr Maxwell says. "He's offended while in jail and that mitigates that he has turned a corner," he said. The appeal is rejected. Elena sighs, gives a double thumbs up. "We can only hope he's reflected on the appalling nature of what he did," she says. 'Waiting, waiting and twiddling your thumbs'

Barrister John Desmond says he has no doubt the lengthy time frame puts pressure on the victim and the defendant. It can take up to 18 months for trials to be listed because of the courts workload, he says. It took Elena seven years for her rapist to be convicted. Credit:Justin McManus "That is to be regretted and needs to be 'fixed' by government with more court funding." Mr Desmond concedes this case is unusual to say the least and that seven years is a long time for it to be dragged out. He believes authorities should have extradited him earlier.

Victorian Attorney-General Jill Hennessy would not comment on individual cases but stated that the state government was improving support for victims of sexual assault by boosting front-line staff numbers and services before, during and after criminal proceedings. Elena understands there needs to be a procedure. She doesn't want sympathy. But she wants change. For a start, she believes she shouldnt have had to go through two criminal justice systems and wonders if he had have kept driving, could it have been three? "Police are doing their jobs, lawyers are doing their jobs, theyre doing what they can with what they are given, they are part of the system, its not really in their hands," she says. "As a victim you are sitting there waiting, waiting and twiddling your thumbs going, whats next?

"No wonder the victims give up, because youre like, bugger this." Just hold on, hang in there Elena looks out the window, sinks into the couch. She's more resilient, but tired. "I think as a survivor you live with it all your life, its a scar you live with," she says. "Its how you carry those scars and how you deal with it," she says. "You find different ways not to poke it, it becomes part of who you are, so you are healing."

The horrific incident hasnt diluted her relationship with God. "What Wheeldon did, I dont blame God for it," she says. "Not one bit. He was a broken man, its sad. "He wanted a second chance and I gave him the opportunity to have that second chance and it was his loss that he didnt take that," she said. "I actually genuinely feel sorry that he has wasted his life." Elena wont stop sheltering the homeless. She now wants to help other victims.
A Perth Modern dux and a dedicated Vocational Education and Training student have been named as the recipients of the 2018 Beazley Medals.

Pooja Ramesh, who finished her year at Perth Modern with a 99.95 ATAR score, was awarded the Beazley Medal: WA Certificate of Education after recording the highest exam marks across five ATAR courses in Year 12.

Swan Valley Anglican Community School leaver Jess Haydon was awarded the Beazley Medal for VET after a strong finish to the year through the VET program, including a significant amount of time in workplaces and several certificates and an exhibition.

Beazley Medal winners Pooja Ramesh, left, and Jess Haydon with WA Governor Kim Beazley, centre. Credit:Cameron Myles

The students and their families gathered in Kings Park on Friday for the medal presentations, with WA Governor Kim Beazley presenting the award named for his father Kim Edward Beazley, who was renowned as a former teacher and federal education minister.
The owner of an East Perth apartment that was the scene of one of WAs most gruesome murders has called on the government to make it easier to access compensation for damage caused by police investigations.

Troy Coward owned the Hay Street apartment that drug trafficker and horse racing identity Stephen Cookson was living in when he was shot with a rifle and cut up into pieces by his associate Aaron Carlino. His head was found in a plastic bag on a Rottnest Island beach in early 2013.

Stephen Cookson, whose head washed up on a Rottnest beach.

Once the head was identified as Mr Cooksons police conducted a 10 week forensic investigation of Mr Cowards apartment. Mr Carlino was convicted of the murder and is serving life imprisonment but for Mr Coward the nightmare has been ongoing.

Speaking to 6PRs Mornings program with Jane Marwick on Friday, Mr Coward revealed he actually saw the bags Mr Cooksons body were stuffed into, on the day he came to collect the keys.
The State Government is on the hunt for 250 'stab and slash-proof' body armour vests to be worn by hospital frontline staff.

Emergency Department clinicians and security staff will wear the vests under the plan, described in a government document as designed to improve the safety of workers at risk of injury from increasing levels of violence and aggression in emergency departments.

The plan would see emergency department clinicians and security staff quipped with protective vests. Credit:Jim Rice

The health department anticipates the vests will be purchased before June 30.

A government document says the provider must demonstrate "how the body armour would protect from multiple threats, including ballistic projectiles and incorporate a high level of stab and slash protection from common sharp objects including steak knives, screw drivers and other pointed and serrated objects."
A Perth man who was jailed for child sex crimes he says never even happened has described his time in prison as frightening and devastating.

But Steven Jeffery wants to use his experience as a lesson to others who are innocent of charges they are faced with.

Mr Jeffery and his wife spoke to the media for the first time on Thursday after his nightmare ordeal finally came to an end last week, when all proceedings against him were discontinued by state prosecutors.

It followed the Court of Appeal quashing all of his convictions.

Mr Jeffery, a middle aged man, had been convicted in the WA District Court last year of two charges of indecently dealing with a child and a further two charges of sexual penetration of a child.
Foreign ownership of Western Australia's agricultural land has grown at the highest rate in the country.

The register of foreign ownership of agricultural land, released by Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenburg on Tuesday, revealed WA is a hotspot for foreign investment.

More than 16 per cent of WA's agricultural land is now owned, at least in part, by foreign interests. Credit:Jessica Shapiro

Foreign interests in WA farmland increased by about 6.9 per cent, or 890,000 hectares, from 2016-17 to 2017-18.

This means 13.7 million hectares of WA farmland has a level of foreign ownership; 16.4 per cent of the state's total agricultural land.
Why do people on the right of politics talk about appealing to "the base"? It's an American term, born of the need to get people out to vote. We have compulsory voting. Consequently, the important group to convince is the swingers in the middle. "We must appeal to our non-base" would be a better slogan. Could the right-wing of the Liberal Party wake up to who is important. It's the non-maniacs in the middle. They are just over there, waving, ever hopeful.

Why does it cost so much to build things, especially government projects? As James Valentine and H.G. Nelson have observed, in Sydney everything now costs $2.2 billion, whether the project is a roadway, a railway, a hospital, a stadium. You could install a new photocopier in Parliament House and it would come in at $2.2 billion. Even when litigation is launched, after the $2.2 billion project becomes stalled, the requested damages are a further $2.2 billion. OK, some things are cheaper. You can install a new set of traffic lights in the suburbs and it will only cost $2.2 million. Three replacement fence palings at the local school will prove a snip at just $2.2 thousand. How can this be? Five minutes ago, you could build a whole house on a flat block for $50,000. Could someone kindly explain?

I've just written a book about how things are better now than they were in the 1960s and 1970s. I don't mean to abandon my theory so soon after publication. Nonetheless, there remain some things I don't understand about contemporary Australia.

Why don't people treat ambulances with respect? OK, this is a positive childhood memory, wrenched from an unhappy childhood. We're driving on the highway, probably between Sydney and Brisbane. I'm about nine years old, sitting in the back, and an ambulance's siren is heard. Instantly, all the cars on the highway, on both sides of the road, pull off the highway  each vehicle swooping off the road, three-quarters nose to the verge, perfectly in a row, like something from Synchronised Swimming. I was so impressed by the collective action for a greater cause. Would it happen now? "Sorry, officer, I had my headphones on."

Why don't we have the environmental attitudes of, like, five minutes ago? People now want a medal for using a KeepCup; some have a major meltdown when the supermarket refuses them a free plastic bag. Yet the whole single-use disposable culture is a recent invention. In insisting on reusable products, all that's being asked is a return to the customs of a generation ago. Older Australians were said to be the worst whingers when it came to the plastic bag ban by the supermarkets, and yet they should have been the leaders  able to remember an Australia of string bags, trolleys and co-opted cardboard boxes. It was an Australia in which a trip to the Chinese takeaway involved taking your own pots to be filled; a country in which rubbish was wrapped up in newspaper rather than in perfumed, plastic bin-liners ("Not the Molnar, I want to keep that"); and in which oil for the car came in reusable glass bottles, stored on the forecourt of the petrol station. Amazingly, the nation coped. It could again.

Why do people drink craft beer? It always tastes like it's been passed through a hop farmer's hat. Commercial beer  VB is the most obvious example  is delicious. It's more likely to be fresh, it's cheaper, and the "taste profile"  or as we used to call it, the "taste"  means you can have two of them. I'm all for trying to fit in with a younger crowd, but I draw the line at ordering a beer called "Phat Donkey", only to find myself gnawing through a mouthful of whole hops.

Why do people use credit to buy things they can't afford? Credit is for buying a house or a car. It's not for buying a coffee, or a couch, or a holiday in Thailand. Well, not unless you are confident you can pay it off before they start charging you interest at some usurious rate. Interest is a tax on impatience. Temper your impatience and you escape the tax. Of course, modern payment methods make this harder to achieve. They are designed to be "frictionless", but "friction" can be useful if it gives you a moment to count out the notes and reconsider the urgency of your need. When it comes to your financial future, "tap and go" can quickly become "tap and gone".

What ever happened to live music? At what point did we allow people who'd moved next door to a pub  a pub built in 1863  to discover with surprise that there was a pub next door? Cities are places of conviviality and human interaction. They're places in which you need to rub shoulders, get on with the neighbours, live and let live. Sydney's live music scene once created some of the world's greatest music. It can again.
Embattled MP Pierre Yang is under renewed scrutiny for failing to register an association of his Labor supporters with the Australian Electoral Commission and for omitting his membership of the group from parliamentary disclosures.

The Australian Chinese Labor Association (ACLA), which was launched at a function with then opposition leader Mark McGowan in Labor's Parliament House caucus room in 2015, also did not disclose its finances to federal and state electoral commissions.

Premier Mark McGowan and Labor MP Pierre Yang at the launch at the Australian Chinese Labor Association in March 2015.

Mr Yang was the convenor of the ACLA from its formation in 2014 until he applied for it to be wound up in January 2018.

Under electoral law, associations which operate for the benefit of a political party must register as associated entities and make annual financial disclosures.
New York: The Netherlands is considering referring Russia to an international court after reaching an impasse with the Kremlin over responsibility for shooting down a civilian airliner over Ukraine in 2014, killing 298 people, many of them Dutch citizens.

Australian Federal Police and their Dutch counterparts searching at the MH17 crash site for human remains in August 2014. Credit:Kate Geraghty

In a letter delivered to the Dutch Parliament on Thursday, the country's foreign minister, Stef Blok, said that Russia had rebuffed all efforts to start negotiations on a possible settlement or compensation for the victims of the 2014 attack on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, and that the government was considering "potential next steps" including "submitting the matter to an international court or organisation."

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The Netherlands and Australia, whose citizens made up a large number of the victims, made "several requests to Russia through diplomatic channels to engage in formal meetings on this matter, with a view to establishing the truth and achieving justice and accountability for the victims and their next of kin," Blok wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The New York Times.
Washington: The US Justice Department said on Friday a Chinese national had been arrested for stealing trade secrets from a US-based petroleum company, his employer, related to a product worth more than $US1 billion.

The department alleged Hongjin Tan downloaded hundreds of files related to the manufacture of a "research and development downstream energy market product," which he planned to use to benefit a company in China that had offered him a job. He was arrested on Thursday in Oklahoma and will next appear in court on Wednesday, the department said.

Tan's LinkedIn page said he has worked as a staff scientist for Phillips 66 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, since May 2017.

Phillips 66 said in a statement it was cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a probe involving a "former employee at our Bartlesville location," but declined to comment further.

An FBI affidavit said Phillips 66 called the agency last week to report the theft of trade secrets and Tan told a former co-worker he was leaving to return to China.
This spring should have been the triumphant final act in Juwan Royal's time at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. But it was a season of frightening uncertainty.

The senior was suffering from bouts of sickness, hitting randomly like lightning strikes. Pain shot from his hips to his toes. He felt a burning sensation in his mouth, and on one occasion had to be rushed to a hospital in an ambulance after vomiting for 45 minutes straight.

Yukai Yang, an international student from China, was arrested and charged. Credit:CBS Philly

But Royal's illness was overlapped by another incident on April 5. That Thursday, around 12.30pm, Royal left his room in Warren Square A, a two-storey brick house that had been chopped up into single and double rooms for undergraduates living on the west side of campus. According to a LehighValleyLive story from the time, he later learned from his roommate Yukai Yang that their room had been trashed. Royal's television and bed were damaged. Royal, who is African American, also had his desk defaced. In black marker, someone had written the n-word, followed by "get out of here."

Royal's mystery illness and the racist graffiti were not isolated incidents. At a news conference on Thursday, Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said that Yang was responsible for the vandalism, and also that he had been surreptitiously poisoning Royal with dangerous chemicals.
In a significant diplomatic gesture that makes overt what Australia and other western nations have long complained of privately, Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Home Affairs Peter Dutton joined counterparts in the United States and Britain to express serious concern over what they call a global campaign of cyber-enabled commercial intellectual property theft. China has denied the claims. Echoing Mr MacGibbon's remarks, a national security official told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald: "These MSPs have thousands of clients. "This is potentially the biggest hack the West has ever seen. There is still a lot we don't know about the scale of the compromise because of the sophistication of the hack. But if you are a Western MSP you are likely to be caught up."

US prosecutors announced early on Friday they were charging two hackers, Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong, who they linked to the Chinese Ministry of State Security's group known as APT10. They are charged over the alleged industrial-scale theft of intellectual property and personal data from businesses and government agencies to secure competitive advantages for China. FBI director Christopher Wray said China had committed brazen, persistent theft and needed to be held accountable. Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and Premier Li Keqiang of China agreed not to steal commercial secrets. Credit:Andrew Meares "No country poses a broader, more severe, and long-term threat to our nation's economy and cyber infrastructure than China," Mr Wray said. "China's goal, simply put, is to replace the US as the world's leading superpower, and they're using illegal methods to get there."

The indictments were immediately welcomed by the Australian government, which called on China to stop seeking a competitive advantage by stealing trade secrets and confidential business information from other nations. Loading Mr MacGibbon said the theft had disadvantaged Australian businesses and their staff. "And that essentially takes food from the people of Australia," Mr MacGibbon told the ABC. "It helps them compete in a way that we can't." China's Foreign Ministry said on Friday it resolutely opposed "slanderous" accusations criticising China for economic espionage, and urged Washington to withdraw its accusations.

The United States should also withdraw charges against two Chinese citizens, the ministry said, adding that China had never participated in or supported any stealing of commercial secrets and had lodged "stern representations" with Washington. Loading "We urge the US side to immediately correct its erroneous actions and cease its slanderous smears relating to internet security," it said, adding that it would take necessary measures to safeguard its own cyber security and interests. The decision by governments in the US and Australia to effectively name and shame Beijing over the industrial espionage marks a major departure from the usual practice of not attributing hacking behaviour, and reflects the intense frustration of Canberra at China's persistent efforts to steal commercial secrets. "China is the real concern in the cyber area, and the West is now calling them out," said the Australian official, who cannot be named because of their position.

"They will want to continue stealing. We need to make it harder for them." It is understood that the MSPs did not always respond to warnings as robustly as authorities would have liked. The providers have been notified by intelligence services of the hack. According to the official, some have resisted telling their own clients about the problem. A poster displayed during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington shows two Chinese citizens suspected of being with the group APT 10 carrying out an extensive hacking campaign to steal data from US companies. Credit:AP A statement from SAP said they were "aware that SAP, among others, has been identified as a target of an attack.
The shutdown crisis could be one of the final acts of the House Republican majority before relinquishing control to Democrats in January. The Senate, where Republicans have only a 51-49 majority, had already approved funds for the government through to February 8 but without money for the wall. Loading However on Thursday, Trump, after a rare lashing from conservative supporters, declared he would not sign a bill without the $US5 billion funding he requested. Conservatives want to keep fighting for the money to pay for the wall and warned that "caving" on Trump's repeated wall promises could hurt his 2020 re-election chances.

After Trump's threats, the House hurried to appease the President, pulling together a bill that would keep the government funded through to February while also allocating $US5.7 billion for the border wall. The House bill also included nearly $US8 billion for disaster relief for hurricanes and wildfires. Democrats, however, have enough votes in the Senate to keep that bill from advancing and have showed no signs of relenting. During a floor speech on Friday, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer noted that the Senate had unanimously agreed to a spending bill earlier in the week and accused Trump of having a "temper tantrum". Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to reporters as the US hurtles closer to a government shutdown. Credit:Bloomberg President Trump, you will not get your wall, Schumer said. Youre not getting you wall today, next week or on January 3 when Democrats take control of the House.

McConnell announced on the Senate floor that he supports the House bill, saying the legislation would not be considered controversial in more normal times. Im proud to vote for it, he said. On Thursday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said: "The President's been clear from the beginning. He wants something that gives border security, and he's not going to sign something that doesn't have that." However, Trump was also forced to soften his demands on Thursday, shifting his terminology and saying he's not necessarily demanding a border wall but "steel slats" - which is similar to the border security fencing already provided for in the bill. A man looks out at the US border where workers are replacing parts of the border fence with higher ones, in Tijuana, Mexico. Credit:AP

"We don't use the word 'wall' necessarily, but it has to be something special to do the job," Trump said at a farm bill signing at the White House. The nuance could provide Trump a way to try to proclaim victory. The bill would keep funding at current levels for border security, including pedestrian fencing and replacement fences, but not the wall. It requires previously used designs. Many senators already left town for the holidays after the Senate approved a bipartisan bill late on Wednesday to keep the government temporarily funded, with border security money at current $US1.3 billion level and no money for the wall. The most likely possibility on Friday is that the Senate strips the border wall out of the bill but keeps the disaster funds and sends it back to the House. House lawmakers said they were being told to stay in town for more possible votes. Loading "I don't see how we avoid a shutdown," said retiring
Crossing the divide - automating security processes across physical, business and IT domains

Security is a critical requirement for all organisations. Getting security right involves the correct mix of people, processes and technology working together. However, many enterprise companies dont look at the full mix that encompasses information security, and instead split their physical security and business continuity teams away from their IT security departments. According to research by ASIS, around half (52 per cent) of companies have converged two or three out of their physical, IT security and business continuity teams together, with the majority of those opting to bring together their continuity and physical security teams. Of those that have not brought teams together, around 70 per cent have no plans to do so. It's Important to bring all department's security together The reason for this is that cybersecurity is perceived as having a more specialist role within the business and that this prevents companies from bringing their departments together. However, while IT security has its own specialist requirements and skills, it should not be looked at alone. Businesses are looking at how to manage risk more effectively across all their operations, and they have problems when their teams are siloed and dont have the full picture. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has developed its own guide to this area, based on the growth of the Internet of Things and more connected devices entering both homes and businesses, so this will continue to grow in importance. The rise of automation The pace of change that companies face today, coupled with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, means that more organisations are moving to digital services and automating their operations as much as they can. Security is no exception here - according to our research on security and automation, 75 percent of companies say they would need an additional three or more analysts in place to deal with all their incoming alerts in the same day, while 83 percent say their teams face alert fatigue. IT security teams are drowning in data, but they feel unable to cope - yet at the same time, they will have to work more closely with other departments as well. Automation is necessary to deal with all these problems, but it should not be looked at in isolation. While IT security teams are keen to invest in automation using technologies like Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR), these investments can be used across both physical and IT security. As IT security teams invest in automation, they can adapt and extend their approach to help risk management and security in the physical world as well. The best approach to be successful around this is to look at areas where real-world and IT security challenges cross over for businesses. To adopt this approach successfully involves understanding business processes better. Fraud detection processes Automation involves using data and analytics to improve how a process operates from beginning to end, including where IT and technology is used to support physical interactions or activities. A good example of this would be a banks fraud detection process, where multiple digital and physical transactions have to be monitored and investigated. Bringing together different teams - physical security, business continuity, risk management and IT security - is about how to protect the whole organisation against risk. While the most well-known area for fraud investigation would be credit card transactions, there are multiple different types of transactions to track, from national and international wire transfers to prepaid phone cards and other prepaid cards that can be used for credit purchases. Each of these will have its own workflows and requirements to investigate a transaction, This can include looking at whether transactions are false positives or need further investigation, which is based on a mix of digital documentation for online purchases and physical data from in-person transactions. At the same time, the sophisticated nature of fraud can mean there is a large IT component to any investigation. Members of the IT security team may need to be involved alongside the anti-fraud department. While this investigation is necessary, it pulls analysts away from cybersecurity tasks, which can be especially frustrating where false positives are concerned. Instead, automating the investigation process can help. Consolidating Physical, IT and risk management By consolidating processes and automating the workflow, this pulls physical, IT and risk management together in a smarter and more efficient manner. It also improves productivity for an anti-fraud team as they can remove false positives from the workflow and get automated support for IT analysis. If the team needs more human insight, they can bring this in where they need it rather than requiring it for every investigation. While anti-fraud is one example of where this kind of convergence and collaboration is required, there are other use cases. For instance, industrial control and manufacturing applications that run production lines around the clock are frequently targeted for attacks, either to steal vital data or to disrupt business operations. This crosses over from the realm of IT into the world of operational technology, where systems are very different and the systems used may have been in place for years, even decades. Bringing together different teams - physical security, business continuity, risk management and IT security - is about how to protect the whole organisation against risk. By working together, teams can be more efficient rather than working in their respective silos. This involves better use of data across those teams, which will rely on more automation to be efficient. Using SOAR, security analysts and business risk professionals can cut the amount of time needed to respond to potential problems, reducing the impact and remediating faster. At the same time, it reduces the waste associated with false positives and manual work. The emphasis here should be on how to support the business with better security - by consolidating processes and working more effectively, security teams across the organisation can achieve that goal.
The dazzling first trip to space by Virgin Galactic's crewed SpaceShipTwo Unity may have grabbed headlines last week, but another Virgin space launch company recently hit a milestone of its own.

In November, a specially modified 747-400 cruised through the air, lugging a 70-foot-long rocket under its wing, in the first successful test flight for Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne. More test flights followed in early December.

While the ultimate aim is to launch satellites from this "flying launchpad," the mid-November test flight proved the basic concept is sound. Engineers now know the rocket pairs seamlessly with "Cosmic Girl"  the name for the custom-fit 747  and previous mating and taxi tests with the rocket-plane duo also went seamlessly. [Virgin Orbit's Carrier Plane Meets Rocket for 1st Time]

In November 2018, Virgin Orbit successfully test-flew a specially modified aircraft carrying a 70-foot-long rocket booster. The plane could someday act as a "flying launchpad" for small satellite launches. (Image credit: Virgin Orbit/ Twitter

According to Virgin Orbit, which is a spinoff of Virgin Galactic, the first satellites from this initiative are set to fly into orbit early in 2019, providing an extensive test campaign goes as planned. The next steps include more Cosmic Girl flight tests where engineers gather data about the plane, rocket, avionics and flight computers. Another key milestone will be when Cosmic Girl drops an unpowered rocket during a future flight, "generating critical data about Cosmic Girl's and the rocket's performance as it freefalls through the atmosphere," Virgin Orbit representatives said in a statement.

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But company representatives took this first flight as a welcome opportunity to announce progress in the Virgin Orbit initiative, which is trying to compete with other companies launching small cubesats and other small satellites using traditional rockets. Indeed, on Dec. 16, spacecraft startup Rocket Lab successfully delivered 13 small NASA satellites into orbit.

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In the face of this competition, Virgin Orbit's own test flight flew flawlessly.

"The vehicles flew like a dream today," Kelly Latimer, Virgin Orbit chief pilot and a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, said in the statement, which was released Nov. 19. "Everyone on the flight crew and all of our colleagues on the ground were extremely happy with the data we saw from the instruments on-board the aircraft, in the pylon, and on the rocket itself. From my perspective in the cockpit, the vehicles handled incredibly well, and perfectly matched what we've trained for in the simulators."

Sister company Virgin Galactic made headlines of its own on Dec. 13, when the VSS Unity test vehicle successfully rocketed two test pilots beyond the boundary of space  by one definition, anyway. VSS Unity's powered-on engines propelled the vehicle to 51.4 miles (82.7 kilometers) in altitude. That's a squeak higher than the United States Air Force's definition of space, but well below the better-known Karman line boundary at 62 miles (100 km) up.

Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Original article on Space.com.
There's a fine line between daring and reckless, and in hindsight, it might be argued that NASA perhaps fell on the wrong side of that line 50 years ago today with the launch of Apollo 8  but the agency was lucky and confident in its calculations, and the trio of astronauts sent on a historic mission full of gambles survived the journey unscathed.

On Dec. 21, 1968, just before 5 a.m. local time, James Lovell, William Anders and Frank Borman had no way of knowing that when they piled into their capsule tucked atop a Saturn V rocket on a Florida launchpad. Three hours later, they would be on their way to space and to becoming the first three humans to fly around the moon.

"Apollo 8 is my favorite mission of all time," Jerry Bostick, who worked at mission control for the flight, told Space.com. "I have a special affinity for it because of my early involvement in it, but it was also a very daring and bold thing to do, and that added to the excitement." [Apollo 8: NASA's First Crewed Trip Around the Moon in Pictures]

A Saturn V rocket carrying the Apollo 8 mission blasted off a launchpad in Florida on the morning of Dec. 21, 1968. (Image credit: NASA)

Bostick was brought on to the mission before it was publicly announced and was told he couldn't tell anyone what he was working on. He and his colleagues were given just a weekend to determine whether it was possible to redirect Apollo 8  originally a practice run for atmospheric re-entry  into a journey around the moon, with just months to prepare.

The rush triggered additional risk-taking. When the Apollo 8 mission was redesigned, no mission control room was ready, no trajectories had been calculated for a lunar flight, no astronauts had been trained for it and there was no procedure for fetching returning astronauts on landing, current NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine recounted in a new video released by the agency. The only engine the crew could rely on during flight for the multiple course-correction burns the path required had never re-ignited in flight. Apollo 8 would be Saturn V's first voyage with humans aboard, and only its third flight ever  and it failed during the second uncrewed flight.

Three astronauts rode aboard Apollo 8: James Lovell, William Anders and Cmdr. Frank Borman, shown here in a photograph taken a few months before their flight. (Image credit: NASA/MSFC)

In the scurry that ensued, perhaps it's not surprising that Lovell told Space.com that his destination never really sank in until he climbed into the crew capsule that morning. But there he was, on the launchpad on Dec. 21, 1968. Less than 3 hours after launch, the crew was conducting the first in a series of maneuvers that would send them flying around the moon.

And just like that, humans, who had never yet been more than 850 miles (1,370 kilometers) away from the planet, would jump directly to flying 240,000 miles (390,000 km) to the moon. "Going into orbit around the moon is like driving your hot rod to try to beat the train to the railroad crossing," Anders said in a 2012 statement. "It's going through, God knows, how many thousands of miles an hour around the Earth, and we scoot right in front of it and slow down and go into orbit, [a] pretty dynamic maneuver."

A diagram for the Apollo 8 mission released before the flight. (Image credit: NASA)

In terms of spaceflight, Apollo 8 had already become a historic mission  but it didn't leave its mark on the zeitgeist until Dec. 24. The astronauts caught their first glimpse of the gemlike Earth behind the grayish lunar surface  an image Anders would capture in a photograph dubbed "Earthrise." And as Earthlings prepared to celebrate Christmas, the crew read a passage from the beginning of the Bible, in which God creates the Earth. The broadcast was watched live by a billion people around the world  more than a quarter of Earth's population at the time.

Neither event was in mission control's plan for the flight. "I don't think anybody on the control center had any idea that they were going to read from the book of Genesis," Bostick told Space.com. "And for that to occur on Christmas Eve, with Americans circling the moon, it was just overwhelming. It brought tears to everybody's eyes. How much better can it get than this?" [Building Apollo: Photos from Moonshot History]

The crew of Apollo 8 snapped this image of Earth as the sun was setting over Australia on Dec. 24, 1968. (Image credit: NASA)

All told, the crew circled the moon 10 times, photographing potential landing sites for the astronauts who would follow them. And three days later, their capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. There were no serious anomalies at any point in the weeklong mission.

But in the decades that have followed, Apollo 8 has faded in the minds of many. "Apollo 8 is kind of overlooked," Rushmore DeNooyer, a filmmaker whose documentary on the mission will air on PBS on Dec. 26, told Space.com. "Really, 8 made it possible to land on the moon on Apollo 11. That was really only about six or seven months after Apollo 8, and 8 really showed them that they could do it."

Crowds of onlookers welcomed the Apollo 8 crew back to Houston at 2 a.m. local time. (Image credit: NASA)

And he said that for Americans at the time, the success came at a critical moment when the country was struggling with assassinations, war and culture clashes. "1968 was such a terrible year in America, and so many things were going so wrong, and then this wonderful moment at the very end of the year, the last week of 1968 and Apollo 8 came along," deNooyer said. "Someone sent a telegram to NASA, 'Thank you for saving 1968.'"

For Bostick, it's really that triumph of teamwork and hard work that characterizes Apollo 8. "Sometimes you have to be bold to achieve difficult goals," he said. "I think the real legacy of Apollo 8 is you can do very difficult things if you just put your mind to it."

Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us @Spacedotcom and Facebook. Original article on Space.com.
Fifty years ago today, NASA's Apollo 8 mission launched the first astronauts to the moon in an epic (and risky) flight to Earth's nearest neighbor. The Apollo 8 mission didn't land on the moon, but it paved the way for Apollo 11 and other crewed lunar landings that followed, and makred a milestone for human spaceflight.

NASA astronaut Mike Massimino, who flew twice to fix the Hubble Space Telescope, will discuss the importance of the Apollo 8 mission with Space.com today in a Facebook Live between 12:30 p.m. and 12:45 pm. EST (1730-1745 GMT), and what it means for human spaceflight, history and himself. You can tune in on Facebook hereand watch for the Apollo 8 question at the end! We'll be giving away 3 awesome 2019 Year in Space wall calendars to winners.

2019 Year in Space Calendar (Image credit: Year In Space)

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James Buchli, seen aboard the space shuttle Discovery during the STS-51C mission in 1985, and Janet Kavandi, seen aboard space shuttle Endeavour during the STS-99 mission in 2000, will enter the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame as the 2019 inductees on April 6 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.

A member of NASA's "Thirty-Five New Guys" and the 35th woman to fly into space will enter the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in April.

James Buchli, who joined the "TFNG," NASA's first class of shuttle astronauts, in 1978, and Janet Kavandi, who today leads a NASA research center in Ohio, will be enshrined in the Astronaut Hall of Fame as its 2019 inductees at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. A public ceremony on Saturday, April 6, 2019, followed by a gala dinner hosted by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, will welcome Buchli and Kavandi into the Hall's ranks.

"It is quite an honor to be inducted into something like this, amongst your peers," said Buchli in an interview with collectSPACE.com. "It has given me a chance to reflect back on my NASA career and think about all of the people who were involved in making our space program what it is today." [NASA's Space Shuttle - From Top to Bottom (Infographic)]

"It is quite an honor," said Kavandi, "because I know there is a small percentage of astronauts who fly in space who are asked to join this exclusive group of people."

Both Buchli and Kavandi served as space shuttle missions specialists. Buchli flew on four missions between between 1985 and 1991, logging more than 20 days in orbit. Kavandi flew on three missions between 1998 and 2001, spending 34 days off the planet.

NASA portrait of astronaut James "Jim" Buchli from 1987. (Image credit: NASA)

From classified to climate research

Buchli, who is now 73 and retired, was 32 years old and serving in the U.S. Marine Corps when he was announced as an astronaut candidate in NASA's eighth group of spaceflight trainees.

"It was a progression of where I was in aviation and an opportunity that my wife and I decided we ought to try. And we did. And, you know, it worked out," he said.

After serving as a support crew member for the two space shuttle missions in 1981 and helping develop the protocols for conducting shuttle-based spacewalks, Buchli received his first flight assignment. In January 1985, he launched on the orbiter Discovery as member of the STS-51C crew.

"I used to say that it was like being strapped to the front of a freight train going down the track at 90 miles an hour. But it was not even close. It was much, much more energy than that," he said.

Beyond that, though, Buchli is limited in what he can say about his first spaceflight.

"So we launched," he said. "We did our mission, most of which, believe it or not, is still classified. And we were successful."

STS-51C was NASA's first mission devoted to a Department of Defense payload.

"It was a real pathfinder in how an open government entity like NASA can work hand in glove with the Department of Defense and with items and processes that need to be classified," Buchli said.

His subsequent three shuttle missions were flown in the open, as they focused on scientific research and deploying NASA satellites.

Eleven months after his first flight in November 1985, Buchli lifted off on the final successful mission of the space shuttle Challenger. He and his seven STS-61A crewmates set a still-standing record for the largest crew contingent to launch and land together. The mission, which was dedicated to German science experiments aboard a European Spacelab module in Challenger's payload bay, split the crew into two work shifts.

"We worked Red Team, Blue Team, 24 hours. And while the other folks were back in the Spacelab doing the science that they'd trained for, the vehicle belonged to me," Buchli recalled. "So I got to do all the things that the pilot and the commander would do on the other shift, keeping the shuttle squared away and flying properly."

"It was very, very interesting for me to do that because I got to do some things that normally a mission specialist wouldn't get to do. I really enjoyed that. That, for me, was also a pathfinder," he said.

Buchli's third and fourth flights, STS-29 in March 1989 and STS-48 in September 1991, both launched on Discovery. The missions deployed the fourth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) and the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, the latter the first orbital observatory to focus on the photochemistry of Earth's ozone layer.

"I flew four different types of missions, and all were what I would consider to be successful," Buchli told collectSPACE.com. "My attitude on flying in space was as it had been flying airplanes  try to do the best you can do in being prepared and executing the mission, and while you do that, have fun with the people you are flying with. I used to say enjoy the journey, but in this case, it was enjoying every bit of the flight. And I did. I really feel like I did."

Buchli retired from NASA and the Marines in 1992, but did not leave the space industry. He joined Boeing, and then United Space Alliance and Oceaneering to support missions to the International Space Station and extravehicular activity (EVA, or spacewalk) development. [How NASA Spacesuits Work: EMUs Explained (Infographic)]

NASA portrait of astronaut Janet Kavandi from 2001. (Image credit: NASA)

From station to station

Janet Kavandi joined NASA's ranks two years after Buchli left, but it was it was his astronaut class  as the first to include women  that made her dream possible.

"I grew up in a little Midwestern town in the 60s and I remember watching the first satellites," said Kavandi. "We lived out in the country and we could see the sky very clearly, all the stars and we could see the satellites. We could see those little bright light dots that would be circling Earth and my dad and I would say, 'Oh, that is so cool. What would it be like to be up there and look back at Earth. And I wonder what you could see, I wonder what Earth would look like, I wonder what space would look like. What could be up there high up above the atmosphere?'"

"So it always was in my mind to try to do that someday," Kavandi said. "The first flyers, of course, were all male and they were all test pilots so it was sort of off limits to a little girl back at that time. But as I grew older and times changed, we [NASA] started accepting scientists and engineers. The diversity of the astronauts from there on made it a possibility for people like me to apply. So I did."

A chemist by education, she received her doctorate in analytical chemistry, Kavandi's first launch was in June 1998 as a member of Discovery's STS-91 crew on the final shuttle flight to dock to Russia's now-former space station Mir.

"That was a really nice opportunity to go to Russia, to train there and to see the differences in our cultures," said Kavandi. "Our primary payload was the [prototype for the] Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, which is up on the International Space Station today and has contributed significantly to our knowledge of the universe."

Kavandi's second mission, STS-99 on space shuttle Endeavour in February 2000, was devoted to the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission.

"It was the highest resolution, to date, that Earth has been mapped," explained Kavandi. "We had two receivers and one transmitter and we were able to map out the terrain between 56 degrees south and 56 degrees north, which is most of the habitable regions on Earth."

Her third and final spaceflight was aboard orbiter Atlantis' STS-104 mission to the International Space Station in July 2001.

"That was an assembly mission where we installed the [Quest] airlock," Kavandi said. "That enabled spacewalks to be conducted."

After her three missions, Kavandi was named deputy chief of the Astronaut Office at Johnson Space Center in Houston and then director of flight crew operations, with oversight of both the astronaut corps and the pilots and aircraft NASA flies out of Ellington Airport in Houston.

In 2016, after serving as deputy, she became director of NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

"The Glenn Research Center is unique. It's one of ten of NASA's centers, four of which are research centers. So we're one of the four research centers and most of them have to do with aeronautics research, which we certainly do, but we are unique in that we do about 40 percent of aeronautics research and then about 60 percent space," Kavandi told collectSPACE.com.

The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, as featured in Heroes & Legends at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. (Image credit: KSCVC)

99 astronauts on the wall

Buchli and Kavandi, who on April 6 will be the 98th and 99th astronauts to enter the Hall of Fame, were selected by a panel of astronauts, flight controllers, historians and journalists overseen by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.

To be eligible for the Hall, nominees need to have orbited Earth at least once with their first spaceflight at least 16 years prior to and last flight at least 5 years prior the election year. They must be U.S. citizens trained by NASA who are now retired from the astronaut corps (NASA employees are eligible if they are no longer under consideration for a flight assignment).

Founded in 1990 on the suggestion of the then-surviving Mercury astronauts, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame is now a featured part of Heroes & Legends, a public attraction at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

See more photos of the 2019 U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame inductees at collectSPACE.

Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2018 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft took this composite image of Ultima Thule at around midnight EST on Dec. 2, 2018, from a distance of 24 million miles (38.7 million kilometers). In the right-hand frame, the region within the yellow box has been expanded and the background stars subtracted out.

There's something weird going on with Ultima Thule, the distant object that NASA's New Horizons spacecraft will fly by just 10 days from now.

New Horizons team members don't think the 23-mile-wide (37 kilometers) Ultima is spherical; rather, the available data suggest that it's elongated or is perhaps even composed of two close-orbiting bodies. So, mission scientists were expecting to see a substantial "light curve" from Ultima: significant changes in brightness corresponding to different orientations of the object as it rotates.

But that's not what New Horizons observations in the lead-up to the epic New Year's Day encounter have shown. Instead, Ultima's brightness is relatively constant, like that of a spherical body. [NASA's New Horizons Mission in Pictures]

"It's really a puzzle," New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern, of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, said in a statement yesterday (Dec. 20). "I call this Ultima's first puzzle  why does it have such a tiny light curve that we can't even detect it? I expect the detailed flyby images coming soon to give us many more mysteries, but I did not expect this, and so soon."

Team members have come up with several possible explanations. For example, maybe Ultima's pole of rotation just happens to be pointed directly at New Horizons, minimizing the brightness variations seen by the spacecraft.

It's also possible that Ultima, which lies more than 4 billion miles (6.4 billion km) from the sun, is surrounded by a light-blocking cloud of dust, like the coma around a comet's nucleus. But an energy source would be required to generate such a feature, and it's unclear what that source would be. (The sun couldn't do the trick way out in Ultima's cold, dark environs, mission team members said.)

"An even more bizarre scenario is one in which Ultima is surrounded by many tiny, tumbling moons," Anne Verbiscer, a New Horizons assistant project scientist at the University of Virginia, said in the same statement. "If each moon has its own light curve, then together, they could create a jumbled superposition of light curves that make it look to New Horizons like Ultima has a small light curve."

If this is what's going on, it would be unprecedented. No solar system body is known to have such a satellite setup, Verbiscer said.

"It's hard to say which of these ideas is right," Stern said. "Perhaps it's even something we haven't even thought of. In any case, we'll get to the bottom of this puzzle soon  New Horizons will swoop over Ultima and take high-resolution images on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, and the first of those images will be available on Earth just a day later. When we see those high-resolution images, we'll know the answer to Ultima's vexing, first puzzle. Stay tuned!"

The flyby will peak at 12:33 a.m. EST (0533 GMT) on Jan. 1, when New Horizons zooms within a mere 2,200 miles (3,540 km) of Ultima's reddish surface. That's more than three times closer than the probe got to Pluto during a historic encounter with the dwarf planet in July 2015.

Ultima, which is officially known as 2014 MU69, has been in a deep freeze in the far outer solar system for more than 4.5 billion years. So, studying the object up close should reveal key insights about the solar system's earliest days, mission team members have said.

Mike Wall's book about the search for alien life, "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), is out now. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us @Spacedotcom or Facebook. Originally published on Space.com.
Algiers, December 16, 2018 (SPS) - The Rally of Algerian Hope (TAJ) on Saturday reiterated its strong support for the Saharawi people's right to self-determination and independence, at the conclusion of its first national congress.



In its first national congress held under the theme "for a safe, strong, developed and pioneering Algeria among the nations", the party reaffirmed its support for the Sahrawi people's struggle and just cause as a decolonization issue, stressing in its programme of action, which was adopted by the participants, its continued support and solidarity with the Sahrawi issue, in line with the principles and positions of the Algerian foreign policy.



The congress, which was attended by Ambassador to Algeria, Abdelkader Talib-Omar, heads of the presidential alliance parties, personalities, heads of parties and representatives of associations and organizations in Algeria, concluded its work by renewing confidence in party leader Amar Ghoul for a new term. (SPS)



062/SPS/TRA
Connecticut has become the 20th state to sue OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, and it might not be the last.

The states complaint alleging that Purdue fraudulently marketed opioids such as OxyContin, by misrepresenting their risks and benefits, reflects the growing wave of litigation against the Stamford company. It also shows the increasing likelihood of the firm having to reach a comprehensive settlement with the plaintiffs to staunch the inundation.

Lawsuits, to some degree, rely on the court of public opinion, and there has been such a significant backlash about what Purdue knew, when they knew it, and the deaths resulting from the opioid crisis, said Angela Mattie, a professor in the schools of business and medicine at Quinnipiac University. Its probably the most significant public health problem were facing right now.

Purdue officials could not be reached Friday for comment. A company spokesman earlier this week denied the lawsuits allegations, but said the company wanted to continue to work collaboratively with state Attorney General George Jepsen.

Discussions, then legal action

Since 2016, Jepsens office has tackled the epidemic of opioid abuse as part of a 42-state investigation of Purdue and six other pharmaceutical firms. Jepsen is one of the leaders of the coalition.

In an interview in October, Jepsen said his team had held extensive talks with Purdue officials.

We absolutely have their attention, which is what we need and want, Jepsen said. We could make a show of filing a lawsuit and devote very significant staff resources to bringing a lawsuit. Were very comfortable with the position were in right now, (but) always keeping, if settlement talks fail, the option of filing a suit.

But Jepsen subsequently grew more pessimistic about the companys willingness to negotiate.

Purdue Pharma, however, has not demonstrated to me that it is serious about addressing the states very real allegations of misconduct and coming to a meaningful settlement, Jepsen said Thursday. It is my hope that, in filing this lawsuit at this time, Connecticut can assist in the collective effort to hold this company and responsible individuals accountable.

While it has sued, Connecticut will remain in the interstate alliance.

Jepsen will hand off the lawsuit next month to successor and fellow Democrat William Tong, a state representative whose district includes parts of Stamford and Darien, who was elected last month. Tong could not be reached Friday for comment.

In an interview before he was elected, Tong said he wanted to keep Connecticut in the interstate alliance, but he would keep litigation on the table.

Because of how it has affected people in our state  and its a crisis in every community here in Connecticut  and because we have Purdue Pharma in Connecticut, we have an obligation to have a very critical eye on this whole crisis, Tong said.

More than 20 southwestern Connecticut municipalities have also sued. The list includes Bridgeport, Danbury, New Haven and Norwalk.

The city of Stamford has not filed a lawsuit. Mayor David Martins office has said it has not ruled out legal action.

Purdue also faces an investigation by the U.S. Attorneys Office in Connecticut, which is part of the U.S. Department of Justice.

A DOJ spokesman declined to comment Friday.

Widespread litigation

The hundreds of other lawsuits filed in recent years by local and state governments largely parallel the allegations in the Connecticut complaint. They accuse Purdue of years of false or fraudulent marketing that distort the impact of treating chronic, non-cancer pain with its opioids.

In total, the company faces more than 1,000 active lawsuits from cities, counties and states.

Other states that have sued this year include Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon and Texas.

It appears more cities and states will file complaints, said Robert Bird, a professor of business law at the University of Connecticut. Purdue is far from the only factor that influences the opioid crisis, but their role is now public enough that their impact in the crisis is perceived as significant.

In statements, Purdue has denied the other lawsuits accusations and said it is committed to tackling the causes of opioid addiction and misuse.

The companys initiatives include allocating $2 million to support prescription-drug education for several thousand high school students around the country. The total includes $500,000 for the programs expansion in Connecticut during the next two years.

To help manage the proliferation of lawsuits, a Cleveland-based federal judge, Dan Polster, is overseeing hundreds of complaints filed by municipal and county governments in a process known as Multidistrict Litigation. A comprehensive settlement  which would probably be reached through the MDL proceedings  could take several more months, even years, to finalize.

These defendants need eternal peace, Paul Hanly, co-lead counsel for the MDL plaintiffs, said in a recent interview. Thats why this settlement is incredibly complex  because it has to be completely buttoned up. Otherwise, if theres an escape hatch, the companies are presumably paying all this money to get sued, maybe not tomorrow, but perhaps a year from now, or three years from now.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott
STAMFORD  A new era began Friday for two positions Mayor David Martin believes are among the most underappreciated in the city.

Walter Bud Seely was promoted to chief fire marshal and Chad Armstrong was appointed assistant fire marshal.

During a ceremony at the Government Center, Martin said fire marshals often do not receive the credit they deserve because most residents see them as code enforcers.

So you get that friction and pushback every day and the rewards are, you save lives. But you never get to meet the person whose life you save because they never even know you did it, Martin said. And so let me be the one to say on the behalf of the people in the city of Stamford, most of whom have not a clue of what you are doing, I want to thank you for your service.

Fire Chief Trevor Roach said most people dont realize the importance of the fire marshals office, which helps to save lives by enforcing codes and educating the public on fire safety.

Seely, 63, is a 43-year member of the Stamford Fire Department after serving as a volunteer at the Turn of River Fire Department for three years. He said he looked forward to taking over for former Chief Fire Marshal Charles Spaulding, who retired this month.

It is a great challenge. I love my job, Seely said after his wife, Lorraine, pinned the new badge to his jacket. Ive never had a day that I did not want to come to work. This is a job where you get paid to help people all the time. It has been a dream come true my whole career.

A fire marshal for the past 10 years, Seely is a fourth generation public servant. Seelys father, Walter C. Seely, was a member of the Stamford Police Department for nearly 30 years before retiring as a lieutenant. Seely is named after his grandfather, Walter F. Seely, who was a Stamford firefighter. Seely said his great grandfather served as a Stamford police officer.

Im a lucky guy, Seely said.

Armstrong, 43, has been a member of the fire department for 18 years and has served as fire marshal for the past seven years. Armstrong said he wants to help Seely make their office one of the best and most respected in the state.

I think it is a good next step for me and we are going to progress in our division and bring it to the next level, Armstrong said after his father, John, pinned on his badge.

The office has one chief, two assistants, including Robert Sollitto, and nine fire marshal positions.

Director of Public Safety Ted Jankowski said the promotions were a big achievement for Seely and Armstrong.

You are being promoted into a position of greater responsibly and greater impact at a time when the construction and fire department is changing, he said.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com
Over the last few years, CBD has become more mainstream as a supplement for relief. Studies show a variety of potential benefits including anxiety reduction, joint and muscle pain relief, lower inflammation, and more. Every day new CBD retailers are popping up coming up with creative products to help take advantage of this lucrative market.

One burgeoning but often overlooked market for CBD is for our furry little friends. People love their pets like they love their own children. They dont want to see them in pain, and they are willing to go outside traditional medicine to help their four-legged family members. CBD retailers are well aware of this and are creatively marketing CBD oils, CBD topicals and more for pets. If youre looking to enter the CBD industry pet products are a very hot and potentially lucrative niche.

Because CBD for pets is a relatively new product and because the DEA has not given veterinarians the authority to possess, administer, dispense, or prescribe CBD, pet owners understandably have many questions. Here are some answers.

Related: The Coming International CBD Boom and How it Will Disrupt the Marijuana Business

How Does CBD Interact With Pets?

CBD is a compound from the cannabis plant that interacts with your body via the endocannabinoid system. There are two main receptors, the C1 and C2. These two receptors not only communicate with the body natural through endocannabinoids, but they also interact with plant-based cannabinoids like CBD. Unlike its counterpart THC, CBD is non-psychoactive and will not get you high.

CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system the same way for all mammals. According to Dr. Gary Richter, a holistic vet based out of Oakland. CBD effects the endocannabinoid system, which is a system of neurotransmitters in the body that helps balance and maintain normal body function. CBD has much the same effect in animals as it does in people.

This means your dog and cat can enjoy similar relief from CBD without worrying about getting high and without any major side effects just like you.

How Can CBD Help Pets?

It Reduces Anxiety

Common signs of anxiety in pets CBD compounds work with the Endocannabinoid system to induce calming effects in both pets and humans. One of the most common ways brands market CBD is to lower anxiety in dogs, especially during the 4th of July.

It Reduces Seizures

The Epilepsy Foundation has reported CBD has been proven to help reduce seizures. Not only can CBD help reduce the number of seizures, but can help reduce the episodes as well.

It Relieves Arthritis

Arthritis and joint relief has been a major selling point for brands. This Holistapet review shows how pet CBD suppliers are creating and marketing dog treats intended to help with joint and mobility pain.

It Fights Cancerous Cells

Some report that CBD helps reduce or slow tumorous growth cells in pets. This report on PubMed supports Cannabidiol as a potential anticancer drug.

It Helps Boost Appetite

CBD not only helps boost appetite in humans, but works similarly with pets. Yes, they too can get the munchies without feeling high.

Related: Hemp Oil vs. CBD Oil: What's the Difference?

So What's the Problem?

This all sounds great -- and it is. Because CBD is typically derived from hemp oil and doesnt contain THC, pet CBD products are widely available in stores across the U.S. Retailers are allowed to legally sell it both online and in stores. Bizarrely, the one place you won't find CBD is at veterinary clinics. The Federal Government does not allow veterinarians to prescribe or sell CBD. This is true even in states like California, where Prop 215 was very specific about medical cannabis being for humans, not animals.

This means that the most influential potential proponents for pet CBD have been virtually silenced for fear of losing their licenses.

"By far and away the biggest challenges are the legal issue and the lack of understanding on the veterinary communitys part of what they have at their fingertips," Dr. Richter told HelloMD in an interview. "Im working with the California Veterinary Association in hopes that legislation will introduce a bill that will amend and allow cannabis for animals."

Here's hoping he's successful.

Related: Report: CBD Market To Hit $22 Billion By 2022

Related:

What You Need to Know About CBD for Pets

Lab-Growing Meat Startup Raises US$17M From KBW Ventures And More High-Profile Investors

Why Restaurants Are Rushing to Adopt Higher Welfare Standards for Chickens

Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com
O ne of the first people to be diagnosed with HIV in London has echoed Michelle Obamas call for an AIDSfree future.

Jonathan Blake, 69, said he felt like a modern day leper before attitudes towards the virus changed.

He was diagnosed in 1982 with HTLV3, later renamed HIV. There was no treatment available and he developed Aids in 1989 and was given months to live.

But Mr Blake started on combination therapy in the Nineties, and the virus is now undetectable in his blood. He feels so well he goes cold water swimming every day. His story was immortalised in the film Pride, in which he was played by Dominic West.

Dominic West portrayed Jonathan Blake in the movie Pride / Allstar/BBC FILMS

Mr Blake, of Brixton, said: When I was diagnosed it was incurable. There was nothing for it  it was a terminal diagnosis. I was 33, and older than a lot of people who were diagnosed. There were so many young people who died because there was no treatment.

On how people with HIV are viewed, he said: There has been an incredible change. Before, you were nervous about meeting people because of the fear you were going to infect someone else.

Now we have reached the point where you can have an undetectable viral load and it is untransmittable. That is huge. The effect it has on your own psyche is that you no longer feel like the modern day leper. In the Eighties I felt unclean.

The press was really vile about us, saying things like you brought it on yourselves and it was Gods judgment on us.

I didnt think I would live to 40, but I am going to be 70 next year.

Mr Blake said he saw a huge change in his health after he started taking HIV medication. The first week there was nothing, but by the fourth week I woke up one morning with such energy, he said.

It was seriously like Lazarus being raised from the dead. I felt so good I laid a patio outside my bedroom.

But Mr Blake said he is fortunate because his life is not chaotic so he can take his medication properly.

He added: There is still no cure for it. Provided I take my medication its fine, but if I was to stop there would be problems.

There are people who do have chaotic lifestyles for whatever reason and are not good at taking pills.

He said watching Pride was amazing.
P arty season is all fun and games but the never-ending prosecco party can wreak havoc on our skin.

Luckily, the city is blessed with some seriously capable skin wizards, on hand to help banish booze breakouts and tired, dull complexions.

Whether you're prepping for a winter wedding or a New Years Eve bash, or just need a mid-party season refresher, these are the best facials for restoring a party pro glow.

The week before: the blemish buster

Elemis: BIOTEC Blemish Control Facial

Feel a nasty whitehead brewing? Or want your blackheads minimised before you face the music? Book in for one of Elemis' BIOTEC Blemish Control Facials, ideally a week before your party, to get your skin deeply cleaned and prepped. Perfect for blocked pores, congested skin and anyone suffering from party season breakouts, this facial uses ultrasonic vibration, massage, steam and galvanic currents to purify, clarify and exfoliate the skin. The powerful anti-blemish activator containing salicylic acid and iris smoothes and moisturises, while light therapy helps balance and clear the complexion.

Elemis BIOTEC Blemish Control Facial, 1hr 110/ 1hr 30mins 160

The Day Before: sculpt and shape

Su-Man: Skin Reborn Sculpting Facial

Su-Mans signature facial is legendary. Blending her unique expertise in dance, Shiatsu, pilates and oriental facial massage, the powerful revitalising treatment is beloved by beauty editors, celebrities and legions of fans across the world, who hail it as a facelift in an hour and the natural alternative to Botox.

After a bespoke skin analysis to tailor the facial to your specific needs, Su-Man deep cleanses, extracts impurities, exfoliates and tones before applying moisturiser with a firm deep tissue massage to the neck, upper arms, hands and feet.

Each massage stroke is repeated in multiples of six in accordance to the ancient Chinese belief that the number six is lucky and helps lead the individual to a perfect state of health and happiness.

With your facial muscles fully reinvigorated, youll leave with skin visibly brighter and more contoured. It's no wonder Anne Hathawayjust one of the famous faces who visits Su-Mandescribes her facial as a life-changing experience.

Su-Man Skin Reborn Sculpting Facial, 250

The day of the party: tighten and brighten

Face Gym: Party Face

Your gym regime may have fallen by the wayside during party season, but that doesnt mean you shouldnt give (or, more specifically, get someone else to give) the 40+ muscles in your face a workout. In fact, on the morning of the big party day, thats exactly what you should do.

Face Gyms Party Face treatment starts with vigorous facial massage - think kneading, squeezing, pinching and rolling around the mouth, jaw and cheekbones using the therapists lightning-quick hands. Then comes the FaceGym Pro, a handheld microcurrent device which emits extremely low-voltage electrical currents (which mirror your own bodys electrical currents) on a cellular level to repair damaged skin and stimulate collagen and elastin production. After half your face has been done the therapist can give you a mirror to see the difference  the lifting and tightening effect is quite staggering.

Lastly, theyll blast a potent cocktail of vitamins, peptides and acids onto your skin with their new Skin IV machine to give it a nourishing boost. The skin equivalent of a pre-party Berocca.

Face Gym Party Face Workout, 130 for 55 mins

The Light Salon: Express LED Treatment

Dont have time for a full blown treatment? The Light Salons 15-minute Express LED rejuvenation facial is the perfect post-work, pre-party skin tszuj. The technology uses LED light therapy to energise cells and put the skin in a state of repair, to naturally boost the production of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. Depending on the colour of light used, LED can be used to treat skin disorders such as acne, rosacea and eczema by strengthening the skin structure and continually stimulating cellular repair. LED also has proved stress-reduction and mood-lifting benefits, so the 15 minutes is precious pre-party prep time well spent.

The Light Salon, available at Harvey Nichols, Hershesons Berners Street and all London Cowshed spas, from 35, thelight-salon.com

The morning after: a vitamin bath

Seed To Skin: Vitamin Infusion Facial

The party was epic, but you have woken up with a face that feels as dry and crispy as a Ryvita biscuit. How will you ever restore hydration and glow before the next party comes along?

Enter Seed To Skins Vitamin Infusion Facial. Much like the Vitamin IV infusions that pump a cocktail of goodness back into your body, this facial uses a cutting edge non-invasive technique, also known as non-injectable mesotherapy, to deliver active vitamins into all layers of the skin.

Step into one of the glorious treatment rooms upstairs in Liberty department store where a Seed To Skin therapist will map your face before applying different plant-derived serums to specific areas using a mesotherapy wand. It works by emitting a light electrical field which opens up cell membranes to allow the vitamin rich infusions to penetrate deeper.

You'll leave with skin that's visibly plumped and glowing. Youll look so good in fact, you might just fancy another night on the tiles.
I f a tall bloke with close-cropped hair and a Geordie twang advances on you in a London boozer this Christmas offering to buy a round, dont assume its a chat-up ploy. There is a chance it could be the boss of Britains biggest winemaker, who has a habit of getting his wallet out for strangers. Says Frazer Thompson with a chuckle: In as non-creepy a way as possible, I will often butt in if I see someone dithering at the bar.

The wine buff has a caveat though: he will only treat punters to fizz or a pint of Curious Brew beer which has been made by his drinks business Chapel Down. Thompson adds: I just cant help myself. The recipient is usually grateful.

His generosity, or what cynics might call a one-man marketing push, now extends to getting the gins in. Sitting on a bench outside The Lighterman pub in Kings Cross, Thompson points to a building on a 1.6-acre site by Granary Square.

It is the Chapel Down Gin Works, a newly built property that includes a distillery, bar and restaurant designed to step up the companys push into gin, which began last year. It opened this week just in time to capture sales from the Christmas party season.

Wrapped up in a grey Hugo Boss jacket, 59-year-old Thompson says the new project marks a significant investment for Kent-headquartered Chapel Down. It is the latest expansion planned by the NEX-listed group, which is valued at 122 million and counts City veteran Michael Spencer as a backer.

English wine may once have been a joke to connoisseurs, but today thanks to more investment and global warming, the industry here is on the up, with Chapel Down winning numerous international and domestic awards.

It exports to nine countries and sees more potential to grow, particularly in the US. Its wines are served in numerous upmarket London venues, including the Royal Opera House and Gordon Ramsay restaurants, and are even served at Ascot.

Chapel Down has grown fast since Thompson joined what felt like a start-up in 2001. It now operates from 1000 acres and will produce well over two million bottles from the 2018 harvest. Its tipples can be found in supermarkets and bars across the country and are even keeping 10 Downing Street lubricated in these turbulent political times.

But, some sceptics now think difficulties may lie ahead for the business, including more competition from English sparkling wine rivals like Nyetimber and Denbies. Research firm Euromonitors drinks analyst Amir Ali also points to weaker consumer confidence.

He warns: The overall gloomy macro-economic picture, heightened by the impending Brexit and the still-looming threat of a no-deal Brexit, will place downward pressure on the alcoholic drinks industry.

Thompson poo-poos the cynics, sitting upright and responding: I have a relentless, experienced and fearless team around me. Well be fine.

Its an optimism borne from more than three decades in the beverages world. The father-of-three began his working life as a paperboy near Newcastle. He moved to London in the late Seventies to read business studies at the University of Greenwich.

From there followed short spells in marketing roles before he joined leisure giant Whitbread in 1986. He spent a decade there in London and Manchester advising on marketing and strategy across its inns and ale divisions.

Heineken came knocking in 1996 and Thompson and his wife and kids moved to Amsterdam. He loved being in Holland and working for the Dutch brewer, but says his global brand director gig was tough.

Thompson pauses for breath, and then admits: I had itchy feet towards the end, as I was becoming the sort of person I didnt want to be  working long hours, not seeing much of my young family and I was speaking in a corporate language all the time.

He says: It was catching up with a friend who had heart surgery that convinced me that life is too precious, and that I needed a change and a new challenge.

Thompson recalls heading back to Britain for a Heineken business trip and trying a glass of bloody delicious fizz with a former colleague. The manufacturer was English Wines, now Chapel Down.

Says Thompson: Serendipitously the brand was in need of a boss a few weeks after I tasted it.

He took a 70% pay cut (he now earns 175,000 a year) and took the job.

That was 17 years ago, when the business was owned by a trio of Kentish businessmen and operating from just 35 acres in Kent, with limited cash and production capability.

Thompson, who bought shares himself when he joined, sought new funding for expansion.

Convincing investors of my belief that English sparkling wine would rival Champagne was never going to be easy, he says, but by March 2004 he had got appointments for some big pitches. One included to Nigel Wray, the property investor and Saracens rugby club owner.

Thompsons spiel clearly worked: Wray rang up the next morning, pledging to commit 1.5 million.

Spencer, the wine-loving City grandee, was also on the receiving end of the Frazer charm: Ive listened to a lot of pitches in my life and I just thought this guy had good energy. He is passionate and smart, and there is no bullsh*t.

Spencer bought in, too, and now holds around 27% of the firm.

Money raised was used on more grapes, land and equipment, as well as marketing.

The brand gained cult status after reports its wine had been served at the Royal Wedding in 2011. Thompson says: That was the moment our growth exploded and we won several new big contracts when supermarkets, bars and restaurants all came knocking.

Last year sales rose 15% to 11.8 million. Thompson wont reveal latest performance figures, but you get the feeling they are likely to be tasty when he says: Its been a good year Ill be enjoying Christmas with no serious worries.

It hasnt always been so cheery for Thompson. In the early days there was a fire at the winery in Tenterden. Honestly, if we didnt have the new financial support in place while we waited for insurance, we would have gone out of business. I remember feeling sick thinking about all our hard efforts going to dust.

His firm can also be hit by extreme weather affecting a harvest. The ideal conditions for the industry here include a frost-free April, a normal English summer (sunny with showers), and a dry September and October. But, as Thompson puts it, that is never guaranteed: Mother Nature is a very unreliable business partner.

A more man-made problem for Chapel Down is Brexit. Thompsons biggest fear is labour shortages. We need to attract and help our fruit pickers to work here. He also worries about delays at ports for the packaging products he imports from the EU such as corks from Portugal. Thompson urges the government: Please get us out of purgatory and give us some certainty. Its the uncertainty more than anything that we dont like.

On top of the new Kings Cross gin bar, Thompsons plans for boosting business next year include a push into the US, and opening a larger brewery for its Curious beer brand in Ashford in March. It will feature a shop and bar, and host tours.

Chapel Downs chairman and shareholder John Dunsmore jokes that Thompson has loads of ideas and three out of 10 are terrible. But brewing expert Dunsmore, who also sits on the board of Fullers, praises the boss for being a brilliant marketeer. He adds: For someone in the wine world, he is very down to earth.

Outside work Thompson loves cooking and reading. He is currently stuck into Andrew Roberts Winston Churchill book. It seems that grapes are never too far from his mind, though: he lives at a bed and breakfast, which his wife Susan runs close to his firms sprawling vineyards. Thompson says: Naturally most of our guests are persuaded to visit Chapel Down.
I magine you are in charge of Britains trade relations after Brexit. Which country would be top of your list for a trade deal? According to Boris Johnson, when we leave the EU and its awful customs union, a whole world will open up to us. Britain can rediscover the spirit of dynamism of the Victorian age and go back out into the world in a way that we had perhaps forgotten, he wrote last summer.

Take him at his word. Grab a big Asian country  perhaps India. Yet India has free trade deals with only nine countries, none of them developed western economies, and it refuses to open up government procurement to foreigners. Indias top demand, its prime minister Narendra Modi says, is lots of visas for Indians to work and study in Britain, a bit of a non-starter given our high sensitivity over immigration. What about China? Theres no great enthusiasm in Beijing and even if there were, it is hard to see China prioritising trade with little Britain when its relationship with America, the all-important market colossus, is in such disarray.

Where next? Japan? Its economy ranks third in the world; a consumer-oriented, hi-tech society with a keen cultural awareness of Britain. The Japanese love everything British, from Beatrix Potter to the Beatles. Lets send Liam Fox, our Trade Secretary, to Tokyo in a Jaguar soft-top with a case of whisky to lubricate some Japanese politicians.

He neednt bother. Its done. While our parliament was arguing the toss between cutting off an arm or shooting itself in the foot last week, the European Parliament was voting to approve the Japan-EU free trade agreement. From February 1, between Japan and Europe, there will be a free trade area for services and goods covering 650 million people and a third of the worlds GDP. It has been called the cars for cheese deal as one key element is opening up Japans hitherto protected agricultural markets, while the EU will phase out tariffs on Japanese cars and parts.

Brussels reckons the deal will save EU exporters about 1 billion (900 million) a year in tariffs and expand trade to Japan already worth 130 billion in areas such as food, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and vehicles. The Scotch Malt Whisky Association hailed the deal  not because of tariffs (they are currently nil) but because the Scottish distillers will for the first time get legal protection for their product in Japan. But we are leaving the EU and will Nissan and Toyota still be keen to invest in a Brexited UK? Do pigs fly?

This was a five-year project, rapid by the standards of comprehensive trade agreements and it exposes the lie, touted by Brexiteers, that the EU has no success in delivering trade deals with other nations. This deal follows the recent EU trade agreements with Korea and Canada and is a huge embarrassment for Britain. If Theresa Mays government cannot deliver a new trading relationship with an organisation with which it has traded freely for 40 years, what hope is there for Britain when it leaves the EU?

What about New Zealand? Cute islands on the other side of the world. They are a lot like us, small, independent, English-speaking and apparently interested in a trade deal that would restore those Commonwealth trade links  remember Anchor butter? Yet, its difficult to see how trading with some five million people 11,000 miles away is more important than 500 million people 30 miles away.

For the UK, the Antipodes have to be at the back of the queue  small markets that produce stuff we dont want any more, such as coal and iron ore or stuff we produce ourselves: sheep meat and wool. For Kiwis and Ozzies, the market that matters is Asia and if we are to go back into the world like Victorians, as Johnson urges, we must forget the sentimental Commonwealth nonsense and develop the hard-nosed grit of a 19th-century engineer: the market is where you find lots of people with money to spend.
C helsea owner Roman Abramovich may not be able to bag a UK visa but it hasnt stopped him emerging among the Footsies big winners this year.

Shares in the Russian steelmaker, in which the billionaire owns a 31% stake, have soared 37% this year as steel prices climbed on rising Chinese demand.

The firm, which has operations in Russia, the US, Canada, the Czech Republic, Italy and Kazakhstan, recorded strong earnings and maintained its dividend  something few firms can claim to have achieved this year.

But the crown went to Ocado as the online grocer finally came good after years of debate over its business model. Under chief executive Tim Steiner the company signed a number of international tie-ups, including agreeing a deal with Swedens ICA and Kroger in the US. Steiners 4% stake is now worth 200 million.

Another winner was John Fallon, boss of Pearson whose turnaround  which has involved a string of sell-offs and job cuts  finally bore fruit. Shares rose 28%.

But it was a rough year for a string of blue chips with the FTSE 100 on course to fall 12%. Cigarette giant British American Tobacco lost 48%. There were hopes vaping could revive the industry but a US clampdown has put that in doubt. Boss Nicandro Durante stepped down after eight years at the helm, to be replaced by chief operating officer Jack Bowles.

Micro Focus was another loser: the turnaround tech specialist bought Hewlett Packards Enterprise arm in 2016 for $8.8 billion (6.9 billion) but, two years on, the business still isnt integrated and the shares are down 44% this year.
I read with interest your article [December 18] featuring the call by Londons top murder prosecutor, Julius Capon of the CPS, for an end to the wall of silence protecting gang members from justice.

Lamenting that friends of victims were often as unwilling to give evidence as friends of perpetrators, he said it was time for communities affected by gang violence to stand up and be counted.

Laudable as his exhortation was, I had hoped to see some exploration of why friends of victims might be unwilling to give evidence and what was being done to address the underlying reasons. While there was some mention of ways in which the police try to protect witnesses, there was very little about the possible reasons for the reluctance.

One reason for a reluctance to testify is because people do not think they will be adequately protected and supported by the authorities.

In addition to exhortations, perhaps trying to understand why people, even those whose family and friends have been victims, are reluctant to give evidence is important. Addressing the underlying issues for this reluctance must also be key to improving the conviction rates for gang-related violence in London.

It may well be that work on this is already happening. If so, its a pity that it wasnt mentioned in the article, fuelling an image of these communities as irrational and failing in their public duty.

Ike Anya

EDITOR'S REPLY

Dear Ike

You are right to say it must be explored why witnesses will not stand up and be counted.

An important step would be to demystify the court process so that witnesses feel confident enough to come forward and talk to police.

While some may have to give live evidence during a trial, many who speak up will never set foot in a court.

Camera-phone footage is a critical crime-fighting tool and is often presented to a jury without the person who shot it being involved. Witnesses can also help detectives build a picture of a crime without their evidence forming part of a trial.

Even if someone is called to court, they will be helped by specialist witness-support workers and may be able to give evidence from behind a screen or via videolink.

There are many other challenges the CPS and police must overcome, but improving transparency in courts and therefore confidence in the system would be a step in the right direction.

Tristan Kirk, Courts Correspondent

No deal should not even be a thought

the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, claims it is a sign of a responsible government to plan for no deal. He cannot be more wrong. No responsible government of whatever Brexit hue should be contemplating leaving the EU without a deal.

That the no deal planning costs significant amounts of money makes this not just irresponsible but disgraceful. The 4.2 billion costs would pay for half the armed forces projected budget deficit over the next 10 years or, if you prefer, would solve many of the NHSs budget gaps.

The Conservative Party has failed to carry out the necessary coup to dislodge Mrs May. Is it not time the Cabinet did the decent thing, for the country, and told her the music has stopped and it is time to go home?

Simon Diggins

MPs should listen to former Brexit secretaries Dominic Raab and David Davis and positively encourage the Government to show leadership to achieve a managed no-deal scenario.

Jonathan Longstaff

Finally a reason to bring down drones

the multi-million-pound cost of disruption to Gatwick by drones has provided lessons all round  to terrorists and extortionists on the financial chaos that cheap drones can cause, and also to the authorities of their limited means to enforce laws and take them down, with bullets being especially hazardous.

Perhaps now is the day that laser weapons can take their place in the defence of our skies. Rheinmetall is producing a 20kw laser that is easily powered by a vehicle engine, and certainly powerful enough to destroy even a large drone up to 12,000 feet.

Stuart Edwards

MPs wasting time over Corbyn words

How remarkable it is that MPs cannot seem to find the time to debate Brexit, motions of no confidence or the record levels of homelessness this Christmas, yet they drop all business instantaneously to merrily waste a whole afternoon with nary a care to debate whether Jeremy Corbyn called Theresa May a stupid woman or not.

This Parliament sits in open contempt of the electoral mandate it purports to honour.
B erlin has long stood out as one of the coolest cities in Europe, with its Instagram-friendly outside spaces, artisan coffee shops and varied food scene making it something of a hipster paradise. But it also offers an impressive element of luxury, with a variety of stylish boutique hotels providing a new way to experience the city.

Its an ideal destination for a long weekend or mini-break, with five London airports  Heathrow, Gatwick, Southend, Luton and Stansted  offering flights to one of Berlins two major airports, Tegel and Schonefeld. A quick bus or taxi ride from either takes you into the city, which is a fascinating blend of architecture and culture, shopping and food.

If youre seeking a central and accommodating hotel as your base during the visit, consider Hotel Zoo.

Where is it?

Youll find Hotel Zoo on Kurfurstendamm, one of Berlins most famous and bustling avenues and a short walk from the citys beloved zoo and the Tiergarten, a sizeable and striking park full of green spaces and historical monuments. Its also close to the Zoologischer Garten railway station, making travelling across Berlin via the U-Bahn network simple.

Hotel Zoo's Tigers greet you on arrival

Style

You could miss Hotel Zoos entrance if you werent paying attention: its a relatively unassuming front door in between the many store fronts on the street. But once youve located it, it is anything but unassuming: the foyer is a melange of vibrant green carpets, cosy, sumptuous sofas and a front desk covered with butterflies. The English-speaking staff are immediately welcoming and helpful, and treat even minor requests  like my need for a bottle opener  with speed and urgency.

On arrival, you are directed through the foyer, past the enormous door which gives an Alice in Wonderland feel to the space, to the lifts. Ascending to your floor, paparazzi painted on the walls brandish their cameras, which flicker brightly before you reach your floor: its a little cheesy, but raises a smile and cant help but make you feel a little famous. Then its through the corridors, adorned with whimsical artwork, to your room.

Which room?

There are a wide variety of room options at Hotel Zoo, with King Suites and Deluxe suites suiting those with bigger budgets. But the superior or petit rooms are perfectly sizeable. Heated floors add to the cosy, comfortable feel, the floor-to-ceiling drapes shut out the hubbub of the avenue below, and the beds are incredibly comfortable. A complimentary Nespresso machine is a welcome touch.

A Petit room at Hotel Zoo Berlin

The bathroom  complete with a hugely satisfying rain shower  is spacious and well-stocked, and the robes and towels are designed by luxury fashion house Maison Martin Margiela. The room service menu and mini bar contains the usual items you would expect, with an extra: Hotel Zoos bespoke green nail polish, which matches the green tigers at the hotels entrance. It a hint to visit the hotels new beauty suite, which provides manicures and pedicures, makeovers and massages.

Food & drink

On the ground floor, youll find Grace, Hotel Zoos restaurant. It makes an impression from the get-go: birdcages, piles of books and candelabras fill the room, and the candlelit setting instils calm and quiet. Theres plenty to choose from on the menu, but the staff are keen to recommend and help with the selection, and are impressively knowledgeable about the wine list too. I tried the miso black cod, which was delicious and exhibited a perfect blend of subtle, salty flavour, and the wagyu beef, which was perfectly cooked and delightfully tender. For dessert, a simple but tasty cheesecake, all washed down with a beautiful glass of tart Californian white wine.

The Grace Restaurant at Hotel Zoo Berlin

Best for?

Hipster weekend breakers. Hotel Zoo is eclectic and charming, mixing a fun interior style with real touches of luxury. Its well located for transport links and shopping, as well as some of Berlins best tourist spots. A wide selection of rooms, a high level of cleanliness and pleasant members of staff dedicated to good service make it a definite contender in the ranking of the citys best design hotels.

Details

Rooms start from EUR190 per night.
A man has been rushed to hospital after being stabbed on a busy west London shopping street.

The man, believed to be in his 20s, was knifed on Chiswick High Road, Turnham Green, at around 11.20am on Friday.

Police and paramedics were scrambled to the scene and the man was taken to hospital with stab wounds.

London's Air Ambulance landed nearby but the man was transported by road.

There have been no arrests.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "A man, believed to be in his 20s, was at the scene with stab injuries. He has been taken to hospital - we await an update on condition.

"No arrest - enquiries continue."
T wo men who worked in Harrods are facing jail after they were filmed attacking a homeless man in Trafalgar Square who later died.

Lucas Antunes and Luis Abella set upon 51-year-old Desmond O'Beirne at around midnight on June 3, 2017.

Mr O'Beirne had asked the pair for a cigarette, and when they said no, allegedly threatened to "shank" them.

But he was walking away when Antunes, 21, landed a punch, sending him to the ground, and Abella, 22, appeared to kick him.

Killed by a fatal punch: Desmond O'Beirne

Mr O'Beirne died from a brain injury six months later on December 20.

Antunes, of Tottenham, north London, pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the Old Bailey earlier in December.

His co-defendant, from Lambeth, admitted attempted assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Friday.

The pair will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on February 8.

Beaten: Desmond O'Beirne, 51, was attacked in the area outside the National Gallery / Met Police

A spokeswoman for Harrods said: "The individuals in questions were not Harrods employees. They were employed by Buzz Retail, who provide staff for demonstrations within Harrods, both for less than a year, in 2017."

Bailing Abella, Judge Wendy Joseph QC said: "Do not read into that any indication of what the sentence might be at the end."

Earlier this year, police offered 20,000 to anyone who could help them track down the culprits.

Mr O'Beirne was filmed running away from his attackers near the National Gallery before he was floored with a single punch.

Detective Chief Inspector Noel McHugh, of Scotland Yard, said: "This is a tremendous result. We have got some justice for Desmond and his family.

"He was punched in the back of the head and kicked while he was on the ground. He was out on a night out and he suffered injuries which would put him in a coma for six months.

"This case shows the power of the media supporting us and the amazing public coming forward to support this prosecution.

"Without you we would not have secured a conviction."

The victim, originally from Ireland, was said to have had an itinerant lifestyle and had a sister living in Wales.

Mr McHugh expressed the hope that she would now be able to rebuild her life.

Abella had originally faced a manslaughter charge but it changed to the lesser charge following a review.

Antunes returned to Britain to face justice after authorities in the United States found him.

Mr McHugh said: "Combined with some brilliant detective work in the UK, a huge thank you to our American partners who tracked him down and brought him back so swiftly."
S adiq Khan is calling for an overhaul of Scotland Yards controversial gangs database after it was found to include a disproportionately high number of young black men.

The Mayor today published a review of the confidential Gangs Matrix, which was created after the 2011 riots to identify those considered at risk of becoming involved in gangs.

City Hall found that of the 3,200 names listed on the database, three quarters are under the age of 25 and four-in-five are black.

It said that while there is evidence the list has helped to reduce offending rates, measures were required to restore trust and ensure it is used lawfully and proportionately.

The review also said the representation of young black men on the matrix is disproportionate to their likelihood of either causing or being a victim of gang violence and communities have deep reservations about how it operates.

It adds: Further investigation is to be carried out to understand if this disproportionality is legitimate and to be transparent.

The report comes after an investigation by the UKs data watchdog accused the Met of serious breaches of data protection laws.

Information commissioner Elizabeth Denham said details about individuals suspected of gang involvement were inappropriately shared with housing and education authorities, potentially jeopardising their careers and alienating communities.

The Standard revealed earlier this month that the Met is being sued by a 28-year-old man from Newham who claims his name appeared on pages from the database which were leaked onto social media.

Mr Khan said local borough police forces have since deleted their informal gang databases and added: To many Londoners, the way [the matrix] is applied and enforced is a cause for concern and it needs to be comprehensively overhauled to ensure it is used lawfully and proportionately.
A n academic was forced to install a panic button in his office after an 18-month stalking campaign by an accountant who believed he was her Mr Right, a court was told.

Alex Edmans, a professor of finance at the London Business School, was pursued by Zhaoyan Li, 40, who followed him on the Tube, bombarded him with messages and turned up unannounced at his church group, workplace, and the fitness boot camp he ran.

The lecturer said Li even booked herself on a holiday to Lanzarote when she found out he was going.

City of London magistrates court heard Li, a self-employed accountant from Poplar, first met Professor Edmans at a careers event in March last year, when she asked for advice on becoming a partner at accountancy giant PwC.

He turned down Lis offer to have dinner and was eventually forced to block her on social media. Her constant stalking has filled me with fear and anxiety, Professor Edmans told the court. It stopped me going to work, my boot camp, and church group. I told her unambiguously to stop contacting me. Giving evidence from behind a screen to avoid coming face to face with Li, he added: I started working from home when possible. I had to use a panic alarm each time I came into the office.

He said Li joined his church group, came on a bible studies weekend away, and turned up at his boot camp in Hyde Park where she took pictures of him. She squeezed my bicep which was totally inappropriate, Professor Edmans said. She jumped out of the shadows and was taking pictures.

Li was arrested at the London Business School campus in Regents Park on February 28, but denied she had been stalking the professor.

She told the court: I wouldnt treat him as a star and stalk him. He showed off his biceps, I think he liked me. It was a breakdown in communication. I cant believe he called the police.

She was found guilty of stalking between March 2017 and September this year after a one-day trial.
A teenager has been rushed to hospital after a collision with a car in north west London on Friday.

Police were called to Mornington Crescent underpass in Camden after a crash between a car and a teenage girl at around 6.30pm.

The driver stopped at the scene and is helping police with their enquiries, Scotland Yard said.

A police spokesman told the Standard: The female, believed to be aged in her teens, was taken to a north London hospital where her injuries were assessed as non-life-threatening.
A fleeing burglar was caught red-handed when his escape was blocked by a fitness trainer, a building crew and a Household Cavalry officer.

Major Simon Deverell, squadron leader of the elite Army unit, whose duties include guarding the monarch, was among the group of heroes praised by police for bringing prolific thief Ronald Middleton to justice.

The 40-year-old, whose father is former Nato commander General Sir Jack Deverell, was walking his young daughter to nursery in Parsons Green when he saw two men arguing.

He told the Standard: Suddenly one barged past the other, hopped on a bicycle and cycled towards me at speed.

"The other man shouted out stop him, hes a thief, so I made myself as big as possible, tackled him with my shoulder and stopped him in his bicycle tracks.

Major Deverell, who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, added: On reflection it may have been silly, as I didnt know if he was armed, but I just reacted.

"But I didnt do anything I wouldnt expect anyone else to do.

As Middleton, 48, fell to the ground, the other man, Dan MacKenzie, a 31-year-old personal trainer, caught up with the pair and restrained the thief while Major Deverell dialled 999.

Fleeing thief Ronald Middleton was jailed for three years after pleading guilty to residential burglary / Annabel Cottrell

Mr MacKenzie had confronted the thief moments before after seeing him coming out of a house with a laptop under his T-shirt. He said: When I saw the man go into the house and I wasnt thinking about him having a weapon, it was instinct to confront him. It was obvious that he had been inside stealing. I dont feel like a hero, it was the right thing to do.

Major Simon Deverell helped tackle burglar Ronald Middleton / Handout

Mr MacKenzie, who has returned to his native New Zealand, added: Having worked in Parsons Green for a few years I came to know many of the residents, and its a great area. Im glad I could help.

Hero Dan MacKenzie said he was glad he could help out / ES local feed
W hat a year in Westminster: so much rumpus  resignations, rows and the attempted regicide of Queen Theresa  to so little effect. We end the year pretty much where we began: with May on the edge of the Brexit precipice and no deal hovering like a rogue drone over the runway at Gatwick. But we had fun, breaking stories, just as the Beano had fun, launching a copyright infringement claim against Jacob Rees-Mogg in April. They argued that he was masquerading as its character Walter the Softy.

Giving new life to the phrase April showers, the month consumed Amber Rudd, who resigned as Home Secretary for misleading a select affairs committee over the Windrush scandal. Only, as we revealed, dud officials had given her dud information. But November saw her return to Cabinet as Work and Pensions secretary. Life around Portcullis House was improved by the opening of a Greggs in Westminster Tube station. We learned Seumas Milne, Corbyns director of strategy and comms, takes his morning espressos like a man: slamming them back in quick succession.

We revealed Theresa May relaxes with a very stiff gin of an evening, that Jeremy Hunt does not crack open a samba on his sprung dancefloor  that was just a vicious rumour spread by Michael Gove  but that John McDonnell really does sail the Norfolk Broads to relax. There were plenty of political parties  in addition to Chuka Umunnas New Party (CNP)  some were thrown with spectacular timing, such as Lynton Crosbys bash at the V&A. While his Rolls purred on Thurloe Place, Theresa May was fighting for her political life (again). She could be gone by breakfast, one breathless ex-minister whispered to us. But May didnt go by breakfast. And shell enjoy Christmas at Chequers after all, with a bottle of Isle of Skye gin from Nicola Sturgeon. (We could do with one too.)

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A royal accession for Helena as Lila Grace follows mum on to the catwalk

Queen of the red carpet: Helena Bonham Carter

No Dry January for us: The Londoner began the year by crowning Helena Bonham Carter. The actor, we exclusively discovered, had signed up to play Princess Margaret in Netflix hit The Crown. Its also been a good professional year for Lila Grace Moss, the teenage daughter of Kate Moss. In September, as soon as she turned 16, we revealed that she had been offered a modelling contract by a reputable firm called the Kate Moss Agency. Congratulations. In the grips of winter, melting frost: there was reconciliation at a book launch in South Kensington. Fashion designer Samantha Cameron and journalist Sarah Vine  wives of ex-PM David and Environment Secretary Michael Gove  were seen hugging and making up after falling out over Brexit. Just in time for Christmas.

And honourable mentions this year to fashion entrepreneur Betty Bachz and Eric Underwood, former soloist at The Royal Ballet, who have somehow been to even more parties than us.

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We were right on the money with Mark Carney

The Cloooney of Finance: Mark Carney

Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, came under a barrage for his forecast of Armageddon if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. And The Londoner, too, was poo-pooed when we forecast that hed be staying on as governor until 2020. But our Carney prediction was on the money.

The Government extended Carneys tenure to see the British economy through the choppy Brexit waters. Then in November, Jacob Rees-Mogg denounced Carney as a second-tier Canadian politician who failed to get a job at home, when the Bank released figures suggesting no deal would precipitate the worst crash since the 1930s.

As we reported in September, Carney now has British citizenship. So, while we defer to Rees-Mogg when it comes to second-tier politicians, thats Canadian-British with a bright future in the Lords (we predict).

Food writers, vegans, and a pound of flesh

Forget Nigella: no one has made a bigger mark on the culinary scene this year than William Sitwell.

Did we say mark? Perhaps that should be stain. The journalist performed what Andrea Leadsom might call a managed step-down from his role as editor of Waitrose Food magazine at the end of October, after a freelancer released emails hed sent her mocking vegans and suggesting she write an article about killing them one by one.

Oops, but his comic timing was off: Waitrose was launching a vegan range that week.

Sitwell apologised profusely  we revealed  for not, um, being funny enough. The email didnt reflect his accomplishments as a comedian. So he threw a Christmas party asking guests to BYOV: Bring Your Own Vegan. Hilarious.

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Farewells...

Weve lost some political giants this year, truly great characters who brought vitality to the Palace of Westminster. Baroness Jowell, the eminent Labour politician, died in May having been diagnosed with acute brain cancer. She left a powerful legacy: her final, clear-voiced pledge to the House of Lords was for people to live longer, better lives with cancer. In November, we lost Sir Jeremy Heywood,

former Cabinet Secretary, head of the civil service and one of the most well-respected figures in Whitehall. His widow, Suzanne, will document in a book the story of their life together. And, of course, a fond farewell to Jean Barker, Baroness Trumpington, who died aged 96 last month. She was a code-breaker and socialite before entering politics, where she was famed for her wit and immortal flicking of the

V-sign in the House of Lords. If Im not true to myself, she once said. I might as well not exist. All will be missed.

Quote of the Year

I want to be absolutely clear, this Government will never accept a second referendum
C abinet minister David Gauke alluded to quitting his role should the Government pursue a no-deal Brexit but doubts Theresa May will do so.

The Justice Secretary said he would find it very difficult to remain in Government, if the UK looked to crash out of the EU bloc with no agreement.

He said: "I think making a conscious decision to proceed with no deal would not be the responsible course of action."

However, the MP for South West Hertfordshire, added he would be "very surprised if the Prime Minister went down that route".

Theresa May leaves from 10 Downing Street in central London on December 19, 2018 / AFP/Getty Images

Asked whether he could remain in the Cabinet if no-deal became Government policy, he told the BBC's Political Thinking with Nick Robinson podcast: "I think it would be very difficult for me in those circumstances.

"I am conscious that there is a risk of an accidental no deal... Although Parliament clearly doesn't want no deal, it's not clear that there is a majority for a specific course of action to stop no deal.

"The best way of stopping no deal is to back the Prime Minister's deal in my view.

"So I think it would be very difficult and I think if it came down to the Government saying consciously, 'well, we'll just have to do that', I don't think there would be a lot of support for it."

He urged MPs to back Mrs Mays deal, as it would take no-deal off the table, and added: Relying on some fantastical mythical creature of a deal that has all the aspects we would like and with none of the downsides that the EU will insist upon is not facing up to reality.

Prime Minister Theresa May (C) sits with members of her Cabinet / Getty Images

The Prime Minister is battling to maintain Cabinet discipline  with senior ministers setting out rival plans for dealing with the potential rejection of her Brexit plan next month.

Mrs May has stressed a no-deal Brexit is a possible outcome should her plan be rejected by in January's Commons showdown.

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said a "managed no-deal" Brexit was a possibility.

Andrea Leadsom arrives at parliament for the Leadership Confidence Vote / Getty Images

This suggestion came as Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd acknowledged there was a "plausible argument" for a second referendum.

Mrs May insisted the Cabinet was focused on the deal, at a press conference on Thursday.

She said: "Everybody is very clear that not only what Government policy is but what we are all individually and collectively focused on is working to ensure that that deal is able to be agreed by and go through a meaningful vote in the House of Commons."

She added the UK was still seeking "greater political and legal reassurances" from the European Union over elements of her plan.

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

The main point of contention being the backstop measures designed to prevent a hard border with Ireland.

Brexiteer Mrs Leadsom said she had been looking at the option of a managed no-deal with a minimalist agreement with the EU as an alternative.

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "A managed no-deal does not necessarily mean there is no Withdrawal Agreement at all.

"This is all speculation but what I am looking at is trying to find an alternative that, in the event we cannot agree to this deal, that there could be a further deal that looks at a more minimalist approach that allows us to leave with some kind of deal and some kind of implementation period that avoids a cliff edge, that avoids uncertainty for businesses and travellers and so on."

Mr Gauke's opposition to a no-deal Brexit, including a "managed" one, was clear at the most recent meeting of the Cabinet on Tuesday.

EPA

He told ministers it was "not a viable option" and "the responsibility of Cabinet ministers is not to propagate unicorns but to slay them".
T he number of EU nurses coming to London to work in the NHS has fallen 42 per cent since the Brexit referendum, it was revealed today.

The number joining fell from 1,622 in 2015-16 to 939 in 2017-18, says research by the Royal College of Nursing.

Over the same period, there was a 15 per cent increase in the number of EU nurses quitting the capital, up from 1,130 to 1,301.

The past two years are thought to be the first when more EU nurses left the capital than arrived.

The figures are the latest indication of the problems that Londons NHS, which already has dire shortages of doctors, nurses and therapists, faces over Brexit. The RCN said the lack of clarity from the Government about the right of EU workers to remain in the UK in the wake of the June 2016 referendum was to blame.

RCN London regional director Jude Diggins said: These figures confirm what our members have been telling us  that the Governments failure to immediately clarify their right to stay left them feeling anxious and concerned for their future. A government scheme allowing the NHSs EU staff early bird rights to apply for settled status in the UK opened last month.

Virtually every NHS trust in London, including UCLH, Barts Health, Guys and St Thomas and Imperial College Healthcare, has offered to reimburse the 65 application cost.

A total of 7,364 of the capitals 55,640 nurses are from the EU. More than 14 per cent of nursing posts in London are currently vacant  about 9,649 jobs.

Ms Diggins said: With the Governments official announcement on the settled status scheme not coming until a whole two years after the referendum result, many have felt little choice but to vote with their feet  this was all completely avoidable.

Without EU nursing staff, the health service would be unable to provide safe and effective care.

As the country heads towards Brexit, the Government and NHS England must not only ensure that the health service remains open to nursing talent from across the world but that the failure to produce enough home-grown nurses is tackled head on.

In October, Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, urged London health workers to hug an EU nurse to demonstrate that they were welcome to stay in the capital after Brexit.

He said he had sought out Spanish nurses at St Thomas hospital, in Lambeth, when his wife was receiving treatment, to reassure them and encourage them to remain with the NHS.

Settled status will give EU citizens unrestricted rights to remain in the UK, and the right to a British passport after five years of continuous residency.
T he BBCs headquarters in London was today placed on lockdown as climate change activists staged protests at the broadcasters sites across the country.

Extinction Rebellion called on the corporation to declare a climate and ecological emergency as the group demonstrated outside sites including London, Bristol, Glasgow, Sheffield and Birmingham.

The BBC was urged to make climate emergency its top editorial and corporate priority, divest investments from fossil fuel corporations, and to become zero carbon by 2025.

Broadcasting House in London was on lockdown early on Friday afternoon, with BBC employees and guests unable to enter or leave the building while the protesters stood outside.

The group was calling for the media organisation to provide further in-depth coverage of climate-related issues / Getty Images

Broadcaster Anneka Rice was one of a number of staff members stuck in the BBC during the protest.

She wrote on Twitter: In lockdown at the BBC. Not allowed out the building! Stuck in reception with Simon Mayo, Ken Bruce and three policemen

Protesters outside BBCs site in Bristol chained themselves together to stop people entering or leaving.

They were seen covering their ears, mouths and eyes while holdings signs which read: See no climate chaos. Hear no climate chaos. Speak no climate chaos.

Climate change activists chain themselves together outside the BBC Bristol building / PA

A spokesman for the BBC said they had received a letter from the newly-formed campaign group, which launched two months ago.

The spokesman said: The BBC has a proud record of leading the way in sustainability in the media industry and weve set out further action including cutting energy use further, eradicating single-use plastic and minimising the impact of necessary travel.

In the last Charter period, we reduced our carbon footprint by a third. People can also see the clear impact programmes like Blue Planet II and Dynasties have had on public debate about the impact of humankind on the planet.

Extinction Rebellion has held a series of protests in recent weeks, some of which involved activists glueing themselves to the streets of Downing Street and blocking bridges.

Serena Schellenberg from the campaign group said: Now more than any time in its history, we need the BBC to honour its founding value to be independent, impartial and honest.

Were facing a potentially existential threat to both our nation and our species, but the BBCs coverage is nowhere close to reflecting this.
T he NHS has earmarked 300,000 to fund so-called drunk-tanks which give revellers a safe space to be checked over if they have a few too many over the festive period.

The supervised areas are set up to ease pressure on A&E departments as figures show there can be a spike in alcohol-related incidents over Christmas.

This Friday, the last before the Christmas, is dubbed "Mad Friday" as workers across the country celebrate the start of the holiday season, often with heavy drinking.

Research shows up to 15 per cent of all attendances to emergency departments are alcohol related, but this can increase up to 70 per cent on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Police on duty in central London on what has become known as Mad Friday, The last work Friday before Christmas / PA

NHS England will use the 300,000 to fund dozens of the services across the country including one in London's Soho.

The Soho Angels scheme is a partnership between Westminster City Council and the LGBT Foundation, and will be one of the first to benefit from NHS money.

The drunk tanks, officially called Alcohol Intoxication Management Services (Aims), are already used in some areas year-round including Exeter, Hereford, Norwich and Blackpool.

NHS chief executive Simon Stevens repeated his message that NHS "does not stand for National Hangover Service".

"I have seen first-hand while out with ambulance crews in the run-up to last Christmas the problems that drunk and often aggressive people cause paramedics and A&E staff who just want to help those who need it most," he said.

"We want to help other organisations take care of those who just need somewhere safe to get checked over and perhaps sleep it off."

He said he wanted to see councils make wider use of the "late night levy" they can impose on bars and clubs to set aside safe spaces for revellers.
P romised savings from Theresa Mays energy price cap will be wiped out by a wave of hefty rises early next year, industry experts warned today.

The ceiling comes into effect on January 1 and will cut the annual bills of 11 million customers on standard variable tariffs by an average of 76.

However, a scheduled review of the level of the cap by regulator Ofgem in late February means it is almost certain to be lifted by about 100 on average, from 1,137 to about 1,240 a year  equivalent to an increase of about nine per cent, according to experts.

They say that because the cap is linked to wholesale energy prices, which have been rising, the review will take the price up to levels before the cap came in. Suppliers have to give 30 days notice of any increase in prices, meaning they would come in by the start of April.

Joe Malinowski, founder of comparison website TheEnergyShop.com, said the cap will last all of three months and will certainly be heading back up to where prices were before it came into effect  and beyond. Politically this will be really difficult for the Government.

He added that wholesale energy prices have been rising steadily this year because of a combination of factors including a depletion of gas storage levels during Beast from the East blizzards, pipeline repairs and the falling pound during Brexit negotiations. Rik Smith from comparison website uSwitch.com said: The real danger is that the price cap gives consumers an illusion of protection  a cap trap leading more people to stick with variable tariffs at a time of market volatility.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Business and Energy said: We have introduced the energy price cap to protect millions of households from poor-value deals ... our cap will ensure they always remain better off. A spokeswoman for Ofgem said: We warned rising wholesale prices mean the level of the price cap is likely to increase in April, but consumers will still be better off under the price cap.

The Prime Minister first raised the idea in May last year, saying she was fed up with rip-off energy prices, and it was included as a pledge in the Tory election manifesto. Labour shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said: This would be farcical were it not so tragic, with fuel poverty biting and 50,000 excess winter deaths last year.
L abour MP Diana Johnson has featured in a rap rendition of the 12 days of Christmas, featuring austerity linked lyrics.

The MP for Kingston upon Hull north, performs alongside the Beats Bus crew, an initiative to encourage the citys young generation to speak out about their aspirations through music.

Ms Johnson wishes her viewers a Merry Christmas before introducing the song claiming it is a hip hop rendition with a Hull twist.

Throughout the song she is joined by the Beats Bus crew in multiple locations throughout the city.

Ms Johnson can be seen bopping to the music and rapping along to the music.

It mentions some of the hardworking projects around the town, opening with the line: On the first day of Christmas Hull gave to me, the love and inspiration of the childrens university.

The song then praises local food banks for helping local disadvantaged families.

Another line includes: On the sixth day I got my universal credit and had to wait another six weeks to get it.

While another section of the song criticises rising travel costs.

On the eighth day of Christmas, the travel costs are rising, the trains late again and its not surprising.
S towaways on board a cargo ship in the Thames Estuary have threatened the crew, who have locked themselves on the bridge of the vessel, with iron bars.

The ship's operator has said the four stowaways wanted the ship to navigate close to the coast, and were armed with iron tubes they had found on board.

Essex Police said they were responding to a "complex incident" on board the vessel off the coast of Essex and Kent.

The force was called at around 9.15am on Friday relating to the safety of the crew on board the cargo ship.

The vessel is the Grande Tema, a 71,000-tonne ship which set off from Lagos, Nigeria, on December 10, and is currently sailing round in circles in the estuary.

Paul Kyprianou, a spokesman for Grimaldi Lines, the operator of the ship, told Sky News: "We found four stowaways on the vessel.

"The vessel was coming from Nigeria and was bound to Tilbury, and those four stowaways were in the cabin, and today they managed to escape from the cabin and they started threatening the crew, requesting the master of the vessel navigating very close to the coast.

"That request was probably because they wanted to jump and reach the British coast.

"The crew reacted and they locked themselves in the bridge of the vessel and so they are safe, we haven't had any injuries."

He added: "The master is in continuous contact with the UK authorities, particularly with the Essex police and the coastguard. We are waiting to see what is going to happen, we expect authorities to intervene."

Mr Kyprianou continued: "They managed to get some, whatever they could find on the vessel, pieces of iron tubes and things like that that they were using in order to threaten.

"It's a small group but obviously you can understand it would be scary.

"The problem is the four people free on the deck threatening members and requesting them to get closer. No injuries so far but obviously it's a tense atmosphere."

Essex Police said: "We have received no reports that anyone has been harmed and don't believe they are at risk.

"We are not currently treating this as either a hostage, piracy or terror-related incident.
T he Chief Coroner has called for armed police to be stationed at all gates into Parliament in the wake of the Westminster terror attack.

Mark Lucraft QC raised a string of "concerns" after ruling that four members of the public and PC Keith Palmer were unlawfully killed by terrorist Khalid Masood.

On March 22 last year, Masood, 52, mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing four and seriously injuring 29, before stabbing unarmed Pc Palmer to death at the Palace of Westminster.

On Thursday, Mr Lucraft issued a detailed report on "action to prevent future deaths", including stationing armed guards at the gates.

He wrote: "It was a matter of concern that, at the time of the attack, one of the most vulnerable and public entrances to the Parliamentary Estate was not protected by armed police.

"In my view, the Metropolitan Police Service should consider imposing a standing order that there should be armed officers stationed at all open public entry points to the Palace of Westminster and introducing a provision that this standing order may only be varied with the written approval of an officer of very senior rank."

PC Keith Palmer was helping to guard Parliament when he was attacked by extremist Khalid Masood / pckeithpalmer1409

In the autumn, the Old Bailey inquest heard how Masood stabbed unarmed Pc Palmer, who was guarding the gates of the Palace of Westminster with other unarmed colleagues.

Masood's rampage was stopped by a close protection officer, identified only as SA74, who shot him three times with a Glock pistol.

The other victims were American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, mother-of-two Aysha Frade, 44, and Romanian designer Andreea Cristea, 31.

The coroner concluded that Pc Palmer's death may have been avoided had armed police officers been stationed at Carriage Gates at the time of the attack.

He also found "shortcomings" in the supervision of police officers stationed at Westminster.

Mr Lucraft issued a string of suggestions to the Met about how armed officers at Parliament received their post instructions.

He called for "lone actor or multi-actor marauding attacks" to be included in officers' training.

On the security services' knowledge of Masood before the attack, Mr Lucraft suggested that intelligence agencies should consider if it was "practicable and beneficial" to log its reasons when making a decision to close down a "subject of interest".

Armed police at the Palace of Westminster / PA

The coroner recommended Transport for London look at the height of parapets and railings on bridges, after two victims fell from Westminster Bridge when they were struck by Masood.

The coroner also said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency or some other agency could issue guidance on how to retrieve unconscious bodies from water.

The families of the victims had also raised concerns during the inquest that Masood was able to hire a car to use as a lethal weapon

Mr Lucraft recommended that the Department for Transport and British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association look at introducing a code of practice on making checks before vehicles are rented.

The coroner's report on preventing future deaths was sent to various agencies, including the Police Commissioner and Parliamentary Authorities.

Jill Greenfield, from Fieldfisher law firm, said the coroner's wide-reaching report was very welcome, specifically the instructions to the motor insurance industry to carry out more detailed checks before renting out particularly heavy vehicles.

She said: "Given that we're working with victims of terrorist attack at Finsbury Park Mosque and Westminster Bridge where, on both occasion, vehicles were used as weapons to kill and seriously injure people, any additional security that can be introduced to prevent similar attacks in the future is extremely important."

A lawyer for the widow of murdered Pc Keith Palmer welcomed the coroner's call to improve security in the wake of the Westminster terror attacks, saying it was "imperative" recommendations were implemented to "keep our cities safe".

Patrick Maguire, of Slater and Gordon, represents the widows of victims Kurt Cochran and Pc Palmer.

He said: "We are pleased to see the coroner's recommendations have taken into consideration the concerns raised by the families.

"We welcome all these recommendations, in particular in relation to the security arrangements at the Palace of Westminster, and feel it is imperative they are implemented as soon as possible, to keep our cities safe, and those who work tirelessly to protect the public.

"It demonstrates that lessons have been learnt from this horrendous attack and it is hoped that by implementing these recommendations, further deaths will be avoided."
U S President Donald Trump has said a government shutdown could drag on for a "very long" time if Democrats do not fund his border wall.

On Friday, the president conceded that there was a good chance the Senate would not approve his demand for $5 billion toward funding his wall on the Mexican border.

The funding has been passed by the House of Representatives, but is expected to be rejected in the Senate.

Speaking at a bill signing, the president said: Its really up to the Democrats. Totally up to the Democrats as to whether or not we have the shutdown.

"Its possible we will have a shutdown. I would say the chances are probably very good because I dont think Democrats care so much about this issue.

Were totally prepared for a very long shutdown, Mr Trump added, according to CBS.

If no deal is reached, parts of the government in the US will begin to close at midnight on Friday.

Mr Trump had summoned Senate Republicans to the White House on Friday morning to push for his wall funding before they took up procedural votes on whether to consider a bill passed by the House of Representatives by 217-185.

Trump clashes with Pelosi and Schumer on border security in Oval Office

But he said there was a good chance the bill would not clear the Senate and that a shutdown was likely.

Ahead of the meeting, Mr Trump had tweeted: "Democrats now own the shutdown."

Last week, the president said that he would be "proud" to shut down the government over the issue of border security and "I'll be the one to shut it down".

The president has reportedly cancelled his plans to travel to Mar-a-Lago today in event of a shutdown.

A US government shutdown, which would leave thousands of federal workers idled at Christmas, would be the third such closure of federal agencies this year.

Three-quarters of government programmes are fully funded through the end of the federal fiscal year next September 30, including those in the Defense Department, Labor Department and Health and Human Services.

But funding for other agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department and the Agriculture Department, is set to expire at midnight on Friday.

If the House measure is put to a vote in the Senate, Democrats have pledged to deny it passage.

A partial government shutdown could begin, with affected agencies limiting staff to those deemed "essential" to public safety.

Such critical workers, including US border agents, and nonessential employees would not get paid until the dispute ends. National parks also would close unless the government declares them essential.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Mr Trump was "not going to back down on this fight" and would stay in Washington rather than go to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for the holidays as planned.
A section of a highway in Los Angeles has been named after former president Barack Obama.

Signs on a stretch of the State Route 134 from Glendale, through Eagle Rock and to Pasadena were unveiled on Thursday.

Mr Obama attended college in Eagle Rock from 1979 to 1981 and lived in Pasadena, according to Time.

The tribute to the president was signed into state law in September 2017.

Former US President Barack Obama has had a section of highway named after him / AFP/Getty Images

California is one of the nations most liberal states with locals giving Hilary Clinton 61 percent of the vote against Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, USA Today reports.

Its not the first location named after the former president.

Last year, a section of the Interstate 55 in Illinois was named Barack Obama Presidential Expressway.

Signs have gone up naming a section of a Los Angeles-area freeway as the President Barack H. Obama Highway / AP

While a road in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam was renamed in honour of his visit in 2013.

And more bizarrely, an extinct lizard was handed the name Obamadon gracilis in tribute to the president.

He donned a festive santa hat to deliver toys to poorly children at the Childrens National Hospital in Washington DC.
A fire which broke out outside the iconic Carmines restaurant in New York's Times Square sent huge plumes of smoke billowing into the sky as firefighters battled to contain the blaze.

Staff the Italian restaurant as well as people in nearby buildings were evacuated on Friday morning after a manhole caught fire in front of Carmines at around 7am.

Shocking footage taken in West 44 Street show huge flames licking the side of Carmines restaurant, which said it would be closed for the day after the fire.

No one was injured as a result of the electrical fire, officials said.

A spokesman for Carmines posted on Facebook: There was an electrical fire outside of Carmine's on West 44 Street Friday morning caused by an underground transformer.

All our employees were quickly evacuated, are safe, and unharmed. We will be closed today, and are working as fast as possible to get the restaurant re-open.
T he Pentagon is drawing up plans to withdraw up to 7,000 troops from Afghanistan in the latest White House move to cut Americas military presence around the world.

The move, which would see the US force in Afghanistan halved, was revealed hours after President Donald Trump announced that the US was withdrawing from the Syrian conflict.

The drawdown of troops from two of the worlds major conflict zones reportedly led to the resignation last night of US Defence Secretary James Mattis.

According to the New York Times, the Pentagon chief made one last attempt to persuade Mr Trump to change his mind before quitting. In his resignation letter, Mr Mattis said the President needed to appoint a successor whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects.

Mr Mattis, 68, nicknamed Mad Dog, did not cite the troop withdrawals directly. But defence officials say they were the final straw for the retired four-star Marine general who has reportedly also clashed with the President over the US-Nato relationship, military exercises in South Korea and his decision to pull out of the Iran-nuclear deal.

US Defense Secretary James Mattis is set to quit his role / EPA

The Afghanistan troop withdrawal has not been officially confirmed by the defence department. Associated Press today cited one unnamed official who said the troops could be out by next summer, but no final decision had been made.

The move was widely reported in the American media, quoting White House and Pentagon sources. Mr Trump is said to want the details finalised in time for him to announce them in his State of the Union speech, which traditionally takes place at the end of January or the beginning of February.

General John Allen, a former commander of Nato and US forces in Afghanistan, claimed it would cause chaos to withdraw half of the 14,000 US troops serving in Afghanistan as part of a larger Nato-led operation to train and assist Afghan military units.

Republican Senator and Trump supporter Lindsey Graham warned on CNN: Based on my assessment in Afghanistan, if we withdrew anytime soon, you would be paving the way for a second 9/11.

He tweeted: The conditions in Afghanistan make American troop withdrawals a high-risk strategy. We are setting in motion the loss of all our gains.

Senator Graham was also critical of the Presidents plan to withdraw Americas 2,000 soldiers from Syria and his claim that the war against Islamic State was won.

The 17-year conflict in Afghanistan, which began after the September 11 attacks, is Americas longest war and has claimed the lives of more than 2,300 US troops. The resurgent Taliban remains in control of nearly half of the country.

The US House of Representatives has approved Mr Trumps $5.7 billion request for the Mexico border wall in legislation that pushes the government closer to a partial shutdown. The package, however, was almost certain to be rejected by the Senate.
O ne person has been shot dead and another injured in central Vienna.

The deadly shooting occurred on Friday evening at a popular Schnitzel restaurant in the Austrian capital.

Police said in a statement: Two people were found with gunshot wounds today around 1.30pm in the Lygeck area of Vienna.

A manhunt is currently under way. Further circumstances are not yet clear.

Police officers secure the crime scene where a person died and an other has been injured by gunshots in the historic center in Vienna / AFP/Getty Images

A spokesperson said that the shooting appeared to be a targeted criminal act rather than a shooting spree.

According to social media posts, people heard the shots and ran in panic.

Build.de reports that at least five shots were fired.

Police officers investigate a crime scene in Vienna, Austria / AP

A large section of downtown Vienna has been sealed off.

Helicopters were seen flying overhead as police continued to search for the attacker.

The director of Figlmueller, Harald Prochazka, told daily Oesterreich's online TV channel that three people involved in the shooting ate at the restaurant beforehand.

"Everything was in order. They also left the restaurant calmly together," he said.
P olice consider shooting down Gatwick drone

Shooting down the drone that is causing chaos at Gatwick Airport is now a tactical option police are considering

The disruption which has already ruined travel plans for hundreds of thousands of people is now in its third day.

Sussex Police said there had been more than 50 sightings of the device since the airport was first closed on Wednesday evening.

Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley said the force would do what it can to remove the drone from the sky.

With the airport expected to remain closed this morning, he said the force was now considering shooting it down.

Jim Mattis quits as US Defence Secretary

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has resigned, saying his views are not aligned with President Donald Trumps.

It comes a day after Mr Trump announced all US troops would be withdrawn from Syria.

Mr Trump said the General "was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations".

Burka row: Boris cleared by Tory conduct panel

Boris Johnson has been cleared of breaking the Conservative Party's code of conduct over his controversial burka comments.

An independent panel probed Mr Johnsons remarks after he said women wearing the burka looked like letter boxes.

The panel found the former Foreign Secretarys comments were "respectful and tolerant" and that he was entitled to use "satire".

The remarks, which he made in a newspaper column, triggered widespread condemnation, including from senior Tories.

'Mad Friday': 'Drunk tanks' to ease hospital pressure

The NHS has earmarked 300,000 to fund so-called drunk-tanks that give revellers a safe if they have had too much alcohol.

The areas are set up to ease pressure on hospitals amid warnings of a spike in alcohol-related incidents over the festive period.

It comes as workers across the country celebrate the start of the holiday season on the last Friday before Christmas.

Danny Dyer to deliver alternative Christmas Day message

Danny Dyer is set to deliver Channel 4s Alternative Christmas Message.

The broadcaster described the EastEnders actor as the unofficial man of the people.

The recorded message is scheduled to air against the Queens message at 3pm on Christmas Day.

In a teaser clip released ahead of the broadcast, the star said: "That shambles down in Westminster, what a palaver that is.

On this day

1846: Robert Liston used anaesthetic (ether) for the first time in a British operation at University College Hospital, London, to perform an amputation of a leg.

1913: The first crossword puzzle was published - in the New York World, compiled by Liverpool-born Arthur Wynne.

1937: Walt Disney's Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length animated cartoon with colour and sound, was premiered in the USA.
S trictly Come Dancing pro Neil Jones has broken his silence on his marriage to fellow dancer Katya for the first time since photos emerged showing her kissing comedian Seann Walsh.

Jones addressed the kiss scandal in an Instagram Q&A with his followers on Thursday night.

When one fan asked Are you back with Katya? the Strictly star shared a selfie of him and his wife and shut down any rumours of a rift between the pair, writing: Ive never been away from Katya.

Neils response to the speculation comes after reports suggested that he had banned his wife from talking to the comedian after the Strictly final.

United: Neil Jones confirmed that his marriage to Katya is still strong / Instagram: Neil Jones

He had kept a dignified silence until now but he has also had words with Katya to tell her that once this final commitment is over, he doesnt want her to see or talk to him again, an insider told The Sun last week.

Images of Walsh kissing her dance partner outside a London pub were published in October. His girlfriend Rebecca Humphries released a statement on Twitter shortly after, in which she confirmed that shed broken up with her partner of five years.

Katya insisted that her very happy marriage had not been affected by the drama.

Neil Jones and wife Katya dance together on Strictly after her cheating scandal

I wasnt thinking and it was a one-off mistake after some drinks, the Russian dancer told her Twitter followers. I love my husband and we are very happy together, this is not a reflection on our relationship.

Walsh and Katya made a public apology on Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two, in which they branded the kiss a huge mistake.

Katya went on to reaffirm the strength of her marriage, telling viewers: The main thing for me, me and Neil are absolutely fine and thats what matters to me the most right now.

Humphries recently revealed that she will struggle to trust anyone again following the scandal, and suggested that she will consider therapy to help her cope.
Y ou're more stuffed than the turkey and you've over indulged on the Christmas pudding, which means it must be time to watch the Queen's Speech.

Officially known as the Queen's Christmas Message, the speech is one of the few occasions when the royal is able to voice her own views.

The tradition was started by her grandfather King George V in 1932, and attracted an incredible 7.6 million viewers last year.

But what is the Queen's Speech and how did it all begin? Here's everything you need to know:

What is the Queen's Christmas speech?

The Queen praised Britain's Olympians and Paralympians in 2016

Every year at 3pm the reigning monarch delivers a television message to the entire Commonwealth, detailing the events of the last 12 months, often lasting around 10 minutes.

The message is a staple of Christmas Day broadcasting, and since its inception there have only been three occasions when there was no message on radio or television; 1936 (due to Edward VIIIs abdication a few weeks prior), 1938 and 1969.

The first one was delivered by the Queens grandfather, King George V in 1932, live over radio.

The idea was proposed by Sir John Reith, founder of the BBC. The broadcast went out at 3pm to Great Britain, Australia, Canada, India, Kenya and South Africa, from a makeshift studio in Sandringham House.

A staggering 20 million people tuned in to the two and a half minute message, which was written by The Jungle Book author and poet, Rudyard Kipling.

The Queen delivered her first address in 1952, with the first televised message in 1957.

The message is no longer broadcast live, and is instead pre-recorded about a week before Christmas.

Unlike her predecessors, the Queen does not equip the skills of famed writers and instead writes her own speech, in which she reflects on the year gone by, and often gives it a theme.

What time and channel is the Queen's speech on?

The speech is broadcast to all 52 Commonwealth nations at 3pm on Christmas Day.

Lasting around 10 minutes, the speech is shown on BBC One, ITV, Sky 1 and Sky News, along with BBC Radio 4.

In 2016 8.1 million of us watched in the UK across ITV and the BBC, making it top of the TV ratings on Christmas Day.

The Christmas message is also shown live on the Royals' YouTube channel, Facebook and since 2006 you can download the speech as a podcast.

You can also stream the Queen's speech online via iPlayer.

What will the Royal Christmas message include this year?

The Queen's speech will be shown at 3pm on Christmas Day / Getty Images

The Queen's annual televised message to the nation is one of the rare occasions when she does not turn to the Government for advice, instead airing her own views.

It traditionally has a strong religious framework reflecting the Queen's faith, and is written by the Queen reflecting on current issues and drawing on her own experiences over the past year.

It is likely the Queen will mention Harry and Meghan's wedding this year as well as their pregnancy along with, inevitably, Brexit.

Prince Louis' birth will also probably get a mention, as will Prince Charles' 70th birthday and Princes Eugenie's marriage to Jack Brooksbank.

What is Danny Dyer's Alternative Christmas Message?

The Queen starts Christmas break: In Pictures 1 /8 The Queen starts Christmas break: In Pictures Queen Elizabeth II as she steps from a train PA Queen Elizabeth II arrives PA Queen Elizabeth II smiles as she steps from a train upon arrival at King's Lynn railway station in Norfolk PA Police patrols at King's Lynn railway station in Norfolk, ahead of the arrival of Queen Elizabeth II PA The arrival started the Queen's Christmas break PA The Queen set off from Kings Cross station PA Police patrols at King's Lynn railway station PA Guarded from the cold by a brown coat, black gloves and headscarf, the Queen stepped from the front carriage of the train onto the platform. PA

Since 1993 Channel 4 has offered it's own Alternative Christmas message.

This year Estender's hardman Danny Dyer will serve up his own speech on Christmas Day where he will talk politics, family and heroes.

A teaser clip released today sees Dyer brand 2018 "shambles" as he asks where the countrys leaders are, before comparing Westminster to the drama and backstabbing in Walford.
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A centenary of Romanian press was celebrated on Thursday, at a gala, at the Palace of the Patriarchate, where academician Eugen Simion, head of the Department of Literature and Philology with the Romanian Academy affirmed that journalism has "a moral role and a national role."

"The press is first and foremost a combat body and that is its calling. It is a chronicler of the time and by this it becomes a fight tool, a combat body. In all of history's important moments, from the smaller union of the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia in 1859 to closer times, the press is always present," Simion showed at the Gala "100 years in the Romanian Press".

"I believe the printed literature is the one that endures. I don't know what will happen with these electronic devices. For me, it is like throwing a bottle into the ocean. (...) At present, I believe, the media in general plays an essential part," the academician pointed out."In the global era [journalism, ed.n.] plays an extraordinary ethical role, a moral role and a national role, if we talk about identity, the media is firstly called upon to defend," the academician further said.The Gala "100 years in the Romanian Press" was organised on the occasion of the Greater Union Centennial celebration and according to organisers, the purpose of the event was to celebrate the memory of all those "who sacrificed themselves for the Romanian people, who fought against censorship, of those who accomplished the Union, of the 100 years of press for Romania and the Romanians." Romanian press institutions and people in Romania and the Republic of Moldova were awarded diplomas for their efforts in preserving the Romanian identity.The documentary film "The Greater Union and the press of the time", accomplished with the support of the Ministry of Culture and National Identity was screened at the Gala. The documentary tackles the period before the Greater Union, the mediatization of the Union Act, as well as the echoes and reactions of the Romanian and foreign press related to the Greater Union.The event was attended by the descendants of the journalists 100 years ago, of those who ended up in communist prisons or the Canal, those who lived the 1989 moment and especially post-1989, members of the Romanian Academy, members of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, diplomats, historians, Romanian-language journalists from the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, representatives of the Romanian Journalists' Union, journalists of ethnic minorities. The presenters of the event were journalist Ana Iorga and historian Filip Iorga.The event was organized by PSNews, with the support of the Bucharest City Hall, through the Monuments and Heritage Tourism Administration.
The gov't approved through four memorandums the action plans for the fulfillment of conditions that favour the drawing of the European funds allocated to Romania in priority fields, such as health care, social inclusion and poverty combating, gender equality and the labour market, on Thursday night said the gov't's spokesman Nelu Barbu, at the government seat.

"Technically, we are getting ready for the next 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework and certain memorandums were passed to support the drawing of the EU funds allocated to Romania in priority sectors, such as health care, social inclusion and poverty combating, gender equality and the labour market. It is about four memorandums assumed by the ministries in charge, namely Labour and Health, obviously," Nelu Barbu told a news conference at the Victoria Palace.

The gov't's spokesman explained that the legislative package on the EU funds' implementation corresponding to the 2021-2027 financial framework, as it's been launched by the European Commission, includes "four horizontal and 15 sectoral conditions."
The memory of the victims fallen in the 1989 Revolution can only be honoured by a strong opposition to "the attacks on Justice and democratic institutions", President Klaus Iohannis said on Friday.

Read also: Unemployment rate drops to 3.9 pct in Q3, 2018

"In December 1989, fed up with abuse and shortages, the Romanians chose to fight in the streets for their ideals. Our fellow men and women gave their lives for us to live today in freedom and democracy. I will militate for finding the truth and punish the guilty for the crimes committed those days. History proves that no regime that humiliates and despises its own citizens, can survive. The Romanians will no longer tolerate an autocratic ruling, based on the abuse of power, corruption, incompetence and deep contempt towards the citizen. We honour the memory of the victims of the Revolution by only opposing strongly any attacks on Justice and the democratic institutions," Iohannis wrote on Friday on his Facebook page.

President Klaus Iohannis on Friday laid a wreath at the downtown University Square triptych in the memory of the 1989 Revolution's victims. There, Iohannis kept a moment of silence.

AGERPRES .
National Liberal Party (PNL) chairman Ludovic Orban said on Thursday at private broadcaster B1 TV that the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) has demonstrated by abstaining from the vote on the censure motion that it wants the Government to continue its activity.

UDMR's attitude is contrary to opinion polls according to which only 4 per cent of the Hungarian electorate trusts Social Democratic party (PSD) chairman Liviu Dragnea, added Orban.

"Things are clear, UDMR cannot mislead the public opinion, their positioning was very clear. Today they backed the Dancila Government to continue its work. According to the polls released by the UDMR president, Liviu Dragnea's popularity rate is 4 per cent among the Hungarian electorate. If any UDMR MP tells me that the electorate who sent them to Parliament wants them to back Dragnea, I will consider it a bad joke," said Ludovic Orban."Clearly, for two years, UDMR, which says it has a parliamentary collaboration protocol with PSD, has been supporting this Government. And it is not true that they have only a parliamentary collaboration protocol, we have identified some 40 positions that they hold in the state administration structure at the level of secretaries and under-secretaries of state, presidents of agencies and directors. They have a representation at the level of executive power even if not at ministerial level," Ludovic Orban said.
President Klaus Iohannis convened the meeting of the Supreme Council for National Defence on 28 December, at the Cotroceni Palace, to analyse the requests of Defence Minister Gabriel Les, referring to filling in some positions in the leadership of the Romanian Army, the Presidential Administration informs.

Read also: Iohannis: 'There isn't going to be any peace with Gov't; relations with PSD hit bottom'

AGERPRES .
Romania is taking over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from Austria, a trustworthy and good partner, President Klaus Iohannis said on Friday.

"It is a symbolic moment for Romania and we are glad that we are taking over this presidency from such a trustworthy and good partner as Austria," Iohannis told the joint press conference with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.

He underscored the very good institutional coordination and the support offered by Austria for achieving an efficient transition to the EU Council Presidency.

The Romanian head of state hailed the results Austria obtained during its mandate at the helm of the EU Council.

"I voiced our appreciation for the very good institutional coordination between the Austrian and the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council and for the support Austria offered for achieving an efficient transition. I hailed the results the Austrian colleagues have managed to obtain in a series of important files for the entire Union. In this context, I assured Mr. Kurz of Romania's entire openness and commitment to continue these efforts at European level," Iohannis pointed out.

He said that he approached during the talks the topic of the UK leaving the EU, underscoring that this process must take place "of an orderly manner."

Read also: Bucharest Court dismisses requests for extradition of Elena Udrea and Alina Bica

"In respect to the process of UK's withdrawal from the Union, I reiterated the desire to conclude this process of an orderly manner during our presidency. The withdrawal agreement agreed on a political level by the EU and the UK remains the most efficient instrument for limiting the negative consequences of Brexit and for ensuring the legal certainty for the citizens and the business environment, and the conclusion will allow building a future ambitious partnership between the UK and EU," Iohannis stated.

The head of state said that EU's future budget must be balanced and fair.

"Looking towards the future, we agreed that the new 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework represents an opportunity to support the advancement of European policies by setting a balanced and fair EU budget after 2020. In the European Council meeting of 13 - 14 December we assumed the goal of reaching a political agreement on a leadership level on the future budget by the autumn of 2019. Romania, as future presidency, is prepared to commit to a sustained pace for achieving this desideratum," the President also said.

He mentioned he discussed with Sebastian Kurz the migration issue and the 2019 Sibiu Summit.

"We have discussed the need for security of the European citizens and the need to have a proper response to the migration crisis. Managing migration remains an area that requires the entire attention and we believe we'll be in the position of making progress in this file. (...) We have also discussed the European Summit of Sibiu, which will take place next year, on the symbolic date of 9 May, a summit devoted to the future of the European Union," Iohannis said.

Klaus Iohannis mentioned that Romania wants more Austrian investments in Romania.

"On a bilateral level, we have discussed the economic relations and the potential meant to stimulate the intensification of economic exchanges and investments. Although Austria remains one of the main investors on the Romanian market, we are interested in new Austrian investments in Romania, in the context in which Romania offers a lot of opportunities. We have voiced the appreciation for the good integration of the Romanian community in Austria," Iohannis also said.

President Klaus Iohannis welcomed Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace on Friday.

The visit of the Austrian official to Romania takes place in the context in which, starting 1 January 2019, Romania will take over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from Austria.

AGERPRES .
In previous essays I argued that NATO tries to distract our attention from its crimes by accusing Russia of those crimes: this is "projection". NATO manipulates its audience into thinking the unreal is real: this is "gaslighting". NATO sees what it expects to see  Moscow's statements that they will respond to medium range missiles emplaced next door are re-jigged as the "threats" which justify NATO's earlier act: this is "confirmation bias". And, finally, NATO thinks Russia is so weak it's doomed and so strong that it is destroying the tranquillity of NATOLand: this is a sort of geopolitical "schizophrenia". (I must acknowledge Bryan MacDonald's marvellous neologism of Russophrenia  a condition where the sufferer believes Russia is both about to collapse, and take over the world.)

I wrote the series partly to amuse the reader but with a serious purpose as well. And that serious purpose is to illustrate the absurdities that NATO expects us to believe. NATO here being understood as sometimes the headquarters "international staff", sometimes all members in solemn conclave, sometimes some NATO members and associates. "NATO" has become a remarkably flexible concept: Libya was a NATO operation, even though Germany kept out of it. Somalia was not a NATO operation even though Germany was in it. Canada, a founding NATO member, was in Afghanistan but not in Iraq. Some interventions are NATO, others aren't. The NATO alliance today is a box of spare parts from which Washington assembles its "coalitions of the willing". It's Washington's beard.

NATO and its members are inexhaustible sources of wooden language and dishonesty. Take Washington's demand that Iran get out of Syria while US forces stay there. Syria has a recognised government, that government invited Iran in; no one invited the USA and its minions in. A child could see the upside down nature of this: it's a housebreaker demanding the host evict the guests and hand over their bedrooms. This, apparently, is what NATO calls the "rules-based order". Here's the American official insisting it's all legal: "our forces are there under a set of legal and diplomatic documents "; but he only mentions one and it's an American one. Putin is condemned for saying "Whatever action a State takes bypassing this procedure are illegitimate, run counter to the UN Charter and defy international law". We are expected to solemnly nod our heads rather than contemptuously laugh when unilateralism is meretriciously named "rules-based". These inversions of reality are routinely fed to us by NATO and its mouthpieces.

A very recent revelation of NATO's gaslighting is the Integrity Initiative (such a gaslighting name!) busy trolling away with a couple of million from the British taxpayer. Its remit, apparently, includes infiltrating political movements of an ally and it "defends democracy against disinformation" by smearing its own political actors with disinformation. Does Russia do this? Well there's RT and Sputnik and "Russians" did spend nearly $5000 on Google and $7000 on Facebook fixing the US election. And almost one dollar on Brexit ads. And one should never forget the insidious effect of Masha and the Bear. But don't dare laugh at these preposterous assertions: the BBC earnestly assures us that humour is Putin's newest weapon. Against this mighty effort, there can be no vigilance too strong! The only way to protect our values is to trash them: defend freedom of thought by secretly planting fake stories, defend democracy by smearing the opposition as Russian stooges. Pure gaslighting, defended by projection and confirmation bias: "This kind of work attracts the extremely hostile and aggressive attention of disinformation actors, like the Kremlin and its various proxies".

NATO hyperventilates about "Russias military activities, particularly along NATOs borders". Only in NATO's counterfeit universe could this be imagined; in the real world Russia's military is inside its own borders. Once again, the proper response is a contemptuous sneer rather than solemn head nodding.

NATO collectively and severally manifests a detachment from reality. Its website is full of pious assertions about being a defensive alliance that brings stability wherever it goes, replete with valuable values. And it always tells the truth. The reality? No rational person would regard Moscow's concern about a military alliance creeping ever closer as "aggressive". There is less stability in Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan than before NATO entered them. Fooling around in Yugoslavia, Georgia and Ukraine have sparked actual shooting wars. NATO's activities in Syria (illegal by any standards of international law, be it remembered) has not brought stability. More civilians killed, Raqqa obliterated, hospitals methodically destroyed. All "tragic accidents" of course; but don't look here! look at Russia! Only in its imagination is NATO a bringer of stability. As to its values, they're mutable  it's good to break up Yugoslavia, invade Iraq and Afghanistan and destroy Libya but Crimeans taking the opportunity to return to Russia is a heinous crime. NATO's so-called values are whatever NATO does. And as to NATO's promises: well it did expand, didn't it? (Here's NATO's official weasel-wording: "Personal assurances from individual leaders cannot replace Alliance consensus and do not constitute formal NATO agreement". And suddenly its narrative jumps to President Clinton. Wrong POTUS, actually; NATO's caught gaslighting again.) Its intervention in Libya was very far from what the UN resolution approved: it was an armed intervention against the government on false pretences.

Here's what NATO's so-called "stability projection" has actually produced: riots in France, partly connected with the influx of "migrants" coming from the Libya that NATO destroyed. But, we supposed to believe it has nothing to do with NATO, it's Putin! Only an idiot could believe that.

NATO had a purpose when it was formed, or at least it thought it did. It is true that, at war's end where the Soviet Army stood "elections" were held and socialist or communist parties came to power and stayed in power. (Austria being an exception). There were at least two ways that one could understand this extension of Soviet power. One was that they were the actions of an expansionist hostile power that fully intended to go all the way to Cape Finisterre if it could and, if not prevented, would. In such an case the Western Allies would be fully justified in forming an defensive alliance to deter Soviet expansion. Another possible interpretation was that, after such a hard victory in so fearfully destructive a war, Moscow was determined that never again would its neighbours be used as an assembly area and start line for the forces of another Hitler. Such an interpretation would call for quite another approach from the Western Allies. We all know which of the two interpretations was followed by. I have speculated elsewhere that Reinhard Gehlen may have had a strong influence on that decision. But, for whatever reason, the NATO alliance was founded on that first assumption and it shaped the world in one direction rather than another.

Since the USSR broke up, taking with it NATO's original raison d'etre, NATO members, sometimes under the NATO flag and sometimes not, have helped break up Yugoslavia and Serbia, invaded Afghanistan, Iraq (twice), Syria, destroyed Libya, incited a war in Georgia, carried out a coup d'etat in Ukraine and participate in the civil war there. That's not stability. And, where NATO has set foot, it stays. KFOR is still bringing "peace and stability" in Year 19 and Kosovo is home to a huge US base. Afghanistan is in Year 15. Iraq is in Year 14. Syria is Year 4 and set to run forever. Ironically Latvians, Estonians and Lithuanians are back in Afghanistan; different flag, same place. That's not stability either.

And still the wooden language rolls out. But turn off your brain when you read it.

POLITICAL  NATO promotes democratic values and enables members to consult and cooperate on defence and security-related issues to solve problems, build trust and, in the long run, prevent conflict.

MILITARY  NATO is committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes. If diplomatic efforts fail, it has the military power to undertake crisis-management operations. These are carried out under the collective defence clause of NATO's founding treaty  Article 5 of the Washington Treaty or under a United Nations mandate, alone or in cooperation with other countries and international organisations.

Has post-USSR NATO ever peacefully resolved a dispute? Anywhere? Any time? It's always military power. What did Article 5 (an attack on one is an attack on all) have to do with NATO's war on Libya? Did it attack one of them? How about Serbia? One can argue that someone in Afghanistan attacked the USA but who did in Iraq? As to "democratic values", well, it will be amusing to watch NATO's reactions to Ukraine President Poroshenko trying to avoid the election. And nobody likes to mention the pack of organ harvesters and drug runners NATO gave a whole country to.

If NATO were a human individual on the couch, a case could be made that it is living in a fantasy world in which everything is reversed.

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil;

that put darkness for light, and light for darkness;

that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Delenda NATO est!
The December 17 UN Security Council meeting, on the announced creation of a Kosovo armed forces, featured some noticeable contrasts.

In accordance with Kosovo not being a UN member state and the Serb position on UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (recognizing Kosovo as a continued part of Serbia), the disputed former Yugoslav territory wasn't formally represented at the discussion as a nation. Kosovo's leader, Hashim Thaci, sat with a nameplate having his name, as opposed to Kosovo. Countries recognizing Kosovo's independence made it a point to state Thaci as the president of Kosovo and Aleksandar Vucic as president of Serbia. Nations not recognizing Kosovo's independence referred to Thaci as either Mr. Thaci or Mr. Hashim Thaci and Vucic as the president of Serbia.

The UK was excessively biased against Serbia. Vucic noted the difference between the UK's stance, versus a comparatively more objective approach among some other countries that recognized Kosovo's independence. Kosovo's independence is partly premised on a non-binding 2010 International Court of Justice advisory opinion, which said that Kosovo's declaration of independence didn't violate international law, while not saying whether Kosovo is properly independent, or should be independent. Having the right to declare independence doesn't by itself mean that such a declaration should be fully recognized by others.

The Serb and Kosovo leaders expressed differences of opinion on the conflict in Kosovo over the years. Vucic was the more even handed. Not mentioned was the casualty figure in Kosovo before the 1999 Clinton administration led NATO bombing campaign against Yugoslavia (then consisting of Serbia and Montenegro). In that period, the Serbs had the disproportionately greater casualty number. Within a 18 to 24 month period before the NATO action, 1,500-2,000 were killed out of a Kosovo population put at about 2 million. Serb casualties were in the 500-600 range. At the time, Kosovo had an Albanian population that was listed as high as 90%, with Serbs being somewhere around 10%. Serb sources note that their proportionate number in Kosovo has dwindled over the decades for several reasons, which include Albanian nationalist terrorism, some Serbs finding better opportunities elsewhere, a comparatively higher Albanian birthrate and a migration of Albanians from Albania to Kosovo.

Thaci stated a wildly unproven figure of 20,000 raped in Kosovo by Serb forces. In the former Yugoslav wars, the purpose of number trumping casualties was for the losing party/parties to make the suffering look worse than reality, for the purpose of goading foreign military support for their side. In addition to Kosovo, this tactic was evident in the earlier Bosnian Civil War.

In that Bosnian conflict, I very much recall the claims of a 200,000-350,000 casualty figure range, as well as some far fetched rape figures, said without meaning to diminish the seriousness of such a crime, regardless of the ethnicity of the perpetrator and victim. At the end of the Bosnian Civil War, others like myself, deduced that the actual fatality number was somewhere between 75,000-125,000. Years later, there has been a universal acknowledgement that the Bosnian Civil War death toll was in the area of 100,000. Those who wrongly hedged on the higher 200,000-350,000 figure, are nevertheless more likely to get greater Western mass media access, than the ones that got it right from the get go. (A related Bosnian Civil War fatality issue, concerns the different numerical takes of summary executions in and near Srebrenica.)

As the UN Security Council discussed Kosovo, the UN General Assembly voted in favor of a non-binding pro-Kiev regime resolution on the Azov Sea. Notwithstanding, most of the UN member states didn't vote for that resolution, with numerous abstentions and some no shows. Regarding the recent Kerch Strait incident (where the Azov Sea and Black Sea meet), a December 13 Consortium News feature, includes some comparisons that you'll be hard pressed to find in US mass media circles.

Excerpt 

"As I said, I think the Russians had every right to be suspicious of the intent of the Ukrainian vessels. The Ukrainians know that these are Russian territorial waters. They know that the only way to go through the Kerch Strait is by making use of a Russian pilot. They refused to allow the Russians to pilot the ships through the strait. Whatever the Ukrainians ultimate intent waswhether it was to carry out an act of sabotage, to provoke the Russians into overreaction and then to demand help from NATO, or simply to go through the strait without a Russian pilot in order to enable President Poroshenko to proclaim the strait as non-Russianwhatever Kievs intent was, the Russians were entitled to respond. The force the Russians used was hardly excessive. In similar circumstances, the US would have destroyed all of the ships and killed everyone on board. Recall, incidentally, Israel has seized Gaza flotilla boats and arrested everyone on board. In 2010, the Israeli Navy shot nine activists dead during a flotilla boat seizure, and wounded one who died after four years in a coma."

I'm not so sure about the aforementioned US hypothetical. The Israeli example underscores that Russia acted in a peacefully responsible way, followed by some hypocrisy against it at the UN. Nikki Haley is right about a biased element at the UN. The likes of her dont acknowledge their contribution to some of the unfair biases.

This excerpt from the Consortium News feature brings into play the matter of Kosovo 

"During the recent incident, the Ukrainian Navy acted provocatively, deliberately challenging the Russians. As for what the UNSC accepts, how would NATO respond if Serbia entered Kosovo on some pretext or other?"

The last thought hits home on a point I repeatedly make on how the 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia has served to impress Russia that pious BS aside, might essentially makes right. BTW, Kosovo doesn't stand out as being socioeconomically and multi-ethnically better off than Crimea.
US President Donald Trumps order this week to withdraw American troops from Syria is long overdue. American forces have been in the Arab country for at least four years. They have been there illegally, present without any international mandate. Not with the permission of the Syrian government, nor with the sanction of the UN Security Council.

American troops in Syria are therefore an illegal occupying force, violating the sovereignty of Syria and international law. Washington claims its soldiers and air force are in the country to combat jihadist terror groups. That claim is risible given the ample evidence that Washington has been covertly supporting the same jihadist groups it is supposed to be fighting. Thousands of Syrian civilians have been killed by American forces in what amounts to countless war crimes.

President Trump declared an historic defeat of the terror groups was the reason for his order to withdraw US troops. Trump with his typical braggadocio is claiming a victory. That is so utterly misplaced. His self-righteous words are a travesty and an insult to international norms of law and morality.

The military forces that really brought an end to the terror groups were those of the Syrian army, Russia and Syrias others allies, Iran and Hezbollah. Trumps self-congratulations are grotesquely way off the mark. The terror proxies that wreaked havoc and horror in Syria for nearly eight years were enabled, armed and directed by the US and its NATO and regional client regimes.

Still, it is to be cautiously welcomed that Trump has called it a day for American forces in Syria. With American withdrawal, there is now more chance of a political settlement being found for the war-torn country. But Washington deserves no thanks for its belated troop withdrawal. In a sane world, Washington should one day face justice for its barbaric crimes in Syria.

Whether US troops actually do vacate Syria remains to be seen. Media reports say the Pentagon plans to pull out nearly 2,000 US troops within the next month.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in his annual international press conference this week gave a cautious welcome to Trumps announcement. Putin noted, however, that Trump has made a similar call earlier this year only for that to be overturned by the Pentagon. Putin also noted that Washington has been talking about removing troops from Afghanistan, yet the Central Asian country continues to be occupied by US troops more than 17 years after Trumps predecessor GW Bush ordered an invasion in 2001.

So, it remains to be seen if Trumps announcement this week regarding Syria is just a political stunt to placate his domestic base. During his 2016 election campaign, Trump promised to bring the troops home. His withdrawal plan this week could therefore be a disingenuous Christmas good news story for his political base, which in the coming weeks may be quietly abandoned.

There are sound reasons to be skeptical about Trumps withdrawal plan from Syria. Only a few months ago, his national security advisor, John Bolton, was saying that US forces would stay in Syria for as long as Iranian troops were present there. Notwithstanding that Iran forces are present in Syria legally at the request of President Bashar al Assads government, as are Russian forces.

Its not clear if Trump is just acting on his own whim or if there is a significant strategic decision in Washington to retreat from its regime-change machinations in Syria.

One thing seems clear though. Washingtons would-be withdrawal from Syria has nothing to do with its supposed defeat of terror groups. How could that be when Washington has for eight years worked assiduously and covertly to foment these same terror entities for regime change?

Washingtons putative withdrawal from Syria, if anything, is due to its realization of defeat for its regime-change operation. The Syrian army, Russia, Iran and Hezbollah deserve the laurels for heroically defeating the terrorist jihadist proxies whom Washington deployed to Syria for regime change. Salute too to the brave Syrian people for their amazing steadfastness in the face of horrific assault.

It is laughably ironic that US politicians, Britain and France are criticizing Trump this week, saying that the terrorists are not yet defeated. When it was these powers, plus Saudi Arabia, other Gulf states, Israel and Turkey which created, armed and supported the terror groups for the purpose of destroying Syria.

Russias Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova is correct in saying that US military pullout from Syria is potentially a positive move towards political settlement to the war in that country.

Russia, Iran and Turkey (belatedly) have been working diplomatically to bring about such a political settlement. Logically, with one less military player in Syria  the US  that lends towards a possible resolution of conflict. If, that is, Trumps order is actually carried through. Thats a big if.

There is, however, concern that US withdrawal might spur Turkey to intensify its military involvement in Syria against Kurdish militants which the US has been protecting up to now. We may expect that Russia and Iran will act to prevent any such adventurism by Ankara.

All in all, US planned withdrawal from Syria is viewed as a good thing. Its about time that Washington removed its illegal presence in the Arab country, and thereby permitting the country to restore the peace that it was so criminally denied for the past eight years.

Yes, Trumps decision this week is to be welcomed, but its long overdue. Criminally long overdue.

Trumps typical bravado about winning the war is contemptible. In reality, Syria stands as an historic defeat for US imperialism.
In Britain, a British businessman was sentenced to 30 months in prison for illegally exporting F-4 and MiG aircraft parts to Iran from 2010 to 2016. The smuggler (Alexander George) used several cutouts (third parties who often did not know what they actually shipping and what the final destination would be). One cutout would buy the parts from American suppliers and others who ship them to various companies in the Middle East and Asia before they eventually ended up in Iran. The cutouts cooperated with British investigators and received suspended sentences. Alexander George received at least $6.3 million for these transactions, which are just a small part of a global network of smugglers Iran uses to obtain replacement parts for its air force. These smugglers are numerous and often caught. Prosecutions in the United States and Europe occur regularly and these are usually uncovered while the smugglers are still at it. There are apparently many smugglers who did it for a while then quietly withdrew from the business.

Overall this aircraft parts smuggling obtains up to $100 million worth of parts in some years. Many are actually well-made counterfeits from China or Russia but Iranian agents are always seeking original parts from countries that still have (or recently retired) F-4 or F-5 aircraft. Since the 1990s most remaining users of these aircraft have retired them. Since all these users are outside the United States it is difficult for the Americans to ensure the retired aircraft are not scrapped. Iran has agents (usually local opportunists and not ethnic Iranians) everywhere who know that Iran is willing to turn scrap into gold and the methods of concealing the shipments are widely known because these techniques (using cutouts and, where possible, bribes to obtain false documents) are methods long used to move all sorts of contraband.

Yet for all this effort (over three decades and at a cost of over a billion dollars), Iran has not got a lot to show for it. Iranian military leaders admit that their air force, despite remarkable efforts to improvise, is in sad shape. Iran currently has about two hundred fighters and fighter-bombers that are flyable but most of these are good for only about one sortie a day. All of these ancient aircraft are subject to breakdowns that can keep them on the ground for days or weeks. The chronic shortage of spare parts limits the number of hours the aircraft can be flown. This means pilots lack good flying skills. The poor maintenance and untrained pilots leads to more accidents.

Iran has about fifty modern fighters capable of flying and fighting. Half of these are American F-14s from the 1970s. Although frequently refurbished none have been upgraded much although Iran claims two F-14s have received some modern equipment. Iran has about 30 flyable MiG-29s, all built in the late 1980s and none have received the upgrades most other MiG-29s of that period have received.

Russia helped supply components to keep most of the 36 MiG-29s Iran received (in the late 1980s through 1991) flying. The only notable upgrade was to enable these aircraft to use Iranian made anti-ship missiles. With Chinese help, Iran has kept about fifty of its 1960s vintage F-4 fighter-bombers operational, but as reconnaissance aircraft and bombers. Iran has about fifty of its nearly fifty year old F-5 fighter-bombers flyable. These, like the F-4s, are considered dangerous to fly given their age and improvised maintenance and repairs over the years. The pilots dont get a lot of time in the air and are this much less capable than the Arab fighter pilots they face, who have modern, well maintained Western warplanes that are regularly upgraded and flown a lot. Iran also has about 60 elderly Russian ground attack aircraft; mainly Su-24s and Su-22s plus a few Su-25s. Iran has tried to create new aircraft by heavily modifying F-5s but this has not produced any significant results other than ten aircraft that are flyable but not very capable.

Iran obtained new aircraft in some strange and dramatic ways. One unforeseen opportunity was the 1991 Gulf War. Many Iraqi aircraft (most of them Russian-built) fled to Iran to avoid the American attack. The Iranians never returned them. Iran ended up with up to 60 MiG-29s. There were also 18 Su-24s, a force that was expanded by more purchases from Russia. Black market spare parts have been available, but the MiG-29 is a notoriously difficult aircraft to maintain, even when you have all the parts you need.

After arch-enemy Saddam Hussein was overthrown in 2003 (by a U.S.-British invasion) Iran felt free to concentrate on refurbishing more of its elderly warplanes. With more money and manpower diverted to this program a lot of the older aircraft were made operational once more. In 2013 Iran announced that ground crews and other technical personnel at an air force base had spent 45,000 manhours to get two Mirage F1 fighters back into flying condition. Iran received 24 of these aircraft from Iraq in 1991, when Saddam ordered most of his combat aircraft to fly to Iran and surrender (rather than be bombed by coalition aircraft). Iran kept all these aircraft but found it difficult to operate them, especially if none were already in the Iranian Air Force. The aircraft did not come with any support or maintenance equipment and especially no spare parts. Over the years, some parts and maintenance equipment were obtained, but in two decades these older aircraft, left outside most of that time, deteriorated. The two Mirages restored did not remain flyable for long. That made it clear that many of these refurbs just were not the effort. Meanwhile, China proved willing and able to supply some parts and electronics that could be used in the American warplanes.

Refurbishing older warplanes meant taking them apart, obtaining (via China, smugglers or local manufacture) new or used parts, replacing the defective ones and then reassembling it all. The two refurbished Mirage F1s managed to fly, but since then little has been heard or seen of them. This sort of thing seems like a useful way to keep ground crews busy when the air force cant get enough money to let even the flyable aircraft fly much. Fuel and spares cost money, money that Iran does not have. Earlier news stories have mentioned similar refurbishing projects for F-14s, F-5s, F-4s, and MiG-29s which have been more successful, up to a point.

The Iranian problem is that three decades of sanctions have made it impossible to replace obsolete and worn out gear or even maintain the elderly systems they have to rely on. For example, Iran has been having increasing problems keeping its 1970s era F-5s operational. The ones that are still flying tend to crash a lot or not be available for use because of maintenance problems (including spare parts shortages). Spare parts for all U.S. aircraft Iran still uses have been hard to come by. Iran has managed, sort of. Nevertheless, the Iranian Air Force is largely a fraud. It has lots of aircraft that, for the most part, sit there but can't fly because of age and lack of replacement parts. Those that can fly would likely provide target practice for enemy fighters.

The Iranian Air Force is still recovering from the effects of the 1979 revolution, which led to an embargo on spare parts and new aircraft. Despite that, many Iranian warplanes remain flyable but only for short periods. The main reason for even that is an extensive smuggling operation that obtains spare parts. Two of their aircraft, the U.S. F-4D and F-5E Tiger, were widely used around the world. Somewhere, someone had parts for these planes that Iran could buy. That was the main reason so many of these are still flying for the Iranian air force, although only about half of those declared flyable are capable of doing so at any time. This was less the case with Iran's most expensive warplane, the U.S. F-14 Tomcat. Iran was the only export customer of this aircraft. Some F-14s have been kept flyable, despite the rumored sabotage of Iran's AIM-54 Phoenix missiles by U.S. technicians as they were leaving. To demonstrate this, they sent 25 F-14s on a fly-over of Tehran in 1985. Today, Iran can still put at least 20 F-14s into the air on short notice. The manhours spent on keeping these aircraft flyable is far greater than any other user had to devote to that. Iranian pilots are not very experienced but their aircraft maintainers are, which would be an asset if Iran could obtain modern aircraft.

Despite all the smuggling and improvisation, Iran is stuck with the oldest, least capable fleet of warplanes in the Middle East. The lifting of most sanctions in 2015 has not changed the situation much and in 2018 the American revived their sanctions because more evidence of Iran cheating on the 2015 agreement were uncovered. No wonder Iran has put so much effort into building ballistic missiles and, eventually, nuclear weapons. In many ways building these weapons is simpler than buying and maintaining modern combat aircraft. Nukes and ballistic missiles require less maintenance because they are used only once. But you can show off the warplanes regularly and that still counts for something.
Although the United States is exploring the possibility of working out a peace deal with the Afghan Taliban, the major problem with that is getting Pakistan to cooperate. The Afghan Taliban cannot make any deals without Pakistan agreeing. Then there is the larger problem of such a deal turning control of Afghanistan over to drug gangs, Pakistan, Iran and Islamic conservatives (who ban education for women and generally unpopular lifestyle restrictions). Russia and Pakistan believe this would be the best possible peace deal. Most American and Afghans disagree. So does India and many Pakistanis unhappy with their military-dominated government.

Then there are the traditional (usual) how to negotiate with infidels rules used by Islamic terrorist groups and some governments dominated by Islamic conservatives. These rules stress the use of lies and deception because the Islamic scripture mentions it so it must be the only way to go. This approach has been very consistently used by Islamic terror groups and the fact that the Afghan Taliban are actually a front for Pakistan makes no difference because Pakistan is increasingly dominated by their armed forces who have been using (if not all believing in) Islamic terror groups against their real or imagined enemies since the 1980s. The drug gangs, which also depend on Pakistan to stay in business and are largely run by Pushtuns, will go along with whatever Pakistan wants.

In other words, the Afghan Taliban are actually a minor decision maker when it comes to peace in Afghanistan. That has always been the case, especially before the Taliban lost control of Afghanistan in 2001. Back then the Taliban provided sanctuary for Islamic terrorists, especially al Qaeda. This was allowed by Pakistan because that sanctuary policy was seen as a minor problem but it turned out to be a major problem. The Taliban is still on good terms with al Qaeda, although Pakistan is not. But as long as the Afghan Taliban cooperates in keeping al Qaeda out of Pakistan all is well.

The Afghan Taliban is also seen by the majority of Afghans as the creation of Pakistan and a largely Pushtun organization financed by Pakistan-supported Pushtun led drug gangs. The Pushtun are 40 percent of the Afghan population and the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. The Pushtun dominate the opium and heroin business which is also opposed by most Afghans, if only because it has created so many addicts. The Taliban are also not a unified organization. The Afghan Taliban has sanctuaries in Pakistan which keep their senior leadership safe and are also the site of border crossings where most of the chemicals for refining opium into heroin get into Afghanistan along with the fertilizer and other chemicals used to make bombs.

All this is common knowledge and the only practical reason to negotiate with the Afghan Taliban is to force more Pushtun tribes (that are still technically Taliban supporters ) to decide if they still are pro-Taliban and OK with the Taliban and Pakistan controlling the Afghan government. Another obvious negotiating problem is the Afghan government, which is elected and democracy is haram (forbidden) as far as Islamic terrorists are concerned. All this explains why the U.S. is demanding a six-month ceasefire as a precondition to negotiations. The Taliban cannot afford to allow that because most of the Taliban activity is in support of the drug gangs which the majority of Afghans are quite vocal about opposing and not willing to leave alone for six months.

In other words, the peace negotiations are not about peace but about smoking out the real intentions of Pakistan in Afghanistan. Making it even more obvious that Pakistan is a major backer of Islamic terrorism and the heroin trade makes it easier to understand that the fears of Islamic terrorists having nuclear weapons have already been realized given the direction the military-dominated Pakistan government is headed. Again this is nothing new and certainly not a secret to those who have worked with (or paid attention to) Pakistan for a while.

Competition From Iran

Since 2017 over a thousand Taliban have received training in Iran, along with weapons, in return for some cooperation. This sort of foreign meddling is unpopular in Afghanistan where such interference by neighbors, especially Pakistan and Iran, is an ancient and always unwelcome problem. But Iran and Pakistan both interfere and Iranians and Indians have done so for thousands of years and see no reason why they should not continue doing so in the 21st century. For Iran, its mainly about trying to protect their fellow Shia from attack. Some 15 percent of Afghans are Shia and are a particular target for Sunni Islamic terrorists like ISIL. The Taliban and al Qaeda are less likely to attack Shia because both organizations sometimes discreetly rely on Iran for sanctuary and other support. Most of the Afghan Shia are Hazara, who are ten percent of the population and the descendants of the hated Mongols who conducted several invasions of Afghanistan during the 13th and 14th centuries. These Mongol attacks destroyed more of the country and its population than any other conquerors. In addition to bad memories, the Mongols left behind Mongol warriors who settled down and marries local women. For centuries Hazara have suffered a lot of discrimination and actual violence in Afghanistan. But Iran is seen as an ally (at least against Pakistan) by most Afghans and Iran is mostly Shia and sees itself as the defender of all Shia. Opposing Pakistani meddling in Afghan affairs is a popular issue among most Afghans. One reason Western troops are tolerated in Afghanistan, which has, for thousands of years been hostile to foreigners, is because the Westerners and Afghans are both eager to shut down the drug trade and keep the Pakistanis out.

The Arabian Connection

The continued Iranian meddling in Afghanistan is one of the reasons why Saudi Arabia and the UAE (United Arab Emirates) are involved with the Taliban peace talks. Saudi Arabia and the UAE were, along with Pakistan, the only three countries that officially recognized the 1990s Taliban government of Afghanistan (that ended in late 2001). Saudi Arabia and the UAE both see Pakistani efforts to maintain control of Afghanistan via the Afghan Taliban as a good thing and all three countries believe they can control the Afghan Taliban. Inside Afghanistan, there is major opposition to Pakistani control and general contempt for Arabs in general. Al Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban may still get along as organizations but on a personal level Afghans see Arab Islamic terrorists as arrogant, inept, untrustworthy and second-rate warriors (Islamic or otherwise.) These attitudes developed during the late 1990s as al Qaeda was allowed to set up operations in Afghanistan and thousands of Arab Islamic terrorists (most of them trainees) arrived. Most were there for a few months of training and indoctrination. For some that was followed by a few months serving in the al Qaeda Arab Brigade. The Arabs considered the Afghans a bunch of ignorant savages. Things did not improve when al Qaeda agreed to form a brigade of fighters composed of recent graduates from their terrorist training camps and let the Taliban use that brigade to discipline tribes that were causing problems. By using this brigade of foreign (largely Arab) Islamic terrorists to kill uncooperative tribesmen the Taliban avoided blood feuds that, in Afghanistan, tend to last for generations. That aspect of it may have worked but many Afghans learned to hate Arabs, especially those portraying themselves as Islamic terrorists.

Chaotic Kashmir

The Pakistani military effort to create enough violence on the Indian border to justify calling India a major threat to Pakistan is having some success. India is treating the area more like a war zone. India is now ruling Kashmir directly, not via a local governor. More troops have been moved to the northwest. On the border that separates Indian and Pakistani Kashmir, cross-border attacks (mainly from Pakistan) are more frequent. Pakistan has been using snipers more often, many of them equipped with night vision sights. Pakistani attacks are up more than 63 over 2017 and 2018 isnt over yet. From 2016 to 2017 attacks were up 96 percent so one might be able to take some solace from the fact that the rate of annual increase has diminished. Since 2016 about 120 have died on the Indian side of the border with more than five times as many wounded. Most of the casualties are civilians but the increasing use of snipers targets troops. The mortar shells often land deeper inside India and harm civilians who live and work close to the border.

Most of the Kashmir deaths are inside Kashmir where Pakistan has been sending more Islamic terrorists trained in Pakistan to organize and carry out attacks against Indian security forces, non-Moslems and any local Moslems who oppose the Pakistani program. The Pakistani military is unconcerned that most other nations consider Pakistan a sponsor of Islamic terrorism and clearly the aggressor and instigator of violence on the border and inside Kashmir. A lot of Pakistanis are opposed to this sort of thing and that is one reason why the Pakistani military has increased its use of terror and threats against Pakistani publishers who will not back the military version of events. The growing violence in northwest India over the last few years has more to do with Pakistani politics than anything inside Kashmir. Even with that, this violence is still low compared to past Pakistani efforts. The fact is that most Kashmiri Moslems are fed up with Pakistan backed violence they have lived with for decades.

Blocked In Bangladesh

In Bangladesh Pakistan military leaders and opposition BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) political leaders insist that a recently leaked recording of a phone conversation between am exiled BNP official in England and a known ISI (Pakistani intelligence) agent was a fake. Not much proof of a forgery but plenty of history when it comes to BNP working with ISI and Islamic terror groups. BNP used to be a major factor in Bangladesh politics but after the 1990s it lost a lot of its appeal, in part because was more tolerant of Islamic radicalism. In 2014 BNP boycotted the national elections. BNP encouraged its followers to apply economic pressure and BNP openly refused to halt its violence. By early 2015 Bangladesh was paralyzed by political deadlock. BNP called for violence to enforce a nationwide transportation blockade. This was officially a protest against corruption (which its leaders are also guilty of, but not as successful at) and force new elections immediately. This paralyzed the economy (costing over $10 billion) in 2015 and left over a hundred dead (mainly from BNP thugs attacking those violating the blockade). The army refused to step in and take over, as it had done twice since 1971.

The 2015 crises got started in 2009 when Bangladesh finally held its long-delayed (by corruption, violence and military rule) elections. The secularist Awami League won 230 of 300 seats in parliament and formed a government. BNP and the Islamic parties failed to attract many votes and still cant. Nevertheless, Pakistani and Bangladeshi Islamic radicals still try to use Bangladesh as a base for terrorist operations inside India. However, the lack of local support, and energetic counter-terror operations across the border in India has led to most of these Islamic terrorists getting arrested. BNP has failed to regain the majority support it enjoyed several times in the past. Despite the reality of its much reduced popularity still had millions of supporters and a growing conviction that it was corruption not loss of popular support that kept it from power. This growing belief in conspiracies and subterfuge led BNP to become more violent and continue refusing to participate in parliamentary elections.

In Bangladesh police have the major Islamic terrorist groups on the run. There are two Islamic terror groups that account for nearly all the trouble; JMB and Ansar Al Islam (the local al Qaeda branch). JMB members often hide out across the border in India but the police there are regularly finding and arresting them. Most of the current Islamic terrorist violence in Bangladesh can be traced back to JMB, which has been around since 1998 and wants to turn Bangladesh into a religious dictatorship. To that end, JMB did establish an alliance with ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) and is now considered a local ISIL affiliate. JMB has had a lot of trouble carrying out attacks in Bangladesh and has urged members to seek out opportunities in India. JMB has had some help from Pakistan, as has BNP.

December 16, 2018: In northwest Pakistan, just across the border in Afghanistan (Kunar province) there were battles between Pakistani and Afghan Taliban that lasted several days. There were apparently over 30 dead and many more wounded. These clashes are usually over who shall control which portion of the border areas. There are also similar battles between ISIL and both Taliban groups recently. Since 2015 Afghanistan (and Pakistan) have had problems with both ISIL factions and two Taliban organizations. The Pakistan Taliban continue to make attacks in Pakistan and most of these efforts can be traced back to bases in eastern Afghanistan. These attacks tend to take place in the tribal territories of the northwest and southwest but not across the border in Waziristan, where Pakistani troops are still involved in a major anti-terrorist campaign they began in mid-2014 and did not officially end until early 2017. The Pakistani Taliban are not as numerous as their Afghan counterparts and that is largely because the Pakistani Taliban do not have as much money. While Pakistani Taliban make some money from providing security for drug smuggling they have to depend on a lot of other criminal activities to maintain operations. Both the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban are also suffering internal problem and both have broken up into mutually hostile factions. The rise of ISIL in the region is part of this. The drug gangs (and their Pakistani partners) dont really care as long as their hired guns protect the drug production and smuggling.

December 14, 2018: In southwest Pakistan (Baluchistan), a roadside bomb was used against military patrol vehicle near the Iran border killing six soldiers and wounding four. In another incident closer to the border 30 gunmen attacked a frontier guard convoy, killing six and wounding 14 frontier guards before fleeing. The attackers lost at least four dead and were believed to have retreated into Iran. Pakistan demanded that Iran provide any intel on a group based in Iran that could or would make an attack of that magnitude there are several Pakistani and Iranian Islamic terror groups operating near the border as well as smuggler gangs that are often prepared to fight any security personnel they encounter while moving goods or people (illegal migrants) across the border.

December 11, 2018: India and Bangladesh agree that both have a growing problem with Burmese Rohingya Moslems driven into exile by their own government and then obtaining false documents and passing themselves off as locals. The Rohingya were quick to notice that corruption in other nations is often the only way to get out of refugee camps and resume somewhat normal lives. Such illegal documents are available in Bangladesh and India, for a price. Burmese Rohingya can make such documents work because ethnic Bengalis are the majority in Bangladesh and quite common in eastern India. That makes it possible to get away with being someone familiar and acceptable and not a potential expelled minority.

December 6, 2018: Pakistan has confirmed that it is expelling 18 foreign (mostly British) NGOs providing about 11 million Pakistanis with educational services (especially for girls), job training, emergency relief and medical care. This will shut down projects costing about $130 million a year and employing 1,100 Pakistanis. The military accuses foreign NGOs in general of engaging in espionage (not likely) and (more likely) revealing facts about military misbehavior that military leaders would rather be kept secret. Previous elected governments had resisted these military demands to expel NGOs but the new government is pretty much controlled by the military and does what the generals want. Pakistan points out that there are still about 80 foreign NGOs remaining. It is implied that the NGOs allowed to remain had assured the military that they would cause no problems and cooperate when asked to by the military. Confidentially most of the NGOs allowed to stay are not happy with this arrangement and are having a difficult time keeping their non-Pakistani staff from speaking out on the issue. The military has also ordered the blocking of more foreign news websites that are popular in Pakistan (because these websites use local languages and report on what is going on in Pakistan.) These foreign news sites often report material that the military has suppressed in Pakistan or offers interpretations of events that the military does not tolerate. Tech savvy Pakistanis can still access the banned sites but in this case, that is not much help because these sites are for Pakistanis who do not speak English and probably do not have access to local Internet experts who can show them how to get around the military censorship.

November 28, 2018: Pakistan had decided to buy another hundred Chinese made tanks. These will be the VT4, which is also known as the MBT-3000. This is an updated version of the 330 MBT-2000/Al Khalid tanks Pakistan already has. The only other modern tanks Pakistan has are 300 Ukrainian T-80UD, which are upgrades of a Russian Cold War design that Pakistan obtained in the late 1990s. The rest of Pakistans 2000 tanks are based on much older (1950s) Russian models, with some upgrades. Pakistan also looked at the latest Ukraine had to offer and decided to go with China, which has access to more advanced tech than Ukraine and is willing to be competitive when it comes to price. In 2012 Pakistan and China agreed to jointly market the Al Khalid tank. This vehicle is yet another variant of the Russian T-72 and is based on the Chinese T-90. Pakistan has been using it since 2001 and China has been selling it since then as the MBT-2000. Sales have not been brisk and the main selling point is that it is cheap. Pakistan has never been a major player in the arms export business and this deal with China appears more for show than anything else.

November 23, 2018: In Pakistan, Baluchi separatists attacked the heavily guarded Chinese consulate in the port city of Karachi. The three attackers used bombs and guns and were all killed. But during the attack, two policemen died along with two civilian bystanders. There were also several people wounded. Last month in southwest Pakistan Baluchi separatists killed five Chinese who were building a housing complex for more Chinese workers. A week later a local Baluchi separatist group took credit for the killing. Pakistan said it would catch the killers. Last August Pakistan also agreed to build a walled and restricted residential area near the port of Gwadar to house half a million Chinese working in Pakistan. The Chinese construction work on the new Pakistani Gwadar port facilities are visible to anyone on the ground or flying by and in 2017 it was noticed that some features of the new port and airport facilities are clearly intended for military use. India has long claimed China (despite denials) was planning to use Gwadar as a base for Chinese warships and naval aircraft. Pakistan never had a problem with Chinese military using Gwadar as it helps keep local troublemakers out. Pakistan has assured China that there would be no terrorist violence against Chinese working on upgrading the port of Gwadar and land links north to China. Pakistan is willing to pay a high price to get CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) done because it means Pakistan has an ally against Iran and even Western powers that might have some violent disagreement with Pakistan. Best of all China is picking up most of the $55 billion cost. In early 2017 China and Pakistan finally signed the agreement that granted China a 40 year lease on new facilities China is building in the southwestern port of Gwadar. The lease grants China most (over 80 percent) of the revenue brought in by port and free trade zone operations. China usually imports its own workers from China to do most of the work on projects like this. By 2022 China expects to have about half a million Chinese in Pakistan, some of them with their families. The easiest way to provide protection is to have most of them live in a heavily guarded and restricted access area. Gwadar is a key part of CPEC and it has the misfortune of being in a province (Baluchistan) that does not want to be part of Pakistan. China and the Pakistanis try to ignore this by not reporting on non-Islamic terror attacks on CPEC construction projects. The government has long been accused of suppressing news of tribal separatists in Baluchistan attacking government targets and especially those related to CPEC. The separatists claim they regularly carry out attacks on CPEC construction projects, but most of their attacks are still directed at Pakistani security forces and government facilities.

November 21, 2018: The United States has suspended its entire $1.66 billion military assistance program for Pakistan. Counter-terrorism assistance had earlier been suspended. The reason for this is the Americans concluding that Pakistan has no intention of shutting down the numerous Islamic terror organizations it hosts, and often subsidizes, in return for this Islamic terrorists attacking nations seen as hostile to Pakistan. That could now include the United States but the Americans pointed out after September 11, 2001, that Pakistan had to pick a side in the war on Islamic terrorism and the Americans are now accusing Pakistan of trying to play both sides.
Tauranga City Council has approved a new Founders Agreement between Bay Venues Limited, a council-controlled organisation, and the University of Waikato as the second stage in the establishment of the Adams Centre for High Performance at Blake Park.



The establishment of the University of Waikato Adams Centre for High Performance required BVL to enter a Strategic Partnership Agreement with the University of Waikato, which was approved by Council in March 2016.



The SPA anticipated a two-staged partnership approach, with provision for the Centre to become a stand-alone CCO, controlled equally by BVL and the University.

However, further investigation has highlighted the requirements of setting up and operating a new CCO outweighs the advantages and it has agreed to investigate an alternative model.



The new agreement, which replaces the SPA and will run for 30 years from commencement, leaves the ownership and management of the Centre with BVL, whilst recognising and acknowledging the University of Waikatos significant investment in the Centre.

The Advisory Board, which was set up as part of the first stage and included new CEO of Whakatane District Council, Stephanie OSullivan, as Chair, will be disestablished.



The independent review last December highlighted the opening of the University of Waikato Adams Centre for High Performance as a key achievement for BVL, says Chair of the CCO working group, Councillor Max Mason.

However, it also noted the importance of ensuring that BVL and Council are best positioned to make the most of future challenges and opportunities, as presented by a partnership of this importance.



Councils partnerships with its CCOs help us successfully deliver our community outcomes, to be a city that attracts businesses, people and visitors, is inclusive, safe, resilient and healthy, with a variety of successful and thriving compact centres.

"The strong relationship between both organisations places BVL well to continue delivering and adding value for Taurangas residents and ratepayers.


Bay of Plenty

If you love working out doors and in a small team then we have the role for you. We are needing someone who has either maintenance...



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They may have graduated just last week, but six of the nine students who took on the agricultural course at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technologys Whakatane campus this year have already landed jobs.

The six students are all working on farms as dairy assistants; Toi Ohomai agriculture tutor Rachel Nash says the starting salary for these sorts of positions is about $40,000 a year.

She says while the work and hours can be tough, there are also plenty of benefits including a place to live.

Theres no driving to and from work. Its also nice for these guys to have a bit of independence and have a place to call their own.

They can also be home in the morning to have breakfast with their kids before they go to school. Or pop home at lunchtime to put something on for dinner. It is a great lifestyle and the work is varied and interesting.

Rachel says during the course the students do a five-week placement on a farm at calving time, which is the busiest time of the year, to gain real life experience and to prepare them for when they start working fulltime.

They get experience in getting calves and cows in, milking, feeding calves, treating any sick animals and feeding out. They get to do all sorts and really, its sink or swim.

At the end of the five weeks, they soon decide whether they want to work on a farm or not. Mostly they love it and they dont want to come back to class after doing the stuff on farms.

Rachel says while on the course the students learn plenty of hands-on skills that will help with their employment and the five-week placement helps to consolidate that learning.

A lot of the stuff that we have done in the classroom has prepared them for this so they know whats going to happen on a day-to-day basis but the placement just means they are able to apply the theory knowledge to stuff that happens on a farm.

But it is not only the practical kinds of things that is beneficial to them  its the non-farming stuff that they have to do every day  establishing a relationship with the farmer, getting along well with the other staff members, working as part of a team. It also ensures they are reliable and punctual  all of those kinds of non-farming things that are essential to becoming employed.

Rachel says she uses her industry connections to get them a foot in the door but the students have to prove themselves if they want a full-time job.

Toi Ohomai is lucky in the Eastern Bay, we are so well-supported by local farmers. Weve got a large number of farmers who are happy to have students on farm. Theyre pleased to be able to encourage them and teach them the skills they need in the industry.

Rachel says the farming industry is calling out for skilled workers so encourages anyone looking at entering the agriculture industry to consider signing up with Toi Ohomai.

She says in the past eight years, she has helped to find employment for more than 85 people.

Out of that 85 theres only been about four or five who have been employed out of the region and then theyve come back because they like to be close to home and close to family. And, if we can help with that then we will.

The institutes agriculture course involves two programmes consisting of New Zealand Certificate in Agriculture (Farming Systems) (Level 3) and the New Zealand Certificate in Agriculture (Vehicles, Machinery and Infrastructure) (Level 3). The programmes are run congruently and upon completion the students receive two certificates proving they have skills to work on farms.

In the farming systems component, students learn about livestock handling, animal welfare, nutrition, anatomy, soil and pastures, as well as sustainability in the industry and health and safety.

During the vehicles, machinery and infrastructure sections of the course, they learn how to safely operate, fix and maintain farm vehicles as well as being able to build and repair farming structures such as fences, calf pens and wool sheds. They also learn to operate and maintain chainsaws safely.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A stabbing was reported early Friday morning just outside of downtown Syracuse.

The Syracuse Police Department responded to Fabius Street around 1:25 a.m. When officers arrived, they spoke with a 22-year-old man who had been stabbed in the left side of his chest, said Detective George Hack.

The man was not forthcoming" with information about the stabbing, Hack said. Officers arent sure when or where the attack happened, he said -- or who the attacker is.

American Medical Response transported the wounded man to Upstate University Hospital. He is in stable condition, Hack said, and is expected to survive.

Police asked anyone with information about the stabbing to call (315) 442-5222 or submit tips anonymously through the Syracuse PD app.
SYRACUSE, N.Y.  Reps. John Katko, Claudia Tenney and New Yorks seven other Republican members of the House voted Thursday night in favor of a spending bill that would keep the government running through Feb. 8 and provide $5.7 billion for President Trumps proposed border wall.

The controversial bill is not expected to pass in the Senate, increasing the chances of a partial government shutdown at midnight unless a deal is reached.

The bill also includes $7.8 billion in disaster aid.

The legislation was approved along party lines with 217 Republicans supporting it. Eight Republicans and 177 Democrats opposed it.

Katko said he would never vote to support a shutdown.

I have always believed that government shutdowns are costly, unnecessary and demonstrate a failure to seek bipartisan compromise," Katko said. There are no clean hands in the negotiations that have taken place over the past several days. This has been handled poorly by both sides."

Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, voted for the bill even though she has criticized Trumps wall proposal in the past.

I oppose government shutdowns and in Congress have consistently voted to keep the government open, Stefanik wrote on her Facebook page.

All Democratic members of the New York House delegation opposed the bill with the exception of Joe Crowley, who did not vote. Crowley was defeated in a primary in June by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The Senate unanimously approved a bill without border wall money Wednesday to keep the government running through Feb. 8.

But Trump insisted Thursday he would not sign it, forcing House Republicans to include the wall money in the new bill.

Senate Democratic leaders have made it clear they wont budge in their opposition to funding the wall.
A few times a week, Jenna Dwyer loads up her 2012 Dodge Caravan to make deliveries and pickups.

Its not her job. Dwyer is one of more than 2,500 people, all volunteers, who make up Pay It Forward CNY.

The Facebook group works simply: People who need things ask for them. Then, people who have them give. The roles reverse quickly and seamlessly, sometimes even in the same trip.

A man needed some food to get through until his next paycheck. But he had some leftover diapers someone else needed.

Dwyer dropped off food for him and picked up the diapers the next person needed. And just like that, in one minivan trip, two overwhelming problems caused by the tyranny of not quite enough were solved by two small acts of kindness.

Most of the working poor live paycheck to paycheck so anything bad that could possibly happen ruins someones life for a while, said Keri Lynn Courtwright. We have helped people who have lost everything to fires; grandparents who have taken in their grand babies  and they are barely making it on their own to begin with.

Courtwright started the group a year ago. She had the idea when a friend needed clothes but couldnt afford to buy them.

Courtwright, who works in the janitorial department at Syracuse Universitys Carmelo Anthony Center, had seen lots of garage sale sites on Facebook. But she hadnt come across anything hat connected people who needed stuff with people who had it, for free.

She had no idea of the gap she stepped into. The messages from people saying that they were in need started coming all day to me, Courtwright said.

At first, she thought people would be able to arrange pick-ups and drop-offs on their own. But it became clear early on that transportation was a problem. So Courtwright started a group of people to handle the transportation, including Dwyer.

The whole operation, which has helped at least 300 people this year, runs on donated time, donated space and goodwill.

Any time I am not working or sleeping, Im usually on the page talking with people, making lists of care packages and brainstorming with my co-administrators about how to make the page run smoothly, Courtwright said. Her finished basement is a storage and staging area.

Right now, there are Christmas gifts waiting to be wrapped, clothes waiting for delivery and emergency food thats always on its way out.

Courtwright always has the essentials on hand.

And furniture, if it fits, she said.

Over the year, she and the others have extended the effort beyond filling emergency needs to making sure that struggling families, and children, dont miss out. Pay It Forward CNY did Easter baskets in the spring, book bags and school supplies at the beginning of the school year and Thanksgiving dinners.

Both the givers and the receivers are often people who are struggling to make it. Many work two and three jobs to hang on by the thinnest thread. For some, the Facebook page has become the string, the just enough, that keeps it all from falling apart.

Robin Hemingway is raising her grandchildren. Shes one of the people who helps Courtwright with deliveries and pick-ups.

She is an angel, said Jamie Rebhahn. The 47-year-old Lyncourt man had been going through a tough time, struggling with drugs and finding a place to live. Hed gotten back on his feet, but was having trouble getting everything he needed for his 4-year-old son when the boy came to stay.

He didnt think there would be enough for the boy to have a Christmas.

Hemingway showed up with a small tree someone else has donated, toys and extra food.

Rebhahn gave back by passing forward diapers, baby bottles, baby monitors and baby clothes he no longer needed.

The diapers went immediately to a parent who had run out and had posted a desperate plea for help.

Hemingway, the woman Rebhahn calls his angel, has needed her own angels from time to time, including recently. She realized she was going to come up short on Christmas presents for the grandkids shes raising and posted in the same spot where shes often arranging pick-ups and offering help.

Im raising three young grandkids so yes, Ive absolutely needed a helping hand up a few times, she said. They say it takes a community to raise a child and our community includes Pay It Forward CNY.

Marnie Eisenstadt is an enterprise reporter who writes about people, life and culture in Central New York. Have an idea or question? Contact her anytime: email | twitter | Facebook | 315-470-2246
This weeks controlled hunt for deer on the Binghamton University campus was a moderate success, with only a small number of deer tagged, according to a university spokesman.

The hunt took place Sunday, Monday and Tuesday mornings on the schools Nature Preserve, with bowhunters and crossbow hunters only being allowed. They were all interviewed beforehand by the schools chief of police.

I dont have the final number (of deer killed), but again I can say that saving the Nature Preserve is our number-one priority and this effort was a small step closer to accomplishing that, said Ryan Yarosh, a school spokesman. Things went very well for a pilot program. The bow hunt was done safely, and the hunters were respectful and grateful to help out. In terms of numbers, the pilot was a moderate success, with the weather playing a role that resulted in only a small number of deer being tagged.

(Editors note: Since this story was published, an employee at the school with direct knowledge of the hunt told NYup.com that only four deer were killed.)

Yarosh added that no tree stands were allowed. The hunters were not allowed to use bait and had to follow all state hunting rgulations. The hunters had the option to either donate the venison to a local food pantry or keep the meat for themselves.

It was their decision, Yarosh said.

The hunt was held when school was not in session and in the early morning hours.

This is the time when there are the fewest people using the Nature Preserve, school officials said. The Binghamton University Police cordoned off entrances and exits of the Nature Preserve to stop anyone from entering the area.

In less than one square mile, Binghamton University's Nature Preserve contains 260 deer where (research suggests) there should be only 15 or 20 to be considered in balance with a healthy forest, according to the schools deer management plan.

Whats the impact of too many deer in such a small area?

According to the schools deer management plan: The Nature Preserve has lost more than wildflowers and a layer of vegetation beneath the main canopy of the forest (understory). It has lost the ability to regenerate; no tree seedlings survive to replace fallen trees. Each tree we lose will be the last in that spot until deer numbers are reduced. Once all the current trees fall, we are unsure what will be left: perhaps goldenrod fields, or invasive bushes (multiflora rose, barberry, autumn olive) or nothing but eroded, bare ground. There is already some indication from various gaps in the forest where trees have fallen where examples of all these possibilities exist. The loss of wildflowers, understory and tree seedlings affects the biodiversity of our forests as we are slowly losing other wildlife. Several species of ground nesting birds no longer nest here anymore. Small- and medium-sized mammals are declining and after a while, there will only be chipmunks and grey squirrels left.

The upper elevation portion of our deer population is often near a state of starvation while the deer that feed on campus/neighborhoods are not. For a healthy forest, we should have 15-20 deer on campus and (based on an aerial infrared count) we have 260+ deer that live or use our property.

The management plan stresses this is not a one-time deal.

Hunting will have to be repeated every year, the plan said.

For answers to more questions about Binghamton Universitys controlled hunt, go to the schools website.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP)  Federal officials say a Buffalo daycare owner convicted on charges of stealing government funds has been sentenced to a year in prison.

The U.S. attorney's office in Buffalo says 42-year-old Tariq Butt was also ordered to pay $305,000 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Prosecutors say Butt and his wife, Halima Mohammed, submitted hundreds of false and fraudulent claims seeking reimbursement for child care eligible for block grant funds.

The U.S. attorneys office says Butt knew the claims were falsified. Mohammed was previously convicted and sentenced to five months in prison and three years of supervised release.
The federal government is facing a possible partial shutdown Friday as President Donald Trump reignited demands for $5.7 billion in funding for a border wall.

Trump supporters have begun pitching in, raising more than $11 million for a wall along the Mexican border through a GoFundMe campaign for The Trump Wall. Thats just over 0.05 percent of the estimated $22 billion that Trump border wall will actually cost, according to the Department of Homeland Security, but its a start after the White House suggested Trump was waffling on his demands in the funding bill.

We the people will fund the wall, the campaigns creator says with a goal of raising $1 billion.

According to CBS, Brian Kolfage, a Florida man who says he is a Purple Heart war veteran who lost three limbs, started the campaign four days ago to make America safe again. He said the government has accepted large private donations before, such as $7.5 million from a billionaire for Washington Monument repairs in 2012.

If the 63 million people who voted for Trump each pledge $80, we can build the wall, Kolfage wrote. Just over 180,000 people have made donations so far, raising $11.05 million as of Friday morning.

The border wall was a big part of Trumps 2016 presidential campaign promises, and he said this week hed be happy to shut down the government if he doesnt get funding for the wall. The White House said he was open to backing down later in the week, but he has since insisted he wont sign a bill that doesnt include the wall -- though he has floated a possible compromise by referring to the wall as steel slats, which may describe fencing.

According to the Associated Press, Senators passed a bipartisan stopgap spending measure earlier this week to keep the government open until Feb. 8 with no funds for a wall. However, the Senate is being called back to Session after House Republicans approved a package late Thursday that includes the $5.7 billion Trump wants to begin building the border wall.

More than 800,000 federal workers will be facing furloughs or forced to work without pay if a resolution is not reached before funding expires at midnight Friday. The partial shutdown would affect the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Interior, Agriculture, State and Justice, as well as national parks and forests.

Other agencies, such as the Pentagon, U.S. Postal Service and the departments of Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services, would not be affected by the partial shutdown.
EFTA States, Indonesia Ink Trade Deal

by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels

21 December 2018

The European Free Trade Association states  Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Iceland  and Indonesia have signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which will slash tariffs on a majority of industrial goods.

Negotiations toward a CEPA were launched in July 2010 and were concluded in November 2018. The agreement was signed on December 16.

Upon the agreement's entry into force, the EFTA states will abolish all customs duties on imports of industrial products, including fish and other marine products, originating in Indonesia. Indonesia will gradually eliminate or reduce duties on the majority of such products.

Merchandise trade between the EFTA states and Indonesia was worth USD2.3bn in 2017. The EFTA states exported goods worth USD597m to Indonesia, with the leading exports being machinery and mechanical appliances, pharmaceutical products, and mineral fuels. The EFTA imported goods worth USD1.7bn in 2017.
France To Levy Digital Tax Starting Jan 2019

by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels

21 December 2018

The French Government has decided to bring forward the introduction of a national tax on digital companies following the failure of European Union member states to agree on an EU-wide digital services tax.

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire informed a press conference on December 17 that a French digital tax would be introduced on January 1, 2019, and would raise an estimated EUR500m (USD567m) next year. However, the exact scope of the tax has yet to be determined.

After EU finance ministers failed to reach an agreement on a proposed digital services tax earlier this month, Le Maire indicated that France would continue to push for an EU solution early in 2019, but would seek to legislate for a national digital tax if no agreement could be reached by next March.

However, it is thought that the French Government has decided to accelerate the introduction of a national digital tax to offset proposed new tax cuts for individuals in the wake of street protests against its tax policies.
Seychelles Supported To Implement BEPS Measures

by Lorys Charalambous, Tax-News.com, Cyprus

21 December 2018

Representatives from the OECD are in Seychelles until December 14 to support the territory to implement its recommendations to tackle base erosion and profit shifting.

On December 13, 2018, the OECD is to host a technical workshop, which will explain to stakeholders the OECD's minimum standards in the area of harmful tax practices, transfer pricing, and tax treaty abuse. There will also be a session on capacity building initiatives available to support countries in the implementation of the BEPS measures.

Back in March 2018, Ingela Willfors, a United Nations tax expert from the Swedish Ministry of Finance, warned that Seychelles was lacking the resources and capacity to effectively respond to the OECD's recommendations. She recommended that authorities focus on those measures that must be implemented to meet international best standards  namely the BEPS minimum standards, on preventing treaty abuse, the introduction of country-by-country reporting rules, improving dispute resolution mechanisms, and tackling harmful tax practices.

Seychelles signed up to the BEPS multilateral instrument to make changes to its tax treaties in June 2017.

The Seychelles has for the past two years received support from Sweden on BEPS, as part of a twinning program.

Seychelles was this year to be peer reviewed on its compliance with the BEPS minimum standards on Action 5, Harmful Tax Practices, Action 6, Preventing Treaty Abuse, and Action 13, country-by-country reporting. In 2020, it will be reviewed on its implementation of recommendations on improving dispute resolution mechanisms.
Switzerland To Offer UK Equivalent Trade Terms After Brexit

by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels

21 December 2018

The Swiss Federal Council has approved the text of a trade agreement with the UK that aims to maintain existing economic and trade relations after Brexit.

At present, relations between Switzerland and the UK are largely based on the bilateral agreements Switzerland has with the EU.

The text approved by the Federal Council could serve as a basis for future economic and trade relations between Switzerland and the UK. It guarantees, as far as possible, the continuation of the economic and commercial rights and obligations arising from the agreements between Switzerland and the EU. It also provides for exploratory discussions aimed at developing these bilateral relations in the future.

The Swiss Federal Council said that if the transition period agreed between the UK and the EU comes into effect, as proposed, on March 29, 2019, the bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the EU would continue to apply between Switzerland and the UK. The text of the agreement approved by the Federal Council would then serve as a basis for economic and trade relations between Switzerland and the UK after the transition period expires on December 31, 2020, until such time as new trade agreements can be concluded.

However, the Federal Council said that, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the text of the agreement would make it possible to replicate in substance the majority of trade agreements that currently regulate relations between Switzerland and the UK.

If the relevant Swiss parliamentary committees approve the agreement, it could be signed and be applied from the date on which the UK leaves the EU.
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A new virtual reality documentary series from the BBC takes viewers into the heart of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of Africas most dangerous and beautiful countries. Produced by BBC VR Hub and BBC News, the new three-part series, Congo VR, is now available for free on the BBC VR app and at bbc.co.uk/virtualreality.

Congo VR is a sequel to Damming the Nile VR, the Rose DOr-winning series that took viewers to Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt to explore the water politics surrounding the worlds most famous river. This time, viewers are back on assignment with BBC Africa correspondent Alastair Leithead in the DRC as he explores this conflicted country.

The first episode, titled A Troubled Past, sees viewers board a train to the nations vibrant capital Kinshasa, where they meet the stylish Sapeurs, who embody the capitals energy and brash confidence. In the second episode, War and Disease, viewers join the Wagenia fishing community in Kisangani as they fish from rapids in the Congo river.

And in the third and final episode, Great Riches, viewers journey deep into the rainforest, where they come face-to-face with Eastern Lowland Gorillas, which offers a privileged close-up look at this beautiful and critically endangered animal.

Alastair Leithead, BBC Africa correspondent, said: To take viewers on an immersive journey up the Congo River is a great opportunity for them to experience just how much more there is to this vast country than the stereotypes of war and disease. The DRC has been haunted by the image of Conrads novella the Heart of Darkness for more than a century, but its a beautiful, rich and vibrant place. Hopefully, by going on an expedition with us on the river, viewers will get a deeper understanding of the history, the challenges, and the great potential of the DRC.

Zillah Watson, head of BBC VR Hub, said: This wonderful follow up to the award-winning Damming the Nile VR takes you right into the heart of this dangerous but beautiful country, somewhere the vast majority of us are never likely to visit. Riding along in the UNs armoured vehicles you can feel the very palpable sense of danger, and getting so close to the Eastern Lowland gorillas in such an immersive way is an extraordinary thing to see. Thats the beauty of VR, it can give you experiences you could never get anywhere else.

Congo VR is now available to view for free on the BBC VR app and at bbc.co.uk/virtualreality. It can be viewed in VR on the Oculus Go and Samsung Gear VR.

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Steelray Project Viewer is a Windows application that lets you open, print, search, and export Microsoft Project mpp files and view the information in them without requiring Microsoft Project. Steelray is the world's first project navigator and first project search engine.

Supports all standard views from Microsoft Project including Gantt, exporting to HTML and CSV, and printing.

Simple to use - The world's first project navigator.

Built-in search engine - Send task status updates to the project manager with a few clicks.

Cross-platform: Windows, Linux and Mac versions are available from our web site.

What's New:
What just happened? At least three men and over a dozen websites got an early Christmas present from the FBI. In cooperation with California and Alaska authorities the US Federal Bureau of Investigation seized several website offering DDoS services and arrested three individuals running some of the sites.

On Thursday, federal authorities seized 15 different booter websites and charged three individuals with crimes. Booter sites, also known as stresser services allow individuals without any hacking experience to execute distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks for a fee.

As of this morning, the FBI has taken down the following attack-for-hire domains:

While this weeks crackdown will have a significant impact on this burgeoning criminal industry, there are other sites offering these services  and we will continue our efforts to rid the internet of these websites, said United States Attorney Nick Hanna in a press release. We are committed to seeing the internet remain a forum for the free and unfettered exchange of information.

These sites have mostly flown under the FBIs radar because they advertise themselves as services to be used for stress testing domains that are owned by the subscriber. However, they have long been used to interrupt other websites, usually out of anger or spite. Many of the seized domains have been identified as being behind recent DDoS attacks of serval gaming websites.

"The action against the DDoS services comes the week before the Christmas holiday, a period historically plagued by prolific DDoS attacks in the gaming world," said an FBI press release.

In addition to the seizure warrants executed against the websites, two men have been charged with conspiracy to violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Matthew Gatrel and Juan Martinez have both been indicted with crimes relating to their operation of websites Downthem and Ampnode respectively.

A third individual, David Bukowski has been charged with aiding and abetting computer intrusions. Bukowski allegedly operated Quantum Stresser, which was one of the longest running of the DDoS services on the web. The FBI estimates that the site was behind over 50,000 successful and attempted attacks in 2018 and had over 80,000 subscribers since 2012.

While no users of these services have been arrested, authorities caution that they can and will seek prosecution of anyone paying for cyber attacks.

Whether you launch the DDoS attack or hire a DDoS service to do it for you, the FBI considers it criminal activity, said FBI Assistant Director Matthew Gorham. Working with our industry and law enforcement partners, the FBI will identify and potentially prosecute you for this activity. We will use every tool at our disposal to combat all forms of cybercrime including DDoS activity.
In brief: Facebook might be relieved to hear it isnt the only site getting lambasted right now. Twitters shares plummeted after a short-seller said it has become the Harvey Weinstein of social mediaa response to an Amnesty International report that examined the abuse of women on the microblogging site. Investor Andrew Left's Citron Research wrote that Twitter had now become uninvestable.

Earlier this week, human rights advocacy group Amnesty International, in collaboration with Element AI, published the findings of its Troll Report project: the worlds largest crowd-sourced dataset of online abuse against women. It analyzed millions of tweets received by 778 journalists and politicians in the UK and US using machine learning, and found that 7.1 percent were problematic or abusive. That amounts to 1.1 million tweets across the year, or one every 30 seconds. Women of color were 34 percent more likely to be targeted, and black women were 84 percent more likely than white women to be mentioned in problematic tweets.

Citron has been following Twitter for years and when we read the just-published piece from Amnesty International, we immediately knew the stock had become uninvestable and advertisers will soon be forced to take a hard look at all sponsorships with Twitter, the Citron report said.

Twitter told Amnesty its study was unclear on how it defined and identified problematic content. Context matters when evaluating abusive behavior and determining appropriate enforcement actions, wrote Twitters legal, policy and trust and safety global lead Vijaya Gadde.

The Harvey Weinstein comparison contributed to Twitter shares falling as much as 13 percent to $28.51. Citron set a new share price target of $20 for the company; in August, it had set a price of $52.

While Twitters stock has declined around 7.4 percent this monthmore than Facebooksit is still up about 21.7 percent this year.
What just happened? Last month saw several reports that claimed Apple was slashing production of its newest iPhones due to it overestimating their popularity. Now, an analyst says more massive cuts could arrive in the March quarter of 2019.

Rosenblatt analyst Jun Zhang wrote in an investor note that Apple could cut iPhone production by four million units during the firms fiscal second quarter.

While Apples previous reduction in production orders can be attributed to its optimism when predicting the handsets sales, Zhang writes that the new cuts will mostly be due to the turmoil Apple faces in China.

At the start of the month, Huaweis CFO, Meng Wanzhou, was arrested in Canada at the request of the United States for allegedly violating sanctions against Iran. According to Zhang, many Chinese companies are supporting Huawei by subsidizing employees who purchase devices from the company instead of iPhones.

Zhang believes the iPhone XR will be most affected. The cheapest of Apples latest iPhones has reportedly already seen its production numbers cut by a third, and it will take another 2.5 million hit during the quarter. Some reviewers found the cheaper iPhone XR to be the most impressive of all three 2018 iPhones, but it seems many Apple fans arent convinced.

The iPhone XS, meanwhile, may see its production cut by 1 million units, while the iPhone XS Max's could be dropped by 500,000.

The production cuts have seen many iPhone suppliers reduce their quarterly profit estimates, and it was reported that Foxconn had decreased its overtime hours. Apples biggest assembler of handsets is also cutting $3 billion from its costs ahead of a difficult 2019.
Bottom line: Amazon's is wise to create its own air transportation network. By cutting out the middle man, Amazon is saving money and gets to move products around the country on its own schedule. FedEx and UPS can't be too happy with these developments.

Amazon on Friday announced it is leasing 10 additional Boeing 767  300 cargo planes for its Amazon Air operations, pushing its total fleet to 50 aircraft.

Amazon launched its air transportation network in mid-2016 as the next step in reducing its reliance on traditional couriers like FedEx, UPS and the US Postal Service. By cutting out the middle man and routing its own flights, Amazon is likely saving a significant amount of money in the shipping department.

The 10 additional aircraft are coming from Air Transport Services Group, Inc. and will join the Amazon Air network over the coming two years. Its current fleet of 40 aircraft service more than 20 airports, making Amazons two-day shipping possible in nearly every part of the US.

Amazon on Friday also announced its first fulfillment center in Mississippi.

The 554,000-square-foot fulfillment center will create 850 full-time jobs paying a $15 minimum hourly wage and benefits from day one. Located in Marshall County in Northern Mississippi, the facilitys close proximity to a FedEx hub and the Memphis International Airport was no doubt instrumental in Amazons decision to choose this location.

Lead image courtesy EQRoy via Shutterstock
Forward-looking: Targeting India makes sense for Facebook as the country leads the world in remittances. According to the World Bank, people sent $69 billion back home to India last year. At the very least, tapping into that market would help Facebook further build WhatsApp's market share

Facebook is developing a cryptocurrency thatll make it easier for WhatsApp users to exchange money on the popular messaging platform.

Sources familiar with the matter tell Bloomberg that Facebook will initially focus on the remittance market in India, allowing foreign workers to transfer money to individuals back in their home country. Theyll do so through the use of a stablecoin, a type of cryptocurrency thats backed by the US dollar on a one-to-one basis.

The people, who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters, said Facebook is still far from releasing the coin as it needs to finalize plans including custody assets. That is, how it will protect the value of the virtual asset. Traditional stable coin offerings are backed by fiat currency held on hand and are expected to submit to regular audits to verify holdings.

Facebook hired former PayPal president David Marcus in mid-2014 to lead the companys Messenger unit. In May, he transitioned to the head of Facebooks experimental blockchain group and now oversees around 40 employees.

Facebook wont be the first to market with a stablecoin but given its sheer size and influence, it has a chance to be one of the most successful.

Lead image courtesy BigTunaOnline via Shutterstock
The big picture: Apple's App Store and Google Play both saw an increase in the number of developers pushing their revenues to over $1 million for the first time. App development on the digital storefronts continues to grow as many developers begin switching to subscription-based rather than ad-based models.

According to an analysis report from Sensor Tower, Apples App Store has produced 164 millionaire developers in 2018. The analytics firm which focuses on Apple and Google digital storefronts also said that the Play store only had about half as many new developers that reached $1 million in revenue this year.

Since Apple takes a 30-percent cut, Cupertino raked in well over than $50 million from the newly minted millionaires alone. According to the companys recent press release regarding its expansion into Austin, Texas, the App Store is responsible for creating more than 1.5 million jobs in the US. Most of those are independent app developers.

Sensor Towers analysis also indicated that the industry is continuing to see significant growth.

The number of publishers with their first $1 million or greater year on the U.S. App Store grew by approximately 15 percent over 2017, when we found that 143 achieved this milestone, the report reads.

Although Google did not turn out as many millionaires, it saw similar increases percentage-wise. A total of 88 developers made their first million from Google Play in 2018. Compared with 2017s number (71), this is about a 20 percent increase.

Apple has been pushing developers to switch to a recurring subscription model versus in-app advertising, which seems to be paying off.

Both of the categories with the greatest year-over-year growth in terms of numbers among new million-dollar publishersLifestyle and Health & Fitnesswere ones where there is a strong focus on generating revenue through in-app subscriptions, whether it be from fitness tracking, guided meditation, premium dating services, etc, Sensor Tower analyst Randy Nelson told Business Insider via email.

Gaming, which made up about one-third of the million dollar apps, saw some revenue growth, but health and fitness and other non-gaming applications watched their revenue grow by about 57 percent this year. This increase was primarily attributed to in-app subscriptions.
A team researchers have created a metamaterial that can be manipulated to change the color of light.

Scientists from UMass Lowell, King's College London, Paris Diderot University and the University of Hartford in Connecticut are working together on a new material that can adjust itself to alter the color of light.

The Future Prospects

According to the research findings published on Nov. 26 in a peer-review journal of The Optic Society, this technology could eventually empower computer processors with on-chip optical communication, leading to the development of faster, smaller, and more efficient computer chips with improved data storage and wider bandwidth. On-chip optical communication can also be used for the creation of robust fiber optic telecommunication networks.

Prof. Viktor Podolsky of the Department of Physics and Applied Physics and also the principal investigator at UMass Lowell explains that computer chips today use electrons for computing because they are tiny.

"However, the frequency of electrons is not fast enough. Light is a combination of tiny particles, called photons, which don't have mass. As a result, photons could potentially increase the chip's processing speed," he added.

Podolskiy explains that copper wires will be replaced by on-chip communication by altering electrical waves into pulses of light. This will enable both chip-to-chip and core-to-core communication on the same chip. As a result, they will be able to make parallel computing much faster and remove the communication blockage.

Key To Optical Computing Is Photons

"The vast majority of everyday objects, including mirrors, lenses and optical fibers, can steer or absorb these photons, says Podolsky.

However, there are some materials that can combine photons together, resulting in a higher energy photon of a different color, he further explains.

By enabling the communication between the photons, it is possible to unlock the key to optical computing and information processing. Podolskiy also explains that this process is inefficient and nonlinear, and the materials that promote interaction between photons are extremely uncommon.

However, the team of researchers has been able to discover the materials with substandard nonlinear properties that can be merged together to result in a new metamaterial that offers desired and advanced nonlinear characteristics. He explains that its improvement is a result of how metamaterials restructures the flow of photons.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed on Thursday that an outbreak of bacterial infections occurred in people who received stem cell injections.

Bacterial Infection Outbreak

The CDC said that at least 12 patients in Arizona, Florida, and Texas were hospitalized after getting shots of stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood to treat problems such as back pain and joint pain.

Of the 12 patients, three were hospitalized for a month or longer. None died.

Contamination did not likely occurred at the clinics that gave the shots because investigators found bacteria in unopened vials provided by Liveyon, a California-based distributor of stem cell products manufactured by Genetech laboratory.

Liveyon voluntary recalled the stem cells in October after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration received reports of adverse reaction.

"The decision to stop shipment of Genetech products and implement the recall was to ensure the safety of all patients, regardless of whether the adverse reactions were product- related or the result of any procedural misuse of the product." the FDA said in a statement announcing the recall.

Last month, the FDA warned Genetech that it should not market the stem cells without regulators' approval. The agency also said that the small San Diego company has deviated from manufacturing requirements in a manner that could lead to bacterial contamination.

Stem Cells As Treatment For Diseases

Stem cells have the unique ability to develop into specialized cells such as bone cells, blood cells, and brain cells. Researchers are interested in these undifferentiated cells because of their potential to treat many diseases.

Earlier this year, scientists in the United Kingdom successfully used stem cell therapy to restore the eyesight of two patients with macular degeneration.

Clinical trials involving more than 100 multiple sclerosis patients also show the potentials of using stem cell treatments to stop fatal condition and improve the symptoms.

Stems cells are currently approved for use in a small number of medical procedures but in recent years, many private clinics started to promote their use for diseases where there is little evidence stem cell treatment can be safely and effectively used.

Last year, FDA announced a crackdown in businesses and doctors promoting stem cell injections for diseases such as arthritis and Alzheimer's disease.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A mysterious light lit up the sky in Northern California, leaving residents baffled and amazed. Does it have anything to do with the canceled rocket launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base, or is it something different altogether?

Mysterious Light

A mysterious light caused a bit of buzz among residents of Northern California this past Wednesday after the smoke-like light lit up the darkening sky for several minutes. Naturally, many were quick to share the footage they got of the phenomenon from where they were when it happened. One even described it as a streak of light that left the light trail.

Interestingly, there were rocket launches scheduled for that day at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, but they were canceled due to a glitch. So what really caused the mysterious sighting?

Meteor

Neither the Vandenberg Air Force Base nor the Travis Air Force Base had any information on what the mysterious light might be, but the National Weather Service Bay Area believes that it might be a meteor that resulted in a noctilucent cloud (NLC).

In a tweet, the agency noted that evidence is so far showing that the object might have been a meteor or some other space debris entering the atmosphere, although it is still not a hundred percent certain.

Noctilucent Clouds

NLCs are actually a mystery that dates back to the 19th century. In fact, the phenomenon was first observed in 1885 by sky watchers, about two years after the eruption of Krakatoa. Back then, it was believed that the smoke was some sort of manifestation of volcanic dust, but it is now believed to be more from space than from below the surface. Specifically, it is now known that at least 3 percent of each ice crystal in an NLC is meteoritic in origin.

That said, it remains to be a mystery why such clouds are brightening, and why they seem to be spreading since they were first observed.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
German court has officially banned Apple from further selling iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 units in the country, reports Reuters.

The move is a massive win for chipmaker Qualcomm, who's been in a nasty legal battle with Apple centered on chips and patents. Apple has confirmed it will begin pulling the aforementioned iPhone models from its stores in Germany.

Qualcomm's victory arrives weeks after the company secured a court order to ban sales of some iPhone models in China. Apple has contested both rulings, and particularly in China, it has tweaked iOS in order to keep selling phones in the country.

iPhone Ruling In Germany Bans iPhone 7, iPhone 8 Sales

The German ruling only affects two of Apple's previous-generation iPhones, of course. The company is still allowed to sell the iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, and other models in the country. The ban might only affect a few million iPhones out of the hundreds of millions that Apple sells each year, as Reuters notes.

That being said, this is still a clear victory for Qualcomm in what's a tricky and complex legal war that's been boiling for more than a year. The skirmish is likely about to get worse in the coming months, especially as antitrust regulators and Apple both take Qualcomm to U.S. court.

"Qualcomm's campaign is a desperate attempt to distract from the real issues between our companies," said Apple in a statement. "Their tactics, in the courts and in their everyday business, are harming innovation and harming consumers. Qualcomm insists on charging exorbitant fees based on work they didn't do and they are being investigated by governments all around the world for their behavior."

The Apple And Qualcomm War Explained

Apple has accused Qualcomm of engaging in illegal behavior to maintain a monopoly on the mobile chip market. Qualcomm is currently the top manufacturer when it comes to mobile chip platforms, its Snapdragon series used by nearly all devices from all manufacturers except for Huawei, which uses proprietary processors.

In response to Apple's accusations, Qualcomm has accused Apple of giving Intel, Qualcomm's main rival, "unprecedented access" to its proprietary chip technology.

From there, things have only gotten worse. Back in July, Apple announced that it was going to remove Qualcomm components from future iPhones, a change that could greatly hurt Qualcomm's profits moving forward.

Make sure to check back with Tech Times as this story develops.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
NASA is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.

A few days ago this technologically advanced space research center sent an email to all employees. This email informed the employees about the recent data breach through which hackers gained access to employees private information.

So heres everything you need to know about this security issue.

ALSO READ: Uber and NASA collaborate for the flying taxi project

Someone Hacked NASA: The Issue

According to an internal memo that was sent by NASAs human resources department, hackers might have breached NASAs servers in recent months. This major data breach was identified on 23rd October.

Hackers gained access to employees personally identifiable information, including their Social Security numbers.

The server that was hacked stored the data of employees that worked at NASA between July 2006 to October 2018. As of now, theres no exact list of the employees whose personal data might have been exposed by this data breach.

Someone Hacked NASA: The Aftermath

It is worth noting that, its the third breach of NASA since 2011. NASA is now working with federal investigators to determine the extent of the breach. They are also identifying the perpetrators who might be responsible for this data breach.

In response to Gizmodo, a NASA spokesperson stated that the agency does not believe that any agency missions were jeopardized by the intrusions.

NASA shared this memo to warn the employees to take necessary precautions to safeguard against identity theft. Well, NASA believes that the data breach didnt affect any of its missions.

A cybersecurity expert Sam Curry told The Independent, while [personally identifiable information] and employee privacy are vital, there are many things at NASA in the national security domain and are of vital importance to the nation.

NASA has stated that it will provide further details when they have more information about the data breach.
A federal lawsuit filed by opponents led the Lafayette Public Library to cancel a Drag Queen Story Time event, but it now faces a legal challenge from the opposite direction. The American Civil Liberties Union on Friday intervened in the lawsuit on behalf of two Lafayette Parish residents, claiming that the librarys retreat from holding the event was unconstitutional.

Specifically, plaintiffs Aimee Robinson and Matthew Humphrey say the library is requiring them to promise in writing not to use the meeting space for anything related to the story time event as a precondition for reservation. They claim that this amounts to targeted, viewpoint-based discrimination.

Robinson and Humphrey want to use the meeting room to plan and hold a Drag Queen Story Time event, but they claim they are now barred from doing so in violation of their First Amendment rights.

Lafayette library officials have imposed a gag order on their patrons, the ACLU of Louisianas legal director, Katie Schwartzmann, said in a news release. The fact that this particular ban targets LGBTQ Louisianans based upon fear-mongering and discrimination is particularly egregious.

+3 Lafayette in front lines of culture war as uproar continues over Drag Queen Story Time The rift among the factions on either side the Drag Queen Story Time controversy was laid bare this week, and it looks irreconcilable.

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Library director Teresa Elberson told staff in an internal memo this month that the library cannot in any way allow Drag Queen Story Hour, because of the opponents lawsuit, according to KATC. Elberson told Magistrate Judge Patrick Hanna in an October 16 hearing that the library would stand down from holding the event, according to court files.

The ACLU complaint notes the title of the event in Elbersons internal memo, which is also used in the new room reservation forms, is similar but different from the one that the plaintiffs want to conduct. Plaintiffs want to hold an event called Drag Queen Story Time.

Drag Queen Story Time, initially planned for Oct. 5, was intended to be an hourlong event in which male University of Louisiana-Lafayette students dressed in womens clothes would read books to children ages three to six. Professional librarians would choose the books. It stirred immediate controversy after appearing in an August pamphlet of the librarys upcoming events.

Elberson defended the event during several contentious public meetings. As the uproar grew, the library announced that the location of the event would be moved from a library meeting room in the downtown branch to a more spacious venue at South Louisiana Community College. But the college backed out two days before the event, citing security concerns.
Nicholas Williams told commissioners of the board that oversees East Baton Rouge's parks and recreation system that he has the leadership skill set and experience to bring what he called "transformative" programs that enrich the lives of youth.

And Williams said he sees the opportunity to become the next superintendent at BREC as a way to match his skills with an agency servicing a community that could benefit most from them.

Williams was the fourth, and final, public interview the board held in its search to replace outgoing Superintendent Carolyn McKnight.

McKnight is leaving the agency when her contract expires in January after having served in the position for the past six years, the last of which were fairly controversial.

In matter-of-fact resolution, BREC superintendent calls for national search to replace herself As though business as usual, BREC superintendent Carolyn McKnight on Thursday evening launched a national search to replace herself  a seemin

The other three finalists were interviewed Wednesday: Chris Nunes, who has worked in the parks and recreation industry for more than 20 years, the last 12 heading the parks and recreation system in The Woodlands, Texas; East Feliciana Parish schools Superintendent Carlos Sam; and Corey Wilson, McKnight's No. 2 assistant as chief of management and business service for BREC.

Commissioners are expected to select a new superintendent at a special meeting at 9 a.m. Friday.

Williams, who is pursuing a masters degree in education leadership California State University, East Bay, has been director of the Oakland, California, parks and recreation system since 2016, assistant superintendent for Minneapolis parks and recreation system for three years before that, and was an operations manager for Atlantas Office of Parks from 2007 to 2012.

On Thursday, the board spent a little more than an hour volleying many of the same questions posed to the other three candidates. Those ranged from their grant writing/fundraising experience, program evaluation mindsets, past successes and failures and their aptitude with dealing with public backlash and racial tensions in the community.

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What's in store for BREC's future? 3 finalists detail their vision for agency at public interviews Three of the four finalists in the running for superintendent for East Baton Rouge Parish's parks and recreation system tried Wednesday to set

In his current position, Williams said, his duties include oversight of the city's zoo, which has recently undergone a $75 million re-build, and he has supported and campaigned for trail connectivity, an ongoing endeavor of BREC's.

"I have experience communicating why trails and connectivity is important and doing so where it doesn't seem like an Us. vs. Them situation," he told the board.

Like the other candidates, Williams sees parks and recreation systems as tools that can heal communities bubbling with racial tensions. He also talked about a successful program he implemented in Oakland that brought together senior citizens and at-risk youth.

"Lots of inner city kids we work with dont have structured families so it was an opportunity for the older generation to pour some wisdom into out younger generations," he said.

Williams said he mostly outsourced grant writing, and said he had never received a negative audit in any of his leadership positions within parks and recreation.

The board also asked if he has tough enough skin to deal with backlash he'd likely face serving as the head of BREC.

"I'm a sensitive guy. I have feelings," he added. "I understand leadership is tough. There are thorns in the crown of leadership that people dont see."
A former assistant warden who worked in security at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola has been charged with abusing his position by helping facilitate the underground market for contraband, said West Feliciana District Attorney Sam D'Aquilla.

Kevin Latroy Benjamin, 45, was charged last week with malfeasance in office, the second case in a widening multi-agency drug investigation, which includes the FBI and the Louisiana Department of Corrections, court records show.

Angola sergeant resigns after 'shakedown' turns up meth in her vehicle, officials say A sergeant at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola was booked Monday into the West Feliciana Detention Center on drug-related counts aft

D'Aquilla said he listened to a recording taken by another former prison official in which Benjamin can be heard explaining when shakedowns or rounds would be made at the prison  information Benjamin provided to help the other official sneak drugs into the prison.

D'Aquilla said Benjamin's case is connected to the arrest earlier this month of another Angola sergeant, Keisarah McGee, 27, who resigned after a shakedown at the prison revealed she had six ounces of methamphetamine in her vehicle.

Benjamin retired from the corrections department on Dec. 5, the same day McGee was arrested. Benjamin had worked in the corrections department since July 1991, most recently as an assistant warden at Angola, where he worked in security, said Department of Corrections spokesman Ken Pastorick.

Pastorick said Benjamin is a part of an ongoing investigation. The corrections department remains a part of the investigation, Pastorick said, along with the FBI and other agencies he declined to name.

"With an ongoing investigation, we are not at liberty to discuss details," Pastorick said. "The details will come out eventually."

D'Aquilla also said he expects more people will be added to this criminal investigation, and noted that more charges could still come against Benjamin.

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However, in an odd set of circumstances, Benjamin has not yet been arrested or booked into jail, despite being formally charged. Typically in state criminal court, someone is arrested after an investigating agency finds probable cause that a law has been violated. Then, a prosecutor can review the case and decide to bring charges.

Charges can be brought without a preceding arrest; but after a charge is filed, the defendant will then typically be booked into jail.

In this case, D'Aquilla charged Benjamin before any arrest was made. D'Aquilla admitted that filing the bill of information could have been premature in the larger investigation, but said it was an "obviously a malfeasance charge."

"I just wanted to make sure something was in the system," D'Aquilla said.

West Feliciana Sheriff Austin Daniel, whose office serves as the arresting agency for the parish where Angola is located, said he did not know of any plans to arrest Benjamin. He deferred all questions about the issue to D'Aquilla.

"We didn't arrest him," Daniel said. "I don't know why (D'Aquilla) handled it that way. I thought it was a bit strange myself."

D'Aquilla said the investigation into Benjamin remains ongoing, and he could be arrested in the future.

However, the absence of arrest is not because Benjamin remains elusive to authorities. He showed up for his arraignment Thursday morning in the West Fecliciana Parish courthouse. That proceeding, however, was continued until August, according to court records.
In this July 26, 2016 file photo, former Attorney General Eric Holder speaks during the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. The National Redistricting Foundation, a nonprofit affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which is chaired by Holder, has launched a legal campaign to create majority-minority congressional districts in three Southern states. The lawsuit claims that the current maps discriminate against black voters. They filed separate federal lawsuits Wednesday, June 13, 2018, in Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana, challenging congressional maps state lawmakers in each state approved in 2011.
In 2008, when Gov. Bobby Jindal took office, he proclaimed his goal for Louisiana to be the gold standard for government ethics.

A decade later, lawmakers are still cashing in as lobbyists once they leave office, their paychecks fattened because they can now leverage their government contacts.

Its true of Democrats and Republicans. Its in the legislative process, where legislators become lobbyists, but also in the rush of lawmakers into full-time jobs in the executive branch.

The system erodes the belief of the people in their government.

Theres a whole flock of them, said state Sen. Conrad Appel, a Metairie Republican who has often battled with the influential nursing home industry, but his comments fully apply to representatives of other well-heeled industries.

Do they have any extra authority because they were a legislator? Id say no, Appel said. But they do have a leg up because theyre friends with people there, and they know how the system works, and they have contacts.

That is almost a textbook definition of what people dont like about government, and why there is so much cynicism about how decisions are made in the State Capitol, but also elsewhere.

The old revolving door of politicians using their experience  and, yes, their knowledge of complex subjects  for personal advancement is probably as old as the pharaohs of Egypt. It is certainly the case in Washington, where senior members of committees learn a lot about the bills related to energy or finance or other subjects, and then become lobbyists for the interests they served in office.

As the report from The Advocate and Pro Publica shows, the revolving doors in the State Capitol continue, despite ethics laws  and Jindals 2008 push did dramatically improve law on legislators disclosing their interests  the gold standard isnt enough.

As in Washington, despite laws that require two years time before legislators lobby their former colleagues, state legislators may become consultants or of counsel in the case of lawyers in a firm, to offer advice behind the scenes before becoming day-to-day fixtures in the capitol halls.

An outright ban on former legislators in government? That would probably be impractical because of constitutional challenges based on rights of free speech and association.

In the years since Jindals initiatives, a lot has changed about the Legislature, too. Partisan bickering is now uglier and legislative sessions  as in the past two years  have become what seems endlessly extended by special sessions. A citizen legislator who has a real job at home can be pushed into real financial hardship if that is the norm now.

But it has been a decade for the gold standard, and it needs some polishing  in fact, a lot of polishing.
Catholic Church officials in New Orleans have settled a lawsuit accusing a priest and a deacon of sexually abusing a boy at a Treme parish in the 1980s.

The priest, Kenneth Hamilton of the Society of the Divine Word religious order, and the now-retired deacon, Lloyd Glapion, both have denied wrongdoing, the Archdiocese of New Orleans said in a statement Thursday.

Nonetheless, the archdiocese said it reached a settlement with the plaintiff for undisclosed terms on Wednesday and announced it to the public in a spirit of transparency.

Our prayers are with all those who have been harmed by church leaders, the archdiocese said.

The case, filed in 2015, centered on allegations of abuse at St. Augustine Catholic Church, 1210 Gov. Nicholls Street. The church is a separate institution from the high school of the same name in the 7th Ward.

Most of the lawsuit's pleadings remained under seal Thursday. But one document that wasnt sealed accused church officials of failure to protect the (plaintiff)  from sexual abuses at the hands of clergy who it alleges weren't properly investigated before their ordination.

Documents also contended that the plaintiff was owed damages after he suffered sexual, physical, and/or mental abuses as a result. They singled out Glapion and Hamilton as defendants along with the archdiocese and the Divine Word order.

The plaintiffs legal team, led by attorney James Williams, couldnt be reached for comment.

The Advocate is not identifying the plaintiff because of a policy against naming victims of sexual abuse without their permission.

Neither Glapion nor Hamilton was on the list published Nov. 2 by Archbishop Gregory Aymond that named 57 clergymen in the New Orleans area who the church says were credibly accused of sexually abusing minors.

Reveal of 57 New Orleans clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse a major step for Catholic officials New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond on Friday released the names of 57 former clergy members credibly accused of sexually abusing minors  t

Hamilton was most recently listed as a staff member at a church in Oakland, California. But an official reached on Thursday said he wasn't working there.

Hamilton said he has never been served with the plaintiff's lawsuit but asserted Thursday that the allegations against him were false.

I wasnt even there, said Hamilton, who described himself as semi-retired. (Suing the church) is a big industry. People want money. Some of these people are actual victims, which is too bad because their cases are subsumed.

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The archdiocese said it was up to Hamiltons order to handle any discipline against him.

Glapion retired in 1999 "and has been out of ministry for many years," the archdiocese said.

Neither the order nor Glapion could be reached for comment.

+2 Teenager was raped in 1970s by high-ranking Salesian priest in Marrero, lawsuit says A Louisiana man claims in a new lawsuit that nearly 40 years ago, the regional leader of a Catholic religious order that founded Archbishop Sh

The case is among numerous decades-old allegations of clerical abuse in New Orleans and across the U.S. that Catholic officials have acknowledged amid a push from victims and their advocates to publicize the claims.

Aymond released his list partially as a bid to win back the trust of local Catholics disgusted by a Pennsylvania grand jury report this summer that exposed undisclosed sex abuse allegations involving hundreds of priests there. That report helped reignite a sex abuse and cover-up scandal that first erupted in earnest in Boston in 2002.

The church adopted policies beginning in 2002 that required officials to be transparent about abuse cases, but officials havent always adhered to those guidelines through the years.

Still, Thursdays announcement about the suit against Hamilton and Glapion seemed to have been released in the spirit of those policies.

The 143-year-old, Dutch-founded Society of the Divine Word had one priest  Andrew Masters  on Aymond's list.

+4 More Jesuit educators from New Orleans named in latest church sex abuser list In a move aimed at restoring trust with parishioners amid the clergy abuse scandal that has engulfed the Catholic Church, the Jesuit order on 

The religious orders with the most priests on that list were the Salesians and the Jesuits, with eight and six, respectively.

St. Augustine Church was established by free African-Americans in 1841, many years before slavery in the U.S. was abolished. The churchs website describes St. Augustine as the nations oldest African-American Catholic church.
The New Orleans City Council on Thursday approved new rules for businesses seeking local property tax breaks through a controversial state program, becoming the latest local government in Louisiana to create rules for the subsidies.

Under the rules passed unanimously by the council, for city businesses to receive a tax break under the state's Industrial Tax Exemption Program, they must pay their employees at least $18 an hour.

They also must be located in neighborhoods that are struggling economically, and they must not have begun construction on their buildings before requesting the tax break.

Council members said the rules will ensure that businesses receiving the benefit, which can cut their property taxes on new buildings, factories or other investments by 80% for up to 10 years, are giving the city something in return.

"I stand with those who are tired of New Orleans not getting its fair share," Councilwoman Helena Moreno said. "At least with these (rules), we can start getting a piece back."

New Orleans is at least the fifth taxing entity in the state to exercise its right to restrict the tax breaks since Gov. John Bel Edwards in 2016 signed an order giving parishes more say in the awards.

The benefits are granted by the state but mostly impact tax revenues that go to local entities, and new state guidelines for issuing them were finalized this summer.

Before the new rules were passed, the state Board of Commerce and Industry alone made the call on whether a business received the benefit. That board approved most applications from businesses.

The result was a loss of $13.7 billion in local tax revenues across the state for the 10 years ending in 2016, according to the state Tax Commission. Orleans Parish forfeited $112 million over that period.

At the same time, Louisiana lost more than 36,000 manufacturing jobs from 2001 to 2016, according to federal data. Data from the advocacy group Together Louisiana, a critic of the program, show that New Orleans has lost 76 jobs since 1998 even as program participants promised the city more than 4,500 new positions over that period.

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Although the changes have drawn support from Together Louisiana and others, they have been lambasted by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, which says they will dissuade corporations from investing in the state.

Meanwhile, the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association  which can count longtime ITEP recipients among its membership and has tried to position itself as a resource for local governments crafting new ITEP rules  has said that parishes should consider all the benefits of new development when they restrict the tax breaks.

The City Council's rules seek big returns for a city that forfeits $10.6 million annually in taxes that would otherwise be levied on 39 companies. City Hall expects to take in $401 million in taxes overall next year, with $146 million of that coming from property taxes.

The ordinance approved Thursday requires firms that apply for the ITEP benefits to set up shop in a "distressed" area, meaning one where median per capita income is below the state average, or one defined by the state as being in need of development.

In addition to the wage requirements, in 2019, businesses seeking the exemptions must demonstrate good-faith efforts to funnel at least 45 percent of their work hours to New Orleans workers, with 25 percent of those local hours going to disadvantaged local workers. Starting in 2020, the numbers rise to 50 percent local and 30 percent disadvantaged local.

Disadvantaged workers are defined as those who earn less than half of the area's median income, have been arrested or fall into several other specific categories.

The firms also must not have started construction of their buildings prior to requesting the tax break from the city  a requirement that mirrors an ITEP restriction passed this year by the Orleans Parish School Board, another agency that levies taxes.

Businesses that don't meet the criteria would be rejected. If they later fail to adhere to the rules, the council could terminate their exemptions.

Councilwoman Cyndi Nguyen, who chairs the council's Economic Development Committee, said the new rules are "not a strategy to eliminate opportunity."

But if the city is willingly giving up its right to collect taxes, "there needs to be a return for residents," she said.
Following a hotly contested 5-2 vote on one school's future by the Orleans Parish School Board on Thursday night, New Orleans is slated to become the first U.S. city with virtually all of its public schools run by charter organizations starting next school year.

As a packed room of community members chanted, shouted and waved signs in protest, the board gave a thumbs-up to a plan announced earlier in the day by Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. to have InspireNOLA, a high-performing charter operator, temporarily run McDonogh 35 Senior High School, which has been the citys only non-charter public high school.

The charter group was awarded a two-year management contract to operate the existing school, which will have only 11th- and 12th-grade students. Once they graduate, that school will dissolve.

At the same time, InspireNOLA has gotten a new charter contract to create McDonogh 35 College Preparatory Charter on the same campus. That school will start with ninth grade and add a grade each year until it reaches 12th.

This decision will restore and uplift the academic legacy of this much beloved school while maintaining its cultural importance, board President John Brown Sr. said.

+2 OPSB Superintendent Henderson Lewis touts unity, but community remains divided Parents shouted protests and some were escorted away from the podium, spewing scorn at school leaders. On the dais, members of the Orleans Pa

The board also voted to create a $5 million, two-year transition fund for McDonogh 35.

With the school districts two other direct-run schools set to close or transfer their management to charters in coming months, the decision on McDonogh 35 marks the completion of a movement begun in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to transform New Orleans' public schools into a system run by largely autonomous charter organizations.

The only remaining outlier to the charter structure is the Travis Hill School in the city's juvenile detention center; it is run by a nonprofit but not a charter operator.

Its definitely unique, Caroline Roemer, director of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, said of the Orleans system. It puts a lot of pressure on Orleans as a school district  and on the charters  on getting this right.

McDonogh 35 opened in 1917 as Louisianas first public high school for black students. It currently enrolls 450 students on its campus in the former St. Bernard housing complex neighborhood, and is one of just three schools that the OPSB directly operates or will operate over the next few months.

After an "intensive year" of community meetings, including multiple discussions with students, families, and alumni, Lewis said his goal is to bring McDonogh 35 back into its premier position as an academically successful, first-tier high school.

Orleans Parish School Board partners with foundation to find ways to increase equity in schools For the first time, the Greater New Orleans Foundation is partnering with the Orleans Parish School Board to figure out how to increase equity

The last part of the plan was made official on Thursday when the board voted to give InspireNOLA the short-term contract, as the organization had already been awarded a new charter and Lewis had authority to assign the McDonogh building to that new school.

The board heard about two hours worth of impassioned commentary before that vote at the evening meeting, mostly from parents and alumni who wanted the school to remain run directly by the OPSB, as nearly all public schools in the city once were.

As they spoke, protesters with the group Families and Friends of Louisianas Incarcerated Children cheered them on, sang chants with biblical references and shouted, Erase the board!

These are the alumni of McDonogh 35, these are the parents, these are the children. This is the community, resident Walter Goodwin told the board. We did not elect you to be a rubber stamp. Do not rubber-stamp this. We elected you to represent us.

Several audience members began crying and screaming after the vote.

Board members Nolan Marshall and Ben Kleban cast the two dissenting votes.

It saddens me, I have to say, in this point in time we have not done what we needed to do with McDonogh 35, Marshall said.

Lewis had announced earlier that the district would close Cypress Academy and Edgar P. Harney Spirit of Excellence Academy, both directly run elementary schools, at the end of this school year. Things at Harney got so bad, however, that the district decided to step in and operate the school itself starting in January.

Can't see video below? Click here.

On Monday, Gertrude Ivory, president of the McDonogh 35 Alumni Association, released a statement asking the district to keep the 101-year-old institution under direct control, and to give necessary supports and financial resources for it to be successful.

Ivory argued that the OPSB would be the best partner to help restore the school to the national prominence she said it once enjoyed.

The students, staff, parents and alumni will be best served as an Orleans Parish School Board direct-run school, she said.

For decades before Hurricane Katrina, McDonogh 35 enjoyed a strong reputation and graduated numerous local notables, including former Mayor Ernest Dutch Morial and Judge Israel Augustine. However, its reputation dimmed as its academic achievement began to slip.

The school was last named a School of Academic Achievement by the Louisiana Department of Education in 2001, and it had dropped to a D letter grade by the time the state released 2016-17 school performance scores.

+3 N.O.-area schools see grade drop or stay flat with new, more rigorous scoring system Schools in the New Orleans area still have a long way to go before they meet the more demanding national education standards that state offici

The OPSB solicited charter operators to take over the school during the last three application cycles, but no operator showed interest.

The schools future has been uncertain since last year, when it started to phase out grades, and the district closed enrollment in an attempt to divert its remaining resources to improving academics.

InspireNOLA runs six public schools in New Orleans that enroll nearly 4,500 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

On Thursday, district officials praised the charter organization, saying it has a significant record of operating high-performing high schools, pointing to Edna Karr High School in Algiers and Eleanor McMain Secondary in Uptown, two of the citys most admired open-enrollment schools.

The organization also took over Andrew Wilson Charter in 2015, bringing the F-rated elementary school up to a C last year. Other InspireNOLA schools are Alice M. Harte Elementary and Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary in Algiers and McDonogh No. 42 in the 7th Ward.

The transition to a school district run almost entirely by charter organizations has been years in the making.

The biggest shift happened in 2014, when the states Recovery School District still operated most of the city's public schools, many of which were faltering academically. That year, the RSD opted to close the last of its schools that hadnt yet been taken over by charter organizations, making it the first official charter-only school district across the state.

What's new with New Orleans OneApp? More schools opening, changes to priority, more The most stressful time of the year has arrived for many New Orleans parents, and it has nothing to do with holiday shopping.

At that point, only six remaining traditional public schools were being run by the OPSB.

Since the OPSB took over governance of all remaining RSD schools this summer, placing all public schools back under local supervision, Lewis has touted the benefits of a what he calls a "portfolio district."

The charter system, he said, is key to accountability, as it allows schools to expand or open new campuses if they are meeting state-enforced standards, and to be shut down if they are failing.

Members of New Schools for New Orleans, a pro-charter nonprofit organization, supported Thursday's decision, saying the charter movement helped usher in successes not seen in the city's schools for decades.

Last year, the nonprofit analyzed data from schools in New Orleans, 98 percent of which were charters, and found "numbers to celebrate."

Of the approximately 49,000 students who attended public schools in New Orleans in 2017, 73 percent graduated, up from 54 percent in 2014.

+4 With OneApp deadline near, New Orleans East IDEA officials work to sell parents on enrollment When its a brisk winter day and you want to attract schoolchildren and their parents, it helps to bring warm buttermilk drops and hot coffee.

The organization found 11 percent of New Orleans students attended schools rated as lowest-performing in 2017. In 2005, 62 percent were in such schools.

But Karran Harper Royal, a parent and outspoken charter school critic, called the transition a significant mistake, saying that with charters came extremely disruptive closures.

Charter schools are still very much an experiment, and in my opinion a very failed experiment, Royal said. Its a failed model. Weve gone down this path before  and its painful.
Twitter shares plummeted after Citron Research said a report by Amnesty International documenting the abuse of women on the platform shouldn't be ignored by investors.

"Twitter has become the Harvey Weinstein of social media," Citron said in its report, setting a new price target of $US20 for the stock. "Advertisers will soon be forced to take a hard look at all sponsorships with Twitter."

Twitter has become "the Harvey Weinstein of social media," Citron says.

The shares fell as much as 13 per cent to $US28.51, the most since July. The broader markets also fell amid concerns of a government shutdown.

Twitter has long been criticised for failing to limit harassment of women on the platform but a report earlier this week put the problem in a stark light.
The criminal case against Harvey Weinstein can go forward, a state judge in Manhattan ruled on Thursday, rejecting the Hollywood producer's arguments that errors by the police and prosecutors had tainted the grand jury and the indictment should be thrown out.

The decision paved the way for Weinstein to go to trial next year on charges that he raped one woman and forced another to allow him to perform oral sex on her.

Weinstein's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, filed a motion last month asking Justice James Burke of State Supreme Court to dismiss the case. Brafman had argued that prosecutors did not share "highly exculpatory evidence" with the grand jury and defense lawyers, including correspondence suggesting the women remained on friendly terms with Weinstein after the alleged attacks. Brafman also claimed that "police and prosecutorial misconduct" had tainted the grand jury's decision-making.

But moments after he entered the courtroom on Thursday morning, Justice Burke quickly announced that he would not dismiss the indictment against the once-powerful producer. He later released a written decision.
Most actors tend to rule-out certain roles only after intense backlash. But Darren Criss appears to be getting on the front foot.

The 31-year-old has announced he no longer wants to play gay characters after starring in Ryan Murphy's The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. The announcement comes at a time when Hollywood is grappling with queer representation on screen (specifically, the issue of transgender actors not being cast in trans or non-trans roles).

The former Glee star says it was an honour playing characters such as Blaine Anderson in that series but it is time to give up the blazer and perfectly coiffed hair for good.

"There are certain roles that I'll see that are just wonderful," he recently told online women's magazine Bustle. "But I want to make sure I won't be another straight boy taking a gay man's role. The reason I say that is because getting to play those characters is inherently a wonderful dramatic experience. It has made for very, very compelling and interesting people."
Roofs have been badly damaged, cars have been destroyed and Christmas presents have been ruined, but residents are thankful Thursday night's severe storms were not worse.

The thunderstorms brought hail to parts of Sydney with the Bureau of Meteorology recording hailstones up to eight centimetres in diameter.

Many homes in Berowra Heights sustained damage when a hail storm hit the area on Thursday night. Credit:Wolter Peeters

Berowra Heights resident Penny Street said she was initially watching the hailstorm outside with two of her children when she decided it was becoming unsafe as the hailstones grew in size.

"I thought Id take the kids into one of the rooms where it's a bit safer," she said.
My wife and I tried the first thing everyone does when at first they dont succeed  we got a dog. Then we discovered that just taking daily Claratyne wasnt as effective as we hoped, and now Percival runs around a farm in the country.

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Then we did the thing most people tell you never to do while grieving, and sold our house. Wed bought a four-bedroom house in a suburb full of young families, ready to fill it with kids. Staying in such a place is never a good way to heal. So, we renovated it, sold it for a tidy profit, bought the nicest two-bedroom inner-city apartment we could afford and set about rediscovering what we wanted our lives to look like.

We started dining more at restaurants, we filled the apartment with beautiful things that you just couldnt have with a small child around and we started going to the gym four days a week to make ourselves physically stronger. We slept in, made last-minute plans to go to Sydney, and focused more on our careers. We did everything thats difficult to do with kids. And it was wonderful.

The easiest way to transition from needing kids right now to being comfortable putting them off is to go on more long-haul flights. While being asked to hold one of the most beautiful babies Ive ever seen for much of the way from Abu Dhabi to Sydney the month after stopping IVF wasnt a great start, Ive never been more grateful for my job requiring me to travel overseas frequently. The sweet, beautiful, quiet babies on long-haul flights are the minority, and while Im sure your own child is always lovable, other peoples children are great triggers for reconsidering discovering that for yourself.
Once Upon a Mattress. Music by Mary Rodgers. Lyrics by Marshall Barer. Book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer, adapted from The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen. Directed by Anita Davenport. Ickle Pickle Productions. Belconnen Theatre, January 11 to 24, 2019. canberraticketing.com.au or 6275 2700.

It's The Princess and the Pea - but not as you know it. Ickle Pickle Productions' family summer show is the 1959 Broadway musical Once Upon a Mattress, a retelling of Hans Christen Andersen's fairytale with a twist or two and music by Mary Rodgers (daughter of musical theatre legend Richard Rodgers).

From left: Isaac Gordon as Dauntless, Elliot Cleaves as Minstrel, April Hand as Lady in Waiting and Alex McPherson as Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress.

The story is set in a faraway land "many moons ago", the opening song proclaims. Alex McPherson plays the lead role of Princess Winnifred the Woebegone (known as Fred) who is nothing like the passive character awaiting rescue that so many fairytales depict.

"She is ballsy, independent and she's strong," McPherson says.
A cross-border police operation has recovered six stolen cars and a motorcycle, after ACT and NSW Police searched a Crestwood home in Queanbeyan on Thursday.

Stolen vehicles that were recovered by NSW and ACT Police in Queanbeyan on Thursday. Credit:ACT Policing

But three vehicles that were also stolen - a white Subaru WRX, a silver Lexus NX and a black Holden HSV GTS - have not been recovered, and police are seeking the public's assistance to locate them.

The vehicles were stolen from two businesses in Fyshwick sometime between Sunday and Monday.

One man detained by NSW Police for unrelated matters will be extradited to the ACT to face court.
The days before Christmas are some of the busiest days for airports, but the flow-on effect from Thursdays storms pushed Sydney Airport into further chaos on Friday morning.

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Delays were made worse by a system outage that also impacted Melbourne and Brisbane airports.

It is understood an Australian Border Force system that processes passports was down for about 20 minutes on Friday morning. The system has now been restored.

A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson said they were aware of the outage and were monitoring the situation.
For more than 30 years Ursula Barwick's family thought she had disappeared when in fact the 17-year-old had been killed in a car crash but the fatality was recorded under a different name.

At an inquest into her death on Friday, NSW Deputy State Coroner Derek Lee confirmed Jessica Pearce was indeed Ursula Barwick.

Ursula Barwick was 17 when she went missing in September 1987. Credit:NSW Police Media

Her father, Peter, stepmother, Elizabeth, and brother, Andrew, embraced and cried after the findings were delivered at Glebe Coroners Court.
I am against bonuses  you are paid to do a job, and base salaries are paid for a person doing their very best in any position. However, if we are to have bonuses, then a maximum should be set, perhaps 100per cent of a base salary. A set of criteria could be enshrined in legislation after discussion. (Governments should be involved. Currently they set rates and criteria for many payments  unemployment, incapacity, job-seeking, etc). Bitter experience has shown us that financial criteria distort people's judgment, so social criteria need to be heavily weighted. Fairness to clients, treatment of employees, protection of the environment and many others come to mind. Currently new directors are appointed almost exclusively by existing directors, and this needs to change. Perhaps the next federal government can call for submissions to an inquiry to sort all this out. John Pinniger, Fairfield How can the executives justify their pay?

NAB chairman Ken Henry says he is embarrassed about the size of the shareholder protest vote against executives' multimillion-dollar pay packages. What he should be embarrassed about is how much he and other NAB executives have been paid at a time when their performance has been less than exemplary. Garry Meller, Bentleigh Rewarding businesses that treat their staff well The Age reports on another case of gross underpayment of chefs in the big end of town (19/12), but theft of wages occurs in the cafe and restaurant sector across every level and in every part of Australia. In fact, it is a rare business that pays its staff their legal entitlements; owners know that, even if they are caught out, the only penalty is to pay back the wages. With the co-operation of Hospo Voice or other union, why not make fair wages a marketing point? Let cafes and restaurants that are doing the right thing invite the union in to audit their wage records and speak to staff. If everything is above board, the union issues the business with a sticker that they can display on their window, giving customers the opportunity to show their support for employers who treat their staff fairly.

Catherine Watson, Wonthaggi THE FORUM A major cleaning act Re "Spotless fined $180,000 for dirty schools" (The Age, 21/12). In January, we assisted our graduate daughter to move into, and prepare, her grade 3 classroom. We took a vacuum cleaner and cleaning equipment. This is what we found: a "reading corner" with grubby, stained cushions that stank of stale urine; the carpet on the two steps leading down to the area was pulled off, exposing the concrete and lying in a pile, which presented a tripping hazard; thick dust covering most surfaces; sticky, dirty desks and rotting fruit; overflowing bins; and a filthy carpet.

The three of us spent the afternoon cleaning and dusting. We took the cushions home to wash them and purchased new cushions to replace those that did not survive washing. We are prepared to do this all again next month so that our daughter's 2019 class can be welcomed into an appropriate learning space. Charlotte Chidell, Eltham North We can't afford to wait Welcome to the "full-on revolt" by the states over climate policy neglect (The Age, 20/12). Most governments are now recognising the urgent imperative of transitioning to carbon emission-free economies. In the case of our federal Coalition, however, even its competitive edge in free enterprise economics and agriculture is yet to be brought to policy making. When the costs of inaction are rising and bipartisanship is required, what state can afford to wait? Ben Moore, Northcote

Blame older folk, again It is true that most developed countries have an inheritance tax (Comment, 20/12). However, that does not mean it is just and a reason for Australia to introduce one. The premise that taxing accumulated wealth at death would ease the tax burden for others has a strong whiff of socialism, and is unpalatable for those who have paid substantial amounts of tax themselves (eg, on earnings and super contributions) over the years. Danielle Wood's piece is a variation of many published during recent times that have the premise that the older generations are to blame for the significant difficulties faced by younger generations. This premise has been around forever. David Moore, Hurstbridge A problem of choice

Clare Purbrick asks: "Why don't we have a national anthem that is sung in both Aboriginal and English language?" (Letters, 21/12). It is a nice idea. However, 150 Australian Indigenous languages were spoken in homes according to the 2016 Census. It would make for a very long national anthem. Sue Tompkins, Bonbeach Bring on an ICAC Front page of The Age: "PM's $350K offer to save Kelly". And a warning that News Corp and 2GB Radio would unleash a campaign to "destroy" Craig Kelly's pre-selection opponent, Kent Johns, if he did not pull out. If only there were an Integrity and Corruption Commission that this could be referred to. Sean Nolan, Wantirna South

Loss of more respect In Victoria, Liberal Party officials trawl through evangelical churches and socially conservative religions for members, threaten a sitting member who does not fall into line, and use racially divisive and homophobic language. In New South Wales, a person who wants to stand for preselection is offered a $350,000 job to withdraw and threatened with a wrath of the Murdoch press and 2GB Radio if he does not. Is the party ringing Rupert Murdoch, Alan Jones and Ray Hadley or does it wait for a call from them? Only when this shambles of a party realises how out of touch it is on foreign policy, social issues and climate change will it regain some respect from the public. Tony Devereux, Nunawading

Win back our trust In 2017, retired judge Tony Fitzgerald issued a proposed code of conduct for politicians. Only 53 out of 226 federal MPs were willing to sign up to the code that required them to act to "the highest standards of integrity and proprietary". Recent events make it important that all politicians look closely at their own behaviour and make a commitment to behave ethically, put the nation's interest before their own, and commit to the code. They need to realise how low they have fallen in the public's estimation and strive to win back our trust. Meg Paul, Camberwell Treat women as people Following the "Andrew Broad affair", National Party president Larry Anthony says it will push for women candidates (The Age, 19/12). This is welcome, but well overdue. Perhaps the Nationals could also "push" for male MPs who do not have ignorant, paternalistic and misogynistic attitudes to women, and who treat them as real people.

Sean O'Sullivan, Healesville Lack of accountability Barbara Chapman is spot on regarding "independent workplace investigators" (Letters, 21/12). The industry is highly lucrative, unregulated and not accountable to anyone. It is high time the union movement took this on. An independent body with properly qualified investigators accountable to the public needs to be put in place. As it stands, the system favours the employer, who chooses and pays for the "investigator". This person is encouraged to find in the employer's favour if they want to secure another (lucrative) contract. Jessemyn Schippers, North Fitzroy

A very dangerous claim The announcement by Donald Trump that "ISIS has been defeated" sound much like George W.Bush's "Mission accomplished" speech in 2003. We know what happened after that. Perhaps the White House will have to check whether the 30,000 Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq received the memo that it is "all over". William Wallace, Ascot Park Please "see" my child I regularly walk around my local community with my dog and my daughter. We are frequently stopped by friendly souls, many with small children, who talk about our dog, or to the dog. My dog is beautiful and never fails to attract attention.

My daughter is also beautiful but, unfortunately, severely disabled: intellectually and visually impaired, non-verbal and physically challenged by cerebral palsy. (She is in a wheelchair). Nobody ever talks to her. She is right there and hears what is going on, but is ignored. I am increasingly saddened by these encounters. What does this behaviour say about our community? What are we teaching our children? I understand people may not feel confident, but it is a pity that we have to educate others how to acknowledge and even "see" people who are different. Please do not be afraid to say hello and model it for your kids. Anne Angell, McCrae Jobs for young people "Interns struggle to score jobs" (The Age, 20/12) contains a number of inaccuracies about the Youth Jobs PaTH program. It incorrectly attributes the internship element as being the entirety of the program. Internships is one of three elements in it. In fact, 56,433 young people have participated in one or more elements of Youth Jobs PaTH, of which 36,290 (64.3 per cent) have got a job.

The claim that "fewer than one in 10 interns have moved into full employment" is incorrect. The internships element of Youth Jobs PaTH is voluntary and successful in its own right, with data showing that 70per cent of participants are in employment three months after completing an internship. These are great results for the young people, with the internships program much more successful than predecessor programs. Kelly O'Dwyer, Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations Do not reward Smith Disgraced former Test captain Steve Smith has appeared in a commercial for Vodafone's "Gutsy is calling" campaign and become an ambassador for the company (Sport, 21/12). I find it most distasteful that he is cashing in on his ill-conceived plan to cheat. Yes, he admitted fault but remuneration now for professional impropriety is unacceptable. Peter Forehan, Murrumbeena

AND ANOTHER THING Politics The Liberals are having young Turk(ey)s for Christmas lunch. Sarah Bone, Wonthaggi

Ah, those Liberals: shooting themselves in the foot at least once a day. Henry Grebler, Caulfield South Three words you never want your children to say: Liberal Power Broker. Paul Custance, Highett Coalition males: the gits that keep on giving.

Olivia Manor, Coburg Crossword clue, "financial thief" (19/12). I tried to think of a politician's name that would fit but the answer was embezzler. Ray Jones, Box Hill North Fia Mongering, Tex Kutts and Jobson Growth will appear often in the next five months. Boring. Michael Brinkman, Ventnor

Corben could call some of our politicians stupid and be praising them. Malcolm McDonald, Burwood The Victorian Liberals are evidence that radicalisation remains a serious problem. Joan Segrave, Healesville A typo error on Andrew Broad's Chrissy cards says "Sleazons Greetings".

Bill Neumann, Kilmore Bastiaan represents most things that are wrong with the Victorian Liberals. John Marks, Werribee Leunig for GG, Mr Curly for PM. A leader with a name befitting voter expectations these days. Roderick Carmichael, St Kilda

Furthermore There was no room for them in the inn, so they found a manger on Nauru and Manus. Kevin Laws, Thornbury Given the recent significant rainfall, it's intriguing that dam levels have risen "0.0per cent since last week" (Weather, 20/12). John Acott, Sandringham
A Tamil refugee family who made a home for themselves in the small Queensland town of Biloela have lost their appeal to stay in Australia.

The Federal Court on Friday dismissed Nadesalingam, Priya and their two daughters' bid to remain in the country.

Tamil Refugee spokesman Aran Mylvaganam is seen outside the Federal Court in Melbourne, Friday, December 21, 2018. Credit:AAP/Daniel Pockett.

But Justice John Middleton ordered they not be deported back to Sri Lanka until after 4pm on February 1, given the time of year and so they had an opportunity to consider their options.

Australian Border Force officials removed the family from their home in March, one day after Priya's bridging visa expired.
Severe thunderstorms have belted parts of south-east Queensland, cutting power to 47,000 homes and businesses and causing major delays to buses in Brisbane and trains on the Gold Coast.

A severe storm warning was cancelled just before 7pm after damaging homes and a school at Kalbar, west of Brisbane, and reportedly knocking down trees and powerlines in the Scenic Rim, Darling Downs, Logan and Gold Coast areas.

A dangerous thunderstorm was moving east toward the Gold Coast on Friday evening. Credit:Bureau of Meteorology.

Gold Coast commuters endured delays of up to an hour when trains were suspended between Nerang and Varsity Lakes and power outages at South Brisbane delayed buses travelling to and from Brisbanes CBD for as long as 90 minutes.

Earlier, a storm near Boonah, 85 kilometres south-west of Brisbane, was labelled "very dangerous" just after 5pm as forecasters warned of winds potentially stronger than 125km/h.
After months of back and forth between the local council and the WA state government, a historical landmark in Perths northern suburbs has been saved from demolition.

At a council meeting on Tuesday, the City of Joondalup formally accepted the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage offer of $300,000 towards commencing restoration works at Duffy House in Woodvale as soon as practicable.

Duffy House in January, 2017. Credit:Jasmine Atkins

The offer ends years of uncertainty for the heritage home, which is one of the City of Joondalups oldest surviving buildings.

Once home to one of the original European families to settle in Perths north, the 25-acre property was built in 1911 and became a centrepiece for those visiting Yellagonga Regional Park.
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Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has rejected a swathe of recommendations from the government's Medicare Benefits Schedule review, after anaesthetists threatened a revolt over rebate changes that would have left patients hundreds of dollars out of pocket.

The powerful group of doctors, who are among the nation's highest paid medical professionals, had faced cuts of up to 30 per cent on the Medicare rebates applied to their services if the government had followed the recommendations of the committee that reviews the schedule.

One anaesthetist, who did not wish to be named, told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age the proposed changes would have increased the out-of-pocket cost for heart surgery by up to $900.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has agreed not to back cuts to Medicare rebates for anesthetists. Credit:Lukas Coch

After years under a freeze on indexation of Medicare rebates, he said, anaesthetists were unlikely to absorb the extra cost - meaning patients, often elderly pensioners, would face hefty medical bills.
Bukit Baka Bukit Raya, Indonesia: The world's only known albino orangutan climbed trees, foraged for food and began building a nest after being released into a remote Borneo jungle more than a year after conservation officials found her starving and dehydrated in an Indonesian village.

Alba, an albino orangutan, is released by a conservationist of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. Credit:AP

The Borneo Orangutan Survival foundation says the great ape, called Alba after thousands worldwide responded to an appeal for a name, has tripled in weight since being rescued in April last year. Her name means "white" in Latin and "dawn" in Spanish.

Alba and another rehabilitated orangutan, Kika, were released inside Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park on Wednesday after a more than 24-hour journey from their rehabilitation center by vehicle, boat and hiking.

The foundation originally planned to create a five-hectare "forest island" for Alba rather than a release into truly natural habitat because of health issues related to her albinism including poor sight and hearing and the possibility of skin cancer.
In the next three hours, the drone was seen at least five more times. With a typical battery life that allows a flying time of 30 minutes, its pilot was able to launch it, land it, change batteries and repeat the process without getting caught. By 3am on Thursday, Gatwick was confident it had seen off the threat and reopened its runway. The optimism didn't last long. Within three-quarters of an hour, the drone was buzzing again, violating airspace and prompting aircraft to be grounded again. The runway would not open again. Travellers leaving on Thursday, they piled in, hopeful of getting away and presumably confident a thing as small as a drone could not stop them. But the Government was starting to worry. People wait near the departures gate at Gatwick airport on Thursday. Credit:AP Aviation Minister Baroness Sugg went on radio warning the drone pilot he faced five years in jail when caught. Woodroofe went on television but had to declare: "There is a drone on my airfield as we speak." It was almost as if he was being taunted.

Passengers were becoming more upset as the clock ticked. At Stansted, a Gatwick flight re-routed there had been stuck on its runway for four hours, the passengers in limbo. One passenger on a flight from Cape Verde was so desperate he allegedly opened the door while a fellow passenger shouted, "I'm a terrorist" to gain police attention and ensure the plane would be evacuated. Elsewhere, Mary Isokariari, stuck at Cardiff airport, paid 850 for an overnight taxi to get her back to London. "We just wanted to get home," she said. A police helicopter flies over Gatwick Airport on Thursday. Police played cat and mouse with the drone. Credit:AP Police set up snipers on the Gatwick runway, some armed with what appeared to be shotguns that could - like shooting a clay pigeon - have a wider target area. An air force helicopter circled, but police were barred from taking pot shots at the drone for fear of a stray bullet hitting bystanders. Meanwhile, police patrolled the country lanes close to the airport, hunting in vain for the drone pilot. At times, the action bordered on farce as police units were scrambled to the latest sighting.

Officers resorted to standing on the roof of the airport police station by early afternoon, deploying a hi-tech drone detection system. But there were serious questions about why outside companies with serious expertise had seemingly not been called in sooner. One company, Metis Aerospace, which developed a drone detection kit successfully tested at Southend airport in May, was only called into action on Thursday morning. The sophisticated kit, that takes just a few minutes to set up, can detect not only the drone but its operator on the ground within seconds. The company's technical team was stuck in traffic trying to get from its base in Lincolnshire to the Sussex airport. One source was dismayed the company had not been called earlier. Companies that can deploy jamming devices are also thought to have been called in only toward the end of the morning. The drone incident happened during one of the busiest times of the year, stranding or delaying tens of thousands of Christmas-season travellers. Credit:PA/AP Gatwick would offer a new time to reopen and then push that back with every new sighting. By the afternoon, passengers were recounting their own horror stories.

In the terminals, passengers used coats as makeshift blankets and queued for details of new flights or else made their way to hotels around the airport. Some gave up on Christmas plans altogether. Mamosta Abdulla was trying to get to his father's memorial service but was resigned to missing it. "We are in Iraq with bombs going off nearby and the plane still lands. But here some drones have shut down the airport," he complained. Andri Kyprianou, from Cyprus, who had been visiting London, said: "I haven't slept since yesterday morning. We are very tired. It's freezing, we are cold, having to wear all of these coats for extra blankets. "There were pregnant women, one of them was sleeping on the floor. There were people with small babies in here overnight. We saw disabled people on chairs." By 3pm Thursday, with local police clearly struggling, the Ministry of Defence announced it had been called in to offer assistance.
Washington: US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has abruptly said he is quitting after falling out with President Donald Trump over his foreign policies, one day after Trump rebuffed top advisers and decided to pull all US troops out of Syria.

Mattis announced plans to resign after a face-to-face meeting with Trump on Thursday in which they aired their differences, a senior White House official says.

"Because you have a right to a Secretary of Defence whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis said in his resignation letter, released by the Pentagon.

Trump announced on Wednesday that US troops in Syria would be withdrawn, a decision that upended American policy in the region.
"Being able to move into my tiny house and reduce my consumption as much as possible is very important to me," Panu told the Webster Journal last year. The process began in early 2017 with pencil sketches. In February, she acquired a trailer. Panu put out a call on Facebook for warehouse space, but much of the construction proceeded outdoors. The house was framed last winter. By March, the roof was in place. She prided herself on using recycled materials and completing the bulk of the construction work herself, enlisting volunteers where she could find them, including friends and even her father on at least one occasion. "Blood, sweat and tears," she wrote in February, uploading a photograph of her bloodied hand. "But mostly blood." As it took shape, the home had travelled back and forth between St. Louis and Webster Groves, where Panu's university is located. But on Saturday morning, she received a call from the supply warehouse's owner, who had recently invited her to park near his business, Refab.

"He asked if I had moved the tiny house overnight and when I said no, he had the unfortunate news that they hadn't, and it was likely taken," Panu told WTHR, an NBC affiliate. She put out an appeal on social media. "I NEED YOUR HELP," she wrote on her Instagram page, "St. Louis Tiny Living." Between 10.30pm on Friday and 11am on Saturday, she explained, "the tiny house was stolen." "I'm at a loss," she continued. "Please, if you see it around the city call and report it." Her followers came to her defence. "I'm so sorry dude!" one wrote, vowing to "keep my eyes peeled." Another commented: "I'm livid for you." One person simply proclaimed, "WHAT." And then there was the devoted follower who said she would scour the entire Midwest for the unusual contraband. She was driving from Iowa to Florida, she said, and had taken a screen shot of Panu's house "to keep an eye out while we travel."

In the days that followed, Panu mustered the full sleuthing powers of the internet, crowdsourcing tips on social media and relaying them to her followers as she pressed local businesses for security footage. "Keep looking, it takes a village," she told her army of amateur detectives, reporting that the house was seen on Saturday morning heading "north down Grand near Russell." By Sunday, two reports had come in placing the house on I-70, heading West toward Kansas City. Leads arrived on Panu's Facebook page. A motorist on Route 54 about 160 kilometres west of St Louis said he had spotted what appeared to be her home being towed by a light gray Dodge 3500 diesel pickup truck. When Panu posted a screen shot of the message on her Facebook page, someone commented to say he had seen the same truck, also with the house, parked near an Iron Skillet restaurant in Kingdom City, Missouri.

On Monday, local media joined the chase. "There are car thieves, package thieves and air conditioning thieves," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. "But St. Louis larceny reached a new milestone Saturday when burglars drove off with a whole house." A Fox headline blared, "South City woman distraught over stolen tiny house." The announcement seemed to capture Panu's emotional state as she posted it on Facebook, earning more than 1000 shares and several new tips. She said two men were seen driving a truck with the home hitched on behind. "Could be travelling to Nebraska," she speculated. By Tuesday, clues suggested they were headed in the direction of California. But still no conclusive leads. "Thank you all for your continued support, unfortunately I don't have any new information at this time," she wrote on Tuesday.

With little else to say about the heist, she posted photos of the home as it took shape over the summer - a reminder of what she once had. On Wednesday, detectives found the house 46 kilometres down the Mississippi River in House Springs, Missouri, Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak announced on Twitter. The Associated Press reported that an anonymous tip had led them to the purloined residence. According to the Post-Dispatch, there was no word on suspects. It didn't take authorities long to reach Panu, who received more good news. A towing company said it would return the home free of charge - "an early Christmas Present," Marshak said.

"TINY HOUSE FOUND," Panu wrote on Facebook, adding a lighting bolt emoji. She plans to finish the interior before moving in next year. Today's tiny house movement seeks distance from the consumer economy, but its expansion in the US has also been born of necessity. According to EcoWatch, tiny homes emerged as an "architectural and cultural phenomenon" following the collapse of the housing market between 2007 and 2009. Now, from San Jose to Philadelphia, communities of tiny houses are emerging as a possible answer to intractable homelessness. At the same time, the minimalist dwellings have gained a following as a trendy lifestyle choice. Some occupy them full-time, while others position the mobile structures adjacent to a fuller residence and rent out the miniature accommodations on Airbnb. These are the contradictions that define the movement, said Nancy Unger, a historian at Santa Clara University. "Trendy, trying to live more simply and 'this is all I've got between me and homelessness' - they're all part of this," she told The Washington Post. A headline on the ArchDaily blog had this sinister interpretation: "Tiny Houses: Downsizing the American Dream."
Methanol Made From Coal For Liquid Auto Fuel Has Grown Rapidly In China Since 2000 (But Not In USA) - The Methanol Economy

LEARN MORE: 1997 Ford Methanol Taurus Costs Less than Gas (Published Aug. 27, 1996)

LEARN MORE: Methanol News Archive

LEARN MORE: When All American Drivers Use Non-Exportable Domestic Fuel, MPG Hysteria Will Go Away

Washington DC - February 23, 2017: China is the global leader in methanol use and has recently expanded methanol production capacity. Since the early 2000s, Chinas methanol consumption in fuel products has risen sharply and is estimated to have been more than 500,000 barrels per day (b/d) in 2016.

EIA commissioned a study from Argus Media group to better understand Chinas consumption of methanol and its derivatives. The estimates developed in the study have now been incorporated into EIAs historical data and forecasts of petroleum and other liquids consumption in China.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on Argus Media Group

Methanol, like ethanol, is an alcohol with inherent issues such as its solubility in water and corrosiveness. Methanol or its derivative products can be added to fuels such as gasoline and liquefied petroleum gases (LPG). Similar to how ethanol is currently blended into motor gasoline in the United States, methanol is blended into gasoline in China.

Most of Chinas methanol supply is from domestic production. About two-thirds of Chinas methanol feedstock is produced from coal and the remainder from coking gas (a by-product of steel production) and natural gas. China has abundant coal resources, and for more than a decade the country has increased its capacity to manufacture methanol using coal as a feedstock. Smaller amounts of Chinas methanol supply are imported from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, South America, and the United States.

Methanol is a clean-burning, high-octane fuel component, as the oxygen present in methanol aids in more complete fuel combustion. Blending methanol with gasoline allows refiners to extend Chinas gasoline supply and increase the octane level of its gasoline. However, methanol has only one-half the energy per unit of volume as gasoline and requires more fuel consumption on a volumetric basis to provide the same amount of energy.

Chinas largest city, Shanghai, and 13 of Chinas 23 provinces have approved local standards for methanol blends ranging from 5% to 100% methanol. China has a national quality standard for methanol blends of 85%, and a national standard for a 15% blend of methanol in gasoline is pending approval by the government.

A methanol derivative known as methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) is also blended into gasoline in China to increase octane levels. Consumption of MTBE and other derivatives in China was estimated at 230,000 b/d in 2016. Starting in the 1990s, MTBE was used as an oxygenate and octane enhancer in reformulated gasoline sold in the United States, with domestic production exceeding 200,000 b/d from 1998 to 2002. However, concerns over groundwater contamination led an increasing number of states to ban it. Following enactment of provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that were interpreted as reducing or eliminating legal defenses available to MTBE blenders, its use was soon phased out in the United States.

Methanol can also be converted directly to gasoline, and in China this conversion occurs much less often than the blending of methanol or its derivatives into gasoline. China built its first methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) plant in 2010, and since then, another 10 MTG plants have come online. MTG units involve high capital costs and are only cost-competitive when oil prices are high. Lower oil prices since late 2014 have reduced Chinas MTG plant operating rates and have created uncertainty for investment in new MTG plants.

For blending into liquefied petroleum gases such as propane, China uses methanol to create a derivative known as dimethyl ether (DME), a compound that has the same molecular formula as ethanol but a different chemical structure. Despite an official ban on the use of DME in LPG cylinders, some DME has been blended into LPG delivered to China's residential sector. Over the past two years, though, two factorsstronger enforcement of the DME ban and lower price competitiveness of DME relative to LPGhave reduced the level of DME blending.

MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

Beyond Oil and Gas; The Methanol Economy







The Methanol Economy

By Kevin Bullis

MIT Technology Review

March 2, 2006

Forget about the hydrogen economy. Methanol is the key to weaning the world off oil. George Olah tells us how to do it.

The hydrogen economy  with its vision of gas-guzzling engines replaced by hydrogen fuel cells that produce water instead of smog and greenhouse gases  is a big mistake, according to George Olah, winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize in chemistry.

Olah, whose research in the chemistry of hydrocarbons has led to high-octane fuels and more easily degradable hydrocarbons, is now director of the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute at the University of Southern California. He argues that storing energy in the form of methanol, not hydrogen, could end our dependence on fossil fuels and transform carbon dioxide from a global-warming liability into an essential raw material for a methanol-based economy. Olah lays out his plan in a new book, Beyond Oil and Gas: The Methanol Economy, published last week by Wiley-VCH.

Technology Review: Why methanol?

George Olah: Methanol in its own right is an excellent fuel. You can mix it into gasoline  its a much better fuel than ethanol. And we have developed a methanol fuel cell.

Methanol is a very simple chemical that can be made in a very efficient way. It is just one oxygen atom inserted into methane, the basal component of natural gas; but methanol is a liquid material which is easily stored, transported, and used.

TR: Whats wrong with hydrogen fuel cells?

GO: Even today you could put a pump dispensing methanol at every gasoline station. You can dispense it very well without any [new] infrastructure. For hydrogen, there is no infrastructure. To establish a hydrogen infrastructure is an enormously costly and questionable thing. Hydrogen is a very volatile gas, and there is no way to store or handle it in any significant amount without going to high pressure.

TR: But methanol is a way of storing energy, not a source of energy like gasoline. Where will the energy come from?

GO: The beauty is we can take any source of energy. Whether its from burning fossil fuels, from atomic plants, from wind, solar, or whatever. What we are saying is it makes a lot better sense, instead of trying to store and transport energy as very volatile hydrogen gas, to convert it into a convenient liquid. And theres a fringe benefit: you really mitigate carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

TR: How do you make methanol?

GO: One approach is to produce methanol by converting still-existing huge reserves of natural gas, but in entirely different, new ways. Today, methanol is made exclusively from natural gas. Natural gas is incompletely burned, or converted, to synthesis gas, which can then be put together into methanol. Now we have developed ways to completely eliminate the use of synthesis gas.

The second approach involves carbon dioxide. We were co-inventors of the direct methanol fuel cell. This fuel cell uses methanol and produces CO2 and water. It occurred to us that maybe you could reverse the process. And, indeed, you can take carbon dioxide and water, and if you have electric power, you can chemically reduce it into methanol.

So the second leg of our methanol economy approach is to regenerate or recycle carbon dioxide initially from sources where it is present in high concentrations, like flue gases from a power plant burning natural gas. But eventually, and this wont come overnight, we could just take out carbon dioxide from air.

TR: This would help address the problem of carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, wouldnt it?

GO: Sequestration [of carbon dioxide] is our [governments] official policy and this is what everybody is swearing by. They say that you stick carbon dioxide down into the earth and at the bottom of the sea, and you solve the problem. [But] how long will it stay down there? Carbon dioxide is a very volatile material. Under the best of conditions it eventually will seep up. Our approach is very different: we simply say that if we need to dispose of carbon dioxide, we need to capture it  why not use it as a chemical raw material? In other words, recycle it.

TR: Weve heard a lot lately about replacing gasoline with ethanol from biological sources and developing better batteries for super-efficient hybrid cars. Do these have a place in a methanol economy?

GO: I think we should explore all possibilities. There is no silver bullet. There is no single solution. I sincerely believe, however, that if you look really impartially, but hard-nosed, at the figures, the needs are so enormous that biological sources per se wont solve them. The president mentioned making ethanol from cellulosic materials. In principle its possible, but its a very difficult, undeveloped, and, in my mind, unrealistic technology. Batteries, sure, we should try to find better batteries. But realistically today, fuel cells are a lot more convenient than any battery.

TR: What steps need to be taken now to move toward a methanol economy?

GO: Im a great believer that technological development is done by major companies. ExxonMobil certainly has some means to do it. The only trouble is that so far they are not coming up with any reasonable solution. Basically, I dont think they like [the methanol economy] very much. If you sit on a large supply of oil and gas, on which you make enormous profits, or if you are an Arab country that has great supplies and great wealth, you wouldnt welcome some crazy guy who comes up and says that mankind can have an ultimate solution which would not be dependent, anymore, on what nature put under your soil.

If this methanol economy makes sense, and I think it does, there is not necessarily a monopoly any more for oil companies. Big chemical companies could equally well do this, or even better. But there is also a need for politicians and the public to say that they want to explore reasonable solutions.

TR: How urgent is the problem?

GO: Man began to use coal on a massive scale during the Industrial Revolution, which was, what, 250 years ago. And we are already, to a very significant degree, depleting what nature gave us. Now, Im not saying well run out of it overnight, but we need to think about how we manage our problems now and how we will manage in the future.

You see natural gas getting in short supply, and we import liquefied natural gas. There are many natural gas sources  Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates, the North Sea, and so on. The energy content of a single LNG tanker is equivalent to a medium-sized hydrogen bomb. Bad guys are trying to blow up refineries now, and a big tanker is a very inviting target. Who can guarantee that some crazy terrorist wont blow up an LNG tanker? I think a realistic solution is, again, to convert natural gas, as efficiently as we can, into a safe liquid product, like methanol.

All people believe that what they are doing has some importance; but this [methanol research] is, in my mind, the most important thing I ever did in my career, and it has serious implications for society.
Here's a Bright Idea From Nissan: Testing Paint Samples To Prevent Sun Damage Without The Sun

 Even on the day with the shortest period of daylight - winter solstice - the sun still shines at Nissan's engineering center near Detroit, Mich. with the help of the Xenon Weather-Ometer (XWO) testing tool

 In addition to real-world tests, Nissan engineers use the XWO machine to test paint, interior materials and plastics for durability and quality  a tanning bed of sorts

 Nearly 100 different colored samples can be tested at once, reducing excess waste and saving time

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI - December 21, 2019: On the darkest day of the year Nissan engineers in Michigan are still performing sunlight UV exposure tests thanks to the Xenon Weather-Ometer (XWO) tool that evaluates material durability in different climate conditions.

To evaluate the effects of solar energy on paint and other materials, a 4,000-watt Xenon bulb bakes nearly 100 samples at the same wavelengths as the sun. Samples rotate around the Xenon bulb to imitate earth's orbit  and because the "sun can shine" 24 hours a day, it takes half the time to test paint samples. Engineers observe the material samples through a series of cycles to investigate changes and ensure top durability and quality for Nissan customers.

"In addition to rigorous real-world tests, this tool allows us to create harsh environments," said Doug Prytula, technician, body and chassis testing, Nissan North America. "It is one more step we take to ensure Nissan's quality standards are second-to-none."

Nissan uses test environments like the XWO accelerated weather chamber to replicate conditions that occur in a natural environment, right inside the lab. These test cells expose various types of material samples to a wide range of conditions that a vehicle may face throughout its lifecycle.
Isabel and Ruben Toledo, photographed by Karl Lagerfeld. Photo: Courtesy of the artists and the Toledo Studio

Meeting Andy Warhol by accident, during a winter rainstorm in 1977, launched the careers of the New Yorkbased artist couple, Ruben and Isabel Toledo. The couple fled the storm and ran into Fiorucci, a scene-y clothing store on 59th Street that was known as the Daytime Studio 54 of the 70s: a place where artists, performers, writers, designers, and filmmakers met and shared their art. They started talking to a drag artist named Joey Arias, who took a portfolio of Rubens artwork and handed it to Warhol who was mingling near them in the store, wearing his signature white wig and black leather biker jacket.

After their unexpected encounter with Warhol, the couple met artists like Keith Haring, Klaus Nomi, Halston, and Basquiat, and both started creating work that became more widely recognized and mainstream. Isabel is a fashion designer who has dressed the likes of Michelle Obama, and Rubens paintings and illustrations often depict women in fashionable clothes. Both Cuban immigrants, the pair married in 1984 and is now considered a power couple in the design world. What matters is to have free expression always  which we picked up from Andy immediately, recalls Ruben.

Synthetic Cloud. Photo: Courtesy of the artists and the Toledo Studio

For their latest project, the artistic duo created clothing, sculptures, paintings, and illustrations for a new exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Titled A Labor of Love, the show highlights the synergy between fashion and art: Isabel designed clothing that accompanies permanent artwork already on display in the museums galleries, and Ruben painted and illustrated accompanying imagery to works like Diego Riveras Detroit Industry Murals.

One particularly striking piece is called Synthetic Cloud: In the museums contemporary gallery, sky-blue dresses with tulle skirts hang above the hard edges of a sculpture by Donald Judd, and a geometric painting by Frank Stella. To create the dresses, Isabel sewed rectangles of the same fabric together in a multitude of colors  orange, hot-pink, neon-green, and lavender  aiming to reflect the repetition of shapes and patterns in modern art, like Yayoi Kusamas repeated polka-dots. The effect is like a soft, poetic mist floating above you, says Ruben. They become like flowers floating up in the sky.

Ruben & Isabel Toledo: Labor of Love will be on view at the Detroit Institute of Art through July 7, 2019.

Synthetic Cloud. Photo: Courtesy of the artists and the Toledo Studio
Gary Koeppel, art dealer and writer, attended a performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Center for Performing Arts in San Jose, California on Dec. 20, 2018. (Cao Jingzhe/The Epoch Times)

SAN JOSE, Calif.Gary Koeppel has decades of experience curating and selling works of art, so he knows quality when he sees it. Shen Yun Performing Arts left such an impression on Koeppel that he has watched the performance three times in the last two years.

[It] is a magnificent performance, he said.

You cannot see it anywhere. Its never been done anywhere.

Koeppel, who is also a writer, attended the performance at the Center for Performing Arts in San Jose, California, on Dec. 20. Shen Yun, a New York-based classical Chinese dance company, has just kicked off its 2019 tour that will span four continents and over a hundred cities.

The art dealer said he was most impressed by the beauty of the ancient culture of China and the gracefulness as its portrayed by the dancers.

And its just exhilarating to see the grace of the movements of the dancers, he said.

The classically trained dancers perform ethnic and folk dances from Chinas 50-plus ethnic groups, and classical Chinese dance. Classical Chinese dance is an art form that has been refined over thousands of years and is, alongside ballet, one of the most complex dance systems in the world.

Shen Yun Performing Arts seeks to portray 5,000-years of divinely-inspired Chinese culture through classical Chinese dance and music. Many dances depict stories from Chinas rich and diverse history, stories that transmit the inner meaning of a culture steeped in spiritual beliefs, including from Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.

Referring to the depictions of ancient China on stage, Koeppel quipped, I wish China were like this today. I would go there.

Koeppel, who has opened six art galleries since the 1980s and hosted art events all over the world, said he appreciated how all the elements work together on stage.

The music is spectacular. The background, the settings, the costumes, it all comes together as a superior experience and performance, he said.

The tenor soloist also impressed Koeppel.

[He had] a powerful voice. Beautifully in key. And very impressive, as was the subject matter of his song.

Shen Yuns performances feature vocal soloists, who sing in bel canto style, a traditional technique revived by the company. Vocalists sing original pieces in Chinese, with English translations of the lyrics projected on the digital backdrop. The song lyrics often portray deep spiritual themes within traditional Chinese culture, including the ideas of seeking truth, and returning to ones true home.

The song lyrics resonated with Koeppel.

They were very moving, very spiritual of course. Very uplifting, he said.

The art dealer said he brings a new group of friends with him to each performance that he attends.

To encourage his friends to come, he tells them this: Come to see an experience you will never have anywhere else.

With reporting by Mark Cao and Cathy He.

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time and has covered audience reactions since the companys inception in 2006.
At Least Four Democrats Promised Support for Border Wall Funding This Year

At least four Democrats promised to vote for funding for President Donald Trumps border wall while campaigning for re-election this year prior to the November midterm elections.

A spending bill approved by the House on Dec. 20 was set to go before the Senate but needs 60 votes to get approved there.

The Senate currently has 51 Republicans and 49 Democrats.

But speaking just months ago, multiple Democrats signaled that they would vote for the border wall as they campaigned in so-called red states, or states that primarily vote Republican in presidential elections.

In June, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Va.) said in a television advertisement: I wanted Mexico to pay for the wall. But theyre not. So we need to do it ourselves. I voted to fund President Trumps wall. Check the vote.

Manchin won re-election being a Democrat in deep red West Virginia. He voted on Feb. 15 for a Trump-backed, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sponsored-immigration bill that included money for the border wall. The bill failed 39-60.

In August, Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Indiana) told Politico: I actually voted for border wall funding three different times. Im fine with that. Im fine with $3, $3.5, $4, or $5 [billion].

Donnelly voted for the Grassley legislation and several variations of it. The bill would have delivered amnesty to illegal aliens who entered the country while young, known as Dreamers, in exchange for $25 billion in wall funding.

The current spending bill includes $5.7 billion for the border wall. Donnelly lost his bid for re-election and will be out of office in January 2019.

Also in August, a spokeswoman for Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) indicated to Politico that the Senator would vote for funding for the wall, stating: Jon wants to secure our border and is willing to make responsible investments in manpower, technology, fencing and, in places, a wall.

However, he has concerns about the cost of the wall to American taxpayers, the spokeswoman added.

Tester won a tight re-election race.

In August, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) told Breitbart: Ive always supported increased and enhanced border security along our southwest border with Mexico  and yes, wall funding as well.

She said she generally supports funding for the border wall but said it depends on the language in specific pieces of legislation, adding: The devil is always in the detail.

She said shed prefer to pass a spending bill that includes wall funding, such as the one currently being considered, rather than shut down the government. Heitkamp also lost her bid for re-election.

The Democrats, whose votes we need in the Senate, will probably vote against Border Security and the Wall even though they know it is DESPERATELY NEEDED. If the Dems vote no, there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time. People dont want Open Borders and Crime!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 21, 2018

White House

The White House has slammed Democrats for not expressing support for the spending bill, noting that most Democrats say they support border security but few have actually made specific proposals.

Stephen, the Democrats support border security, CNN host Wolf Blitzer told Stephen Miller, a top adviser to President Trump, during an exchange on Dec. 20. They dont support $5 billion for a wall.

Miller responded that Blitzer could not name some of the border security proposals that Democrats support, and Blitzer was indeed unable to.

Like what? They voted against Kates Law. They voted against ending sanctuary cities. They voted against supporting MS-13 gang members, they voted against supporting violent criminals, Miller said.

They voted time and time against a physical border wall to stop illegal entry. I mean, where is the evidence that you keep asserting theyre for border security? They havent been. They oppose closing loopholes for asylum.

President Donald Trump spoke out on the issue on Friday, saying in a tweet: The Democrats, whose votes we need in the Senate, will probably vote against Border Security and the Wall even though they know it is DESPERATELY NEEDED. If the Dems vote no, there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time. People dont want Open Borders and Crime!

He noted that walls work, using the wall in Israel as an example: Properly designed and built Walls work, and the Democrats are lying when they say they dont. In Israel, the Wall is 99.9% successful.

From NTD News
Autistic Man on Carnival Cruise Jumps Overboard, Family Says He Thought He Was Going Swimming

Relatives of an autistic Georgia man who jumped overboard on a Carnival Cruise ship said he may have believed he was going swimming.

Carnival Cruise Line regrets to report that the 22-year-old male guest with autism who was missing on Carnival Fantasy went overboard after climbing over the deck rail, said Carnival in a statement to WKRG. His family believes he may have been under the mistaken assumption that he was going swimming.

Luke Renner of Johns Creek, near Atlanta, was identified earlier this week as the person who plunged off the Mexico-bound cruise. He was traveling with a group that works with disabled adults, CNN reported.

Carnival told the U.S. Coast Guard that it was unable to located Renner, and Mexican officials were notified by the firm. The Coast Guard said on Dec. 20 it is engaged with the Carnival Fantasy and is continuing to monitor the situation, according to CNN.

Everyone at Carnival is deeply saddened and our thoughts and prayers are with the guests family and friends. Our Care Team is providing assistance and support to his family and traveling companions. The guests family has requested privacy. We will not be releasing any additional information and ask the media to respect the wishes of the family, the cruise operator also said in its statement to WKRG.

His family also issued a statement on the 22-year-olds death.

We are heartbroken at the death of our beloved son, brother, and grandson. Luke was a light in our lives, funny, unusual, and, for a child with autism, loving and affectionate. He was our boy, they said. The boy loved milkshakes, nachos, guacamole, and smoothies.

Their statement added: We truly believe he knows he was well loved, but we would like to ask him why he hid a favorite decorative pillow, his sisters curling iron, and fathers new camera lens. We know he will answer with that mischievous smile that warmed our hearts and will remain with us forever.

Stacy Georges, Renners caregiver for many years, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he was with a group of nine with Wishes 4 Me Foundation for a five-night trip that departed Mobile, Alabama.

I feel so bad for the people on the cruise. Im sure they loved Luke. It could have happened to anybody, Georges said.

His family also didnt want to blame anyone for his death.

He loved cruises. Although we are devastated by his death, we are thankful he was there with people we loved and trusted when he died. We are confident Wishes 4 Me watched over him with the utmost care and we do not hold them in any way responsible, the statement said.

Georgia Autism Advocacy also posted a statement about Renners death.

With sad hearts, we are sharing the news about Luke. Many of you know and love the Renner family and will want to keep them in your thoughts and prayers during this time of grief, the group wrote on Facebook.

Renner was described by Georges as very friendly and happy.

He always tried to please the adults. He comes from a very sweet Christian family, she added.
A 13-month-old boy who was abandoned in the woods of central Oregon had a broken leg, a skull fracture, and methamphetamine in his system when he was discovered, according to prosecutors. (Deschutes County Sheriff's Office)

Baby Found in Oregon Woods Had Meth in His System, Injuries: Officials

A 13-month-old boy who was abandoned in the woods of central Oregon had a broken leg, a skull fracture, and methamphetamine in his system when he was discovered, according to prosecutors.

On Dec. 19, prosecutors at a hearing in the Deschutes County Circuit Court released the details. The child was discovered earlier this year, but they didnt reveal the new information until now in an attempt to increase the bond for his father, Brandon Blouin, 26.

Bradley Michael Thomas, the infant, was allegedly abandoned by his father in the forest near Bend, Oregon, reported the Bend Bulletin.

Blouin faces charges of child abandonment and reckless endangerment.

Brandon is a major flight risk, wrote Mellisa Jordan, the boys maternal grandmother, reported the paper. He is a danger to anyone and anything in his path.  Im asking the court to let us please let us continue to heal in peace.

Adler denied Blouins request before increasing his bond from $200,000 to $500,000, the figure sought by prosecutors. They also ruled Blouins grandparents wouldnt get back the $2,500 they put up to release him from jail back in July.

In July, the man left Oregon and went back to Ohio to live with his grandparents and his 4-year-old daughter.

This is one of the most blatant violations of a release agreement Ive seen, Adler said of the case.

Details of the Case

In May, a Deschutes County detective found the child naked, apparently left alone hours in the forest near Bend, KOMO reported. Investigators later learned Bradley was taken from his legal guardian in West Virginia.

Blouin and the childs 18-year-old mother allegedly drove across the United States and lived in a vehicle near Bend. The mother walked away at one point before Blouin apparently went to go look for her, KOMO reported.

During the search, he set down the child and left him there, officers said.

Officers then began a search for Bradley on horseback. They also used helicopters and drones.

An officer located Bradley about one mile from Blouins vehicle. He was then rushed to a nearby hospital.

The 18-year-old mother identified as the suspects former girlfriend, Katelin Dawn Jordan, by the Bend Bulletin.

But Blouin told the Bulletin that a group of men and a woman chased him with firearms and machetes, explaining that he put his son on the ground to draw the group away from the boy.

Jordan, meanwhile, stated Blouin violated a protective order and took their son and forced her to accompany them while trying to evade law enforcement. Jordan said Blouin beat her on the night when she walked away from the vehicle and wouldnt let her take the child.

When he was discovered naked in the brush, he had a broken leg, skull fractures and meth was found in his system, stated prosecutor Van McIver. He said Blouin has committed violent crimes since 2009.

But, according to McIver, Jordan appeared to be under the influence of meth. She wasnt charged in the incident, the Bulletin reported.

Blouins attorney, Karla Nash, said he believed he was being followed that night and had met people several days before at a camp. Blouin then allegedly sold them some items, including a trailer.
Carla Valpeoz, a Michigan woman who has gone missing in Peru, in a file photo. (Help Find Carla Valpeoz/Facebook)

Blind Michigan Woman Goes Missing While Vacationing in Peru

A blind Michigan woman has gone missing in Peru, triggering a red alert and a search as authorities scramble to find out what happened to her.

Carla Valpeoz, a 35-year-old social worker, went missing on Dec. 12. She was staying at the Pariwana Hostel in Cusco.

Valpeoz missed her flight home on Dec. 15, and her phone has been turned off for days, investigators told the Detroit Free Press.

Valpeoz planned to go to the popular Machu Picchu village and meet back up with a friend, 32-year-old Alicia Steele of Detroit, in Lima on Dec. 13.

Valpeoz texted her friend late on Dec. 11, affirming shed been to the tourist site.

I cant wait to tell you all about it. It was absolutely worth 100 percent, the text message read. Im coming in on Thursday afternoon so I will send you the details through email once I check in. It would be a wonderful welcoming to have all of you come pick me up.

She didnt show up in Lima, though. Her friend figured she may have run into some difficulties and would just meet her at the airport but she didnt show up there either.

Weve been searching ever since, Steele, who is still in Peru, told the Free Press. The last thing we heard is that a man who works at the entrance of Machu Picchu saw her. She was by herself on [Dec.] 15 and was going to climb up Machu Picchu.  She looked well and she looked good.

Family members, though, arent sure about the timeline.

This would have been after her flight back to Detroit. She already did that. She spent the entire day there. Why would she have to go back? said her brother, Carlos Valpeoz of Brooklyn, New York.

Photographs confirm Valpeoz was at Macchu Piccu with a group of one Argentinian and three Spanish travelers on Dec. 11 but after that, its not clear. The last time she was heard from, she texted one of her new friends after dancing at a club on Dec. 12 and said she was going on a trip.

Surveillance footage showed her entering a taxi but investigators arent sure where she went, although some signs point to her being in a town called Pisac about an hour north of Cusco. Officials believe she may have gone back to Macchu Picchu.

Red Alert Issued

The Peru national police said at a press conference on Dec. 19, that the search for Valpeoz has shifted into red alert status as officers try to find her.

We are committed to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We have teams on all fronts searching for her at the moment throughout the area and we have dedicated our entire force to find this person because we are very worried, Col. Manual Mar of the Peru national police said at the conference, reported ABC.

The U.S. State Department and FBI agents are assisting with the search.

We have deployed the red alert to start the search in all of the police stations of Cusco as well as Arequipa, Puerto Maldonado, and Puno, Mar said.

The search is focused on Pisac and the surrounding environs, in addition to outlying areas.

From NTD News
Border Patrol Agent Assaulted by Illegal Immigrant Who He Tried to Help

Along the Rio Grande in Texas, a U.S. Border Patrol agent was assaulted by an illegal immigrant he tried to help.

According to a Dec. 19 media release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol agents spotted a man in the middle of the Rio Grande calling for help. One agent responded to the call with a flotation device stored in his vehicle. The Rio Grande serves as the border line between Mexico and Texas.

However, before the Eagle Pass Station agent could deploy the device, the man, a 31-year-old Mexican national, made it to the U.S. side of the river.

He was immediately placed under arrest for illegal entry. While the agent escorted the man to a vehicle, the man assaulted the agent.

No one was seriously injured in the ensuing struggle, and the agent subdued the man and took him into custody.

This incident is an example of the threats and risks faced by U.S. Border Patrol agents as they work to secure the border, said Del Rio Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Mathew J. Hudak. We take any assault of our agents seriously. We will seek maximum penalties available under the law of anyone who assaults a Border Patrol agent.

The illegal alien is being charged with assault on a federal officer and faces a maximum of eight years in prison.

Some illegal aliens have done more than assault Border Patrol agents.

Mary Ann Mendoza told her story to The Epoch Times about how her son was killed by an illegal alien.

Brandon Mendoza was a sergeant with the Mesa Police Department in Arizona. He was killed in a car crash, at the age of 32. The speeding driver was an illegal alien, who was drunk and high on drugs.

He was also a convicted criminal who evaded going to court in Colorado years prior and instead found his way to Arizona.

Weve got to stop this continual invasion; this repeat invasion of known criminals who keep coming back into our country, said Mary Ann Mendoza.

The Larger Picture

What happened in Eagle Pass, and the death of Brandon Mendoza are not isolated incidents. The crimes committed by illegal aliens can be far more serious than illegally crossing the border.

In a report (pdf), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) analyzed data from 2015 of five state prison systems. The GAO found that the most common crimes committed by illegal aliens in prison are related to drugs, homicide, or sex offenses. Notably, more than 5,000 inmates in the California state prison system were illegal aliens who have attempted or committed homicides.

In addition, according to an article written by James Simpson, an investigative journalist and former White House budget analyst, the rate of crimes committed by illegal aliens were far greater than American citizens. Using the state of Arizona as an example, Simpson showed that while illegal aliens only account for 6 percent of the population, they committed about 30 percent of all kidnappings.

The crimes committed by illegal aliens can be costly too. In 2007, the state administration of justice spent nearly $11 billion and a further $13 billion was spent on federal justice enforcement of illegal aliens and their children, according to a report from the Federation for American Immigration Reform.
This photo from an Omaha police officers body camera shows John Ezell Jr. aiming his pistol out the car window during the incident in which Ezell, and Officer Ken Fortune, were shot. (Omaha Police Department)

City Forced to Pay Medical Bill For Suspect Who Shot Police Officer

The City Council of Omaha, Nebraska, was forced by state law to vote funds for medical care for a gang member who allegedly shot a police officer during a traffic stop.

Im sure theres going to be a number of council members who will hold their nose and vote for it, said City Council President Ben Gray told the Omaha World-Herald.

Im going to be one of them. Were obligated to do it.

Because of a state law passed in 1988, arresting jurisdictions are forced to pay for the medical care of suspects in custody if they cannot pay for themselves.

In this case, the suspect had no insurance, and was not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid.

Therefore, the City Council had to vote to approve funds to pay $239,670.63 for the injuries of a man who was injured in a shootout with police.

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 the World-Herald.

It could have been worse. The actual bill for the month of care provided by the Nebraska Medical Center and UNMC Physicians came to $479,341.25.

After negotiations with the city, Nebraska Medicine agreed to cut that charge in half, KETV reported.

Traffic Stop Turned Violent

Officer Ken Fortune, 42, a 10-year veteran with the Omaha Police, was one of three officers involved in a traffic stop that turned nearly deadly on Sept. 11, 2018.

The officers, part of the citys anti-gang unit, were in an unmarked car when they saw 36-year-old John Ezell Jr., a known gang member, riding in another car.

The police ordered the car to pull over. The driver, identified later as Brandon Richey, initially heeded the officers request, but, Richey told police, Ezell shouted at him to Go!

The three officers were already walking toward Richeys car when Richey tried to take off. As he did, Ezell opened the passenger door and fired at Officer Fortune, striking him in the shoulder.

The other two officers, Christopher Brown and Jeffrey Wasmund, fired back at Ezell, striking him in the chest and shoulder. His injuries were reported to be non-life-threatening.

The officers said Ezell was drunk at the time of the shooting. His blood alcohol level was 0.333, four times the legal limit, at the time of his arrest.

Officer Fortune was hospitalized but recovered enough to go home after a few days. He was back on the job within a month.

Ezell spent a month in the hospital before going to jail on charges of attempted murder, first-degree assault of an officer and three weapons charges. Ezells bail was set at $3 million.

Unfortunate Application of a Reasonable Law

The law requiring the jurisdiction housing a prisoner to pay for his medical costs is often necessary. A city or county could not, in good conscience, allow a prisoner to die in custody when medical care was available.

We try to make this a decent and humane society, and if someone is injured, the person who caused that (the police) should be liable, explained Sam Walker, professor emeritus in the University of Nebraska at Omahas School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

The city council understood its duty, but members still found it distasteful to have to care for a man who allegedly assaulted a police officer in cold blood, and nearly killed him.

I think this is unfathomable that we are doing this, said council member Brinker Harding told KETV.

I understand we have to do it, but I think this is something we should think of when were talking with our state senators and working something through the unicameral so situations like this are not at the expense of our taxpayers.

Council member Vinny Palmero held a similar view.

If police are acting within good faith and not in a reckless manner, as this particular case was, then we as a city should not be liable, he said.

The city plans to try to recover some of the money through a civil suit.

From NTD News
Connecticut Boy Stabs Twin Sister, Injures Prominent Lobbyist Mother

A 12-year-old Connecticut boy was arrested for the murder of his twin sister and for injuring his mother, a prominent lobbyist, according to reports.

The boy, who hasnt been named, was charged on Dec. 18, with one count of murder and one count of first-degree assault, said West Hartford police. He was arraigned at the Connecticut Childrens Medical Center, where he was treated for injuries following the alleged stabbing, according to the Hartford Courant.

Hes accused of seriously injuring his mother, Janemarie Murphy, and killing his sister, Brigid Curtin, according to the paper. The Hartford Courant reported that she had started working for the Senate Democrats in 1989 before becoming a lobbyist.

An 'unspeakable tragedy': Connecticut town stunned by arrest of 12-year-old son in killing of twin sister, stabbing of mother, Janemarie Murphy, a prominent lobbyist  ABC News #Murder https://t.co/Z2yVY3WIUa  Tamara Davis  (@warriors_mom) December 20, 2018

She was identified on Dec. 18, by the Hartford law firm Murtha Cullina LLP, where she worked, according to the paper.

We are devastated by the horrific tragedy affecting our friend and colleague Jane Murphy, a statement issued from Murtha Cullina said. Jane has been a valued member of the Government Affairs Group of Murtha Cullina LLP for over 24 years. We are doing all we can to support Jane and her family, and ask everyone to please respect their privacy during this extraordinarily difficult time.

According to Fox61, police got a 911 call at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 17, from a woman who said her son stabbed her and her daughter. The Connecticut state medical examiner later ruled the girls death a homicide due to a stabbing.

Officers arrived on scene and located the two victims and the suspect, police said, ABC News reported. Officers, later joined by paramedics from the West Hartford Fire Department, immediately began emergency medical efforts to treat the mother and daughter.

Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy also tweeted about the incident, offering his condolences to Murphys family.

My heart is sick for my friend Janemarie Murphy and her family, he tweeted. What an unfathomable loss. I know the community of West Hartford and her legions of friends at the State Capitol are rallying to her side to make sure the family has all they need.

The motive for the stabbing is under investigation, police said.

There are a thousand parents out there looking for answers, Democratic State Sen. Beth Bye told the Hartford Courant. Its going to be a community healing process.

West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor released a statement from Janemarie Murphys family. We are all enduring a very painful and unimaginable loss, the statement said. Our family will never be the same. Our daughter was a beautiful child and we will remember forever her smile  laughter  and remember her for the way she loved and lived.

Juvenile offenders under the age of 14 in Connecticut face limited punishment, the Courant noted. The maximum punishment for a person 14 or younger would be a maximum of 30 months of probation supervision with or without residential placement, minus any time spent in pretrial detention, said Deputy Chief States Attorney Kevin Lawlor.

Only suspects who are aged 15 or older can potentially have their cases transferred to an adult court. The boy is being represented by defense attorney Hubert J. Santos.

We ask everyone to remember this tragedy is a juvenile matter, not a criminal one, said Trent A. LaLima, a spokesman for Santos. We request that people respect the privacy of the family and their loved ones at this time.
Cyclists in Portugal Rescue Skeletal Dog in the Woods That Was Tied to Tree and Left to Die

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New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg w ant to change the law so he can serve another term. (Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images)

DC Think Tank Sues for Records on Bloomberg-Linked Climate Change Campaign

The Competitive Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based think tank, is suing the District of Columbia and the D.C. Attorney Generals Office for failing to produce legally requested documents under seven different Freedom of Information Act requests.

The requests date back to October 2016 and are related to D.C. Attorney General Karl Racines participation in a 2016 effort to investigate and prosecute opponents of progressive climate-change policies.

The records requests also seek information relating to Racines acceptance of a privately funded special assistant attorney general position with ties to billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, each of the seven records requests were acknowledged within 15 days, as required by law. But the release of the requested documents has been delayed by more than two years, forc[ing] CEI to sue to bring these records into the light of day for public inspection.

Its generally known that Racine participated in the prosecutorial climate change program, which was first announced by former Vice President Al Gore at a Manhattan press conference in March 2016. But substantive details contained in the requested documents are being withheld.

Racine is by no means the only attorney general involved. FOIA requests across multiple states previously revealed details of a coordinated plan to fund legal experts through a Bloomberg-financed New York University program and embed them within the highest law-enforcement offices in compliant states.

Public records obtained by CEI and other groups detail how the Bloomberg-funded scheme allows activist donors to pay to place prosecutors in attorneys general offices to advanc[e] progressive clean energy, climate change, and environmental legal positions after failing to gain approval through the proper, democratic process, CEI senior fellow Chris Horner said on Dec. 18.

The Bloomberg project was exposed in an August CEI report called Law Enforcement for Rent: How Special Interests Fund Climate Policy through State Attorneys General.

Based on documents obtained over a 2 1/2-year period, CEI researchers were able to show that a plan to wield state prosecutorial power against select climate-change targets was first implemented in 2012 when elite climate activists sought a single sympathetic attorney general to prosecute their agenda.

Soon, attorneys general began subpoenaing private parties in service to a campaign of aggressive climate litigation, the report says. The informal coalition eventually disbanded due to media pressure and public scrutiny stemming from CEI-obtained government records.

Bloomberg then reorganized the coalition in August 2017, with a $6 million seed grant to New York University Law Schools State Energy and Environmental Impact Center. The grant was issued through Bloomberg Philanthropies, a charity controlled by the progressive billionaire.

According to CEI, the State Energy and Environmental Impact Center allows for donor activists to fund university fellows to provide pro bono, or taxpayer-free, legal services for state attorneys general.

The NYU program claims to be a nonpartisan project to help state attorneys general fight against regulatory rollbacks relating to climate change. But the Special Assistant Attorney General fellows only operate in Democratic-controlled attorneys general offices across nine states and the District of Columbia, including New York, Illinois, and Pennsylvaniamaking the already questionable arrangement exclusively partisan.

Campaign finance records show Bloomberg donated millions of dollars to Democratic attorney general campaigns in the recent midterm election cycle, in addition to his pledge to spend $80 million helping Democrats throughout the country. In October, Bloomberg re-registered as a Democrat amid expectations of a presidential run in 2020.

The Bloomberg-funded legal fellows also include members of progressive advocacy organizations such as the Sierra Club and the National Resources Defense Council, while others served under Bloombergs New York City mayoral administration.

The operation seems to exist in a legal grey area, despite other evidence of bipartisan concern.

CEI-obtained records show former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman boasted to donors that the need for privately funded prosecutors was due in part to financial constraints relating to anti-Trump administration resistance efforts.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman had a leading and organizing role at every stage of the campaign this paper describes, CEI explains in Law Enforcement for Rent.

Incoming New York Attorney General Letitia James, announced Dec. 12 that she will dedicate the office to pursuing wide-ranging investigations into President Donald Trump and his family.

According to a review of legal filings, the NYU-provided legal fellows have played a role in filing at least 130 regulatory, legal, and other challenges since 2017. The primary targets were reportedly energy companies and Trump administration policies relating to energy and the environment.

CEI contends that the Bloomberg-orchestrated prosecutorial activities present a serious problem of nonprofits being used as financial pass-through entities to support elected officials who will, in turn, use their government offices to advance a specific set of policies favored by said donors.

With respect to CEIs Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against Attorney General Racines office and the D.C. government, Horner said, Records that have been pried out of other OAGs to date show this and the aborted 2016 campaign, which led to CEI being subpoenaed, are both unprecedented, coordinated efforts between environmental groups, plaintiffs lawyers, and major liberal donors using nonprofit organizations to fund staff, research, legal work, and public relations to advance a partisan climate agenda.

The FOIA lawsuit asks the D.C. Superior Court to order the production of all records requested in the think tanks seven previous records requests.

As CEIs report made clear, this donor-funded scheme of law enforcement for rent raises both constitutional issues and ethical concerns and should be the subject of swift and serious legislative oversight, the group said.
Deployed soldier surprises wife at work for their anniversary with early homecoming

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Dog the Bounty Hunter Stars Are Clinging to Each Other During Cancer Battle: Report

Dog the Bounty Hunter stars Duane and Beth Chapman issued an update about her battle with throat cancer, according to E! Online on Dec. 20.

The reality stars said Beth is preparing for the battle of her life, and they said she was given a 50/50 chance of the chemotherapy working in dealing with her cancer. Beth and Duane said they are now looking at other treatments in Houston, Boston, and possibly at MD Anderson in Texas.

They said despite the diagnosis, she is very strong, very healthy and very active.

The family is now trying very had to keep things as normal as possible for their children, the report said. Nonetheless, their family is clinging to each other while they go through the search for a cure.

Last month, Beth underwent surgery at a Los Angeles-area hospital before they returned to their home in Colorado. They learned that her cancer had returned.

Their attorney, Andrew Brettler, told E! Online: I can confirm that she was hospitalized today, had surgery to remove a mass in her throat, which was determined to be cancerous. I understand that the situation is very serious. We are all concerned for her and the well-being of her family.

Duane Chapman said in a recent interview, Shes still trying to cook and get involved in my bounties and business. Shes still trying to do everything, suggesting that they are trying to keep a sense of normalcy in their Colorado home.

"Another bend in the road, yet not the end of the road,#faith, #love #stayhumblepray." Beth Chapman  Duane "Dog" Chapman  20181129

Beth is the kind of girl who likes control, he added. 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.

Duane, in a prior interview, 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 their process.

She had a lump in her throat twice the size of last time, and they performed an emergency surgery yesterday, Duane said following the procedure in November. 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 how hes coping with the diagnosis. 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 credited his faith and familys faith for keeping 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.

No Assault Charge

Meanwhile, a recent report said 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.

Two weeks after Duane was accused of assault by an airport heckler, the Denver District Attorneys Office will not pursue charges against the Dog the Bounty Hunter star, confirmed by PEOPLE.

Duane previously denied the assault allegations and detailed in a statement obtained by PEOPLE earlier this month.

There was no assault, Andrew Brettler, Duanes attorney told PEOPLE. 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, and hurled racial slurs at Dog, and threatened to cut Beth is she could get out of her wheelchair,' Brettler said.

The Chapmans attempted to distance themselves from this individual, but he followed them to the elevator where he continued to shout profanities at them, Brettler added.

The accusations stemmed from an incident on Nov. 30, when Duane and Beth were filmed waiting beside an elevator at the Denver Airport as two men approached Duane and accused him of assault, according to footage from The Blast.

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.
Drunk Prosecutor Derails Child Molestation Case, Man Walks Free

He walked into the courtroom ready to enter his guilty plea for sexual assault of a 13-year-old boy. Two months later, and the 23-year-old Iowa man walked free, his case dismissed because the county attorney not only missed filing deadlines but also missed that guilty plea hearing because she was too busy being arrested for drunkenness.

An Iowa judge ruled on Dec. 17, that Dennis Simmerman should be freed from the County Clarke jail, where he has spent 15 months awaiting trial for sex abuse charges, according to local media reports.

According to the judge, the failures of Clarke County Attorney Michelle Rivera had allowed the clock to run out on the case.

Attorney Rivera was arrested in the courtroom on Oct. 18the day of Simmermans guilty pleaby a deputy who noticed that she was slurring her words and stumbling on her feet, according to Demoines Register.

The next day she missed a crucial deadlineshe had to either grant Simmerman his right to a speedy trial or file for an extension.

The county attorneys unavailability at the last hearing was the finale following unexplained periods of inactivity and lack of responsiveness that prevented disposition of this case within one year, Judge Marti Mertz wrote, according to the Register, in the December ruling.

Rivera has so far not responded to any requests for comment on the release of Simmerman or the collapse of the case, according to media reports.

Simmermans attorney, Marshall Orsini, said a list of mistakes by Rivera had delayed his clients trial.

If the defendant is not put on trial (and) is not tried within a year, you have the potential to have that case dismissed and thats what happened here, he told KCCI.

Winning the Battle and Losing the War

Simmerman had initially pleaded not guilty to the charges shortly after his arrest back in September 2017.

He was initially charged with third-degree sexual abuse and disseminating obscene material to a minor by telephone, according to the Register.

An early motion claiming Simmerman suffered from a mental disorder was dismissed and the court found him competent to stand trial.

He later tried to enter an Alford pleaa plea allowed in some states which concedes that the evidence will inevitably find the defendant guilty, but maintains innocence. That offer was rejected.

Simmermans attorney emailed Rivera in August and made an offer for a guilty plea to a class D felony.

Finally, in September, Rivera agreed to the pleaonly to be arrested at the courthouse on the day of the plea hearing a month later.

Rivera was fined $65 for being drunk in court. She apologized after the incident.

She was arrested again for drunkenness on Dec. 15, this time charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated and with child endangerment.

Rivera lost her bid for re-election for county attorney in November, according to local reports.

Simmerman cannot face charges again for the same crime under the double jeopardy rule. However, there are various other options that the state could pursue, according to some legal experts.

Clarke County prosecutors could try to file different charges, such as lascivious acts against a child, Drake University law professor Robert Rigg, a criminal law expert, told AP. Rigg also said that Simmerman has only double-jeopardy protection against state prosecution, leaving the door open to federal prosecution.

He may end up winning the battle and losing the war, Rigg said.
Voters cast ballots at the Arlington Central Library during the 2018 midterm election in Arlington, Va., on Nov. 6, 2018. (Zach Gibson/Getty Images)

Election Watchdog Threatens to Sue Virginia for Inaccurate Noncitizen Voting Records

The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), an election watchdog group, is threatening to sue the Virginia Board of Elections unless it corrects voter roll maintenance procedures involving the removal of noncitizens.

PILF published a pair of reports using noncitizen data supplied by the Board of Election, which erroneously identified several eligible citizens as ineligible noncitizen voters. That sparked a defamation lawsuit from the League of United Latin American Citizens, alleging reckless behavior and spurious allegations of voter fraud.

The threat to sue the Board of Elections is the latest development in a series of election-related confrontations between the nonprofit watchdog and Virginia elections officials over the past several years.

The group sent a formal notice (pdf) to the state Department of Elections on Dec. 12, stating its intention to file a lawsuit if appropriate measures are not taken to comply with the National Voter Registration Act.

Despite reasonable intentions, something is broken in Virginias system to identify and remove ineligible non-citizens from its voter roll, said Logan Churchwell, PILFs communications and research director.

Churchwell said the issue is a manifestation of past transparency failures: Virginia election officials fought transparency efforts, surrounding their list maintenance process in previous yearswe are now beginning to see why, he said.

Last year, the group discovered more than 5,500 noncitizens on Virginia voter rolls, with nearly 2,000 casting thousands of votes over multiple elections. Both documented and undocumented noncitizens are barred from voting in federal elections. It is also a felony for non-U.S. citizens to register to vote.

Virginia election officials eventually removed the illegal registrants, but not until PILF filed three lawsuits, dozens of public record requests and reviewed voting documents across 133 state jurisdictions.

Referring to Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a longtime Democratic Party fundraiser and staunch Bill and Hillary Clinton ally, PILF president J. Christian Adams said, Virginia hid critical information that would have improved election integrity while a political operative-turned-governor vetoed numerous proposals that wouldve prevented alien registration and voting.

Adams served in the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division from 2005 to 2010 under former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. PILF filed more than a dozen lawsuits in federal courts relating to voter roll maintenance and access to public voter records.

As part of Virginias previous document release, election officials incorrectly included four eligible citizens in their noncitizen maintenance records. PILF published the individuals voter registration applications as provided, along with thousands of others.

Reprinting the four mistakes provided an opening for the groups voting rights opponents to launch a concerted legal attack.

The League of United Latin American Citizens lawsuit was joined by the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, the Protect Democracy Project, and a number of supportive lawyers and law firms.

This case concerns one modern form of voter intimidation: the groundless assertion that certain eligible voters are committing voter fraud by participating in elections, the lawsuit says.

The Campaign Legal Center, led by the late Sen. John McCains former general counsel, Trevor Potter, filed an amicus brief on the leagues behalf, and said in a press release the plight of the four individual plaintiffs in this case is a prime example of how voter roll purges can harm even eligible voters.

The Campaign Legal Center, which has been partially funded by George Soros Open Society Foundations, also said PILFs efforts to expose noncitizen voting constitute[s] intimidation tactics designed to threaten, embarrass, harass, and dissuade plaintiffs and others from voting.

PILF responded by filing a motion to have the complaint dismissed, saying that reposting Elections Board information does not meet the legal definition of voter intimidation.

Before publishing these reports, PILF had no way of verifying the accuracy of the government-created list maintenance records, provided by the Department [of Elections] and registrars of cities and counties across Virginia without contacting each of the voters namedconduct that likely would have been characterized as threatening and intimidating, states the Dec. 12 letter, addressed to Virginia Department of Elections commissioner Christopher Piper.

The basis of the dispute stems from a Virginia election law, requiring election officials to collect state Department of Motor Vehicles records and federal immigration SAVE records, or the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements Program.

The information is used to verify the citizenship status of registered noncitizen voters.

The Virginia Department of Elections issues those leads to local registrars, who then mail notices to the listed individuals. The notices include an opportunity to submit a sworn statement, affirming they are in fact U.S. citizens. Local registrars are required to cancel voter registrations if they do not receive an affirmative return response.

Local registrars then send relevant information back to the state Department of Elections, which then issues publicly available declared non-citizens listswhich PILF used in its research. The group also found that individuals on declared non-citizens lists were allowed to remain on voter rolls.

When the group learned that several Elections Board-provided errors were included in their reports, specifically in a nearly 800-page appendix containing voter registration forms, it added a footnote saying, Exhibit 12 was updated after the discovery that some records were erroneously disclosed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, which reflected individuals incorrectly categorized in the official voter registration archive as being declared non-citizens. Those records were removed.

This does not matter as far as the League of United Latin American Citizens and other voting rights groups are concerned. Each plaintiff has been falsely accused of having committed one or more felonies by registering to vote and actually voting as alleged non-citizens, their case argues.

PILF said the Elections Boards errors and the lawsuit against it have created a chilling effect, inhibiting the group from ensuring federal election laws are followed.

PILF has been unable to advocate for election integrity and the rights of eligible citizens to be included on the voter rolls because the departments improper removal of citizens from the voter rolls created the confusion that led to the litigation, the foundation said in a letter dated Dec. 12.
Film Review: Bumblebee: A Prelude to Universal Harmony

PG-13 | 1h 53min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | 21 December 2018 (USA)

Kind, innocent Bumblebee, a robot who transforms into a yellow Camaro and back again, is the most beloved Autobot in the Transformer series. If he could sing, hed sound like Rod Stewart. Why? Take a look at Bumblebees soulful baby blues. Its not possible to get any more blue-eyed soul than he is.

And Bumblebees likeability is partially why this origin story, while sixth in the Transformers series, is arguably the best movie of the lot.

What are the other reasons? Allow me to paraphrase myself, from my last Transformers movie review, because I believe its a fine piece of precognition, wherein I prophesied the style in which Bumblebee would be made. Four years ago, I said:

The franchise will continue, but it now needs a gritty upgrade to retro. It needs to be un-Michael Bayd. This fourth Transformers installation is over-long, over-done, and over-titled. It needs to get back to the Harley-Davidson philosophy, which isthey got it right the first time. Stay vintage. Keep the Autobot automobiles of the 1970s muscle-car variety. And dont high-tech everything just because you have more RAM.

Well, while Im at it, let me paraphrase myself some more: The first Transformers was an instant American pop-movie classic. It established the Transformer formula. A Transformer movie must have four things: The machinery and cars must look cool; there must be a long-legged jail-bait female of stunning visage (tanned); there must be green cornfields and orange sunsets; and there must be nearly poetic teen dialog such as, Dude, shes an evil jock-concubine.



So yeah. Thats exactly what this new (not-Michael Bay) director, Travis Knight, did. It took them two whole movies to arrive at my wisdom. Why doesnt anybody listen to me?

The Not-Megan Fox

Lets get real. Megan Fox was the real reason all the young dudes loved Transformers. Foxy Fox, the muscle cars, and the cool robots. This is a boy movie series; boys played with the Hasbro Transformers toys; boys crushed on the bombshell Miss Fox; and it appears that director Michael Boy, I mean, Bay, has a surname that may just be misspelled.

So in Bumblebee, the replacement jail-bait teen girl is Hailee Steinfeld, which is very shrewd casting. Because, unlike Fox, Steinfeld is a world-class actress, springing fully formed from the forehead of Pallas Athena (more like the beard of Jeff Bridges) in True Grit, and not only establishing herself as a zeitgeist channeler of her generations teen angst, but also morphing into a bona fide pop-star of rare, seductive, vocal ability. And shes no slouch in the jail-bait department.

So while shes tomboyish and in bombshell-stealth-mode, if you look closely, Steinfeld handily nails the Transformers job requirement of long-legged jail-bait female of stunning visage. How so stealthily? Because shes not sun-tanned. But she does share Megan Foxs precocious grease-monkey mechanical ability, a concept that is very thrilling to all ages of boys, even ones in their 90s.

The main thing, though, is that she has the acting chops to ground all this CGI in heartfelt, character-driven territory, where this series has never been before.

Origin Story

Chances are, regardless of your age, you mustve seen one of the six Transformers movies by now, so you know who Optimus Prime is, yes? So you probably therefore also know Bumblebee already.

Except you wouldnt recognize him, because instead of the 2007 Camaro he later becomes, he started off as an early-1970s VW Beetle thats been sitting around a junkyard long enough for bees to start building honeycombs behind his rearview mirror. Wait, bumblebees dont make honey. Honeybees do. Well, its more like, you know, honey is sweet, bees are yellow, Bumblebee is yellow, hes got honey in him, thereforehes sweet. Its sort of like a Transformers syllogism.

Whats he doing in a junkyard? Thats maybe the fifth requirement of a Transformers movie: Dust-covered vintage vehicles that have been sitting a long time in barns and such are not what you think they are.

Bumblebee is actually B-127, a rebel Autobot sent here by his fearless leader, Optimus Prime, to scout out new planetary digs in the ongoing interplanetary war with the Decepticons, who destroyed the Autobot planet of Cybertron.

For the newcomers unfamiliar with Decepticons: You know that movie company Bad Robot? Its got that freaky red robot? Thats a Decepticon. Im pretty sure. Anywaybad robots.

B-127 touches down here round about 1987, in the form of a very small comet, near a U.S. military base, the personnel of which naturally chase him around in armored trucks featuring large land harpoons.

Shortly after, a Decepticon trackerbot catches up with Bumblebee and rips out his vocal chords (such as they are). Its here that he goes to ground as the aforementioned yellow junkyard VW Bug, somewhere on the California coast.

The junkyard belongs to the granddad of one Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), teen girl mechanic-geek. Like a sort of gorgeous Gollum, she wants to claim (for her birthday present) this Bug, as her precious.

And while rolling under the Bug on one of those mechanic skateboard thingies, she glimpses a curious visage staring back at her, above the muffler and the drive shaft.

This Movies Bad Robots

Theres no rest for the weary, and Bumblebees got two nasty Decepticons on his tail: Shatter (Angela Bassett) and Dropkick (Justin Theroux), who transform into the most muscled-up versions ever of a fire-engine-red Plymouth Satellite and a blue AMC Javelin, respectively.

They also furthermore transform into a red F-4 Phantom fighter jet and what looks to be a blue Cobra gunship helicopter, respectively, and the latter enjoys splatting humans with his galactic zapper (the effect of which looks, PG-13 appropriately, like a soap-bubble popping). As he remarks, I like the way they pop.

A third bad guy is the military man played by former WWE wrestler John Cena.

On the nice guy side, theres Charlies geeky next-door neighbor and classmate Memo (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.), sporting a 1970s Afro and a schoolboy crush.

Iron Giants

Thats what all these Autobots are, reallytheyre iron giants, sort of like the one in the childrens cartoon movie of the same name. And like that relationship of Hogarth Hughes and Iron Giant (brilliantly voiced by Vin Diesel), Bumblebee and Charlie have a similar friendship.

Bumblebee reflects the trending offerings on social media: our current preoccupation with videos featuring cross-species bonding. Were enjoying watching a lion, tiger, and bear (oh my!) that grew up together and now, as their 800-pound furry selves, frolic about together. We like the one about the dog that swims out to meet his friend, the dolphin, to frolic. Then theres the one of an actual Bambi and an actual Thumper caught on video, jumping around together on someones lawn. Its endless. Its also very Steven Spielberg, who happens to be the producer.

So whats the point? Humans will befriend metal aliens someday? No, I think its just a timely, if perhaps unintended tribute to the current discovery by Facebook that we like to watch all kinds of sentient beings frolicking together and living in harmony. Theyve even given Bumblebee extremely expressive, waggly dog ears that prick with curiosity, and get laid back when Bumblebee shifts into angry, fight mode.

For the next installment, Id like to see Charlie and Bumblebee do karaoke at a bar, where Bee sings Rod Stewarts Maggie May, and Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga are in the audience. This movie will be titled A Star Is Transformed.

Film Review: Bumblebee

Director: Travis Knight

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Dylan OBrien, Justin Theroux, Angela Bassett, John Ortiz, Len Cariou, Jason Drucker

Rated: PG-13

Running time: 1 hour, 53 minutes

Release Date: Dec. 21

Rated 4 stars out of 5


A man types on a computer keyboard in Warsaw on Feb. 28, 2013. Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom have expressed serious concern over a group acting on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) that is stealing commercial intellectual property in a malicious global hacking campaign, widely known as Cloud Hopper, as of Dec. 21, 2018. (Kacper Pempel/Reuters)

Five Eyes Countries Condemn Communist Chinas Global Hacking Campaign

Five Eyes countries of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom have followed the United States in expressing serious concern over a groups actions to steal commercial intellectual property on behalf of Chinas Ministry of State Security (MSS) through a malicious global hacking campaign, widely known as Cloud Hopper.

The countries each issued public statements condemning the hacking group known in global intelligence circles as Advanced Persistent Threat 10, or APT 10, all within a day of the indictment of two Chinese nationals by the United States for their alleged membership in the group.

The men had been involved in hacking operations with APT10 since 2006, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

This is outright cheating and theft, and it gives China an unfair advantage at the expense of law-abiding businesses and countries that follow the international rules in return for the privilege of participating in the global economic system, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein said in a statement.

APT10 is accused of targeting companies and government agencies in more than a dozen countries around the world, including in Asia, to steal their intellectual property and sensitive commercial data.

The cyber attacks are known to have begun as early as 2006 and focused on several large-scale managed service providers (MSPs). MSPs are specialist companies that manage IT services and infrastructure for many medium to large businesses and organizations.

MSPs are an attractive, high-value target for threat actors. This is because MSPs typically have extensive access to multiple client networks in order to perform their job of IT specialist, a statement from the Canadian government read.

The statement noted that if one MSP is compromised, multiple clients around the world would be at risk of being hacked, and face loss of proprietary information, disruption to business operations, financial loss, and potential harm to the affected organizations reputation.

It is highly likely that these accesses were used to engage in commercial espionage, read a statement from the UK government.

Chinese State Accused of Breaking Promises

In their statements, the countries noted that the Chinese Communist state has not upheld its commitment to refrain from cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, trade secrets, and confidential business data related to commercial advantages, as agreed by G20 nations in 2015.

The latest global hacking campaign is also in violation of the commitment that all APEC economies, including China, made in November 2016, the New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau noted.

The United Kingdom and Australia said that in 2015 and 2017 respectively, China had directly reaffirmed the commitment bilaterally. This public condemnation on Dec. 20 (Dec. 21 in Australia) is the first time for both Australian and UK governments to publically name Communist China as the agent responsible for a malicious cyber campaign.

Australias Ambassador for Cyber Affairs, Dr. Tobias Feakin, said that Australias condemnation draws a firm line against the communist states hacking activities.

The language that were using, we feel, represents how strongly we feel about this, which is incredibly strong, Feakin told The Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

As an international community, as Australia, we are now far more robust in the way that we will name and shame, and we will shine a light on activities that we think are unacceptable.

UK foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said that the hacking campaign is one of the most significant and widespread cyber intrusions against the UK and allies uncovered to date.

Our message to governments prepared to enable these activities is clear: together with our allies, we will expose your actions and take other necessary steps to ensure the rule of law is upheld, Hunt said in a statement.

Countries Issue Advice to MSPs and Businesses

Best practices guidelines for MSPs and their clients to protect against security threats have been issued by the governments of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK in a move to resist the latest hacking campaign.

The worldwide cybersecurity compromise serves as a reminder that all organizations must remain vigilant about security and that organizations such as MSPs must be responsible and accountable to those they serve, a joint statement from Australias foreign minister Marise Payne and minister for home affairs Petter Dutton read.

According to the U.S. Justice Department, the APT10 group had targetted multiple industries and technologies. These include aviation, satellite and maritime technology, industrial factory automation, automotive supplies, laboratory instruments, banking and finance, telecommunications and consumer electronics, computer processor technology, information technology services, packaging, consulting, medical equipment, healthcare, biotechnology, pharmaceutical manufacturing, mining, and oil and gas exploration and production.

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Chinese Subversion & Corruption of U.S.A is Deep and Far Reaching

In China, the Communist Party is using subversion, espionage and corruption against the United States, and is actively infiltrating and undermining key institutions to damage the United States and advance the interests of the Chinese regime.
A GoFundMe page titled, We The People Will Fund The Wall, has raised about $11 million out of $1 billion as of Dec. 20. (GoFundMe)

GoFundMe for Trumps Border Wall Hits $12 Million After 200,000 People Donate

The viral GoFundMe page set up fund the wall proposed by President Donald Trump has reached $12 million as of Dec. 21, as hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations, are pouring in by the hour.

A day earlier, an anonymous donor put down $50,000 and another individual donated $17,000. Three other people donated $10,000, and another person donated $9,000, according to the page. A number of people made $5,000 donations in the past day.

Meanwhile, about 200,000 people have donated.

Brian Kolfage, a triple-amputee Air Force veteran who received the Purple Heart, started the GoFundMe earlier this week.

On Dec. 20, he appeared on Fox News Laura Ingrahams show. To critics of his GoFundMe page, who say he wont be able to make the $1 billion goal, he said, Theyre full of crap.

This is the United States, and we can do anything we want, he added. If people want to donate to that wall  whats $80 for 60 million people.

This is not just about Republicans and conservatives, he said, theres an outpouring of Democrats that are messaging me and giving to his wall fund.

This is America coming together; they want the wall, he claimed.

Ingraham brought up reports that some of his Facebook accounts were blocked by the social media giant.

Im not allowed on Facebook anymore. My company, Military Grade Coffee Company, was outright banned, he said. Facebook executives told me Im not allowed to use it.

Kolfage alleged his wife was told by Facebook that the firm would delete her account if it detects his activity.

I dont use Facebook anymore, he said, adding that hes taken to Twitter. Its ridiculous the way these companies treat people  Americans are not just happy about it.
House Approves Funding for US-Mexico Border Wall

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a government spending bill that includes $5.7 billion in funding for a new border wall on Dec. 20 as Congress works to prevent a partial government shutdown.

The House passed the government funding package with 217 votes for and 185 against, which also includes nearly $8 billion in disaster relief funding for areas affected by the years devastating coastal hurricanes and wildfires in California. The package now goes to the Senate and if passed, will prevent funding from running out for almost a quarter of government entities on Dec. 21.

Urgent Deadline Looms

More than 800,000 federal workers face furloughs, or working without pay, if a resolution is not reached before the current funding arrangement expires at midnight on Dec. 21. The legislation affects nine out of a total of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of government agencies, including the departments of homeland security, transportation, interior, agriculture, state and justice, as well as national parks and forests.

Many agencies, including the Pentagon and departments of veterans affairs and health and human services, are funded for the year and would continue to operate as usual even if the funding lapses in the case of a push-back in the Senate. The U.S. Postal Service, busy delivering packages for the holiday season, would also be unaffected by any government shutdown since it is an independent agency.

The White House confirmed that President Donald Trump will not travel to Florida this Christmas if the government shuts down.

Funding For Wall Included After Presidential Push

The Senate had already approved a bipartisan bill on Dec. 19 to keep the government temporarily funded but with only $1.6 billion in funding for border security of which no money would go towards money for the border wall.

Despite GOP lawmakers being aware that the president had said he would not sign a spending bill without $5 billion in funding for a border wall, the votes on Dec. 19 were not enough to pass support for Trumps request.

Trump reminded Republican lawmakers in a Dec. 20 tweet about their promise to fund the wall back when the president signed the 2017 funding bill.

When I begrudgingly signed the Omnibus Bill, I was promised the wall and border security by leadership. Would be done by end of year (now). It didnt happen! he said. We foolishly fight for Border Security for other countriesbut not for our beloved U.S.A. Not good!

When I begrudgingly signed the Omnibus Bill, I was promised the Wall and Border Security by leadership. Would be done by end of year (NOW). It didnt happen! We foolishly fight for Border Security for other countries  but not for our beloved U.S.A. Not good!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

Now, in the House, House Republicans have been able to push through an amendment to the Senate-passed bill to add the $5 billion that Trump had demanded to go toward building the border wall.

We want to keep the government open but we also want to see an agreement that protects the border, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) had said on the White House driveway after meeting with Trump for more than an hour before entering the House for the voting.

Following the passing of the bill, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told Reuters, Lets not forget that every single member of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats have campaigned that they want border security too.

Democrats are playing political games and they have to decide whether or not they hate the President more than they love this country. They have to decide that theyre going to fulfill the duty that they took when they took the oath of office and that they came in here to dothey all campaigned on border security.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) welcomed the passed legislation. Now we find compromise, McCarthy told AP. We have time right now to get it done.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) vowed to return to work on adding border security and keeping the government open. We do want to see an agreement, he told AP.

The Associated Press (AP) described the wall moneys successful passage through the House as a slap-back to Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) who had warned Trump in a televised Oval Office meeting a week earlier that funding for the wall would not attract enough votes in the House.

Trump Stood Firm on Border Funding

Trump had earlier said he would be proud to shut down the government over the wall funding issue. But looking to move past the deadlock on the issue, The White House added earlier in the week that Trump had said he is open to reviewing whatever bill Congress could send him.

Trump then criticized the Democrats for putting politics over country.

Democrats, it is time to come together and put the SAFETY of the AMERICAN PEOPLE before POLITICS. Border security must become a #1 priority! pic.twitter.com/Wck6UpQGil  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

The legislation will now go to the Senate where 60 votes are needed to pass the funding package.

We hope that theyll fulfill their promise like the President is doing. Hes going to do it for hisuphold his constitutional duty to protect the American people, and we hope theyll join with u.s., Sanders said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Weapons used by alleged MS-13 gang members named in the 84-count indictment, including eight attempted murders, in Nassau County, Long Island, N.Y., on June 15, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Human Remains Found in Indianapolis Field Belong Man Believed to Have Been Killed by MS-13: FBI

Human remains found in an Indianapolis field belong to a man the FBI believes was killed by the notorious MS-13 gang.

The remains were found in a wooded area of Grassy Creek Regional Park in Indianapolis on Aug. 1 and Aug. 2.

DNA from the remains was examined by experts at the University of Indianapolis Human Identification Center, who eliminated all other potential donors except for Israel Anibal Mejia-Martinez.

Mejia-Martinezs last address was in Usultan, El Salvador.

Mejia-Martinez was believed to have been murdered approximately one year ago and buried in a shallow grave where the remains were discovered by the FBI Evidence Response Team. The remains were recovered in connection with an ongoing MS-13 investigation in the Southern District of Ohio, the FBI stated in a Dec. 20 press release.

FBI officials told the Indianapolis Star that the investigation indicated the victim was killed by MS-13 gang members.

People who live in the area of Grassy Creek Regional Park noted that the search for the remains took several days.

It was like a three-ring circus, you know? Youre going like What the heck is going on over here but nobody is saying anything, Anthony Parran told WTHR.

Alerted about the death, he added: That is news and is it a shocker. Well, its like, wow. Ok.

Its a dumping ground, if you want to get as far away from the actual crime as possible, it would be ideal. Why here? I dont know, Parran said.

Another resident watched earthmoving equipment and an FBI van come and go.

I know theres plenty of ghosts out here because my kids are scared at night, the resident said.

Anyone with information about the death of Mejia-Martinez is urged to contact the FBI at (614) 849-1765.

MS-13 Violence

MS-13s motto is kill, rape, control.

The gang, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, was initially formed by Salvadoran immigrants that fled to Los Angeles during the civil war in their home country.

The gang became increasingly violentdrawing upon the Salvadoran wartime experiences of its members and their cultural use of the macheteto protect its members from Mexican-American street gangs and their rival, the hybrid 18th Street gang, Robert J. Bunker, an adjunct research professor at the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College, told The Epoch Times.

A huge deportation effort in the early 2000s, which expelled thousands of MS-13 members from the United States back to El Salvador, contributed to the gang taking hold in Central America. El Salvador is now the gangs operational base. The Justice Department estimates around 40,000 members live in Central America and 10,000 live in the United States.

MS-13 has created a brandlike Los Zetas in Mexicobased on its reputation for engaging in unspeakable acts of brutality using machete and knife attacks against those that cross it, Bunker said.

This barbaric reputation greatly aids the gang in its collection of street taxes from local merchants and helps it to protect its turf and drug trade against opposing gangs who are afraid to face the street terrorism it can wage against them.

Epoch Times reporter Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report.
Hungarian President Janos Ader speaks to journalists at the presidential palace in Budapest on April 2, 2013. (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

Hungarys President Signs Controversial New Labor Regulations

Hungarian President Janos Ader has signed a new law that expands the amount of overtime employees are allowed to work.

Opponents have blasted the new regulations as a slave law, while supporters argue it removes caps on workers ability to trade more freely their time for money.

The law increases the amount of overtime employers can request to 400 hours per year from the current 250, with employees having to give written consent and no penalty for saying no.

Ader signed the new law on Dec. 20, with Hungarys parliament having given its seal of approval a week earlier, sparking a wave of protests.

Controversially, payment for the overtime can be delayed by up to three years, although Gyorgy Schopflin, a politician from Hungarys ruling Fidesz party, told the BBC that, in practice, workers would be paid monthly, not in three years.

Schopflin stressed there would be no coercion of employees and that the reforms had been heavily distorted by the opposition.

Ader further defended the new legislation, telling reporters in a statement, I studied the changes to the labor law, and its provisions do not run contrary to the constitution.

He added other EU countries labor laws were no less strict.

Sixteen trade unions were said to be planning strikes.

Mass Demonstrations

At least 10,000 protesters gathered in the capital Budapest on Dec. 16 for a fifth consecutive day of demonstrations.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbans policies have typically enjoyed widespread support, despite rebuke from Brussels over rule of law.

In elections earlier this year, his Fidesz party won a two-thirds majority in parliament.

Fidesz representatives have claimed the protests are, in reality, astroturfing operations financed by Hungarian-born U.S. billionaire George Soros. Soros denies that, saying the Hungarian authorities are using him as a scapegoat.

The week-long protests in Budapest have forged fragmented opposition parties into a rare coalition against Orban, drawing young Hungarians into the streets to demonstrate against what they see as his increasingly authoritarian rule.

In addition to the controversial new labor law, Orban has been blasted for setting up new courts controlled by the justice minister, which opponents say could lead to political meddling.

Necessary Reforms?

Fidesz says the laws are needed to address a serious labor shortage. The countrys unemployment rate, at 4.2 percent in 2017, is one of the lowest in the EU. Hungarys population has been in decline for years, as deaths outpace births, according to the European statistics agency.

According to Eurostat, an EU statistical agency, 93 percent of industrial companies in Hungary said labor shortages would limit their economic output in the last quarter of 2018.

Other central European countries face a similar dilemma, with 51 percent of companies expressing the same fears in Poland, 37 percent in Slovakia, and 37 percent in the Czech Republic. But in Hungary, the figures betray a rising crescendo of anxiety.

The labor shortage has been made more acute by Orbans fierce opposition to immigration. The problem also is compounded by the brain drain of young Hungarians leaving in search of better-paid jobs elsewhere in the EU.

Also, as consultancy Accace argues, the legal climate in Hungary tends to favor workers.

In the context of labor disputes in Hungary, courts generally protect employees rights by interpreting the provisions of the Labor Code, collective bargaining agreements and employment contracts often in favor of the employees, it said.

Hungarys regional economic rivals such as Poland, where a large portion of workers is either self-employed or on contracts with limited rights, skew the labor relations balance in favor of business, putting further pressure on Budapest by luring firms away to set up shop closer to Warsaw.

Milan Nic of the German Council for Foreign Relations noted in an interview with the Financial Times that the model of combining cheap labor in central and eastern Europe with western capital, is increasingly coming under strain.

The whole business model of central Europe for the last 15 years, with Germany as its crown jewel, is running into its limits, said Nic.

There is a huge structural issue here.
A man walks a dog past the Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago on Dec. 19, 2018. Almost 700 clergy in Illinois have been accused of child sexual assault, a far greater number than the Catholic Church had previously disclosed, the U.S. state's top prosecutor revealed on Dec. 19. (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Illinois Catholic Church Withheld Names of 500 Priests Accused of Abuse

The names of at least 500 priests accused of sexual abuse of minors in Illinois were withheld by the Catholic Church, a preliminary report by the states attorney general, Lisa Madigan, found.

The findings, released on Dec. 19, found the states six dioceses publicly identified 185 clergy members as having been credibly accused of child sexual abuse but held back the names of at least 500 additional priests and clergy members.

Because I know that the Church has too often ignored survivors of clergy sexual assault, I want to share the initial findings from our work, Madigan said in a statement.

The Illinois report is the latest in the nations escalating scrutiny of the church. Across the country, at least 16 other state attorneys general have initiated investigations since August, according to The New York Times.

The states findings, although preliminary, reveal the Catholic Churchs inability to hold itself accountable, demonstrating how the institution cannot police itself, Madigan added.

Since the start of the investigation in August, Madigan and her office have reviewed thousands of pages of documents from each diocese and have conversed or met with bishops, lawyers, and representatives from all six dioceses.

Only two of the dioceses had publicly published a list of clergy they deemed credibly accused at the start of the probe. But as a result of Madigans ongoing investigation, four other Illinois dioceses have since compiled and published similar lists.

The states probe into clergy abuse also discovered that the allegations were often not adequately investigated by the dioceses, or not investigated at all. Furthermore, the church failed to notify law enforcement or the Department of Children and Family Services of the allegations in many of the cases.

A common reason the diocese provided for not investigating certain allegations was that the clergy member was already deceased or had resigned at the time the allegation was first reported to the diocese.

By choosing not to thoroughly investigate allegations, the Catholic Church has failed in its moral obligation to provide survivors, parishioners, and the public a complete and accurate accounting of all sexually inappropriate behavior involving priests in Illinois, Madigan said.

The attorney general said the churchs failed investigations also meant that the institution never inspected if the conduct of the accused priests was ignored or covered up by superiors.

The nine-page report does not name any accused priests, but it highlights the wide gap between the number of allegations sent to the church from victims and those the church deemed credible.

Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, apologized for the churchs failure to act on the allegations.

I want to express again the profound regret of the whole church for our failures to address the scourge of clerical sexual abuse, he said in a statement. It is the courage of victim-survivors that has shed purifying light on this dark chapter in church history.

As of Dec. 19, Madigans office had received over 300 communications to their clergy abuse hotline first launched in August.
Protesters, who are members of the Muslim Solidarity Movement, hold placards during a protest against violence and the treatment of Uyghur Muslims by the Chinese regime, in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia on Dec. 21, 2018. (Antara Foto/Novrian Arbi/via Reuters)

Indonesian Muslims Protest Against Chinas Treatment of Uyghurs

JAKARTAHundreds of Muslims held a rally outside the Chinese embassy in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, on Dec. 21 to protest against the treatment of members of the mostly Muslim ethnic Uyghur minority in Chinas far western Xinjiang region.

A United Nations panel of human rights experts said in August it had received many credible reports that 1 million ethnic Uyghurs in China were being held in what resembled a massive internment camp that is shrouded in secrecy.

The United Nations called for the immediate release of those detained on the pretext of countering terrorism.

Opposition groups in Indonesia, has the worlds largest Muslim population, have criticized President Joko Widodo for not providing enough support for Chinas Uyghur community.

The United Nations must speak out, the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) must speak out, Muslims must take a stand against the Chinese government, said protester Ridwan Abdul Ridho said on Friday.

The Chinese regime has used the excuse that Xinjiang faces a serious threat from Islamist militants and separatists who plot attacks and stir up tensions with the ethnic Han Chinese majority to crack down on the local population in Xinjiang.

China worries that Uyghurs, who speak a Turkic language, have gone to places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria and Iraq to fight for militants.

Uyghurs and other Muslims held in concentration camp-like facilities, known as re-education centers, are forbidden from using Islamic greetings, must learn Mandarin Chinese, and sing propaganda songs, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.

China says it is not enforcing arbitrary detention and political re-education, but rather some citizens guilty of minor offenses were being sent to vocational centers to provide employment opportunities.

However, a report published on Nov. 5 by U.S. think-tank the Jamestown Foundation found that despite the purported large vocational training campaign, employment outcomes had not markedly improved, according to Xinjiangs own official employment figures.

Indonesian foreign ministry said it had summoned the Chinese envoy in Jakarta to convey concern from various parties in Indonesia on the condition of people of Uyghur in China and called on China to respect freedom of religion.

Western countries including Canada, France, Germany, and the United States have urged China to shut down camps in Xinjiang.

By Johan Purnomo. The Epoch Times contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump on Dec. 20 announced that Gen. Jim Mattis will be retiring at the end of February next year.

General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years, Trump wrote on Twitter.

He praised Mattiss tenure, citing tremendous progress made in the purchasing of new defense equipment.

Trump said a new secretary of defense will be named soon.

Mattiss resignation comes a day after the president announced U.S. troops will be pulling out of Syria.

In his resignation letter, Mattis wrote: Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.

Mattis highlighted his core belief that Americas strength is linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships.

The defense secretary also said that we must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity, and values.

Trump, while defending the importance of international alliances, has repeatedly pointed out that the United States pays a disproportional amount for international defense.

Specifically, he has criticized the fact that the majority of NATO members are not meeting the requirement to spend 2 percent of GDP on defense, as stipulated by the alliance.

Last year, only three nationsthe United States, Greece, and the United Kingdommet that obligation.

Trump thanked Mattis for his help in pushing alliance members to increase their spending.

General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations, Trump wrote in his tweet.

The president, during an October interview with CBS, appeared to criticize Mattis, saying that the defense secretary was sort of a Democrat and could be leaving.

Mattis in his letter pledged his full effort for a smooth transition that ensures the needs and interests of the 2.15 million Service Members and 723,079 DoD civilians receive undistracted attention of the Department at all times so that they can fulfill their critical, round-the-clock mission to protect the American people.
A sign announcing the store will be closing hangs above a Sears store on Aug. 24, 2017 in Chicago, Ill. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Layoffs Loom Large as Banks Weigh Funding Lamperts Sears Bid

Bankers meeting to discuss financing for Sears Holdings Corp.s impending bankruptcy erupted in disbelief when a headline crossed their smartphone screens. Its subject: them.

A breaking news report said the bankers, gathered Oct. 11 at the Manhattan offices of law firm Weil Gotshal & Manges, were pushing to liquidate the American retail icon instead of saving it with a new loan. The implications were clear, according to people familiar with the meeting: Keep Sears alive, or youll be publicly blamed for the 50,000 job losses that would come with its demise.

As far as the bankers knew, the report wasnt true, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing private negotiations. But even today, as they face a deadline in two weeks to extend more loans, the bankers cant escape factoring in the social cost of their decision.

In private meetings, representatives for Sears and related businesses have repeated the message, the people said. Its also come up in Sears public comments and former Chief Executive Officer Eddie Lamperts Dec. 6 bid to buy the company. Robert Riecker, the retail chains chief financial officer, made the same point on the day of the companys October bankruptcy filing.

Lamperts Plan

Will Sears be relegated to the dustbin of history, and will 68,000 Americans lose their jobs? Riecker asked in a court affidavit. The answer lies in the level of support and cooperation that the debtors receive from creditors and business partners. Many Sears workers have already been let go.

The messaging comes as Lamperts hedge fund, ESL Investments Inc., seeks about $1 billion in funding for its proposed purchase of whats left of Sears, according to the preliminary details outlined in court documents Dec. 6. The bankers decision whether to chip in will come in a national political climate prickly with populist rhetoric.

They know that creditors who opted to liquidate Toys R Us became the target of protests by fired workers, faced increased investor scrutiny and weathered criticism from presumed presidential hopefuls Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker. They also know that President Donald Trump blasted General Motors Co. for announcing worker cuts. The last thing the Sears bankers want is a blow to their reputations.

No one likes bad press, and headline risk is absolutely taken into consideration in situations like these, said Steve Wilamowsky, a bankruptcy and restructuring partner at Chapman and Cutler who was not at the Sears lender meeting. Who wants to provide material for an ambitious politician or regulator to caricature you as a cartoon villain, handlebar mustache and all?

Needs $1 Billion

In October, Searss banks, led by Wells Fargo & Co. and Bank of America Corp., agreed to extend the retailer $300 million to fund itself during bankruptcy. Bank representatives declined to comment.

We are working around the clock to try to keep Sears in business with a going-concern proposal that would save tens of thousands of jobs and provide severance protections for eligible workers, ESL said in an email statement to Bloomberg. ESL is hopeful that the lessons learned in the Toys R Us bankruptcy will aid Searss constituents in achieving a successful and expeditious resolution to the Chapter 11 process.

Sharp Elbows

Fired Toys R Us workers attracted enough support to land them a payoff. KKR & Co. and Bain Capital, the two buyout firms that controlled the toy retailer, created a $20 million fund to partly compensate employees who lost their jobs.

Bankruptcies are rarely smooth, with sharp elbows and aggressive jockeying commonplace even when politics has a muted role. But lately, politics rarely has a muted role.

Its more pronounced now, said Josh Sussberg, a partner in the restructuring group of Kirkland & Ellis. We live in an internet world, so people can get in touch very quickly and organize.

Last week, Sears won court approval to give top executives $25.3 million in bonuses to keep them from leaving, even as the company lost $1.9 billion in the first nine months of 2018 and Lamperts estimated worth hovers around $2.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

When you deal with large swaths of employees, youre naturally going to see a higher level of publicity thats politically driven, said Steven Zelin, head of the North American restructuring and special situations Group at PJT Partners Inc. The retailers are large and well-known to the day-to-day consumer, and by definition, high-profile closings create public pressure.

By Eliza Ronalds-Hannon, Lauren Coleman-Lochner & Katherine Doherty
Londons Gatwick Airport Reopens After Drone Saboteur Sows Chaos

LONDONLondons Gatwick Airport reopened on Dec. 21, after a saboteur wrought 36 hours of travel chaos for over a hundred thousand Christmas travelers by using a drone to play cat-and-mouse with police snipers and the army.

After the biggest disruption at Gatwick, Britains second busiest airport, since a volcanic ash cloud in 2010, Gatwick said 700 planes were due to take off on Friday, although there would still be delays and cancellations.

Britain deployed unidentified military technology to guard the airport against what Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said were thought to be several drones.

Whats happening on the ground is a mix of measures taken to give confidence that aircraft can be safe Some of those are military capabilities, Grayling told BBC television.

Grayling said there was not yet a straightforward commercial, off-the-shelf solution that automatically solves all problems.

There was mystery over the motivation of the drone operator, or operators, and police said there was nothing to suggest the crippling of one of Europes busiest airports was a terrorist attack.

Gatwicks drone nightmare is thought to be the most disruptive yet at a major airport and indicates a new vulnerability that will be scrutinized by security forces and airport operators across the world.

The army and police snipers were called in to hunt down the drones, thought to be industrial style craft, which flew near the airport every time it tried to reopen on Thursday.

Chaos

Gatwicks chief operating officer Chris Woodroofe said the perpetrator had not yet been found.

Flights were halted at 2103 GMT on Wednesday after two drones were spotted near the airfield. The disruption affected at least 120,000 people.

After a boom in drone sales, unmanned aerial vehicles have become a growing menace at airports across the world.

In Britain, the number of near misses between private drones and aircraft more than tripled between 2015 and 2017, with 92 incidents recorded last year.

Flying drones within 1 km (0.6 mile) of a British airport boundary is punishable by five years in prison.

The drone sightings caused misery for tens of thousands of travelers who were stranded at Gatwick, many sleeping on the floor as they searched for alternative routes to holidays and Christmas family gatherings.

Theres no evidence that it is terror-related in the conventional sense, Grayling said. But its clearly a kind of disruptive activity that weve not seen before. This kind of incident is unprecedented anywhere in the world.

He said it was uncertain how many drones were involved but it appeared to be more than one.

Its thought to be a small number of drones in the plural, Grayling said. It certainly wasnt a lot, it was the same small number of drones seen many times.

It was not immediately clear what the financial impact would be on the main airlines operating from Gatwick including easyJet, British Airways and Norwegian.

Britains Civil Aviation Authority said it considered the event to be an extraordinary circumstance meaning airlines are not obliged to pay compensation to affected passengers.

Airlines will have to refund customers who no longer wish to travel however and try to reschedule flights to get passengers to their destinations.

By Guy Faulconbridge and Alistair Smout
China Daily | Dec. 20, 2018

British Airways announced on Tuesday it will resume flights to Pakistan next summer, in a major vote of confidence from a Western airline a decade after suspending operations due to security fears.

The British carrier, which halted services in 2008 after the deadly Marriott Hotel bombing in Islamabad, will return in June 2019 with three weekly flights from London's Heathrow airport to the Pakistani capital, airline officials said.

BA had six weekly flights to the Pakistani capital before the Marriott attack, which killed more than 50 people and triggered a major drawdown by embassies and international agencies over safety concerns.

Tickets starting at US$630 were due to go on sale from Tuesday.

BA said the route-which will be serviced by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner-is among four direct long-haul flights being introduced in 2019, along with Pittsburgh and Charleston in the US, and Osaka in Japan.

The carrier's announcement was "a reflection of the great improvements in the security situation in Pakistan" in the years since, said British High Commissioner to Pakistan Thomas Drew in a statement.

"We only fly somewhere when we know it's safe to do so," Robert Williams, BA's head of sales for Asia, told a news conference in Islamabad.

Thomas Drew, Britain's top diplomat in Pakistan, said the resumption of flights was excellent news and would "give a particular boost to our growing trade and investment links".

Pakistan's government and its military also welcomed the announcement. Major General Asif Ghafoor, the military spokesman, said the development was one of the dividends of the decadeslong struggle of the Pakistani nation and security forces to restore peace and stability in the country that are on the way.

The announcement caused a stir on Twitter, where it was greeted with jubilation by many Pakistanis.

The army tweeted its gratitude to the airline using the hashtag #PeacefulPakistan, while the government's official account proclaimed the country a "new investment destination of Asia".

The announcement came after Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan vowed to revitalize its struggling tourism industry in effort to bring in much-needed revenue to its fragile economy.

Pakistan has a rich cultural and archaeological heritage, along with serene alpine valleys, pristine beaches and vast deserts peppered with vibrant Islamic shrines.

The country is also home to some of the world's tallest peaks including K-2-the second highest summit after Qomolangma (also known as Mount Everest in the West), which sits atop a region of 120 other mountains rising above 7,000 meters.
Mail Carrier Dies in California After Getting Punched in the Face

A 63-year-old U.S. Postal Service employee died after getting punched in the face while on the job in California, law enforcement officials said.

Fernando Santoya was delivering mail in Fresno on Dec. 18, when he got into an altercation with a group of men who were renovating a house on South Polk Avenue.

The Fresno County Sheriffs Office said one of the workers had parked his vehicle in front of the mailbox but moved it when Santoya arrived.

However, the men and the mailman got into a fight and Santoya allegedly tried to punch one of the men. The man punched back, striking Santoya in the face, and the mail carrier collapsed and stopped breathing.

In an effort to defend himself, the man punched back, striking Santoya once in his face, the sheriffs office said in a statement.

Sontaya stumbled and then collapsed. The workers noticed he was no longer breathing, so one of them began CPR on Santoya while another worker placed a 911 call. Deputies and EMS personnel arrived and arranged for Santoya to be transported to the hospital.

Detectives said all witnessed cooperated with law enforcement and that no arrests have been made as of yet; the official cause of death was pending the results of toxicology tests.

Anyone with additional information was asked to contact the Sheriffs Office at (559) 600-3111, Detective Gary Haslam at (559) 600-8209, Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867.

Trump Panel Proposes Path for Postal Service

The U.S. Postal Service should charge businesses more to mail packages, monetize its exclusive access to mailboxes, and explore ways to partner with private businesses, according to a report published in early December from a government panel appointed by President Donald Trump.

The USPS has lost $69 billion since 2007, due to declining mail volumes and competition from the private sector. The USPS lost almost $4 billion in fiscal 2018, which ended Sept. 30, even as package deliveries rose. Trump appointed the panel to look for ways to rein in the losses.

The goal of these recommendations is to identify a path for the USPS to operate under a sustainable business model, providing necessary mail services to citizens and businesses, while competing fairly in commercial markets, Steven Mnuchin, the secretary of the Treasury, said in a statement accompanying the report.

The report recommends handing the postal service the ability to redefine the meaning of the so-called universal service obligation, which is a mission statement laying out the scope of the organizations services. The report recommends separating commercial services as a non-essential category, which wouldnt be subject to price caps, and mandated delivery standards that apply to essential services such as person-to-person mail.

Such changes may result in higher prices on package deliveries for online retailers, including e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. Trump has criticized Amazon for using USPS as its delivery boy and contributing to the postal services losses.

None of our findings or recommendations relate to any one company, a senior administration official said Dec. 4.

The report recommends that the USPS explore ways to make money on its monopoly access to mailboxes. The postal service should also explore partnerships with private companies, including cohabiting with retail partners.

Epoch Times writer Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Mom, 40, Found Dead at Crash Scene Was Shot, Officials Say; Her 2 Children Survive

A 40-year-old mother whose vehicle was found crashed along Interstate 70 in Missouri is being investigated as a homicide, said officials this week, according to reports.

Melissa Peskey, of South Dakota, was found shot. Officials believe someone opened fire from outside the vehicle, and they also believe thats how she died, not from the impact of the accident, reported KELO-TV.

Peskeys two children, ages 11 and 5, survived. They were in the vehicle with their mother during the incident, according to the report.

Tips are pouring in on the Melissa Peskey homicide case, officials say:  Argus911  20181220

Her husband, Ryan Peskey, is considered a person of interest in the case, he told the station. He recently returned from deployment in Afghanistan. Peskey said hes being considered by authorities because he didnt answer the phone when authorities called to inform him that his wife died.

Ryan said he was sleeping when officials called him about her death, adding that she and the children were traveling to North Carolina to visit friends when she died.

Fox2 in St. Louis reported the crash occurred in Boonville, Missouri, on Dec. 13, and her body was discovered in the drivers seat at 10:30 p.m.

An autopsy was performed, showing her cause of death was from the gunshots, the Fox affiliate station reported.

Its not clear whether Peskey was targeted or shot during a random attack, the Argus Leader of Sioux Falls reported. Currently, there is not any evidence, nor an indication that the public is in danger, Sgt. Scott White said.

This week, the Missouri Highway Patrol posted a photo of an SUV that resembles the one Peskey was driving.

This is an exemplar photo of a car similar to the one Melissa Peskey was driving on eastbound I-70, in Mid-Missouri on Dec. 13. We are NOT looking for this car, but it may be helpful to anyone traveling on I-70 last Thursday and may have seen something.https://t.co/RZ1l7Zvf7t pic.twitter.com/0U5KiiLAQi  MSHP Troop F (@MSHPTrooperF) December 19, 2018

This is an exemplar photo of a car similar to the one Melissa Peskey was driving on eastbound I-70, in Mid-Missouri on Dec. 13, the highway patrol wrote on Twitter. We are NOT looking for this car, but it may be helpful to anyone traveling on I-70 last Thursday and may have seen something.

According to KELO, the two children are in foster care in Missouri, and her husband said he appeared in front of a judge this week to request his children be brought to Sioux Falls.

A GoFundMe page was set up for Ryan and his two kids, saying, Ryan recently came home from a deployment to Afghanistan in November. This past Thursday evening he was informed of his wifes passing due to a car accident she was involved in with their 2 children ages 5 and 11. The accident occurred down in Missouri and Ryan has made several trips already to Missouri. Due to the timing of this tragic accident, Christmas presents and the holidays will be a very difficult time for Ryan and his 2 young children. Any donations will help defray costs for funeral arrangements and provide Christmas presents for the children.

As of Dec. 20, the fundraiser has already raised more than $10,000 of its $13,000 goal.

The Argus Leader reported that Melissa Peskey was a realtor for a Keller Williams affiliate in South Dakota.

Those with information about the death of Melissa Peskey can call the Missouri State Highway Patrol at 573-751-1000.
This combination of Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 booking photos providing by McKinley County Adult Detention Center shows Shayanne Nelson, left, and Tyrell Bitsilly, right. (McKinley County Adult Detention Center via AP)

My Babys Been Shot! Chaotic Scene at Shooting of Infant

GALLUP, N.M.The screams of a teen caught the attention of Casey Franchot while eating at a Taco Bell. My babys been shot! My babys been shot! Shayanne Nelson yelled while holding an infant in a blood-soaked blanket.

The 43-year-old former U.S. Army medic dropped his food and dashed across the busy the historic Route 66 highway in Gallup, New Mexico to a motel to investigate. He found what police described as a chaotic scene involving a distraught mother, a baby with a gunshot wound to the face, a confused 3-year-old boy and boyfriend trying to wipe away evidence.

The scene also, a family member says, was the latest in a series of tragic episodes linked to a controlling boyfriend and a poor, Navajo teenage mom who hasnt fully recovered from the death of her fiance.

Gallup police say detectives are still trying to connect the moments leading to a when a bullet from a .32 caliber revolver struck the face of an 8-month-old girl near her left ear and her left eye. The bullet, one officer said, left the infant deaf in one ear and may leave her blind in one eye.

According to a police report, officers arrived at the Dec. 8 scene to find Franchot working to stop the baby from choking on her own blood. A 3-year-old boy stood on the passenger seat wearing only a diaper despite freezing temperatures outside. A frantic Nelson kept punching her car and crying.

But who fired the gun remains a mystery. Nelson, 18, told police minutes after the shooting that she and her boyfriend, Tyrell Bitsilly, were in a shower at the Zia Motel when they heard a gunshot. She ran out to discover her daughter on the bed and bleeding from the face, she told police.

Nelson said she believed her 3-year-old found a gun left by a prior occupant and accidentally shot his infant sister.

But Franchot said as he worked to save the babys life in the motel room, he saw Bitsilly, 21, wiping the gun with a towel. I was also prepared to grab the baby and roll on the room for cover in case he started shooting, Franchot said.

Franchot then jumped in a police vehicle to rush the baby to Gallup Indian Medical Center. On the way, the officer warned Franchot every time they approached a bump, Franchot said.

Gallup Police Officer Darius Johnson told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday that the 8-month-old girl now was being treated at an Albuquerque hospital and is in an induced coma.

At the scene, Nelson and Bitsilly were arrested and charged with child abuse. Police also charged Bitsilly with tampering with evidence.

However, court records show the December shooting wasnt the first time police linked Bitsilly to a shooting involving Nelson and her two children.

In October, Gallup police arrested Bitsilly after authorities say he fired a weapon inside a car with Nelson, her mother, and the two young kids. Bitsilly was charged with aggravated assault with deadly weapon, child abuse, shooting from a motor vehicle and tampering with evidence, court records said.

Shayanne was trying to break up with him, Shanna Nelson, 39, the sister of Shayanne, said in an interview. He got mad and shot at the (cars) floorboard.

After the October shooting, Shayanne promised to get a restraining order against Bitsilly, her sister said.

The pair had been dating off and on since Shayannes fianceand the father of her two childrenwas killed in a car accident last year, Shanna Nelson said. He was often emotionally and physically abusive, she said. But the emotionally depleted Nelson, who regularly found herself with no place to stay, returned to Bitsilly for comfort and out of fear, according to her sister.

During a court appearance Wednesday, Shayanne walked into court and waved to her sister and her niece. When McKinley County Magistrate Judge Robert Baca announced he was keeping her bond at $20,000, she threw her head back. She doesnt have $2,000 to get out, her sister said. None of us do.

The 18-year-old stood motionless as lawyers agreed to postpone the preliminary hearing until Jan. 9 thanks to new video evidence. As police escorted Shayanne Nelson out, her tearful sister yelled, We love you, Shayanne!

The young mother didnt look back.
Mysterious Light Above San Francisco Was Merely a Meteor, Scientists Say

Look! Up in the sky! It isnt a bird, it doesnt look like a planewhat is it?

San Francisco residents looking up into the evening sky on Dec. 19, saw a bright light apparently trailing a smoking tail of some sortsomething which didnt look like anything easily recognizable.

Social media exploded with photos and videos and most of all, questionsWhat was that thing?

Some saw a white blaze in the sky, while others reported that it flashed bright green for a few seconds as it fell and appeared to split up.

this was about a minute earlier. it flashed bright green for a few seconds as it fell and appeared to split up. biggest, most impressive asteroid (?) Ive ever seen pic.twitter.com/LkTwVnaktW  Jeremy Thomas (@jeremythomas33) December 20, 2018

The blazing object appeared shortly after 5:30 p.m. local time. Observers said it appeared to separate into three parts as it fell.

The object left behind a smoky trail that appeared to indicate a spiral flight path which hung in the sky for many minutes, giving lots of people time to step outside and check it out.

By definition, it was a real U.F.O.an unidentified flying objectuntil scientists from San Joses Lick Observatory weighed in and ended all the fun.

Sorry, folksit was just another meteor.

A bright meteor was visible in the skies over the Bay Area shortly after sunset this evening, leaving a bright trail that was visible for many minutes in the western sky, the observatory posted on Facebook.

Elinor Gates got a few photos showing how the trail was illuminated by the Sun after sunset and changed shape with the upper level winds in the atmosphere.

 Lick Observatory  20181219

Lick observatory is owned by the University of California. It is located atop the 4,200-foot tall Mt. Hamilton, about 10 miles east of San Jose and 30 miles southeast of San Francisco.

Photos taken shortly after the meteor entered the atmosphere show a fairly straight smoke trail.

Apparently, high-altitude winds distorted the meteors trail, making it look like a smoke trail from a spinning airplaneor something else.

The initial path was straight (as seen on some dashcam footage), and later the winds at different altitudes morphed the trail to the shapes seen in these photographs (taken many minutes after the initial event,) the observatory commented.

Some people insisted that the object came down in a spiral path, and thus could not have been a meteor.

The meteor itself did not spiral. However, the trail it left behind was distorted by the various different wind speeds and directions in the upper atmosphere, leading to the shapes seen in these images, taken many minutes after the meteor burned up in the atmosphere, the observatory responded.

Some hypothesized that the odd object or objects might have been related to the undocking of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft from the International Space Station, to bring home the ISS Expedition 57 crew. That event was scheduled to happen at 5:42 p.m. local time, according to Patch.com.

Berkeleyside reported that NASA advised that the Soyuz spacecraft wouldnt have been entering the atmosphere until after 9 p.m.

Just by luck there was a Delta IV rocket launch scheduled at Vandenberg Air Force Base around the same time as the meteor descended, so some amateur star-gazers were out with their cameras aimed in the right direction, Fox News reported.

It was actually lucky for all those amateur atmospheric observers, that the meteor arrived when it didthe missile launch was scrubbed shortly after. If the meteor had not provided a show, the observers would have gone home disappointed.

Launch Alert: we have declared a scrub for today's launch of the #DeltaIVHeavy. We will set up for a 24 hour recycle and the next launch attempt will be 12/20 at 5:31pm PST.  ULA (@ulalaunch) December 20, 2018

The rocket, prepared by United Launch Alliancea joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeingwas supposed to launch a surveillance satellite. The launch was scrubbedfor the fourth time nowbecause of a suspected hydrogen leak.

From NTD News
Trump Pushes Nuclear Option to Avoid Government Shutdown

The so-called nuclear option has been floated as a way to avoid a partial government shutdown ahead of the Senates vote on a spending bill that passed the House on Dec. 20.

Currently, the Senate is composed of 51 Republicans and 49 Democrats; a spending bill needs 60 votes to pass and make it to President Donald Trumps desk.

But Democrats have insisted they will not vote for the bill even to avoid the shutdown, leaving the GOP considering other options.

One option is to go nuclear, which means legislation would only need a simple majority, versus 60 votes.

Democrats launched the nuclear option for judicial nominations under then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) in 2013, but that change didnt affect legislation. Reid said he was frustrated by Republicans blocking judges appointed by former president Barack Obama, much like Republicans are frustrated now by Democrats blocking any funding for the border wall.

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) was among those championing a change from 60 votes to a simple majority.

House just passed a bill that fully funds government and enables President Trump to secure our border/build the wall, he said via Twitter late Thursday. Senate can do same by eliminating the filibuster. 51 votes, same as we do for judges!

The change will require every Republican to vote for it unless some Democrats do, which is unlikely.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders also pressed for the change early Friday during an appearance on Fox News.

They should, Sanders said, reported the Washington Examiner, when asked if the Senate filibuster should be eliminated. This is such an important issue, and its something that all of America wants to see happen.

Sanders said the bill is so important that some Democratic Senators should vote for the bill so it can pass.

We hope that theyll step up and do their jobs today before they go home and take vacation for Christmas, she said. This is something thats so important and we hope that theyll do whatever is necessary to get the job done.

President Donald Trump also called for the nuclear option.

Mitch, use the Nuclear Option and get it done! Trump said on Twitter on Friday morning. Our Country is counting on you!

Mitch, use the Nuclear Option and get it done! Our Country is counting on you!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 21, 2018

The missive came during a string of messages from the president.

Senator Mitch McConnell should fight for the Wall and Border Security as hard as he fought for anything, he said in another. He will need Democrat votes, but as shown in the House, good things happen. If enough Dems dont vote, it will be a Democrat Shutdown! House Republicans were great yesterday!

The hubbub came after Trump told GOP Congressmen and Congresswomen he would not sign a spending bill that originated in the house because it didnt include any funding for the wall; House Republicans then inserted $5.7 billion for the wall and the House passed the package 217-185.

The bill was set to go before the Senate on Friday.

From NTD News
Patrick Frazee Booked Into Jail on Charge of Murdering Kelsey Berreth After Arrest

The fiance of missing Colorado mother Kelsey Berreth was booked into jail on Dec. 21 on a murder charge.

Patrick Frazee was arrested for first-degree murder and solicitation, Woodland Park Police Chief Miles De Young said at a press conference on Friday morning.

He is being held in the Teller County Jail.

He was arrested at his home in Florissan, outside Woodland Park, around 7 a.m.

De Young called it a methodical and time-consuming multi-state investigation.

We finally received enough information to implicate Patrick in his involvement in Kelseys death, De Young said. He said more arrests could happen in the investigation.

Berreths body has not been found but police officials believe she is dead. Sadly, we do not believe Kelsey is alive, De Young said, adding that officials have narrowed down their search.

Berreth, 29, who had a 1-year-old daughter with Frazee, vanished in late November and was last seen on Thanksgiving in Woodland Park.

Police believe she may have been murdered at her home but are working on how her cell phone made it to Idaho, nearly 700 miles away.

Family members said that she didnt take anything other than her purse. All her other belongings, including her two vehicles, were still in Colorado.

Shes not the kind that runs off, mother Cheryl Berreth said at a press conference on Dec. 10. This is completely out of character. Kelsey loves her God, she loves her family and friends, and she loves her job. Shes reliable, considerate, and honest.

Frazee had been taking care of his 1-year-old daughter but after his arrest, the girl was taken into protective custody and will be reunited with Berreths family, De Young said. This is a difficult time for Kelseys family, he said.

Frazee has not spoken publicly but his attorney, Jeremy Loew, said last week that he was cooperating with law enforcement. However, De Young said that officials have not spoken directly to Frazee and were communicating through Loew.

Police officers searched Frazees property in Florissant on Dec. 14. A day later, De Young urged Frazee to be honest with investigators and said officials started to believe that Berreth could be in danger as time dragged on without word from her.

Frazee was the last person to see Berreth alive, investigators said. Frazee said through his attorney that the couple met so that he could pick up their daughter. The couple never lived together, De Young said previously.

The police returned several more times to the property and officers were seen with heavy digging equipment, and later taking out bags of evidence on Monday. FBI agents, meanwhile, were at the home of Berreth in Woodland Park on Wednesday and again on Thursday night.

From NTD News
Patrick Frazee, Fiance of Missing Colorado Mom Kelsey Berreth, Arrested

The fiance of missing Colorado mother Kelsey Berreth was arrested on Dec. 21, as investigators said evidence indicates Berreth is dead.

The warrant was served at Frazees home outside Woodland Park, Colorado judicial spokesman Rob McCallum told CNN. The Teller County jail confirmed the arrest with KKTV.

The Woodland Park Police Department and the Teller County Sheriffs Office conducted the arrest together and it went without incident.

Pictures published by ABC News showed investigators serving an arrest warrant for Frazee on Friday morning.

A press conference was planned for 10 a.m. local time, the Woodland Park Police Department said in a statement.

Frazee has not spoken publicly but his attorney Jeremy Loew said last week that he was cooperating with law enforcement.

Officials said previously Berreths 1-year-old daughter was being taken care of by Frazee, who is the girls father.

Berreth, 29, was last seen on Thanksgiving. One of the last places she was seen was at a Safeway in Woodland Park, shopping with her daughter.

Miles De Young, the Woodland Park Police Department, told reporters on Dec. 11, that there was no indication of any threat or danger to the missing mother while confirming that her cell phone pinged outside of Gooding, Idaho on Nov. 25.

The location, close to some of Berreths relatives, was nearly 700 miles away from Woodland Park. Family members said that she didnt take anything other than her purse. All her other belongings, including her two vehicles, are still in Colorado.

Shes not the kind that runs off, mother Cheryl Berreth said at a press conference on Dec. 10. This is completely out of character. Kelsey loves her God, she loves her family and friends, and she loves her job. Shes reliable, considerate, and honest.

Berreth also sent a text message to her employer after Thanksgiving stating she would not be at work the following week. Another text message was sent to Frazee, though its contents have not been made public.

Frazee told detectives that the last time he saw Berreth was on Thanksgiving Day when she gave him their baby daughter, officials said at the press conference. Frazee was invited to the press conference but did not attend; officials said he is being cooperative.

Police officers searched Frazees property in Florissant on Dec. 14. A day later, De Young urged Frazee to be honest with investigators and said officials started to believe that Berreth could be in danger as time dragged on without word from her.

The police returned several more times to the property and officers were seent taking out bags of evidence on Monday. FBI agents, meanwhile, were at the home of Berreth in Woodland Park on Wednesday.

From NTD News
Sacha Baron Cohen at the GQ Men of the Year awards at the Tate Modern in London, on Sept. 5, 2018. (Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

Sacha Baron Cohen Notified FBI of Possible Pedophile Ring While Filming TV Series

Controversial comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen has revealed that he stumbled upon a possible pedophile ring in Las Vegas while filming his television series Who is America?

In an interview with Deadline published on Dec. 19, Baron Cohen stated that a deleted scene included evidence that a hotel concierge had contact with someone who could supply underage children to guests.

The actor was playing a fake character named Gio who was interviewing the concierge around the same time that a large number of accusations against producer Harvey Weinstein had been made public.

We wanted to investigate how does someone like Harvey Weinstein get away with doing what  get away with criminality, essentially. And the network that surrounds him, said Baron Cohen to Deadline.

During the interview, Gio told the concierge that he had molested an 8-year-old boy, and Baron Cohen expected the concierge to immediately leave the room. But to his surprise, he did not. The comedian then asked the concierge to help him get rid of the problem, and the man began to give Gio some advice.

We even at one point talk about murdering the boy, and the concierge is just saying, well, listen, Im really sorry. In this country, we cant just drown the boy. This is America we dont do that. And then, in the end, he puts me in touch with a lawyer who can silence the boy, said Baron Cohen.

Then Gio asked, Can you get me a date for tonight?

Cohen then said, [The hotel concierge] says, what do you mean, a date? I go, you know, like a young man. He says, well, what kind of age? I say, lower than Bar Mitzvah but older than eight. And he says, yeah, I can put you in touch with somebody who can get you some boys like that.'

Baron Cohen said it was fascinating from a journalistic standpoint, but the scene was so extreme and so dark that it was too unsettling for the audience.

We immediately turned over the footage to the FBI because we thought, perhaps theres a pedophile ring in Las Vegas thats operating for these very wealthy men, he said. And this concierge had said that hed worked for politicians and various billionaires.

However, Baron Cohen said, In the end, the FBI decided not to pursue it.

Who is America? Faces Legal Troubles

Cohen was sued earlier this year by Alabama Judge Roy Moore related to another interview on his Who is America? television show.

Moore was told he would be receiving an award for supporting Israel, instead, he was subjected to a fictional device that Cohen said was invented by the Israeli Army to detect pedophiles. Moore walked out of the interview and his lawyers later sent a letter to Showtime demanding that the footage not be released.

The judge filed a complaint against Baron Cohen, Showtime, and CBS on Sept. 5 alleging defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress and fraud, according to court documents. The judge is seeking $95 million in damages.
Sea Life and Seashells in Fort Myers and Sanibel Island

Im 60 feet under water and floating above a sunken culvert at Shermans Reef, an artificial reef off the coast of southwest Florida. Below me, a school of angelfish circles lazily, barely noticing as I swim overhead.

I dive deeper and come face to face with a goliath grouper, its oversized mouth moving open and closed. These massive fish can grow up to eight feet long and weigh 800 pounds. He stares at me, unimpressed, and moves away.



Goliath grouper, snapper, amberjack, and snook are just some of the fish found in the waters near Fort Myers and Sanibel Island, Florida. Diving here is unique. Since the Gulf of Mexico is so shallow and the sea bottom is sandy, most divers take a 15- to 20-mile boat ride to a network of artificial reefs managed by Lee County. The reefs are an odd assortment of sunken steel ships, concrete slabs, culverts, shrimp boats, and even an old cell phone tower. They create a haven for fish, and opportunities for divers.

Though Lee County has provided a helpful map and guidebook of the reef system, our dive master from Deans Dive Shop knows these waters well, and were able to visit three artificial reefs in one day.

Deep Sea Fishing

These are also prime waters for deep sea fishing. My husband and I see this first-hand when our boat captain, Scott Lavis of Fish-n-Tales, drops in a few fishing lines. Within minutes, he pulls up grouper and red snapper. Later that evening, we take some of the catch to Fish-Tale Waterfront Dining, where they make one of the tastiest fish dinners Ive ever eaten. Many restaurants here offer Cook Your Catch options and I can see why.

Deep sea fishing is just one of the many draws to this part of southwest Florida. Others come for the 50 miles of wide beaches along Fort Myers and nearby Sanibel Island. Connected by a causeway, Fort Myers has a quirky, laid-back beach town vibe, while 15-mile-long Sanibel Island has a more refined, natural feel.

With average annual temperatures of 75 degrees, both are popular destinations year-round, especially with families. Accommodations in Fort Myers and Sanibel Island range from beach cottages to small inns and luxury resorts. The closest airport is Southwest Florida International Airport, and the region is a 3.5-hour drive from Orlando, and 2.5-hours from Miami or Tampa.

Shelling on Sanibel Island

Sanibel Island is well-known for shelling, with more varieties of shells found here than anywhere else in the country, including the coveted speckled junonia, sculpted lions paw, golden olive, and golden tulip.

Shelling is such a popular pastime, that theres even a namethe Sanibel Stoopfor the often-seen posture on the beaches. The Sanibel Shell Festival, which is now in its 82nd year, celebrates shelling each March.

J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge

A visit to J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is on our Florida bucket list. This protected gem on Sanibel Island is home to manatees, alligators, dolphins, gopher tortoises, and many species of birds.

Stand up paddling and kayaking are popular ways to see the area, so we join a guided kayaking tour with Tarpon Bay Explorers. Its still early as we paddle through the mangrove forest along the Commodore Creek Water Trail. Our guide, Ty, is an experienced naturalist and points out wildlife that we would otherwise miss, including birds, alligators, and even tiny snails climbing the roots of the mangroves.

After an hour, were left to explore the water trail on our own. We paddle into hidden bays and spend moments floating in silence. Its a relaxing way to spend the morning.

Doc Fords Rum Bar & Grille

Life here revolves around the sea. At dinner that evening, we sit outside at Doc Fords Rum Bar & Grille Ft. Myers Beach, which is somewhat of a local institution. The restaurant is named for the fictional Doc Ford, the hero of a best-selling series of mystery novels by former Sanibel Island fishing guide, Randy Wayne White. White once lived in a stilt house along the shrimp docks here and eventually set his tales in the marina life along these shores. Today, White can sometimes be seen writing at the restaurant.

Listening to live music and enjoying our cool drinks on the patio, we watch some of the largest shrimp boat fleets in the United States head out into the Gulf. Shrimpers fish at night, when pink shrimp are active. Were so mesmerized by the scene that even when it starts sprinkling, we dont want to go inside. Happily, the storm quickly passes, and we watch the sun set across Estero Bay.

Sunset Cruise

On our last night in Florida, we have one more opportunity to see the local wildlife on a Sunset Dolphin Wildlife Cruise on Estero Bay, the first aquatic preserve in Florida. The waters are as still as glass as we move across the sea. As we head into the boat channel, we notice a cownose stingray feeding near the top of the water. Then we pass an array of birdspink spoonbills, white egrets, and great blue heronswading and fishing along the sandbank.

Finally, we see a pod of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins playing in the distance.

Maybe theyll surf behind our boat wake, our guide says.

Sure enough, as the boat picks up speed, five dolphins swim up behind us. The playful animals take turns jumping and cavorting in our wake. We laugh, watching their antics. Eventually, they grow tired of us, and in the rays of the setting sun, I watch them as they swim away.

The writer was a guest of The Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel.

Janna Graber has covered travel in more than 45 countries. She is the editor of three travel anthologies, including A Pink Suitcase: 22 Tales of Womens Travel, and is the managing editor of Go World Travel Magazine.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping gives a speech for the 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening Up at The Great Hall Of The People in Beijing on Dec. 18, 2018. (Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images)

The Chinese Communist Party: The God that Continues to Fail

It wasnt so long ago that left-wing academics were singing the praises of the Chinese Communist Party. Take British academic David Runciman, for example, who informed us earlier this year that the democratic cause is on the defensive, and Chinas pragmatic authoritarianism now offers a serious rival model, based on economic promise and national dignity.

Professor Runciman, addressing us from the cloistered halls of Cambridge University in the pages of the Wall Street Journal, is dead wrong on every single point.

Far from being a serious rival model to democracy, China under Party rule is merely the latest iteration of the oppressive, inefficient and corrupt regimes of the Soviet era, or the bureaucratic totalitarian regimes of Chinas worst emperors.

The true character of the regime was for a time, it is true, disguised by Chinas impressive economic growth. The Party insists that all the credit for Chinas progress in recent decades belongs to the Party alone. Xi Jinping is only the latest Communist leader to attribute Chinas successes entirely to the Partys far-sighted policies of opening and reform.

Runciman wholeheartedly subscribes to the Partys view, writing that  The Chinese regime has had remarkable success in raising the material condition of its population. The benefits of rapid economic growth have been made tangible for many hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens, and the regime understands that its survival depends on the economic success story continuing (italics added).

This is backwards. China has progressed economically in recent decades not because of the Party, but in spite of the Party and its omnipresent minions.

I know this because I was in China forty years ago when the opening and reform first began. The lifting of Maos bamboo curtain allowed the native talent and industry of the Chinese people to come into contact with U.S. markets and technology, along with that of other countries. The result was an explosion of entrepreneurial activity that began in the late seventies, and later blossomed into an export-based economy that was the envy of the world.

I am convinced that Chinas advance would have been even more impressive if the Party had not squandered so much of the hard-earned wealth of the Chinese people along the way. How many trillions of dollars have gone into the pockets of corrupt officials over the past quarter century? How many trillions more have been wasted keeping bankrupt state-owned-enterprises on life support over the years?

I am fairly certain that the huge sums of money the Party is spending on the PLA (Peoples Liberation Army) would be more than sufficient to end rural poverty in Chinas backwaters. But the Party is more interested in cementing the PLAs political loyalty to the Party, not to mention intimidating Chinas neighbors, than in anti-poverty programs.

We should also consider how much it costs to monitor and surveil virtually the entire Chinese population. Arresting and imprisoning anyone and everyone who dares to question the continued rule of the Party cannot come cheap. And what about the cost of putting a million Muslims, or hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitionerswhose only crime is wanting to worship something other than the Partyin re-education camps or prisons for years on end?

All this is to say that, at every turn, the Party has invested enormous resources into its own survival, putting its lust for power and money ahead of the interests of the Chinese people.

As the Chinese say, When the water recedes, the rocks appear.

Now that Chinas economic growth has slowed down, the truth can no longer be denied: The Party has criminally mismanaged the Chinese economy for its own benefit. The nascent private sector has been stifled by corruption, while inefficient state-owned enterprises continue to run up hugeif hiddendeficits. The stock market is in crash territory and the overall economy is now virtually at a standstill, if not actually contracting.

The Party, by its predatory trade practices and its rampant cyber-enabled espionage, has even managed to squander much of the goodwill that Americans and others once felt for Chinaat the same time it was busily destroying the better part of Chinese culture.

Runciman argues that China is an attractive economic model by comparing it to India. He writes, Nondemocratic China has made strikingly greater progress in reducing poverty and increasing life expectancy than democratic India, suggesting that the presence or absence of democracy is the only difference between the two countries. He fails to mention that Nehru handicapped a newly independent India by imposing socialism on it. This resulted in what Indian economist Gurcharan Das called a throttling of enterprise, slow growth, missed opportunities, huge subsidies and a rapacious bureaucracy.

A better comparison would be between non-democratic China and democratic Taiwan. The Taiwanese have a per capita income three times that of China, and live on average five years longer. Not to mention that they enjoy freedom of speech, assembly, and association, all of which are severely restricted in China.

The China-Taiwan comparison reveals the emptiness of the economic promise of Communism.

Of course, had Hillary Clinton been elected, I might well find myself reluctantly agreeing with Runciman that the democratic cause is on the defensive. In her headlong rush towards higher taxes and more government regulations, Madam President would have further crippled an American economy already burdened with too much of both.

Fortunately, the surprise election of an American original by the name of Donald Trump has forestalled this calamity. Trump believes with Calvin Coolidge that the business of America is business and has jumpstarted that enormous engine of progress known as the free market.

Cambridge dons may mock the American president for his brashness, but those who live in the real world understand that Trumps tax cuts and trade policies have turned around the American economy and put the Party on notice that the U.S. is nobodys patsy.

Americas best days may well be ahead of it.

Like most on the left, Runciman downplays Chinas lack of individual dignityhis bland term for the Partys total disregard for universally recognized human rights. In fact, he even suggests that the lack of human rights is more than compensated for in the minds of most Chinese because, under Party rule, they now enjoy an abundance of national dignity.

In this he is parroting the current Party leadership which proposes just such a trade-off. You may be under constant state surveillance, unable to speak freely, prevented from forming political associations, and unable to worship the way you choose, the Party says to the people it oppresses. But never forget that Chinas growing economic and military greatness is your greatness. And that you owe that greatness to the Party.

The Party intends such xenophobic and nationalistic appeals to create superpatriots, national narcissists who will overlook the fact that they, along with every other living Chinese, are being systematically deprived of their natural right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Such nationalistic appeals are also intended to divert attention from the negative consequences of the Partys continued rule, namely, that corruption will grow, innovation will be stifled, and both people and capital will increasingly seek to flee the country for safe havens abroad.

Where some see the rise of authoritarianism and the decline of democracy, I see the amazing spectacle of both China and America reverting to type.

America under Trump is returning to the principles that have made it the dominant power in the world for over a century.

Under the misrule of the Chinese Communist Party, China is reverting to the totalitarian despotism of its distant past. The Chinese people deserve better.

Steven W. Mosher is the President of the Population Research Institute and the author of Bully of Asia: Why Chinas Dream is the New Threat to World Order.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Mary Crocker, 14 (L), was reported missing on Dec. 19, 2018. Her brother Elwyn Jr. Crocker was 14 when he vanished in November 2016. Their bodies were found in Effingham County, Ga., on Dec. 20, 2018. (Effingham County Sheriffs Office)

Three People Charged After Bodies of Two Teens Found in Georgia Backyard

The bodies of two teenagers were found buried in the backyard of a Georgia home, prompting law enforcement officers to arrest three individuals believed to be involved in the murders.

Investigators were called to a house in Effingham County on Dec. 19 for a welfare check on a juvenile. Officers couldnt find the girl but eventually shifted to a death investigation and found Mary Crocker, 14, buried in the backyard.

Her brother Elwyn Crocker Jr., who was also 14 when he went missing in November 2016, was also found buried.

The three adults living in the home lied to investigators and said Mary Crocker had gone to live with her mother, according to the Effingham County Sheriffs Office.

Deputies realized this information was false and not accurate, said Effingham County Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie, reported WTOC. Information from Elwyn Crocker led investigators to search the grounds, and two bodies were discovered.

He said that the girls death could have been prevented if neighbors had called the police.

People hear things. People see things. Of course, all day today, people have been coming up to us, Well, I saw this and I saw that, But for whatever reason, they didnt feel comfortable enough to call and let us know that, Sheriff McDuffie said. Ive been doing this for 41 years and a while ago, I almost broke down in tears.

This day in time with social media, people are always staying in touch, and when people disappear off the grid, something is wrong, added Effingham County Coroner David Exley.

A third child, who was found alive in the house, was taken to a local hospital for treatment. He was identified as the biological son of Candice Crocker and as having special needs.

I think he has, and Im not sure exactly, but I think its cerebral palsy and, you know, we just needed to make sure he had his health issues taken care of, said Sheriff McDuffie, reported Fox 28.

Crocker, 33, the stepmother of the two deceased children, was arrested along with Elwyn Crocker, the biological father of the children.

Kim Wright, 50, the childrens step-grandmother, was also arrested.

All three were charged with concealing the death of another and cruelty to children in the first degree.

Autopsies are planned for the children to determine the cause of death in each case.

Neighbors Speak

Neighbors said that the two children who appeared to live in the house didnt play with the other kids on the street, while the small girl who lived there was always outside doing yard work.

Other kids said at school, they could tell stuff was wrong with her hands. They were red. That was from being out in the yard out there most of the time working, doing stuff from the time she got off that bus until they would go in at night, Gary Bennett, the familys next-door neighbor, told WTOC.

Then she would go to school and kids would see her and ask what was wrong and she wouldnt ever say anything. She wouldnt open up to anybody, Bennett said.

Its devastating to know someone would do this to a child. I love my children. I have five kids and 10 grandkids, almost six great-grandson [sic] the way, and I cant imagine someone doing this to one of them and it terrifies me to know that someone would do this to a child, added neighbor Ruth Sikes.

From NTD News
Trump Rejects GOP Budget Bill; House Leaders Will Include Wall Funding

President tells House GOP leaders that spending bill must include measures for border security

The Houses Republican leadership will include funding for a security structure on the southern border in their spending bill following pressure from President Donald Trump.

The president had informed GOP lawmakers that he wouldnt sign their spending bill unless it included funding for a border wall. Republicans, however, dont appear to have the votes to get the bill through the Senate before funding for almost a quarter of the government runs out on Dec. 21.

Ive made my position very clear, Trump said during a closed-door meeting with House Republican leaders at the White House. Any measure that funds the government must include border security.

The group told reporters afterward they would try to amend a Senate-passed bill to add the $5 billion that Trump demanded to go toward building the border wall.

We want to keep the government open but we also want to see an agreement that protects the border, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) said on the White House driveway after meeting with Trump for more than an hour.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders released a statement after the meeting, saying both Trump and the lawmakers all feel strongly about border securitystopping the flow of drugs, stopping human trafficking, and stopping terrorism.

We protect nations all over the world, but Democrats are unwilling to protect our nation. We urgently need funding for border security and that includes a wall, she said.

Senate Bill Provides Extension

Legislation approved on Dec. 19 by the Senate had provided a seven-week extension of existing funds for agencies, punting the funding issue to the next Congress, where Democrats are poised to take over the House, while Republicans will expand their Senate majority.

Trump reminded Republican lawmakers in a Dec. 20 tweet about their promise to fund the wall back when the president signed the 2017 funding bill, which included just $1.6 billion for border fencing.

When I begrudgingly signed the Omnibus Bill, I was promised the wall and border security by leadership. Would be done by end of year (now). It didnt happen! he said. We foolishly fight for Border Security for other countriesbut not for our beloved U.S.A. Not good!

The Democrats, who know steel slats (wall) are necessary for border security, are putting politics over country, he said. What they are just beginning to realize is that I will not sign any of their legislation, including infrastructure, unless it has perfect border security. U.S.A. wins! Trump said in another Twitter post.

In the San Diego area, Trump used the military to enhance the fencing with razor wire in anticipation of migrant caravans from Central America that appeared determined to break through the border barriers but were mostly unable to do so.

With so much talk about the wall, people are losing sight of the great job being done on our Southern Border by Border Patrol, ICE and our great military, Trump wrote on Twitter on Dec. 20. Remember the caravans? Well, they didnt get through and none are forming or on their way. Border is tight. Fake news [is] silent!

The Pentagon has said the military could be used to work on border barriers, but it isnt clear whether there is money in the military budget that could be used for such a project without congressional approval.

Partial Shutdown Looms

The conservative House Freedom Caucus backed Trumps demands for the funding, even at the cost of a shutdown.

He campaigned on the wall, said Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), who chairs the caucus. It was the center of his campaign  the American peoples patience is running out.

If the government goes into partial shutdown starting early Dec. 22, it could last until the new Congress in January. Democrats will have enough votes to pass a funding bill to send to the Republican-controlled Senate, leaving it up to Trump to decide whether to veto it.

The shutdown would affect the departments of justice, commerce, the interior, agriculture, and homeland security; more than 800,000 federal employees could be furloughed or ordered to work without pay.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Tourists in front of the iconic Potala Palace in the regional capital Lhasa, in China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Sept. 9, 2016. (Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump Signs Law for Travel Allowance to Tibet

American tourists, journalists, and diplomats may now have a chance to freely travel in Tibet

U.S. President Donald Trump on Dec. 19 signed into law legislation allowing American diplomats, journalists, and tourists access to Tibet, and to punish Chinese officials who deny them entry into the region.

The law gives American citizens equal access to Tibet, similar to Chinese citizens traveling in America.

Under the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, the United States will impose a visa ban or revoke active visas of Chinese officials who deny American citizens, government officials and journalists access to Tibet.

This is truly a turning point for Americans, Tibetans and all who care about equality, justice and human rights  By passing this impactful and innovative law, the U.S. has blazed a path for other countries to follow and let the Chinese government know that it will face real consequences for its discrimination against the Tibetan people, said Matteo Mecacci, president of the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), Central Tibetan Administration reported on Dec. 19.

Tibet has likely been a prelude to what is now happening in Xinjiang. The region is a topic of sensitivity for Chinese leadership, and the ease with which the CCP has restricted journalists from the area has allowed the regime to bring in new forms of surveillance and societal control, with little knowledge from the outside world.

According to the Central Tibetan Administration website, President in exile Dr. Lobsang Sangay has been traveling the world in recent months to talk about Tibetan freedom, and warning of Chinas strategy.

He gives of an example of Chinese trading silver coins with Tibetans in exchange for building roads into the mainland during the 1950s. After the roads were built, the Chinese brought in tanks and militaries, taking back not only the silver coins, but also the land entirely.

Difficulties of Travel

The CCP has used its tight grasp on Tibet to restrain access from much of the rest of the world. Though many places in mainland China can be visited at will by tourists, Tibet is quite the exception.

Even though the law is signed, non-Chinese individuals still may face many restrictions if they wanted to travel to the Tibetan Plateau. Much of the months of February or March are restricted to foreign travelers, on the premise of the Tibetan New Year celebration.

Individuals have to travel in a guided tour group, or at the very least always be accompanied by a guide.

Entry into the region, whether from mainland China or Nepal, requires different travel documents. Once inside Tibet, going to specific areas also needs different travel documents.

Journalists and diplomats are only allowed into the region with the permission of the China Foreign Affairs Office. They can not visit Tibet with a regular tourist group.
FBI Director Christopher Wray answers questions from reporters during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 26, 2018. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

US, Allies Slam China for Economic Espionage

WASHINGTON/LONDONThe United States and three allies chastised China for economic espionage on Dec. 20, ratcheting up tensions as U.S. prosecutors indicted two Chinese nationals linked to a spy agency on charges of stealing confidential data from American government agencies and businesses around the world.

Prosecutors charged Zhu Hua and Zhang Jianguo in hacking attacks against the U.S. Navy, the space agency NASA and the Energy Department and dozens of companies. The operation targeted intellectual property and corporate secrets to give Chinese companies an unfair competitive advantage, they said.

Britain, Australia and New Zealand joined the United States in slamming China over what they called a global campaign of cyber-enabled commercial intellectual property theft, signaling growing global coordination against the practice.

No country poses a broader, more severe long-term threat to our nations economy and cyber infrastructure than China, FBI Director Chris Wray said at a news conference. Chinas goal, simply put, is to replace the U.S. as the worlds leading superpower, and theyre using illegal methods to get there.

Five sources familiar with the attacks told Reuters the hackers breached the networks of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co and IBM, then used the access to hack into their clients computers. IBM said it had no evidence that sensitive data had been compromised. HPE said it could not comment.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other officials in President Donald Trumps administration said Chinas hacking effort, which U.S. officials said began in 2006 and ran through 2018, violated a 2015 agreement intended to crack down on cyber espionage for commercial purposes.

Britain agreed. The campaign is one of the most serious, strategically significant, persistent and potentially damaging set of cyber intrusions against the UK and our allies that we have seen, a British security official said.

Victims included NASAs Goddard Space Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Energy Departments Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and companies involved in aviation, space and satellite technology, finance, electronics, healthcare, oil and gas exploration, according to court documents.

The list of victim companies reads like a Whos Who of the global economy, Wray said. He did not name the businesses.

This is the latest in a series of hacking cases brought by the United States against Chinese nationals.

In October, the U.S. government charged Chinese intelligence officers with stealing information on a turbo fan engine used in commercial jetliners. The same month, the Justice Department arrested an alleged spy for Chinas Ministry of State Security on charges of economic espionage and attempting to steal U.S. aviation trade secrets.

In September, a Chinese national who had enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve was arrested in Chicago for allegedly working for Chinese intelligence to recruit engineers and scientists, including some who worked for U.S. defense contractors.

Australian officials issued a statement expressing serious concern about Chinese commercial intellectual property theft. An official in New Zealand said in a statement the country joins likeminded partners in expressing that such cyber campaigns are unacceptable.

Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and Sweden also were expected to denounce Chinese cyber efforts, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

By Diane Bartz & Jack Stubbs
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein (M), U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman (L), Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers (R) at the Department of Justice in Washington on Dec. 20, 2018. (Jennifer Zeng/The Epoch Times)

US Indicts Two Chinese Nationals for Massive Hacking Campaign

WASHINGTONTwo Chinese hackers associated with the Ministry of State Security in China were charged by the United States with an extensive global computer-intrusion campaign carried out over more than a decade.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced the charges at the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Dec. 20, together with FBI Director Christopher Wray and other officials.

According to the indictment, two Chinese citizens, acting on behalf of the Chinese regimes main intelligence agency, carried out an extensive hacking campaign to steal hundreds of gigabytes of data from military service members, government agencies, and private companies in the United States and at least a dozen other countries.

The indictment makes clear that the United States is in a cyber war with China, which is one of the greatest security challenges facing the U.S. government and its citizens, and the United States must have a strategic response, experts said.

The two are accused of breaching computer networks in a broad swath of industries, including aviation, satellite and maritime technology, industrial factory automation, automotive supplies, laboratory instruments, banking and finance, telecommunications and consumer electronics, computer processor technology, information technology services, packaging, consulting, medical equipment, healthcare, biotechnology, pharmaceutical manufacturing, mining, and oil and gas exploration and production, the DOJ said in an release.

Prosecutors say they also stole personal information of more than 100,000 U.S. Navy personnel, including names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, salary information, personal phone numbers, and email addresses.

The two hackers, Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong, as members of the APT10 Group (Advanced Persistent Threat 10), engaged in an intrusion campaign beginning in or about 2006 up to and including in or about 2018, the indictment reveals. One of the methods they allegedly used was to obtain unauthorized access to the computers and computer networks of managed service providers (MSPs) for businesses and governments around the world.

After they gained access to MSPs, they could gain unauthorized access to the computers and computer networks of the MSPs clients and to steal, among other data, intellectual property and confidential business data on a global scale, the release says.

One way to think of what is alleged in this indictment, is that youve all heard about situations where you see someone essentially, the cyber-equivalent, of breaking into a house, said Wray.

This is more like breaking into and getting the keys from the maintenance supervisor who has the keys to hundreds and hundreds of apartments and all the residents in those apartments. Thats why this is so significant.

Over the course of the MSP Theft Campaign, the APT10 Group successfully obtained unauthorized access to computers located in at least 12 countries, including Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

State-Sponsored Theft

Rosenstein said this isnt the first time the DOJ has accused Chinese state actors and associates of stealing commercial information.

More than 90 percent of the departments cases alleging economic espionage over the past seven years involve China, Rosenstein said. More than two-thirds of the departments cases involving thefts of trade secrets are connected to China.

Rosenstein said the illegal cyber activities aimed to help the Chinese regime to achieve its overall goal.

For example, the Chinese industrial policy, known as Made in China 2025, lists 10 strategic advanced manufacturing industries that the nation has targeted for promotion and development. Many of the companies allegedly targeted recently by Chinese defendants operate in sectors identified by that official policy, Rosenstein said.

Whether through computer hackers operating from China, or Chinese nationals recruited to steal trade secrets from companies in other countries, the goal is the same: to dominate production in strategically important industries by stealing ideas from other nations, he said.

Wray told reporters that no country poses a broader, more severe, long-term threat to our nations economy than China.

Chinas state-sponsored actors are the most active perpetrators of economic espionage. While we welcome fair competition, we cannot and will not tolerate illegal hacking, stealing, or cheating, Wray said.

Cyber War

Gary Miliefsky, a cybersecurity expert who is CEO of Cyber Defense Media Group and publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine, said: Today marks the beginning of the FBI bringing to the forefront the reality that we are in fact in a cyber war with China.

There is currently no cyber Geneva Convention, so China has proven an incredible ability to advance a multi-year plan to know everything about everyone they can in the USA and, of course, grab as much IP from our businesses as possible.

They do this through some of the most powerful cyber warfare weapons available, including brilliant hacking, innovative malware, in-built exploitable vulnerabilities in computer and network supply chain, as well as espionage technologies purposefully developed into smartphones. This is one of the greatest security challenges to the U.S. government and its citizens that its ever faced since the Cold War.

Casey Fleming, CEO of BlackOps Partners and an expert on cybersecurity, said the indictment of the two Chinese hackers is a start, but not good enough.

The U.S. government needs to understand the Chinese Communist Party [CCP]s overall strategy, which is to have command and control of the U.S. and its Western allies, Fleming said. When you understand the overall strategy, then you can understand the hacking. Right now, the hacking looks like its random. But its not. Its part of a mass strategy by the CCP.

Fleming said the U.S. government should raise the awareness level with all organizations to the CCPs grand strategy, which has been underway since 1986.

We have to look at how we protect our data differently. Right now, we, as a country, look at protecting data tactically, as an IT function. And thats insufficient. It must be strategic, said Fleming.

And when you do that, you protect your data differently. You protect your data, your innovation, your intellectual property, sensitive data and trade secrets. You must protect that, and control who has access to it. The most sensitive data and intellectual property should not be collected on the internet.
US army officers stands in front a US Patriot missile defence system during a joint Israeli-US military exercise 'Juniper Cobra' at the Hatzor Airforce Base on March 8, 2018. (Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images)

US Report Identifies Emerging Military Threats From China

The United States currently has no answer to advanced missiles being developed by Russia and China, according to a recent U.S. government report.

The report, titled Long-Range Emerging Threats Facing the United States As Identified by Federal Agencies, was put together by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an auditing agency of the federal government.

It surveyed 45 government organizations about their takes on emerging threats.

The government organizations included the Department of Defense, State Department, Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The report concluded that there were 26 emerging threats to the United States or its national security interests that may occur in about five or more years.

While the report specifically named one or more countries in connection with some of the 26 threatsas in the case of naming Russia and China for the threat of hypersonic missilesother threats could simply be carried out by any American adversary, such as weapons of mass destruction.

Hypersonic Weapons

In the area of hypersonic weapons, China and Russia are pursuing hypersonic weapons because their speed, altitude, and maneuverability may defeat most missile defense systems, and they may be used to improve long-range conventional and nuclear strike capabilities. There are no existing countermeasures, the report said.

Hypersonic missiles can travel at Mach 5 or higherabout one mile per second, or at least five times faster than the speed of sound. Traveling at such high speeds, they are designed to avoid getting intercepted by missiles.

This is not the first time that a U.S. government official or agency has raised concerns about the U.S. military lacking in the ability to counter hypersonic weapons.

Pentagon Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Mike Griffin, while speaking at a recent discussion in Arlington, Virginia hosted by the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), said that China has tested more hypersonic weapons in the past year than the United States had conducted over the past decade.

In addition, the Pentagon, in its 2017 annual report to U.S. Congress on Chinas military developments, had identified that Beijing devoted significant research and development resources into the development of hypersonic technology, with hypersonic weapons designed to counter U.S. ballistic missile defenses.

Griffin pointed out that different weapons and military systems, such as sensors in space that can detect missiles, would be required to defend against enemy hypersonic weapon attacks.

Griffin said a new industrial base is needed to manufacture such systems, according to a Dec. 13 article published by National Defense, a magazine published by NDIA.

The Washington Free Beacon, in an article published in June 2017, pointed out that China made a major breakthrough by developing a new ramjet engine for Chinas hypersonic missiles. According to Chinas state-run media, the innovation was the result of two successful flight tests capable where the ramjets reached hypersonic speeds.

The U.S. sector is taking notice. Arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin was awarded two contracts by the U.S. Air Force this yearone in April worth $928 million and the second in August for $480 millionto build hypersonic missiles, with the goal of having flying prototypes by 2021, according to Defense News, a website covering the defense sector.

Other weapon threats from China include anti-satellite weapons, which would be a threat to U.S. space operations; new stealth aircrafts; and underwater acoustic systems for anti-submarine warfare, according to the GAO report.

Other Threats from China

China was also named as a specific threat in the arena of cyberspace. In vague terms, the report said China, Russia, and Iran may engage in advanced information operations campaigns that use social media, artificial intelligence, and data analytics to undermine the United States and its allies.

In addition, China was expanding its geopolitical influence in ways that would challenge U.S. access to air, space, cyberspace, and maritime domains, the report stated.

Since 2013, Beijing has invested in infrastructure projects throughout Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America, in an effort to build up trade routesand political cloutunder the One Belt, One Road (OBOR, also known as Belt and Road) initiative.

To challenge OBOR, the U.S government has adopted countermeasures. In July, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States would provide $113 million to support infrastructure, digital, and energy projects in the Indo-Pacific region.

And a week ago, on Dec. 13, national security advisor John Bolton unveiled the United States new strategy in Africa to counter Chinas aggressive expansion, during a speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington.

In cybersecurity, the White House issued a new National Cyber Strategy in September to protect U.S. interests against cyber-criminal activities. China was called out for engaging in cyber-enabled economic espionage and trillions of dollars of intellectual property theft.

The GAO report also listed several threats related to dual-use technologiesthose that can be developed for both military and civilian uses. One such example was IoT (internet of things), or electronic devices that can connect to the internet. Adversaries could also disrupt IoT-enabled critical infrastructure and devices, the report stated.

In late October, the U.S.China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) issued a report, warning that Beijing had strategically invested in IoT technology for its own national interestsand that China-manufactured devices could allow it to spy on consumers.

Chinese tech firms are collaborating with the Chinese military and government agencies in order to develop technology with defense and mass surveillance capabilities.

Another dual-use technology is quantum information science.

Quantum communications could enable adversaries to develop secure communications that U.S. personnel would not be able to intercept or decrypt. Quantum computing may allow adversaries to decrypt information, which could enable them to target U.S. personnel and military operations, according to the GAO report.

Beijings ambitions in developing quantum computing was stated in its economic blueprint, Made in China 2025, and its 13th Five-Year Plan (20162020).

H.R. 6227, a U.S. resolution known as the National Quantum Initiative, was introduced by House of Representative Lamar Smith (R-Texas) in June with the aim of keeping the United States ahead of competitors in quantum technology. The bill has been passed by both the House and the Senate this month.
President of Argentina Mauricio Macri and his wife Juliana Awada receive Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan after the 2018 G-20 Leaders Summit on Dec. 2, 2018, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Ricardo Ceppi/Getty Images)

Americas Geopolitical Rivals in Latin America Pose Risk

News Analysis

While in Argentina for the G-20 summit in early December, Chinese leader Xi Jinping signed more than 30 new trade deals with Argentine President Mauricio Macri, a sign that China is continuing to increase its footprint in Latin America.

Americas geopolitical rivals, China and Russiaand now Iranhave ramped up efforts in recent years to gain influence in Americas backyard.

Vladimir Putins Russia has been steadily re-establishing the role it once had in the region during the Soviet era through military and energy partnerships. Russias talks with Cuba for a $50 million loan to the communist country for arms purchases, and billions in signed energy deals with Bolivia, Venezuela, and Argentina are just some examples.

Iran has also extended its ties with multiple nations in the region, with a number of bilateral deals signed just within the past few months.

However, despite the threat these two geopolitical forces pose to Americas interest, China is the main competitor to the United States in the region, according to Joseph Humire, president of the think tank Center for a Secure Free Society.

Theyve established an economic footprint to challenge us in many areas, Humire said. In his assessment, many scholars have taken Chinas inroads in Latin America to mean that the Asian giant is just acting like any other economic competitor to the United States, and that the competition isnt adversarial. But the reality is that the competition goes beyond just business.

Theyre challenging us in areas that are much more direct threats to our military capabilities and alliances in the region, including space and cyberspace, Humire said.

One of the methods Beijing retains control over developing countries is by making them beholden to Chinas deceivingly generous loan practices. For example, Venezuela has received $62 billion in aid over the past decade, with another $5 billion added last September.

As cash-strapped Venezuelas oil industry continues to plummet, the nation must cede its sovereignty to China by increasing access to Venezuelas raw resources and critical infrastructure, and further dependency on Chinese money. This was the case in Sri Lanka, where the government had to hand over control of its main southern port after failing to pay back $6 billion in loans granted as part of Chinas One Belt, One Road initiativeBeijings massive investment initiative with countries throughout the world.

In an August press meeting en route to Brazil, U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis emphasized that these types of economic relationships can put a nations sovereignty at risk. Theres more than one way to lose sovereignty in this world; its not just by bayonets. It can also be by countries that come in bearings gifts and large loans, Mattis said.

Moreover, these gifts and loans bring consequences down the road. In a Center for Strategic and International Studies assessment on Venezuela, researchers Moises Rendon and Sarah Baumunk state that these short term benefits often lead to long-term dependency on China.

For example, China currently has outer space agreements with Venezuela, Brazil, and Argentina, which cover collaboration on telecommunication satellite launches and a Chinese-owned space station.

Though innocent at first glance, China remains intentionally untransparent about its space-related activities. Moreover, Chinas history of exporting dual-use technology, which can be used for civilian and military purposes, implies that the technology could potentially be used for sinister purposes.

China has also imposed itself in Latin Americas cyberspace in pursuit of a digital Silk Road. This initiative would be a digital infrastructure investment involving Chinese AI, quantum computing, and cloud expertise, as reported by Axios.

With China investing in the tech sector in Latin America, the entire region serves an area in which China can continue to pursue its dominance in the cybersphere.

The Collective Threat

While China is the biggest contender to challenge the United States in Latin America, Iran and Russia still pose serious threats to U.S. security.

Humire said these three countries do have a common interest in Latin America, as measured by the three-quarters standard.

According to Humire, the three-quarters standard is a way to measure foreign involvement in Latin America. China, Russia, and Iran operate in three-quarters of the same countries: Chinas credits and loans, Russias arms sales, and Irans bilateral ties all overlap in three-quarters of the same countries.

Why are these three countries putting all their chips in one basket? Its a strategic move.

Together, China, Russia, and Iran share an anti-U.S. hostility channeled through economic, military, and diplomatic measures as well as through a cohesive anti-U.S. propaganda campaign.

In the U.S. Southern Command 2018 posture statement, Adm. Kurt Tidd emphasized the threat these three countries pose to the United States in Latin America: With every inroad they make, they enlarge competitive space to interfere with our security relationships, cancel out our interoperability with the region, undermine our efforts to reinforce international norms, and hold our interests at risk.

US Reaction

The Trump administration has employed a number of methods to counter threats posed by geopolitical powers in Latin America.

In August, the U.S. Department of Treasury initiated a program called America Crece, or America Grows. This partnership encourages U.S. investment in energy and infrastructure throughout Latin America.

Additionally, the United States is utilizing its economic leverage to sanction countries like Venezuela, Cuba, and most recently, Nicaragua.

Moreover, the United States seeks to rebuild its trust with Latin American nations. Tidd said this is the key strategy to remain the most important partner in the region. Every day, we take a look at what are the things we can do to create trust where perhaps it doesnt exist, to be able to sustain trust and then finally to be able to make sure that we do nothing that compromises that trust, he said.
Zariah Strong, 3, is headed home to Utah after spending several years at a children's hospital in Ohio. (Zariah's Fight For Life/GoFundMe)

Utah Toddler Headed Home After Being in NICU Since 2015

A Utah 3-year-old who was born in 2015 is leaving the NICU for the first time.

Zariah Donovan was born at just 23 weeks in September 2015 after her mother, Vilayvone Thipsouvan, experienced a placental abruption, and the little girl has been in the hospital ever since.

She spent most of the time at a hospital at Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, a move that the family credits for saving her life.

This 1,700-mile move gave Zariah a 96 percent chance of survival. Zariah went from a medically paralyzed and sedated baby to a Smiling, Interactive, and Thriving child! they wrote on GoFundMe.

Zariahs father, Shawn Donovan, said that the ordeal was terrifying.

My wife looked at me and said, dont let my baby die, Donovan told KSL-TV. She was delivered; we waited about an hour to see if she was even going to live. They said that she was alive, she was kicking and fighting.

When Zariah was born, doctors told the family that there was no chance she would live. Several hospitals rejected her entirely.

She was so little that 2 hospitals actually turned Zariah and family away as they dont view births before 24 weeks as viable, the family wrote on a website called Zariah Strong.

They wouldnt provide life support if it was needed, and it was going to be needed. It took an emergency ambulance ride, and a Life Flight to get Vilayone, Shawn, and Zariah to a hospital that would finally take them in for the delivery.

But shes stayed alive and slowly gotten stronger, and was set to be released soon.

Shes fought a battle that no person would probably have in their entire life, Donovan said. Its the day weve been waiting for.

Fundraiser and Support

The GoFundMe for the baby raised nearly $20,000, as of the time of this publication.

Funds raised will go towards Zariahs medical bills, additional therapies that Zariah will need, and will go towards converting our house into a Home NICU for Zariah, the family wrote.

Zariahs strength and perseverance has been life changing to so many! We are so blessed to call her our daughter. Her light and strength lifts us up during the unbearable moments. She has reminded us to treasure and celebrate every moment!

They added, We know she will able to overcome these developmental challenges with the help of OT, PT, and speech therapy. We know in our heart that she can overcome anything! We continue to witness miracles daily.

Mother Thipsouvan said that the family has received lots of support.

Oh my goodness where do I even begin? she told Fox 13 in 2016. From the get-go everybody has been so, so amazing. From our coworkers to our neighbors. Ive had donation of vacation hours so I can focus on Zariah.

Donovan said the community has helped and also credited peoples prayers.

Weve had meals dropped off four to five days a week, Donovan said. Weve had the community help out with house and yard work. Weve had the community help out with fundraisers.

From NTD News
Vice and Other US-Bashing Movies

Commentary

LONDONI am a member of BAFTA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, so I see a lot of movies each month. Sadly, this past year, I have had my fill of movies that do not depict the America I know and love.

Vice, a new release about former Vice President Dick Cheney, though featuring a fine performance from Christian Bale, is pure left-wing agitprop and parody; the British audience the night I saw it went crazy with joy over it. Whenever I witness Britons reveling in anti-American fodder I ask, So your history is so virtuous, guys?

The film by Saturday Night Live writer Adam McKay sets out to depict every tawdry aspect of Cheneys life from teenhood to the White House. I suppose to those who detested every minute of the Bush 43 era, this is two hours of heaven.

Even Demublicans like me, however, have to grudgingly accept that after 9/11, no apocalyptic terror attacks hit the U.S. mainland. Yes, the British shoe-bomber was aborted in his murderous deed by those on the airliner, but the ruthlessness of Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld over seven years could be credited with reducing the level of terrorism many had expected.

When I point out to friends that Rumsfeld is an inveterate opera-goer, they snap, Yes, so were the Nazis! A voracious reader and lifelong fan of liberal statesman Adlai Stevenson, Rumsfeld is not the bumbling, vulgar nincompoop depicted in Vice, but McKay got the funding for this movie in order to nail for posterity the worst aspects of post-9/11 Washington and to repudiate those he detests.

Distortion, Sloppiness, Violence

Aside from the movies and documentaries that show Americans in just about the worst lightsuch as Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missourifrankly, I dont know any Americans in my big family and wide circle of friends and colleagues who are anything remotely like the loathsome characters depicted.

I find it notable that some of the particularly nasty films about the United States are directed by Britons.

Three Billboards, directed, written, and produced by Londoner Martin McDonagh, was utterly adored by my British Academy colleagues and indeed got their vote for Best Picture. Though I will acknowledge its excellent acting and cinematography, I cringed at the protagonists. Am I being one-dimensional by wondering why the character played by Frances McDormand was not prosecuted for sadistically attacking her dentist? Is it right for a police officer to calmly throw someone out of an upstairs window? I appreciate a mothers rage over her daughters fate, but did not find her fire-bombing of the police station justifiable.

Everyone I know here in the UK adored the film, but it is interesting that the American Oscar Academy did not honor it with Best Picture, instead choosing the offbeat The Shape of Water. Also notable is that recently on the BBC panel show Dateline London, the Belgian journalist Eunice Goes, in a swipe at American cultural tastes, asserted that the Oscar academy only rewards blockbusters. Wrong! The past decade has seen unconventional works The Artist, Birdman, Spotlight, Moonlight, and The Shape of Water topping the honors.

Overlord, directed by young Australian Julius Avery, is not anti-American but just plain sloppy: Its a tableau of Nazi cruelty that never explains it is actually about the unspeakable experiments done on Jews and captured villagers.

The receptionists at the film academy well-meaningly told me excitedly, Its a horror film with creepy monsters! After the screening, when I asked one of them if she knew about the infamous sadist Dr. Mengele, who had experimented on Jewish twins, she said, No. She is German and her young colleague British; it alarmed me that neither one had any grasp that this was not a horror film.

Though an admirable piece of wishful thinking, the opening scene of a black pilot commanding an airborne division with a heroic black paratrooper would have been an impossibility. Sad to say, segregation in the U.S. military was strictly enforced. What I call the inverted liberalism of the scenario fails to tell the truth about this less-than-admirable chapter in American history.

Films directed by Britons that have intensely annoyed me include Andrea Arnolds American Honey, an overlong epic about a bunch of violent, foul-mouthed young people. David McKenzies Hell or High Water was another violence-filled piece of cinema hell-bent on depicting only the ugly side of the country. John Michael (brother of Martin) McDonaghs War on Everyone was one of the most violent films I have ever endured. It gave such a distorted view of the United States, and of human beings in general, I had nasty flashbacks for several weeks. Had I not been in the middle of the row, Id have left after 10 minutes.

Hell on Earth, about the war in Syria, suggests U.S. and British action in World War II had lasting consequences that eventually led to the bloodletting in Syria, Iraq, and Libya. What? The brave allies who fought against German, Italian, and Japanese fascism in World War II saved mankind from the Thousand Year Reich. That British Goldcrest and American National Geographic could fund a film that suggests this bravery caused todays violent world is astounding.

Villains

Finally, Britons love to throw at me the notion that Hollywood only casts Britons as villains. My reply is, doh? What about the greatly loved Cary Grant, David Niven, Alec Guinness, James Mason, Peter OToole, Richard Burton, and all 007 heroes starting with Sean Connery?

Hollywood has often given plum roles to Britons, notably Vivien Leigh and Leslie Howard in Gone with the Wind. Right now in cinemas, Briton Felicity Jones is Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in On the Basis of Sex, Rosamund Pike is American war correspondent Marie Colvin in A Private War, and the aforementioned Christian Bale is Dick Cheney.

Gary Oldman, Judi Dench, and the late Peter OToole have all praised the United States for its unbounded graciousness to Britons. Wish it would be reciprocated.

Philadelphia-born Carol Gould is a UK-based political commentator. She is the author of Dont Tread on Me: Anti-Americanism Abroad and Spitfire Girls.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Washington Post Reporter Tries to Shut Down GoFundMe for Border Wall

A Washington Post reporter tried to shut down a GoFundMe fundraiser thats raising millions of dollars to help build President Donald Trumps wall along the southern border of the United States.

Tony Romm, who describes himself as a tech policy reporter for the news outlet, said that he saw the fundraiser and noted that the veteran who started it said he had contacts with the Trump administration.

It got me thinking is that, like, allowed on the site? Romm wrote on Twitter.

GoFundMe terms prohibit attempts to raise cash money rooted in intolerance of any kind relating to race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, sex, gender or gender identity, or serious disabilities or diseases, among other limits.

Romm said he contacted GoFundMe to try to shut down the fundraiser, stating: I asked GoFundMe if this wall fundraiser violates [the terms].

A spokesperson for GoFundMe told Romm that the campaign does not violate the companys terms of service.

A number of Twitter users slammed Romm for trying to end the campaign, which has proven immensely popular.

In response, Romm doubled down on his attempts.

The state of our discourse is such that this threadwhich merely explores the funding campaign in the context of the sites ToSis a political lightning rod, he claimed. Somehow the most boring legalese has turned into a rallying cry for a certain set of users to go on the attack.

Besides writing for the Post, Romm recently announced hed be appearing on the MSNBC cable news network.

Border Wall Fundraiser

The GoFundMe for the border wall was started by Brian Kolfage, an Air Force veteran who lost three limbs while deployed in Iraq in 2004 when the air base he was working in was attacked by a rocket.

The government has accepted large private donations before, most recently a billionaire donated $7.5 Million to fund half of the Washington Monument repairs in 2012; this is no different, Kolfage wrote.

Like a majority of those American citizens who voted to elect President Donald J Trump, we voted for him to Make America Great Again. President Trumps main campaign promise was to BUILD THE WALL. And as hes followed through on just about every promise so far, this wall project needs to be completed still.

The fundraiser has garnered $11.5 million in four days, as of 9:40 a.m. EDT Dec. 21.

Kolfage said the violence perpetrated by illegal aliens prompted him to act.

As a veteran who has given so much, 3 limbs, I feel deeply invested to this nation to ensure future generations have everything we have today. Too many Americans have been murdered by illegal aliens and too many illegals are taking advantage of the United States taxpayers with no means of ever contributing to our society, he wrote.

He said he was inspired by a New York Post op-ed that questioned why no one had launched a fundraiser for the wall.

If Congress wont secure the borders, then it is necessary for the public to step in. It would be a modern and critical twist on the Founders ideal of self-government, wrote Michael Goodwin in the op-ed.

A number of people said in a telephone and online survey recently that they were willing to privately contribute to build the border wall.

Rasmussen Reports said that 34 percent of Republicans said they would contribute, along with 21 percent of independents and 10 percent of Democrats. Of those, 19 percent said theyd be willing to pay an extra $100 a year in taxes, and 19 percent said theyd be willing to pay an extra $300 a year in taxes; 2 percent said they would pay more than $1,000 a year in extra taxes each year to help pay for the wall.

From NTD News
A homeless man grasps the hand of a volunteer who was handing out donated clothing, in central London on Dec. 13, 2012. (Reuters/Chris Helgren)

With the Click of a Button, Britains Homeless Crowdfund Their Way to Work

LONDONWhen Hana fled to Britain with her son from East Africa, she was grateful to have found safety from persecution and a roof over her head in her sisters tiny London apartment.

It should have been a stop-gap, but a year on, the four still live together in cramped conditions, with Hana sharing a bed with her young son, and her sister doing the same with her toddler.

When I came to Britain, I struggled with everything. Its very hard to be a single mum and homeless, said Hana, who did not share her full name for fear of repercussions.

With no job prospects, she had no chance of finding her own home in London, where rents are among the highest in the world.

Homelessness has been rising in England for nearly a decade, with over 82,000 families in temporary accommodation, including more than 123,000 children, government data shows.

But 32-year-old Hana is hoping to buck that trend, after a crowdfunding campaign by social enterprise Beam paid for her to study beauty therapy.

Its been a dramatic change, now I will be a professional beauty therapist. Straight away I want to start a job, the day I finish my studies, Hana said in a phone interview.

She is one of about 50 homeless people who secured employment training through Beam, which it says is the worlds first purpose-built platform that helps homeless people crowdfund donations through their online profile.

The participants, who are referred to Beam by homelessness charities, are also supported by caseworkers throughout their studies and job hunt.

We really want to return people to a stage of independence. They should never be defined by their homelessness, said Beam founder Alex Stephany, who launched the platform last year.

He said each crowdfunding campaign is fully funded before a new one is launched to ensure each person has the chance to take a training course of their choice, be it accounting, dental nursing, or carpentry.

There are lots of people who need help, and also lots of people who want to help, and technology has a really important part to play in making it safe and easy for people to do that, Stephany said in an interview.

Housing Emergency

Homelessness charity Shelter, which partners with Beam, blames rising private rents, a freeze on benefits, and a shortage of social housing for the sharp increase in homelessness.

We see destitution everyday and desperation from people. People who are being priced out of the rental market. Were calling it a housing emergency, its atrocious, said Alison Mohammed, Shelters director of services.

Discrimination against homeless people has also made it difficult for them to secure rental properties, she said.

A hotel in the northern English city of Hull was criticized recently after it canceled paid bookings made by a local charity to give rough sleepers a bed for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Mohammed said initiatives like Beam can harness the publics goodwill to help homeless people, but it is just one piece of the puzzle.

Anything that can tap into the publics wish to do something about homelessness is a good idea, she said in a phone interview.

Its not going to solve the lack of social housing, but it is going to help people who have got to a position in their life where they can take that step, Mohammed said.

Beam said a dozen people had so far gained employment and the group hopes to expand beyond London and roll out the initiative across the country.

For Hana, who will finish her beauty therapy studies next year, knowing that hundreds of strangers care about her wellbeing and future in Britain has been a source of comfort.

She is confident she will find her own place to live too.

I dont know these people and I dont even see their faces, but they encourage me very much. Its like a message from heaven, she said.

By Lin Taylor
STAMFORD  A nine-figure expenditure will cap a year of major growth  and ongoing controversy  for the citys sole Fortune 100 company.

Charter Communications has settled a $174 million lawsuit alleging it misled internet subscribers in New York, an agreement that includes a record eight-figure customer refund. While the Stamford company still faces regulatory and organized-labor pressure, the settlement will likely not lead to a massive loss of customers or derail the ongoing growth of the telecommunications giant.

Anytime you see nine digits, its a big deal, said Lawrence J. White, a professor of economics at New York University. Hopefully, this is a shot across the bow to say to Charter, You, guys, cant defraud the customers. Theyll have to do better.

In a statement, Charter said it was pleased to have reached a settlement with the (New York) attorney general on the issue of certain Time Warner Cable advertising practices in New York prior to our merger, and to have put this litigation behind us.

Under pressure in the Empire State

Controversy in New York surrounding Charters Spectrum brand of services has dogged the company since its $55 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable in 2016.

The lawsuit was filed last year by the state attorney generals office alleging Charter and TWC, when it operated independently, denied customers reliable and fast internet service that had been promised.

This settlement should serve as a wake-up call to any company serving New York consumers: fulfill your promises, or pay the price, New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood said in a statement. It also sets a new standard for how internet providers should fairly market their services.

The settlement includes direct restitution of $62.5 million for more than 700,000 active subscribers, who will each receive between $75 and $150. It represents the largest such payment by an American ISP, according to Underwoods office.

In addition, the agreement also stipulates that Charter enact several reforms, including the requirement to describe internet speeds as wired and prove them through regular testing.

Other New York public agencies have also accused the company of failing to deliver on promises to customers and comply with state regulations. In July, the states Public Service Commission announced it would revoke its approval of the merger and fined Charter another $1 million.

The commission has accused Charter of consistently failing to meet deadlines, trying to avoid commitments to rural communities, carrying out unsafe field practices and making misleading statements about its performance and compliance requirements.

Charter has disputed those allegations. The settlement does not affect the companys negotiations with the commission, according to a Charter spokesman.

Meanwhile, the corporation is grappling with a strike of several hundred New York-based technicians that started in March 2017.

Despite the clashes with regulators and union officials, the firm does not appear to want to give up its New York business.

Charter has made, and continues to make, substantial investments enhancing internet service across the state of New York since our 2016 merger, Charter said in its statement. We look forward to continue providing the best TV, internet, voice and mobile products to our customers, and to bringing broadband to more homes and businesses across the state.

Still growing

The settlement is not a devastating financial hit.

It equates to less than 1 percent of the companys approximately $27 billion in 2017 expenditures.

As the settlement announcement makes clear, $174 million is a lot of money, said David Souder, associate dean of graduate programs in the University of Connecticuts business school. However, it should not have any negative impact on Charters long-term growth plans. If anything, reaching a settlement allows management to put a past issue behind them and refocus on future growth.

At the same time, more than $100 million worth of discounts included in the settlement could help stave off large-scale customer defections.

In addition to the refunds, Charter will provide a range of free streaming and video services to its approximately 2.2 million active internet subscribers in New York. Customers who have internet and cable packages would receive three free months of HBO or six free months of Showtime.

Charter is being asked to give away services, but customers may decide its worthwhile to then stay and pay when those services are no longer free, White said. The penalty for the company is then somewhat diminished.

Meanwhile, Charter continues to grow across its 41-state footprint.

Charter now serves about 26 million residences and 1.8 million small- and medium-sized businesses. In the third quarter, its total customer base grew 3 percent from a year ago.

While growth has declined for its voice and video businesses, internet services continue to attract more customers. The latter business increased about 5 percent, to 23 million customers in the past quarter.

Through Wi-Fi access, Charter already serves more than 200 million wireless devices in U.S. homes and offices, according to company data.

Aiming to build that customer base, Charter rolled out this year its Spectrum Mobile platform. It aims to deliver wireless service similar to the coverage offered by the dominant wireless carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint.

More people are interested in looking at their cellphones, and fewer are interested in subscribing to cable TV, Ramesh Subramanian, a professor of information systems at Quinnipiac University, said in a recent interview. With unlimited data, whatever content customers need and want is available through cellphones. And if they can get all their internet, voice and wireless services in one bill, then that makes their lives very easy.

A mobile virtual network operator agreement with Verizon allows Charter to buy access to the latters cellular network at wholesale pricing and resell that service to customers. As Charter continues to add hotspots and as its wireless technology advances, its dependence on the Verizon network would decrease.

In addition to the partnership with Verizon, Charter has formed other mobile-focused alliances. In April, it joined with Comcast, the countrys largest cable company, to create an operating platform to support Spectrum Mobile and Comcasts Xfinity Mobile platform.

They have their own territories, so they dont compete directly, Souder said. In this case, they can come together and do things to work out the technology and apply it in different locations.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott
For many, it is a rare moment when one can witness the entirety of a career distilled to a single moment. For David Campbell that moment came last April, with the visual of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas picking up a brief during oral arguments and flipping through the pages, then leaning over to confer with Justice Stephen Breyer.

It was the only brief that day that took no sides in South Dakota v. Wayfair, the landmark decision in June in which the Supreme Court determined that states could collect sales taxes for online transactions, a historic omission that had long the prime driver of e-commerce sales that put stores at a major disadvantage.

It was a moment for which Campbell has been preparing for a decade, with his Norwalk-based company TaxCloud among several providing back-end systems for online merchants to assess sales taxes and keep up with rate changes, whether at the state or local levels.

With Wayfair in the rearview mirror for 2018, companies are now scrambling to ensure that they are ready for a renewed push by states to mandate taxes for online sales. Since 2008, a Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement has offered states a standardized set of rules to do so, with TaxClouds home state of Connecticut among the states that have yet to sign the agreement, instead negotiating separate agreements directly with Amazon and more than 100 other companies to collect sales taxes.

It is a chore TaxCloud offers states and companies on an outsourced basis, as well as Intuit and a handful of others that belong to a National Association of Certified Service Providers that filed the Supreme Court brief alongside the Software & Information Industry Association.

There was one point in the oral arguments when the attorney for Wayfair started talking about how expensive the (tax calculation) software was, and Justice Thomas reached and pulled up one of the briefs, and it was a green brief, Campbell told Hearst Connecticut Media. The green briefs are the ones in support of neither party, and ours was the only one.

The ruling goes into ... all these arguments that it (was) too costly and complicated, and then it says thats not the world we live in today, Campbell added. Pretty exciting  our goal now is to get all the merchants that have to comply with the law, to get their marketplaces and online platforms to finally turn us on. Theyve known about us  weve been talking to them for years.

From Providence to Connecticut via Seattle

TaxClouds technical heritage stems to an automated database updating tool Campbell undertook in 1993 at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence as his final project supporting his studies in industrial design, when early web browsers began to catch on in the era of dial-up modems.

With his girlfriend at the time and now-wife a Stamford native, Campbell moved initially to Connecticut and he set out to create a company that would help other businesses automatically update databases over the Internet. It did not generate much interest, so they moved to Seattle where Campbell had grown up to create a database synchronization company.

Like most businesses, Campbell did not collect sales tax initially for his companys services, but began doing so in 2008 when the state of Washington joined the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement that had been created by the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Campbell set out to find a tool that could help him remit sales taxes to the varying jurisdictions where his company was selling, analogous to websites calculating shipping charges based on destinations where merchandise was being sent. With the earliest version of the system that would become TaxCloud built in 2008, other states began to gravitate to the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement.

TaxCloud is not the only provider of sales tax collection services, with others including Intuit via its Exactor subsidiary; the Boulder, Colo.-based Taxify service of Sovos; Avalara in Seattle; and Taxometry outside Salt Lake City.

Dwindling holdouts post Wayfair

Campbell and his wife moved back to Connecticut in 2009 for family reasons, with TaxCloud establishing a small office in Norwalk where it is located on East Avenue today just off Interstate 95.

TaxCloud has close to 20 employees today and with the Wayfair decision in place is now in growth mode, with Campbell saying he is scouting office space in South Norwalk. He said he is looking for equity funding to support that growth as TaxCloud adds roughly 10 merchants on average daily to its platform.

Under Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and former state tax commissioner Kevin Sullivan, the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services has resisted joining other states in the pact, while negotiating agreements with Amazon and other individual companies to collect taxes on the sale of merchandise in Connecticut.

Connecticut is not alone among the state holdouts, with California having been the biggest outlier but in the wake of Wayfair now taking steps to join others nationally.

TaxCloud has created a humorous online ad campaign depicting a girl running an online business out of her bedroom, struggling to figure out sales taxes from state to state amid general mayhem as her friends attempt to fulfill orders streaming in.

Campbell promises its as easy as flipping a switch  in Connecticut and beyond. Despite the long road to Wayfair, he says he has never seen TaxClouds longterm success as anything but inevitable, given the revenue states know they have been missing out on from online sales.

States are going to be getting the money thats been owed to them, Campbell said. The technology is there for them.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
A mystery surrounding the fate of Sir John Franklin and his crew, who left London for the Arctic in 1845 and never returned, is explored in a major new exhibit at Mystic Seaport Museum.

Death in the Ice: The Mystery of the Franklin Expedition, features more than 200 objects from collections around the globe. Some of the artifacts are from two of the most important archaeological discoveries in recent history  the expeditions two ships, the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror.

Elysa Engelman, director of exhibits, said a big question for 160 years was: What happened to the ships?

Other European vessels abandoned in the Arctic were found and identified, but the HMS Erebus and Terror eluded all the searches, she said via email. Finally, in 2014, a Canadian team combined evidence from Inuit oral histories and high-tech underwater sonar and started looking much farther south from where the ships had been abandoned. They discovered Erebus in only 30-plus feet of water... Two years later, they found Terror. Both are remarkably well-preserved...

The exhibit includes the Erebus bell, a camp stove and more, such as rifles used by the explorers who camped onshore their first summer. There are personal possessions, too, such as a small prayer book. They really speak to the individuality of these men and the struggles they had to stay alive, sane, and motivated to rescue themselves. Its not surprising they died, but it is surprising how long they survived without Inuit understanding of the environment or the geography.

So what happened to the men? One artifact that always stops Engelman in her tracks is called the Victory Point note, which includes two messages. The first, from May 1847, says All well, and the second, from April 1848, says the men are leaving their ice-bound ships to try walking to safety.

Engelman said its sobering to see the actual note, which was found inside a metal canister under a stone cairn on King William Island. Im also amazed by the condition of the artifacts brought up from the wreck, especially the shoe and the glass and ceramic items. Its incredible that they survived the sinking of HMS Erebus, sat underwater for more than a century, and now have traveled safely to Connecticut to be seen by our museum visitors.

The explorers were originally sent by the Royal Navy to find the elusive Northwest Passage  that long-desired route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans across the Arctic to Asia. They took everything they expected to need to survive for up to three years.

Engleman hopes those who view the exhibit will be moved by it, as she is, and will leave eager to know the answers to the many remaining mysteries, such as how the ships came to rest hundreds of miles from where they were abandoned, and what killed so many of the men, including Franklin.

lkoonz@newstimes.com; Twitter: @LindaTKoonz
WESTPORT  For the first time in 25 years, Westports annual New Years Eve celebration has been canceled.

Im sorry were disappointing everyone, said Barbara Pearson-Rac, president of the First Night board, citing lack of funds and last years bitterly cold weather as reasons behind the cancellation. The townwide tradition is one of only two remaining First Nights in the entire state, the other being in Hartford.

The fundraising just wasnt there. ... The weather last year was just so horrible and we never experienced such a severe weather situation on First Night, so our attendance was down.

When it came to organizing the 2019 celebration, Pearson-Rac said everything had already been planned, until the volunteer group realized the previous years low attendance resulted in less revenue going forward for this year, in addition to fewer sponsorships. The group typically relies on sponsorships and button sales to fund First Night.

However, there may be hope for the events return in time to ring in 2020.

We may return next year. We are on a hiatus, Pearson-Rac said. Lots of people have expressed that they will miss the event. We have to decide what we want to do.

Despite the cancellation, residents wont go without New Years Eve festivities in town. The Westport Historical Society has stepped up to offer several family-oriented activities on Dec. 31.

While not nearly as grand as First Night, the event, dubbed First Light, will include face painting, crafts, movies, a digital caricaturist, musicians and food trucks, according to historical society Executive Director Ramin Ganeshram.

TD Bank is parnering with the society to offer a ballet troupe performance of parts of The Nutcracker.

We put this together in about three days, she said, noting some activities are still pending town approval. It just shows the will and drive of the town to come together when they really need to.

Similarly to First Night, the historical society is selling buttons as tickets for $10 online or $15 in person. Children ages 2 and under are free. The event will take place from 4 to 9 or 10 p.m. at the societys building at 25 Avery Place, Ganeshram said.

First Selectman Jim Marpe said First Night has always been special to Westport because it gives families an opportunity to have fun as part of the larger community.

I continue to be supportive of the First Night concept and admire and appreciate the efforts Barbara Pearson-Rac and her committees have put in over the years. I will be working with them to hopefully bring back First Night in 2020, he said.

The idea of First Night originated from Boston in the 1970s as a drug and alcohol free New Years Eve alternative open to all ages. Throughout the years, the arts-centered party featured dozens of events throughout Westport for children, teens and adults, including music, dancing, comedy, ventriloquists, balloons and inflatable rides, star-gazing, horse-drawn carriage rides and fireworks.

As of Friday, the organizations website and voicemail contained messages informing the public of the decision to cancel the event.

Includes previous reporting by Justin Papp; lteixeira@ctpost.com, 203-842-2582
We have gotten so used to hyperpartisan sniping and dull-witted sound bites that when you finally hear one - two, even! - politicians demonstrate a granular grasp of the issues, pragmatism and farsightedness, it's both surprising and invigorating. The Virginia Chamber of Commerce got a dose of grown-up governance on Thursday morning at a roundtable with Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Tim Kaine, D-Va.

Before the event, I asked Kaine about the prospects for end-of-year legislation. "I think criminal justice prospects are high. . . . The budget issue is a challenge, it really is." Congress laid out two options, he said - $1.6 billion in border security funding (up from the $1.3 billion last year that the administration could not spend entirely) or pass everything else (there are six other, noncontroversial appropriations bills) and keep talking for two months. (Warner cracked, "I'm still waiting for the check from Mexico.")

On the Yemen issue, he said, "We are going to have a strong vote in the Senate. . . . (It) sends two very important messages - that we are starting to pull back to ourselves the initiation of war . . . and to the Saudis that they aren't going to be able to walk around on Capitol Hill as if they have a free pass." Interestingly, he noted that as his "last act of public service," House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., "squirreled away" a provision in the newly passed farm bill that would make it unnecessary for the House to vote on whatever the Senate passes on Saudi Arabia.

Kaine and Warner were both enthusiastic about issues that don't necessarily get headlines. Warner spoke passionately about the need to improve investment in "human capital" - be it by tax changes, accounting changes or changes in education policy. He said that we need to think much more "radically" in bolstering workforce capital. Kaine, who will be working on a new higher education funding bill next year, emphasized the need to promote alternatives to four-year colleges. (He noted that the labor shortage is so acute that employers are looking to take workers who are under supervision in a drug rehabilitation program.)

Both Democrats were enthusiastic about the new Amazon headquarters in Arlington, which they envisioned will help attract other high-tech businesses and retain millennials in the region. (Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.) Warner said "this is going to be a game changer" for the region and the state as a whole, and he praised the decision to split the headquarters in two (the other location will be in New York). "It makes it more palatable," he said in reference to the challenges of integrating 25,000 new employees in Northern Virginia. Kaine said a regional housing authority is needed to assure continued access to affordable housing, and he suggested that some Amazon partners and contractors could be located "downstate," a nod to areas that have been economically left behind.

The senators ticked through the nitty-gritty of improved governance: reducing the backlog of security clearances, which reached 700,000 at one point; investing in cybersecurity to push back when we are attacked; buying phones and computer equipment with better security; moving forward on climate change (Warner pointed out that if they call it something else - "sea-level rise" - Republicans are more inclined to go along); fine-tuning Dodd-Frank; and getting federal priority to refurbish Arlington Memorial Bridge. The two former governors showed their wonkiness, but also a recognition that these kinds of issues cumulatively make a big difference in livelihood and quality of life.

Warner called President Donald Trump's previous infrastructure plan "a scam extraordinaire," since it actually took more money out of the federal highway trust fund than it put in. He said, "We have to put up new federal funding. We cannot simply wish money out of the sky." Kaine was especially optimistic about the prospects for a bill, which could include broadband, noting that "there is no more natural connection between the president, who is a builder, and the Congress" than on infrastructure. He said that if Trump wanted to get something done, this would be the topic.

It was refreshing to hear two lawmakers praise free trade - while also acknowledging the need to help those displaced by trade and automation. On the new NAFTA, Kaine warned Trump not to "pull the plug" on the existing deal as a means of pressuring the Senate to pass the new deal. He said it would be "idiotic" for Trump to try bullying the Senate. "We're the Article I branch. We don't play Mother May I." Warner criticized Trump for creating a crisis in trade that has frayed relations with allies. He also expressed concern that having created a tariff war with China, the president will settle for increased purchases of U.S. agricultural products but "give away the store" on issues such as intellectual property.

Warner was blunt about the impact of the tax code, asserting that it was a missed opportunity to use revenue for investment in human capital and infrastructure. He also said that, thanks to the debt it rang up, it depleted "most of the tools in our toolkit" should a recession come along.

A Senate of 100 Tim Kaines and Mark Warners would be fully capable of tackling some complex problems. Yet what becomes apparent in listening to some of the most dedicated legislators is that our biggest problem is not trade or China or any other external challenge, but the hyperpartisan know-nothingism of many of their colleagues. Unless we start electing more serious problems, none of our policy challenges can be fixed.
EDWARDSVILLE  You need to humble yourself to follow and learn from others before you can become a successful leader.

The wise words of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville senior Yelana Moton demonstrate her modest and fiercely focused approach to life. The East St. Louis native received a bachelors in construction management, with a minor in business administration, from the School of Engineering last weekend with a full-time job already secured.

A passion for construction is in my blood, Moton said. Ive always had a love for seeing buildings and structures going up. As a little girl, I would hear my grandfather and his brother talk about their demolition business. Hearing their stories validated my decision to pursue construction.

It was Motons seventh-grade science project on buttresses that solidified her affinity toward engineering.

What seventh grader chooses to do a project on buttresses? she joked. But, thats what sparked it. I knew then that my engineering journey would begin.

Moton hasnt wavered from her desire for a career in engineering, but it took her a couple tries to find which specialization was for her. She first studied civil engineering, then architecture, before finding her perfect fit in the SIUE School of Engineerings Department of Construction.

When I enrolled in my 120 class, I knew this was the route for me, Moton recalled. Dr. (Chris) Gordon reeled me in, and it all came together.

Moton is a natural leader who has been highly active in student organizations throughout her academic journey. She was president of the SIUE Chapter of the American Concrete Institute, a member of the Constructors Club and vice president of the service-based organization Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Ive had many family, friends and mentors to look up to, she noted. They know how to follow, but have taken the next step to become leaders. Its important to have both abilities. Its a skill to know how to follow. You have to learn from somebody. You cant just jump out there and assume youll be a successful leader from the start. Being a follower first helps develop you into an effective leader.

The motivated student completed three internships during her SIUE schooling at well-known industry-leading companies including The Korte Company, Tarlton Corp. and KAI Design & Build.

The Department of Construction requires one internship, which I think is wonderful, she explained. I pursued three internship opportunities, because those experiences push you to gain the knowledge and skills needed to smoothly transition into the real world.

I enjoy the project management route and will seek to gain more wisdom within that path. I have a passion for learning new things, especially about my industry, she added. In the future, I see myself being highly involved and active in professional organizations and in the community.

Moton was the student speaker during the commencement ceremony on Dec. 15.

My advice is to push for what you want and set high goals, Moton said. Make goals that seem right at the realm of impossible. That way, even if you dont fully accomplish that goal, you will still have broken through barriers and gained a better understanding of your capabilities.
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Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 21, 2018 09:03 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e353703 1 Editorial #Editorial,food-security,IMF-WB-meeting,seed-breeding,biotechnology Free

Among the major short-term policy recommendations proposed by the World Bank in its latest quarterly report on Indonesia are those for lowering import barriers and restrictions for foreign investors to make the economy globally more competitive and to create jobs.



Certainly, such reforms are extremely difficult and unpopular now in view of the April 2019 presidential and legislative elections, when inordinately strong nationalist sentiment may rear its ugly head. Still, it is worth their while for the two presidential candidates and their economic teams to deeply study the World Banks findings on the damage caused by the 2010 Horticulture Law, which limits foreign ownership in seed-breeding enterprises to a maximum share of 30 percent as from 2015.



The banks study concludes that the investment restrictions have reduced the participation of foreign seed companies, which could provide invaluable knowledge in a technologically intensive sector, such as horticulture. Likewise, the horticulture trade restrictions through special licensing requirements and restricted ports of entry have increased the domestic prices of such produce as garlic, fruit and vegetables but have failed to spur any significant exports.



On the contrary, according to the report, Indonesian imports of horticultural products between 2014 and 2017 have been twice as high as exports of barely US$1 billion a year. On the other hand, by keeping open trade and investment regimes, Vietnam, Thailand and, to some extent, the Philippines have expanded horticultural exports over the same period. Vietnamese exports have grown five-fold over the last 10 years to $5 billion, which compares to imports of almost $3 billion.



The severe restriction of foreign investment in seed breeding is especially damaging to horticulture production in view of Indonesias short history of biotechnology and the acute shortage of domestic research and development in seed breeding and propagation.



Plant breeding has historically played an important role in increasing agricultural productivity, and continued investment in plant breeding will be essential to ensuring a productive, sustainable and resilient agricultural system for the future. The growth in crop production depends on improved varieties made possible by public and private investment in research and development, and continued investment in these genetic improvements will be necessary for a sustainable increase in agricultural productivity.



It is therefore important to ensure seed breeding, which is a highly knowledge-based business, and seed markets remain competitive and innovative.



True, we should develop a strong national foundation for our own seed-breeding industry, but this process cannot simply be decreed by forcing foreign investors to give up their controlling ownership in seed-breeding enterprises.



The horticulture seed market has been controlled by foreign companies. But this dominant role should be credited to their centuries of experience in research and development in biotechnology and plant breeding.



The foreign seed-breeding companies have simply brought their research and knowledge to ASEAN countries, such as Thailand and Vietnam, which still allow foreign-majority ownership but under strict conditions on the transfer of research and knowledge to locals.
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Linkedin Pietro Paganini (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 21, 2018

Scientific method favors the maturing of ideas into knowledge; it brings more innovation, more prosperity and reinforces the individual freedoms on which it is based. The scientific method  the exercising of the critical sense in order to understand the facts  and ideas are therefore two key variables for the production and dissemination of knowledge.



The scientific method without ideas serves little purpose; and so conversely ideas without science not only serve little purpose but they can also be dangerous. This is precisely what we are witnessing: a proliferation of ideas devoid of any scientific validation. Namely, they are devoid of attention to experimental results.



Without knowledge, we evolve so much more slowly, even if we do succeed. Rules separated from the method of experimentation end up contrasting cohabitation among citizens, restricting their freedoms. We retreat into ourselves rather than open up. Bye Bye Open Society.



This is not just a European problem, but concerns many parts of the world. Too many citizens reject science, afraid of confronting complexity with the slow and structured work of the experimental method. They prefer to entrust themselves to the magic formulae of contemporary wizardry that manifests itself with the revamped return of authoritarianism and populism.



The illusion of being able to solve problems quickly, without the exertion of democratic conflict reassures spirits at first, but remains an illusion and causes them to regress.

Globalization is used as an occasion for elitist conformism.

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Inforial (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Indonesia  Fri, December 21, 2018 09:00 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e352167 4 Inforial Free

In order to take its business to new heights, Chinese dairy products manufacturer Yili, which produces dairy milk, yogurt and ice cream, has just announced its recent rebranding, unveiling a new logo to energize its plans to strengthen its presence in the international market.

The company, recently named by Dutch lender Rabobank as being among the top 20 global dairy companies, continues to be the top dairy producer in Asia, seeking to accelerate its business expansion worldwide to further elevate its position on the top global dairy producers list.

The first rebranding action is the revamping of the companys logo. Yilis new logo is simpler and flatter, which fits the global design trend and the modern aesthetics trend. The logo comprises three colors  blue, green and red  and symbolizes Yilis development strategy.

New logo, new spirit: Yilis new logo comprises three colors: blue, representing intelligence and globalization as the engine of brand development, defined as global innovation and future with wisdom; green symbolizes Yili's healthy food diversification strategy, defined as natural nutrition and health for everyone; while red symbolizes quality and energy, defined as quality focus and the courage to dream. (Image courtesy of Yili/.)

Business expansion

As part of its business expansion to Indonesia, Yili recently launched a new ice cream series called Joyday. According to the companys press release, the ice cream series marks the first time that Yili products are entering the Indonesian market while also representing the companys commitment to further strengthen its position in the Southeast Asian market.

Yili visited Indonesia in 2015 to conduct in-depth market research and establish a localized team under the name of PT Green Asia Food Indonesia. By the end of 2018, the companys business will have covered more than 20 cities across Indonesia, supplying them with its products, while gradually expanding its business to other Southeast Asian countries as well.

Establishing a stronger presence in the Southeast Asian market remains the tip of the iceberg of Yilis internationalization effort. In early 2013, for instance, it acquired a New Zealand dairy company called Oceania Dairy Limited (ODL), marking the brands first global expansion milestone.

Over the next five years after that, Yili established factories in the Oceanic countries, North America and Europe. By establishing an Asian headquarters, Yilis products have a presence in four of the globes continents.

Milestone: Yilis Oceania Dairy (ODL) factory in New Zealand is the worlds largest integrated dairy production base  covering research and development, production, processing and packaging. This factory is Yilis global expansion milestone. (Photo courtesy of Yili) (Photo courtesy of Yili/.)

In 2018, Yili ODL, representing Sino-New Zealand joint ventures, joined the China International Import Expo, which was officially opened by Chinese President Xi Jinping, to present its most recent cutting-edge technology in the dairy industry.

From its humble beginnings at a small dairy factory established in the city of Hohhot, China, 60 years ago, Yili has transformed itself into a dairy giant, providing nutritional support to more than 1.3 billion people per annum while representing the global rise of local Chinese brands in general.

Building globally recognized brands and making the Chinese Dream come true is a goal that many Chinese companies and people are pursuing. With the support of the Chinese government, more and more Chinese brands like Yili, which put a premium on quality and innovation, are committing themselves to go global and create a great reputation for Chinese manufacturing.
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Linkedin Clement Sabourin (Agence France-Presse) Havre-Saint-Pierre, Canada  Thu, November 22, 2018 01:02 1107 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877d2afb7 2 Environment Canada,Quebec,dam,hydroelectric,hydroelectric-dam,energy,forest,water Free

On a frigid night, the roar of heavy machinery chipping away at rock echoes through Canada's boreal forest: in the far north of Quebec province, four massive hydroelectric dams that will produce "clean energy" for the northeastern United States are nearing completion.

Flowing more than 500 kilometers through the wilderness, the Romaine River in the Cote-Nord region of Quebec is about to hit a literal wall at 51 degrees north latitude with the erection of the fourth and last power station.

Once completed, the construction project -- which started in 2009 -- will see the cold, clear waters of one of Canada's longest untamed rivers flood surrounding lands claimed by indigenous tribes.

From a distance, the bright lights at the site where more than 800 heavy dump trucks, drills and giant backhoe loaders are in use look like reflections of stars in the night sky.

The teams from Hydro-Quebec are working on two fronts.

They are razing a mountain to make room for the power station. They are also erecting a dike 500 meters long and 90 meters high that will hold back the water to be used to generate electricity.

Quebec has a power surplus, so the government is hoping to sell the power produced here to its American neighbors to the south -- and in turn do its bit to help alleviate global warming.

Read also: Collector cards inspire visits to dams in Japan

- Dangers of dam building -

The construction site extends over several kilometers: there is a full cement factory, an infirmary for workers, offices, a quarry and a dynamite depot.

"This is a major project -- there are many different stakeholders, many simultaneous activities, and many dangers to manage daily," including inquisitive wolves and bears, says Christian Guimond, who is in charge of the dam's construction.

Already four workers have died, which forced the public utility Hydro-Quebec to suspend construction in 2017 while it reviewed its workplace safety practices.

There's now a greater awareness of the risks for workers, said Guimond.

From atop a nearby mountain peak, he points to a kilometer-long tunnel and a ditch built to divert the raging river in order to start construction of the dam itself on the dry riverbed.

The dam is to be completed in 2019.

Costing more than Can$6.5 billion (US$4.9 billion), it is among the top 10 largest infrastructure projects currently underway in Canada, ranking behind two nuclear plant refurbishments, three other hydroelectric projects and a new Toronto subway line.

For residents of the region, the hydroelectric project has been a mixed blessing, creating jobs in a remote and economically-depressed region but flooding the local indigenous people's traditional hunting grounds.

"I didn't want it at first, but I needed work... when I got my first paycheck, I changed my mind about it," said Gilbert Pietacho, a foreman and member of the Innus of Mingan.

His father, who is also chief of the small tribe that lives on a reserve on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River, is a fierce opponent of the project.

The chief has the backing of environmental groups, such as Greenpeace, which have decried huge hydroelectric dams as "ecologically devastating."

"It pains me, makes me sad what we're doing to nature," said Patricia Bacon, a 24-year-old Innu who came here to work at the cafeteria in order to pay for her university studies.

"But times have changed -- every house must have electricity now."

Read also: Hi-tech conservationists fight Indonesia wildlife crime

- Export to US -

Once fully operational in 2021, the four power plants on the river will cumulatively generate 1,550 megawatts of electricity, enough to power a city or an estimated 1.5 million homes.

Since the 1970s, hydroelectricity has supplied 90 percent of Quebec's power needs.

The new Quebec provincial government of Francois Legault, with the backing of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has pledged to build even more dams once the Romaine project is completed.

The aim is to export as much power as possible to the United States, saying it would be "the biggest contribution that Quebec could make to the planet."

Other provinces also have big hydroelectric projects on the go, such as Newfoundland's Muskrat Falls, Manitoba's Keeyask and British Columbia's Site C.

Neighboring Ontario, meanwhile, is spending Can$25 billion to refurbish two aging nuclear power plants.

Pierre-Olivier Pineau, an energy specialist at HEC university in Montreal, expressed doubt after visiting the Romaine project about the need for more power plants, pointing to Quebec's current surplus energy.

"In the northeastern United States, there is a great desire to decarbonize electricity production in New England or New York state, so there is a real opportunity for Quebec," he told AFP.

"La Romaine could provide this renewable energy."

However, more transmission lines connecting the power stations to US buyers still need to be approved and built.
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Linkedin News Desk (Xinhua) Beijing  Fri, December 21, 2018 09:01 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e3528a5 2 Health e-cigarette,smoking,health,#health,banana Free

E-cigarettes are increasingly used by smokers in China, but there are currently no national regulations on their use, China Daily reported Thursday.

The Beijing Tobacco Control Association has received a growing number of reports and complaints about e-cigarettes being used in public places. However, the existing control regulation in the capital city covers only traditional tobacco products that are lighted, the report said.

Law enforcement officers can impose fines on those who smoke traditional cigarettes in public places, but they are powerless to act against those who use e-cigarettes.

Yang Jie, a researcher at the Tobacco Control Office of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said e-cigarettes are not considered drugs or electronic products, causing "a dilemma" over effective supervision, according to the report.

E-cigarettes use battery-powered cartridges to produce a flavored vapor that often contains nicotine.

Read also: E-cigarette usage nearly doubles in US high-schools: survey

There is a risk of unintended health consequences from exposure to electronic nicotine delivery systems, due to the high nicotine concentration in the e-liquids of some of them, the report quoted a World Health Organization official in China as saying.

Believing many e-cigarettes are also harmful to smokers and others, the Beijing Tobacco Control Association will promote the inclusion of such devices in tobacco control law enforcement, the report quoted Zhang Jianshu, president of the Association, as saying.
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Linkedin Venus Feng, Yoojung Lee and Blake Schmidt (Bloomberg) New York, United States States  Fri, December 21, 2018 11:33 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e35fbdf 2 Business #Asia,#economy,rich,loss,Asia,bloomberg,billionaire Free

The worlds fastest growing source of mega-wealth hit a speed bump this year.

The 128 people in Asia with enough money to crack the 500-member Bloomberg Billionaires Index lost a combined $137 billion in 2018, the first time wealth in the region has dropped since the ranking started in 2012.

Global trade tensions and concerns that stock valuations are too frothy hammered some of the areas biggest fortunes. Chinas tech sector was hit particularly hard, while India and South Korea werent spared. The declines occurred even as banks and money managers aggressively stepped up efforts to cater to Asias richest.

Difficult stock market conditions this year and the uncertainty of the trade tensions likely have been a challenge to many businesses, said Philip Wyatt, a Hong Kong-based economist for UBS Group AG, who doesnt see the downdraft continuing through 2019 or significantly reducing the ranks of billionaires. Conditions are actually ripe for the region to create more of the mega rich as new technologies attract private capital and government support, he said.

For now, though, fear in the market is trampling fortunes. More than two-thirds of the 40 Chinese on the Bloomberg ranking saw their wealth dwindle. Wanda Groups Wang Jianlin, whose property conglomerate is selling assets to cut debt, lost $10.8 billion, the most of anyone in Asia. JD.com founder Richard Liu, who was arrested in the U.S. in August for less than 24 hours on suspicion of rape before being released, took the heaviest losses in percentage terms, with his wealth cut almost in half to $4.8 billion. No charges have been filed against Liu, who has denied the allegation.

Indias 23 richest people, meanwhile, saw $21 billion vanish. Lakshmi Mittal, who controls the worlds largest steelmaker, led the way, losing $5.6 billion, or 29 percent of his net worth, followed by Dilip Shanghvi, the founder of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, the worlds fourth-largest generic drugmaker, whose wealth declined $4.6 billion.

South Koreas tycoons didnt escape the carnage either. The market rout lopped $17.2 billion from the fortunes of the countrys seven richest people. The father and son who control Samsung Electronics, Lee Kun-Hee and son Jay Y Lee, account for more than a third of that decline.

In Hong Kong, titans of real estate took a big hit. Li Ka-shing, who retired as chairman of CK Hutchison and CK Asset in March, lost $6 billion in 2018, while Lee Shau Kee, the citys second-richest person, ends the year about $3.3 billion poorer.

There were still plenty of winners to emerge from the wreckage of 2018.

Lei Jun, the chairman of Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp., added $8.7 billion, with a July initial public offering catapulting him into the Top 100 of the Bloomberg index after he started the year outside the ranking. The IPO also turned three of his co-founders into billionaires.

Japans richest person, Tadashi Yanai, added $6.3 billion to his fortune as shares of Fast Retailing Co., the worlds largest apparel retailer, surged 30 percent. Indias Mukesh Ambani added $4 billion to his fortune and eclipsed Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.s Jack Ma as Asias richest person, thanks in part to the performance of Reliance Industries Ltd.

Among the winners, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index added new members in technology, consumer, biotech and pharmaceuticals.

E-commerce platform Pinduoduo Inc.s Colin Huang was the second-largest winner in the region, adding $6.6 billion to his net worth. Chinas third largest online retailer was targeted by short seller Blue Orca Capital in November for overstating financials, though its shares traded higher that week as the company denied the accusation and posted strong growth in sales.

While most of the newcomers to Asias ranks of billionaires are from China, there are five from Korea and four from Japan. Two new billionaires were identified in Southeast Asia. The household must-have fish sauce condiment saw Nguyen Dang Quang, chairman of Vietnams consumer giant Masan Group, join the ultra-rich club. Indonesian real estate mogul Donald Sihombing, who works 20 hours a day, also joined the list.

At least six Asian billionaires died, leaving behind a total of $29 billion.

Walter Kwok, the former chairman of Hong Kongs biggest real estate developer Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. who was worth $9.1 billion, died in October at the age of 68. His two sons inherited a $3 billion stake from the company, according to regulatory filings.

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the founder of Thailands duty-free giant King Power Group, was killed in a helicopter crash in October. He owned English Premier League team Leicester City.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 21, 2018 11:16 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e35eea9 4 Business trade-minister,Enggartiasto-Lukita,IA-CEPA,agreement Free

Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita has stressed that the document on the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) will not be signed this year, explaining that the Australian side had already begun the yearend holiday period.

Enggartiasto declined to say when the document might be signed, explaining that the matter was under the authority of the Foreign Ministry.

As to when [it will be signed], the foreign minister will arrange it, because it relates to the policy of the foreign minister, he said in Jakarta on Thursday as reported by kompas.com.

She said Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi was expected to talk to Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne about the fate of IA-CEPA.

Canberra and Jakarta had wanted to sign the trade agreement this December, after several delays.

There was no official statement on the reasons for the delay, but the Indonesian government has expressed its disappointment over Australias decision to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The IA-CEPA talks began in 2010. The latest round of talks took place in Jakarta from Dec. 4 to 8, 2017, when negotiators were initially expected to wrap up the talks. However, they failed to settle their differences at the time.

If agreed, the IA-CEPA will cover trade, investment, education, tourism and security matters. (bbn)
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Linkedin Riza Roidila Mufti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 21, 2018 15:51 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e36e47f 1 Business Garuda-Indonesia,Air-Asia,cooperation Free

Garuda Indonesia president director Ari Askhara said on Friday that the national airline had received an offer from AirAsia to establish an operational cooperation agreement (KSO), after it had established a similar cooperation with the Sriwijya Air Group.

"I have not discussed the details with Dendy. We will first take a look at the opportunity," he said, referring to AirAsia Indonesia CEO Dendy Kurniawan.

Ari said that AirAsia, which had strong regional and international operations, could cooperate with its low-cost subsidiary Citilink Indonesia, which had started expanding both internationally and regionally.

Speaking separately, Dendy said that AirAsia was open to establishing the KSO with Garuda. "We are basically open to any cooperation, as long as it is mutually profitable," he said.

However, Dendy declined to speak further on the proposed cooperation.

Through Citilink, the Garuda Indonesia Group signed on Nov. 14 a KSO with the Sriwijaya Air Group. Under the cooperation, Garuda is to manage all operations and finances of Sriwijaya Air and its subsidiary, NAM Air, to improve the airlines' performance.

Ari said that the cooperation with Sriwijaya had a positive impact for both Citilink and the Sriwijaya Air Group, especially in expanding the airlines market share and capacity to tighten their grip on the national airline industry. (bbn)
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Linkedin Ellen Milligan and Kyunghee Park (Bloomberg) London, United Kingdom  Fri, December 21, 2018 21:55 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e38029c 2 World London,Airport,drone,delay,Holiday,Christmas Free

Londons Gatwick airport reopened for flights Friday while cautioning that its still on the hunt for illegal drones that buzzed the hub for almost 24 hours, disrupting travel for more than 120,000 people.

With many planes out of position, Gatwick is operating a reduced timetable, with about 45 percent of 340 scheduled arrivals and departures canceled through 1 p.m. It says theres no guarantee that the mystery devices are gone, though a variety of steps have been taken to make the airport safe.

Obviously there is a possibility that the drones could return, a Gatwick spokeswoman said by phone while adding that management are suitably content in working with the police and other experts to reopen. People should check with their airline before traveling to the terminal, the airport advised.

Sussex police, who have been dealing with the incident along with specialists from Britains armed forces, said there were almost 50 drone sightings at the airport between 9:07 p.m. Wednesday and 4:25 p.m. on Thursday, though some may have been duplicates. A statement on the forces website said that as yet, the drone has not been identified.

The British Airline Pilots Association said its extremely concerned at the continuing risk of a drone collision and that craft could go unseen around Gatwicks perimeter or obstruct flight paths outside the detection zone.

Gatwick reopened at 6 a.m. and about two hours later online information boards showed that just three flights had landed, two from Dublin and one from Bordeaux, while 25 had departed, all of them short-haul services.

The airport is Britains second busiest and the biggest hub for EasyJet, as well as being a focus for long-haul leisure flights a British Airways. It also counts Virgin Atlantic Airways, Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, Thomas Cook and TUI AG as major operators. Ryanair, which has a limited presence at Gatwick, switched Friday flights to its main Stansted base.

Its not clear how long it will take to restore order at Gatwick after the worst disruption at a London airport since blizzards closed Heathrow in 2013. The hub has only one runway, which is already the worlds busiest, offering little scope to cram in more flights even if the drones stay away.

UK authorities portrayed the intrusion as deliberate, with Gatwick Chief Executive Officer Stewart Wingate saying it had been highly targeted and designed to deliver maximum disruption in the days before Christmas. Police said the actions were clearly intentional, though most likely not terror related.

The pair of drones got the better of a multi-fronted operation for the best part of two days. A daylight search backed by helicopters failed to locate the devices or their operator, prompting the Ministry of Defense to send in army personnel equipped with specialist gear as night fell Thursday.

In a bid to ease the backlog of flights, the Department for Transport temporarily lifted a ban on night operations at other UK airports.

Unmanned aerial vehicles and laser pointers are becoming an increasing threat for aircraft, prompting regulators to come up with new rules against operating the devices near airfields.
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Linkedin Arya Dipa and Karina M. Tehusijarana (The Jakarta Post) Bandung/Jakarta  Fri, December 21 2018

The recent resignation of Indramayu regent Anna Sophana for family reasons has highlighted the dilemma faced by Indonesian women looking to hold positions in politics and the government.

Sophana submitted her resignation letter to the Indramayu Legislative Council in October and it was subsequently approved by Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo.

I cannot split my time between my family and my government duties, she told The Jakarta Post recently.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Japan News/Asia News Network) Tokyo, Japan  Fri, December 21, 2018 08:55 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e35134e 2 Business #Japan,#automotive,Nissan,Carlos-Ghosn,denial Free

Wednesday marked one month since former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn was first arrested on suspicion of understating his executive remuneration in securities reports for several years.

Ghosn continues to deny any wrongdoing even as the scandal that has tarred the automakers brand image rumbles on and concern grows within Nissan that it could hurt sales.

Ghosn, 64, is being held at the Tokyo Detention House in Kosuge, Tokyo. Ghosn insisted after his arrest that he had done nothing wrong, and his assertions have not changed even after he was rearrested.

According to sources, Ghosn has met frequently with ambassadors and other officials from nations including his homeland of Brazil and Lebanon. He is questioned for several hours a day by investigative authorities, but because this is done through an English interpreter, the actual length of the interrogations by prosecutors from the special investigation squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office overseeing the case is shorter.

Ghosn initially grumbled that the detention facility was cold, but he has not complained about the facility recently, sources said. When Ghosn is not being questioned, he spends his time reading books on European and Brazilian history and philosophy.

Former Nissan Representative Director Greg Kelly also continues to deny any wrongdoing over Ghosns remuneration. Kelly, 62, has complained to the prosecutor in charge that his chronic neck ailment has worsened and that he has numbness in his hands and feet, so his lawyers plan to soon ask the Tokyo District Court to shorten his detention period.

According to sources, Kellys wife has delivered photos of this family and messages wishing him good health. Although Kelly has admitted he wants to go back to his home country quickly, he also has indicated a willingness to fight to clear his name. Kelly said there was no way he would admit to the charges with a false confession when his reputation was on the line, the sources said.

A senior Nissan executive expressed a strong sense of urgency about the current situation facing the company.

Things are not progressing as anticipated. The drop in sales is becoming a major problem in reality, the executive said.

Several times a month, one Nissan sales outlet in the Tohoku region holds events at which people can test-drive new vehicles. These events used to be packed with families and other potential customers, but since Ghosn was arrested, nobody has come along. Compounding the Ghosn scandal, Nissan announced on Dec. 7 it had newly found additional nonconformities in the final vehicle inspection process before shipping.

In the past month, our business has completely fallen off, the manager of the sales outlet said. If this situation continues, our existing customers might drift away to other automakers.

For Nissan, the state of progress in the investigation also has been unexpected. Nissan provided the investigation squad with information pertaining to suspicions that Ghosn misappropriated Nissans funds for personal use, such as by using a Dutch subsidiary to buy homes in Brazil and Lebanon.

Nissan believed these allegations would lead to a case of aggravated breach of trust under the Companies Law and other charges, but the hurdles to building such a case are high.

French automaker Renault SA holds about 43 percent of Nissans shares. Renault has not dismissed Ghosn as chairman and chief executive officer because it says there has been no information about his rebuttals to the allegations.

Another Nissan executive said, There might be differences in how things are perceived overseas, but I think that unless prosecutors craft a case showing Ghosn used the company for his own purposes, Renault wont be convinced about the allegations.

Ghosn was rearrested Dec. 10 and his detention could last until Dec. 30 at the latest. Because Ghosn remains a Nissan board member, if he were to be released on bail, it is possible he could attend a board meeting depending on the conditions of who will be allowed to meet him.

Deep down, the executives are trembling with fear over what Ghosn might do, a Nissan executive admitted.

A 56-year-old male employee at a Nissan plant in Kanagawa Prefecture expressed frustration at how the scandal was dragging on. I want management to quickly sort everything out and concentrate on making good vehicles, he said.
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Linkedin Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 21 2018

Environmental NGOs have urged the government to limit the involvement of state officials in the coal industry to avoid abuse of power that could also result in rampant environmental damage.

Greenpeace Indonesia, the Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM), Indonesia Corruption Watch and Auriga have revealed that some coal companies in East Kalimantan, which are claimed to be connected to Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, have abandoned mining sites without backfilling them as stipulated in Law No. 4/2009 on minerals and coal mining.

The sites have now become large ponds that contain very acidic water, as well as metals such as aluminum, lead and mercury. Water from one of the ponds has purportedly flown into the Nangka River in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, threatening the lives of many.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 21 2018

The Tangerang Police have arrested a religious education teacher who allegedly impregnated a 17-year-old Quran recitation student in Solear district, Tangerang, Banten.

Tangerang Police crime division head Adj. Comr. Gogo Galesung said the arrest was made after police had received reports from residents.

He confessed [to the act], Gogo said as quoted by kompas.com on Wednesday.

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Linkedin Steven Griffith (Agence France-Presse) London, United Kingdom  Fri, December 21, 2018 10:25 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e35b04c 2 Sports #sports,#soccer,Chelsea,Eden-Hazard,Real-Madrid Free

Chelsea assistant manager Gianfranco Zola has urged Eden Hazard to reject a potential offer from Real Madrid and focus on becoming the Blues' all-time greatest player.

Hazard has been strongly linked with Real for several months after the Belgium star refused to rule out a move to the Bernabeu and admitted playing for the Spanish giants would be a dream come true.

The 27-year-old's current contract with Chelsea expires in June 2020 and he is yet to agree to an extension as he weighs up his future.

Chelsea have reportedly offered to make Hazard the highest paid player in the club's history in a bid to keep him.

But, ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash against Leicester, Zola made a persuasive argument that was aimed to appeal to Hazard's ego rather than his bank balance.

Zola was voted the best player in Chelsea's history in 2003 after serving the club with distinction as a gifted playmaker with similar skills to Hazard.

The Italian, now back at Chelsea working for boss Maurizio Sarri, believes Hazard is capable of stealing that cherished title from him if he stays at Stamford Bridge.

"He's certainly one of the players who has given this club a lot of satisfaction," Zola said.

"He is 27, and hopefully he will stay long with us and become even bigger."

Since arriving from Lille in 2012, Hazard has already established himself as a Chelsea great, playing key roles in two Premier League title triumphs, scoring the winning goal in last season's FA Cup final and also lifting the Europa League and League Cup.

- Back to his best -

After an inconsistent campaign last term marred by rumours of a rift with then manager Antonio Conte, the midfielder is back to his best this season, scoring 10 times in all competitions so far.

Hazard underlined his enduring value to Chelsea when he shrugged off a back injury to clinch their 1-0 win over Bournemouth in the League Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Hazard was not risked from the start due to a foot injury, but came on to score the decisive goal and is expected to feature when fourth-placed Chelsea host the Foxes this weekend.

"The difference was the changes we made. When Pedro and Eden came on, they gave us an extra gear," Zola said.

"Eden is the type of player who can make a big difference when he comes on, even for 20 minutes."

Jamie Vardy is set to return for Leicester after he was rested for the League Cup defeat against Manchester City on Tuesday.

Vardy has been struggling with a groin injury and Leicester boss Claude Puel did not want to risk aggravating the problem in midweek.

But Leicester's five-goal top-scorer should be available to face Chelsea as he tries to kick-start his spluttering season.

"I hope Vardy can be fit for this match and can find his qualities," said Puel, whose mid-table team have gone four games without a win in all competitions.

"With his quality and his aggressiveness, he is a very good player for us. We need Jamie, with his ability, capacity and character, to give his best.

"Of course, it has been difficult for him with injuries and suspensions this season, but he is a valuable player for us and we need Jamie to be at his best for us."

Ben Chilwell could also start after the England left-back missed Leicester's last two matches with a knee injury.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 21, 2018 12:17 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e3618fe 4 Business Enggartiasto-Lukita,trade-agreement,trade-deficit Free

Indonesias trade deficit this year, which reached US$7.5 billion in November, has forced the government to find a way to boost exports.

Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita said on Thursday the government could not increase exports significantly this year because of various barriers, particularly the high tariffs imposed on Indonesian products that made them less competitive than the products produced by competitors.

We face high entry tariffs because we have no trade agreements, Enggartiasto said in Jakarta on Thursday, adding that the ministry would accelerate trade negotiations with a number of countries and organizations.

He said the government was now negotiating with Mozambique, Tunisia and Morocco, as well as with the European Union and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to establish trade agreements.

However, he admitted that negotiations with the EU and RCEP were not easy because they involved a large number of countries, but the government would attempt to complete the negotiations next year.

Enggartiasto also said the Trade Ministry had already discussed boosting the export of certain commodities. Although he did not go into detail about what was being done, he made assurances that the government had tried to solve various problems to boost exports.

Our domain is to immediately complete the trade agreements, he added, as quoted by kompas.com.

On Monday, Statistics Indonesia announced that Novembers trade deficit was $2.05 billion, higher than the $2.03 billion recorded in July, which was then the highest deficit in the last five years. The November data brought the year-to-date trade balance to minus $7.52 billion, with surpluses recorded only in March, June and September. (bbn)
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Linkedin Thomas Watkins (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States  Fri, December 21, 2018 08:18 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e35115f 2 World #USA,#politics,DonaldTrump,Jim-Mattis,resignation,soldiers,withdrawal,Syria Free

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday, a day after President Donald Trump stunned the US establishment by ordering a troop withdrawal from Syria.

In a letter to Trump, the 68-year-old Pentagon chief said his political outlook, which cherishes traditional alliances, could no longer be reconciled with that of the president, who has poured scorn on longstanding partnerships and repeatedly sought closer ties with Russia.

"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades' immersion in these issues," Mattis wrote.

"Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position."

Moments before the Pentagon released Mattis's letter, Trump tweeted that his defense secretary would be "retiring with distinction, at the end of February."

"General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!" Trump tweeted.

Trump's administration has been marked by a steady hemorrhage of cabinet members and top advisors, and Mattis, whom Trump once affectionately referred to as one of "my generals", was long rumored to have lost influence with the president.

But news of his departure, which he broke to stunned Pentagon staff earlier in the afternoon after meeting with Trump at the White House, still came as a shock to Washington.

"This is scary," Democratic Senator Mark Warner said.

"Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration."

Republican Senator Marco Rubio said Mattis's resignation letter "makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances (and) empower our adversaries."

And Senator Susan Collins, another Republican, said Mattis's resignation "is a real loss for our nation, our troops, and this administration."

- Understanding of a child -

Trump's decision to pull the 2,000 or so US troops out of Syria was a stunning rebuke to Mattis, who had warned that an early withdrawal from Syria would be a "strategic blunder."

Experts say IS has not been defeated. The group still holds pockets of land in east Syria and thousands of jihadists are thought to remain.

Earlier Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was considering a draw down of US forces in Afghanistan -- the exact opposite of what Mattis had pushed for.

Trump and Mattis have previously clashed on any number of other issues -- including the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump pulled out of in May while Mattis defended parts of it.

The Pentagon chief was also against the creation of a separate new branch of the US military called Space Force, but Trump ordered it anyway.

Meanwhile, the biggest deployment Mattis has ordered so far was one to the US border with Mexico, a mission with only vague military utility and one that critics have assailed as a political stunt by Trump.

Mattis's fate has been the subject of intense speculation for months but reached fever pitch in September, when veteran journalist Bob Woodward published a book giving an inside glimpse into a chaotic White House.

He said Mattis had questioned Trump's judgment, likening his understanding to that of a 10- or 11-year-old child.

Mattis, a buttoned-up former Marine Corps general, was loath to discuss politics or his relationship with Trump, and the president was widely reported to bristle at unfavorable comparisons to Mattis, who had broad bipartisan support.

The Pentagon chief would regularly stop by reporters' desks or speak outside the building, but he never gave any inkling of if or when he might step down.

It was not immediately clear who might replace Mattis.

Senator Tom Cotton, a staunch Trump ally and former Army officer, is often mentioned as a possible candidate.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 21, 2018 14:31 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e36a07f 1 City security,operation,Christmas,New-Year,BNN,Jakarta-police Free

The Jakarta Narcotics Agency (BNN) is planning to secure popular nightlife areas in the capital to anticipate increased drug trafficking over the Christmas and New Year holidays, while the Jakarta Police has revived its annual Operasi Lilin Jaya (Operation Candlelight) to maintain public order and safety during the yearend holiday season.

Jakarta BNN head Johny Latuperissa said 113 drug trafficking "hot spots" had been identified across the city, usually located in dense areas or areas with a bustling nightlife.

"We will coordinate with relevant parties in observing these nightlife districts. Our intel has also surveyed potential locations for targeting [our operation]," Johny told kompas.com.

The narcotics agency would also work in other regions that showed high incidences of drug trafficking and drug-related crimes.

"The regions with frequent drug-related activities include Lampung, Bandung, Aceh and Banten, whether by overland or sea transportation," Johny added.

The BNN has arrested 41 suspects this year in connection with drug cases, of whom 37 are male suspects. The agency has seized 1,357 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 2,747 ecstasy pills and 37,419 grams of cannabis from its drug raids.

The BNN has been running a rehabilitation program for drug users through both outpatient and inpatient treatment programs. To date on Friday, 867 people had received outpatient treatment while 20 others had received inpatient hospital treatment.

The agency was also monitoring the progress of 202 drug users who were now in post-rehabilitation programs.

Meanwhile, the Jakarta Police is readying 150 security checkpoints and 11,403 police officers in its annual Operasi Lilin Jaya (Operation Candlelight) to ensure public safety and security over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

The police operation runs from Dec. 21 through Jan. 1, with targeted security at tourist attractions, religious venues, airports, ports and other public facilities expected to see large crowds during the holiday season. (mai)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 21, 2018 11:19 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e35fab8 1 City Jakarta-administration,Jakarta-police,human-trafficking,Women,children,violence Free

The Jakarta administration and the Jakarta Police have signed an agreement on Thursday at City Hall to form a partnership to curb violence against women and children in the city.

The agreement involves the formation of an integrated team by the two bodies to prevent and handle violence against women and children. The coordination would allow for the exchange of information between the two bodies to ensure integration of action.

The agreement emerged in the face of an increasing number of reported cases of violence against women and children, with the Jakarta Integrated Care Center for the Empowerment of Women and Children (P2TP2A) recording 162 cases in November alone. In total, the center has recorded 1,672 such cases since January.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said the rampant number of human trafficking cases in the city had also contributed to the high figure.

The deputy chief of the Jakarta Police, Brig. Gen. Wahyu Hadiningrat, acknowledged that the cases could be just the tip of the iceberg with the many going unreported and untouched.

As an integrated service, victims would also be provided with psychologists, Wahyu said.

We will also integrate the emergency number 112 with the police command center, the head of the Jakarta Child Protection and Empowerment and Population Control Agency, Tuty Kusumawati, added.

Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) commissioner Ai Maryati Solihah said women and children who were victims of human trafficking from outside the city were less likely to speak up.

The police and administration should directly intervene in the working places of these human trafficking victims, which is a challenge to be overcome, she told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the event. (ars)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 21, 2018 18:52 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e37481e 1 Business DarminNasution,current-account-deficit,capital-financial-transactions Free

Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution said on Friday that the current account deficit would reach 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by the end of 2018, but stressed that there was nothing to worry about.

Yes, it is a bit high, but nothing to worry about. The deficit in 2014 was even higher, said Darmin in Jakarta on Friday as quoted by kontan.co.id.

According to Bank Indonesias data, the current account deficit in 2014 was recorded at US$27.5 billion or 3.09 percent of GDP, while at the end of the third quarter the deficit was estimated to have stood at 2.86 percent of GDP.

Darmin stressed that there was no need to worry because Indonesia had posted a high enough surplus in capital and financial transactions.

He did not mention any figure, but according to BI capital and financial transactions stood at $4.2 billion as of the end of the third quarter.

Dont look at the current account as a stand-alone factor. Look also at capital and financial transactions. We have a high enough surplus, he added.

On Monday, Statistics Indonesia announced that Novembers trade deficit stood at $2.05 billion, surpassing Julys $2.03 billion trade deficit, which was then the highest deficit in the last five years.

Previously, asset management company Samuel Aset Manajemen economist Lana Soelistianingsih estimated the current account deficit would reach between 3.2 and 3.3 percent by the end of 2018. She described the situation as worrying.

Meanwhile, senior economist Faisal Basri called on the government to take the swelling trade and current account deficit as a serious matter because it could negatively affect the rupiah and the countrys resistance to external pressures. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Bucharest, Romania  Fri, December 21, 2018 19:59 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e37d9c4 2 World #HumanRightsAbuse,#Crime,Romania,former,president,indictment,crime-against-humanity Free

Romania's former president Ion Iliescu has been indicted for crimes against humanity for his role in the deadly aftermath of the 1989 revolution that toppled the country's communist regime, prosecutors said on Friday.

The new stage of the long-running investigation was revealed 29 years to the day since the uprising reached the capital Bucharest, after beginning in the western city of Timisoara on December 16, 1989.

Iliescu, now 88, had been a minister in the government of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and went on to lead the National Salvation Front which took control of the country after the revolution.

Iliescu was elected president in 1990 and served another term from 2000 to 2004.

Alongside Iliescu, prosecutors indicted other four individuals, including former deputy prime minister Gelu Voican Voiculescu.

"Iliescu and Voiculescu directly spread misinformation through televised appearances and press releases, contributing to the institution of a generalised psychosis", according to prosecutors.

Their pronouncements increased the risk of "instances of friendly-fire, chaotic shooting and contradictory military orders", prosecutors said, adding that almost 862 people were killed in the late December upheaval.

The men's actions also helped lead to "the conviction and execution of the Ceausescus through a mock trial," prosecutors alleged.

Voiculescu denied any wrongdoing in an interview with the Digi24 TV station.

"The whole trial is an act of political revenge. It's sad and painful", he said.

In a rare public comment on the issue in April, Iliescu had said: "I can hold my head high in the face of the judgement of history".

According to prosecutors, 275 people have already faced legal action over their role in the attempted crushing of the uprising.

However, according to victims' support groups, only a few dozen have been convicted.

The fall of Ceausescu came at the end of a momentous year in which communist regimes fell across central and eastern Europe -- with the Berlin Wall coming down in November -- presaging the demise of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991.
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) New York, USA  Fri, December 21 2018

UN General Assembly in New York (Courtesy of kemlu.go.id)

Indonesia was reelected as a member of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) for the period 2019 to 2025 at the UN General Assembly in New York on Dec. 17.

Besides Indonesia, six other countries  Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea and Malaysia  were also elected as members of UNCITRAL for the Asia-Pacific region. Indonesia secured 160 votes from the 193 countries that attended the event and had voting rights. Indonesia ranked third in the Asia-Pacific region.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, December 21, 2018 15:37 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e36da45 1 City plastic,waste,Tangerang,policy,office,school Free

Tangerang Mayor Arief R. Wismansyah has urged people to bring their own tumblers to school or work instead of buying plastic water bottles, in an attempt to reduce plastic waste.

Arief said he wanted all classrooms to have water dispensers so that students could fill up their own tumblers with drinking water.

The environment agency is designing [the regulation]. They [schools] have made waste banks. So [the garbage in the waste bank] is bartered for water gallons. Therefore, children can bring their own tumblers to school, Arief said as quoted by kompas.com on Thursday.

Arief said he had implemented a plastic reduction policy in his office.

In the office, we have issued a plastic bottle ban. So if we go to a meeting we have to bring our own tumbler, Arief said.

A plastic water bottle ban has yet to be made official through a mayoral regulation.

We have to start with an introduction. If the regulation is implemented, we can then punish the violators, Arief said. (gis)
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Linkedin Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta  Fri, December 21 2018

The Yogyakarta administration has apologized to the family of the late Albertus Slamet Sugihardi after they were prohibited by their neighbors from holding prayers for their deceased relative and placing a wooden cross on his grave.

Even though the incident was not intended, I, as a leader of the region, apologize to Bu Slamet and her entire family and also the Catholic Church officials in Yogyakarta and Kotagede who have been disturbed by the incident, Yogyakarta Governor Hamengkubuwono, who is also the 10th Yogyakarta sultan, told reporters on Thursday.

This incident is a lesson to all of us. Yogyakarta leaders and people must uphold tolerance to maintain peace and harmony.

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Linkedin Sophie Deviller and Suy Se (Agence France-Presse) Phnom Penh, Cambodia  Fri, December 21, 2018 14:41 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e36a994 2 SE Asia #SoutheastAsia,#cambodia,surrogate-mother,jailed,Chinese,couple Free

Pregnant and scared, Yin hides in a house on the outskirts of Phnom Penh -- one of an untold number of Cambodian surrogate mothers risking jail time for lucrative payouts from Chinese clients.

The end of China's one-child policy has driven desperate couples too old to bring a baby to term to poorer countries in the Mekong region, where a "womb-for-rent" industry is brushing up against legal barriers.

Cambodia banned commercial surrogacy in 2016 but still has brokers -- and eligible young women -- skirting the ban for a price.

Yin, 24, was offered $9,000 by a Cambodian intermediary to carry a Chinese couple's baby, a fortune for her rice-farming family in rural Kampong Thom province, three hours from the capital.

"I hesitated at first because I was afraid of how the girls in my village would look at me," Yin, who did not want to give her real name for fear of being discovered, told AFP.

With money scarce, she agreed and was moved to a house in Phnom Penh to live with other women who underwent the same process.

China -- with more than 90 million women eligible for a second offspring after the one-child policy was eased -- forbids commercial surrogacy, driving couples yearning for a biological child to Southeast Asian countries where the practice is poorly regulated.

But a string of high-profile controversies in Thailand, including custody tussles and a case of a couple accused of abandoning their baby after it was born with Down Syndrome, prompted the country's junta to ban it in 2015.

Parents immediately looked across the border to Cambodia, but the government swiftly banned it a year later, worried that women in financial straits could face exploitation.

- 'Complete Strangers' -

Industry watchers eagerly wait for legislation in Cambodia that could eventually regulate surrogacy and protect the women and children from becoming victims of trafficking.

Meanwhile, a network of Cambodian and international intermediaries persists in the shadows, with raids and arrests revealing the scale of the demand.

Experts say couples are willing to pay between $40,000 and $100,000 to have a child, while the surrogate mother typically gets $10,000 to $15,000.

Mariam Kukunashvili had a surrogacy agency in Cambodia before the ban, and said there are more than 100 Chinese or other Asian agencies still operating.

She said more regulation, not outright bans, is needed.

"Banning allows (the) industry to run under the table," Kukunashvili, director of Georgia-based New Life Global Network, told AFP.

She added that the Cambodian and Thai governments were putting the young surrogates' fate in the hands of "complete strangers".

Critics also say that authorities unfairly place blame on the women instead of recruiters when they are caught.

This year, more than 40 surrogate mothers in two different cases were arrested in Phnom Penh and charged with human trafficking.

In one case, 32 pregnant women were allowed bail once they promised under threat of imprisonment "not to give up" the babies.

"These women are victims of unethical agents and if illiterate, are unlikely to even understand the ban in place in Cambodia," said Sam Everingham, director of Australian non-profit Families Through Surrogacy.

- 'Face the law' -

For women able to carry babies without detection, they are moved to either Thailand or China to give birth, Everingham said, adding that hospital staff in China can be bribed to issue a birth certificate in the name of the intended mother.

Authorities are working to raise awareness about the ban and its repercussions, especially among vulnerable garment workers in factories throughout Cambodia, said Chou Bun Eng, vice president of the national anti-human trafficking committee.

"We are worried the movement (to recruit them) from factories could be spread if there is no prevention," she told AFP, explaining that women who were caught as surrogate mothers in the past had been factory workers.

Still she advocates a hard stance against those who run afoul of the law, including the women, who are often impoverished and trying to earn money for their families.

"It is an illegal business and if they still risk doing it, they will face the law."

Four months pregnant, Yin is growing increasingly nervous about her role in the clandestine operation.

Well into her second trimester, she has a new worry -- travelling to a foreign country.

"Another agent explained to me that I should continue my pregnancy in China," she said. "He said it is better for my safety and my baby's."
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Linkedin William Edwards with Joe Jackson in London (Agence France-Presse) Gatwick Airport, United Kingdom  Fri, December 21, 2018 12:00 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e36099b 2 News gatwick-airport,Airport,Britain,United-Kingdom,travel,#travel,London Free

Britain called in the army Thursday after dozens of drone sightings grounded all flights from London's Gatwick airport for more than 24 hours, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded on one of the busiest days of the year.

The airport, which closed its only runway Wednesday night after "reports of two drones flying in and around the airfield", said late Thursday it could not be reopened following further appearances of the devices.

"Gatwick's runway remains unavailable because of continued drone sightings," it said in a 11:00pm (2300 GMT) update.

Police and airport authorities believe they were being flown in a deliberate act to disrupt the airport.

The unusually large drones had been spotted near the airfield more than 50 times over the 24-hour period, police said Thursday night.

"We think it may have been adapted and developed," said Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley of the devices, adding officers were reviewing CCTV footage to identify the make and model.

He said firearms officers were now considering shooting the device down -- despite authorities earlier saying that would be dangerous due to the danger of stray bullets.

The runway closure stranded tens of thousands of travellers days before Christmas -- and prompted the unusual military operation.

Specialist equipment has been deployed by the MOD (Ministry of Defence) to Gatwick airport to assist Sussex Police.

"We are there to assist and do everything we can," Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson told Sky News television, declining to give the troops' exact role and adding that it followed a request from local police.

Gisele Fenech, 43, who was travelling to Malta, was among those stranded at the airport.

"We're meeting family and it's my daughter's birthday today so it's gone all wrong. We've been looking forward to this for so long," she told AFP.

"Everyone's trying to get home for Christmas."

Read also: Londons Gatwick airport halts flights on reports of drones

'It's childish'

Gatwick, around 30 miles (50 kilometres) south of the British capital, is the eighth-busiest airport in Europe and sits behind Mumbai as the world's busiest single runway air hub.

Inbound flights were diverted to other airports, including Paris, while passengers waiting to take off faced gruelling delays as airlines cut services.

Easyjet, Gatwick's biggest operator, said it had cancelled all its flights in and out of the hub Thursday.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said overnight restrictions would be lifted at some airports to help ease the situation.

Some 10,000 passengers were affected on Wednesday night, and a further 110,000 who had been due to either take off or land at the airport on 760 flights Thursday.

Gatwick said it anticipated disruption to continue into Friday.

Musab Rashid, 22, who was going to Copenhagen, said: "It's wrong, it's childish of them to do this, because it's affected more than 100,000 people."

'Highly targeted activity'

Two drones were first spotted flying over Gatwick at around 9:00 pm (2100 GMT) on Wednesday. The airfield briefly reopened at 3:00 am on Thursday, but had to be closed again following further sightings through the day.

Gatwick CEO Stewart Wingate said the incident was "a highly targeted activity which has been designed to close the airport and bring maximum disruption in the run up to Christmas".

"We are working very closely with the police and the security services to try to resolve this for passengers," he said, adding "as soon as we can we will" reopen the runway.

Read also: From parcel delivery to security, Singapore bets big on drones

A cat-and-mouse manhunt is under way to catch those operating the drones, with more than 20 police units and dozens of officers from two local forces deployed.

Police superintendent Justin Burtenshaw said: "We believe this to be a deliberate act to disrupt the airport. However, there are absolutely no indications to suggest this is terror-related."

He added: "Each time we believe we get close to the operator, the drone disappears; when we look to reopen the airfield, the drone reappears."

British Prime Minister Theresa May said she sympathised with passengers and vowed action.

"We will continue to work with the Gatwick authorities and police will be working... in order to bring this to a close," she said at a press conference in London.

Under a new British law, drones cannot be flown near aircraft or within a kilometre of an airport, or at an altitude of over 400 feet (122 metres).

May warned the perpetrators they could face up to five years in prison for endangering an aircraft under recently passed legislation.

"We're consulting on further aspects of this including further police powers," she added.

Gatwick serves more than 228 destinations in 74 countries for 45 million passengers a year.
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Linkedin News Desk (Xinhua) Beijing  Fri, December 21, 2018 15:02 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e36bf70 2 News Forbidden-city,travel,tourism,destination,China Free

The Palace Museum, or the former imperial palace in downtown Beijing, will open 85 percent of its areas to the public, compared with the current 80 percent, the China Daily reported Friday.

Most of the areas inside the museum, also known as the Forbidden City, will no longer be off-limits for the public, the newspaper quoted Shan Jixiang, the museum's curator, as saying.

The biggest of its kind in the world, the Forbidden City is gradually opening more of its coverage of 720,000 square meters to visitors in recent years. Only 30 percent of its areas were accessible by the public in 2012.

Some rooms that had not ben opened for decades were used as "lockers" that were strewn with items ranging from construction materials to daily necessities from imperial times, said the report.

Read also: China: One foot in the past and both eyes on the future

In recent years, many of these rooms have been renovated and transformed into exhibition halls.

To ease the crowds at the museum, a cap on visitor numbers was set in June 2015, allowing 80,000 people a day to enter it. Visitors were also encouraged to buy tickets in advance online.
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Linkedin Ellen Milligan and Kyunghee Park (Bloomberg)  Fri, December 21, 2018 15:09 1077 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e36cdc5 2 News gatwick-airport,London,drone,Airport Free

Londons Gatwick airport reopened for flights Friday while cautioning that its still on the hunt for illegal drones that buzzed the hub for almost 24 hours, disrupting travel for 120,000 people.

With many planes and staff still out of position, Gatwick cautioned that it will struggle to operate a normal timetable, let alone clear the backlog of passengers who found themselves grounded by the mystery incursions. It added that theres no guarantee the devices are gone.

Obviously there is a possibility that the drones could return, a Gatwick spokeswoman said by telephone while adding that management are suitably content in working with the police and other experts to re-open. Customers should check with their airline before traveling to the terminal, the airport advised.

Sussex police, who have been dealing with the incident along with specialists from Britains armed forces, said there were almost 50 drone sightings at the airport between 9.07 p.m. Wednesday and 4.25 p.m. on Thursday, though some may have been duplicates. A statement on the forces website said that as yet, the drone has not been identified.

Its not clear how long it will take to restore order at Gatwick after the worst disruption at a London airport since blizzards closed Heathrow in 2013. The hub has only one runway, which is already the worlds busiest, giving it little scope to cram in more flights even if the drones stay away. EasyJet Plc, the airports biggest carrier, was among those to caution that it expected further disruption.

UK authorities portrayed the intrusion as a deliberate invasion of Gatwicks airspace at one of the busiest travel periods of the year. A single pair of drones got the better of a multi-fronted operation supported by the U.K. military for the best part of two days.

A daylight search backed by helicopters failed to locate the devices or their operator. U.K. Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson sent in the military, and the Ministry of Defense said specialist equipment would be deployed. In a bid to ease the backlog of flights, the Department for Transport temporarily lifted a ban on night operations at other U.K. airports.

Read also: Army joins drone hunt after London airport shutdown

Gatwick Chief Executive Officer Stewart Wingate said the criminal intrusions involving two drones were highly targeted and designed to deliver maximum disruption in the days before Christmas. Police said the actions were clearly intentional, though most likely not terror related.

More than 50 incoming planes were diverted to other hubs in Britain and mainland Europe on Wednesday night, with the airport reopened after six hours, only to shut again 45 minutes later amid further sightings.

As well as the biggest base for EasyJet, Gatwick is also a focus for long-haul leisure flights at British Airways. Hundreds of operations have been disrupted because of the closure.

Ryanair Holdings Plc said it would shift Friday flights at Gatwick to Londons Stansted Airport. Airlines such as Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. and Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA have diverted to other airfields.

Unmanned aerial vehicles and laser pointers are becoming an increasing threat for aircraft, prompting regulators to come up with new rules against operating the devices near airfields.

Dubai International Airport shut down temporarily in 2016 after suspected drone activity, while airspace around Wellington, New Zealand, was closed for 30 minutes this year when a craft was spotted flying close to the runway. And Grupo Aeromexico SAB last week said was investigating whether a drone collided with a Boeing Co. 737 aircraft as the plane approached Tijuana, Mexico. The jet sustained damage to its nose but landed safely.

While governments bar drones from paths reserved for airliners, with Britain outlawing flights above 400 feet or within 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) of an airport boundary, the millions of small consumer devices that have been purchased around the world cant be tracked on radar.

That makes it difficult to enforce the rules. In addition, many users dont know the restrictions -- or dont follow them.

Prime Minister Theresa May said that the disruption was particularly difficult for people to bear in the run up to Christmas and the New Year, and that the drone operators face as many as five years in jail if caught.
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Norfolk Southern Corp. said its CEO will retire next spring, and it will promote one of its executives to replace him. The railroad said Thursday that Jim Squires will step down as chairman and CEO on May 1 after seven years of leading Norfolk Southern.

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Drug runner caught smuggling 195k meth pills into Phuket

PHUKET: Police have intercepted a delivery of more than 190,000 methamphetamine pills (ya bah) hidden under the spare wheel in the back of a pickup truck as its driver attempted to bring the drugs onto the island.

drugspolicecrime

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Friday 21 December 2018, 04:17PM

The officers searching the vehicle found 195,800 ya bah pills hidden in a wheel lying on the tray in the back of the pickup, police explained. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The officers searching the vehicle found 195,800 ya bah pills hidden in a wheel lying on the tray in the back of the pickup, police explained. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The officers searching the vehicle found 195,800 ya bah pills hidden in a wheel lying on the tray in the back of the pickup, police explained. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The officers searching the vehicle found 195,800 ya bah pills hidden in a wheel lying on the tray in the back of the pickup, police explained. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The officers searching the vehicle found 195,800 ya bah pills hidden in a wheel lying on the tray in the back of the pickup, police explained. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Officers at the Phuket Check Point discovered and seized the drugs at around 3am yesterday (Dec 19), Region 8 Police Deputy Commander Maj Gen Nantadet Yoinuan announced at a press conference this morning.

Gen Nantadet credited the bust to a team of Tha Chatchai Police officers led by Phuket Provincial Police working together with officers from the Narcotics Suppression Bureau as well as military personnel from the Royal Thai Army 25th Military Circle, which is stationed in Phuket.

We had been informed that drug runners will first use one vehicle, then pretend to break down and have another vehicle come to help them. They switch the drugs from one vehicle to another in the hope of misleading police, Gen Nantadet explained.

However, the tactic failed to fool police officers at the Phuket Check Point just doing a routine stop-and-search.

At 3am, police stopped and searched Yutthapong Jack Sukthong as he was carrying a spare wheel in the manner that he had broken down along the way to Phuket.

The officers found 10 ya bah pills hidden in his shoes, prompting them to search the vehicle thoroughly. They found a further 195,800 ya bah pills hidden in a wheel lying on the tray in the back of the pickup, Gen Nantadet said.

Yutthapong admitted to police that he had brought the pills from Thung Song Sistrict in Nakhon Sri Thammarat Province.

He was hired by someone who paid him B50,000 to deliver them to a man in Phuket, he added.

Yutthapong has been charged with possesion of a Category 1 drug with intent to sell and he is now being questioned by the Tha Chatchai Police, Gen Nantadet explained.

Gen Nantadet also reported another, unrelated, drug raid that netted two suspects at a rented room at the Poonpon Night Plaza in Phuket Town.

Through an investigation, officers were following Sorawit Ball Singkonrat, 31, and Rarita Aui Bunchado, 22, who were both suspected of drug dealing, Gen Nantadet explained.

Officers finally moved in and arrested the couple at around 4pm on Tuesday (Dec 18), he said.

The officers found 4,187 ya bah pills and 65.04 grams of crystal methamphetamine (ya ice) in the suspects rental room, Gen Nantadet said.

Sorawit said that he ordered the drugs from Chiang Rai Province, and that he commanded a network in Phuket that delivered the drugs across the island, usually an agreed drop-off point beside the road, he explained.

They now both face charges of possession of a Category 1 drug with intent to sell, Gen Nantadet confirmed.
Police raid meth factory, B170mn in raids

BANGKOK: Police yesterday (Dec 20) raided multiple locations in five provinces believed to be linked to a major drug syndicate run by a Myanmar national, aka Mangkorn (Dragon) Jang, seizing at least B150 million worth of assets from the gang.

drugspolice

By Bangkok Post

Friday 21 December 2018, 09:24AM

A detained drug suspect leads police to a tunnel under the Southern Cross Groups premises in Taks Mae Sot district on Thursday. The facility is believed to serve as a lab for making crystal meth aka ice. Photo: Wassayos Ngamkham / Bangkok Post

Eleven searched locations were in Taks Mae Sot district. The others were in Bangkok, Lop Buri, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

In Mae Sot district, officers arrested Prapat Sae-tuang, 27, and his mother-in-law, Natho Yodmahawan, at their house on Song Kwai Rd in Tambon Mae Sot. They were believed to be associated with a drug gang run by Mangkorn Jang, whose real name is Arsue Songkittikul, 48.

The syndicate is allegedly linked to Lao drug kingpin Xaysana Keopimpha, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for smuggling 1.2 methamphetamine (ya bah) pills into Thailand in 2016.

He was charged with possession, said Pol Lt Gen Chinnapat Sarasin, Chief of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau.

The searches failed to locate Arsue, who is believed to have gone into hiding.

In Tambon Mae Kasa of Mae Sot district, officers searched Arsues company which sits on a 22-rai plot of land. Southern Cross Group Co runs a jewellery trading business there, Gen Chinnapat said.

He said officers found a tunnel under the company premises that stretches more than 100 metres to the rear of the location. They suspected it could be used as an escape route in the event of such raids.

They also found a facility believed to have been used to produce crystal meth (ya ice) he said.

Between September 2015 and November 2016, anti-drug agencies along with their counterparts in the US and Australia, were acting on intelligence that Arsues gang planned to shift 200kg of ya ice from Myanmar to Australia via Thailand and Malaysia. But the deal fell through.

Myanmar authorities still managed to bust two members of the syndicate along with 1,100kg of ya ice in their vehicle before discovering another 621kg of ya ice at a warehouse in Yangon.

Two Taiwanese suspected of being involved with the gang were also apprehended in Yangon.

The narcotics were reportedly bound for a boat waiting in the Andaman Sea.

A probe showed the narcotics belonged to Arsue and that Myanmar authorities contacted the Border Liaison Office (BLO) in Mae Sot, asking Thai officials to help hunt down Arsue and his wife, believed to have fled to Thailand.

At least B150 million in assets belonging to the syndicate were seized during yesterdays raids.

Ayutthaya police also held a press briefing on their recent efforts to thwart drug offenders.

More than 100 locations in 16 districts have been searched and 225 suspects nabbed, officers said.

Around 21,000 ya bah pills were recovered along with B20mn in assets belonging to the offenders.

On Wednesday night, police found 130kg of ketamine inside a car that had plunged into a roadside ditch in Ayutthayas Bang Pa-in district. An investigation is under way to determine those involved with the drug. (See story here.)

Police Region 1, which is in charge of the Central Plains, held a briefing on the arrests of three drug suspects.

The first suspect, Apirak Jadrabeab, 18, was linked with a major drug dealer, aka Dam Esso, Police arrested Apirak at a condominium in Tambon Bang Pheung of Phra Pradaeng District of Samut Prakan on Tuesday evening. Found at the property were 416,000 ya bah tablets and 5kg of ya ice.

The condominium belongs to Apirak, who is on the run.

Officers also apprehended Thalerngsak Deesantheay, 35, and Lamai Kaewpet, 19, at a checkpoint in Tambon Pho Talay of Bang Rachan District of Sing Buri on Tuesday. They found 104g of ya ice, 10,000 ya bah tablets and three pistols in their pickup.

In Chiang Rai, officers held a news conference about their drug suppression operations in the North since Oct 26.

They said 113,655,762 ya bah tablets, 1,493.37kg of ya ice and 140.3kg of heroin had been seized over 56 days.

Read original story here.
Women news anchors complain their photos sexually abused

BANGKOK: Former and current women news anchors have told police their pictures were posted on Twitter along with sexual messages and links and have demanded action against those responsible.

crimepolicesex

By Bangkok Post

Friday 21 December 2018, 08:57AM

Former and present women news anchors file their complaint at the Technology Crime Suppression Division in Laksi district, Bangkok, on Thursday. Photo: Tawatchai Kemgumnerd / Bangkok Post

Six of them  Kunchanita Kunjara, Treechada Chokthanasermsakul, Kulaya Krajangkul, Thongnueakao Khampim, Pinyada Thitikulmas and Nantarat Atayakorn  filed their complaint with the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) in Bangkok yesterday (Dec 20).

Ms Thongnueakao said her unedited picture was posted with sexually offensive messages, along with her colleagues personal data. She tried in vain to identify the person responsible, but the data was protected.

She said that persons actions had defamed her reputation. It was sexual harassment and a violation of human dignity, she said.

Ms Kunchanita said she quit being a news anchor and began work as a lawyer seven months ago, but her picture and present information were abused. That showed she was being stalked, she said.

Some pictures were edited to give a false impression and were posted together with pornographic links, she said.

On Wednesday, news anchor Awalan Nantapattawaew filed a similar complaint with the TCSD.

Pol Col Siriwat Deepor, the division spokesman, said the abusive use of unedited pictures was considered as defamation, while the use of edited pictures was computer crime and carried a jail term of up to three years and a fine of up to B200,000.

Read original story here.
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.
A spin-off from The Conjuring, The Nun is set in a cloistered abbey in Romania following the suicide of a nun.

Sent to investigate are a young novitiate (Taissa Farmiga) and a seasoned priest (Demian Bichir), who quickly discover that the abbey is a gateway between the living and the damned. Neither of the main characters is memorable and the best scares are lifted from better movies. The lone bright spot is a character named Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet) who is so funny that he steals the movie, giving it a much-needed splash of humanity. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu

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Dog Days: Since this weightless comedy is about the ways that canines can change our lives for the better, you might find yourself rooting for it to deliver some tail-wagging fun. But alas, it never unleashes anything but sitcom-ish laughs. An ensemble comedy set in Los Angeles, Dog Days boasts a diverse cast of characters (Nina Dobrev, Adam Pally, Eva Longoria), all of whom wind up bonding with a special dog or two. The pooches are adorable but everyone and everything else is unmemorable. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu

Attraction: When Russian movies are picked up for distribution in the U.S., theyre usually art films from the likes of Nikita Mikhalkov (Burnt by the Sun) and Andrey Zvyagintsev (Loveless). But this sci-fi actioner is a whole different ball of wax. Boasting wildly effective special effects and relatable characters, the action is set after an alien spacecraft is shot down over Moscow. Its up to a teenager named Yulia (Irina Starshenbaum) to save an alien pilot (Rinal Mukhametov) and avert another disaster. Its a bit like Starman crossed with Independence Day. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu

MDMA: In this autobiographical film, a cash-strapped college student named Angie Wang (Annie Q) turns to selling ecstasy in hopes of making ends meet. Theres an interesting subplot involving Angies boozy roommate (Francesca Eastwood), who gets entangled in Angies schemes. The movie, which was written and directed by Wang, is uneven, but its admirable how willing Wang is to make herself so unsympathetic. In the end, MDMA is a worthwhile morality tale set against the backdrop of the go-go 80s. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu

Ride: You might never call another Uber or Lyft after watching this thriller about a nutcase named Bruno (Will Brill), who hijacks a ride-sharing service with ominous results. At first Bruno seems harmless as he convinces his driver (Jessie T. Usher) to ask a fare (Bella Thorne) to accompany them for a night on the town. But Brunos idea of fun involves convenience store robberies, shoplifting and Russian roulette. Writer/director Jeremy Ungar makes great use of Los Angeles locations and draws believable turns from his actors, but Ride quickly runs out of gas. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu

The Crown: The Complete Second Season: Winner of five Emmys, this remarkable series from Peter Morgan (The Queen) follows Queen Elizabeth (Claire Foy) through the late 1950s and early 60s. With her husband Prince Philip (Matt Smith) by her side, the Queen navigates the challenges of the Suez Canal crisis and a shifting relationship with the British public. Foy is predictably terrific, but keep your eyes on Vanessa Kirby, who is riveting as hot mess Princess Margaret. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu

Westworld: Season Two: The HBO series returns with 10 episodes that will keep you on the edge of your seat, even as they make you ponder issues of artificial intelligence, freedom and enslavement. In the second season, the main action revolves around the robots dealing with the fallout from their rebellion. The most compelling storylines belong to Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood), who is hellbent on revenge, and Maeve (Thandie Newton), who is searching for her daughter. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu

Yellowstone: Season 1: Kevin Costner makes his TV debut (as a series regular) in Taylor Sheridans sweeping saga about the Duttons, a family (Wes Bentley, Kelly Reily, Luke Grimes) of wealthy Montana ranchers. The show is full of shots of the gorgeous, rugged landscape, but the storytelling feels labored as Sheridan tries too hard to deliver a weighty show. Even though Yellowstone boasts a potentially provocative plot about Native Americans and developers encroaching on the Dutton land, it saunters when it should gallop. On Amazon, Google, iTunes, Movies Anywhere and Vudu
The ex-Canadian diplomat detained in China this month as Beijing fumed over the arrest of a Huawei Technologies Co. executive is being denied a lawyer and limited to one consular visit a month, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The conditions are among the first details of Michael Kovrigs detention since the International Crisis Group senior adviser was arrested by Chinas spy agency on Dec. 10. The case  along with that of another Canadian citizen detained on the same day  have plunged Canadas ties with its second-largest trading partner into crisis. Canadas government on Friday for the first time called the detentions arbitrary.

We are deeply concerned by the arbitrary detention by Chinese authorities of two Canadians earlier this month and call for their immediate release, Canadas Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement.

Kovrig is being held at a secret detention facility where hes questioned three times a day and unable to turn off the light, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing the case. Hes been allowed one 30-minute visit by Canadian Ambassador John McCallum in Beijing, in which he appeared stressed but unharmed, the person said.

The Chinese side protects the legitimate rights and interests of Michael Kovrig and also helped facilitate the Canadian sides efforts to fulfil their consular duties, Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing in Beijing on Friday.

The conditions of Kovrigs confinement underscore the personal stakes of a diplomatic feud that erupted after Canadas arrest of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou earlier this month as part of a U.S.-led extradition effort. Chinas Ministry of State Security detained Kovrig and North Korea travel guide Michael Spavor just days later, leading to speculation that the investigations were part of a campaign of reprisal.

Canada is conducting a fair, unbiased and transparent legal proceeding with respect to Meng Wanzhou, said Freeland, in one of the most direct comments she has made linking the detentions to the Meng situation.

The cases have reverberated through Chinas community of foreign diplomats, business consultants, journalists and non-profit workers, many of whom operate in a legal grey area. Executives from both sides of the U.S.s trade war with China have been reconsidering unessential travelling since the spat began.

Meng  the daughter of the telecommunications companys founder  was released on bail Sunday, pending extradition proceedings that could last months, if not years.

Chinas Foreign Ministry has said Kovrig and Spavor were suspected of activities endangering national security, allowing authorities to hold them for as long as six months without charge or access to a lawyer. Crisis Group, Kovrigs current employer, has said there was nothing secretive about his work, which involved writing public reports designed to prevent conflict.

While its unclear whether the Kovrig and Spavor cases are related, both men belong to a small community of experts in Chinas ties with North Korea and were detained on the same day. Kovrig was picked up off a Beijing street at 10 p.m. Dec 10, the person said.

The description of Kovrigs detention resembles the experience of Canadians Kevin and Julia Garratt, who ran a coffee shop in northeastern China before their lengthy detention by the Ministry of State Security. They reported six-hour daily interrogations, constant fluorescent light, refused lawyers and monthly consular visits in which they were barred from discussing their cases.

Like the Garratts, Kovrig was moved to another location before his consular visit, the person familiar with the situation said. Although Canadian Global Affairs, the countrys foreign service, learned of Kovrigs detention soon after it happened, they werent officially informed by the Chinese until almost two days later, the person said.

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Bill Franke, who helped pioneer bare-bones airlines in the U.S. and around the world, is expanding into Canada.

Frankes Indigo Partners will join a Canadian investment group that intends to revamp charter airline Enerjet into a low-cost carrier in the mould of Spirit Airlines Inc. and Ryanair Holdings Plc. The first flights are targeted for around September.

The plan adds to a push by several carriers to bring to Canada a common global business model of cheap fares but abundant fees. The countrys market, dominated by Air Canada and WestJet Airlines Ltd., has been known for high airline operating costs due to airport and security fees.

We think this is very exciting for Canadians, said Enerjet chief executive officer Tim Morgan, who will remain head of the revamped carrier. The Calgary-based airline will be renamed.

Network Planning

The carriers fleet and route network are being determined, with both domestic and U.S. destinations planned, he said.

We will look at all airports and where the demand and the passenger traffic takes us, thats where we will go, said Morgan, a WestJet co-founder who left that company more than a decade ago.

More than 60 per cent of Canadas 37 million people live within 100 miles of the U.S., and many of them drive across the border to fly. Cheaper flights in the U.S. draw about five million Canadian passengers each year.

Enerjet began flying in late 2008, focused on transporting oilfield workers to northern Alberta. It returned its small fleet of Boeing Co. 737-700 aircraft to lessors late last year.

Indigo, which generally stocks its carriers with Airbus SE A320 family aircraft, did not respond to a question about its Enerjet fleet plans. Last year, Indigo placed an order for 430 Airbus planes, valued at nearly $50 billion.

Large Order

They do have a very large order and whether any of those aircraft come to us is yet to be announced, Morgan said.

Franke has established discount airlines around the world, including Spirit and Frontier Airlines in the U.S., Singapores Tiger Air, Volaris in Mexico and Hungarys Wizz Air Holdings Plc.

Beyond Morgan and Phoenix-based Indigo, the Enerjet investment group includes Torquest Partners Inc., a Toronto-based private-equity firm; Claridge Inc., a private firm that manages the investments of Stephen Bronfman, an heir to the Seagrams distilling fortune; and Stephenson Management Inc., the family investment office for Mitch Garber, a Canadian investor and chairman of Cirque du Soleil.

The consortium didnt disclose financial terms of the deal.

Another no-frills carrier, Flair Airlines, began serving U.S. destinations such as Las Vegas, Miami and Phoenix last month. It started operating scheduled flights within Canada last year after a decade as a charter airline. Vancouver-based Canada Jetlines Ltd, is trying to begin A320 service as an ultra-low-cost carrier, as such operations are known within the industry.

WestJet Brand

In June, WestJet launched a low-cost brand called Swoop and says it has flown nearly one million passengers since then.

WestJet anticipated the arrival of further competition in the ULCC segment and is well-prepared for any competitors that may enter the market, spokeswoman Morgan Bell said in an email.
Staff and contractors in Victoria have been crunching the numbers on climate change costs for the coastal city and its not looking good, the mayor says.

Lisa Helps says based on a report commissioned by the regional government in 2015, storm surges combined with a one-metre rise in sea level  which is projected by the year 2100  could result in business disruption losses of $415,557 per day.

Victoria was one of the first municipalities in British Columbia to pen a letter to oil and gas companies last year asking them to chip in to cover growing bills in proportion to their emissions.

It is joining local governments around the world in seeking some relief.

Were actively working through our climate leadership plan to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, but in the interim there are real costs to taxpayers, Helps said in an interview.

Its pretty fair to say You caused this, you need to help us mitigate the cost, even as we all  energy companies and cities  work toward a renewable energy future.

West Coast Environmental Law, which has driven the campaign in B.C., says 16 local councils have voted to write letters to fossil fuel companies. The most recent was West Vancouver, which voted last week.

Its been increasing in momentum, said Andrew Gage, the organizations staff lawyer.

Its not about handing the entire bill to fossil fuel producers, but seeking a reasonable contribution relative to a companys pollution, he said.

No one is saying the individual consumer bears no responsibility, its a question of what the relative responsibility is, he said.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers declined to comment, saying that since the letters are sent directly to companies, it considers the issue company specific.

The campaign has largely flown under the radar until recently when the resort town of Whistler in B.C. drew the ire of Alberta for sending one of the letters to Calgary-based oilsands giant Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.

Last weekend, Albertas economic development and trade minister, Deron Bilous, took a dig at Whistler Mayor Jack Crompton while speaking at a pro-oil rally in Grand Prairie.

The people of Whistler need to tell the truth: that they are using Alberta gas for their cars, for their petrochemical products, and theyre using our oil and its time to smarten up, he told the rally.

Crompton apologized in a Facebook video last week.

Governments in other parts of the world are trying different tactics.

Several cities in the United States, including New York and San Francisco, have tried unsuccessfully to sue major oil companies over climate change.

The Shell Group said in a statement its position on climate change has been a matter of public record for decades.

We strongly support the Paris Agreement and the need for society to transition to a lower carbon future, while also extending the economic and social benefits of energy access to everyone, it said.

We believe co-operation is required across all segments of society, not lawsuits that impede the collaboration needed for meaningful change. Individual communities can be powerful drivers of positive change in the energy transition, but filing lawsuits against the producers of energy that drives the worlds economy, raises living standards and improves lives, is not the answer, it said.

In the Philippines, the Commission on Human Rights has an ongoing investigation into a complaint filed against 47 coal, oil, gas and cement companies.

Greenpeace says its the worlds first human rights investigation into corporate responsibility for climate change and was launched in response to complaints from typhoon survivors, advocates and community groups.

While theres no monetary element to the investigation, Greenpeace said it could set a precedent for other legal cases relating to climate change liability.

In Ontario, the legislature has twice debated a private members bill intended to clarify the rules around suing fossil fuel companies. The bill was killed by the Progressive Conservative government under Premier Doug Ford.

Greenpeace Canada said its working on a tool kit for local governments considering launching a legal challenge to fossil fuel companies similar to those in the United States.

Well be encouraging cities across the country, and Ill personally ask the City of Toronto, to launch this kind of a case, said Keith Stewart, senior energy strategist at Greenpeace Canada.

Stewart pointed to a city staff report that found between 2000 and 2012, Toronto experienced three one-in-100-year rain storms and it said the city would continue to experience extreme weather events.

This wave of climate lawsuits, which have just picked up speed in the last couple of years, is not going to go away, Stewart said.

Whether the letter writing campaign will be effective beyond raising awareness has yet to be seen.

Since Victoria sent 19 letters to the largest fossil fuel companies in the world, none of which Helps said were Canadian, it has received only one response.

Shell Canada responded on behalf of Royal Dutch Shell in a letter that did not commit to any payment but highlighted the companies support for transitioning to a low carbon economy.

It also highlighted its Quest project, launched in Edmonton in 2015, as an example, saying it reduces carbon dioxide emissions from oilsands operations by more than one million tonnes per year.

These are a few examples of the actions we are taking today, recognizing that the global energy transition will span decades, moving at different paces and producing different outcomes in different countries depending on local factors, says the letter signed by president Michael Crothers.

We welcome efforts toward constructive, collaborative action as we collectively attempt to address this complex global challenge.

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First Quantum Minerals Ltd. plans to cut at least 2,500 jobs at its Zambian operations, citing increased mining taxes introduced by the southern African nations government.

The job cuts will be implemented in phases during the first quarter of 2019 and equally split between the companys Kansanshi and Sentinel mines.

Key Insights

Mining companies in Zambia, Africas second-biggest copper producer, have repeatedly warned that the tax hikes will harm the industry. More than half the countrys copper mines will probably be unprofitable next year, according to the Zambia Chamber of Mines.

First Quantum has already announced plans to reduce production at the Sentinel mine in response to an increase in mineral royalties. The company said Friday it will also cut an unspecified number of contractors.

First Quantums announcement is likely to increase tensions with the government  local press reported earlier this month that Zambia threatened to cancel work permits for some foreign workers at mines that it accuses of announcing job cuts to arm-twist the government over proposed tax changes.
TROIS-RIVIERES, QUE.With a negotiation deadline looming, the United Steelworkers union has filed a complaint with Quebecs Administrative Labour Tribunal alleging bad faith bargaining by Alcoa Corp. at its aluminum smelter near Trois-Rivieres, where unionized workers have been locked out since January.

Local union president Clement Masse says Alcoa is not taking the negotiation process seriously, claiming the company has reneged on previous commitments at the bargaining table.

Alcoa is calling the union complaint false and unfounded, and says the mines management has been negotiating in good faith.

In November, the Quebec government appointed a special mediation council, chaired by former premier Lucien Bouchard, with a settlement deadline set for Friday.

Alcoa announced Wednesday it would cut output in half at its ABI smelter in Becancour, Que., due to the impact of an ongoing lockout.

The Pittsburgh-based company curtailed two of the facilitys three pot lines in January after unionized workers rejected a company contract proposal.

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With Canadian small cap stocks falling almost twice as much as the broader index this year, you might expect managers of these funds to start getting the jitters.

Not so for Jeff Mo, the manager of the Mawer New Canada Fund, the top-performing Canadian fund  with more than $1 billion in assets  since the 2008-2009 financial crisis. So far, the fund is doing relatively well amid the recent turbulence, and in Mos estimation, its portfolio of what he calls blue-chip small cap companies should hold up well on what could be a rocky road ahead.

My experience in 2008 is that the fundamentals of the companies we invest in did quite well there  their peak-to-trough drop in earnings was not that severe, Mo, 32, said in an interview at Mawer Investment Managements headquarters in Calgary. Thats probably due to what we call the blue-chip, small cap effect. They have strong niches, but it just so happens that they dominate smaller niches.

That strategy has helped the fund, which is closed to new investors, return 385 per cent since the S&P/TSX Composite Index bottomed out on March 9, 2009. That compares with a 149 per cent return for the TSX index, including dividends, and 117 per cent for the TSX small cap index.

Here are Mos other thoughts on investing and the markets in the year ahead:

End of a Run?

While Mawer doesnt try to time the market, Mo says the recent downturn in equities may last for a while. Canadas main benchmark is down 13 per cent on the year.

After nine years of a Bull Run, theres room for investor psychology to correct. I would say there are signs that the economy, the fundamentals could also be slowing. But I would also say at Mawer, we are also seeing potential reasons for the economic expansion to continue. Overall though, we agree with the pundits that we are probably nearing the end of an economic cycle.

Among Mos reasons for confidence in the economy are continued strong job gains in Canada, widespread global economic growth and robust fundamentals in the companies his fund is invested in.

That said, right now, the stock market is moving very differently than the fundamentals of the companies underlying it. That can end only in one of two ways: Either the fundamentals eventually come and match the markets pessimism, or the stock market goes back to being in line with company fundamentals.

Investing Philosophy

Mawer takes a bottom-up approach to investing, meaning they are generally sector-agnostic and start with an analysis of a companys business, managers and track record.

The key financial criteria Mo and his team look for is a return on invested capital that exceeds the cost of capital, which he says is definitionally the only way to create wealth.

The funds current top holding, with 5.8 per cent of its assets, is MTY Food Group Inc., a Montreal-based quick-service restaurant franchisor founded by Stanley Ma, who Mo calls The King of the Food Court. The company, which owns brands ranging from Manchu Wok and Mucho Burrito to Jugo Juice and Extreme Pita, has about 5,500 locations. The shares are up more than sevenfold since the markets 2009 bottom.

They have shown that they have a competitive advantage when buying and integrating new fast food brands, Mo said.

That roll-up strategy is a common characteristic of some of the funds other top holdings, including Enghouse Systems Ltd., a Markham, Ontario-based provider of software for mapping and contact centres, and Boyd Group Income Fund, a Winnipeg, Manitoba-based owner of a variety of collision-repair shop brands.

Theyre very disciplined in what they paid for their acquisitions, Mo said of Boyd. They have their competitive advantage in scale, and every time they buy a new collision repair shop, they can bring to that collision repair shop better paint- and auto-part-purchasing scale, and, most importantly, preferred access to the direct-repair programs at major insurance companies in the U.S.

Sectors to Watch

Despite Mawers sector agnosticism, Mo says the firm has found certain industries with better returns on invested capital.

Software has been where weve found lots of companies with really high returns on invested capital, probably due to the scalability of that business model. You write the code once and you can sell it to anybody.

Financial services companies also tend to perform well, he said.

Bank CEOs tend to understand theres a cost to their capital, because they have to tell the regulators what it is, and so they tend to have a larger focus on earning a return above the cost of capital.

Likewise, other industries such as energy pose greater risks. Though Mawer is based in Canadas energy hub, Mos fund contains only 7.8 per cent energy stocks, compared with a 17 per cent weighting for those companies in the TSX small cap index.

Resource extraction is a tough industry. You invest all of your capital up front, then you often dont know exactly what the quantity you will produce is, nor do you know the prices. And so because of that, its very difficult to ascertain whether a company truly has the ability to earn a return on capital. Our observation is that in that type of uncertain environment, management teams tend to be overconfident on their assets.

As for Canadas hot new industry, the fund has evaluated some marijuana stocks but hasnt made any investments because it cant find a company that has demonstrated a competitive advantage and because the exuberance of that market has inflated valuations.

We definitely expect that some winners will come out of dozens and dozens of publicly traded companies today, Mo said. I would say that none of them have obvious competitive advantages right now, and its too unpredictable to know who will.
SHENZHEN, CHINAEarthquakes, terrorist attacks and low oxygen levels on Mount Everest could not hold them back.

As Chinese tech giant Huawei expanded around the globe, supplying equipment to bring mobile phone and data service to the planets farthest reaches, its employees were urged on by a culture that celebrated daring feats in pursuit of new business.

They worked gruelling hours. They were encouraged to bend certain company rules, so long as doing so enriched the company and not employees personally, according to Huawei workers interviewed by The New York Times.

Employees at the company and people who have studied it have a name for its hard-charging corporate spirit: wolf culture.

Now, the companys aggressive ways have been cast in a new light. The United States has accused Meng Wanzhou, a top Huawei executive and daughter of its founder, of committing bank fraud to help the companys business in Iran.

It is not clear precisely how Huaweis culture shaped its dealings in Iran. But an intense will to get ahead, which helped propel it to the head of the global market for telecom network equipment, seems to have informed employees actions in previous cases that put the company under scrutiny.

Huawei workers have been accused of bribing government officials to win business in Africa, copying an American competitors source code and even stealing the fingertip of a robot in a T-Mobile lab in Bellevue, Washington. In 2015, Huaweis founder and chief executive, Ren Zhengfei, said that as part of a company amnesty program, thousands of employees had admitted to violations ranging from fraudulent reporting of financial information to bribery.

In an emailed statement, a spokesman said that Huawei requires all employees to study and sign guidelines on business conduct every year. At the heart of the guidelines is the principle of acting in accordance with all local laws and regulations, said the spokesman, Joe Kelly. Where employees are found to have acted outside these guidelines, the company takes decisive action which can include immediate termination of employment.

Ren said in 2015 that Huawei had toughened its safeguards against employee misconduct. But the following year, in a speech that was emailed to employees, he acknowledged that many workers did not pay attention to internal rules and controls  perhaps, he said, because Huawei used to evaluate staff solely according to how much business they won.

More recently, in remarks that were emailed to employees, Ren said that it was important to enforce internal standards, but that this should not become a hindrance.

If it blocks the business from producing grain, then we all starve to death, he said, according to a transcript of his comments on a Huawei website.

Mengs arrest this month has darkened Chinas relations with the United States, scrambling efforts by the two nations to ease a tense economic conflict. Washington has worked for years to undermine Huawei, regarding its products as potential vehicles for espionage and sabotage  something the company denies.

Security concerns about Huawei and other Chinese equipment providers are mounting among traditional allies of the United States like Australia, Britain and New Zealand. In Germany last week, Deutsche Telekom said it was taking seriously the global discussion about the security of network elements from Chinese manufacturers. The Czech intelligence agency on Monday warned against the country working with Huawei and ZTE, another Chinese technology company.

Huawei was founded in the late 1980s, during the tumultuous early years of Chinas capitalist revival. Ren was an engineer in the Peoples Liberation Army for nearly a decade before starting Huawei, and military values  tenacity, dedication, drive  have long suffused the company.

In the early years, squads of Huawei salesmen crisscrossed China in SUVs peddling the companys telephone switches to post offices. Employees were given mattresses so they could nap while working late nights.

Company lore, as recounted in employee publications and admiring books by business professors, is heavy on stories of dogged staffers enduring physical hardship. They worked to keep telecom services running despite a terrorist attack in Mumbai and an earthquake in Algeria. They braved cold and sleeplessness to provide mobile coverage to climbers on Mount Everest.

Today, the working hours are still long at Huawei, although folding beds at work are more likely to be used for midday shut-eye than for all-nighters, according to three employees. Several Huawei staffers spoke to The New York Times on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals.

New hires at Huawei take part in a boot camp-style training course that involves morning jogs and classes on the companys culture. Employees also compose and perform skits that illustrate how they would persevere and serve their customers in difficult environs, such as war zones, according to three Huawei employees.

In a research lab in Huaweis Shenzhen headquarters, a piece of framed calligraphy on the wall reads: Sacrifice is a soldiers highest cause. Victory is a soldiers greatest contribution.

This intense work environment isnt universally admired in China. Internet users savaged Huawei after a 25-year-old employee died of encephalitis in 2006. A spate of employee suicides led to more outrage in the Chinese media.

When it comes to staff conduct at Huawei, there are red lines that cannot be crossed under any circumstances, four employees told The Times. These include disclosing company secrets and breaking laws and sanctions.

But in company parlance, there are also yellow lines, employees say. They say they are encouraged to ignore certain internal rules, such as a ban on using gifts or other inducements to win customers, if it benefits the firm to do so. For some people at Huawei, these lines may have become blurred as the company grew rapidly around the globe.

In 2002, Iraqs government submitted to the United Nations a 12,000-page declaration on its weapons program, and Huawei was reported to have been named as one of dozens of foreign companies that broke an embargo and sold technology to Saddam Husseins regime. The company denied at the time that it had supplied equipment to Iraq. It said it had bid on two telecom projects in the country in 1999, but withdrew for commercial reasons.

Another test came in 2003, when Huawei was sued by Cisco Systems, an American maker of computer network equipment, for allegedly copying its software and even language from its instruction manuals. The two sides settled out of court.

A decade later, T-Mobile said that Huawei employees had photographed and stolen a piece of a smartphone-testing robot named Tappy to help Huawei produce its own robot. Huawei acknowledged the transgressions and said the employees had been fired. A jury later awarded T-Mobile $4.8 million (U.S.) in damages.

Allegations of impropriety of other kinds trailed Huaweis expansion into Africa. In Ghana, an anticorruption group said in 2012 that the company had sponsored the governing partys election campaign in exchange for tax breaks. That year, a Huawei executive was also convicted in Algeria of bribing an official from a state-run telecom operator.

Huawei did not comment on the accusation in Ghana at the time. After the Algerian court ruling, the company said it took the courts decision seriously and was reviewing the outcome.

In a 2013 New Years message that was published in an employee newspaper, Guo Ping, Huaweis chief executive at the time, acknowledged that rapid growth had created problems and risks.

Not long ago, high-speed growth was Huaweis priority, Guo said. This helped Huawei mature quickly, but it also caused Huaweis management to become negligent.

Now, he said, we must control the impulse to expand, and hold to account managers who spread themselves too thin.

By then, Huawei had said it had halted expansion in one particularly sensitive market: Iran. Still, U.S. investigators now say the company broke the law in connection with its business there.

Huawei entered the Iranian market in 1999. Within a decade, the Chinese Embassy in Tehran was boasting that 130 cities in the country were connected to Huaweis fiber optic network.

The Iranian telecom markets reliance on Huaweis products is growing day by day, a 2009 article on the embassys website said. Huawei has become the Iranian telecom markets main hardware supplier.

Soon thereafter, the United Nations and the United States imposed new sanctions against Irans nuclear program. In 2011, Huawei said it would not sign new contracts in the country, citing the complicated situation there. It also said it would limit its business with existing customers.

The accusations against Meng, Huaweis chief financial officer, stem from events in 2013.

According to an affidavit that was made public during Mengs bail hearing, Huawei used a company called Skycom as an unofficial subsidiary for doing business in Iran. The filing, which contains information provided by the United States, says that Meng concealed Skycoms link to Huawei to reassure HSBC and other banks that Huawei was not violating U.S. sanctions against Iran.

As a result, HSBC and its U.S. subsidiary had cleared more than $100 million in transactions with Skycom in Iran by 2014, the affidavit says.
EDMONTONThe Hudsons Bay Companys Make Canada Great Again hats have met an unlikely foe in Alberta right-wing media personality Ezra Levant.

The controversial items were spotted by shoppers at Vancouvers Pacific Centre mall last weekend, weeks after the company had pledged to pull them off shelves.

A Twitter user by the name Juggy Sihota-Chahil posted a photo of the hats and toques, bearing a phrase that plays off of United States President Donald Trumps campaign slogan Make America Great Again, last Saturday.

Some Twitter users commented on the tweet  which has since been deleted  saying they would stop shopping at the department store because of the merchandise.

Levant, who has expressed support for Trump, reposted the photo on Twitter and wrote, I, too, am outraged. Because I own the trademark and had sent them a cease and desist letter.

Records show Levants Rebel News Network trademarked the phrase Make Canada Great Again on Nov. 24, 2016, just weeks after Trump was elected.

The phrase is trademarked for various goods including bumper stickers, pens, sling bags, mugs, t-shirts, hats and signs made of paper, cardboard and poly vinyl chloride.

Levant confirmed in an email to StarMetro that the Rebels lawyers sent Hudsons Bay a cease-and-desist letter fairly recently and have not heard back.

Were flattered that Hudsons Bay thinks we have a good idea, Levant wrote.

Rebel Media is known for posting inflammatory opinion-based news articles and videos with pro-oil and anti-immigrant sentiments. Levant frequently launches boycotts, websites and online fundraisers trumpeting right-wing causes. White supremacist Faith Goldy was a star Rebel personality before Levant fired her last year for appearing on neo-Nazi podcast The Daily Stormer.

Levant added in the email that he thinks severely normal Canadians are frustrated with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the countrys political-media status quo.

I read the sneering tweets attacking Hudsons Bay for daring to sell something to the deplorables, and I thought: They sound just as arrogant and insulting as Hillary Clintons campaign, he wrote.

The director of corporate communications for HBC, Tiffany Bourre, said in an email to StarMetro on Tuesday that the hats were removed from stores in October and appeared in the Pacific Centre on Saturday by mistake.

It is never our intention to offend, and we sincerely apologize for this oversight, Bourre wrote.

HBC did not reply to a request to comment specifically on Levants complaint.

with files from Alex McKeen

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When the Bhuttooah family learned theyd finally have a home of their own, son Shivam, 7, and daughter Ganay, 6, were excited to know a few things.

The children were so talkative and had so many questions  and they were all about space, says Ene Underwood, CEO for Habitat for Humanity, Greater Toronto Area, recalling a visit she made to the family last March in the tiny townhouse basement in Brampton where they were living.

They wondered if there would be a place for a dresser for their clothes  or room for a bench at the front door to put their shoes under.

In the familys rented home, the kitchen and bathroom were sandwiched into one small area while the children and their parents, Amreet and Devi, slept in the only other room. Mattresses for the adults were stored under the kids beds during the day and pulled out at night  there was no room for any other furniture. They also had to deal with a cockroach infestation and poor ventilation.

This month, the Bhuttooahs are among seven families who became homeowners of three-bedroom townhouses at a 13-unit Habitat for Humanity GTA project in Brampton (the remaining six families will get their keys in 2019). The Bhuttooahs house was built with $80,000 raised through the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD). The family now has room for dressers and other furniture plus a place for their shoes at the front door. And, finally, space for the kids to play.

This will be a happy Christmas for us, says Amreet, who came with his wife to Canada from the Republic of Mauritius, an island country in the Indian Ocean, in 2010. He works as a point of sales analyst and his wife, who has earned an advanced diploma in management and accounting since moving here, works for a property management company.

The couple heard about Habitat for Humanity from a friend and applied about five years ago; they were thrilled to learn theyd been selected to own one of the new houses on McLaughlin Road N.

The family put in the 500 hours of sweat equity required by Habitat by helping to build their home, including working some weekends at the ReStore. I had some skills building concrete houses in Mauritis, but the houses there are very simple, says Amreet.

I learned some new skills here as there is much more required to build houses in Canada.

In another Brampton neighbourhood, the Kanwal family is also having a joyful holiday season  again thanks to the home-building industry. They are the new owners of a stacked townhouse at the Daniels FirstHome Beckenrose project, made possible through a Daniels Corp.-Habitat for Humanity partnership. Like the Bhuttooahs, the Kanwal family are immigrants and were living in rental accommodation too small to comfortably house a family.

Daniels has really been a trailblazer in terms of partnership with Habitat, says Underwood. They see giving back as integral part of their business model, especially affordable housing.

Underwood says Daniels 20-year partnership with Habitat is unparalleled in Canada, and its made it possible for 36 families to become homeowners.

Developing creative ways and partnerships to make homeownership a reality for as many people as possible is at the heart of every community we create, says Don Pugh, vice-president, the Daniels Corp.

According to a recent report by planning consultant firm Malone Given Parsons with data from Statistics Canada, 36 per cent of households living in one-bedroom dwellings in the GTA and Hamilton area are not suitably housed. This includes families like the Bhuttooahs and Kanwals.

The Bhuttooahs home marks the 15th Habitat for Humanity house funded by BILD. The organization has raised more than $1 million with fundraising events for Habitat GTA since 2003.

This past year, BILD fundraised $80,000 for the Bhuttooahs house through events and, in August, about 20 BILD members spent the day framing, insulating and installing windows at the Bhuttooah home during a Habitat Build Day.

BILDs long-standing relationship with Habitat GTA has not only provided a home for 15 families, it has also provided them with a brighter future, said Dave Wilkes, BILD president and CEO. Our industry is committed to giving back to the community and BILD is proud to support our community partner and their efforts to help build affordable homes for families in need.

Yet there are many families in need, notes Underwood. There are 90,000 people moving to the GTA each year and we are already behind having appropriate housing. We will be very challenged to catch up.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY GTA: Building in Brampton, Caledon, Toronto and York Region, non-profit Habitat GTA was founded in 1988 that helps lower income families achieve safe and decent home ownership. It has built more than 360 homes for families with the help of volunteers, donors and community partners.

Offering a hand-up rather than a hand-out, families purchase an affordable home from Habitat with fixed payments and a zero-interest, 20-year mortgage. Mortgage payments are calculated annually and families spend a maximum of 30 per cent of household income on shelter costs.

Families are required to contribute 500 volunteer hours of sweat equity to help build their home, other Habitat homes, or helping in ReStores. They also attend financial education workshops to prepare themselves for first-time homeownership.

Habitat GTA had 54 homes under construction with 29 ready for families this past year.

TH Tracy Hanes is a GTA-based writer and a freelance contributor for the Star. Reach her at tracyhanes@yahoo.ca

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EDMONTONIts perfectly acceptable to bring a bottle of wine to a festive holiday party, but what about a joint or a batch of weed cookies?

As Canada enters its first holiday season with legal cannabis, attitudes are changing about what substances are appropriate at Christmas or New Years parties.

Its a brave new world, said Jordan Rodness, director of product strategy with recreational cannabis brand SYMBL.

People need to start having these conversations. Because like it or not, cannabis is here, its legal. And we can either not talk about it and pretend that it hasnt happened, or we can have these great, open conversations with one another and learn something.

Rodness said its best for anyone hosting a party over the holidays to poll their guests in advance and gauge peoples comfort level with cannabis. Its important not to make assumptions, he said. Even though its legal, the stigma remains, and some hosts might not want open cannabis use at their party.

If you get a No, you have to be OK with that.

Read more:

Pot growers turn to gifting, trading with no legal way to buy cannabis seeds in Canada

The definitive guide to recreational cannabis in Edmonton

Cannabis for Christmas: How Alberta weed stores are gearing up for the first post-legalization holiday

Once its been established that a party is a cannabis-friendly zone, one way to indulge is by putting a spin on traditional festive baked goods.

While edibles are not legal for purchase in Canada, cannabis oils are readily available and can be cooked into most desserts.

What do you think?

Darryl Kolewaski, a home grower with a medical cannabis licence in Spruce Grove, near Edmonton, said hes already baked edibles in preparation for a holiday party, as well as some extras for Christmas gifts.

Hes made caramels, brownies, muffins, cupcakes, and chocolates, and said even fruit cakes arent out of the question.

While it was once tricky to suss out the appropriateness of bringing edibles prior to legalization, Kolewaski said now its something he feels comfortable doing at any party.

I feel that its completely gone to the wayside. I feel that its as normal now as bringing a bottle of wine, Kolewaski said.

Maybe you dont like it, but Im sure that somebody at the party may, so long as theyre clearly labelled.

Kolewaski said he brings edibles on a platter marked Cannabis, adults only, to ensure no one gets unwillingly high, and kids dont get into it.

Rodness said its important to take precautions when bringing edibles.

Most importantly, he said its important to clearly label the amount of THC and CBD used in the recipe, and be armed with knowledge to explain what that means to curious partygoers who might not be experienced.

Encourage consumers to start with a low dose and wait 30 to 90 minutes for it to kick in, he said, as it takes longer than other methods of consuming cannabis.

I think most people are probably pretty familiar with what happens when you inhale cannabis. The effects hit rather quickly, almost instantly. The same is not true about edible cannabis, Rodness said.

The worst thing you can do is consume too much, because then youre going to have a really bad experience.

You might want to hold off on weed cookies if youre attending a work function, however.

Katrina Ingram, chief operating officer of Cannabis at Work in Edmonton, said there are no established guidelines for cannabis at work parties.

Ingram said the acceptance level for pot will depend on the workplace and culture of the organization, and she strongly recommends employers write clear drug and alcohol policies so there is no confusion.

I think its good to ask questions. Employees could go to their HR department or manager and just have the conversation, she said. I think its better to do that than to make assumptions and face the consequences of making those assumptions.

She said while some employees might be upset with their boss for allowing alcohol but not cannabis, its important to be patient and understand that the stigma around cannabis will take time to dissipate.

Rather than just saying people are being hypocritical, I think its important to recognize that it takes time for culture to shift and change, Ingram said.

While cannabis use at some parties used to be more of a solitary pursuit, Rodness said its also become more important to keep other guests in mind, now that cannabis users no longer have to sneak around the corner to spark up.

The holiday season is about sharing, cannabis is a very social activity. If you are bringing cannabis to an event and you know that youre going to have cannabis-friendly people there, of course make sure you bring enough to share with others, he said.

Theres nothing sadder than bringing cannabis only for yourself and leaving everybody else in the lurch.

Safety, of course, should be a top priority.

Ingram said employers should always have taxi chits or Uber options to help employees get home safely, or arrange overnight stays at hotels.

Rodness said its important to make sure there are options available for guests to get home from any party, as it might not be as easy to spot someone whos too high as it is to spot someone who has had too many drinks.

If you are hosting a party and you know that theres cannabis there, it is absolutely your responsibility to make sure your guests get home safely, he said.

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Toronto police have issued a safety alert after five women were sexually assaulted near York University over the past two months. The police say they are concerned by the increasing frequency and severity of the attacks.

From the beginning to (Thursdays) incidents, they have escalated in violence, Insp. Domenic Sinopoli told reporters at a news conference Friday.

We have a predator on the loose who is attacking women from behind. I dont know what his motive is, considering that some of these occurrences may start with a robbery and end with a sexual assault, or vice versa.

The most recent incident occurred Thursday at around 9:25 p.m., when a 30-year-old woman was followed by a suspect near 31 Four Winds Dr., close to Finch Ave. W. and Sentinel Rd. The suspect threatened her with a knife, stole her cellphone and sexually assaulted her, police said.

Just 15 minutes earlier, a 30-year-old female was walking home from Finch West station, when police said she was violently attacked near 23 Four Winds Dr.

The female was knocked to the ground unconscious, said Sinopoli, head of the Toronto police sex crimes unit.

When she regained consciousness, the male forced her into a secluded pathway within the complex and sexually assaulted her. The victim was able to flee from the suspect.

Thursday nights attacks happened minutes after Toronto police had issued a warning on the first three assaults.

On Wednesday, at around 9:30 p.m., a 22-year-old woman was walking along a path on the north side of Finch Ave. W., approaching Fountainhead Park, near Sentinel Rd. A man approached the victim from behind, held a knife to her throat and sexually assaulted her, police said. The suspect also took the womans phone and earbuds.

Almost two months earlier, on Oct. 31, at around 8:20 p.m., a 22-year-old woman was walking north of Fountainhead Park, near Cook and Sentinel Rds. A man approached her from behind, grabbed her and sexually assaulted her, police said.

On Oct. 24 at around 7:30 p.m., a 20-year-old woman was walking near Murray Ross Pkwy. and Sentinel Rd., also north of Fountainhead Park, when a man grabbed her from behind and sexually assaulted her, police said.

In all five cases, the women were able to break free and escape.

Police are also investigating a robbery connected to the suspect.

On Dec. 10, a woman was sitting on a park bench near the tennis courts at 455 Sentinel Rd. near Fountainhead Park, when the male approached and started talking to her. He left, but then later approached the woman from behind and grabbed her. After a brief struggle, he took her purse.

Police would not comment on whether the women assaulted this year were students at York University, but Sinopoli said police have been in contact with the school and are working together on the issue.

Investigators described the suspect as a Black man between 18 and 25 years old, between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10 with a slim build, short black hair and thick black lips.

Anyone with further information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7474 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).

Sinopoli cautioned community members to take extra precaution when walking through the area, which he said has many dimly lit paths and laneways, such as the Finch Hydro Corridor Recreational Trail.

We are asking members of the public to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings, Sinopoli said. People will often be distracted by their phones or could be listening to music as they are walking along, and they may not hear someone approaching them from behind.

York University has had a history of assaults on or near its campus.

In 2000, a predator was reported to have assaulted at least seven women in the university area from July to October. Most of the attacks were on isolated pathways on the schools Keele Campus. Philip Foremsky, dubbed the York University Rapist, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2001.

In 2006, two young York students were violently assaulted in November in the Sentinel Rd. and Murray Ross Parkway area. A man was arrested during a third attempted sexual assault.

During frosh week in 2007, two men walked into six dorm rooms on different floors of Yorks Vanier College. They sexually assaulted two women, both 19, who were sleeping alone with doors unlocked. The two entered at least six rooms. They tried to attack a third woman. Daniel Katsnelson was sentenced to eight years in prison and Justin Connort received a three-year sentence.

A student was attacked and sexually assaulted in January of 2008. Police said the attack took place in the stairwell of the Founders College residence.

In 2010, a 20-year-old student was sexually assaulted by three men in April. She was attacked as she walked to her apartment south of the campus in an area where many students live known as The Village, near Keele St. and Finch Ave. W.

A series of attacks took place in 2011: on April 5, a student was attacked by three males outside the Absinthe Pub on campus. A little over a week later, another woman, Qian Liu, a 23-year-old visa student from China was attacked in her basement apartment near York and found dead, just hours after her boyfriend in China watched via webcam as she tried to fend off an attacker who appeared at her door. Brian Dickson, 29, was charged with first-degree murder. On May 5, another student reported getting sexually assaulted in the Seneca@York building.

In 2010, after facing intense scrutiny from student groups, then president Mamdouh Shoukhri commissioned an independent study of campus safety, Toronto Life reported. The study, which was made publicly available, included a series of recommendations, to develop the schools security services and improve its social environment.

The strategy also included hiring Richard Francki, a former naval commander with Canadian Forces, to oversee campus services and business operations.

In 2013, Toronto Life reported the school had increased its annual safety budget by $1.5 million and installed bright LED lights along the edges of the campus, as well as more emergency phones.

Correction - December 24, 2018: This article was edited from a previous version that misstated the year in which a 20-year-old was attacked as 2019. In fact, it was in 2010. As well, the previous version mistakenly said Richard Francki still holds the position of head of campus services and business operations that he was hired to oversee in 2010. In fact, Samina Sami now holds the position.

with Star files
Clovis Grant has spent his entire career working in the youth social service sector and he knows that for young people, dealing with homelessness goes beyond finding a shelter when the weather gets cold.

Homelessness for our young people is all the time, said the executive director of 360Kids, a Richmond Hill-based non-profit organization thats been providing assistance to homeless youth or those on the verge of becoming homeless in the York Region over the past 30 years.

And it captures everybody. It could be those with mental health issues, those whove been kicked out their homes, those who have addiction issues, families struggling with unaffordable housing, problems in schools, unemployment, these are all drivers of youth homelessness.

360Kids is one of seven community agencies that recently received funding from the United Way of Greater Toronto to continue tackling various issues tied to poverty, from domestic violence and womens rights to food insecurity and mental health.

The group will receive $300,000 over three years to help co-ordinate efforts in addressing the growing issue of homelessness among youth in the York Region.

Other groups benefitting from the United Ways $1.5-million funding boost include the Canadian Mental Health Association, The 519 community centre, Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre, and Toronto Neighbourhood Centres and Agincourt Community Services Association among others.

Grant said the funds for 360Kids will go toward helping his organization co-ordinate with other youth service providers in the region in an effort to build housing stabilization for young people: intervene early before kids end up being homeless, and help shorten time for those who are already homeless.

Were doing that already but weve got disjointed systems and many sectors working in isolation, he said. What we want to do is actually talk more closely and bring those systems together and align better and produce results.

He said York Region is unique in that it has both rural and urban neighbourhoods  and addressing youth homelessness requires a different approach in Markham or Richmond Hill (urban towns with more people and more access to resources) compared to East Gwillimbury or King township (rural communities with limited access to resources).

360Kids runs 23 programs across the region, all geared at supporting young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. It has two group homes where of homeless youth can go to receive temporary shelter and support, but its a constant struggle due to an increase in housing demand, Grant said.

Throughout last year, Grant said the agency had to turn away more than 700 youth from its emergency housing program due to lack of space.

Theres an ongoing issue that needs to be looked at in terms of poverty being a big issue, but also resources for those who are struggling and young people getting caught in that struggle, he said. People may not see homelessness on the streets of York Region like they see it in Toronto, but theres an estimated 300 youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who are already homeless, he said.

Theres a growing number of people in our region who are low income, and fewer and fewer people in the middle and upper class. Theres a growing divide thats happening.
WE is scaling up in a major way  the Toronto-based charity is investing about $30 million to build a high-tech facility boasting a slate of programs geared toward grooming the fledgling concepts of socially conscious young entrepreneurs.

The youth-empowerment organizations proposed 41,000-square-foot WE Social Entrepreneurship Centre to be constructed next to WEs bustling 43,000-square-foot Global Learning Centre  at the corner of Queen and Parliament Sts.  will allow the organization to expand its initiative of fostering the burgeoning enterprises led by people between the ages of 18 to 35.

The reason we are targeting the under 35, is because that segment has double the unemployment rate of the average for Canada, said WE co-founder Craig Kielburger. Almost all of our programs have been focused on people under 18. As we hit our 25th anniversary this is a milestone for us and a dramatic extension of our mandate.

The new project offers two streams, with the first hinged on sparking a national movement of social entrepreneurs with resources to improve their business development skills.

That focuses on the 7,000 (secondary and post-secondary) schools that run our programs across Canada, Craig said. Its helping those people create micro-social enterprises.

Secondly, the Scale Up branch, which offers a multi-year training and incubator for ventures tailored to finding solutions for social woes  a natural progression for the charity and its leaders, brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger.

Read more:

Toronto is falling behind on its own plans to help at-risk youth

How and why to teach kids to be self-advocates

Justin Trudeau tells students at We Day rally to take leadership role

About 12 entrepreneurs will qualify for the inaugural year with the goal of growing to a cohort of 50.

We will help them develop an earned income model, but for the purpose of solving a social need in the community, Craig said. You can be incubated and supported by us for an extended period of time. We anticipate many of the ventures going as long as five years.

The queue of interested candidates is already growing before the first brick is laid, Craig said.

Kielburgers team is currently vetting entrepreneurial projects including a fabric line made entirely of recyclable materials and a franchise of Indigenous-owned businesses, which specializes in servicing rural communities.

The mission was to have the new facility ready for the charitys 25th anniversary in 2020, but Kielburger concedes that timeline is lofty, so theyve settled for 2021.

The 25th is about empowering the next young person, who dreams of creating innovation around social good, Craig said.

WE has come a far way from its humble beginnings. Craigs commitment to social change was ignited by a 1995 Toronto Star article about child poverty.

WE was founded on the premise of making it easy for people of all ages to use social causes to better the world.

Its cornerstone is the WE Charity, which empowers domestic and international change through its WE Schools and WE Villages programs, along with ME to WE, a social enterprise that creates and sells socially conscious products to support the charity.

The organization now fosters the social causes of more than two million young people, in Canada alone, Craig said. Its worldwide reach has manifested in the construction of more than 1,000 schools and helped in excess of one million people in need of clean water.

Theyve raised over $120 million over the years for different charities, Craig said of funds generated globally by young people participating in the WE Schools initiative, which allows youth to raise money for local and international causes of their choice.

Last year, Canadian students alone raised $10 million in support of 3,789 local and global causes, and volunteered over four million hours of service.

Its marquee event  WE Day  is a cultural phenomenon which has attracted some of the most renowned celebrities in the world to a jam-packed Toronto arena.

About the WE Day Special

The Kielburgers are stewarding an ambitious road map for the 2021 opening of the entrepreneurship hub, on the heels of launching the learning centre a year ago. New programming will commence in advance of project completion.

Craig told the Star his mission is multi-faceted: offering access to seed funding, free training programs, mentorship, technology, and work space, all while rejuvenating the underserved Regent Park and Moss Park neighbourhood.

Our charity grew up in this area, Craig said about the operation with tentacles reaching across the globe, with branches in the United States and Britain, all steered from a Toronto headquarters with 500 staff. We dont want communities forced out as Toronto changes. Our dream is to make this whole neighbourhood a hub of social entrepreneurship.

That work started with the restoration of the former home of the Marty Millionaire furniture store, which earned the William Greer Architectural Conservation and Craftsmanship Award at the 44th Annual Heritage Toronto Awards in October.

Work will now commence on gutting the derelict neighbouring property, giving birth to the high-tech entrepreneurship centre, with its wealth of studio space, Skype pods, room to showcase products and an army of in-house experts and mentors.

WEs capital expansion also draws into focus the support of corporate and individual donors including Winnipeg businessman Hartley Richardson and his son Thor, who have pitched in millions to sprout the first buds of seed money needed for both projects.

Thor gave a landmark seven-figure gift to support the organization on this project, Craig said. One generation supported the Global Learning Centre and the next generation is supporting social entrepreneurship.

An entrepreneur himself, Thor Richardson is an avid WE advocate. He recently sold a startup the liquor business.

I was very drawn to how effective they are at reaching young people and changing their lives, Richardson, 30, said, adding that while building a WE school in Kenya two years ago, he was inspired support WEs capital project in Canada. There is a real need for Canada to encourage our youth to get out there and start something.
A Brampton judge has been cleared of judicial misconduct over his involvement with an advocacy group for Black Canadians.

While finding that Ontario Court Justice Donald McLeods work with the Federation of Black Canadians was incompatible with his judicial office, a discipline panel of the Ontario Judicial Council concluded it did not cross the line of undermining public confidence in the judiciary, which would have led to a misconduct verdict.

Justice McLeods work as a judge and his community activities, including his educational activities, help increase public confidence in the justice system among all Ontarians, the four-person panel, chaired by Court of Appeal Justice Robert Sharpe, said in a decision released Thursday.

This effect is especially significant for Black Ontarians. Justice McLeod serves as a role model for members of the Black community, especially Black youth.

His work and community efforts increase public confidence by demonstrating that judges are committed to recognizing and taking seriously the experiences of the Black community and the real problems that have led to mistrust of the justice system among the Black community.

The panel said the rules may have been vague in the past with regards to what kind of work a judge can do outside of the courthouse. But they said they had now come to a clear line that should not be crossed in the future, namely that judges should not be engaging with politicians and trying to persuade them to reach specific policy outcomes.

McLeod is a founder of the Federation of Black Canadians, and formerly served as chair of its interim steering committee. He testified at his discipline hearing that his meetings involving federation board members and politicians, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, were primarily educational, and dealt with issues such as mental health supports and the over-incarceration of Black Canadians.

Despite his testimony, the discipline panel found that McLeod did, indeed, go too far and engaged in lobbying politicians.

We are satisfied that barring that type of engagement leaves open to judges a wide range of activity whereby judges can work for the betterment of their communities, the panel said.

In deciding that McLeods actions did not undermine public confidence in the judiciary, the panel noted, among other things, that he did not engage in fundraising or partisan activity; sought advice from the courts ethics committee, and never expressed an opinion on a matter that may come before him in court.

We are satisfied that Justice McLeod was genuinely motivated to promote public confidence in the justice system, the panel said. That is relevant precisely because the aim of judicial misconduct proceedings is to maintain public confidence in judicial institutions.

McLeod will now be able to make submissions to the discipline panel as to whether it should recommend to the attorney general that he be compensated for his legal costs.

It is fitting that the judicial council recognized that this was not a case of misconduct: indeed, that Justice McLeod as a role model in the Black community has an important continuing role to play in the community in educating the public as to the challenges facing the vulnerable and marginalized, including Black young men and women, McLeods lawyer, Mark Sandler, told the Star.
The province of Ontario should declare a public health emergency concerning the opioid overdose epidemic, a coroners jury has recommended.

The recommendation was among 55 that came at the conclusion of the inquest into the death of Bradley Chapman, a Toronto man who died of acute opioid toxicity in August 2015 at age 43.

It follows similar calls to the province last year from the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and a group of more than 700 front-line health care workers.

I think (the recommendations) have the ability to really make a difference and to save lives if adopted, said Chapmans sister, Leigh. I think that they alert the public that we absolutely need to do more, that the deaths are preventable. And they also give a sense of what we could do to prevent them.

I think that Brad fell through so many cracks and people continue to fall through cracks.

The jurys 55 sweeping recommendations, aimed at several public bodies, including the provincial and federal governments, the City of Toronto, and the chief of the Toronto Police Service, include:

assigning a provincial co-ordinator at the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for a response to the opioid overdose crisis;

providing increased funding and resourcing for harm-reduction programs and services in Ontario;

decriminalizing the possession of all drugs for personal use;

tracking and sharing of information on the number of individuals released from incarceration who become homeless.

I think you can summarize what (the jury) did by saying the current way of dealing with drug use isnt working, said Suzan Fraser, a lawyer for the Chapman family. We need a harm-reduction strategy. We need to stop pushing people to the margins by criminalizing them, by stigmatizing people who use drugs and who are homeless.

David Jensen, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, told the Star that the ministry has received the recommendations and looks forward to reviewing them.

The government is committed to making mental health a priority. Thats why its investing $3.8 billion over 10 years to develop and implement a comprehensive and connected mental health and addictions strategy, Jensen wrote in an email. The government will continue to make mental health a priority and work toward creating an Ontario where everyone is fully supported in their journey toward mental wellness.

Chapman was found by a security guard slumped over in an alcove on Walton St. near Yonge and Gerrard Sts., in the early morning of Aug. 18, 2015. Police were unable to rouse him, and when paramedics arrived, Chapman had no vital signs. He was resuscitated and rushed to Toronto General Hospital, where he was put on life support and listed as a John Doe. Chapmans family only learned what had happened thanks to some sleuthing by a hospital spiritual counsellor.

Among the jurys recommendations are that all front line police officers should be equipped with naloxone, and that first-aid training for officers incorporate a module on how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose.

The Service will review the recommendations from todays inquest and, where appropriate, make the necessary changes to our processes, procedures and/or training, Meaghan Gray, director of corporate communications for the Toronto Police Service, wrote in an email to the Star.

The inquest was one of two called nine months after a Star investigation published in 2016 chronicled the circumstances that the led to Chapmans death. The other inquest focused on the death of Grant Faulkner, 49, a man who perished after the plywood shelter he was staying in caught fire on a sub-zero night in January 2015. The Faulkner inquest wrapped up in June 2018 with the release of 35 recommendations. The two inquests were the first to focus on the deaths of homeless individuals in the GTA in more than a decade.

The jury also said the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario should develop guidelines for the care of people who are experiencing homelessness, including those with mental health and addiction challenges.

We are going to move with that, said RNAO CEO Doris Grinspun, who also commended a recommendation that responsibility for health care in correctional facilities be transferred from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

Brent Ross, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services thanked the jury members for their service and for recommending ways to prevent deaths.

(The ministry) works to make sure our policies and procedures are based on the best evidence and are in line with best practices, Ross said.
Im (going to) untie your bro, mumbled the teenaged kidnapper to his prisoners brother on the other end of the phone.

Get the three (thousand dollars) and then were gonna meet, okay? Fam, I, I  I trust you fam. Ill put one in this kid early morning tomorrow if nothing is going on fam.

The captor, who wasnt a family member, wanted $10,000 to release his two 16-year-old abductees, unaware Toronto police were listening and recording the April 20, 2016 phone call. Hours earlier, police obtained an emergency wiretap to capture the ransom negotiations and money exchange details.

Its an urban crime tale featuring scenes straight out of a Quentin Tarantino crime movie; they include a condo shootout, a game of Russian roulette and forced sex acts.

Its also a case underscoring the intractable problem of uncooperative witnesses, even when theyve been victimized, and the challenges they pose for police and prosecutors trying to bring perpetrators to justice.

Earlier this fall, Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy convicted the 17-year-old ringleader, identified in court as T.G., of kidnapping, firearms and drug trafficking.

While he cant be identified because of his age, Molloy found him to be a gun-toting, street-level drug dealer with a taste for expensive cognac and lavish spending on cars and short-term rental accommodations. T.G. was clearly engaged in a criminal lifestyle, as evidence in part by his participation in the kidnapping, she wrote in a 24-page decision.

Molloy dismissed all charges against his co-accused, M.R.

About an hour before his arrest, T.G. was spotted on a high-rise balcony, smoking, singing, and pointing to a stack of money he had in one hand. When heavily armed Emergency Task force officers busted through the door they found street-level drug paraphernalia, fentanyl-laced heroin, crack cocaine and $1,900 in cash.

In early December, Lincoln Richards and Rushine Rowe, in their early 20s, both pleaded guilty for their roles in the kidnapping.

The two captives cant be identified because of safety concerns.

Their ordeal began at an April 18, 2016, party gone awry in a unit on the 25th floor at 300 Front St., a downtown Toronto building with a reputation as a hot spot for short-term renters throwing parties.

Using the name Antowuan Adams, T.G. paid cash for Unit 2509  it was customary for him in early 2016, when he was blowing about $4,000 a month on cars and condos, the judge wrote in her decision.

Richards, a rapper known as Ranski, brought two 16-year-olds to the party. One was an outsider, hailing from an area in northwest Toronto known as Queens Drive. Most of the partiers were associated with the citys hardscrabble Lawrence Heights and Driftwood neighbourhoods.

Around 3:30 a.m., uninvited members of the Queens Drive group showed up at the building, the judge wrote summarizing the evenings events. Richards, Rowe and two youths left the party to find them, but didnt, and headed back to the 25th-floor condo. When the elevator door opened, the Queens Drive members were in the hallway.

Guns were drawn, bullets fired, surveillance footage recording some of the mayhem.

Police found evidence of shootings in three separate areas of the building and casings from at least two separate guns. Despite this, no one was injured.

T.G. and his associates blamed the 16-year-olds for disclosing the location of the party to the interlopers.

The bandits fled the condo tower and headed for a townhouse in Swansea, near High Park, where Richards lived with his mother. There, the teens were tied to chairs and beaten repeatedly, one of them pistol-whipped in the head.

While Richards stayed behind to clean up the mess, the group took their tied-up captives to two different apartments in Lawrence Heights. There, they were subjected to more beatings, one of them attacked by an assailant using a wooden carving of a fish, grabbed from a wall.

Digital photos of the bound and bloodied pair were sent to members of the Queens Drive group.

The Crown also alleged the kidnappers forced the teens to perform sexual acts on each other, which they videotaped to ensure their demands for $10,000 in ransom were met.

An older brother, a convicted drug dealer who knew some of the kidnappers, received a photo showing the captors threatening to cut off his finger with scissors.

Their mother, who learned of the kidnapping from her older son, confronted Richards on the street wearing her sons jacket. Your son is in this predicament right now because of what he did so anything that happens to your son he deserves, Richards, who flashed his gun, told her.

On Thursday, April 21, 2016, the teens mother made a $3,000 downpayment on the ransom and he was released at a Husky gas station. It was his grandmother who alerted the cops, who got the emergency wire as a result. The arrests followed later.

After he was set free, the teen gave a detailed three-hour statement to police about his ordeal. They were playing Russian roulette with us, putting one bullet in ... and spinning it, he told them. One shot went right by my head.

But he eventually realized he would be required to testify in court.

Who does such a thing? the exhausted teen asked the officers.

Who does what? one of them asked back.

Come to trial and you going to look at me and I am going to say, yeah, this guy he kidnapped me. 

After that he clammed up  and recanted everything he had already told them.

Despite this, prosecutors Elizabeth Nadeau and Glenn Brotherston were able to get his statement admitted into court. (The other victim also refused to cooperate.)

To prove their case, led by Toronto Police Detectives Sergio Brito and Brandon Robinson, the Crown attorneys relied on what the judge called substantial independent corroborative evidence, which included fingerprints, surveillance footage, wiretaps  and a broken carving of a fish.

Next month, prosecutors are seeking to have T.G. sentenced as an adult. Rowe and Richards are also scheduled for sentencing in January.
Two men spent weeks unlawfully detained in a Toronto jail after criminal court staff may have failed to notify the jail they should be released, according to their lawyer who argues the men were functionally kidnapped by the province.

Both men had been released from criminal custody  one on bail, one after all his charges were withdrawn  and should have immediately been transferred into the custody of the Canada Border Services Agency since they also faced deportation proceedings.

That transfer wasnt done until weeks later, their lawyer says. In the meantime, the men were left in limbo at the Toronto South Detention Centre without the opportunity to argue for release through an immigration detention review hearing that should have occurred within 48 hours of the transfer.

It took the intervention of the mens criminal and immigration lawyers to make the transfer happen.

There was obviously some kind of communications breakdown and its leading to people being unlawfully detained, said lawyer Kevin Wiener, who is representing both men in their immigration proceedings and in small claims lawsuits against the province.

He says that when the criminal case ended, the province had no authority to keep the men in jail  and failed in their duty to notify the border agency.

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One of the two men, Dwayne Powell, was arrested on Oct. 2 and charged with minor fraud-related charges. He was formally arrested by border services in jail the next day, due to an outstanding immigration arrest warrant.

He was granted bail on the criminal charges at the Brampton courthouse on Oct. 23 then returned to jail. He did not realize his case had not been transferred and that immigration detention reviews should be automatically done within 48 hours, Wiener said.

Powell began looking for a lawyer and met Wiener a month later, on Nov. 22. He had his first detention review hearing on Nov. 27 and was eventually released by the Immigration and Refugee Board on Dec. 11.

(Powell) didnt realize anything had gone wrong, Wiener said.

But Wiener said he immediately knew what had happened because something similar had just happened to another client of his, Andre Dean.

Dean is now suing the province in small claims court for false imprisonment, negligence and breach of his charter rights. (Wiener said small claims court lawsuits proceed faster than civil court matters, though damages in small claims court matters are capped at $25,000 which is what Dean is seeking).

Dean was arrested on robbery-related charges in October 2016 and was in pretrial custody until his criminal charges were entirely withdrawn on Aug. 17, through plea agreements.

He would have been free to go at the end of his criminal matters had he not been also in the custody of the CBSA. It took until Sept. 6 for him to be formally transferred into immigration detention, according to a statement of defence filed by the province Tuesday. The statement of defence does not explain the delay.

Dean is now at Maplehurst, a jail where many immigration detainees are held, facing deportation hearings. He has not been released by the Immigration and Refugee Board, though he is able to have mandated regular detention reviews.

In its statement of defence, the province denies falsely imprisoning Dean and says even if it had the damages owed by Ontario would be nominal as he had suffered no injury. The province argues there has been no violation of Deans charter rights, including the right not to be deprived of liberty, and that if there was, it was justified.

Ontario acted at all times reasonably, in good faith, and with appropriate regard for the plaintiffs charter rights, the document states.

A spokesperson said the Ministry of the Attorney General would not comment further on the matters because they are subject to litigation. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services said the matters fall under the Ministry of the Attorney General.

Wiener, who has also filed a notice of intent to sue on behalf of Powell, said that by the governments logic, you could tie someone up in your basement for three weeks and not owe them any money if they were also subject to an arrest warrant.

After his criminal charges were withdrawn, only the CBSA had authority to detain Mr. Dean, and only until the Immigration Division reviewed his detention, Wiener said. The provincial government unlawfully detained him for three weeks with no independent review. Mr. Deans current legal detention does not erase his damages from being functionally kidnapped by the government of Ontario.

Wiener noted that even after the lawsuit had been filed, Dean was wrongly transported to the Guelph courthouse on Nov. 27, a week after his charges there had been withdrawn. That fact, he said, suggests a second communication breakdown between court staff and the jail.

Criminal charge-related releases are typically resolved prior to immigration detention reviews since the CBSA arrest does not come into effect until a criminal hold is over, Wiener said. But, he said, these two cases show that process can result in longer times in custody.

The government needs to do the right thing for my clients and take immediate steps to make sure this never happens again, he said.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission presented its watchdogs interim report into racial profiling and discrimination against Black people by Toronto police at a packed press conference last week. But even as the commissioner was talking, many in the room were eyeing their phones  waiting for the police response.

They did so because no matter what the report into serious use of force incidents and lived experiences of Torontos Black citizens found, the police response that would set the tone for the discussions that follow.

The commissions review of Special Investigations Unit (SIU) directors reports includes the disturbing finding that between 2013 and 2017 seven of 10 people shot dead by police were Black. And while Black people made up just 8.8 per cent of Torontos population in 2016, they were involved in 25.4 per cent of SIU investigations and 36 per cent of police shootings over that same period.

The SIU investigates all serious injuries, deaths and allegations of sexual assault involving police.

Police released their response before the end of the press conference and while some eyes in the room rolled at police criticism of the reports methodology, the response was, for the most part, measured. In it, police noted the commissions findings require a thoughtful and comprehensive response from us that builds on the hard work we have been doing already to confront issues of systemic bias.

In a joint statement, the Toronto Police Service and the Toronto Police Services Board had spoken as one and accepted all five of the reports recommendations.

Read more:

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Their statement expressed hope the report would cause bigger questions to be asked and real solutions to be identified. Questions about poverty, social exclusion, inequality in our neighbourhoods and the root causes of crime and violence. Because once the police are involved, it is often that all other systems have failed.

It read like progress.

I have been involved in Star investigations into policing, race and crime dating back to the 90s. Police language has come a long way, and that helps make it easier for us all to talk about race and systemic racism in this city.

Activist and journalist Desmond Cole flagged the same on the CBC podcast Front Burner, released the next day, telling host Jayme Poisson the report brings back into the public conversation an issue that weve now gotten more used to hearing about, and talking about, publicly.

As for real progress, Cole said thats about it. I actually think thats where it stops, he told Poisson. I dont believe the truth will set us free when it comes to anti-Black racism and police violence. The truth will not set us free. Weve been telling you the truth for hundreds of years.

But police soon took a step back. In the days that followed, the Toronto Police Association and police Chief Mark Saunders both, to varying degrees, attacked the messenger  the association in email blasts and a video message to association members, the chief in media interviews.

It a first email to members, sent the day after the commission released its report, the police association slammed the use of census data to make per capita comparisons. A report that fails to consider possible reasons for racial disparity in data is reckless, counterproductive and will only deepen the divide between the police and some marginalized communities, the email said.

The associations leadership went further in a second email the next day that called the report inflammatory and singled out researcher Scot Wortley, the University of Toronto associate professor who performed the analysis at the foundation of the commissions report, for using census data.

Wortley is a respected academic, recognized by courts for his expertise, and  I make a full disclosure here  someone I know personally and professionally.

The commissions report was a personal affront and professionally damaging to each of the associations members, the email said, for alleging widespread racial profiling and racism by Toronto police officers. The association, it said, has retained a respected academic of its own.

In a short YouTube message, association president Mike McCormack told members: Theres an inference that members are engaged in racially biased policing, and that is unacceptable.

Saunders was far more reserved, but still sounded arguably defensive in on-air interviews.

The commission is using using census and crime (data), and they dont mix, he bluntly told Metro Mornings Matt Galloway.

Census benchmarking is regularly used by police and criminologists  and journalists  to calculate crime and homicide rates in order to look for trends, identify policing hot spots and look for disparities in who is being victimized.

Its standard practice, but police criticism of census data isnt new.

The distracting duelling experts reaction to the commissions report is reminiscent of the response to a 2002 Toronto Star series that sparked a huge backlash by police, the police board and the police association.

The Race & Crime series found Black people charged with marijuana possession were taken to police stations more often than white people facing the same charge. And once there, police held those accused Black people overnight at twice the rate of white people.

The 2002 series also looked at some out-of-sight driving offences that an officer typically discovers only after a motorist has been pulled over, such as driving without insurance. Black motorists, the Star found, accounted for a third of charges despite making up just 8.1 per cent of the population.

Torontos Black communities were not the least bit surprised by the Stars findings  just as they were unsurprised by the commissions report.

But police dug in.

The police association called for a public boycott of the Star and then launched an unsuccessful class action against Star journalists and editors  myself included  for allegedly labelling every employee of the service racist. For that, the association sought $2.7 billion in damages. It lost at three levels of court, but the suit provided a legal platform and soapbox to attack the messenger.

The police service hired its own expert and a lawyer to vet the Stars methodology and analysis. A two-page summary of their 2003 report, which remains posted to the police website, is written in all caps. It criticizes the use of census data and said the Stars work was deserving of a spot in the JUNK SCIENCE HALL OF FAME.

The Star stood by the series, which was vetted prior to publication by an expert who deemed its methodology and findings sound.

A third academic analysis, conducted in part by Wortley, was critical of the police report.

Then police chief Julian Fantino denied racial profiling was happening, but later heard, in a secret October 2003 report from his own Black officers, that it very much was  and to those officers as well.

The contents of that report were made public by the Star in 2005.

In a letter to the police associations board, Ontarios chief rights commissioner, Renu Mandhane, said on Dec. 13 that the commission is disappointed in the associations messages, which include inaccurate and misleading statements, which should be corrected.

The commission is standing firmly behind Wortley, whom Mandhane notes used a substantially similar statistical analysis to inform the Ipperwash Inquiry into the 1995 shooting death of Indigenous protester Dudley George. Wortleys analysis in that inquiry was an important example of a province-wide policing study, Justice Sidney Linden said at the time.

Mandhane also pointed out the commission recognizes policing is vital to public safety and can be challenging and sometimes traumatic, adding the commission knows police are committed to building trust with diverse communities.

The commission said Wortleys interim report raises serious concerns about racial profiling and racial discrimination of Black people. The findings, the commission said, call for an explanation from the service and its board.

In his preliminary report on the SIU data, Wortley concluded there were large racial disparities that had not diminished over time. That finding is subject to interpretation and debate, Wortley wrote in the report. What some may see as evidence of overt, implicit or systemic racial bias, he wrote, others will see as evidence that Black people are more likely to be engaged in criminal activity and thus more likely to become subject to legitimate police use of force.

Additional analysis into other factors, Wortley wrote, may help explain racial disparities in SIU use-of-force cases.

The commission expects its inquiry will conclude in 2020, with more analysis coming of the SIU data and police reports and policies. The final report will include recommendations on how research into police use of force might be improved or expanded.

Understandably, there was also much public interest in the commissions report this past Tuesday at the final Toronto police board meeting of 2018, where the board was scheduled to hear an update from its Anti-Racism Advisory Panel. But protests ensued after a motion to limit speaking time for deputants and, in response, the board moved the meeting behind closed doors.

The public and media instead watched a live feed in another room, and none of the planned deputations, including one from the human rights commission, was heard out loud.

Not a great moment.

Still, the board did ask the advisory panel to recommend changes to a 2007 policy on the collection, use and reporting of demographic statistics, and report back by May 2019. That policy was amended in 2010 and 2011, but has never been put into use.

The human rights commission has long asked police to collect race-based data in a more robust fashion and in its written deputation called on the service to collect race-based data on all stops, searches and use-of-force incidents by 2020, and release that data publicly.

That specific proposal went nowhere.

But maybe this time the board is at least on the right path.

And, for now, no one is filing lawsuits or typing in all caps.

with files from Wendy Gillis

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CAIROAn Egyptian court on Thursday acquitted 43 people, including German and U.S. nationals, of charges they illegally received funding for their local and foreign non-governmental organizations, a move that Amnesty International described as a step in the right direction.

The verdict ended a seven-year legal battle that rattled civil society groups just months after a 2011 uprising forced autocrat Hosni Mubarak to step down after 29 years in power.

A lower court convicted the 43 in 2013. The Court of Cassation, Egypts highest appeals court, threw out that verdict in April this year and ordered a fresh trial, which culminated in Thursdays ruling. None of the 43 spent time in jail. The only three who received prison terms  up to three years  were tried in absentia.

Egypts military had claimed that protests against its direct rule between February 2011 and June 2012 were funded by foreigners. It ordered raids on more than a dozen offices of rights and freedom advocacy groups, seizing files and computers.

Amnesty International said the verdict was a step in the right direction, saying it was a bogus case that targeted human rights defenders for doing their work.

However, todays ruling only relates to the first phase of the case which investigated the funding of international organizations; the investigation into local Egyptian NGOs is ongoing and dozens of staff are still at risk, said Najia Bounaim, Amnestys North Africa campaigns director.

The key test now will be whether todays court decision paves the way for an end to the persecution of all human rights defenders in the country, it said, calling on the government to lift travel bans and asset freezes against NGO staff and drop investigations into Egyptian NGOs and human rights workers.

Germany also welcomed the verdict, which acquitted two employees of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a pro-democracy and rights group linked to Chancellor Angela Merkels conservative party.

They and the foundation are now officially rehabilitated, said a Foreign Ministry statement. This verdict ends a years-long dispute that weighed on our relations with Egypt.

The Americans involved in the case worked for NGOs that included Freedom House, International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, also welcomed the verdict, saying it was very big step in the direction of improving relations with Egypt.

The accusations have always been baseless. The members of these organizations have served their nation and the people of Egypt honourably in advance of democracy, the rule of law, and human rights  areas in which much work remains, he said in a statement.

Since the NGOs case began in 2011, Egyptian authorities have frozen the assets of at least six rights groups and 10 human rights advocates. At least 30 human rights workers and administrators have been banned from travel. Investigating judges, meanwhile, intermittently call in human rights activists for questioning.

The crackdown on rights groups has been accompanied by a defamation campaign by the pro-government media that portrayed activists behind the 2011 uprising as foreign agents, paid to plunge Egypt into chaos for the benefit of its enemies. General-turned-president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has blamed the uprising for the countrys economic woes, labeling it the wrong remedy that followed a misdiagnosis.

Since taking office in 2014, Egypts democratic transition foundered, with authorities reversing freedoms won in the 2011 uprising, silencing the media and blocking hundreds of independent online news sites. Tens of thousands of Islamists have also been jailed along with scores of pro-democracy advocates.

El-Sissi, whose declared priorities are the economy and security, has recently ordered a revision of a law that placed draconian restrictions on the work of civil society groups, with the intention of reducing the veto power given to security agencies over their work. That task will most likely leave unchanged the restrictions placed on rights and pro-democracy groups, but relax them for medical, housing and social charities.

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BERLINPolice stepped up security at airports in southwestern Germany on Thursday, amid concerns that extremists may have tried to scope out operations at Stuttgart airport.

German news agency dpa and public broadcaster SWR reported that security officials are investigating four people, including at least one with possible ties to the Islamist scene.

In a tweet, federal police said flights shouldnt be affected by the robust police presence at Stuttgart airport. Additional officers were also deployed to other, smaller airports in Baden-Wuerttemberg state  Friedrichshafen, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden and Mannheim  as a precaution.

SWR reported that two of the suspects, a father and son, were spotted taking pictures at Frances Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris last week.

Last week, a gunman killed five people in an attack on a Christmas market in the French city of Strasbourg, just across the border from Germany. The suspected gunman, 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt, died in a shootout with police two days after the Dec. 11 attack. Chekatt had been on a French intelligence watch list for radicalism and was convicted 27 times for criminal offences in France, Germany and Switzerland.

Separately, German authorities said they arrested two men and a woman in southwestern Germany on Wednesday on suspicion of illegal firearms ownership and preparing an attack. Karlsruhe prosecutors said police seized a fully automatic weapon and ammunition in the raid, but that there was no indication of a link to the security alert at the nearby airports.

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BEIRUTAmericas Kurdish allies in Syria are discussing the release of 3,200 Daesh prisoners, a prominent monitoring group and a Western official of the anti-Daesh coalition said Thursday, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from the country.

Top officials of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-led and U.S.-supported militia fighting Daesh in eastern Syria, met Wednesday to discuss the option of releasing about 1,100 Deash fighters and 2,080 relatives of the groups members, according to Rami Abdul Rahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory on Human Rights.

Mostapha Bali, the spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, denied there had been any discussion of releasing prisoners from Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL. Any news coming from such sources is not reliable and is not coming from us, he said.

But a Western official from the U.S.-led coalition fighting in Syria, which includes more than a dozen countries, confirmed that such discussions had taken place.

The best result of terrible options is probably for the Syrian regime to take custody of these people, said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to discuss the matter on the record. If they are released its a real disaster and major threat to Europe.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia, a top ally of the Syrian government, hailed Trumps declaration of victory over the Daesh and withdrawal order, saying on Thursday, Donalds right. But the United States coalition allies were clearly less happy.

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We believe that Daesh remains a threat, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State and adding that France was concerned about the safety of coalition allies, including the SDF. The United States must consider the stability and security of northeast Syria, it said, to avoid any further humanitarian tragedies and any return by the terrorists.

The British Foreign Office said Wednesday that despite progress in fighting the Islamic State, much remains to be done and we must not lose sight of the threat they pose.

The SDF is known to hold large numbers of Islamic State prisoners, detaining fighters in about seven makeshift prisons near Ainissa in northern Syria, where the Kurdish group has its headquarters. Relatives of Islamic State members are held in a detention camp nearby.

There have been reports that the Kurdish group was planning to withdraw its forces from front-line positions fighting the Islamic State, but there was no sign so far that had happened.

A report by the Syrian Observatory said the SDF leadership was discussing the prisoners release because the home countries of many of them had refused to take them back. The observatory, a London-based group with a network of citizen monitors throughout Syria whose work is widely considered credible, said the prisoners come from 31 countries in addition to Syria, and their family members from 41 countries.

The SDF was also concerned that it would need all of its fighters to defend against a possible Turkish military invasion, the report said  a prospect made more likely by a U.S. withdrawal.

The Syrian Democratic Forces are predominantly made up of Kurdish fighters from the YPG, the Peoples Protection Units, but under American tutelage the group has signed up many Arab fighters opposed to the Islamic State; Arabs now make up about 40 per cent of the force, which has up to 75,000 fighters. The group has been trained, advised, financed and supplied by the United States, which has 2,000 troops, mostly Special Operations forces in Syria allied with the SDF.

With U.S. support, especially from airstrikes, since 2016 the Kurds have pushed the Islamic State out of most of the territory it held in eastern and northern Syria, reducing the extremists to a pocket of about 20 square miles on the Iraqi border, near the town of Hajin, far from any cities. Fighting continues in that area, although the SDF claimed last week to have ousted Daesh from Hajin.

Turkey has vowed to attack the SDF because it considers the YPG as a front for the outlawed Peoples Workers Party, or PKK, in Turkey, and last week said a cross-border invasion to attack the Kurds was only days away.

That led to a telephone conversation between Trump and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey on Dec. 14, after which the United States quietly began making preparations for the troop withdrawal.

Trump tweeted on Wednesday that he had made the decision.

Kurdish leaders have so far been restrained in their public reactions to Trumps announcement. The SDF General Command issued a statement Thursday calling for the decision to be reconsidered.

The withdrawal decision will directly undermine the efforts of the final attempts to defeat terrorist groups and will have serious implications on stability and world peace, it said. The withdrawal in such circumstances, will create a political and military vacuum in the region and will leave people in the clutches of enemy forces.

The threat of releasing Islamic State prisoners may be a trial balloon by the Kurds, whose own people suffered tremendously from the groups atrocities when it controlled many of the Kurdish cities and towns in the Rojava area of northern Syria. That control ended when the Americans and the SDF teamed up to fight the organization.

Now the Kurdish areas are free of the Islamic State, and the Kurds have been fighting the group in Arab-dominated areas far from Kurdish communities. Those communities, however, would be threatened by any resurgence of Daesh, so the Kurds may not follow through on freeing prisoners.

On the other hand, maintaining the prisoners has been a burden on the group, and the United States has helped pay for the detention effort. There is no indication that American aid would necessarily end, but without U.S. troops on the ground it may prove difficult to monitor what happens with the prisoners.

Another possibility the Kurds are discussing is handing the prisoners over to the Syrian government, which is also fighting against the Islamic State, but has at times made alliances with the group. The Western coalition official said any release would not take place immediately, and would not happen until the U.S. troops had left completely, which might take months.

Trump defended his decision, praising Americas historic victories against ISIS and saying it was time to bring our great young people home! Yet his own presidential envoy to the fight against Daesh, Brett McGurk, said on Dec. 11 that a withdrawal now would be disastrous and risk a resurgence of the group.

U.S. military officials as well as analysts who follow Daesh closely said it still has 20,000 to 30,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria, most of them underground. That is the number the CIA estimated the group had at the beginning of its rise in 2014.

In a State Department briefing last week, McGurk said, If weve learned one thing over the years, enduring defeat of a group like this means you cant just defeat their physical space and then leave.

The SDF General Command said much the same thing: The White Houses decision to withdraw from northern and eastern Syria will negatively affect the campaign against terrorism and will give terrorism and its supporters the political and military momentum to restore ISIS power again, it said.

Bali, the groups spokesperson, said the group would continue to fight Daesh.

So far our forces are still fighting these battles against terrorism, he said. We will do all that we can do to continue the battle, but the U.S. decision was unfortunate and unexpected.

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COPENHAGEN  Authorities arrested three more suspects Thursday in the deaths of two Scandinavian university students who were killed in Moroccos Atlas Mountains. Moroccan authorities said the men detained in Marrakech and a fourth suspect pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in a video.

The office of Moroccos prosecutor said four men seen in the video that was circulating on Twitter and recorded last week were the same four in custody for the slayings of the young women, whose bodies were discovered Monday.

Moroccan authorities had said they considered the killings in a remote region of the Atlas Mountains to be a terrorist act and were investigating if the suspects had extremist ties, but hadnt named a particular group.

Other tourists found the two women, one from Norway and the other from Denmark, with stab wounds in their necks, according to national media in Morocco. Investigators have video surveillance footage showing three people putting up a tent near the victims tent, the media outlets said.

The footage also shows the three leaving the area, near a village that is a frequent starting point for treks to Mount Toubkal, North Africas highest peak, the outlets said.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen confirmed the identities of the victims, 24-year-old Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, of Denmark, and Norwegian citizen Maren Ueland, 28. The University of South-Eastern Norway said both women were students at its campus in Boe, southern Norway.

What should have been a holiday trip turned into a nightmare for the women, Loekke Rasmussen told reporters in Denmark.

Earlier Thursday, Denmarks domestic security agency told Associated Press that preliminary findings the investigation indicate, according to Moroccan authorities, that the killings may be related to the terrorist organization the Islamic State group.

The killings were politically motivated and thus an act of terror, Denmarks Loekke Rasmussen said, without identifying the potential motives. There are still dark forces that want to fight our values and we must not give in.

In neighbouring Norway, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said terrorism is not the only lead that is being investigated in Morocco, but the case emphasizes the importance of combating violent extremism.

We trust that Moroccan authorities are doing their utmost to arrest those responsible for the murders, she said at a news conference.

The slayings have shocked Morocco, a popular tourist destination where attacks on foreigners are extremely rare. In the capital of Rabat, government spokesman Mustapha El Khalfi said Morocco condemned this terrorist, criminal act.

It is an unacceptable act that does not fit with the values and traditions of Moroccan people nor the traditions of the area where the crime happened, Khalfi said Thursday. It is a denounced, condemned act.

The three suspects arrested Thursday were stopped while they were trying to leave Marrakech on a bus, Moroccan national security spokesman Boubker Sabik said. The first suspect was arrested Tuesday, and authorities arent pursuing others besides the four, Sabik said.

A national security official who asked not to be named because he wasnt authorized to speak to the media said the three had knives and slingshots when they were arrested. The official identified them to Associated Press as Abdessamad Ejjoud, born in 1993; Younes Ouziad, born in 1991; and Rashid Aftati, born in 1986.

Morocco is generally considered safe for tourists but has battled with Islamic extremism for years. More than a thousand Moroccans are believed to have joined the Islamic State group.

An anti-terrorism rally is being planned for Saturday in Rabat.
WASHINGTONA senior Justice Department ethics official concluded acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker should recuse from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller IIIs probe examining U.S. President Donald Trump, but advisers to Whitaker recommended the opposite and he has no plans to step aside, people familiar with the matter said.

Earlier Thursday, a different official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said ethics officials had advised Whitaker need not step aside, only to retract that description of events hours later.

The advice to stay away from the Mueller probe underscores the high stakes and deep distrust  within Congress and in some corners of the Justice Department  surrounding Whitakers appointment as the nations top law enforcement official until the Senate votes on the nomination of William Barr to take the job.

Whitaker did not return messages seeking comment.

Within days of the presidents announcement in early November that he had put Whitaker in the role on a temporary basis, Whitaker tapped a veteran U.S. attorney to become part of a four-person team of advisers on his new job, according to a senior Justice Department official. Their guidance included the question of whether Whitaker should recuse himself from Muellers investigation because of his past statements regarding that probe and because of his friendship with one of its witnesses, the official said.

Whitaker never asked Justice Department ethics officials for a formal recommendation, nor did he receive one, this official said.

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However, after Whitaker met repeatedly with Justice Department ethics officials to discuss the facts and the issues under consideration, a senior ethics official told the group of advisers on Tuesday that it was a close call but that Whitaker should recuse himself to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, the official said. Whitaker was not present at that meeting, they said.

Those four advisers, however, disagreed with the ethics determination and recommended to Whitaker the next day not to recuse, saying there was no precedent for that, and doing so now could create a bad precedent for future attorneys general.

When Eric Holder became the attorney general in 2009, he decided to recuse himself from overseeing the investigation of former presidential candidate John Edwards to avoid the appearance of a conflict. Holders reasoning was that he had been part of Barack Obamas vice-presidential search committee that considered Edwards. In that case, Holder did not consult Justice Department ethics officials before deciding to recuse.

The senior official who described the Whitaker discussions refused to identify the Justice Department employees involved. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement he was troubled by how the information was made public.

It is simply unacceptable that we are learning about this guidance through leaks to the press instead of from the Acting Attorney General himself, Nadler said.

Typically, ethics officials make recommendations that Justice Department employees are expected to follow, but the final decision on whether to recuse over an appearance of a conflict of interest was always Whitakers to make, according to past and current officials.

As the Justice Departments top official, Whitaker had been nominally supervising Mueller and was recently notified in advance of a key guilty plea in the case. So far, Whitaker has not received any briefings on the Mueller investigation, but he may at some point, the senior Justice Department official said.

The back-and-forth inside the department points to the conflicting views and allegiances surrounding its leader during the Trump administration, at a time when the president has publicly attacked federal law enforcement.

Whitakers rejection of his departments ethics advice is likely to spur renewed criticism from Democrats, who have challenged the legality of Trumps appointment of Whitaker, a Justice Department staffer who had not been confirmed by the Senate. Trump forced out former Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Nov. 7.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said in a statement that Whitakers disregarding the opinion of a senior ethics official was deeply alarming and only reinforces the probability that his antagonism toward the Mueller probe was the sole reason for his selection as Acting Attorney General in the first place. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said in a tweet that the Justice Departments ethics opinion should be shared with Congress, adding, DOJ officials must avoid not only actual impropriety but the appearance of impropriety.

Before coming to the Justice Department to serve as Sessionss chief of staff, Whitaker was a TV legal commentator who wrote and spoke frequently about the Mueller probe  almost always in critical ways. He suggested, for example, on CNN that he could envision a scenario where Sessions was replaced and his successor just reduces [Muellers] budget to so low that his investigation grinds to almost a halt.

The ethics controversy surrounding Whitaker could also have consequences for his chosen successor, Barr.

Now in private practice, Barr has similarly made public comments that are skeptical of Mueller, and this week, the Senate Judiciary Committee released a memo he sent to the Justice Department criticizing the special counsel for a fatally misconceived legal theory of how Trump may have obstructed justice.

The document, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, is sure to intensify the fight over Barrs confirmation. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the Senate Judiciary Committees top Democrat, said Thursday the memo was very troubling and that she would be asking questions about it. Democrats might try to force Barrs recusal as a condition of confirming him, though Republicans will still control the Senate next year.

Two people familiar with the document said Barr made the decision to submit it on his own  not at the direction of the Justice Department or the White House. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said Thursday that the memo had no impact on our investigation.

Whitakers comments were more prolific and more blunt. He wrote in a piece for CNN that Trump was absolutely correct to suggest Mueller would be crossing a red line by examining the finances of Trump and his family.

Speaking about the June 2016 encounter at Trump Tower  where Jared Kushner, Donald Trump Jr. and others met with a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton  Whitaker said: To suggest that theres a conspiracy here, I mean, you would always take that meeting.

An audio recording has circulated online in which Whitaker expresses doubt about any Russian interference in American politics.

The left is trying to sow this theory that essentially Russians interfered with the U.S. election. Which has been proven false. They did not have any impact in the election, he said.

Sessions had been recused from Muellers probe, which has examined possible coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, as well as possible obstruction of justice by the president, because Sessions was a part of the Trumps campaign. That left Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller, in charge.

But when Trump fired Sessions, Whitaker took command of the Russia investigation. He intimated to associates that he had no intention of recusing. Sessions, after all, was fired in part because the president was frustrated he had stepped aside.

Democrats and others expressed alarm about Whitakers past views, fearful he might stifle Muellers work. The special counsel regulations call for Whitaker, as acting attorney general, to be notified of significant events in the probe and give him the ability to veto any step he considered so inappropriate or unwarranted under established Departmental practices that it should not be pursued. If he does that, though, he would be required to notify Congress at the end of the case.

Last month, the special counsels office notified Whitaker in advance that former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen was going to plead guilty to lying to Congress about a possible Trump business project in Moscow.

Asked about his role in the Mueller probe at a news conference Thursday, Rosenstein said, Weve continued to manage the investigation as we have in the past, and its being handled appropriately.

Some legal analysts had dismissed Whitakers public comments about the Mueller probe as essentially uninformed speculation that probably would not force him to step aside. Whitaker did, though, have a relationship with Sam Clovis, a Trump campaign adviser who has testified before the grand jury in Muellers case.

In 2014, Whitaker chaired the campaign for Clovis when he ran as a Republican candidate for Iowa state treasurer. Clovis told The Washington Post that he still considered Whitaker a friend.

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This spring should have been the triumphant final act in Juwan Royals time at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. But it was season of frightening uncertainty.

The senior was suffering from bouts of sickness, hitting randomly like lightning strikes. Pain shot from his hips to his toes. He felt a burning sensation in his mouth, and on one occasion had to be rushed to a hospital in an ambulance after vomiting for 45 minutes straight.

But Royals illness was overlapped by another incident on April 5. That Thursday, around 12:30 p.m., Royal left his room in Warren Square A, a two-story brick house that had been chopped up into single and double rooms for undergraduates living on the west side of campus. According to a LehighValleyLive story from the time, he later learned from his roommate Yukai Yang that their room had been trashed. Royals television and bed were damaged. Royal, who is African American, also had his desk defaced. In black marker, someone had written the N-word, followed by get out of here.

Royals mystery illness and the racist graffiti were not isolated incidents. At a news conference on Thursday, Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said that Yang was responsible for the vandalism, and also that he had been surreptitiously poisoning Royal with dangerous chemicals.

This was over a period of time with small amounts of poisoning occurring, Morganelli said. It was added to food and drinks in the refrigerator.

Yang  an international student from China  was arrested and charged Thursday with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment. Morganelli called the case weird and bizarre, the Morning Call reported. Investigators do not know why the 22-year-old allegedly turned on his roommate.

Mr. Royal was as somewhat dumbfounded by this as anyone else, Assistant District Attorney Abraham Kassis told reporters. He believed they had a fairly cordial relationship as roommates.

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Yangs attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Yang is accused of poisoning his roommate with thallium. A chemical accidentally discovered in 1861, the substance is a tasteless, odourless, and extremely potent poison, according to a 2007 article by Dr. Cyrus Rangan, assistant medical director of the California Poison Control System. [A]cute ingestions of as little as one gram of thallium salt may kill an adult.

The substance has been used in high-profile poisonings in both fact and fiction. The famed mystery novelist Agatha Christie killed off characters with thallium in her 1961 book, The Pale Horse, the Independent reported in 1992. It was also the poison used by Saddam Husseins regime to kill dissident Iraqi scientists in the 1980s. The substance was once commonly used as rat poison and insecticide, although it has been banned in most countries, including the United States, since 1975.

However, thallium is still in use in countries like Russia and China, according to Rangan.

Like Royal, Yang was a senior at Lehigh this spring. A chemistry major, he and Royal had been friends and roommates for a number of years. But the bizarre actions began unfolding in February.

One night that month, Royal drank from a water bottle, then immediately felt a burning sensation in his mouth, LehighValleyLive reported.

Alarmed, he woke up Yang and together they bolted for the bathroom, where Royal washed out his mouth. Morganelli told reporters on Thursday that Yang cryptically told his roommate so the substance that they are putting in your drink is colourless, odourless and dissolves in water.

For days, Royals tongue was sore from the experience.

He became sick again on March 18. This time, the police were called. He was sitting at his computer before feeling dizzy and passing out, Morganelli said at the news conference.

Yang again allegedly had a strange explanation: he told police he thought someone was tampering with the liquids in their room. Yang explained the milk in the units fridge and Royals mouthwash unexpectedly had changed colour. Mr. Yang could not speculate to any suspects at that time, Morganelli said.

Early on the morning of March 29, Royal again summoned campus police. He had been throwing up for over 45 minutes and felt very shaky, Morganelli said. This time, he was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The next week, the room was vandalized. According to Morganellis news conference, the investigation into the trashed room keyed police in on the poisoning. The victim voiced his suspicions to police.

Mr. Royal told officers at that time he felt Mr. Yang his roommate was somehow responsible for the damages that had been done to his property, the prosecutor told reporters. Mr. Royal stated that Mr. Yang was the person who always found the strange incidents happening in his room.

Yang gave investigators a written statement about his movements on the day the room was vandalized. The handwriting matched the slur and words scribbled into the desk, police said. Yang was arrested, and eventually charged with ethnic intimidation, institutional vandalism and criminal mischief, all misdemeanours.

His cellphone and Dell computer were then confiscated. Details found on the devices pointed to the poisoning. Royal was given a blood test. It showed he had 3.6 micrograms of thallium in his system, above the safe toxicity level.

Thallium affects ones nervous system, lungs, heart, liver and kidney if large amounts are eaten or ingested for short periods of time, Morganelli explained. Temporary hair loss, vomiting and diarrhea can also occur, and death may result after exposure to significant amounts of thallium.

According to the Morning Call, Yang interviewed with investigators on May 25. In the conversation, police said, he admitted to buying thallium and other chemicals online and mixing them into the food and beverages in the rooms refrigerator. But Yang claimed that he was only intending to poison himself if he failed to do well on upcoming exams.

Yang was suspended following his arrest in the spring. He is no longer enrolled in the school, and according to authorities, his student visa has been revoked. His criminal charges from the vandalism are still pending, and Yang is currently in custody.

Royal, however, graduated from Lehigh in the spring. He still suffers from the after-effects of the thallium.

Were trying to explain the unexplainable because, right now, everyone is like, What could have happened? Kevelis Matthews-Alvarado, the resident adviser in the building where the roommates lived last year, told Philadelphias CBS 3. We just dont know.

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Each spring and fall, large dragonflies called green darners fly across North America. A green darner can travel as far as 900 miles on its two-inch wings, fluttering from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. They are some of the most abundant dragonflies on the continent  but few people notice this mass migration.

Unlike monarch butterflies and songbirds, whose long-distance migrations draw crowds, green darners are inconspicuous travellers. These dragonflies rarely migrate in huge swarms. Radiant up close  emerald green at the thorax, splashes of blue on the abdomen  a three-inch-long dragonfly becomes a speck at a hundred yards. Even dragonfly experts have had little luck observing this cross-continental journey. In one study, published in 2006, a research team in New Jersey glued tiny radio transmitters to 14 green darners; the scientists shadowed the insects by Cessna but could only follow them for about 80 miles from the scientists base in Princeton University.

Research, published this week in Current Biology, is the first to describe dragonfly migration in detail. The authors did not bother with tracking live insects. Instead, they extracted chemicals from dragonfly wings that link an animal to its birthplace. Using 850 wing samples, from museums and private collections in the United States, Canada, Mexico and five Caribbean countries, the scientists constructed 140 years of dragonfly migratory history.

Colin Studds, an animal ecologist at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and an author of this study, had tracked bird migration by chemical signature. This technique exploits a property of the element hydrogen. In nature, hydrogen comes in three forms, called isotopes, with different numbers of neutrons. The International Atomic Energy Agency began tracking hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in the 1950s while looking for nuclear contamination in rain. In the 1980s, biologists realized they could use this isotope data to their own ends.

Heavier forms of hydrogen concentrate more densely in the water in southern states, where warmer weather leads to more evaporation. Dragonflies, which live in ponds as wriggling larvae, absorb the native isotopes of hydrogen and incorporate them into their chitin. Thats the stuff that, when larvae grow into adults, makes up their wings.

The ratio of hydrogen isotopes revealed the approximate location of the dragonflies birth-ponds. Its not a super precise tracking system, Studds said, but its enough to tell if a dragonfly was born in Florida or Maryland or Maine. A dragonfly caught in northern latitudes might look like a local bug, but its wing isotopes reveal whether it is a migrant.

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A multi-generational scene emerged from this data. Weve got three generations, one north, one south and one thats only hanging out in Florida, Studds said.

In the early spring, the first generations exit the shelter of their southern ponds and fly north, an average of 400 miles on the wing. There they lay their eggs and die. The second generation hatches in the north and, by September, has flown south. There they lay eggs and die, too. Because the south is the most comfortable place for a dragonfly late in the year, the third generation wont migrate at all. They settle in for winter in Florida or the Caribbean. Life is good  until spring rolls around, when the cycle of eggs, death, birth repeats.

The new research is a really good bit, said Michael May, a dragonfly expert at Rutgers University who was not a member of this research team. We had a general idea of what was going on, he said, but until now there was no way to follow the course of the whole migration. (The Cessna approach, flown by one of Mays collaborators, cant cover enough territory.)

Dragonflies fly the routes that their great-grandparents, long-deceased, once did. They do so without any communication passed from older generations. So how do they know where and when to go? Studds could not say for sure, but he had a few ideas, considering the environmental cues that trigger bird migration.

Dragonflies are sensitive to temperature. Data from citizen scientists, who recorded the first adults of the season, suggest that green darners do not leave the safety of their ponds until temperatures reach 48 degrees. Perhaps theres another temperature signal for the animals to migrate. If so, climate warming could really disrupt the presence of this migration, Studds said. The insects might also migrate based on changes in the amount of daylight in a day.

May has seen a migrating swarm of green darners only once in his 40-plus-year career as an entomologist. On a barrier island in St. Augustine, Fla., the insects streamed over dunes and surf, as rapidly as 100 animals a minute. They came for three days, mostly in the morning, in a band a half-mile wide. He estimates 500,000 flew by.

They are pretty amazing creatures, May said. He paused. You could say that about any creature, he said, with just a touch less conviction.
OTTAWADavid Beasley was drawn to the tiny feet protruding from the blanket that a young mother was folding into a swaddle in the Sanaa hospital.

The head of the United Nations World Food Program was on his most recent trip to war-torn Yemen in mid-November, and as a father of four, Beasley couldnt resist giving the feet a tickle. He figured hed get a little smile or something from the child. But it was like tickling a ghost.

There was no smile, no reaction, no nothing, Beasley said in an interview in Ottawa earlier this month, where he briefed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

The suffering of children is the rule, not the exception in Yemen. Beasley said thats what drove him to deviate from the polite requests that leaders of his organization usually make to open up access for food and other relief supplies. He met with all sides in the four-year-old war that has essentially destroyed Yemens economy and pushed its already poor populace to starvation.

Beasley, 61, was one of many international actors pushing for a breakthrough at Hodeida  the strategic Red Sea port through which 70 per cent of the countrys food flows  and one month after his trip, their collective efforts paid off. The UN-sponsored peace talks in Sweden won a fragile ceasefire in Hodeida between the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi Arabian-led coalition.

Any steps that help bring peace in Yemen represent progress, because people have suffered there for far too long, said Beasley, whose reassuring southern intonation and wide, deeply etched smile can give way in a nanosecond to a steely-eyed stare. I had hard meetings, very difficult meetings, but we made progress.

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Beasley is a Republican politician from South Carolina, who once served as the states governor. He says a lifetime of lessons learned in Southern U.S. politics served him well in an ongoing effort to push Yemens belligerents into stanching the bloodshed that has killed tens of thousands, including countless children.

Beasley travelled to Hodeida last month, and held meetings with Houthis and government-backed forces. Hes also travelled throughout the region, winning support from Saudi Arabias key ally, the United Arab Emirates.

On his first trip to the region one year earlier, I was brutal on the Saudis because of the blockade and because of the lack of financial, humanitarian support.

Back then, he told the Houthis, Im not doing this because Im taking sides. Im doing it because its the right thing to do, and if you cross the line I will jump on your back just as hard.

On his return trip last month, Beasley concluded that the Houthis had indeed crossed a line. The Saudis and Emiratis gave political support to end the Hodeida blockade and they ponied up money. The Houthis werent holding up their end.

I told them very clearly that I was hard on the Saudis a year ago and it is my intention to let the world know that if children die because of lack of access  because of you  I will tell the world children are dying because of you, said Beasley.

The result was very positive.

Saudi Arabias murder of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October has raised the profile of Yemens suffering. While Khashoggis execution and dismemberment by a Saudi hit squad has drawn worldwide condemnation, many international observers noted the incongruity of the attention paid to Khashoggis death and the largely overlooked suffering of Yemeni children, who have borne the brunt of the Saudi-led bombing campaign.

The bombs continued fall on Wednesday in other parts of the country, despite the Hodeida ceasefire.

The U.S. Senate recently passed a bipartisan resolution that blames Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for Khashoggis killing and called for an end to U.S. support of Saudi Arabias military action in Yemen.

The WFP is preparing to scale up its efforts to supply food to 12 million of Yemens 30 million people. That means the WFPs monthly bill will grow from $100 million (U.S.) to $160 million (U.S.), said Beasley, who is also going around with his cap in hand looking for government and private sector donations.

Canada has committed $130 million to Yemens humanitarian relief efforts but made no new funding commitments on Beasleys latest trip to Ottawa.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada is very engaged in the peace talks, and she spoke last week with the UNs special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths.

If theres something Canada can do beyond the humanitarian assistance we are already providing, then were very, very keen to offer it. We are in active discussions with the UN on how Canada might be able to help, Freeland said in an interview.

Beasley said Canada remains a valuable partner because its foreign-policy focus on helping and girls and women will be crucial to any long-term strategy to rebuilding Yemen whenever the fighting does stop.

That cant come too soon for Yemens overburdened hospitals, Beasley said, recalling a conversation with one physician last month while he was treating a little girl and a boy.

I said, How many children like this come here every day? And he said, About 50. 

The doctor told Beasley the hospital only had the capacity to treat 20 a day. So Beasley asked him what they do about the other 30.

He said, We send them home to die. 

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We have made big strides on transit. Now lets make it permanent.

Canadians want to spend less time commuting and more time with their families. Our economy thrives when cities are built to attract new businesses and skilled workers. We all want to ease congestion  to boost productivity and reduce climate-changing pollution.

All these essential needs intersect at one point: better public transit.

You will be hearing a lot from Canadas mayors in the coming weeks about how the 2019 federal budget can better serve citizens at the local level. From common sense proposals about governments working together, to keeping Canadians safe from the effects of our changing climate, to following through on urgent housing commitments  many of these challenges are urgent.

But mayors know that transit is also a top priority for families and workers. We are the ones closest to the voters who ride the subways, buses, and trains that get them to work and back, or who are stuck in painfully long commutes every day.

Our cities are responsible for the efficient movement of close to one third of our nations population. All three of us were recently elected with a mandate to deliver better transit systems for the citizens we serve. Simply put, our nations appetite for more mass public transit is growing.

Unfortunately, the pressure to deliver on citizens transit needs is growing beyond both our cities current financial capacities and the lifespan of the ambitious Investing in Canada Plan. Federal funding in public transit is a good step forward, but it only covers a minor portion of annual public transit expenditures. Cities need to meet the portion required by federal programs, and the additional operating expenses related to those projects while maintaining our current assets and the expenses that come from regular growth.

The transit projects happening in our communities right now were years in the making. The next phase of projects will require similar years of planning. They require the certainty and stability of a municipal-federal commitment in order to begin with confidence.

That means acting now  not one or two federal election cycles from now.

To keep our growing cities and suburban communities moving, each of us is in the midst of planning the next generation of sustainable and efficient transit. All of these projects are about serving families, workers and our economy better.

In Montreal, that vision, developed in partnership with the metropolitan region actors, includes the Pink Line. Residents expect new solutions to the challenge of not only traffic congestion but also a saturated subway network system and congested bike paths, which is hurting the economy of a metropolitan area of more than 4 million people.

Recently, Montreal established a new municipal office and committee of experts to begin work on the Pink Line. Its a project that will not only improve Montreals economic potential and livability, but also ensure the city remains a leader in the battle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And though the Pink Line may seem like a faraway endeavour, the reality is that work is starting now.

In Vancouver, work is beginning on the Broadway Subway expansion, helping boost productivity in B.C.s second-largest employment centre while reducing congestion on the busiest bus route in all of Canada and the United States. Now, with renewed city leadership bringing the prospect of linking the expansion west to UBC and east all the way to Langley, the time is right for municipal and federal governments to think boldly and connect businesses, workers and students right across the Lower Mainland with transit infrastructure that works.

In Toronto, Canadas largest city and growing by the year, transit investment tops the list of urgent public debates day in and day out. The Relief Line subway will help the City of Toronto make huge strides in giving its residents a more reliable, comfortable, and efficient way to get in and out of the citys core. The Relief Line is just one part of the transit network plan that will rollout improved rapid transit across Toronto to help catch up to the citys rapid growth.

To do urban transit well, planning for the future phases needs to be enabled now.

We are asking our federal partners to help us build on the progress made through the Investing in Canada Plan through a permanent federal commitment to fund public transit growth across Canada.

There are big challenges on the horizon for Canadians and their local governments, as well as big opportunities. Now, not closer the tipping point, is the time to commit to building the backbone of Canadian cities that work for the long-term. We call upon Prime Minister Trudeau and Finance Minister Morneau to keep that in mind as Canadians look toward a new federal budget in 2019.

Valerie Plante is mayor of Montreal, John Tory is mayor of Toronto and Kennedy Stewart is mayor of Vancouver.

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The last federal election campaign was one of the longest in Canadian history. But if you thought the 78-day election of 2015 was a prolonged drama, wait until you see whats in store for next year.

Essentially, the political year of 2019 will be a three-act play.

Theres the official campaign, due to kick off in early to mid-September, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visits the Governor General and kicks off Canadas 43rd election, set for Oct. 21.

Then theres the newly established pre-election campaign, which is now a formal time period under election-reform legislation passed by MPs and senators just before they left for the Christmas break. This new pre-election period, which features rules of engagement and spending limits for all political participants, gets underway on June 30, meaning that politicians of all stripes will be electioneering in earnest on the usual summer barbecue circuit.

And then theres the unofficial, election-positioning period for 2019, which starts pretty much as soon as the New Years festivities are over. In other words, almost all of 2019  294 days, if you like  will be an election year in federal politics.

Long election campaigns can be brutal on political players but they can be good citizenship exercises. The 2015 campaign, for instance, resulted in a marked increase in voter turnout  a nearly 10-percentage-point increase over the 2011 turnout numbers, and much of it because of a surge in participation from young people and Indigenous Canadians.

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That lengthy campaign also featured some significant debates over policy and issues, such as whether Canadians thinking about deficits had evolved, or how open this country was to refugees and people wearing religious clothing. The fact that the campaign unfolded against a global backdrop of a Syrian refugee crisis, well remember, also introduced a rare foreign-policy component in a domestic election.

So what will Canadians get out of a nearly 300-day election campaign  unofficial, pre-election and official  in 2019?

Well, its entirely possible that there will be a serious debate or two over policy. Parties on both sides of the issue have said they will be delighted to fight a campaign over climate change and carbon pricing in Canada. As well, ongoing global developments, especially when it comes to migration and refugees, promise to keep those topics on the front burner of Canadian politics.

But it would be a mistake to assume that Canadians are in the same mood about foreign policy in 2019 as they were in 2015. Canada-U.S. relations have radically transformed, for instance. Donald Trump was not even a serious presidential contender when Canada last went to the polls; now President Trump is a dominant influence in Canadian politics.

Many of the political developments in Trumps America have been bleeding over into Canada since he went into the White House, too  and thats bound to continue while this country moves into election gear.

In 2019, it may not be foreign policy but foreign interference that elbows its way into our electoral politics. Several warnings have already been sounded from security and other officials.

None other than Karina Gould, Canadas own minister of democratic institutions, has said that it is virtually impossible to thwart foreign interference in elections, even though her governments new election legislation takes some steps in that direction.

Based on our research  on global elections, foreign players could use social media platforms to influence the voting of Canadians, Gould testified before the Senate in November.

Gould was highlighting another big difference well be seeing between the 2019 election and the last one. Four years ago, social-media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter were seen largely as a force for good in Canadian politics: a way to boost participation and voter interest. Now, in the shadow of controversy over the data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica and its role in Trumps 2016 campaign, enthusiasm for Big Data is more muted. All the parties still need the high-tech tools of micro-targeting and databases, but they wont be boasting about their mastery of that universe as they once did.

As for Twitter, Trump has helped turned that medium into dangerous, unpredictable terrain for politics in 2019. If the Canadian federal election of 2019 is going to turn ridiculous, Twitter will no doubt be ground zero.

In three other ways, the next year in politics will also see some departure points from past campaigns. If were still thinking in sets of three for the next year in politics, you could call them the three Ps: populism, personality and the provinces.

The inevitable populism element of Election 2019 is also an offshoot of the Trump effect on Canadian politics, even though populist anger is also emerging as a major force in elections all over the world. All Canadian parties know that there are pockets of populist discontent all over the country, especially in areas hit hard by economic decline  in oil-price-ravaged Alberta, for instance, or in Oshawa, where General Motors is pulling out of town.

Populism tends to rear its head in election campaigns as protest votes against governments in power, so itll be worth watching how the 2019 budget is framed. It will likely be unveiled in late February or March.

Trudeaus government pitched the fall economic statement in late 2018 as a pitch to business  the budget is expected to talk more to individual Canadians, especially the beleaguered middle class. In 2015, all everyone wanted to talk about was the middle class. Dont expect that to change in 2019.

Personality is always a big factor in elections, but its already looking like 2019 will have an especially personal edge, particularly between the Conservatives and Liberals, but also for the untested New Democratic Party leader, Jagmeet Singh. He may get an early opportunity to practise some campaign moves in 2019 if the prime minister, as expected, calls a byelection in Burnaby South early in the new year.

For a sneak preview of how personal things will get on this score in 2019, one needed only to have been watching question period on the last Wednesday before the Commons rose for the holiday break.

Wednesdays in the chamber are always raucous  the parties hold spirited caucus meetings in the morning, and the partisanship tends to spill over into Commons proceedings in the afternoon. But this final Wednesday of the 2018 sitting calendar looked a lot like a grudge match between Trudeau and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, who were doing all the questioning and answering for their sides that day.

Scheer used the occasion to paint Trudeau as an out-of-touch elite, who has no connection with the middle class he claims to champion.

The prime minister has often boasted about inheriting a great family fortune, Scheer said. He has never had to worry about the cost of living, so it is no wonder that he does not worry when his policies drive up the cost for Canadians. His tax on gas, on home heating and on groceries will hurt seniors, suburban moms and small businesses.

Trudeau, meanwhile, repeatedly cast Scheer as another version of past prime minister Stephen Harper, obviously in the belief that the anti-Harper sentiment that worked for the Liberals in 2015 will work in 2019, too.

I look forward to going against what seems to be the Harper Conservative platform once again, Trudeau said. Conservatives, like Stephen Harper and Doug Ford, and the current leader are so ideologically against any environmental protection.

That reference to Ford is noteworthy  its looking like provinces will have a larger-than-usual role in Election 2019 too. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has already declared that he will be working to defeat Trudeau in the next federal election and it seems the prime minister is happy for now to cast Ford as Scheers ally.

While its not unusual for the governments at Queens Park and Ottawa to be ideologically opposed, this open antagonism could make things very volatile in 2019. Ford is already lining up with other provincial politicians who arent all that friendly with Trudeaus Liberals either: Saskatchewans Scott Moe and Albertas United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney (who might be premier by the time the federal election rolls around).

One feature of the last campaign will most likely make a return appearance in the next federal election  unpredictability. When that long campaign started in August of 2015, many were predicting the death of the Liberal party and the real possibility of then NDP leader Tom Mulcair as the next prime minister.

We know now how that turned out. So as Canadian politics moves into the three-act election play in 2019, its probably wise to avoid those who claim to have spoiler alerts. Long shows can have unpredictable endings.

Susan Delacourt is the Stars Ottawa bureau chief and a columnist covering national politics. Reach her via email: sdelacourt@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @susandelacourt

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OTTAWAA Canadian air force surveillance aircraft flying near North Korea to police international sanctions was harassed on multiple occasions by Chinese aircraft in a provocative show of force, Canadas top commander says.

The incidents occurred in international airspace over the East China Sea and near the Korean Peninsula. They are part of a pattern of intimidation by China and mark a change in tone by Beijing, Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of defence staff, told the Star.

The incidents involved a Royal Canadian Air Force CP-140 Aurora aircraft that was deployed last October to help track maritime shipping to identify vessels that might be evading United Nations sanctions on North Korea, notably through ship-to-ship transfers of goods.

According to Canadas military, the interactions were, at times, inappropriate and consisted of Chinese military aircraft flying too close, using improper radio procedures and inappropriate language.

Vance said it was a puzzling show of force against a Canadian aircraft that was helping to enforce internationally adopted sanctions against the North Korean regime.

It was unprofessional and appeared to try to assert authority where really it wasnt their place do so, Vance told the Star Thursday in a year-end interview.

They know why were there; were there to look at the enforcement of economic sanctions on North Korea and (were) looking for the illegal transfer of oil, with our aircraft, Vance said.

They may be interested in us not looking too closely, he said.

In 12 missions, the CP-140 had a total of 18 interactions with Chinese Air Force aircraft while operating in international air space, the Department of National Defence said in a later statement to the Star.

Those missions, between Oct. 3 and Oct. 30, lasted upwards of 10 hours each. During seven of them, the Canadian air crew reported multiple interactions with the Chinese Air Force. On one other mission, the air force had a single interaction with the Chinese.

We were never in danger, but its an indicator . Its just irregular and its emblematic of a slight change in tone, but nonetheless, its a change, Vance said.

This is flexing your muscles. You dont do that between friends. You dont do that between good trading partners, he said.

The aerial incidents happened against a backdrop of broader concerns about Chinas military ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.

Through a number of actions, China has tipped into intimidation, Vance said.

He cited a number of actions by Beijing: its build-up of islands in the South China Sea, where the Chinese have installed military facilities, and its use of both economic levers and cyber attacks. On Thursday, Canadas Communications Security Establishment said that China was likely behind the hacking of corporate computer systems dating back to 2016.

Canadas military is looking to be consistently present in the Pacific region, through sailings by navy vessels, deployment of aircraft and military liaison officers based in Japan and South Korea, Vance said.

The naval deployments  two Royal Canadian Navy frigates sailed on visits to the region this year  are part of a deliberate strategy to affirm the right to operate in international waters as defined by international conventions, Vance said.

Its ensuring that we can still exercise the rights of navigation that we will abide by: the UN convention on the law of the sea, he said.

We would want China to abide by the international rules-based order, not be provocative and not resort to the use or threat of use of military force, he said.

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OTTAWAThe nine line sent the Canadian military team in Mali into action.

A United Nations supply convoy in northern Mali had hit an improvised explosive device (IED) and that emergency call for a medical evacuation was relayed to Canadians on standby at an airbase in Gao, Mali.

Its just nine items you get that tell you the location of a medevac, the type of injuries, the nationality. We received a nine line that day, said Col. Chris McKenna, who heads Canadas Mali mission, known as Operation Presence.

The crews on standby that day are recalled. We have a really set pattern of what everyone has to do for the launch, he told the Star in an interview Thursday.

Within about 30 minutes of the call, the aircraft  a hulking twin-rotor Chinook and two smaller Griffons that serve as armed escorts  arrived at the scene, about 100 kilometres north of Gao. The Griffons circled the area, checking for possible threats before the Chinook touched down.

The Chinook will land, the force protection team sets a cordon, medevac medical team rushes out, grabs the patient, conducts a quick handover, pulls patient back inside and they start working on them, McKenna said.

This incident had left two UN civilian contractors badly injured. It was a terrible IED incident, McKenna said.

The interventions that we had in the back of that Chinook, I would characterize them as critical to preserve life, he said. They both had massive lower limb injuries and head injuries.

The medical team carries six units of blood and in this incident, McKenna believes that played a part in saving the two men.

We stabilized both patients. One of them was resuscitated a number of times, McKenna said, adding that the two men were brought to the UN hospital at the airfield.

They did survive.

That Nov. 1 mission was the most serious of the five medical evacuations involving a total of six patients done by the Canadians since they began operations in Mali in mid-August. They are there with the United Nations mission that is in the country to quell the violence blamed on Islamic State fighters and rival ethnic forces.

Based in Gao, three CH-47F Chinook transport helicopters and five CH-146 Griffon helicopters supported by some 250 personnel are on standby around-the-clock to provide medical evacuation for members of the United Nations mission and civilians who are wounded or injured.

But thats not their only role. The helicopters have also been moving troops, UN civilian personnel and equipment around the region, a critical role when the risk of improvised explosives has made going by road treacherous.

A Hercules transport aircraft based in Dakar, Senegal provides logistical support, flying personnel and equipment onwards to the base in Gao.

Mali is the deadliest of the UN operations underway. By the end of November, a total 106 soldiers have been killed through malicious acts. Another 64 have died due to accidents and illness.

A report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in September said the security situation had deteriorated significantly with attacks on Malian and international forces along with increases in kidnappings, targeted assassinations and allegations of sexual and gender-based violence.

Attacks on Malian defence and security forces killed 19 soldiers and injured 24. The quarterly report also saw the highest number of civilian casualties since the start of the UN mission, with 287 civilians killed, including 14 women and 10 children. Another 38 were injured and 67 abducted.

The Chinooks and the Griffons are heavily armed but McKenna said that the Canadians have not yet had to fire their weapons in self-defence, likely because they present a daunting target.

I would characterize us as a relatively hard target. We are very well armed and we present difficult package to engage, he said. I dont have major concerns about the safety of my crews because were armed and trained and equipped.

A drought and worsening security situation has made life perilous for many in the country. The report said that 5.2 million people were in need of aid and protection, up from 3.8 million people in 2017.

While needs continue to increase, humanitarian funding has decreased, preventing a timely, at-scale and appropriate response, Guterres wrote in the report.

Lt.-Gen. Dennis Gyllensporre of Sweden has taken over as force commander of the UN mission. His updated campaign plan for the next 18 to 24 months could see the focus of the UN peace support efforts shift to the central part of the country, a change that could influence where the Canadians operate.

Theres been an uptick of violence in that area (and) not a lot of UN forces available in that area to react, McKenna said.

This is a very difficult place for anyone ... ultimately, this is not a military end state. It has to be a political solution that military forces enable, McKenna said.

The yearlong Mali mission was announced in March as part of the Liberals election pledge to bolster Canadas involvement in UN peace operations. Another part of that commitment, detailed at a peacekeeping summit more than a year ago, is expected to roll out next year when Canada deploys a Hercules aircraft to Entebbe to assist with transport.

Two other key initiatives remain in the works  a quick-response force (QRF) of up to 200 personnel deployed and training and leadership support to one or two as-yet-unidentified countries that want to boost the number of women they deploy on UN peacekeeping missions.

The QRF, were working hard to find the best spot for it and where a Canadian-quality QRF would go, Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of defence, told the Star in a year-end interview.

Two spots in Africa and one in the Middle East are under consideration, he said.

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A grant for special programs that provided after-school jobs for at-risk youth became somewhat of a slush fund when the Liberals were in power, Education Minister Lisa Thompson said as opposition parties continued to hammer the government for an unexpected $25-million cutback.

Asked about Focus on Youth  which began more than a decade ago in response to the shooting death of Toronto Grade 9 student Jordan Manners inside his high school  Thompson said unfortunately, under the Liberal watch that education program and other baskets became somewhat of a slush fund for pet Liberal projects.

She told the legislature that the PC government is going to get it right  We are remembering how important it is to keep a safe and effective learning environment in the classroom. We are continuing to support priority urban schools. We are doing everything we can to make sure that both students and teachers feel safe in the environment in terms of a safe classroom.

But Liberal MPP Michael Coteau  who was a Toronto public school board trustee when Focus on Youth was created  said the shooting was a tragic event (that) brought attention to an issue that for too long had gone unaddressed, namely, the lack of school supports and programs in our schools that were targeting low-income, marginalized and racialized youth.

He said the education ministry worked with the Toronto board to put in programs for those youth. We put in place a series of programs to help students get on the right track, including Focus on Youth and after-school programs  does the minister understand that these programs that shes proposing to cut are going to have a negative effect on young people here in our city?

Late last week, the government emailed school boards across the province with the news that $25 million would be cut from EPO grants  other education programs  mid-year. The money had been pledged by the previous Liberal government last March, and some boards had already spent funds.

EPO funding for this year is now $400 million. The government has cut programs such as after-school jobs for at-risk teens under Focus on Youth, although the summer jobs program remains.

The government also axed a tutoring program that hired teens and university students to help struggling elementary schoolchildren.

The Toronto Catholic board alone has estimated a loss of $655,000 in grants and says it has to lay off 95 students.

NDP Education Critic Marit Stiles said the lost programs not only support disadvantaged students across Ontario but also provide vital work experience for so many and criticized the minister for calling them redundant.

Thompson said as the government went through the education budget line by line, we saw a lot of ways that the former Liberal government was sliding through the EPO funding basket  I feel very good that we were thoughtful, we were responsible and were moving forward with programs that are going to reflect a safe and effective learning environment.

Coteau is asking the government to reconsider the cuts.

In certain communities it is really hard for these young people to find jobs, and for (Premier) Doug Ford and the Conservatives to take that away from young people, its really a sad day in Ontario, he said.

Thompson has said that boards concerned about the loss of money to hire students can fund the jobs from other areas of their budget.

But Stiles wondered where that money would come from, given boards tight budgets.

School boards have said they were blindsided by the grant cutbacks, which saw some programs outright cancelled and others scaled back. Among the programs affected is one for Indigenous student projects, support for teachers providing daily physical activity for students and a SpeakUp grant for students to run innovative programming in their school.

Catholic board Chair Maria Rizzo has said Thompson is costing 95 kids at the TCDSB their jobs, and shes costing kids in the classroom extra help in reading and math and doing extra work at school.
VANCOUVERThe recent arrests of a trio of Canadians in China are part of a trend in recent decades, according to Global Affairs Canada, adding to the current total of around 200 Canadian citizens behind bars in the country.

Of the many dozens of cases, only a few get strong or lasting attention. When Christian aid workers Julia and Kevin Garratt were arrested by Chinese officials in 2014 and accused of spying, their plight sparked widespread international outcry.

But the friends and family of many other detained Canadians have struggled and failed to put their names in the spotlight.

International treaties and protocols can make it extremely tricky for Ottawa to intervene effectively on behalf of many of these individuals, said Guy Saint-Jacques, former Canadian ambassador to China from 2012 to 2016. He said an enormous portion of his time was devoted to trying to help incarcerated Canadians.

Some were Canadians of Chinese origin who entered China using Chinese documentation. Under the Vienna Convention, Beijing can deny consular access or visitation rights in these situations.

In other cases, Canadian officials have been confronted with a vast gulf between Chinese and Canadian judicial standards, leaving communities mystified and families desperate for answers as their loved ones remain out of contact.

Read more:

Third Canadian citizen detained in China, government says

Hundreds of Canadians held by China raises the stakes for Trudeaus government

Huawei reps lobbied Ottawas security committee in bid to tell companys story

Governments need to step up their warnings to citizens travelling to China, said Sophie Richardson, China director of Human Rights Watch.

I think they have to admit that if their citizens are detained in China, there are more circumstances in which it appears that there is little those governments might be able to do to ensure peoples release. And thats a pretty frightening reality, Richardson told StarMetro.

Following the high-profile arrest of Huawei Technologies executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver, Canadians Michael Kovrig, Michael Spavor and Sarah McIver were detained in a move widely condemned as political retaliation by rights groups.

But even in the majority of cases, where political retaliation isnt in question, Saint-Jacques said, China needs to improve its justice system dramatically before Canada can have absolute faith in its outcomes.

In the Chinese system, they can detain you and go through an interrogation phase, and its at the end of that that they decide whether they will formally arrest you and formally charge you, he said.

99.9 per cent of the time, youre found guilty.

Here are just a few worrying cases regarding Canadians and those with strong Canadian ties:

Huseyin Celil

Celil was visiting his wifes family in Uzbekistan in 2006. He had entered the country on a Canadian passport but was arrested by local police and sent to China at the request of Chinese authorities.

Celil, a practicing Uyghur Muslim from the Xinjiang province of China, had been jailed in China in the mid-1990s for broadcasting a call to prayer through a megaphone. He entered Canada in 2001 to seek asylum and obtained his citizenship four years later.

Chinese officials denied Canada consular access to Celil, telling Ottawa he had been travelling on his Chinese papers. Saint-Jacques calls this claim preposterous.

Not only does Chinese law clearly state obtaining foreign citizenship automatically annuls Chinese citizenship, we know that he was travelling with his Canadian passport, he told StarMetro.

According to Celils former lawyer, Christopher MacLeod, it is still unclear what, exactly, Celil was charged with. There was talk of both terrorism charges and charges of being a separatist, he said. But because neither he nor anyone else was ever permitted to visit Celil  or even enter the courtroom during his trial  his situation remains obscured.

In fact, he said, the opacity of Celils situation has meant MacLeod acts less as a lawyer for Celil than as a guide to help his family keep his story front and centre in the Canadian political sphere.

Hes been forgotten, MacLeod said.

Celils original sentence  death  was eventually commuted in 2016 to 20 years further imprisonment.

Sun Qian

Sun Qian, a Chinese-born Canadian citizen and Falun Gong practitioner, was arrested in Beijing in early 2017 for allegedly using heretical religious organizations to disrupt the implementation of law, according to a 2018 open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from a group of attorneys. The charge, according to the letter, is a common accusation levelled unjustly against practitioners of Falun Gong in China.

According to The Globe and Mail, lawyers connected to Sun have been variously told to drop the case by their law firms or by Chinese authorities, visited in their homes by police, ordered not to speak to media about Sun or had their legal licences cancelled.

The attorneys letter further states that Suns charges and detention do not reflect a legal system concerned with regular procedure and just outcomes but rather reveal a judiciary bent to support an authoritarian party using whatever means to consolidate their ruling against the perceived threat of a religious minority.

Wang Bingzhang

In 1979, Wang was one of the first Chinese people to study medicine abroad at a Canadian university. He completed his doctorate in pathology at McGill in 1982 but soon put aside his medical career to focus on promoting political reform in his home country.

His daughter, Ti-Anna Wang, remembers seeing little of her father when she was growing up in Montreal because he frequently visited China. He was banned from entering the country around 1983 but continued to go to Asia for advocacy work.

While his wife and four children all obtained Canadian citizenship, Wang refused to do so because he felt it would be hypocritical to turn his back on China.

He co-founded two opposition parties, the Chinese Freedom Democracy Party and Chinese Democracy Justice Party in 1989 and 1998  which raised the ire of Chinese authorities. In 2002, during a visit to Vietnam, Chinese agents abducted Wang and forcibly brought him to China, according to various international rights groups including Amnesty International.

Fifteen years later, Wang continues to serve a life sentence for espionage and terrorism. Ti-Anna says he has remained in solitary confinement and wardens have told the family this is because he is the only political prisoner in their facility.

She credits international attention for the medical care her father has received for his severe asthma and for several strokes he has suffered, but she worries his mental health is failing after being isolated for so long.

I think a big fear of my fathers is that his life was wasted, and we feel like bringing awareness to his work makes sure his sacrifice wasnt in vain, she told StarMetro.

John Chang and Allison Lu

The owners of Lulu Island Winery in Richmond, B.C. were arrested while on a business trip in Shanghai in March 2016, accused of under-reporting the value of imported ice wine.

Taiwan-born Chang immigrated to Canada in 1995 and began making wine in 2007. He has remained in a Chinese detention facility since the arrest, while Lu, his wife, was released earlier this year on condition that she does not leave China. Her Canadian passport has been confiscated. The current status of legal proceedings in Shanghai is unclear.

Their daughter, 25-year-old Amy Chang, is now running the family business in her parents absence. The winery has appealed to the Canadian government and argued this is a matter of national interest because a lengthy detention on allegations is a violation of Chinas international trade obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland has expressed deep concern about the couples situation.

Xiao Jianhua

Xiao Jianhua, a Chinese-born Canadian billionaire connected to some of the countrys most powerful families, was spirited out from his Hong Kong hotel apartment in a wheelchair by Chinese police in January 2017.

His removal from semi-independent Hong Kong appeared to contravene the one country, two systems rule that allows the former British colony to run its own affairs, sparking fears of an erosion of Hong Kongs autonomy by Beijing. Mainland law-enforcement agencies are prohibited from operating in Hong Kong.

Xiao underwent a pretrial meeting in Shanghai earlier this fall and is expected to be charged with bribery and stock price manipulation, according to media reports. Saint-Jacques said Ottawa has lobbied China on behalf of Xiao but to little avail.

Read more about:
Breakthrough: Immunotherapy and the Race to Cure Cancer

By Charles Graeber

Twelve. 320 pp. $28

---

They sure don't do human studies like they used to. After a young physician at New York Hospital named William Coley lost a patient to cancer in 1890, he began combing through hospital records for clues about who had survived the usually fatal disease. Reading one case, Coley noted that the patient's seemingly miraculous cure followed a raging strep infection that appeared to melt away the man's head-and-neck sarcoma.

Intrigued, Coley got a chance to test his hunch (no ethics board's approval or patient's informed consent required!) the following year, with a man suffering from a neck tumor and given only weeks to live. Coley "basically winged it," journalist Charles Graeber tells us in "The Breakthrough: Immunotherapy and the Race to Cure Cancer." The good doctor injected the patient first with a little bacteria and then with a lot, at one site on his body and then another, and finally with bacterial toxins collected from a corpse ("the good stuff, potent and fresh," Graeber reports) and shot right into the ghastly tumor.

After suffering near-lethal fevers, the patient rallied. His tumor seemed to break down before Coley's eyes. Although infection-causing injections killed two of Coley's next 12 patients, the doctor was convinced: If the immune system can be unleashed, it will kill tumors.

Coley was 100 years ahead of science's understanding of the immune system. He was dismissed as a charlatan, and once he started bottling and peddling his cancer-fighting toxins, he was also called a snake oil salesman. Generations of oncologists and cancer biologists either heard nothing about Coley's observations or lumped them together with cancer quackery. Immunology became a vaguely disreputable backwater in cancer research. Stalwarts like Steven Rosenberg kept it alive, but they seemed to epitomize the cycle of soaring hopes and dashed dreams: interferon, interleukin-2 and other immune-boosting drugs came - were fleetingly heralded - and mostly went.

It took an immunologist, not a cancer biologist, to crack the code. James Allison realized it wasn't that the immune system needed boosting. Instead, molecules on tumor cells that thwarted the immune system needed to be disabled. Allison figured out how to disable those molecular brakes, or checkpoints, and allow the immune system to rip: His discovery led to the first approved "checkpoint inhibitor" cancer drug, in 2011, and won him a share of the 2018 Nobel Prize in medicine.

If you read about cancer discoveries in the media and have a good memory, you are likely to react to the title of Graeber's book with a lot of eye rolling and maybe some understandable anger. Despite decades of cancer "breakthroughs" - potent chemotherapies and molecularly targeted drugs - roughly 600,000 people in the United States die of cancer every year.

But Graeber makes a persuasive case that cancer immunotherapy has earned the b-word. With checkpoint inhibitors like Allison's, which target the molecular brake called CTLA-4, followed by inhibitors of brakes called PD-1 and PD-L1 and then genetically engineered T cells called CAR-Ts, once-hopeless cancer patients are actually achieving something physicians have been loath to utter: a cure.

"Breakthrough" is full of gripping stories of white-knuckle experiments, of mice that lived, of pioneers who had to wrangle fellow scientists into investigating the interaction of the immune system and cancer. These determined few valiantly fought a cancer hierarchy that viewed the whole thing as a dead end. Gatekeepers at prestigious science journals rejected research papers in the stubborn belief that the immune system can't attack cancer - data be damned. Eventually, the data could not be denied.

Graeber deserves credit for telling stories of both the successes and the failures of immunotherapy. On the one hand there's the saga of Jeff Schwartz, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer in 2011. After surgery and chemotherapy, Schwartz's doctors gave him six months; he suspected they bailed on him because they had "nothing left to bill for." Schwartz's white-cell count and other lab values were so terrible, the doctor running a clinical trial feared that Schwartz would die on him and make the experimental immunotherapy drug look bad. He squeaked into the study anyway - and today is cancer-free. On the other hand there's Brad Jasper, who was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma in 2001. Jasper entered a clinical trial for Allison's CTLA-4 inhibitor ipilimumab in 2004, went into remission for several years but died in 2014.

"Ipi," the field's first success and one rightly applauded for turning an almost-always fatal cancer into a survivable one, seems to cure only one-fifth of patients. The PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors, including one that has helped former president Jimmy Carter survive the melanoma that spread to his brain, also work for only a minority of patients. Researchers hope that combining the immunotherapy drugs with each other or with chemotherapy or radiation might increase that fraction; some 1,500 clinical trials are testing such combinations.

Graeber meets the goal of every writer: to leave the reader wanting more rather than less. There are very few places in this brisk account where you slog through more biochemistry than you ever wanted to see in several lifetimes. But he sometimes overshoots. The PD-1/PD-L1 story goes by too quickly, especially when it's introduced by the tantalizing mention that the main players are "currently wrapped up in lawsuits." It would have been fascinating to read more on who did what when, rather than getting the limp cop-out that credit "will be decided by history."

As it happens, after Tasuku Honjo of Japan was awarded half of this year's Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for his discovery of the gene for the PD-1 receptor, two other scientists who made key PD-1 and PD-L1 discoveries went on the record grousing about the award, an almost unheard-of breach of scientific comity. Graeber spoke to at least one of those who was passed over but pulls his punches on the question of whether Honjo got more credit than he deserved.

This chapter of the cancer immunology story still needs writing, as do other tales of the research and the scrambling - and catch-up-playing - of multiple drug companies. For now, Graeber has given us a riveting account of science that truly deserves an accolade that has been all too frequently awarded, but almost never actually achieved, in cancer research: Unleashing the immune system on tumors is indeed a breakthrough.

---

Begley is the senior science writer at STAT. Her most recent book is "Can't. Just. Stop.: An Investigation of Compulsions."
Did you know that the most famous dueling site in America was Bloody Island, located in the Mississippi River between St. Louis and East St. Louis? Four men were killed there in duels covering a period between 1817 and 1842. The last duel was to be fought between James Shields and Abe Lincoln, who was a Whig. Lincoln had written a letter highly critical of Shields, a Democrat, that was published in the Springfield, Illinois newspaper, the Sangamo Journal. Shields was outraged  enough to challenge Lincoln to a duel. According to code duello, the person challenged was allowed to choose the weapons. Lincoln picked cavalry sabers, which would give him the edge, having the strength and height advantage. As Lincoln prepared for the duel, he reached up and lopped off a tree branch to intimidate Shields. Friends acting as seconds implored the two men to call off the duel and cooler heads finally prevailed. Some historians dispute the Bloody Island site and think preparations for the duel took place on an island in the Mississippi near West Alton, Missouri.

Shields later served Lincoln in the Civil War, and at the Battle of Kernstown, his troops inflicted the only tactical defeat of Stonewall Jackson. Shields, who also fought in the Mexican War and was a U.S. Senator from Illinois, represents our state in Statuary Hall in the nations capital. Each state is allowed two statues. Our other statue is that of Frances Willard, president of the Womens Christian Temperance Union  WCTU in Evanston. She was the first woman to be so honored by a state.
Illinois school children are in more danger than their counterparts in nearly every other state because of unsafe driving near schools, according to analysis of data by a fleet tracking company.

You likely dont own a Zendrive app but its possible that you do have an app that uses the companys software. The software can track things such as speeding, phone use while driving, sudden stops and aggressive acceleration.

The company collected data from any software-enabled phone that drove within a quarter-mile of a school in April.

In a report grading 95 percent of the nations schools, Illinois was given an F grade. Eleven counties in Illinois got a failing grade. Cook County was the worst, followed by Morgan County.

Zendrive has the largest and richest data set of driver and driver behavior in the world, allowing us to do nationwide studies like this because we have enough data to give us geographic coverage and enough data to show whats going on, Zendrive policy director Noah Budnick said. Its a problem from a parents perspective but its also a public health problem.

Some schools near interstates had poor marks, but Budnick said highway speeds werent enough to skew the results.

Because the report used data from April, snow and ice werent factors.

Safe driving is even more important when the roads may be icy and slicker, Budnick said. Most of the school year, when it gets darker earlier, we should drive more safely.

Students in Hardin County in southern Illinois were in the least danger from bad driver behavior nearby. Budnick said the most distracted driving accidents happen early in a trip so drivers should get their phone use done before putting the car in drive.

The best grades in Morgan County went to drivers around Triopia and Meredosia-Chambersburg schools.

Washington Elementary was at the lowest spot in the district, with Zendrive data rating its drivers as F for aggressive acceleration and hard braking, D-plus for phone use and A-plus for speeding.

The best general-enrollment schools in the region, and their overall letter grades:

Brown County  St. Mary Elementary, A-minus.

Cass County  A-C Central High School, A.

Greene County  Greenfield Elementary, A-plus.

Jersey County  Grafton Elementary, A-minus.

Pike County  Pikeland Community School, A-minus.

Scott County  Winchester Elementary, B-plus.
PITTSFIELD  An Illinois State Police troopers suspicions about two Colorado residents he stopped to help were later confirmed by an arrest on drug charges as they shopped in Pittsfield.

The trooper first met the two when he stopped for a motorist assist on County Highway 3 at Justice Drive in Pike County. According to a state police report, the trooper became suspicious they were involved in criminal activity. He saw their rental car a short time later parked on the square in Pittsfield about 10 a.m. Friday and had a canine do a free air sniff, which alerted to the odor of narcotics, according to the report.
Touched by the compassion of the nurses who tended to her...
With the Narendra Modi government empowering 10 Central agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt all the data contained in any computer system in the country, the worst of Orwellian nightmares has come true for Indian citizens.

The order, passed late on Thursday night by the 'cyber and information security' division of the Union Home ministry under the authority of Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, allows these Central probe and snoop agenciesincluding the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), Directorate of Signal Intelligence (in service areas of J-K, North East and Assam) and Delhi Policeto access any details on computers and digital gadgets of anyone residing in India.

The move has invited criticism from various quarters, including digital freedom activists and political parties, all hitting out against the Modi government for using legislation to snoop on its own citizens. The agencies have been empowered under the Information Technology Act for computer interception and analysis. The Central agencies have been authorised "for the purpose of interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource under the said Act (section 69 of the IT Act, 2000)", the order states. Section 69 of the IT Act deals with the "power to issue directions for interception or monitoring or decryption of any information through any computer resource".

New Delhi-based digital rights organisation Internet Freedom Foundation said that the order by the Ministry of Home Affairs goes beyond tapping of phones. It challenged the order based on the Supreme Court's judgements regarding right to privacy in 2017 and Aadhaar this year.

"These rules (Information Technology (Procedure and safeguard for Monitoring and Collecting Traffic Data or Information) Rules, 2009) predate the 2017 Puttaswamy Right to Privacy judgement, which increases safeguards. Also thresholds for privacy invasion...The recognition of this is in the 2018 Aadhaar judgement, which NOW requires judicial oversight," Internet Freedom Foundation stated on Thursday.

4) PUCL standards + interception rules predate Privacy Judgement. We have much stricter standard which now requires fresh safeguards.



5) This is evident in the Aadhaar judgement in which J. Sikri requires judicial oversight to information sharing requests for Aadhaar data.  Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) (@internetfreedom) December 21, 2018

Meanwhile, the opposition parties came out in unison against the Modi government's move. "From Modi Sarkar to Stalker Sarkar, clearly the string of losses has left the BJP govt (sic) desperate for information," the Congress tweeted on Friday.

From Modi Sarkar to Stalker Sarkar, clearly the string of losses has left the BJP govt. desperate for information. https://t.co/1Q004d66bu  Congress (@INCIndia) December 21, 2018

Taking a similar stand, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala wondered if the new snooping rule was the result of the BJP losing in the recently declared assembly election results. "Modi Govt mocks & flouts Fundamental Right to Privacy with brazen impunity! Having lost elections,now Modi Govt wants to scan/snoop YOUR computers? Big Brother Syndrome is truly embedded in NDAs DNA!," tweeted Surjewala.

 ,  !



Modi Govt mocks & flouts Fundamental Right to Privacy with brazen impunity!



Having lost elections,now Modi Govt wants to scan/snoop YOUR computers?



Big Brother Syndrome is truly embedded in NDAs DNA!



  =    ! pic.twitter.com/qCe1IocgY8  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 21, 2018

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, too, did not hide her anger. "If it is for National Security, then only for that purpose Central Government already has the machinery... Blanket surveillance is bad in law," she said.

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said, "Why is every Indian being treated like a criminal? This order by a govt wanting to snoop on every citizen is unconstitutional and in breach of the telephone tapping guidelines, the Privacy Judgement and the Aadhaar judgement."

"It is extremely worrisome that an elected government tries again and again to snoop on its own people. What is Modi government trying to make as new India- a surveillance state?" wondered newly elected Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

It is extremely worrisome that an elected government tries again and again to snoop on its own people. What is Modi government trying to make as new India- a surveillance state? https://t.co/MVQaFBmD3J  Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) December 21, 2018

President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen Asaduddin Owaisi utilised the opportunity to mock at the BJP's 'ghar ghar Modi campaign.

Modi has used a simple Government Order to permit our national agencies to snoop on our communications.



Who knew that this is what they meant when they said ghar ghar Modi.



George Orwells Big Brother is here & welcome to 1984. pic.twitter.com/DrjQkdkBKh  Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) December 20, 2018

According to an earlier order, the Union home secretary is also empowered to authorise or sanction the intelligence and security agencies for undertaking tapping and analysis of phone calls under the provisions of the Indian Telegraph Act.

(With PTI inputs)
One may say that Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was the giant killer in the recently concluded assembly elections. The Congress led by him unseated the 15-year-old Raman Singh government in Chhattisgarh in a landslide victory, in what came as a surprise even for the winning party.

Undoubtedly, it was the huge victoryCongress won 68 of the 90 seats in Chhattisgarhthat made a strong case for Baghel's chief minister's crown. However, going into the polls, Baghel's image had suffered a huge setback, courtesy the "sex CD" episode last year. It was no secret that the Congress's central leadership was reluctant to consider Baghel's candidature for chief ministership in the state after the "sex CD" scandal became murkier in Chhattisgarh politics, damaging the party's image in a crucial year.

And now, senior journalist Vinod Verma, whose name had cropped in the "sex CD" episode, was on Thursday appointed political adviser to Chhattisgarh CM Baghel. The General Administration Department (GAD) appointed four advisers to the chief minister, an official statement said.

While Verma was appointed political advisor to Baghel, another journalist Ruchir Garg, who quit as an editor of a Hindi daily and joined the Congress ahead of the just concluded assembly polls, was named media advisor to the Congress chief minister.

Besides, Pradip Sharma was appointed planning, policy, agriculture and rural development advisor and Rajesh Tiwari parliamentary advisor to Baghel, the statement said.

Sex CD scandal

Verma, a close confident of Baghel, was arrested from Ghaziabad in October 2017 by the Raipur police after a case of blackmailing and extortion was registered at the Pandri Police Station on a complaint by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Prakash Bajaj.

Bajaj had alleged that he was "being harassed over phone by an unidentified caller", who told him he had a CD of his "aaka" (master).

The police had claimed to have recovered 500 CDs and some pen drives from Vermas residence during a raid.

After Verma's arrest, a "sex CD", purportedly featuring the then PWD Minister Rajesh Munat, had surfaced in Raipur.

Munat had termed the CD as "fake" and alleged it was made and circulated to tarnish his image. He had later filed a complaint against Baghel, the then state Congress president.

On recommendation of the then BJP government, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the investigation of two cases related to the circulation of the CD.

Verma was released on bail in December last year after the police failed to file a charge-sheet against him in the mandatory 60 days.

In September this year, the CBI had filed the charge-sheet in a special court in Raipur in the case, naming Baghel, Verma and three others as accused.

During the investigation, one more accused, Rinku Khanuja, had allegedly committed suicide in June this year.

All the accused were booked under IPC sections 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 67A of the IT Act (whoever publishes or transmits or causes to be published or transmitted in the electronic form any material which contains sexually explicit act), according to the charge-sheet.

Verma and Baghel had denied any involvement in the preparation or circulation of the CD.

Baghel had initially refused to apply for bail and stayed in judicial custody for a couple of days.

The Congress leader, who had said he was falsely implicated in the case, later obtained bail from the court.

(With PTI inputs)
The debate over Lord Hanuman's caste identity continued on Friday, with an Uttar Pradesh minister claiming that the Hindu deity now belonged to the Jat community.

"Jats are descendants of Lord Hanuman. Hanumanji was a Jat," Uttar Pradesh Religious Affairs Minister Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary told PTI. His remarks follow those of his party colleague and MLC Bukkal Nawab, who on Thursday said Lord Hanuman was "actually a Muslim".

The debate about the origins of Hanuman started last month when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had claimed that the monkey god was a dalit.

Explaining the rationale behind the 'Hanuman is Jat' statement, Chaudhary said, "Lord Ram's wife, goddess Sita, was abducted by Ravan, but Lanka was burnt by Hanumanji. It's injustice being done to someone by someone and the third person does not know either of them. This is the nature of Jats... they intervene whenever any injustice is done to anybody."

This is the latest in a series of identities that have been attributed to Lord Hanuman. On Thursday, Nawab, who left the Samajwadi Party to join the state's ruling BJP, argued that the deity's name was phonetically similar to the names among Muslims and many of them are named after him, referring to names like Rehman, Ramzan, Farman and Zishan.

Campaigning for the recently concluded assembly elections, Adityanath had said, "Hanuman was a forest dweller, deprived and a dalit. Bajrang Bali worked to connect all Indian communities together, from north to south and east to west."

On December 4, BJP MP Savitribai Phule, who subsequently resigned from the party, took exception to the manner in which the deity was depicted. "Lord Hanuman was a dalit and a slave of 'manuwadi' people. He was a dalit and a human. He did everything for Lord Ram, then why was he given a tail and his face blackened?" she had asked.

A Jain priest in Bhopal has, however, claimed Lord Hanuman was neither a dalit nor a tribal, but a Jain. Acharya Nirbhay Sagar Maharaj, who heads a Jain temple in Samasgad, nearly 25km from Bhopal, claimed that according to Jain scriptures, Lord Hanuman was a Jain. He was one of the 169 great persons identified in Jainism.
Travel plans for thousands of passengers went awry on Thursday ahead of the Christmas holiday period after one of UK's busiest airports remained closed for the second day due to a number of drones spotted near its runway, leading to the Army being called in to assist local police.

The runway of Gatwick Airport, Britain's second-busiest after Heathrow Airport, remains closed since Wednesday night, when two devices were seen flying over the perimeter fence.

After the sighting of another drone on Thursday afternoon, the authorities said they were unable to reopen the runway "until it was safe to do so".

Prime Minister May described the situation as "irresponsible and completely unacceptable".

"I feel for all those passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted by this drone activity and the action that has had to be taken in response to it," she told reporters during a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who is on a visit to the UK.

"At this particular time of year this is particularly difficult for people...We will continue to work with the Gatwick authorities in order to bring this to a close such that people will be able to get on to the travel that they were expecting over the Christmas," she said.

"Our hearts go out to all those who are desperately trying to go on holiday or arrive in the UK via Gatwick. I know the police are doing all they can to catch the operators of these drones," said House of Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom.

UK defence secretary Gavin Williamson later confirmed that Army has been called in to support police officers investigating the problem.

"The armed forces have a range of unique capabilities and this isn't something we would usually deploy but we are there to assist and do everything we can so that they are in a position to open the airport at the earliest opportunity," he said.

More than 20 police units from two forces are searching for the perpetrator, who could face up to five years in jail.

Superintendent Justin Burtenshaw, head of armed policing for Sussex and Surrey, described attempts to catch whoever was controlling the drones as "painstaking" because it was "a difficult and challenging thing to locate them".

"Each time we believe we get close to the operator, the drone disappears; when we look to reopen the airfield, the drone reappears," he said.

Local Sussex Police investigating the incident at the airport in the south of England have not been inclined to shoot down the devices because of the risk from stray bullets. The force said it did not believe the drones are terror-related but a "deliberate act" of disruption, describing the devices as of "industrial specification".

"The police are looking for the operator and that is the way to disable the drone," said Gatwick's Chief Operating Officer Chris Woodroofe.

Around 110,000 passengers on 760 flights were due to fly out on Thursday, as the Christmas holiday period kicks in. The airport authorities warn that the disruption could last "several days".

Incoming planes were diverted to other airports including London Heathrow, Luton, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff, Glasgow, Paris and Amsterdam.

Crowds of travellers spent the morning waiting inside Gatwick's terminal for updates, while others reported being stuck on grounded planes for hours.

The UK's Civil Aviation Authority said it considered this event to be an "extraordinary circumstance", and therefore airlines were not obligated to pay any financial compensation to passengers.
Chennai, Dec 21 (PTI) Ahead of the launch of superstar Rajinikanth's political party, efforts are underway for starting a television channel by a forum floated by him, with the actor authorising the use of his name and photograph in its logo.

Rajinikanth has informed in a letter to the Registrar of

Trademarks that an application made by the forum chief for

trademarks be processed and he had no objection to the use of his name and photo in the logo of the proposed channel.

The matter came to light after the letter went viral on social media and sources close to the Tamil actor Friday confirmed its veracity.

Administrator of the Rajini Makkal Mandram, seen as a

precursor to his party, V M Sudhakar applied for the

trademarks 'SUPERSTAR TV, RAJINI TV, THALAIVAR TV,' all

references to the actor.

The move is seen as keeping in line with the tradition of political parties in Tamil Nadu having their own TV channels to effectively propagate their policies and programmes.

While the ruling AIADMK had recently launched 'News J' to propagate its views, a bouquet of channels under the 'Kalaignar TV' and the Marans-owned 'Sun TV' are said to be backing the opposition DMK.

'Jaya TV', managed by the relatives of jailed aide of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, V K Sasikala was originally a mouthpiece of the AIADMK, but now backs sidelined party leader T T V Dhinakaran since his fallout with current Chief

Minister K Palaniswami last year.

In his letter to the Trademarks Registrar, Rajinikanth

said he had "no objection to use my name, photo on the logo

and label", adding the applications may be processed to the

"next level".

The 68-year old actor had announced taking the political

plunge in December 2017 while interacting with his fans here.

He had then said his to-be-launched political party will contest in all the 234 assembly segments in Tamil Nadu in

the next elections, due in 2021.

Speculations of Rajini's political entry had started way

back in 1996 when he made some 'frank' criticism of the then

Jayalalithaa government.

He extended open support to the then DMK-Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) combine, which swept the 1996 assembly polls.

TMC was floated by veteran Congressman, late G K Mooapanar, after he quit the national party.

PTI SA VS SRY
Kathmandu, Dec 21 (PTI) An Indian and a Chinese national were arrested in Nepal for possessing foreign currencies obtained from unauthorised sources, police said.

The arrests were made during a regular security check at Bouddhanath stupa area on the outskirts of Kathmandu, police said.

Those arrested are Indian national Chhiring Dorje and Chinese national Panchaudi, it said.

Police confiscated 1.35 million Nepali Rupees and 4,300 Chinese Yuan from the duo, besides a golden Buddha image, said a police statement.

An investigation has been launched into the matter, it said. PTI SBP MRJ

MRJ

MRJ
(Eds: Updates with details, quotes from Mattis letter; adds background)

Washington, Dec 21 (PTI) US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis will be "retiring, with distinction," in February, President Donald Trump has said, a day after he ordered American troops to rapidly withdraw from war-torn Syria in an abrupt decision criticised by many as premature.

In his resignation letter sent on Thursday, Mattis told Trump it was the "right time" for him to step down because the US president deserved a defence secretary "whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects."

"The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department's interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February," he said.

The 68-year-old Pentagon chief did not mention if he was resigning specifically over the troop withdrawal decision, which has surprised US allies and several lawmakers.

Analysts say the withdrawal of troops will please US enemies by clearing the way for Syria's Assad regime, Russia and Iran. Mattis had warned that removing ground forces from the Middle Eastern country would be a "strategic blunder".

After Mattis sent his resignation, Trump announced he will be "retiring" in February.

"General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my administration as secretary of defense for the past two years," the president said.

"During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting...," he said.

Mattis has been a great advocate of India-US defence relationship.

Earlier this month, he had hosted Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the Pentagon for talks on India-US Defence relationship. "The US-India relationship is a natural partnership between the world's oldest and the world's largest democracy," Mattis had said then.

Mattis and Trump reportedly have had differences on several foreign policy issues, including Syria and Afghanistan. Reports say the president is considering a drawdown of US troops from the 17-year-long conflict in Afghanistan.

He is the latest in long-list of senior Trump administration official to leave or removed. In March, Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in an announcement on Twitter.

On Thursday however, Trump praised Mattis for his service and for being a "great help" to him in getting allies and other countries "to pay their share of military obligations".

He said a new secretary of defence will be named shortly.

A day before, Trump had claimed in a tweet that the US has "defeated" the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria. The White House afterwards insisted that the main objective of American forces in the war-torn country was to destroy the ISIS and not to resolve the civil war.

But analysts and US lawmakers were far from convinced about the abrupt decision, which was also a reversal of the stated US policy. It has attracted criticism from leaders of Trump's own Republican party, who argued that the hasty decision would endanger American national security in the long run.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio said the full and rapid withdrawal of US troops from Syria is a grave error with broader implications beyond just the fight against the ISIS group.

Currently, there are about 2,000 US forces in Syria.

Also, Mattis said in his resignation letter that he believes the US must be resolute in its approach to countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with America's.

"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues," he stressed.

"We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances," he added.

Defending his decision on Thursday to withdraw from Syria, Trump had tweeted that the US does not want to be the "policeman" of the Middle East. In his resignation letter, Mattis said, "Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world.

"Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defense, including providing effective leadership to our alliances." PTI LKJ ABH

ABH
Vatican City, Dec 21 (AFP) Pope Francis called on Friday for anyone who has committed child abuse, including priests, to hand themselves over to human justice.

"To those who abuse minors I would say this: convert and hand yourself over to human justice, and prepare for divine justice," the pope told the Church's Curia governing body. AFP NSA

NSA
Rome, Dec 21 (PTI) An international tribunal will hear in July the case of two Italian marines accused of killing two fishermen in India, according to a media report.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague will hear the case of Salvatore Girone and fellow marine Massimiliano Latorre from July 8 to July 20. The judges will then have to give a ruling within six months, Italian news agency ANSA reported on Thursday.

The hearing has initially been set to start on October 22 but was postponed due to the death of one of the five judges, it said.

The high-profile case caused friction between Italy and India.

Italy initiated international proceedings in 2015, referring the row to the Netherlands-based tribunal and asking it to rule on where the men should be tried.

India insists both Italians should return to India for a final judgment by an Indian court.

Both marines were initially held in India, but Latorre was allowed to return to Italy in 2014 after suffering a stroke. Girone was allowed to leave the country in 2016.

The marines, who were aboard the Italian-flagged commercial oil tanker 'Enrica Lexie', are accused of killing two Indian fishermen off Kerala coast on February 15, 2012.

The complaint against the marines was lodged by Freddy, the owner of fishing boat 'St Antony' in which the two Kerala fishermen were killed when the marines opened fire on them allegedly under the misconception that they were pirates. PTI NSA AKJ

NSA
New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 2000 hours:



FGN27 SINOINDIA-XI

Sino-India ties actively moving forward: President Xi

Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday said Sino-India relations are "actively" moving forward with deepening mutual trust and cooperation, as the foreign ministers of the two countries held extensive talks in New Delhi under a newly established framework. By K J M Varma



FGN19 CHINA-CPEC-REPORT-REAX

China denies NYT report on building military jets in Pakistan under CPEC

Beijing: China on Friday dismissed as untrue a US media report that alleged that it has hatched a secret plan to build fighter jets and other military hardware in Pakistan as part of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. By K J M Varma



FGN17 US-PAK-DOCUMENTS

US turned blind eye to Pak's nuke programme in 70s after China's intervention: Documents

Washington: The US acceded to Pakistan's demand to overlook its secretive nuclear weapons programme following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the late 70s after Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping convinced Washington to support Islamabad for the "stability" in South Asia, according to latest declassified State Department documents. By Lalit K Jha



FGN22 ITALY-INDIA-MARINES

International tribunal to hear in July case of Italian marines accused of killing Indian fishermen

Rome: An international tribunal will hear in July the case of two Italian marines accused of killing two fishermen in India, according to a media report.



FGN26 UAE-PAK-LD AID

UAE to give USD 3 billion to Pakistan to overcome financial crunch

Dubai/Islamabad: The UAE Friday said it will soon give USD 3 billion to cash-strapped Pakistan to bolster its foreign exchange reserves and the government's fiscal policies.



FGN25 LANKA-BUDGET

Sri Lankan Parliament approves interim budget

Colombo: Sri Lankan parliament on Friday approved the interim budget to cover public expenditure for the next four months following weeks of political crisis that led to government dysfunction.



FGN16 CHINA-US-TIBET-REAX

China warns of "forceful measures" as Trump signs new law on Tibet

Beijing: China has warned the US that it would take "forceful measures" to resolutely safeguard its own interests after President Donald Trump signed a new law that imposes a visa ban on Chinese officials denying American citizens access to Tibet.



FGN14 US-3RDLD MATTIS

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis resigns over serious policy differences with Trump

Washington: Defence Secretary James Mattis, who batted for strong Indo-US military ties, has resigned, citing irreconcilable policy differences with Donald Trump after the US President shocked the Pentagon by deciding to withdraw American troops from strife-torn Syria. By Lalit K Jha



FGN8 US-H1B

H-1B should attract best talent: Homeland Secretary Nielsen

Washington: The US should select the "very best" among the applicants under the H-1B visas, the Trump administration has said, vowing to step up efforts to ensure that these work visas, the most sought by Indian IT professionals, do not harm domestic workers. By Lalit K Jha. PTI







PMS

PMS
Washington, Dec 21 (AFP) President Donald Trump has decided to pull a significant number of troops from Afghanistan, a US official told AFP on Thursday, a day after he announced a withdrawal from Syria.

"That decision has been made. There will be a significant withdrawal," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. (AFP) ABH

ABH
Washington, Dec 21(AFP) President Donald Trump has decided to pull a significant number of troops from Afghanistan, a US official has told AFP, a day after he announced a withdrawal from Syria.

"That decision has been made. There will be a significant withdrawal," the official told AFP on Thursday on condition of anonymity.

Currently, the United States has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan working either with a NATO mission to support Afghan forces or in separate counter-terrorism operations.

Trump made his decision Tuesday, the same time he told the Pentagon he wanted to pull all US forces out of Syria. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis quit earlier Thursday, saying his views were no longer reconcilable with Trump's.

The president's twin foreign policy decisions on Syria and Afghanistan are nothing less than epic, and could begin to unspool a series of cascading and unpredictable events across the Middle East and in Afghanistan.

Mattis and other top military advisors last year persuaded Trump to commit thousands of new troops to Afghanistan, where the Taliban were slaughtering local forces in the thousands and making major gains. Trump at the time said his instinct was to get out of Afghanistan.

The Wall Street Journal reported that more than 7,000 troops would be returning from Afghanistan. The pull out comes as the US pushes for a peace deal with the Taliban. (AFP) ABH

ABH
Tigress Avni, plastic ban, fires hogged limelight in Maha

By Murtuza Merchant

Mumbai, Dec 21 (PTI) The controversial killing of

tigress Avni, enforcement of plastic ban in the state and a

fire in Aarey colony which wiped out a big chunk of the city's

green 'lungs' dominated Maharashtra's environment scene during

the year.

Avni, the six-year-old tigress and mother of two

11-month-old cubs, who allegedly killed 13 persons since June

2016, was shot in a controversial manner by sharpshooter Asgar

Ali, son of famous sharpshooter Nawab Shafat Ali on November 2

this year.

The killing of the tigress triggered a full blown war

of words between the forest minister in Maharashtra and union

minister Maneka Gandhi, both belonging to the BJP.

Gandhi ripped into the minister for using a "trigger

happy shooter" to kill Avni. "Despite several requests from

many stakeholders, Sudhir Mungantiwar, ordered the killing,"

she said, and sought his resignation.

An inquiry panel later pointed out that rules were

violated and doubts were expressed if the animal was actually

killed in self-defence, as claimed by the state government.

On December 4, a massive fire erupted in Mumbais

Aarey colony in suburban Goregaon, wiping out about four sq km

of trees and other vegetation.

Minister for Environment Ramdas Kadam termed the

incident 'suspicious' and wrote to the state Home secretary to

probe the cause of the blaze.

The fire triggered an alarm among environmentalists as

it threatened to affect tribal residents in the city's biggest

green lung. The fire brigade took nearly 12 hours to douse the

flames.

Activists who have been labouring to save the Aarey

area from encroachments alleged that these forest fires were

not accidental. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) too got

on the bandwagon and held a protest, with a large number of

party workers gathering in the area.

The state government in March announced a ban on

manufacture, use, sale, distribution and storage of plastic

materials and gave three months to dispose of the existing

stocks.

In a bid to make the ban more stringent, first time

offenders will have to cough up Rs 5,000. For second time

offenders, the fine will be Rs 10,000. Those who violate it

for the third time will face a fine of Rs 25,000, along with

imprisonment of three months.

As the year ended, Maharashtra was facing drought due

to deficit rainfall this year. The government in October

declared 151 talukas in 26 out of the total 36 districts in

the state having 'drought-like' condition.

These 26 districts include eight each in Vidarbha and

Marathwada regions, five in North Maharashtra, four in western

Maharashtra and Palghar district in the coastal Konkan region.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis sought early Central

assistance of Rs 7,962.63 crore from the Centre to tackle the

drought.

The state government claimed 13 crore saplings were

planted to increase green cover in the state. It said 20 per

cent of the state is under forest cover, much less than the

target of 33 per cent set by the national forest policy.

The state government also launched the Kanya Van

Samruddhi Yojana scheme, under which around three lakh

households in Maharashtra where a girl child was born in the

last one year will get a gift of ten saplings each from the

forest department.

The state government is on a memorial building spree,

including that of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian

sea, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and late Shiv Sena supremo Bal

Thackeray in suburban Dadar and BJP leader Gopinath Munde in

Aurangabad at a collective cost of around Rs 5000 crore.

Social activists and environmentalists have termed

these as ill-advised projects, which won't survive for very

long even if completed.

Environmentalists claim that projects like the statue

of Chhatrapati Shivaji, the coastal road project and the Navi

Mumbai airport would lead to rising tides and extreme climatic

events. PTI MM VT

VT VT
College student held for making obscene calls to teacher

Indore (MP), Dec 21 (PTI) A 19-year-old college

student was arrested by the Cyber Cell of Madhya Pradesh

police Friday for allegedly making obscene video calls on

WhatsApp to a woman teacher.

Rohit Soni alias Golu, the accused, allegedly used

'virtual numbers' to hide his identity, police said.

Soni hails from Bhilwara in Rajasthan and is

currently based in Kota to prepare for a medical entrance

examination, police said.

Superintendent of Police (Cyber Cell-Indore) Jitendra

Singh said that Soni had downloaded an app from Google

Playstore which provided `virtual numbers' for making calls.

Soni allegedly used this facility so that the calls

should not be traced to him, the SP said. To the recipient it

appeared that the call has originated in the United States.

When the harassed teacher blocked one number, he

allegedly called her from a new virtual number.

The woman then filed a complaint with the Cyber Cell.

"We first sent a legal request to WhatsApp's India

office for sharing details about the calls, but when there was

no response, we approached its California-based head office in

the US and got necessary information," Singh said.

After tracking down the accused, police arrested him

Friday.

During the interrogation, Soni allegedly confessed

that he used to make such calls to several women after

watching porn films.

An FIR under relevant sections of the IPC and

Information Technology Act has been registered and further

probe is on, the police officer said. PTI HWP MAS

KRK KRK
Mumbai, Dec 21 (PTI) The Mumbai hospital fire claimed its eleventh victim on Friday as a week-old baby girl succumbed to her injuries in the early hours, a civic official said.

According to the official, eight other injured were in a critical condition.

"A week-old baby girl, Lalita, succumbed to her smoke inhalation injuries around 12.20 am today at the Seven Hills Hospital. With her death, the toll in the fire incident has now gone up to 11," said a senior official of the Disaster Management Unit of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

"Of the total number of people injured in the incident, 91 are still undergoing treatment in different hospitals in the city. Of them, eight patients are in a critical condition. They are on ventilators and battling for life," he said.

The fire broke out in the government-run ESIC Kamgar Hospital at Marol in suburban Andheri on Monday, killing six people that day. Four others died in the last three days. About 175 people were injured in the incident.

According to officials, the 325-bed hospital did not have the fire department's no-objection certificate (NOC), mandatory for such facilities to operate.

Nearly 375 people, including patients and visitors, were in the five-floor hospital when the fire broke out, an official had earlier said. PTI APM NP TIR

TIR
Year of Statue of Unity, Gir lions and attacks on migrants

By Parag Dave

Ahmedabad, Dec 21 (PTI) Unveiling of the Statue of

Unity, a 182-metre tall tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel,

death of several Gir lions and violence against migrants from

Hindi-speaking states hogged the limelight in Gujarat during

2018.

The statue, billed the tallest in the world, was

inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31 at

Kevadiya in Narmada district. It has been attracting a large

number of tourists.

In September, wildlife lovers were shocked when around

30 lions died in Gujarat's Gir sanctuary after getting

infected by the Canine Distemper Virus.

Another 30 lions were kept under observation for the

deadly virus, which wiped out 30 per cent population of the

big cats in Serengeti jungles of Africa in 1994.

According to the 2015 census, Gujarat had 523 lions,

which draw tourists and animal enthusiasts to the state.

The state government is now planning to shift some

lions to places like Bardo Dungar forest area in Porbandar,

but has refused to relocate them to neighbouring Madhya

Pradesh.

The government is also planning to have a lion safari

park near Ahmedabad to save the animal population in case of

any epidemic outbreak.

The state was also in news for sporadic incidents of

attacks on migrant workers, especially from Uttar Pradesh and

Bihar, in October following the rape of a 14-month-old girl

allegedly by a man from Bihar.

The violence led to exodus of over 75,000 labourers,

prompting the government to appeal them to return, assuring

them of adequate safety and security in the state.

The state also witnessed violent protests by the Karni

Sena as its members vandalised and set theatres ablaze in

January against the release of Hindi film "Padmaavat", based

on the saga of a historic battle of 13th century between

Maharaja Ratan Singh and his army of Mewar and Sultan Alauddin

Khilji of Delhi.

Protests continued for around a week and subsided only

after theatre and multiplex owners decided not to screen the

film in the state.

After the high pitched Gujarat polls in 2017, this

year went by largely without any big political development.

However, prominent Koli community leader Kunvarji

Bavaliya made news when he quit the Congress to join the BJP.

The sitting MLA from Jasdan also resigned from the

state Assembly, necessitating a bypoll in the seat.

After his induction in the BJP, Bavaliya was made a

Cabinet minister in the Vijay Rupani-led state government and

also fielded for the December 20 Jasdan bypoll against

Congress candidate Avsar Nakiya.

In January, Congress chose young Patel community

leader Paresh Dhanani as the Leader of Opposition, while

another young OBC leader Amit Chavda was made the Gujarat

Pradesh Congress Committee chief.

Quota agitation leader Hardik Patel continued to hog

limelight as he sat on an indefinite hunger strike in August

over his demand for reservation to the Patidar community.

However, when government did not budge, he ended his

fast after 19 days.

In another significant development, over a thousand

farmers moved the Gujarat High Court against land acquisition

for the government's ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train

project. The hearing in the case is underway.

In another key order, the HC acquitted former minister

Maya Kodnani in the Naroda Patiya 2002 riot case. She was

earlier convicted by a lower court and awarded life sentence.

Former incharge DGP of Gujarat P P Pandey was

ischarged by a special CBI court in the Ishrat Jahan alleged

fake encounter case due to lack of evidence.

However, the court turned down a similar application

of former police officer D G Vanzara and N K Amin in the case.

Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt was also in the news

after he was arrested by Gujarat Police in September in

connection with a 22-year-old case pertaining to alleged

planting of drugs to arrest a lawyer.

Bhatt had earlier filed an affidavit in the Supreme

Court against then chief minister Narendra Modi, accusing him

of involvement in the 2002 riots in the state.

Gujarat hosted Israel Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu

in January. He and Prime Minister Modi displayed bonhomie as

they held a grand roadshow, flew kites, praised and hugged

each other, marking a deepening of bonds between the two

countries.

The state also hosted Canadian Prime Minister Justin

Trudeau for a day where he visited the Swaminarayan temple and

delivered a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management-

Ahmedabad in February.

In November, the daughter of India's "milkman" Dr

Verghese Kurien rubbished former Gujarat minister Dileep

Sanghani's claim that Kurien diverted dairy cooperative Amul's

profit to fund religious conversions in the country.

Sanghani had alleged that the late founder-chairman of

the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and the Gujarat

Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation funded religious

conversions by Christian missionaries from Amul's profits. PTI

PD GK VT

VT VT
Ahmedabad, Dec 21 (PTI) RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, BJP president Amit Shah and Hindu saints Friday discussed ways to go ahead with the construction of a temple at the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya, religious leaders who participated in the meeting said.

Bhagwat and saints present at the two-day Hindu Acharya Sabha meeting at Rajkot, which is 210 km from Ahmedabad, explicitly expressed the view that construction of the temple should start before May 2019, when the term of the Narendra Modi government ends, they said.

In the meeting, Shah gave the assurance that the temple will be built in Ayodhya, the Hindu leaders said.

"The issue was discussed in detail. One way is the legal route... Political leaders are doing their bit. Saints said they want to push for construction of Ram temple as early as possible," Acharya Satgiri Maharaj, who took part in the meeting which concluded on Friday, said.

"I hope they will do something in two-three months," said Satgiri Maharaj, who hails from Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

The Supreme Court is likely to hear the Babri Masjid- Ram Janmabhoomi title dispute in January.

When asked if the BJP was given an ultimatum to start the construction of the temple before the 2019 polls, Satgiri replied in the negative.

"Mohanji has expressed his desire that construction of the Ram temple should start before 2019 polls, but no ultimatum was given," Satgiri said.

Another saint said Shah shared details of the legal case during the meeting and spoke about the Supreme Court's possibility of taking up the matter in January.

"Shah assured us that the temple will be built at the same spot (in Ayodhya which is under dispute)," the saint said.

A third saint called for patience, saying, "They (RSS and BJP) will do whatever is required (for the construction of the temple)."

RSS spokesperson Vijay Thakar said social, political and educational issues concerning Hindu society are discussed at the Hindu Acharya Sabha, which is held every two years.

Apart from Bhagwat and Shah, senior BJP leaders Ram Madhav and Subramanian Swamy participated in Hindu Sabha.

Swamy said arguments were in favour of Hindus getting the land for Ram temple, but now the question was when will the Supreme Court hear the case.

"(Former prime minister) Narasimha Rao had said 'if it was proved that there was a temple at the same place we will give the land to Hindus'; the Archaeological Survey of India has proved it.

"The Supreme Court has also ruled that the masijd is not an essential part for 'namaz' (prayer) which can be performed anywhere. All things and arguments are in our favour," Swamy told reporters.

"Now we just have to see when the hearing takes place and when the judgement comes," he said.

The meet, attended by around 100 participants, was held at Arsh Vidya Mandir in Rajkot.

Hindutva organisations, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, have in the past few months intensified their demand for early construction of the temple, with many of them, including Bhagwat, pitching for a law to enable it.

Though the BJP shares the sentiments expressed by these outfits, the party, which heads a coalition government at the Centre, has so far not come out in open support of a law to pave the way for temple construction.

There is a view within the saffron party that paving the way for the temple's construction will boost its prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. PTI PD RSY IND

IND
Delhi HC rejects plea of AJL, publisher of National Herald, against Centre's order asking it to vacate premises at ITO here. PTI SKV HMP URD ABA SA

SA
New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) Rajya Sabha was adjourned Friday amid uproar by the opposition over the government's move to allow 10 agencies to intercept information from any computer system and demand for a discussion on imposition of President's rule in Jammu and Kashmir.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad raised the interception order issue and alleged

"an undeclared emergency has taken its final shape", leading to sparring between the opposition and treasury benches. Union Minister Arun Jaitley hit back saying Congress was crying foul over rules created by it in 2009 when it was in government and playing with national security.

As the House met this morning, two Tamil parties - the AIADMK and DMK - continued their protest over the Cauvery River issue, while the Opposition Congress and treasury benches traded charges over the Rafale jet deal following which proceedings were adjourned till 2.30 PM.

When the House reconvened, Azad raised the issue of President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir under Article 356 of the Constitution.

"Both Houses of Parliament are running but there is no discussion on this issue," he said.

The Congress leader demanded a discussion on the President's rule in Jammu and Kashmir. Responding to him, Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goyal said the government was willing to discuss any issue in Parliament.

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh said the Government has given statutory resolution regarding President's rule in Jammu and Kashmir which has been admitted by the Chairman and there will be discussion on the issue.

Azad then raised the issue of computer information interception. "Another most important thing which I would like to mention that the undeclared emergency has taken its final shape. All central agencies, all federal agencies, have been let loose," he said.

Jaitley retorted that the opposition was "making a mountain where even a molehill doesn't exist" and it would have been better if it had obtained all information before raising this issue.

Congress leader Anand Sharma said the issue is serious as it is related to fundamental rights and "India will become a police state" with such "sweeping powers" to agencies to intercept information.

Responding to the charge, Jaitley told the House that the rules under which agencies will be authorised to intercept information were framed in 2009 when the Congress-led UPA was in power.

"So what you are doing Mr Anand Sharma is making a mountain where even a molehill does not exist. You must know this and as a leader of opposition your word is sacrosanct, so don't use it for a purpose where a power which you created, which is to be used in national security cases, now you are crying foul about that power," Jaitley said in the Upper House.

However, Azad said that there is no mention of national security in the order. "The BJP seems to think it has ownership rights over national security and it means nothing to us," he said.

To this, Jaitley said, "These are elementary things. It is an authorisation order. The provisions of national security are written in Article 69.... You are playing with the security of the country. That is what you have done just now".

Since the Act has been in place these orders of authorisation are repeated from time to time, he said, adding that they can be used for interception in cases related to national security, disruption of public order, etc.

"When senior members from opposition raise an issue every word spoken by them has precious value and therefore they must know facts," Jaitley told the House.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad questioned if the Congress does not want action against terrorists and those who play with national security.

Congress Leader Anand Sharma said the issue raised by Azad is serious as it is related to fundamental rights. "Right to privacy of every citizen on which the Supreme Court has also given its decision is a fundamental right. Nine agencies and the Delhi Police have been given a sweeping power to intercept through an executive order. India will become a police state, this is not acceptable," he said.

Unhappy with the government's response, the opposition members were on their feet raising slogans.

Deputy Chairman Harivansh made repeated appeals to members to bring the House to order. Amid the din, Ravi Prakash Verma of the Samajwadi Party spoke on a resolution moved by Tiruchi Siva of DMK on the plight of widows in the country.

"According to facts coming to light, 60 per cent widows come from unorganised sector. This is very worrying," Verma said, alleging that the government has not done enough to improve their situation.

As slogan shouting by opposition continued, the Deputy Speaker said such conduct was not in line with the expectations from members.

Verma urged the government to form a Commission to analyse the situation of widows and abandoned/destitute women to improve their social and economic security.

Responding to the issue, Minister of State in the Women and Child Development Ministry Veerendra Kumar said the government is providing facilities like mental counselling, food and healthcare for welfare of widows. He said measures are being taken by the Women and Child Development Ministry towards rehabilitation of women.

The Deputy Chairman made repeated appeals to members to allow discussion on the important issue concerning women. However, his appeals went unheeded. As the uproar continued, the House was adjourned for the day. PTI RSN RT
New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) The proceedings in Parliament were disrupted for 8th consecutive day Friday over a variety of issues, including the latest snooping row, the Rafale jet deal and Cauvery dam.

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day around 12.15 pm as AIADMK, TDP and Congress members protested over various issues.

The two Houses would now meet on December 27 as there would be no sitting on December 24 and December 26 in view of Christmas.

As soon as the Zero Hour began in the lower house, members from AIADMK, TDP and Congress trooped into the Well, displaying placards and shouting slogans.

Members from the AIADMK protested against proposed construction of a dam across Cauvery river and they also shouted slogans in Tamil.

While TDP members sought to raise issues related to Andhra Pradesh, those from the Congress demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale deal.

As the ruckus continued, the House was adjourned for the day. Earlier, the proceedings were adjourned till noon following protests.

When the House met for the day, there were no protests by Congress members who had been persistently attacking the government on the Rafale jet deal and demanding a JPC probe into the issue.

Friday was the 8th day of the Winter session which has seen repeated disruptions.

As soon as the House took up question hour, AIADMK members rushed to the Well holding placards and raising slogans opposing construction of a dam over Cauvery.

They were joined by members from the Telugu Desam Party who were demanding various sops for Andhra Pradesh.

Some of the Aam Admi Party members also joined AIADMK and TDP. They were holding placards denouncing sealing, apparently in Delhi. 'Atrocities in the name of sealing' was one of the placards they were holding.

As minister Sripad Naik was answering a question on the Ayush Ministry, some members in the Well hurled torn pieces of paper on the table where the Lok Sabha secretariat officials sit during proceedings.

The table is located in the Well near the Speaker's podium.

At this, Speaker Mahajan had adjourned proceedings till noon.

Similar scenes were witnessed in Rajya Sabha.

The Rajya Sabha was initially adjourned till 2.30 pm as two Tamil parties - the AIADMK and DMK - continued their protest over the Cauvery issue, while the Opposition Congress and treasury benches sparred over the Rafale jet deal.

As soon as the House met, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu appealed to all members to cooperate in the smooth functioning of the House as discussion on several urgent matters as well as passage of important Bills were pending.

His plea went unheeded as AIADMK and DMK members trooped into the well of the House with placards soon after listed papers and reports were tabled. Members of AAP were also seen in the well carrying placards, demanding an end to the sealing drive in the national capital.

Meanwhile, Naidu asked senior Congress leader Anand Sharma to put forward his views.

Sharma said his party was ready for a discussion on all important issues and demanded an immediate debate on imposition of President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir.

Sharma also said that his party was ready to discuss the issue of purchase of Rafale jets from French company Dassault but the government should agree for a probe into the deal by a JPC.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel said the government is ready to discuss all issues including Rafale but the "opposition is running away".

Goel also informed that he had met Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and leaders of other parties in an effort to end the stalemate in the House.

As protesting members continued displaying placards, Naidu said he has received suggestions against members who are entering into the well of the House.

"I will not be happy to take action," he said.

The Chairman later adjourned the House till 2.30 pm.

Later, when the House reconvened, Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad raised the issue of President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir and government's move to allow 10 agencies to intercept information on computers.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the authorisation was given under 2009 rules and dismissed opposition's charge of snooping, saying they were playing with national security and "making a mountain where even a molehill doesn't exist".

Azad alleged that "undeclared Emergency has taken final shape" and "all federal agencies have been let loose".

Jaitley hit back saying Congress was crying foul over powers created by it when it was in government.

Amid slogan shouting by opposition members, unhappy with government's response, the House was adjourned for the day. PTI RAM MJH RSN NAB NAB RCJ
(Eds: Updating death toll, adds quotes, details)

Dehradun, Dec 21 (PTI) At least seven labourers were killed, three others injured while another is missing in a landslide near the construction site of Char Dham all-weather road in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district Friday, police said.

The incident took place in Ukhimath area near Banswada on the Rishikesh-Kedarnath national highway at around 12 pm, they said.

Rudraprayag District Magistrate Mangesh Ghildiyal said the icident took place during the construction of a retaining wall.

A total of 23 labourers were at the site at the time of the incident, of them 11 got buried under the debris and 1232 escaped unhurt, the DM said.

Seven bodies have been pulled out of the debris and efforts are on to trace the missing labourer, he said.

Three injured labourers were also pulled out of the debris, he said, adding that two of them were critical and sent to AIIMS Rishikesh by air.

Senior officials rushed to the spot and rescue and relief operation is underway, he said.

The DM has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident.

Jakholi SDM has been asked to submit the probe report within 10 days, the DM said.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat condoled the loss of lives in the ladslide.

State Congress president Pritam Singh demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident and compensation for the victims' families.

He alleged that the central government has gone on a construction spree in the name of all-weather road, disturbing natural ecosystems which, in turn, has made the area more prone to landslides. PTI DPT AD CK
New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) The BJP Friday hit out at senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily for accusing Indian Air Force chief B S Dhanoa of "lying" on Rafale deal, and said the opposition party leader should apologise. The BJP also alleged that the Congress is targeting defence forces of the country for its cheap politics.

BJP's media in-charge Anil Baluni in a statement condemned the Moily for his remarks and said Congress and its leaders are trying to demoralise the soldiers of the country.

"Moily and Congress should seek apology from Dhanoa for remarks against the Air Force chief. The Congress is now targeting defence forces for cheap politics," Baluni said.

On Thursday, Moily had accused Indian Air Force chief B S Dhanoa of "lying" a day after the latter called the Rafale deal a "game changer" and the Supreme Court verdict on it a "very fine" judgement. PTI JTR

JTR ANB

ANB
New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) An estimated 8,01,374 people died of cancer this year as compared to 7,66,348 deaths from the disease in 2017, Minister of State for Health, Anupriya Patel told the Lok Sabha Friday.

Citing the Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR)cancer registry data report, she also said that an estimated 15,86,571 cases of cancer have so far been reported this year.

According to the data submitted to the Parliament, the estimated incidence of cancer cases was 15,17,426 in 2017, 14,51,417 in 2016 and 13,88,397 in 2015.

The estimated mortality of cancer cases in India was 73,2921 in 2016, 70,1007 in 2015 and 67,0541 in 2014, it said.

The ICMR's cancer registry data report titled 'Three-year Report of Population Based Cancer Registries: 2012-2014, Bengaluru, 2016' noted that the estimated number of incidence of cancer cases in the country was increasing, the minister told the Lok Sabha.

She said the government was implementing the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes,

Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) under the National Health Mission (NHM) to support the states and Union Territories for interventions up to district level.

The focus is on the three common cancers-- oral, breast and cervical, she said.

In addition, population-based prevention, control, screening and management for hypertension, diabetes and common cancers is also being implemented in more than 200 districts under NHM, Patel added.

PTI PLB SRY
New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) Malnourished mothers tend to give birth to malnourished children and the Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry is trying to address this problem through a number of schemes, the Lok Sabha was told Friday.

Calling malnourishment a complex problem, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Ministry Virendra Kumar said it required a convergence of various sectors and a multi-dimensional and inter-generational solution.

"In order to address this problem, this ministry is implementing schemes like Anganwadi Services, Scheme for Adolescent Girls and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojna under the Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services Scheme as direct targeted interventions," he said.

The problem of malnutrition is complex, multi-dimensional and inter-generational in nature, and requires convergence of various sectors, he said in a written response.

He said it has been seen through research that malnourished mothers tend to give birth to malnourished children.

In order to ensure convergence of these nutrition-related and those of health and other nutrition-impacting schemes, the government has started the Poshan Abhiyaan, which consists of a robust convergence action plan, Kumar said.

Poshan Abhiyaan aims to reduce stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia among children, women and adolescent girls along with reducing low birth weight in the country in a time-bound manner, he added.

Under the scheme, September was celebrated as the Poshan maah (month) and it witnessed a plethora of events and festivities at field level which accounted for more than 22 lakh activities leading to participation of 25 crore plus individuals across the country, Kumar said in response to another question.

"One of the most encouraging outcomes of the Poshan Maah has been the success in achieving convergence at all levels. The month logged 4.8 lakh converged activities across ministries and 32 per cent of all activities (22 lakh plus) were carried out by field functionaries (AWWs, ASHAs, ANMs, SHGs)," he said.

The minister said the Community Radio Stations (CRSs) proved to be an effective medium in building local content, communicating in local dialects and connecting with remote communities.

The Poshan Maah gave 100 Community Radios an opportunity to come together and demonstrate their strength and competence in disseminating information on issues of nutrition.

He said the government has also launched a toll free helpline (14408) as a follow-up and intervention mechanism. PTI UZM IJT
New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday ruled out replacing cut-offs with an entrance examination for admission to Delhi University undergraduate courses.

The DU admission committee was working out on details of the entrance based system and the issue was to be discussed in the next meeting of the panel which has education experts, college principals and faculty as members. The issue was deliberated upon last year as well by the panel but a consensus could not be reached.

"For 2019-20 there will be no entrance test in DU and admissions will be conducted on basis of class 12 marks," Javadekar told reporters.

DU currently conducts computer based entrance test for nine undergraduate and postgraduate programmes while admissions to a majority of undergraduate courses are determined through the aspirant's scores in class 12 exams.

DU's first attempt at switching to an entrance-based admission system in 2017 had hit a roadblock after objection from different student groups.

The HRD Minister also said no final call has been taken yet on whether the JNU's entrance test will be conducted online and that too by the newly formed National Testing Agency (NTA).

However, JNU has already notified on the website that the exam will be conducted by NTA in 2019. PTI GJS









RCJ
New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh were the top three performing states under the maternity benefit programme Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, the Lok Sabha was informed Friday.

Minister of State for the Women and Child Development Ministry Virendra Kumar said the PMMVY is a centrally-sponsored scheme under which the cost sharing ratio between the Centre, states and the Union Territories with the legislation is 60:40.

For the eight northeastern states and the three Himalayan states it is 90:10, and 100 per cent central assistance for the Union Territories without the legislation.

"On the basis of the target achieved by states/UTs under the PMMVY, the top three performing states as on October 31 are Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh respectively," Kumar said.

In Andhra Pradesh, a target of 3.61 lakh beneficiaries was set and a total of 4.57 lakh were enrolled and the total amount disbursed Rs 133.63 crore.

In Himachal Pradesh, a target of 58,620 beneficiaries was set and a total of 73,846 were enrolled and the total amount disbursed Rs 22.82 crore.

In Madhya Pradesh, a target of 6.20 lakh beneficiaries was set and a total of 7.69 lakh were enrolled and the total amount disbursed Rs 185.66 crore.

He also said that about 51.70 lakh beneficiaries are covered annually under the PMMVY and grants-in-aid amounting to Rs 2,048.59 crores and Rs 369.31 crores have been sanctioned to the states and the Union Territories during the year 2017-18 and 2018-19 respectively. PTI UZM KJ
Lucknow, Dec 21 (PTI) The Congress walked out of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Friday, alleging that the state government had imposed an "emergency" in BRD Medical College to hide actual figures of encephalitis deaths in Gorakhpur from the media.

The matter was raised during the Question Hour by Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Ajay Kumar Lallu. He sought to know the number of deaths due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

Responding to him, Health Minister Siddharth Nath Singh claimed that compared to previous years, encephalitis cases and deaths have come down due to the government's sustained efforts.

"Due to training and awareness, the encephalitis cases and deaths have come down. In the budget, for the first time Rs 20 crore was earmarked for the awareness drive and people from all walks (of life) were associated with the campaign due to which we got success in containing the disease," he said.

Lallu, however, claimed that in Gorakhpur alone scores of people had died due to encephalitis.

"Emergency has been imposed on the media in the BRD college, where no regular bulletins are issued about the cases and deaths", he said.

Refuting the allegations, Singh clarified that "media could not differentiate between child deaths in PICU (Pediatric ICU) and MICU (Medical ICU) due to which confusion prevailed at times".

There is no emergency imposed on anyone, he said.

"It's the Congress party which believes in imposing emergency. Bulletins and information are given whenever sought, but entry of media is disallowed in PICU and MICU," he added.

Dissatisfied with the reply, the CLP leader termed the government as "non-serious" and accused it of hiding the real encephalitis data.

He then led the walkout of his party members. PTI ABN SMI DIV

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New Delhi, Dec 21(PTI) Alleging India has come under "undeclared emergency", Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal on Friday slammed the government's move to authorise 10 Central agencies to intercept "any information" on computers.

The order authorises 10 Central agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor, and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer.

"India has been under undeclared emergency since May 2014, now in its last couple of months Modi govt is crossing all limits by seeking control of even the citizens computers. Can such curtailment of fundamental rights be tolerated in world's largest democracy?" Kejriwal said in a tweet.

The AAP MPs also joined the opposition in the Parliament over the issue and attacked the government in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, terming it's move as "unconstitutional".

"Can such kind of curtailment of rights be tolerated in a democracy? It is not hidden from anyone that the BJP has misused all the government institutions of the country for its political advantage.

"Whether it is the RBI, the CBI, the ACB or other government institutions in the country. The BJP has misled these institutions for its personal benefit," AAP alleged in a statement.

"The Aam Aadmi Party believes that these instructions implemented by the BJP are unconstitutional," it added.

Defending the order, the government said the authorisation was given under 2009

rules and that the opposition was playing with the national security by "making a

mountain where even a molehill doesn't exist". On its part, the BJP said it is legal with adequate safeguards and dubbed the opposition's criticism as a "text book case" of speaking without any homework. PTI VIT BUN

RCJ
Muzaffarpur (Bihar), Dec 21 (PTI) A court here on Friday sent Dilip Verma, an accused in the shelter home sex scandal who surrendered the previous day after absconding for long, to five days in CBI custody.

Two other accused were acquitted by the court of special POCSO judge R P Tiwari.

Verma is a former Child Welfare Committee chairman whom the inmates of the shelter home had accused of sexual misconduct in their statements recorded by the probe agency.

Initially the police and later the CBI conducted a number of raids in various districts over the past few months in search of him. He surrendered before the court on Thursday.

Two other arrested accused - Gaurav Kumar alias Motu and Santosh Kumar - were acquitted by the court as their names did not figure in the charge sheet filed by the CBI earlier this week.

They were arrested after the CBI took over the probe five months ago.

They were employed at a printing press owned by Brajesh Thakur, the prime accused in the scandal who owned the NGO which ran the shelter home.

Thakur, who was arrested by police in May, is currently lodged in a jail at Patiala, Punjab, where he was shifted upon a direction from the Supreme Court.

The scandal had come to light after a report of social audit conducted by Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences flagged sexual abuse of girls lodged at the shelter home.

The state-funded shelter home has since been shut down and all the inmates were shifted elsewhere. The building which housed the care unit is being demolished by municipal authorities as it was found to have been constructed flouting norms.

A case of money laundering has also been slapped against Thakur whose wife and son have been asked to appear before the Enforcement Directorate at Patna next week. PTI CORR NAC NN AQS

AQS
Kolkata, Dec 21 (PTI) The West Bengal government Friday moved an appeal before a division bench of the Calcutta High Court challenging a single bench order that allowed BJP's 'Rath Yatra' programme in the state.

Moving the appeal before the division bench comprising Chief Justice Debasish Kargupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar, the state government expressed urgency and sought an immediate hearing.

The court granted leave to the state government to move the appeal and asked it to serve copies of its appeal to respondent, the BJP, following which the hearing would commence.

A single bench presided by Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty Thursday allowed the BJP's 'Rath Yatra' programme, setting aside the denial of permission for the yatra by a panel of three senior most officers of the state government.

On December 6, a single judge bench of the HC had refused permission to the BJP to hold the 'Rath Yatra', which was scheduled to be flagged off by BJP chief Amit Shah from Cooch Behar in North Bengal on December 7. The party had then approached the division bench.

The division bench had on December 7 asked the state chief secretary, the home secretary and the director general of police to hold a meeting with three representatives of the BJP and take a decision on the 'yatra' by December 14.

After parleys with the BJP team, the three officers refused permission for the rallies on December 15 on the grounds that it might lead to communal tension. The state BJP had moved the court again challenging the government's denial of permission to its programme. PTI AMR MM TIR

TIR
(Eds: Incorporating additional information, background)

Kolkata, Dec 21 (PTI) A division bench of the Calcutta High Court Friday quashed a single bench order that had allowed BJP's 'Rath Yatra' in West Bengal and asked it to hear the case afresh to consider intelligence inputs by state agencies.

The single-judge bench of Tapabrata Chakraborty was asked to dispose the matter expeditiously after considering whether there were adequate materials to arrive at the conclusion to allow the 'yatra' as proposed by the BJP.

The division bench said the order needs to consider afresh the 36 intelligence inputs submitted by the state government before the single bench.

Advocate General Kishore Dutta, representing the state, said that the single bench had not considered the intelligence inputs submitted to it in a sealed cover and had returned it to him without even opening it.

He had submitted intelligence inputs from 31 police districts and five police commisionerates before the bench, which he said talked about apprehension of communal unrest if the BJP's proposed roadshows were allowed.

The 'Rath Yatra', which was originally scheduled to start on December 7 but was denied permission by the state government, has become the latest political flashpoint between the saffron party and the state's ruling Trinamool Congress.

After hearing an appeal by the BJP, a single-judge bench of the high court had on Thursday allowed the mega event, to be flagged off by BJP president Amit Shah under a re-scheduled programme from December 28 to 31.

The West Bengal government, however, challenged the ruling before a division bench of Chief Justice Debasish Kargupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar, which has now quashed the earlier ruling and sent the case back to the single-judge bench.

In its appeal, the government expressed urgency and sought immediate hearing of the matter.

Setting aside the denial of permission by the state government, the single-judge bench had allowed the 'yatra' while noting that courts can interfere if administrative authorities exercise their discretionary powers in a whimsical manner.

Following the court order, the BJP had come up with tentative new dates for its proposed three-phase programme.

After the new order, there is uncertainty once again over the mega event that was to cover all 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Earlier on December 6, the same single-judge bench had refused permission to the BJP to hold the 'Rath Yatra', which was scheduled to be flagged off by Shah from Cooch Behar on December 7. The party had then approached the division bench.

The division bench had then asked the state chief secretary, the home secretary and the director general of police to hold a meeting with representatives of the BJP and take a decision on the 'yatra' by December 14.

After parleys with the BJP team, the three officers refused permission for the rallies on December 15 on grounds that they might lead to communal tensions.

Following this, the state BJP had moved the court of Justice Chakraborty again challenging the government's denial of permission and had got a go-ahead on Thursday. PTI AMR SNS KK BJ SOM

SOM
New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) The Delhi High Court Friday rejected the allegations of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), publisher of National Herald, that the Centre's move to evict it from its premises here was a covert measure to erase and defame the legacy of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

National Herald was founded by Nehru in 1938.

The high court also termed as "preposterous" AJL's claim that the eviction order of the ruling dispensation was mala fide, bias and issued with oblique motives.

"One fails to understand as to how the ruling dispensation has in any way erased, effaced or defamed Pandit (Jawaharlal) Nehru. To say the least, the allegations of mala fide are preposterous and no note of these allegations is required to be taken," Justice Sunil Gaur said.

The court said AJL has not spelt out what was the oblique motive in passing of the October 30 eviction order and no instances have been given to support the serious allegations of mala fide levelled against the ruling dispensation, a reference to the BJP government at the Centre.

It added that the allegations of mala fide levelled by AJL are "bald and unspecific".

The court's observations came while directing the AJL to vacate its premises at ITO area within two weeks failing which proceedings under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971, would be initiated for its eviction.

It dismissed the company's plea to set aside the eviction order issued by the Land and Development Office. PTI SKV HMP RKS SA
Belagavi (Ktk), Dec 21 (PTI) The Karnataka legislative assembly was adjourned "sine die" Friday amid pandemonium as BJP members continued with their protest from the Well, seeking clarity from the government on the farm loan waiver scheme.

BJP members also demanded that Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy apologise to Leader of Opposition B S Yeddyurappa for his comments against the former chief minister during the debate.

As the House met for the day, BJP members squatted in the well of the House, shouting slogans such as "down down to the anti-farmer government", "loan waiver should be implemented".

However, amidst the din, the assembly passed three bills, following which Speaker Ramesh Kumar adjourned the House sine die.

The bills that were passed on Friday include, The Karnataka Legislature (Prevention of Disqualification) (Amendment) Bill, 2018, aimed at making provision to exempt the post of political secretary to the chief minister from incurring disqualification for being a member of the assembly or council, when he is appointed to the post.

Also passed was the Karnataka Civil Service (Procedure for Selection of Candidates during Recruitment) Bill, 2018, that provides for restoring a rule, wherein candidates belonging to reserved category securing high marks in KPSC exams would find themselves in the general merit list besides enjoying reservation benefits they are entitled to.

It was aimed at circumventing a High Court order that quashed the rule.

The BJP has been protesting from the Well since Wednesday evening seeking clarity from Kumaraswamy on loan waiver and the exact day by which debt-free certificates would be issued to the farmers.

They also wanted him to apologise to Yeddyurappa for accusing him of "colluding" with nationalised banks, who are now non-committal on their earlier one-time settlement offer to NPA accounts.

Kumaraswamy on Thursday had said he would not apologise as demanded by the BJP.

After the session, Speaker Ramesh Kumar told reporters that extra care was given to certain issues with respect to facilities provided to officials and public representatives during their stay in Belagavi.

He said, "We are not happy about huge money that was spent last time, so we tried curtailing on it while not compromising on quality."

"Compared to last year, we have been able to reduce the spending by about Rs 8 crore-10 crore this time.... last year according to information that I have, it had gone up to Rs 20 crore-22 crore," he said.

The speaker said he was "pained", as special discussion on issues relating to North Karnataka region, on transporting of sand, among other important things,could not be discussed due to ruckus, and had "personal regret" for it.

He also noted that attendance of MLAs during the session has "by far improved" this time.

Belagavi in north Karnataka, bordering Mahrarashtra has been hosting legislature session once a year since 2006 when the move was initiated by the JD(S)-BJP coalition government, with Kumaraswamy as its chief Minister. PTI KSU RA ROH CK
LS member flags concerns over MHA order giving snooping powers

to central agencies

New Delhi, Dec 21 (PTI) A Lok Sabha member on Friday

raised concerns about the Home Ministry's decision to

authorise ten central agencies to intercept any information on

computers, saying the move is a violation of fundamental

rights.

Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader N K

Premachandran raised the issue during the Zero Hour.

The order authorises 10 central agencies, including the

Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the

Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor, and decrypt

"any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in

any computer".

Various Opposition parties have also opposed the

government's move and described it as unconstitutional,

undemocratic and an assault on fundamental rights. PTI RAM

DV DV
Coalition politics, tragedies dominate Karnataka in 2018

By Kishore S U

Bengaluru, Dec 19 (PTI) A high-octane assembly poll, a

thrilling government formation exercise filled with nail

biting twists and turns, and never-ending coalition worries

encapsulated 2018 in Karnataka, which also experienced a

tragic touch of devastating floods.

The year that began with a campaign blitz for the May

12 assembly polls ended on a sad note with two tragedies

striking in the form of a bus mishap killing 30 people and the

death of 15 innocent believers after eating insecticide-laced

prasad.

Karnataka saw attempts at coming together of "like-

minded secular parties" against the BJP-led NDA ahead of the

Lok Sabha polls next year, with top opposition leaders

attending the swearing-in ceremony of the new Congress-JDS

coalition chief minister H D Kumaraswamy.

After the elections threw up a hung assembly, the

Congress and JDS stitched together a post-poll alliance to

clinch power, days after the BJP, which emerged as the single

largest party, failed to muster the numbers.

Alleged attempts by the BJP to poach the ruling

coalition MLAs to destabilise the government and return to

power added drama to the state political scene.

The Karnataka government's efforts for a separate

state flag and religious minority tag for the dominant

Lingayat community got mired in controversies.

The year ended on a sad note as it saw the passing

away of of Union Minister Ananth Kumar, veteran Congress

leader C K Jaffer Sharief and matinee idol-turned-politician M

H Ambareesh, all within the span of a few days in November.

Karnataka's water wars with neighbouring Tamil Nadu

and Goa continued in 2018 over Cauvery and Mahadayi disputes

respectively, with the southern neighbour again dragging it to

court over the proposed reservoir at Mekedatu across the

Cauvery.

The controversy over celebrating Tipu Jayanti marking

the birth anniversary of the controversial 18th century Mysore

ruler Tipu Sultan, raging on for the last three years,

captured national attention this year, too.

The year also saw the Special Investigation Team of

Bengaluru police arrest some right wing activists for the

killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot

dead right outside her Bengaluru residence in September last

year.

In the middle of the year, the state saw protests in

parts of north, with demand for creating a separate state over

alleged discrimination by successive governments, including

the current dispensation, in budget allocation, developmental

work and representation in the cabinet.

To smooth ruffled feathers, the Kumaraswamy government

decided to shift some government offices to the northern

region.

For the Bengaluru-headquartered Indian Space Research

Organization (ISRO), the year was a mixed bag.

The space agency that performed seven successful

launches this year, faced a setback, as it lost contact with

its communication satellite with military applications- GSAT-

6A- two days after the launch on March 29.

Weeks after this, in a move that raised eyebrows, ISRO

rescheduled the launch of its another communication satellite

GSAT-11 and recalled it from from Kourou, French Guiana,

citing the need for additional tests. The satellite was

subsequently launched on December 5.

With new chairman K Sivan at its helm, the space

agency also carried out a major technology demonstration in

July, the first in a series of tests to qualify a Crew Escape

System, which is a critical technology relevant for human

spaceflight in an emergency.

Karnataka saw political turmoil after voters gave a

fractured verdict in the assembly polls, with BJP winning 104

seats, while contesting separately the Congress and JD(S) won

78 and 37 MLAs in the 224-member house. The assembly also has

a nominated member.

State BJP president B S Yeddyurappa was sworn in as

the chief minister by Governor Vajubhai Vala, an old BJP hand

from Gujarat, but resigned without taking the floor test in

the face of imminent defeat.

With the Congress pledging support to a government

headed by the JDS to keep the "communal BJP" out of power,

Kumaraswamy became the chief minister and proved his majority

in the assembly.

In a major step to address agrarian distress, the

Kumaraswamy government announced a Rs 45,000 crore farm loan

waiver.

However, the opposition expressed doubts about its

implementation, citing lack of clarity on how the government

would go about it.

The coalition also managed to win most of the

subsequent bypolls.

However, factional feud within the Congress party

raised questions about the longevity of the government.

Reflecting strains in the JDS-Congress coalition,

Kumaraswamy once said he was not happy being in the top post,

and was swallowing his pain like 'Vishakantha' (Lord Shiva),

who drank poison.

He also called himself the "child of circumstances",

remarks that gave ammunition to the opposition, which said it

showed he was wilting under pressure of coalition politics.

The year witnessed devastating floods in Kodagu hill

region and parts of coastal Karnataka, one of the worst in

recent times, when neighbouring Kerala also reeled under

nature's fury.

In Kodagu, about 20 people died and thousands were

displaced, as landslides destroyed houses and rampaging waters

wrecked standing crops in vast swathes in the countryside.

Tragedy struck on November 24 when 30 passengers of a

private bus were killed after the speeding vehicle plunged

into a canal in Mandya district.

In another dire incident, 15 people died and over 100

others are still in hospitals after they ingested prasad

served at the Kichchugutti Maramma temple in Sulivadi village

of Chamarajanagar district on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border.

Police have arrested a local seer, who allegedly

nurtured a grude after being sidelined in the management of

the temple, and three of his accomplices for allegedly

plotting to kill devotees by mixing insecticides with the

prasad that was served on December 14. PTI KSU RA VS SK

SK SK

TRK TRK
Meerut, Dec 21 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh Navnirman Sena Friday said it will send veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah a air-ticket for Pakistan over his comments on the Bulandshahr violence.

The actor found himself at the centre of a major controversy over his remarks in reference to the killing of a policeman in Bulandshahr earlier this month.

He said the death of a cow was being given importance over killing of a policeman in the violence.

"If Naseeruddin Shah feels scared in India, he can go to Pakistan. The UPNS (Uttar Pradesh Navnirman Sena) has booked a air-ticket for him to Pakistan for August 14," UPNS chief Amit Jani said.

"Like him, if anybody else feels scared, the UPNS will also book air-tickets for them to Pakistan," he said.

Wondering why his comments on mob violence were being misconstrued with some people calling him a "traitor", actor Shah said Friday in Ajmer that he spoke as a "worried Indian" and has the right to express concerns about the country he loves.

"What I said earlier was as a worried Indian. I have said this earlier as well. What did I say this time that I am being called a traitor? It is very strange," Shah told reporters here at his alma mater, St Anselm's Senior Secondary School.

"I have to bear criticism. If they have the right to criticise, then I also have the same right. I am expressing concerns about the country I love, the country that is my home. How is that a crime?" he asked.

Shah was responding to a question about the backlash he is receiving on social media following his remarks.

The actor had expressed anxiety over the growing mob violence in a video interview with Karwan-e-Mohabbat India, which the organisation shared on its YouTube channel on Monday.

In the interview, the actor expressed concern over the well-being of his children, who he said have not been brought up as followers of any particular religion. PTI CORR







ANB

ANB
Ghaziabad, Dec 21 (PTI) Coming down heavily on a sugar mill owner for allegedly erring on sugarcane payments to farmers, the district adminstration has asked the regional passport office to impound his passport.

In an official communique, District magistrate Ritu Maheshwari said the action was initiated against Umesh Kumar Modi, owner of Modi Sugar Mills, for non-payment of dues.

On Friday, the sub-divisional magistrate confiscated 7,000 quintal of sugar form a godown of the mill, the communique said.

Besides several offices and the refining section of the Modi Nagar-based sugar mill, and a farm house in Sikri Khurd village and other immovable properties have also been attached, it said.

On December 14, a recovery certificate was issued by the sugarcane commissioner against Umesh Modi. Till date around 173 crore rupees arrear of farmers is due on the sugar mill owner.

Though Modi has applied for a soft loan under a special scheme of the Uttar Pradesh government to pay the dues of farmers, but it was not sanctioned due to inadequate securities, the DM said.

The state government has already issued recovery certificates against eight sugar mills, including two units of Modi in Modi Nagar and Malakpur for non-payment of dues of 2017-18. PTI CORR RCJ
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.

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Finding travel insurance for those who have had cancer or other serious illnesses can often seem almost impossible, but it should now get easier after an investigation by the financial watchdog.

The Financial Conduct Authority has outlined plans to introduce a new signposting system, designed to push people with long-term health conditions away from mainstream insurers - and move them towards specialists that are more likely to cover them and at a cheaper price.

At the moment, those with pre-existing health conditions can be quoted premiums that run into hundreds or thousands of pounds by mainstream insurers, because of the extra 'risk' they pose. Some are even denied cover completely.

Travel cover: Mainstream insurers often turn those with a history of health problems away

This can continue years after treatment, forcing people into financial difficulties or preventing them from travelling completely.

There are currently 15 million people in the UK currently living with a long-term health condition, with that number expected to rise to 18 million over the next decade.

Some of the worst affected by eye-watering travel insurance premiums are cancer victims who are paying an average four times more than other travellers, according to research by Macmillan.

A fifth of those with the pre-existing condition pay more than 200 and some will end up handing over more than 27 times the average for a healthy person - more than 1,000.

Last year as many as 8,500 people were turned away completely despite being a decade from being given the all-clear.

However, specialist insurers often have more detailed or one-to-one medical screening that mean travellers' conditions are better understood before a quote is generated. As a result, premiums are often lower than quotes from the large well-known insurers.

During its investigation, the watchdog found that customers didn't know about these options and mainstream insurers were failing to alert them to the fact they could get a better deal elsewhere.

Today's report means customers in this position will be directed away from the big brand insurers and towards smaller specialists which offer cheaper deals.

The plans mean insurance brokers, comparison sites, travel agents and individual insurers will have to refer customers with long-term health conditions regardless of whether they have been contacted online, by phone or face to face.

The trigger for a referral will be answering yes to having a pre-existing medical condition, if the quote received is too high (perhaps beyond a certain percentage of the average quote), or if cover is declined altogether.

Christopher Woolard, executive director of strategy and competition at the FCA, said: People with pre-existing medical conditions feel poorly served by travel insurance.

'There are specialist services out there, but, often, people dont know where to find them. Well work with industry to point people in the right direction and help dispel some of the myths and misunderstandings to ensure this market works better.

Well deserved: It's unfair that those with a complex medical history are often priced out of travel cover

How is travel insurance priced?

Insurance premiums are calculated on the risk the insurer will have to pay out.

With a pre-existing condition or a history of ill health, the likelihood of a related issue or complication is higher, and the costs of hospital treatment abroad are likely to be much more expensive.

This is how insurance companies have justified charging those suffering illness long-term so much more than healthy travellers.

But, with an aging population and rising cancer rates meaning that so many more customers find themselves with pre-existing conditions, insurers have been told to smarten up their acts.

According to Macmillan, insurance companies have also not caught up with rising survival rates, with the number of cancer patients living beyond 10 years after getting the all-clear doubling over the past 40 years.

While more information on the availability of specialist cover may better inform travellers, it doesn't go all the way to solving the problem of inflated prices and many in the industry think the FCA plans don't go far enough.

Fran Woodard, executive director of policy and impact at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: 'We welcome these commitments to make it easier for people with cancer to find suitable travel insurance, but we are disappointed these proposals do not go even further.

'Improved signposting will only benefit people with cancer if, at the end of it, there is fair and affordable cover available. As it stands, this is rarely the case.

'No two cancer experiences are the same and if travel insurers want to meet the need for people with cancer, they must update their oversimplified medical screening to reflect this. We are concerned that, despite these proposals, many will still be faced with limited choice and disproportionately high premiums.'

Georgie Frost, a consumer advocate from GoCompare Travel, said: 'As someone with a pre-existing medical condition, I know only too well the difficulty and expense of getting good quality travel insurance.

'It is completely unfair that someone with a long-term health issue should have to deny themselves a much-needed holiday because they cant find or afford the right cover, either because they believe they are completely uninsurable, or they end up being quoted some extortionate premium to have peace of mind when abroad.'
The trials and tribulations of Urals Energy in recent weeks have been more akin to a soap opera than a listed company, and the drama continued this week.

To recap, the board started the mud-slinging last month, when it accused Sergey Kononov, the president of its Petrosakh subsidiary, of loaning out US$5.1mln of company money without permission.

Bosses called Kononov's actions 'unforgivable' and urged him to resign and pay back the money to the cash-strapped business as soon as possible, neither of which he seems to have done yet.

Kononov hit back this week, criticising management and their 'bizarre' statements in a lengthy rant posted on Petrosakh's website.

Drama within Urals Energy, an independent oil company with its operating assets located in Russia, continued this week and caused its share price to drop another 9.5% to 28.8p

Back to Urals Energy bosses, who responded straight away, saying they stood by their recent announcements and that Kononov's allegations of mismanagement were a bit rich, given that he has effectively been in control of Petrosakh since 2014.

Just like any good drama, when you think things can't get any murkier, they inevitably do.

Earlier this month, a large shareholder, believed to be linked to Kononov, called for the sacking of the entire board, with a meeting set to be held 'in due course'.

Needless to say, the endless toing and froing, coupled with a severe shortage of money, has not helped the share price, which dropped another 9.5% to 28.8p this week.

If Manchester United fans were feeling disgruntled on Monday morning, they should have looked at the share price of ASOS to see that things could always be worse.

Shares in the erstwhile champion of AIM halved this week to 2,222p after the online fashion retailer disappointed by reporting a 14% rise in sales in the first three months of its financial year, from September to November.

That would be more than good enough for most companies, but not for a glamour stock like ASOS, for which the bar is set very high given its track record.

Given its poor November performance, the company cut its full-year sales growth guidance to 15% from a previous range of between 20% and 25%.

Despite losing 50% of its market value, ASOS is still worth almost 2bn but it has slipped to number five in the league table of most valuable AIM stocks and now sits just ahead of its main rival, boohoo.com.

ASOS shares tanked this week after a less than impressive trading update.

Those two stocks are a pretty good reflection of the state of the markets this week, with equities being sleighed after Santa and his rally failed to show.

The AIM All Share is down 4.2% over the past five days to 847.7, while the blue-chips haven't fared much better, with the FTSE 100 down more than 2% to 6,696.

There was some good news floating around on the junior market though.

Wishbone Gold shares surged 70% to 0.17p on Tuesday after it was given the green light to start operations at its gold processing site in Honduras.

The plant, which had been hit by weather and licensing delays, will give artisanal miners somewhere to go and process their ore which should help to boost the amount of gold produced in the area.

Importantly, it should also cut down on the number of people using mercury to clean up their finds.

Wishbone took advantage of the share price surge to knock out a 300,000 placing on Friday. That wiped out most of the gains, although the stock still closed 7% higher on the week at 0.11p.

Renewable fuels company Velocys also nudged higher after it secured a site for the UK waste-to-jet-fuel project it is developing with British Airways and Royal Dutch Shell.

The 80-acre site is located near Immingham, North East Lincolnshire. A formal planning application process is expected to begin next year. Shares were up 6% to 5p come Friday afternoon.

Perhaps one of the week's biggest stories concerned Summit Therapeutics and US billionaire Bob Duggan.

The 74-year-old, who is reportedly one of Scientology's top donors, is to invest US$25mln into Summit to help progress the firm's portfolio of next-generation antibiotics.

Duggan was the chief executive and chairman of Pharmacyclics, the company behind ibrutinib (Imbruvica), a cancer drug which notched up sales of more than US$2.5bn last year.

He went on to sell that business for US$21bn in 2015 to US pharma giant AbbVie, netting an estimated US$3.5bn in the process.

His involvement with Summit put some life back into the share price, with the stock climbing 10% to 17.9p.
Albany

IBM is turning to Samsung to make 7 nanometer chips for its high-powered servers after GlobalFoundries decided not to enter the market for the next-generation chips.

But the announcement, made Thursday by IBM, is also good news for Albany and the Capital Region because IBM and Samsung will also extend their joint research activities on next-generation chips at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Albany.

GlobalFoundries, which had been a part of that research alliance as well, announced in August that it would focus exclusively on the 14 nanometer chips that it currently makes at Fab 8 in Malta.

"IBM remains an important client and we continue to work closely with them on various products, including their latest 14 nanometer processors," GlobalFoundries spokesman Jason Gorss said. "Beyond that, we cannot comment on the details of our client agreements."

GlobalFoundries cut 455 jobs between its manufacturing operations at Fab 8 and its research labs at SUNY Poly, where chip companies and manufacturing equipment suppliers test and perfect cutting-edge chip making processes. Fab 8 currently has about 3,000 employees after the cuts.

IBM and Samsung, which helped GlobalFoundries launch its 14 nanometer chip process at Fab 8, have been working on the 7 nanometer chip technology at SUNY Poly as part of the IBM Research Alliance, also known as the "fab club."

GlobalFoundries' agreement to participate in the IBM research alliance ends in December, although it has a long-term contract to provide IBM with 14 nanometer chips and older-generation designs made in Vermont and East Fishkill.

Samsung and IBM said they were extending their 15-year research partnership through the alliance as part of Thursday's announcement to partner on manufacturing.

The two companies have been focusing on extreme ultra-violet lithography, or EUV, technology to etch the smaller designs needed for 7 nanometer chips, which have features roughly half the size of 14 nanometer chips, making them more densely populated with transistors that move information around the chip.

As part of decision to stop 7 nanometer development, GlobalFoundries also decided to step back from EUV machines, which can cost $200 million apiece.

Samsung meanwhile has been stocking up on EUV machines, which are made by ASML, a Dutch company, although some components are made in Wilton, Conn. Samsung has made the push into EUV as part of its move into the foundry market making chips for other companies. Samsung's size would make it difficult for GlobalFoundries to compete head-to-head on 7 nanometer chips due to the cost of making the leap into EUV, which has not yet been perfected.

"We are excited to expand our decade-long strategic relationship with IBM with our 7 nanometer EUV process technology," said Ryan Lee, vice president of foundry marketing at Samsung Electronics. "This collaboration is an important milestone for Samsung's foundry business as it signifies confidence in Samsung's cutting-edge high performance EUV process technology."

Samsung makes chips for its Galaxy phones and tablets and also its own electronics products. But it has also extended into the foundry market. It has supplied chips to Apple's iPhone in the past, although the world's No. 1 foundry, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., has won the work from Apple recently.

GlobalFoundries acquired IBM's manufacturing operations in East Fishkill and Essex Junction, Vt. in 2015 and signed 10-year contract with IBM to provide it with the chips it needs since it sold off its chip factories.

GlobalFoundries is not losing any business it already has with IBM making chips based on the 14 nanometer or 22 nanometer architecture.

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And because of its new manufacturing deal with IBM, Samsung will continue to have a long-term presence at SUNY Poly's Albany campus where IBM has its own EUV machine in the school's NanoFabX building.

"We will continue our joint development work in Albany," an IBM spokesman said.

Samsung has chip factories, or fabs, in Austin, Texas and in South Korea. Back in October, Samsung says it completed testing to make low-power 7 nanometer chips using EUV patterning at its existing S3 Fab in Hwaseong.

And it is spending $6 billion on an entirely new EUV factory in Hwaseong that is expected to be completed in late 2019 and start full production in 2020 as the company pushes toward 3 nanometer chips as well.

A Samsung spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment, although the company has some of its top scientists and engineers working with IBM at SUNY Poly.

It is unclear if Samsung would ever consider bringing manufacturing to the Capital Region so it could be close to IBM's development team in Albany. However, there have been attempts in the past to try and convince Samsung to build a fab in New York that ultimately did not come to fruition.

When GlobalFoundries was developing 7 nanometer manufacturing at Fab 8, it would use SUNY Poly as its test lab and ferry the 12-inch silicon wafers that are used to make chips back and forth between Fab 8 and the school.

GlobalFoundries has said that its customers aren't asking for 7 nanometer chips because they are so much more expensive to make and will have more computing power than what's needed for things like autonomous cars, AI, internet-connected devices and the upcoming 5G wireless networks.

GlobalFoundries CEO Tom Caulfield, a former IBMer who was previously general manager at Fab 8, has said that the company was taking the bold decision to stop shrinking chip features so that it could focus on optimizing 14 nanometer chips, which he believes will have a long life-cycle as the market for autonomous vehicles and mass-market devices that think on their own explodes.

"I think we need to give them credit for that," said Marty Vanags of the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership. "That bodes well for our economy because that is where the growth is going to be."
Washington

President Donald Trump's demand for border wall funds hurled the federal government closer to a shutdown as House Republicans approved a package Thursday with his $5.7 billion request that is almost certain to be rejected by the Senate.

The White House said Trump will not travel to Florida on Friday for the Christmas holiday if the government is shutting down. More than 800,000 federal workers will be facing furloughs or forced to work without pay if a resolution is not reached before funding expires at midnight Friday.

The shutdown crisis could be one of the final acts of the House GOP majority before relinquishing control to Democrats in January. Congress had been on track to fund the government but lurched Thursday when Trump, after a rare lashing from conservative supporters, declared he would not sign a bill without the funding. Conservatives want to keep fighting. They warn that "caving" on Trump's repeated wall promises could hurt his 2020 re-election chances, and other Republicans' as well.

The House voted largely along party lines, 217-185, after GOP leaders framed the vote as a slap-back to Nancy Pelosi, who is poised to become House speaker on Jan. 3 and who had warned Trump in a televised Oval Office meeting last week that he wouldn't have the votes for the wall.

"Now we find compromise," House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said. "We have time right now to get it done."

The government funding package, which includes nearly $8 billion in disaster aid for coastal hurricanes and California wildfires, now goes to the Senate, where its prospects are grim amid strong opposition from Democrats. Sixty votes are needed to approve the bill there.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., warned senators they may need to return to Washington for a noontime vote Friday.

Many senators already left town for the holidays. The Senate approved a bipartisan bill late Wednesday to keep the government temporarily funded, with border security money at current levels, $1.3 billion, and no money for the wall. The House had been expected to vote on it Thursday.

The most likely possibility Friday is that the Senate strips the border wall out of the bill but keeps the disaster funds and sends it back to the House. House lawmakers said they were being told to stay in town for more possible votes.

With Pelosi's backing, the Senate-passed bill likely has enough support for House approval with votes mostly from Democratic lawmakers, who are still the minority, and some Republicans.

Others were not so sure. "I don't see how we avoid a shutdown," said retiring Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla.

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said he was not convinced after a White House meeting with GOP leaders that Trump would sign the Senate bill.

"I looked him in the eyes today, and he was serious about not folding without a fight," Meadows said.

Trump's sudden rejection of the Senate-approved legislation, after days of mixed messages, sent Republican leaders scrambling for options on Capitol Hill days before Christmas.

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House Speaker Paul Ryan, exiting the hastily called meeting with Trump at the White House, said, "We're going to go back and work on adding border security to this, also keeping the government open, because we do want to see an agreement."

By afternoon, Trump shifted his terminology, saying he's not necessarily demanding a border wall but "steel slats"  which is similar to the border security fencing already provided for in the bill.

"We don't use the word 'wall' necessarily, but it has to be something special to do the job," Trump said at a farm bill signing at the White House. The nuance could provide Trump a way to try to proclaim victory. The bill would keep funding at current levels for border security, including pedestrian fencing and replacement fences, but not the wall. It requires previously used designs.

Democratic leaders have made clear they will not budge on their opposition to the border wall that Trump campaigned on saying Mexico would pay for it. Mexico has refused.

"The Trump temper tantrum will shut down the government, but it will not get him his wall," said Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer. Democrats favor border security, Schumer said, but he denounced the wall as "ineffective, unnecessary and exorbitantly expensive."

McConnell met with Ryan after the House leaders returned from the meeting with Trump.

Ryan and McCarthy had endured complaints during a private morning meeting earlier Thursday from rank-and-file Republicans in the Capitol that they were closing out their majority without a fight on a major issue.

Associated Press writers Alan Fram and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report.
When your favorite entertainer reveals his magic trick, whats left?

Now that Bruce Springsteen has ended his run playing intimate shows on Broadway, the majority of E Street Band fans are wondering the same thing: Will he tour with his full band again?

On Saturday, the E Street Band frontman concluded his Tony-winning 14-month Springsteen on Broadway. The following day, a Thom Zimny-filmed version of Springsteen on Broadway dropped on Netflix and the soundtrack was released.

Springsteen is taking 2019 off from touring, he said in a statement and in an interview Wednesday on Sirius E Street radio, to work on various recording projects.

Our closing is bittersweet but more adventures await down the road, he said. Ill see you there.

He told fans on Sirius E Street radio that Springsteen on Broadway might be revisited.

Itll find its purpose again somewhere down the road. We talked about taking it to London and some other places, some other cities in the States, Springsteen told radio listeners.

At 69 years old and after 236 one-man shows in a small theater  his first regular 5-day-a-week day job, he joked  Springsteen needs a break. He has a finished album fans are hoping to hear early next year. Its more of a solo album, but he also talked on Sirius about doing more rock music in the near future.

In the meantime, E Street Band members are performing live to fill the void and Capital Region venues have hosted several of those shows.

Drummer Max Weinberg performs on Jan. 11 at Proctors GE Theater. (Guitarist Little Steven played at the Palace in May and bassist Garry Tallent in Troy in May 2017.)

RELATED: Little Steven returns to Palace

I saw Springsteen on Broadway twice  on Feb. 1 and, 10 months later, on Dec. 1. His storytelling and performance evolved tremendously: his jokes and timing strengthened and his magic trick was honed to perfection with the addition of Long Time Coming, a song about his dads surprise visit to his house and his apology to Bruce while nursing breakfast beers in the kitchen just before Bruces first son was born.

Most importantly, he added The Ghost of Tom Joad in June, as the border separation and immigration policies of the Trump administration gripped the nation. While introducing Joad, he referred back to the March for Our Lives where we saw all those young people in Washington and citizens all around the country remind us of  real faith in American democracy and how sacred that is.

I never believe that people come to my shows or to rock shows in general to be told anything. But I do believe that they come to be reminded of things. To be reminded of who they are, when they are the most joyous  Its a good place to get in touch with your spirit. Its good to be among the crowd. Music does those things pretty well. Springsteen said all this before launching into his original folk rendition of Joad, which gives voice to todays disenfranchised through the spirit of John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath character.

Ive watched the Netflix special and Im still rewinding, pausing, listening closer and discovering new tidbits of his poetic artistry.

I mostly find myself rewatching the segment when he is sitting at the piano  almost awkwardly  and veers away from stories about himself and his family to introduce the band during Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out. Its there that he begins to reveal his magic trick.

But to introduce that, I have to tell a story involving me first.

Tickets for Springsteen on Broadway were tough to get, but if you signed up as a Ticketmaster Verified Fan to purchase seats when the tour was first announced, your faith was rewarded with a chance to purchase two. The 975-seat venue sold out every night, and tickets on the secondary market were very steep because they were in high demand and very limited.

Fans paid $75 to $850 for seats and, for the most part, they kept them. Ticketmaster claimed the Verified fan system worked because fans, not robots, bought the tickets.

At the very last minute, I had an extra ticket to Springsteen on Broadway for Dec. 1. I decided to sell it the morning of the show for face value plus handling fees on a ticket exchange section of the Springsteen fan website Backstreets.

Within minutes, I had responses via email. The second email was from a fan from Sweden who flew to New York City ticketless to try and see the show.

Turns out he had been in New York since Thursday and Saturdays show was his last attempt to get in the door. He and two friends were poised to stand in line at the theater for the 8 p.m. show to try to get dropped seats just prior to showtime. The previous two days, they struck out.

We are all huge fans, having seen Bruce in various countries in Europe since 1985 and also at MetLife in 2012, he wrote to me, asking for my phone number so he could explain further.

So my husband and daughter and I drove down for the show and met Daniel Torbjornsson, a 46-year-old high school teacher from Stockholm, at Glass House Tavern on 47th Street. Im blond, short guy, glasses. Blue coat, he told me. He wasnt hard to spot: he was anxiously looking up at the door when we entered, peering up at us from the basement bar perched on a corner stool.

More Information Check out Joyce Bassett's Springsteen blog, called "New York Serenade," which chronicles her years following Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. She saw her first performance 40 years ago in Troy, 1978. See More Collapse

He bought us a round of drinks. We asked him a few things about himself. My wife is a little mad at me right now, for leaving her for four days with two teenagers at home. Flying back Sunday at 5 p.m., he was scheduled to arrive in Stockholm just three hours before he was supposed to be back in front of his classroom.

Later we met his two friends in line: Per Stromback, 45, and Carl Jurell, 48, also of Stockholm. After telling security workers that they lost out the previous two days to people paid by scalpers to stand in line, the theater implemented a new policy on Saturday: After you bought a ticket, you were escorted into the theater. As a result, his pals were third and fourth in line, and they scored tickets. Others in line who were rewarded with tickets were a woman from Liverpool, England, who had been waiting since 2 a.m., a woman who saw the show for the 14th time and three women from Newfoundland, Canada.

Joyce Bassett/Times Union

Ive had many encounters with Springsteen fans from abroad through the years, mostly waiting in line for lottery tickets to get into the pit area in front of the stage. And its that moment of elation when entering the door together triumphantly and experiencing a show together that makes you blessed to be alive. And youve officially joined E Street nation.

At the end of the show, my family of three and the Swedes saw each other outside the theater on a festive 48th Street, and we gave each other big hugs and handshakes.

Bruce describes the magic trick during Tenth Avenue as one plus one equals three. Its the equation for true love, true art, true life, he said.

Its the reason true rock 'n roll and true rock 'n roll fans will never die, Springsteen says as he pounds the familiar keys on the piano. And just as the saxophone plays in your head, he talks about the Big Man joining the band. Tears flow again as I listen. But then I realize: Clarence Clemons might be gone, but his spirit lives on and the spirit of the band  tour or no tour  will never die.

Thanks Scooter.

jbassett@timesunion.com  @joyceb10bassett  518-454-5636
There's a lot more than cattle and crops thriving in the fields of Greene County. Experimental sounds are being invented and transmitted at Wave Farm, an artistic outpost near the village of Acra, about 13 miles northwest of Catskill.

Deep into the 30-acre tract of land, you'll find a tall wooden pole with some gadgets near the top. This is "Weather Warlock" by the artist known as Quintron. It uses an analog synthesizer to generate sounds triggered by changes in sunlight, wind, precipitation, and temperature.

A short distance away and floating in a small body of water is Zack Poff's "Pond Station," an audio pickup connected to a small solar panel that broadcasts underwater sounds every day from dawn to dusk. There's also Japanther's "Remote Audio Outpost," a triangular hut that contains a primitive recording studio connected to an analog phone line. It's billed as "a place for introspection and confession."

Each of these fusions of sculpture, sound and technology falls under the rubric of "transmission arts," which is the focus of Wave Farm, a nonprofit organization that was established here in 2004. Every year, from summer into early fall, resident artists come to Wave Farm to create new works that focus on transmitting or receiving data, including sounds or images. Many of the works are exhibited on the land, while others are realized in performance or come to life in other media.

Wave Farm is also active in a more traditional method of transmission  it runs a radio station. WGXC (90.7-FM) went on the air in February 2011. The 3,300-watt signal reaches much of Greene and Columbia counties and southern portions of the Capital Region.

The WGXC schedule is community-generated. A team of 80 volunteer programmers broadcast their shows out of the two WGXC studios, located in downtown Hudson and at the Wave Farm offices in Acra. The lineup also includes two daily broadcasts of the news show "Democracy Now" along with other offerings from Pacifica Radio, a national network. During the fall election season, candidates for local offices were regularly featured. Wave Farm's visiting artists are also given airtime.

The organization's website (WaveFarm.org) features a number of audio feeds starting with WGXC. There's also Wave Farm's Standing Wave Radio, a 24-hour online-only stream of new music and experimental sounds. Finally, with a simple click, curious listeners can check out what's currently happening with the "Weather Warlock" and the "Pond Station."

"With the media consolidation of recent years, most of what's on the air is cookie-cutter talk radio and music driven by national playlists rather than local interests," says Galen Joseph Hunter, Wave Farm's executive director. "We're a lone voice making the kind of airtime we do for artistic content."

In addition to its residency program and radio station, Wave Farm also administers a media arts assistance fund, in partnership with the New York State Council on the Arts. Grants are offered annually for New York-based organizations and artists working in media arts. The next deadline for artist grants is Jan. 15. For Wave Farm's artist residency program, the deadline is Feb. 1. In most years, around 100 applications are received for 10 residency spots.

Dreaming up new sounds and new methods of sound production is an age-old practice. And there's certainly no shortage of composers and sound artists on the scene today. What distinguishes transmission arts and radio art from all the rest is the purposeful integration of the electronic means of delivery.

"The artist is thinking about listeners from the get-go, people in their car or some other personal environment, not a concert hall or a gallery space," explains Joseph-Hunter. "It is often DIY (do it yourself). Our artists are often creating their own transmission and receiving devices."

As for the larger universe of transmission arts, Wave Farm has made concerted efforts to catalogue and compile information on artists working in the field. The facility in Acra has an extensive library of books, periodicals and other media that are available to researchers. In 2011 the organization issued "Transmission Arts: Artists & Airwaves," a book that contains a comprehensive history of the field with citations of 150 artists. The earliest entry is a 1921 manifesto by the Russian futurist Velimir Khlebnikov titled "The Radio of the Future."

Heidi Neilson might be considered one of Khlebnikov's artistic heirs. She's a New York City resident who describes herself as a multidisciplinary artist. But her vision is literally cosmic. "I'm interested lately in how orbital spaces are contiguous with landscapes," she says.

One of her creations is a satellite dish mounted in the middle of a four-sided bench that resembles a pagoda. It's one of the half dozen permanent installations at Wave Farm. Visitors to the intimate space can listen to or download data from the Outernet, a cousin of the Internet that's transmitted from satellites.

Another Neilson project is "Sonic Planetarium" currently installed at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, in an exhibition sponsored by Wave Farm. Seven large tuned metal cylinders hang from the ceiling of the university library. They sound when triggered by passing satellites. In Neilson's latest, coming in the summer at Wave Farm, you'll be able to look into a viewer and see the entirety of planet Earth as seen from a satellite. "Like a giant selfie," says the artist.

Neilson says that most other institutions in the U.S. that are concerned with transmission arts are tied to universities. "Wave Farm is independent and free to think expansively about the field without needing to adhere to curriculum," she says.

Wave Farm is open year round by appointment. The five employees love to hear from listeners. Complaints about weird sounds are surprisingly rare. "Most of the time it's from a place of delight," says Hunter, who recalls talking with the daughter of a man who was incarcerated and who was grateful to have discovered WGXC. "He stumbled on it late at night and he was amazed at what he was hearing, sounds he's never heard before."

Joseph Dalton is a freelance writer based in Troy.
Mark Hogancamp, the survivor of a brutal beating outside a bar in 2000 that left him with little memory who escapes from his pain by creating a World War II fantasy with dolls, is a complex man with a unique story; he is now an acclaimed artist.

Unfortunately, co-writer and director Robert Zemeckis and actor Steve Carell can't quite capture the subtle nuances of Hogancamp and his fantasy life in "Welcome to Marwen," a film that is caught in its tug-of-war between the drama of the grueling recovery of a damaged individual addicted to pain pills and an animated World War II action fantasy.

Hogancamp, so memorably profiled in Jeff Malmberg's superior 2010 documentary "Marwencol," was apparently a cross-dresser in his former life, which led to his beating. So he was the victim of a hate crime. He has a closet full of women's shoes.

Understandably, since he was beaten by men and rescued by women  his rehab nurse, his bar co-worker, his next-door neighbor, etc.  his WWII fantasy is about a perpetually in-danger American soldier, Capt. Hogie, who establishes a base in a fictional Belgian village and is protected by a bevy of beautiful, scantily-clad women, all fantasy doubles of the women in Hogancamp's real life.

"Welcome to Marwen" is populated with these women  mainly his neighbor Nicol (Leslie Mann); his co-worker at a bar restaurant, Caralal (Eiza Gonzalez); his Russian caregiver Anna (Gwendoline Christie); his rehab partner Julie (Janelle Monae), who lost a leg in Afghanistan; the star of his favorite 1980s soft-porn films, Suzette (Leslie Zemeckis, wife of the director); the mysterious Deja (Diane Kruger), who exists only in Hogancamp's fantasy world; and most affectingly, Roberta (Merritt Wever, best of the bunch), the owner of his local toy store.

Carell does his best, strolling around either in women's shoes or full military regalia, holding conversations with his dolls, struggling with his PTSD. But Zemeckis and Dreamworks are limited by their decision to make a soft, PG-13 movie. Whereas as the real Hogancamp had some stunningly stark storylines in his real-life village, the Marwen of Zemeckis' film plays more like a Quentin Tarantino babe fantasy.

And Hogancamp's interaction with the town's real-life women is problematic. Most of the women in "Welcome to Marwen" have underdeveloped roles  they seem to be fantasy figures, too  and Hogancamp's childlike (read: socially awkward) interactions with them are less the painful emotional damage of an assault survivor than a creepy Forrest Gump (the obvious Zemeckis parallel).

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So "Welcome to Marwen" does not work as a drama of addiction, and frankly it doesn't work as a celebration of Hogancamp's creations, which work best as stunning still-photo images.

At one point, Carell's Hogancamp explains that wearing women's shoes "connects me to the essence of dames  er, women."

The film, however, can't quite connect to the complex essence of Hogancamp himself.
You don't have to look far for Italian in Saratoga Springs, so you have to hand it to the two sommelier-restaurateurs who sold their family Italian restaurant in New Haven, Conn., and opened Solevo Kitchen + Social on Phila Street within the year. After starting careers in wine distribution, one went into fashion and one cooked in Italy before buying and running their parents' restaurant for four years. At 29 and 32 years old, the siblings only just straddle 30, but as fourth-generation restaurant owners, Giovannina Solevo and her chef-brother, Ronald, have red sauce in their blood.

Of late, the national food media has been agog over Misi, the follow-up to Lilia and their Brooklyn chef-owner Missy Robbins for making carb-loading pasta sexy again. At Solevo, you'll find just as much love and semolina  or 00  flour making its way into the scratch tagliatelle, spaghetti alla chittara, rigatoni and gnocchi, some rolled by hand, the rest swiftly sliced from the pasta extruder. Each has that telltale fresh pliability and enough rustic heft for teeth to chew. Italian-Americans have long revered their tomato-based sauces as pasta's figure-hugging accessory, but most agree pasta  in long, short or shapely form  is the real star of the show.

A nest of tagliatelle supporting wild-caught Mexican shrimp unravels in firm, wide strands slick with buttery tomato-Marsala sauce and studded with shiitake mushrooms; its sweetness offset by the salinity of beady capers. Those who choose pasta-less secondi  perhaps veal scallopini pounded delicately thin and bathed in buttery white wine sauce shot with citrus and capers  will be rewarded with stubby tubes of ridged rigatoni crowned in Sunday sauce. And there's another reward: A spectacular richly yellow Parmigiana polenta that moves sleepily and sleekly with each scoop. Ronald admits his goal is to see how much butter and cream each batch can absorb. Do not hold back.

At 8 a.m., Ronald Solevo Sr. sometimes lets himself in to help his son with a head start on Gram's meatballs made with only beef and panade  breadcrumbs soaked in milk that are key to their tenderness. Or he might start the Sunday sauce using a hand-me-down Campanian recipe perfected by generations in New World family restaurants. It requires only San Marzano tomatoes, salt, basil and fat.

More Information Solevo Kitchen + Social 55 Phila St., Saratoga Springs Phone: 518-450-7094 Web: solevokitchenandsocial.com Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. Monday, 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. Friday, 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday, 1 to 9 p.m. Sunday, closed Tuesday. Price: Moderate. Antipasta, $9 to $14; pasta and secondi, $18 to $38. Food: Old school Italian-American with heritage-inspired southern Italian recipes. Scratch-made pasta and sauces, in-house butchery, house-made desserts. Drink: Sommelier-curated Italian wine list with Super Tuscans, assorted Italian varietals, one or two domestic wines; full bar, cocktails, six beers. Ambiance: Classic red-sauce joint with vintage downstate Sinatra glamour. Noise: 2 to 3, depending on time of day. Good for: Dinner, weekend lunch, families, small groups, date night, bar snacks, after work drinks, catering. ADA accessible. Noise rating: 1- quiet; 2 - comfortable/conversational; 3 - loud; 4 - disruptive. Price range: Inexpensive, Moderate, Somewhat Expensive, Very Expensive See More Collapse

Wait, fat? Depending on the in-house butchery that week it might be rendered fat from pork ribs or trimmings from the beef braciole or New York strip. Slow-simmered, it gives the sauce its rich depths because, as we know, with meat, fat is flavor.

Unlike eateries that rely on one sauce as a base note, Solevo treats his as individuals: Bolognese, made in two large batches, is cooled and given a day of rest so that herbs and seasoning can harmoniously meld; a quick vegan marinara lightly hints at shallots, basil and garlic among crushed tomatoes. (Ronald is working on importing a signature strain of D.O.P San Marzano tomatoes from Campania for his sauce.)

There's rustic sofrito with beef heart diced into tiny bites that add an earthy flavor to the slow-simmered trinity of peppers, onions and tomato; a sauce called Pop Gag's, born of a practical need to feed a crowd, is our table favorite, with smooth paccheri tunnels submerged in stewy tomatoes and hot and sweet vinegar-brined peppers, the kind you see in large cans on Italian deli shelves. The addition of crumbled sausage from a Connecticut supplier is crusty from a hot pan and packs an embarrassment of fragrant cumin. Only the calamari pomodoro misses the mark, with the calamari softly over-stewed, the sauce distinguished by shrimp but arrestingly fishy, enough to stop conversation in its tracks.

What's the allure of an old-school red-sauce joint? Is it the wall of family photos capturing 70 years of history, a great-grandfather's naturalization papers, serious faces before a camera, the lettering of Gag's Dining Room (Gag was their great-grandfather, Antonio Gagliardi) on restaurant windows with an early Ford parked outside? Is it the comfort of Italian-American standards from spaghetti with clams to Marsala made with pan-roasted Amish chicken? It's all here  authentic, straightforward and not always prettily plated  a southern Italian story with enough glamour that you could don granny's fur stole and not look out of place.

Giovannina and Ronald designed the restaurant from the ground up in the new Spencer Condominiums on Phila Street, working with building contractors to outfit the raw space. White tiles back the marble bar, glossy black and white floors evoke Las Vegas Italian, high tops offer a view of the kitchen through the pass, a tufted green leather banquette cocoons a marble table, and a white-tablecloth dining room attended by servers in black is an old-school class act. We marvel at the obvious investment. Since it opened in late September, most nights have been busy; arriving, we run into friends at the bar. In this downtown market, you go big or go home.

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But the young Solevos do detour from the past with their focus on organic ingredients and a few modern tweaks: A towering pile of crisply battered eggplant chips dripped with Calabrian chile honey and torn basil is an outrageous bar snack; saltimbocca is offered as heritage pork, (not veal), to broaden its appeal, with prosciutto and mozzarella tempering its slightly oversweet port wine sauce.

With two sommeliers in charge, a wine list packed with Super Tuscans and varietals from across Italy's wine regions sets hearts aflutter, but cocktails are surprising misfires: Grapefruit and basil duke it out in a rye paloma in which sea salt functions as saltwater emetic, and The Fizz, involving Earl Grey tea-infused sloe gin, could be a melted Jolly Rancher ice pop. A quick pivot to a primitivo wine is the right call, though The Fizz stays on the table throughout dinner. Another guest's Waldorf Manhattan earns full credit from all.

Ronald's partner, George Ewald, who encouraged the upstate move from Brooklyn, and the Solevos' mother, Nancy, make the ice creams and desserts. When you don't have room for olive oil or carrot cake, an affogato usually covers both coffee and sweet, only here it's sundae-sized and topped with chocolate, whipped cream and a magnificent chewy-fruit biscotto, in a massive overplay of an espresso over a single scoop. You could always stop in for the eggplant chips and move straight onto dessert.

A two-course dinner for two with an additional side and two glasses of wine will cost around $105 with tax, before tip.

Susie Davidson Powell is a British freelance food writer in upstate New York. Follow her on Twitter, @SusieDP. To comment on this review, visit the Table Hopping blog, blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping.
"Bumblebee" is the latest installment in the "Transformers" series, but fortunately for humankind, it has little in common with its torturously bloated, unwatchable predecessors. This new sci-fi action adventure film explores revolutionary concepts like wit, charm and likable characters  as if the franchise has pleasantly mutated into a robotic version of "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial."

Consider this kinder, gentler "Transformers" project the biggest miracle of the holiday movie season. This is not to say that "Bumblebee" avoids the requisite CGI effects or big explosions  this is a "Transformers" movie, after all  but director Travis Knight uses these tools judiciously and to maximum effect. He centers his film on a touching relationship between angst-ridden teenager Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld, a very welcome presence), who is grieving the loss of her father, and B-127, a hulking, yet sensitive mass of bolts who has come to Earth in a mission to help save his fellow Autobots.
ALBANY  A man who kidnapped and raped an unconscious woman in Albany last fall was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison, Albany County prosecutors said.

Abdul Trowell, 34, of Albany had faced up to 50 years due to a prior conviction. He received the sentence from Judge William Carter in Albany County Court. It followed a Nov. 5 conviction by jury of kidnapping, rape and criminal possession of a weapon  all felonies.

Prosecutors had laid out a strange case.

They said that a 23-year-old woman showed up to a bar on Madison Avenue on Nov. 6, 2017 with a male friend. While there, she became highly intoxicated, and was observed needing help in the bathroom and falling from her chair.

Trowell, who knew the male friend but not the woman, showed up to the bar at about midnight, they said.

Sometime after 1:30 a.m., the male friend and woman decided to leave and got into the friend's truck. Trowell asked them for a ride to his nearby apartment on Eagle Street. When they got there, Trowell unexpectedly picked up the woman, who was unconscious, and carried her into his home.

The male friend parked the truck and went into Trowell's apartment where he saw the victim on a couch.

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At about 3:30 a.m., prosecutors say Trowell pulled out a knife and demanded the male friend leave. The man left and immediately called 911.

Police officers arrived at about 3:44 a.m. They could not gain full entry to the apartment and stayed at the scene until 5 a.m. when they and the male friend left. The woman, who was unconscious, was raped afterward.

Albany police conducted an internal review into the case, but declined to comment on its findings calling it an "internal personnel matter."

Trowell must register as a sex offender when he is released. He will face 15 years of post-release supervision, according to the Albany County District Attorney's office.
Schenectady

While there was no dramatic announcement Thursday of tens of millions of dollars to bail out the troubled pension fund for former St. Clare's Hospital workers, some workers who attended a closed-door meeting with Albany Roman Catholic Bishop Edward Scharfenberger emerged to say they felt he sincerely wants to find a solution.

About 100 ex-workers at the former hospital attended the meeting at Siena College with the bishop to talk about the loss or elimination of pensions for some 1,100 people because the pension fund does not have enough money. Founded in Schenectady by Catholic priests and Franciscans in 1949, St. Clare's from its beginnings has been linked to the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese. Bishops also served on the hospital board of directors.

At the end of the 90-minute session, Scharfenberger and two former St. Clare's workers emerged to say they will work together to find a way to restore pensions, although none of them yet know how or when then might be done.

"I was skeptical going in, but (the bishop) won me over," said Mary Hartschorn, a Duanesburg resident who worked at St. Clare's for 28 years as a radiologist and ultrasound technician before leaving in 2005. Affiliated with the Catholic Diocese of Albany, the hospital closed in 2008 as part of a state-mandated merger with Ellis Hospital.

As part of the merger, the state provided $28.5 million to support the pension fund. Scharfenberger, who is now a member of the St. Clare's Corp., which oversees the pension, was not on the board at the time the hospital was closed.

He said it is not clear to him why the state payment was insufficient to maintain the pension fund, but that is an question that must be answered. Recent estimates by St. Clare's Corp. President Joe Pofit, a former diocesan official, indicate that the fund need at least $29 million to restore reduced pensions to more than 660 former workers who have lost all benefits.

That would bring their pensions up to 70 percent of what had been promised, which is what is now being provided to 434 workers who had retired before November 2015. Pofit said the pension would run out of cash entirely by 2024 if pensions were not slashed.

"I cannot pull a rabbit out of my hat," said Scharfenberger, who has earlier said the diocese does not have such funds and has no way to find it. He said he will "do everything that I possibly can," but added that he sees a state bailout as unavoidable if the pensions are to be salvaged.

Another former St. Clare's staffer, Richard Gullott, a physician and former vice president of medical affairs, said he and other workers were "grateful" that Scharfenberger held the meeting and was "totally confident that a solution will be found ... but I don't know what that would be."

While saying workers were "not looking for who to blame," Gullott said a complete understanding of what caused the pension fund to fail is needed as part of any solution. He said that search should employ expertise from both within and outside of the diocese.

"We have not yet scratched the surface," he said. Scharfenberger said he did not know the fiscal history of the fund. In past interviews, Pofit has said the fund was crippled by the recession that started in 2008.

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Some workers have turned to David Pratt, a labor law professor at Albany Law School, for help. Pratt was not allowed in the closed-door meeting, claiming the the diocese had initially sent him an email indicating he could attend, but had decided otherwise when he arrived at Siena.

After hearing from the bishop and the two former hospital workers, Pratt said he was "mildly optimistic, but we still have a very long way to go."

Because St. Clare's officials two decades ago got the federal government to classify the hospital pension as a so-called "church plan" due to its ties to the diocese, the now-ailing fund was not backstopped by federal pension insurance meant to protect workers from fiscal calamities. The fund was also exempted from federal reporting requirements that could have publicly alerted former workers of financial underperformance.

During the 1990s, officials at St. Clare's sought and received federal approval for a religious exemption for its pension, which up to that point was federally insured as a private plan. The hospital then got a $90,000 refund for its previous premiums, but the plan was then left uninsured from fiscal calamity.

Hartschorn said it was "difficult to say who is at fault" for the pension collapse, adding that she felt the bishop was "open to our angst, our emotions and our tears."

She added, "If we can get some manna from heaven, alright. That is what I am looking for."
OGDENSBURG  A teenage girl missing from St. Lawrence County was found safe Thursday night, nine days after she vanished and 90 minutes after police activated an Amber Alert.

The Ogdensburg Police Department said in the alert that they were investigating reports of a child abduction, which allegedly happened at 4 p.m. Dec. 12 on Canton Road.
ALBANY  New York is expanding its first-in-the-nation legal defense project for immigrants to include social and health care services for families and rapid response to raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday.

"While the federal government wages war on immigrant families seeking the American Dream, New York is standing by our commitment to protect people from all backgrounds and embrace our diversity," Cuomo said in a Thursday news release. "These expanded services will help immigrants who are unfairly targeted by ICE get the legal assistance they need and provide health care services to undocumented children and families who have been neglected by the federal government."

New York is home to 940,000 undocumented immigrants, according to the Migration Policy Institute. An estimated 53,000 are under the age of 16, the Governor's press release said.

The new Project Golden Door will provide comprehensive family support services at 12 existing sites, including Albany. The project will partner with SOMOS Community Care, a nonprofit network of more than 2,500 Latino community-based doctors as well as local social service agencies and pro-bono attorneys.

The Legal Defense Project's new Regional Rapid Response team will set up attorneys in the state's 10 Regional Economic Development Council areas. The Capital Region will get two dedicated attorneys to support local legal providers and respond to an increasing number of detained asylum seekers. The Albany County jail received more than 300 asylum-seekers from the southern border this summer, although many have now been transferred to a federal detention center near Buffalo.

Other regions getting two attorneys include Western New York, Central New York, the Hudson Valley and Long Island.

The Legal Defense Project also runs the Immigrant Family Unity Project, managed by non-profit organization Vera Institute for Justice out of the state's Office for New Americans. Since July 2017, New York State has been the first and only state in the nation to provide representation to all unrepresented detained immigrants who are facing deportation proceedings and can't afford a lawyer.

The project has served more than 25,000 immigrants and communities in need. One quarter were released and reunited with their families.

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One immigrant in this situation was Emile, whose name was changed by the Vera Institute to protect his identity. He's been a lawful permanent resident since he was young. When he was detained by ICE, he was a student at Buffalo State College and working as a restaurant manager to support his wife, who was pregnant with their first child.

In his last semester of college, he was offered a job as a financial advisor. When his employer ran a background check, ICE discovered he had a misdemeanor conviction. The agency arrested, detained and placed him in deportation proceedings.

A lawyer took up his case and an immigration judge at the immigration court near Buffalo granted Emile bond. He won his case and was granted permission to stay in the country with legal status.

Immigration attorneys in the Capital Region applaud the project but say that it stops short of providing legal aid for immigrants who aren't facing deportation. The Vera Institute said nearly 19,000 immigrants in New York are not detained but facing deportation without counsel.

The Institute currently receives $4.55 million to defend detained immigrants facing deportation in four immigration courts in upstate New York. The organization is now pushing for $5.45 million in the state's 2020 budget to represent 1,000 non-detained New Yorkers unable to afford counsel for their deportation proceedings.
NISKAYUNA  A medical supply company and its founder stand charged with defrauding the Empire Plan, the primary health insurance plan covering state employees.

According to the office of state Inspector Catherine Leahy Scott, the fraud was accomplished through inappropriate charges, forged prescriptions and falsified insurance claims for orthotics and compression stockings provided to government employees.

Union Foot Solutions, LLC, of Niskayuna (also known as Union Orthotics and Pedorthics) and its founder, Steven A. St. Lucia were each charged with grand larceny in the first degree, six counts of health care fraud in the second degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, scheme to defraud in the first degree and offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree  all felonies.

In a statement, Leahy Scott called 62-year-old St. Lucia "a disgraced former surgeon who was once described as a danger to the community and morally bankrupt by the State medical licensing board and is now charged with perpetrating an elaborate health insurance fraud for his own personal greed."

The investigation, which also involves the State Police Special Investigations Unit, is ongoing.

It found that since at least 2012, Union Foot Solutions has been operating under fraudulent pretenses  notably, that St. Lucia was prohibited from billing any federal health plans by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Inspector General, and was using forged prescriptions to bill for orthotics and compression stockings.

The company would set up promotional booths within state facilities to solicit employees with the promise of free compression stockings and custom-fit orthotics at no out-of-pocket expense. As part of the alleged fraud, the company repeatedly used prescriptions with forged physician signatures to justify medical necessity in claims billed to the Empire Plan.

St. Lucia lost his license to practice medicine in early 2000 amidst charges of gross incompetence, negligence and inappropriate sexual relations with three of his own surgical patients. The state Department of Health's Board of Professional Medical Conduct found St. Lucia to be a "danger to the community" and that through his conduct he had "shown himself to be morally bankrupt and wanting in fundamental clinical skills."

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His application to have his license reinstated was denied in 2008.

After his license was taken away, St. Lucia was placed on the federal list of individuals and entities prohibited from billing Medicare and Medicaid or any other federal health care program, a fact the defendants concealed in order to be able to bill the Empire Plan.

St. Lucia was arraigned Friday in Niskayuna Town Court and released on $1,000 cash bail pending his reappearance in court on Jan. 2, when Union Foot Solutions is scheduled for arraignment in the same court.

The case is being prosecuted by the Schenectady County District Attorney's office.

St. Lucia's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
ALBANY - New York's congressional delegation is likely to shrink in four years.

The state is poised to go from 27 members in the House of Representatives to 25, based on an analysis by Election Data Services of the U.S. Census Bureau's updated population estimates for July 2018. The delegation has shrunk every decade since 1953, when it was a high of 45 members.

New York was one of nine states to lose population in the last year, shedding 48,510 residents and ending up with an estimated population of 19.54 million. The loss was driven largely by New Yorkers leaving the state for other parts of the country, with a nation-leading net domestic migration of 180,306 people.

This continues a trend since 2010, during which time the state lost nearly 1.2 million residents to other states. During this same period the state's population ticked up 0.85 percent, due to international migration and natural increases.

Based on New York's trajectory and population changes across the state, the political consulting firm Election Data Services expects the state's representation in Congress to shrink, but the final tally is still up in the air.

"You're right at the edge of one seat or two seats," said Election Data Services President Kimball Brace.

The House of Representatives consists of 435 seats, with each state getting at least one member. The remaining 385 seats are apportioned based on a population formula established by a 70-year-old calculation.

And while New York is destined to lose one seat in 2022, the fate of the second seat will likely come down to the official census count in 2020. One analysis by Election Data Services found that if the population of the other 49 states stayed the same, New York's 2020 population would need to increase by 19,648 people to prevent the loss of the second seat.

"There is some wiggle room," said Brace.

The latest population estimates and analysis from Election Data Services should serve as a "wake up call" about the importance of the census, according to Rockefeller Institute fellow Jeff Wice. Traditionally, he said, the census has not captured all the people living in the state.

Wice anticipated the upcoming state budget would invest in resources to ensure the census accurately reflects New York's population. The New York Library Association has called for the state to invest $40 million into resources that will help people be counted.

A spokesperson for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo stressed that the state is "committed to being a full partner in a robust outreach effort so that every New Yorker is counted."

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The governor directed the state to begin preparations in early 2017 for the upcoming census, the state attorney general's office is challenging the addition of a citizen question to the census that is expected to discourage participation in the count.

Cuomo and legislative leaders formed a 16-member commission earlier this year to ensure an accurate count, but the library association noted on Tuesday that group hasn't met and is scheduled to deliver its final report in less than a month.

The census bureau will release its official count in December 2020, and the updated congressional districts will be reflected in the 2022 elections. It's not clear yet which of New York's congressional seats could be in jeopardy of disappearing.

The population figures will also affect the state legislative boundaries, but it's unlikely the size of the state Assembly or state Senate will change.

All of the district lines will be crafted by a special commission, with final approval of the boundaries belonging to the state Legislature and Cuomo. The most recent congressional lines were crafted by a federal judge.

David.Lombardo@timesunion.com - 518.454.5427 - @poozer87
BALLSTON SPA  Support for the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership, the taxpayer-funded organization that is meant to boost the county's economy, is divided.

Jonathan Schopf, one of Clifton Park's two representatives on the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors, said that the county's 2019 budget, in which SCPP was allotted $775,000, will be the last one he supports. He said he finds SCPP "problematic," citing its President Marty Vanags' spending on travel ($154,000 in 35 months, a Times Union investigation found) and the tepid results it has produced since its founding in 2015.

"I have a screen shot of him judging a beer contest on one of his trips to (Cleveland)," Schopf said. "How does that help Saratoga County? I've been a critic of the Partnership privately, but I'm part of a strong group of people with concerns."

Steve Janack, spokesman for SCPP, said SCPP had no comment on Schopf's opinion. However, in the past, SCPP has defended its spending as necessary to cut business deals, which Vanags said take years to cultivate. Vanags has also pointed out that he returns the unused portion of county money each year, which SCPP's Board Chairman Kevin Hedley said was $350,000 in 2015. The following year, SCPP paid the county $23,166. Vanags said that in 2017, SCPP was not required to return any funds to the county. (It is unclear what if any SCPP will give back to the county this year.)

Hedley also noted that more than half of SCPP's funding is generated by the county's hotel tax.

"It's not your tax dollars," Hedley said in February. "I don't think people understand that. Saying it is your tax dollars, my tax dollars is an incomplete truth."

Clifton Park Town Supervisor Phil Barrett, who also sits on the county Board of Supervisors, said he too is aware "growing concerns" that supervisors have with SCPP. With the likelihood of Halfmoon Supervisor Kevin Tollisen coming in as the Board of Supervisors chair, replacing the departing Stillwater Supervisor Ed Kinowski, Barrett said he expects a clearer economic vision for the county to be crafted.

"I think there is an opportunity for more unity and working toward the same goal and in the same direction," Barrett said.

Schopf agreed saying the only reason he is willing to fund one more year for SCPP is because Tollisen is coming in. Tollisen said he is hopeful he can bring the county's two economic engines  the county's 40-year-old Saratoga Economic Development Corporation and SCPP  together.

"Both of them are important," Tollisen said. "It's clear for the economic future for county that the two need to find ways to work together."

The county's economic growth veered from its historic engine with the creation of SCPP. Since 1978, the county supported the private efforts of SEDC, but dropped funding to the organization in 2014 after a handful of the 23 supervisors were denied seats on the SEDC board. At the time, SEDC's President Dennis Brobston said he feared the organization would become politicized. The withdrawn funding, which maxed out a $320,000 a year, was more than doubled to create SCPP.

While SCPP was meant to supplant SEDC, Brobston's organization continued as it did before, churning out its usual line-up of new jobs and business. Brobston said in 2018 it created at $44 million investment in the county and retained 60 jobs and created 79 more  most notably 39 at the Ellis Hospital expansion in Clifton Park.

"Why does the county need to pay for this when we get if for free from SEDC," Schopf said.

Ever since the county pulled its funding from SEDC, the organization has survived on fees from businesses coming into Saratoga County and private donations.

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In 2018, SCPP created real estate, agriculture and cultural indexes, released an economic study, hosted several conferences, including a Global Semiconductor Alliance summit, and expanded its staff. SCPP also gave $26,250 back to the Universal Preservation Hall, an under construction performing arts and community space in Saratoga Springs. Vanags also points to work done with Key Capture Energy project in Stillwater and Saratoga Farm Hub with Ellms Family Farm.

Mechanicville Supervisor Tom Richardson said patience is needed.

"Bringing in Prosperity Partnership, people realized it would take time before getting huge results," Richardson said. "I know the staff is working hard and talking to many companies coming this way. You can't have a conversation today and expect them to come tomorrow. For GlobalFoundries, that process took many years to transpire. Again, I think it's a timing thing. I'm willing to live with (SCPP) for a period of time to see what kind of results they bring. Giving them three years is not enough time."

Tollisen said things, however, will likely change.

"I'm not going to guess about what the future holds," Tollisen said. "I think the two organizations have been working together toward common goals for the betterment of Saratoga County. Very shortly in next few months, we will see more reality toward common goals. I'm hopeful and optimistic."

Schopf remains skeptical.

"We don't need the Partnership," Schopf said. "People and businesses want to come to Saratoga County without them. I've not been impressed."
Mary and Joseph went door to door Thursday in Bethlehem, asking for shelter. But, each time, the door was closed in their face.

This Bethlehem, however, was a town in upstate New York.
Photo courtesy of the New York State Police

COLONIE - A Cobleskill woman is accused of stealing a relatives identity and racking up traffic citations and over $200,000 in medical bills.

Christan Vezeau, 32, was charged in Colonie with falsifying business records and identify theft, both felonies, as well misdemeanor criminal impersonation, according to State Police in Latham. Vezeau also was charged in the city of Albany on the same three charges.
TROY  Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson has had her contract extended through June 2022, putting her on track to be the schools second-longest serving leader behind Palmer Ricketts who was in office for 33 years in the early 20th century.

Jackson, hired in 1999, is credited with a number of successes at the school including a $1.4 billion capital campaign, a record number of applicants and a reconfiguring of the traditional two-semester study system.

As a result of her vision, guidance, and leadership for the past approximately 20 years, much has been undertaken and accomplished. The campus has been refreshed and, in many ways, rebuilt, Board of Trustees Chairman Arthur Golden said in a letter Thursday announcing the contract re-extension.

We also will continue to benefit from the leadership of a president whose accomplishments in the business world and government  in addition to academia (which include the National Medal of Science)  have greatly expanded and enhanced recognition of Rensselaer in all areas and among the many audiences where our students and graduates compete, Golden wrote.

Jackson has been controversial, though, for what critics have said is a high-handed management style and for moves such as the temporary freeze she placed earlier in the year on fraternity recruiting, following reports of problems at some of the Greek houses.

Im certainly not happy about it, said William Jameson, an alumnus who has criticized her handling of fraternities. It seems like shes just becoming a dictator.

Others, including some students, noted that the announcement came during finals week when few had the time to make a fuss. One note on an internet chat board said students were planning a demonstration in January to protest some of Jacksons policies. Additionally, a group of dissident alumni, Renew Rensselaer, has been started to question some of Jacksons moves including what they contend is the stifling of dissent.

Jackson drew criticism in 2017 when her administration moved to take control of the schools student union, which coordinates and funds the wide variety of extracurricular activities at the school.

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Despite the protests, RPI is still viewed as a top engineering and scientific school that is among the nations most competitive. And its finances are A3 stable according to Moodys rating service.

Prior to RPI, Jackson was president of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and was the first African American woman to earn a doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is a physicist by training.

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, she was the 22nd highest paid college president in the U.S. in 2016, with a pay package of $1.45 million.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the bond rating for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institutes. Moody's Investors Service rates RPI's bond rating at A3.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU
ALBANY  Ten years ago, Albany County District Attorney David Soares called for a special prosecutor to handle charges against a robbery suspect from Amsterdam who was shot and wounded by police.

But on Friday, Soares' office would not explain why it did not take a similar approach to the Aug. 20 police shooting of Ellazar Williams, a 19-year-old who was hit in the back by a bullet and paralyzed from the chest down, after a foot chase with Detective James Olsen, who plans to retire next month.

When police shot Travis Telemaque in 2008, a district attorney's spokesperson explained that Soares' office could not prosecute the case against Telemaque, who was accused of pointing a gun at police, because the case was part of an internal affairs investigation that happened any time deadly force is used by police.

A judge assigned a special prosecutor to handle Telemaque's case. Soares office investigated the police use of force and a grand jury found officers Robert Schunk and Gregory Krikorian were justified in the Sept. 16, 2008 shooting of the 25-year-old Amsterdam man. Telemaque's case eventually unfolded in federal court, where he later pleaded guilty to drug and weapons charges in return for a five years in federal prison.

But 10 years later, Soares insists that his office can handle the prosecution of Williams and the investigation of his shooting by Detective Olsen. A grand jury earlier this month declined to charge Olsen and the charges against Williams, who is accused of having a knife when he was chased by police, are pending.

Soares' office on Friday wouldn't explain why different routes were taken on the two cases.

"Our office reviews each case independently, based on the merits of the facts as they exist," Soares' spokeswoman Cecilia Walsh said in an emailed statement. "Further comment on this open matter will not be available until the case is concluded."

Local civil rights activists have urged Soares to ask for a special prosecutor in the Williams case.

Alice Green, who heads the Center for Law and Justice in Albany, has not only called on Soares to step away from the case due to conflicts of interest, but has also sent her pleas to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state Attorney General Barbara Underwood.

Williams filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city and police department on Monday, the same day his attorney, James Knox, shared a video with reporters that showed Williams running from Olsen when he was shot.

The case bears some similarities to the Telemaque case: On a cool September evening in 2008, city police were patrolling the corner of Ontario and Second streets in West Hill when they were flagged down by an unidentified man who alleged hed been robbed by two men farther up the block. As police approached, the two men fled. Police pursued. The chase ended when Telemaque pointed a gun at the officers and the officers shot Telemaque in the groin. He survived and was later charged.

Since police first said Williams was shot when he was running toward Olsen, controversy has swirled around the case. Police later described the pairs movements as fluid, and an internal investigation  like the subsequent grand jury action  found the shooting justified.

Even before the release of Monday's video, community members called into question whether the video shared by police shows Williams being shot in the back. The enhanced version released by Williams attorneys on Monday provides a zoomed-in version that shows Williams running away from Olsen when he was shot.

Ray Moran, who sits on the Albany Community Police Advisory Committee, said hes worked with Albany police for years and has seen a lot of cases, but nothing like this.

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Trying to present my thoughts briefly (is) difficult, Moran said. But the video seems to clearly show that Williams was running away from the detective.

Common Councilman Derek Johnson, who represents the South End of Albany, said that while he saw the latest clip, an earlier video from a local news station convinced him Williams was running from Olsen.

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It just seems to me that nobody is using that video because it paints the picture thats the clearest picture  that this young man was running away from the officer when he got shot, Johnson said. I just have a problem with the fact that somehow an officer always gets cleared. We got to look at the message that we send to police officers, but also the community. If you are a minority and youre in these situations, it seems that deadly force is an option as a solution.

But many high-ranking Albany leaders have either declined to discuss the scene that unfolds on the brief video Williams' lawyers shared.

Mayor Kathy Sheehan won't say if she watched the video.

Im not going to comment on anything related to this case, she said, noting it was now a matter of litigation.

Williams is suing the city in federal court alleging that Olsen used excessive force. The lawsuit names to other officers, Lawrence Heid and Chris Cornell, as defendants.

Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins admitted in October that a video shown to the public by police was inconclusive. He released a written statement after the lawsuit and new video emerged that backed the departments internal investigation and the grand jury process.

"The work by the men and women in carrying out that investigation was done with diligence and I am satisfied with their findings, he said. "The Albany County district attorney's office also conducted an investigation into the incident and presented the facts to the grand jury. I have the upmost respect for the judicial process and the decision returned by the grand jury.

Robert Gavin contributed to this article.
TROY  After 168 years, St. Marys Hospital will no longer exist as a stand-alone hospital when it merges effective Jan. 1 with nearby Samaritan Hospital into one legal entity, St. Peters Health Care Partners announced.

Instead, the former St. Marys Hospital will become the St. Marys Campus. The hospital at 1300 Massachusetts Ave. will be renamed Samaritan Hospital.

As we have said since the formation of St. Peters Health Partners in 2011, our goal has been to grow Samaritan Hospital into the prime location for inpatient care in Troy, and to transition St. Marys into an outpatient campus, said Michael Finegan, president of acute care at SPHP, in a statement.

Since the St. Marys site no longer provides inpatient medical care, it doesn't meet U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulations for licensure as a stand-alone hospital, SPHP said. Services previously licensed under St. Marys Hospital will now be licensed under Samaritan Hospital. Services will not be impacted, according to SPHP.

In addition to renaming the facility Samaritan Hospital, St. Marys Campus, programs offered there also are being rebranded.

The Womens Imaging Center at St. Marys Hospital will become St. Peters Breast Center and the St. Marys Sleep Center will be called St. Peters Sleep Center.

At the SPHP Massry Center, 147 Hoosick St., the physical rehabilitation services practice will be renamed St. Peters Therapy Services; St. Marys Podiatry Services will be Samaritan Hospital Podiatry Services; and the St. Marys Wound and Hyperbaric Medicine Program will be renamed Samaritan Hospital Wound and Hyperbaric Medicine Program.

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St. Marys Hospital was founded in 1850 by the Rev. Peter Havermans and the Daughters of Charity in a single room in a four-story building at Washington and Fifth streets at The Hospital of Troy. The hospital relocated in 1869 to Fulton and Eighth streets. It moved to its current location at Oakwood Avenue in 1914. It was named St. Marys Hospital in 1949.

The merger of the two hospitals into Samaritan Hospital was part of the SPHP $105 million Troy Master Facilities Plan which was finished with the opening of the new five-story Heinrich Medicus Pavilion at Samaritan Hospital. The pavilion features a new, state-of-the-art emergency department, intensive care unit, progressive care unit, medical/surgical units, and endoscopy suite.

SPHP has about 12,500 workers at 170 location across the Capital Region with an annual budget of about $1.3 million. It was formed in 2011 through the merger of St. Peters Health Care Services, Northeast Health and Seton Health. St. Marys was part of Seton Health.
ALBANY  The state attorney general's office is dropping its corruption case against Dr. Alain Kaloyeros less than two weeks after he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for federal bid-rigging crimes.

Kaloyeros, the former president of SUNY Polytechnic Institute, was charged in 2016 by then-state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman with three felony counts for allegedly steering development contracts to the Albany-based Columbia Development Corp.

In a separate federal prosecution, Kaloyeros was convicted in July on two counts of wire fraud and a count of wire fraud conspiracy for rigging bids for projects connected to the "Buffalo Billion" initiative to favor development firms in Syracuse and Buffalo.

"We are pleased to have been able to contribute to the federal case and  knowing that it would have been virtually impossible for Mr. Kaloyeros to face any additional prison time even if convicted on the top (state) count  we've moved to dismiss our case in order to protect limited state resources," said Amy Spitalnick, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Barbara Underwood.

The office released the news on Friday evening, the time of the week often reserved for the unveiling of information public officials would prefer to receive the least possible attention.

The attorney general's office noted that federal prosecutors used material from the state's search of Kaloyeros' phone and the SUNY Poly office used by disgraced consultant Todd Howe, who cooperated with the federal investigation into the Buffalo Billion projects.

There was an expectation in the state attorney general's office that its top charge against Kaloyeros, an E felony, would not have resulted in a prison sentence greater than the one he already received. Even if he had been convicted on the state charges, it's likely that a judge would have run the federal and state sentences concurrently.

Kaloyeros' attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday evening.

The physicist, who for years was one of the state's most highly compensated employees, plans to appeal his federal conviction.

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In April, the state dropped its lone felony count against Columbia Development President Joseph Nicolla after he agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

At the time, his attorney argued that the decision to drop the case indicated the attorney general's office had "come out on the side of the facts and the law."

The state's case against Kaloyeros was prompted in part by Times Union stories on the dealings between Columbia Development and SUNY Poly, according to a law enforcement source in 2016.

David.Lombardo@timesunion.com - 518.454.5427 - @poozer87
ALBANY  The first time Rick Hartunian went to Lockerbie, the young lawyer was part of a contingent of family members seeking justice after the killing of 270 people in the terrorist explosion of Pan Am Flight 103 above the Scottish village.

His sister, Lynne Carol, a SUNY Oswego student, and 35 Syracuse University students, were aboard the jumbo jet on Dec. 21, 1988. Fourteen people with ties to the Capital Region were among the dead. Ian Stewart, a farmer who discovered Lynne's body, brought Hartunian to the site of her remains.

"I remember being out there and I wanted to go back," Hartunian now the retired U.S. attorney for New York's Northern District, told the Times Union on Friday, "and so I went back."

In October, Hartunian and his wife returned to the farm where Ian Stewart and the farmer's teenage son, David, had brought him.

"Knowing it was going to be be too hard to do this time of the year because it's hard on my family and this is just generally kind of a difficult thing we decided to take a little time out in October to do it," Hartunian said.

When he returned in October, "The farmer had died but his son was there."

Hartunian said the loss of Lynne still pains him.

"For me, it's a very difficult time of the year, the run up to the darkest day of the year -- it happened on the winter solstice. It's just a challenging time," Hartunian said. "Anniversaries like this, in some way intensify that pain."

The pain remains for Phyllis Cleveland, whose brother, Air Force Sgt. Edgar Eggleston of Glens Falls, was killed.

"It's so hard to believe it has been 30 years," she told the Times Union "Sometimes it seems to have gone by fast and other times, it has been a very long time. It is such a shame that so many wonderful people were lost to terrorism. We have missed Edgar so much in so many ways. We think about what he'd be doing today...what he'd look like ... what his family may be ... where he'd be living."

Her brother had been into computers. To this day she keeps Edgar's computer games and floppy discs. At the time of his death their mother was dying from cancer, she explained.

"We lost Edgar the 21st and our mother the 22nd," Cleveland said. "We feel it just took that long for Edgar to get to mom and they went on together. We find some comfort in the fact that they are together. Even though Edgar has been gone for 30 years, all of our children, who never got to know him, know who he was, what he meant to us and he's still in the middle of family things through pictures and stories. I have pictures of all my family all over my house (to me) it helps to keep both of them alive ... My heart just aches."

The only person convicted of the bombing, Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, died in 2012 at 60. His release from prison while sick from cancer outraged victims. It was widely believed that the Libyan government under Moammar Gadhafi was responsible for the attack. Prosecutors in Scotland proved that a shirt which al-Megrahi bought in Malta one day before the bombing was found on the explosive's timing device. A suitcase containing the bomb was loaded into the plane in Malta.

"I do have to say, when Abdel Basset al-Megrahi was let out of prison to go spend time with his family before he passed away with cancer, well good for him. His family got to see him and say good-bye. They got to spend his last moments with him, but the 270 people who lost their lives on Pan Am 103 never got that chance,"Cleveland said, calling the attackers cowards.

"I try to move forward and have peace in my heart for those involved. I pray for them. I don't forget, but have to forgive for myself to be able to deal with this tragedy," she said. "So, in the midst of all this tragedy and heart ache, we like to think of the happy times with Edgar. We try not to dwell on the things we've missed with him and what he has missed But he still lives on strong in our hearts, our minds, our memories. Those can never be stolen from us."

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In October, when Hartunian returned to Lockerbie (he was joined by former U.S. attorneys Daniel French and Glenn Suddaby, now the chief judge of the Northern District), he noticed a change.

"One that became interesting was the people of Lockerbie, after 30 years, started to come out and talk about it," Hartunian said. "They had cloistered up. "

The son of the farmer, David Stewart, told the Times of London of his experience the night of the explosion. They discovered the baby, a child, and Lynne Hartunian.

"We were watching the TV. We heard a noise, a rumble that made us look out the window," David Stewart told the British newspaper. "There it was: We saw the big mushroom cloud coming up. It was like a nuclear bomb, a big orange mushroom. They said a plane had come down but I didn't realize how big. I was 17 -- I'd never seen a 747. I had no idea how big it was."

Ian and David Stewart had brought the deceased baby to a police station where a young officer, Colin Dorrance, carried the infant into a town hall.

It was not until 30 years had passed that Dorrance, now a retired officer, learned the identity.

In October, Hartunian and Dorrance traveled to the farm where they met David Stewart.

"We just kind of took a cold trip up," Hartunian said. "and went out in the field. He took me out there."

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated Lynne Carol Hartunian's name and where she attended college. She was a student at SUNY-Oswego.
Ever since World War II, the liberal global order that has spread more freedom and prosperity around the world than at any other time in history has been held up by two pillars: the United States of America and what is now known as the European Union.

Both of these centers of free markets, free people and free ideas are being shaken today by rural insurgencies of largely white working-poor and middle classes, which have not generally benefited from the surges in globalization, immigration and technology that have lifted superstar cities like London, Paris and San Francisco and their multicultural populations.

Having just seen the shocking sight of Parisian stores boarded up right before Christmas to protect against rioting along the Champs-Elysees by some of France's yellow-vested protesters; after being told in Rome a few days earlier that Italy, a founding member of the EU, could conceivably shuck off both the EU and the euro one day under its new bizarre far-left/far-right governing coalition; after watching Britain become paralyzed over how to commit economic suicide by leaving the EU; and after watching President Donald Trump actually cheer for the breakup of the EU rather than for its good health, it is obvious to me that we're at a critical hinge of history.

The challenge for the U.S. and the EU is the same: These accelerations in technology and globalization have brought many more immigrants into many more corners of their societies, at the same time as many long-frozen social mores have changed  like acceptance of same-sex marriage and transgender rights  and as average work no longer returns a wage that can sustain an average middle-class lifestyle.

The middle classes that powered the growth of the U.S. and the EU in the 20th century were built on something called a "high-wage, middle-skilled job." But robotics and artificial intelligence and outsourcing and Chinese imports have wiped out a lot of middle-skilled routine white-collar and blue-collar work.

Now there are high-wage, high-skilled jobs and low-wage, low-skilled jobs. But high-wage, middle-skilled jobs are vanishing, leaving a considerable cohort of people with stagnant incomes and burning resentments at the globalized city slickers who they think look down at them.

When you simultaneously challenge all these things that anchor people  their sense of home, their job security, their prospects for growth and the social norms that, for better or worse, defined their lives  and then amp it all up with social networks, you can get a really ferocious blowback, as France's president, Emmanuel Macron, saw across his country.

On Nov. 24, The Guardian published an illuminating collection of voices from Yellow Vest protesters in Paris that told their stories. There was Florence, 55, who worked for an airfreight company outside Paris, who said of Macron, "When he appears on television we have the impression he is uncomfortable with normal people, that there is a certain contempt for us."

There was Bruno Binelli, 66, a retired carpenter from Lyon, reacting to Macron's raising the taxes on diesel to combat climate change, leading to fuel costs that hit people in the countryside particularly hard because they have only cars to get around: "I have a little diesel van and I don't have the money to buy a new one, especially as I'm about to retire. We have the feeling those from the countryside are forgotten."

And there was Marie Lemoine, 62, a schoolteacher from Provins, who said she was neither "right or left," explaining: "I'm here for my children and grandchildren and all those people left crying by the 15th of the month because they've gone into the red."

It will take extraordinary leadership for the U.S., Britain and the EU to come up with a strategy for these grievances. It has to balance the need for economic growth and redistribution, the need to take care of those who have been left behind without burdening future generations, the need for free-flowing borders to attract new talent and ideas, and the need to prevent people from feeling like strangers in their own homes. But that leadership is not present.

I get why a slim majority of U.K. citizens voted for Brexit  as it was sold to them. They were told they could curb all the stuff they didn't like  such as a flood of 2.2 million foreign EU workers  and still keep all the stuff they liked  mainly Britain's free access to the EU market  and give up nothing. But it was all a lie.

And to now watch the Conservative Party hacks who pushed that lie, led by Boris Johnson, continue to demand that their prime minister deliver this fantasy Brexit in the face of the reality that it's impossible  and in the face of how bad even the second-best option will be  is to watch a once-sane country write a suicide note in a moment of irrationality and then argue endlessly over how to carry it out  death by hanging, poison or a gunshot to the head. They've got to reconsider. Disconnecting in a connected world is nuts.

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Macron, by contrast, dared to do the right things to unlock growth in France, at the right time, "but he did not understand the difference between being right and doing it right," a French economist, Ludovic Subran, told me. And he did not understand how his policies differently affected "the beer drinkers and the wine drinkers."

Macron pushed through four vital structural fixes that fostered growth: pro-investment tax reforms, reduced pensions for the bloated railway union, relaxed labor rules to make it easier to fire and hire workers, and big new public investments in skills and education for the most disadvantaged.

But because Macron's party didn't exist until he ran for president, it had no mayors to connect locally with the people and feel their pulse. So Macron was stunned when his royalist, let-them-eat cake, top-down approach produced a vicious backlash after he cut taxes for the wealthy and corporations and sought to pay for some of it with taxes on diesel fuel and pensions  without exempting the rural working classes, which have no mass transit and need to drive everywhere. Feeling humiliated, they donned their yellow vests, drove into the heart of Paris and other cities and lashed out: "Can you hear us now?"

To save his presidency, a shellshocked Macron canceled the fuel tax hike, raised the minimum wage and scrapped a planned tax on pensions under 2,000 euros per month. But no one knows what's going to happen next. And the reason that matters is France and Germany were always the two adults whose adherence to the EU budgets and standards held the EU pillar together.

Here is what's really scary, though. I don't think there are national solutions to this problem  simply cut taxes or raise taxes  in the way there were in the past. I think the countries that will thrive in this era are the ones that have the most nimble cities, with the most nimble local leaders, who build adaptive coalitions of businesses, educators and social entrepreneurs, who can compete locally, regionally, nationally and globally.

In this world, highly centralized countries will fare much worse than decentralized ones. That's the real shift France has to make, and, if it can't, watch out for falling pillars. France matters.

Dominique Moisi, one of France's top foreign policy analysts, put it to me like this: At a time when America begins to withdraw from the world; when Russia returns with a vengeance to global politics; when Germany turns inward and Italy rebels against EU spending limits and moves closer to autocratic Russia; when so many roads now lead to Beijing; and when the U.K. is hellbent on suicide, "suddenly what happens in France goes beyond France. We are the last barrier protecting the European idea. If Macron fails, it can bring the end of Europe."
Magna Tyres Group has opened a regional office in South Africa. In recent years the tire maker has been extremely successful in SA and neighboring countries.

This rapid growth in the sales of Magna products in the area has made expansion necessary to provide support locally on a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week basis. Clients in the area will benefit from quicker and more personalized service while product availability will also increase as stocks can be locally maintained.

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It is hoped that the establishment of this new office will help increase the companys market share, and will enable it to improve customer relationships in the region.

Michael de Ruijter, CEO of Magna Tyres Group, commented, The new Magna Tyres office will play an important role in enhancing the Magna Tyres brand image and strengthen our commitment to all customers in the region.
The Latest Japanese Technology Will Be Showcased at Eureka Park. The Seven Startups That Will Exhibit at CES 2019 JAPAN TECH Have Been Decided.

The JAPAN TECH Pavilion, where the latest of Japanese technology will be introduced to the world, is exhibiting in CES 2019 at Eureka Park. This is a joint effort to support Japanese start-ups by Creative Vision, Daiko and Filament, three companies that participated in the JAPAN TECH PROJECT in 2018. The goal is to assist start-ups to showcase their advanced technologies in the world biggest Consumer Technology show, the CES (News - Alert). For 2019, the finest seven companies featuring 9 unique technologies.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181221005236/en/

JAPAN TECH booth images (Graphic: Business Wire)

JAPAN TECH EXHIBITORS







Advanced Technology Lab. "Hiiga-ONE", Next-generation muscular strength training machine NO ASSIST NEEDED, NO PLATE NEEDED, NO DANGER, NO GRAVITY. Take your muscular strength training to a next level. The training method developed by Dr. Kazuo Higa based on scientific approach is automated with IT. Using Hiiga-ONE, the next-generation muscular strength training machine, the user can obtain the maximum result from the training in a very short amount of time.

Robot Home Co., Ltd. "Apartment kit", IoT service for turning rental properties into smart home Apartment kit IoT service enables safer and more convenient life for occupants in rental properties while it improves the business efficiency of property management companies with chat functions. In addition, Apartment kit can be integrated with solutions for owners and management companies, turning properties into smart homes and increase occupancy rates.

STUFF Co., Ltd Deep Breath and Relax - "kitoki", Wooden Vital Sensing Device Want to refresh and focus on tasks in everyday life? Take a deep breath through "kitoki", a wooden inhaler. Made with natural Cypress, "kitoki" provides comfortable scent to let you relaxed more. Through its smart sensing technology and algorithm, "kitoki" measures your psychophysiological state and notify when the body reaches the relaxes status.

STUFF Co., Ltd Self-learning style IoT alcohol gadget "TISPY" TISPY is self-learning style IoT alcohol gadget. TISPY measures alcohol concentration in your body by alcohol sensor, and tells the better way to drink and the estimate of the time to sober up according to the accumulated data on Flash Air.

Uhuru Corporation Communicative Security Buzzer - "Solarmori" For the sunshine our children bring. Feel safe, stay safe, with Solarmori. - Personal Alarm: Communicates signs asking for help - LINE Stamp: Communicates thoughts and feelings - GPS/GNSS: Communicates location information

Scentee Inc. "Scentee", The world's first AI room diffuser. The world's first room diffuser with AI, Scentee Machina. Not only functionality but also design that blend well to any high-end interior. It is a state-of-the-art room diffuser. It operates from dedicated applications with a smart device. Anytime, anywhere, leave your favorite scent as you please.

PGV Inc. Innovative Brain Wave Monitoring "Patch-Type" EEG Sensor Patch-Type EEG sensor is newly developed innovative brain-wave monitoring system. This small, light-weight, wireless system made possible for easy and routine measurements, This simple system is easily adopted into our daily lives. PGV plans to build up the large database of brain-wave patterns for further AI analysis and researches in fields of medicine, sleep monitoring, and neuro-marketing.

We welcome media coverage for the exhibiting companies at "JAPAN TECH" during CES

At the JAPAN TECH PROJECT, we welcome media coverage from any media companies. For people who want to learn more about JAPAN TECH or would like to cover a particular company, please check the following link to let us know your desired date and time.

>> Please submit your request here

JAPAN TECH PROJECT, supporting Japanese start-ups to go CES

The JAPAN TECH PROJECT was started with the ideas of "Introducing fine Japanese technology to the world" and "we hope to see some Japanese technologies that will wade to the future." The concept of JAPAN TECH PROJECT is to bring many Japanese companies to stand on the global stage to present their revolutionary technologies, and experience the world trends with own five senses at CES. Furthermore, we hope this will be a good opportunities for exciting business partnerships. This project aims to support Japanese startups to reinforce "Japanese Brand" represent with the harmony of fine advanced technologies, with human and nature in mind.

The logo of JAPAN TECH is a windmill. The idea behind this is that companies from Japan that take part in CES will feel the winds of change throughout the world and begin to spin. With that power, those companies will send out a new wind themselves and become an independent source of power. The continuous windmill motive signifies that we generate strong power together, but our shapes and efforts are all different, organic and adaptive.

JAPAN TECH PROJECT is planned and operated by 3 companies with good technical skill

CREATIVE VISION

CREATIVE VISION is an American based event-managing firm that specifies in helping over 50 Japanese companies per year join international exhibitions. As the first and the only authorized CES Sales Representative in Japan, the exhibiting space for CES can be selected before general applications. Creative vision takes lead in the JAPAN TECH exhibition support, booth design, pavilion planning and operation at the JAPAN TECH.

DAIKO

DAIKO is an advertising company that has bases in Asia as well as all over Japan. Having a foothold in the communication industry, DAIKO also helps start-ups to be accelerated as a partner offering activation design solutions. DAIKO also actively supports industry development in technology and consumer needs. As the engine of this project, DAIKO aims to further develop and cultivate Japanese technology. Daiko is in charge of the JAPAN TECH project planning, promotion, branding and supporting the communication of the exhibiting companies.

Filament

Filament's vision is to "create people who want to change things and lead them to start the change." With that in mind, the company creates new industry within companies and also supports the creation of company policies regarding human resources and human resource training. With a wide range of clients, including those in manufacturing, the company utilizes its rich expertise to connect start-ups and clients to create new business opportunities. Filament talks a role of the supporting the hardware start-ups as they take their chance on the global stage.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181221005236/en/
[December 20, 2018] Former UPS Chief Commercial Officer Appointed President of Trackonomy

Trackonomy Systems Inc., a technology and solutions company with a breakthrough platform enabling true end-to-end visibility and control across fragmented supply chains in the trillion-dollar global logistics space, today announced that Alan Gershenhorn, former Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE: UPS), will become the President of Trackonomy. Gershenhorn brings his 38 years of global logistics industry experience to further advance Trackonomy's mission. At UPS, Gershenhorn led and participated in numerous transformational strategies helping reshape the company from a $3.3B U.S. centric ground small package delivery company, when he first joined, to a $65B leader in global logistics and supply chain solutions. In his role as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, he directed strategy, M&A, marketing, sales, e-commerce, product development, government affairs, and key growth strategies across the enterprise. He also led and oversaw the acquisition, integration and ongoing operations of Marken and Coyote Logistics. "With Alan's leadership, experience and vision, Trackonomy is now more poised than ever to accelerate our rapid growth," said Dr. Erik Volkerink, Chief Executive Oficer and former Chief Technology Officer of Flextronics (News - Alert). "His strategic advisory services bolstered by his unparalleled expertise in logistics processes, his deep customer and industry experience, combined with our breakthrough technology platform is a perfect strategic fit for driving towards our shared vision of the digital supply chain."



"We're solving a key problem that has existed for a long time with no viable cost-effective solution, true end-to-end visibility that enables the real interoperability of disparate networks," said Gershenhorn. "I'm impressed by what Erik and his team have built and I look forward to helping Trackonomy implement solutions for the industry's most critical logistics challenges while developing meaningful partnerships with companies that will benefit from our transformative technology." Gershenhorn joined UPS in 1979 and in addition to serving as the company's first Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, he held executive roles in both the U.S. and the international arenas, including Chief Sales, Marketing and Strategy Officer, Senior Vice President and President UPS International; President UPS Supply Chain Solutions Global Transportation and Shared Services; President UPS Supply Chain Solutions Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa; and President UPS Canada. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Beacon Roofing Supply, Transportation Insight, a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors and Worldwide Express, a Ridgemont Equity Partners portfolio company and as a strategic advisor to 8VC, the venture capital fund dedicated to solving real-world problems through industry transformation.

About Trackonomy Trackonomy is a technology and solutions company with a breakthrough platform focused on enabling true end-to-end visibility and control across fragmented global supply chains driving towards an era of autonomous shipments across transportation, healthcare, industrial, manufacturing, safety and security markets as well as logistics service providers. Trackonomy is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181220005980/en/

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[December 20, 2018] Korea Blockchain Enterprise Promotion Association & Universal Group to meet with Gwangju City mayor to request Gwangju be made an International Crypto-Valley District

SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of representatives from Korea Blockchain Enterprise Promotion Association (KBEPA) and Universal Group will be holding a ceremony to announce their plans on Dec. 27 (Thurs), 1400 - 1700, local time, at the Kim Dae Jung Convention Center, multipurpose hall 1, in Gwangju. At the ceremony, a request will be made of Lee Yong-Sub, the mayor of Gwangju City, to announce Gwangju as a specialized Crypto-Valley District in order to stimulate the local job market; the request will be made in the presence of more than 300 international and Korean journalists. "We plan to meet Mayor Lee officially to deliver the recommended plans to announce and transform Gwangju into a special governing city for cryptocurrency. We also plan to meet the councilperson Kim Dong-Chan to ask for support," said the executive vice-president of KBEPA, Lee Han-Young, and the CEO of the Universal group, Kim In-Ki. They added, "We will make a recommendation for the city government to implement a pilot universal coin project to expand market demands, by issuing a digital currency portfolio to small business owners and enforcing ICO. In addition, the Universal Group, the Beerex Chain, and Korea World will cooperate to establish the first office for the universal coin project; residents of Gwangju will be given preference for employment." CEO Kim In-Ki said, "Estonia and Mata have been the forerunners of the 4th industrial revolution by successfully attracting global blockchain corporations to invest in their cities, and they have enjoyed astronomical rises in the number of jobs created. Our government has attempted to create new jobs by myopically focusing on the manufacturing -- auto or shipbuilding -- industry, overlooking the rise of 4th industrial revolution."



The number of people working in blockchain or/and cryptocurrency industries is estimated at a million. Announcing Gwangju as the specialized district for cryptocurrency will attract international corporations and ensure enforcement of ICO for domestic/foreign cryptocurrency companies, which would likely resolve the bottleneck phenomenon seen in the FinTech industry. Moreover, Gwangju's development as a city of the 4th industrial revolution would result in 1 million new jobs, ameliorating the unemployment rates. Mr. Lee of KBEPA and CEO Kim of the Universal Group commented, "Korean companies are opening exchange markets abroad since the government has been emphasizing only regulations that provide short-term relief in response to last year's Bitcoin frenzy." Moreover, they suggested that "corporations, associations, and Gwangju city government should actively work together to create new jobs, to seize this red-hot opportunity to increase national wealth, and to step into the 4th industrial revolution instead of wasting local and national resources trying to change trends."

They also insist that other blockchain associations should promote job growth instead of only trying to appease the government. KBEPA is an organization that was founded on July 17, established through the foundational meeting of the national assembly to promote the blockchain industry in Korea. The founding members are prominent figures in the blockchain and information security industry, including Yoo Joon-Sang, the director of the Korea Information Technology Research Institute; Ryu Geun-Chan, former member of the assembly; Lee Han-Yeong, the chairman of the Agricultural Produce Promotion Association; An Dong-Su, former vice-president of KBS; Yang Soo-Yeol, the CEO of Onface; and Lee Suh-Ryoung, the secretary general. Sohn Kuae-Soo, vice-president of the Universal Group's International Cooperation, and Jung Ju-Gab, president of Yejong Holdings Inc., have engaged in mutual assistance and cooperation in the construction and resort business, and have agreed to cooperate in investment and implementation; this was celebrated with an agreement ceremony. Moreover, Kim In-Ki, CEO of the Universal Group, and Jung Ju-Gab, president of Fine Bio (INBECS Coin), have decided to list as Universal's No. 3 coin and have had an agreement ceremony as well. SOURCE Korea Blockchain Enterprise Promotion Association(KBEPA)

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[December 20, 2018] CCF Holding Company, Heritage Bancorporation, Inc. and Providence Bank Announce Business Combination Agreement

CCF Holding Company (OTCQX: CCFH) ("CCF"), Heritage Bancorporation, Inc. ("HBI") and Providence Bank ("Providence") jointly announced today the signing of a definitive agreement pursuant to which HBI will merge with and into CCF and a wholly-owned subsidiary of CCF will merge with and into Providence in an all-stock transaction. Following the closing of this transaction, Providence and the subsidiary banks of each of CCF and HBI will each be a wholly-owned subsidiary of CCF. The banks will maintain their existing names, executive management teams and boards of directors. This combination of three community banks under one holding company will create a growth-oriented banking franchise, with branches in Georgia and northeast Florida. As of September 30, 2018 and excluding purchase accounting, the consolidated holding company has pro forma total assets of approximately $1.1 billion, gross loans of approximately $793 million, and deposits of approximately $978 million. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181220005987/en/ Upon completion of the transaction, Leonard A. Moreland, President and Chief Executive Officer of CCF, will continue as the Chief Executive Officer of the surviving holding company, which plans to change its name to Heritage Southeast Bancorporation, Inc. ("HSBI"). Brian Smith will serve as President and Chief Operating Officer of HSBI, and Brad Serff will serve as Executive Vice President of HSBI. Following the completion of the transaction, the board of directors of HSBI will consist of Kenneth R. Lehman, who is anticipated to serve as chairman, two individuals designated by each of CCF, HBI and Providence, and two additional independent directors, one of whom is anticipated to be John Presley. "We are very excited about the proposed business combination and the opportunities this combination will create for our companies," said Moreland. "This partnership not only creates a dynamic and diverse banking franchise to better serve the needs of our customers, but it also creates value and optionality for our shareholders." "The combination of these three banks under a single holding company will create a banking franchise with the scale, diversity of product offerings and market presence to expand into new markets and customer segments," noted Brian Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer of HBI. "Together we will realize benefits it would have taken us years to accomplish independently." "The combined entity will offer diverse business lines, product offerings, market dynamics and complementary balance sheets with a shared 'customer first' corporate culture," said Brad Serff, President and Chief Executive Officer of Providence. Subject to the terms of the business combination agreement, HBI shareholders will receive 0.9504 shares of CCF common stock for each outstanding share of HBI common stock and Providence shareholders will receive 0.1225 shares of CCF common stock for each outstanding share of Providence common stock. Each outstanding option to purchase shares of HBI common stock or Providence common stock will be assumed by CCF and become an option to purchase shares of CCF common stock, with the exercise price and number of shares underlying the option adjusted to reflect the respective exchange ratios. Based on CCF's closing stock price of $25.51 as of December 19, 2018, this equates to a per share value of $24.24 for HBI shareholders and $3.12 for Providence shareholders and an aggregate transaction value of approximately $105 million. Based on the exchange ratios above, the current equityholders of CCF will own approximately 44% of the consolidated entity, and the current shareholders of HBI and Providence will own approximately 49% and 7%, respectively. The transaction is expected to offer shareholders several benefits of a larger, more diversified and scalable company, including increased liquidity in their shares, and the ability to provide capital flexibility and efficiency for each bank subsidiary. Additionally, the existing customer bases of each bank subsidiary will benefit from increased product offerings and lending capacity, and will have access to more resources.



The business combination agreement has been approved by the board of directors of each of CCF, HBI and Providence. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of required regulatory approvals and the approval by the shareholders of each of CCF, HBI and Providence. The transaction is expected to close in the 3rd quarter of 2019. Sandler O'Neill + Partners, L.P. acted as an independent financial advisor to the special committees of the boards of directors of each of the parties in connection with the business combination and worked with the companies to establish the relative ownership of each party's shareholders in HSBI. FIG Partners provided a fairness opinion and Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough LLP served as legal counsel to CCF in the transaction. The Burke Group, LLC provided a fairness opinion and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP served as legal counsel to HBI in the transaction. Hovde Group, LLC provided a fairness opinion and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP served as legal counsel to Providence in the transaction.

About CCF Holding Company CCF serves as the holding company for Heritage Bank, a Georgia state-charted bank headquartered in Jonesboro, GA in metropolitan Atlanta's Southern Crescent. With over $500 million in assets, the bank provides a well-rounded offering of commercial and consumer products through its six full-service offices. CCF's stock is traded on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol "OTCQX: CCFH." For additional information, contact Leonard A. Moreland (CEO) or Mary Jo Jester (CFO) at 770-478-8881. About Heritage Bancorporation, Inc. HBI serves as the holding company for The Heritage Bank, a Georgia state-charted bank headquartered in Hinesville, GA, which has offices throughout Southeastern Georgia and Northeastern Florida. With over $530 million in assets, the bank is a low-cost core deposit franchise. For additional information, contact Brian L. Smith (CEO) or Phil Resch (CFO) at 1-800-624-6452. About Providence Bank Providence Bank is a Georgia state-charted bank headquartered in Alpharetta, GA. With over $80 million in assets, the bank offers a wide array of banking solutions that include consumer, commercial and real estate loans and lines of credit as well as personal and business deposit products. For additional information, contact Bradley P. Serff (CEO) at 678-624-2265. Forward Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the benefits of the proposed business combination of CCF, HBI and Providence, including future financial and operating results (including the anticipated impact of each of the transactions on earnings and tangible book value), statements related to the expected timing of the completion of the business combination, the combined company's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions, and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements may be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "scheduled," "plans," "intends," "anticipates," "expects," "believes," estimates," "potential," or "continue" or negatives of such terms or other comparable terminology. All forward-looking statements in this press release, or in any other written or oral communication that relates to the proposed combination of CCF, HBI and Providence or to matters that may affect such proposed combination are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of HSBI, or of CCF, HBI or Providence to differ materially from any results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, (1) the risk that the cost savings and any revenue synergies from the business combination may not be realized or take longer than anticipated to be realized, (2) disruption from the business combination with customers, suppliers, employees or other business partners, (3) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the business combination agreement, (4) the risk of unsuccessful integration of HBI's or Providence's business into the business of CCF, (5) the failure to obtain the necessary approvals by the shareholders of CCF, HBI or Providence, (6) the amount of the costs, fees, expenses and charges related to the business combination or any subsequent mergers of the HSBI subsidiaries, (7) the ability by the parties to obtain required governmental approvals of the business combination agreement or of any subsequent mergers of the HSBI subsidiaries, (8) reputational risk and the reaction of each company's customers, suppliers, employees or other business partners to the business combination, (9) the failure of the closing conditions in the business combination agreement to be satisfied, or any unexpected delay in closing the business combination, (10) the risk that the integration of HBI's or Providence's operations into the operations of CCF will not occur, will be materially delayed or will be more costly or difficult than expected, (11) the possibility that the business combination will be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events, (12) the dilution caused by CCF's issuance of additional shares of its common stock in the transaction, (13) general competitive, economic, political and market conditions. Each of CCF, HBI and Providence disclaim any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this communication (which statements speak only as of the date hereof), or in any other written or oral communication that relates to the proposed combination of CCF, HBI and Providence or to matters that may affect such proposed combination, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional Information About the Business Combination CCF intends to file with the Secretary of State of Georgia, as the Commissioner of Securities of the State of Georgia (the "GA Securities Commissioner"), an application under Section 10-5-11(9) of the Georgia Uniform Securities Act of 2008 requesting the issuance of an order on the fairness of the terms and conditions of the proposed transaction. In connection therewith, the shareholders of HBI and Providence will receive notice of and be entitled to attend a hearing before the GA Securities Commissioner. Following the hearing and the issuance of an order by the GA Securities Commissioner, proxy statements containing the order and other important information about the proposed transaction, CCF, HBI and Providence will be mailed to the shareholders of CCF, HBI and Providence. The shareholders of CCF, HBI and Providence are urged to read their respective proxy statement, which will include the business combination agreement, and other related documents (including any amendments or supplements), carefully when they become available. For additional information please visit www.hsbinc.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181220005987/en/

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[December 21, 2018] ARTIST Introduces Digital Collaborative Model to Skill Doctors

BENGALURU, December 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- - To train healthcare providers on quality and affordable maternal care, contraceptives and better management of Diabetes in Pregnancy Asian Research & Training Institute for Skill Transfer (ARTIST) has taken a huge leap by providing a packaged training programme through digital platform and leading doctors from Karnataka attended the first ever such programme in state. Another team of doctors and nurses connected to the class digitally from Mumbai and with ECHO team in Delhi. (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/801567/ARTIST_Digital_Collaborative.jpg )

ARTIST vision is to collaborate with industry experts and train the frontline healthcare providers in ObGyn through skill transfer. In this direction it has combined its initiatives Manyata, Parivarthan (#WhoDecides) and Diabetes in Pregnancy in the training module. Speaking about collaborating with Project ECHO Zoom for the Manyata sessions, National Convener of Manyata, Dr. Hema Divakar said, "Divakars Speciality Hospital is the first ever Manyata centre in Karnataka, and hopes to introduce digital platform for training teams from private sector providers pan Karnataka and beyond. The ECHO Zoom platform eliminates need to travel every month for the training. Healthcare providers can train at their centres with faster turnaround time. We are aiming to certify 100 hospitals for Manyata in Karnataka in the next one year." "Having seen the ground realities in rural India, where there are no specialists available, I'm all keen on supporting the initiative to skill frontline providers and to save lives," said Dr. M. G. Hiremath, Vice President, FOGSI and Head of ObGyn, KLE Belagavi. Signifying the importance of introducing digital platforms in medical trainings and educations, Dr. Hema added, "Project ECHO Zoom is smooth, sleek, easy to connect and converse. With its brilliant video conferencing features, it offers much more effective experiential connect with lesser cost and wider reach over massive scale. Tata Cancer Research Centre used to get pproximately 1,42,000 patients in a month from across the country, many of whom had to travel for days, stand in queue for hours together just for a follow up - these numbers have come down to 30,000 since the introduction of Project ECHO Zoom for empowering the local healthcare providers. We aim to take quality, affordable, maternal healthcare to even the most remote parts of Karnataka and slowly spread across India."



Speaking on the latest initiative of ARTIST in collaboration with Population Services International (PSI), Dr. Hema, who is also CEO and Chairperson of ARTIST said, "Parivarthan is an initiative to bring about mindset change with the healthcare providers which caters to the changing lifestyle of today's youth. There are currently 12 master trainer doctors in Bengaluru, who will train 100 doctors each, on building awareness on reproductive choices, knowledge, attitude and dispelling myths and misconceptions about contraception among gen next. These doctors will in turn reach out to schools and colleges to guide the youngsters on preventive methods, contraception, change in mindset, decision making, and accessible healthcare. PSI has been of great help in providing high quality contraceptives at a nominal cost to the network hospitals. It will also assist in running a helpline on these issues. In Phase 1, we aim to train 3000 doctors, who will reach out to 3000 schools and colleges." On the alarming increase in the rate of Diabetes among pregnant women Dr. Hema as the Vice-Chair for FIGO GDM Working Group said, "We observe Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) awareness day on 10th of March every year. But one day a year is not sufficient, as approximately 1 in 5 women who develop diabetes during pregnancy go on to develop Type 2 Diabetes within the next 2-4 years. Diabetes is a real problem which needs many more healthcare providers to address in the correct manner. Therefore, we want to empower even the non-diabetic specialists like us ObGyns, to be diabetes educators so that we also know how to guide the women for its prevention and long-term care."

About ARTIST

Asian Research & Training Institute for Skill Transfer (ARTIST), a premier institute for learning, is based out of Bangalore, and aims to improve the capabilities and competencies of Obstetrics & Gynaecologists (ObGyns) in India. Having extensively surveyed the Knowledge, Attitudes & Practices (KAPs) amongst the ObGyns across India, ARTIST is able to gather startling facts and identify the GAPs in KAPs. ARTIST will conduct training, teaching and research in order to fill these gaps.



About Manyata

Manyata aims to create a robust quality improvement and assurance system to help private maternity care facilities improve their quality of services and recognize those who consistently deliver quality care to the women they serve. Under this program, FOGSI and Jhpiego will provide the required support, training and help the facilities adhere to the recommended standards for certification of quality in maternity services. Certification process is by FOGSI and accreditation will be by independent agencies recognized by Quality Council of India.



About Parivarthan #WhoDecides

Parivarthan is a collaborative initiative by PSI (Population Services International) and ARTIST. The project is about change in mindset of health care providers and youth of the country by building awareness, access and affordability for use of contraception. The project which is piloting in Karnataka will train doctors to implement contraceptive methods to plug the unmet needs of today's youth. It also will address college students on #WhoDecides on what they eat, how they exercise and who is responsible for their reproductive decisions.



About Project ECHO Zoom

Project ECHO is a collaborative model of medical education and care management that empowers clinicians everywhere to provide better care to more people, right where they live. The ECHO model increases access to speciality treatment in underserved areas by providing front-line clinicians with the knowledge and support to manage complex cases by specialists through weekly virtual clinics supported by Zoom tele-conferencing technology, combined with mentoring and patient case presentations. Media Contact:

Dayananda G

[email protected]

+91-9900012242

In Charge - Media & Client Servicing

MJSPR





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[December 21, 2018] Ottopia Closes $3 Million to Bring Remote Assistance to Autonomous Vehicles

Ottopia, a technology company focused on remote assistance for self-driving cars, announced today it has closed $3 million in seed funding. The round was led by MizMaa Ventures with participation from Glory Ventures, Plug and Play and NextGear. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181220006032/en/



Ottopia's co-founders, Leon Altarac (CTO) and Amit Rosenzweig (CEO) with the company's R&D car. (Photo: Business Wire)

Autonomous Vehicle (AV) technology has come a long way in the last decade. Within certain boundaries, AVs can drive themselves 99 percent of the time; however, there is a growing consensus that the last one percent is still many years away. That is where teleoperation comes in. An AV can call a human back-up to help it resolve unpredictable or unsafe situations. Today, early-stage teleoperation platforms provide support by handing over complete control to a remote human driver. That increases the likelihood of human error in situations that are already complex, like driving around road construction or a crowded street. Unlike other solutions, Ottopia's software platform allows the human operator and the car's AI to work together during a remote intervention. The human assists the AV with decision-making in a complex scenario. The AV then executes that decision and navigates with a full suite of sensors and safety measures engaged. Amit Rosenzweig (CEO) and Leon Altarac (CTO) founded Ottopia in 2018. Prior to that, Leon founded the Robotics and AV branch of the Israeli Army, where he spent the last decade designing various AVs and teleoperation solutions for real-life missions. Amit was Head of Product for Microsoft's (News - Alert) leading cybersecurity offering, as well as VP of Product for a low-latency video transmission company. Before that, he led R&D projects for Israeli intelligence and graduated from the prestigious Talpiot program. "Autonomous vehicles are inevitable, but safe deployment is still a core roadblock. Major players agree that there is a real, unmet need in this domain," said Aaron Applbaum from MizMaa Ventures. "We are thrilled to partner with Ottopia's talented and battle-tested team to solve the problem of safe teleoperation. Their approach and drive give us full confidence that they'll succeed." Ottopia plans to use the funds to expand its R&D team and collaborate with AV companies to prove the versatility and enhanced safety of its platform. "Our platform addresses all the core challenges in teleoperation, like network connectivity, safety and cybersecurity," said Amit Rosenzweig, CEO of Ottopia, "And the feedback so far from key players is very encouraging." About Ottopia Ottopia is building the first ever platform that enables remote humans to guide vehicles in a way that is safe, reliable, scalable and cyber-secure. Based in Tel Aviv, Ottopia is founded by leading Autonomous Vehicle, safety and cybersecurity experts and funded by top-tier venture capital firms. To learn more about the company, visit the company website at https://ottopia.tech, follow its posts on Medium, or reach out ([email protected]) to meet the team in person at Las Vegas CES (News - Alert). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181220006032/en/

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[December 21, 2018] Capgemini and Efma Launch FinTechVisor Race to the Top 2019

Capgemini and Efma today announced the inaugural FinTechVisor Race to the Top 2019, a competition offering organizations1 an opportunity to pitch their business solutions to an elite panel of financial institutions and industry influencers. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181220005794/en/ FinTechVisor Race to the Top 2019 aims to uncover the most exciting FinTech innovations and connect start-ups to new mentoring and partnership opportunities. It is the first of its kind from the FinTechVisor site, which launched earlier this year to encourage greater collaboration between FinTechs and financial institutions. Applicants are invited to complete a company page on the FinTechVisor platform and submit a 90 second video. The video should demonstrate their solution's market relevance, innovation, and business potential in the following categories: Banking & Payments, Financing, Life Insurance, Property & Casualty (P&C)/General and Health Insurance, Cryptocurrency and Blockchain, Wealth Management, Investment and Capital Markets, RegTech and Cybersecurity, Platforms and Open APIs, Personal Financial Management, Business Financial Manageent & Accounting, and Insights and Data for Financial Services. Only one video per applicant will be accepted, but the video can span two categories. The submission deadline via the FinTechVisor site is February 1, 2019.



A shortlist of 10 nominees (one per category) will be announced by Capgemini (News - Alert) and Efma on the FinTechVisor site on February 12, 2019. Voting is then open to all FinTechVisor visitors which includes Efma members, Capgemini clients, and FinTech companies. The top three finalists will pitch their solution during an online webinar on March 7, 2019 with a panel of financial institutions and industry influencers selecting the overall winner. The winner will receive exclusive mentorship from Capgemini, the opportunity to present their solution during Efma's 'Bank + Fintech' Conference on 2-3 April 2019, plus promotional opportunities at key industry events, and introductions to the major financial institutions involved in the judging panel. The winning nominees will also receive an invitation to join Capgemini's ScaleUp Qualification program which offers ScaleUps2 opportunities to gain credibility and increase the likelihood of successful partnerships. "The future of financial services lies in effective partnership between FinTechs and institutions," said Elias Ghanem, Chief Technology Officer and FinTech Lead for Capgemini's Financial Services in Europe. "We created the FinTechVisor portal to facilitate collaboration between the established and emerging ends of the market, and to create a space where ideas can be shared, and partnerships formed. The FinTechVisor Race to the Top 2019 brings that concept to life by uncovering new innovations for the market."

"Since the launch of the FinTechVisor portal in May, we've built a strong community of innovative FinTech organizations," said Vincent Bastid, CEO of Efma. "We're looking forward to providing a new platform for FinTechs to showcase the strength of their propositions and offer a renewed opportunity for institutions to seek new partners." About Capgemini

A global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation, Capgemini is at the forefront of innovation to address the entire breadth of clients' opportunities in the evolving world of cloud, digital and platforms. Building on its strong 50-year heritage and deep industry-specific expertise, Capgemini enables organizations to realize their business ambitions through an array of services from strategy to operations. Capgemini is driven by the conviction that the business value of technology comes from and through people. It is a multicultural company of 200,000 team members in over 40 countries. The Group reported 2017 global revenues of EUR 12.8 billion. Visit us at www.capgemini.com. People matter, results count About Efma

A global non-profit organization, established in 1971 by banks and insurance companies, Efma facilitates networking between decision-makers. It provides quality insights to help banks and insurance companies make the right decisions to foster innovation and drive their transformation. Over 3,300 brands in 130 countries are Efma members. Headquarters in Paris. Offices in London, Brussels, Andorra, Stockholm, Bratislava, Dubai, Milan, Montreal, Istanbul, Beijing and Singapore. Learn more at www.efma.com 1 FinTech organizations are start-ups with business models serving the financial services industry including InsurTechs, RegTechs, PayTechs, etc. 2 Scaleups are revenue-generating startups that have raised institutional or private funds and have a dedicated C-suite team. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181220005794/en/

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[December 21, 2018] NTU's Computer Science and Engineering School optimises interdisciplinary research with Huawei storage and system

SHENZHEN, China, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Founded in 1955, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a world-leading research university in Singapore. Its School of Computer Science and Engineering, ranked 1st in Asia by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (2017) for Computer Science and Engineering, is a leader in the field. To bolster its leadership and turbocharge multidisciplinary research, the school replaced its disconnected data storage systems with a Huawei storage system, making it easier for professors and researchers in different areas to access and share information while boosting productivity and efficiency in performance of instructional tasks. Technology challenges for cutting-edge cross-functional research A clear pioneer in the field of computer science and engineering education, the SCSE was the first school in Singapore to offer a Computer Engineering programme. It is, to this day, the only school in Singapore that trains students in both computer science and computer engineering fundamentals. That explains why professors in the SCSE, together with their doctorate students and research staff, carry out advanced research in a wide spectrum of topics. They work in various research groups, for instance Hardware and Embedded Systems, Cyber Security and Forensics, Data Management and Analytics, and Computational Intelligence, just to name a few. But the school's legacy system only supported two types of clusters, which could not support the kind of multidisciplinary research that the researchers needed. The limited computing resources also meant that there was consistently long pending job queues, hindering productivity. To ensure researchers are able to efficiently and effectively leverage technoloy to access research materials, it is necessary that all documents are stored in a unified resource pool to enable information sharing and synergies across research disciplines.



Moreover, the school has complex and diverse research directions. Some of its programs require fat nodes (large memory per node) and high peak computing performance. Given the collaborative nature of researchers in a wide array of disciplines under the school, the researchers carry out tasks in vastly varying workload sizes at peak and off-peak time, with rapidly changing resource volumes. To accomplish these goals, the school requires a cloud-based information technology (IT) platform that supports flexible partitioning and rapid configuration.

Replacing many systems with one solution The school began looking for a better way of doing things and decided to replace its multiple legacy systems with a single integrated one that would offer a better experience for both professors and researchers. This system must provide sufficient capacity and have the ability to be expanded at any time. In addition, the computing node must be able to support the running of large-memory serial programs, OPENMP programs, and MPI programs. Lastly, the new solution must be able to provide higher density, while occupying less physical space and be more energy efficient at the same time. Huawei came onboard as the SCSE's technology partner on this transformation journey and deployed KunLun 9016 and OceanStor Storage system to form the basis of the hardware platform. Through implementing both physical and virtual partitioning to deploy different High-Performance Computing (HPC) applications, multiple groups could simultaneously use the system, thus conducting multidisciplinary research to maximum advantage. Enjoying a centralised resource pool The school chose Huawei OceanStor all flash storage and KunLun platform over other offerings in the markets to build a research resource pool. More and more research projects have begun to pool their computing and storage resource, allowing them the convenience of continually developing their technology. Huawei's KunLun platform provided one of the best solutions for the school's needs, which can well support the running of large-memory serial programs, OPENMP programs, and MPI programs. KunLun is ideal for core databases, service application consolidation, in-memory computing, HPC fat nodes, and more scenarios. Each KunLun server also runs multiple HPC services, including high-performing databases, machine learning, cloud computing, and big data services. The flexible combination of physical and virtual partitioning can adapt to small and large applications of different computing types, allowing for NTU's easy and efficient use of a centralised resource pool. The SCSE agrees the comprehensive sharing of research resource will become a cornerstone of its future talent development and scientific research. The improved efficiency of teaching and scientific research is poised to take the university's research excellence to new heights. For more information, please visit http://e.huawei.com/topic/leading-new-ict-en/singapore-ntu-case.html?ic_medium=hwdc&ic_source=ebg_banner_EEBGHQ175137L&source=ebghmbanner SOURCE Huawei

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[December 21, 2018] Huawei helps Biznet Build Next-Generation Intelligent Metro Network in Indonesia

SHENZHEN, China, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Comprising more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state, earning it the name "The Land of 1,000 Islands." As an active economic participant in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indonesia has been gradually expanding its telecom field since 2000. According to the United Nations, Indonesia has a population of 260 million, of which 93.4 million are Internet users. The Internet intricately connects the thousands of physically isolated islands to the digital world, which creates huge potential for digital economic growth and presents great opportunities and challenges to local Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Digital Transformation Facilitates Fast Metro Network Reconstruction Biznet was established in 2000 and is now the largest privately owned Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Indonesia. It is committed to providing users with fast and reliable network services. Biznet offers direct connectivity to multiple tier-1 backbones and industry-leading Internet switches, delivering the fastest and shortest path to a destination. The ISP provides services like broadband access (metro Ethernet and metro Fiber to the Home  FTTH), data center hosting, and cloud services, to more than 100 cities across Indonesia. Biznet provides metro Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) leased lines for Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and IP + optical backbone bandwidth leasing services for large-sized enterprises. It enjoys 11 international POPs.

Biznet has 25,000 km optical fibers distributed throughout the islands of Java , Bali , Sumatra , and Batam, serving more than 100 major cities.

, , , and Batam, serving more than 100 major cities. There are 450,000 homes passed by Biznet fibers. Nearly 100,000 homes are connected to the Internet, accounting for roughly 25 percent of the homes passed. In addition, Biznet provides content through Internet Protocol Television (IPTV).

Biznet Data Center (BDC) owns and operates three data centers in Indonesia , located in Jakarta , West Java , and Bali . Biznet provides data center leasing and hosting services, including cloud, physical host leasing, virtual private servers, and colocation services, which account for approximately 22 percent of the Indonesian market. Biznet's business is applicable to enterprises in various fields, including large-scale talent recruitment websites in the Asia Pacific region, popular Japanese convenience store chains, large fast-food chains in the United States, low-cost carriers in Indonesia, local travel and ticket retail websites, and famous resorts. Biznet expects to become the leading enterprise in the Indonesian broadband access market. To support te current requirements and future plans of individual and enterprise customers, Biznet must first undergo its own digital transformation.



As cloud computing, e-commerce, and HD video services continue to emerge in Indonesia , bandwidth requirements will increase exponentially. Technology, architecture, and bandwidth performance could not adapt to rapidly developing new services on the current Biznet live network.

, bandwidth requirements will increase exponentially. Technology, architecture, and bandwidth performance could not adapt to rapidly developing new services on the current Biznet live network. Live network devices faced warranty expiration. The current network architecture with single Broadband Remote Access Server (BRAS) nodes could not meet the stringent user requirements for service reliability. To make matters worse, the BRAS nodes were not distributed evenly. In some cities, cross-backbone network authentication was required, but was restricted by limited bandwidth and frequent delays, which directly affected user experience.

The current Operations and Maintenance (O&M) system could not continue to support operations after large-scale network construction. E2E services needed to be manually configured and adjusted, leading to time-consuming service provisioning. If a network fault occurred, it could not be quickly located and rectified, which resulted in high O&M costs and low efficiency. "As the leading telecommunication, data communication and multimedia service provider in Indonesia, Biznet continues to keep up with the ever-growing changes and we continues to make new technology innovations to be able to provide the best Internet service supported by the latest infrastructure and reliable networks for people of Indonesia," President Director of Biznet Adi Kusma said. The Huawei WAN Solution Makes Immediate Impact and Future Plans

Based on industry-leading NetEngine high-end routers and advanced Software-defined Network (SDN) architecture, the Huawei Intent-Driven Wide Area Network (WAN) Solution provides a highly reliable network that supports fast fault locating and smooth evolution. The New Biznet Fiber Network is a prime example, consisting of a terabit core router network, metro Ethernet 10G/100G distribution networks, and gigabit Passive Optical Network (PON) access technology that can deliver services with a capacity of up to 2.5 Gbit/s. The Biznet Metro Network core node, the NE40E + OSN902, ensures the network can meet the requirements of an ever-increasing number of services. The network has a capacity of up to 100 Gbit/s, and the metro Ethernet 10G/100G uses a ring configuration to provide auto protection when the fiber backbone is cut off. The Optical Network Terminal (ONT) device supports the latest Wi-Fi technology to provide faster data transmission.

Based on innovative SDN architecture, industry-leading MPLS and bare IP network optimization technologies address problems such as traffic imbalance, low bandwidth utilization, and low network convergence efficiency due to repeated, fault-triggered topology recalculation. The IP + optical technology implements automatic service deployment, helping Biznet cope with future network evolution and monetize new services.

Metro Network IP + WDM and the flattened architecture reduce latency and improve user experience. The MAN distributed BRASs save backbone bandwidth and are deployed on the MAN to prevent cross-region traffic access. A pair of optical fibers transmit at a rate of 20 Tbit/s  increasing the MAN fiber usage, reducing the number of hops, decreasing latency, and improving user experience.

U2000, a unified O&M and management system, implements E2E device management on the entire Biznet network. Visualized Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) on the entire network implement fault visualization and user experience. Innovative Technologies Promote Digital Economic Development Biznet can help enterprises cope with even the heaviest traffic, so new travel and ticket retail websites do not need to worry about network connection faults. Enterprises can then focus on core services like providing high-quality travel routes and cost-effective tickets, and improving the browsing and purchasing experience. Hotels in Bali, Java, and Sumatra use the Biznet network to ensure a smooth network experience for guests and enhance operational efficiency and digitalization. Since 2016, Biznet has established networks with great development potential in the regions of Kediri, East Java, Tegal, Central Java, Sukabumi, Purwokerto, Kudus, Batam, and Mojokerto, which has improved small business, education, and quality of life. Adi Kusma added, "The New Biznet Fiber Network is a solution for the increasing demand of bigger capacity in the future." ISP service forms and business models will face huge opportunities and challenges in the intelligent society of the future. Network intelligence will become an urgent demand. IP networks will shift from the traditional device-centric network architecture to user-centric intent-driven networks, maximizing the business value of ISPs. The 'intelligence' of IP networks includes network visualization, service agility, and intelligent O&M, which will usher technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data analytics. The road to an intelligent world is long. Huawei will continually work closely with Biznet to become its best transformation partner. For more information, please visit https://e.huawei.com/topic/leading-new-ict-en/biznet-network-case.html SOURCE Huawei

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[December 21, 2018] Thoma Bravo Completes Majority Investment in PEC Safety

SAN FRANCISCO and MANDEVILLE, La., Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Thoma Bravo, a leading private equity investment firm focused on software and technology-enabled services, today announced that it has become the majority investor in PEC Safety, a rapidly growing contractor management software and safety learning content provider that helps both hiring clients and contractors manage risk, safety and compliance. Through an integrated suite of technology products and safety training programs, backed by PEC's team of safety experts, the company provides hiring clients the tools and support to effectively prequalify and manage today's growing contractor workforce. As one of the largest contractor management networks in the world, PEC currently serves over 110 operators and 15,000 contractors. In addition, PEC provides licensed proprietary safety learning content to a network of more than 3,000 authorized instructors who conduct over 235,000 training sessions per year. To date, PEC's cloud-based software system has aided in training more than 1.3 million workers, advancing PEC's mission of reducing risk and improving safety for hiring clients and contractors. "PEC Safety's partnership with Thoma Bravo enables the company to expand its mission-critical software and learning solutions into new verticals which increasingly recognize contractor risk exposure as a top concern," said Colby Lane, CEO of PEC Safety. "We look forward to leveraging Thoma Bravo's investment, expertiseand experience to build out PEC Safety's multiple safety orientations, training courses and a suite of SaaS-based risk mitigation tools."



About Thoma Bravo, LLC

Thoma Bravo is a leading private equity firm focused on the software and technology-enabled services sectors, and has provided equity and strategic support to experienced management teams of growing companies for nearly thirty-five years. The firm has extensive expertise investing in risk, compliance, safety and supply chain management software companies, including Riskonnect, Sparta Systems, Global Healthcare Exchange and iPipeline, as well as energy-focused software companies such as Quorum Software. With a series of funds representing more than $30 billion in capital commitments, Thoma Bravo partners with a company's management team to implement operating best practices, invest in growth initiatives and make accretive acquisitions intended to accelerate revenue and earnings, with the goal of increasing the value of the business. Representative past and present portfolio companies include industry leaders such as ABC Financial, Blue Coat Systems, Deltek, Digital Insight, Frontline Education, Global Healthcare Exchange, Hyland Software, Imprivata, iPipeline, PowerPlan, Qlik, Riverbed, SailPoint, SolarWinds, SonicWall, Sparta Systems and TravelClick. The firm has offices in San Francisco and Chicago. For more information, visit www.thomabravo.com. About PEC Safety

PEC Safety is an industry leading, risk-management company that provides a technology-enabled contractor management service for reporting and measuring contractor risk, safety and compliance information to owner clients (operators). Over 110 owner clients manage over 15,000 contractors in PEC's total contractor management solution. PEC also develops and offers standardized safety learning programs for workers in high-risk industries. Over 1.3 million workers have been trained with PEC programs by a network of 3000+ PEC Authorized Instructors. For more information, visit www.pecsafety.com.

Media Contacts: Matthew Gorton, Hiltzik Strategies

212-776-1161

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thoma-bravo-completes-majority-investment-in-pec-safety-300770071.html SOURCE Thoma Bravo

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[December 21, 2018] The City Choir of Washington (TCCW) Extends the Holiday Season with Twelfth Night Celebration

The City Choir of Washington: This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181221005053/en/ Twelfth Night Revelers (Image credit: Courtesy of Folger Shakespeare Library)







WHAT: A Twelfth Night Concert including, among other works, Mid-winter by Bob Chilcott, Bethlehem Down by Peter Warlock, and the jubilant Gloria by John Rutter. Also known as the Feast of the Epiphany, Twelfth Night has a long history of varied musical traditions from around the world. Concert will also include a singalong of new and old holiday carols such as We Three Kings and The Twelve Days of Christmas. WHO: Internationally acclaimed, The City Choir of Washington and Chamber Orchestra, led by Artistic Director Robert Shafer. Guest Conductor, maestra Gretchen Kuhrmann. Guest Choir, West Springfield High School Madrigals. WHEN: Twelfth Night, Sunday, January 6, 4:30 PM EST WHERE: National Presbyterian Church 4101 Nebraska Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20015

Among organizations supporting and or assisting the concert are the Folger Shakespeare Library, the California Choral Directors Association (CCDA), and the West Springfield High School Madrigals. The performance by the Madrigals, under the direction of Dustin Brandt, continues TCCW's tradition of showcasing exceptional, local high school choirs as a Partner in Song. Contributions are being collected and a donation made by TCCW to help choral organizations most severely affected by the Northern California / Camp Fire, especially the choirs at Paradise High School, much of which burned to the ground. This concert event follows on the heels of the choir's recently acclaimed, sold out, Armistice Day concert commemorating the centennial of the end of WWI. For more information or to purchase tickets go to: A Twelfth Night Concert NOTE TO MEDIA: for additional concert information, or to arrange an interview with Artistic Director Robert Shafer, Conductor Gretchen Kuhrmann, or Conductor Dustin Brandt, please contact Michael Darling at (302) 644-7116 or (202) 997-8263 or by email at [email protected]. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181221005053/en/

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[December 21, 2018] Marking the 2nd Anniversary, CIAYO Comics Gives Over 1,000 Titles of Local Comics

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- For two years, CIAYO Comics has become the largest digital comic platform from Indonesia since 19 December 2016. To celebrate its second anniversary, CIAYO Comics held an event on December 21 at CIAYO Corp's office located in The Dragon Building, North Jakarta, Indonesia. The event titled CIAYO Comics Club #2 became a micro-gathering for local comic creators, creative partners and vendors in collaboration with CIAYO Comics. In 2018, CIAYO Comics focused on developing its contents and increasing the loyalty of comic authors. "2018 is the year of the authors. We have held a roadshow to 11 cities to form digital comic communities and build connections to expand our reach of comic reading across Indonesia," said Digital Marketing CIAYO Corp, Rajiv Akram. "We also invited 50 authors on a trip to Bali on 10-12 December as a form of our appreciation to them," he added. Until the second year, CIAYO Comics has become Indonesia's top comic platform by providing local comics to restore Indonesia's Golden Age of Comics. Until the end of 2018, CIAYO Comics had published more than 1,000 titles, both official and challenge, in collaboration with more than 500 comc creators, hundreds of creative communities and comic studios in Indonesia. During this year, the number of CIAYO Comics readers reached 150,727,804, a significant growth by 576 percent compared to 2017. The number is predicted to continuously grow, as Indonesia's creative industry, including comics, is increasing rapidly. Quoted from the official site of Indonesia Agency for Creative Economy, the creative industry contributes almost IDR 1,000 trillion for the country's GDP.



Romance comic genre has contributed the highest percentage of readers at CIAYO Comics with 42 percent of readers in 2018, such as Hana & Mr Arrogant with 92,500 subscribers and Heartbeat with 91,200 subscribers. The second most popular genre ini CIAYO Comics is Comedy, shown in 63,200 subscribers of Soul of Neko . Head of Business Development of CIAYO Corp Khrisnawan Adhie revealed that in 2019 CIAYO Comics can still be accessed for free on multiple platforms. "We have collaborated with BBM thus that the reach of CIAYO Comics is broader. In 2019, we are targeting to collaborate with more major platforms which have the value of their local brands, such as Kaskus," he said.

In addition, CIAYO Comics will focus more on providing features and collaborations aimed at user convenience. Some features such as rewards for readers and early access for new comics releases. "We hope that by improving these services, we can fulfill the convenience of comic readers, provide easy access, and are known to be even wider. "We are targeting next year's readers to increase 100 to 120 percent," he concluded. About:

CIAYO Corp started an intellectual property development business with digital comic application CIAYO Comics in 2016. CIAYO Comics became the first national digital comic platform in Indonesia. CIAYO Corp also runs a game development studio, CIAYO Games under its umbrella, and collaborating with prominent animation studio and game studio, respectively Kumata Studio and Agate Studio. CIAYO Games launched the mobile arcade game "CHIPS: Monster Tap!" which was nominated in Indonesia Game Contest by Google Play and The Best Mobile Game of The Year by Popcon Asia 2017. Operating as a media, CIAYO Corp runs CIAYO Blog to publish contemporary pop culture issues that reaches more than 100.000 readers every month. Media Contact:

Michael Tan

Public Relation CIAYO Corp

+62 82273170103

[email protected]

[email protected] Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20181221/2334287-1 SOURCE CIAYO Corp

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[December 21, 2018] Quest Awarded Ten-Year Contract From Better Made Snack Foods, Inc. for Comprehensive Supply Chain Solution

SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quest Solution, Inc. (OTCQB:QUES) (Quest or the Company), a provider of Supply Chain and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based solutions, today announced it has been awarded a $1.3 million, 10-year contract for the supply of mobile equipment, software and software support services to Better Made Snack Foods, Inc. (Better Made), a developer, manufacturer and distributor of a wide variety of high quality snack foods.

As part of Quests strategy to increase the contribution from the software and services portion of its business, the Company is installing its proprietary Route Edge Software product, to replace Better Mades legacy system in order to provide Better Mades fleet of 200 delivery trucks with more accurate and efficient handheld supply chain and inventory management devices. The solution automates the delivery and sales process from beginning to end through proof of delivery (POD), direct store delivery (DSD), digital exchange (DEX), return and pickup applications and more. In addition, using customer information such sales history, promotions, and seasonal fluctuations, the software will support Better Made in determining future customer demand. Shai Lustgarten, CEO of Quest, commented: We are very pleased to have secured this long-term contract with a reputable regional market leader like Better Made Snack Foods, representing our largest project to date utilizing our proprietary Route Edge technology. Our extensive experience in DSD assisted the development of this software package, and were encouraged by Better Mades selection of our solution to replace the legacy package to increase efficiencies in the logistic and supply chain operations. Featuring Android architecture and real-time communications, our solution provides the migration and long-term stability our customers demand. With the growing interest were seeing from the marketplace, we believe this long-term contract, worth over $1 million, validates our extensive capabilities and optimal service and we look forward to introducing our robust suite of technology solutions to new customers. We at Better Made believe this solution will give us data and information that we never had with our old legacy system, says David Jones, President of Better Made. Having a solid partner in Quest gives us an edge in DSD integrated systems for the next ten years. As our business develops, Quest will be at our side developing solutions right along with us. We are very pleased to have Quest as our long-term partner in enhancing our sales capablity.



About Quest Solution, Inc.

Quest Solution is a Specialty Systems Integrator focused on Field and Supply Chain Mobility as well as a provider of Artificial Intelligence (AI) monitoring and surveillance solutions. Additionally the Company is manufacturer and distributor of consumables (labels, tags, and ribbons), RFID and IoT solutions, and barcoding printers. Founded in 1994, Quest is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah with sales offices located across the United States as well as Israel. Rated in the Top 1% of global solution providers, Quest specializes in the design, deployment and management of enterprise mobility solutions including Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC), Mobile Cloud Analytics, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), and proprietary Mobility software. Our mobility products and services offering is designed to identify, track, trace, share and connect data to enterprise systems such as CRM or ERP solutions. Our customers are leading Fortune 500 companies from several sectors including manufacturing, retail, distribution, food / beverage, transportation and logistics, health care and chemicals / gas / oil.

About Better Made

Founded in 1930 in Detroit as Cross and Peters, Better Made continues to develop and provide a wide variety of high quality award-winning snack foods, including assorted regular and flavored potato chips and potato sticks, gourmet popcorn, pretzels, beef jerky, tortilla chips, pork rinds, wearables, and more. The family-owned company uses locally grown potatoes and trans fat-free cottonseed oil. For more information, please visit www.bettermade.com. You may also follow Better Made on Facebook and Twitter, and the Better Made app for iPhone and Android devices. Michigan Made - Better Made, now featured all around Michigan in your favorite food outlets. Information about Forward-Looking Statements

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this press release relating to plans, strategies, economic performance and trends, projections of results of specific activities or investments, and other statements that are not descriptions of historical facts may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. This release contains forward-looking statements that include information relating to future events and future financial and operating performance. The words may, would, will, expect, estimate, can, believe, potential and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which that performance or those results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time they are made and/or managements good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to: fluctuations in demand for Quest Solution, Inc.s products, the introduction of new products, the Companys ability to maintain customer and strategic business relationships, the impact of competitive products and pricing, growth in targeted markets, the adequacy of the Companys liquidity and financial strength to support its growth, the Companys ability to manage credit and debt structures from vendors, debt holders and secured lenders, the Companys ability to successfully integrate its acquisitions, risks related to the sale of Quest Solution Canada Inc. to Viascan Group Inc. and other information that may be detailed from time-to-time in Quest Solution Inc.s filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Examples of such forward looking statements in this release include, among others, statements regarding revenue growth, driving sales, operational and financial initiatives, cost reduction and profitability, and simplification of operations. For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertainties affecting Quest Solution, Inc. please refer to the Companys recent Securities and Exchange Commission filings, which are available at http://www.sec.gov. Quest Solution, Inc. undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless otherwise required by law. Investor Contact:

John Nesbett/Jen Belodeau

IMS Investor Relations

203.972.9200

[email protected]

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[December 21, 2018] Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions Releases Responses To Questions

Reno, Nev., Dec. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc., (AITX: OTCPK) is pleased to announce that Robotic Assistance Devices (RAD), its wholly owned subsidiary, has posted a candid video response to various questions received by the companys investor relations firm recently. The posted video can be found at the following link: https://roboticassistancedevices.com/december-20,-2018-video-q&a/

As well RADs CEO Steve Reinharz was recently featured in a roundtable article along with two other peers for Security Info Watch and the article can be viewed by following this link: https://www.securityinfowatch.com/perimeter-security/robotics/article/21036453/the-state-of-robotics... The company may post important information about its subsidiary RADon its website at http://www.RoboticAssistanceDevices.com and through tweets from RAD President and CEO Steve Reinharz (https://twitter.com/SteveReinharz).



CAUTIONARY DISCLOSURE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this news release other than statements of historical fact are "forward-looking statements" that are based on current expectations and assumptions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements, including, but not limited to, the following: the ability of Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions to provide for its obligations, to provide working capital needs from operating revenues, to obtain additional financing needed for any future acquisitions, to meet competitive challenges and technological changes, and other risks. Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement(s) and/or to confirm the statement(s) to actual results or changes in Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions expectations.

About RAD Robotic Assistance Devices (RAD) is an innovator in the delivery of artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower organizations to gain new insight, solve complex challenges and fuel new business ideas. Through its next-generation robotic product offerings, RAD can help organizations streamline operations, increase ROI and strengthen business. RAD robotics technology improves the simplicity and economics of patrolling and guard services, and allows experienced personnel to focus on more strategic tasks. Customers augment the capabilities of existing staffs and gain higher levels of situational awareness, all at drastically reduced cost. RAD robotic solutions are well suited for use in multiple industries such as enterprises, government, transportation, critical infrastructure, education and healthcare. To learn more, visit www.roboticassistancedevices.com or follow us on Twitter @RADbotsecurity. Everest Corporate Advisors Inc. 702-902-2361 www.everestcorp.net

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[December 21, 2018] Air Tanzania Takes Delivery of First Airbus A220 Aircraft Powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF Engines

MIRABEL, Quebec, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) and Air Tanzania celebrated delivery of the airline's first A220 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines. Air Tanzania, headquartered in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, will be the first airline based in Africa to operate GTF engines and the A220 aircraft. "We place trust in aircraft with high reliability, operational versatility and fuel efficiency which is why we selected the A220 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines," said Ladislaus Matindi, CEO of Air Tanzania. "We are excited to offer our passengers enhanced comfort and more flight options while promoting development and growth in the markets we serve." The United Republic of Tanzania, represented by the Tanzanian Government Flight Agency (TGFA) signed an agreement for two Pratt & Whitney GTF-powered Airbus A220 aircraft and one Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150-powered Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft in December 2016. The airline will be utilizing the aircraft for domestic and international operations, expanding their routes and growing beyond Africa. "While Air Tanzania is well known to the Pratt & Whitney family, having previously operated Pratt & Whitney-powered Q300 and Q400 aircraft, we are embarking on a new journey together as they take delivery of their first GTF-powered A220 aircraft," sid Rick Deurloo, senior vice president of sales, marketing and customer support at Pratt & Whitney. "The impact this airline will make on the region with the operation of these two aircraft is truly notable. The GTF engines offer proven economic and environmental benefits with the ability to fly farther with less fuel, making Air Tanzania's decision to expand their route network a viable solution. We look forward to growing this relationship together." The A220, exclusively powered by the GTF engine, offers double-digit improvement in operating costs compared to current generation aircraft. It's 20% more fuel efficient and provides a 75% reduction in noise footprint and NOx emissions 50% below the ICAO CAEP 6 regulation.



About Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft and helicopter engines, and auxiliary power units. United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. To learn more about UTC, visit its website at www.utc.com, or follow the company on Twitter: @UTC. To learn more about the GTF engine, visit www.pwgtf.com. To receive press releases and other news directly, please sign up here.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business opportunities. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to changes in levels of demand in the aerospace industry, in levels of air travel, and in the number of aircraft to be built; challenges in the design, development, production support, performance and realization of the anticipated benefits of advanced technologies; as well as other risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those detailed from time to time in United Technologies Corp.'s Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Pratt & Whitney +1 (860) 565-9600 [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/air-tanzania-takes-delivery-of-first-airbus-a220-aircraft-powered-by-pratt--whitney-gtf-engines-300770141.html SOURCE Pratt & Whitney

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[December 21, 2018] AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Houston Casualty Group Members and Affiliates

AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A++ (Superior) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of "aa+" of the property/casualty (P/C) members of Houston Casualty Group. The lead P/C members are headquartered in Houston, TX, with the exception of HCC Reinsurance Company Limited (Hamilton, Bermuda). AM Best also has affirmed the FSR of A++ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICR of "aa+" of HCC Life Insurance Company (HCC Life) (Indianapolis, IN). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. (See below for a list of the P/C companies.) The ratings of the P/C members of the group reflect their consolidated balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorizes as strongest, as well as their very strong operating performance, favorable business profile and very strong enterprise risk management (ERM) of the consolidated operations. The P/C companies continue to record very strong operating performance across extended time periods and multiple underwriting cycles. This captures consistent performance in underwriting results and investment returns that continues to exceed industry levels by a significant margin. Proactive management of capital levels includes retaining earnings to provide balance sheet capacity for the risk profile and appetite. The ratings recognize the group's position as a considerably well-diversified specialty market leader that encompasses product, jurisdiction and distribution. The ratings also consider the operational, financial and ERM support provided by Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., which is the lead insurance operating company in the Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc. organization. These factors include day-to-day operational synergies across its U.S.-based subsidiaries, reinsurance support and economic capital modeling that is superior to peer companies. The ratings of HCC Life reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorizes as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and very strong ERM. The ratings also reflect the rating enhancement it receives from its affiliation with the Houston Casualty Group. HCC Life continues to maintain the strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalzation, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), despite a decline in capital and surplus due to the recent acquisition of American International Group, Inc.'s medical stop-loss (MSL) operations. While profitability ratios have declined over the past few years due to declining investment yields and a modest increase in its loss ratio, HCC Life's disciplined underwriting approach and ongoing expense management has resulted in favorable earnings over the most recent five-year period. In addition, the aforementioned acquisition adds scale to HCC Life's operations and has resulted in increased profitability through the first three quarters of 2018, as the acquisition is accretive to earnings. HCC Life has contributed an increasing portion of Houston Casualty Group's overall premium and earnings in recent periods and has strengthened its leadership position in the MSL insurance marketplace with the aforementioned acquisition. Partially offsetting these positive rating factors is HCC Life's significant concentration in the MSL line of business. AM Best notes that the company has recently exited from the short-term medical insurance line of business leaving it with only a modest amount of premiums and operating earnings outside of its MSL business



The FSR of A++ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICRs of "aa+" have been affirmed for the following members of the Houston Casualty Group: Houston Casualty Company

Avemco Insurance Company

U.S. Specialty Insurance Company

HCC Reinsurance Company Limited

HCC Specialty Insurance Company

American Contractors Indemnity Company

United States Surety Company

Producers Agriculture Insurance Company

Producers Lloyds Insurance Company This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Understanding Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper media use of Best's Credit Ratings and AM Best press releases, please view Guide for Media - Proper Use of Best's Credit Ratings and AM Best Rating Action Press Releases.

AM Best is a global rating agency and information provider with a unique focus on the insurance industry. Visit www.ambest.com for more information. Copyright  2018 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181221005323/en/

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[December 21, 2018] H.I.G. Portfolio Company Maillis Group Sells Wulftec to Duravant

The Maillis Group ("Maillis"), a portfolio company of H.I.G. Capital LLC ("H.I.G."), and the world's second largest manufacturer of end-of-line packaging equipment, has sold Wulftec International, Inc. ("Wulftec") to Duravant, a global engineered equipment and automation solutions provider to the food processing, packaging and material handling sectors. Wulftec is the market-leading provider of end-of-line packaging automation solutions in North America. Wulftec leverages decades of engineering expertise and manufacturing know-how to deliver highly customized and scalable solutions that address the most complex end-of-line packaging challenges across a diversified customer base. Founded in 1990, Wulftec is located in Ayer's Cliff, Quebec. Wolfgang Biedermann, Managing Director of H.I.G. Europe, commented: "Wulftec is the leader in the end-of-line packaging automation market with a truly compelling value proposition. The capability to deliver highly value-added solutions, and to provide around-the-clock customer service with a best in class technical support team are unmatched in the industry. Since our acquisition of Maillis, we have significantly invested into Wulftec's expansion and management has done an outstanding job to drive the company's strong growth trajectory." About Maillis Established in 1968, Maillis is the world's second largest manufacturer of end-of-line packaging equipment and offers its customers "one-stop solutions". In addition to supplying consumables such as strapping and film products, Maillis produces innovative packaging machines under well-known brand names and offers its customers international after-sales services. Maillis is an international company with seven production sites located in Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Canada and the United States, with approximately 1,300 employees. With more than 15,000 customers and a broad product portfolio, Maillis generates more than 260 million in revenues. The copany's customer base extends to the food and beverage, aluminum, steel, construction, timber and bailing industries and it is the exclusive or preferred supplier to major industrial and consumer products multinationals such as US Steel, Nestle, Coca Cola, P&G, Henkel, Pepsi, Mars, Lafarge, Alcoa, ArcelorMittal, Corus, Wall-mart and others. www.maillis.com.



About Duravant Headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, Duravant is a global engineered equipment company with manufacturing, sales and service facilities throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Through their portfolio of operating companies, Duravant delivers trusted end-to-end process solutions for customers and partners through engineering and integration expertise, project management and operational excellence. With worldwide sales distribution and service networks, they provide immediate and lifetime aftermarket support to all the markets they serve in the food processing, packaging and material handling sectors. Duravant's market-leading brands are synonymous with innovation, durability and reliability. Duravant is a portfolio company of Warburg Pincus. www.duravant.com

About H.I.G. Capital H.I.G. is a leading global private equity and alternative assets investment firm with over 26 billion of equity capital under management.* Based in Miami, and with offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta in the U.S., as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogota, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to small and mid-sized companies, utilizing a flexible and operationally focused/value-added approach: 1. H.I.G.'s equity funds invest in management buyouts, recapitalizations and corporate carve-outs of both profitable as well as underperforming manufacturing and service businesses. 2. H.I.G.'s debt funds invest in senior, unitranche and junior debt financing to companies across the size spectrum, both on a primary (direct origination) basis, as well as in the secondary markets. H.I.G. is also a leading CLO manager, through its WhiteHorse family of vehicles, and manages a publicly traded BDC, WhiteHorse Finance. 3. H.I.G.'s real estate funds invest in value-added properties, which can benefit from improved asset management practices. Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 300 companies worldwide. The firm's current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of 28 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at www.higcapital.com. * Based on total capital commitments managed by H.I.G. Capital and affiliates. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181221005342/en/

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[December 21, 2018] Menz Bonner Komar & Koenigsberg Secures $330 Million Whistleblower Settlement in Sprint Tax Fraud Case

Menz Bonner Komar & Koenigsberg LLP has secured a settlement in a first-of-its-kind tax fraud whistleblower case against Sprint (News - Alert) Communications, Inc. New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood announced the $330 million settlement today. The $330 million recovery is not only the largest by the Attorney General resulting from an action filed under the New York False Claims Act, but it is the largest recovery ever by a single state in an action brought under a state false claims act. Menz Bonner Komar & Koenigsberg's client, Empire State Ventures, LLC, will receive a $62.7 million relator share from the settlement. The firm represents the whistleblower who brought forward the allegations against Sprint in 2011. The Attorney General's office joined the case in 2012 when it filed a superseding complaint alleging Sprint deliberately under-collected and under-paid millions of dollars in New York state and local sales taxes on flat-rate wireless calling plans starting in 2005. The Attorney General's lawsuit was the Office's first ever tax enforcement action filed under the New York False Claims Act, which was amended to cover tax claims in 2010. David Koenigsberg, who leads the False Claims Act practice at Menz Bonner Komar & Koenigsberg, said, "This case is a powerful illustration of how the False Claims Act enables individuals to step forward and expose significant raud and how whistleblower law is particularly effective in helping the state catch tax offenders. We thank the New York Attorney General's Office for doing an exceptional job working with us and our client to bring this case to a successful conclusion."



With this settlement, David Koenigsberg has now used Federal and State False Claims Acts to recover more than $1 billion for federal, state and local governments in cases involving taxes, Medicare, Medicaid, defense contracts, government funded research, banking, education programs, and government contracting. Prior to entering private practice, Koenigsberg was the Chief of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, where he represented the United States in False Claims Act cases. The Attorney General's complaint had alleged that Sprint was trying "to obtain an advantage over its competitor wireless customers, not by cutting its prices or offering better service, but by failing to collect and pay sales taxes, thereby reducing the cost of its products to its customers." Sprint defended against the state's action through a series of appeals up to the U.S. Supreme Court. But in 2016, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case. Today's press release from the New York Attorney General is here.

Menz Bonner Komar & Koenigsberg LLP provides high-quality litigation services in New York and New Jersey. Its lawyers have decades of experience counseling clients and litigating disputes in a wide variety of business sectors and practice areas, including whistleblower cases, employment, insurance coverage, personal injury, product liability, contract, mass tort, and other business-related litigation. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181221005355/en/

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[December 21, 2018] CIO Summit: Another Record-Breaking Year for HMG Strategy Demonstrates the Exceptional Value of its Distinctive Peer-to-Peer Executive Community

WESTPORT, Conn., Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- HMG Strategy posted its second straight record-breaking year of superior performance, unparalleled content and global attendance from more than 70 HMG Executive Leadership Summits, advisory dinners, webinars and special events. "Our roster of world-class speakers, combined with our global presence and growing prestige as premier aggregator of original thought leadership content, creates a unique value proposition for our community of senior technology executives," says Hunter Muller, Founder, President and CEO of HMG Strategy, a recognized leader in executive thought leadership, independent research and executive career acceleration. "We attract top executives and respected leaders from the world's pre-eminent organizations, providing opportunities for acquiring knowledge, peer-to-peer networking, personal growth and career ascent that are simply unmatched by our competitors." This year's schedule included 30-plus summits in major technology markets, including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Boston, Menlo Park, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, San Diego, Charlotte, Detroit, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Greenwich, St. Louis, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Toronto, and London. Next year's schedule will include live events in those cities, plus an expanded schedule of webinars and exclusive in-person meetings for select groups of senior executive leaders. Additionally, 2018 marked the release of Hunter Muller's fifth business book, The CEO of Technology: Lead, Reimagine, and Reinvent to Drive Growth and Create Value in Unprecedented Times, published by Wiley, the world's leading publisher of business, science and technology books. Muller is currently writing his sixth book, "Future State 202: An Executive Leadership Manifesto on Technologies and Companies Reshaping the Enterprise Through Continuous Innovation and Relentless Self-Disruption, which will be published by Wiley in 2019.



HMG Strategy's success is centered upon its Six Pillars of Trust: HMG Strategy's distinctive Thought Leadership Research Agenda and Digital Research Platform provide tech executives with unparalleled peer-to-peer insights.

provide tech executives with unparalleled peer-to-peer insights. HMG Strategy's unique Media Model , providing 1 million weekly impressions, delivers fresh perspectives on the top business, leadership and customer trends.

, providing 1 million weekly impressions, delivers fresh perspectives on the top business, leadership and customer trends. Research Advisory Services Embrace the 'No Analyst' Model , delivering peer-driven, forward-looking insights to Fortune 2000 tech executives.

, delivering peer-driven, forward-looking insights to Fortune 2000 tech executives. Executive Leadership Summit Series which provides unparalleled networking between top-tier technology executives and search executives.

which provides unparalleled networking between top-tier technology executives and search executives. Delivering a Career Accelerator that inspires technology executives to lead, recruit and retain top tech talent while powering their career trajectories.

that inspires technology executives to lead, recruit and retain top tech talent while powering their career trajectories. HMG Next Ventures Partners side-by-side with leading venture capitalists, connecting members of the HMG community with leading enterprise startups. "Our commitment to creating fresh, original and timely content on a continual basis offers unique advantages in a highly volatile and rapidly shifting economy," Muller says. "Our deep research capabilities translate into meaningful value for our core audience of technology executives, business partners, venture capitalists and search executives."

Key highlights of 2018 at a glance include: HMG Strategy's Executive Leadership Summits generated record attendance and record revenues in 2018. Individual attendance and revenue records were set at the Summit of America in New York , the Global Innovation Summit in Menlo Park , the Atlanta CIO Executive Leadership Summit, the Southern California CIO Executive Leadership Summit in Huntington Beach , the London CIO Executive Leadership Summit, and the Philadelphia CIO Executive Leadership Summit.

, the Global Innovation Summit in , the Atlanta CIO Executive Leadership Summit, the Southern California CIO Executive Leadership Summit in , the London CIO Executive Leadership Summit, and the Philadelphia CIO Executive Leadership Summit. Membership for the CIO and CISO Executive Leadership Alliance (CELA) more than doubled in 2018. New brands now participating in HMG Strategy's distinctive peer-to-peer advisory service now include Bloomin' Brands, Deloitte, Equinix, Hargreaves Lansdown, IBM, Juul Labs , MACOM, Micron Technology, Novant Health, and Perrigo.

, MACOM, Micron Technology, Novant Health, and Perrigo. Revenue generated through HMG Strategy's award-winning Digital Platform, including co-branded white papers, webinars, blog posts, case studies and other content, more than doubled in 2018. New sponsors that contributed to this growth include Darktrace, HCL Technologies, Magenic, Onapsis, SAP, SecurityScorecard, and Windsor Group. "Our 2018 summit theme  'Lead, Reimagine, Reinvent  Building a Customer-Centric Organization in Highly Disruptive Times' dovetails nicely with our 2019 summit theme  'Future State 2025  Driving the Digital Roadmap to a Customer-Centric Enterprise', says Muller. "Forward-thinking technology executives must be focused on working closely with the CEO and the Board of Directors to envision and execute on developing the future state for the business in order to deliver on customer and shareholder expectations." "The scale and scope of our research offerings have increased dramatically and substantially," Muller says. "The range and value of opportunities we create for our audience is breathtaking. We are genuinely grateful and deeply proud of our achievements in 2018, and we look forward to even great success in 2019."

About HMG Strategy HMG Strategy is the world's largest independent and most trusted provider of executive networking events and thought leadership to support the 360-degree needs of technology leaders. Our regional CIO and CISO Executive Leadership Series, newsletters, authored books, and digital Resource Center deliver proprietary research on leadership, innovation, transformation, and career ascent. The HMG Strategy global network consists of over 300,000 senior IT executives, industry experts and world-class thought leaders. To learn more about the 6 Pillars of Trust to HMG Strategy's unique business model, click here. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cio-summit-another-record-breaking-year-for-hmg-strategy-demonstrates-the-exceptional-value-of-its-distinctive-peer-to-peer-executive-community-300770194.html SOURCE HMG Strategy

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[December 21, 2018] Zoot Named Winner of Best Technology Provider at Collections & Customer Services Awards 2018

LEEDS, United Kingdom and FRANKFURT, Germany and ST. GALLEN, Switzerland and BOZEMAN, Mont., Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Zoot announced that it has been named the winner of Best Technology Provider for Credit Risk and Fraud Prevention at Collections & Customer Services Awards 2018 (CCS). CCS awards celebrate outstanding achievements within collections and customer service and are highly regarded within the industry. Zoot's award-winning solution transformed a 100% manual process to a highly automated process supported by a robust decisioning engine and sophisticated case management capabilities. The tailored solution ensures a fast and consistent application process by maximizing the auto-acceptance rate while at the same time managing sophisticated risk and anti-fraud checks for profitability. In addition, business users have direct control over the system and are able to make adjustments where they see fit using a patented real-time change tool to ensure the fastest time-to-market. Zoot's award-winning platform ensures that best risk and fraud management practices are employed and significantly improves overall working efficieny, reduces operational costs and minimizes the need for IT involvement. The solution also adds transparency to the entire application process to ensure robust auditing requirements are met.



"This solution makes real-time risk assessment possible by automating complex decisioning paths and data provider calls to enable a fully transparent and controlled application process." Adam Jackson, Zoot's Managing Director, said: "The fact that our client now has real-time control over their decisions at the point of application is a game changer and the reaction times they now have is unparalleled in this industry." Erik Schmidt, Zoot European CEO, added: "We are honored to be recognized as an industry leader. Having industry experts acknowledge the successes we have achieved for our clients is truly gratifying."

About Zoot For over 28 years, Zoot Enterprises has been a global provider of advanced origination, acquisition, and decision management solutions. Its customer-centric tools and services enable Zoot's clients to add value and differentiation, while providing nimble, scalable solutions to specific business objectives. A leader in the fintech industry, Zoot's cloud based secure processing environment delivers millisecond real time decisions accessing hundreds of cutting edge data sources to help reduce risk and increase conversions. The company's international client base includes major financial institutions, retailers and payment providers. Zoot  From Data to Decision. For more information, please visit www.zootsolutions.eu

In the UK call +44 113 2468693.

In Germany call +49 69 405667715. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zoot-named-winner-of-best-technology-provider-at-collections--customer-services-awards-2018-300770260.html SOURCE Zoot Enterprises

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[December 21, 2018] Greater competition leads to reduced mobile wireless plan prices for Canadians

Annual report reveals price drop for now offered cell phone plans OTTAWA, Dec. 21, 2018 /CNW/ - Canada has some of the world's most advanced and efficient telecom networks. The Government of Canada is working hard to make sure that all Canadians can benefit from quality telecom services at a better price. Today, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada released the 2018 Price Comparison Study of Telecommunications Services in Canada and Select Foreign Jurisdictions. The study shows that competition is gradually driving price decreases in mobile wireless. For broadband Internet services offered to Canadians, pricing changes were mixed, with some categories seeing a slight decrease and others a slight increase. While progress is being made, prices in Canada remain expensive compared to other nations. That is why the Government of Canada continues to monitor market dynamics and promotes more competition so that Canadians can have high-quality services at affordable prices. Quote "We're working hard to bring down the cost of cell phone plans. And while we're making progress, our government remains focused on promoting greater competitio in the telecom sector to drive down prices for Canadians, while making sure they can also benefit from the latest technology and high-quality services."





Quick facts

New low-cost plans are expected to enter the market and will create more choice for Canadians.

Areas with strong competition offer mobile wireless prices that are reduced by as much as 32% compared to the national average.

Earlier this year, the Government of Canada partnered with Canada's largest telecom corporations to launch the Connecting Families initiative to provide affordable Internet access to low-income families.

partnered with largest telecom corporations to launch the Connecting Families initiative to provide affordable Internet access to low-income families. The Government of Canada also set aside spectrum for regional providers. Auctioning spectrum licences in the 600 MHz band will encourage competition, support new and emerging technologies, and enable Canadians to benefit from high-quality services at a better price. Related product 2018 Price Comparison Study of Telecommunications Services in Canada and Select Foreign Jurisdictions Associated links Government of Canada improves telecommunications services for Canadians

improves telecommunications services for Canadians Connecting Families

Increasing competition to promote affordability of cell phone services Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Twitter: @ISED_CA

SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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[December 21, 2018] Wells Fargo Awards Half a Million Dollars for New Solar Energy Project and Open Space in Northeast Valley

The Wells Fargo (News - Alert) Foundation today announced a $500,000 grant to a broad-based coalition tasked with attracting clean energy investments that will stimulate the local workforce, combat air quality issues, and beautify the Northeast Valley neighborhoods of Sun Valley and Pacoima. The grant will support the group's bold goals of creating 150 new local jobs and generating at least $5 million in new private investment through the installation of five megawatts of rooftop solar. In addition to rooftop solar, the grant will expand the amount of open public space available to residents of the Northeast Valley. Grant recipients include the Los Angeles Business Council Institute (LABCi) as the team lead, Pacoima Beautiful, GRID Alternatives, The Trust for Public Land, and Los Angeles Conservation Corps. "In supporting these organizations we are furthering our commitment to the Northeast Valley and promoting a healthier future for these communities," said Robin Choi, San Fernando Valley region bank president for Wells Fargo. "This grant will also provide economic advancement opportunities for local area residents." Sun Valley and Pacoima have higher unemployment rates and lower than average incomes than the City of Los Angeles. Negative health outcomes from pollution exposure, such as acute respiratory and circulatory illness, are exacerbated in the Northeast Valley, with the area scoring in the bottom 25 percent of clean air in the state, and a childhood asthma prevalence 20 percent higher than the state average. "Even though the need is great in Sun Valley and Pacoima, they have essentially been left out of the clean energy economy that's booming in cities throughout California," said Los Angeles Business Council Institute (LABCi) president Mary Leslie. "This grant is an important first step toward improving quality of life and public health while also creating quality, good-paying jobs in an area where they are needed most." Los Angeles currently has the most installed solar power of any city, fueled by successful solar programs driving private sector investment, such as the Feed-in Tariff (FiT). The iT program allows businesses and property owners to sell energy gathered from rooftop solar installations directly to Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The program allows building owners to earn credit for energy produced, while driving investment, increasing property values, and creating strong career opportunities. The FiT is now the largest urban rooftop solar program in the United States employing local labor. The LABC aims to replicate the success of the Los Angeles rooftop solar energy program in the Northeast Valley to help attract new investments.



"The communities of Pacoima and Sun Valley are hungry for this kind of investment," said Veronica Padilla, Executive Director of Pacoima Beautiful, a grassroots environmental justice organization serving the San Fernando Valley. "Residents are excited by the changes they are starting to see in their community like cleaner streets, more green spaces, and cleaner air." Wells Fargo's $500,000 grant is indicative of the bank's larger commitment to invest in projects that accelerate a transition to a "greener" economy. More information about Wells Fargo's environmental grant programs can be found on its website.

About Wells Fargo Foundation Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through 8,200 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 42 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 25 on Fortune's 2017 rankings of America's largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories. About the Los Angeles Business Council Institute The LABC Institute is a forward-thinking research and education organization dedicated to strengthening the sustainable economy of California. Founded in 2010, the Institute provides a bridge between the business, government, environmental, labor and nonprofit communities of Southern California to develop policies and programs that promote investment, jobs and business development. The Institute is the research and education arm of the Los Angeles Business Council, one of the most respected business advocacy organizations in the region. Founded in 1936, the LABC is known as an innovator and catalyst for policy development on a wide range of issues, including education, housing, green building, energy efficiency, transportation and solar development. For more information, please visit www.labcinstitute.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181221005501/en/

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[December 21, 2018] NorthWestern Incorporates EEI Environmental, Social, Governance, and Sustainability Template into Sustainability Reporting

BUTTE, Mont. and SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- NorthWestern Corporation d/b/a NorthWestern Energy (NYSE: NWE). To better serve its customers and investors, NorthWestern has incorporated the Edison Electric Institute's (EEI's) environmental, social, governance, and sustainability-related (ESG/sustainability) reporting template into its annual reporting. This is part of an ongoing EEI-led initiative to help provide the financial sector with more uniform and consistent ESG/sustainability data and information. The EEI ESG template is the first and only industry-focused and investor-driven ESG reporting framework. NorthWestern already publishes Environmental Stewardship: Our Commitment in Action, which is available at http://www.northwesternenergy.com/docs/default-source/documents/environment/nwe_enviroreport_2017_web.pdf. "We have assembled a diverse set of generation assets over the last decade that is nearly 60% carbon-free company-wide, and in Montana is built around the run-of-the-river hydro system," said NorthWestern President and CEO, Bob Rowe. "This, along with a corporate governance program focused on best practices and industry-leading gender diversity among both te board and executive team, are subjects that are important to communicate to the investment community through our reporting program."



In order to develop industry-focused and investor-driven ESG/sustainability reporting practices, NorthWestern joined an EEI working group comprised of financial industry specialists in asset management, ESG/sustainability, investment analysts and electric company officials from various disciplines. "The electric power industry is leading the way to a clean energy future, having reduced carbon dioxide emissions nearly 27 percent below 2005 levels as of the end of 2017," said EEI President Tom Kuhn. "EEI's ESG/sustainability template will enable NorthWestern to present its ESG and sustainability-related efforts in an accurate, timely, and concise manner that is favored by investors."

Over the past two years, NorthWestern and EEI-led stakeholder working groups developed the template, which encourages voluntary reporting of data specific to each company's portfolio, emissions, capital expenditures, and resources. NorthWestern's template containing its 2008 baseline data and 2015-2017 comparison data can be found at www.northwesternenergy.com/environment/our-environment. More information is available on EEI's website at http://www.eei.org/issuesandpolicy/finance/Pages/ESG-Sustainability.aspx. About NorthWestern Energy (NYSE: NWE)

NorthWestern Corporation, doing business as NorthWestern Energy, provides electricity and / or natural gas to approximately 718,300 customers in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. More information on NorthWestern Energy is available on the company's Web site at www.northwesternenergy.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/northwestern-incorporates-eei-environmental-social-governance-and-sustainability-template-into-sustainability-reporting-300770286.html SOURCE NorthWestern Corporation

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[December 21, 2018] BayCare Hospitals Go Mobile with Wayfinding

CLEARWATER, Fla., Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Smart phones can be used to order groceries, map out a trip, connect with old friends and much more. Now, patients and visitors to BayCare hospitals can use their smart phones to find the destination within the hospital. BayCare has completed the launch of BayCare Compass, an indoor mobile wayfinding app that provides "turn by turn" directions to publicly available locations. "Our patients and visitors have told us they want better ways to navigate through our hospitals. BayCare Compass gives them the ability to find their way in our hospitals right in the palm of their hand," said Tim Thompson, senior vice president, information services and chief information officer, BayCare. Using a smart phone or tablet and available for free download on the Apple App store or Google Play, BayCare Compass features: Detailed maps of publicly available hospital floors

Directory of publicly available departments and clinics

Real-time location

Points of interest around the hospital

Driving and parking directions "With BayCare Compass we can engage patients and visitors before they ever leave home," said Thompson. The app offers a parking planner and can provide the option to save the car's location. Upon arrival at a BayCare hospital campus, the app automatically populates with that specific location. A Spanish-languge version is expected to be available in early 2019.



All hospital guest services staff are trained on BayCare Compass to assist patients or visitors and a desktop application gives users the opportunity to print out directions before leaving home. BayCare Compass is powered by Connexient, whose MediNavTM solution has been deployed at major health systems across the country to provide indoor mapping, navigation and location-based services.

BayCare Compass is just one of a series of technology-based solutions BayCare is using to enhance care and improve access. The solutions include: HealthNav , a free mobile app that can help guide people with non-urgent conditions to convenient, quality medical services.

, a free mobile app that can help guide people with non-urgent conditions to convenient, quality medical services. eCare , an electronic patient monitoring system that uses remote computer monitoring technology to enhance the care of critically ill patients in the hospital intensive care unit (ICU.)

, an electronic patient monitoring system that uses remote computer monitoring technology to enhance the care of critically ill patients in the hospital intensive care unit (ICU.) BayCare Anywhere, a 24/7 non-emergency telemedicine service offering virtual doctor visits through secure, interactive video and audio communications on a smart phone, tablet or computer.

Telemonitoring of patients in nursing homes or rehabilitation facilities.

Tablet-based, video-enhanced care for BayCare HomeCare patients in their homes. BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 15 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and west central Florida regions. Inpatient and outpatient services include acute care, primary care, imaging, laboratory, behavioral health, home care, and wellness. Our mission is to improve the health of all we serve through community-owned health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information, visit www.BayCare.org. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/baycare-hospitals-go-mobile-with-wayfinding-300770288.html SOURCE BayCare

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[December 21, 2018] IMPORTANT INVESTOR ALERT: The Schall Law Firm Announces the Filing of a Class Action Lawsuit Against The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and Encourages Investors with Losses in Excess of $100,000 to Contact the Firm

The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit against The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ("Goldman Sachs" or "the Company") (NYSE: GS) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors who purchased the Company's shares between February 28, 2014 and December 17, 2018, inclusive (the "Class Period"), are encouraged to contact the firm before February 19, 2019. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.



We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall, or Sherin Mahdavian, of the Schall Law Firm, 1880 Century Park East, Suite 404, Los Angeles, CA (News - Alert) 90067, at 424-303-1964, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at [email protected]. The class, in this case, has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.

According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. Goldman Sachs conspired with 1Malaysia Development Bhd., an investment fund owned by the government of Malaysia, to commit money laundering and fraud. These schemes would expose Goldman Sachs to legal and regulatory scrutiny, a fact the company could have reasonably foreseen. Based on these facts, the Company's public statements were false and materially misleading throughout the class period. When the market learned the truth about Goldman Sachs, investors suffered damages. Join the case to recover your losses. The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181221005526/en/

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[December 21, 2018] Natixis Acts as Joint Lead Arranger and Bookrunner for US$775 Million Ascenty Acquisition Financing in Brazil

NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Natixis announced today it acted as Joint Lead Arranger and Bookrunner for the US$775 million financing of a portion of the acquisition of a majority stake in Ascenty LLC by Digital Realty. Ascenty is one of Latin America's largest data center providers with 14 data centers in operation and / or under construction. This transaction is expected to be one of the world's largest data center acquisitions in 2018, and to establish Digital Realty as the leading data center provider in Latin America. Digital Realty is a leading US-based public data center REIT, and one of the largest data center operators globally. The transaction is valued at approximately US$1.8 billion and funded by a combination of equity and US$775 million in senior secured facilities. "In 2018, Natixis financed two of Latin America's largest communications infrastructure transactions, validating our client-centric approach and our ability to provide creative financing solutions to a rapidly evolving sector. We look forward to growing our Telecom presence in Latin America," said Santhosh Rao, Head of Telecoms, Americas. The financing provided for Ascenty marks Natixis' fifteenth infrastructure debt transaction in Latin America over the past two years, including transactions in Mexico, Chile, Peru and Brazil. "The Ascenty acquisition financing furthers Natixis' track record of delivering innovative, high-quality financing solutions to the Latin American market. Our infrastructure approach was effective in maximizing bank market appetite for the transaction despite a volatile financing market and the Brazilian general elections in October," said Aitor Alava, Managing Director, Head of Infrastructure Finance, Latin America. Latin America is a key region in Natixis' international expansion strategy, supporting clients in their global growth. Natixis has been activ in Brazil for over 40 years. In the last three years, Natixis has structured and arranged more than 25 transactions in Latin America, having received the Latin American Mandated Lead Arranger of the Year award for 2017 from Power Finance and Risk, 2018 Best Infrastructure Bank: Mexico from LatinFinance and Project Finance International 2018 Bank of the Year Americas.



About Natixis

Natixis is the international corporate and investment banking, asset management, insurance and financial services arm of Groupe BPCE, the 2nd-largest banking group in France with 31 million clients spread over two retail banking networks, Banque Populaire and Caisse d'Epargne. With more than 21,000 employees, Natixis has a number of areas of expertise that are organized into four main business lines: Asset & Wealth Management, Corporate & Investment Banking, Insurance and Specialized Financial Services.

A global player, Natixis has its own client base of companies, financial institutions and institutional investors as well as the client base of individuals, professionals and small and medium-size businesses of Groupe BPCE's banking networks. Listed on the Paris stock exchange, it has a solid financial base with a CET1 capital under Basel 3(1) of 12 billion, a Basel 3 CET1 Ratio (1) of 10.9 % and quality long-term ratings (Standard & Poor's: A+ / Moody's: A1 / Fitch Ratings: A+). (1)Based on CRR-CRD4 rules as reported on June 26, 2013, including the Danish compromise - without phase-in .

Figures as at September 30, 2018 About Digital Realty

Digital Realty supports the data center, colocation and interconnection strategies of more than 2,300 firms across its secure, network-rich portfolio of data centers located throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Digital Realty's clients include domestic and international companies of all sizes, ranging from cloud and information technology services, communications and social networking to financial services, manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and consumer products. https://www.digitalrealty.com/ Press contact

Sean Silva, Prosek Partners

646 818 9122 | [email protected] www.natixis.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/natixis

https://twitter.com/natixis

https://www.youtube.com/user/Natixisvideos View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/natixis-acts-as-joint-lead-arranger-and-bookrunner-for-us775-million-ascenty-acquisition-financing-in-brazil-300770311.html SOURCE Natixis

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[December 21, 2018] Gateway Mortgage Group Adds to Executive Team

Gateway (News - Alert) Mortgage Group, a full-service mortgage company licensed in 40 states and the District of Columbia, announced Jennifer Smith as Senior Vice President of Enterprise Initiative Planning and Execution. She will oversee enterprise program processes and execution in this new role. "Jennifer has a tremendous amount of experience in enterprise initiative planning and change management," said Stephen Curry, CEO of Gateway. "She will plan, design, direct and implement key projects and lead our process optimization efforts to help Gateway achieve our future goals and objectives. Jennifer will be a great asset to our executive team." Before joining Gateway, Jennifer was Head of Change Management at Santander Consumer USA. She had a diverse career with Bank of America spanning more than 22 years in various roles and divisions, including merger/acquisition execution, operations oversight for the Office of the President, Information Technology transformation, and regulatory enforcement action oversight.Jennifer has an M.S. in Management and Administrative Sciences from the University of Texas at Dallas and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Arizona State University.



"I am excited to join the Gateway team," said Smith. "This is an amazing company with an amazing culture. I look forward to implementing new strategies and policies that will complement the current business model at Gateway." In the last ten years, Gateway Mortgage Group has been recognized twenty-three times as an industry leader including seven times by Inc. Magazine as one of the country's fastest-growing privately held companies and six times by Mortgage Executive Magazine as a "Top 100 Mortgage Company." Currently, the company is on track to originate over $6 billion in mortgage loans while the servicing portfolio will surpass $20 billion and 110,000 customers this year.

About Gateway Mortgage Group, LLC. Gateway is one of the largest privately held mortgage origination and servicing companies in the United States. Established in 2000 and headquartered in Jenks, Oklahoma, the company employs more than 1,200 team members in over 160 offices nationwide and currently services $17 billion in residential mortgages. For more information about Gateway, visit www.GatewayLoan.com. Gateway Mortgage Group, LLC (NMLS 7233). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181221005540/en/

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[December 21, 2018]

Raytheon wins $693 million production contract for Sweden's Patriot

TEWKSBURY, Mass., Dec. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) has won a $692.9 million U.S. Army contract to produce Sweden's Patriot Integrated Air and Missile Defense System including spare parts, support and training.

Previously announced by the Department of Defense, the contract calls for Raytheon to build and deliver an undisclosed quantity of Patriot fire units and GEM-T interceptor missiles.

"Sweden's Patriot procurement will provide joint training opportunities for the Swedishand U.S. armed forces, and enhance military interoperability," said Tom Laliberty, vice president of Integrated Air and Missile Defense at Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems business. "Patriot is continually modernized, providing Sweden the world's most advanced and capable air and missile defense system."







Patriot is the backbone of Europe's defense against advanced aircraft, drones, and ballistic and cruise missiles. Fifteen other nations depend on Patriot to protect their citizens and armed forces, including the U.S. and six other European nations: Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain, Romania and Poland.

Raytheon's Patriot is a missile defense system consisting of radars, command-and-control technology and multiple types of interceptors, all working together to detect, identify and defeat tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones, advanced aircraft and other threats.

About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2017 sales of $25 billion and 64,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 96 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. Follow us on Twitter.

Note to Editors

The 16 Patriot Nations are:

United States of America

The Netherlands

Germany

Japan

Israel

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Kuwait

Taiwan

Greece

Spain

Republic of Korea

United Arab Emirates

Qatar

Romania

Poland

Sweden

Media Contact

Michael Nachshen

+1.520.269.5697

[email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raytheon-wins-693-million-production-contract-for-swedens-patriot-300770438.html

SOURCE Raytheon Company
The last few months of 2018 brought in new developments that are making smartphones kind of exciting again. New form factors, AI power ups, amazing camera tricks 2019 will be a phone renaissance, even if Apple is left out of the party. Heres a look at what to expect in 2019.

Foldable phones

The new foldable form factor is perhaps the biggest trend to watch in 2019. Its going to be an invasion. Google is betting on it and every major Android phone manufacturer is pushing for it.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung will put out its Galaxy Fold at Mobile World Congress. Huawei is bringing out its own device that unfolds to 8 inches. Unknown brand Royole has one already. LG will allegedly bring a foldable at MWC. Chinese phone leader Oppo too. And Motorola is reportedly working on a flexible Razr.

Apple is reportedly working on a foldable too, but dont hold your breath for a foldable iPhone this year  or ever.

Punch-hole front cameras

In their quests to eliminate the notch, Samsung and Huawei seem to be betting the house on displays with laser-drilled holes that let selfie cameras see through.

(Image credit: Huawei)

Samsung has already released the A8S, featuring its Infinity-O display. And its next flagship, the S10 series, will have the same display albeit with a smaller hole. Meanwhile, Huawei has already introduced its Nova 4 phone.

Fingerprint in display

All of the new phones with sliding displays, punched-hole cameras, and dual-screens will come with a fingerprint ID built in the display. While the Vivo Nex S had such a mechanism, it didnt work reliably enough. This has changed completely in the OnePlus 6T, Oppo Find X, Nubia X, and the rest of the phones with touch ID inside their display. The new phones recognize your fingerprint fast and accurately.

Samsung is rumored to include a new ultra-sonic sensor that will be even faster and more secure, using sound rather than a photographic sensor to create a 3D map of your fingerprints.

Apparently, nobody got the memo from Apple that facial ID is allegedly more secure than fingerprint recognition. Perhaps because its an useless claim.

Sliding displays

Other manufacturers are betting on sliders to get a completely clean front display, absolutely free of annoying notches or slightly less annoying punch holes.

Theres Oppo  the biggest phone seller in China  with the mechanized Oppo Find X. The Honor Magic 2 is another slider, one that is manual, and so is the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, with its slide-and-click action that feels straight from a 1990s Nokia (and just as satisfyingly good).

Dual Screens

Yet another set of players are neither doing the punch hole nor the slider. Instead, they are adopting dual screens to avoid any potential mechanical problems while getting a totally clean front screen.

(Image credit: Nubia)

This was a trend started by the Nubia X, a $473 phone with a frontal 6.26-inch LCD IPS panel and a back 5.1 AMOLED display that allows you to take selfies using the main, higher quality cameras and flash. The other dual-screen phone manufacturer  which is owned by the same company that owns Oppo  is Vivo and its Nex 2 phone.

Large system RAM and extremely large storage

Another trend that started this year has been the insane RAM and storage specs that phone makers are cramming into their devices. Do we really need a phone with 12GB of RAM like the Lenovo Z5 Pro GT? I dont think so  unless you are planning as using the phone as a computer. Same with the Oppo Find X and its 10GB of RAM.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus is rumored to come with up to 12GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Most flagships introduced at the end of 2018 had 512GB options. Count on 1TB for all top phones in 2019.

Tri-, Quad-, and Penta-camera phones

The Huawei P20 Pro started the triple-camera party, using three sensors combined through artificial technology to obtain amazing quality photographs even in low light. And while Google is relying entirely on single-sensor cameras and AI while Apple is doing two cameras max, the general trend seems to be increasing the camera count to obtain better quality photos or just be able to capture scenes and people with different lenses, from telephoto to wide angle.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Last October Samsung announced the first quad-camera phone, the Galaxy A9. And its new S10 series will have up to three cameras in 2019. And so will most manufacturers, like Oppo. Huawei will up its game introducing four cameras with the P30 Pro.

But Nokia will beat them all reviving its Pureview brand to release the insane Nokia 9 with five camera sensors in the back.

More power for smarter AI

All these cameras will be driven by artificial intelligence processors, which will be the other big trend in 2019 as manufacturers include more and more AI processing power in their phones CPU.

Apple has led the way with its Bionic processors, with AI processing units that will only get magnitudes of order faster next year. Samsung has included NPUs in its latest Exynos processor, which will power the Galaxy S10 in many countries around the world. And of course theres the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, which reportedly beats Apples (by a small margin) and comes with upgraded NPU units all around. The new 855 will power the S10 in the US and the next generation of flagships around the world.

5G

And of course there is 5G. Everyone that matters but Apple is coming out with a 5G phone in 2019. The speeds are pretty insaneif you can get coverage  it will likely be more than a year before 5G is available all over the United States or Europe.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Regardless of the potential slow adoption of 5G, 2019 will be a pretty exciting for smartphones. Lots of players are trying lots of new things. Once the dust settles by December of next year, we will know who won the no-notch and flexible phones battle. No matter what the result of these new impending wars is, its good to see competition as companies try to get out of Apples gravity field.

Cover Image: Ryan Smalley
Source: Apple

Apple published its latest transparency report with a new twist. Instead of merely releasing the information as a boring old PDF, the company introduced an interactive website that makes looking up government data requests for a specific country and date range easier than before. The report, which covers from January to June 2018, also shows a nine percent increase in global data requests over the previous reporting period.

The new website defaults to an alphabetized list of countries through which you can horizontally scroll to find the one you're looking for. Each country is represented with a card that displays the number of each type of data request--Device, Financial Identifier, Account and Emergency--Apple received from its government. The cards also link to a more in-depth report that provides easy access to historical data from older reports.

This setup is much easier to navigate than a PDF, but for people seeking more information about how Apple responds to government data requests, the old-fashioned report is still available via the company's website. (You can also download a CSV file containing the pertinent information by clicking the "Report CSVs" link on the new site.) It's not hard to imagine more people actually reading the transparency report with this new setup.

But they might not like what they find. The nine percent increase cited above refers specifically to requests for device information, of which Apple received 32,342 requests affecting 163,823 devices. Other request types saw their own spikes: requests for account data jumped 25 percent to 4,177 requests affecting 40,641 accounts as well as a 30 percent increase in requests to preserve data while governments sought access to it.

Those are just the requests for which Apple can provide detailed information. Other requests, such as national security letters (NSLs) and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) orders, can only be vaguely discussed by the companies receiving them. They're limited to revealing a range of requests from a given time period, and with this report Apple moved from its previous 0-250 ranges to the industry standard 0-500 ranges.

This updated approach to publishing transparency reports is part of Apple's broader shifts regarding consumer privacy. The company also introduced new tools, first in Europe and then in the U.S., making it easier to find out exactly what information it's associated with your account. It's also included better security technologies with each new release--hardware or software--to help people feel more comfortable about their privacy.
Hickman Mills School mentor accused of sexual assault KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- A Kansas City mother says a man hired to mentor children in the Hickman Mills School district sexually assaulted her child. She plans to file a civil lawsuit. Details about that lawsuit will be announced at a press conference Friday afternoon at her attorney's law office.

The reality is that those in the know have talked about these charges and questionable behavior from this suspect for over a year and NOW there might be proof to back up so many accusations. Here's a report that's worthwhile and indicates more problems for this beleaguered and still unaccredited school district.Read more:








Diploma Mill Life Lesson

Local schools reach out to help former Vatterott students KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Following the surprise closure of Vatterott College this week, other schools around the metro are working to help get impacted students back on track. Vatterott closed its doors on Monday with no warning to students. Since then, institutes like the Associated Builders and Contractors training school have offered opportunities to them.

Golden Ghetto Wild Life

Old Town Olathe residents report unafraid coyote sniffing around Porch pirates are not the only unwanted prowlers looking for easy pickings at properties in Old Town Olathe. A lot of residents of the neighborhood have seen a coyote walking around. The animals are common in Kansas, but this one has been hanging around, and it does not seem to be afraid to approach front doors in a search for food.

EPIC KCI Crowds Surge

Travelers push through KCI in the holiday rush KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- KCI is packed to the brim with holiday travelers. The holiday rush has begun as families are making their way to their loved ones. Friday, the U.S. airline industry enters its heaviest travel period of the year with 45.7 million passengers are expected to take their travel to the skies.

Making Merry With McTavish

6 Wild Things To Do With The Family In Kansas City This Weekend We are taught to control ourselves. To harness primal urges. To keep it together. Well, not this weekend, gang. Without intending to undermine the familial fabric of society (much), here are some alternative wild things to explore with the kin and kin-friendly this weekend, including wild beasts, wild dreams and wild warfare with would-be hand weapons.

Kansas City Talks 2nd Chances

Royals general manager Dayton Moore visits Kansas inmates ELLSWORTH, KS (AP) -- Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore has been making holiday visits to Kansas inmates. The Kansas City Star reports that Moore stopped Wednesday at the Ellsworth Correctional Facility. Moore talked about his Christian faith, his family and took questions from an audience of about 200 for more than an hour.

Best Kansas City Questions

Flatland Favorites: curiousKC Edition A mapmaker and a mystery. Also, apparently I am fascinated by transportation. I will be wearing my paper conductor hat from Fritz's for the rest of this paragraph. Flatland got to uncover and explore why the north-south streets in Missouri run at a slightly different angle than the streets in Kansas.

Shopping Hot Mess Forecast

No weather issues in KC this weekend While many hit the road or head to the airport for travel this weekend, the weather in Kansas City looks just fine. Friday's forecast calls for sun and a high o...

Quick peek at the pr0n-y pop culture discourse amid the holidays:Closer to home these news links top our local concerns:is the song of the day this is thefor right now . . .
KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) -- The Kansas City, KS Fire Department is battling an active fire at the Nearman Power Plant. The power plant is located at 4240 N. 55th St. There's no immediate word about the cause of the fire. This is a developing story. Stay tuned to KCTV5 News for more.
Gov. Mike Parson picks three white men for statewide office | The Kansas City Star In an era when diversity is essential, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has selected three white men for vacancies in statewide offices. While the men are well qualified, the governor needs to extend his reach.

The old school cowtown newspaper argues for for politics by way of quotas and manages to insult everybody with this racially motivate and antiquated view of diversity. Checkit:
In Touch: Farrah Abraham Looks Provocative In Pink In Raunchy New Christmas Photoshoot

TKC Reader Reminder: Guy Who Sang 'Christmas In Kansas City' Killed Himself

Christmas Music Madness: Help pick Kansas City's ultimate holiday song With the holiday season here, a lingering question always emerges: What is the greatest Christmas song of all time? To get the answer to this burning question, KMBC 9 turned to its resident music aficionado, chief meteorologist Bryan Busby.

Newspaper Nagging

Top your new year by being kind to Mom | The Kansas City Star It may be a small pet peeve to you, but to columnist Susan Vollenweider, it's a big deal.

Heartland Cash Crunch Report

Reports show schools, governments lax on requesting unclaimed money A KMBC 9 News investigation has uncovered hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars going unclaimed by school districts, local and state governments in both Kansas and Missouri.

2019 KCPD Tribute

Many Kansas City police officers to wear commemorative badges in 2019 KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- Many Kansas City police officers will be wearing new badges in the new year. Members of the Kansas City Police Historical Society designed the temporary commemorative badges to mark the 145th anniversary of the police department. Officer were given the option to purchase the badges to wear from Jan.

Average Cowtown Appraisal

Seg. 1: Economist Says Kansas City's Size Is Just Right. Seg. 2: Listeners' Favorite Holiday Lights. Kansas City, Missouri, isn't as big or as dense as New York or Los Angeles, which may be a good thing, according to economist Jordan Rappaport. Having the amenities of a major city without some of the difficulties (long commutes, expensive real estate) makes metropolises like Kansas City a great location for businesses and residents.

Old School Foodie Reprise

The new Golden Ox has gracefully revived its predecessor's midcentury traditions - and then some Zach Bauman After so many meals spent in industrial-chic dining rooms where waiters in butcher's aprons deliver $18 small plates of tarragon-infused chicken gizzards - well, let's just say that certain "new American" tropes have started to feel a little old. The Golden Ox, a recently resurrected steakhouse in the West Bottoms, offers a welcome balm for weary palates.

Classic Kansas City Real Estate

New site focuses on Porter Farm area around 27th and Troost While luxury homes, redeveloped commercial buildings, and new families are moving into Kansas City's central core, the rich history of the Porter Farm District is in danger of being overlooked, demolished and ever lost to history. I've teamed up with William Session, a Kansas City resident who grew up in the area, on the new Porter Farm District Preservation Project.

On the topic of #TBT celebs and newsworthy pop culture . . .Closer to home, these news links power our tonight . . .And this is thefor right now . . .
Just a bit more proof that our blog community continues to impact policy thanks toand very cranky tax weary readers.We talked about. . . And then. Now MSM catches up to our local community-based journalism:
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TRENTON  A shutdown of routine government business was avoided at the council meeting despite two council members digging in the heels in an attempt to crack down on what they felt was the administrations over-reliance on emergency contracts.

Council members Robin Vaughn and Santiago Rodriguez voted together in opposition of what they felt was Team Mayor Reed Guscioras attempts to usurp the normal open and fair bidding tied to the statewide procurement process.

They voted no to approving payment of a handful of emergency contracts and unsuccessfully tried earlier in Thursdays meeting to get the contracts yanked from the docket.

Council members looked on in strange wonderment as Vaughn waxed accountability while they tried to impart on her how such an obstructionist move bordered on sabotage.

The city must run efficiently and effectively, many council members lectured, and sometimes theres a need to award emergency contracts rather than going through the normal bidding process that could take months.

We cannot possibly bid on these emergency jobs, North Ward councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson said.

Theres no grand conspiracy. Theres no payoff, at-large councilman Jerell Blakeley said, hinting at Vaughns pay-to-play concerns as he questioned assistant Public Works director Sean Semple.

Semple explained the five emergency contracts, totaling about $251,000, were to pay companies that already performed work for the city that included road restoration, fixing broken water mains, repairing a Public Works dump truck and various sewer repairs.

The assistant Public Works director explained to Vaughn that a water main break fits squarely into the emergent basis exception that allowed the city to bypass the contract bidding process.

He explained it could take two months or more to go through the normal procurement process, unnecessarily delaying immediate fixes that jeopardized public safety in the city.

It would be a disaster, he said in response to Blakeleys questions, obviously laid out to elicit an admonition of Vaughns thinking.

But Vaughn, as she often doesnt, wasnt giving in so easily saying she wanted to ensure the companies werent just fleecing our taxpayers dollars.

She motioned to have the emergency contracts pulled off the agenda; her motion was seconded by Rodriguez.

I dont understand why you want to pull and delay payment on this when we have reputable vendors, Caldwell-Wilson said, urging her to withdraw the motion.

The motion died after a 5-2 vote as council said holding approval of the emergency contracts would have delayed disbursement.

The emergency contracts to vendors Ted Dolci Inc., Gres Paving, Municipal Maintenance Company and BCI Truck were voted on separately from the councils consent agenda.

All of them were approved following 5 to 2 votes, with Vaughn and Santiago voting no each time.
Nacogdoches, TX (75965)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies. High around 75F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Areas of dense fog developing. Low 56F. Winds light and variable.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 21

Over three lakh officers, affiliated with the All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC), brought public sector banks to a halt today. While customers were harrowed by the unavailability of staff, the officers raised slogans against the Central Government and the Indian Banks Association (IBA), demanding revision of wages and pension scheme, introduction of a five-day week work schedule, focus on core business and NPA recovery. They also asked the government to withdraw the merger of public sector banks.

Besides a rally, which started from the local head office of the SBI and culminated at PNB, a demonstration by over 1,500 officers from various banks affiliated with the AIBOC was held in front of Punjab National Bank at Bank Square in Sector 17, Chandigarh.

Deepak Sharma, joint general secretary of the AIBOC, criticised the government and the IBA for a delay in their wage revision, due since November 2017.

He said the IBA was linking wage revision with performance-linked pay based on gross operating profits. The proposal of performance-linked pay, given by the IBA, had already been rejected outright by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) at a meeting held with the IBA.

The deputy general secretary, heading the Chandigarh (Punjab) unit of the SBI Officers Association, Vijendra Trighatia, said, The salary revision for the banking industry is done every five years. Till date, no meaningful discussion has been held. Our main grouse is that the banks are the main vehicle of implementation of government policies and welfare schemes such as Jan Dhan Yojana and yet when it comes to paying bankers, the government comes up with lame excuses like low profitability. In fact, barring a few small ones, all public sector banks make an operating profit.

TS Saggu, state secretary of the AIBOC, said on the one side, the government was issuing licences to new small banks, while on the other, it was merging public sector banks in the name of weak banks. We are not accepting any performance-linked pay, he said.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 21

The elections for the posts of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor will be held on January 18. Deputy Commissioner Mandip Singh Brar announced the election schedule today. The elections will be held at 11 am in the assembly hall of the MC building.

Candidates can file their papers till January 14. The candidature has to be proposed and seconded by two members of the corporation. This time, the post of Mayor is reserved for a candidate of the Scheduled Caste category.

Ajay Dutta, nominated councillor, will preside over the meeting and conduct the election proceedings. While the Deputy Commissioner announced the election date, Devinder Singh Babla, Leader of the Opposition in the MC and Congress councillor, opposed the delay in holding the mayoral elections.

He said during the Congress regime, the elections were held on January 1 every year without fail. He said it was only during the BJP regime that the date of the mayoral elections was fixed as per its whims and fancies. He termed it undemocratic, saying that the BJP had made a mockery of the MC.

However, Satya Pal Jain, a former MP, said the election date was fixed after considering various factors by the Administration.

He said as per the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, implemented in the UT, the Mayor would continue in office till the election of the new Mayor. Davesh Moudgil , BJP councillor from Ward 22, was elected the 22nd Mayor of the city on January 9 this year. Moudgil had got 22 of the 27 votes and was elected for a one-year term.

4 in race for top post from BJP

Four councillors from the BJP are in the race for the Mayors post this time. They are Satish Kainth, Bharat Kumar, Farmila and Rajesh Kalia. While Sheela Devi is the only SC councillor from the Congress, the BJP will have a tough time selecting a candidate for the post due to factionalism in the party.

Sources said the BJP was likely to announce the name of the candidate near the election date. In the current House, four councillors are from Congress, 20 from the BJP, one Independent and one from the SAD, which has an alliance with the BJP. The city MP is an ex officio member of the House and has a vote. To become a Mayor, a candidate needs 14 of the 27 votes.

Mayors post reserved for SC candidate

Candidates can file their nomination papers till January 14. The candidature has to be proposed and seconded by two members of the Municipal Corporation. This time, the post of Mayor has been reserved for a candidate belonging to the Scheduled Caste category.
Flavia Agnes

Flavia Agnes

Women's rights lawyer

The Hindu women's right to their parental property has been an extremely contested issue. During the debate on the Hindu Code Bill in the 1950s, due to much opposition from leaders of various political parties, Hindu women were not given equal rights in the ancestral property. Their rights were limited to the self-acquired property of their father. Even this right was illusory as the father could make a will and deprive his daughters. The Hindu women acquired equal rights in the ancestral property in 2005, after a sustained campaign of 50 more years.

Despite this, the right continued to be illusory as several high courts denied women an equal share in the ancestral property as the concept that upon marriage a daughter loses her rights in her natal home continued to prevail in both society and courts. It is for this reason that we must hail and popularise the judgement of Justices AK Sikhri and Ashok Bhushan pronounced on February 1, 2018 in Danamma vs Amar [2018 (1) SCALE 657] as it has secured the Hindu woman's right to ancestral property in clear and unambiguous terms and laid down that her rights remain intact, irrespective of her marital status.

This judgement did not get the publicity it deserved at that time. Yet, as we take stock of the pro-women judgements during the year, we need to go back and deliberate upon it in detail, to dispel the misconceptions which prevail which hinder the woman from claiming her due share in the family property.

Agreed, it is not very easy for a married woman, or for that matter any woman, to claim her rights from her natal family and the court battle may go on for years. Yet, unless some women embark on this hazardous journey, the hard-won right will continue to remain illusory and misconceptions will continue to prevail.

The 2005 Amendment Act

The judgement clarified that the 2005 Amendment Act is applicable to the daughters of Hindu coparceners (joint property holders) on the date on which the Act came into force. From that date, all Hindu daughters have become coparceners along with their brothers, even if they were born prior to the Amendment and hence they cannot be denied their right.

The two issues raised in the litigation

Whether the daughters can be denied their share in their father's property merely on the ground that they were born prior to the enactment of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 (which awarded rights to a daughter for the first time)?

Whether, with the passing of the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005, the daughters became coparcener "by birth" in their "own right in the same manner as the son" and are, therefore, entitled to equal share as that of a son?

The issue, whether the right to inherit property is limited to daughters born after September 9, 2005 when the Amendment Act came into force had already been decided by the Supreme Court in Prakash vs Phulavati [(2016) 2 SCC 36], wherein it was held that the rights under the Amendment are applicable to living daughters of living coparceners as on September 9, 2005, irrespective of when such daughters are born. However, if the property had already been partitioned before December 20, 2004, it will remain unaffected and the issue of redistributing the property as per the Amended Act does not arise, since the Act is prospective and not retrospective.

In the judgement, the court commented that the law relating to the HUF property has undergone unprecedented changes in response to the growing demand by women to an equal share in the family property. The changes were made on the touchstone of equality, to remove the perceived disability and prejudice to which a daughter was subjected.

The court clarified that it is the factum of birth in a coparcenary that creates the right. Therefore, daughters living on the date when the Act came into force in 2005 have become coparceners by virtue of birth. The judgement further clarified that even if the coparcener had expired, if the claim of the survivors had not been settled, the court is bound to take notice of the fact that daughters have become equal sharers of the property, when deciding the matter.

The facts of the case

A partition suit was filed by the grandson (Amar) a year after the death of the coparcener, Gurulingappa, in 2001, claiming one-fifth of the share in the property. Gurulingappa had died leaving behind two sons (Arunkumar and Vijay) and two daughters (Danamma and Mahananda). Amar was the son of Arunkumar. He had two sisters  Sheeetal and Triveni.

Sumitra, the wife of Guruingappa, his father Arunkumar, and Amar's sisters did not contest his claim. But the two aunts  Danamma and Mahananda  claimed their share and uncle Vijay claimed half the share of the property.

The suit was decreed in 2007, by which time his grandmother Sumitra as well as his father Arunkumar had expired. So, the trial court awarded half the property to Vijay and the rest was given equally to Amar, his mother and his sisters. The two aunts were denied any share on the ground that they were born before the Hindu Succession Act came into force. Since at that time, daughters could not claim any share in the family property, the court held that they are not entitled to a share.

The two aunts appealed to the Karnataka High Court which upheld the order of the lower court. The review petition filed by them was also dismissed. But with grit and determination, they approached the Supreme Court for a final verdict in their favour in 2018.

The Supreme Court held that the daughters of the coparceners became coparceners when the Amendment Act of 2005 came into force, along with the two brothers (Arunkumar and Vijay) and, hence, were entitled to one-fifth of the share (a share for their mother Sumitra and a share each for the four siblings). The share of Amar would be 1/25th. This calculation was arrived at based on the fact that he became an equal sharer along with his parents and the two sisters.

Bias continues to prevail

It is indeed shocking that the judgement of the lower court pronounced in 2007 and the judgement of the Karnataka High Court pronounced in 2012 failed to take note of the changed situation under the Hindu Succession Act. Rather than any ambiguity in the wording of the Amended Act, it is the deep-rooted bias against women that prevails both in our society and courts that is responsible for this state of affairs. It is presumed that upon marriage, a daughter loses her right to the parental property because she is given dowry and "sent away".

The judgement penned by Justice Sikhri relies upon a famous quote by jurist Roscoe Pound to explain the way the Hindu law has evolved over the years to remove the discrimination against daughters prevalent in the classical Hindu Law: "The fundamental changes brought forward about in the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 by amending it in 2005, are perhaps a realization of the immortal words of Roscoe Pound as appearing in his celebrated treatise, The Ideal Element in Law, that 'the law must be stable and yet it cannot stand still. Hence all thinking about law has struggled to reconcile the conflicting demands of the need of stability and the need of change'."
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Washington, December 21

The US should select the very best among the applicants under the H-1B visas, the Trump administration has said, vowing to step up efforts to ensure that these work visas, the most sought by Indian IT professionals, do not harm domestic workers.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

Perhaps no other visa category has received as much attention in recent years as the H-1B, as reports of abuse of the program have caused outrage among the public, Homeland Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told members of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee during a Congressional hearing.

No qualified hardworking American should be forced to train their H-1B replacement, and then let go, she said.

The number of H-1B petitions routinely exceeds the statutory cap, and among that pool of petitions, we should endeavour to select the very best for the privilege of coming to the United States for work, Nielsen said.

The Department of Homeland Security seeks to ensure that American workers are not pushed aside for the promise of cheaper, foreign labour, and the employers, recruiters or any of their agents do not exploit foreign workers, she said.

The Trump administration has stepped up its measures to detect employment-based visa fraud and abuse, but certain nonimmigrant visa programs need reform in order to protect American workers better, she said.

While current law only requires it for certain employers, which are few in number and can easily meet the wage and degree exemption, all employers should be required to certify that they have made a good faith effort to recruit US workers before filing an H-1B petition, and have offered jobs to qualified and available American applicants, Nielsen said.

Although current law prohibits some H-1B employers from displacing US workers, there are loopholes that must close, she told the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

We have to make sure the H-1B programme does not harm American workers who may be as qualified and willing to do jobs that foreign workers are imported to fill, she said.

As per US President Donald Trumps Buy American, Hire American Executive Order, the Department of Homeland Security is reviewing current guidance and regulation for opportunities to protect American workers while also providing good faith employers the opportunity to recruit H-1B workers where needed.

This balance is consistent with the statute and President Trumps priorities. We also seek to work with Congress to make legislative changes that would provide more protections to the United States workforce, Nielsen said. PTI
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

Varinder Singh

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 21

All four Punjab-based Labour party MPsVarinder Sharma, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Preet Gill, Seema Malhotra---and 262 other Labour MPs have decided to oppose the move accusing the UK government of misleading and misguiding people on the issue of UK governments white paper on its post-Brexit liberal visa and immigration strategy.

The UK governments White Paper on its proposed post-Brexit visas and immigration strategy tabled in the House of House of Commons was being widely hailed as beneficial for Indian students and professionals for it has advocated removal of the existing annual cap of 20,700 skilled work visas issued to skilled workers.

The Theresa May governments announcement was being touted as the biggest visa system shake-up during the past 40 years.

The proposed skilled immigration system will set highly skilled migrants from anywhere in the world and it was being seen as a favourable change for it will improve the post study work environment for international students. The system was proposed to be phased in from December 201 when Britian will exit from the European Union.

The new liberal visa and immigration system was expected to offer level playing field for Indians and South Asian aspirants for it will put an end to existing free movement of people of 27 other members of the Economic Block in the UK. It will also mean that people from the existing EU countries and from rest of the world, including South Asia will be treated at par professionally in the UK.

As we leave the European Union, free movement will end. This will be a system where it is workers skill that will matter not the country they come from, the British PM Theresa May told the Parliament. The biggest benefit for Indians and other South Asian immigration aspirants would be that they would be treated at par with EU citizens for the purpose of migration after Brexit.

On the other hand, all four Punjabi Opposition Labour Party MPs have termed the proposed visa and immigration system of UK as nothing but a gimmick.

Our party and all four of us are going to oppose it. The Prime Minister has tried to mislead people on the issue. On one hand, she has on the floor of the House that the UK was going to strictly enforce a policy wherein not more than one lakh immigrants or skilled workers will be allowed to enter the country in a year and on the other, the government has tried to show that it is going to be very liberal on this front. It is self-contradictory for lakhs of migrants come to the UK every year under the existing system. If you think, the proposed system will benefit the Indian, Punjabi and South Asian migration aspirants or skilled workers in a big way, it will be nothing but a wrong perception, said Slough Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, while talking to The Tribune over the phone.

He said his partys all 266 MPs, including the Punjabi-origin MPs --- Varinder Sharma, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Preet Gill, Seema Malhotra---are united over the issue and they will be exposing the Conservative government in the days to come on this issue. The governments agenda is to decrease the flow of immigrants and skilled workers and not to increase it, alleged Dhesi.

The proposed changes in the White Paper were likely to attract more international students to the UK. It has proposed to offer six months post-study leave to all Bachelors and Masters degree holders after completion of their degrees with an objective to provide them with more time to find permanent skilled work and also to allow them to work during this period.

For Dhesi and other three Punjabi MPs, the proposed hike of minimium salary requirement of 30,000 pounds for skilled migrant workers seeking five-year visa was another grey area.

It is quite a high amount and for the workers it will difficult to find prospective employers offering this much of salary in most of cases, added Dhesi and other MPs.
gspannu7@gmail.com

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 21

Two Junior Commissioned officers (JCOs) of the Army were killed in ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the Line of Control in the frontier Kupwara district, officials said.

While initial indications are that the two were hit by sniper fire, the Army termed it unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan, which was retaliated to strongly.

Sources said the incident took place at Jumagund in the Keran sector around noon, when Pakistan troops targeted an Army post manned by 2/8 Gorkha Rifles some 500 metres inside the LoC.

In the Pakistan firing, Subedar Gamar Bahadur Thapa, 42, was killed on the spot, and Subedar Raman Thapa, 29, critically wounded. He was shifted to the Army Base Hospital in Srinagar, where he succumbed to injuries, an official said.

There was unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan in the Keran sector, our troops retaliated strongly. Two soldiers were martyred in enemy fire, a Srinagar-based Army spokesman said.

The Army launched a massive combing operation in the sector as they suspected the violation by Pakistan might have been aimed at pushing infiltrators from across the border.

The combing operation is still under way in the dense forest area to see if the firing was carried out to push infiltrators, a defence official said.

This is the second ceasefire violation along the LoC in Kupwara district this month. On December 6, a soldier, Rajesh Kumar, was killed in truce violation in the Machil sector of Kupwara.

As many as 89 security men have so far been killed in the line of duty in Kashmir this year. Incidentally, this is the highest casualty figure for the forces in the past decade. Over 235 militants have also been killed this year.
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 21

Ten Central agencies have been authorised by the Union Government to intercept information from any computer, a move that set off a political storm today with the Opposition accusing the government of trying to create a surveillance state.

EDIT: Big Brother Watching

The Centre, however, claimed the rules for intercepting and monitoring computer data were framed in 2009 while the Congress-led UPA was in power and its new order only notified the designated authorities that can carry out such action.

Replying to concerns raised by Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and his Congress colleague Anand Sharma in the Rajya Sabha, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said: What you are doing is making a mountain where even a molehill does not exist.

He asked Congress members not to cry foul over provisions that were created during the UPA government to protect national security.

Such measures were taken under the Information Technology Act in line with provisions of Article 19 (2) of the Constitution that restricts freedom of speech.

He said in this age of technology, terrorists could be monitored and checkmated through the use of computers. The restrictions were imposed on grounds of national security, defence of India, public order and integrity of the country.

He said only selected agencies linked with the countrys security, including the Intelligence Bureau, CBI and DRI, could intercept information on computers.

When Azad pointed out that the order does not mention national security, Jaitley said the former was trifling with the security of the country. That is what you have been doing till now, he said.

Azad countered, saying it is BJPs habit to link everything with national security.

Earlier, Azad said the Centre had let loose Central agencies. He was supported by other Opposition members. Sharma followed it up, saying the measures were an infringement on the right to privacy. This will convert India into a police state, he said.

Rules were framed by UPA, says jaitley

The rules under which 10 agencies have been authorised to intercept information on computers were framed during UPA rule in 2009

Since the Act has been in place, these orders of authorisation are repeated from time to time

The restrictions will be applicable only on grounds of national security, defence of India, public order and integrity of the country

No new powers conferred, claims govt
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 20

Ten central agencies have been authorised by the Centre to intercept information from any computer, a move that set off a political storm on Friday with the Opposition accusing the government of trying to create a surveillance state.

But the Centre said the rules for intercepting and monitoring computer data were framed in 2009 when the Congress-led UPA was in power and its new order only notified the designated authority which can carry out such action.

The Opposition parties led by the Congress slammed the order as unconstitutional, undemocratic and an assault on fundamental rights and an attempt by the BJP government to convert India into a surveillance state by resorting to snooping, inviting a sharp response from the ruling party.

In a strong defence of the government order, the BJP said it is legal with adequate safeguards and in the interest of national security, dubbing the Oppositions criticism as a text book case of speaking without any homework.

The Centre also rejected the Oppositions charge of snooping.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) defended the gazette notification issued on Thursday that authorises 10 central agencies to intercept, monitor, and decrypt any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer.

The authorised central agencies are the Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency, Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW), Directorate of Signal Intelligence (For service areas of Jammu & Kashmir, Northeast and Assam only) and Commissioner of Police, Delhi.

The order was issued on Thursday night by the cyber and information security division of the Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) under the authority of Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba.

As a controversy erupted, the MHA issued a statement, saying the order was issued to prevent any unauthorised use of these powers.

The new order does not confer any new powers to any security or law enforcement agency, the statement said, adding each case of computer interception, monitoring and decryption is to be approved by the competent authority, which is the Union home secretary.

Meanwhile, Congress president Rahul Gandhi told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that converting India into police state wont solve his problems and it only showed he is an insecure dictator.

The issue of notification also rocked the Rajya Sabha where Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged that undeclared Emergency has taken final shape and all federal agencies have been let loose.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the authorisation was given under 2009 rules and dismissed oppositions charge of snooping.

Jaitley said the Opposition was playing with national security and making a mountain where even a molehill doesnt exist.

Congress leader Anand Sharma said the issue is serious as it is related to fundamental rights and India will become a police state with such sweeping powers to agencies to intercept information.

Responding to the charge, Jaitley said it would have been better if the Opposition had obtained all information before raising this issue.

So what you are doing Mr Anand Sharma is making a mountain where even a molehill does not exist, he said.

However, Azad retorted that there is no mention of national security in the order.

The BJP seems to think it has ownership rights over national security and it means nothing to us, he said taking a swipe at the government.

To this, Jaitley said, These are elementary things. It is an authorisation order. The provisions of national security are written in Article 69.... You are playing with the security of the country. That is what you have done just now.

Outside Parliament, CPI-M chief Sitaram Yehcury said the order was unconstitutional.

The BJP government is converting India into a surveillance state through the order, Anand Sharma said with other opposition leaders by his side.

It is the ultimate assault on fundamental rights and the right to privacy. It is also in direct conflict with the Supreme Court judgement that right to privacy is a fundamental right. The government has done it by strength we collectively oppose it, Sharma told reporters.

The opposition parties, including the CPI(M), the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Trinamool Congress, said they will collectively oppose the order.

The BJP government, the opposition leaders said, was converting the country into a surveillance state.

From Modi Sarkar to stalker sarkar, clearly the string of losses has left the BJP government desperate for information, the Congress said on its official Twitter handle.

According to the order, the 10 central probe and snoop agencies are now empowered under the Information Technology (IT) Act for computer interception and analysis.

The agencies, according to the order, have been authorised for the purpose of interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource under the said Act (Section 69 of the IT Act, 2000).

In the statement, the Home Ministry said adequate safeguards are provided in the IT Act, 2000 and similar provisions and procedures already exist in the Telegraph Act along with identical safeguards.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the order is legal and the comments by opposition leaders amounted to playing with national security.

Prasad said the IT Act, which has provisions for such an interception, was brought by the Congress-led UPA dispensation, and the latest order has only made it more accountable by naming designated agencies which can carry out such an interception.

The UPA had enacted the law. We have made it accountable, he said.

Responding to privacy concerns, he told reporters that the government will protect privacy but there can be no compromise with national security.

The ministry statement also said the new notification had three benefits.

It is aimed at among other things ensuring that any interception, monitoring or decryption of any information through any computer resource is done in accordance with due process of law.  With PTI
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Sumedha Sharma

Tribune News Service

Gurugram, December 21

Much to the angst of local residents and environmentalists, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is planning to fell around 2,000 trees, including 400 in the green belts of Sectors 14 and 17, allegedly to facilitate the movement of canters of an auto major.

Residents, led by environmentalist Anil Sood, president of Chetna, a Society for Protection of Culture, Heritage, Environment, Tradition and Promotion of National Awareness, have moved the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, seeking revoking of all permissions for the development of Atul Kataria Chowk and subsequent widening of Sector 14/17 road, highlighting failure of the agency concerned to justify the need for the same.

Environmentalists have also sent a letter to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to stay the felling of trees in the green belt. They have alleged that GMDA is bent on destroying the green cover to facilitate movement of containers on roads passing through domestic sectors. The authority has been accused of violating Article 21 of Constitution and Supreme Court rulings against the felling of trees.

As per information submitted by the office of Executive Engineer, Construction Division, Public Works Department (PWD), for seeking approval of felling trees under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, the project will not generate any employment. For those who have cut 15,000 trees in the last two years, 2,000 is a small number. They dont realise that it is a big ecological loss. They have clearly mentioned in documents that they want the road to be widened to allow easy movement of auto canters. These roads connect internal residential areas, so heavy vehicles should not ply on them. Moreover, it is already a wide road and if encroachments are removed, it will be sufficient for the next decade, Sood said.

We have still not touched the Sector 17 belt and if any trees are to be felled, it will be done as per set procedure and with essential re-plantation. The road is being widened to ease traffic congestion in the area and for that we need to make some sacrifice. Moreover, the zone being talked about is the buffer green area that was left for future infrastructural needs, said Vivek Joshi, CEO, GMDA.

The residents, however, refused to buy the argument, saying they were never taken into confidence before taking any such decision.

The question is whether there is any need for it. Bar heavy vehicles from plying on internal roads, get the traffic lights rectified and there will be no traffic congestion. We planted these trees in the 1990s and now when they are fully grown, they want to chop them off. They should not just conduct a vehicular density survey, but also speak to residents about the plan as we are key stakeholders, said Santokh Yadav, a local resident.
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

New Delhi, December 21

The Delhi High Court on Friday ordered forthwith release of former Youth Congress leader Sushil Kumar Sharma, serving a life sentence for murdering his wife Naina Sahni in 1995. Sharma has already undergone over two decades of incarceration.

The order was passed by Justices Siddharth Mridul and Sangita Dhingra Sehgal. Sharma, now 56, shot his wife in 1995, objecting to her alleged relationship with a male friend. He then chopped her body and tried to burn the pieces in a restaurant oven.

The tandoor (oven) case is one of the landmark cases in India in which DNA evidence was collected and a second autopsy performed to establish the guilt of the accused. The HC quashed the recommendations of the sentence review board (SRB) which had rejected Sharmas representation for premature release. It also set aside the non-speaking affirmation of SRBs recommendations by the Lieutenant Governor, who is the competent authority.

We accordingly direct that the state shall release Sushil Sharma forthwith, the Bench said. The court had earlier issued a notice to the Delhi Government and sought its stand on Sharmas plea for release on the grounds that he has been jailed for over two decades, including the period of remission, and his continued incarceration was illegal.

Sharma, in prison since 1995, had contended that he has already undergone the maximum prescribed sentence as mandated under the SRB guidelines.  PTI

Murder most foul

Jul 2, 1995: Police recover burnt body of Naina Sahni from Baghiya restaurant in Ashok Yatri Niwas; manager Keshav Kumar held

July 10: Police arrest Sushil Sharma in Bangalore

July 27: Chargesheet is filed against the accused

May 9, 1996: The trial court frames charges of murder, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence against five accused in case

Nov 3: Trial court convicts Sushil Sharma of murder

Nov 7: Sharma sentenced to death, Keshav gets 7-year RI

Dec 2003: Sharma moves the Delhi HC challenging trial court judgment

Aug 2006: The Delhi High Court fixes hearing on day-to-day basis in the case

Feb 19, 2007: HC upholds death sentence of Sharma

Oct 8, 2013: SC commutes death penalty to life term

Dec 21, 2018: HC orders Sharmas forthwith release
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

New Delhi, December 21

Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, convicted of abetting five killings during the 1984 Sikh carnage, will have to turn himself in by December 31 after the Delhi High Court today rejected his plea for extra time to surrender.

There is no ground to grant extension of time to Sajjan Kumar to surrender, the HC said, dismissing a petition.

Sajjan Kumar, 73, had sought time to file an appeal and also to settle inheritance issues within his family.

The HC, while rejecting a lower courts orders acquitting Kumar in a 34- year-old case of killing of five members of a family in Delhi Cantonment in 1984, had found Kumar guilty of criminal conspiracy behind the killings and sentenced him to prison for the remainder of his life.

This is the first time a senior Congress functionary  a three-time former MP  was convicted for the 1984 riots.

No senior Congress man had earlier even been convicted in the riots.

Sajjan Kumar is facing another trial in the Sikh killings of Sultanpuri where the prime witness, Cham Kaur, has already identified him in the Patiala House Courts.  TNS
gspannu7@gmail.com

New Delhi, December 21

LJP president Ram Vilas Paswan on Friday met BJP leader Arun Jaitley amid indications that the two parties may soon arrive at a seat-sharing agreement in Bihar for the Lok Sabha polls.

Paswans son Chirag, who has been vocal in airing his partys differences with the BJP, told reporters that talks were on and claimed there were other issues besides sharing of seats.

Another Lok Janshakti Party leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that talks have been positive and they were hopeful of an early solution.

If all goes well, we will contest six of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, he said.

There is speculation that the regional party has also sought a Rajya Sabha berth.

If the LJP is given six seats, as many as it had won in 2014, then the BJP and its another ally Janata Dal (United), which is headed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, will contest 17 seats each.

BJP president Amit Shah had earlier announced that his party and the JD(U) will be contesting equal number of seats in the politically crucial state where the BJP-led NDA had won 31 seats in 2014.

The deployment of Jaitley, an old Bihar hand in the party with friendly relations with leaders of different parties, by the BJP to buy truce with the LJP underscores the importance the saffron party has attached to continuing its alliance with Paswans party, which enjoys strong influence among Dalits.

Top BJP leaders, including its president Amit Shah and Jaitley, had held an hour-long meeting with LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan and his son Thursday to resolve their differences.

Chirag Paswan had earlier written a letter to Jaitley asking him to explain what benefits demonetisation brought to the country.

He had also tweeted that a delay in seat-sharing announcement may harm the ruling alliance.  PTI
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Patna, December 21

A local court on Friday awarded life sentence to suspended RJD MLA Raj Ballabh Yadav and two others convicted in a case related to raping a minor girl over two years ago.

Three others were sentenced to 10-year rigorous imprisonment in the case.

The court had convicted Yadav and the five others, including four women, on December 15 for the rape of the minor girl at his residence in Bihar Sharif on February 6, 2016.

Special MP and MLA court judge-cum-Additional District and Sessions Judge Parshuram Singh Yadav awarded life imprisonment to Raj Ballabh Yadav under sections 376 (rape) and 120(B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act.

Yadav, who is an MLA from Nawada, now stands to lose his membership of the Bihar Assembly.

According to section 8(3) of Representation of People Act, 1951, a person convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years shall be disqualified from the date of such conviction and shall continue to be disqualified for a further period of six years since his release.

The court also slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 on Yadav.

The two others who were also awarded life imprisonment were ordered to pay a fine of Rs 20,000 each. A fine of Rs 10,000 was imposed on the remaining three.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) suspended Yadav from the party on February 14, 2016, after he was named as accused in the rape case.

In its chargesheet, the Bihar Police had also named a woman and her relatives as accused on the ground that they were supplying women and girls to the MLA.

Yadav had evaded arrest for a considerable time and finally surrendered after a local court issued a proclamation notice and an order to attach his properties.

He had later secured bail from the Patna High Court, which was cancelled by the Supreme Court on November 24, 2016. PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Ropar, December 21

The district police here today arrested four persons for alleged extortion in the name of gangster Dilpreet Singh. They were identified as Makhan Singh of Haripur Samlah village, Sikandar Lal of Bikapur village near Anandpur Sahib and Parmatma Singh and Jagjit Singh of Tarn Taran district. They had extorted Rs 12.5 lakh from the sarpanch of Maura village near Kiratpur Sahib.

The four accused used to perform kar sewa at the gurdwara in Haripur Samlah village. Of the extortion money, Makhan had donated Rs 5 lakh to the gurdwara.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Swapan Sharma said the accused knew that the sarpanch had received money for acquisition of his land by the National Highways Authority of India. In May, one of them, claiming to be Dilpreet (who was arrested in Chandigarh in July), threatened to murder the sarpanchs family members if the money was not paid. He paid Rs 12.5 lakh in two instalments. Recently, he was asked to shell out Rs 5 lakh more, the SSP added.

The victim approached the police, following which the quartet was trapped and arrested under Sections 364 and 387 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act. A country-made pistol, two toy pistols, two cartridges and Rs 1 lakh were recovered, the SSP said.
editorial@tribune.com

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 21

Observing that the state governments left hand was fighting with the right, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the state Chief Secretary to intervene.

Quoting the example of a two-tier administrative mechanism set up by the Centre for the resolution of disputes within, Justice Arun Monga of the High Court has asked him to specify why avoidable litigation was being filed instead of replicating the system.

The developments took place on a petition filed by the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation against the state and other respondents. Taking up the matter, Justice Monga asserted it was a classic case where the left hand was fighting with the right as the petition was filed by one government undertaking against another, besides the state government.

Justice Monga asserted the succinct issue involved in the matter was quashing of Rs 2 lakh penalty imposed by the Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board on the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation due to late deposit of market fee/rural development fund.

Justice Monga asserted the court found the frivolousness involving complete lack of coordination between one government department and another rather intriguing. In similar situation, the Government of India had evolved an administrative mechanism for resolution of disputes inter se between public sector enterprises and also between these enterprises and government departments/ organisations.

He added that the Government of India has evolved a two-tier structure to make the mechanism more effective and binding on the disputing parties. The disputes were initially referred to a committee comprising ministries and departments concerned.

In case the dispute remained unresolved even after consideration by the first-tier committee, it was referred to the second level or tier of the Cabinet Secretary. His decision was final and binding on all concerned.

Directing the issuance of notice to the state Chief Secretary, Justice Monga asked him to apprise the court why needless proceedings were being initiated between the two state-public sector undertakings instead of creating an administrative mechanism for the resolution of dispute akin to the one introduced by the Government of India.

Justice Monga said the same administrative mechanism could be replicated in the state governments by creating a structure where dispute could be referred to the first tier comprising secretaries of administrative ministries and departments. In case the disputes remained unresolved, these could be referred to the second level of the Chief Secretary.

Fixing the case for January last week, Justice Monga directed the state through the Chief Secretary to file a specific affidavit on the issue raised by the court.

Why avoidable litigation being filed

The petition was filed by the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation against the state and other respondents. Quoting the example of a two-tier administrative mechanism set up by the Centre for the resolution of disputes within, Justice Arun Monga of the High Court has asked the state Chief Secretary to specify why avoidable litigation was being filed instead of replicating the system.
editorial@tribune.com

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 21

With no apology coming from Amazon, members of a Sikh organisation held a protest here today against the online retail company for displaying images of the Golden Temple on doormats and rugs listed for sale on its website.

Members of the Jatha Sirlath Khalsa forced closure of Amazon Transportation Services Private Limited at the New Amritsar area and raised slogans against it.

Dilbagh Singh, a leader of the jatha, said they would not allow the office to open until the company tendered an apology. Meanwhile, the SGPC shot off a mail to the company over the matter of desecration after finding no response to its legal notice.

It served a legal notice and lodged a police complaint against Amazon for inappropriately and offensively displaying images of the Golden Temple on some toiletries, doormats and rugs, listed for sale on its website on December 19.

Shiromani Committee Secretary Daljit Singh Bedi asserted that legal course of action would be taken against the company if it did not tender public apology over the blasphemous act.

The local police have forwarded the complaint of the Shiromani Committee against the multinational company to the Cyber Crime Wing, Chandigarh, said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police JS Walia.

A spokesperson of Amazon India in a statement to the media issued here today said: We are working on taking down the said products. All marketplace sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who dont, will be subject to action, including potential removal of their account.
editorial@tribune.com

Ferozepur, December 21

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today accused Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh of backstabbing the Sikh community and indulging in blatant sycophancy of the Gandhi family to save his chair.

Addressing mediapersons here after a meeting with party workers, Sukhbir said it was astonishing that Capt Amarinder Singh was still claiming that the Gandhi family and the Congress were not involved in the 1984 genocide even after the Delhi High Court had stated the opposite.

The former Deputy Chief Minister said the court had observed while sentencing Sajjan Kumar to life imprisonment that he had escaped the law for 34 years due to political patronage.

People dont need a Chief Minister who claims he left the Congress in protest against Operation Bluestar but now refuses to speak up for the victims of the 1984 massacre and is working overtime to save the Gandhi family, he added.

Sukhbir said Rahul Gandhi should specify when he would expel Jagdish Tytler and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath from the Congress. Is he still waiting for them to be convicted before acting against them? the SAD president asked.  OC
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

THERE is one part of the Vice-Chancellors address which will be read by all patriotic Punjabis with pain and regret. It is the part in which the Vice-Chancellor cited the sad instance of a woman student who found herself persecuted and finally gave up her studies, because men had not learnt to respect and help the weaker. That the offenders were few in number, Mr. Maynard believes, as every fair-minded person naturally will. But it is a sad reflection that even a small minority could have behaved so abominably as to compel a fellow student of the weaker sex to give up her studies. It is a sadder reflection still that the better class of students, who constitute the over-whelming majority, did not interfere to prevent the wrong. If the facts have been correctly represented to the Vice-Chancellor, the feeling of the whole Province will be one of shame at the wrong, and of indignation against the wrong-doers.
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

The 41st convocation of the Punjab University was held in the University Hall with the usual ceremonial. There was a large attendance of Fellows of the University and the candidates for the various degrees, the total number of graduates of the year being D.Sc. 1, M.Sc. 13, Honours in B.Sc. 18, B.Sc. 48; M.A., 63 Honours in B.A. 75, B.A. 757, B.T. 55; LL.B 84; M.D.I., M.B.B.I. 21; Oriental Faculty, nil, or over 1,100 as against a total of about 900 in the previous year or an advance of 200 in one year. The Hall presented an animated but cramped look and the steady and welcome growth in the number of the graduates shows that the question of holding two convocations instead of one as is the case in some other provinces has come within the range of practical subjects.
shalender@tribune.com

Nonika Singh

When Siddharth Kay decided to make a film, Er Poganta (The Stream), on displacement with strong political undertones, he was told by many to go in for the lowest common denominator, a language that most understand. But he stuck to his guns and opted for Chhattisgarhi and Gondi as the main dialects. Similarly for Saurav Rai, there was no choice but Nepali for Nimtoh. Then National Award-winning director from Meghalaya, Pradip Kurbah couldnt have expressed his film Lewduh (The Market) in any other language but his mother tongue Khasi.

Talking about dreams is like talking about movies, since cinema uses the language of dreams, said Federico Fellini, Italian director. Indeed, these filmmakers dream too, only in languages we rarely get to see on the silver screen. Beyond the razzle-dazzle of Bollywood, with its Rs 100-crore clubs, stand these passionate filmmakers. For them, the immediacy of telling a story is more important than anything else. And in a language which many may see as a barrier; but for these independent filmmakers, it is the voice in which their film must speak.

Strangely though Siddharth Tripathy hails from West Bengal, yet his preferred language of expression in his debut film A Dog Dies is not Bengali but Chhattisgarhi. But then his story of a man and his dog is set in the coal mines of the mineral-rich state. Though the subtext is land eviction, its also a human tale of how a man decides to ensure at least his dog doesnt die in an alien land.

Malayalam director Pampallys National Award-winning debut feature film Sinjar is the first film to be scripted and features a song in Jasari language. The film is also an attempt by the filmmaker to revive the language, which lacks any script or syntax.

Language, however, is a minor bump in the arduous journey these independent filmmakers have decided to undertake. Siddharth Kay conceived of the idea way back in 2012. Ignited by a newspaper report on Salwa Judum, it has taken him nearly six years to can 80 per cent of the film. He, however, doubts the Indian audience is, or will ever be, ready for the kind of story of real injustice he intends to tell. The audience he has in mind is of the film festival circuit.

Others too are eyeing the platform that prestigious film festivals provide. But coming from the state of Meghalaya where there are just three screens, Pradip has devised an unusual way to take films to his people. He packs his bags and travels from village to village to screen his films for his own people. Interestingly, it is a model that has worked for him. Many like Saurav Rai see it as worthy of emulation. Two-time National Award-winning director Pradip, however, doesnt see the national honour as a gateway to success. He says, It hasnt made making films any easy. People are diffident to approach me.

The biggest hurdle they all encounter is financing such films. En route the onerous path Kay has worked as a cinematographer, he pawned his wifes jewellery, sold whatever his mother had to finally see his dream being realised. Others too have their secrets couched in similar situations of financial distress. Lack of funds also forces them to use non-actors as against trained professionals. Rai has employed all his family members in the film that is anyway based on a real incident involving a small boy of Nepalese community. Talking of the theme of his film, he adds, Even rural India is not free of judgmental morality.

Rural India is where real India is, is the common refrain of these filmmakers. Kay even advises aspiring filmmakers to shun cities and look for stories in Indias hinterland, which has many lurking in its deep recesses. Tripathy, too, loves to tell stories of people who otherwise do not register on the prime time consciousness of the nation. His first story had everything to do with personal experience. As an officer who signed the eviction order, who knew better than him the predicament of those asked to move out of their lands? Disturbed, he quit his job and worked as an activist for years. His next outing might be on cotton farmers in the Vidharbha region, again people he has observed from close quarters.

Of course, for some like Asokan PK, the maker of Sanskrit film Anurakthi, the reasons are rather simple, born out of expediency too. Anurakthi, which he made last year, brings alive the ancient theatrical tradition of Koodiyattam in Kerala. Apart from the fact that no other language would have sufficed, it sure was an experiment. Not that the process was any easy; he had to seek the help of a battery of research scholars in Sanskrit. Hailing from a land where the movie industry (Malayalam) is not only prolific but also high on the qualitative meter, he believes making a film in unusual/rare language helps one find ones metier more easily. Though Anurakthi is awaiting theatrical release, he is rather optimistic of the film recovering its costs, especially in international markets where there is a tribe of Sanskrit followers and on OTT platforms. Though Pradips last film Onaatah is now streaming on Netflix making it the first film in Khasi to be so shown, he knows he wont be lucky each time.

Treading off the beaten track, the struggle for them begins anew with how to distribute the film. On a scale of difficulties, Tripathy would rate distribution as a far tougher nut to crack. It also explains their reasons to be at the NFDC Film Bazaar, Goa. As their films made the cut in the recommended Viewing Room section, they are hopeful of finding sponsors or fresh markets. Till then, they find motivation in the sense of urgency that drives them, echoing the thoughts of Nell Scovell, If necessity is the mother of invention, urgency is the uncle of change. How soon the change they seek will find resonance among viewers remains to be seen. But as Kay puts it, I will survive.

Trees of hope

Lucas Penafort, who along with Camila Menendez has made a documentary Sisters of the Trees, shares that though monetary support did not come their way at the Film Bazaar, it did pave the way for possible screenings at other festivals. The duo chose Marwari for no other dialect would have done justice to the inspirational subject that talks about a village Piplantri, Rajasthan, where birth of a girl child is welcome. People celebrate the arrival of a girl child in the family by planting 111 trees on the villages grazing commons. Lucas shares how difficult it was to find people fluent in both languages, Mewari and English. Hence, the Argentineans had little option but to incorporate Hindi too. With the film in the post-production stage, they are hopeful of taking their labour of love to the people of Rajasthan.
sanjiv@tribunemail.com

Dehradun, December 21

At least seven labourers were killed, three others injured while another is missing in a landslide near the construction site of the Char Dham all-weather road in Rudraprayag district on Friday, the police said.

The incident took place in the Ukhimath area, near Banswada, on the Rishikesh-Kedarnath national highway at 12 pm.

Rudraprayag District Magistrate Mangesh Ghildiyal said the incident took place during the construction of a retaining wall. A total of 23 labourers were at the site at the time of the incident. Of them, 11 got buried under the debris and 12 escaped unhurt, the DM said.

He said seven bodies had been pulled out of the debris and efforts were on to trace the missing labourer.

Three injured labourers were also pulled out of the debris. The condition of two of them was critical and they have been shifted to AIIMS, Rishikesh, by air.

Senior officials also reached the spot. The rescue and relief operation is underway.

The DM has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident. The Jakholi SDM has been asked to submit the probe report within 10 days.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has expressed grief over the death of the workers.

State Congress president Pritam Singh demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident and compensation for the victims families.  PTI
shriaya.dutta@tribuneindia.com

Washington, December 21

Three members of the International Space Station's Expedition 57 crew have returned to Earth safely after spending 197 days in space.

The crew membersSergey Prokopyev of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Serena Aunon-Chancellor of NASA and Alexander Gerst of European Space Agency (ESA)landed in Kazakhstan on Thursday, marking the end of a voyage that took them around the globe 3,152 times, covering 83.3 million miles.

The Expedition 57 crew members were launched on June 6 and arrived at the space station two days later to begin their mission.

For the last 16 days of her mission, Aunon-Chancellor was joined by fellow NASA astronaut Anne McClain, marking the first time in which the only two US astronauts on a mission were both women, the US space agency said in a statement.

The Expedition 57 crew contributed to hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science aboard the world-class orbiting laboratory.

The highlights included investigations into new cancer treatment methods and algae growth in space.

The crew also installed a new Life Sciences Glovebox, a sealed work area for life science and technology investigations that can accommodate two astronauts.  IANS
sanjiv@tribunemail.com

Washington, December 21

Defence Secretary James Mattis, who batted for strong Indo-US military ties, has resigned, citing irreconcilable policy differences with Donald Trump after the US President shocked the Pentagon by deciding to withdraw American troops from strife-torn Syria.

Mattis, latest in a string of senior US officials to quit the Trump administration, in a letter to the President said that he should choose a person who is more in tune with his world view. Trump announced the resignation in two tweets on Thursday evening, and said Mattis, will leave at the end of February.

According to reports, 68-year-old Mattis, a retired United States Marine Corps General, went to the White House on Thursday afternoon in a last attempt to convince Trump to keep US troops in Syria. He was rebuffed, and told the President that he was resigning as a result.

In his extraordinary resignation letter, Mattis told Trump he had the right to have a Secretary of Defence whose views are better aligned with yours.

Mattis resignation letter, a Pentagon spokeswoman said was hand-delivered to the President. In the letter, Mattis told Trump it was the right time for him to step down.

The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the departments interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defence Ministerial meeting in February, Mattis said.

The Pentagon chief did not mention if he was resigning specifically over the troop withdrawal decision, which has surprised US allies and even Republican lawmakers.

Analysts say the withdrawal of troops will please US enemies by clearing the way for Syrias Bashar al-Assad regime, Russia and Iran. Mattis had warned that removing ground forces from the Middle Eastern country would be a strategic blunder. Currently, there are about 2,000 US forces in Syria.

After Mattis sent his resignation, Trump said: General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years.

During Jims tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting..., he said on Twitter. He said a new Secretary of Defence will be named shortly. One possible candidate to replace Mattis as defence chief could be Republican Senator Tom Cotton, long considered a front-runner to eventually take the role.

Mattis and Trump reportedly have had differences on several foreign policy matters, including Syria and Afghanistan. Reports say the President is also considering a drawdown of US troops from the 17-year-long bloody conflict in Afghanistan.  PTI

India loses a dear friend

Jim Mattis was a great advocate of strong Indo-US defence relationship and New Delhis growing role in the strategic Indo-Pacific amidst China flexing its muscles in the region. He visited India in September for the inaugural 2+2 Dialogue

Earlier this month, Mattis hosted Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the Pentagon for talks. The US-India relationship is a natural partnership between the worlds oldest and the worlds largest democracy, Mattis had said then

In April this year, Mattis appealed to Congress to urgently provide India the national security waiver, saying imposing sanctions on it for buying the S-400 air defence missile system from Russia would only hit the US

Unpredictability in White House
rchopra@tribunemail.com

New York, December 21

A Pakistani citizen has been deported from the US for his role in smuggling individuals from South Asia, some with suspected ties to terrorist organisations, into the country.

Sharafat Ali Khan, 33, was the Brazilian-based facilitator of an alien smuggling organisation. On Monday, US Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers removed him from the country following an investigation by ICEs Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from the FBI, into the alien smuggling scheme. He was turned over to Pakistani authorities on Wednesday.

In March 2014, the HSI New York and FBI special agents had initiated an investigation into an alien smuggling organisation operating in South and Central America, focusing on the movement of illegal aliens from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, through South and Central America to the United States.

From 2014 to 2016, more than 100 people arrested by the HSI and the FBI identified Khan as their smuggler.

The investigation revealed that Khan and his co-conspirators charged each alien between USD 3,000 and USD 15,000 to facilitate their travel to the United States. Several of the individuals smuggled by Khans organisation had suspected ties to terrorist organisations.

The Brazilian Federal Police executed a search warrant at Khans residence in Brazil in June 2016. Khan fled Brazil and attempted to travel to Pakistan via a commercial flight transiting through Doha, Qatar. Around the same time, the US District Court for the District of Columbia (DCDC) issued an arrest warrant for Khan, charging him with conspiracy to encourage or induce an alien to enter the United States for financial gain. On the same date, authorities at Hamad International Airport in Doha detained Khan pursuant to the arrest warrant.

HSI agents extradited Khan from Qatar to the United States through Washington Dulles International Airport, and US Customs and Border Protection paroled Khan into the United States for criminal prosecution.

In October last year, DCDC convicted Khan of conspiracy to defraud the United States, and encourage or induce an alien for commercial advantage or private financial gain. DCDC sentenced Khan to 31 months imprisonment. PTI
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Moscow, December 21

Russias media regulator said on Friday it had launched an investigation into the activities of British public broadcaster the BBC, a move it described as a response to pressure being put on a Russian TV channel in Britain.

Roskomnadzor, the regulator, said in a statement it was looking into the activities of the BBC World News channel and BBC internet sites to see if they complied with Russian law.

It said its checks were in response to a decision by British media regulator Ofcom, which on Thursday said that Russian broadcaster RT had broken impartiality rules in some of its news and current affairs programmes.

The Kremlin said Russian government agencies had repeatedly raised concerns about the BBCs coverage of Russia and of Moscows actions in Syria.

Many questions about the BBC in terms of its tendentious coverage of events, its coverage not in the style of a media actor but in a pre-planned and politically motivated way, have accumulated over a long period, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Only the countrys media regulator had the authority to examine such allegations, he said. An unnamed source familiar with the investigation was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying that the BBCs activities in Russia could be restricted if it was found to be in breach of Russian law.

The BBC said it was in full compliance.

As everywhere else in the world, the BBC works in Russia in full compliance with the countrys laws and regulations to deliver independent news and information to its audiences, said a spokeswoman.

Ofcom declined to comment.

Mask slipping

Ofcom said on Thursday it was considering imposing some kind of sanction on RT, which is financed by the Russian state. It took issue in particular with its coverage of the poisoning in Britain of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

Britain has accused agents working for Russias military intelligence agency, the GRU, of committing the crime, an allegation Moscow denies.

British Media Secretary Jeremy Wright also weighed in on Thursday, saying what he called RTs mask as an impartial news provider was slipping.

RT rejected Ofcoms findings, saying Ofcom had ignored its explanations and not paid due regard to its rights.

Commenting on the launch of the Russian investigation on Friday, Margarita Simonyan, RTs editor-in-chief, said on Twitter that Ofcom had hinted that it planned to strip her channel of its broadcasting licence in Britain.

(Welcome to the) brave new world, she wrote.

I assume they (the Russian regulator) will now look to see if the BBC expresses alternative points of view. With a microscope.

Russian officials have previously said that Moscow would mirror any action Britain takes against RT when it came to retaliating against British media operating in Russia. Reuters
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Washington, December 21

The federal government was careening toward a partial shutdown Friday after President Donald Trumps quest for a border wall left Congress without a clear plan to keep the government running past a midnight deadline.

The Senate was being called back to session to consider a package approved by House Republicans late Thursday that includes the USD 5.7 billion Trump wants for the border with Mexico.

It is almost certain to be rejected by the Senate. Senators already passed their own bipartisan package earlier in the week to keep the government running with border security at existing levels, USD1.3 billion, but no money for the wall.

Both bills would extend funding through February 8.

The White House said Trump will not travel to Florida on Friday as planned for the Christmas holiday if the government is shutting down. More than 800,000 federal workers will be facing furloughs or forced to work without pay if a resolution is not reached before funding expires at midnight Friday.

The presidents been clear from the beginning, he wants something that gives border security and hes not going to sign something that doesnt have that, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters.

At issue is funding for nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Interior, Agriculture, State and Justice, as well as national parks and forests.

Many agencies, including the Pentagon and the departments of Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services, are funded for the year and would continue to operate as usual.

The U.S. Postal Service, busy delivering packages for the holiday season, would not be affected by any government shutdown because its an independent agency.

The shutdown crisis could be one of the final acts of the House GOP majority before relinquishing control to Democrats in January.

Congress had been on track to fund the government but lurched when Trump, after a rare lashing from conservative supporters, declared Thursday he would not sign a bill without the funding. Conservatives want to keep fighting.

They warn that caving on Trumps repeated wall promises could hurt his 2020 re-election chances, and other Republicans as well.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., warned senators they may need to return to Washington for a vote Friday. Many senators already left town for the holidays.

Now we find compromise, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said. We have time right now to get it done. Late Thursday, the GOP-led House voted largely along party lines, 217-185, to attach the border wall money to the Senates bill after GOP leaders framed the vote as a slap-back to Nancy Pelosi.

She is poised to become House speaker on January 3 and had warned Trump in a televised Oval Office meeting last week that he wouldnt have the votes for the wall.

House Republicans also tacked on nearly USD8 billion in disaster aid for coastal hurricanes and California wildfires.

Some Republicans senators cheered on the House, but prospects in the Senate are grim amid strong opposition from Democrats. Even though Republicans have a slim majority, 60 votes are needed to approve the bill there.

One possibility Friday is that the Senate strips the border wall out of the bill but keeps the disaster funds and sends it back to the House. House lawmakers said they were being told to stay in town for more possible votes.

With Pelosis backing, the Senate-passed bill likely has enough support for House approval with votes mostly from Democratic lawmakers, who are still the minority, and some Republicans.

Others were not so sure. I dont see how we avoid a shutdown, said retiring Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla.

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said he was not convinced after a White House meeting with GOP leaders that Trump would sign the Senate bill.

I looked him in the eyes today, and he was serious about not folding without a fight, Meadows said.

Trumps sudden rejection of the Senate-approved legislation, after days of mixed messages, sent Republican leaders scrambling for options days before Christmas.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, exiting the hastily called meeting with Trump at the White House, said Thursday, Were going to go back and work on adding border security to this, also keeping the government open, because we do want to see an agreement. By afternoon, Trump shifted his terminology, saying hes not necessarily demanding a border wall but steel slats  which is similar to the border security fencing already provided for in the bill.

We dont use the word wall necessarily, but it has to be something special to do the job, Trump said at a farm bill signing at the White House. The nuance could provide Trump a way to try to proclaim victory since the Senate bill includes money for fencing, but not the wall.

Democratic leaders have made clear they will not budge on their opposition to the border wall that Trump campaigned on saying Mexico would pay for it. Mexico has refused.

The Trump temper tantrum will shut down the government, but it will not get him his wall, said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Democrats favor border security, Schumer said, but he denounced the wall as ineffective, unnecessary and exorbitantly expensive.  AP
sanjiv@tribunemail.com

WASHINGTON, December 21

US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened a very long government shutdown just hours ahead of a midnight deadline, calling on the Senate to pass spending legislation with his $5 billion demand for border wall funding and seeking to shift blame for a holiday showdown to Democrats.

Republican senators were to meet with Trump at the White House to discuss the dilemma. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed he would attend the meeting, as did Senator Richard Shelby, although he said he doubted the issue would be resolved on Friday.

The Republican-led Senate already had approved funds for the government through February 8 without money for the wall. But on Thursday, Trump pushed fellow Republicans in the House of Representatives to use the short-term funding Bill as leverage to force through the border wall money despite Democratic objections.

In a series of early-morning tweets on Friday, Trump urged McConnell to take up the amended Bill from the House. Trump, who last week said he would be proud to preside over a shutdown, sought to blame Senate Democrats, whose support is needed to reach the 60 votes needed for passage.

If the Dems vote no, there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time, he wrote on Twitter.

Senator Mitch McConnell should fight for the Wall and Border Security as hard as he fought for anything, Trump tweeted. He will need Democrat votes, but as shown in the House, good things happen.

He also urged McConnell to use the nuclear option to force a Senate vote on legislation with a simple majority, rather than the standard supermajority of 60 votes. McConnell has resisted doing that, and Republican Senators Jeff Flake and Orrin Hatch indicated on Friday they would not support it.

The threat of a U.S. government shutdown continued to fuel investor anxieties on Friday over the trajectory of global economic growth as world stocks extended a steep sell-off.  Reuters
The Prime Minister has sought to assuage the concerns of prison officers, assuring them the Government will do everything possible to secure them and their families.

In a statement on the Office of the Prime Ministers Facebook page yesterday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said: We are very aware of the perils surrounding the duties of honest, hard-working prison officers and have taken note of the onslaught aimed at these officers of State. We will do everything possible to secure them and their families.
TROY, N.Y.  New York State Attorney General Barbara Underwood announced more than $1 million has been awarded to 13 law enforcement agencies toward creating and expanding body camera programs.

Included among those awarded in the Capital Region are the Troy Police Department and Albany County Sheriffs Office.

The Troy Police Department has worked tirelessly with stakeholders from the police department, city administration and community leaders regarding the implementation of a police body worn camera program. The availability of a Body Cam grant from the NYS Attorney Generals Office was seen as a way to help us jump start our program. Having been chosen as an awardee is not only helpful financially, but also shows a sense of ideological support from the NYS AG in the departments efforts to have a successful program. The Troy Police Department is thankful for the award, Troy Police Department Chief Brian Owens said of the award of $69,600 for 96 body-worn cameras in a statement.

The Troy PBA is 100 percent supportive of the program. Troy PBA President Nicholas Laviano says hes confident in Chief Owens leadership on a slow and thorough roll out and in the same breath hopes city officials are fully invested and making sure the program is done the correct way.

Its great that we got the grants. Its going to help us out purchasing the equipment that needs to be purchased. I think a lot of people dont realize what actually has to go into it. You have to purchase the cameras, purchase the mounts that go on the police officers vest, Laviano noted of what goes into the technology costs.

Laviano also pointed out how the Police Department is in need of updates from their 2007 desktop computers which crash on basic email checks and at least 50 city cameras throughout the Collar City that dont work. Plus, a 2015 dash cam program that was never fully invested in.

If we had those in-car cameras all three of our police officer involved shootings wouldve been caught on camera. You wouldve seen that it was justified and you wouldnt have speculation that the cop did this or did that, thered be no room for any doubt that the cops did their job, Laviano noted of the lack of full investments from prior administrations.

The PBA is for body cameras, we know that theyre going to help us out. I just have a feeling that the City Council and the Mayors Office doesnt realize that the cost thats going to go into it as an annual cost and its not going to make our job any easier, its not going to make police officers any safer, all its going to do is show you what weve been telling everybody whats been happening on the street since weve been police officers, Laviano added of the costs needed to ensure the program runs smoothly.

Were all for it we just want to make sure its done the correct way. The way Im looking at it is I want my guys and girls to be protected. I dont want them to have a body camera that they think is on that when they go to turn it on theres a malfunction because thats whats happening right now with the city cameras, Laviano said of the need for technology thats fully functional.

Troy Mayor Patrick Madden was additionally grateful for the grant funding.

The Troy Police Department has continued to embrace new technologies to address the rapidly-changing environment and challenges of modern policing. With the assistance of the State Attorney Generals office, the department is positioned to move forward with the deployment of body cameras to assist our officers in their daily responsibilities while increasing transparency and strengthening the trust between the community and the department. We extend our thanks to the State Attorney Generals office for their financial assistance in making this program possible in our community, Madden said in a statement of Troy being awarded grant money toward establishing the program.

Troy City Council President Carmella Mantello echoed the sentiments of Owens and Madden in a statement.

I am pleased our citys police force received a $69,600 grant for body cams. This is something I and a couple minority Council Members have been supporting for three years, and in fact, supported the citys local share of $250,000. I will anticipate we move forward expeditiously on this matter, and have our police force equipped with body cams in the immediate future. This will benefit both our police department and all of Troy residents, Mantella noted of the grant.

The mayors announcement that the city has been awarded grants by the New York State Office of Attorney General for the body camera program aligns with the recommendations of a recent Attorney General report on policy changes needed here in Troy, Councilmember and chair of the Public Safety Committee David Bissember said of the announcement. I look forward to reviewing the Troy Police Departments policy on the use of body cameras as they work to implement this new measure, Bissember added.

As for Albany County, the Sheriffs Office receives $69,151 for 43 body-worn camera systems, six body-worn camera docking stations, and other body-worn camera accessories.

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple appeared as equally pleased as his counterparts across the river when commenting on the grant funds being awarded toward Albany Countys body camera program.

The Albany County Sheriffs Office is very fortunate to be a recipient of funding from the New York State Attorney Generals Office through their CAMS Program. This funding will allow our agency to develop a policy which parallels our present In-Car Cameras system, purchase body cameras, train our members and deploy the cameras in the field. With the deployment of this new program, we will be able to utilize this new tool to expand our abilities to memorialize events and thus enhance our capabilities to provide valuable information to prosecutors. I would like to thank New York State Attorney General Barbara Underwood for giving us this opportunity, Sheriff Apple noted in a statement on the award.
- Obado admitted he had an illicit affair with the deceased Rongo University student

- Sharon was killed and her body dumped in Kodera forest in September 2018

- The governor, however, denied he was involved in her abduction and cruel murder

- Two suspects are in remand in connection with the high profile homicide

- A section of Kenyans would not let the matter rest and ensured they reminded the governor's wife

- She had penned a long season greetings message to her followers on Facebook when the matter was evidently revived

- Most told her to consider the fact Sharon was brutally murdered and her family members will forever leave with the sadness

A simple Christmas festive season message from Migori Governor Okoth Obado's wife, Hellen, has gone south after slain Sharon Otieno's name come up in the comment section.

In her message posted on Thursday, December 21, Helen wished residents of the cosmopolitan county and their loved ones God's protection during the festivities but it was not well received.

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READ ALSO: Governor Obado's wife quotes Bible verse as she celebrates his release from remand

Governor Obado and his wife Hellen. Photo: Helen Obado/Facebook.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Governor Obado's wife summoned by DCI days after husband recorded statement

Apparently irked by mention of "loved ones", her followers raided her page reminding her of the gruesome murder of the Rongo University student.

Before her death, the slain 26-year-old was romantically involved with Obado and the former lovers were expected a baby.

Majority claimed by sending out Christmas wishes to people she may not know individually, her action opened healing wounds and may hurt Sharon's family.

"You may be happy but the spirit of Sharon will haunt the killer forever," said Rono Wences.

Others, however, suggested she should take care of Sharon's orphans.

"Do one thing and I will respect you, go to Sharon's place give them KSh 10 million for upkeep of the children who were left behind by our sister Sharon, whom you know or heard about her killing. I'm waiting," one said.

The county chief and four other suspects are facing murder charges in connection to Sharon's mysterious killing.

Lady Justice Jessie Lessit released Obado on a KSh 5 million cash bail after spending a month in Industrial Area Remand Prison.

His co-accused Michael Oyamo and Caspal Obiero were, however, driven back to the cell awaiting a pre-trial conference slated for February 14, 2019.

The late student allegedly forwarded their intimate chats with to his wife.

This is after the two lovers failed to agree on the location of a house Obado had promised to build her and out of anger, she shared private chats with the governor's wife.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Obado to Spend More Days Behind Bars - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko.co.ke
Deputy President William Ruto literally added another feather in his cap and joined the academia's elders group in style on Friday, December 21.

This was after he graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Plant Ecology from the University of Nairobi (UoN).

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READ ALSO: Garissa MP storms police cell and frees suspects

Deputy President William Ruto's wife congratulates him after he was conferred with a PhD degree in Plant Ecology from University of Nairobi. Photo: William Ruto/Twitter.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Uhuru jokes he thought Ruto was cheating him by skipping work for studies

Ruto's fete came after six years of classwork, fieldwork, pausing, dissertation defences, publishing of academic work coupled with a heated political environment.

He enrolled as a PhD candidate at UoN in August 2012.

As if to express how eagerly he had waited for the hard earned honours which slipped from his hands in 2017, Ruto quickly updated his Twitter handle from William Samoei Ruto to Dr William Ruto, PhD.

"In the end, perseverance; hard work; devotion; dedication; sacrifice and God's timing have triumphed," Ruto tweeted to express joy of achieving another priceless milestone.

He was congratulated by among others President Uhuru Kenyatta who lightly said he had now believed his deputy was attending class and doing field research and not jokig around.

"I was delighted to witness my deputy being awarded a doctorate degree at the 60th UoN graduation. I urge Kenyans graduating from various higher institutions of learning to use their acquired knowledge to build a strong, united, prosperous and cohesive nation," Uhuru tweeted a congratulatory message.

William Ruto was warmly congratulated by his wife Rachel Ruto and mother Sarah Samoei. Photo: William Ruto/Twitter.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Students who performed poorly in KCPE produce splendid results in KCSE 2018

His dissertation which was not approved in the defence in 2016 is titled Influence of Human Activities on Land Use Changes on Environmental Quality of Riparian Ecosystems: A Case Study of Saiwa Swamp Watershed, Western Kenya.

He successfully defended the dissertation in October 2018.

His wife Rachel and mother Sarah Samoei could not hide their joy as they congratulated the man who had done them great in many ways.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news

Kenya News: When Uhuru, Ruto and Raila Met at State House | Tuko TV

Source: Tuko.co.ke
The following is a release issued by the US State Department on November 30, 2021.
Ukrainian delegation headed by First Deputy to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleg Hladkovskiy took part in the 27th meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Joint Working Group on Defense and Technical Cooperation.

The NATO side was headed by Assistant Secretary General for Defense Investment of the NATO International Secretariat Camille Grand, the NSDCs press service reported.

The participants discussed the results of Ukraine-NATO cooperation in 2018 in the field of armaments, the reform of the national defense industry, the implementation of promising programs for the development of new weapons, public-private partnerships, freeing from dependence on Russian industry, and defense-industrial cooperation with the Alliance countries.

The Alliance representatives highly appreciated Ukraine's achievement of the second (higher) level in the NATO codification system.

As a result of the meeting, the parties identified the priority directions of implementing the Roadmap on NATO-Ukraine Defense Technical Cooperation and agreed to intensify cooperation in 2019, including the introduction of NATO technical standards, training of personnel, and improving the security system for the storage of missiles and ammunition.

Within the framework of the meeting, Ukrainian defense enterprises presented modern domestic weapons and equipment manufactured in accordance with the Alliance standards, taking into account the combat experience gained while countering Russia's aggression.
The Ukrainian parliament approved bill No.8449-d "On amendments to certain laws of Ukraine regarding the provision of competitive conditions for the production of electricity from alternative energy sources."

A total of 227 MPs voted in favor of the relevant draft law as a basis, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

According to an explanatory note, the bill will create a legislative framework for introducing competitive principles to support renewable energy facilities and achieve a balance of interests of society and consumers of electricity and other market participants, ensuring further development of renewable energy and reducing the cost burden on electricity price.

Also, the bill will bring the Ukrainian legislation closer to the EU legislation regarding the provision of assistance in the field of energy.

The profile committee recommended that this bill be adopted as a basis. Its adoption will create opportunities to improve the structure of renewable energy market and will help reduce the cost burden on electricity consumers in Ukraine, improve the countrys investment attractiveness and will help reduce Ukraines energy dependence, the profile committee added.

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Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said that the task of the President, Government and Verkhovna Rada is to ensure democracy during the 2019 elections.

He said this at the Government Question Hour meeting held in the Verkhovna Rada on December 21, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

"The task of the President, Government and Parliament is to ensure democratic elections. Society demands respect for the right to make own choices," Groysman said

He also assured that he will do everything possible to ensure that the elections in Ukraine be democratic.

The presidential and parliamentary elections will take place in Ukraine in 2019.
Ukraine proposes exchanging hostages and captives from temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and from Russia in the "72 for 19" and "22 for 22" formats on January 5. A respective proposal has already been sent to the OSCE.

First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Iryna Gerashchenko wrote this on her Facebook page following a meeting with Yevhen Marchuk, Ukraine's representative in the Trilateral Contact Group, and members of the TCG's humanitarian subgroup (experts from Ukraine's SBU Security Service and Ministry for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons).

"The Ukrainian side has sent another proposal to the OSCE. We carefully analyzed all the lists and are ready to pardon and transfer 72 separatists to ORDLO [certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions] in exchange for 19 hostages held in occupied territories. Ukraine is ready for a broader compromise - for the sake of the liberation of our guys - and demonstrates it in practice. We are ready to immediately pass to Russia 22 of its citizens who were detained and convicted in Ukraine [...] We propose releasing the detainees in the '22-22' and '72-19' formats on January 5 so that 150 people could celebrate [Orthodox] Christmas at home, go with their families to the church and pray for peace," Gerashchenko wrote.

In this regard, she said, Ukraine sent the OSCE the proposal to hold a videoconference of the humanitarian subgroup on December 27 in order to discuss the release of hostages and political prisoners.

Gerashchenko recalled that on December 27, it is also scheduled to hold a videoconference and a meeting of the TCG's security subgroup.

"It would be great to agree on the release and the ceasefire regime," she said.
| By Patricia Fanning

Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is an antibiotic-resistant superbug that causes life-threatening diarrhea and colitis (inflammation of the colon). It typically affects people who have recently received both medical care and antibiotics. C. diff causes disease by secreting a fleet of toxins that enter and destroy the cells of the colon.

A team led by Roman Melnyk, PhD, senior scientist in the Molecular Medicine Program at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, that includes Hanping Feng, PhD, professor in the Department of Microbial Pathogenesis at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD), and Jacques Ravel, PhD, associate director, Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, found a drug that can block the effects of the three deadly C. diff toxins without affecting healthy gut bacteria.

This means a more focused and successful treatment of C. diff compared to current antibiotic treatments that cant target these toxins.

Jacques Ravel, PhD, associate director, Institute for Genome Sciences at the School of Medicine; left, and Hanping Feng, PhD, professor in the Department of Microbial Pathogenesis at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed C. diff at the top of the list of the 18 antibiotic-resistant threats in the United States. There is an urgent need for therapies that prevent the symptoms of this disease without disrupting the healthy gut bacteria. C. diff continues to become increasingly more widespread and difficult to treat with traditional means.

SickKids researchers, with the support of collaborators at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, screened thousands of small-molecule drugs to determine if any of them could block the effects of the three deadly C. diff toxins without affecting the gut bacteria. They discovered that a drug called Niclosamide, approved in 1982 for use against human tapeworm infections, protected human colon cells from all three C. diff toxins by preventing their uptake into cells. The teams findings were published in Nature Communications on Dec. 7.

C. difficile, commonly thought of as a disease of the elderly, is increasingly being seen in children, says Melnyk, who also is an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto. When we embarked on this work, we knew that we needed to find a drug that was safe for humans. Recognizing that it can take over a decade to get a new drug to the clinic, we focused our efforts on old drugs that were already approved for human use.

Led by Feng, researchers at UMSOD evaluated Niclosamide and demonstrated its efficacy in protecting animals from C. difficile infection. Additionally, says Feng, Working together with Dr. Ravels group at IGS, we demonstrated that, unlike standard treatments with antibiotics, oral Niclosamide did not induce gut microbiota dysbiosis that redeems host susceptibility to C. difficile infection and recurrent disease.

This discovery could have profound impact on patient care. If these findings translate to humans, this would be the first drug to treat C. diff that is able to block all toxins to prevent disease and disease recurrence without affecting the gut bacteria. By repurposing an existing drug, new treatment can come to market sooner and it can be taken orally because it is an oral pill.

The team will continue to conduct trials to further investigate whether Niclosamide represents a model for non-antibiotic drugs against toxin-producing infectious diseases.

This work was supported by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Refugee children attend choir practice at the Scoala Gimnaziala Ferdinand I in Bucharest, Romania, in May 2018.  UNHCR/Ioana Epure

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today released its recommendations for the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).

UNHCR calls on Romania to use its upcoming Presidency to mobilize the EU around the stronger and fairer response for forcibly displaced people that is at the heart of the Global Compact on Refugees. This includes demonstrating solidarity across the EU for refugees and countries hosting them, said UNHCRs Regional Representative for EU Affairs, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa.

UNHCR is also urging the Romanian Presidency to engage outside the EU to expand protection globally. This includes encouraging States to be prepared for refugee movements and to establish and strengthen relevant asylum institutions and procedures. Increased legal pathways, including by reuniting families, so people do not have to resort to smugglers and dangerous journeys to seek safety, are also vital in ensuring protection for refugees globally is robust.

Among the main recommendations is the need for ensuring a fair, effective and well-managed asylum system. In particular, a reform of the Dublin regulation should contain an effective relocation mechanism to support those Member States which receive a disproportionate number of asylum claims. Until such a mechanism is in place, UNHCR encourages ad-hoc arrangements to foster responsibility-sharing by EU Member States.

UNHCR remains ready to provide support to the Romanian Presidency, the EU and its Member States, to ensure a functioning, fair and accessible European asylum system, and leadership at the global level.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Three months after she was raped by armed men while fleeing violence in South Sudan, Vicky* realized that she was pregnant. Even now, in the safety of Kyaka refugee settlement in Uganda, the memories are raw.

When I think about that horrible day when I was raped and badly beaten, I wished to commit suicide, says the 22-year-old, cradling her 11-month-old baby with her left arm. I wish I had died that day, but my son keeps me alive.

In her right hand, Vicky clutches something else that gives her hope: an English dictionary.

This dictionary is my bible, she says. When I want to shun the bad thoughts, I read through it and try to learn new words. I hope one day I will be able to restart my education.

Vicky is one of over 2.2 million South Sudanese refugees who have sought safety in six neighbouring countries  Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic  since the onset of civil war five years ago. Another 1.9 million remain internally displaced inside South Sudan. Now, amidst severe underfunding, many are suffering.

Funding has struggled to keep pace with needs.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, together with UN and NGO partners have launched an appeal for US$2.7 billion to address the life-saving humanitarian needs of South Sudanese refugees in 2019 and 2020.

We cannot afford to ignore the tremendous needs of these refugee families who have been forced to flee the situation in South Sudan, said Arnauld Akodjenou, UNHCRs Special Advisor to the High Commissioner and Regional Refugee Coordinator for the South Sudan situation. There is enormous potential that can be realized if donors can support the countries that have generously opened their borders and provide all partners in the humanitarian response with the necessary means to respond.

It is our duty to support them to live a dignified and fulfilling life, he added.

See also: Campaign aims to cut rise in suicides sparked by South Sudan war

In 2018, UNHCR and its partners received just 38 percent of the required US$1.4 billion requested to support South Sudanese refugees. Education, health and food supplies are all severely underfunded, exacting a heavy toll on women and children, who account for 83 percent of the refugees.

The food and nutrition needs of South Sudanese refugees are very real, said Allison Oman Lawi, the World Food Programmes Senior Regional Nutrition and Protection Advisor, who joined Akodjenou on Tuesday at an event in Nairobi announcing the South Sudan Regional Response Plan for 20192020.

Many mothers have reported that their children were abducted, or their husbands killed, as they fled. Underfunding compromises the effort to combat sexual and gender-based violence and give people like Vicky the support they need.

Refugee athlete Rose Nathike calls for more support for South Sudanese children at a conference in Nairobi, Kenya.  UNHCR

Education is also one of the acute concerns. Schools lack enough teachers, classrooms are overcrowded and textbooks are in short supply, leaving half of South Sudans refugee children out of school.

In Khartoum, Sudan, 55-year-old South Sudanese refugee Jacob* has taken the task of educating the next generation of South Sudanese children into his own hands.

There are no schools for refugee children here, and parents cannot afford to send their children to the only nearby host community school, he says.

Jacob and four other teachers from South Sudan lead classes at a small church that serves as a school for refugee children in the area. Classes take place every day except on Sundays, when worshipers gather for prayers.

Together we are investing in these children and their future, says Jacob. They have already lost their present and there is no point for them to lose their future as well.

South Sudanese refugee Jacob Ezekiel teaches refugee children at a small church in Khartoum, Sudan.  UNHCR/Mohamed Elfatih Elnaiem

The South Sudan situation is Africas largest refugee crisis. Children are worst affected, having in many cases been exposed to extreme violence and trauma, including the death of one or both parents. Many have become primary caregivers to younger siblings. Their future is at stake.

South Sudan is at a turning point but now is not the time to relax, said Marco Rotelli, Regional Representative for Africa for the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA). There are signs of donor fatigue, but this situation requires all of our support.

* Names have been changed for protection reasons.

Additional reporting by Duniya Aslam Khan in Kyaka refugee settlement in Uganda and Mohamed Elfatih in Khartoum, Sudan.
Mohamad Hamza Alemam had never tasted German bread until he set foot in Bjorn Wieses bakery. From that moment on he was hooked.

Now a trainee sales assistant, the 23-year-old Syrian hopes to learn the secrets of German breadmaking and one day take them home with him.

I love that there are so many different types of bread here, says Mohamad, during a break at the Privatbackerei Wiese bakery in Eberswalde, in north-eastern Germany. When I go back to Syria one day, I hope to take a little bit of this German culture, this German bread, with me. Maybe Ill open a German bakery there.

It was two years ago when master baker Bjorn first hit upon the idea of training and employing newcomers in his chain of three bakeries.

I love that there are so many different types of bread here."

We wanted to bring people together through food, says Bjorn, 46, who belongs to the third generation of bakers in his family. Of course, employing people from different culture to your own can be hard work sometimes, but its doable."

Bjorn now employs ten refugees and asylum-seekers. Together, they make up a sixth of his workforce and among them are several trainees like Mohamad, who started out as a part-time employee.

I didnt want to stay home alone and do nothing, says Mohamad, who had applied unsuccessfully for many jobs before joining Bjorns bakery earlier this year. I wanted to work so I could improve my German, to do something with my time.

Master baker Bjorn Wiese (right) teaches Mohamad how to prepare the dough.  UNHCR/Gordon Welters

Bjorn teaches Mohamad the basics of breadmaking in his on-site bakery.  UNHCR/Gordon Welters

Bjorn prepares to bake bread in the kitchen that adjoins the shop.  UNHCR/Gordon Welters

Loaves of bread line the shelves at the bakery where Mohamad works.  UNHCR/Gordon Welters

Mohamad practices his German with a customer at the bakery.  UNHCR/Gordon Welters

Although he has been learning German since he first arrived in 2015, the language barrier was Mohamads biggest challenge. He was afraid of making mistakes in front of customers. However, colleagues helped and his confidence improved.

Having this work has completely changed my life, says Mohamad. Over time it got better and better, every day I liked the job a bit more. My colleagues are all nice and the boss is even nicer. They always understand what Im trying to say and are always ready to help with whatever I need.

Mohamad says it was Bjorns warm welcome and dedication to his staff that made him decide to commit more seriously to the bakery job. This summer, he asked Bjorn if he could progress to become a trainee sales assistant. Bjorn agreed, helping Mohamad to work towards a vocational qualification.

Having this work has completely changed my life."

Now a full-time member of the team, Mohamad is learning how to run the shop and cafe, as well as the basics of breadmaking in Bjorns on-site bakery.

This traineeship means I can build a life here, says Mohamad. It means so much to me to have a secure future.

For Bjorn, seeing the difference he can make in the lives of employees like Mohamad makes all the hard work worth it. It is a message he would like to pass on to other business owners.

See also: German school helps women refugees hone tech skills

When I see how much its appreciated then Im happy to do it, says Bjorn. Especially with refugees, because theyre looking to build a new life. When you offer people prospects you get so much commitment and appreciation in return.

It is the commitment of business owners like Bjorn Wiese  as well as mayors, volunteers and other community leaders  that helps to promote integration in many parts of Germany.

They are the driving force, says Dominik Bartsch, the Representative for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in Germany. They do not concern themselves with the politics of integration but roll up their sleeves, speak with refugees as equals and offer tangible prospects.

Every city, every municipality should identify such individuals and support them. They are the key to empowering refugees and enabling them to flourish, and to give back to the community.
The ourt in Strasbourg has given Russia two weeks to provide information about Pavlo Hrybs state of health and the medical treatment (if any) that he is receiving.

The European Court of Human Rights was asked to intervene after a recent court hearing needed to be adjourned because Hryb was suffering acute stomach pains, and after the medical specialist treating the young man since early childhood warned that the conditions in the prison where he is being held could lead to haemorrhaging endangering his life.

Hryb was just 19 when the Russian FSB abducted him from Belarus and imprisoned him in a SIZO [remand prison] in Krasnodar pending trial on trumped up terrorism charges, according to the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group.

Russia is ignoring the fact that Hryb has very serious blood circulation issues, including portal hypertension, and needs specialized care and appropriate conditions. Neither are provided in a Russian SIZO.

Professor Vasyl Prytula from the Bogomolets National Medical University, issued a new opinion, based solely on the readings taken at a consultative clinic in Rostov (where Hryb is on trial). Russia has flouted a previous order from the European Court of Human Rights and has not allowed Prytula or any other Ukrainian doctors to examine the young man.

Read alsoRussia puts on Interpol wanted list Ukrainian national who prosecutors claim is Pavlo Hryb's accomplice

Prytulas assessment was deeply worrying. He found, among other issues, that Hrybs portal hypertension, hypersplenism, including enlargement of the spleen, are developing, and he is now suffering from liver cirrhosis and reduced ability for blood coagulation (heightening the threat of blood haemorrhages).

He believes it possible that Hryb is suffering from an inflamed ulcer in the colon or stomach. This can only heighten the danger of haemorrhaging in the digestive tract, stomach or duodenum, with any of these posing a critical danger to his life.

Hryb had been complaining of acute stomach pain and nausea before the court hearing on December 12, but says that the SIZO staff simply gave him a pile of tablets and sent him to the court. There he said that he was in such pain that he couldnt possibly register what was going on and an ambulance was called. The paramedic who came said that he could be suffering from enterocolitis, an infection-caused inflammation of the digestive tract. Or it could be an inflamed ulcer, something which Hryb is vulnerable to. She noted that Hryb had a fever which indicated some kind of inflammation and said that he must be examined.

Read also"Farce continues": MFA Ukraine demands that Russia release political prisoner Pavlo Hryb

Hrybs Ukrainian lawyer Yevhenia Zakrevska approached the European Court of Human Rights asking them to react within the framework of Rule 39 of the Convention (allowing for urgent measures to be taken).

However, Russia has already once flouted an order to allow Ukrainian doctors to examine Hryb. It has instead produced test results which are suspiciously good. This demonstrates shocking brutality in the case of the young man who has serious health issues which could prove fatal if he is not provided proper treatment. There are no medical facilities in Krasnodar capable of treating Hryb should haemorrhaging begin, and Russia is clearly placing the Ukrainian's life in danger.
The cancellation of the EU Council's decisions on sanctions against certain individuals does not affect the EU's current sanctions regime.

The Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) of Ukraine has commented on a decision by the Fourth Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union to cancel restrictive measures against former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, saying his assets in Ukraine and abroad are still frozen in criminal cases.

Read alsoSwitzerland extends freeze on Yanukovych's assets for another year

"Almost all assets of former high-ranking officials (allies) of the [former Ukrainian President Viktor] Yanukovych regime, including those of Azarov, have been frozen as part of relevant criminal proceedings both in Ukraine and abroad. The mentioned assets in criminal proceedings will continue to be frozen regardless of the effect of administrative sanctions by the EU and Switzerland," the PGO's press secretary Andriy Lysenko wrote on Facebook.

He noted that assets could be returned to Ukraine after the relevant court decisions come into force.

Lysenko also assured that the fact that the court had cancelled the EU Council's decisions on sanctions against certain individuals did not affect the EU's current sanctions regime.

According to the PGO, EU administrative sanctions are applicable to 13 Ukrainian former high-ranking officials, while 18 individuals are subject to sanctions in Switzerland.

Lysenko also recalled the Swiss government had decided to extend sanctions against former President Viktor Yanukovych's allies for another year.
The new church leader assures there is no interference in church affairs.

Newly elected head of the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy welcomes a parliament decision on the renaming of the former Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP).

"Reality must reveal the truth. Every Orthodox Ukrainian must know which church they visit," he told the Pravo Na Vladu TV panel show, the TSN news service reports.

Read alsoFormer UOC-MP sees no grounds for change of its name

According to Epifaniy, this decision is likely to ease rather than complicate the situation between the Orthodox churches in Ukraine.

At the same time, he said the political component of this decision should not be overestimated.

"There is no interference in church affairs here. The state is streamlining its legislation with regard to security," he explained.

"There is no interference here. The Ukrainian people wanted and expected this," Epifaniy added.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, on Thursday passed a bill to rename the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. If a religious organization subject to this legislation fails to change its official name and does not apply for re-registration within four months after the law takes effect, its statute becomes void.
A helicopter was visible onboard, the witness said.

A Russian missile frigate is moving in the direction of the Azov Sea from Crimea, a Reuters witness said on Friday.

The frigate was spotted 1.5 nautical miles off the Crimean coast in the area of the town of Feodosia. A helicopter was visible onboard, the witness said.

Tensions are high in the area after Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews in the Black Sea on November 25.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Peskov said Putin was allegedly "interested" in the return of detained Russian citizens home.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Ukraine and Russia could not agree on the "all-for-all" detainee swap over different approaches to the status of those detained.

Answering a question from an UNIAN correspondent in Russia why Russian President Vladimir Putin did not give a concrete answer to a question about the future of Russians convicted in Ukraine despite the fact that the question was asked three times at a recent annual press conference, Peskov said Putin was allegedly "interested" in having them return home as soon as possible, but the question was asked in the context that they should be swapped for captured Ukrainian sailors.

Read alsoPutin says Ukrainian sailors' swap may be discussed after completion of criminal case

"The president said in that context that the issue was up to investigators and courts," Peskov said.

"The president did not give a concrete answer because this is an extremely complicated question. Russia has long been calling for an 'all-for-all' swap, but there is a difference in the approaches to defining those who are in Moscow and those who are in Kyiv, i.e. the status of these people, which leads to discrepancies in the number of people, the number of those who are to be swapped," he said.

Peskov stressed this work was under way, and added Viktor Medvedchuk, the leader of the Ukrainian Choice movement, was largely involved in it.

Answering a clarifying question from UNIAN how the Kremlin qualifies Russians convicted in Ukraine for participation in hostilities in Donbas, Peskov said: "It is impossible to speak generally here, we can only speak about each person individually. This is a long and complex conversation."
According to Gerashchenko, Ukraine will put forward 22-22 and 72-19 swap formats.

The Ukrainian side is initiating a video conference meeting of the humanitarian team of the Tripartite Contact Group on Donbas settlement Dec 27, to offer a detainee exchange on Jan 5, according to Iryna Gerashchenko, Ukraine's humanitarian envoy to the TCG and deputy chair of the Verkhovna Rada.

Ukraine will put forward "22-22" and "72-19" swap formats, Gerashchenko wrote on Facebook following a meeting with Ukraine's representative to the TCG, Yevhen Marchuk, and members of the humanitarian subgroup.

Following the meeting, we approached the OSCE with the initiative to hold on December 27 a video conference meeting of a humanitarian group to once again discuss the issue of the release of hostages and political prisoners, the politician said.

Read alsoKremlin explains why "all-for-all" swap delayed

She also noted that the Ukrainian side had submitted to the yet another proposal. We have carefully analyzed all lists and are ready to pardon and hand over the occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions 72 separatists in exchange for 19 hostages held in the occupied territories. Ukraine is ready for a wider compromise  for the sake of the liberation of our guys  and it is showing it through practical moves. We are also ready to immediately transfer to the Russian Federation 22 of their citizens who were detained and convicted in Ukraine, stressed Gerashchenko.

Recently, a Russian national died in one of the colonies. He had been on the list of 23 of those whom Ukraine had long been ready to hand over to Russia. This man could have long returned home... But the Russian Federation refused to take its citizens back. We urge the Russian side to reconsider its position with regard to its citizens and take them and in exchange for transferring to Ukraine 22 political prisoners of the Kremlin, the MP wrote.

Read alsoPutin says Ukrainian sailors' swap may be discussed after completion of criminal case

In addition, Gerashchenko noted: We express great regret over the fact that, because of the refusal of the Russian Federation and the occupied territories, the hostage release proposed by the Ukrainian side for Dec 27 failed. But we don't give up. We're offering the OSCE to convene all parties and discuss new initiatives at a video conference meeting Dec 27. We propose the swap to be held Jan 5, in 22-22 and 72-19 formats, so that 150 people could celebrate Christmas at home, go to church with their families and pray for peace.

Let me remind you that on this day, the security groups video conference will take place. It would be great to agree on both the release and a ceasefire. Ukraine's envoy to the TCG, Yevhen Marchuk, expressed willingness to join the work of both groups in order to look for a compromise together, Gerashchenko wrote.
The U.S. special envoy says Russia is reluctant to end the conflict and take responsibility for own actions.

U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine negotiations Ambassador Kurt Volker says the Russian Federation rejected the idea of holding a meeting within the framework of the Budapest Memorandum to discuss Ukraine and the issue of restoring its territorial integrity.

In an interview with the Den newspaper, Volker confirmed that Washington had supported the idea of convening such meeting but it was Russia who shunned from it.

Volker went on to call Russia the only state that has violated the Budapest Memorandum, defying the forum designed to resolve such situations should they arise.

Read alsoClaims of Ukraine "preparing offensive" in Donbas deflect attention from Russia's actions - Volker

The Ambassador underlined that Russia's move illustrated that the problem did not lay with the forum  it was about Russia's unwillingness to end the conflict and take responsibility for their actions.

He called on international partners to focus in order to make Russia come to the point where the Kremlin would be willing to restore peace and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Williamson on Friday met Stepan Poltorak, his Ukrainian counterpart, and visited the port of Odesa where a British Royal Navy ship, HMS Echo, docked earlier this week.

British defense minister Gavin Williamson visited Ukraine on Friday where he told his Ukrainian counterpart that the Black Sea did not belong to Russia and that Britain had sent a Royal Navy ship there to show Kyiv did not stand alone.

Williamson was speaking as tensions in the area remain high after Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews in the Black Sea last month, accusing them of illegally entering its territorial waters, a charge Ukraine denied, Reuters reports.

Williamson on Friday met Stepan Poltorak, his Ukrainian counterpart, and visited the port of Odesa where a British Royal Navy ship, HMS Echo, docked earlier this week.

The reason...that HMS Echo is here is that we firstly want to demonstrate the solidarity that we have with Ukraine and the fact that Ukraine doesnt stand alone, said Williamson.

Read alsoRussian warship en route to Azov Sea from Crimea: Reuters witness

But also demonstrate our right to be able to come to ports such as Odesa, for freedom of navigation, for freedom for navies to be able to operate in the Black Sea. This isnt Russias sea, this is an international sea.

Relations between Moscow and Kyiv have been locked in a downwards spiral since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and backed pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Epifaniy says the new church wants constructive relations rather than feuds.

Newly elected head of the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy has said relations between Orthodox Christians in Ukraine should be peaceful and constructive and he is open to dialogue with the clergy of the former Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP).

Read alsoMetropolitan Epifaniy on UOC-MP renaming: Reality must reveal truth

"Of course, I will say hello," he answered a question whether he would greet [Metropolitan] Onufriy, the head of the former UOC-MP, during a meeting. "We need to have a dialogue," he told the Pravo Na Vladu TV panel show, the TSN news service reported.

Epifaniy says the new church wants constructive relations rather than feuds.

"We must find mutual understanding, not enmity," he said.

"If they feel love, they will join the local church," Epifaniy added.

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.
Six invaders were killed and another three were wounded.

Russia's hybrid military forces mounted eight attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as wounded in action.

Read alsoUkraine says three sabotage groups of Russian military intelligence arrested in Donbas

"One Ukrainian soldier was wounded in the past day. According to our intelligence reports, six invaders were killed and another three were wounded," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in an update published on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on December 21, 2018.

The Russian occupation forces opened fire from grenade launchers of various types, heavy machine guns and small arms to attack the defenders of the towns of Maryinka and Krasnohorivka, and the villages of Stanytsia Luhanska, Luhanske, Hnutove, and Lebedynske.

The enemy also employed 82mm mortars, shelling the Ukrainian positions near Luhanske and twice near Hnutove, while 120mm mortars were used near the village of Vodiane.

"Since Friday midnight, Russian-led forces have attacked the Ukrainian positions near the village of Chermalyk," the report said.
U.S. officials said the resignation had not been forced by Trump.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis abruptly said he was quitting on Thursday after falling out with President Donald Trump over his foreign policies, including surprise decisions to yank troops from Syria and start planning a drawdown in Afghanistan.

Mattis announced plans to depart in a candid resignation letter to Trump that laid bare the growing divide between them, and implicitly criticized Trump for failing to value America's closest allies, who fought alongside the United States in both conflicts, as reported by Reuters.

Read alsoTrump orders U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria, claiming victory - Bloomberg

He released the letter after a face-to-face meeting with Trump in which the two men also aired their differences, a senior White House official said.

"Because you have a right to a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis said in the letter.

U.S. officials said the resignation had not been forced by Trump.

Trump announced on Wednesday that U.S. troops in Syria would be withdrawn, a decision that upended American policy in the region. On Thursday, an official said the president was planning to withdraw at least 5,000 of the 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan  another blow to Mattis, who advocated for a strong U.S. military presence to bolster diplomatic peace efforts.

Mattis, a retired Marine general whose embrace of NATO and America's traditional alliances often put him at odds with Trump had advised against the Syria withdrawal. One official said it was a contributing factor to his resignation.

The Mattis resignation letter also said that he believed the United States "must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours." He identified Russia and China as countries that "want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model."

Speculation that Mattis might not last long in his post grew in October when Republican Trump said in a CBS interview that the general was "sort of a Democrat" and might be leaving. Mattis responded at the time by telling reporters that he had Trump's full support.
Prosecutors say they have identified about 100 people of interest in the case, but have so far refrained from naming them publicly.

The Netherlands is considering referring Russia to an international court after reaching an impasse with the Kremlin over responsibility for shooting down a civilian airliner over Ukraine in 2014, killing 298 people, many of them Dutch citizens.

In a letter delivered to the Dutch Parliament on Thursday morning, the country's foreign minister, Stef Blok, said that Russia had rebuffed all efforts to start negotiations on a possible settlement or compensation for the victims of the 2014 attack on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, and that the government was considering "potential next steps" including "submitting the matter to an international court or organization."

The Netherlands and Australia, whose citizens made up a large number of the victims, made "several requests to Russia through diplomatic channels to engage in formal meetings on this matter, with a view to establishing the truth and achieving justice and accountability for the victims and their next of kin," Mr. Blok wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The New York Times.

Read alsoRussia accused of hacking attempts into MH17 crash investigation

The diplomatic efforts, he said, have not produced negotiations "concerning Russia's responsibility," though the Dutch government remains open to dialogue should the Kremlin wish to come to the table.

Russia has denied any involvement in the attack, and Western allies have accused the Kremlin of trying to thwart the investigation through cyberattacks and a disinformation campaign. Though Dutch authorities have not yet decided on a precise plan of action, the letter is a clear indication of their frustration with Russia.

Any effort to seek accountability through an institution like the International Criminal Court would take years, if not decades, though the mere threat may incense Russia. When Mr. Blok first challenged Russia to accept responsibility in May, he described the reaction of his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, as "quite abrasive."

That was around the time an international consortium of prosecutors determined that the Russian military had supplied the missile that shot down the airliner. The missile, part of a Buk antiaircraft system, belonged to the 53rd Antiaircraft Brigade based in the Russian city of Kursk, and was transported from Russia to eastern Ukraine during a period when pro-Russian rebels there were sustaining heavy losses from Ukrainian airstrikes, the prosecutors found.

Read alsoBellingcat founder: Russians misinterpret shadows and objects in JIT's MH17-related videos

The war between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists has now dragged on for nearly five years, at the cost of more than 10,000 lives. Though the eastern provinces of Ukraine have become virtual no-go zones for outsiders, in July 2014 the region was still a busy, east-west corridor for civilian air traffic.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, when it was hit by the missile and broke up in midair, scattering debris and bodies over wheat fields below. Almost immediately, suspicion fell on Russian-backed separatists. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released audio of a phone call, made right after the plane was downed, in which a separatist commander told a Russian military intelligence official, "We have just shot down a plane."

As quickly as accusations were made, Russia issued denials and circulated alternative theories about the crash, including one claiming a Ukrainian fighter jet shot down the plane.

Russia also may have sought to undermine the investigation. After Dutch authorities thwarted a group of Russian spies trying to break into the computers of the international chemical weapons watchdog in The Hague last April, they discovered that a Russian officer had been at a Kuala Lumpur hotel near where Malaysian officials were investigating the crash.

Prosecutors say they have identified about 100 people of interest in the case, but have so far refrained from naming them publicly. Prosecutors have said that the suspects could be tried in a Dutch court, but have not indicated how they might be extradited to the Netherlands.
Flights had resumed earlier for a few hours before the latest sighting happened.

Flights at Gatwick have been suspended again due to a new "suspected drone sighting".

A spokeswoman for the UK's second biggest airport said: "We are just hearing a report of another drone sighting that we are investigating, according to the BBC.

"As we look into it we have taken the precaution of suspending flights."

Aircraft have been circling above the area as they are currently unable to land. The sighting reportedly occurred at about 17:10 GMT.

The Ministry of Defence has not confirmed the sighting but Sussex Police said its officers were investigating.

Read alsoMore "clever" Russian aggression in Ukraine, possibly Baltics in 2019  expert forecast

Gatwick had reopened earlier after drones flying over the airfield closed it for more than a day.

The airport was initially closed on Wednesday at about 21:30, following the first drone sighting.

Police believe more than one unmanned aircraft is responsible and are investigating the possibility of multiple culprits.

Earlier, officers said they had identified "persons of interest".

In a statement, Sussex Police confirmed operations had again been suspended for safety reasons.

The force said: "Sussex Police is supporting the airport and is proactively deploying significant resources to seek and locate the drone and its operator and to ensure the safety of the travelling public and all those in and around the airport."
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(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Hundreds of angry demonstrators took to the streets on Thursday in at least two cities in Sudan to protest the dire economic situation, media reported.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th December, 2018) Hundreds of angry demonstrators took to the streets on Thursday in at least two cities in Sudan to protest the dire economic situation, media reported.

A government building was torched in the eastern city of Gadarif, while in Dongola, the capital of the Northern region, the office of the ruling National Congress party was set alight, witnesses told the Anadolu news agency.

The news outlet said that the protests were started by students rallying over poor public services. In Dongola, they were joined by people protesting an acute bread shortage.
Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Pakistan Furqat Sidiqov Thursday called on Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan here and discussed matters of mutual interests.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Dec, 2018 ) :Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Pakistan Furqat Sidiqov Thursday called on Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan here and discussed matters of mutual interests.

The minister said the trade volume between the two countries could be increased and Uzbek exporters should be directly accessed by the Pakistan cotton importers as the cotton imported through Afghan border last month was actually Uzbek cotton hence both the countries should do away with negative market forces.

He further said, "We are in need of viable agro machinery and especially cotton related machinery and tractors which could be imported from Uzbekistan and in the long run (after MoU) the technology could be shared with local manufacturers through mutual agreement".

He is also co-chair from Pakistan side for the Uzbek Joint Inter-Governmental Commission (JIGC). The next session of which is scheduled to be held in March next year in Tashkent. The MoU in the area of agriculture is expected to be signed in the next session of the JIGC.

The exchange of high level delegation between the two countries took place last year and both the countries mutually agreed to move ahead in the field of agro-cooperation and it is expected that MoU will be signed soon after completion of internal formalities.

It is interesting to note that Pakistan imports vegetables and fruit worth of USD 70 million from Uzbekistan and Pakistan exports sugar, potatoes and citrus fruit and other worth of USD 60 million to Uzbekistan. Pakistan is second biggest trade partner of Uzbekistan in the Central Asian region after Russia.

In this backdrop the federal minister expressed his desire that it is expedient to move ahead in the field of research and technology sharing as Uzbekistan is self-sufficient in cotton seeds and Pakistan can import these seeds as these are resistant to various diseases.

Moreover, our researchers are eager to learn new techniques to enhance the yield and move towards the goal of self-sufficiency in the field of agriculture and food, Uzbekistan is a brotherly country and can help in the field of research as there is an academy of cotton which could be beneficial for our students and researchers. The exchange of students will also be a major part of the upcoming MoU between the two countries.

Uzbek Ambassador told the minister that Samarkand and Bukhara are unique agriculture centers, where cotton clusters are built/made for the small farmers, this is a kind of facility for the cotton producers where all the process from growing to packing is done.

He said Pakistan can also adopt that idea and further apprised the minister that Uzbekistan cotton picking tool and ten tractors are working in Pakistan on trial basis and that the cotton picking implement is quite handy and beneficial.

It was discussed in the subject meeting that Uzbekistan can expand its tractor and other agro-machinery market in Pakistan and asked about the list of local manufacturers and importers.

He said there are certain taxation issues due to which the cost of tractors is relatively higher and it should be discussed and resolved.

The Uzbek ambassador said regarding the import of Uzbek cotton through Torkham border we can adopt new approach and centralize the whole system and do away with "shadow economy".

He also informed that they still have 100,000 metric ton cotton and they can export that. He also said they have the capacity to make their own cotton seeds and they could make special seeds for Pakistan and interesting thing about those seeds is that those are naturally resistant to various diseases and hence a small amount of pesticides is needed.

The Uzbek ambassador told the minister that to facilitate the trade a proposal for a 700km long railway line is in the process which will pass through Uzbakistan, Russia, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and also in order to boost trade a trilateral commission is also proposed by the Uzbek side and if materialized it will be beneficial for the landlocked countries and time and money could be saved.

Federal Minister Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan welcomed the proposal regarding Pakistan assistant in fisheries sector and the minister also said our government is going to launch a mega project in all 4 provinces and resultantly there will be tremendous increase in export of fisheries.

The ambassador said Uzbekistan imports 5 million tons of sugar and can resort to Pakistan as we still need sugar, to which Federal Minister apprised that we have 1.8 million tons of surplus sugar. Similarly we could export dairy and meat and find a new market in the region.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

CHISINAU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st December, 2018) Moldovan President Igor Dodon said on Thursday that he would sign a bill restoring mobile phone communication with the self-proclaimed republic of Transnistria in the coming days.

On November 22, the Moldovan government approved amendments to the legislation to restore a direct mobile phone communication with the breakaway region that was cut off in 2003.

"I announce that I will sign a bill which will allow to resolve the issue of restoring mobile phone communication with Transnistria. The bill will be signed today or tomorrow," Dodon said at a press conference.

Transnistria, a region with a predominantly ethnically Russian and Ukrainian population, seceded from the Soviet Republic of Moldova in 1990, fearing a possible reunion with Romania. The separation led to an armed conflict that ended in a ceasefire in July 1992, although the issue is still unresolved.
The opening of the NATO Liaison Office in Moldova's capital of Chisinau goes against the country's interests, Moldovan President Igor Dodon said on Thursday.

CHISINAU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th December, 2018) The opening of the NATO Liaison Office in Moldova 's capital of Chisinau goes against the country's interests, Moldovan President Igor Dodon said on Thursday.

"The opening of the NATO Liaison Office in Moldova is contrary to the interests of the country, it is contrary to the principle of neutrality of Moldova, which must be respected in a mandatory manner. Moldova should pursue a balanced foreign policy, " Dodon said at a press conference.

Chisinau needs to maintain good relations both with the West and the East, the president underlined.

"The presidential administration has developed a draft foreign policy strategy, which is based on pursuing a balanced foreign policy.

My advisers and I have presented this document in Moscow, Vienna, Brussels, Washington and Berlin, and in these countries our position has been supported, " Dodon added.

Moldova is a neutral country but it joined the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) program in 1994. NATO opened a civilian Liaison Office in Chisinau at the Moldovan request in 2017.

Some 60 percent of Moldovan citizens would vote against Moldova's accession to NATO in the event of a national referendum, a poll by the Moldovan National Association of Sociologists and Demographists showed last week.
(@FahadShabbir)

US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun said on Friday that the United States would not lift North Korea sanctions, but confirmed Washington's readiness to ease certain restrictions on Pyongyang in order to facilitate humanitarian assistance deliveries to the country

TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st December, 2018) US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun said on Friday that the United States would not lift North Korea sanctions, but confirmed Washington's readiness to ease certain restrictions on Pyongyang in order to facilitate humanitarian assistance deliveries to the country.

"Humanitarian assistance is not blocked by the U.N. sanctions. However, some of the reviews of licenses and travel approvals do affect the ability of humanitarian organizations to do very important work in North Korea," Biegun said at a press conference that followed his meeting with his South Korean counterpart, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.

He added that the United States would review the approval of licenses that would enable Seoul to provide $8 million in humanitarian aid to North Korea via international agencies.

"We talked about these issues and we agreed to take some steps moving forward in the next year.

We will have more to say about it at our next meeting," Biegun said.

The official also stressed that the United States had "no intention" of easing its unilateral or UN sanctions against North Korea.

"However, within the context of the engagement we had with the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea], we are prepared to explore a number of other things that could build trust between the U.S. and North Korea," he said.

Biegun specified that sanctions would remain in place until North Korea took further steps toward denuclearization.

In early December, Moon Chung-in, a South Korean presidential adviser, said that the stalled US-North Korean denuclearization talks could be revived if US humanitarian agencies were allowed to operate in North Korea.
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Asia Pacific: Japan, China, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Rest of Asia Pacific

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Victorinox

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Army Knives Manufacturers

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Industry Association

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2 Global Army Knives Market Competition by Manufacturers

3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Complementary DNA Microarrays (cDNA

4 Global Army Knives Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2018)

5 Global Army Knives Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type

6 Global Army Knives Market Analysis by Application

7 Global Army Knives Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis

8 Army Knives Manufacturing Cost Analysis

9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers

10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders

11 Market Effect Factors Analysis

12 Global Army Knives Market Forecast (2018-2025)

13 Research Findings and Conclusion

14 Appendix

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Telling Nigerians that Our help is in the name of the Lord the President of the Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Akubeze, has advised Nigerians to celebrate Christmas.

Paul Samasumo  Vatican City



Notwithstanding the many security challenges Nigerian people and pastoral agents are undergoing, Archbishop Augustine Akubeze of the Benin Archdiocese and President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) is encouraging Nigerians to celebrate Christmas.

In his Christmas message to the Nigerian people, Archbishop Akubeze has urged them not to give in to despair but to celebrate Christmas gladly.

In the face of many security challenges

Many Nigerians both Christians and Muslims have condemned the invasion of innocent peoples farmlands by herdsmen. Some of our people have questioned what is the need to celebrate when some of our priests, consecrated men and women are kidnapped while going about their pastoral work? A significant number of our lay faithful have also been victims of these crimes. Sadly, though, some have lost their lives during this terrible ordeal which is becoming too frequent in Nigeria. How do we celebrate Christ the King of Peace when some of our brothers and sisters in northern Nigeria and, especially in the northeastern part are constantly being attacked unprovoked? How do we celebrate when we have witnessed many mass burials of our people killed by Islamic fundamentalists? How do we celebrate when our Churches and Mosques come under attack; and soldiers are being killed? How do we celebrate under these conditions? Archbishop asks.

A reason to celebrate

Archbishop Akubeze has called on all Nigerians to place their ultimate hope in God.

We celebrate because we do not place our hopes in mere mortals. Ours is not going to come from our politicians. Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth, the Archbishop said.

Keep partisan politics away from the pulpit

The President of the Nigerian Bishops Conference has further reiterated the recent directive of the Bishops to pastoral agents to keep politics away from the pulpit.

It is unfortunate, that some people in the Church are using the Church for political pronouncements. The pulpit is meant for the proclamation of the message brought to us by the Infant Jesus. Christ himself avoided getting into secular politics.No religious body should set out solely to promote (a particular) political agenda, Akubeze said.

In February 2019, Nigeria head to the polls in a nationwide general election.
Imlil, 10km from where the bodies of two Scandanavian tourists were found. (ANSA)

The murders of two scandanavian toursits in Moroccos atlas mountains are being linked to terrorist attacks after four Moroccan nationals were stopped, one of which has been confirmed as a so-called Islamic State extremist.

By Francesca Merlo

The horrific murders of 24 year-old Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and 28 year-old Maren Ueland are believed to have been an act of terrorism.

The bodies of the two girls, from Denmark and Norway, were found on Monday morning by French hikers near the village of Imlil, in Moroccos High Atlas Mountains, a popular tourist destination. One girl had been beheaded and the other was found with her throat cut.

The two girls, who were studying to be outdoor guides at a Norwegian university, were spotted with three men in Marrakesh before heading to the Atlas mountains to hike.

Witnesses say that three men from Marrakesh were seen camping close to the women.

Moroccan authorities have confirmed that at least one of the suspected killers is a confirmed 'extremist', thus prompting fears that the gruesome double murder was an act of terror.

A video showing the murder and beheading of one of the girls has been recognised as genuine by Danish intelligence services.

The men can supposedly be heard shouting 'This is for Syria in the video. The comment appears to reference Western bombing in war-torn Syria.

A Moroccan police source said today that three fugitive suspects had been arrested in Marrakesh after an intensive manhunt including a man from the city whose identity card was found at the murder scene.

They were filmed fleeing the scene early on Monday morning, by another camper.
Apple risks iPhone ban in Germany after court ruling, Source: SAEED KHAN/AFP/Getty Images

This marks a second major win for Qualcomm in a month after a court in China on Dec 10 ordered a prohibition on iPhone sales over a separate patent dispute there.

"Qualcomm ruling effectively outlaws the offering and placing on the market of the finished product in Germany, including the sale. The iPhones 7plus, 7, 8, 8plus and X are affected," said the regional court in Munich in a statement.

Given that Apple can appeal the initial ruling, the court said the injunction banning sales of affected iPhones could only be imposed immediately if Qualcomm laid down a security deposit amounting to 668.4 million (US$765 million).

The court said the large sum as could be the amount awarded to Apple in terms of revenue losses if the iPhone maker manages to get the Munich ruling overturned by a higher court.

The two Californian tech giants have been locked in a long-running battle over patents and royalties that has played out in courts and administrative bodies worldwide.

At the heart of the dispute in the German case are chips made by one of Apple's suppliers used in iPhones, with both parties at loggerheads on how the chips actually work, said the court.

Among the functions of the chip is the conservation of battery power.

The court said it had to go with Qualcomm's explanation of how the chip worked as Apple would not give details on its functioning, citing the industrial secrecy interests of its supplier.

"If the defence can only be carried out when one reveals a secret," then one must either do so, "or one can keep the secret and then possibly lose the case, as has happened today," said the judge Matthias Zigann, according to remarks carried by national news agency DPA.

Qualcomm said it would hand over the 668.4-million deposit "within a few days" after which the injunction would be enforceable.

"Two respected courts in two different jurisdictions, just in the past two weeks, have now confirmed the value of Qualcomm's patents and declared Apple an infringer, ordering a ban on iPhones in the important markets of Germany and China," said Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel of Qualcomm.

But Apple struck a defiant note, accusing Qualcomm of trying to "distract from the real issues between our companies" and said it would appeal the decision.

"Qualcomm insists on charging exorbitant fees based on work they didn't do and they are being investigated by governments all around the world for their behaviour," a statement said.

"All iPhone models remain available to customers through carriers and resellers in 4,300 locations across Germany.

"During the appeal process, iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models will not be available at Apple's 15 retail stores in Germany. iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR will remain available in all our stores."

LARGER BATTLE

The China court had also ruled in favour of Qualcomm in a dispute based on patents which enable consumers to adjust and reformat the size and appearance of photographs, and to manage applications using a touchscreen.

The two cases are an extension of a wider battle between the two IT giants.

Apple argues that Qualcomm is abusing its market power over certain mobile chipsets in order to demand unfair royalties, joining a string of antitrust actions against the chipmaker.

Qualcomm has countersued Apple and earlier this year escalated its legal fight, claiming the iPhone maker stole trade secrets and shared them with mobile chip rival Intel.

According to Qualcomm's US lawsuit, Apple's goal was to buy mobile chips from Intel instead of depending on Qualcomm.

Qualcomm itself is meanwhile facing antitrust probes in South Korea, the European Union and the United States over its dominant position.

Qualcomm in 2015 agreed to pay US$975 million to settle antitrust charges in China.
Lindholm island, where the migrants will be housed, used to house a veterinary institute researching infectious animal diseases. (Photo: AFP/Mads Claus Rasmussen)

Those selected will live in buildings once used by scientists for research on infectious diseases in animals.

The proposal has brought thousands of Danes out on to the streets to protest and made headlines around the world.

But the measure is part of a clear message from the government to foreigners: Denmark is full, and it cannot take any more migrants without jeopardising its social welfare model.

To get that message across, the government has multiplied the obstacles for would-be immigrants and introduced almost 100 amendments restricting the rights of migrants.

This proposal is the latest in a long series.

The island exile idea was proposed by the populist, anti-immigration Danish People's Party (DPP), which is not part of the government but the idea was snapped up by the ruling centre-right coalition.

The "unwanted" migrants who will live there include those with criminal records in the process of being deported, said a government statement.

Others include those already rejected for refugee status, but cannot be deported because of security concerns.

Controversial Immigration Minister Inger Stojberg of the conservative Liberal Party - which leads the coalition - put it more bluntly in a Facebook post.

"If you are unwanted in Danish society, you should not be a nuisance to ordinary Danes," she wrote.

"They are undesirable in Denmark, and they must feel it!"

'GO HOME'

"The Danes, they are quite welcoming," said, Dejene, a 30-year-old asylum seeker from Ethiopia at Trampoline House, a support centre in Copenhagen for refugees and asylum seekers.

"But the system, that's really another story," he added. "They say out loud they don't want us here. This country is not for foreigners."

Morten Goll, who runs Trampoline house, agrees: "Newcomers are losing their appetite to become Danish."

Since the 2015 surge in refugees making the perilous Mediterranean crossing into Europe, the Danish government has steadily and vocally hardened its line on immigration.

In 2015, the government ran adverts in the Lebanese press warning would-be immigrants that Copenhagen was toughening its conditions.

The next year, it approved measures including the confiscation of cash and valuables belonging to migrants, and an extension from one year to three for family reunifications.

And it has suspended its participation in the UN refugee agency programme, under which countries accept a quota of refugees.

Denmark has a population of 5.8 million and 8.5 per cent of them are of "non-western" origin, according to the national statistics institute.

And with elections due next year, the government's aim is clear: refugees have to know that they cannot stay forever.

The latest proposal to go before parliament is a cut in benefits to foreigners: 150 euros less for single persons, who currently get 1,600, and 270 euros less for couples, who receive 2,200 euros.

"They have to go home and help rebuild their countries as soon as possible," said Martin Henriksen, migration spokesman for the People's Party.

"This is a fair and reasonable principle."

'TOUGHNESS AND INTOLERANCE'

Between 2015 and 2017, the number of asylum requests to Denmark fell by 75 per cent.

For Demetrios Papademetriou of the Migration Policy Institute, Denmark's policies are at the extreme end of a Europe-wide trend.

"The Danish government's official behaviour toward migrants is an exception in its toughness and intolerance," he said.

And while it may not be part of the government, the engine behind many of these changes has been the DPP, Papademetriou added.

"No other party that opposes immigration in Europe has been as successful in shaping national policy on all migration-related issues as deeply, or for as long a period of time," he said.

Trine Christensen, secretary general of Amnesty International, took heart from the protests that greeted the island proposal.

"Danes don't demonstrate in great numbers very often," she said. "It seems people across Denmark feel the politicians are going too far."

But the latest polls suggested the DPP has 18 per cent support, maintaining its position as the second-largest party in the country.

With elections just a few months away, it is neck-and-neck with the Liberal Party.
The rollercoaster saga of Carlos Ghosn has gripped Japan. (Photo: AFP/Behrouz Mehri)

The case of the once-revered 64-year-old tycoon has gripped Japan since he was arrested completely out of the blue as he stepped off his private jet at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Nov 19.

And in another unexpected development, Ghosn was arrested on Friday on suspicion of transferring losses from personal financial investments to Nissan, causing damage to the company's assets, according to a statement from prosecutors.

He has already been formally charged with under-reporting his income by tens of millions of dollars over several years and faces a second batch of allegations that this continued for three further years.

However, the auto baron had had his hopes raised of being freed on bail after a court rejected a bid by prosecutors to extend his detention over the second set of allegations.

But this fresh arrest gives prosecutors 48 hours to question him on the new matter - possibly extended beyond that.

Since his stunning arrest last month, the once jet-setting executive has languished in a tiny cell in a detention centre in northern Tokyo, where he has complained about the cold and the rice-based menu.

His lengthy detention - in Japan, suspects can be "re-arrested" several times over different allegations - has sparked criticism, especially from abroad.

Ghosn has an unusually high profile for a foreign executive in Japan and was credited with turning around the struggling car giant Nissan and forging a three-way alliance with French manufacturer Renault and fellow Japanese firm Mitsubishi Motors.

He was seen as the glue holding together the fractious alliance and his arrest has exposed major rifts between Nissan - which makes the most money - and Renault, the dominant shareholder.

According to local media, Ghosn has admitted signing documents to defer part of his salary until after retirement but said this amount did not need to be declared as it had not yet been definitively fixed.

The suspicion is that he sought to defer part of his pay to avoid criticism from staff and shareholders that his salary was too generous.

Both Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors promptly sacked Ghosn as chairman following his arrest, on the basis of a months-long internal Nissan investigation.

Renault has been much more cautious, keeping him on as chairman and CEO and appointing Thierry Bollore as interim boss.

'DUTY OF CARE'

In addition to charges against Ghosn and Kelly, prosecutors have also indicted Nissan, as the company submitted the official documents that allegedly under-reported his income.

On Thursday, the company pointedly declined to comment, saying it was "exclusively between the court and the prosecutors".

It said the decision to fire Ghosn was "based on the substantial and convincing evidence" from an internal investigation.

"Both Ghosn and Kelly have violated their director duty of care," the firm added in a statement.

Nissan has also accused its former boss of other financial impropriety, including using Nissan funds to purchase luxury homes around the world.

One of these - a luxurious, 800 sq m spread with ocean views over Rio de Janeiro's famous Copacabana Beach - has become the subject of a legal battle.

Last week, Ghosn family members entered the flat, removed "personal effects" and opened the safes, according to Nissan. This followed a court order giving Ghosn's representatives access despite objections from the Japanese firm.
Experts say arbitration is good for resolving disputes related to mergers and acquisitions at a conference held in HCM City on December 20.-VNA/VNS Photo Viet Dung

Lawyer Dang Xuan Hop, an arbiter from the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (VIAC), said alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is being used more and more.

Arbitration offers great convenience, speed and affordability, and is highly enforceable, he said, adding that the quality of ADR is also on the rise and the Vietnamese Government has been supporting it.

Phan Trong Dat, deputy general secretary of VIAC, said 92 per cent of foreign companies -- polled in a survey by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and USAID -- do not prioritise using courts to resolve disputes.

Tran Du Lich, vice chairman of the VIAC, said as Viet Nams merger and acquisition market grows, so do legal risks and disputes, and resolving them through arbitration is highly recommended.

Truong Nhat Quang, managing partner of law firm YKVN, said disputes relates to mergers and acquisitions in Viet Nam typically involve issues such as guarantee violations, compensation, price adjustments (whether they were done correctly) and shareholding.

But he said negotiating is preferable to relying solely on arbitration or the courts.

Besides, firms need to watch out for concepts and terminology in mergers and acquisitions deals that may not be covered by Vietnamese laws yet, he warned.

The conference was organised by the VIAC and the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board.
President Xi Jinping warned that no one would 'dictate' China's development path. (Photo: AFP/Wang Zhao)

With the clock ticking since Dec 1 on a 90-day deadline to reach a deal with the United States, China has only made superficial peace offerings as it tries to buy time to shore up its economy, analysts said.

The lack of a clear direction suggests dissent from within the party leadership "since the summer", Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a political science professor at Hong Kong Baptist University, told AFP.

There are "fierce divisions" in the leadership on "how to handle the trade war with the US and how to relaunch reforms, and whether to relaunch reforms or not," he said.

"I don't think they've settled the disputes."

Xi vowed Tuesday to press ahead with reforms as the party celebrated the 40th anniversary of its landmark "reform and opening up" policy.

But Xi, who has accumulated titles to become China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, warned that no one would "dictate" China's development path and that it would "resolutely not reform what shouldn't and can't be changed".

Steve Tsang, head of the China Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, said the lack of a regular autumn plenum of the party's Central Committee - a platform to discuss reforms - signalled Xi was "avoiding such issues" and "suggest Xi is feeling pressure over the trade war and the slowing economy."

"As Xi takes charge of practically all major policy areas, discomfort in the upper echelons of the party over the trade war and the economy cannot but imply discomfort with the direction he was leading China."

GOVERNMENT NOT TRUSTWORTHY?

Data last week showed that consumer spending grew at its slowest pace in 15 years in November while factories eased up.

Growth is expected by the government to ease to around 6.5 per cent this year, down from 6.9 per cent in 2017.

Over the weekend, a prominent economist told a university forum that the lack of clear trade strategies have led to an uncertainty among investors.

"What is the fundamental problem? Fear of policy uncertainty, fear that the government is not trustworthy," said Xiang Songzuo, an economics professor at the elite Renmin University.

Censors have since taken the speech off Chinese social media and references to it can no longer be found on the Twitter-like Weibo.

Measures to stabilise growth are expected to top the agenda this month at the party's annual Central Economic Work Conference, which sets the policy direction for next year, the state-run Global Times reported.

Tsang said plans to reduce risks in the financial system and tackle pollution and poverty - priorities set for 2018 - have been shelved, at least in part, to support economic stability and growth, due to the roiling trade spat.

The US is seeking a massive reduction in its trade deficit with China as well as deeper reforms in Beijing to stop the alleged theft of intellectual property and further open the economy to foreign companies.

China has been promising changes for years, but reform has been slow.

As the two sides prepare for face-to-face talks, China has resumed soybean purchases and has suspended extra tariffs on US cars that were imposed as part of tit-for-tat measures.

But those steps are merely reverting to pre-tariff trade patterns rather than actual reforms, financial advisory firm Northern Trust wrote in a research note.

'PAIN THRESHOLD'

The United States has also voiced concern about "Made in China 2025", an ambitious plan to dominate key high-tech industries.

While Beijing has toned down the rhetoric about the programme, the government is likely reluctant to put its pet project on the negotiating table.

"There are some cosmetic changes being made to the language of 'Made in China 2025', but it remains to be seen to what extent fundamental changes will be made to this development strategy," said Louis Kuijs, head of Asia economics at Oxford Economics Ltd.

The truce has put a temporary halt to an increase in tariffs on US$200 billion worth of Chinese goods and a threat of duties on the remaining US$246 billion in Chinese products the United States imports each year.

"In reality, Beijing is using the deal between Xi and Trump to buy time, hoping that the 90 days deal will in fact last longer," Tsang said.

But it appears China is gearing up for a bruising.

"Beijing (is) focused on exploring what price would satisfy Trump enough to ease off on the trade war," Tsang said. "It is also calculating that its pain threshold is much higher than that of the US."
Do Chi Thanh, director of the northern area, SGS, handing over the certificationn of ISO 45001:2018 to the representative of URC Vietnam

URC Vietnam, a leading food and beverage company from the Philippines, with popular brands like C2 and Rong Do, has achieved a number of prestigious international certifications for the companys facilities, including ISO/IEC 17025 by the Bureau of Accreditation (BoA) for the Central Laboratory and ISO 45001:2018 for Binh Duong Beverage & Food Plant 1, 2, and Hanoi Beverage Plant.

VILAS Accreditation ISO/IEC 17025

A customer-centric company, URC Vietnam has been constantly improving and innovating to best serve consumers. URC Vietnam has invested a total of $1.6 million in a Central Laboratory which opened in October 2017. This specialised facility is equipped with the latest and most advanced technologies for food safety testing and is manned by highly qualified analysts.

The Central Laboratory has undergone thorough assessment processes and has been officially accredited by BoA, Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation (APLAC), and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).

The ISO/IEC 17025 achieved by URC Vietnam is an international standard that recognises the capabilities and competence of laboratories which play an essential role in production, product research and development, and customer protection.

This accreditation by prestigious organisations confirms the competence of URC Vietnams laboratory in technical and management aspects, ensuring the correctness and reliability of testing, and facilitating the recognition of testing results.

Specifically, as the government recognises only laboratory test results from a government-accredited laboratory, this accreditation by BoA is a privilege for URC Vietnam. With this accreditation, URC Vietnam can be confident in its laboratory results in ensuring the quality and food safety recognised by Vietnamese regulatory agencies.

Production line inside the factory of URC Vietnam

ISO 45001:2018 Certification

Alongside commitment to quality, URC Vietnam has put great emphasis on creating a safe and healthy workplace for employees as the company has obtained ISO 45001:2018 certification for its plants in Hanoi and in VSIP1, Binh Duong.

Officially released on March 12, 2018, the International Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management, ISO 45001:2018 provides an effective guidance to organisations to improve employee safety, reduce workplace risks, and create better, safer working conditions all over the world. Designed to be applicable to all organisations regardless of size and industry, the new international standard helps prevent work-related injury and ill health, as well as proactively improve occupational health and safety performance at organisations.

A Filipino company operating in Vietnam for over 15 years, URC Vietnam has a robust management and organisation structure with more than 1,600 employees in various functions manned by competent and well-trained people.

Over the past years, all URC factories in Vietnam are certified for the Quality Management System ISO 9001:2015 and Environment Management System ISO 14001:2015. The newly granted ISO 45001:2018 certification for Occupational Health and Safety Management once again underlined URC Vietnams commitment to employees well-being as they are the key factor to the companys development.

Laurent Levan, president and CEO of URC Vietnam, said: The achievement of these international accreditations is of great importance to URC Vietnam. The accreditation by BoA for the Central Laboratory demonstrates our tireless efforts to boost innovation to enhance product safety and quality for local consumers as well as to export to international markets. Meanwhile, ISO 45001:2018 certification reflects the companys comprehensive human resources policy, which aims to ensure a professional working environment and focus on the safety and health of every employee.

The central laboratory of URC Vietnam

URC Vietnam is a subsidiary of URC Philippines and started operations in Vietnam in 2003. URC is the biggest subsidiary of JG Summit Holdings  one of the largest and most diversified Filipino conglomerates with business interests in air transportation, banking, real estate, as well as one of Nikkei Asia Reviews Top 300 Asian companies.

The company has built five factories in Binh Duong, Quang Ngai, Hanoi, and is now one of the leading food and beverage companies with well-known brands.
Source: internet

Last week, VinSmart under the countrys leading private group Vingroup launched its four Vsmart phones at the complex in the northern city of Haiphong. The factory, larger than those of HTC and Blackberry, held test runs in October, and started production last month with an expected annual capacity of five million phones.

Vsmart aims to become a new heavyweight contender in the VND4-9 million ($175-390) price range, the biggest segment currently.

Acquiring 51 per cent of BQ, a leading Spanish technology firm, VinSmart shows determination to build its own supply chain, bringing research, design, production, and distribution to Vietnam.

Nguyen Viet Quang, vice chairman and CEO of Vingroup, said, Perfecting and launching four smartphone lines within nearly six months is proof of our determination to break into the sector. We hope that along with VinFast cars, Vsmart phones will contribute to the development of Vietnam, as well as promote Vietnamese brands to the world.

TINY MARKET SHARE

The Vsmart dream is not unprecedented. Numerous giants have poured a great sum of money into the segment without much success. At the peak period, as many as 30 made-in-Vietnam brands were present in the market, some very similar to Vinsmart. Most disappeared in a short period of time. While Q-Mobile, HKPhone, FPT, VNPT, and Viettel get the occasional mention as by-lines in extensive market analysis, Mobell, Malata, Wellcome, Hi-mobile, and Bluefone have vanished.

The double-SIM Q-Mobile was one of the first Vietnamese mobile phones, launched 10 years ago with a focus on the low-end segment. The brand tried to catch up with trends by adopting a cheap version of Android OS. However, there have been very few Q-Mobile phones displayed on store shelves in 2018.

A few years ago, IT and telecommunications giants entered the fray, such as Viettel, VNPT with their Vivas Lotus models, and FPTs F-Mobile. They are not easy to find today.

BKAV Corporations BPhone brand fared little better after two failed debuts. Last month, the company launched the third version of BPhone and committed to open 300 stores across the country, but sales results are still unknown.

While Vietnamese consumers generally welcome local products, this does not translate into stable development. When customers realised that most of these products were made in China with poor quality, they became disinterested.

Nguyen Dinh Dung, an expert with more than 20 years of experience in consumer electronics, told VIR, Half-measure is the shortest and most exact term to describe Vietnamese smartphones. They are not good enough for consumers to buy. BPhone is only mentioned by media but sales or revenue have not been disclosed, which means they are tiny.

Marketing budgets are another issue. Businesses spend lots on advertising because products have a short life cycle. Without marketing campaigns, clients can forget products within six months.

According to Dung, Vietnamese producers have not implemented synchronous marketing and sales policies. Some of them do not pay enough attention to research and development (R&D). Others spend too much on R&D and skimp out on sales and marketing. All of these bad calls lead to failure, he added.

VSMARTS PROSPECTS

Rather different from other players, VinSmart has prepared a series of stores for the distribution of Vsmart. Three months ago, Vingroup wrapped up the acquisition of Vien Thong A, a 21-year-old tech retailer in Ho Chi Minh City owning 200 stores in the southern provinces.

In addition to VinPro and Vien Thong A stores under Vingroup, Vsmart will also be present in approximately 3,000 stores of Mobile World Group, FPT Shop, Viettel Store, and Nguyen Kim, along with more than 1,500 privately-owned stores across the country. Additionally, customers will be able to purchase Vsmart devices on e-commerce sites, notably Vingroups Adayroi.com.

Most businesses expressed willingness to distribute the phones. We will distribute the devices if the demand is high. However, we have to make a thorough analysis based on our business policy, costs, selling price, profit, and warranty, said the owner of a mobile phone store on Cau Giay street in Hanoi.

Meanwhile, Dung said, We have always welcomed Vietnamese phones, and even displayed them in the best location in our shops. However, we are concerned about inventory issues, what with the way these products disappear from the market.

A long-time inventory of small phone brands is dreadful, and we usually suffer a loss of 50-70 per cent of the buying price. In such cases, business managers in the bigger retail chains can be forced out, and small chains can go bankrupt, added Dung.

Skeptical customers and wary distributors may be quite a challenge, and experts forecast Vsmart to gain only 1 per cent market share after its first year. However, Vsmarts future prospects remain open, with it all depending on the companys determination and strategy over the coming years.
Factional warfare has erupted on both sides of Malaysian politics as a bitter internal feud brings to a close the honeymoon period for the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition government.

Nurul Izzah Anwars shock resignation as a vice president of the Peoples Justice Party (PKR) this week has exposed deep underlying divisions in a coalition forged between two political forces that for years stared at each other from opposite sides of the trenches.

The crux of the fighting centers around political maneuvering by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad that has raised concerns in some quarters he may renege on his pledge to hand over power to his former nemesis turned political ally Anwar Ibrahim.

PH is a coalition forged between Mahathir and Anwar, a former protege Mahathir turned on and jailed on controversial sodomy and corruption charges before the pair reunited to stage a staggering election victory in May ending more than six decades of single party rule in Malaysia.

While Nurul, Anwars daughter, has refused to elaborate on her resignation, recently defeated PKR deputy presidential candidate and close ally Rafizi Ramli publicly lambasted the PH leadership in a blog post Wednesday, declaring the euphoria has gone somewhat sour.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but someone must bell the cat, he wrote before pointing to plummeting opinion polls and outlining a raft of grievances with the partys current direction.

Chief among them are Prime Minister Mahathirs courting of defectors from his former party and PKRs longtime enemies - the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) - into his new party Bersatu.

Rafizi attacked the notion that PH needs UMNO defectors because of its relatively weak standing with the countrys majority ethnic Malay population, arguing racial politics were a distraction from core voter concerns  their economic well being.

We could achieve more if we focus on making sure the multiracial Malaysians get a fair treatment in every sphere of their life, regardless of race and religion, Rafizi wrote.

Defections and succession rumblings

UMNO, which Mahathir led for two decades as prime minister before retiring in 2003, has been unable to resolve an existential crisis that has afflicted it since its shock electoral defeat in May.

The spectacular loss came as Prime Minister Najib Razak was dragged deeper and deeper into the multibillion dollar 1MDB corruption scandal, but was still almost universally unforeseen.

What could a party that had now been so glaringly exposed as a vast patronage network ruling for self-preservation claim to stand for in opposition?

In the past 10 years or so at least UMNO has become largely a party of incumbency and advantage. So losing power immediately caused an existential crisis on them, said Wong Chin Huat, a political scientist at the Penang Institute.

Without the perks and patronage they could not retain their talents and supporters, he added.

From retirement, the conservative nationalist Mahathir had re-emerged as the resurgent successor at the head of a coalition dominated by progressive opposition parties from the Reformasi movement he had long fought hard against.

Anwars support was predicated on an eventual transfer of power, which the 93-year-old Mahathir has repeatedly pledged to honor.

Recent UMNO defections to his party though have sowed the seeds of suspicion that Mahathir is strengthening his numbers in the parliament to sure up a freer hand in such decisions, said James Chin, director of the Asia Institute Tasmania at the University of Tasmania.

You have to remember that when they got into government they dont trust the old man because of the old mans authoritarian ways. But the old man couldnt do anything because his party was the second smallest. He only had 13 MPs on election night, he said.

Mahathirs play is to make sure he can get up to somewhere between 30 to 40 MPs before he steps down so that the other two parties cant bully him.

He said there was a fear among PH coalition partners that Bersatu could become UMNO 3.0.

Bersatu consists of people who are basically ex-UMNO. These people only know how to be in government to get benefit, so without that connection the party will cease to exist.

Meanwhile trust concerns have reverberated through Kuala Lumpurs chattering class over Anwars inability to consistently articulate what he stood for, Chin said.

Its very likely if Mahathir stepped down, he will bypass Anwar and go to his favorite candidate which is [Minister of Economic Affairs] Azmin Ali, Chin said.

Of the 54 UMNO MPs elected to Malaysias 222 seat parliament in May, 17 have defected to join PH or become independents according the New Straits Times.

Mahathirs staff declined to comment on the defections when contacted by VOA.

But he has told local media any UMNO defectors will be tightly scrutinized before they are accepted into the party.

Representatives of UMNO have also declined to comment, including prominent MP Khairy Jamaluddin, who was photographed on Wednesday having lunch with Nurul and Rafizi.

Since PH came to power, Malaysia has resembled a political fairy-tale that saw old foes unite to defeat a common enemy and push the country toward liberalization in a region dominated by autocrats.

Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, are being brought to justice over 1MDB while sedition laws and the death penalty have been abolished.

Deep forces of political self-interest have now though, inevitably, resurfaced.
The government in Afghanistan is playing down the significance of reported U.S. troop reduction plans, saying Afghan security forces are capable of protecting and defending the country on their own.



Officials in Washington are reported as saying President Donald Trump is considering withdrawing roughly half of the more than 14,000 U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan.



The U.S. forces are part of a non-combat NATO military mission of about 20,000 troops whose primary mission is training and advising Afghan forces in their battles against Taliban insurgents and terrorists linked to Islamic State.



"If the few thousand foreign troops that advise, train and assist, leave it will not affect our security," said Fazel Fazly, the chief Afghan presidential advisor in Kabul. He dismissed suggestions the Afghan National Defense Security Forces (ANDSF) would collapse with the departure of U.S.-led International forces.

Under the reported plan, about 7,000 American troops would start going home in January, and the rest would exit in the coming months in a phased drawdown. There was no comment from the Pentagon or U.S. Central Command on the reports.



"During the past four and half years, the fight on the frontline and security of the entire nation was carried out by the same forces, and despite the overwhelming war, our national armed and air forces have strengthened day by day and they will grow in strength even more," Fazly vowed.



But U.S. military commanders have been skeptical about whether ANDSF would be able to sustain battlefield pressure from the Taliban without support from foreign partners.



"They are not there yet and if we left precipitously right now I don't believe they would be able to successfully defend their country," Lt. Gen. Frank McKenzie, nominated to head U.S. Central Command, told a Congressional hearing earlier this month when asked whether Afghan forces would be able to defend the country without foreign military support.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said last month that nearly 30,000 ANDSF forces had been killed in the fighting since 2015. The insurgents, currently controlling or hotly contesting about half of Afghanistan, continue to inflict heavy casualties on government forces and make territorial gains.



The Trump administration has recently stepped up efforts to find a negotiated settlement to the war with the Taliban and has engaged the insurgents in direct peace talks.



U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, this week concluded another round of talks with Taliban negotiators in the United Arab Emirates. Both sides described the dialogue as productive and promised to meet again in the Gulf country.



The main Taliban spokesman told VOA Friday that during the two-day talks in Abu Dhabi, which stared on Monday, insurgent officials sought nothing but "a date or timeline" for all U.S.-led forces to pull out from Afghanistan. Zabihullah Mujahid said that for his part, Khalilzad sought assurances that terrorists would not be allowed to use Afghan soil to threaten the security of the United Sates.



Ambassador Khalilzad also shared on Thursday details of his interaction with the Taliban.



"Our goal is not to have permanent military bases in Afghanistan. The goal is that if Afghanistan becomes peaceful and terrorism from Afghanistan is not a danger to the world, the United States will withdraw and will have a new relationship with the government of Afghanistan based on a bilateral agreement," Khalilzad told Afghan television channels when asked whether the U.S. would agree to troop withdrawal demand by the Taliban.

Reports about Trump's Afghan drawdown plan emerged a day after his stunning announcement that the U.S. would pull its troops out of Syria.



Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who recently returned from Kabul, warned in a series of tweets Islamic State's Afghan affiliate, or ISIS-K remains a direct threat to the U.S. and the terrorist group would "dramatically" benefit from a reduced American troop presence.



The key Trump ally was referring to the September 2001 attacks on American cities that promoted the U.S.-led invasion of the country. Like in Syria, the Afghan troop withdrawal should be based on conditions on the ground, the Senator emphasized.



"The conditions in Afghanistan at the present moment make American troop withdrawals a high risk strategy. If we continue on our present course we are setting in motion the loss of all our gains and paving the way toward a second 9/11," said Graham.



Analysts say the reported plan would undermine renewed U.S. efforts to persuade the Taliban to engage in an intra-Afghan dialogue to end decades of hostilities in the country.



Michael Kugelman, deputy director Asia program and South Asia senior associate at Washington's Wilson Center describe the timing of the U.S. drawdown plan as "breathtakingly bad", fearing the move could squander the latest effort to seek a negotiated settlement to the prolonged Afghan war.



"Let's be clear: Trump's decision, if confirmed, amounts to a propaganda coup and a tactical triumph for the Taliban. It's gotten the troop withdrawals it's always wanted. And it now has an added battlefield advantage. Doubtful the Taliban will reciprocate with its own concession," Kugelman tweeted.
The war in Afghanistan has lasted 17 years, earning the name "Forever War." Here is a look at the history, facts and timeline of the conflict.

The beginning:

U.S. President George W. Bush announced the first strikes in Afghanistan one month after the terrorist attacks on America on Sept. 11, 2001. An international coalition launched the attack with the aim of toppling the ultraconservative regime of the Taliban that had provided sanctuary to the terrorist group al-Qaida, which was responsible for the 9/11 attacks. The coalition consisted of 136 countries around the world.

The duration:

The war is still ongoing, 17 years after it began. In June 2010, it surpassed the Vietnam War as the longest war in U.S. history. Three presidential administrations have overseen the war, that of Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

U.S. troop deployment:

There are about 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan at the end of 2018, but about half of them are logisticians or trainers. When President Barack Obama took office, there were about 30,000 troops there. His surge more than tripled that number to more than 100,000 in 2011. In 2012, Obama began a draw-down which left about 8,500 troops at the end of his second term in 2016. President Donald Trump boosted the numbers to more than 14,000.

Costs of war

More than 2,400 U.S. troops have died in the Afghan War since 2001. The deadliest year was 2010, with 499 American casualties and a total coalition loss of 711 lives. According to the United Nations, tens of thousands of Afghan civilians have also been killed since the war began. The first six months of 2018 were the deadliest since 2009, when the U.N. started keeping record of civilian casualties, with 1,692 deaths. Another 3,430 civilians were injured in the same period.

The Pentagon said in February that the war was costing the American people $45 billion per year, including $5 billion for Afghan forces, $13 billion for U.S. forces inside Afghanistan, some $780 million for economic aid and much of the rest for logistical support. From 2010 to 2012 at the height of the U.S. deployment, when there were more than 100,000 troops in Afghanistan, the cost surpassed $100 billion each year.
A three-judge federal appeals court panel has ruled in favor of the Trump administration in its effort to deport about 100 Iraqi immigrants convicted of crimes years ago.

The panel from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati ruled 2-1 Thursday that the lower court that ordered the government to free the Iraqis did not have the jurisdiction to make that decision.

The ruling said deportation orders are up to the attorney general and immigration judges.

The dissenting judge wrote that the lower court did have the proper jurisdiction. She said the Iraqis showed evidence they would be persecuted or tortured if sent back to Iraq and that the administration did not contest that evidence.

The Iraqis still have about six weeks before the appeals court order takes effect.

The 100 Iraqis, who have criminal records or overstayed their visas, had been allowed to live in the United States before the Trump administration began rounding them up for deportation to Iraq.

Eight were sent back before Baghdad said it did not want any more.

The lower court judge ordered the remaining Iraqis freed last month, saying the Trump administration lied when it said the Iraqi government was willing to take back its citizens.
Belgium has long struggled to deal with its colonial past, a period that saw millions of Africans in Congo and Rwanda die from disease, starvation and violence. Now the country's museum of Africa, which once housed looted colonial treasures, including a human zoo, has undergone a five-year, $73 million revamp in an effort to show the reality of empire and of modern Africa. Henry Ridgwell reports from Brussels.
Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa did not speak with the media after his closed-door meeting with aggrieved teachers to try to avert a full-fledged nationwide strike by government workers. But Takafira Zhou, president of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, told reporters that his team did not mince words.

"We have told him that if teachers would not report to work [in January], it's not that they do not want to work. It is because they are incapacitated," Zhou said. "The challenge is now with him to bring a reprieve that can allow teachers to continue to go to work.

"Do you think that's going to happen before schools open? That can be successfully be answered by him. But we have told him the situation."

The teachers want to be paid in U.S. dollars, not Zimbabwe bond notes.

Zimbabwean doctors, who entered Day 21 of their strike on Friday, also want their salaries paid in U.S. dollars. But Prince Paul Butau of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association said salary was not the only issue doctors wanted addressed.

"We won't be doing any good to the patients if there are no medications to use at the hospital," he said. "Doctors want all our grievances to be addressed by the employer so that we go back to work. We are not only taking about money  we are also fighting for our patients. It does not make sense whereby you admit a patient for a procedure or [treatment] and you do nothing. The patient spends a lot of time in the wards thinking that he is being helped, whilst accumulating hospital bills for staying for nothing."

The doctors said the Mnangagwa government was failing to provide protective clothing for doctors, exposing them to transmittable ailments from patients.

Once the envy of most developing countries, Zimbabwe's health and education sectors have deteriorated over the years, largely dependent on the assistance of international organizations such as the U.S. Agency for International Development and the European Union.

But those aid organizations do not pay doctor salaries. That is the responsibility of Zimbabwe's government, and the salary issue has resulted in low morale among workers in several industrial settings.

When doctors began their strike, Health Minister Obediah Moyo said the Zimbabwean government was too broke to meet their demands, including payments in U.S. dollars.

Butau said Friday that the situation was "very dire" in Zimbabwe's hospitals as casualty workers  those that attend to emergency cases  had "scaled down" their work.
Cameroon has reopened its southwestern border with Nigeria after closing it about a year ago because of conflicts between Cameroon's military and armed separatists fighting to create an English-speaking state.

A senior official from Cameroon's military asks the people of Ekok village on the southwestern border with Nigeria to consider the soldiers as friends who are there to protect them.

Cameroon businessman Christopher Efiom, 46, buys food from Cameroon and takes it to Nigeria where it is sold. When he is returning from Nigeria, he buys spare motor parts and sells them in Cameroon. He says the presence of the military in the border market has chased fighters to the bushes and across the border to Nigeria. He says that for a month now, merchants have been able to do business despite ongoing fighting between the military and the separatists.

"There are days that the military goes down to attack the boys [fighters] and when they go down, there is serious gun shooting," Efiom said. "So many casualties are on the field. The Amba fighters usually block us on the way and you can never predict when they are there. There are days that even the military are unable to carry the convoy right to Nigeria."

"Amba" is the self-declared English-speaking region of Ambazonia, where armed separatists are fighting for independence.

Cameroon businessman Cletus Ndungang, 32, says although the military has reopened the border, business has yet to resume fully because most buyers and sellers still fear for their safety.

"Eighty percent of our rice is imported. It is very risky for a businessman to carry rice knowing that there is going to be a problem. Even maize. We also have oil, we have sugar. In fact, all the food, there is a problem because of this barbaric act. Most of the businessmen would not want to come in," he said.

When Cameroon declared war on the armed separatists in November 2017, it said gunmen were attacking border localities in Cameroon's southwest and escaping to Nigeria.

Nigeria denied the assailants were crossing over from its territory into Cameroon.

Bernard Okalia Bilai, governor of Cameroon's southwest region, says collaboration between the Nigerian and Cameroon militaries is bringing peace to the border areas and business is resuming; but, he says, civilians who sought to escape the fighting should look to the military as their partners in working toward peace.

The separatist insurgency gained momentum in 2017 following a government crackdown on peaceful protests by Anglophones, who complain of being marginalized by the French-speaking majority. Some political leaders have called on President Paul Biya to initiate dialogue with the separatists. But Biya  who has ruled Cameroon for 36 years  has refused any talks on Cameroon becoming a divided state.
China held what has been widely characterized as upbeat talks this year with Brunei, the Philippines and Vietnam even though all three contest Chinese claims to a vast, resource-rich ocean. The communist leadership, meanwhile, fortified some of the sea's tiny islets, also disputed, and warned outside powers such as the United States to stay out.

Observers expect Beijing to continue on this course in 2019, extending its military and territorial lead in the South China Sea, Asia's biggest maritime dispute, without inflaming anyone to a point where Western allies escalate their challenges.

"There are a lot of things that have happened this year that I think we can use to sort of project what we see next year," said Collin Koh, a maritime security research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. "We'll still see these parallel movements side by side."

China claims about 90 percent of the 3.5 million-square-kilometer sea that stretches from Singapore to the southern tip of Taiwan. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam call all or parts of the same fisheries-rich sea their own. Since 2010 Beijing has upset the others by landfilling islets, placing military hardware on some and increasing its civilian presence.

The United States does not claim the sea but seeks to ensure the waters remain open to freedom of navigation.

Two-way dialogue

In November, Chinese officials signed a deal with the Philippines to jointly explore the South China Sea's valuable oil or gas reserves. They touched on the same idea that month with Brunei. China separately gave development aid to the Philippines and suggested maritime cooperation with Vietnam.

Vietnam and Philippines were outspoken critics of Chinese expansion before China stepped up dialogue in 2016. Poorer than China, they benefit from its economic help.

"Maritime Southeast Asia by and large, I think, we are wary of China, including Duterte's Philippines although Duterte made a great show of friendship for [Chinese president] Xi Jinping during the state visit earlier this year," said Alan Chong, associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

President Rodrigo Duterte has gotten along with China since taking office in 2016, culminating in President Xi's visit in November.

Vietnam will work with China as well as other powers, said Trung Nguyen, international relations dean at Ho Chi Minh University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Vietnamese and Chinese vessels rammed one another over a Chinese oil rig in 2014. They also engaged in deadly clashes in 1974 and 1988.

"I think that [other] countries also feel that if Vietnam can enhance its capabilities, it's good for the security of the whole region, because Vietnam is one of the few countries in the region that can have a lot of experience dealing with China," Nguyen said.

Code of conduct

Deals with individual Southeast Asian states ease pressure on China to work with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc on a maritime code of conduct that would help reduce the risk of mishaps, maritime analysts believe.

They agreed to start talks toward a code in 2017 but reached no deal this year with no immediate prospects for a breakthrough in 2019.

China wants to continue state-to-state talks and island construction projects first in case the code restricts its activities, maritime scholars say. China is developing tourism in the Paracel archipelago. It parked military aircraft and possibly missiles on its holdings in the Spratly island chain this year, per data from a U.S. think tank initiative.

"China's strategy in terms of this code of conduct is to make it seem like China is willing to be making it look like there's progress toward a code of conduct but to drag it out as long as possible," said Jonathan Spangler, director of the South China Sea Think Tank in Taipei.

Western allies

Western allies will do more exercises in or around the sea next year but without a sustained, unified front that would push China into conflict, scholars say.

"There might be forces or ships around that area, but they may not be very close, so I would see more naval activities but [they] may not trigger conflict at sea," said Alexander Huang, strategic studies professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan.

Ships from Japan, Australia and Western Europe ventured into peripheral parts of the sea this year. U.S. warships have entered more regularly. In September, one nearly collided with a Chinese naval ship.

In 2019, domestic issues will consume leaders in many of those countries, limiting any coordination at sea, Chong said.

Chinese national defense spokesperson Ren Guoqiang said in September via the official Xinhua News Agency that the sea "is not a stage for certain countries to present their show."

China cites historical records to back its claim to maritime sovereignty.
China denounced the United States on Thursday for passing a new law on restive Tibet, saying it was resolutely opposed to the U.S. legislation on what China considers an internal affair, and it risked causing serious harm to their relations.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed into law the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act.

The law seeks to promote access to Tibet for U.S. diplomats and other officials, journalists and other citizens by denying U.S. entry for Chinese officials deemed responsible for restricting access to Tibet.

Beijing sent troops into remote, mountainous Tibet in 1950 in what it officially terms a peaceful liberation and has ruled there with an iron fist ever since.

China: wrong signals

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily briefing that the law sent seriously wrong signals to Tibetan separatist elements, as well as threatening to worsen bilateral ties strained by trade tension and other issues.

If the United States implements this law, it will cause serious harm to China-U.S. relations and to the cooperation in important areas between the two countries, Hua said.

The United States should be fully aware of the high sensitivity of the Tibet issue and should stop its interference, otherwise the United States would have to accept responsibility for the consequences, she added, without elaborating.

Difficult life in Tibet

Rights groups say the situation for ethnic Tibetans inside what China calls the Tibet Autonomous Region remains extremely difficult. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said in June conditions were fast deteriorating in Tibet.

All foreigners need special permission to enter Tibet, which is generally granted to tourists, who are allowed to go on often tightly monitored tours, but very infrequently to foreign diplomats and journalists.

Hua said Tibet was open to foreign visitors, as shown by the 40,000 American visitors to the region since 2015.

At the same time, she said it was absolutely necessary and understandable that the government administered controls on the entry of foreigners given local geographic and climate reasons.

Rights groups welcome law

Tibetan rights groups have welcomed the U.S. legislation. The International Campaign for Tibet said the impactful and innovative law marked a new era of American support and was a challenge to Chinas policies in Tibet.

The U.S. let Beijing know that its officials will face real consequences for discriminating against Americans and Tibetans and has blazed a path for other countries to follow, the groups president, Matteo Mecacci, said in a statement.

Next year marks the sensitive 60th anniversary of the flight into exile in India of the Dalai Lama, the highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism, after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

China routinely denounces him as a dangerous separatist, although the Dalai Lama says he merely wants genuine autonomy for his homeland.
The two largest parties in the hotly contested presidential race in the Democratic Republic of the Congo say they have accepted the recent announcement that long-promised general elections will be delayed by one week, to Dec. 30.

What's in a week? In Congo, the answer depends on your politics.

The opposition is using the controversial delay, announced Thursday by the electoral commission, as a rallying point to stir supporters. The opposition said the government was "technically incapable" of holding the poll, which was planned for this Sunday.

Plea for calm

Before a crowd of hundreds of people in Kinshasa, Congo's leading opposition figure, Felix Tshisekedi, on Friday urged supporters to remain calm and accept the delay, according to a Union for Democracy and Social Progress official who briefed VOA after the event. But the party's secretary-general added that holding the elections after Dec. 30 would constitute a "red line."

The party official also said that the opposition would continue to campaign until 24 hours ahead of the poll, in defiance of a recent ban on opposition rallies in the capital due to concerns about street violence.

Meanwhile, the ruling People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy  which has been in power for more than two decades and whose candidate, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, was handpicked by longtime President Joseph Kabila  was resigned to the delay, ruling coalition spokesman Andre-Alain Atundu told VOA.

"We'll cope with it," he said. "And meanwhile, we'll try to take advantage of this seven days, this week more, for the benefit of this candidate, Mr. Shadary."

Concerns about violence

Analyst Paul Nantulya of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in Washington told VOA that the significance of the delay pales in comparison to that of the two years that Kabila has remained in power beyond his mandate. Elections were supposed to happen in 2016, and the repeated delays have raised concerns of possible violence.

"Kabila has moved very, very meticulously," he said. "We've seen signs, the potential of violence. I mean, there have been skirmishes between opposition supporters and supporters of the ruling coalition in Kasai, in Kinshasa as well. There were these incidents over the weekend. The Catholic Church has been very concerned and rightly so.

"What we're hearing is they're going to deploy 41,000 peace monitors around the country, because they're very concerned about what's going on. The police has announced it's going to be deploying thousands of security personnel."

Ruling coalition spokesman Atundu dismissed concerns around the poll.

"We are confident that things ... will go on as we hoped," he said. "There is no reason that Afghanistan can organize elections. Cameroon can organize elections, and there is no reason that DRC cannot organize elections. This delay is just a small delay  but one week is not so far."

Credibility of election

Nantulya also raised long-standing concerns  mostly from the opposition and international observers  about the poll being credible. In a round of recent interviews with international media, Kabila said that while he would step down as planned after this election, he might return to power in the future.

"Kabila has maneuvered very well," he said. "He is firmly in control of the electoral commission. The Supreme Court and the constitutional court, in case there is a dispute, are loaded with Kabila loyalists. There were a couple of changes in recent months. He's firmly in control of the coercive instruments of the state, the police and intelligence in particular, that have been implicated in human rights abuses. The military as well."

Those concerns have been echoed by numerous rights groups, and by the international community, which has placed sanctions on Congolese institutions and top officials, including Shadary.



Kate Pound Dawson contributed to this report.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis Thursday announced he was quitting, personally handing his letter of resignation to U.S. President Donald Trump following a lunch meeting at the White House.



While not mentioning Trump by name, the letter from Mattis outlined sharp differences between his views and those of the president, notably on the importance of allies and the use of U.S. power.



We must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours, Mattis wrote, warning that Russia and China in particular "want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model-gaining veto authority over other nations' economic, diplomatic and security decisions."

Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down, Mattis concluded, saying he would step down at the end of February.



The defense secretarys decision came one day after Trump announced he would withdraw some 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria, a move the Pentagon opposed.



Mattis did not mention the dispute over Syria in his letter, but he did note his "core belief" that U.S. strength is "inextricably linked" with the nation's alliances with other countries.



President Trump first announced Mattis's departure on Twitter, saying the former four-star Marine general will retire "with distinction."



"During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!"



White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters late Thursday that Trump and Mattis are on good terms despite not agreeing on foreign policy and other issues.



"He and the president have a good relationship, but sometimes they disagree," Sanders said. "That doesn't mean you don't have a good relationship with somebody. He was laying out the reasons he was stepping down from his post."



Still, the resignation has sparked an outpouring of anger and despair from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, and even top U.S. officials.



I was deeply saddened, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said in an official statement Friday, describing Mattis as a "national treasure."



"The experience and sound judgement that Secretary Mattis has brought to our decision-making process is invaluable, Coats continued. His leadership of our military won the admiration of our troops and respect of our allies and adversaries."



Much of the pushback from U.S. officials and lawmakers has centered on the decision to withdraw U.S. troops from the fight against the Islamic State terror group in Syria  a decision that, according to some officials, ultimately convinced Mattis to resign.





U.S.-backed forces have made steady progress against Islamic State over the past several years. Last week, taking advantage of a dramatic increase in U.S. and coalition airstrikes, the forces were able to enter the town of Hajin, part of the terror groups last stronghold in eastern Syria.



But despite Trumps declaration of victory against IS, senior administration officials have said it will be up to the U.S. partner forces to liberate the rest of Hajin and the surrounding areas, where about 2,000 IS fighters have been mounting a stubborn last stand for several months.



Pentagon officials have also warned that despite the gains, IS was still well-positioned to rebuild. And Mattis had said that before leaving, the U.S. must train enough local troops to assume the role of suppressing the militants. He said the United Nations peace process in Syria must progress toward a resolution of the countrys eight-year-old civil war.



While a relatively small number of troops are involved, their withdrawal will have sweeping consequences in Syria's long-running civil war. Allies will be more heavily burdened with confronting energized adversaries and Turkey, Iran and Russia's influence in Syria will increase.





"This is scary," said Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, a Democrat. "Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration."



Republican senator and former presidential hopeful Marco Rubio tweeted, "It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed toward a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances and empower our adversaries."



While the decision to pull out of Syria may have been the last straw for Mattis, tensions have been simmering over other issues for quite some time, including on Russia and Iran.



Mattis believed Russian President Vladimir Putin has been trying to undermine NATO and assaulting Western democracies.



"[Putin's] actions are designed not to challenge our arms at this point, but to undercut and compromise our belief in our ideals," Mattis told U.S. Naval War College graduates at a commencement ceremony in June.





But Trump has praised Putin's leadership skills and recently caused concern among U.S. allies by calling for Russia's reinstatement in the group of major industrial nations. Russia was expelled from what was then the Group of Eight after Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.



Another point of contention between the two men involved the Iran nuclear deal.



Mattis argued the U.S. should consider staying in the Iran nuclear deal unless Tehran was found not to be abiding by the agreement. Iran was following the pact's rules, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors the use of nuclear energy and has verified Iranian compliance with the accord multiple times since 2015.



Despite Mattis's position, Trump pulled out of the deal in May, saying it had been poorly negotiated during the administration of former President Barack Obama.



As Mattis turned in his resignation, the Defense Department was preparing plans to withdraw up to half of the 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan in the coming months, U.S. officials said. The development marks a sharp departure from the Trump administration's policy to force the Taliban to the negotiating table after more than 17 years of war.





Rumors of Mattis leaving the Defense Department have been circulating for months.



In October, Trump appeared on the television news show 60 Minutes, where he told TV anchor Lesley Stahl that while "I like General Mattis," he believed he knew more about NATO than his defense secretary.



"I think he's sort of a Democrat, if you wanna know the truth," Trump said. "But General Mattis is a good guy. We get along very well. He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves. Everybody. People leave. That's Washington."



Mattis became secretary of defense shortly after Trump's inauguration and is one of the longest-serving Cabinet members.



Before that, Mattis served 44 years in the Marine Corps and led the Marines and British troops during the bloody Battle of Fallujah in Iraq in 2004.
Pregnant women have been systematically overlooked in the development and deployment of new vaccines, undermining their health and their communities safety, according to guidelines released this month by an international team of researchers, scientists and health care providers.

The report, developed by the Pregnancy Research Ethics for Vaccines, Epidemics and New Technologies (PREVENT) working group, identifies a cycle of exclusion that prevents pregnant women from accessing the benefits of vaccines.

Theres a lot of reticence to include pregnant women in research, said Carleigh Krubiner, the project director and a co-principal investigator for PREVENT.

And thats led to a shortfall in data about how pregnant women respond to vaccines.

Krubiner, an associate faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, told VOA that researchers and health care providers tend to exclude pregnant women from trials, vaccinations and tracking because they lack evidence of the risks expectant mothers face.

We continue to have this Catch-22 of not having enough evidence to feel like we can do the research. But if we dont do the research, we dont have the evidence, Krubiner said.

Theres a lot of fear

Concerns over theoretical harm drive decisions to exclude pregnant women from interventions, Krubiner said. But the data scientists do have, often from women not known to be pregnant when they received vaccinations, suggest those concerns are overblown.

In the case of rubella, for example, a contagious viral infection, researchers didnt find a connection between congenital rubella syndrome and the vaccine when thousands of pregnant women were vaccinated before their pregnancy status was known.

Theres a lot of fear, Krubiner said. And there are certainly biologically plausible risks associated with different types of live replicating viral vaccines.

Live-virus vaccines contain a weakened version of the disease designed to stimulate an immune response in recipients.

Very often, the benefits of vaccinating do still outweigh the theoretical, or even real harms that may be posed to the fetus, Krubiner said.

One vaccine known to cause harm to pregnant women and their fetuses, Krubiner added, is for smallpox. But even in that case, she said, if a threat were imminent, pregnant women should get vaccinated, given the seriousness of the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention support that guidance.

Strongly recommended

The advice pregnant women receive about vaccination should reflect whats known about the particular vaccine and the specific circumstances of the outbreak, Krubiner said.

Recommendations should follow current knowledge about the disease in question, the severity of the threat, and the likelihood of exposure, she added.

But the general guidance is unambiguous.

At minimum, vaccines should be offered to women, and in many cases they should be strongly recommended, Krubiner said.

Among those cases is the vaccine for seasonal and pandemic flu, which pregnant women should be urged to receive, in light of the severity of the risks tied to infection  not just for the expectant mother, but the future child as well.

Pregnant women should also be encouraged to receive vaccines for H1N1, also known as swine flu, and DPT, which protects against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus.

Institutional change

Involving pregnant women in the benefits of vaccines will require systemic shifts, the PREVENT group said in its report this month.

An important step is to become more proactive in bringing pregnant women into what Krubiner called the development and research pipeline. By involving pregnant women early, she said, health care providers arent left with the kinds of blind spots about how vaccines will affect expectant mothers and their fetuses that lead to their exclusion.

Even basic information, such as pregnancy status in case reports, sometimes goes untracked, despite being easy to collect and providing insight into the unique burden pregnant women face in disease outbreaks.

More complex data collection will paint a more complete picture. Specific studies could be designed to examine the safety and efficacy of vaccines for pregnant women, for example, or to track effects at different points in gestation.

Starting anywhere at this point would be better than the dearth of data that we have right now to really try to address the needs of pregnant women and their babies, Krubiner said.

Lessons learned

Disease outbreaks devastate communities. But they also provide opportunities to better prepare for, and respond to, the next epidemic.

In this years Ebola outbreaks in Congo, responders have applied lessons from West Africas 2014-16 epidemic to community engagement. And drug trials toward the end of the West Africa outbreak produced evidence about the vaccine thats now being deployed.

But pregnant women werent included in those trials, and researchers collected little in the way of data about the burden pregnant women and their offspring face.

Pregnant women are continuously getting left out of the benefits of scientific advancement in medicine, Krubiner said.

If we continue to fail to collect the kinds of data that we need, to generate the kind of evidence that we need and to also have interventions that meet the broader populations needs, Krubiner said, then were just going to continue to perpetuate the cycle.
While the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has demanded the release of Selahattin Demirtas, a former co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), Turkish courts convicted him of spreading terrorist propaganda, which some analysts and rights groups view as Ankara attempting to misuse the countrys counterterrorism laws to crack down on political dissidents.

Demirtas was detained on terrorism charges and was convicted in another terrorist-related case in an effort to dodge the European courts pressure on the country.

It is quite obvious that anti-terrorism laws and laws prohibiting propaganda for terrorism are just used in a very blunt way as a political instrument to suppress political opinion which the government finds inconvenient, Andrew Gardner, a Turkey expert at Amnesty International, told VOA.

It is absolutely crystal clear that conviction by different courts was due to the fact that this case was fast-tracked. And the decision was issued after the ECHR and after the president of Turkeys statement on the case made the political nature of the judgment very clear, Gardner added.

ECHR ruling

In November, Strasbourg-based ECHR argued that Demirtas pretrial detention had gone on longer than is legally justified.

Turkey responded that it was not obligated to adhere to ECHRs ruling.

ECHR decisions are not binding for us, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said then. There are also so many things we can do against (ECHRs decision). We will make a countermove and finish it off.

It is not the ECHR that put down terror in Turkey. Terror remains, and it is still going on. It is the Turkish people that pay the price, Erdogan added.

Turkey is one of 47 members of the ECHR and is legally obligated to adhere to the courts rulings. Experts say the country has ignored several ECHR rulings in the past.

Double standard

HDP officials accuse Erdogan of complying with ECHRs rulings only when they suit his interests.

Saruhan Oluc, a lawmaker and spokesperson for HDP, noted that Erdogan himself made several appeals to the ECHR for violation of his own political rights before he was elected to parliament.

Now, if the president, who went to the ECHR for himself, says that this ruling is not binding for us, after a ruling that he does not approve of was released, this is a double standard and not acceptable, Oluc said.

Oluc said the government is intent on putting Demirtas in prison and would charge him with anything that sticks.

Who is Demirtas?

Demirtas has run for the Turkish presidency twice. In June 2015, during the countrys parliamentary elections, his pro-Kurdish party secured more than 10 percent of the general vote, forcing Erdogans Justice and Development Party to build a coalition for the first time since the party was established, instead of forming a majority government in the country.

Demirtas played a major role in mobilizing opposition voters at the time.

In May 2016, Turkeys parliament passed a law removing parliamentary immunity for those with pending courts cases, which led to Demirtass detention on terrorism charges that year.

Some analysts charge that the law was passed so that Turkey could crack down on people like Demirtas.

Demirtas was serving as a member of the parliament and leader of the HDP when he was detained. He has been held ever since.

Demirtas denies charges

Demirtas denies all the charges against him and claims the case is politically motivated because of his political opposition to the current government.

Giran Ozcan, HDP representative to the U.S., told VOA that the accusation of terrorism is a very broad brush used by Erdogan to silence his critics.

Even a tweet on social media right now is enough to put you behind bars on grounds of terrorism, Ozcan said. We know that the terrorism accusation has been very effectively used against our party, the HDP. As were seen by Erdogan to be the main threat to his grasp on power, thats why he has always targeted the HDP specifically.

Pending cases

Some analysts expect authorities to use other pending cases against Demirtas if they were pressured to abide by ECHRs ruling.

There are several cases pending before the Turkish court against Mr. Demirtas. Since the (ECHR) decision is only about his detention in this main case, he might be detained and convicted in other cases. So, the decision of the European Court will not affect other cases, Kerem Altiparmak, deputy chairman of Turkeys human rights association, told VOA.

If found guilty, Demirtas faces up to 142 years in prison.
At least 25 people were killed when armed men raided two villages in a northern Nigerian state wracked by cattle rustling and kidnapping for ransom, witnesses and the police said on Friday.

Gunmen on motorcycles on Wednesday invaded the villages of Gidan Halilu and Gidan Kaka in Birnin Magaji district of Zamfara state, they said.

"We lost 25 people in the attacks, which were carried out by cattle thieves who have been terrorizing us for years," Usman Wadatau, a community leader in Gidan Halilu, told AFP.

"We lost 16 people in Gidan Halilu and nine in Gidan Kaka," he said.

Four of those killed in Gidan Halilu were volunteers from nearby Nassarawa Godel who had mobilized to help fight off the attackers, Gidan Kaka resident Bube Mada said.

In the first attack, which occurred around 1:00 pm (1200 GMT), the bandits opened fire on farmers harvesting sweet potatoes outside Gidan Halilu, killing nine, Mada told AFP.

"The gunmen left after the attack on the farm but returned around 5:00 pm when we were preparing the bodies of the victims for burial and opened fire on the mourners, killing three people," Wadatau said.

"Some people from our neighbors in Nassawa Godel mobilized to help but the attackers opened fire on them and killed four," he said.

"The gunmen moved to Gidan Kaka and shot dead nine residents," said Mada who supported Watadau's account.

Zamfara state police spokesman Mohammed Shehu confirmed the attacks but said only five people were killed.

"On getting to the scene, five corpses were recovered with one other person injured," Shehu said.

It is common in Nigeria for security personnel to give lower casualty figures.

Farming and herding communities in Zamfara have been terrorized for years by cattle thieves and kidnappers who raid villages, steal cows, abduct residents for ransom and burn homes.

The frequent attacks have prompted villages to form local militia for protection.

However the villagers too are accused of carrying out extra-judicial killings of suspected bandits, leading to tit-for-tat violence.

In April, troops were deployed to Zamfara to fight the gangs and police banned the civilian militia in an attempt to curb the cycle of reprisals but the violence has continued.

Last month the police claimed to have killed 104 bandits in Birnin Magaji district during a clash in which 16 policemen were killed.

Early this month, an influential traditional ruler in the state called for civilian militia members to be given assault rifles to defend themselves.
Editor's note: We want you to know what's happening, why and how it could impact your life, family or business, so we created a weekly digest of the top original immigration, migration and refugee reporting from across VOA. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.

The elephant in the room

This U.S. expression describes an issue that is so big it can't be ignored. Right now, President Donald Trump would like the elephant to be his proposed wall on the U.S. border between the U.S. and Mexico. He has expressed a willingness to shut down part of the U.S. government over funding for the wall "that will last for a very long time."

If it feels like the wall has popped back into the headlines after a long absence, the truth is it has been there all along from the president's campaign rallies to the background of much of his immigration policy.

New shot at asylum

A new policy from the Department of Homeland Security requires migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to wait in Mexico for months and maybe years while their cases work through the immigration courts, which have a backlog of more than 800,000 cases. Asylum lawyer Jason Dzubow says the matter will almost certainly be challenged in court.

The new policy, known as "Catch and Return" is the latest in a string of administration measures to restrict asylum, some of which have been curtailed by the courts.

Last embrace

A Yemeni mother cradled her dying baby for possibly the last time after nearly being prevented from seeing him at all. Under the travel ban, Yemeni nationals are prevented from visiting the U.S. The State Department granted Shaima Swileh a waiver to come to the U.S. after being sued by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Travel ban waivers are the subject of a lawsuit that alleges they are almost never granted, even in cases of severe illness or family separations. Last week, a federal judge ruled the case could proceed after government lawyers moved to stop it.

Deportations

The Trump administration deported 256,000 people in 2018, up from the year before but still well below some of the Obama years when deportations approached 500,000.

Thirty-six Cambodians with felony convictions were deported last week. But Soeun Neat was not among them. His family won a temporary reprieve for him and is hoping for a pardon from outgoing California Governor Jerry Brown.

Last month, a federal court judge in Detroit ordered the release of 100 Iraqis held in detention prior to deportation by Dec. 20. But the next day, the judge was overruled by an appeals court that deemed he did not have jurisdiction in the case, an argument made by government lawyers. The ruling opens the door to the Iraqis' deportation, despite their claims.

(Em)powering refugees

Barber Jerome Mbusuka cuts hair in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, using electrically-powered clippers. Without a solar panel he purchased, it would not be possible because electricity in the camp is not dependable. Solar is a clean solution, and a market-driven one.
Iran faces new criticism from Bahai activists for its delayed release of an ailing Bahai leader imprisoned for a decade and for its threat to jail a Bahai woman for 11 years.

The Bahai International Community (BIC) said Iran released the last of seven imprisoned former leaders of the countrys Bahai minority on Thursday. BIC sent VOA Persian photos of 56-year-old Afif Naeimi, a father of two from Tehran, with loved ones who greeted him with flowers after he emerged from the citys Evin prison.

Naeimi and the six other Iranian Bahai leaders had been arrested in 2008 on national-security-related charges rejected as baseless by BIC, which said they were part of a long-running persecution of Iranian Bahais by Tehrans Islamist rulers who view them as heretics.

Situation not improved

Iran released the six other leaders of the Yaran, an informal committee that ran the affairs of the nations Bahai community, between October 2017 and March 2018.

In a statement posted on its website, BIC criticized the circumstances of Naeimis detention, saying he experienced severe health problems and often received inadequate treatment. It said Iranian authorities also cruelly determined that the brief time Naeimi spent on a hospital furlough from prison would not count toward serving his sentence, extending his detention by months and making him the last of the former Yaran members to be released.

We are of course happy that Naeimi has been released. However, this should by no means be seen as an improvement of the situation of Iranian Bahais as a whole, said Diane Alai, BIC representative to the United Nations. The stark reality is that scores of Bahais still remain imprisoned in Iran because of their beliefs and tens of thousands more face intense persecution including denial of access of higher education, shop closures, and harassment, Alai added.

News of Naeimis release coincided with Bahai activists raising concerns about the fate of another Iranian Bahai, Yekta Fahandezh-Saadi, who lives in the south-central city of Shiraz.

11-year sentence

In a Wednesday phone call with VOA Persian, Fahandezh-Saadis Austria-based sister, Mona, said Yekta recently heard that she had been sentenced to 11 years in prison for alleged national security offenses. Mona Fahandezh-Saadi said her sister had been given 20 days to appeal the sentence to a Shiraz court.

Irans Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) has reported that Iranian authorities arrested and temporarily detained Yekta Fahandezh-Saadi in 2010, 2012 and 2014 on similar charges before releasing her. It said she has faced charges of spreading anti-government propaganda and engaging in an anti-government conspiracy.

Mona Fahandezh-Saadi denounced those accusations as phony and baseless, saying her sister is being persecuted simply for being a Bahai.

There was no immediate comment on the cases of Yekta Fahandezh-Saadi or Afif Naeimi in Iranian state media.

This article originated in VOAs Persian Service.
A senior Kurdish politician Friday called on France to play a larger role in Syria following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, warning that Kurdish fighters may have to withdraw from the front lines in the fight against the Islamic State group.

Ilham Ahmed also suggested that the main Kurdish militia may no longer be able to hold the hundreds of IS militants detained in its prisons in northeastern Syria in the case of a Turkish attack, noting they might head to Turkey and from there to the rest of the world.

The group known as the Syrian Democratic Forces is known to hold hundreds of militants from various nationalities, including Europeans, in detention centers across areas under their control in northern Syria, and their families have been rounded up in camps run by the group. The Kurds have not decided how to handle them, since their home countries dont want them back and also dont recognize Kurdish-run courts.

We fear things will get out control and we would no longer be able to contain them (IS militants) in the area, and this would open the door to their renewed spread and movement toward the Turkish border and from there to the rest of the world, Ahmed said. She was in Paris as part of a delegation attending talks on the planned U.S. military withdrawal from Syria and Turkeys warnings that it may launch a military operation against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria.

The delegation met with French President Emanuel Macrons representative to Syria, Francois Senemand.

Ahmed said France as a NATO member has a moral obligation to prevent Turkey from attacking Kurds.

Her comments reflected the desperation and turmoil within the Kurdish forces following President Donald Trumps surprise announcement that he would withdraw the 2,000 troops in Syria. The announcement came at a particularly tense moment in northern Syria. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly warned of launching a new offensive against the Kurds and in recent days has stepped up the rhetoric, threatening that an assault could begin at any moment.

Turkey views the Peoples Protection Units, or YPG, the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces, as a terrorist group and an extension of the insurgency within its borders. U.S. support for the group has strained ties between the two NATO allies.

On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the announcement from Washington about a pullout as well as diplomatic and security contacts forced Turkey to delay its plans for an operation against the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia east of the Euphrates river.

Speaking in Istanbul in an address to business groups, he said however, that the delay would not be open-ended.

Trumps abrupt decision has been widely seen as an abandonment of a loyal ally, even though the U.S. partnership with the Kurds against the Islamic State group in Syria was always considered a temporary marriage of convenience. With U.S. air support, the Kurds drove IS out of much of northern and eastern Syria in a costly four-year campaign.

The decision to pull out under these circumstances will lead to a state of instability and create a political and military void in the region and leave its people between the claws of enemy forces, a statement by the Kurdish-led group and main U.S. ally in Syria said Thursday.

Underscoring the ongoing fight against IS, a Kurdish news agency and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported that IS launched a counteroffensive in the area on the outskirts of Hajin, the last town controlled by IS in Syria which the SDF recaptured a week ago.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday said his country welcomed the decision by Trump to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.

Cavusoglu spoke during a visit to Malta in comments that were broadcast on Turkish television. They marked the first official reaction to the U.S. decision to pull out its troops.

The minister spoke of a need to coordinate the withdrawal with the U.S. and said all countries need to be vigilant in the fight against the remnants of the Islamic State group.

Cavusoglu also warned that the withdrawal should not create a vacuum that could be filled by terrorist groups.

The German government, meanwhile, said it wasnt consulted by Washington before the U.S. announced the troop withdrawal.

Government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer told reporters in Berlin on Friday that Germany would have appreciated prior consultations.

Demmer said the U.S. decision could affect the dynamics of the conflict, adding that much remains to be done for a final victory over the Islamic State group.

She said the United States is an important ally but declined to say whether Germany also considers it a reliable one.

German Defense Ministry spokesman Jens Flosdorff said the decision has no immediate impact on Germanys aerial surveillance missions over Syria.
After previously saying he would "proudly" accept responsibility for a partial U.S. government shutdown if Congress did not pass legislation that included $5 billion for his proposed border wall, President Donald Trump declared Friday on Twitter, "The Democrats now own the shutdown!"

The Republican-led House of Representatives passed a temporary spending bill Thursday that included funding for his wall, and the Senate was expected to vote on the measure Friday in hopes of averting a shutdown at midnight.

"If the Dems vote no, there will be a shutdown that will last a very long time," Trump tweeted Friday.

Later Friday at the White House, Trump doubled down on his 11th-hour effort to blame the impending shutdown on Democratic lawmakers.

"We are going to be working very hard to get something passed in the Senate," he said. "There's a very good chance it won't get passed. It's up to the Democrats, so it's really the Democrats' shutdown."

In an attempt to bolster the slim chances of the measure's passage in the Senate, Trump summoned Senate Republicans to the White House Friday morning to discuss the bill and border security.

Trump repeatedly has demanded funds to build the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and he told House Republican leaders before Thursday's vote he would not sign a bill approved by the Senate, which did not include funding for the wall.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told colleagues Friday on the Senate floor that Trump was making unilateral decisions that were creating chaos throughout the world.

"All of this turmoil is causing chaos in the markets, chaos abroad, and its making the United States less prosperous and less secure," Schumer said. "There are not the votes in the Senate for an expensive, taxpayer-funded border wall. So President Trump, you will not get your wall. Abandon your shutdown strategy. Youre not getting your wall today, next week or on January 3rd, when Democrats take control of the House."

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell argued for the wall's funding, saying, "The need for greater security on our southern border is not some partisan invention. Its an empirical fact and the need is only growing."

McConnell added: "Apprehensions along the border have nearly doubled in the past year. The men and women in the Border Patrol are encountering greater numbers of gang members and individuals with criminal histories, more family units, more seizures of cocaine and fentanyl. This is a real crisis."

Trump had called key Republican lawmakers to the White House on Thursday for talks about the wall and the bill needed to keep about a quarter of government operations from shutting down when funding expires at midnight Friday, just ahead of the Christmas holiday next week.

Trump has voiced increasing frustration that Congress has refused his request for a $5 billion down payment on the $20 billion wall he says will thwart illegal immigration. Construction of the wall was a popular rallying cry at Trump campaign events during his successful 2016 run for the White House.

The dispute is occurring in the last days of Republican control of both houses of Congress.

Democrats, adamantly opposed to Trump's wall proposal, picked up 40 seats in the 435-member House of Representatives in the November elections and are set assume control in early January, although Republicans will maintain their edge in the Senate.

Trump, after vowing during the campaign two years ago to make Mexico pay for the wall, has unsuccessfully sought congressional approval for U.S. taxpayer funding for the wall. But with uniform Democratic opposition and scattered Republican opposition, Trump has not collected enough votes to win approval for the wall.

Trump last week said he would "proudly" accept responsibility for a shutdown in a fight over the border wall.

"It is nothing to be proud of," Schumer said. " The bottom line is simple  the Trump temper tantrum will shut down the government, but it will not get him his wall."

Nonetheless, Trump tweeted, "One way or the other, we will win on the Wall!"
United Nations agencies report the number of fatalities of migrants making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea continues to increase as two more shipwrecks off the coast of Spain Thursday have claimed more lives.



The Spanish Coast Guard carried out a search and rescue operation in the Western Mediterranean on Thursday. UN agencies report some six boats were rescued in the Alboran Sea with at least 25 people reported dead or missing.

The UN refugee agency reports two boats had dead people on board who had died at the time of the rescue by Spanish search and rescue services. But, UNHCR spokeswoman, Liz Throssell, notes this is a developing story and the numbers are likely to change.



"On the one boat, we understand 33 people were rescued, including a person who, unfortunately, died later at the hospital and there were 12 people dead and 12 missing during the journey and apparently there was a massive sea swell that threw them into the water," said Throssell.



Throssell says a second boat had 57 people on board, as well as one person who had died during the rescue.

The International Organization for Migration reports more than 113,000 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea this year through three main migratory routes. IOM spokesman Joel Millman tells VOA that since mid-2017 there has been a constant rise in arrivals.



"What was remarkable and noticeable about Spain for most of this year was the volume of arrivals kept increasing but the fatalities reported were quite few," said Millman. "In the last two months, that situation has changed."

IOM has documented the deaths of 769 people in the waters between North Africa and Spain this year. It says this is more than triple the number recorded in 2017 and six times higher than in 2016.
Air strikes by the US-led coalition killed 13 jihadist fighters and 14 of their relatives Friday in eastern Syria, a war monitor said.

The strikes came two days after US President Donald Trump's decision to pull troops out of Syria raised fears the Islamic State group would use the vacuum to regroup.

"At least 27 people were killed this morning in Al-Shaafa," Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP.

He said eight children were among the 14 civilian victims and added several people were seriously wounded in the strikes.

The raids targeted IS positions in Al-Shaafa, one of the two main villages in the last pocket of territory still controlled by IS in the Euphrates River valley.

Close to 1,000 IS fighters have been killed since Kurdish-led forces, backed by coalition air strikes, launched an operation on that pocket in September.

Trump said he was ordering a withdrawal of the estimated 2,000 US troops in Syria because IS had been defeated, an assessment rubbished by many, including in his own camp.

On Friday, the leadership of the Kurdish force that has spearheaded the fight against IS warned it might have to pull back from the anti-jihadist front if a US withdrawal invites a Turkish military assault against them.

According to the Observatory, 545 members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces were killed battling IS since the start of the operation on September 10.
Three more suspects have been arrested in the killing of two Scandinavian tourists in Morocco's Atlas Mountains.

The bodies of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, of Denmark and Maren Ueland, 28, of Norway were found Monday in an isolated area near Imlil, often the starting point for treks to Mount Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak and a popular hiking destination.

Moroccan police arrested one man Wednesday and had been looking for the three who were arrested Thursday in Marrakech. Moroccan police and the Danish intelligence agency said the suspects were linked to the Islamic State terrorist group.

The killings were "politically motivated and thus an act of terror," Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said, without identifying the potential motives. "There are still dark forces that want to fight our values" and "we must not give in."



In Norway, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said that terrorism "is not the only lead that is being investigated in Morocco'' but that the case still "emphasizes the importance of combating violent extremism.''

The bodies of the two women were found Monday by other tourists, who alerted the authorities. They were found with stab wounds to the neck.

Morocco is generally considered safe for tourists but has battled Islamic extremism for years.
A new land conflict is threatening to erupt in Myanmar, where land is so sought after that even a cemetery can be eyed by developers.



To protect her village's graveyard, 57-year-old Bawm Lawm began a sit-in protest.



"Together about 80 women came out of their homes," she said. "But we were already too late  business people were digging in the graves and we could see some dead bodies exposed."



In Man Wein village, Waingmaw township, in Myanmar's northern Kachin State, a banana plantation has been swallowing whole villages.



The women of Man Wein refused to give in when excavators arrived overnight. Arms linked they organized a sit-in protest at the cemetery. Then, armed with megaphones, they sat in front of the town administrator's home. After four days, a militia leader on behalf of the plantation owners met with the protesters and agreed on a boundary of 20 acres -- less than half of the original cemetery land.



Bawm Lawm thought that would be the last battle she'd have to fight to protect her community's native land.



But a new law has people on edge once again.



Trespassers on their own land



In September an amendment to the Vacant, Fallow and Virgin (VFV) Lands Management Law was passed, that requires all people on VFV land to apply for a permit. If they fail to do so, they could be arrested for trespassing on their own land and face up to two years in prison.



"This law change can spark more and more conflict over land," warned Kachin State Farmers Association representative Tang Gun. "The land issue is already very complicated in Myanmar, farmers are still waiting for court to decide whether their land should be returned by the military and these land cases are never resolved within a year."



People have less than three months to apply for a permit, with the deadline of March 2019.



Nearly one-third of Myanmar's land is considered by the government to be vacant, fallow or virgin land, amounting to over 45 million acres. Seventy-five percent of that land is found in ethnic states. And many of these states have thousands of people displaced by conflicts that can't return home to apply for a permit.



Many rural farmers VOA interviewed said they didn't even know this amendment had been passed. Farming networks worry that this information also won't reach most communities in the isolated areas.



Tang Gun points out it is almost impossible to see whether the government recognizes one's land as VFV land as there are no publicly available records.



The Myanmar Department of Agriculture, which oversees land management issues, did not respond to numerous requests for comment.



Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Aung Thu, told the Myanmar Times earlier this year that the VFV law would be revised to streamline the land-related laws and confirmed "it is crucial that a peaceful approach is taken."



Indigenous groups say customary land is not up for grabs



International and Myanmar-based NGOs have sent an open letter to the VFV Land Management Central Committee with 41 signatures calling for the law to be halted to "prevent further imprisonment and eviction of innocent individuals." Chief among these concerns for Kachin communities is to halt the allocation of VFV lands to private entities such as Chinese backed banana plantations.



Others want this law to be totally abolished.



"This law's definition of vacant' land is insulting because the government is ignoring that many ethnicities and different cultures use land differently," said Ye Lin Myint, country coordinator of Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability (MATA), who was part of another joint letter sent on behalf of the network Land in our Hands'.



Myanmar is home to 134 ethnic minorities. For many, their traditional use of the land ranges from hunting and foraging in forests to farming in the uplands using shifting cultivation. Ethnic communities often collectively manage the land with their own customary laws.



"You can not separate land and man, to take land away from man means you lose your identity," added Ye Lin Myint, with two hands clutched to his heart.



He believes the exception in the amendment of customary land' is vague and does not provide a clear definition or establish any processes through which customary land could be recognized.



Myanmar-based Land Core Group's country director Shwe Thein also directs attention to the question of who will define customary land.



"How customary land is defined could be a key strength of this amendment if the government and ethnic leaders decide together, then it might be seen as a strength, not as a threat," he said.



Wiping the slate clean' for future generation's inheritance of land



Major flaws in the terms of the law are adding fuel to the fire.



One alarming issue is that the permit is only for 30 years.



"They are being forced to choose between giving up customary tenure rights in exchange for the chance to apply for weak, restrictive land user rights on the one hand, or assert their customary rights, but risk dispossession and years in prison on the other," explained Ben Hardman, Deputy Legal Director from Earth Rights International.



The missing element of a dispute mechanism also means opportunists could try and claim land that is not theirs.



"It's like making suicide for us Kachin Karen or Naga brothers and sisters if they decide not to register their land. Yet they also lose if they do register as they only get a 30 years lease," said Ye Lin Myint.



Aung San Suu Kyi's land reform



Under Aung San Suu Kyi's National League of Democracy (NLD) government, one of their election promises was to give back land to the landless farmers.



A new overarching National Land Use Policy to replace some 60 land-related laws, was endorsed by Aung San Suu Kyi when she first took office.



Tim Millar, Myanmar director of the land rights group Namati believes reinvestigation committees into land grabbing cases, have been a step forward in decentralizing power and "increasing community participation in land governance systems and making space for civil society."



Yet many agree that the VFV amendment directly contradicts the National Land Use Policy.



"Implementation of this law in its current form could feasibly result in mass forced evictions throughout rural areas, an outcome strictly prohibited under international law, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ratified by Myanmar only last year." said Sean Bain, legal advisor with International Commission of Jurists.



While the government has stated that this amendment was made in an effort towards the resolution of land disputes, many land rights groups question the motive.



"This amendment is said to have support from high up in government and people are concerned it is an attempt to wipe the slate clean' and free up' more land for investment," said Hardman.



For village head, Bawm Lawm, she's worried that this law stops her from passing her land on to her grandchildren: "What if they are cut off from going to the forests freely or accessing water. Then how will they survive?"
Dozens of Lakota and other Native American allies are about to converge on Bridger, South Dakota, for a pilgrimage they've made every December for the last 32 years: a 300-kilometer journey on horseback, retracing the historic journey, of a Lakota chief and 350 of his followers, that ended in a massacre.



Alex White Plume, a former president of the Oglala Sioux on the Pine Ridge Reservation, is a founding member of the ride, which he organized in 1986 on the advice of his uncle, a spiritual interpreter.

"My uncle said that we had to do some grieving over the historic genocide of our people," said White Plume. "As Lakota, our whole purpose is to be pure from trauma, ill feelings, guilt. But the historic genocide weighed so heavily on us that we couldn't think past it."

His uncle told him they had to bring back the grieving ritual, which Lakota no longer practiced. And to do that, White Plume needed to go back to the place where the Lakota's collective grief began.



Massacre at Wounded Knee



In mid-December 1890, acting on government orders, tribal police arrested and killed Hunkpapa Lakota leader Sitting Bull outside of his cabin on the Standing Rock reservation. His death came at a time when the government was on edge, worrying that Plains tribes were plotting rebellion against the abysmal conditions on reservations

Fearing for his people's safety, Sitting Bull's ally, Minneconjou Lakota leader Spotted Elk (dubbed "Big Foot" by the cavalry for the size of his shoes), fled south to the Pine Ridge Reservation with about 350 Lakota, most of them women and children.

The Army intercepted the travelers, who submitted peacefully and made camp along Wounded Knee Creek in Pine Ridge. On the morning of December 29, the Army began a search for weapons. A shot rang out  who fired and why is still not clear.



The Army opened a barrage of rifle, pistol and revolving cannon fire.

Spotted Elk was among the first to fall, and 30 minutes later, as many as 300 Lakota lay dead  adults, children, and even infants. It wasn't until three days later that Army contractors gathered the dead and buried them in a mass grave at the rate of $2 per body.

The massacre marked the end of the Indian Wars, ushering in an era of subjugation, forced assimilation and broken treaties.

Wiping the tears

By the late 20th century, Pine Ridge was one of the poorest spots in the United States. Unemployment hovered at 80 percent, housing was substandard, and life expectancy was the second lowest in the Western Hemisphere. Lakota language, culture and spiritual beliefs were all but lost, and the Nation lived in a state of grief and despair.

In the early 1980s, White Plume's uncle told him that because the Army had not allowed survivors and family members to perform grieving ceremonies at Wounded Knee, the spirits of the victims had not been able to leave the "Land of the Breathing."

To remedy this, in 1986, White Plume, his brother Percy and 17 other Lakota, calling themselves the Si Tanka Wokiksuye Okolakiciye  "Spotted Elk Remembrance Group"  embarked on the first annual Big Foot Memorial Ride from Standing Rock to Pine Ridge.

It was an emotional experience, a time to remember the past and reflect on the future.

"As men, we cried," said White Plume. "We used to try to be like the white man  don't show any pain and just be tough. But after you go through that ride, it's okay to cry. It heals your wounds."

After the fourth ride in 1989, the group decided to continue the tradition indefinitely, allowing youth to participate. They dubbed the event the "Future Generation Ride."

In 1990, riders conducted a Wiping the Tears ceremony at Wounded Knee, ending more than a century of mourning by seven successive generations of Lakota and acknowledging to the world, said White Plume, "We're still here; our culture is intact."

That same year, Congress issued a resolution acknowledging "deep regret" for the massacre but offered no formal apology.

Culture revived

Today, said White Plume, Lakota have brought back their ceremonies, performing dozens of Sundances alone each summer on Pine Ridge.

"And, oh! It's beautiful to see," he said.

This year's ride begins Sunday. White Plume and dozens of riders, old and young, will saddle their horses for the seven-day ride across the frigid Plains, stopping, saddle sore, to camp at night.

It's an arduous journey, but White Plume said he doesn't feel the cold or the pain of hours in the saddle. "You just get into this spiritual realm I can't describe. It's a beautiful, peaceful feeling. I have a hard time breaking away from it to come back to reality."
For two years, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has been urging nervous NATO counterparts to judge the Trump administration by its actions and not by the president's tweets or off-the-cuff remarks. But on Thursday, President Donald Trump posted a tweet the Europeans couldn't ignore: an announcement that the four-star general would soon be leaving the Pentagon.

The tweet wasn't altogether a surprise, coming a day after Trump ordered U.S. ground troops out of northern Syria, but it has shocked America's traditional allies, who like Mattis are eager to preserve the U.S.-European alliance. In the Marine general they had a partner they trusted and who they believed helped temper an unpredictable U.S. leader.

A British defense minister was among the first to react publicly to the departure of Mattis. "Very sorry to see Jim Mattis stepping down," Tobias Ellwood tweeted. "Trusted, respected and admired by friends and allies. Feared and revered by our foes. The most impressive military mind I've had the honor to know. Jim, my friend  our world will be less safe without you."

Mattis has especially close ties with the top ranks of Britain's military establishment, deepened during the Persian Gulf War, in Afghanistan, and again in 2003 in Iraq. For the British  as well as America's other European allies  the 68-year-old Mattis was seen as someone they could turn to in order to get their views across to the Trump White House and as a steady hand who might be able to restrain a president who has questioned the very value of the Atlantic alliance, several European military officials said.

On a tightrope

That placed Mattis on a tightrope, testing him all the time. On issue after issue, Mattis was at odds with his boss  on whether torture should be used again on terror suspects, over what strategy the U.S. should pursue in Syria, whether the U.S. military presence should be ended or reduced in Afghanistan, and what posture should be adopted toward an increasingly aggressive Russia and an assertive China. And above all, how to conduct relations with the NATO allies.

Mattis made clear in his resignation letter Thursday the differences he has had with Trump, highlighting his belief in the importance of NATO and America's traditional allies.

"One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships," Mattis wrote. "While the U.S. remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies."

U.S. relations with Europe are at their lowest ebb in the history of NATO after a series of acrimonious encounters between Trump and European leaders. His episodic outspoken criticism of NATO allies has echoed across the continent.

Earlier this year, Trump suggested he might cut U.S. force levels in Europe if the allies didn't boost their military spending. "They kill us with NATO," Trump during a speech in Montana. "They kill us."



His suggestions in the past that he might recognize Moscow's annexation of Crimea and his downplaying Russia as threat, as far as they see it, has only added to their alarm about whether America is still committed to collective defense.



Behind the scenes, Mattis calmed European fears and smoothed ruffled feathers. The Europeans "trust Mattis," according to Nicholas Burns, a retired U.S. diplomat and former envoy to NATO. "They don't trust Trump."

Embodiment of continuity

European military officials said they saw him as the embodiment of continuity in U.S. defense policy in an otherwise unpredictable administration and were comforted by Mattis' insistence he wouldn't resign. But fears had been growing among his NATO counterparts for the past few months he might go, and European officials said they had felt his influence was declining, with the initial signs coming as his allies in the administration were sidelined.

Speaking to British television, Karin Von Hippel, the director of Britain's Royal United Services Institute, an influential think tank, said Mattis' departure was "very concerning" and a "huge deal." Von Hippel said he was the man "everyone was relying on to keep the lid on things."

Mattis' departure has added to growing European alarm. This week, America's European allies felt blindsided by the abrupt changes. The allies, who also have troops in northern Syria operating in partnership with U.S. special forces, were not consulted before Trump decided to pull out the troops. Neither were the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who have been doing the toughest fighting against the Islamic State terror group.

Washington and defense policymakers at NATO headquarters differ sharply in their assessments of the prospects of an IS resurgence. British and French officials have contradicted Trump's claim to have defeated IS in Syria. And for those officials, the U.S. leader's plans to halve the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan are especially jarring, as the Western mission there is officially a NATO one.

NATO officials are being careful not to widen the strategic differences with Washington by making public comments. NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu has been referring reporters to U.S. authorities for comment on the White House plan to reduce the number of American troops in Afghanistan.

Officials say NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has spoken by telephone with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about both Syria and Afghanistan, and U.S. officials maintain that Washington "remains committed to the Alliance and to working with allies to deter our adversaries and defend our citizens."
Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto seems to be following the playbook of U.S. President Donald Trump as he mounts his second campaign for the top office.

Blaming the media has become a theme of the Western-educated, former military commander's second presidential campaign, after he lost in 2014 to President Joko Widodo, who is widely known by his nickname Jokowi. Populism  reflected in his economic plans, recent statements and political track record  seems to be the language of his campaign for the April election.

After demonstrators took to the streets peacefully this month to mark the anniversary of their rally against former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who was later jailed on blasphemy charges, Prabowo criticized the Indonesian media for failing to adequately report on the Islamic rally.

"We [the participants of the rally] are deemed penniless [by the media]," he said in a speech. "Almost all of them didn't report on the millions who gathered." However, Dedi Prasetyo, the National Police spokesman, said only 40,000 people were gathered.

In a written statement, Ahmad Muzani, the secretary general of Prabowo's Gerindra party, clarified that the candidate's statement was an indictment of media owners for misrepresenting his statements. "[Mr.] Prabowo did not fault the journalists and reporters on the ground, but he criticized media owners and media leadership who seemed to have deliberately decided not to publicize the gathering," he said.

"Our presidential campaign has performed as expected, and continues to be under control. Despite experiencing some technical difficulties, our campaign has seen convincing progress. See, we don't have the network privilege the incumbent has, but what's interesting is that we've seen and felt extraordinary support from people at the grassroots," said Irawan Ronodipuro, Director of Foreign Affairs on the National Committee to Elect Prabowo.

The Jokowi campaign would not comment for this story.

Comparisons to Trump

It is still unclear whether the Prabowo campaign will fare better than last time. But his politicking has featured slogans that seem similar to ones used by Trump in his successful 2016 campaign. In October, for instance, Prabowo said, "Why doesn't Indonesia dare to say to Indonesia, 'Indonesia first. Make Indonesia great again?'" recalling Trump's catchphrase.

"The similarity between Trump and Prabowo is that they use the technique that's employed by, say, [political strategist] Roger Stone: Dominate; you can lie, you can be populist as long as the people respond," Andreas Harsono, researcher at the Human Rights Watch, told VOA. "You can also rail against reporters. The irony is that reporters [in Indonesia] get a kick out of being bullied."

Some examples of Prabowo's recent statements, too, are in keeping with the assessment often lobbed at him throughout the 2014 campaign: that his presidency will have parallels with Indonesia's 32-year authoritarian regime, the New Order, spearheaded by Prabowo's late father in-law, Suharto.

Last month, Prabowo called for economic self-sufficiency, saying Indonesia should swear off imports when it can. Some of his economic plans have also been unveiled: reducing corporate and personal income taxes, strengthening small- and medium-sized enterprises, enhancing infrastructures in villages  ambitious aims for a country whose growth is considered sluggish at just 5 percent, lower than Jokowi's 7 percent promise.

Does this populism work in Indonesia, a country with 34 provinces of varying economic statuses? "It is very effective," Harsono said.

Asked whether the populism rings true for the campaign, Ronodipuro toldV OA: "People have the right to be opinionated. What we can assure is that Prabowo-Sandi will bring justice and prosperity to the Indonesian people. Indonesia is a rich and resourceful nation."

Human rights issues

The son of Indonesia's renowned economist, Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, Prabowo's career started in the military during the Suharto regime, commanding notable operations in his role as the brigadier general of the military's special forces, the Kopassus. One of these missions was a rescue of European hostages in 1996.

As the documents in the recently-declassified files from the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta show, his eventual firing was preceded by accusations of the kidnapping of political activists during riots in 1998, some of whom never returned.

"During Suharto's final year in office, at least 20 such activists disappeared. The armed forces in August acknowledged responsibility for illegally kidnaping nine activists who already had been released, several of whom said that they were tortured while in detention. At least 12 activists remained missing as of year's end," wrote the U.S. State Department in a 1999 report.

Though human rights were a major issue in the last election, activists say they won't be as resonant this year because of what they say is Jokowi's inability to resolve past human rights violations, like the Indonesian 1965 massacre or the arrests and murders of West Papuans.

"Jokowi's all but lost the legitimacy to [criticize Prabowo for human rights issues]," Usman Hamid, director of Amnesty International in Indonesia, told VOA. "There's no insurance that if he gets elected, human rights issues will be solved. To solve issues like in Aceh and Papua still relies on repression as opposed to diplomacy."

Poll results

Polls have shown that Jokowi has an edge over Prabowo. Lingkaran Survei Indonesia, one of the country's pollsters, put the Jokowi-Ma'ruf ticket at 53.2 percent, and the Prabowo-Sandiaga ticket at 31.2 percent earlier this month.

But Ronodipuro questioned the credibility of Indonesian pollsters. "The Indonesian people should make an informed decision based on the vision, missions and programs each ticket offers. The way we see it, this election is about a referendum on the economy that will determine the fate of Indonesians in the future," he said.
As 2018 draws to a close, the Russia investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller appears to be gaining momentum, built on an assortment of guilty pleas and convictions of former associates of President Donald Trump over the past year.

Some analysts predict the probe could headed for an epic climax in 2019 that could have a huge impact on the next presidential race in 2020.

In recent weeks, former key Trump associates have paraded in and out of court including former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and former Trump attorney Michael Cohen.

Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison on charges that include campaign finance violations related to hush money payments made to two women who allegedly had extramarital affairs with Donald Trump before he became president.

Trump has previously denied the affairs and has also denied Cohens allegation that Trump directed him to make the payments to the two women.

Flynn case

Flynn appeared in court this past week expecting to be sentenced for lying to federal investigators last year. Flynn admitted lying to the FBI about his contacts with the then-Russian ambassador during the presidential transition.

Flynn and his attorneys were hoping for no jail time. But Federal Judge Emmet Sullivan unexpectedly lashed out at the retired Army general.

Arguably you sold your country out, the judge said. Flynns sentencing was put off to see if he can offer additional cooperation to the special counsels investigation.

So far, 33 individuals have faced charges in connection with the Russia probe, including 26 Russian nationals alleged to be behind election-related cyberattacks in 2016.

Even as the Russia probe appears to be gaining steam, the president remains adamant that no evidence has surfaced of collusion between his 2016 campaign and Russia.

On the Mueller situation, we are very happy with what we are reading because there was no collusion whatsoever, Trump told reporters recently outside the White House. There never has been. The last thing I want is help from Russia on a campaign.

Defending Mueller

Opposition Democrats remain poised to defend the Mueller investigation as they prepare to assume the majority in the House of Representatives next month.

They should not be able to end it. They should not be able to limit it, said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. They should not be able to interfere with Mueller going forward and doing what he thinks is the right thing.

Though Republicans lost their House majority in the November midterm elections, they added two seats to their majority in the Senate and will hold a 53-to-47 seat edge in January.

Cohens role

Cohens case was handled by federal prosecutors in New York and the campaign finance violations have put the Trump White House on the defensive and made Cohen a key player in the investigation.

What has happened since Michael Cohen has been cooperating with Robert Mueller is a lot more information related to the campaign, said University of Connecticut legal expert Doug Spencer. The first things that we learned about were campaign finance violations, potentially, with payments from President Trumps campaign to women who were alleging affairs with him.

The flurry of court activity in the weeks since the midterm election suggests the Mueller probe may be building toward a climax, says Third Way analyst Jim Kessler.

So we are now getting the big fish, people like (Michael) Flynn, people like Roger Stone, Michael Cohen, the presidents personal lawyer, who have either turned on the president or are on the hot seat (in a vulnerable spot), Kessler told VOA. So the next 60 days should be very, very interesting, but it does not look like good news for the president.

Wrap it up

Trumps Republican supporters are urging the probe wind up quickly, including Senator Lindsey Graham.

Eventually, Mr. Mueller is going to have to show the public that there is collusion or there is not, and we will see what Mr. Mueller finds, said Graham, who supports letting Mueller finish the investigation.

The Russia probe may be headed for a legal conclusion in 2019, but it may be up to Congress to deal with the political aftermath, possibly including the option of impeachment.

There are a lot of legal issues that I can speak to, but the real ultimate question here is a political one, said legal analyst Ric Simmons of Ohio State University. And depending on what is in this report, what is the political fallout both with the American people and with Democrats, but especially with Republicans in Congress.

In an interview with Reuters this month, Trump said he was not concerned with the prospect of being impeached in connection with the Russia investigation. I think that the people would revolt if that happened.

Recent polls show a majority of Americans favor Mueller being allowed to finish his investigation. But Trumps repeated attacks on the probe as a hoax and a witch hunt have slightly eroded the extent of public support over time.

Whatever comes out of the Russia probe could have a major political impact in 2019 as both President Trump and a large group of potential Democratic contenders look ahead to the 2020 election.
Somalia's al-Shabab militants have announced a military offensive against Islamic State-affiliated forces in Somalia.

A statement read Friday by al-Shabab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage on Radio Andalus said the offensive, code named Disease Eradication, is aimed at getting rid of IS-related militants in Somalia.

"A so-called Islamic State has emerged in our land and stated to attempt to divide our Mujahidin [jihadist fighters], weaken our strength and carry out assassinations against our own. We have been ignoring their wicked behaviors for some time to give them a chance to change, but they have continued their wrongheadedness," he said.

"Our senior command has ordered our fighters to attack and eliminate the 'disease' of IS and uproot the tree that would be used to undermine the fruits of the Jihad," Rage said.

The conflict between the two rival terrorist groups has been simmering since the emergence of an IS-affiliated group in Somalia in October 2015. The group found a foothold in the northeastern Puntland state of Somalia, where it began recruiting former al-Shabab fighters before carrying out attacks and assassinations elsewhere in the county.

On Dec. 16, Islamic State reported its first offensive on al-Shabab in Somalia.

On Tuesday this week, IS released a video showing its fighters firing their guns and several dead bodies they identified as al-Shabab members in a mountainous area called B'ir Mirali, southwest of Qandala in Bari region of Puntland. IS claimed to have killed 14 al-Shabab fighters and wounding others.

The IS-affiliated group is estimated to have about 200 active members and is far smaller than the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab group, which has thousands of fighters in largely rural areas in Somalia.

Hussein Moallim Mohamud, a former Somali counterterrorism officer and national security adviser, said despite having a similar agenda of terrorizing people to achieve jihadist goals inside Somalia, they also have differences.

"Al-Shabab remains predominantly focused on Somali issues and is keen to preserve its allegiance to al-Qaida, while IS is more focused on linking its presence in Somali with international terrorism. Because of this difference each group sees the other to be a threat to its existence," Mohamud said.

Other analysts previously interviewed by VOA Somalia agree that the IS ideology of promoting global expansion and domination does not sit well with al-Shabab leaders, who prefer focusing mainly on domestic matters.

It is not clear what this would mean to the jihadist groups in Somalia and their fight against the Somali government and African Union peacekeepers in the country.
Hundreds of protesters in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, chanted slogans Friday against the government of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, including the popular Arab Spring slogan, "The people want to topple the regime." It was the fourth day of protests over rising prices and political oppression.

Social media reported protests Thursday in more than half a dozen districts of Khartoum, in addition to multiple demonstrations in the neighboring city of Omdurman.

Amateur video showed a top regional official in Gadarif, thought to be the governor of the town, fleeing an angry crowd in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. The crowd pelted the car with stones. Gadarif has been a hotbed of protests, prompting a curfew to be imposed.

Photos on Twitter showed government buildings set ablaze by angry protesters. Some photos showed government soldiers observing the demonstrations without intervening, while others showed security forces firing tear gas at protesters.

Rabie Abdel Attie, a leader of the ruling National Congress Party, said popular protests are "legitimate" to a certain extent.

He says it is normal for citizens to protest fuel shortages and rising bread prices, but condemned what he called troublemakers who were exploiting popular discontent to ransack public and private property.

Prime Minister Motazz Moussa told a press conference several days ago that the current economic crisis has been a long time in the making.

Moussa says the ongoing economic difficulties the people are experiencing over shortages of hard currency, bread, fuel and medicine are the result of flaws in the economy which go back many years.

Sudanese political leader Sadiq al-Mahdi, who was overthrown in the coup led by Bashir in 1989, recently returned from exile in Egypt. Photos on social media showed the former prime minister in the midst of a crowd of demonstrators.

Al Hadi Ezzedin, a Sudanese journalist in Cairo, told VOA that the Sudanese people were revolting against what he called a "dictatorial regime."

He says the government has been in power for 30 years and that it governs by force, preventing people from freely expressing their opinions or beliefs. It uses force and oppression, he says, to subdue opposition.

Bashir has been trying to amend the constitution to allow him to run for another term.

Meeting in Syria

Separately, Bashir met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after traveling to Damascus on a Russian plane. It was the first visit by an Arab head of state to the Syrian capital since the Assad government was expelled from the Arab League in 2011.

There has been speculation in the Arab media that Bashir is seeking a country that might grant him exile if he were forced to resign. Bashir is wanted on an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for genocide and war crimes committed in the Darfur region in the early 2000s. It is thought that a number of countries have told him that they would not grant him asylum.
The U.N. Security Council has unanimously endorsed a deal for a cease-fire around the vital Yemeni port city of Hodeida. The agreement was reached last week during U.N.-led intra-Yemeni talks outside the Swedish capital.

"The resolution endorses all the agreements reached by the parties at Stockholm," said British Ambassador Karen Pierce, whose delegation drafted the text. "These critically include a cease-fire, a mutual redeployment of forces from Hodeida city and port, and that came into force on 18 December. It authorizes the United Nations to deploy support for implementation of those agreements, including monitors."

The United Nations will monitor the cease-fire and is authorized by the resolution to deploy an advance team for that purpose for an initial period of 30 days. It is being headed by Major General Patrick Cammaert of The Netherlands, a former U.N. peacekeeping commander. He already has deployed to the region.

The resolution approved Friday "insists" that all parties respect the cease-fire agreed for Hodeida.

The city is the entry point for 70 percent of Yemen's food, fuel and medicines, and it has been under rebel Houthi-control for the past two years, putting it in the crosshairs of the conflict.

The U.N. secretary-general also is being asked to provide the Security Council with proposals before December 31 on how the U.N. plans to carry out monitoring operations.

Additionally under the deal, fighters are to be redeployed to agreed upon locations outside Hodeida within 21 days of the cease-fire coming into effect.

In addition to Hodeida, the parties in Sweden last week agreed to the exchange of thousands of prisoners.

They also came to an understanding aimed at easing the situation in the southwest Yemeni city of Taiz, with humanitarian corridors to allow safe passage of persons and goods across the front lines, as well as to reduce fighting. The council resolution endorsed these agreements.

"The resolution does not address all the issues of the multifaceted crises that Yemen faces, but the implementation of the concrete measures in the Stockholm agreement will provide much needed steps in that direction, with direct and positive humanitarian impact for the people of Yemen," said Swedish Ambassador Olof Skoog. He said Sweden is ready to participate in the monitoring mission.

It took several days of negotiations for the 15 council members to agree on the text. The United States and Kuwait wanted the language to stick to the points agreed in Stockholm and not extend to humanitarian and other issues.

The United States also wanted Iran named for its support to the Houthis. At one point, the U.S. submitted its own draft resolution.

"While we voted for the resolution put forward by our friends the United Kingdom, we regret that it does not call Iran to account for its destructive agenda in Yemen," said U.S. representative Rodney Hunter. "We hope that in the days to come, Iranian missiles or misdeeds do not shatter promise of peace and bring us back to where we were before."

The language in the adopted resolution dropped calls in earlier drafts for condemnations of violations of the international arms embargo imposed on the Houthi rebels and the need for investigations into alleged violations of international humanitarian law.

A Saudi Arabian-led coalition began bombing Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels in support of Yemen's government in March 2015. Since then, the U.N. estimates more than 10,000 people have been killed, mostly due to coalition airstrikes.

While there is a glimmer of hope on the political horizon, the country is still facing massive food shortages that have left millions of Yemenis starving amid a collapsing economy.

The United Nations hopes to convene a second round of intra-Yemeni talks early next year.
The United States remains committed to the "permanent destruction" of the Islamic State and other terrorist groups in Syria and around the world, a U.S. diplomat said Thursday.

"We will continue to work together with our allies to fight terrorism," Rodney Hunter, the U.S. political coordinator for the U.S. mission to the United Nations, told a Security Council meeting on Syria. "The United States will also work with like-minded states, the United Nations and the Syrian opposition to seek a diplomatic end to this conflict."

His remarks came a day after President Donald Trump declared a U.S. victory over IS and ordered the withdrawal of 2,000 American troops from Syria.

In a video statement, Trump declared, "We have won against IS. We've beaten them and we've beaten them badly."

His announcement caught most in the U.S. political and military establishment by surprise. It also received pushback from U.S. allies and fellow anti-IS coalition members.

At the United Nations, Britain's ambassador said the global coalition  including her government  has made important counterterrorism advances.

"Much remains to be done in the global campaign," Ambassador Karen Pierce said. "But we must not lose sight of the threat Daesh continues to pose, even when they continue no longer to hold territory." Daesh is an Arabic acronym for the terrorist group.

French envoy Francois Delattre said the "fight is not over" and warned that tensions on the ground could provide an opportunity for terrorists. He said it is important that the United States take into account protection of populations in northeastern Syria to avoid any humanitarian tragedy or resurgence of terrorism. The withdrawal of U.S. forces could also leave U.S.-backed Kurdish troops in jeopardy.

"We are in close contact with Washington on the timetable and the conditions to implement the decision to withdraw the American forces engaged against Daesh in Syria," Delattre said. "In the upcoming weeks, France will be ensuring carefully that the security of all U.S. partners be insured, including the Syrian Democratic Forces."

Political track

The council heard its final briefing from outgoing U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura. He leaves the job after more than four years with little success.

During his tenure, he has worked to make the peace process more inclusive and had a role in facilitating some short-term cease-fires. De Mistura has been working intensively during his final weeks to solidify the creation of a constitutional committee, which is seen as a crucial step toward a credible and inclusive political process for ending the civil war.

There are to be three lists of 50 persons each for the committee  one from the Damascus government, one from the opposition and a third list that will be a combination of both sides.

De Mistura said that they "nearly" have a list, but the U.N. is unable to accept all of the 50 names put forward on the third list.

"The United Nations, having examined the names, assessed that we would not feel comfortable yet giving the U.N. stamp of legitimacy to all 50 of them as meeting the necessary criteria of credibility and balance," he said. "No list will be perfect, but in our assessment, the list needs a further review and a revision."

Once a list is agreed upon, stakeholders hope to convene a first meeting of the constitutional committee in January.
United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos moved to make several policy changes affecting American higher education in 2018.

This included reversals in court, some criticism and also several new policies.

Rules for investigations into sexual attacks

DeVos' move in 2017 to withdraw guidance for colleges and universities given by the administration of former President Barack Obama has faced criticism. The guidance dealt with what colleges and universities should do about accusations of sexual assault.

In January 2018, three activist groups took legal action against the department. The groups said withdrawing the guidelines hurt protections guaranteed by the 1972 federal law known as Title IX.

Title IX bars discrimination based on sex at American colleges and universities, as well as at elementary and secondary schools. Schools that receive federal money are required to offer a clear way for students and employees to report sexual assault. They also must hold fair, open investigations.

In 2011, the Obama administration added guidance about how to deal with sexual violence accusations. Some rights groups praised the new rules at the time.

However, the Education Department withdrew the Obama administration rules in September 2017. It said they failed to provide fairness to both the accuser and the accused.

Skye Perryman is with Democracy Forward. Her group, the National Women's Law Center, and the National Center for Youth Law brought the action against the Department of Education. Perryman told VOA that DeVos' withdrawal of the 2011 guidelines would have a bad effect on those who might experience sexual violence.

"Individuals who've experiencedsexual violence, and sexual assault on campuses have been chilled in their ability to bring claims, because they do not believe that the system will protect them," she said.

New rules released for public comment

In November, DeVos released new, proposed rules for investigating sexual wrongdoing at colleges and universities.

The new plan must go through a 60-day public comment process before it can be finalized. It includes some changes sought by some groups. For example, one of the new guidelines would give accused students the chance to ask their accusers questions.

In a statement, DeVos said, "We can, and must, condemn sexual violence and punish those who perpetrate it, while ensuring a fair grievance process."

Under the proposed rules, schools would only be required to investigate accusations if the reported incidents happened on areas overseen by the schools. The earlier guidelines had required schools to investigate all accusations wherever they were reported to have taken place.

Some rights groups, like the American Civil Liberties Union, have said on Twitter that the proposed rules are unfair to the accuser.

The period for comment on the new rules ends in January.

Student borrowing legal case

In early March, former Corinthian Colleges students made the claim that the Education Department unfairly used information about how much money they earn. The students said the agency used information from the Social Security Department to limit their student loan debt relief.

Corinthian Colleges was a for-profit higher education company that operated several schools across the U.S. and Canada. In 2015, the U.S. government found evidence it was illegally misinforming its students.

The Education Department has the ability to, in many cases, forgive student loan debt. Under former President Obama, the department paid $550 million to forgive student loans for tens of thousands of former Corinthian students.

The department then made rules designed to clarify how students can get debt relief. The rules were opposed by many for-profit colleges and universities.

The policy is known as borrower defense, and the changes were meant to go into effect in July 2017. But DeVos said the rule made forgiving loans too easy and was unfair to taxpayers. So she blocked it while attempting to create a new policy to replace it.

In September 2018, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss decided that DeVos' delay was unlawful.

Changes without opposition

Some of DeVos' policy changes have not faced legal opposition.

In September, the Education Department removed national median data from its online tool that helps students decide which college or university to attend. A median number is one in a series of numbers that represents the middle value.

In 2013, the Obama administration launched the website, called College Scorecard. It is a database for important information on schools across the country, including yearly costs and average student debt.

The Education Department removed national median numbers from the website this year. It said that it was unfair to compare all schools with that measure. However, even some supporters of Secretary DeVos and her efforts found the change in the College Scorecard troubling.

"If you do not have anything to compare it to, you don't understand  what's out there," said Daniel Elkins with the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States. "Then you have to compare multiple graphs, multiple charts, and try and figure out an average on your own."

The Associated Press reports that DeVos announced one more major policy proposal for schools of all levels Tuesday.

In 2014, the Obama administration urged schools not to suspend, remove or report students involved in bad behavior to police, except in extreme cases. That guidance came after research showed black students were more than three times as likely as white students to be suspended or removed.

However, a federal school safety commission has recommended changes to that policy in its final report. DeVos led the commission. She said that the federal government should not make one rule for all schools.

"The primary responsibility for the physical security of schools and the safety of their students naturally rests with states and local communities," DeVos said.
The United States has reached an agreement in principle with Iraq to extend for 90 days an exemption to sanctions against Iran, allowing Baghdad to keep importing Iranian gas that is critical for Iraqi power production.

The extension was reached on Thursday, when a previous 45-day waiver was due to expire, during a visit to Washington by an Iraqi delegation, according to two Iraqi officials with direct knowledge of the negotiations.

A senior Iraqi government official and a central bank official told Reuters that talks were continuing on Friday to finalize details, including how to pay Iran for energy imports, two sources said.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has said Iraq should not pay Iran in U.S. dollars or euros. A team from Iraqs central bank joined the delegation to find a solution.

Washington initially granted Iraq a 45-day waiver for Iranian gas when it reimposed sanctions on Nov. 5, after months of negotiations.

Iraq relies heavily on Iranian gas to feed its power stations, importing roughly 1.5 billion standard cubic feet per day via pipelines in the south and east.

Iraqi officials have said they need about two years to find an alternative source.

Washington has said it wants to roll back Iranian influence in the Middle East, including in Iraq, where Iran holds broad sway over politics and trade.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said on Dec 11 that the United States was working with Iraq on the issue of Iranian gas because it was linked to a very sensitive issue which is electricity.

Persistent power shortages fueled protests this summer in the south of Iraq, which is still reeling from a three-year war against Islamic State.

The prime minister, who took office in October, met U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry in Baghdad this month. Perry, who came with a delegation of more than 50 business people, also met Iraqs oil and electricity ministers.

Iraq has reached a deal with U.S. energy giant General Electric and German rival Siemens to install liquefied natural gas-operated mobile power units at some small southern oil fields, Iraqs state newspaper reported last month.

The Financial Times reported in October that the U.S. government had intervened in favor of GE for a contract sought by both companies to supply 11 gigawatts of power generation equipment, reportedly worth around $15 billion.
The United States and South Korea agreed to help provide antiviral flu medications to North Korea, Seouls nuclear envoy said Friday, after Washington said it would expedite humanitarian aid amid stalled nuclear talks with Pyongyang.

The nuclear negotiators of the United States and South Korea held a meeting in Seoul of a working group they launched last month to boost policy coordination on North Korea.

They explored ways to improve the delivery of humanitarian aid, which relief groups say has been sharply limited by the United States strict enforcement of international sanctions imposed because of the Norths nuclear and missile programs, the envoys said.

Stephen Biegun, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, said Wednesday he would meet U.S. aid groups early next year and review Washingtons aid policy.

South Koreas envoy, Lee Do-hoon, said the United States agreed to support South Koreas plan to provide the flu drug Tamiflu to the North as part of the discussions.

The move is aimed at kick-starting nuclear diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang, Biegun said, as they struggle to find a breakthrough in stalled negotiations.

Of course all of this is intended to advance what were trying to do with North Korea, Biegun told reporters.

Now that work begins with denuclearization but also includes the strong commitments by both of our countries to transform relations and build a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, he said.
Islamic State fighters in Syria should not expect any relief from the pounding of U.S. and coalition airstrikes, at least for now.

The assurance Thursday from the Pentagon was one of the few details to emerge from defense officials just one day after U.S. President Donald Trump declared victory against the IS's self-declared caliphate and announced U.S. forces in Syria would be coming home.

The decision, which surprised many U.S. defense officials, diplomats and lawmakers, rattled U.S. allies on the ground and left many asking questions about what would come next.

No speculation on 'future operations'

But for now, the air campaign against IS will go on, even if the scope and intensity of the airstrikes remained murky.

"As long as there are U.S. troops on the ground, we will conduct air and artillery strikes in support of our forces," a U.S. defense official told VOA, declining to clarify whether any strikes would be carried out in support of partners like the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

"We will not speculate on future operations," the official added.

In recent weeks, the U.S.-led coalition has nearly tripled the number of airstrikes it has carried out against IS positions in and around the town of Hajin, where approximately 2,000 veteran IS fighters have been mounting a last stand in what has been the group's final stronghold.

That aerial bombardment has allowed the SDF, a mix of Kurdish and Arab fighters, to make inroads into Hajin after weeks of difficult fighting, though U.S. officials and SDF leaders warned it would likely be months before the entire area could be freed from IS control.

But as the first of about 2,000 U.S. troops, along with diplomats and intelligence officials, started pulling out of Syria, the resolve of the SDF fighters began to waiver.

A source close to SDF officials on the ground in Syria told VOA on Wednesday that while many of the group's Kurdish fighters were still actively fighting IS, they were prepared to withdraw from the front lines once the last of the U.S. troops had gone.

Many of them, the source said, expected to head north, to join Kurdish fighters preparing for an incursion by Turkish forces, who see them not as an ally in the fight against IS, but rather as terrorists in their own right.

Such talk seems to be gaining momentum, according to human rights groups that have been following the conflict in Syria.

SDF leadership was prepared to "withdraw all their fighters from the fronts with the Islamic State organization and move them to the front lines with the Turkish forces and the factions operating under their commands," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday.

The group also said SDF commanders had "seriously discussed the release of thousands of members of the Islamic State organization," many of them taken into custody as the SDF evicted IS from large swaths of Syria.

U.S. officials have put the number of captured IS foreign fighters at about 700, and for months have urged various governments to take them back so they could face justice in their countries of origin. But SDF officials say there are more than 1,000 fighters from 31 countries in custody, along with more than 2,000 women and children.

Sources familiar with the situation told VOA that the SDF also would consider turning them over to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad if such a deal could be struck.

Additionally, other U.S. allies have chafed at Trump's decision to pull out of Syria, some publicly contradicting on social media the U.S. president's declaration that IS was defeated.

"Daesh are being pushed further back into the shadows," British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said, using the Arabic acronym for IS, in a statement tweeted by the Ministry of Defense.

"Make no mistake, though," he added. "Much hard work still lies ahead to ensure we win the war."

The response from a NATO official was more muted.



"We have taken note of the U.S. decision," an official told VOA, noting the alliance does not have any forces in Syria but has been working to bolster the capacity of forces in neighboring Iraq to counter IS.

In the face of questions and criticism, President Trump defended his decision in a series of tweets Thursday.

The tweets prompted a harsh reaction from South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, often seen as a supporter of the president. He disagreed with Trump's assertion that U.S. foes were "not happy about the U.S. leaving."

"They're ecstatic," Graham said. "This is a big gift to them, and this is a devastating decision for our allies."

During a news conference Thursday in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the U.S. decision to pull out of Syria.

"Is the presence of American forces [in Syria] necessary? I think not," he said. "Let us not forget that their presence, the presence of your [American] forces, is not legitimate."

VOA's Wayne Lee contributed to this report.
The Trump administration is setting out to do what this year's farm bill didn't: tighten work requirements for millions of Americans who receive federal food assistance.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday proposed a rule that would restrict the ability of states to exempt work-eligible adults from having to obtain steady employment to receive food stamps.

The move comes the same day that President Donald Trump signed an $867 billion farm bill that reauthorized agriculture and conservation programs while leaving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which serves roughly 40 million Americans, virtually untouched.

Passage of the farm bill followed months of tense negotiations over House efforts to significantly tighten work requirements and the Senate's refusal to accept the provisions.

Currently, able-bodied adults ages 18-49 without children are required to work 20 hours a week to maintain their SNAP benefits. The House bill would have raised the age of recipients subject to work requirements from 49 to 59 and required parents with children older than 6 to work or participate in job training. The House measure also sought to limit circumstances under which families that qualify for other poverty programs can automatically be eligible for SNAP.

Measures don't make final farm bill

None of those measures made it into the final farm bill despite Trump's endorsement. Now the administration is using regulatory rule making to try to scale back the SNAP program.

Work-eligible able-bodied adults without dependents, known as ABAWDs, can currently receive only three months of SNAP benefits in a three-year period if they don't meet the 20-hour work requirement. But states with an unemployment rate of 10 percent or higher or a demonstrable lack of sufficient jobs can waive those limitations.

States are also allowed to grant benefit extensions for 15 percent of their work-eligible adult population without a waiver. If a state doesn't use its 15 percent, it can bank the exemptions to distribute later, creating what Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue referred to as a "stockpile.''

The USDA's proposed rule would strip states' ability to issue waivers unless a city or county has an unemployment rate of 7 percent or higher. The waivers would be good for one year and would require the governor to support the request. States would no longer be able to bank their 15 percent exemptions. The new rule also would forbid states from granting waivers for geographic areas larger than a specific jurisdiction.

Proposed rule a tradeoff

Perdue said the proposed rule is a tradeoff for Trump's support of the farm bill, which Trump signed Thursday.

"I have directed Secretary Perdue to use his authority to close work requirement loopholes in the food stamp program,'' Trump said at the signing ceremony. "That was a difficult thing to get done, but the farmers wanted it done, we all wanted it done, and in the end, it's going to make a lot of people happy.''

Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday slammed the Trump administration's efforts to restrict SNAP.

"Why at Christmas would you take food out of the mouths of American people?'' she said.

The USDA in February solicited public comment on ways to reform SNAP, and Perdue has repeatedly voiced support for scaling back the program.

The Trump administration's effort, while celebrated by some conservatives, has been met with criticism from advocates who say tightening restrictions will result in more vulnerable Americans, including children, going hungry.

A Brookings Institution study published this summer said more stringent work requirements are likely to hurt those who are already part of the workforce but whose employment is sporadic.

Conaway leads the way

House Agriculture Chairman Michael Conaway, R-Texas, was the primary champion for tighter SNAP work requirements in the House farm bill and remained committed to the provision throughout negotiations.

Conaway praised the rule Thursday for "creating a roadmap for states to more effectively engage ABAWDs in this booming economy.''

Conaway in September blasted the Senate for refusing to adopt work requirements and suggested that Perdue doesn't have the authority to make broad changes to the SNAP program.

"The Senate seems to have abandoned the idea that it is Congress' responsibility to fix the waiver issue and that somehow Secretary Perdue could wave a magic wand and fix that. It's not his responsibility; he does not have the authority,'' Conaway said in an interview with Pro Farmer, a trade publication.

Democrats blast farm bill

On Thursday, Conaway spokeswoman Rachel Millard said the congressman was referring to Perdue's authority to change laws, which he does not have, not the secretary's ability to pursue regulatory action. She said Conaway continues to support Perdue's efforts to limit SNAP.

The top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, who along with its Republican chairman, Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas, crafted the bipartisan Senate bill without any changes to SNAP, blasted the Trump administration for its attempt to restrict the program.

"This regulation blatantly ignores the bipartisan farm bill that the president is signing today and disregards over 20 years of history giving states flexibility to request waivers based on local job conditions,'' Stabenow said. "I expect the rule will face significant opposition and legal challenges.''
The United Nations reports human rights violations have surged over the past two years in the Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu Province as security in that conflict-ridden region has worsened.

A report issued by the U.N. human rights office documents hundreds of cases of violations against civilians in North Kivu province between January 2017 and October 2018. It said a significant increase in the number of armed groups fighting against each other and the Congolese security forces has led to escalating abuse.

The report found that two-thirds of the human rights violations are committed by armed groups, and government army and security forces are to blame for one-third.

Together, it said the number of violations and abuses occurring in North Kivu province amounts to one-third of all the human rights violations documented throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Human Rights spokeswoman, Marta Hurtado said civilians are victims of extra-judicial killings, torture, forced labor and other forms of abuse.

She said sexual violence is on the rise, and women and children often are kidnapped for purposes of sexual exploitation. She added that rapes and gang rapes are being committed by all armed groups as a tactic of war.

"In cases where one group thinks that a specific community has been collaborating or likely collaborating with another group, they do rape women and girls there, and explicitly say it is to punish the whole community for their alleged involvement with another group," she told VOA.

Hurtado said internal displacement is soaring as thousands of people flee their homes to escape the violence. And instability in the region, she said, is affecting the emergency response to the Ebola epidemic and the likely spread of the disease.

The authors of the report fear insecurity in North Kivu could undermine the political rights of the population.

Presidential elections in DRC were to have taken place next Sunday but have been postponed to December 30. The U.N. says violence in the province could discourage many people from going to the polls, thereby preventing many from participating in this democratic process.
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers woke to a partial government shutdown Saturday after Democrats refused to meet President Donald Trumps demands for $5 billion to start erecting a border wall with Mexico.

Overall, more than 800,000 federal employees would see their jobs disrupted, including more than half who would be forced to continue working without pay.

Whats open and whats closed

Social Security checks will still go out. Troops will remain at their posts. Doctors and hospitals will get their Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. The U.S. Postal Service, busy delivering packages for the holiday season, is an independent agency and wont be affected.

In fact, virtually every essential government agency, like the FBI, the Border Patrol and the Coast Guard, will remain open. Transportation Security Administration officers will continue to staff airport checkpoints.

The air traffic control system, food inspection, Medicare, veterans health care and many other essential government programs will run as usual. The Federal Emergency Management Agency can continue to respond to disasters.

Nearly all of the Department of Homeland Securitys 240,000 employees will be at work because theyre considered essential.

The Special Counsels Office, which is investigating potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, will not be affected by a shutdown.

Hundreds of thousands off the job

But hundreds of thousands of federal workers will be forced off the job, and some services will go dark. Even after funding is restored, the political repercussions could be enduring.

The Washington Monument and many other iconic park service attractions would close, as would museums along the National Mall. In the past, the vast majority of national parks were closed to visitors and campers, but during the last government shutdown in January the Interior Department tried to make parks as accessible as possible despite bare-bones staffing levels. It was not clear Monday if that effort will be repeated.

Spokeswomen for the Interior Department did not answer questions by email about the agencys overall plans for a shutdown. Leadership at the agency is in flux, with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke resigning effective Jan. 2 in the face of ethics investigations.

Federal workers still get paid  eventually

While they can be kept on the job, federal workers cant get paid for days worked while there is a lapse in funding. In the past, however, they have been repaid retroactively even if they were ordered to stay home.

Federal workers are exempted from furloughs if their jobs are national security-related or if they perform essential activities that protect life and property.

According to a report by Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee, more than 420,000 federal employees deemed essential would continue to work without pay during a partial shutdown, including about 41,000 law enforcement and corrections officers and nearly 150,000 Homeland Security employees.

Meanwhile, more than 380,000 employees will be furloughed, including nearly all of NASA and Housing and Urban Development and 41,000 Commerce Department employees. About 16,000 National Park Service employees, 80 percent of the agencys workforce, will be furloughed, and many parks will close. Some parks are closed for the winter.

Among those set to be furloughed: 52,000 staffers at the Internal Revenue Service, slowing analysis and collection of hundreds of thousands of tax returns and audits.

Shutdowns happen

Way back in the day, shutdowns usually werent that big a deal. They happened every year when Jimmy Carter was president, averaging 11 days each. During Reagans two terms, there were six shutdowns, typically just one or two days apiece. Deals got cut. Everybody moved on.

Before a three-day lapse in January, caused by Democrats insistence that any budget measure come with protections for young immigrants known as dreamers, the most recent significant shutdown was a 16-day partial shuttering of the government in 2013. That one came as tea party conservatives tried to block implementation of Obamas health care law. The government also shut down for a few hours last February amid a partisan dispute over deficit spending.
Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker chose not to recuse himself from the Russia investigation even though a top Justice Department ethics official advised him to step aside out of an "abundance of caution,'' a senior official said Thursday.



Whitaker's past criticism of the Russia investigation has raised questions about whether he can oversee it fairly. The ethics official said this week that a recusal was "a close call,'' but suggested that Whitaker remove himself, even though he was not required to do so.



Whitaker decided not to take the advice.



The details of Whitaker's decision to maintain oversight of the Russia investigation were provided by a Justice Department official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity. The details show that although Whitaker was not required to step aside, the issue had raised questions about the appearance of a possible conflict of interest.



Members of Congress have expressed concerns about Whitaker's past criticism of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. The probe is looking at Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential ties to President Donald Trump's campaign.

The investigation had been overseen by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein until Trump ousted Jeff Sessions as attorney general last month and appointed Whitaker. The senior official said Rosenstein continues to have day-to-day oversight of the probe.

Advisory group



The official said that after Whitaker was appointed, he formed a group of four Justice Department officials  led by a veteran U.S. attorney  to advise him on the transition and ethics process. That small group of officials met repeatedly with the Justice Department's career ethics officials.



Whitaker met with the ethics officials three times in the last six weeks, the senior official said. During one of those meetings, the officials asked Whitaker about the comments he made as a legal commentator for CNN about his views of the Mueller investigation. The remarks were made before he joined the Justice Department.



Whitaker had once opined about a scenario in which Trump could fire Sessions and then appoint an acting attorney general who could stifle the funding of Mueller's probe. His other past public statements have included an op-ed article in which he said Mueller would be straying outside his mandate if he investigated Trump's family finances. In a talk-radio interview, Whitaker maintained there was no evidence of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign during the 2016 election.



Whitaker was not required to solicit a recommendation from ethics officials, and the decision about whether he should recuse was up to him, the senior official said.

Since taking office, Whitaker has not been briefed on specific developments of the special counsel's investigation and Rosenstein will continue to maintain day-to-day oversight for the foreseeable future, the official added.



However, the official said Whitaker can be briefed as the investigation moves forward, though there isn't a set timetable yet on when that might begin.

Nadler plans questions



Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., who will take over as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee in January, said it was "unacceptable'' that Whitaker didn't inform members of Congress about his decision not to recuse himself and vowed to question Whitaker before the committee.

"More concerning, at the moment, is the fact that career DOJ ethics officials appear to have had serious concerns about Mr. Whitaker's ability and fitness to oversee the special counsel's investigation,'' Nadler said in a statement.



The Justice Department planned to send a letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York about Whitaker's recusal decision and the ethics process later Thursday.



The question of whether an attorney general can or should recuse from a particular criminal investigation has long been politically fraught, and decisions in both directions have had far-reaching ramifications.



In 2016, for instance, then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch opted not to recuse herself from the Clinton email investigation despite an impromptu chat with former President Bill Clinton at an airport tarmac in Phoenix. Lynch opted instead to accept the FBI's recommendation on whether to bring charges. Former FBI Director James Comey has acknowledged being frustrated by that decision, and went ahead days later with a controversial news conference at which he announced the FBI's recommendation against charges.



Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation just days into his job as attorney general. He said it was because of his work as a campaign surrogate for Trump, but the announcement followed explosive revelations of multiple encounters with the Russian ambassador over the last year. Trump never forgave him and ultimately forced him from the job a year and a half later.
A methane explosion killed 12 Poles and one Czech at an eastern Czech coal mine, the OKD mining company said on Friday, in the worst disaster of this kind in almost three decades.

The state-run firm said that a methane blast more than 800 metres (875 yards) underground devastated areas of the CSM hard coal mine near the town of Karvina and the Polish border on Thursday afternoon.

We stopped underground work immediately, evacuated miners to the surface, and rescuers arrived who inspected the whole location thoroughly, OKD spokesman Ivo Celechovsky said on Czech public television.

OKD had previously said that 11 Poles and two Czechs died, but added later one of those thought to be Czech was in fact a Polish citizen.

The accident is the worst mining disaster in the Czech Republic since 1990, when 30 miners died in a fire at a mine near Karvina in the same region, according to a list compiled by CTK news agency.

Polish President Andrzej Duda declared Sunday a day of national mourning.

OKD said that attempts to rescue eight miners originally reported as unaccounted for had had to be abandoned due to conditions in the shaft.

Unfortunately, we have reached a point where it was impossible to move forward, because there was a fire raging and zero visibility, OKD managing director Boleslav Kowalczyk said.

The affected part of the mine was being sealed off to starve the fire of air and rescue teams would only be able to return to recover the victims at an unspecified date when conditions allowed, he said.

Kowalczyk said a network of methane sensors deployed in the mine had not detected anything unusual prior to the blast.

The Polish victims were miners employed via the ALPEX company, OKD said.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and his Czech counterpart, Andrej Babis, visited the mine separately on Friday morning. Babis pointed out the risks that search teams facing.

They were 50 metres from those trapped there, but it was not possible (to advance) without threatening the lives of the emergency workers, he said, adding that the company was looking into ways to compensate the victims families.

Morawiecki spoke on a similar note. Of course we will offer care to all of the families of the mining (accident) victims and for all those who survived, he said, according to the PAP news agency. The state-run firm said that a methane blast more than 800 metres (875 yards) underground devastated areas of the CSM hard coal mine near the town of Karvina and the Polish border on Thursday afternoon.

We stopped underground work immediately, evacuated miners to the surface, and rescuers arrived who inspected the whole location thoroughly, OKD spokesman Ivo Celechovsky said on Czech public television.

OKD had previously said that 11 Poles and two Czechs died, but added later one of those thought to be Czech was in fact a Polish citizen.

The accident is the worst mining disaster in the Czech Republic since 1990, when 30 miners died in a fire at a mine near Karvina in the same region, according to a list compiled by CTK news agency.

Polish President Andrzej Duda declared Sunday a day of national mourning.

OKD said that attempts to rescue eight miners originally reported as unaccounted for had had to be abandoned due to conditions in the shaft.

Unfortunately, we have reached a point where it was impossible to move forward, because there was a fire raging and zero visibility, OKD managing director Boleslav Kowalczyk said.

The affected part of the mine was being sealed off to starve the fire of air and rescue teams would only be able to return to recover the victims at an unspecified date when conditions allowed, he said.

Kowalczyk said a network of methane sensors deployed in the mine had not detected anything unusual prior to the blast.

The Polish victims were miners employed via the ALPEX company, OKD said.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and his Czech counterpart, Andrej Babis, visited the mine separately on Friday morning. Babis pointed out the risks that search teams facing.

They were 50 metres from those trapped there, but it was not possible (to advance) without threatening the lives of the emergency workers, he said, adding that the company was looking into ways to compensate the victims families.

Morawiecki spoke on a similar note. Of course we will offer care to all of the families of the mining (accident) victims and for all those who survived, he said, according to the PAP news agency.
Yemen's internationally recognized government says Shi'ite rebels have violated a U.N.-brokered cease-fire in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida with a barrage of artillery and rockets.

The pro-government Sabaa news agency quoted a military official as saying four members of an elite force were killed and 16 others were wounded in Saturday's shelling by the rebels, known as Houthis.

The shelling is the latest in a number of cease-fire breaches in Hodeida since the truce came into force Tuesday.

The truce was negotiated in U.N.-sponsored peace talks held in Sweden last week.

It's the latest attempt to end Yemen's four-year-old war civil war in which the Iran-aligned rebels are fighting government-allied troops along with a Saudi-led coalition. The rebels control Sanaa, the capital, and much of northern Yemen.
A mother from Yemen cradled her dying infant son in a California hospital Thursday when, just a few days ago, she thought she would never be able to tell him goodbye.

The State Department granted Shaima Swileh a waiver to President Donald Trumps travel ban, allowing her to hold her baby and tell him how much she loves him, perhaps for the last time.

Friends and reporters mobbed Swileh when she arrived at the San Francisco airport Wednesday night.

Husband, son US citizens

Two-year-old Abdullah Hassan, a U.S. citizen, is on life support with a rare genetic brain condition. His father, Ali Hassan, also an American citizen, has been at the hospital with his son.

The couple married in Egypt in 2016. But Swileh, a Yemeni, was not allowed to come to the United States because of the travel ban.

Hassan has said he was ready to take his son off life support, giving up hope his wife would ever be able to see the child.

State Department grants waiver

Lawyers from the Council on American-Islamic Relations sued the State Department, which granted her a visa earlier this week.

State Department spokesman Robert Palladino called it a very sad case and said U.S. officials struggle to determine which appeals for waivers are legitimate while balancing national security concerns.

These are not easy questions. Weve got a lot of foreign service officers deployed all over the world that are making these decisions on a daily basis, and they are trying to do the right thing at all times, Palladino said earlier this week.

Trumps travel ban restricts citizens from Yemen and six other mostly Muslim countries, along with North Korea and Venezuela, from coming to the United States, citing a threat of terrorism.

But critics of the ban have pointed to the Swileh case as an example of what they call discrimination against Muslims.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, a Democrat from California, also intervened on the familys behalf, calling the travel ban heinous and un-American.
A group of teachers finished a 300-kilometer protest march Thursday to push President Emmerson Mnangagwas government to pay them in U.S. dollars and improve their working conditions. But, the government refused to meet with them when they arrived in Harare.

Members of Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe sang No to bond notes salaries as they arrived in Harare Thursday.

That marked the end of their two-week-long march from Mutare to Harare, where they wanted to petition the government to pay them in U.S. dollars.

We should be paid in U.S. dollars, because we last negotiate with the government in U.S. dollars, now they are saying the U.S. dollars is 1-to-1 with bond note, when the reality is not the same when you want to buy. The bond note is not equivalent to the U.S. dollar, said Robson Chere, the secretary-general of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe.

The teachers say the bond notes are losing value and are worth about one-fourth of a U.S. dollar. Zimbabwe started printing the currency two years ago to ease cash shortages.

This month, Zimbabwes doctors were the first to demand salaries in U.S. dollars, and they are still on strike.

Health minister Obadiah Moyo said the government cant meet these demands.

We dont want to lie to each other or waste each others time, he said. We all know that there is no foreign currency to even buy the medicines, which they use in hospitals, let alone foreign currency to be paid to individuals.

The teachers salary caravan was blocked by arrests until Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights intervened for the release of the teachers who had been detained during the protest.

It was a journey which we faced some challenges along the way: victimization, some of our colleagues injured, developed blisters, union chief Chere said. Also we were arrested several times along the way as well. They were frustrating us because they did not want us to reach Harare send a message to the government.

After being denied a meeting with Zimbabwes finance minister, Mthuli Ncube, teachers union official Obert Masaraure said the protest will continue.

We will permanently reside here, schools are not going to be opening, all the teachers are gong to be residing here, he said. We are confident that when schools open, more teachers are going to be residing here until the grievance of salaries is addressed. We are determined to be here for as long as it takes.

Wednesday, the government said Vice President Constantino Chiwenga would soon meet the striking doctors.

President Mnangagwa plans to meet Friday with another group of teachers that did not take part in the salary caravan.

The marching teachers say they dont need a meeting because the president already knows their problems and demands.
Striking teachers in Zimbabwe, who Thursday completed a 300-kilometer protest walk, have vowed to continue their strike until the government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa agrees to pay them in U.S. dollars and improve their working conditions. But when the teachers arrived in Harare at the end of their march, the government refused to meet them. Columbus Mavhunga reports for VOA.
Photo: Courtesy Marshall Family Collection/Handout

When actress, director, and general multi-hyphenate trailblazer Penny Marshall died earlier this week, one of the trending topics that followed the news was her BFF status with Carrie Fisher  fun quotes they said about each other, some cute photos, you name it. We love it! But despite the very public celebration of their friendship on social media, the women enjoyed spending time together away from lifes flashbulbs and recorders, really only regaling us with their lifes anecdotes through memoirs and rare interviews. Weve lasted longer than all of our marriages combined. Our crazy lives have meshed perfectly, Marshall perhaps put it best in her 2012 memoir. Weve always said its because we never liked the same drugs or men, but I know theres more to it. Here, lets take an abridged look at the early stages of their pairing, which we promise we wont refer to as friendship goals.

Late 1970s: The women are introduced in Manhattan by Fishers then-husband, Paul Simon, and SNL czar Lorne Michaels, who both had a hunch they would hit it off. (As Marshall concisely put it, They were right.) Their first official hang-sesh revolves around Fisher packing for a trip to the Caribbean, where Marshall listened to her bitch about whether she was able to keep up with Paul.

1980: When Fisher was in Chicago shooting The Blues Brothers, she invites Marshall to hang with her on set and in the city for a few days to keep her company. Its then that they tried acid for the first time  along with John Belushis wife, Judy and Marshall remembers their first trip together vividly. It seemed like the thing to do. We played pool for hours and took pictures of ourselves with a Polaroid camera at a hole-in-the-wall bar, Marshall wrote in her memoir. We thought the cops there were extras from the movie and so made no effort to hide our silliness; but they turned out to be real police officers. When they return to their Ritz-Carlton, still feeling the effects of acid, they proceed to give each other facials and lay on the floor of the hotels elevator to stare up at the pretty Art Deco ceiling. Eric Idle, of all people, stepped in the elevator and understood what was going on.

1981: The infamous, just-elaborate-enough joint birthdays thrown by Marshall and Fisher first begin  they both shared October birthdays  and slowly transforms into one of Hollywoods hottest events. As a means of keeping these soirees at bay, the duo abide by the same set of rules over the years: They would alternate homes, the lucky invitees would receive phone calls telling them the date and time, and they would jointly decide if other people trying to get in were worthy of attendance. Most guests were longtime friends like Jack Nicholson, Anjelica Huston, and Robin Williams. New people, like Ben Affleck and Nicole Kidman, were added every year, Marshall later recalled. The food was a big draw. Carries housekeeper, Gloria, and her mothers longtime housekeeper, Mary, made fried chicken, meatloaf, mac and cheese, and other Southern staples. Barbra Streisand wanted to hire them for a party. Carrie wouldnt let her. Hell, it was such a hot ticket that one year David Bowie and Iman crashed.

(About 20 years after their inaugural birthday, the duo decide to stop the parties because it became too overwhelming to deal with the mayhem and the planning. It was too much  and too expensive, Marshall added. When you see Shaquille ONeal and Salman Rushdie waiting for their cars at the end of your driveway, you know things are out of control.)

1982: Fisher appeared on Marshalls beloved sitcom, Laverne & Shirley, in an episode that also featured Hugh Hefner. Cute bunny costumes!

Photo: ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images

1983: Marshall describes the most thrilling moment of her life as cajoling Simon & Garfunkel  who, at this point, were barely on speaking terms despite occasional public concert reunions  to perform for her and Fisher when the couple found themselves hanging out  thanks to acid. I guess they couldnt think of a reason why not or just didnt want to go into years of slights and bickering in front of Carrie and me, Marshall wrote in her memoir. Paul and Artie carefully searched the room for a spot with the best echo, the best sound, and they started to sing. Looking back, Marshall cant help but laugh: Here I was, totally ignorant of one of the most strained partnerships in pop music history, arranging a social date.

1990: Our gals, ever the private types, step out together for the first time in years for an art benefit auction. They are ready to buy. Look at that checkbook!

Photo: Ron Galella Ltd/WireImage

2003: Even if Fisher didnt get the sunglasses memo a la Marshall and Tom Petty, the two allow photographers into their realm once again for an AIDS fundraising benefit. Petty looks thrilled.

Photo: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

2004: They star in a movie together! Sure, they dont share any scenes, and sure, the likelihood of you actually remembering Stateside is slim, but please enjoy this clip of Fisher saying, Unashamed cheap little slut.

We warned you this was a short timeline, and the end is here. We can likely thank  or rather, blame  the ladies bicoastal lifestyles for the lack of public friendship content post-80s, given that Fisher was a tried-and-true Los Angeles broad (as was her mom!) and Marshall spent the majority of her later years soaking up those New York City clouds. Still, these parting words must be said, nay, screamed: Name a more iconic duo, well wait!
Blub blub blub. Photo: Warner Bros

If the original Richard Donner Superman film promised that youd believe a man can fly, James Wans Aquaman is dedicated to making you believe a man can swim really fast. The film follows the trials and tribulations of Jason Momoas Arthur Curry, a half-Atlantean hunk who spends much of the movie interacting with other children of Atlantis, all of whom primarily conduct their business underwater. The film thus lives or dies based on whether it can make the aquatic sequences seem natural and smooth. This was no easy task, as it turns out.

The underwater world encompasses around two-thirds of this particular film, Wan tells Vulture. So we had to get it right technically so that it would be at least somewhat believable and so that it would look cool and so that you would actually be able to buy something that makes up such a huge chunk of the movie. If we didnt get that right, it was going to be a problem in a big, big way. To make matters more difficult, Wan  best known for his work on intimate horror pictures like Saw and The Conjuring  was an amateur with this sort of thing. As he readily admits, Aquaman is really my first visual-effects-heavy movie.

To begin, well before principal photography, Wan and his team just observed how things look under the sea. We started by looking at humans swimming underwater, he recalls. We would put wigs and stunt doubles and props underwater just to see what they would look like. Data thus accumulated, they got to work on re-creating that imagery on dry land, which is where the film was mostly shot.

We had to make these rigs that would allow for our actors and stunt doubles to look like they were swimming, Wan says. It was a totally laborious process that involved putting these actors through some really uncomfortable situations. Not only are they having to act while theyre on a wire rig, almost all of them were having to do it while wearing these really outlandish costumes. And on top of that, they had to look like they were moving elegantly, you know? Moving around in the water is this very graceful and elegant thing for these characters. Its a really uncomfortable thing to do as an actor.

Because the actors were above the depths, there was all kinds of CGI mishegoss required to make their accoutrements look like they were swaying in the currents. It was months and months and months of trying to develop the physics, trying to get the CGI to look believable, the movements of things like capes and costumes and hair, Wan recalls  emphasis on hair. And in the case of Jason Momoa, there wasnt just the hair on his head  we had to figure out how to make his beard look like it was underwater, as well. And when youre doing that, youre actually physically affecting the actors face and how their performance comes across so that just took months and months.

The hair-replication process was agonizing. Sometimes, the effects house would come back with something that got the physics perfectly but didnt make the actors look cool, Wan says. Other times, it just wouldnt look right, it had to be redone. Wed have to go back to the drawing board and re-render every single strand of hair. Were talking, like, hours to render one shot that could only maybe be a couple of seconds long.

There was also the matter of not falling into the trap of turning the Atlanteans into Superman. I learned very early on that actors could look like they were flying rather than floating in water, so that was something we had to be mindful of as well, says Wan. We had to figure out ways to remind the audience that they were underwater, which we did by developing these simple but effective visual cues, like adding bits of floating particulate  something that weve all seen in swimming pools before. We added in little bits of debris, just as a way to remind people that, Right, yeah, this is all happening in water. And, of course, bubbles and stuff.

There was actually an entire approach to the swimming effects that Wan used, then discarded at great expense during the production process. We think about people swimming, and theres this very slow-motion quality to it, Wan muses. I shot a lot of the movie like that before I ultimately realized that that was just not correct for the look of the film. Atlanteans would not be moving in slow motion, despite being underwater. Through the course of research and development and principal photography, we realized it was just not the right look. The whole movie would have been just way too slow.

The finished product is definitely not slow  everyone zips around beneath the waves like they have bubbly Saturn V rockets on their feet. The whole movie is something of a visual marvel, and Wan hopes to take the hard-won lessons forward as he swims through Hollywood. Now I know how long these things take, the processes involved, he says. I learned even just giving notes on a shot can have an unraveling effect to all the stuff that had been done before. It can have a kind of snowball effect. Thats something that Im definitely going to take with me down the line.
Murphy Brown Happy New Year Season 11 Episode 13 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * *  Previous Next Photo: David Giesbrecht/CBS

Well, good people, weve come to the end of the line. I can hardly believe its been 13 weeks, but thats probably because the news is a fire hose, both on CNC and IRL. This sweet finale ties things up neatly, as Murphy Brown creator Diane English said from the start that this revival was to be a one-off, but theres enough warmth and charm to make me hope for a renewal. The Murphy Brown of 2018 is the same woman we left in 1998 in all the ways that matter, and this ensemble has blended new and old characters beautifully. Initially I worried that the effort to update the show with a more diverse cast was well-intentioned but too clunky, but Im glad to have been proven wrong. I dont know that Id call the new Murphy Brown an antidote to the current media madness, exactly, but it was so fun.

Its 3 a.m. in Washington, D.C., and Murphy Brown is sick with worry. Avery, who took a spur-of-the-moment trip to Afghanistan, was supposed to call her from Kabul hours ago. Shes been calling Frank every hour, which he understands because he knows how she gets when she doesnt feel in control of a situation. But its interfering with his beauty sleep. Her only consolation is that Benny Brown, decked out in a cute sweater, is snuggled up with her. Luckily, Avery finally calls. Hes at a Starbucks, plowing through a brie sandwich and what looks like a Seasonal Beverage, and hes got good news. Hes found Murphys source, Ahmed Zahir, the head of Afghanistans National Directorate of Security. Zahir is ready to furnish proof of a Pentagon cover-up and has agreed to an on-camera interview. Oh, no! Avery suddenly shouts. What happened?? Is it a Taliban attack?? Nope. They forgot my cinnamon! Ive gotta go, Mom!

The next morning, Miles finds Frank and Murphy both asleep on a couch in the studio, and not in the cute way, but more in a 5 a.m.-Vegas-bus-station way. He knows that Murphy is worried about her son  turns out she was calling Corky and Miles all night, too  but he also needs Avery to come through. He promised a big story to network exec Diana, and if he doesnt deliver, youre all invited to my second bris. Indeed: when Diana sweeps in, she congratulates them on a very adequate show today before demanding an update on Afghanistan. Miles says things are going fine, but the bulging vein in his neck suggests otherwise. Murphy intervenes, telling her that Averys found their source and its going fine. This is a surprise to Diana. Averys in Afghanistan? Well, CNC isnt footing the bill on hotels, transportation, meals, or hostage money. Now Miles intervenes. Diana! We should be thanking Avery. Maybe you dont realize this situation is dangerous. Oh, she knows Afghanistans dangerous. No, he clarifies, I meant dangerous for you, as Murphy stares her down.

Meanwhile, Corky wants to interview Mike Pence. This is a difficult prospect, because he wont allow himself to be alone in a room with a woman  but thats exactly the problem. (Im not totally sure why having a camera crew along wouldnt solve that problem, but I digress.) The young women who work for him have told Corky that they dont get to have the one-on-one meetings and power lunches that their male colleagues do, and its hurting their professional advancement. Shell probably have more luck landing an interview with him than Murphy did, because shes a God-fearing Christian woman, and when was the last time Murphy was in a church? Two months ago, Murphy says, spinning herself around in her office chair. Its my polling place. As ripped-from-the-headlines influences go, this ones okay; its very in line with what would interest a lifestyle reporter like Corky.

Over at Phils, Miguel is prepping for the big New Years Eve party by decking the halls with some Christmas decorations and a disco ball he found in the basement. Its an annual tradition. No way, Phyllis says. No party. But Phils is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2019. Surely thats worth a big bash  or, as Jim says, a humdinger? She just doesnt feel the same way about the bar as her regulars do, and if Id spent my childhood scraping gum off the bottoms of the tables as a birthday party game, I probably wouldnt, either. Pat rolls in, wearing a truly amazing ugly Christmas sweater. He wants to have a New Years Eve party, too, and he even offers to man the booth as DJ Pattycakes. (I love you, Pat.) Murphy reminds her that traditions mean something to people when times are tough. Fine. Phyllis buckles under the concerted pressure of the entire gang, but know that I am doing this out of guilt and obligation.

Murphys vacuuming the sofa when Avery calls the next evening. Hes planning to meet Ahmed Zahir for their interview, and hes hired a cameraman. Haled, a film student whose biggest influence is Martin Scorsese, tells Murphy hes a huge fan of her show, known in Afghanistan as Morning News With Loud Grandmother. The call cuts off, leaving Murphy in a panic, but we stay with Avery while he does his interview with Ahmed Zahir. This seems to go okay, except for the fact that Haleds getting real artsy with the camera. When they hear Taliban agents prowling around outside the mud hut where theyre filming and Zahir orders them to cut the lights, Haled pipes up with the observation that this is just like John Carpenters Halloween.

As the New Year approaches, the party at Phils is bumpin. DJ Pattycakes is playing some terrible music, Phyllis is charging 50 bucks for the featured liquor concoction of the evening, the eye-watering and bracing Hey There!, and Jim muses that Phils is one of the last places in Washington where people on both sides of the aisle can find common ground. If we could only learn to listen to each other with an open mind and an open heart, he says, unless its to Ted Cruz. That man is a boil on the ass of humanity. Murphys not quite so pumped; she hasnt heard from Avery in days, so shes not in much of a party mood. But the bar is full of old friends and good cheer. MSNBCs Lawrence ODonnell thanks Frank for the  $10 donation to his UNICEF education charity, which will pay for 37 percent of an African childs desk! (Frank wrote a check.) And Murphy and NBCs Andrea Mitchell reminisce about covering Dan Quayle. Andrea broke the story of his VP candidacy; Murphy broke the man. And Julius, beautiful Julius, robed out in what looks like a gold brocade blazer, cuts the fuck loose to the sounds of Pats silverware drawer set to a house beat.

Corky encourages Miles to go chat up Diana, whos sitting alone with a glass of champagne. Fine, he says, but if she bites my head off and lays her eggs in my neck hole, Im blaming you. Diana, feeling a little low, welcomes the company. She knows no one likes her, even though she sees herself as a warm, open person, a self-assessment as accurate as Sarah Sanderss. But its tough being a woman of color running a major news organization! I think shes probably a little drunk; when Miles tells her he understands her position, as he was once the youngest producer in television, running an important news show, she doesnt laugh him out of the bar. I think you know where this is going!! I like her seduction style: Im just a girl, sitting in front of a boy, asking him to get the Afghanistan story on the air.

The clock is running out on 2018, but Corky still manages to achieve her goal when Mike Pence drops by. His Secret Service retinue wont let her near him  unless, of course, she lurks in wait in the mens restroom. When Pence comes in and drops trou, we see her red boots in the next stall. Why do you allow the male interns to work with you after hours and not the females? she asks. And are you aware that this practice is harming their careers? Moments later, the Secret Service hauls her out of the bar, while she screams I did it! I did it! I was alone with Mike Pence! Women rule! Happy New Year!

Phyllis is beginning to understand why this place is so important to people. Its magic, Jim says. Shortly before midnight, Avery calls! Murphy cant quite make out what hes saying, but Averys safe and headed home. Worn out from worry, shes going to go home to bed. Too bad, because she misses an eventful couple of minutes. As they count down to the new year, sparks fly. Diana and Miles grab each other (We never speak of this, she says, and he agrees; fortunately, Pat got it on video), Jim and Phyllis share a very charming peck on the lips, and Julius and Pat each slam a Hey There!  and suddenly see each other in a new light.

When she gets home, Murphy is greeted by Benny Brown in a very cute party hat. Averys returned, toting the Pentagon thumb drive! He called from a cab from Dulles, not from Kandahar! Im sure that if Benny had a tail, it would be wagging, Murphy says. I know that mine is. This is adorable. They settle in to watch Toy Story and eat Chinese food, like theyve done every year. As they shout their favorite line, we fade to black.

Misc. & Assorted

 Im committed to real journalism, so Im here to report that there is no Starbucks in Kabul, but there is one in Kandahar, sort of! If youre headed to Kabul, though, you can find reviews of the citys several cafes on TripAdvisor. It may also interest you to know that a group of deployed veterans founded Cinn-Credible from the front lines of Afghanistan to address a singular need: individually sized cinnamon packets. (It interested me, okay?)

 Ive loved seeing the old crew wrap things up with one another. Frank and Murphys reflection on their friendship is lovely; instead of putting it into words, hugging it out is enough. The return of elder statesman Jim Dial has been a true highlight.

 The wardrobe has been terrific. Patricia Fields has tweaked the shows older style just enough. In particular, Faith Ford has carried off some great looks.

 Season one is more or less the only one available from the shows first run, but its worth watching! And if youre left wanting more from this season, Lauren and Jesi, the gals behind the Murphy Brown podcast FYI, have done several interviews with the cast and crew.

 Goodbye! Ill miss you! You can catch me making extremely niche jokes about socialism on Twitter  or, ahem, even read my real reporting.
Felicity Jones. Photo: Jonathan Wenk/Focus Features

The defense concedes that the Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On the Basis of Sex hits its marks with the subtlety of a legal brief. But thats not fatal. The sexism Ginsburg went up against was amazingly unsubtle, and a brief is at the heart of the films most momentous scenes. The Ginsburgs  Ruth and her husband, Martin  probably did talk in civic-minded placards. Its why we love them.

Directed by Mimi Leder from a script by Daniel Stiepleman (Ginsburgs nephew), On the Basis of Sex opens in a burst of lyricism, with Ginsburg (Felicity Jones) as a bobbing island of blue in a tide of dark-suited young masters pouring into Harvard Law Schools fortress of white male privilege. A heavy-handed image but apt: Ginsburgs buoyancy  her refusal to be deflated  is a central motif. Male students smirk at her, professors patronize her, and, at a dinner for incoming female students (Harvard Law didnt admit women until 1950), the dean (Sam Waterston) asks her to justify taking the place of a man. She parries with sarcasm and goes on to be first in her class. She also sits through her husbands courses when Marty (Armie Hammer) is diagnosed with testicular cancer  while shes simultaneously caring for their baby girl. Shes a star.

Or she should be  in 1960, no New York law firm will hire her. Gender-based discrimination is both legal and (insult to injury) smugly righteous, such that male lawyers can cite womens subservience as part of the natural order in place for 100,000 years. It falls to Ginsburg to find a ladylike way of asking, Whose natural order, kemosabe?

Ladylike is Ginsburgs term: She raised eyebrows in the rousing documentary RBG by advising women, Be a lady and be independent. Thats the Ginsburg we meet in On the Basis of Sex. While other 60s women are marching and snarling in defiance, Ginsburg is hitting the books and teaching the next generation of lawyers across the Hudson at Rutgers. Shes brought up short when her teenage daughter (Cailee Spaeny) compares her witheringly with the activists in the streets, but she never stops believing in changing the system from within.

Stieplemans script is meant as a tribute to his uncle as well as his aunt, and much is made of Marty being a feminist to the core. He has chosen to dramatize a lesser-known case because the couple worked on it together: Moritz v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, in which the plaintiff, a man taking care of his sick mother, is denied a tax deduction on the grounds that only women can be caregivers. Enlisting Marty makes sense, since his specialty is taxes, but its also clear that Mel Wulf (Justin Theroux), the ACLU director whos calling the shots, likes having a man in the mix. Wulf thinks Ruth will set the womens movement back by a decade unless she frames the case as being about one particular man instead of gender inequality as a whole. But in front of the judges, Ruth cant find her voice until she goes big.

Like many period pieces, On the Basis of Sex often feels posed, but that isnt fatal either. Leder wants to show Ginsburg chafing against the kind of formality that enforces the status quo. Jones  who bears some resemblance to the young Ruth  nails Ginsburgs constant struggle to soften her edges to keep from alienating the men shes attempting to persuade. Her best scenes are barbed, though, as when she goes up against the abrasively patronizing Wulf. (Therouxs jabbing delivery gives the film a welcome shot of energy and vulgarity. Why isnt he more appreciated? Is it his tabloid notoriety?) The other supporting actors dont fare as well. Its great that Stiepleman wanted to show Ginsburgs debt to such predecessors as Dorothy Kenyon, but scenes with the crabby judge and activist (Kathy Bates) feel shoehorned in. Meanwhile, Ginsburgs Tenth Circuit opponents (Waterston, Stephen Root as a Harvard professor, Jack Reynor as a hotdog chauvinist) confer in shadow like villains in a B-Western (Lets put this idea of gender discrimination to bed once and for all!).

The final sequence is like Rocky Goes to Court (says Marty, Go in there and let the judges see the Ruth Ginsburg I know!), but thats not a bad way to frame this story. Opponents thought the diminutive Ginsburg was punching above her weight, only to realize that she won every round on points. Thats why the lady is a champ.

*This article appears in the December 24, 2018, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now!
Photo: Paramount Pictures

A confession: I love the Transformers movies. These big, long, sometimes problematic, often dumb, always visually enthralling, and occasionally even emotionally stirring movies are the cinematic equivalent of a snack you cant have in the house because youll just eat it all and feel ashamed. They exist to sell toys and, increasingly, to cash in on Chinese box-office opportunities  and I have seen every single one in theaters because they are (almost) always an extremely fun time. Whatever Faustian deal Michael Bay made back in 2007 to acquire the most realistic CGI technology known to man has yielded a franchise that often feels like youre watching real robots destroy real cities, and that Transformers-specific set of machine sound effects still fills me with joy after all these years.

But I am also an adult with self-awareness. To determine the below ranking, I had to consider an array of factors for each entry: How magnificent were the action sequences? Which Transformers look the coolest? Do you have to regret enjoying this movie because the director did creepy things? Are there racist caricatures disguised as robots? Would you risk it all for each films two central characters? How many times did you cry at the sympathetic robot eyes? Is there a John Cena or a Mark Wahlberg? Taking all these criteria into account, here is your indisputable hierarchy of Transformers movies. There have been some real low points in the Transformers-verse, but thanks to Bumblebee, the future looks bright.

In some ways, Revenge of the Fallen feels like it was a sadly under-loved Transformers movie. Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) and Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) had their struggles, but damn it, those kids had a love more powerful than any Decepticon plan for intergalactic domination. It was also the last time we would see Fox and LeBoeuf together as the one Transformers couple to rule them all, even though, in a more fair world, they would have rode out the original trilogy together as a beloved pair of star-crossed robot whisperers. We would have had one more movie to hear Fox yell Saaaaaam! in her very specific, perfect way.

Fallen also had some of the best action sequences of any of the Transformers movies. The opening scene in Shanghai with the Demolisher bot, tearing through an industrial facility on a pair of gigantic truck wheels, is still a jaw-dropping spectacle, and the final battle in Egypt, which featured the Devastator Decepticon and his gargantuan vacuum mouth, is like a ballet of robot-on-man violence that is most remarkable for the fact that no one actually died on set while bringing it to life. Its insane.

And yet in other big ways, theres a lot of Fallen better left to the cultural waste bin. The Autobots Skids and Mudflap were like a cyborg minstrel show, functioning as the essentially black members of the bot group, complete with bucked teeth and plenty of jive talk. Even too offensive for Michael Bay, the characters did not return for Dark of the Moon two years later. It was also the end of Foxs run with the franchise, thanks to a broken relationship between her and Bay. Fox said she felt unsafe at points while filming Fallen  which the director mocked her for  and there was also her general discomfort with the way Bay filmed women. A movie meant to be pure escapism just cant be marred by misogyny, possible mistreatment of actors, and really obvious racism in its fun and crazy robot stars and still rise higher than the bottom of this list. Mikaela and Sams final run (and especially Fox herself) deserves better than cellar-dweller status, but Revenge of the Fallen just takes too much apologizing for with hindsight. Its not the worst Transformers movie (that goes to you, Last Knight!), but it does have to answer for having the worst legacy.

The best part of The Last Knight is when we get deep into the backstory of the Order of the Witwiccans (the human faction that guards the secret of Earth-bound Transformers) and learn that Harriet Tubman was a member. Yes. The best part of the movie is when its glossed over that Harriet Tubman was part of an underground robot railroad. The rest of the movie is two hours (or ten) of so much more of what youve already seen, except more boring. Laura Haddock has an important role in theory as Oxford professor Vivian Wembley, but a descendent of the wizard Merlin (not kidding, the Knights of the Round Table also enter the mythology in T5) should have had far more cool shit to do than just occasionally sass Mark Wahlberg. Nicola Peltz went one and done after Age of Extinction, relegating Cade Yeagers daughter to just outgoing-message status on a voice-mail.

There are, of course, small highlights in Last Knight. Impossibly perfect human Gemma Chan provides the voice for the sinister Quintessa. Theres a kind of robot Jeeves named Cogman, a companion to Anthony Hopkinss historian character, who is just the size of a small man and is like a plucky British sociopath that gives Cade tons of shit. And watching Cybertron collide with Earth has a lot of Wow! going for it. But overall, Last Knight is the most soulless, video-game-esque Transformers movie. Bay was just collecting the check at this point, and the kitchen-sink approach to mythology  now factoring in the staff of Merlin, Stonehenge, a new Uber-villain named Unicron, the aforementioned Witwiccan connection to Harriet Tubman  made for something too bloated to even be fun.

The first movie in the Transformers A.F. (after Fox) timeline made a believer out of me. A strong Fox allegiance made me wonder, Will the replacement presence of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as Sams paramour feel like watching a scab cross the picket line? It did a little bit, but as a dedicated Huntington-Whiteley fan, I was able to open my heart enough to let the love in for Dark of the Moon. Thats basically all thanks to LeBeouf, who managed to turn some franchise paychecks into work he could be proud of. Sam Witwicky is a great hero, and his closing chapter in Dark of the Moon was a strong send-off for the character that really made him a household name. (And also made him tanner than he will ever be again in his natural life.)

Honestly, youre not here for the plot, and Transformers always hits its lowest points when trying to serve up too much of it. The important things here are villainous corporate douche, Patrick Dempsey (a part he should really play more often), working as a human lackey for the Decepticons; the continued presence of John Turturro as Agent Simmons and Josh Duhamel as now-Colonel Lennox; and some visual effects that are almost impossible to believe. There is the requisite incredible highway fight, but the creation of the massive, undulating beast that is Shockwave is Dark of the Moons Hall of Famelevel visual effect. With LeBeouf on the way out, Fox already gone, and an unclear future for the franchise, the third Transformers could have been a phoned in snoozefest just meant to sling toys. (Looking at you, Last Knight.) Instead it was just extremely fun, and a pretty great bridge movie between the original iteration of the franchise and its imminent next phase.

Shia LaBeouf was so damn good as the franchise leading Sam Witwicky, it was hard to imagine how anyone could make this silly mess work without him, especially the special magic of how he frantically screamed, NONONOnononoNONONO! But it turns out Bay had two aces up his sleeve: Mark Wahlberg and Dinobots! The director actually had the stones to make Wahlberg into a humble inventor and family man named Cade Yeager, who gets a dormant Optimus Prime up and running in his work shed. And not only does he have a new Autobot to deal with while security squads comb the landscape for rogue bots, hes also got an obstreperous teenage daughter in the form of Nicola Peltz, who is definitely an underage girl with an adult boyfriend.

After the events of Dark of the Moon, official human-robot combat partnerships were banned by Congress, making Cade and his daughter outlaws for harboring one in their barn. But of course, an evil corporation is using Transformer parts to make their own weaponized tech, and a Decepticon called Galvatron has his own designs on destroying humanity. That means Cade has to topple a multinational corporation and an evil robot overlord if he wants to stop the destruction of Earth  all while repairing his relationship with his daughter. Age of Extinction excelled because things felt fun again. As always, there is an extraordinary fight on a busy roadway that leads to one of the most striking visuals in the franchise, with Lockdown emerging from a smoke cloud, accompanied by a massive Decepticon ship. Optimus Prime literally rides a team of Dinobots into battle, whipping his giant arm sword against the ass of a metal T. rex to make it go faster before dismounting and wasting a team of Decepticons. And the epic battle across all of Hong Kong doesnt even feel long because its just so damn impressive. Age of Extinction made a strong case for the continued existence of this money-hungry, merch-pimping franchise, and it made this fan want to say, Yes, Paramount, you may continue to take my money.

Putting this one at No. 2 hurts a little bit. The first Transformers is my personal favorite installment of the franchise, and you could easily bait me on social media into arguing about how it is the most impressive display of digital VFX ever put onscreen. (The only actual argument against the CGI supremacy of Transformers is that there was no work done in postproduction, and the Transformers are just real, actual robots that Michael Bay found to cast in his movie. Therefore, no effects were required.) The chemistry between the actors is also incredible. Kevin Dunn and Julie White as Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky were note-perfect as Sams batty parents. John Turturro gave a Coen brothers kind of performance as the paranoid Agent Simmons. Josh Duhamel established himself as the inexplicable franchise stalwart, the roguish yet vanilla Captain Lennox, a military man whose jaw could shatter a sledge hammer. All of these actors were better than they had any right to be in a movie based on some Hasbro toys, and yet theyre all a sideshow when compared to one of the great love stories of our time: Mikaela Banes and Sam Witwicky.

There are only three doomed fictional couples I have ever cared enough about to ship with my whole heart. Ryan and Marissa. Eve and Villanelle. And Sam and Mikaela. Im 33 and I still basically want to be Mikaela Banes when I grow up, and Sam was the best possible iteration of the nerd who gets the girl. Their dynamic gifted Transformers a more substantial heart than Bay himself is capable of creating with just his wits, and that combined with the best VFX of all time made for one of our great 21st-century action romps. But alas, the realities of how Bay handled Fox have not aged well in the intervening decade, and that feel-bad factor prevents Transformers from the top spot on this list. The key highway battle, however, will live on as the greatest action sequence in franchise history.

It only took 11 years and six tries, but the Transformers franchise finally produced a movie that you dont have to kind of apologize for loving. (I know, because I love these movies.) When it was announced, the idea of a Bumblebee movie felt like a cynical cash grab. There were already four Transformers movies out with another on the way, and after the truly uninspired slog that was The Last Knight, the prospect of a spinoff felt akin to being strapped to a chair and force-fed a really sugary pie you didnt want at all. But it turns out, Bumblebee was actually a great idea, and the ideal way to make an extended Transformers universe not only possible, but even exciting.

Resident best American screen teen Hailee Steinfeld plays Charlie Watson, an 18-year-old gearhead who just wants a car of her own  and who misses her deceased father terribly. She comes into possession of Bumblebee when she finds him as a dusty old VW Bug in a junkyard, and after getting him running and taking him home, is extremely surprised when he unfurls in her garage.

With his memory wiped and his voice gone, big Bee is like an eager but shy puppy that Charlie has to train. He becomes her massive metal best friend, and reader, believe me when I say that I got misty every single time his blue robot eyes dilated with fear at being harmed or disappointing his human keeper. A Transformers movie is always going to deliver you some top-shelf robot combat in arenas of battle that are grand and thrilling (a shipping yard! Cybertron!), but Bumblebee goes full Wall-E, and watching Charlie cope with the loss of her father by finding companionship in an awkward robot pal is a heartening adventure for the whole family  sans the lens flares or anyone getting excessively sweaty, and with the added bonus of Better Mark Wahlberg, a.k.a. John Cena. Bumblebee is wonderful and pure on its own, but its also the first Transformers movie that wont feel like an ethical downer one month to three years from now. Long live Transformers!
As the Ebola outbreak continues to devastate the Democratic Republic of Congo, the minister of health visited affected areas to prepare for a third strategic response plan, which will cover the period from February to April, the ministry reported Thursday.

"This constant adaptation of the national strategy demonstrates the dynamic nature of this response to the most complex Ebola outbreak in the country's history," the ministry said in a statement. This is the 10th outbreak since 1976 in Congo, where the virus is endemic, and the second this year.

Diseases and disorders Ebola Epidemics and outbreaks Health and medical Infectious diseases Non-profit and NGO organizations Public health World Health Organization Africa Central Africa Continents and regions Democratic Republic of Congo

Dr. Oly Ilunga Kalenga visited the cities of Beni, Goma and Butembo in North Kivu province, which is the epicenter of the outbreak, according to the World Health Organization.

Cases have also been reported in neighboring Ituri province, which along with North Kivu is among the most populous in the nation. The two provinces border Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan.

The total number of probable Ebola patients in this outbreak, which began August 1, is 560 as of Wednesday, with 336 deaths, the ministry stated. An additional 87 people who doctors suspect may be sick with Ebola are under investigation. The ministry also reported that 193 people have recovered from the life-threatening illness.

On average, Ebola -- which causes fever, severe headache and in some cases hemorrhaging -- kills about half of those infected, but fatality rates in individual outbreaks have varied. The latest outbreak has a case fatality rate of about 58%.

In addition to preparing for the third response plan, the minister took another look at the second plan, which covers the period November to January and was updated this month in order to strengthen the health system.

The minister also held meetings to ensure better leadership of the provincial health authorities in overseeing the operations of the response.

Not only is North Kivu experiencing this deadly Ebola outbreak, but long-term conflict smolders there, with 50 armed groups causing intermittent violence, according to WHO. The UN public health agency estimates that more than a million refugees and internally displaced people are traveling through and out of North Kivu and Ituri, and this movement is a potential risk factor for the spread of Ebola. Another complication: a high number of malaria cases in the region.

Despite difficulties, "meaningful progress has been made across the outbreak affected areas, most especially in Beni where there has been a general decrease in case incidence in recent weeks," WHO said in a statement Thursday. However, the agency also said that responding to the outbreak "continues to be a complex challenge."

Activities are obstructed by both "pockets of community reluctance and the conflict," WHO reported. Additional challenges faced by health workers include the possibility of heightened political tension arising from a delayed presidential election, a "deterioration of the overall security situation and violent civil unrest."

There is hope: The containment seen in Beni and the city of Mangina "demonstrates how the outbreak can be controlled when response activities can be scaled and implemented with the participation of local communities," WHO said.

In late November, the ministry announced the launch of a first randomized control trial for three Ebola treatment drugs. Additionally, 49,940 people have been inoculated with an experimental vaccine since early August.

The current outbreak is now the second-deadliest and second largest Ebola outbreak in history, topped only by one in West Africa in 2014, when the disease killed more than 11,000 people, according to WHO.
ATMORE, Ala. (AP) - An Alabama prison guard has been arrested and charged with trying to smuggle illegal items into a prison.

The Alabama Corrections Department said in a news release Thursday that an officer at the Fountain Correctional Facility in Atmore was arrested Thursday.

Thirty-four-year-old Tony Williams of Frisco City was also charged with use of office for personal gain.

The department said during a search of Williams' personal vehicle, a police dog led to the discovery of several packages containing 10 cellphones.

The department says Williams acknowledged buying the phones and expected to get payments from inmates.

He's being held in the Escambia County jail. It was not known if he has a lawyer.

Williams has resigned after more than 10 years with the department.
Former Lawrence County Sheriff's Office Chief of Staff Tim McWhorter sent a message to WAAY 31 reacting to his latest arrest.

McWhorter turned himself into the Lawrence County Jail on Thursday after being charged with a total of 51 counts of computer tampering. He paid his bond of $51,000. In his message to WAAY 31, McWhorter says "this news came as a complete shock and is completely false."

"It was disturbing to me since I was unaware an investigation of this nature was being conducted," McWhorter said.

He is charged with computer tampering of the Alabama Criminal Justice Information System. This isn't the first time McWhorter has been arrested either. According to a Decatur Police report, in April, McWhorter's girlfriend told police the two got in an argument when he poured beer on her and crushed a beer can on her head. He was charged with domestic violence harassment.

McWhorter was also arrested in February when the woman he was dating filed a domestic violence report in December 2017, claiming he threw her against a kitchen counter. He was initially suspended from his job in January during an investigation into possible evidence mishandling. After his arrest in February, he was fired.

In his message to WAAY 31, McWhorter claims his innocence. We will continue to follow this story as it develops.
A group of students is moving forward on Thursday with a concert deemed inappropriate by the Marshall County Board of Education.

In October, the school board decided to cancel the rock concert organized by Asbury High School students. It was part of the Reach to Teach Program, but the superintendent, Cindy Wigley, said the band the program uses, The Velcro Pygmies, was inappropriate for school.

Students decided to continue with the program on their own time. The student organizer, Haley Cook, said it wouldn't have been possible without community support.

"We have to make the posters for the can drive, the clothing drive and toy drive," Cook said. "We've come closer as a community."

She said she even had to redo a poster that showed the sponsors, because she didn't realize so many had joined.

The Future Business Leaders of America student group sold 100 tickets, and Cook said money from the concert will help students attend a business club conference.

"We're like a family now, because everybody is helping each other," Cook said.

The concert is at 7 p.m. Thursday evening at the Majestic Venue in Albertville.
Animal rights activists say endangered penguins should return to South Africa.

The arrival of a group of African Penguins at Rome's Bioparco has provoked protests from animal rights activists who are demanding that the endangered birds be returned to their natural habitat in South Africa.

The mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi, has become embroiled in the controversy after the president of Animalisti Italiani Walter Caporale accused her of "betraying a commitment [to animal rights activists] on the dismissione of the zoo."

The Animalisti Italiani have "strongly demanded" that the penguins be transferred back to South Africa where there are specialist centres dedicated to the flightless birds.

The Bioparco will open a new area for the penguins on 28 December, with discounted tickets over the Christmas period.

Endangered species

The current population of African Penguins is estimated at 70,000 breeding pairs, less than 10 per cent of the population that existed in 1900. By 2010 the species was declared endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The initial reasons for the birds' decline was the collection of penguin eggs and guano but by the 1990s the threat to their existance had switched to commerical fishing and oil pollution.

Conservationalists now warn that if authorities fail to carry out effective management of the penguins then the birds could face extinction.

The black and white birds are also known as the Black-footed Penguin or the Jackass Penguin thanks to their distinctive donkey-like bray.
The strange, multi-layered story of Rocca Sinibalda, located 50 km north of Rome.

The 12th-century Rocca Sinibalda sits on a spur of rock dominating the Turano Valley, a 40-minute drive north of Rome, on what was once a vital trade route between the Medici territories and the papal states. Looking across the valley from the opposite side, the Castle of the Eagle, as it is called, makes a romantic picture  a typical mediaeval fortress, with massive bastion walls topped with battlements and lookout turrets.

However, there is nothing typical about Rocca Sinibalda, a fortress-cum-palace with several names, a bizarre architectural form, a quirky history and a unique and disquieting art collection. As well as the Castle of the Eagle, it is also called the Castle of Metamorphoses, while the plaque by the entry door refers to it as the Castle of Invented Destinies. Each of these names refers to a crucial phase in the fortress's chequered history.

Castle of the Eagle, its most usual name, refers to its eccentric shape. According to records, it was first built in the 11th century as a classic Norman stronghold by Count Sinibaldo, the governor of the Sabina area, and survived the following couple of centuries of bloody clashes among local warring barons.

Eagles and scorpions

In 1539, the Medici Pope Leone X handed the castle over to his great friend Cardinal Alessandro Cesarini. Cesarini was a man of refined tastes, who liked his comforts, who commissioned Baldassarre Peruzzi, one of the architects working on St Peter's, to transform the interior into a noble residence. Peruzzi's expansions included the two eagle wing bastions jutting out at the rear and the pointed bird beak (or scorpion, according to some) at the front, overlooking the hamlet below. Thanks to its novel architectural design, Rocca Sinibalda was declared a national monument in 1928.

The building takes its second name, the Castle of Metamorphoses, from the decorations in the reception rooms of the piano nobile, a 16th-century riot of grotesques and legendary hybrid creatures inspired by Ovid's fanciful tales of myth and transformation.

The true focus of the castle, however, is its art collection, combining an intriguing mix of classic landscape painting, contemporary installations and the ritual masks of Native American peoples of the Pacific coast of the USA and Canada.



Realm of the Mothers

The 18th-century frescoes and landscapes in the great hall are eclipsed by the sculpture group of the Realm of the Mothers by the Italo-Argentinean artist Marcos Cei, which dominates the centre of the room. The three dark, scrawny mothers, personified by a winged Angela, a flame-spouting Vulcania, and a one-breasted warrior Amazonia are figures of terror, composed of scrap iron, chains, bolts, wire and discarded machine parts.

Stretched out prostrate on the floor near them are a couple of life-sized human figures made up of collages of assorted pieces, representing the suffering of immigrants. These are an introduction of what lies downstairs, in the "Inferi", or nightmare underworld, seat of the permanent StraVOLTI exhibition, inaugurated in 2014.

Two grimacing devils crouch inside the entrance to a series of dark, cellar-like rooms filled with gloomy tableaux and macabre installations portraying the more tragic aspects of the human condition, set up by Vincenzo Padiglione, a professor of psychology at La Sapienza University of Rome, and anthropologist, collector and ethnographic museum curator.

Totems and ritual masks

The next set of rooms is dedicated to Rocca Sinibalda's important collection of totems and ritual masks from endangered ethnic minority groups of the north-west Pacific coast of North America. Many of these works are by well-known Canadian and Inuit artists such as Art Thomson, Beau Dick, Ron Telek and Tom Hunt, members of the First Nations Community of peoples who inhabited the American continent before the arrival of the Europeans.

Some of the unusual masks on display at Rocca Sinibalda.

The castle has a vast collection of ritual masks and First Nation art which reflect the distinctive styles and traditions of each single people. Over 500 exotic and contemporary masks in the collection belong to Padiglione.

Since 1972, the castle has been in the hands of a foundation, headed by psychoanalyst and business consultant Enrico Pozzi and his anthropologist wife Cristina Cenci. When they took over the old stronghold-palace, it had been abandoned for many years after the previous owner, the eccentric American millionairess Polly Crosby (better known by her adopted first name "Caresse") moved out.

The castle had fallen into disrepair and the new owners entrusted architect Claudio Silvestrin with the job of conversion and reconstruction. The difficult restoration took seven years, and won the prestigious Chicago Athenaeum International Architectural Award in 2014.

Rocca Sinibalda's unusual architectural form is matched by its equally bizarre history.

Tangible traces of Crosby's dynamic and unconventional personality remain. The main entrance through the courtyard, under the "eagle's beak", leads onto a long shallow pool open to the sky. This was where the guests of the former owner sat with their feet in the water while they meditated, composed poetry and philosophised. Inside, a long underground gallery leads to a small amphitheatre backing on to the mediaeval water storage cistern.

This was where Crosby's guests staged experimental performances of theatre, poetry and dance. The string of visitors included Ezra Pound, Salvador Dali, Allen Ginsberg, Robert Snyder and The Living Theatre founders, Julian Beck and Judith Malina, along with many others, including Crosby's bosom chum and sister socialite Peggy Guggenheim.

The Black Sun Press, the publishing house that she founded with her third husband Harry Crosby, printed beautiful editions of hand-crafted books, as well as the early works of Ernest Hemingway, Henry Miller, Archibald MacLeish, Anais Nin, Charles Bukowski, D.H. Lawrence, Laurence Stern, James Joyce and other controversial early 20th-century writers.

Lost Generation

After she divorced her first husband, she moved to Europe and became part of the "Lost Generation" of American ex-patriots who lived it up in Paris with wild parties, drugs and open marriages. She changed her name to the more exotic-sounding Caresse in 1924 when she married Crosby. Unfortunately this marriage was no more fortunate than her previous ones. Harry Crosby was fascinated with death and symbolism and he committed suicide in 1929 along with his young "Fire Princess", Josephine Noyes Rotch.

Crosby was not long in finding consolation. Her many lovers included photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, (whose camera is on display in the great hall). He was so broken-hearted by their break-up that he took off in self-imposed exile to the French colonial Ivory Coast to recover. Crosby went on regardless, creating scandal after scandal.

Crosby moved to her Rome residence in 1970 and put the castle up for sale shortly before she died at 78 of pneumonia, but her legacy lingers on. Its tradition as a centre of experimental art continues with seminars and residential programmes for international artists. And this is where the third name  the Castle of Invented Destinies  comes in, with a biennial festival of the arts, organised and created in house by groups of young international artists of various disciplines who come for short study stays at the castle.

Prof. Padiglione giving a tour of the castle's avant-garde artworks.

The first edition in 2014 attracted sold-out audiences for its version of Richard III. The theme of "The Hanged Man" in the second edition, centred on the most mysterious card in the tarot pack, was inspired by Italo Calvino's enigmatic book The Castle of Crossed Destinies. True to type, the 2018 festival in July explored another disquieting subject, centring on the Black Death. The performance Endecameron was inspired this time by Edgar Allen Poe's horror story The Masque of the Red Death.



By Margaret Stenhouse

Guided tours of the castle for individual visitors are *usually available (pre covid-19 pandemic) on Saturdays at 16.00 and Sundays at 11.00. Prior booking is necessary. Visits at other times can be arranged for groups of at least 15 people. For info tel. 0644233634, info@castelloroccasinibalda.it, www.castellodestininventati.it.

This article was published in the October 2018 edition of Wanted in Rome magazine. Cover photo: Buffy1982 / Shutterstock.com.
Year 13 students from Southlands International School in Rome presented gifts to young patients of GB Grassi in Ostia.

Students from Year 13 at Southlands International School brought gifts and festive cheer to children at Ospedale GB Grassi, a nearby hospital in the coastal Ostia district of Rome.

As part of the Southlands Gift Drive, the school's students hand-delivered the presents to the children who are patients of the hospital during the Christmas season.

The school said the gift drive was so successful - resulting in around 200 donated presents - that the remaining gifts would be donated to a number of local childrens homes, orphanages and charities over the days leading up to Christmas.

On behalf of the patients and his team at Ospedale GB Grassi, Dr Marco Bonci thanked Southlands for its "generosity and amazing support."
13 Dec-10 March. The National Etruscan Museum at Villa Giulia stages an exhibition of works by Italian postmodernist painter Mario Schifano, on the 20th anniverary of his death.

The show's title makes reference to the artist's "return" to Villa Giulia thanks to his strong personal and artistic connection to the museum and its ancient artefacts.

In addition to working there as a restorer from 1951 until 1962 Schifano drew inspiration from the museum's Etruscan heritage which he reinterpreted in his dynamic pop art style, bright colours surging out of dark backgrounds.

The works on display include Gli Etruschi, a series of 21 paintings inspired by Etruscan burial paintings, created in 1991, and a selection of works from his Mater Matuta series inspired by the museum's Matres (Madri) sculptures.

For full details see Villa Giulia website.
Even so, officials say it was developed with a focus on China. A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the departments internal deliberations, said recently that the program is intended to deal with some of the significant threats to our national security from predatory investment policies, particularly in respect to China, while also helping to expand the economy.
A: Overall, I think were about five minutes into a gigantic experiment thats going to last a few hundred years. If we want readers to trust us and believe we have the answers, and say we miss you now that you are almost gone, I think we need to do more to make people believe that we are the answer. Most measures of trust still show abysmal levels of trust in journalism. Why? Why is there this almost hatred for people who are doing this work? Why are people willing to believe that journalists are the enemy of the people? I think theres something to the power people feel in being able to talk to one another on social media instead of receiving tablets of stone that we have handed down.
Im a big fan of Celine and Laurent Tripoz and their wines: I wrote up their Macon Loche chardonnay in my first column for The Washington Post more than 10 years ago, and their name has appeared here a few times since. Their wines have an energy and tension that nudge them above the crowd and make me take notice. Some wines soothe and soften the rough edges of life, while others, like this eye-opening sparkler made entirely of chardonnay, energize us. Id call it the Tesla of bubblies, but its so affordable, I guess its the Nissan Leaf. Anyway, its electric. Certified biodynamic, and it has some sediment; dont let that throw you off. Alcohol by volume: 13 percent.
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Dear Heloise: While installing some lighting, I was up in the attic when it occurred to me that I needed my cellphone so I could call my wife and have her direct me as to where the light should go. I also use my cellphone to call my wife so she can help direct me while I back up our RV into a parking space. Just "eyeballing" chores like these doesn't work as well as a second pair of eyes.
A network spokeswoman suggests criticism of the president is nothing new for the program. She offered a list of 28 instances during Trumps presidency in which the show went rogue. Example: Kilmeades grilling of deputy White House press secretary Raj Shah earlier this year over the White Houses vetting of Rob Porter, the staff secretary who resigned after his former wives accused him of physical abuse. You relied upon [background checks] and you got burned because you had a two-time accused domestic abuser there at a very sensitive position, Kilmeade told Shah at the time.
Romney lost that election, of course. But Ryans prestige kept rising until he became House speaker in 2015  he was practically begged to take the job  and started an effort to carve the Republican Party in his own image, as The Washington Post wrote. What was needed, he said in a speech at the time, was a Republican president. And then he got one in Trump a year later.
I want the ones I want  where I look and say, I love this! she explains. Her newest acquisition is a recent Beatles ornament: It may or may not be collectible, but I love the Beatles, so it means a lot to me. She can tell you the name of every ornament and has a relationship with each one. They are in her will, so they go to people who will appreciate them.
If you know in advance that youll have a long layover during your travels, you may want to check out programs such as LoungeBuddy or Lounge Pass, in addition to the airline you are flying. These websites offer access to hundreds of lounges globally. Amenities and pricing vary by lounge  for example, some passes are only good for a few hours, or at limited times  and you may need to book at least 24 hours in advance, so read the fine print and plan accordingly.
The suspect does not have a permanent address, and neither did the victim, according to police. Ferrell was shot several times about 9:50 p.m. near First Street NE. Police said Ferrell was found on a sidewalk and later died at a hospital.
In a joint statement, Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh and D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine said the courts order is a procedural one and is not a ruling on the merits of our historic lawsuit against President Trump. We firmly believe that the federal district court got it right when it allowed us to move forward with this action and discovery.
As we went through the line, I noticed that when we got to Dr. Seuss, the inflection of the person introducing us was slightly different, she said to the Tribune. I thought, Well, its for some reason. Being my facetious best, I said, Dr. Seuss, you must have a very interesting specialty. The right or the left nostril? And I remember him looking at me kind of startled and making no response.
He had helped generate a revolution in theater, but it wasnt the kind of theater that he wanted, Sweet told the Tribune after Mr. Shepherds death. He was like a Marxist who had a child who became head of General Motors. He couldnt help but be happy for the childs success even as he disapproved of what the success was in.
The project also threatened to take business from Hope Village in Southeast Washington, D.C.s only halfway house for men, which has won more than $125 million in federal contracts since 2006, despite claims that it offered substandard care. It is unclear whether Hope Village will regain the federal contract.
I am monitoring your top contacts on all your apps. Nothing you have is secure, Caccamo said in one message, posing as the DHS employee. Anyone that comes into contact with you will surely regret their decision. The only option you have is to get it if [sic] my country.
The sketch is the latest development in the remarkable confessions of Samuel Little, a 78-year-old prisoner in Texas who started confessing to numerous unsolved slayings in the past year. Little, also known as Samuel McDowell, was convicted of three murders in California but recently began detailing other killings as he sought more comfortable prison accommodations in exchange for cooperating with investigators on cold cases, according to the FBI.
For many displaced by Michael, their temporary, post-disaster housing is starting to seem indefinite. Since the storm made landfall just south of here on Oct. 11, Gabrielle and Santonial Morgan and their five children have moved three times, from one location to another, sometimes with FEMA aid, sometimes without. At the Beachbreak, where the family checked in a week ago, a front-desk employee estimated the majority of the hotels 100-plus rooms were occupied by FEMA aid recipients.
At least 2 reported killed in Sudan protests: Violent protests against the government broke out for the second consecutive day in cities across Sudan, including in the capital, where police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters, and in an eastern city where at least two protesters are said to have died in clashes with police. The protests have been sparked by a steep rise in the price of bread that deepened the struggle of most Sudanese to make ends meet in the face of steady price increases and shortages of basic items and fuel.
The same cannot be said for Trumps irrational, boastful, abrupt public announcement of his decision to withdraw the 2,000 or so American troops now in Syrias war zone. Informing the world, including the Islamic State and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, of the shape of troop movements even before a plan for getting those troops out safely has been drawn up, was the last straw of treacherous action for Mattis. Telegraphing withdrawal while they are still in the field exposes troops to attack by the enemy, or from previously friendly forces now likely to feel betrayed, and would complicate hopes of reinforcement in extremis.
Street performing, or busking, is a crucial component of any citys artistic and cultural identity, and to punish it with backward laws would stunt an essential aspect of the city. At Octobers public hearing, performers offered heartfelt testimony on the importance of their craft. Malik Stewart, a drummer, said, I use my craft . . . to get these youth paying attention to me. He made a compelling point. Young people in the city shouldnt be criminalized for pursuing passion projects. This bill sends a message to young artists that their craft is tantamount to criminal activity.
The young woman who texted me is a survivor, always finding a way to provide for herself and her 3-year-old son, despite the many obstacles she has faced. On her 21st birthday and last day in the D.C. foster care system, her case worker gave her $300 for her clothing allowance and a trash bag of belongings. She had arranged to stay with an aunt, but that arrangement lasted maybe a week. In the nearly five years since exiting foster care, this young woman and her son have lived in at least six places, including a short stint at the infamous D.C. General homeless shelter.
The money in question was that paid to the Watergate burglars, which the FBI was on the verge of tracing back to Nixons campaign committee. It did not take a genius to see that this had the makings of a political calamity. As usual, however, Haldeman had a plan: The president would order the CIA to call FBI Director L. Patrick Gray and just say, Stay the hell out of this. This is business here we dont want you to go any further on.  As Haldeman saw it, this was the administrations only play.
But this class contest was hardly unanimous. Polling data has shown that people employed in administrative or professional roles were more likely to vote for Brexit than manual laborers, but it wasnt an overwhelming divide: Almost 4 out of 10 unskilled and casual workers wanted to remain in Britain; notably, those from nonwhite ethnic backgrounds largely voted to stay in the E.U. The vote was relatively close overall  and also across all different social classes: Millions and millions of working people voted against Brexit, and millions of upper-class people wanted it.
In his resignation letter, Mattis wrote, My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues . . . Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.
Cruz won reelection over ORourke, 51 percent to 48 percent, despite prolific fundraising by the Democrat, who became a favorite of liberals well beyond his states borders during his unexpectedly strong campaign.
I dont have any faith in our county elections, because theyve allowed so much to go on and never did anything about it, Register said in a telephone interview. Its as if the ones who control the politics want him in there. . . . Whoever was in line to do this, whoever is supposed to be following up on crooked elections, is not doing their job.
Large parts of the federal government shut down overnight after President Trump torpedoed a bipartisan spending deal because it lacked the money he demanded for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Funding for numerous agencies, including those that operate parks, homeland security, law enforcement, tax collection and transportation, expired at midnight. Close to 400,000 federal workers are expected to be home without pay until a deal is reached, and numerous services will be halted in that time, with the impacts broadening the longer the funding lapse lasts.

The shutdown intensifies a standoff between Trump, who is demanding $5.7 billion for a border wall, and congressional Democrats, who have vowed to block any wall funding and have the votes to do so. It marks a deflating final chapter for Republicans as they complete two years of unified GOP control in Washington  as well as an acrimonious prelude to the upcoming era of divided government, after Democrats take the House in January.

Trump saw the final days of this year as his last chance to try to extract funding for the wall, while Democrats, united against the wall and buttressed by big wins in the midterm elections, showed no signs of buckling to his demands amid a flurry of attacks this week.

The White House and congressional leaders continued negotiations late Friday, but by 8:30 p.m., the House and the Senate had adjourned for the night. That made it impossible to vote on any spending agreement until Saturday, and it remained unclear whether any deal would materialize by then.

It is unclear how long a shutdown might last. Trump predicted earlier Friday that it could drag on for a very long time.

About two hours before the shutdown was set to take effect, Trump distributed a video on Twitter in which he blamed Democrats but expressed hope that the lapse in government funding would be brief.

Were going to have a shutdown, he said. Theres nothing we can do about that because we need the Democrats to give us their votes. . . . Lets be bipartisan, and lets get it done. The shutdown hopefully will not last long.

The Senate on Friday considered legislation to fund the government agencies through Feb. 8 and appropriate $5.7 billion to build 215 miles of wall structures along the Mexico border.

The House passed that legislation Thursday evening, but Senate Democrats successfully unified on Friday and refused to back that measure.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Friday that Democrats were open to talks with the White House and Republicans but would not agree to any measure that funded the construction of a new border wall.

View Graphic Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are working without pay

Schumer said Friday that the Senate had unanimously agreed to a spending bill earlier in the week and accused Trump of having a temper tantrum because he wasnt getting money for the wall.

President Trump, you will not get your wall, Schumer said. Youre not getting your wall today, next week or on Jan. 3 when Democrats take control of the House.

Democrats tried to make clear to the White House for weeks that they had the votes to block any measure that contained money for the wall.

As their power became clear to White House officials, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders signaled Tuesday that Trump was planning to withdraw his request for the funds in an effort to keep the government open.

But he received a torrent of criticism from conservative lawmakers and commentators following this decision, and he reversed course on Thursday, scuttling a temporary, bipartisan spending bill that would have extended funding through Feb. 8 but did not contain wall money.

Trump on Friday urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to change long-standing Senate rules to pass the Houses measure providing $5.7 billion for the wall. McConnell refused, making it impossible for Senate Republicans to push the measure through because Democrats control 49 seats in the 100-member chamber.

Were going to be working very hard to get something passed in the Senate, Trump said earlier Friday in the Oval Office. Now its up to the Democrats as to whether or not we have a shutdown tonight. I hope we dont, but weve very much prepared for a long shutdown.

Republicans were frustrated by the reversal, and Democrats warned Friday that the presidents erratic and unvetted decisions in recent days were unsettling financial markets, foreign allies and even members of his Cabinet.

This is tyranny of talk radio hosts, right? And so, how do you deal with that? said Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn). You have two talk radio hosts who completely flipped the president. And so, do we succumb to tyranny of talk radio hosts?

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis announced his resignation Thursday. The Dow Jones industrial average had one of its worst weeks in recent decades and has fallen almost 4,400 points, or 16 percent, since October.

Multiple federal parks and monuments are slated to close, some as soon as Saturday morning. The Securities and Exchange Commission posted a list of the services it will soon suspend, including the processing of certain business records. The Justice Department, Commerce Department and Internal Revenue Service are preparing to send thousands of workers home without pay.

And Trumps prediction that a shutdown would last for a very long time meant that hundreds of thousands of federal employees risk missing at least one paycheck. Even the Border Patrol agents and Transportation Security Administration officials who are directed to continue working during the shutdown will not be paid until Congress funds their agencies.

About 400,000 federal workers would be furloughed, according to a Washington Post projection. But a number of federal agencies, including the Pentagon, will not be directly affected, because Congress already passed multiple other spending bills this year that secured funding through September.

As the funding lapse lengthens, the negotiations will prove to be a major test for Trump, Schumer, McConnell and House conservatives as they jostle for footing in Washingtons new power structure.

Friday afternoon saw a flurry of discussions begin in the afternoon when McConnell, Democrats and Vice President Pence began huddling separately in the Capitol.

Pence separately joined Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner and White House budget director Mick Mulvaney for a meeting with House conservatives. But the talks yielded no clear evidence of progress, and eventually Pence and his entourage left the Capitol.

We dont have a deal, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) told reporters after emerging from a late meeting with the vice president. There are a lot of moving parts, and were trying to get them moving together.

The construction of a wall along the border with Mexico was one of Trumps top campaign promises in 2016, and he had promised that Mexico would finance the entire project. But since taking office, he has demanded the money from Congress.

Senate Democrats have blocked every attempt so far. Trump has also threatened to shut the government down numerous times if he doesnt get money for the border wall, but before Friday night, he had always backed down.

In recent days, Trump has tried a number of different tactics to try to secure the money. He called on Cabinet secretaries to search their budgets for extra funds, and on Wednesday, he said the entire project would be built by the military. But by Thursday he was back to demanding that Congress provide the funding, leaving many GOP lawmakers scrambling to accede to his demands.

The shutdown followed a day of posturing and unsuccessful negotiations in the Senate on Friday.

After meeting with Trump at the White House, McConnell called a vote aimed at advancing the bill with $5.7 billion for the border wall, saying the legislation would not be considered controversial in more normal times.

Im proud to vote for it, McConnell said.

But after hours of maneuvering, it was clear that the legislation would not command the support needed to pass, although the Senate advanced it on a procedural vote  with Pence breaking a tie  to keep a legislative vehicle alive in case a deal does emerge.

Trump, meanwhile, ratcheted up public pressure on Democrats to cave on the wall.

In a spate of morning Twitter posts, Trump sought to pin blame on Democrats for a potential shutdown, even though he said last week that he would accept responsibility for a shutdown.

The Democrats, whose votes we need in the Senate, will probably vote against Border Security and the Wall even though they know it is DESPERATELY NEEDED, Trump wrote. If the Dems vote no, there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time. People dont want Open Borders and Crime!

But Democrats showed no signs of relenting, and on Friday night, they continued to blame Trump and the Republicans for the partial shutdown.

I think we ought to make it clear that its the presidents abrupt change in position and refusal to accept the deal hes already told his leadership hed accept, said Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.).

Look, this is the last week we have a Republican-controlled Senate and House and White House  theyve got to work this out.

Seung Min Kim, Josh Dawsey and Sean Sullivan contributed to this report.
Through reductions in sentencing, the law, which does not cover state jails and prisons, would do the equivalent of shaving a collective 53,000 years off the sentences of federal inmates over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office  though some advocacy groups dispute this figure. There were about 181,000 federal inmates as of Dec. 13, according to the Bureau of Prisons.
Trumps refusal to sign a short-term spending bill passed by the Senate on Wednesday unless it includes money for a wall along the Mexican border left agencies scrambling to set in motion their plans to cease  or partially cease  operations. But many federal managers were preparing to leave for the holiday, and the White House was not making public any details of what would stay open and what would close. While the Office of Management and Budget held a conference call with agency leaders last week to notify them to begin shutdown preparations, it is leaving it up to each agency to execute its plans.
The House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform panels spent most of the past year interviewing a series of law enforcement agents and other witnesses, including former FBI director James B. Comey and former attorney general Loretta E. Lynch, in a series of closed-door interviews. The proceedings were politically controversial, with panel Republicans arguing that they were necessary to examine evidence of bias in the ranks of law enforcement officials running federal probes of the Trump campaigns alleged Russia ties and Hillary Clintons use of a private email server.
They drafted legislation that would fund agencies for 25 percent of the federal workforce into February, along with $5.7 billion for the border wall and $7.8 billion for disaster relief. During the past two weeks, Republicans have privately doubted they had enough votes for this plan, with many departing GOP lawmakers unwilling to cast a final vote as a favor to Trump because the proposal is destined to fail in the Senate.
The East African nations government has long been angered by U.N. reports describing alleged abuses amid the political turmoil since President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for another term in 2015. More than 1,200 people have been killed since then, the U.N. says, and ICC judges authorized an investigation into allegations of state-sponsored crimes including murder, rape and torture  a decision unaffected by Burundis withdrawal from the court.
Any troop withdrawal or major reduction in their number before peace is restored would be a very unwise move, the official said. It would bring chaos and disorder, more fighting and perhaps a civil war. He noted that after the United States turned away from Afghanistan in 1989, Pakistan, too, had to bear the brunt of what happened amid the turmoil that followed. We would not like to see a repeat of that.
The conditions of Kovrigs detention contrast starkly with those of Meng, who was released Dec. 11 on $7.4 million bail after a multiday court hearing, in which she was represented by high-powered lawyers and observed by throngs of journalists. She is now staying at one of her luxury homes in Vancouver while awaiting the outcome of her extradition proceedings, which could take many months.
The cease-fire calls for rebel fighters to initially withdraw from the port, leaving the United Nations to oversee its administration. After that, both sides are expected to pull back from the wider city and the province. A joint committee with local forces drawn from both sides will govern the city, and U.N. monitors are to observe and report violations of the agreement. A central road to the capital, Sanaa, will be opened to create a humanitarian pipeline to deliver aid.
It has been devastated by years of conflict, including a recent U.S.-backed offensive against the Islamic State in Raqqa. That operation destroyed much of the northern Syrian city, little of which has been rebuilt, and tens of thousands of displaced Syrians live in camps in the surrounding areas.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who resigned Thursday, and other senior U.S. advisers who lobbied for staying in Afghanistan are now on their way out. Other influential voices in foreign policy weighed in wearily, but focused mainly on the consequences of withdrawing all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which would hamstring the Pentagons ability to carry out strikes against terrorist groups, including the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
For Putin, analysts say, the significance was manifold. Propping up Assad was a message to the West that leaders cannot be deposed by outside force  an attempt that Putin is believed to fear the West is trying to orchestrate in Russia. The military campaign was also a way for Russia to reestablish influence in the Middle East, show off its reconstituted military might and help brand itself a resurgent great power.
The military could conduct periodic strikes against senior members of the Islamic State. It would also be likely to use its aircraft to protect other members of the U.S.-led military coalition who remain on the ground. France has said it will keep some forces in Syria for the time being.
The Syria withdrawal also comes at a moment when the administrations policy there  at least the one announced late last summer by his national security team  finally seemed to be paying off. The Islamic States physical caliphate in Syria and Iraq has been destroyed, although the group is far from defeated, as Trump has claimed. Senior administration officials had expected final conventional battles in southern Syria to last into next year, and tens of thousands of militants are said to be biding their time in Syrian and Iraqi towns and villages.
It takes Minh Tuan Nguyen more than two weeks to deck out his family home in Kings Park with about 20,000 LED lights each Christmas.

The trance-music fan then synchronises the lights to tunes, including techno versions of Christmas carols and pop song mash-ups.

And that's not even the half of it.

Each song takes around 14 days to program on my computer so it flashes to the beat of the music. It takes me another few weeks or more to sychronise all the music to the lights, Mr Nguyen explains.
Washington: This week, conservative lawmakers and commentators convinced President Donald Trump to pull a last-minute about-face in the government shutdown debate.

US President Donald Trump. Credit:AP

The White House had sent signals that it wouldn't insist on border wall funding, but these conservatives rightly noted this might be Trump's last chance to get his wall before Democrats take over the House.

Could it happen again?

Fox and Friends host Brian Kilmeade on Friday morning tore into Trump's other controversial decision this week - to pull US troops out of Syria - and he did it right to the face of Trump's own press secretary, Sarah Sanders.
New York: Of all the senior officials to leave the Trump administration so far, the shock departure of Defence Secretary James Mattis is easily the most concerning and consequential for Australia.

As he outlined in his resignation letter, Mattis strongly believes that America's "strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships".

It was an approach that benefited middle-tier powers like Australia who can't rely on a huge population or military might to wield influence on the global stage.

This differs to Trump, who cares more about short-term transactional deals and his personal chemistry with fellow leaders than alliances built up over decades.
UPFA MP Roshan Ranasinghe yesterday said they have only applied for the membership of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) but they have not yet received the membership.

The issue of UPFA MPs joining the SLPP arose in parliament early this week as several MPs argued that MPs who obtained the SLPP membership are ineligible to retain their parliament seats.

Responding to criticisms, MP Ranasinghe said they have submitted applications to obtain membership from the SLPP but the party's secretary and national organiser had not given them membership as yet.

"They accepted our applications but did not give the membership as yet. We were elected to parliament from the UPFA. From that day, we continue to pay Rs. 3,000 monthly as membership subscription fee to the SLFP. These fees have been deducted from our November salaries as well, he told a news briefing. (Lahiru Pothmulla)
In the era of Gauthama Buddha he was conceived in the womb of a Malla princess

Spiritual and intellectual progression as defined in the unique philosophy is totally independent of an individuals maturity in age

Spiritual and intellectual progression as defined in the unique philosophy is totally independent of an individuals maturity in age. Some were as old as eighty when they reached the summit of wisdom, some as tender as seven. Whilst personages as Arahant Bakkula stood at the farther end, the world was mesmerized by the attainment of the supreme mental state ever possible by younglings such as Sopaka, Suneetha, Sumana, Sukha, Seevali and Kumara Kassapa all in their seventh year in life. One who embellished the Buddhist narrative in a most extraordinary manner was Dabbamallaputta, the child saint of the Gauthama Buddha dispensation. None of them was however overnight an achievers so to say, of that position of zenithal knowledge but extremely rare individuals who set themselves upon an uncompromisingly arduous path of training from almost beginingless time.



A hundred thousand kalpas ago, a span too vast for the human mind to fathom, a handsome young nobleman witnessed Piyamatura Buddha designating a bhikkhu as foremost amongst those allocating dwelling places for visiting monks from distant places. Consequent to offering maha dana to Buddha and the congregation of monks for seven days, the nobleman made a fervent prayer to receive the identical position before a future Buddha some day. Piyamatura Buddha having looked into his future confirmed the realization of his wish a hundred thousand kalpas later in the dispensation of Gauthama Buddha arising out of the Okkaka clan. A kalpa is defined by Buddha as equivalent to the time it takes to unload a hundred cartloads filled with mustard seeds at the rate of removing a single seed once every hundred years.



Thenceforth the young nobleman transmitting between the worlds of gods and humans was born as Sakka three hundred times and as a Sakvithi King on over five hundred occasions. Ninety one kalpas ago in an inconceivable twist of human fickleness he ridiculed an Arahant disciple of Vipassi Buddha as a low caste shudra. Again vagaries of existence being as baffling as they are, he offered alms to a group of monks including the Arahant he disparaged before. Though he would spend hundreds of thousands of years in livid hell on account of that slur on the blameless being, kamma wouldnt let go but trail him through unto his last life of sainthood in samsara.

Thenceforth the young nobleman transmitting between the worlds of gods and humans was born as Sakka three hundred times and as a Sakvithi King on over five hundred occasions



In a subsequent sojourn of the timeless journey he was born in India at a time when Kashyapa Buddhas dispensation was on the wane, when he along with seven others ordained themselves as Buddhist monks. Unable to bear depraved men in yellow garb denigrating Buddha Sasana incessantly they decided to reach the summit of a rock with the help of a tall ladder in a final bid to end all suffering before the doctrine disappears from the face of the earth altogether. The ladder was thereafter pushed down. One of the seven monks reached the highest state of Buddhist aspirations, another became Anagami and was born on a pure abode whilst the other five including Dabbamallaputta perished on the rock.



In the era of Gauthama Buddha he was conceived in the womb of a Malla princess. When she died prior to delivery and was being burnt on the pyre her stomach burst open due to the intense heat and the infant who was flung out came to rest on a stack of wood unharmed due to his merit  hence he was named Dabba by his grandmother. When he was just seven years of age, driven by his previous kamma he wished to enter the bhikkhu order upon his very first sight of the Buddha who was on a visit to Malla kingdom. At the request of the grandmother Buddha ordered a monk to ordain him. As was the practice on certain such occasions then, the handsome child was given the thacha panchaka  contemplation of the first five impurities of the body. Along with the first three shaving strokes on the head he reached the three stages of enlightenment whilst the final stroke and attainment of Arahanthood occurred in tandem. The Arahants previous births are vividly recounted by himself in Apadanatta and Theragathattakatha.



While spending his time in secrecy and in solitude an idea dawned upon the young Dabbamallaputta Thero that since there was nothing more for him to accomplish in life he ought to employ himself in the service of bhikkhus in assigning their dwelling places and nominating them for upcoming alms-givings offered by laymen. When he conveyed his idea to Buddha He exclaimed Very well, very well, Dabba and when the congregation of monks was called for their opinion on the matter by a senior monk they all indicated their approval by maintaining silence. Later, Buddha pronounced Though Dabba is yet a child, the position he occupies is great.

A segment of Parajikapali in Vinaya Pitaka provides a most fascinating account of the young bhikkhus enthusiasm in executing the subject assigned to him. In allocating dwelling places for monks he determines the quarters according to their particular frames of mind. Bhikkuhs fond of reciting various suttas are quartered close to each other, so are those learned in the principles of bhikkhu discipline (Vinaya). Versatile preachers bent on discussing Dhamma are placed close to one another. Bhikkhus deft at entering absorptions (jhana) are placed together so there wouldnt be disturbance caused to each other. Ones who are only keen on fattening themselves and indulging in bestial talk are grouped together. If bhikkhus arrive after daylight the Arahant enters the fire element (thejo dhatu) to show them their respective kuti with the aid of his luminosity. Some bhikkhus arrive deliberately after darkness in order to witness the child Arahants supernormal powers. When he questions them of their preferences they name faraway places as Gijjakuta, Sorapatana, Issigili mountain, the Cold Forest, Gothama Rock, Thimbiri Rock, Thapodara, Jeevaka Mango Grove and Meddakuchchi Deer Park. Those who are too feeble to walk are levitated through his irdi power.



When many bhikkhus arrive at the same time he creates several figures all identical to himself (manomaya kaya) and guides them to their respective abodes walking ahead of them aided by the light emitted from his finger tips. Having taken them to their places of residence he shows them around and also apprises them of the code of rules to be observed on the premises as well as the applicable arrival and departure times. Having educated them thus he returns to Weluwanaramaya.



It was on seeing such a blaze of flares atop Gijukulu rock late one night that Punna the devout slave-maid down at Rajagaha city arrived at an emotive conclusion that venerable bhikkhus would have had to face a disturbing situation on the mountain such as snake-bite, and divulged it to the Blessed One the following morning after offering a stale rice cake to Him while on His alms round in the city, whereupon He dispelled her worries.



Later there came to be a group of irreligious novice monks called Meththiya Bhummajaka with no merit whatsoever. When other bhikkhus were being offered gourmet food by devotees the above group invariably received a meal of inferior rice and insipid soup. Around the same time a particular lay disciple named Kalyanabakthika met Dabbamallaputta Thero who delivered a dhamma talk that inspired the laymen uplifted him and made him rejoice. Upon being asked by the disciple Dabbamallaputta Thero informed him that Meththiya Bhummajaka monks have been named for alms at his residence the following day. How can these profligate ones be entertained in my house he was worried, and he ordered the maid not to invite them in but to feed them in the out-house with bland food. The dissolute monks however had other ideas and it is said that in anticipation of a grand dana with various kinds of meats etc. from the well to do layman they did not have proper sleep that night. Following day when the maid did exactly as she was instructed by her master the infuriated monks came to the inevitable conclusion that the Arahant had poisoned the layman against them. They went back to their temple, hid their bowls and robes and lay on the temple floor with bent bodies, fuming in incomprehensible silence. Parajkapali provides a pithy account of the enthralling episode.



At this stage the Meththiya nun came up to the monks and worshipped them. When there was no response she worshipped them again and again. Venerable sirs, I am worshipping you, what crime have I committed? Why arent you speaking to me she said. When they finally blurted out When Dabbamallaputta is hurting us so, you remain impassive, she expressed her willingness to do whatever at their bidding to put the situation right. It was also the moment for the balance of dormant kamma biding its time to settle its score with the Arahant for insinuating Vipassi Buddhas disciple ninety one kalpas ago.



The plot hatched by Meththiya Bhummajaka was the ultimate in imaginative viciousness. Meththiya nun was to complain to Buddha thus; Lord, this is intolerable, unacceptable. Lord was any direction once fearless, sorrowless and hindrance free, now that direction is fearful, sorrowful and beset with obstacles. Was any place once turbulence free, now a storm has arisen. Water has been set afire; Dabbamallaputta Thero raped me.

The shameful Meththiya monks wouldnt be put off despite the collapse of their sinister plot, neither would the residue kamma of the monk come to rest over the calumnious utterance made over ninety one kalpas ago



True to her word the nun approached Buddha, worshipped Him and repeated exactly as was told her. The Blessed One then questioned Arahant Dabbamallaputta on the said issue in the presence of the congregation of monks. The inquiry that pursued as recorded on Patamaduttadosa precept of Vinaya Pitaka is indeed galvanizing.



Buddha  Dabbaya, do you recollect an incident as narrated by this bhikkuni?

Arahant  Lord, I ought to be judged in the manner you have always judged me

Buddha  Dabbaya, do you recollect an incident as narrated by this bhikkhuni? The Arahant replied in the manner he did before. He did so for the third time as well.

Buddha  Dabbaya, pundits do not resolve issues with others assistance. If you committed the act say so, if not, deny.

Arahant  Lord, from the day I was born, I cannot recollect having sought relations with a woman even in my dreams. How could I, when awake,



Monks, disrobe Meththiya nun. Also seek the views of the monks present, said Buddha rose and left the Vihara. The monks affirmed the decision of the Buddha. Later when Mettiya Bhummajaka monks voluntarily confessed to having concocted the vicious scheme, they were subject to a severe Vinaya stricture.



The shameful Meththiya monks wouldnt be put off despite the collapse of their sinister plot, neither would the residue kamma of the monk come to rest over the calumnious utterance made over ninety one kaplas ago. While descending from Gijjakuta Rock Meththiya monks happened to see a pair of goats mating and they struck upon another villainous idea. They were to claim that they spotted Dabbamallaputta Thero and Meththiya nun in an intimate posture on Gijjakuta. They maintained before Buddha that whereas the earlier evidence of theirs as to the offence proper was hearsay, now they were providing eye-witness accounts of a sordid affair. Again the Blessed One followed the same inquisitorial procedure as before by summoning Dabbamallaputta Thero and seeking an explanation from him, thereafter confronting his accusers with it. When questioned by the Supremely Faultless Being on earth, no one can speak an untruth, so the dissolute ones confessed to their wrongdoing and again a specifically distinct stricture was passed on them.



Above was a presentation of the Arahant Dabbamallaputta saga in the sketchiest of narratives. Vinaya Chapter consists of a vast volume of Sangha disciplinary rules spontaneously enunciated by the foremost lawmaker ever known to the world. The fundamentals of present day jurisprudence are irrevocably traceable to the great repository of law, the Vianaya Pitaka founded over two thousand five hundred years ago. The little Arahant did adorn the Vinaya and Sutta Pitaka in equal measure.
Police keep watch outside the embassy of Canada in China

BEIJING (Reuters), DECEMBER 21, 2018 - A former Canadian diplomat detained in China is being denied legal representation and is not allowed to turn the lights off at night, people familiar with the situation said, offering new details on the highly charged and closely watched case.



China last week detained two Canadians - Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat and an adviser with the International Crisis Group (ICG), and businessman Michael Spavor - after Canadian police arrested Huawei Technologies Co Ltds [HWT.UL] chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, on Dec 1.



Canada arrested Meng at the request of the United States, which is engaged in a trade war with China. Meng faces extradition to the United States to face fraud charges which carry a maximum sentence of 30 years jail for each charge.

China has given only vague details of why they have detained the two Canadians, saying they are suspected of engaging in activities that endangered Chinas security, and has not drawn a direct link to Mengs arrest.



Canada has said the detentions are unacceptable and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said China should free the men. ICG President Robert Malley also called for Kovrigs release on Saturday.



CAP:
STAMFORD  A city man with a long criminal record has pleaded guilty after he was recently caught dealing drugs in the parking lot of a South End restaurant.

Albert Lee Robinson, 57, faces up to 20 years in prison plus additional time for violating the conditions of his supervised release. Robinson will be sentenced March 12 in Bridgeport Federal Court.

Robinson was arrested in August when Stamford police caught him dealing drugs outside Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, where he worked. Police said Robinson was found with 312 glassine folds of heroin, 213 bags of crack cocaine and 18 grams of powder cocaine in five bags inside his car. Officers also seized a digital scale and $2,052 in cash.

This man had a virtual supermarket of various different drugs in that white Subaru and he would walk back and forth to that car and was very active on the cellphone, Stamford police Capt. Richard Conklin said. This was a very substantial dealer arrested by Narcotics and Organized Crime, who utilized a lot of patience as this situation came into focus.

A federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment in September, charging Robinson with one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

A day after the indictment was returned, members of the DEAs Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and Stamford Police executed a federal arrest warrant for Robinson. Police said Robinson was found with a bag of powder cocaine when he was arrested.

Robinson has been detained since his federal arrest.

Robinson was sentenced in January 2004 to more than 15 years in jail, followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing crack cocaine.

Robinson was sentenced as a career offender based on prior convictions for burglary, narcotics and robbery offenses. Robinson was released from prison in August 2017 and began serving his five-year term of supervised release.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com
WESTPORT  In the spring of 1979, Diane Lowman got a call from her father that set her on the most momentous adventure of her life, and the focus of her new memoir.

It was probably a good thing that we didnt know what I was getting into, because I think, had I known, I wouldnt have gone, and that would have been a real tragedy for me not to have had the experience, said Lowman, 59.

The experience  a 10-week working trip aboard a German container ship  came about because Lowmans neighbor in Westfield, N.J., worked as a shipping agent for the container, and suggested to Lowmans father that Diane work aboard the ship. Eager to avoid another summer employed by Roy Rogers Restaurant, Lowman, then a sophomore at Middlebury College, agreed to the trip.

Boarding the ship, however, Lowman had a rude awakening when she met the 32 German sailors and one other female also employed on the container, most of whom viewed Lowman as an entitled American and expressed strong anti-American sentiment.

Even worse, the sailors begrudged Lowman because they believed the captain only let her on board to accommodate Lowmans neighbor and gave her easier tasks to do.

I spent inordinate amounts of time mending linens, tablecloths, and the crews coveralls. I just sat in a room sewing for hours on end, my fingers bleeding, Lowman said. Although she had to wake up at 5 a.m. to clean the boats bridge, Lowman would finish work at noon, after which she mainly spent downtime in her cabin.

Probably the biggest thing it taught me was how to be alone, because I was very alone, and very lonely, Lowman said.

Throughout the course of the trip, the ship traveled from New York through the Panama Canal to Australia and New Zealand. During the 17-day stretch from the Panama Canal to Sydney, Australia  the longest period the boat went without hitting land  Lowman said she saw nothing but ocean, a memory which inspired her new books title: Nothing But Blue. Published by the hybrid self-publishing and traditional publishing company SparkPress, Nothing But Blue came out this November.

I definitely think it made me more confident and independent because there were difficult situations either on board of around the cities that I had no choice but to deal with, Lowman said. I had to learn how to manage the fine line between defending yourself and not acquiescing or accepting it, but doing it in a way that wasnt going to have people resent me more.

Although not included in her book, the adventures in Lowmans life didnt end in the summer of 1979.

After college, Lowman worked for the insurance company MetLife before moving to Los Angeles, where she earned an MBA from Pepperdine University and continued work in the insurance sector. With a husband and son in tow, Lowman moved back east a decade later.

Later, with two sons, Lowman quit the insurance business and her family moved to Westport. While a stay-at-home mom, Lowman worked hard to still fulfill her own interests and needs. She got a black belt in taekwondo, earned an online degree in holistic nutrition, and completed reiki and yoga teacher training certification programs.

Following her divorce and kids launch into adult life, Lowman looked for her next pursuit. She decided to return to her love of Shakespeare and read all of his plays, which she blogged about on her website, The Shakespeare Diaries.

In a lull after finishing the Diaries, Lowman heard from a friend about a masters program in Shakespeare studies in England.

I looked into it and I just kept thinking this is ridiculous, this is silly, this will never happen, Lowman said. Nonetheless, Lowman applied and was accepted to the Shakespeare Institute, part of the University of Birmingham and set in Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeares birthplace.

In the fall of 2017, Lowman embarked on her journey and returned this October.

I was in nirvana in that I was bathing in Shakespeare 24/7. It literally couldnt have been better, but I felt very intimidated by the schoolwork, Lowman said, noting the program was the hardest thing shes ever done, but that even on her most miserable day she was happy.

I think in the English language theres no one  and I know Im prejudiced  whos written so much, so beautifully, about so much. There are universal and eternal themes in Shakespeare  love and jealousy and parenting and war and greed and power. He hits everything, Lowman said.

Back home in Westport, Lowman said she hopes to use Shakespeare to affect people, whether that be in teaching rudimentary Shakespeare to kids at the Westport Library or writing about her time in England to inspire others to pursue their own interests at any age.

That word passion that gets bandied about all the time, I think its never too late for that, Lowman said.

svaughan@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2638; @SophieCVaughan1
Sri Lankas premier trade chamber Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) said it holds President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe responsible and accountable for the choice of ministers appointed yesterday.



The CCC in a brief statement noted that it expects the political leadership will focus on the development of the country as Sri Lanka has serious challenges to overcome. We hold the President and the Prime Minister responsible and accountable for the choice of ministers.



We have serious challenges to overcome including the challenge of meaningful implementation of the development agenda. We want to see that happen and we want to see policy makers take action to achieve results.

We expect the political leadership to respect the need for integrity in all of their actions and also call on them to provide the space for public officers to carry out their duties and functions without unwarranted political interference.



Its our fervent hope that political parties will refrain from creating issues that will distract from the focus on serving the people, the statement said.
Prabhjeet Singh

Colombo becomes 11th most important city in South Asia for Uber



By Nishel Fernando

Colombo has become the fastest growing market for UberTuk product and is on the way to become the Tuk capital of Uber universe, a top Uber official said.

Today, the growth of UberTuk product in Sri Lanka is one of the fastest, making Sri Lanka, the fastest growing market for UberTuk product on the Uber platform. Sri Lanka and Colombo is on the way to become the Tuk Capital of Uber universe, Uber - India & South Asia, Head of All Cities, Prabhjeet Singh, said.

He was speaking at an event organised by Uber in Colombo this week to mark the three-year anniversary of Ubers entry to the Sri Lankan market.



Uber launched UberTuk last August in Sri Lanka and Singh highlighted that the product has been embraced by both riders and drivers overwhelmingly.

We were blown away by the kind of feedback we got where thousands of drivers are joining the platform every week, he remarked. UberTuk was launched in several cities in India, Pakistan, and South- East Asia and most recently in Mombassa, Kenya.



Singh also revealed that Colombo has become the 11th most important city in South Asia for Uber where it has seen over 25,000 driver partners joining the Uber platform in the three-year period.



Prior to the launch of UberTuk, Uber officials revealed that around 60,000 riders were using Uber on a monthly basis in Sri Lanka. Since Ubers exit from Southeast Asia, India and South Asia has become the most important market for the company in the Asia-Pacific region. According to Singh, Uber has completed over 10 billion trips since its launch, and South Asia has contributed to over a billion trips.



Speaking of future prospects, Singh noted that Uber plans to multiply the number of driver partners over the next couple of years in Sri Lanka, particularly female drivers from the current 35 plus driver partners, to cater to the even increasing demand.

There are not only female driver partners, who are driving cars; there are also multiple women Tuk driver partners on the platform. Our commitment is to grow this number by multiple folds over next few years, he said.



He further noted that with the launch of Uber Hire and Uber Intercity, Uber products have gone beyond Colombo and that the company is committed to expand its services across the country in coming years.



Singh asserted that Uber aims to become the preferred ridesharing company in Sri Lanka for riders and driver partners by enhancing last mile connectivity through a multi-platform approach.



It has been a journey which has been nothing less than spectacular. Sri Lanka as a country and its residents and driver partners here welcomed Uber with an overwhelming response over last three years, which has left us humbled and inspired to make sure that we are constantly improving ourselves to stay relevant and to serve all residents in Sri Lanka and the tourists who visit this beautiful country, he added.



Uber has launched six products in Sri LankaUberZip, Premier, Intercity, Hire, UBerTUK and UberGo.
A Topeka mother is more than a little upset after her 3-year-old was left alone on a school bus for nearly 2 hours on Tuesday. Alone, and in 44 degree temperatures.

We launched an immediate investigation, said Jim Love, Cooperate Safety and Rick Manager for Kansas Central School Bus.

The boy was left on the bus after the driver dropped off other students at State Street Elementary School. The bus returned to bus the barn, leaving the child sitting for nearly 2 hours in the cold, empty bus.

Bobbe Kearns emailed 13 NEWS, saying her son got on the bus around 8:15 a.m. that morning. She tells us she received a call from State Street around 11:15 a.m., asking where her child was. When she told the caller her son got on the bus that morning, she was placed on hold.

Kearns wrote:

Kansas Central School Bus says they have three steps in place after a driver is done with a route.

We ask that they walk the bus when theyre done with their last pickup, Love explained.

That never happened.

Then there is the second check.

We expect the bus to be walked again when they return to the bus barn or the lot, he added.

That didnt happen either.

The third check is for a supervisor to walk the lot and make sure all the buses have the placard in the window.

The supervisor didnt have a chance to walk the lot by time they figured out the child was missing.

The lot was being walked, but we should have gotten out there sooner than what we did, Love explained.

When the child was found, he was sleeping on the bus. They drove him back to the school were Kearns was waiting. She said he got off the bus smiling, and not hurt.

She writes, There are so many what ifs that could have happened that by Gods grace, did not happen. I have to find a way to make sure this NEVER happens again to any child.

Were reminding the location of what the expectation is. Were reviewed their practice of when theyre getting out and double checking that each driver has walked the buses. Theyre expected to, said Love.

A para, or attendant, is also supposed to be on the bus to help with the children, but was absent that day.

Kansas Central says thats the responsibility of the district.

When we asked the district why a substitute para wasnt used, they didnt reply, but spokesperson Misty Kruger sent this statement:

As for the driver, Love says he was disciplined, but could not elaborate.
At a meeting held under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena today, a decision had been taken to expedite a forensic audit into the Central Bank bond scam, the Presidents Media Division (PMD) said.

The meeting was held at the Presidential Secretariat to discuss the progress of the investigations launched into the bond scam.

In a statement, the PMD said a number of causes which had delayed the bond scam investigations were revealed at the meeting.

No charge sheet had been submitted against the suspects who had been remanded over the scam. When relevant Acts were being reformed to finalise legal action within a fixed time frame, the sectoral committee in parliament had obstructed the move. Though the bond commission had recommended to conduct a forensic audit, it has not been conducted. Accordingly, it was decided to file court cases within a fixed time frame, to conduct a forensic audit immediately and to discuss the progress of the investigations on a monthly basis, the statement said.

Attorney General Jayantha Jayasuriya, Bribery Commission Director General Sarath Jayamanna, Senior DIG Ravi Senaviratne of the CID, acting Governor of Central Bank Nandalal Weerasinghe and other officials also attended the meeting.
The relationship between humans and technology isnt always healthy. It could destroy humans and this damage sometimes is irreversible when compared to a software malfunction or a diminishing battery life. But humans are getting addicted to hyper-reality and have started to depend on these devices for survival. Although mobile phones were restricted to the use by adults, at present children are glued to screens even before they can walk! Recent research has shown atrophy  shrinkage or loss of tissue volume in grey matter areas (areas where processing occurs) during Internet/ gaming addiction. Studies have also demonstrated the loss of white matter integrity which could lead to loss of communication within the brain while it also reduces cortical thickness in the frontal lobes of the brain.



In such a backdrop, the Health Capsule spoke to Dr. Ramani Rathnaweera, Consultant Psychiatrist at the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital who shed light on the risks of excessive screen time and how children and adolescents should be discouraged from using these devices.



Limiting use

Media has always been discouraged for children less than two years of age, said Dr. Rathnaweera in her opening remarks. This is the age during which the brain develops particularly the five senses. Although they develop inside the womb, the five senses need to be stimulated with much lively interactions once the baby is born. Parents therefore need to relate stories, play a few games, all these aiding the brain cells to flow. They can play videos with good music and childrens songs, but the excessive use of social media, mobile devices and video games should be discouraged. said Dr. Rathnaweera.



According to the guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA) watching television has been restricted to one hour. Therefore its important to limit the time they watch television and structure their day for them to learn. In Sri Lanka we have children watching TV for three or four hours. Here they select whats best for them and parents have no control. But that shouldnt be so. Parents should know what their children are doing. Children should learn family values, how to share with others, socialize and build relationships, she said.



From five years onwards they are always studying and the curricula are vast. During this period they start working in groups and are burdened with much homework that they hardly have time to watch TV. But they should be allowed to watch educational programmes and some childrens tele dramas which you think would be suitable for them, she continued.



The Donts

Today we see children using mobile devices almost everywhere. Sometimes people may wonder whether they are being rude to the other person because they are not paying attention to what is happening around them. The colours that they see on the screen take them to a different world, thereby developing an interest towards its contents.



Its bad manners to see them holding these devices all the time, Dr. Rathnaweera added. Therefore some terms and conditions must be laid out for them. As such they shouldnt be given these devices during meal times, bed time and family activities. Research suggests that if parents read stories to their children, chances are high that children will also develop an interest in books. They are at an age when they are keen to explore. So they might take to reading as a hobby. Likewise good habits could be inculcated in them if they are given proper guidance, she affirmed.



Risks of excessive screen time

Ergonomically speaking, holding mobile devices or working in front a screen could impose many health risks. Carpel tunnel syndrome is one of the common conditions one could be diagnosed with. With more exciting events happening on the screen, it becomes so addictive that children would want to watch more. With more time spent on these devices, children are at risk of developing the following conditions and symptoms:

Obesity

Diabetes

High blood pressure

Frustration

Computer vision syndrome

Laziness

Sleep deprivation

Social isolation

Behavioural problems

Hyper aroused nervous system

In addition to these symptoms children and teens become violent, Dr. Rathnaweera added. This is because they watch violent movies and play violent video games. They always want to kill the other person and win and this could have a long-term impact on the childs brain. In addition to that there are advertisements on food items which are produced to attract children because they are always a target group. That way they not only get addicted to the devices, but they also develop a liking towards the products being advertised. she explained.



Internet addiction during adolescence

Speaking on the continuous addiction towards Internet among adolescents, Dr. Rathnaweera said that this is because the Internet is a cheaper way of finding information. Theres a reward/ pleasure centre in the brain that gets activated when exposed to more than six hours of screen time. With that it releases dopamine which functions as a neurotransmitter. The brain includes several distinct dopamine pathways; one of which plays a major role in the motivational component of reward-motivated behaviour. This develops an addiction similar to drugs, alcohol and smoking. With that parents will experience aggressive behaviour among adolescents. If their phones are taken away, they would go to the extent of leaving home. They become very stubborn, giving rise to many family issues, she added. Dr. Rathnaweera also emphasised on another crucial characteristic in adolescence  the secretion of sex hormones. This is also a time when they are exposed to unnatural sexual clips such as pornography. Since they are at that age of maturation, sometimes their brains would be stimulated to try out what they see in these videos. This is also linked to the fact that there are many predators on social media, trying to put young girls and boys in trouble. I have come across girls in Sri Lanka who have many friends on Facebook. Recent research suggests that 60% of the youth in Sri Lanka use mobile devices while 10% of them are having relationships with unknown people. They waste a lot of time chatting online and are quite vulnerable to be victims of cyber bullying, cyber threats and in the worst case, suicide, she warned.



Using Internet wisely

Too much of anything is good for nothing. This applies to the Internet and the amount of time spent staring at a screen as well. The Internet has been discovered for us to make progress, Dr. Rathnaweera added. Parents could in fact consider an alternative which is watching TV with their children. Here they can explain why a particular advertisement is false and why the child shouldnt be deceived by the attractive products. As such there should be some mechanism to limit the use of Internet and keep children away from mobile devices as much as possible. Without giving them a device to keep them in one place, parents could possibly send their children for extra-curricular activities at school to keep them engaged, said Dr. Rathnaweera.



Speaking about the interventions that are being done locally, Dr. Rathnaweera said that the first thing to be done is to structure the day of an Internet addict. We gradually reduce it to about one hour. We discourage parents to keep TVs inside their childs room because this gives rise to several other unhealthy behaviours. Children could be encouraged to do many creative activities such as drawing, painting, singing and dancing. In some instances parents switch off the TV while the child is watching and walk away. That is bad. They should take the child away with them, probably go on a walk or spend time with a pet. But in some cases we find that people are rather anxious to come out of this addiction. We also conduct talking therapy, psychotherapy and behaviour modification therapy and also introduce alternative ways of keeping them occupied in order to keep them away from these devices, she concluded.
The International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka (ICCSL) is grateful to the President, Prime Minister, Speaker and leaders of political leaders for restoring normalcy and urges all parties concerned to work towards a common development agenda.



The patience of the Sri Lankan people was tested during this period and it is the responsibility of the government now to deliver on the promises made not just to the people of Sri Lanka but to the international donors as well.



The restoration of the confidence of the international community is crucial to all our future development efforts.



Dinesh Weerakkody Chairman of ICC Sri Lanka said, The government should focus on creating a stable policy and business environment that will promote a credible investment atmosphere while benefitting all Sri Lankans at every level.

He further said, We urge all stakeholders now to work together putting aside their differences and make a serious effort to uplift the lives of the people of this country. The International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka (ICCSL) is the domestic chapter of the Paris based international business organisation, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). It has a global network of over 6 million members in more than 100 countries.
BEIJING - China called the U.S. arrogant and selfish on Friday after two Chinese citizens were charged with stealing American trade secrets and other sensitive information on behalf of Beijing's main intelligence agency.

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This article was published 21/12/2018 (1077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FILE - In this Nov. 9, 2017, file photo, an American flag is flown next to the Chinese national emblem during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. China called the U.S. arrogant and selfish on Friday, Dec. 21, 2018, after it charged two Chinese citizens with stealing trade secrets and other sensitive information from American government agencies and corporations. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

BEIJING - China called the U.S. arrogant and selfish on Friday after two Chinese citizens were charged with stealing American trade secrets and other sensitive information on behalf of Beijing's main intelligence agency.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said "the Chinese government has never participated in or supported anyone in stealing trade secrets in any way."

She accused the U.S. of undermining the development of other countries in order to defend its own hegemony.

"The U.S. is a world superpower, and it's quite arrogant and selfish," she said during a regular press briefing.

The U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday the indictment of Chinese nationals Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong for allegedly carrying out an extensive cyberespionage campaign against government agencies and major corporations.

Besides the alleged U.S. infiltration, Zhu and Hua are also accused of breaching computers linked to companies in at least 11 other countries, including Japan, the United Kingdom and India.

More than 90 per cent of Justice Department economic espionage cases over the past seven years involve China, said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and more than two-thirds of trade secrets cases are connected to the country.

"China's state-sponsored actors are the most active perpetrators of economic espionage," FBI Director Chris Wray said in announcing the case. "While we welcome fair competition, we cannot and will not tolerate illegal hacking, stealing or cheating."

Hua, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said: "They believe that a lie repeated a thousand times will become the truth, but I want to tell them that a lie is still a lie even after it has been repeated ten thousand times."

In a written statement issued earlier Friday, she said the U.S. was "fabricating facts."

The whereabouts of Zhu and Zhang are unclear. China does not have an extradition treaty with the U.S.

"There is some co-operation under the framework of Interpol, but if the Chinese government doesn't agree with the U.S. charges, there is no way to extradite the accused," said Li Fangping, a Beijing-based criminal lawyer.

Li said that if Zhu and Zhang travel to other countries that have signed treaties with the U.S., they could be detained for possible extradition, as was the case with Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou's recent arrest in Canada.

The indictment says the pair worked for the Huaying Haitai Science and Technology Development Company in Tianjin and acted in association with the Chinese Ministry of State Security's bureau in the northeastern port city.

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A public company registry says that Huaying Haitai's work includes the development of computer software, consulting and business related to a variety of technical equipment.

Among the cyberespionage manoeuvrs detailed in the indictment is the alleged use of a phishing technique which sent emails that appeared to be coming from legitimate email addresses but were in fact from members of "Advanced Persistent Threat 10," the China-based hacking group to which Zhu and Zhang purportedly belong.

James Gong, a cybersecurity senior associate at the Herbert Smith Freehills law firm in Beijing, said the mere announcement of charges is likely to affect public perception of China.

"The allegation itself will give rise to some suspicion, at least, among the international public, that these hacking activities are actually supported by the Chinese state," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this story.
Can you take a vacation from your cellphone? A growing number of hotels will help you find out.

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This article was published 21/12/2018 (1077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Adam Bryan and Hannah Steadman work with their children Wesley and Greta Rose on puzzles included in complimentary backpacks provided with other incentives by the Wyndham Grand Hotel in Chicago on Dec. 1, 2018. A growing number of hotels are helping guests take a vacation from their vacation by offering incentives to guests willing to lock up their cell phones (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)

Can you take a vacation from your cellphone? A growing number of hotels will help you find out.

Some resorts are offering perks, like snorkeling tours and s'mores, to guests who manage to give up their phones for a few hours. Some have phone-free hours at their pools; others are banning distracting devices from public places altogether.

Hotels that limit cellphone use risk losing valuable exposure on Instagram or Facebook. But they say the policies reflect their mission of promoting wellness and relaxation. And, of course, they hope that happily unplugged guests will return for future visits.

"Everyone wants to be able to disconnect. They just need a little courage," said Lisa Checchio, Wyndham Hotels' chief marketing officer.

People's inability to disconnect is an increasingly serious issue. Half of smartphone users spend between three and seven hours per day on their mobile devices, according to a 2017 global survey by Counterpoint Research, a technology consulting firm. In a separate study by the non-profit Common Sense Media, 69 per cent of parents and 78 per cent of teens said they check their devices at least hourly.

Wyndham knew it had a problem when hotel managers requested more beach chairs to accommodate all the people who would sit in them and stare at their phones. It discovered that the average resort guest was bringing three devices and checking them once every 12 minutes  or roughly 80 times a day.

On Oct. 1, Wyndham Grand's five U.S. resorts began offering prime spots by the pool, free snacks and the chance to win return visits when guests put their phone in a soft, locked pouch. The phones stay with the guests, but only hotel staff can unlock the pouches.

Wyndham says 250 people have used the pouches so far at resorts in Florida and Texas. The program will be found at more Wyndham hotels next year.

Wyndham Grand resorts also give families a 5 per cent discount on their stay if they put their phones in a timed lockbox. The hotel provides supplies for a pillow fort, s'mores, a bedtime book and an instant camera for adults and kids who don't know what to do with all the newfound time on their hands.

That appeals to Matthew Cannata, who heads public relations for the New Britain, Connecticut, schools. He worries about the impact of technology on his two young children, and he tries to keep devices out of sight during family meals.

"Any chance I can get to put the phone away is great. Sometimes, people need to be forced to do things to start a thought process and then create a habit," he said.

At the Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit in Mexico, a so-called Detox Concierge will "cleanse" your suite of all electronic devices and replace them with games like Jenga and chess. Guests at its sister resort, the Grand Velas Riviera Maya, trade in their phones for a bracelet that gives them free access to activities like snorkeling; they must do at least four activities to earn back their phones. A timer placed in the lobby shows how long each family has lasted without their devices.

Emily Evans likes the idea of rewarding people for putting their phones away. A senior at Eastern Kentucky University, she says she barely keeps her phone charged while on vacation, but her girlfriend is constantly checking her phone.

"I feel most millennials would choose discounts and saving money over having their phone out to Instagram and Snapchat pictures of their meals," Evans said.

At Miraval, a Hyatt-owned resort in Arizona, the emphasis is less on family time than on mindfulness and tranquility. Miraval, which will soon open two more resorts in Texas and Massachusetts, bans phone use in most public areas.

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Guests are encouraged to tuck their phones into soft cotton bags and leave them on small wooden beds in their rooms. Staff wears name tags with gentle reminders that guests should unplug and "be present."

Some resorts encourage a total ban. Wilderness Resorts, an African safari operator, intentionally provides no Wi-Fi at many of its camps. Adrere Amellal, a 40-room hotel at the Siwa Oasis in Egypt, lets guests have phones in their rooms, but there's no electricity or Wi-Fi.

Not all vacationers want to be weaned from their devices. Phones double as cameras, music players, travel guides and e-readers. They also might be critical in an emergency.

David Bruns, a communications manager for AARP Florida, uses two phones. He tries not to check his work phone after hours, but he carries his personal phone everywhere.

"I don't think I would like being made to put the thing down," Bruns said. "It feels like that is more about me being told what to do by people I am paying to do something for me."

Ayana Resort and Spa in Bali, Indonesia, understands that, so it tries to meet guests halfway. Its winding River Pool bans phones between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. But it invites guests to take photos and post away to social media before and after those times.
TOKYO - Japanese prosecutors added a new allegation of breach of trust against Nissan's former chairman Carlos Ghosn on Friday, dashing his hopes for posting bail quickly.

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This article was published 20/12/2018 (1077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In this May 12, 2016, photo, then Nissan Motor Co. President and CEO Carlos Ghosn speaks during a joint press conference with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. in Yokohama, near Tokyo. Japanese media say Friday, Dec. 21, 2018, prosecutors press new allegation of breach of trust against Nissan ex-chair Ghosn, who is being detained in the Tokyo Detention Center. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

TOKYO - Japanese prosecutors added a new allegation of breach of trust against Nissan's former chairman Carlos Ghosn on Friday, dashing his hopes for posting bail quickly.

Ghosn and another former Nissan executive, Greg Kelly, were arrested Nov. 19 and charged with underreporting Ghosn's income by about 5 billion yen ($44 million) in 2011-2015. They also face the prospect of more charges of underreporting Ghosn's income for other years by nearly 10 billion ($80 million) in total.

The breach of trust allegations were filed a day after a court rejected prosecutors' request for a longer detention of both men. The new allegation only applies to Ghosn, and Kelly could still be bailed out. A request for bail by Kelly's lawyer is pending court approval, according to the Tokyo District Court, but his release will have to wait until next week since the request was still in process after office hours Friday.

Prosecutors in a statement Friday alleged that Ghosn in 2008 transferred a private investment loss worth more than 1.8 billion yen ($16 million) to Nissan by manipulating an unspecified "swap" contract. Ghosn also profited by having the company transfer a total of $14.7 million to another company to benefit himself and that company's owner, who helped in the contract manipulation, prosecutors said. Japan's NHK public television said the company owner is a Saudi Arabian acquaintance of Ghosn.

Shin Kukimoto, deputy chief prosecutor at the Tokyo District Prosecutors Office, refuse to say if the two transactions were related or how Ghosn illegally profited. He also declined to identify the collaborator or whether the transactions were made overseas.

In this May 12, 2016, photo, then Nissan Motor Co. President and CEO Carlos Ghosn speaks during a joint press conference with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. in Yokohama, near Tokyo. Japanese media say Friday, Dec. 21, 2018, prosecutors press new allegation of breach of trust against Nissan ex-chair Ghosn, who is being detained in the Tokyo Detention Center. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Ghosn and Kelly are only charged with underreporting Ghosn's pay over five years, in violation of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. They have not been formally charged with an additional allegation of underreporting another 4 billion yen ($36 million) for 2016-2018, for which their first 10-day detention was to expire Thursday.

Prosecutors have been criticized for separating the allegations as a tactic to detain Ghosn and Kelly longer. They say Ghosn and Kelly are flight risks.

The Tokyo District Court, in an extremely rare statement Friday, cited overlapping points of contention and evidence between the two allegations as the reason for Thursday's decision, NHK said. "There was no compelling reason to justify further extension of their detention."

A police car is diven away from Tokyo Detention Center, where former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn and another former executive Greg Kelly, are being detained, in Tokyo Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. Japanese prosecutors added a new allegation of breach of trust against Ghosn on Friday, dashing his hopes for posting bail. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

The maximum penalty for violating the financial act is up to 10 years in prison, a 10 million yen ($89,000) fine, or both. Breach of trust also carries a similar maximum penalty. The conviction rate in Japan is more than 99 per cent for any crime.

Ghosn, 64, was sent by Renault in 1999 to turn around Nissan, then on the verge of bankruptcy, and he led its rise to become the world's second-largest automaker. The arrest of an industry icon has triggered international attention and the scandal has raised concerns over the financial health of the Japanese automaker and the future of its alliance with Renault SA of France.

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Nissan has said its own investigation found serious misconduct including underreporting of Ghosn's income and misuse of company assets. His downfall is seen by some as a manoeuvr by others at Nissan to gain power in the alliance.

A police officer stands guard at Tokyo Detention Center, where former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn and another former executive Greg Kelly, are being detained, in Tokyo Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. Japanese prosecutors added a new allegation of breach of trust against Ghosn on Friday, dashing his hopes for posting bail. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Ghosn was quoted by his lawyer as saying that he is determined to prove his innocence in court and restore his honour, NHK reported Friday. Ghosn also hopes to hold a news conference when he is released.

Kelly's wife, Donna Kelly, said in a video message carried by TV Asahi and other networks that her husband was "wrongly accused as part of a power grab" at Nissan. "Greg and Mr. Ghosn fully believe that they did not break the law," she said.

Nissan dismissed Ghosn as chairman and Kelly as a representative director. It has put off a decision on Ghosn's replacement.

___

Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kentucky got off to a quick start toward putting its oversight strategy in place for hemp production on Thursday when its agriculture commissioner filed a plan with federal regulators  the same day hemp was legalized as a farm commodity.

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This article was published 20/12/2018 (1078 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kentucky got off to a quick start toward putting its oversight strategy in place for hemp production on Thursday when its agriculture commissioner filed a plan with federal regulators  the same day hemp was legalized as a farm commodity.

State Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles submitted the regulatory plan to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the same day President Donald Trump signed the new federal farm bill into law. The measure that cleared Congress removes hemp from the list of federally controlled substances. It treats the low-THC version of the cannabis plant like any other agricultural crop. THC is the cannabis compound that gives marijuana its high.

"Kentucky's regulatory framework perfectly aligns with the requirements spelled out in the farm bill," Quarles said. "Hemp growers, processors and manufacturers deserve swift action so they can proceed with confidence."

He and other state leaders hope to make Kentucky the centre of U.S. hemp production and processing, he said.

Hemp is deeply rooted in Kentucky's past. The crop was historically used for rope but has many other uses, including clothing and mulch from the fiber; hemp milk and cooking oil from the seeds; and soap and lotions. Other uses include building materials, animal bedding and biofuels. Hemp-derived cannabidiol, or CBD oil, has become increasingly popular as a health product.

Federal legalization could triple the overall hemp market to $2.5 billion by 2022, with $1.3 billion of those sales from hemp-derived CBD products, according to New Frontier Data, a cannabis market research firm.

Hemp-related provisions inserted into the new farm bill give state agriculture departments primary authority for oversight of the crop. The measure sets minimum regulatory requirements that states must meet to win USDA approval. Quarles' action puts Kentucky at the front of the line in seeking USDA approval for its hemp program.

Growers and processors would continue to undergo background checks and be licensed under the new regulatory framework, state agriculture officials said.

Law enforcement agencies would know where the crop is grown, stored or processed locally in case they want to do inspections. That provision is meant to alleviate concerns that marijuana could be mingled with hemp. Kentucky's agriculture department will continue its THC testing and inspection program to ensure the crop is compliant, officials said.

Hemp advocate Jonathan Miller, general counsel to the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, a coalition of hemp companies, said Quarles' quick action in seeking USDA approval for the state's regulatory plan is another sign Kentucky is "open for business" for the emerging hemp industry.

Miller said Kentucky is poised to become a leader in "an exciting, emerging, multi-billion-dollar hemp industry" being unleashed in the U.S.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., helped push Congress to legalize hemp. Another Kentuckian, U.S. Rep. James Comer, was an early hemp advocate when he was the state's agriculture commissioner.

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"I am confident the ingenuity of Kentucky's farmers and producers will find new and creative uses for this exciting crop," McConnell said Thursday. "We are at the beginning of a new era, and I cannot wait to see what comes next."

Hemp's comeback started with the 2014 federal farm bill. McConnell helped push for a provision allowing states to pursue hemp research and development. That allowed the crop to be grown on an experimental basis. A mere 33 acres (13 hectares) of hemp were planted in Kentucky in 2014.

In 2018, Kentucky farmers planted more than 6,700 acres (2,710 hectares) of hemp  more than twice last year's production, according to the state's agriculture department. More than 70 Kentucky processors are turning the plant into products. Those processors paid $7.5 million to Kentucky growers in 2017 to help supply hemp and reported $16.7 million in gross product sales, the state agriculture department said.

That's barely a blip on the radar for Kentucky's diversified agriculture sector.

But the state's agriculture department received more than 1,000 applications from farmers and processors looking to participate in the 2019 hemp program. In another sign of hemp's growing popularity, an informational and networking session in October in Elizabethtown drew about 750 farmers, processors, manufacturers and others interested in hemp, the department said.

Last week, Kentucky-based hemp processor GenCanna Global USA Inc. announced plans to build a $40 million processing plant at Mayfield in western Kentucky. The venture is expected to create 80-plus jobs and a new market for area hemp producers.
MONTREAL - Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. is seeking the dismissal of a lawsuit by Bombardier Inc., calling the allegations of trade secret misappropriations "baseless and without merit."

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Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. is asking for the dismissal of a lawsuit by Bombardier Inc., calling all allegations of trade secret misappropriations "baseless and without merit." An entertainer sings from the steps of the 1,000th Bombardier Aerospace CRJ regional jet delivered during a ceremony in Montreal, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2003. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

MONTREAL - Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. is seeking the dismissal of a lawsuit by Bombardier Inc., calling the allegations of trade secret misappropriations "baseless and without merit."

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The Japanese jet maker filed a motion to dismiss Bombardier's case in a U.S. federal court in Seattle on Thursday, saying the lawsuit aims to "disrupt development of a rival jet.

Bombardier sued Mitsubishi in October over allegations that some of the Quebec company's former employees passed on documents containing trade secrets to Mitsubishi before going to work for the company.

Bombardier's complaint also targets Aerospace Testing Engineering & Certification (AeroTEC), which supports the Japanese multinational in the development of its regional jet, as well as several ex-Bombardier employees. Bombardier alleges Mitsubishi Aircraft and AeroTEC recruited no fewer than 92 of its former employees from Canada and the United States.

The former workers named in the lawsuit allegedly forwarded documents regarding the certification process to Transport Canada and its U.S. counterpart, the Federal Aviation Administration. The process is essential to ensuring newly developed planes are given permission to fly.

None of the allegations has been proven in court.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BBD.B)
American hair-care giant Great Clips is coming to town just as local chain Singletons moves away from quick-service haircuts.

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American hair-care giant Great Clips is coming to town just as local chain Singletons moves away from quick-service haircuts.

Great Clips sent out a call for interested franchisees this week. The company sees the potential for up to 20 Great Clips franchises in Winnipeg. That could produce 160 to 200 full- and part-time jobs, Great Clips CEO Steve Hockett said.

Great Clips offers quick-service, no-fooling-around barbering.

"Were a hair salon but we do haircuts," Hockett said. "Well do styles. Well shampoo. But Great Clips is all about haircuts."

Great Clips is entering the Winnipeg market just as the hair care landscape is changing. Great Clips could pick up market that Singletons Hair Care is vacating.

Singletons, founded 37 years ago in Winnipeg, is in the process of rebranding away from quick service to full-service hair salons, co-owner Megan McGhie said. Singletons opened a salon in the Exchange District last week as part of that rebranding.

"I really dont think (Great Clips) will have an impact on what were doing," said McGhie, the granddaughter of Singletons founder Albert George Singleton McGhie.

"Weve changed our business model," she said. "Weve elevated our service. Were elevating and rebranding."

McGhie added there is nothing to read into the timing of the Great Clips announcement and Singletons opening its Exchange store a week apart.

"The timing is purely coincidence. Weve been living in this business model for a couple of years now," said McGhie, who owns Singletons along with her brother, Tyler McGhie.

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Singletons GM and owner Megan McGhie poses in the new outlet on Market Avenue. She says she doesnt believe Great Clips market debut will be an issue for her company.

Great Clips clientele is 70 per cent male and 30 per cent female. McGhie said that was similar to Singletons clientele but that is changing with its rebranding. "That walk-in business model is most appealing to men," she said.

Singletons is growing its female clientele by expanding into such areas as colour services, highlighting, blow-outs and quick gloss treatments.

The launch of a Singletons on Market Avenue in the Exchange District just made sense to the home-grown business, McGhie said.

"Were a Winnipeg family and what better spot to locate than the heart of the city," she said.

It will be the flagship location for Singletons with the front half a salon and the back half the head office.

Great Clips started in 1982 in Minneapolis, a year later than Winnipegs Singletons. Singletons has remained mostly local with 11 locations in Winnipeg and two in Edmonton.

Great Clips is one of the largest hair salon chains in North America. It accounts for about US$1.4 billion in a US$50-billion annual industry.

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It has more than 4,300 salons in North America, including outlets in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.

Online scheduling and a network-wide digital record of how customers like their hair cut, have helped spur the growth of the hair-care company. A basic haircut costs around $20, or less with coupons.

Great Clips has been successful in attracting about 10 per cent of local markets they enter. It spends about US$70 million per year on advertising. "We do 110 million haircuts across the U.S. and Canada," Hockett said.

It will depend on the response from potential franchisees, but Hockett hopes Great Clips opens its first franchise in Winnipeg in 2019. Franchises will be opening in Regina and Saskatoon early in the new year.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca
TROIS-RIVIERES, Que. - With a negotiation deadline looming, the United Steelworkers union has filed a complaint with Quebec's Administrative Labour Tribunal alleging bad faith bargaining by Alcoa Corp. at its aluminum smelter near Trois-Rivieres, where unionized workers have been locked out since January.

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Members of Steelworker Unions hold up signs during a protest in Montreal, Wednesday, November 28, 2018, where they demonstrated against a lockout of workers at an Alcoa smelter plant in Becancour, Que. With a negotiation deadline looming, the United Steelworkers union has filed a complaint with Quebec's labour board alleging bad faith bargaining by Alcoa Corp. at its aluminum smelter near Trois-Rivieres, where unionized workers have been locked out since January. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

TROIS-RIVIERES, Que. - With a negotiation deadline looming, the United Steelworkers union has filed a complaint with Quebec's Administrative Labour Tribunal alleging bad faith bargaining by Alcoa Corp. at its aluminum smelter near Trois-Rivieres, where unionized workers have been locked out since January.

Local union president Clement Masse says Alcoa is "not taking the negotiation process seriously," claiming the company has reneged on previous commitments at the bargaining table.

Alcoa is calling the union complaint "false and unfounded," and says the mine's management has been negotiating in good faith.

In November, the Quebec government appointed a special mediation council, chaired by former premier Lucien Bouchard, with a settlement deadline set for Friday.

Alcoa announced Wednesday it would cut output in half at its ABI smelter in Becancour, Que., due to the impact of an ongoing lockout.

The Pittsburgh-based company curtailed two of the facility's three pot lines in January after unionized workers rejected a company contract proposal.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's demand for border wall funds hurled the federal government closer to a shutdown as House Republicans approved a package Thursday with his $5.7 billion request that is almost certain to be rejected by the Senate.

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House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, the speaker-designate for the new Congress in January, talks to reporters after meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as Congress and President Donald Trump bicker over his demand that lawmakers fund a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, pushing the government to the brink of a partial shutdown, in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018. Without a resolution, parts of the federal government will shut down at midnight Friday. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's demand for border wall funds hurled the federal government closer to a shutdown as House Republicans approved a package Thursday with his $5.7 billion request that is almost certain to be rejected by the Senate.

The White House said Trump will not travel to Florida on Friday for the Christmas holiday if the government is shutting down. More than 800,000 federal workers will be facing furloughs or forced to work without pay if a resolution is not reached before funding expires at midnight Friday.

The shutdown crisis could be one of the final acts of the House GOP majority before relinquishing control to Democrats in January. Congress had been on track to fund the government but lurched Thursday when Trump, after a rare lashing from conservative supporters, declared he would not sign a bill without the funding. Conservatives want to keep fighting. They warn that "caving" on Trump's repeated wall promises could hurt his 2020 re-election chances, and other Republicans' as well.

The House voted largely along party lines, 217-185, after GOP leaders framed the vote as a slap-back to Nancy Pelosi, who is poised to become House speaker on Jan. 3 and who had warned Trump in a televised Oval Office meeting last week that he wouldn't have the votes for the wall.

Trump crowed about the vote on Twitter, saying: "Nancy does not have to apologize. All I want is GREAT BORDER SECURITY!"

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said: "Now we find compromise. We have time right now to get it done."

The government funding package, which includes nearly $8 billion in disaster aid for coastal hurricanes and California wildfires, now goes to the Senate, where its prospects are grim amid strong opposition from Democrats. Sixty votes are needed to approve the bill there.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the assistant Democratic leader, talks to reporters about the possibility of a partial government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018. Congress and President Donald Trump continue to bicker over his demand that lawmakers fund a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, pushing the government to the brink of a partial shutdown at midnight Friday. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., warned senators they may need to return to Washington for a noontime vote Friday.

Many senators already left town for the holidays. The Senate approved a bipartisan bill late Wednesday to keep the government temporarily funded, with border security money at current levels, $1.3 billion, and no money for the wall. The House had been expected to vote on it Thursday.

The most likely possibility Friday is that the Senate strips the border wall out of the bill but keeps the disaster funds and sends it back to the House. House lawmakers said they were being told to stay in town for more possible votes.

With Pelosi's backing, the Senate-passed bill likely has enough support for House approval with votes mostly from Democratic lawmakers, who are still the minority, and some Republicans.

Others were not so sure. "I don't see how we avoid a shutdown," said retiring Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla.

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said he was not convinced after a White House meeting with GOP leaders that Trump would sign the Senate bill.

"I looked him in the eyes today, and he was serious about not folding without a fight," Meadows said.

Trump's sudden rejection of the Senate-approved legislation, after days of mixed messages, sent Republican leaders scrambling for options on Capitol Hill days before Christmas.

House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions, R-Texas, right, listens to objections by Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the panel, as the Rules Committee makes revisions to the government funding bill to include $5 billion for President Donald Trump's wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

House Speaker Paul Ryan, exiting the hastily called meeting with Trump at the White House, said, "We're going to go back and work on adding border security to this, also keeping the government open, because we do want to see an agreement."

By afternoon, Trump shifted his terminology, saying he's not necessarily demanding a border wall but "steel slats"  which is similar to the border security fencing already provided for in the bill.

"We don't use the word 'wall' necessarily, but it has to be something special to do the job," Trump said at a farm bill signing at the White House. The nuance could provide Trump a way to try to proclaim victory. The bill would keep funding at current levels for border security, including pedestrian fencing and replacement fences, but not the wall. It requires previously used designs.

Democratic leaders have made clear they will not budge on their opposition to the border wall that Trump campaigned on saying Mexico would pay for it. Mexico has refused

"The Trump temper tantrum will shut down the government, but it will not get him his wall," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Democrats favour border security, Schumer said, but he denounced the wall as "ineffective, unnecessary and exorbitantly expensive."

McConnell met with Ryan after the House leaders returned from the meeting with Trump.

Ryan and McCarthy had endured complaints during a private morning meeting earlier Thursday from rank-and-file Republicans in the Capitol that they were closing out their majority without a fight on a major issue.

Trump interrupted the basement session with a phone call to Ryan, and then the president lashed out at Republican leaders on Twitter.

Ryan had promised a "big fight" after November's midterm elections, but as Republicans lost House control, negotiations over the year-end spending bill have largely been between Trump and Democrats.

"I was promised the Wall and Border Security by leadership," Trump tweeted. "Would be done by end of year (NOW). It didn't happen! We foolishly fight for Border Security for other countries - but not for our beloved U.S.A. Not good!"

Trump has bounced back and forth with mixed messages. Just last week he said he would be "proud" to shut down the government over the wall. Earlier this week he appeared to shelve shutdown threats, with the White House saying he was open to reviewing whatever bill Congress could send him.

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Before turning on fellow Republicans, Trump had been directing his ire at Democrats, tweeting that they were "putting politics over country."

"Republicans are in a state of disarray," said Pelosi. "Wall funding is a nonstarter."

At issue in the current fight is money for nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Interior, Agriculture, State and Justice, as well as national parks and forests.

Many agencies, including the Pentagon and the departments of Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services, are covered for the year and would continue to operate as usual if funding lapses. The U.S. Postal Service, busy delivering packages for the holiday season, would not be affected by any government shutdown because it's an independent agency.

___

Associated Press writers Alan Fram and Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report.
Manitobas newest Crown corporation has its first chief executive officer.

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Manitobas newest Crown corporation has its first chief executive officer.

The province announced Thursday the manager of Manitoba Hydros Power Smart program, Colleen Kuruluk, will head up First Efficiency Manitoba, starting Jan. 2.

The Crown corporation is a commitment Premier Brian Pallister made to boost energy savings in the province.

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In Thursdays announcement, Crown Services Minister Colleen Mayer described First Efficiency as a leader in green energy and part of the Pallister government commitments to promote conservation.

The new Crown corporation was announced in 2017, and the province appointed its first board in spring 2018. The new CEO moves it a step closer to being operational.

"Under the new leadership of Ms. Kuruluk, Efficiency Manitoba is well-suited to move forward in its role in reducing energy costs for Manitobans and in delivering improved energy savings programs," Mayer said in the announcement.

An Asper School of Business graduate from the University of Manitoba, Kuruluk had led Hydros Power Smart program since 2007. She is also a member of the standing committee on energy efficiency, which makes recommendations to the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes.

The provincial Crown corporations mandate is to reduce electricity consumption by 1.5 per cent and natural gas consumption by 0.75 per cent.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
Seamer Lahiru Kumara has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee and has also received one demerit point after being found guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel during the third days play in the first Test against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Monday.

The Sri Lanka bowler was found to have violated Article 2.3 of the code, which relates to use of an audible obscenity during an international match.

Kumara used an audible obscenity after an outside edge off Tom Lathams bat in the 96th over went for a boundary. These comments were heard by the on-field umpires and also picked by the stump mic.

After the days play, Kumara admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Richie Richardson of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.

The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Rod Tucker and Michael Gough, third umpire Richard Illingworth, all from the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, as well as fourth umpire Tim Brown.

Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a players match fee, and one or two demerit points.
University of Manitoba officials will get a chance in the new year to explain to councillors the school's opposition to the designation of three of its buildings as heritage properties.

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University of Manitoba officials will get a chance in the new year to explain to councillors the school's opposition to the designation of three of its buildings as heritage properties.

The three properties edged closer to designation Thursday afternoon, following a meeting of the historical buildings and resources committee, where members unanimously agreed the structures need city halls protection.

While the U of M had submitted a written submission stating its opposition, there was no debate or comment from the group of engineers and architects who make up the committee.

In-person submissions are not allowed at this stage of the designation process; the bylaw only allows written submissions.

Formal designations by city hall of heritage or architectural significance prevents the buildings from demolition and requires permits for alterations to any of the identified character-defining elements.

Owners of historical buildings are eligible for heritage grants to cover additional costs of repairing or renovating the heritage elements. Building owners can apply to have the structures delisted if structural damage of a catastrophic nature occurs.

The designations -- Administration Building (66 Chancellors Circle); architecture faculty building (83 Dafoe Rd.); medical services building (750 Bannatyne Ave.) -- will be considered at councils property and development committee. The bylaw requires building owners be given 14-day notice of the pending designation and their opportunity to appeal in person.

Because of the notice period, the U of M designations will be heard at the Feb. 4 meeting of the property and development committee.

The university doesnt dispute the architectural and heritage significance of the three buildings, but claims it recognizes their value and is committed to protecting them, through its own internal policies, without the need to be formally included on the citys list of historic buildings.

Coun. John Orlikow, chairman of the historical buildings committee and former chairman of property and development, said the U of Ms commitment to protect the buildings isnt binding, adding he often heard owners give assurance the formal designation wasnt needed, as they would protect the buildings.

"Its not the first time weve heard that," Orlikow (River Heights-Fort Garry) said, as committee members nodded in agreement.

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In addition to the three U of M properties, the committee also supported the designation of the main Universite de Saint-Boniface building (200 De La Cathedrale Ave.), which is being done with the support of school officials.

John Danakas, U of M executive director of public affairs, said the university is still considering its options on how to proceed, adding no decision has been taken on whether it will send a representative to the Feb. 4 meeting.

Former city councillor Jenny Gerbasi, who used to chair the historical buildings committee, said council set up the body of architects and engineers as an advisory group who would rely on their own expertise to consider the merits of a propertys designation.

Delegations arent allowed to speak at the initial stage, Gerbasi said this week, to allow the group of experts to consider among themselves the merits of designation.

"It was felt that it was the elected officials that should interact and hear public input on the merits of the recommendations once they come forward, rather than unelected heritage experts," she said.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
What did Health Canada know, when did it know it and why didnt it share the information?

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Opinion

What did Health Canada know, when did it know it and why didnt it share the information?

These are the unanswered questions, after the Free Press reported a Winnipeg-based cannabis producer was caught allegedly distributing illegally obtained products to recreational customers in Saskatchewan and, possibly, Manitoba.

Bonify Medical Cannabis Ltd. has been suspended by Manitoba from all sales or distribution of cannabis products. All of its existing products provided to provincial retail stores have been seized by the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba.

However, despite the provinces forceful and decisive response, many questions are unanswered. Chief among them, where did Bonify get its allegedly illegal supply and, perhaps more importantly, why did Health Canada fail to notify Manitoba about the problem?

According to information obtained by the Free Press, in early December, Health Canada was tipped off by a whistleblower at Bonify that 200 kilograms of cannabis had been acquired by the company outside legal channels and was being distributed to licensed retailers. That led to a recall notice Dec. 7 for two strains of Bonify products being sold in Saskatchewan.

However, Manitoba did not learn until Dec. 18 that a licensed distributor in its jurisdiction had reportedly obtained a supply of cannabis outside legal channels, when a representative from Bonify volunteered the information.

Health Canada made no attempt to contact Manitoba to provide information about the issue.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister lashed out Thursday at the federal department for not volunteering the intimate details of the Bonify situation. "Unacceptable," was the word he used, over and over again, to describe Health Canadas performance.

One might have thought a breaking news story would force Health Canada to weigh in. Youd be wrong.

Repeated efforts by the Free Press to get statements from Health Canada and Bonify were ignored.

On Monday, in response to a Free Press inquiry, the department would only say it was continuing to monitor the situation. Company officials said an investigation had revealed certain "irregularities" related to the products in question.

On Thursday, Health Canada finally released a statement, saying it is aware of all the details in the original Free Press story, but "at this point, the department is still assessing the available information to determine whether, in fact, there has been any contravention of the law. No such determination has been made at this time."

In the news business, we call that "will neither confirm nor deny."

If Health Canada continues to conceal the details of what allegedly went on at Bonify, it would be consistent with a long-standing policy to keep details of such transgressions from public view.

Federal departments and agencies, particularly those responsible for enforcing regulations, are notorious for trading confidentiality in exchange for compliance. In other words, regulators such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and even the Canada Revenue Agency, frequently enter into agreements where confidentiality is used as bait to get quick compliance.

It works something like this: a federal regulator will catch someone doing something wrong. In exchange for recalling products or paying back taxes and fines in a no-contest fashion, the federal regulator agrees to keep details of the transgressions from public view.

Health Canadas handling of the Bonify case certainly suggests such a trade was in play.

Even after two strains of cannabis produced by Bonify were recalled Dec. 7, the company was allowed to continue operating. The Health Canada news release on the voluntary recall seemed to go out of its way to avoid any suggestion the weed in question had been obtained outside legal channels.

Health Canada attributed the recall to below-standard "microbial and chemical contaminant limits" specified by federal regulations. There were no details about which contaminants and what standards. That in and of itself is quite telling.

A quick review of Health Canadas news releases reveals more than a dozen instances during the past two years where cannabis products have been recalled for a variety of reasons. Some went out to medical users with erroneous information on labels, contaminant levels above accepted levels, trace amounts of mould or pesticides that are not approved for use in growing cannabis.

In almost all cases, the news releases contained detailed information about the exact details of the mislabelled products, and the exact amounts of contaminants or pesticides discovered, measured in parts-per-million.

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The news release on Bonify had no such details. It noted concerns about the products not meeting "some of the microbial and chemical contaminant limits," as specified by regulation. And "documentation confirming test results could not be matched to the specific lot numbers."

The absence of specific details may not be significant, but it makes the Bonify news stand out from previous Health Canada messages. It serves to make Health Canadas continued silence particularly suspicious.

Health Canada should have known compliance-for-confidentiality framework was inappropriate for use in any story related to legalized cannabis. Were all travelling on uncharted waters when it comes to legalized weed, and full and immediate transparency needs to be a guiding principle for Ottawa and the provinces.

When stories of this type are kept from public view, it has the potential to shatter the publics trust in the entire regime.

Public faith in legalized cannabis has been shaken. Only a full and complete disclosure of any problems at the Manitoba-based company can restore that faith.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
While her son has grappled with drug addiction for the past 11 years, Kim Longstreet has taken on a second job: trying to save his life.

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While her son has grappled with drug addiction for the past 11 years, Kim Longstreet has taken on a second job: trying to save his life.

Begging politicians of all stripes to help is a big part of it.

The Brandon mom organized a town hall before October's municipal election. She created the non-profit RJ Streetz Foundation last January to support substance abusers in the western Manitoba region.

And she spends evenings patrolling with Brandon's Bear Clan.

All the while, she and her son have been struggling to stay afloat in their own storm.

"My son and I talk about our journey a lot together. Were still close. Hes done things hes not proud of and I dont hold that against him because I understand thats not my son," she says. "My son is somebody that I knew up until this drug overtook him."

TIM SMITH/THE BRANDON SUN Kim Longstreet has become an advocate for more resources to help with addiction recovery.

In the sixth instalment of a seven-part series on the resurgence of methamphetamine in Manitoba, the Free Press looks at how governments have responded.

While Longstreet was grateful to hear about a tri-level government task force struck this week to tackle illicit drugs, shell have to wait another six months for the group's recommendations.

Longstreet's son overdosed on ecstasy in 2012, then two years later, things "went really sideways" when he got hooked on meth.

"People who use heroin and cocaine, they can have some semblance of life and order," she says. "But not with meth."

The single mom says her son has been in and out of detox and treatment facilities. They often have to drive 2 1/2 hours to Winnipeg, since there arent enough spots available in Brandon.

Each time he relapses, she takes a day off work to mourn. Bottling up her emotions is counter-productive.

"I have to be able to internalize it and come to terms with it and just not rage like I want to.... So I cry, and I cry hard. Those really ugly, ugly cries where youre sitting in the living room on the floor, a box of Kleenex beside you and just letting it out."

The devastating cycle began again Nov. 20, the day after her 31-year-old son returned from a month in a Winnipeg rehab facility.

Fed up, Longstreet logged onto her computer two days later and emailed every relevant member of government she could think of: mayor, premier, MP, health minister, area MLAs, opposition politicians.

She urged them to try harder: "Im a mom trying to save her only child. And I have to be honest with you, the hope for that happening is literally running on fumes right now."

The MLAs (NDP Leader Wab Kinew and Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont), Brandon Mayor Rick Chrest and Brandon-Souris MP Larry Maguire all responded within a couple of days.

She didn't hear from anyone in the provincial government until Dec. 6. An assistant deputy minister emailed, saying she can "very much empathize" with Longstreets frustrations and outlines steps the province is taking to improve care.

'I wish it was over one way or the other': Listen to Kim Longstreet address Parliament's health committee studying meth

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Longstreet says she doesnt see Manitoba's meth crisis as a partisan issue. She and countless others just want help for their loved ones and dont care where it comes from.

What she really wants to hear is officials talking about more long-term treatment options  not just for her son, but also the nearly 300 others who have contacted the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba about their struggles since the beginning of the fiscal year in April.

Her son has been through many short-term programs, adding up, she said, to more than 200 days in ultimately unsuccessful treatment. She wonders if her son wouldn't be much further ahead if he'd been in a single, long-term program, perhaps one that was those 200-plus days in duration.

"Its just a cycle that is vicious and its unfair. Its unfair to people who are wanting to rehabilitate," she says. "You dont release them after 21 days and say, Well youve run out of days. You put your foot on the gas and you get them over the finish line."

Earlier this month, Ottawa and Manitoba signed a bi-lateral agreement to spend $8.4 million on funding for an as-yet-to-be-determined number of flexible-length withdrawal management and recovery beds, along with mobile clinical services for Winnipeg and Brandon.

The province installed five Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine clinics, two in Winnipeg and one each in Brandon, Thompson and Selkirk. It also added 18 treatment beds at Health Sciences Centre and the AFMs Portage Avenue location and became the first jurisdiction in Canada to equip paramedics with olanzapine, a drug that can help curb the effects of meth-related psychosis.

The government also issued a request for proposals (due Jan. 15) seeking one or more providers to boost the number of residential treatment beds in the province by 15. The number of beds has stayed relatively stable since 2016, when the Tories took power.

There are currently 80 publicly funded detox beds, 317 primary residential-treatment beds, and 198 second-stage treatment or supportive-housing beds; 10 detox and 14 residential treatment spots are reserved for youths.

Health Minister Cameron Friesen says the governments strategy is to "cascade out" announcements about addictions services when theyre ready rather than wait weeks or months to reveal a long-term plan.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Cameron Friesen: 'I dont believe that this is insurmountable'

"Were clearly acting," he says in an interview. "Were not waiting for a magic day and then say, All right, weve now put together 35 things that will all work."

Friesen makes clear he wont be able to "solve the meth challenge" in the Health Department alone; other government departments will have to be involved as well, he says.

Meth seems to have affected every community in Manitoba, including inside Friesen's Morden-Winkler constituency. Although it shows no signs of slowing down, the health minister hasnt lost hope.

"I dont believe that this is insurmountable, but I share the alarm of all Manitobans," he says. "This is not good for our communities, for our neighbours and friends... it cuts a swath of destruction that is horrific across our province."

Manitoba First Nations have been among the hardest hit, including St. Theresa Point where Liberal MLA Judy Klassen (Keewatinook) is from.

When wildfires ravaged the Island Lake area in the summer of 2017, an estimated 3,700 evacuees were forced to flee, mostly to Winnipeg, where they found dealers eager to find new clients, Klassen says.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES MLA Judy Klassen

"Im sure (meth) was (up north) on a small scale previous to the wildfires, but because of the wildfires, it just exploded," the MLA says.

The waiting list for public treatment options "is forever," she says, "and by the time they finally get in, theyre really far gone. So when they do come out, its just shampoo, rinse and repeat to try and get them back in there."

An AFM spokeswoman provided data Tuesday that outlines the longest possible waits for residential treatment: 46 days for men, 255 for women and four for youths.

Many users don't need live-in treatment however, she said, and do well with community-based programming.

Meth in 2018 Jan. 12  The provincial NDP calls for a safe-injection site in Winnipeg to prevent overdoses and the spread of blood-borne diseases among intravenous drug users. Feb. 8  Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smyth warns the city has a meth problem. Cops seized more than 5.8 kilograms of meth in January (an estimated street value of $580,000), about half the amount seized in all of 2017. click to read more Jan. 12  The provincial NDP calls for a safe-injection site in Winnipeg to prevent overdoses and the spread of blood-borne diseases among intravenous drug users. Feb. 8  Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smyth warns the city has a meth problem. Cops seized more than 5.8 kilograms of meth in January (an estimated street value of $580,000), about half the amount seized in all of 2017. April 4  Liberal MLA Judy Klassen says young people who fled wildfires in the Island Lake region in summer 2017 became addicted to meth after being evacuated to Winnipeg. May 14  The Manitoba government mistakenly releases a draft version of a consultants report outlining plans for a mental health and addictions strategy. The Virgo report makes 130 recommendations, including installing a safe-injection site in Winnipeg  a suggestion later removed from the final report. Opposition critics cry foul, saying the Tories interfered with the report's contents. May 22  About 40 people from the Island Lake region in northern Manitoba travel to Ottawa to ask for federal help beating back the meth crisis on reserves. July 2  Sixty-nine per cent of Winnipeggers support a safe injection site for intravenous drug users, according to a poll conducted on behalf of the Free Press by Probe Research. July 18  Police Chief Smyth says the citys meth problem is driving up crime rates and this is a community crisis that requires a community response. Aug. 9  The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority warns about an increasing number of syphilis cases, but cant confirm the root cause. Twenty per cent of new cases are found in people who are homeless or inadequately housed and 20 per cent are crystal meth users. Sept. 5  The province opens in Winnipeg the first of five planned Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine clinics for Manitoba, while city councillors call for a crystal meth task force. Sept. 9  Liberal MP Doug Eyolfson calls for federal hearings on the meth situation in the Prairies, which later start in November. Sept. 21  Manitoba Children and Youth Advocate Daphne Penrose releases a statement of concern alleging the province is dragging its heels, not helping youth with meth addictions, while stuck in an ideological debate about harm-reduction approaches. Oct. 9  A Probe Research poll conducted on behalf of the Free Press and CTV Winnipeg finds roughly eight out of 10 residents feel the meth problem in Winnipeg makes them feel less safe. Oct. 30  Manitoba announces its applying for millions in federal money through Ottawas one-time Emergency Treatment Fund to help people with meth addictions. Nov. 1  Police forces from Vancouver to Winnipeg announce the results of Project Riverbank. After a 10-month investigation, they seized an estimated $2.7 million in high-end vehicles, weapons and drugs, including crystal meth, and made 10 arrests. Nov. 13  Re-zoning and conditional use applications are approved for the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre by the Assiniboia Community Committee. The $14-million, 50-bed, long-term recovery centre is being spearheaded by the Oake family. Nov. 26  Manitoba becomes the first province to allow paramedics to administer Olanzapine, an anti-psychotic drug that can help curb the effects of meth-related psychosis. Dec. 7  Ottawa and Manitoba sign a bi-lateral agreement to spend $8.4 million on flexible-length withdrawal management and recovery beds, plus mobile clinical services to be located in Winnipeg and Brandon. Dec. 11  The federal governments standing committee on health hosts a third hearing on meth, where Mayor Brian Bowman, police Chief Smyth and Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service Chief John Lane testify. WRHA documents show a link between intravenous drug use and recent outbreaks of syphilis, hepatitis B and C. Dec. 18  Bowman, Manitoba Health Minister Cameron Friesen and Liberal MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette announce a joint task force where all three levels of government will tackle the spread of illicit drugs. They plan to produce a report by June 2019. Close

Members of the four Island Lake-area communities travelled 3,000 kilometres to Ottawa in May asking for federal help getting rid of meth. Children began making their own warning signs, pasting them up around St. Theresa Point.

"Meth Kills" and "Plz do not bring meth in community!" were among the slogans.

Its unclear how much the province has spent on any meth-related public-education campaigns of its own. After multiple requests from the Free Press for a dollar figure, a government spokesperson says Thursday the amount is "difficult to quantify."

It did, however, announce in October it spent $350,000 on a public-health messaging campaign about the possible risks of using cannabis, which was legalized on Oct. 17.

Kinew says the delayed response from the province is "telling."

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS NDP Leader Wab Kinew

"So far we've seen a bunch of ineffective ads warning people about cannabis, but we haven't seen much in terms of public outreach to help people understand what meth can do," he says.

To determine whether 2018s unfolding crisis had reached the premiers office, the Free Press sought any internal records about methamphetamine presented to the premier and health minister through freedom of information requests.

Only three advisory notes about meth turned up between Jan. 1 and Aug. 30, all addressed to the health minister. None appeared for the premier. A spokesperson for Pallister said records presented to the premier may not have necessarily come back in a FIPPA search, but he was briefed on the subject on multiple occasions.

The NDP leader has personal connections to the epidemic, friends and family members who are addicted. He's pushed for culturally competent care from his seat on the Opposition bench.

"A lot of the people that are struggling with addictions in Manitoba are Indigenous and what is the nature of the trauma theyre dealing with? Well, if youre from a family like mine, and speaking as someone whos battled addiction in their own life, its because of failed government policies of the past," he says.

"Going back through the Indian Act and residential schools, many families dealing with the '60s Scoop and the (Child and Family Services) system."

In addition to delivering mental-health services and providing jobs, among other interventions, Kinew is also calling for a safe-injection site in Winnipeg.

Premier Brian Pallister says he, personally, doesn't like the idea, but the province will weigh all available options to deal with the meth problem, listening to voices from city hall and the federal government.

"My opinion was theyre a magnet for drug dealers and theyre dangerous in many respects, and there are many other initiatives weve taken and will be taking to address this issue because it is a serious concern," Pallister says.

Doug Eyolfson, the Liberal MP for Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley, says supervised consumption sites aren't the only solution, but Winnipeg should have one as part of a harm-reduction strategy. The evidence is clear, he says, that such facilities can help save lives and stop the spread of blood-borne illnesses such as syphilis, hepatitis B and C.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia MP Doug Eyolfson: '...in three years, a drug that was not that big an issue is a tremendous issue right now'

In documents revealed by the provincial NDP last week, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority warned the region is experiencing outbreaks of those diseases from rising levels of intravenous drug use.

"I think its a matter of education of not just the public, but of those in the political sphere as to what these centres accomplish," says Eyolfson, a former emergency room doctor.

"People dont realize when they describe these things as a waste of money, they dont appreciate how expensive these blood-borne illnesses are. If one person contracts HIV, its going to cost the health-care system about $1 million of treatment over the course of that persons lifetime."

One case of hepatitis C can also cost taxpayers more than $40,000, the WRHA documents show. And the cost of a clean needle? Nine cents.

In the fall, Eyolfson says he spoke to the federal health minister and the prime minister about the urgent need to address meth's spread in the Prairies. Ottawa's standing committee on health called for five hearings on the issue, starting in November. Many from Manitoba have testified, including Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman.

Eyolfson compares the meth situation to what happened with crack cocaine in the 1980s and '90s, stressing the drug could wreak havoc all over North America.

"If we dont get a handle on this, it very well could," he says. "Im worried about this, because as I said, in three years, a drug that was not that big an issue is a tremendous issue right now."

Bowman sat down with the Free Press a day after he appeared  via video  before the Commons committee to discuss the impact meth has had on Winnipeg. He used the word "heartbreaking" four times and called on the federal government to do more.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Mayor Brian Bowman

The mayor wants to see a national strategy to combat illicit drugs. He wants Ottawa to strengthen border security, which could prevent meth from being shipped in by Mexican cartels, as police allege is happening. He wants more funding to address some of the root causes and results of meth use: mental-health issues, homelessness and poverty.

Asked if getting rid of the drug will be his No. 1 priority for 2019, he takes an emotional turn. Bowman, knows there are other items on his agenda infrastructure and transit, for example. His eyes become moist.

"The community and the people that need help, they need us to do our jobs and be effective. And I think about the people that Ive been face to face with that are using and have used, and I also think about the parents out there that have children like mine that they want to protect," he said.

No family, no demographic, no neighbourhood is protected, Bowman said, adding "its just not one of those issues that if you make more money or you live in a certain area of the city, youre immune from mental health (issues) and addictions."

Bowman called it a "crisis," as have Eyolfson, Kinew and Klassen. Friesen did not, saying he doesn't "get hung up on terminology."

"Crisis? Not crisis? Its a very significant issue. It requires urgency, it requires the full attention of government and I would want Manitobans to know that this is what theyre getting from this government," he said.

Kim Longstreet testified at the same Ottawa hearing as Bowman on Dec. 11, also via a video connection, and made a startling admission.

"After 11 years of coping with my son's substance use disorder, I can honestly say that I wish it was over, one way or another. Every time I hear a siren or the phone rings at odd hours, I wonder if this is the call," she told the committee.

"To some, this will make me sound like a terrible parent. But sometimes I do imagine that that call is 'the' call, that my son will finally have peace from the war that our society appears to be losing."

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In an interview, Longstreet says she hasn't met Pallister yet. But she knows what she'll say if she does.

"'If you havent had this affect you in a really direct way, you can remain callous about it. You can have a thick skin and not be vulnerable.' And I think that would be my message to all the politicians, not just our premier: 'You need to get vulnerable,'" she says.

"'You all need to put aside your partisan ways and you need to stop looking at my son and other people who are struggling... as political pawns," she continues.

"Stop looking at this situation that we have as dollars and cents and actually use what you have, the resources, to do something right.'"

jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @_jessbu
OTTAWA  Manitobas senior federal cabinet minister, Jim Carr, said he is confident his Liberal party colleague, who is a former Winnipeg mayoral candidate, will be able to work with provincial and municipal authorities on a meth task force.

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This article was published 20/12/2018 (1078 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Manitobas senior federal cabinet minister, Jim Carr, said he is confident his Liberal party colleague, who is a former Winnipeg mayoral candidate, will be able to work with provincial and municipal authorities on a meth task force.

"We determined that Robert-Falcon Ouellette would be the federal representative," Carr said Thursday.

The Free Press reported this week that provincial and municipal officials were reluctant to have the Liberal MP for Winnipeg Centre on the task force. That was partly why it took so long to get the effort off the ground.

Sources confirmed Thursday officials from the other levels of government preferred to work with Charleswood Liberal MP Doug Eyolfson, a doctor.

The sources said provincial and municipal officials argued Ouellette is unpredictable and abrasive, at times.

That seemed to come to light

on Dec. 11, when Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman testified via video conference at a parliamentary committee meeting in Ottawa to discuss meth.

Ouellette gave Bowman a quizzical look, asking how many homeless people live in Winnipeg.

The mayor paused awkwardly and admitted he didnt know.

"I can get back to you on specific numbers; Im sure you have it," Bowman said to Ouellette, who was his opponent in the 2014 municipal election.

Carr said he didnt recall being directly asked to be on the task force, but Ouellette was "the federal choice" because of his knowledge of the issue.

"He has knowledge of it. It impacts his constituency as much as or more than any other," said Carr, who is the minister for international trade diversification.

Sources suspect Ouellette was chosen in order to boost his profile in his riding; Carr said his party opted for the MP who best fit the task.

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"Hes passionate about the issue, and Im sure hell make a positive contribution to the work of the task force, which is very important."

Ouellette has said that police have been called to his riding office to deal with agitated people. Two of them propositioned him for money to buy drugs.

He said there are 10 houses within two blocks of his riding office that were boarded up after drug labs were abandoned or firebombed.

Eyolfson will play a supporting role, looking at the health aspect of meth, while Ouellette will take on public safety issues and the effect on Indigenous people.

The task force will report in June, nine months after city council called for such a body, amid what Winnipeg police call a crisis.

On Sept. 20, city council unanimously passed a motion calling for an intergovernmental task force on methamphetamine use "with a mandate to identify prevention and treatment strategies." The task force was announced Dec. 18.
The Food Price Report 2019 suggests vegetable prices will go up by as much as six per cent next year. Thats significant because, unlike meat or fish, fewer alternatives exist when it comes to replacing vegetables.

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This article was published 21/12/2018 (1077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

The Food Price Report 2019 suggests vegetable prices will go up by as much as six per cent next year. Thats significant because, unlike meat or fish, fewer alternatives exist when it comes to replacing vegetables.

According to the report, recently released by Dalhousie University and the University of Guelph, El Nino will be to blame, since Canada imports a great quantity of vegetables from regions prone to drought during El Nino periods, including the western United States and northern Mexico. And 2019 will be an El Nino year.

The six per cent increase is in addition to the 4.8 per cent hike in vegetable prices in 2018.

Given that we could experience a second consecutive year of significant price increases, many wonder whether eating local produce is a better option.

Global supply chains have allowed us to become more efficient and given consumers more choices and a broader selection of affordable food products. But eating local has its advantages, too.

The environmental case for eating local is almost undisputed. You can significantly reduce your carbon footprint just by increasing your locally grown food consumption.

And local food is consistently priced, if generally higher. Price is much less volatile when short-circuit distribution systems are involved. The number of intermediaries is limited compared to global food chains, which are exposed to environmental fluctuations and differing economic conditions, and can all lead to greater cost variations.

Extensive, large-scale networks always give markets what they need at the right time, at the right place, at a decent price and with an acceptable level of quality  until something goes terribly wrong. A single failure can lead to huge disruptions that affect many people.

A case in point is the romaine lettuce disaster in November. Fresh lettuce grown in California and Arizona is delivered to Canadians at a decent price. But with the recent E. coli outbreak in romaine lettuce, not only did people get sick, but the prices of leafy greens in Canada skyrocketed.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency prevented romaine lettuce from entering Canada. When that happens, importers must procure similar products elsewhere, likely at higher cost, to meet consumer expectations. Consumers want their leafy greens, even in winter, no matter what.

Eventually, the situation will go back to normal and most will forget about the romaine lettuce crisis. Thats the nature of market failures. Systems adapt and improve over time.

But many people in the marketplace envy the stability and sustainability of local food systems. Unlike global supply chain systems, transparency is a non-issue since most producers know each other.

Buying locally grown vegetables can also give some peace of mind to shoppers. Youll likely pay more, but the prices are mostly predictable. Simplicity has its virtues, but it also comes at a cost. Local food typically costs 20 to 40 per cent more than the cheapest imported varieties available in the same marketplace.

Research shows that city dwellers prefer locally grown or manufactured food products, for the simple fact that agriculture is often a distant concept to them. Many Canadians have never been to a farm. Buying local is the one way to feel a real connection with agriculture and farmers.

Theres also more wealth in cities than rural communities. So although price is still a consideration for urban dwellers, its more important to less wealthy consumers in rural areas.

Thats where global supply chains come in.

Given that Canadians have access to the fifth most affordable food basket in the world, relative to household income, global supply chains appear to be serving them well.

And getting our vegetable fix from all over the world isnt such a bad idea. Our nordic climate doesnt give us many options. But global supply chains come with their fair share of risks, which in turn generate price volatility.

At the same time, buying local produce can be critical to our agri-food economy. In many parts of the country, local vegetable production is a priority, through vertical farms, greenhouses using novel technologies and other initiatives.

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Access to more locally grown vegetables, while striking a balance between local and global, will be key.

But price hikes affecting vegetables are a challenge for many, especially those with limited means. That means visiting the freezer aisle may not be a bad idea. It may not taste the same as fresh, but youll get the same nutritional value from frozen veggies.

Amid all this, there is one piece of good news: the Food Price Report 2019 authors suggest that the cost of meat and fish products will drop next year by up to three per cent. This is the first decline in fish and meat prices in the studys nine-year history.

So meat lovers can do a happy dance around the barbecue next summer. Just dont forget your veggies.

Sylvain Charlebois is scientific director of the Canadian Agrifood Foresight Institute, a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University, and a senior fellow with the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies.

 Troy Media
Truth be told, I could never sit through the perennial holiday classic Its a Wonderful Life. Many people make an annual ritual of watching this movie, but I always thought the story schlocky and Jimmy Stewarts performance overwrought.

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This article was published 21/12/2018 (1077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Truth be told, I could never sit through the perennial holiday "classic" Its a Wonderful Life. Many people make an annual ritual of watching this movie, but I always thought the story schlocky and Jimmy Stewarts performance overwrought.

I recently changed my view when I saw a theatrical version of the story told in the 1946 Frank Capra movie. At the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centres production of Its a Wonderful Life: The Radio Play, audience members became viewers at a traditional live radio show, set in the early 1950s, with the actors playing multiple roles in front of microphones, lighted signs to cue applause and a Foley artist creating scene-appropriate sound effects. This stage production encouraged me to view the movie through new eyes and I realized it contained several economic insights.

In brief, the story centres on George Bailey, a manager at a small town savings and loan (S&L), a family-owned company perennially teetering on the edge of bankruptcy and seemingly at the mercy of a local bank, headed by Mr. Potter, a greedy capitalist (of course!). The play opens with George contemplating suicide because his absent-minded uncle has "lost" a large deposit. Mr. Potter always had designs on the S&L, which George continually rebuffed, but now with bankruptcy looming because of the lost deposit, he fears that his clients will face ruin.

Some may see a central economic lesson in the struggle between a small "family" firm and the impersonal larger business, but this is a cliche and not the main economic insight.

The play opens with Clarence, a hapless angel-in-training dispatched by the Heavenly Boss (HB), showing agitation at the onerous and seemingly impossible task of rescuing George from his planned suicide. We learn that the HB runs a strict meritocracy and has no use for seniority. Other angels doubt the capacity of Clarence to work this miracle, since he has the "IQ of a rabbit." It turns out that Clarence has been an angel in training for 200 years and has yet to earn his wings. Before accepting this task, Clarence wishes assurance that success in rescuing George will be rewarded with a promotion and that he will get his wings.

So, one lesson involves a clear success/reward payoff that underpins the employment relationship between the HB and Clarence. A second lesson is the importance of enforceable contracts. In addition to public goods such as education, defence and transportation, contract law underpins our economy. Now the HB and Clarence make a verbal contract that success will brings wings (though legal purists might note a certain looseness in this arrangement). But one "takeaway" from the Old Testament is that the HB must obey the law, so this verbal agreement is binding.

However, these are still minor lessons from the movie. A significant insight is the importance of altruism as the economic "glue" for our society. After his father dies, George gives up his plans to travel the world to return home to take over the S&L. Through a flashback, we also learn that George had risked his own life to save his brother from drowning. And finally, while a teenager in a drugstore, he intervenes when the pharmacist, drunk and grief-stricken at the death of his own son, mistakenly prescribes a poison rather then a medicine and George saves a second life.

The economics of altruism, first introduced by Adam Smith and later revived by economists such as Kenneth Boulding, has become an increasingly important idea. My well-being depends first on having empathy for the misfortune of others and second on a willingness to give up income to improve their lot. The widespread support for using taxes to fund social safety net programs such as social assistance reveals that maximizing personal welfare, a touchstone of traditional economics, also depends on ensuring at least the minimum well-being of others.

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Georges selflessness illustrates the themes of benevolence and the power of altruism that echo through modern economics.

A second economic lesson is even more current. In a stroke of genius, Clarence devises an experiment: through heavenly powers, he transports George to a world into which he had never been born. His brother drowns, the pharmacists client dies from receiving the poison and Mr. Potter acquires the S&L, immediately foreclosing on many mortgages and throwing Georges friends out of their homes.

Creating the "counterfactual," a world as it is now, except with or without a policy/program/tax, is a standard technique in modern economics. Traditionally, economists used "thought experiments," logical arguments or abstract math to parse policy.

Modern economics, under the influence of such thinkers as the Nobel laureate Vernon Smith, has become more experimental. Economic laboratories put undergrads through countless studies in behavioural economics, and we attempt to use large-scale social experiments such as the Ontario basic income pilot to chart policy. Clarence, in his bumbling way, hits upon a very modern economic research technique. George now understands the pivotal role he has played in others lives and decides to live.

Popular culture contains hidden economic insights. I still think the movie is hokey, but I now need to break away I am late for my annual viewing of A Christmas Carol with Alastair Sim as Scrooge.

Gregory Mason is an associate professor of economics at the University of Manitoba.
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis demanded Friday that priests who have raped and molested children turn themselves in and vowed that the Catholic Church will "never again" hide their crimes.

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This article was published 21/12/2018 (1077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Pope Francis arrives for an audience with Vatican employees, in the Pope Paul VI hall, at the Vatican, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. Francis, earlier Friday, during his annual Christmas meeting with the Vatican bureaucracy, dedicated his speech to abuse, evidence that a year of devastating revelations has shaken his papacy and caused a crisis of confidence in the Catholic hierarchy. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis demanded Friday that priests who have raped and molested children turn themselves in and vowed that the Catholic Church will "never again" hide their crimes.

Francis dedicated his annual Christmas speech to Vatican bureaucrats to abuse, evidence that a year of devastating revelations of sexual misconduct and coverup around the globe has shaken his papacy and caused a crisis of confidence in the Catholic hierarchy.

Francis acknowledged that the church in the past had failed to treat the problem seriously, blaming leaders who out of inexperience or short-sightedness acted "irresponsibly" by refusing to believe victims. But he vowed that going forward the church would "never again" cover up or dismiss cases.

"Let it be clear that before these abominations the church will spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice whosoever has committed such crimes," he said.

Francis urged victims to come forward, thanked the media for giving them voice and issued a stark warning to abusers: "Convert and hand yourself over to human justice, and prepare for divine justice."

Pope Francis arrives for an audience with Vatican employees, in the Pope Paul VI hall, at the Vatican, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. Francis, earlier Friday, during his annual Christmas meeting with the Vatican bureaucracy, dedicated his speech to abuse, evidence that a year of devastating revelations has shaken his papacy and caused a crisis of confidence in the Catholic hierarchy. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Francis' remarks capped a dreadful year for the Catholic Church, one that began with his own botched handling of a sprawling sex abuse scandal in Chile and ended with the U.S. hierarchy in a free-fall of credibility as state prosecutors began uncovering decades of coverup.

Francis has summoned church leaders from around the globe for a February abuse prevention summit, in an indication that he has come to realize that the problem is far greater and far more global than he had understood at the start of his pontificate.

Francis' blanket demand that abusers turn themselves in to face "human justice" was significant, and echoed his previous demands for mafia bosses and corrupt politicians to convert.

Vatican guidelines currently only call for bishops to report priestly abusers to police in those countries where civil law requires it  a technicality that survivors and their advocates have long blasted as a convenient dodge to the church's moral obligation to protect children regardless of what civil law requires.

Survivors and their advocates, however, found Francis' words hollow, noting that just this week the chief prosecutor in the U.S. state of Illinois accused church officials there of hiding the names of around 500 priests accused of abuse.

"While refusing to reveal the name of one cleric who committed or concealed child sex crimes, Francis gives yet another promise about ending cover ups," said David Clohessy, former director of the U.S.-based survivor group SNAP. "If he's serious, Francis could show it by suspending all Illinois bishops until they 'come clean' or the attorney general's investigation clears them of wrongdoing."

Pope Francis delivers his speech during the traditional greetings to the Roman Curia, at the Vatican, Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. Pope Francis vowed that the Catholic Church will "never again" cover up clergy sex abuse and demanded that priests who have raped and molested children turn themselves in. (Filippo Monteforte/Pool Photo via AP)

Anne Barrett Doyle of the online resource BishopAccountability said it was fantasy to think that criminals will suddenly turn themselves in, when the Vatican itself has blocked bishops from adopting mandatory reporting norms, such as in Ireland in the 1990s.

"He minimizes and mischaracterizes the protection of abusers by church leaders, chalking it up to lack of training or awareness, rather than a deliberate choice to conceal and deceive," she said, adding that his claim that the coverup was a thing of the past is also wrong since it is ongoing.

Francis warned the Vatican bureaucrats who run the 1.2 billion-strong church that the scandal now undermines the credibility of the entire Catholic enterprise and prayed for help so that the Church can discern true cases from false ones, and accusations from slander.

"This is no easy task, since the guilty are capable of skillfully covering their tracks," he said, adding that abusers also choose their victims carefully, finding those who will stay silent and live in "fear of shame and the terror of rejection."

It was perhaps a veiled reference to ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the disgraced retired archbishop of Washington who is now facing a canonical trial on allegations he groped a teenage altar boy in the 1970s.

The McCarrick revelations have fueled the crisis in confidence in the U.S. and Vatican hierarchy since it was apparently an open secret that he slept with seminarians but nevertheless was allowed to rise up the church ranks.

Francis' reference to the difficulty in distinguishing allegation from slander perhaps related to his own failure to believe Chilean victims of a notorious predator priest.

During Francis' disastrous trip to Chile in January, he dismissed survivors' allegations of coverup as "slander," sparking outrage in Chile and beyond. Francis eventually did an about-face, apologized to the victims and acknowledged he had made "grave errors in judgment."

Going forward, he urged those who have been victims of sexual abuse, abuse of power and abuse of conscience to speak out.

"The greater scandal in this matter is that of cloaking the truth," he said.

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"I myself would like to give heartfelt thanks to those media professionals who were honest and objective and sought to unmask these predators and to make their victims' voices heard," he said.

The cardinals and bishops of the Curia listened attentively, including the dean of the College of Cardinals, Angelo Sodano, who has long been blamed for the Vatican's refusal to acknowledge the depth of the problem during the quarter-century pontificate of St. John Paul II.

Sodano, who once dismissed media reports of abuse as "petty gossip," made no mention of the scandal. In introductory remarks Friday to the pope, he thanked Francis for his pastoral visits in Rome and around the world, for having canonized Pope Paul VI and for having issued a new teaching document.

In previous years, Francis has used his Christmas greetings to issue blistering criticisms of the failings of the Curia, accusing Vatican bureaucrats of suffering from "spiritual Alzheimer's" and taking part in the "terrorism of gossip."

His remarks this year were more global, noting that all around there are priests who "without batting an eye" are ready to betray all that the church stands for and enter into a "web of corruption" by abusing those in their care.

"Often behind their boundless amiability, impeccable activity and angelic faces, they shamelessly conceal a vicious wolf ready to devour innocent souls," he said.
Tracified, an innovative digital platform for food traceability, that uses Blockchain technology to empower both vendors and consumers by providing end-to-end information on food products, was a key highlight at the Oslo Innovation Week 2018. The product, with its cutting-edge technology, saw it emerge the winner of the Best Oslo Sustainability Startup Pitch, amidst many other global startups.

It was a pivotal moment for the Sri Lankan startup, the result of the hard work and dedication of a young team of dynamic Lankan engineers. Representing Sri Lanka at the Oslo Innovation Summit this year, the Tracified team made the trip to Norway to pitch its product to Scandinavian investors and scored a double victory.

While piquing the interest of numerous investors, the team shone at the Reciprocity for Sustainable Cities session, through a brief 45-second pitch. Tracified eCommerce Consultant Uthpalie Thilakaratna in this short time succinctly pitched the product, emphasizing on the United Nations Sustainability Goals it is working towards  which saw the team win a Founder Institute Scholarship for the Best Oslo Sustainability Startup Pitch.

It was incredible to win such a great opportunity and to have our startup be recognized for the positive impact were trying to make in food supply chain transparency, to encourage responsible production and consumption, observed Thilakaratna, commenting on the achievement.

Traceability needs to be lifted from its traditional form of internal record keeping into reciprocal value communication to establish it as a core component of Industry 4.0. Blockchains role in achieving this is instrumental. Our success in delivering this will depend on how diligent we are in tailoring a technology which was originally made for financial transactions to one that enables authentic exchange of value chain data. This recognition shows that we are on the right track, stated Tracified Head of Development Dileepa Jayathilake.

While this is its first international recognition since its beginnings one and a half years ago, Tracified was also recently felicitated at the E-Swabhimani Digital Social Impact Awards, where it emerged winner of the Business/Commerce category and recognized at the National Best Quality ICT Awards (NBQSA) 2017, where it won Gold in the e-Logistics and Supply Chain Management Category.

A Sri Lankan startup incubated by StartupX Foundry, Tracified aims to bring about complete transparency into the food industry. Consumers are faced with the challenge of identifying trusted suppliers and likewise, suppliers are looking for ways to prove their authenticity to consumers. Tracified harnesses latest technology to bridge this gap  a Cloud-based platform that integrates with any Internet of Things (IoT) device to provide a flexible platform that verifies supply chain data through blockchain and thus, establishes trust.
By

D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksas attempt to seize power through the backdoor with the support of President Maithripala Sirisena has been roundly defeated by a courageous display of united resistance by concerned citizens in combination with decisive votes in the legislature and unanimous rulings by the Judiciary. After clinging on stubbornly from October 26 for 51 days, former president and Kurunegala district MP Mahinda Rajapaksa terminated his illegitimate tenure as purported Premier by signing a letter of resignation at his residence on December 15. Thereafter on December 16 Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in by President Sirisena as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka again.



The rightful restoration of Ranil as Prime Minister has been welcomed joyfully by all those adhering to principles of constitutional democracy both nationally and internationally. The undignified exit of Mahinda and triumphant re-entry of Ranil has a fairy tale ring to it and most fairy tales have an ending where everyone lives happily ever after. Unfortunately it is not so in real life. Similarly the Sri Lankan political crisis too has had a happy ending due to the defeat of the anti-constitutional or extra-constitutional coup. The celebratory mood therefore is understandable. However there is no room for complacency. The rightful return of Ranil Wickremesinghe is indeed most welcome but it cannot be regarded as a grand finale to the Political crisis which will certainly continue in new forms and ways in the days to come.



Error of Estimation



The armed intervention of India in the ethnic crisis of Sri Lanka in 1987 proved to be a costly blunder for our big neighbour. This was mainly due to an error of estimation. India under-estimated the capability of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and over-estimated the capacity of the Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF). Likewise one is able to discern errors of estimation in the aftermath of the recent political crisis. Mahinda Rajapaksas political defeat has led to an under-estimation of the ex-presidents political capability and popularity. Ranil Wickremesinghes political victory has resulted in an over-estimation of the Prime Ministers political capacity and popularity.



For many many years now there has been sustained propaganda that Ranil Wickremesinghe is a serial loser and that he will never be able to lead the UNP to overwhelming electoral success. As such Ranil was projected as a political liability to his party. Sadly for Wickremesinghe many stalwarts in the UNP also bought into rival propaganda that Ranil would not be able to lead the party to victory at elections. In order to cover up their own shortcomings and deficiencies some green elephants found it convenient to scapegoat Ranil as the cause for the partys decline. Wickremesinghe stepping down to facilitate the presidential candidacy of Sarath Fonseka and Maithripala Sirisena in 2010 and 2015 has not helped to dispel such doubts about Ranils unwinnability either.



However the recent power grab through backdoor fiasco has jaded the images of both Mahinda and Maithripala while the long tarnished image of Ranil Wickremesinghe has been re-furbished. The arbitrary and unfair manner in which he was removed and replaced as Prime Minister made people of different backgrounds rally around Ranil and engage in a peoples protest. In spite of Wickremesinghes perceived faults and deficits he became the symbol of the peoples resistance movement. This has enhanced his political image to a great extent. What the future may be is somewhat unpredictable but right now Ranil rides the crest of a populist wave and has energised Ranil with enhanced confidence. So much so that an ebullient Ranil is now planning to forge a new political front and seek a two-thirds majority in Parliament through an early election. While Wickremesinghes desire to seize the moment is quite understandable there is every possibility that Ranil is misreading the situation and may be over-estimating the nature and extent of the political clout he enjoys right now.



Medamulana Machiavelli



On the other hand it is indeed a fact that the cumulative result of the recent political crisis has resulted in the diminution of Mahinda Rajapaksas political stature and reputation. There is no doubt that Mahinda Rajapaksa is still the single-most popular mass-figure in the seven Sinhala majority provinces of Sri Lanka. This aura however has suffered much erosion in recent times The man described as the Medamulana Machiavelli has been denied the spoils of prime ministerial office after an abortive attempt to grab power through the backdoor. Furthermore Mahinda Rajapaksas larger than life image has been considerably dented by these political shenanigans. Mahinda is depicted by his detractors as a selfish, power-hungry politician without principles or scruples who would resort to diabolical measures to seize power. This portrayal is perceived as correct by a growing number of people.



This has led to a situation where the growing tendency is to write off Mahinda Rajapaksa politically. This line of thought seems more prevalent among those who battled bravely to confront the Mahinda-Maithripala duo and their minions these past weeks. Mahinda Rajapaksa and Maithripala Sirisena were compelled to abandon their power grab attempt because of this struggle. Mahinda and Maithripala did not change their stances willingly and step down. They were made to back off by an incredible and unprecedented display of resistance - to an unconstitutional, illegal act - on multiple levels in different forms. This resistance was demonstrated in Parliament as well as in the public domain. Never in the post -independence history of this nation has such a popular non-violent protest movement cutting across race, religion, caste, class or creed been witnessed. Substantial sections of the Sri Lankan population mobilized together as a united nation and rallied around a principled common cause. It was basically a case of the country and people defending Constitutional democracy and resisting flagrant attempts to capture power through the backdoor.



Against that backdrop it is understandable that people in a jubilant state of mind would tend to perceive Mahinda Rajapaksa as a deflated balloon politically. It would be a grave mistake to misread the situation and under-estimate Mahinda Rajapaksas political strength. Downsized he may be , but the giant has not been turned into a midget. Mahinda Rajapaksa may be down, but is certainly not out yet. In spite of being politically de-valued to some extent by recent happenings, Mahinda Rajapaksa remains a force to be reckoned with still. Though thwarted at this juncture, the return of the Ruhunu Rajapaksas to power is a distinct possibility in the near future.



Political Miscalculation



In that context, it is necessary to re-iterate that over estimating Ranil Wickremesinghe and under estimating Mahinda Rajapaksa could prove to be a serious political miscalculation and blunder. A huge contributing factor to such a blunder may lie in a mis-interpretation or mis-understanding of the nature and composition of the resistance to Rajapaksa and support to Wickremesinghe. The opposition to Mahinda Rajapaksa was more due to the anti-constitutional, illegitimate manner and mode through which he tried to capture power rather than to the man himself. The support extended to Ranil Wickremesinghe was more due to the unjust, illegal manner and mode through which he was ousted rather than for the person himself. It is very possible that a very large number of people who opposed Rajapaksa may and could vote for Mahinda and his party in a free and fair election. It is equally possible that a very large number of people who supported Wickremesinghe may and could vote against Ranil and his party in a democratic poll.



Most men who grew up in Sri Lanka have in the days of our youth participated in many a Baila session where some verses were ribald. One sanitized verse in the perennially popular tri-lingual Baila medley Rangadina Baila, Mevvaa Iganaganilaa was as follows  Jumping through the window Darling, What Will People Say? If you want to marry me Darling, Come in the Proper way!

In that context, it is necessary to re-iterate that over estimating Ranil Wickremesinghe and under estimating Mahinda Rajapaksa could prove to be a serious political miscalculation and blunder



The above mentioned Baila verse comes to mind in the current context where Mahinda Rajapaksas power grab attempt through the backdoor has met with strong disapproval. What is of key importance here is to note that the basic reason for this opprobrium is the method used to capture power. Had Rajapaksa sought power through legitimate channels there would have been little resentment. Even those who are against the Rajapaksas politically would have had no choice other than to reconcile themselves to a Rajapaksa-run administration if they came to power by winning elections. It was the attempt to break into the seat of power unconstitutionally which shocked and put off people. As according to the Baila, Jumping through the window is not the proper way. If you want to marry the darling one must use the proper way. So if Mahinda wants power he cannot just come in through the back door. He must come through the front door or the proper way.

After Mahinda Rajapaksa lost the presidential election in January 2015 he underwent several political reversals. There were many in the Yahapalanaya camp who were cock-a-hoop at this state of affairs and were predicting a retirement by the Lion of Ruhunu. This writer in an article written in November 2015 stated that Mahinda Rajapaksa would not opt for retirement and would plunge into politics zestfully and seek a comeback. I outlined three main reasons for such a stance by Mahinda then which remain valid even now. Here are the relevant excerpts 



Mahindas Three Reasons



Why is it unlikely that Mahinda Rajapaksa would quit politics at this point of time and retire? There are three reasons. One is the combative personality of Mahinda Rajapaksa. In the words of Dylan Thomas, Mahinda is one of those who would rage against what he may consider as  the dying of light. One cannot imagine him going out gently into that good night.



The second and more important reason is that he cannot retire from politics at present even if he wants to. He cannot afford the luxury of retirement as J.R. Jayewardene, D.B. Wijetunge or even Chandrika Kumaratunga.Ghosts of the past haunting him at present would not leave him and/or his extended family alone in the future. There is a Chinese saying that the winds will not let a tree remain still even if it wants to.That aptly sums up Mahindas present situation.



The third reason is Mahinda Rajapaksas self-perception of being the chosen guardian of Sri Lanka and divinely sanctioned saviour of the Sinhala Buddhists. There is no denying that the separatist threat posed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was defeated militarily due to the political leadership provided by Mahinda Rajapaksa. In his mind, he was the one who defeated the perceived enemies of Sinhala Buddhism and restored the majority community to its rightful place in the country.Yet he was defeated at the presidential elections by the votes of the Tamils and Muslims. Nevertheless it was he and not Maithripala who gained greater support among the Sinhala voters. This Sinhala vote base got further eroded at the Parliamentary elections but analysts say the UPFA got more Sinhala votes than the UNFGG at the August 17 polls



It is this third reason that will provide greater impetus to Mahinda Rajapaksa in continuing to be in politics. Saying  I am a fighter by nature or I have to be in politics to safeguard myself and my family is direct and honest but is politically inconvenient. On the other hand saying I will be in politics to protect race, nation, faith and country will be more acceptable politically. Of course Mahinda will be criticised severely by the league of political correctness but as long as a majority of the majority community which is regarded by Mahinda as his true constituency is supportive Rajapaksa will be content.



Ruhunu Rajapaksas



Those words stated in November 2015 were subsequently proved true. Mahinda not only remained in the political scene but also actively engaged in politics. In the aftermath of the 19th Constitutional Amendment which re-imposed the two-term limit for the Presidency, it appeared that Mahinda could never be President again. With Mahinda Rajapaksa being Constitutionally-debarred from contesting the presidency again, it seemed that the political fortunes of Ruhunu Rajapaksas were on the wane. A number of inquiries probing the alleged corruption and abuse of power by various Rajapaksa family members were initiated. Cases were filed in court and a few Rajapaksas like Basil and Namal were even imprisoned for short periods. Gotabaya Rajapaksa continues to wage many legal battles to ward off arrest and potential detention.



In such a situation, many political observers felt that the writing was on the wall politically for the Ruhunu Rajapaksas. But that did not happen. Despite the adverse setbacks, the political stock of Ruhunu Rajapaksas continued to remain on par with Medamulana Mahinda continuing to retain his position as the single-most popular political leader in the seven provinces outside the North and the East. Moreover, the newly-formed Sri Lanka Podujana Party (SLPP) which revolved around Mahinda Rajapaksa got the better of both the UNP and SLFP and emerged as the leading victor at the local authorities elections in February 2018.

A number of inquiries probing the alleged corruption and abuse of power by various Rajapaksa family members were initiated. Cases were filed in court and a few Rajapaksas like Basil and Namal were even imprisoned for short periods



Against that backdrop the Mahinda-led opposition was very confident that the days of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government were numbered and that the political resurgence and return to power of the Ruhunu Rajapaksas was inevitable. The Rajapaksa camp asserted boldly that either Mahinda or a suitable person nominated by him would be at the helm of Sri Lankan affairs soon. The situation was such that the confident Mahinda Rajapaksa camp was demanding elections to the Provincial Councils where polls were due. The Yahapalanaya government had no convincing answer. It was simply trotting out lame excuses for delaying elections thereby strengthening the impression in the country that a return of the Rajapaksas to power through elections was inevitable.



Buried The Hatchet



In another bizarre turn of events, President Maithripala Sirisena and Mahinda Rajapaksa who were supposedly at loggerheads with each other seemingly buried the hatchet in a political move aimed at undermining Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The political grapevine buzzed with the news that the Sirisena and the Rajapaksa camps had realigned politically. There were also unconfirmed reports of clandestine canvassing of members from many shades of opinion within Parliament. A substantial number of MPs from the SLFP as well as sections of the UNF were tipped to switch loyalties. There was a strong possibility of the UPFA-SLFP faction within the government officially pulling out. Speculation was rife that the political reconfiguration process would result in a defeat for the government during the budget vote. If and when this happened President Sirisena was expected to appoint Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister who would then be seen as commanding the confidence of the House in a drastically-reconfigured Parliament. This belief began gathering momentum and it seemed that the return of the Rajapaksas was unavoidable. Many even began preparing for such an eventuality.



It was at this juncture that Mahinda and Maithripala embarked on their ill-fated venture to seize power through the backdoor. The details of this sordid exercise remain fresh in the collective memory of the nation and need no further elaboration here. The Mahinda -Maithripala attempt to seize power has been foiled. Grudgingly compelled to accept the inevitable, the power hungry violators of the Constitution have thrown in the towel. There is however no room for complacency as the struggle for political power will definitely continue in the coming days in new forms and fresh directions. Ranil Wickremesinghe may have been restored rightfully to his position as Prime Minister but the power -hungry elements who conspired to topple him would certainly persist with their efforts in the future.

Both Mahinda and Maithripala will jointly and separately work hard to undermine the Government although Sirisena as President is the nominal head of the same Government. Having failed in their anti-constitutional coup to remove and replace Wickremesinghe both Maithripala and Mahinda would now continue from where they were compelled to stop. They will continue with renewed vigour the task of completing their unfinished agenda. Thus we can expect Maithripala Sirisena and Mahinda Rajapaksa to continue waging war against Ranil Wickremesinghes Govt from within and without. Rajapaksa will launch attacks from outside and Sirisena will sabotage from the inside.



Tamil National Alliance



A key feature of Mahinda Rajapaksas propaganda drive against Ranil Wickremesinghe and the UNF government will be on communal lines. Rajapaksa who sought the support of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to bolster his unconstitutional, illegitimate Government was rebuffed by the premier political configuration of the Sri Lankan Tamils. Furthermore 14 MPs of the TNA joined with the UNF and JVP in defeating the purported premier Mahinda Rajapaksa and his purported Govt during Parliamentary votes. The TNA went the extra mile by supporting the motion expressing confidence in Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister. Since the JVP abstained on this issue, it was the TNA bloc of 14 MPs who provided the majority to Ranil in this vote. Wickremesinghe was endorsed by 117 MPs out of 225 Parliamentarians. The UNF had only 103 and it was the TNAs 14 which helped increase the tally to 117.



Apart from its stance in the legislature the TNA also pursued appropriate legal courses of action. TNA chief and leader of the opposition Rajavarothayam Sampanthan filed a fundamental rights petition in the Supreme Court against the gazette proclamation by President Sirisena dissolving Parliament and scheduling expedited elections. Others too filed similar FR petitions. Initially the Supreme court issued a stay order pending a final decision. The TNA Parliamentarians were also among the 122 MPs who sought a writ of Quo Warranto from the court of appeal against purported prime minister Rajapaksa and 48 other purported Cabinet ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers. The appeal court also issued a stay order pending final determination. Mahinda Rajapaksa appealed against the court of appeal stay order to the Supreme court. Subsequently a seven judge bench headed by Chief Justice Nalin Perera ruled that the expedited dissolution of Parliament by the President was anti-constitutional and therefore null and void. A three- judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Eva Wanasundara rejected Mahinda Rajapaksas appeal and upheld the interim order issued by the court of appeal. Both rulings were unanimous. TNA spokesperson and attorney-at-law M.A. Sumanthiran was part of the legal team arguing the above mentioned cases at the Appeal and Supreme Courts.



Mahinda Rajapaksa was furious with the TNA over these matters. Conveniently overlooking the fact that he himself had sought the support of the TNA to set up an administration and would have had no qualms about accepting it if indeed it was forthcoming, Mahinda chose to raise not so subtle chauvinist cries against the TNA for supporting the UNF. Mahinda Rajapaksa delivered a farewell speech on December 15 when he signed his resignation letter. In that speech Mahinda launched an attack on the UNP and TNA. Referring to the support given by the TNA to increase the tally of MPs supporting Ranil to 117, Mahinda charged the TNA of holding the remote control in Parliament forgetting the fact that he was prepared to let the TNA have the alleged remote control too. The relevant excerpts from Mahindas speech are as follows



TNA Remote Control



A total of 117 MPs voted calling for Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe to be appointed as Prime Minister. Fourteen of those votes belong to the TNA. Even though the TNA also requested that Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe be appointed Prime Minister, on the same day, TNA Parliamentarian Mavai Senathirajah made a special statement in Parliament on behalf of the TNA saying that though they voted for Mr Wickremesinghe to become Prime Minister, they would not join the government and would remain in the opposition



So what has actually happened here is that the UNP which has a minority of 103 seats, has been taken hostage by the TNA. If they do not adhere to the diktat of the TNA, the UNP minority can lose their parliamentary majority at any moment. The TNA now holds the remote control in Parliament.



On December 12, even before the Supreme Court judgement was delivered, Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe spoke in Parliament about bringing in a new constitution. This new constitution has already been drafted and published in the newspapers as well. Under the provisions of that draft constitution, this country will be divided into nine semi-independent federal units.



Sinhala Buddhist Constituency



The battle lines are clearly demarcated now. Mahinda Rajapaksa will spearhead an intensive campaign tinged with racism against the Wickremesinghe Government and its key ally the TNA. By doing so Rajapaksa hopes to boost his support base within the Sinhala Buddhist constituency. The support extended by political parties such as the TNA, TPA, SLMC and ACMC to Ranil Wickremesinghe has shown Mahinda that he has very little support among the Tamils and Muslims. Hence it appears logical and practical from his perspective - though morally reprehensible  to pursue a chauvinist campaign that would mobilise Sinhala Buddhist votes in his favour. Whether this course of action would yield dividends or not is hard to predict at this time but the sad reality is that Mahinda Rajapaksa is going to follow that path. It is against this backdrop that the politics of Mahinda Rajapaksa has to be weighed and evaluated. As stated earlier there is a complacent view among certain sections of the people that Mahinda Rajapaksa has been defeated politically and that he is a spent force. Such an opinion could be dangerously wrong. In the eyes of Mahinda Rajapaksa and his supporters only a battlehas been lost. The waris not over. It will be fought relentlessly.



If Ranil Wickremesinghe and his party think that Mahinda Rajapaksa has been politically neutralized, then they are badly mistaken. Under-estimating Mahinda and over- estimating Ranil without gauging the ground realities correctly may result in political disaster. The Medamulana Machiavelli Mahinda Rajapaksa may be down but he is certainly not out!

D.B.S. Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com
Three Non-Cabinet Ministers, 17 State Ministers and seven Deputy Ministers were sworn in before President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat this evening.

The three Non-Cabinet Ministers are Dr. Harsha de Silva who was sworn in as the Non-Cabinet Minister of Economic Reform and Public Distribution, Ajith P Perera-Non-Cabinet Minister of Digital Infrastructure and Information Technology and MP Sujeewa Senasinghe-Non-Cabinet Minister of Science, Technology and Research.

The 17 State Ministers are,

MP Ranjan Ramanayake - Highways and Road Development,

J.C Alawathuwala - Home Affairs and Provincial Councils,

Vijayakala Maheswaran - Education,

Ruwan Wijewardene - Defence,

Eran Wickramaratne - Finance,

Champika Premadasa - Power and Renewable Energy,

Ranjith Aluwihare - Tourism Development,

Wasantha Aluwihare - Agriculture, Irrigation and Rural Economy,

Lucky Jayawardane - City Planning and Water Supply,

Niroshan Perera - National Policies and Economic Affairs,

Ashoka Abesinghe - Transport and Civil Aviation,

Faizal Kassim - Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine,

H.M.M. Harees - Provincial Council and Local Government,

Ameer Ali - Agriculture, Irrigation and Rural Economy,

Dilip Wedaarachchi - Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development,

A.Z.M.Seyed - Social Empowerment and Vadivel Suresh-Plantation Industries.

The Deputy Ministers who were appointed are,

Anoma Gamage - Petroleum Resources Development,

Nalin Bandara Jayamaha - Development Strategies and International Trade,

Edward Gunasekara - Lands and Parliamentary Affairs,

Ajith Mannapperuma - Environment,

Karunarathna Paranawithana - Skills Development and Vocational Training,

Buddika Pathirana - Industry and Commerce and

Palitha Thewarapperuma - Social Empowerment Deputy Minister.
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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..
Members of the Ceylon Workers Red Flag Union and the Ceylon Federation of Trade Unions today staged a protest at Liptons Circus in Colombo to urge the authorities to pay them a daily basic wage of Rs.1,000 without further delay. Pix by Nisal Baduge
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA engages in the traditional banking businesses of retail banking, asset management, private banking, and wholesale banking. It operates through the following segments: Spain, the United States, Mexico, Turkey, South America, and Rest of Eurasia. The Spain segment includes mainly the banking and insurance business that the group carries out in Spain. The United States segment consists of the financial business activity of BBVA USA in the country and the activity of the branch of BBVA SA in New York. The Mexico segment refers to banking and insurance businesses in this country as well as the activity of its branch in Houston. The Turkey segment reports the activity of Garanti BBVA group that is mainly carried out in this country and, to a lesser extent, in Romania and the Netherlands. The South America segment comprises of operations in n Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The Rest of Eurasia segment includes the banking business activity carried out by the group in Europe and Asia, excluding Spain. The company was founded in 1857 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain.

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FedEx Corp. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of a portfolio of transportation, e-commerce, and business services. It operates through the following segments: FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight, FedEx Services, and Corporate, Other & Eliminations. The FedEx Express segment consists of domestic and international shipping services for delivery of packages and freight. The FedEx Ground segment focuses on small-package ground delivery services. The FedEx Freight segment offers less-than-truckload freight services across all lengths of haul. The FedEx Services segment provides sales, marketing, information technology, communications, customer service, technical support, billing and collection services, and certain back-office functions. The Corporate, Other & Eliminations segment includes corporate headquarters costs for executive officers and certain legal and finance functions, as well as certain other costs and credits not attributed to the firm's core business. The company was founded by Frederick Wallace Smith on June 18, 1971 and is headquartered in Memphis, TN.

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Minister John Amaratunga assuming duties

Pic by Pradeep Pathirana

Amaratunga to meet foreign envoys shortly to ensure tourist safety



By Nishel Fernando

Sri Lanka Tourism is targeting four million tourist arrivals and US$ 5 billion foreign exchange earnings for 2019 with the launch of the long-delayed Global Tourism Promotion campaign in March next year, the Minister of Tourism Development, Christian Affairs and Wildlife, John Amaratunga announced.

Amaratunga yesterday assumed duties as the Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Affairs and Wildlife in Colombo.

After assuming duties, he noted that Sri Lanka Tourism may fall short of the tourist arrival target of 2.5 million for this year due to almost two months of political turmoil that persisted in the Island nation, which pushed several key tourism source markets of Sri Lanka Tourism to issue travel advisories fearing the safety of their citizens in Sri Lanka.



Our original estimate was 2.5 million tourist arrivals with almost US$ 4 billion in tourism earnings for 2018. However, due to the political upheaval, there were travel advisories, and as a result I have been informed that there have been many cancellations. I am confident that we can regain the lost opportunities for Sri Lanka tourism, he said.



The tourist arrivals for the first 11 months of the year stood at little over 2.08 million, up 11.2 percent Year-on-Year and Sri Lanka is likely to end up with around 2.3 million tourists for the year.



Moreover, Amaratunga added that industry stakeholders had informed him about a slowdown in tourist bookings for January and February.

According to industry stakeholders, the industry has seen a slowdown of around 20 percent YoY in tourist bookings for January- February period.

The minister emphasised that as an immediate measure, he would meet with all foreign ambassadors in Sri Lanka to ensure the safety of tourists visiting the country, and will urge them to withdraw the travel advisories.



I intend to speak to all ambassadors and explain them that Sri Lanka has returned to normalcy and we still have authenticity, diversity and security to offer to all tourists coming here, he said.



Speaking of tourism promotion campaigns, Amaratunga said the global promotional campaign will be launched at ITB in Berlin in March 2019 as scheduled earlier, while noting that the tourism promotional activities were in limbo during past couple of weeks.



He stressed that in order to reach targets of Sri Lankas tourism, the government would appoint capable and able persons to top posts at Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management (SLITHM) and Sri Lanka Convention Bureau.

The minister is expected to send a list of nominations for the Chairman post of these four intuitions for Prime Ministers approval shortly.



The best people who can contribute to the development of the industry will be appointed, and no political henchman will be appointed, he stressed.



Meanwhile, the former Secretary to the ministry prior to October 26 is likely to be reappointed as the Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism Development and Christian Affairs, while the Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism Development and Wildlife in the dissolved Cabinet, S. Hettiarachchi is likely to be appointed as the Secretary to the Ministry of Wildlife.



The minister also revealed that a new programme will be launched to promote home-stays among locals, to trickle down the benefits of tourism to the grassroots level, in particular, targeting hill country and some of coastal areas.



Amaratunga is scheduled to assume duties of the Wildlife portfolio at the Wildlife Ministry in Rajagiriya next Monday.
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..
SJM Holdings Limited, an investment holding company, develops and operates casinos and related facilities in Macau, Hong Kong, and internationally. It operates through Gaming Operations; and Hotel, Catering and Retail Operations segments. The Gaming Operations segment engages in the VIP gaming, mass market table gaming, slot machine, and other gaming operations, as well as operates satellite casinos. As of December 31, 2020, it operated 20 casinos comprising approximately 1,095 gaming tables and 1,247 slot machines. The Hotel, Catering and Retail Operations segment operates a hotel; and offers catering, retail, and related services. SJM Holdings Limited also provides marketing and promotion, property development, casino operations management, dredging, gaming promotion, human resources and project management, food and beverage, and hospitality services, as well as property and securities holding services. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is based in Central, Hong Kong. SJM Holdings Limited is a subsidiary of Sociedade de Turismo e DiversAes de Macau, S.A.

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John Amaratunga receiving his appointment letter from the President

Says will continue to push for export status for tourism industry

Urge authorities to smoothen arrival and departure facilities for tourists

While congratulating the United National Party MP John Amaratunga on his appointment as the Tourism, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs Minister, The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) yesterday endorsed the combining of wildlife with tourism as a timely initiative for the hospitality and tourism industry.

Today, safari parks are most sought after places visited by tourists, and over-visitation of parks is a challenge for the industry. We commend this as a timely and appropriate step, THASL said in a media statement.



THASL said it is looking forward to working with the newly appointed Cabinet of Ministers to achieve continued and sustainable economic growth and development of the tourism Industry. THASL has been strongly lobbying for export status for the countrys tourism industry.



Tourism is at present the second highest net foreign exchange earner to the country and provides employment to over 350,000, both direct and indirectly.



THASL hopes the government will take appropriate action to boost the industry by granting export status as a matter of urgency to restore confidence among a large number of investors who have held back due to the recent political turmoil.



The country now has over 32,000 star-class hotels, and is expected to grow by a further 6, 500 rooms with a total investment of US $ 12 billion by 2020.

This is by far the highest investment any single sector has made in the country. Net earnings have exceeded the US $ 3.5 billion mark already this year.

With the planned global market campaign to be launched in March next year, together with worldwide publicity received for Lonely Planet endorsement as a top destination to visit in 2019, Sri Lankas tourism industry is poised to have a successful year in 2019.



Our biggest challenge is to have smooth arrival and departure facilities and services at the main airport for the significantly increased arrivals. We hope the relevant authorities take urgent action to improve these services, THASL statement said.



THASL said its members and other tourism stakeholder had a close working relationship with the Tourism Ministry over the past 3  years and applauded Minister Amaratunga for all the support and encouragement given.



He worked tirelessly for the betterment of the industry and stood up for the industry at all times. We have every confidence that he will be equally enthusiastic in working with us in the interest of our Industry, THASL said.
CYBG PLC, through its subsidiaries, provides retail and business banking products and services to individuals and businesses under the Clydesdale Bank, Yorkshire Bank, B, and Virgin Money brands in the United Kingdom. It operates through SME Banking and Retail Banking segments. The SME Banking segment offers a range of banking products and services, including business current accounts; and secured and unsecured term loans, business overdrafts, and invoice and asset financing products and services. It also provides international trade services, such as import loans, export loans, documentary collections, currency guarantees, and letters of credit for securing trade; and current account facilities comprising debit cards, cheque books, regular statements, direct debits, and standing orders, as well as day to day and online banking services. This segment serves business customers in the small business, commercial, corporate, and structured finance markets. The Retail Banking segment offers personal current accounts, savings accounts, and term deposits; occupied mortgage loans and BTL loans, unsecured personal loans, and overdrafts, as well as credit card products; and insurance and investment products. The company was founded in 1838 and is based in Leeds, the United Kingdom.

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Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday after clashing with President Donald Trump over the withdrawal of US troops from Syria and Afghanistan, saying in a parting letter that the president deserves someone atop the Pentagon better aligned with his views.



The retired Marine generals surprise resignation came a day after Trump shocked American allies and overruled his advisers, including Mattis, upon announcing a withdrawal from Syria. In the process, Trump declared victory over the Islamic State, even though the Pentagon and State Department for months have been saying the fight against the group in Syria isnt over.



Trump also ordered the Pentagon, against Mattis recommendation, to come up with a plan to withdraw approximately half of the American troops deployed to Afghanistan, a move that military officials have warned could plunge the nation into chaos.



The discord, coupled with an array of other disagreements, caused Trump to lose a respected Cabinet official who won widespread praise at home and abroad but who experienced increasing differences with a commander in chief known for his skepticism of American allies and military operations overseas.



Long seen as a bulwark against Trumps isolationist impulses and more extreme proposals, Mattis served as a calm reassurer in-chief as the president sent out startling and provocative tweets.



His departure prompted a chorus of concern about the presidents temperament and decision-making processes and injected new uncertainty into the administrations approach to global threats.



BY Paul Sonne, Josh Dawsey, Missy Ryan(c) 2018, The Washington Post  Dec 21, 2018



WASHINGTON
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.
GlaxoSmithKline Plc is a healthcare company, which engages in the research, development, and manufacture of pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines, and consumer healthcare products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceuticals; Pharmaceuticals R&D; Vaccines and Consumer Healthcare. The Pharmaceuticals segment focuses on developing medicines in respiratory and infectious diseases, oncology, and immuno-inflammation. The Pharmaceuticals R&D segment focuses on science related to the immune system, the use of human genetics and advanced technologies, and is driven by the multiplier effect of Science x Technology x Culture. The Vaccines segment produces pediatric and adult vaccines to prevent a range of infectious diseases including, hepatitis A and B, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella, polio, typhoid, influenza, and bacterial meningitis. The Consumer Healthcare segment develops and markets brands in the oral health, pain relief, respiratory, nutrition and gastro intestinal, and skin health categories. The company was founded in 1715 and is headquartered in Middlesex, the United Kingdom.

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US troops patrol at an Afghan National Army Base in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (Reuters), DECEMBER 21, 2018 - President Donald Trump is planning to withdraw more than 5,000 of the 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, a U.S. official said on Thursday, in the latest sign Trumps patience is thinning with Americas longest war and overseas military interventions.



On Wednesday, Trump rebuffed top advisers and decided to pull all U.S. troops out of Syria, a decision that contributed to U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis abruptly quitting on Thursday over significant policy differences with the president.



One official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said a decision had been made and verbal orders had been given to start planning for the drawdown. The official said timelines were being discussed but it could happen in weeks or months.



It is unclear how the United States with less than 9,000 forces in Afghanistan will be able to fulfil the full set of missions now underway, including training Afghan forces, advising them in the field, and waging an air campaign against the Taliban and other militant groups.



Instead, the United States almost certainly would have to curtail its missions, something that could provide an opportunity for a resurgent Taliban to expand their offensives across Afghanistan.
Husky Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated energy company in the United States, Western and Atlantic Canada, and the Asia Pacific. It operates through two segments, Integrated Corridor and Offshore. The company engages in the exploration for, and development and production of crude oil, bitumen, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGL); marketing of the company's and other producers' crude oil, natural gas, NGL, sulphur, and petroleum coke; pipeline transportation and blending of crude oil and natural gas; and storage of crude oil, diluent, and natural gas. It is also involved in upgrading heavy crude oil feedstock into synthetic crude oil and diesel; refining crude oil; marketing refined petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel, ethanol blended fuels, asphalt, lubricants, and ancillary products; and producing ethanol, as well as refining crude oil to produce and market diesel fuels, gasoline, jet fuel, and asphalt. Husky Energy Inc. was founded in 1938 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Lloyds Banking Group: A G Finance Ltd, A.C.L. Ltd, ACL Autolease Holdings Ltd, ADF No.1 Pty Ltd, Addison Social Housing Holdings Ltd, Alex Lawrie Factors Ltd, Alex. Lawrie Receivables Financing Ltd, Amberdate Ltd, Anglo Scottish Utilities Partnership 1, Aquilus Ltd, Automobile Association Personal Finance Ltd, BOS (Ireland) Property Services 2 Ltd, BOS (Ireland) Property Services Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland) No. 2) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland) No. 3) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland)) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 1 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 2 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 3 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 4 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 5 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 6 plc, BOS (USA) Fund Investments Inc., BOS (USA) Inc., BOS Edinburgh No 1 Ltd, BOS Mistral Ltd, BOS Personal Lending Ltd, BOSSAF Rail Ltd, Bank of Scotland (B G S) Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland (Stanlife) London Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Branch Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Central Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Edinburgh Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Equipment Finance Ltd, Bank of Scotland Foundation, Bank of Scotland LNG Leasing (No 1) Ltd, Bank of Scotland London Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Nominees (Unit Trusts) Ltd, Bank of Scotland P.E.P. Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Structured Asset Finance Ltd, Bank of Scotland Transport Finance 1 Ltd, Bank of Scotland plc, Bank of Wales Ltd, Barents Leasing Ltd, Barnwood Mortgages Ltd, Birchcrown Finance Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Financial Services Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Land Development Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Mortgage Services Ltd, Black Horse (TRF) Ltd, Black Horse Executive Mortgages Ltd, Black Horse Finance Holdings Ltd, Black Horse Finance Management Ltd, Black Horse Group Ltd, Black Horse Ltd, Black Horse Offshore Ltd, Black Horse Property Services Ltd, Boltro Nominees Ltd, British Linen Leasing (London) Ltd, British Linen Leasing Ltd, British Linen Shipping Ltd, C.T.S.B. Leasing Ltd, CBRail S.A.R.L., CF Asset Finance Ltd, CF1 Ltd, CM Venture Investments Ltd, Cancara Asset Securitisation Ltd, Capital 1945 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 12 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 3 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 5 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 9 Ltd, Capital Bank Property Investments (3) Ltd, Capital Personal Finance Ltd, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation 2018-1 Plc, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation 2019-1 Plc, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Cardnet Merchant Services Ltd, Cashfriday Ltd, Cashpoint Ltd, Caveminster Ltd, Cedar Holdings Ltd, Celsius European Lux 2 S.A.R.L., Central Mortgage Finance Ltd, Chariot Finance Ltd, Cheltenham & Gloucester plc, Cheltenham II Securities 2020 DAC, Cheltenham Securities 2017 Ltd, Chepstow Blue Holdings Ltd, Chepstow Blue plc, Chester Asset Options No.2 Ltd, Chester Asset Options No.3 Ltd, Chester Asset Receivables Dealings Issuer Ltd, Chester Asset Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Chester Asset Securitisation Holdings No.2 Ltd, Chiswell Stockbrokers Ltd, Clerical Medical Finance plc, Clerical Medical Financial Services Ltd, Clerical Medical International Holdings B.V., Clerical Medical Investment Fund Managers Ltd, Clerical Medical Managed Funds Ltd, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Guadalix Hold Co BV, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Guadalix Spanish Prop Co SL, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Megapark Hold Co BV, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Megapark Prop Co SA, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Property Company S.A.R.L., Cloak Lane Funding S.A.R.L., Cloak Lane Investments S.A.R.L., Conquest Securities Ltd, Corbiere Asset Investments Ltd, Create Services Ltd, Credit Card Securitisation Europe Ltd, Dalkeith Corporation, Deva Financing Holdings Ltd, Deva Financing plc, Deva One Ltd, Deva Three Ltd, Deva Two Ltd, Dunstan Investments (UK) Ltd, Edgbaston RMBS 2010-1 plc, Edgbaston RMBS Holdings Ltd, Elland RMBS 2018 plc, Elland RMBS Holdings Ltd, Eurolead Services Holdings Ltd, First Retail Finance (Chester) Ltd, Fontwell Securities 2016 Ltd, Forthright Finance Ltd, France Industrial Premises Holding Company, General Leasing (No. 12) Ltd, General Reversionary and Investment Company, Gresham Nominee 1 Ltd, Gresham Nominee 2 Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 1) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 10) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 11) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 12) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 13) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 14) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 15) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 16) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 19) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 20) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 21) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 22) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 23) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 24) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 25) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 26) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 27) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 28) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 29) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 3) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 30) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 31) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 32) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 33) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 34) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 35) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 36) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 37) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 38) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 39) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 40) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 41) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 44) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 45) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 46) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 47) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 48) UK Ltd, Guildhall Asset Purchasing Company (No 3) Ltd, Guildhall Asset Purchasing Company (No.11) UK Ltd, HBOS Covered Bonds LLP, HBOS Final Salary Trust Ltd, HBOS Financial Services Ltd, HBOS Insurance & Investment Group Ltd, HBOS International Financial Services Holdings Ltd, HBOS Investment Fund Managers Ltd, HBOS Social Housing Covered Bonds LLP, HBOS UK Ltd, HBOS plc, HSDL Nominees Ltd, HVF Ltd, Halifax Credit Card Ltd, Halifax Financial Brokers Ltd, Halifax Financial Services (Holdings) Ltd, Halifax Financial Services Ltd, Halifax General Insurance Services Ltd, Halifax Group Ltd, Halifax Investment Services Ltd, Halifax Leasing (June) Ltd, Halifax Leasing (March No.2) Ltd, Halifax Leasing (September) Ltd, Halifax Life Ltd, Halifax Loans Ltd, Halifax Ltd, Halifax Mortgage Services Ltd, Halifax Nominees Ltd, Halifax Pension Nominees Ltd, Halifax Premises Ltd, Halifax Share Dealing Ltd, Halifax Vehicle Leasing (1998) Ltd, Heidi Finance Holdings (UK) Ltd, Hill Samuel Bank Ltd, Hill Samuel Finance Ltd, Hill Samuel Leasing Co. Ltd, Home Shopping Personal Finance Ltd, Horizon Capital 2000 Ltd, Housing Association Risk Transfer 2019 DAC, Housing Growth Partnership GP LLP, Housing Growth Partnership LP, Housing Growth Partnership Ltd, Housing Growth Partnership Manager Ltd, Hyundai Car Finance Ltd, IBOS Finance Ltd, ICC Enterprise Partners Ltd, ICC Equity Partners Ltd, ICC Holdings Unlimited Company, Inchcape Financial Services Ltd, Intelligent Finance Financial Services Ltd, Intelligent Finance Software Ltd, International Motors Finance Ltd, Kanaalstraat Funding C.V., Katrine Leasing Ltd, LB Healthcare Trustee Ltd, LB Motorent Ltd, LB Quest Ltd, LB Share Schemes Trustees Ltd, LBCF Ltd, LBG Brasil Administracao LTDA, LBG Capital Holdings Ltd, LBG Equity Investments Ltd, LBI Leasing Ltd, LDC (General Partner) Ltd, LDC (Managers) Ltd, LDC (Nominees) Ltd, LDC GP LLP, LDC I LP, LDC II LP, LDC III LP, LDC IV LP, LDC Parallel (Nominees) Ltd, LDC V LP, LDC VI LP, LDC VII LP, LDC VIII LP, LTGP Limited Partnership Incorporated, Legacy Renewal Company Ltd, Leicester Securities 2014 Ltd, Lex Autolease (CH) Ltd, Lex Autolease (VC) Ltd, Lex Autolease Carselect Ltd, Lex Autolease Ltd, Lex Vehicle Finance 2 Ltd, Lex Vehicle Leasing (Holdings) Ltd, Lex Vehicle Leasing Ltd, Lime Street (Funding) Ltd, Lingfield 2014 I Holdings Ltd, Lingfield 2014 I plc, Lloyds (Gresham) Ltd, Lloyds (Gresham) No. 1 Ltd, Lloyds (Nimrod) Specialist Finance Ltd, Lloyds America Securities Corporation1, Lloyds Asset Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Branches) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Colonial & Foreign) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Fountainbridge 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Fountainbridge 2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (I.D.) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (International Services) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Stock Exchange Branch) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Asset Finance Ltd, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Ltd, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Scotland Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (HP) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.3) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.4) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets Wertpapierhandelsbank GmbH, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets plc, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds (LM) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds LLP, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 7) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 9) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Financial Services (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales, Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands, Lloyds Bank General Insurance Holdings Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Insurance Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 11) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 17) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 20) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 3) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 5) Ltd, Lloyds Bank GmbH, Lloyds Bank Hill Samuel Holding Company Ltd, Lloyds Bank Insurance Services Ltd, Lloyds Bank International Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing (No. 6) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing (No. 8) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Bank MTCH Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 10) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 13) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 17) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No.16) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Offshore Pension Trust Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pension ABCS (No. 1) LLP, Lloyds Bank Pension ABCS (No. 2) LLP, Lloyds Bank Pension Trust (No. 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pension Trust (No. 2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pensions Property (Guernsey) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Properties Ltd, Lloyds Bank Property Company Ltd, Lloyds Bank S.F. Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Subsidiaries Ltd, Lloyds Bank Trustee Services Ltd, Lloyds Bank plc, Lloyds Banking Group Pensions Trustees Ltd, Lloyds Capital GP Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Properties Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Property Investments Ltd, Lloyds Corporate Services (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Development Capital (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Engine Capital (No.1) U.S LLC, Lloyds Far East S.A.R.L., Lloyds General Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Group Holdings (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Holdings (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Hypotheken B.V., Lloyds Industrial Leasing Ltd, Lloyds International Pty Ltd, Lloyds Investment Bonds Ltd, Lloyds Investment Fund Managers Ltd, Lloyds Investment Securities No.5 Ltd, Lloyds Leasing (North Sea Transport) Ltd1, Lloyds Leasing Developments Ltd, Lloyds Nominees (Guernsey) Ltd, Lloyds Offshore Global Services Private Ltd, Lloyds Plant Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Portfolio Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Premises Investments Ltd, Lloyds Project Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No. 3 Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No. 4 Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No.5 Ltd, Lloyds Secretaries Ltd, Lloyds Securities Inc., Lloyds TSB Pacific Ltd, Lloyds UDT Asset Leasing Ltd, Lloyds UDT Asset Rentals Ltd, Lloyds UDT Hiring Ltd, Lloyds UDT Leasing Ltd, Lloyds UDT Ltd, Lloyds Your Tomorrow Trustee Ltd, Loans.co.uk Ltd, London Taxi Finance Ltd, London Uberior (L.A.S. Group) Nominees Ltd, Lotus Finance Ltd, MBNA, MBNA Direct Ltd, MBNA Europe Finance Ltd, MBNA Europe Holdings Ltd, MBNA General Foundation, MBNA Global Services Ltd, MBNA Indian Services Private Ltd, MBNA Ltd, MBNA R & L S.A.R.L., MBNA Receivables Ltd, Mainsearch Company Ltd, Maritime Leasing (No. 19) Ltd, Membership Services Finance Ltd, Mitre Street Funding S.A.R.L., Molineux RMBS 2016-1 plc, Molineux RMBS Holdings Ltd, Moor Lane Holdings Ltd, NFU Mutual Finance Ltd, NWS Trust Ltd, Nominees (Jersey) Ltd, Nordic Leasing Ltd, Ocean Leasing (July) Ltd, Oystercatcher Nominees Ltd, Oystercatcher Residential Ltd, PIPS Asset Investments Ltd, Pacific Leasing Ltd, Penarth Asset Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Penarth Funding 1 Ltd, Penarth Funding 2 Ltd, Penarth Master Issuer plc, Penarth Receivables Trustee Ltd, Pensions Management (S.W.F.) Ltd, Peony Eastern Leasing Ltd, Peony Leasing Ltd, Peony Western Leasing Ltd, Permanent Funding (No. 1) Ltd, Permanent Funding (No. 2) Ltd, Permanent Holdings Ltd, Permanent Master Issuer plc, Permanent Mortgages Trustee Ltd, Permanent PECOH Holdings Ltd, Permanent PECOH Ltd, Perry Nominees Ltd, Prestonfield Investments Ltd, Proton Finance Ltd, R.F. Spencer And Company Ltd, Ranelagh Nominees Ltd, Retail Revival (Burgess Hill) Investments Ltd, SARL Coliseum, SARL Hiram, SAS Compagnie Fonciere De France, SCI Astoria Invest, SCI De LHorloge, SCI Equinoxe, SCI Rambuteau CFF, SW Funding plc, SW No.1 Ltd, SWAMF (GP) Ltd, SWAMF Nominee (1) Ltd, SWAMF Nominee (2) Ltd, Saint Michel Holding Company No1, Saint Michel Investment Property, Saint Witz 2 Holding Company No1, Saint Witz 2 Investment Property, Salisbury II Securities 2016 Ltd, Salisbury II-A Securities 2017 Ltd, Salisbury III Securities 2019 DAC, Salisbury Securities 2015 Ltd, Sandown 2012-2 Holdings Ltd, Sandown 2012-2 plc, Sandown Gold 2012-1 Holdings Ltd, Sandown Gold 2012-1 plc, Savban Leasing Ltd, Scotland International Finance B.V., Scottish Widows Administration Services (Nominees) Ltd, Scottish Widows Administration Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Annuities Ltd, Scottish Widows Auto Enrolment Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Europe, Scottish Widows Financial Services Holdings, Scottish Widows Group Ltd, Scottish Widows Industrial Properties Europe B.V., Scottish Widows Ltd, Scottish Widows Pension Trustees Ltd, Scottish Widows Property Management Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Personal Wealth (ACD) Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Personal Wealth Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Wealth Holdings Ltd, Scottish Widows Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Trustees Ltd, Scottish Widows Unit Funds Ltd, Scottish Widows Unit Trust Managers Ltd, Scottish Widows Fund and Life Assurance Society, Seabreeze Leasing Ltd, Seaspirit Leasing Ltd, Share Dealing Nominees Ltd, Shogun Finance Ltd, Silentdale Ltd, St Andrews Group Ltd, St Andrews Insurance plc, St Andrews Life Assurance plc, St. Marys Court Investments, Standard Property Investment (1987) Ltd, Standard Property Investment Ltd, Sussex County Homes Ltd, Suzuki Financial Services Ltd, Swan Funding 2 Ltd, Syon Securities 2019 DAC, The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Plc, The British Linen Company Ltd, The Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland, The Mortgage Business plc, Thistle Financing Holdings Ltd, Thistle Investments (AMC) Ltd, Thistle Investments (ERM) Ltd, Thistle Leasing, Three Copthall Avenue Ltd, Tower Hill Property Investments (10) Ltd, Tower Hill Property Investments (7) Ltd, Tranquility Leasing Ltd, Trinity Financing plc, UDT Budget Leasing Ltd, UDT Sales Finance Ltd, Uberior (Moorfield) Ltd, Uberior Co-Investments Ltd, Uberior ENA Ltd, Uberior Equity Ltd, Uberior Europe Ltd, Uberior Fund Investments Ltd, Uberior Infrastructure Investments (No.2) Ltd, Uberior Infrastructure Investments Ltd, Uberior Investments Ltd, Uberior Nominees Ltd, Uberior Trading Ltd, Uberior Trustees Ltd, Uberior Ventures Australia Pty Ltd, Uberior Ventures Ltd, United Dominions Leasing Ltd, United Dominions Trust Ltd, Universe The CMI Global Network Fund, Upsaala Ltd, Vine Street IX LP, WCS Ltd, Ward Nominees (Abingdon) Ltd, Ward Nominees (Birmingham) Ltd 1, Ward Nominees (Bristol) Ltd 1, Ward Nominees Ltd 1, Waverley  Fund II Investor LLC, Waverley  Fund III Investor LLC, Waymark Asset Investments Ltd, West Craigs Ltd, Wetherby II Securities 2018 DAC, Wetherby III Securities 2019 DAC, Wetherby Securities 2017 Ltd, Wood Street Leasing Ltd, and Zurich Insurance Group - UK Workplace Pensions and Savings Business.
The following companies are subsidiares of ENI: Adriaplin Podjetje za distribucijo, Agenzia Giornalistica Italia SpA, Agip Caspian Sea BV, Agip Energy and Natural, Agip Karachaganak BV, Agip Petroli, Aldro Energy, Banque Eni SA, Burren Energy (Bermuda) Ltd(1), Burren Energy (Egypt) Ltd, Burren Energy Congo Ltd, Burren Energy India Ltd, Burren Energy Plc, Burren Shakti Ltd, D-Service Media Srl, D-Share SpA, D-Share USA Corp., Dhamma Energy Group, Dunastyr Polisztirolgyarto Zartkoruen, Ecofuel SpA, Eni AEP Ltd, Eni Abu Dhabi BV, Eni Abu Dhabi Refining & Trading BV, Eni Abu Dhabi Refining & Trading Services BV, Eni Albania BV, Eni Algeria Exploration BV, Eni Algeria Ltd Sarl, Eni Algeria Production BV, Eni Ambalat Ltd, Eni America Ltd, Eni Angola Exploration BV, Eni Angola Production BV, Eni Angola SpA, Eni Argentina Exploracion, Eni Arguni I Ltd, Eni Australia BV, Eni Australia Ltd, Eni Austria GmbH, Eni BB Petroleum Inc, Eni BTC Ltd, Eni Bahrain BV, Eni Benelux BV, Eni Bukat Ltd, Eni CBM Ltd, Eni Canada Holding Ltd, Eni China BV, Eni Congo SA, Eni Corporate University SpA, Eni Cyprus Ltd, Eni Cote dIvoire Ltd, Eni Denmark BV, Eni Deutschland GmbH, Eni East Ganal Ltd, Eni East Sepinggan Ltd, Eni Ecuador SA, Eni Elgin/Franklin Ltd, Eni Energy Russia BV, Eni Exploration & Production Holding BV, Eni Finance International SA, Eni Finance USA Inc, Eni France Sarl, Eni Fuel SpA, Eni G&P Trading BV, Eni Gabon SA, Eni Ganal Ltd, Eni Gas & Power France SA, Eni Gas & Power LNG Australia BV, Eni Gas Transport Services Srl, Eni Ghana Exploration and Production Ltd, Eni Hewett Ltd, Eni Hydrocarbons Venezuela Ltd, Eni Iberia SLU, Eni India Ltd, Eni Indonesia Ltd, Eni Indonesia Ots 1 Ltd, Eni Insurance DAC, Eni International BV, Eni International NA NV Sarl, Eni International Resources Ltd, Eni Investments Plc, Eni Iran BV, Eni Iraq BV, Eni Ireland BV, Eni Isatay BV, Eni JPDA 03-13 Ltd, Eni JPDA 06-105 Pty Ltd, Eni JPDA 11-106 BV, Eni Kenya BV, Eni Krueng Mane Ltd, Eni LNS Ltd, Eni Lasmo Plc, Eni Lebanon BV, Eni Liberia BV, Eni Liverpool Bay Operating Co Ltd, Eni Lubricants Trading (Shangai) Co Ltd, Eni Marketing Austria GmbH, Eni Marketing Inc, Eni Maroc BV, Eni Mediterranea Idrocarburi SpA, Eni Middle East Ltd, Eni Mineralolhandel GmbH, Eni Montenegro BV, Eni Mozambico SpA, Eni Mozambique Engineering Ltd, Eni Mozambique LNG Holding BV, Eni Muara Bakau BV, Eni Myanmar BV, Eni Mexico S. de RL de CV, Eni Next Llc, Eni North Africa BV, Eni North Ganal Ltd, Eni Oil & Gas Inc, Eni Oil Algeria Ltd, Eni Oil Holdings BV, Eni Oman BV, Eni Pakistan (M) Ltd Sarl, Eni Pakistan Ltd, Eni Petroleum Co Inc, Eni Petroleum US Llc, Eni Portugal BV, Eni RAK BV, Eni RD Congo SA, Eni Rapak Ltd, Eni Rovuma Basin BV, Eni Schmiertechnik GmbH, Eni Sharjah BV, Eni South Africa BV, Eni South China Sea Ltd Sarl, Eni Suisse SA, Eni TNS Ltd, Eni Timor Leste SpA, Eni Trading & Shipping Inc, Eni Trading & Shipping SpA, Eni Transporte y Suministro Mexico , Eni Tunisia BV, Eni Turkmenistan Ltd, Eni UHL Ltd, Eni UK Holding Plc, Eni UK Ltd, Eni UKCS Ltd, Eni ULT Ltd, Eni ULX Ltd, Eni US Operating Co Inc, Eni USA Gas Marketing Llc, Eni USA Inc, Eni USA R&M Co Inc, Eni Ukraine Holdings BV, Eni Ukraine Llc, Eni Ukraine Shallow Waters BV, Eni Venezuela BV, Eni Venezuela E&P Holding SA, Eni Vietnam BV, Eni West Africa SpA, Eni West Ganal Ltd, Eni West Timor Ltd, Eni Yemen Ltd, Eni do Brasil Investimentos em Exploracao e Producao de Petroleo Ltda, Eni gas e luce SpA, EniPower Mantova SpA, EniProgetti Egypt Ltd, EniProgetti SpA, EniServizi SpA, Esacontrol SA, Esain SA, Eurl Eni Algerie, FRI-EL Group, First Calgary Petroleums LP, First Calgary Petroleums Partner Co ULC, First Calgary Petroliums, Floaters SpA, Gas Supply Company Thessaloniki - Thessalia SA, Gazoduc Transtunisien SA - Scogat SA, Ieoc Exploration BV, Ieoc Production BV, Ieoc SpA, LNG Shipping SpA, Lasmo Sanga Sanga Ltd, Liverpool Bay Ltd, Mizamtec Operating Company, Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Nigerian Agip CPFA Ltd, Nigerian Agip Exploration Ltd, Nigerian Agip Oil Co Ltd, OOO Eni Energhia, OOO Eni-Nefto, Oleoduc du Rhone SA, Petroven Srl, Raffineria di Gela SpA, Resources (Nigeria) Ltd, S. de RL de CV, SEA SpA, SeaPad SpA, Serfactoring SpA, Servizi Aerei SpA, Servizi Fondo Bombole Metano SpA, Societa Petrolifera Italiana SpA, Societe de Service du Gazoduc, Societe pour la Construction du, Tecnoesa SA, Trans Tunisian Pipeline Co SpA, Transtunisien SA - Sergaz SA, Versalis Americas Inc, Versalis Congo Sarlu, Versalis Deutschland GmbH, Versalis France SAS, Versalis International SA, Versalis Kimya Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Versalis Mexico S. de R.L. de CV, Versalis Pacific (India) Private Ltd, Versalis Pacific Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, Versalis Singapore Pte Ltd, Versalis SpA, Versalis UK Ltd, Zetah Congo Ltd, Zetah Kouilou Ltd, and zemeljskega plina doo Ljubljana.
Unum Group is engaged in providing financial protection benefits. It operates through the following segments: Unum US, Unum International, Colonial Life, Closed Block and Corporate. The Unum US segment comprises of group long-term and short-term disability insurance, group life and accidental death and dismemberment products, and supplemental and voluntary lines of business. The Unum International segment engages in the operations of UK business, which includes insurance for group long-term disability, group life, and supplemental lines of business that include dental, individual disability, and critical illness products; Poland business primarily includes insurance for individual and group life with accident and health riders. The Colonial Life segment includes insurance for accident, sickness, disability products, life products, and cancer and critical illness products. The Closed Block segment consists of individual disability, group and individual long-term care, and other insurance products no longer actively marketed. The Corporate segment refers to investment income on corporate assets and other corporate income and expenses not allocated to a line of business; and interest

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The following companies are subsidiares of 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..
President Energy Plc engages in the exploration, evaluation, and production of oil and gas properties primarily in South America. The company holds exploration assets in Argentina, the United States, and Paraguay. It also sells hydrocarbons. The company was formerly known as President Petroleum Company PLC and changed its name to President Energy Plc in September 2012. President Energy Plc was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Leeds, the United Kingdom.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Crown: Adularia Inversiones 2010 S.L., Angleboard Sweden AB, Bates Cargo-Pak ApS, Butimove, CMB Machinery and Technology (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CROWN AP (Thailand) Company Limited, CROWN Aerosols & Promotional Nederland, CROWN Aerosols Italia Srl, CROWN Aerosols Nederland BV, CROWN Aerosols UK Limited, CROWN Americas LLC, CROWN Arabia Can Company Ltd, CROWN Asia Pacific Holdings Pte. Ltd., CROWN Asia Pacific Investments (T) Limited, CROWN Bevcan Espana S.L., CROWN Bevcan France SAS, CROWN Bevcan Slovakia s.r.o., CROWN Bevcan Turkiye Ambalaj Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, CROWN Bevcan and Closures (Thailand) Company Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans (Cambodia) Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans (Dong Nai) Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Beijing Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Changchun Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Danang Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Hangzhou Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Hanoi Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Heshan Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Hong Kong Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Huizhou Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Malaysia Sdn Bhd, CROWN Beverage Cans Nanning Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Putian Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Saigon Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Shanghai Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Sihanoukville Limited, CROWN Beverage Cans Singapore Pte. Ltd., CROWN Beverage Cans Ziyang Limited, CROWN Beverage Packaging LLC, CROWN Beverage Packaging Puerto Rico Inc., CROWN Cans Ghana Limited, CROWN China Holdings (Hong Kong) Limited, CROWN Commercial Belgium BVBA, CROWN Commercial France SAS, CROWN Commercial Germany GmbH & Co. KG, CROWN Commercial Hungary Kft, CROWN Commercial Netherlands B.V., CROWN Commercial Vermogensverwaltung GmbH, CROWN Cork & Seal USA Inc., CROWN Embalagens Metalicas da Amazonia S.A., CROWN Emballage France SAS, CROWN Emirates Company Limited, CROWN Envases Mexico S.A. de C.V., CROWN Famosa S.A. de C.V., CROWN Food Packaging (Thailand) Public Company Limited, CROWN Foodcan (Hat Yai) Company Limited, CROWN Foodcan (Nakhon Pathom) Company Limited, CROWN Foodcan Germany GmbH, CROWN Foodcan GmbH, CROWN Imballaggi Italia Srl, CROWN Imgallaggi Italia Srl, CROWN Italy Finance srl, CROWN Khmer Beverage Cans Limited, CROWN Maghreb Can, CROWN Magyarorszag Csomagoloipari KFT, CROWN Metal Packaging Canada Inc., CROWN Metal Packaging Canada LP, CROWN Middle East Can Co. Ltd., CROWN Packaging (Barbados) Limited, CROWN Packaging Holdings LLC, CROWN Packaging Investment (H.K.) Limited, CROWN Packaging Ireland Ltd, CROWN Packaging Jamaica Limited, CROWN Packaging Polska Sp.z.o.o., CROWN Packaging Technology Inc., CROWN Packaging Trinidad Limited, CROWN Packaging UK Limited, CROWN Promotional Packaging UK Ltd, CROWN SIEM, CROWN Senegal, CROWN Societe Malgache d'Emballages Metalliques, CROWN Speciality Packaging BV, CROWN Speciality Packaging Investment Pte. Ltd., CROWN Specialty Packaging UK Ltd, CROWN TCP Beverage Cans Company Limited, CROWN Verpakking Belgie NV, CROWN Verpakking Nederland B.V., Caretex Asia Ltd., CarnaudMetalbox Engineering Ltd, CarnaudMetalbox Food South Africa (Pty) Limited, CarnaudMetalbox Group UK Limited, CarnaudMetalbox Overeseas Limited, CarnaudMetalbox Overseas Limited, Cierres Hermeticos S.A. DE C.V., Constar International, Crown Americas Capital Corp., Crown Americas Capital Corp. II, Crown Americas Capital Corp. III, Crown Americas Capital Corp. IV, Crown Americas Capital Corp. V, Crown Americas Capital Corp. VI, Crown Brasil Holdings Ltda., Crown Canadian Holdings ULC, Crown Closures Spain S.L., Crown Colombiana S.A., Crown Comercial de Envases S.L., Crown Commercial Italy Srl, Crown Commercial Polska Sp. z.o.o., Crown Consultants Inc., Crown Cork & Seal Company (DE) LLC, Crown Cork & Seal Company Inc., Crown Cork & Seal Deutschland Holdings GmbH, Crown Cork & Seal Receivables (DE) Corporation, Crown Cork & Seal de Portugal Embalagens S.A., Crown Cork Kuban, Crown Cork and Seal Receivables II LLC, Crown Developpement SAS, Crown European Holdings, Crown Food Espana S.A.U., Crown Foodcan Turkey Ambalaj Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Crown Hellas Can Packaging SA, Crown Heshan Trading Company Limited, Crown Holdings Italia Srl, Crown Holdings Spain S.L., Crown International Holdings B.V., Crown International Holdings Inc., Crown Luxembourg Holdings, Crown Mexican Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., Crown Overseas Investments B.V., Crown Packaging Commercial UK Limited, Crown Packaging Distribution UK Limited, Crown Packaging European Division GmbH, Crown Packaging European Division Services SAS, Crown Packaging European Holdings GmbH, Crown Packaging Lux I S.a.r.l., Crown Packaging Lux II S.a.r.l., Crown Packaging Lux III S.a.r.l., Crown Packaging Manufacturing UK Limited, Crown Packaging Maroc, Crown Receivables III, Crown Services Iberia, Crown UK Holdings Limited, Crownway Insurance Company, Dacro B.V., EMPAQUE, Fabricas Monterrey S.A. de C.V., Form Koruyucu Ambalaj Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Foshan Continental Can Co. Limited, Foshan Crown Easy-Opening End Co. Limited, Glass & Silice S.A. DE C.V., Globoplastt s.r.o., Gunther S.A.S., Haloila Bulgaria EOOD, Interstrap B.V., Josef Kihlberg AB, Kiwiplan GmbH, Kiwiplan Inc, Lachenmeier ApS, Liljendals Bruk AB, Litec France S.A.S., Mezger Heftsysteme GmbH, Mima Films S.a.r.l., Mima Films Sprl, Mima Packaging Systems S.A.S., Mivisa, Nordic S.A.S., Norsk Signode AS, Oy M. Haloila AB, PT CROWN Beverage Cans Indonesia, Package Design and Manufacturing, Prolatamex S.A. DE C.V., Quandel Verpackungs- und Foerdertechnik GmbH, SMB Schwede Maschinenbau GmbH, SMP Schwede Maschinenbau Weischlitz GmbH, SPG Denmark, SPG France Holdings SAS, SPG Germany Service Management GmbH, SPG Industrial Packaging S.a.r.l, SPG Netherlands B.V., SPG Packaging Ireland Limited, SPG Packaging Systems GmbH, SPG Packaging UK Ltd, Scybele S.A.S., Shippers Europe S.p.r.l., Signode BVBA, Signode Brasileira Ltda, Signode Hong Kong Limited, Signode Industrial Group, Signode Industrial Group AB, Signode Industrial Group Colombia S.A.S., Signode Industrial Group GmbH, Signode Industrial Group Holdings Lux S.a.r.l., Signode Industrial Group Holdings US Inc, Signode Industrial Group Lux S.A., Signode Industrial Group Mexico, Signode Industrial Group Sweden AB, Signode International Holdings LLC, Signode International IP Holdings LLC, Signode International Investment LLC, Signode Kabushiki Kaisha, Signode Korea Inc, Signode NZ Limited, Signode Netherlands B.V., Signode Packaging (Qingdao) Co., Signode Packaging (Shanghai) Co., Signode Packaging Espana S.L., Signode Packaging Group (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Signode Packaging Group Australia Pty Ltd, Signode Packaging Group Canada ULC, Signode Packaging Group NZ, Signode Packaging Systems Limited, Signode Pickling Holding LLC, Signode Polska sp. Z.o.o., Signode Singapore Pte. Ltd., Signode Sweden Holdings AB, Signode System GmbH, Signode System Packaging GmbH & Co. KG, Signode Systems (Thailand) Ltd., Signode US IP Holdings LLC, Silice De Veracruz S.A. DE C. V., Silice Del Istmo S.A. DE C.V., Silices De Veracruz, Societe Civile Immobiliere Rousseau-Ivry, Societe Civile Immobiliere des Baquets, Societe de Participations CarnaudMetalbox, Stopak India Pvt. Ltd, Strapex Austria GmbH, Strapex Embalagem L.d.a., Strapex Holdings Limited, Strapex S.A.S., Strapex Srl, Superior Investments Holdings Pte. Ltd., Superior Multi-Packaging Limited, TopFrame LLC, V.A.C. B.V., Vichisa S.A. de C.V., and Warehouse Automation Iberia S.L..
The following companies are subsidiares of Quest Diagnostics: AmeriPath, AmeriPath Cincinnati Inc. (OH), AmeriPath Cleveland Inc. (OH), AmeriPath Consolidated Labs Inc. (FL), AmeriPath Florida LLC (DE), AmeriPath Hospital Services Florida LLC (DE), AmeriPath Inc. (DE), AmeriPath Indianapolis PC (IN), AmeriPath Kentucky Inc. (KY), AmeriPath Lubbock 5.01(A) Corporation (TX), AmeriPath New York LLC (DE), AmeriPath Texas Inc. (DE), AmeriPath Tucson Inc. (AZ), American Medical Laboratories, American Medical Laboratories Incorporated (DE), Associated Clinical Laboratories L.P. (PA), Associated Clinical Laboratories of Pennsylvania L.L.C. (PA), Athena Diagnostics, Athena Diagnostics Inc. (DE), Blueprint Genetics, Blueprint Genetics FZ-LLC (UAE), Blueprint Genetics Inc. (DE), Blueprint Genetics Oy (Finland), California Laboratory Associates, Cape Cod Healthcare - Business, Celera, ClearPoint Diagnostic, Clearpoint Diagnostic Laboratories LLC (TX), Cleveland HeartLab, Cleveland HeartLab Inc. (DE), Clinical Laboratory Partners, Colorado Pathology Consultants P.C. (CO), ConVerge Diagnostic Services, Consolidated DermPath Inc. (DE), DFW 5.01(a) Corporation (TX), DGXWMT JV LLC (DE), Dermatopathology of Wisconsin S.C. (WI), Diagnostic Laboratory of Oklahoma LLC (OK), Diagnostic Pathology Services Inc. (OK), Diagnostic Reference Services Inc. (MD), ExamOne Canada Inc. (New Brunswick), ExamOne LLC (DE), ExamOne World Wide Inc. (PA), ExamOne World Wide of NJ Inc. (NJ), Focus Diagnostics, HemoCue, Hoffman M.D. Associated Pathologists Chartered (NV), Institute for Dermatopathology Inc. (PA), Isabella Street Urban Renewal LLC (NJ), Kailash B. Sharma M.D. Inc. (GA), Kilpatrick Pathology P.A. (NC), LabOne, LabOne LLC (MO), LabOne of Ohio Inc. (DE), Laboratorio de Analisis Biomedicos S.A. (Mexico), Lancet Labs, MACL, Med Fusion LLC (TX), Med fusion, MedPlus, Mid America Clinical Laboratories LLC (IN), Nomad Massachusetts Inc. (MA), Nuclear Medicine and Pathology Associates (GA), Ocmulgee Medical Pathology Association Inc. (GA), Pathology Building Partnership (MD) (gen. ptnrshp.), PeaceHealth Laboratories, PhenoPath Laboratories, PhenoPath Laboratories PLLC (WA), Q Squared Solutions Holdings LLC (DE), Q Squared Solutions Holdings Limited (UK), Quest Diagnostics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. (China), Quest Diagnostics Brasil Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics Clinical Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics Clinical Laboratories Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics Domestic Holder LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics HTAS India Private Limited (India), Quest Diagnostics Health & Wellness LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Holdings Incorporated (DE), Quest Diagnostics Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (MD), Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NV), Quest Diagnostics India Private Limited (India), Quest Diagnostics Infectious Disease Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics International Holdings Limited (UK), Quest Diagnostics International LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Investments LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Ireland Limited (Ireland), Quest Diagnostics LLC (CT), Quest Diagnostics LLC (IL), Quest Diagnostics LLC (MA), Quest Diagnostics Massachusetts LLC (MA), Quest Diagnostics Mexico Holding Company Trust (Mexico), Quest Diagnostics Mexico S de RL de CV (Mexico), Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute (CA), Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute Inc. (VA), Quest Diagnostics Receivables Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics Subsidiary Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics TB LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Terracotta LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Venture LLC (PA), Quest Diagnostics Ventures LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics do Brasil Ltda. (Brazil), Quest Diagnostics of Pennsylvania Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics of Puerto Rico Inc. (PR), Quest HealthConnect LLC (CA), ReproSource, Reprosource Fertility Diagnostics Inc. (MA), Solstas Lab Partners, Sonora Quest Laboratories LLC (AZ), Specialty Laboratories Inc. (CA), Summit Health, UMass Memorial Medical Center - Anatomic Pathology Outreach Laboratory Business, Unilab Corporation, and Unilab Corporation (DE).
Royal Dutch Shell plc operates as an energy and petrochemical company worldwide. The company operates through Integrated Gas, Upstream, Oil Products, Chemicals segments. It explores for and extracts crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids; markets and transports oil and gas; produces gas-to-liquids fuels and other products; and operates upstream and midstream infrastructure necessary to deliver gas to market. The company also markets and trades natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), crude oil, electricity, carbon-emission rights; and markets and sells LNG as a fuel for heavy-duty vehicles and marine vessels. In addition, it trades in and refines crude oil and other feed stocks, such as gasoline, diesel, heating oil, aviation fuel, marine fuel, biofuel, lubricants, bitumen, and sulphur; produces and sells petrochemicals for industrial use; and manages oil sands activities. Further, the company produces base chemicals comprising ethylene, propylene, and aromatics, as well as intermediate chemicals, such as styrene monomer, propylene oxide, solvents, detergent alcohols, ethylene oxide, and ethylene glycol. Royal Dutch Shell plc was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands.

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DowDuPont Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in agriculture, materials science, and specialty products businesses in the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company's Agriculture segment produces, and sells hybrid corn seed and soybean seed varieties; sunflowers, wheat, alfalfa, canola, cotton, rice, and sorghum; silage inoculants; and crop protection products that include weed control, disease control, and insect control. Its Performance Materials & Coatings segment manufactures and sells architectural paints and coatings, and industrial coatings; performance monomers and silicones; standalone silicones; and home and personal care solutions. The company's Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure segment offers ethylene oxides, propylene oxide derivatives, cellulose ethers, redispersible latex powders, and acrylic emulsions; sustainable solutions; and chlorine and caustic soda. Its Packaging & Specialty Plastics segment provides ethylene, and propylene and aromatic products; and polyolefin elastomers and ethylene propylene diene monomer rubbers. The company's Electronics & Imaging segment offers materials and systems for mobile devices, television monitors, personal computers, and electronics. Its Nutrition & Biosciences segment provides specialty ingredients, as well as cellulosic- and alginates-based pharma excipients; and enzymes, biomaterials, biocides, and antimicrobial solutions and process technologies. The company's Transportation & Advanced Polymers segment offers engineering resins, adhesives, lubricants, and parts for transportation, electronics, healthcare, industrial, and consumer end-markets. Its Safety & Construction segment provides engineered products and integrated systems for construction, worker safety, energy, oil and gas, transportation, medical device, and water purification and separation industries. The company was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in Midland, Michigan.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Roche: 454 Life Sciences, Adheron Therapeutics, Adheron Therapeutics Inc., Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc., Ariosa Diagnostics, Ariosa Diagnostics Inc., Arius Research, Ascur Versicherungsvermittlungs GmbH, BINA Technology, Bina Technologies Inc., BioImagene, BioVeris, BioVeris Corporation, Biopharm AG, Boehringer Mannheim, Borean Pharma, Chemical Manufacturing and Trading Company Limited, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Disetronic Holding AG, Dutalys GmbH, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd / Jordan P.S.C., FLLC "Roche Products Limited", FMI Germany GmbH, Flatiron Health, Flatiron Health Inc., ForSight Labs, ForSight VISION4 Inc., Foundation Medicine, Foundation Medicine Inc., Foundation Medicine Securities Corporation, Galenus Mannheim Pharma GmbH, GeneWEAVE, GeneWEAVE Biosciences Inc., Genentech, Genentech Inc., Genentech P.R. Inc., Genentech USA Inc., Genia Technologies, Hoffmann - La Roche Ltd, Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., Hoffmann-La Roche Limited, Hoffmann-La Roche Products Limited, I5 Surviving Corp., IGEN International Inc., IGEN LS LLC, IQuum, IQuum Inc., Ignyta, Ignyta Inc., Inflazome, Infogenetik Molekuler Bilgi Hizmetleri Anonim Sirketi, Institut Roche SAS, InterMune, InterMune Holdings Limited, InterMune Inc., InterMune International AG, Jecure Therapeutics Inc., Kapa Biosystems, Kapa Biosystems (Pty) Ltd, Kapa Biosystems Inc., Limited Liability Company Roche Diabetes Care Rus, Limited Liability Company Roche Diagnostics Rus, MTM Laboratories, Marcadia Biotech, Medingo Ltd., Medingo Medical Solutions, Memory Pharmaceuticals, Memory Pharmaceuticals Corp., Mirus, Museum Tinguely AG, N.V. Roche S.A., P.T. Roche Indonesia, PVT Probenverteiltechnik GmbH, Phaor AG, Piramed, Productos Roche (El Salvador) S.A. de C.V., Productos Roche (Honduras) S.A., Productos Roche (Nicaragua) S.A., Productos Roche (Panama) S.A., Productos Roche Dominicana S.R.L., Productos Roche Guatemala (Sociedad Anonima), Productos Roche Interamericana S.A. (PRISA), Productos Roche Quimica Farmaceutica S.A., Productos Roche S.A., Productos Roche S.A. Quimica e Industrial, Productos Roche S.A. de C.V., Produtos Roche Quimicos e Farmaceuticos S.A., Promedior, Rabbit-Air Ltd, RoDiagnostics Egypt for Trading S.A.E, Roche (China) Holding Ltd., Roche (Hellas) S.A., Roche (Hungary) Ltd, Roche (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Roche (Philippines) Inc., Roche (Shanghai) Pharmaceuticals Consulting Co. Ltd, Roche (Shanghai) Pharmaceuticals Trading Co. Ltd., Roche - Moscow Ltd., Roche AB, Roche Algerie SPA, Roche Austria GmbH, Roche Bangladesh Limited, Roche Beteiligungs GmbH, Roche Biomedical Laboratories Inc., Roche Bolivia SRL., Roche Bulgaria EOOD, Roche Cameroun SARL, Roche Capital Market Ltd, Roche Capital Services Ltd., Roche Catalyst Investments Ltd., Roche Chemische Unternehmungen AG, Roche Chile Limitada, Roche Cote dIvoire SARL, Roche DC Japan K. K., Roche DC Mexico S.A. de C.V., Roche Deutschland Holding GmbH, Roche Diabetes Care (Switzerland) Ltd, Roche Diabetes Care Argentina S.A., Roche Diabetes Care Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Roche Diabetes Care Australia Pty Limited, Roche Diabetes Care Austria GmbH, Roche Diabetes Care Brasil Ltda., Roche Diabetes Care Deutschland GmbH, Roche Diabetes Care France SAS, Roche Diabetes Care GmbH, Roche Diabetes Care Inc., Roche Diabetes Care India Private Limited, Roche Diabetes Care Italy S.p.A., Roche Diabetes Care Limited, Roche Diabetes Care Middle East FZCO, Roche Diabetes Care Nederland B.V., Roche Diabetes Care Polska sp. z o.o., Roche Diabetes Care South Africa Proprietary Limited, Roche Diabetes Care Spain S.L., Roche Diagnostica Brasil Ltda., Roche Diagnostics (Hellas) S.A., Roche Diagnostics (Hong Kong) Limited, Roche Diagnostics (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Roche Diagnostics (Shanghai) Ltd., Roche Diagnostics (Suzhou) Limited, Roche Diagnostics (Switzerland) Ltd, Roche Diagnostics (Thailand) Limited, Roche Diagnostics Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Roche Diagnostics Australia Pty. Limited, Roche Diagnostics Belgium NV, Roche Diagnostics Corporation, Roche Diagnostics Deutschland GmbH, Roche Diagnostics France SAS, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Roche Diagnostics Hematology Inc., Roche Diagnostics India Private Limited, Roche Diagnostics International Ltd, Roche Diagnostics K.K., Roche Diagnostics Korea Co. Ltd., Roche Diagnostics Limited, Roche Diagnostics Ltd., Roche Diagnostics Middle East FZCO, Roche Diagnostics NZ Limited, Roche Diagnostics Nederland B.V., Roche Diagnostics Norge A/S, Roche Diagnostics Operations Inc., Roche Diagnostics Oy, Roche Diagnostics Polska Sp. z o.o., Roche Diagnostics Proprietary Limited, Roche Diagnostics S.L., Roche Diagnostics S.p.A., Roche Diagnostics Scandinavia AB, Roche Diagnostics Turkey Anonim Sirketi, Roche Diagnostics a/s, Roche Ecuador S.A., Roche Eesti OU, Roche Egypt LLC, Roche Egypt for Manufacturing and Trading SAE, Roche Farma (Peru) S.A., Roche Farma S.A., Roche Farmaceutica Quimica Lda., Roche Finance Europe B.V., Roche Finance Ltd, Roche Financial Investments Ltd., Roche Financial Management Ltd., Roche Financial Services Ltd., Roche Forum Buonas Ltd, Roche Georgia LLC, Roche Glycart, Roche Glycart Ltd, Roche Health Solutions Inc., Roche Holding (UK) Limited, Roche Holdings Inc., Roche Hong Kong Limited, Roche Innovation Center Copenhagen A/S, Roche Innovatis, Roche International Ltd., Roche International Ltd. (Montevideo Branch), Roche Intertrade Limited, Roche Ireland Limited, Roche Kazakhstan LLP, Roche Kenya Limited, Roche Korea Company Ltd., Roche Laboratories Inc., Roche Latvija SIA, Roche Lebanon S.A.R.L., Roche Long Term Foundation, Roche Makedonija DOOEL, Roche Molecular Systems Inc., Roche Myanmar Company Limited, Roche Mustahzarlari Sanayi Anonim Sirketi, Roche Nederland B.V., Roche NimbleGen, Roche Norge A/S, Roche Operations Ltd., Roche Oy, Roche PVT GmbH, Roche Pakistan Limited, Roche Palo Alto LLC, Roche Pars Co. (Ltd.), Roche Pharma (Switzerland) Ltd, Roche Pharma AG, Roche Pharmaceuticals (Israel) Ltd., Roche Pharmaceuticals Middle East FZCO, Roche Pharmholding B.V., Roche Polska Sp. z o.o., Roche Privacy GmbH, Roche Products (India) Private Limited, Roche Products (Ireland) Limited, Roche Products (Mauritius) Ltd, Roche Products (New Zealand) Limited, Roche Products (Proprietary) Limited, Roche Products Ghana Limited, Roche Products Inc., Roche Products Limited, Roche Products Ltd., Roche Products Pty. Limited, Roche Products Saudi Arabia LLC, Roche R&D Center (China) Ltd., Roche Real Estate Services Mannheim GmbH, Roche Registration GmbH, Roche Registration Limited, Roche Romania S.R.L., Roche S.A., Roche S.p.A., Roche SAS, Roche Sequencing Solutions Inc., Roche Services (Asia Pacific) Sdn. Bhd., Roche Services (Europe) Ltd, Roche Services Americas Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Roche Services Holdings Ltd., Roche Servicios S.A., Roche Servicios de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Roche Singapore Pte. Ltd., Roche Singapore Technical Operations Pte. Ltd., Roche Sistemas de Diagnosticos Sociedade Unipessoal Lda., Roche Slovensko S.R.O., Roche TCRC Inc., Roche Thailand Limited, Roche Tunisie SA, Roche Ukraine LLC, Roche Vietnam Company Limited, Roche a/s Medicinalvarer og Kemikalier, Roche d.o.o., Roche d.o.o. farmaceutsko drustvo  Roche Ltd. Pharmaceutical Company, Roche farmacevtska druzba d.o.o., Roche mtm laboratories AG, Roche s.r.o., Santaris Pharma, Sapac Corporation Ltd., Seragon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Shanghai Roche Pharmaceuticals Limited, Signature Diagnostics GmbH, Spark Therapeutics, Spring Bioscience Corp., Stratos Genomics, Syntex Corporation, Syntex Pharm AG, Syntex Pharmaceuticals International Limited, Syntex Puerto Rico Inc., Tanox Inc., Tavero AG, Tensha Therapeutics, Tensha Therapeutics Inc., Therapeutic Human Polyclonals, Therapeutic Human Polyclonals Inc., Trophos, Trophos SA, Tusk Therapeutics, Tusk Therapeutics Limited, UAB Roche Lietuva, Ventana Medical Systems, Ventana Medical Systems Inc., Verum Diagnostica GmbH, Viewics, Viewics Inc., Viewics India Private Limited, mySugr, mySugr GmbH, and mySugr Inc..
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.
Raymond James Financial, Inc., a financial holding company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the underwriting, distribution, trading, and brokerage of equity and debt securities, and the sale of mutual funds and other investment products in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through Private Client Group, Capital Markets, Asset Management, RJ Bank, and Other segments. The Private Client Group segment provides securities brokerage services, including the sale of equities, mutual funds, fixed income products, and insurance products to their individual clients; and borrowing and lending of securities to and from other broker-dealers, financial institutions, and other counterparties. The Capital Markets segment offers securities brokerage, trading, and research services to institutions with a focus on sale of the United States and Canadian equities and fixed income products; and manages and participates in underwritings, merger and acquisition services, and public finance activities. The Asset Management segment engages in the operations of Eagle, the Eagle Family of Funds, Cougar, the asset management operations of Raymond James & Associates, trust services of Raymond James Trust, and other fee-based asset management programs. The RJ Bank segment provides corporate loans, SBL, tax-exempt loans, and residential loans. The Other segment engages in private equity activities, including various direct and third party private equity investments; and private equity funds. Raymond James Financial, Inc. was founded in 1962 and is based in St. Petersburg, Florida.

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VanEck Egypt Index ETF's stock was trading at $23.21 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EGPT shares have increased by 12.9% and is now trading at $26.2104.

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Enbridge Inc. operates as an energy infrastructure company. The company operates through five segments: Liquids Pipelines, Gas Transmission and Midstream, Gas Distribution and Storage, Renewable Power Generation, and Energy Services. The Liquids Pipelines segment operates pipelines and related terminals to transport various grades of crude oil and other liquid hydrocarbons in Canada and the United States. The Gas Transmission and Midstream segment invests in natural gas pipelines, and gathering and processing facilities in Canada and the United States. The Gas Distribution and Storage segment is involved in natural gas utility operations serving residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Ontario, as well as natural gas distribution and energy transportation activities in Quebec. The Renewable Power Generation segment operates power generating assets, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and waste heat recovery facilities; and transmission assets in North America and Europe. The Energy Services segment provides energy marketing services to refiners, producers, and other customers; and physical commodity marketing and logistical services in Canada and the United States. The company was formerly known as IPL Energy Inc. and changed its name to Enbridge Inc. in October 1998. Enbridge Inc. was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: 2nd Road, 2nd Road Pty Ltd., ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Ltd, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Innovation Singapore Holdings Pte, ?What If! Limited, ?What If! Shanghai Co. Ltd, ?What If! USA LLC, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD Dialeto Agencia de Publicidade SA, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Beijing) Mobile Technology Co Ltd, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co Ltd, Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. Ltd., Accenture (South Africa) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (South Africa) Pty Limited, Accenture (UK) Ltd, Accenture 2 Business Process Services S.A., Accenture 2 LLC, Accenture A/S, Accenture AB, Accenture AG, Accenture AS, Accenture Africa Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Holding B.V., Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Azerbaijan Ltd, Accenture BPM Operations Support Services S.A., Accenture BPM S.C.R.L., Accenture BV, Accenture Branch Holdings B.V., Accenture Bulgaria EOOD, Accenture Business Services for Utilities Inc, Accenture Business Services of British Columbia Limited Partnership, Accenture Business and Technology Services LLC, Accenture C.A, Accenture CAS GmbH, Accenture Canada Holdings Inc., Accenture Capital DAC, Accenture Capital Inc, Accenture Central Europe B.V., Accenture Chile Asesorias y Servicios Ltda, Accenture Cloud Services GmbH, Accenture Cloud Software Solutions Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions LLC, Accenture Cloud Solutions Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd., Accenture Communications Infrastructure Solutions Ltd, Accenture Company Ltd, Accenture Consulting Services Ltd Tanzania, Accenture Consultores de Gestao S.A., Accenture Consultoria de Industria e Consumo Ltda, Accenture Consultoria de Recursos Naturais Ltda, Accenture Credit Services LLC, Accenture Customer Services Distribution SAS, Accenture Customer Services Limited, Accenture Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Accenture Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trustees Ltd, Accenture Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Ltd, Accenture Delivery Poland sp. z o.o., Accenture Dienstleistungen GmbH, Accenture Digital France Holdings SA, Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH, Accenture East Africa Limited, Accenture Ecuador S.A., Accenture Egypt LLC, Accenture Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co Ltd., Accenture Federal Services LLC, Accenture Finance (Gibraltar) III Ltd, Accenture Finance GmbH, Accenture Finance GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Finance II GmbH, Accenture Finance II GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Finance II Ltd, Accenture Finance Limited, Accenture Finance and Accounting BPO Services S.p.A., Accenture Finance and Accounting Services Srl, Accenture Flex LLC, Accenture GP LLC, Accenture Ghana Limited, Accenture Global Holdings Ltd., Accenture Global Services Ltd, Accenture Global Solutions Ltd, Accenture GmbH, Accenture HR Services Ltd, Accenture HR Services S.p.A., Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc., Accenture Holding GmbH, Accenture Holding GmbH & Co. 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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.

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Jungheinrich Aktiengesellschaft, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and supplies products in the fields of warehousing and material handling equipment, and automated systems worldwide. The company's Intralogistics segment develops, produces, sells, and rents new material handling equipment and warehousing equipment products; sale and short-term leasing of used trucks; and provides spare parts, as well as maintenance and repair services. Its Financial Services segment engages in the sales financing and usage transfer of material handling and warehousing equipment products. The company offers warehousing equipment, such as pedestrian trucks, low level order pickers, reach trucks, stackers, order pickers, high rack stackers, tugger trains and trailers, and hand pallet trucks, as well as racks; electric and diesel/LPG counterbalanced trucks; customized trucks and powertrain solutions; and batteries and chargers. It also provides automated systems, including automated guided vehicles, conveyor systems, and stacker cranes; and digital products, such as warehouse management, fleet management, communication interfaces, assistance systems, and safety interfaces, as well as develops software solutions. The company distributes its products through its direct sales and service network, as well as through dealers. Jungheinrich Aktiengesellschaft was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.

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The US military has been ordered to begin planning to withdraw about half the troops in Afghanistan, a US defense official with direct knowledge of the matter told CNN on Thursday.

The official said planning is underway, and it could take months to withdraw the nearly 7,000 troops.

Afghanistan Afghanistan war Armed forces Asia Conflicts and wars Continents and regions Donald Trump Government and public administration Government bodies and offices Middle East Middle East and North Africa Military Military operations North America Political Figures - US Politics South Asia Syria The Americas United States Unrest, conflicts and war US federal government White House Government organizations - US US Department of Defense US federal departments and agencies Misc organizations Taliban

The decision was made Tuesday, at the same time as President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US military from Syria -- moves that precipitated Defense Secretary James Mattis' resignation announcement on Thursday.

The Wall Street Journal was first to report the plan for the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Several US defense officials told CNN that Trump wants to draw down US troops in Afghanistan. Two administration officials told CNN that Trump wants the plans drawn up in hopes he could announce the drawdown in his State of the Union speech, which is traditionally at the end of January or early February.

CNN reported earlier Thursday that officials throughout the administration were bracing themselves for Trump to make an announcement about the US presence in Afghanistan.

Multiple officials told CNN the military decisions were a factor in Mattis' decision to resign.

Gen. John Allen, a former commander of NATO and US forces in Afghanistan, told CNN on Thursday that a drawdown in Afghanistan would be a mistake.

"Pulling out right now, just the announcement would create chaos in the strategy," Allen said.

The US has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, most of which are present as part of a larger NATO-led mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces. Any withdrawal would be complicated by the fact that the United States is part of NATO's Resolute Support mission.

Trump has long been critical of the US presence in Afghanistan, which began after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But lawmakers have echoed Allen's concern about a hasty departure.

South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham told CNN's Kate Bolduan on Thursday that "according to our military commanders and everybody I know, we want to withdraw from Afghanistan with honor and do it based on conditions on the ground."

"Based on my assessment in Afghanistan, if we withdrew anytime soon, you would be paving the way for a second 9/11," Graham said.

Graham noted that Trump has said he wants other countries to do the fighting.

"Since August of 2017, 5,600 Afghans have died fighting the Taliban and ISIS," he told Bolduan. "Eighteen American killed in combat, four killed through accidents. God bless the 22."

Just two weeks before the news of the withdrawal plan, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joseph Dunford, said at a Washington Post Live event that he "had not recommended" that the US withdraw.

"I had not recommended that we leave Afghanistan because, again, in my judgment, leaving Afghanistan not only would create instability in South Asia, but in my judgment would give terrorist groups the space within which to plan and conduct operations against the American people, our homeland and our allies," Dunford said. "And that really is the problem we are trying to solve."

The same day news broke of the Afghanistan decision, the Department of Defense released a report on "enhancing security and stability in Afghanistan."

The report cited a ceasefire, statements of religious scholars and recent talks with the Taliban as evidence of progress.

"The combination of military escalation and diplomatic initiative have made a favorable political settlement more likely than at any time in recent memory," the report said.

Trump has long questioned troop presence in Afghanistan

Trump has repeatedly questioned the need to spend US blood and treasure in Afghanistan, asking in 2011: "When will we stop wasting our money on rebuilding Afghanistan? We must rebuild our country first."

Since his election, the President has made his frustration with the continued military presence clear.

Outlining his strategy for the country in an August 2017 address, the President said, "I share the American people's frustration. I also share their frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money -- and, most importantly, lives -- trying to rebuild countries in our own image instead of pursuing our security interests above all other considerations."

In an interview with The Washington Post last month, Trump laid out his rationale for keeping US troops in the country in a way that made clear the impetus to remain wasn't his.

"We're there because virtually every expert that I have and speak to say if we don't go there, they're going to be fighting over here," he said.

Nearly two decades in, a "stalemate"

More than a year after Trump announced his administration's new strategy for achieving success in Afghanistan and the wider region, the situation remains decidedly mixed, with the conflict at a "stalemate."

Though the casualty rate for US troops is far lower than it was earlier in the war, Americans are still losing their lives 17 years after it began. While the Taliban is unable to take major cities or towns, the Afghan security forces, despite receiving US support, are still unable to put an end to the insurgency.

US troops have continued to suffer casualties this year, even though they are largely serving in a supporting role, with local Afghan forces doing most of the fighting.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani recently announced that about 29,000 Afghan soldiers and police had been killed or wounded since 2015. US casualties during that same period declined sharply as American soldiers largely shifted away from direct combat.

"We used the term stalemate a year ago, and, relatively speaking, it has not changed much," Gen. Joseph Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a conference in Halifax last month.

News about the Afghanistan plan comes a day after Trump ordered the "full" and "rapid" withdrawal of US troops from Syria, declaring the US has defeated ISIS in Syria.

The decision, a sharp reversal from previously stated US policy, surprised foreign allies and US lawmakers, sparking angry rebukes, rebuttals and warnings of intensified congressional oversight even as the White House said troops are already on their way home.

"We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency," Trump tweeted Wednesday morning.

Planning for that pullout is already underway, a US defense and an administration official told CNN.
Sen. Lindsey Graham is on a mission. A mission to connect with the troops once again, but also a mission to convince the President that after 17 years, Afghanistan is still a fight worth fighting.

During a recent trip to Afghanistan, Graham said he worries that pulling out of Afghanistan too soon may "set in motion chaos" and that one of the "most likely" outcomes of leaving before the mission is complete would be "a second 9/11 coming our way."

Afghanistan Afghanistan war Armed forces Asia Conflicts and wars Continents and regions Donald Trump ISIS Kate Bolduan Lindsey Graham Middle East Middle East and North Africa Military Misc organizations Misc people North America Political Figures - US South Asia Taliban The Americas United States Unrest, conflicts and war Government and public administration Government organizations - US Politics US Congress US Senate

The US military has been ordered to draw up plans to withdraw about half the troops from the country, a US defense official with direct knowledge of the matter told CNN Thursday.

CNN was allowed exclusive access to follow Graham during his trip, which took place just days before the news of a potential troop withdrawal from Afghanistan broke.

The conflict, now known as America's longest war, has cost thousands of American lives (more than 2,400 to be more precise), billions of dollars and has spanned three administrations. But even after the build ups and draw downs, surges and declines, the Republican senator from South Carolina sees this moment in particular as an inflection point.

"I know he is on the verge of doing something," said Graham. "What I am trying to convince President Trump of is our presence here is homeland security in another fashion. I understand why you would build a wall along the southern border with other technology to prevent drugs and crime from coming into America, to stem the tide of illegal immigration. I don't know why you would pull out of places like Afghanistan until the conditions warrant because you can't build a wall between us and radical Islam. And this is the center of gravity - Afghanistan. This is where it all started."

Graham was already sounding this alarm before Trump announced Wednesday morning he was pulling all US troops out of Syria, and before CNN reported Thursday the possible plans for Afghanistan. Graham was just touching down in Washington, returning from Afghanistan, when the news about Syria broke. He took to the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon to slam the decision.

"I just got back from Afghanistan, haven't slept in two days, really appreciate the chance to go visit our troops and talk to our generals, but they sure as hell, ISIS is not defeated in Afghanistan. So, to say they're defeated is an overstatement and is fake news," Graham said.

The assessment of ISIS as on the rise and still a real and direct threat to the US was one of the critical updates Graham says he received while visiting with the top US commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan -- Gen. Scott Miller.

"The ISIS threat in Afghanistan is far greater than I thought it was. If you get a peace agreement tomorrow between the Taliban and the Afghan government, that will not solve the threat to our homeland," said Graham following a briefing with Miller and US Ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass.

ISIS is also becoming a critical focus for the Afghan military, which American troops are working closely with in their "train, advise and assist" mission. In a meeting at Camp Morehead, an American special forces camp training Afghan commandos, the top Afghan Commando, Lt. Gen. Bismillah Waziri told Graham, "40% of our operations are countering [ISIS], and most of our resources are also based there."

All of this, Graham heard in the 28 hours he spent on the ground, near the end of which he offered this assessment of the Afghan military's capability: "They are doing the fighting that we hoped they would be doing. They are getting better, and we are able to help them effectively a lot less than we ever have before. The bad news if we leave, this place will go to s*** in a year."

Leaving is now more of a possibility than ever before. It is a decision Trump would be making without paying a visit to the US troops who have been serving overseas under his command now for two years -- a decision the commander in chief would be making without ever setting foot in any combat zone, including where the fight against al-Qaeda began after 9/11. It's a fact that doesn't sit well with Graham, who has visited the region more than 40 times over the years.

"If you are sending people over here to fight for your country, you at least owe it to them to kind of check in on them," said Graham aboard a C-130 headed to Afghanistan.

"I would hope the President would come over here. I know he loves the military. I would advise him to come over here and say thank you, sit down with President Ghani and the Afghan partners and tell them what you would like them to do better. Understand Afghanistan," Graham said. "Being in Afghanistan is a completely different experience than talking about it in Washington."

No one knows that better than the troops themselves. Maj. Isaiah Thomason is with the Colorado Air National Guard. He's clear on his mission. He's proud of his unit. He bristles at the moniker some have given to the US fight in Afghanistan -- the forgotten war.

"People have tunnel vision on what only affects them so what they don't know, everything in the world ends up affecting us. When we do something good out here, we are helping people around the world. That all comes back so it hurts to hear them say that, but at the same time it's not going to have us stop doing what we are doing."

Col. Kris Kough agrees. His team of about 30 personnel advises and trains the 205th Corps of the Afghan army.

"The six months that we have been here, we have seen the Afghan army make some amazing progress," he said. "I see progress every day here on the ground. I've seen vast progress over this past six months. And for everybody back home, I think it's important they realize that progress is being made. It does not feel like a forgotten war."

The majority of US troops in Afghanistan serve as part of a NATO-led mission, Operation Resolute Support, which is aimed at training and advising Afghan forces.

It is clear they are focused on their mission and not the politics surrounding it coming from Washington. But soldiers and airmen CNN spoke with are also not blind to the politics. They do talk about it and do wonder what's next in this 17-year long conflict. What does it mean for them? What does it mean for their families?

"I cannot stress enough to people back home that this is yet another Christmas that the soldiers are in Afghanistan, and the reason they are here is that so you can enjoy your Christmas," Graham said in between countless handshakes with the men and women stationed at Kandahar Air Base. "They all know what would happen to this place if we left too soon. It would be an absolute disaster."

On a personal level, this trip also marked a new chapter for Graham. His first trip to Afghanistan since the death of closest friend and confidante, Arizona Sen. John McCain.

"This is a tough one, I was just thinking a minute ago how many times I have been here, but just almost all the time with John," he reflected. "I feel the burden of kind of taking up the cause. There are not many people advocating for Afghanistan."

"And John McCain would talk about things that nobody else would want to talk about," he said.

Picking up the mantle with his trademark candor -- Graham now paints a sobering picture of the consequences of leaving Afghanistan too soon.

The good news? He sees progress and right now a real opportunity, he says, in negotiating an eventual political solution with the Taliban.

"The Taliban are being hurt militarily. The conditions for reconciliation exist better than any time I have seen," Graham said.

The bad news is that process takes time and requires patience. Something Graham is concerned Trump may not have for this conflict, thus this dire warning:

"We could, if we make the same decision we did in Iraq - leave too soon, set in motion chaos that would make Iraq look like a walk in the park, and I think one of the most likely outcomes would be a second 9/11 coming our way. That's what the military tells me, that's what the CIA tells me, and I have no reason to believe they have no idea what they are talking about."

But does the Commander in Chief? Stay tuned.
Every week, I offer a glimpse of the kind of intelligence assessments that are likely to come across the desk of the President of the United States, modeled on the President's Daily Briefing, or PDB, which the director of national intelligence prepares for the President almost daily.

Here's this week's briefing:

With Secretary of Defense James Mattis leaving the Pentagon at the end of the year, a key question for any prospective replacement is how to execute on presidential guidance to draw down US troops from actively hostile theaters. Withdrawing roughly 2,000 US troops from Syria on a short time frame -- by either relocating them elsewhere in the region to continue supporting the global coalition against ISIS or deploying them back home -- will be a complex task unto itself. Throw in an anticipated troop draw down in Afghanistan involving about 7,000 more troops, and the next defense secretary faces a herculean task that includes the unenviable job of convincing coalition members to stay engaged in missions we are turning away from.

Syria and Afghanistan may seem far away, and there is plenty of inaccurate messaging that says our troops are there fighting someone else's wars. But make no mistake -- they there because of us. US soldiers are in Syria with a clear mission to fight ISIS, while our troops in Afghanistan are part of a 17-year mission to destroy al-Qaeda and counter the Taliban. These organizations are known enemies of the United States with the proven intent and capability of attacking the homeland. We are engaged in these regions because there is a national security imperative to do so.

Trumping Trump is dangerous: The decision to withdraw about half of all US forces from Afghanistan would override the administration's own strategy, announced in August 2017, to pursue a conditions-based approach to Afghanistan. Less than a year later, the Department of Defense said that the strategy was working when they reported that shifting from a time-based approach to a conditions-based strategy "sowed new doubt in the Taliban, as fighters and leadership recognized that the United States is committed to Afghanistan." The Pentagon also noted that "increased military pressure, the increased capacity of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, and the renewed confidence of the Afghan government" had helped paved the way for meaningful negotiations with the Taliban. The precipitous draw down of US forces would remove these elements. It would be part of a new strategy of leaving, even though no conditions have been met to do so.

Withdrawing half our forces flies in the face of pursuing a conditions-based approach and would reduce the credibility of any new strategy announcements. It also would open a security vacuum that the Taliban (which still controls a significant portion of Afghan territory), other terrorist groups and other countries may exploit to sow more discord and pursue their objectives. This leaves the remaining coalition forces, the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, the Afghan people and potentially Americans vulnerable to attack.

Giving away our trump card: Based on the Pentagon's own assessment, a withdrawal would also concurrently kill any momentum for negotiations between the Taliban and the US. We'd be giving the Taliban what they want and getting nothing in return -- not an end to the violence nor the release of US hostages.

The Taliban is rejoicing after reports of a US troop draw down. The Taliban has been trying to negotiate for the withdrawal of NATO forces for years; it is their desired end goal.

We also just asked Pakistan to help the peace process in Afghanistan. But by withdrawing our forces and ruining the conditions for negotiations, our appeal to Pakistan looks like a waste of their time. Our relationship took a hit when we cut off security assistance earlier this year. Now they will likely pay even less attention to our requests for help down the road.

Crying wolf has consequences: We are currently in Afghanistan as part of a NATO coalition. NATO is in Afghanistan because they are supporting us, in the wake of 9/11, and because they recognize the threat emanating from Afghanistan. They've done the same in Iraq, where they have supported us since 2004.

Similarly, we said there was a threat from ISIS and more than 70 other countries and organizations joined our coalition to fight the terrorist organization. Now, with claims that from the administration that ISIS is "largely defeated," we are withdrawing and abandoning our coalition responsibilities.

We asked for help, our calls were answered -- and now we're leaving other coalition members to do a job we no longer want to do.

This will impact our ability to build coalitions going forward. Mattis noted that he and the President aren't aligned on strategic issues like the importance of allies and coalitions. The President seemed to agree with Mattis when he tweeted on Saturday that allies are important. But he still managed to insult them when they are reeling from news of US withdrawals by saying they take advantage of us.

Other countries are going to question whether we're crying wolf about the gravity of threats and need to stay engaged in missions we've started. We may also be exposing remaining NATO forces to more risk as they are unprepared for new levels of insecurity, without having had to the time to plan for our orderly withdrawal.

To mitigate these risks, it's imperative that the White House reconsider any rapid draw down of US forces so the Pentagon can assess the most orderly and safe way to bring US troops home. Concurrently, the State Department and intelligence community should provide guidance on whether a rapid troop withdrawal will kill the chances for a political settlement between the Taliban and the Afghan government -- and what we want from the Taliban if we grant their main request, US forces leaving Afghanistan.

We're also assessing evolving developments on the following issues:

Troop withdrawals are trending: With the news of possible US troop withdrawals from Syria and Afghanistan, our enemies are striking while the iron is hot. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the US military presence in Japan is an obstacle to Russian-Japanese peace treaty negotiations, while North Korea raised, yet again, its demand for US troop withdrawals from the Korean peninsula before it will denuclearize. Other countries like Iraq are probably wondering whether you're considering pulling troops there as well. Because of a perceived willingness to abandon military missions even when they aren't accomplished, our enemies will probably try to convince the White House that US troops do more harm than good and leverage the opportunity for their own benefit.

Oops, they did it again: The latest report from the director of national intelligence indicated that the voting infrastructure was not compromised by foreign actors during the midterm elections in November. It remains unclear whether our defenses prevented any efforts or if hackers simply didn't bother. However, the DNI did find that foreign actors -- including Russia, Iran and China -- continued their influence operations during the midterms. Election security planning for 2020 will need to focus on defending against information warfare attacks as well as effectively deterring them.

Border security: The Israeli government has started destroying Hezbollah tunnels that run from Lebanon into Northern Israel. Tensions on the border, however, are rising. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said the tunnels constitute an act of war by Hezbollah and blamed the Lebanese government for not doing enough to prevent Hezbollah from attacking Israel. This could lead to increased tensions between Israel and Lebanon, as well as more direct Israeli actions against Hezbollah and anyone in Lebanon they hold responsible for Hezbollah's activities.
A sidearm once belonging to an American soldier killed in Niger was recovered by French troops during an operation Wednesday near the Mali-Niger border, two US defense officials tell CNN.

One official said that a Glock 19 handgun recovered by French forces had a serial number matching the side arm issued to Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, a member of the ill-fated Green Beret-led team ambushed by ISIS-linked fighters in Niger in October of 2017.

Africa Continents and regions Niger Western Africa 2017 Niger ambush Armed forces Firearms Government organizations - US La David Johnson Military Military casualties Military operations Misc people North America Special operations forces The Americas United States Unrest, conflicts and war US Army Special Forces US Department of Defense US federal departments and agencies US Special Operations Command War casualties Weapons and arms

A military grade laser sight with a serial number matching the Operational Detachment-A team that Johnson belonged to was also found.

The October ambush left four American soldiers dead, launched a Pentagon investigation and raised questions as to the nature of the US military presence in Niger.

Outgunned, overrun

The investigation found that a series of failures and deficiencies, including a lack of adequate training, contributed to the ambush that resulted in a Green Beret-led team being outgunned and overrun by more than 100 ISIS fighters.

The official who spoke to CNN said that this was not the first time that equipment belonging to the ambushed team had been found and that vehicles have been recovered during previous operations.

Night vision goggles were also recovered, although the official said the origin of the goggles had not been determined. The equipment is still in possession of the French military.

The US has some 800 troops in Niger, although the Pentagon recently signed off on plans to reduce counterterrorism forces in Africa. Officials have told CNN that troops in Niger and elsewhere in West Africa would face the bulk of those cuts.

Thousands deployed

France has deployed thousands of troops across northwest Africa, in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. A senior defense official previously told CNN that the presence of French forces in Africa made US military planners more comfortable about reducing US troops in the region.

The French ministry of defense issued a statement Thursday saying that its forces had conducted a military operation Wednesday 45km east of the town of Akabar, Mali, which sits very close to the border with Niger. The ministry also said that French aircraft had carried out a series of airstrikes targeting militants equipped with motorcycles.

It is not clear if that operation is related to the recovery of the equipment. A spokesperson for the French embassy in Washington declined to comment.
If someone were to enter your building and start shooting, would you know what to do? An active shooter training session at Utica City Hall gave employees a feel for what theyd have to go through. Some employees never even heard shots fired. Patrol officers were able to get control of the shooter before those people even knew what happened, but not everyone was so lucky.

Police on the scene: "We got multiple shooting victims in the building."



Though the trainings not a pleasant experience, Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri says its now becoming a necessity.

"These are things that maybe 10 years ago you would never even think about having to do something like that, but today, as we know just what happened at Utica College. It can happen anywhere, and if it is going to happen I want our people to be prepared."

Around 20 patrol officers, and a number of EMTs from the Utica Fire Department participated, but Capt. Don Cinque tells us calculating how much this training session costs isnt as easy as it might sound.

"Theres definitely a cost, and then theres a cost for City Hall. I mean we shut City Hall down for 3 hours, so all those people are getting paid as well, so I mean I wouldnt even know where to start. (In the end is it worth it?) Absolutely. Absolutely. If this ever happened and somebody saved their life by using the run, hide, fight principals and barricading in a safe spot and they lived, then you cant put a value on a life so."

While this exercise was primarily used to train police, the employees here may have benefited just as much by knowing what to do should they ever encounter an active shooter.
UPDATE - The Ogdensburg Police Department has cancelled the Amber Alert for Olivia Roberts, which was issued at 8:16 p.m. Police say Roberts was found safe.

----------------

ORIGINAL STORY

OGDENSBURG, N.Y. - The Ogdensburg Police Department activated the New York State AMBER Alert and is investigating a child abduction. Police said the abduction happened on 611 Canton Street in Ogdensburg at about 4:00 P.M. on December 12, 2018.

The teen, Olivia Roberts is described as a white female, 15 years old - with long, blonde hair and blue eyes. She is approximately 5'3" and weighs about 130 pounds. Authorities said Olivia was last seen wearing Blue and black hooded sweatshirt with black sweatpants.

The SUSPECT, Kenneth J Snyder is a white male, 17 years old - with short, brown hair and brown eyes. He is approximately 6'0" tall and weighs about 145 pounds.

Police said the teen was taken under circumstances which lead police to believe that she is in imminent danger of serious physical injury and/or death.

Anyone with any information on this abduction is asked to call the Ogdensburg Police Department at (866) NYS-AMBER or dial 911 to provide information on a report or sighting.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York state's population declined more than any other state in a recent 12-month period.

New numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau this week show the state's population declined by 48,510 between July 1, 2017 and July 1 of this year.

That's the largest decline of the nine states that lost population during that time. New York's population is 19.75 million.

Nevada and Idaho led the nation in population growth rates, while Texas saw the largest overall gain in residents.

Republican lawmakers blame New York's decline on high taxes and the upstate economy.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo faults the state's long winters and says economic factors aren't to blame. On Thursday he noted that New York's jobless rate of 3.9 percent is the lowest since 1976.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
UTICA, N.Y. -- Several St. Elizabeth Medical Center employees reached out to NewsChannel 2 saying they were missing pay from Mohawk Valley Health System.

They received an email and a payroll recording saying that there was a banking issue with direct deposits, and that it was being investigated. The recording said:

Hi, this is the payroll department. We are unable to come to the phone right now. We are working currently on finding out the issue with the direct deposit. Please be patient. We are working to contact the bank, but they do not open until 9 a.m. We will reach out to you when we can figure this out. Thank you.

The same message was still being played when WKTV reached out to payroll early Thursday afternoon.

Payroll officials say the issue has been resolved and employees should see direct deposit Thursday night or Friday. But for some, the damage has already been done. Bills weren't paid or overdraft fees were issued.

MVHS refused on-camera interviews.

Employees claim this is the second time they've had an issue with their direct deposits.
The state Department of Health announced Thursday that the flu virus is prevalent in New York state.

Health care workers, who are not vaccinated, are now required to wear a surgical procedure mask around patients.

The department has also launched a flu tracker that allows people to stay up-to-date about flu rates in their county. The tracker displays the number of confirmed flu cases in your area.

Department reps say there have been over 3,000 flu cases in the state so far this season, 25 of those cases have been confirmed in Oneida County.

The best protection against contracting influenza includes:

 Frequent and thorough hand washing

 Covering all coughs and sneezes. If you dont have a handkerchief or a tissue, use the crook of your arm, not your hand

 Staying home from work, school or social events if you have a fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and pains or other symptoms such as nausea or vomiting sometimes associated with influenza

 Avoiding people exhibiting symptoms of a flu-like illness.
Nicholas Willinger, accused in the fatal beating of retired school bus driver Sue Jones in 2010, was sentenced in a Scott County courtroom Thursday.

Willinger was formally sentenced after entering an Alford plea at a hearing. An Alford plea means that Willinger does not admit guilt, but acknowledges that there is enough evidence for a conviction. Willinger waived a separate sentencing hearing.

Willinger received twenty years on the murder charge and ten years each on charges of robbery and burglary. All sentences will run concurrently, for a total of twenty years, with credit for five years served.

Willinger was sentenced to 15 years in prison back in July of 2018 after pleading guilty to receiving child pornography.

Police arrested Willinger in February of 2014 in connection to the murder of Sue Jones. Investigators say he went to Jones' home to steal money and attacked her when she confronted him.

Ciji Jefferson, another suspect charged in the case, pleaded guilty to complicity to commit burglary back in 2015.
Armenia is a landlocked country located in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia. Armenia is bordered by Georgia in the north, the Republics of Azerbaijan and Artsakh in the east, Nakhchiva (Azerbaijan's exclave) Iran in the south, and Turkey in the west. Armenia occupies a land area of 11,484 square miles. The population of the country is estimated at 2.9 million. Until independence, the economy of Armenia heavily depended on industry. The industry relied on outside sources. The main domestic energy source is hydroelectric. The countrys vast majority of energy is produced with imported fuel from countries such as Russia.

Natural resources play an important role in boosting the economy of Armenia. The natural resources are used domestically and are also exported. Geographically, Armenia is mountainous. This geographical peculiarity renders the country rich in mineral resources. The mineral resources of Armenia include iron, zinc, aluminum, copper, molybdenum, gold, lead, silver and antimony. The country is also rich in other rare and hard to find metals. Armenia possesses some of the worlds most diverse nonmetallic minerals including tuff, zeolites, nephelite syenites, perlite, scoria, marble, pumice stone, and basalts. The industrial minerals found in the country are cement, diatomite, limestone, and gypsum.

The mining industry is, therefore, one of the principal areas of Armenias economy. In 2017, the output of the mining industry grew by 14.2% while the mineral product exports, excluding precious metals and stones, grew by 46.9% accounting, for 30.1% of all exports.

Mines

More than 670 solid mineral mines are registered in the state inventory of mineral resources. This fact is according to the Armenian Development Agency. The registered solid mineral mines include 30 base metals and precious metal mines. 400 of the registered mineral mines are under exploitation among them 22 base metals, precious metals, and non-ferrous metal mines.

Some of the precious metal and base metal deposits include 13 gold and gold-poly-metallic mines, 3 copper mines, 7 copper-molybdenum mines, 2 iron ore mines, and 2 poly-metallic mines.

An additional 115 deposits of various minerals have been discovered, aside from the mineral deposits registered in Armenias state inventory of mineral resources.

Molybdenum and Copper

These two minerals are the most important natural resources of Armenia. In fact, Armenia is a major producer of molybdenum, ranking seventh in the world in molybdenum production in 2010.

The two top producers of copper and molybdenum concentrates in Armenia are the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine and the Agarak Copper-Molybdenum Combine.

Large molybdenum deposits are concentrated in the Karajan deposit in Syunik Province. The deposits in this region are owned by the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine. Initially, the plant used the sub-surface mining before shifting to the open-pit mining method in 1959. Today, the plant produces 10 million tons of copper and molybdenum concentrates per annum. The copper concentrate is transported to Armenian Molybdenum Production Company and Alaverdi metallurgical plant in Yerevan where it is processed further.

The molybdenum concentrate is transported to the Yerevan Clear Iron Plant where its final treatment takes place. The derivatives of molybdenum are ferromolybdenum and molybdenum oxide. These derivatives are used primarily in the steel industry for heat resistance, strengthening, and corrosion resistance.

Copper is primarily used in industrial production. In 2015, copper ore exports of Armenia sharply increased to 67%. The copper ore was exported to countries such as Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Switzerland, and China. The same year, exports of molybdenum ore increased by 6.6%. Molybdenum was mainly exported to the Netherlands.

Apart from the Karajan deposits, other deposits of copper are found in the Shamlugh, Akhtala, Alaverdi, Lichq and Kashen mines. Other copper-molybdenum deposits are found in the Teghut, Hankavan, Agarak, Kapan, Dastakert, and Hankasar mines.

Gold

Significant gold deposits are located throughout Armenia in mines such as the Mghart Mine, Meghradzor, Sotk Mine, Sofi Bina, Amulsar Mine, Terterasar, and Bardzradir mines. In other regions, gold is mined as gold oxide or in combination with other minerals such as copper, silver, zinc, lead, uranium, and molybdenum. Gold forms an important sector of Armenias economy. It contributes to about half of the countrys total exports. About 13 gold and gold poly-metallic mines are under exploitation in Armenia. The gold-bearing poly-metallic deposits in Armenia occur mainly in the south of the country while the quartz traces containing silver and gold, are located in the northern parts of the country. Various international companies such as the United States-based Global Gold Corp have shown interest in investing in developing gold deposits in Armenia.

Rocks

Armenia is home to various unique and high-quality stones. Nearly all types of mineral rocks are found in this territory among them, tuff, scoria, nephelite syenite, perlite, basalts, marble, pumice stone, granites, and zeolite. Yerevan, the capital city and largest city of Armenia, is unique because of the color of the stone widely used in architecture in Armenia. This stone is the Armenian Tuff. The Armenian tuff has been used in construction in Armenia since ancient times.

The tuff is a beautiful, high-quality volcanic rock. It comes in different colors fluctuating from pink to red. Besides, the tuff can be black or brown. The Armenian tuff is a requisite rock in the territory. It is used for indoor and outdoor decoration and building pavements, facades, barbeques, and fireplace applications.

Salt

Salt is also one of the natural resources of Armenia. Large deposits of salt have been discovered Armenias territory of Avan. The only salt-producing company in the region is the Avan Salt Plant. Armenia is rich in mineral water as well. Several cities in the territory such as the cities of Sevan, Hankavan, Arzni, Bjni, Dilijan, and Jermuk, are well known the medicinal and organoleptic qualities of their waters. Small amounts of coal, gas, and petroleum in the territory have not yet been developed, thanks to the complex geography of Armenia.
Cameroon is a country sandwiched between Central Africa and West Africa. Historically and geographically, the country is in West Africa, although it is not a member state of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The country is sometimes identified as West African and sometimes as Central African, mainly because of its strategic position between the two regions. Cameroon is a Francophone country except for the two southern regions bordering Nigeria, which are Anglophone. The country is a member of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), and it is the largest economy in the community. The countrys per capita GDP regarding purchasing power parity in 2008 was $2,300, and it was among the top ten highest in sub-Saharan Africa. The country has experienced strong economic growth with GDP growth averaging 4% annually between 2004 and 2008. Over the same period, the public debt was brought down from more than 60% of the GDP to about 10% of the GDP. Over the same period, the countrys reserves quadrupled to reach $3 billion. Cameroon has numerous natural resources such as oil and gas, minerals, land, and beautiful scenery among others.

Natural Resources of Cameroon

Land

Most of the Cameroonian land is suitable for arboriculture and agriculture, and it was estimated that about 70% of the countrys farms and agriculture accounted for 19.8% of the GDP in 2009. Agricultural activities are carried out on the subsistence scale using simple implements. The soils and climate along the coastal region have commercial cultivation of crops such as rubber, tea, bananas, oil palms, and cocoa. The southern part of the country is largely a plateau and crops common in this part of the country include sugar, coffee, and tobacco. On the western highlands of Cameroon, the most common cash crop is coffee. While the southern part of the country the natural conditions favor crops like rice, groundnuts, and cotton. Until 1978, the main driver of economic growth and foreign exchange earner was agriculture. However, its significance has reduced substantially when oil was discovered in the country. Cameroon is among the largest producers of cocoa in the world, and in 1999 it produced cocoa beans of about 150,000 tons.

Oil and Gas

The first offshore oil production in Cameroon began in 1977, and the countrys annual production has fallen steadily since 1985. The decline in oil production is also expected to continue into the future as the oil reserves diminish. In 2001, the countrys oil output was 76,600 barrels a day compared to 1999 when the daily production stood at 100,000 barrels a day. Despite the diminishing production of oil, the county is currently the 6th biggest producer of oil in Sub Saharan Africa, and by 2003 it was producing 667,000 barrels daily. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the countrys estimated oil reserves in 2004 were about 400 million barrels. In the 1990s, the country developed and production of oil started in Kribi-Campo basin, and in 1996, the Ebome field began producing oil. Some of the major oil operators in the country included Royal Dutch, Exxon Mobil, and Total SA. The national oil company, Societe Nationale des Hydrocarbures, is responsible for managing the oil sector in the country. It is also estimated that the country has vast quantities of liquid petroleum gas which remains unexploited and estimates according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the country has reserves of natural gas standing at about 3.9 billion cubic feet. The countrys Societe Nationale des Hydrocarbures in conjunction with GDF Suez intends to construct a natural gas plant in the country. Plans are also underway to develop Doba basin oil field and construction of a pipeline connecting Chad and Cameroon with the loan from World Bank valued at $93 million. The dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon on the oil-rich Bakassi region was ruled in favor of Cameroon by the International Court of Justice.

Minerals

Cameroon had no industrial mining in the country as of 2008, and some of the minerals in the country include nepheline, iron ore, syenite, rutile, nickel, granite, gold, cobalt, and bauxite among others. The increasing prices of minerals and metals prompted the different companies to prospect for the mineral in the country particularly in the southeastern part of the country where UNDP and the countrys Ministry of Mines, Water and Energy had first found mineral deposits between 1981 and 1986. Because the region at the time was remote and prices of metals such nickel were low, it did not draw much attention. However, small-scale mining is carried out in regions bordering the Congo, Gabon, and the Central African Republic. In 2004, gold produced in the whole of Cameroon was estimated to 44,000 pounds and was largely produced by small-scale miners particularly in the eastern region of Cameroon. The ministry of mines in the country has set up rules governing the sale of metals in the country, and they are looking for more investor to prospect and mine minerals.

Economy of Cameroon

Poverty in Cameroon is widespread, and as of 2009, approximately a third of the Cameroonians live below the poverty line of $1.25 in a day. For several decades from the 1980s, the country has been pursuing different programs advised by the IMF and the World Bank with the attempt to reduce poverty, which includes privatizing industries and increasing economic growth. The government has also tried to encourage the growth of tourism in the country. The government of Cameroon has an ambitious plan with the aim of making the country an emerging economy by 2035. In 2017, the World Bank noted that if Cameroon has to be a middle-income country by 2035, it has to unleash the potential of the countrys private sector and increase productivity. The countrys real GDP has to grow by an average of 8% between 2015 and 2035. The investment share of GDP has to increase from 20% in 2015 to reach 30% in 2035 and the countrys productivity has to grow at a rate of 2% over the same period from the zero growth rate at the moment.
The Schengen Area in Europe spans an area of 1,664,911 square miles and stretches across 26 nations. The region was referred to as the Schengen Area because the agreement that set it up, the Schengen Agreement, was signed in the city of Schengen in Luxembourg.

Members of the Schengen area have abolished all border controls and passports in their mutual borders and act as a single jurisdiction especially regarding international travels and they have a single common visa policy. The nations within the region are unique because they have agreed to reduce travel restrictions within the area. Despite the significant benefits of being members of the Schengen Zone, several nations have declined to join the organization. The countries that are not members of the Schengen area can be classified into a couple of unique categories: members of the EU that are required to join, members of the EU that have chosen to remain outside the Schengen region, and countries that are not in the EU or the Schengen area.

Countries not in the EU or the Schengen area

Some nations in Europe are neither in the EU nor the Schengen area. Visitors can travel to some of the nations in this category with a Schengen Visa due to the unique arrangement between the countries in the Schengen area and the other countries. Some of the countries in the category that accept Schengen Visas include Turkey, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Belarus, Bulgaria, and Georgia. Other countries in this region include Monaco, Russia, and Moldova.

EU Members Not In The Schengen Zone

Several countries are members of the EU but not members of the Schengen Zone. To reduce the travel restrictions within the EU, some of the nations in this category are required to join the Schengen Zone. These nations are actively pursuing membership into the region. The countries that are required to join the Schengen region include Romania, Cyprus, Croatia, and Bulgaria. Before any of the four nations become full members of the Schengen zone, they have to fulfill all the requirements of the member states. Some of the requirements to join the Schengen Zone include being able to control the external borders and being able to cooperate with other members of the Schengen Zone to ensure the security of the entire zone. The other members of the European Union, the UK, and Ireland chose to stay outside the Schengen Zone. One of the primary reasons why the two nations opted to stay out of the Schengen Zone is to ensure that they could control the number of people crossing their borders.

The Benefits Of The Schengen Area

The countries within the Schengen area gain some benefits from being in the Schengen area with the main one being the free movement of people across the border. Due to the loosening of the border controls between the nations in the zone, the countries can spend less money on safeguarding their borders. Another benefit of being in the Schengen Zone is that it makes it easier to transport goods within the continent.
A World Socialist Web Site reporting team this week visited Elizabeth, a large working-class northern suburb of Adelaide, to ask workers and youth to explain the devastating impact of General Motors closure of the Holden car assembly plant there at the end of last year.

The team found strong support for the decision by a meeting of autoworkers in Detroit on December 9 to form rank-and-file factory committees to fight against plant closures, layoffs and other attacks on the working class.

Keep your head up and push hard, David, a life-long Elizabeth resident and worker, said in a message of solidarity. Stop the closures!

The Detroit meeting, organised by the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter and the Socialist Equality Party, was called in response to an announcement by General Motors that it will close five plants in the US and Canada and eliminate at least 15,000 jobs, as part of an ongoing global restructuring at the expense of workers around the world.

Over the past two years, Australias entire car making industry has been shut down, eliminating an estimated 150,000 jobs altogether, counting the flow-on effects in related industries. The shut-down of General Motors, Ford and Toyota plants in Adelaide and Melbourne in 2016 and 2017 followed the earlier closures of Mitsubishi, Nissan and Leyland.

What has happened in Elizabeth provides a picture of what such closures by the corporate giants mean for the lives of thousands of workers and their families, as well as for the many thousands more in related industries and for young workers unable to find decent secure employment as a result.

More than 92,000 people live in Elizabeth and its surrounds, mainly in public housing estates. The extensive General Motors Holden (GMH) car assembly complex employed 4,500 workers in 2003.

It now largely stands as an empty shell, despite the companys sale of the site to developer Pelligra Group, which re-named it Lionsgate Business Park in the hope of turning it into an industrial park. For lease signs currently sit alongside old GMH logos.

The former GM plant for lease in Elizabeth

Already blighted by decades of job and service cuts, Elizabeth now has staggering levels of unemployment, up to six times the national average. According to the federal Labour Departments small areas data, the jobless rate in Elizabeth stood at 30.9 percent in June this year, up from 26.8 percent in December 2010. In Elizabeth North, the figure was 22.7 percent, up from 21.9 percent. In Elizabeth East it was 13.2 percent, up from 11.9 percent.

For young workers, aged from 15 to 24, the situation is even worse. According to the social atlas produced by the City of Playford, which covers Elizabeth and its outlying areas, youth unemployment is nearly 60 percent in some parts of Elizabeth.

Almost one in four residents of Elizabeth relies on some form of social security payment, the rates of which have been kept below the poverty line for decades in order to coerce unemployed workers into low-paid employment on the most oppressive conditions.

Corey, a 25-year-old casual gutter cleaner and restoration worker from nearby Gawler, said the closures of auto factories meant  less jobs for more people, whether its here or North America. 

He said: Dont go down without a fight, or dont go down at all! Take a stand. No one likes the governments and theres more of us than them!

Corey

Corey explained: Its pretty hard for people around here who have no qualifications. People are barely scraping things to make ends meet. I know personally you cant live on Newstart, and it doesnt make it any easier when companies keep shutting down factories.

People are being forced to do anything to scrape by. I had three full-time jobs, but none of them were permanent.

They can finish you up anytime, even after six months. I was working for a labour-hire company, raising money for a charity. I showed up one day, and they just said they had no more work for me. Its shocking, isnt it?

Hadyn, who is 24 and has been unemployed for two years, commented: The closure of the [GMH] plant shocked South Australia because of the loss of jobs and the struggle to find jobs.

I knew people who worked there. They are struggling to find work and struggling with their pay and conditions It would be better if we could all get together and band together to fight these closures. I used to have full-time work, but now Im looking for casual work to get back on my feet.

Hayden

Hadyn also had a message for the North American autoworkers. I definitely agree with fighting against the closures, he said. Definitely they should take the fight into their own hands.

Hadyn denounced the Labor Partys refusal to increase the Newstart and Youth Allowance rates. Its foul that Labor would not increase the rate. Youth are struggling now. You cant survive on Newstart. As soon as I get my payment, Im broke. I suffer for the rest of the fortnight.

David, who is undertaking a logistics course after years of casual work, used to be employed in nearby Edinburgh Park making electrical wiring systems for GMH, but lost that job when the company cut two shifts at the plant about four years ago.

A lot of my friends used to work at GMH, and my sister-in-laws dad was there for 19 years. My great-great grandad worked at the GMHs other Adelaide plant at Woodville [which closed in the 1980s]. He would be turning over in his grave now.

The closure was a kick in the guts . There is less pay now for different jobs. I went from making electrical systems to working in a dustbowl at a fertiliser company, and from $28.50 an hour to $23.50. I cant even get a job now, even though I have qualifications, so I am studying logistics.

Asked about the role of the trade unions, David said: The unions helped the company shut down the plant. They kept saying everything would be all right, but it wasnt. Half the people who worked there ended up moving interstate.

David

David said hundreds of jobs had also gone at companies that once supplied GMH, including Futuris auto seats, XY Batteries and Tenneco mufflers. Edinburgh Park, where I worked, used to be a hive of activity. Now its a ghost town . And its all casual work now, or labour hire. The companies can call you any time of the day or night, no matter what you have organised with your family or kids.

David said the Australian Labor Partys national conference decision, made in Adelaide this week, to refuse to make an immediate increase in the Newstart unemployment benefit was disgusting.

You cant live on Newstart. I get $557 a fortnight. You cant survive on that; no way, after you pay for power, and to travel to job interviews .

The government wants to make sure we will never get a rise on the dole, so we have no choice but to go and get something else to live on. Labors promise of a review is just talk.

Aubury, a 35-year-old make-up artist, said the GMH closure was a big tragedy to a lot of workers that are now unemployed and looking for work, especially to those who have been there for a long time.

Asked what she thought of the decision by the Detroit autoworkers, she said: I definitely support them. If they all stick together and unite and stand up they can make a difference. If they organise internationally theyll be able to have a greater voice.

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A significant step forward: Detroit meeting of autoworkers resolves to form rank-and-file committees

[13 December 2018]

Elizabeth, South Australia: A city devastated by General Motors Holden

[27 December 2013]
The day after the government announced it was putting 3,500 troops on standby, amid business organisations saying they were watching in horror at the implications of a no-deal Brexit, proceedings in Parliament Wednesday descended into farce.

Rather than debating the crisis wracking Prime Minister Theresa Mays Conservative government, and an emergency motion to discuss the governments plans to accelerate planning for a no-deal Brexit, priority was allotted to debating whether or not Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had called May a stupid woman under his breath during Prime Ministers Question time.

Instead of refusing to entertain an entirely choreographed debate on this, Corbyn returned to Parliament at the request of the Speaker to make a pathetic statement: I did not use the words stupid woman about the Prime Minister or anyone else and am completely opposed to the use of sexist or misogynist language in absolutely any form at all.

The farcical events in Parliament were meant to conceal the extraordinarily dangerous and reactionary course being pursued by the government. The possibility of mobilising troops on the streets is justified by reference to the uncertainties posed by a no-deal Brexit and their remit is being kept deliberately vague. But this is a response to heightened political and social tensions in the UK that exist independently of whatever course is taken by Brexit negotiations. And the chief target of any such deployment is the working class, with the aim of quelling the social unrest provoked by worsening austerity.

Underscoring the contempt for any democratic accountability, the government said the Cabinet had agreed to ready the troops, with Defence Minister Gavin Williamson telling Parliament only that the government will have 3,500 service personnel held at readiness, including regulars and reserves, in order to support any government department on any contingencies they may need.

The Financial Times noted that the 3,500 have been set aside for no-deal contingencies under a plan codenamed Operation Yellowhammer and are in addition to 5,000 troops kept on standby to help cope with a UK terror attack

While the government have refused to divulge details as to what end the troops are to be used, senior figures within the police and military have acknowledged in recent months that industrial action by workers is specifically being targeted. In September, a leaked document from the National Police Co-ordination Centre warned that there was a real possibility that soldiers would be deployed and that police leave would have to be cancelled around the Brexit exit date next year. It warned that a shortage of medicine could feed civil disorder and a rise in the price of goods could see widespread protest which could then escalate into disorder.

Last month, head of the Armed Forces General Sir Nick Carter told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show that plans were being developed to deploy the military, Whether its a terrorist attack or whether its a tanker drivers dispute, industrial action or whatever else it might be.

Corbyn, busy giving pathetic statements in Parliament refuting accusations that he was a misogynist, has said nothing about the plans to mobilise thousands of soldiers to be used against the working class.

It was left to pro-EU Blairite provocateur Ian Austin to respond to the government. While stating, This is the reality of a no-deal Brexit: soldiers on the streets; medicines being stockpiled in the NHS; and airports and ferry terminals grinding to a halt. This is scary tactics, pure and simple. He did not oppose the mobilisation in any way.

Ever since the referendum vote, everything has been done by the contending pro- and anti-Brexit factions of the ruling class to exclude the interests of the working class, as they have fought out their opposing programmes as how best to further the strategic global interests of British imperialism.

With the working class unable to articulate its own independent interests, a crisis-ridden government is moving to rapidly enact its reactionary Brexit agenda.

On Wednesday, just 100 days from the date of Brexit, the government announced a white paper on an immigration policy to be enacted following the Brexit transition period, currently set as January 2021. However, the policies could be imposed as early as next April if May fails to get her EU exit deal agreed by Parliament.

Proposed is a permanent end to the free movement of people to the UK, as Everyone will be required to obtain a permission if they want to come to the UK to work or study. The UK will introduce a new temporary 12-month visa for EU nationals of all skill levels and a proposed minimum salary threshold of 30,000 for highly skilled migrants. To enter Britain they will also need to be sponsored by an employer.

Low-skilled workers will be banned from applying for visas and will only be able to enter the UK from a low-risk country for a maximum of 12 months. There will be a cooling-off period of a further 12 months, aimed at preventing these workers from having the opportunity of working in the UK permanently.

All migrants to the UK are to be refused access to free National Service Health care and social services. Home Secretary Sajid Javid said that no one allowed to enter the UK under the new system will have the right to access public funds, or to settle permanently in the UK.

EU citizens already settled in the UK and who wish to stay will be forced to register for a new settled status. EU nationals who wish to join family members in the UK post-Brexit will need permission to do so, normally in the form of an electronic status, which must be obtained before coming to the UK.

Sections of business are opposed to such a high pay threshold, fearing it will deny them access to a vital low-paid workforce. Mike Cherry, the national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said, A 30,000 threshold for those coming to the UK could severely restrict access to the right skills in many sectors: construction, retail and care to name just a few.

Labour, whose official immigration policy is opposing the free movement of labour and support for managed migration did not oppose the white paper in principle, but on the basis that it would damage an economy heavily reliant on millions of poorly paid workers.

Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott complained, The Government has disgracefully labelled workers on less than 30,000 as low-skilled. Our economy and public services are kept ticking by this majority of workers.

The government, she added, were not prioritising our economy and our society, but using an income-based system which allows derivatives traders free movement but which excludes nurses, social care workers and other professions in which we have severe skills or labour shortages.

Abbott saw no reason to be embarrassed by such an admission that vital sectors of the economy, including healthcare, would collapse without continued low pay. But it is the political responsibility of Labour and the trade unions that the employers and the state have been able to create a society in which social inequality and super-exploitation are the norm.
Further escalating its economic and strategic offensive to block China from ever challenging its post-World War II hegemony, the US government yesterday unveiled its fifth set of economic espionage charges against Chinese individuals since September.

As part of an internationally-coordinated operation, the US Justice Department on Thursday published indictments of two Chinese men who had allegedly accessed confidential commercial data from US government agencies and corporate computers in 12 countries for more than a decade.

The announcement represents a major intensification of the US ruling classs confrontation against China, amid a constant build-up of unsubstantiated allegations against Beijing by both the Republican and Democrat wings of Washingtons political establishment.

Via salacious allegations of hacking on a vast scale, every effort is being made by the ruling elite and its media mouthpieces to whip up anti-China hysteria.

The indictments release was clearly politically timed. It was accompanied by a global campaign by the US and its allies, accusing the Chinese government of an illegal cyber theft operation to damage their economies and supplant the US as the worlds leading superpower.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen immediately issued a statement accusing China of directing a very real threat to the economic competitiveness of companies in the United States and around the globe.

Within hours, US allies around the world put out matching statements, joined by declarations of confected alarm by their own cyber-warfare and hacking agencies.

The Washington Post called it an unprecedented mass effort to call out China for its alleged malign acts. The coordination represents a growing consensus that Beijing is flouting international norms in its bid to become the worlds predominant economic and technological power.

The Australian government, the closest ally of the US in the Indo-Pacific region, was in the forefront. Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton explicitly accused the Chinese government and its Ministry of State Security (MSS) of being responsible for a global campaign of cyber-enabled commercial intellectual property theft.

Geoffrey Berman, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, called the Chinese cyber campaign shocking and outrageous. Such pronouncements, quickly emblazoned in media headlines around the world, destroy any possibility of anything resembling a fair trial if the two men, named as Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong, are ever detained by US agencies and brought before a court.

The charges themselves are vaguely defined. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan accused the men of conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Zhu and Zhang acted in association with the MSS, as part of a hacking squad supposedly named APT1o or Stone Panda, the indictment said.

FBI Director Christopher Wray called a news conference to issue another inflammatory statement against China. Pointing to the real motivations behind the indictments, he declared: Chinas goal, simply put, is to replace the US as the worlds leading superpower, and theyre using illegal methods to get there.

Coming from the head of the US internal intelligence agency, this further indicates the kinds of discussions and planning underway within the highest echelons of the US political and military-intelligence apparatus to prepare the country, ideologically and militarily, for war against China.

Washington is determined to block President Xi Jinpings Made in China 2025 program that aims to ensure China is globally competitive in hi-tech sectors such as robotics and chip manufacture, as well as Beijings massive infrastructure plans, known as the Belt and Road Initiative, to link China with Europe across Eurasia.

The US ruling class regards these Chinese ambitions as existential threats because, if successful, they would undermine the strategic position of US imperialism globally, and the economic dominance of key American corporations.

Yesterdays announcement seemed timed to fuel tensions between Washington and Beijing, after the unprecedented December 1 arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, in Canada at the request of the US.

Last weekend, US Vice President Mike Pence again accused China of intellectual property theft. These provocations came just weeks after the US and Chinese administrations agreed to talks aimed at resolving the tariff and trade war launched by US President Donald Trump.

The Trump administration is demanding structural changes to Chinas state-led economic model, greater Chinese purchases of American farm and industrial products and a halt to coercive joint-venture licensing terms. These demands would severely undermine the Made in China 2025 program.

Since September, US authorities have brought forward five sets of espionage allegations. In late October, the Justice Department unsealed charges against 10 alleged Chinese spies accused of conspiring to steal sensitive commercial secrets from US and European companies.

Earlier in October, the US government disclosed another unprecedented operation, designed to produce a show trial in America. It revealed that a Chinese citizen, accused of being an intelligence official, had been arrested in Belgium and extradited on charges of conspiring to commit economic espionage and steal trade secrets.

The extradition was announced days after the Pentagon released a 146-page document, titled Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United States, which made clear Washington is preparing for a total war effort against both China and Russia.

Trump, Pence and Wray then all declared China to be the greatest threat to Americas economic and military security. Trump accused China of interfering in the US mid-term elections in a bid to remove him from office. In a speech, Pence said Beijing was directing its bureaucrats and businesses to obtain American intellectual propertythe foundation of our economic leadershipby any means necessary.

Whatever the truth of the spying allegations against Chinese citizensand that cannot be assumedany such operations would hardly compare with the massive global intrigue, hacking, regime-change and military operations directed by the US agencies, including the National Security Agency (NSA) and its Five Eyes partners.

These have been exposed thoroughly by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Leaked documents published by WikiLeaks revealed that the CIA has developed more than a thousand hacking systems, trojans, viruses and other weaponized malware, allowing it to seize control of devices, including Apple iPhones, Googles Android operating system, devices running Microsoft Windows, smart TVs and possibly the control of cars and trucks.

In an attempt to broaden its offensive against China, the US government said that along with the US and its Five Eyes partners, such as Britain, Canada and Australia, the countries targeted by the alleged Chinese plot included France, Germany, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland.

Chinese hackers allegedly penetrated managed services providers (MSPs) that provide cybersecurity and information technology services to government agencies and major firms. Finance, telecommunications, consumer electronics and medical companies were among those said to be targeted, along with military and US National Aeronautics and Space Administration laboratories.

Sections of the Chinese regime responded belligerently to the accusations. An editorial in the state-owned Global Times branded them hysterical and a warning sign of a comprehensive US attack on China.

The editorial asked: Assuming China is so powerful that it has stolen technological information for over a decade that is supposedly worth over a trillion in intellectual property, as the US has indicated, then how is it that China still lags behind the US in so many fields, from chips to electric vehicles, and even aviation engines?

The Global Times declared that instead of adhering to a low-profile strategy, China must face these provocations and do more to safeguard national interests.

The promotion of Chinese economic and militarist nationalism by a mouthpiece of the Beijing regime is just as reactionary as the nationalist xenophobia being stoked by the ruling elite of American imperialism and its allies. The answer to the evermore open danger of war is a unified struggle by the international working class to end the outmoded capitalist profit system and nation-state divisions and establish a socialist society.

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[15 December 2018]
A worker from the Faurecia plant in Saline, Michigan, recently contacted the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter to discuss the conditions in the sprawling 1.3 million-square-foot facility. The long hours, health and safety concerns, substandard pay and virtual management-union dictatorship mirror the situation throughout the auto parts industry.

Faurecia, a French-owned transnational corporation, is the sixth-largest auto parts maker in the world, producing seats, interior systems, and emission control technology. The company, with factories in 35 countries, took in a profit of 714.5 million (US$816.5 million) in 2017, up 34 percent from the year before.

I hired in at $11 not too long after Faurecia bought the plant. Some people had stayed on from ACH [Automotive Holdings Company] and had to take a pay cut, the worker told the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter.  Of the 1,700 or 1,800 workers, there are probably no more than 200 of us still working from that time.

A brief review of the plants 52 years of operation, particularly since the year 2000, provides insight into changes in automobile production in the 21st century and the corresponding decline in living standards and working conditions.

Ford opened the factory in 1966 as an early producer of plastic components. It grew throughout the 70s and 80s as the use of plastics was developed and expanded. Ford continued to operate the plant throughout the 90s until it reached a deal with the UAW in October 1999 to spin off its parts division, Visteon. This followed a similar move by General Motors (GM) which had spun off its parts division, Delphi, five months earlier.

Visteon became formally independent from Ford in April 2000, with the transfer of new stock to existing Ford shareholders. While nominally independent, the two companies were, in reality, wholly dependent on one another. Nearly 90 percent of Visteons revenue came from sales to its parent company Ford.

The move by both Ford and GM away from vertical integration by spinning off their parts divisions was a turning point in the industry. It expressed both the downward pressure on profits of an increasingly global productive process, and the inability of the nationally based trade unions to advance the independent interest of their members. Workers wages and benefits were not affected in the initial agreement allowing the spin-off, but it was widely understood that demands for major concessions were on the horizon as the two largest automakers pushed for lower pricing.

Throughout its first five years as an independent company, Visteon was unable to turn a profit. In a move to avoid bankruptcy Visteon sought to narrow its focus on electronics. It transferred ownership of the Saline plant, along with 22 other facilities, back to Ford in October 2005 under the auspices of a newly developed shell company called Automotive Components Holdings (ACH). Ford agreed to reassume ownership to prevent supply disruptions, but they did so with the intention of selling off the factories and business as soon as possible.

It should be noted that at the same time Ford created ACH to prevent Visteons collapse, Delphi was in the process of filing for bankruptcy. This was essentially the first round of auto bankruptcies before the 2009 bailout.

It was over the next seven years of ACH/Ford ownership, and ultimately with the sale to Faurecia in June 2012, that major wage and benefits concessions, buyouts, transfers, forced layoffs and the proliferation of temporary or probationary employment were to be forced upon the workers. During the transitional period, any of the 2,300 workers could be employed by Ford, ACH, Faurecia, or various temporary agencies like Belcan or Devon Alpha Services.

When Faurecia took the operation over, about 700 jobs were cut from the Saline plant as final assembly of instrument panels was sent to the latest of Fords business creations: Detroit Manufacturing Systems, (DMS) a minority-woman-owned joint venture between Faurecia and Rush Group.

Wages of full-time workers at the Saline plant had been in the $21-$28 range, but would drop drastically to $11 for new hires at both Saline and DMS. Any workers that stayed on during the ownership change saw their wages fall to $15.50.

The worker noted, Now with the contract we are on, new hires were supposed to start at $12, but they had to go in and change it to $13.25 because they couldnt keep enough people. The worker continued, The turnover is so bad, at one point they were busing people in from the city.

As wages have declined daily, working hours have skyrocketed. The worker described the arduous character of the alternative work schedule (AWS), which consists of four 10-hour shifts, but which often adds up to 12 hours or more at the plant. The AWS was a major concession given up by the UAW during and after the Obama administrations restructuring of the auto industry. It effectively entailed the elimination of the paid lunch break and overtime pay for shifts over eight hours or on the weekends.

Many workers dont like the AWS shift because of the hours. A lot of people are not from the Saline/Ann Arbor area and have a 45-minute drive or longer, one way, so thats another two hours added to a 12-hour day. Its impossible to pick kids up from school, cook dinner, help with homework, eat, shower and get enough sleep. Somethings going to lack in the day and usually its sleep. Running off four or five hours of sleep a night for a person up in age is not healthy at all.

Which brings us to why the turnover rate has gone even higher since the AWS started. We get eight points for the entire year, and its a half point if youre one minute late, one point for call-off, no sick days, no personal days, and vacation days have to be requested at least two days in advance. For hi-lo drivers vacation days are very often denied because were always short on drivers.

We have had two people die on the line this year! One woman recently had a heart attack and earlier in the year another woman died. I think they said it was an asthma attack. Both were on the weekend when there is no medical in the plant.

This reporter noted that neither death appeared in the official Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) yearly tally, now standing at 36, of workplace deaths in the state. The worker explained, They tried to say it wasnt work-related or that they died at the hospital of something. But in one case she lost her bowels on the line. I hate to say it but youre pretty much gone at that point.

The union is more and more working with the company. If the company wants to change something they just go in and change the contract. Whats the point of having a contract if they can just go in and change it?

They just changed our health insurance and made it worse. They dont accept Promedica doctors anymore and that made it hard for some people from smaller towns where thats all they have. The union just let it happen.

Also, the company just put cameras up. They say its not to watch us, but they even have cameras in the break room. Im not even sure if thats legal.

I would say the majority in the plant are disappointed in the union. It seems the company gets away with everything they throw our way. They make changes to the contract and make rules as they go. More and more people are opting out of paying dues and I cant blame them.

A 2015 article from Crains Detroit Business pointed to the three key ingredients for survival of the Saline plant: an owner, Faurecia, with deep pockets; a loyal customer, Ford; and a pragmatic union.

The pragmatists of the UAW have no interest in educating their members on the decades-long record of layoffs and concessions at the Saline plant or anywhere else, because it would expose their own treacherous role in enforcing the profit interests of the companies.

For the defense against further concessions and plant closures, restoration of past losses and advancement of future gains, workers must build rank-and-file committees independent of the UAW.

The contract covering the Saline plant expires on May 31, 2019. Workers should not wait for the phony highlights offered up by UAW Local 892, likely days before the vote. They should organize rank-and-file committees to advance their own demands.

General Motors plan to close five plants in North America and lay off 15,000, heralding a sharp escalation of the attacks on autoworkers, has already placed parts workers jobs in the crosshairs. Over the next six months, rank-and-file committees at Faurecia should reach out to workers at DMS, Lear and across industry lines. Likewise, in their struggle against the French-based transnational corporation, Faurecia workers will find allies internationally in their class brothers and sisters engaged in yellow vest protests against social inequality and the Macron government of France.

The WSWS Autoworker Newsletter will aid workers in this fight by facilitating lines of communication, providing a platform for workers voices to be heard, and offering a fighting perspective to guide the struggle forward.

We encourage workers at Faurecia and elsewhere who want to join the fight against layoffs and concessions to contact us today. A steering committee has been established to carry forward the struggle against plant closures.

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Sydneys new privatised Northern Beaches Hospital saw its third high-level resignation in little over two weeks when Alistair Boyce stepped down as head of anaesthetics on December 5.

Towards the end of November, anaesthetists had called an emergency meeting and voted in favour of cancelling elective surgeries if the problems they faced were not addressed. They did not have the equipment or resources to perform surgeries safely.

Just two days after the hospitals official opening on November 19, the director of medical services, Louise Messara, resigned after senior doctors at the facility called an emergency meeting to pass a vote of no confidence against her. Earlier that day, the hospitals CEO, Deborah Latta, also stepped down.

There had been ongoing complaints by staff and patients that the hospital, which began admitting patients on October 30, lacked sufficient doctors and nurses and was not equipped to provide safe, quality care. Many of the staff members had not received proper training on the hospitals equipment.

There was also a limited availability of vital drugs. Nurses and doctors had to go to the pharmacy or other wards themselves to collect medication and supplies that were not on-hand or had not been delivered.

One patient, Astrid McCrank, waited over an hour for an emergency cesarean section, after doctors and nurses had difficulty procuring and setting up the necessary equipment.

Staff told the Sydney Morning Herald that McCranks situation had been life-threatening. She was unconscious and had to be put on a ventilator. The most senior doctor able to attend to her was a junior medical officer.

Basic surgical and medical equipment, such as syringes and stethoscopes, have also been in limited supply. Further reports indicated that no body bags had been delivered to the hospital.

The New South Wales (NSW) state Liberal government marketed the $840 million hospital, which was announced in May 2013 and took three years to build, as having state-of-the-art facilities and a comfortable, clean environment for patients, where every room has a stunning view of the Northern Beaches.

The government handed the hospitals management to Healthscope, Australias second-largest private hospital operator, which employs some 18,000 workers across the country. Healthscope asserts that of the new hospitals 488 beds, 60 percent will be for public patients, with 40 percent for private patients.

Before Healthscope opened the facility, the medical staff had already repeatedly raised concerns that some staff had not been properly trained and that the facilities and services were inadequate.

The hospitals website declared, however, after the opening day: There were teething issues; many of which were fixed on the day by our fantastic support teams.

At the hospitals opening ceremony nearly a month later, Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Health Minister Brad Hazzard likewise sought to downplay the crisis. They described the unsafe conditions for staff and patients as teething problems and hiccups.

Hazzard resorted to blaming the staff, accusing them of having talked up the negative rather than the positive. He insisted they should get on with the job they are paid quite well for.

The opening of the hospital was accompanied by the closure of the nearby public Manly Hospital, and the transfer of all acute services at the state-run Mona Vale Hospital to the new facility. Temporary and casual employees were not eligible to be transferred, nor were employees who did not work in the services provided by Healthscope.

In January, around 40 staff from Manly Hospital walked out for 30 minutes to protest the hospitals closure. Nurses, doctors and specialists reiterated fears that they would not be guaranteed the hours they then worked, or that their positions would not be transferable, putting them out of a job.

In April, nurses and midwives from both Manly and Mona Vale hospitals voted overwhelmingly for strike action at a meeting called by the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA). The vote was to strike for four hours, ostensibly in opposition to Healthscopes lack of transparency about how staff would be transferred to the new hospital and the lengthy transition process, which was a year behind schedule.

The union then called off the planned strike action. An hour-long rally was held instead, at which officials assured workers that the union had secured further talks with Healthscope, which would grant them greater access to information.

NSWNMA assistant general secretary Judith Kiejda asserted: Im sincerely hoping that holding the employers feet to the fire will be able to ensure that Healthscope is the good employer we know they can be.

The trade unions have continuously promoted the return of state and federal Labor governments as the solution to the problems arising from privatisation. They have insisted that workers can improve their wages and conditions, including staff-to-patient ratios, by making appeals to state and federal MPs.

In recent years, the NSWNMA has published articles such as New guaranteed ratios system will be delivered under NSW Labor and asserted that when Labor took office federally in 2007 it protected nurses wages and conditions and increased nursing training places.

In reality, both Labor and Liberal-National governments have presided over the privatisation of healthcare, and other services, for decades. A recent Australian Hospitals at a Glance report show that between 2010 and 2017, the number of publicly-owned hospitals fell from 793 to 695, while the number of privately-owned hospitals rose from 573 to 630.

At the same time, persistent funding cuts have resulted in the driving down of care and working conditions for staff across the entire health care sector.

The first public-private partnership hospital venture in Australia, the Port Macquarie Base Hospital, north of Sydney, opened in 1994. The NSW state government bought it back in 2005, after mounting opposition from staff and the broader community to the hospitals poor working conditions and inadequate services. At one point, it had the longest waiting lists in the state, and patients had to travel to other hospitals for treatment.

By 2001, the hospital had gone through six CEOs, and the managing company, Mayne Health, had systematically cut its clinically-trained nursing staff and employed assistants-in-nursing to save on costs.

As with the Port Macquarie hospital, there was no mention by the state Labor government of a public-private-partnership when the Northern Beaches Hospital was originally mooted in 2006. The then Health Minister John Hatzistergos also publicly denied plans to close Manly or Mona Vale hospitals.

The trade unions later facilitated the public-private partnership, lobbying independent parliamentarians to allow the privately-owned hospital to proceed. To suggest that private, for-profit companies are going to provide quality care to public patients is a fraud, seeking to obscure the ever-greater moves by governments to funnel public wealth into the clutches of the corporate elite.
Protests against the right-wing government of Premier Victor Orban have continued this week. Thousands had taken to the streets in Budapest and other big cities last week. The demonstrations were triggered by a new law that increases the number of overtime hours that employers can demand from their workers from 250 to 400 per year.

The protests are also directed against a judicial reform decided at the same time, which opens the way for new government-controlled administrative courts. Another target of the protests are the xenophobic and antisocial policies of the Fidesz government.

Last Sunday witnessed the largest demonstration so far, with 15,000 protesting against the governments Slave Law. Slogans on banners included Orban, get lost! Strike, strike, strike and We have had enough! The protests drew from virtually all layers of the population, with more and more students taking part. The initial protests were met with the widespread use of tear gas by the police, but the more recent protests have remained largely peaceful.

On Sunday, demonstrations took place outside the main building of the state television station, MTV. The broadcaster is under government control and is known for its one-sided government propaganda. A group of opposition MPs had gained access to the building Sunday night and occupied it for 24 hours.

In Szombathely, western Hungary, 1,000 people marched to the editorial offices of the local newspaper, Vas Nepe, to protest against the pro-government line taken by the paper. In Hungary, the government controls a large part of the press and independent media outlets are muzzled.

The government has maliciously denounced the demonstrators. Zoltan Kovacs, a spokesman of Fidesz, claimed in the New York Times that the protests have no popular support. The leaders of the protests are desperate opposition politicians and celebrity activists, he said.

In reality, support for Orban is plummeting. According to a new poll, 80 percent reject the new labour law. Two thirds of those who formerly voted for Orban oppose the law, with workers fearing layoffs if they refuse to work overtime.

Orban has governed the country with an absolute majority since 2010 and gradually erected authoritarian state structures in Hungary. He owed his majority not to any broad support on the part of the population but rather to profound discontent with all the other establishment parties, most notably the Socialist Party (MSZP). Last Wednesday, when parliament passed its labour law, the pent-up anger spilled out onto the streets.

According to a poll by IDEA this month, only 34 percent support the governing party. That is 3 percent less than in the previous month. According to the same poll, the second-ranked party in parliament, the far-right Jobbik, is only supported by 8 percent. In 2014, Fidesz was polling at over 50 percent. This means that support for these two parties has almost halved since 2014. In 2019, European and local elections will be held in Hungary, and all of the parties fear massive losses, especially Fidesz.

The reformed labour law primarily serves the interests of international corporations, in particular the European auto industry. At the beginning of his term in office, Orban restricted the right to strike, and Hungary now has one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the EU. Until now, Orban could rely on the tacit support of the trade unions, but they are currently threatening to call a general strike in the new year.

We say yes to the general strike. This is our last chance to demonstrate our power, a union representative told the German Handelsblatt newspaper. He made clear that this was solely due to massive pressure from the workforce. Some of our members are asking us to shut down the country, he admitted. Workers in the auto industry earn on average between 900 and 1,000 per month for a working week of over 40 hours.

The unions are growing increasingly fearful that the protests could spread to the factories and lead to strikes. The rate of trade union organisation in the factories is traditionally low, averaging between 10 and 20 percent. Hungary is a favoured location for the auto industry. In addition to low wages and low taxes, the trade unions have always faithfully followed the line of government and big business.

The German carmaker BMW recently announced plans to build a new auto factory in the eastern region of Debrecen, where more than 1,000 employees are expected to produce up to 150,000 cars each year. It is understandable that some critics have called the new labour legislation the BMW law.

Sixteen different unions are currently discussing a possible strike in January. Last year, workers at Tesco stores went on strike in Hungary and there were strikes in the car industry in other parts of eastern Europe, including Volkswagen in Slovakia and Fiat in Serbia.

The Hungarian economy is currently growing due to the activities of these international companies and a gross domestic product increase of 3.8 percent is expected this year. The Hungarian government has predicted annual growth of between 4 and 4.2 percent by 2022. However, this has brought little in the way of benefits for the vast majority of the Hungarian population.

Both the government and opposition parties fear that the current protests could spread. While the opposition MSZP is teaming up with the far-right Jobbik, the government is preparing a brutal crackdown on the protests. Orbans chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, accused protesters of showing open anti-Christian hatred. He said that citizens had the right to protest only as long as no laws are broken. At the same time, the government announced Wednesday that it would make no concessions regarding its Slave Law.
Investigators from the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), the official New South Wales (NSW) anti-corruption body, raided the Labor Partys Sydney headquarters last Tuesday. The action was a highly political move aimed at escalating a protracted campaign against supposed Chinese interference in Australian politics.

ICAC carried out the raid in the middle of Labors triennial national conference. This was designed to ensure that the incursion, which was rapidly reported to the media, had maximum political impact. It also meant that the majority of Labors NSW officials and office staff were not present while searches were conducted.

The targeting of one of the Australian ruling elites two main pro-war parties, which has itself played a key role in the McCarthyite anti-China campaign, has several purposes.

It is intended as a signal to those sections of the political establishment that have raised concerns over the economic consequences of Australias complete alignment with the US confrontation against Beijing that any deviation from Washingtons line will not be tolerated.

It also creates a precedent for repressive measures against genuine anti-war organisations and parties and is aimed at intimidating mass opposition to escalating militarism. The raid, and the lurid press coverage surrounding it, is the latest chapter in an ongoing attempt by the political and media establishment to whip-up a wartime atmosphere and xenophobia against China.

The pretext for the raid was to search for financial records detailing allegedly illegal or undisclosed donations received by Labor in 2015. Labor officials claimed the funds had already been investigated by the NSW Electoral Commission and deemed to be legal.

According to articles in the Murdoch-owned Australian newspaper and other corporate publications, the investigation centres around a fundraising dinner held by the Chinese Friends of Labor in March 2015.

The event reportedly raised almost $90,000. Among those in attendance were prominent property developers. Articles in the press have noted that, at the time of gathering, NSW political parties were not permitted to receive donations from property developers.

More is at stake, however, than potentially dubious donations.

Central to the campaign against foreign interference over the past two years have been media claims that donations from wealthy Chinese-born individuals to leading politicians are part of a nefarious plot by Beijing to shift Australia from its alliance with the United States.

Media coverage of the raid particularly highlighted the presence of Huang Xiangmo, a billionaire Chinese-born property developer, alongside federal Labor leader Bill Shorten, Labors shadow treasurer Chris Bowen and then NSW Labor leader Luke Foley.

Huang was targeted by a joint Fairfax-Australian Broadcasting Corporation investigation in early 2017, which presented him, without any evidence, as a stalking horse of the Chinese Communist Party regime. The breathless reports were based almost entirely on politically-motivated and anonymous claims made by ASIO and other spy agencies.

In its article on the raid, the Australian further highlighted a meeting between Huang and Bill Shorten in October 2015, at which the businessman pledged $55,000 to Labor. It also noted a March 2016 visit by Shorten to Huangs Sydney mansion, which was also allegedly carried out to raise funds for the Labor Party.

The Australians decision to draw attention to the links between Huang and Shorten is highly significant.

In September 2017, federal Labor senator Sam Dastyari was forced to resign over his dealings with Huang and other Chinese businessmen.

Dastyari was denounced as a traitor by senior government ministers and Labor representatives, for warning Huang that their phone calls were likely being monitored by the intelligence agencies. The fact that the comment was immediately leaked to the press indicates that the warning was not mistaken.

It was also alleged that tepid warnings made by Dastyari concerning the potentially catastrophic consequences of US freedom of navigation provocations against China in the South China Sea were, in some way, linked to donations he took from Huang and others.

The ICAC raid is one indication that the type of operation used to force Dastyari from parliament is being expanded. At the least, it will be used to pressure Shorten and Bowen, who will be installed as prime minister and treasurer respectively if Labor wins the next federal election, to come out even more forcibly against purported Chinese interference.

It followed scurrilous articles in the Australian earlier this month, which all but branded Chinese-born Western Australian state Labor MP Pierre Yang as an agent of the Chinese regime.

The first article condemned Yang for his membership of the Northeast China Federation Inc and the Association of Great China, organisations that have expressed support for Chinas Belt and Road Infrastructure initiative to further economically integrate the Eurasian landmass. The second declared that he had served aboard a suspected China spy ship. In reality, the vessel was searching for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 and Yang was serving as a liaison for the Australian Army Reserve because of his fluency in Mandarin.

Both reports appeared to be based on material provided by the intelligence agencies.

Ernest Wong, a New South Wales state Labor MP, has also been removed from a winnable position on the partys upper house ticket in the March 2019 NSW election. Media outlets have speculated that it is because of his ties to Huang.

Others are also being targeted. Last month, an article in the Australian Financial Review presented former NSW Labor premier and ex-foreign minister Bob Carr as a Chinese agent, in a provocative article headlined How Bob Carr became Chinas pawn.

A subhead in the article asked: Why does Carr echo Beijing? It implicitly condemned his promotion of a positive and optimistic view of the Australia-China relationship. It concluded that Carrs political positions were a result of his role as head of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology in Sydney, which is partly funded by Chinese sources. The article declared that Carr had been selected by China as a local associate in massaging Australian media reporting on China.

The ICAC raid and the media campaigns against Carr and others reflect ongoing divisions within the ruling elite. The major factions of the political establishment are committed to the US-Australia military and strategic alliance and the use of militarism to secure the interests of the corporate and financial elite in the Indo-Pacific and internationally.

Sections of the ruling class, however, continue to voice concerns that Australias central role in Washingtons reckless plans for war with China could lead to catastrophe. They are fearful that conflict with Beijing will shatter lucrative trade and economic ties, especially their massive multi-billion dollar export of commodities such as iron ore, coal and natural gas. They also fear that the growing awareness of the danger of war will lead to the development of a mass anti-war movement. The ICAC raid is a signal that, amid Washingtons rapidly escalating confrontation with China, such concerns will be repressed.

There are also signs that sections of the Australian elite are anxious to make use of the draconian foreign interference laws, which were enacted by the Coalition government with Labors full support in June. The legislation is aimed at criminalising anti-war organisations and opponents of the US-Australia military alliance and American bases in Australia, on the false pretext that they are agents of the Chinese regime.
PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE

Income and poverty

According to the US Census Bureau, 328 million people reside in the United States. Non-Hispanic whites make up 60.7 percent, black or African American 13.4 percent, and Hispanics or Latino 18.1 percent of the population. The annual median household income (MHI) in 2016 dollars amounts to $55,322 and the percentage of the population living in poverty stands at 12.3 percent. There is wide variation in these figures from state to state. Table 2 below highlights these facts. The table also demonstrates a broadly uniform phenomenon: the areas in which police killings occurredeither the cities and towns, or in the case of rural districts, the countiesalmost always have lower median household incomes and more people living in poverty than the statewide average.

In 2017, according to the Washington Post, 987 people were shot and killed by the police. Overwhelmingly, men constituted 95.2 percent of those killed. Racial demographics included 475 white non-Hispanic victims (48.2 percent), 231 black victims (23.4 percent) and 209 Hispanic victims (21.2 percent). Twenty-five Native Americans made up 2.5 percent of those killed though they constitute only 1.3 percent of the population. On the other hand, 19 Asians represented 1.9 percent of those killed though they constitute 5.8 percent of the US population.

Twenty-six people (after the data was cross-referenced with KilledbyPolice.net and news sources) had an unknown race assigned. They made up 2.6 percent of those killed by police.

When this data is standardized to the number killed per 100,000, whites were killed at 0.237 per 100k, blacks at 0.530 per 100k and Hispanics at 0.358 per 100k. The ratio of black death rate to white death rate stands at 2.24 and the ratio of Hispanic death rate to whites death rate at 1.51. This data is consistent with the published literature and often quoted to support the racialist perspective.

The police killing zone: USA

However, when we calculated the demographics only for the regions in which a police killing occurred, there was a significant shift in both the demographics and socioeconomic status of this new population. We used the suffix minus () to denote the narrower region where a killing occurred. Illinois would mean only those cities and rural counties in Illinois where police killed civilians. USA includes only the cities and rural counties throughout the country in which a police killing occurred.

The region designated USA accounts for 91,526,100 people. In other words, slightly more than one-quarter of the US population lives in a city or county where a police killing took place, and conversely, just under three-quarters live in cities or counties that were free of such killings.

The population of USA has significantly different demographics from the USA as a whole. Non-Hispanic whites made up 44.5 percent, blacks 18.6 percent and Hispanics 26.7 percent of this region. The median household income is slightly lower at $52,218 per annum, and the percentage in poverty (PP) is much higher, at 19.5 percent.

If one compares the poverty rate of USA to the poverty rate of the remaining nearly three-quarters of the country, where no police killings took place, the disparity is even more stark. The poverty rate is 19.5 percent in what might be called the police killing zone. It is only 9.5 percent, less than half that rate, in the rest of the country.

While poverty becomes a much more salient factor when considering just USA, the opposite is true for race. In USA, non-Hispanic whites experienced 1.169 deaths per 100,000, blacks 1.357 per 100,000 and Hispanics 0.856 per 100,000. The ratio of the black death rate to the white death rate was cut nearly in half, to 1.16, and the Hispanic to white ratio declined by more than half, to 0.73. Though blacks continued to be killed at a higher rate than whites, the differences between them became less profound. Comparing observed to expected, based upon the population living in USA, 38 more whites (8.6 percent) were killed than expected, 47 more blacks (25.6 percent) were killed than expected but 67 fewer Hispanics (25.5 percent) were killed than expected.

When looking at economic data by race, in USA, regions where white non-Hispanics were killed, the mean household income was $46,720 and 17.6 percent of the population was living in poverty, for blacks the figures were $47,010 and 20.3 percent, and for Hispanics, $50,070 and 19.1 percent.

Urban and rural differences

Only eighty-two black individuals (35.5 percent of all blacks killed by police) died in rural areas with populations of less than 100,000, excluding suburbs. These represented 8.3 percent of all people killed by police in 2017. The median household income in these regions is $41,661, and the proportion living in poverty stands at 20.9 percent.

Forty-five percent of all blacks killed by police were killed in large urban areas with populations of more than 300,000 (including the suburbs) while 20 percent were killed in smaller urban centers between 100,000 and 300,000, for a combined total of 65 percent of all blacks being killed in urban centers. The median household income and proportion in poverty in the urban centers where blacks were killed were $48,088 and 20.8 percent, respectively. Only seventeen black people were killed in suburbs (7.4 percent of all blacks and 1.7 percent of all people killed by police) where the median household income and proportion in poverty stand at $67,178 and 10.5 percent, respectively.

In contrast, out of 478 whites killed by police, 292 (61.7 percent of all whites killed and 29.6 percent of the people killed by police) were killed in rural areas with less than 100,000 population. The median household income and proportion living in poverty were $42,213 and 18.0 percent, respectively.

This figure is worth pondering. The number of whites killed by police in rural areas, 292, is just about exactly twice the number of blacks killed by police in urban areas, 149. But these white victims of police violence are almost invisible when it comes to reporting in the corporate-controlled media, speeches by Democratic Party politicians, or commentary by the pseudo-left groups. Moreover, the income and poverty rates in the two areas are comparable: both white and black victims of police violence live in lower-income working-class areas characterized by much higher than average poverty rates.

There were 124 (25.9 percent of whites killed) in population centers (excluding suburbs) with more than 100,000. Of these, 66 whites (13.8 percent of whites killed by police and 6.7 percent of all victims) died in large urban centers with more than 300,000 population. The median household income and proportion in poverty were $48,675 and 18.5 percent, respectively. Sixty white people were killed in suburbs, accounting for 12.5 percent of whites killed. These regions have a median household income and proportion in poverty of $69,082 and 8.0 percent, respectively.

The demographics of Hispanics killed by police were closer to those of blacks than whites, in that more were killed in larger urban centers. Rural areas accounted for 40.9 percent of Hispanics killed by police (8.6 percent of all victims) while 59.1 percent of Hispanics (12.5 percent of all victims) were killed in urban centers, including the suburbs and metro areas.

The most dangerous area: rural America

Metropolitan centers denote urban centers with more than one million people. There were ten such centers in which 76 people were killed. This region contributed 28.4 percent of USA but accounted for only 7.7 percent of those killed. Blacks and Hispanics accounted for 35.5 percent each to those killed while whites were only 27.2 percent. Blacks were over-represented in metropolitan centers, at almost twice their proportion in the population.

Large cities included urban centers between 300,000 to one million people. There were 152 people killed in 46 cities and large suburbs. This region accounted for 27.4 percent of USA but contributed to 15.4 percent of those killed. Blacks again were over-represented in these regions at nearly twice the expected rate, comprising 40.1 percent of those killed.

Population centers with more than 100,000 people but less than 300,000 included many small cities and exurbs. In these regions, 171 people were killed. Combined, they contributed 22.7 percent of USA- and contributed to 17.3 percent of those killed. The rate of whites killed rose while that for blacks declined to a level more consistent with their population in these regions though blacks continued to be over-represented.

Together these urban centers accounted for 399 killed, making up 40.4 percent of those killed by police in 2017. These areas, however, represented 78.5 percent of the population in USA, the combined regions where police killings occurred. By contrast, the rural regions, which encompassed 463 small and medium towns, including counties with less than 100,000 people, accounted for only 16.8 percent of USA. However, they accounted for 50.2 percent of the people killed by police, a remarkable 496 victims.

By comparison to urban centers where death rates are on the order of magnitude less than one killed per 100,000 people, medium-sized cities had a rate for whites of 1.946, blacks 3.564 and Hispanics of 2.259. In small towns and rural areas, these rates climbed to a staggering 12.016 per 100,000 for whites, 15.703 for blacks and 11.755 for Hispanics.

To be continued
On Tuesday, the US and Mexican governments announced a new Central American development plan aimed at stemming the tide of migrants to the US. The new program, dubbed a new Marshall Planinvoking the US program for reviving post-World War II European capitalismwill reportedly focus on infrastructure efforts in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.

The Mexican government will invest $25 billion over five years, while the US will contribute $5.8 billion to the Northern Triangle and $4.8 billion to Mexico. The US funds will not constitute new money, but will merely be reallocated from existing aid efforts. There will be an additional $4.5 billion from new loans that will be managed through the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and will have to be repaid.

The plan was announced by a joint US-Mexican statement weeks after it was initially proposed by the new government of leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO). Perhaps it is not like the Marshall Plan, but it is similar in the scope of what we are addressing in terms of the amount of effort that needs to be done, the largest investment in recent years, in the three Central American countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, stated Mexican foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard.

Layers of the US ruling elite see AMLOs plan as a convenient way to refurbish the human rights credentials of the US government, while committing the US only to further loans that will fatten the pockets of finance capital.

The deal could also result in a so-called Remain in Mexico policy between the US and Mexico that would further restrict asylum requests in the US. This would entail naming Mexico a safe third country under asylum law with the aim of denying immigrants seeking asylum entry to the US, as they could safely remain in Mexico.

A continuation of the deportation policies of the former Pena Nieto administration would quickly discredit the leftist AMLO. The Mexican Commission for Assistance to Refugees (Comar) currently has a backlog of more than 48,000 refugee applications. According to the agency, the number of refugee applications received four years ago was about 2,000. This year is expected to close with more than 26,000 from migrants from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

The Marshall Plan does not represent a departure from the draconian anti-immigrant policies of the Trump administration. Trump continues to utilize the issue of immigration to foment a fascistic movement based on xenophobia and chauvinism. Nearly 15,000 children remain detained in camps across the US under horrific conditions, which last week led to the death of seven-year-old Jackeline Caal. Trump has continued his threats to shut down the federal government unless a border wall with Mexico is funded in the next appropriations bill and has provocatively tweeted that Mexico is already paying for the wall as a result of the new trade deal between the US, Canada and Mexico.

There is widespread popular support for immigrants. Deeply angered by the anti-immigrant attacks by the Trump administration, millions have rallied in support of the thousands of caravan members who have correctly labeled themselves as international workers. The struggles of Central American workers and peasants strike a cord with conditions facing workers in every country, including a lack of social services, deep inequality and limited economic opportunities.

To this must be added the growing and correct sentiment among the population that the US government, through its support of destabilizing coups that have fueled poverty and violence, bears primary responsibility for the intolerable conditions that Central American immigrants are seeking to escape.

The Marshall plan will do nothing to substantially change the circumstances of Central American migrants. From the side of the Central American and Mexican bourgeoisies, the goal of the plan is to present a stop-gap measure aimed at defusing unbearable conditions that could lead to political convulsions throughout the region. The AMLO administration also sees this as a way to develop the south of Mexico as a low-wage platform for transnational corporations that would be staffed with cheap Central American labor.

The US and Mexico will hold a business summit in the first three months of 2019 for corporations interested in participating in the plan. The offering of Central American raw materials and human resources up to the claws of finance capital is nothing new. After all, the region has suffered decades of US-backed dictatorships for the very purpose of guaranteeing the profits of corporations.

The original Marshall Plan was carried out in order to stabilize Europe after the Second World War. This was not done out of the charity of American capitalism, but to save the discredited European governments from the threat of socialist revolution and with the understanding that the economic advance of the US depended on the expansion of the world economy as a whole.

US and world capitalism have long since lost the capacity to carry out projects like the Marshall Plan. Now, the ruling elites in every country are responding to the threat of renewed financial crisis through economic nationalism and by scapegoating workers in other countries for conditions caused by the capitalist system itself.

The entrenched poverty facing the region cannot be addressed without eliminating the domination of profit over every aspect of life. At best, the current program will provide a few billion dollars for pre-approved projects that will go largely into the pockets of US, Mexican and Central American capitalists. What is objectively needed by the masses are tens of trillions to fund a massive public works program, democratically controlled by the international working class. This must be accompanied by a policy of open borders to guarantee that workers, who as a class are already international, can live and work wherever they choose with full citizenship rights.
The announcement by US President Donald Trump of his decision to withdraw all US troops from Syriafollowed by reports that he has ordered a partial withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistanhas unleashed a major crisis within the administration and its relations with the military.

Thursdays resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis laid bare these sharpening divisions. In his letter to Trump, Mattis wrote, Because you have the right to have a secretary of defense whose views are better aligned with yours ... I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.

Mattiss letter laid out an unconcealed criticism of Trumps policies, declaring the necessity of being resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours, i.e., China and Russia.

The resignation of the former Marine Corps general who required a waiver from Congress because of his appointment as defense secretary so soon after his retirement from the military, came just one day after Trumps announcement of the Syria withdrawal, which Mattis opposed.

In a Capitol Hill press conference Thursday night, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi described herself as shaken by the resignation of the ex-general. Appearing with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, she hailed Mattis as a patriotic American and a voice of stability, adding, Our troops look to Secretary Mattis as a leader, and he is now leaving.

Schumer went on to link the resignation of Mattis to the previous departures of Gen. H.R. McMaster, Trumps former national security adviser, and Gen. John Kelly, his chief of staff, describing them as a loss of the forces of stability within the administration.

If this is the kind of stability you are looking for, you cant find anything better than a military dictatorship.

The Democratic congressional leaderships reaction sums up the nature of the divisions within Washington and the US ruling establishment. The Democrats opposition to Trump is driven by US imperialisms global interests and has nothing to do with the conditions confronting the working class, the overwhelming majority of the US population.

Trumps announcement of the Syrian troop withdrawal provoked an extraordinary backlash from the leadership of both his own Republican Party and the Democrats, as well as from the major media and state-connected Washington think tanks.

Democratic Senators Bob Menendez and Jack Reed, the ranking members of the Senates foreign affairs and armed services committees, respectively, joined with the leading Republican critic of Trumps withdrawal decision, Senator Lindsey Graham, for a Capitol Hill press conference Thursday, announcing a bipartisan drive to pass a Senate resolution demanding that Trump reverse course and ensure that any withdrawal from Syria will be based on conditions on the ground.

Major broadcast media outlets have been overwhelmingly critical of the withdrawal decision, bringing on former generals and intelligence figures like ex-CIA director John Brennan to denounce it as a capitulation to Russia, Iran and the Syrian government.

The New York Times published an editorial Thursday invoking the authority of Trumps national security adviser, the maniacal warmonger and international bully, John Bolton, citing his vow to expand the role of US troops in Syria to confront Iran.

It criticized Trump for having overruled Mr. Bolton and the rest of his national security team. His decision, the newspaper of record of what once passed for American liberalism, argued, had sowed new uncertainty about Americas commitment to the Middle East, its willingness to be a global leader and Mr. Trumps role as commander in chief. Soldiers have a duty to follow their leader and carry out lawful orders. But success depends on trusting that the leader knows what hes doing and where hes going.

It went on to accuse Trump of harming morale and risking getting American soldiers killed or wounded for objectives their commanders had already abandoned.

Suggesting that Trump made the announcement to divert public attention from the anti-Russia campaign, the Times concluded, That would be the worst rationale for a commander in chief sworn to protect the nation and to honor the men and women who serve in uniform.

Under conditions in which his White House is under mounting political and legal siege connected to the Mueller investigation and the conviction and sentencing of past aides and associates, the timing of the Syria announcement may well have been driven by Trumps calculation that a troop withdrawal would be viewed favorably by the majority of the US population.

In response to Grahams heated denunciations of the decision, Trump tweeted, So hard to believe that Lindsey Graham would be against saving soldier lives & billions of $$$. Why are we fighting for our enemy, Syria, by staying & killing ISIS for them, Russia, Iran & other locals? Time to focus on our Country & bring our youth back home where they belong!

However cynical Trumps motives, there is no question that there is immense popular hostility to the never-ending US wars in the Middle East.

Those denouncing the withdrawal announcement do not even attempt to make a case to the population for the continuation of the US intervention, which is illegal both under US and international law. Their entire appeal is pitched to the American ruling establishment and, above all, to the vast US military and intelligence apparatus.

There was a similar appeal to the military in an op-ed by Washington Post foreign affairs columnist David Ignatius, a dependable mouthpiece for the CIA and the Pentagon, who warned that Trumps troop withdrawal would create a vacuum that will be filled by one of a series of bad actorsIran, Russia, Turkey, Islamic extremists, the Syrian regimetake your pick, they're all dangerous for American interests in the Middle East.

He argues that the US military presence had stabilized northeast Syria; it blocked Iranian expansion; it checked Russian hegemony; it gave the US some bargaining leverage for an eventual political settlement in Syria.

This bargaining leverage was based upon the US militarys use of special forces troops and Kurdish militia proxy forces to lay hold of one third of Syrias national territory, including oil and natural gas fields that are vital to providing the resources for reconstructing a country devastated by more than seven years of a US-orchestrated war for regime-change.

Invoking his visit to US bases in Syria earlier this year, Ignatius writes, It's hard to describe the competence of American troops in Syria without sounding corny. Suffice it to say that they found a way to project American power with maximum damage to the enemy and minimum cost for America.

This maximum damage can be seen in the rubble of Raqqa, which was largely razed to the ground by US bombs and shells. According to the monitoring group Airwars, nearly 30,000 Syrians have been reported killed as a result of US bombardments, with tens of thousands more maimed.

This slaughter has been justified in the name of a war against ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), which was itself the product of the US war of aggression against Iraq, which claimed roughly a million lives and demolished an entire society. ISIS was further nurtured through the subsequent wars for regime-change in Libya and Syria, where Washington armed and supported the very same Islamist militias that it subsequently claimed to be fighting.

The bitter debate in Washington is driven by rival factions within the ruling class that are equally rapacious and bloodthirsty, determined to prepare for global war to advance the interests of a crisis-ridden American capitalist order against its major rivals, China and Russia, while divided over tactics in terms of how to pursue these aims in the Middle East and elsewhere.

This conflict unfolds in the absence of a mass antiwar movement in the United States and internationally, which is due in large measure to the role played by various pseudo-left organizations, from the New Anti-capitalist Party in France to the International Socialist Organization in the US and the Left Party in Germany. Reflecting privileged layers of the middle class whose social interests are bound up with those of imperialism, all of them have sought to justify the imperialist intervention by the US and its allies in Syria based upon phony claims that CIA-backed Islamist militias are the champions of a democratic revolution and by waving the discredited flag of human rights imperialism.

There are immense dangers contained in the deepening crisis of the Trump administration and the appeals by the Democrats to the military. At the same time, popular antiwar sentiment is growing and will inevitably take on active forms, joining with the escalation of the class struggle and the rising opposition within the working class to austerity and the destruction of democratic rights.

The political warfare in Washington over US troops in Syria is bound up with an eruption of US and world imperialism that threatens to destroy human civilization. It can be prevented only by the revolutionary mobilization of the international working class to put an end to capitalism.
Calling its weekly Cabinet meeting in the Catalan regions capital, Barcelona, instead of Madrid is a deliberate provocation by the Socialist Party (PSOE) government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. It threatens to ignite sectarian strife in the already politically volatile region.

Todays meeting takes place only a fortnight after the PSOE suffered a debacle in the regional elections in Andalusia, which produced a right-wing majority in the regions parliament after 36-years of uninterrupted PSOE rule. A fascist party, VOX, entered Spanish politics for the first time since the death of General Francisco Franco, winning 10 seats after mounting an aggressive campaign against Sanchez for holding talks with the Catalan nationalists.

Sanchezs response was to hold his Cabinet meeting in the historic building Casa Llotja de Mar, located in the centre of Barcelona, only 500 metres from the regional government headquarters and only 700 metres from Parliament Park. The government took the decision against the advice of the Catalan regional police, the Mossos dEsquadra, which recommended the Palacete Albeniz, located outside the city.

Sanchez, aware that it would provoke demonstrations, has put the city under lockdown with the deployment of more than 9,000 officers from four agenciesthe Barcelona municipal police, the Mossos dEsquadra, the National Police and the militarized Civil Guardsto protect the meeting. The police and media have warned that protestors face prosecution under articles 503 and 504 of Spains Criminal Code, which carry a sentence of up to five years in prison for anyone who tries to interrupt a Cabinet meeting violently or with intimidation.

The meeting takes place under conditions where 22 former Catalan ministers and activists face sedition charges for their role in last years independence push. Their trials are due to start early next year and will be politically explosive.

Four separatist leaders in pre-trial detentionJordi Turull, Jordi Sanchez, Josep Rull and Joaquim Fornare on indefinite hunger strike against the Constitutional Court blocking their appeals to the European Court of Human Rights. Last week Turull, the former Catalan government spokesman, was moved to hospital due to his deteriorating health situation.

The Catalan nationalists have responded to the continued imprisonment of their leaders by blocking the 2019 budget of the minority PSOE government, which only has 84 seats in the 350-seat parliament in Madrid and relies on the pseudo-left Podemos and the Catalan separatist parties to pass legislation.

Sanchez is utilising the Cabinet provocation and display of force to show the ruling class that he is prepared to move against the Catalan separatists. As right-wing El Espanol editorialised on the meeting, If on that day the situation becomes out of control in Catalonia, the government will have no other choice but to break with the separatists.

Sanchez is seeking to win the backing of the Spanish bourgeoisie should he call a snap general election early next year with a show of force, while making limited concessions to the working class as a sop to mounting social anger after a decade of austerity. He is expected to approve by executive decree at todays meeting a 22 percent increase in the minimum wage to 900 euros and a 2.25 percent increase in public sector pay promised in the stalled 2019 budget agreement with Podemos.

If elections are called, Sanchez will blame the Catalan nationalists for the failure of his government to fulfil its left programme, further fuelling sectarian divisions. Last week in parliament, he accused the Catalan nationalists of lies and grievances that, like Brexit in the UK, was splitting the nation and undermining the European common project.

I will not accept a new violation of the Constitution in Catalonia, he said in a veiled threat to reintroduce direct military rule from Madrid.

Sanchez was making it clear he has junked previous promises to engage in a constructive dialogue with the Catalan government on how to resolve the ongoing conflict and is reverting to the position he took while in opposition last October. The PSOE backed the right-wing Popular Party (PP) government as it outlawed the independence referendum and implemented Article 155 of the Constitution to impose direct rule from Madrid, leaving over 1,000 injured and arresting the secessionist leaders.

Soon after the results, Andalusia PSOE leader Susana Diaz declared she was wrong to ignore the Catalan crisis in her own election campaign. PSOE regional premiers of Aragon, Javier Lamban, and Castilla La Mancha, Emiliano Garcia Page, called for the outlawing of Catalan secessionists.

Sanchezs filthy provocation exposes all the claims by Podemos that a PSOE-led government would be an alternative to the PP. Instead, it acts just as ruthlessly in ramping up repressive measures and dispatching more police to Catalonia than Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy did last year.

This left Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias calling on Sanchez to not to give in to the pressures to re-impose direct control on Catalonia, as if Sanchez is an innocent bystander. Many sectors are pressuring you to burn Catalonia, dont do itLet us speak, he pleadedrecalling his appeals to the PP government last October, when he called on Rajoy to be responsible and place himself at the forefront of negotiations with the Catalan premier.

Like last year, Podemos is again seeking to defuse deep-seated opposition among workers and youth to the developing of an authoritarian state by corralling them behind the PSOE.

This highlights the unbridgeable political gulf separating the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) and Trotskyism from the middle-class populism of Podemos. The ICFI has consistently called for a common struggle of Catalan and Spanish workers, and the entire European working class, against the danger of state repression by Madrid. It opposed Madrids repression in Catalonia, without backing Catalan nationalist calls for a separate capitalist mini-state warning of the threat of a bloody Balkans-like ethnic conflict developing in Spain.

The Catalan nationalist parties, Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT) and Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), meanwhile are scrambling to arrange a deal with Sanchez--fearing that new elections will result in a right-wing coalition government of the PP, Citizens and Vox which will suspend home rule again, this time indefinitely, and outlaw secessionist parties. This week nationalist leaders indicated they are preparing to vote for Sanchezs budget and an open letter was published, signed by five former regional premiers, appealing for the hunger strikers to stop.

The Committees for the Defense of the Republic (CDR) is a pro-secessionist group backed by the Candidatures of Popular Unity (CUP), a pseudo-left group that has repeatedly supported regional pro-austerity nationalist governments. Along with other small separatist groups, it is urging that Barcelona is brought to a standstill today, with protests and road blockades demanding the release of the imprisoned Catalan leaders and self-determination. Their value in mobilising limited protests to strengthen the hand of the Catalan bourgeoisie in its negotiations with Madrid was recognised recently by regional premier Quim Torra, who declared, Friends from the CDR, you put the pressure on and you do it well.

The PSOE for its part is using these protests to legitimise its turn to repression. Workers must oppose all threats of violence directed against the Catalan separatists. A powerful basis exists for mobilising a unified offensive against the PSOE and taking forward a struggle against all factions of the bourgeoisie in Madrid and Barcelonathe ongoing radicalisation of the working class epitomised in the Yellow Vest protests against the Macron government in France.

Last month saw a strike by hundreds of thousands of workers and students in Catalonia, demanding a reversal to the budget cuts imposed by regional nationalist governments since the beginning of the 2008 financial crisis. Sanchezs meeting today takes place on a day of mass workers struggles involving taxi drivers, workers from Spains train service Renfe over job cuts and working conditions and by postal workers.

The critical question is to develop the programmatic and organisational means through which to fight back against the ruling elite. This can only be done through a revolutionary struggle for power on a socialist, internationalist programme and the building of workers states as part of the United Socialist States of Europe. This requires the building a Spanish section of the ICFI.
Last week, a group of workers from the Abbotsleigh tea estate, with the assistance of the Socialist Equality Party, resolved to establish an action committee to advance their fight for higher wages and improved conditions. The estate is located about five kilometres from Hatton in Sri Lankas Nuwara-Eliya district.

The decision to form the committee, which operates independently of the plantation trade unions, was a result of their own bitter experiences with the unions that have defended estate companies profits for decades.

On December 12, the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), the main plantation union, suddenly ended indefinite strike action, involving over 100,000 plantation workers demanding the doubling of their wages. The unions decision to stab their members in the back, on the ninth day of the stoppage, followed a worthless promise from President Maithripala Sirisena that he would solve the issue in discussions with the unions and employers on December 18.

No details have been provided about the scheduled meeting or whether it was even held. Meanwhile, the plantation companies continue to reject workers legitimate calls for better wages, fraudulently claiming that their employees receive improved social benefits.

Line rooms at the Abbotsleigh estate

Sri Lankan plantation workers, like their international counterparts, are being ruthlessly exploited by the giant corporations that control the industry. As a recent study published by the University of Sheffield pointed out, Exploitation, including forced labor, is endemic at the base of the global tea and cocoa supply chains. The study explained how employers extract massive profits by under-paying wages and under-providing legally-mandated essential services such as drinking water and toilets.

Abbotsleigh estate workers spoke with the WSWS this week about the desperate circumstances they confront. Working and living conditions at the estate, which employs about 600 workers, are typical of those facing plantation workers across Sri Lanka.

Abbotsleigh workers have to use private buses to travel to Hatton, the nearest town, but the fare is 80 rupees each way or nearly one sixth of their current 500-rupee ($US2.80) daily basic wage. The buses only run once an hour along narrow, dangerous and poorly maintained roads. Workers and students who want to reach Hatton early in the morning, before the bus service begins, have to walk.

The road towards Abbotsleigh estate

Many families living on the estate have no sanitary facilities. Workers explained that they have to pay an average 100 rupees per month for water they get from a public tap. About 45 families on the estate have no home and are forced to live with their relatives. High unemployment in the area means that thousands of estate youths have migrated to Colombo and other major towns.

The usual breakfast and lunch for estate workers is rotti (home-made bread) with coconut sambol,. Rice and curry is eaten at dinner with fish or meat only eaten on pay day.

K. Yogaranjani, 36, leads the CWCs Abbotsleigh branch and has been working at the estate since she was 11. Explaining the harsh working conditions facing estate workers, she said: We face danger from snakes, wasps and even leopards, and blood-sucking leeches are everywhere, but management does not even provide any compensation if workers are killed by snakes. On top of all this, we have to pluck 17 kilograms of tea leaves just to receive a meagre daily wage of 500 rupees and just 25 rupees for every kilo over that target.

She works at night in the estates tea factory and in the fields during the day to try and boost her income. There are no especial allowances for night work, however. She explained that the cost of educating her three children was a huge burden.

I have to pay 1,500 rupee tuition fees for each subject and 400 rupees for a taxi to get them to class on time. So we cannot afford to send them to private classes for many subjects, and for new admissions the schools demand a 6,000-rupee donation. We spend at least 15,000 rupees per month on food, she said. Her family was also paying 10,000 rupees per month for loans and debts to local shops.

Yogaranjani (right)

Yogaranjani had to end her studies and begin working in the estate to support her three sisters after her father died. My mother used to skip meals because of poverty but this problem among estate workers still prevails today. We want this situation to end, she said.

I lived in a relatives home with my baby for three years, after I was married. During the rainy season I experienced massive difficulties because water would run through the room, so I bought a line room for 100,000 rupees which increased our economic burden.

Like many other workers, Yogaranjanis husband sought employment in Colombo because he could not get enough work on the estate. When he returned after three months, estate management dismissed him and then reemployed him as a casual worker. Plantation companies regularly do this in order to stop paying workers monthly allowances and retirement benefits.

R. Pusparany and her sons inside their home

R. Pusparany and her family live in a small temporary mudbrick shed. They have only one bed with a small section of the room used for cooking. She said that the unions always promise to provide houses whenever there is an election but that these pledges are never fulfilled.

How can we build a house when our salaries are not even enough for meals? We need 1,200 rupees each day for food but last month, I only received 3,900 rupees after deductions. My husbands monthly wage was 4,140 rupees. Sometimes we manage to get by using lettuces grown in the fields instead of vegetables, she said.

Sivapakyam said the estates revenue share system was a fraud. In November 2017, management gave us 250 tea bushes under its revenue share system. They promised to give seventy percent of the income if a kilo of tea leaves sold for 100 rupees. The price was 89 rupees for just one month and then the company reduced it to 30 rupees after deductions for pesticide and fertiliser. If they clean or prune the tea field, we have to pay the labour costs. After one year of this we handed the land back to the company, she said.

P. Sundaralingam, who leads the Abbotsleigh estate action committee, told WSWS reporters that the unions divide the workers. They take 150 rupees per month as subscriptions but the union leaders do not come here to help with any difficulties we face, he said. The Abottsleigh action committee, he added, would bring workers together and create the conditions for a united struggle to win an adequate wage increase and improve workers rights.
The Trump administration announced a new policy that effectively guts the right of asylum for refugees from Central America. From now on, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will begin expelling non-Mexican refugees as soon as they have made application for asylum after crossing the US-Mexico border. They will be immediately deported to Mexico instead of being allowed to stay in the US pending the adjudication of their asylum claims.

The Mexican government, taking its orders from Washington, will not oppose these deportations or bring any legal action against the United States for a policy that is in flagrant violation of international law. Its only concession to the refugees is that Mexico will not confine them in US-style detention camps.

The asylum seekers will be free to share the miserable conditions of life in impoverished neighborhoods of violence-wracked border cities like Tijuana, Juarez, Laredo and Matamoros. Hundreds of thousands of impoverished immigrantsincluding childrenwill now be forced to live in makeshift slums and tent encampments.

The new policy is a historically unprecedented attack on Central American workers and peasants escaping violence and inequality caused by decades of US imperialist intervention and corporate exploitation. Never before has the US denied the democratic right to seek asylum to so many in one fell swoop.

The policy was announced on the same day that President Trump said he would not sign a new continuing resolution, funding about one-fourth of the federal government, without $5 billion allotted to begin full-scale construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border.

The resolution, passed by the Senate Wednesday night, would have pushed back the deadline for funding the Department of Homeland Security and eight other federal agencies and departments from midnight Friday, December 21-22, to February 8. White House officials initially indicated that Trump would sign the continuing resolution once it passed the House of Representatives, but Trump reversed himself Thursday morning after an outcry from anti-immigrant groups and ultra-right media pundits on Fox News, setting the stage for a partial government shutdown.

As Trump comes under increased pressure from Democratic Party-led investigations into corruption and campaign finance violations, the administration is turning all the more aggressively to develop a fascistic, xenophobic base to which Trump can appeal to shore up his increasingly unpopular presidency.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced the new asylum policy Thursday morning, declaring, Today we are announcing historic measures to bring the illegal immigration crisis under control.

She continued, vilifying asylum seekers as frauds and criminals: Aliens trying to game the system to get into our country illegally will no longer be able to disappear into the United States, where many skip their court dates. Instead, they will wait for an immigration court decision while they are in Mexico. Catch and release will be replaced with catch and return. In doing so, we will reduce illegal migration by removing one of the key incentives that encourages people from taking the dangerous journey to the United States in the first place.

This key incentive that the government is removing is the democratic right to asylum. The policy is callously calculated to terrify immigrants to stay in Central America instead of seeking their legal right to asylum in the US. As a result, countless people will die at the hands of their persecutors at home.

More and more, the US is becoming a pariah state where due process and international law do not apply. These policies, devised primarily by Trumps fascist aide Stephen Miller, are paving the way for large-scale state violence against the immigrant population, as evidenced by this months police riot against immigrants at the San Ysidro border crossing near San Diego.

The move will further transform the US-Mexico border into a legal no-mans-land resembling the border between Israel and Gaza, where the Israeli military and border guards keep their rifles constantly trained on destitute and desperate workers lacking access to water, housing, medical care and electricity.

Youre going to have hundreds of thousands of migrants in Mexico for years with no resources, no safety net, no system, Adam Isacson of the Washington Office on Latin America told the Financial Times.

Many of them will be killed by the drug cartels who dominate these cities or will die of disease. Last weekend, two teenage refugees who traveled from Honduras as part of the migrant caravan were stabbed to death in Tijuana by criminals. More members of the caravan have fallen seriously ill as a result of living for extended periods of time in squalid and unsanitary conditions that the Mexican government has done little to improve.

Though the US claims the immigrants will be allowed to apply for asylum from Mexico, the move eviscerates much of whatever due process remained in the immigration court system.

Immigrants will not have sufficient access to American immigration lawyers to fight their cases and, since they will not be able to make appearances in court, migrants will likely have to participate in their own hearings via video or telephone. Since the right to due process is usually only triggered when an immigrant is on US soil, there is no telling what these sham asylum hearings will actually entail.

The number of approved asylum cases will decline precipitously and, as a result, many will die at the hands of their persecutors once deported to their home countries.

The Trump administration is citing as legal authority a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) establishing expedited removal (i.e., immediate deportation) for immigrants caught near the border shortly after entering. This provision was enacted through the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA) with the active support of the Democratic Party.

IIRAIRA was initially passed by overwhelming majorities of both houses of Congress and was then officially enacted in an omnibus defense spending bill with overwhelming Democratic support. The bill passed in the Senate by voice vote with no opposition. Yes votes in the House of Representatives included Bernie Sanders and Charles Schumer, now leading US senators, and the current top three in the House Democratic leadership, Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and James Clyburn.

Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) has played a criminal role in this arrangement, exposing the bankruptcy of left-populism and nationalism.

The asylum policy all but turns the Mexican government into the southern department of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the AMLO government is now an accomplice in enforcing American imperialisms attack on immigrants.

In a statement announcing its consent to a policy that would effectively deny immigrants right to asylum, the AMLO administration employed his trademark cynical language, pledging to give due respect to their human rights.

AMLOs transition team had initially denied the existence of an explicit agreement with the Trump administration when initial details were first published in November by the Washington Post. Now, AMLOs new budget proposal for next year includes a 20 percent cut for refugee aid funding. The Post noted that the new president has long spoken about the need to respect migrant rights, but many in Mexico saw his budget announcement as a sign of his priorities.

In exchange, the Mexican government received US pledges for several billions of dollars in investmentsmost of which were already pledgedthat the Mexican bourgeoisie will use to develop parts of southern Mexico into platforms for hyper-exploitation by US corporations. During this years election campaign, AMLO promised to establish special economic zones in the impoverished south to boost the economic interdependence between the US and Mexico.
Update 12/21/18 3:45 p.m.

According to the Millington Airport, the other three victims have been identified as:

- John Chen

- Bruce Pelynio

- Danielle Robinson

Update 12/21/18 12:46 p.m.

A Memphis businessman has been identified as one of the four people who died in a plane crash near Atlanta Thursday.

The Commercial Appeal in Memphis reports the man's name is Wei Chen. He was the founder and CEO of Sunshine Enterprise, Inc.

See the original post below.

ATLANTA (WTVA) - There were no survivors after a Memphis-bound jet crashed near Atlanta.

The Citation 560 jet was traveling to the Millington Airport in Tennessee.

In a tweet, the airport confirmed four people were on-board the aircraft.

The jet had departed from a runway at nearby Fulton County Airport-Brown Field, reports the Associated Press, and went down 1.5 miles east of the airport shortly after noon.

The deceased have not been identified yet.

Millington Airport Executive Director Roy Remington says the victims were believed to be from the Memphis area.
NEW ALBANY, Miss. (WTVA) - After discovering having a rare kidney disease, Jessica Easterling took to social media trying to find someone who would donate to her a life-saving organ.

Elizebeth McClure was a coworker of Easterling who heard she needed a kidney or she would die; so she decided to help.

"I just knew she was a single mom with two kids, and I personally lost a child and I wanted her to have that time," said McClure.

According to Easterling, the journey was not always the easiest.

"We actually had to go to Alabama and do all the testing, and I got discouraged because they told us we werent a match," said McClure.

Which, according to Easterling, is very common when you are being tested for a liver transplant.

Initially, the two tried a second time and received news that the match was a success.

You never know how close you are to people until things like this happen," said Easterling.

A fundraiser will be held to raise money for the post-operation expenses at Mi Pueblo in New Albany on Dec. 30.

The transplant is scheduled for Jan. 7 in Birmingham, Alabama.
The British Ambassador represents Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as well as the UK government in Hungary. The Queen awarded him an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2002, a highly distinguished achievement of chivalry.

Click here to read Iain Lindsay's first Xpat Interview



1. Whats been happening at work and at home since your first Xpat Interview?

After two and a half years here, Budapest is a wonderful place to call home. I keep on enjoying and discovering new aspects of the city every week.

As for work, the UKs exit from the EU keeps me and my team at the Embassy busy, with many official meetings, media interviews, lectures and events in Budapest and around the country.



2. Whats next on your agenda?

A Town Hall meeting for UK nationals living in Hungary on the 9th of January. We will share up-to-date information on the implications of the UKs EU exit on the lives of British nationals in Hungary.

A senior representative of the Hungarian government will join us at the event. For more details check out the UK in Hungary Facebook page, and stay tuned to XpatLoop.



3. What was the most interesting travel trip you have ever taken?

When we lived in Hong Kong we visited many exotic Asian locations, e.g. Cambodia, Vietnam and various parts of China.

But Borneo was pretty special, seeing orangutans in the wild. And in the same vein going to Botswana on safari was also amazing, likewise seeing tigers in the wild in India.



4. Whats the best party youve been to while in Hungary, and why?

Usually the last one! Sziget Festival is one great party  fantastic, friendly atmosphere. If you could bottle it you would be a millionaire! Looking forward to seeing Ed Sheeran open Sziget on 7 August 2019!



5. Whats your favourite drink?

Tea! I drink a huge quantity of it. Really refreshing. I like it strong-ish, so English or Scottish Breakfast is my preferred blend. Milk has to go in second!



6. What hidden talents do you have?

If I told you it wouldnt be hidden! But I think Im a reasonable Scottish country dancer. You can check at one of the Burns Suppers in January!



7. If you were given a wish that could come true, what would you ask for?

An end to conflict.



8. Whats the last book you read, and movie you watched

Book: Dominion, by CJ Sansom; Film: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.



9. If someone wrote a biography about you, what would the title be?

The Eternal Optimist.



10. What is the perfect pizza toppings combination for you

Pepperoni, rocket and cheese.



11. If you could trade places with anyone for a week, real or fictional, with whom would it be?

A homeless person, to really understand how horrendous it must be to live on the streets and in poverty.



12. Where are you going to spend Christmas this year

Budapest, with my family, enjoying a British Christmas with some Hungarian elements such as szaloncukor - I have a very sweet tooth. And a Tokaji aszu is the perfect accompaniment to Christmas pudding!



13. Whats the best website youve ever visited, and why?

BBC news. It's informative, reliable and easy to navigate.



14. Who do you admire the most, and why?

At a time when so many people, so many leaders are pushing the politics of fear, my first political hero comes to mind.

A man who overcame physical disability to lead a great nation with a message of hope. The man who said in his inaugural address in 1933 ...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.... The great Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America.



15. What do you like best about living in Hungary?

Its a lovely country and Budapest is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Hungarians are warm and hospitable. I love the language and the culture.

As a Scot, I feel a common bond with Hungarians, in terms of history, our traditions and our temper. And I am a huge fan of Hungarian food and drink. Hungarian wines are the countrys best kept secret. So, shhhh, dont tell anyone!



16. What has made the biggest impact on your life so far, and why?

Being a diplomat. Joining the Foreign & Commonwealth Office 38 years ago opened up a huge range of opportunities and perspectives which otherwise would not have happened had I stayed in Scotland.

I have had the privilege to work in 8 countries, learn 3 foreign languages and meet wonderful people  and serve my country by strengthening its relations with the world along the way!



17. If you won USD 30 million, what would you do with the money?

Keep 1m for a rainy day (!) and give the rest away to good causes.



18. If your life had a theme song, what would it be?

Always look on the bright side of life! I was whistling it just yesterday when we had a showing of Monty Pythons Life of Brian at the Embassy!



19. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose?

Thats soooo difficult. Italy has always appealed. But its hard to beat London (north of course!). Specifically somewhere near The Regents Park or Little Venice.. Edinburghs not bad either, ditto Glasgow!



20. In ten years from now what will you be doing?

If I had a crystal ball I wouldnt be a diplomat! But still enjoying life. And still connected to Hungary in some way.



Photos by Russell Skidmore for XpatLoop.com
WASHINGTON  Defense Secretary James Mattis will depart in February, telling President Trump that he was resigning because their views were not aligned.

Mattis reportedly opposed Trumps plans to pull troops out of Syria.

Trump said in a late Thursday afternoon tweet, General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years. During Jims tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!

General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years. During Jims tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

But in his resignation letter, Mattis said that he was departing because of disagreements with the president.

Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position, Mattis wrote.

He said that his end date would be on Feb. 28.

My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues, Mattis wrote. We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.

Story continues

Trumps announcement that U.S. troops in Syria would be withdrawn, while declaring that ISIS has been defeated, drew criticism from lawmakers in both parties on Capitol Hill, and reportedly came as a surprise to White House staff. CNN reported that Trump also is considering withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.

Mattis also suggested that he disagreed with Trump on how the president has dealt with Russia and China. Mattis wrote that I believe that we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours. It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model  gaining veto authority over other nations economic, diplomatic and security decisions  to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbors, America and our allies.

Mattis resignation is the latest post-midterm departure among the top ranks of Trumps administration. Last week was the news that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Chief of Staff John Kelly were out.

Mattis departure underscores the turbulence in Trumps national security and foreign policy teams. National Security Adviser John Bolton is the third person in that post, following Michael Flynn and H.R. McMaster. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo succeeded Rex Tillerson, who was fired in March.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, wrote on Twitter, This is scary. Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration. As weve seen with the Presidents haphazard approach to Syria, our national defense is too important to be subjected to the Presidents erratic whims.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) wrote, Just read Gen. Mattis resignation letter. It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation,damage our alliances & empower our adversaries. I hope we who have supported this administrations initiatives over the last two years can persuade the President to choose a different direction. But we must also fulfill our constitutional duty to conduct oversight over the policies of the executive branch.

The departure of Mattis also comes just hours after Trump announced that he would not sign a spending bill to keep the government fully funded beyond Friday unless it includes money to build a wall along the southern border.

Mattis letter of resignation is here.

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House Intelligence Committee votes to hand over Roger Stone transcript to Mueller originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

The House Intelligence Committee will hand over the transcript from their closed-door, September 2017 interview with longtime Donald Trump ally and friend Roger Stone to special counsel Robert Mueller, ABC News has learned.

A source familiar with the committee proceedings on Thursday said members voted to send Stone's committee transcript to Mueller's team. On Wednesday, the special counsel's office put in its first formal request for Stone's testimony transcript, sources told ABC News.

(MORE: Robert Mueller appears laser-focused on Roger Stone. These emails explain why.)

PHOTO: Political operative Roger Stone attends a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, Dec. 11, 2018. (Jim Young/Reuters, FILE)

The decision came during a business meeting Thursday morning, which had the "transmission of certain executive session materials to the executive branch" on the agenda.

Previously, the committee had already voted to release dozens of transcripts from interviews in its Russia investigation publicly, pending a declassification review from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Committee Democrats have long maintained that Stone lied to the committee under oath.

In a letter exclusively obtained by ABC News from Stone to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes Thursday, Stone's legal team demands the full public release of the transcript.

"In order for Mr. Stone to properly and effectively defend himself from the partisan attacks that have only been made possible by the committees ongoing retention in secret of the only verified and accurate record of his testimony, Mr. Stone must be immediately provided this record, in full and without any arbitrary restrictions," an attorney for Stone, Grant Smith, wrote.

"Without regard to any decision or action the Committee may take in response to a request by the [special counsel], or any other person or agency, for a copy of the interview transcript, either in whole or in part, Mr. Stone hereby demands the full and immediate release to the general public of the transcript, such that the American citizenry and the world are able to evaluate for themselves Mr. Stones veracity," Smith added.

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(MORE: As special counsel closes in, Roger Stone suits up for legal battle)

"This is but one of numerous instances in which Mr. Stone has been denied the essential record of his own responses to your Committees many questions, while individuals on the Committee such as Mr. Schiff have abused their own unfettered access to this record have waged a public campaign to falsely portray Mr. Stones voluntary, comprehensive testimony as somehow not truthful, accurate or complete and meanwhile never providing any specific proof of this using Mr. Stones actual statements," Smith argued in the letter.

"Because of the forgoing it is more imperative than ever that Mr. Stone be provided a copy of his testimony without further delay," Smith concluded in the letter.

Mueller has already charged Trump lawyer Michael Cohen with making false statements to Congress, and former national security adviser Michael Flynn with making false statements to the FBI.

While the transcripts arent expected to be released publicly until January, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. who is set to become the chairman of the committee when Democrats assume control of the House, has said he would expedite the process.

(MORE: Top House Intel committee Democrat says Trump and his business were 'compromised')

Stone's attorney reacted to the committee's vote to turn over Stone's interview transcript to the special counsel Thursday.

"With all the unsupported, wild accusations of the Democrats on the committee and the media frenzy surrounding the same, it is not surprising that the special counsels office has asked for access to the transcript, in fact, we had believed that this had taken place a while ago," Smith told ABC News.

A spokesman for current House Intelligence Committee Chairman Nunes declined to comment.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
US indicts alleged Chinese hackers for 'unrelenting effort' to steal tech originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

The Department of Justice has indicted two Chinese nationals, accusing them of working in association with Chinese state security in what officials called an unrelenting effort to steal U.S. commercial and defense technology going back more than a decade.

In a warning to Beijing, Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein said the U.S. and its allies know what China is doing, why theyre doing it and sometimes even who is at the keyboard while the alleged thefts are going on.

PHOTO: Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein speaks during a news conference announcing the indictment against international computer hackers at the Department of Justice in Washington, Nov. 28, 2018. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

The indictment, unsealed Thursday, accuses Zhu Hua and Zhang Shilong of being members of a hacking group known as APT10, also known as Stone Panda and MenuPass.

From at least in or about 2006 up to and including or about 2018, members of the APT10 Group, including [the defendants] conducted extensive campaigns of global intrusions into computer systems, the indictment said. The Justice Department says the pair worked for a technology company and acted in association with Chinese state security.

The Justice Department said that through the technology theft campaign that reached into companies and organizations in several U.S. states, APT10 stole hundreds of gigabytes of sensitive data from a diverse array of industries, from space and satellite technology to pharmaceuticals.

Its just as if they had broken into American companies and taken the data out physically, Rosenstein told reporters in announcing the indictment. It is unacceptable that we continue to uncover cybercrime committed by China against America and other nations.

The Justice Department also accused APT10 of stealing confidential data from the U.S. Navy, including personal data on more than 100,000 Navy personnel.

To carry out its theft, the Justice Department said APT10 managed to slip into systems belonging to managed service providers (MSPs) for businesses and governments around the world.

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FBI director Christopher Wray said those intrusions allowed the hackers broad access to the MSPs clients. Wray said that rather than breaking into someones home, this was more like breaking into and getting the keys from the maintenance supervisor that allows access to many homes.

For example, through the MSP Theft Campaign, the APT10 Group obtained unauthorized access to the computers of an MSP that had offices in the Southern District of New York and compromised the data of that MSP and certain of its clients located in at least 12 countries, including Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the indictment says.

Shortly after the Justice Department's announcement, the British Foreign Office released a statement similarly accusing APT10 of a "malicious cyber campaign."

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said, "This campaign is one of the most significant and widespread cyber intrusions against the UK and allies uncovered to date, targeting trade secrets and economies around the world. These activities must stop."

Rosenstein and Wray said the indictment was just the latest law enforcement action taken against the Chinese for what officials have described as a sprawling economic espionage campaign. Rosenstein said that 90 percent of the departments economic espionage cases in the last seven years involved the Chinese government.

We want China to cease its illegal cyber activities but the evidence suggests China may not intend to abide by the law, he said.

The Justice Department said the two Chinese nationals are not in U.S. custody but are now fugitives.

Representatives at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Just when you thought the Priyanka Chopra/Nick Jonas love story had settled down, the newlyweds hosted not one, but TWO more wedding receptions in Mumbai.

The first Mumbai reception was held on Wednesday at the JW Marriott hotel ballroom that included a flower wall on stage covered in white blooms. Chopra wore a navy blue lehenga by designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee with a stunning (and, um, massive) Victorian diamond necklace, while Jonas sported a gray suit.

But, wait! There's more! Today, the couple celebrated (again!) at Taj's Land's End Hotel in Mumbai. The Quantico actress wore a mint-green two-piece ensemble with double diamond necklaces, and the who's who of Bollywood were all expected to attend. (You give new emphasis to the word extra, you guys.)

The couples two marriage ceremonies (one Christian and one Indian to honor both of their families) in Jodhpur, India, were held during the weekend of December 1, followed by a New Delhi reception before the couple jet-setted off to their honeymoon in Oman. So, yeah, this is *technically* their second and third wedding reception (if you dont count the wedding after-parties, which, you totally should).

Phew, and we thought our BFFs two-week-long honeymoon was a stretch. (Guess thats why they call it a labor of love)

RELATED: How Every Aspect of Priyanka and Nicks Wedding Compares to Meghan and Harrys
In a city with significant African influence, three Afro-Brazilian designers are shaping the conversation on fashion as Black expression.

When it comes to the fashion scene in Brazil, chances are most people will picture Victoria's Secret Angels like Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio and Gisele Bundchen. This might then lead to the belief that most Brazilians look like the models whose beauty aligns perfectly within Eurocentric standards. The reality, though, is that outside of Africa, Brazil has the largest number of African descendants, with more than 50 percent of the countrys population identifying as Black or Brown.

In the Brazilian city of Salvador, in the Northeastern state of Bahia, more than 90 percent of the population identifies as Black or Brown, and it's a city whose cultural fabric is embedded with West African influence. There is food from Ghana, music from Nigeria and fashion from Senegal. The latter is intrinsically linked to how Afro-Brazilians affirm their heritage, and there is a thriving Afro-Brazilian fashion industry that continues to exist in the midst of erasure, appropriation and imitation.

There is no exact definition for what Afro-Brazilian fashion is, but there is a clear understanding that it's a mode of expression rooted in an eclectic use of styles, prints and fabrics from African countries, along with additions that are distinct to Black people in Brazil. This amalgamation of a variety of cultural aesthetics is a testament to the cultural influences that have shaped Black life in Brazil, specifically after the end of the Portuguese slave trade era.

Renato Carneiro, a fashion designer originally from Sao Paulo, has been based in Salvador for more than a decade; his career has been about creating spaces for accessible and one-of-a-kind Afro-Brazilian fashion designs. With two stores  Katuka Africanidades and Mercado Negro  located in the historical city center of Pelourinho, he is one of few Afro-Brazilians who own their own shops in in the areas. (Many have been forced out due to gentrification as the center has undergone remodeling to suit the taste and wealth of visiting tourists.) Katuka Africanidades, in particular, is a striking three-story building, painted an earthy, almost burnished clay red. It's located on a street corner with a stunning view of the Atlantic Ocean to the left.

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Models Bruno Santana and Vini Silva wearing Renato Carneiro's designs. Photo: Ana Luiza Abreu/Courtesy of Renato Carneiro

Carneiro's vision has always encompassed something greater than clothing. "The idea was to create a space where we offered different products that were African-centered  from literature to fashion, to pieces of art and materials used during religious ceremonies," he says. Katuka Africanidades caters to those looking for striking additions to their closets and jewelry cabinets, while Mercado Negro houses accessories used in Candomble, an Afro-Brazilian religion, with different deities linked to the natural elements in the universe. "I wanted to create a place that affirmed the plurality of all our lives when it comes to things like identity and sexuality. A place that focused on the heritage of Afro-Brazilians, people in the diaspora and in Africa."

His clothing is very much inspired by the vibrant and sweeping fabrics worn by African women in Nigeria, Senegal and Benin, and he sources his material directly from the African continent. "I make my clothes for the Black people who want to reclaim their connection to their African heritage."

Over the years, Afro-Brazilian fashion has become increasingly popular in Brazil, but the most well-known protagonists for what's either a trend or a permanent shift in consumption are not Afro-Brazilians. Rather, it's mostly white designers who are claiming Afro-Brazilian fashion as something that makes the politics of race non-existent, and their inspiration renders inequality obsolete.

Sao Paulo Fashion Week (SPFW) is the largest fashion event in the country, and is considered the fifth largest in the world behind New York, London, Milan and Paris. As a relatively young fashion week (it's less than 25 years old), SPFW may already be a global player, but it's also another public event that doesn't showcase work from designers who reflect the reality that the world is not all white.

Last year, Brazilian rapper and designer Evandro Fioti was denied entry into SPFW by security on the day his brand was set to be launched at the show; one can surmise that this was because security didn't think he belonged. Commenting on the experience a few days later, Paulo Borges, founder of SPFW said, "When I got the call that this happened, I said no, that is impossible. I called Fioti to understand how and where it happened. When we talked, we realized this is a question about structures in Brazil and these kind of situations need to be revealed and addressed." Borges continued by mentioning that his son was Black (Borges is white) and that, "It's important to work together against this type of preconceived notions."

Model Luana Ferreira wearing Goya Lopes's designs. Photo: Kin Guerra/Courtesy of Goya Lopes

At that same event, designer Liliane Rebehy  a white Brazilian from the state of Minas Gerais, known for its colonial-era towns  was also displaying her collection; prior to its release, the line had already been accused of cultural appropriation. Twenty-five models walked the runway in clothing visibly inspired by pieces worn in the religious ceremonies of the Bijago people from Guinea Bissau. Out of those 25 models, just three were Black. When asked to comment on the claims of appropriation in an interview, Rebehy said, "That doesn't exist. In my opinion, appropriation means copying. These weren't copies."

This is the rock-and-hard-place that most Afro-Brazilian designers find themselves trapped between. On one side, they are denied entry and on the other, they work alongside peers who refuse to acknowledge the validity of white privilege and the adverse effects of appropriation on Black and Brown communities.

SPFW is a bi-annual event, and in April of this year, 29 fashion houses participated  only two of them had Black designers. During the October iteration of the show, 31 fashion houses took part and again, just two Black designers were involved.

Late last month, Carneiro was invited to attend a talk that featured Borges, speaking on the changes SPFW has initiated thus far. Carneiro was one of four designers from Salvador whose work was chosen as part of a fashion editorial highlighting designers in different regions around the country. No Black female designers were invited, although the city is home to two of the most well-recognized designers in the country who focus on Afro-Brazilian fashion: Goya Lopes, who has been designing clothing for more than 30 years, and Carol Barreto, designing for almost two decades. When it comes to their talent, both have accomplishments that speak for themselves: Barreto became the first Afro-Brazilian to show at Black Fashion Week in Paris, while Lopes has shown her work at both Columbia College's African Heritage Celebration in Chicago and the Axe Bahia Exposition at UCLA's Fowler Museum. Yet, they have never received invitations to show their work at Sao Paulo Fashion Week.

Barreto is also an activist, columnist for RACA Magazine and a professor of gender studies and feminism at the Federal University of Bahia. "My work as an artist and researcher deals with the relationship between fashion, feminism and anti-racist activism," she says. Born and raised in Salvador, Barreto finds her principal inspiration in the Black women she grew up seeing. "Unfortunately for Black people in the diaspora, during slavery, we lost so much knowledge regarding the aesthetics of our culture and the beauty of our own appearance. That lost knowledge is what I want to reconstruct through the fashion I create."

Models Suzana and Suzane Massena wearing Carol Barreto's designs. Photo: Edgar Azvedo and Rafael Zu/Courtesy of Carol Barreto

Lopes's professional resume is as long as those of Barreto and Carneiro put together, and during her early days, there were so few people in fashion who looked like her. "When I first started, no one was interested in Afro-Brazilian fashion outside of the Afro-Brazilian bands in Carnival and the people who take part in the religious ceremonies of Candomble. It wasn't even called Afro-Brazilian fashion, but Afro or Afro-Bahia because it was specifically attached to Black people in Bahia and the African influences here."

Lopes studied lithography at the International University of Art in Italy, and when she came back to Salvador, she started creating her specific brand, built around recreating the varied dimensions of Black life on fabric. The dresses, shirts and bags hanging in her naturally lit store are printed with art ranging from the facial outlines of Zulu and Masai women in their cultural attire, Black people doing capoeira, Black women carrying their children on their backs and Black people dancing at festivals. They are simple, but effective statements on the beauty of Blackness. "There is a space for Afro-Brazilian designers in Brazil's fashion industry," says Lopes. "In the last 15 years, things have happened to increase the number of Black designers."

During those last 15 years, the Brazilian government was unlike the one that exists today. The years of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva  or "Lula," as he's known by Brazilians  and his successor Dilma Rousseff are largely regarded as times of elevation for Afro-Brazilians. Universities became more inclusive, while education, along with healthcare, was more accessible. But fashion has always seemed able to exist in a world of its own, inspired, but unencumbered, by the changes happening around. It's able to exist and profit from those who still remain marginalized while appearing to serve all people.

"There is so much cultural appropriation in Brazil. So many brands that are led by only white people and market to white people appropriate elements of Afro-Brazilian designs. And they will only call white models to show that work," says Barreto. Almost a decade ago, back in 2009, a quota was set in place to guarantee that at least 10 percent of the models on the SPFW runways would be Black or Indigenous. Up until this point (and after), white models were the norm  and when it comes to the designers highlighted at SPFW, the reality remains as sobering. "Our aesthetics are used, but not our bodies, and when they use them, they call it 'ethnic fashion,'" continues Barreto.

Afro-Brazilian fashion exists as something that was creatively put together to express the lives of those who had been taken from everywhere and ended up somewhere together. One thing was created to uphold the collective beauty of their shared Blackness and it is this that Afro-Brazilian designers like Barreto, Lopes and Carneiro have dedicated their lives to representing. It's a commitment rooted in a deep respect and appreciation, and that is something that can never be imitated.

Homepage photo: Models Suzana and Suzane Massena wearing Carol Barreto's designs. Photo: Edgar Azvedo and Rafael Zu/Courtesy of Carol Barreto

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Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - A top Boko Haram leader accused of organising deadly twin blasts in the Nigerian capital Abuja that killed 18 people has been arrested, police said Friday.

A police statement said Umar Abdulmalik and seven other jihadists were arrested, without giving details.

Forty-one people were also injured in the October 2, 2015 blasts which simultaneously ripped through the suburbs of Kuje and Nyanya outlying the federal capital.

The explosions happened near a police station in Kuje and at a bus stop in Nyanya.

Kuje, near Abujas airport, is 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of the city centre and seat of government. Its prison at the time held dozens of Boko Haram prisoners captured by troops.

The same bus station in Nyanya, to the east, was hit twice in 2014. The first attack, on 14 April 2014, left at least 75 dead and was claimed by the Islamists; the second, on 1 May, left at least 16 dead.

In the latest attack, the jihadists ambushed a military convoy in the northeastern state of Borno killing at least two soldiers, military sources told AFP Friday.

Thursday's attack saw them attacking with guns and rocket-propelled grenades on a convoy of troops near Bongori village in Damboa district, two military officers said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The troops from the state capital Maiduguri, the cradle of the Boko Haram movement, were heading to the town of Damboa, about 90 kilometres away.

Three soldiers were injured and an armoured vehicle was damaged, a military officer said. The second officer confirmed the information.

Boko Haram has intensified attacks on military targets in Borno and neighbouring Yobe state, killing dozens.

Last week, two Nigerian soldiers were killed in a roadside mine explosion outside the town of Gamboru near the border with Cameroon blamed on the jihadists troops.

More than 27,000 people have died since the start of the insurgency in the remote northeast in 2009 and 1.8 million have been made homeless.
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A Brazilian judge on Thursday issued his second injunction blocking the proposed sale of 80 percent of planemaker Embraer's <EMBR3.SA> commercial aviation division to Boeing Co <BA.N>, as attempts to stop the deal intensified while the two companies neared closing the transaction.

The same judge issued a similar injunction earlier this month that was swiftly appealed and overturned last week. The latest decision was in response to a class action filed by Embraer's union in Sao Jose dos Campos, where the planemaker is based.

Embraer said it "will take all necessary judicial measures" to overturn the injunction. Boeing declined to comment.

Embraer shares were down almost 1.5 percent in Sao Paulo on Thursday afternoon after rising almost 3 percent in the morning before news of the injunction.

Challenges to the deal, which would help reshape the global aviation market as competition between Boeing and Airbus <AIR.PA> intensifies, have been plentiful and are common in Brazil.

Four left-wing congressmen also challenged the proposed tie-up and won the previous injunction. Prosecutors with Brazil's labor ministry are investigating whether the tie-up could lead to job losses. An investor group sued on Monday, saying the deal should have been a public tender offer.

Boeing and Embraer said on Monday they had finalized the terms of the agreement, increasing the valuation of the Brazilian planemaker's commercial division to $5.26 billion, citing higher closing costs. The net proceeds will remain the same.

The agreement needs approval from the Brazilian government because it holds a so-called "golden share" in Embraer that gives it veto power over strategic decisions and any change in its controlling interest. The planemaker formally sought that approval on Monday and it is expected within 30 days.

In his decision, the judge questioned whether Embraer's 20 percent participation in the proposed commercial aviation spinoff would actually be worth something.

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"The brutal asymmetry in the shareholder structure of this venture prevents it from being carried out without compromising the survival of national interests," Judge Victor Giuizo Neto wrote.

The previous injunction was in response to a separate class action, filed by four legislators from the left-wing Workers Party.

Separately on Thursday, Embraer announced a firm order of 100 jets from Republic Airways.

(Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun and Alberto Alerigi Jr; Editing by Christian Plumb, Jeffrey Benkoe and Dan Grebler)
Sofia (AFP) - Bulgaria's defense ministry asked the government on Friday to start direct talks with the United States on acquiring F-16 fighter jets to replace its ageing Soviet-built MiG-29 planes.

"The acquisition .... will raise the combat capabilities of Bulgaria's air force to a new level," the ministry said.

A member of NATO since 2004, Bulgaria has earmarked 900 million euros ($1 billion) for the purchase of at least eight fighter jets.

Lockheed Martin's initial offer however exceeded this sum.

"A lowering of the price, which according to them is doable, can only be achieved in direct government-to-government talks," Defence Minister Krasimir Karakachanov told a news conference.

The ministry also asked the government to seek parliament's approval for a higher budget in case a discount was not possible.

Conservative Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said last week that he favoured the F-16 fighters over the other offers, which include Boeing F-18s, Gripen fighters from Sweden and used Eurofighters from Italy.

Borisov discussed this with US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, who visited Sofia last week and lobbied for Lockheed Martin's offer, as well as with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

In an improved offer, Sweden's Gripen said last week it could supply 10 fighters for the same sum but defence ministry officials said that both the Swedish and Italian offers did not include costly weapons that had to be bought separately.
Nairobi (AFP) - The African Union has asked Burundi to reduce its contribution to an African peacekeeping force in Somalia by a thousand men under a progressive pullout from the country by the AU.

The AU made the request through a diplomatic document called a note verbale, requesting that the reduction be completed by February 28.

The AU has a 21,500-strong force, Amisom, to support Somalia's fragile internationally-backed government and fight Shabaab jihadists blamed for scores of bloody attacks.

The force is to be gradually scaled back as Somalia's embryonic armed forces are trained up and deployed to replace them.

The note verbale, seen by AFP Friday, summarises the conclusions of a November 30 meeting of Amisom's military operations coordination committee in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

"It has been decided that the Burundi National Defence Force should reduce (its contingent by) 1,000 troops by February 28," the document says, quoting a United Nations Security Council resolution seeking UN funds to help Amisom's pullout.

Somalia has the second-largest contingent in Amisom with 5,400 troops, after Uganda, which has 6,200 men. Other contributors are Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya.

The note verbale takes place against a background of recent tension between Burundi and the AU.

The AU has called on Burundi -- strongly criticised abroad for its record on human rights -- to ease its hardline stance on dissent and talk with its exiled opposition.

In return, Burundi has been staging anti-AU protests, targeting in particular the chairman of the organisation's commission, Moussa Faki, whom it accuses of backing the opposition.

Participation in Amisom is a valuable source of hard currency, and the scaleback is likely to have a big impact on Burundi -- every quarter, the AU pays it around $18 million (15.7 million euros).

The Amisom pullback was initially intended to be a gradual pro-rata reduction by each contingent to avoid financial shocks of these kind, the AU source said.

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But as the Burundi troops are poorly equipped, it was then decided for operational reasons that the first phase of departures should be just the Burundi contingent, the source said.

However, a senior Burundi government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the country viewed this decision with suspicion.

"We know that it's a decision which was inspired by the EU in order to hurt Burundi, and unfortunately the AU had to accept it because it is a hostage of the Europeans, which are mainly financing (Amisom)," the official said.

The EU imposed a range of sanctions against Burundi in 2016, targeting individuals deemed to be undermining democracy, violating human rights and fomenting violence.
Ottawa (AFP) - A Canadian judge on Friday denied former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr's request to ease his bail conditions while he appeals US war crimes convictions.

Justice June Ross said the current restrictions on his travel and communications with an older sister who has spoken openly in support of Al-Qaeda are reasonable, according to Canadian media.

Khadr, 32, has been living in his native Canada since 2015 when he was repatriated as part of a US deal for a guilty plea, which he has since recanted, saying he just wanted out of Guantanamo.

He sought relief from his bail conditions in order to eventually perform the hajj -- a Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia -- as well as permission to speak freely with his controversial sister, Zaynab.

Zaynab Khadr was investigated a decade ago for terrorist links, but was never charged.

She now reportedly lives in Georgia, making supervised visits with her under his current bail conditions impossible.

Omar Khadr became the youngest prisoner at the US facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba following his capture in Afghanistan in 2002.

He was sentenced in 2010 to eight years plus time served for murdering a US soldier with a grenade, attempted murder, conspiracy, providing material support for terrorism and spying, but was later sent home to serve the remainder of his sentence.

He said outside an Edmonton, Alberta courtroom last week that he had not expected his US appeal against his conviction to take this long.

"My sentence initially should have ended this past October, but here I am," he told reporters on December 13.

Khadr's father, a financier for Al-Qaeda who was killed in a clash with Pakistani troops in 2003, had taken his son to Afghanistan as a child.

His lawyers fought for several years to have his status as a minor at the time of the attack recognized. Canada's Supreme Court finally agreed one week before his conditional release in 2015.

In Canada, Khadr married and was accepted into a nursing program, but says his legal woes -- including a civil suit brought by the widow of the special forces soldier he was convicted of killing -- sidelined his studies.

A Canadian government payout of Can$10 million (US$7.5 million) payout to him last year, to settle a lawsuit for having violated his rights, provoked outrage.
By David Shepardson and Makini Brice

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Friday a Chinese national had been arrested for stealing trade secrets from a U.S.-based petroleum company, his employer, related to a product worth more than $1 billion.

The department alleged Hongjin Tan downloaded hundreds of files related to the manufacture of a "research and development downstream energy market product," which he planned to use to benefit a company in China that had offered him a job. He was arrested on Thursday in Oklahoma and will next appear in court on Wednesday, the department said.

Tan's LinkedIn page said he has worked as a staff scientist for Phillips 66 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, since May 2017.

Phillips 66 said in a statement it was cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a probe involving a "former employee at our Bartlesville location," but declined to comment further.

An FBI affidavit said Phillips 66 called the agency last week to report the theft of trade secrets and Tan told a former co-worker he was leaving to return to China.

The FBI found on Tan's laptop an employment agreement from a Chinese company that has developed production lines for lithium ion battery materials.

Tan accessed files for marketing the trade secret "in cell phone and lithium-based battery systems," the FBI said. Phillips 66 said it has one of two refineries in the world that manufacture the unspecified product.

Tan was responsible for research and development of the U.S. company's battery program and developing battery technologies using its proprietary processes. Phillips 66 told the FBI it had earned an estimated $1.4 billion to $1.8 billion from the unspecified technology.

(Reporting by Makini Brice; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
HAVANA (Reuters) - Tourism to Cuba inched up to a new record this year, government officials said on Thursday, although the gain was largely due to greater arrivals on cruise ships, which analysts say contribute less than regular travelers to the island nation's economy. A boom in tourism to the Caribbean's largest island over the last few years has helped offset weaker exports and a steep decline in aid from key ally Venezuela. But even tourism took a hit in late 2017 from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Irma and tighter U.S. travel restrictions imposed by the Trump administration. Tourism only started recovering in the second quarter this year, the Tourism Ministry's commercial director, Michel Bernal, told a news conference in Havana's sea-front Hotel Habana Riviera, built by U.S. mobster Meyer Lansky on the eve of Cuba's 1959 revolution. As a result, the growth in arrivals is expected to have slowed to 1.3 percent in 2018 from 16.8 percent last year, albeit reaching a new record of 4.75 million visitors - up nearly 60 percent from four years ago. Arrivals by cruise ships likely grew by 48 percent, largely from the United States. As of Dec. 13, the number of U.S. visitors was the same as in 2017, with growth in U.S. arrivals in 2018 expected to be around 1 percent, despite increased travel restrictions. The number of total arrivals by plane, however, is expected to have dropped 6 percent - meaning fewer tourists stayed at Cuban hotels and bed-and-breakfasts. Canada remained Cuba's top tourist market, although the number of Canadian visitors is estimated to have fallen 2 percent to 1.1 million. Arrivals from Cuba's main European markets -- Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Germany -- will likely have dropped between 10 and 15 percent. "The markets that most worry us are the five main European markets where we will concentrate our main efforts next year," Bernal said, adding that Cuba also wants to develop potential markets like China, Japan, India and South Africa. He noted that the number of Cubans residing abroad jumped 17 percent to 585,600, although most of those would not be staying in hotels on their visits. Tourism arrivals are expected to rise 7 percent next year to 5.1 million, he said. Cuba has been busy building and renovating hotels in recent years to cater to a boom in tourism and brace for an even bigger one that would come with the lifting of the decades-old U.S. trade embargo. (Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Leslie Adler)
By Christopher Bing, Jack Stubbs and Joseph Menn

WASHINGTON/LONDON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hackers working on behalf of China's Ministry of State Security breached the networks of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co <HPE.N> and IBM <IBM.N>, then used the access to hack into their clients' computers, according to five sources familiar with the attacks.

The attacks were part of a Chinese campaign known as Cloudhopper, which the United States and Britain on Thursday said infected technology service providers in order to steal secrets from their clients.

While cybersecurity firms and government agencies have issued multiple warnings about the Cloudhopper threat since 2017, they have not disclosed the identity of technology companies whose networks were compromised.

International Business Machines Corp said it had no evidence that sensitive corporate data had been compromised. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) said it could not comment on the Cloudhopper campaign.

Businesses and governments are increasingly looking to technology companies known as managed service providers (MSPs) to remotely manage their information technology operations, including servers, storage, networking and help-desk support.

Cloudhopper targeted MSPs to access client networks and steal corporate secrets from companies around the globe, according to a U.S. federal indictment of two Chinese nationals unsealed on Thursday. Prosecutors did not identify any of the MSPs that were breached.

Both IBM and HPE declined to comment on the specific claims made by the sources.

"IBM has been aware of the reported attacks and already has taken extensive counter-measures worldwide as part of our continuous efforts to protect the company and our clients against constantly evolving threats," the company said in a statement. "We take responsible stewardship of client data very seriously, and have no evidence that sensitive IBM or client data has been compromised by this threat."

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HPE said in a statement that it had spun out a large managed-services business in a 2017 merger with Computer Sciences Corp that formed a new company, DXC Technology <DXC.N>.

The security of HPE customer data is our top priority," HPE said. "We are unable to comment on the specific details described in the indictment, but HPEs managed services provider business moved to DXC Technology in connection with HPEs divestiture of its Enterprise Services business in 2017.

DXC Technology declined to comment, saying in a statement that it does not comment on reports about specific cyber events and hacking groups.

Reuters was unable to confirm the names of other breached technology firms or identify any affected clients.

The sources, who were not authorized to comment on confidential information gleaned from investigations into the hacks, said that HPE and IBM were not the only prominent technology companies whose networks had been compromised by Cloudhopper.

Cloudhopper, which has been targeting technology services providers for several years, infiltrated the networks of HPE and IBM multiple times in breaches that lasted for weeks and months, according to another of the sources with knowledge of the matter.

IBM investigated an attack as recently as this summer, and HPE conducted a large breach investigation in early 2017, the source said.

The attackers were persistent, making it difficult to ensure that networks were safe, said another source.

IBM has dealt with some infections by installing new hard drives and fresh operating systems on infected computers, said the person familiar with the effort.

Cloudhopper attacks date back to at least 2014, according the indictment.

The indictment cited one case in which Cloudhopper compromised data of an MSP in New York state and clients in 12 countries including Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Britain and the United States. They were from industries including finance, electronics, medical equipment, biotechnology, automotive, mining, and oil and gas exploration.

One senior intelligence official, who declined to name any victims who were breached, said attacks on MSPs were a significant threat because they essentially turned technology companies into launchpads for hacks on clients.

"By gaining access to an MSP, you can in many cases gain access to any one of their customers," said the official. "Call it the Walmart approach: If I needed to get 30 different items for my shopping list, I could go to 15 different stores or I could go to the one that has everything.

Representatives with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security declined to comment. Officials with the U.S. Justice Department and the Chinese embassy in Washington could not be reached.

A British government spokeswoman declined to comment on the identities of companies affected by the Cloudhopper campaign or the impact of those breaches.

A number of MSPs have been affected, and naming them would have potential commercial consequences for them, putting them at an unfair disadvantage to their competitors," she said.

(Reporting by Christopher Bing in Washington, Jack Stubbs in London, Joseph Menn in San Francisco; Editing by Jim Finkle and Jonathan Oatis)
By Keith Coffman

DENVER (Reuters) - The fiance of a 29-year-old Colorado woman who vanished nearly a month ago from a small mountain town was arrested on Friday for her murder although authorities have not located the young mother's body, police said.

Patrick Frazee, 32, is being held without bond on suspicion of first-degree murder and solicitation to commit murder in the slaying of Kelsey Berreth, Woodland Park Police Chief Miles De Young said at a news conference.

"While we have not found Kelsey at this time, information has been developed that has helped to narrow down our search," De Young said. "Sadly, we do not believe Kelsey is still alive."

Teller County District Attorney Dan May told reporters Frazee will make his first court appearance Friday afternoon, and prosecutors will formally charge him within 10 days.

The arrest warrant affidavit has been sealed and authorities declined to say what led to Frazee's arrest.

A spokeswoman for Frazee's lawyer, Jeremy Loew, said he will issue a statement later on Friday.

Frazee, who was arrested by police and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents at his ranch in Florissant, 13 miles (21 km) west of Woodland Park, is the father of the couple's one-year-old daughter, Kaylee. The child had been staying with Frazee but is now in protective custody, De Young said.

Kelsey Berreth was last seen publicly on Nov. 22 on surveillance camera video entering a Safeway grocery store in Woodland Park, about 90 miles southwest of Denver.

Frazee told police he saw Berreth when he picked up Kaylee later that afternoon, De Young said last week.

Three days later, Berreth's employer received a text message from her telephone, saying she would not be coming into work for a week, police said, and that same day her cellphone signal connected with a tower near Gooding, Idaho, some 700 miles away.

Berreth's mother Cheryl, who lives in Idaho, reported her missing on Dec. 2.

Police searched Frazee's sprawling ranch last weekend. If convicted of first-degree murder, he faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

(Reporting by Keith Coffman; Editing by Richard Chang)
Airbus Delivers First Two H225s to Ukraine



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Joe Whitley (Photo: John Disney/ALM)

Joe Whitley of Baker Donelson (Photo: John Disney/ALM)



Early in my professional career, a long-distance encounter with George Herbert Walker Bush by U.S. mail made all the difference in the direction of my life. I am certain a story similar to mine was repeated thousands upon thousands of times during his lifetime. Why? Because the man simply practiced what he preached and believed. Bush 41 was not only a great leader but also someone who positively impacted the lives of those around him with his kinder, gentler style.



I have often been asked what it takes to build a successful career. I don't believe there is a precise formula. But I do believe that working hard, getting a good education and being fortunate enough to have strong, positive, loving people around you is important. And perhaps too, a little serendipity.



It was a Sunday morning in the late fall of 1976. Jimmy Carter was president-elect, and there were three television networksno cable to speak of. I was serving as an assistant district attorney in Columbus, Georgia, and my wife, Kathy, was working full-time as a public school teacher. We liked to watch "Face The Nation" (or a similar show), and on that particular day the then-CIA Director George Herbert Walker Bush was making an appearance. The host of the show ran down the list of accomplishments of the 53-year-old Bush, who had served as a congressman, ambassador to China, chair of the Republican Party and was a World War II hero and a successful businessman. Kathy and I were impressed with Bush's resume and were inspired by his direct and concise answers during the show. We both remarked how Bush would make a great president, if he ever chose to run for office.



Three years later, in 1979, Bush announced his decision to run for the presidency. Kathy wrote him a letter offering our support and sent it to his home in Texas. True to his prolific letter- and note-writing form, Bush wrote Kathy back to thank us both for our kind offer.



Shortly thereafter, we were contacted by the very small Bush For President operation in Georgia, headed up by the late Sen. Paul Coverdell. The campaign asked Kathy and me, along with another colleague, to run the Bush For President efforts in Columbus in advance of the Republican primary. We readily accepted and worked closely with Senator Coverdell.



I was 29 and had just joined what was then the Hirsch, Beil & Partin law firm. My days were filled with law practice, while late nights and weekends were devoted to the work that Kathy and I could do together for the campaign. At the time, there were virtually no young Republican attorneys in Columbus and no active Federalist Society in Georgia. Many, if not most, of the residents in Columbus were committed to the Democratic party or ambivalent about Republican politics. However, there was a growing amount of excitement about former California Gov. Ronald Reagan.



Despite those daunting headwinds, we found a local store front that we could use as a call center and to employ local volunteers. We also rented a post hole digger and borrowed tools to put up Bush For President signs throughout the city. Kathy and I hosted several fundraisersinviting to Columbus such dignitaries as Jonathan Bush, the president's brother, and Donald Rumsfeld, who later served as secretary of defense. Despite our enthusiasm and best efforts, Ronald Reagan defeated Bush 41 in the Georgia primary.



Considering my private practice salary at the time was in the $20,000-plus range, personal contributions were not easy to come by. So most of what we did for the Bush campaign was "sweat equity." Kathy and I were exhausted but truly gratified to have been a part of the Bush For President team. We had no expectations for anything from George H. W. Bush.



However, a short time later, we were asked to come to a Buckhead home to meet George H. W. Bush, who was on a tour of the United States to thank his campaign workers and contributors. We accepted the invitation and traveled to Atlanta, fully believing there would be a room filled with dozens of people. Much to our surprise, there were only a handful of very connected and accomplished individuals. It was the most incredible one-on-one setting that Kathy and I would ever have with the future president of the United States. We found him to be friendly and engaging, accessible and genuinely appreciative. After the Bush primary campaign, Kathy and I coordinated one more campaign in Columbus for Mack Mattingly, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980 in the Reagan-Bush landslide.



For me, my service to the presidential ambitions of George H. W. Bush launched my career in public service, both at the Department of Justice and later at the Department of Homeland Security. I am confident but for Kathys and my "serendipitous moment watching Bush 41 on a television program back in 1976, I would not have been nominated by President Reagan to serve in Macon as the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia in 1981, and later that fall sworn in on my 31st birthday. All of my other political appointments grew out of my early service to the Bush campaign. After his election as president in 1988, Bush nominated me to serve in Atlanta as the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia in 1990. And in 2003, his son, President George W. Bush (43) nominated me to serve as the first general counsel of the Department of Homeland Security.



Today, looking back on all that I have been fortunate to accomplish in my life, I credit some of it to serendipity. But, I also realize now and fully appreciate that there is so much more to the story. It all began with the goodness and kindness of one strong and gentle man. A man who would forever change my life. Thank you, George Herbert Walker Bush, for your enormous and lasting legacy. Your positive footprint in this world made a lasting impression on me and will continue to serve as an example of true leadership for future generations of Americans.



Joe D. Whitley chairs the Government Enforcement and Investigations Group at Baker Donelson.
BEIRUT (AP)  A senior Kurdish politician Friday called on France to play a larger role in Syria following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, warning that Kurdish fighters may have to withdraw from the front lines in the fight against the Islamic State group.

Ilham Ahmed also suggested that the main Kurdish militia may no longer be able to hold the hundreds of IS militants detained in its prisons in northeastern Syria in the case of a Turkish attack, noting they might head to Turkey or farther abroad from there.

The group known as the Syrian Democratic Forces is known to hold hundreds of militants from various nationalities, including Europeans, in detention centers across areas under their control in northern Syria, and their families have been rounded up in camps run by the group. The Kurds have not decided how to handle them, since their home countries don't want them back and also don't recognize Kurdish-run courts.

"We fear things will get out control and we would no longer be able to contain them (IS militants) in the area, and this would open the door to their renewed spread and movement toward the Turkish border and from there to the rest of the world," Ahmed said. She was in Paris as part of a delegation attending talks on the planned U.S. military withdrawal from Syria and Turkey's warnings that it may launch a military operation against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria.

The delegation met with French President Emanuel Macron's representative to Syria, Francois Senemand.

In France, an official at Elysee Palace said that during the meeting with the Syrian visitors, Macron's aides "provided a message of solidarity and support and explained exchanges that France was having with the U.S. to continue the fight against Daesh." The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for not being authorized to speak publicly, used an Arabic acronym to refer to IS.

Ahmed said France as a NATO member has a moral obligation to prevent Turkey from attacking Kurds.

Story continues

Her comments reflected the desperation and turmoil within the Kurdish forces following President Donald Trump's surprise announcement that he would withdraw the 2,000 troops in Syria. The announcement came at a particularly tense moment in northern Syria. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly warned of launching a new offensive against the Kurds and in recent days has stepped up the rhetoric, threatening that an assault could begin "at any moment."

Turkey views the People's Protection Units, or YPG, the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces, as a terrorist group and an extension of the insurgency within its borders. U.S. support for the group has strained ties between the two NATO allies.

On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the announcement from Washington about a pullout as well as "diplomatic and security contacts" forced Turkey to delay its plans for an operation against the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia east of the Euphrates river.

Speaking in Istanbul in an address to business groups, he said however, that the delay would "not be open-ended."

Trump's abrupt decision has been widely seen as an abandonment of a loyal ally, even though the U.S. partnership with the Kurds against the Islamic State group in Syria was always considered a temporary marriage of convenience. With U.S. air support, the Kurds drove IS out of much of northern and eastern Syria in a costly four-year campaign.

"The decision to pull out under these circumstances will lead to a state of instability and create a political and military void in the region and leave its people between the claws of enemy forces," a statement by the Kurdish-led group and main U.S. ally in Syria said Thursday.

Underscoring the ongoing fight against IS, a Kurdish news agency and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported that IS launched a counteroffensive in the area on the outskirts of Hajin, the last town controlled by IS in Syria which the SDF recaptured a week ago.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday said his country welcomed the decision by Trump to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.

Cavusoglu spoke during a visit to Malta in comments that were broadcast on Turkish television. They marked the first official reaction to the U.S. decision to pull out its troops.

The minister spoke of a need to coordinate the withdrawal with the U.S. and said all countries need to be vigilant in the fight against the remnants of the Islamic State group.

Cavusoglu also warned that the withdrawal should not create a vacuum that could be filled by terrorist groups.

The German government, meanwhile, said it wasn't consulted by Washington before the U.S. announced the troop withdrawal.

Government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer told reporters in Berlin on Friday that Germany would have appreciated prior consultations.

Demmer said the U.S. decision could affect the dynamics of the conflict, adding that "much remains to be done" for a final victory over the Islamic State group.

She said the United States is an "important ally" but declined to say whether Germany also considers it a "reliable" one.

German Defense Ministry spokesman Jens Flosdorff said the decision has no immediate impact on Germany's aerial surveillance missions over Syria.

___

Associated Press writers Frank Jordans in Berlin, Suzan Fraser in Ankara and Elaine Ganley in Paris contributed to this report.
Budapest (AFP) - Hungary's right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban dismissed a wave of protests against a new labour reform as "hysterical shouting" Friday, but a new poll suggested most Hungarians disapproved of the law.

In a weekly interview with public radio, Orban said that his Fidesz party "simply wants to get rid of silly rules so that those who want to earn more can work more".

The reform -- dubbed a "slave law" by opponents -- was signed into law by President Janos Ader on Thursday and hikes the amount of overtime that employers can demand from 250 to 400 hours per year.

Orban said in the interview that employees will be paid for overtime at the end of each month, but the text of the law allows employers to delay payment by up to three years.

The reform has sparked fierce protests since MPs approved it on 12 December, with the rallies backed by an unusually broad swathe of the opposition and by trade unions.

Orban insisted that "this law is a good law, we have to judge it on how it works in practice".

"We heard this same hysterical shouting when we threw the IMF out of Hungary, when we cut taxes or introduced the public works programme, the opposition cried: 'Slave!'," he added.

He also repeated the government's accusation that the "most aggressive protestors are paid by George Soros," the liberal Hungarian-born US billionaire and a favoured target of Orban's government.

According to a poll published by the Publicus company on Friday, more than two-thirds of Hungarians thought the protests were justified and that the overtime law would hurt workers' interests.

A fresh demonstration has been organised for Friday evening in the capital Budapest, starting outside parliament and ending at the president's official residence on the other side of the Danube.

Organisers are hoping turnout will exceed the 15,000 people who gathered on Sunday in the biggest protest thus far since the law was passed.
The past year has featured a wide range of astronomical events and missions in space, ranging from a rare lunar eclipse to sending robots to alien worlds.

Bigger events, such as major SpaceX rocket launches and missions to Mars, stole the spotlight, but people all around the globe were able to see smaller astronomical events throughout the year, including meteor showers and eclipses.



Top space and astronomy stories of 2018

AP Photo/Garret Fischer

First, at vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui voluptatum.

1/12

Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP

This photo combination shows the different stages of the "Super Blue Blood Moon" during a lunar eclipse is seen from the Santa Monica, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018.

John Raoux/AP

A Falcon 9 SpaceX heavy rocket lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018.

Credit: CMSE

Artist's illustration of China's 8-ton Tiangong-1 space lab. Tiangong-1 burned up in Earth's atmosphere on April 2, 2018.

(NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS via AP)

This combination of images made by NASA's Curiosity rover shows the rim of the Gale Crater on June 7 and 10, 2018 during a major dust storm.

Bill Ingalls/AP

This long exposure photograph provided by NASA, shows the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket as it launches NASA's Parker Solar Probe on Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)

(Photo: Georgian Erickson)

A SpaceX rocket launch put on an incredible display in the sky over Florida on June 29, 2018.

(AccuWeather Photo/Brian Lada)

Three meteors streak across the sky near the peak of the Leonid meteor shower in the middle of November.

Bill Ingalls/AP

The Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft is launched on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 from Kazakhstan. During the launch, an anomaly occurred, resulting in an abort downrange. The crew was quickly recovered.

(Photo/NASA)

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One of the first photos sent back from NASA's InSight probe after landing on Mars on Nov. 26, 2018.

Matt Hartman/AP

Virgin Galactic reaches space for the first time during its 4th powered flight from Mojave, Calif. on Dec. 13, 2018.

(Photo/Jim Denny)

Comet 46p/Wirtanen as seen from Kaua`i, Hawaii, before its closest approach to Earth on Dec. 16.

This year has also featured over 100 rocket launches around the globe on missions to space, a close approach by a comet and three partial solar eclipses.

Here are the top space and astronomy headlines from 2018:

1. Super Blue Moon Eclipse

When: Jan. 31, 2018

The year kicked off with a lunar trifecta with the final night of January featuring a full supermoon, a blue moon and a total lunar eclipse all at once.

Each of these events separately is not uncommon, but it is rare for all three of these to fall on the same night. Before 2018, the last time that this occurred was on March 31, 1866.



super blue infographic

Onlookers across the United States were only able to see the beginning of the eclipse, while those in Australia and much of Asia were able to view the eclipse in its entirety.

This was the first of two total lunar eclipses of the year, with the eclipse on July 27, 2018 being the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century.

2. Inaugural launch of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket

When: Feb. 6, 2018

The biggest and most anticipated rocket launch of the year took place in early February when SpaceX debuted its new Falcon Heavy rocket.

Millions of people watched the inaugural flight of the large, heavy-lift rocket as it took to the skies along the coast of Florida.

The test launch was a success and demonstrated the Falcon Heavy's capabilities for future flights. SpaceX was also able to successfully land two of the three boosters used to propel the rocket into space, a key step forward in the company's goal of reusability.

For the test flight, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk decided to launch one of his Tesla cars as a dummy payload rather than risking an expensive satellite. The car is now in orbit around the sun where it will likely remain for hundreds of thousands of years.



starman

SpaceX's Starman mannequin is seen inside Elon Musk's red Tesla Roadster with Earth in the background, shortly after launch on Feb. 6, 2018.Credit: SpaceX

With a successful launch, the Falcon Heavy became the most powerful rocket currently in operation anywhere in the world.

So far, this has been the only launch of the heavy-lift rocket, but several launches are scheduled for 2019.

3. Chinese space station burns up in Earth's atmosphere

When: April 2, 2018

The end of March and opening days of April were filled with speculation in the space community as scientists were anticipating a defunct Chinese space station to re-enter Earth's atmosphere.

The space station, known as Tiangong-1, was launched on Sept. 29, 2011, but was no longer used after March 2016. China's space agency eventually lost control of the station. Being out of commission and out of control, Tiangong-1 was slowly falling back down to Earth.

There was a wide range of possibilities of where and when the spacecraft would burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, including the chance that it could do so over the United States.

Ultimately, it burned up over the southern Pacific Ocean early on April 2, 2018, with any debris surviving the re-entry harmlessly landing in the ocean.

4. Planet-wide dust storm encases Mars

When: June 2018

The Earth's celestial neighbor experienced a massive dust storm that lasted for weeks, shrouding the entire planet in a rusty orange haze.

"The Martian dust storm has grown in size and is now officially a 'planet-encircling' (or 'global') dust event," NASA officials said in a statement in June.

This was the first planet-wide dust storm observed on Mars since 2007, according to SPACE.com.

The sun-blocking dust has been detrimental for one of NASA's rovers driving around and conducting science on the Martian surface.

The Opportunity rover has fallen silent since the dust storm after a more than 14-year mission on Mars. This rover relies on solar power for electricity, so the massive, long-lasting dust storm cut off its power supply.

Although the dust storm has since subsided, the Opportunity rover has remained silent. NASA is still trying to communicate with the rover hoping that its solar panels will see enough sunlight to come back online, but its fate is uncertain.

5. NASA lands InSight probe on Mars

When: Nov. 26, 2018

While NASA may have lost the Opportunity rover during the Marian dust storm, they successfully landed a new probe on the Red Planet.

On Nov. 26, 2018, the InSight probe touched down on Mars after an eight-month journey through space.

"The lander uses cutting-edge instruments, to delve deep beneath the surface and seek the fingerprints of the processes that formed the terrestrial planets," NASA said.

This includes a seismograph to detect any earthquakes that may happen on the planet.

InSight is also equipped with a thermometer and pressure sensor to provide scientists with meteorological data on Mars' surface.
NEW DELHI (AP)  The foreign ministers of India and China on Friday discussed steps to deepen ties through academic exchanges and tourism even as they vie for influence with their smaller neighbors.

Sushma Swaraj and Wang Yi at their meeting in New Delhi took up enhancing cooperation in tourism, art, film, media, culture, yoga, sports, academic and youth exchanges, according to a tweet from India's External Affairs Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar.

"As our relations are deepening and our regional and international role evolving, there are expectations from our two countries to lead Asia and usher in an 'Asian Century," Swaraj said in a message ahead of a meeting of the Indian Council of World Affairs and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Wang attended the inaugural meeting of a forum that is part of a cultural exchange program set up by the two countries in April.

A series of recent India-China meetings have eased tensions along their contested border after last year's 10-week standoff in the neighboring state of Bhutan. The countries fought a border war in 1962 over a disputed border.

Swaraj said Friday the armies of the two countries were making efforts to strengthen contacts to promote peace and tranquility in the border areas.

New Delhi has been keenly watching China's moves to build strategic and economic ties with Indian Ocean nations including Sri Lanka, the Maldives and India's longtime rival Pakistan.

China claims some territory in India's northeast, while India says China occupies part of its territory on the Aksai Chin Plateau in the western Himalayas. At least 20 meetings to discuss the competing border claims have not made significant progress.

China also resents India's hosting of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
London (AFP) - Two middle-aged people were being held Saturday over the suspected "criminal use of drones" at London's Gatwick Airport, where flights were returning to normal after three days of pre-Christmas disruption affecting 140,000 passengers.

Police swooped on a 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman from town of Crawley, which neighbours Britain's second-busiest airport.

A Gatwick spokesman said the airport planned to run a full schedule of 757 flights carrying 124,484 passengers on Saturday.

But he warned that passengers should expect some delays and cancellations "as we continue to recover our operations".

"We are grateful for passengers' continued patience as we work to get them to their final destination in time for Christmas," the spokesman said.

Drones were first sighted buzzing around Gatwick on Wednesday then reappeared more than 50 times, forcing the government to bring in specialist military resources to help counter the threat.

The dangers posed by drones include the possibility of a device smashing into a passenger plane or being sucked up into an engine where its highly flammable lithium battery could cause a catastrophe.

The two people arrested late Friday were being held on suspicion of "disrupting services of civil aviation aerodrome to endanger or likely to endanger safety of operations or persons".

"Our investigations are still on-going, and our activities at the airport continue to build resilience to detect and mitigate further incursions from drones, by deploying a range of tactics," said Sussex Police superintendent James Collis.

The army was called in on Thursday to offer support, with the defence ministry deploying what was described only as specialist equipment.

Government officials held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation.

- Law change -

Under recently-introduced laws in Britain, drones cannot be flown near aircraft or within a kilometre (about half a mile) of an airport, or at an altitude of over 400 feet (122 metres).

Story continues

Violators face up to five years in prison for endangering an aircraft.

The Times newspaper reported Saturday that Transport Secretary Chris Grayling had shelved plans earlier this year to introduce laws regulating drone use despite being warned about the risk they posed to airports.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "Next year further laws will come into effect to ensure drone users must be registered and pass safety tests.

"We are continuing to introduce further measures and recently consulted on extending police powers to deal with people who misuse drones, as well working on the development of counter-drone technology to ensure incidents like this can't happen again."

Justin Burtenshaw, head of armed policing for Sussex and Surrey, described the cat-and-mouse hunt for the drone operators.

"Each time we believe we get close to the operator, the drone disappears. When we look to reopen the airfield the drone reappears," he said Thursday.

Darcis, 32, who was supposed to arrive from Milan on Thursday and had to sleep at the airport, said: "I cannot understand why such a small thing can cause an international airport like Gatwick (to close). They should be ready for these things. I really don't understand what we can do."

Gatwick, around 30 miles (50 kilometres) south of the British capital, is the eighth-busiest airport in Europe and sits behind Mumbai as the world's busiest single-runway air hub.
Stockholm (AFP) - Scandinavian hikers Maren Ueland and Louisa Vesterager Jespersen were murdered by suspected jihadists in Morocco near a popular tourist spot in the Atlas mountains.

The bodies of the university students, 28 and 24, were found on December 17 and flown to Copenhagen on Friday, a police source said.

Four suspects arrested over the killings had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group, according to Moroccan authorities. Nine others have been detained.

A video shared on social media sites that appeared to show the beheading of one of the women is almost certainly real, Norwegian police have concluded.

Here are more details about Maren Ueland, Norwegian, and Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, from Denmark.

- Took precautions -

"Adventurers", "sociable" and "positive" -- just some of the descriptions of the two friends who had been studying outdoor activities at the University of Southeastern Norway.

The pair decided to go to Morocco for Christmas and arrived for a month-long holiday on 9 December.

They had travelled to the foothills of Mount Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak, not far from the tourist village of Imlil.

"The girls took all the necessary precautions before leaving for the trip," Maren's mother Irene told Norwegian's NRK television.

Photos show the pair laughing and smiling over the years, often outdoors.

Maren's mother paid tribute to her daughter by sharing a picture of her on Facebook with her pet dog, a huge leonberger named Alf Herman.

"Maren disliked Christmas... this throw-away mentality. But at the same time was someone very family-orientated," Irene told Norwegian newspaper Stavanger Aftenbladet.

"She could have lived where other people would not have believed you could live," her younger sister Malin told the same paper.

- 'Smiling, chatty and sociable -

Originally from Jutland, in west Denmark, Louisa had a rafting license, according to her profile on social networks, and a love for the outdoors.

Story continues

On November 21, she appealed to friends on Facebook for advice about Morocco ahead of the ill-fated trip.

"Dear friends, I'm going to Morocco in December. Will some of you be in the area or have hiking friends who know something about Mount Toubkal?" she wrote, according to local media reports.

Her university director Petter Aasen told TV2 the two friends had not taken any risks.

"They were well prepared and went to an area where they could travel safely," he said.

"They have made many trips abroad, together or alone," he added.

The university is planning a commemoration that will take place on campus in early 2019.

"They were smiling, chatty and sociable," said Rachid Imerhade, a mountain guide contacted by the agency NTB.

He had met the two friends a few days before their disappearance in Morocco.

"They talked a lot with the other people around," he added.

Louisa's mother, Helle Petersen, told the Danish newspaper B.T. that her daughter was "always happy and positive. Everyone loved her and she saw the best in everyone".

Her mother added that she had warned her daughter about travelling to Morocco "because of the chaotic situation".
By Mark Hosenball

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ignoring advice from Justice Department ethics lawyers, acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker will not recuse himself from overseeing the probe into Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 election, a source said on Thursday.

Ethics experts in the Justice Department recommended that Whitaker, who made comments critical of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation before taking office, should not supervise the probe, said the source, who has knowledge of the situation.

Whitaker's decision was likely to raise new concerns in Congress that he might try to curb or shut down Mueller's investigation, which President Donald Trump has derided as a "witch hunt."

Mueller is examining whether Trump's campaign team colluded with Moscow's efforts to interfere with the election, and the probe has already ensnared Trump's former campaign manager, his former personal lawyer and his ex-national security adviser.

Trump has denied wrongdoing and Moscow has said there was no interference.

Whitaker is a Trump loyalist and had criticized the Mueller probe as too far-reaching before he was tapped in November to be acting attorney general.

He replaced Jeff Sessions, who was fired by Trump in large part because Trump was angry that Sessions had bowed to pressure to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.

It is unclear how long Whitaker, a former U.S. attorney in Iowa, will oversee the department.

Trump has already picked William Barr to take on the job but his nomination needs to be approved by the Senate.

Democrats and a number of Republicans have raised concerns about Trump's moves at the Justice Department, with a bipartisan group of U.S. senators renewing a push for legislation to protect the special counsel.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, has opposed any such legislation.

Senator Lindsey Graham, who is also a Republican and hopes to lead the Senate panel overseeing the Justice Department next year, met with Whitaker on Thursday and expressed confidence the Russia probe would continue.

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But the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, said Barr was unfit to serve in the role given that he wrote a memo to the Justice Department saying Mueller should not be allowed to look into possible attempts by Trump to obstruct the investigation.

"The president must immediately reconsider and find another nominee who is free of conflicts and will carry out the duties of the office impartially," Schumer said.

(Reporting by Mark Hosenball; Additional reporting by David Shepardson and Lisa Lambert; editing by Tim Ahmann, James Dalgleish and Tom Brown)
Madrid (AFP) - A migrant group said Friday it had rescued nearly 300 migrants off the coast of Libya over the previous 24 hours.

"More than 300 people safe on board the #OpenArms," the Proactiva Open Arms organisation tweeted.

The organisation added that it had rescued people on board three vessels in difficulty in a single day.

The vessel started patrolling the Mediterranean with two other boats run by migrant aid groups off the Libyan coast in late November.

This area of the Mediterranean has been the most deadly for migrants attempting the crossing to Europe.

More than 1,300 migrants have perished trying to reach Italy or Malta since the beginning of the year, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Aid groups have been sending rescue vessels into these waters despite vocal opposition from Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini.

Accusing the groups of acting as a "taxi service" for migrants, he has denied them access to the country's ports. Malta too, has been increasingly unwilling to host rescue vessels.

Another aid group meanwhile, Sea-Eye from Germany, announced Friday that one of its vessels was setting off from the southern Spanish port of Algeciras.

The 18-strong crew includes former volunteers who were on board the Aquarius, a rescue boat run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and SOS Mediterranee.

The two groups said they had to halt activities earlier this month because of obstruction by some European countries.
North Korea says it wont get rid of its nuclear weapons until the US does (Picture: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)

North Korea has said it will never give up its nuclear weapons unless the United States does the same.

A statement released though the official Korean Central News Agency accused Washington of being misleading over the agreement between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

Following the summit between the two leaders, the US President claims he had successfully negotiated denuclearisation, but talks between the two countries have stalled since.

Many people have asked how we are doing in our negotiations with North Korea  I always reply by saying we are in no hurry, there is wonderful potential for great economic success for that country.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2018

During the summit in Singapore on June 12, the two leaders issued a vague goal for the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula without describing when and how it would occur.

But in the statement released on Thursday, North Korea said: The United States must now recognise the accurate meaning of the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, and especially, must study geography.

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When we talk about the Korean Peninsula, it includes the territory of our republic and also the entire region of (South Korea) where the United States has placed its invasive force, including nuclear weapons.

When we talk about the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, it means the removal of all sources of nuclear threat, not only from the South and North but also from areas neighbouring the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea expert Robert Kelly, Professor of Political Science, branded Mr Trumps tweets on North Korea as just baloney.

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In a series of tweets he said that while US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other officials had said we were going into this with our eyes open, North Korea was pulling all their old tricks and slow-walking the whole process.

He added: And Trump still hasnt even gotten an inventory of the nuclear & missile materials on which to base our bargaining with them over denuclearization. So, no, things are not going fine.

As usual, Trumps tweets on North Korea are just baloney: 1. Pompeo, Bolton, and others explicitly said we were going into this with our eyes open, we were going to get results fast, we were going to get a lot (CVID), etc. None of that has happened, and the NKs are pulling all /1 https://t.co/f2W7QaKosy  Robert E Kelly (@Robert_E_Kelly) December 15, 2018

He said the US President had continued to place unjustified faith in his relationship with Kim Jong Un and said Mr Trump has to talk in the way he is to keep up the appearance of a foreign policy success for domestic reasons.

But it should be pretty clear at this point that the NKs are setting the pace and that were locked in the same back-and-forth slog with them as before, he said.

The promise of 2018s summit diplomacy  that direct meetings between Kim, Trump, and Moon  would leapfrog the bureaucrats and generate a big-bang breakthrough has not materialized. Now we have all the time in the world to negotiate with NK, Trump says, even though this spring Pompeo & Bolton were saying the opposite. Whatevs.

In short, they probably wont give up much, theyll ask a lot in return, & verification is going to be hellishly complicated on anything they do surrender. We all need to start adjusting to NK as a nuclear weapons state and think about management and missile defense.
Ottawa (AFP) - Ottawa's ambassador to Beijing has met with the second Canadian detained in China on suspicion of threatening national security, Canada's foreign ministry said Sunday.

The ministry said Ambassador John McCallum had met with Michael Spavor, a business consultant, two days after meeting with another detained Canadian, Michael Kovrig, a think tank employee.

"Canadian consular officials continue to provide consular services to him and his family and will continue to seek further access to Mr Spavor," the ministry said.

China arrested two Canadians after Ottawa detained a senior executive from tech giant Huawei at the behest of 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 not acceptable," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Toronto's Citytv on Friday.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also branded the arrests "unacceptable."

Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer at Huawei, was released on bail in Vancouver on Tuesday pending extradition to the US. She is accused of violating US sanctions on Iran.

Beijing threatened Canada with "grave consequences" if she was not freed.

Ottawa has repeatedly said the arrest was not political but rather a judicial process in keeping with an extradition treaty with Washington.

In an interview with CTV News on Sunday, Trudeau expressed concerns about the impact of the US-China trade war on Canada, which has been pushing for a free trade deal with the latter.

"One of the things that we have to understand is when there is a conflict like this... where we're talking about an escalating trade war, we're talking about significant clashes between the world's two largest economies," he said.

"There are going to be unintended consequences all around the world, including in Canada."

Canadian companies operating in China have not reported significant difficulties amid the current diplomatic crisis.

However, coat manufacturer Canada Goose this week postponed the opening of a new store in Beijing for "construction reasons."
Budapest (AFP) - At least 5,000 demonstrators took to the streets of the Hungarian capital Budapest late Friday, as rightwing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban dismissed a wave of protests against a new labour reform as "hysterical shouting".

Protesters marched from outside parliament to the presidential palace on the other side of the Danube in temperatures close to freezing.

Many shouted angry slogans against the government but no clashes were reported with police.

The current series of protests was sparked on December 12 when MPs passed a measure -- dubbed the "slave law" by opponents -- which hikes the amount of overtime that employers can demand from 250 to 400 hours per year.

Friday evening's demonstration is expected to be the last before the Christmas holidays, but unions and opposition parties announced they would hold a new protest on 5 January to keep up the momentum of the movement into the new year.

- 'New opposition' -

Balazs Barany from the leftwing MSZP party told the rally that "a new opposition has been born", with the protests uniting various rival factions in an unprecedented fashion.

Unions have also taken part, threatening a general strike to fight the law.

Tamas Szucs from the teachers' union told the crowd: "The country must be brought to a standstill in January!"

Balazs Lipusz from the Union of University Students added: "If the workers stop the factories, block the roads, we will go with them!"

A rude anti-Orban slogan was projected onto the side of parliament and the presidential palace, with some protestors also chanting slogans in solidarity with the private Central European University (CEU).

During the rally Anna Donath from the small liberal party Momentum read out a list of five demands of the protest movement, including not only the abolition of the overtime law, but also the scrapping of a recent judicial reform and more independence in public news media.

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Meanwhile, councils in Hungary's third-largest city of Szeged and the northern town of Salgotarjan on Friday passed resolutions promising not to implement the new law.

- 'Hysterical shouting' -

Speaking at a press conference before Friday's protest, MSZP president Bertalan Toth alluded to possible protest action against businesses with ties to Orban's Fidesz party, as well as the big employers who stand to benefit from the overtime law.

"We will target those that the Fidesz regime caters to with their laws," Toth said.

However, Orban used a weekly interview with public radio to double down on his defence of the law, saying that his government "simply wants to get rid of silly rules so that those who want to earn more can work more".

Orban said in the interview that employees will be paid for overtime at the end of each month, but the text of the law allows employers to delay payment by up to three years.

Orban insisted that "this law is a good law, we have to judge it on how it works in practice".

"We heard this same hysterical shouting when we threw the IMF out of Hungary, when we cut taxes or introduced the public works programme, the opposition cried: 'Slave!'," he added.

He also repeated the government's accusation that the "most aggressive protesters are paid by George Soros," the liberal Hungarian-born US billionaire and a frequent target of Orban's government.

According to a poll published by the Publicus company on Friday, more than two-thirds of Hungarians thought the protests were justified and that the overtime law would hurt workers' interests.
By Ahmed Elumami and Ayman al-Warfalli TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libya's Sharara oilfield remains closed, state oil firm NOC said on Thursday, resisting pressure from some officials to quickly pay off protesters which shut it down. On Wednesday, Libya's internationally recognized government said the 315,000 barrels a day field, the country's biggest, would reopen after Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj flew there to meet protesters who seized the southern facility on Dec 8. Sarraj had called the demands of the protesters - made up of state guards and tribesmen - as legitimate. Oil sources later said preparations were being made to restart output. But a conflict then erupted between the government and NOC which wants to stop getting blackmailed by protesters, often armed, who occupy fields to demand cash and jobs. NOC Charman Mustafa Sanalla said that force majeure, a contractual waiver, would not be lifted at Sharara until alternative security arrangements were in place, a statement said. He warned of "catastrophic consequences for both the oil sector and country of ransom payments to the armed group occupying the Sharara oil field". The Tripoli government has announced a development fund worth 1 billion dinars ($717 million) for the long-neglected south in a bid to appease the protesters. Sanalla has drawn criticism from some officials for framing the occupiers as an armed group. They are joined by tribesmen, who demand better state services for the south, which produces around 400,000 bpd of day but lacks basic facilities such as hospitals or electricity. Some state guards, which NOC said had facilitated the protest, had demanded salaries they said they were owed. The OPEC member had before the closure boosted output to up to 1.3 million barrels a day. NOC is widely seen by armed groups and civilian protesters as an easy target to milk. El Sharara crude is transported to the Zawiya port, which is also home to a refinery. NOC runs the field with Spain's Repsol, France's Total, Austria's OMV and Norway's Equinor, formerly known as Statoil. (Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli, Ahmed Elumami, Nayera Abdallah, Ulf Laessing and Ahmed ElJechtimi; Writing by Ulf Laessing, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
As President Trump threatens a government shutdown over funding for his border wall, one U.S. Border Patrol agent offered some insight on the immediate impact shuttering the government will have, not only on agents paychecks but on border security in general.

Long story short, shutting down the government means fewer border patrol agents in the field, the agent, who spoke to Yahoo News on the condition of anonymity, said in a telephone interview. Fewer agents in the field means less border security. I am sure you see the irony here.

An armed U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent stands guard at the border fence next to the beach in Tijuana, at the Border State Park in San Diego in November. (Photo: Mike Blake/Reuters)

In the event of a shutdown, essential personnel (i.e. border agents) are required to work without pay, while nonessential employees  the people who do payroll, intel analysts, human resources, executive assistants, vehicle maintenance, etc.  are furloughed, the agent said. Despite the nonessential label, the agent added, the agency cant effectively operate without those people in place, so during a shutdown, uniformed agents are moved into some of those positions. Which can have a huge effect on operations.

Men who crossed the U.S. border illegally are detained in Mission, Texas, on August 15, 2018. (Photo: Carolyn Van Houten/Washington Post via Getty Images)

President Trump announced Thursday that he would veto a stopgap spending bill to avoid shutting down the government unless the measure included billions of dollars for the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Ive made my position very clear. Any measure that funds the government must include border security, Trump said at the White House Thursday, repeating what has recently become the mantra of Department of Homeland Security officials: Walls work, whether we like it or not. They work better than anything.

Despite the passage of a spending bill Thursday night in the House that included $5.7 billion for increased border security that could be applied to construction of a wall, Republicans did not appear to have the votes necessary in the Senate to send the measure to the presidents desk before a midnight deadline to keep the government open.

If the Dems vote no, there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time, Trump tweeted Friday.

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That is unwelcome news for government employees working on the border, but because of the politics involved, the agent declined to comment on the specific actions of Trump. But in general, he said, shutdowns can take a toll on agents morale, especially if they last more than a few days.

Agents feel like no one cares that they arent being paid, or that no one cares about the mission, he said.

The agency is always going to figure out a way to work around the shutdown, he continued, but there is a real, tangible, immediate effect on border patrol operations.

Asked for his thoughts on the effectiveness and necessity of a border wall, the basis of the potential shutdown fight, the agent said simply, A wall is just a wall. True security is more nuanced and complex than any single piece of infrastructure.

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The Daily Beast

Photo Illustration by The Daily BeastOXFORD, MichiganDetailed descriptions of a wish to massacre classmates on his cellphone and in a journal. At least one social media post pointing to elation at access to a handgun bought by his dad. A mom who thanked Trump for my right to bear arms. And a meeting between his parents and school administrators about his conduct just hours before the attack.Authorities on Wednesday identified the teenage suspect in the mass shooting a day earlier at Michigan
By Khalid Abdelaziz KHARTOUM (Reuters) - At least one protester was killed in the northern Sudanese city of Atbara on Friday, the security chief said, as people took to the streets across the country for a third day against price rises and corruption. Police fired teargas at groups who gathered in Atbara and the capital Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman after noon prayers, witnesses said, and residents reported hearing gunfire in surrounding areas and in the southern state of White Nile. Web users reported problems accessing the internet, and some accused the government of blocking social media including Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp in a bid to stop protesters communicating. There was no comment on that from the government. Public anger has been building over price rises and other economic hardships, including a doubling in the cost of bread this year and limits on bank withdrawals. At least eight people died during larger protests on Thursday when some demonstrators called for the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir. Security services said they used restraint in containing demonstrations that on Thursday took place as far afield as Dongola to the north and al-Qadarif to the east - and a government spokesman said 'infiltrators' in the crowd had spread trouble. In a rare press conference, the head of Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), Salah Abdallah Mohamed Saleh, said seven people had been arrested in connection with the burning of ruling party office buildings in earlier protests. "We recognize that we must have self-restraint and manage things wisely and take care of the lives of the people and of public property, and we are not bothered by demonstrations, but we are upset by the lapse in security," said Saleh, also known as Salah Gosh. He said one person died during what he said was an attack on a police station in Atbara. "LAPSE IN SECURITY" Saleh blamed rebels with links to Israel whom he said had been brought into Sudan by a network based in Nairobi, Kenya, for inciting the violence. He did not offer evidence to back up the assertion. Police had stepped up their presence outside Khartoum's main mosques ahead of the third day of demonstrations. There were small-scale protests across at least eight neighborhoods in the capital on Friday, but they were short-lived, witnesses said. Authorities have declared states of emergency and curfews in cities in at least four of Sudan's 18 states, according to local media. The education ministry suspended some school or university classes in the states of al-Qadarif, White Nile and Nile River, private TV channel Sudania 24 reported. The ministry has also announced that it would shutter universities in Khartoum state and schools and kindergartens in the capital city. Sudan's economy has struggled to recover from the loss of three quarters of its oil output - its main source of foreign currency - when South Sudan seceded in 2011. Long lines continued to stretch outside of ATMs and bakeries in Khartoum early on Friday. Bashir, one of Africa's longest-serving leaders, took power in an Islamist and military-backed coup in 1989. Lawmakers this month proposed a constitutional amendment to extend term limits that would have required him to step down in 2020. (Additional reporting by Nafisa Eltahir in Dubai and Yousef Saba in Cairo; Writing by Nadine Awadalla; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Andrew Heavens)
A fighter from the self-defense forces of the Kurdish-led north holds his weapon during a rally in Hasakah, northeastern Syria, Jan. 23, 2018. (Photo: Rodi Said/Reuters)

President Trumps snap decision to withdraw all U.S. forces from Syria has set off a panic among Americas principal Kurdish allies in Syria and created a mood of impending crisis in the Kurdistan Regional Government of northern Iraq.

Officials in Erbil, the capital of Iraqs Kurdish region, are now struggling to prepare for the consequences of what they fear will result from a hasty U.S. military withdrawal from Syria, the announcement of which caught them and even senior members of the Trump administration off-guard. Among the feared outcomes is further empowerment of Iran and Russia in the region; a steady erosion of hard-won military gains against the Islamic State group, or ISIS; and another massive refugee wave.

Putin will seize the oil first chance he gets, a former Russian diplomat told Yahoo News. The regime will bring in forces for the offensive, the Russians will negotiate a deal with the Kurds. And Moscow will work with the Kurds to reconcile with the [Bashar Assad] regime.

An estimated 3 million Syrian Kurds are living today in a de facto U.S. protectorate east of the Euphrates River in Syria  and many millions more Syrian Arabs. The Kurdistan Regional Government, or KRG, is concerned about what happens if, upon Americas departure, Turkey invades northeast Syria as its been threatening to do, or if the Syrian regime  backed by Russian air power and Iranian-controlled militias  makes a play for reconquering this oil-rich region.

Look at the position this puts us in, one Iraqi Kurdish official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Yahoo News. We already have 250,000 Syrian Kurds living in Iraqi Kurdistan, plus another 1.3 million internally displaced Iraqis. So where do all these Syrian Kurds go if theyre attacked? Obviously they cant flee to Turkey. Theyll have to come to us, and our ability to cope with the previous humanitarian flood is already stretched thin.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, meets with President Trump at the G20 Leaders Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dec. 1, 2018. (Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who apparently convinced Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria, was taken aback at the speed by which the U.S. president decided to do so. He has long been a critic of Americas campaign against the Islamic State group because of the composition of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Pentagons foremost counterterrorism proxy.

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Most units of the SDF are commanded by members of the Syrian affiliate of what Turkey, the European Union and even the U.S. State Department consider a proscribed terror organization known as the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. This vaguely Marxist guerrilla outfit has been at war with the Turkish state, off and on, for over 40 years, and yet it has proven remarkably adept and reliable in partnering with the U.S military in waging Operation Inherent Resolve, as the Washington-led coalition against the Islamic State group is known.

U.S. diplomats have for months  and with decidedly mixed results  been trying to negotiate this awkward dilemma by persuading both the SDF and the Turkish government not to engage in any side conflict that would distract from or jeopardize the ongoing mission to defeat ISIS. The group has lost much of its territory since Inherent Resolve got underway in 2014, but it still fields 20,000-30,000 fighters spread across Syria and Iraq, according to U.S. estimates, and has shown itself still capable of waging terrorist attacks on civilians and military targets in both countries.

Now, the KRG says, by announcing its withdrawal from Syria, the United States has lost its ability to be a broker between two historical rivals, and the announcement has encouraged ISIS to take advantage of whatever chaos ensues. Already Kurdish SDF leaders are reportedly threatening to quit the fight altogether and fortify the Syrian border with Turkey in anticipation of Erdogans impending assault.

Kurdish fighters survey the area from an elevation near the town of Azaz on the Syrian-Turkish border in 2016. (Photo: Valery Sharifulin/TASS via Getty Images)

Nor will the SDF even have to listen to its U.S. interlocutors once American military personnel leave Syria. They will have to cast about for a new state sponsor and air force to protect them from NATOs second-largest military. All of the available options point toward something the U.S. has for seven years wanted to avoid: a complete military victory for the Assad regime.

While the [SDFs] negotiating position has taken a punch in the last 48 hours, it now has flexibility on questions entirely pertinent to the Assad regime, one Middle East intelligence official, who asked not to be named, told Yahoo News. These are chiefly the return of the Syrian army to Kurdish areas and the handover of oil and gas resources to Damascus.

Sir John Jenkins, a former British ambassador to both Syria and Iraq, agrees, and believes the withdrawal will drive Americas best counterterrorism ally into the arms of an anti-American dictatorship. The PKK-aligned Kurds are blinded by ideology, but even they have been hedging their bets with Damascus. This process will now accelerate, with Iran believing even more strongly that they have the U.S. where they want them, [and] Erdogan taking this as a green light to move into northeast Syria.

Erdogan wont be able to make that military move without the tacit approval of the Kremlin, however. Russia, Iran and Bashar Assad have made no mystery of their collective desire to retake the U.S.-guarded province of Hasakah, home to the largest and most valuable Syrian oil deposits, as this would help lessen Assads need to rely on Russian and Iranian subsidies to keep his regime afloat. The Russians have even orchestrated a deal with Syrias state oil company whereby some of these natural resources will be used to further enrich Russian mercenaries deployed in the country. And of course ISIS wants this land back because oil and gas have been main drivers of its revenue.

Its anyones guess as to whether Assad, Turkey, Iran and Russia can keep the jihadists at bay, either in concert or individually. The Middle East intelligence official isnt optimistic and likened this scenario to what transpired in October 2017 in Iraq, when the United States acceded to an Iraqi-government  and Iranian-militia  takeover of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, which had hitherto been under the military control of the KRG.

The loss of Kirkuk, long considered the Kurds Jerusalem, did immense damage to the U.S.-KRG relationship, likened in Erbil to the U.S.s failure to militarily back Iraqi Kurds in their insurrection against Saddam Hussein in 1975, which the Nixon administration organized in the first place in service of Irans shah.

After the Kirkuk fallout there were big wins for Kurdish parties in the Iraqi elections, the intelligence official said. But the Kurds voted against American favorites. That, until this year, was without precedent.

There was another major consequence of Kirkuks slipping out of KRG control: a dramatic uptick in ISIS attacks there. Joel Wing, a writer who tracks Iraqi political and military developments, calculated that since Baghdad and Tehran took control of the city, Kirkuk has not gone a single month without more than a dozen terrorist incidents and civilian and government casualties; some months have even seen upwards of 50 such incidents. ISIS is rebuilding in the south, and the Iraqi federal government takeover has not helped with security, as there are open areas with little to no security that ISIS is exploiting.

The Obama administration first went to war against ISIS in 2014 to protect the KRG, home to a U.S. consulate, from an impending invasion by the radical group. Iraqi Kurds have spent the last 18 months since Kirkuks fall watching ISIS reconstitute in an area where it had once been contained.

That history, they argue, will likely repeat itself in Syria.

When, under Obama, the U.S. withdrew from Iraq in 2011, they didnt just withdraw troops, they vacuumed out everything with them  most of the diplomatic presence, the intelligence-gathering capability, the technical assistance programs, the KRG official said.

If that happens with Syria, itll be a catastrophe.

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By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is planning to withdraw more than 5,000 of the 14,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, a U.S. official said on Thursday, in the latest sign Trump's patience is thinning with America's longest war and overseas military interventions. On Wednesday, Trump rebuffed top advisers and decided to pull all U.S. troops out of Syria, a decision that contributed to U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis abruptly quitting on Thursday over significant policy differences with the president. One official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said a decision had been made and verbal orders had been given to start planning for the drawdown. The official said timelines were being discussed but it could happen in weeks or months. It is unclear how the United States with less than 9,000 forces in Afghanistan will be able to fulfill the full set of missions now underway, including training Afghan forces, advising them in the field, and waging an air campaign against the Taliban and other militant groups. Instead, the United States almost certainly would have to curtail its missions, something that could provide an opportunity for a resurgent Taliban to expand their offensives across Afghanistan. Mattis had argued for maintaining a strong U.S. military presence in Afghanistan to bolster diplomatic peace efforts. He resigned shortly after U.S. officials raised the possibility that Trump would order the drawdown. The decision on Syria has bewildered U.S. allies and triggered harsh reaction from Trump's fellow Republicans in Congress. The Pentagon declined to comment on Afghanistan. Garrett Marquis, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said the White House would not comment "on future strategic developments." The United States went to war in Afghanistan in 2001 in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, seeking to oust the Taliban militants harboring Saudi-raised militant Osama bin Laden, who led plans to carry out the attacks. U.S. officials are currently engaged in talks with the Taliban, who now control a significant amount of territory. The Taliban insurgency has strengthened its grip over the past three years, with the government in Kabul controlling just 56 percent of Afghanistan, down from 72 percent in 2015, a U.S. government report showed. Trump privately has been grousing about U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, telling an ally as recently as Wednesday words to the effect of, "What are we doing there? We've been there all these years." The source, who asked to remain unidentified, said it appeared the president "has lost all patience" with the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. More than 2,400 U.S. forces have died in the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan, and Pentagon officials have repeatedly warned that a precipitous exit would allow militants to develop new plots on America. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, often a vocal Trump ally, warned of possible danger to the United States if the drawdown goes through. "The conditions in Afghanistan - at the present moment - make American troop withdrawals a high risk strategy. If we continue on our present course we are setting in motion the loss of all our gains and paving the way toward a second 9/11," Graham said in a statement. Trump last year approved an increase in U.S. troops but acknowledged that he did so reluctantly. Late last month, at least 22 Afghan police were killed in a Taliban ambush in Afghanistan's western province of Farah, adding to the growing casualty toll on Afghan security forces. Earlier this week, U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives held talks in Abu Dhabi on a deal that would end the war. Officials from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also took part. The Saudi ambassador to Washington, Khalid bin Salman, tweeted on Thursday that the discussions had been productive and would bring "very positive results by the beginning of next year." But a former senior State Department official familiar with the issue said that the Taliban representatives rejected a proposal by Khalilzad for a ceasefire and demanded that the talks focus on a U.S. withdrawal. (The story is refiled to fix typo in fifth paragraph.) (Additional reporting by Jonathan Landay, Steve Holland and Makini Brice; Editing by Mary Milliken and Grant McCool)
Washington (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday, leading a chorus of protests at home and abroad after President Donald Trump ordered a complete troop pullout from Syria and a significant withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Trump steadfastly defended his sudden push for retrenchment, vowing that the United States would no longer be the "policeman of the Middle East" and saying the 2,000-strong US force in Syria was no longer needed as the Islamic State group had been defeated.

Mattis, a battle-hardened retired four-star general seen as a moderating force on the often impulsive president, made little attempt to hide his disagreements with Trump.

"Because you have the right to have a secretary of defense whose views are better aligned with yours," Mattis said in a letter to Trump, "I believe it is right for me to step down from my position."

Mattis hailed the coalition to defeat Islamic State as well as NATO, the nearly 70-year-old alliance between North America and Europe whose cost-effectiveness has been questioned by the businessman turned president.

"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues," Mattis wrote.

One day after the surprise announcement on Syria, a US official told AFP that Trump had also decided on a "significant withdrawal" in a much larger US operation -- Afghanistan.

Some 14,000 troops are fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan as part of the longest-ever US war, launched in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Wall Street Journal reported that more than half would be returning.

Trump has surrounded himself with former military men and shown an uncharacteristic public deference toward Mattis, a bookish 68-year-old who has disagreed with the president behind the scenes on issues from Russia to Iran to accepting transgender soldiers.

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He hinted at Mattis's departure as far back as October, telling CBS: "It could be that he is (leaving). I think he's sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth... He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves."

On Twitter Thursday, however, Trump had only praise for his defense secretary, who will serve until the end of February, crediting him with achieving "tremendous progress."

- 'National security crisis' -

US lawmakers across the political spectrum voiced concern over a rebirth of the Islamic State group in Syria and sounded an alarm as Mattis unmoors from the unpredictable administration.

Senator Marco Rubio, a member of Trump's Republican Party, said Mattis in his letter "makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances and empower our adversaries."

Democratic Senator Mark Warner called Mattis "an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration" and voiced fears of policy driven by "the president's erratic whims."

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was unusually pointed, calling for the US to "maintain a clear-eyed understanding of our friends and foes, and recognize that nations like Russia are among the latter."

He said he was "particularly distressed that he is resigning due to sharp differences with the president on these and other key aspects of America's global leadership."

Trump was quick to note that he has ramped up military spending, but he has been most interested in deploying troops at home to carry out his key domestic goal of cracking down on unauthorized immigration.

"Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East, getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing? Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight," he tweeted.

- Putin praises Trump -

The US withdrawal will make Russia, which has deployed its air power in support of President Bashar al-Assad, the pre-eminent global power in the Syrian conflict.

"The fact that the US has decided to withdraw its troops is right," President Vladimir Putin said during an annual year-end press conference, saying that "on the whole I agree with the US president" on the level of damage inflicted on Islamic State.

Putin, who has described the fall of the Soviet Union as a historic geopolitical disaster, sees Moscow's longtime ally Syria as a key asset in preserving influence in the Middle East.

Iran's Shiite clerical regime has also strongly backed Assad, a secular leader from the heterodox Alawite sect.

Turkey opposes Assad and may be emboldened by Trump to attack Kurdish fighters inside Syria, who fought alongside US troops against the Islamic State group.

Turkey links Kurds who dominate the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces to a decades-old insurgency at home, but had been reluctant to strike for fear of setting off a crisis if the United States suffered casualties.

Mustefa Bali, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, said the fighters would keep up the battle against Islamic State -- but that all bets were off if Turkey attacks.

- Worries in Europe -

Bali said the Kurdish forces would keep locked up the Islamic State extremists in their custody -- but alleged that Turkey may target prisons to sow chaos once US troops leave.

The Islamic State movement has claimed credit for a slew of attacks around the world, including the 2015 coordinated assault on Paris, and experts estimate that thousands of sympathizers remain.

Meanwhile Germany, which has taken in more than one million refugees stemming in large part from the Syria conflict, questioned Trump's assessment that the threat was over.

While fighting has largely subsided in Syria and the Islamic State group holds little territory, a political solution remains elusive in ending the war that has killed more than 360,000 and displaced millions since 2011.

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By Shreya Dasgupta 5 December 2018 (Mongabay)  A Honduran court has convicted seven men in the murder of indigenous rights activist Berta Caceres in 2016.Until her death on March 2, 2016, Caceres had been leading a fierce campaign against the Agua Zarca dam in western Honduras, a joint project between the Honduran company Desarrollos Energeticos SA (DESA) and Chinese-owned Sinohydro. The dam was being built on the Gualcarque River without consultation with the Lenca indigenous community that depends on the river for their food and water.Caceres, who won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in 2015, had received numerous threats for her activism against the dam before she was killed by gunmen at her home in the city of La Esperanza. Mexican environmentalist Gustavo Castro was also shot, but he survived the attack.Those found guilty of her murder are Sergio Ramon Rodriguez Orellana, manager of DESA; Douglas Geovanny Bustillo, a former soldier and ex-security chief of DESA; Mariano Diaz Chavez, an army major; Henry Javier Hernandez; Edwin Rapalo; Edilson Duarte Meza; and Oscar Torres. An eighth defendant, Emerson Duarte, accused of covering up the crime, was acquitted.To date, nine people have been arrested in connection with Caceress murder. David Castillo Mejia, executive president of DESA, was charged with being the mastermind of the murder in March this year. He will face a separate trial.Caceress family, along with Gustavo Castro; COPINH, the organization that Caceres led; and their legal teams have released a statement saying the verdict does not satisfy their demands for justice.Condemning the group of hitmen and their intermediate structure related directly to the DESA corporation does not mean that justice has been obtained, the statement says. The structures and people who gave the money for these criminals to assassinate Berta Caceres are still free and able to continue carrying out crimes like this one with impunity. [ more ]

7 convicted of killing Honduran indigenous activist Berta Caceres

29 November 2018 (COPINH)  Statement by Bertas Family, COPINH, Gustavo Castro and the legal teams regarding the conviction of Sergio Rodriguez, Mariano Diaz, Douglas Bustillo, Elvin Heriberto Rapalo, Edilson Duarte, Oscar Haroldo Torres and Emerson Duarte:The verdict that was just released DOES NOT satisfy our demands for justice as victims in the assassination of Berta Caceres and the attempted assassination of Gustavo Castro.The decision that has been made in the 1st District Sentencing Court condemning the group of hitmen and their intermediate structure related directly to the DESA corporation does not mean that justice has been obtained.The structures and people who gave the money for these criminals to assassinate Berta Caceres are still free and able to continue carrying out crimes like this one with impunity.Since the beginning of this process  almost three years ago now  it has been clear that the assassination of Berta Caceres was planned by the leadership of the DESA corporation and then carried out by hitmen linked to the Honduran Armed Forces. Nonetheless, the full truth surrounding this crime and all of those responsible for it has been limited to those who were just condemned through intentional obfuscation by the Honduran state via its Attorney General and courts. They seek to deny access to the truth, which is part of true justice.What has become even more clear during these legal proceedings, from which we have been expelled due to our refusal to be silent in the face of the daily abuses in the court room, is that the Atala Zablah family, who have an ownership stake in the DESA corporation, are behind the entire plot of persecution, intimidation, attacks and threats that led to the assassination of Berta Caceres.Our participation as victims is a fundamental part of the judicial process and the State, by systematically excluding us, perpetuates the impunity that inundates this country and causes so much harm.During the trial we, along with international observers, diplomats and the press, bore witness to the telephone communications that show this participation. This also made it clear that the criminal acts committed by the DESA corporation under the leadership of this family go beyond the assassination and comprise a series of crimes carried out against Berta Caceres, COPINH, the Lenca people and the public administration and state of Honduras.We ask the state and its institutions, what interests are at stake that motivate you to behave in a way that protects the masterminds whose names are no secret? Why, despite clear evidence of their participation, have they still not been charged almost three years after this hideous crime? What are you waiting for to carry out your responsibility??We demand that all of those responsible for the assassination of Berta Caceres be brought to justice and not just those who were paid by DESA to carry our the crime.The struggle for justice for Berta Caceres and the Lenca people does not end with the chapter that closes today, the convictions of the lowest layer of the criminal structure, with which the Honduran state seeks to silence the demand for justice. On the contrary, we are deepening our efforts.These convictions are the first step in the search for justice and the family, Gustavo Castro, COPINH and the legal teams have been accompanied by those who believe in Berta Caceres, in her words and actions and we know that they will continue to make a principled stand on the side of truth and justice in the battles to come, which we will wage with complete determination.The impunity that the masterminds of this crime continue to enjoy is part of the plot of corruption and violence that sustains the model of extraction that plunders our peoples. As victims, and other people, communities and organizations we commit to continue confronting it, like Berta Caceres did, until dignity, truth and justice prevail in this case and in all of the struggles that are being waged right now throughout Honduras and the world.We and the entire Honduran people are still owed a debt of justice!Written in the city of Tegucigalpa on the 29th day of the month of November in the year 2018.
I had an epiphany Wednesday morning. A source I know well at the Ramallah office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbaswho has been working closely with Israeli media for yearsposted an unusual message on his Facebook page.

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"A morning of Palestinian roses, morning of martyrs and prisoners, morning of struggle, morning of honor and sacrificeAshraf Walid Suleiman Na'alwa (who killed two Israelis in October), Salah Barghouti (the terrorist who carried out the attack that left a newborn dead) and Shahid Jerusalem (who carried out a stabbing attack int the Old City of Jerusalem).

I could not understand how my source, a judicious government official who holds relatively moderate views, had allowed himself to write such praise for murderers especially when one of them (Barghouti) is a scion of a Hamas dynasty.

Violent riots near Ramallah, the West Bank, December 2018 (Photo: AFP)

Unfortunately, I didn't have to wait very long for an explanation, as the official Twitter page of Fatah also called Na'alwa and Barghouti the "heroes of a heroic homeland".

Then Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah called the terrorists "virtuous martyrs," while Ramallah's clock square saw a demonstration in support of the terrorists. The Palestinian Authority knew about the protest, and did not interfere.

Palestinians clash with Jewish settlers near Adam settlement, the West Bank, December 17, 2018

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In former, more orderly times, organizers of such a demonstration would have found themselves in neck-deep in an investigation, but those days are gone. An hour and a half after Hamdallah's announcement, gunmen murdered two IDF soldiers in Giv'at Asaf. Four hours later, soldiers were attacked in a car-ramming attack in Al-Bireh, northeast of Ramallah.

Although Abbas is not directly responsible for the attackssince we can assume Fatah did not force the attacker to get into his car and drive it at people  there is a sense of a lack of restraint. When we mix together Hamas efforts to carry out West Bank attacks and the influence these efforts have on aspiring terrorists, and then throw in Fatah's forgiving attitude towards terroristswe arrive at the current bleak reality.

But Israel also bears responsibility for this grim situation. In recent months, the PA has been shoved aside during Israeli negotiations with Hamas. The "good kids," who are largely responsible for the relative calm in the West Bank, have seen how Israel closes deals with Gaza's bullying "'problem child" to calm him down when he's throwing a tantrum. The highlight was the massive Qatari cash infusion to Palestinian civil servants in Gaza it was then that the Palestinians in Ramallah really lost their mind.

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas (Photo: AFP)

A middle finger

Even the investigation of the terror attacks in the Barkan industrial zone and Ofra could have been done in a less aggressive and public way. Israel underestimated or misunderstood the consequences of IDF's loud midday entry into the heart of Ramallah. The same is true for raiding the offices of the Palestinian WAFA news agency.

It is important to understand that WAFA is not a just a local, negligible media outlet, but the Palestinian state news agency, and one of the symbols of the leadership in Ramallah. So why raid the place? To seize security cameras. But there are more creative, quiet and effective ways to retrieve security camera footage than going in all guns blazing to the WAFA offices.

Violent riots near Ramallah, the West Bank, December 2018 (Photo: AP)

The PA constantly struggles with the collaborator image that Hamas has successfully ascribed to it. Such a loud entry of army forces into the business and political Palestinian capital in the middle of the day is nothing short of giving the middle finger to the Palestinian security establishment.

In such a public atmosphere of anti-Palestinian and anti-Israel sentiments, it is no wonder that the song coming out of Ramallah is very jarring to Israeli ears. They too have a baseand it needs to be fed.










"Does my teacher know where I am? asks six-year-old Tahel during lunch. Im sure all my friends are sad because Im not there.

Tahel and her siblings arrived at the battered womens shelter straight from school. The social worker put us on a taxi, and we met mom here, says her 10-year-old sister Hodaya.

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Adjusting to the shelter is difficult for the four children. Their beloved toys and all their belongings were left behind, and theyre not even wearing their own clothes. Its been several weeks, and some of them still dont have new schools to go to.

Women and children make Hanukkah cards in the shelter

I lived with them for 48 hours, and learned the true meaning of the word shelter. Every single one of these women is in a life-threatening situation. Each could have been a gruesome statisticone of the 25 woman who were murdered in Israel in 2018.

In here theyre protected, and at some pointmaybe six months, maybe moretheyll depart to make a new life for themselves, hoping that the past never comes back to haunt them.

I arrived on a Sunday morning. This is one of 14 such shelters in Israel, all funded by the Ministry of Welfare and operated by different NGOs. This one is operated by Na'amat, the largest and leading womens rights movement in Israel. The location of the place remains a secret, so that men whose whose wives escaped by the skin of their teeth dont even think of looking for the place. All names and details have also been changed.

I cross massive metal gates covered with bushes that hide everything that happens inside. Theres security cameras everywhere. Im buzzed in only after a thorough identification process. Shelter manager Yael Levin welcomes me, and gives me a briefing about the place Im about to enter.

Police officers celebrate Hanukkah with the children at the shelter

Shelters were founded well before the government started addressing the issue of domestic violence. Before they even passed the Prevention of Domestic Violence Law, and before any state funding, Levin says. Two shelters are for the Arab community, two others are run by the Bat Melech organization, and are for the religious and ultra-Orthodox public. The others are for all kinds of women and families.

Apparently, shelters also have criteria for accepting women. For instance, Levin says, women who are addicted to alcohol or drugs, or that there are any other conditions preventing them from living around children, are not accepted.

Inside, I meet 11 mothers and 19 children, who come from very different communities. The place can house up to 12 families at a time, and has a large, impressive living room with plush sofas to cuddle on. I can smell home cooking coming from down the hall, and theres a massive dining room further in, immaculately set for lunch.

Each woman gets a large room with a toilet, shower and a locked door, and thats her familys private space. Outside theres a big back yard with plenty of toys, and a kindergarten for the babies and young children.

When I look around, I see vibrant life. It appears that living here makes children accustomed to strangers. They ask me questions, tell me about themselves and treat each other like family.

Children drawing at the shelter. (Photo: Ariella Shternbach)

Yaniv, a five-year-old boy from a family of Russian descent, plays and takes care of two-year-old Raphael, whose family is from Ethiopia. No one assigned him this responsibilityhe took it upon himself. In another corner, four-year-old Musa teaches six-year-old Daniel how to count in Arabic.

Adva and Daphna are the social workers who run the place, and their empathy is evident. When they speak of a resident, it sounds like theyre talking about a sister or a friend whos in trouble. Theyre here for these women professionally, but also emotionally, and its clear they enjoy their company and even love them.

Some women arent even told by welfare services where the shelter is, fearing they share this information, and then we won't be able to protect them, Levin says.

When a woman comes here, she has to immediately give up her phone, in case outside forces try to confuse her, threaten her or put any kind of pressure on her in this vulnerable position. Only after a month, when shes stronger, she gets her phone back, and an accompanying social worker is informed if the woman has received any threatening messages, promises or pleas from a partner or his family.

Its not simple, Adva says. I have to allow them their privacy, but still make sure theyre protected, and strong enough not to be tempted to answer back or just get up and leave.

A police officer lights Hanukkah candles with the children in the shelter

Some women do leave early on in the process. It isnt easy leaving everything behind and becoming dependent on the system, after having your own life. People from the outside might not get it.

But, says Levin, women who do get up and leave often return later on. Ravit is here for the second time: I escaped the first shelter because I believed my husbands promises, she says. He said he was sorry and I was stupid enough to be persuaded. I ended up coming back after he beat me until I passed out, while I was far along in my pregnancy.

Women stay here between six months and a year, and theyre the ones who decide when to leave.

There are extreme, chilling cases, says Levin. Last year we had to get a young woman out of the country. It was the only way to protect her; her family was doing the best they could in order to kill her. They had gasoline ready. She was an intelligent young woman with no children. We raised funds and sent her away to save her life.

Lunch looks delicious, diverse and nutritional. Everyone sits at the tables, as does Dodi, the housemother, known as the mother of mothers in the shelter. She takes care of everyone in the house and the building itself. She dispenses warm hugs, but also admonishments if needed.

Theres a fellowship that developed here, that has its own rules and traditions. When a child finishes eating, he says so out loud, and gets a round of applause from everyone. Then the child is excused from the tablewith a big proud smile. I waited for those precious grins at every meal.

Plenty of where to play: the back yard at the shelter

After lunch, I hear an excited little girl talking to her mother about going to the connection center. Daddy said well celebrate my birthday there, together!, she says. Im baffled about this connection with the violent, dangerous father. However, Adva says keeping contact with the fathers, if possible, is important for the children.

The situation is complicated, because theres a frustrated, angry husband left behind, who feels that his life and family fell apart. Its important for us preserve a connection with the father, the children need it, Adva says.

People think were this feminist organization that strives to distance children from their father, but thats far from true. If its possible, well always try to encourage meetings between him and the children, she adds.

I look around and see that for these children, dad is still dadeven if he wronged them. Preserving these relationships makes fathers aware that they have something to losemaking them less dangerous for their wives.

Women that come here usually have a difficult background story, like financial troubles, or a complex relationship with their parents. They often need intensive help after the traumas they experiencedand sometimes that includes helping with parenting, in cases where a woman is depressed and cant perform daily routines. We believe in them and in their ability, and we encourage them. No one stays in her pajamas in this house, says Dodi.

One of the women, Sarah, comes to chat while her baby takes a nap after lunch. Shes 30 and beautiful, but with a sad look on her face. I only filed a complaint against my husband when things became critical, she says and then falls silent. Its obviously difficult for her to talk about her husband. He raped me, brutally. At the hospital, doctors sent social workers, and he was arrested.

When they offered to send me to a shelter I refused, but just as I was leaving, the police called me and said he was out. I was paralyzed. I turned around and told the social worker I accepted, says Sarah.

A fountain in the Tel Aviv Habima Sqaure filled with red paint, in protest of the recent muders of women by their husbands around the country. December 2018. (Photo: Claudia Levin)

These things happen. Rapists go free, and the entire law enforcement system fails time and again in protecting women and children from violence, pedophiles, rapists. Women like Sarah have to hide in order to survive.

Hes obsessive about me. I was so scared, I didnt even go home to pack, Sarah says. Relatives weren't an optionsince her husband would have found her there.

This afternoon, the children are excited. Its Hanukkah, and theyve been waiting all day for a group of police officers to celebrate with them. The officers bring a feeling of hope, protection, authority. They come bearing candyand lots of itand a DJ sweeps the crowd onto the dance floor, while the children laugh joyfully.

After the party and dinner, the exhausted children go to bed. The older ones get anm extra 30 minutes, and then all the lights are out. The mothers then venture out of their rooms, and with a little teamwork they clean the house thoroughly. I sit with Nur as everyone else cleans. Shes young but has several children, and has been here for a while.

I grew up in a broken home, Nur says. Marriage was my escape. I was a kid; I didnt understand what I was getting into. He was older than I was, and I had my first daughter when I was 16.

Nur tells of life by her husband's side: he used to shoot into the walls of the house to scare her. He was also involved in a well-known criminal affair, and is now in prison. Still, she remains in the shelter: His family threatened me, they want revenge. They blame me for this criminal affair, but I had nothing to do with it.

Welfare services didnt want to help me because my husband was violent towards the social worker. Why am I to blame for this? Nur says. I thought that would make them understand how dangerous he is, but they decided to avoid the case so they wouldnt have to deal with him. So Im here for now, but the future is unclearI fear the day he gets out.

Women protesting in Tel Aviv against domestic violence. December 2018. (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

The women finish cleaning and sit together in the living room. This is their time to themselves. In evenings they can finally be the young women they arenearly all of them are in their early twentieshang out and laugh at silly things. They talk about life before the shelter, about politics, about the children. They make fun of Miriam, an Ethiopian woman, whos always afraid when they watch movies together, and try to persuade her to make her "special tea" with all kinds of herbs.

We hear a childs cry from one of the rooms. They all know whos child it is, immediately. We were all in the same black hole. We understand each other, they say. Their support for each other is amazing. We keep each other strong."

The doorbell rings. Some neighbors sent Hanukkah donuts, while others made a whole meal for the girls. Apparently, they know its a shelter, and often send clothes and food, anonymously. The girls are excited at the gesture.

At first it was difficult for me, I felt needy. But now I understand that this is where I am right now, and that I have no choice, Sarah says.

The next morning, some children go with their mothers to run errands, for walks or to the "connection center." Some stay behind, and look with envy at the others. Ive been here for two weeks straight, says Hodaya angrily. She has a tutor, until the right school is found for her. Tahel misses her mothers iPhone.

I look at these women, their red teary eyes, struggling to recover, after having given up so much to save themselves and their children. The little they do have they give to the little ones, even while they experience immense pain. I also see how impossible this would have been without the devotion of the staff here, who have personal therapy sessions with all the women.

Galia Volokh, Naamats Chairwoman: 'the victims end up being the ones who need to hide'

Its been 48 hours and its time to leave. When I got here, I imagined Ill be meeting frail women, victims. But I was wrong. The women in the shelter are strong, smart, and most of allbrave. I struggled with the claustrophobic feeling of being closed off here, and I was only in for two days. I imagine how they must feel, after days, weeks and even months.

I leave with a sense of relief, and cant help but wonder at the injustice. Why are these women shut up in here, separated from their lives, instead of the violent men who threaten them? Wouldnt it be easier and safer to treat them in their own homes?

Galia Volokh, Naamats Chairwoman, agrees. After recent protests, and following the murder of several women, its disturbing to get this reality checkthe victims are the ones who have give up their freedom, while the offenders are out there.

But sometimes we sometimes have to put justice aside in order to save lives," Volokh says. Shelters should be the last resort, there should be as few women in shelters as possible and as many violent men behind bars as possible.

The December protests finally stirred something, Volokh says of the recent mass protests against domestic violence. The government is finally going to execute the electronic handcuffs program, that has been waiting for several years. This could prevent many women and children from fleeing their homes."

But this isnt enough, Valakh says. We need a changes of national priorities in order to handle gender-based violence. The recent protests, I hope, werent a one-time thing. I want to believe we can get the Israeli government to supply the appropriate resources to finally implement the emergency program thats been sitting in a drawer for years.
We are now marking the 30th anniversary of the Lockerbie attack, aka the Pan-Am Flight 103 attack  the bombing of a passenger plane that claimed the lives of 270 innocent people  which is widely seen as one of the most brutal acts of terrorism in history.

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On December 21, 1988, a bomb aboard the plane detonated mid-flight above the small town of Lockerbie in Scotland. The explosion killed 270 people, including 11 locals who were hit by debris from the destroyed jet. At the time, it was the most lethal attacks against a civilian plane to date, with the highest number of casualties recorded. The plane had taken off from Frankfurt, Germany and was headed to Detroit via London and New York.

The aftermath of the Lockerbie bombing (Photo: Reuters)

The joint British-American investigative committee set up in the wake of the attack ultimately blamed Libya. But we should not forget that the first round of finger-pointing was directed at Ahmed Jibrils Popular Front for the Liberation of PalestineGeneral Command. This was largely due to the October 26, 1988, arrest in Germany of a small cell belonging to Jibrils organization. Interrogation of these would-be terrorists revealed that they had planned to simultaneously attack five airplanes from Spain, the US and Israel. The operation was orchestrated and was to be led by Jibril in Damascus.

The arrested cell members helped security forces locate four of the five explosive devices, planted in the planes radios, armed with a barometer mechanism that would set the bombs off at a certain height. This left the fifth bombs location unknown; after Lockerbie, it was wrongly assumed to have been found. (Interestingly enough, the interrogation also revealed Iran's direct involvement, in order to avenge the erroneous interception of a civilian Iranian plane by an American warship.)

Blaming Libya was a sudden shift in direction, based on forensic evidence found at the scene of the crash. The Libyan motivation, according to the new suspicion, was revenge for a 1986 American strike on Muammar Gadhafis palace in Tripoli, in which his adopted daughter was killed along with local civilians. The US airstrike was also executed out of vengeance  for a Libyan attack at a Berlin nightclub earlier the same year, in which two American soldiers were murdered.

The findings of the Lockerbie joint investigative committee yielded tough international sanctions against Libya, which worsened the countrys economic situation and forced it to stop endorsing and enabling any sort of terrorist attacks or organizations. Moreover, the ensuing sanctions twisted Libyas arm to the extent that the country got rid of all of its chemical weapons and even lost the desire to chase its nuclear aspirations. Jibril, Syria and Iran, however, went entirely unpunished for their involvement in the attempted bombings from Germany.

The impact of the Lockerbie tragedy remains relevant today, 30 years later. Gadhafi was wiped off the map when he was captured and killed during the Libyan revolution. Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the Libyan blamed for planting the bomb, was tried and jailed in Britain, until he was released on compassionate grounds due to advanced, terminal prostate cancer. Al-Megrahi never confessed to the heinous crime of which he was accused, and proclaimed his innocence until the day he died. The victims families and some investigative journalists continue to doubt the findings of the joint committee and are searching for the real perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Aerial terrorism is still a viable threat, despite the world- and security-changing events of September 11, 2001. In October 2015, the Sinai branch of the Islamic State managed to blow up a Russian passenger plane as shortly after take off from Sharm el-Sheikh, killing 224 people. In February 2016, an al-Shabaab suicide bomber brought a computer-based improvised explosive device on board of an airplane in Somalia. Fortunately he was the only casualty, as the 80 other passengers and flight crew all survived the blast. In Australia, a July 2017 Islamic State plot to detonate an explosive device on a plane bound for Abu Dabi was thwarted, saving the lives of some 400 passengers.

The actors behind these terrorist acts are countries, organizations and people who cannot go unpunished for their crimes. There is no statute of limitations on terrorism, and bringing the real Lockerbie perpetrators to justice, even 30 years on, will directly send an ethical message of deterrence. The brutality and devastation of attacks such as Lockerbie continue haunt us years afterwards, and there is a need for closure both for the victims loved ones, and also the general public.
In Israel, there is an interconnected group of people who, only a short while ago, were complete strangers but are now organically connected after an unprecedented operation in which four willing donors shared one of their kidneys with four recipients who desperately needed them, saving their lives.

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In a record-breaking cross-transplant procedure performed by doctors at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, four donor kidneys were transplanted simultaneously to the bodies of four different patients in the space of 48 hours.

The recipients of the kidney transplants (Photo: Abigail Uzi)

Most people are born with two functioning kidneys, but their blood filtering capacity is actually far beyond 100%, thereby allowing for someone to donate one kidney without suffering any negative effects. According to Israeli law, a kidney donation must be either from a relative or through an altruistic kidney donor.

The transplant chain was facilitated by Matnat Chaim, an Israeli non-profit dedicated to encouraging healthy volunteers to donate kidneys to patients requiring a transplant. The organization, which has already facilitated 626 transplants to date, was founded in 2007 by Rabbi Yeshayahu Heber after he found himself needing a kidney, finding a donor and then setting out to help others who were in the same predicament.

This kidney donor chain began with altruistic donor Benjamin, who donated to a man named Lee. Yardena, Lees partner, in turn donated a kidney to a woman named Leah, whose son, Yonatan, donated a kidney to a man named Suheib. Suheibs mother, Maison, then donated her kidney to a woman named Gilwho was meant to be the original recipient of the kidney donated by Benjamin.

"I approached Matnat Chaim Chairman Rabbi Heber and asked him to help me find a kidney donor," said Gil, 36, adding, "to my delight, Benjamin, a person I dont even know, agreed to donate his kidney  unfortunately though he wasnt a match.

After tests conducted by doctors at Beilinson ahead of the planned cross-transplant, a possibility arose for Gil to be at the receiving end of a new kidney.

"We have all become like family," Gil continued, All of us are from a different backgroundreligious, secular, right and left-wing, Jews and Arabsthere is now a special connection between us."

The chain of kidney cross-transplants

Yonatan Tager, who was also part of the record-breaking transplant, said he didn't hesitate donating his kidney in order to save his mothers life.

"My mother had a severe decrease in kidney function and her condition deteriorated to the point that she required an urgent kidney transplant," says Yonatan. At the hospital we were offered to participate in a cross-transplant, meaning that I would donate my kidney to someone else and in return my mother would be matched with a donor.

Prof. Eitan Mor, who heads the Beilinson transplant center, said that a procedure involving four transplants is extremely complicated and requires precision, and maximum compatibility between patients and donors.

"Patients can wait for years to find a matching donor, and the cross-transplant program provides a solution  I'm sure this breakthrough will lead to further operations of this nature."
Gadeer Mreeh has defied a daunting array of cultural, religious and political reasons legislating against her undeniable success. Originally assigned to the Arabic desk at the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation, Mreeh herself was the story when she became the nations first non-Jewish woman to anchor the Hebrew news broadcast.

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Gadeer has defied a daunting array of cultural, religious and political reasons legislating against her undeniable success.

Gadeer, to understand the magnitude of your achievements, lets understand the community you represent. There are about eight million people in Israel, the Druze community is about 130,000 strong. Who are they?

140,00 exactly, its something like less than two percent of Israeli population. We are Arabic-speaking, esoteric ethnoreligious society. Our faith originally developed out of the Islamic Shia and there are something like 1.5 million Druze members around the word. We live in the Middle East, also in the US, in Canada, Australia, Germany, even in South America. And we live in mountains.

You can see in Israel there are sixteen Druze villages; including the Golan Heights four Druze villages. We believe that in that way in the separate villages, we can maintain our unique identity which is very different than the Arab society. We have internal marriages, which means a Druze female must marry a Druze male, thats why I met my husband on an Internet chat, in a Druze room chat because I knew I needed to marry a Druze guy.

When I came back home and I told my mother we had a blind date she said Oh, I knew his mother, we are relatives, but I didnt know it.

Culturally speaking, is a career in the public eye with visibility to the masses something one would expect from your community?

Its important to say that in our religion we have equal rights for women and men and we are the only religion in which women can ask for and get a divorce without even her husbands approval. But socially speaking, there are still a lot of limits on women. For example, religious Druze women in 2018 are not allowed to have drivers license, which is absurd. The religious leaders want to protect us from accidents and unexpected things but we have made very good process toward equal rights.

Gadeer Mreeh (Photo: Ihab Husri) How did you get started in broadcasting?

My mother remembers me as a child, sitting in front of the mirror and broadcasting news. I knew at a young age the huge power of this small screen and I knew that this is something that I wanted to do, but is wasnt easy. People didnt accept it even last year when there was the formal announcement of my appointment when I started to broadcast news also in Hebrew. I was the first non-Jewish woman to do that.

So, you broke a glass ceiling or two.

Yes, yes, another glass ceiling. So, I received thousands of blessings. People called me and were very excited about my appointment and the most touching one I received was from the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, Sheikh Moafaq Tarif. He called me and I cried. He told me Im proud of you and you symbolize the successful Druze woman who tried and succeeded in her career life, while continuing to maintain your unique identity and it set a precedent. People were shocked that he called me. It means I proved to myself that I did it, I helped to change the image of women and now our religious leaders also understand that they can trust us, they can trust women, not just in careermaybe one day to drive.

Where did you start? You had to have been educated in the field.

I have a BA which I finished at Bar Ilan University in medical imaging and I have a MA which I finished at the University of Haifa in International Relations where I specialized in negotiations and took practical courses. I finished everything with honors.

What would you consider your biggest break?

Being in the media as an anchorwoman. As an anchorwoman, by my position, I can set the agenda, I can influence, I can change things. You know we talked about the drivers license and on that day, last September when there was a formal announcement in Saudi Arabia about granting women the right to obtain a drivers license, I broadcasted on that day and I discussed it with the news program, with my colleaguesand all of them are Jewish menI talked about the importance of the issue. When I participate in conferences, in panels, when I give lectures, I talk about the importance of self-fulfillment, the importance of equal rights, because I face a lot of challenges in this way.

Lets go back to the reaction of your family, the first time they saw you on television.

It was amazing. They saw that I did it and they were so proud. You know, my mother is a religious woman and it wasnt easy for her at first. And also, as a sound technician, I worked with men, I worked in a medical field and she said OK, although they put pressure, but she said my daughter will study and she will achieve her goals and it doesnt matter who or how, they are going to accept it. My father is a contractor and he was so proud of me. He always talked about my success and he looked at it as a success story.

What does your success mean for the State of Israel?

I think it is a success model of successful integration of minorities. You know, I faced a lot of challenges. First, being a woman in a conservative and patriarchal society, as I told you it wasnt easy. The second one, you know I live in Daliyat al-Karmil, which is located in the peripheral of northern Israel. When I finished at Reshet, for example, at Channel 2, I finished with honors and they gave me a scholarship to start to work with them and I refused to accept it. I was so afraid to work in Tel Aviv and to travel every day from Daliyat al-Karmil, but today I understand that in order to be in high positions in the main companies, you really need to be located in the center of Israel, so you need to travel. So, I faced the fear, I faced the challenge.

You know being a minority within a minority, being an Israeli citizen, but not Jewish, being an Arab, but not Muslim. Being the successful career, liberal, western woman and on the same day, the simple woman who participates in traditional ceremonies, funerals and weddings or even asking my mother-in-law how to cook traditional dishes or Druze pita. Im accomplished, a mix of all these factors and it enriches me, enriches my identity, expands my opportunities and it helps me to deal with things differently. You know, it is a model of a success story for women, also for minorities(both) can be in high positions in the Israeli media.

Do Hebrew speakers expect you to champion Israeli issues and do Arabic speakers expect you to champion Arab and Palestinian issues?

It depends how you look at this issue. At first, as in any news agency, you are loyal to your audience. You have to maintain your credibility to your audienceif you lose it, you will lose your audience. Its very important in the new media erathink about itlook what is happening in Syria.

Any citizen could be a journalist today. You can take photos and send videos to the world immediately and reflective on reality. But as media, we have to reflect the reality in an objective way, a neutral way.

But they arent really journalists, they are citizen journaliststheres training in journalism.

They are not waiting for us, for the classic media to give them the news at 7 pm or prime time.

So, what do we do today to change that?

Sometimes there are influences, sometimes there are external influences, they are political sometimes but you have to maintain your credibility. If you ask me as a woman or as a Druze, my identity, you know I am in the middle and when there was the formal announcement of my appointment, I received the blessing from the two sides, from the two worlds. On one hand from the right-wing Israeli community and on the other hand from the neighboring countries, including Ramallah, West Bank, we talked about my appointmentso Im in the middle, but I need to separate. Im not a Druze woman, Im a journalist who must reflect the reality as is, in a neutral way. Im not Israeli, Im not Palestinian, Im a journalist.

Gadeer, the story that had the most impactthe story that hit you, both on an intellectual basis and that actually paved the way for the future, what was it?

Any story related to this conflictto the Israeli, Palestinian conflict touches me the most. We have stories sometimes, of innocent people, you know Felice, children, young generation(who) really dont want to be involved in this conflict but they are forced because of certain circumstances. I really dont want to address this right now, the political aspect, but you know it is tough to see sometimesa young generation experiencing tragedies. Look for example in Syriawe have millions of people, innocent people, families, children who are uprooted from their homes who are experiencing terrible tragedies and being exposed to horrific scenes and thinking about the impact, the influence of all of this on the young generation of the Middle East. These are the stories we need to stop and think about.

Is there any topic that really bothers you that you feel doesnt see the light of day here in covering stories in Israel?

Stories related to the Arab community. Last summer there was a child who was kidnapped by a crime family and no news agency opened the news with this item because he was Arab and his name was Karim Jumhour. He wasnt a Jewish boy and I imagine that if he was a Jewish boy, maybe all the media would cover his story 24/7. So sometimes, stories related to the Arab community is not reflected in the proper way in the Israel media.

Do you feel you have impact in changing that?

Yes, of course and this is what we do; We belong to IPBC, Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, and we have our daily Arabic news and our Hebrew news. It means we broadcast from Israel, to Israel and the Middle East, but we concentrate on the stories of the local Arab people, society, their stories, the issues they are dealing with, because they are our audience, the local Arabic community.

Prejudice, bigotry, it exists on a global scale but how would you rate it in Israel?

I can tell you by my story that the acceptance of me was amazing. People were thirsty for something else. For a new face on-screen. I remember when I started to broadcast the Hebrew news, I was afraid and I confronted with colleagues, with Arieh Golan for example, he is a guru in Israeli media. He told me that the Israeli society is thirsty for a new face. They understand the importance of journalism, of having people from different minorities because it is important. In globalization, everybody works with everybody and also in the IPBC I have colleagues from all other religions, we work together and this is our power. It means every reporter can look and think in a different way because hes coming from other communities, so it will enrich us as a company, as a news media agency.

Should the Arab community become more politically active?

It depends howsometimes people ask me why there are not enough female journalists or Arab journalists in the Israeli media. Sometimes I think there is a problem with our image, the image as in the Arab society. We dont dare to dream. We dont work enough to overcome the challenges. Sometimes, I see females from my society who are very smart and very clever and can work in any company, but they prefer to stay the simple, Druze or Arab woman, so sometimes we should work harder in order to succeed, in order to integrate into the Israeli society. But we can see that we are in the right direction.

I can tell you as a Druze in my community, for example, I think we are a success story or a success model of minority in our integration into the Israeli society. We have the highest percentage of people enlisting in the army which is 80%, its higher than the Jewish community which is 74%. We have people who are holding very high-ranking positions in security units, in IDF prison service, in Border Police. Even today the coordinator of government activities in the territories is Druze. We have a Communications Minister who is a Druze.

Even women today, we have one thousand Druze females who serve in the National Service which is the maximum number of jobs that the state can offer. So, we have integrated very well as Druze and I think that the Arab community, or on the other hand, maybe the state of Israel, could use us to its advantage to send a message to the other minorities that we are a success story of integration.

And on a local level, looking at your community, if you had to pick something that really needs more help in the Druze community, what would it be?

To work on women, to strengthen women in my society. This is something that I take very seriously. This is something that I talk about in every conference or panel that I participate in, because I believe in them. I started at first to educate myself. It was the hardest challenge for me being a woman and I said to myself, I will start with myself as a woman. To educate myself, to educate my inner circle, my family, my partner, my children, my parents that women have to get equal rights. And when you see women who succeeded in their life, who enjoyed the self-fulfillment, she will be also a better member, a more successful, social member and you know this is a win, win situationthis is a circle of success in any society, not just in Druze society.

Article written by Felice Friedson

Reprinted with permission from

The Media Line
Educating students on Darwins theory of evolutionespecially with regard to mankinds common originscan be tricky in Israel, teachers say.

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Darwins theory of evolution is a contentious topic of discussion in high schools and even some university classrooms in Israel, educators argue. While Israel is often referred to as the Start-Up Nationa technological hub of innovation and advancement second only to the US Silicon Valleyopposition to the scientific study of human evolution is becoming more evident in the Jewish state.

Last week, Israel Channel 10 News reported that the Education Ministry was quietly discouraging the teaching of evolution in high school biology classes. Several educators told the Israeli network that they had received little training on how to properly teach the subject and had therefore opted not to teach it all.

While the report focused on elementary, middle and high schools, it appears the problem might extend to some places of higher learning in the country as well. Dr. Guy Bloch, a biology professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalems Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, noted he had experienced opposition within the university itself to the teaching the theory of evolution, especially from religious and conservative groups.

When I was head of the department, we had to work very hard to strengthen the study of Darwin's theory of evolution, Bloch said. It was not compulsory beforehand even for biology students, which is astounding.

In his opinion, religious students sometimes view human evolution as a challenge to their faith and sacred texts like the Torah (Old Testament).

Some people take the creation story in the Torah literally and Darwin provides an alternative (to that), he said. With regard to secular people, the issue is different: The problem is that human evolution is difficult to understand and not entirely intuitive.

It is possible to demonstrate evolution using simpler examples like bacteria, where the process takes place much more rapidly, Bloch said. "(Scientists are currently facing a) challenge with bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics, but as soon as we talk about the evolution of human beings, for some people it becomes very complicated even though the process is basically parallel.

Israeli school

Dr. Ilan Gronau, a senior lecturer at the Efi Arazi School of Computer Science at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center who has researched evolution, said he had not experienced any opposition to the theory, but that it should be of central importance in any high school biology class. He believes the Education Ministry has managed to successfully skirt around more controversial aspects of the theory by not mentioning human evolution specifically.

In the United States, the topic of evolution is much more explosive than in Israel, Gronau said. Here in Israel, however, I think the Education Ministry has managed to avoid teaching it in schools for the most part, and in such a way that most of the public remains unaware of the issue.

Overall, I think the situation in Israel is positive, but evolution seems to be treated as a controversial theory, which should not be the case at all, he added.

Others working in the field of biology disagreed that the teaching of evolution is a problem in Israel, with one professor saying the Channel 10 report was simply not true.

For the past few years, evolution has appeared in the syllabus for high school biology as an obligatory topic, said Professor Anat Yarden, the head of the Department of Science Teaching and head of the Biology Group at the Weizmann Institute of Science. It appears also as part of the junior high syllabus in grades eight and nine.

Dr. Yarden was referring to a recent change made to middle and high school curricula. Up until the 2015 academic year, evolutionary theory was only taught as part of an elective high school biology class, which the vast majority of Israeli students did not take.

Following the Education Ministrys revisions, however, the subject is now included as part of the core curriculum in both junior and high school. Still, the sensitive topic of mankinds origins from primates is not mentioned. Rather, the official middle school syllabus includes evolution under the rubric ecology, with a focus on how environmental factors affect natural selection across species, and how human beings influence such natural processes.

It is true that it is perhaps not so easy for religious or conservative people to accept (human evolution), Dr. Yarden conceded. But this item about evolution not being taught is simply not true. High school teachers must teach it, because its obligatory.

According to a 2016 Pew Report, evolution remains a contentious topic among many Israelis. The survey found that 53 percent of Jewish Israelis believe in evolution, with notable disparities between religious and secular populations. Only 3% of ultra-Orthodox Jews believe in evolution, compared to 11% of Modern Orthodox and 35% of traditional Jews. By contrast, about 83% of secular Israelis believe in the theory.

Article written by Maya Margit

Reprinted with permission from

The Media Line
WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday after clashing with President Donald Trump over the abrupt withdrawal of US troops from Syria and after two years of deep disagreements over America's role in the world.

Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Trump's administration, will leave by the end of February after two tumultuous years struggling to soften and moderate the president's hardline and sometimes sharply changing policies. He told Trump in a letter that he was leaving because "you have a right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours."
WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday after clashing with President Donald Trump over the abrupt withdrawal of US troops from Syria and after two years of deep disagreements over America's role in the world.

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Mattis, perhaps the most respected foreign policy official in Trump's administration, will leave by the end of February after two tumultuous years struggling to soften and moderate the president's hardline and sometimes sharply changing policies. He told Trump in a letter that he was leaving because "you have a right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours."

President Trump and Jim Mattis (Photo: Reuters)

There was no confrontation between the two men, the official said, and there was no one issue that caused the resignation. However, the official said, Syria likely was the last straw for Mattis.

His departure was immediately lamented by foreign policy hands and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who viewed the retired Marine general as a sober voice of experience in the ear of a president who had never held political office or served in the military. Even Trump allies expressed fear over Mattis' decision to quit, believing him to be an important moderating force on the president.

"Just read Gen. Mattis resignation letter," tweeted Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. "It makes it abundantly clear that we are headed toward a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation, damage our alliances & empower our adversaries."

Mattis did not mention the dispute over Syria in his letter or proposed deep cuts to US forces in Afghanistan, another significant policy dispute. He noted his "core belief" that American strength is "inextricably linked" with the nation's alliances with other countries, a position seemingly at odds with the "America First" policy of the president.

Resigntion letter

The defense secretary also said China and Russia want to spread their "authoritarian model" and promote their interests at the expense of America and its allies. "That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense," he wrote.

The announcement came a day after Trump surprised US allies and members of Congress by announcing the withdrawal of all US troops from Syria, and as he continues to consider cutting in half the American deployment in Afghanistan by this summer. The news coincided with domestic turmoil as well, Trump's fight with Congress over a border wall and a looming partial government shutdown.

Trump's decision to pull troops out of Syria has been sharply criticized for abandoning America's Kurdish allies, who may well face a Turkish assault once US troops leave, and had been staunchly opposed by the Pentagon.

Mattis, in his resignation letter, emphasized the importance of standing up for US allies -- an implicit criticism of the president's decision on this issue and others.

"While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies," Mattis wrote.

Last year, Republican Sen. Bob Corker -- a frequent Trump critic -- said Mattis, along with White House chief of staff John Kelly and then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, were helping "separate our country from chaos."

Tillerson was fired early this year. Kelly is to leave the White House in the coming days.

"This is scary," reacted Senate Intelligence committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., on Twitter. "Secretary Mattis has been an island of stability amidst the chaos of the Trump administration."

"Jim Mattis did a superb job as Secretary of Defense. But he cannot be expected to stand behind a President who disrespects our allies and ingratiates himself to our adversaries," said William Cohen, who served as defense secretary under Bill Clinton and knows Mattis well.

Mattis' departure has long been rumored, but officials close to him have insisted that the battle-hardened retired Marine would hang on, determined to bring military calm and judgment to the administration's often chaotic national security decisions and to soften some of Trump's sharper tones with allies.

Opponents of Mattis, however, have seen him as an unwanted check on Trump.

Mattis went to the White House Thursday afternoon to resign after failing to persuade the president in a tense Oval Office meeting to change his decision on withdrawing troops from Syria, according to two people with knowledge of the conversation but not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Another US official said that Mattis' decision was his own, and not a "forced resignation." The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Trump said a replacement would be chosen soon.

"The president's national security team's job is to give him advice and it's the president's job to make a decision," said press secretary Sarah Sanders.

At the start of the Trump administration, the president had gushed about his respect for Mattis, repeatedly calling him "Mad Dog," despite Mattis' own public insistence that the moniker was never his. Instead, his nickname for years was CHAOS, which stood for "Colonel Has An Outstanding Suggestion," and reflected Mattis' more cerebral nature.

The two quickly clashed on major policy decisions.

During his first conversations with Trump about the Pentagon job, Mattis made it clear that he disagreed with his new boss in two areas: He said torture doesn't work, despite Trump's assertion during the campaign that it did, and he voiced staunch support for traditional US international alliances, including NATO, which Trump repeatedly criticized.

Mattis was credited by some in the administration for blocking an executive order that would have reopened CIA interrogation "black sites." Trump has said the Pentagon chief convinced him it wasn't necessary to bring back banned torture techniques like waterboarding.

En route to his first visit to Iraq as defense secretary, Mattis bluntly rebuffed Trump's assertion that America might take Iraqi oil as compensation for US efforts in the war-torn country.

The two also were divided on the future of the Afghanistan war, with Trump complaining from the first about its cost and arguing for withdrawal. Mattis and others ultimately persuaded Trump to pour additional resources and troops into the conflict to press toward a resolution.

US officials say there now is active planning in the Pentagon that would pull as many as half the 14,000 US troops out of Afghanistan by summer. They say no final decision has been made.

Trump also chafed at the Pentagon's slow response to his order to ban transgender people from serving in the military. That effort has stalled due to multiple legal challenges.

More recently, Trump bypassed Mattis' choice for the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. David Goldfein, the Air Force chief, was Mattis' top choice, but Trump chose Gen. Mark Milley, the chief of the Army.

The Pentagon has appeared to be caught off guard by a number of Trump policy declarations, often made through Twitter. Those include plans that ultimately fizzled to have a big military parade this month and the more recent decision to send thousands of active duty troops to the Southwest border.

As a Marines general in Afghanistan, 2001 (Photo: Reuters)

Mattis has determinedly kept a low public profile, striving to stay out of the news and out of Trump's line of fire.

Those close to him have repeatedly insisted that he would not quit, and would have to either be fired or die in the job. But others have noted that a two-year stint as defense chief is a normal and respectable length of service.

Born in Pullman, Washington, Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969, later earning a history degree from Central Washington University. He was commissioned as an officer in 1972. As a lieutenant colonel, he led an assault battalion into Kuwait during the first US war with Iraq in 1991.

In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Mattis commanded the Marines who launched an early amphibious assault into Afghanistan and established a US foothold in the Taliban heartland. As the first wave of Marines moved toward Kandahar, Mattis declared, "The Marines have landed, and now we own a piece of Afghanistan."

Two years later, he helped lead the invasion into Iraq in 2003 as the two-star commander of the 1st Marine Division. As a four-star, he led Central Command from 2010 until his retirement in 2013.
A VEHICLE lies upended Thursday night after ice causes two rollovers on U.S. 2, east of Marenisco.

By P.J. GLISSON

[email protected]

MARENISCO - Two successive rollover accidents on U.S. 2 were the result of dangerous driving conditions just east of the M-64 turn-off to Marenisco on Thursday evening.

Michigan State Trooper Stephen Maxinoski, who was at one of the scenes, said both accidents occurred in the hour before 8:30 p.m. He said the drivers of both vehicles lost control because of highway ice.

The Gogebic County Sheriff's Department also responded to both accidents, and the Marenisco Ambulance traveled from one of the sites to the next.

Maxinoski said he could issue no othe...
News

Houston, Texas - A Nigerian national was charged in court documents unsealed today for his role as the alleged ringleader of an international advance-fee scheme that allegedly involved false promises of investment funding by individuals who impersonated U.S. bank officials in person and over the internet to victims around the world, who were told they had to make certain payments before they could supposedly receive their funding.

Proceeds of the scheme were allegedly laundered through U.S. bank accounts and diverted back to the schemes perpetrators in Nigeria.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick of the Southern District of Texas, Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBIs Houston Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Robert Smolich of the U.S. Department of State Office of Inspector General made the announcement.

Osondu Victor Igwilo, 49, of Lagos, Nigeria, was charged in a complaint filed in the Southern District of Texas in December 2016 and unsealed today. The complaint charges Igwilo with one count of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of money laundering conspiracy and one count of aggravated identity theft. Igwilo remains a fugitive.

As alleged in the complaint, Igwilo was the leader of a criminal network of catchers, who sent phishing emails to potential victims falsely offering investment funding on behalf of BB&T Corporation, a U.S. bank headquartered in North Carolina. When victims were interested in the supposed investment funding, Igwilo allegedly dispatched U.S. citizens whom he had recruited over the internet to pose as representatives of BB&T to meet in person with the victims and sign a supposed investment agreement on behalf of BB&T. When traveling to the countries where the victims resided, these representatives, at Igwilos direction, would visit the local U.S. embassy or consulate and employ fake documents with fraudulent seals of the U.S. government to deceive the victims into believing that the investment agreement was sponsored by the U.S. government, the complaint alleges. Igwilo then allegedly used the representatives and catchers to convince victims to make wire payments to bank accounts in the United States on the false belief that such payments were necessary to effectuate the investment agreements. The holders of the U.S. bank accounts were money movers, who disposed of the funds as directed by Igwilo, including by purchasing luxury vehicles, from brands such as Mercedes Benz and Range Rover, and shipping them to Nigeria, the complaint alleges.

Uche Diuno, 52, also of Lagos, was charged in a separate case in a second superseding indictment filed on Oct. 3, 2018 with one count of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of money laundering conspiracy and one count of concealment money laundering. Diuno was arrested in Paris, France on Sept. 29, 2018 and is awaiting extradition.

As alleged in the second superseding indictment, Diuno was a chairman or leader in the scheme, who operated his own network of catchers and money movers alongside Igwilos, which he used in furtherance of the same BB&T investment scam.

Seven other individuals have been charged to date as part of the same investigation including Uju Okigbo, 49, of Houston, Texas, an alleged money mover; Chioma Okafor, 29, of Houston, an alleged money mover; Marita Ranalan Underwood, 62, of Manila, Philippines, an alleged representative; John Christian Rutledge, 65, of Yaphank, New York, an alleged representative; Osa May Martin, 69, of Carthage, Missouri, an alleged representative; Tochukwu Nwosisi, 47, of Indianapolis, Indiana, an alleged money mover and Tiffany Sourjohn, 48, of Miami, Oklahoma, an alleged representative.

Okigbo, Okafor, Rutledge and Sourjohn have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Underwood remains a fugitive. Martin and Nwosisi are pending trial.

The charges in the complaint and second superseding indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case was investigated by the FBI and Department of State Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney William E. Johnston of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Elmilady of the Southern District of Texas. Forfeiture aspects of the case are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristine Rollinson of the Southern District of Texas.
News

New Mexico - The Department of Justice announced Wednesday the repatriation of an Acoma Shield and several other important items of historical and cultural significance to the Pueblo of Acoma and its members.

U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson for the District of New Mexico participated in a repatriation ceremony earlier with Special Agent Franklin Chavez of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Governor Kurt Riley of the Pueblo of Acoma. Other federal and tribal officials and community members also attended the event at the Sky City Cultural Center and Haaku Museum.

The Department of Justice is committed to enforcing federal laws that preserve the historical, cultural, and religious heritage of Native Americans, said Acting Attorney General Matthew G. Whitaker. This commitment includes ensuring sacred objects like the Acoma Shield are returned to their rightful owners. Todays announcement further demonstrates the Justice Departments dedication to the safety, prosperity, and wellbeing of American Indian and Alaska Native people.

BIA recovered the shield that was repatriated today after learning that it was offered for sale online by an art gallery in Montana. Acoma Pueblo war shields are sacred pieces of cultural patrimony that date back hundreds of years and are at the heart of Acoma Pueblos heritage and identity. Items such as the war shield are used for ceremonial purposes and are closely kept among traditional leaders of the Pueblo community.

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is a federal law intended to return unlawfully obtained human remains and cultural objects to their Native American homelands. The U.S. Attorneys Office and the BIA-Office of Justice Services Cultural Resources Division are dedicated to stemming the loss and trafficking of cultural patrimony by investigating and enforcing the NAGPRA.

Today, we celebrate the return of several items of cultural patrimony to their true owners: the Pueblo of Acoma, said U.S. Attorney Anderson. Our ability to return these items is the result of years of hard work. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, through Special Agent Frank Chavezs dedicated efforts, discovered these sacred and historic items, and we, at the U.S. Attorneys Office, are proud to partner with BIA in facilitating their return. Sadly, we all too often find sacred, religious, and culturally significant items being sold at art markets, flea markets and in galleries. In keeping with federal law, we will continue to do everything in our power to locate such objects and deliver them to their rightful homes.

I thank the Pueblo of Acoma for their due diligence in locating and reporting these precious objects to BIA and DOJ. I want to acknowledge the voluntarily actions of those individuals who returned the items in their possession once they learned of the cultural significance to the Pueblo of Acoma tribal community, said Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney. The proactive work demonstrated by Special Agent Chavez in working closely with all involved makes us proud.

"We have raised our voices internationally, in the halls of Congress and the legislative chambers here in New Mexico, drawing attention to the longstanding epidemic of theft, looting, and trafficking of our sacred items  all in violation of tribal and federal law. During the 2015 attempted sale of an Acoma Shield by the Eve Auction house in Paris, France, the Pueblo also identified a similar shield and other sensitive cultural items being sold here in the United States. The amount of resources and energy, the Pueblo of Acoma has expended in this matter is a reflection of the seriousness with which we treat the protection of items uniquely distinct to our culture. That is why when U.S. Attorney Anderson informed us that these items of cultural patrimony, including another Acoma Shield, were coming home -- our hearts were overjoyed," said Governor Kurt Riley.
News

Chicago, Illinois - The Justice Department Wednesday announced that it has reached a settlement agreement with Sinai Health System Inc. (Sinai) in Chicago, Illinois. Sinai serves the health care needs of the approximately 1.5 million people who reside within its service areas -- Chicagos west and southwest sides -- and comprises Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center of Chicago, Holy Cross Hospital, Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital and Care Network, Sinai Childrens Hospital, Sinai Community Institute, Sinai Medical Group, and Sinai Urban Health Institute.

The settlement resolves a claim that Sinai violated the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by discriminating against non-citizen employees when verifying their work authorization.

The Departments independent investigation concluded that, from at least Jan. 1, 2016, to Sept. 30, 2017, a human resources employee responsible for verifying employees work authority routinely required newly hired non-U.S. citizen employees to provide specific documentation issued by the Department of Homeland Security to prove employment eligibility. In contrast, U.S. citizen employees were permitted to present the documentation of their choice to establish their work authorization. Federal law allows individuals, regardless of citizenship status, the right to choose which document to present, from a range of valid documents, to demonstrate their authority to work in the United States. The anti-discrimination provision of the INA prohibits employers from subjecting employees to unnecessary documentary demands based on employees citizenship status or national origin.

Employers are reminded that the employment eligibility verification process is intended to confirm an employees work authorization, not their immigration status, said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. The Division commends Sinai for its commitment to complying with the anti-discrimination provision of the INA.

Under the settlement, Sinai will pay $7,000 in civil penalties to the United States and be subject to departmental monitoring and reporting requirements. The agreement also requires certain employees to attend training on the requirements of the INAs anti-discrimination provision, and Sinai will make available IER materials containing information about IER and the anti-discrimination provision of the INA at various locations.

The Divisions Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA. Among other things, the statute prohibits citizenship status and national origin discrimination in hiring, firing, or recruitment or referral for a fee; unfair documentary practices; retaliation and intimidation.
Latest News

New York - Ahmed Mohammed El Gammal, 46, a resident of Arizona, was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for providing and conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, aiding and abetting the receipt of military-type training from ISIS, and conspiring to receive such training.

A jury convicted El Gammal of these charges on January 30, 2017, following a three-week trial.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers and U.S Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman for the Southern District of New York made the announcement. U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos presided over the trial and issued the sentence.

According to documents publicly filed in this case and evidence presented at trial:

Beginning in at least April 2014, El Gammal was an outspoken online supporter of ISIS and ISISs Caliphate, or Islamic government, in Syria. Among other things, El Gammal announced on social media that he was with [t]he State of Iraq and the Levant, referring to ISIS; celebrated ISISs achievements in battle and announcement of the establishment of a Caliphate; proclaimed that he support[s] jihad everywhere; and declared that [b]eheadings have a magical effect. El Gammal additionally announced that [i]f Daesh [i.e., ISIS] gets to Egypt, I will go join them, so I can torture the Egyptians, and whip them.

As of at least August 2014, a 24-year-old New York City resident named Samy El-Goarany began to express his support for ISIS on social media as well. On August 14, 2014, El-Goarany learned that El Gammal had made comments supportive of ISIS. Minutes later, El-Goarany contacted El Gammal and they communicated via an encrypted communications platform. Less than an hour after this online conversation, El Gammal sent El-Goarany a documentary on life in the Islamic State that outlined the type of training ISIS provides. Over the next several months, El Gammal and El-Goarany continued corresponding over the Internet, although El Gammal and El-Goarany ultimately deleted many of these exchanges.

In the midst of these communications, in October 2014, El Gammal traveled to New York City, where El-Goarany was enrolled in college, and met with El-Goarany. During this October 2014 trip, El Gammal provided El-Goarany with the phone number for El Gammals contact in Turkey, Ateia Aboualala, who would be responsible for helping El-Goarany travel from Turkey across the border to ISIS in Syria. While in New York City, El Gammal also contacted Aboualala in Turkey regarding El-Goaranys plans to travel. El Gammal later provided El-Goarany with social media contact information for Aboualala. Thereafter, in a coded conversation, El Gammal assured Aboualala that he had vetted El-Goarany and El-Goarany could be trusted.

In late January 2015, El-Goarany left New York City for Istanbul, Turkey. Upon arriving in Turkey, El-Goarany immediately reached out to Aboualala. While El-Goarany was in Turkey, El Gammal continued to communicate with El-Goarany over the Internet, providing advice on traveling toward Syria and on meeting with Aboualala. After arriving in Syria, El-Goarany received religious training and advanced military-type training from ISIS throughout 2015. On May 7, 2015, in the midst of his training with ISIS, El-Goarany reported to El Gammal that everything [was] going according to plan. A few months later, on July 16, 2015, El-Goarany wrote to El Gammal: Life has changed a lot for me at this new job but I love it and I dont regret taking up the offer, and May God reward you with goodness, to which El Gammal responded, Great.

In May 2015, El-Goaranys father traveled to Turkey and met with Aboualala, in an attempt to locate his son. Upon learning of this, El Gammal instructed Aboualala, Dont ever ever mention me. Not even my name[,] and urged Aboualala not to meet with El-Goaranys father. On May 5, 2015, Aboualala reported back to El Gammal, assuring El Gammal that, when Aboualala met up with El-Goaranys father, I covered up for you.

In coded messages in mid-2015, El Gammal reached out to El-Goarany to inquire about the possibility of El Gammals traveling to ISIS in Syria. On July 13, 2015, El-Goarany, again in a coded message, responded that he needed to ask his supervisors at work first, but commented that its risky because the parking lot these days is going under a lot of renovation, especially in the north side, alluding to military operations occurring in northern Syria at the time.

On November 23, 2015, El-Goaranys brother received a message from a member of ISIS with an attached letter from El-Goarany. The letter read: if youre reading this then know that Ive been killed in battle and am now with our Lord, inshaAllah. Remember what I told you . . . we will win this war one day, this war between Iman (Belief) and Kufr (Disbelief) between Good and Evil. . . .
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Theres a saying that practice makes perfect. At Villanova Law, students have the opportunity to perfect their legal skills through innovative coursework and hands-on experience. Now, a new insurance law course, Advanced Insurance Law: Coverage Disputes, provides students with a simulation experience that closely mirrors the work they will encounter as associate attorneys at law firms.

Taught for the first time during the spring 2018 semester, the course was co-developed and co-taught by Chaim Saiman, Professor of Law, and Villanova Law alum and Adjunct Professor Samuel Arena, Jr. 83, Chair, Fidelity & Surety Practice at Stradley Ronon. It features an original teaching approach that brings together multiple practice areas including insurance law, contracts, torts, civil procedure, legal writing, civil pre-trial and professional responsibility in order to replicate the lifecycle of a complex insurance coverage dispute. These types of disputes are commonly litigated by major law firms who represent national insurance companies.

Coverage Disputes is a capstone course that transitions students from law school to practice, said Saiman. We took a practice-based approach in creating this course so students can learn the skills needed to practice this type of law. Were breaking students out of the doctrinal silos in which law is typically taught and are preparing them for the realities of multi-disciplinary practice.

Through workplace simulation and roleplay, students in the course assume the positions of counsel for the policyholder and/or insurance carrier, as they work through the lifecycle of an insurance coverage dispute. They draft and submit their work for review by their professors acting in the role of senior partners. Students also present, defend and receive feedback on their coverage analyses in office meetings with the senior partners. This mimics work at a typical firm, while at the same time hones their writing and professional development skills.

The incredible feedback on each class assignment from Professors Saiman and Arena made me a more confident writer and helped me better understand the expectations of an assigning partner, said former Coverage Disputes student Cliff Breese 18. The pedagogical approachemphasizing practical lawyering skills throughout the curriculumsparked my interest in insurance law.

After only one semester, the course has already had an impact on helping students stand out from other candidates and secure job placements, like Breese, who is now an associate at Reed Smith LLPs Philadelphia office, working in their Insurance Recovery Group. Former students are using the memos produced during class as writing samples in interviews and to demonstrate their interest and knowledge of insurance law, prompting an on-the-spot job offer in one instance. Other students are using the course outline to assist them in their current associate positions.
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The following companies are subsidiares of Laboratory Co. of America: 1957285 Ontario Inc. dba Quality Underwriting Services, 2089729 Ontario Inc., 2248848 Ontario Inc., 3065619 Nova Scotia Company, 3257959 Nova Scotia Company, 896988 Ontario Limited, 9279-3280 Quebec Inc., Accupath Diagnostic Laboratories Inc., Alpha Medical Laboratory LLC, Assets of Pathology Inc, Beacon LBS IPA Inc., Beacon Laboratory Benefit Solutions Inc., CannAmm GP Inc., CannAmm Limited Partnership, Center for Disease Detection International, Center for Disease Detection LLC, Centrex Clinical Laboratories Inc., Chiltern, Clearstone Central Laboratories (U.S.) Inc., Clearstone Holdings (International) Ltd., Clipper Holdings Inc., Colorado Coagulation Consultants Inc., Colorado Laboratory Services LLC, Correlagen Diagnostics Inc., Covance Inc., Curalab Inc., Cytometry Associates Inc., Czura Thornton (Hong Kong) Limited, DCL Acquisition Inc., DCL Medical Laboratories LLC (DE), DCL Medical Laboratories LLC (FL), DCL Sub LLC, DIANON Systems Inc., DL Holdings Limited Partnership, Decision Diagnostics L.L.C. (aka DaVinici/Medicorp LLC), Diagnostic Services Inc., DynaLifeDX, Dynacare - Gamma Laboratory Partnership, Dynacare Company, Dynacare G.P. Inc., Dynacare Holdco LLC, Dynacare Laboratories Inc., Dynacare Laboratories Limited Partnership, Dynacare Northwest Inc., Dynacare Realty Inc., DynalifeDX Infrastructure Inc., Endocrine Sciences Inc., Esoterix Genetic Counseling LLC, Esoterix Genetic Laboratories LLC, Esoterix Inc., Execmed Health Services Inc., FirstSource Laboratory Solutions Inc., GDML Medical Laboratories Inc, Gamma Dynacare Central Medical Laboratories GP Inc., Gamma Dynacare Central Medical Laboratory Limited Partnership, HHLA Lab-In-An-Envelope LLC, Health Trans Services Inc., Home Healthcare Laboratory of America LLC, IDX Pathology Inc., Impact Genetics Corp, Impact Genetics Inc., Kaleida LabCorp LLC, Lab Delivery Service of New York City Inc., LabCorp BVBA, LabCorp Belgium Holdings Inc., LabCorp Central Laboratories (Canada) Inc., LabCorp Central Laboratories (China) Inc., LabCorp Central Laboratories (Singapore) Pte., LabCorp Development Company, LabCorp Employer Services Inc., LabCorp Health System Diagnostics LLC, LabCorp Indiana Inc., LabCorp Japan G.K., LabCorp Limited, LabCorp Michigan Inc., LabCorp Nebraska Inc., LabCorp Neon Ltd., LabCorp Neon Switzerland S.a.r.l., LabCorp Specialty Testing Billing Service Inc., LabCorp Specialty Testing Group Inc., LabCorp Staffing Solutions Inc., LabCorp Tennessee LLC, LabCorp UK Holdings Ltd., LabWest Inc., Laboratoire Bio-Medic Inc., Laboratory Corporation of America, Lifecodes Corporation, LipoScience Inc., Litholink Corporation, MEDTOX Scientific Inc., MNG Laboratories, Medical Neurogenitics LLC, Medtox Diagnostics Inc., Medtox Laboratories Inc., Monogram Biosciences Inc., Monogram Biosciences UK Limited, Myriad Autoimmunes Vectra Testing Business, NWT Inc., National Genetics Institute, New Brighton Business Center LLC, New Imaging Diagnostics LLC, New Molecular Diagnostics Ventures LLC, Orchid Cellmark Ltd., Orchid Cellmark ULC, PA Labs Inc., Path Lab Incorporated, Pathology Associates Medical Lab LLC, Pee Dee Pathology Associates Inc., Persys Technology Inc., Pixel by LabCorp, Princeton Diagnostic Laboratories of America Inc., Protedyne Corporation, ReliaGene Technologies Inc., SW/DL LLC, Saint Josephs-PAML LLC, Sequenom Biosciences (India) Pvt. Ltd., Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine LLC, Sequenom Inc, Sequenom Inc., Southern Idaho Regional Laboratory, Tandem Labs Inc., The LabCorp Charitable Foundation, Tri-Cities Laboratory LLC, Viro-Med Laboratories Inc., Visiun, and Yakima Medical Arts Inc..
Mr Iain Lindsay OBE was appointed Her Majestys Ambassador to Hungary from 30 March 2016. He previously held the position of Her Majestys Ambassador in Manama from 2011 to 2015.

Iain joined the FCO in 1980 and has spent much of his career in Asia Pacific, serving in Tokyo (twice), Hong Kong and Canberra. He was Deputy Head of Mission and Political Counsellor in Bucharest from 2003-7, working on Romanias accession to NATO and the EU. Prior to that Iain served as a foreign policy adviser to the Romanian Foreign Minister.



He was Deputy Head of Mission and Director, Trade and Investment at the British Consulate General in Hong Kong from 2007-11. The Queen awarded him an OBE in 2002.

1. When did you arrive in Hungary and what brought you here?

Early January, to start a 2 month intensive Hungarian course at Pecs and Debrecen universities, which followed 5 months of Hungarian training in London. I took up my position as British Ambassador in late March.



2. Have you ever been an expatriate elsewhere?

Yes! Poland, Qatar, Japan (twice), Australia, Romania, Hong Kong and Bahrain.



3. What surprised you most about Hungary?

Two things. The quality of English spoken by youngsters who have never been to an English speaking country. Incredible! And the quality of Hungarian wines. Some of the best I have ever sampled.



4. Friends are in Budapest for a weekend - what must they absolutely see and do?

I've only just arrived so I'm no expert! But my top 3 thus far: Fisherman's Bastion, a walk across Chain Bridge and a well-earned rest in one of the old coffee houses.



5. What is your favourite Hungarian food?

Very difficult having had 2 months of glorious home cooking courtesy of my homestay families. Gulyas, lecso, retes and flodni, plus much much more!



6. What is never missing from your refrigerator?

Mature cheddar cheese.



7. What is your favourite Hungarian word?

It's a phrase: fogalmam sincs (meaning: I have no idea). Very expressive!



8. What do you miss most from home?

Family and friends.



9. What career other than yours would you love to pursue?

Something in the travel industry that would satisfy my wanderlust.



10. What's a job you would definitely never want?

Needs must, so never say never!



11. Where did you spend your last vacation?

Oman, last May, with a romantic weekend in Rome in November.

12. Where do you hope to spend your next holiday?

Positano, on the Amalfi Coast, in July. Been there a couple times and love it!

13. Apart of temptation what can't you resist?

Liquorice, chocolate and Scottish tablet (a sort of fudge). And yes, I have a typically Scottish sweet tooth!



14. What was your favourite band, film, or hobby as a teen?

Eagles and ELO.



15. Red wine or white?

Red in winter, rose in summer.



16. Book or movie?

Book.



17. Morning person or night person?

Night.



18. Which social issue do you feel most strongly about?

Child poverty and welfare.



19. Buda or Pest side?

Tough as I live in Buda and work in Pest. Both are brilliant!



20. What would you say is your personal motto?

'Life is not a dress rehearsal' - Rose Tremain
- Mengold's properties at Amakom and Patase in the Ashanti region, are to be auctioned, a court has ruled

- Staff of the company, have in a recent statement, claimed that the management team members are living lavish lifestyles

- They therefore called on EOCO to conduct investigations into the matter

A Kumasi circuit court has ordered the auctioning of the properties of beleaguered gold-trading firm, Menzgold Ghana Limited.

The court ruled that the all personal and company properties at Amakom, as well as personal properties in Menzgold office at Patase, all in the Ashanti region, be sold at a public auction.

This follows news of the extravagant lifestyle of management members despite the inability of customers to redeem their investments.

READ ALSO: Man mistaken for an animal and shot by a hunter

Some staff of the company, in a statement released, noted that our loyalty to both company and clients led to four months with no pay, so as to bring an end to this crisis while they (management) live lavishly without remorse.

The staff were recently asked by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nana Appiah Mensah, also known as NAM1, to proceed on leave until Thursday, December 20, 2018, while the recently migrated online platform has also been halted.

The staff also in their statement disclosed that management members are secretly selling off assets of the company and keeping the proceeds for themselves, with the intention of relocating outside the country to enjoy their booty.

Management members, according to staff, have fraudulently acquired properties such as luxury houses, schools, flashy cars and many more to dwindle the finances of the company.

They therefore called on the Economic and Organized Crimes Office (EOCO) to investigate their claims as a matter of urgency.

READ ALSO: 6 corruption scandals that rocked Akufo-Addo's government in 2018

Ghana News Today: Sad Story of How Woman Lost Baby at Gov't Hospital In Kumasi | #Yencomgh

Click here to get the latest exciting English Premier League news. Get match highlights, reports, photos & videos all in one place.

Source: Yen.com.gh
YEN.com.gh is in possession of a photo of a new map of Ghana, after the proposed six new regions are added.

A referendum will however be held to vote on the proposal to add the six regions to the existing 10 regions.

The six proposed regions are Oti, Bono East, Western North, Ahafo, Savannah and North East.

Source: adomonline.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: NAM1's woes deepen as court orders Menzgold's properties to be sold

The new regions will be deemed to be created when at least 50 per cent of the persons entitled to vote do so in each of the different referenda, and of the votes cast, at least 80 per cent are in favour of the creation of a region.

The Electoral Commission (EC) will hold a referendum on Thursday, December 27, 2018, to determine the creation of the proposed new regions as recommended by the Brobbey Commission of Inquiry.

The Constitution requires that 50% of all eligible voters turn out to vote on the day with YES votes, constituting 80% of votes cast, and therefore appealed to residents to ensure relations who have travelled are encouraged to return for the historic vote.

READ ALSO: Beautiful photos emerge as Stonebwoy meets Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House

Ghana News Today: Sad Story of How Woman Lost Baby at Gov't Hospital In Kumasi | #Yencomgh

Click here to get the latest exciting English Premier League news. Get match highlights, reports, photos & videos all in one place.

Source: Yen.com.gh
Rufftown Records boss, Ricky Nana Agyeman has seemingly fired at under-pressure businessman Nana Appiah Mensah over a prior misunderstanding between the two regarding the career of late musician Ebony Reigns.

Nana Agyeman, also known as Bullet and Menzgold CEO, Nana Appiah Mensah have been at logger heads for sometime now.

Their feud started when Nana Appiah Mensah alleged that the late Ebony wanted a bail-out from Rufftown Records before her sad demise in February.

READ ALSO: Photo of new Ghana map after six new regions are added pops up on the internet

When NAM 1 said this, Bullet became unhappy. After all, the allegations seemed to paint a very negative portrait of the relationship that had existed with Ebony.

And so at the album launch of Wendy Shay on Thursday, December 20, Bullet granted an interview in Twi where he said: "Those who allege that they could bail out are now in need of bail out".

It is not far-fetched to associate Mensah to this reference.

READ ALSO: Nana Aba Anamoah drops wild throwback photo of Serwaa Amihere

Wendy Shay, the artiste propelled by Rufftown to replace Ebony is now out with her first album.

Ghana News Today: Angry Residents Call on Government to Fix Damaged Bridge in Kumasi | #Yencomgh:

Do you have a story to share with us? Inbox us on our Facebook page and we could feature your story.

Source: Yen
The United States of America through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have handed over of a 25-seater boat to the Ghana Health Service (GHS)

The united states government funded medical boat is meant to increase access to health services to historically known hard-to-reach island communities in the Volta Region

The medical boat was presented on December 18 2018 by the Ghana Mission Director of USAID Sharon Cromer.

New 25-seater boat Source: USAID

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Photos: Wendy Shay's beautiful sister Jocelyn Addo dazzles at her 'Shay On You' album launch

The pontoon boat would improve access to health care for 141 island communities in Kpando, Krachi West and Biakoye districts.

Health care workers would be able to deliver services to island communities and transfer patients to health facilities on the mainland when referrals are required.

The boat would also deliver essential health commodities, support health-related immunization campaigns, and provide disaster relief on the islands.

READ ALSO: Stanbic bank staff who stole GH1,800,000 finally busted

The USAID Ghana Mission Director, urged community members to be active participants in health services.

She said it was the responsibility of every citizen to be engaged in CHPS services. This she said included the upkeep of the boat and the maintenance of the CHPS compound where they access care.

READ ALSO: Moesha Bodoung's rare no makeup photo causes stir

Ghana News Today: Angry Residents Call on Government to Fix Damaged Bridge in Kumasi | #Yencomgh:

Click here to get the latest exciting English Premier League news. Get match highlights, reports, photos & videos all in one place

Source: Yen
Fundraising for the construction of a historic national cathedral has been set for December 28, 2018.

A member of the board of trustees for the Cathedral, Rev. Dr Paul Frimpong-Manso revealed the event comes off at the forecourt of the Black Star Square in Accra at a cost $1,000 per person

Rev Frimpong Manso said the Board of Trustees encouraged Ghanaians to contribute at the fundraising event.

Source: Supplied

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: 12000 customers call for the arrest of Nduom and six others over locked-up funds

YEN.com.gh earlier reported head pastor of the Action Chapel International, Archbishop Duncan William urging memebers of his congreagtion to get tickets for the fundraising dinner

According to him a table at the dinner would cost $10,000 while a chair will cost $1,000.

I need some of your secret monies. Some of you, your savings, you are going to Dubai and Europe for [holidays]. Give us that money to build the national cathedral. One day, you and your loved ones and your childrens children may use there. One day one of your sons or daughters will be president of Ghana and shall benefit from that thing - Duncan Williams

READ ALSO: Ghanaian woman allegedly burns her husband and his girlfriend to death

President Nana Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, 6 March 2018 unveiled the design for the national cathedral at a brief ceremony at the Accra International Conference Centre.

It would house impressive chapels and baptistery, a 5,000-capacity auditorium, grand central hall, music school, choir rehearsal and multi-use spaces, an art gallery and a shop. It will also have a Bible museum.

The president said the edifice was going to be an iconic centre for thanksgiving and to worship God for His mercies. He called for all to find space to support the construction of the project

READ ALSO: NDC chairman arrested for smuggling fertilizers into Burkina Faso

Ghana News Today: Sad Story of How Woman Lost Baby at Gov't Hospital In Kumasi | #Yencomgh

Click here to get the latest exciting English Premier League news. Get match highlights, reports, photos & videos all in one place.

Source: Yen


By NY Daily News , Dec. 18, 2018





A 27-year-old Montana man is alive after allegedly being fired on by a gunman who though hed spotted Sasquatch.





The Helena resident  whose name has not been revealed  said he was shot at multiple times by a man in a black Ford pick-up truck, who argued the would-be victim was not wearing orange and (the shooter) thought he was Bigfoot, Sheriff Leo Dutton told the Billings Gazette.

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By AZ Central , Dec. 19, 2018





Border Patrol agents in Arizona arrested five undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally  including a previously deported MS-13 gang member, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.





The group of migrants from Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador was found Friday by Border Patrol agents patrolling near Lukeville, according to a press release.

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By Fox News , Dec. 18, 2018





Outgoing U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley slammed the U.N. as hopelessly biased against Israel on Tuesday in what is likely to be her last appearance at the Security Council -- and teased the Trump administration's Middle East peace plan.





Haley spoke at the Security Councils meeting on the Middle East, where the Israel-Palestinian conflict has frequently been the main topic of discussion -- a discussion often critical of Israel.

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By ADF Media , Dec. 18, 2018





CHEHALIS, Wash.  Alliance Defending Freedom sent a letter Monday to a senior living complex that has banned its residents from saying Merry Christmas, singing religious Christmas carols, or displaying any religious Christmas items in its common areas, including on the doorposts of the buildings apartments. The complex wrongly claims that it cannot allow any resident to engage in religious expression because it accepts funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.





Americans dont lose their constitutionally protected freedom to say Merry Christmas or otherwise express their faith just because they live in a facility that accepts government funds, said ADF Senior Counsel Matt Sharp. No HUD rule requires senior living centers that accept federal resources to deny their residents the ability to celebrate Christmas with religious songs and symbols.





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By Town Hall, Dec. 18, 2018





With President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, Americans are paying special attention to what's taking place in Mexico and along the southern border. An interesting discovery has just come to light: a theme park roughly 80 miles north of Mexico City, called Parque EcoAlberto, has an attraction, called "The Nightwalk," that simulates illegally crossing into the United States.





For roughly $17 USD (or $350 Mexican pesos) a person can make a trek through the simulation. If they're wanting an "extreme" version of the simulation, they can pay $24 USD (or $500 Mexican pesos) for an additional six hours.

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43 members as of this morning-- Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL), Stephen Lynch (MA) and Lloyd Doggett (TX) being the most recent





HuffPo that "The Green New Deal is HuffPost from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and George Mason University. 92% of Democrats supported the idea, including 93 percent of liberal Democrats and 90 percent of moderate-to-conservative Democrats. But 64 percent of Republicans-- including 75% of moderate-to-liberal Republicans and 57% of conservative Republicans-- also backed the policy goals outlined in the Green New Deal. 88% of independents endorsed the policies as well." Earlier in the week, Alexander Kaufman reported forthat "The Green New Deal is the most popular policy hardly anyone has heard of... the sweeping proposal to generate 100 percent of the nations electricity from clean sources within the next 10 years, upgrade the United States power grid, invest in energy-efficiency and renewable technology, and provide training for jobs in the new, green economy. But when asked 'how much do you support or oppose' the aforementioned suite of policies, 81% of registered voters say they either 'somewhat support' or 'strongly support' the plan, according to new survey results shared exclusively withfrom the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and George Mason University. 92% of Democrats supported the idea, including 93 percent of liberal Democrats and 90 percent of moderate-to-conservative Democrats. But 64 percent of Republicans-- including 75% of moderate-to-liberal Republicans and 57% of conservative Republicans-- also backed the policy goals outlined in the Green New Deal. 88% of independents endorsed the policies as well."













So wouldn't that kind of bipartisan policy be a perfect tool for Democrats to reach out to independent and even Republican voters? It's not really going that way yet. So far, of the 40 members of Congress who have signed onto the proposal, just 3 represent swing districts. Most represent deep blue districts like Alexandria Ocasio's and Rashida Tlaib's, two of the freshmen who have been pushing it the hardest. Th exceptions who do represent swing districts and who realize this is a good solid bipartisan issue:

 Mike Levin (D-CA)- R+1

 Chris Pappas (D-NH)- R+2

 Ann Kuster (D-NH)- D+2

CA-48 is one of those swing districts (R+4). It is also one of the most environmentally-conscious districts in the country, taking up much of the Orange County coastline, from Seal Beach, through Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach to Three Arch Bay. Harley Rouda, a New Dem who campaigned largely on progressive issues, had a pitch-perfect plank about climate change on his campaign website

Protecting the Environment, Propelling the Economy



The 48th Congressional District is one of the most remarkable places to live in the world. However, as Republican leaders in Washington continue to deny the threat of man-made climate change, the pristine natural beauty which makes our home district so special is under attack. I will work to protect Californias most precious asset, our beautiful coastlines, from offshore drilling. We need to focus on consistently choosing clean energy over the fossil fuels of the past.



As a businessman, I know firsthand that protecting the environment and incentivizing economic growth are not mutually exclusive goals, and that is why I support making Southern California the clean tech capital of the world. Clean energy innovation is not only better for the environment, but it also creates high paying jobs, economic growth, prosperity, energy choice and freedom from foreign dependence. And there is no better place in the world to unleash Americas clean energy potential than Southern California. We have all the ingredients: one of the best places in the world to live that attracts talented workers from around the globe; over 300 days of sunshine; a well-developed infrastructure; some of the worlds leading universities; an innovative culture; forward thinking municipalities; access to capital; and numerous high-tech businesses.

Democrat Josh Harder also displaced a Republican incumbent in a tough swing district (PVI is exactly even). Harder also had a forward-looking Climate Change position during the campaign. "I strongly believe in the scientific consensus that climate change is real and man-made," states his campaign website . "I will fight back against the Trump Administrations dangerous attempts to undermine the Environmental Protection Agency and undo international agreements on climate change. Instead, we must make sure there are adequate incentives to invest in clean energy sources and move away from polluting fossil fuels."





Like 6 of the 7 California freshmen-- Mike Levin being the exception-- Neither Rouda nor Harder has signed onto the Green New Deal proposal yet. (Rouda didn't respond to an open-ended request for a statement. Nor did Katie Hill or Katie Porter.)





California has 53 members of Congress. In January, 46 of them will be Democrats. The only California Democrats who have been actively hostile towards climate change amelioration are Blue Dog Jim Costa and New Dem Scott Peters. So that leaves 44. Instead only 8 Califonrians have signed on to the Green New Deal: Jared Huffman, Barbara Lee, Jacjie Speier, Ro Khanna, Judy Chu, Ted Lieu, Mark Takano and Mike Levin. I'm surprised that strong progressives like Mark DeSaulnier, Alan Lowenthal, Jimmy Gomez, Karen Bass, Lucille Roybal-Allard and Maxine Waters haven't come on board yet. Nor have Linda Sanchez, Grace Napolitano, Doris Matsui nor, even Nanette Barragan, who was first elected on a powerful climate change and environmental platform and whose record fighting against Big Oil is stronger than almost anyone in Congress.





I doubt the more conservative and corporate Democrats from California-- like Adam Schiff, Mike Thompson, Susan Davis, Anna Eshoo, Brad Sherman, Eric Swalwell, John Garamendi, Tony Cardenas, who is rumored to be whipping against the proposal, Julia Brownley, Ami Bera, Norma Torres, Pete Aguilar, Raul Ruiz or Jimmy Panetta will even consider getting on board until the liberals have.





Why does it matter if more members sign on or not? Hoyer is been quite hostile towards the concept of a Select Committee to deal with the Green New Deal issues and Pelosi, who is generally supportive, says she can't move forward in a meaningful way without much more support from her caucus. The committee chairs, particularly corrupt New Jersey machine hack Frank Pallone (Energy and Commerce Committee), have been whining that a select committee will take away power from them (power, meaning the ability to collect bribes from effected special interests). Unless, those 40 members are doubled or tripled, we're going to wind up with a committee with no power at all and an existential issue like Climate Change in the hands of a pay-for-play crook like Frank Pallone.

UPDATE: Betrayal On #GreenNewDeal?




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Twelve months ago, investors were giddy.

Markets were buoyant, supported by synchronous global growth and market-friendly US policies, including freshly minted corporate tax cuts and deregulation.

What a difference a year makes. As 2018 draws to a close, investors are unsettled, volatility is spiking and most portfolios are in the red. Large setbacks in global equity and emerging markets, coupled with lackluster performance from bonds, credit and most hedge funds, have left investors unhappy this holiday season.

In 2019, the market environment is likely to remain challenging as growth slows and returns on capital struggle to meet still-lofty expectations.

Households, on the other hand, may fare somewhat better, as their share of the pie grows, courtesy of moderate wage increases. But even so, those gains are likely to be incremental and gradual. Global economic fundamentals explain why.

At first glance, the world economy looks to be in pretty good shape. Not since the 1980s have as many advanced and emerging economies enjoyed a simultaneous expansion like the one now underway. Today, those countries in recession or worse are few in number and small as a percentage of world output (e.g., Venezuela or Argentina).



It has also been nearly four decades since as many advanced economies were at or near full employment. Involuntary joblessness in North America, Europe and Japan is at generation lows. In addition, spending in advanced economies is mostly driven by rising income, a healthy departure from previous debt-fuelled expansions. Household purchasing power has been underpinned by job formation and, more recently, wage gains. Corporate spending, at least in the US and Japan, has been buttressed by profit levels (as a share of GDP) never before seen in the post-war era.



That's a wonderful, even Goldilocks-like, backdrop. So why are markets not celebrating?

For one thing, the celebrations already took place. Stock markets, especially the US market, enjoyed robust gains from 2009 until mid-2018. Expectations and valuations reached lofty levels.

Meanwhile, US growth peaked in the middle of this year, with a slowdown becoming more discernible by year end. US profit growth had accelerated to over 20% a year by the middle of 2018, a rate not even the most bullish investors believe can be sustained, particularly as profit margins come under pressure from rising wages, debt-financing and tariff-related costs.

No other part of the world, with the possible exception of Japan, has the capacity to replace the lost dynamism of US profits growth.

Policy in Washington, D.C. has turned from market friendly to worrisome. Excitement around tax cuts and deregulation has been replaced by the prospect of trade conflict and a government shutdown. Matters aren't much better elsewhere. Political uncertainty around Brexit, Italy with its populist coalition government and clashes with the EU over immigration and fiscal policy, and Germany, with Angela Merkel's weakened positioned, has clearly unsettled investors.



We dub this period 'post peak.' The best of US and global economic growth has passed. The best of US and global earnings growth has passed. In a 'post-peak' world, things that investors previously ignored  such as trade disputes, hard Brexit scenarios, or signs of China slowing  suddenly matter. The cushion of accelerating growth has been replaced by the reality of weaker growth and flagging corporate earnings. The margin for error is smaller, precisely as the odds of geopolitical tensions appear to be rising. Unsurprisingly, investors are re-pricing stocks and other assets for 'post-peak.'

So will 2019 be a replay of 2018, or the start of new recession?



Despite the post-peak warning signs, economic fundamentals suggest there is still a lot to like. Global growth, rising wages and economic resiliency are cheerful outcomes. Rapid innovation and the diffusion of new technologies are the stuff of opportunities to grow and create wealth. Yet the rise of national self-interest and populism has introduced risk and uncertainty. The coming year has the potential to deliver rising prosperity and higher returns for investors, but more so than ever, the outcome depends on whether reason and sound policy will again prevail in the world's capitals.

:www.cnn.com
Hannah Short being presented with the TFAS Academic Excellence in Economics Award, with Professor Karen Czarnecki and Professor Richard Benedetto

Exeter graduate achieves First Class Honours from prestigious educational programme

A University of Exeter graduate has received a First Class Honours degree and Deans commendation from a renowned, non-profit organisation in America.

Hannah Short, who says American Politics has always fascinated her, has always dreamt of going to work in Washington D.C.

After graduating in History and Politics from the University of Exeter, Hannah discovered The Fund for American Studies (TFAS); an educational organisation that brings college students from all 50 US states and around the world to Washington, D.C., for academic courses, internships and intensive lectures on government, business and leadership.

During the programme at George Mason University, Hannah participated in the 15-week Capital Semester and Leadership and the American Presidency fall semester.

This semester is sponsored by the Ronald Reagan Foundation, which grants scholarships for students, providing them with accommodation, and numerous activities to do alongside working, such as visiting Mount Vernon and President George Washingtons home. The scholarship also offers networking opportunities at organisations such as the World Bank.

While on the programme, Hannah interned at ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, a non-partisan, non-profit which aims to increase student political participation across US College Campuses.

This month, following her graduation from the TFAS programme, Hannah was presented with the TFAS Academic Excellence in Economics award. She was selected for the award by her Economics Professor, who believed Hannah had put in the most effort during the term out of her 12 other scholars.

I cannot even put into words how thankful I am for this experience, said Hannah.

The classes I completed at George Mason were taught by inspiring professors, who had worked previously in the White House, the CIA and more.

The trips we embarked on allowed me to explore D.C. and get to the heart of what it would be like to live there.

But, most importantly, my internship was incredible. Those at the ALL IN Challenge, a campaign within Civic Nation set up by the Obama Administration, was one of the most incredible experiences I could have asked for. The people who worked there I will admire forever; they have motivated me to always work hard in whatever future career I have.

Finally, I am honoured to have worked alongside 12 other scholars, who will also go on to have amazing careers  I definitely made friends for life.

Before embarking on the programme, Hannah also interned with her local MP, both in her home town, Newbury in Berkshire, and in Exeter, giving her the opportunity to explore Westminster. She also previously volunteered at an all-girls school in Peru with World Challenge in 2014.
A former global sales director for Alstom Power Ltd was jailed for four years and six months Friday for his role in a conspiracy to bribe Lithuanian officials to win two contracts worth $274 million.

Nicholas Reynolds, 53, a UK citizen, was convicted earlier this week in the Blackfriars Crown Court in London. He was also ordered to pay $63,000.

Alstom companies paid more than $5.7 million in bribes to Lithuanian officials and politicians to secure the contracts at the Elektrenai power station, the SFO said.



This was sophisticated corruption, planned and executed under your direction over many years, UK Judge HHJ Beddoe told Reynolds Friday.

Reynolds and his co-conspirators falsified records to avoid checks in place to prevent bribery.

SFO director Lisa Osofsky said Friday, The substantial prison sentences imposed in this case reflect the seriousness of the bribery and corruption. We can only hope that this may deter others tempted to resort to illicit means to win contracts.



Earlier this year, former Alstom executives John Venskus and Goran Wikstrom were sentenced to three years and six months and two years and seven months in prison respectively for their roles in the scheme.

In 2016, a UK court ordered Alstom Power Ltd to pay $22 million in penalties, including nearly $13 million in compensation to the Lithuanian government.

The SFO said its investigation of Alstom has involved cooperation with more than 30 countries.

In the United States, Alstom paid the DOJ $772 million in 2014 to settle FCPA charges for bribing officials in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the Bahamas.

____

Harry Cassin is the managing editor of the FCPA Blog.
A former vice president of SBM Offshore already charged with hiring Unaoil to pay bribes on behalf of SBM was hit with a new charge Thursday of helping another contractor hire Unaoil to pay bribes in Iraq.

Stephen Whiteley was charged Thursday in London with conspiracy to make corrupt payments.

The SFO said Whiteley, 63, was a vice president of Netherlands-based SBM Offshore and also worked for Unaoil as its General Territories Manager for Iraq, Kazakhstan, and Angola.

He lives in Aberdeen, Scotland.

The SFO said in 2009 and 2010 Whiteley assisted Unaoil Limited to be engaged as a subcontractor to Leighton Contractors Singapore PTE Ltd for an oil pipeline project in Iraq.

Leaked internal emails from Leightons parent company  Leighton Holdings  warned that a $24 million facilitation payment linked to a 2010 Iraq contract would attract attention from auditors.

Other emails talk about plans by senior employees to make payments to friends in the Middle East and to inflate and backdate contracts to win work in Iraq.

In May this year, the SFO charged a Unaoil employee and one of the firms partners in Iraq with making corrupt payments to help Leighton Contractors win two pipeline contracts worth more than $700 milllion.

Leighton Contractors Singapore is a subsidiary of Leighton Holdings Ltd.

Leighton Holdings, based in Australia, changed its name in 2015 to CIMIC Group Limited (ASX:CIM).

Whiteley was already facing charges in London for allegedly helping SBM Offshore win work in Iraq by hiring Unaoil to pay bribes there.

In November 2017, the SFO charged him and another SBM executive, Paul Bond, with conspiracy to make corrupt payments.

Bond, 65, lives in France.

Sam Healey of JMW Solicitors, representing Stephen Whiteley, said: Mr. Whiteley strenuously denies all alleged offenses. He co-operated fully with the SFO as they opened their enquiries, and will rigorously defend the charges.



In the United States, SBM Offshore agreed in November 2017 to pay a criminal penalty of $238 million to resolve FCPA offenses in Brazil, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, and Iraq.

In October this year, two former SBM executives were jailed in the United States for bribing officials at three state-owned oil and gas companies  Brazils Petrobras, Angolas Sonangol, and Equatorial Guineas GEPetrol.

Former CEO Anthony Tony Mace, 66, a UK citizen, was sentenced to 36 months in prison and ordered to pay a fine of $150,000.

Robert Zubiate, also 66, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay fine of $50,000. He was a sales and marketing executive at SBM USA.

The SFO charged two Unaoil units in June this year for allegedly bribing officials in Iraq to help SBM and Leighton Contractors win work.

The SFO investigation started after a report in March 2016 by Fairfax Media and the Huffington Post said Unaoil paid bribes on behalf of large companies in the oil and gas sector.

Monaco-based Unaoil has denied the allegations.

In London, Whiteley is scheduled to appear in the Westminster Magistrates Court on January 9.

____

Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog.
ACV Auctions Inc., a Buffalo, N.Y.-based dealer-to-dealer, online wholesale automotive marketplace, secured $93m in Series D funding.

The round, which brought total funding to date to over $145m since 2015, was led by Bain Capital Ventures and early investor Bessemer Venture Partners, with participation from Future Fund, Australias sovereign wealth fund, Tribeca Ventures and Armory Square Ventures.

The company intends to use the funds to expand product and engineering, develop its platform to provide new real-time data analytics to dealers and continue its nationwide expansion to over 140 territories in 2019.

Led by George Chamoun, ACV, chief executive officer, ACV Auctions is an online, wholesale vehicle marketplace that provides franchise and used-car dealerships with a way to buy and sell wholesale vehicles through 20-minute auctions. Its technology provides third-party inspections, account management, title and payment processing, managing arbitration and transportation.

FinSMEs

21/12/2018
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
The crowd called out the names of those who died this year from complications related to AIDS, the autoimmune disease caused by HIV.
The meeting, part of a programme jointly held by the Communist Review, the Government Committee for Ethnic Affairs and the Border Guard High Command for the first time, aims to honour 163 delegates from 45 ethnic minority groups in 35 cities and provinces nationwide. The oldest is 82 years old and the youngest is 28th.

Party leader and President Nguyen Phu Trong lauded the idea of organising the meeting, while expressing his delight at improved living conditions of the ethnic minority groups, attributing the changes to the strong solidarity of the 54 groups of the country.

He described the elderly villagers and village leaders are the backbone of the villages, showing his hope that the ethnic groups will continue promoting solidarity to complete all national construction and defence tasks.

Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong describes the elderly villagers and village leaders are the backbone of the villages. (Photo: VNA)



The leader recognised contributions of the border guard force in safeguarding peace in the countrys border areas.

The delegates said that they are pleased at the great socio-economic and cultural achievements that the country has made.

They promised that they and the ethnic groups will continue joining hands together and support each other to overcome all difficulties.

They expressed their absolute belief in the leadership of the Party and State, pledging that they will keep close coordination with authorised forces to firmly protect the countrys border and land markers, contributing to building a borderline of friendship, cooperation and development.

According to Minister-Chairman of the Government Committee of Ethnic Affairs Do Van Chien, Vietnam has 1,019 border communes in 235 districts of 44 provinces neighbouring Laos, China, and Cambodia./.